Category: Pop Music

Friday New Releases – February 28th

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Another month has come to a close and another Friday of not a lot of releases.  It has been an incredibly slow start for me this year.  There has only been a few I have liked so far and have had any interest in.  This week is no different.  There are a couple I will try (highlighted in Blue), but nothing I am super excited about, hopefully that will change once I hear it.  So, sit back and go through the list and let me know if there is anything interesting for you. Also, let me know what I missed on the list so everybody can know.  Thanks and have a great weekend.

  • 71G4t4GFyeL._SS500_  Five Finger Death Punch – F8 – (Better Noise Music):  I am not overly excited about this one.  They are kind of like the Nickelback of heavy metal music and my interest has waned over the years.  However, I will give it a try as usually I get a couple songs worth keeping and adding to a playlist.  I like to think of them as tough sounding music to make you feel like a badass even though you are not…that is me in a nutshell!!

  • A1qlo33DesL._SX522_  The Classic Crime – Patterns in the Static – (Criminal Records):  An alternative rock band that gets lumped in to the Christian label because they were signed to Tooth & Nail label which is mostly Christian acts.  They are more a pop/rock band than anything…no real label.  Always some solid stuff so this will get a spin…or two!!

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February 2020 Purchases – Vinyl & CDs

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Two months in to the year and already some great purchases.  If you are new to the site, this is my monthly wrap-up of my vinyl and CD purchases since not everything I buy makes it on to the site.  Some of it does or already has or will in the future, but whose to say how long that will be.  So, I thought why not share the love of music and let you see what I have been adding to the collection.

The first set of purchases started with a run of vinyl diving when my daughter wanted to go out and pick up a certain album.  We hit two stores…Repo Records and Lunchbox, both in Charlotte, NC.  First stop was Repo Records and my daughter didn’t find anything she wanted, but I found one.  It is the 1980 debut album of Canadian rock star Bryan Adams. Honestly, I have never seen this one and for $5 bucks, why not add to it my ever growing Adams collection. I have at least 6 or 7 of his so this fits in nicely.

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Then we are off to Lunchbox and my daughter found the album she wanted which was Lorde’s album “Pure Heroine” which is actually a really good album.  And don’t worry, I found a couple as well.  I love the UK band The Alarm.  I have about 4 or 5 in the collection and now I have one more.  It is Electric Folklore Live from 1988 that I was missing.

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And then one more to add to the ever growing Aerosmith collection. I finally found ‘Permanent Vacation’ at what I thought was a good price of $10. I’ll take it.

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And then a week later, my wife and I had an afternoon to ourselves and we spent it going to 2nd & Charles as my wife wanted to look at some books and they have a great selection of new and a ton of used books. They also have a vinyl and CD section as well. They have bootlegs on vinyl which is cool and I might have to go back and get some.  I didn’t buy any vinyl, but picked up some cheap CDs which I always like.  First up was a from a band called Audiovent.  Their only album ‘Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris’ came out in 2002 and I had it at one time on CD and loved it, so I re-bought it.

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And since I have been on a Robbie Williams kick lately, I decided I needed all his albums. I didn’t get all, but I picked up 3.  I grabbed ‘The Ego Has Landed’ and ‘Intensive Care’ both studio albums and then a really cool Live album called “Live Summer 2003” recorded at Knebworth.

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I also picked up the new album from Stone Temple Pilots called ‘Perdida’ and I already have shown you that when I did a review.  It wasn’t pleasant.  But I bought it mostly due to my brother-in-law being the engineer and mixer on the album.  Go Check out the Review.

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If that wasn’t enough, when my kids and I were out to dinner on Saturday, February 15th, we were driving by Noble Records and I had to stop in.  As usual, I found a few more things.  First up is another Stone Temple Pilots album. This one is Shangri-La Dee Da and since I am buying albums that their uncle worked on, this falls in that category as he was working with Brendan O’Brien back then and he was the engineer on this album.

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And then there were two 80’s albums I didn’t have.  First one was Dokken’s “Under Lock And Key”…

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and the next one was one of the covers I am after for Stryper’s “To Hell With the Devil”…now I need to find the alternate more controversial cover…

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And that is all.  Well, there was one more, but it didn’t arrive in time for this month’s post so it will kick off next months.  Here is everything in one bundle and yes, I have a problem…

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See you next month…

The Original vs. The Cover – “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”

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For this month’s version of The Original vs. The Cover, we are going to talk about the Brinsley Schwarz song “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”.  The song was written by Nick Lowe and was recorded by his band Brinsley Schwarz.  It was released in 1974 album called ‘The New Favorites of…Brinsley Schwarz.

How Elvis Costello got a hold of it is the fact that Nick Lowe was the producer of his 1979 album ‘Armed Forces’.  Nick introduced him to the song and the band recorded it for the B-Side of Nick Lowe’s single “American Squirm”.  The song did so well, the slapped it on as the last track of the album for the North American release of the album.

Nick wrote the song in 1973 and it was supposed to be a joke song making fun of the hippie generation coming out of their dream like state and becoming a more cynical bunch.  What he realized later was there actually is a bit of truth and wisdom in the song.

BRINSLEY SCHWARZ

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Friday New Releases – February 14th

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Welcome to Friday and guess what it is Valentine’s Day!!  The worst holiday ever invented.  It puts undo pressure on everyone.  The trick is show the one you love how much they mean to you every day of the year and then this day doesn’t mean shit!!  It is just another.  So blame Hallmark and all the chocolate companies and the florist companies and the restaurants for forcing this upon us.  Wow, I went off on a tangent there.  It is Friday, so that means new music.  Not a whole lot here for me, but hopefully there is enough that you find something for you or the one you love.  My listens are in Blue.  Let me know what you want to hear and what I might have missed from the list because believe it or not…it happens all the time.  Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!!

  • 81I39u50ZjL._SS500_  Hollywood Undead – New Empire, Vol 1 – (BMG Rights):  I am excited for their new album which is now their 6th studio release.  I really enjoy their rap-rock / nu-metal sound and I love the angst as well.  It is usually great to blast driving down the road…so here is warning to you Charlotte Drivers that I might be a little reckless today with this cranked up.

  • 61FWfBkifpL._SX522_  Huey Lewis & the News – Weather – (New Hulex LLC / BMG Rights):  I am really anxious and sad to hear this one.  It could quite possibly be Huey’s last record and he is even unable to perform anymore.  If you haven’t heard, Huey was diagnosed with a disorder of the inner ear called Meniere’s disease.  It brings hearing loss, vertigo, ringing in the ear and a feeling of fullness.  My thoughts and prayers are with him and selfishly I always would like new music from him.

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Friday New Releases – February 7th, 2020

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Welcome to the first Friday of February and the new releases we will see today.  There are a bunch this week.  If you like rock, pop, metal, country, latin, alternative or all of the above, there is probably something for you.  I have three I am interested in hearing and I will highlight those in blue like normal.  Let me know what interests you and what I missed including on the list so everyone knows.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful musical weekend!!

  • 81VOT4DngZL._SX522_  Stone Temple Pilots – Perdida – (Play Pen Music / Rhino):  STP is back with Jeff Gutt on vocals for his second album.  This one is quite a departure from their normal fare as it is an all acoustic album of new music.  Pretty bold move with still a new singer.  My brother-in-law worked on this album with the band so of course it is on my list and has been pre-ordered on vinyl to arrive today when I get home from work.  Looking forward to explore this one.

  • 71kL7NiqA-L._SX522_  Richard Marx – Limitless – (BMG):  I will admit it…I love Richard Marx…no not the physical, deep emotional love for a person, but love of his music.  What can I say, I am a sap for a good love song or hell, a good song period.  Richard has a great way of doing both of those and at the same time.  Thankfully the 80’s mullet is gone and he has changed with the times.

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Friday New Releases – January 31st

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We are to the end of our first month and the new releases have been a little limited and nothing that jumps out as blowing me away yet (but since I wrote this before the January 24th releases have come out, there could have been something out then, but the only one I want is Revolution Saints so we will see).  This week has a lot of releases and a little something for everyone…but me really.  You get pop, metal, rock, indie, christian, jazz and country, so a bit of everything. I hope there is something for you.  Mine are normally highlighted in Blue, but there is nothing I am running out and getting this week.  I need to save money so that is a good thing.

  • 81v3RCNblLL._SX522_.jpg  Theory of a Deadman – Say Nothing – (Roadrunner Records) – A Canadian rock band sign to Chad Kroeger’s record label…enough said…or the less said the better…either way.

  • 81AsVbYyVpL._SX522_  Dashboard Confessional – The Best Ones of the Best Ones – (Hidden Note  AWAL) – Were they emo, indie, alt rock??? I am not sure…all of the above. This is a greatest hits album and if you are a casual fan, then this would be great place to begin.

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Friday New Releases – January 24th

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Finally…a good week of releases…at least for me.  There are at least 4 I am wanting to try out before I slam down some buckaroos.  Thank goodness for streaming.  There is a ton of Rock this week and a little pop and christian music as well.  Hopefully something to pique your interest.  Let me know what you want to hear this week or if I missed anything.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and Happy Listening!!  Oh, I almost forgot…my choices are highlighted in Blue!

  • 81aQcX+Vm9L._AC_UL320_SR320,320_  Revolution Saints – Rise – (Frontiers Records):  What I thought was going to be a one time supergroup from Frontiers now has flourished to its third album…that is right numero three-o.  Jack Blades, Doug Aldrich and Deen Castronovo.  With Deen handling most of the lead vocals, there is a whole Journey vibe but heavier.  The songs are catchy and have some great guitar work and it is just great rock & roll.  I hope this one is as good as the last two and if so, you have a great trio of records from this trio.  Give it a listen.

  • 91FA1oOqXOL._AC_UL115_  Jorn – Heavy Rock Radio II: Executing the Classics – (Frontiers Records):  Another Frontiers release and this one is Jorn. I have been a fan for quite some time, however, the covers albums are growing kind of old…NEW MATERIAL MR. JORN WOULD BE NICE!!!!  However, I will give it a listen and see what he brings to these tracks.  If you like someone who sounds a lot like David Coverdale but just a bit more dramatic, you will like Jorn.  If you don’t like this…his early albums kick major ass!!

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Friday New Releases – January 17, 2020

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It’s a pretty slow start to the year, nothing for me last week and only one for me this week (highlighted in Blue).  However, that is normally the case for the first couple weeks of January. It will pick up soon, I promise.  Hopefully there will be something for you in this list and if not, there will be something soon enough, I promise.  The good news is it frees my up to keep chugging along on the Gene Simmon’s The Vault 15 part review and the David Coverdale Series…check them both out.  How’s that for a shameless plug?

  • 91J71+Iz4kL._SX522_.jpg  Sons of Apollo – MMXX – (InsideOutMusic):  I am so happy to see Sons of Apollo bringing us their second studio album, but third album overall.  I thought this might be a one and done kind of thing, but thankfully nope.  The band has one of my favorite singers, Jeff Scott Soto as well as some guys you might have heard of by the names of Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan, Derek Sherinian and some no name guitarist that goes by Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal.  Just a little band full of nobodies…huh, yeah right.  It don’t get much better than this lineup!!  A super group for dang sure. Check them out.

  • A1ZY0GJHrCL._SX522_  G. Love & Special Sauce – The Juice – (Philadelphonic Records / Thirty Tigers)
  • 71k-hlXAyFL._SS500_  British Lion – The Burning – (Explorer1 Music)
  • 71990GnQiwL._AC_UL115_  Magnum – The Serpent Rings – (Steamhammer)
  • 919n7zPbmrL._AC_UL115_  Little Big Town – Nightfall – (Craft Recordings)
  • A1EzbNkAnlL._SS500_  Dustin Lynch – Tullahoma – (Broken Bow Records)
  • A1X39UIXU+L._SX522_.jpg  Halsey – Manic – (Capitol Records)
  • 81AR1eEs6HL._SS500_  Of Montreal – UR Fun – (Polyvinyl Records)
  • 71lWuBqqsZL._AC_UL115_  John McLaughlin, Shankar Mahadevan & Zakir Hussain – Is That So? – (Abstract Logix)
  • 719VOLhACML._SS500_  Bombay Bicycle Club – Everything Else Has Gone Wrong – (Mmm…Records)
  • 91CoOjAVLKL._SS500_  Anti-Flag – 20/20 Vision – (Spinefarm Records)
  • 9185Ux4LWKL._SX522_  …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead – X: The Godless Void and Other Stories – (Dine Alone Music)

The Original vs. The Cover – “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”

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For this month’s The Original vs. The Cover, we are going to cover the classic 80’s pop song, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”.  The original is by Robert Hazard who wrote the song and the cover we are going to use is Cyndi Lauper’s.  I know, you thought that was her original song, didn’t you?  Nope.  Not hers.  I guess an argument could be made that Cyndi’s is not really a cover since Robert’s song was only a demo and never released and I can see that argument, but I am ignoring for that so I have a post.

Robert Hazard wrote the song in 20 minutes while taking a shower in a motel. I guess you listen whenever inspiration strikes.  He made a demo in 1979, but the demo never went anywhere.  That was until Cyndi’s producer, Rick Chertoff, remembered hearing the song and took her to meet Mr. Hazard.  After meeting, Cyndi wanted to do the song and Robert allowed her to tweak a few lyrics to fit the song coming from a woman’s perspective as the original is taken from a man’s perspective.

Robert’s version comes from a guys point of view and talking about what he wants to do with girls and that they really want to have “fun” in the sleazy sort of way.  Cyndi of course turns it as she is the one one out late getting in to trouble because she and all girls want to have fun. It became more a feminist anthem and is now so recognizable as Cyndi’s song since she truly made it her own.

ROBERT HAZARD

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Friday New Releases – January 10th

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Wow!  We are in 2020 and we are now to our first Friday of new releases.  2020!  It is hard to imagine another decade.  How time flies when you are having fun.  And we are having fun…aren’t we???  Anyway, here is our first batch of releases for the new year and if you are in to Pop music, there might be some music for you.  If you are in to some pretty Heavy Metal music, there might be something for you as well.  Otherwise, not so much.  Me, there is nothing I am interested in which is great as I am still digesting my big purchase from a couple weeks ago.  Let me know what you like or if there is something I missed or if there is nothing for you…whatever the reason, leave a comment and have a wonderful music weekend.

  • 71woOwjz-TL._AC_UL115_  Selena Gomez – Rare – (Interscope Records):  An album that was supposed to come out in 2017, finally sees the light of day.  Selena had to work through a lot of issues to get to this point. My kids are interested in this, sadly, not much interest from me.  Apparently a lot of people are interested as the video below is pushing 200 million views.  Good for her.

  • 91eKtR1Hh7L._SS500_  Echosmith – Lonely Generation – (Echosmith):  The pop band that brought us “Cool Kids” is back with another release.  Good luck to them as no dollars will come from me.

And the rest…

A little bit country…

  • 912zz6-zksL._SS500_  Ronnie Dunn – Re-Dunn – (LWR, LLC)

And a whole lot of rock & roll…with a heave dose of metal…

  • 71gF+e-HRRL._SX522_  Apocalyptica – Cell-O – (Silver Lining Music)
  • 81yMFIpzCuL._SS500_  Poppy – I Disagree – (Sumerian Records)
  • download-1  Behemoth – Live from Maida Vale E.P. – (Metal Blade Records)
  • 81kgWPW2Y2L._SS500_  Brothers of Metal – Emblas Saga – (AFM Records)