Slash ~ Slash (aka self-titled) (album review) ... Slashing through guests to get somewhere!

Style: hard rock
Label: EMI
Year: 2010
Home: n/a

Members: Slash ~ guitars
Chris Chaney ~ bass
Josh Freese ~ drums

Additional: Eric Valentine ~ keyboards
Big Chris Flores ~ keyboards/programming
Taylor Hawkins, Kevin Churko ~ b. vocals
Joe Sandt ~ harpsichord
Deron Johnson ~ organ
Mark Robertson, Alyssa Park, Julie Rogers, Sam Fischer, Grace Oh, Songa Lee, Maia Jasper, Lisa Li ~ violins, Anton Patzner, Lewis Patzner ~ strings
Steve Ferrone ~ drums
Lenny Castro ~ percussion

Guests: Ian Astbury ~ lead vocals/percussion
Izzy Stradlin ~ rhythm guitar
Lemmy Kilmister ~ lead vocals/bass
Kid Rock, Iggy Pop, Chris Cornell, Ozzy Osbourne, Fergie, Myles Kennedy, Andrew Stockdale, Adam Levine, M. Shadows, Rocco DeLuca ~ lead vocals
Dave Grohl ~ drums
Duff McKagan ~ bass/b. vocals


What is wrong with this album? Technically nothing. But, how come after listening to it over & over & over via a couple days I almost have to force myself to get interested? I find myself wondering what happened to the trademarked bluesy riffs I used to love by Slash? & how come the singers don't seem to sound as interesting as I know all of them are? & how come none of the songs I can remember once the album ends? & how come I'm not playing air guitar to Slash as I used to? It's as if Slash has, deliberately or not, laid his Guns N Roses roots finally to rest, only to create some new music that lacks any distinct personality or any real emotional push in any direction. Some critics have talked about how this goes back to the 90's, but for me I can't help but hear the lack of things versus what is here. While none of the participants really do anything to pull the songs in any direction, not even the main player himself I feel. It's like there's a different vocal tone on each song, but it doesn't really mean much as nothing feels distinct. It's a duets album without any interesting duets. While there's a guitarist on all the tracks, Izzy Stradlin' appears on rhythm track on the first track & is the only additional guitarist, but I'm not really that engaged by the playing & it seems to lack any distinctiveness or personality. I can only think of some interesting points to touch upon. "Ghost" with Ian Astbury of the Cult feels like it has too many layers. Is there three guitars here all at once or is it four? What is this trying to be - the new utterly cluttered Aerosmith? While I realize I've been listening to Astbury too much with the reunited Doors versus the Cult as I'm always looking for Jim Morrison in his vocals, but that's not fair to him. The tracks with Ozzy, Lemmy & Iggy Pop feel like Slash is just trying to recreate each player's individual sound versus challenging them with a new setting. None are that interesting lyrically either & like most of the singers on the album the performances aren't so hot & feel more autopilot than anything. Ozzy is great partly because of dirty & stomping guitar licks in his solo albums, but his song here is a weak imitation that is neither dirty nor stomping & imitate the notes without the essence. Which means, it would have been better not to imitate at all. The fact that Slash is a blues-based rocker not a heavy metal guitar makes it feel worse as nobody is thus in their creative zone. Fergie probably made "Beautiful Dangerous" the standout single because she's the token female & something to look at in a video, as it's not really that interesting of a song & suffers from more Aerosmith-esque too many layers that take the focus in too many directions & none are particularly good. Chris Cornell turns in a good performance on "Promise", though it sounds more like his Euphora Morning meets Time over Soundgarden. He's always a great voice, but his solo career just makes us miss the power & majesty of Soundgarden & this guest spot is no exception. No doubts why Slash chose Myles Kennedy to join him on his next album from his two tracks here, the only singer with two songs. He might be the least famous guest but turns in the best tracks & I would have grabbed him too. The only real standout, or at least in terms of what I expected to hear, might be the instrumental "Watch This" with Dave Grohl & Duff McKagan which has hints of classic Slash days. Maybe Slash could continue this duet album theme with a group of instrumentalists on some future release? A guitar fest maybe? Though, that might go in the opposite direction & not be uninspired but too inspired & in your face. Though, I'll pay for Slash & Ronnie Woods in the same song any day given their mutual blues base the sparks would surely fly. What's interesting is there's a bounce with Slash. One great outing (i.e. Guns N Roses), then one iffy outing (i.e. Slash's Snakepit), then one great outing (i.e. Velvet Revolver), then this iffy outing & now his new album with Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators is great. I might be a bit off, but that's a thought that came to me while walking down the sidewalk today trying to figure out what I think of this album after spending days listening. I put off listening to this album for awhile as the idea of Slash's debut solo album got me excited & I didn't even read the reviews to keep my ears virginal. I should have listened earlier & gotten it over with. Sadly.

Guns N' Roses ~ GN'R Lies (album review) ... Not your typical fake news!

Style: hard rock, glam metal
Label: Geffen
Year: 1988
Home: Los Angeles, California

Members: Axl Rose ~ vocals/percussion
Slash ~ guitar/b. vocals
Izzy Stradlin ~ guitar/percussion/b. vocals
Duff McKagan ~ guitar/bass/b. vocals
Steven Adler ~ drums/b. vocals

Additional: West Arkeen, Rick Richards, Howard Teman ~ percussion

This is an odd little album. Any other band having reached GNR's stature probably would not have put this out ... or at least not for many years & albums into their career, or at least not in this form. Basically, it's two albums & instead of releasing an EP or two, which is what another band would probably do, they just gave the world everything - the good, the bad & the ugly ... or the uncomfortable. The first half is early live tracks ("Reckless Life", "Nice Boys," "Move To The City", "Mama Kin") & the second half is new acoustic songs. It could be two sides to the same coin, but the contrast is far too awkward. First, the live tracks ... previously released on their out of print debut EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide & actually studio tracks with an overdubbed audience ... belays very very little of the majestic world conquering masterpieces GNR would later produce, let alone any clue that this pub band would be anything other than a crunchy L.A. glam band with a whiny Ratt-esque singer. It's almost impossible to hear the GNR we know in these early tracks. I guess looks can be deceiving. Yes, there's some lyrical similarities with Welcome To The Jungle & there's a few guitar moments in "Move To The City" that sound familiar, but its high energy but fairly vacuous music on the whole that needs a whole bunch of polishing. The boys have the pieces, they know how to craft melody lines that are memorable, but need some help to make it shine beyond what every other band sounds like. Even their take on Aerosmith's "Mama Kin" isn't anything worth much attention. It's obviously borrowing from Aerosmith's drunken days when they could barely perform. Then there's the second part of the album, or the second potential EP, of new songs done acoustically ("Patience", "Used To Love Her", "You're Crazy" & "One In A Million"). A strange follow-up to GNR's breakthrough Welcome To The Jungle, but as that album went so high it almost makes since to come back to earth, put something modest together & just chill until a real masterpiece could be created. You can't top the previous album so why try? Putting out the early live tracks almost says like they don't care, either ... here's some new music now leave us alone. But, while "Patience" lacks the heart stopping rock feel GNR was known for ... I mean, a country blues guitar solo for starters ... might it really be one of their greatest love songs? Some have criticized "Patience" as too emotionally forced & raw, but in hindsight a far different picture comes out. GNR were always emotionally raw ... Axl Rose might hide from society but not lyrically ... but the headbanging of their early days clouded over just how raw they really were. In the future this raw emotional side would come out more often then not - "November Rain" or "Don't Cry" anyone? - while the desire to experiment with acoustic guitars would be seen not just as an attempt to do the obligatory acoustic power ballad, but just a general theme of the GNR composition approach that would go in every direction ... & many years. As for the other three songs, while they might be acoustic these are no power ballads. These are as far from cliché acoustic ballads that every other band was putting out as one could get. While they are as biting as anything else they made & the lyrics are more upfront than ever. I'll confess that my mom liked GNR ... I'm sure many hip moms did. But, with this album they finally heard the lyrics & Axl holds nothing back & got into lots of trouble for it ... the same trouble Eminem would get for saying the same things. As for the criticism ... it's just lyrics folks, get over your issues & what you see, versus what is really there. There's bands out there with far more real venom than Axl. It's like when someone condemns a band for being Satanic as they write Satanic sounding songs but don't actually do anything Satanic & decry Satanism ... while the bands that actually do the Satanic stuff can't get any media attention to save their careers. Some say these lyrics aren't a character but actually Eminem ... I mean, Axl Rose ... but as a writer myself & someone whose followed GNR since the beginning with love & often calling them one of my favorite bands ... there's no such thing as a writer who doesn't put forth some sort of character, & as the world would see there's nothing but a character when it comes to Axl Rose. & as someone whose been in the gay community I don't care about what he sings, so why should you? So, don't words stop you from enjoying the music. Now, if this was Charles Manson I might speak a bit differently about the truthfulness of it all ... As for other songs, I know you've had girlfriends you wanted to kill too but just don't say it out loud. This is an album fans will, of course, pick up. & it's an album others will want ... the cover alone grabs your interest. But, its an interesting album & its more a collector's item in some ways than something that will get regular listens. It might be better if it wasn't for the live tracks, but was just an acoustic EP ... that's what most of us remember from it, I believe, as it is. For some, it takes some time to be anything more than "Patience" with a bunch of others songs & it really should not be seen like that as its so much greater than just that one single. With Axl Rose's modern state of paranoid perfectionism, would he allow this album to be released today with its two contrasting faces? Which side is the true GNR? Is there a true GNR ... was there ever? Does it matter when they've made such great music?

D'Priest (aka London) ~ Playa Del Rock (album review) ... A completely under-rated '80's singer!

Style: hard rock, heavy metal
Label: Noise
Year: 1990
Home: California

Members: Nadir D'Priest ~ vocals
Brian West ~ bass
Sean Lewis ~ guitar
Alan Krigger ~ drums
Vince Gilbert ~ keyboards

Additional: Guy Babylon, Jimmy Greenspoon ~ keyboards
Paul Frank, Bobby Gianetti, Brent Lowe, Vickey Seeger, Shane Smith ~ b. vocals

Antonio D'Priest, or more commonly Nadir D'Priest, might not be a name known to many outside of 80's rock fans but he's a singer well worth investigating. Nadir D'Priest rose to fame as the fifth & so far final frontman of the 70's/80's glam band London which, like the bands Johnny Crash & Badlands, became more famous for its members' future bands than any chart hits, as it included a pre-Motley Crue Nikki Sixx, a pre-W.A.S.P. Blackie Lawless, pre-Guns N' Roses Slash & Izzy Stradlin & Steven Adler, a pre-Cinderella Fred Coury & a post-Mott The Hoople Nigel Benjamin with their second album produced by Runaways creator Kim Fowley. The third & final album, coming 4 years after its predecessor, Playa Del Rock saw the band rechristened as D'Priest, though some releases included the London name. By 1990 no original members remained while the alumni had already hit the peaks of their respective careers & begun the settlement into less exciting but more comfortable positions. The newest London album would keep the fame tradition alive by including notable musicians in drummer Alan Krigger, formerly of the Ike & Tina Turner band, & The Cult's keyboardist Vince Gilbert ... rocking beside lesser known but an equally talented guitarist & bassist. By 1991 the band would break up, though the Playa Del Rock line-up would perform periodic reunions both as D'Priest & London to the present day. Though this final album may not immediately seem like the most obvious choice to discover the London legacy it's actually a perfect introduction. D'Priest is a band that in many ways should have theoretically parted ways by the time they recorded Playa Del Rock after achieving little commercial success, going through 19 members in the tradition of Yes & having only 2 albums with neither featuring any of the future superstars. Playa Del Rock is a band that almost has given up on success & is now just playing music they like & hoping someone else likes it too. Further, it's just far enough away from the mid-80's hair metal peak to give it a more modern edge that sounds like something that could arrive on the shelves today. Though being named after its lead singer makes this appear more like a solo album than a London album. With the 4 year gap between recordings & a line-up change it very well might be on some level ... in the same way that Doro's first solo album is more a Warlock album but with a name change. The band is definitely dominated by its frontman who also had a hand in the songwriting & essentially molding the sound. I want to write 'if you like Sebastian Bach', but Bach is second rate compared to Nadir D'Priest who may go for similar highs & screeches, let alone attitude, but has vocal control equal to Ronnie James Dio who might be a better comparison. Lyrically the album isn't that exciting, or any more exciting than its 80's peers with groin-drenched love song after love song, but Nadir D'Priest's vocal style carries it to new heights with a superb band behind him rocking out with great arrangements. Yeah, it verges on cliché 80's hair metal but somehow it all sounds new & fresh even if the band was working on its temporarily final gears.

The Yardbirds ~ Birdland (album review) ... Leftovers of the pecking order!

Style: hard rock, progressive
Label: Favored Nations
Year: 2003
Home: England

Members: John Idan ~ vocals/rhythm guitar/bass
Jeff Beck, Gypie Mayo ~ lead guitar
Chris Dreja ~ rhythm guitar/percussion
Jim McCarty ~ drums/b. vocals
Alan Glen ~ harmonica

Additional: Martin Ditchum ~ percussion

Guests: Jeff Baxter, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Slash, Brian May, Steve Lukather ~ guitars
Johnny Rzeznik ~ lead vocals

Let's be honest. Outside of the name this isn't really the Yardbirds nor even the brief New Yardbirds. Yes, some of the original members are here & as they got a career boost so long ago behind blues king Sonny Boy Williamson II there's nothing wrong with having a guest heavy album. The Yardbirds were actually one of the most adventurous bands on the British scene, even eclipsing the early Beatles, as they moved from a blues band to a psychedelic band with their songs remaining undoubtable classics. But, times have changed ... the bird has been plucked. Gone are the experimental wild eyed blues boys to be replaced by a plodding near middle-age tribute band. The music falls flat while the 7 new originals are interesting, but the fact that they are the best songs on the album, only one including a guest guitarist & its the weakest, doesn't say much for keeping the Yardbirds name alive. The classic songs are weak & without the risk or even bluesy swagger that they once had. Even their peers Deep Purple, which is criticized today for its FM radio friendliness that was never present with Richie Blackmore, put in a more exciting show. Originally, the Yardbirds came to an end when everyone left except for new guitarist Jimmy Page, who recruited new members, labeled them the New Yardbirds, only to have the name of the band missing from the first album & thus all we have is the name of the album - Led Zeppelin. Before Page the band also had the guitar powerhouses of Jeff Beck & Eric Clapton ... Tony Topham where are you? ... pushing the band through distinct personality changes. Nobody is pushing now. Though Beck guests for a single track on Birdland all that's left of the band is the drummer & rhythm guitarist, returning to the studio 35 years after their last recording. We don't even have original singer Keith Relf, long gone from this world, & singers can make all the difference to a band. It's like someone other than Eric Burden fronting the Animals. You don't know what you've got till it's ... The remaining members might have co-composed the songs but we turn to others to make it pop. Some bands reunite & its like the music kept developing even though it wasn't played for decades. The reunited Doors with Ian Astbury, aka Riders On The Storm or previously Doors of the 21st Century, sound as if they never broke up but kept developing. Big Brother & the Holding Co., numerous singers post Janis Joplin, are the same for those still listening. While other bands reunite falling somewhere between a tribute band & a brand new entity. The Yardbirds here are like that. It's not bad, but it's not the Yardbirds. It's a nice tribute band with no guts except when they do the new songs, which are in a Yardbirds style whatever that means. Not even the guests are able to boost the songs. Actually, the guests seem unnecessary just adding flash where a little breath would be better. The songs, most obviously "For Your Love", started life so primitively that to flesh them out works against them. The result is often one not bluesy enough nor rock enough. This was always a problem with the band since day one, not helped by the "Over Under Sideways Down" psychedelic period, but becomes more so here 35 years later. One of the problems is that there was never any real dominant force within the band & the revolving guitarists didn't help, while the band also went through numerous musical changes. There still is no dominant face, just torch carriers. To be fair, though, to have only two members of a once five member band it doesn't matter whether the two members are Clapton & Relf back from the dead or the rhythm section. There's not enough parts of the equation to take it home & give it life beyond a second rate but high profile tribute band. For those that don't know the Yardbirds outside of their major hit "For Your Love" with Eric Clapton it's time for a musical education. Just don't start with this album as they've got a rich catalog that will keep you happy awhile before you get to this release. Since Birdland the line-up has changed again. McCarty & Dreja remain & so does the revolving door.

Alice Cooper ~ Hey Stoopid (album review) ... Feed this Frankenstein of superstars!

Style: hard rock, heavy metal, shock rock
Label: Sony
Year: 1991
Home: Arizona

Members: Alice Cooper ~ vocals/harmonica
Stef Burns ~ guitar
Hugh McDonald ~ bass
Mickey Curry ~ drums
John Webster ~ keyboards

Additional: Steve Croes ~ synclavier
Robert Bailey ~ keyboards

Guests: Slash, Steve Vai, Mick Mars, Vinnie Moore ~ guitar
Joe Satriani ~ guitar/b. vocals
Nikki Sixx ~ bass
Jai Winding ~ keyboards
Ozzy Osbourne, Kelly Keeling, Lance Bulen, Stan Bush, Mike Finnigan, Zachary Nevel, Mick Wilson, Corky McClennan, Shaun Murphy, Tony Palmucci, Jack Ponti, Vic Pepe, Scott Bender, Terry Wood, Sherwood Ball, Cali, Nick Coller, Ian Richardson, Gary Falcone ~ b. vocals

Cooper has confessed in his autobiography to having spent the early 80's drunk & moving through musical styles that didn't work for fans or him. In the late 80's, after a series of hard rock albums that slightly brought him back on course albeit with no chart hits, he deliberately teamed up with hit maker/songwriter Desmond Child to get back on the charts after a decade & become again the respected musical force he once was. Trash was a return to glory via heavily commercialized hard rock, a fresh image & a successful world tour featuring an array of future icons in his backing back (Al Pitrelli, Derek Sherinian, Jonathan Mover, Eric Singer). Albeit, Child is known for penning love ballads for Cher, Aeromith & Bon Jovi & didn't much change his style to suit Cooper's style. But, the album achieved its goal while establishing Cooper as a leather wearing hard rocker balladeer still surrounded by his famous props. But, it's the follow-up Hey Stoopid, sans Child & an over-reliance on love songs but keeping everything else, that finally brought Cooper completely home. It didn't have the plethora hits that Trash spawned but that's more a reflection of changing MTV audiences than the number of future classics on the album. Back in full force is the tongue-in-cheek horror themes that had worked so well for Cooper but abandoned(i.e. "Might As Well Be On Mars" one of two remaining tracks with Child, "Feed My Frankenstein", "Snakebite" co-written with Kelly Keeling of Dokken & the Michael Shenker Group, "Burning Our Bed" co-written with Al Pitrelli, "Hurricane Years", "Hurricane Years", "Dirty Dreams", "Die For You" co-written with Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx & Mick Mars), while underneath humor was an array of emotive love ballads & cutting social commentary, the former taking a more prominent role in later albums particularly the Brutal Planet trilogy. The corny sounding title track was actually a cry against those wanting to commit suicide with "Hey, hey, hey stoopid, they win, you lose" ... though many may not realize that Cooper is more than shock rock but has opinions & a positive social message. Remaining on Hey Stoopid is also the commercial sheen that had glossed up Trash & really works for Cooper however much raw music is cherished over commercialization. Cooper doesn't cuss, have nudity or do anything horrid on stage like many of his imitators & anything but a non-commercial sound would fail. Though, gone forever is the experimental flavor of the 1970's Alice Cooper band, here confirmed with an array of guest hard rock guitarists to prove this is a new Cooper. Hey Stoopid would be the mold for everything that has come since. All the pieces are here that would get developed further, from the leather to the humor to the guest musicians, to memorable chorus lines. This is also one of the stronger releases with some of his most memorable songs, though this is firmly rooted in 80's hard rock while Cooper would later experiment with industrial (i.e. Brutal Planet) & power metal (i.e. The Last Temptation). The post-Trash Alice Cooper is a heavy metal vicious beast. The songs are fairly generic 80's metal but what sets them apart is Cooper's recognizable vocal style, catchy lyrics that are more mini-narratives & unpredictable musical arrangements. Cooper wants you to go to on an emotional ride with him & he does it very well with this release, oft forgotten but deserving a new listen.

Alice Cooper ~ Classicks (live, hits comp) (album review) ... Star studded & not quite classics as you know them!

Style: shock rock, heavy metal, hard rock, greatest hits, live
Label: Epic
Year: 1995
Home: Arizona

Members: Al Pitrelli, Stef Burns ~ guitar/b. vocals
John McCurry, Pete Freezin' ~ guitar
Hugh McDonald, T-Bone Caradonna ~ bass
Derek Sherinian ~ keyboards/b. vocals
Greg Smith ~ bass/b. vocals
Jonathan Mover, Bobby Chouinard, Mickey Currey, David Uosikkinen ~ drums
Robert Bailey, Alan St. John, John Webster, Steve Croes ~ keyboards

Additional: Dan Wexler ~ guitar
Zachary Nevel, Vic Pepe, Tony Palmucci, Scott Bender, Corkey McClennan, Lance Bulen, Terry Wood, Shaun Murphy, Sherwood Ball, Cali, Gary Falcone, Ian Richardson, Nick Coler, Mick Wilson, Mike Finnigan, Stan Bush ~ b. vocals

Guests: Slash, Steve Vai, Joe Perry ~ guitar
Ozzy Osbourne, Chris Cornell, Kelly Keeling, Jack Ponti ~ b. vocals
Joe Satriani ~ guitar/b. vocals
Nikki Sixx ~ bass

Before reviewing this compilation/live album let me note that this was released by the label after Alice had left & thus his involvement was minimal, so the outcome may not be exactly what he'd release if given full creative control. Like the Megadeth greatest hits albums released by Capitol Records after the band moved to Sanctuary Records in 2000 ... it's all about a label continuing to make money on an artist now making money for someone else. That being said ... how do you get fans to buy a greatest hits package that has tracks probably everyone already has in their collection? Well, you can focus the greatest hits collection on a particular theme, here being the leather era look of a now sober Alice. Next, you record a new track or two that you set beside both classic tracks & some lesser known more recent tracks. But, what do you do when your musician has left your label & thus there's no new tracks forthcoming? Of the 15 songs on Classicks, a name suggested by Alice himself, one track is a new song, albeit it's actually an underheard B-side, eight tracks are recent while six are classic tracks from the 70's but performed live by the 1989/1990 touring band. The idea is that all the tracks have the same 80's hard rock sound & not reflect the eclectic musical changes that have highlighted Alice's career. This album was looking for new generation of fans who liked one style of music & it was loud, bombastic & full of guitar. When it comes to greatest hits compilations this is one of the more unique approaches I've seen. It's right up there with Asia re-recording all their old songs for Anthology, albeit this is far more successful & enjoyable as the touring band isn't trying to duplicate which was Asia's goal. Classicks is supposed to be a greatest hits collection but the recent tracks are culled only from the then most recent Trash from 1989, Hey Stoopid & The Last Temptation, while the classic tracks are all from the Alice Cooper Band & 1975's Welcome To My Nightmare. Thus, besides lacking quite a few classic hits, there's a near fifteen year gap of recordings missing from this album making its status as a true greatest hits albums weak. Albeit, no hits really came from the ten albums released in that time, but there's a few gems such as "You & Me" that keep them from being completely forgettable though they largely are according to both fans & Alice himself in his autobiography. But, the MTV era hits are here that culled a new generation of fans, though only Trash really scored any real hits. But, though Trash spun off four videos & the most commercial success its strangely represented by the single track "Poison" while the other two albums, that might have spurred less hits but have stronger songs, are given more than their fare share of attention considering their minor commercial impact. It's almost as if Trash had gotten enough success & now the label wanted some attention on the other lesser selling albums. Alice of the late 80's/90's was a heavy metal guy, far different than his 70's/early 80's persona, brought home by the live versions on Classicks of classic Alice Cooper Band hits that are far different & more wild than their 15-20 year old studio counterparts. Taken directly from the Trashes The World video they are raw two guitar onslaughts with a high energy band including future Savatage/Megadeth/Asia/Trans-Siberian guitarist Al Pitrelli, future Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian, under-rated drummer Jonathan Mover of GTR with Steve Howe, guitarist Pete Freezin' & bassist T-Bone Caradonna. It's the band that would set the sound & look for Alice through the present day with current shows being a development of the Trash look. Eric Singer, famous for his future tenure with Kiss, would replaced Mover soon after filming the video but no official recordings of his time with the tour exist. This tour line-up, supporting the release of Trash, on this compilation only feature the band playing the classic songs. At first the live tracks sound messy & cluttered with guitars roaring in a way not heard before, though they are a perfect reflection of how Alice updated his sound for the 80's, putting aside the more prog elements of the songs for a more headbanging sound. The songs might be re-arranged but remain untouchable classics. Anyone who doesn't know the contemporary music by Alice is missing an important chunk of his career. This is a good starting point for someone unsure of if they might like his current sound, plus as a bonus it features numerous guest musicians. Personally, I'd buy The Last Temptation first, then consider this compilation or the other two studio releases if I liked what I heard. The Last Temptation has some of the most heart-breaking songs Alice ever recorded, telling the story of a boy lost in the world & eventually discovering God as this album marked Alice's Christian conversion. In many ways this is a lopsided compilation as it's featuring a studio band then a completely different live band & thus sounds like two albums. But, to hear 80's Alice one could do a lot worse. The albums on the new record label that would follow this compilation would see Alice going even heavier & into industrial & bringing the character to its scariest thus Classicks ends up the end of an era & a photograph of past glories.

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.

Graham Bonnet ~ The Day I Went Mad (album review) ... The day I became a Graham Bonnet fan!

Style: hard rock, heavy metal, power metal
Label: Escape Music
Year: 2001
Home: Los Angeles

Members: Graham Bonnet ~ vocals
Kevin Valentine ~ drums

Additional: Mark Eric ~ guitar
Michael Alemania, Teddy Andreass ~ keyboards
Jamie Carter, Tim Bogert, Matt Boyd ~ bass

Guests: Slash, Vivian Campbell, Danny Johnson, Bruce Kulick, Mario Parga ~ guitars
John Thomas ~ guitars/keyboards
Tony Franklin ~ bass

Maybe I listen to too much music that sounds alike cause I swear a lot of it I forget as soon as the headphones come off. Or, maybe a lot of it is just not that memorable regardless of how good the musicians are. Then, occasionally, I hear something & I can't get it out of my head & I realize how really bland everything I've been listening to is in comparison. I originally started this review months ago but the album has been going around in my head so much I didn't want to let it out of my thoughts by finishing the review. I've felt like a parent having a kid leave home. Will I ever listen to the album again once it leaves me? Will I listen to the next album by this artist sooner than later? It's an album like The Day I Went Mad where I realize my problem is an overdose of bland music & I'm frightened to return to it ... I might go mad. This is a wake up album. I even wrote an e-mail to someone about how good this album was & I was only on the 3rd song. Brit Graham Bonnet is one of the lesser names of 80's singers, though it's not because he hasn't been prolific nor because he has an incredibly recognizable & it's not because he doesn't talented set of vocal cords somewhat in the style of Rob Halford. While his trademark James Dean-esque greaser look in an era of hair metal, though recently he's also been known to show up in a suit, has given him lots of coverage. Further, he fronted Rainbow after Dio left along with the Michael Schenker group & was in Alcatrazz with Satriani & Vai respectively. But, like many musicians the chart-topping hit has eluded him & thus his legacy/name recognition isn't reflective of what it should be. This album is cornucopia of alt-rock, Queen-esque operatic choir, 80's rock & power metal & maybe even a little grunge by way of Alice In Chains. The band is great but it's Bonnet's voice that is the key moving it all to a new level. As good as Halford, Dio, Ozzy or any other famed singer with a voice that can scream or get down to a grinding snarl. The Day I Went Mad is full of incredibly memorable riffs spanning a musical spectrum where each song is like a mini-musical world of its own with none of them sounding alike & not a bit of filler & every song, more importantly, rocks out. You actually begin to wonder what the band sounds like if they just let loose & rock out in a jam session. Some bands you know need the studio, but these guys sound like they could make magic anywhere. But, while this cornucopia approach can make for a difficult listen, & has been the weak spot of many albums, Bonnet's voice is the rope that keeps it all together. I didn't know Bonnet before I came across this & picked it up because I like the name of the album, it reminded me of the Queen song "I'm Going Slightly Mad", but this is one of the most spectacular releases I've accidentally took a chance on. If you can't tell - I've been made a fan. Highly recommended for everyone who likes to rock! Further, this is an album that actually sounds original in a world where nothing is original anymore. Featured in guest spots are Slash, Def Leppard's Vivian Campbell, KISS's Bruce Kulick, The Firm's Tony Franklin & members of Firefly.