Heavy Metal Addiction 2011 Awards Week

Posted: December 24, 2011 in Year End Awards
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2011 is almost over so that means it’s time for my year end awards! It’s been another awesome year for Hard Rock and Heavy Metal with so many releases on CD, DVD, Vinyl and Digital formats, not just new studio albums but also live records, reissues and special edition releases. I have had more albums submitted for review this year from bands, labels and PR agents as digital promos have taken over as the easiest way to get the word out as quickly as possible and I have done my part as a consumer and purchased plenty of new and old albums & DVDs from record stores, Ebay, online vendors and direct from bands and labels. The only problem has been finding the time to do through everything!

With all this music it’s been every hard to keep up so this has been the worst year for posting but I have made a serious push in November and December to listen to as many CDs, and watch as many DVDs, as possible to prepare for my year end lists. I said the same thing at the end of 2010 but 2011 was in fact the worst year for posting at Heavy Metal Addiction. I’m not sure if it was a time thing, or maybe Internet burnout, or possibly just catching up on sleep but I just never got around to posting much. My personal schedule with family, friends and work can be hectic at times and 2011 was a hectic year so there were months without a lot of posts…..actually, the total number of posts BEFORE the year end lists is under 50! From hundreds of posts in 5 years to less than 50 this year! Obviously sitting in front of a computer writing wasn’t something that interested me this year. I did listen to a lot of albums this year but I stayed mainly with albums in my collection even though I have piles on my desk, and in boxes right next it, chock full of CDs and DVDs released in 2011, as well as, albums I missed in 2010. I bought a ton of new releases as they came out and I’ve spent some time listening to them, I just didn’t get around to writing about them.

I haven’t completely abandoned this website as I plan to continue it because there’s a lot to write about and I will try and catch up on as many 2011 reviews as I can in early 2012. I have been re-listening to as many 2011 albums that I can since November so I can post my best and worst of 2011 lists, I will post those picks along with my top 5 DVD picks, albums I missed in 2010 that could have made my best of 2010 list, the last CD Scavenger Hunt of 2011 and the Top Miscellaneous Releases of 2011 that will include any live albums, greatest hits packages, reissues, etc. that were released and need to be mentioned. I’ve got my sights set on 2012 and I expect and even bigger year in Hard Rock and Heavy Metal as I keep checking out new releases and catching up on things I missed from 2011!

Here is the schedule for the 2011 Awards Week:

Saturday 12/24 — The Final CD Scavenger Hunt of 2011

Sunday 12/25 — Albums I Missed in 2010

Monday 12/26 — The Best Miscellaneous Releases of 2011

Tuesday 12/27 — The Top 5 DVDs of 2011

Wednesday 12/28 — The 2 Worst Albums of 2011

Thursday 12/29 — The Top 25 Albums of 2011

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For the last few years, a bunch of us bloggers/writers out there have linked our year end lists together and 2011 continues the tradition. The best thing about these lists is that there is always room for debate and there are always many albums some of us may have missed during the year. Please check out the websites below for more best of/worst of 2011 lists by some excellent writers with a serious passion for music. Some of the websites published their lists earlier in the month, some later and some as a month long daily post so check out the websites’ December 2011 archives for everyone’s picks. There may also be some lists that extend into January 2012 so bookmark these excellent websites and check them out daily for superb Hard Rock and Heavy Metal coverage.

All Metal Resource — http://allmetalresource.com/ 

Bring Back Glam — http://bringbackglam.squarespace.com/

The Crash Pad of Ray Van Horn, Jr. – http://www.rayvanhornjr2.blogspot.com/

Hair Metal Mansion — http://hairbangersradio.ning.com/

Hard Rock Hideout — http://hardrockhideout.com/

Hard Rock Nights — http://hardrocknights.com

Heavy Metal Addiction — http://heavymetaladdiction.com/

Heavy Metal Time Machine — http://metalmark.blogspot.com/

Imagine Echoes — http://www.imagineechoes.com/

Layla’s Classic Rock — http://laylasclassicrock.blogspot.com/

Metal Excess — http://metalexcess.com/

Metal Odyssey — http://metalodyssey.wordpress.com/

The Ripple Effect — http://www.ripplemusic.blogspot.com/

CD Scavenger Hunt (November update)

Posted: November 29, 2011 in CD Scavenger Hunt
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Another very slow month for CD shopping! Maybe it’s because we are nearing the holidays? Maybe it’s because I’m so far behind on new releases? Maybe it’s because I’m saving a little money? I made it out to the record store early in the month so here’s the shopping trip, the only one I made in November!

Newbury Comics

Megadeth – Th1rt3en (2011) – $12: Another new Megadeth record! That alone is enough to get my lazy butt in the car and drive 10 minutes to the record store! The last few Megadeth records have been really great, on par with the classic albums from the band’s beginning. Aside from RISK (1999), have there really been any bad Megadeth albums? TH1RT3EN marks the band’s 13th studio album and the first album since 2001′s THE WORLD NEEDS A HERO that founding bassist Dave Ellefson plays on. I’ve been catching a lot of Megadeth lately either on TV or radio so all the signs have been pointing to this new record, hopefully I will be able to catch them on tour. The new single ‘Public Enemy #1′ is a solid song and cool to hear on the radio…..at least it’s been played here in the New England area. Of course, the sale price had a lot to do with my picking up the CD right away, regular price would have been $17 so saving $5 is a good thing.

Steel Panther – Balls Out (2011) – $10: Based on the old school record cover…..a must purchase! I have to give Steel Panther credit, they don’t stray from their over the top concept and they’ve made a decent career after it whether it’s been as Danger Kitty (Discover Card commercial), Metal Shop or Metal Skool. Similar to Fozzy at the beginning I guess. I didn’t really get into their first CD, FEEL THE STEEL (2009), but I intend to give that album and BALLS OUT a fresh listen. Back to the cover…..I love the torn price tag in the top left corner: “used records….$1.69″ and the ring wear as if this was an actual used vinyl jacket. Oh yeah, there’s a chick on the cover too! If I saw this cover back when I was 13 I would have had to hide the record from my mom! Regular price was $15 and this album had come out a couple weeks before Megadeth so I was fortunate to find a copy with the sale price, saved $5.

Heavy Metal Parking Lot (20th Anniversary DVD) (2005) – $10 used: A must have for any Metal fan who spent time in an arena parking lot before a concert back in the ’80s! I remember seeing Heavy Metal Parking Lot back in the day on cable access and featured on MTV News but I re-discovered it online back in 1998 and I’ve been trying to get my own copy ever since. I’ve had this on the list a while and it’s available at Amazon, the film’s website and various independent retailers but I never got around to buying it because it’s so readily available at online video sites. This DVD wasn’t in the racks the previous couple of times I’d been to the store so seeing it there this time around was a complete surprise! Online prices with shipping are around $20 so buying this pristine used copy for half price saved a cool $10.

Trillium – Alloy (2011) – $14: Trillium is Amanda Somerville’s (Somerville/Kiske, solo, Avantasia, etc) new Metal project but she’s really been a fixture on the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal scene for years because of her extensive vocal work (lead and background) on many albums from Epica, After Forever, Kamelot, Aina, Edguy and Mob Rules. When I read she was releasing the Trillium album on Frontiers Records I knew I was buying it because the Kiske/Somerville album (with former Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske) was one of the best albums of 2010. The only problem was that the Trillium record going to be hard to find at the local shop and it would be at an import price. Sure enough, there was only one copy in the racks and the sale price was an expensive $14 (regular was $17!) but I didn’t want to order it online and pay the extra money for shipping. Finding this CD in the racks on sale saved $3 but it probably saved a few more dollars compared to ordering online.

Total = $46

Total (year) = $933

Average Price (per item) = $8.72

Total Savings (month) = $23

Total Savings (year) = $836

Total CDs (year) = 99

Total DVDs (year) = 7

Total Box Sets (year) = 0

Total LPs (year) = 1

CD Scavenger Hunt (October update)

Posted: October 31, 2011 in CD Scavenger Hunt
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I always have a handwritten list of new releases on my desk that gets added to on a daily basis so I can get my shopping list ready for the record stores. Unfortunately, I didn’t see many new releases coming in the beginning of October so I didn’t plan on making many trips to CD hunt. October is another usually slow month for me for buying CDs because of the impending and dreaded filling of the oil tank and my two daughters’ birthday celebrations taking up a good chunk of disposable income! Like I said though, I didn’t have much on my list and I make sure I check every bit of news for release dates of albums I will need. I’m always up for a bargain or two and I found a few decent used CDs mixed in with some new releases…..

Newbury Comics

Sabu – Between The Light (1998) – $4 used: First trip of the month wasn’t for me, it was for my oldest daughter who needed some new Skullcandy earbuds for her iPod Touch. While she looked around, I hit the markdown bin and this CD by Paul Sabu is the first one I found. You may remember Paul Sabu because he’s a huge producer/composer/songwriter in the AOR/Melodic Rock arena and has worked with bands like Alice Cooper, Heart, David Bowie, Shania Twan, Little Caesar, Malice and a ton more but he also managed to carve out a nine album solo career since 1984. BETWEEN THE LIGHT happens to be album #6 in Sabu’s solo career and I’ve never seen a copy in a record store before. On Ebay I’ve seen this album go anywhere between $5 and $15 at auction but it’s nothing I would go out of my way to bid on. For $4 used I grabbed it! Nice and cheap and in perfect condition…..assuming the regular price to be what a normal CD would go for ($15), I saved $11.

Saigon Kick – Devil In The Details (1995) – $3 used: If you were alive and kicking in 1992 then you who Saigon Kick is because Rock stations couldn’t get enough of their hit ballad ‘Love Is On The Way’ from THE LIZARD (1992). Never heard another song though, right? Exactly! Another casualty of the hair band and power ballad craze. The thing is that Saigon Kick had a debut record in 1991, a bunch of good Rock songs and four more studio releases to round out the ’90s…..but all they’re remembered for is the one hit ballad. I seem to always stumble upon a Saigon Kick album in a used bin but it’s usually either THE LIZARD or WATER (1993), when I saw this CD for $3 used I grabbed it right away because I knew I didn’t own it and it was a great bargain. Assuming a regular price of $15, I saved $12, but the interesting thing is that it seems I have the import version and not the U.S. release on CMC International. The label here is Seagull Int’l/Pony Canyon and the band cover shot is different artwork than the U.S. pressing. I know Pony Canyon is a Japanese label but this isn’t a Japanese import…..a great bargain and an alternate version that includes two bonus tracks.

Valient Thorr – Legend Of The World (2006) – $4 used: A band I’ve read about in various Rock magazines (specifically Classic Rock) over the last few years so I instantly recognized that at least this was a Metal CD. Outside of that, I know nothing about Valient Thorr. Buying a CD from a band you don’t know anything about can be very tricky and it’s an art that most record stores rats like myself perfected in the ’80s by using cool album artwork as a guide…..that doesn’t apply here either! You can’t beat the bargain so spending only $4 on a used CD by a band you don’t know anything about is low risk. Assuming regular price would be the normal $15, I saved $11 with another bargain bin find. After I got home with this disc, I checked some of my sampler bonus CDs I’ve gotten in issues of Classic Rock and there are two or three Valient Thorr tracks on them to also check out!

Mercyful Fate – Melissa (1983) – $9 used: Hard to believe that MELISSA is one of those albums that is missing from my collection but the debut from Mercyful Fate has eluded me for a few years now. You can get it on Ebay at anytime but I haven’t bothered because the price always seems too much, I’ve been keeping an eye on the used bins, and the regular priced sections, to see if this one shows up at a decent price. I have most of the Fate catalog with the exception of maybe a couple releases but I never could get MELISSA. This version is the 1997 reissue on Roadrunner which you would think you could find everywhere because it used to be everywhere, the only versions I see are these 2 on 1 CD collection from Roadrunner and I don’t like those, I prefer each individual disc. I found this CD in the regular Rock section rather than the Metal section and, if you compare it to the $16 regular price for one of those 2 on 1 discs, I saved $7 with this find.

Ian Gillan, Tony Iommi & Friends – Who Cares (2011) – $8: It’s very rare that I buy a CD single, and paying $8 for one is even rarer, but I needed this one because it marks the first recorded collaboration between Black Sabbath founder/guitarist Tony Iommi and former Sabbath/current Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan. If you’ve read this blog a while then you know I’m a huge Sabbath fan, especially post-Ozzy, so when I heard that Iommi and Gillan were working together on a project that was for charity, I had to hear what the old BORN AGAIN lineup was up to. The “friends” on this album are Jason Newsted (bass), Nicko McBrain (drums), Linde Lindstrom (guitars), and Jon Lord (keyboards) and the only play on ‘Who Cares’, the second song, ‘Holy Water’, has other musicians. This is a two song single but it’s an enhanced CD that includes the video for the title track and a 27 minute documentary on the making of Who Cares.

Charred Walls Of The Damned – Cold Winds On Timeless Days – $10: I never really gave the debut by Charred Walls Of The Damned enough time when it came out but it was a great record and I’m hoping for the same on COLD WINDS ON TIMELESS DAYS. Richard Christy’s project has Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens back again on vocals and Steve DiGiorgio on bass so it’s kind of like an Iced Earth alum band in a way…..say what you want about Ripper Owens singing on everyone’s albums (Yngwie Malmsteen, Iced Earth, and a bunch of guest spots), the guy is a great singer and not the Rob Halford clone everyone thinks he is. Charred Walls Of The Damned got instant credibilty with Owens and DiGiorgio on board but the quality of songs on the debut made this more than a bunch of names. Buying this new record means I will revisit the debut first and give both records extra playing time. Regular price is $14 but I got this on sale the day of release for $10 so I saved $4.

Halford – Live At Saitama Super Arena DVD (2011) – $7: I had no idea this was even coming out but when I saw a new Halford DVD on the Newbury Comics mailing list I immeadiately went to the Halford website to see what this release was about. A 15 song live set in Japan on the last tour in October 2010 promoting MADE OF METAL (2010) that adds two bonus videos…..there isn’t really anything else to this release which is why the price was so low. Checking out the Halford website, it seems the live CD will be released November 21 & 22 worldwide. I’m glad that Rob Halford is releasing this on DVD and CD (Blu-ray is out now too!) but I’m a little disappointed that this wasn’t released as a CD/DVD package. Granted, $7 for a concert DVD is awesome, even the $12 regular price was great, but having the audio CD and the DVD together in a nice package for a $15 sale price/$20 regular would be more my thing. Not complaining at saving $5 off the regular price for this DVD, I just wish I didn’t have to wait on the CD.

Iced Earth – Dystopia (2011) – $10: When I heard that Iced Earth had a new record coming out I was psyched because the last two albums have been really good. I’ve been a long time Iced Earth fan, since the mid-90s, and I recently went back and listened to all the older albums with Matt Barlow on vocals…..excellent stuff! The problem with Iced Earth over the last 9 years has been the constant changes in the lead vocal slot. New vocalist, and Into Eternity frontman, Stu Block is the band’s fifth lead singer in the band’s 20 year career but the real upheaval is that critically acclaimed, and fan favorite, singer Matt Barlow has left the band for a second time! For me, a new Iced Earth record is a must have no matter who’s on the mic and I made it to the store the day of release to get the limited edition digipak that includes 3 bonus tracks, a fold-out poster and a sticker. There was no regular version available that I could find but the sale price was only $10, saving me $7 off the $17 regular price.

Running Wild – The Final Jolly Roger (Live At W.O.A. 2009) (2011) – $12: Rock ‘n’ Ralf announced the end of Running Wild a couple of years ago and the band’s last performance at Wacken Open Air 2009 was recorded for the live CD and DVD. Of course, Ralf has decided to bring Running Wild back for a new album in 2012…..the originators of Pirate Metal are back again! THE FINAL JOLLY ROGER comes in 3 formats: the double live disc (this is the one I have!), the DVD, and the limited edition 2 CD/DVD set with both together. Of course, there was only one copy of the live album in the store and I had the staff look up the availability of the DVD and the 3 disc edition…..nothing. I figured that I was going to miss out on the live album if I didn’t grab it right away so I snagged it for the $12 sale price, saving $8 off the $20 regular price. Now the search is on for the DVD…..I wish that these collections were only released in the one all encompassing format. I would have easily paid $20-$25 for the 3 disc set.

Jag Panzer – The Scourge Of Light (2011) – $12: Here’s an album that I didn’t buy over the spring when it came out and the sale price came and went pretty quickly. Taking a look at my collection, I’ve picked up most Jag Panzer releases since the band came back in the late ’90s but I haven’t picked up the last two studio albums MECHANIZED WARFARE (2001) and CASTING THE STONES (2004). I think that’s one of the reasons why I passed on this CD initially…..I just haven’t bothered to keep up with the band and their presence over the last decade has been spotty. I was picking through the Metal section and I noticed that the store had 4 copies of THE SCOURGE OF LIGHT but there was only one with a sale tag on it! Regular price on the other 3 copies was $16 so I immeadiately grabbed this disc to save the $4 but the most important aspect is that this new album as ignited a new spark for Jag Panzer and I’ve been revisiting the other albums I own and I’m on the search for the missing ones.

Lillian Axe – Psychoschizophrenia (1993) – $6 used: I’ve had a lot of luck lately in the bargain bins so I went over and gave them another thorough check. I’ve pretty much grabbed all the quality Hard Rock & Metal over the last couple of months but there’s always that person that sells back CDs for store credit and enhances my collection at the same time! As soon as I saw PSYCHSCHIZOPHRENIA, I grabbed it because I knew that I needed two Lillian Axe records in the middle of their discography to complete my collection but I couldn’t remember which ones. I decided to tke the $6 risk and buy it knowing I had a 1 in 3 chance of filling another hole in my collection. When I got home, it turned out that the two records I needed were 1992′s POETIC JUSTICE and this one. My research shows that this CD goes for around $15 on Ebay so I saved $9 by bargain bin diving!

Total = $85

Total (year) = $887

Average Price (per item) = $8.61

Total Savings (month) = $78

Total Savings (year) = $813

Total CDs (year) = 96

Total DVDs (year) = 6

Total Box Sets (year) = 0

Total LPs (year) = 1

Alice Cooper – Welcome 2 My Nightmare (2011)

Posted: October 22, 2011 in Album Reviews
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Alice Cooper – Welcome 2 My Nightmare (2011, Universal Music)

  1. I Am Made Of You
  2. Caffeine
  3. The Nightmare Returns
  4. A Runaway Train
  5. Last Man On Earth
  6. The Congregation
  7. I’ll Bite Your Face Off
  8. Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever
  9. Ghouls Gone Wild
  10. Something To Remember Me By
  11. When Hell Comes Home
  12. What Baby Wants
  13. I Gotta Get Outta Here
  14. The Underture
  15. Under The Bed*
  16. Poison (Live At Download Festival 2011)*

(* bonus tracks for Classic Rock Magazine limited edition fan pack)

Starring:
Alice Cooper – Lead Vocals & Harmonica

Musicians:
Tommy Henriksen – Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals, Programming
Michael Bruce – Guitars, keyboards, backing vocals on “A Runaway Train”, “I’ll Bite Your Face Off” & “When Hell Comes Home”
Dennis Dunaway – Bass, backing vocals on “A Runaway Train”, “I’ll Bite Your Face Off” & “When Hell Comes Home”
Neal Smith – Drums, percussion, backing vocals on “A Runaway Train”, “I’ll Bite Your Face Off” & “When Hell Comes Home”
Steve Hunter – guitars on “Something To Remember Me By”, “When Hell Comes Home” & “What Baby Wants”
Keith Nelson – Guitars & backing vocals on “Caffeine”
Dick Wagner – Lead guitar on “The Underture”
Tommy Denander – Guitars on “I Am Made of You”
Vince Gill – Lead guitar on “A Runaway Train” & “Gotta Get Outta Here”
Ke$ha – Guest vocals on “What Baby Wants”
Rob Zombie – Backing vocals on “The Congregation”
John 5 – Guitar on “Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever”
Chuck Garric – Bass
Piggy D – Bass on “Last Man On Earth”
David Spreng – Drums on “Last Man On Earth”
Kip Winger – Backing vocals on “Ghouls Gone Wild” & “The Congregation”
Patterson Hood – Guitar on “Gotta Get Outta Here”
Jimmy DeGrasso – Drums on “I Gotta Get Outta Here”
Pat Buchanan – Guitars
Vicki Hampton – Backing vocals
Wendy Moten – Backing vocals
Scott Williamson – Drums
Jimmie Lee Sloas – Bass

Producer: Bob Ezrin

Country: USA

Total Time (including bonus tracks) = 1:02:21

Alice Cooper
Nights With Alice Cooper Radio Show
Sick Things UK

It’s been 36 years since Alice Cooper went solo and released what is possibly his most successful album, the classic and iconic WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE (1975). In that time, Alice has released 17 other studio albums and each one incorporates the horror themes, tongue-in-cheek humor and all out craziness that has become the trademark of his music and image…..but they all owe their conception to the Nightmare. Alice has been on a roll for the last decade releasing albums that have that old school, classic ’70s Alice Cooper Band sound with THE EYES OF ALICE COOPER (2003) and DIRTY DIAMONDS (2005), and the horror film/serial killer epic ALONG CAME A SPIDER (2008), so what does he do? He enlists famed producer (and unofficial sixth member of the Alice Cooper Band) Bob Ezrin, his former bandmates (Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith, Michael Bruce, Dick Wagner & Steve Hunter), and a varied list of guest musicians (Rob Zombie, Ke$ha, Vince Gill & more) to create an album that many people are calling a sequel but, in Alice’s world, it’s a continuation…..WELCOME 2 MY NIGHTMARE (2011). 

After close to four decades after Alice’s original nightmare, his new nightmare is a bit updated but it also gives a nod to the first one. The opening song ‘I Am Made Of You’ starts with a chilling piano that recalls Alice’s classic track ‘Steven’ (the main character and inspiration for the original Nightmare). It’s a very basic song and builds as it moves forward to a bigger sound but with that piano under it all keeping it creepy. Alice puts in a solid vocal and uses some studio effects on parts of his vocal (some may confuse it with Auto-Tune) to add to that creepiness. The guitars and orchestration are added fora grand effect and the song takes on this preview quality of what’s to come. The opening guitar to ‘Caffeine’ sets the manic tone that reflects Alice’s fear of falling asleep…..he’ll do whatever it takes to stay awake so the Nightmare doesn’t begin. “Caffeine, caffeine, amphetamine, a little speed is all I need….“, I think that says it all, he has to stay awake at any cost and you can feel the panic. Alice can’t hold out forever and ‘The Nightmare Returns’ is just that…..Alice starts to fall asleep and it’s almost like he’s singing a creepy lullaby over that chilling piano. For a quick 1:15, the song sets the tone…..Alice is asleep and the Nightmare begins…..

‘A Runaway Train’ is Alice’s reunion with his old Alice Cooper Band bandmates Bruce, Dunaway & Smith along with guitar work from Steve Hunter and a mean guitar solo from country superstar Vince Gill. Alice finds himself stuck on this runaway train heading toward his nightmare at full speed and he’s waiting for the eventual crash. If you listen to the lyrics, Alice is talking to the other passengers on this train to nightmares and he realizes that his fame and fortune will get him nowhere because everyone is equal on this train…..the Nightmare is coming and nothing can stop it and he can’t wake. The song itself sounds like a classic country barnyard hoedown mixed with straight ’70s Hard Rock that eventually ends with the crash. ‘The Last Man On Earth’ has that vaudeville sound mixed with jazz, almost like a marching band…..I could see Alice walking down some deserted street with a ghostly band behind him singing this song at the top of his lungs! Basically, this is Alice immersed in the dream but he’s alone and he realizes he can do whatever he wants…..but is that a good thing? He can’t tell because he knows he’s in his own nightmare. Continuing to ‘The Congregation’, this is classic Beatles if I ever heard it and Rob Zombie is Alice’s guide through the dream. Back on the 1975 record, Vincent Price did the spoken word narrations and now Alice’s good friend Mr. Zombie takes over and he fits in perfectly. I heard someone on a radio show recently say that this song sounded like Cheap Trick but they were Beatles influenced also so it all comes down to the originators and Alice showing off what influenced his musical direction. Alice shows another influence, this time The Rolling Stones (who I prefer to The Beatles), with another reunion song with his old bandmates titled ‘I’ll Bite Your Face Off’. The guitar is pure Keith Richards, the tempo is classic Wyman/Watts and you could almost hear Mick singing the song but the lyrics are so not the Stones. Even the piano break in the middle of the song sounds Stonsey, a bit of Ian Stewart (the sixth member of the Stones) from Bob Ezrin (the sixth member of Alice Cooper). Obviously, Alice has met a girl in his dream and she may look nice but she has a dark side.

From The Beatles and The Stones we move into disco…..disco? ‘Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever’ is one of my favorite songs on the album, it has a touch of Rap mixed with a disco dance beat but it moves to straight out Metal towards the end. John 5 guests on guitar on this track and he’s one of the best modern guitarists on the scene. The concept here is that Disco is the antithesis of everything Alice stands for and he can’t make the music, or the people, stop. No matter how many he kills, more show up and keep going, so it turns into a bloodbath…..”Bodies here, bodies there, piles of bodies everywhere…..“. Another favorite of mine is the surf rock sound of ‘Ghouls Gone Wild’…..I love that word play on the title “ghouls” replacing “girls” from that highly successful babefest video series Girls Gone Wild. In Alice’s nightmare, the chicks are there dancing on the beach but they’re all dead and he falls for one of course! It sounds like a B-movie horror film concept and I can only describe it as a “zombie beach a go-go” with that Beach Boys sound from the early ’60s. Great guitar work here from Tommy Henriksen and Steve Hunter, they capture that ’60s surf vibe perfectly, and the background vocals ( especially the oooh-aaahs) from Mark Volman (The Turtles), Ezrin and Kip Winger add that extra detail. Comparing both the original NIGHTMARE and NIGHTMARE 2, you need the seminal ballad. On the first album, it was the classic ‘Only Women Bleed’, a song that became one of Alice’s biggest hits…..on the new record, it’s ‘Something To Remember Me By’. It’s got that same sound, that same style vocal from Alice that was so unexpected 36 years ago, it sounds sweet but you realize Alice is singing to this ghoul from the beach party! Classic Alice! One of the things I like to do with these kind of concept albums is follow along with the lyric sheet and, as I write this review, I’m referring to it to follow the storyline because this nightmare is really a story.

Alice’s nightmare continues to themes of domestic violence in ‘When Hell Comes Home’…..kind of like ‘Only Women Bleed’ from the first NIGHTMARE. ‘When Hell Comes Home’ is creepier, more sinister and definitely one of the heavier songs on the album. This part of the dream/story is from a child’s perspective (a young Alice maybe?) about how his Daddy comes home drunk and likes to take his aggressions on the family…..of course Alice turns the tables on Daddy in the end! The are a ton of guest stars on this album and one of the most talked about is pop diva Ke$ha and her performance on ‘What Baby Wants’. I’ll be honest, upon hearing the news of her involvement I was not a happy metalhead because I felt Alice was pandering to get extra fans from the musically uneducated masses. I know all about Ke$ha because I have two daughters and a wife that love Pop and Dance music and I have no tolerance for it. Does anyone expect anything great from an Alice/Ke$ha pairing? I didn’t but I was proven wrong because ‘What Baby Wants’ is a pretty good catchy tune and Ke$ha sounds more Rock than she does Pop. I thought the concept that she is the Devil in Alice’s dream was kind of funny because I such preconceptions of the duet but it works disguising the Devil as a young good-looking woman, she wants his soul and….”what baby wants, baby gets!”. Another classic track is “I Gotta Get Outta Here’ where Alice basically realizes he has to wake up because this nightmare is out of control but he doesn’t realize that he’s already dead! The choir section and Alice’s lines to them at the end is classic. Now that the Nightmare is over for Alice, we receive ‘The Underture’, the grand instrumental finale that uses instrumentation from songs on both NIGHTMARE records to end it all and forever link the two albums.

Now if you’re a big Alice fan like myself then you like to collect everything Alice records and the Classic Rock Magazine special issue for WELCOME 2 MY NIGHTMARE is a really cool deal. I have the original release CD but I also dropped the import price for the special magazine that includes the album with two bonus tracks, poster, Alice make-up, an Alice mask, a School’s Out pin and an issue of Classic rock specially devoted to Alice Cooper. I seem to be buying these up lately, I have this one, the Whitesnake one and I just ordered the Motorhead issue…..they are great collector’s pieces! The bonus tracks include a studio song titled ‘Under The Bed’ and a live version of Alice’s huge hit ‘Poison’ from the 2011 Download Festival. ‘Under The Bed’ is a solid song that is another slow creepy sounding song with that Ezrin piano that gives that scary feel…..it’s all about Alice not wanting to fall asleep because he knows that he’ll have a nightmare and that there are things under the bed that will torment him. It’s a good song and it would probably fit either before or after ‘Caffeine’ in the album sequence. The live ‘Poison’ from Download is a solid performance and, being a veteran of many an Alice concert, the song is a highlight every show. If you were a teen like me in 1989 when TRASH came out, then you know all about the song, the comeback, and the success so the man has to play it and it always fits the theatrical part of his show. It’s a solid recording and performance and I’m hoping that it gets properly released as a live album and DVD and the fact that two more live songs appear on the Canadian deluxe pressing of the album (‘No More Mr. Nice Guy’ & ‘The Black Widow’) means that it’s a possibility. Just another quick collector’s note outside the proper album, there are a bunch of different album versions with bonus tracks: the Classic Rock  Magazine fan pack and the Canadian deluxe pressing I mentioned, there’s a deluxe digipak and Japanese pressing that include the other two live tracks but replaces ‘Under The Bed’ with the studio song ‘We Gotta Get Out Of This Place’, the vinyl that has the studio track ‘Flatline’ instead of ‘Under The Bed’ and the iTunes bonus song ‘A Bad Situation’. I haven’t heard any of these other bonus tracks so I can’t review them…..but I will be seeking them out.

Bottom Line:
It’s hard to top one of the most iconic albums in Hard Rock & Heavy Metal but Alice Cooper and his cast of musicians and collaborators have come extremely close. I grew up listening to classic Alice albums and WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE (1975) is so good, so famous, so groundbreaking that topping it is next to impossible and I think Alice knows that so why not just continue the Nightmare? That’s exactly what this record does: it continues to dive into the demented world that is Alice’s dreams only that this time around there is no escape! The entire concept of the album serves as the perfect bridge between to eras of Alice’s career but the latest NIGHTMARE can easily stand alone as it’s own entity, if there never was an original NIGHTMARE album, then this new record would stand alone just as strong. I like the fact that Alice is able to keep his current music fresh and exciting but always giving that nod towards his classic ’70s sound. The music, lyrics and production on the album are top shelf but that’s to be expected when you pair up Alice Cooper with Bob Ezrin and the host of guests that either write or perform on the album. As far as I’m concerned, this is the best Alice record of the new millenium era (2000 to present) and there is some stiff competition for that title with the last three albums (mentioned above) and BRUTAL PLANET (2000) and DRAGONTOWN (2001). WELCOME 2 MY NIGHTMARE is definitely one of the top releases of 2011 for me and I can easily say that it’s currently battling at the top of my list for the #1 album of 2011.

Favorite Songs:
When you have a concept album with such great songs it can be hard to pick out a few songs as favorites because the songs really blend into each other to tell the story. I’ll be honest, I can’t find a bad song on this album and I really do like them all but, if I have to choose four stand-out tracks they would be ‘Caffeine’, ‘Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever, ‘Ghouls Gone Wild’ and ‘When Hell Comes Home’. The songs all either have the Alice humor, the horror or the freakiness that are all his trademarks. I’m also going to give a quick mention here to the Ke$ha collaboration on ‘What Baby Wants’…..way better than I expected.

CD Scavenger Hunt (September update)

Posted: September 30, 2011 in CD Scavenger Hunt
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The hunt for CDs always continues but September is always a slow month because of back to school and getting the house ready for Fall/Winter. September is also slow because there aren’t as many new releases because the Summer concert/release season has come and gone and a lot of new albums are planned closer to the Winter holidays. There were more than a few big releases though and I was at the record store buying them up on sale…..

Newbury Comics

Anthrax – Worship Music (2011) – $12: One of the most anticipated releases of 2011 for me because of the reunion with singer Joey Belladonna but also because there hasn’t been a new Anthrax record since 2003′s WE’VE COME FOR YOU ALL. That’s 8 long years! There’s been a lot of drama in the Anthrax camp at the singer slot with John Bush leaving and Belladonna coming in for a reunion tour, then Dan Nelson replacing Belladonna for a new record. When that didn’t work, Bush came back for festival dates and to try and record the Nelson material but that didn’t work and Belladonna came back for the Big 4 tour dates. Get all that? WORSHIP MUSIC has the classic lineup intact, save for Rob Caggiano on guitar, and it sounds like the band never parted ways with Belladonna back in 1992. I’ve been an Anthrax fan since the beginning and this is a classic ’80s styled release and it sounds great. Regular price was $16 so I saved $4.

Edguy – Age Of The Joker (2011) – $10: I have this love/hate releationship with Edguy. When they first came out in the late ’90s, they were a pure Power Metal band that I discovered while getting completely immersed in the growing Power Metal resurgence. As time went on, I had a harder time with the change in sound on albums like HELLFIRE CLUB (2004) and ROCKET RIDE (2006) to a more Hard Rock sound…..at least that’s what I hear. I always buy Edguy’s albums though and they’re always really good but I think they get overshadowed now by Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia projects. I couldn’t pass up the album though and it was on sale the day of release for $10, a $6 savings compared to the $16 regular price. I’ve read online that there’s a limited edition two disc version with six bonus tracks but it wasn’t available at the record store the day of release. Actually, I had no idea there was a special edition or I might have waited and bought online.

Dream Theater – A Dramatic Turn Of Events (2011) – $16: The only reason why this new Dream Theater album seems so expensive is because I bought the special edition with the bonus DVD documenting the drummer auditions the band held to replace the departed Mike Portnoy. I thought that was pretty interesting and I wouldn’t mind seeing new drummer Mike Mangini’s (ex-Annihilator, Extreme, Steve Vai) induction to the band. Not really a surprise pick seeing that Mangini already worked on some of James LaBrie’s solo projects. This is Dream Theater though and I’m going to buy the album anyway, the only difference being do I want to shell out an extra $3 for a bonus DVD? The standard version was $13 on sale with a regular price of $16, the special edition was $16 on sale with a regular price of $22…..I saved $6 and got the bonus DVD that I’ll probably watch once!

Doro – 25 years In Rock…..And Still Going Strong (2011) – $20: Now here’s the reason I made the trip out to the record store this particular week! Doro Pesch has been around a long time and she is still kicking ass! I’ve been following her since the Warlock days and it seems that I’ve acquired a large Warlock/Doro collection over the years. Back in 2008, Doro celebrated her 25th year in Metal with a huge concert in her hometown of Dusseldorf, Germany with a ton of special appearances and guests from across the Metal world including a Warlock reunion! I’ve only seen and heard bits and pieces online and through various Doro releases but now the entire collection is finally seeing the light of day in the U.S…..it seems that this was released in Europe in november 2010 through Nuclear Blast Germany. The package includes 5 hours of concert footage & a documentary on 2 DVDs and a 43 minute audio CD of parts of the live 25th anniversary concert. The DVDs include the full anniversary show, the behind the scenes look at the show and a bunch of live extras from various festivals over the last few years. I would have preferred the full show on audio so I’m going to see if it’s available on that earlier European release. Regular price was $30, paid $20, saved $10.

Saxon – Call To Arms (2011) – $10: The new Saxon record was the only reason I made a second trip to the record store during September…..like I said, it was a slow month but I’m not missing a new album from one of my favorite bands! CALL TO ARMS was released a few weeks earlier in Europe and I’d read some great reviews so I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, the cover doesn’t impress but the music sure does! There were two versions of this CD: the standard and the special edition that included the Live At Donington 1980 live album. That Donington ’80 live album has been repackaged so many times that it’s become kind of a joke, if you already own the original like I do then there’s no reason to buy the special edition. The original Donington ’80 is relatively easy to find as well. Regular price here was $13 (the special edition was $16) and the sale was $10 ($13 for the special) so I saved $3.

Sebastian Bach – Kicking & Screaming (2011) – $14: Just like Edguy, I have this love/hate thing going with Sebastian Bach. Most of the time, I find the guy to be full of himself and he really hasn’t released much since Skid Row’s SUBHUMAN RACE (1995). Granted that he did Braodway and a lot of work on television with MTV Networks and reality TV but his solo projects haven’t been barnburners for me. He had the group The Last Hard Men, a half studio/half live album, a covers album, ANGEL DOWN (2007) and the Frameshift collaboration in 2005. For me the Frameshift record is the best of them all so I wasn’t expecting much. Then I look at the guy and he embodies that “rock star” persona and you know the talent is there so I always have hope. I heard the first single, the title track, and it sounded pretty good so I decided to take the chance.  I ended up buying the special edition with the bonus DVD that include the making of the album, live bonuses and videos while the proper CD has a bonus track ‘Jump Off The Wagon’. Regular price was $20, paid $14, saved $6.

House Of Lords – Big Money (2011) – $13: One thing I like about the Newbury Comics I shop at is that they group all the Frontiers Records’ new releases together in the new release section, I end up buying albums I totally forgot about all the time! Right next to the Sebastian Bach was the new House Of Lords which, just like Doro, I seem to have acquired almost all of the band’s albums very quietly. The problem with that is I usually end up not giving these House Of Lords albums enough time on the stereo…..maybe it’s because the first two albums were so good? Frontman/co-founder James Christian is back again as the only one left from the glory days and he’s done a great job of keeping HOL alive, the guy also still has a great voice. I forgot about this album so I grabbed the only copy in the store for the $13 sale price. Regular price for this Frontiers import was $17 so I saved $4. Just a quick thought…..I realize the crest is the band’s trademark but couldn’t we vary some of these album covers a little?

Michael Monroe – Sensory Overdrive (2011) – $10: This CD was a complete out of the blue purchase. I’m not a big Hanoi Rocks or Michael Monroe fan because I just never got around to buying most of the albums. I have a few but I bought them years ago and haven’t revisited them in years. So I’m browsing the regular priced Rock section and I notice one of the clerks stocking a section so I asked the guy if he had good stuff. The guy told me to give this disc a try so I took it and added it to my shopping basket. If you’ve read this website long enough then you know I always grab a handbasket when I walk in and I fill it with all the good stuff I find. When I’m done, I make my decisions, keep what I’m buying and I restock the other CDs back on the shelves where they belong. When it came down to decision time, the reason why I took a chance on Michael Monroe was because the other competing albums had multiple copies and this had only one, the others were a few dollars more, this was a lower price and I quickly pulled up a few reviews on my phone. I figured $10 sale price was worth a chance…..regular price was $13 so I saved $3.

Amon Amarth – Surtur Rising (2011) – $12 used: I ended up find ing the latest Amon Amarth album on my third and final trip to Newbury Comics in September, I actually went back to the store the day after I bought the Saxon, Bach, Monroe and Lords albums because I forgot to buy my wife a CD she asked me to pick up. So I go back in and I decide to do a quick double check of the Metal section because how much is really going to change in 24 hours? Well SURTUR RISING wasn’t there the day before and there were two copies: a new one for $20 and this used one for $12! This is the special edition digipak that includes the 10 song CD and the 33 track DVD – BLOODSHED OVER BOCHUM, GERMANY 12/28-12/31/2008. I saved the $8 over the regular price and the content value is great for that price but this was a solid purchase because 1) the digital download I received from the promo company had a glitch in it and I couldn’t download the entire album and 2) I haven’t seen a copy of SURTUR RISING stocked in any of the various Newbury Comics locations I’ve been in since a month after the album’s release. The search is over and I paid just under what the original sale price was on the new release date.

Kik Tracee – No Rules (1991) – $3 used: If you find one great bargain then there’s bound to be another! Nothing else of any significance cam out of the quick check of the Metal section so I went over to the bargain bin for a quick check and there it was right in front of the ‘K’ section. I’ve been looking for a good copy of NO RULES for a long time but everytime I search Kik Tracee on Ebay, the available copies are either going through a bidding war or the BUY IT NOW is set extremely high. I quickly checked Ebay for some current prices and the range was as low as $15 for a used CD and as high as $75 for the Japanese import. Either way, $3 for a mint condition used CD is an awesome price, especially considering the demand and my quest for the album. Instant purchase! Of course, I forgot my wife’s CD when I was ready to check out but I did go back and get it. Average price on Ebay is around $25 but I will go with the lowest price I saw of $15 so I saved $12.

Best Buy

Chickenfoot – III (2011) – $13: There is never any reason to go to a big box retailer like Best Buy, Target or Wal-Mart for a CD unless there is some exclusive release or variation. I walked into Best Buy about an hour after the doors opened the morning the new Chickenfoot was released and I couldn’t find a copy! I asked a sales associate and he looked at me like I was insane. I asked the cashier I saw reading a magazine, she had no idea. I even got the sales flyer and showed these people the CD…..they searched the FOUR racks of CDs they had and there was nothing. New release rack? Nothing. Finally I asked for the store manager because why advertise a limited edition release exclusive to Best Buy if you aren’t going to display it on the sales floor? The manager comes up, makes a call, and a fresh box of CDs arrives from the stockroom! I got one, another guy grabbed one and the fresh out of high school sales associate stocked the other 20 or so CDs in the new release rack. All this for a simple CD? No wonder the business is in shambles! Regular was $16, sale price $13, so I saved $3.

Total = $133

Total (year) = $802

Average Price (per item) = $8.72

Total Savings (month) = $65

Total Savings (year) = $735

Total CDs (year) = 86

Total DVDs (year) = 5

Total Box Sets (year) = 0

Total LPs (year) = 1

Night Ranger – Somewhere In California (2011)

Posted: September 29, 2011 in Album Reviews
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Night Ranger – Somewhere In California (2011, Frontiers Records)

  1. Growin’ Up In California
  2. Lay It On Me
  3. Bye Bye Baby (Not Tonight)
  4. Follow Your Heart
  5. Time Of Our Lives
  6. No Time To Lose
  7. Live For Today
  8. It’s Not Over
  9. End Of The Day
  10. Rock N’ Roll Tonite
  11. Say It With Love

Band Lineup:
Jack Blades – Lead Vocals & Bass
Brad Gillis – Guitars 
Kelly Keagy – Lead Vocals & Drums
Joel Hoekstra – Guitars
Eric Levy – Keyboards & Piano

Additional Musicians:
Will Evankovich – Guitars on ‘Growin’ Up In California’

Producers: Night Ranger
Executive Producer: James Blades

Country: USA

Total Time = 54:24

Night Ranger
Frontiers Records

Night Ranger is back again with their new studio album, SOMEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA, and it’s another album that follows the traditional Night Ranger melodic rock sound. If you go back and listen to the band’s back catalogue then you know that Night Ranger just isn’t a ballad band as they have been pigeon-holed as since the multi-platinum success that followed their biggest hit, ‘Sister Christian’, back in 1983. What Night Ranger have always been at their core is a twin guitar Rock band and they have always written solid uptempo Rock songs that highlight the guitars. On a lot of their past records, some of my favorite songs and some of their best songs are ones that weren’t singles…..Night Ranger has always been about the whole album and they always create albums of high quality songs.

The opening track ‘Growin’ Up In California’ is a pure Hard Rock song with a great trade-off between guitarists Brad Gillis and Joel Hoekstra that reminds me of classic songs like ‘Don’t Tell Me You Love Me’ and ‘When You Close Your Eyes’ from back in the day. What a great way to start a record! Uptempo Hard Rock that’s so easy to sing to with it’s infectious hooks, the solos are blistering and the lyrics give a nod back to the late ’70s and ’80s when these guys were up and coming. ‘Lay It On Me’ continues the guitar driven Rock sound with a song that sounds very Damn Yankees (is there really that much different between either band with Jack Blades as the main guy?) crossed with a little Bon Jovi maybe. Big gang choruses with heavy drums and big guitars, including another guitar solo that reminds you Mr. Brad Gillis was once in Ozzy’s band! Definitely a great heavy track. Asking for three in a row would be truly great because you know that a ballad is coming eventually and ‘Bye Bye Baby (Not Tonight)’ continues the uptempo Rock with even more guitar! What I like about ‘Bye Bye Baby’ the most is the vocal harmonies…..Kelly Keagy and Jack Blades have always been a solid team trading off vocals and you can hear their harmonies brilliantly. That’s another great Night Ranger trademark…..two solid lead singers. The opening of ‘Follow Your Heart’ has this cool ’70s feel to it and, if you listen closely, you can detect a similarity in parts of the guitar and drums after the bass and keyboard intro that have a touch of Judas Priest’s ‘The Sentinel’. It’s very slight but listen for it. ‘Follow Your Heart’ is another heavy track with a very basic riff and modern sound and it would easily fit on more modern HOLE IN THE SUN but the classic ’80s Night Ranger sound filters in and out with the vocal trade-offs and harmonies around the chorus. I really like that swirling twin guitar riff that runs through the song, you can tell that the Gillis/Hoekstra guitar tandem is just as solid as the classic team of Gillis and former guitarist Jeff Watson.

No Night Ranger album is complete without ballads and ‘Time Of Our Lives’ is another great Night Ranger ballad and it could become one of their signature songs live. Kelly Keagy did lead vocals on ‘Sister Christian’ and ‘Goodbye’ back in the ’80s and he’s still a phenomenal singer bringing passion to the ballads and it’s no exception here. Of course, the harmonies with Kelly and Jack are present throughout the song and the chorus is absolutely huge but the piano work is really great, Eric Levy filling the sound out with a superb performance giving it that touch of beauty. No time to rest after a great ballad because ‘No Time To Lose’ cranks the guitars again throughout this anthemic sounding rocker that has one of the catchiest chrouses on the album. Everytime I hear this song, the foot starts tapping, the fist starts pumping a little and I’m singing right along. Most of the songs on this album are exactly like that, they get you right away and the melodies and harmonies are hard to get out of your brain! Another great set of duelling guitar harmonies that give the song such a big sound. Things slow down slightly with ‘Live For Today’, more mid-tempo but still very melodic. Definitely a song that fits more along the modern style off the previous album HOLE IN THE SUN but it also has this slight trace of ’60s psychedelia. Actually, ‘Live For Today’ reminds me of the SEVEN album from 1998 and that would easily fit with songs like ‘Panic In Jane’, ‘Sea Of Love’ and ‘Peace Sign’. ‘It’s Not Over’ is another melodic rocker with Kelly Keagy on vocals and follows the formula of the rest of the uptempo rocker on the album. This is that one song where I feel like there’s something missing or that it’s all a bit too much of the same thing. This isn’t a bad song, I just feel like I’ve already heard it a couple times already.

The opening to ‘End Of The Day’ casts away that “sameness” from other songs on the album, it has a touch of acoustic country-fried twang to it but it leads into a definite modern riff with a bit of feedback and it moves into more modern territory. It’s sounds a little more edgy compared to the rest of the album, maybe it’s Kelly Keagy’s vocal because he’s got that great gritty delivery. When I first heard ‘End Of The Day’, I pulled Kelly’s two solo albums and compared, this could easily fit on either. I like the tone of the guitars, not completely clean but still expertly played. This is a great song and it definitely stands out. The band gives us a rock anthem with ‘Rock N’ Roll Tonite’ and it needs to be immeadiately added to their live set. I like the underlying Hammond organ under the guitars and the ’70s sounding guitars…..Night Ranger always have fun as a band live and they play some covers and medleys during their shows and I think that ‘Rock N’ Roll Tonite’ is a product of that, this would be a great set opener. Last song on the album is another solid uptempo Hard Rock song, ‘Say It With Love’, that capitalizes on those trademark harmonies the band is known for. I almost could compare this with the opening song ‘Grownin’ Up In California’ in some parts and it really ends the album on a high note.

Bottom Line:
Leading up to the release of SOMEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA, one of the press releases I read said that Night Ranger was going to return to their classic Melodic Rock sound. I’ve been a fan of the band since 1982, has Night Ranger ever deviated from the sound that made them popular? I’ll admit that 2008′s HOLE IN THE SUN is a little more modern and experimental compared to the classic MIDNIGHT MADNESS (1983) or 7 WISHES (1985) from their platinum era but Night Ranger has been creating the same brand of Melodic Rock all along….take a listen to their late ’90s albums NEVERLAND (1997) and SEVEN (1998) and you will here classic ’80s Night Ranger. SOMEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA is another successful album with a bunch of catchy Rock songs that are well-written, have excellent vocals and great guitars. I’ll bet a lot of people forget that Night Ranger at it’s core is a twin lead guitar band and the highlight on SOMEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA is the attention paid to getting the guitars of Brad Gillis and Joel Hoekstra in your face! SOMEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA is one of the better Night Ranger albums since the ’80s and it would have been the natural follow-up to SEVEN (1998). There have only been two new studio albums since the ’90s and I hope that the energy and quality of this album keeps the band in that creative mindset for years to come…..Night Ranger makes great records, bottom line. This album is highly recommended.

Favorite Songs:
‘Grownin’ Up In California’, ‘Bye Bye Baby (Not Tonight)’, ‘Time Of Our Lives’, ‘No Time To Lose’, ‘End Of The Day’

CD Scavenger Hunt (August update) – The Birthday Edition

Posted: September 15, 2011 in CD Scavenger Hunt
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This is one of the rarest moments in my 29 years as a practicing Metalhead…..I didn’t spend any of my own money on music!!!That’s a crazy statement considering how much I do spend! August 16th marked my 39th birthday and I gathered all my presents (cash & gift cards) and decided to spend them wisely. The first thing I did was buy my $30 ticket to the Mr. Big concert and keep some money aside for a nice meal afterward but, after that was taken care of, the rest was marked for the Hunt!

(NOTE — I will list what the actual prices were but I didn’t actually spend my own cash, the savings will be the same as the actual price.)

I did receive a few actual gifts from my wife and kids…..

Black Sabbath – Born Again (2011 Deluxe Edition) – $38: My quest to acquire all the post-Ozzy Black Sabbath deluxe editions continues and my wife and kids came through with this awesome album…..BORN AGAIN! I remember seeing this album cover in the record stores back in the day and wondering what kind of heaviness was on there. Of course when I bought it years later, I found out and it’s one of the most underrated Sabbath albums, and Metal albums, of all-time especially considering all the hype with Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan replacing Ronnie James Dio. The package includes the original record remastered, two bonus tracks and the BBC Friday Rock Show broadcast of Sabbath at the Reading Festival in August 1983 along with a great booklet. Is this package worth the $38? To me, the collector and a big Sabbath fan, yes! If I was buying this on my own I probably would have found the best price online but my 13 year old daughter had a list with specific details, instructions, prices and locations for these CDs at the record store. I’d rather have the CD in my hands right away anyway so I was psyched to actually find it in a record store and have my daughter retrieve it. The price is so high because this is a new release only available as an import. Saved $38.

Black Sabbath – Dehumanizer (2011 Deluxe Edition) – $28: The quest continues! Now I only need the HEAVEN & HELL deluxe edition to keep the collection updated but that’s another post. DEHUMANIZER is one of my favorite records, especially from Black Sabbath, and it’s got Ronnie James Dio on the mic! This was a big deal record for me back in 1992 because this was the big reunion with Dio and I had tickets to the Boston, MA show at The Orpheum! The package includes the remastered album with a second disc that includes three bonus tracks and five live tracks from the concert in Tampa, FL on 7/25/92 and a great booklet. I checked my original CD copy from 1992 and the ‘Time Machine (Wayne’s World version)’ is there already so, for me, the bonuses are the single edit of ‘Master Of Reality’ and the B-side version of ‘Letters From Earth’. Is $28 worth it? Yes and the price is comparable to online vendors even though this is also an import. Again, my daughter had her instructions and she came through big time! Saved $28.

Grave Digger – The Clans Are Still Marching (2011) – $22: This was a must have purchase for me months ago when it came out because I love Grave Digger and their last few records have been great but also because this was a 2 disc package with the live record on CD and the show on DVD. When the album/DVD came out, the local record store had two versions: a DVD copy with the bonus CD and a CD copy with the bonus DVD. In the end, it’s the same thing except for the packaging, one was in a DVD case and one was a hardcover CD book. Either way you buy it, you’re getting the same deal. There were two copies of each package style on the day of release but there was a price difference of $3 between the two with the DVD style being cheaper. Of course, I waited too long and someone else bought the DVD style copy. Who are these people? Who else in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts likes Grave Digger? Obviously someone because my daughter had to pay $3 more for the CD style copy! Like I said, same content inside with both the CD and DVD containing the full show. Saved $22.

The rest of my gifts were cash and gift cards so I spent them wisely after I put money aside for the Mr. Big show…..

Ghost – Opus Eponymous (2011) – $10: I have been hearing a lot about Ghost since this album was released in Europe in October 2010 but I waited until the North American release in early 2011 to add it to my want list. A lot of Mercyful Fate/King Diamond references and influences from what I can tell but I haven’t cracked the cellophane on this CD yet to find out for myself. Probably the biggest influence on me to buy this CD was my Metal friends that work at the Newbury Comics I go to…..both recommended it highly! These guys have seen me every week for the last number or years and they know I’m a devout Metalhead so Ghost became a serious recommendation. I grew up in record stores and I used to buy a lot of albums based on the album cover, this cover screams old school late ’70s/early ’80s Metal! Regular price on this was $14 but I got it on sale for $10 so I saved $4 but, because it was gift money, I really saved the full $10.

Bitch – Be My Slave & Damnation Alley E.P.  remaster (2011) – $16: This remaster was a total surprise because I didn’t have a clue that it was going to be released. I already have the originals of both albums on vinyl from 1982 and 1983 and that’s the reason why I never got around to buying the original 1989 Metal Blade CD issue (still in print) but, when I saw this on the new release rack, I snapped it up! What makes this new remaster is the bonus DVD of the band’s performance at the Keep It True XIV Festival in Germany back in April, classic performances from the band’s L.A. stomping grounds in the early ’80s and a couple of music videos. Add in a previously unreleased bonus track, ‘Let’s Go’, that’s a recorded demo from 1985 for the subsequent album THE BITCH IS BACK and it’s a lot of bang for the buck for some classic ’80s Metal. Obviously Bitch is active so you can head over to Bitchmetal.com to find out more about the band. No choice on this one, regular price all the way but it wasn’t my money so I saved the full $16.

Black Tide – Post Mortem (2011) – $5: I got into Black Tide back in 2008 when they released their debut record LIGHT FROM ABOVE and I enjoyed it a lot so I was definitely getting the new album. I was so into that first record that it even made my Top 30 of 2008! It’s a crowded Hard Rock and Heavy Metal world so I put POST MORTEM on the want list but it wasn’t at the top…..then I got a $5 gift certificate sent to me from Best Buy for my birthday so I ended up buying this album there for $5 ($10 regular price). Again, birthday money used so I saved the full $10 including the coupon. Even though I’m psyched about the new album, and getting it for a really great price, it was really an afterthought kind of purchase. Best Buy has no selection whatsoever for music, the CD section is maybe four racks now and it’s disappointing to see that the iTunes gift card section is larger. A sign of the times?

Airrace – Back To The Start (2011) – $17: You may remember Airrace as the band that gave drummer Jason Bonham (son of the late Led Zeppelin skinsman John Bonham) his first proper recording gig with the 1984 debut SHAFT OF LIGHT. Unfortunately, the band broke up shortly after but they have reformed (without Bonham) and recorded this new comeback album. I had no idea Airrace was back but I saw this single copy sitting in the new release rack at the record store and I grabbed it before anyone else had a chance. One thing I’ve learned over the years: always grab what you see first and make a final decision just before checkout. $17 is a lot for a single CD but this is an import on Frontiers so I wasn’t surprised at the price. If I was spending my own money then I would try online first but the price is pretty much the same when you factor in shipping, etc. Saved $17.

Deep Purple – Fireball (25th Anniversary Edition) (1996) – $12 used: I love Deep Purple, probably the second most important band in the formation of what we call Hard Rock and Heavy Metal today. I got into Purple back in 1984 with their comeback album PERFECT STRANGERS , I was 11 or 12 at the time and I’ve bought every Purple album since. With all the classic albums getting up their in years, the band and record label have created some great anniversary editions that include B-sides, alternate takes and remixes along with detailed booklets. I found out about these editions back in the late ’90s when they were first released but they were extremely expensive in the $25 to $30+ range as imports. I’ve slowly started picking these up a little cheaper when I find them. I’ve learned a lot about these reissues through The Highway Star website and I have four out of seven of these anniversary editions that start with IN ROCK (1970) and are currently up to COME TASTE THE BAND (1975). I’ve seen regular price copies around $20 lately but getting this used and in pristine condition for $8 cheaper was a steal! Saved the full $12.

Alice Cooper – Love It To Death (1970) – $7: I’m trying to fill all the holes in my Alice Cooper collection in anticipation of the new album WELCOME 2 MY NIGHTMARE (2011) and I was pleasantly surprised to see the record store oblige me by having a lot of old Alice on sale in the bargain bin. I have everything from CONSTRICTOR (1986) on but there are a few holes from the ’70s in my collection. There are some great songs here: ‘I’m Eighteen’, ‘Caught In A Dream’, Is It My Body?’, and ‘Ballad Of Dwight Fry’ that I’m familiar with from the Alice Cooper box set from 1999. I’ve seen copies of LOVE IT TO DEATH priced as high as $15 in some stores but my Newbury Comics had it for $10 regular price, $7 bargain bin sale price for a brand new, sealed original pressing. I saved the full $7 and I’m hoping that a little more searching will turn up a few more older Alice albums on sale.

Alice Cooper – Welcome To My Nightmare (1975) – $6: You can’t really by a new album that’s a sequel and understand it if you don’t already own the original! I surprised myself when I realized that I still had an old cassette of WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE instead of a fresh copy on CD, I swore I had already bought the CD! Called home and had the family double check and it’s not in the case so this was a quick no-brain purchase. Can’t beat the bargain bin sale price of $6 which was a savings of $4 off the $10 regular price. Unfortunately there weren’t more Alice Cooper CDs in the bargain bin besides this and LOVE IT TO DEATH because I would have bought as many as I could at these rock bottom prices. Brand new, sealed original pressing with classics like the title track, ‘Only Women Bleed’, ‘Cold Ethyl’ and ‘Department Of Youth’. Now if I could just find the first two Alice albums, PRETTIES FOR YOU (1969) and EASY ACTION (1970), I’d be really happy! Saved $6.

Cauldron – Chained To The Nite (2009) – $6 used: Check out that old school Metal album cover! It just screams ’80s Metal! I picked up Cauldron’s latest album BURNING FORTUNE (2011) back in February but I passed on buying this debut because there were so many copies in the racks (I consider more than three copies of an independent Metal release many) and I knew I could get it whenever I wanted. I kept this album on the want list but I kept passing it up until I saw a used copy among the three new ones at half the price so I went for it. Turns out that there’s a two track bonus disc included with two songs from their self-released 2007 E.P. INTO THE CAULDRON…..an added bonus! The regular price on the new CDs were $13 so buying used saved more than half the price right away but this is free money I’m playing with so I saved the entire $6 price tag.

Riot – The Privilege Of Power (1990) – $8 used: One of the very few Riot albums I don’t own…..and that’s only because it’s readily available on Ebay anytime I want it. I’ve been in a Riot mood for the last couple months because the new record is going to be released soon so I’ve been listening to the first six records (1977′s ROCK CITY through to 1988′s THUNDERSTEEL) regularly. Plus, the new album has the THUNDERSTEEL/PRIVILEGE band lineup so seeing this CD used was a sign. PRIVILEGE was re-released twice in the last few years: Collectible Records re-released it in 2003 with slightly different artwork and Cherry Red Records released it with THUNDERSTEEL as a double disc set in 2009. The copy I found is the original CBS pressing so someone had this in their collection and dumped it to the store for quick cash…..just like the old days, their loss is my gain. I estimate that the regular price would be around $15 so buying used saved half but buying with free money saved the full $8.

Nashville Pussy – Say Something Nasty (2002) – $5 used: Another used bargain! Nothing is better than someone going to the record store and dumping their collection for quick cash! I have never done that in my life with the exception of returning a CD I bought thinking I didn’t own it but that’s something different entirely. I’ve been into Nashville Pussy since their first record LET THEM EAT PUSSY (1998) after reading about the band in some of the Metal magazines and checking them out online. Plus, the album cover for that debut is pretty racy! The thing is that I never went forward buying Nashville Pussy CDs after that first album until I received their last record FROM HELL TO TEXAS (2009) and I always think I have the albums in my collection! I’m missing two more so I’ll be looking for HIGH AS HELL (2000) and GET SOME (2005) on my next trips to the record shops. I’ll take a bargain priced CD any day and I estimate that I saved around $10 just buying used but I saved the $5 price using the birthday gifts.

Paul Black’s L.A. Guns – Black List (2005) – $6 used: Are we talking about the L.A. Guns we know from the ’80s with the couple of hits? In a way….yes. Turns out Paul Black was the original singer in L.A. Guns before the band got signed and was replaced by Phil Lewis just after the band got signed to a record deal. After Tracii Guns left L.A. Guns for what seems the millionth time in 2005, he hooked up with Paul Black and started doing gigs. BLACK LIST is a collection of demos of original songs by the original L.A. Guns lineup with Black on vocals. The album came out in 2005 with it’s fair share of controversy because at the time Tracii was playing with Paul Black and the regular L.A. Guns with Phil Lewis was still recording and touring…..then Tracii Guns forms his L.A. Guns so you have two touring L.A. Guns and then the singer carousel goes round again with Black leaving for former Guns’ singer Jizzy Pearl (ex-Love/Hate) who replaced Phil Lewis years ago. Did you get all that? I never bothered paying the $20 for this CD back in 2005, especially with two different L.A. Guns out there but I’m happy to grab this used for a fraction of the price. I estimate I saved $13 buying used but I saved the full $6.

Fast Eddie Clarke – It Ain’t Over ‘Till It’s Over (1994) – $4 used: I never pass up a $4 Metal CD if I don’t own it especially with the Motorhead connection (Eddie was the guitarist in Motorhead) and the sticker on the front stating that Lemmy sings on one song. I checked my phone for a little research on the album and it seems that this was released twice, each time with different album artwork so i’m not even sure if I have the original artwotk (I think I do) or the re-release. This is what I call a “filler” CD for the collection…..a CD you don’t own, don’t know anything about but there’s name recognition and the price is cheap enough to justify buying it. Normally, I’m going to pass up the CD but the price dictates the sale and it pads the collection. The funny thing is that I bought this CD having never seen it in a store before and I find another copy the next visit to the store! How many of these are in circulation? I estimate a $15 regular price when this came out so I saved $11 buying used but I saved the overall price of $4.

My last bits of birthday gift money were reserved for an Ebay purchase…..

Warrior – Fighting For The Earth (1985) – $25: I have been watching and searching for this CD for at least ten years but it’s not that easy to find. I remember seeing a copy of it in an independent record store back in the late ’90s and it was $25 then for the original Metal Blade pressing so I passed…..I should have pulled the trigger because it would have saved a decade of waiting! Normally I find this CD going for upwards of $30+ but I got a search email for a newly listed copy from a seller I use often so I checked it out and pulled the trigger quickly. Price was $22 + $3 shipping for the $25 total. I thought I was buying the original Metal Blade issue from 1990 but I actually bought the 2008 remaster from Germany on EMI/10 Records. Either way I don’t care because my research shows the remaster going for the same amounts. At least I own it now and I can pick up the original pressing if I come across it in my travels. Saved the full $25.

Total = $225

Total (year) = $669

Average Price (per item) = $8.26

Total Savings (month) = $225

Total Savings (year) = $670

Total CDs (year) = 75

Total DVDs (year) = 5

Total Box Sets (year) = 0

Total LPs (year) = 1

 

Def Leppard – Mirrorball: Live & More (2011)

Posted: August 20, 2011 in Album Reviews
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Def Leppard – Mirror Ball: Live & More (2011, Mailboat Records)

Disc 1

  1. Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)
  2. Rocket
  3. Animal
  4. C’Mon C’Mon
  5. Make Love Like A Man
  6. Too Late For Love
  7. Foolin’
  8. Nine Lives
  9. Love Bites
  10. Rock On

Disc 2

  1. Two Steps Behind
  2. Bringin’ On The Heartbreak
  3. Switch 625
  4. Hysteria
  5. Armageddon It
  6. Photograph
  7. Pour Some Sugar On Me
  8. Rock Of Ages
  9. Let’s Get Rocked
  10. Action *
  11. Bad Actress *
  12. Undefeated **
  13. Kings Of The World **
  14. It’s All About Believin’ **

* bonus live track
** new studio track

Disc 3 – DVD

- Behind the Scenes on the Sparkle Lounge Tour 2008-2009
- Live Performances: Rock! Rock! (‘Til You Drop), Armageddon It, Pour Some Sugar On Me, Hysteria
- Music Videos: Nine Lives, C’Mon C’Mon

Band Lineup:
Joe Elliott – Lead Vocals & Acoustic Guitar
Phil Collen – Guitars & Backing Vocals
Vivian Campbell – Guitars & Backing Vocals
Rick Savage – Bass & Backing Vocals
Rick Allen – Drums & Backing Vocals

Producers: Def Leppard & Ronan McHugh

Country: United Kingdom

Total Time (CD) = 2 hours
Total Time (DVD) = approx. 45 mins

Def Leppard

It’s hard to believe that Def Leppard has never released an official live album until now with MIRRORBALL, a full 31 years since the band’s 1980 debut ON THROUGH THE NIGHT. You would have figured that the band would have put out a live set between studio albums somewhere in their ’80s heyday or at least in the late ’90s/early 2000s because they have been a touring juggernaut since the band first burst on the NWOBHM scene. I’ve been lucky enough to catch the band a couple of times back in the ’80s and on various tours since the 1999 tour for EUPHORIA but the concert I saw in 2006 on the YEAH! Tour, the concert I saw in 2007 promoting YEAH! , and the show in 2009 for SONGS FROM THE SPARKLE LOUNGE (2008), are all represented on this live collection. If you take a look inside the nice booklet that is inside the old school multi-CD jewel case, you’ll notice that no specific cities or dates for the recordings are list, just the quote: “Recorded at various points around the world, in the not too distant past.” While I would have liked to know the specific tour dates, it’s a small ommission that can be overlooked because of the quality of the live album.

The Leps have followed the business model that Journey, KISS, Foreigner and AC/DC have forged by releasing MIRRORBALL exclusively in the U.S. through retail giant Wal-Mart…..that means a low price and more than a few extras. First, the actual set is 19 songs long on the CDs with two bonus live tracks added in with ‘Action’ and ‘Bad Actress’. In the last three times I’ve seen Def Leppard live since 2006 they’ve played 15, 16 and 17 songs respectively and the live show on this album is a perfect representation of what’s been played on the last few tours. I missed this summer’s tour for MIRRORBALL but the 16 song set they played at the Comcast Center in Massachusetts is pretty much the greatest hits pack you have here along with the David Essex cover ‘Rock On’ and opening with the new song ‘Undefeated’. Back to this album though…..it’s good to hear ‘C’Mon C’Mon’, ‘Nine Lives’ and ‘Bad Actress’ live as I was only given ‘Nine Lives’ in concert the times I’ve seen the band live. The rest is a hits collection culled mainly from the three blockbusters PYROMANIA (1983), HYSTERIA (1987) and ADRENALIZE (1992) with a couple tracks from HIGH ‘N DRY (1981) thrown in with the instrumental ‘Switch 625′ coming right after the obligatory power ballad ‘Bringin’ On The Heartbreak’. Would be nice to get another cut from HIGH “N DRY or maybe from the first record but I’m not complaining because Def Leppard has had huge success and there’s just so many songs you can fit into a concert. Personally, I would have cut out ‘Rock On’ and the bonus live track ‘Action’ (a cover orginally done by The Sweet) for a couple more Lep originals but that’s just me. As far as the sound goes, it’s perfect but did you expect anything less from Def Leppard? These guys have sounded great in concert everytime I’ve seen them since the ’80s and their studio album always have top quality production so MIRRORBALL has the same BIG sound that’s crystal clear. Vivian Campbell and Phil Collen are a seasoned guitar tandem and are as good as the classic team of Collen and Steve Clark and Rick Savage always keeps the rhythm in line on bass while Rick Allen continues to impress on drums. The wild card has always been Joe Elliot’s voice and he’s had some concerts I’ve witnessed where he wasn’t that great and some that he sounded like he was still in his 20s. On MIRRORBALL, Joe sounds pretty good although you can tell that age has become a factor and he doesn’t reach the high notes he used to, a surprisingly good vocal performance though.

There are three new studio songs added to this package which I always think is a good idea for the longtime fans but there has to be quality. The current tour opener is ‘Undefeated’ and it’s a heavy guitar track with a great drum intro that reminds me a little of the opening to Bon Jovi’s ‘Lay Your Hands On Me’. The song sounds like your current day Def Leppard song that could easily have fit on SPARKLE LOUNGE with it’s heavy sound and big harmonies, the only difference is that Joe’s voice sounds a little raspier and deeper. Like I said before, Joe Elliot is not 20 years old anymore and he knows what he’s able to accomplish as he gets older. Not a bad vocal though just slightly different and a little lower register than the usual. Good track though and the best one to play on the current tour. ‘Kings Of The World’ is Def Leps ode to Queen with it’s bombast, piano, harmonies and Brian May guitar tone. Rick Savage wrote this song and he had to be going through his Queen records but, then again, the band has always cited Queen as an influence and they are friends. ‘Kings Of The World’ is good but it’s not really what you would expect from Def Leppard. ‘It’s All About Believin’ sounds like a track from the EUPHORIA sessions, very upbeat and HYSTERIA sounding and it actually has some parts that sound like ‘Animal’. Of the three, I’d rate this as my favorite because this is the Lep sound and I was a huge EUPHORIA fan, I wouldn’t mind hearing this live either.

As far as the bonus DVD goes, it’s a nice extra but really only a one time view for me. Some of the footage I’ve seen before and some I haven’t, the backstage footage is always fun to see. It’s nice to get the ‘Nine Lives’ and ‘C’Mon C’Mon’ videos and I enjoyed the live songs but I would have enjoyed more full live performances instead of just four. If you compare this package to KISS’ or Foreigner’s the difference is full concerts on those bands’ Wal-Mart releases, same thing with Whitesnake’s LIVE AT DONNINGTON 1990 on Frontiers Records (a double disc live with DVD). It’s a small criticism because I have hope that the band will release an official live DVD but they really didn’t have to add this in to the live album so it’s a good bonus to have.

Bottom Line:
A solid live set from Def Leppard full of hits and sounding great, a lot better than I expected. The production is great and the band sounds as tight as they were when I saw them in concert over the last few years. The surprise is how well Joe Elliot sounds, I expected that he’d sound a little rougher on a live recording but he sounds pretty good, maybe a little studio overdub? Hopefully not, I hate knowing a live album is studio enhanced but I can say that Joe sounds much like he did over the last few tours. Adding three new original songs is always a good deal and they are all good, the DVD is run of the mill for me but a cool bonus nonetheless. For the $10 price, this is a nice album to pick up.

Best Songs:
The live songs are all great sounding but I have to pick ‘Animal’, ‘Foolin’, ‘Make Love Like A Man’ and ‘Nine Lives’ as my favorites. Of the three new tracks, I’d rate ‘It’s All About Believin’ as my favorite, ‘Undefeated’ second and the Queen tribute,’Kings Of The World’, last.

Press Release: UFO – The Chrysalis Years (1973-1979) box set to be released 9/13/11 on Capitol/EMI

Posted: August 20, 2011 in Metal News & Commentary, Reissue Report
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From Capitol/EMI Records:

UFO – THE CHRYSALIS YEARS (1973-1979) TO BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 BY CAPITOL/ EMI

5CD and Digital Collection Includes Five Studio Albums, Plus a Previously Unreleased Concert Recording, BBC Radio Sessions, Singles, B-sides, and Rare Remixes

On September 13, Capitol/EMI will release an expansive 5CD and digital collection spanning UFO’s Chrysalis Records tenure.  Across 81 tracks, UFO’s The Chrysalis Years (1973-1979) collects all of the songs the band recorded for Chrysalis during the 1970s.

UFO’s musical odyssey started in 1969, when singer Phil Mogg was joined by drummer Andy Parker and bassist Pete Way. This trio would become the backbone of the band for the next 13 years, and mainstays for much of UFO’s forty-plus year career.

The Chrysalis Years (1973-1979) chronologically charts UFO’s career, from the obscure 1973 German single “Give Her The Gun” to 1979’s hit single version of “Doctor Doctor,” backed with its live B-side, “On With The Action” (available on CD for the first time). Collecting all five studio albums to feature wunderkind guitar virtuoso Michael Schenker, who was only 18 when he originally joined the band for 1974’s Phenomenon, this anthology also includes, in their entirety, Force It (1975), No Heavy Petting (1976), Lights Out (1977) and Obsession (1978).  In addition to BBC Radio sessions recorded for Bob Harris and John Peel, single edits and rare remixes, this collection boasts a previously unreleased 45-minute concert recording from UFO’s first U.S. tour.

Recorded in 1974 at Atlanta’s Electric Ballroom, the multi-tracks for this concert were recently discovered in the Chrysalis vaults, and have been given a brand new mix at Abbey Road Studios. Featuring rare live outings of “Give Her The Gun,” the pre-Chrysalis song “Prince Kujuku,” and most interestingly, UFO’s eight-minute interpretation of John Lennon’s “Cold Turkey,” this gig offers unique insight into the early days of this important and influential British rock institution. Completed by the U.K. Top 10 breakthrough double live album, Strangers In the Night, recorded on Michael Schenker’s “farewell” tour, the package also includes liner notes based on a recent interview with UFO vocalist, Phil Mogg.

 UFO: The Chrysalis Years (1973-1979)

DISC ONE

1. Give Her The Gun (Single A-Side)
2. Sweet Little Thing (Single B-Side)

Phenomenon 
3. Oh My
4. Crystal Light
5. Doctor Doctor
6. Space Child
7. Rock Bottom
8. Too Young To Know
9. Time On My Hands
10. Built For Comfort
11. Lipstick Traces
12. Queen Of The Deep
Bonus Track
13. Doctor Doctor (Single Edit)*

Bob Harris session (28th October 1974)
14. Rock Bottom
15. Time On My Hands
16. Give Her The Gun

DISC TWO

Electric Ballroom, Atlanta, GA 5th November 1974** 
(Previously Unreleased)
1. Oh My
2. Doctor Doctor
3. Built For Comfort
4. Give Her The Gun
5. Cold Turkey
6. Space Child
7. Rock Bottom
8. Prince Kujuku

Force It (Side One)
9. Let It Roll
10. Shoot Shoot
11. High Flyer (4:09)
12. Love Lost Love (3:22)
13. Out In The Street

DISC THREE

Force It (Side Two)
1. Mother Mary
2. Too Much Of Nothing
3. Dance Your Life Away
4. This Kid’s (Including ‘Between The Walls’)

No Heavy Petting
5. Natural Thing
6. I’m A Loser
7. Can You Roll Her
8. Belladonna
9. Reasons Love
10. Highway Lady
11. On With The Action
12. A Fool In Love
13. Martian Landscape

Lights Out (Side One)
14. Too Hot To Handle
15. Just Another Suicide
16. Try Me
17. Lights Out

DISC FOUR

Lights Out (Side Two)
1. Gettin’ Ready
2. Alone Again Or
3. Electric Phase
4. Love To Love
Lights Out Bonus Track
5. Try Me (Single Remix)*

John Peel session (27th June 1977)
6. Too Hot To Handle
7. Lights Out
8. Try Me

Obsession
9. Only You Can Rock Me
10. Pack It Up (And Go)
11. Arbory Hill
12. Ain’t No Baby
13. Lookin’ Out For No 1
14. Hot ‘N’ Ready
15. Cherry
16. You Don’t Fool Me
17. Lookin’ Out For No 1 (Reprise)
18. One More For The Rodeo
19. Born To Lose
Bonus Track
20. Only You Can Rock Me (Single Version)*

DISC FIVE

Strangers In The Night
1. Natural Thing
2. Out In The Street
3. Only You Can Rock Me
4. Doctor Doctor
5. Mother Mary
6. This Kid’s
7. Love To Love
8. Lights Out
9. Rock Bottom
10. Too Hot To Handle
11. I’m A Loser
12. Let It Roll
13. Shoot Shoot
Strangers In The Night Bonus Tracks
14. Doctor Doctor (Live Single Edit)
15. On With The Action (Live Single B-Side)*

*Available on CD for the first time
**Previously unreleased

Cinderella and Mass in concert at Showcase Live (Foxboro, MA) – 8/3/11

Posted: August 19, 2011 in Concert Reviews
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I’m a little late in posting the review but I caught Cinderella on their 25th Anniversary Tour at Showcase Live in Foxboro, MA on August 3rd. A solid show overall with a surprise opener, melodic metal band Mass, who you may remember from back in the ’80s. The Showcase Live is located at Patriot Place, in the Foxboro Stadium complex (home of the New England Patriots), and it’s only about 20 minutes from my house. A lot of shows have come to the club like Michael Schenker Group, UFO (saw the show in May and never reviewed it!), Jackyl, Uriah Heep, Kip Winger and the Mr. Big show next week. It’s a great place to see a show and it accommodates about 1000 – 1500 fans for a standing room only concert. It’s a state of the art venue and a great place to see a show! Tickets weren’t bad, $35 for a ticket…..a very reasonable price for two solid bands.

Mass opened the show and played about eight songs, four being off their 2010 album SEA OF BLACK. Unfortunately, I was unable to write the setlist down but it was high energy and a great performance. I was able to sing a long to the newer songs but I forgot which ones they were two weeks later! I did recognize a couple of the older songs but I had no idea about the song titles or which albums they came from, they just sounded familiar. Foxboro is 30 minutes outside Boston so this was a home gig for Mass and they had a lot of faithful fans in the packed house…..and it was just as packed for Mass as it was the headliners. If SEA OF BLACK didn’t open my mind to Mass, their performance did and I’ll be acquiring the rest of their releases through the band’s official website soon. Nice guys all around, even hung around their merchandise booth to shake hands, sign autographs and take pictures.

Cinderella setlist:

Once Around The Ride
Shake Me
Heartbreak Station
Somebody Save Me
Night Songs
The More Things Change
Coming Home
Second Wind
Don’t Know What You Got (‘Til It’s Gone)
Nobody’s Fool
Gypsy Road

Encore:
Long Cold Winter
Shelter Me

I’ve been a Cinderella fan since the beginning with NIGHT SONGS (1986) and I saw them open for Bon Jovi on the Slippery When Wet Tour back in 1986 in Providence, RI. I caught them again on a couple of summer tours with Poison and they had the crowd going just as much as Poison so they have a great fanbase and the songs to put on a great show. The original lineup is intact for this 25th Anniversary Tour led by the Steven Tyler influenced Tom Keifer on guitars, piano, sax & lead vocals, Eric Brittingham on bass & vocals, Fred Coury on drums & vocals and the underrated Jeff Labar on guitars & vocals…..rounding out the band on keyboards is longtime touring member Gary Corbett. The band had the great venue, great crowd, great sound so I expected an awesome setlist. Basically, all the hits were played from the first three albums with the most notable exception of  ‘The Last Mile’ from LONG COLD WINTER (1988) and ‘Hot And Bothered’ from STILL CLIMBING (1994). I couldn’t believe that they ignored the fourth album, STILL CLIMBING, because I remember ‘Hot And Bothered’ getting plenty of airplay in 1992 because of it’s inclusion on the Wayne’s World movie soundtrack. Adding those two songs to the set would have put this show over the top for me but it was a solid show anyway with five songs off the debut NIGHT SONGS, five from 1988′s LONG COLD WINTER (my personal favorite!) and three from HEARTBREAK STATION (1990). I figured that the first two albums would get a ton of songs but I was glad to see the band focus on HEARTBREAK STATION because it’s an underrated record even though it was a Top 20 album and went platinum. The band was tight and played great with all the big vocal harmonies you hear on the records. Tom Keifer is heavily influenced by Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler not only in his look but his vocal style with that gritty blues styled voice that sounds like he gargles with Drano at times. I personally think Tom got stronger vocally as the show went on and he was easily in classic form a couple songs in. I was on the Jeff Labar side of the stage so I watched him closely…..definitely an underrated guitar player with a cool style and swagger. You would never be able to tell that Cinderella hadn’t released an album in 17 years and has only done a few summer tours in the last decade because they sounded great. Surprises of the setlist? Definitely ‘Second Wind’ (that ended Side 1 of LONG COLD WINTER) and opener ‘Once Around The Ride’ (from NIGHT SONGS)…..’Second Wind’ was always one of my favorite tracks on LONG COLD WINTER but I was surprised with ‘Once Around The Ride’ because I would have bet that the band would have played long time concert staple ‘Push Push’ from the same record. All in all, another good concert with two solid performances at a good price. Mass will get a closer look and the hope Cinderella will put a new record out is burning brighter with me.

CD Scavenger Hunt (July update)

Posted: August 18, 2011 in CD Scavenger Hunt
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After a solid month of purchases in June to end the first half of the year, it’s time to set sights on the second half of 2011. Will the money be there to spend? Will the CDs be there to buy? What treasures will be found? The answers start now…..

Newbury Comics

Metalium – Hero Nation: Chapter III (2002) – $6 used: I started off the month of July with a very easy purchase…..a used copy of Metalium’s third album HERO NATION for $6. You may be asking why this album has so much significance, and there really isn’t any, the price was right and I have been watching this CD sit in the Used Metal section for at least six months! Over the last six months I think I’ve checked my collection at least a dozen times to see if I already own this CD but I would forget everytime I’d be in the record shop. Finally, I wrote it down on the growing Want List but I never got around to buying it until now. I never like to miss a bargain and my online research tells me that this CD still gets at least $15 regular price so I decided to make the purchase and saved myself around $9. This puts the Metalium collection a little closer to being completed, now I just need Chapters IV, V, VI, VII and VIII! Bonus enhanced CD included on this also so it was a great find.

Deep Purple – Phoenix Rising (Special Edition DVD/CD) (2011) – $14: I love Deep Purple, all lineups, all albums…..they are one of the founding fathers of Heavy metal as we know it and the credit is well deserved. I saw an add for this DVD in Classic Rock Magazine so I checked it out when it received a U.S. release. The special edition DVD is based on the Mark III and Mark IV Purple lineups that include David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes and Tommy Bolin along with founding members Ian Paice and Jon Lord and it’s a great snapshot in time of a Deep Purple era that so many have for gotten about. There is a DVD with a Japanese concert from 1975 and a documentary, the CD version of all the live tracks and two special booklets. Add in a bonus interview with Lord & Hughes and the COME TASTE THE BAND press kit and you get a little more for the money. The difference between the standard DVD and the special edition was $4 so I went for the extras as I always do. Regular price for the special edition was $20 so I saved $6.

So on one shopping trip, I made it over to the Newbury Comics location in Warwick, RI…..this was my usual store until a location opened near my house a few years ago. If it wasn’t for the 20 minute drive (I know, 20 mins is nothing but it is to a true Rhode Islander!), I’d be down there all the time because it’s a bigger store and they get some great used bargains. I went diving in the used bins, especially the real cheap CDs, and here’s what I pulled out…..

Project X – Blueprint For Xcess (1996) – $2 used: I knew nothing about Project X but I noticed that the album was released in 1996 on Escape Music, distrubuted by MTM Music…..that’s a Hard Rock/Melodic Rock label! Closer inspection at the back tray card revealed the name Don Wolf who used to be the lead singer for White Wolf and was Don Wilk back then. I remember White Wolf from back in the early ’80s, I tried to win a cassette copy of STANDING ALONE (1984) from an ad in Hit Parader magazine. Never won that tape but I did get to dub a copy of the record from a friend of mine…..remember dual cassette decks? So with the Escape Music link and the White Wolf pedigree, I picked this up used for a cool $2. How can you go wrong with $2 for a used disc? I did some research on my phone when I got to the car and it seems that you can get this CD online anywhere from $7 to $20 depending on where you shop. Assuming we go by a regular price of $12, I saved about $10.

Brother Cane – Seeds (1995) – $3 used: This is where the Collectorz software I use came in handy! As the long time readers know, I’ve had the Collectorz Music Collector software software for awhile and I’m slowly putting my collection in the database…..I also have the Android app that lets me put what I have on my main computer on my cell phone. Well, I’m not too far along (in the D’s) but I was able to double check to see if I owned this Brother Cane disc. Lead singer/guitarist Damon Johnson is in Alice Cooper’s band and he’s played with Sammy Hagar, John Waite and Jack Blades. I remembered Brother Cane from their first record and ‘Got No Shame’ so I decided to grab this used for $3. The funny thing about it is that there were three other used copies in the same spot priced at $5, $7 and $10! I’m the lucky one I guess! Considering a regular price around $12 for an older album from the early ’90s, I saved $9.

Twisted Forever (A Tribute To The Legendary Twisted Sister) (2001) – $4 used: Tribute albums, cover albums, cover songs…..I could generally do without them but it seems that I own a ton of them! Chalk that up to getting them cheap in used bins over the years! Of course, there are a few essential ones I need because the tributized band adds a song or two in there. This time around, it’s this Twisted Sister tribute that I wouldn’t have bought if it wasn’t for the low price and the fact my oldest daughter’s favorite Hard Rock band is Twisted Sister. There’s some good bands on here paying tribute (doing covers!): Motorhead, Anthrax, Overkill, Hammerfall, Sebastian Bach…..and some questionable ones like Chuck D. from Public Enemy and Lit. Of course, Twisted Sister is on there last with their cover of AC/DC’s ‘Sin City’ which is nothing I hadn’t heard before but it’s a nice package overall. Last copy I saw in a record store was going for about $10 brand new so I saved $6 since spotting it last and I made my daughter ultra-happy!

Jimmy Page – Outrider (1988) – $4 used: OUTRIDER is an album I’ve had on my list for a while, seen it hundreds of times new for $12- $15, but never pulled the trigger because it’s not the best record in the world. I remember a lot of my Rock friends getting psyched for this album back in the day because it was Jimmy Page, guitar god from Led Zeppelin, with Jason Bonham drumming on six out of nine tracks! This fuelled the Led Zep reunion rumors and my group was heavy into it. I’ve never been an overly huge Zeppelin fan even though I like them but I was more interested into where Page was going to go from after The Firm broke up (an underrated band by far!). I remember having a taped copy from a friend (there’s that dual cassette deck again!) and listening to the lead single ‘Wasting My Time’ but that’s about it. I wasn’t going to pass this up at $4 and I assume I saved around $10 by passing on all those new copies over the years!

Ian Parry – Visions (2006) – $4 used: You might remember Ian Parry as the lead singer for Elegy or The Consortium Project, at least that’s how I know Ian Parry! Obviously name recognition went into this purchase as well as the label was Escape Music. Taking a look at my collection it seems I have most of the Elegy albums so I figured that spending a whole $4 on an Ian Parry solo album wouldn’t be much of a stretch musically. To be honest, outside of his name and his work with Elegy, I really don’t know much else about Ian so I’m taking a chance in a way. I don’t own any Consortium Project CDs which is actually odd because I see them used everywhere. The cool thing is that I found another copy of this in the Metal used bin for $8 so I saved $4 off a used price and my research online shows that this album still lists for $15 in most places…..overall I saved about $11.

Carmine Appice Project – Ultimate Guitar Zeus (2006) – $5 used: All right, the only reason I picked this up was because I know Carmine Appice and I heard an interview with him on the Talking Metal podcast. From what I know, GUITAR ZEUS and GUITAR ZEUS II were released in 1995 and 1997  respectively and released to fan club members only. The songs include originals and a few covers that Carmine, bass god Tony Franklin and singer Kelly Keeling teamed up to record along with some of the biggest names on guitar like Zakk Wylde, Ted Nugent, Slash, Brian May and Neal Schon. ULTIMATE GUITAR ZEUS is a compilation of songs from volumes 1 and 2…..of course, when I heard the Talking Metal podcast, Carmine was promoting GUITAR ZEUS: CONQUERING HEROES (2009) which I believe is a double disc that is both volumes in a nice package.  Considering that this CD, the first two original albums, and all the Japanese pressings are out of print and go for various prices on Ebay, all I have to go buy is the newest installment that retails at $15 via Carmine’s website. I’ll assume I saved $10.

Enough used bin diving…..back to the new releases! More trips to the local store near my house for the new albums on Tuesdays…..

Rhapsody Of Fire – From Chaos To Eternity (2011) – $10: Rhapsody Of Fire, formerly just Rhapsody, seems to release album after album, and E.P. after E.P., and I always pick them up! Didn’t I just buy a new CD from Rhapsody Of Fire recently? The problem with  Rhapsody Of Fire is their distribution to North America is later than Europe and Japan so something released everywhere last year might only see a release in the States this year…..at least FROM CHAOS TO ETERNITY is brand new and released worldwide on Nuclear Blast. What’s crazy now is that I just read today that the band is splitting in two and keyboardist Alex Staropoli and lead guitarist Luca Turilli will be parting ways in a friendly manner. Staropoli retains the Rhapsody Of Fire name and all previous rights and Turilli retains the name “Rhapsody” and will have a new band under that name. Confused yet? At least I bought their last offering on sale, regular price was $16, so I saved $6.

TYR – The Lay Of Thrym (2011) – $12: THE LAY OF THRYM came out months ago but I’ve kept this album on the want list because of the insane amount of copies at every record store I’ve been to. Is TYR that popular? I seem to acquire all the TYR albums and I like their Viking Metal sound but I just couldn’t bring myself to buy it, even when it was on sale, knowing that eventually the record stores is going to discount the price further to get rid of overstock…..I was wrong. I went into the store for the new Rhapsody Of Fire and Iced Earth releases and I noticed that all the copies of this album were off sale and at a $16 regular price. Further investigation found a copy of this disc in the Misc T. section still on sale for $12 so I grabbed it right away. When I got to the register the CD rang up at the $16 regular price, of course they price adjusted it so I ended up saving $4 with the sale price.

Iced Earth – Festivals Of The Wicked DVD (2011) – $16: I’ve been an Iced Earth fan since 1997 when I picked up THE DARK SAGA (1996) and the DAYS OF PURGATORY (1997) double disc compilation so I was looking forward to getting this DVD of the latest Iced Earth lineups at some of the biggest European Metal festivals from 2007 and 2008. two DVDs, three concerts, an hour long documentary and some bonus material totalling over foive hours of footage, that’s a bargain for $16 the day of release! Regular price was $24 so I saved $8. Here is where I complain a little…..there’s an audio CD of FESTIVALS OF THE WICKED that was released the same day and I planned on buying that too. The sale price was $13 for the CD so I figured I was going to get a 3 CD set of the concerts kind of like I did when I bought the ALIVE IN ATHENS live set back in 1999. So I grab the CD immeadiately but I never checked it until I got to the register…..the CD version is a compilation of songs from all three concerts and only 12 songs! Absolutely disappointed and I never bought it. I’m not sure who thought of this at Century Media but you’ve got to be kidding! With other bands releasing DVDs with bonus CDs of the music, and vice versa, all the time you would think that Century Media could have easily released a 3 disc audio set of the DVD. I would have put that on my Ipod and enjoyed that like crazy! Somebody dropped the ball at the label!

Twisted Sister – Double Live: North Stage ’82 & New York Steel ’01 DVD (2011) – $18: Here’s another Twisted Sister release that had my oldest daughter going crazy! Nothing beats a good DVD and you can’t miss with Twisted Sister finally releasing both of these concerts on DVD, especially New York Steel 2001 because it was a benefit for the New York Police & Fire Widows & Children Benefit 11 weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I read about New York Steel back in 2001 and it was not only a great cause for the band to unite for but it was also the rebirth of the band as a touring and recording entity. The North Stage show from 1982 is there last club performance before the band flew to engalnd to record their ’82 debut album UNDER THE BLADE. A little vintage footage, some recent footage (although 10 years old!) and you’ve got two solid concerts. Add in the bonus interviews with the band talking about each show and it’s a nice package. There was no audio companion release but I would have bought one had it been listed for release. Regular price was $25, I paid $18, so I saved $7.

George Lynch – Kill All Control (2011) – $12: I grew up a Dokken fan so I ended up as a Lynch Mob fan back in the day too. George has such a cool guitar style and I’ve been listening to WICKED SENSATION (1990) a lot lately so I kept this release on my list. The only problem with buying this is that I didn’t get into some of his last few albums I bought like SYZYGY (1998), SMOKE THIS (1999) and the Lynch/Pilson album WICKED UNDERGROUND (2003) and I didn’t want to get burned. You’ve got some guest stars here as this isn’t Lynch Mob but George solo: London LeGrand (Brides Of Destruction) is singing and touring with George right now, Marq Torien from the Bullet Boys, Fred Coury from Cinderella is on there and a few more. I read a few good reviews online so I decided to take a chance. The record store had only one copy so I grabbed it figuring I wouldn’t see it again on sale…..regular price $15, saved $3.

Total = $110

Total (year) = $669

Average Price (per item) = $10.29

Total Savings (month) = $99

Total Savings (year) = $435

Total CDs (year) = 59

Total DVDs (year) = 5

Total Box Sets (year) = 0

Total LPs (year) = 1

Journey – Eclipse (2011)

Posted: August 13, 2011 in Album Reviews
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Journey – Eclipse (2011, independent release)

  1. City Of Hope
  2. Edge Of The Moment
  3. Chain Of Love
  4. Tantra
  5. Anything Is Possible
  6. Resonate
  7. She’s A Mystery
  8. Human Feel
  9. Ritual
  10. To Whom It May Concern
  11. Someone
  12. Venus

Band Lineup:
Arnel Pineda – Lead Vocals
Neal Schon – All Guitars & Backing Vocals
Jonathan Cain – Keyboards & Backing Vocals
Ross Valory – Bass & Backing Vocals
Deen Castronovo – Drums, Percussion & Vocals

Producers: Kevin Shirley, Neal Schon & Jonathan Cain

Country: USA

Total Time = 1:06:26

Journey official website
Journey MySpace page

Journey marked their third comeback with a new singer in Arnel Pineda, and a great album with REVELATION, in 2008 and achieved both critical and commercial success that had been missing since TRIAL BY FIRE (1996). Credit the critical acclaim to the band getting down to business and writing well written, catchy, melodic songs and Arnel dazzling everyone with his superb Steve Perry styled vocals on record and on tour. The commercial success came through a great business deal with retail giant Wal-Mart to exclusively release REVELATION (including a DVD and re-recorded hits package) and get the band their first platinum record in over a decade. Band leaders Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain are superb musicians, as well as knowledgeable businessmen, so it’s no surprise that they hit big with the REVELATION album and tour. That was then and this is 2011 and Journey, and specifically Pineda, have to prove that this REVELATION wasn’t a fluke and that Journey has the talent and drive to continue well into the future. That proof comes with their new album, and another Wal-Mart exclusive, ECLIPSE.

As I do with many reviews I write, I have to tell you that I’ve been a fan of Journey for a long time, at least since 1981′s ESCAPE, so I’ve grown up with the band and heard all the big hits and all the albums countless times. REVELATION was one of my favorite albums of 2008 so I was really psyched up for the new record’s release especially when I read all the press that this was going to be a heavier album, a true Rock record. Neal Schon has always been one of my favorite guitarists and I’ve always thought that he doesn’t get the credit he deserves because Journey is sometimes seen as a Pop band or a ballad band, take a listen to his solo material (ELECTRIC WORLD from 1997 is awesome!), his work with HSAS, Bad English, Hardline or Soul Sirkus and you’ll hear some great riffs and solos along with more melodic, blues and jazz elements. A Journey album with more guitar? Sign me up! I drove to Wal-Mart the day of release to buy it and I don’t shop at Wal-Mart on principle! At first glance, ECLIPSE doesn’t give off the “Wow!” factor in terms of packaging especially when compared to the deluxe, three disc, brightly colored digibook that was REVELATION, ECLPISE is a darker album cover and the packaging is a simple slim digipak with a four page booklet. So they value factor isn’t there as far as bonuses (no extra discs) but the price was definitely low ($10) and the music is the whole point of an album.

Starting off ECLIPSE is the melodic and upbeat ‘City Of Hope’ that sounds like a typical Journey rocker and could have easily come off ARRIVAL (2001) and the guitar driven ‘Edge Of The Moment’ that sounds like late ’70s/early ’80s Journey from EVOLUTION (1979) or DEPARTURE (1980). Right away you notice that both songs are guitar oriented with thick riffs and heavier solos compared to the usual Journey fare but the underlying detail is that Jonathan Cain’s keyboards are not as up front in the mix. One of the reasons that Journey sometimes gets a reputation for being too “lite” is because the keyboards so up front in the overall sound, immeadiately you hear the guitar driving the songs and the keys a compliment. The other thing I hear right away is that Arnel Pineda is adding his own flair to the vocals rather than straight up copy the classic Steve Perry sound. Back on REVELATION it was obvious that Pineda could do a solid Perry imitation, listen to that second disc of re-recordings and it’s pretty spot on, but on these first two songs you can hear an edge. Of course, I write those words and there’s a keyboard intro to ‘Chain Of Love’ and Pineda’s voice soars and sounds just like Perry’s on the album’s first ballad ‘Tantra’. ‘Chain Of Love’ is a heavy mid-tempo track that gives off a dark moody feeling that is the direct opposite of typical Journey, a song full of chunky riffs that sound so thick that it may throw some people off. ‘Tantra’ is your typical Journey ballad that starts out slow with Cain’s piano leading the way and Pineda crooning like Perry but then Schon kicks the guitar in and the entire band comes together to deliver one of the most powerful songs on the album. Say what you want about straight up Rock songs, sometimes a power ballad can be as heavy, as rocking, and as powerful, that’s ‘Chain Of Love’. The first four songs on this new album are great with plenty of sonic changes and a focus on Schon’s guitar…..if the rest of the record is as good then Journey has another winner on it’s hands.

‘Anything Is Possible’ is a mid-tempo AOR number that easily recalls Steve Perry/RAISED ON RADIO era Journey and it’s definitely one of my favorite tracks on the record, very catchy and clean as far as the sound goes. I like Cain’s underlying piano and the guitar solos are a pleasure to hear but it’s Arnel’s showcase and he sounds like a seasoned veteran of the AOR ranks. ‘Resonate’ is a darker song that takes time to build and it follows a similar pattern to ‘Anything Is Possible’ as it builds to the chorus. Again, another guitar driven track that really gives off this dark tone but the contrast to the beauty of the singing is what makes it, and the entire record, work well. I like the acoustic intro to ‘She’s A Mystery’ and it just builds into one of the best songs on the album! About halfway through, the band dismisses the acoustic balladry and goes for it with a powerful full band electric swagger…..that’s a pretty good way to describe ECLIPSE: “balladry with an electric swagger”. ‘Human Feel’ has this tribal drum intro from Deen Castronovo and a cool Hammond Organ from Jonathan Cain to compliment another heavy handed riff from Schon. It kind of reminds me of ‘Ball Of Confusion’ from The Temptations in some parts with a bit of that Motown swing underneath but once Arnel sings, it sounds like straight Rock. The guitar solo is powerful but so effortless…..the hallmark of a guitar great! The rocking tempo continues with ‘Ritual’ and it’s the kind of upbeat song that was a staple of previous records post-Perry, it could use some bigger background harmonies to give it that extra punch but it’s solid.

‘To Whom It May Concern’ is another proper ballad that adds a little more Jonathan Cain in the way of piano, keyboard and orchestration. While it’s not a bad song at all, I feel a bit of a disconnect. Maybe that’s because the power of ECLIPSE is in Neal’s guitar? Arnel is the star of the show here with another great vocal but I could go for a little more harmony to make the song sound bigger. More uptempo AOR with ‘Someone’ and it’s sounds like a traditional Journey rocker and could have easily been a hold over from REVELATION. It’s got that sing-a-long hook that makes it worth the wait but I wish they had placed it more up front in the tracklisting. It’s a “happy” kind of classic Journey track and contrasts well with the darker parts of the record. Ending the album is the instrumental ‘Venus’ that uses parts of ‘To Whom It May Concern’ and is a band showcase minus Mr. Pineda…..it’s cool but not my thing from Journey.

Bottom Line:
Journey is Journey so you know what you’re going to get when you spin a Journey record: uptempo/upbeat AOR and Melodic Rock with a few ballads and top musicianship. For most fans, that’s enough but Journey music is such a part of American culture that fans always expect the best. For my money, the REVELATION album from a few years ago fit that bill easily and ECLIPSE falls a little short of my expectations when comparing the two. I’m not saying that ECLIPSE is a bad record, quite the contrary, I think it’s one of the best of the year but the darker tone/feel of the album has thrown me a little. That’s a good thing though because it shows a vibrant and creative band not willing to compromise and to continue to grow. The more I play ECLIPSE, the more I like it and the more I enjoy it. What I like most is that this is a guitar record. There are many times when the name Journey makes you think of keyboard heavy rockers and piano ballads but ECLIPSE is a Neal Schon showcase with some of the coolest riffs and solos I’ve heard on a melodic rock record. The rest of the band is as solid as ever and Arnel Pineda has turned in another outstanding vocal performance. The songs are well written and the sound is crystal clear thatnks to producer Kevin Shirley. Definitely a recommended album…..just give it a few spins so you can really get into it.

Best Songs:
‘City Of Hope’, ‘Edge Of The Moment’, ‘Chain Of Love’, ‘She’s A Mystery’, ‘Someone’

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