Tag: Brian May

Def Leppard – ‘Visualize’ (1993) – DVD Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic8 Comments

Def Leppard were trying to keep product moving to keep the fans happy between albums. They didn’t want the gaps between albums, that tended to be rather long, to not have anything come out. So, on October 5, 1993, they released another VHS video and this one was called ‘Visualize’. My copy is on DVD which came in 2001, but the original was a VHS only edition. It contained  promo videos, interviews and concert footage and it won a 1993 Metal Edge Readers’ Choice Award for “Best Home Video.” It ended up selling only around 50,000 copies in the States. I know I had it in VHS, got rid of that when the DVD came out and bought it again. On DVD, it is coupled with another VHS only release called ‘Video Archive’ which we will talk about later.

When you start the DVD, it makes you pick which language you want and it was so tempting to pick something other than English, but I went with the English version since I am uneducated American who only knows one language. When you click “Visualize” it starts out with some live footage and an interview short with the band, first Joe Elliott then Vivian Campbell, Phil Collen, Rick Allen and then Rick Savage. Good to see all the guys getting face time.

Video wise, the first one is off “Hysteria” and was the final single called “Rocket”. The reason it is here is the video ‘Historia’ was released prior to “Rocket” coming out as a video single. The “Rocket” video is a great one with the band in a warehouse with TVs all around showing clips of rockets and the band’s favorite artist that inspired them like Bowie and Elton John for just a few. The next video was for “Switch 625” and this was done only as a tribute to the passing of the band’s great guitarist, Steve Clark. He has been missed. The video is prefaced by a Japanese interview where Steve talks and jokes around. The band then talks about what he means to them. Very touching tribute.

Continue reading “Def Leppard – ‘Visualize’ (1993) – DVD Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)” →

January 2024 Purchases – Vinyl & CDs

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic18 Comments

Welcome to the first Purchases wrap ip of 2024. And January was a big month for CDs, thanks in part to 2nd & Charles and their great sale of Buy 5, Get 5 Free! I always take full advantage of that sale and this time was no different. And instead of only buying 5 and getting 5, I found enough to Buy 10 and get 10 Free. Here are the 10 I bought…

And here are the 10 I got for Free (or could be the other way around, doesn’t matter)…

And then shortly after that, something I bought with my Christmas Gift Cards I received showed up. I have been wanting this vinyl for quite some time and I finally bought it. If that wasn’t enough, later in the month I was at an antique shop called ‘Sleepy Poets’ and I found the cassette for the same album. Had to buy it. Now, I have it on CD, vinyl and Cassette…

Continue reading “January 2024 Purchases – Vinyl & CDs” →

Def Leppard – ‘Live at the L.A. Forum 1983’ (2018) – Album Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic32 Comments

Def Leppard had made it big time with their third album ‘Pyromania’. The tour was huge. It traveled the world and saw millions of fans flock to their shows. They were on fire and the flame was growing hotter and hotter. There had been no shows released until the Deluxe Edition of Pyromania saw the light of day in 2009. That was the first time we had a taste of Live Leppard from 1983. Of course, this was only on CD. It wasn’t until the release of the giant box set ‘The Collection, Vol. 1’ in 2018 that we were able to get this on vinyl which is what we are reviewing here today.

The show was night two at the L.A. Forum on September 11, 1983 and thanks to MTV and Def Leppard’s high profile videos, the crowd was massive and the energy was high and electric. The band was in fine form and ready to rock. This show had been bootlegged heavily back in the day so now we get a freshly mixed and wonderfully sounding show. This would be the first live show Leppard had ever released that wasn’t a video. As a fan, we were thrilled to finally get an early show with Steve Clark on guitar. Now, since then we have a handful of live shows from that era and Leppard had released several newer shows, but this was the first one to see a CD release that we could pop in our car or home stereo and turn it up to 11.

Side One:

Continue reading “Def Leppard – ‘Live at the L.A. Forum 1983’ (2018) – Album Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)” →

Friday New Releases – July 14, 2023

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic15 Comments

Welcome to New Release Friday! We have another batch of releases for you this week. Close to 40, but not quite. A ton of variety so hopefully there is something for everyone. I might stream the Brian May Deluxe set of Star Fleet Sessions with Eddie Van Halen on it, but that might be it. However, no buying this week which is good as the wallet needs a break. What are you interested in hearting this week? Let me know and what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

  • download-16  Brian May – Star Fleet Sessions (Deluxe Edition) – (Duck Productions / Universal International)
  • 61aNcqw77lL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – Sticks and Stones – (6 Ace Records / Thirty Tigers)
Continue reading “Friday New Releases – July 14, 2023” →

Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live at the Queen Convention 2003’ (2004) – Album Review (The Jeff Scott Soto Series)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic46 Comments

How does Jeff Scott Soto end up doing Queen songs at Queen conventions? Well, he had always loved Queen and Freddie Mercury was a big influence on his life, but that is common with a lot of people. For Jeff, it all started back in 1999 when one fateful day he met Jacky Smith who was the head of the Queen Fan Club. That chance meeting led to Jeff getting to meet Brian May and a chance to jam with him and the SAS Band at the annual Freddie Mercury Birthday Party.

That keep him in touch with the Queen family and in 2002, Jacky asked him to come to one of the Queen conventions. He made an appearance and actually jammed on a few songs during the convention. The feedback was so great, Jeff was brought back to do the North America convention as the first was in the UK. This led Jeff to be brought up on stage at an after party with Brian and Roger Taylor when they received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. If that wasn’t enough, Jeff was asked to come back in 2003 and instead of a handful of songs, they wanted Jeff to perform an entire set of Queen songs. But not as a tribute act, as a real act and doing everything his way with his own band.

Jeff brought his solo band with him which was Gary Schutt, Howie Simon and Alex Papa. Now, Jeff was a massive Queen fan and knew all the songs, even the deep cuts. However, his band only knew the hits. This was the Queen Convention and “the Hits” aren’t enough. You need deep cuts. So, the band took a crash course in Queen and after several rehearsals, the band was ready to go. What we get here on a 2 CD set is the entire set they performed and it is massive. They played around 45 cuts (some in song melodies) and it was incredible. They released it on video and CD. I have the CD, but I need to get the video. Let’s get to it.

Continue reading “Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live at the Queen Convention 2003’ (2004) – Album Review (The Jeff Scott Soto Series)” →

Friday New Releases – April 22, 2022

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic27 Comments

Happy Friday!! Welcome to another Friday of New Releases and we have around 50 choices for you this week. That should mean there is something for everyone and if not, stop being so picky!! Kidding! There are only a couple of releases I am looking in and they are marked in Blue. Let me know what you want to hear this week and let us know what we may have missed as I am sure there is something. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

  • 711boDcj13L._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Aldo Nova – Reloaded – (MRI): Just 3 weeks after his release of The Life & Times of Eddie Gage E.P. (which was pretty darn good), Aldo is back with another Reloaded. He released one a few years ago where he reworks his classic hits. I have to say, I am not real thrilled with this concept as you can’t improve on perfection. Could this be his ‘This Left Feels Right’? I am afraid so as it doesn’t feel right…but maybe I’ll be wrong.
  • 61YFRs2333L._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Dorothy – Gifts from the Holy Ghost – (Roc Nation Records): Dorothy is back with another rock release. I really dig her vocals and the band ain’t half bad either. I am hoping for some more rock greatness from this stellar band.
Continue reading “Friday New Releases – April 22, 2022” →

Queen – The Albums Ranked Worst to First (The Studio Album Series)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic55 Comments

Here at 2 Loud 2 Old Music, we went through and reviewed all the Studio Albums for the band Queen. And to do this, we are used the 40th Anniversary 2011 Remastered CDs as our source as I picked up the 3 Volume Box Set for Christmas 2020. And with any good series, we will start with their debut album and work our way through all the studio albums in chronological order. There were 15 albums and all with the same band members of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon. How many bands can say that? Not many.

What was great about going through them all in order is that you see how the band evolved over time and how much they experimented whether it was successful or not. You see the highs and the lows, where the band hit its groove and where they were wandering around lost. They did move soundtracks, the rocked out, they had fantasy songs, rockabilly, disco and even metal. They did it all. Now let’s go through and see where they ranked worst to first.

THE WORST – ‘MADE IN HEAVEN’ (1995):

The album did not have a cohesive feel and it shouldn’t since it wasn’t really written as an album. It was a last ditch effort to pull as many Freddie songs together as they could for one final release.  And I don’t think it is one they should’ve done mainly because all these songs aren’t really up to the Queen Standard in my book.  There were way too many ballads, they used two songs that were already released as Freddie solo songs and I don’t think the material was all that great to begin with.  I feel they should’ve left well enough alone as I think ‘Innuendo’ was a great way to go out, but what do I know.  My Overall Score is a 2.0 Out of 5.0 Stars. There were a few tracks worth having, but overall not enough to make this a must have album.

Continue reading “Queen – The Albums Ranked Worst to First (The Studio Album Series)” →

Queen – ‘Made in Heaven’ (1995) – Album Review (The Studio Album Series)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic50 Comments

We are now to the final studio album by Queen called ‘Made in Heaven’ which also means this is the final review in The Studio Album Series. The album was released on November 6, 1995 almost 4 years after Freddie’s death which was on November 24, 1991. It is the only studio album from the band released with Freddie after his death so where did the music come from you might wonder. After the band finished their last album, ‘Innuendo’, which was around November 1990, Freddie was very ill due to the AIDS virus. He had his mind made up that he would sing as much as he possibly could and leave that for the band to finish at some point down the road. Normally Freddie would do the vocals after the music was done and recorded, but due to his failing health, he sang whatever he had written or the band had put in front of him to sing. He only wanted to leave these last bits of gift to the world.

The remaining members of the band, Roger Taylor, Brian May and John Deacon, tooled around on the songs for years, mostly due to Brian May heading out on tour for his solo album, ‘Back to the Light’, which coincidently is getting a Deluxe Edition released in a couple months. The band worked some of the new material Freddie had completed and they added the Queen sound to them. However, that wasn’t enough songs to complete the album so the band also dove in to their back catalog and searched for material that Freddie had sung, but was never used even dipping in to Freddie’s solo work. It was a hodgepodge of songs and that is exactly how the album feels. It is a little disjointed and not very cohesive as a complete album work. It felt like a money grab in my book, but that is only my opinion.

The album cover is a picture of Freddie’s statue that was erected in Montreux, Switzerland where the band had a recording studio that had used for years. It as the town’s way of celebrating Freddie. The picture was taken at sunset and overlooks Lake Geneva. The back cover of the CD was the remaining band members looking out upon the Alps. Now, if you got the vinyl and not the CD, your front and back cover would be the picture above which was taken at sunrise and actually had the band standing near the statue overlooking the Lake. It is a very fitting picture actually.

Continue reading “Queen – ‘Made in Heaven’ (1995) – Album Review (The Studio Album Series)” →

Friday New Releases – August 6, 2021

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic35 Comments

It’s August! Can you believe it!! The Summer is winding down, but thankfully the releases aren’t. My kids will be going back to school and one off to college and since this is depressing me I need to drown my sorrows in new music and wouldn’t you know it, there are few here that will hopefully help me get through it okay. They are marked in Blue. Let me know what you want to hear and let me know what releases I may have missed because it is known to happen. Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a little time with me. I hope you find something great to hear and also have a wonderful weekend. See you next week at the same Bat Time and same Bat Channel (yeah that was as lame as it sounded in my head, but I left it).

  • 81cTmHct8aS._SX522_   Night Ranger – ATBPO – (Frontiers Records): Night Ranger has been going strong this last decade and putting out some great material, maybe even some of their best, but can that streak continue? Who knows, but I do know I will be listening to this one first thing in the morning. The boys still can kick some ass and I need a good ass kicking right now…wait…something sounds strange about that last sentence…oh well.
  • A1qNoCdOfeS._SS500_  Colin Hay – I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself – (Compass Records): Colin Hay’s solo work has been hit or miss, but I am always eager to hear as there is usually something I can grab hold of and enjoy. The former Men at Work singer has been putting out music for about 40 years and I will continue to tag along for the ride.
Continue reading “Friday New Releases – August 6, 2021” →

Queen – ‘Innuendo’ (1991) – Album Review (The Studio Album Series)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic28 Comments

Queen did not tour for the previous album, ‘The Miracle’, mainly because Freddie Mercury was sick. He had been diagnosed with AIDS in 1987 and his health had been deteriorating rather quickly. Now, they told the media they were trying to get away from the whole album-tour-album-tour type of schedule. Instead of touring they immediately started working on the next album which sadly enough would be the last album released before Freddie’s death in November 1991. The album is ‘Innuendo’ and it was the last great hurrah for a band that had done it all.

They started recording all the way back in March 1989 prior to ‘The Miracle’ even being released, but they wouldn’t finish the album until November 1990. Freddie’s health was not good and so he would come in and record whenever he was physically able. They had hoped to get the album out by Christmas 1990, but missed the deadline due to the health problems. We did finally see the album come out on February 4, 1991 and although the album only went to #30 in the States, the UK saw Queen get yet another #1 album. And like the previous album, the band were unable to Tour this album either.

The pictures of Freddie around this time and the shots of him in the music videos definitely had the public wondering what was wrong with Freddie and rumors were rampant. On November 23, 1991, Freddie issued a statement about his health and admitted he was diagnosed with AIDS, then not 24 hours later, Freddie died from bronchial pneumonia which was brought on as a result of his disease. Freddie’s death on November 24, 1991 shed a bright spotlight on the AIDS crisis and at the same time for us Kiss fans, overshadowed the death of our beloved Kiss drummer Eric Carr who died on the same day. As a rock fan of both bands, this was a sad day for me and I am sure for a lot of people around the world. Queen as we knew was no more. It left Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon with a big hole to fill and an unknown future.

Continue reading “Queen – ‘Innuendo’ (1991) – Album Review (The Studio Album Series)” →