Alice Cooper - Prince Of Darkness

There are some albums I can never figure out why the hell I picked it up, other than being a dumb stupid teenager. This album falls totally in that group. This album is made up of the two MCA Alice Cooper albums. Those would be 1986's Constrictor which I have covered in great detail, so I'll just be copying and pasting those write-ups into here. The other songs come from 1987's Raise Your Fist And Yell, which oddly I have never reviewed. It's one of my favourite albums. Then there's one live track, which I'll get to shortly.

The compilations title track is one of those songs I have a love/hate relationship with. As an adult I find it very well written and executed. It really is a well done song, with a cool guitar solo too. As the kid who heard it for the first time when it came out in 1987, I thought it was boring and bland. It didn't rock hard enough for me. But really, it's a good song. I still have no issues skipping it at any second, though. In fact this is the only song on Raise Your Fist And Yell that doesn't give me little tingles every time I hear it.

Roses On White Lace is one of my top five Alice Cooper songs of all time. I mean this song is just the most amazing example of why Alice Cooper is easily accepted as Metal. I mean this song is just totally bad ass Metal. It's the horror story of blood and violence that those insane censor hungry parents were trying to warn everyone about, and Alice enunciated every syllable with crystal clarity. This was one of those moments where it was the truest most pure form of Alice Cooper as the master of shock, and then going one step further. If this song had come out in the 1970's all hell would have broken loose. "I saw you wedding gown/The prettiest dress/I came into the room that night/And made such a mess/In my own way, I lovingly kiss the bride/With your ring in your hand/Your eyes and your mouth open wide/In my eyes/Blood drops look like roses on white lace/They won't wash away/In my mind they're roses on white lace/Straight from the heart/So dead upon the bed/You hurt me in the deepest way/I'm crippled inside/I took your evil skin away/It's all cut and dry/I saw you tonight and carefully took your hand/With some smears on my cheeks/I knew that you would understand/In my eyes/Blood drops look like roses on white lace/They won't wash away/In my mind they're roses on white lace/Straight from the heart/So dead upon the bed, still searching for your head/They're never gonna find your face/It's hidden away/I found a very special place for you used to play/In my own way, I lovingly kiss the bride/With your ring in your hand/Your eyes and your mouth open wide/In my eyes/Blood drops look like roses on white lace/They won't wash away/In my mind they're roses on white lace/Straight from the heart/Blood drops look like roses on white lace/Crimson and sweet, stained on the sheet/Roses on white lace, pretty in red, dripping and wet/Roses on white lace, spilled on the walls, dark in the hall". Oh yeah, the music makes yours truly feel like a pathetic wannabe everytime I pick up an instrument.

A big lightning strike and a wicked awesome guitar barrage open up this album, which then moves into a solid paced Hard Rock riff. Teenage Frankenstein, is a song that is meant to appeal to a younger audience, at least in concept, and as the "Weird Kid" it was kind of a theme song for me. The first verse for example sets up the idea, "I'm the kid on the block / With my head made of rock / And I ain't got nobody / I'm the state of the art / Got a brain a la carte / I make the babies cry / I ain't one of the crowd / I ain't one of the guys / They just avoid me / They run and they hide / Are my colours too bright / Are my eyes set too wide / I spend my whole life / Burning, turning", but the second verse drives home a mentality I still carry to this day. "Got a synthetic face / Got some scars and a brace / My hands are rough and bloody / I walk into the night / Women faint at the sight / I ain't no cutie-pie / I can't walk in the day / I must walk in the night / Stay in the shadows / Stay out of the light / Are my shoulders too wide / Is my head screwed on tight / I spend my whole life / Burning, turning". You can remove the teenage part of the song and it still fits for so many people I know, including myself.

Constrictor ends with He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask). As I already mentioned, this was the theme from Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. As a kid I loved this song so much more than I do now, and the main reason is due to all the keyboard work on this song. As a kid I thought it was really cool, and I still think it sounds awesome, but now a days I'd much rather hear more guitar instead. The cool part is how well the lyrics sum up the concept of the movie, right down to the "baby." "You're with your baby / And you're parked alone / On a summer night / You're deep in love / But you're deeper in the woods / You think you're doin' alright / Did you hear that voice / Did you see that face / Or was it just a dream / This can't be real / That only happens, babe / On the movie screen / Oh, but he's back / He's the man behind the mask / And he's out of control". I would still love to see Alice perform this song live, because it is wicked cool and the only song from this album he ever breaks out. But, sadly he only breaks it out for the Swedish. That might have something to do with it being a number one hit there, and they didn't even get the movie at the time.

The main reason I can think of as to why I bought this album is for Billion Dollar Babies, and the fact that it's marked as being recorded in 1976. Not really much of a good reason, but at this moment in time I'm looking at it a little differently. If the year is right, that means most likely it was Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter playing guitar. I mention this because very sadly Dick passed away recently, and I consider myself blessed for getting to meet him and hear him play live in a very intimate setting. So now I'm listing to this song and paying very careful attention to the solo, and thinking, oh hell yeah. For this little treasure, as long as it is Wagner, I'm very happy to have this silly little album now.

Lock Me Up has a killer drum opening, and is yet another reason I love Raise Your Fist And Yell so much. Spoken, "Alice Cooper/You have been accused of mass mental cruelty How do you plead?/Guilty!" Then the singing starts, "Don't wanna be clean / Don't wanna be nice / The whip's gonna crack / My leather is black and so are my eyes / I'm gonna be rough / I'm gonna be mean / I'm here to the end, my sick little friend / I'm back in your dreams / You can take my head and cut it off / But you ain't gonna change my mind / If you don't like it you can lock me up / Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh, / If you don't like it you can lock me up / Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh, / Cover your eyes or cover your head / You'll never know what hit you 'til your covered in red / Screaming bloody murder 'til the barricades bend / Sweatin' in the fog 'til the end / It's gotta be loud / I want it to roar / I want it to blow everyone at the show right off of the floor / I'm in for the kill / I'm back with a rage / I want them to write in the paper each night how I bloodied the stage / If you don't like it you can lock me up / Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh, / If you don't like it you can lock me up / Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh, / Lock me up or shut up / Cover your eyes or cover your head / You'll never know what hit you 'til your covered in red / Screaming bloody murder 'til the barricades bend / Sweatin' in the lights 'til the end / If you don't like it you can lock me up / Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh, / If you don't like it you can lock me up / I wanna be hot / Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh, / If you don't like it you can lock me up / I wanna be cool / Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh, / If you don't like it you can lock me up / I wanna be sick / Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh -real sick". Then there's the music. At the core it's a bit of the basic Metal, but when you pay attention to the speed that's really going on in this track you can't help but wonder why this album didn't do better, and the simple answer is that it was ahead of it's time. Seriously, this album was a fully digital masterpiece. It was one of those albums that reminds you why Alice is The Master.

Simple Disobedience is one of those songs that is just as relevant today as it was twenty-five years ago, maybe even more so today. "Now all your complex little schemes that form your master plan / Are scrambled up and that is something you just don't understand / A cyclone of confusion rips right through your holy troops / The very thing that weakens you gives power, gives me juice / And all the hungry outlaws have taken up a stance / Simple disobedience / Yeah, all the hungry outlaws have taken up a stance / Simple disobedience / Take your laser microscope and try to find an answer / No antidote or drug to cure our special strain of cancer / It spreads its revolution wide from cell to cell to cell / Your kingdom's like your body, it dies and goes to hell". Now even with all this raw anger waiting to spill out, it's the guitar work that really makes this song powerful. Kane Roberts' fills, and just general playing is so mean. This was a great way to end side one of the cassette, or vinyl picture album (I still own this one).

Thrill My Gorilla, is one of those songs I don't know how to take. "Sukie honey, weren't you right there with me / I seem to remember chasing you from tree to tree / Those prehistoric nights are coming back to me / We must have been the first / To go down in history / Where were you when the monkey hit the fan / Thrill my gorilla / Where were you when monkey turned to man / Thrill my gorilla / We lay on our skins, original sins / Ah, ah, ah, ah yeah / We touch, we feel / We scream, we squeal / Thrill my gorilla / Thrill my gorilla". Clearly you can't take this song serious, but at the same time you kind of want to. To be honest I would have loved to have heard the Ramones do a cover of this one. This song has their type of vibe to it.

As a kid Life And The Death Of The Party had little to no meaning to me. As an adult I love this song. It's so dark and beautiful. This is truly a Love Metal song, and could easily be Goth Metal, if say Type O Negative had covered it. "You walk into the room, everybody stares / The talking stops, there's a silence there / The room is yours, you own it now / You're in control and everybody down here knows / You got a place in my heart, I don't want you there / But you come and you go, like a millionaire / You take a walk right across my soul / You're in control and everybody down here knows / You're the life and the death of the party / You got my heart right by the throat / You're the life and the death of the party / When the stage lights rise / You start and stop the show / You love me bad, you love me good / You're unimpressed, that's understood / I lost it all, you knew I would / You're in control and everybody down here knows / You're the life and the death of the party / You got my heart right by the throat / You're the life and the death of the party / With your head held high /You start and stop the show / It's just one night / It's just one time / It's just one hotel room / It's just another dream / That can't come true / You're the life and the death of the party / You got my heart right by the throat / You're the life and the death of the party / When the stage lights rise / You start and stop the show". Aside from the part about "being in my heart" and not wanting them there, I would say that this song also reminds me of a certain editor I know, but not in the negative context that it seems to be protrayed here. Like I said this song is Love Metal.

Freedom is the lead off track from Raise Your Fist And Yell, and it did it's job perfectly. It really gets the blood pumping and energy flowing. It's not one of my faves from that album, but it is a really good song on this album. But it brings me to the perfect ending for this album's review.

See, the biggest problem with this album is the way it is put together, the track order is silly, and considering this an album released in the age of the compact disc, it could have easily had one more track added to it for better balance. It should have went five tracks, Billion Dollar Babies, then five more tracks. Then there's the track list, as you can tell from some of the copy and paste these tracks are in completely different order. I do think Freedom should have followed Billion Dollar Babies to lead off the second side and Life And Death Of The Party could have easily been the closer. However, I notice as I keep trying to arrange the tracks on this album, it's almost impossible to put these in any great order. Most of these tracks worked best in their order on their respective albums. Which means this album is great in a mix, but not so good as a solo play.

As a quick last thought, I love the production on the Raise Your Fist And Yell material, and would rate it very highly, but the live track, plus the Constrictor material has me holding it at seven, just because I won't use decimal points. So, you can hear the production as seven point five.

8/10 - content

7/10 - production

6/10 - personal bias

Ronnie James Dio - This Is Your Life

I am far from the worlds biggest Dio fan, but I love the man's voice, and over the course of his career he laid down some killer songs. As the Vocalist of Rainbow, Heaven And Hell, or during his solo time. Ronnie was a brilliant lyricist and his vocal performance was fantastic. There are songs on this album I had never heard before, but I can totally picture Ronnie belting them out.

This album is a tribute to the man that made Metal what it is today. It features some of Metal's biggest names, some of it's newer acts, and a few names that I need to check out after listening to this album. However, what I expected and what I got from this album are two completely different things. For example the one song I could not wait to hear and had me the most excited let me down the most. Mainly because the idea I had in my head and what I really got didn't match.

On the other hand there were some songs I expected very little from and instead was very pleasantly surprised. One thing that people might notice very quickly is that the keyboards are missing from a good chunk of songs. Out of fourteen songs only three have either, keyboards, piano or organ. Which is where some of the coolest parts of this album comes from.

The album kicks off with Anthrax performing Neon Knights. If you don't already know, this is a song from when Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath. I may have mentioned before, or maybe not, it's only Sabbath with Ozzy. When it's Dio, it's Heaven And Hell. While I don't like the legal bullshit that forced that to be an official change, to me it honestly was two different bands. All that aside, I actually never really cared for this song. I don't mind this cover, and this is well done, but I was never a big Anthrax fan either. I will say that this was an acceptable way to open the album.

The Last In Line performed by Tenacious D follows that up. And while they are often viewed as a joke band, becuse they have a good time and aren't afraid to show some whimsy, they deserve to be on this album just as much, if not more than any other group. First off Ronnie graced a Tenacious D album, secondly this is a group that truly loves Dio. You can tell by how well this cover is done. I mean Jack Black really gives a brilliant vocal performance. Even the recorder solo is killer. Yes that's right, Kyle Glass busts out the recorder on this track. I would have sworn it was a flute, but the liner notes say different.

I have never heard of Adrenaline Mob. I'm not sure if they were just thrown together for this album, or if it's a side project, and I'm confused because I recognize some of the band members from other places. Either way they deliver the first song on the album to make me stand up and go "Oh! Fuck! Yeah!" I mean they come flying through with one of my favourite songs from Dio/Butler/Iommi, Mob Rules. Russel Allen, who's name doesn't ring a bell, delivers a fantastic vocal performance. You know he loved this song when he went at it. The rest of the band tears it up big time, and does Heaven And Hell proud.

Okay, there's this guy that's in Slipknot and sings some song about glass doing some side project. I can never remember his name, but he always ends up as the butt of a joke for that glass tune. So I wasn't expecting much from Rainbow In The Dark. Then I notice that there's no keyboard. If you check out the liner notes this song is two guitars, a vocalist and a drummer. Aside from the drummer sounding like he's got a click track up his ass, this is a really tight track. Corey Taylor's vocals do do the song justice, but it's the guitar work that makes it awesome.

Never heard of Halestorm before this album. I was informed that it was a female vocalist doing the song and went, "Okay, I can see that. Then Straight Through The Heart kicks in and Lzzy Hale kicks in with her vocals and I'm totally floored. I expect vocals that sound like your normal female Metal vocalist, which is to say very operatic. Instead what I hear is this bad ass growl and snarl Rock vocalist that just tears into the song with the rest of the band, and just brings it home. I mean they really really kick this one out. Enough to say I should look into them.

Starstruck is performed by Motorhead, with Biff Byford (Saxon). This is a great track, that works well. But to me this song is a filler. It's one of those tracks that made sense for this combo to use, but it's a filler all the same.

The Scorpions performing The Temple Of The King makes sense to me. They are the right band for this song, and they do it very well. However, this is not one of those songs that I would have picked either. It's a little too mellow and laid back for me. The Scorps own this one, though.

Egypt (The Chains Are On) is performed by Doro. If you look in the liner notes you'll see it was recorded in 1999. I have no idea if this song was a leftover from a recording session, or was taken from an album, or who knows what. Either way it works, and while it's a bit slower in pace it really brings this song to life. However, this was the type of female vocals I was talking about earlier, but it works really well. It's a little more Lita Ford 80's Metal female vocalist, but that's clearly okay for this song.

Typically I find Killswitch Engage a little screamy, and their music a bit typical of the genre, but that's not to take anything away from them. They just aren't my thing, but they are decent musicians and I can respect what they do, and that's exactly what I must say with Holy Diver. This song is their's, and there's no doubt about it. The vocals are impressive and well done, and the music is totally heavy octane. This is the exact kind of thing I love to hear on tribute albums, a band giving their take on a song, not just a faithful cover.

Catch The Rainbow is performed by a mixed group of musicians. Glenn Hughes lays down just the vocals, with a very soulful, almost easy listening styled sound. Craig Goldy handles the guitar, Rudy Sarzo's on bass, and Simon Wright plays drums. Scott Warren is one of the few keyboardists on the entire album, and he also provides the string arrangements. As for the song itself, it's very pretty and I would put it on in mixed company, because this is the kind of song that chicks would enjoy. At least based on the females I live with. It's not the kind of tune I would normally listen to outside of this album.

I is a Heaven and Hell song that I just didn't know. It's another song made up of a mix of musicians. Oni Logan lays down some very solid vocals, in fact when he does the chorus you would think Ronnie James Dio himself was part of the recording. Rowan Robertson delivers some killer guitar. Jimmy Bain's bass does what bass is supposed to do on a post original group Sabbath, and the same can be said for Brian Tichy's drums. This is one of those songs that inspires me to search out more Dio/Iommi/Butler team-up albums.

Man On The Silver Mountain is my favourite song to feature Dio on vocals. It helps that Ritchie Blackmore is the guitarist of Rainbow, which is the band this song originally comes from. Now if you know much about names, if you were told that Doug Aldrich (guitars), Jeff Pilson (bass), and Vinny Appice (drums) made up the core of this band, with Scott Warren providing Hammmond B3, you'd know this song should be pretty solid musically, and you would be right. Then I tell you Rob Halford is the vocalist, and you should pretty much be ready to shit yourself with shear anticipation. Then you listen to the song, and because of a completely unfair expectation you have already set, the song drastically fails and blows your listening experience to shit. Okay that's a little dramatic. It's still a pretty good song, it's just that you expect so much when you see Halford is performing a Dio track, and then you have to remember that the older a dude gets the harder it is to hit those crazy notes that you expect.

The Ronnie Rising Medley performed by Metallica was yet another let down, because what I expected and what I got were two different things. Let me start with they should have got Bob Rock to produce the song. I went into this song expecting something like the Merciful Fate Medley, and got what feels more like a live track with the audience totally stripped out. It's the production that really kills this song for me. I love the arrangement, and the way most of Ronnie Rising Medley is put together, I just don't care for the sound of it.

The album finishes with This Is Your Life which is a Dio track, sung by Dio. I'm not sure what the entire story is behind this song being on the album, but it is a bit of a melancholy way to finish up the album.

All in all it's a pretty good album. I like it in a mix, and it's not bad on repeat full album listenings. I don't know if it's one of those albums I'll still be listening to a decade from now, but you never know. It's also a shame there weren't more newer bands. That makes me worry about the quality of what's out there nowadays.

7/10 - content

7/10 - production

6/10 - personal bias

Alice Cooper - Muscle Of Love

Some albums never get the respect they deserve for so many different reasons. I mean sure Muscle Of Love is the most tame and boring album the original Alice Cooper group released, but that's for very good reasons, none of which had anything to do with bad music writing.

Let me start by saying that I hate the fact the the track list on the back of my CD does not match the actual order. At first it seems like the sides got mixed up during the digital printing, but by the time track three kicks in that theory goes out the window.

Then we get into all the behind the scene problems with this album that makes it a lesser album to many fans. To start with this is the only album from the original band on the Warner Bros. label that wasn't produced by Bob Ezrin. The liner notes for other albums may say different, but everyone will say Bob did those too. Muscle Of Love is another story though. This album is listed as being produced by Jack Richardson and Jack Douglas. They did a great job, but you can hear the difference between this album, and the previous four, Love It To Death, Killer, School's Out and Billion Dollar Babies. This album sounds too polished, with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood romancing a Broadway production. Every song on this album sounds like a broadway tune, or a Hollywood soundtrack tune.

There are some other major issues with this album as well. You can tell the band wasn't recorded together. Other albums sounded more live off the floor, where as this one sounds like it was held rigorously to a click track. I know from books I've read that this was a very dark period for the original group. Part of it was the vocalist becoming the center point, part of it was the lead guitarist's health falling apart. But with all that stacked against them, they still managed to pull off a cool album.

The album opens with Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo). This song has that total New York Groove. I mean this song musically captures what I think of as New York, to the fullest extent. It's particially the great American Dream, and part dirty debauchery, all for the viewing world's audio pleasure. Then for those that can't hear it in the music, the lyrics spell it out. "We're so young and pretty, we're so young and clean / So many things that we have never seen / Let's move from Ohio, sell this dam' old store / Big Apple dreamin' on a wooden floor / Skyscrapers and subways and stations / Staring up at the United Nations / New York is waiting for you and me, baby / Waiting to swallow us down / New York, we're coming to see what you're made of / Are you as great as you sound / Heard about them massages, and all those dirty shows / I read somewhere some places never close / While we waste time on yokels, comin' through the door / Big Apple dreamin' on a wooden floor / Skyscrapers and subways and stations / Staring up at the United Nations / New York is waiting for you and me, baby / Waiting to swallow us down / New York, we're coming to see what you're made of / Are you as great as you sound / New York is waiting for you and me, baby / Waiting to swallow us down / New York, we're coming to see what you're made of / Are you as tough as you sound / Oh, New York is waiting for you and me, baby / Waiting to swallow us down, whoo-oo / New York, we're coming, to see what you're made of / Are you as tough as you sound / Yeah, New York is waiting, baby / Waiting to swallow us down, / New York, we're coming, see what you're made of / You can't be as tough as you sound / Oh, New York, you and me, baby / Waiting to swallow us down, / New York, we're coming see what you're made of / Are you as great as you sound / Oh, New York, Oh, New York we're coming / Oh, we're coming to see what you're made of / Oh, you can't be as tough as you sound / Me and my baby, we're coming / Oh, we're coming / They're waiting for you and me, baby / Oh... (Fading out dialog)". On a side note I should mention that the drum riff used for most of the song is one of my favourite warm ups for starting a jam session. It totally gets the vibe going.

Never Been Sold Before is a great track in it's very honest portrayal of what I would think it's like to become a prostitute, during that first experience. "You ask me, babe / "Can you work tonight?" / I've been up, babe / Since broad daylight / I just can't believe that you're selling me / You never sold me before / I just can't become your lousy whore / Oh yeah, I'm stacked nice / They really like my style / Fifty bucks, babe / Can't even buy my smile / I just can't believe that you're selling me / You never sold me before / I just can't become your lousy whore / I find I come around just to / Lay this money on you, babe / I'm sick of streets, chicks and dicks / And I'm, I'm really sick of you / Oh oh, I've never been sold before / And I'll never be had again / Oh oh, I've never been sold before / And I'll never be had again / I just can't believe that you're selling me / You never sold me before / I just can't become your little whore / No, no, no, no / I've never been sold before / And I'll never be had again / Oh oh, I've never been sold before / And I'll never be had again / Oh oh, I've never been sold before / And I'll never be had again / Oh oh, I've never been sold before / And I'll never be had again / Oh oh, I've never been sold before / And I'll never be had again / Oh oh, I've never been sold before / And I'll never be had again". And I find it more interesting to hear it sung by a man, with a perspective that seems very male to me. This rings of 53rd and 3rd to me, just more complex, and less raw and edgy.

I love Hard Hearted Alice. I mean I totally dig this quiet, distant, sad, dreamy song. I love how it builds and builds into a giant center piece to establishing the concept of what it's really like to be the character/band Alice Cooper. When the song is being sweet and gentle it's the guys that have been battered and bruised still trying to be starry eyed. Then when it gets all heavy and crazy, it's the band on stage. The same band you can see in Good To See You Again Alice, go watch it. On any other album this song would have become a fan favourite I think.

Crazy Little Child is a show tune. This is some guy up on stage with a piano telling the story of being a mobster. You'd find this song in the musical Chicago, or Showboat, or what have you. I mean seriously, this song totally shows the original group's love of musicals.

Working Up A Sweat is one of the most fun songs on the album. While the content many may find childish and predictably about sex, lyrically it shows how lazy music has become. "Aw, When you touch there, honey / Makes my blood perspire / You got my body flaming / Like a California fire / Pulsing, pounding, pushing / No longer in control / Heatwave in my brain / Smolder in my soul / You got me workin' up a sweat / Workin' up a sweat / I've been playing all night long / Time I was gettin' home / But I've got no place to get / Spontaneous combustion / Scientific fact / But your approach to friction / An unnatural act / Bells I hear ain't fire drills / I hope you understand / It's a bona fide five alarmer / Melting in my hand / You got me workin' up a sweat / Workin' up a sweat / I've been playing all night long / Time I was gettin' home / But I've got no place to get / Workin' up a sweat / Workin' up a sweat / Workin' up a sweat / Workin' up a sweat / Yeah, yeah / I've been playing all night long / 'Bout time I was gettin' home / But I've, ooh / Dante's famed inferno / Was a trip to hell and back / But you and a bottle in a cheap hotel / Screams pyromaniac / Bandages came off today / Really feeling sick / The hardest part's explainin' / All those blisters on my - nose! / Workin' up a sweat / Workin' up a sweat / I've been playing all night long / Time I was gettin' home / But I've got no place to get / Workin' up a sweat / Workin' up a sweat / Workin' up a sweat / Workin' up a sweat / I've been playing all night long / 'Bout time I was gettin' home / But I've, ooh / Workin' up a sweat / Workin' up a sweat / Workin' up a sweat / Workin' up a sweat". It says so much without ever really saying what it's really saying.

If you were to ask me to list some of the greatest guitar riffs of all time Muscle Of Love would end up in the top ten for sure. In fact this is the most underated and overlooked Alice Cooper song to ever be released. Even I have a bad habit of forgetting about it from time to time, just because of the albums I have it on. If this song had been on any other album released by the orginal group it would have been a major player, and would probably be a live standard now a days, instead it barely ever gets played. I think I've only seen it played live once. I seriously could not boast about this song enough musically. Lyrically, well that's another story. In fact the original demo for this was called No Respect For The Sleepers, and if those lyrics were attached to this music, it may have turned more heads for the right reasons.

The Man With The Golden Gun, while not being a James Bond song, was an honest attempt to become one. While in the theaters to see Live And Let Die, I believe they saw in the end credits that this would be the title of the next Bond movie, so they really tried to get the movie's title track. Sadly it didn't go to plan, because this is a great song that was much better than the one that ended up in the opening title sequence.

I have never liked Teenage Lament. Since I got my first copy of Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits, I have always found this song weak, thin, and really fucking whiney. I just could never relate to this song on any level. It's like they were trying to do a more grown up and sophisticated version of I'm Eighteen, but it just falls flat. I never understood how it made the Greatest Hits album, and after listening to this album I still don't get it. It's the worst track on this album as far as I'm concerned.

Woman Machine finsihes up the album. This really is a fun and sexy sounding song, that has a real sci-fi edge to it that would have been more brought to life if handled by Ezrin. The way this song was done it sounds like a generic track you'd find in the back ground of a movie instead being the title track that it could and should have been.

While it would never end up on one of my favourite albums list, it is still a really great collection of songs to listen to. Only one should be skipped if you ask me, and the rest are just so cool. Most people never ever seem to realize just how talented the original band was, even when a good part of the album, is in fact other musicians playing and writing as well. As I mentioned at the very start the lead guitarist was really sick at the time.

Bottom line, if you really love love Alice Cooper you really should own this album and enjoy it. If you are time era specific with your Alice this album may not be right for you. After all it is a little different than you'd be use to.

7/10 - content

7/10 - production

8/10 - personal bias

Queens of The Stone Age - Era Vulgaris

I had the pleasure of meeting Queens Of The Stone Age when they toured their first album. I had press passes for a show at a little venue in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, called The Loop. There were some complications with my getting my press kit, and I blame it on an incompetant person that was in charge of the Journalism program I was in at the time. However, this allowed me the chance to hang with the band and play foosball. The downside was I didn't care for the band. There was one or two songs that kind of grabbed me, but for the most part it was kinda shitty. A couple albums later I become a fan, and the joke of my dislike of that first show continues years later.

As for Era Vulgaris, this was the first album I bought from Queens Of The Stone Age. My buddy Drew allowed me to borrow a few of the previous albums, and for some reason, that I can only think of as timing mixed with money, I've never picked up any others. I will be changing that eventually. Because this album proved that they are worth buying for the right price.

Turnin' On The Screw opens the album with this odd, droning, head nodding, humming kind of track with a guitar that sounds crystal clear in comparison. I personally find you can't help but pay attention to the lyrics as well. "You got a question? Please don't ask it, / It puts the lotion in the basket, / You say bigger's better but bigger's thicker, / White boy dressed up like a figure, / Drawn inside a toilet on the wall, / The world is round, / My square don't fit at all, / They say those who can't just instruct others, / And act like victims or jilted lovers, / You can't lose it if you never had it, / Disappear man, Do some magic, / You want a reason? How's about "Because"? / You ain't a has been if you never was. / I sound like this, / Scared to say what is your passion, / So slag it all, / Bitter's in fashion, / Fear of failure's all you've started, / The jury is in, verdict: / Retarded, / I'm so tired, I'm wired too, / I'm a mess, / I guess, / I'm turning on the screw." This is one of those songs where you get why they are refered to as Stoner Rock, and it totally works. It's just not for everyone. I do think it is a great song.

Sick, Sick, Sick follows that up by doing a complete 180 it feels like. Instead of being all mellow and drifting, this song is wild, erratic, and panic stricken. It really has a great vibe to it, and it feels like the perfect counterpoint follow up to the lead track. I seriously love what's done with the guitar on this song. It adds great texture and vibe. However, on a personal level I generally skip this one.

Take away the erratic tension and swap it with whimsical cocksure strut and you get I'm Designer. This song is still in your face, but more laid back about it.

Into The Hollow is one of those songs that I enjoy when it's on the CD player, but it's mainly just background music for me. I love the sound and dynamic it uses, but nothing really stands out to me.

I like the tense and release feel behind Misfit Love. It's almost Surf Rock mixed with the tone of Grunge. This is one of those songs I've always dug and it almost makes me want to get up and dance. Then I remember I don't do that.

Battery Acid just feels like your basic punk track. There's some cool twists and turns that make it very Queens Of The Stone Age, but it's more or less a clever filler.

Make It Wit Chu is my favourite song on the album. I love the groove. I love the sexiness of the music. I love the way Josh Homme croons out his lyrics, and the way the background vocals lend a perfect high counter. "You wanna know if I know why? / I can't say that I do, / I don't understand the evil eye, / Or how one becomes two. / And I just can't recall what started it all, / Or how to begin in the end, / I ain't here to break it, / Just see how far it will bend, / Again and again, / I wanna make it, / I wanna make it wit chu, / Anytime, anywhere, / I wanna make it, / I wanna make it wit chu, / Sometimes the same is different, / but mostly it's the same / these mysteries of life, that just ain't my thing / if I told you that I knew about the sun and the moon, / I'd be untrue, / The only thing I know for sure / Is what I wanna do, / anytime, anywhere and I say / I wanna make it, (again and again) / I wanna make it wit chu, / Anytime, anywhere, / I wanna make it, (again and again) / I wanna make it wit chu, / I wanna make it, (anytime, anywhere) / I wanna make it wit chu, / I wanna make it, / I wanna make it wit chu. / I wanna make it, (again and again) / I wanna make it wit chu, / I wanna make it, (anytime, anywhere) / I wanna make it wit chu, / I wanna make it, (again and again) / I wanna make it wit chu, / I wanna make it, (again and again and again and again and again..)" This is like some serious getting hot and heavy music. It's full, and heavy, but full of gentle and sweet textures. My introduction to this album was 3's & 7's, thanks to Guitar Hero. This was one of those songs that I played over and over because it was a challenge and it was so much fun. I still love listening to the track and the way it bounces around like that Superball from the first Men In Black movie, but with some slow down periods.

The next song is totally forgetable to me. It works in the mix, but I never ever remember or think of Suture Up Your Future. It's good for the background noise.

By the time River In The Road comes on it's very clear I never pay much attention after 3's & 7's because I never think of any of these songs, and still don't know the names of them without looking at the cover. This song is faster paced than the last, and has what I would call a great Sci-Fi vibe, but it's once again great background music.

The album finishes with Run, Pig, Run. This is just about the most crazy and erratic song on the album. It`s really a wild and crazy ride and you always know when it comes on, and exactly who it is, because the only other group found in my CD player that can be compared to this would be early Frank Zappa, or maybe some really early Alice Cooper. This is some youthful agressive stoner stuff. It works as a closer, and as an opener as well. If it had been in the middle of the album it would have been really odd and out of place.

To me the key to this album is that it's great background music when you are doing anything from sitting around hitting the bong, to cleaning the house, playing video games (I don`t play too many games where I feel the need to listen to the sound), web programming, or anything else that requires some real attention, but not audio attention. To me it's not the kind of album you sit down with headphones and listen to.

Also as a quick last note. While the sound of this album is a bit raw, I love how much of that classic vibe it has from the classic days of Rock record making. Most of the album to me sounds like the bands jammed out the main track together live, and then they went back and mixed in the vocals later. It`s a total killer retro vibe to me, that I personally love to use.

6/10 - content

8/10 - production

8/10 - personal bias

Iommi - Iommi

Tony Iommi released a solo album in 2000 that I had to buy the second it came out, because it was one of my top three guitarists, performing with some of my favourite vocalists. Sure the album may have just been one giant cliche, but I was willing to take that chance when I picked it up. Hell, when Peter Steele, Ian Astbury, Billy Idol and Ozzy all show up on an album, with the Lord of Doom and Gloom guitar, it's a pretty safe bet, you should like a few songs.

The beauty of this album is that it's Tony Iommi, the greatest Heavy Metal guitar player of all time. Any one says different and I will sit you down, strap some cans on your ears, and let the master school your sorry ass. This album is pure Iommi at his best, backed up by a who's who of musicians and Vocalists. Also when it comes to the vocalists, the variety is amazing, yet not that unexpected, and the words are often music more poetic than lyrical. This is an album that is designed not only for the average listener, but also for the fans, and the musicians.

While the track listing on the back of the album cover focuses on the Vocalists, you need to pull out the CD's book and examine the names that fill out this album. Because each one drives each track differently and creates ten different worlds of musical bliss.

I should mention also to go with all that, that all the songs on this album are writen by Iommi and the vocalist for the specific song, as well as by Bob Marlette too. There is only one song Marlette doesn't write on. Why do I mention this, because this is the same guy that helped co write most of Alice Cooper's Brutal Planet and Dragontown, which were both very heavy and dark. He brought the same thing to this album too. There is also one guest guitarist on the album as well, but including when a vocalist picks up an axe, and that's Brian May. Yes, the same genius behind Queen, that is very good friends with Tony Iommi.

Laughing Man (In The Devil Mask) which features Henry Rollins on vocals, Terry Phillips on bass and Jimmy Copley on drums, opens up the album. This is a great track, it really is. While I have never bothered to buy any Rollins music over the years, I respect the hell out of this mans work. It's funny though, I always forget it's Henry performing on this song, but only due to the fact I always have this silly notion that he retired from music after 1992, and went to work in media instead. I have no clue why.

Skin is the token female vocalist on this album, and damn is she good on Meat. Then there's her lyrics as well, which are just mind blowing, especially with her delivery. "You taste what you want from me / You taste all of the gristle from the bones I need / To stand up to you / To live up to fools / It's too troubling / Can't take what you like from me / Can't take all of the vision that your money thieves / Don't be careless now / Just a pretty babe / A cool covering / You can't hide, no / You can't hide the way you feel / You're just dead inside this meat / That you're smothering / You can't run, no / You just stumble, crash and cry / Without asking questions why / It's all crumbling / Dark eyes, beauty's never cheap / Dark hair, dark lips maybe that I want to cheat / See my sorry face / In this love that fails / It's all good for me / Slick baby that ain't worrying / Slick rage, strong is the ego that I want to test / In your head of lies / Cut me down to size / It's all credible / You can't hide, no / You can't hide the way you feel / You're just dead inside this meat / That you're smothering / You can't run, no / You just stumble, crash and cry / Without asking questions why / Pure fear that you're falling for / These tears, thick in the sadness that was running before / Welling up in dread / For a softer bed / I'm not worrying / You're so sane, all the lines you shed / So cool, so good, the picture for those crazy hoods / Got this gun for keeps / Stick it in this meat / I'm not hurrying / You can't hide, no / You can't hide the way you feel / You're just dead inside this meat / That you're smothering / You can't run, no / You just stumble, crash and cry / Without asking questions why / It's all crumbling / You can't hide, no / You can't hide the way you feel / You're just dead inside this meat / That you're smothering / That you're smothering / That you're smothering". The rest of the band is filled out with Bob Marlette on the bass, and the drums by John Tempesta, with additional guitars work, if performed, by Ace (Martin Kent) from Skunk Anansie, which is also where Skin comes from.

Goodbye Lament is David Grohl on vocals and drums, which is really to be expected and Laurence Cottle on bass. This is the first track to see Brian May laying down the additional guitar. Much like the lead off track on this album I think this track is great, It's just not one of my favourites. However, the drumming does need to be noted on this one, because Grohl is good.

Time Is Mine sees Philip Anselmo on vocals. I have always defended Anselmo as a vocalist. When he actually sings, it really does sound nice. I love the entire range he shows on this song, and I even do a decent job of tolerating his screaming, which is my biggest turn off with vocalists. Laurence Cottle is also on this track along with Matt Cameron playing drums on just shy of half the album. The two of them together make a very solid rhythm section on this one.

Patterns is the first track on the album I don't consider a warm up. Seriously, the first four tracks are good. I mean they are really good. However, this is where the album goes from being good and great, to being a fucking work of art. Serj Tankian has an amzing voice. I'm not into System Of A Down because of the screaming, but there's none of that on hear. Oh my good does this man deliver his lyrics with such amazing beauty. "Life is a story / Go ahead and find your sight / Life is your glory / Go ahead and live the night / But to live means to be here / In the present now / Do try to bow for the gift of your day / Then you cede to the morning sun / Pretending that we live doesn't make us alive / Life is a story / Go ahead and find your sight / But to live means to be here / In the present now / Do try to bow for the gift of your day / Then you cede to the morning sun / Pretending that we see doesn't give us the sight / Pretending that we live doesn't make us alive / What is it that makes us lose sight / True sight, of what is real and essential / I'll take organized patterns of chaos / Over the chaotic organizations of man, any day / Pretending that we see doesn't give us the sight / Pretending that we live doesn't make us alive / Pretending that we see doesn't give us the sight / Pretending that we live doesn't make us alive". This is the first track where you also get to hear Laurence Cottle's Jazz skills, or at least where they stand out the most. This the second and last track Jimmy Copley plays drums on.

Let me just say that when Iommi decided on the vocalists that make up this album, no matter what the story, he did it with pure genius. Black Oblivion features Billy Corgan on vocals, bass, and additional guitar with Kenny Aronoff handling the drums. However, it really does bring it home on this song. Yet another vocalist who's from a band I don't really care for that does an excellent job and delivers a beautiful song. I would also like to mention that the solo in this song is a bit of a stand out, but only because of the way it was punched in, and the tone of it.

Ian Astbury is to my generation what Jim Morrison was to the children of the 1960's. Flame On is Astbury doing what he does best, I think is shining example of how poetry and music are so intertwined, even when people don't want to see it. "I am one, one that shines / Yeah, I was born of a scorpion's mind / I am one, so alive / Don't try to teach me what your lips can't decide / I'm the sun, so alive / A simple breath's all I need to get by / Words you speak are like dirt in my mind / I'm gonna burn till all the stars die / Flame on / I used to bleed like a suicide mother / Flame on / And now I breathe in this dirty black summer / Flame on / I bought the truth in the mouth of my brother / Flame on / I used to bleed like a suicide motherfucker / As it is, thought divine / A diamond seed in the heart of all mind / All is truth, truth it shines / Don't hesitate for the world it divides / Flame on / I used to bleed like a suicide mother / Flame on / And now I breathe in this dirty black summer / Flame on / I bought the truth in the mouth of my brother / Flame on / I used to bleed like a suicide motherfucker / Flame on / I used to bleed like a suicide mother / Flame on / And now I breathe in this dirty black summer / Flame on / I bought the truth in the mouth of my brother / Flame on / I used to bleed like a suicide motherfucker / Flame on / I used to bleed like a suicide mother / Flame on / And now I breathe in this dirty black summer / Flame on / I bought the truth in the mouth of my brother / Flame on / I used to bleed like a suicide motherfucker". This is hands down one of my two songs to sing, because the song is just so strong and powerful. Laurence Cottle, Matt Cameron, and Brian May are also on this track, doing the magic they all do.

There have only been two musicians that have died in my music listening lifetime that have died and left me feeling sad. Peter Steele is one and it is because of songs like Just Say No To Love. He was truly the meaning of tall dark and brooding, and you can hear it all over this song. "Jealous black and envy green / No one died and left you queen / Rotted flesh and broken bones / Place your ass upon the throne / Just say no to love / Just say no to love / Multihued transparency / Of the girl you'd like to be / A special frozen place in hell / Preserved for those who love themselves / Left is right and right is wrong / None for all and all for none / I've had enough, say no to love / No to love / Jon Lord said that you were killed / Not possibly be more thrilled / A party thrown, I'm so excited / Since you're dead, you're not invited / On your grave I made a wish / You beneath me is such bliss / A fitting end for a phony / You dumped me for Tony Iommi / Left is right and right is wrong / None for all and all for none / I've had enough, say no to love / No to love / Left is right and right is wrong / None for all and all for none / I've had enough, say no to love / No to love / Left is right and right is wrong / None for all and all for none / I've had enough, say no to love / No to love / Left is right and right is wrong / None for all and all for none / I've had enough, say no to love / No to love / Just say no to love / Just say no to love". Then there's the music, and while I would have expected Peter Steele to play exclusively, Laurence Cottle also lays down some low end. Matt Cameron is the drummer on this one as well. All the musicians on this one really do create a very thick and rich tapestry of music on this one.

Ever heard of Black Sabbath? Who's Fooling Who is that band except without Geezer Butler. It's Ozzy, Laurence Cottle and Bill Ward. If you don't know those names by now, well I'm sorry. Now considering the names on this track I expected a little more from it. This is the most stock sounding song on the album, because of the people that are playing it. Although, the solo is note worthy.

The other song I love to sing on the album is Into The Night. Thank you Billy Idol. "And you say you wanna live forever / And you've got all the time to kill / And you're living in the dark forever / In your own little private hell / I wanna rule this world / I wanna walk the night / I wanna bleed this girl / Gonna take it all night till the morning light / I wanna lead this world / I wanna wake the dead / And all the undead souls who walk the night / They can suck my dick / Are you sure you're so clean and pure / As you lie here in front of me now / And you're tempting the lord of darkness / As you see what's forbidden to see / I wanna rule this world / I wanna walk the night / I wanna bleed this girl / Gonna do it all night till the morning light / I wanna rule this world / I wanna wake the dead / And all the undead souls who walk the night / They can suck my dick / Oh yeah, you know it's true / Yeah, you, yeah / When people say I'm from the underworld / Every kind of sin, you best believe it, girl / You come on over here from the other side / Come back to hell, it's so warm inside / I sleep through the day 'cause I'm into the night / I wanna sleep through the day 'cause I live through the night / I sleep through the day 'cause I'm into the night / I wanna sleep through the day 'cause I live through the night / Yeah, you / I wanna rule this world, yeah / I'm gonna walk the night / I wanna rule this world / I wanna rule the night / And all the undead souls / I wanna wake the dead / I wanna get you, girl / I'm gonna rule this world, babe / It's gonna be alright / Oh yeah". Musically this is some pretty dark sounding stuff. Ben Sheppherd and Matt Cameron lay it down thick and heavy, while Billy Idol snarls out every word. This is also my favourite track for guitar. I mean Iommi just brings it, gives it, and then drops the gauntlet after delivering the mother of all bitch slaps with it. The perfect way to end any album.

At this point you've probably thought to yourself, why was the guitar barely mentioned on most of those songs? The answer is simple enough. On every song Iommi comes out, whips it out, shows you what a guitarist can really do, and that's with playing real riffs, with real hooks, real solos, and no need to have a tempo of 120 or higher on every single song, except for the token ballad. Hell no! Iommi is a master because he understands not only how to play the instrument, but how to let it breathe, come to life and tell the story for itself. There's nothing forced sounding in this album at all.

To me this album is the ultimate in dark, brooding, heavy music. I often refer to Heavy as a music genre of it's own. This album is the text book description of what a Heavy album sounds like, in all of it's exstacy.

8/10 - content

9/10 - production

9/10 - personal bias

Aerosmith - Honkin' On Bobo

I've said it before, and I will say it again, I love a good cover album, and this one delivers with style. With the exception of one track Honkin' On Bobo is Aerosmith doing a Blues cover album, if you use the term Blues a bit loosely, but that's just nit picking.

The music you hear on this album is clearly the music that helped inspire Aerosmith's Rock style, and over all sounds. I would also like to mention that this is a loud album. I mean in a mix of twenty-five discs, it always booms out of the speakers. Everything is just so beautifully pushed forward in the mix. There are some issues I have with this album, which is why when I throw it on I do it more so for Andria. She was always a bigger fan of this album than I was. But I think it's because this album is so danceable.

Road Runner is the perfect boogie woogie track to open up the album. It's got a great hook, allows for some breathing and let's the band showcase themselves in brief bits, while maintaining the whole.

Shame, Shame, Shame is totally Big Band, which will put twice as much step in your foot as the last track. If you are a dancing person, you can totally swing to this baby. The piano on this song is played by Johnnie Johnson, and it's totally bitchin' but I would have rather heard piano parts transposed to guitar. My biggest bitch with Aerosmith is they have a bad habit of using too many outside people.

Eyesight To The Blind Is one of those songs I would skip. It's the kind of Blues I always found generic and bland. This song is basically an excuse for Steven Tyler to be a caricature of himself, which I have no use for.

I absolutely love the song Baby, Please Don't Go. It's simple, basic, has great drive, and is the kind of Blues that I just totally dig. The only problem with the Aerosmith version is Tyler just doesn't shut the fuck up. This is one of those songs where I want to hear Joe Perry open up and let loose and then it dawns on me, not gonna happen. Brad Whitford doesn't get to do it either, and the soloing that is offered is pushed back in the mix. Meanwhile Tyler's ever little vocal utterance is pushed right to the front of the mix.

The version I know best of Never Loved A Girl, was on The Commitments movie soundtrack. I still prefer that one over this one. At this point I have to start being very honest that when I say most of my bitching about this album is going to come from Tyler's vocals.

As a case and point to my last statement Back Back Train features Joe Perry on vocals. While Joe's vocals are pretty generic and basic sounding compaired to Steven's they fit and work this song, and make it work like good blues should work. Tyler does lay down some great harmonica work though. This is the first song where I really hear the Blues I like. It's a very full, thick, rich and dark song. "Well I look way down that lonesome road / Well I look way down that lonesome road / Way way down / Way way down / Way way down that lonesome road / I know that back back train will get'cha home / Back back train will get'cha home / Back back train / Back back train / Back back train will get'cha home... yeah / Well I thought I heard that church bell toll / I thought I heard that church bell toll / Told'chor lie / Told your lie / Told your lie somebody told me so... yeah / Huh hu hu... / Ho oh oh oh... / Well I'm goin' home on mornin' train... yeah / I'm goin' home on mornin' train / I'm goin' home... that's right / Goin' home... woooo / I'm goin' home on mornin' train... woooo / Huh hu hu... / Ho oh oh oh... / Well that back back train will take ya home / Back back train will take ya home / Take me home / Take me home / (Take me home... take me home) / Take me... take... awww... take me take me... / Huh hu hu... Ho oh oh oh... / Take me home / Arrr... take me home... / Take me". You Gotta Move is the first track where I don't want to punch Tyler in the face for being stupid about the vocals, but that's because he's playing the harmonica when he's not actually singing. Someone needs to constantly put one in his mouth. Cut down on his over use of the add lib Scat style he likes to use.

So now it's time for the original track on the album. The Grind is Aerosmith trying to do what they spend an entire album emulating, and if it wasn't for the fact that it's a bit of a slower track, I would totally back this one. Because of the way the track is produced it sounds a bit like the ballads from Get A Grip, especially in the choruses, but if you can ignore that you start to notice how good of a track this song really is. Lyrically it's very Blues, "I never thought a first time love would ever last / How could a kiss like that, knock me flat on my ass / hey ha... / The burning bed / the roses dead / and now i'm dancing with myself / Yeah, i'm missing you / just like you want me too / you made me trip into the grind / now I can't get you off of my mind / Your sweet talkin' hip shakin' walkin' gonna blow a man away / kiss butt, guess what even double crossin' dogs have their day, ha / so forget about, regret about, you're right I ain't afraid to say / yeah, I'm missing you / just like you want me to / you made me trip into the grind / now I can't get you off / And the more I tried / leads to the same old lie / you made me slip into the grind / now I can't get you off of the cloud we was on / and now it's all gone / tell me why, why, why, why / why ain't I getting through / ain't no lie their out of love, love, love / Tell me was it good, for you / tell me what you want / Yeah, 'cause i'm missing you / just like you know I do / you made me trip into the grind / now I can'y get you off, / and you know I tried / leads to the same old why / you made me trip into the grind / now I can't, can't, can't get you / get you / get you / get you / get you / get you / get you / get you / off of my mind...", and musically it has just the right edge to it. I'm Ready is where I'm able to point out exactly what it is about this album I like and don't like. I really dig the tracks that are full, with heavy low end, and a dark sound. This song isn't one of the better songs on the album, but I really dig the sound of it. There's a point in the soloing where I don't care for the way the guitar sounds, but that's no big deal.

Temperature is okay, but personally it's back to that Blues that bores me so, and the song that follows that up isn't much better.

Stop Messin' Around is Joe Perry on vocals again, but I don't care for this one like I did his last track. My problem with this track is that it sounds too Big Band, and over the years I've discovered I don't care for the sound of Big Band, because it's so thin and the high end sounds too pushed forward, the mids are almost always missing, and the low end is pulled back too. I always figured it was a production issue, based on when it was recorded, but it still applies to modern recordings as well, which is really odd considering.

Jesus In On The Main Line is the perfect track to end the album. This the purest Blues on this album as far as I'm concerned. This is how I imagine all the greats would have sounded if they recorded today. It's a simple track that takes you somewhere, and makes you feel good.

I know it sounds like I've ripped on this album a lot, but the truth is it's a very good album, it just needed a producer that was a little more removed from the band, I think. By which I mean that it needed a producer that was willing to tell Steven to shut up, and push Perry and Whitford to let loose a bit more. Joey Kramer and Tom Hamilton are the people on this album that I can't complain about because they do what the rhythm section is supposed to do with grace and style. In fact it's those two that hold this whole album together as far as I'm concerned.

The biggest problem with this album, is that no matter what you say, Aerosmith should go back to being a band, and not just musicians that get together to make an album. You can hear it all over this album.

8/10 - content

8/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias

Great White - Hooked

I never have and never will buy a Great White CD. That being said the album I am reviewing I own only because it was given to me by my uncle Greg, after he got it as a freebie from Columbia House. It was the monthly promo disc that never got returned or cancelled and here I am twenty years or so later doing the review for it.

The copyright on the album is for 1991, I'm pretty sure I didn't get it until 1994, and I listened to it more in the last two months than I have over the entire time I've owned it. If this album had come out anywhere between 1984 and 1986, Great White would have probably been bigger than Bon Jovi. Alan Niven and Michael Lardie produced a very decent sounding commercial album. They just made it way too late.

This had to go up against Gun N' Roses Use Your Illusions, Metallica's Black Album, Ozzy's No More Tears, plus Nirvana, Faith No More, and every other band to get lumped into the Grunge/Alternative category. This album didn't stand a chance. However, upon much later listening, it really isn't that bad of an album. There's a couple of songs that I think would be radio friendly, and I would sneak in from time to time if I were a DJ, going for off beat Rock songs.

I also discovered during the time that this album has been in the cd player that Drew must be a Great White fan, because all he needs to hear is the tone of the guitar on the first note and he knows who it is. Luckily I can't say that on all the tracks yet, and after this review is done, who knows how long before I ever hear this album again. Maybe if by request.

The album opens with Call It Rock N' Roll, which is pretty much Once Bitten revisited. It's always good to have some familiarity with the music you are presenting, especially to kick off an album. That's about all I have to say either good or bad. It's a "whatever" kind of song.

If I didn't know better, by the first few little measures that make up The Original Queen Of Sheba, I would have thought it was Damn Yankees. Then quickly the song is corrected and it's clearly Great White. I find the solo very predictable, and uninspired, but it works within the song.

The one good thing that could be said about Great White, at least on this album, is how much they keep the Blues groove going. Cold Hearted Lovin' is dripping in some upbeat whiskey soaked cocksure Blues. Like the last three songs it's pretty basic but it works.

The very first song on the album I actually will admit to enjoying is Can't Shake It. This track has a vibe to it that really reminds me of The Rolling Stones. This could have easily been a post heroin Stones track, or Aerosmith when the heroin was taking it's toll. It's one of those songs that would be loved live, but forgotten the second it was done being performed. A track for the hardcore fans. However, this is Great White, and this could have been a good radio single in around 1986, give or take. There is some resemblence to AC/DC's Fly On The Wall album on this track as well.

Ah, it's time for a Power Piano Ballad with Lovin' Kind. You know how Elton John's Piano sounded on Lion King, well add that to a Glam Rock band, and you get the idea.

Heartbreaker is up next and reminds me of Accept's Balls To the Wall. If you like that song you should enjoy this one, sort of. I make no promises, but if it wasn't for the harmonies in the song, it would actually be an okay song. It's decent stock, and with the run time of 6:44 it provides time for a pee break. I will say that otherwise it runs a bit long. Most of the songs on this album feel that way.

Congo Square seems like a more Boogie Woogie Blues song than the last track, but other than that it's pretty much a continuation. I do like this track and all the ways they play with it musically. It's the longest song on the album, but I find it one of the more enjoyable. It's the type of track that would get your toe tapping in a bar, and with subtle changes in tone, it could be played in a Country bar or a Honkey Tonk or a Blues bar, and of course a Rock bar.

South Bay Cities sounds like they ripped off the Sesame Street theme song. I've sung the lyrics, and it works. That being said, you get a good idea what to expect from this song, especially with the title. Musically it's a fun little jam, lyrically I wouldn't bother.

If I were putting together a driving movie that reflected the Rock N' Roll mentality Desert Moon would be on it. I even like the lyrical content, if you ignore the over use of the word "baby."Let's shake this town baby / Come with me / I need a little lovin' company / C'mon now / I know where we can go / This is the time / T'stay out all night / I've gotta fire / Like a heavenly light / C'mon baby / Let's take a drive / C'mon baby / Let's do it right / Time to dance / In the magic light / Of the desert moon / Let's lay it down / Under a cactus tree / Give a little lovin' ecstacy / C'mon now / It's time to go / Little baby / You're a beautiful sight / I've got the love / And we have the night / C'mon baby / It's time to fly / C'mon baby / Let's do it right / Time to dance / In the magic light / Of the desert moon / Come on honey / Let's get it right / Make romance / In the magic light / Of the desert moon".

I think ending the album with Afterglow was a bad idea. Desert Moon would have been a much better choice, but if this song had been placed anywhere in the last four tracks it would have killed the mood and the flow of the album. At least it leaves the album with a bit of a good vibe.

There are three songs on this album I may have a use for, and I would possibly put on my Mp3 player, outside of that this album makes for some decent filler in the random mix. It's a stock album for the most part, but only because it came out in 1991. If it had been released five to eight years earlier, there would have been no need for The Black Crows, or Bon Jovi after New Jersey.

5/10 - content

8/10 - production

4/10 - personal bias