FAITH NO MORE
ANGEL DUST
1992-SLASH/REPRISE
Produced By MATT WALLACE & FAITH NO MORE
1. Land Of Sunshine
2. Caffeine
3. MidLife Crisis
4. RV
5. Smaller And Smaller
6. Everything's Ruined
7. Malpractice
8. Kindergarten
9. Be Aggressive
10. A Small Victory
11. Crack Hitler
12. Jizzlobber
13. Midnight Cowboy
Faith No More was formed in 1982, but it took them a long time to get their lineup straight. After going through numerous lead singers (including Courtney Love), they found Mike Patton, who took the band to a completely different level, particularly on the single "Epic" from The Real Thing. Angel Dust is the follow up to that album, the first on which Patton has a say in the songwriting...and it's great. Patton's vocals are frightening, Jim Martin's guitar is powerful, but it's the keyboard work of Roddy Bottum that really give this album its edge...at a time when keyboards were so not cool. Every song sounds like it's going to explode into shrapnel. Highly aggressive and yet very listenable stuff. "MidLife Crisis", "Land Of Sunshine" and "Everything's Ruined" are highlights. The album ends with a straightforward reading of the theme from "Midnigtht Cowboy".
Unfortunately, Martin left after this album, and Faith No More was never able to build on what they did on this album. It still sounds great today, though. Well worth having. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
QUEEN
LIVE KILLERS
1979-HOLLYWOOD
Produced By QUEEN
1. We Will Rock You
2. Let Me Entertain You
3. Death On Two Legs
4. Killer Queen
5. Bicycle Race
6. I'm In Love With My Car
7. Get Down, Make Love
8. You're My Best Friend
9. Now I'm Here
10. Dreamer's Ball
11. Love Of My Life
12. '39
13. Keep Yourself Alive
1. Don't Stop Me Now
2. Spread Your Wings
3. Brighton Rock
4. Bohemian Rhapsody
5. Tie Your Mother Down
6. Sheer Heart Attack
7. We Will Rock You
8. We Are The Champions
9. God Save The Queen
Live Killers was the first live album by Queen. Released after the Jazz album, it's a time for the band when they were about to go through a serious change...from the adventurous and risk taking music they had made throughout the 70's to a more conventional sound and the use of synthesizers. This 2 disc album plays like a greatest hits set, with everything you could have hoped for from Queen in 1979. The mix is bad, the sound is not great, but it does accomplish what a live album should. It makes you wish you were there.
Queen's live albums also showed the limitations of Freddie Mercury's voice, but he still gives it his all. Most of the songs stay close to the studio versions ("Brighton Rock" does not, as Brian May goes off for about 9 minutes). Overall, it's a good document of the band at their height putting on a pretty good show. You'd never know that they were about to release Flash Gordon.... _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
MOTLEY CRUE
DR. FEELGOOD
1989-ELEKTRA
Produced By BOB ROCK
1. T.n T. (Terror 'N Tinseltown)
2. Dr. Feelgood
3. Slice Of Your Pie
4. Rattlesnake Shake
5. Kickstart My Heart
6. Without You
7. Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)
8. Sticky Sweet
9. She Goes Down
10. Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
11. Time For Change
Ah, 80's hair glam bubblegum metal pop. Motley Crue's 5th album was a huge smash, with 4 top 30 singles and massive sales. This album had all of the Hollywood Glam prerequisites: apostrophe shortened song titles (Same Ol' Situation), umlauts, aquanet, songs about groupie sex ("She Goes Down"), a song that would be perfect for The Archies if you take out the guitars and bring the vocals down 1 octave ("Sticky Sweet"), and of course, the power ballad ("Without You"). The albums best song, "Kickstart My Heart" is a lyrically empty ode to dying and coming back to life, which Nikki Sixx did. The worst track, "Time For Change", is what USA for Africa would have sounded like with guitars.
The strangest thing for me about this album is that, despite not having a lot of harmony parts, there are 13 backup singers credited...including Steven Tyler, Robin Zander, Bryan Adams, Jack Blades, Rick Nielsen, and Sebastian Bach. So what was Vince Neil actually doing?
As good as most pop hair metal got. I guess. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
THIN LIZZY
DEDICATION: THE VERY BEST OF THIN LIZZY
1991-MERCURY
1. Whiskey In The Jar
2. The Rocker
3. She Knows
4. Still In Love With You
5. Showdown
6. Rosalie
7. Wild One
8. Fighting My Way Back
9. Jailbreak
10. The Boys Are Back In Town
11. Cowboy Song
12. Don't Believe A Word
13. Bad Reputation
14. Dancin' In The Moonlight (It's Caught Me In Its Spotlight)
15. Do Anything You Want To Do
16. Waiting For An Alibi
17. Chinatown
18. Dedication
Before his death at the age of 36, Phil Lynott said that he hoped that Thin Lizzy would be remembered for its guitars. Pretty generous for a band leader who played bass. Thin Lizzy was one of the more underrated, at least in America, bands of the 70's. Some of their albums were a bit thin on material, which is why this is such a great place to start with them. This compilation is well chosen, and thankfully leaves out material from their last 2 albums. There are a couple of ommissions that would have made this even better ("Hollywood", for instance), but it's a good chronological history of the band from 1973-80.
The title track was built around a demo that Lynott had recorded in 1981 and finished by the band members. They continue to tour as Thin Lizzy, presenting the show as a tribute to Lynott. Also, there is apparently a later release of this album with different track selections. This original version is better. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
THE GUESS WHO
GREATEST HITS
1999-RCA
Produced By JACK RICHARDSON
1. These Eyes
2. Laughing
3. Undun
4. No Time
5. American Woman
6. No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature
7. Hand Me Down World
8. Share The Land
9. Hang On To Your Life
10. Albert Flasher
11. Rain Dance
12. Sour Suite
13. Heartbroken Bopper
14. Guns, Guns, Guns
15. Follow Your Daughter Home
16. Star Baby
17. Clap For The Wolfman
18. Dancin' Fool
The Guess Who has now been at it for 50 years. Starting in 1960 as The Silvertones, they have gone through more than 40 lineup changes, and there is still a Guess Who touring today. But in 1969-70, they were maybe the best singles band on the planet, with 8 US top 20 hits in a row. Those 8 are the first 8 tracks here. After guitarist Randy Bachman left in 1970, the hits started to dry up, and Burton Cummings called the band quits (albeit temporarily) in 1975. This album covers the period from 1968-74.
After track 9, the selection gets really spotty. "Guns, Guns, Guns" is pretty good, and "Clap For The Wolfman" is worthwhile for how catchy and weird it is. The rest of the later tracks suffer from continuous personell changes and the loss of Bachman. A better choice is The Best Of The Guess Who, released in 1971, which sticks to the better earlier material, and includes the terrific "Bus Rider". (There are more Guess Who compilations than there are albums the band actually went into the studio to record themselves).
The band name came from a single they released in 1965, a cover of "Shakin' All Over". The band name was excluded from the packaging, with only "Guess Who?" on the cover. Speculation ran wild that it had been recorded in a basement in Liverpool by at least one Beatle and one Stone, and it sent the band over the top. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
1. Burning Tree
2. Wigs, Blues And High Heeled Shoes
3. Fly On
4. Mistreated Lover
5. Masquerade
6. Playing In The Wind
7. Last Laugh
8. Crush
9. Same Old Story
10. Baker's Song
11. Baby Blue
12. Turtle
The more I listen to this, the more I like it. Burning Tree’s debut (and only) album was released at the height of hair glam, which may be why it didn’t sell much. This album is more late 60’s rock than it is Motley Crue and Poison. The album became lost in the shuffle and they split before making another one. Guitarist Marc Ford shows his brilliance throughout, and the songs grow on you, particularly “Masquerade”, “Fly On”, and “Same Old Story”. Unfortunately, not a hit in the bunch, but it all sounds pretty good. A good, cohesive energy is here, and who knows what they could have done with another chance. The critics loved it…the public never heard it. There are some lyrical question marks…”She’s got a crush on one of us/But she don’t know which one it is” on “Crush” is just silly, and maybe I’m not cool, but I have no idea what “She makes me do the turtle” (from “Turtle”) means.
Ford joined the Black Crowes in 1992. The other members, Doni Gray and Mark Dutton, went on to play on side projects with members of Guns ‘N Roses. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
1. Hangover
2. Revolutionary Kind
3. Bring It On
4. Blue Moon Rising
5. Las Vegas Dealer
6. We Haven't Turned Around
7. Fill My Cup
8. Rhythm & Blues Alibi
9. Rosalita
10. California
11. Devil Will Ride
Will someone please tell me why America didn't love this? The 2nd album from Gomez was a hit just about everywhere in the world except for the US. It's loaded with great hooks, from "Hangover" and "Bring It On" to "Rhythm & Blues Alibi" and "Fill My Cup". I remember sitting in traffic on the 405 listening to this thinking, "Why?". Great songs, great vocals, and they make it sound easy. Gomez should be one of the biggest bands today, but they're not. Which, I guess is okay because it's still cool to like them. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE
LIVE RUST
1979-REPRISE
Produced By DAVID BRIGGS, TIM MULLIGAN & BERNARD SHAKEY (NEIL YOUNG)
1. Sugar Mountain
2. I Am A Child
3. Comes A Time
4. After The Gold Rush
5. My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue)
6. When You Dance I Can Really Love
7. The Loner
8. The Needle And The Damage Done
9. Lotta Love
10. Sedan Delivery
11. Powderfinger
12. Cortez The Killer
13. Cinnamon Girl
14. Like A Hurricane
15. Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)
16. Tonight's The Night
Released 5 months after Rust Never Sleeps, an almost live album with studio overdubs and removed crowd noise, Young released the fully live Live Rust. Starting off with Young playing solo, he is joined by Carzy Horse and turns in a rocking performance. The song selection is key, and it's mostly great here (although "Lotta Love" sounds out of place). From "Sedan Delivery" on, it's all rock. "Powderfinger" (maybe Neil's best song) is awesome as always, and following that with "Cortez The Killer", Cinnamon Girl", and "Like A Hurricane"...how could you not enjoy this album? Even asking for the crowds help to stop a rainstorm at the end of "The Loner" is priceless.
There is a concert film of this somewhere, directed by Young under the name Bernard Shakey. Also of note...the guitar solo on "Cortez The Killer" was cut short because of time limitations for CD. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
UB40
GEFFERY MORGAN
1984-VIRGIN
Produced by UB40 & HOWARD GRAY
1. Riddle Me
2. As Always You Were Wrong Again
3. If It Happens Again
4. D.U.B.
5. The Pillow
6. Nkomo A Go Go
7. Seasons
8. You're Not An Army
9. I'm Not Fooled So Easily
10. Your Eyes Were Open
I get the feeling that we don't have a lot of UB40 fans here. UB40 has been a torchbearer for British reggae since 1980, and still going strong. They're not horrible, and they're passionate about what they do and what they believe in. They can be very good, or they can be, like on this album, just okay.
Geffery Morgan, apparently, came from a bit of graffiti that says "Geffery Morgan Loves White Girls". A strange concept for an album. If you like them, this follow up to their massive hit Labour Of Love will be just okay. If you don't...it's still just okay. Nothing special here. They have better albums out there than this. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
BORN IN THE U.S.A.
1984-COLUMBIA
Produced By BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, JON LANDAU, CHUCK PLOTKIN & STEVE VAN ZANDT
1. Born In The U.S.A.
2. Cover Me
3. Darlington County
4. Working On The Highway
5. Downbound Train
6. I'm On Fire
7. No Surrender
8. Bobby Jean
9. I'm Going Down
10. Glory Days
11. Dancing In The Dark
12. My Hometown
The biggest seling and most successful of Springsteens albums is also my least favorite. Not that it's bad...it's not. Maybe it's because before this album's 15x Platinum, Grammy winning, 7 top ten singles, Courteney Cox and MTV oversaturation of The Boss, being a fan of Bruce was something special...kind of like a really cool secret that no one else knew about. There seem to be 2 views of Bruce. If you were a fan of his first 6 albums, you were a fan for life. If you discovered him on Born In The U.S.A., you just didn't seem to get it.
As much as the album was obviously designed to make Springsteen a huge pop success, the album also contains some brilliant songs. Lyrically, the songs are powerful and visionary in the way only Bruce can do it. And there are hooks everywhere you turn. The synthesizers sounded bad in '84, and they still do. It sounds and feels like a sellout, but it's not.
I still wish it wasn't Springsteen who had made it. It is a great album. But I'll still take almost any of his other work over this. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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