What?: Foreigner's forth album.
Why?: I found I really like the song "Cold As Ice" and so took a punt and bought one of those 5 albums for $20 deals, which included this album.
Tell me more!:
First listen through all five albums left me slightly disappointed, but I think listening to five albums by the one band in a row, unless you love them to death, is overkill. Don't do it.
Later returning to the albums separately I found I liked the 80s era better, with this album being the stand out. I recently discovered, just before re-listening to this album for this blog, that "4" is one of Justin Hawkins' (of The Darkness) favourite albums. The appeal is obvious, with most tracks being highly produced cock-rocking over-performances with high-range male vocals.
I enjoy the thorough use of keyboards, harmonies, big riffs, huge choruses and the ultimate appeal saxophone on the fantastic over-the-top 80s-on-a-stick masterpiece "Urgent".
Every song on this album, except perhaps "Girl On The Moon", are single-worthy, and the first six of ten tracks were released as singles. The last four tracks do start to expose the album's formula, and the riffs start to get weirdly Midnight Oil, but they're still worthy songs. I enjoy the over-the-top, almost Twisted Sister "I'm Gonna Win" and album ender "Don't Let Go".
This was a surprise little package of 80s hard-rock pop, and the accidental nature of it's discovery is probably enhancing my love for it, so take that in mind. I couldn't possibly score it too high though as much of the appeal is nostalgia and a love for the ridiculous.
6/10
Tuesday 31 December 2013
Sunday 29 December 2013
[2010] Apocalyptica, "7th Symphony"
What?: Seventh album of this cello playing started-as-a-gimmick-Metallica-cover-band to hugely popular originals band.
Why?: I've been a fan since I picked up the "does Metallica" album way back in the 90s.
Tell me more!:
A few albums back Apocalyptica started using drummers. One of the things that appealed to me about the band was the range of sounds, including percussive sounds, the band was able to get from their cellos. Using a drummer was almost as bad as them getting a bass player, or a guitarist.
Further, they began the habit of releasing singles with vocalists singing over their instrumental album tracks. To be fair, this gained them a lot of popularity in Europe and has probably kept them alive longer than an instrumental-only band probably would have lived, but I'm a fan of the instrumentals, not the vocals. The vocal songs began to sneak onto their albums. First with a couple of tracks on 2005's self-titled, and they're now common place, with the band even touring with a vocalist.
I saw the band last year and a fair part of their set were the vocal songs. They're all played well, and they're catchy enough, but they're distracting. They're a cello covers band halfway through a metamorphosis into a pop rock band. I'm unsure I like it.
On 7th Symphony the band give four of the ten tracks to vocalists, and one to a now common place guest spot on drums by Dave Lombardo.
Both "End of Me" (with Gavin Rossdale of Bush) and "Not Strong Enough" (with Brent Smith of Shinedown) lean way too far toward modern hard-rock-pop for my liking, but I admit to them being irritatingly catchy. They nicely illustrate that an overproduced cello band with distortion can sound no different from Hinder or any of those post-Metallica's-Black era of rock-metal.
"Broken Pieces" is much improved by the female vocalist (Lacey Strum of Flyleaf), but it's still far too poppy. Only "Bring Them To Light" (with Joseph Duplantier of Gojira, one of my favourite bands) starts to bring out the true metal potential I think is buried in the band, but I think the production and drumming let it down a little. It's a great start though. Hope to hear more like this on the next album.
"2010" features Dave Lombardo on drums. I know I'm supposed to love the guy, and with Fantomas and Slayer he is brilliant, but his drums with Apocalyptica always seems... messy somehow, especially the drum fills.
Of the instrumentals, epic 7 minute introduction track "At the Gates of Manala" is a perfect demonstration of the modern instrumental Apocalyptica that I enjoy. Multi-part piece with huge riffs, screaming background noises, double kick intensity, and a beautiful slow burn outro. The closing almost 9 minute "Rage of Poseidon" and "On the Rooftop with Quasimodo" are almost as good. "Sacra" sounds like it's missing a part to me, maybe vocals... ha.
Lastly, "Beautiful" is a more traditional classical piece of the kind expected from a traditional classical cello quartet.
I'm happy with half the album, and variety is what I love in a band, so I can't complain.
6/10
Why?: I've been a fan since I picked up the "does Metallica" album way back in the 90s.
Tell me more!:
A few albums back Apocalyptica started using drummers. One of the things that appealed to me about the band was the range of sounds, including percussive sounds, the band was able to get from their cellos. Using a drummer was almost as bad as them getting a bass player, or a guitarist.
Further, they began the habit of releasing singles with vocalists singing over their instrumental album tracks. To be fair, this gained them a lot of popularity in Europe and has probably kept them alive longer than an instrumental-only band probably would have lived, but I'm a fan of the instrumentals, not the vocals. The vocal songs began to sneak onto their albums. First with a couple of tracks on 2005's self-titled, and they're now common place, with the band even touring with a vocalist.
I saw the band last year and a fair part of their set were the vocal songs. They're all played well, and they're catchy enough, but they're distracting. They're a cello covers band halfway through a metamorphosis into a pop rock band. I'm unsure I like it.
On 7th Symphony the band give four of the ten tracks to vocalists, and one to a now common place guest spot on drums by Dave Lombardo.
Both "End of Me" (with Gavin Rossdale of Bush) and "Not Strong Enough" (with Brent Smith of Shinedown) lean way too far toward modern hard-rock-pop for my liking, but I admit to them being irritatingly catchy. They nicely illustrate that an overproduced cello band with distortion can sound no different from Hinder or any of those post-Metallica's-Black era of rock-metal.
"Broken Pieces" is much improved by the female vocalist (Lacey Strum of Flyleaf), but it's still far too poppy. Only "Bring Them To Light" (with Joseph Duplantier of Gojira, one of my favourite bands) starts to bring out the true metal potential I think is buried in the band, but I think the production and drumming let it down a little. It's a great start though. Hope to hear more like this on the next album.
"2010" features Dave Lombardo on drums. I know I'm supposed to love the guy, and with Fantomas and Slayer he is brilliant, but his drums with Apocalyptica always seems... messy somehow, especially the drum fills.
Of the instrumentals, epic 7 minute introduction track "At the Gates of Manala" is a perfect demonstration of the modern instrumental Apocalyptica that I enjoy. Multi-part piece with huge riffs, screaming background noises, double kick intensity, and a beautiful slow burn outro. The closing almost 9 minute "Rage of Poseidon" and "On the Rooftop with Quasimodo" are almost as good. "Sacra" sounds like it's missing a part to me, maybe vocals... ha.
Lastly, "Beautiful" is a more traditional classical piece of the kind expected from a traditional classical cello quartet.
I'm happy with half the album, and variety is what I love in a band, so I can't complain.
6/10
Saturday 28 December 2013
[2009] Rodrigo y Gabriela, "11:11"
What?: 3rd album from the acoustic guitar duo. Each track is apparently inspired by artists that influenced the band.
Why?: I heard the band's cover of Metallica's "Orion" and was impressed (look it up). I'm a big fan of acoustic guitars used in a heavy riffing manner.
Tell me more!: Another one of those albums I've listened to numerous times, and while I recognise the riffs on each listen, I don't retain them.
Entirely instrumental, mostly two acoustic guitars, including the percussion, it's all very competently played, but the lack of variety drags. Frequently the songs are one or two riffs played over and over...
Throughout the album the band frequently uses little production tricks to try to break the songs up (vinyl noise, tape/mono), perhaps an admission the songs require a little more interest?
My favourite song on each listen is always "Atman" which I have now discovered is inspired by Dimebag Darrell, Pantera's guitarist. The super fast riff and excellent guitar solo manage to keep my head bopping, despite the almost six minute length of the riff-fest.
Ultimately there is nothing wrong with this album, it's just that Bourke Street mall "flamenco" duos were a dime-a-dozen in the early '00s and these guys, while an excellent and more rock influenced version of those bands, aren't bringing enough extra to the table to keep me interested, at least not in recorded form. I strongly suspect they would be excellent to watch live.
3/10
Why?: I heard the band's cover of Metallica's "Orion" and was impressed (look it up). I'm a big fan of acoustic guitars used in a heavy riffing manner.
Tell me more!: Another one of those albums I've listened to numerous times, and while I recognise the riffs on each listen, I don't retain them.
Entirely instrumental, mostly two acoustic guitars, including the percussion, it's all very competently played, but the lack of variety drags. Frequently the songs are one or two riffs played over and over...
Throughout the album the band frequently uses little production tricks to try to break the songs up (vinyl noise, tape/mono), perhaps an admission the songs require a little more interest?
My favourite song on each listen is always "Atman" which I have now discovered is inspired by Dimebag Darrell, Pantera's guitarist. The super fast riff and excellent guitar solo manage to keep my head bopping, despite the almost six minute length of the riff-fest.
Ultimately there is nothing wrong with this album, it's just that Bourke Street mall "flamenco" duos were a dime-a-dozen in the early '00s and these guys, while an excellent and more rock influenced version of those bands, aren't bringing enough extra to the table to keep me interested, at least not in recorded form. I strongly suspect they would be excellent to watch live.
3/10
Monday 23 December 2013
Greg Prato, 'The Faith No More and Mr. Bungle Companion'
Amazon.com Kindle
Until now, the only Faith No More biography has been "The Real Story", Steffan Chirazi's worthy effort that ended in 1994 with Jim Martin's departure. The frustratingly formatted photo-book has numerous errors, but it has since been admitted that the wrong, un-edited, version of the book was published at the time.
For there to be no FNM biographies in the 20 years since has constantly shocked me. For a band that is so influential, why no books? The band themselves probably haven't helped, with Patton in particular not being interested in a book on his life.
At the very least, I thought, someone could compile the hundreds interviews out there? Fill the gaps with anecdotes of the author's own experiences as a fan? I've been tempted in the years to attempt one myself.
Greg Prato's book is exactly that, interviews and quotes collected into a coherent story. I can't therefore complain about the style; it's exactly what I asked for.
Greg borrows heavily from recent informative interviews by faithnomoreblog.com and faithnoman.com, without whom the story would be far less interesting. It shows though that now is the perfect time for the book, with the reunion tour to draw on, and thousands more words to quote from recent interviews about Faith No More's early life.
I (being insanely well read on Faith No More) still managed to learn a few things, and still managed to enjoy the read. I'm never all that interested in other band's opinions on the band if they haven't actually toured with them, so some of the interview segments with Devin Townsend et al dragged, but the Soundgarden interviews were worthy. I did like that negative comments from other bands have been included as well. It isn't just a big fan love-in.
The tone is a little too chatty, with far too many uses of "blah". The last chapter on "inspiration" quotes could have been left out. The second-to-last chapter, "Shit Terrorist", about Patton's various adventures with shit and his particular brand of sexuality, is pointless, but I know people want to read it, and I assume Greg thought so too. It's interesting to read between the lines and understand Patton's commentary on the meaning of fame and being too honest in the public eye, but still...
Weaving in the history of Mr. Bungle's three albums, and a bit of Fantomas, was a good call, filling the gaps between Faith No More albums nicely, but I'd have loved a lot more Faith No More...
A few errors, or half truths, still crept in:
These are pretty small omissions, but they grated.
This isn't the book I've been waiting for. The early years are covered in a rush, and the complexities of 1984's search for a permanent singer and guitarist much over simplified. The narrative in 1989/1990 jumps all over the time-line, in ways the later years don't. Strong details of missing Angel Dust songs irritate after no discussions of similar songs from The Real Thing or King For A Day era.
One day someone will clear it all up, with extensively sourced interviews with the band, and artifacts extracted from the band's attics. It's happening now, in dribs and drabs over at faithnoman.com and faithnomoreblog.com, but the pace is slow.
3/5 - It's the book I asked for, but not the book I want.
Note that Bill Gould went as far as to make it clear this is an "unauthorised" book:
So start on the Authorised one Bill...
Until now, the only Faith No More biography has been "The Real Story", Steffan Chirazi's worthy effort that ended in 1994 with Jim Martin's departure. The frustratingly formatted photo-book has numerous errors, but it has since been admitted that the wrong, un-edited, version of the book was published at the time.
For there to be no FNM biographies in the 20 years since has constantly shocked me. For a band that is so influential, why no books? The band themselves probably haven't helped, with Patton in particular not being interested in a book on his life.
At the very least, I thought, someone could compile the hundreds interviews out there? Fill the gaps with anecdotes of the author's own experiences as a fan? I've been tempted in the years to attempt one myself.
Greg Prato's book is exactly that, interviews and quotes collected into a coherent story. I can't therefore complain about the style; it's exactly what I asked for.
Greg borrows heavily from recent informative interviews by faithnomoreblog.com and faithnoman.com, without whom the story would be far less interesting. It shows though that now is the perfect time for the book, with the reunion tour to draw on, and thousands more words to quote from recent interviews about Faith No More's early life.
I (being insanely well read on Faith No More) still managed to learn a few things, and still managed to enjoy the read. I'm never all that interested in other band's opinions on the band if they haven't actually toured with them, so some of the interview segments with Devin Townsend et al dragged, but the Soundgarden interviews were worthy. I did like that negative comments from other bands have been included as well. It isn't just a big fan love-in.
The tone is a little too chatty, with far too many uses of "blah". The last chapter on "inspiration" quotes could have been left out. The second-to-last chapter, "Shit Terrorist", about Patton's various adventures with shit and his particular brand of sexuality, is pointless, but I know people want to read it, and I assume Greg thought so too. It's interesting to read between the lines and understand Patton's commentary on the meaning of fame and being too honest in the public eye, but still...
Weaving in the history of Mr. Bungle's three albums, and a bit of Fantomas, was a good call, filling the gaps between Faith No More albums nicely, but I'd have loved a lot more Faith No More...
A few errors, or half truths, still crept in:
- The book perpetuates the confusion over if half of the We Care A Lot album is demos
- An anecdote about hearing War Pigs on his friend's vinyl copy of "The Real Thing" doesn't ring true because War Pigs isn't on the vinyl copy...
- Says the Spanish version of Evidence can be found as a b-side on UK KFAD singles (nope, this is the rarest FNM track, found only on some Argentinian KFAD CDs)
- Gets rather excited about Mr. Bungle reunion possibilities on the band of Trey joining the band to play the full King For A Day, but then doesn't mention Patton adding vocals to a Secret Chiefs 3 track shortly after (as heard on the new SC3 CD and previous vinyl singles)
- No mention of the fact Faith No More wrote and played (frequently) a new song during their last tour
- Describes "Another Body Murdered" as "forgettable" (unforgivable!)
These are pretty small omissions, but they grated.
This isn't the book I've been waiting for. The early years are covered in a rush, and the complexities of 1984's search for a permanent singer and guitarist much over simplified. The narrative in 1989/1990 jumps all over the time-line, in ways the later years don't. Strong details of missing Angel Dust songs irritate after no discussions of similar songs from The Real Thing or King For A Day era.
One day someone will clear it all up, with extensively sourced interviews with the band, and artifacts extracted from the band's attics. It's happening now, in dribs and drabs over at faithnoman.com and faithnomoreblog.com, but the pace is slow.
3/5 - It's the book I asked for, but not the book I want.
Note that Bill Gould went as far as to make it clear this is an "unauthorised" book:
Okay, I'm not going to make a formal statement for this but as you people here are fans, just be aware: I haven't read the book, though it should be said that this book is NOT band authorized. Based on a previous experience with Mr. Prato (who to his credit genuinely considers himself a fan) I would hope that this will be a fun and interesting read, but also advise FNM fans to keep a critical eye in regards to it's content.
So start on the Authorised one Bill...
[1995] Cranky, '2 Bugs'
What: The only (?) EP from Aussie band Cranky, who happen to have a bass player who ended up in pre.shrunk, one of my fav bands of the late 90s.
Why: pre.shrunk obsessed.
Tell me more: As the reason I bought this was to hear some early Dave-on-bass-and-effects action, I wasn't disappointed. Many of the trademark pre.shrunk bassy-sounding-like-guitar solos are here, as are Dave's great slapping riffs.
The most well known track is "Australia Don't Become America" and dang it ain't half catchy. The rapper is a New Zealander? I certainly think of Supergroove listening to this.
They're a unique band, bass riffs, drums, loops and samples, flute and nuzz-uland-repping. It almost works.
"Mars" is the most pre.shrunk sounding track, easily fitting in on one of their first EPs, with Dave singing slapping and soloing all over the place. Even the not-quite-great sounding chorus is so early pre.shrunk.
"And Yet... Somehow" had me cracking up on the train, "I get up, and I have a wee, and I sometimes have a coffee, and yet... somehow... and yet somehow one can't help but wonder..." RIFF. Repeat. It's almost a pity when the rap finally kicks in.
"Adrift" and "Relax" are both instrumentals with some nice riffs and horns but not outstanding.
"Australia Don't Become America (River Donovan Mix)" remix ain't great, but "Adrift (Qualude Mix)" slows it right down, much improving the song.
2/10: "Mars" and "And Yet... Somehow" have some merit, and the instrumentals are pleasant enough... but even with fan-boy hat on this ain't much worth talking about.
Why: pre.shrunk obsessed.
Tell me more: As the reason I bought this was to hear some early Dave-on-bass-and-effects action, I wasn't disappointed. Many of the trademark pre.shrunk bassy-sounding-like-guitar solos are here, as are Dave's great slapping riffs.
The most well known track is "Australia Don't Become America" and dang it ain't half catchy. The rapper is a New Zealander? I certainly think of Supergroove listening to this.
They're a unique band, bass riffs, drums, loops and samples, flute and nuzz-uland-repping. It almost works.
"Mars" is the most pre.shrunk sounding track, easily fitting in on one of their first EPs, with Dave singing slapping and soloing all over the place. Even the not-quite-great sounding chorus is so early pre.shrunk.
"And Yet... Somehow" had me cracking up on the train, "I get up, and I have a wee, and I sometimes have a coffee, and yet... somehow... and yet somehow one can't help but wonder..." RIFF. Repeat. It's almost a pity when the rap finally kicks in.
"Adrift" and "Relax" are both instrumentals with some nice riffs and horns but not outstanding.
"Australia Don't Become America (River Donovan Mix)" remix ain't great, but "Adrift (Qualude Mix)" slows it right down, much improving the song.
2/10: "Mars" and "And Yet... Somehow" have some merit, and the instrumentals are pleasant enough... but even with fan-boy hat on this ain't much worth talking about.
[1995] David Bowie, 'Outside'
What?: David Bowie's gazillionth (19th) album, reunion with Brian Eno.
Why?: One of many CDs in a pile that was saved on the way to the charity bin.
Tell me more: I thought I already had this album, but I mixed it up with 1999's "Hours" (they have broadly similar covers) so finding it in the pile of random was a nice surprise.
I first got into David Bowie properly with "Earthling" so I've always liked his more electronic leanings, however I had nothing but dislike in my head for the Pet Shop Boy's "Spaceboy" remix so I wasn't sure what to make of the album.
After numerous (ten?) listens over the last couple of weeks I've decided, on the whole, I like this album, but the "concept" wears thin after 19 tracks.
I'm always happy to be taken along for the ride, right up until Track 10, "Segue - Algeria Touchshriek", when Mr. Bowie puts on another of his silly voices, first heard on Track 5, "Segue - Baby Grace (A Horrid Cassette)", a track that reminds me of nothing more but the "hey, stop tickling me" voice at the end of Mr. Bungle's "After School Special" from "Disco Volante". David's funny voices are neither funny, nor interesting... random words over jazz doodling. Later the "American detective" voice gets me imagining "Assy McGee"...
Tracks worth pointing out as being surprisingly excellent are "The Hearts Filthy Lesson", "Hallo Spaceboy" (the original is an industrial pop masterpiece, killing the naff remix cold), "The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction (As Beauty)",
Strangely a lot of this album had me thinking of Midnight Oil's "10,9,8...", especially the background chorus vocals, some of the drum effects and melodies. "I Have Not Been To Oxford Town" in particular, once you get past the terribly dated intro and get to the "all's well" parts.
It's such as pity the album ends with "Strangers When We Meet", a terribly boring song that seems to the tacked-on "single song".
6/10: But only if you remove all the "Segue" tracks and "Strangers".
Why?: One of many CDs in a pile that was saved on the way to the charity bin.
Tell me more: I thought I already had this album, but I mixed it up with 1999's "Hours" (they have broadly similar covers) so finding it in the pile of random was a nice surprise.
I first got into David Bowie properly with "Earthling" so I've always liked his more electronic leanings, however I had nothing but dislike in my head for the Pet Shop Boy's "Spaceboy" remix so I wasn't sure what to make of the album.
After numerous (ten?) listens over the last couple of weeks I've decided, on the whole, I like this album, but the "concept" wears thin after 19 tracks.
I'm always happy to be taken along for the ride, right up until Track 10, "Segue - Algeria Touchshriek", when Mr. Bowie puts on another of his silly voices, first heard on Track 5, "Segue - Baby Grace (A Horrid Cassette)", a track that reminds me of nothing more but the "hey, stop tickling me" voice at the end of Mr. Bungle's "After School Special" from "Disco Volante". David's funny voices are neither funny, nor interesting... random words over jazz doodling. Later the "American detective" voice gets me imagining "Assy McGee"...
Tracks worth pointing out as being surprisingly excellent are "The Hearts Filthy Lesson", "Hallo Spaceboy" (the original is an industrial pop masterpiece, killing the naff remix cold), "The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction (As Beauty)",
Strangely a lot of this album had me thinking of Midnight Oil's "10,9,8...", especially the background chorus vocals, some of the drum effects and melodies. "I Have Not Been To Oxford Town" in particular, once you get past the terribly dated intro and get to the "all's well" parts.
It's such as pity the album ends with "Strangers When We Meet", a terribly boring song that seems to the tacked-on "single song".
6/10: But only if you remove all the "Segue" tracks and "Strangers".
[1998] Phil Collins, '...Hits'
What?: Phil Collins' one and only Greatest Hits compilation.
Why?: One of many CDs I bought in a 3 for $20 sale while also being 20% off. I, like most of the planet, was reminded of "In The Air Tonight" by that Cadbury ad, and also by the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Movie.
More!: I had decided I wouldn't review best-ofs, but in cases where either I don't have any albums by that artist except the best-of (as in this case), or I think the best-of is important in some way, I'll make exceptions. That might mean I review all the best-ofs too. Great...
I've always loved that late 80's, early 90's production, having grown up on John Farnham, and that love has transferred to bands that parody that sound, like Regurgitator.
Songs like "Another Day In Paradise", "Easy Lover" and "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven" hit that spot perfectly. The guitar, horns, backing vocals. Little drum loop tricks like cutting off the snare in "Another Day...". They're all far too long though, perfect three minute songs played for six.
"Two Hearts", "You Can't Hurry Love" and "Dance Into The Light" step way too far over the cheese-line to be any fun.
"I Wish It Would Rain Down" could almost be an 80's hair-metal ballad with a different band, all it's missing is a guitar solo in front of a church. "Against All Odds" has a big chorus but nothing else.
"Separate Lives", the sappy duet with Marilyn Martin from the film "White Nights", is everything that is wrong with 80s music, but to be fair Collins didn't write it.
"Both Sides Of The Story" has it's heart in the right place but comes across as preachy. It's also got a drum loop tick that sounds to me like a CD skipping that drives me crazy. The bag-pipe organ sound in the background has me thinking of John Farnham, and I do like the way it fades out into a keyboard guitar jam... "Take Me Home" may as well be the same song.
"One More Night" is hilarious. It gets points of saxophone, but loses them again for fading out.
"Sussudio" is a fluoro body suit doing jazzercise. I can't possibly take it seriously.
"A Groovy Kind Of Love" is interesting for its combination of slow ballad music and bubblegum pop lyrics. It's like a parody cover of a funk song played at 1/4 time. It could almost be 10cc's "I'm Not In Love".
And finally, of course, "In The Air Tonight", the best epic build-up in music history, despite the double sin of a fade in AND fade out. Everyone talks about the drums, but that bass line is incredible. If you don't count the LONG fade-out, the "bit everyone loves" is barely a quarter of the song. The fade out comes way too soon, but only enhances the enormity of what Phil just did to your head forcing you to wait for those drums to kick in. It really is brilliant.
5/10: I don't like best-ofs. They're supposed to be "the best", and yet somehow I always struggle to like half the songs. I think the combination of too much quality raises the bar too far. Further, they're often "number one hits" which means they sold well, not a good indication of quality.
In this case I like less than half, and mostly out of some strange nostalgia for the production of yesteryear. "In The Air Tonight" is almost worth the price though given how cheap I got this for, and "Another Day In Paradise", "Easy Lover" and "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven" are nice bonuses.
Why?: One of many CDs I bought in a 3 for $20 sale while also being 20% off. I, like most of the planet, was reminded of "In The Air Tonight" by that Cadbury ad, and also by the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Movie.
More!: I had decided I wouldn't review best-ofs, but in cases where either I don't have any albums by that artist except the best-of (as in this case), or I think the best-of is important in some way, I'll make exceptions. That might mean I review all the best-ofs too. Great...
I've always loved that late 80's, early 90's production, having grown up on John Farnham, and that love has transferred to bands that parody that sound, like Regurgitator.
Songs like "Another Day In Paradise", "Easy Lover" and "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven" hit that spot perfectly. The guitar, horns, backing vocals. Little drum loop tricks like cutting off the snare in "Another Day...". They're all far too long though, perfect three minute songs played for six.
"Two Hearts", "You Can't Hurry Love" and "Dance Into The Light" step way too far over the cheese-line to be any fun.
"I Wish It Would Rain Down" could almost be an 80's hair-metal ballad with a different band, all it's missing is a guitar solo in front of a church. "Against All Odds" has a big chorus but nothing else.
"Separate Lives", the sappy duet with Marilyn Martin from the film "White Nights", is everything that is wrong with 80s music, but to be fair Collins didn't write it.
"Both Sides Of The Story" has it's heart in the right place but comes across as preachy. It's also got a drum loop tick that sounds to me like a CD skipping that drives me crazy. The bag-pipe organ sound in the background has me thinking of John Farnham, and I do like the way it fades out into a keyboard guitar jam... "Take Me Home" may as well be the same song.
"One More Night" is hilarious. It gets points of saxophone, but loses them again for fading out.
"Sussudio" is a fluoro body suit doing jazzercise. I can't possibly take it seriously.
"A Groovy Kind Of Love" is interesting for its combination of slow ballad music and bubblegum pop lyrics. It's like a parody cover of a funk song played at 1/4 time. It could almost be 10cc's "I'm Not In Love".
And finally, of course, "In The Air Tonight", the best epic build-up in music history, despite the double sin of a fade in AND fade out. Everyone talks about the drums, but that bass line is incredible. If you don't count the LONG fade-out, the "bit everyone loves" is barely a quarter of the song. The fade out comes way too soon, but only enhances the enormity of what Phil just did to your head forcing you to wait for those drums to kick in. It really is brilliant.
5/10: I don't like best-ofs. They're supposed to be "the best", and yet somehow I always struggle to like half the songs. I think the combination of too much quality raises the bar too far. Further, they're often "number one hits" which means they sold well, not a good indication of quality.
In this case I like less than half, and mostly out of some strange nostalgia for the production of yesteryear. "In The Air Tonight" is almost worth the price though given how cheap I got this for, and "Another Day In Paradise", "Easy Lover" and "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven" are nice bonuses.
[1977] David Bowie, 'Heroes'
What: David Bowie's 12th album. Second of the Berlin Trilogy. Has one of his most famous songs on it.
Why?: I avoided David Bowie for a long time for stupid but obvious reasons. I eventually grew to like his 90s/00s era after hearing a tape of "Earthling". Only very recently, after reading a biography, have I started to fill in the early-years gaps with the "most recommended" albums. "Heroes" is my most recent David Bowie album purchase.
More!: The first few listens of "Heroes" didn't impress, but this time around I paid more attention and found a lot to like.
The opening track, "Beauty and the Beast", is excellent with it's tape noise intro, warped keyboard riff, effected drums and keyboard solos that sound like guitars (or are they guitars that sound like keyboards?), and is that a flute solo?
Clearly "Heroes" is brilliant. I always find myself listening out for the "famous" vocal effect, and every time find myself thinking why not just do it in a couple of takes with different effects on each?...
"Blackout" has a great rant bit in the middle, "get me to the doctor!" which reminds me of some of his later material. I like the crazy keyboard solo that continues under the verse. Interesting song structure.
The second half of the album is what any lazy reviewer (me) would call "soundtrack" music. "V-2 Schneider" with lyrics as-per-title, is great, but the next three songs ("Sense Of Doubt", "Moss Garden" and "Neuköln") are best listened together as one song. I'm never impressed by descending-keys, bits of noise in the background, songs, but by "Neuköln" is begins to work, with the addition of a sax solo and guitars.
The album ends with the excellent "The Secret Life of Arabia", a song which sounds exactly like "80s Bowie" in my head. It's unfortunately placed though as the soundtrack/instrumental tracks really should have ended the album.
If I were to build my own version of "Heroes" I'd play "Beauty and the Beast", "Heroes", "Blackout", "The Secret Life of Arabia", "V-2 Schneider", followed by the three instrumental tracks.
5/10: There is some great stuff on here, but it seems like half an album. Ideas... I much prefer the majority of the other Bowie albums I have.
Why?: I avoided David Bowie for a long time for stupid but obvious reasons. I eventually grew to like his 90s/00s era after hearing a tape of "Earthling". Only very recently, after reading a biography, have I started to fill in the early-years gaps with the "most recommended" albums. "Heroes" is my most recent David Bowie album purchase.
More!: The first few listens of "Heroes" didn't impress, but this time around I paid more attention and found a lot to like.
The opening track, "Beauty and the Beast", is excellent with it's tape noise intro, warped keyboard riff, effected drums and keyboard solos that sound like guitars (or are they guitars that sound like keyboards?), and is that a flute solo?
Clearly "Heroes" is brilliant. I always find myself listening out for the "famous" vocal effect, and every time find myself thinking why not just do it in a couple of takes with different effects on each?...
"Blackout" has a great rant bit in the middle, "get me to the doctor!" which reminds me of some of his later material. I like the crazy keyboard solo that continues under the verse. Interesting song structure.
The second half of the album is what any lazy reviewer (me) would call "soundtrack" music. "V-2 Schneider" with lyrics as-per-title, is great, but the next three songs ("Sense Of Doubt", "Moss Garden" and "Neuköln") are best listened together as one song. I'm never impressed by descending-keys, bits of noise in the background, songs, but by "Neuköln" is begins to work, with the addition of a sax solo and guitars.
The album ends with the excellent "The Secret Life of Arabia", a song which sounds exactly like "80s Bowie" in my head. It's unfortunately placed though as the soundtrack/instrumental tracks really should have ended the album.
If I were to build my own version of "Heroes" I'd play "Beauty and the Beast", "Heroes", "Blackout", "The Secret Life of Arabia", "V-2 Schneider", followed by the three instrumental tracks.
5/10: There is some great stuff on here, but it seems like half an album. Ideas... I much prefer the majority of the other Bowie albums I have.
[1999] Regurgitator, '...Art'
What: Regurgitator's third album and last with Martin Lee on drums, coming after their insanely successful "Unit" album.
Why: Love Regurgitator. Buy all the Regurgitator things.
MORE!: It's been a while since I've given "...Art" a spin. Heath and I used to jam on "I Wanna Be A Nudist" because it's perfect, but not much else from this album stuck in my musical memory over the years.
Happiness, and Freshmint!, are both nothing pop songs. The Happiness chorus is monotonous, and yes that's the point ("rotting my brain once again...") but it's not much fun.
I still like "Ghost" but Heath always hated it, until he decided it was a Foo Fighters parody.
"Strange Human Being" is a nice surprise to the memory. I love the rediculous "BREAK!" bit, the "breaking CD" effects at the end, the NO REALLY THIS BE A BEAT beat, Quan's almost speaking slow rap, and the deliberately awful backing vocal nah-nah loops,
"I Like Repetitive Music" outlives its joke very quickly. Quan's probably deliberately sounding bored in his rap, but it just sounds sloppy and rushed.
"Art" is another "Unit", silly noises, silly keyboards. On hearing this I start to form a theory they just tried to recreate "Unit" with this album. The rap songs, the 80s sounds, the epic sound scape last song...
"Feels Alright!" (two exclamation marks on this album!) is unashamed disco, and I love the Ween like effects on the vocals. "I Love Tommy Mottola" is probably rather clever in it's mocking of the music label boss, but I never quite pick it up. It's 50's reverb vibe and catchy chorus are fun though.
I always hated the "R U Being Served" theme remix. Still do.
I'd completely forgotten about "Obtusian", because it's pretty average. I notice it's the only writing credit for Martin Lee, so I feel a little guilty for not thinking much of it.
The album ends with it's two best songs (ignoring "Nudist"). Firstly, "Lonely Guy" is the precursor to Quan's solo career, the 80s feel of later albums and solo tracks. The keyboard riff and backward drum snap are perfect, as are the bubblegum chorus, and of course it ends with a key change.
"Virtual Life" is reverb drenched, echoy, epic. It's not quite "Another Beautiful Story" but it's very close. Love it.
The album is capped off with a hidden track, a stupid metal song, made up of obviously pasted together looped riffs, full-on hair metal solos and a very bored sounding "yay" for a chorus. Fun stuff.
6/10: I sounded pretty negative, but fan-boy, so it's hard to give "...Art" a 5. "Nudist" really is perfect Ben-song-Regurgitator, and I adore some of the songs. A lot of "...Art" does feel a bit lazy though, and it says much that Regurgitator don't play any of this album any more... except "Nudist".
Why: Love Regurgitator. Buy all the Regurgitator things.
MORE!: It's been a while since I've given "...Art" a spin. Heath and I used to jam on "I Wanna Be A Nudist" because it's perfect, but not much else from this album stuck in my musical memory over the years.
Happiness, and Freshmint!, are both nothing pop songs. The Happiness chorus is monotonous, and yes that's the point ("rotting my brain once again...") but it's not much fun.
I still like "Ghost" but Heath always hated it, until he decided it was a Foo Fighters parody.
"Strange Human Being" is a nice surprise to the memory. I love the rediculous "BREAK!" bit, the "breaking CD" effects at the end, the NO REALLY THIS BE A BEAT beat, Quan's almost speaking slow rap, and the deliberately awful backing vocal nah-nah loops,
"I Like Repetitive Music" outlives its joke very quickly. Quan's probably deliberately sounding bored in his rap, but it just sounds sloppy and rushed.
"Art" is another "Unit", silly noises, silly keyboards. On hearing this I start to form a theory they just tried to recreate "Unit" with this album. The rap songs, the 80s sounds, the epic sound scape last song...
"Feels Alright!" (two exclamation marks on this album!) is unashamed disco, and I love the Ween like effects on the vocals. "I Love Tommy Mottola" is probably rather clever in it's mocking of the music label boss, but I never quite pick it up. It's 50's reverb vibe and catchy chorus are fun though.
I always hated the "R U Being Served" theme remix. Still do.
I'd completely forgotten about "Obtusian", because it's pretty average. I notice it's the only writing credit for Martin Lee, so I feel a little guilty for not thinking much of it.
The album ends with it's two best songs (ignoring "Nudist"). Firstly, "Lonely Guy" is the precursor to Quan's solo career, the 80s feel of later albums and solo tracks. The keyboard riff and backward drum snap are perfect, as are the bubblegum chorus, and of course it ends with a key change.
"Virtual Life" is reverb drenched, echoy, epic. It's not quite "Another Beautiful Story" but it's very close. Love it.
The album is capped off with a hidden track, a stupid metal song, made up of obviously pasted together looped riffs, full-on hair metal solos and a very bored sounding "yay" for a chorus. Fun stuff.
6/10: I sounded pretty negative, but fan-boy, so it's hard to give "...Art" a 5. "Nudist" really is perfect Ben-song-Regurgitator, and I adore some of the songs. A lot of "...Art" does feel a bit lazy though, and it says much that Regurgitator don't play any of this album any more... except "Nudist".
[1988] Metallica, '...And Justice For All'
You know how I swapped to reviewing in title-order instead of in artist-order to prevent artist burn-out? Well look at me reviewing two Metallica CDs in a row, and in release order. Magic!
What: Metallica's fourth album. The first with replacement bass player Jason. The first without major song-writer Cliff Burton. The first where James' voice almost matures. The first with a music video. Their first mega single. Their first almost Grammy win. The last before they sold out. The last before they spawned an album that almost ruined metal.
Why?: When I first gained a disposable income I visited JB HiFi (strategically placed across the road from work) and bought all of the albums of the bands I liked. "...And Justice For All" was in that pile, having listened a couple of versions of it to death on cassette.
Tell Me More: I've always held out this dream that one day we'll get a 10th or 20th or 30th anniversary edition of "...And Justice For All" fully remastered with the bass added back in. I had thought it was merely a rumour that Jason's bass was deliberately removed from the final mix, but Mike Wall's recent biography of Metallica practically confirmed it. I had always thought that Jason's bass must be awesome and one day we'll hear it. Mike Wall quotes someone (engineer?) who says there is some amazing bass playing buried in there somewhere. Recent interviews with Jason (who has come out of hiding after years of physio to fix his body after too much brutal rocking... no really) have him admitting his bass playing on "...And Justice" wasn't too special. He claims he recorded it all by himself and just "played what James played". This is too hard to believe... one day I hope to hear it to judge for myself.
I recently re-listened to all of Metallica's albums chronologically, just to remind myself of their 30 year legacy, and to torture myself with Reload (easily their worst album by far). So I've heard "...And Justice For All" quite recently, but regardless, I listened to it again in full for this review.
"Justice" is one of those albums that I've heard, and loved, for so long, that I really struggle to listen to it. I know it so well, I fade it out without thinking, like the sounds of my breath or heartbeat. I find myself zoning out, waking up ten minutes later surprised that the title track is still going.
I tried really hard, listening three times in a row, to objectively listen to "...And Justice For All" again. Blackened is still brilliant, the introduction one of the best metal album introductions ever. The title track, while possibly a little long, is still great. One, obviously. And the album ends with my favourite metal double act, "To Live Is To Die" and "Dyers Eve".
The other tracks aren't terrible, but they suffer slightly from length, or sunburn from the brilliance of the other tracks. I love intro to "Eye of the Beholder", the way the melody fights its way through the rhythm. I love pretty much every guitar solo. I love every riff! The Thin Lizzy harmonizing guitars. The fact the whole album is slowed down, clearly played metal riffs, deliberately not thrash.
Yes there is no bass, and yes that was deliberate, but the mix is one that heavily influenced my guitar playing. The constant bassy palm muting filling the space bass should have been confused the heck out of me for years. I could never figure out how their guitars sounded so awesome.
Listening again carefully I notice all sorts of things I'd forgotten. Harmonising vocals in "One". The silly demon howl at the start of "Harvester Of Sorrow". The great little drum highlights Lars throws in every now and then.
Trying to be deliberately negative I can find a lot wrong with this album. James sings like a teenager trying to sound tough but somehow gets away with it. Lars' drums are SLOPPY by any modern standard, especially the kick drum, and you feel he could break his kick down to a kick, a snare and he'd be happy. Many of the songs suffer not from one-too-many-verse syndrome but one-too-many-minutes-of-that-riff. They're lucky the riff is so brilliant... They repeat the exact same sin on "St. Anger" and "Death Magnetic" and on those albums it is unforgivable.
Lars' drums may be rough, but he often plays with the guitars, emphasising the riffs, making them the kings of the album. Even James' vocals and lyrics, which are the last time we'll hear his voice sound remotely like this, are playing second fiddle to the riffs.
I could try to put myself in the shoes of an early fan and think of this album as a sell out, but it's hard. Such thoughts are easy for the Black album, but less so with Justice. Perhaps if I really wanted thrash I'd hate the slow tempos. Obviously Cliff is severely missed, the lack of his bass melodies completely changes Metallica's sound.
It's a surprisingly under-produced album, and it works well. Most of the time it sounds like two guitar players, singer and drummer, with occasional backing-vocals, jamming in a hut. The sound is easily reproduced live, the bass player can take an opportunity to have a nap.
8/10: I love this album, more than I let myself remember. It's full of flaws, but it influenced everything ever since, maybe as much as the Black album.
What: Metallica's fourth album. The first with replacement bass player Jason. The first without major song-writer Cliff Burton. The first where James' voice almost matures. The first with a music video. Their first mega single. Their first almost Grammy win. The last before they sold out. The last before they spawned an album that almost ruined metal.
Why?: When I first gained a disposable income I visited JB HiFi (strategically placed across the road from work) and bought all of the albums of the bands I liked. "...And Justice For All" was in that pile, having listened a couple of versions of it to death on cassette.
Tell Me More: I've always held out this dream that one day we'll get a 10th or 20th or 30th anniversary edition of "...And Justice For All" fully remastered with the bass added back in. I had thought it was merely a rumour that Jason's bass was deliberately removed from the final mix, but Mike Wall's recent biography of Metallica practically confirmed it. I had always thought that Jason's bass must be awesome and one day we'll hear it. Mike Wall quotes someone (engineer?) who says there is some amazing bass playing buried in there somewhere. Recent interviews with Jason (who has come out of hiding after years of physio to fix his body after too much brutal rocking... no really) have him admitting his bass playing on "...And Justice" wasn't too special. He claims he recorded it all by himself and just "played what James played". This is too hard to believe... one day I hope to hear it to judge for myself.
I recently re-listened to all of Metallica's albums chronologically, just to remind myself of their 30 year legacy, and to torture myself with Reload (easily their worst album by far). So I've heard "...And Justice For All" quite recently, but regardless, I listened to it again in full for this review.
"Justice" is one of those albums that I've heard, and loved, for so long, that I really struggle to listen to it. I know it so well, I fade it out without thinking, like the sounds of my breath or heartbeat. I find myself zoning out, waking up ten minutes later surprised that the title track is still going.
I tried really hard, listening three times in a row, to objectively listen to "...And Justice For All" again. Blackened is still brilliant, the introduction one of the best metal album introductions ever. The title track, while possibly a little long, is still great. One, obviously. And the album ends with my favourite metal double act, "To Live Is To Die" and "Dyers Eve".
The other tracks aren't terrible, but they suffer slightly from length, or sunburn from the brilliance of the other tracks. I love intro to "Eye of the Beholder", the way the melody fights its way through the rhythm. I love pretty much every guitar solo. I love every riff! The Thin Lizzy harmonizing guitars. The fact the whole album is slowed down, clearly played metal riffs, deliberately not thrash.
Yes there is no bass, and yes that was deliberate, but the mix is one that heavily influenced my guitar playing. The constant bassy palm muting filling the space bass should have been confused the heck out of me for years. I could never figure out how their guitars sounded so awesome.
Listening again carefully I notice all sorts of things I'd forgotten. Harmonising vocals in "One". The silly demon howl at the start of "Harvester Of Sorrow". The great little drum highlights Lars throws in every now and then.
Trying to be deliberately negative I can find a lot wrong with this album. James sings like a teenager trying to sound tough but somehow gets away with it. Lars' drums are SLOPPY by any modern standard, especially the kick drum, and you feel he could break his kick down to a kick, a snare and he'd be happy. Many of the songs suffer not from one-too-many-verse syndrome but one-too-many-minutes-of-that-riff. They're lucky the riff is so brilliant... They repeat the exact same sin on "St. Anger" and "Death Magnetic" and on those albums it is unforgivable.
Lars' drums may be rough, but he often plays with the guitars, emphasising the riffs, making them the kings of the album. Even James' vocals and lyrics, which are the last time we'll hear his voice sound remotely like this, are playing second fiddle to the riffs.
I could try to put myself in the shoes of an early fan and think of this album as a sell out, but it's hard. Such thoughts are easy for the Black album, but less so with Justice. Perhaps if I really wanted thrash I'd hate the slow tempos. Obviously Cliff is severely missed, the lack of his bass melodies completely changes Metallica's sound.
It's a surprisingly under-produced album, and it works well. Most of the time it sounds like two guitar players, singer and drummer, with occasional backing-vocals, jamming in a hut. The sound is easily reproduced live, the bass player can take an opportunity to have a nap.
8/10: I love this album, more than I let myself remember. It's full of flaws, but it influenced everything ever since, maybe as much as the Black album.
[1987] Metallica, 'The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited'
tl;dr: One of many reminders why 80's Metallica were as good a cover band as they were an originals act.
What?: Covers EP, the first release with new bass player Jason. All tracks are from New Wave Of British Heavy Metal acts, all of whom heavily influenced Metallica. "Re-Revisited" as the cover songs on their "Creeping Death/Jump In The Fire" EP were the original "Garage Days Revisited" sessions.
Why?: That's slightly complicated. I own "Garage Inc.", the 1998 covers compilation which includes all of these tracks and more, but my copy (and I believe most others?) has a manufacturing error in "Green Hell". Further, this CD was for most of my record collecting life the "holy grail" of Metallica CDs, most often bootlegged, usually priced at $200 of more. When I saw it at a second-hand market for $10 I grabbed it, no matter how scratched up it was.
Tell me more!: One of the elements I love the most about these tracks is the audible bass. It gives me a small glance at what "...And Justice For All" might have sounded like without the band deliberately removing Jason from the mix. To me it sounds brilliant, adding a harder edged dirty punk element to Metallica's sound.
Metallica are often called the world's best metal cover band. I think that is way overstated by fan-boys, but they are very good at taking seriously rough tracks and making them great. Diamond Head are the best example, with Metallica covering damn near the whole "Lightning to the Nations" album during their career. That album is fantastic and I highly recommend it. I think it's the clearest example of pre-existing Metallica sounding songs.
Diamond Head's "Helpless" is first on the EP and sounds epic with the Metallica sound. Holocaust's "The Small Hours" introduction riff and drum beat are so un-Metallica I still get a thrill listening to them, but I have to say I've never much liked James' singing on the track. The guitar solo in the middle-8 though is amazing. James' voice is hidden slightly by effects in Killing Joke's "The Wait" and I think it helps. Budgie's "Crash Course in Brain Surgery" is no "Breadfan" but again it's the solo and crazy bass middle-8 that saves the day.
Finally Misfits' "Last Caress" and "Green Hell". I knew of Last Caress from live recordings of Metallica well before I heard this version, and to this day it still sounds a bit slow and strange with James' '87 voice compared to their early 90's rendition. Live they usually followed "Last Caress" with "Am I Evil" so I'm still surprised to hear "Green Hell" kick in.
And now that I've finally, as of the last year or so, heard some Iron Maiden, I finally understand the horrible riff they play at the end of the EP... I've got to say, even now I don't really don't like "Run To The Hills"...
6/10: It's hard to review this, as I'd generally recommend someone buy "Garage Inc." as it comes with plenty more excellent cover tracks and rounds out the listening experience a little better.
By itself though, the "Re-Revisited" tracks still hold up. It's a great little package, and if it doesn't prompt you to track down one of the bands covered (Diamond Head!) and listen some more there is something wrong with you. The internet removes all excuses of obscurity.
What?: Covers EP, the first release with new bass player Jason. All tracks are from New Wave Of British Heavy Metal acts, all of whom heavily influenced Metallica. "Re-Revisited" as the cover songs on their "Creeping Death/Jump In The Fire" EP were the original "Garage Days Revisited" sessions.
Why?: That's slightly complicated. I own "Garage Inc.", the 1998 covers compilation which includes all of these tracks and more, but my copy (and I believe most others?) has a manufacturing error in "Green Hell". Further, this CD was for most of my record collecting life the "holy grail" of Metallica CDs, most often bootlegged, usually priced at $200 of more. When I saw it at a second-hand market for $10 I grabbed it, no matter how scratched up it was.
Tell me more!: One of the elements I love the most about these tracks is the audible bass. It gives me a small glance at what "...And Justice For All" might have sounded like without the band deliberately removing Jason from the mix. To me it sounds brilliant, adding a harder edged dirty punk element to Metallica's sound.
Metallica are often called the world's best metal cover band. I think that is way overstated by fan-boys, but they are very good at taking seriously rough tracks and making them great. Diamond Head are the best example, with Metallica covering damn near the whole "Lightning to the Nations" album during their career. That album is fantastic and I highly recommend it. I think it's the clearest example of pre-existing Metallica sounding songs.
Diamond Head's "Helpless" is first on the EP and sounds epic with the Metallica sound. Holocaust's "The Small Hours" introduction riff and drum beat are so un-Metallica I still get a thrill listening to them, but I have to say I've never much liked James' singing on the track. The guitar solo in the middle-8 though is amazing. James' voice is hidden slightly by effects in Killing Joke's "The Wait" and I think it helps. Budgie's "Crash Course in Brain Surgery" is no "Breadfan" but again it's the solo and crazy bass middle-8 that saves the day.
Finally Misfits' "Last Caress" and "Green Hell". I knew of Last Caress from live recordings of Metallica well before I heard this version, and to this day it still sounds a bit slow and strange with James' '87 voice compared to their early 90's rendition. Live they usually followed "Last Caress" with "Am I Evil" so I'm still surprised to hear "Green Hell" kick in.
And now that I've finally, as of the last year or so, heard some Iron Maiden, I finally understand the horrible riff they play at the end of the EP... I've got to say, even now I don't really don't like "Run To The Hills"...
6/10: It's hard to review this, as I'd generally recommend someone buy "Garage Inc." as it comes with plenty more excellent cover tracks and rounds out the listening experience a little better.
By itself though, the "Re-Revisited" tracks still hold up. It's a great little package, and if it doesn't prompt you to track down one of the bands covered (Diamond Head!) and listen some more there is something wrong with you. The internet removes all excuses of obscurity.
[2005] Regurgitator, '#?*!' (aka 'Pillowhead EP')
I'm moving from reviewing in artist order to reviewing in title order. This prevents artist burnout, although this means I'll be doing Regurgitator's "...Art" soon, so maybe not.
Anyway, first up, "#?*!", aka "Pillowhead".
tl;dr: A single for "Pretty Girls Swear" in everything but name. Four of the five tracks are worth listening to. Recommended for Regurgitator fans... otherwise?
What?: EP released after Regurgitator's Band In The Bubble album "Mish Mash".
Why?: Regurgitator are one of my "don't even ask" bands. I've bought everything they've released since the 90s and will continue to do so until I die.
Tell me more!: Regurgitator's Band In The Bubble experiment happened in my home town of Melbourne, so I was able to go and visit them make the Mish Mash album. I didn't have cable TV so I couldn't watch them, Big Brother style, from home, but visiting and watching through the glass was a lot of fun. I saw a number of songs being recorded, including "Sent By God To Get You Off" found on the album and this EP (although the version on the EP is much shorter as the version on the album is last on the CD and includes the traditional "hidden track").
One of the songs friends spoke a lot about at the time was "Pretty Girls Swear", because Regurgitator asked members of the Spazzys to come down to the bubble to record backing vocals for this song, and it involved a lot of swearing and screaming. Imagine the disappointment when it wasn't on the album.
This EP rectifies that problem, and also includes one of my favourite Regurgitator b-sides, "The Rock", a rockin' little slice of drum beat, echo Ben vocals and guitar feedback.
Regurgitator b-sides have a special place in my heart and I'm absolutely devastated that the single format is gone, meaning rarely will I hear a non-album Regurgitator track again. In fact, the Pillowhead EP is the last Regurgitator release we've seen that could be described as a single with b-sides.
"Pillowhead Orchestra" is thirty plus minutes of someone messing about with a keyboard and some loops. It's pleasantly-background and ambient but hardly worth mentioning. It does feed nicely into the Dub mix of "Send By God" which is beautifully understated with some lovely bass, and the vocals mixed backwards, much like the original drums. I love it.
6/10: Pretty Girls Swear isn't my favourite song in the world, but it's OK. I absolutely love Sent By God, but it's found on the album. The Dub mix is definitely worth owning, and it's hard to ignore almost my favourite Regurgitator track. 6 out of 10 is probably overly generous but I admit to significant fanboy bias.
Anyway, first up, "#?*!", aka "Pillowhead".
tl;dr: A single for "Pretty Girls Swear" in everything but name. Four of the five tracks are worth listening to. Recommended for Regurgitator fans... otherwise?
What?: EP released after Regurgitator's Band In The Bubble album "Mish Mash".
Why?: Regurgitator are one of my "don't even ask" bands. I've bought everything they've released since the 90s and will continue to do so until I die.
Tell me more!: Regurgitator's Band In The Bubble experiment happened in my home town of Melbourne, so I was able to go and visit them make the Mish Mash album. I didn't have cable TV so I couldn't watch them, Big Brother style, from home, but visiting and watching through the glass was a lot of fun. I saw a number of songs being recorded, including "Sent By God To Get You Off" found on the album and this EP (although the version on the EP is much shorter as the version on the album is last on the CD and includes the traditional "hidden track").
One of the songs friends spoke a lot about at the time was "Pretty Girls Swear", because Regurgitator asked members of the Spazzys to come down to the bubble to record backing vocals for this song, and it involved a lot of swearing and screaming. Imagine the disappointment when it wasn't on the album.
This EP rectifies that problem, and also includes one of my favourite Regurgitator b-sides, "The Rock", a rockin' little slice of drum beat, echo Ben vocals and guitar feedback.
Regurgitator b-sides have a special place in my heart and I'm absolutely devastated that the single format is gone, meaning rarely will I hear a non-album Regurgitator track again. In fact, the Pillowhead EP is the last Regurgitator release we've seen that could be described as a single with b-sides.
"Pillowhead Orchestra" is thirty plus minutes of someone messing about with a keyboard and some loops. It's pleasantly-background and ambient but hardly worth mentioning. It does feed nicely into the Dub mix of "Send By God" which is beautifully understated with some lovely bass, and the vocals mixed backwards, much like the original drums. I love it.
6/10: Pretty Girls Swear isn't my favourite song in the world, but it's OK. I absolutely love Sent By God, but it's found on the album. The Dub mix is definitely worth owning, and it's hard to ignore almost my favourite Regurgitator track. 6 out of 10 is probably overly generous but I admit to significant fanboy bias.
[2003] Ace Sounds, 'Still Hungry'
tl;dr: Mixed bag of solo project songs with some known and unknown guest vocalists, some of which work, most of which are forgettable.
What?: Solo album by Ace, guitarist for British Skunk Anansie.
Why?: I'm a big fan of Skunk Anansie, particularly the guitar work and was interested in hearing what direction Ace would go without being held back.
Tell me more!: On my initial purchase and listens I didn't think much of it and forgot all about it. But I've attempted this "listen to everything" malarkey many times before, and as "Ace" is up early, I've made myself listen to this album many a time since.
Regardless of the number of listens, almost none of the songs stick in my head. Some are familiar from relistens, but in a few days those melodies will fade. Catachiness matters because these are meant to be pop songs. There is nothing here that isn't aiming for single-dom.
I like that the styles of the songs vary so much, from straight out poprock to hip hop to ballad, and a varied number of singers, about half and half male/female, keeps it interesting.
A track by track is worth doing if only because they're all so varied.
01) "Jet From California" (featuring Jason Perry of A)
This vocalist who I've not heard of, remind's me a lot of Jane's Addition's Perry Farrell, and the music has that 90s "alternative" pop-rock feel to it... but I don't like it. This song starting up the album always puts me in the wrong mood for enjoying. I really should skip it.
02) "Back Up" (featuring Benji Webbe of Dub War/Skindred)
I knew Dub War's Enemy Maker when I bought this album, and on first listen I didn't think a lot of this song compared to that. With fresh ears this song is pretty good, with a much heavier feeling than I remember Dub War having, which Benji ended up moving to with Skindred. It feels a bit like opportunity lost as the production doesn't have anywhere near the punch I think they were going for.
03) "One Way Love" (featuring Lemmy) Lemmy, of Motorhead, who I didn't know when I bought this album. I do now, and this could be a Motorhead song, slowed down. Really it could even be a Skunk Anansie song with different emphasis, but not a very good one.
04) "There's No Pleasin' Some People" (featuring Saffron) Saffron was in Republica, and you might have heard her in The Prodigy's "Fuel My Fire" from Fat Of The Land. This is a pretty funky song, and reminds me of a few bands from the late 90s, none of which I can name now. It ends with a great lyric which feels almost like a veiled dig at the song itself, "screaming endings are better than endless screaming."
05) "No Fear of Falling" (featuring Shingai Shoniwa)
The first of two songs with Shingai, bass and vocals of Noisettes. Both of her songs are mellow acoustic ballads and are the two songs that sound the most like Skunk Anansie. This is the best of the two, probably the best of the whole album. Shingai even sounds a little like Skin, but phrases things a little differently and lets her voice break up occasionally for effect, and the chorus is more melodic and interesting than I'd expect from a Skunk Anansie song.
06) "Skiers of Texas" (featuring JJ Burnel)
JJ, bass and vocals of The Stranglers. JJ does some great lower range singing at the beginning of this song, but ultimately it sounds much like the Lemmy song but with a more pop chorus. This, like most of the song, suffer greatly from too-much-going-on with little noises in the background, drum loop and filter tricks, all hiding the fact the main riff really isn't all that interesting.
07) "Glass Ceiling" (featuring Ben Edwards) Ben Edwards of Miocene. They're some British "experimental metal" band apparently. You'd never know it from this song because the verse sounds like a failed attempt at Trent Reznor, and the chorus is about as clichéd as they get for metal, but perhaps 10 years ago it wasn't? I hate this song.
08) "Your Face Hurts" (featuring Brian "Yap" Barry of One Minute Silence)
09) "45 Grave" (featuring Cliff Jones, of Gay Dad)
I lump these two together because they're both equally ignorable. This is the sound I describe as late 90s/early 00s. I have trouble even describing it. I never liked it.
10) "Prisoner" (featuring Skye)
On relisten to this Morcheeba popped into my head, and it is no surprise to discover Skye is their vocalist. More late 90s feel, again with the overworked drum filters and noisy gutiars as background filler.
11) "This Is the Last Time" (featuring Smokey Bandits)
This is more like it, more hip hop, and of a kind I like with electronic blips, guitars and fast British accents. They say "Lahst" not "Laast". Love it, although possibly the rapping is a little rushed. I'm reminded of album version of Adam Freeland's "Heel N Toe", if it had more guitars.
12) "Mind's Taken Over" (featuring Kim Nail)
I love the verse of this, they're disjointed somehow, like Kim is singing to a different song, but the choruses just don't work. It's a pity... half a good song. I struggled to find anything about Kim on the webs. She has a lovely voice. This song has a weird outro, much like many Skunk Anansie songs.
13) "Phoenix" (featuring Shingai Shoniwa)
The second of Shingai's songs, another acoustic ballad. Almost seems as though it might build up to a huge chorus but it doesn't. The lesser of two of the better tracks.
14) "We Be" (featuring Smokey Bandits)
Another Smokey Bandits song, and it feels a little out of place here, sounding like an attempt at a D12 parody. It almost works, but they're can't compete with Dr. Dre production.
5/10: Every time I've listened to this album over the past ten years I've come out of it disappointed. "No Fear of Falling" is a lovely song and I'd recommend you go listen to that on iTunes. Benji or Lemmy fans might like their collaboration tracks, but I can't say they're really that good. Some of the other tracks are listenable but not memorable.
What?: Solo album by Ace, guitarist for British Skunk Anansie.
Why?: I'm a big fan of Skunk Anansie, particularly the guitar work and was interested in hearing what direction Ace would go without being held back.
Tell me more!: On my initial purchase and listens I didn't think much of it and forgot all about it. But I've attempted this "listen to everything" malarkey many times before, and as "Ace" is up early, I've made myself listen to this album many a time since.
Regardless of the number of listens, almost none of the songs stick in my head. Some are familiar from relistens, but in a few days those melodies will fade. Catachiness matters because these are meant to be pop songs. There is nothing here that isn't aiming for single-dom.
I like that the styles of the songs vary so much, from straight out poprock to hip hop to ballad, and a varied number of singers, about half and half male/female, keeps it interesting.
A track by track is worth doing if only because they're all so varied.
01) "Jet From California" (featuring Jason Perry of A)
This vocalist who I've not heard of, remind's me a lot of Jane's Addition's Perry Farrell, and the music has that 90s "alternative" pop-rock feel to it... but I don't like it. This song starting up the album always puts me in the wrong mood for enjoying. I really should skip it.
02) "Back Up" (featuring Benji Webbe of Dub War/Skindred)
I knew Dub War's Enemy Maker when I bought this album, and on first listen I didn't think a lot of this song compared to that. With fresh ears this song is pretty good, with a much heavier feeling than I remember Dub War having, which Benji ended up moving to with Skindred. It feels a bit like opportunity lost as the production doesn't have anywhere near the punch I think they were going for.
03) "One Way Love" (featuring Lemmy) Lemmy, of Motorhead, who I didn't know when I bought this album. I do now, and this could be a Motorhead song, slowed down. Really it could even be a Skunk Anansie song with different emphasis, but not a very good one.
04) "There's No Pleasin' Some People" (featuring Saffron) Saffron was in Republica, and you might have heard her in The Prodigy's "Fuel My Fire" from Fat Of The Land. This is a pretty funky song, and reminds me of a few bands from the late 90s, none of which I can name now. It ends with a great lyric which feels almost like a veiled dig at the song itself, "screaming endings are better than endless screaming."
05) "No Fear of Falling" (featuring Shingai Shoniwa)
The first of two songs with Shingai, bass and vocals of Noisettes. Both of her songs are mellow acoustic ballads and are the two songs that sound the most like Skunk Anansie. This is the best of the two, probably the best of the whole album. Shingai even sounds a little like Skin, but phrases things a little differently and lets her voice break up occasionally for effect, and the chorus is more melodic and interesting than I'd expect from a Skunk Anansie song.
06) "Skiers of Texas" (featuring JJ Burnel)
JJ, bass and vocals of The Stranglers. JJ does some great lower range singing at the beginning of this song, but ultimately it sounds much like the Lemmy song but with a more pop chorus. This, like most of the song, suffer greatly from too-much-going-on with little noises in the background, drum loop and filter tricks, all hiding the fact the main riff really isn't all that interesting.
07) "Glass Ceiling" (featuring Ben Edwards) Ben Edwards of Miocene. They're some British "experimental metal" band apparently. You'd never know it from this song because the verse sounds like a failed attempt at Trent Reznor, and the chorus is about as clichéd as they get for metal, but perhaps 10 years ago it wasn't? I hate this song.
08) "Your Face Hurts" (featuring Brian "Yap" Barry of One Minute Silence)
09) "45 Grave" (featuring Cliff Jones, of Gay Dad)
I lump these two together because they're both equally ignorable. This is the sound I describe as late 90s/early 00s. I have trouble even describing it. I never liked it.
10) "Prisoner" (featuring Skye)
On relisten to this Morcheeba popped into my head, and it is no surprise to discover Skye is their vocalist. More late 90s feel, again with the overworked drum filters and noisy gutiars as background filler.
11) "This Is the Last Time" (featuring Smokey Bandits)
This is more like it, more hip hop, and of a kind I like with electronic blips, guitars and fast British accents. They say "Lahst" not "Laast". Love it, although possibly the rapping is a little rushed. I'm reminded of album version of Adam Freeland's "Heel N Toe", if it had more guitars.
12) "Mind's Taken Over" (featuring Kim Nail)
I love the verse of this, they're disjointed somehow, like Kim is singing to a different song, but the choruses just don't work. It's a pity... half a good song. I struggled to find anything about Kim on the webs. She has a lovely voice. This song has a weird outro, much like many Skunk Anansie songs.
13) "Phoenix" (featuring Shingai Shoniwa)
The second of Shingai's songs, another acoustic ballad. Almost seems as though it might build up to a huge chorus but it doesn't. The lesser of two of the better tracks.
14) "We Be" (featuring Smokey Bandits)
Another Smokey Bandits song, and it feels a little out of place here, sounding like an attempt at a D12 parody. It almost works, but they're can't compete with Dr. Dre production.
5/10: Every time I've listened to this album over the past ten years I've come out of it disappointed. "No Fear of Falling" is a lovely song and I'd recommend you go listen to that on iTunes. Benji or Lemmy fans might like their collaboration tracks, but I can't say they're really that good. Some of the other tracks are listenable but not memorable.
[2011] Absu, 'Abzu'
tl;dr: Very fast speed metal that kept my interest with some incredible riffing, avoidance of too many blast beats, and a pleasantly short playing time.
What?: The second of a planned "come back" trilogy of albums by Texas extreme metal band Absu.
Why?: Someone at work lent me a pile of music to listen to. This stuck out as being of particularly high quality. I also had the privilege of seeing the band live in early 2012 and they were incredible.
Tell me more!: I really enjoy this album. It's full of amazingly clear speed metal riffs and some great acoustic work, varied enough to constantly keep my interest until suddenly it's over, not overstaying it's welcome after a short 36 minutes. I almost always listen to it twice.
They are an incredible live band, almost as tight as they are on the CD. When I saw them at the East Brunswick I was surprised to see they were a three piece, with a singing drummer.
The band have, according to most reviews and Wikipedia, as very deep and well thought out philosophy behind their albums. This album is the second of a trilogy. To be honest, I don't want to know. One of my favourite bands (Secret Chiefs 3) have a similarly long explanation behind their music but... I just don't care. One day, maybe.
The music is great, why read?
Live, the drummer talks the same way he sings, which is a bit like a someone trying to sound like a demon. This is hilarious. I'm sure there is a note of humour behind this band. The first song on the album starts with a very high scream from the singer that at most is deliberately funny, at worst is deliberately fun. Surely?
The production is spot-on, reproducing their live sound perfectly. The guitars are raw but clear. Rarely (never?) doubled. Sometimes some keyboard will fill the gaps but rarely.
There are six songs on this disc, but I couldn't tell you which was which. I can't listen to the songs by themselves, it's the album, or nothing.
7/10: Recommended, but having to listen to the whole disc is a little impractical. The singer is occasionally tedious.
[A slight moment to explain]: My gut says this album is worth more than 7 out of 10, but I'm leaving myself room for the hundreds of CDs to come. I'm trying to avoid the review cycle which ends up giving scores only between 6 and 9, rarely anything lower. 7/10, in this review world, is GOOD.
I also reserve the right to go back and review my scores as often as I relisten, rethink, relike, rehate.
What?: The second of a planned "come back" trilogy of albums by Texas extreme metal band Absu.
Why?: Someone at work lent me a pile of music to listen to. This stuck out as being of particularly high quality. I also had the privilege of seeing the band live in early 2012 and they were incredible.
Tell me more!: I really enjoy this album. It's full of amazingly clear speed metal riffs and some great acoustic work, varied enough to constantly keep my interest until suddenly it's over, not overstaying it's welcome after a short 36 minutes. I almost always listen to it twice.
They are an incredible live band, almost as tight as they are on the CD. When I saw them at the East Brunswick I was surprised to see they were a three piece, with a singing drummer.
The band have, according to most reviews and Wikipedia, as very deep and well thought out philosophy behind their albums. This album is the second of a trilogy. To be honest, I don't want to know. One of my favourite bands (Secret Chiefs 3) have a similarly long explanation behind their music but... I just don't care. One day, maybe.
The music is great, why read?
Live, the drummer talks the same way he sings, which is a bit like a someone trying to sound like a demon. This is hilarious. I'm sure there is a note of humour behind this band. The first song on the album starts with a very high scream from the singer that at most is deliberately funny, at worst is deliberately fun. Surely?
The production is spot-on, reproducing their live sound perfectly. The guitars are raw but clear. Rarely (never?) doubled. Sometimes some keyboard will fill the gaps but rarely.
There are six songs on this disc, but I couldn't tell you which was which. I can't listen to the songs by themselves, it's the album, or nothing.
7/10: Recommended, but having to listen to the whole disc is a little impractical. The singer is occasionally tedious.
[A slight moment to explain]: My gut says this album is worth more than 7 out of 10, but I'm leaving myself room for the hundreds of CDs to come. I'm trying to avoid the review cycle which ends up giving scores only between 6 and 9, rarely anything lower. 7/10, in this review world, is GOOD.
I also reserve the right to go back and review my scores as often as I relisten, rethink, relike, rehate.
[2011] A Pale Horse Named Death, 'And Hell Will Follow Me'
tl;dr: 90s doom-grunge influences mixed to grey. One interesting song ("Die Alone"), repeated. Distractingly clichéd lyrics.
What?: "A Pale Horse Named Death" are an "American gothic band" [Wikipedia], formed as a solo project for Type O Negative drummer Sal Abruscato. "And Hell Will Follow Me" is their first album.
Why?: I read a positive review of the album in either Metal Hammer or Classic Rock and checked out YouTube to hear some tracks. I heard "Die Alone" and was interested by the Alice In Chains vibe and saxaphone solo.
Tell me more!: My first listen to the album was disappointing. The music, which is very 90s influenced and has a great doom vibe, is generally great, but the vocals, and especially the lyrics, instantly rubbed me the wrong way, and after repeated listens (at least six), I'm still not sold.
The singing style, and album production, mean the lyrics are right up in your face, making them quite difficult to ignore. They are, in my humble opinion, some of the most clichéd depressive lyrics I've ever had to listen to. I'm sure I have hundreds of albums with worse lyrics, but production, or an inability to enunciate, or distractingly awesome music, have all conspired to prevent them being a problem. Not so on this album...
In fact, I usually pride myself on ignoring lyrics. I love a good obscure pointless lyrics as long as the melody and syllables are nice. Further, the songs on here are clearly coming from a very personal place, so while they are clichéd, they're in all likelihood very real.
Which is why I've given this album so many listens, trying to like it, but every time one of the particularly nausea inducing songs comes on ("Pill Head", "Heroin Train"), I struggle to avoid the skip button.
The last song, "Die Alone", is the song which initially interested me, and in isolation it's pretty good, especially the sax solo (by Lou Reed's saxophonist Ulrich Krieger). But after listening to 12 other songs it loses it's shine.
I've got to say I'm almost alone in my feelings. Reviews on the net for this album are generally very positive. I want to agree, but I just don't.
4/10: "Die Alone" is good in isolation, but a whole album of it is just too much. Saxophone solos are to be encouraged.
[Saying "clichéd" a lot is clichéd.]
What?: "A Pale Horse Named Death" are an "American gothic band" [Wikipedia], formed as a solo project for Type O Negative drummer Sal Abruscato. "And Hell Will Follow Me" is their first album.
Why?: I read a positive review of the album in either Metal Hammer or Classic Rock and checked out YouTube to hear some tracks. I heard "Die Alone" and was interested by the Alice In Chains vibe and saxaphone solo.
Tell me more!: My first listen to the album was disappointing. The music, which is very 90s influenced and has a great doom vibe, is generally great, but the vocals, and especially the lyrics, instantly rubbed me the wrong way, and after repeated listens (at least six), I'm still not sold.
The singing style, and album production, mean the lyrics are right up in your face, making them quite difficult to ignore. They are, in my humble opinion, some of the most clichéd depressive lyrics I've ever had to listen to. I'm sure I have hundreds of albums with worse lyrics, but production, or an inability to enunciate, or distractingly awesome music, have all conspired to prevent them being a problem. Not so on this album...
In fact, I usually pride myself on ignoring lyrics. I love a good obscure pointless lyrics as long as the melody and syllables are nice. Further, the songs on here are clearly coming from a very personal place, so while they are clichéd, they're in all likelihood very real.
Which is why I've given this album so many listens, trying to like it, but every time one of the particularly nausea inducing songs comes on ("Pill Head", "Heroin Train"), I struggle to avoid the skip button.
The last song, "Die Alone", is the song which initially interested me, and in isolation it's pretty good, especially the sax solo (by Lou Reed's saxophonist Ulrich Krieger). But after listening to 12 other songs it loses it's shine.
I've got to say I'm almost alone in my feelings. Reviews on the net for this album are generally very positive. I want to agree, but I just don't.
4/10: "Die Alone" is good in isolation, but a whole album of it is just too much. Saxophone solos are to be encouraged.
[Saying "clichéd" a lot is clichéd.]
[1994] 2 Unlimited, 'Let The Beat Control Your Body'
tl;dr: Awful, even by 2 Unlimited standards.
What?: "Let The Beat Control Your Body", the fifth single from 2 Unlimited's second album ("No Limits"), an album I had on tape, having borrowed it from the library.
Why?: One of the b-sides is a megamix, and in the mid 90s I was a little bit in love with megamixes. I had heard a 2 Unlimited one on the radio and was hoping this was it, but it was not. In all likelyhood I probably confused it for a Techntronic megamix anyway.
Tell me more!: I admit to vaguely enjoying "No Limits" as an album, but I listened to it fairly recently and despised it. I can't even enjoy it ironically. Technotronic is still almost listenable, but 2 Unlimited are dreadful. This single, with the album version and three remixes just rubs in one of the worst songs on the album over and over, although the "X-Out In Rio" mix is fun for a few seconds, replacing the beats with Rio carnival drums.
The megamix is OK, as far as these things go, but I can't listen to it now.
Fun fact, I probably spent $8+ on this CD single.
1/10: It would be zero, but the Rio beats made me giggle, and the megamix is kind of what I paid for...
2 Unlimited's "Let The Beat Control Your Body" on YouTube.
What?: "Let The Beat Control Your Body", the fifth single from 2 Unlimited's second album ("No Limits"), an album I had on tape, having borrowed it from the library.
Why?: One of the b-sides is a megamix, and in the mid 90s I was a little bit in love with megamixes. I had heard a 2 Unlimited one on the radio and was hoping this was it, but it was not. In all likelyhood I probably confused it for a Techntronic megamix anyway.
Tell me more!: I admit to vaguely enjoying "No Limits" as an album, but I listened to it fairly recently and despised it. I can't even enjoy it ironically. Technotronic is still almost listenable, but 2 Unlimited are dreadful. This single, with the album version and three remixes just rubs in one of the worst songs on the album over and over, although the "X-Out In Rio" mix is fun for a few seconds, replacing the beats with Rio carnival drums.
The megamix is OK, as far as these things go, but I can't listen to it now.
Fun fact, I probably spent $8+ on this CD single.
1/10: It would be zero, but the Rio beats made me giggle, and the megamix is kind of what I paid for...
2 Unlimited's "Let The Beat Control Your Body" on YouTube.
[2006] Horror Movie Hits
tl;dr: Competently played covers of some great movie themes.
What?: "Horror Movie Hits", a 2CD compilation of horror movie themes as performed by an unknown orchestra, with a "free" DVD of "Night Of The Living Dead".
Why?: It was cheap, and I hadn't seen "Night of the Living Dead" and soundtracks are cool.
Tell me more!: I'm not familiar with many of the original (as in recorded for the film) versions of these themes, so it is hard to say for sure how good these versions are, but they sound OK. Some of the second disc sounds as if it might be recorded with a computer rather than an actual orchestra, but I could be wrong.
I'm quite familiar with the original Gremlins theme, Halloween, Jaws and the X-Files themes and both Jaws and X-Files themes are pretty terrible. A case of playing the notes, but none of the feel. Much of it reminded me of listening to old-school midi/MOD files of songs. The version of Gremlins isn't bad, but to be honest the original movie version is pretty crap too. The theme on Gremlins 2 is performed much better.
Still, as a listen in the background on the train while reading, it's not bad.
Night Of The Living Dead is a great film, out of historical zombie-movie interest anyway. The version presented here isn't great. It can be had for free from archive.org in better quality.
I spent a good ten minutes on Googles trying to work out which orchestra actually played on these discs. The net sometimes says "101 Strings", which at times gets confused with the "101 Strings Orchestra", but it can't be them as they were around in the 50s. The copyright is to Madacy Entertainment, but otherwise there is nothing on the discs to indicate who played on them.
A scan of the discs using FreeDB type service tells me this compilation was released in 2002 with the name "Music From Scary Movies". Again Google tells me this is "101 Strings".
4/10: It isn't terrible, and it was cheap, but it's hardly worth the money really when there are far far better compilations available.
Horror Movie Hits on Amazon.co.uk.
What?: "Horror Movie Hits", a 2CD compilation of horror movie themes as performed by an unknown orchestra, with a "free" DVD of "Night Of The Living Dead".
Why?: It was cheap, and I hadn't seen "Night of the Living Dead" and soundtracks are cool.
Tell me more!: I'm not familiar with many of the original (as in recorded for the film) versions of these themes, so it is hard to say for sure how good these versions are, but they sound OK. Some of the second disc sounds as if it might be recorded with a computer rather than an actual orchestra, but I could be wrong.
I'm quite familiar with the original Gremlins theme, Halloween, Jaws and the X-Files themes and both Jaws and X-Files themes are pretty terrible. A case of playing the notes, but none of the feel. Much of it reminded me of listening to old-school midi/MOD files of songs. The version of Gremlins isn't bad, but to be honest the original movie version is pretty crap too. The theme on Gremlins 2 is performed much better.
Still, as a listen in the background on the train while reading, it's not bad.
Night Of The Living Dead is a great film, out of historical zombie-movie interest anyway. The version presented here isn't great. It can be had for free from archive.org in better quality.
I spent a good ten minutes on Googles trying to work out which orchestra actually played on these discs. The net sometimes says "101 Strings", which at times gets confused with the "101 Strings Orchestra", but it can't be them as they were around in the 50s. The copyright is to Madacy Entertainment, but otherwise there is nothing on the discs to indicate who played on them.
A scan of the discs using FreeDB type service tells me this compilation was released in 2002 with the name "Music From Scary Movies". Again Google tells me this is "101 Strings".
4/10: It isn't terrible, and it was cheap, but it's hardly worth the money really when there are far far better compilations available.
Horror Movie Hits on Amazon.co.uk.
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