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The last few years have been a bumper time for Graham Bonnet fans, as HNE Recordings continue to reissue expanded sets from GrahamÆs back catalogue as well as Alcatrazz, Blackthorne, GrahamÆs solo albums and Yngwie MalmsteenÆs solo albums. Few singers have had such a varied career as Bonnet; first as part of The Marbles in 1968, a sporadic but successful solo career and possibly his greatest success replacing Ronnie James Dio in Ritchie BlackmoreÆs Rainbow for 1979Æs ôDown To Earthö, with the worldwide hits singles æAll Night LongÆ and æSince You Been GoneÆ. After Rainbow headlined their inaugural Monsters Of Rock festival at Donington in 1980, Graham reignited his solo career with æNight GamesÆ and the ôLine-Upö album in 1981, before briefly joining The Michael Schenker Group for 1982Æs ôAssault Attackö.By 1983 it was obvious that Graham should recapture some of his Rainbow glory days by forming a new band with a similar vein of melodic hard rock, forming Alcatrazz with a formidable but young 20 year old Swedish guitarist named Yngwie Malmsteen. Bonnet and Malmsteen made an impressive song-writing partnership, with tracks such as 'Island In The Sun' and 'Hiroshima Mon Amour' on the bandÆs debut offering, "No Parole From Rock 'N' Roll'. æJet To JetÆ, æKree NakoorieÆ, æToo Young To Die, Too Drunk To LiveÆ, æStarcarr LaneÆ and æSuffer MeÆ also featured. Making a healthy dent on the US chart, aided by videos aimed squarely at MTV, nowhere was Alcatrazz's impact felt as strongly as Japan, where the band became instant stars.Yngwie was a member of Alcatrazz for only a short time, lasting one studio LP in 1983 and a Japanese live album released the following year. Fortunately there were bootleggers on hand to record some of this line-upÆs all too few live shows. CDs One, Two & Three all feature concerts recorded in Texas in 1984, and although the illicit sound quality is far from perfect, each concert demonstrates what an exciting live prospect Alcatrazz truly were, and in Yngwie Malmsteen they had found a fiery, preciously talented lead guitarist. With only one studio LP to draw on it was inevitable that Bonnet and his new crew would pepper the set with highlights from his back catalogue, including RainbowÆs æSince You Been GoneÆ, æAll Night LongÆ and æLost In HollywoodÆ as well as Michael SchenkerÆs æDesert SongÆ from the underrated ôAssault Attackö. From the aforementioned Alcatrazz debut, highlights include æToo Drunk To Live , Too Young To DieÆ, æHiroshima Mon AmourÆ, æBig FootÆ, æIsland In The SunÆ, æKree NakoorieÆ, æSuffer MeÆ and æJet To JetÆ. These live shows were also an important place for the young Yngwie to showcase his immense talents with a Fender Stratocaster, with his lead guitar solo spot a major highlight of each show.CDs Four and Five are yet another unique and useful insight into the working of this bandÆs early work ethic, with demos and instrumentals from the 1983 debut demonstrating many of the songsÆ developments. Following YngwieÆs departure in 1984, Alcatrazz featured the undeniable talents of Steve Vai on lead guitar, before settling on the more bluesy stylings of Danny Johnson, who features on CD Six, working on various song ideas for AlcatrazzÆs third and final studio album in 1986, ôDangerous Gamesö.Whilst every effort has been made to produce the best possible audio, limitations in the material drawn from various, non-standard and unofficial sources means that the quality may not be up to the standard usually expected. All tracks have been included for their historical importance, and to present an alternative anthology of Graham Bonnet and Alcatrazz live on stage and in rehearsal, from 1983-1986.