Month: January 2025

Tennessee River Crooks – ‘Tennessee River Crooks’ (1976/2024) – Album Review

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic2 Comments

Tennessee River Crooks was a band out of Paris, Tennessee and although they had one album, it was produced on a private press and had no major label release. RidingEasy Records licensed the album for an official release and our good friends at Noble Records had an exclusive version printed out exclusive to their store. Their version is what I have here and it was limited to 300 copies on a almost Mint Green colored vinyl. It is listed as Green, but I feel it is more mint green so there you have it.

The band consisted of Jimmy Stewart on bass, Ronnie Waters & Larry Farrar on guitars with Ricky Stewart on drums. Jimmy also handled all the vocals. One of the main song writers on here is Mike Hendrix who also contributed some guitar work and harmony vocals on a lot of song. He was in the band at one time, but only contributed to the recordings at this point. Their sound is pure Southern Rock and the album was mostly recorded with the rhythm tracks live so you would get the feel of the band and how they sounded live. It was recorded, mostly, at Sound Farm in Puryear, Tennessee betwen June and October of 1976 as it states on the back cover. All I can say is that it is another solid Exclusive offered by Noble and why I keep coming back time and again and buying his exclusive. The man knows what he is talking about.

The band’s name came from a friend of theirs name Jerry Crouch. He worked the door at a lot of their gigs and when he collected the money at the door for entry, he placed it in a cigar box for the company Tennessee River Crooks. They shortened it TR Crooks as the other was a mouthful to always say. Whatever you want to call them, you can call them talented musicians and a hell of a band.

SIDE ONE:

Continue reading “Tennessee River Crooks – ‘Tennessee River Crooks’ (1976/2024) – Album Review” →

Def Leppard – ‘High & Dry’ – RSD Picture Disc (2022) (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic14 Comments

Yes, if you’ve been following the Def Leppard Collection Series then you know I’ve reviewed ‘High & Dry’ already; however, since this the collection series, here is the Record Store Day Picture Disc that was released back in 2022 for ‘High & Dry’. I don’t usually buy too many Picture Disc unless they are like 12″ Singles or E.P.’s because I usually already have the albums. But with Def Leppard, if I see it, I buy it…and guess what…I saw it so I bought it!! It was released on April 23, 2022 and is supposed to be limited to 6,000 copies. It states it is an RSD First which means they plan on releasing the picture disc to the general public at any time now I guess. I don’t think I’ve seen it happen yet. I have scatted the pictures in the post and you can read along to the original review from last year. Enjoy!!…

Original Review:

While touring in support of their debut album, ‘On Through the Night’, Def Leppard opened for one of the biggest bands at the time, AC/DC. Famed producer, Robert John “Mutt” Lange, who produced AC/DC’s massive album “Back in Black”, took notice of the band and he was very impressed. So much so, he agreed to be their producer for the band’s sophomore album ‘High ‘N’ Dry’. A move that would change the course of history for this band and catapult them in to the stratosphere of rock stardom. But first, they had to do an album and this album saw the band head to a more melodic phase, however, the edge and rawness of the debut was still present.

The songwriting was more refined, everything seemed more purposefully composed, it was cleaner yet it was still powerful, engaging and after over 40 years with it, it is one of the best rock & roll albums of all time. Well…it is for me. The band, who was Joe Elliott, Steve Clark, Rick Savage, Rick Allen and Pete Willis, recorded the album between March and June of 1981 and it was released a very short time later on July 11, 1981. A short 16 months after the debut. Man, if they could’ve only kept that pace of releases, how much could they have released over the years. The album would go to #38 in the U.S. and #26 in the UK. Not a massive success, but enough of one thanks to the ballad “Brinin’ on the Heartbreak” which saw massive airplay on MTV, that the band was setup nicely for the next album.

Their third album ‘Pyromania’ was so big, so successful and so amazing, that ‘High ‘N’ Dry’ was re-released in 1984 with 2 additional tracks. One was a re-mix of “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” which added synthesizers and piano overdubs to make it sound more like what was done on ‘Pyromania’. The other track was “Me & My Wine” which was the B-Side of the original release of “Bringin On the Heartbreak”. It too was re-mixed for a more modern sound. This re-release helped sell more albums which has since seen the album go double platinum. They even did new videos for it with Phil Collen on guitar who was not on this album at all as Pete Willis was at the time. The copy we are reviewing today is the original release without the 2 new tracks, the way it should be heard. Let’s get to it.

Continue reading “Def Leppard – ‘High & Dry’ – RSD Picture Disc (2022) (The Def Leppard Collection Series)” →

Kiss – ‘HoriPro Music Publishing Collection: Disc 1’ (2007) – Promo CD (The Kiss Review Series)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic1 Comment

In my hunt for Kiss compilations, I came across this single disc cd from 2007 that was actually a promo CD of a larger collection that had 8 CDs, only one of which was Kiss. The info on it is as follows:

KISS/VARIOUS Horipro Music Publishing Collection (2007 US promotional only 120-track 8-CD album set issued by the music publishing arm of the Horipro Entertainment Group to illustrate the diversity of their song catalogue, comprising four various artist compilations of hit country songs and classic rock songs, individual discs dedicated to the ‘Emerald Forest’ subsidiary, Jerry Reed and REO Speedwagon, plus a 13-track Kiss collection exclusive to this set. Custom printed discs and full colour picture sleeves, housed in a card picture slipcase with 16-page booklet including artist biographies).

I do not have the whole set, but only the Kiss CD that I picked up on Discogs. I would love to grab the whole set one day, but for now, I’m happy with the Kiss CD at the very least…which is all I really wanted anyway. It is a simple collection with 13 tracks and the inside album sheet had the songs listed and where they wound up on the Billboard Charts and the year. However, not all the songs charted. A very simple set with nothing else included and heck, it didn’t even have the normal Kiss Logo. But it did have a great selection of tracks.

Continue reading “Kiss – ‘HoriPro Music Publishing Collection: Disc 1’ (2007) – Promo CD (The Kiss Review Series)” →

Friday New Releases – January 10, 2025

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic8 Comments

Welcome to the first Friday New Release post of 2025. There are not a lot this week, but some really big names so hopefully something for you. Me…I’m Tremonti and Franz Ferdinand all the way!! Let me know what you want to hear or what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and get ready for another year of Friday New Releases!!!

  • Tremonti – The End Will Show Us How – (Napalm Records)
  • Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear – (Domino Record Co.)
  • Ringo Starr – Look Up – (Lost Highway Records / Rockabella / UMG Recordings)
  • The Halo Effect – March of the Unheard – (Nuclear Blast)
  • Magnum – Live at KK’s Steel Mill – (Steamhammer)
  • Stick To Your Guns – Keep Planting Flowers – (Sharptone)
  • Ben Barnes – Where the Light Gets In – (Ben Barnes)
  • Lambrini Girls – Who Let The Dogs Out – (City Slang)
  • Moonchild Sanelly – Full Moon – (Transgressive)
  • Krokofant – 6 – (Is It Jazz? Records)
  • Fynn Kliemann – Tod – (twoFinger Records)
  • Mon Rovîa – Act 4: Atonement – (Nettwerk Music Group)

Dryewater – ‘Southpaw’ (1974/2024) – Album Review

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic4 Comments

Our local record store here, Noble Records, has its own record label. They released the album from Underground Fire a couple months back and now it is time for their second release. This time around, it is actually another North Carolina band called Dryewater. They were based out of Charlotte, North Carolina and the album originally came out back in 1974 which was called ‘Southpaw’. The band on that album was only together for around a year and consisted of Richard Drye on guitar and lead vocals plus his wife Shaye Drye on keyboards. That wasn’t all, you had Robert Blair on bass and Garland Walker Stidham on drums. The original album had only 500 copies and was mostly given away by the band so if you want a hard to find album, this is probably one of them.

Luckily for us, Noble Records contacted the remaining band members and obtained the license to distribute this album again. Once they obtained the rights, they needed a copy of the album to master and re-issue, but the problem was there was no master tape of the album. As a result, using a very clean copy of the vinyl, the did what you call a needledrop mix of the album. Test pressings were run and you could hear the album as it was originally released. And being the hardcore supporter I have been with Noble Records, Dillon was kind enough to give me one of the test pressings. This test pressing was back from September 18, 2023.

I note the date because after he received the test pressings and before it went to print, guess what happened. They found the master tapes from the recordings. And if that wasn’t all, they found an unreleased song and an extended version of one of the original songs that had not been released either. So, we now had two unreleased tracks. Lo and behold, the tapes were great and they were mastered for a new pressing. I bought one of the test pressings he had for this next run as well. This time around, the date was January 9, 2024.

Continue reading “Dryewater – ‘Southpaw’ (1974/2024) – Album Review” →

The Collection: Ep. 41 – December Wrap-Up 2024

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic13 Comments

As we end another month, it is time to go back and see what 2 Loud 2 Old Music added to the collection. This is December 2024 and we have lots of vinyl, CDs, cassettes and even books plus some music related items. So much to go through including another Noble Record Exclusive, Voice of America Archive Albums as well as another addition to the Rock Candy collection, the Kiss collection and Box Set collection. Lots of great albums to go though and show for this month so I hope you enjoy the show!!

So go check it out as it will be live tonight right now, January 6, 2025 at 8pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

And here is all is if you can’t catch the video…

Def Leppard – ‘Diamond Star Halos’ (2022) – Album Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic18 Comments

Def Leppard are known for taking long gaps between albums, but this might the longest. It has been 7 years since the last studio album, the 2015, self-titled gem, ‘Def Leppard’. Now, the band is back with an album that pays tribute to the era of glam rock with the likes of David Bowie, T. Rex and so many more. In fact, the title of their 12th studio album, ‘Diamond Star Halos’, is taken from the T. Rex 1971 song, “Get It On”. This is something Joe Elliott has been exploring with his Down ‘N’ Outz side project, but now that has leaked in to the Def Leppard camp…well, not really, as it has always been there. As Joe Elliott, Rick Allen, Rick Savage, Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell were all influenced by the great music of the 70’s.

‘Diamond Star Halos’ was released on May 27, 2022 and went all the way to #10 on the Billboard 200 album chart and even #5 in their UK home. Not a bad position for a band that have been around for over 40 years. And of course, I bought this album 4 times!! You read that right. I have the Target Exclusive vinyl with the yellow/red translucent vinyl and tarot card litho, but that is not all. I have 2 Japanese CDs as well. Why 2? Well, each one comes with 2 different bonus tracks so I had to have them both. And we don’t stop there. I even bought the cassette…yes, they put out a cassette with this one too. I had to have every format. Wait…hold the presses, I almost forgot. I also have the SDE Surround Sound version on Blu Ray and Dolby Atmos. So, I guess I have bought this album 5 times…yes, I have a problem.

Enough about my problems, let’s talk the album. It opens with the song “Take What You Want” which I swear is a throwback to ‘Pyromania’ era Leppard. I heavy rocker (well, as heavy as they get nowadays). Gang vocals, gritty riff, catchy chorus, it is all there. Then they glam it out with “Kick”. A poppy rock song that harkens back to T. Rex and Mott the Hoople. I admit, I like this one. Damn, is it catchy and gets stuck in your head.

“Fire It Up” cranks up the rock with some slamming riff, heavy bass from Sav and pounding drums from Allen. Joe almost raps the vocals and the chorus is layered with vocals as they are known to do. Their choruses are always huge. I have a love/hate with this one. Musically, killer…the rapping style lyrics, not so much.

Continue reading “Def Leppard – ‘Diamond Star Halos’ (2022) – Album Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)” →

Momoiro Clover Z vs Kiss – “Yume no Ukiyo ni Saite Mi na / Samurai Son” (2015) – CD Single

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic5 Comments

On January 28, 2015, the Japanese Idol Band, Momoiro Clover Z, released their new single called Yume no Ukiyo ni Saite Mi Na” which translates to “Try to Bloom in a Dream about the Floating World“. Why would I be writing about a Japanese Ido band? Easily, they were able to get Kiss to take part in the song. The single is from Momoiro Clover Z’s album ‘Hakkin no Yoake’. The band even does a cover of the classic Kiss song “Rock And Roll All Nite”. And if that isn’t enough, Kiss does a version of the band’s single and it is called “Samurai Son”.

What is really cool about the single, is the artwork as it is simply stunning. “Floating World” which is part of the song’s title, is also a really cool style of Japanese Art. As you can see in the pictures, there are a lot of clouds and people floating in the air. It is very comic book style which suits Kiss perfectly. Being a Japanese release, you even get an insert in all Japanese writing and most of the writing on the cover is in Japanese. No Obi strip though. Still, cool packaging all around.

Continue reading “Momoiro Clover Z vs Kiss – “Yume no Ukiyo ni Saite Mi na / Samurai Son” (2015) – CD Single” →

What to Expect in Music in 2025?

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic15 Comments

2025 is upon us and it is always fun anticipating what new albums will come out in the year. Since today would normally be a Friday New Release post, let’s look at the new releases coming our way in 2025. There are quite a few we already know about, but some haven’t been officially announced or even a date set yet.

Last year, there were a few artist I was hoping would release an album that might have or might not have released one.  It is always fun to hope for new music from these bands, but sometimes there are disappointments.  Here are the ones I was hoping to get new albums from last year and what actually happened…

  • Def Leppard – It is time for The Collection Vol. 4!! Come on boys, give it to us!! Or a new album…whichever you want. Well – we didn’t get a new album, but we got a new live album ‘One Night Only: Live at the Leadmill’ which was pretty great.  
  • Kiss – I will keep this on the list until I die!!  Time to start up more Soundboard LPs or another box set…give us something! Still nothing!! No new album, no more Soundboards LPs and not even a release of The Final Show from MSG…come on guys (or label) and hurry it up. Give us something other than Anniversary Editions with nothing new.
  • Guns ‘N Roses – Rumors, Rumors, Rumors!!  Will we ever get a new album! – Still nothing…no new albums…more tour announcements. Honestly, I don’t really care anymore so what.
  • Aldo Nova – He keeps talking about a 2CD set for over 3 years and still nothing much, but will he get around to releasing the full Life & Times of Eddie Gage? I hope so. – Nothing at all from him in 2024 but live shows.  Dude!! Where is the new music???
  • Bon Jovi – A new album WITH RICHIE SAMBORA!!! – No, no Richie album, but we got a new album with ‘Forever’ and it wasn’t half bad.  Still waiting on that 40th Anniversary Box Set!!
  • Robbie Williams – Hey Robbie, time for a new pop album…no more Trance please!! – No new album but at the end of the year he released a Biopic with his character as a monkey. Movie will get a wide release in 2025 and a soundtrack…which is on order.

Okay, are there albums I want to see this year from some of my favorite bands that haven’t been announced or in some cases even rumored?  Of course there are.  These are the bands I want new albums from this year…but it might not happen.

  • Def Leppard – It is time for The Collection Vol. 4!! Come on boys, give it to us!! Or a new album…whichever you want.
  • Kiss – I will keep this on the list until I die!!  Time to start up more Soundboard LPs or another box set…give us something! Even give us the Blu Ray of the final Kiss show that I was at, that would be awesome too!!
  • Guns ‘N Roses – Rumors, Rumors, Rumors!!  Will we ever get a new album! Do we even care anymore? Not really, but I’ll keep on the list.
  • Aldo Nova – He keeps talking about a 2CD set for over 3 years and still nothing much, but will he get around to releasing the full Life & Times of Eddie Gage? I hope so.
  • Billy Idol – There are rumors of a new album and even Steve Stevens showed a test pressing..could it be??!!
  • Paul Laine – In 2024, there were rumors of a solo album and a full Jet City Junkies release…please…please…Give us both!!!
  • Creed – They had a massively successful tour in 2024 and it will continue in 2025…will there be new music? Oh, please say it will be so!

From what I have gathered around the internet, here are the bands that should have new albums out in 2025 or are rumored, but no dates announced yet. The ones I would give a try will be highlighted in Blue. The ones with Dates Announced are at the bottom of this post. The list is building up nicely!!

Continue reading “What to Expect in Music in 2025?” →

Ratt – ‘Out of the Cellar’ (40th Anniversary – 1984/2024) – Album Review

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic17 Comments

After the success of their self-titled E.P., Ratt signed a record deal with Atlantic Records and that deal brought us the incredible debut album ‘Out of the Cellar’.  On March 27th, 1984, the album was released and thanks to MTV, the band became a huge sensation. And here we are over 40 years later with an Anniversary Edition of the album that even gives us one previously unreleased track. Now, it isn’t on the album if you got the vinyl per se but is with the CD version. The vinyl version instead received a 7″ Single with that song included which is called “Reach For The Sky” and if that sounds familiar, the band actually used it as an album title years later.

The band’s line-up was unchanged from the E.P, consisting of the following members:

  • Stephen Pearcy – vocals
  • Robbin Crosby – lead guitar
  • Warren DeMartini – lead guitar
  • Juan Croucier – bass
  • Bobby Blotzer – drums

With the incredible dual guitar combo of Crosby & DeMartini and the bluesy, raspiness of Pearcy’s vocals, the band had an arsenal of great songs that took them to the pinnacle of rock and selling millions and millions of records.  It also didn’t hurt that they looked the part which was crucial for the MTV world that was exploding on the scene at the time.

Take that and add a beautiful woman on the cover your album and there was denying this band.  Tawny Kitaen graced the cover of the debut album as she was the then girlfriend of Robin Crosby.  She also graced the cover of their E.P. but that was just her beautiful legs.  This time, you got the whole package.  For those that didn’t know, Tawny is the video vixen that was dancing on the pair of Jaguars in the Whitesnake videos in the late 80’s when she was dating David Coverdale. With these new version, we get a new cover…sort of…this time is a lenticular cover with Tawny on it which sees the background change from the yellow fiery cover to a blue tinged background. And throw the music on a red & black splatter vinyl and it is one sweet package.

Continue reading “Ratt – ‘Out of the Cellar’ (40th Anniversary – 1984/2024) – Album Review” →