Music From And Inspired By M:I-2

The idea behind this soundtrack was clearly star power. Like the fact that Limp Bizkit performed Take A Look Around (Theme From "M:I-2"), which opens the album. It's the perfect way to describe how this album works more or less.

There are also a few tracks that I have no clue why they made this album. Then there's one track that I would consider a hidden gem.

The second track on the album is Metallica's I Disappear. I'm not sure if there is any other way to get this song than on this album. If you are a real Metallica fan you will need to have this album for that reason. Even if you hate the song, because you think it's complete commercial bullshit. As for what I think about the song, well I'm not really sure. It does what it's supposed to do. It super charges the album with a high octane track that makes you want to force your foot down as hard and as fast as you can on the gas and go. I would put this on any driving album I made.

Rob Zombie is next up with Scum Of The Earth. I'm not a fan of this song. I have no clue where it showed up first, and I care so little for the track I can't be bothered to look either. But I also understand why people like it and why it was included. This song speeds along at break neck pace.

Keep in mind that even though those bands were not the biggest bands in 2000, they weren't out of date or used up has beens either. Hell, Zombie only got better after that point, and Metallica became a lot less commercial.

Then it's on to They Came In from Butthole Surfers. Let me start by saying I know why I have never heard of this band, other than in jokes. What the hell? I think there's a space man trying to melt my brain through the computer. Although Andie may like this, because she likes that kind of screwed up music. If I have to say something nice, it's got a steady computer generated beat.

The Pimps give this album Rocket Science. Anyone else enjoying that little joke. This song sounds like early Marilyn Manson, think lunch box era, but with a more of a Korn vibe to it.

Next up is the Foo Fighters and Brian May covering Pink Floyd's Have A Cigar. This is a fantastic cover. I'm a huge fan of the original, and I love how true to that original this cover is, while at the same time totally jacking it up and making it real heavy. Much like the original, it is the soloing that really helps push this song over the top. This song to me is this album's greatest saving grace.

When it comes to Chris Cornell I have tons of respect. He's a musician that knows how to write good songs that people really enjoy. He's a really cool vocalist, and when the mood takes me the right way I can really dig what he's doing. However, that mood doesn't come often. When it comes to Mission 2000, his contribution to this album, he brings it, but it sounds a bit like a left over from the Sound Garden days. Not a bad left over, just one of those tracks that showed up towards the end and never got a chance.

Godsmack Going Down is pretty much what you would expect from Godsmack. It's not a bad track either. I've never been a fan of the band, but this track is worth a listen.

What U Lookin' At sounds a lot like what I would expect from Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker. It's not my thing, but I'm sure there are others out there that would dig on it.

By the time we get to track eleven I start to notice that I really was out of the loop with music when I picked up this album. A lot of this stuff is music that would either get lumped into Post Grunge or Industrial and while that's kind of acurate, it's not very fair. However, both those terms apply to the next track, Backwards. This is performed by Apartment 26. This is pretty stock on the whole. I'm sure some people dig on it, but I would like to think even they would find this a bit stock.

Buckcherry's Alone is one of those songs where if you have ever heard a Buckcherry song, you've heard this one as well. Tinfed's sound lives up to there name on Immune. It sounds like early Emo, if it was being spit out of the corporate machine these days. Even the lyrics are total mass produced tripe. "Can't resist, full of lies, full of it and fully deny / Couldn't risk but couldn't decided anyway / I admit I would deceive, you are hit with this disease / Another fact I just can't conceive / And the truest most pure of hearts / And the truest most pure is not / Immune to blue, immune to blue, blue / I admit I confess evil without rest / And you'd be true at any test so wise up / What was thrown down to you / Could be a crown on me, we can speak here openly / And the truest most pure of hearts / And the truest most pure is not / Immune to blue, immune to blue, blue / Immune to blue, immune to blue, blue / And the truest is / And the truest is / And the truest is / And the truest is / And the truest most pure of hearts / And the truest most pure is not / Immune to blue, immune to blue, blue / Immune to blue, immune to blue / And so soon we'll all be immune / So soon we'll all be immune / So soon we'll all be immune / So soon we'll all be immune".

I would like to point out that this album really started going down hill back around Going Down, but by this point it's a complete out of control downward spiral. When you hear or read the name Powderfinger doing a track called Not My Kinda Scene, you sure don't expect this whiny sappy bullshit that goes on here. Now I remember why I don't normally put this album in the CD player.

Okay, when I saw that Tori Amos was on this album I almost crapped myself laughing. I know that's crude and all, but really really read over the track listing again. The song is called Carnival, and pretty much makes me think of Madonna's Frozen, or a variation on the whole Ray of Light album.

The album is completed with Nyah, which is done by Hans Zimmer featuring Heitor Pereira. This is a nice little, Latin, guitar based, song. It's pretty much the only song after Backwards that's worth listening to, and one of only four songs on this album that could end up on my Mp3 player at some point.

The first half of this album isn't bad. The second half seems to be pretty much a free for all of miscellanious debris. On the whole I would probably suggest looking for the few choice individual songs off this one, unless you can find it in a nice cheap bin somewhere.

5/10 - content

7/10 - production

6/10 - personal bias

Blue Oyster Cult - Fire Of Unknown Origin

I picked up this album after seeing that I knew and liked three of the tracks, which are on albums I've previously reviewed. On the whole I'm really glad I did. While this album isn't the perfect album, it's a great representation of a band that I have developed a huge respect for.

The album opens with the title track, which has one of the best opening lyrics I have ever heard. "Death comes sweeping through the hallway, like a lady's dress". Really conjures up Death as a figure perfectly. This song comes very close to that fine line between decent track and sad cliche done well. It all depends on how you want to hear the music.

I remember diggin' Burnin' For You as a kid, but it took my daughter performing it on Guitar Hero for me to fall in love with it. Now everytime this song comes on she can't help but sing along. It's one of those moments when as a parent I know I raised my kid right with music. It's the perfect kind of Metal/Hard Rock for a girl to really enjoy. If you want to read a little more about what I think of this song, check out my review for their best of album.

I have loved Veteran Of The Psychic Wars since the first time I heard it in Heavy Metal, the animated film. It's classic BOC doing that wild Sci-Fi Metal I really have discovered I love. And the lyrical imagery is amazing, even without the sweet, sweet music. "You see me now a veteran of a thousand psychic wars / I've been living on the edge so long / Where the winds of limbo roar / And I'm young enough to look at / And far too old to see / All the scars are on the inside / I'm not sure if there's anything left of me / Don't let these shakes go on / It's time we had a break from it / It's time we had some leave / We've been living in the flames / We've been eating up our brains / Oh, please don't let theses shakes go on / You ask me why I'm weary, why I can't speak to you / You blame me for my silence / Say it's time I changed and grew / But the war's still going on dear / And there's no end that I know / And I can't say if we're ever... / I can't say if we're ever gonna to be free / Don't let these shakes go on / It's time we had a break from it / It's time we had some leave / We've been living in the flames / We've been eating out our brains / Oh, please don't let theses shakes go on / You see me now a veteran of a thousand psychic wars / My energy's spent at last / And my armor is destroyed / I have used up all my weapons and I'm helpless and bereaved / Wounds are all I'm made of / Did I hear you say that this is victory? / Don't let these shakes go on / It's time we had a break from it / Send me to the rear / Where the tides of madness swell / And been sliding into hell / Oh, please don't let shakes go on / Don't let these shakes go on / Don't let these shakes go on".

The only song on this album I flat out don't care for is Soul Survivor. This sounds like a bad early eighties soundtrack filler. Maybe even a cheesy opening credits track that's supposed to set the mood. Basic problem, way too heavy on campy sounding synths.

Heavy Metal: The Black And Silver is next up. This is a really decent track. Pretty much can be considered a bit stock, and cliche, but the better kind, and only by people that are mildly casual listeners.

Vengeance (The Pact) is Blue Oyster Cult kicking it with some Iron Maiden gallop. This is a huge cinematic like piece.

If it wasn't for how far forward in the mix the keyboards have been pushed, I would enjoy After Dark a lot more. I find it really cheeses up the mix. However, it's still a fun track to sing along with.

Next up is a song I only recently discovered and have really come to love. I've reviewed it before and that review covers what I have to say so I'm just going to repost it here.

I can't even begin to describe how crazy, ahead of it's time, and wild Joan Crawford is. For starters, this song was so ahead of it's time that it would have been considered complete cheese instead of the genius Proto Goth piece that it really is. I mean there is a part of me that's surprised Type O Negative never covered this one just for the fun of it. Then I listen to the complex musical pieces and remember why they couldn't, especially with the speed the piano moves at. I mean this is some serious musicianship mixed with some dark lyrics. "Junkies down in Brooklyn are going crazy / They're laughing just like hungry dogs in the street / Policemen are hiding behind the skirts of little girls / Their eyes have turned the color of frozen meat / No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Catholic school girls have thrown away their mascara / They chain themselves to the axles of big Mac trucks / The sky is filled with herds of shivering angels / The fat lady laughs, "Gentlemen, start your trucks" / Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Christina / Mother's home / Christina / Come to mother / Christina / No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen".

The album finishes with Don't Turn You Back, which is kind of Bluesy in a dark thick West Side Story kind of way. I would have used the last track as the closer, and moved this one up in the mix. It's more of a really solid filler, and less of a closer.

I know there are points where I take a few cheap shots at the songs on this album, but it's really a good album, exspecially for one that came out in 1981. When most bands were getting lost, this one had found parts of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal that worked for them and then exploited it very well, just by doing what they always did.

I don't want to say that it's the best five dollars I've ever spent on a used album, but track for track and dollar for dollar I got more than what I paid for. So much so that when the day comes, I'll most likely give this copy to my daughter, and then pick up the digitally remastered version for myself.

7/10 - content

8/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias

Slash - Made In Stoke - featuring Myles Kennedy Live - Special Edition

If you've read my reviews for both of Slash's solo albums, you'll know how I feel about Slash and Myles Kennedy in conjunction with Slash. Kennedy is a top notch vocalist, and the band that backs Slash finally gets a little time to shine.

What I like the most about this album, is how it allows you to see that even though I'm not a fan of Kennedy's work with Slash, I am a huge fan of him as a vocalist. There are so many songs on this album that are sung by a variety of different vocalists. Axl, the Snakepit dude, plus all the tracks from everyone on the first Slash solo album. I only focus on Myles because Myles is the front man, and in a live album that makes him the focus.

I'm surprised that Slash would open a concert with a song that I had never heard of, figuring that most of the time they open with a hit single or something along those lines. Instead they open with Been There Lately, which after some research, I discover is from Slash's Snakepit's second album. Which I have never heard. This song makes me sort of understand why.

So we hit the first G'N'F'N'R song, which is the second track and it's Night Train. It's a really good rendition of the song. Kennedy really can do a kick ass job on Guns N' Roses songs. I often say that the original line up should get back together and tour with Myles doing the vocals and this song helps solidify that theory. Then there's that whole Slash bustin' out that killer solo live. There is a little something that seems to be missing in this song, from the original, but it's either in the production or in the rhythm section.

Ghost was one of those songs that I like, but it's not a big grab for me. This is a good version, it's just the song that leaves me feeling a little "meh."

I had to google Mean Bone. I had no clue what album this originally came from, which is surprising because it's a pretty bitchin' tune. This is from the second Slash's Snakepit, Ain't Life Grand. I have never heard the original, but this song makes me want to.

Back From Cali is the Myles Kennedy track from the first Slash solo album, and to be honest, I like this live version much better. It has a much cooler energy to it. I find Kennedy works the crowd a little harder than is needed with some cheap grabs and pops, but hell, that's what a good front man does.

Then it's on to one of my top three G'N'R tunes, Rocket Queen. We all know that Slash rips it up, and rides it through on this one, but this song has never been about the guitar. Yes, Myles give great vocals on this track, that once again have me saying, go on tour with the original group and this man. But, that's not what this song is about either. It's the drums and bass that make you want to get all nasty on this track, even when Slash is laying down an extended solo. Todd Kerns and Brent Fitz lay it down like you wouldn't beleive. Brent Fitz gets the task of replicating Steven Adler and he does it very well, while Todd Kerns tackles the Duff lines with good grace. They make it so dirty and naughty you'd think you were listening to the original band live. Which means I should also mention Bobby Schneck, he has to play Izzy's parts, and that is no easy feat. Though he does it well.

Next up is Civil War. Let's just say that the band rises up to the occasion and knocks it out of the park. The only thing that stands out from the original is the little mini fuck around section at the end of the song. Which is a bit of a tease, because you think they are going to go into Voodoo Chile.

That is followed by Nothing To Say instead. Which is a good track, but I do actually like this version a bit better. Once again there's a certain sound and energy to it that really kicks it up compared to the studio album version. After that is the next Myles Kennedy song Starlight. I like this rendition about as much as I like the studio version. It's okay, but that's about it.

Promise is the last track on the first disc. This was originally a Chris Cornell vocal track. I like Myles better, and once again this track has a great vibe that makes it pop more for me on this album than it does on the original album. Slash introduces Todd Kerns as the Vocalist for Doctor Alibi, which was co-written by a man born in Stoke. Lemmy Kilmeister, can not be replicated by anyone, but I love how Kerns busts it out. I have a special affinity for Todd, because I enjoyed the few songs I heard from his earlier group Age Of Electric.

Speed Parade is a forgetable track that follows, which also lowers the chances that I will pick up the second Snakepit album. Next up is Watch This, which was the killer instrumental from Slash's first solo album. It's the perfect track to have in this live set and the band really rocks it out.

Beggars & Hangers On, the only song I distinctly remember from the first Snakepit album, is the next track. I don't really remember the original that much, but this version may help explain why. It's a good solid filler, with a catchy chorus, and not really mush else.

Myles explains he can't whistle and asks the crowd to join in on Patience if they like. I personally just want to skip the song, as I always do. I really don't understand why Slash felt the need to include this track in the live set.

That is followed by Godfather Solo. Slash on one of his well planned and perfected solos. It's always a little on the brilliant side, and a little sexy. There are even times when it sounds like he may shred Eddie Van Halen's Eruption. I'm glad that wasn't the case. The only down side is that Sweet Child O' Mine follows that up.

If there are three Guns N' Roses songs I could spend the rest of my life never hearing again, or hearing live, it would be Sweet Child O' Mine, Don't Cry and Patience. If it weren't for that wicked solo on the previous track, this whole section of the concert would be bothersome. All personal feelings aside, it's a good live version.

Then it's on to the only Velvet Revolver track to make the album. Slither is a great track, but if there was only going to be one song from VR it should have been one of the faster tracks. At least based on the placement in the set list. However, this is the time they use to introduce the band, and then rip into a great rendition of the song.

One song flows seemlessly into the other when they go into By The Sword. This is a very good and faithful version of the song. If you like the original, you should like this one. To be honest I found that the last part of this set list has been too laid back, and by the time we get to the end of this song I am really thankful, just because the pace is going to pick back up again.

If you are a former member of Guns N' Roses and you have to pick two songs to close out the night, the next two songs are the ones to do it with.

First comes the amazing and always fun and wild Mr. Brownstone. One of my favourite Gunner tunes. This is the only track where Myles fails with trying to do Axl. It's not a huge fail, it's just that his voice doesn't hit it right. Then again this isn't exactly the easiest song to sing. But either way it's a great way to begin the ending of the night.

The last track of the night has a fake intro. Slash would almost make you think Patience was coming back or maybe The Rolling Stones Wild Horses. That is until Mr. Kennedy decides to throw down the gauntlet and say flat out, "This is Paradise City." Then it's into what I think is the most popular G'N'R song. I know people like Sweet Child O' Mine better, but people are stupid. Okay, I'm sorry that's rude, but there's a reason why Slash closes the night with this track. Leave 'em on a high note.

Given a choice between the first disc and the second disc, I will always pick the first disc in this set. I find the second disc really causes it all to drag out longer than it is. I think part of that also comes from the fact that this is a two and half hour live set, featuring twenty-two live songs. This is for the hard core fan. Especially when you throw in the bonus DVD as well.

I will probably listen to this one a lot. And when I'm in the mood to "Liven" up the CD player this one will most likely end up in the mix. However, in the grand scheme of live albums, this is a pretty basic one. Nothing overly special or crazy, just good old fashioned Rock 'N Roll.

7/10 - content

6/10 - production

8/10 - personal bias

Alice Cooper - Pretties For You

Every band starts somewhere, and in the Sixties you could get signed to a label with the intensions of being able to grow. Someone would see something in a band that could be nurtured, and in many cases exploited. In the case of Alice Cooper, it was Frank Zappa and the label that allowed the original Alice Cooper Group to take root and grow.

Let me be clear about two things with this album. It is an album for those that consider themselves true Alice Cooper fans, or for people that are a fan of sixties Experimental Rock. This is like listening to early Pink Floyd, or the Beatles' raw demos from the psychedelic period, or early Frank Zappa even. This is just one of those kind of albums.

Titanic Overture opens the album up with a keyboard/organ number that is pretty cool. It's creepy, ominous, haunting, and has just the right amount of chill to it. It then moves into a piano piece that fades out.

It starts getting all weird and experimental and Noise Rock on 10 Minutes Before The Worms. This is totally for a certain kind of person. On the experimental noise side of things, it's pretty cool.

Sing Low, Sweet Cheerio is musically cool. It's hard to believe that it's the same band as the last track. If you can get over the sounds of the prodution which suffers in part due to when it was recorded, it's a really decent track. Also, to be honest the vocalist which was then listed as Vincent Furnier sounds kind of shitty. But seriously, musically this is really damn sound. What stands out to me the most in this song is Neil Smith's drumming. I would love to have heard it recorded with the amount of tracks available today.

The rawness of Today Muller is what holds this song back. It's a song that was way ahead of it's time and would be a great starting point for a band to expand on in this day and age.

Living is the first song on the album that the average listener could get into. This could have easily been a radio single. This is a track I would have expected from The Monkees, middle era Beatles, many of the West Coast psychedelic bands, but really well done.

Fields Of Regret is another song that suffers from not having the time of being further developed, or having better recording equipment. This is one of those tracks that could have been a huge favourite of the underground circuit if it had had the chance to be produced the same as Black Juju, which came out only two years later. However, one could argue that Black Juju pretty much was this song rearranged.

No Longer Umpire is one of those songs that started in the early days and continued into the first studio album, and probably should have been. It's just one of those songs that comes across as a first song ever written.

There was an Alice Cooper song I saw a very early promo video for, and I spent forever trying to find it. Eventually I came across Levity Ball (Live at the Cheetah) on this album and I couldn't understand why the studio version wasn't used. I still don't get why a proper version of this song wasn't released. I heard a demo that made me understand a little, but it pisses me off because there's a version on an unofficial release called Live At The Whiskey A-Go-Go which is fantastic. But instead, this album has some piss poor live recording. It really bugs me because this song is awesome. I love the lyrics even. So much poetry. "I got my invitation to the annual levity ball / Seeing the location is within the mirrored room / Walking in my room I found I had nothing to find / I got into my evening wear and left my clothes behind / I sat down on the stairway seven hours at a time / Writing all of this poetry that I knewq would never rhyme / The memory I knew I must have had when I came in / Was of some varied places where I've never ever been / And then in came a cake all decorated in my name / With four paper brown candles are all spelling out this name / The clock was passing out from time to time I saw it all / The beginning of the ending of my first levity ball".

I'm in the middle with B.B. On Mars. It's one of those early sounding songs that should have stayed that way, but on the other hand it does seem well developed. It's a song for those that like it raw.

If you read my review for Billion Dollar Babies you will already know the future story of Reflected, and how it would evolve into one of the great songs of the seventies, it started off here in rough and raw style. I honestly still really dig this track, and would have loved to have heard a version of it fully remastered to the fullest degree.

Apple Bush is a little too Rainbows and Unicorns kind of Hippy Rock for me. I mean this track is interesting, but not my cup of tea.

Earwigs To Eternity is a song that suffers from a lack of proper development. I think if it had been put into the hands of Bob Ezrin for a little time it could have become something a little more interesting. I can't really suggest this one to anyone other than the fans.

Okay, it's clear with Changing Arranging that the band understood from day one that an album needs to be closed out just right, and if it's hard and heavy that's all that much better. I really wish Dennis Dunaway's bass was pushed further ahead in the mix, and the drums were mic'd better, but it would have given this song a fuller sound that would have been killer. This is a track that Bob should have pushed to redo with the band later.

All in all this album is actully pretty decent for it's time. I really think some of these songs should have been given a second life in Bob Ezrin's producer hands later on. Maybe as a bonus album to the original Greatest Hits album, if it could have been done.

7/10 - content

6/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias

Rammstein - Made In Germany

The reviews I hate writing the most are Rammstein reviews, and that's because I feel that I can never do them justice. For starters, I don't know the language, for which I am sorry, so I have to rely on internet translations. There are some exceptions to that rule, those being songs with English lyrical content, and any track found on the video collection Lichtspielhaus. If you put on the subtitles, you can get the English lyrics to those songs. My son taught me that trick, after he stole my DVD a few times.

However, it's in trying to translate the songs to English where I feel I cause the most damage in my reviews. Those are German words and they are meant to be German words, and sometimes other languages, because that is how Till Linderman delivers his amazing operatic style. I'm not talking about the high soaring vocal stylings of Bruce Dickinson. This is more like a classic Viking or Barbarian Warlord singing of his pain and pleasure and triumphs and failures. I don't need to know the words to let them take me away.

As for the album Made In Germany, it's a best of I picked up for my son for his birthday. I own all the albums and didn't need this one, but my kid sure is happy to have it. Which makes me happy.

Engel leads off the album. This is a good song, but never one of my favourites. I understand why it's on here, but I would have personally thrown it in the middle of the album and opened with the next track instead.

If I had been in charge of selecting the lead off track to this album it would have been Links 234. First off, it's quick, and it has such a steady gripping marching rhythm that it instantly pulls you into the album.

I've never been able to make up my mind about Kein Lust. Part of me loves the track, and enjoys politely banging my head at a gentle nod, while the other part of me will skip it and move on to something I enjoy a little more.

The first song on this album I find truly powerful is Mein Teil. Musically it has a little of everything. Tempo changes, vocal changes, dynamic fluctuations and fantastic timing are all perfectly spread through this song. The constant build ups to the pre chorus and chorus are top notch, while the explosion delivered during the mentioned sections gets the heart pounding and the fist pumping.

If you know any song from Rammstein it's most likely Du Hast. This was the song that truly opened the band up to the North American mainstream. I know the language barrier hasn't helped in the U.S., even though the band does have a strong following there. I personally found that Canadians tend to be more accepting, but no where near as accepting as much of Europe. To be honest I'd rather see Rammstein in Germany where they can do a proper stage show than see a tamed down one in North America. As for the song in question, it's a good track to get you pumped, but I would compare it using the idea of songs one might find on Iron Maiden's self titled album compared to tracks that would be found on Number Of The Beast. Fast, furious, but minimalistic and not as lyrically in depth as songs that were released later.

I often wonder is Du Riechst So Gut has become one of my son's favourite songs, just because of how much he loves singing the English lyrics in a sly mocking manner.

Ich Will has been one of my favourite Rammstein tracks since I first heard it. I love the sound and production on this track. I love the delicate textured layering of the instruments and the way the keyboard is being sprinkled through out the entire song. Christian "Flake" Lorenz may be the most underlooked member of the band when it comes to the actual music. His textures and sounds add so much flavour to so many of this band's songs.

It was only inevitable that eventually the band would try to get more and more orhestrated, and they show that with full luxurious style on Mein Herz Brennt. There's a full sounding string section that powers off the choruses while the verse tends to stay more to accoustic sounds, and then during the pick up leading into the chorus the band turns it up to eleven.

The album finally slows down and gets real mellow dramatic when Mutter starts up. This is a very slow and pretty song when it first starts. Musically it's like a music box with a ballerina in it, if it was played by a full band. The chorus reminds me of a warriors mournful howl for their fallen comrade, and pretty much the only word spoken during those choruses is "Mutter", which you can't help but sing along to.

I don't want to say that Pussy is one of my favourite Rammstein songs, but it really is. I love the complete and utter hilarity of this song. The way that they mock English speaking women, and their obsession with bad boy foreigners is just genious. At least that's how I take it. If I were the same dumb ass kid that got into Rammstein I would love this song for the cheap reasons msot people do. It's fast, fun, and all kinds of dirty.

Rosenrot is only the second song on the album that I could either take or leave. It's not a bad song by any means, but I think it's one of those ones that suffers because of the language barrier.

Halfisch is full of so much fun and bouncy energy. This song is like some German beer polka meets the heavy depths of Metal, with a little whimsical texturing for the tongue in cheek fun. It's also a really good pick up after Rosenrot, and is an even better warm up for the next track.

I hate to come off sounding anti-American but I do have a bias towards them, which is why I love Amerika so much. I love it even more when you think about how popular this song got in the U.S. because Rammstein was using English lyrics, even though those lyrics were meant to be mocking. "We're all living in Amerika / Amerika ist wunderbar / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika / Amerika / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika ist wunderbar / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika / Amerika / Wenn getanzt wird will ich führen / Auch wenn ihr euch alleine dreht / Lasst euch ein wenig kontrollieren / Ich zeige euch wie's richtig geht / Wir bilden einen lieben Reigen / Die Freiheit spielt auf allen Geigen / Musik kommt aus dem Weißen Haus / Und vor Paris steht Mickey Maus / (We're all living in Amerika) / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika ist wunderbar / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika / Amerika / Ich kenne Schritte die sehr nützen / Und werde euch vor Fehltritt schützen / Und wer nicht tanzen will am Schluss / Weiß noch nicht dass er tanzen muss / Wir bilden einen lieben Reigen / Ich werde euch die Richtung zeigen / Nach Afrika kommt Santa Claus / Und vor Paris steht Mickey Maus / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika ist wunderbar / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika / Amerika / We're all living in Amerika / Coca-Cola, Wonderbra / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika / Amerika / This is not a love song / This is not a love song / I don't sing my (mother's) tongue / No, this is not a love song / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika ist wunderbar / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika / Amerika / We're all living in Amerika / Coca-Cola, sometimes war / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika / Amerika ". I especially love the part where he says "This is not a love song". That mixed with the chanting that's like a fucked up paraody of It's A Small World from the Disney World theme park, makes this song so much humorous fun.

Sonne was the very first Rammstein song that made me look at the band as serious contenders in the grand scheme of music. While every song from this German powerhouse group tends to be as heavy as Led Zeppelin's Kashmir, Metallica's Thing That Should Not Be, or Iron Butterfly's Heavy, this song is full of so much emotion that the heavy only gets deeper and darker. This song is the true description of beautiful Metal.

Take everything I just said about Sonne and then make it into the epic sound genious of the already mentioned Kashmir, or Metallica's Orion (if it had words), or Iron Maiden's Fear Of The Dark and you get Ohne Dich. This song is the perfect way to cap off all the already widely avaiable material.

Mein Land was released specifically as new material for this album. It's an okay track, but not how I would have ended the album. I really think ending the album with this track makes it seem very last minute, which the song does enough on it's own anyway.

All in all this is a pretty good collection. I think it represents the band decently. To be honest this could have easily been a double album, and maybe it should have been. I can think of five or six songs that should have been on here, two of which were actually singles, and that's just off the top of my head. But if you have never owned anything Rammmstein and don't want to go and pick up every album, as you really should, then you can go with Made In Germany and rest easy that you made a good choice to start with.

8/10 - content

8/10 - production

9/10 - personal bias

Shocker - No More Mr. Nice Guy - The Music

In 1989 Wes Craven released a movie called Shocker. The idea behind it was kind of interesting, but on the whole it kind of came off as a second rate Nightmare On Elm Street. Along with the movie came a soundtrack, that for reasons that only my friends can understand, and Alice Cooper fans could half ass respect, I traded Zeppelin IV for years later. Early in the summer of 1995, which makes a difference when it comes to one of these songs.

A friend of mine from an area of Quebec called Saddlebrook, which is a sub section of Saint-Lazare, by the name of John, traded me this copy of a CD that I would define as being rare for obvious reasons. As I go along I will explain why I traded for this disc. I'll also explain why I have only one friend that could love this disc more than me.

Let me start by saying Desmond Child was the music supervisor for the movie. He also co-wrote most, if not all, of the original material on this album. I'm sure that my buddy Pat is already sporting a little chub upon reading this. I should also warn you good sir (Pat) that most of this review will be directed at you.

The album opens with Shocker which is chocked full of late 1980's creepy ambiance, as well as vocals by both Desmond Child and Paul Stanley. I mean this thing is produced to be Arena Rock greatness. Then you have to add in drums by Tommy Lee, Rudy Sarzo on Bass and guitars by Vivian Campbell and Guy Mann-Dude. I'm not sure why there was a need to put some big uplifting section into the track, but why the hell not. It's 1989 and people dig that shit. I think I need to make a copy of this album for you to enjoy Pat, you would really love The Dudes Of Wrath.

Iggy Pop and a song called Love Transfusion makes total sense, but this sounds totally like a left over from the keyboard heavy section of Alice Cooper's Trash album. Thank you Desmond Child. In all honesty this one isn't that bad.

When I first traded for this album I had no clue Megadeth would be releasing Hidden Treasures in July of 1995. I traded for the album in late June, I believe. So, getting a copy of No More Mr. nice Guy covered by Megadeth seemed like a pretty big deal to me at the time, it was like one of those hidden gem kind of finds. It's a great cover and I love the way Mustaine handles the song.

Okay, Pat, this next song is totally for you. Bonfire's Sword And Stone is so damn fucking powerful and rockin' and you will sing along with this bitch and love it. Totally serious dude. Okay, the lyrics might be a little cheese, but I don't give a shit. This is that crazy arena shit mainlining cocaine.

You want power ballad, well, here you go. I give you the mother of power ballads. Sandi Saraya belts out Timeless Love so carazily that it causes the computer to start skipping and can't continue broadcasting an audio signal. I kid you not.

Next we move on to the reason I had to have this album. Shockdance which features Alice Cooper rapping. I fucking shit you not. One could argue it's spoken word, and I could be one of those, but this piece is fucking so awesomely cheesy that as I listen to this I bang my head, and want to go out killing. "He drags his foot and he clutches his knife / As the people in the city wait in fear for their life / He's a maniac, heart attack, wired to kill / A cold blooded lunatic, hungry for a thrill / Love is the victim in the world gone bad / Hate is like nitro when you're stark raving mad / Electrocute, execute his evil is relentless / Repentless, senseless, and you're defenless / In the name of the fater, in the name of the son / This unholy ghost has only just begun / Bless our souls when we take a last breath / Deliver us from evil in this valley of death / Shockdance, hey! Shockdance, hey! / Stone cold monster of the man / Half Jack the Ripper, a pinch of Son of Sam / Gashes, slashes, he's malicious and vicious / He's a killing machine and he never does the dishes / Once I'm inside you. Im gonna smoke you, / I'll choke you, he's gonna croak you / "Pinker the stinker" the headlines begin / The on the scene reporter says he's gonna do you in / In the name of the fater, in the name of the son / This unholy ghost has only just begun / Bless our souls when we take a last breath / Deliver us from evil in this valley of death / He's a shocker, a rocker. he's a heavy metal mean / unjustifiable, combustible his blood is kerosene / Throw away your guns, forget about mace / 'cos now he's on TV, right in front of your face / Shockdance, hey! Shockdance, hey! / When I was born / I was born a bad seed / Everybody cut me down / Now I'm making them bleed". The other vocalist on this track is the dude that plays Horace Pinker. The band is once again The Dudes Of Wrath.

Okay, at this point I have to admit this album is so fucking horribly cool it's going into the CD player when I reload it. My son will probably think it's some killer new album. Hell, this might warrant a follow up article.

Demon Bell (The Ballad Of Horace Pinker) is so fucking Metal! I mean this is some of that crazy ass Dungeons & Dragons Metal. Oh, and if you know bands that you only know because you remember a very specific time in music, Dangerous Toys may ring a bell. Drew, stop laughing. No, seriously stop laughing. Matt you too.

Voodoo X anyone? Come on I want to hear it for Voodoo X and their smash hit The Awakening! I shit you not, there's no reason this song couldn't have been a hit, if this soundtrack had gone somewhere. Oh wait, there was a band that did this kind of thing, they were called Whitesnake. I mean seriously this is a band that totally was inspired by Whitesnake and Today would be able to cash in on camp value.

Different Breed from Dead On follows that up. Okay, this band reminds me of Annihilator. I mean this is some serious head banging shit that's bitching crazy. This track cements it. This album is so going in the CD player. Holy crap, Desmond is a damn artist as a producer. This album has been way too under valued. "He sees himself apart from you and I / Is he from down below,or is he from the sky / They've got their eyes on you / Patrolling what you do / They only want to govern your soul / Now your time has come to stand, / Fight or run / No,you can't chosse you'll lose / Now the real test begins to see if good or evil wins / You can't change the hands of fate / You're locked in tight ,you see your might / You can escape what can't be real / Now your time has come to stand / Or fight or run / No, you can t choose ,you fucking loser / Breed different breed / Breed different breed / His eyes burn through you, it's time to go / On your little red vacation down below / You enter a new state of mind, no help / from a prayer / Little do you know,you ll entered the demons liar / No,you can t chosse you ll lose / Breed different breed / Breed different breed".

Shocker (Reprise) finishes off the album, and this is that big happy, shiny, rainbows and kittens part of Shocker, that I didn't understand in the first place, but picture that cranked up to eleven. I mean seriously Desmond Child hit the true eleven, and the soloing is awesome. I mean the solo being buried under that heavenly chorus is jaw dropping. This is pure studio wizardry at it's most amazing.

Dude (Pat) seriously, if we currently owned and operated our own version of Wheels, this disc would get played on a Thursday night or something like that. I mean this is some serious stuff that would throw people for a loop if introduced now. It would blow minds.

Realistically speaking this album is a production dream, and I would love to try and make it become the most sought after album, and become some type of cult classic, but I don't think it will happen. But it should be. This album is an album you need to own for no reason at all except for that it needs to be owned and used to fill out the perfect 1989 night. That being said I really have no clue what to rate the content. No clue at all.

?/10 - content

10/10 - production

10/10 - personal bias

Madonna - The Confessions Tour

So, it's Saturday morning, closing in on noon, and Andria and I are starting out the day. I have a monster list of reviews I want to write, and she wanted something to sing while she makes brunch. Which means I am now writing a review for The Confessions Tour.

I am not a Madonna fan and I will take some cheap shots at her in this review, however I've watched the concert and it was amazing. I give the woman her props and totally respect her as a showman. I also respect her artistry. The way she has many of the songs on this live show reworked is fantastic. It creates a fantastic story of sorts. You don't quite get the full effect with the audio cd, but what are you going to do?

The album opens with Future Lovers / I Feel Love. To me this is an over extended music loop. This is something that would go over great at raves, gay clubs, or bars that no self respecting straight white male would want to be at(this is coming from a guy that is a fan of the original Melrose Place). It's fucking awesome to watch live, but has you questioning why it needs to be so long when you listen to it.

That being said, I even want to bop around the house to the Disco inspired reinterpretation of Like A Virgin. It's fun, it's bouncey, it's all well performed musically. There are musicians that do perform on these songs, or at least they make it look that way.

It's when the next song starts that you really hear what's going on. Jump which is a club kind of track originally, even get's a musical vibe change to "Disco" it out. It's still very dance club for my liking, but it's easy to figure out why so many people enjoy it.

Next up is Confessions. This is a gripping and moving piece of musical art. It contains various spoken word pieces with different people saying "confessions", which are set to music. I have no clue if this was done for just this tour, or if this had been on an album, but for artistic purposes of an album, it works as a fantastic interlude kind of piece. However, that doesn't mean I don't skip it when given a chance.

Next up is a song that gets stuck in your head, Isaac. This is a really cool song, and you can hear how it grabs the audience and get's them moving. I love all the different musical variations on this track as well. It get's a little too dance club sounding for me, but whatcha goin' ta do, girls wanna dance and sing, and boys wanna watch and smile. I should also mention that this song does seem to really run on for a while. I'm thinking it was meant for users of E, or maybe other stimulants.

I only know Sorry from this album. I just had to check which album this was originally on, because I had no clue. But I've heard this version so many times now that I guess I just know it like it's the original, which I've never heard.

Then there's the Sorry (Remix). Skip it. This should have been left off the album.

Madonna doing a song called I Love New York makes total sense. Madonna pretending to be a guitarist on the song is a joke. Also, I don't get the need to preserve such a cheap shot at George Bush. Sure I think he's the hand puppet of Satan (not really), but that's saying that people can go to Texas and suck his dick is just silly to keep on CD.

Let It Will Be is a nifty little tune. It will help you get your groove on. It feels a little long and repetitive to me, but what you going to do.

For the next song we are treated to a bunch of radio channels switching until we get to the music. Disco Inferno meets Madonna's Music. It works. It works really well. I honesty dig the song Disco Inferno, so the fact that it's used as the new main riff to a tune I normally don't care for is a great mash-up, before mash-up's were really a thing, and Madonna was doing it live. My props to you.

I find a lot of the songs on this album run long, but when you watch the live show you don't notice it at all. I really do think that this album could have greatly benefitted from some editing. I understand preserving the artistic integrity, plus it allows the music to get a little spot light, but in a lot of cases I find it drags out, which prevents other song from being included. At the minimum with a little editing they could have snuck La Isla Bonita into there as well.

I'm not a fan of Erotica, which is the next song. It's one of those songs that's just too Dance for me.

There are four songs on this album I can sing along to; Like A Virgin, Music Inferno (because of a cover by a group called Out Of Your Mouth), Lucky Star and Hung Up. Those last two are the last two songs on this album. Lucky Star is Lucky Star on Disco extended jam. It's enjoyable.

Hung up is honestly a great album closer even though it drags on for ever. It's one of those songs that works great in concert, but has you asking "Why does it drag on for so long?" Then Madonna answers with "Time goes by / So Slowly" over and over again. You work the crowd Madonna. You work that crowd like the artistic porn merchant that you are. I mean that in the most sincerly flattering way possible.

Would I ever own this album without Andria's intervention? Hell no! Would I have ever seen the concert without her? Probably not, but who knows. It was played on Network Television. But let's be clear that just because this music for the most part just really isn't my thing. Doesn't mean it doesn't deserve some respect, though.

8/10 - content

8/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias