Category: Pop Music

Friday New Releases – February 12, 2021

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The last couple of weeks for me haven’t been big on releases. This week changes all that. There are so many I want to check out that it might take a whole week to get through them all. My choices are highlighted in Blue. Now before we go on, lets take a look at something in the list below. Frontiers Records has not 1 or 2 or even 5, they have at least 6 albums coming out this week (could be more, I only put in 6). That is one label releasing that many albums on one day. Kind of shocking. If I was an artist on that label, I would ask how the label can market that many releases at one time. Seems unfair to the releases. And a lot of the label’s albums are similar type of music. There is no way, the public can buy them all, especially in today’s environment. I am not sure I understand their strategy. Enough about that. What albums are you most eager to hear? Let me know what you want and what I may have missed. Thanks and have a great weekend.

  • A1ZVtvdzNFL._SX522_  The Pretty Reckless – Death by Rock And Roll – (Fearless Records): This hard rock band, fronted by Taylor Momsen, is back with another kick ass release. At least I hope it will be kick ass. Taylor has a great rock voice and I have been a fan of her vocals and band since they came out years ago. Can’t wait to dive in to this one.
  • 71R8bsymJzL._SX522_  Durbin – The Beast Awakens – (Frontiers Records): James Durbin has returned after a short stint with Quiet Riot. Glad to see him on his own again. He has brought some heavy hitting friends along and this one is supposed to be balls to the wall heavy and should be right up his alley. Who’da think this boy from American Idol would still be hanging around this long. Good on him.
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Friday New Releases – February 5, 2021

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Welcome to the First February Friday of the month. There are a handful of releases this week and I am sure you will find something. There are two this week that are of interest although no purchases will be made unless they are great. Apple Music will be my choice of streaming platforms for those two albums and they are highlighted in Blue. What are you interested in this week? What have I missed? Let me know in the comments your thoughts on the releases. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!!

  • 81EmQMCe92L._SX522_  Foo Fighters – Medicine at Midnight – (Roswell Records / RCA): I will admit, I am kinda burnt on Foo Fighters and have been for years. I don’t feel they have been as strong as of late and I got a little Dave Grohl overload over the years. But I will give this a listen as I do all their albums as Dave has earned that respect.
  • 51Aq-ObuH1L  Todd La Torre – Rejoice in the Suffering – (Rat Pak Records): The current lead singer of Queensryche is finally tackling his first solo album and I think that is great. I hope it doesn’t sound anything like Queensryche because then what would’ve been the point of doing a solo album. I am not a huge fan of his version of the band, but he is a great singer and does an amazing job with them so I will give this a try.
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Friday New Releases – January 29,2021

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We are already to the end of January which is hard to believe one month is already over. To end the month we have a long, long list of new music releases so I am hoping there is something in there for you. I am not really excited about much at all. I might give a couple things a listen just because so I will highlight those in Blue. Let me know what you are excited to hear, surprised to hear about it or maybe even what releases I may have missed. We want to know all the releases worth mentioning. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!

  • 81dhfE+cZwL._SX522_  The Michael Schenker Group – Immortal – (Nuclear Blast): Michael is celebrating 50 years in the business and this releases brings us some very cool guests including Joe Lynn Turner, Ronnie Romero and keyboardist Derek Sherinian to just name a few. Some pretty cool guest so I will give it a try especially since I dig Joe’s and Ronnie’s vocals.
  • 711j+e3g05L._SX522_  Accept – Too Mean To Die – (Nuclear Blast): Okay, I am not a huge fan of these guys, but I know some people that are and are probably excited about this release. The only thing I really know by them is “Balls to the Wall” so as you know that is a song from the 80’s so not up on the band. However, I will see what the fuss is about at least.
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January 2021 Purchases – Vinyl & CDs

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Welcome to the first Purchases post of 2021. After the crapload of items in December, I am so not going to be able to top that right out of the gate. This time, the focus is more on the CDs as I finally got back out to Manifest Discs which has a great used CD selection. I was able to get out by myself and take my time going through the racks. They have a deal where if you buy 2 you get 1 for a $1, so of course, I have to buy way more than 2. I ended up buying 11 and it worked out to <$5 per disc when it was all said and done.

The first batch is a band that doesn’t have much on vinyl as they are from the early 2000’s up to a few years ago so it is easier to go the CD route than the vinyl. That band is Lifehouse. I picked up 6 CDs. Now, I used to have all these before, but due to dumping the collection stupidly about 7-8 years ago, I didn’t have them anymore. Now I am going back and getting my favorite stuff again. Only need 1 more Lifehouse album.

The next couple of CDs are for a band, I never thought I’d like, but man, I really do. It is a rap rock band called Hollywood Undead. I picked up two CDs…again the vinyl is a mish-mash of do they or don’t they, but they do have CDs. These are their first two studio albums. I still have 6 more to go.

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Friday New Releases – January 22, 2021

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Finally!! A week where there is a ton of music I want to hear. There are over 20 releases that I felt were worth mentioning, but I am sure there are a bunch more that I don’t have so let me know in the comments what I may have missed that you think the people should know. Frontiers Records has a big release day with at least 6 releases which honestly I think is way too many for a record company to release on the same day. I don’t feel it is fair to your artist to spread the support so thin and definitely not to the fans who can’t afford to buy all those albums at one time. I personally think you should re-think that strategy. Enough of that talk, my choices are highlighted in Blue. Tell me what you want to hear this week. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!

  • 81EYWOIiU4L._SX522_  W.E.T. – Retransmission – (Frontiers Records): Now here is a band I think everyone should listen to this week. It has the great Robert Sall (Work of Art), Erik Martensson (Eclipse) and Jeff Scott Soto (Talisman) bringing you the name W.E.T. This is the band’s fourth and I think they keep getting better. What I thought would be only 1 album, now has a pretty decent catalog. I am a huge fan of Soto’s voice and even Martensson has a great voice. This is melodic rock at its finest.
  • 510BzuU15xL  The Dead Daisies – Holy Ground – (Universal): I really enjoyed this band with John Corabi as lead singer, but he is no longer there. Now they have a new singer who is none other than the Voice of Rock, Glenn Hughes, who I love. I am eager to listen to this to see what they got with Glenn at the helm. This album was supposed to come out right around when Covid hit if I’m not mistaken so I am glad to finally dive in.
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Friday New Releases – January 15, 2021

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We are now only 2 weeks in to the New Releases and there is nothing I really care to hear this week. I know things are about to pick up and we are going to have a lot of new music to play. Can’t wait for that. Let me know what you want to hear or if there is anything I missed. Drop it down in the comments so everyone can read other artist new releases in case they want to go check it out. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!

  • 71pNn0yz-nL._SS500_  Matthew Sweet – Catspaw – (Matthew Sweet / Omnivore)
  • 81tdtqB532L._SX522_  Crack the Sky – Tribes – (Carry On Music)
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Joey Scarbury – “Theme From The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)” – 45 Single

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Do you remember the TV series ‘The Greatest American Hero”? It ran from 1981-1983 and was about an ordinary guy named Ralph who was given a superhero suit from a group of aliens…you know the space aliens, not the illegal ones. The suit gave him super human abilities like a super hero. Of course, Ralph loses the instructions manual and has to figure things out on his own which is where all the fun begins. Ralph Hinkley was played by William Katt, Robert Culp played FBI Agent Bill Maxwell and Connie Selleca played Ralph’s girlfriend Pam Davidson. The first season of this show is basically an origins story and the origin stories are usually the best.

One of the really great things about the show was the theme song. Do you remember theme songs for TV shows? They don’t really do those much nowadays. This one was called “Theme From The Greatest American Hero” or better known as “Believe It or Not” as the other is just too long to say. It was written by TV theme songwriters Mike Post and Stephen Geyer, but performed by Joey Scarbury. The song appeared on Joey’s debut album which was called ‘America’s Greatest Hero’ so it doesn’t steal directly the shows name exactly.

As you can see, the back cover of the 45 sleeve is almost exactly the same as the front with the exception being the record label and producer information. I found this at an antique shop down in St. Augustine, Florida back in the Summer of 2020…yes, I travelled away from home during the pandemic. We rented a house near the beach with a pool so as to socially distance from everyone so there! When I saw this in the guys stack of 45’s, it was a no-brainer for me as I loved this show (first season at least) and I loved this song.

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Friday New Releases – January 8, 2021

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Welcome to 2021 and the first Friday New Releases of the New Year! Oh how I have missed this post…I know it has only been three weeks since the final one of 2020, but I like these posts. For the first one of the year, there aren’t a ton of releases and there are only a couple I want to listen to so not a great start, but it is right after Christmas and this is usually a slow week anyway. My choices are highlighted in Blue. Let me know what you want to hear or of there is a release I missed that you think the world should know (or at least the couple 100 people that might see this post). Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

  • 91NHdl52uXL._SX522_  Sammy Hagar & the Circle – Lockdown 2020 – (Mailboat Records): During 2020’s Lockdown, Sammy Hagar & the Circle did a lot of covers and posted them, well now they are releasing them as a complete album and I am excited. Sammy Hager & The Circle was the one concert I had scheduled last year that got cancelled thanks to Covid. That bill also had Whitesnake and Night Ranger so I was really looking forward to it. Maybe they will come around some time soon.
  • 71iSduxl+OL._SX522_  Passenger – Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted – (Nettwerk Music Group): Passenger isn’t really a band name, it is the stage name for Michael David Rosenberg. I like his brand of folk and indie music. He has a pleasant voice and he’s a great songwriter. Give him a listen.
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What to Expect in New Music for 2021!!

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2021 is upon us and it is always fun anticipating what new albums are and will come out in the year. 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 were disappointments.  Here is who I was hoping for new albums from last year and what actually happened…

  • Def Leppard – We did get the Def Leppard Box Set for The Early Years and the Live Box Set London to Vegas, BUT NOPE!! STILL NOTHING NEW!!
  • Kiss – NOTHING!!
  • Van Halen – NO! Sadly, this won’t happen with Eddie’s passing. I am now hoping for archive music.
  • The Winery Dogs – NOTHING!! Still keeping my hopes up
  • Guns ‘N Roses – NOTHING!!! Rumors, Rumors, Rumors!!
  • Talisman – after getting a song to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the death of Marcel Jacob in 2019… NO ALBUM, we did get more Jeff Scott Soto music though.
  • AC/DC – YES!! We got POWER UP and it is awesome!!
  • Motley Crue – I thought with a Big Tour in 2020 with Def Leppard & Poison…is a new album far behind??? NOPE – No Music, No Tour thanks to Covid!!
  • Poison – Same as Motley statement above!!! No Music, No Tour thanks to Covid!!
  • Aldo Nova – He kept talking about a 2CD set, but he never got around to releasing it?? NOPE..still talking. He has released some songs, but still no album!!
  • Matt Nathanson – No New Music but we got a Live album and a Christmas album
  • Needtobreathe – YES!!! We got the incredible OUT OF BODY and it was one of their best!!

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 – I don’t care if I get new music, but give me The Collection Volume 3 at least!!!
  • Kiss – I will keep this on the list until I die!!
  • The Winery Dogs – Still keeping my hopes up
  • Guns ‘N Roses – Rumors, Rumors, Rumors!!
  • Aldo Nova – He keeps talking about a 2CD set, but will he get around to releasing it??
  • Matt Nathanson – Loved what we got last year, but time for new music!!! I believe he finished recording it, but haven’t heard anything for a long while.
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Top Albums of 2020

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The year is almost over so it is time to look back at what was awesome in music during the year.  I have already looked back at the Top Rock Albums of 2020 (click to read).   This list will cover all other genres that I listened to over the year including Pop, Country, Christian and whatever other genre you want to classify these albums.  Rock is my favorite genre and that is why it gets it’s own list, but that doesn’t take away from any of these choices as I think they are great on their own.

I feel I didn’t get to as many as I would have liked as the year seem to got away from me with all that went on with Covid.  I did spend a lot of time on a few series such as finishing The David Coverdale Series, The Gene Simmons ‘The Vault’ Series and starting the epic Kiss Review Series.  These consumed a lot of my time.  What I am trying to say is I missed a lot.

Note:  These albums were my favorites and not necessarily the most played on the radio (which I hate the radio) or even the biggest sellers.  There aren’t the trendy indie bands on everyone else’s top albums list (okay, there might be one or two).  These are just what I came across during the year and connected with me in some way and some thanks to my kids.  So, we might as well get started…

#10 – Richard Marx – Limitless:

Richard_Marx_-_Limitless

I have a soft spot for Richard Marx. I think he is a hell of singer and songwriter. I also have a soft spot for pop ballads and he is the King. This album always put me in a good mood and would relax me when I needed a break from the heavy rock. The songs “Another One Down” and “Limitless” really show off those vocals and are so beautiful. And then when your throw in “Front Row Seats” and “Let Go” well, you get an incredible pop masterpiece.

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