Court In The Act

Switching gears to a genre that will be feature again later this week, it's time for some old NWOBHM. This is one of those hidden gems buried in the avalanche of old NWOBHM bands. The UK band had formed in 79 and by 81 had released a demo. By the time they released their first LP 'Court In The Act', the band had gone through two different vocalists before finding Brian Ross. Released in 83 by the NWOBHM label Neat Records, 'Court In The Act' was a solid metal release. The mix of Brian's unique vocal styling coupled with a traditional metal attack, Satan soon made a name for themselves in the metal scene. However the band would give Ross the boot after the album and continue on making another record under the Satan name before changing the band name twice, before reuniting with Ross in 05 under the classic Satan name. All wasn't lost with Ross though. Several members went on to form the band Blitzkrieg, which released some stellar records and had the pleasure of becoming somewhat of a household name thanks to Metallica covering them in the early days. This album is a gem though and worth grabbing.

I got into Satan in a roundabout way. I had become familiar with Blitzkrieg and really enjoyed their albums. Of course I found Blitzkrieg through Metallica's cover of 'Blitzkrieg'. Satan for me seemed like the early stages of Blitzkrieg and the band just got better over time. Lot of people seem to forget about Satan and what a great album 'Court In The Act' really is. There were so many NWOBHM bands that were around sometimes you just had to weed through all the crap in order to find the really good stuff.

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Sade

New week and a month long run of S bands. Very diverse mix of stuff lined up for the blog, some hidden gems and some old favs are making appearances. Starting things off with something you probably wouldn't expect to have in my collection. And with that it's time for some Sade. Formed in 83, Sade is a British smooth jazz band that have topped the charts on both sides of the pond for years. Led by Sade Adu, the band's first single 'Your Love Is King' quickly became a Top Ten hit and a staple on American Smooth Jazz radio stations. The band is probably best known for their hit 'Smooth Operator' which is still played heavily on radio. 'The Best Of Sade' chronicles the bands decade of hits. Good solid mix of tunes on here that will definitely put you in the relaxation mood.

Like I said this is probably something you wouldn't expect to find in my collection, yet somehow it's in there and does gets some regular rotation. Growing up there was always Smooth Jazz playing on the weekends when I woke up, it didn't feel like a weekend unless there was some Smooth Jazz flowing through the house. Sade was always a staple and still is. There's something about Sade's vocals that just put you at ease. The girl can flat out sing and look good doing it too. This is an album that challenges the stereotype that a metal head can't listen to anything other than metal. Feels good to prove people wrong sometimes.

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Moving Pictures

Time to go North of the border for some progressive rock. There's two things you think of when people mention Canada, Hockey and Rush. And what better way to end the week then with some Rush. Love em or hate em, Rush remains one of the giants in the Progressive Rock field. One of the best power trios to come out of the Rock genre. Led by frontman Geddy Lee, who not only handles Bass guitar and vocals, but also handles the keyboards. Guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer madman Neil Peart run out the rest of the band. Having formed in 68, Rush is still releasing albums and touring. And yet the band is still isn't in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame. Having released one of the genres most defining records in '2112' the band released their best selling record 'Moving Pictures' in 81. The album features the bands most well known song in 'Tom Sawyer', but also features such classics as 'Limelight' and 'Red Barchetta'. Some fans will note that this is were the band turned away from the Prog sound and went more the Synth Rock sound. In any cases in remains a classic in the genre and a personal favorite.

I got into Rush at a young age. I remember my Dad actually having 'Moving Pictures' on cassette back in the day. The tape got the crap played out of it too, to the point where it was worn out. Geddy's unique vocals always drew me into the band. The music has always been so technical and complex it amazes me that anyone can even play it. The band released a solid stream of good albums up until the mid 80's when the wheels kinda fell off for a while. The last few albums have been good and show a return to the Prog side of things. Great thing about Rush is how many cartoons have poked fun at them. Neil is actually in the Aqua Teen Movie, and plays a killer solo. 'Moving Pictures' was also used as a terror alert level on Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law. Love em or hate em Rush has made their mark in the music world.

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Sonny Rollins

It's been a Punk heavy week on the blog it seems and for the final two postings I'm gonna move away from that. Time for some more legendary Jazz in Sonny Rollins. One of the most influential Jazz Saxophonists who has shared the limelight with the likes of Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. Having started his career in 46, Rollins is still releasing albums at age 82. Rollins much like any Jazz musician of the time wasn't without his share of legal woes. Having spent time in jail and battling a Heroin addiction, he managed to work through it all and release some landmark Jazz records. 'Live At The Village Vanguard' stands as one of the landmark Live records. Released in 57 originally the albums was later reissued as a double CD. Up for grabs is the second part of the CD. This is a great live record from someone at his peak. Well worth checking out.

Sonny Rollins is another Jazz great that everyone should have in their collection. His work with the Jazz giants is just incredible. And his early solo records were just magical. Something about those early records that just screamed genius. And to still be releasing albums in your 80's, come on who does that anymore. And lets talk about awards, Kennedy Center Honors, National Medal Of Arts winner. Oh and if you're a Simpsons fan, Bleeding Gums Murphy is loosely based on Sonny Rollins.

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Get Some Go Again

Staying with the punk theme in sorts, this post features one of the more outspoken frontmen of the genre. Henry Rollins is probably best known for his stint with Black Flag and his spoken word tours, but he had a band in between there. Rollins Band was a rock/blues band that had some minor hits along the way. The band started out in 87 and by 06 had gone through four different versions. 2000 saw the release of 'Get Some Go Again'. Rollins was backed by LA based band Mother Superior. The album spawned two songs that received rotation in 'Illumination' and 'Get Some Go Again'. The album features a Thin Lizzy cover in 'Are You Ready?' and actually features Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham on second guitar. This album has that hardcore vibe to it like so many of the great Black Flag records. Definitely a record to get some aggression out to.

I got into Rollins Band, via The Crow Soundtrack oddly enough. From there I got into Rollins spoken word material and eventually into Black Flag. Rollins Band kinda left off where Black Flag did, but with added elements of blues and jazz, which gave it a different feel. There were some great albums released under the Rollins Band label, including this one and 'End Of Silence'. The band kinda get forgotten about at times, as most people tend to either love or hate Rollins in general. Still a great band that had some great songs.

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Dueling Guitars

Time to move away from the Punk postings for a bit and change the pace up some. This is kinda hard to put into a genre, but it's so metal in ways. Rodrigo Y Gabriela are a Mexican pair of acoustic guitars who played a unique up tempo style similar to Flamenco. But don't call it Flamenco. Starting out in Mexico before winding up in Ireland of all places, the band had it's roots in metal music. While the duo may be quite simple, the music is anything but. The duo are vegans who promote animals rights, a growing trend in music nowadays. They have been known to cover a few Metallica songs, most notably 'One' and 'Orion' and have even been joined by Rob from Metallica on stage. Their self titled record put them on the map and caught people's eyes and ears. The album is a frantic mix of original tunes coupled with a couple of covers, Zeppelin's 'Stairway To Heaven' and Metallica's 'Orion'. The album is truly something to be heard.

I stumbled upon this band via their blistering cover of 'Orion'. It was so amazing the sound they got off it just with a pair of acoustic guitars. My hand wants to fall off when I see them playing at the speed and precision that they do. They've been promoted more of late having worked with Hans Zimmer of the new Pirates movie. Thanks Disney! An amazing band with loads of talent playing a style that certainly isn't the norm stateside.

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Rise Above

Well when things wanna work with me apparently the blog will be back on a normal schedule I suppose. Anyways let's keep rolling with the R's. Today's post is a compilation album of sorts. 'Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs To Benefit The West Memphis Three'. The album was released in 02 and sometimes gets labeled as a Rollins Band release. The album features 24 Black Flag songs covered by the likes of Black Flag alums, Henry Rollins, Keith Morris, Chuck Dukowski, and Kira Roessler. Guest vocals are done by a wide variety of people including, Lemmy, Mike Patton, Tom Araya, Ice T, Ryan Adams, and many more. This is really a unique record with a wonderful cause behind it. It's great to hear a mini Black Flag reunion happening on the record as well as some killer takes on Black Flag songs. The cause behind it was and still is to help the legal fund of the WM3, who were wrongly imprisoned for the murder of three boys in Arkansas. Grab this, then go out and buy the actual CD and help support the cause.

For those of us who have followed the WM3 cases over the years through the media and or the Paradise Lost movies, know that the WM3 were finally freed last year. The WM3 ended up serving just over 18 years in prison for a crime they didn't commit. The case has been well documented and drawn support from musicians and actors over the years. If you're not familiar with the case go read about it and get involved with the cause behind it. While the WM3 may be out of jail, there are still many issues surrounding the case.

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Modern Lovers

Falling a bit behind with posts, so get ready for a few quick ones. First up is some alternative college indie rock. Or something that falls somewhere in those lines. The Modern Lovers were a Boston area Proto Punk band that at one point featured members who would later plays in The Cars and The Talking Heads. Led by Jonathan Richman, the music was a Proto Punk with a tinge of Boston area love. The Modern Lovers had a fairly short career and after the band dissolved Richman went on to have a fairly notable solo career. In fact he's still out there touring and releasing new music. 'The Best Of Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers: The Beserkley Years' is a mix of early Modern Lovers songs and Richman's solo efforts. Good mix of material on here, worth a listen if ya pine for the East Coast.

The Modern Lovers and Richman have influenced a number of alternative/punk bands over the years. Most late 80's early 90's alt/punk bands owe something to Richman. Lyrically the band always seemed to talk about the Boston area and off beat things like Pablo Picasso never being called an asshole, not in New York at least. Or even song about Abominable Snowmen in the grocery story and being a little dinosaur. This is one of those fun bands you wanna listen to when you're in a silly mood.

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ReVamp

Putting up some more symphonic female fronted metal cause it's been a few weeks. ReVamp was formed out of the ashes of After Forever after their demise in 09. Led by former After Forever vocalist Floor Jansen, Revamp picks up where After Forever left off. Dutch Symphonic Female Metal is pretty much what you get here. Their self titled debut is the only release under their belt currently. Floor had been suffering from burn out which led her to take some extended time off from music in general. However work has started on a follow up album, but has been put on hold while Floor takes over vocal duties for Nightwish on their current tour. If you enjoyed After Forever or enjoy the genre than this is a good album to give a listen to.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to post this album, for me it's a good record and it's a heavier version of After Forever, but was still kinda on the fence with it. I wasn't surprised at the drama that unfolded in the Nightwish camp, little shocked they fired Anette mid way through the tour though and didn't cancel any gig. Kudos there. I was however more shocked that Floor was gonna be the fill in vocalist for the tour. Seemed like a good choice and after hearing the clips, I was sold on it. After Forever was a solid band, kinda fit into that symphonic female fronted goth metal sound. ReVamp picks it up and takes it a bit further and that's alright with me.

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Repo Man

Going away from the norm for this posting and uploading a Soundtrack. Something I don't really do all that often, but every now and then there is one worth posting. This is one of those exceptions. 1984's Repo Man starred Emilo Estevez as, you guessed it, a repo man. The movie itself was well received and has remained a cult favorite over the years. Even so far as spawning a reboot of the movie a few years back. The soundtrack featured various Punk bands including, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, FEAR, Iggy Pop, and the Plugz. The Circle Jerks are actually in the movie as the nightclub band. This is a solid mix of Punk tracks by some of the great Punk bands of the 80's. Well worth having in your collection if you're a fan.

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Otis Redding

We move genres yet again, this time going from Punk to R&B/Soul. Otis Redding is one of the legendary singers in the Soul and R&B genre. Best known for his posthumous hit '(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay', Otis was a voice in a million that influenced the genre. Starting in career in the early 60's, Otis quickly gained fame with his soulful and upbeat songs. In 65 though he released what some would call his best work yet in 'Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul'. Recorded in a mere 24 hours in July 65, the album produced three singles. While the majority of the album is cover songs, the originals done by the like of Sam Cooke, The Temptations and even The Rolling Stones. What people may not realize is that Aretha Franklin's big hit 'Respect' was originally an Otis Redding track. Aretha covered in two years later and turned it into a mega hit. This is a definitive Soul record here though. Once again I've decided to upload the expanded deluxe edition here. This is 2 CD's, there are two links cause of the size of the album. Disc 1 features the Mono version of the album along with some live cuts from the 'In Person At The Whiskey A Go Go' live album. Disc 2 features the stereo mix of the album and some live cuts from the record 'Live In Europe'. Trust me this album is full of goodness.

For most people the knowledge of Otis doesn't go any further that 'Dock Of The Bay'. Which is a shame cause there was a lot more hits he had. For me after seeing him play at the Monterey Pop Festival, that's what sealed my appreciation for him. That performance is just so raw and soulful it just oozes. It's a shame we lost him many years to soon. I put this record on the other day when I was figuring out what I wanted to upload this week and I had forgotten what an amazing record this is. Truly one of the best in the genre.

 

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The Ramones

New week and we are gonna jump a letter. Seeing is I only have 2 Q albums in my collection it seems kinda pointless. So we skip ahead to R. And to start things off we feature one of the best known American Punk bands ever, The Ramones. When Punk broke in America in 77 there was no bigger band out of the NYC Punk scene than the Ramones. Known for playing the famous CBGB's along with other legends like Blondie, The Talking Heads, Television and many more, the simple three chord guitar work pulled fans in. Simple riffs and lyrics about sniffing glue and being a typical kid made the Ramones a simple yet influential band. The band had a never say die attitude about them, touring virtually non stop for 22 years and playing somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,263 concerts over their lifetime. The obvious choice for download would be the self titled debut, which features 'Blitzkrieg Bop', but while that album is legendary, I'm opting for the second album 'Leave Home'. Overall this record while maybe not having at many hits, did spawn the whole Gabba Gabba Hey thing, so lets give it that. In addition to the full album, Rhino remastered and re released it back in 01 with a complete Live show from The Roxy in Hollywood on Aug. 12 76. Great album and a full show, you'd be a fool not to pick this one up.

While some may argue that The Ramones were the first Punk band, it goes without saying they were prolly the biggest Punk band stateside at the time. A relentless work ethic over the years it was sad that just eight years after the final show, three of the four original members had died. Joey Ramone is definitely one of the more iconic frontman in any music genre. The same look, the same sound, you knew what you were going to get with a Ramones album. And there wasn't anything wrong with that. Their legacy lives on with several tribute albums and people still sporting their Ramones shirts. Always a great band to put on when ya need some energy or feel like acting like a teen again.

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Probot

Closing out the week with something a little different. This album is so of a side project / collaboration effort from Dave Grohl and a bunch of metal musicians. Probot was the long talked about project for years before finally seeing the light of day in 2004. The idea behind the project was Grohl writing some music and having his favorite metal vocalists sing on it. Grohl played everything, with the exception of Guitar on a few tracks and that was done by Soundgarden axeman Kim Thayil. Essentially this is twelve tracks that features the like of Coronos (Venom), Lemmy (Motörhead), Mike Dean (Corrosion Of Conformity), Snake (Voivod), Tom G. Warrior (Celtic Frost) and King Diamond. Each track is similar to the style the musicians band. It's unique and actually a well done record. Two notable guests that unfortunately didn't make the record were Tom Araya of Slayer and the late Chuck Schuldiner of Death, who passed before any recording was done. Overall this is a who's who of the 80's metal scene and I'm glad it finally saw the light of day.

This one of those records you had heard about but swear was never gonna get made. Took somewhere near five years after it was announced to actually get released. I maintain this is the best thing Dave Grohl has ever done. He can almost be forgiven for some of his misdeeds, almost. Getting this record together was a nightmare, seeing is most musicians never played directly with Grohl. for a copy n paste album it's still better than some of the stuff out there today. Great artwork too done by Away from Voivod. could have done with the hidden bonus track from Tenacious D, but other than that, a great album to crank every so often.

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Nerd Rage

Behind yet again on posting so here's the last of the P's. Up first is some comedy. Little nerd and metal comedy. Brian Posehn has been doing comedy for a number of years. In addition to comedy Brian has also been on TV and in movies. Most notably you may have seen him on The Sarah Silverman Program. Or perhaps you know him from Just Shoot Me!, you know that dreadful David Spade affair from the early part of the decade. For the cartoon fans in us all, he's had roles on the Adult Swim shows, ATHF, Tom Goes To The Mayor, and hell he even co wrote season four of Metalocalypse. So up for download is his first comedy record 'Live In: Nerd Rage'. Jokes include nerd culture and being a metal head. Possibly the best bit on the record is the movie ruiners. Still laugh my ass off at that today for so many reason. Relax and take a break from the metal to laugh a bit.

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Poison 13

I haven't posted anything that's really obscure in a bit, but I think it's time to unleash something really different. This will fall under the Punk/Blues banner. Poison 13 were a short lived band that formed in 84 after the demise of fellow Punk/Hardcore band The Big Boys. Formed by Big Boys guitarist Tim Kerr and roadie turned vocalist Mike Carroll, Poison 13 lasted a few short years. Releasing an album and a few 7' records the band was done by 87. Sub Pop released the definitive collection 'Wine Is Red, Poison Is Blue' in 94 and the band has occasionally played since its demise. Musically things get a bit odd. Think the Blues played in a Punk styling. Taking songs from Blues great Willie Dixon and putting a real unique spin on them. There's really not a good way to describe the sound, you really just have to listen to it yourself. It's really a trip. There's not a whole lot out there about the band, finding any info is rather difficult, so I've gone ahead and decided to share 'Wine Is Red, Poison Is Blue' for the masses in hopes that someone will dig this record.

Poison 13 is really one of those bands very few people know about. Either someone turned you onto them or you were around the Texas punk/hardcore scene in the mid 80s. I had a friend who turned me onto the Big Boys and then onto Poison 13. The sound is so unique here and the vocals just pull you in. You're not really sure if you wanna slam dance or just sit back and enjoy it. The bizarre mix of the blues and punk just make for a really interesting sound.

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If I Should Fall

Running a little behind on getting stuff posted of late. Never fear here's an update. Switching gears towards some Celtic Punk Rock tonight. And chances are you may know this band in some way without knowing it. The Pogues formed in England in 82 and despite a shaky lineup over the years still play a handful of live gigs each year. The name loosely translated means 'kiss my arse'. So right off that bat this is a typical Punk act, but what makes The Pogues different is the use of traditional Irish instruments. Fronted by the ever so drunk all the time Shane MacGowan, and I mean that in the most respectful way, the band released a handful of records that did well in the UK and made a splash here stateside. The defining moment was 1988's 'If I Should Fall From Grace With God'. The band seemed to take on the addition of Spanish and Middle Eastern influences which would become more prevalent on the next record. Now you may know this band from the use of the title track in a recent Subaru care commercial here in the states. I had to double take when I saw that the first time. The other is the holiday classic 'Fairytale Of New York' which features Kristy McColl singing alongside MacGowan. Voted one of the best Xmas songs in the UK, it does get some play here as well. "If I Should Fall" is the pinnacle of The Pogues records. Great drinking music and great music if you want something a little different. Side note as well this is the deluxe version with several bonus tracks.

The Pogues have somewhat of a reputation over in Europe. Thanks to frontman Shane MacGowan who has been battling substance abuse problems for years.Stories widely vary from drunken shows to throwing up on people during gigs, to not showing up for shows. There's an interesting documentary on Netflix about him that sheds light into the troubled singers life. Yet somehow through it all he still manages to play shows. The band at one point sacked him and replaced him with Joe Strummer of The Clash, before settling on Spider Stacy for the full time vocalist. The thing with the band is they aren't widely known stateside and that's a shame. Their first three records are all great, but started to fall off with the fourth album 'Peace & Love'. Still a great band to drink to. It's something about that Irish sound. So raise a pint and enjoy.

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Tom Petty

New week and finishing up the run of P's. Starting with something I prolly should of posted last week but for whatever reason slipped through the cracks. Back to the classic rock genre for a bit and how bout some Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Petty has been active in music since the mid 70's, whether it be with The Heartbreakers, or the supergroup The Travellin' Wilburys. Musically Petty & The Heartbreakers have been a staple of classic rock radio for the past twenty years. What's even more amazing is that he's still out there touring and putting out new music. And if music wasn't enough he's done some acting too, even appeared on the Simpsons a few years back. So with someone who's got a rich line of music, what do ya upload? Well what else than a 'Greatest Hits' package. This one is solid all around, contains all the hits you need for a nice night of rocking out.

Tom Petty is one of the artists you can never really get away from on the radio and in the earlier years of MTV, away from on TV. Sometime about his simple rock songs that get stuck in your head. Or those really trippy videos he used to do back in the day. Petty's music belongs in the all American rock category. Everyone will drunkenly sing 'Free Fallin' at some point in the life. The music is timeless and that's what makes a good musician in the end.

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Wicked Wilson

Closing out the week with some soul. Taking a trip back to some Wilson Pickett. Everyone knows some Wilson Pickett whether the realize it or not. Known for his hits such as, "Mustang Sally", "Land Of A Thousand Dances" and "In The Midnight Hour", 'Wicked' Wilson Pickett made a name for himself. Pickett recorded for the famous Stax label in the 60's, with a backing band that consisted of Steve Cropper and Donal 'Duck' Dunn, Pickett recorded 'In The Midnight Hour'. Pickett went on to change lables and have several more hits over the next decade, but in the 70's he had lost his chart topping success. Bad luck and run ins with the law plagues Pickett in his later years. He passed in 06 of a heart attack. He did appear in the film Blues Brother 2000, performing with Johnny Lang. Really great soul musician who had many great hits. This version of his Greatest Hits released by Atlantic in 85 serves as proof of his talent as a musician.

I grew up digging the song "Mustang Sally", primarily because it was my grandmothers name and we just always assumed it'd be cool if she drove a Mustang. Truth being she really wanted a Thunderbird. So we stretched the lie some. In any case Pickett always have so much soul in his music. This collection is 24 tracks strong and every song is a hit to me, even the covers, and there are a few to name, The Beatles, Three Dog Night, and The Archies. Even on the covers he manages to put his own twist on them. For me there's something about throwing on an old Soul record and just grooving on it. This record is no exception, in fact I did that just the other day, thankfully the neighbors weren't watching.

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Wish You Were Here

Post number two coming in hot. And it's some classic rock for you. Perhaps some overplayed Classic Rock some would argue and I will get to that shortly. Pink Floyd remains one of the most well known names is Classic Rock, thanks mainly to their epic 'Dark Side Of The Moon' record and trippy live shows back in the day. There are a few obvious choice for a Pink Floyd post, 'Dark Side', 'The Wall' and 'Wish You Were Here'. The latter is actually what I'm going to upload and feature. 'Wish You Were Here' is my favorite Pink Floyd record. Start to finish it's amazing. 5 songs and no filler anywhere. The title track is still one of rocks greatest songs to me, but lets not forget about the rest of the album. All very good songs and most have been covered by newer bands. 'Welcome To The Machine' was covered by Shadows Fall a few years back. And 'Have A Cigar' was covered by the Foo Fighters some years back for the MI2 soundtrack. Ever an influential band to many and to many youth the perfect band to space out to. Great album that should be in the majority of readers collections.

I'm going to go back to my overplayed comment I made. Turn on any classic rock station in America and I can guarantee that at least once an hour you'll hear a Pink Floyd track. My gripe with that is it's always from those three well known records. You almost never hear any of the old stuff with Syd Barrett or even the latter albums, like 'The Division Bell'. There are plenty of other songs that are equally as good that they could be playing. Play 'Astronomy Domine' once in a while. Hell play the Voivod cover even. Which might be more widely known at this point. Bottom line, stop wearing out the same ol records. Now by no means am I knocking the band, I really do enjoying Pink Floyd, and have seen my share of tributes to em, just saying dig a little deeper to find the gold.

 

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The Rise Of The Phantom

Little behind this week on the postings. So here's the rest of the weeks coming at ya. Starting off with sort of a continuation of a band that I posted last week. Phantom-X is the current band of former Omen vocalist Kevin Goocher. Phantom-X picks up where he left off with Omen, in the sense that musically it's your good ol' fahsioned True Heavy Metal. While there are moments of Power and Thrash metal in here, fans of Omen and the such should dig this. 'Rise Of The Phantom' is the debut from Phantom-X. Released back in 05, it's still a solid debut. Prime cuts here include the album opener, "Storms Of Hell" and the Dimebag tribute "Metal Warrior". Good album for a relatively unknown band.

I like Kevin as the vocalist for Omen, he has a real solid voice that fits the traditional/power heavy metal styling. Things didn't work out there, but I was happy to follow him over to Phantom-X. Really an unknown band here stateside, the band does occasionally tour. Having just released a new album recently to, I was hoping the underground would pick up on these guys. The purpose of this blog is to showcase some perhaps unknown bands and share some amazing albums. Remember if you like the band, go to the shows, buy thr merch, buy the CD's/LP's and spread the word about them.

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Unplugged

Gonna switch things up and post what's somewhat of a bootleg album. If you're old enough to remember when MTV actually gave a crap about music, you will recall the Unplugged series. Seemed like every few months an artist would do a stripped down acoustic performance. There was plenty memorable ones, including a few from the Grunge era. Both Alice In Chains and Nirvana went on to release their versions to commercial success. However one band didn't choose to release their legendary set. Pearl Jam did their MTV Unplugged session in 92. The set featuring material from their debut album 'Ten' mainly. Recorded in March of 92 in Queens NY, this set features the explosive grunge band on the rise. Complete with an extended jam session at one point and Eddie Vedder scribbling on his arm with a Sharpie. Eight tracks is all that was needed to capture a high point in the bands career. Closing out the set is a cover of Neil Young's 'Keep On Rockin' In The Free World' which the two would later play on the MTV VMA's. And years later the two would make a collaboration album called 'Mirror Ball'. Solid live record from one of the Grunge era's better bands.

Pearl Jam has always been one of those bands that did things their way. From deciding not to make videos after a certain point, to going after Ticketmaster. Somehow through doing things their own way they've managed to survive the death of Grunge and still put out records after twenty years. I really stopped following the band after their 'Vitalogy' record. Much like the rest of people I grew out of the Grunge phase. I still listen to them every so often and I still maintain that 'Ten' and 'Unplugged' were the best albums they ever released. The energy on both those albums are just incredible.

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Far Beyond

New week and into the P's now. Starting things off with some Pantera. One of the great Metal band to come out of the 90's, combing grooves with metal and creating their own blend of Metal. The master behind some of the most memorable riffs was none other than Dimebag Darrell. His brother Vinnie Paul handled the drums, while outspoken and the larger than life Phil Anselmo screamed life into the songs. The band originally started out as a Glam Metal band before changing vocalists and releasing 'Cowboys From Hell'. From that moment there was no looking back. A handful of records put the band over the top and their live shows were chaos. The band couldn't stay on top with in fighting and issues with staying sober. Pantera met their untimely end when Dimebag was gunned down on stage playing with his other band Damageplan. Years later the band still remains split up with constant rumors of who would fill in for Dimebag. Pantera's legacy however lives on. Released after Dimebag's death, 'The Best Of Pantera: Far Beyond The Great Southern Cowboys Vulgar Hits' showcases the best of Pantera materials from 'Cowboys From Hell' to 'Reinventing The Steel'. Perfect collection of material to blast in traffic.

Pantera is one of those influential bands that no one can every duplicate. Dimebag's style was just so unique to the band. Every member brought something that made that band who it was. Simply put Pantera truly was larger than life. Dimebag's death was a sobering moment for all metalheads. We couldn't believe that something like this could ever happen. For the metal community this was like losing Cobain or Lennon. The legacy is still there and bands now are more aware of having people jump up on stage. Of course stupid things to happen still. The current case against Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe is one. Being falsely charged for manslaughter for a death of a fan isn't sitting well with a lot of folks. Going to shows and enjoying yourself is expected, being an idiot isn't. So don't be that guy.

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Orphaned Land

Closing out the O's this week with something a little worldly in the metal sense. Metal from the Holy Land of Israel. Orphaned Land is one of the few success stories in the Metal genre to come from Israel. The other well noted bands are Melechesh and Salem. Orphaned Land started out in the early 90's as a Doom/Death/Middle Eastern Folk outfit before changing their sound to a more Progressive/Middle Eastern Folk sound. The band has only released four albums to date. Taking a eight years to release albums at one point. The band deals with the religious uncertainty that plagues the Middle East by crafting music that promotes peace and unity. Those themes are present on their latest effort, 'The Never Ending Way Of The ORwarriOR'. For those of you wondering Orwarrior roughly translated means, "Warrior Of Light", in this case representing a conceptual hero between light and the darkness.The album is divided into three parts: Part I: Godfrey's Cordial - An ORphan's Life (tracks 1-6) Part II: Lips Acquire Stains - The WarriOR Awakens (tracks 7-12) Part III: Barakah - Enlightening The Cimmerian (tracks 13-15). Overall this is pretty much a concept album. Musically it is very diverse and unique sounding which I think adds to the charm. Overall if you're looking for something different, this is an excellent choice.

Orphaned Land has garnered a lot of praise for what they do as a band and what they do outside of the band. It's not easy to be a metal band in a conflict ridden area. Musically speaking the band always seems to draw high praise from the critics. And it's not hard to see why 'Orwarrior' was produced by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree fame. Let's face it the man knows how to make a record sound good. But it's really the band that shines through here, blending native instruments with prog metal. It's not what you would necessarily expect, but somehow it's really great sounding. Always worth listening to bands from unexpected areas.

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