Tag: Queen

Ellefson-Soto – ‘Unbreakable’ (2025) – Album Review (The Jeff Scott Soto Series)

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The debut Ellefson-Soto album was released back on October 7, 2022 and only 6 months later, David Ellefson and guitarist Andy Martongelli wasted no time in starting to write the next album. Starting April 2023, work began on the songwriting and over the next year and half the two would collaborate with Jeff Scott Soto on what would become the second Ellefson-Soto album called ‘Unbreakable’. Funny enough, it all started with a cover song. David suggest they cover and a Queen song and David knowing Jeff’s obsessive love of Queen, knew this would draw him back in. That cover was of “Death On Two Legs”. Then it was off to the races and squeezing things in when they could as these guys are always extremely busy. The band recorded the album at Rogue Studios in Wembley, UK by Alessio Garavello and produced by Chris Collier.

The band brings the veterans together with former Megadeth bassist and Grammy winner, David Ellefson and journeyman powerhouse vocalist, Jeff Scott Soto joining forces yet again to deliver something unique for the guys. Throw in the young guns of guitarist Andy Martongelli from Arthemis and drummer Paolo Caridi of Hollow Haze, The Bad Guy Experiment, and Cosmic Dead Ringers and the two dynamics merge to form a modern rock band that throws everything at you from thrash, to power metal, to even a little punk while still bring a heavy modern sound that takes this album to the next level.

The sound of this album is just as heavy as the first with a real modern rock sound. The band feels like they are way more comfortable with each other and they have developed their own sound and style and this whole album feels right. It feels collaborative as you can hear and feel all the elements that each member brings to the table. They also brought in a little help as well as we get not one, but two duets on the album. One with the great Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest) and another with the amazing Laura Guldemond (Burning Witches). It is not that Jeff can’t handle the vocals all by himself because we know he can, but It is a chance to spread their wings and show what this band is capable of doing while keeping things fresh for the listener.

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Friday New Releases – October 25, 2024

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Happy Friday…the releases are hot & heavy this month so a great way to close out the month! Let me know what you want to hear or what we may have missed. I have the Whitesnake box set and the H.I.M. Greatest Hits collection on order. Can’t wait to get them both. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great weekend.

  • Whitesnake – Into the Light: The Solo Albums – (Saltburn LLC / Rhino Entertainment)
  • Mr. Big – The Big Finish Live – (Evoxs)
  • HIM – When Love & Death Embrace: Best of 1997-2003 – (BMG Rights Mgmt)
  • Dug Pinnick – Thingamajigger – (Rat Pak Records)
  • Halsey – The Great Impersonator – (Columbia Records / Sony Music)
  • Kelsea Ballerini – Patterns – (Black River Entertainment)
  • Tears for Fears – Songs for a Nervous Planet – (Concord Records)
  • Duran Duran – Danse Macabre: De Luxe – (BMG Rights Mgmt) – Physical release as digital came out on October 11th.
  • 311 – Full Bloom – (Skp, Inc.)
  • Queen – Queen 1 (2024 Mix) – (Hollywood Records)
  • Motorhead – We Take No Prisoners The Singles 1995-2006 – (BMG Rights Mgmt)
  • ABBA – The Singles: The First Fifty Years – (Polydor)
  • Josh Lovelace – Shelters – (Stonycroft Records / Missing Piece Records)
  • Devin Townsend – PowerNerd – (HevyDevy Records / InsideOutMusic)
  • Atreyu – The Pronoia Sessions – (Spinefarm Music Group)
  • Amyl and the Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness – (Virgin Music International)
  • Bastille – “&” (Ampersand) – (Best Laid Plans Records / Universal Music)
  • Green Day – American Idiot (20th Anniversary) – (Reprise Records)
  • Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Live at Fillmore East, 1969 – (Atlantic Records)
  • The Allman Brothers Band – Final Concert 10-28-14 – (Peach Records)
  • Pixies – The Night the Zombies Came – (BMG Rights Mgmt)
  • Beth Hart – You Still Got Me – (Mascot Label Group / Provogue)
  • Bryan Ferry – Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023 – (BMG Rights Mgmt)
  • Andrea Bocelli – Duets (30th Anniversary) – (Decca Records / Universal Music)
  • Frank Sinatra – L.A. is my Lady – (Frank Sinatra Enterprises)
  • The Oak Ridge Boys – Mama Boys – (Lightning Rod Records)
  • Laura Marling – Patterns in Repeat – (Chrysalis Records / Partisan Records)
  • Chuck Prophet – Wake the Dead – (Yep Roc Records)
  • Casandra’s Crossing – Garden of Earthly Delights – (Frontiers Records)
  • Behemoth – XXX Years Ov Blasphemy – (Nuclear Blast)
  • Fit for an Autopsy – The Nothing That Is – (Nuclear Blast)
  • Gaerea – Coma – (Season of Mist)
  • Trauma Ray – Chameleon – (Dais Records)
  • Better Lovers – Highly Irresponsible – (Sharptone)
  • Nitrogods – Valley of the Gods – (Massacre Records / Soulfood Music Distribution)
  • Miranda And The Beat – Can’t Take It – (Ernest Jenning Record Co.)
  • League of Distortion – Galvanize – (Napalm Records)
  • Baldwin – Rally E.P. – (Edgewater Music Group)
  • Mark Bryan – Popped – (Mark Bryan Music Publishing)
  • The Effigies – Burned – (Effigies)
  • Courteeners – Pink Cactus Cafe – (Ignition Records)
  • Harpyie – Voodoo – (Metalville)
  • St. Lenox – Ten Modern American Work Songs – (Don Giovanni Records)
  • Onsloow – Full Speed Anywhere Else – (Tiny Engines)
  • Beach Weather – Melt – (Last Nite / Arista Records / Sony Music)
  • Fievel is Glauque – Rong Weicknes – (Fat Possum Records)
  • Amythyst Kiah – Still + Bright – (Rounder Records / Concord)
  • Katie Gavin – What A Relief – (Saddest Factory Records)
  • Pom Pom Squad – Mirror Starts Moving Without Me – (City Slang)
  • Soccer Mommy – Evergreen – (Loma Vista Recordings / Concord)
  • Naked Roommate – Pass the Loofah – (Naked Roommate)
  • One True Pairing – Endless Rain – (Domino Recordings)
  • Little Moon – Dear Divine – (Joyful Noise Recordings)
  • Elderbrook – Another Touch – (Mine Recordings)
  • Lone Justice – Viva Lone Justice – (AFAR)
  • Ben Folds – Sleigher – (New West Records)

Queen – ‘Command Performance: Live at the Hammersmith Odeon – Christmastime 1975’ – Bootleg Review

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I love me a good bootleg and I found with this one. It is from Queen and it is called ‘Command Performance: Live at the Hammersmith Odean at Christmastime 1975’. In fact, it was recorded on December 24, 1975. The bootleg came out some time in 1976 and I love the simplicity of it all. A green sheet with a photocopy of the band and setlist in black. Nothing fancy about it at all. Nothing on the back cover and the labels on the vinyl were white and someone had typed ‘Side One’ or ‘Side Two’ depending on the side. No expense was spared…LOL!!

And like all bootlegs, there are mistakes. The opening track is listed as “Now I’m Sure”…and I’m sure that is wrong. It should be “Now I’m Here”. If that wasn’t enough, Roger Taylor is now spelling his name differently as Rodger Taylor. That “d” makes a difference. The other thing, this isn’t the full show. It is a single LP so several songs and medley were cut, but what you get here is still rather amazing. It is the best of the best.

What was special about this show is it was broadcast live on the BBC and it was the first time the band had ever done that. With that being said, the sound quality on this is exceptional (with minor exceptions). This is one of the cleanest sounding bootlegs I have ever owned. However, what makes this bootleg obsolete now is that the band actually did release this show officially on November 20, 2015. It was called ‘A Night at the Odeon – Hammersmith 1975’.

That didn’t matter to me, as I love bootlegs and still wanted it as it was a cherished piece in the bootleg world back in the 70’s. Plus, nothing beats the simplicity of the whole set. This was so prized because several songs on this set were later dropped from the setlist and did not appear on any official live release back in the day. In the grand scheme of things, yes, I can get the official release, but this to me is more authentic and more special. Now, let’s get to the music.

Continue reading “Queen – ‘Command Performance: Live at the Hammersmith Odeon – Christmastime 1975’ – Bootleg Review” →

The Collection: Ep. 11 – Wrap-Up April 2024

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I can’t believe it is time for another monthly wrap-up of what we added to The Collection. This time around, it is April 2024 and we added a ton of stuff. Somethings we added were actually in their own episode like the Record Store Day purchases and some Kiss Bootlegs. The rest of what we added are on here.

We hit up the local record stores here in Charlotte and even down in Wilmington, North Carolina when we were on our Spring Break trip. We picked up stuff from Discogs, eBay and even from Amazon as well. It is a lot of stuff and so much in fact, there are things still unopened and haven’t been listened to yet. I think that is a sign I bought too much. But like traffic signs, I’m ignoring it too!!

So go check it out as it is live now on April 29, 2024 at 8pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

And for those that wanted the BIG picture we used to put at the bottom of the post with everything in it, here you go…it is back as requested…

Def Leppard – “Tonight” (1993) – CD Single (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

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The sixth and final single from ‘Adrenalize’ was for the song “Tonight”. The song was written by Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Steve Clark, Rick Savage and Robert John “Mutt” Lange. Written back during the ‘Hysteria’ Tour as a possible B-Side, it was instead held on to use for an album as they felt it was too good for a B-Side…and they’d be right. The song charted in the U.S. going to #62 on the Hot 100 and #13 on the Mainstream Rock chart while it also charted in the UK at #34. 

The song is a ballad and it sees the singer longing to be with the woman he loves and have some very passionate, satisfying sex. He sees the passion in her eyes and he wants to get lost in those eyes and that passion. A night of unbridled love making. Yeah baby!!! 

The band was overdoing it with ballads on ‘Adrenalize’, but this one reminded me of “Love Bites” and “Hysteria” which are two of their best and for that I like this one. When I wrote about “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad”, I also said it was a sophisticated sounding ballad with some great melodies and emotive music. Joe captured the lyrics with the perfect intensity and feelings. Joe knows how to deliver a lyric, no doubt. I don’t really get tired of their ballads because Def Leppard are so good at writing and performing them.

Continue reading “Def Leppard – “Tonight” (1993) – CD Single (The Def Leppard Collection Series)” →

Scorpions – ‘Acoustica’ (2001) – Album Review (The Scorpions Collection Series)

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The Scorpions were in a mood to keep doing things their own way and after doing an album and touring the classically orchestrated Scorpions rock, they decided to strip it all back and do some shows acoustically. The band performed 3 shows at the Convento do Beato in Lisbon, Portugal in February 2001 and those shows were recorded. From those 3 shows, the album called “Acoustica” was made. The album was released a few months later on May 14, 2001.

The show was a little unusual for the band as it was just the normal guys. Yes, Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Mathias Jabs, Ralph Rieckermann and James Kottak performed, but they weren’t alone. The actually had three guitarists and the third was Johan Daansen which really fills the songs up with that acoustic guitar sound. On keyboards was Christian Kolonovitis who also helped the band arrange the songs for the acoustic set. Christian was also the one who was the conductor and arranged the Scorpions songs for the Moment of Glory Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra album the prior year. James might have been on drums, but they also had a percussionist by the name of Mario Argandona. And to fill up the stage even more, there was a cellist, Ariana Acu and a group of female vocalists to help with backing vocals. They were Hille Bemelmanns, Liv Van Aelst and Kristel Van Craen. They really went all out to bring a different experience and I would say it worked pretty well.

The band also were great in giving us a few things extra on this release. We got the biggest hits, no doubt, but that wasn’t all. We actually were treated to 3 brand new songs (four if you got the DVD). And on top of that, we got a handful of great covers from The Cars, Kansas and Queen. With all that, it made this a very worthwhile purchase to get all the songs we hadn’t heard before. But was it all worth it? Let’s see.

The set opens with “The Zoo” and it has this cool groove which is almost like ‘Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles. Then we get the ballad “Always Somewhere” and the crowd claps along and at times sings along, there are female backing vocals and Klaus sounds stellar. Ballads usually work well in the acoustic setting and this one is no different. After this one we get the first of three new songs. First one up is “Life is Too Short” and this one brings some string orchestration. It is another ballad but it really shows the maturity of the band. I would really love to hear a studio version as this is really a great song. The chorus is really catchy which helps draw you in and as the song builds it just keeps getting better.

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Friday New Releases – November 18, 2022

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Happy Friday and let me tell you I’m happy. My Kiss Creatures of the Night Box Set should be here this afternoon and I can’t wait as that is my big purchase for myself as I need everything Kiss!! But have my eye on that Queen The Miracle Box Set as well and might get that one too! We will see. Let me know what you are wanting this week or what we might have missed. Thanks as always for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

The two I want….

  • 71BSGYa8aWL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Kiss – Creatures of the Night (40th Anniversary Edition) – (UMe / UMG)
  • 517Tlhq8o1L._SX522_  Queen – The Miracle (Deluxe Edition or Collector’s Edition) – (Hollywood Records)

And all the rest…

  • 91uu2Obvj2L._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Nickelback – Get Rollin’ – (Nickelback II Productions / BMG Rights Mgmt)
  • 91KKEzXIt0L._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Disturbed – Divisive – (Reprise Records)
  • 91lK6RPCdjL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Michael Jackson – Thriller 40 – (Sony Music)
  • 61NnD6awUzL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Dolly Parton – Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection – (Sony Music)
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Talisman – ‘Live at Sweden Rock Festival’ (2002) – Album Review (The Jeff Scott Soto Series)

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By 2001, Jeff Scott Soto and Marcel Jacob and had been playing together for a decade. The longest project Jeff had ever been with and probably the most fulfilling as he and Marcel were able to craft Talisman out of all the types of music they both liked. To celebrate that 10 years, a tour was needed and they wound up playing at the Sweden Rock Festival in 2001 on one of the smaller stages.

The place was packed up to an hour before the show. The crowd was chanting their name and was ready to hear some Talisman. Jeff Scott Soto, Marcel Jacob, Pontus Norgren and Jamie Borger were ready to take the stage and give the fans what they wanted…Talisman!! They played on the Rockklassiker stage with a 2000 crowd capacity. But it started off a little rough…two days prior to the show, Marcel’s gear was left in Stockholm where he, Jeff and Pontus were working on the new Humanimal album. So, Marcel had no bass. He wasn’t going to play, but when he heard the crowd chanting, he ran and found a bass from another band.

There was another band at the festival that had some recording gear and so they decided to record the show. Marcel and Pontus were a little unhappy with the recording as the bass sound wasn’t what Marcel really sounded like (remember, not his guitar), Jeff’s microphone had issues and the guitar sounded a little out of tune at times…they re-recorded a lot of the record in the studio and played as if it was the show to capture that essence…and honestly, you can’t tell. It all sounds fantastic.

This was 2001, so this was prior to Humanimal project and prior to the giant riff between Marcel and Pontus which forced the end of Humanimal and the end of Pontus in Talisman. So, if this is the last recording with Pontus on lead guitar, then we get a wonderful time capsule. The album was supposed to come out in April 2002, but the release was delayed (probably due to the Humanimal issues going on). It finally saw the light of day in December 2002 and thankfully it did as it is a fantastic show.

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Extreme – ‘Hollywood Rock 1992’ – Album Review (Bootleg Series)

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At the most recent record show here in Charlotte, I found a couple bootleg CDs that I snagged up for a real cheap $5 each. Gotta love that. The first one I grabbed was from the band Extreme. The bootleg was called ‘Hollywood Rock 1992’ which was recorded from the rock festival Hollywood Rock down in Rio de Janeiro Brazil on January 26, 1992. The CD says it was a Freddie Mercury Tribute, but the band only played one Queen cover so not much of a tribute.

What I love about Bootlegs are the errors. Yes, they have errors. The reason why is the people that make bootlegs don’t give a crap about editing and making things perfect and accurate. They only care about getting out product. The first major error is where it was made. The album was made in Italy…however, the back cover says it was made in Itary. I have been looking at a globe for about 10 hours now and I can’t find Itary anywhere on it. Then it is the song titles…”Pornograffitti” is spelled as “Pornographiti” and what should be a Nuno acoustic guitar solo actually says that he sold his acoustic guitar.

What makes it even better is that they spelled everything correctly on the actual CD, but they used the wrong words at times. One error on the CD is on “Suzi” they called it “Suzi (Wants Her All Day Want?)” and it should be (Wants Her All Day What?). Then for “Decadence Dance” there is a drum solo and they list it as Pat but Pat plays bass. Paul is on drums.

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Talisman – ‘Talisman’ (1990) – Album Review (The Jeff Scott Soto Series)

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In 1989, Marcel Jacob had label interest but no band. You remember Marcel, he was in Yngwie Malmsteem’s Rising Force with Jeff Scott Soto. Although the two didn’t hit it off at first as their musical upbringing were so different. Marcel was a European music snob and Jeff was simple uncultured American. Over time, they became friends and Marcel needed help from his friend for a project he was working on that had no singer. He asked Jeff to sing the songs for the album.

Marcel’s project was originally called Guitars on Fire, but after the songs were completed and mixed, the name changed to Talisman. But the album almost didn’t happen. At the time of recording the album, Jeff Scott Soto was in a band called Eyes and his contract had him exclusively which means, Jeff can’t do anything outside of Eyes. At the time, Jeff was broke, and I mean flat broke. He needed money fast. So Jeff talked to his label, begged and pleaded and made them understand that this album is a one-off and wouldn’t compete with Eyes. It would have limited release only in Sweden so they had nothing to fear. And you know, they bought it.

Jeff went to Sweden and recorded the album with Jacob in 1989. For the album, you had Marcel Jacob on bass, drums (except for two tracks), keyboards and guitar. Jeff Scott Soto handled the vocals, Christopher Stahl on guitar, Mats Lindfors on guitar, Mats Olassaon on keyboard, and Peter Hermansson on drums for the two tracks Marcel didn’t play on.

Continue reading “Talisman – ‘Talisman’ (1990) – Album Review (The Jeff Scott Soto Series)” →