Alive 2

For a band that's been around thirty plus years now, picking out a Live album shouldn't be too hard. Well in the case of Anthrax it's really not. The band to date has 5 of em under their belts. And why not Anthrax is a band that demands to been Live. Despite the numerous lineup changes and an almost questionable name change, the band has been part of the Big 4 for the past three decades, helping fly the flag of Thrash Metal. So for the selection I've decided to go with the 2005 'Reunion' show 'Alive 2 - The Music'.

Every since 1993 fans of the band wanted a return of vocalist Joey Belladonna. Former Armored Saint vocalist John Bush stepped in and made some outstanding records til 2003. By 03 Anthrax made a comeback record if you will in 'We've Come For You All', signaling what was sure to be a return to the glory days. Of course given the Anthrax history it was too good to be true. Bush was once again dabbling around with Armored Saint, bassist Frank Bello would go on to play with Alt-Rockers Helmet and the rest of the band kinda wondered if this was the end. However the Metal Gods intervened and delivered a Thrash Metal comeback in the form of bringing back vocalist Joey Belladonna and Guitarist Dan Spitz. The reunion was seen as a blessing by most. But in some ways it was short lived. The band parted ways once again with Belladonna shortly after the reunion and Spitz decided to call it a day. Everyone thought, great Bush is back in the band. In true Anthrax fashion the next few years were questionable at best with an unknown new vocalist in Dan Nelson. Things of course fell apart and once again paved the way for another Belladonna reunion. As again in true fashion the band hasn't been without some lineup changes over the past few years. But lets take a trip back to the first reunion.

It seemed like a great idea to bring back the classic 'Among The Living' lineup. Why not? Anthrax had gained some steam with their comeback record. 'Alive 2 - The Music' was released in 05 as a separate CD/DVD release. The band was riding high and this album captures that high. Classics pretty much fill this Live record, each song a fan favorite, there's no lull here, just straight forward in your face thrash from a classic lineup. The album was captured Live on June 3, 2005 at the legendary Starland Ballroom in Sayerville NJ. So move the furniture, crack a couple of cold ones and turn this one to 11.

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Unplugged

Continuing with the theme of Live records, MTV Unplugged was a groundbreaking idea at the time. Take bands and strip them down in an acoustic setting and see what happens. Lot of good stuff happened. Lot of iconic moments happened. This is one of those iconic moments, this is Alice in Chains 'Unplugged'.

Alice In Chains were at the forefront of the Grunge movement in the early 90's. Hailing from Seattle like so many of the other Grunge giants of the time. The band rode high along with the other Grunge bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Pearl Jam and many more. The band had quickly gained attention with their first record, 'Facelift'. Songs like 'Man In The Box' and 'Bleed The Freak' quickly gained radio attention and MTV airplay. By the time '92 came and grunge exploded AIC was ready with the critically acclaimed 'Dirt' record. The song 'Rooster' shot the band to the front of the grunge movement. But as the times changed and Grunge began to die off so did the band. Plagued by the heroin addiction of frontman Layne Staley, the band quickly began to fall apart. Releasing only an EP and a Self Titled record over the next four years, people began to wonder if the band would ever keep going. By '96 the majority of fans wondered how long Staley would hang on. Reports of overdoses and the like began to circulate. But just before the final nail went it, we got an amazing Live record.

'Unplugged' would prove to be the bands Swans Song for a period. The band had been off the road for some time and fans wondered of this was the end of AIC. But somehow the band got an Unplugged gig for MTV. The band fronted by a clearly frail and weak Staley, proved there was something left in the tanks still. Powering through the bands classic Grunge hits, each sounded more eerie and better than the original at times. 13 tracks of pure Grunge goodness. 'Unplugged' proved to be the final nail in the AIC coffin. Staley would go on to briefly appear in the Supergroup, Mad Season. Guitarist Jerry Cantrell went on to work on solo material which featured current Metallica Bassist Robert Trujillo. Sadly another Live record and a Box Set went on to be the last releases before the untimely death of Layne Staley due to a heroin overdose in 2002.

1999 was the last year in which any original AIC material was released. It would be ten years later before the band would reform with a new front man and release their comeback 'Black Gives Way To Blue' in 2009. While the band continues to record and tour with the new lineup, most of us are left to wonder what would have become of the band had Staley stayed clean. While we will never know, we are left with some classic albums and classic Live record.

 

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How Does It Feel To Be Live...

Decided to resurrect this neglected piece of the Internet with some fresh albums once again. I've decided once again to move forward with a new theme. Of late I've tried to get back in the habit of seeing Live music when I can. And in this current time of unrest, what better release then Live music to lighten the mood and improve times. I recently left my job working in an entertainment venue to pursue something a bit more full time. I'm saddened by that fact because I don't get to go to work and see some great shows. However branching out again, I recently saw Agalloch make their live debut here in STL. Amazing show. 2 hrs of unequaled musicianship. Couldn't ask for much more. On the horizon this week it's some Nerdcore with MC Frontalot and Dr. Awkward. As the year moves on, looking forward to King Diamond after almost a decade away. Live shows are nothing short of a natural high. Being there with your fellow music nerds, embracing this momentous occasion.Headbanging, screaming along to the words, leaving everything you have there. That's what Live music is about. So I've rummaged though my collection of stuff and pulled out some choice Live records. Some you may be familiar with, others maybe not so much. Each have their own unique quality about them. So lets crank it to 11.

Up first is a band I'm sure I've posted about before. At the least I know the lead singer has been mentioned in a fair amount of posts. I'm talking about of course, Agua De Annique. Or more commonly referred to as, oh yeah the band that Anneke formed after she left The Gathering. Anneke van Giersbergen of course was the voice of The Gathering for many years. Many fell in love with her voice and the band. Of late she's collaborated with a wide variety of musicians, most notably Danny Cavanagh of Anathema and Devin Townsend of SYL and DTP fame. After splitting from The Gathering, Anneke formed her own band called Agua De Annique.  She was quick to release a few albums which while still had some Gathering like tracks, were a bit more uptempo and dare I say a bit Radio friendly.

The band gained some attention in Europe, not a whole lot of attention was paid sadly Stateside. The band having toured a bit through Europe decided to release 'Live In Europe', a collection of material recorded Live throughout a trek through Europe. Released in 2010, this record was pretty much only available as an import stateside. The album is 12 Live cuts, rounded out with a wonderful rendition of the classic Gathering track, "Shrink".

This is a good album to start with for someone new to the Metal genre. While I wouldn't really classify anything The Gathering did as Metal, well save for the first two LPs, which were a Doom/Death mix. This has more an an 'lite metal' feel to it. Great female fronted band with an amazing voice. And more importantly a great Live album to put on when you need to relax.

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Free From Funkafide Filth

It's been quite some time since I've posted anything here. Not sure why, but I'm sure I have some reasons. Anyways I'm going to put up up some Classic Rock for you tonight. Some Live stuff even from one of the Guitar Gods of our lifetime. Carlos Santana, so cool the man only really needs to go by his last name. Santana for the better part of the last 40 years has been turning out some great tunes. From the earlier whacked out stuff to the more modern overplayed Top 40 stuff, he continues to tour and bring his Guitar skills and unique philosophy to crowds. With that being said I could have went with the classic debut record, but I decided to go with something maybe people aren't away was even released. So here it is Carlos Santana and Buddy Miles, "Live!". Oh yeah did I mention the legendary Buddy Miles is also included.

This album was recorded on January 1, 1972, at the Sunshine '72 Festival, inside Diamond Head, Honolulu Hawaii. Ahh the 70's, where there were so many festivals. The Sunshine Festival, also known as Diamond Head Crater Festival ran from 1970-1978. The festival by the end of the decade got too commercial and was in essence shut down by the state. Plans to revive the festival in 2006 fell through. 'Live!' is simply that, a Live record featuring two great performers together. The record clock in a 46 minutes, with the B side being a 25 minute long jam. There are really only 2 singles here that are showcased, "Evil Ways" and "Them Changes", the rest of the record is pretty much a jam.

I got a chance to see Santana last year at my job. Yes I do work in an entertainment venue and I do get to see some pretty good stuff on occasion. It's one of the perks. Of course some of my co workers really didn't have a clue on who Santana was. Recalling the famous Woodstock performance of "Soul Sacrifice" only seemed fitting to describe Santana. For those unfamiliar with the story, during the bands Woodstock performance Carlos was a little out of it, so out of it he swore his guitar he was playing was a giant snake trying to kill him. The rest of the band was about on the same level. Seriously look it up on YouTube, it's a hell of a performance, one of the many that defined Woodstock. I was introduced to Santana at a pretty young age. Growing up and hearing the classics from the band and having a few albums that got played loudly on occasion. I didn't know to much about Buddy Miles until I got into Hendrix and the history of his lineups. Over the years I've grown to appreciate both musicians and their contributions to music.

This LP has maybe been played a handful of times since I came into it. Not sure how I acquired this album really, glad I did though. The rip is split into Side A and Side B. It's a clean record, so real skips or what not. Released on Columbia records in June of 72.

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Faustian Echoes

New year and the blog rolls along with some Agalloch. This is somewhat of a different release. 'Faustian Echoes' is an EP. More specifically it's a 21 minute two part song. Originally released in 2012 as a digital download to coincide with their North American tour, the CD and LP were only available at shows initially.  The track is the longest in Agalloch's catalog. The song is based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's play "Faust". For those unfamiliar with the subject matter, "Faust" is a two part tragic play. Gotta think sometimes to listen to Metal. In typical Agalloch fashion the song itself is crafted around the English translation of the play and features film samples to supplement the track. The film samples are from 94's "Faust" by Jan Svankmajer.

Agalloch for me is one of the bands that I find fascinating. Each EP and album seem to progress the band into something greater. This EP is a prime example that Metal can be smart and not be stereotyped into the ground. The band has also seem to release things in a limited amount.This EP is no different. Limited to 2,500 copies. The EP is brilliantly done with the B side an etching. The etching is Delacroix's "Mephistopheles flying over Wittenberg". The CD cover is a bit different from the LP cover. The CD cover is Faust Lisant (Faust Reading) by Salvador Dali.

A little about the EP. Recorded live to a 2-inch tape at Jackpot Studios in Portland Oregon in March 2012. The LP was released on the bands own label, Dammerung Arts (KH007). This is the first time this EP was played and most likely the last.

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Hendrix Mix

If you're a music nerd like I am, you of course are familiar with our national holiday in Record Store Day. Launched a few years back to get people back in record stores by offering up collectors items and limited releases of records, it's been rather successful. I've made it a point to go these past few years, both in April and on Black Friday, as there have been some good releases. Plus its kinda fun to see what record stores get what. Waiting in line for a few hours, well lets just say beer helps. So I decided to close out this year with some Jimi Hendrix record store day releases. Few 7's and a bootleg of sorts. All good stuff.

Jimi Hendrix released a mere four records during his career. Since then a boatload of post humorous albums have been released. Some poorly put together trying to cash in and the majority released by the Hendrix family. Which in recent years seems to be uncovering new material every year. So with that in mind, lets dive into some of the releases.

First up is 'Live At Clark University'. This came out in 2010 for Record Store Day. This at best is a cleaned up partial bootleg. Record at Clark University in Worcester MA on March 15, 1968 during the second show. Recorded under the Jimi Hendrix Experience moniker, the LP is 5 songs. Side A is "Fire", "Red House" and "Foxey Lady". Side B is "Purple Haze" and "Wild Thing". The album like I said is pretty much a partial bootleg with some hiccups along the way. Some are more noticeable then others. This is pieced out into Side A and Side B on the rip. Released under Dagger Records (88697-64873-1) in 2010, this is the first time the LP was played.

Next up is the 7' of 'Fire'. This 7' was released in 2011 to go along with the release of the box set 'West Coast Seattle Boy'. Side A is "Fire" record at Olympic Studios in London on February 8, 1967. This mix is a previously unreleased alternate take from the 'West Coast Seattle Boy' boxset. Side B is a previously unreleased track called "Touch You". Recorded in the same studio on December 20, 1967. Released under the Hendrix Legacy Label (88697-858551-7). This is the second time this 7' was played.

Third in the list is a release from 2013. This is the 7' for 'Hey Joe'. These are the original Mono mixes. Side A is "Hey Joe" and the B side is "Stone Free". Both of these songs are in the Mono format have been unavailable since their first release in 1966. This was a limited numbered release. Released in 2013 under the Hendrix Legacy Label (887654-84807-9). This is No. 4872 (Gold Stamped). This is the second time this 7' was played.

Lastly is a release from this year's Black Friday Record Store Day. This is the 'Fire' 7' released to go along with the 'Miami Pop Festival' LP. Side A is "Fire" and B Side is "Foxey Lady" both taken from Hendrix's performance at the Miami Pop Festival on May 18, 1968. This as well is a limited release. Released in 2013 on the Hendrix Legacy Label (888837-91727-8). This is No. 4809 (Gold Stamped). This is the second time this 7' was played.

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Saw You Drown

I was flipping through the collection to see if I could find something that perhaps fit the doom and gloom of December. I did stumble upon some Katatonia and thought it's somewhat fitting. This is a bit of a treat too. Something a little rare that I'm not sure I've played before. So enjoy a little 10' slice of Katatonia with the '05 release of 'Saw You Drown'.

Katatonia is and for a lot of people, a tale of two bands. Starting out as teenagers in the Swedish Doom/Death scene before undergoing some changes and emerging as a Depressive Metal giant later. The band released their first demos in 91/92 as a bunch of teenagers. And by 93 had released their first LP. Starting out as a Doom/Death metal band the band released a few more records in that genre, including releasing 'Sounds Of Decay' which featured a vocalist change to Opeth frontman Mikael Akerfeldt. 1998 marked a change to the bands sound. Gone were the growls of frontman Jonas Renske, replaced by what would some would argue a more progressive depressive sound and clean vocals. 'Saw You Drown' marks a dawn of a new band and the beginning of an evolution. The EP is 4 songs and clocks in just under twenty-five minutes, but provides a window into what the sound of a new band was going to be. Depressing and moody the album is what Katatonia has been known for in the recent years, making depressing music sound really good.

I got into the late period Katatonia before the really Doom/Death stuff. Not to say I don't like the earlier material, but I'm partial to the latter releases. Albums like 'Tonight's Decision' and 'Last Fair Deal Gone Down' are masterpieces in their own rights. Beautifully haunted pieces of music. The band continues to release outstanding work. Take in this years release, 'Dethroned & Uncrowned' a stripped down remixed and reworked effort of their last record 'Dead End Kings'. I was lucky enough to catch Katatonia earlier this year as thr direct and only support for Opeth. Two Swedish Metal giants with ties to each other over the years. I got to see them after only flying in a few hours earlier from California and still dealing with the loss of my Grandfather who had passed earlier in the week. Exhausted and still emotionally frail, maybe depressing metal wasn't what I needed, but it was exactly what I needed to pick me up. Amazing live show. While there is always sorrow, there is always hope.

I mentioned this was a rare one for me. The album was originally released in 98 to 1,500 copies. Long out of print it was sought after as a collectors item. In 2005 the band decided to release it on a limited edition 10' Blue Vinyl. So this is it, the rip of the LP. Here's the specks; 2005 Release by Infinite Vinyl (Imprint Of The End Records) on Blue Colored Vinyl. Limited to 1,000 copies. This is #65 of 1,000. Record IVS010. There is a bit of skip at the end of the LP and some crackle as is normal with some of these colored pressings. This I believe is the first time I've played this LP, at worst it's the second time.

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