Author: 2loud2oldmusic

Def Leppard – The Collection, Volume Two – Album Review

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After a year since the release of The Collection Volume 1, Def Leppard finally releases Volume 2.  And as I did with the first, I bought the Vinyl edition.  Volume 1 was sensational and if you want to check out that review, click on The Collection Volume 1.  As I normally do with these box sets, I focus mostly on the packaging and the bonus material as the main albums we all know and love or we wouldn’t be buying this set.  I want to know if we are getting a bang for our buck

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Look at all the albums and songs you are getting. There are 4 Studio albums and 4 albums of bonus material and there a total of 10 LPs in the set as 2 of the albums are double LPs.  It is heavy and chock of great tunes that will give you hours and hours of fun. I always save the sticker that is on the plastic wrapping and this time is no different.  Here is a summary of the box set.

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My Sunday Song – “Panama” by Van Halen

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For My Sunday Song #149, we are not going real deep for this one.  We are going to one of their big hits and a personal favorite called “Panama” off the album ‘1984’.  The song reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100.  For me, the song brings back memories of my Senior Trip in High School when we went to Panama City, Florida…the song was blasting in the car on the way down!!

The song has two theories behind its meaning.  The first is it is about a car and the second theory is it is about a stripper.  The lyrics work either way as it is a wonderful double entendre.  The song does mention all the typical car parts and hell there is even a part during the bridge where you hear an engine revving.  That car engine is actually Eddie’s 1972 Lamborghini Miura S with a mic up to its tailpipe.

The album 1984 brought the keyboard sound into the bands music, but this song would have none of that.  It had Eddie blasting through some brutal riffs and Alex was pounding away at the drums and the brothers gave us the Van Halen of old.  Dave is his classic self and is belting out the lyrics and even giving us a little of that spoken verse style he does so famously towards the end.

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Friday New Releases – June 21st

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Welcome to a very busy Friday of releases.  There are a bunch of releases I am interested in getting, but only one I am buying as that one is so expensive, I can’t afford anything else.  As Summer keeps getting hotter, so does the new music.  My choices are highlighted in Blue. What are you interested in getting? Let me know what you want and what I missed and most of all…enjoy all the music.  Have a great weekend.

  • 71014pEYJEL._SX522_.jpg  Def Leppard – Box Set Volume Two – (Mercury):  Finally!!! Volume Two is upon us.  Volume One was so awesome, now Def Leppard bring us the next set with the albums Adrenalize, Retroactive, Slang and Euphoria all on vinyl (or CD is you want).  I don’t have any of these on vinyl so this is an absolute MUST!!! You also get 4 Vinyl full of Bonus tracks, rarities and live songs that is right…FOUR!!!.  What is extra cool about this is that a friend of mine was asked for songs from his collection to go on this set and there of 7 songs of his (live shows, I believe) that are on here and he is credited!! Way to go Mike Ladano!!!

  • A1ZmIUwu8gL._SX522_  Collective Soul – Blood – (Fuzze Flex Records):  I am excited about this one as well.  Collective Soul bring us album #10!!  I am glad they are still going strong and they keep getting better along with it.  I haven’t heard anything off this one yet as I want to take it all in at once.  These Georgia boys don’t usually disappoint so it should be great.

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Kiss – ‘The Summer of Satan: The Devils Ride Out!’ (Bootleg Series) – Album Review

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And now we are on the third Kiss Bootleg I picked up in Paris.  This one is a beauty.  It is called “Kiss – The Summer of Satan: The Devils Ride Out!”.  The package is fantastic on this release as you get a beautiful gatefold, some awesome pictures on the vinyl sleeves and some colorful vinyl.

The show is at the Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, NJ on July 10th, 1976.  It is a full soundboard recording (and I believe this show was videotaped as well and circulating).  You get 15 tracks plus 3 solos, so yes, a full show.  Before we get in to the music, as always, let’s go over the packaging.  You’ve seen the cover above, now take a look at the back cover.  It is a picture of the band on motorcycles.  I really cool shot!

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And It is a 2LP set and they did it right with a gatefold.  The full picture on the gatefold is a shot of the stage with all the band and the Kiss Logo!!  Okay, Peter is  little blurred by the smoke…lots of smoke.

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Billy Idol – ‘The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself’ – Album Review (The Billy Idol Series)

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I wasn’t going to do any greatest hits, but with this one I changed my mind.  Billy has only had a handful of official greatest hits packages and although they cover the hits, none are really that great.  So, I thought I would help your search and give you what I think might the best of the greatest hits albums he has released.

The one I think is the best is the 2008 release, ‘The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself’.  It isn’t that much different than the 2001 release simply titled ‘Greatest Hits’. In fact, there are 14 songs that are the same and almost the exact track list order.  With the “Greatest Hits’ package from 2001, you get a live version of “Rebel Yell” and the Simple Minds cover of “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” which is a really good cover.  Those two are great to have, no doubt.  However, I do prefer the ‘Idolize Yourself’ version better.

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Why do I like this version better than the prior release?  There are actually 5 reasons.

First: It is the most current, so you get a song from “Devil’s Playground called “World Comin’ Down”.  The song is an uptempo rocker about the troubles in the world and the pressures you feel as a result.  It is a song that gets you moving and with Steve Stephen’s speedy guitar riffs and Brian Tichy’s heart-pounding drums you never catch your breath.

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Stray Cats – ’40’ – Album Review

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The Stray Cats are back after 26 years with their new album titled ’40’.  The band started 40 years ago and this is the celebration of that fact.  The album feels like you are back in the 80’s when they were tearin’ up the charts with “Stray Cat Strut” and “Rock This Town”.  The album has that feel, that energy and it is “Rockabilly” at its finest.

With Brian Setzer on guitar, Lee Rocker on the Stand-Up Bass and Slim Jim Phantom on drums, they fly through 12 songs that make you feel you are back in the 50’s listening to  Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry and every other legend from the time.

From the opening track “Cat Fight (Over a Dog Like Me)” to “Rock It Off” and “Cry Danger”, you want to get up, slick the hair back and swing dance all night.  Brian is in rare form on vocals and guitar playing with songs like “That’s Messed Up” and “Devil Train” and the whole band is just killin’ it through-out.  You even get sage advice on “When Nothing’s Going Right” – Brian tells you to just go Left!  Mind blown!!

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My Sunday Song – “Pleasure Dome” by Van Halen

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For My Sunday Song #148, we go with “Pleasure Dome” off the album “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge”.  This is the second one off this album I have done and for good reason, it was the first Sammy led album I actually liked but that is for another time and place.  The song was never a single, but a B-Side to the song “Poundcake” and I am not sure which one I like more.

The song is actually based on Rush’s song “Xanadu” from what I can gather and that is not a bad song for inspiration.  And…a “Pleasure Dome” could be referring to the poem “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coolidge.  Of course, Kubla Khan’s empire was known as Xanadu so the connection is complete (maybe, I am just piecing together bits and pieces from what I found on the song).

The song is a strong showcase of Alex’s stellar drumming and after doing “Everybody Wants Some” with a strong drum sound, why not continue with another that showcases Alex.  Alex has a very distinct sound he creates with his drumming and there is so much on here that fills the song.  It is one of the main things I take away from it.

Lyrically, it reminds me a little of “Everybody Wants Some” as well with how Sammy talks out a lot of the lyrics like Dave was doing.  The lyrics seem to be about Sammy taking some drug tripping journey in his mind or in the universe or wherever.  He is getting lost and further away from home with no escape.  I don’t know what it really means, but it is fantastic trip.

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Friday New Releases – June 14th

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Happy Friday!!  Welcome to the weekend.  There are a ton of releases this week, sadly though, not much for me.  There is one I will listen to and I am excited about and another that I will listen to celebrate their 50 years together.  The rest, hopefully you will be digging those!  My choices are highlighted in Blue as usual.  Let me know what you are interested in hearing and what I might have missed.  Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!

  • 71plwaZe7oL._SS500_  Caleb Johnson & the Ramblin’ Saints – Born From the Southern Ground – (Big Johnson Records):  Caleb has such an amazing voices and for me, one of the best voices to come out of American Idol.  His debut I thought was great and from what I have heard off this one, this release will be fantastic as well.  Give him a try if you haven’t, you won’t be disappointed.

  • 616ig+9LFaL._AC_UL115_  ZZ Top – Goin’ 50 – (Warner Bros) – (Deluxe 3CD out August 16th): Can you believe they have been going for 50 years?  No, I can’t either.  This is a celebration of their career and a career worth celebrating.  It looks like these are remastered 2019 versions so that should be great to hear!! Digital and Single Disc CD is today!!  3 Disc Set and Vinyl is August 16th in case you want the mack daddy version.

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Kiss – Look Wot You Dun To Me (Bootleg Series) – Album Review

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The second review in the series is for a bootleg of the 1988 tour of Crazy Nights.  And of course, this is another tour that I saw.  This one was recorded on April 18th, 1988 at the Castle Hall in Osaka, Japan.  Now, I saw the tour on February 10th at the Omni in Atlanta, GA.  At my show they only played 13 songs.  They played those same 13 songs in Japan plus 6 more tracks.  Yes, just like the Japanese Edition of CDs, Japan gets extra tracks during live shows as well.

Now the packaging for this release is not quite as nice as the first review.  It is a double LP, but not a gatefold.

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There is no pictures or posters included, but it is a colored vinyl.  It is a pretty white with a white label on one and a black label on the other.

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Billy Idol – ‘Happy Holidays’ – Album Review (The Billy Idol Series)

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A short time after Billy’s comeback release, ‘Devil’s Playground’, he thought (or somebody thought), we should release a Christmas Album.  I don’t know if it was because of the positive feedback for the Christmas song on the last album “Yellin’ at the Xmas Tree” or drugs, but they decided to do it.

Now, “Yellin’ at the Xmas Tree” is absolutely fantastic. It is a rocking Idol song and I love the twist on the song that it is not all happy and joyful at Christmas. Some people don’t have the stereotypical Yuletide joy.

This album is nothing like that.  It is Billy putting on his dinner jacket, pouring himself a drink and playing traditional Christmas songs in both a traditional or even a smoke-filled room jazz style.

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The album is full of songs you know and love (well, the original versions you love) and it even has two brand new songs written by Billy…oh joy!!  I know…you can feel my excitement.  I am sorry…I will be completely honest with you.  I HATE CHRISTMAS ALBUMS!!!  That isn’t entirely true.  If you want to do a compilation Christmas albums with different artists singing the best versions of Christmas songs…I am all for it.  If it s one Singer or one Band doing a whole entire 40 minute album of them doing Christmas Songs..,please count me out!!!

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