The Collection: Ep. 90 – Shakespeare’s MacBeth: A Rock Opera – Interview with Greg Cherone, John Bettencourt & Robert Clapp Jr.

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This week on The Collection, I sit down with the creators of Shakespeare’s MacBeth: A Rock Opera that features Jeff Scott Soto as MacBeth. I interview Greg Cherone, John Bettencourt and Robert Clapp Jr and we talk through how they came up with the Rock Opera, how they picked the cast and we walk through all the great songs on this release. We do talk about Jeff Scott Soto and how he became a part of this production. The show is a broken out into Two Acts and delivers all the best parts of MacBeth with all the drama, danger, deaths, treason, suicides and even some humor. It is as dark tragedy that is such a compelling and interesting story, you can’t help but get sucked in and want to hear it over and over again. Come join us as we talk through as much as we can. Lots of great information and here is hoping they get a chance to bring this to the stage with Jeff as MacBeth. That would be awesome. I’d go see that.

So go check it out as it is live right now on YouTube. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

If you want find out more about the Rock Opera, you can go to MacbethARockOpera.com and check it out.

My Sunday Song – “Let There Be Shred” by Megadeth

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For My Sunday Song #470, we are tackling the new single “Let There Be Shred” from the brand new and final Megadeth album, ‘Megadeth’. The song was dropped as a single on December 19, 2025, but I didn’t hear it until I bought the new album which was released on January 23, 2026. I have not stopped listening to this album and song ever since. The song helped propel Megadeth to their First #1 Album in their 40 year history. What a way to go out as this is their last album, according to Dave Mustaine. Go out on top…not many bands can do that.

The song was written by Dave Mustaine, Teemu Mäntysaari and Dirk Verbeuren. All members of Megadeth. The only one missing is James LoMenzo. The song is a blistering fun romp down memory lane. It is a nostalgic driven song about their love for Thrash metal. It is about the destruction of playing guitar with a fierce, adrenaline-filled passion that leaves everyone else in your dust. “Clawing at Fretboards”, “Smash my guitar”, “Thunderous command”, “Guitars are all screaming”, “A machine gun on meth”…all ways of describing their playing and it fits it perfectly.

Musically, the song is total fire. This is a guitar showcase song for sure. You get two solos, one from Teemu Mantysaari and one from Dave himself. During the second solo, the whole feel of the song changes and the solo obliterates your ears. The drums, from Dirk, pummel you until you are black and blue. Dave’s gravely, dirty vocals are masterful and reminds you that although he isn’t the best singer out there, he is perfect for this type of music. I can’t imagine anyone else singing this song. But again, the highlight are the frightening brutal riffs, screaming solos and wall-to-wall destruction by the guitar. These guys were definitely born with a guitar in their hand!!

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Friday New Releases – February 6, 2026

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Welcome to Friday New Releases. February comes in with a little of a whimper. Not a lot here this time around, but there is one that will be big for sure and that is Nick Jonas. I won’t be getting it, but I am sure a lot of people will. For me, there is really nothing I need, maybe I’ll stream the new Puscifer album, but outside of that, probably nothing else. Let me know what you want to hear or what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great weekend!

  • Nick Jonas – Sunday Best – (Republic Records / UMG)
  • Joe Bonamassa – B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 – (KTBA Records)
  • Yes – Tales From Topographic Oceans (Super Deluxe Edition) – (Atlantic Recording Corp / Warner Music Group)
  • Marc Broussard – S.O.S. V: Songs of the ’50s – (G-Man Touring Inc)
  • Puscifer – Normal Isn’t – (Alchemy Recordings)
  • Silversun Pickups – Tenterhooks – (New Machine Recordings)
  • KMFDM – Enemy – (Metropolis Records)
  • Visions of Atlantis – Armada: An Orchestral Voyage – (Napalm Records)
  • Mayhem – Liturgy of Death – (Century Media Records)
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Kiss – ‘Watching Us’ – Album Review (The Kiss Bootleg Series)

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I have been doing a Kiss Bootleg Series for years. You get a review every time I add a new one to the collection. Well, after buying 38 Bootleg CDs from John Humphrey’s personal collection, I figured let’s jump right back in and do a whole lot of reviews on the Bootlegs. Oh, if you don’t know who John Humphrey is, you need to know he is a massive Kiss collector. And he is the drummer of the band Seether. John decided to sell off his entire collection…sort of…he kept all the vinyl (like 4,000 of them). He did it through an auction at Backstage Auctions and I had to have a piece of it…and I did wind up with some things.

This time around we have a cool bootleg that consists of a collection of performances Kiss did on various TV shows over the years. It is called ‘Watching Us’ and I am not sure what year this was released as it is not listed on the back cover nor does Discogs have it listed. It is 16 tracks covering appearances from 1974 up to 1986. The cover photo and a couple others were taken from a photoshoot on October 19, 1976. This was where they did a photoshoot for Creem magazine and they used polyurethane “fake” snow which is actually so toxic that it is no longer used. I am assuming the guys didn’t suffer any long-term effects from being exposed to it.

The disc starts off with ABC’s in Concert which aired on March 219, 1974. It kicks off with “Nothin’ to Lose and Peter on vocals. The quality is decent enough, a little hollow sounding like it was from a copy of a copy. The crowd sounds good and loud while the band is on fire as they are young and hungry. After that opening track, they go into the classic, “Firehouse”. Paul confidently and effortlessly delivers a stellar vocal. I like the long drawn out ending and the siren ringing loudly. After that, they go into one of my favorites, “Black Diamond”. This one sounds so good despite the quality of the recording. The band simply kills it. Peter’s vocals are spot on. He is so into it and gives it his all. Another great, long, drawn out, explosive ending. This was back when they were all the best they could be.

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The Collection – Ep. 89: January 2026 Wrap-Up

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2026 is upon us and we are already closing out the first month. It is time for our January 2026 Wrap Up so lets see what 2 Loud 2 Old Music added to the collection this month. Despite all the snow we picked up here in Charlotte, we also picked up a bunch of a whole of CDs and even a few vinyl. This month I didn’t actually get to hit a record store, but I did order from Discogs, Facebook and Amazon and most of this was from Christmas Gift Cards or ad money from the site. Gotta love that!! So much to go through including a handful of new Rock Candy CDs in the collection, one Kiss item and a few Box Sets plus a selection of items that are new releases. Lots of great new and old stuff to go through and show for this month so I hope you enjoy the show!!

So go check it out as it is live right now on YouTube. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

And the whole set for those that won’t watch videos…

My Sunday Song – “Afterlife” by Switchfoot

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For My Sunday Song #469, we are talking “Afterlife” by the band Switchfoot. The song is off their 8th studio album ‘Vice Verses’ which came out on September 27, 2011. The song was the third single off the album and came out on February 28, 2012 and though it didn’t chart, it was such a powerful song and set the tone as it kicked off the album. It was written by brothers and band members, Tim and Jon Foreman. The song helped propel the album to #8 on the Billboard 200 album chart, #3 on the Rock & Alternative Charts and #1 on the Christian Charts!!

The song sends a powerful message. It reminds us that we are not here for very long, but if we want to feel like we are living forever, we must live our life to the fullest. How we do that is surrender to Jesus and live a life that serves him and others. Don’t be so focused on the future and what happens after we die. Believing in Christ will get allow you to live forever in the afterlife, but start living that way now to make it feel like you are already really living. We are all broken, so surrender now and experience the Joy and embrace the journey of faith.

The music is as powerful as the lyrics. The song is an anthem that starts off with an extended guitar note, then a distorted guitar riff with Jon Foreman singing that first verse like he is calling us to action. The full band comes in and the song goes to another level with an electrifying intensity. The chorus is bombastic and one big hook. Short and sweet. The guitar riff throughout is intense and the little riffs and notes tossed in throughout give the song a punch. The solo is not as in your face and more fit to the song. I like how near the end, there is a moment where the music softens and Jon belts out another verse before the band comes back in and they carry us home.

Continue reading “My Sunday Song – “Afterlife” by Switchfoot” →

Friday New Releases – January 30, 2026

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January might be about over, but the new releases still keep coming. How are we already done with the first month of the year…crazy. This week I’m getting the McAuley Schenker Group box set for my favorite years of theirs from 1987 to 1992. Can’t wait. That is it for me this week. What do you want to hear or what did we miss? Let us know! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great weekend!!

  • McAuley Schenker Group – Bad Boys: The Mcauley Schenker Group Story 1987-1992 – (Hne)
  • Robin Trower – One Moment In Time: Live in the USA – (Artone Label Group / Provogue)
  • Linda Ronstadt – The Early Years – (Iconic LR Masters / Rhino Entertainment)
  • The Monkees – The A’s, The B’s & The Monkees – (Rhino Records)
  • Joseph – Closer to Happy – (Joseph Sounds LLC / Nettwerk Music Group)
  • Urne – Setting Fire To The Sky – (Spinefarm Music Group)
  • Course of Fate – Behind the Eclipse – (Roar)
  • Our Mirage – Fractured Mind – (Arising Empire)
  • MOL – Dreamcrush – (Nuclear Blast)
Continue reading “Friday New Releases – January 30, 2026” →

Cheap Trick – ‘The Complete Epic Albums Collection’ (2022) – Box Set (The Cheap Trick Collection Series)

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Back in 2013, Legacy, Epic Records and Sony released a CD box set that contained all albums in Epic Records from the band’s debut album all the way up to 1990’s album ‘Busted’. In 2022, the box set was reissued on Music on CD, Legacy, Epic & Sony and that is the box I have in my collection. You get 14 CDs in all including the full Budokan show on 2 CDs along with the E.P. ‘Found all the Parts’ that was only available on Vinyl and cassette until 2003 when there was a Japanese release on CD.

The albums from the debut up to ‘All Shook Up’ were original remastered and reissued back in 1998 with bonus tracks and that is what we have here with those albums. If what I am reading is correct, the remaining albums were remastered for this box set but there is a debate on whether or not that is true as the sound quality isn’t as great as the earlier albums. For me, it doesn’t bother me one way or the other as I’m not going to sit and listen to all 14 discs in a row where I would notice and differences. I am just happy to have all the albums on CD as I had them all on vinyl, so I needed the CDs.

For those of you that need to know this, Cheap Trick is from Rockford, Illinois and consists of Robin Zander on Vocals, Rick Nielsen on guitar, Bun E. Carlos on drums and there are two different people on bass. First is Tom Petersson from Discs 1 – 8 and then back again on 13-14 while Jon Brant is on Discs 9-12 as Tom left for a spell and thankfully returned. They have been labeled as the American Beatles which is high praise especially considering the band was heavily influenced by The Beatles.

The first half of their catalog is amazingly strong and they have one of the best live albums of all time with ‘At Budokan’. The last half of their catalog is a little weak at times, but still some great classics on each album. The band is still going strong today and still frequently releasing quality material that any band would be proud to call their own. They have not rested on their past and always strive to be better. This is a large taste of the band if you aren’t familiar and unless you buy the Vinyl, this CD set is pretty reasonable as I picked it up for around $45. Not bad for 14 CDs. Let’s take a look.

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Billy Idol – ’10 Great Songs’ (2010) – Album Review (The Billy Idol Series)

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When an artist has been around as long as Billy Idol, there are bound to be a ton of Greatest Hits Compilations. Billy is no exception to that rule. There are legitimate, very well thought out compilations and then there is not. This is the later. ’10 Great Songs’ is a Budget Compilation by the record companies that has been released over the years and a ton of artists have their own version. This particular package was originally released in 2009 on EMI with a different cover and slightly different track listing. My version is from 2010 on Capitol Records and it actually has the same track listing and even order as the 2014 issue that was called ’20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection’.

The 10 songs here are all from his prime period, The 1980’s. There was a collection released in 1988 in the UK called ’11 of the Best’ and that set has all the songs ’10 Great Songs’ does plus one extra (“Don’t Need a Gun”). That should tell you that this collection is nothing special and nothing you haven’t already seen before. There are only two people that buy this type of CD. One – the very casual fan that is willing to spend a lot of money for a basic set of hits to whet their appetite. Two – people like me who collect everything from an artist. I already have the ’11 of the Best’ CD’ and if I saw the 20th Century Masters’ one, I’d buy it too.

The opening track is the title song “Rebel Yell” which actually opened the ‘Rebel Yell’ album.  It is a scorcher of a song, high energy and attitude.  The opening of the song is all done with the guitar even though it sounds like both a guitar and a keyboard.  Steve is showing off right out of the gate.  Vocally, Billy is on fire and you can see his lip curling up while he is signing which is amazing as it is on vinyl.  “Rebel Yell” was actually inspired by the Rolling Stones according to Billy on VH1 Storytellers.  Billy was at a party thrown by the Stones and everyone was drinking Rebel Yell Bourbon Whiskey.  I guess he loved that whiskey (along with a lot of drugs at the time).

The first single on ‘Whiplash Smile’ was a cover of William Bell’s “To Be A Lover” which was co-written by Booker T. Jones back in 1968.  Billy completely modernized the song and turned it in to a dance track.  It has some great soulful female backing vocals and fancy piano riffs and an all around fantastic track.  The song is actually quite poignant in that with his longtime girlfriend leaving him since he “forgot to be a lover” with his drug use and sexcapades with other women.  It felt like he was confessing that he screwed up.

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My Sunday Song – “Rejoice” by Def Leppard

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For My Sunday Song #468, we are going to talk the brand new song by Def Leppard called “Rejoice”. It was released prior to the start of their latest Las Vegas Residency that is occurring as we speak. The song isn’t from any album (yet) and is the 2nd single they’ve released over the last year, the last one being ’77’. Still no album. I am assuming they will play this during the residency as it would be a great place to debut the song live. I still want an album.

The song was written by Joe Elliott and Phil Collen. The song is about a guy, who according to Joe, is at rock bottom. The guy seems to be at that point where you realize the only way to go is up. He wants to fight his way to the top, he wants to feel Joy again, he wants to hit the point that he can rejoice.

Per Leppard’s press releases…Phil Collen stated…

“I had this riff, this idea for a song a while ago actually, so when Joe came to me I created this drum loop based with a tribal sound and it fit perfectly with this other arrangement I had,” adds Collen. “I sent it to Joe and it was like magic – he sang straight over the top of it. And that’s how the song was formed.

“Then we gave it to Ronan [McHugh, Leppard’s long-serving sound engineer] who’d done a proper drum loop with different sounds. It all started gelling and just sounded like a powerful chant. We love it. It’s hard rock for us. It’s got a bit more of an ‘oomph’ than stuff we’ve been doing for a while. It’s kind of magical.”

Musically, this song takes me back to around their ‘Euphoria’ era with that that guitar sound. The song definitely is heavier than anything they’ve done in awhile. As the band said above, “It’s got a bit more ‘oomph”. I would agree with him as it is a real banger of a song. I like the drum sound with its tribal beat, the harmonies are classic Leppard and Joe Elliott sounds great. It is so great to see Leppard still putting out material and finally having a little balls behind it. A great way to kick of 2026!! So why don’t we all rejoice we have a new Def Leppard Single!!

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