BAI BANG – Sha Na Na Na

Swedish Glam Rock released their ninth studio album Sha Na Na Na, on Pride & Joy Music on March 24, 2023. The album was mixed by Mick Kastenholt at Seven Studios, JM Studios, Lord Drum Studios, and Sunshine Explosion Studio with producer Pontus Assarson and mastering engineer Martin Kronlund.

Brief Bio

Bai Bang hailing from Helsingborg Sweden was formed in 1980 as Boogie Liquor Band. The band changed the name to Double Trouble releasing four singles under this moniker before changing the name of the band to Bai Bang. The Glam Rock band’s music ranges from classic Raunchy Sleaze Rock to Melodic Hard Rock. Founding member Diddi Kastenholt writes the music and feels the best writing has been on the last four albums Rock of Life, All Around The World, Livin’ My Dream and Are You Ready. The latest album Best of Four was released on May 31, 2019. Bai Bang signed on to the German label signed a new record deal with Pride & Joy Music.

Bai Bang’s early years were formed from their own listening tastes of bands such as T-Rex, Sweet, and Kiss. They got their first major tour with Scotland’s Nazareth and have since toured with Alice Cooper, Pretty Maids, Dio, Ratt, Union, L.A. Guns, and many others throughout the years. The lineup for the band includes long-time vocalist Diddi Kastenholt and guitarists Pelle Eliasson & Christian Lindberg, bassist Tobbe Skogh, and drummer Micke Rosengren.

Sha Na Na Na

Diddi Kastenholts on this album, “Due to the pandemic we had to slow things down. But the songwriting continued. Recording in the studio was not easy to do. But finally, we could work 100% again. The results came out as the best Bai Bang album so far. 11 songs with great riffs, melodies, and catchy hooks. A great party album. Although there are some serious songs, too.“

Sha Na Na Na has a runtime of just under thirty-six minutes spread over 11 songs. The average song is three and a half minutes in length. The album kicks off with the title track, “Sha Na Na Na” kicking with the title in a repetitive chant of “Sha Na Na Na”. The song can best be described as a melodic Rock song that is in and out in three and a half minutes with very little dynamics or flare from a Glam Rock band. “My Favorite Enemy” opens with a simple riff that is repetitive yet catchy. The meaning of this song may come off as strange to some listeners. The chorus goes: “My Favorite enemy, lives deep inside of me, sweating sweating, just like a disease…”. Is this song dedicated to hyperhidrosis? The rest of the album follows the same mid-tempo rock pace.

The production is good as all the musicians come through clearly and well-balanced. The writing of the music and the lyrics feel dated on this album. “Rock Me” feels like a throw-back bubble-gum Rock song that eventually led to the death of the genre back in the early 1990s. The guitars throughout this album are rhythm guitars with very few leads and simple guitar solos. The vocals do not exhibit any dynamic changes and can be described as basic at best.

Final Thoughts

Fans of Glam Rock will be better served elsewhere as this album falls flat in just about every song.

Tracklisting

1. Sha Na Na Na
2. My Favorite Enemy
3. I Don’t Know
4. I Know All the Hits
5. I Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll
6. Motivated
7. All Alone
8. It’s Enough
9. Rock Me
10. That’s All I Need

Album Lineup

Diddi Kastenholt – Vocals
Pelle Eliasson – Guitar
Christian Lindberg – Guitar
Tobbe Skogh – Bass
Micke Rosengren – Drums