BUCKCHERRY
1999 – DREAMWORKS
Produced By TERRY DATE & STEVE JONES
1. Lit Up
2. Crushed
3. Dead Again
4. Check Your Head
5. Dirty Mind
6. For The Movies
7. Lawless And Lulu
8. Related
9. Borderline
10. Get Back
11. Baby
12. Drink The Water
False start? That’s kind of what Buckcherry, a hard rock band from California, did in the 90’s. This, their debut album, landed the band on the charts with a handful of catchy heavy singles, and the future looked bright. The follow up, 2001’s Time Bomb, was just that…a bomb, and Buckcherry hung it up. Temporarily. They came back a few years later and found some success, and even though singer Josh Todd is the only remaining original member, Buckcherry still soldiers on. Back to the beginning…the band was originally a collaboration between Todd and guitarist Kevin Nelson. Even then, the revolving door of members was already in motion…which makes it hard for a band to hold their footing.
“Lit Up” is the best track here. “Check Your Head”, “For The Movies” and “Dead Again” are also fine tracks, but after that, there is a drop. Other than these four songs, you may find yourself drifting away while listening. Because Buckcherry didn’t have a whole lot of ideas, things get to sound the same track after track. Especially Todd, whose voice doesn’t do a whole lot except for a whole lot and more of the same (ask Slash about that…Todd was once on tap to be the lead singer for Velvet Revolver until Slash pulled the plug because he didn’t like Todd’s voice). And unfortunately, with the long line of musicians leaving because of “artistic differences”, they never got better than this. Average late nineties hard rock at best.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
INDIGO GIRLS
RITES OF PASSAGE
1992 – EPIC
Produced By PETER COLLINS
1. Three Hits
2. Galileo
3. Ghost
4. Joking
5. Jonas And Ezekial
6. Love Will Come To You
7. Romeo And Juliet
8. Virginia Woolf
9. Chickenman
10. Airplane
11. Nashville
12. Let It Be Me
13. Cedar Tree
Following the somewhat cool response to Nomads Indians Saints, the follow up to the breakthrough self titled album by Indigo Girls, the duo was in need of some added color to their sometimes downer songs. Producer Peter Collins gave them that on 1992’s Rites Of Passage, on which the Girls’ excellent songwriting was augmented a bit more by a rhythm section. Sales for the album were better as well, thanks to the exceptional hit “Galileo”. The quality of their songwriting was never in question…both Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have always been great at crafting songs, and the vocals on everything they have ever done are unquestionably excellent. But…will the Indigo Girls album you’re listening to put you to sleep?
Well…Rites Of Passage addresses that, and while it doesn’t put that question to rest, it does contain enough really fine moments to make it one of the duo’s better albums. Salier’s “Galileo” is one of their better songs (with additional vocals by Jackson Browne and David Crosby), and “Ghost” is also excellent. Also of note is a surprisingly well done cover of the Dire Straits classic “Romeo And Juliet”, which features more attention to the vocal over the guitar than the original. Overall, for the Girls, this stands as one of their bright spots, but it doesn’t quite reach the hard to beat standard set by their breakthrough from 1989. Like any of their records, these voices are always worth a listen or two.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
DELBERT MCCLINTON
NOTHING PERSONAL
2001 – NEW WEST
Produced By DELBERT MCCLINTON & GARY NICHOLSON
1. Livin’ It Down
2. Gotta Get It Worked On
3. When Rita Leaves
4. Squeeze me In
5. Birmingham Tonight
6. Baggage Claim
7. All Night Long
8. Don’t Leave Home Without It
9. Desperation
10. Nothin’ Lasts Forever
11. Read Me My Rights
12. All There Is Of Me
13. Watchin’ The Rain
Gotta say this about Delbert McClinton…this boy never gives up. He’s been putting out blues albums with just enough country twang since the early seventies, and now in his eighties, he still might not be done yet. Twenty years ago, he dropped his twentieth studio album, Nothing Personal…which is a pretty big thing, considering that McClinton’s star power has never been much above cult status. At the age of sixty, it became the first of five records to top the American blues charts. Not bad for a guy who’s biggest hit was in 1980 (“Giving It Up For Your Love”)…and really, not a complete surprise. This guy has fans who come out of the woodwork at the very mention of his name. Can’t down the man for that.
Most of Nothing Personal feels like typical late period full band blues. Quality playing, minimally entertaining. Except that Delbert had, by this time, acquired enough grit in his voice to be an authentic enough blues singer to make it work. Not everything here is a winner, by any means…but Delbert has enough real blues in him to not sound vocally stale like others in his craft can, like say, Clapton. The arrangements here are good, but not great. What makes Nothing Personal work is McClinton’s singing. His voice is perfect for the material, and he rises above some fairly muddy tracks. “Gotta Get It Worked On” is a fine example of that. In all, a better than average (but not great) blues album by a guy who’s been at it long enough to make it work.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
QUEEN
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
1975 – ELEKTRA
Produced By ROY THOMAS BAKER & QUEEN
1. Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To…)
2. Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon
3. I’m In Love With My Car
4. You’re My Best Friend
5. ‘39
6. Sweet Lady
7. Seaside Rendezvous
8. The Prophet’s Song
9. Love Of My Life
10. Good Company
11. Bohemian Rhapsody
12. God Save The Queen
13. I’m In Love With My Car (1991 Bonus Remix)
14. You’re My Best Friend (1991 Bonus Remix)
Stunningly adventurous and eclectic, unique in every way, a production dream, and more layers of Freddie Mercury vocals than one could ever dream of. A Night At The Opera is one of the greatest (and somehow underrated) albums ever made. Yes, it was a huge hit…it is home to “You’re My Best Friend” and the always amazing “Bohemian Rhapsody”. But it’s also been panned by many as being overblown, pompous and just plain over the top. But that’s what was so great about this period of music…rock bands were stepping outside the box. And from the mid to late 1970’s, no one took bigger and better steps than Queen did. Especially on this album…and they proudly did it without any synthesizers. At all.
These Songs are amazing, as are the arrangements. “Death On Two Legs” may be the greatest screw you song of all time, and drips with anger. Roger Taylor’s “I’m In Love With My Car” and Freddie’s “Sweet Lady” rock as hard as anything they ever did. Brian May is at his most creative and tuneful with “’39”, “Good Company” and the massive “The Prophet’s Song”. Not to mention the live favorite “Love Of My Life”…and of course “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Entering the eighties, Queen became much more traditional and safe, and lost much of their American audience in the process. But in the 70’s, especially on A Night At The Opera, this was maybe the most exciting and unpredictable band on earth. This album IS underrated…one of the best of all time.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
QUEEN
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
1975 – ELEKTRA
Produced By ROY THOMAS BAKER & QUEEN
1. Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To…)
2. Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon
3. I’m In Love With My Car
4. You’re My Best Friend
5. ‘39
6. Sweet Lady
7. Seaside Rendezvous
8. The Prophet’s Song
9. Love Of My Life
10. Good Company
11. Bohemian Rhapsody
12. God Save The Queen
13. I’m In Love With My Car (1991 Bonus Remix)
14. You’re My Best Friend (1991 Bonus Remix)
Stunningly adventurous and eclectic, unique in every way, a production dream, and more layers of Freddie Mercury vocals than one could ever dream of. A Night At The Opera is one of the greatest (and somehow underrated) albums ever made. Yes, it was a huge hit…it is home to “You’re My Best Friend” and the always amazing “Bohemian Rhapsody”. But it’s also been panned by many as being overblown, pompous and just plain over the top. But that’s what was so great about this period of music…rock bands were stepping outside the box. And from the mid to late 1970’s, no one took bigger and better steps than Queen did. Especially on this album…and they proudly did it without any synthesizers. At all.
These Songs are amazing, as are the arrangements. “Death On Two Legs” may be the greatest screw you song of all time, and drips with anger. Roger Taylor’s “I’m In Love With My Car” and Freddie’s “Sweet Lady” rock as hard as anything they ever did. Brian May is at his most creative and tuneful with “’39”, “Good Company” and the massive “The Prophet’s Song”. Not to mention the live favorite “Love Of My Life”…and of course “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Entering the eighties, Queen became much more traditional and safe, and lost much of their American audience in the process. But in the 70’s, especially on A Night At The Opera, this was maybe the most exciting and unpredictable band on earth. This album IS underrated…one of the best of all time.
Yeah, this thing is all over the map.... and in a good way.
Among all those eclecitc cuts is my favorite Queen song. Not Bohemian Rhapsody. Not You're My Best Friend...... but rather the entrancing '39! Hooray for eclecticism in music.
YEASAYER
ALL HOUR CYMBALS
2007 – WE ARE FREE
Produced By YEASAYER
1. Sunrise
2. Wait For The Summer
3. 2080
4. Germs
5. Ah, Weir
6. No Need To Worry
7. Forgiveness
8. Wait For The Wintertime
9. Worms
10. Waves
11. Red Cave
Not nearly as famous as they should have been. That’s probably the best way to describe the career of this band from Brooklyn. Yeasayer’s three main members, Chris Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton and Anand Wilder, began the group in high school…the same one attended by the band Animal Collective. Their live performances are the stuff of legend, and they were never afraid to use layers of vocal harmonies. All Hour Cymbals is their debut album, and it’s filled with beautiful experiments, psychedelic atmospheres and sounds from all over the world. And of course…lots of vocals. The result is an album that, while it lacked hits, is a pretty wonderful surprise.
Yeasayer described their sound as “Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel”. If that sounds interesting to you, then this is the album for you. “2080” and “Sunrise” are the highlights here, with “No Need To Worry” and “Wait For The Summer” not far behind. And if you like All Hour Cymbals, their next album, 2010’s Odd Blood, is even better.
Yeasayer was maybe never meant to be a big thing, but they did give it a go. After five albums, the band split in 2019, leaving behind a legacy of most interesting music. Any of their five records are worth checking out, but the first two really do stand out. Outside of the normal box for a rock band, Yeasayer is highly recommended.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
FC KAHUNA
MACHINE SAYS YES
2002 – CITY ROCKERS
Produced By FC KAHUNA
1. Hayling
2. Glitterball
3. Nothing Is Wrong
4. Bleep Freak
5. Machine Says Yes
6. North Pole Transmission
7. Mindset To Cycle
8. Micro cuts
9. Growler
10. Fear Of Guitars
FC Kahuna is a British electronic duo (Jon Nowell & Daniel Ormodroyd) that released one actual studio album…2002’s Machine Says Yes. It’s good…but there’s not much to push it beyond that. It sounds calculated and doesn’t have much soul to it, which is why after about the first three tracks, it starts to sound the same and your interest may begin to drift away. But because the album does adhere to the formula of what makes electronic hits, it did fairly well. Five tracks were released as singles, and the album sold well, particularly in their native UK. It’s slick, and it sounds really good…but the problem is that the songs lack any real excellence.
The best tracks here are “Hayling” and “Machine Says Yes”. Coincidently, these two songs feature vocals by Icelandic singer Hafdis Huld, who gives FC Kahuna a new layer and a different sound, which makes these songs rise above everything else here. This album has been highly praised by many…but beyond the two tracks that Huld sings on, there isn’t much that rises above merely average here. “North Pole Transmission” and “Fear Of Guitars”, which also feature guest vocals, are better than the rest, which are nothing much more than typical electronica instrumental fare, which serves as nothing much more than background music. Still…this isn’t bad by any means. Just be prepared to skip a few tracks…
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS
1993 – JIVE
Produced By A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, SKEFF ANSELM & LARGE PROFESSOR
1. Midnight Marauders Tour Guide
2. Steve Biko (Stir It Up)
3. Award Tour (feat. Trugoy The Dove)
4. 8 Million Stories
5. Sucka Nigga
6. Midnight (feat. Raphael Wiggins)
7. We Can Get Down
8. Electric Relaxation
9. Clap Your Hands
10. Oh My God (feat. Busta Rhymes)
11. Keep It Rollin’ (Feat. Large Professor)
12. The Chase, Part II
13. Lyrics To Go
14. God Lives Through
At a time when not a lot of hip hop careers were lasting much beyond a debut album, A Tribe Called Quest was still going strong at release number three. Midnight Marauders is their first top ten album, and shows definite improvements over their first two records. The sound, utilizing some of the coolest sampling in hip hop, builds on their jazz and R&B influences, but with more density and a heavier bass and drum sound. And lyrically, A Tribe Called Quest was never better than on this one. Clearly, the group…Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammed and Jarobi White…were at the very top of their game.
Midnight Marauders features some of the group’s best tracks. “Award Tour”, “Electric Relaxation” and “Oh My God” (which features Busta Rhymes) are excellent, and make this worthwhile alone. But the rest of this is great as well…A Tribe Called Quest were funkier, groovier and cooler than the rest, and it shows here in all phases. They made 2 more successful albums in the nineties, then split up. There have been a pair of reunions, but they never recaptured that early magic. The best records to have from this group are the first three…they do not disappoint in any way. One of the genre’s greatest groups at their very best right here.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
OUTKAST
IDLEWILD
2006 – LAFACE / JIVE
Produced By ANDRE 30090, BIG BOI, CHUCK LIGHTNING, JANELLE MONAE, JEMINESSE SMITH, KEVIN KENDRICKS, NATE “ROCKET” WONDER, MR. DJ, ORGANIZED NOIZE & WHILD PEACH
1. Intro
2. Mighty ‘O
3. Peaches (Feat. Sleepy Brown & Scar)
4. Idlewild Blue (Don’tchu Worry ‘Bout Me)
5. Infatuation (Interlude)
6. N2U (Feat. Khujo)
7. Morris Brown (Feat. Scar & Sleepy Brown)
8. Chronomentrophobia
9. The Train (Feat. Sleepy Brown & Scar)
10. Life Is Like A Musical
11. No Bootleg DVD’s (Interlude)
12. Hollywood Divorce (Feat. Lil Wayne & Snoop Dogg)
13. Zora (Interlude)
14. Call The Law (Feat. Janelle Monae)
15. Bamboo & Cross (Interlude)
16. Buggface
17. Makes No Sense At All
18. In Your Dreams (Feat/ Killer Mike & Janelle Monae)
19. PJ & Rooster
20. Mutron Angel (Feat. Whild Peach)
21. Greatest Show On Earth (Feat. Macy Gray)
22. You’re Beautiful (Interlude)
23. When I Look In Your Eyes
24. Dyin’ To Live
25. A Bad Note
Alas, this is the end of one of the most adventurous and entertaining acts in hip hop. But you can‘t say that Outkast didn’t go out by going all out. Following up their hugely successful double album Speakerboxxx / The Love Below, Outkast didn’t just make an album. They made a movie, and recorded the soundtrack themselves rather than assembling one. The film (and the music) is a prohibition era mix of blues, jazz and hip hop. If that sounds like a bit of a reach, you’re right. Ambitious to the core, and definitely not easy to pull off, the film did okay, as did the album. It’s the least cohesive Outkast release, and while entertaining in spots, it’s pretty inconsistent.
And it’s long. 77 minutes is a long time to listen to them try to gain their footing…thus, it’s a tough one to sit through. There are some highs…”Mighty O”, which features both Big Boi and Andre 3000 together, “Morris Brown” and “Idlewild Blue” are the best tracks here. “The Train” and “Hollywood Divorce” are fine as well. But the truth is, Outkast seems to have gone in a bit over their heads here. Bringing 30’s era jazz into the mix was a great idea, and some of it does work…just not enough of it. Outkast says farewell here, and they do it their own way…putting it all out there on the table for you. That’s for sure worth something.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
MEGAHERZ
HERZWERK II
2002 – FIRESTARTER
Produced By CHRISTIAN “X-TI” BYSTRON & RALF WEIGAND
1. Herzblut
2. Glas Und Tranen
3. I.M. Rumpelstiltzchen
4. 5 Marz
5. F.F.F. (Flesh For Fantasy)
6. Hand Auf’s Herz
7. Zu Den Sternen
8. Licht II
9. Heute Schon Gelebt?
10. An Deinem Grab
11. Perfekte Droge
12. Spiel’ Nicht
13. Gold
14. Es Brennt
If you’re gonna listen to industrial metal, then why not go all out and do it in German? You may not know it, but Megaherz (a play on words between Megahertz and Mega-Heart) has been tearing it up in Europe since 1993. They’ve released eleven albums, none of them a big hit even in their native country, but charts be damned…Megaherz keeps right on putting their big loud metal sound right in the faces of anyone who will listen. And you may be surprised…this band has chops. Herzwerk II is their fifth album, and the last to feature original singer (and last founding member) Alexx Wesselsky. If you like your albums loud, fast and, well…German, then this is definitely for you.
It’s all interesting, even with the language difference. You’ll have the most fun with “F.F.F. (Flesh For Fantasy)”, which is, indeed, a cover of the old Billy Idol hit from the 80’s. “Es Brennt” (or “It Burns”) explores the differences between East and West Germany, and is actually a later added bonus track. Herzwerk II is an example of the genre Neue Deutsche Harte, or New German Hardness, and could, if you like this, open the doors to bands like Atrocity and Heldmaschine. And what the hell…why not? Because this music rocks, and should be heard outside of Germany, and who cares if you can’t understand the lyrics? Rock is rock, people. And Megaherz is, without question…ROCK!
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
