Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Live & Kicking: Road Rock Vol. 1: Friends & Relatives - Neil Young - 2000
Monday, May 30, 2011
Double Live Gonzo
Often avoided by many in favor of studio releases - and rightfully so as so many reek of dashed-off contractual obligation - I'm a sucker for the live album. I've waded through plenty and, of course, appreciate all the established classics: Neil Young & Crazy Horse's Live Rust
, The Who's Live at Leeds
(now available in 307 different configurations), James Brown's Live at the Apollo
, Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison
and so on and so on. The last decade has seen the release of a number of big live sets worthy of addition to the revered canon - some old, some new. Four favorites I now deem essential to any collection:
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Opus Eponymous - Ghost - 2010
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Saturday, May 28, 2011
Let Sleeping Corpses Lie - White Zombie - 2008
Ironically, I wasn't expecting much in terms of content and am still pleased to have a partial "one-stop shop" for White Zombie's records (all studio records are here with soundtrack and tribute album one-offs, but remix EPs, for example, are nowhere to be found). I knew what I was getting, track-wise, and cannot complain. For the newbie, much of this stuff has been hard to come by (fans in the '90s could still get Make Them Die Slowly
in record stores but the first albums were generally findable only via bootlegs (albeit decent ones)). The noisy scumrock left many of the neophytes turned on by La Sexorcisto
, frankly, turned off and many were perfectly happy to accept the Geffen debut as an alternative starting point. These early tracks sound great here and are cool to have in "official form."
Friday, May 27, 2011
Crud on Monster Island - Crud - 2010
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Thursday, May 26, 2011
One Great Song - "Career of Evil" - Blue Öyster Cult - 1974
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
I Got a New Sickness. I Got a New Favorite. I...Got...Jungle Rot!
I know this much: Jungle Rot gives us death metal. About death. Specifically, death in wartime. In great detail. They are brutal in their simplicity. And they do it over and over. They cannot be troubled with solos. Jungle Rot are basically a rolling riff, death metal Motörhead. And, my God, they're so good.
I know it isn't glamourous and, even as out-of-the-metal-loop as I am, I know they're not offered much respect from the snarkier side of metal fandom, but I got a bad case of Jungle Rot. And by bad, cool as I am, of course I mean "good." And by good, I mean, "I bought one CD, banged my head and then turned around bought five more."
I know this much: Jungle Rot gives us death metal. About death. Specifically, death in wartime. In great detail. They are brutal in their simplicity. And they do it over and over. They cannot be troubled with solos. Jungle Rot are basically a rolling riff, death metal Motörhead. And, my God, they're so good.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Matador - Zoroaster - 2010
Monday, May 23, 2011
Worth the Effort: The Reincarnation of Luna - My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult - 2001
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Remake/Remodel Your Music Collection - A Roxy Music Buyer's Guide
Saturday, May 21, 2011
In the Mood for a Little Music? Enjoying the Extended Play.
I love the EP. I don't know how you discern it from a "maxi-single" or a really short album other than, to me, it somehow defines itself with tracks not appearing on proper full-length LPs, no tracks considered as b-sides to any other included song and substantial enough in its content to stand alone as an entry in a band's catalogue. Whether it's a 7" or two, a 12" record or a single CD, there are several EPs on my shelf that hold their own against any other bands' grandest double-albums. A few of my favorites:
Friday, May 20, 2011
One-Off Wonder: Web of Dharma - Graves - 2002
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Thursday, May 19, 2011
One Great Song - "Kicked in the Teeth" - AC/DC - 1978
AC/DC have a huge canon of well-known, beloved songs all more than worthy of their popularity. Despite the fact that they're overplayed by classic rock radio repeatedly, I never get tired of "Highway to Hell," "You Shook Me All Night Long" or "Back in Black." They're that good. Casual fans without an appetite for multiple purchases seem to stick with Back in Black
and consider their AC/DC collection complete. Or maybe they don't even know any better. When I was sharing my plans with a co-worker to see the band on the Black Ice tour she replied, "AC/DC - oh, yeah! I have their album!" And while any band in the world would likely sell their soul for a record half as good and successful as Back in Black, any true-blue AC/DC fan will tell you that there's a lot more to enjoy if you dig a little deeper.
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One deep cut one of the less-celebrated albums of the Bon Scott era that always makes my playlist is "Kicked in the Teeth" from 1978's Powerage. Nestled in between Let There Be Rock
and Highway to Hell
, Powerage brought AC/DC closer to the Top 100 and introduced us to bassist, Cliff Williams. A rock-solid slab of hard and heavy blues-tinged numbers, Powerage gets very little, if any, play on the radio and is frequently acknowledged as a favorite of other musicians, most notably Keith Richards. There's not a weak point from beginning to end and, in my opinion, the album's closer, "Kicked in the Teeth," is also its high point.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Been There, Heard That and Batting .500
Seems like a long time since last Monday. I ordered a load of new music by four artists I'd never heard and, now that everything's come in and been spun a few times, experienced some mixed results. Here's a quick rundown of where I landed with Miss May I, Volbeat, Skindred and Havok.
Just yesterday, I wrote up my opinion of what I now know is metalcore and, simultaneously, Miss May I. My caution erased by allegiance to those just a stone's throw from the front door, I blindly ordered both of the band's releases unheard and ended up with, basically, two copies of the same album, differentiated only by a slipcover and a shitty ballad. You can click back to yesterday's post to catch that synopsis but I've grown more bitter as twenty-four hours have passed. I realize Miss May I are off somewhere rocking much harder than I ever will and, from what I read, pleasing fans of their style a great deal but I cannot help but feel frustrated in the way a parent does at a child that isn't living up to its full potential. But, really, they are kids. They've got time.
Just yesterday, I wrote up my opinion of what I now know is metalcore and, simultaneously, Miss May I. My caution erased by allegiance to those just a stone's throw from the front door, I blindly ordered both of the band's releases unheard and ended up with, basically, two copies of the same album, differentiated only by a slipcover and a shitty ballad. You can click back to yesterday's post to catch that synopsis but I've grown more bitter as twenty-four hours have passed. I realize Miss May I are off somewhere rocking much harder than I ever will and, from what I read, pleasing fans of their style a great deal but I cannot help but feel frustrated in the way a parent does at a child that isn't living up to its full potential. But, really, they are kids. They've got time.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Oh, so this is Melodic Metal Mathcore...
Monday, May 16, 2011
Upcoming Releases and Reissues - May 23-June 14, 2011
Good stuff coming just around the corner...
The domestic release of what was a limited edition five-CD box set from the stoner band containing five albums recorded for the Rise Above label: Frequencies From Planet Ten, Time Travelling Blues, The Big Black, Coup De Grace and Thieving From The House Of God. All albums presented in deluxe digipacks including bonus material. Features never before seen pictures and exclusive liner notes from singer Ben Ward. Click here to order
.
Box Set - Orange Goblin - May 23, 2011
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Sunday, May 15, 2011
Time Is Up - Havok - 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Rock & Roll Submarine - Urge Overkill - 2011
If Exit the Dragon was one last, late-night round at the darkest club in town, Rock & Roll Submarine is a weary - yet ragged and ready - morning after. And what a new dawn it is. From the very first note, Rock & Roll Submarine is invigorating in its immediate presence as gimmick-free rock. Never too clever for its own good, as the Urge of old sometimes wandered, it's sly and wry without being sarcastic.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Worth the Effort: 12 Hits from Hell - The Misfits - 1980/2001
I have loads of out-of-print records in my collection and plenty deservedly so. I then have a neat few that never were officially in print at all. And a few of those really desperately need to be. The Misfits' 12 Hits from Hell is just one of those records.
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Recorded in 1980 and slated for release on Halloween, 2001, 12 Hits from Hell was canceled at the eleventh hour, almost literally. Stories differ as to why and the official explanation from Caroline Records was a line about packaging, layout and mixing (if nothing else, the Jerry Only-fronted Misfits also had a leftovers compilation, Cuts from the Crypt
, slated for release the same day, which could not have pleased Mr. Danzig
too much, I am sure). Well, some copies made it into stores anyway. Quite a few, as a matter of fact, and I happened to snag one. And I can say the layout, packaging, mixing - the whole damn thing - is just fine. In fact, it's probably the best Misfits recording out there.
too much, I am sure). Well, some copies made it into stores anyway. Quite a few, as a matter of fact, and I happened to snag one. And I can say the layout, packaging, mixing - the whole damn thing - is just fine. In fact, it's probably the best Misfits recording out there.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
One Great Song - "Down Again" - Black Country Communion - 2010
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Penguin in Bondage - The Little Known History of the Mothers of Invention by Frank Zappa
Mothers Day is now May 10. May 10, 1974. Zappa.com just blasted out an iTunes-only release from the Vault.
Order it here. Details from Zappa.com:
Order it here. Details from Zappa.com:
What Sophomore Slump?
The second album for a new band is critical, especially following a strong debut. More often than not, the results underwhelm or, worse, crumble beneath the pressures and expectations and, for many, it's a swift downhill slide into obscurity. For a handful of great artists, though, the second record not only improved upon the first but, looking back historically, came to be considered as the high point in their discography. Eight that I regard as just such an achievement:
Monday, May 9, 2011
Sight Unseen (and Sound Unheard) - New CDs on the Way
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Sunday, May 8, 2011
Motherly Love
Take some time today to reflect on the one you love above all others. The one who has done so much for you that you could never repay the debt. The one who has shaped your adult life. Frank Zappa.
And you may want to call your mom, too.
After you've called your mother and/or enjoyed the finest brunch Holiday Inn has to offer, head over to Barfko-Swill and do something for yourself. You deserve it.
And you may want to call your mom, too.
After you've called your mother and/or enjoyed the finest brunch Holiday Inn has to offer, head over to Barfko-Swill and do something for yourself. You deserve it.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Gotta Get it All: Build a Komplete, Khronologically Korrect KMFDM Kollection - Part II
(continued from May 6, 2011)
Back in the U.S.S.A. - The New Millennium
In 2002, the believed-defunct KMFDM was reborn on a new label, Metropolis, and a new cover single, Boots
. Then came the onslaught - a born-again, guitar-heavy, drum-bashing ATTAK
. A live record with Raymond Watts' Pig, Sturm & Drang Tour 2002
followed later in the year (also captured on DVD).
KMFDM jumped labels to Sanctuary and delivered nothing less than World War III in 2003. The label affiliation lasted only throughout the year and provided a live document in CD form, WWIII Live 2003
, as well as DVD
.
Back in the U.S.S.A. - The New Millennium
In 2002, the believed-defunct KMFDM was reborn on a new label, Metropolis, and a new cover single, Boots
KMFDM jumped labels to Sanctuary and delivered nothing less than World War III in 2003. The label affiliation lasted only throughout the year and provided a live document in CD form, WWIII Live 2003
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