Phil Keaggy & Randy Stonehill ~ Mystery Highway (album review) ... Elvis & the Bible!

Style: classic rock, Christian
Label: Odd Body Music
Year: 2009
Home: Ohio & California

Members: Phil Keaggy ~ guitar/lead vocals/bass/mandolin/percussion
Randy Stonehill ~ lead vocals/acoustic guitar
John Sferra, Robert Gibbs ~ drums
Leo Lyons ~ bass
Mike Pachelli ~ b. vocals


Christian guitar guru Phil Keaggy has an uncanny knack to sound more like the Beatles than any of the Beatles have since they split. George Harrison wanted to make this type of music - raw, upbeat, melodic & unquestionably religious but he was only able to do so a few times before the audience turned against him ... Phil Keaggy has been lucky enough to make a long career out of it. With famed Christian singer Randy Stonehill by his side, they groove on basic 60's-esque arrangements in an album that's an informal musical sequel to Keaggy's outstanding Sunday's Child, which deliberately aimed for sounding like the Beatles, even using Ringo's drumkit. The fact that the title track "Sunday's Child" reappears here with a new arrangement & the fact that Stonehill guested on Sunday's Child only proves the sneaking suspicion that this is in many ways a sequel to that successful outing. If you liked Sunday's Child there's no way you won't enjoy Mystery Highway, maybe even a bit more as Stonehill is a much stronger & forthright singer than the soft spoken Keaggy. Every song is catchy, pop-infected & nostalgically Americana. In a hard rock forum as this is this might seem an odd inclusion, but decades ago in another musical world this style was hard rock music & without it we wouldn't have what we do today. Though, in such a forum as this one almost don't want to like this album knowing that it doesn't have anything but happy songs & no headbanging guitar solos ... it even has a song about Elvis & the Bible ("Rockin' In A Hard Place") ... but it's so upbeat 50's/early 60's-ish, but you can't help but enjoy it while being transported to the first time you heard Volunteers by the Jefferson Airplane. Let alone, sometimes it's nice to take a break from the normal, let alone turn back the clock. Keaggy & Stonehill undoubtedly know this. If you at all like either Keaggy or Stonehill this is a must own release. If you collect Christian rock this is also a must addition. This might also act as a good introduction to both artists, albeit, it's probably one of the best albums either of them have done. As for the Christian message for the non-Christian readers? You'll probably find a deeper Christian message on a Soundgarden album, believe it or not.

Bikini Kill ~ Reject All American (album review) ... Chicks who will fuck your shit up!

Style: grrrl riot, punk
Label: Kill Rock Stars
Year: 1996
Home: Olympia, Washington

Members: Kathleen Hanna ~ vocals
Billy Karren ~ guitar
Tobi Vail ~ drums
Kathi Wilcox ~ bass

The group is widely considered to be the pioneer of the “riot grrrl” movement & was notorious for their radical feminist lyrics & fiery performances. Their music was characteristically abrasive & hardcore-influenced. This is their final album, even closing with "Finale" that has the line "time to go". It's hard not to think of other girl power bands L7 & 7 Year Bitch when listening to Bikini Kill & perhaps even Hole. Though, the connection for me isn't immediately musical as BK are far more raw & garage sounding, but the dominance of pro-feminist lyrics & angst of a woman's life lumps these bands together unintentionally or not. For me, musically, BK is more reminiscent of a lot of early pre-Nirvana grunge/Seattle bands due to the simple but aggressively played three chord arrangements, overly distorted guitar that rebel against the technically proficient solos of the glam years with screaming lyrics that are more about relaying a idea than creating literary perfection. Bikini Kills lacks the more literary lyrics of 7 Year Bitch & L7 but makes up for it with early Hole like-like energy. While vocally this is more akin to the Mike Patten of Faith No More & Mr. Bungle whose vocalizing may not be the melodic or necessarily singing at all. Low production quality, or maybe they wanted the vocals to sound like they are sung from the back of a tube, doesn't help anyone's cause, let alone indecipherable screaming (i.e. "Tell Me So", "Star Bellied Baby") which I often decry on this blog as more hurtful than helpful. But, where BK lack in technical fireworks they make up with primitive energy. It's almost as if they have so much energy that they don't have the concentration to worry about how the music sounds. They've just gotta pour out that energy before it vanishes forever. L7 & 7 Year Bitch are feminist activists sending out a message while Bikini Kill is called to get the crowd roaring before hand. This is the music Courtney Love wanted to make with Hole but also wanted to have an MTV hit. A lot of people might be turned off by the punk attitude & seemingly near disregard for musical quality, but if you want to listen to the spectrum of riot grrrl & the historic movers & shakers you cannot ignore BK. Pussy Whipped is oft considered their superior release, but Reject All American is the more palatable with the energy restrained from the almost near chaotic earlier recording & the music more melodic. 

Deliverance ~ Weapons Of Our Warfare (album review) ... When Metallica goes Christian rock!

Style: Christian metal, thrash, speed metal, metal
Label: Intense Records
Year: 1990
Home: Los Angeles

Members: Jimmy P. Brown II ~ vocals/guitars
George Ochoa ~ guitars
Brian Khairullah ~ bass
Chris Hyde ~ drums

 

Another Christian metal band that has an uncanny knack for imitation. There seems to be a lot of them. This one is Kill 'Em All era Metallica, but with very un-Metallica Christian lyrics. Maybe this is the lost recordings with original guitarist Dave Mustaine? If I told you it was I'm sure your ears would agree. This is the latest in a handful of Christian metal bands I've come across that uncannily sound like a famous band, though this is the first one that sounds like Metallica as Iron Maiden seems to be the template of choice. I love Christian music, spawned from spending a couple years in the church, but I get the feeling as if these Christian bands, knowing they are on the fringe of metal, are aiming for imitation to get as many listeners as possible. They aren't aiming for experimentation or even individuality, but just sounding like everyone else. It's rather depressing & I once talked to a Christian minister who agreed. The reason I turn to Christian metal is because it offers something, or should offer something, inherently different, considering I don't particularly pay attention to the lyrics not being a Christian anymore. Though I don't like to find out about a band until after the I do these reviews I googled Deliverance as I'm so unfamiliar with modern Christian metal bands I can't help but want to know more about their careers, no matter who they sound like. Actually, the imitation drives me to want to know about their musical inspiration more. Wikipedia said "Weapons Of Our Warfare is still mentioned with hushed reverence among Christian metalheads as one of the elite speed metal albums of all time." No denying that this is a strong album on that account & with songs like "Slay The Wicked", "Greetings Of Death," "Flesh & Blood" &"This Present Darkness" & lyrics to go with them it has all the makings of a great metal album ... considering Metallica's James Hetfield grew up in a religious house & Alice Cooper, W.A.S.P.'s Blackie Lawless &Megadeth's Dave Mustaine are Christians the Christian message isn't that foreign to metal. As I said, the band is tight enough to pass this off as early Metallica. Further, I discovered: "In 1999, Lars Ulrich of Metallica hosted a show in which he named Deliverance's Weapons Of Our Warfare as one of his top ten favorite metal videos of all time." So, now you see one reason why I put a review up. Putting Metallica & Christian metal in the same sentence isn't something one tends to do. Deliverance might be fans of Metallica & aim to sound like them, while just writing lyrics about what was important to them instead of more cliched lyrics on sex, drugs & rock'n'roll. There's inherently no harm in that cause that's what all bands do. & it does have some great cover art.

Embrace Agony ~ Path To Redemption (EP) (album review) ... The jokes on you, as there is no redemption here!

Style: heavy metal, experimental, death metal
Label: self-released
Year: 2010
Home: New York City

Members: Youssef Benlamlih ~ vocals
Ivan Serge ~ guitars
Kiyomi Kubo ~ drums
n/a ~ bass

This NY outfit churns out some melodic metal that falls between the experimental energy of a raw garage band & the darkness of Tool. Tool might not be the best reference but they're the first that comes to mind, particularly given the occasional use of quasi-talking vocals. "Scars", which also features an excellent example of the aforementioned talking vocals moving between growling, has a particularly dark opening with ringing guitar chords & African-like drumming that becomes a moody riffing beast with a melodic & underplayed guitar solo to embrace the mood. This song demonstrates that agony is more than just a name but actually a description of the music. No, this isn't agony to listen to, but it is someone's cries of agony wrapped in a musical blanket. That's probably the best description I can give to the band overall, without listing further bands they sound like. Cries of agony within a range of straight-ahead metal to more experimental arrangements. I often hear metal bands as just loud & destructive riffing but Embrace Agony is the first band in a long time where I've actually felt the underlying dark mood. A mentionable highlight includes an exciting instrumental bridge in "Bleed & Burn" that briefly transforms the otherwise straight-ahead death metal. The EP also includes the destructively intense "Untouchable" that feels almost too short & "Inner Cure" with probably the most raw guitar playing on the release.

Phil Lewis' L.A. Guns ~ Waking The Dead (album review) ... Sex, drugs, rock & cliches!

Style: hard rock, glam rock Label: Spitfire
Year: 2002
Home: Los Angeles

Members: Phil Lewis ~ vocals
Tracii Guns ~ guitar
Adam Hamilton ~ bass
Steve Riley ~ drums

Guest: Ricky Beck Mahler ~ guitar

 

  The first two songs ("Don't Look At Me That Way" & "Ok, Let's Roll") open the album with some of the stronger riffs you can have this side of Alice In Chains or Megadeth & I chose those bands deliberately because it's a bit of both of them. I'll confess that after having my introduction to L.A. Guns being the one album with unique vocalist Jezzy Pearl, the remaining songs on this album just sound average to me ... or I should say, voiced by just another wannabe Blackie Lawless, Lizzy Borden, Axl Rose or any other L.A. glam rocker. But, the riffs are so strong & heavy they offset the lyrics, which do occasionally rise to the moment. One lyrically top example is "Waking The Dead" which also features some killer guitar solos. But, weak & cliched lyrics is more often than not the situation with rock bands where the subject matter is the same old sex, society & partying. This also means the ballads are weaker than the hard rockers because lyrics are the secret to most ballads being successful. But, in the midst of every one of these weak ballads comes a searing guitar solo flying out of the air. Though I hate to say it due to the history of the band Slash does often come to mind in sound & style. I'll also confess that I enjoy the later hard rock days where it wasn't necessary to slap a slow acoustic ballad in the middle of a hard-rocking album, let alone always have a ballad on every album. Okay, Poison is famous for it's ballad, but not every ballad is great & some bands are better rockin' hard. Luckily, the ballads are in the middle of the album & are quickly passed through to end the album on an equally as high note as it started, as there's nothing worse than an album that starts off strong but it's not going fast enough to win the race. This album might not have some of the fan accolades that L.A. Guns' earlier releases got but I believe it's a career highlight & among their best. This is a necessary album for 80's hair metal fans. It's pretty much a point-by-point textbook perfect album of what you expect from this style of music. But, for once, playing by the rules kicks major ass with all the elements in place & musical styles every band should cover from punk to metal to ballads to ripping guitar solos. This is the album Guns'R'Roses should have followed Use Your Illusion I & II with.

Rez Band (aka Resurrection Band, Rez) ~ Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore (album review) ... But, Jesus loves you all!

Style: hard rock, blues-rock, Christian
Label: Light Records
Year: 1981
Home: Chicago, Illinois

Members: Glenn Kaiser ~ lead vocals/guitars/keyboards
Wendi Kaiser ~ lead vocals
Stu Heiss ~ guitars/keyboards
Jim Denton ~ bass/synthesizer
John Herrin ~ drums

Additional: Tom Cameron ~ snoring

Rez Band, formerly Resurrection Band & at one point just Rez, led by Glenn & Wendy Kaiser has gone through a few eras. Their first releases were heavily 70's Grateful Dead-ish, while the 80's saw them return to their base of blues & hard rock. Most of the albums are solid releases & I'm happy recommending any one of them depending on one's musical preferences ... the only problem is that in terms of uniqueness they aren't very, except for the fact that Rez is is a father of the Christian music scene & the official band of the oldest commune in the U.S., Jesus People USA. Outside of Glenn's bluesy belting a la Paul Rodgers & Wendy's shouting Rez is fairly reflective of the times, whatever the times they happen to be recording in. But, what were the times of 1981 when Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore was released? These were odd years for many bands lost in the abyss of dying disco & was the end of or hiatus of many leading 60's bands such as The Who, Yes & the Rolling Stones, while hair rock was in its infancy being spearheaded by the first age of heavy metal bands such as Judas Priest & Iron Maiden, while new wave & punk were making waves underground. Surprisingly Rez concocted this hard rock release, with some bits of 80's synth in it & completed what is probably one of their most overall strongest 80's releases that seems to transcend the era it was recorded in. The result had more emotional blues & more fan favorite songs (as they never had any songs on the charts) than many of their albums, let alone harder rock, though not much harder, while as always great lyrics. Nearly every song on this album is catchy with not a bit of filler. This album actually features some of their more creative arrangements, reminiscent of the era they just came from & would eventually abandoned for blues (i.e. "Elevator Muzik", "Alienated", "Can't Do It On My Own" & the title track). This is really a great album of introduction to Rez, it has everything you expect from them but not in excess in any musical direction. Further, "Can't Stop Lovin' You" should be introduced into church services everywhere. Period. Also, this review needs to get credit for "snoring." This is likely the first & only time I'll ever get to write that in a review.

AC/DC ~ Back In Black (album review) ... The greatest album of mourning ever!

Style: hard rock, heavy metal, blues-rock
Label: Atlantic
Year: 1980
Home: Australia

Members: Brian Johnson ~ vocals
Angus Young ~ lead guitar
Malcolm Young ~ rhythm guitar/b. vocals
Cliff Williams ~ bass/b. vocals
Phil Rudd ~ drums

 

There are certain songs that have a distinct opening, often a guitar riff, that is so well known it'll turn the head of an entire crowd. For a band with a bassist that moving through four notes never varying the rhythm, with an equally predictable rotating drummer, a singer that has a worse rasp than Rod Stewart or Melissa Ethridge, a rhythm guitarist that's appreciated as much as that guy in Aerosmith who does the same thing, songs that are basically rocking blues & a guitarist who at nearly 60 wears school boys clothes, there are at least two tracks on this album that will have the audience moving, shouting & singing along in pure metal joy. I've actually seen it happen a couple times. It might just be luck cause the songs are relatively simple & don't immediately appear to be hits. On the other hand, it might be the fact that they are so simple compared to every other band that they hit the core of what music is all about across the board, from the sing-a-long memorable lyrics, lots of sexual energy, a head-banging beat & lots of crazy solos. AC/DC have it all, though when they made this now classic album they were debuting a new singer & might have felt that they were on the verge of losing all they worked for. Some albums are so classic it's impossible to touch them. This is one of them. Even if I tried to find something not good about it I don't think I could or at least the act would freeze me with sacrilege. Personally I prefer Brian Johnson over predecessor Bon Scott. For me this is the highlight of the band. What came after was good but never as solid overall as this initial release that was raw, questioning, a bit restrained & a tribute to a late singer. They made some good albums but no classic like this one. For me, the free-spirited wildness of the earlier stuff all came together here into something tempered & addicting. I hate to say this, but I can't imagine the zany Bon Scott singing these songs with the same effect. But, rest his soul.

Allen Peterson ~ Don't Let The Dark Out (EP) (album review) ... Wandering down a spiritual rabbit hole!

Style: Christian, hard rock
Label: self-released
Year: 1989
Home: Bellingham, Washington

Members: Allen Peterson ~ all instruments

This little collector's item privately distributed in Pacific Northwest is representative of so many little bands & musicians people won't know but not because the music is bad but because distribution was small. Actually, there's some well-known full-time musicians who suffer from the same problem. Good luck finding Queen drummer Roger Taylor's final album with his band Cross which was only distributed in Germany ... & it's the best of their three releases, too. I work in a record store in Manhattan that focuses on 70's obscure prog, another case in point. I'm not talking about Yes or Pink Floyd but bands with a single release that are finding new fans, or lost fans, through small reissues via small labels. Allen is a guitarist, songwriter & singer in Bellingham, Washington, the home of the Posies & Modest Mouse, whose music is influenced as much by Led Zeppelin as it is by Rez Band's Christian blues-rock. The title track "Don't Let The Dark Out" is a warning against devil worship or something akin & sets the tone for the album lyrically with spiritually inspired themes. But, though I'm sure he probably wanted the Christian message to come through, the real focus of this four song EP is the array of Richie Blackmore-esque guitars moving from straight-forward slightly distorted riffs & arpeggios to solos spanning hard rock to blues. I was reading recently an interview with Savatage/Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Chris Caffery who said the age of the guitar solo & technically proficient guitarist is dead. Allen has crafted the traditional guitar album that Caffery bemoans the loss of. This is an album for guitar fans. & I didn't use the Blackmore reference casually. The only problem is that some of the songs seem to go a bit long, but for a four song EP that can be somewhat forgiven. Allen also played all the instruments on this small release. I assume the drums too, though I know he's not really a drummer. I've always found it interesting to hear a musician take complete control, as there's no outside personalities or ideas to change the sound or vision. This can be good & bad. A lesser musician than Allen could create a sloppy or limited outcome. But, the outcome can also totally reflect the personality of the creator. It's great getting that window in on a personality. In many ways this little release reflects the 1989 hard rock scene that only a decade later would sound horribly dated. But, now, with the revival & resurgence of metal, along with many old bands returning to the scene, I know there are folks out there who would relish in the pre-mp3 80's rawness of this release. Allen, whose also a professional graphic artist as can be seen on his website, has since gone on to heavier music which hopefully will someday be released, alongside reissuing this nugget with some bonus tracks I've heard exist. 

Mr. Big ~ Next Time Around: The Best Of ... (hits comp) (album review) ... The biggest band that never was!

Style: hard rock, glam, heavy metal, progressive rock, greatest hits
Label: Warner Music Japan
Year: 2009
Home: Los Angeles, California

Members: Eric Martin ~ vocals
Billy Sheehan ~ bass
Pat Torpey ~ drums
Paul Gilbert, Richie Kotzen ~ guitars

Mr.B is one of those bands that has a following of faithful fans who love their stuff, many of them living in Japan where Mr.B seems to own the country, then there's everybody else who only know MTV power ballad "To Be With You". I used to be in the later category & picked up this compilation album expecting very little outside of just another glam rock band with a single hit. I'll declare I've had my head turned. This is a great band & amazingly under-rated with some top rate musicians & I'm embarrassed for having not listened to the Japanese populace. On one hand there's inherently nothing unique about Mr. Big. They are just another 80's L.A. hard rock/glam band, though more Tesla and Van Halen than Guns N' Roses and Motley Crue, with a few hits and once upon a time lots of long hair. Even with the guitar slot being held by the incredibly talented Paul Gilbert and later Richie Kotzen, also of Poison, the result is often a David Lee Roth-era Van Halen wannabe (i.e. "Addicted To That Rush" & "Take A Walk"). It might be no coincidence that bassist Billy Sheehan played with Roth. And, that's the secret to this band - the often idolized Sheehan. Though, I prefer a bassist who is a member of a rhythm section not duetting with the lead guitarist, or I should say whose name happens to be Geezer, Sheehan injects a unique rhythmic energy into the band that often is the one key factor in separating Mr.B from their peers & creating a respectable catalog of solid rock (i.e. "Alice And Kickin", "Colorado Bulldog", "Hold Your Head Up", "Green Tinted Sixties Mind") that I thoroughly recommend checking out for anyone whose been curious about Mr.B. But, as is typical of many of their peers, a lot of their repertoire does sound alike let alone like everyone else on MTV, rotating between predictable guitar slinging rampages and power ballads. But, when they focus on the song over guitar wizardry that's where the magic happens, making "To Be With You" one of their weakest hits. "Anything For You" and "Hold Your Head Up" are particular favorites of mine I'd recommend checking out. But, for all weakness of songs, nothing inherently unusual to a lot of 80's glam, this is a great album by the time your done listening, which is not what I was expecting, and you should find yourself with a new appreciation of this one hit wonder. This collection covers their entire career, though as a Japanese import it might be hard to find but any greatest hits collection should be a worthwhile purchase.

Ferox Canorus (Thy Kingdom Done) ~ Break Of Dawn (EP) (album review) ... The avengers!

Style: power metal, progressive metal, symphonic metal
Label: self-released
Year: 2009
Home: New Jersey

Members: Dan Sorber ~ guitar
Chris Colalillo ~ keyboards/vocals
Chris Allgood ~ bass/vocals
Steve Goldberg ~ drums

 

Together since 2004 FC started as a power trio that, like the history of many bands, found themselves breaking up, reuniting, expanding & turning into something they didn't expect. Having been in a band that went the opposite direction to no result except for some nostalgic rehearsal recordings I'm always pleased to see a group have success with the dynamics that is inherently a rock band. As for their music ... it's good to see them have success there too with a great sound. "Dark Knight" opens their first EP with keyboards playing a droning textured background against classical piano rolls, that continue through the song, before breaking into soaring guitars and eventually a pounding riff and group singing. Dream Theater might be a close proximity, as it's hard to describe a band without bringing in a reference point, sans the LaBrie's soaring vocals. Actually, the gritty vocals would be the complete opposite of LaBrie and create quite a counter to the music as not just are two voices echoing each other but they remind me more of a punk band in style and energy but without shouting. I can imagine a producer probably recommending, for their betterment, bringing in some chick singer with lots of high notes or a someone like Z.P. Threat formerly of Dragonforce. But, then, they'd probably end up sounding like Dragonforce or Nightwish and lose that interesting counter-point that makes your ears perk up a bit more. Not every song is of the Dream Theater-esque melodic progressive style. "Tomorrow", "Break Of Dawn" and "Freedom" are all more straight ahead power metal, albeit "Tomorrow" features a creative dueling keyboard and guitar solo. Though, when I say straight ahead power metal I'm not talking the bombastic Firewind or Van Halen but a lot more melodic a la Jon Oliva's Pain, which I chose because their melodic metal also feature gritty vocals. The ending song "The Avenger" takes a similar approach to "Dark Knight" but with a an interesting and unexpected harpsichord sounding keyboard and some of FC's most aggressive playing, perfect for the comic book imagery of the avenger they're singing about. FC is a very interesting band that in five tracks is still undoubtedly experimenting. I await their first full length where they really have room to go some interesting places ... if not throw in a few more superheroes! In 2012 the band renamed itself Thy Kingdom Done.

Proud ~ Fire Breaks The Dawn (album review) ... An unknown blast from the past gem!

Style: heavy metal
Label: EMI
Year: 1984
Home: Sweden

Members: Anders Magnell ~ vocals
Peter Horvath, Magnus Olson ~ guitars
Bobby Horvarth ~ bass
Anders Holmqvist ~ drums

This unknown gem from the past features a hard dose of powerhouse metal a la the thrash tradition, albeit, there was no thrash tradition in 1984 so it's probably more accurate to say it's probably a la Judas Priest. When I first started listening to the album I didn't jump up out of my seat to write a review. It's a bit predictable as this style goes. Then, I got to track 3 "United World." Then, I went back to track 1 to re-listen until I got to track 3 again. Then, I did it again. Then, I realized that I had to write something about this band, even if a short word. I normally listen to albums straight through, both casually & for these reviews. Once in awhile, bison b.c., Graham Bonnett & Live being other once in a whiles, I get stuck at the beginning of an album not wanting to go on because the album has opened with a bang. Though this band is dated & predictable sounding the magic seeps into you. What caught my ear was the twin Judas Priest-esque distorted guitars riffing away. At first I thought I was just going to hear a bunch of buzz saws chopping logs, but actually the riffs are incredibly melodic & intricate with the two guitars often echoing each other but it's so subtle you miss it. It's like watching waves in the ocean not noticing the crabs scurrying around until you step in. This is a band that came & went but left this single slab of amazing under-heard metal, even though it was released on a major label. & if you're wondering, it's all in English.

Iggy Pop & the Stooges ~ Nude & Rude: The Best Of ... (comp) ... He just wants to be your dog!

Style: classic 60's/70's, hard rock, punk
Label: Virgin
Year: 1996
Home: Michigan

Members of the Stooges: Iggy Pop ~ vocals/guitar
Ron Asheton ~ bass/b. vocals
Scott Asheton ~ drums
Dave Alexander ~ bass
James Williamson, Ron Asheton ~ guitar/b. vocals

Additional: Waddy Wachtel, Jay Joyce, Eric Schermerhorn, Phil Palmer ~ guitar
Leigh Foxx, Charley Drayton, Laurent Thibault, Hal Cragin, Chuck Domanico, George Murray ~ bass
Kenny Aronoff, Paul Garisto, Dennis Davis, Michel Santangeli ~ drums
Nicky Skopelitis, Seamus Beaghen, Jamie Muhoberac ~ keyboards
Scott Hackwith, Sweet Pea Atkinson, Sir Harry Bowens, Alex Brown, Ray Mitchell ~ b. vocals
John Harden, David McMurray ~ saxophone
Kevin Armstrong, Ricky Gardiner ~ guitar/b. vocals
Malcolm Burn ~ guitar/keyboards/harmonica
David Lindley ~ violin/mandolin
Tony Sales ~ bass/b. vocals
Hunt Sales ~ drums/b. vocals
Scott Thurston ~ bass/guitar/harmonica/keyboards/b. vocals
Brian Glascock ~ percussion/drums/b. vocals
Erdal Kizilcay ~ synthesizer/bass/drums/b. vocals

Guests: Kate Pierson, John Hiatt, Henry Rollins ~ vocals
Jeff Bova ~ programming
John Cale ~ piano/sleighbell/viola
Larry Mullen, Jr. ~ drums
David Bowie ~ keyboards/guitar/saxophone/xylophone/b. vocals
Carlos Alomar ~ guitar/b. vocals
Steve Jones, Slash ~ guitar
Duff McKagan ~ bass

I have mixed feelings on Iggy Pop. He's such an interesting character, an obvious showman, intimately tied up with my favorites the iconic Lou Reed & David Bowie ... but other than his work with the Stooges I've found his solo output to be often unlistenable if not just tedious experiments in poor lyrics & musical boredom. A few albums are good but none are really great. For every great song there's a couple that drown in shallow waters. Iggy is to me an ongoing musical experiment with no identity of his own, though he does a great Bowie imitation. So, with that in mind I both joyfully & disappointingly recommend this album for those wanting to hear what all the fuss is about. I'd prefer to have a studio album rather than a compilation to recommded, which is the disappointing part. But, all the hits are here & he had many, though maybe recognizable songs is a better phrase than chart-topping hits. This collection goes right through his solo career to the 90's, while opening with the Stooges (i.e. "I Wanna Be Your Dog", "Search & Destroy", "Gimme Danger" & "No Fun"). The Stooges stuff is some of the strongest with the rest being a demonstration of someone with multiple personality syndrome trying to discover themselves while retaining all the energy & unpredictability of youth. The first time I heard the guitar solo on "I Wanna Be Your Dog" I was in love with the Stooges. I've always loved following favorite musicians out of their bands & into their solo careers & it's always been disappointing that I've not been able to come to terms with Iggy's solo career outside this one greatest hits collection. As long as you're okay with the fact that if you like one song there probably won't be too many more that sound like it, you're probably going to greatly enjoy this collection. I'm sure you'll even like the album so much that you'll fall into the trap of wanting to hear the individual albums. I did. Don't imitate me. Stick with this introduction & you'll have the essential Iggy. & definitely check out the Stooges. Though the interesting thing about this album is it totally skips a few albums unlike other bands' comps that pull something from every album. Hmmm. What's that say about his solo work? Though ... if you really want the best of Iggy hit youtube for some live concerts. That's where the magic really is, let alone the fact this guy just keeps going with no letting up.

Winter Nights ~ Winter Nights (aka debut) (EP) (album review) ... Thrashy nights!

Style: thrash, death metal, heavy metal
Label: self-released
Year: 2010
Home: New York City

Members: Jeremy ~ lead vocals/rhythm guitar
Ef ~ lead guitar/b. vocals
Monster Mike ~ drums
Carmine ~ bass

Additional: Rafael ~ bass/drums/b. vocals

When I was a boy I had a fascination with the origin of band names. I don't pay much attention these days but the description on WN's myspace page struck me as interesting. "The meaning of Winter Nights is the gathering to celebrate a new coming, a time for remembering the dead, and a festival to honor our will for life." My immediate thought was that while the name is great the meaning doesn't exactly shout death metal. It doesn't exactly shout death or anything morbid or satanic & sounds like something more akin to Savatage's rock operas. But, then, those of us who listen to a lot of the genre know that there's a lot more to the metal picture. It's not just all noise & lyrics to match. Having just mentioned Savatage I can't help but mention them again to describe the music of WN. "Deceptive Dreams" could actually be off of a Savatage album with it's hauntingly emotional guitar opening to then suddenly pick up speed with double bass & a growl. With some bands this is where the song goes to hell. But, actually, it's a very atmospheric ride WN takes us on. The growl deceptively hides an forthcoming vocalist that is more akin to Rammstein than the undecipherable growl you might expect to ruin the music. Listening I can't help but imagine the collective voice of marching soldiers stomping down the road on the road to battle. "What Compels The Dead" is another highlight with a great soft bass solo for the bridge before returning to a Storm Trooper rhythm. WN know just when to bring in some variation into the thrash onslaught to keep the music from getting predictable. Being a young band means they also have unmixed demos available to the public. Including demos can often hurt a band because you hear how much better they are with some better production or, I should say, how bad they really are. I won't say that the production helps WN any, though fathers of the scene Mayhem & Burzum have far far worse quality, but luckily it doesn't hurt them either. There's no question that these guys are good, particularly when an acoustic guitar comes out of the mix on "Meet Your Maker". If anything the demos put more emphasis on the vocals & my request to the band never to change singer or to have him change how he sings cause you've found the perfect voice for the music, something so many bands hunt for unsuccessfully. If you like thrash with a dose of creativity this is a good band to keep an eye out for. I wish them all the best in their future creativity.

John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band ~ Eddie & The Cruisers Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (album review) ... One of the greatest fake bands!

Style: soundtrack, hard rock
Label: Scotti Bros/CBS
Year: 1983
Home: Rhode Island

Members: John Cafferty ~ vocals/guitar
Gary Gramolini ~ guitar
Patrick Lupo ~ bass
Kenny Jo Silva ~ drums
Bobby Cotoia ~ keyboards
Michael "Tunes" Antunes ~ saxophone

I was very disappointed when I was visiting my parents in Washington earlier this year to discover that days after leaving John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown band were going to be performing at the casino but a mile from their house. I've loved this band since I first saw the movie they did the soundtrack for over a decade ago, which in turn gave them a career outside of Rhode Island & East Coast bars. This might be a soundtrack to a quasi-mediocre, in all honesty, but cult favorite movie with an overly simple plot & often one-dimensional characters, but if the songs don't stay in your head I'd be surprised. These songs are a mix of soulful 1950's rock with lots of early Bruce Springsteen bar rock inflection, which is more reflective of what the producers of the movie wanted not necessarily of the Beaver Brown band itself. The second film better showcased the Cafferty sound, which is a bit more 80's than 50's, but they have a timeless Americana bar band sound regardless of what era they're drawing inspiration from that has similar strains to Bon Jovi, Little Steven & Springsteen. Cafferty isn't a perfect imitator of the 50's, but the feeling & lyrical content is close enough to know what he's aiming for & still give it his own personality. One of the things I've always enjoyed about Cafferty is his great lyric writing which are well-honed ballads of great emotional content. This is an album to watch a sunset to. The second movie features a soundtrack that's also more cohesive musically, as the first movie featured the fictitious band Eddie & The Cruisers developing their sound over the years while the second had a present day timeline of current events, but here Cafferty has pulled out all the stops lyrically & musically to follow suit with the movie & present an array of musical styles which makes up for the lack of cohesiveness. The weakest spot is "Season In Hell (Fire Suite)", in two parts, which is the climax of the film & works better on film where only snippets are heard. Otherwise it's an experimental odd afterthought on the album not reflective of either Eddie & The Cruisers or Cafferty. In a strange way Cafferty would come to be so tied with the band that he would forever be known as the real Eddie & The Cruisers. Future albums by Cafferty reflect this, with: Eddie & the Cruisers: The Unreleased Tapes, which plays upon the lost tapes theme featured in the films & Eddie & the Cruisers: Live & In Concert & The Voice Of Eddie & The Cruiser: Tough All Over. The other example I can think of with a band being so tied to a movie is Spinal Tap, albeit, albeit the movie was about them & the soundtrack was successful before the movie took off. Obviously, Cafferty is still out there playing its radio friendly East Coast bar rock. Though it may not be a metal album & not particularly hard rock, it's so rare when an artist has such success from a soundtrack album that I can't ignore it & the soundtrack without doubt rocks.