Monthly Archives: July 2011
Joe Bonamassa – Dust Bowl
Joe Bonamassa – Dust Bowl (2011, J&R Adventures)
1. “Slow Train” … 6:49
2. “Dust Bowl “… 4:33
3. “Tennessee Plates” … 4:18
4. “The Meaning of the Blues” … 5:44
5. “Black Lung Heartache” … 4:14
6. “You Better Watch Yourself” … 3:30
7. “The Last Matador of Bayonne” … 5:23
8. “Heartbreaker” … 5:49
9. “No Love on the Street” … 6:32
10. “The Whale That Swallowed Jonah” … 4:46
11. “Sweet Rowena” … 4:34
12. “Prisoner” … 6:48
Musicians:
Joe Bonamassa – Vocals, Guitar, Slide Guitar
Glenn Hughes – Vocals (“Heartbreaker”)
Beth Hart – Vocals (“No Love On The Street”)
John Hiatt – Vocals (“Tennessee Plates”)
Vince Gill – Guitar (“Tennessee Plates”, “Sweet Rowena”), Vocals (“Sweet Rowena”)
Blondie Chaplin – Guitar
Carmine Rojas, Michael Rhodes – Bass
Anton Fig, Chad Cromwell – Drums
Rick Melick – Organ, Synthesizer
Steve Nathan – Organ, Piano
Producer: Kevin Shirley
I have been curious about the “new” blues scene for quite some time. UK’s Classic Rock magazine often does features on new and old blues musicians so it got me interested and I figured I might as well start with the scene’s current modern marvel Joey Bones (or JoBo, if you prefer).
While I don’t know how this compares to Bonamassa’s previous efforts, Dust Bowl is all that a current blues-guitarist’s album should sound like. While it’s fairly standard for blues artists to cover old blues songs (only half the album features original material), I think I would get very bored if this album was just a repeat of songs from decades and decades ago. Luckily, Joe isn’t content to merely dig up the past.
Fans of Stevie Ray Vaughan will enjoy this album a lot as that is who I am reminded on songs like “Slow Train” and “You Better Watch Yourself”. Still, Joe’s own style shines through with “Dust Bowl” (my favorite track and the most accessible), the ballad “The Last Matador of Bayonne” (which sounds like it could’ve been on one of Black Country Communion’s albums), the excellent “Black Lung Heartache” (which start off sounding like bluegrass then turns into hard rock) and “The Whale That Swallowed Jonah”. Another high point on the album is “The Meaning of the Blues”. A lot of passion behind that song and it is the epitome of a great blues song, IMO.
Despite Joe being known primarily as a blues rock guitarist, country/folk music and classic rock have their places on this album. John Hiatt’s “Tennessee Plates”, Vince Gill’s “Sweet Rowena” and Free’s “Heartbreaker” are all covered. Hiatt and Gill both pitch in on their respective songs while “The Voice of Rock” Glenn Hughes lends his voice to “Heartbreaker” and again this is a song that could’ve ended up in BCC. Heck, Joe even covers Tim Curry’s “No Love On The Street” with Beth Hart lending vocals. I never even knew Cardinal Richelieu had an album… much less three! I always thought his musical experiences were tied only to the theater and Rocky Horror Picture Show.
In the liner notes (where he comes across as very likable, down-to-earth and funny), Bonamassa states this is his best album yet. Hey, aren’t the latest releases always the “best yet”? While he kinda has to say that and I’m still a novice when it comes to Joe, he may be right. This is a very good collection of original material and some choice covers. I’d love for his next album to feature and even higher percentage of original numbers with maybe just one or two covers thrown in.
Blues rockers will really enjoy this one and it makes me wanna pick up Joe’s earlier albums.
Highlights: ”Slow Train”, “Dust Bowl”, “The Meaning of the Blues”, “Black Lung Heartache”, “No Love On The Street”
http://www.facebook.com/JoeBonamassa
http://www.jbonamassa.com
Def Leppard – X
Def Leppard – X (2002, Island Records)
1. “Now” … 3:58
2. “Unbelievable” … 3:58
3. “You’re So Beautiful” … 3:31
4. “Everyday” … 3:08
5. “Long Long Way To Go” … 4:38
6. “Four Letter Word” … 3:07
7. “Torn to Shreds” … 2:56
8. “Love Don’t Lie” … 4:46
9. “Gravity” … 2:33
10. “Cry” … 3:17
11. “Girl Like You” … 2:49
12. “Let Me Be the One” … 3:29
13. “Scar” … 4:59
Band:
Joe Elliott – lead vocals
Rick “Sav” Savage – bass guitar, vocals
Rick Allen – drums
Vivian Campbell – guitar, vocals
Phil Collen – guitar, vocals
Producer: Pete Woodroffe & Def Leppard
It’s been a long time coming but I finally sat down and gave this album another spin. I bought it as soon as it came out and probably gave it 4 or 5 spins before deciding it was a disappointing follow-up to Euphoria. 9 years later, I’m listening to it again. I would’ve actually checked it out (again) a few years earlier but I lost my copy and finally snagged another copy a year or two ago.
Euphoria was no slouch of an album. It’s their most recent album to go gold, “Promises” was a minor radio hit, the album was hailed as a return to form by fans & critics alike after the alternative leanings of Slang and the band was all over VH1 at the time enjoying the renewed popularity that many “eighties bands” were experiencing.
So why, then, did the band go in yet another direction by turning in their poppiest, softest-rocking album to date? Well, I guess the lure of the almighty dollar was just too much. Sure, they sold 500,000 copies of the last album but what about going double platinum like Bon Jovi did?
Obviously inspired by the success of Bon Jovi’s Crush and “It’s My Life”, Def Leppard recruited some of the very same songwriters that the boys from Jersey had partnered with on that 2000 release. Names like Max Martin, Andreas Carlsson and Wayne Hector were all over the place in the late ’90s/early ’00s as they wrote hits for a number of boy bands like Backstreet Boys and pop tarts like Britney Spears. The band was obviously content to just let the “hits” come to them as not a single member had a hand in writing “Unbelievable” or “Long Long Way to Go”!
It blew my mind at the time that Def Leppard was able to recover from the cold response for Slang by handing in Euphoria (one of their best albums, IMO) and then do another turnaround with X. I actually lost a bit of respect for the band at the time because it was such an obvious cash grab and phony attempt at staying relevant.
Nine years on, my judgment isn’t as clouded and I can look back and say there are a number of good tracks on this album despite a few tracks where the band tries to play the role of a boy band. Funny thing is, the songs I ended up liking most are on the first half of the album — the half that features lots of outside co-writing credits! Tracks 6-13 were all written by the band with only producer Pete Woodroffe stepping in to co-write a few songs.
The one song I instantly loved off this album was “Now”. To me, that is a classic Def Leppard sounding song and actually does sound like something to follow-up Euphoria with. “Scar” is another very good guitar-oriented song that rocks a bit harder than the rest and sounds close to something they might’ve done in the ’80s.
The album is full of mid-tempo numbers and ballads. It’s a complete pop album but I have a lot more respect for it now. It’s not a classic but it’s not bad at all and I upgrade it to “decent” and remove it’s previous status of “bland”. Maybe I’m going soft.
Highlights: “Now”, “Unbelievable”, “You’re So Beautiful”, “Everyday”, “Love Don’t Lie”, “Cry”, “Scar”
http://www.defleppard.com
http://www.facebook.com/defleppard
Buy ‘X’ on Amazon.com!
Mr. Big – What If…
Mr. Big – What If… [Russian Import] (2011, Frontiers Records/IROND Records)
1. “Undertow” … 4:49
2. “American Beauty” … 3:44
3. “Stranger In My Life” … 4:26
4. “Nobody Left to Blame” … 4:20
5. “Still Ain’t Enough for Me” … 3:04
6. “Once Upon a Time” … 4:03
7. “As Far as I Can See” … 3:55
8. “All the Way Up” … 5:12
9. “I Won’t Get in My Way” … 4:40
10. “Around the World” … 3:51
11. “I Get the Feeling” … 4:34
Bonus Track
12. “Unforgiven” … 4:16
Band:
Eric Martin – Vocals
Paul Gilbert – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Billy Sheehan – Bass, Backing Vocals
Pat Torpey – Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
Producer: Kevin Shirley
I waffled back and forth on picking this one up more than John Kerry because Mr. Big has never been of much interest to me. Sure, I own Lean Into It and despite that record having some standout tracks, I never thought it was ever good enough to where I needed to hear the rest of their catalog. The first few times I listened to “Undertow” after it was released late in 2010, I wasn’t impressed a bit and I had pretty much made up my mind I wasn’t going to get the album. But then the album was highly recommended to me by Rob Rockitt over at Hard Rock Hideout, so here we go…
After having listened to “Undertow” numerous times since getting this album (the song was on my iPod which is a high honor), I have to say I absolutely love it. Especially the break where it gets a bit funky. Other favorites are the metallic “American Beauty” and the ballad “Stranger In My Life”. “American Beauty” is apparently an old Mr. Big song that didn’t make their debut album. Reminds me a lot of Van Halen or David Lee Roth’s “Shy Boy” (which Sheehan also played on).
The album features a good mix of heavy numbers along with the slick melodic rock they are more known for. No offense to him, because even with a bit of wear he’s still a fine vocalist but I’ve always had a hard time buying Eric Martin on Mr. Big’s heavier and faster songs. I think he has a voice that is much more suited to the polished melodic rockers. Other than that, the musicianship on this album is fantastic and that really goes without saying. The interplay between Billy Sheehan & Paul Gilbert is amazing. Pat Torpey drives the songs and I have much more respect for him having watched a few of the band’s recent live clips on YouTube.
“Unforgiven” is a bonus track included for the North American/European release. I thought maybe we finally stuck it to Japan (Mr. Big’s biggest market) since they ALWAYS get bonus tracks but they ended up getting the exclusive “Kill Me With A Kiss” on their release. Anyway, it’s a decent tune that again showcases Gilbert & Sheehan.
The album has been pretty well reviewed by fans of the band and melodic rock sites so I imagine virtually anyone that’s liked what this band has done in the past will like this album. For me, I like the album but it isn’t something that will ever get much play from me. There’s just something missing from this band. Maybe it’s that they’re too good of musicians and too polished.
This is a used copy I picked up from Amazon.com… turns out it’s a Russian import and looks like it was released in collaboration with UK’s Classic Rock magazine — cool!
Highlights: “Undertow”, “American Beauty”, “Stranger In My Life”, “Nobody Left To Blame”, “I Won’t Get In My Way”
http://www.mrbigsite.com/
http://www.facebook.com/mrbigmusic
Liberty N’ Justice – Chasing A Cure
Liberty N’ Justice – Chasing a Cure (2011, Roxx Records)
1. “Say Uncle” (Paul Shortino of Quiet Riot / Rough Cutt, Ron Keel of Keel & Eddie Ojeda of Twisted Sister) … 4:27
2. “Throwing Stones” (Donnie Vie of Enuff Z Nuff & J.K. Northrup of King Kobra) … 4:16
3. “Paige’s Song” (Philip Bardowell of Magdalen/Unruly Child/The Beach Boys & Tony Palacios of Guardian) … 4:09
4. “Playing God” (Terry Ilous of XYZ, Jeff Paris and Richard Kendrick of Near Life Experience) … 3:47
5. “Chasing a Cure” (Benny Mardones, John Pine & Bill Leverty of Firehouse) … 4:29
BONUS TRACKS
6. “Black Or White” (Terry Ilous of XYZ, Alton Hood of D.O.C., & J.K. Northrup of King Kobra) … 3:57
7. “Quicksand Jesus” (Kelly Keeling of Baton Rouge) … 5:29
8. “Snake Eat Snake [Electric Version] (David Raymond Reeves & Don Webster of Neon Cross) … 4:53
9. “Butterface” (Mark Allen Lanoue of Biloxi & Joshua Perahia of Joshua) … 3:56
10. “When Mullets Ruled The World” (Philip Bardowell of Magdalen/Unruly Child/The Beach Boys & J.K. Northrup of King Kobra) … 4:16
11. “Ground Zero” (Kelly Keeling of Baton Rouge, Kerry Livgren of Kansas, & Carmine Appice) … 8:20
12. “Eve” [demo] (Tommy Denander on guitars) … 3:18
13. “Damascus Road” [demo] (Tommy Denander on guitars) … 3:43
Liberty N’ Justice is a Christian hard rock band that began in the early 1990s and has shifted into more of a melodic rock project in recent times. I say “project” because each LNJ release now features a variety of guest musicians with the only constant being founding member Justin Murr.
This particular release was originally an EP and was a digital download only. It was done to help raise money for The Epilepsy Foundation and help raise awareness about epilepsy. I guess the project was enough of a success that a physical pressing of the album was produced with 8 “bonus” tracks turning Chasing a Cure into a full-length album.
I’d been aware of LNJ for a number of years but was always surprised at how low-key the hype around the releases seemed to be considering the talent that was involved. This a truly all-star outfit as Lou Gramm, Phil Collen, Sebastian Bach, Chris Jericho, Michael Sweet, Jack Russell, Stephen Pearcy, Phil Lewis, Jamie St. James, Robert Mason and Jani Lane (yes — all THREE Warrant vocalists) have all appeared on various albums. On this release alone Paul Shortino, Ron Keel, Donnie Vie, Carmine Appice, Eddie Ojeda, Bill Leverty and Kerry Livgren all pitch in alongside members of XYZ, King Kobra, Baton Rouge and various other Christian rock bands.
Let me put this out there — despite some of the names I mentioned, this is most definitely a melodic rock album. I’m talking “Why didn’t Frontiers release this?” melodic. So for me, a few songs fall short. A few are too slow or too polished for my tastes but this is still a solid release overall. The only song I truly cannot stand is “Snake Eat Snake” which sounds like something from the grunge era and is so bad I’m wondering if it’s meant as a joke! The hardest rocking song on the album is “Butterface”, which is pretty modern and kinda reminds me of Velvet Revolver. “Ground Zero” reminds me of Kansas which is no surprise with Livgren participating on this track.
A couple of good cover songs are thrown in on the bonus portion of the album. XYZ’s Terry Ilous does a great job on Michael Jackson’s “Black Or White” and Baton Rouge’s Kelly Keeling is truly impressive on Skid Row’s “Quicksand Jesus”. No offense to the rest of the album but it is this take on “Quicksand Jesus” that I have listened to most (but to be fair, it is one of my favorite Skid Row songs).
Frequent MelodicRock.com visitors will probably get much more mileage out of this album than I have but I still liked it a lot and the money goes towards a good cause so go buy it!
Highlights: “Say Uncle”, “Throwing Stones”, “Playing God”, “Quicksand Jesus”, “Butterface”, “Ground Zero”
Black Country Communion – 2
Black Country Communion – 2 (2011, J&R Adventures)
1. “The Outsider” … 4:23
2. “Man In The Middle” … 4:35
3. “The Battle for Hadrian’s Wall” … 5:11
4. “Save Me” … 7:43
5. “Smokestack Woman” … 5:10
6. “Faithless” … 5:12
7. “An Ordinary Son” … 7:59
8. “I Can See Your Spirit” … 4:12
9. “Little Secret” … 6:59
10. “Crossfire” … 6:03
11. “Cold” … 6:55
Band:
Glenn Hughes – Lead Vocals, Bass, Backing Vocals
Joe Bonamassa – Guitar, Backing Vocals, Lead Vocals (“The Battle for Hadrian’s Wall”, “An Ordinary Son”)
Jason Bonham – Drums, Percussion
Derek Sherinian – Keyboards
Producer: Kevin Shirley
Now this is how you do it! Black Country Communion is a band that is cranking out albums with old school pacing — only nine months have passed since they released their debut! How long will we have to wait until the third album?
In comparison to the self-titled debut, 2 is “more of the same” and that’s not a bad thing at all. The band continues with the same classic hard rock style from last year that makes use of blues-rock and a Led Zeppelin influence. Speaking of Led Zeppelin, the influence is even more apparent on 2 – Jason Bonham is pounding away just as his dad did and there are Middle Eastern influences sprinkled throughout thanks to the keyboards. If “I Can See Your Spirit” and “Save Me” aren’t worthy of being a Zeppelin songs I don’t know what is. In the case of “Save Me”, it just so happens it’s the only song on the album that all four members of the band wrote together.
The Middle Eastern touches also remind me of early Rainbow and alternately there are times when Sherinian does a fine job of making you think you were listening to Deep Purple. But obviously these are all top notch musicians. Joe isn’t just a great blues guitarist, he’s a great ROCK guitarist, Jason is too good to have spent most of his life as a journeyman drummer, Derek shines on this album more so than on the debut and Glenn Hughes still hasn’t lost his touch. I know that Glenn can be an acquired taste but when the guy is singing no-frills hard rock such as this, I can’t see how you can’t be impressed. Definitely one of the best vocalists alive today.
Of course, it isn’t ALL classic rock. Joe Bonamassa has almost been on equal ground with Hughes when it comes to the songwriting in this band. On the songs that Joe actually sings, it really sounds a lot similar to his solo material. “The Battle for Hadrian’s Wall” and “An Ordinary Son” would’ve easily fit on his latest album Dust Bowl.
It’s being said that this album is a “grower” but I felt the original was that way too. It took me about 2-3 spins before I really got into this album but once I did I knew it was great. The album clocks in at sixty-four minutes with the songs averaging about six minutes a piece but it’s well worth the investment to take the time and listen.
Hughes was crowing about how much better this album was than the debut and that BCC now truly feels like a real band. Well, I agree BCC does feel like a real band now but I think the debut is slightly better. Still, this album receives a definite thumbs up from me and here’s hoping BCC continues on after this album/tour.
Highlights: “Man In The Middle”, “Save Me”, “Smokestack Woman”, “Faithless”, “I Can See Your Spirit”, “Cold”
http://www.bccommunion.com/
http://www.facebook.com/bccommunion
Heart – Red Velvet Car
Heart – Red Velvet Car (2010, Sony Music/Legacy Recordings)
1. “There You Go” … 3:36
2. “WTF” … 3:26
3. “Red Velvet Car” … 2:59
4. “Queen City” … 4:16
5. “Hey You” … 4:13
6. “Wheels” … 3:06
7. “Safronia’s Mark” … 4:03
8. “Death Valley” … 3:55
9. “Sunflower” … 3:42
10. “Sand” … 4:07
Band:
Ann Wilson – Lead Vocals, Flute, Backing Vocals
Nancy Wilson – Guitar, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Mandolin, Autoharp, Dobro
Ric Markmann – Bass
Ben Smith – Drums, Percussion
Additional Musicians:
Ben Mink – Guitar, Gypsy Fiddle, Viola, Lap Steel, Backing Vocals
Craig Bartock – Dobro
Producer: Ben Mink
Really missed the boat on this one last year when it was released. I liked “WTF” a lot but many reviews I read about this album said it was mellow and laid-back so I made it a low priority and then eventually forgot about it. Thankfully, seeing Heart perform with Def Leppard recently has reignited my interest in the band. Along with buying a few of their older albums, I also wanted to hear what Heart sounds like today and was able to pick this one up pretty cheap.
I was also under the impression that a good portion of this album featured some re-recordings, another reason I was turned off from this album. Turns out I was wrong. All but “Sand” are brand new. That song originally appeared on the Wilson sisters’ Lovemongers side-project album Whirlygig in 1997.
I gotta say Red Velvet Car stands strong as a worthy chapter in the band’s history. So many of these songs sound like classic (1970s) Heart. “WTF” is right up there as one of my favorite Heart songs and while “There You Go” is a bit too mid-tempo to kick off an album, I think, it too fits the “classic Heart” mold. So the album is a bit laid back but that’s not really unexpected from Heart. They’ve always had a folksy vibe and have never shied away from acoustic-based rock and both are apparent here. Oh, and the Zeppelin influence is still here as well. Just listen to “Wheels” and “Death Valley”.
It’s not so much that the songs are slow (well, except for “Sand”), most are mid-tempo, they just aren’t heavy. There’s no “Magic Man”, “Crazy On You”, “Straight On” or “Barracuda” but that’s okay because a good song is a good song. The Wilson sisters are accomplished singers, musicians and songwriters. They know how to write great songs whether they rock hard or not. Rolling Stone compared the mellow vibe to that of Dog & Butterfly and I have to agree. I think any fan of that album would enjoy Red Velvet Car a lot. In fact, any fan of ’70s Heart will enjoy this album.
Better late than never that I picked this one up. One of the better albums from 2010.
Highlights: “There You Go”, “WTF”, “Queen City”, “Hey You”, “Wheels”, “Death Valley”
KISS – Smashes, Thrashes & Hits
KISS – Smashes, Thrashes & Hits (1988, Mercury Records)
1. “Let’s Put the X in Sex” … 3:48
2. “(You Make Me) Rock Hard” … 3:26
3. “Love Gun” … 3:31
4. “Detroit Rock City” … 3:45
5. “I Love It Loud” … 3:47
6. “Deuce” … 3:20
7. “Lick It Up” … 3:53
8. “Heaven’s on Fire”… 3:19
9. “Calling Dr. Love” … 3:38
10. “Strutter” … 3:38
11. “Beth” (Eric Carr vocal) … 2:46
12. “Tears Are Falling” … 3:54
13. “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” … 4:29
14. “Rock and Roll All Nite” … 2:56
15. “Shout It Out Loud” … 3:07
Smashes, Thrashes & Hits is a KISS compilation aimed at the MTV generation that had helped breathe new life into the band during the ’80s (this album itself would go onto double platinum status). There are five tracks that come from either Creatures of the Night, Lick It Up, Animalize or Asylum while eight tracks feature some of the band’s classic ’70s material. Most of the songs from the 1970s were remixed for this collection.
Basically, the remixes amount to nothing and I could care less whether I’m listening to original or “remixed” versions, they sound the same to my unrefined ears. In the case of “Beth”, the vocals were re-recorded with Eric Carr (who does quite a good job on the song). Two additional tracks were recorded for this album and along with having the Eric Carr version of “Beth”, they are the only reason I was interested in owning this album.
“Let’s Put the X in Sex” and “(You Make Me) Rock Hard” are definitely songs of the time and follow the same pattern of the Crazy Nights album that came out in 1987 (which, surprisingly, is not represented here at all). Very cheesy and sexually-driven and they’ve always sounded to me as if they could’ve been recorded by Aerosmith around the same time. That’s probably because frequent Aerosmith collaborator Desmond Child co-wrote these songs with Paul Stanley! Future Aerosmith collaborator Diane Warren (“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”) helped to co-write “(You Make Me) Rock Hard” as well.
Despite Paul Stanley swearing off both of these songs, I love them for the guilty pleasures that they are. I loved both of these songs from the first time I heard them and the lyrics are just plain cheesy hornball fun to me.
For an album that devotes half its space to the 1970s KISS catalog and half to their 1980s output, I think this is a solid compilation that does its job of representing both decades well. It’s not the compilation I would recommend for people wanting to discover the band but for the diehards that happen to love ’80s KISS? This is definitely worth picking up (can easily be found at a low price) for the two new tracks and Eric Carr’s take on “Beth”.
http://www.facebook.com/KISS
http://www.kissonline.com
Buy ‘Smashes Thrashes & Hits’ at Amazon.com
HammerFall – Infected
HammerFall – Infected (2011, Nuclear Blast Records)
1. “Patient Zero”
2. “B.Y.M.”
3. “One More Time”
4. “The Outlaw”
5. “Send Me A Sign”
6. “Dia De Los Muertos”
7. “I Refuse”
8. “666 – The Enemy Within”
9. “Immortalized”
10. “Let’s Get It On”
11. “Redemption”
Band:
Joacim Cans – Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
Oscar Dronjak – Guitar, Backing Vocals, Keyboards
Pontus Norgren – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Fredrik Larsson – Bass, Backing Vocals
Anders Johansson – Drums
Producer: Pontus Norgren & Oscar Dronjak with James Michael
This is the second HammerFall album I’ve heard (the first being their album of cover songs called Masterpieces). I’ve been aware of the band for years but with modern power metal not really my cup of tea, I’ve stayed away from them for the most part. The few samples I ever did listen to online never really impressed me and seemed cheesy and generic (as most power metal does to my ears).
When I found out that James Michael was producing this album, I thought that this could be an interesting partnership and wanted to check it out. Michael has written, mixed, engineered and/or produced for the Scorpions, Motley Crue, Papa Roach, Trapt, Hillary Duff, Saliva, Sara Evans, Halestorm, Vince Neil, 12 Stones and Meat Loaf in addition to being the vocalist/producer in Sixx:A.M. My hopes were that with Michael in the booth he could steer the band into a more modern direction so I wouldn’t have to sit through 11 tedious tracks about dragons, kings, warriors, metal, gods, thunderstorms, hammers, swords and knights. I think Ronnie James Dio and Manowar have those topics pretty well covered, thank you.
There is a loose zombie theme starting with the album’s title, cover art and photos inside the booklet. I think this is where some HammerFall fans allowed their eyes to judge instead of their ears as I’ve seen many reviews online calling this album mediocre or flat-out poor. Zombies in power metal? Blasphemy! This is no concept album and ”Patient Zero”, “Dia De Los Muertos” and “Immortalized” are really the only songs that seem to reference the living dead. Upon closer inspection the rest of the songs see the band lyrically sticking to the tried & true power metal formula of talking about evil, banging your head, standing up for yourself and fighting for what you believe in.
Musically, I think HammerFall have gone in a slightly different direction than what fans may be used to. It’s still power metal/traditional heavy metal, there’s no doubt about that and there is still the aroma of cheese in the air (comes with the territory) but it doesn’t sound as dated to me like so much European power metal does.
Not sure if I’ll ever go back and check out HammerFall’s previous albums but for a first-timer, I think this album is a pretty cool and I’ve spun it probably 7-8 times since buying it.
By the way, the album comes with some cool artwork. The black & red art was inserted into the jewel case as the cover while the white & red art is the cover of the CD booklet. I like both.
Highlights: “Patient Zero”, “One More Time”, “The Outlaw”, “Send Me A Sign”, “Dia De Los Muertos”, “I Refuse”
http://www.facebook.com/hammerfall
http://www.hammerfall.net
Motley Crue – Red, White & Crue
Motley Crue – Red, White & Crue (2005, Hip-O Records/Motley Records)
Disc 1
1. “Live Wire” … 3:15
2. “Piece of Your Action” … 4:40
3. “Toast of the Town” … 3:14
4. “Too Fast for Love” … 3:21
5. “Black Widow” [Previously Unreleased] … 4:26
6. “Looks That Kill” … 4:07
7. “Too Young to Fall in Love” [Remix] … 3:38
8. “Helter Skelter” … 3:12
9. “Shout at the Devil” … 3:14
10. “Smokin’ In the Boys Room” … 3:27
11. “Use It or Lose It” … 2:39
12. “Girls, Girls, Girls” … 4:30
13. “Wild Side” … 4:40
14. “You’re All I Need” … 4:43
15. “All in the Name of…” … 3:39
16. “Kickstart My Heart” … 4:48
17. “Without You” … 4:29
18. “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)” … 4:40
19. “Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)” … 4:12
20. “Dr. Feelgood” … 4:50
Disc 2
1. “Anarchy in the U.K.” … 3:20
2. “Primal Scream” … 4:47
3. “Home Sweet Home” ['91 Remix] … 4:01
4. “Hooligan’s Holiday” [Brown Nose Edit] … 5:20
5. “Misunderstood” [Successful Format Version] … 4:58
6. “Planet Boom” … 3:23
7. “Bittersuite” … 3:19
8. “Afraid” [Alternative Rave Mix] … 4:08
9. “Beauty” … 3:46
10. “Generation Swine” … 4:40
11. “Bitter Pill” … 4:26
12. “Enslaved” … 4:30
13. “Hell On High Heels” … 4:16
14. “New Tattoo” [Single Version] … 4:02
15. “If I Die Tomorrow” … 3:46
16. “Sick Love Song” … 4:18
17. “Street Fighting Man” … 3:31
Bought this album for three reasons: “If I Die Tomorrow”, “Sick Love Song” and “Street Fighting Man”. Before anyone thinks I’m stupid for spending $15-20 for 3 songs, I actually picked up a used copy off Amazon.com for about $2.25.
Red, White & Crue is the band’s fourth compilation and came hot on the heels of the reunion of all four original members. This time it was Tommy Lee returning after having had some minor success with his rap-metal group Methods of Mayhem and two solo albums. The late Randy Castillo (ex-Ozzy) was Tommy’s replacement in the band and later when Randy became ill, Hole drummer Samantha Maloney would join the group in a touring capacity.
For my money (as little as I paid!), this album stands as the superior Crue compilation. Of the 5 compilations the band has released, this is the only collection to feature two discs (although a single disc version was released) and therefore it’s able to cover a lot more ground. It certainly makes 1998′s Greatest Hits album obsolete as it includes the two new tracks that came from that album. Quality begins to take a dip with Disc 2 as the collection is set up in chronological order and we’re taken through the Corabi album, Generation Swine and New Tattoo songs.
The album ends on a high note with three new tracks. “If I Die Tomorrow” and “Sick Love Song” are classic Crue songs in my opinion and were foreshadowing what would come later on Saints of Los Angeles. Great mix of modern hard rock and the classic Crue sound and two of my favorite Crue songs ever and in my area they both got some decent airplay. The final new track is “Street Fighting Man”, a cover of the Rolling Stones song (and Josh Freese actually plays drums on this song). A good effort though I’m not a big Stones fan. A fourth new track called “I’m a Liar (And That’s the Truth)” made it onto Japan pressings of this album. I checked the song out on YouTube and while it would’ve been nice to see it included, it’s the least pleasing of the newly recorded songs. Kinda generic.
For old school fans, there is the previously unreleased “Black Widow” (You mean there are MORE songs that didn’t make it as bonus tracks to those reissues ) which was demoed in 1983 for Shout at the Devil but morphed into “God Bless the Children of the Beast”.
Listen, anytime a band releases a “best of” or “greatest hits” compilation, the debate can rage on endlessly about which songs didn’t deserve to be on the album and which songs did. Sure, we can all sit back and pick this album apart and list what we’d take out and put in but I think this is a great career overview, warts and all. They didn’t focus only on songs from the original four members, they didn’t try to pretend Corabi didn’t exist or that they didn’t go that weird alternative/techno route with Generation Swine and I think that’s cool. For better or worse, this album shows you all eras of Motley Crue… which is what a compilation should do, in my opinion, unless you’re calling it a greatest hits album.
This is the compilation I would recommend to anyone looking to get into the band. More than likely, the most amount of enjoyment is going to be found on Disc 1 as every song there is classic old school Crue but Disc 2 still has a few gems to offer.
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Buy ‘Red, White & Crue’ at Amazon.com
Concert Review: Poison (7/07/11)
Poison
Opener: Top of the Orange
7/07/11
The Amphitheater at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama
Bret Michaels just doesn’t stop. It seems like he’s constantly touring. When Poison isn’t touring, he’s doing solo shows and even when Poison is on the road, he finds time to schedule solo shows! Poison is in the middle of a big summer tour with Motley Crue and the New York Dolls but the band has scheduled a number of headlining shows as well on off days. Warrant is opening for them on a number of those shows but unfortunately were not present for this Orange Beach concert.
Top of the Orange
I was hoping there would be someone opening the show but it wasn’t until a week before the show that The Wharf’s Facebook page announced that Mobile, Alabama-based band Top of the Orange would be curtain jerking. I checked a few of their songs out online and they seemed like a decent current-sounding hard rock band with songs that fit in with the rest of whatever rock radio decides to play these days.
Apparently they’ve been making quite a name of themselves in the Gulf Coast area and according to their website they’ve opened for 3 Doors Down, Staind, Shinedown, Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin and Theory of a Dead Man among others… Now you can add Poison to that list!
While I didn’t expect Poison to do a 2 hour to 2 1/2 hour set, I certainly didn’t expect Top of the Orange to play so long either. I thought 4 or 5 songs and then it’d be time for Poison but The Orange had played a healthy set. While Top of the Orange won’t be drawing any similarities to a band like Poison and their sound owes more to the ’90s rock scene and bands like Theory of a Deadman and Nickelback that’s what made the experience cool — you get to see a young up ‘n’ coming playing a totally different style than the veteran headliners. Variety is the spice of life!
I know I’m going to completely screw up the set list, but here’s what seems familiar (though I think I’m leaving off a song or two and I know the order isn’t right):
Set list
“Let Me In”
“Nowhere”
“Truth Be told”
“Cutting Me Off”
“Immigrant Song” (Led Zeppelin cover)
“Who Turned Off the Sun”
“Sex Kitten”
“Why Can’t”
Poison
Poison is out on the road this summer with a tour they’re calling “Glam-A-Geddon 25″ in honor of the band’s 1986 Look What the Cat Dragged In debut. Odd then that some of the band would wear Open Up and Say… Ahh! t-shirts and that album cover was a part of the stage setup. Could it be they are embarrassed by their debut album’s super glammy cover?
I’d seen Poison once before but it was a good show. Much like Def Leppard, I know they don’t change up the set list much from year to year but these guys are still a fun band and certainly the premier glam metal band and are proud of that fact so to me it was worth taking the time and money to see them again.
As I said, there weren’t too many surprises with the set list. They band went through all their signature songs but actually sounded better than when I saw in 2009 (although I think it was more of a technical issue that day). Compared to when I first saw them, they’ve dropped “Something To Believe In”, which has been played on some of the Motley shows, but added “I Want Action” (which I thought was awesome) and “We’re An American Band”.
Poison started off the show in a cool way, or maybe it was just coincidental — the lights went out, the stage started to glow and then AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” started to play and it played in its entirety as Poison’s skull backdrop was raised on the stage. Seemed like part of the show to me. Both finished about the same time and then a spotlight hits the drum kit and a guy walks out in a jacket, hat and bandanna covering his face and spray paints “Orange” on one kick drum and “Beach” on the other. He takes off the jacket and bandanna and it’s revealed to be none other than Rikki Rockett!
From there the band was on fire — literally! You had green flames, yellow flames, orange flames, pyro, etc. going off at various times throughout the night. Backdrops were changed a couple of times, it was a get stage set up. The entire band was energetic all night long and Bret is really one of the best front men to come out of the ’80s.
I was counting on Setlist.FM to already have the set list up but it’s not there yet. I KNOW these are the songs played but I may have one or two out of order. I’m about 85% sure this is the correct order though!
Set list
“Look What The Cat Dragged In”
“I Want Action”
“We’re An American Band” (Grand Funk Railroad cover)
“Ride The Wind”
“Your Mama Don’t Dance” (Loggins & Messina cover)
C.C.’s Guitar Solo
“Fallen Angel”
“Unskinny Bop”
Rikki’s Drum Solo
“Every Rose Has Its Thorn”
“Talk Dirty To Me”
Encore
“Nothin’ But A Good Time”
Just a fun night all around, the venue was not as full as the Def Leppard show but still close to being packed. Top of the Orange got a good reception, it seemed like about a fourth of the audience knew who they were so that helped add to the enjoyment of watching them. Poison was indeed “nothin’ but a good time”. The band has caught a lot of flak over the years from peers and rock fans but I’ve always enjoyed them. They aren’t the best musicians or the most thoughtful lyricists but they always bring fun and a good time to the table and what more do you really need in a rock band?
