Nirvana-The 1st Name in Grunge

Post #22 (Poll Winner: Favorite Grunge Band)
That Nirvana won the "Favorite Grunge Band" Poll was a fact I probably could have predicted. You have to admit that the first song of the whole Grunge scene you can probably recall is "Smells Like Teen Spirit", right? And don't forget the video that was always playing on MTV.... the flannel wearing teens with the unkempt hair, cheering Nirvana in their high school gymnasium, while cheerleaders sporting tank-tops emblazoned with the anarchy symbol shook their ratty pom-poms... it was pretty much a snapshot of the image that became know as "grunge".

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the whole Nirvana phenomenon
is probably Kurt Cobain himself. He truly became the prototype
image of grunge. The scraggly hair, and scratchy-scream vocals he
provided to the music... these were aspects of grunge that were
endlessly emulated by the alt-rock bands that followed in the footsteps
of grunge. And lastly the fact that Cobain took his own life during the
peak of his band's career was sure to leave an impression on the
hearts of those who loved the grunge scene, and particularly fans of
Nirvana.

Without further adieu, my picks from Nirvana:
-Heart Shaped Box
-Smells Like Teen Spirit
-Rape Me
-Big Cheese
-About a Girl
-Pennyroyal tea
-Polly
-Something in The Way
-I Hate Myself & Want to Die
-All Apologies

(covers)
-Do You Love Me (You can find this one on the Kiss tribute entitled "Hard to
Believe", it is a pre-Bleach recording by Nirvana)
-Jesus Don't Want Me for a Sunbeam
-The Man Who Sold the World
-Lake of Fire
-Where Did You Sleep Last Night (trad. also done by Bob Dylan & The
Grateful Dead)

The Lost Disciples of Eddie Van Halen

...Or "The Unsung Guitar Heroes of the Hair-Metal Era." 

Post #21 

In the late 70's, a dude named Eddie Van Halen was developing some of the most revolutionary self-taught lead-guitar techniques. So much so, that before they had a recording contract, Eddie would play his guitar solos with his back to the crowd so nobody could steal his techniques. At one show, Gene Simmons of Kiss happened to be watching and immediately decided to fund a demo session for them. The demo quickly earned them a contract with Warner Bros. Records.

 

One day while Van Halen were recording their first album, their producer, Ted Templeton, happened to walk into the studio during Eddie Van Halen's 'warm-up drill', which he always did before a show or recording session. He asked, "Hey Eddie, what was that you just played?" "Nothing, really. I'm just warming up." he replied. "Can you play it again?" Ted asked, and pressed the 'record' button. Eddie replied, "Sure." The resulting 1:42 of music was given a name (Eruption), and was made the 2nd track on VH's debut album in 1978. The world of electric guitar has never been the same since. 

Eddie's revolutionary new sound & techniques quickly spawned a whole generation of guitarists that would fill the air-waves with a new sub-genre in rock & metal music. It has become know as Glam, or Hair Metal. Nearly every one of these bands had a phenomenal guitarist in their own right. However, when having an excellent guitarist is so common-place, not everyone ends up so well-remembered. 

 In the early 90's the Grunge/Alternative bands from Seattle hijacked the angsty hearts of the country's youth, and the Hair-Metal genre quickly had the floor drop out from underneath it. Flashy technical guitar solos were no longer 'in', and this whole generation of guitar phenoms was pretty much forgotten.

Here's a look at some of the better names from that era that may not be as fresh in your mind as Eddie Van Halen, but are still worthy of more respect than you might think. I'll let the music speak for itself, and recommend some songs from each artist that highlight their lead guitarist. So check them out. 

Here are the names you shouldn't have forgotten... In roughly ascending order... 

  Warren DeMartini (Ratt) 

Ratt are best know for their only top-40 hit, "Round and Round". However, this band quietly had a lot of albums and singles through the 80's that filled rock-radio play-lists and video air-time on MTV. Some of Ratt's better songs that highlight DeMartini's skill as a lead guitarist are: 

-Back for More 

-Body Talk 

-Giving Yourself Away 

-Way Cool Jr. 

-Dance 

-All or Nothing 

-Nobody Rides for Free 

  CC Deville (Poison) 

The first name that comes to mind from the band Poison is probably Bret Michaels. He's back in the headlines lately, via his many Reality TV show appearances (Nashville Star as a judge, and VH-1's Rock of Love 2). However, you should keep in mind that he was a lead singer for a Hair Metal band 1st, and that's still his original claim to fame. Many of his songs are made memorable by the great guitar solos provided by C.C. Deville. Here are some of the best examples. 

-Play Dirty 

-Every Rose Has its Thorn 

-Fallen Angel 

-Your Mama Don't Dance 

-Flesh & Blood 

-Po' Boy Blues 

  Bruce Kulick (KISS) 

After Ace Frehley left Kiss in 1981, the band struggled to find a replacement who would fit. The first couple of replacements lasted for just one album with the band. Finally in '86, Kiss hired Bruce Kulick to fill the lead guitarist role... Even though the late 80's can probably be considered KISS' low-point of their career, Bruce made sure that most of these songs had at least a 30 second highlight... his guitar solos! Bruce was a younger guitarist, bringing a fresh guitar style to the band. He was also a product of the Eddie Van Halen era. EVH's influence can be heard in Bruce's lead guitar style, most notably on the following songs: 

-No No No (After hearing the intro to this song there's no denying Kulick was under the influence of Eddie) 

-Love's A Deadly Weapon 

-Crazy, Crazy Nights 

-The Street Giveth and the Street Taketh Away 

  Stevie Blaze (Lillian Axe) 

Lillian Axe were one of the hair metal bands that really hit too late for their own good; their 1st major-label release coming in 1990 (at the tail end of the hair-metal era). While they quickly fell into obscurity after 2 semi-successful albums, those who took the time to discover them should have been impressed with Stevie Blaze's ripping guitar solos. If you missed out the first time around, check out these songs: 

-Innocence (Awesome acoustic guitar solo on this one!) 

-Dying to Live (Shades of Blue) 

-She's My Salvation 

-Stop The Hate 

-The Needle & Your Pain 

 

  Vito Bratta (White Lion) 

White Lion thrived in the hair-metal era, and if their excellent lead-guitarist Vitto Bratta is guilty of anything, it may be sounding a little too much like Eddie Van Halen (Heck, he even looks alot like Eddie!) He was, however, vital to making many of Mike Tramp's catchy songs stand out from the hair-metal-crowded air-waves in the mid-to-late 80's. Some of his best guitar solos can be found on the following songs: 

-Let's Get Crazy (Listen to this song, then pop in Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" and tell me you don't hear the influence of Eddie!) 

-Little Fighter 

-Radar Love (I know the true highlight of this song is the drum solo, but Bratta's guitar soloing throughout is pretty cool too!) 

-Wait 

-When The Children Cry 

-All You Need is Rock N' Roll (Live) 

  Reb Beach (Winger) 

Winger are a band that were cursed by the hair-metal era, for underneath the glammy appearance they had in their early years, they were great musicians. Their best material is found on their least popular 3rd album, "Pull". This effort fit into neither Hair-metal, nor the up-&-coming Grunge era of the time, but if you give it a fair chance you'll probably find you like it quite a bit. Kip Winger continued a trend of excellent songwriting into his obscure solo-career, but its the phenomenal talent of lead guitarist Reb Beach I'm keeping in mind with the following suggestions: 

-Headed for a Heartbreak 

-Purple Haze (Just attempting to cover a Hendrix song is risky, but Reb has the talent to both pull it off, and give it his own twist.) 

-Baptized by Fire (It's the intro of this song that merits the recommendation, I wouldn't blame you if you stop it when Kip starts to rap) 

-Spell I'm Under 

-Junk Yard Dog (Tears on Stone) (This one is my all-time personal favorite from Winger) 

-No Man's Land 

-Black Magic (Reb's true masterpiece isn't found on any Winger album... To listen to this one you'll need to track down an old compilation CD by Guitar World magazine: Guitars That Rule The World. Others included on this great collection include Yngwie Malmsteen & Zakk Wylde, but I think "Black Magic" is the best track from the album, and certainly the best example of Reb's skill.) 

  George Lynch (Dokken) 

Dokken were one of the first hair-metal bands, but their members fell victim to the clash of their own personalities too soon to make it through the entire 80's hair-metal scene. Who knows how different their legacy might have been had they stuck together? All things considered, no one can deny Lynch's excellence as a lead guitarist. For some of the best guitar solos that sound somewhere between Eddie Van Halen & Marty Friedman, check out George's solos on these songs: 

-Paris Is Burning 

-Tooth & Nail 

-Into The Fire 

-Mr. Scary (For this one I mean the live version from the album "Beast From the East". Lynch's extended guitar solo precedes the band's performance of Mr. Scary. George does so much in this solo that in some ways it's unfair to compare him to any other guitarist!) 

-Unchain the Night 

-Kiss of Death 

-Cry of the Gypsy 

-Night by Night 

  Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) 

...And last but far from least... Nuno! It's perhaps the biggest tragedy of all rock guitar history that Extreme couldn't salvage some success after the decline of the Hair-Metal Era. They're most well known for their hit ballad "More Than Words", but Nuno truly was the greatest player of 6-strings since Eddie Van Halen. Its a crime that more people aren't aware of this fact. That's what this post is for. If you choose only one of these artists to track down some of their music after reading this post, I hope its Extreme. You deserve to hear some of the fastest, coolest, shredding-est electric guitar showmanship there ever was in the 80's/90's. Some of the best guitar solos you may never have heard of before, simply because they were either never released as a single, or because they were hidden among many other great solos from this underrated era. For the best of Bettencourt, find these songs & listen to them: 

-Mutha (Don't Wanna Go To School Today) 

-Rock A Bye Bye (Though you may find this a slow & boring ballad, stick it out to the end where you'll find a great melodic electric guitar solo!) 

-Play With Me (Made famous from the movie, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure: where Genghis Khan & co. ravage the San Dimas mall while Beethoven jams on electric keyboard; this is also the finale song from the game, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's) 

-Get The Funk Out 

-Flight of the Wounded Bumble-Bee (this is an intro to the song, "He-Man Woman-Hater", and for all intents & purposes, this is Nuno's "Eruption") 

-Song For Love (careful not to leave a half-full wine glass on you speakers during this song's guitar solo, the final note of the solo has shattered  glass goblets.) Enjoy these re-discovered guitar gods!

Epic Rock Songs of the 70's!

Post #20 (Poll Winner: Fovorite Epic Rock Song from the 70's)
In 1965, Bob Dylan released "Like a Rolling Stone" as a single. It was a #2 billboard hit, and the first song longer than 6 minutes to reach that level of the top 40 chart. It was a true turning point for rock music. It broke down the door for recording artists, and made the record industry realize that song length really wasn't as big a deal as previously believed. Long songs became more common over the next few years, and by the time the 70's were in full swing, it seemed almost every big-name rock band had an 'epic' rock-song hit.

The most memorable of these long rock songs has to be Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven". I've talked with some people from my parents' generation about this song, and without fail, they say how it dominated the airwaves seemingly forever. The song has permanently attached itself to the early 70's era, and is one of the most intricate, and expertly crafted hard-rock songs of all-time.

It's a cultural phenomenon within itself. Remember the scene from the movie Wayne's World, where the guitar-shop owner stopped Wayne from playing the opening notes of "Stairway" because a sign in the store declared: "No Stairway to Heaven"? Don't forget my mentioning the compilation CD, "Stairways to Heaven" from my previous Led Zep post: a collection of different interpretations of the classic song.

I'll leave you with this quote that closes the song:
"And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll."

Green Day!

Post #19
Happy St. Patrick's Day! For this special occasion I'll review Green Day.

Green Day are a neo-punk band that jumped onto the scene in the mid-90's and fell under the over-used blanket category of "alternative". Their songs are short fast & fun and often poke fun at a variety of social & political issues. Each Green Day album was pretty much a repeat of the previous with minimal variety... until 2004's(?) American Idiot!

American Idiot was a concept album and a true masterpiece among modern hard-rock music. The first time I listened to it I recall thinking, "This is the best Green Day song ever.... no THIS is the best Green Day song ever!" over and over again as one song followed the next. I'm also pretty fond of the anti-Bush political commentary that's sprinkled throughout the lyrics.

Listening to Green Day on St. Patrick's day is a mild tradition for me. During my college days I used to wait until March 17th to go out and collect the next Green Day album. So if you feel like "going Green" on the one day of the year when everyone is Irish, give Green Day a listen.

My recommendations for Green Day are from my personal Green Day mix CD, "St. Patty's Day Parade" (Yes, all of the following songs will fit on one 80 min CD-R):

• -At the Library
• -Jesus of Suburbia
• -Basket Case
• -Are We The Waiting
• -St. Jimmy
• -Panic Song
• -Wake Me Up When September Ends
• -Brain Stew
• -Warning:
• -American Idiot
• -Sassafras Roots
• -Minority
• -Boulevard of Broken Dreams
• -Nice Guys Finish Last
• -Give Me Novocaine
• -The Grouch
• -Welcome to Paradise
• -Macy's Day Parade
• -Uptight
• -Pulling Teeth
• -Jaded
• -Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
• -In The End
• -Whatsername

Color coded Album reference: 1,039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, Dookie, Insomniac, Nimrod, Warning, American Idiot

MIA:Kerr Plunk, Shenanigans

Avenged Sevenfold

Post #18
What better way to kick off the 7th month of my blog than by reviewing Avenged Sevenfold?

I first discovered Avenged Sevenfold when their single for "Bat Country" hit the radio like a hurricane. All I needed to hear was Synyster Gates' guitar solo and I was instantly hooked. I craved hearing this song on the radio on a daily basis, often sitting in my parked car for a few extra minutes to see if it would be the next song they played. I thought to myself, "I finally found a new band with a phenomenal lead guitarist!" I instantly regarded Gates as the best lead guitarist of the current generation of Metal. (I should note that this was mere months before I would discover another band called Dragonforce, who would quickly overtake this title. More on them later...)

When Spring came around I received Ozzfest tickets for my birthday, and A7X were on the bill. I had already found their City of Evil CD, and now made a point to go collect Waking the Fallen as well. I gave both these CDs plenty of listens before attending Ozzfest, and must admit I like City of Evil much better. At Ozzfest, this was the album they played the most songs from, and their stage show was very cool also. Their logo (a skull with bat-wings) was set as the backdrop with red glowing eyes. During their final number, the wings began to flap and the skull rose high in the air, spewing smoke from the mouth.

Recently, A7X have released their 4th full-length album, simply titled "Avenged Sevenfold". I've been able to check this out from my library (twice now), and it lives up to the standard of their previous work, and then some. It is by far the most versatile sounding album by this band, as they incorporate more keyboards, and music styles. I have only high hopes for Avenged Sevenfold as their career develops. I have some good recommendations from the 3 albums I've mentioned in this post...

From Waking the Fallen:
-Chapter Four (my personal favorite from this album)
-I Won't See You Tonight (Parts I & II) (A versatile piece of work that somewhat foreshadows the direction the band's music would take)
-Clairvoyant Disease
-And All Things Will End

From City of Evil:
-Beast & The Harlot
-Bat Country
-Burn It Down
-Betrayed

From Avenged Sevenfold:
-Critical Acclaim (A7X tackle some political commentary in the lyrics of this song)
-Almost Easy
-A Little Piece of Heaven (This is a very head-trippy song. It sounds like a song that could have been co-written by Dream Theater & Edgar Allen Poe)
-Unbound (The Wild Ride)
-Dear God (A7X bring elements of country into this song, and the result is a whole new beast of a song!)

Guns N' Roses

Post #17
In my first post I mentioned Guns N' Roses as the primary reason I became a fan of hard-rock music. Now I'm finally reviewing the career of this legendary rock band...

It all started in 1987 with the release of Appetite for Destruction. GN'R's debut took the rock world by storm. I was in Jr. High at the time, and got swept up in the frenzy with everyone else. The song that did the trick for me was Paradise City. I couldn't get enough of that song! My buddies & I listened to Appetite practically non-stop throughout 7th grade.

One of the fondest memories from this stage of my life is a story involving my classic "Guns N' Roses Was Here" T-Shirt (which I still have, although you can practically see through it!). My group of friends went out to a mall to catch a movie & shop (it was one ours' Birthday). Two of us were wearing GN'R tees already (one of the Appetite album cover, the other w/ the GN'R Was Here design), in the course of our shopping, the other 3 of us in the group also picked up the "GN'R Was Here" tee-shirt. So for the final hour or so of our mall-crawl we looked like a walking fan club and drew quite a few looks. But that's not the end of this story...

Now, back in Jr. High, we were all growing boys, and our wardrobes were a bit limited. I was always eager for my mom to wash my GN'R tee shirt so I could wear it again. I usually got to wear it at least once a week. Coincidentally, one of my friends from the mall-birthday party happened to be on the same schedule as me in terms of our laundry- and we unintentionally wore our "GN'R was here" tee-shirt on the same day so often we became know as "The Guns N' Roses Brothers". At first it was kinda cool, but after a while we both got annoyed about it, and tried to guess which day one of us would wear the shirt and wear our own on a different day, and we still coincided plenty of times! At least it makes for a memorable time from my childhood.

Now for Guns N' Roses' music, here are my thoughts: Appetite was such a huge hit, and the band themselves were a phenomenon, it seemed impossible to ever top that success. GN'R Lies was a kind of filler album- a handful of new predominantly acoustic numbers, an acoustic re-recording of "You're Crazy", put together with a re-release of their EP-Live Like a Suicide. It took forever (it seemed) for the band to record an official follow-up album, and when it was finished it became a double-album: Use Your Illusion I & II. The quality and effort that went into these albums was apparent, and everyone who followed GN'R knew they were trying to top the success of Appetite. The band itself was volatile-none more so than Axl Rose, the band's front-man. A final somewhat united effort resulted in The Spaghetti Incident?, a collection of cover songs-mostly of punk-rock favorites of the band members. Shortly after, Axl began firing band members, until he was the only original member left. That was in '93-'94, and the world is still waiting for Axl to come up with another studio album. The rumored "Chinese Democracy" album has had so many anticipated release dates I've given up anticipating it. If it happens to come out, then I'll check it out, but Axl's had me waiting so long I've lost interest.

The music that Guns N' Roses has recorded has left a monumental legacy in the world of hard-rock music. I'll try to avoid some of the frequently played singles that most of you probably know by heart, and recommend some personal favorites based on nothing more than my opinion as a long-time fan who once had a nick-name of "a Guns N' Roses Brother"...

From Appetite For Destruction:
-Welcome to the Jungle (okay, how could I not recommend it?)
-It's So Easy
-Out Ta Get Me
-Paradise City (I guess you can say this is my all-time favorite)
-You're Crazy
-Rocket Queen (this one's a unique gem, just when it seems to become another cliche rock song with too much innuendo, it changes pace and transforms into a sincere ballad)

From Lies:
-Reckless Life
-Mama Kin (a cover of the classic Aerosmith rocker!)
-You're Crazy (I don't mean to be redundant, but this acoustic version is every bit as good as the fast heavy one on Appetite, and it deserves its own listening)
(I'm torn about whether or not to recommend One In A Million. It created so much controversy in its time due to Axl's choice of lyrics, but I think its interpretation should be left to the listener.)

From Use Your Illusion I:
-Dust N' Bones
-You Ain't The First
-Bad Obsession
-The Garden
-Garden of Eden
-Coma

From Use Your Illusion II:

-Civil War

-14 Years (gotta love Izzy Stradlin on lead vocals on this one)

-Breakdown

-Locomotive

-You Could Be Mine (Paired with the movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day, this song was a monumental experience for me!)

From The Spaghetti Incident?:

-New Rose

-Human Being

-Ain't it Fun

-Attitude

-(untitled hidden track)

Jimi Hendrix

Post #16 (Poll Winner: Favorite Guitarist)
In the case of legends of the magnitude of Hendrix, words will never be enough. Therefore you must listen to his music in order to get the full "Experience". However, I will offer my thoughts on the late, great Jimi...

As I was growing up, I heard occasional songs by Jimi Hendrix on the oldies radio stations my folks often listened to, most notably "Purple Haze" & "Foxy Lady". It would be many years before I would actually add some of his music to my CD collection in college. However it is never too late to get into Hendrix! His music, songs and innovative guitar techniques are timeless, and will always sound fresh & cutting-edge no matter how many times you hear them.

The only disappointing thing about Jimi is the fact that he left us way too soon. May he rest in peace. His legacy, however, is immortal. As long as there are guitars that come with amplifiers, Hendrix will always be an inspiration for every generation to come.

The best place to start with Hendrix is with "The Ultimate Experience". It's a pretty thorough collection of his best songs that will not disappoint either casual or die-hard fans. Specifically, I can recommend some favorite songs:
-Star Spangled Banner
-Purple Haze
-Fire
-Hey Joe
-Little Wing
-Voodoo Child (slight return)
-Peace In Mississippi
-All Along the Watchtower
-The Wind Cries Mary

Trivium: The Crusade

Post #15
Trivium are a newer metal band that I took too long to discover. I kept hearing their name mentioned in magazine articles and interviews. Most notably, I read an interview with Iron Maiden, and they kept speaking very highly of Trivium. I made myself go to a Barnes & Noble store, and preview The Crusade on one of their listening stations. I was not dissapoinetd.

They aslo had a song on one of those sample CDs they now include in a lot of Metal magazines. The song was "Entrance of the Conflagration". Finally I had to give in and buy their newest CD, The Crusade. It was one of the best choices in music I've recently made.

These guys are pretty much classic heavy metal: Heavy riffs, plenty of guitar solos, and a good gravelly voice. I'll always consider James Hetfield of Metallica as the ideal metal singer. His voice is the standard I compare others to. Like Hetfield, Matthew Kiichi Heafy sings & plays guitar in this band. He is also the closest I've hear to Hetfield's voice in a long time. I think only John Bush of Anthrax comes closer. In fact, when I first heard the beginning of "Unrepentant", I did a double-take thinking I was listening to "Through the Never" from Metallica's Black Album.

All throughout The Crusade I was bludgeoned over the head with awesome song after awesome song. It is an aptly named CD, like a crusade to reclaim the glory of heavy metal. Right before the closing song, I was beginning to think what a shame it is that metal bands don't write instrumentals anymore. I was thinking that this band is good enough that they could probably write an awesome instrumental. Oh, well, I thought. Too bad it's not the mid-80's in the height of Thrash-metal anymore. Then "The Crusade" came on. I was banging my head with gusto, thinking this would make a great instrumental, if they just kept rolling with it, then braced myself for some lyrics (not that I'd be dissapointed, after all this guy's voice is really awesome for metal!) I kept waiting... The lyrics never came. Instead I was treated to an instrumental masterpiece over 8 minutes in length, the likes of which I hadn't heard since Metallica's "To Live is To Die", or "Orion".

I'm sure to add Trivium's other CDs to my collection before too long. I'll review them when I get to them, so keep checking back.. Now for my picks from The Crusade. I'll try not to recommend too many songs, but its hard to narrow it down when every song is so consistently good. Try these:
-Ignition
-Entrance of the Conflagration (the lyrics to this song read like an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
-Anthem (We Are The Fire)
-Tread the Floods
-The Crusade

Recalling the Hair Metal Era Vol. 1: Britny Fox

Post #14
The "Hair-Metal" Era of the late 80's/ early 90's will always hold a special meaning for me, because this was the era when I first got into hard rock & heavy metal music. There were a ton of bands around who all seemed to have a big hit on MTV and your regular hard-rock radio station. Half a decade later, they were all nearly forgotten, and regarded as a bad fad that couldn't have ended too soon. There was never a period of rock music where guys looked more like girls than in the height of Hair-Metal.

One of these "flash-in-the-pan" bands that I happened to enjoy at the time was Britny Fox. Underneath the hairspray & glam was some good rockin' music. If you check out my recommendations at the end of this post you can judge for yourself, but for now let me get to my review of their 15 minutes of fame...

The first song of theirs I heard was "Girlschool". The video for this song got plenty of air play on MTV in '88, and myself being 13 at the time, the song appealed to me. They also had a follow-up video for "Long Way to Love". I never understood why the hair-metal bands dressed so feminine, & wore make-up & hairspray, but I always liked the music. Their 2nd album, Boys In Heat, was not as big of a hit, and didn't have as many songs that really stood out. Britny Fox really continued their decline on their 3rd effort, Bite Down Hard. Nonetheless, there are some good rock songs to be found among these albums, and I'll tell you the ones I would deem worthy of a quick download.

From their 1st album, Britny Fox:
-Girlschool
-Long Way to Love
-Rock Revolution (if you're in a band & looking for an obscure song to cover that still rocks, try this one!)
-In America

From Boys in Heat:
-Dream On (this is NOT a cover of the Aerosmith classic)
-Angel in My Heart

From Bite Down Hard:
-Six Guns Loaded

Iced Earth

Post #13
It's January. It's 14 degrees outside. The little snow that fell today was too cold to stick to anything. It's a great time to write about Iced Earth!!!!!!!

Iced Earth are a newer thrash band (by that I mean newer than the original thrash bands of the 80's) I heard about from a college friend. I was conversing about heavy metal with this friend and mentioned how disappointed I was in the current music scene (this was back in '98-'99). All of my long-time favorite metal bands seemed to be experimenting with Alternative (Metallica), or putting out mediocre albums (Anthrax, Megadeth,). My friend asked if I had ever heard of Iced Earth. I said no...

Iced Earth came to my ears like a savior. I was blown away by how heavy they were. I hadn't discovered a band this heavy since I first heard Pantera back in '94. They really won me over with the blend of clean guitar peppered sparingly amongst their speedy thrash riffs. I couldn't have had a better recommendation & I owe a great deal of thanks to that friend. I've been collecting their albums slowly ever since.

Iced Earth is the brain child of Jon Schaffer (the band's primary songwriter & guitarist). Over the years the other band members have changed numerous times. For the most part, the lead singer has been Matt Barlow. In 2004 he was replaced by Tim "Ripper" Owens (previously of Judas Priest-he filled the lead singer spot vacated by the legendary Rob Halford). Owens sang on the Iced Earth albums: The Glorious Burden, and Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Ptart 1. Recently, Schaffer hired Barlow back, and has let Owens go, citing the wishes of long time fans as the reason. Matt Barlow will be the featured vocalist on the up-coming Something Wicked Part 2 album.

For the Iced Earth era leading up to The Glorious Burden, I'll simply recommend any song from the compilation: The Blessed and the Damned. This is a 2-disc collection that provides a balanced sampling of their best music from this time period. In particular I really love the song "Melancholy (Holy Martyr)".

Not included on The Blessed & the Damned is Iced Earth's collection of cover songs: Tribute to the Gods. So that you're not missing out, I recommend the following songs from this album:
-Burning for You (Blue Oyster Cult)
-Dead Babies (Alice Cooper), Iced Earth give this song a darker & more haunting vibe than the original.
-Hallowed Be Thy Name (Iron Maiden)
-Creatures of the Night (Kiss), of course I have to recommend a Kiss cover!

As for the short-lived Tim Owens era, let me first mention that I will miss Ripper's vocals. I'm also a fan of Barlow's voice in this band, so I'll still enjoy their new music. However, I'll be sure to keep an ear out for Tim Owens wherever he goes from here. The best Iced Earth songs that Tim gave voice to follow...

The Glorious Burden
This is a concept album that deals with war through the ages. The highlight is the 3-part epic: Gettysburg (1863). The CD's booklet provides an in-depth synopsis of the Civil War's history behind the music, and reveals Schaffer's skill at story-telling. The symphonic accompaniment throughout, as well as battle-march style drums, really make Gettysburg an emotionally weighted listening experience. Other good songs from The Glorious Burden:
-Star Spangled Banner (This is a straight-forward interpretation, played very heavy, and leads straight into the next song...)
-Declaration Day (About the US's battle for independence from Britain)
-The Reckoning

Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1
Again, this is a concept album, or rather the 1st half of a concept album. It's also a continuation of a trilogy of songs that close the "Something Wicked This Way Comes" album. The scope of the concept is quite vast, and there are elements of science fiction present. It seems to be about the history of mankind's conquest of the earth, as well as a futuristic vision of the same trend: mankind's conquest throughout the universe. Unlike the Gettysburg epic from the previous album, this album lacks any interpretive synopsis beyond the lyrics. As a result the story is more difficult to assemble & follow. Maybe Part 2 will clear things up once it comes out. That being said, this album is still a great head-banging experience for any thrash-metal fan. Some of my favorite songs from Framing Armageddon:
-Ten Thousand Strong
-The Clouding (This song is a masterpiece in & of itself. For the 1st 5:27 its a slow dark melodic piece, but the remaining 4 minutes get heavy again)
-Framing Armageddon
-When Stars Collide (Born is He)

Check out Iced Earth's website:
http://www.icedearth.com/

Led Zeppelin

Post #12 (Poll Winner: Favorite 70's Band)
"Lords of Rock, Led Zeppelin! Grace us with your Mighty Love!"

You may recall the above quote from Jack Black's "Pitch to Led Zeppelin" begging for permission to use "The Immigrant Song" in the movie School of Rock. (You can find it in the extras on the DVD!) This statement really puts Zeppelin in an appropriate perspective: they are Legend, they are Icons, they have no equal, they are One of a Kind. I know I claim that KISS is my all time favorite, but few bands command the level of respect that Led Zeppelin do.

A great many musical artists have paid this respect through recording their own interpretations of their music. Some examples include: Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin, Kashmir: The Symphonic Led Zeppelin, Great White-Great Zeppelin, Dread Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin inna reggae style!), and Stairways to Heaven to name a few.

Their music practically defined the 70's. You cannot converse about the influences of modern hard rock music without mentioning them. Without them, without their music, the world would be a different place. Can you imagine if you had never heard of the song Stairway to Heaven?

With a Led Zeppelin reunion currently in the works, the legend they already have can only grow. I'll probably miss out on a chance to see them live because of how limited this opportunity may be and how astronomical the cost of their shows are sure to be, but I'll be 1st in line to buy a new album from them should they pursue this reunion that far.

I have had the opportunity to see a world-renown Zeppelin tribute band: Zoso (check out their website: http://www.zosoontour.net/). The show they did was incredible. They look like Led Zeppelin, they sound like Led Zeppelin, they even played Stairway! I'm glad to have seen their tribute show, and would see them again if I get another chance.

For now I'll leave you with a list of some of my personal favorites from Zeppelin. These songs are mostly from their 1st 4 albums, which I regard as their "Golden Era". They are also the same as my own "Best of Led Zeppelin" mix CD!
-Black Dog
-Good Times, Bad Times
-Rock & Roll
-Immigrant Song
-Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You
-Heartbreaker
-Going to California
-Misty Mountain Hop
-That's the Way
-Whole Lotta Love
-Kashmir
-When the Levee Breaks
-D'yer Mak'er
-Gallows Pole
-Stairway to Heaven

Some websites of interest:
http://www.dreadzeppelin.com/
http://www.ledzeppelin.com/

A Brief Note on "70's Rock Band" Poll

Post #11.5
First, my thanks to all those who voted. The votes were spread pretty evenly, and the narrow winner is Led Zeppelin. Before I get to my full review of Zeppelin, I just want to say a few things.

First is that if I could do this poll over again I probably would not include Judas Priest or the Scorpions. After I'd already posted the poll it occured to me that these bands didn't really hit big until the 80's. In their place I would have included a couple bands like Rush, AC/DC, or ZZ Top.

Second, I could porbably ramble for half an hour just listing more great bands from the 70's, so no matter how long the list would get I couldn't include everyone. Anyone who voted for "other" please don't take it personally that your favorite wasn't on the list.

Now I'm off to compose my thoughts on the legendary Led Zeppelin....
Be back soon!

Music Mix Mania!

Post #11
The age of the i-Pod & other portable digital music players is upon us & in full swing. With the ability to carry hundreds (or even thousands!) of songs in a tiny device you can slip into your pocket, its easier than ever to quickly give a listen to a great song of you choice at a moments notice. One sad fact of this high-tech convenience is that the art of recording a music mix onto a tape or CD has nearly become a lost art already! Okay, cassette tapes have been ancient for years already, but I'm still jazzed that I can make music mixes on a computer with a CD burner! Is there anyone out there who agrees with me? Isn't there still a great feeling to assemble 60-80 minutes of great music in the perfect sequence and making a permanent recording of it? If you agree, then this post is dedicated to you. This post will be a look at one random mix tape form my personal archives-a blast from the past so to say.

Here I go, pull out the old cassette travel-case I once kept in my car during my college days, blow the dust off, crack it open and... BAM! Instant nostalgia! A whole dozen mix tapes to choose from. For me, this is like opening a time capsule. I was never one to make a mix of the same 18 songs you would hear any given day on the rock radio station, either. So these tapes are chocked full of some obscure gems out of left field.

My choice of mixes to cover today: “You Name It!” The following mix tape is probably one of the most eclectic mixes I’ve ever assembled. Thrash, Alternative, Classic Rock, Acid-Rock, Grunge, Prog-Rock, Dance, 80’s Pop-Rock, Reggae, Latin Blues, and even (don’t shoot me, I’ll explain myself) Country: this mix pretty much has it all. A couple underlying themes to this mix; 1-there are a lot of KISS songs, but they’re mostly covers from various KISS-tribute CDs. The lone KISS song, “Then She Kissed Me”, is actually a cover itself. 2-Many of the songs are a-typical versions; either live, unplugged, or a remix. This tape is kicked off with a Dance-remix/cover of Kiss’ classic disco-era hit, “I Was Made for Lovin’ You”. I heard someone in my dorm listening to it one day and it inspired me to make the following mix-tape. I asked to borrow the CD, then returned it after I’d made the tape.

However, my favorite part of this listening experience has to be when the soft, smooth, bluesy melody of “Forever Night Shade Mary” by Latin Playboys comes to a close, only to be instantly succeeded by Sepultura’s “Murder” , which assaults your eardrums like a barrage of serrated sledgehammers. What an awesome feeling!

Here’s an annotated breakdown of this music mix…

“You Name It!”
Mix Tape (circa ’96-’97) review: 110min TDK CDpower Cassette
Side A
-I Was Made for Lovin’ You (Dance Mix) I never listen to dance music, unless I happen to be at a club or something, which for me is once in a blue moon. It’s only because it’s a Kiss cover that I put it on this tape.
-Space-Dye Vest (Dream Theater) This is one of the best songs Dream Theater ever recorded. I love the seamless blend of piano and slow, heavy guitar riffs this song showcases.
-Suicide Note Pts I & II (Pantera) A 2-part song by Pantera, that in itself represents the 2 extremes of their own unique sound in metal.
-Tomorrow (J Walsh) An obscure mellow tune by Joe Walsh about procrastination, I included it here to avoid stringing too many metal songs together, however I was in college, so maybe I identified with the lyrics too.
-Bleeding Me (Metallica) One of my personal favorites from Metallica’s Load album.
-Deuce (Hellmenn) A fast, punky cover of the Kiss classic.
-The Heart of the Matter (D. Henley) Just felt like a bit of 80’s pop…
-Turbo Lover (Judas Priest) The heavy metal titan’s least ‘metal’ hit (lots of synth on this song, thank the 80’s for that), but I still like it.
-Then She Kissed Me (Kiss) Kiss covering the classic 50’s hit.
-Last Exit (Pearl Jam) Needed a ‘grunge’-era song somewhere, I thought this number was a bit underrated from the Vitalogy album.
Side B
-Peace in Mississippi (Hendrix) An excellent instrumental from one of the most legendary guitarists of all time. Never heard of it? Do yourself a favor & listen to it NOW.
-Life in the Fast Lane (Eagles) This is a live version from the “Hell Freezes Over” album. Can’t beat the vibe of this band that had just reunited.
-Polly (Nirvana-unplugged) This unplugged version really rocks!
-Rip It Out (Haphazard) Another Kiss cover, this one comes from “Dressed to Kill: An Independent Tribute to Kiss”
-Silent Scream (Slayer) When Slayer tackle issues in their music, they’re brutal about it. This one’s no different. Be warned, it deals with abortion.
-Long Day (Matchbox 20) Back when MB20 actually rocked!
-Forever Night Shade Mary (Latin Playboys) This song comes from the Desperado Soundtrack. Robert Rodriguez’ selection of songs & how he works them into this film is simply fantastic. I bought the soundtrack because of how well it enhanced the film.
-Murder (Sepultura) This is probably the heaviest song on this mix. From the “Arise” album, it thrashes as fast as any song from the mid-80’s
-Down In a Hole (Alice In Chains-unplugged) Another live, acoustic grunge song. Again, there’s something special about live performances, and the acoustic arrangement on this song makes it all the better.
-Stir it Up (Cool Runnings Soundtrack) Diana King covers the Bob Marley classic.
-Love Gun (Flipp) This is a very different arrangement of a Kiss classic. Slowed down to about half the tempo of the original and played on acoustic guitar, its practically a different song.
-More Human Than Human (White Zombie-Remix) Taken from “Supersexy Swingin’ Sounds: The Astro-Creep Remixes.” As far as remixes go, I find this one really cool.
-Train to Nowhere (Great White) From Great White’s live album, “Stage”, this bluesy rock song has a great groove.
-Strong Enough (Sheryl Crow) Straight forward Sheryl Crow. Another acoustic number.
-Hard Luck Woman (Garth Brooks) One last Kiss cover to close this music mix. Although Garth is to Country what Kiss is to Rock N’ Roll, he does a great job covering this song.