March 2000 Reviews ! |
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March 2000 Reviews !
LIGHTHOUSE - Song Of The Ages [True North] In the late 60s and early 70s LIGHTHOUSE were one of Canada's most successful bands, and one of the music world's most unique! Using pop/rock ideals with jazz, classical, and r & b influences they created some brilliant music, a string of hit singles, and appealed to a wide audience. The band disbanded in the mid 70s, reformed briefly in '80, and then again a few years ago lead by founders Skip Prokop [drums/percussion], Paul Hoffert [keys/vox], and Ralph Cole [guitar/vox], along with a host of other musos making up the big-band sound, and most notably singer Dan Clancy [who also plays acoustic guitar and mandolin here]. "Song Of The Ages" was issued a few years ago, and re-issued last year by Breaking Records /True North. The album, not a '70s sounding re-hash, is a refreshing and well produced 13 track set that captures the spirit of many of the bands best works and should appeal to new and potential new fans. The album starts off with the slightly Scottish flavored title track, and rolls on to a number of catchy songs from the more pop oriented "Fifty To Life", "Remember The Times", and "Heat Of The Moment". Lighthouse can still rock a good bit on their funk or blues styled cuts such as "TV Voodoo" , and "Will You Love Me" -- both heavy on the guitar, and strong vocal performances [not to mention the excellent harmonies throughout the album!]. The album closes with "Time Tides", a near 7 minute instrumental that is quite something performance wise, a definite Lighthouse classic that will easily appeal to the old fans, beginning with a big piano intro and then featuring some cool guitar work from Cole. As far as what Song Of The Ages compares to these days -- it's pretty much in a class of it's own for style and musicianship; but if I had to I'd say it'll appeal to perhaps those that like the style of latter day John Wetton albums, and perhaps those into prog with big sounds [w/ trumpet, sax, flute, various keyboards, etc... ] For more on Lighthouse write to Hoffert Communications Corp. - 116 Regina Ave; Toronto, Ontario, M6A 1R7 [Canada] OR check out http://home.istar.ca/~lghthse
VINCE CONVERSE - One Step Ahead [Mystic]Solo album by blues-rock guitarist/songwriter ex of Texas based band 'Sunset Heights'. This one produced by Eddie Kramer, is primarily blues stuff, lots of slower tempo tunes, with some cool blues guitar work, drums, and hammond. The title track that kicks off the disc has a bit of a swing to it compliments of the Uptown Horns, another strong track is "Equality" which has almost a soul feel to it, and then "SNAFU" in which Converse lets loose a bit more on this instrumental which has a steady blues beat, picks up occasionally, as well as the backing hammond, and the horns again. "One Step Ahead" also includes a few covers -- BB King's "Recession Blues", Edgar Winter's "Give It Everything You've Got", the excellent Adrian Gurvitz' "Drown Yourself In The River" - with some neat effects on the vocals, and slide guitar, and a slow paced acoustic rendition of Willie Dixon's "I Ain't Superstitious". A solid blues album; if you like the blues check it out! Not overly heavy on the rock stuff, but the playing and production is good. Look forward to hearing more from this guy! For more info check out http://www.mysticmusic.com
NIACIN - Deep [Magna Carta]The 3rd album from this trio featuring renowned rock bassist Billy Sheehan, keyboardist John Novello, and veteran drummer Dennis Chambers. This being a continual ride of jazz, rock, funk, and err muzak, etc... with Sheehan's powerful bass sound, and Novello's classy hammond organ performances. The instrumentals all blend together smoothly, and if ya like the hammond -- this album's for you! Features one vocal track - which is a heavy blues ballad sang by Glenn Hughes [suits his voice perfectly!] - "Things Ain't Like They Used To Be", which also features Steve Lukather on guitar. Great listening! For more info check out http://www.magnacarta.net
24K - PureToronto based AOR/HR band featuring the voice of Phil Naro and the guitar work of Mladen [VON GROOVE]. If you enjoyed Naro's "10 Year Tour" release last year or his previous NARO release -- you will love this! Easily the guy's best work to date - in song and performance! The songs are melodic and memorable, commercial yet rockin'. The opening speedster "Black Sheep" features the thundering bass presence of Billy Sheehan [the 1 track he guests on]. "Standing In The Middle" and "Surrender In The Name Of Love" [co written a while back with wash-up Peter Criss!] both stand out as the most commercial and easily likable; while "Now's The Time" is a bit heavier, and then the decent power ballad "Call Out To Me" wait for a superbly plotted album or hard rock. The keys are used sparingly with great effect, the drum sound is powerful, the guitar sound is up front and heavy, and Naro's vocals are clear and more aggressive than [I believe] in the past. The best new release of 2000 I've hear so far! For more info check out http://www.interlog.com/~pnaro
LONG TOM & THE DUSTY DANGLERSHilarious side act featuring Phil Naro [vox/guitar], John Rogers [vox/gtr/keys], Chris Cambon [bass/vox] and Roger Banks [drums]. Musically kinda country to country rock and pop. It's the lyrics that this is so much worth hearing for with titles like "Friends Don't Let Friends Line Dance", "My Neighbor Is An Asshole", "You Stole My Wife You Horse Thief", and a spook on Barney [that annoying kid's dinosaur character!] called "Joe's A Queer", as well as a few of the tracks that appeared on the band's debut "Country Girl" mini-album. Also includes a kick-ass version of the old Alice Cooper classic "Working Up A Sweat" [from Muscle Of Love]. Good musically, incredibly hilarious in words!
BADFINGER - BBC In Concert 1972 >73 [Fuel]Badfinger I believe were hailed as the next Beatles in their time, but tragedies followed this band [2 bandmembers committed suicide, record company rip-offs, etc...], yet the band remain huge amongst a loyal following and a various curious one for rock followers. This release marks the band's only ever 'official' Live release taken from BBC sessions at the Paris Theater in London [w/ "Come And Get It" hailing from a 1970 'Top Of The Pops' performance]. The sound is a bit heavier than the studio versions [my belief that these guys were not merely a Beatles' like pop-band, but an excellent rocking band in their day!]. The sound is pretty good here and rockers like "Better Days" and Dave Mason's "Only You Know And I Know" lead off this release strongly. Plenty of good rockers here like Joey Molland's blues-rockers "Suitcase" [2 takes of this one here] and "Constitution". Lighter melodic numbers by Pete Ham stand out like "Matted Spam" and "Take It All" [great harmony vox there!]. The CD ends appropriately with their big Paul McCartney penned hit "Come And Get It". packaging includes photos and informative liner notes from Dan Mitovina - author of "Without You : The Tragic Story of Badfinger". For more on Badfinger check outhttp://www.joeymolland.com/badfinger.html [Molland still records solo and tours with his own version of Badfinger these days], OR > www.sandiego.sisna.com/nutopia <
HOLLYHOCK - HollyhockThis band hailing from Switzerland are a guitar & blues based 5 piece hard-rock band [no keys]. The band's debut CD from a few years back is largely guitar rockers which at various times remind me of bands from Canada's April Wine or Coney Hatch, to Poison and to Black Sabbath. The CD opens with "Can't Buy Me" and "Open Road" - 2 pretty basic rockers, before "Nothing New" adds a bit more spark to things on the guitar, and then "Need To Know" is more pop/rock reminiscent of old Poison. Things briefly change pace with the slow blues ballad "So Mean". Things pick up again after that, most notably with the faster paced "Crazy Swing" and the upbeat anthemic "Gimmi That Rock". "Fool's Dream" is the standout on the CD for me; it starts out as a slower track with some cool guitar leads and bass, that all reminds me a bit of old Heep [for the bass] and more so of Ian Hunter's "The Outsider". The song picks up the pace and the guitar playing is great, then it settles back in to slower pace before ending with more guitar soloing [ends kinda early IMO]. Even better [IMO] is the band's 3 track single CD featuring 2 cool rockers in "I Don't Care" and "RX", and the excellent "Spanish Blues" with lots of great guitar playing, heavy and Spanish styles. Newer demos I've heard show improved productions and something to look forward to from this band. If you're interested in checking them out write to Hollyhock : P.O. Box 2971; 1002 Lausanne, Switzerland OR e-mail condorphoenix@freesurf.ch |
TIDEWATER GRAIN - Tidewater Grain [5 song sampler] Fairly strong 5 song promo preceding the band's upcoming full album this summer. Heavy sounds leaning towards Sabbath, and more modern bands like Monster Magnet. best cuts include my fave "Rocketship" and the catchy hook nad chorus of "Here On The Outside". Produced by the legendary Kevin Shirley, and features Glenn Hughes on backing vox on a number of tracks. For more of Tidewater Grain check out my upcoming exclusive interview with singer Kevin McNamara or look them up at http://www.tidewatergrain.com
STEF BURNS - Swamp Tea [Lakeside]Guitarist was the guy who played on Alice Cooper's highly underrated "The Last Temptation" album from '94. "Swamp Tea" is Burns' instrumental solo album now available. If you loved his playing on The Last Temptation - you should like this, but don't expect the same type of riffs ala "Lost In America". This being quite an array of guitar styles, paces, and moods. The opening track - "Horton's Revenge" is a smooth rocker that contains some prog and funk influences, and the hook reminds me somewhat of Aerosmith's "Last Train". In contrast "Summer Of 68" is a moodier ballad piece with a very memorable hooks on the chorus. The title track is an interesting number that includes elements of Southern rock, blues, and prog , with a wee piano break [courtesy of John Seppala] in the mid section. On "Alligator Pie" there's a bit of a Dream Theater feel / sound happening. I can imagine Burns' has similar influences to a few of the DT guys. The album's heaviest track is "WayFunner" - one of the best here, and again somewhat progressive. The album closes with the ballad "Echo Lake" which to me features a bit of the dramatic feel of the ballads Burns' played on Alice Cooper's album. A good instrumental album that shows Burns as more than just another one of Alice's guitar players. Burns has his own sound, and wrote [or co-wrote] 8 of the 9 tracks here. Other musicians include bassist Myron Dove, keyboardist Frank Martin, drummers Steve Smith, Deen Castronovo, Jimmy DeGrasso, and others. Fans in to the progressive and instrumental stuff like those side-projects of the Dream Theater members and others of their ilk will go for this. To order or check out more info see http://www.stefburns.com
DC COOPER - DC Cooper [Century Media]Heavy solo debut from former Royal Hunt frontman. Lead off track "Dream" is an easy favorite blazing with heavy guitars, strong vocals, and harmonies, reminds me a bit of Dan Swano's "Nightingale" stuff [vocally and dramatically]. Cooper [a guy apparently with good taste!] then does a decent cover of Uriah Heep's "Easy Livin". Minimal keyboards in it [hammond? hmm...] but the guitars and vocals are strong and it suits the album perfectly. Track 3 - "The Angel Comes" makes a pretty perfect trio of big rockers here before things slow down briefly with the dramatic "Until the End". The rest of the album is extremely strong in rockers such as the Maiden-like "Take Me In", another epic piece "Freedom", and the huge guitar sound of "Forgive Me" that also slows down enough to let Cooper's strong clear voice stand out. Album closes superbly with the grandest epic here - "The Union". I wasn't overly big on Cooper's past work with Royal Hunt, but this is an extremely powerful hard-rock / metal album, with great productions, big guitars, harmonies, clear vocals, strong drums, minimal yet effective keyboards, thought provoking lyrics, and 12 strong tunes! Highly recommended! For more info check out http://www.bottomrow.com < or > http://www.insideoutmusic.com
VOLLMER - When Pigs Fly [Vollmer]Not sure what I expected, but "Vollmer" is the heavy debut from Helix vocalist [and his side band that features Helix drummer Brian Doerner] that clocks in at a mere 32 minutes! [Not that I'd complain 'cause most albums are too damn long these days anyway!]. Things start out fine enough with "I'm A Live Frankenstein", which is a heavy sounding groove riff rocker, but the rap stuff on the 2nd track puzzle me. Brian's a great guy, and he's No dumb-ass, so I'll put it down to his experimenting and being wise enough to want expand his audience [even if it ain't my bag!]. "King Of The Hill" picks things up enough, but it's the 4th track "Stumblin Blind" that grabbed my attention early on. It's a strong ballad that has a real 70s feel to it, and includes cello and violin - a real gem! Other rockers such as the angry "Pissed Off", or the almost punk feels of "X Ray Eyes", "F.u.g.l.y." or the title track are memorable, and include a good bit of humor to the words. Closes aptly with the acoustic dittie "Good Times Don't Get Better Than This". A neat debut album that should appeal to Helix fans, as well as those just looking for some good-time rock stuff that is back to basics, rebellious, humorous at times, and catchy in places. For more info check out http://www.helixrockband.on.ca OR write to Vollmer : P.O. Box 45007, R.P.O. Ealing, London, Ontario, N5Z 1V6 [Canada]
THE ZEN TRICKSTERS - A Love SurrealLight rock stuff in the mold of The Dead [these guys actually started out as a Grateful Dead cover band and discovered by the Dead's Phil Lesh!], and others. Lots of jazzy keys, drums, Southern, jazzy, bluegrass, country and blues styles. Clean vocals and plenty of good melodies and instrumental breaks such as on "Goin Down Slow". Lots of slower paced tunes such as the peaceful "That's All" or the jazzy "Where You Want To Be" [cool guitar solo here too!]. Should appeal to fans of such bands as The Grateful Dead, Steely Dan, Allman Brothers, etc... Strong vocals and great musical performances. For more info check out http://www.zentricksters.com
STEVE HACKETT - Guitar Noir / There Are Many Sides To The Night [Snapper]"Guitar Noir" originally from '93 is more prog oriented mixing progressive full band tracks along with classical guitar pieces [band here includes keyboardist Julian Colbeck, bassist Dave Ball, and drummer Hugo Degenhardt]. "There Are Many Sides...", from '93 is a live set of classical guitar instrumentals featuring just Hackett and Colbeck on keys. This album is accompanied with a few bonus tracks of demos and alternate versions. Guitar Noir will appeal to many old Genesis / prog fans, while There Are Many Sides is for fans of such guitar stylings. For more info check out http://www. stevehackett.com Copyright - Kevin J. Julie. |
