Buckethead & Deli Creeps ~ Young Buckethead Volume 1 (DVD review) ... One guitar sandwich with extra ketchup!

Style: hard rock, heavy metal, experimental
Label: Avabella Productions
Year: 2006
Home: San Francisco, California

Concert location: Cactus Club; Basement; family reunion
Year Recorded: 1990; 1991
Length: 13+18+16 minutes
Bonus Features: none

Members: Brian Caroll "Buckethead" ~ guitar/keyboards
Maximum Bob ~ vocals
Pinchface ~ Drums/b. vocals
Tony Black ~ bass

This two volume set of 8 mm archival recordings looks back at the early days of avant-garde/metal guitarist Buckethead when the gimmick of being a non-speaking guitarist wearing a face mask & upside down KFC box was even stranger than it has since become on the national stage. It's the early underground work of Buckethead on his own & with the avant-garde band the Deli Creeps that really built him into an innovator with a reputation as a stellar guitar player long before the almost anti-climactic gig with Guns N' Roses as Slash's successor. & Tame is the keyword when watching this collection ... anything Buckethead has done since will seem tame. Buckethead, aka Brian Carroll, is zany in a niave & youthful way where he can make lots of mistakes in discovering his alter-ego as there's no constant spotlight on him, unlike today where the pressure is on. This first volume opens with a complete concert by the Deli Creeps from 1990 at a small bar creating loud & meandering rock with strange talkative vocals of the Primus sort by a strange freaking out frontman Maximum Bob ... a sight to behold. Buckethead plays a otherworldly robotic creature that comes & goes. It's not the stiltedness of Devo but something out of a fantasy film. The underground music scene has a lot of characters & it's not hard to see how Buckethead pulled out of the mesh, though it's sad that the Deli Creeps didn't last long enough to do so as a group as their Jello Biafra freak out would easily find fans. Buckethead is certainly a good & technically skilled guitarist but a lot of his playing is just noise against an awkward but strangely addicting performance that culls from the Plasmatics art rock & Alice Cooper shock theater school of thought. They disbanded before releasing anything though the audio recordings would have given them little justice & they really must be seen, preserved here but a few months old. Includes a great solo done leaning against the wall while Maximum Bob rambles & belittles everything & the drummer giggles like a fool, later followed by a guitar solo just done by swinging the guitar around the body with the fingers never touching the fingerboard. It's Buckethead at his show off best & the character is mature at an early age. Though, it's hard to say if one will be converted to a fan of Buckethead but seeing his roots will certainly bring a new understanding of his charisma ... along with what has kept him on the outside of the guitar hero club. Also included is the soundcheck of the show. Like most soundchecks its a twelve minutes that wavers between exciting & not depending on what one is watching for. Buckethead, sans mask but face fuzzed out with the cameraman saying he won't film his face, leans against the wall running Yngwie-esque scales & showing off his prowess in a way he doesn't do live. A third clip is a home movie from a year later of Buckethead with facemask only in the basement putting in an improvisational cosmic sounding keyboard performance while a guys talks & screams about getting out of a cage ... a cage that is actually a milk crate over his head. Eventually he takes the crate off & reacts to the music flipping out. Buckethead eventually appears in the background in full robotic moves moves under a transparent facemask, t-shirt & shorts. The character is being developed. The problem is that they are obviously looking in a mirror or something while the direction goes nowhere & the characters do too. But, this is what every kid sets out to do who wants to be a filmmaker. A little barely watchable movie that starts off strong but ends muddy. The last clip is one of the earliest performances of Buckethead as he performs for his family at a 1991 family gathering in the home backyard. He lets out a solo with the family making fun of him as Buckethead at first only to gravitate to cheers. It's a technical fest as he mixes together everything from Joe Satriani to Chet Atkins. Though the flannel shirt & shorts definitely don't work for the image ... guys don't look good in shorts & neither do robots, but the kid has his chops & creativity down & it's obvious from day one. No bonus features on this DVD but the fact that these movies exist & Buckethead has chosen to share them is a bonus in itself. 

Abnormal Thought Patterns ~ Abnormal Thought Patterns (aka debut) (EP) (album review) ... Nerve damage might happen!

Style: heavy metal, prog-rock, instrumental
Label: Cynnormal Lab Recordings
Year: 2011
Home: California

Members: Jasun Tipon ~ guitars/keyboards
Troy Tipton ~ bass
Mike Guy ~ drums

An in instrumental heavy prog-metal onslaught of the Dream Theater & Dragonforce variety comes out of the self-titled debut from ATP, a side project of all but the vocalist of the prog band Zero Hour. Blistering playing of the highest caliber with the highlight being that this isn't your traditional dominating lead guitar over a rhythm section set-up but a give & take of sounds, instruments, leads & rhythms right down to the bass only "Ulnar Nerve Damage". So often a lead instrument dominates an instrumental group while the rest of the band chug away at a dry rhythm but highly textured layers & changes are the key words at play here. Everyone gets a chance to shine & push the band forward for a moment in the same way that Dream Theater or even the Grateful Dead work. Take notice, stereo speakers are absolutely necessary. The one problem is that the music is, obviously, wandering & though the peaks are obvious it sometimes feels like a vocal or some other kick is needed to up the notch before the peak fades away into a rhythmic cycle losing the climax. Also, with instrumental music comes the typical problem that it's easy to find your attention wandering with the songs tending to blend together losing their distinctiveness.

Goin' Home: A Tribute To Fats Domino (album review) ... If only they cut the fat from the album!

Style: tribute, blues-rock, pop rock, classic rock
Label: Vanguard Records
Year: 2007
Home: n/a

Members: Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Robbie Robertson ~ guitar/vocals
Taj Mahal ~ guitar/harmonica/vocals
Robert Plant, Ben Harper, Joss Stone, Theresa Andersson, Walter "Wolfman" Washington ~ vocals
Olu Dara ~ trumpet/vocals
Big Chief Monk Boudreaux ~ tambourine/vocals
Marcia Ball, Bruce Hornsby, Jon Cleary, Art Neville ~ piano/vocals
Herbie Hancock, Allen Toussaint ~ piano
Renard Poche ~ guitar
Sam Bush ~ mandolin
Zigaboo Modesliste ~ drums
George Porter, Jr. ~ bass
Soweto Gospel Choir, Jubilee Singers Of Fisk University ~ b. vocals
Maceo Parker, Donald Harrison, Jr, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis ~ horns

Guest groups: John Lennon & the Plastic Ono Band

Paul McCartney & band

Elton John & band

Neil Young & band

Lenny Kravitz & band

Norah Jones & band

Willie Nelson & band

Irma Thomas & band

Lucinda Williams & band

Bonnie Raitt & band

Dr. John & band

Randy Newman & band

Marc Broussard & band

Corinne Bailey Rae & band

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk

Los Lobos

Toots & The Maytals

Skatalites

Natchezippi Band

New Orleans Social Club

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Rebirth Brass Band

Lil' Band O' Gold

Dirty Dozen Brass Band

Galactic

This 2 CD 30 track tribute came about after legendary R&B/boogie-woogie pianist Fats Domino had his home damaged in Hurricane Katrina. Many folks didn't even know he was still alive as at 79 as he'd become as reclusive as his music, i.e. seemingly non-existent. Unquestionably a legend that has inspired many the music community pooled their talents to create a tribute album of his songs giving his compositions a modern edge while also encompassing rock, jazz, R&B, country, folk & blues stylings. Money raised from this tribute went towards rebuilding Domino's home along with creating a community center in New Orleans. Some listeners enjoyed this result but others, myself included, have mixed reviews. I respect unquestionably the movement to honor Domino as he is a legend but so many tribute albums have flooded the markets over the years that its hard to judge them just in terms of being a gift to a past musician. Honestly ... some gifts are great but others are okay, while the gift says just as much about the buyer as it does the receiver which can sometimes be a problem. Further, tribute albums if done well can make you want to dig up the musician they are about not just the musicians involved. It's not about the artists today, it's about the artist of the past. There's two problems with this tribute. One is the length. It's a laborious listen & as every track, except for two by Robert Plant, being different the ebb & flow is tenuous. Though it should be mentioned that there's no heavy rock on this album so every songs stays pretty commercial friendly. These are musicians & interpretations that the mass is going to like, not just a minority. That leads into the second problem. Domino has a particular boogie-woogie sound long since gone from the music scene. It would be one thing if contemporaries like Jerry Lee Lewis or Chuck Berry were included, but this is second, third & forth generation of artists that are anything but boogie-woogie. A perfect tribute album, for me, is one where the artist reinterprets the source material with their own personality brining a new & distinct life to the old song. But, largely this album is about musicians trying to sound like Domino. I find the results less than spectacular as these artists aren't boogie-woogie or early R&B & trying to be him is an odd study in oppositions with mixed results, even if many of the artists have bluesy roots. The best artists are those that try to sound like themselves just performing great old songs. When this happens the results shine ... which might make the others seem worse than they really are. The blues folks are the most successful, who are more familiar with boogie-woogie then, let's say, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Taj Mahal turns in a highlights with "My Girl Josephine" as the sound is his as he lifts the old song to a new place, versus giving a modern touch to something out of his comfort zone. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band with the soultry voice of Joss Stones & the always vibrant guitar of Buddy Guy send in a highlight in one of the most emotional gut-wrencher on the album, "Every Night About This Time". It's so distinct that you don't even know the song is anything but written yesterday. It's a timeless rendition. That's the key to the best of this tribute. Robert Plant with Lil' Band O' Gold turns in a haunting "It Keeps Rockin'" that opens moodily before going into an accordion chug. Plant is sultry & superb in a way that previews his later work with Alison Krauss. He returns with the Soweto Gospel Choir & a little drum for "Valley Of Tears" in one of the most surprising tracks of the album that is hypnotic & Plant at his best. Without doubt one can hear the movement from his worldly tinged work with Jimmy Page in the Led Zeppelin unplugged reunion to his work on Mighty Rearranger & with Krauss. Corinne Bailey Rae turns in the only live track "One Night (Of Sin)" that soars. She not just will make you a fan of her voice but you'll also want to know about the material she's working with. Neil Young might put in one of the most interesting songs of his career with "Walking In New Orleans" that does away with his guitar, harmonica remains though, as he croons against a small symphony & choir. Haunting in a way Neil Young rarely lets himself be. Norah Jones's "My Blue Heaven" is delightful. It works perfect for her with a guitar gently in the background over the piano. Marc Broussard with mandolin great Sam Bush put in a great folk flavored "Rising Sun" showing how far Domino's music can be taken. There's even some ska courtesy of Ben Harper & the Skatalites via "Be My Guest". Elton John works through "Blueberry Hill" & sounds like he's just come from the Leon Russell sessions ... or is about to go to them. For many of the songs in this collection one wishes it was the Elton John/Leon Russell album The Union. It has a similar boogie-woogie blues sound as Domino but a far greater emotional quality then all but those artists given mention so far. There is some cheating. John Lennon covers "Ain't That A Shame" throwing out his less fantastic skiffle honky-tonk side with the the Plastic Ono Band going full throttle on the horns ... the only old song in the collection & an odd inclusion. It's only because he's famous that the album opens with him as its by far the best track.

Circus Of Power ~ Circus Of Power (aka debut) (album review) ... New York City sleaze at its best!

Style: hard rock, heavy metal
Label: RCA
Year: 1988
Home: New York City

Members: Alex Mitchel ~ vocals
Ryan Maher ~ drums
Rickey Beck Maler ~ guitars
Gary Sunshine ~ bass

Gritty NYC sleaze rock with the vocals of Glenn Danzig & a little salt & pepper from the New York Dolls & Heartbreakers as only a NYC bar band can. There's no pretty boy glam make-up anywhere around these boys ... or, maybe tough guys is a better descriptor ... as this is raunchy rhythmic cock rock of the best degree. COP never reached the commercial breakthrough that many of their contemporaries did but hunting them up will be well worth the effort. Though one is soon to realize that commercial success is sometimes solely based on luck because COP didn't have much success but the the excellent songcraft of these guys is undoubtedly a few tiers above many of their more famous contemporaries. There's a lot of bands far more famous with a lot less interesting sound. All you need is a listen to the hard rockin' power ballad "In The Wind" to be converted to the circus's swagger. COP's secret is all in the voice of frontman Alex Mitchell who takes to a Danzig-esque brogue rather than the typical falsetto screech so many hair bands of the day gravitated to. Some critics have also compared him to Ian Astbury but the Cult don't swagger this macho ... if one can even describe music as macho. But, at the same time COP were creating a style of music shared by too many other bands making their individual traits a needle in a haystack with many critics not able to see past the typical shallow sex lyrics, while the hard rock bubble would bust a few years after their 1988 debut. Line-up changes would also work against their long term success & stability. They broke up in the mid-1990's, though reunited in 2002. While many of their songs are reminiscent of Danzig both vocally & musically but without the horror/esoteric elements (i.e. "Motor", "Call Of The Wild", "Needles", "Machine", "Turn Up The Jams"), one will also find a bit of AC/DC blues stomp (i.e. "Crazy") & even country influences seeping in ("Letters Home"). It's quite an addictive listen ... though there's no acoustic slow power ballad here, a requirement of many hair metal 80's releases, as it's all in your face gutter rock. There's ballads, yes, but ballads that rock like Quiet Riot not Poison. There's a whole slew of bands of this caliber that were on the scene in NYC in the late 80's trying to fight an uphill battle against the L.A. dominated scene ... a list that includes Dee Snider's Widowmaker with Alice Cooper guitarist Al Pitrelli, D Generation & Skid Row ... that by far are grittier than any L.A. band could dream of being but the world just wasn't buying anything less than pretty boy image. Today the movement continues with such bands as Tired Wings, who I've reviewed numerous times, that try to keep the guts in the music instead of just bigger flash. NYC is a gutter. It's the land that bred the drugged out music of Velvet Underground. L.A. has never even come close. COP is proof that there really was a NYC rock scene in the late 80's/90's deserving of attention.

Anthony J. Foti ~ Fourword (EP) (album review) ... Haunted memories at night!

Style: pop rock, soft rock
Label: Wreckord Records
Year: 1996
Home: Brooklyn, New York

Members: Anthony J. Foti ~ vocals/percussion
Eric Blackwood ~ guitar/b. vocals

Additional: Mike Deluca ~ guitars/keyboard/bass/b. vocals
Joe Giarraffa, Robert J. Kelly ~ drums
Mike Marchetta ~ guitars
Brian Christian Giarraffa ~ keyboards
Keith Ringo ~ harmonica
Russ Morisi, Mike Hoffman ~ bass
David Greenberg, Steve Goodwin ~ b. vocals

Guests: Screamin' Steve Barlotta ~ sax
Vinny Conigliaro ~ drums
Al Pitrelli, Jeff Munzert ~ guitar

This obscure EP marked a career crossroads for vocalist/songwriter AJF ... or more properly a moment to reflect & develop a few tunes in between bigger releases. His previous band Blackwood & Foti had disbanded ... fellow songwriter/vocalist & guitarist Eric Blackwood going on to create with Marillion bassist Pete Trewavas Edison's Children ... while AJF had yet to create the hard rock band Closenuf that would bring him numerous awards across the country and at least 9 times Closenuf's music would land in front of the Grammy nominating committee for a listen, though no nominations were ever made & that's one kudos he can't include in his hat ... though it does say that there are people out there who feel that Closenuf & AJF deserve to be heard by bigger ears & are trying to reach those ears. This four song EP, the only released under his own name, includes two of his penned tracks pulled from Blackwood & Foti's only release 1992's Haunted Memories & remastered & set beside two new tracks ... all of which would get re-recorded by Closenuf. Where Foti may not be the strongest singer, though with an instantly recognizable tenor, he makes up for it as a songwriter. "Music Man" is an upbeat pop tune that sounds like an opening to an 80's screwball comedy movie with its poppy bassline, keyboards & horns courtesy of Screamin' Steve of Gary U.S. Bonds. One can see Tom Hanks walking down a crowded street with "Music Man" playing over the falling titles & setting the stage to be faded out by a predictable dash of dialogue between Hanks & an inconspicuous street vender. This is not to say that the song sounds like it came out of the 80's as it actually sounds like something that is just as much influenced by Motown but it is incredibly visual as it is "travelling the road from a smokehouse to a bar". "Alive Forever", which along with "Music Man" features full instrumentation by Mike DeLuca, is an old-fashioned heartfelt love song with rhythmic piano that comes out of the Neil Diamond or Boz Skaggs catalog that's not about sex or raunchiness but the old fashioned heart tug. "In The Eyes Of The Rose" became a surprise single in the AJF catalog after being debuted live & receiving a teary-eyed response. At the last minute it was tagged onto Blackwood & Foti's Haunted Memories with guest guitar by Jim Messina Band's Jeff Munzert & produced by John Abbott who worked with Dionne Warwick & Steve Jerome of Neil Diamond & Simon & Garfunkel. Given a remaster here this is essentially the Blackwood & Foti band, unlike the previous tunes that are really solo AJF, but the personality difference will not be noticeable even if the instrumentation is. It's a hauntingly soft piece of acoustic guitars against a synthesizer in typical AJF fashion, but featuring probably some of his best singing on record. He can sing the pop tunes but its this slow contemplative moment that allows him more vocal control & thus expression. The final track "At Night" is the hidden powerhouse & one might even say collector's item. It features on rhythm guitar & in one of the best solos of his career future Megadeth/Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Al Pitrelli rocking out against a seemingly simple acoustic folk tune. Pitrelli has also gone on to call it one of his favorite recordings. He's never sounded so relaxed. It also features drummer Vinny Conigliaro of Joe Lynn Turner & Joe Satriani & was produced by Dave Greenberg who later worked with Method Man & original Foreigner keyboardist Al Greenwood. Now out of print Fourword would be included by Closenuf on their 2009 compilation ...to a new beginning". Hunt up the later release & enjoy both these older versions & harder rocking new versions by the band, plus a whole lot of other great tunes by AJF & friends.

John Payne's Asia ~ Axioms (hits comp) (album review) ... Who will stop the rain in Asia?

Style: prog-rock, greatest hits
Label: Snapper Music
Year: 1999
Home: California

Members: John Payne ~ vocals/bass/guitar
Geoff Downes ~ keyboards
Steve Howe, Al Pitrelli, Aziz Ibrahim, Elliott Randall ~ guitar
Carl Palmer, Michael Sturgis ~ drums

Additional: Anthony Glynne ~ guitar
Simon Phillips, Nigel Clockler ~ drums

Guests: Hotei Tomayasu ~ lead guitar
Luis Jardim ~ percussion

In the early 80's a joining of prog-rock icon/guitarist Steve Howe of Yes, keyboardist Geoff Downes of Yes/Buggles, drummer Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake & Palmer & bassist/singer John Wetton of King Crimson/Roxy Music created a band that honed in some of the indulgent wanderings of prog-rock for a more radio friendly sound that was better suited to changing national music scenes. They had a few MTV hits with "Heat Of The Moment", "Don't Go" & "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" before falling apart while touring the second album with Wetton. Downes & Wetton kept the band going as a side touring project before Downes created a new line-up in 1992. This new line-up featured Downes with new bassist-singer & songwriter John Payne, Alice Cooper guitarist Al Pitrelli & A-Ha drummer Michael Sturgis. Howe & Palmer would guest on the first of the two releases of this new Asia, often called the beginning of the Payne era. Aqua & Aria would rekindle the Asia flame while bringing a new sound to the band that was both prog-ish but with a harder edge thanks to guitarist Pitrelli. But, Wetton & Payne are two different songwriters & quite different singers & the fanbase was divided. Pitrelli would soon leave replaced by a series of guitarists, while Downes would take his due, replaced by the amazing keyboardist Erik Norlander, leaving handing the torch officially to Payne. Eventually the original line-up of Howe, Downes, Palmer & Wetton would reunite to record & tour spurring two groups to officially hold the Asia name known as Asia, with the original 80's line-up, & Asia Featuring John Payne. Asia FJP continues to be plagued with fans that want to hear the early 80's hits, seeing this as the direct descendent, while the reunited Asia focuses only on its own compositions. Ironically neither groups sounds like the Asia of the 80's, so theoretically one might even say there's three bands: the original, the John Payne led version & the reunited band. This makes for an interesting history but also poses a problem as there's been no Asia greatest hits compilation that's been able to bridge all three groups. Payne has tried to bridge the gap. The Anthology compilation included both the 80's hits & Payne era favorites, the reunited line-up not yet in existence, but contractual problems required Payne & his then bandmates to re-record the early hits. For those accustomed to Wetton's tenor on "Don't Cry" Payne's baritone is a bit of a shock, while nobody can truly replicate Howe's weaving guitar though the effort is commendable & far from disappointing. There will probably never be a good Asia compilation released & a box set seems unlikely. This is a shame as the Payne era might not be the selling point for the casual Asia listener but it's got a far more friendly sound with more interesting & personalized lyrics & deserves due attention which it may not get without being lumped with the early familiar hits. For those who have the first couple Asia albums but want an introduction to the bigger picture Axioms is one's best bet as it focuses entirely on Payne era. The only thing missing is the current Norlander line-up to make this complete. Axioms might be a bit lengthy with 2 CDs for the casual listener, while longtime fans will already have all the tracks, but it includes both fan favorites (i.e. "Who Will Stop The Rain," "Military Man," "Desire," "Sad Situation," "Feels Like Love") & lesser known tunes plus highlighting some of the line-ups of the Payne era including the cuts with Steve Howe & Carl Palmer including a few instrumentals. The majority of fan & critical favorites come from Aqua & Aria with the Pitrelli/Sturgis/Downes/Payne line-up but Axioms offers more the later Arena & even Payne's take on the Downes song "The Hunter" from the pre-Asia Downes produced GTR, that featured Howe, guitarist Steve Hackett of Genesis & drummer Jonathan Mover who would ironically go on to join Alice Cooper with Pitrelli. For those that like the pop-prog & commercial sheen of early Asia but want some more personal lyrics & more experimental musical forays Asia FJP via Axioms shouldn't be ignored. In terms of greatest hits collections the songs are pulled solely from Arena, Aqua, Aria & the earlier compilation Anthology which isn't necessarily enough albums or certified hits to form a traditional hits collection & on two CDs a majority of the albums, particularly Arena, are duplicated. There's also nothing new on the collection for older fans. But, it's definitely cheaper to buy one album than all four while this is no cheap product but care was put into choosing the best of Asia WJP. An interesting experiment of how musicians change when in the company of different musicians is to compare the songwriting on Axioms, all Downes/Payne songs, with the songwriting on the Wetton Downes Icon releases. Downes shines through as always with his classically tinged keyboard playing but the difference between Wetton & Payne becomes quite obvious. Further, it shows why many fans once upon a time encouraged Payne to step away from the Asia franchise to do his own thing as Asia FJP truly is, in everything but name, his own thing that deserves much more attention with the 80's hits sometimes a heavy & sometimes a light albatross around his neck. Since the publishing of this review Asia FJP has disbanded & refashioned itself as Dukes Of The Orient.

A Ghost Like Me ~ The New Paradigm (album review) ... Space rock forging a new paradigm!

Style: instrumental, progressive, space rock
Label: self-released
Year: 2011
Home: North Carolina

Members: Brad Rogers ~ guitar/loops
Key Andrew ~ bass/flute
Eric Ernst ~ drums
Dave Milan ~ keyboards/guitar

A few minor line-up changes & a lot of hard work sees instrumental space rock/prog-rockers AGLM completing their first full length album. I reviewed AGLM a year ago & was honest in my thoughts about the difficulty of instrumental rock albums. I also described their EP as a missing Hawkwind instrumental album with Bill Laswell in the producer's chair. I noted how AGLM tackled the difficulties of instrumental prog-rock by aiming for under-playing rather than focusing on heavy flashy guitar solos. At the time they were also in the midst of discovering new musical directions with a new line-up, since changed, so I was reviewing a band in change. It's interesting to now return to their side & see how the trek through the time tunnel was. The outcome is an unexpected musical walk through the soul of the world with cosmically inspired songs as "lucis ressurectio", "The Cleansing", "Japan", "Duality", "omnimadus divinus navitas", "Threshold", "Song For Gaia" & "Awakening". The New Paradigm is more than a catchy title as the paradigm in question is the state of the Earth on a spiritual level ... not just social which is the common focus of bands these days. Of course, being instrumental the details are left to the listener to ponder. Is there such a thing as space rock left, particularly space rock with a cosmic message? If so, what is space rock three decades on since prog-rock ceased to rule the airwaves? It's a welcome mix of groove rock, alt rock, funk, dub, jazz & electronica ... it's also the experience of a band that started as a recording project & moved to a live band. It's a tight funky affair that gets rid of wandering moments. AGLM have grown up since the last time we all met. They've honed in their sound & also pushed themselves musically into new directions & audio experiments. If my description of a socially conscious space rock band puts you off I can only blame myself for not having the vocabulary suitable to properly describe the AGLM experience. They still under-play but have also put more guts into their music. There's lots of guitar solos (for example "Bridging The Gap", "Hi Phi", "Japan") but they are more a part of the bigger musical collage than a fanfare of notes with a boring rhythm to play over. Also, don't expect to music to be a weird esoteric mix. They may call themselves space rock & they are without a doubt modern prog-rock but this is grooving space rock, think Hawkwind not the moody wanderings of Yes or Pink Floyd. AGLM create a hypnotic atmosphere without sounding too technical or forcing the mood which is often what happens with prog-rock while the songs meander & change never getting boring or pointless, with the dub influences as backgrounds not the focus. While there's also bits of world rhythms in here (i.e. "Song For Gaia", "lucis ressurectio", "omnimodus divinus navitas") & an array of sounds tinkling away that will take lots of listens to fully discover.

Henry Lee Summer ~ Slamdunk (album review) ... Slamdunk might be a bit of an exaggeration!

Style: Americana
Label: Sony
Year: 1993
Home: Indiana

Members: Henry Lee Summer ~ vocals/keyboards/guitars
Anthony Krizan, Dale Oliver, Peter Denenberg ~ guitars
Jack Daley, Kirk Eberhard ~ bass
Frankie La Rocka, Mike Organ ~ drums
Kim Fleming, Vicki Hampton, Robert Bailey ~ b. vocals
Kevin Bents ~ keyboards

Additional: Rory Young ~ keyboards
Vaneese Thomas ~ b. vocals
Stan Lynch ~ drums

Guest: Earl Slick ~ lead guitar

Slamdunk is a far better album than critics claim or maybe want to claim. The problem is that the albums that came before went from addictively great to overnight really bad going off in the wrong direction, so the shadow of the later misstep is still on the radar when listening to HLS's fourth major label release & thus its similarities with the bad are exaggerated while the good is downplayed. If HLS's self-titled debut & its follow-up I've Got Everything were 80's down home Indiana Mellencamp-esque rockers that shouldn't be ignored by anyone who likes Americana rock while his third release Way Past Midnight was a commercially slick affair overstuffed with the wrong material for his voice that was obviously aiming for a bigger audience ... the oddly titled Slamdunk is somewhere in between. It's so much in between that it feels like it was recorded before Way Past Midnight & is a natural musical progression that would end up going too far to the commercial side ... not the jump back from the mistake that it really is. It's not the folksy acoustic Americana rock of the early albums but it doesn't ditch Mellencamp for Michael Bolton like Way Past Midnight attempted. Working as both producer & lyricist HLS obviously knows what went wrong & is trying hard to fix what went wrong. He sort of does. His song-writing is as strong as ever & the songs will seep into your skin with ease while the two outside written songs (i.e. "Wherever Would I Be" & "The Boys & Girls Are Doin' It") are great inclusions. "Why Me", "Wherever Would I be", "Forever Just Ain't What It Used To Be" or "Cry Little Sister" to name a few should be right up there on the request list with his break-through debut "Wish I Had A Girl". HLS may be a rocker but he's actually a crooner in disguise and when he slows things down it's like a watching a sad scene in a movie. But, as much as he has great songs that could fall alongside his first albums he's also kept the slick polish of "Way Past Midnight" that at some times works but other times overpowers. He's pulled in the slick guitars a lot ... another step would have made this is a perfect release. The problem is that the electric guitars often provide a cold & sterile counterpoint against HLS's warm voice. Dropping them in the mix might actually be the best solution as HLS did bring in former David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick for many solos & there's nothing bad in his playing. That being said it's actually hard to pinpoint bad songs on the album & what is bad is usually due to the arrangements ... which means essentially given a second life these may not be bad songs after all. Those who read these reviews know I'm a fan of HLS. He's a crooner. He's an AM rocker. He's got a soulful voice that's the everyman's voice. When you listen to HLS you imagine yourself singing these songs at Live Aid or a country festival & having the time of your life. This is a guy that should have acoustic guitars which he can just cry out over to his heart's content with that scratchy voice of his. HLS is best when singing about the long-haried girl next door in her tight jeans that's nothing like a big city girl. He needs soulful songs of the heart not later-day Bon Jovi. When he hits the mark it's addictive, when he doesn't its a what if scenario. The music on Slamdunk does indeed get a slam dunk ... and giving it this title he obviously felt the same ... but audiences are fickle & careers go up & down like the weather so I end up asking what if after all even though he's scored. Sadly, no matter how good Slamdunk is the damage was done to HLS career & he wouldn't get another chance to try again until it was nearly too late. He wouldn't make another studio album until 1999's Smoke & Mirrors & than fall into a well publicized drug addiction before finding his footing again in local Indiana clubs.

Ozzy Osbourne ~ Blizzard Of Ozz (album review) ... Say goodbye to romance!

Style: heavy metal
Label: Jet Records
Year: 1981 (reissued/re-recorded 1992)
Home: England

Members: Band on 1980 recording: Ozzy Osbourne ~ vocals
Randy Rhoads ~ guitars
Bob Daisely ~ bass/gong/b. vocals
Lee Kerslake ~ drums/tubular bells

Additional: Don Airey ~ keyboards

Band on 1992 reissue: Ozzy Osbourne ~ vocals
Randy Rhoads ~ guitars
Robert Trujillo ~ bass
Mike Bordin ~ drums/gong

Additional: John Shanks, Mark Lennon ~ b. vocals

It's often forgotten today that Ozzy's last few albums with Black Sabbath were not the ground-breaking moments that Paranoid was, while without the saving voice of Ronnie James Dio Black Sabbath might have faded away as they largely did after Dio left. Ozzy too might have faded away or at least not become the Prince Of Darkness overnight if he hadn't blasted out into a solo career with such a stellar debut that not just gave him a new career but also influenced heavy metal as much as Paranoid a decade earlier. Blizzard Of Ozz could easily be renamed a blizzard of great guitar playing, great songs, great singing & great heavy metal. It's some of Ozzy's best song in years that decades later are still fan favorites. "Crazy Train", "Goodbye To Romance", "Suicide Solution", "Mr. Crowley" are the four singles that remain concert standards, out of a meager nine songs which is a good balance. The rest of the album (i.e. "I Don't Know", "No Bone Movies", "Revelation (Mother Earth)", "Steal Away (The Night)" & the fifty second Rhoads classically sounding acoustic instrumental "Dee" ) may not be so familiar to the casual fan but have only faded away because the chorus might not be as memorable. They burn with great riffs that may even eclipse the singles at times. The secret of success is really no secret as the album was as much under the creative control of guitarist Randy Rhoads as it was Ozzy ... some say the balance might even be tipped away from Ozzy. Ozzy came from Black Sabbath that featured ground-breaking guitar hero Tony Iommi. How do you follow that gig? You get a young kid, in this case a 23 year old guitar teacher & stand-in for a pre-MTV favorite Quiet Riot, who rips the house down with as much power but yet has a very different style & technique so the comparisons are a minimum. Considering Ozzy initially wasn't interested in hearing Rhoads' audition after a heavy day of drinking ... there's a little bit of luck thrown in. You really can't get two more different guitarists in style than Iommi versus Rhoads. Though, really, it's two different styles. Iommi was drawing from the 60's blues & prog-rock scene while Rhoads, in the same vein as Eddie Van Halen, was drawing on what was layed down in the 70's by such folks as Richie Blackmore & Iommi himself. & if one doesn't think that Rhoads is the key to the success of kicking Blizzard Of Ozz up an extra head-banging notch one only has to look at the legacy he left - every guitarist Ozzy has employed since has been under the shadow of Rhoads with comparisons happening regularly. Actually, many guitarists face comparisons with Rhoads, but few have come close to his magic. The only one I can think of the late Criss Oliva of Savatage but he's Rhoads in the raw ... vocalist brother Jon Olivia has more than a little Ozzy in him, too. No Ozzy solo album other than the 1981 follow-up also with Rhoads before his tragic death, Diary Of A Madman, has achieved such high accolades by both fans & critics & remained a favorite as Blizzard Of Ozz. There's been some good albums, such as the mid-career moment No More Tears, but none have had the impact of this initial debut. Note the remaster includes partial re-recordings of all the songs with only Ozzy & Rhoads remaining from the original recording due to original members Bob Daisley & Lee Kerslake suing Ozzy for non-payment of royalties. Linear notes don't say if Don Airey's keyboard parts have been retained, replaced or just ignored. For casual fans the difference may or may not mean anything or even be that important. For those who have picked up Ozzy's later greatest hits collections they will have already heard the re-recorded versions. It is it important, though. There is a difference in overall feeling & tone, though for some it'll be like the experience of hearing a remaster where a producer's attempted to turn an old mono recording into stereo or some other feat that makes big changes.

Broken Bones ~ Fuck You & All You Stand For! (album review) ... When the Sex Pistols meet Slayer & have a child!

Style: heavy metal, punk
Label: Xtreem Music
Year: 2010
Home: England

Members: Bones ~ guitar
Oddy ~ bass
Quiv ~ vocals
Dave ~ drums

BB reminds me of the first couple albums by Savatage before Paul O'Neill took them out of the black Florida swamps & turned them from a heavy metal band into a prog rock symphony. Credited as having one of the earliest black metal albums with Sirens & guitarist Criss Oliva following the line of Randy Rhoads Savatage built up a fanbase with it's aggression & powerful guitar riffs. BB has a lot in common with them. Though one lost the aggression & disbanded while the other is going on over two decades with seven albums & might just be fiercer than ever. BB's sole remaining founding member Bones churns out riff after riff ... & when I say riffs I mean the melodic type of head-banging riff that has lots of sections & rhythmic patterns drawing from the Steve Vai palette not the current three chord chomp stomp that's a pale imitation. Against this onslaught the rhythm section pounds out fierce beats that one can imagine bouncing off the walls of a small club to headache levels, check out "Torture" for example. Vocalist Quiv who shouts with a snarl doesn't have much of a range but is a lot better vocalist than a lot of singers out there. The only problem is some poor production where the low end is sometimes weak & the vocals & guitar solos sometimes are a bit too low. It should be obvious from the title that BB has a punk slant throwing out socially-minded lyrics with such songs as "Persecution", "Hell Is For Heroes", "Minimum Wage", "House Of Frauds", "Stop Em Now", "Torture", "Downfall", "Brainwashed" & the bonus track, one of four re-recorded classic songs, "Wealth Rules" covering 9/11, senseless death, Nazis, corporations & obviously the government. Formed in 1983 BB has often been called a punk band but honestly it's more Sex Pistols meets Slayer, though the bonus tracks have a much more furious punk sound. It's the perfect balance for us metalheads who aren't too much into punk ... they've been cited as an influence by Metallica so that should turn the eyebrows up. BB broke up in 1989 but in 1998 Bones reunited with later members Quiv & Oddy, also a former vocalist, with new drummer Dave. Some have called this latest release their angriest & most intense ... no doubt there that this is a band not to mess with. These aren't young boys anymore but they're a lot more fierce than the generation that has followed them.