Category: Album Review

Whitesnake – ’87 30th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition – Album Review

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It is hard to believe it has been 30 years since the release of Whitesnake’s breakthrough album.  The album was simply titled ‘Whitesnake’, but has since become known as ’87.  Whitesnake decided to celebrate this album with an exceptional Super Deluxe Edition that was a must have for my collection.  Like Def Leppard did with Hysteria, Whitesnake has done the same with ’87.  They have packed it full of songs and collectibles that are a must for the real fans.

What all does it have?  Well, check it out…

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Whitesnake definitely has delivered on the goods.  And I have to say for me, it was a bargain.  I paid only $36 for all of this.  And it was worth every dime, especially one disc which was worth that price alone, but I will get to that later.

’87 – Remastered Original Album:

First up is the remastered version of the original album.  Funny enough, I did a review on this album about 4 months ago which was probably prior to me finding out about the Anniversary release.  So, as a result, I will not do a song-by-song review of the album because you can check that out by clicking on the following – Whitesnake Album Review!

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The CD came in a nice gatefold cardboard cover.  Actually all the CDs and the DVD came in the same type of packaging.  It is not the original jewel case which is okay, but would have been nice to have that plus the booklet.

Snakeskin Boots: Live on Tour 1987-1988

The second CD was a live show from Tokyo during the tour for the album.  The track listing mostly covers the ’87 album and ‘Slide it In’.  The track listing is as follows:

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The concert is great, but as these were hired hands after the band the created the album were fired, it is lacking the punch of what you hear on the album.  John Sykes, more specifically, is missing.  I am going to repeat what Deke said on his post for the album, that Adrian Vandenberg and Vivian Campbell are both great guitarists, but can’t muster the same feel as John Sykes did.  Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled to have a live set from that era and if you release a special edition of an album, you must do just that.  It is still a great setlist and David does sound great, I just wanted to point out what was missing.

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’87 Evolutions:

If you remember earlier, I mentioned there was a disc that was worth the price of the set by itself.  This is the disc.  The third disc in the set is the demos.  The name of the disc is “Evolutions” and these songs are just that.  The songs each showcase the evolution of the song from beginning to almost the end (you have the end on the first disc).  The demos seamlessly blend different stages of the song into one long song.  It is truly an amazing way to present that songs and now is my standard of what I want when you release a demo.  It is brilliant.

The highlight of all these demos is John Sykes.  The guitar work throughout is incredible.  I especially love “Still of the Night” and “Crying in the Rain”.  It is riff after riff and not all of it ended up on the song.  I can’t for the life of me understand why he was fired because he and David Coverdale did some great things together.  Their personalities just didn’t mesh.

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’87 Versions:

The final CD in the set is my least favorite.  It is alternative remixes of the hit songs from the album.  Some are new mixes and some are the radio edits, but I like the album versions.  It is not a total loss because there is the 1987 Versions Japan Mini-Album that is worth having.

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The Videos (DVD):

The final disc in the set is a DVD featuring the classic music videos now in 5.1 Surround Sound.  The nice part of this piece was the put in a lot of behind the scenes footage between the songs which was a nice touch.  The videos themselves are really great and lets remember who the real star of these videos was…Tawny Kitaen.  She was definitely some great eye candy for a teenage boy.  In the credits for the videos, I did catch that Paula Abdul was the choreographer for one of the videos.

The disc also includes a 30 minute documentary on the making of the album.  The documentary is the plus hear as we get new interviews with David Coverdale, but sadly nothing new from John Sykes (Yes, I am going to keep bringing that up!).  Now David did speak very highly of his guitar and singing talent and never bad mouthed him…by name.  There were some interesting things that came out in the documentary, but I will only mention that Claudia Schiffer was originally cast in the role for the videos.  She wanted more money and the band said no.  The video director met Tawny, who was dating David at the time and immediately wanted her to be in the video.  I am glad he did.

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You also get a PurpleSnake Video Jam of “Here I Go Again” which contains a lot of tour footage which was cool to see and lastly some ’87 Tour Bootlegs of 2 songs and the band intros.  If they would have shown this entire show for the DVD that would have been awesome, but we will take what we can get.

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60 Page Hardbound Book:

You also get a very nice hardbound book that contains rare photos and includes interviews with David Coverdale from various sources and quotes on reviews from various magazines.  David does talk about John Sykes and the firing of the band right after completion of the album.  He does really praise Sykes guitar playing and singing, he just can’t stand him personally.  It is a very nice book with a lot of great pictures.  Even my daughter looked at it and said “This is nice!”.

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The set also includes a lyric book with all the lyrics of the songs including some handwritten lyrics by David Coverdale himself.  It is a nice little plus to have in the collection.

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POSTER:

The last item in the set is a poster of the album cover and is actually my featured picture at the top of the post.

 

And that is the set!  It is sensational and another great piece in my collection.  It is actually the 4th time I have bought this album.  I had a cassette, a CD, I bought the vinyl this past year and now this.  Crazy how much I like this album.  This set might be a lot for a casual fan, but for a super fan, this is a must have in your collection.  Christmas is coming, so ask Santa for it or run out and get it now.  Of if you need it right now, you can get the digital album by clicking on the link below.

If you want to check out all our other Whitesnake reviews, click below…

The David Coverdale Series:

  1. Deep Purple – Burn
  2. Deep Purple – Stormbringer
  3. Deep Purple – Come Taste the Band
  4. Deep Purple – Made in Europe
  5. David Coverdale – Whitesnake
  6. Deep Purple – Last Concert in Japan
  7. David Coverdale – Northwinds
  8. David Coverdale’s Whitesnake – Snakebite
  9. Whitesnake – Trouble
  10. Whitesnake – Lovehunter
  11. Whitesnake – Ready an’ Willing
  12. Whitesnake – Live…in the Heart of the City
  13. Whitesnake – Come An’ Get it
  14. Deep Purple – Live in London
  15. Whitesnake – Saints & Sinners
  16. Whitesnake – Slide It In
  17. Whitesnake – “Give Me More Time” 12″ Single (Bonus Review)
  18. Whitesnake – ‘The Best of Whitesnake (Bonus Review – 1982 release)
  19. Whitesnake – Whitesnake (1987)
  20. Whitesnake – “Is This Love” 12″ Promo (Bonus Review)
  21. Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue
  22. David Coverdale – “The Last Note of Freedom” – Single Review
  23. Coverdale/Page – Coverdale/Page
  24. Coverdale/Page – “Take Me For A Little While 12” Single (Bonus Review)
  25. David Coverdale & Whitesnake – Restless Heart
  26. Whitesnake – Starkers in Tokyo
  27. David Coverdale – Into the Night
  28. Whitesnake – Live…In the Still of the Night (DVD)
  29. Whitesnake – Live…In the Shadow of the Blues
  30. Whitesnake – Good To Be Bad
  31. Whitesnake – Forevermore
  32. Whitesnake – Live at Donington 1990: Monsters of Rock
  33. Whitesnake – The Purple Album
  34. Whitesnake – The Purple Tour (Live)
  35. Whitesnake – Flesh & Blood
  36. Whitesnake – The Rock Album
  37. Whitesnake – The Albums Ranked Worst to First
  38. David Coverdale – The Albums Ranked Worst to First

Other David Coverdale Albums reviewed – (Box Sets and Bootlegs):

  1. Whitesnake – 1987 (30th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
  2. Whitesnake – Slide It In (35th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
  3. Whitesnake – Unzipped – Box Set
  4. Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue (30th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
  5. Whitesnake (Snake) – Still of the Night Live in Battle Creek, Mich. July 26, 1987 (Bootleg)

Adelitas Way – ‘Notorious’ – Album Review

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The new album, ‘Notorious’, was released in October 2017 by The Vegas Syn/The Fuel Music. Adelitas Way is from Las Vegas and formed back in 2006. The band now consists of only  Rick DeJesus on lead vocals, Trevor “Tre” Stafford on drums and Andrew Cushing on bass.  Adelitas Way is an independent band and to get this album made they did a Pledgemusic campaign to help fund and after some time, we have this great straight-up rock & roll album.  How long did it take?  Well, the first single came out in September 2016 which is a little over a year before the album finally released.

The album is only 9 songs and at a little over 3 minutes for the average song, you are in and out in about 30 minutes.  Straight and to the point.  No filler, just a sonic blast of rock.  I would rather have an album of 9 great songs than an album of 14 songs with a bunch of filler.  After the slight disappoint I had with their last release, ‘Getaway’, ‘Notorious’ makes amends and proves they can still put out quality work.

The album opens with the title track and third single “Notorious” and comes screaming out of the gate with heavy drums and a wave of guitars.  It is a modern rock song that fully assaults your senses before going straight into the first single from the album “Ready for War (Pray for Peace)”. This rocker doesn’t slow things down and DeJesus sounds great and delivers a catchy, memorable chorus that will make a great song to hear live.  The crowd will be bouncing up and down with their hands in the air.  Andrew Cushing’s bass is also a standout as well as some great guitar work.

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Fozzy – ‘Judas’ – Album Review

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It is hard to believe Fozzy has been together for close to 20 years.  I remember when they came on the scene and I wasn’t overly impressed.  It was more of a cover band and this WWE wrestler, Chris Jericho, was the lead singer.  Being a wrestler didn’t give him much street cred in my book.  But over time, the band moved from a cover band to a real rock & roll band.  Now with their seventh studio album, ‘Judas’, I think Fozzy have created their masterpiece.

The songs are guitar heavy, modern and so damn catchy.  I would describe it as Pop Metal for the fact it is so melodic and every song is radio friendly.  The opening track and title track, “Judas”, is the perfect first single.  If you like this song, the album is a slam dunk.  You than go into “Drinkin’ With Jesus” with its great guitar solo, “Painless”, which is almost a power ballad but has a little more punch and than straight into “Weight of My World” which is the catchiest damn song on the whole album. It is one of my favorite songs on the album despite it being a little repetitive…that repetitiveness  works!!

The next couple of songs “Wordsworth Way” and “Burn Me Out” don’t slow things down.  “Wordsworth Way” is such a great production and a great guitar solo even as brief as it is (it still a guitar solo – me like those).  “Burn Me Out” doesn’t offer up much for me.  It is a little forgettable.

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“My First Time” with Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘The Ultimate Sin”

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It is hard to believe this is the 10th “My First Time” selection.  That means there only two more to go in the series before I call it quits.  My intention was one a month for a full year.  For the 10th selection, I have chosen the album that was ‘My First Time’ with Ozzy Osbourne.  That album was ‘The Ultimate Sin’.  It took up to his fourth solo release before I actually bought anything Ozzy Osbourne.

The album came out on February 22, 1986 and at the time was Ozzy’s most successful album.  It would go on to sell over 2 million copies and cemented me as a fan.  I had never been into Ozzy’s music prior (with the exception of “Crazy Train”), but there was something about this album I liked.  It felt more accessible to me.  The tunes were more melodic and not as hard as I imagined an Ozzy album to be.  It helped that the first single “Shot in the Dark” received massive airplay on MTV.

Ozzy is always known for having outstanding musicians on an album and this one was no different.  The guitarist at the time was none other than Jake E. Lee.  This would end up being his last album with Ozzy.  He would do some solo stuff and founded Badlands, but he would then disappear for years until his recent return with Red Dragon Cartel.  Most of the music on the album was written by Jake, but since he had been screwed out of writing credits on previous albums, he wouldn’t contribute anything else until he was assured credit.  Once a contract was in place, BOOM, we have a new Ozzy album.

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RSO (Richie Sambora & Orianthi) – Rise E.P. – Album Review

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Back in 2013, Richie Sambora met Orianthi and sparks flew, apparently.  The two are an item and now they are putting out music for the masses and it is about time.  I had heard back last year, I believe, that they were working together and going to put out an album.  Well, we finally got one; however, it is only an E.P. with only 5 songs.  Now, I am not greedy, but I would have preferred a whole album.

Now when I heard we were getting music from the two, I was excited.  I love Richie’s vocals and his bluesy, rock style plus he can play the guitar (have you heard of Bon Jovi).  Orianthi is also one helluva a guitar player herself and she can sing with the best of them.  She has played for Michael Jackson and for Alice Cooper as well as her own solo work.  The two together, I was expecting a bluesy rock album with some amazing guitar work.

What I was expecting and what we actually have are not quite the same thing.  Apparently, the two of them wanted to deliver an album that was not what people expected.  They wanted to give something that shows that they can do something more than play guitar.  Message received loud and clear.

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Shania Twain – ‘Now’ – Album Review

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After 15 years since her last studio album, Shania Twain is finally back with a brand new album called ‘Now’.  My love for Shania dates back to the 90’s with her smash hit album, ‘The Woman in Me’.  From there on, I was hooked.  The deathly good looks and that amazing voice was a combination I couldn’t resist.

She has been through a lot since her last album…a divorce from her partner in music crime, Robert John “Mutt” Lange, to vocal problems resulting from Lyme Disease and dysphonia.  She has persevered and is now back on to the music scene.

Two years ago she embarked on a comeback tour even though she didn’t have an album.  My wife and I were able to see her on that tour and her show was spectacular.  My wife and I are such big fans, we even had the song “From this Moment” played at our wedding. So, a new album from her is more than welcomed in my family.

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Well, that was until we heard the first single, “Life’s About to Get Good”.  To say this song is bad, would be mean.  To say this song was good, would be lying.  It lies somewhere in between.  As much as I dislike this song, sadly, it is one of the better songs on the album.  If you like old Shania and don’t want her to change, then you might like this song.  For me, it was boring and lyrically awful. The song has a real CHESSE factor to it.  I will give her this song and I won’t delete it only because it is better than most and she did release it as a single.  The song hasn’t been performing very well since its release proving a little of how I feel might be what other people think as well.

There are a couple good songs on the album, the next one being her latest release and the opening track “Swingin’ With My Eyes Closed”.  This is classic Shania,  yet in a good way.  This one is definitely Country tinged and is everything you love about her.  It is not my favorite song on the album, but it is pretty darn close.

My favorite song on the album is “Roll Me On the River”.  What I like about this song is its difference from everything else on the album.  It is the most original and takes Shania in a different path which is the approach this album should have taken for the whole thing as we are 15 years later and she is basically trying to do the same thing she did then “now”.  The album is titled “NOW”, shouldn’t the songs feel like they are now in the present day.  There is a heavy drum beat and takes on a darker tone musically.  She delivers the lyrics slower and more deliberately.  This song is what the album title reflects.  It is a modern song.  It isn’t country, it is a little more rock.

One thing this album was going to show me was if the myth about Mutt being the puppet master, pulling her strings on her albums as he produced and help write her three biggest albums, was true.  After spending a little time with the album, I feel that myth was warranted.  The songs on this album lack any lyrical development and good production.  Mutt was a master at developing lyrical phrasing.  Go back and listen to her earlier albums and even go back and listen to Def Leppard interview about Mutt.  He felt the way the words sounded were more important than the words themselves.  They definitely don’t take this approach with the lyrics on this album.

One prime example is the song “Poor Me”.  The song is a play on the words of her life being so hard and she went through so much…oh poor me! And then Pour Me a drink.  In theory, this song is brilliant play on those two sayings.  Execution is completely different.  Lyrically the song is a complete miss. What could have been turned into a big hit with Mutt just kinda whimpers out into forgettable and boring.

Since I was listening to the deluxe edition and there are 16 songs, I won’t go through all of them.  I have highlighted the ones I like above and I don’t feel there is any need to go through each individual song as they all fall under the same category as boring, cheesy and lyrically lacking.  The songs aren’t overly varied as they will hint mostly towards country and pop.  You get some upbeat tunes and some slower ballads, but they are all missing that pop, that right production and memorable & clever lyrics.

My wife and I even listened to the album together and when the album, she turned to me and went…ehh!  Which spoke volumes to me.  That is when I went and went through the album several more times on my own to see if it gets better with each listen, but it didn’t. I because more difficult with the exception a few songs I already mentioned.  Here is where I stand on whether a song is a Keeper or needs to be deleted.

Track Listing:

  1. “Swingin’ With My Eyes Closed” – Keeper
  2. “Home Now” – Delete
  3. “Light of My Life” – Delete
  4. “Poor Me” – Delete
  5. “Who’s Gonna Be Your Girl” – Delete
  6. “More Fun” – Delete
  7. “I’m Alright” – Delete
  8. “Let’s Kiss and Make Up” – Delete
  9. “Where Do You Think You’re Going” – Delete
  10. “Roll Me On the River” – Keeper
  11. “We Got Something They Don’t” – Delete
  12. “Because of You” – Delete
  13. “You Can’t Buy Love” – Delete
  14. “Life’s About to Get Good” – Keeper
  15. “Soldier” – Delete
  16. “All in All” – Delete

3 keepers out 16 songs – 19% (1 out 5 stars) As much as I have loved Shania, this was hard for me to listen to and to write about.  I was so hoping for a grand return.  I believe what I realized about the album is it is missing the FUN of her previous albums.  It is like your crazyass best friend in college went and grew up and became a boring adult.

Go listen for yourself and you judge.  My expectations might have been too high and so anything would be a let down…but I don’t think that is the case.  Let me know what you think.  Thanks.

Stone Temple Pilots – Core 25th Anniversary Edition – Album Review

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On September 29, 1992, the debut album ‘Core’ by the band Stone Temple Pilots was released to great fanfare.  The album kicked off the career of what would become one of the best bands to come out of the 90’s.  Well, on September 29, 2017, Stone Temple Pilots commemorated the 25th Anniversary of their stellar debut with a spectacular re-release of their debut album. I love how they were able to release on the same day as the original.  And yes, I already had a copy, but now I have it again, but this time there is so much more.

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What all do you get?  Well, I am glad you asked.  The set I bought was the Deluxe Edition.  You can get a Super Deluxe Edition which had a T-Shirt and 16″x20″ Litograph, but I didn’t see that offered on Amazon as that might have been a STP website only purchase.  The Deluxe had everything you see above which is as follows:

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The Debut: Maroon 5 ‘Songs About Jane’

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Welcome to another edition of The Debut.  This month is the debut album for Maroon 5 called ‘Songs About Jane’.  Maroon 5’s debut album came out on June 25, 2002 and went as high as #6 on the Billboard charts.  The album also has gone on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide.

When the album came out, there wasn’t a lot of good pop music and there wasn’t a lot of uniqueness or original sounding music.  Then along came Maroon 5.  With Adam’s tenor vocals, a killer falsetto and that funked up rock sound, Maroon 5 offered up something different, unique and oh so memorable.

Who is in the band you ask?  Well, it consisted of the following members:

  • Adam Levine – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • James Valentine – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Jesse Carmichael – keyboards, backing vocals
  • Mickey Madden – bass guitar
  • Ryan Dusick – drums, percussion, backing vocals

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Living Colour – Shade – Album Review

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The band that brought us “Cult of Personality” back in 1988 is back after an 8 year hiatus from their last album.  Living Colour released their new album, ‘Shade’ on September 8th 2017 and it sounds like this band has a lot to say.  Their social commentary on today’s society is definitely worth listening to and not only will it open your eyes to life today, it will open your ears to some damn fine music.

The title of the album, ‘Shade’, has many different meanings for this album.  It could be referring to the many shades of color the album brings in its different styles and sounds.  Or is the band throwing ‘Shade’ at America and all that has been happening over the years.  I think it is both, but you should listen and decide for yourself.

What I really love about this album is the variety of the songs.  You, of course, get some hard rock, some funk, some blues and some hip hop and when they mix them up together in the song it gets even better.  Corey Glover sounds amazing throughout as does Vernon Reid with his kick ass solos, Doug Wimbash’s bass thumping and Will Calhoun’s drum keep the timing set perfectly.

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Jonny Lang – Signs – Album Review

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Grammy Award winning artist, Jonny Lang, is back with his new album, ‘Signs’.  If you aren’t familiar with Jonny, you are definitely missing out.  He is a Blues, Gospel and rock guitarist, songwriter and singer.  There is nothing this man can’t do.  He brings in so many influences and crafts them into heartfelt and moving songs that are either blues or straight up rock & roll and when he mixes the two together, watch out!!

I remember when his first album came out in 1997, ‘Lie to Me’, and he was only 16 years old.  I heard that album and couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  No 16 year old should be able to pull off what this kid could do.  Years went by and he struggled with substance abuse and in 2000 came clean.  He found Christianity after shunning it for so long and it changed his perspective on everything.  His writing, playing and vocals started hitting on all cylinders.  He won a Grammy in 2006 for his album ‘Turn Around’ and he kept putting out incredible music.

Now in 2017, can he still produce albums that strike a chord with you after 20 years in the business?  Oh yes he can.  Jonny Lang has released what could possibly be the album of the year for me.  His vocals, songwriting and guitar playing (damn can he play a guitar) are nothing short of awe-inspiring.  Sit back and let me walk you through this masterpiece.

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