Turntables & Vinyl #8 – The CD Edition

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CD Edition??  What the hell???  This is a series about my journey rediscovering Vinyl. Why would I discuss CDs??

Well, let me tell you why.  Before I started re-collecting vinyl, I use to have a pretty extensive CD collection.  After we had kids and the digital age, I burned all my CDs to digital and then started selling them off (made pretty good money on some).  When we moved from Georgia to North Carolina, I gave my neighbor the final box of CDs as I didn’t want to move them and I was going to have no where to store them (I regret that decision to this day).

Lo and behold, one of my neighbors inherited a collection of CDs he had no desire for keeping.  He had a bunch of scratched up, banged up CDs that probably didn’t even work and he was going to try and sell the rest.  I let him try and make a little money on the others (which he was able to sell about 100) and if there was any left, I told him I would be interested in whatever he had left.

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Jorn Lande – Artist Profile

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Time for an update as he has released a new album, ‘Life on Death Road’, since I wrote this around a year ago…

My artist profile this time is on Norwegian rock vocalists, Jorn Lande.  He has a new album coming out on Friday and so I thought I would highlight his career.

His popularity here in the states is pretty much non-existent as I have never heard his songs on the radio.  I find this to be a travesty.  Radio here in the states is so bad now and pollutes our ears with such garbage that we miss out on so many great bands and artists from around the world.

Jorn live at Brewhouse - GöteborgJorn’s voice is so powerful and he could hold is own with some of the more well known vocalist out there.  When he sings, he does sound almost exactly like David Coverdale of Whitesnake.  And when he covers any Whitesnake song, the resemblance is uncanny.

My only negative on Jorn is his music videos.  I swear he looks like he is so angry with the camera and he looks like he is just screaming at it.  If you can get past that, the songs are awesome.

Jorn has been in so many bands, he is sort of a vocal nomad. The bands he has been in are Vagabond, The Snakes, Ark, Millenium. Beyond Twilight, Masterplan and Allen/Lande. My familiarity with him comes from 2 of his bands and his solo work.  So my focus will be strictly with those albums and songs.

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Harry Styles – ‘Harry Styles’ – Album Review

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I wasn’t planning on doing a review of this album until my daughter asked if I was doing a review.  It made me think that maybe she wanted me to do a review, so after numerous listens of the album, here is my review.

Before I listened to the album, I really didn’t know what to expect.  I know what I hoped to hear and that was an album that was nothing like One Direction, his former band.  The Harry Styles solo album needed to show creativity and give us a different look than what we have seen before.  The pressure for him to deliver is huge.  I know I didn’t care for Zayn’s album (although “Pillowtalk” was an amazing song) so I was hoping this didn’t end up giving me a similar feeling.

Gladly, I wasn’t disappointed.  I was actually pleasantly surprised.  Harry delivered an album of very diverse songs yet they seemed to be cohesive at the same time.  Sonically, the album is pure British.  It has a lot of British musical influences and stylings.  I hear the essences of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Arctic Monkeys, Oasis and even Robbie Williams.  And looking at the songwriting credits, I see Harry has his hand in all the songs which is a good thing…just how much of the writing he did is unknown.

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My Sunday Song – “Champagne Supernova” by Oasis

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For My Sunday Song #42, I bring to you one of my favorite Oasis’ songs “Champagne Supernova”.  The song is off their album ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory’ that was released back in 1995.  The single was released in 1996 and went to #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks and actually to #20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

There is something about this epic 7 minute song that resonates with me and I do not know what it is.  The psychedelic sound of the song and the complete ridiculousness of the lyrics spoke to me for some odd reason.  Musically and sonically it was so rich and it sucked me in to its vortex.

And the lyrics…What the hell do those lyrics even mean?  What is a “Champagne Supernova”?  Does anybody know?  It turns out, NO!  Noel Gallagher was apparently really high when we wrote the song…duh!!…and he doesn’t even know.  He believes the lyrics can mean something different to everyone and I guess that is actually true.

For me, it is the story about how hard life is and how we get caught between the “landslide” of the heaviness of that life.  We think we are going to be and do great things, but it doesn’t really matter as we are going to die and the world will go on without us. We are just a blip in the universe, inconsequential.  Kind of sad actually.

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Friday New Releases – June 2nd

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Can you believe we are already in to June???  Crazy!  And it has already gotten crazy hot here in Charlotte…and it isn’t even Summer yet (officially).  At least there are some Hot New Releases to keep you COOL!!!  There are only a handful I am looking to grab and they are highlighted in Blue.  I hope there is something that you are interested in getting.

  • 170x170bb (85)  U2 – The Joshua Tree (Deluxe) – (Island Records):  I can not believe it has been 30 years since this album was originally released. I was a senior in High School and this album was huge.  It is one of the world’s best selling albums.  U2 is commemorating the 30th anniversary with a new Deluxe Edition and a World Tour celebrating this album.  Who can forget all those great songs “Where The Streets Have No Name” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, “Bullet The Blue Sky” and “With Or With Out You”.  There is a 2CD Deluxe Edition which includes a live album of the Joshua Tree Tour and a SUPER DELUXE Edition which is a 4 CD set and includes 2 additional discs or remixes and rare songs from that time.  I definitely will be checking this out.

  • 81XAcRTPPLL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_  Adrenaline Mob – We the People – (Century Media):  Russell Allen (Symphony X) and Mike Orlando are back with their 3rd full length release.  The first two were great metal albums and I am not expecting anything less than spectacular with this one.  Climb aboard and check out the rush that comes with listening to these guys.

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T-Shirts, T-Shirts, T-Shirts

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I have a new obsession (one of many).  I have started buying band T-Shirts.  My daughter laughs at me for going into a store where she buys clothes and then I grab a couple things as well.

Oh well, it doesn’t stop me.  It all started harmlessly early last year with shirts that showed music in some way…

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“My First Time” with Journey’s ‘Frontiers’

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Love It or Hate It, Journey went down a whole new path with the release of ‘Frontiers’. After the incredible success of the album, ‘Escape’, the ballad became King for Journey. Some feel it was the start of the downfall, others think it is the pinnacle of their success. I think it is a little of both.

With the success of ‘Escape’, Journey was catapulted into the stratosphere of popularity. They were one of the biggest bands in the world.  Steve Perry had the most recognizable voices on the radio and probably one of the absolute best voices on the radio at the time…if not ever.  The man could sing.  But for some reason I still hadn’t bought a Journey album.  When I heard their second single of their latest album, ‘Frontiers’, I finally bought my first Journey album.  The single was for “Faithfully”.

There is so much to love about this album and there is so much to pick on the band for about this album.  Let’s start with the picking on piece first as it is the most fun.  Oh, where to begin…

Let’s start with the album cover…I picture of a futuristic, robotic looking head or maybe a futuristic, human head.  Not sure I get it, but I know it has to do with the name of the album, ‘Frontiers’ as I think the band was saying they were reaching into a new frontier. The amazing artwork from the previous albums was no more.  The whole continuity between all the other album covers was gone…and is sadly missed.

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My Sunday Song – “Dream On” by Aerosmith

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This next batch of songs will be 10 of my favorite songs of all time.  They will be some very well known songs and maybe some that you don’t know, but either way, I think they are awesome.  I hope you enjoy them as well…

My Sunday Song #41 is “Dream On” by Aerosmith.  The song is off their debut album, ‘Aerosmith’ and was their first big hit.  When it was originally released, it only made it to #59 on the Billboard Charts.  When it was later re-released in 1976, it made it all the way up to #5, but for some reason never made it to #1.  It was that re-release and hit that saved Aerosmith from being dropped by their record company, Columbia.

At 17 or 18, Steven Tyler started writing “Dream On”.  It took him about six years to finish, but it is still amazing to me that someone so young could create something so amazing.  The lyrics seem to speak about life and aging and how you have to keep trying no matter what to make your dreams come true.

The opening two lines – “Every time I look in the mirror / All these lines on my face getting clearer”, he is being reflective on his life at 17 as he is snorting the cocaine off the mirror and thinking how fast time has already gone by.

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Gregg Allman Passes Away – A Southern Rock Legend

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We have lost another music icon today.  The great Gregg Allman has passed away at the age 69. The co-founder of one of the great Southern Rock Bands, The Allman Brothers Band which he started with his brother Duane way back in 1969.

Gregg and his band brought such classic songs as “Midnight Rider”, “Melissa”, “Whipping Post” and “Ramblin’ Man”.  Gregg suffered from Hepatitis C back in 2007 and had a liver transplant in 2010.  He had been ill lately and has lost his battle.  He will be missed, but his music will live on forever.

Thanks Gregg for the great songs!!

Picture By Alberto Cabello from Vitoria Gasteiz (Gregg Allman) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Friday New Releases – May 26th

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It is the last Friday of the month and Monday is Memorial Day here in the States which means we have a 3 Day Weekend.  Sadly, it is never a big week for new releases, but there is one I am excited about…Mark Slaughter solo album!!  That is really the only and it is highlighted in Blue!!

  • 51ipyjZGtlL._AC_US218_  Mark Slaughter – Halfway There – (EMP Label Group):  Mark Slaughter is back with another solo album and I am so glad to have him back with new music.  If Slaughter is not putting out albums, at least he is.  If this first song, “Hey You” is any indication of what is to come, then strap in and be prepared to have your ass rocked off!!

  • 51-BJ81LmbL._AC_US160_.jpg  Foreigner – 40 – (Atlantic Catalog Group) – Yet another greatest hits release…as if there wasn’t enough of those out for the band.

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