SYSTEM OF A DOWN
TOXICITY
2001 – COLUMBIA
Produced By RICK RUBIN, DARON MAKLAKIAN & SERJ TANKIAN
1. Prison Song
2. Needles
3. Deer Dance
4. Jet Pilot
5. X
6. Chop Suey!
7. Bounce
8. Forest
9. Atwa
10. Science
11. Shimmy
12. Toxicity
13. Psycho
14. Aerials
You don’t usually think that a group of Armenian-Americans would form a metal band, but here you go. Toxicity is their second album, and was, at the time, proclaimed to be the future and new voice of metal. This is good stuff, and this is a very good band, but all the talk about this band ascending to the throne of metal was a bit premature. System Of A Down possesses great energy, chops, and a non-metal tradition of incorporating Eastern sounds and different instrumentation into their music, which makes them somewhat unique. It also helps that their singer, Serj Tankian, has a unique delivery and a powerhouse voice. This band can be very good, but they also have moments where they get a little too much on the tedious side (“I don’t need an alibi. I don’t need an alibi. I don’t need…”) We get it! But this is metal, so all of the manic energy is, I guess, a good thing.
Toxicity was released a week before 9/11, and is still considered one of the best metal albums of that year. Indeed…”Chop Suey!”, “Aerials”, and “Toxicity” are great songs. Tankian’s vocals are everywhere…it’s sometimes tough to get anything instrumental going, but his voice is, again, a major strength of the band. They are monstrously heavy, and surprisingly tuneful. The middle Eastern influence is what really gives this album a shot in the arm…it’s not overwhelming, but it pops in and out, sometimes just in time to save a track from becoming dull. Toxicity is the band’s best work, along with their self titled debut. After the next release, Steal This Album, they released two albums at once in 2005, the went on a four year hiatus. They came back in 2010, but there has been no new material in what is now over a decade. Too bad…they have always seemed really close to busting out a real classic.
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COLDPLAY
X&Y
2005 – CAPITOL
Produced By DANTON SUPPLE, COLDPLAY & KEN NELSON
1. Square One
2. What If
3. White Shadows
4. Fix You
5. Talk
6. X&Y
7. Speed Of Sound
8. A Message
9. Low
10. The Hardest Part
11. Swallowed In The Sea
12. Twisted Logic
13. Til Kingdom Come
If you were to guess that the top selling album worldwide from 2005 was X&Y by Coldplay, you would be correct. This is, thankfully, not the same Coldplay that found itself meandering around the stage at the Super Bowl with Beyonce and Bruno Mars a decade later. This was the Coldplay that was busy downplaying the “new Radiohead” tag, and that was coming off their excellent second album, A Rush Of Blood To The Head. The pressure was on, but Coldplay was certainly up to the challenge. Welcoming the break from constant touring, the band settled into the studio and created a beautiful album. The critics may have seen it as a letdown after their previous release, but the little girls understand…X&Y is a thing of beauty. That it was as popular as it was is just icing on the cake.
“Speed Of Sound” was a successful hit, and there are several exceptional songs here. “White Shadows”, “Fix You”, “What If” and “Talk” are all great, as is “The Hardest Part”. The atmosphere is airy and expansive, with the band really stretching out with a beautiful and more electronic sound. The real star, as always with Coldplay, is singer Chris Martin, who’s dreamy, sometimes falsetto, voice carries each song it touches to a new level. This is a point in Coldplay’s career when they were really on top of it all. The band would begin moving towards a more outwardly pop sound on their next album, seemingly shooting for hits instead of letting them come naturally, but the early albums by this band, particularly A Rush Of Blood and X&Y, is where you’re going to find the real root of what they are capable of.
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COLDPLAY
X&Y
2005 – CAPITOL
Produced By DANTON SUPPLE, COLDPLAY & KEN NELSON
1. Square One
2. What If
3. White Shadows
4. Fix You
5. Talk
6. X&Y
7. Speed Of Sound
8. A Message
9. Low
10. The Hardest Part
11. Swallowed In The Sea
12. Twisted Logic
13. Til Kingdom Come
If you were to guess that the top selling album worldwide from 2005 was X&Y by Coldplay, you would be correct. This is, thankfully, not the same Coldplay that found itself meandering around the stage at the Super Bowl with Beyonce and Bruno Mars a decade later. This was the Coldplay that was busy downplaying the “new Radiohead” tag, and that was coming off their excellent second album, A Rush Of Blood To The Head. The pressure was on, but Coldplay was certainly up to the challenge. Welcoming the break from constant touring, the band settled into the studio and created a beautiful album. The critics may have seen it as a letdown after their previous release, but the little girls understand…X&Y is a thing of beauty. That it was as popular as it was is just icing on the cake.
“Speed Of Sound” was a successful hit, and there are several exceptional songs here. “White Shadows”, “Fix You”, “What If” and “Talk” are all great, as is “The Hardest Part”. The atmosphere is airy and expansive, with the band really stretching out with a beautiful and more electronic sound. The real star, as always with Coldplay, is singer Chris Martin, who’s dreamy, sometimes falsetto, voice carries each song it touches to a new level. This is a point in Coldplay’s career when they were really on top of it all. The band would begin moving towards a more outwardly pop sound on their next album, seemingly shooting for hits instead of letting them come naturally, but the early albums by this band, particularly A Rush Of Blood and X&Y, is where you’re going to find the real root of what they are capable of.
I can only agree with you. This is my best album of that otherwise not very eventful year in music. I still think that Fix You is a gem of a song and the general quality of the album is top notch; here they still were able to marry a perfect pop sensibility with excellent songs without selling out; the fact that it would go gradually downhill after that doesn’t change that.
COLDPLAY
X&Y
2005 – CAPITOL
Produced By DANTON SUPPLE, COLDPLAY & KEN NELSON
1. Square One
2. What If
3. White Shadows
4. Fix You
5. Talk
6. X&Y
7. Speed Of Sound
8. A Message
9. Low
10. The Hardest Part
11. Swallowed In The Sea
12. Twisted Logic
13. Til Kingdom Come
If you were to guess that the top selling album worldwide from 2005 was X&Y by Coldplay, you would be correct. This is, thankfully, not the same Coldplay that found itself meandering around the stage at the Super Bowl with Beyonce and Bruno Mars a decade later. This was the Coldplay that was busy downplaying the “new Radiohead” tag, and that was coming off their excellent second album, A Rush Of Blood To The Head. The pressure was on, but Coldplay was certainly up to the challenge. Welcoming the break from constant touring, the band settled into the studio and created a beautiful album. The critics may have seen it as a letdown after their previous release, but the little girls understand…X&Y is a thing of beauty. That it was as popular as it was is just icing on the cake.
“Speed Of Sound” was a successful hit, and there are several exceptional songs here. “White Shadows”, “Fix You”, “What If” and “Talk” are all great, as is “The Hardest Part”. The atmosphere is airy and expansive, with the band really stretching out with a beautiful and more electronic sound. The real star, as always with Coldplay, is singer Chris Martin, who’s dreamy, sometimes falsetto, voice carries each song it touches to a new level. This is a point in Coldplay’s career when they were really on top of it all. The band would begin moving towards a more outwardly pop sound on their next album, seemingly shooting for hits instead of letting them come naturally, but the early albums by this band, particularly A Rush Of Blood and X&Y, is where you’re going to find the real root of what they are capable of.
I can only agree with you. This is my best album of that otherwise not very eventful year in music. I still think that Fix You is a gem of a song and the general quality of the album is top notch; here they still were able to marry a perfect pop sensibility with excellent songs without selling out; the fact that it would go gradually downhill after that doesn’t change that.
Yeah. This was the peak for Coldplay. Not sure why things started to go wayward with them, but it did. They were sure great while it lasted... _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
THE IKE REILLY ASSASSINATION
WE BELONG TO THE STAGGERING EVENING
2007 – ROCK RIDGE
Produced By IKE REILLY & ED TINLEY
1. 8 More Days Till The 4th Of July
2. When Irish Eyes Are Burning
3. Valentine’s Day In Juarez
4. Fish Plant Uprising
5. I Hear The Train
6. Broken Parakeet Blues
7. It’s Hard To Make Love To An American
8. Let’s Get Friendly
9. You’re So Plain
10. Charcoal Days And Sterling Nights
11. Bugsy Salcido Has Fled The Desert
12. The Nighttime Is A Liar
Tom Morello understands. Ike Reilly is like Bruce Springsteen if he were in The Replacements. Chicago’s best kept secret is making noise outside of his hometown, and I, for one, could not be happier. And more people should really take notice. Reilly is a monster of a songwriter, and one hell of a performer. Over the last 15 years, he’s made some of the most exciting and excellent albums you have likely never heard. 2007’s We Belong To The Staggering Evening is his fifth album (counting a rare one he made in the 90’s), and his third and final album with the Ike Reilly Assassination. It’s loaded with smart and exceptional songs, showcasing his ability to rock out alongside a more acoustic side. Are the songs interesting? Reilly’s song titles don’t lie…this is one of our greatest storytelling machines. He’s really that good, and if there was musical justice in the world, everyone would know it.
It doesn’t get any better than Reilly’s ode to rice and beans and suicide girls, “Valentine’s Day In Juarez”, which features dazzling lyrics and a singalong chorus for the ages. But that’s not the end of it…that’s the tip of the iceberg. Reilly gleefully and maniacally burns his way through story after story, leaving you always satisfied and always wanting more…now THAT’S the mark of a true songwriter. “Broken Parakeet Blues”, “You’re So Plain”, “When Irish Eyes Are Burning”, and all of the rest make this a true lost classic. His latest efforts, Born On Fire (the first album released on Morello’s new label), Crooked Love and Because The Angels, show that Reilly hasn’t lost a step yet. You should really check out his entire catalog…Ike Reilly is one of those rare songwriters who really pulls you in and makes the songs themselves great performances. This is just great stuff.
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MUMFORD & SONS
SIGH NO MORE
2009 – ISLAND
Produced By MARKUS DRAVS
1. Sigh No More
2. The Cave
3. Winter Winds
4. Roll Away Your Stone
5. White Blank Page
6. I Gave You All
7. Little Lion Man
8. Timshel
9. Thistle & Weeds
10. Awake My Soul
11. Dust Bowl Dance
12. After The Storm
Every once in a while, a band comes along that seems to be absolutely hated by a large number of people for no real existing reason. One of the biggest examples of this is Mumford & Sons, a rock band from the UK that has somehow become hated for being a bad country music imitation. Ridiculous, says I! There is nothing about what this band does that is in any way disrespectful towards country. On the contrary…they have embraced the instrumentation of country (banjos, mandolins, etc.), and the mindset of good country, but the music they make is their own brand of what is basically indie folk rock. Don’t dismiss this band without giving them a chance…the claims you may have heard that they suck are greatly exaggerated…and very simply, just plain old wrong.
Sigh No More is their debut album, and it’s a winner. There are surely influences of American roots music here…there’s a definite cross between the folk of Dylan and the roots side of bands like Old Crow Medicine Show. And there are some quality songs here. “Little Lion Man”, “Roll Away Your Stone”, “The Cave” and “Winter Winds” are all worthy singles, and are truly highlights. People have been so busy hating this band for years that they have missed out on what a whole lot of people do know…that these guys are smart, rightly influenced, and know their way around a tune as well as anyone. This is a band that shouldn’t be dismissed…they should be embraced. Dig their sound. They are a breath of fresh air…and if you think that these guys are somehow killing country music, then you haven’t listened to what’s been coming out of mainstream Nashville for the past decade or so.
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BOB DYLAN
THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 7: NO DIRECTION HOME: THE SOUNDTRACK
2005 – COLUMBIA
Produced By STEVE BERKOWITZ, BRUCE DICKINSON, JEFF ROSEN & MARTIN SCORSESE
1. When I Got Troubles
2. Rambler, Gambler (Home Recording)
3. This Land Is Your Land (Live)
4. Song To Woody
5. Dink’s Song (Minnesota Hotel Tape)
6. I Was Young When I Left Home (Minnesota Hotel Tape)
7. Sally Gal
8. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright (Demo)
9. Man Of Constant Sorrow
10. Blowin’ In The Wind (Live)
11. Masters Of War (Live)
12. A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall (Live)
13. When The Ship Comes In (Live)
14. Mr. Tambourine Man (Outtake)
15. Chimes Of Freedom (Live)
16. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Alternate Take)
1. She Belongs To Me (Alternate Take)
2. Maggie’s Farm (Live)
3. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry (Alternate Take)
4. Tombstone Blues (Alternate Take)
5. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (Alternate Take)
6. Desolation Row (Alternate Take)
7. Highway 61 Revisited (Alternate Take)
8. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (Alternate Take)
9. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again (Alternate Take)
10. Visions Of Johanna (Alternate Take)
11. Ballad Of A Thin Man (Live)
12. Like A Rolling Stone (Live)
Just wow. In 2005, Martin Scorsese put out a PBS documentary about Dylan called No Direction Home. This is the soundtrack to that film, and it also serves as volume 7 of The Bootleg Series. And it is absolutely amazing. It contains early recordings…some made even before Dylan had left Minnesota for New York. It contains perfectly performed live versions of songs you wish you could hear him perform live, and while I am not a fan of outtakes and studio trash, the alternate versions here are of songs so exceptional that they would have made great releases in themselves. This set covers Dylan from 1959 through 1966, and there is not a moment here that is not simply breathtaking. Why is Bob Dylan so big? This is why.
Not only is the music unbelievably good, the packaging makes it even more worthwhile. Not only do you get alternative album covers of Bringing It All Back Home, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, and Blonde On Blonde, you also get an amazing booklet with full track information, great photos, and perfectly written liner notes that will keep you entertained on their own. And getting to hear the Dylan greats in a different light…”Highway 61 Revisited”, “Tombstone Blues”, “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues”…is worth it all. If you ever had any doubts about the greatness of the man, one trip through No Direction Home will cure you of all doubts. Pure greatness.
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MEN AT WORK
CARGO
1983 – COLUMBIA
Produced By PETER McIAN
1. Dr. Heckyl And Mr. Jive
2. Overkill
3. Settle Down My Boy
4. Upstairs In My House
5. No Sign Of Yesterday
6. It’s A Mistake
7. High Wire
8. Blue For You
9. I Like To
10. No Restrictions
11. Shintaro
12. Till The Money Runs Out
13. Upstairs In My House
14. Fallin’ Down
15. The Longest Night
In the early 80’s, Australia’s Men At Work appeared ready to take over the world. Their debut album, Business As Usual, was a huge success, as was their second effort, 1983’s Cargo. This was no one hit wonder…this was a band that had something really special, and while they were inconsistent, when they were on…they were great. So, what the hell happened? The band began fighting during preparations for their third album, and by the time it was done, Men At Work was down from a five piece unit to a duo with a bunch of studio musicians. The album itself, Two Hearts, was nothing like what the band had been, and it marked the end of Men At Work by 1986.
Cargo, while not as strong as the debut (Business As Usual), has moments that are incredibly great, even beyond the overall quality of the album. “Overkill” is simply one of the greatest singles of the 80’s, and had they been able to build on it, who knows what heights might have awaited them. “It’s A Mistake” is also top quality, but the real gem on Cargo is the stunning and mature “No Sign Of Yesterday”, featuring strong writing and some fine guitar work by Ron Strykert and Colin Hay. Much of the rest is below average filler, and we’ll never know if this was something they could have outgrown on later albums. As it stands, the first two Men At Work albums are not great, but loaded with potential, and a few songs that survive as some of the best tracks of the 80’s.
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DINOSAUR JR.
YOU’RE LIVING ALL OVER ME
1987 – SST
Produced By WHARTON TIERS
1. Little Fury Things
2. Kracked
3. Sludgefeast
4. The Lung
5. Raisans
6. Tarpit
7. In A Jar
8. Lose
9. Poledo
10. Just Like Heaven
For the most part. Dinosaur Jr. is guitarist and vocalist J Mascis. And I’ll tell you right now that if it’s great vocals you are looking for, then this is not the band for you. But musically, Dinosaur Jr. has been highly influencial, and they are seen as forefathers of grunge. What Mascis lacks in the singing department, he more than makes up for in the creative use of his guitar...but that does not necessarily mean that there are memorable songs to go along with it. You’re Living All Over Me is their second album, and is generally viewed as the weakest link in the Dinosaur Jr. discography for that very reason…there is simply not enough in the song department to hold this together.
There are a couple of highlights here. “Little Fury Things” and “In A Jar” are worthwhile, but they can also be found on compilations with better quality. And for the most part, it’s worth hearing Mascis play. But most of these tracks don’t do the band justice…and the last three tracks are simply garbage. Sung by bassist Lou Barlow, “Lose” is just not very good, and “Poledo” sounds like an outtake that should have stayed that way. The final track is a bonus track of the band performing The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”, and it’s pure garbage, even ending abruptly in mid song. If you want good stuff by this band, stick with Bug or Green Mind. Not this one.
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BONNIE RAITT
THE BONNIE RAITT COLLECTION
1990 – WARNER BROTHERS
Produced By WILLIE MURPHY, MICHAEL CUSCANA, JOHN HALL, JOHN PRINE, DAN EINSTEIN, JIM ROONEY, JERRY RAGOVOY, PAUL A ROTHCHILD, PETER ASHER, ROB FRABONI, BILL PAYNE & GEORGE MASSENBURG
1. Finest Lovin’ Man
2. Give It Up Or Let Me Go
3. Women Be Wise
4. Under The Falling Sky
5. Love me Like A Man
6. Love Has No Pride
7. I Feel The Same
8. Guilty
9. Angel From Montgomery
10. What Is Success
11. My First Night Alone Without You
12. Sugar Mama
13. Louise
14. About To Make Me Leave Home
15. Runaway
16. The Glow
17. (Goin’) Wild For You Baby
18. Willya Wontcha
19. True Love Is Hard To Find
20. No Way To Treat A Lady
After spending her entire career, which included 15 years and 9 studio albums, toiling as an almost ran with Warner Brothers, Bonnie Raitt signed with Capitol, worked with producer Don Was, and released the career breakthrough Nick Of Time, which finally made her a superstar. To cash in on some of that sudden magic, Warner Brothers released The Bonnie Raitt Collection, which only added to the sudden surge in her career. Throughout her years at Warners, Raitt had always been a work in progress, and progress is what you hear on this album. These are the best moments from her long stint at the label, and you can hear how she had improved over the years. This is a fine collection, with very few missteps.
The only tracks not from her studio albums are the previously unreleased live duet with Sippie Wallace, “Women Be Wise”, and her now legendary live take with John Prine on “Angel From Montgomery”. Her biggest pre-Nick Of Time hit, “Runanawy”, is here, along with the beautiful “Louise”, “Love Has No Pride”, and Jackson Browne’s “Under The Falling Sky”. You can hear how close she was to getting it all right by the time of “True Love Is Hard To Find” and “No Way To Treat A Lady”. Her albums from this period tended to be uneven, so this is a great way to experience Raitt’s early years. A fine set of liner notes is included as well. Important, and a must have if you’re a fan of Bonnie Raitt. You can never say she didn’t work her ass off to get where she finally ended up.
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