Happy Friday and that statement is true because any day with new albums is a Happy Day!! We have around 35 new releases for you this week and a couple I’m interested in hearing, but won’t buy just yet. Through Fire and Texas Hippie Coalition will get my rock going this week. There are a bunch of Frontiers Records releases as they always do a bunch at one time and an MTV Unplugged for Twenty One Pilots might be interesting too. I hope there is something you like. Let me know what you want to hear this week and what we may have missed so everyone knows. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!
Through Fire – Devil’s Got You Dreamin’ – (Sumerian Records)
Texas Hippie Coalition – The Name Lives On – (MNRK Records)
Twenty One Pilots – MTV Unplugged (Live) – (Fueled By Ramen)
I was out at a record show here in Charlotte and I love to go digging at them when they come around. You never know what you will find and this last trip was no different. If you’ve been on the site, you know I’m a huge David Coverdale fan and that of course means a Whitesnake fan as well. I love to find obscure Whitesnake stuff and I believe this fits the bill. I never knew this existed so of course I had to have it. It is a best of compilation out of Greece. It is on EMI, but this wasn’t compiled by the band, nope. I am sure this was done to capitalize on the success of their self-titled album or as some call it, “1987”. This was released only in Greece in 1987 and other than the band name and song titles, the notes on the back are written in Greek.
The cover art work is really bad, which is why I think it is really cool. Just Coverdale on the cover with a snake wrapping around it. That same snake is on the back as well. Not very original to say the least. The copy I have has a label that is different than what is on Discogs so I think I have a different variant. My label is the “Liberty” label, the one on discogs has the Whitesnake logo on top, no Liberty. I think that is pretty cool too. All around, I was quite pleased to pick this up and add it to the Whitesnake collection.
The songs only have one song from the new album, “Still of the Night”, and the rest are from the back catalog and it goes deep and wide. Honestly, it is an interesting track listing with the exception of “Day Tripper” which I hate Whitesnake’s version, but we will get to that. Production wise, it is okay. Nothing stellar. “Still of the Night” isn’t as impressive as on the CD which hurts it I believe. Otherwise, it is all fine. Glad to have a copy.
With the album ‘Alive’ in 1975, Kiss finally broke through and were on their ways to be Rock Gods!! But their next album needed to make a statement. It needed to capture the band like none of their other albums had been able to do. Famed record producer, Bob Ezrin, was brought in to man the boards all based on the work he was doing with Alice Cooper. Kiss needed that same energy and success. And did Bob deliver? Oh hell yeah he did!! ‘Destroyer’ was released on March 15, 1976 and with songs like “Beth”, ‘Detroit Rock City” and “Shout it Out Loud”, Kiss was on top. They had made it! A now platinum selling artist, a massive touring act and they were starting to reach heights they only dreamed about. At first thought, the album was slow out of the gate until “Beth” was played on the radio…it was the B-Side to “Detroit Rock City” and then Bam!! Everything changed. To celebrate this pivotal album, Kiss delivered the 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition Box Set and it is jammed pack with goodness. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have been paying attention to other band’s box sets and now they know how to put one of these together and it is stellar…mostly.
It is jammed pack with 4 discs of music. A remastered edition of the main album; 2 CDs of demos, rarities, outtakes and remixes as well as 1 Live CDs chock full of goodness from the Paris show on May 22, 1976. And you also get a Blu-Ray Audio of the main album and I can’t wait to turn this baby on in surround sound and hear all that Bob put in to these songs. But that is not all, not by a long shot. The box set is packed with an 68-page book, posters, stickers, photo cards and all sorts of information about the band…don’t believe me, look at the sticker from the front of the box set…
So sit back and let’s go through the box set in detail with a lot of pictures to show you the beauty of this set.
The roots of Sons of Apollo stem back to the band Dream Theater as both Derek Sherinian and Mike Portnoy were once members. They both left Dream Theater (Sherinian fired in 1999 and Portnoy left in 2010) and eventually teamed back up for a short-lived instrumental project called PSMS with Billy Sheehan and Tony MacAlpine. Billy had played with Mike in the band The Winery Dogs. Eventually, Derek, Mike and Billy decided to make it a full time band (not a project) and they started Sons of Apollo. They needed a guitarist and Mike suggest Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal because why not, he’s fantastic. They also needed a singer and Mike suggested Jeff Scott Soto as his band had opened for The Winery Dogs and I am guessing Mike was impressed. The band was complete and ready to go.
The band recorded in only 10 days as their schedules were busy. They were produced by the dynamic duo called The Del Fuvio Brothers. What? You never heard of them…well…it is the nickname that both Derek and Mike had while in Dream Theater so they used that as the Producer name since they both produced the album. The band’s sound is a pinch of early Dream Theater and a dab of pure Classic Rock. Musically, the songs were written mostly by Portnoy and Sherinian with help from Bumblefoot and Billy. Soto handled most of the lyrics, but there was input Sherinian and Portnoy on a lot of the songs as well. It was a team effort (led by Derek & Mike).
The cover art work on the album was handled by Mike Portnoy. He had the vision. It was going to be two lions facing each other, but Derek suggested that his lion be an eagle and you can see it holding the keyboard while the lion is holding the drumsticks. There is a crown with a bunch of Bumblefoot and Billy’s headstocks form their guitar and bass behind it. I am not sure what part represents Soto. Is it the crown because he is the king of vocals or are the 3 spikes in the center actually pipes which would represent his vocal pipes? I don’t know, I’m making things up as I go along. The album title comes from the song “Lost in Oblivion” which has the line ‘Psychotic Symphony” in one of the verses. The album was released on October 20, 2017 to much critical acclaim and was a resounding success.
For My Sunday Song #356, “Rumors of You” off Aldo Nova’s third album from 1985 called “Twitch” is our song topic today. “Rumors of You” was the first single from the album but didn’t chart anywhere that I am aware, but that doesn’t take away from how good the song really is. On this album Aldo was, I would guess, talked in to using outside writers and I would say the record label had a lot to do with this album, but this song is solely written by Aldo and for that, it is more of who he is then maybe the other songs…in my opinion.
The song is a power ballad and it is about a man who learns about his girlfriend and her cheating ways. I believe he was hurt by her cheating, but more upset that he had to learn from others and not directly from her. The song is a big FU to her and letting her know he is walking out the door. The girl comes in and tries to tell him that the rumors are all lies, butI don’t believe he believes her at all because maybe she’s done it before.
Musically, the is duet with the singer Fiona. Before she sang with Kip Winger, she did a stint with Aldo. The song is very synth based and the drums are electronic which normally I would hate, but Aldo has a way of making them feel like they belong with the song. It is a ballad and Aldo’s vocals drenched with the emotion needed for the pain that is felt on the cheating. The chorus is powerful and has all the energy a great power ballad has. Fiona’s vocals fit so nicely with Aldo and you want to believe her, but you know she’s lying trying to cover her ass. The production on the album was a little lacking and the song is dated in the Miami Vice 80’s, but I still love it just the same.
Here we are! Another Friday of new releases and this week has a HUGE one with the new album from Metallica!! I will listen to it before I buy it as I’m not a massive Metallica fan, but I know a ton of you out there love them so they are first on the list. I am actually more interested in Jason Bieler’s new album from his project Jason Bieler & the Baron Von Bielski Orchestra. ‘Postcards from the Asylum’ is going to be an eclectic mix of adventurous songs and I can’t wait. My copy should be here soon and it will be signed by Jason!! I thought I wanted to hear the new Mike Tramp album but I can’t imagine he could do anything that would improve on those great White Lion songs. Anyway, that is enough about me. What do you want to hear this week? What did we miss? Let us know and as always thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great weekend!!
Metallica – 72 Seasons – (Blackened Recordings)
Jason Bieler & the Baron Von Bielski Orchestra – Postcards from the Asylum – (Baron Von Bielksi)
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.
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.
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.
Blue Murder – ‘Blue Murder’ – 8 votes
The Scream – ‘Let It Scream’ – 6 votes
Diving For Pearls – ‘Diving For Pearls – 5 votes
RTZ – ‘Return to Zero’ – 2 votes
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…
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.
Through Fire – Devil’s Got You Dreamin’ – (Sumerian Records)
Texas Hippie Coalition – The Name Lives On – (MNRK Records)
Twenty One Pilots – MTV Unplugged (Live) – (Fueled By Ramen)
Metallica – 72 Seasons – (Blackened Recordings)
Jason Bieler & the Baron Von Bielski Orchestra – Postcards from the Asylum – (Baron Von Bielksi)
2 Loud 2 Old Music 