May 2000 Review edition
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REVIEWS JUNE 2000THE GUESS WHO - Down The Road {Live 99}[Diamond Ditty]This is the latter day version of the band that was parading around various parts of the US for the last year and a half, up until the Reunion Tour with Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings and gang began. The Guess Who for many years had been lead on by original bassist Jim Kale [who sadly had to back out of this recording and the reunion for health reasons], as well as drummer Garry Peterson and long-standing members Dale Russell [guitar] and Leonard Shaw [keys, sax, flute]. The band more recently [since the fall of '98] rounded out by former Coney Hatch frontman Carl Dixon [lead vox, guitar, harmonica], and former Streetheart [bassist] Ken 'Spider' Sinnaeve. Here the band was recorded live in Elgin, Illinois, playing 16 of their biggest hits. Dixon and company sound at home doing personal faves like "Follow Your Daughter Home", "Runnin Back To Saskatoon", "Share The Land", and "No Time". Dixon sounding a good bit like Cummings himself on a number of tunes, while the band does a good job at retaining the old arrangements and feel of the songs with harmonies, harmonica, and solos, and the crowd sounds pretty into it as well! [Extremely cool 3 minute instrumental intro to "American Woman"]. A good release for anyone who wants to hear the Guess Who classics nicely updated [good recording too!]. *To order "Down The Road - Live", send $20.00 U.S. [for American orders], or $20.00 Canadian in Canada], [This includes shipping and it's payable by money order]. To > Music Notes : P.O. Box 55055 Kipling-Queensway Post Office, Toronto, M8Z 6A6. OR for e-mail contact musicnotes@myna.com
GODDO - 25th Anniversary Remasters : Goddo / An Act Of Goddo[Bullseye]Classic Canadian HR trio, which finally sees the CD release of 2 early albums. Goddo were always a highly respected act here, and still draw decent club crowds. The band's debut from '77 featured the band's strong blues HR with classics like "Under My Hat", "The Bus Driver Blues", and "Drive Me Crazy". I don't think Goddo ever declined in strength from album to album, but got better with time as with the 3rd album "An Act Of Goddo" - which featured the signature classic "So Walk On" [which still remains the band's opener for shows] and the ballad "Chantal". Bullseye has done a decent job in taking care of reproducing the original albums' artwork and improved sound, although added notes and/or tracks would be nice, but... You can also get the band's "Who Cares?" [their 2nd album] - which was released a few years back, and featured several out-takes. Goddo has always been lead by singer/songwriter/bassist Greg Godovitz, along with guitarist Gino Scarpelli, and drummer Doug Inglis. For more info check out www.bullseyecanada.com < Or > www.goddo.net
VIVID - Time Of Revelations[Vivid]Swedish band that cites the classic bands like Sabbath, Heep, and Purple as major influences. From the early 80s until '89 the band had undergone several personnel changes and had collected a vast amount of original songs - none of which were ever released before the band split in '89. As the story goes the band reunited in '98 and decided to recorded a number of their better known tracks for this release. The band's sound is certainly derived from the classic 70s bands, but with more modern keys. The rhythm section of Jorgen Ronnqvist and Leif Thorpemo is a big part of the band's sound, giving them a somewhat Sabbathy quality as on "Stone Of Izantar" darker cuts like "Son Of Hobgoblin" and "Gehenna". The band also has lighter and softer moments such as on the stand out ballad "Crying". "Dawn Of Glory" is another decent cut, a slower paced heavy rocker with a definite Rainbow feel to it [ala the keyboards], and perhaps the best guitar break here courtesy of Goran Landgren. The album is aptly titled after the epic track that closes out the disc [aside from a little acoustic farewell piece]. All tracks are written or co-written by guitarist Greger Ronnqvist, and the band is rounded out by keyboardist Jon-Henric Andersson, and guitarist Tryggve Knutsson. Lyrically and musically appealing to those into the old Rainbow style as well. Only criticism here would be the vocals [shared] which either lack in the mix or could be stronger at times. For more info write to Vivid c/o Greger Ronnqvist : Nordringen 1, 833 35 Stromsund, Sweden. Or e-mail greger.ronnqvist@infodata.sema.se
ALICE COOPER - Brutal Planet[Spitfire]On first listen I hated this disc! 'What's with the modernized shitty guitar sound?' But I took it out a few weeks later, and got listening to it closer, and man what a grower - what a masterpiece! I still ain't crazy about the guitar sound for the most part, or the traces of techno junk, or the Marilyn Manson sounding intro to "Cold Machines" - but lyrically, son-wise, and singing wise - this is one of the best things Alice has ever done solo. The album is a dark look at the planet in the future, with the way things will be and how man has treated it. The sound is heavy, but the old Alice melodies, hooks, harmonies, and edge is there. The title track jumps out at the listener with attitude [like only Alice can deliver!] and sets the tone for a number of memorable cuts such as "Gimme" - which deals with greed, "Blow Me A Kiss", "Pick Up The Bones" [the album finale and strongest cut IMO], and the power ballad "Take It Like A Woman" - which should help as far as keeping Alice on the radio. It's a strong cut, and makes a nice follow up to "Only Women Bleed". Not sure how this stuff fits into the live show, because it's so different to the stuff Alice has been doing over the past few decades, but I look forward to it! It's a powerful album, and if the sound turned you off upon first listen, pick it back up!
DIO - Magica[Spitfire]The much anticipated return of the old Dio [not an age hack!], both in direction and personnel. On his much celebrated concept album for 2000 Dio has returned with old bass mate Jimmy Bain, and the "Dream Evil" duo of Simon Wright [drums] and guitarist Craig Goldy. Magica, although not being earth shattering on first listen IMO, is a step to regain the old fans of the early 80s Dio who may have been turned off by latter day modern metal albums with Tracy G on guitar. Magica starts out brilliant enough with the opening production "Discovery" before the first vocal track "Lord Of The Last Day" begins. Here I'm a bit puzzled that the pace slows down. In fact Magica seems to be somewhat stuck in the slow metal pace for much of the album, But it is a grower, and tracks like "Fever Dreams" [vaguely resembling "Last In Line"] and "Challis" bring back the old feel and power of Dio, and Goldy's guitar work is excellent throughout the album, coming up with some memorable riffs and brilliant solo moments that will appeal to the older fans. Dio comes up with some other brilliant tracks, such as the ballad "As Long As It's Not About Love", and the Celtic flavored intro that leads into and out of "Losing My Insanity" -- an instant Dio classic! The album winds down with reprises, and ends with Dio telling the story of "Magica". Lyrically and musically Dio has brought back the old magic. As I said this album's definitely a grower, with lots to soak up. The playing is superb, and well worth checking out. Don't expect the old Dio styled anthems of the early 80s, but expect something more melodic and deep than the man has done in the past decade. Check out www.ronniejamesdio.com
SLICE OF LEMON[Indie]This Swedish band which describes their music as "like the old Uriah Heep, Deep Purple & Whitesnake... Heavy..." is a must hear for any fans of the mentioned bands! This is a 7 song disc from the band, that is a 5 piece. The singer at times sounds strikingly similar to Heep's former frontman John Lawton, and also at times resembling of David Coverdale -- a great rock / blues voice, perfectly suited for the band's early 70s styled blues/prog/metal sounds. Track 1 "Miracle Man" is a great opener, with a memorable hook, hammond, and heaviness that makes this song an instant fave! "High Water" comes from the same class of 70s styles, although the bass is more prominent in this one, and the hammond give it a more Purplish feel. "Hangin On" is another one that stands out, not just because it [again] comes from that classic 70s influence, but also for it's similarities to Heep's "Gypsy"! It even features a wild hammond solo, before the hammond makes the opening riff to the last track "Sunset Kills" - an instrumental cut. The instrumentation here is excellent [check out the slide guitar on "Holy Water"!], and the vocals give this a remarkably 70s sound, easily living up to the band's claim of being like certain classic bands. Definitely, fans of old Heep, Purple, Whitesnake, and the first Lucifer's Friend album [a classic BTW!] will really dig this, and I highly recommend it!! For more info on Slice Of Lemon check out www.sliceoflemon.net or E-mail sliceoflemon@hotmail.com |
DEEP PURPLE - Deep Purple / The Book Of Taliesyn / Shades Of ... :Remasters[Spitfire]For most classic rock connoisseurs it is the Deep Purple line ups with Ian Gillan or David Coverdale at the mic that made them so memorable and great. But the Deep Purple story started years before Gillan came along to belt out such classics as "Smoke On The Water" or "Highway Star". Here the band's first trio of albums with singer Rod Evans and bassist Nick Simper have been remastered, beautifully packaged with histories, pics, and with 5 bonus tracks each! An amazing deal if you ask me!? It was the band's 1968 debut "Shades of Deep Purple" that spawned the band's first big hit single - "Hush", as well as the band's spectacular productions of The Beatles' "Help" and the "Hey Joe" - which features a big intro with the hammond being most prominent, and Blackmore's guitar solo that has got to be one of the coolest heavy solos of the era, and even at that stage the man already had his own distinguishable sound and style that became such a huge part of the band's future. Added here are alternate takes of Hush [BBC], Hey Joe [from US TV], an early demo of Help, and the more pop oriented out-take "Shadows". Later that year the band followed up with "The Book of Taliesyn" which featured a cover of Neil Diamond's hit "Kentucky Woman", the ballad "Anthem", as well as more instrumental numbers that featured the band's superb individual talents, particularly Lord on "Hard Rock", and then "Exposition" - which lead to a longer psychedelic version of The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out". Added to Taliesyn as bonus' are covers of Ben E. King's "Oh No No No", and 4 BBC recorded tracks [Wring That Neck from the debut, as well as another cover titled "It's All Over", and a cool instrumental titled "Playground"]. 1969's self-titled album saw the band steering away from covers, only doing 1 here - Donovan's beautiful ballad "Lalena". With more original material, it is here where the band became more distinguished, such as on early rockers like "The Painter" [classic Blackmore leads this gem], "Chasing Shadows", and the heavier "Bird Has Flown" [although I prefer the alternate version included as 1 of the bonus tracks here]. Other bonus tracks are taken from a BBC session, as well as the b-side "Emmaretta". After the release of the third Rod Evans' sung album, he and Simper were canned in favor of Ian Gillan and Roger Glover. These albums may not garner the same respect and praise that the classic Gillan era records do, but after hearing them remastered, and enjoying all the packaging [historical notes, etc...] I would highly recommend them to classic rock fans for being significant steps in the band's early career, and some of the best stuff of the late 60s era. Evans' voice, although not as dynamic as Gillan's is pretty distinctive, although he's more geared towards the 60s pop-rock-psych sound, so these songs suit him. The band also did harmonies in those days [periodically], something that was dropped in post-Evans years. I can hear more similarities here with The Gods [Ken Hensley's pre Heep band] than perhaps any other band of the era. The albums are worth it just to hear Lord play - the man was [still is!] incredible! And be it covers or the original stuff, Mark 1 Deep Purple produced 3 enjoyable and classic albums of the era. For more info check out www.deeppurple.com
The Illustrated Collector's Guide To ALICE COOPER - Dale Sherman[CG Publishing]Much like his 2 Kiss books, Dale Sherman has researched this amazingly well to offer up tons of info on the original shock rocker. With Alice's career broken down into the various stages [early years, original band, late 70s, 80s new wave/punk thing, late 80s comeback, etc...] Sherman looks in depth at all pertaining to the AC recordings, tours, and collectibles. 300 pages including everything from the making of the albums, Lp, single, and CD release info, the ensuing tours and set lists, tour date listings, collectibles, TV appearances, videos, books, comics, guest appearances, etc... As an Alice fan with a good deal of articles and items of my own to enjoy and gather info from I found Sherman's book a most enjoyable guide to the history of Alice Cooper, and all the pertinent recordings and memorabilia surrounding AC. Plenty of pics of Lps, rarities, posters, etc... including a 16 page full color center piece nicely laid out ! An essential book for any Alice Cooper fan, both for the collective info and the historical info.
Black Diamond 2 : The Illustrated Collector's Guide To Kiss - Dale Sherman[CG Publishing]With Volume 1 of Black Diamond Dale Sherman focused on the history of the band, while BD 2 focuses on the actual album releases and info related to, as well as bootleg listings, the various solo and related acts recordings, releases, books, TV appearances, tour dates, etc... It's quite a piece for any aspiring Kiss completist who needs to check up on vital Kiss collectibles and related recordings they should be pursuing. 400 pages of Kiss info, loads of b & w pics of rare Lps, bootlegs, related Lps, posters, comics, etc.... Ever wonder what Peter Criss did after leaving Kiss in 1980 ? It's all here - [and amounts to just what I suspected - barely anything!] A great read for Kiss fans - die-hard and the curious.
The PINK FLOYD Encyclopedia - Vernon Fitch[CG Publishing]As the title suggests a real encyclopedia of anything and everything relating to Pink Floyd - be it song titles, tours, related recordings, covers, people associated with the band, lyrical subjects, movies ... you name it! Also includes tour dates and equipment info for Floyd and bandmembers solo outings, and loads of pics [color and black & white] of tour posters, old handbills, adverts, etc... A definite must have for any Floyd fans, and a good source of musical info in general [454 pages!]. Comes with a 2 track Hawkwind CD featuring covers of Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive" and "Hyperdrive Reprise".
20th Century Rock And Roll :Psychedelia - Belmo[CG Publishing]A guide to the Psychedelic era and write ups on the 50 most significant acts [as chosen by the author]. Without going into too much detail of the chosen bands, Belmo touches on the most important points and key info, along with selected discographies of bands [150 pages]. Also includes info on the whole psychedelic beginning [and meanings], top 100 Lps of the era, top 200 tracks, other recommendations, and collectable Lp prices. Worthy to any fans of the era for the recommendations, general info, and pics of rare Lps.
JIMI HENDRIX : Experience The Music - Belmo & Steve Loveless[CG Publishing]For the Hendrix completist who needs to know every Lp, single, CD, live bootleg, audio, demo, and track recording ever made of perhaps the most influential guitarist in rock history. Complete bootleg and audio recording sections with times, track listings, dates, venue, etc... A song index listing the various recordings and releases of each song, film & video listings, tour dates, etc... over 500 pages! Also includes forward by Uli Roth, and interviews with Noel Redding, Joe Satriani, and Steve Miller!
*CG PUBLISHINGFor ordering info and more info on other CG Publishing books write to CG Publishing Inc., Box 62034, Burlington, Ontario, L7R 4K2 [Canada] OR check out www.cgpublishing.com *Other titles available or coming in the '20th Century Rock And Roll' series include > Progressive Rock, Glam Rock, Heavy Metal, Super Groups, and Women In Rock. As well CG has issued other books on Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, and plenty of others! |