Monthly Archives: September 2009
KISS – Love Gun
KISS – Love Gun [Remastered] (1997, Mercury Records/Casablanca Records)
Original Release: 1977, Casablanca Records
1. “I Stole Your Love” (3:04 )
2. “Christine Sixteen” (3:14 )
3. “Got Love for Sale’ (3:27 )
4. “Shock Me” (3:46)
5. “Tomorrow and Tonight” (3:38)
6. “Love Gun” (3:18)
7. “Hooligan” (2:59)
8. “Almost Human” (2:47)
9. “Plaster Caster” (3:28 )
10. “Then She Kissed Me” (3:02)
Band:
Paul Stanley – Lead Vocals, Guitar, Bass (“Love Gun”)
Gene Simmons – Lead Vocals, Bass
Ace Frehley – Guitar, Vocals
Peter Criss – Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Produced by: Eddie Kramer
An iconic hard rock record from an iconic hard rock band… And hey, guess what? The album sports an iconic album cover!
The great thing about KISS’ 1970s output was that the albums were short and sweet. The songs didn’t overstay their welcome (nothing touches the 4 minute mark here) and they usually kept the albums at 10 songs, so it really cut out the chance for filler.
Some of the band’s most well-known songs are here: “I Stole Your Love”, “Christine Sixteen”, “Plaster Caster”, “Shock Me” and of course my favorite KISS song — “Love Gun” (Paul has often said it’s his favorite as well).
“Hooligan” is another great lead vocal track by Peter Criss. I’ve always loved his voice and his songs always deliver on the KISS albums. It’s when he’s left to his own devices that his music becomes spotty. “Tomorrow and Tonight”, I have to admit, is pretty lame. It’s basically the band going for another “Rock And Roll All Nite” (“tomorrow and tonight, tomorrow and tonight, we can rock all day, we can roll all night…”). “Then She Kissed Me” is a re-working of The Crystals’ “Then He Kissed Me”. A lot of people have given this song a thumbs down over the years, but I think it’s pretty cool.
I don’t care much for “Plaster Caster” either, to be honest. It was written about Cynthia Plaster Caster, who was famous for making casts of um… male body parts. I’ve read rumors that this was written by Gene as a way to entice Cynthia to cast him, but I’m pretty sure if he called her up and asked, she would have done it. More than likely, it was just a song written to grab a few headlines and nothing more.
Highlights: “I Stole Your Love”, “Love Gun”, “Hooligan”, “Almost Human”, “Then She Kissed Me”
MEGADETH – Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?
Megadeth – Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? (1986, Capitol Records)
1. “Wake Up Dead” … 3:39
2. “The Conjuring” … 5:02
3. “Peace Sells” … 4:02
4. “Devil’s Island” … 5:04
5. “Good Mourning/Black Friday” … 6:39
6. “Bad Omen” … 4:03
7. “I Ain’t Superstitious” … 2:44
8. “My Last Words” … 4:48
Band:
Dave Mustaine – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Chris Poland – Guitar
Dave Ellefson – Bass, Backing Vocals
Gar Samuelson – Drums
Produced by: Dave Mustaine, Randy Burns, Andy Somers
Really strong album that is pointed to as one of the supreme thrash classics and is often mentioned as being better than perhaps Rust In Peace. That’s a debate I don’t care to get into because I’ve always enjoyed the more melodic side of Megadeth best (1992-onward) and for my money, Youthanasia is their best release.
Still, this is early angry Dave talking about politics, death and evil things all while and snarling and growling. You can’t go wrong with that, but it’s not an album I pull out to listen to much.
The album has a great closer with “My Last Words”, it’s definitely metal, but isn’t quite a heavy as the rest of the album. Given my Megadeth preferences, that’s probably why I like it so much.
I have the original CD pressing, but the album was remixed & remastered in 2004 by Dave himself and included remixed bonus tracks of “Wake Up Dead”, “The Conjuring”, “Peace Sells” and “Good Mourning/Black Friday”.
Highlights: “Wake Up Dead”, “Peace Sells”, “Good Mourning/Black Friday”, “I Ain’t Superstitious”, “My Last Words”
RIOT – Fire Down Under
Riot – Fire Down Under [Remastered] (1999, Metal Blade Records)
Original Release: 1981, Elektra Records
1. “Swords and Tequila” … 3:18
2. “Fire Down Under” … 2:31
3. “Feel The Same” … 4:52
4. “Outlaw” … 4:21
5. “Don’t Bring Me Down” … 2:59
6. “Don’t Hold Back” … 3:14
7. “Altar Of The King” … 4:44
8. “No Lies” … 4:18
9. “Run for Your Life” … 3:16
10. “Flashbacks” … 3:59
BONUS TRACKS
11. “Misty Morning Rain” … 3:08
12. “You’re All I Needed Tonight” … 2:58
Band:
Guy Speranza – Vocals
Mark Reale – Guitar
Rick Ventura – Guitar
Kip Leming – Bass
Sandy Slavin – Drums
Produced by: Steve Loeb and Billy Arnell
The album that was TOO HEAVY for Capitol Records. Yeah, I just found that out but thought it was pretty funny. The band recorded this album under a deal with Capitol but they weren’t happy with the finished product being so heavy. Capitol Records’ loss was Elektra Records’ gain because they had the guts to release this oh-so-heavy album.
It’s funny as the years go by what passes for heavy. There’s no doubt this is New Wave of British Heavy Metal put forth by an American band and I’m sure it really was heavy for the time, but I think of a lot of it sounds like good ol’ American classic hard rock (like “Feel The Same” and “No Lies”). As for the NWOBHM, I’m seeing comparisons to the standards like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and early Def Leppard but I think Riot sounds more similar to Diamond Head at times than anything else.
It’s amazing to think this band didn’t have a whole lot of success. Though their style has evolved with each other, just on Fire Down Under below they should been seen as American metal giants. This is a fantastic album with virtually no filler and I can’t wait to try out the rest of their releases.
Anyway, Fire Down Under was previously released on CD in 1997 by High Vaultage Records, but for some reason, the mix was drastically changed which made Riot fans want to riot. This 1999 re-issue restores the mix to its original Elektra mix (though it drops 3 of the 5 bonus tracks the ’97 re-issue had).
Can someone please explain to me the story behind this, um… I dunno — “ferret man” they had on their early albums? Those album covers are some of the worst I’ve ever seen!
Highlights: “Swords & Tequila”, “Feel The Same”, “Don’t Hold Back”, “Altar of the King”, “No Lies”, “You’re All I Needed Tonight”
BLACK SABBATH – Purple Sabbath Definitive Edition
Black Sabbath – Purple Sabbath Definitive Edition (CDR bootleg)
Recorded: November 4, 1983 at The Centrum in Worchester, MA
1. “Captured Live Intro” … 1:12
2. “Black Sabbath Intro” … 2:20
3. Children of the Grave” … 5:05
4. “Hot Line” … 5:01
5. “War Pigs” … 7:30
6. “Iron Man” … 8:59
7. “Zero the Hero” … 7:46
8. “Heaven and Hell” … 8:42
9. Guitar Solo … 8:42
10. “Digital Bitch” … 3:51
11. “Black Sabbath” … 7:52
12. “Smoke on the Water” … 5:18
13. “Paranoid” … 3:51
Band:
Ian Gillan – Vocals
Tony Iommi – Guitar
Geezer Butler – Bass
Bev Bevan – Drums
Geoff Nicholls – Keyboards
With all of the singers Sabbath has had, it’s very interesting to listen to them having to cover each other. In this bootleg of Captured Live radio show featuring a performance in ’83, we not only get to hear then-current singer Ian Gillan sing a few his own killer songs from Born Again (and Deep Purple!), but also the works from Ozzy and Dio. He does a very good job on “War Pigs” especially, I think. I’ll take a live Gillan version of “War Pigs” over the Ozzy studio version any day (yes, my dislike for Ozzy knows no limits).
I even enjoy the lengthy guitar solo. I don’t see how so many rock fans can hate it when solos come up. I often think they’re the most interesting part of live performances. You already know the songs by heart, you don’t want to listen to some different and live that you’ve never heard before? There’s also a fine performance of “Smoke on the Water”, from Gillan’s old band Deep Purple. Apparently, this cover didn’t go over well with the Sabbath fanbase at the time when they would play it at concerts, but I don’t see what the big deal was.
It’s really unfortunate that after this tour Gillan ended up leaving Sabbath to rejoin Deep Purple (even though they would would deliver a great comeback with Perfect Strangers) because this line-up produced some great live performances and one of Sabbath’s best (and heaviest) albums. It would’ve been really interesting to see where they went from here.
Highlights: “Hot Line”, “War Pigs”, “Zero the Hero”, “Heaven and Hell”, Guitar Solo, “Smoke on the Water”, “Paranoid”
www.blacksabbath.com
www.heavenandhelllive.com
www.myspace.com/heavenandhelllive
www.deeppurple.com
www.myspace.com/deeppurple
TNT – Tell No Tales
TNT – Tell No Tales (1987, PolyGram Records)
1. “Everyone’s a Star” … 3:21
2. “10,000 Lovers (In One)” … 2:54
3. “As Far as the Eye Can See” … 3:41
4. “Sapphire” … 1:14
5. “Child’s Play” … 4:25
6. “Smooth Syncopation” … :50
7. “Listen to Your Heart” … 3:18
8. “Desperate Night” … 3:33
9. “Northern Lights” … 4:10
10. “Incipits” … :50
11. “Tell No Tales” … 2:21
Band:
Tony Harnell – Vocals
Ronni Le Tekro – Guitar
Morty Black – Bass
Morten “Diesel” Dahl – Drums, percussion
Additional Musicians
Baard Svensen – Keyboards
Bjorn Nessjo – Keyboards
Carlos Waadeland – Keyboards
Hakon Iversen – Backing Vocals
Produced by: Bjorn Nessjo
TNT was one of those bands where I always saw high praise for them, but never got around to buying their albums. My first TNT album was 2004′s My Religion, which I picked up shortly after it was released. I wasn’t impressed by it, but figured maybe I needed to hear some “classic” TNT, so I later picked up this one, which was their biggest hit in the U.S. This was the album that marked a more concentrated effort to go mainstream and uses a pop metal sound (some of it reminds me of Danger Danger) while still displaying some great guitar work.
Well, I’m still not impressed all that much by TNT. There’s a few good songs here, but they are all very much of the “guilty pleasure” vibe. This is cheesy keyboard-heavy 1980s melodic hard rock. I’m not much of a fan of Harnell’s voice either. He’s just too wimpy sounding for me.
“10,ooo Lovers (In One)” was a very minor success for the band in the U.S., but the real standout is the album’s closer — “Tell No Tales” which is pure screamin’ heavy metal.
The album cover is absolutely awful. Even by ’80s standards. It’s just so boring. It looks like something that should be on the BACK of the album or perhaps inside the booklet or maybe the cover to some low-budget compilation disc.
Highlights: “”Everyone’s a Star”, “10,000 Lovers (In One)”, “As Far as the Eye Can See”, “Sapphire”, “Tell No Tales”
DIO – Magica & Killing the Dragon
Dio – Magica & Killing the Dragon (2007, Snapper Music – German Import)
Fantastic import because it is a two-disc set featuring Magica (2000) and Killing the Dragon (2002) and I picked it up online brand new for only $10. These albums had been on my “I”ll get to it someday” wish list since they were first released. I hadn’t had a full sampling of Dio’s music yet earlier this decade and I knew both albums had positive reviews at the time of their release. I couldn’t pass this up when I saw it listed. I like the album art, incorporationg both albums, but I would have also liked a more prominent representation of the original albums’ art. All we get are two TINY thumbnails of each album’s full cover on the back of the booklet insert!
Let’s break down each disc…
Disc 1: Magica (Original Release: 2000, Spitfire Records)
1. “Discovery” … 0:54
2. “Magica Theme” … 1:16
3. “Lord of the Last Day” … 4:04
4. “Fever Dreams” … 4:37
5. “Turn to Stone” … 5:19
6. “Feed My Head” … 5:39
7. “Ebeil” … 7:25
8. “Challis” … 4:25
9. “As Long as It’s Not About Love” … 6:04
10. “Losing My Insanity” … 5:04
11. “Otherworld” … 4:56
12. “Magica (Reprise)”… 1:53
13. “Lord of the Last Day (Reprise)” (Dio) … 1:44
14. “Magica Story” … 18:26
Band:
Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
Craig Goldy – Guitar
Jimmy Bain – Bass
Simon Wright – Drums
Scott Warren – Keyboards
Produced by: Ronnie James Dio
Magica is a concept album, a “science fiction tale of the future”. It’s good vs. evil and Dio’s singing about it. What more do you really need to know to get on board?
I personally think the album is a bit bogged down with instrumentals, reprises and spoken word pieces (there’s only 9 legit songs here), but all of the songs are rock solid and at least the tracks that are there only to flesh out the “concept” are fairly short. Well, “Magica Story” is extremely long. It’s Ronnie telling the tale of “Magica”. That’s interesting, but thankfully, it was included as the last track in order to skip it quite easily. =)
Overall, this is definitely one of Dio’s finer moments. I think it is similar to Master of the Moon in that it doesn’t have a lot of fast rockers, but these trudging numbers are so heavy and scream “classic Dio” so loud that it doesn’t even matter.
Veteran Dio guitarist Craig Goldy made his return with this album.
Highlights: “Lord of the Last Day”, “Fever Dreams”, “Turn to Stone”, “Feed My Head”, “Ebeil”, “Challis”
Disc 2: Killing the Dragon (Original Release: 2002, Spitfire Records)
1. “Killing the Dragon” … 4:25
2. “Along Comes a Spider” … 3:32
3. “Scream” … 5:02
4. “Better in the Dark” … 3:43
5. “Rock & Roll” … 6:11
6. “Push” … 4:08
7. “Guilty” … 4:25
8. “Throw Away Children” … 5:35
9. “Before the Fall” … 3:48
10. “Cold Feet” … 4:11
Band:
Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
Doug Aldrich – Guitar
Jimmy Bain – Bass, Keyboards
Simon Wright – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Scott Warren – Keyboards (“Before the Fall”)
King Harbour Children’s Choir — Chorus (“Throw Away Children”)
Produced by: Ronnie James Dio
This isn’t a concept album, but a bit of Dio’s fascination with the future & technology carries over from Magica as he has said the dragon in “Killing the Dragon” is meant to be technology.
Anyway, this album is another great moment in Dio’s career and one of his top albums, in my opinion. Not sure where guitarist Craig Goldy went, even though he has a few songwriting credits here. He played on Magica, skipped out on this album, then came back for 2004′s Master of the Moon. Doesn’t really matter though because his replacement here is the amazing Doug Aldrich. I was fortunate enough to catch Doug live with Whitesnake in 2009 and he’s gotta be one of the rock’s top active guitarists.
Back to this album, maybe Dio realized Magica was a plodding beast (heavy and solid, but plodding) because Killing the Dragon doesn’t have that problem. The tempo is a bit faster and some of Dio’s best numbers roost here. “Killing the Dragon” is a great opener and “Scream” is just too catchy. Who wouldn’t love a song featuring Dio screaming “SCREEEEAM”?
“Cold Feet” is my favorite song from the album (yes, I know it is a mid-tempo number). It’s got a great classic rock vibe and I like the use of keyboards in it.
An even better release than Magica. And Magica is nothing to stick your nose up at.
Highlights: “Killing the Dragon”, “Scream”, “Better in the Dark”, “Push”, “Guilty”, “Cold Feet”
ALICE COOPER – The Eyes of Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper – The Eyes of Alice Cooper (2003, Eagle Records)
1. “What Do You Want from Me?” … 3:24
2. “Between High School & Old School” … 3:01
3. “Man of the Year” … 2:51
4. “Novocaine” … 3:07
5. “Bye Bye, Baby” … 3:27
6. “Be With You Awhile” … 4:17
7. “Detroit City” … 3:58
8. “Spirits Rebellious” … 3:35
9. “This House Is Haunted” … 3:30
10. “Love Should Never Feel Like This” … 3:32
11. “The Song That Didn’t Rhyme” … 3:17
12. “I’m So Angry” … 3:36
13. “Backyard Brawl” … 2:36
Band:
Alice Cooper – Vocals
Eric Dover – Guitar
Ryan Roxie – Guitar
Chuck Garric – Bass
Eric Singer – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Wayne Kramer – Guitar (“Detroit City”)
Teddy Zig Zag – Keyboards, Accordion, Percussion
Calico Cooper – Backing Vocals
Scott Gilman – Saxophone, Clarinet
Produced by: Alice Cooper and Mudrock
It took me a few spins to fully get into this album, but its a welcome return to Alice’s roots! After producing two albums that were influenced by industrial metal (Brutal Planet and Dragontown), Alice became influenced by the glut of garage rockers that were the critics’ darlings in the early ’00s and decided to show’em how someone from the old school does it right down to the recording process — most the tracks were recorded in full live and the album was wrapped within two weeks!
The Eyes of Alice Cooper is raw and loose garage rock ‘n’ roll with some punk thrown in (though “Be With You Awhile” sounds like one of his late-70s ballads you might hear on the radio). There’s really not a whole lot of “shock rock” or dark moments like there were on Brutal Planet, Alice is out for a good time and shows it with some of his usual playful & humorous lyrics on “Man of the Year”, “Novocaine” and “The Song The Didn’t Rhyme”. The most macabre-sounding song of the bunch is “This House Is Haunted”, which for some reason always makes me think of Disney World’s Haunted House ride. Would be cool that have them play THAT while on the ride.
Even though I welcomed Alice’s move away from nu-metal with open arms, I can’t say this album is any better than his previous two efforts. They are all good albums and worthy additions to his storied career, but different beasts. If you wanna be angry, listen to Brutal Planet. If you just wanna have fun, listen to The Eyes of Alice Cooper.
Highlights: “What Do You Want from Me?”, “Novocaine”, “Be With You A While”, “Detroit City”, “Spirits Rebellious”, “This House Is Haunted”, “Love Should Never Feel Like This”, “Backyard Brawl”
