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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