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Artist...............: Rotting Christ Album................: A Dead Poem Release Date.........: Oct 7, 1997 Genre................: Symphonic Black Metal Number of Songs......: 10 Duration.............: 00:47:25 min
Track Listing: 01. "Sorrowfull Farewell" - 4:52 02. "Among Two Storms" - 4:09 03. "A Dead Poem" - 4:08 04. "Out Of Spirits" - 4:06 05. "As If By Magic" - 5:51 06. "Full Colour Is The Night" - 4:47 07. "Semigod" - 4:39 08. "Ten Miles High" - 4:34 09. "Between Times" - 5:03 10. "Ira Incensus" - 5:16
Album Review: Though their name has always been a bit much for some to stomach, Greece's Rotting Christ are hardly the most extreme of black metal bands. And despite their unusual country of origin, they have capably challenged their mainland counterparts by building a respectably consistent body of work without any obvious clunkers. While this makes it rather difficult to pin-point their best album, most would agree that 1997's strangely titled A Dead Poem (along with its direct predecessor, the even more strangely named Triarchy of the Lost Lovers) ranks among their best. Now a word of caution: Experienced deathsters will probably prefer the band's more extreme early efforts. A Dead Poem, despite its ample collection of aggressive riffs and infectious guitar harmonies, rates higher in commercial accessibility than inspired songwriting, making it ideal for beginning fans. "Sorrowful Farewell" and the title track provide the album's best moments, and though they take a tad long to get going, the acoustic guitar-driven "Ira Incensus" and the synthesizer -enhanced "As if by Magic" eventually deliver some of the group's most melodic, consumer-friendly hooks. - Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: The Bush Chemists Album................: Dub Outernational Release Date.........: Jan 30, 1996 Genre................: Reggae Number of Songs......: 15 Duration.............: 00:57:45 min
Track Listing: 01. Dub Exploitation 3:24 02. Got to Be Conscious 4:00 03. Show Them the Way 3:47 04. Give Thanks and Praise 3:42 05. Let Us Know Dub 3:29 06. Teaching of Love 3:59 07. Survival Dub 3:43 08. Armagideon Dub 3:53 09. Cultural Dub 3:52 10. Dub Outernational 3:47 11. Searching Dub 3:51 12. Watchful Dub 4:04 13. Pure and Clean 4:36 14. Roots, Rocks, Reggae 3:56 15. Righteous Dub 3:42
Album Review: Dub Outernational is the first domestic U.S. release from U.K. dub specialists Bush Chemists. The entire album was recorded in member Dougie Wardrop's attic, and the music could be best described as a combination of futuristic sounds with a classic reggae production. Essentially a compilation of remixed favorites from past releases (they've done albums for the Conscious Sounds, Universal Egg, and Centry labels over the years), Dub Outernational is appealing to both the newcomer and the longtime fan. Each track slides into the next, almost playing like a continuous hour-long composition - "Show Them the Way" is a work of spirituality, while "Dub Exploitation," "Roots, Rock, Reggae," and the title track are all slinky, liquid-sounding dubs. - Greg Prato, Rolling Stone.
Track Listing: 01. Born With a Broken Heart 5:56 02. Deja Voodoo 6:08 03. Aberdeen 4:16 04. Shame, Shame, Shame 6:06 05. One Foot on the Path 3:49 06. Everbody Gets the Blues 5:57 07. While We Cry [Live] 6:18 08. I'm Leaving You (Commit a Crime) 4:15 09. (Let Me Up) I've Had Enough 2:44 10. Riverside 3:45 11. What's Goin' Down 5:30 12. Ledbetter Heights 6:11
Album Review: You would never guess from Kenny Wayne Shepherd's fiery playing that the guitarist is still only in his teens. On his debut, Ledbetter Heights, Shepherd burns through a set of rather generic blues-rock ravers that are made special by his exceptional technique. It may still be a while before he says something original, but he plays with style, energy, and dedication, which is more than enough for a debut album. Thom Owens, All Music Guide.
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Artist...............: Enigma Album................: The Cross Of Changes Release Date.........: Feb 8, 1994 Genre................: New Age, Ambient Number of Songs......: 9 Duration.............: 00:44:10 min
Track Listing: 01. "Second Chapter" (Curly M.C.) - 2:16 02. "The Eyes of Truth" (Curly) - 7:12 03. "Return to Innocence" (Curly, Kuo Ying-nan, Kuo Hsiu-chu) - 4:17 04. "I Love You ... I'll Kill You" (Curly, David Fairstein) - 8:51 05. "Silent Warrior" (Curly) - 6:10 06. "The Dream of the Dolphin" (Fairstein) - 2:45 07. "Age of Loneliness (Carly's Song)" (Curly) - 5:21 08. "Out from the Deep" (Curly) - 4:53 09. "The Cross of Changes" (Curly) - 2:25
Album Review: Cretu being no fool, he figured if it worked the first time, no need to change things much for the second. But he also knew not to simply go ahead and just rehash his debut for Cross of Changes, resulting in a just different enough effort along the same overall lines. The usual air of tasteful middle-of-the-road spirituality takes precedence, right down to the cover art and appropriately pantheistic quote from Persian mystic poet Rumi in the CD booklet. Needless to say, the music attempts to match the same throughout, and often succeeds. Things kick off with more of the synth-whale song noises and atmospherics from MCMXC, however there aren't any monks to be found this time around, but what sounds like the same whispering woman talking about "clearing the debts of many hundred years" and the like. From there, Cretu merrily takes the same plunge - some of his sample choices this time around show he's got a decent record collection, including parts from Songs From the Victorious City, the striking fusion of Egyptian and Western musics from Anne Dudley and Jaz Coleman. His work with beats and loops noticeably shows a more developed edge - while hardly an innovator, there's a bit more grime and loud in his rhythms, which in combination with extra electric guitar make a reasonable contrast to the smoother elements. Consider the rampaging conclusion to "I Love You...I'll Kill You," which while sharing some cheese with the title itself still works surprisingly well, right down to a clever Robert Plant vocal sample at the end. "Return to Innocence" was the big single from this one, not quite up there with "Sadeness" in the popular culture in the U.S. but almost inescapable elsewhere. There's another Led Zeppelin sample (this time John Bonham) and a haunting male vocal providing oomph under the fuzzy-headed greeting card philosophy of the main lyrics. It's an impressive effort, showing Cretu had a definite something in his own way. Ned Raggett, All Music Guide.
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Artist...............: JAN GARBAREK GROUP Album................: Twelve Moons Released.............: 1993 Genre................: Jazz Duration.............: 1:15:33 Number of Songs......: 10 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: 01-Twelve Moons-07:37 Part One: Winter-Summer Part Two: Summer-Winter 02-Psalm-06:33 03-Brother Wind March-10:20 04-There Were Swallows...-08:39 05-The Tall Tear Trees-05:51 06-Arietta-06:24 07-Gautes-Margjit-11:58 08-Darvαnan-04:56 09-Huhai-07:32 10-Witchi-Tai-To-05:43
Album Review: Norwegian saxophonist/composer Jan Garbarek is one of the north’s premier musicians–and not merely in “jazz.” He has evolved from his early years as a Coltrane-influenced saxophonist into a unique approach to playing and writing, with a distinctive sax tone and a mature composer’s ability to work with materials from folk music and the avant-garde as well as with jazz. Garbarek has long been my favorite saxophonist–there are moments here as on all his albums when his knife-edged tone can just rip holes in you, like a scalpel made of frozen fire.
Twelve Moonsis both a summation and a look forward. It contains a few arrangements of traditional Norwegian songs (“Psalm” and “Gautes-Margjit”), something Garbarek has been exploring in depth of late, but this is also the first album on which Garbarek looks back to his past catalogue and reworks or presents a new version of a piece he has recorded before. Twelve Moons is a celebration, too, as ECM’s 500th release. It’s fitting that ECM’s 500th album be a Garbarek work, due to their long association together.
“Brother Wind March” is a reworking of “Brother Wind” from Garbarek’s earlier album Legend of the Seven Dreams(ECM) that turns the original into a dramatic processional. “Arietta” is a gentle arrangement of an Edvard Grieg piece, while the album’s title cut is a two-part excerpt of music from a documentary film. The album concludes with the Jim Pepper tune “Witchi-Tai-To,” which the Garbarek Group has been using as a signature tune since they first recorded it almost 20 years ago. They play it here in an extended version that begins with just drums and sax, then builds up to an peaceful climax full of space and light–a powerful and moving vision.
Any new Jan Garbarek album is always an event, because he is always changing and exploring. Twelve Moonsis a worthy addition to his oeuvre, both a summation and a celebration.
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Artist...............: JOHN CAMPBELL Album................: One Believer Released.............: 1991 Genre................: Blues Duration.............: 50:17 Number of Songs......: 10 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: 01-Devil In My Closet-06:01 02-Angel Of Sorrow-04:16 03-Wild Streak-05:01 04-Couldn't Do Nothin'-03:48 05-Tiny Coffin-04:44 06-World Of Trouble-06:10 07-Voodoo Edge-04:09 08-Person To Person-03:50 09-Take Me Down-06:45 10-One Believer-05:33
Album Review: The Elektra debut by the late bluesman John Campbell is a curious affair in more than one respect-despite it's obvious excellence and original voice. The first is that he was signed at all. Clearly in 1990 when Campbell signed his deal, record company executives were still interested inn finding new and original talent and developing them over a period of time. One Believer was outside of virtually every trend on major labels and in pop at the time. Other than Chris Whitley's Living with the Law, it was the only roots record issued on a major label in 1991. The other thing is that One Believer is an oddity even for Campbell. It's a deeply atmospheric record full of subtle shimmering organs and warm guitar textures that accent the dreamy spooky side of the blues more than the crunchy stomp and roll that Campbell was known for in the clubs -- and displayed on his follow-up Howlin' Mercy. Tracks like "Angel of Sorrow," "World of Trouble," and "Wild Streak" offer shimmering ambient textures from which the blues emanate from the ether, tonally and melodically challenging all acceptable notions of what Texas blues should sound like -- but then, Mr. Campbell was living and working in New York and his music was certainly influenced by that late-night environment. These are beautiful songs, tempered in shadow and restraint while baring their teeth at all the right moments. Other places the roadhouse magic comes out of the closet as on "Couldn't Do Nothin'," "Devil In My Closet," and "Person to Person. On "Voodoo Edge," the slowhand blues meets a crisscross New Orleans second-line backbeat a la Dr. John and comes up with chunky honky-tonk piano and shakers to give the piece an "I Walk on Gilded Splinters feel, extending Campbell's sound over a deeper, darker shade of roots music. This in underlined by the album's last two tracks -- "Take Me Down" and the title track -- which are menacing in their conviction and creepy swampy in execution. This is a fine, fine debut that remains in print. - Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
Track Listing: CD1 01-Suite: Judy Blue Eyes-07:29 02-Helplessly Hoping-02:32 03-You Don't Have To Cry-02:41 04-Wooden Ships-05:27 05-Guinnevere-04:46 06-Marrakesh Express-02:36 07-Long Time Gone-04:17 08-Blackbird-02:36 09-Lady Of The Island-02:38 10-Song With No Words-03:14 11-Almost Cut My Hair-08:52 12-Teach Your Children-02:54 13-Horses Through A Rainstorm-03:39 14-Deja Vu-04:10 15-Helpless-03:37 16-4 + 20-02:10 17-Laughing-05:24 18-Carry On-04:25
CD2 01-Woodstock-03:52 02-Ohio-03:06 03-Love The One You're With-03:07 04-Our House-03:00 05-Old Times Good Times-03:42 06-The Lee Shore-05:31 07-Music Is Love-03:22 08-I'd Swear There Was Somebody-01:21 09-Man In The Mirror-02:38 10-Black Queen-07:04 11-Military Madness-02:55 12-Urge For Going-03:46 13-I Used To Be A King-04:48 14-Simple Man-02:19 15-Southbound Train-03:56 16-Change Partners-03:13 17-My Love Is A Gentle Thing-01:24 18-Word Game-04:11 19-Johnny's Garden-02:46 20-So Begins The Task-02:29 21-Turn Back The Pages-04:04
CD3 01-See The Changes-02:44 02-It Doesn't Matter-02:31 03-Immigration Man-03:00 04-Chicago We Can Change The World-04:01 05-Homeward Through The Haze-04:22 06-Where Will I Be-03:22 07-Page 43-02:56 08-Carry Me-03:34 09-Cowboy Of Dreams-03:28 10-Bittersweet-02:38 11-To The Last Whale, Critical Mass, Wind On The Water-05:31 12-Prison Song-03:12 13-Another Sleep Song-04:44 14-Taken At All-02:56 15-In My Dreams-05:12 16-Just A Song Before I Go-02:14 17-Shadow Captain-04:33 18-Dark Star-04:59 19-Cathedral-05:15
CD4 01-Wasted On The Way-02:46 02-Barrel Of Pain (Half Life)-04:43 03-Southern Cross-04:40 04-Daylight Again-02:28 05-Thoroughfare Gap-03:33 06-Wild Tales-02:14 07-Dear Mr. Fantasy-06:58 08-Cold Rain-02:33 09-Got It Made-04:54 10-Tracks In The Dust-04:47 11-As I Come Of Age-02:47 12-50 50-04:21 13-Drive My Car-03:51 14-Delta-04:10 15-Soldiers Of Peace-04:19 16-Yours And Mine-04:27 17-Haven't We Lost Enough-03:07 18-After The Dolphin-04:49 19-Find The Cost Of Freedom-01:58
Album Review: This 77-track, four-CD set remains one of the best boxes devoted to a single music act that one can buy, covering the output of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young across 22 years, from 1968 until 1990. The first thing that becomes apparent, beyond the excellent sound (which was a revelation at the time, when only extant editions of the group's work were the early, substandard CD editions), is the sheer worth of the material. Crosby, Stills & Nash's reputation, based on their first four albums, can be taken as a given for anyone who would think of buying this set, and it does cover virtually every base that one could involving the trio, with an occasional Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cut included for completeness' sake. Disc one by itself should be worth the price of the set to serious fans, eight of its 18 tracks being previously unissued songs (including a version of the Beatles' "Blackbird") and unissued early demos, alternate takes, or variant mixes on songs from the Crosby, Stills & Nash or Deja Vu albums, along with one Crosby & Nash outtake. Disc two is similarly filled with previously unheard songs and versions of songs, although here the rarities are more focused on material by Stephen Stills (including a Crosby, Stills & Young version of "Black Queen"), Graham Nash solo, and the Crosby & Nash duo. Disc three is devoted more to Manassas and Crosby & Nash, but does work in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Taken at All" and "See the Changes" from various attempts at doing albums. Disc four takes listeners up to 1990, with Stills, Nash, and Crosby solo material (including unissued live and studio cuts) of the '80s interspersed with released Crosby, Stills & Nash tracks and previously unissued Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young tracks. The accompanying booklet includes a sessionography and reminiscence about each track, and as most of this set is presented in chronological order, one not only gets a dazzling four-hour-plus song-by-song listening experience, but also what amounts to a montage/history of the group and their members across more than two decades. - Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
Track Listing: CD1 1 "When I Needed You" Steven Tyler Steven Tyler, pre-Aerosmith, with the band The Strangeurs/Chain Reaction. 2 "Make It" Steven Tyler From the album Aerosmith. 3 "Movin' Out" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry Unreleased alternate version from the Aerosmith sessions. 4 "One Way Street" Steven Tyler From the album Aerosmith. 5 "On the Road Again" Unknown Unreleased song from the Aerosmith sessions. 6 "Mama Kin" Steven Tyler From the album Aerosmith. 7 "Same Old Song and Dance" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry From the album Get Your Wings. 8 "Train Kept A-Rollin'" Tiny Bradshaw, Howard Kay, Lois Mann From the album Get Your Wings. 9 "Seasons of Wither" Steven Tyler From the album Get Your Wings. 10 "Write Me a Letter" Steven Tyler Unreleased live version. 11 "Dream On" Steven Tyler From the album Aerosmith. 12 "Pandora's Box" Steven Tyler, Joey Kramer From the album Get Your Wings. 13 "Rattlesnake Shake" Peter Green Unreleased live radio broadcast aired on WKRQ, Cincinnati. 14 "Walkin' the Dog" Rufus Thomas Unreleased live radio broadcast aired on WKRQ, Cincinnati. 15 "Lord of the Thighs" Steven Tyler Unreleased live version from Texxas Jam, Cottonbowl, Dallas.
CD2 1 "Toys in the Attic" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry From the album Toys in the Attic. 2 "Round and Round" Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford From the album Toys in the Attic. 3 "Krawhitham" Joey Kramer, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton Unreleased instrumental. 4 "You See Me Crying" Steven Tyler, Don Solomon From the album Toys in the Attic. 5 "Sweet Emotion" Steven Tyler, Tom Hamilton From the album Toys in the Attic. 6 "No More No More" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry From the album Toys in the Attic. 7 "Walk This Way" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry From the album Toys in the Attic. 8 "I Wanna Know Why" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry Unreleased live version from Texxas Jam, Cottonbowl, Dallas. 9 "Big Ten-Inch Record" Fred Weismantel Unreleased live version from Texxas Jam, Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas, 1978-07-04. 10 "Rats in the Cellar" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry From the album Rocks. 11 "Last Child" Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford Remix of the original version from the album Rocks. 12 "All Your Love" Otis Rush Unreleased song. Recorded at the Cenacle, Armonk, New York, May 1977. 13 "Soul Saver" Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford Unreleased rehearsal. 14 "Nobody's Fault" Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford From the album Rocks. 15 "Lick and a Promise" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry From the album Rocks. 16 "Adam's Apple" Steven Tyler Unreleased live version recorded on tour in Indianapolis, Indiana, 1977-07-04. 17 "Draw the Line" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry Remix of the original version from the album Draw the Line. 18 "Critical Mass" Steven Tyler, Tom Hamilton, Jack Douglas From the album Draw the Line.
CD3 1 "Kings and Queens" Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford, Jack Douglas Unreleased live version. 2 "Milkcow Blues" Kokomo Arnold From the album Draw the Line. 3 "I Live in Connecticut" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry Unreleased rehearsal. 4 "Three Mile Smile" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry From the album Night in the Ruts. 5 "Let It Slide" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry Unreleased song from the Night in the Ruts sessions. 6 "Cheese Cake" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry From the album Night in the Ruts. 7 "Bone to Bone" (Coney Island White Fish Boy) Steven Tyler, Joe Perry From the album Night in the Ruts. Recorded at Media Sound and Record Plant Studios, New York City, 1979-07-10. 8 "No Surprize" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry From the album Night in the Ruts. 9 "Come Together" John Lennon, Paul McCartney From the album Greatest Hits. 10 "Downtown Charlie" Aerosmith Unreleased song. 11 "Sharpshooter" Brad Whitford, Derek St. Holmes From the album Whitford/St. Holmes. 12 "Shit House Shuffle" Joe Perry Unreleased rehearsal. 13 "South Station Blues" Joe Perry From the album I've Got the Rock'n'Rolls Again by The Joe Perry Project. 14 "Riff & Roll" Steven Tyler, Jimmy Crespo Unreleased song. 15 "Jailbait" Steven Tyler, Jimmy Crespo From the album Rock in a Hard Place. 16 "Major Barbara" Steven Tyler Unreleased alternate version. 17 "Chip Away the Stone" Richie Supa Unreleased alternate version. 18 "Helter Skelter" John Lennon, Paul McCartney Unreleased song. 19 "Back in the Saddle" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry From the album Rocks. Recorded at the Wherehouse, Waltham, Mass. & Record Plant Studios, NYC, 1976-02-03. 20 "Circle Jerk" (hidden track) Brad Whitford Unreleased instrumental.
Album Review: Aerosmith's 1991 three-CD box set Pandora's Box has just about everything you could possibly want: hits, demos, rarities, live material, key album tracks, and a booklet packed with classic photos, a bio, and the bandmembers' remembrances of all the tracks. Since the set was released by Columbia, none of their material from the mid-'80s through the early-'90s is featured (Done With Mirrors, Permanent Vacation, and Pump). But the '70s was when this legendary band was at their most raw and rocking best, and Pandora's Box is a superb overview of the group's work from their first self-titled album up until 1982's Rock in a Hard Place. Also included is solo material from Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, as well as an early track from Steven Tyler when he fronted a band called Chain Reaction in the '60s. The hits will attract the casual admirer ("Dream On," "Walk This Way," "Sweet Emotion," etc.), while the more obscure selections will surely please the longtime fan ("Rattlesnake Shake," "On the Road Again," a great demo of "Movin' Out," live versions of "Write Me a Letter," "I Wanna Know Why," etc.). Aerosmith was always an album-oriented band, and such selections as "No Surprize," "Three Mile Smile," "Lick and a Promise," "No More No More," and "Seasons of Wither" often outshine the hits. By touching all the bases, Pandora's Box is an excellent package. - Greg Prato, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: Queensryche Album................: Empire Release Date.........: August 20, 1990 Genre................: Progressive metal Number of Songs......: 11 Duration.............: 01:03:21 min
Album Review: One of the most praised metal albums of the late '80s, Operation: Mindcrime was an extremely tough act to follow. But while Empire isn't quite on a par with that gem, it is certainly one of the most absorbing headbanger efforts of 1990. Highly conceptual and anything but redundant, Empire demonstrates beautifully just how imaginative Queensryche can be. If anyone has bridged the gap between the bombast of Iron Maiden and the artiness of Pink Floyd, it is Queensryche. But as much as one may be reminded of Floyd's The Wall on pieces like "Anybody Listening?," "Silent Lucidity," and "Resistance," Empire leaves no doubt that Queensryche has a rich personality all its own. - Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: THE STONE ROSES Album................: The Stone Roses Release Date.........: Jul 1989 Genre................: Madchester Number of Songs......: 11 Duration.............: 00:48:53 min
Track Listing: 01. I Wanna Be Adored 4:51 02. She Bangs The Drums 3:51 03. Waterfall 4:41 04. Don't Stop 5:20 05. Bye Bye Badman 4:05 06. Elizabeth My Dear 0:57 07. (Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister 3:26 08. Made of Stone 4:15 09. Shoot You Down 4:13 10. This Is the One 4:59 11. I Am the Resurrection 8:15
Album Review: Since the Stone Roses were the nominal leaders of Britain's "Madchester" scene - an indie rock phenomenon that fused guitar pop with drug-fueled rave and dance culture - it's rather ironic that their eponymous debut only hints at dance music. What made the Stone Roses important was how they welcomed dance and pop together, treating them as if they were the same beast. Equally important was the Roses' cool, detached arrogance, which was personified by Ian Brown's nonchalant vocals. Brown's effortless malevolence is brought to life with songs that equal both his sentiments and his voice - "I Wanna Be Adored," with its creeping bassline and waves of cool guitar hooks, doesn't demand adoration, it just expects it. Similarly, Brown can claim "I Am the Resurrection" and lie back, as if there were no room for debate. But the key to The Stone Roses is John Squire's layers of simple, exceedingly catchy hooks and how the rhythm section of Reni and Mani always imply dance rhythms without overtly going into the disco. On "She Bangs the Drums" and "Elephant Stone," the hooks wind into the rhythm inseparably - the '60s hooks and the rolling beats manage to convey the colorful, neo-psychedelic world of acid house. Squire's riffs are bright and catchy, recalling the British Invasion while suggesting the future with their phased, echoey effects. The Stone Roses was a two-fold revolution - it brought dance music to an audience that was previously obsessed with droning guitars, while it revived the concept of classic pop songwriting, and the repercussions of its achievement could be heard throughout the '90s, even if the Stone Roses could never achieve this level of achievement again. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide.
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Artist...............: DEF LEPPARD Album................: Hysteria Released.............: 1987 Genre................: Heavy Metal Duration.............: 1:02:32 Number of Songs......: 12 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: 01-Women-05:42 02-Rocket-06:37 03-Animal-04:04 04-Love Bites-05:46 05-Pour Some Sugar On Me-04:27 06-Armageddon It-05:24 07-Gods Of War-06:37 08-Don't Shoot Shotgun-04:26 09-Run Riot-04:39 10-Hysteria-05:54 11-Excitable-04:19 12-Love And Affection-04:37
Album Review: Where Pyromania had set the standard for polished, catchy pop-metal, Hysteria only upped the ante. Pyromania's slick, layered Mutt Lange production turned into a painstaking obsession with dense sonic detail on Hysteria, with the result that some critics dismissed the record as a stiff, mechanized pop sell-out (perhaps due in part to Rick Allen's new, partially electronic drum kit). But Def Leppard's music had always employed big, anthemic hooks, and few of the pop-metal bands who had hit the charts in the wake of Pyromania could compete with Leppard's sense of craft; certainly none had the pop songwriting savvy to produce seven chart singles from the same album, as the stunningly consistent Hysteria did. Joe Elliott's lyrics owe an obvious debt to his obsession with T. Rex, particularly on the playfully silly anthem "Pour Some Sugar on Me," and the British glam rock tribute "Rocket," while power ballads like "Love Bites" and the title track lack the histrionics or gooey sentimentality of many similar offerings. The strong pop hooks and "perfect"-sounding production of Hysteria may not appeal to die-hard heavy metal fans, but it isn't heavy metal -- it's pop-metal, and arguably the best pop-metal ever recorded. Its blockbuster success helped pave the way for a whole new second wave of hair metal bands, while proving that the late-'80s musical climate could also be very friendly to veteran hard rock acts, a lead many would follow in the next few years. - Steve Huey, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: QUEENSRYCHE Album................: Rage For Order Released.............: 27 June 1986 Genre................: Progressive Metal Duration.............: 1:03:31 Number of Songs......: 11 + 4 (bonus tracks) Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: 01-Walk In The Shadows-03:34 02-I Dream In Infrared-04:18 03-The Whisper-03:36 04-Gonna Get Close To You-04:37 05-The Killing Words-03:56 06-Surgical Strike-03:20 07-Neue Regel-05:04 08-Chemical Youth (We Are Rebellion)-04:05 09-London-05:05 10-Screaming In Digital-03:38 11-I Will Remember-04:38
Bonus tracks 12-Gonna Get Close To You (12" version)-05:46 13-The Killing Words (live)-04:10 14-I Dream In Infrared (1991 acoustic remix)-04:01 15-Walk In The Shadows (live)-03:43
Album Review: After tasting success from both their self-titled debut EP and The Warning, Queensryche lost their edge a bit on this release. The hair metal movement was fast approaching and this once-unique band now looked -- and for the most part, sounded -- like the average metal band of the day. The signature sound of Queensryche is still unmistakable, as Geoff Tate's voice sounds strong. The music here is simpler than on Warning; the lyrics are bit too heavy-handed and have not stood the test of time very well. "Walk in the Shadows" is a well-structured song with a good combination of Tate's howling and dramatic background vocals. "I Will Remember" was a precursor to "Silent Lucidity" and accentuated the power and emotion that Tate can evoke. The band was obviously trying to expand their approach to music with a heavy emphasis on theatrics, but the music suffered as a result. They succeeded with this approach to a certain extent on Operation: Mindcrime, but the band's musical limitations have always prevented them from moving beyond a classier version of Iron Maiden. [The 2003 reissue of Rage for Order included both 24-bit remastering and four bonus tracks.] - Robert Taylor, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: Tom Waits Album................: Rain Dogs Release Date.........: August 1985 Genre................: Rock Number of Songs......: 19 Duration.............: 00:52:27 min
Album Review: With its jarring rhythms and unusual instrumentation -- marimba, accordion, various percussion -- as well as its frequently surreal lyrics, Rain Dogs is very much a follow-up to Swordfishtrombones, which is to say that it sounds for the most part like The Threepenny Opera being sung by Howlin' Wolf. The chief musical difference is the introduction of guitarist Marc Ribot, who adds his noisy leads to the general cacophony. But Rain Dogs is sprawling where its predecessor had been focused: Tom Waits' lyrics here sometimes are imaginative to the point of obscurity, seemingly chosen to fit the rhythms rather than for sense. In the course of 19 tracks and 54 minutes, Waits sometimes goes back to the more conventional music of his earlier records, which seems like a retreat, though such tracks as the catchy "Hang Down Your Head," "Time," and especially "Downtown Train" (frequently covered and finally turned into a Top Ten hit by Rod Stewart five years later) provide some relief as well as variety. Rain Dogs can't surprise as Swordfishtrombones had, and in his attempt to continue in the direction suggested by that album, Waits occasionally borders on the chaotic (which may only be to say that, like most of his records, this one is uneven). But much of the music matches the earlier album, and there is so much of it that that is enough to qualify Rain Dogs as one of Waits' better albums. -William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: Savage Album................: Loose 'N' Lethal Year.................: 1983 Genre................: NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) Source...............: CD Number of Songs......: 11 Duration.............: 00:47:13 min Audio Format.........: MP3 Bitrate..............: CBR 192 HQ Channels.............: Stereo / 44,100 hz Tags.................: ID3 v1.1, ID3 v2.3 Included.............: M3U, Covers
Track Listing: 01. Let It Loose 03:17 02. Cry Wolf 04:31 03. Berlin 04:46 04. Dirty Money 04:43 05. Ain't No Fit Place 05:35 06. On the Rocks 03:51 07. The China Run 04:08 08. White Hot 03:44
The 1997 reissue by Neat Metal has bonus tracks: 09. No Cause to Kill (Demo) 3:47 10. The Devil Take You (Demo) 4:53 11. Back on the Road (Demo) 3:58 The reissue features liner notes by Gerry Sharpe-Young, who did the cover and is responsible for the Rock Detector series of books.
Chris Bradley: bass guitar, lead vocals Andy Dawson: lead guitar, vocals Wayne Renshaw: guitar Mark Brown: drums
Recorded at Ebony Studios, Hull, England Produced and engineered by Darryl Johnston
Album Review: When it was finally released in 1983 by (very) independent Ebony Records, Savage's Loose'n'Lethal was a walking, breathing musical anachronism. Containing a batch of songs which had been stewing for years as the band slogged unknown through local pubs and clubs, desperately looking for a break, it was a direct throwback to 1980, when the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (which had spawned the group) was in full-flight and dominating the U.K.'s music weeklies. But by the time of its belated release, musical tastes had evolved considerably and the original onslaught of NWOBHM bands had been decimated by time and failed returns, leaving only a few major players like the unstoppable Iron Maiden, the fast-rising Def Leppard, and the quickly fading Saxon still prospering in its wake. There was therefore little hope for a rough and tumble group like Savage to make any serious headway, no matter how energetic and exciting their sound. Proudly wearing their humongous debt to Judas Priest on their sleeves, the quartet were hardly reinventing the wheel here either, but despite their vaguely familiar riffs, solid heavy metal anthems like "Let it Loose," "Cry Wolf" (AC/DC), "The China Run" (Thin Lizzy), and "Back on the Road" (Saxon) still manage to entertain. They still couldn't rescue Savage from historical oblivion, and the band soon became just a small footnote in heavy metal lore. [Note: Audiophiles take heed, the Metal Blade CD reissue of Loose'n'Lethal sounds very sketchy, with much of the album plagued by tape noise and fuzz -- especially when played at high volumes.] - Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide
