Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Rush - Counterparts

Until Clockwork Angels came out, my favourite "Modern" Rush studio album was Counterparts. There are certain parts of it the seventies Rush fans would bitch about, and well, I won't get into eighties Rush at the moment. I didn't mind Roll The Bones, which was the first real introduction to what would be nineties, or at the time time "Modern" Rush, but as of my writing this review I still do not own it. However, this album is more than just an album released in 1993. This is an album that set the stage for the sound and production that for the most part would make up most Rush albums to some. Hell, they even went back and remixed Vapour Trails years after it's release to make it sound more like Counterparts.

Anitmate is the perfect song to kick off any album. It's quick, catchy, and makes for a great album single. Which allows you to use a later track as the lead off single. This song is pure musical brilliance in that case. It even has a great breakdown that gives Mr. Peart a chance to do that great thing he does. I can also say from a current perspective that this song holds up. It's not a hit for the times, it's a track for the ages.

Which brings us to the first single from the album, or at least the first video I remember seeing, which is why I went out and picked up this album originally. I wouldn't have known it was out, or coming out, or whatever it was at the time. This song in hind sight is a little basic for Rush, but over all it's still a great song, with a great sound.

I think a lot of what I love about this album is the production, Peter Collins working with Rush created a fantastic album, with a fantastic Heavy sound. To me this is what Led Zeppelin would have sounded like if they had come out in the 1990's.

After that it's on to Cut To The Chase. This is where you hear classic Rush doing all the things they do, but mixed in with modern production. This is one of those songs that showcases the perfectness of Alex Lifeson's genius of a mild delicate understated guitar laying down lines that are pretty, but then blowing open the doors with a solo that makes everyone take notice.

I love Nobody's Hero. The lyrics of this song have always captivated me. They are so honest, pure, meaningful, soulful, and sweet. "I knew he was different in his sexuality / I went to his parties as a straight minority / It never seemed a threat to my masculinity / He only introduced me to a wider reality / As the years went by, we drifted apart / When I heard that he was gone / I felt a shadow cross my heart / But he's nobody's hero / Save the drowning child / Cure the wasting disease / Hero -- lands the crippled airplane / Solves great mysteries / Hero -- not the handsome actor / Who plays a hero's role / Hero -- not the glamour girl / Who'd love to sell her soul / If anybody's buying, / Nobody's hero / I didn't know the girl, but I knew her family / All their lives were shattered in a nightmare of brutality / They try to carry on, try to bear the agony / Try to hold some faith in the goodness of humanity / As the years went by, we drifted apart / When I heard that she was gone / I felt a shadow cross my heart / But she's nobody's hero / Is the voice of reason against the howling mob / Hero -- is the pride of purpose / In the unrewarding job / Hero -- not the champion player / Who plays the perfect game / Hero -- not the glamour boy / Who loves to sell his name / Everybody's buying / Nobody's hero / As the years went by, we drifted apart / When I heard that you were gone / I felt a shadow cross my heart / But he's nobody's hero / Save the drowning child / Cure the wasting disease / Hero -- lands the crippled airplane / Solves great mysteries / Hero -- not the handsome actor / Who plays a hero's role / Hero -- not the glamour girl / Who'd love to sell her soul / If anybody's buying, / Nobody's hero / Hero". Then there's the music. It starts off nice and simple, and by the end there's a big full arrangement. It's musical magnificence.

Between Sun & Moon suffers from coming after Nobody's Hero. Any song would as far as I'm concerned. However this is a fun and bouncey album filler, that is totally enjoyable. It's one of those songs that ninety's Rush purests would probably love.

Alien Shore is the first song on the album that doesn't do anything for me. It's not a bad song, it just doesn't do anything for me.

I'm not sure what to say about The Speed Of Love. It's a good song, lyrically a little odd for what I'm use to from Neil Peart. "Love is born with lightning bolts / Electro-magnetic force / Burning skin and fireworks / A storm on a raging course / Like a force of nature, / Love can fade with the stars at dawn / Sometimes it takes all your strength / Just to keep holding on / At the speed of love / A radiance that travels / At the speed of love / My heart goes out to you. / Love is born with solar flares / From two magnetic poles / It moves towards a higher plane / Where two halves make two wholes / Like a force of nature, / Love shines in many forms / One night we are bathed in light / One day carried away in the storms / At the speed of love / A radiance that travels / At the speed of love / My heart goes out to you. / At the speed of love / Nothing changes faster / Than the speed of love / My heart goes out to you. / (Welcome Home) / We don't have to talk / We don't even have to touch / I can feel your presence / In the silence that we share / Got to keep moving / At the speed of love / Nothing changes faster / Than the speed of love / Got to keep on shining / At the speed of love / At the speed of love / A radiance that travels / At the speed of love / My heart goes out to you. / At the speed of love / Nothing changes faster / Than the speed of love / My heart goes out to you. / (Welcome Home) / At the speed of love / At the speed of love / At the speed of love / (Welcome Home) / At the speed of love / At the speed of love / At the speed of love / At the speed of love". Musically it's enjoyable as well. I'd call this a very strong filler, although a little mushy for me.

I've always enjoyed Double Agent. I love all the twists and turns, the various lyrical deliveries, and how crazy this song is over all. "Where would you rather be? / Anywhere but here / When will the time be right? / Anytime but now", then the next part is spoken, "'On the edge of sleep, I was drifting for half the night / Anxious and restless, pressed down by the darkness / Bound up and wound up so tight.'" Then it's back to singing. "So tight... / 'So many decisions, a million revisions / Caught between darkness and light...'/ Wilderness of mirrors / World of polished steel / Gears and iron chains / Turn the grinding wheel / I run between the shadows / Some are phantoms, some are real / Where would you rather be? / Anywhere but here / When will the time be right? / Anytime but now / Where would you rather be? / The doubt and the fear / I know would all disappear / Anywhere but here / Anywhere but here..." Then there's a little more spoken. "'On the edge of sleep, I heard voices behind the door / The known and the nameless, familiar and faceless / My angels and my demons at war' / (sung) At war... / 'Which one will lose depends on what I choose / Or maybe which voice I ignore...'" Then back to singing again. "Wilderness of mirrors / Streets of cold desire / My precious sense of honor / Just a shield of rusty wire / I hold against the chaos / And the cross of holy fire / Wilderness of mirrors / So easy to deceive / My precious sense of rightness / Is sometimes so naive / So that which I imagine / Is that which I believe", back to spoken. "'On the edge of sleep, I awoke to a sun so bright / Rested and fearless, cheered by your nearness / I knew which direction was right / (sung) Was right... / 'The case had been tried by the jury inside / The choice between darkness and light... / The choice between darkness and light.'" It's a great album cut.

I find it funny that in an instrumental piece written by Lifeson and Peart, the first thing that catches my attention and seems to hold it the most is Geddy Lee's bass playing. Leave That Thing Alone, is a fantastic song that I think will always, and very often be forgotten about, just because of the time in which it came out. I love that on this track the bass is pretty much acting as a lead guitar, with the lines that come shooting out. Then there's the guitar and drums which propel this song so beautifully. When I listen to this song I really think Rush needs a collection of just instrumental tracks so all of them get the exposure they deserve.

I know there are a lot of people that love Cold Fire. I am not one of them. This reminds me way too much of that mid 1980's stuff, just without the synths. Not my thing.

The album finishes up with Everyday Glory. Which is an okay album filler, and works to finish the album, but it's not an album closer. I think Cold Fire would have been much better as a closer.

I really think Michael Letho, the mixer of this album also deserves a nod. Something I don't think I've ever done before. This album has the perfect blend to it. The instruments are mixed and blended in a way that represents the three musicians perfectly.

Bottom line is that this album is an album that should be in all Rush fans catalogues.

8/10 - content

9/10 - production

10/10 - personal bias

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats

I keep bouncing around with the Zappa albums I buy. Some times I buy a later years album. Other days I snag something from the early days. I've had hits and misses with both. I have always been captivated by the album Hot Rats, just based on the name alone. Ever since I first started contemplating Zappa, in my early teens. I mean there are so many images that come to mind when I think of that.

Then I spent a couple of weeks listening to Jay, a guitarist I've been known to jam with, go on and on about Captain Beefheart, and I had just got him into Zappa, so this album seemed right at the time. I finally picked it up, and I'm glad I did. The last couple of albums I had picked up left me with a slightly put off feeling, this one brought me right back into line. It really is amazing to listen to. It captures, that Funk vibe I like, the sweet Soul that's delightful on a Sunday Afternoon, and a whole lot of seventies R&B, the good stuff not that modern crap they use to describe Whitney Huston or Boyz To Men, or whatever Pop crap they want to try and give "cred" to.

Peaches En Regalia opens up the album and what an intro it is. Musically it sounds like something I *know I've heard before. It makes me how many movies have stolen this piece for thier soundtracks in one way or another. This song just dances around with this great Rhythm and Blues vibe that you might expect from a seventies blacksploitation movie, maybe even one as main stream as Shaft (the original), but this song was originally released in 1969. Once again showing how advanced Zappa really was.

Then it's on to Willie The Pimp. This is 9:23 of Frank Zappa goodness with Captain Beefheart laying down some bad ass vocals. Once again this is one of those songs that you might find in something like Car Wash, which I know best for having the amazing George Carlin in it, but many people probably know it better for the theme song that we still get to hear today. I mean this song is bad, and funky, and totally righteous my brother. I mean can you dig what I'm saying. This is the Zappa you need to know. Screw all the other reviews I've written, and really rip into this one. This is also the only song on the album to contain lyrics. "I'm a little pimp with my hair gassed back / Pair a khaki pants with my shoe shined black / Got a little lady . . . walk the street / Tellin' all the boys that she cain't be beat / Twenny dollah bill (I can set you straight) / Meet me onna corner boy 'n don't be late / Man in a suit with a bow-tie neck / Wanna buy a grunt with a third party check / Standin' onna porch of the Lido Hotel / Floozies in the lobby love the way I sell: / HOT MEAT / HOT RATS / HOT CATS / HOT RITZ / HOT ROOTS / HOT SOOTS / HOT MEAT / HOT RATS / HOT CATS / HOT ZITZ / HOT ROOTS / HOT SOOTS".

That is followed by Son Of Mr. Green Genes, which is a refernce to one of the characters from the legendary original Captain Kangaroo. The track is completely instrumental, and sounds like it once again could be from a movie score, but a movie released almost a decade after this album. Also much like a piece out of a movie score, this one runs a bit on the longer side, if you suffer from commercial attention span syndrome. This work of musical enjoyment runs 8:57, but if you just let the music take you away, you'll never notice.

Next up is Little Umbrellas, which I know Zappa lifted from elsewhere. This is one of those songs that the riff sounds just like what you'd expect to hear if you saw a couple drinking coffee in front of the Eifle Tower in good old Paris, or maybe while traveling down the canals of Venice, or even in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But then it also has instrumentation and sounds that could be easily mistaken for coming from the Middle East, or Northern Africa.

The Gumbo Variations is a Sax driven track that sounds like it came from the Acid Jazz Section of an Upbeat New Orleans. I mean this is one of those pieces that common populace would use to explain why they don't like Jazz, but I fucking love it. This is some crazy, deep dish, musical exploration. I don't even notice the 12:54 that it takes for this one to complete. I mean this song is just totally out of sight and rockin' and bitchin' in all the best ways to use those words. I guess I should also mention the violin solo courtesy of Sugar Cane Harris. Metal guitarists should take note.

The album ends with It Must Be A Camel. This is some serious lounge Jazz like stuff going on here. I once worked at an executive lounge for gentlemen. Okay, it was a strip joint, but the type that classed it up with nice looking furniture and delicate, but not sleepytime Jazz playing as background music in between dancer's sets. This track reminds me of that music, but a lot more experimantal. I'm not sure if the DJ would have been able to get away with blending this into that mix, but it would have been cool. This is the only song on the album I would describe as being weak in any way, which for me makes it a so-so closer, but hey what are you going to do? Not everyone wants to close with a long track.

When it comes down to it, the only thing that holds this album back, in my eyes, is the production in the age in which it was recorded. If this had been recorded between six and ten years later, as you might expect from such soudning music, it would most likely have a fuller and more rich sound. However, when you consider this was released the same year as The Beatles Abbey Road, the Fab Four ain't got shit on this album. Seriously, this album should have schooled them without even trying.

9/10 - content

7/10 - production

9/10 - personal bias

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Van Halen - 1984

1984 released in 1983 and what was originally the last album to feature David Lee Roth. There's a new album now that has that title. However, I do truly believe that this is one of those albums that a serious Rock music collector must own. Even if you don't care for Van Halen, and I know there are a lot of people that don't, this song is Rock royalty in it's own right.

I don't mind the instrumental piece at the beginning of the album, which is also the title track. It does conjure images that could reflect George Orwell's book of the same time. Personally I think it's Eddie Van Halen dickering about with his keyboard and using it to create a vibe and feel for an album that uses way too much synth for my liking.

Nothing demostrates this more than Jump, which is probably the most well known song on this album, and also track two. I'm sure you've heard this song, and even more sure that I've covered it in another review. The keyboards are overkilled in this song and ruins Eddie's good name.

Thankfully that's followed up by Panama, which I have also reviewed before. As the first two full and rich songs on this album, they are also the only two to representing 1984 on the first Van Halen greatest hits package. However, for me this is where 1984 begins every time. This is really one of my favourite Van Roth songs.

Top Jimmy is a song I could really give less a of a care about lyrically. It's a cheeseball David Lee Roth typical special. However, the guitar peformance on this song is another story. The wildness and talented flair of Eddie is present in a way that truly adds to the song, instead of just being a bunch of neck shredding masturbation.

Have you ever seen a stripper dance to Drop Dead Legs? If not, you've never experinced this song as it was meant to be enjoyed. The lyrics "Ow! / Drop dead legs / Pretty smile / Hurts my head / Gets me wild / Dig that steam / Giant butt / Makes me scream / I get a nut nut nuthin / but the shakes over you / (Nothin) Nothin' else could ever do / You know that you want it (Woo!) / I know what you need / You know that you want it (Baby!) / When the night is through / Will I still be lovin' you? (Woo!) / Dig those moves / Vampire / Set me loose / Get it higher / Throw my rope / Loop-de-loop / Nice white teeth; Betty Boop / Play it cool, / Real heavy / I ain't fooled / Get it ready / Ooh, oh baby! / You know that you want it (oh, oh oh) / I know what you need (Ooh!) / You know that you want it (Baby) / When the night is through, (Ow!) / Will I still be lovin' you? (Uh!)", are very typical of this band. But they work with the music, and make for an album filler that really works and is garaunteed to see play, for the already obviously stated reasons. Also the solo that closes out the song is worth a good listen too.

As a drummer the first song on this album I gravitate towards is Hot For Teacher. It's not very often I give Alex Van Halen any type of props, and even though the work on this track is questionable on how complicated or impressive it is, I still dig it. Let's face it, if it wasn't for Alex's heavy handed drumming on this song it would fall flat real fast, and come off sounding as some cheap lounge song that you can hear David was trying to make it sound like. I think this is also one of my favourite guitar solos from Eddie as well.This song is just real heavy handed Rock and I love the moster balls it has showing the entire way through.

The synth is back with a vengeance at the start of I'll Wait. This song reminds me of songs like The Final Countdown, or Eye Of The Tiger, or something really inspirational from a 1980's fighting movie. It would work in Rocky or Bloodsport, during a train montage. All that said it's a good solid tune and only suffers from one problem. It came out to soon. I think Sammy Hagar would have done this song so much better. This is a song that I think would have done so much better for itself if it had come out later. Instead it's just a really solid album track.

Let's face it, David Lee Roth has two types of lyrics, partying and pussy (sorry, I liked the way that flowed). Girl Gone Bad opens up with a great little vibe that slowly grows and grows into another fun bouncey track that a very talented and high velocity erotic dancer could use to help tell their story on stage. "Ah, lazy eyes in the summer heat / Fresh from out of town / Now she's working on the street / Shake them poor boys down / Woo (Girl) Woo, Girl gone bad, ye-ah / (Girl) Girl gone bad / Found that girl with a lonesome john / When she should have been with me / Guess that woman fall in love / She don't work for free / (Girl) Girl gone bad / Yeah / Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! / Ooooooo-oh! / Ooooo-oh! / Oh! / Mmmmmmmmmmm... / (It's a big bad reaction) / (I'm coming down) / Ah / (Girl) Girl gone bad / Whoa! (Girl) Girl gone bad / Ow! Yeah (Girl) Girl, ooh, ooh, ooh / (Girl) Ooooh. Oh! Oh! Yeah! / Aw! (Girl) Say. Say. Uh!" Well maybe the music is a little too complicated for the stage, but the vocals help glamourize that Hollywood sex world life style. This is actually a lot better of a song than I make it sound. The album finishes with House Of Pain. My first complaint about this song is how Roth's vocals get buried in the mix. For the first time on the entire album it seems like Roth is trying to show he has other emotions. "Say you're gonna leave me / 'Cause I only tie you up / I always loved you tender / But you only like it rough / Woman bound for glory / Why you leavin' me again? / Gonna pack her bags and leave / This house of pain / Heartache's all around me / How many times we've tried / Said she tried to leave me / But her hands were always tied / If I had it all to do / I'd keep it just the same / Gonna fix it so you never leave / This house of pain". Then it's just a bunch of guitar masterbation until you hit, "Uh-uh. Uh-uh Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh / Uh-uh. Uh-uh Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh / Uh-uh. Uh-uh. Uh-uh-uh-Wow!" Then the song completes with more masterbation. It's a good solid way to end the album.

My biggest complaint about Van Halen, especially in the first phase of their major label career is the way Michael Anthony's bass tends to get lost in the mix. He doesn't lay down crazy patterns or anything like that, but his low end seems to blend and disappear into the mid range which is just wrong. Too much of pop production faux pas. Other than that this is a pretty damn good album from a band that I don't mind for the most part.

8/10 - content

6/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Aerosmith - Big Ones

Here's a great way to kill part of a Sunday afternoon, sit back and listen to the most commercial Aerosmith music ever released on a package that was meant to commemorate the most radio friendly portion of a sober band's career. Well, it is supposed to be the most sober anyway.

I've already covered Aerosmith's Permanent Vacation, so for those songs on here I won't get into much. I've covered that already, and that I'm a fan of many of those tracks. The songs on this album from Pump are also fun and enjoyable. Then you get to the songs from Get A Grip. That's when I totally start shaking my head. Plus there's a couple of previously unreleased tracks on here too. All from the Geffen era. Sadly, this album was released before Nine Lives (which was after Geffen), so none of those amazing songs made this collection. Damn shame too. It would have livened up the album a bit more.

Big Ones kicks off with Walk On Water which was rescored for this album, or was a left over from one of the other albums. However, this track was co-writen by Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw, which wrote some really great songs in the mid nineties, with a whole slew of my favourite musicians. While this song is somewhat forgettable, as in I haven't listened to it since I listened to this album last, which was in the end of the last century or the start of the new millenium. However, it's not a bad track, and the lyrics aren't half bad. "High class / Moolah / Bolt ons / Fast car / Quick fix / Freak out / Nose bleed / Skull cap / Pissed off / Pissed on / I never seen a smile that looked so sad / You make me feel so good 'cause you're so bad / Hey little darlin' / Your love is legendary / Love's four letters / Ain't in my dictionary / 'Scuse my position / But it ain't missionary / Yeah but I want to / Walk on the water with you / Boo-tay / Hotpants / Tan line / Sweet stuff / Hookah / Boo yah / Knocked Up / Hose Down / Cool cat / Hot flash / When it comes to makin' love I ain't no hype / 'Cause I practise on a peach most every night / Hey little darlin' / Your love is legendary / Love's four letters / Ain't in my dictionary / 'Scuse my position / But it ain't missionary / Yeah but I want to / Walk on the water with you / Well, the cook's in the kitchen / And hidin' the spoons / I'm winkin' at witches / And howlin' at moons / I'm afraid of the candle / But Live for the flame / You know who I am / But you don't know my name / (Aha, ha, ha, ha) / Hey little darlin' / Your love is legendary / Love's four letters / Ain't in my dictionary / 'Scuse my position / But it ain't missionary / Yeah but I want to / Walk on the water with you / Hey little darlin' / Your love is legendary / You got the boo yah / It's almost ficitonary / 'Scuse my position / But it ain't missionary / Yeah, but I want to / Walk on the water with you".

Next up is Love In An Elevator. Yes, it's Aerosmith cheesy, and it's this over produced commercial track, but it really is a fun song.

That's followed up by Rag Doll. Which I've covered before. "Rag Doll is another countryesque romp. The video makes it look like a New Orleans cat house, but the reality is that it should have been shot out on a farm, with Besty Sue in some Daisy Dukes milking a cow. I know the censors would have had a field day, but it would have seemed more authentic. I do like the drawn out Scat style singing at the end of this one."

I'm not really sure why or how What It Takes got on here. I know it was a single, or tried to be, but really it was just another Aerosmith love song, and this album has so many of them. Too many for me, and this really isn't any better than those that are still to come, that I will rip on.

The next bit is direct from another review. "You know the next song. It was the big comeback video, and radio single. Dude (Looks Like A Lady) is the most classic sounding song on the album. There's Rock, horns, a great beat, and a solo worth listening to, without it seeming forced. However, like most songs on Permanent Vacation the song runs about a minute too long." While I would normally rip on such a mellow Aerosmith song, I can't say anything bad about Janie's Got A Gun, except for it was way too overplayed. It really got to a point where I couldn't stand listening to this song anymore. But the message is huge and says such big things for a song released by America's answer to the drug fueled rock and roll of The Rolling Stones. "Dum, dum, dum, honey what have you done? / Dum, dum, dum it's the sound of my gun. / Dum, dum, dum, honey what have you done? / Dum, dum, dum it's the sound / Janie's got a gun / Janie's got a gun / Her whole world's come undone / From lookin' straight at the sun / What did her daddy do? / What did he put you through? / They said when Janie was arrested / they found him underneath a train / But man, he had it comin' Now that Janie's got a gun / she ain't never gonna be the same. / Janie's got a gun / Janie's got a gun / Her dog day's just begun / Now everybody is on the run / Tell me now it's untrue. / What did her daddy do? / He jacked a little bitty baby / The man has got to be insane / They say the spell that he was under the lightning and the / thunder knew that someone had to stop the rain / Run away, run away from the pain yeah, yeah yeah yeah / Run away run away from the pain yeah yeah / yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah / Run away, run away, run, run away / Janie's got a gun / Janie's got a gun / Her dog day's just begun / Now everybody is on the run / What did her daddy do? / It's Janie's last I.O.U. / She had to take him down easy and put a bullet in his brain / She said 'cause nobody believes me. The man was such a sleeze. / He ain't never gonna be the same. / Run away, run away from the pain yeah, yeah / yeah yeah yeah / Run away run away from the pain yeah yeah / yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah / Run away, run away, run, run away / Janie's got a gun / Janie's got a gun / Janie's got a gun / Everybody is on the run / Janie's got a gun / Her dog day's just begun / Now everybody is on the run / Because Janie's got a gun / Janie's got a gun / Her dog day's just begun / Now everybody is on the run / Janie's got a gun".

So we finally get to the songs I feel a need to rip on. Cryin' had one purpose and one purpose only. The music video was great mastabatory material for a teenage boy. That's it. As far as I'm concerned Aerosmith released this song with the whole purpose of releasing PG porn for teenage boys and closested lesbians, because as much as we like to think the things from the video happened in real life, they still don't happen that easily today. Also the video introduced us to Liv Tyler, which later got to become a great looking elf (I mean that in the sense she looked perfect in her role in Lord Of The Rings, not that she's hot.)

That leads into Amazing. This was the second Aerosmith video to feature Alicia Silverstone. Which also makes me wonder why they put it after Cryin' since it came out before. Also I can't stand the song. It's dry, boring and I really think that the band should feel ashamed that they released the same song three times on the same album. I'll get to that more when I hit one of the later tracks.

Next up is Blind Man. This is the second new song that was released on this album. While the song is a little slower I do enjoy the lyrics to some extent. "I took a course in Hallelujah / I went to night school for the blues / I took some stuff they said would cool ya / Haha, But nothing seemed to light my fuse / But that's all in the past / Like a check that's in the mail / She was a tall whiskey glass / I was an old hound dog / That just loved to chase his tail / Until I met a Blind Man / Who taught me how to see / Yeah, A Blind Man / Who could change night into day / And if-a I can / I'm gonna make you come with me / Yeah, Because a-here comes the sun / And we'll be chasing all the clouds away / I've had some lovers like a joyride / Some things are never what they seem / My heaven's turned into a landslide / Thank God I woke up from that dream / I met a Blind Man / Who taught me how to see / Yeah, A Blind Man / Who could change night into day / And if-a I can / I'm gonna make you come with me / Yeah, BECAUSE-a here comes the sun / And we'll be chasing all the clouds the way / the way that some bees chase honey / And drink all the flowers dry / We'll be saving us a little money / And if that doesn't do it, yeah / I don't know the reason why / Don't make no sense in lightin' candles / There's too much moonlight in our eyes / I met a Blind Man / Who taught me how to see / Yeah, Blind Man / Who could change night into day / And if-a I can / I'm gonna make you come with me / Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Yeah, Because here comes the sun / Ain't no surprise / Ain't no doubt about it / Gonna open up our eyes". Musically, I think the vocals are pushed too far forward, and the guitar is buried too low in the mix, but if it weren't for that the song would sound much cooler. Also I suggest Youtubing the video for the song. It's such a good laugh.

I don't mind Dueces Are Wild. It's one of those songs that has a great vibe and feel to it. It sounds like you could easily hear it in a bar scene in a movie, and it would make sense. This is one of those power ballads that you can be okay with, because it's more power and less ballad. This is one of the few songs from that time I would still like to hear live today. To this day I haven't made up my mind about how much I like or dislike The Other Side. Musically, I like the way the song is arranged and organized, but I don't care for how upbeat it gets. I like the dark and slightly more sinister sound of the intro/chorus. However, I do really dig on Joe Perry's solo on this one.

I have only one good thing to say about Crazy. The video introduced me to Alicia Silverstone. Like many other boys in those years, I really had a thing for her. Other than that, this song was the beginning of the end for Aerosmith with me. This song started the long running list of Aerosmith ballads that killed the airwaves for a year or more. While it has some interesting musical exploration for a Boston Rock band, it really is enough to make you want to top yourself after a couple listens.

Eat The Rich Is really a good tune. It's got a great rhythm, and a bass that is thick clear and heavy. Steven Tyler's vocals snake into a pocket that is filled by Joe Perry's guitar leads, while Steven Tyler lays down his classic Walk This Way styled rapping. The track is Slam Poetry mixed with some bad ass Rock 'N Roll.

Because of all the other ballads I've had to endure at this point I'm very annoyed with having to listen to Angel now. Really, I understand why, but why did you have to be that much of a cliche. Something different could have been done at this point to save us from yet another ballad. The worst part is this is so eighties power ballad that it makes me want to get a little sick in my mouth. I don't even have warm fuzzy memories of girls, that really weren't that much older than me, doing bad girl things, to get me excited about this song. After all I have to thank Aerosmith from the bottom of my heart for making belly button piercing a little more mainstream, but that has nothing to do with this MTV piece of crap, and yes I see the irony.

I remember really being into Livin' On The Edge, when the song first came out. I still really like it now, and yes I still think of little Eddie Furlong in his post Termintator 2 appearence which just made Aerosmith that much cooler. Well played you corporate flunkies, well played. However, all that aside this song stand up. I still love the way the drums come back in that silence. And how the song carries on and on until the end.

By the end of this album I think one of my kids is getting it the second I pull it out of the CD player because I really don't feel a need to ever hear it again. For Andria's benefit I may break down and buy Get A Grip, but this album doesn't need to be played again. It's not my thing, but I think it's got my daughter's name all over it.

I should mention that even though I rag on how commercial these songs are, the truth is the production is still really, really good. Bruce Fairbairn produced all the songs that came from the studio albums. The man knows what he's doing, and does it really well. For that reason it really sells. Micheal Beinhorn produced the two new tracks. In some ways they sound like they mimic Bruce's style, in other ways it sounds like these song were demo'd for one of those albums, and Micheal got them put together for this album. Either way he did a good job, I think he captured the songs right. I thought Permanent Vacation warranted an eight when I did the review for that album. Even though I don't care for most of the songs on here from Get A Grip I would say that the production was really good. Probably a solid nine. As for the songs from Pump, they too have a solid eight as well. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with that.

7/10 - content

8/10 - production

5/10 - personal bias