Every once in a while, you just have to buy an album for one song!
Never mind that Randy Newman’s classic “I Love L.A.” isn’t on the CD, even though it was the most memorable song in the Bean movie. Included instead is “I Love L.A.” as performed by…O.M.C.! Remember him? “How Bizarre”! His one hit had expired and I guess somebody thought they could re-work the “magic” on “I Love L.A.”. Maybe because both guys have a kind of flat voice, somebody assumed it would work. It does not! Why this would have been recorded, instead of simply using the Newman classic, I have no idea at all.
NOT INCLUDED.
You can also safely skip Boyzone (boy band crap but at least with a 70’s groove), somebody just called “Louise” (70’s-sounding easy listening), Thomas Jules Stock (barf-inducing pop), another person just called “Gabrielle” (60’s sounding soul), “Blair” (really stinky rap), and Code Red (saccharine soul pop). Some of these tracks aren’t even in the movie. If you want to hear some soul or funk, just put on an actual album by an original artist.
Songs you may want to give a moment to listen to include the campy 80’s classic “Walking on Sunshine” (Katrina and the Waves). You never know when you might need that song in a collection. Another good one to have is “I Get Around”, the original surf classic by the Beach Boys. From 1964, the Boys were in perfect voice, singing Brian Wilson’s genius melodies. Unfortunately it is interrupted in the fade by Peter MacNicol with movie dialogue. There are a number of tracks with this issue. Wet Wet Wet do a surprisingly decent version of “Yesterday” (in the movie, sung by Peter MacNicol). It’s too sweet and shopping market ready, but hey: it’s “Yesterday”. Movie dialogue spoils this one too, at the start of the track. Why do that? I’m not familiar with the Wet Wet Wet discography, but this song does seem to be exclusive to the soundtrack (or at least was at the time). What a way to ruin a track for the fans.
Worth noting is loop-laden “Stuck in the Middle With You” by Susanna Hoffs. This funky version is worth having for Hoffs fans, but everyone else can safely stick with the Steeler’s Wheels original. Also fun is “Art for Art’s Sake”, the 1975 original by art-rock band 10cc. In the movie, Mr. Bean works at an art gallery. Get the connection?
So what’s the one song I bought this album for? A rarity.
Back in 1992, Bruce Dickinson was working on solo material with the UK band Skin. The album would eventually become Balls to Picasso, but it was a long way getting there. I’m not sure what led Bruce to Mr. Bean. Divine intervention perhaps? Two of England’s finest exports had to meet, I suppose, and when they did, they covered “Elected” by Alice Cooper. This was done for a music video coinciding with the general election that year. As a final track, the Bean soundtrack reissued this hard to find single. Bruce sings the vocals rather straight, very raspy, very much like his 1990 No Prayer for the Dying voice. Rowan Atkinson in character as Mr. Bean reviews his campaign promises between Bruce’s growls. “To help the Health Service, I promise never to get ill.” Other promises include stopping everyone in Dover from going to the toilet (cutting pollution). “I’m the nice one in the tweed jacket,” he says. “Well it was a present actually.”
I’m a Mr. Bean fan, but there is little of appeal on this CD. After all, Mr. Bean’s gimmick is that he rarely speaks. Therefore, the movie dialogue stuff isn’t necessary. It’s a shame they ruined tracks by putting dialogue on the fades. If they had included the Randy Newman track, I might’ve been able to bump this CD up by half a star.
1/5 stars
Sorry Mr. Bean. Your CD gets the dreaded Flaming Turd!
Joe Varga and crew started off as a Toronto-area thrash metal band. There was a thriving thrash scene in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and Varga’s contribution were songs like “Mad Scientist” and “Shark Attack”. They released an indi album (cassette only) called Multiple Wargasms. As the 90’s progressed, Varga established a prototypical industrial metal direction, something perfectly mundane today, but new for the time. Like some bizarre cross between thrash metal and ZZ Top, Varga attempted to bridge the gap between machine and man. They signed to BMG and got David Bendeth to produce them, who had just worked his magic with Sven Gali.
Varga’s major label debut was called Prototype. As promised, it boasts a mixture of metal and industrial. Live drums, guitars and bass mix are augmented with samples and loops. While Varga embraced technology, it didn’t seem fully incorporated into the music. The songs are, for the most part, metal tracks with samples and effects added for embellishment. Varga took the unusual step of listing everybody that inspired them in the credits. Metal outnumbers industrial bands by 12-2. Pornography had more influence on Varga than Nine Inch Nails and Ministry, according to this!
When it works, it works. “Greed” is a prime example. Had it been a typical fast-forward thrash metal song, it still would have been good. The electronics and looped rhythms turbo-charge the whole thing. “Freeze Don’t Move” seems built around the loops, and features rapping and a sung chorus. Hearing it today, I think “Hello, Linkin Park!” But there was no Linkin Park in 1993. These two tracks were the singles, and they are easily the best two songs on the album. Additionally, “Freeze Don’t Move” was remixed and extended by somebody called “KRASH” (all caps). The original is all you need, but the remix is included as a CD-only bonus track. (Quaint concept today!)
Prototype chugs along, like a finely tuned streamlined machine. The musicianship is fine and dandy; Varga did not forsake guitar solos and there are several hot ones to choose from, not to mention diverse moments of instrumental brilliance. “The Strong”, “Unconscience”, “Thief”, “Self Proclaimed Messiah” and “Wawnah Mère” are pretty good, and “Bring The Hammer Down” is galvanized metallic. Recommended for metal historians and fans of the industrial metal sound.
DEE SNIDER’S S.M.F.s – Live / Twisted Forever (1997 Pulse)
When Twisted Sister split in 1987, I don’t think anybody ever really expected there to be enough demand for a reunion. How wrong we were! During the downtime when the band was acrimoniously separated, Dee Snider carried on with a low-key solo career. Widowmaker’s Blood & Bullets (featuring Al Pitrelli and Joey Franco) was heavy as fuck even compared to early Twisted Sister, but failed to make any sales impact.
A few years later (1995), Dee went on the road with the S.M.F.s (Sick Mutha Fuckers, of course) playing nothing but classic Twisted Sister. It went almost completely unnoticed, but a live album (recorded raw, straight to two track tape) was recorded and released as Twisted Forever. This hard to find disc is well worth having. Dee played a variety of Twisted material, some of which you’ll probably never hear live again. It was a surprisingly good album on some fly by night label, and an easy must-have for any Twisted fan that finds it in good shape.
Just like the good old days at the Marquee in England, Dee opened with “What You Don’t Know (Sure Can Hurt You)”, one of the fastest tunes in the Twisted catalogue. Only the true fan will realize by listening alone that the band is not Twisted Sister. I don’t know any of these guys, but they are more than up to the task. As for Dee, the year may as well be 1981 for all the ferocity he pours into every shriek and every scream. With a double shot of early Sister, “The Kids Are Back” lives up to its name, and the crowd are behind Dee 100 fucking percent. “Stay Hungry” only gets them going more and more. The audio quality is good enough for rock n’ roll. Think of it as a great bootleg, a desk mix. You can hear the bass clearly, not always true for bootlegs, and the vocals are clear as a bell. What is also clear is that this is 100% live.
Dee Snider never changes and there is plenty of time for lightning-fast stage rants! “Am I in your way? Oh that’s OK, now the fucking BEER comes through here! NO! This is my fucking stage, do me a favour, and get the fuckin’ beer off the stage!” Then, “Yes, but I’ve mellowed with fuckin’ age. No I haven’t!” It’s true, though his schtick is probably at least partly done because it’s expected of him. (Later, he does a Cornholio impression, and rips into Al Gore. Ah, the 1990’s!) Dee even does some of the same song intros, such as “Destroyer”. “You got hands! Use ’em!” screams Dee as the riff begins. Now you can bring that tough New York street vibe into your living room.
Hit after hit, and fan favourites galore, Twisted Forever is especially desirable for some more obscure songs. 1985’s Come Out and Play was the album that more or less did Sister in. Dee can’t seem to remember when he recorded it (1987 he says). The Come Out and Play medley is an eight minute stream of tunes includes parts of the title track, “Leader of the Pack”, “I Believe in Rock ‘N’ Roll” and “Be Chrool to Your Scuel”. A little bit later in the set is the awesome “Wake Up (The Sleeping Giant)” from 1987’s controversial Love is For Suckers. Dee says they do those tunes due to relentless demand from the fans. I believe it: “Sleeping Giant” is one of those hard rock songs that should have been a classic. All these tunes are heavier than the somewhat limp album versions, and Dee could still hit all the notes.
I think Twisted Sister is a band that were always better than people assumed they were. Their new film, We Are Twisted Fucking Sister, demonstrated just how driven they actually were, with care and craft put into their reckless music. These are songs that might not be known to the masses, but should be. I’d rather hear “You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll” on the radio than the oft-played “We’re Not Gonna Take It”. There is so much emotion on this album. At one point, Dee stops to tell the crowd, “I’d appreciate it, if everybody would stop smiling for the next 30 minutes or so. You’re making it very hard for me to act mean on stage.” This particular moment is from a home gig in Long Island, and it sounds like a family reunion of the twisted kind. The climax of the CD is Twisted’s signature ballad “The Price”, and Dee didn’t even need to sing, the crowd could have done it all for him. All that’s left after a song like that is “S.M.F.”, over and out!
For my money you can’t beat a good raw live album recorded in a small club. Twisted Forever delivers. It might not be Twisted Sister…but when I listen to it I honestly don’t care!
I haven’t reviewed much of my Savatage collection, and the reason for this is actually their fault. There are so many different versions with different bonus tracks that I cannot keep any of it straight. I have no idea what I have or what I’m missing at this point concerning bonus tracks. I like to be thorough when reviewing an album, providing some commentary on all the different tracks available. In Savatage’s case, I give up. I can’t keep up with the bonus tracks, but I’m going to review the albums anyway. Streets: A Rock Opera is the Savatage album closest to my metal heart. And that means it’s Epic Review Time!
SAVATAGE – Streets: A Rock Opera (1991, 2002 Steamhammer remaster)
The origins of Savatage did little to hint at what they could become. Little more than a thrash band with remarkable riffs and throat, Savatage truly began to grow when they hooked up with producer/co-writer Paul O’Neill. He had already been working on an idea for a musical called Gutter Ballet. Savatage liked his ideas; singer Jon Olivia used the title for his song “Gutter Ballet” (unrelated), after being inspired by Phantom of the Opera. Their next project was determined to be the O’Neill musical, which now needed a new title: Streets (with Ghost in the Ruins being O’Neill’s preferred, un-used title). One song was already used: “When the Crowds are Gone” was recorded by Savatage for their 1989 LP. Other songs would also have to be trimmed, such as “Desirée”, and “This is Where We Should Be” which later emerged as bonus tracks elsewhere.
A children’s choir opens the title track “Streets”, before the tinkling of creepy piano. “Streets” acts as introduction to the story, setting the scene with Jon Olivia as your narrator. The song turns very metal to let us know this story is going to be a heavy one. “These streets never sleep, still they never wake,” goes the ominous tune. Jon’s brother, guitarist Criss Oliva, rips up and down the neck for a solo section that evokes hope instead of fear. I feel chills on my arms.
Streets contains very little dialogue. A man begging for a quarter introduces himself. “I ain’t no bum or nothin’. I used to live uptown once before too you know.” He lights up a cigarette. Lots of characters down here. But there was one character who made it out of here: D.T. Jesus. He was a drug dealer, “Downtown Jesus”, or “Detox” to his friends. Streets is his story, and this is the intro to “Jesus Saves”.
“Jesus Saves”…
The interesting thing about “Jesus Saves” is that there is an alternate version out there that wasn’t used, called “DT Jesus”. Lyrically it’s identical, but musically it’s gospel rock. Don’t ask me to choose a favourite; I can’t. The gospel version has an incredible power that the album version, “Jesus Saves”, does not. However Savatage are a metal band, and even if this is a rock opera, “Jesus Saves” works better for a metal album. It’s exactly what is needed for the start of this album: a short, hard shot right in the face, guitars exotically dancing and Jon Oliva shrieking the best he can. D.T. Jesus may have been a low-life, but that wasn’t his future. “Bought himself a cheap guitar, started playing bars, kids came in their cars.”
…and “DT Jesus”. Which do you prefer?
Fame comes. T-shirts, radio interviews, headline concerts. It was not to last for D.T. Jesus. “He started missing shows, the band came down to blows, but Jesus just didn’t care.” Even when he quits the band, his fame won’t disappear. The story of the musician who could not kick his demons resonated with Jon Oliva who went through his fair share of powders and pills before Streets. There are probably several kernals of truth within his vocals and that is one thing that makes Streets so unforgettable.
“Tonight He Grins Again” refers to the monkey on his back: addiction. “Still he is my only friend, and tonight he grins again.” The power in this piano/metal hybrid is undeniable. During the quiet passages, Oliva’s voice quavers; then he shouts hauntingly on the choruses. Mid-tempo guitars kick in for “Strange Reality”, and the story begans to turn. Jesus sees a filthy man on the streets. “That could be me,” he begins to think to himself. Is it a sign or a warning? D.T. comes to this realization and then begins a confessional on “A Little Too Far”. A pretty piano ballad like “A Little Too Far” may seem out of place, but it is only the first of several. “A Little Too Far” is very special, raw and penetrating. Towards the end it lightens up, and this is my favourite verse on the whole album:
“And who’s to say what it’s about, When John Wayne caught the last train out? And Spock and Kirk have had enough, And no-one’s left to beam me up?…”
Drummer Steve “Doc” Wacholz used to play with a United Federation of Planets banner on his bass drum.
The mood lightened, D.T. Jesus goes for a comeback. “You’re Alive” is the most “pop-metal” of all the songs, like Sava-Journey, indicating this is it: this is D.T.’s moment. “The crowd they came in just to see a man back from the dead.” Triumphant hard rock it is, victorious and fist-pounding. But it’s too soon for a happy ending. “You’re Alive” ends abruptly. Enter: Sammy.
“Sammy and Tex” is old-school Motor-metal. The heavy chug interrupts the celebration. Oliva screams rapid-fire from the left speaker, as the character of Sammy, an old acquaintance from the drug days. He’s come looking for an old drug debt: $30,000, plus interest: “Now I would have said duck it, but with the money by the bucket, I hear you’re raking in…” A struggle ensues, but D.T.’s manager Tex hears the commotion and enters the room. Sammy pulls a knife, and Tex is dead.
Musically, “Sammy and Tex” is the most hard core Savatage metal on the album. Shreddery and riffs collide with the kind of speed metal tempos that they mastered on their earliest albums. Relentless and without pause, “Sammy and Tex” perfectly accompanies the words. The struggle is over in a blur. Sammy makes a run for it leaving D.T. with Tex’s dead body.
The first side of the album closes with the sorrowful “St. Patrick’s”. Not knowing where to turn, D.T. enters St. Patrick’s church, begging for answers. The statues and paintings provide no answers. “Surely, you must care, or are you only air?” asks D.T. in frustration. The music turns dramatic, and then explodes as D.T. breaks down. He then apologizes for his outburst: “Didn’t mean to doubt what it’s all about, seems I forgot my place. But if you find the time, please change the storyline.”
Side two opens in a different mood, a dreamy landscape of echoey drum bursts and light guitars. “Can You Hear Me Now” drops a heavy Criss Oliva riff at the halfway mark and then it starts to rip. D.T. Jesus seems haunted by people from his past as he tries to fall asleep. Hitting the streets again, “New York City Don’t Mean Nothing” begins as an out-of-place acoustic song. Here we meet some other unsavoury street characters, as the song begins to accelerate. First a fast bass beat, then chunky electric guitars join in and the song blasts off. All sorts of advice is offered to our lead character, but none is really useful.
It sounds like Savatage ripped off the opening guitars from Def Leppard’s “Die Hard the Hunter” on the next track, “Ghost in the Ruins”. I all but expect Joe Elliot’s voice next. It goes heavy instead, painting a picture of the bad side of town at night. D.T. then begins to question what the world would be like if he didn’t exist anymore. Would anybody care? “If I Go Away” goes full-on power ballad mode. It is one of the most powerful songs on the album, anthemic and beautiful, but sad. It has become a bit of a classic to Savatage fans today, often considered among their best ballads.
D.T.’s demons will not die, and the urge to go back to the drugs once again speaks on “Agony and Ecstasy”, the last of the heavy tracks on the album. With a chugging Criss riff, this one blasts like a train fueled by Van Halen (not Van Hagar) albums! “Just remember, if you ever need me…I’m here,” ends the song. Then the story gets a little fuzzy, but thankfully the band included a narrative that helps explain events. The album closes with a trio of piano ballads, each building upon the other to a satisfying climax.
Fair warning here: Much of Savatage’s conceptual music has Christian overtones, but none more obvious than on these three tracks. According to the story, D.T. finds a homeless man in the streets who is dying. D.T. feeds him and clothes him. This would be during the ballad, “Heal My Soul”, the first of the ballad trio. It is based on a Welch lullaby called “Suo Gân”. With just piano and the voice of Oliva, you can imagine D.T. singing this to comfort the man as he passes away. The children’s choir then returns, adding a pretty but haunting quality.
“Believe”
According to the story, D.T. witnesses a luminous spirit emerge from the homeless man, who he follows up several flights of stairs to a roof of a building. On “Somewhere In Time”, D.T. seems to have come to a spiritual realization and confesses all his regrets and mistakes. “I’ve been grasping at rainbows, holding on to the end, but the rain is so real lord, and the rainbows pretend.” The music goes upbeat with a hard rocking middle section, guitars squealing as if possessed by St. Halen himself. Then, finally D.T. opens his heart and gets his answers: “Believe” is the perfect ending to an epic emotional journey. With all the power that Savatage can muster, overblown, dramatic, and pompous, “Believe” ends a rock opera properly. Interestingly, it retains a simply epic section that was lifted directly from “When the Crowds are Gone”, excised from the story when it was used on the Gullet Ballet album. So epic is this segment, that Savatage had to re-use it. Then later, on another Savatage album later in 1994 called Handful of Rain, part of it was re-used again, along with other parts of “Believe”. Its positioning on that album was the same: it was part of the closing track. Only on Handful of Rain, it was on a song called “Alone You Breathe” that was a tribute to Criss Oliva, who was killed by a drunk driver.
“Believe” ends the album on the bright up-note that you want a story to end with, your soul awash with light and musically uplifted. Reading the story and words, it’s really hard to avoid the obvious message. Listening to the music purely as an album, you can probably live life completely ignorant of the story. But as soon as they put A Rock Opera in the title, that makes the listener try to follow along. I think it’s pretty obvious, in the final song “Believe”: “I am the way, I am the light, I am the dark inside the night…” Paul O’Neill, who wrote the musical on which this album was based, is openly Catholic, and there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s nothing wrong with writing what you know and what interests you and what makes you feel something. But some…probably a minority of listeners…just flat out won’t like it. They will consider the call of “I’ll be right there, I’ll never leave, and all I ask is believe,” to be heavy-handed preaching, and fair enough. That’s why I’m putting it out there — for readers to make up their own minds.
A later, Zak Stevens-sung version of “Believe” done acoustically.
So, on to this lovely Steamhammer remaster…with “bonus tracks”.
Two bonus tracks are listed: “Jesus Saves” and “Ghost in the Ruins” live. One issue: There are no bonus tracks on this CD. None. Nada.
There is a recent release with narration between all the songs, and a previously unreleased track called “Larry Elbows”. That’s probably a good one to have. There is a 2011 remaster with unreleased acoustic songs. There was a 1997 release with a Zak Stevens-sung version of the outtake “Desirée”. Or you could go with the original 1991 release if you’re so inclined, because there are more flaws with this Steamhammer package.
One is that all the artwork is blurry in comparison to an original release. The other is that the narrative story isn’t included in the booklet. It was in the original, along with the lyrics. Steamhammer only brought over the lyrics. In compensation, they do include an 11 page (very small print) segment detailing every aspect of the making of this album and the tour that followed. In the end, Jon Oliva resigned from the band, citing exhaustion. His replacement was the young and able Zak Stevens for 1993’s followup Edge of Thorns.
Savatage’s Streets: A Rock Opera was their first full-length concept album, the first of many: Dead Winter Dead, The Wake of Magellan, and Poets and Madman all followed after a brief period of non-conceptual work. That’s some heavy competition, but Streets remains their most passionate.
Now here’s a local success story in the making! Four guys with nine songs headed south to record their debut album in Texas with producer Sterling Winfield, whose name you might recognize. He has Pantera, Damageplan, and Hellyeah albums on his resume, so it seems obvious that A Rebel Few were going for a heavy sound. What they ended up with is one of the best sounding indi heavy rock albums you’ll likely get to hear.
There are Pantera influences, and you can hear some Zakk Wylde too. What sets these guys apart is singer Raposo (just Raposo). He’s more than just another melodic growler. The world is full of those. We have enough. Raposo has depth and control, as well as expression. He can do a smooth voice, not just the growls. He’s world class. He fits the band, who combine shredding with riffs, groove, heavy bass and drums.
All the songs are good, but there are some that really stand out. “A Rebel Few” hits the highway with anti-matter propulsion, so furious it is. Many of the riffs on this album sound Sabbathy in origin, and “Born Again” is one such moment. “Empires Fall” is radio-ready riff rock. There is some seriously good shit on this album, and it’s all crunchy and heavy on the low end. What it lacks in originality, is made up for by the vocals. Listen carefully; you will hear a serious amount of vocal quality that you don’t get out of the general rock herd. When Raposo really gives’er, he almost sounds like a young John Bush.
This album will give you a burst of energy like one of those awful caffeine drinks…but good for you! If you are not air-drumming or air-bassing or air-guitaring along, then you are not doing it right. This review is taking longer than average to write, because you can’t type while you’re furiously air-drumming along with Chris Spiers. As for the air-guitar part, I find lead shredder Barry Marton on his way to developing into a monster. He can play it bluesy, he can play it slick. The raw material is there and you can hear glimmers of depth between the blurs of notes.
The big surprise is saved for last, and it’s a doozy. “Pure Revolution” would be a good title for a speedy rock number, but it’s just the opposite. Touches of piano and light guitar introduce the only power ballad on the album, and it’s a good’er. Maybe calling it a power ballad isn’t right, but it has ballady moments, and also powerful riffs, so why not? There are heavy Dio guitar chugs, but also those quiet spaces where the vocals really get to come out. Either way, it’s a kick-ass song.
Get this CD. Use your fingers, Google the band “A Rebel Few”, and do what you gotta do to get this music in your ears today.
BRANT BJORK – Punk Rock Guilt (2008 Dine Alone Records)
Brant Bjork is one prolific mo-fo. Whether it’s solo or with bands such as the Bros, the Operators, or Ché, Bjork always maintains a high level of quality. Punk Rock Guilt is undoubtedly a solo album. All music was written and performed entirely by Bjork. He’s a talented multi-instrumentalist with a wide variety of influences from all over the music spectrum. When they collide in the grooves of the wax, it’s audio ecstasy.
What’s surprising is that an album called Punk Rock Guilt is loaded with both short songs and long bombers. Maybe that’s the guilt part? Sitar commences the album on an Indian note with “Lion One”, the first of the lengthy tracks. At over 10 minutes, the challenge is to keep things interesting, and Bjork does. When the song settles into a slow bass-heavy groove, I’m immediately reminded of his first excellent solo album Jalamanta. The vocals don’t even kick in until the 3:00 mark, and then with a semi-spoken Lou Reed direction. As a long song of this nature should, it picks up speed come solo time. “Lion One” is outstanding rock as it rises and falls in waves.
The next is the shortest song, “Dr. Special”, and already much rock ground has been covered. “Dr. Special” has a funky 70’s porn soundtrack vibe but heavy and sparse. (This sounds like it’s a lot of fun to play.) Over to “Punk Rock Guilt”, which is surprisingly classic rock. The melodic riffs and catchy vocals give it something in common with Boston, but without leaving the Bjork sound behind.
“This Place (Just Ain’t Our Place)” returns to the Bjork groove, laid back, heavy and probably stoned. There is no lyric sheet included but I’m pretty sure Bjork has returned to one of my favourite lyrical subjects: UFOs! The guitar solo has a spacey sound. On vinyl (a double record set for its total 46 minute length), this closes LP 1. The second record commences with a riff and “Shocked by the Static”. Even though the copy here is a CD, you can hear this is a natural spot for a side break. Lacking any major hooks, the way to enjoy “Shocked by the Static” is to focus on the groove and just air drum along.
The surprise of the album is “Born to Rock”, starting light and airy like some U2 outtake. Clean guitars and Lynott-like vocals do the trick: this is a killer. Contrasting this is “Plant Your Seed” which has Sabbathy guitar tones and a singular groove. Finally it’s another 10 minute tune, “Locked and Loaded”, to finish the album. “It’s a hijack groove, electric boogaloo, and bloodshot eyes are watching you.” Not sure what that means, but the groove is ZZ Top’s from “I Thank You”. Cool vibe on which to end a cool album.
MOTLEY CRUE – 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection (2003 Universal)
As a change of pace, this review focuses not on what is on the album, but what was left off. This 20th Century Masters is more than a little shoddy, as this series can often be. So let’s talk about what it is not.
Too Fast For Love
“Piece of Your Action” is a great little ditty from the debut record Too Fast For Love. What you’re missing though: the speedy single “Live Wire”! It makes little sense to have this one without “Live Wire”.
“Shout at the Devil” and “Too Young to Fall in Love”: Great choices. Both are classic 80’s metal. What you’re missing is hit single “Looks that Kill”. But as Meat Loaf says, two out of three ain’t bad.
“Home Sweet Home” is Motley’s biggest hit ballad ever, but where is the Brownsville Station cover “Smokin’ in the Boys Room”? Can you believe it’s not on here? And it’s not because it’s a cover, because, well, we’ll get there.
Girls, Girls, Girls
The title track makes good sense to include, but why is “All in the Name Of…” on here instead of “Wild Side”? Also missing, but understandably so, is the ballad “You’re All I Need” which never made much impact. “Wild Side” though remained a concert staple to the end, so that’s one you’ll need to find elsewhere.
Dr. Feelgood
There were five singles on this album, and of course you can’t include them all on a 20th Century Masters CD. What you do need are the title track and lead single “Dr. Feelgood”, and obviously “Kickstart My Heart”. “Kickstart” was an explosive statement by the band, proving they were as mighty as ever without the drugs. Those two songs embodied the album, but there’s no “Feelgood” here. Inexplicable! Certainly one of the biggest oversights on this disc.
Great song! Not on this CD!
Decade of Decadence
For reasons that are unexplained and perhaps best left that way, instead of including any of the above better known songs, 20th Century Masters has the far less famed “Rock ‘N’ Roll Junkie”, and Sex Pistols cover “Anarchy in the UK”. “Junkie” is a Feelgood outtake, original released on The Adventures of Ford Fairlane soundtrack in 1990. “Anarchy” was recorded for Motley’s first greatest hits, Decade of Decadence. Neither song is essential, and both are on Decade. Why are they here? “Primal Scream”, which was a powerful single, is a must have. But it’s not here. Yet another song you’d still have to get elsewhere, because it’s awesome and important.
No complaints here. “Hooligan’s Holiday” is included from 1994’s self-titled album with John Corabi on vocals. Nice to see this single represented instead of ignored.
At this point, for a compilation like 20th Century Masters, I don’t think you need to explore the 90’s. But, from 1997’s dreadful Generation Swine comes the title track. Not the minor hit single “Afraid” mind you, but the title track which did nothing and went nowhere. Baffling!
Ending the album with “Hell on High Heels” brought the compilation up to date for its 2003 release date. Unfortunately, there was nothing on New Tattoo worth bringing to the table. Tommy Lee had left and there was a serious dip in quality, even after Generation Swine. Although it was the only Motley album featuring late drummer Randy Castillo, New Tattoo is simply a turd with no songs that are up to snuff. Crappy way to close a pretty crap compilation, though. Motley Crue’s instalment of 20th Century Masters sounds as if it’s a single disc from a double CD compilation, and the other CD’s been lost. Sorry Motley, this CD gets the dreaded Flaming Turd.
There is no doubt that a decade and a half of war has dramatically changed the United States. In 2009, Queensryche decided to deal with their feelings by writing a concept album on the subject. It’s something that they do very well, and American Soldier, the finished product, was another ambitious piece of work. Although the album was mostly written by Geoff Tate and his friends Jason Slater and Kelly Gray, in reality it’s the last good album the band made with Tate.
The band interviewed soldiers for this album, and their words are a huge part of the record. The track “Unafraid” opens like this, creating a hauntingly serious atmosphere. At times, the music is toned down, allowing the dialogue to speak. It’s an interesting effect and certainly it works in creating the mood that the band were going for. I think it is also a token of appreciation to the soldiers who defended the country. They had a chance to speak their minds, and be immortalized in music. That’s pretty cool.
The end result is a good album that is not necessarily easy to listen to. There is no “fun” in this music, it is dead serious the whole way through. The intensity burns and you can hear that Tate was focused like a laser on this project. The songs are fine; not Mindcrime quality but I don’t think that anthemic progressive rock would have fit American Soldier. The single misstep is the vocal by Tate’s daughter Emily on “Home Again”. What was meant to be a dramatic, emotional focal point is instead distracting.
Among the best tracks are “Sliver”, a cool opener featuring an actual soldier (A.J. Fratto, a 14 year vet) barking orders with the music. Fratto ended up touring with the band in support of this album. Well done, sir! “Hundred Mile Stare” is slow and intense. The hundred mile stare in the song is a variation of the thousand yard stare — a distant look in the eyes a soldier gets after they’ve been in the field too long. “A Dead Man’s Words” is another complex highlight, middle-eastern in style and clearly about conflict in that region. This one is perhaps the most “Queensryche” of the songs, in the sense that you can hear their classic sound at play. This includes a Tate sax solo, something I wished he did more of with the band. Then, for choruses, I have to go with “The Killer”. For sheer intensity, it’s the soldier’s story on “If I Were King”. If you want heavy ‘Ryche, then “Man Down!” is the track for you.
One disappointing factor in American Soldier only hits you when you open the booklet. Great artwork aside, it’s really too bad that Tate relied so heavily on his buddies to make this album rather than his band. Drummer Scott Rockenfield has two co-writes, and that’s it. Damon Johnson from Brother Cane has just as many co-writes. The rest of the credits are variations of Tate, and producers Jason Slater and Kelly Gray. Queensryche were down to four members at this point, so Johnson and Gray subbed on guitars.
Although Promised Land was probably the most deeply personal Queensryche album, American Soldier is likely the runner up. At least for Tate and his collaborators, there is obviously a lot of their hearts and souls invested in this. Unsurprisingly, it is not an immediate album. It requires time, but it also requires space between listens. There’s no glory here, just stark reality, so take your time.
QUEENSRYCHE – Operation: Mindcrime II (2006 Rhino)
10 years ago, when this project finally saw the light of day, a lot of fans were expecting it to be 1988 all over again. However, there were many reasons why they shouldn’t have.
1. Longtime guitarist/songwriter Chris DeGarmo, such an integral part of the original Mindcrime, had been out of the band for quite some time. 2. Geoff Tate’s voice didn’t have that high-note power it once had. 3. The band never intended to pretend it was still 1988. This album is a continuation, 18 years later, and as such the music has changed somewhat as well. The albums are meant to complement each other, not duplicate each other.
The story picks up with Nikki, the anti-hero from the original Mindcrime, finally being released from prison, 18 years after the events of the first album. He begins to piece together his memories of what happened. He decides to pay Dr. X a visit (“X marks the spot”, goes the lyric), who is deliciously played by the late Ronnie James Dio. For die-hard Dio followers, this was a real treat. Dio sings as if in a stage production, which I’ve never heard him do before. Pamela Moore reprises her role of Sister Mary, playing a larger role and appearing on more songs. She’s a great complement to Geoff Tate, who clearly revels in the chance to do something dramatic like this.
New second guitar player Mike Stone (ex-Criss) gels very nicely with Michael Wilton, playing dual guitar leads that Queensryche of old would have been proud of. At the same time, modern technology has creeped into the production in the form of sequencers and samples, to remind us that this was 2006. Still, Eddie Jackson’s bass had never been recorded this well before; he should be very proud of his rumble. Scott Rockenfield’s back to playing some serious metallic drumming as well, leaving behind some of his tribal influences for the moment.
So, the actual sound of Mindcrime II is amazing. The songs however are not up to the very high standards that Mindcrime I set. There is no “I Don’t Believe In Love” or “Eyes Of A Stranger”, although some songs like “The Hands” come pretty close, with an amazing metallic riff and great chorus. (Did anyone else notice a few bars of music from “I Don’t Believe In Love” within “The Hands”? Listen again.) “I’m American” is lyrically fantastic, and angrier than anything Queensryche has done since Q2K. “Chase” is the one featuring Dio, and the one I keep coming back to.
The thing about Queensryche albums is, they do tend to get better with time. Maybe they were always slightly ahead of the curve, or more likely they just take a few listens to absorb. It’s been a decade now, and few of the Mindcrime II songs remain lodged in the my brain. Meanwhile, I could hum any song from the first one. In particular, the second side of Mindcrime II really takes a drop. Tracks like “Fear City Slide” do not have the impact of “I Don’t Believe in Love”, and the closer “All the Promises” fails to deliver. It’s a concept album after all, and the last song is like the last scene in a movie. It should be memorable.
Will Mindcrime II ever become classic like the original? Doubtful. As soon as you name something with a “II” behind it, you’re painting yourself into a corner, but Queensryche have done about as good a job as the fans could have expected. It seems many fans have warmed up to it over the years, though it certainly cannot be considered equal with the original.
On paper, it was genius. Teaming up the legendary drummer Carmine Appice with anyone will turn heads, but John Sykes, the ex-Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake guitar genius? Sign us up. Add in ex-Black Sabbath singer Ray Gillen, and the Firm’s Tony Franklin on bass, and that right there is an interesting combo. Two words were buzzing around the camp, and they were “blues” and “jams”. When the band did start jamming the blues, they realized that Ray Gillen didn’t have much to do during the long instrumental breaks they were producing. The decision was made to cut Ray and trim the band down to a classic power trio, with Sykes singing lead. The trio format was fairly unique among rock bands in the late 80’s. (Ray hooked up with another new blues-rock band, Jake E. Lee’s Badlands.)
Adding to the hype machine behind the new christened Blue Murder was the tapping of up and coming producer Bob Rock. Coming off of some hit albums by Kingdom Come and The Cult, it was assumed Rock would do the same for Blue Murder. They hiked up to Little Mountain Sound in Vancouver and recorded the album, dedicating it to Phil Lynott.
Unfortunately it was pretty clear after a few listens that despite the hype and big names, Blue Murder was not the supergroup debut that it should have been. Indeed, the lineup expired after one record.
Sykes’ singing was not the issue. His vocals on songs such as “Riot” and “Ptolemy” are more than adequate. Power and range were not an issue for Sykes. Perhaps his unique guitar stylings were too associated with the mega-selling Whitesnake 1987, because the sonic connections are obvious. Too much ‘Snake, not enough Lizzy. The songs are not all bad either, though many could use some minutes trimmed from them. At nine songs and 52 minutes, Blue Murder does have the instrumental chills that Sykes wanted to get across, but at the cost of diluting the impact with meandering rock songs. Other issues must fall at the feet of Bob Rock. Though Blue Murder earned the producer a nomination at the Juno awards in 1990, the muddy sound is very far indeed from what Rock can do. “Sex Child” is a perfect example of this. Rock strove to give Carmine a big drum sound, but there are also excessive keyboards and layers of vocals all occupying the same sonic space. This robs it of the groove. It’s a chore to finish the whole album in a sitting, due to some of these problems.
There are three album highlights that are possibly worth the expense to rock historians. They are the singles “Valley of the Kings” and “Jelly Roll”, and the epic “Ptolemy”. At 7:50, “Valley of the Kings” had to be severely edited down for a single/video. It has all the progressive rock qualities that you know these guys are capable of, and who isn’t a sucker for lyrics about pharoahs and pyramids? Must credit must also be given to Tony Franklin, who makes it sound as if the fretless bass is easy to play! You don’t hear enough fretless in hard rock, and Franklin is one of the world’s very best. Period.
Interestingly, “Valley of the Kings” was co-written by then-Black Sabbath singer Tony Martin. You can absolutely hear parallels to Sabbath’s Headless Cross released the same year – an album that also had some fretless bass on it thanks to Lawrence Cottle!
“Jelly Roll” was a music video, fitting the slot for some good time summer acoustic rock. Instead of going ballad, Blue Murder went to the bayou. The tricky slide licks recall Whitesnake, but unfortunately towards the end, the song sinks into typical ballad territory. It sounds like two songs melded together, but I like the first part best.
The final keeper is the progressive epic “Ptolemy”. Unfortunately the lyrics don’t have much to do with the actual mathematician and astronomer who lived almost 2000 years ago. Instead the song is about tomb robbing; unrelated to Ptolemy of Alexandria. This is a shame since they could have written about Ptolemy’s musical studies (Harmonics), or his influence on the concept of the universe of a series of spheres that create music. Fortunately the musical qualities of the song enable us to overlook the words.
There are also-rans worth checking out: particularly a track called “Billy” which is the most Thin Lizzy of all the tunes. You could imagine, if Phil had lived, that he could have recorded “Billy” for a mid-80’s Thin Lizzy album. Unfortunately most of the material resides in Whitesnake territory, especially the carbon-copy ballad “Out of Love”, and the closer “Black-Hearted Woman” which recycles Whitesnake riffs.
Too bad. Loads of potential, but blown in the delivery.
Back in 1992, Bruce Dickinson was working on solo material with the UK band Skin. The album would eventually become Balls to Picasso, but it was a long way getting there. I’m not sure what led Bruce to Mr. Bean. Divine intervention perhaps? Two of England’s finest exports had to meet, I suppose, and when they did, they covered “Elected” by Alice Cooper. This was done for a music video coinciding with the general election that year. As a final track, the Bean soundtrack reissued this hard to find single. Bruce sings the vocals rather straight, very raspy, very much like his 1990 No Prayer for the Dying voice. Rowan Atkinson in character as Mr. Bean reviews his campaign promises between Bruce’s growls. “To help the Health Service, I promise never to get ill.” Other promises include stopping everyone in Dover from going to the toilet (cutting pollution). “I’m the nice one in the tweed jacket,” he says. “Well it was a present actually.”
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