Tag: Journey

You Pick It! – Which Album to Review in May?

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You, my reader, are going to pick an album for me to review each month.  It is really simple…first, I will give you 5 albums to choose from and second, you will tell me which one of those you would like to see reviewed on the site.  See…simple! Now, if you want to cast more than one vote, comment on the Twitter and Facebook post and you could get up to 3 votes on your favorite pick.

There are a few simple rules I have put in to place in my selections.  They are…

  • One has to be a new release (within the last month)
  • One has to be one I have never heard before (new releases don’t count for this one)
  • One has to be from a genre I don’t normally listen to at all or very often
  • And the last two are choices from my collection that I haven’t reviewed before

What are the 5 albums you ask?  Funny you should ask because I have those right here…

  New Release – Aldo Nova – ‘The Life & Times of Eddie Gage’

  Never Heard Before – David Bowie – ‘Blackstar’

  Not My Normal Genre – Beyonce – ‘Lemonade’

  From My Collection – Steve Vai – ‘Passion & Warfare’

  From My Collection – Journey – ‘Raised on Radio’

Let me know which one you would like to see and sometime in May, I will post a review of the album that gets the most votes. You have one week to decide and from there I will start listening to the album and do a review.

Thanks for participating!!

What to Expect in New Music for 2022??

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2022 is upon us and it is always fun anticipating what new albums will come out in the year. There are quite a few we already know about, but some haven’t been officially announced or even a date set yet.

Last year, there were a few artist I was hoping would release an album that might have or might not have released one.  It is always fun to hope for new music from these bands, but sometimes there are disappointments.  Here are the ones I was hoping to get new albums from last year and what actually happened…

  • Def Leppard – I don’t care if I get new music, but give me The Collection Volume 3 at least!!! – We did get The Collection Volume 3!!!
  • Kiss – I will keep this on the list until I die!! – We did get a Live Bootleg album in what I hope is the first of many!!
  • The Winery Dogs – Still keeping my hopes up – No Album, BUT…they are working on a new album for 2022
  • Guns ‘N Roses – Rumors, Rumors, Rumors!! – STILL NOTHING…But did get a couple singles!
  • Aldo Nova – He keeps talking about a 2CD set, but will he get around to releasing it?? After 2 years still nothing…he keeps saying its coming but I will believe it when I see it!!
  • Matt Nathanson – Loved what we got last year, but time for new music!!! I believe he finished recording it, but haven’t heard anything for a long while. – He has recorded it but Covid delayed it. It Will Be 2022!!  We did get a live album so that was cool! Now he did surprise us with a U2 covers album called Achtung Matty! 

Okay, are there albums I want to see this year from some of my favorite bands that haven’t been announced or in some cases even rumored?  Of course there are.  These are the bands I want new albums from this year…but it might not happen.

  • Def Leppard – They’ve been writing…will we get the new album in 2022??  Or at least The Collection Vol. 4 which is the final in the series
  • Kiss – I will keep this on the list until I die!!  At least give us another Soundboard LP.
  • Guns ‘N Roses – Rumors, Rumors, Rumors!!  They teased us with a couple singles, is an album in the works?
  • Aldo Nova – He keeps talking about a 2CD set for over 2 years and still nothing much, but will he get around to releasing it in 2022??
  • Poison – I think it is finally time for a new Poison album!!
  • Will Hoge – His last one was 2020 so now is the time for another!
  • Billy Idol – He teased us with an E.P. in 2021.  A full album would be nice

From what I have gathered around the internet, here are the bands that should have new albums out in 2021, but no dates announced yet. The ones I would give a try will be highlighted in Blue.  The ones with Dates Announced are at the bottom of this post.  The list is building up nicely!! Continue reading “What to Expect in New Music for 2022??” →

November 2021 Purchases – Vinyl & CDs

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Can you believe there is only one more month in the year? It has flown by so fast. And here we are again with another month end wrap-up of the purchases we have made here at 2 Loud 2 Old Music. It was a pretty decent month and another month where CDs outweighed the vinyl. There should’ve been a couple more vinyl in here, but with all the delays in vinyl pressing I have 3 that have been bought that will now not show up until 2022!! Thanks Adele!!!

First up this month are a couple that came in at the end of October after I had done my post. First is the John 5 & The Creatures release ‘Sinner’ and this one is signed. It is an awesome album and it will be interesting to see where this lands on our year-end countdown.

The other item that I received was another stellar box set from Whitesnake. This time around it is the 25th Anniversary of the album ‘Restless Heart’. It is full of demos, remixes and the always cool Evolutions disc that walks you through the evolution of the songs. Sadly, there was no live show added but that is being picky.

Continue reading “November 2021 Purchases – Vinyl & CDs” →

2018 – A Year in Review and More

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic16 Comments

2018 was a tough year at times and the best year at times, it all depends on my perspective when looking back at it I guess.  For my blog, we had a banner year with a vast improvement over the prior year.  It is hard to believe that people continue to come back to the site to read what I have to say.  It is rather humbling and much appreciated.  I don’t make any money on this, it is all for fun so to know people find it and come back motivates me to keep doing it.  I never thought I would be able to come up with material, but with over 730 posts so far, I seem to keep finding stuff to write about.

I will keep it to the blog as far as highlights for this past year, except I did turn 50, so that is pretty cool.  They say that the first 50 years of childhood are the hardest, and I would agree. It should be smooth sailing from here.

The first highlight, is that I have finally reached 100,000 views  on the site since its inception which was about 2 years & 7 1/2 months ago.  That is hard to believe. Now, I hope to do 100,000 views in 2019 alone.  That is at least my goal.

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As far as posts, what were the biggest posts of the year.  Here are the Top 5 new posts that were done in 2018:

Continue reading “2018 – A Year in Review and More” →

Journey – Concert Review (Charlotte, NC June 9th, 2018)

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Yesterday, I did the review on the Def Leppard part of the show (since they opened the show they should get the first review).  Now, it is time to talk about Journey’s portion of the show.  After seeing Lep, I was really pumped and excited to finally see Journey live.  I have never had the pleasure and I can’t believe I missed them in the Steve Perry years.  Journey has survived all these years because they have something a lot of bands don’t really have and that is songs.  Journey’s hits are some of the most loved and admired songs ever.  I mean  “Don’t Stop Believin'” might be the most recognizable song around the world.

The band is still pretty much in tact.  At least the band from the era I grew up with. You have founder Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory and Steve Smith.  All these guys were there doing the early 80’s and their heyday.  11 years ago they added vocalist Arnel Pineda who they found off Youtube and let me tell you what a find he was.  I still wish they would have done more with Jeff Scott Soto, but oh well.  Arnel is pretty darn good vocalist.

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The stage set up was slightly different than Def Leppard’s, but not by much.  They both used the big 40 Foot screen in the back and the 3 large screens up top on the front of the stage.  Journey stripped back all the risers and platforms that Def Leppard used and had a much simpler set up.  Piano on the left, drums in the middle, Ross and Neal up front and Arnel all over the place (more on that later).

Continue reading “Journey – Concert Review (Charlotte, NC June 9th, 2018)” →

Def Leppard – Concert Review (Charlotte, NC June 9th, 2018)

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Def Leppard is back on tour and this time they are out with Journey on a co-headlining trek around North America.  The last time the two bands toured together was 12 years ago and I missed that tour (I am sure it had to do with having an almost 3 year old and maybe another on the way).  Whatever the reason, I missed it and I wasn’t going to do that again.

When tickets went on sale, I joined the Def Leppard Rock Brigade so I could get early access to tickets.  And damn, tickets were expensive.  This show wasn’t going to be just 2 tickets, I had to buy 3 this time as my wife and my oldest daughter (the one that was almost 3 is now almost 15 – my 11 year old opted out), were joining me on this one.  My wife was going for Journey, but my daughter was going for Leppard (and now has the shirt to prove it).  Me…I was actually going for both.  I have seen Leppard numerous times, but I have never seen Journey…crazy, I know.  Here is what you get for joining the Rock Brigade…a T-shirt & a Pin…

Back to tickets, Lower Level seat were kinda ridiculous.  They were at least $150 or so a piece and then even higher the closer to the stage.  I settled for 3 Front Row Tickets!!  That is right 3 Front Row Tickets!!!  Of course, front row in section 226 on the upper deck because I do have to eat and these were only $99 a piece (only…like $99 is cheap).  Hey, I had an unobstructed view of the show and I could sit if I wanted and not miss a thing.  No real complaints (except I will pay more next time…and there will be a next time).

Continue reading “Def Leppard – Concert Review (Charlotte, NC June 9th, 2018)” →

Journey – “Open Arms” (The 45 Single)

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One of the most recognizable songs in the Journey catalog was “Open Arms”.  It was from the ‘Escape’ album and the single was released in January of 1982.  The song did pretty damn good and went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, but for some reason it couldn’t hit that #1 spot.  However, that is still one of the highest chart positions the band ever reached for a single if not the highest.

The song is believed by many to be one of the greatest power ballads ever written and is said to be one of the main catalyst for starting the power ballad movement in the 80’s.  The funny thing is that most members of the band other than Steve & Jonathan did not want the song on the album.  It was too sugary sweet for their tastes.  As tie has shown, those members of the band were wrong.

Or were they.  The band became known for this sound and it changed everything for the band from that point on.  They had to have power ballads on every album as they were now expected from the band.  And they did end up writing many more great ones and went on to superstar status.  It did get them huge successes and paydays, but was it worth it?  Probably so.

The song was brought to the band by Jonathan Cain as he already had the melody written when he tried to use it for his previous band, The Babys.  However, vocalist John Waite, was not real keen on the song and said it was too syrupy.  Wow, both bands originally stated the same thing…both were wrong.

Continue reading “Journey – “Open Arms” (The 45 Single)” →

Def Leppard Tour Dates & Other News

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Friday, January 19th was a big day for Def Leppard Announcements. First, Def Leppard’s entire catalog is now available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.  Finally!!!  It didn’t really matter to me as I already had everything they have ever put out (and then some), but now they have stepped into the modern times and are opening their music up to so many more people.  And as a special treat, you get a new release called The Lost Sessions…

thelostsession

It has the following track listing:

DEF LEPPARD – THE LOST SESSION LIVE EP

  • 01 – Let It Go (Live) – (5:09)
  • 02 – Rock On (Live) – (2:48)
  • 03 – Foolin’ (Live) – (4:43)
  • 04 – Promises (Live) – (3:58)
  • 05 – When Love & Hate Collide (Live) – (4:13)
  • 06 – Bringin’ On the Heartbreak (Live) – (4:38)

If you would like to purchase, just click on the iTunes link below…

Def Leppard also announced a co-headlining tour with Journey.  The tour starts on 5/21 and goes through 10/6 and will hit both the US and Canada.  The tour will be making a stop in Charlotte, NC and I WILL BE THERE!!!! Well, as soon as I buy the tickets.  My wife, oldest daughter and I are going to try and go.  I can’t wait.  I have only seen them 6-7 times.  Tour dates below…

Journey / Def Leppard 2018 Tour Dates

5/21 – Hartford, CT, XL Center
5/23 – Albany, NY, Times Union Center
5/25 – Hershey, PA, Hersheypark Stadium
5/26 – Buffalo, NY, KeyBank Center
5/28 – Cleveland, OH, Quicken Loans Arena
5/30 – Cincinnati, OH, U.S. Bank Arena
6/1 – Toronto, ON, Rogers Centre
6/2 – Pittsburgh, PA, PPG Paints Arena
6/5 – Raleigh, NC, PNC Arena
6/6 – Knoxville, TN, Thompson-Boling Arena
6/8 – Bristow, VA, Jiffy Lube Live
6/9 – Charlotte, NC, Spectrum Center
6/11 – Philadelphia, PA, Wells Fargo Center
6/13 – New York, NY, Madison Square Garden
6/15 – Newark, NJ, Prudential Center
6/16 – Baltimore, MD, Royal Farms Arena
7/1 – Atlanta, GA, SunTrust Park
7/3 – Noblesville, IN, Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
7/4 – Milwaukee, WI, Summerfest
7/6 – Memphis, TN, FedExForum
7/7 – North Little Rock, AR, Verizon Arena
7/9 – Tulsa, OK, BOK Center
7/11 – Louisville, KY, KFC Yum! Center
7/13 – Detroit, MI, Comerica Park
7/14 – Chicago, IL, Wrigley Field
7/16 – Wichita, KS, INTRUST Bank Arena
7/18 – Sioux Falls, SD, Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
7/19 – Lincoln, NE, Pinnacle Bank Arena
7/21 – Denver, CO, Coors Field
7/23 – Des Moines, IA, Wells Fargo Arena
7/25 – Kansas City, MO, Sprint Center
7/27 – Minneapolis, MN, Target Field
7/28 – Fargo, ND, Fargodome
8/11 – Boston, MA, Fenway Park
8/13 – Virginia Beach, VA, Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
8/15 – Columbia, SC, Colonial Life Arena
8/17 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL, BB&T Center
8/18 – Tampa, FL, Amalie Arena
8/20 – Birmingham, AL, Legacy Arena @ The BJCC
8/22 – Columbus, OH, Schottenstein Center
8/24 – St. Louis, MO, Busch Stadium
8/25 – Nashville, TN, Bridgestone Arena
8/27 – New Orleans, LA, Smoothie King Center
8/29 – Dallas, TX, American Airlines Center
8/31 – San Antonio, TX, AT&T Center
9/1 – Houston, TX, Toyota Center
9/5 – Albuquerque, NM, Isleta Amphitheater
9/7 – Phoenix, AZ, Talking Stick Resort Arena
9/8 – Las Vegas, NV, T-Mobile Arena
9/21 – San Francisco, CA, AT&T Park
9/23 – San Diego, CA, Petco Park
9/25 – Salt Lake City, UT, Vivint Smart Home Arena
9/26 – Nampa, ID, Ford Idaho Center Arena
9/28 – Portland, OR, Moda Center
9/29 – Seattle, WA, Gorge Amphitheatre
10/1 – Vancouver, BC, Rogers Arena
10/4 – Sacramento, CA, Golden 1 Center
10/6 – Los Angeles, CA, The Forum

They had a third announcement that as well. They will be touring the UK and performing their album “Hysteria” live in its entirety for those stops.  I asked my wife if we could go to that as it would be a nice 50th Birthday present.  We will see.  Here are the dates…

DECEMBER 2018 
Dublin 3 Arena – Sat 1st
Belfast The SSE Arena – Sun 2nd
Cardiff Motorpoint Arena – Tue 4th
London The O2 – Thu 6th
Nottingham Motorpoint Arena – Sat 8th
Newcastle Metro Radio Arena – Sun 9th
Glasgow The SSE Hydro Arena – Tue 11th
Manchester Arena – Wed 12th
Sheffield FlyDSA Arena – Fri 14th
Liverpool Echo Arena – Sat 15th
Birmingham Arena – Mon 17th

What a day of announcements for Def Leppard.  I know a lot of people posted about it, but they are my favorite band so I am not going to NOT talk about it too!!

 

 

“My First Time” with Journey’s ‘Frontiers’

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Love It or Hate It, Journey went down a whole new path with the release of ‘Frontiers’. After the incredible success of the album, ‘Escape’, the ballad became King for Journey. Some feel it was the start of the downfall, others think it is the pinnacle of their success. I think it is a little of both.

With the success of ‘Escape’, Journey was catapulted into the stratosphere of popularity. They were one of the biggest bands in the world.  Steve Perry had the most recognizable voices on the radio and probably one of the absolute best voices on the radio at the time…if not ever.  The man could sing.  But for some reason I still hadn’t bought a Journey album.  When I heard their second single of their latest album, ‘Frontiers’, I finally bought my first Journey album.  The single was for “Faithfully”.

There is so much to love about this album and there is so much to pick on the band for about this album.  Let’s start with the picking on piece first as it is the most fun.  Oh, where to begin…

Let’s start with the album cover…I picture of a futuristic, robotic looking head or maybe a futuristic, human head.  Not sure I get it, but I know it has to do with the name of the album, ‘Frontiers’ as I think the band was saying they were reaching into a new frontier. The amazing artwork from the previous albums was no more.  The whole continuity between all the other album covers was gone…and is sadly missed.

Continue reading ““My First Time” with Journey’s ‘Frontiers’” →

Posters, Posters, Posters

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I was in the garage getting down the Christmas decorations and I came across a box that strangely said…”Posters”.  It dawned on me rather quickly that these were posters that I had when I was younger and posters from when I worked at the Sam Goody Music Stores.

I couldn’t get the box down fast enough to see what was in there.  I was surprised at how many I still had after 25-30 years and what great shape they were still in.  There were a few slight rips or tears and maybe a little discoloration, but all-in-all I thought they were in great condition.

We will start with those from my personal collection that actually hung on my walls when I lived at home in my parents house around 25+ years ago.  First, you will notice the crystal looking candlesticks holding down the posters.  They have been rolled up for quite some time and wouldn’t stay open, so I had to have some help.

If you know me, then you know I had to have either Def Leppard or Kiss on my wall. Actually, I had both.  The Def Leppard posters were from High & Dry and Pyromania era live shows.

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Continue reading “Posters, Posters, Posters” →