Nirvana - In Utero

Anyone that knows me knows that I consider Nirvana one of the most over rated bands to come out of the nineties. As far as I'm concernd they are nothing more than a Seattle Punk band, and compared to other bands that had been lumped in the same catagory they had half the talent. If Cobain hadn't killed himself (or been killed for the conspiracy nuts) they would have faded into obscurity by this point. Instead David Grohl went on to make much better and more talented music, and we get to spend the rest of eternity listening to the masses rave about Nevermind being one of the greatest albums of all time.

However, I will say that In Utero is not only the best album Nirvana released, but it blows Nevermind out of the water. Sure it contains more ridiculous screaming than Nevermind did, but this album seems more raw and honest to me. This is a group of guys with some time and albums under their belt that got together to make one last album, and make it worth something to themselves. I do highly believe that Cobain went into the studio knowing this was his last album, but I'll get to that later.

As far as I'm concerned you can skip the first couple of songs. Serve The Servants and Scentless Apprentice are a lot of annoying fuzz and noise, that I find headache inducing. Especially when listening with headphones. Although the second track is musically sound, and kind of enjoyable.

Heart-Shaped Box is the first song on the album I actually enjoy. It's pure, honest, and not a wall of over blown fuzz. Cobain isn't much of a vocalist, in fact his voice is a dime a dozen, and he really should have taken a few lessons, or at least learned that screaming is for amateur hour. On this song however, he gives a real and powerful performance. I also like the poetry to his words. "She eyes me like a pisces when I am weak / I've been locked inside your Heart Shaped box for weeks / I've been drawn into your magnet tar pit trap / I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black / Hey! / Wait! / I've got a new complaint / Forever in debt to your priceless advice / Hey! / Wait! / I've got a new complaint / Forever in debt to your priceless advice / Hey! / Wait! / I've got a new complaint / Forever in debt to your priceless advice / ...your advice / Meat-eating orchids forgive no one just yet / Cut myself on Angel Hair and babys breath / Broken hymen of your highness I'm left black / Throw down your umbilical noose so I can climb right back / Hey! / Wait! / I've got a new complaint / Forever in debt to your priceless advice / Hey! / Wait! / I've got a new complaint / Forever in debt to your priceless advice / Hey! / Wait! / I've got a new complaint / Forever in debt to your priceless advice / ...Your advice / She has me like a pisces when I am weak / I've been locked inside your Heart-Shaped box for weeks / I've been drawn into your magnet tar pit trap / I wish I could Eat your cancer when you turn black / Hey! / Wait! / I've got a new complaint / Forever in debt to your priceless advice / Hey! / Wait! / I've got a new complaint / Forever in debt to your priceless advice / Hey! / Wait! / I've got a new complaint / Forever in debt to your priceless advice / Your advice / Your advice / Your advice".

When I was in grade ten drama I remember my teacher bitching about the song Rape Me. Of course he had never really listened to the words of the song, or read them, or did anything other than hear the words rape me and form an opinion based on just those. Which is a shame because he missed the true meaning of the song, which he might have been cool with.

Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle is okay, but musically pretty talentless. This is modern Punk at it's truest cliche. Dave Grohl's drumming is probably the best part of the song, and that's not very impressive either.

Dumb is a prime example of where Nirvana were heading if things hadn't gone the way that they had. You can hear them striving for that accoustic sound, and how the unplugged album was coming. I really think that Kurt was trying to be the next Bob Dylan, but never came close.

Very Ape is a pretty cool, and quick track. Which is all good with me.

Milk It is Nirvana being a Noise band of sorts. Why I can respect and even sort of enjoy the artistic vibe and flow to it, I think it's really more like amateur hour in the garage. I mean I seriously remember making bad music like this back in my band days when I played guitar, and I'm a pretty shitty guitarist.

I've never been able to make up my mind about whether or not I like Pennyroyal Tea. There is definately something inherantly cool about this track, except for Kurt's singing, but his lyrics are somewhat intoxicating. "I'm on my time with everyone / I have very bad posture / Sit and drink Pennyroyal Tea / Distill the life that's inside of me / Sit and drink Pennyroyal Tea / I'm anemic royalty / Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld / So I can sigh eternally / I'm so tired I can't sleep / I'm a liar and a thief / Sit and drink pennyroyal tea / I'm anemic royalty / I'm on warm milk and laxatives / Cherry-flavored antacids / Sit and drink Pennyroyal Tea / Distill the life that's inside of me / Sit and drink Pennyroyal Tea / I'm anemic royalty". The music is also pretty decent. It's generic by Nirvana standards, but still catchy and it has a decent hook.

Radio Friendly Unit Shifter is the longest song on the album. And if you take every complaint I've made about this album and roll them all up into one, almost five minute long, song you get a pretty accurate review of this one. The only difference is that on this song it really seems to work. I mean many people would say that the song is pretty crap, and I would agree, if it weren't for the limited amount of respect I have for Noise bands courtesy of my friend Matt.

Tourette's is shit. Just skip it.

At the begining of this review I stated that Kurt knew this was going to be his last album and All Apologies is the reason why I think this. This is by far the best song on the album, and he did what any musician worth their salt would do. He left the best for last. This is the most talent sounding song on the album, and it contains everything that made Nirvana cool to those that thought them cool, and everything that made them talented to those that thought they were talented. It's a shame MTV and Much Music over killed this song with the crap ass unplugged version. As for the lyrics, well I do truly believe they were Kurt's way of saying goodbye to his fans. "What else should I be? / All apologies. / What else could I say? / Everyone was gay. / What else could I write? / I don't have the right. / What else should I be? / All Apologies. / In the sun / In the sun I feel as one / In the sun / In the sun / Married! / Buried! / I wish I was like you / Easily amused / Find my nest of salt / Everything`s my fault / I'll take all the blame / I'll proceed from shame / Sunburn with freezer burn / Choking on the ashes of her enemy / In the sun / In the sun I feel as one / In the sun / In the sun / Married, Married, Married! / Buried! / Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, / All in all is all we are". That last line repeats twenty times.

If you have never owned a Nirvana album and find yourself wanting to buy one, I would suggest that you get this one. I would have suggested the self titled greatest hits package, but there's too many tracks from the unplugged album on it, including that version of All Apologies. If you look at the track listing for that album you'll also notice more songs originally come from In Utero than Nevermind, which I also feel help solidfy my point about this being the better album.

7/10 - content

6/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias

Rush - Fly By Night

My love of Prog Rock comes from my dad. There is no question about it. He's the one that got me into Jethro Tull, Frank Zappa and most importantly Rush.

When my parents were still together the only Rush album my dad had was Fly By Night. At least it was the only one I remember having a cassette for, and being able to listen to in the car. My mom was a bitch when it came to music, so it was rarely on in the house. That's why I always talk about listening to music in the car with my dad. My mom was also a bitch here too, because if she was in the car the radio had to be on a country station, even though she was the only one that wanted to listen to it. However, Fly By Night always captured my imagination. Each song was like a magical journey, that was brought on by the Snow Owl that was on the front cover. I loved that cover, and still do.

Now take into consideration that this album opens with one of Rush's heaviest riffs. Anthem comes flying out of the speakers with ferocious power, and only slows down briefly during the verses. Sure Alex Lifeson's guitar is beautifully melodic, as well as some heavy riffing, and Geddy Lee's bass just drives the song, but listen to Neil Peart's drums. No one plays drums like that on a song like this. Then again no one plays drums like Peart. I've been hooked on his work since I was a kid listening to this album. Oh yeah, he writes all the amazing words that Geddy releases in his high pitched wail. The man is like a banshee.

Next up is Best I Can. This is a little more of a straight forward song. It's a nice bring down, but no where near a mellow out, after such a powerful intro. I must admit that I don't listen to this track often, but that comes from the fact that it's one of the weaker songs on the album. However, when I say weaker I mean that it's not as musically intense as most of the other tracks on this album. Alex's solo is pretty cool though.

Beneath, Between and Behind is musically crazy. It has this backwards Jazz sounding feel. It's like the song was written to throw the listener off, and that's cool. This is another song I don't listen to much on it's own, but I really enjoy when I'm listening to the full album.

My first real experience with an epic length song was By-Tor And The Snow Dog. The song is only 8:37, as well as the longest song on the album, but this song has multiple parts. One might refer to them as movements, like classical music has. First up is At The Tobes Of Hades, which sets up the song. Then it's Across The Styx which features Alex performing some of his best pre 2112 guitar work, while Geddy does some really crazy stuff with his bass. Part three is Of The Battle, which has four parts of it's own, Challenge And Defiance, 7/4 War Furor, Aftermath, and Hymn of Triumph. These sections are mind blowing. It's like walking out onto the battle field, watching the carnage ensue, and then standing broken looking out over all the death, but being happy to be alive. And finally it's on to the Epilogue. The lyrics, which tell the parts of the story that the music doesn't, are only sung in the opening part and the end part. "Tobes of Hades, lit by flickering torchlight / The netherworld is gathered in the glare / Prince By-Tor takes the cavern to the north light / The sign of Eth is rising in the air / By-Tor, knight of darkness / Centurion of evil, devil's prince / Across the River Styx, out of the lamplight / His nemesis is waiting at the gate / The Snow Dog, ermine glowing in the damp night / Coal-black eyes shimmering with hate / By-Tor and the Snow Dog / Square for battle, let the fray begin". This is where the song goes all awesome instrumental before coming bck to finish with the last of the lyrics. "The battle's over and the dust is clearing / Disciples of the Snow Dog sound the knell / Rejoicing echoes as the dawn is nearing / By-Tor, in defeat, retreats to Hell / Snow Dog is victorious / The land of the Overworld is saved again ".

If you own the vinyl copy of this album, or the cassette, the album's title track doesn't appear until the second side. On the CD it's jammed in the middle, which I find really cool. I'm not big on the cliche of opening an album with the title track. Now I know that many people find this song cheesy and/or weak, but I have no clue why. I love everything about this song. It's spiritually moving, and contains some great music, and arrangements. Not to mention I have many warm, fuzzy memories of singing this one with my dad. "Why try? I know why / The feeling inside me says it's time I was gone / Clear head, new life ahead / It's time I was king now -- not just one more pawn / Fly by night, away from here / Change my life again / Fly by night, goodbye my dear / My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend / Moon rise, thoughtful eyes / Staring back at me from the window beside / No fright or hindsight / Leaving behind that empty feeling inside / Fly by night, away from here / Change my life again / Fly by night, goodbye my dear / My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend / Start a new chapter / Find what I'm after / It's changing every day / The change of a season / Is enough of a reason / To want to get away / Quiet and pensive / My thoughts apprehensive / The hours drift away / Leaving my homeland / Playing a lone hand / My life begins today / Fly by night, away from here / Change my life again / Fly by night, goodbye my dear / My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend".

Making Memories follows that up. I love the accoustic guitar work in this one. The best part is that it's not a soft folky kind of accoustic either. It's fast, powerful and very downhome sounding, but not in a lame way. Then there's the electric guitar work, which is equally impressive.

The softest and prettiest song on the album is Rivendell. This song is clearly inspired by the famous Elven city of the same name, in the Lord Of The Rings series, and I think more specifically from Bilbo Baggins' perspective. The only down side to this song is Geddy's vocals, which at times tries to hit notes, he really shouldn't try to hit.

The album ends with the second longest song on the album, In The End. This song has some great depth, and dynamics to it, but musically I find it a bit lacking. It's like they took pieces from the more straight ahead tracks on this album and strung them all together for this song. The most impressive part of this song is Lifeson's solo, which is really cool. He really is one of the most underrated guitarists in music. I really think they should have ended the album with a different song, but it's easy to understand why they went with this one.

I'm not going to say that you should rush out and buy this album (no pun intended). But, since only two of the tracks, Fly By Night and Anthem, are easily found on compilation albums I would suggest that you should pick up a copy. I would also suggest getting the digitally remastered copy, which wasn't available when I picked up my copy. The sound on this is good, and everything is crystal clear, but it could be better.

7/10 - content

7/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias

Jethro Tull - "M.U." - The Best Of Jethro Tull

After getting Jethro Tull's Aqualung for Christmas from my dad, I had no clue where to go next. I only ever knew the song that comprised that one album, and the only one of those to ever get any real radio play on Detroit Rock radio was that album's title track. Thick As A Brick had caught my eye several times, but I wasn't ready to commit to an album that contained one fourty plus minute song split into two sections for it's original vinyl release. Eventually I would, but not when I was fifteen or sixteen. So I opted to take the easy, and exploritory track. I picked up "M.U." - The Best Of Jethro Tull. To this day those are the only three albums that I've ever picked up from Jethro Tull, for no reason other than I haven't been a diligent fan.

The "M.U." in the album title stands for "Musician's Union", which many say is due to the fact that pretty much every line up of the band from 1969 until 1975 can be found on this collection. Because of that, I'm not going to get into who performed what on which song. I'm not ready to write that much on a compilation album. For a box set sure, but not a best of package. I will point out that Ian Anderson, vocals, flute, and a slew of other instruments, wrote every song, and is the only one credited on each of them except for Aqualung and Thick As A Brick. The first was co-written with his wife Jennie and the latter with Gerald Bostock.

The album opens with Teacher, which has a great riff. I find it a little odd sounding, because the overall sound seems like the band was recorded in a sound controlled room, but the vocals were done in a big open hall. It doesn't sound like an effect either. Either way this is a great way to open the album. It's a strong song, and will draw any listener right in.

After that it's on to Aqualung. This has been remixed from the original. I'm not sure why, but there's a lot more echo on this song than on the original. There are some other small changes as well, but either way it's still one of my favourite songs of all time. Some of my happiest memories are singing this song in the car with my dad. Also rocking this bitch out on Guitar Hero, and karaokeing it as well. If I were to ever have song lyrics tattooed upon my body, these are the ones. If you want to read the lyrics, go check up my review for the original album recording.

Next up is Thick As A Brick Edit #1. This is the first three minutes of the epic song I mentioned earlier. This is a nice introduction to an album that's almost like a drug for those that are truly into prog. This is the first line of coke, before you find yourself doing eight balls and wondering how you got there. It's because of the lyrics that you really get sucked in to this song. "Really don't mind if you sit this one out. / My words but a whisper -- your deafness a shout! / I may make you feel but I can't make you think. / Your sperm's in the gutter -- your love's in the sink. / So you ride yourselves over the fields / and you make all your animal deals / and your wise men don't know how it feels / to be thick as a brick. / And the sand-castle virtues are all swept away / in the tidal destruction / the moral melee. / The elastic retreat rings the close of play / as the last wave uncovers the newfangled way. / But your new shoes are worn at the heels / and your suntan does rapidly peel / and your wise men don't know how it feels -- / to be thick as a brick. / And the love that I feel is so far away. / I'm a bad dream that I just had today -- / and you shake your head and say it's a shame. / Spin me back down the years and the days of my youth. / Draw the lace and black curtains and shut out the whole truth. / Spin me down the long ages". But, do not under any circumstances overlook the music either. It will change your whole perspective on instrumental extacy.

I remember my dad singing the chorus to Bungle In the Jungle all the time as a kid, but I never heard the actual song until I picked up this album. This is one of the more straight ahead rock songs I've ever heard from this band, and that's including all the string section work, which accents this song in amazing ways. It's really a cool tune.

The next song is from the classic Aqualung album, and the last review I wrote still covers how I feel about this song, so I'm just going to reprint it here. First up is Locomotive Breath, which if it had been released in 1988, would have deserved to kick Metallica's ass for the first Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Grammy, flute or not. This song is heavy, mean, and reeks of so much bad assery that Ian Anderson shows that his tights wearing, Shakespeare wannabe look could still kick James Hetfield's ass, while playing a flute solo. It's like Black Sabbath's The Wizard, instead there's a flute instead of a harmonica. I should mention, that this too is an alternate mix from the original, but nothing that really changes the song.

I love Fat Man. Musically it's fantastic. Nothing contemporary about it at all. Very Middle Eastern sounding. However, it's the lyrics that really grab me. "Don't want to be a fat man, / People would think that I was / Just good fun. / Would rather be a thin man, / I am so glad to go on being one. / Too much to carry around with you, / No chance of finding a woman who / Will love you in the morning and all the night time too. / Don't want to be a fat man, / Have not the patience to ignore all that. / Hate to admit to myself half of my problems / Came from being fat. / Won't waste my time feeling sorry for him, / I seen the other side to being thin. / Roll us both down a mountain / And I'm sure the fat man would win."

Living In The Past has a similar flavour to the last track, but I find it a little Beatles-esque during the quicker parts of the song. Of the eleven songs that make up this album it's one of the lesser tracks in my point view.

A Passion Play (Edit #8), follows that up. The track is 3:28 and is more specifically the "Overseer Overture", which occurs about eleven minutes into A Passion Play, Part Two. The original song is just like Thick As A Brick, one really long song, and I'm honestly ashamed of myself for not buying this album. This edit is amazing, and a lot more powerful sounding musically than the other epic track. As I listen to this track I've decided that this will be next on my list of albums to pick up, unless I opt for more Zappa instead.

Skating Away (On The Thin Ice Of A New Day) has been a favourite of mine since I first heard this album. Musically it's fantastic and reminds me of the just mentioned Frank Zappa. If you like Zappa, I think you should like Jethro Tull. They aren't the same, but they are both very equally experimental and use a lot of instrumentation not often found in Rock music.

There is one track on this album that had been previously unreleased prior to this album, and that's Rainbow Blues. It's the only other song on this album, after Bungle, that's pretty much a straight ahead Rock track, but I love it. I especially love the lyrics, and the chorus like parts are very singable. "Through northern lights on back streets / I told the coachman, "Just drive me on, / It's the same old destination / but a different world to sing upon." / So he threw back his head and he counted. / I jumped out about five to nine. / And I waved at the stage door-keeper / said, "Mister, get me to the stage on time." / Oh, but the rain wasn't made of water / and the snow didn't have a place in the sun / so I slipped behind a rainbow / and waited till the show had done. / I packed my ammunition. / Inside the crowd was shouting, "Encore", / But I had a most funny feeling / it wasn't me they were shouting for. / So when the tall dark lady smiled at me / I said, "Oh, baby let us go for a ride." / And we came upon two drinks or four / and popped them oh so neatly inside. / Oh, but the rain wasn't made of water / and the snow didn't have a place in the sun / so we slipped behind a rainbow / and lay there until we had done. / Let me pack you deep in my suitcase. / Oh, there's sure to be room for two / or you can drive me to the airplane / but don't let me catch those rainbow blues."

The album finishes with Nothing Is Easy, which is a decent song, but I would have switched it with the previous track. This isn't as good of a closer as that would have been. This is great song, and you can really hear a strong Jazz influence, but compared to most of the songs that make up this collection I find it a bit boring. In some cases it almost seems like a rip off, at least in part, of Black Sabbath's Rat Salad, but since this song actually came out first, I guess the Sabbath song would be the rip off.

If you want to discover Jethro Tull, this is a great place to start. With the exception of Living In The Past and Nothing Is Easy it would be easy to rate this album close to a perfect ten. If it were digitally remastered, that would also have helped make it a perfect ten. Instead I'll say that this album is still highly suggestable. So, go and pick it up for yourself and enjoy amazing music, and inspiring lyrics.

9/10 - content

7/10 - production

9/10 - personal bias

Queen - News Of The World

I remember picking up this CD shortly after Wayne's World came out. Everyone was going nuts over Bohemian Rhapsody, which was cool, but I wanted to know more from the band. I wanted more than just one simple song, so I picked up the album that contained Queen's biggest hit.

The album kicks off with We Will Rock You. You know it. I know it. Anyone that's ever been to a sporting event knows it. It's a fantastically simple song, that has a bitchin' solo. I use to love playing this song live in my band days, just to hear my buddy Matt play that solo. He would nail it every time and it was awesome.

That's followed up by the only song that can follow We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions. Personally I don't like the song. It's amazing musically. Between Freddy Mercury's piano work and Brian May's guitar playing it's like a little slice of mellow heaven, as long as you care for the song. My big issue with the song is that it's just shy of three minutes, but feels like it's closer to five.

For me the album doesn't officially start until track three, which is Sheer Heart Attack. The is a fast, heart racing song that captures the vibe of the song just perfectly. I'm not fond of the over production on the vocals, but I understand the artistic vibe they were going for when they did it.

I will say that one of my biggest problems with this album is that the bass is often lost in the mix, or left out all together on many songs. Granted I eat those words on the next song All Dead, All Dead. I love this song. It's mellow, and has an older vibe to it, like you might hear in the 1930's. It really reminds me of Chris De Burgh. Lyrically it's amazing. "She came without a farthing / A babe without a name / So much ado 'bout nothing / Is what she'd try to say / So much ado my lover / So many games we played / Through ev'ry fleeted summer / Through ev'ry precious day / All dead all dead / All the dreams we had / And I wonder why I still live on / All dead all dead / And alone I'm spared / My sweeter half instead / All dead and gone all dead / All dead all dead / At the rainbow's end / And still I hear her own sweet song / All dead all dead / Take me back again / You know my little friend's / All dead and gone / Her ways are always with me / I wander all the while / But please you must forgive me / I am old but still a child / All dead all dead / But I should not grieve / In time it comes to ev'ryone / All dead all dead / But in hope I breathe / Of course I don't believe / You're dead and gone / All dead and gone".

Spread Your Wings is picked up from the last track, but the vibe is very similar. In fact I almost want to say that much of this album was inspired by Chris De Burgh's Spanish Train And Other Stories, which had come out two years prior. With the exception that this album has more power, especially with the guitar.

Now it's time to get funky with Fight From The Inside. First off this song is killer, and it's sung by drummer Roger Taylor. He sings on a variety of tracks on this album, as well as playing rhythm guitar and bass. I find it funny when I look at the notes about these songs online and see that so many songs were not played by the musicians that one might think would play them. If I had to call any song on this album my favourite it would be Get Down, Make Love. This song has everything that makes a song great. Sure the lyrical content is all sex, and I mean it drips of sex like a salivating horny teenager, but musically it's styled and written beautifully. It's artistically grandious, and totally over produced, but it really works.

Sleeping On The Side Walk is sung by Brian May, and I have to say that he isn't bad. He's not as good as Mercury or Taylor, but on this song he really captures the Blues vibe and feel, that was inspired by ZZ Top. However, what needs to be really mentioned about this song is that musically it was recorded in one take. Vocals were added later. This is one of those songs that captures the true vibe of what music can and often should be.

I don't care for Who Needs You. I've never really cared for songs with a Carribean flavour, with the exception of Led Zeppelin's D'yer Mak'er. Many would say that this song is more Spanish sounding, but I don't feel that, except with the tone of the Spanish guitars being played by both May and Deacon.

It's Late is the longest song on the album. This is another song I'm not big on, mainly because of how long it drags on in feel. The biggest problem with this song is that it's 6:27 of continuous repetitiveness. Sure there are some fills and soloing that are decent, but only the last minute sounds different from the rest of the song in any way that's noticeable.

My Melancholy Blues finishes off the original album. I understand why they would make it a closer, but I think it was a bad choice. It's like listening to a Liza Minnelli Jazz song, which isn't cool with me. I like my Jazz to have more of soul and vibe.

Now this version of my CD ends with a We Will Rock You (1991 Bonus Remix Ruined By Rick Rubin), and yes that is how it's officially listed. It's not a clever caption either. I have no clue what Rubin was thinking when he did this, and I'm not sure I want to know. I will say that over the years this track has grown on me a little bit especially when you hit 2:21 and a whole new music section that was never on the original opens up. It's not going to be for everyone, but it does have some acceptable uniqueness to it. It's a better closer than My Melancholy Blue had originally been.

I'm not going to say that this album is a must buy, but since some of the better songs aren't available on any greatest hits, or best of package, you may want to consider grabbing this album. Especially if you can find it for the right price.

7/10 - content

8/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias

Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden

There are some CDs that I love for the music. There are some CDs I love because of my life experiences assosciated with it. Then there are some CDs that are just mind blowing. Iron Maiden's debut album fits in all of the above. In fact this album is so amazing that I used it to turn Punk fans onto Iron Maiden. Which I'm sure Steve Harris would hate to hear.

Of all of Maiden's albums this one is my favourite, which is really odd since it's missing my two favourite members, Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith. The official line up for this album is Paul Di'Anno (lead vocals), Dave Murray (guitar), Dennis Stratton (guitar, backing vocals), Steve Harris (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Clive Burr (drums).

I'm not sure entirely what it is that I love about this album so much, but I can narrow it down to three things. It's raw, honest, and one hell of a fast rockin' album. I think one of the reasons this album is often associated with Punk, is due to the rawness, and the speed, but the talent on this album is way too high to be mixed in with the likes of The Sex Pistols, or other British Punk. However, calling this a fast Rock album would be fine.

The album opens with Prowler, which right away sucks you in. The guitars come blazing out, and Paul Di' Anno just starts going to town with his high pitched vocal shredding. Now even though the guitars sound a bit off at the start, by the time it hits the 2:00 marker the full on wild soloing casts and doubts aside.

I should say that my review for this album is based on the older non-remastered copy, which means the production is a bit thin and could sound better.

I know there are a lot of people that dig Remember Tomorrow, and I totally understand why. Steve Harris' bass work is mesmerizing, and the heavy parts are really heavy. Even Paul's vocals are mysteriously captivating. However, in the grand scheme of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, this song is very standard at least as far as I'm concerned.

My absolute favourite Iron Maiden song is Running Free, and only the version from this album. I have yet to hear a live version that has the same feel, vibe or sound as this studio version does. Which really sucks, because i would love to yank Paul's vocal line out of here and stick in Bruce performing it instead. As to why this is my favourite. The first part is the crazy ass drum line, then the guitar work, and finally the lyrics hit home when I first heard this song. They capture what I was looking for so much at the time. "Just Sixteen A Pickup Truck / Out Of Money Out Of Luck / I Got No Place To Call My Own / Hit The Gas And Here I Go / I'm Running Free Yeah, I'm Running Free / I'm Running Free Yeah, I'm Running Free / Spend The Night In L.I Jail / Listen To The Sirens Wail / But They Aint Got A Thing Of Me / I'm Running Wild I'm Running Free / I'm Running Free Yeah, I'm Running Free / I'm Running Free Yeah, I'm Running Free / Pulled Her At The Bottle Top / Whiskey Dancing Disco Hop / And All The Boys Are After Me / And That's The Way It's Gonna Be / I'm Running Free Yeah, I'm running Free / I'm Running Free Yeah, I'm running Free". I would also like to point out that it was this song I used to turn my buddy Ian on to Maiden, and at the time he was the bassist in my high school's biggest Punk band.

Next up is Phantom Of The Opera. This song is 7:10 of some of the most mind blowing music. This song is truly Metal. The speed and the guitar work are mind blowing. This song contains everything a great epic song needs. There's melody, mind blowing ferocity, build ups, slow downs, and it doesn't feel like it's anywhere near it's actual length.

Next up is the instrumental piece Transylvania. This song is amazing. I mean it can alter your whole perspective on Iron Maiden and music all together. If you don't know this song go on youtube and listen to it, and let it take you away. This is more than just music, this is artistic expression.

Strange World is the most mellow song on the album. It's not a ballad, as most people would think of a ballad. It's more like Metallica's Fade To Black or Welcome Home (Sanitarium). It's a slower number that just takes you away on a journey of the mind. The only song on this album that I have little to no use for is Sanctuary, and that's only because it sounds way too much like the bands name sake song. It's the least imaginative song on the album as far as I'm concerned. However, it is still one hell of a great song, especially if you love Iron Maiden.

"Giving a swish with your arse in the air, / Don't you know what they're saying? / Charlotte you're so refined / When you take all the love that they're giving. / Sticking with every man that you find, / Don't you know what they're after? / Charlotte you've got your legs in the air, / Don't you hear all the laughter? / Charlotte the harlot show me your legs, / Charlotte the harlot take me to bed. / Charlotte the harlot let me see blood, / Charlotte the harlot let me see love. / Taking so many men to your room, / Don't you feel no remorse? / You charge them a fiver, / It's only for starters. / And ten for the main course. / And you've got no feelings, / They died long ago. / Don't you care who you let in? / And don't you know you're breaking / The law with the service you're giving. / There was a time when you left me standing there, / Picking up pieces of love off the floor. / Well charlotte you left me alone in there, / To make your ends as a bloody whore. / Well charlotte you told me you love me true, / Picking up pieces of love yesterday. / Well charlotte you're draws are off color too / 'cause you're making love all day. / Giving a swish with your arse in the air, / Don't you know what they're saying? / Charlotte you're so refined when / You take all the love that they're giving. / Sticking with every man that you find, / Don't you know what they're after? / Charlotte you've got your legs in the air, / Don't you hear all the laughter?" These lyrics belong to one of the few songs penned by Dave Murray over Iron Maiden's illustrious, thirty plus year career. I've heard a lot of smack talked about this song over the years, but keep in mind that this song inspired at least one other Maiden song, possibly two depending on who you ask. Those songs being 22 Acacia Avenue, and another favourite of mine From Here To Eternity.

I've been lucky to see Iron Maiden live once, and the greatest part about seeing them live is watching them end the show with the last song from this album. It's the album's title track, and the bands name sake. Iron Maiden opens with dueling guitars and just keeps going up hill from there. The best part about this song, is it has nothing to do with the band itself. "Won't you come into my room, I wanna show you all my wares. / I just want to see your blood, I just want to stand and stare. / See the blood begin to flow as it falls upon the floor. / Iron Maiden can't be fought, Iron Maiden can't be sought. / Oh Well, wherever, wherever you are, / Iron Maiden's gonna get you, no matter how far. / See the blood flow watching it shed up above my head. / Iron Maiden wants you for dead. / Won't you come into my room, I wanna show you all my wares. / I just want to see your blood, I just want to stand and stare. / See the blood begin to flow as it falls upon the floor. / Iron Maiden can't be fought, Iron Maiden can't be sought. / Oh Well, wherever, wherever you are, / Iron Maiden's gonna get you, no matter how far. / See the blood flow watching it shed up above my head. / Iron Maiden wants you for dead. If this song doesn't get you off, you have no music in your soul. This song has something for everyone in it's 3:34 of pure raw musical brilliance that finishes the album perfectly.

The only downside to this album in my opinion is the production. Part of that comes from the time period in which this album was recorded. Part of it comes from the amount of money the band had when they recorded it. However, I suggest you overlook the sound, which isn't really that bad, and throw this baby on full blast. I would also suggest getting the digitally remastered copy as well.

10/10 - content

6/10 - production

10/10 - personal bias

Van Halen - Balance

I've covered my feelings toward Van Halen multiple times. However, if you look at the back cover to the Balance album it perfectly describes how much of a complete egotistical jackass Eddie and Alex are, and if it weren't for Sammy's vocals on this album, it wouldn't be half as good as it is.

The album opens with The Seventh Seal, which is a decent enough tune. It's a bit typical for Van Halen at the time, and reminds me a lot of Poundcake from For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.

After that comes Cant Stop Loving You. Lyically this is a ballad. "There's a time and place for everything, for everyone / We can push with all our might, but nothing's gonna come / Oh no, nothing's gonna change / And if I asked you not to try / Oh could you let it be / I wanna hold you and say / We can't throw this all away / Tell me you won't go, you won't go / Do you have to hear me say / I can't stop lovin' you / And no matter what you say or do / You know my heart is true, oh / I can't stop lovin' you / You can change your friends, your place in life / You can change your mind / We can change the things we say / And do it anytime / Oh no, but I think you'll find / That when you look inside your heart / Oh baby, I'll be there / Hold on / I'm holding on / Baby, just come on, come on, come on / I just wanna hear you say / I can't stop lovin' you / And no matter what you say or do / You know my heart is true, oh / I can't stop lovin' you / Oh, I'm twisted and tied / And all I can remember / Is how hard we tried / Only to surrender / And when it's over / I know how it's gonna be / And true love will never die / No, not fade away / I can't stop lovin' you / And no matter what you say or do / You know my heart is true, oh / I can't stop lovin' you / And I know what I got to do / Hey ray, what you said is true / I can't stop lovin' you, oh / Oh, I can't stop lovin' you". Musically this song is a straight forward Rock tune, a bit plain for my likings, but a decent enough song.

The first song I ever heard from this album was Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do). I remember the video being rather big at the time, or at least getting a lot of play on Much Music. I also remember thinking the song was good enough to warrant picking up the album. In retrospect it's still a pretty decent song, but only because of the raw passion in Sammy Hagar's vocals.

Normally I wouldn't rip on Bruce Fairbairn's production too much. I typically like what he does, but this album is another story. I think Alex Van Halen's snare is way too loud in the mix, and constantly comes off as nothing other than a dull thud, and aside from the cymbals the rest of the drums almost disappear in the mix. Micheal Anthony's bass has been reduced to little more than a low level pulsing in the background, that often disappears in the mix. Other than that, the rest of the production is okay.

For me the album really starts at song four. Amsterdam is the type of track I totally dig from Van Halen. It's fun, full of Eddie's guitar show boating fills, and you want to sing along with it. The song doesn't demand you sing along, but it naturally encourages such behaviour.

Big Fat Money is a really fun boogie woogie number. It's really quick and Sammy's lyrics come flying out like a high speed rapper. Eddie's guitar sounds a little more on the inventive side, which is really cool. In fact if you listen to the better songs on this album they sound closer to the Van Roth era than the Van Hagar years. Which is something they should have been doing from the beginning.

Strung Out is pretty much useless album filler. It sounds like someone was screwing around in the studio, and butchering a helpless instrument. It has a little artistic merit, but only a little.

Not Enough sees the return of Eddie and the piano. Yes he play the piano, but I don't want to hear it. It's very boring and stock sounding. If I want to listen to a rockstar play the piano I'll throw on some Elton John. In fact I skip this song most of the time, because this is the exact type of song that makes me side with Roth in the old debate, which doesn't apply anymore. Thankfully it's back to a more enjoyable, yet stock for Van Halen, style. Aftershock sounds like pretty much every other straight ahead rocker that the band has ever released. It sounds a lot like a left over from the previous album.

Doin' Time is pretty much a percussion solo. It's okay, but nothing special. The track doesn't do anything to make me think Alex is anything more than a basic drummer.

It's on to the instrumental Baluchitherium, which is decent and enjoyable. It reminda me more of a movie soundtrack piece, almost like a movie score set to a Rock style. This is one of those songs I would use while writing, because it has a good vibe and feel to it.

I like the feel to Take Me Back (Deja Vu). It capturea the essence of the song well, and reminds me a lot of a couple of guys sitting out on the front porch jamming up some old memories. Other than that, I don't have much of an opinion on this one.

The album finishes with Feelin'. I'm happy that even though the song starts slowly, it builds up to a great album closer. The song never turns into a bust it out Rock monster, but it delivers pure passion and power. Also it may contain Eddie's best solo on the album. I mean when he opens up on this one, he really opens up. It's the type of solo that made him famous, but it's Sammy's lyrical delivery that really impresses me. It's almost like he knew this was his last album with the band, and this was his way of saying good bye. "Outta touch most the time / Got a lotta things on my mind / Kickin' down, but where to start / It's the hardest thing, oh Lord / Grow it long, shave it off / Life is hard, never soft / I need a change, I need it quick / Before it makes me sick / That's what's on my mind / (Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah) / Now pay attention, watch your back / Pay your dues and stay on track / Got no room to second guess / Puts me under stress, oh Lord / (Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah) / If I were you, if you were me / Wonder who I'd wanna be / With just one wish ya can't refuse / I wouldn't know what to choose / Yeah! Feelin' / No I don't like what I been told / I'm feelin' / Feelin', what no one else will ever know / I'm feelin' / Ohh, now! Black is white and white is black, ah! / Got politicians smokin' crack / And John Paul's all bullet proof / And it puts me through the roof, and yeah! / If I were you, and you were me / I wonder who I'd rather be / And if I had one wish I, uh, I'd take it / Feelin', oh I don't like what I been told / I'm feelin' / And I'm seein' what no one else will ever know / I'm seein' / Come on! / Feelin', hey I don't understand these things / I'm feelin' / Nooo! / Yeah! / Yeah! / Oh, yeah! / Oh, yeah! / Uh! / Outta touch most all the time / Got too many things on my mind / Shuttin' down, I gotta stop this thing / Yeah! Feelin', no I don't like what I been told / I'm feelin' / And I'm bleedin', like no one else will ever know / I'm bleedin' / Whoa! Dealin', I'm dealin' with these things / I'm feelin' / Oh, I'm dreamin', I'm dreamin', I'm dreamin' things that show me / What I'm seein' / Yeah! Seein', I'm seein' things that don't know / What I'm feelin', yeah / Lord, I've been feelin', I'm feelin', I'm feelin' things that / I don't, I don't know, I don't know! / Lord, what I'm seein' / Yeah! / Yeah, yeah yeah / Hey, I don't understand".

By the end of this album I'm happy I bought it, but at the same time I'm a little let down by the basicness of it. The band was clearly falling apart and losing sight of who and what they were, but at the same time they put together an album that was both dark and interesting.

7/10 - content

5/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias

Howard Stern Private Parts: The Album

As a radio personality I find Howard Stern to be nothing more than a one dimensional human being comprised entirely of dick and fart jokes. I remember listening to him on one of the Detroit stations when the movie Private Parts came out, and after a week I was bored shitless. The man has little to no substance, and I have no clue how he's lasted so long.

That being said I did enjoy Private Parts, and still laugh whenever I watch it, but mainly because of all the other characters. Many of which appear on this album in sound bytes. In fact sound bytes make up half this album, and the other half is primarily filled with some great classic rock, as well as some newer tracks. At least they were new in 1997 when this album was released.

The album opens with Pig Virus, which is basically someone ripping on Howard Stern. Then it goes directly into The Great American Nightmare, which is Rob Zombie with Howard Stern. This isn't one of Rob's best songs, but it's pretty good, and Stern's contribution is pretty limited.

The format for almost the entire album is sound byte followed by song, and the only exception is at the end of the album. Mama Look -- A Boo Boo is the next movie clip up, which is okay. But it's Howard making a cheap dick joke.

I Make My Own Rules is performed by --------- with Flea, Dave Navarro and Chad Smith, and yes that blank name is actually supposed to be there. I've never cared enough about this song enough to check online who the missing name is, but basically the band is Red Hot Chili Peppers (the 1997 version) with someone rapping over top. Musically it's pretty much your standard sounding RHCP song, so if you are into them you might enjoy this song. Personally I just skip it.

Although The Match Game is just another set of cheap dirty jokes, I really like it. In the movie it really helped make a point about how silly American censorship is when it comes to certain words, and how you can get around them in cheesy ways. It really serves to point out how stupid American censors really are.

After that is Hard Charger by Porno For Pyros. I've never cared for this band, but I find over the years I've developed a liking for this track. It's not a song that I would go out of my way to listen to, but it's interesting and unique enough that I don't feel a need to skip it, like I did when I first picked up this album. I really don't give two shits about the lyrics, and I find the vocalist annoying, but the music is pretty damn cool, especially the bass line. This is also the longest song on the album at 6:46, and I never notice it when I listen.

Moti is one of my favourite sound bytes on the album. It's like the perfect tell off. "Good, fuck you, you drunk. Fuck you one thousand percent. Fuck you until you until your asshole is a perfect donkey ass hole." These aren't the only words on the track, but they should be.

When it comes to Marilyn Manson I'm hit and miss. The Suck For Your Solution is one of those misses. "Your mouth is like a suicide / Talkin like you never died / Automatic charisma / For your chemical mind / I'll suffer for you / I'll suffer for you / You're kissing me like benzocaine with your sleeping pill eyes / Melting me down and suck suck sucking my brain / I'm gonna hate you tomorrow / Because you make me hate you today / I'm gonna hate you tomorrow / Because you make me hate you today / I can be the one that you believe in / I can be the liar in your bed / I'll be the suck for your solution / Tell me that your sex isn't dead / Dead / Your sex is dead / I've suffered for you / I've suffered for you / I've suffered for you since the day I was made / I've suffered for you / I've suffered for you / I've suffered for you since the day I was made / I am the center of your hate / I'm gonna be you tomorrow / Because you make me hate you today / I can be the one that you believe in / I can be the liar in your bed / I'll be the suck for your solution / Tell me that your sex isn't dead / Dead / your sex is dead / All so tired / Desexed and jaded / Hopeless and souless and bored of the thrill / We make our / death/sex/symbol / When we can't fuck then we kill / Dead / I've suffered for you / I've suffered for you / I've suffered for you since the day I was made / I've suffered for you / I've suffered for you / I've suffered for you since the day I was made". As you can read it's your standard Manson diatribe.

Lance Eluction is pretty much a bad gay joke, and I mean that literally. It's a bit annoying that it flows directly into Pictures Of Matchstick Men, which I really like and already covered in Ozzy Osbourne's Prince Of Darkness boxset. However, I'll reprint what I wrote in there. " I have never heard the original version of Pictures Of Matchstick Men so I have no point of comparison. However, Ozzy backed by Type O Negative is totally fucking awesome. This song was recorded for Howard Stern's Private Parts soundtrack. I have that album, and this song is one of the reasons I picked it up. I don't think this is one of Ozzy's greatest songs, but it's cool enough that I wish that he and Type O had recorded an album together before Peter Steele's passing."

The Contest is a sound clip from the end of the movie when one of the "former" producers talks about a contest Stern wanted to hold for bowel movements. It's not really that funny out of the movie, so you can skip it. You can also skip the next music track whilel you are at it.

I can't stand Green Day, they are the most over rated craptastic Punk band, and this cover of Tired Of Waiting For You helps sume up why I think they are such crap. They took a good classic and buggered it up into a sub par Punk track.

WRNW is a cheesy clip that really serves no purpose on here except to make Howard look like an ass as he introduces the next song, which is Ramones' Pinhead. This is one of my favourite tracks from what I consider the best American Punk band. "Gabba gabba we accept you, we accept you one of us! / Gabba gabba we accept you, we accept you one of us! / I don't wanna be a pinhead no more. I just met a nurse that I could go for. / I don't wanna be a pinhead no more. I just met a nurse that I could go for. / I don't wanna be a pinhead no more. I just met a nurse that I could go for. / I don't wanna be a pinhead no more. I just met a nurse that I could go for. / D-U-M-B / Everyone's accusing me! / D-U-M-B / Everyone's accusing me! / I don't wanna be a pinhead no more. I just met a nurse that I could go for. / I don't wanna be a pinhead no more. I just met a nurse that I could go for. / Gabba gabba hey!" It's not long, complicated or anything out of the ordinary, but it's awesome straight forward Rock.

Oh Howard comes from one of my favourite scenes in the movie. Nothing like watching a chick get off from straddling a sub woofer while Howard makes a humming like noise over the radio.

The Ben Stern Megamix is cheap and cheesy, but somehow still mesmerizing. However, unless you are in the right mood, you can skip this one and not feel like you are missing much.

The Howard Stern Experience is only worth listening to to hear him screw up and accidently kill the record with a giant scratch. The song he kills and then restarts is Smoke On The Water. This is also the next song on the album, and I've covered it in enough reviews at this point that I don't wish to do it again. Plus you should already know the song well enough at this point.

WCCC is totally pointless excpet to introduce Cheap Trick. Which leads in to the live version of I Want You To Want Me. I'll admit that I like this Pop Bubble Gum Rock track, but not enough to listen to it on my own. I like it just enough to not feel a need to skip the song when I hear it.

The Antichrist is pretty much Howard being told off for going too far with one of his producers wives, while on the air. It's no biggy.

The next song up is Ted Nugent's Cat Scratch Fever, a personal favourite of mine, which I've covered before to a small extent. This is a top five Deadly Teddly song, that belongs on a sountrack for a movie about dick and fart jokes. WNBC is such a stupid track, but because it shows how retarded broadcasters can be.

The next track up is Jamie's Cryin'. I love this Van Halen track, and I'm pretty sure I've gushed about it on my review of Van Halen Van Halen.

Crackhead Bob isn't needed on here. It actually makes me want to smack Stern around for wasting my time with the track. That leads into a live version of AC/DC's You Shook Me All Night Long. Which once again shows how much of a one note joke Howard Stern really is.

The next two tracks are both sound bytes. Howard You Stink and Ladies & Gentlemen can both be skipped.

The album then ends with Tortured Man which is Howard being self depricating and talking about his fucked up life, and as well as trying to talk himself up as some type of ladies man. The song should be called Deluded Man. The music is supplied by The Dust Brothers, and I hope this aborted fetus of a song keeps them up at night.

Basically this album is a "Buy at your own risk". There are some days I really enjoy sitting back and listening to it, because it's an okay mix of varied music and humorous sound bytes. The rest of the time I find the non stop sex references boring and over played. For the most part this album is perfect for boys that are young, dumb and full of cum, or anyone else that can't get any on a regular basis.

7/10 - content

7/10 - production

5/10 - personal bias

Bon Jovi - New Jersey

In my house there are three Bon Jovi CD's. I've already reviewed Slippery When Wet, which is an okay album, but nothing special. Especially since I think the second half of the album is pretty much all filler. On the other hand New Jersey is a really good album. The other album is a live one I'll eventually get to as well.

The album opens with Lay Your Hands On Me, which is your pretty standard Bon Jovi track, but it's a great opener. As long as you are able to overlook the fact that it sounds like it's going to be a real heavy song when the intro starts up, and quickly turns into a basic straight foward rocker. Am I bitching about it being a normal Rock song? Hell no. This song has some boogie, and a great postive vibe, as Ritchie Sambora's solo is pretty decent, if not a little short.

That's followed up by my favourite Bon Jovi song, Bad Medicine. "Your love is like bad medicine / Bad medicine is what I need, oh oh, oh / Shake it up, just like bad medicine / There ain't no doctor that can cure my disease / Bad medicine / I ain't got a fever got a permanent disease / And it'll take more than a doctor to prescribe a remedy / And I got lots of money, but it isn't what I need / Gonna take more than a shot to get this poison out of me / And I got all the symptoms count 'em 1, 2, 3 / First you need / (That's what you get for falling in love) / Then you bleed / (You get a little and it's never enough) / And when you're on your knees / (That's what you get for falling in love) / Now this boy's addicted cause your kiss is the drug, oh, oh, oh / Your love is like bad medicine / Bad medicine is what I need, oh, oh, oh / Shake it up, just like bad medicine / There ain't no doctor that can cure my disease / Bad, bad medicine / I don't need no needle / To be giving me a thrill / And I don't need no anesthesia / Or a nurse to bring a pill / I got a dirty down addiction / That doesn't leave a track / I got a jones for your affection / Like a monkey on my back / There ain't no paramedic / Gonna save this heart attack / When you need / (That's what you get for falling in love) / Then you bleed / (You get a little and it's never enough) / And when you're on your knees / (That's what you get for falling in love) / Now this boy's addicted cause your kiss is the drug, oh, oh, oh / Your love is like bad medicine / Bad medicine is what I need, oh, oh, oh / Shake it up, just like bad medicine / So let's play doctor, baby cure my disease / Bad, bad medicine / Is what I want / Bad, bad medicine / Oh, I need". Then it's time for another short but cool solo, then back tot he lyrics. "I need a respirator cause I'm running out of breath / Well you're an all night generator wrapped is stockings and a dress / When you find your medicine you take what you can get / Cause if there's something better baby well they haven't found it yet / Oh, oh, oh / Your love is like bad medicine / Bad medicine is what I need, oh, oh, oh / Shake it up, just like bad medicine / There ain't no doctor that can cure my disease / Your love, bad medicine / Bad medicine is what I need, oh, oh, oh / Shake it up, just like bad medicine / Your love's the potion that can cure my disease / Bad, bad medicine / Is what I want / Bad, bad medicine / Who's bad, who's bad / (Bad, bad medicine) / I got it, oh, I got it / I got it, oh, I got it / I got it, I got it, I got it / Do it again / Wait a minute, wait a minute, hold on / I'm not done, one more time with feeling / C'mon, alright, help me out now / Your love is like bad medicine / Bad medicine is what I need, oh, oh, oh / Shake it up, just like bad medicine / You got the potion that can cure my disease / Your love, bad medicine / Your kiss is what I need / Your love, bad medicine..." Sure the lyrics are a little repetitive, but every guy knows what it's like to be dealing with bad medicine, and every guy craves it. This song just hits home in a way that's pure and honest.

I don't mind Born To Be My Baby, but it's not one of those songs that I go out of my way to listen to. It's one of those songs that's a little too Hair Spray Rock for me. I can only support the abuse of the word "baby" so much before it enters the cheap and cheesy range, which this song does.

Living In Sin is pretty much a continuation of the last song, just a little slower, and with a long guitar solo. In fact my favourite part about this album is that Ritchie is getting so much solo time. I find all the solos are cut too short, and Jon get's to sing too much, but it's still a huge step up from Slippery When Wet.

Blood On Blood picks the pace back up, and is pretty enjoyable. This is one of those songs that sounds very Midwest, and would be at home with the likes of Mellencamp, Springsteen, or Seger. Which is pretty complimentary if you are into those artists.

Hombound Train I find to be a bit of a filler when listening to the album as a whole, but on it's own in a mix is really enjoyable.

The album finally gets to a ballad-like song with Wild Is The Wind. "I tried to make you happy / Lord knows I tried so hard to be / What you hoped that I would be / I gave you what you wanted / God couldn't give you what you need / You wanted more from me / Than I could ever be / You wanted heart and soul / But you didn't know, baby / Wild, wild is the wind / That takes me away from you / Cold is the night without your love / To see me through / Wild, wild is the wind / That blows through my heart / Wild is the wind, / Wild is the wind / You got to understand, baby / Wild is the wind / You need someone to hold you / Somebody to be there night and day / Someone to kiss your fears away / I just went on pretending / Too weak, too proud, too tough to say / I couldn't be the one / To make your dreams come true / That's why I had to run / Though I needed you, baby / Wild, wild is the wind / That takes me away from you / Cold is the night without your love / To see me through, baby / Wild, wild is the wind / That blows through my heart tonight / That tears us apart / Wild is the wind, / Wild is the wind / You got to understand, baby / Wild is the wind / Maybe a better man / Would live and die for you / Baby, a better man would / Never say goodbye to you / Wild, wild is the wind / That takes me away from you / Cold is the night without your love / To see me through, baby / Wild, wild is the wind / That blows through my heart tonight / That tears us apart / Wild is the wind, / Wild is the wind / You got to understand, baby / Wild is the wind". I don't mind this one so much, with the exception of the "baby" abuse. I also enjoy the fact that it's a mellower song, but not a full on ballad. It's more like Free Bird in it's delivery, but let me be very clear this song is not Free Bird.

Ride Cowboy Ride is the shortest song on the album at 1:25. I'm not sure why this song is even on here. It really doesn't do anything for the album, or me. It's pretty much nothing more than an extended intro to Stick To Your Guns, which really isn't needed.

As for the song Stick To Your Guns, it's a cowboy themed love song. I'm not a fan, but I have certain friends that I'm sure love this song to pieces, and that's cool. I get why people like this song, I'm just not big on whiney romantic songs. However, Ritchie once again lays down a cool, but short solo.

I've never been able to figure out why Bon Jovi clusters all their ballads together on the second half of an album. Part of me thinks it's a good idea, because that means they are easier to skip, but on the other hand it bugs the shit out of me. By the time I'll Be There For You kicks in, I'm already ready to turn it off, because I just went through a slow song that I have little or no use for and now I'm getting hit with another. This one is even more mushy and pathetic than the last, and I can't even excuse Pat's liking of this song, I don't care how many women this song has helped you land.

I'm very thankful for the return to the upbeat Rock with 99 In The Shade, but sadly it's a very stock song. I don't mind it while it plays, but it's not a song I would listen to on my own.

The album finishes with Love For Sale. I really dig this song, and the fact that the band dared to show some humour on their album. It's a pretty fun, and basic song for the most part, but it's just really fun.

For the most part I would say that this album is pretty damn good. It's not for everyone, but it is the best original studio album that Bon Jovi has ever released. But then again, when you have Bruce Fairbairn as a producer and Bob Rock as the engineer and mixer your really can't go wrong.

8/10 - content

8/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias

The Commitments - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

My Uncle Greg gave me a copy of this movie on VHS a year or two after it came out. I fell in love with it after the first watching. One of the reasons I love this movie so much is the music. Very often when I put this movie on it's just for the audio.

I happened to stumble across The Commitments soundtrack at a low price while I was in college. I remember there was a day I popped into the discount department store I worked for and loaded up on bargin bin albums. I grabbed six or seven in all, and many of which I've even reviewed at this point. I discovered that as much as I like the soundtrack, I would still rather listen to the movie. It's a sound quality thing, mixed with the actual movie's story.

All the tracks on this album are performed, by The Commitments, which is the band from the movie. So it makes the album a really cool cover album of sorts.

The first song on the album is Mustang Sally. I don't mind this track, and find it very fun and enjoyable, but it's not one of my favourites. In fact my biggest bitch about the movie is how many times this song plays throughout it. I know the original from Mack Rice, and this version is very fair and honest to it.

Take Me To The River is a great song, and I don't know if I've ever heard Al Green's original version. However, I do enjoy cranking this song and singing along. It's just a really good track.

I love Chain Of Fools. Most of it comes from the female vocals on the song. Maria Doyle, as Natalie Murphy, gives a performance that is amazingly sexy, vocally. It sounds exactly like a Soul singer should sound. Also the sax performance on this one is really good too.

The Dark End Of The Street is one of those songs that I understand why people love it, but it's just not for me. It's a beautifully slow number, full of sweet lonesome passion. I would probably karaoke this one for fun, and would have no issues performing it in a live band every night, but I would never listen to it on my own.

I laugh my ass off everytime I hear Destination Anywhere on this album, since it was in the movie for about a minute, and it was pretty much the group singing along with a version being played on the train that they were riding on. It's not a song I'm into, but I love it in the movie. It's one of those moments when you see the band start to come together. This is also one of two songs performed by someone that was not in the movie, Niamh Kavanagh. I'm not sure why this is the case.

Musically I think I Can't Stand The Rain is awesome. The feel and vibe to the song is wicked cool, and the Janis Joplin like vocals are a nice touch too. My only complaint about this song is that it's a bit over produced sounding. The beauty of the movie is how the band pretty much only plays live, and the only talk of studio recordings is at the end of the movie in a post script dialogue, so this song shouldn't sound like it came from a studio.

Try A Little Tenderness is one of those songs that I have to be in the right mood for, at least when listening to the CD. The flavour and pacing of this song has a great slow build up, but it's that build up that puts me off. However, when the song hits 2:39 and kicks into full throtle my head starts banging like I'm rocking Bohemian Rapsody. I mean you can't help but get your groove going to this one.

Treat Her Right is performed by Robert Arkins, who plays Jimmy Rabbitte, the guy who manages The Commitments and puts the band together, but never officially sings in the movie. This is a great boogie number that gets your foot tapping and your body bouncing.

Do Right Woman, Do Right Man is the other song performed by Niamh Kavanagh. This is a song originally made famous by Aretha Franklin, and to be honest I've never been a fan of most of her work. I respect it, but don't generally care for it.

Mr. Pitiful is a fun upbeat number, but it's not my cup of tea. It's much better in the movie than on this album. However, this is one of those songs I would be interested in redoing, but doing kind of different. I'd love to hear it re-arranged into a punk track.

I Never Loved A Man is a little slow, and is a typical female vocalist kind of song. Although my only real complaint about his song is that it sounds a little more Country Western that Soul. I do love how much guitar work you get to hear on this song, though. Most of the time on both the soundtrack and in the movie the guitar gets lost in the mix.

My favourite song on this album is In The Midnight Hour, which really sucks since it's the second shortest track on the album at 2:24. I would have loved to have heard this song extended with some musical performance slipped in. I have to say that Andrew Strong, as Deco, kills this one. Even more impressive since he was only 16 at the time, and is the primary male vocalist on this album.

Bye Bye Baby is an okay song. Originally by Mary Wells this track sounds like it would be a Pointer Sisters song, and I was never really into those girl groups.

Slip Away finishes off the album. It's an okay track, and I know people that would like it, and enjoy it more than I do. There's nothing wrong with the song, it's just a little too laid back for my liking.

All in all I would say that you should go out and buy the movie, and enjoy the songs as they were meant to be heard, live. All the music parts in the movie were recorded live to tape and are much better sounding than what you get on this album. However, if you want to get a fix for this music, by all means pick up this album and enjoy.

7/10 - content

7/10 - production

6/10 - personal bias

Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue

This is the only Alice In Chains album I have ever purchased, and for a very good reason. I hate the droning sound that comes with this band. I don't mind on certain songs, but for the most part it just sounds like a cross between a vacuum and a whining teenager. Even with the change of vocalist, R.I.P. Lane Stanley, it hasn't changed. Which leads me to the bright side of this album. It sounds exactly like Alice In Chains still.

Everything I just said in the first paragraph sums up All Secrets Known. This is your very standard and typical Alice In Chains song. I can't tell this song from most songs on any other album. I'm sure there are a couple million fans of the band that would like to smack me for saying that, including Robson, the biggest fan of the band I know. However, it's still true.

I picked up this album pretty much exclusively for Check My Brain. It's my favourite Alice In Chains song, and I know and accept that means I'm not a real fan, but I would never claim to be anyway. However, this song has groove and a little more than just the standard drone. "So I found myself in the sun, oh yeah / A hell of a place to end a run, oh yeah / California, I'm fine / Somebody check my / brain / California's all right / Somebody check my brain / Check my brain / I walk these streets, I creep and I fall, oh yeah / When she sang I answered the call, oh yeah / California, I'm fine / Somebody check my brain / California's all right / Somebody check my brain / Aaaaah tears that filled my bong / Aaaaah years expended gone / I hung my guns and put em away, oh yeah / The trick of the trade, and by the way, oh yeah / California, I'm fine / Somebody check my brain / California's all right / Somebody check my brain / Aaaah tears that filled my bong / Aaaah years expended gone / Aaaah tears that filled my bong / Aaaah years expended gone / Check my brain, check my brain..." The only downside to this song is that it's the second shortest track on the album.

The third track on the album is Last Of My Kind. I'm not big on this one. Aside from the chorus I find this song very boring, and when it does pick up it's pretty stock sounding still. Also the song didn't need to be almost six minutes.

Your Decision is your basic accoustic/electric Alice In Chains song. I don't mind this one, and will even throw it on for myself every now and then, but for the most part if it wasn't for the guitar soloing I'd have less use for this track than I do. A Looking In View is the longest track on the album. It's just a smidge over seven minutes, of pounding, droning, thumping, whining, snarling, and slithering. One of the details I like about this song is that you don't really notice how long the song actually is. I find it feels more like five minutes, and that's always a good thing.

When The Sun Rose Again is the most atypical Alice In Chains song on this album. This song could be found on any album that contains an accoustic track from this band. It's a cool enough track to listen to, but it's almost like they weren't even trying to be original on this one. Even Jerry Cantrell's electric guitar work sounds like a solo he's done before.

I just don't care for Acid Bubble, which really sucks since it's the second longest track on the album at 6:56. It's one of the tracks that I will skip, just because I find it really boring and lame.

I like Lesson Learned on it's own, but at track eight I find I'm not as into the song. It's the droning that I keep mentioning. At this point I'm just starting to get both bored and annoyed with it.

What I just said about the last song applies to the next track, Take Her Out. This album suffers huge from the constant consistent sound. You mix Black Gives Way To Blue in with at least a few other tracks on random and it's pretty good. On it's own forget it. It starts to get on my nerves.

"Give away your love and then remove another tomb / Painted words adorn the walls, echoing untrue / I feel cold... / Promises abound, you rarely find it to begin / Maybe I'm afraid to let you all the way in / I guess so... / I excuse myself / I'm used to my little cell / I amuse myself / In my very own private hell / I excuse myself / I'm used to my little cell / I amuse myself / In my very own private hell / Lately I'm beside myself, pretending unconcerned / Standing at a corner where I threw you on a turn / I'll move on... / Flowers on a cross remain, marking an ending scene / Damn it all if blood you spill, turn the grass more green / Life is short... / I excuse myself / I'm used to my little cell / I amuse myself / In my very own private hell / I amuse myself / In my very own private hell". I find these lyrics very personal, to my life. I also love the music on Private Hell. It breathes and mesmerizes in a good way that turns the drone in on itself. This is my third favourite track on this album.

The album finishes with the title track, which is my second favourite song on the album. It's hard to say good-bye to friends, especially when they meant so much to you on so many levels, but this song says fairwell to Lane Stanley in a way that honestly brings sweet tears to my eyes. "I don't wanna feel no more / It's easier to keep falling / Imitations are pale / Emptiness all tomorrows / Haunted by your ghost / Lay down, black gives way to blue / Lay down, I'll remember you / Fading out by design / Consciously avoiding changes / Curtains drawn, now it's done / Silencing all tomorrows / Forcing a goodbye / Lay down, black gives way to blue / Lay down, I'll remember you".

If you've been paying attention you already know what I do and don't like about this album.

7/10 - content

7/10 - production

6/10 - personal bias