Welcome to Friday New Releases. We have just shy of 50 releases for you this week and I am sure you will find something you like. If you not you can have your money back…wait…you didn’t pay me any money…so oh well. One of my favorite bands has a new one this week. Def Leppard has a symphony release of their old hits so I’m not overly excited, but I’ll still buy it and listen to it. We also have a new Ghost E.P. of cover songs and it’s Ghost, so give me more!! There is Michael Sweet and Georgy Lynch with another Sweet & Lynch release and you have Dave Matthews Band, Neal Schon, Brandy Clark, The Used and so much more. Check them out and tell me what you want to hear. And if there is something we missed, tell us in the comments so everyone knows. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great weekend!
Sadly, Eric Carr passed away on November 24, 1991 due to an aneurysm that probably stemmed from the numerous surgeries he had to remove tumors related to his heart cancer. Before his death, Eric was always writing songs as he was a very creative soul. He could write, he could sing and he could play more than just the drums. ‘Rockology’ is a collection of the songs he had been working on prior to his death. These are demos and not necessarily full fledge songs in some cases so keep that in mind. Think of this as his ‘Vault’ because it is very similar in the type of songs you get on Gene Simmons ‘The Vault’. You get some fully fleshed out songs, you get some where lyrics are being scatted because their aren’t any yet and you get some straight-up instrumentals.
The album was put together by one of Eric’s great friends and former Kiss bandmate, Bruce Kulick. With the help of Adam Mitchell (co-writer of numerous Kiss songs), they pieced together a collection of songs from old cassettes or where ever they could find them. They would clean them up the best they could, add some backing vocals where appropriate and even Bruce overdubbed some killer solos in a few songs to help complete them. Bruce produced the album and I think this was a wonderful tribute to his old friend and bandmate.
This release is a Record Store Day release that came out on April 22, 2023 and it was released as a 2 LP Vinyl and a limited run of CDs (only 500 available). Luckily I got them both. The cool thing about this release is that there are 5 bonus tracks that have been previously unreleased so this it the only place to currently get them. The other really cool thing is how they changed up the cover to look like the 4 Kiss Solo albums with Eric getting an orange color around him. They even included a poster done in the same style of posters from the original Kiss Solo albums. The LP version comes on 2 LPs with translucent splatter vinyl, one orange and one clear. Both beautiful. The CD was designed as a Vinyl replica with a cardboard sleeve and the CD looks like a vinyl. Both packages done with care.
I was watching Tim’s Vinyl Confessions a few week’s back and they were going through their Whitesnake vinyl and one of the guys had a Japanese Edition of Whitesnake’s ‘Live at Hammersmith’ and I don’t think I had seen it before. So, after the show ended, I went to Discogs and bought it from someone in Japan. I received a week later…yes, only a week from Japan. Heck, I can’t get things from the next town over that fast. And it lived up to expectations and then some. I mean just look at the cover with the deep rich green snake and the back cover is just as cool. This might be my favorite Whitesnake cover ever! It is so awesome.
‘Live at Hammersmith’ was recorded on November 23, 1978 at The Hammersmith Odeon in London. The album was only released in Japan back in November 1980 as a single disc vinyl. I say single disc vinyl, because this album is actually the 2nd LP on the 2LP edition of ‘Live…in the Heart of the City’. I don’t have the two LP version of that album. I have the single version which is the 1st LP which was recored in 1980 on June 23/24 at The Hammersmith Odeon in London as well. You can read that review at the links at the bottom of the page.
We interrupt the Jeff Scott Soto Series to bring you a new concert review for a show I attended this weekend that included Jeff Scott Soto and Jason Bieler. It was Saturday, I guess that makes it alright, so I headed down to the Evening Muse in Charlotte, NC, for another fun evening with the comedy stylings of Jeff Scott Soto and Jason Bieler…oh yeah…there was a lot of music too. What started out as two grumpy old men sitting on stage, ended with two very drunk men practically falling off stage…ok not quite, but they had a lot fun as people kept bringing them drinks all night long…as well as cookies.
The evening started at 6pm for those that bought the VIP package…and yes, I was one of those. Last year, they mostly sang, but this year they did a full on Q&A section. You had to stand up, say your name and where you are from, then the crowd said it back to you. My question was to both of them asking if we would see Solo tours from them anytime. Jason stated that he is working on doing a Baron Von Belski tour later in the year, but wants to make sure it presents those 2 Baron albums the right way. Jeff got all serious and laid down the truth. That truth is No, there will be no tour. He said there is no demand for his solo shows in the States and it would not be cost effective to pull it off. Sadly, I know he is right and that disappointments me greatly. I guess I need to keep writing the Soto reviews as the word hasn’t reached everyone yet.
After the Q&A, the boys played a few songs for us including the Saigon Kick songs “On and On”, “One Step Closer” (I think) and ‘Sgt. Steve”. All classic SK songs and performed beautifully. The two were in rare form, cracking jokes and keeping the audience in stitches and they even lost it a few times (especially Jeff). Sometimes Jeff would laugh so hard because Beiler would go off on these tangents that made no sense, but were funny as hell. After around 30-45 minutes or so, the VIP experience ended, the boys went to eat and then we waited for the show. Oh yeah, I forgot we were given a secret password and any time they said that word, we were to cheer really loudly and get all excited. They said this would confuse those that came in for the show and by the end the would start cheering and have no understanding why. The word was “New Jersey” as there were several people in the Q&A from there.
The final My Sunday Song for the 10 Song Aldo Nova set is “Fantasy” of his self-titled 1981 debut album. The song #360 in the My Sunday Song series rocketed up the charts and landed at #23 on the Top 40 charts. It was Aldo’s only song to chart in the Top 40 in the U.S. and made him a One Hit Wonder. Which is so far from the truth, but charts are charts. VH1 named “Fantasy” one of the Top 100 One Hit Wonder songs of the 80’s.
The last song we discussed, “Monkey On Your Back” was about drugs and guess what…so is “Fantasy”. Another dark story on drug addiction and prostitution and the shadowy world in the big city. The drugs make you so high that life seems great and you party hard, but it is all a fantasy…all is not well and life pretty much sucks. Drugs mask reality and only help you hide from the truth. When on the drugs, nothing is real.
The song starts off with an ominous feel and a short machine gun burst before the helicopter comes soaring in (all done with keyboards I believe). The music intensifies and the laser blast busting open the door kicks off this powerhouse of a rock song. Aldo comes soaring in with the guitars and then the vocals all accompanied by his amazing keyboard work. The songs use of keyboards, gave the song such a sci-fi feel to it, but it was the guitar playing by Aldo that made this a great rock song. The guitar dual solo is awesome even if it is Aldo going against Aldo. What’s not to love about it. This song feels like a pre-cursor of what was to come with music in the 80’s. Was this the kick-off point to the 80’s glam/hard rock era? Maybe.
As the weather keeps heating up, so do the releases, but this week isn’t as hot as others as we only have around 30 for you. For me, it is a break week as there is nothing here I have to have which means I can catch up on all my recent purchases. But hopefully there is something for you as there are some popular picks this week with Lauren Daigle who has a great voice and the Jonas Brothers have a new. Belinda Carlisle has an E.P. that I believe was just released on vinyl at Record Store Day. Let me know what you want to hear this week or what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
For this month’s The Original Vs. Cover, we are going to talk about a song that became famous again because of a TV show 37 years after it’s release. The song is “Running Up That Hill” which was released way back in 1985 by Kate Bush. It did really well going to #30 on the Hot 100 Charts. Thanks to the show ‘Stranger Things’, that same song became a hit again in 2022 going all the way to #23 so it did a little better the second. Here’s the thing, I don’t remember this song back in 1985. Nope, first time I remember really hearing this song was back in 2016 when Norway’s Jorn Lande recorded the song for his covers album, 2016’s ‘Heavy Rock Radio’ which he released as a single. Now, it didn’t chart anywhere in the U.S., but that is the song I remember.
The song was written by Kate Bush is about the lack of understanding between men and women. They can’t really communicate with each other. At least not very well. It was like running up a hill that would never end. She imagined that if they made a deal with God, they could exchange places with each other and gain a better understanding of how the other half thinks.. The song was originally called “Deal With God” but record executives felt that some more religious companies might not like it much.
KATE BUSH:
Kate’s version is pure 80’s with the luscious keyboards, the electronic drums and everything about it screams 80’s to me. I would consider Kate’s version to be more art pop than new wave. It feels epic in styling, there is an urgency to it, a seriousness, a real dramatic tone to the song. The song feels like it is getting bigger and bigger as the music seems to get more intense as the drums beat a little harder, the vocals get a little more intense and then it slows down again. The keyboards have a cello sounding effect at times giving it a whole orchestration feel to it. Kate’s vocals are a little monotonous at times, and drone on although they are impactful at times also as I do feel the emotion she is feeling. There are lots of layers and added effects with her vocals as well making her her own background vocalist as well.
In my quest for bootlegs, another one popped up at a record show here in Charlotte. This one was fairly new as it was released in 2020 and it was still sealed. It is simply called ‘Gods of Thunder”. The show is only a partial show from the Monsters of Rock show in Sao Paulo, Brazil on August 27, 1994. That setlist had 22 tracks and this is a streamlined vinyl with only 10 tracks and not even sure these are the best 10 tracks. But the good news is, they did omit “Rock & Roll All Nite” which we didn’t really need to have another live version of that as I have a million of it already.
I’m not sure what they were going for with the cover but I am sure with the lightning and cloudy skies is the God of Thunder part, but what is with the chess board at the bottom and the poorly cropped faces on the cover. That looks about as shitty of job that I could do. The bright side is, they at least got the right people as that would’ve been the line-up in 1994. The back cover is the same scene minus the heads and the track list instead. The cool thing about it is the beautiful blue vinyl. I like that a lot. And as far as sound, it is from a radio broadcast, so the sound is fantastic. There is no denying it is a live show as nothing has been done to fix the imperfections, which is what we like about the bootlegs.
For those following along on the series, you know by now that SOTO is Jeff Scott Soto’s band that he uses to differentiate his solo stuff from his more heavier sounding metal songs. And this is heavy. This is the band’s third album now in the last 4/5 years and the only difference in the band is at bass. Sadly, bassist David Z (of Z02 & Adrenaline Mob) passed away in a tragic accident. In his stead is none other than Tony Dickinson and he also helped produce the album. We still have Jeff on vocals, obviously, along with BJ on keys and guitars, Edu Cominato on drums along with Jorge Salan on guitars.
The album was released on May 19, 2019 and it doesn’t stray far from the first two albums. It is a heavy rock album, a little at times and a modern, electronic sound also. But…I can’t say they’ve been my favorite projects from Jeff. Yes, I do like the heavier sound and Jeff does a fine job of singing, but the songs haven’t been as melodic as I like, the hooks aren’t as catchy and the choruses are a little lackluster at times. That doesn’t mean the first two albums were bad album, I just haven’t enjoyed them as much. And is this one any different? Well, it might be my favorite of the bunch, but is it a favorite of the Soto collection? We first need to dig deeper and explore these tracks to see how they stack up.
The album kicks off with “Hypermania” and a full on electronica bit before kicking in hard & heavy. Musically the song is really awesome, but I can’t get past the horrible lyrics in the chorus. The rhyming of hypermania with the words insania and no brainia. Totally childish and lame. Take out the lyrics and this is a killer modern metal track. For me, I just skip the whole thing and start the album with the title track.
The title track, “Origami”, explodes with some ear-splitting drum pounding, a vicious riff and then it turns in to a speed metal attack. Jeff’s vocals are aggressive and he attacks the song with a killer’s rage and it is awesome. One of the heaviest tracks on the album and it really grabs hold and slams it home. The guitars are freaking nasty, the solo is cool and Jeff even gives off a scream which he does so well. A real ballbuster of a track and should be the opening track!!
“Belie” is up next and it slows things down a little. No, not a ballad, just a slower tempo. There is a darkness tone to it, it is still heavy. The verses give off a sadness and don’t really connect with the music. The payoff comes with the chorus with layers of harmonies and Jeff does sound great. The cool thing about it is you get a bass break, a drum break and a guitar break in it which is nice to see all areas shine. And the guitar solo is a screamer. One of the best on the album.
More great guitar work opens “World Gone Colder” and the guitar never lets up. It is full of piss and vigor throughout the song. A roller coaster of riffs. The chorus is enjoyable and Jeff really goes all out, but you can’t say enough about the guitars on this one as they are the star. The solo will seal the deal for you.
“Detonate” is the only song to feature the late, great David Z on bass. For that, it is a little special. It starts with a slow build, a whispering Jeff Scott Soto on vocals and then the band comes roaring in and the song gets going. If you listen close, you can hear David just smacking the bass. The song is hard & heavy, and with a title like detonate, you’d expect this song to explode and it doesn’t quite get as explosive as I’d expect and starts to lose me by the end.
Things slow down with “Torn”, a quasi-power ballad. The foot comes off the gas with this one and Jeff gives a very pleasant vocal delivery. Musically, everything is toned down, softer yet full of emotion. The chorus is catchy and Jeff really takes it up a notch. The drum sound on this one is solid, the guitars give a melancholic tone and when Jeff screams “GO”, the guitars lay down a solo that fits perfectly with the song. The guys show they aren’t one-dimensional.
The heavy comes back with “Dance with the Devil” and if you are going to have devil in the title, it better kick ass. There is a whole Sons of Apollo vibe here with even hints of Dio. The riffs are speedy, gritty and brutal, the drum work is powerful and destructive especially the double kick drum whose speed is insane. A rocking track, but also a little forgettable when its over as it doesn’t stick with you.
“Afterglow” is up next and the sound is more like a Soto solo album as it is more melodic, a little funky at times and has a big band swing groove. The chorus is full on harmonies and the song is although has a serious tone, is a lot of fun for me as the groove is really cool. One of my favorite tracks on the album.
“Vanity Lane” takes it back to the heavy and it has a darker tone and more serious feel to it. The chorus is better than the verses and the guitar solo is great, however, I like the song well enough, but it doesn’t stick with you. Not memorable enough.
The final song on the album is a Michael Jackson cover of his song “Give In To Me” which is one of Michael’s more rocking songs and SOTO does it justice. It starts off slow and Jeff goes in to a deeper register and when the chorus explodes, he goes back to that Jeff sound he is so famous for. I love this song already, so I do enjoy it here as it is hard to screw up a Michael Jackson song.
But there is a bonus track so it ain’t over yet. “KMAG” closes things out and what is a KMAG? It is Kiss My Ass Goodbye! It is heavy as hell and the drums are earth shatteringly hard. I like this one a lot and the big payoff is that chorus as anytime you can scream out Kiss My Ass Goodbye it just feels great. A great way to go out on the album.
Track Listing:
Hypermania – Delete
Origami – Keeper
Belie – Keeper
World Gone Colder – Keeper
Detonate – Delete
Torn – Keeper
Dance with the Devil – Keeper(1/2 Point)
Afterglow – Keeper
Vanity Lane – Delete
Give In To Me – Keeper
KMAG (Bonus Track) – Keeper
The Track Score is 7.5 out of 11 Tracks or 68%. SOTO didn’t impress me much with the first two albums, and the third didn’t do much better. The songwriting is still subpar as the lyrics at times are cringe worthy and the songs aren’t as memorable as most of Jeff’s work, however, this one held my interest a little more and had more songs that I liked. If I had to pick a favorite of the three so far, this would be it, but not by much. My Overall Score is a 3.5 out of 5.0 Stars which is the same as the 2nd album, but since I like this one a little more maybe it should be 3.6, who knows. I’ll stick with Jeff’s other albums more than I will with SOTO…sorry Jeff.
UP NEXT: SONS OF APOLLO – ‘LIVE WITH THE PLOVDIV PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY’ (2019)
For My Sunday Song #359, we are talking about the song “Monkey On Your Back” off Aldo Nova’s 2nd album, 1983’s ‘Subject…Aldo Nova’. The song was the first single off the album and although it didn’t make the Top 100, it did rise to #12 on the Mainstream Rock Chart which helped send the album to Gold status in the U.S. and Platinum in his home country of Canada. Not a bad start, however, the promotion was lacking and the album didn’t hit the level it probably should have as this is my favorite Aldo Nova album.
Before there was Bon Jovi’s Tommy & Gina, we get the sad stories of Timmy and Sally. “Monkey On Your Back” is about the monkey on your back and in their case that monkey is drugs. Tommy got addicted to Heroin and it took all his money and ruined his life. Sally had it worst, she met a guy name Willy and Willy was a pimp. He was kind enough to turn her into a prostitute and got her addicted to heroin. What a swell guy. Both tragic stories with no happy ending. The song is Aldo’s commentary on the drug problem in this world and how easily it is to get addicted and take over you life. It is a dark, disturbing world and something needs to be done.
The song opens with some pounding drums, a killer guitar riff by Aldo accompanied by some solo work by Aldo as well. The keyboards are massive adding to the whole sci-fi vibe of the album giving it more texture and color. Aldo’s vocals are aggressive and at times he even uses the talk box for more dramatic effect and this was before Bon Jovi did it. But the hero of this story is the guitars as Aldo is so underrated in this area. His mixture of the keyboards and the guitar are always great together. The song was probably ahead of its time but does sound a little dated, but when that solo kicks in with the robotic like growl, you don’t care one bit. You just want to rock out.
Def Leppard – Drastic Symphonies – (EMI Recording / Bludgeon Riffola / Mercury Records)
Ghost – Phantomime E.P. – (Loma Vista Recordings / Concord) – Digital May 18th, Vinyl May 19th
Lauren Daigle – Lauren Daigle – (Centricity Music / Atlantic Records)
Jonas Brothers – The Album – (Republic Records / UMG)
2 Loud 2 Old Music 