Category: Rock

Scorpions – The Albums Ranked Worst to First (The Scorpions Collection Series)

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It started back on August 1, 2022 and it ends today. The Scorpions Collection Series has been a run ride and after 40 posts, we come to the conclusion. And that conclusion will take the 19 Studio albums and 1 compilation and rank them from the best album to the worst. The 1 compilation is really a studio album. ‘Comeblack’ is 1/2 re-recorded hits and 1/2 covers so in my book, it is a studio album.

Scorpions started way back in 1965, but their first album after many ups and downs finally came out in 1972. It was ‘Lonesome Crow’. There are two classic line-ups of the band in my book. You have the 1st with Rudolf Schenker, Uli Jon Roth, Klaus Meine, Francis Buchholz and Rudy Lennars. Then their heyday of the 80’s saw Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine, Francis Buchholz, Mathias Jabs and Herman Rarebell. Yes, Micheal Schenker was in the band and there have numerous drummers and the like, but I would say these two were my favorite line-ups. The final album came out in 2022 and it was called ‘Rock Believer’, so we have 50 years of albums and over 50 years of the band and it was a hell of a ride going through this series.

Now, let us get to the brass tacks here and start this ranking…and away we go….

THE WORST – ‘EYE II EYE’ (1999):

I think it is fair to say this might be the worst Scorpions album of them all.  And since I’ve heard them all, I think I’m qualified to make that statement.  I am all fine with experimenting, but with such a drastic change, it is a little too much all at once.  The techno sound, the rapping, the almost full album of ballads was too shocking for most humans to handle.  Now, there are a handful of great tracks on here, but not enough to save this pile of garbage (though good enough for a Scorps playlist).  My Overall Score is a 1.0 out of 5.0 Stars as the Scorpions are not a boy band, they are not a pop band and they are definitely not a techno band.  They are a hard rock, heavy metal giant that got lost in the 90’s like a lot of 70’s/80’s bands did.

#19 – ‘COMEBLACK’ (2011):

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SOTO – ‘Divak’ (2016) – Album Review (The Jeff Scott Soto Series)

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Jeff Scott Soto has said this is a working band and not a side project and will be around for a long while. He is proving that fact by releasing a second album in just over a year after the debut. This one, called ‘Divak’, was released on April 1, 2016. The debut album, I didn’t feel was a band album as the band never really played on any of the songs. It was a solo album with a lot of guests if you ask me. This time around, Jeff makes it a band. And who is in that band? Aside from Jeff, it is the same guys from the debut artwork (as they weren’t really on the album). You get Jorge Salan on guitars, BJ on guitars and keys, David Z (Of ZO2) on bass and Edu Cominato on drums.

There are still a ton of guests, but this time they are really guests. They are additional guitarists, some solos, keyboards and backing vocals while the band handles most of the grunt work…as they should if this is a band. The album is just as heavy as the last, if not heavier. It rocks out as it is both melodic and a little proggy at times. Jeff usually does more melodic, rock and doesn’t get this heavy or hasn’t in a while, but he missed this stuff and that is why Soto exists. It fulfills his desire to really go full tilt and it certainly delivers that and more.

The album kicks off with, “Divak”, a symphonic, dramatic and totally intriguing instrumental piece. The intensity builds and totally makes you feel like you are in to an adventurous journey. The biggest problem is that it ends…it just stops. It doesn’t bleed into the next song which I think is a huge missed opportunity as this was a really fantastic piece and would’ve flowed better with that seamless transition.

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You Picked It! Blue Murder – ‘Blue Murder’ (1989) – Album Review

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Alright…You Picked It! This one was really close. So close in fact that I had a 3-Way tie for first. So I went on to my personal Facebook Page and posted to get a final run at votes and then Blue Murder ran away with it. Since this is the final “You Pick It” post, at least we are going out with a bang.

  1. Blue Murder – ‘Blue Murder’ – 8 votes
  2. The Scream – ‘Let It Scream’ – 6 votes
  3. Diving For Pearls – ‘Diving For Pearls – 5 votes
  4. RTZ – ‘Return to Zero’ – 2 votes
  5. Saigon Kick – ‘Saigon Kick – 1 vote

Thanks to all for participating in this series for the last few years. It has been fun, but it is time to come to an end. Since I am down to 1 Series currently (The Jeff Scott Soto Series) as the Scorpions Series is ending, I am going to start reviewing a bunch of things in my collection until it is time to start the Bon Jovi Series…not sure when that will be but it will be coming some time this Summer. For now, enjoy the Blue Murder review…

BLUE MURDER – ‘BLUE MURDER’ (1989):

With a sudden dismissal from Whitesnake, which is a story all unto itself, John Sykes had a lot to prove. His guitar work was on full display with Whitesnake’s 1987 self-titled album and fans wanted more…me included. John, along with some stellar musicians including Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Ozzy) and Tony Franklin (The Firm) formed the band Blue Murder and they brought a bluesy, rock sound that needed to be heard. With Bob Rock as producer and Mike Fraser mixing, damn it was a lethal combination of people,

And it should’ve been heard as critics loved it and his fans as well, but John made a huge mistake in signing with Geffen Records, the same label that his former band, Whitesnake, was signed to as well. Whitesnake was the label’s shining gem. It has been said that David Coverdale wanted this album squashed and it feels like it was as it came and went without much of a whimper, but for fans of John Sykes, it is an incredible masterpiece of guitar wizardry and when you have Carmine and Tony behind you, you know the rhythm section can’t be quite matched by many. Let’s dive right in and get to the music and see if it holds up to the hype…

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My Sunday Song – “Excuse Me While I Scream” by Aldo Nova

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For My Sunday Song #355, we are going to talk about a song called “Excuse My While I Scream” by Aldo Nova. The song is one of the very few vocal performances on his mostly instrumental, weird concept album called “Nova’s Dream” from 1997. Aldo had been absent for almost 6 years and I can tell you personally I was completely unaware of this album until a couple years after its release. There was no promotion on it here in the States and so this album didn’t sell much and went pretty much ignored by most of the listening public. This was not a single, and honestly don’t know if there were any singles for this album, but it was one of my favorites from the album and I can’t say there many on this one.

The song is basically a tribute to Jimi Hendrix. There are so many references to his work and Aldo was heavily influenced by him so why not have a song that pays homage to Jimi. There is nothing wrong with that. When you give the song a listen see how many references you can pick out.

The song is heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix as that guitar tone and playing is all done as a tribute to the man himself. The vocals have a massive effect on them to make them sound like coming from a radio or old style. It has some woman on backing vocals for the chorus, but the real champion here is the guitar playing. Aldo is very underrated and he goes all out and lays down a nasty solo, some killer riffs and it is all a masterpiece. The keyboards are used for added effect and the drumming is sensational here, but damn those guitars are absolutely nuts. Check it out for the playing alone.

Give the song a listen and let me know what you think? I think he’s an underrated guitarist, what do you think? Thanks for stopping by and I hope all have a wonderful and Happy Sunday.

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Friday New Releases – April 7, 2023

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Happy Friday! So glad you stopped by. We have a handful of releases for you this week. Not as many as most weeks, but, HEY!, any releases makes it a great Friday!! Right!?!? There are a couple I want to hear, most especially Kiss’ new Off the Soundboard from Poughkeepsie with Mark St. John…totally cool. And there is Linkin Park’s 20th Anniversary Edition of Meteora and the new Paul Gilbert (the guy can play a guitar!!) as well. Other than that, there isn’t really anything else. What are you interested in hearing this week and what we may have missed as it does happen (more than I’d like to admit). Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a great weekend!!

  • Kiss – Off the Sounboard: Poughkeepise, NY, Mid-Hudson Civic Arena, November 28, 1984 – (UMe)
  • 71aL2vxJP5L._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Linkin Park – Meteora: 20th Anniversary Edition – (Warner Records)
  • 71vaisbqIlL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Paul Gilbert – The Dio Album – (Mascot Label Group / Music Theories Recordings)
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Scorpions – ‘Rock Believer’ (2022) – Album Review (The Scorpions Collection Series)

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A couple years after ‘Return to Forever’ (released in 2015), the band released another greatest hits compilation. Sadly, I don’t have the album in my collection and I need to as there are some new songs and previously unreleased tracks on there. So, instead we jump to the next album which was released 7 years after ‘Return to Forever’ and that is the longest gap between any studio album in their history. The album is “Rock Believer’ and it was released on February 22, 2022 which is the band’s 19th Studio album and it is 50 years after the release of their debut album back in 1972 ‘Lonesome Crow’. Wow, a 50 year career is pretty impressive and they have a lot to show for it.

The album sees the main the band relatively unchanged with one big exception. Gone is James Kottak on drums as he was fired back in 2016. On board now is former Motorhead drummer, Mikkey Dee. This is first studio album with the band. The rest of the crew is still around, Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Matthias Jabs and Pawel Maciwoda. And the band had been hinting at an album for years, but it took awhile to be inspired enough to record. Back in 2019, the writing process started, but a little thing called Covid-19 slowed things down immensely. Plans were to record in Los Angeles with Greg Fidelman, but the Pandemic forced the band to work with the producer remotely using Zoom while the band was in Germany and Greg was not. That didn’t work out well and plans were scrapped. They wound up working with Hans-Martin Buff and produced it themselves.

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Joel Hoekstra’s 13 – ‘Dying to Live’ (2015) – Album Review (The Jeff Scott Soto Series)

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Joel Hoekstra might be one of the best hired guns in the business. From his time in Night Ranger, to Whitesnake, to Cher, to Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) to now Revolution Saints. And in between he has done several solo albums of instrumental music. This time, he wanted to showcase his songwriting abilities and so he started a new project called Joel Hoekstra’s 13 and he brought along some heavy hitters. Helping on this album were none other than Tony Franklin (Blue Murder, The Firm, Whitesnake) on bass, Vinny Appice (Last in Line, Heaven & Hell, Dio & Black Sabbath) on bass and then on vocals he brought in the great Russell Allen (Symphony X, Adrenaline Mob, Allen/Lande, TSO) to handle the vocals. But the reason for the post is the final connection with Jeff Scott Soto.

Jeff was brought in to do backing vocals, but Jeff being the powerhouse and force of nature he is, ended up singing about half the songs on the album. Yes, he is that good. Now, Joel wrote all the songs including music and lyrics which is why this has his name stamped on it. He did have help on one song that he did with Russell called “Changes”. This has been treated as a solo project, but really this is something more. Heck, in fact all of these people would be back for second album a few years later (except Jeff would be only backing vocals on that one – and we wont’ review if for this series as a result.

Even with all these major players on the album, there is still some more help brought in. We get the great Derek Sherinian on keyboards, Charlie Zeleny on percussion and Dave Eggar on the cello for the final song on the album “What We Believe”. And that isn’t all. He also wrangled in Toby Hitchcock (Pride of Lions) and Chloe Lowery (TSO) to do some duets with Mr. Soto. This line-up is pretty damn impressive so the music has to be good…right? Ahhh…you are damn straight!! I missed this album when it came out, not realizing Mr. Soto was on it and if I did, I would’ve been all over it. But I am going to say something that surprises even me, my favorite parts of this album aren’t Jeff Scott Soto…no sir. They are Russell Allen. I forget how awesome he is vocally and this stuff really makes him shine. Alright, let’s get to it, shall we.

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My Sunday Song – “Ball And Chain” by Aldo Nova

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For My Sunday Song #354, we are talking another ballad by Aldo called “Ball And Chain” off his debut 1982 album ‘Aldo Nova’. The album came out on April Fool’s Day in the States but it was no joke. The double platinum selling album was huge for Aldo. His song “Fantasy” made the Top 40, but that wasn’t necessarily the best song on the album. One thing Aldo can do is ballads and “Ball And Chain” was one I gravitated towards almost immediately. Aldo wrote and played guitars and keyboards on it as well.

Lyrically, the song is about a love gone dead. The guy sits around waiting for the girl to come back to him. That love he feels weighs him down like a ball and chain as he can’t get over her and he just wants to hear her voice one more time. He wants to hear her say that she still loves him and so he sits, painfully, by the phone waiting for her and yet she never calls. How miserable must he have been to wait so long…he needs some help!!

Musically, it is saturated with keyboards/piano as Aldo loves those synths, but it fits the song so well. The keyboards are almost wailing at times as if they are crying as the hurt so much not hearing from the woman he loves. It is pretty cool effect. Aldo’s guitar solo matches the sound of the keyboards and he just wails away on those notes and makes them cry as well. Aldo sings as if he is feeling the loneliness of his situation and he captures the lyrics so well. And that last “Ball & Chain” vocal sees Aldo hold out the note as long as he can and it ends the song perfectly.

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Friday New Releases – March 31, 2023

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We are at the end of the month already. March just flew by and the April Showers are about to be upon us. Before we get to that, we have another stack of new releases for you and we are close to 40 this week so hopefully you will find something to listen to this week. Me, not so much. Nothing really excites me this week so I will try and do catch up on other things I’ve missed so far this year. Let me know what you want to hear this week or what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by each and ever week and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

  • 81UKohVgBYL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  The Who – The Who With Orchestra: Live at Wembley (feat. Isobell Griffiths Orchestra) – (UMR / Universal Music)
  • 81XOoHWxO0L._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Last in Line – Jericho – (Orange Glow LLC / EarMusic)
  • 71TSJDxSpoL._SX522_  The New Pornographers – Continue as a Guest – (Merge Records)
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March 2023 Purchases – Vinyl & CDs

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We are already at the end of March and can’t believe three months in to the year already as well. Time does fly. But it doesn’t fly fast enough that we can’t do a monthly summary of purchases here at 2 Loud 2 Old Music. And this month was another good one even though the vinyl purchases were down and overall purchases were down as well. I didn’t actually get out to a real record store this month so I will try and make up for that in April.

The month started off with Frontiers Records updating their $5 CD sale and adding a bunch more albums to the list. I, of course, took advantage of that sale. I was able to pick up albums from Inglorious, Night Ranger and Jorn as well as a live Blu-Ray from Dokken. All great stuff.

And then my wife and daughter wanted to go to 2nd & Charles as they had a book sale where you buy 5 books, you get 5 free…Sadly, there was not a CD sale at the time, but it didn’t stop me from picking up some great music while I was there. I did get 5 CDs, but since the next 5 weren’t free, I stuck with only my 5. I picked up some Metallica, Tesla, Halestorm, Aldo Nova (which I had already on vinyl) and the last great Queensryche album in my book, ‘Promised Land’.

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