There is a lot of Rock albums out today and I am super excited and hope I can get through them all. Frontiers Records normally does 4 albums every month but today they bring us 5 albums that could keep me very busy. I have highlighted in Blue the ones I am most excited about. I am sure there is something this week for everyone.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana – (Flightless Records): King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are back after only one year and now they are top on my list. I had never heard of them until I did a music challenge where I pick an album to listen to based solely on the band name, the album name or the album cover and I picked them. Read about it here. I found that album to be stellar and now they will be the first thing I listen to on this day out of all the new releases. They are a very unique band and probably an acquired taste and the song “Rattlesnake” makes me a little worried about this release, but I will still listen.
Mike Tramp – Maybe Tomorrow – (Target Records): Mike Tramp keeps pumping out the solo music and he brings us a new one to enjoy. The former lead singer of 80’s rock band, White Lion, has carved path in his solo work that is nothing like his former band and that is okay. He never disappoints.
In my producer extraordinaire series, this is the 3rd producer who helped create some of my favorite albums. The first post in the series was for Robert John “Mutt” Lange and then second post was for Brendan O’Brien. Both legendary producers.
Bruce Fairbairn didn’t have as long as career as the first two guys due to his untimely death back in 1999. However, during his brief time, he crafted some of the most memorable albums of the 80’s & 90’s and the albums sold well over 65 million copies if you just count the platinum and gold albums.
It all started in back in Canada in the late 70’s when he started out producing for a band called Prism. Prism had moderate success in Canada, but not much internationally. In 1980, Bruce started production on the debut album for another Canadian band called Loverboy. Loverboy opened the doors for Bruce with the bands international appeal. He produced 4 albums with Loverboy in the 80’s. They were as follows:
‘Heavy Fire’ is Black Star Riders third album in just 4 years and they keep getting better. For those that don’t know Black Star Riders, the band is really made up of the current members of Thin Lizzy. They wanted to release some new songs, but they didn’t want to release them as Thin Lizzy so they created Black Star Riders.
I think I understand why they did it. If you think about it, was anyone looking to hear new music from Thin Lizzy…No, probably not. This was actually a brilliant move as it caused a lot of buzz around the original release and here they are 4 years later getting better and better.
The band members are as follows:
Ricky Warwick – vocals
Scott Gorham – lead guitar
Damon Johnson – lead guitar
Robbie Crane – bass
Jimmy DeGrasso – drums
The album is a guitar heavy, hard rock release and you wouldn’t expect anything less when you have two lead guitarists. The opening track and title track, “Heavy Fire”, comes screaming in with the guitars and a nice heavy sound. Ricky sounds fantastic and they deliver a shot that resonates throughout the album.
The first single, “When the Night Comes In”, keeps up with the opening track and now you are completely invested in this album. I love guitar rock and they bring it even more on this song. “Dancing With the Wrong Girl” is a little more pop sound, but that doesn’t take away from anything, but actually adds to its charm. Jimmy’s drums on this one are perfect. They aren’t over powering and just enough that set perfectly in the song.
The heaviest and baddest song on the album is “Who Rides the Tiger”. The song is a full on attack of your senses and even the lyrics are a blast. They guitar solo was amazing and I don’t think I will ever tire of this duo of Scott & Damon. This is probably my favorite song they have ever done.
“Cold War Love” is next up, but this is one song that I could never connect with. It is a nice slow ballad, but I wasn’t feeling it. Hopefully you can connect with it and enjoy it. Luckily, the next song was their current single, “Testify or Say Goodbye”. The song picks the tempo back up and gives us more of the what you love from this album. The classic rock sound, the vocals and all around musicianship make it another standout on the album.
“Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed” gives us a little more darker sound and is a nice change of pace for the album without losing the flow of the album. “True Blue Kid” is another song that misses the mark for me. I can’t pinpoint what it is about the song, but I found myself skipping it which is never a good sign.
“Ticket to Rise” brings me back to the enjoyment with another solid guitar heavy song with a great solo. Keep it coming and I won’t tire of it. “Letting Go of Me” is the only song on the album not co-written by Damon Johnson and yet it is still a great song. This one was a fun song with a faster tempo.
The final track, “Fade”, is considered a bonus track but it is too good and fits nicely with the overall album. It doesn’t have the bonus track feel. It is a slower song and actually kept my interest. I usually like albums to end with a bang, but this worked for me nonetheless. A nice way to end the album.
Track Listing:
“Heavy Fire” – Keeper
“When The Night Comes In” – Keeper
“Dancing With the Wrong Girl” – Keeper
“Who Rides the Tiger” – Keeper
“Cold War Love” – Delete
“Testify or Say Goodbye” – Keeper
“Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed” – Keeper
“True Blue Kid” – Delete
“Ticket to Rise” – Keeper
“Letting Go of Me” – Keeper
“Fade” – Keeper
9 keeper out 11 songs – 82%(4.1 out 5 stars). The Black Star Riders are killing it on this album. I always talk about how rock today seems to be missing the guitar rock sound and these guys are not missing anything. The guitars are outstanding and take me back to when guitars were king. Nobody wanted to be a DJ, they wanted to play guitar. For that alone this album is worth it, but it has so much more to offer. Go grab a copy and get ready to have your ears blasted with what rock should sound like.
For My Sunday Song #27, my wife has chosen “Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)” by Casting Crowns. Now over to my wife and let her explain why she chose this song.
“Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)” is a song performed and composed by the Christian band Casting Crowns from their 2009 album Until the Whole World Hears. While the band composed the music, the lyrics come from the hymn “One Day”, written in 190 by John Wilbur Chapman, and Michael Bleecker at The village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, set the song’s verse melody.
It was a beautiful day and I had just left the mall and was headed home to meet my girls at the bus stop. I can vividly remember the skies being so blue that day. There wasn’t a cloud to be found and what should have been a somewhat chilly day turned out to be a gorgeous warm one. I recall thinking, “I sure wish everyday could be as nice as this one” and then realized I had better get my thinking back on the road because I was completely zoning out on the beautiful day! Not a good thing when you are behind the wheel.
When you are driving along and it is gorgeous out, what do you need to go with that? Music, right! Loud music! I turned on my radio and then hit the button in my car called “Jukebox” which allows me to store songs there that I like. The song “Glorious Day” came on and at first it was just a song but by the time it got to the second chorus, I was nearly in tears and could literally feel Jesus’ presence in my car. I was rocking out to “Glorious Day” with Jesus! How awesome!!! I don’t know what happened that day but it is a day I will never forget as I drove down Abbotts Bridge Road in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Do you have a song that just gets you like this every time you hear it? I have a few other songs that are not Christian based songs that do this. I’ll leave you with a quote from Jimi Hendrix, “Music is a safe kind of high.”
“Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)”
One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed
[Chorus:]
Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day
One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me
[Chorus]
One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again
[Chorus]
One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing
My Savior, Jesus, is mine
[Chorus]
Glorious day, Oh, Glorious day
Written by John Wilbur Chapman, Mark Hall & Michael Bleecker
Happy Friday. Welcome to the end of another long work week and hopefully something released today will fit your needs. Not much out this week, but a couple to look forward to for me. They are highlighted in Blue.
Alison Krauss – Windy City – (Hokker, Inc): Hard to believe that this is her first solo release in 18 years. Sadly it is only a covers album and not original material. I will take what I can get from this bluegrass/country superstar.
Ryan Adams – Prisoner – (PaxAmericana Recordings): Ryan hasn’t waited 18 years for his next solo release. He has only waited about 3 years. For him, this is his 16th studio album. That seems crazy, but he does put out a lot of albums as he averages about 1 album a year. I am sure it will be interesting as his usually are.
The band Ratt has been in the news a lot lately and not all in a good way. First with Stephen Pearcy releasing a great new solo album. And second, the Ratt band mates have been feuding over who owns the band name. It is sad and disgusting. To me, Ratt is Stephen Pearcy, Warren DeMartini, Bobby Blotzer, Robbin Crosby and Juan Croucier. But the band is now two bands fighting over the name.
In one corner you have Stephen Pearcy, Warren MeMartini & Juan Croucier. The other corner you have Bobby Blotzer. Robbin Crosby passed away in 2002 and luckily isn’t witnessing this fiasco. Based on what I have read, Bobby Blotzer will probably lose and Ratt will be with Stephen, Warren and Juan, but what do I know I am not an attorney.
Any other version is a cover band…sorry Bobby that is all your version would look like. Plus, you were never a song writer on any of the songs so the Ratt sound and style didn’t come from you so not sure I would ever check out your version of Ratt. I am sorry that was mean. There were actually 2 songs you have writing credits on and your drumming in the band was actually great. I still feel your version is a cover band though!!!
Because of them being in the news, I have been listening to their music and I realized they have a lot of great songs. I figured why not do a list of my Top 20 Ratt songs. I have gone through all their albums and I feel I have the definitive list of Ratt songs. I was hoping to have songs from every Ratt album, but their 1999, self-titled reunion album sucked so much that I could not in good faith include any songs. Collage was a compilation of rarities and b-sides but mostly stuff from pre-Ratt and I wanted to stick with the main Ratt era. Otherwise, here the Top 20 Ratt songs.
One of the great things in the Motley Crue Box Set ‘The End’ is the live concert CD & DVD of the final Motley show in Los Angeles on December 31st of 2015. It is a lot a money to spend for the DVD & CD of the show which thankfully, you can buy separately if that is all you want to buy. For the casual fan, that is definitely the way to go. Sadly, I am not the casual fan. I had to have it all.
First up was the CD version. The track list is as follows:
1.) Intro
2.) Girls, Girls, Girls
3.) Wild Side
4.) Primal Scream
5.) Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)
6.) Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
7.) Smokin’ In The Boys’ Room
8.) Looks That Kill
9.) Mutherf***** Of The Year
10.) Shout At The Devil
11.) Louder Than Hell
12.) Saints Of Los Angeles
13.) Live Wire
14.) Dr. Feelgood
15.) Kickstart My Heart
16.) Home Sweet Home
I popped the CD in while I was in my car on my commute into the office and I won’t spend a lot of time talking about as my focus will be on the DVD. The songs were great, but I had issue with the vocals. I had a hard time understanding what Vince was saying or wasn’t sure if Vince was even saying the right words. It was also lacking the spectacle of a Motley Crue show.
The jazz great Al Jarreau, dies today at age 76. He was such an awesome singer and even won 7 Grammy awards. He had so many great songs including, “Mornin'” and my personal favorite “We’re In This Love Together” to name just a few. I remember him most for the theme from the TV show “Moonlighting” that starred Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd.
He was born in Milwaukee back on March 12, 1940 and his real name was Alwyn Lopez Jarreau. His greatest success was during the 80’s, but his music is so timeless and even now listening to some of his songs you remember how amazing he was. I keep seeing he was nicknamed the “Acrobat of Scat” for his vocal stylings and I can say there were not many like him and probably never will be again.
For My Sunday Song #26, my wife has selected “Unanswered Prayers” by Garth Brooks. Here is what she has to say about the song and what it means to her.
Written by Garth Brooks, Pat Alger and Larry Bastian and released in October 1990 on his No Fences album. Brooks said “Every time I sing this song, it teaches me the same lesson…happiness is not getting what you want, it’s wanting what you’ve got.”
I suspect you are already thinking of at least one unanswered prayer that you are mighty grateful the good Lord did not answer. Am I right? Every time I hear the name of this song or see the name of this song, I can’t help but to think of where I would be today had God answered some of those prayers I prayed. And, you know what, I probably wouldn’t be here right now writing this blog for you. It scares me to even think about it. We have the prayers such as “God, please help me make an A on this math test”; or “God, don’t let my parents catch me talking on the phone late”; or “God, please make that boy like me”. Then as we get older, we start asking for bigger and more serious stuff and sometimes we think it is going to be the end of the world if it doesn’t happen, especially in the time frame we want it to happen. Prayers such as “God, I can’t live here anymore so please help me get the job I applied for in this other city so I can move and start a new life”, or “God, I am so in love with this guy and I know he is the one so please make it work between us”. What do these prayers have in common? They are all based on our wants rather than God’s will.
Now before I get into the album review, let me preface this with that I am a fan of Michael Bolton’s earlier work starting with his 1983 release ‘Michael Bolton’ which had “Fool’s Game” up until ‘Time, Love & Tenderness’ in 1991. After that it started to go down hill for me as he was doing way too many covers. More covers than originals, which is disappointing. He was also getting further and further from his original rock roots (listen to his early releases and you will hear what I am talking about).
Several months back, I heard Michael was signing with Frontiers Records Srl and I was actually excited to hear that as Frontiers is a great record label and they are a ROCK record label. They have brought back many bands of my youth and signed them including Night Ranger and Stryper and now Michael Bolton.
Imagine my utter disappointment when I heard the new Michael Bolton album was a cover album of movie songs called ‘Songs of Cinema’. Wow!! It is just what I wanted (heavy, heavy sarcasm)! I told myself going into it, I would keep an open mind and give it a solid listen…which I feel I did for about 30 seconds.
What songs did he cover? I will tell you.
It starts off with “When A Man Loves A Woman”. Hasn’t he done that one before? Why yes he has, but this one is different…it is the 2017 Version. Oh yeah, that is right…I am supposed to keep an open mind. I am sorry, but I can’t. That ship has sailed. When the first song is a rehash of an old song that you have already covered, you lost me. The original one he did back in 1991 was so much better.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana – (Flightless Records): King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are back after only one year and now they are top on my list. I had never heard of them until I did a music challenge where I pick an album to listen to based solely on the band name, the album name or the album cover and I picked them. Read about it here. I found that album to be stellar and now they will be the first thing I listen to on this day out of all the new releases. They are a very unique band and probably an acquired taste and the song “Rattlesnake” makes me a little worried about this release, but I will still listen.
Mike Tramp – Maybe Tomorrow – (Target Records): Mike Tramp keeps pumping out the solo music and he brings us a new one to enjoy. The former lead singer of 80’s rock band, White Lion, has carved path in his solo work that is nothing like his former band and that is okay. He never disappoints.
2 Loud 2 Old Music 