Joe's CDstag:joe.siegler.net,2007-08-09:/mycds//52008-11-18T19:20:34ZJoe Siegler's CD CollectionMovable Type Pro 4.21-enStone of Sisphus (XXXII)tag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37462008-06-17T17:25:32Z2008-08-14T18:11:36ZBack in the early 90's I was a big Chicago fan. They had kind of moved past the ballady stuff they had in the mid 80's, and became an interesting band again. However, they were still mostly dominated by the...Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.netBack in the early 90's I was a big Chicago fan. They had kind of moved past the ballady stuff they had in the mid 80's, and became an interesting band again. However, they were still mostly dominated by the ballad. So after Chicago 21 in 1991, the band issued a statement saying they wanted to move away from that kind of music, they wanted to do something new, something they really "wanted to do". So they started work on what became this album. However, the record label didn't like it. The entire story is fairly convoluted, but the band and the record label didn't see eye to eye, so the band said "F it", and took their record and didn't deliver it, or the label refused to release it (depending on who you talk to) Either way, it never came out. As the years passed, and more albums came out, Sisyphys became something of a legend. The band refused to talk about it, the tracks were never released, and it was widely bootlegged.
I had a copy of this for a long time, and realy did enjoy it. It was rather experimental, didn't sound like "usual Chicago". In early Spring of 2008, I was rather shocked to see it on the coming list from Rhino records. This was cool, because the boot I had was "OK", but it's never the same as a cleaned up version, properly released. On top of that, the official release has four demo versions of tracks. I didn't listen closely to see if they were bootleg versions or not. Additionally, there's one track that remains from the bootleg that is not on the final version, so it's not 100% completed, but that's a nitpick, really.
The album is great. It still sounds like "Chicago", but not like any traditional Chicago sound. There's a lot more funk and bass in this recording. Several tracks are quite awesome. Thing is, it's probably not for everyone. While I really like the recording, it has that feel of "acquired taste". If you're a Chicago fan though, you probably would like it. Take a shot.
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Saints of Los Angelestag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37482008-06-24T18:42:58Z2008-08-14T19:01:49ZI've written about Motley Crue a lot. I'm also on record that saying that the Crue's best record is the one they made wihout Vince Neil - the John Corabi record from 1994. I still believe that, but I have...Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.netI've written about Motley Crue a lot. I'm also on record that saying that the Crue's best record is the one they made wihout Vince Neil - the John Corabi record from 1994. I still believe that, but I have to admit, Saints of Los Angeles is up there. It surprised the heck out of me.
When Vince returned in the mid 90's, there were two really rather bad studio albums with him, and I really felt Crue was done from a studio standpoint. So it was with some trepidation that I heard they were doing a new studio album for 2008. When it got close, some entertainment website had the full album up for streaming. So I decided to give it a listen.
WOW! This is by far the best thing they've done in ages. It's not even funny. Really - that sounds like a joke, but it isn't. Saints of Los Angeles is probably right up there with Shout at the Devil for best album with Vince Neil. I still like the Corabi album better, but Los Angeles is QUITE good. There's no real filler tracks, which is a surprise. This is the point where I usually list a few tracks I like, but there isn't one I want to skip when I listen to it. Major thumbs up!
If you're a Motley Crue fan at all, I cannot recommend this highly enough.
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Latest Updatestag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37362008-06-27T04:20:39Z2008-08-14T04:26:08Z Updated Genesis - Turn it on Again: The Hits Added Genesis - Genesis Added Genesis - Invisible Touch Added Genesis - We Can't Dance Updated Genesis - Calling All Stations Added Genesis - Genesis 1983-1998 Updated Genesis - Genesis...Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.net
Updated Genesis - Turn it on Again: The Hits
Added Genesis - Genesis
Added Genesis - Invisible Touch
Added Genesis - We Can't Dance
Updated Genesis - Calling All Stations
Added Genesis - Genesis 1983-1998
Updated Genesis - Genesis 1976-1982 (cover art)
Added Whitesnake - Good to be Bad
Added Dream Theatre - Greatest Hit
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The Rules of Helltag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37502008-07-22T19:29:16Z2008-08-14T19:50:43ZBack in 2004, Black Sabbath released "Black Box", the definitive remastering of the original eight studio albums with Ozzy. It was well received, and of course, after release, people's attentions turned to what might come next. There was talk then...Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.netBack in 2004, Black Sabbath released "Black Box", the definitive remastering of the original eight studio albums with Ozzy. It was well received, and of course, after release, people's attentions turned to what might come next. There was talk then of a "Black Box II" which would cover the Dio Years. Not much happened then with that because Sabbath was still touring with Oz on the annual Ozzfest into 2005. In 2006, the band was finally inducted into both the UK & US Hall of Fames, and after that, things seemed to settle down, and some folks were thinking that might be "it".
Well, as has happened before, Black Sabbath came back again with Ronnie James Dio, and talks began anew about the box set of the Dio era. While nothing was settled, there was some talk that we would get a box. Then word came down in late 2006 that the "Box" had been whittled down to a single disc, that being "The Dio Years", which showed up in 2007. Great though it was, some folks felt it a letdown after (falsely, most likely) expecting a full Dio era box set. We skip ahead to 2008, and word comes down during the spring that there would finally be the box set of the Dio era albums. That's what this is. Some commentary about the newly released box set, "The Rules of Hell", which comprises the four releases from the classic era of Black Sabbath.
First off, let me start by quoting my own review of Black Box from four years ago. I said then about Black Box.. "if you're looking to buy this based on the recent trend of other box sets to include rare songs and things like that, you WILL be disappointed. But if you're interested in how the songs SOUND, then my god, this is for you." This holds up again for RoH. Lets get into some detail on that.
The first thing you will notice is the box is significantly smaller than the other two boxes (Black Box & Radio City Deluxe). It's not that much larger than the four jewel cases inside there. Check out the picture reference here for comparison. When you take the shrink wrap off of the thing, there's a paper overlay that covers the outside of the box, but is not attached to it in any way, and appears to be meant to be discarded once you open the set. Opening the box reveals the insides to be four jewel cases inside there. Check out a picture:
The physical CDs themselves contain a nice font style writing similar to the fonts used in the original packaging of the particular albums. Black Box did the same thing four years ago, but these feel a bit more readable than those discs. Black on Black is never the easiest thing to read.
What do the discs contain? We have the three studio albums from the Dio era of Black Sabbath. Those being 1980's "Heaven & Hell", 1981's "The Mob Rules", and 1992's "Dehumanizer". The live release from 1982, "Live Evil" is also in this box (in its original two disc configuration). The newer releases (The Dio Years, and the Radio City and Hammersmith releases) are not represented. But that's OK - those are all new releases, less than 24 months old for all of them, so it's probably right that they weren't included.
Which brings us to our next point - the one I quoted from my Black Box review. "Extras". As is the case with most box sets, there's some sort of extras package. The recent Genesis box sets are a treasure trove of extras and whatnot. These things are not here. The four albums are as they were when originally released. The only notable difference here is Dehumanizer. Due to contractual things at the time, Dehumanizer was released worldwide by IRS, but inside the US by Warner/Rhino. The US version of Dehumanizer had a track that wasn't on the general worldwide release, that being the version of "Time Machine" from the movie Wayne's World. But that's it folks. There's no "sixth disc" of unreleased tracks, demos, and all that. If you're familiar with the collector's scene (cough), there are quite a few unreleased and demo tracks from the Dehumanizer sessions that exist (that weren't used elsewhere), so they could have been, but they weren't. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, really. Oh sure, who wouldn't like to see more tunes? The grapevine says that Tony isn't a big fan of that kind of thing, and that's probably why these boxes are the way they are. I did make some inquiries on this subject before the album was released. If you take the "no unreleased demos" as read, there aren't a ton of tracks that could be included anyway (and before anyone else gives me crap about this statement, I'm talking about real extra tracks - meaning STUDIO TRACKS, not B side live tracks, I don't count those as real extra tracks). The only tracks I am aware of were the alternate Mob Rules version from the Heavy Metal soundtrack, as well as an alternate version of Dehumanizer's "Letters From Earth". That track turned up as a "B side" to the CD single for TV Crimes. I know it exists, I bought it myself in 1992. When I checked into these tracks, I was told by someone at the record label that the Heavy Metal version of Mob Rules couldn't be used, since it was on another record label. The annoying part was that the guy didn't even know that version of Letters From Earth existed! It was even on a Warner release - so they have it somewhere in their vaults - that it wasn't even considered was something personally irritating. Additionally, there is no overall "box booklet". There are booklets with each individual album, but no overall booklet - something that was in the Black Box set. There are jewel case insert booklets with each of the four albums. Each of THOSE has a new story about that particular album's story as it were. These new stories comprise about 90% of the booklet space, so there is some good reading material. Anyway, that's enough of the griping. I do admit I tend to be the kind of person who gets worked up over their own little pet minutiae when it is not being served, so I need to let that go. Lets get to the music, which is by far the strongest point of this set.
A little history on Sabbath remastering. In 1996, Castle Records released new remasters of all the Black Sabbath albums from 1970-1987. This included two of the three Dio studio albums (and Live Evil). Those masters were from the European master set, not the "Warner Brothers original" (as I've come to understand it). These were needed upgrades at the time, and while better than the original CD releases, probably not what I could call "definitive". Fast forward to 2003, and there was a package named the "Dio Anthology" that covered Ronnie James Dio's career from Elf through to Black Sabbath and the Dio band. There were a handful of Black Sabbath tracks on this compilation, and they were remastered, as everything else was for that package. Sounded good. Fast forward again to the 2007 release "The Dio Years", and Dehumanizer tracks were added to the remastering party. This stuff sounded quite good. Was much cleaner than any release at that time. Then we get 2008's Rules of Hell. This is of course the first time that the entire Dio studio catalog (plus Live Evil) got the full remastering treatment. If you recall, shortly before Black Box came out, there was a two CD greatest hits of the Ozzy era called 'Symptom of the Universe", and both Black Box and Symptom were from the same remastering session. Rules of Hell is different in that the remastering work done for this box set was an even NEWER version than the work done for the tracks released just last year! The recordings in Rules of Hell are QUITE fantastic!
Heaven & Hell: Well, this album by far benefits the most from the remastering work done for this set. This is probably due to the fact that it is the oldest album in the catalogue here, being 28 years old at this point (ACK!). I will say that this is by far the cleanest version of the album I've ever heard. It has a freshness that is totally new to me. I know this album very well, it is a metal classic, and even the most ardent "Ozzy only" fan tends to think this is a pretty decent disc. I say that because I think it's the one most people are familiar with. The single biggest thing here is Geezer Butler's bass. It's far more noticeable than it EVER had been before. Oh sure, you knew it was there, but it never stood out. I have a great subwoofer system on my computer at work, and this is where I listen the most. It is REALLY noticeable, and that's without maxing the bass on the woofer, too. :) This is a great mix, and it makes me wonder why this kind of stuff couldn't be done before? By far the highlight of the box set for me. The booklet has an new story, and also has some artwork I have not seen before. It's done by Lynn Curlee, the guy who did the original artwork for the Heaven & Hell album cover (although it wasn't done specifically for Sabbath). I am unclear as to whether this is truly new artwork, or another of Lynn's older pieces. Either way, a nice surprise to see in the booklet.
Mob Rules: This album holds a special place for me, because it was the first Black Sabbath album I ever got. As frequent visitors to my site know, I bought this album solely on the cover art. At that time I didn't know about Black Sabbath, and I saw the cover art in Hit Parader magazine, and thought.. "I wonder what their music sounds like if their cover art looks like THAT!" So I ran out and bought it, and was instantly hooked by the opening riff of Turn up the Night. While I could never recapture that feeling, the new RoH remaster of Mob Rules is a definite improvement over the previous CD versions of the album I've owned. This album always (to me) had meaty, somewhat muddled sound. Now this isn't a bad thing - normally muddled means bad, but this had a heavy low end sound that wasn't "crisp", if you know what I mean. This new version keeps that feel I'm having issues describing, yet notches up the clarity. The bass isn't as noticably pronounced as it is in the new version of Heaven & Hell, but it is most definitely an improvement. Of course, I'm somewhat biased about this disc, because of what it means to me and Sabbath in general, it's hard for me to be totally objective about this one.
Live Evil: When this album was released on the original Warner set of CD's it was a double CD. Was one of those "fat" double CD cases from years gone by, if you remember those. The kind now that hold like five discs in the same space. Anyway, when Castle did their remastering in 1996, Live Evil was butchered. Was cut down to a single disc, and almost 100% of the crowd banter was gone. Fortunately, this release restores the album to its original configuration of two discs, allowing for everything to be put back. The problem for me is that no amount of remastering can help this one. When it was BRAND NEW in December of 1982, it was pretty cool. The problem is it feels overproduced to me - the band sounds "flat", it has no bite, and no crispness. Heck, Geezer Butler himself referred to this album as "Live in the Studio Evil" on a 2007 TV interview. I've seen Black Sabbath live a ton of times, and I've always wondered where the band's live energy went on this disc. This is not a complaint about the remastering, but the original release itself. I've always felt that Live Evil was an inferior live recording, and while I've checked it out as part of my reviewing duties, I cannot say I will honestly listen to this much. The limited release "Live at Hammersmith" from last year beats the crap out of Live Evil. It wouldn't have happened obviously, but I wish that Hammersmith was included in this package over Live Evil. Having said that, it is nice that its original release format of two discs was included, so in that regard, it is an improvement over the 1996 Castle release by miles.
Dehuamanizer: This is the album that benefits least from the remastering. This is probably because the album is the most recent of the studio work in here. I really love this disc, there's some absolutely stellar tracks on here. It's not like the remastering work produced NO difference, it's just the differences are far less noticeable than the other studio albums in here. I'm going to say the least about this one for that reason.
If you look at this review on my Black Sabbath site, it's enhanced with pictures. These will show you that the inside of the box is four CD jewel cases, and that's it. Unlike Black Box or the Radio City Deluxe release, there's no real reason to keep the actual box this comes in if you don't want to. Since these are just CD jewel cases, and not some custom molded digipak or something, the exterior "box" in the box set can be discarded, and you can put the jewel cases with all your other jewel cases. I'm not advocating throwing it in the trash, as that doesn't seem right either - it's just odd that the box set is just that - a box. Some box sets have the "box" be part of the packaging, and it all comes together in a nice presentation so to speak. Not here, the box is just "a box". The exterior has some artwork on it, but it's that kind of "black on black" that Black Box featured, so it doesn't really stand out, either.
If you're still with me, you might think that I'm dumping on this box a lot, and that I don't like it. That is definitely not the truth. If you get all hung up on extras, packaging and the like, well, then you may not like this set. But if you're like me, and like Black Sabbath for the right reasons, that being the music, then you will absolutely love this set. Heaven & Hell and Mob Rules are seriously improved. Dehumanizer less so, but it does sound better than before, and Live Evil? Well, it's Live Evil. The pricing on this set is quite nice, too. If you're a Black Sabbath fan that knows these albums well, you'll find a lot to like about the remastering. If you don't have these albums, it should be a no brainier - go get them. They're classic pieces of metal, and the remastering does wonders for them. You'll enjoy it.
Some other notes. I've been told that this is a North American release (like most recent Rhino stuff). I did inquire as to whether or not it will be released outside of North America, and I cannot get a concrete update on that. It would have been nice if the three studio tracks from the Dio years package could have found their way onto here. They actually are, if you buy the box set from a digital format (such as Amazon's MP3 store, or iTunes or the like), but the physical disc version does not have them. Geezer Butler has said that the title of the box is not for the obvious "Hell" connection, but it's a play on the names of the first two albums with Dio. Granted, Sabbath has never been above playing the "Satan" angle for marketing (look at the box cover art), but I personally find these kinds of album names tiring. Yawn. It's Satan again. Can we move on to something more important than that?
That's it for me and my review of "The Rules of Hell". Hope to see you back here again before too long with a review of "Black Box 3: The Everything Else" box set. Oh, you can see my photo gallery of the images used in the review here, which includes a couple of others not used in the review.
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It's Bad for Yatag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37512008-08-04T19:54:24Z2008-08-14T19:59:33ZGeorge Carlin's final album. Well, of totally new material anyway. George died on June 22, 2008, and this album had been completed at that point. While it wouldn't surprise me to see compilations come out later from his estate, this...Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.netGeorge Carlin's final album. Well, of totally new material anyway. George died on June 22, 2008, and this album had been completed at that point. While it wouldn't surprise me to see compilations come out later from his estate, this will be the "final" album of new material.
Right before it was released, I had read somewhere that friends/family were saying that this album of material was more palatable to people because it's less "angry". I know I said that aout his last album, but I heard this pre-release. Then I got it, and I have to agree. While there's a bit in the middle where he totally goes off again on religion and God, most of this album is less "old crotchety man" than his recent vintage has been.
There's a bit in here where he talks about removing people from your address book who have died. He then goes on to find the humor in how we have to DELETE people now instead of crossing them out. It's quite funny if you're a computer person. I even was able to recite one of the bits from this album to someone else after having listened to it just one time. :)
It's George Carlin. It's funny. What else can I say? ]]>
Latest Updatestag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37412008-08-14T04:26:39Z2008-08-14T17:23:09Z Added Dokken - Lightning Strikes Again Added Journey - Revelation Added Hooters - Time Stand Still Added Judas Priest - Nostradamus In working on tonight's entries, I thought about a new idea. I'm going to add links to the...Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.net
Added Dokken - Lightning Strikes Again
Added Journey - Revelation
Added Hooters - Time Stand Still
Added Judas Priest - Nostradamus
In working on tonight's entries, I thought about a new idea. I'm going to add links to the relevant Wikipedia pages for albums. Most all of them have Wikipedia pages, so going forward they will all have them. I will try and go backwards, but there's a huge pile, I'm not particularly looking forward to editing every single entry in the database. :)]]>
Latest Updatestag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37472008-08-14T18:14:15Z2008-11-11T12:38:04Z Added Chicago - Stone of Sisyphus Updated Chicago - XXX Added Motley Crue - Saints of Los Angeles Added Billy Joel - The Stranger (30th Anniversary) Updated Billy Joel - The Stranger (older version) Added Black Sabbath - The...Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.net
Added Chicago - Stone of Sisyphus
Updated Chicago - XXX
Added Motley Crue - Saints of Los Angeles
Added Billy Joel - The Stranger (30th Anniversary)
Updated Billy Joel - The Stranger (older version)
Added Black Sabbath - The Rules of Hell
Added George Carlin - It's Bad for Ya
WHOA! I'm totally caught up!]]>
Eliminator (Collector's Edition)tag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37632008-09-09T11:41:48Z2008-11-12T04:17:46ZThis is a 25th anniversy re-issue of ZZ Top's seminal album, Eliminator. This came out originally my senior year of high school, and with it's combination of music and stylish videos, it was a MAJOR hit at the time. I...Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.netThis is a 25th anniversy re-issue of ZZ Top's seminal album, Eliminator. This came out originally my senior year of high school, and with it's combination of music and stylish videos, it was a MAJOR hit at the time. I owned this as a pre-recorded cassette when it was new, and held onto that for a long time. I likely dumped it when I dumped all my old tapes years ago.
But the music has always carried on. It's been cleaned up for this issue, which is a two disc release. The first is the album. The remastering work is really quite good. It sounds great to my ears, and given that I never owned this on CD, it's nice to hear some of the songs that don't get the usual airplay again. Possibly the most well known track from the album "Legs" appears here in it's original form. What I didn't realize is that the version that most people know - the one on the album that most people had was not the original. Apparently the original album version (which is here) was replaced with the slightly different mix for the single/video. Both are here - and I have to say I prefer the single version, the "original" version feels like it is missing something.
There are also some live tracks which don't sound terribly up to snuff recording wise. The second disc has the four videos (Gimme All Your Lovin, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs, & TV Dinners) from the classic days, as well as some live concert footage from November 1983.
While this is a double disc, I can't imagine myself listening to the extras more than a couple of times. The album itself - yeah. But the extra live tracks are a snooze, and I've seen the videos more times than I care to remember. :) Still, having said that the actual Eliminator album is fantastic. This could have been a single disc release and been far more streamlined. ]]>
Death Magnetictag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37622008-09-12T11:24:03Z2008-11-11T12:36:18ZI've been a Metallica fan for quite some time. The first album of theirs I bought was Ride the Lightning back in the early 80's. I've continued to buy all their releases, even through the time when most of their...Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.netI've been a Metallica fan for quite some time. The first album of theirs I bought was Ride the Lightning back in the early 80's. I've continued to buy all their releases, even through the time when most of their early fans abandoned them. You either liked the early stuff, and hated the post Black Album material, or you only liked the newer stuff. Hardly did you ever find a Metallica fan that liked both. I'm one of the latter. I liked both. They had a different feel on the latter albums, but I still liked it. Having said that, since I grew up with albums like Puppets & Justice, I did long for an album like that again. We sort of got it with St Anger (rather underrated), but Death Magnetic was it.
This is the album they should have made after And Justice For All. This feels like old school Metallica, yet with modern production values. Normally when I write one of these things, I say which tracks I like, and why. But I'm not doing that. This disc is totally solid (save for one song which I'll talk about in a bit) from front to back. The first track just starts off with that "WHAM", and it doesn't let you go. It's one of those discs that when I was listening to it in my truck and it finished, I just let it repeat. It's fantastic. Has the twin guitar sound, there's solos again, and we have some good Lars drums. By far and away, not even funny - the best thing since 1989.
The one track I don't care for is "The Unforgiven III". Musically it doesn't fit with anything else on the album. Now that I can deal with - most albums have a track that doesn't sound like the rest of the album. That's not why. I don't like it for two reasons. First, I just don't care for the tune. Secondly is the title. If you're going to bother calling something a "three", then it would stand to reason that it would bear some resemblance to the two previous entries that bear it's namesake. This does not. I totally fail to see why it's called "Unforgiven 3", it might as well been called "Random Other Song", and it would have worked better, I think.
However, that's just one track. All the others are bloody well fantastic. If you are a Metallica fan, and gave up on them awhile back - this is what you have wanted. It's a Metallica renaissance. Go get it. ]]>
Live in Gdansktag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37542008-09-22T21:05:55Z2008-11-12T04:36:58ZI have been a David Gilmour fan for a long time. Got into Pink Floyd back in the late 70's not long after he put out his first solo album (which is now 30 years old as I write this)....Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.netI have been a David Gilmour fan for a long time. Got into Pink Floyd back in the late 70's not long after he put out his first solo album (which is now 30 years old as I write this). Follwed him through all the years of Floyd, his solo albums, and all that. When I heard he was putting out a live album, I wasn't terribly sure I was going to get it. Live albums are a mixed bag with me. If you saw the tour a live album came from, then it's kind of a must purchase. But if you weren't, you're essentially buying the same songs again. So I kind of waffled.
Then I saw the track listing, and it was quite varied. Went into the ancient days of Pink Floyd (60's era), and hit the usual Floyd hits. It also had quite a few songs from his third solo album. If there was any disappointment for me, it was that there were not any tracks from David's first two solo albums - there's a lot of good stuff there (mostly on the second), but that wasn't a major deal. The selling point for me was Rick Wright. As one of the founders of Pink Floyd (Gilmour was not), it kind of felt more like a Floyd album with two of the guys there, so I pre-ordered it. Then Rick Wright died before it was released. It kind of turned into a tribute because of that.
The music itself was quite good. It was recorded on the final date of the tour for his On an Island album. It was in Gdansk Poland - in the shipyards made famous by Lech Walensa (sp?). The track selection was pretty good, had some stuff I was not expecting (Astronomy Domine, Echoes!), and I did enjoy hearing live version of his third solo album. So yeah, I enjoyed it. I'm not terribly sure it's for everyone though. This does have a unique feel in that there's an orchestra playing. Lots of bands do that now, but this seems to fit the music more than most bands who just go "Oh, here's an orchestra, too".
A bit of a note here. There were MANY different versions of the thing. I'm going to cheat, and steal the text straight from David Gilmour's site about all of the versions. I bought the 2 CD / 1 DVD version myself.
Live In Gda?sk is available in versions to fit every pocket. The 2-CD audio-only version represents the August 2006 concert from the Gda?sk Shipyard, featuring David and his stellar touring band plus a 40-strong orchestra. The final concert of the On An Island tour in front of 50,000 people, it can be seen as well as heard on the 3-disc version, which includes an extra concert DVD (114 minutes long) and Gda?sk Diary, a 37-minute filmed documentary. All of the show is included on the CDs, except for Wot's... Uh The Deal?, which does however make an appearance over the concert end-credits on the DVD.
There is also a 4-disc version, packaged, like the 2-disc and the 3-disc, in a carbon-neutral cardboard wallet, with a 12-page booklet including credits and concert photos, plus a 5-disc package, presented in a cardboard box with bonus collectable extras. The 4-disc version is the same as the 3-disc version, but with an additional DVD of live performances from the Mermaid Theatre, the AOL Sessions, and Abbey Road. It also has three brand-new tracks performed as live jams by David with Richard Wright, Steve DiStanislao and Guy Pratt, filmed in David's barn. In addition, it also has the whole On An Island album in 5.1 surround sound audio, on Dolby Digital or DTS format.
As if that wasn't enough, the 5-disc version has all of the aforementioned discs, plus an extra audio CD of live tracks recorded on the Summer 2006 tour, and a 24-page booklet, reproduction concert memorabilia and a 2-sided poster.
Finally, for vinyl junkies, the entire concert is available in a box of LPs: 8 sides are the concert, including Wot's... Uh The Deal?, while the 5th disc holds two Barn Jams, On The Turning Away live from Venice, and two songs from the Live From Abbey Road sessions. You also get a 'Webpass', which allows one complete download of the whole five discs in MP3 format to a computer of your choice.
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Torchwood Soundtracktag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37642008-09-23T03:41:30Z2008-11-12T04:45:37ZThere's not a lot to say about this. Torchwood is a spinoff of the (modern) Doctor Who TV series. This is a soundtrack CD of music from the first two series. It was done by the same bloke who has...Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.netThere's not a lot to say about this. Torchwood is a spinoff of the (modern) Doctor Who TV series. This is a soundtrack CD of music from the first two series. It was done by the same bloke who has done all the music for Doctor Who since it has returned in 2005 (Murray Gold). If you like Torchwood, you might like this. If you don't, it's not for you, don't bother.
Oh, this is not available in the United States domestically, my link here goes to the Amazon UK site. ]]>
Black Icetag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37572008-10-20T05:01:15Z2008-11-12T05:18:09ZThis is something that hasn't happened in awhile. A new studio album from AC/DC. The last one was 2000's Stiff Upper Lip. But what has taken far longer is a really good, solid AC/DC album. Oh, there's been some close...Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.netThis is something that hasn't happened in awhile. A new studio album from AC/DC. The last one was 2000's Stiff Upper Lip. But what has taken far longer is a really good, solid AC/DC album. Oh, there's been some close ones along the way (The Razor's Edge), but most AC/DC fans will tell you they haven't lived up to Back in Black since. Black Ice changes that.
Now don't get me wrong. I don't think AC/DC can ever write an album as good as Back in Black ever again. That is, and always will be the best album that bears the name AC/DC. But Black Ice is a bit of a different animal. After the last album and tour were over, you started hearing rumblings that the Young brothers wanted to do something different next time. They didn't want "just another AC/DC record". They achieved it!
It has some songs on there and some riffs I don't think I've ever heard AC/DC doing. Oh, it's AC/DC, it's not like they're going to start sounding like Black Sabbath. But this is not your garden vareity AC/DC album. It is pretty darn good - has a nice variety, sounds new, but still keeps the traditional AC/DC sound. That make any sense? The track "Big Jack" in particular sounds like it could go on Back in Black. There's some REALLY good stuff on this disc!
It is (in the US, anyway) an exclusive at Walmart. If you want it, you have to buy it from Walmart, it's not available anywhere else. There are also a couple of different covers. Red, yellow, blue, & silver. Only the blue one has any real difference. That is the "special edition". I have that one. It's not worth the extra $2. You get lyrics, and some photos (most of which came from the video shoot for Rock & Roll Train). It's the kind of stuff that should be in album liner notes to begin with, not something that is there as a $2 extra. That kind of annoyed me.
A cute story about this, though. I'm 43 now. I've been listening to AC/DC since I was 15. I have bought all the albums the day they came out. This was no different. In fact, in a throwback to my youth, I drove over to my local Wal-Mart at 11:45PM the night of release, and hung out in the music section until the guy brought out the boxes with Black Ice in them. I was the only dork in the store, and helped him look through the pile for the special edition. As a little bonus, Walmart had the special edition discounted to $11.99 instead of the $13.99 for the opening weekend (or night, I'm not sure), so I got the extra $2 stuff for "free" (the way it should have been).
Bottom line is if you like AC/DC, you should like this. If you stopped buying their albums some time ago, give this one a shot, it's one of their better discs.
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The Cosmos Rockstag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37652008-10-29T04:22:44Z2008-11-16T14:18:24ZFirst off, let me start off by saying I know this album isn't technically a "Queen" album. It's officially being billed as "Queen and Paul Rodgers". However, I'm filing it under Queen anyway. :) Freddie Mercury is dead, and I...Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.netFirst off, let me start off by saying I know this album isn't technically a "Queen" album. It's officially being billed as "Queen and Paul Rodgers". However, I'm filing it under Queen anyway. :)
Freddie Mercury is dead, and I think most everyone assumed that after 1995's "Made in Heaven", that was it for Queen studio material. Mercury was so iconic of a voice, there really was no way you can replace a voice like that. And for the longest time, it stayed that way, until around 2004 when Queen was inducted into the UK Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Things moved, and Roger Taylor & Brian May started working with Paul Rodgers. Queen bassist John Deacon had retired from music completely, and from what I can gather gave the project his blessing. So they went forward with the intent of making a new album eventually. That is what this is. The first new studio album in bloody well forever that bears the name Queen. Yeah, yeah, yeah - it's not "technically" a Queen album, bit realistically, it is.
I loved Queen, and kind of always wanted them to carry on, but had no idea who could pull it off. Rodgers sounds nothing like Mercury, and I suppose that's probably the way to go. You might be able to find someone who could (sort of) mimic Mercury, but I doubt they'd want to do that (although Journey has had success with some singers who mimic Steve Perry). I wasn't sure how this album would sound. I know there was a live album, but I never heard it. So I took a blind stab and bought this without hearing anything.
I rather enjoy it! It's definitely not that true "Queen" sound. I think that's partially because one of the unheralded things that made Queen "Queen" was John Deacon. Oh sure, they all played their parts, but with Deacon not here, there's something missing. However, there is enough of the Queen sound (May's guitar, the harmonizing) to make it sound somewhat like Queen. Of course, with the vocalist being Rodgers, it's going to sound like his work with Bad Company, and his own material. The blending works for me. I see this album being trashed online, but I think it's an easy target, and people aren't giving it a fair shake. Now that's not to say it's the best album I've ever heard. It's not. But it's a good listen, and I enjoy the tracks. Cosmos Rockin, Time to Shine, Warboys, We Believe, Voodoo, and C-Lebrity all stick out as good tracks. We Believe in particular feels like "Queen" to me.
If you were an old school Queen fan, I'm not sure if i can predict how you'll feel about this disc. There is good stuff here, and there is some filler. However, if you miss the guitar work of Brian May, check it out. You might enjoy it.]]>
Latest Updatestag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37612008-11-12T12:21:02Z2008-11-15T22:26:55Z Added GZR - Plastic Planet (Japanese Version) Added GZR - Black Science (Japanese Version) Added Metallica - Death Magnetic Added ZZ Top - Eliminator (25th Anniversary Edition) Added David Gilmour - Live at Gdansk Added Torchwood Soundtrack Added AC/DC...Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.net
Added GZR - Plastic Planet (Japanese Version)
Added GZR - Black Science (Japanese Version)
Added Metallica - Death Magnetic
Added ZZ Top - Eliminator (25th Anniversary Edition)
Added David Gilmour - Live at Gdansk
Added Torchwood Soundtrack
Added AC/DC - Black Ice
Added Queen - The Cosmos Rocks
Need to add:
Genesis - 1970-1975 Box Set (Nov 13)
Doctor Who - Series 4 Soundtrack (Nov 20)]]>
Series 4 Soundtracktag:joe.siegler.net,2008:/mycds//5.37552008-11-17T22:10:01Z2008-11-18T19:20:34ZComing soon....Joe Sieglerhttp://joe.siegler.netComing soon. ]]>
Back in the early 90's I was a big Chicago fan. They had kind of moved past the ballady stuff they had in the mid 80's, and became an interesting band again. However, they were still mostly dominated by the ballad. So after Chicago 21 in 1991, the band issued a statement saying they wanted to move away from that kind of music, they wanted to do something new, something they really "wanted to do". So they started work on what became this album. However, the record label didn't like it. The entire story is fairly convoluted, but the band and the record label didn't see eye to eye, so the band said "F it", and took their record and didn't deliver it, or the label refused to release it (depending on who you talk to) Either way, it never came out. As the years passed, and more albums came out, Sisyphys became something of a legend. The band refused to talk about it, the tracks were never released, and it was widely bootlegged.
I had a copy of this for a long time, and realy did enjoy it. It was rather experimental, didn't sound like "usual Chicago". In early Spring of 2008, I was rather shocked to see it on the coming list from Rhino records. This was cool, because the boot I had was "OK", but it's never the same as a cleaned up version, properly released. On top of that, the official release has four demo versions of tracks. I didn't listen closely to see if they were bootleg versions or not. Additionally, there's one track that remains from the bootleg that is not on the final version, so it's not 100% completed, but that's a nitpick, really.
The album is great. It still sounds like "Chicago", but not like any traditional Chicago sound. There's a lot more funk and bass in this recording. Several tracks are quite awesome. Thing is, it's probably not for everyone. While I really like the recording, it has that feel of "acquired taste". If you're a Chicago fan though, you probably would like it. Take a shot.
I've written about Motley Crue a lot. I'm also on record that saying that the Crue's best record is the one they made wihout Vince Neil - the John Corabi record from 1994. I still believe that, but I have to admit, Saints of Los Angeles is up there. It surprised the heck out of me.
When Vince returned in the mid 90's, there were two really rather bad studio albums with him, and I really felt Crue was done from a studio standpoint. So it was with some trepidation that I heard they were doing a new studio album for 2008. When it got close, some entertainment website had the full album up for streaming. So I decided to give it a listen.
WOW! This is by far the best thing they've done in ages. It's not even funny. Really - that sounds like a joke, but it isn't. Saints of Los Angeles is probably right up there with Shout at the Devil for best album with Vince Neil. I still like the Corabi album better, but Los Angeles is QUITE good. There's no real filler tracks, which is a surprise. This is the point where I usually list a few tracks I like, but there isn't one I want to skip when I listen to it. Major thumbs up!
If you're a Motley Crue fan at all, I cannot recommend this highly enough.
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Back in 2004, Black Sabbath released "Black Box", the definitive remastering of the original eight studio albums with Ozzy. It was well received, and of course, after release, people's attentions turned to what might come next. There was talk then of a "Black Box II" which would cover the Dio Years. Not much happened then with that because Sabbath was still touring with Oz on the annual Ozzfest into 2005. In 2006, the band was finally inducted into both the UK & US Hall of Fames, and after that, things seemed to settle down, and some folks were thinking that might be "it".
Well, as has happened before, Black Sabbath came back again with Ronnie James Dio, and talks began anew about the box set of the Dio era. While nothing was settled, there was some talk that we would get a box. Then word came down in late 2006 that the "Box" had been whittled down to a single disc, that being "The Dio Years", which showed up in 2007. Great though it was, some folks felt it a letdown after (falsely, most likely) expecting a full Dio era box set. We skip ahead to 2008, and word comes down during the spring that there would finally be the box set of the Dio era albums. That's what this is. Some commentary about the newly released box set, "The Rules of Hell", which comprises the four releases from the classic era of Black Sabbath.
First off, let me start by quoting my own review of Black Box from four years ago. I said then about Black Box.. "if you're looking to buy this based on the recent trend of other box sets to include rare songs and things like that, you WILL be disappointed. But if you're interested in how the songs SOUND, then my god, this is for you." This holds up again for RoH. Lets get into some detail on that.
Heaven & Hell: Well, this album by far benefits the most from the remastering work done for this set. This is probably due to the fact that it is the oldest album in the catalogue here, being 28 years old at this point (ACK!). I will say that this is by far the cleanest version of the album I've ever heard. It has a freshness that is totally new to me. I know this album very well, it is a metal classic, and even the most ardent "Ozzy only" fan tends to think this is a pretty decent disc. I say that because I think it's the one most people are familiar with. The single biggest thing here is Geezer Butler's bass. It's far more noticeable than it EVER had been before. Oh sure, you knew it was there, but it never stood out. I have a great subwoofer system on my computer at work, and this is where I listen the most. It is REALLY noticeable, and that's without maxing the bass on the woofer, too. :) This is a great mix, and it makes me wonder why this kind of stuff couldn't be done before? By far the highlight of the box set for me. The booklet has an new story, and also has some artwork I have not seen before. It's done by Lynn Curlee, the guy who did the original artwork for the Heaven & Hell album cover (although it wasn't done specifically for Sabbath). I am unclear as to whether this is truly new artwork, or another of Lynn's older pieces. Either way, a nice surprise to see in the booklet.
Mob Rules: This album holds a special place for me, because it was the first Black Sabbath album I ever got. As frequent visitors to my site know, I bought this album solely on the cover art. At that time I didn't know about Black Sabbath, and I saw the cover art in Hit Parader magazine, and thought.. "I wonder what their music sounds like if their cover art looks like THAT!" So I ran out and bought it, and was instantly hooked by the opening riff of Turn up the Night. While I could never recapture that feeling, the new RoH remaster of Mob Rules is a definite improvement over the previous CD versions of the album I've owned. This album always (to me) had meaty, somewhat muddled sound. Now this isn't a bad thing - normally muddled means bad, but this had a heavy low end sound that wasn't "crisp", if you know what I mean. This new version keeps that feel I'm having issues describing, yet notches up the clarity. The bass isn't as noticably pronounced as it is in the new version of Heaven & Hell, but it is most definitely an improvement. Of course, I'm somewhat biased about this disc, because of what it means to me and Sabbath in general, it's hard for me to be totally objective about this one.
Live Evil: When this album was released on the original Warner set of CD's it was a double CD. Was one of those "fat" double CD cases from years gone by, if you remember those. The kind now that hold like five discs in the same space. Anyway, when Castle did their remastering in 1996, Live Evil was butchered. Was cut down to a single disc, and almost 100% of the crowd banter was gone. Fortunately, this release restores the album to its original configuration of two discs, allowing for everything to be put back. The problem for me is that no amount of remastering can help this one. When it was BRAND NEW in December of 1982, it was pretty cool. The problem is it feels overproduced to me - the band sounds "flat", it has no bite, and no crispness. Heck, Geezer Butler himself referred to this album as "Live in the Studio Evil" on a 2007 TV interview. I've seen Black Sabbath live a ton of times, and I've always wondered where the band's live energy went on this disc. This is not a complaint about the remastering, but the original release itself. I've always felt that Live Evil was an inferior live recording, and while I've checked it out as part of my reviewing duties, I cannot say I will honestly listen to this much. The limited release "Live at Hammersmith" from last year beats the crap out of Live Evil. It wouldn't have happened obviously, but I wish that Hammersmith was included in this package over Live Evil. Having said that, it is nice that its original release format of two discs was included, so in that regard, it is an improvement over the 1996 Castle release by miles.
Dehuamanizer: This is the album that benefits least from the remastering. This is probably because the album is the most recent of the studio work in here. I really love this disc, there's some absolutely stellar tracks on here. It's not like the remastering work produced NO difference, it's just the differences are far less noticeable than the other studio albums in here. I'm going to say the least about this one for that reason.
If you look at this review on my Black Sabbath site, it's enhanced with pictures. These will show you that the inside of the box is four CD jewel cases, and that's it. Unlike Black Box or the Radio City Deluxe release, there's no real reason to keep the actual box this comes in if you don't want to. Since these are just CD jewel cases, and not some custom molded digipak or something, the exterior "box" in the box set can be discarded, and you can put the jewel cases with all your other jewel cases. I'm not advocating throwing it in the trash, as that doesn't seem right either - it's just odd that the box set is just that - a box. Some box sets have the "box" be part of the packaging, and it all comes together in a nice presentation so to speak. Not here, the box is just "a box". The exterior has some artwork on it, but it's that kind of "black on black" that Black Box featured, so it doesn't really stand out, either.
If you're still with me, you might think that I'm dumping on this box a lot, and that I don't like it. That is definitely not the truth. If you get all hung up on extras, packaging and the like, well, then you may not like this set. But if you're like me, and like Black Sabbath for the right reasons, that being the music, then you will absolutely love this set. Heaven & Hell and Mob Rules are seriously improved. Dehumanizer less so, but it does sound better than before, and Live Evil? Well, it's Live Evil. The pricing on this set is quite nice, too. If you're a Black Sabbath fan that knows these albums well, you'll find a lot to like about the remastering. If you don't have these albums, it should be a no brainier - go get them. They're classic pieces of metal, and the remastering does wonders for them. You'll enjoy it.
Some other notes. I've been told that this is a North American release (like most recent Rhino stuff). I did inquire as to whether or not it will be released outside of North America, and I cannot get a concrete update on that. It would have been nice if the three studio tracks from the Dio years package could have found their way onto here. They actually are, if you buy the box set from a digital format (such as Amazon's MP3 store, or iTunes or the like), but the physical disc version does not have them. Geezer Butler has said that the title of the box is not for the obvious "Hell" connection, but it's a play on the names of the first two albums with Dio. Granted, Sabbath has never been above playing the "Satan" angle for marketing (look at the box cover art), but I personally find these kinds of album names tiring. Yawn. It's Satan again. Can we move on to something more important than that?
That's it for me and my review of "The Rules of Hell". Hope to see you back here again before too long with a review of "Black Box 3: The Everything Else" box set. Oh, you can see my photo gallery of the images used in the review here, which includes a couple of others not used in the review.
George Carlin's final album. Well, of totally new material anyway. George died on June 22, 2008, and this album had been completed at that point. While it wouldn't surprise me to see compilations come out later from his estate, this will be the "final" album of new material.
Right before it was released, I had read somewhere that friends/family were saying that this album of material was more palatable to people because it's less "angry". I know I said that aout his last album, but I heard this pre-release. Then I got it, and I have to agree. While there's a bit in the middle where he totally goes off again on religion and God, most of this album is less "old crotchety man" than his recent vintage has been.
There's a bit in here where he talks about removing people from your address book who have died. He then goes on to find the humor in how we have to DELETE people now instead of crossing them out. It's quite funny if you're a computer person. I even was able to recite one of the bits from this album to someone else after having listened to it just one time. :)
It's George Carlin. It's funny. What else can I say?
This is a 25th anniversy re-issue of ZZ Top's seminal album, Eliminator. This came out originally my senior year of high school, and with it's combination of music and stylish videos, it was a MAJOR hit at the time. I owned this as a pre-recorded cassette when it was new, and held onto that for a long time. I likely dumped it when I dumped all my old tapes years ago.
But the music has always carried on. It's been cleaned up for this issue, which is a two disc release. The first is the album. The remastering work is really quite good. It sounds great to my ears, and given that I never owned this on CD, it's nice to hear some of the songs that don't get the usual airplay again. Possibly the most well known track from the album "Legs" appears here in it's original form. What I didn't realize is that the version that most people know - the one on the album that most people had was not the original. Apparently the original album version (which is here) was replaced with the slightly different mix for the single/video. Both are here - and I have to say I prefer the single version, the "original" version feels like it is missing something.
There are also some live tracks which don't sound terribly up to snuff recording wise. The second disc has the four videos (Gimme All Your Lovin, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs, & TV Dinners) from the classic days, as well as some live concert footage from November 1983.
While this is a double disc, I can't imagine myself listening to the extras more than a couple of times. The album itself - yeah. But the extra live tracks are a snooze, and I've seen the videos more times than I care to remember. :) Still, having said that the actual Eliminator album is fantastic. This could have been a single disc release and been far more streamlined.
I've been a Metallica fan for quite some time. The first album of theirs I bought was Ride the Lightning back in the early 80's. I've continued to buy all their releases, even through the time when most of their early fans abandoned them. You either liked the early stuff, and hated the post Black Album material, or you only liked the newer stuff. Hardly did you ever find a Metallica fan that liked both. I'm one of the latter. I liked both. They had a different feel on the latter albums, but I still liked it. Having said that, since I grew up with albums like Puppets & Justice, I did long for an album like that again. We sort of got it with St Anger (rather underrated), but Death Magnetic was it.
This is the album they should have made after And Justice For All. This feels like old school Metallica, yet with modern production values. Normally when I write one of these things, I say which tracks I like, and why. But I'm not doing that. This disc is totally solid (save for one song which I'll talk about in a bit) from front to back. The first track just starts off with that "WHAM", and it doesn't let you go. It's one of those discs that when I was listening to it in my truck and it finished, I just let it repeat. It's fantastic. Has the twin guitar sound, there's solos again, and we have some good Lars drums. By far and away, not even funny - the best thing since 1989.
The one track I don't care for is "The Unforgiven III". Musically it doesn't fit with anything else on the album. Now that I can deal with - most albums have a track that doesn't sound like the rest of the album. That's not why. I don't like it for two reasons. First, I just don't care for the tune. Secondly is the title. If you're going to bother calling something a "three", then it would stand to reason that it would bear some resemblance to the two previous entries that bear it's namesake. This does not. I totally fail to see why it's called "Unforgiven 3", it might as well been called "Random Other Song", and it would have worked better, I think.
However, that's just one track. All the others are bloody well fantastic. If you are a Metallica fan, and gave up on them awhile back - this is what you have wanted. It's a Metallica renaissance. Go get it.
I have been a David Gilmour fan for a long time. Got into Pink Floyd back in the late 70's not long after he put out his first solo album (which is now 30 years old as I write this). Follwed him through all the years of Floyd, his solo albums, and all that. When I heard he was putting out a live album, I wasn't terribly sure I was going to get it. Live albums are a mixed bag with me. If you saw the tour a live album came from, then it's kind of a must purchase. But if you weren't, you're essentially buying the same songs again. So I kind of waffled.
Then I saw the track listing, and it was quite varied. Went into the ancient days of Pink Floyd (60's era), and hit the usual Floyd hits. It also had quite a few songs from his third solo album. If there was any disappointment for me, it was that there were not any tracks from David's first two solo albums - there's a lot of good stuff there (mostly on the second), but that wasn't a major deal. The selling point for me was Rick Wright. As one of the founders of Pink Floyd (Gilmour was not), it kind of felt more like a Floyd album with two of the guys there, so I pre-ordered it. Then Rick Wright died before it was released. It kind of turned into a tribute because of that.
The music itself was quite good. It was recorded on the final date of the tour for his On an Island album. It was in Gdansk Poland - in the shipyards made famous by Lech Walensa (sp?). The track selection was pretty good, had some stuff I was not expecting (Astronomy Domine, Echoes!), and I did enjoy hearing live version of his third solo album. So yeah, I enjoyed it. I'm not terribly sure it's for everyone though. This does have a unique feel in that there's an orchestra playing. Lots of bands do that now, but this seems to fit the music more than most bands who just go "Oh, here's an orchestra, too".
A bit of a note here. There were MANY different versions of the thing. I'm going to cheat, and steal the text straight from David Gilmour's site about all of the versions. I bought the 2 CD / 1 DVD version myself.
There's not a lot to say about this. Torchwood is a spinoff of the (modern) Doctor Who TV series. This is a soundtrack CD of music from the first two series. It was done by the same bloke who has done all the music for Doctor Who since it has returned in 2005 (Murray Gold). If you like Torchwood, you might like this. If you don't, it's not for you, don't bother.
Oh, this is not available in the United States domestically, my link here goes to the Amazon UK site.
This is something that hasn't happened in awhile. A new studio album from AC/DC. The last one was 2000's Stiff Upper Lip. But what has taken far longer is a really good, solid AC/DC album. Oh, there's been some close ones along the way (The Razor's Edge), but most AC/DC fans will tell you they haven't lived up to Back in Black since. Black Ice changes that.
Now don't get me wrong. I don't think AC/DC can ever write an album as good as Back in Black ever again. That is, and always will be the best album that bears the name AC/DC. But Black Ice is a bit of a different animal. After the last album and tour were over, you started hearing rumblings that the Young brothers wanted to do something different next time. They didn't want "just another AC/DC record". They achieved it!
It has some songs on there and some riffs I don't think I've ever heard AC/DC doing. Oh, it's AC/DC, it's not like they're going to start sounding like Black Sabbath. But this is not your garden vareity AC/DC album. It is pretty darn good - has a nice variety, sounds new, but still keeps the traditional AC/DC sound. That make any sense? The track "Big Jack" in particular sounds like it could go on Back in Black. There's some REALLY good stuff on this disc!
It is (in the US, anyway) an exclusive at Walmart. If you want it, you have to buy it from Walmart, it's not available anywhere else. There are also a couple of different covers. Red, yellow, blue, & silver. Only the blue one has any real difference. That is the "special edition". I have that one. It's not worth the extra $2. You get lyrics, and some photos (most of which came from the video shoot for Rock & Roll Train). It's the kind of stuff that should be in album liner notes to begin with, not something that is there as a $2 extra. That kind of annoyed me.
A cute story about this, though. I'm 43 now. I've been listening to AC/DC since I was 15. I have bought all the albums the day they came out. This was no different. In fact, in a throwback to my youth, I drove over to my local Wal-Mart at 11:45PM the night of release, and hung out in the music section until the guy brought out the boxes with Black Ice in them. I was the only dork in the store, and helped him look through the pile for the special edition. As a little bonus, Walmart had the special edition discounted to $11.99 instead of the $13.99 for the opening weekend (or night, I'm not sure), so I got the extra $2 stuff for "free" (the way it should have been).
Bottom line is if you like AC/DC, you should like this. If you stopped buying their albums some time ago, give this one a shot, it's one of their better discs.
First off, let me start off by saying I know this album isn't technically a "Queen" album. It's officially being billed as "Queen and Paul Rodgers". However, I'm filing it under Queen anyway. :)
Freddie Mercury is dead, and I think most everyone assumed that after 1995's "Made in Heaven", that was it for Queen studio material. Mercury was so iconic of a voice, there really was no way you can replace a voice like that. And for the longest time, it stayed that way, until around 2004 when Queen was inducted into the UK Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Things moved, and Roger Taylor & Brian May started working with Paul Rodgers. Queen bassist John Deacon had retired from music completely, and from what I can gather gave the project his blessing. So they went forward with the intent of making a new album eventually. That is what this is. The first new studio album in bloody well forever that bears the name Queen. Yeah, yeah, yeah - it's not "technically" a Queen album, bit realistically, it is.
I loved Queen, and kind of always wanted them to carry on, but had no idea who could pull it off. Rodgers sounds nothing like Mercury, and I suppose that's probably the way to go. You might be able to find someone who could (sort of) mimic Mercury, but I doubt they'd want to do that (although Journey has had success with some singers who mimic Steve Perry). I wasn't sure how this album would sound. I know there was a live album, but I never heard it. So I took a blind stab and bought this without hearing anything.
I rather enjoy it! It's definitely not that true "Queen" sound. I think that's partially because one of the unheralded things that made Queen "Queen" was John Deacon. Oh sure, they all played their parts, but with Deacon not here, there's something missing. However, there is enough of the Queen sound (May's guitar, the harmonizing) to make it sound somewhat like Queen. Of course, with the vocalist being Rodgers, it's going to sound like his work with Bad Company, and his own material. The blending works for me. I see this album being trashed online, but I think it's an easy target, and people aren't giving it a fair shake. Now that's not to say it's the best album I've ever heard. It's not. But it's a good listen, and I enjoy the tracks. Cosmos Rockin, Time to Shine, Warboys, We Believe, Voodoo, and C-Lebrity all stick out as good tracks. We Believe in particular feels like "Queen" to me.
If you were an old school Queen fan, I'm not sure if i can predict how you'll feel about this disc. There is good stuff here, and there is some filler. However, if you miss the guitar work of Brian May, check it out. You might enjoy it.]]>
Coming soon.