MEATLOAF cds

Meatloaf has had a very strange career to say the least, from being onstage, in operas, in a band with Ted Nugget, to a movie star (of B movie as anyway). He has burnt out his voice and tries stranger things to get it back. He has been on tv talk shows having them drive motor cycles over his head. His appearance has been strange from overweight longed haired looking junkie, to a short haired looking mobster look. And his cds have been just as strange. But one thing has been constant, and that his Bat cds. All 3 have been outstanding.


BAT OUT OF HELL (A+) This one of the best cds out there. One of my top 10 of all time. You will not find many cds like this anywhere, by any artist. Meatloaf and Jim Steinman created an epic concept album. BAT has everything one would want. Some songs are rockers All Revved Up With No Place to Go and Bat Out Of Hell. You have operatic with songs like For Crying out Loud, silly with Paradise by the Dashboard Light and the emotional Two Out of Three Ain't Bad, Heaven Can Wait, and You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth. And in every song Meatloaf pours every once of strength into his vocals. This is one awesome cd.



DEAD RINGER (C-) This was suppose to be the follow up to the Bat cd, but it didn' t get the title, good thing, the cd stinks. Were all the elements from Bat is here, but this time it seems overblown and tired, and at times unbearable to listen too.
I'm Gonna Love Her for Both of Us, Everything Is Permitted are the stand outs of the cd, and save the cd from sudden death. The other two songs that are know on this cd are Read 'Em and Weep and Dead Ringer for Love (a duet with Cher) are ok, but Meat seems to over push it with his voice (as he does with most of the cd) and the songs come off short of being what they should be, which is great.





MIDNIGHT AT THE LOST AND FOUND (D) Meat did not have Jim to help with the songwriting this time and it showed. The songs are lame and the singing strained. The title track keeps it from getting an F.









HITS FROM HELL (B) 10 songs from the above 3 cds. Luckily it picks the best. But really a Hits cd from only 3 cds?






BAD ATTITUDE (F) What can you say about this cd? It sucks! It Stinks! Yuck! Need I say more!?! Really though this is Meat at his worse. Weak of voice, poor song writting and horrible production!!!







BLIND BEFORE I STOP (F-) Wish I Was Deaf Before I Finish Listening, should have been the title. Production bites. Meat's singing is horrible, and the songs are just plan bad. This cd and the Bad Attitude are so far removed from the grand sound of Meat, a shame.






THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION (B-) Again from the first 3 cds. But with some extras throw in from other projects. 16 songs on cd 1 but some, including Bat Out Of Hell are edited for time. And cd 2 has 4 live tracks from the original Bat cd. Who ever put this cd together did a ok job, but why only 4 songs on the second and edited songs on the first.




BAT OUT OF HELL 2 (A) Awesome return!!! I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That), is the opening song on the cd, and with it's 12 minute run time, you know this isn't any ordinary Meatloaf. Meat never sounded better. Jim has never written better. Production is fantastic.
Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back is my favorite Meatloaf song! This song kicks some serious butt. The lyrics hit the spot and Meat rips thru this song in full vocal force. Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through, Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer, Everything Louder Than Everything Else are also standouts on a standout cd.
Only minor complaint is the cussing (us of GD) in Wasted Youth and Good Girls Go to Heaven (Bad Girls Go Everywhere) is a weak song. Otherwise a fantastic cd.

WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD (B-) Meat is back and just like the first cd after the original Bat cd, this cd is a let down after the second Bat cd. But this time around the production is better and there is a better choice of songs. Although some songs fall flat like Runnin' for the Red Light (I Gotta Life), Martha, and When the Rubber Meets the Road.
Other songs lift the cd up like the I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) want to be - I'd Lie for You (And That's the Truth), Left in the Dark, Not a Dry Eye in the House, If This Is the Last Kiss (Let's Make It Last All Night) and the Sammy Hagar rocker Amnesty Is Granted.
Rest of the songs are ok, but not really worth a mention.



LIVE AROUND THE WORLD (B+) Great live cd. All songs come off as good as the original, and some of the earlier songs between Bat 1 & 2 come off great. A great 18 song double cd.








THE VERY BEST OF MEATLOAF (A-) This draws from all the Meatloaf cds up to this point. Includes a new song Home by Now/No Matter What, and a great remix of an already awesome song Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back. A great cd to pick up, really shows Meat at his best'


VH 1 STORYTELLERS (B+) The singing is good and the storytelling is funny. Offers a remix of Is Nothing Sacred from the last cd.


COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER (B) Yeah he could have!!! This cd has some great songs Couldn't Have Said It Better, Did I Say That, Do It!, and Testify. Rest of the songs are not bad either. Meat is vocally strong, as is the playing. what hurts this cd is the production. There is an attempt to update the sound while keeping to the original sound. All the little extras in the production tend to take away from the songs instead of adding to them.



BAT OUT OF HELL: LIVE WITH THE MELBOURNE SYMPHONY (A) This cd isn't meant to replace the original (It is a masterpiece so you can't), but instead to give a slightly different take on the masterpiece. It sounds great!!



BAT OUT OF HELL 3, THE MONSTER IS LOOSE (A-) Many have put this cd down, because Steinman wasn't in all parts of the cd. But BAT 3 rocks. Yea is plays upon what was laid down before with the other 2 BAT cds. But it plays out in its own way all the while paying homage to the original. The Biggest surprise is the rerecording of the Steinman song that Dion sang It's All Coming Back to Me Now. Meat blows little Dion away. This is easily my second favorite song by Meat. There are 14 song on this cd and all offer something to the Bat lore.
If It Ain't Broke Break It, Seize the Night, The Future Ain't What It Used to Be, are just some of the great songs on this cd. One thing that stands out on this cd is the production, it is harder and heavier than the other Meat cds. It works on this cd, with these songs. This cd rocks harder than any other meatloaf cd out there.

JAMES YOUNG-Out on A Day Pass

I am a huge Styx fan, and I will tell anyone. I have followed all the members past and present, through whatever they have released. But I can say without a shadow of a doubt, that this is the worst Styx related cd I have, and one of the worst cds in my collection.

OUT ON A DAY PASS is everything you hate about JY. His singing is whinny, his playing is half-hearted, his writing is clueless and his production is hollow. JY has always worked well when pushed by someone or teamed up with another singer/songwriter. use Styx for example. Miss America, Half Penny Two Penny fit into a concept and are excellent songs. Home wrecker he pretty much just going thru the motions.

Also JY kills a awesome Styx song, Young Man, by redoing it. The song lacks all the punch it had when it was first released on the SERPENT record.

Nothing really comes together on this cd, not the writing, singing, or playing

Grade: D-

Dennis Deyoung Live 1994

Here is a link to concert by Dennis DeYoung, the voice of Styx. It was recorded in 1994 in New Jersey. It is only 7 or 8 songs long, sound quality is good for an audience recording. One of the few shows he did for the 10 on Broadway cd. I fixed some of the problems that the original had (at least my copy had).
Good show and it rocks!!! Enjoy

Download this link:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VXOXA7ST

AC/DC

AC/DC has always been a basic bad boy rock and roll band. Many have said they have only made one album their whole career. I have to disagree, they have made two. One with Bon Scott and one with Brian Johnson. AC/DC's music has never really changed much and neither has their has their lyrics. AC/DC in a way is simple minded rock. The licks are powerhouse and the words are about sex, booze, drugs, out doing the law, or other rebellious things. But for the most part isn't that what rock is about.

AC/DC cds have either been hit or miss too. Alot have depended on the times, and the producers. I can't deny that there has been just about as many misses in their catalog for me as there as been good cds.

Since AC/DC is pretty simple in music and words, I'll just give a grade on the cd, and not go in to detail about what the cd is about. I don't agree with a lot of what they sing about, but the power of the Mr Young's guitar can not be denied.

BON SCOTT ERA
Bon Scott was a better singer and front man, but I liked his era lest. Scott died after a drinking binge, something that his songs would probably be about.

TNT (D) Don't really care for anything on this cd.
HIGH VOLTAGE (C-) Title track rocks, but not the rest
DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP (B+) Title track along with Problem Child, She's Got Balls, & Squealer. Production is getting better.
LET THERE BE ROCK (B) Another good effort. Problem Child is on this one again, it's good but not that good. Let There Be Rock & Whole Lot Of Rosie round the cd out.
POWERAGE (C+) Bad production ruin what could have been a better cd
IF YOU WANT BLOOD...(C) Poor live offering.
HIGHWAY TO HELL (A-) Robert "mutt" Lang produced and some good songs make for the best Bon Scott era cd.

BRIAN JOHNSON ERA
Brian took over on the BACK IN BLACK and proved he was no carbon copy of Scott. Where Scott was a showman, and a better singer, Johnson was a screech er and stood in the back drop of the concert stage. I liked the Johnson era better, but the main problem they suffered was production. The Scott era keep the same producers, the latter era production suffered on improved depending on who was behind the board.

BACK IN BLACK (A+) Considered by many the best hard rock cd of all time, listen and you will know why. Another "mutt" produced cd.
FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK...(A-) "Mutt's" last cd produced for the band. Music is a little more laid back, but still rocks.
FLICK THE SWITCH (C+) horrible production
FLY ON THE WALL (C) Better production, but song writing isn't as good.
BLOW UP YOUR VIDEO (B-) Some songs make me want to blow up my stereo, but over all better than the last two cds.
WHO MADE WHO (A-) A hits cd and a movie soundtrack. Light on the songs, so move of a movie cd.
RAZOR'S EDGE (A) Awesome return to form for the band.
LIVE (B) Great live cd. the 2 cd set is a little too much AC/DC for me.
BALLBREAKER (B)
STIFF UPPER LIP (B-)
BLACK ICE (B+)

THE CARS CDS AND SOLO CDS

THE CARS (A) Their debut cd from 1978 is one of the best cds (albums) of that year, I would even put it in the top 20 of the decade. Ever song seems like it was made for the radio, made to be played loud, made to played at parties, and made to sing a long with.
Good Times Roll starts the cd and that is just what the cd does, let the good time roll. "My Best Friend's Girl Friend"is infectious, and who hasn't been in the situation of the song. "Just What I Needed" is one of my top 3 Car's songs. From the opening beat of this song to the closing, you can't but help play air guitar and sing along.
"You're All I Got Tonight", again who hasn't been there, the band seems to have their hand on the pulse of all young people of the time. "Moving In Stereo" has cool sound effects in the song (which would become a staple for the band), and get ready to play air drums to this song and most of the cd.
Even the lesser know songs and A list. You can't go wrong with this cd.
They called this cd a new wave cd, I call it a great rock and roll cd!!

CANDY-O (A-) Another great cd from the band. "Let's Go" is one of my favorite songs by the band. The cd is full of energy with songs like "Candy-O", "Got A Lot On My Head", and "Night Spots". and has a gentler side with songs like "It's All I Can Do". Plus plenty of the techno geek sounds in the songs, to know it is the Cars.

PANORAMA (D+) Is a very dark cd, and nowhere near as fun or catchy as the first 2 cds. "Don't Tell Me No", "Gimme Some Slack" and "Touch And Go" are the only songs I really care for on this very dull cd.

SHAKE IT UP (B-) Production still isn't up to the first cds, but it is better than there 3rd cd. The songwriting is better too. The songs once again have the bouncy feel to them. First 3 songs start the cd off good, with "Since Your Gone","Shake It Up" and "I'm Not The One". "Cruiser" is the only song I really don't care for. I think with better production, this cd would have been close to the first two.

HEARTBEAT CITY (A+) Awesome production and songwriting on this cd. But with Robert Lang on board as producer what else would you expect. Cds starts off with the infectious "Hello Again" and the whole cd is like that. Cd is probably best known for the songs "Drive" and "You Might Think", but there are a lot of other great songs on this cd like "Why Can't I Have You" and "It's Not The Night". Their Best cd.

GREATEST HITS. (A) The new song "Tonite She Comes" deserves to be on this hit package. It is good. As for the rest of the cd, a well thought out package of their hits.

DOOR TO DOOR (B) Is a more laid back cd, and while the songs all sound good, it is lacking the energy and quirkiness that is found in good Car's songs. "You Are The Girl", "Strap Me In" and "Fine Line" are key examples of good songs, and while they try to rise up to something, that are just average. The only song that shows any spark is the title song "Door To Door".

JUST WHAT I NEEDED; THE CARS ANTHOLOGY (A) is a great double cd. There are 40 songs on this release, with all the hits, plus B-sides, demos, and unreleased songs. Well worth buying even if you own their Greatest Hits cd.

RIC OCASEK SOLO CDS

BEATITUDE (D+) Avery boring cd with stale production. "Jimmy Jimmy" and "Quick One" save this bore from an F. He tries to make the song sound like the Cars (he writes 99% of the Cars songs and sings about half), but nothing connects up to you on this

THIS SIDE OF PARADISE (A-) Better production and a better cut of songs. Cd starts out rockin with "Keep On Laughin" and goes thru all the gears with slow songs like "True Love", bouncy songs "True To You", mesmerizing "Emotion In Motion". Just about everything covered by the Cars is here, and it makes for a good ride

FIREBALL ZONE (B) A darker cd, but it avoids the pitfalls of Panorama with better songwriting and production. The first half of the cd sounds more Cars like, while the second half is heavier. Still worth owning. Rock Away is my favorite song on this cd.

QUICK CHANGE WORLD (A-) A lighter and bouncier cd than the last. A lot of the songs could have been on any given Cars cd (except for Panorama cd). "Hopped Up" is just that, "Come Alive" and "Don't Let Go" 10 years earlier would have been hits, and that is a shame, there are a lot of good songs on this cd.

TROUBLIZING (B-) is another heavy guitar driven cd, but this cd isn't as dark as one would expect. Billy Corgan is guest vocalist on some songs, taking Ric back to the Cars' days of 2 vocalist. The songs are all good, but there are no standouts.

NEXTERDAY (B) is another good effort at Ric for a comeback. He starts the cd off with a bang, "Crackpot", "Bottom Dollar", and "Don't Lose Me". It also ends on a good note with "It Get's Crazy" while theses 4 songs are the stand outs, they are not flash of glory songs of old. Rest of the cd hold my interest, but nothing boring either, and nothing else worth writing about.

BENJAMIN ORR SOLO CDS

THE LACE (B+) Listen to Orr song and you know that he is the voice of the Cars. He may not have written any the cars songs, but he shared vocals with Ric. Where Ric's were often more quirkier, Orr's we smooth, yet powerful. He after was the voice behind "Drive", "My Best Friend's Girlfriend", among others. The Lace shows Orr's strong points, that could have fit on almost any Cars cd. But for the most part with Production, HEARTBEAT CITY would have been a good home for them. "Too Hot To Stop" is the perfect song to start the cd off with, very upbeat and Cars sounding. "Stay The Night" is a beautiful song, were Orr's voice purrs out the lyrics. Would have been a good follow up to the Cars song "Drive". All the songs are top notch, and nothing really falls below good. A same Ben never did any other solo cds, because is one and only cd is great.

THE NEW CARS-

Basically this is Elliot and Greg the only members of the original band. Orr had died 5 years earlier, and Rick and Robinson declining. They brought in a couple other people and singer Todd Rundgren, whom I have never heard of before. They recorded a live cd and toured, and have not been heard from since.

IT'S ALIVE (A-) This is the live cd they recorded and toured off of. When it first came out I was not going to buy it, for how do you replace both original lead singers, who have different styles. Well you do it with a guy named Todd. When I heard the song "Not Tonight", I was blown away. The other 2 new songs hold up good to the classic cars sound. As far as the classic songs, Todd and the band are just awe inspiring. Todd handles both lead singer roles with out being a impersonator. He injects a little of his style (I'm guessing, since I have never heard of him before) but keeps the songs true to the sound. One song where there is a difference in the song is "Drive", which was a huge hit when it came out. Most of the heavy keys are gone, and are replace with acoustic guitars. This for some reason brings the song to a more personable level, without losing any of its punch. Orr sang this song smooth, and Todd while not as smooth as Orr brings the song home. There are a couple of Todd's solo songs (again guessing) on this cd, and if is his typical songs, I can see why he was chosen to take the vocals and be part of the band. Now I have just one question, when is the cd of new material coming out?

NEAL SCHON SOLO CDS

Neal Schon, is the greatest guitarist on the planet, at least in my opinion. The man can play anything, and any style of music. But no matter what he plays or what he does, he will always be best know for his work in Journey. Plus he did awesome work in Bad English, Hardline, and Soul Sirkus. Journey of course is his most popular work and most main stream. His solo cds that I have range from awesome to poor, but even the bad cds have something good on them.




UNTOLD PASSION (C-) is my least favorite solo work by Schon. For the most part the music is his furthest from Journey, and times seems like he trying too hard to be different, while being the same. I do like the songs "Wasting Time" and "Hooked On Love". Plus "I'm Talking To You" ain't that bad either. The singing on the cd is not great at all. The one Thing that made Perry so good in Journey, is that he had Schon to push him and back him up. Plus he teams up with Jan Hammer on this cd, and I have to be honest, I really don't care for Hammer's playing or writing.



LATE NITE (A) This is my favorite Schon solo cd. The man plays with such passion on this cd. I criticized his singing on the above, and I liked the follow up even less, HERE TO STAY (which I no longer own). But on this cd, Schon hits the notes, and the music and singing are a good fit. The songs on this cd posses a soul of their own at times, and you find yourself wanting more, even on 9 plus minute "The Theme". At times you can almost hear were Perry could have lifted these up even higher, if he was singing, but he is not, and really I don't care that he's not. This cd is all about Schon and his music. Schon brings different writers and that seems to have helped too. If I had to give something bad, it is not long enough. Late Nite 2 anyone?


BEYOND THE THUNDER (A) is my second favorite cd by Schon. This time it is strictly instrumental. Plus he has help from former Journeyman J. Cain. The music is very laid back and mostly acoustic. A very relaxing cd, that keeps you focused on the music. "Big Moon", "Cool Breeze" and "Call Of The Wild" are my favorites on the cd. This is my favorite acoustical cd, and leads me to wonder, why hasn't Journey done something like this, backed with a tour?



ELECTRIC WORLD (C+) 2 cds and 21 songs are just too much. Cut this cd down to one and it would have been a lot better. When I listen to, I take one of the cds and go with it. There are some good songs on this, but for the most part it seems like Schon is trying to update his post Perry Journey sound, or even do a Carlos Santana sound. Also at times the songs seem unfocused.



VOICE (A-) I like what Schon did here. Took other people's songs (Twain, Bryan Adams, Mariah Carey, Anne Lennox) and slightly redid them as instrumentals. It works!! Granted there are a handful of songs I don't know, but they come off good too. Some amazing work, that really needs to be listened to.





I ON YOU (B+) Another great cd. All instrumental, and very well played. Schon always plays with a fire that burns with him, and this cd is no different. The first 3 songs on the cd are a true showcase to that, "Blue Passion", " I On U", and "Timeless Motion" and the cd ends on the same note with the last 3 songs being very strong also. There are a couple songs in the middle that are a little weaker than rest of the cd. But still a great cd.

Giffuria Live 1985 at Harpo's in Detroit, MI

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SRFELTFD

This is a very good sounding FM broadcast from Harpo's in Detroit. Giuffria was hot this night. Is it my imagination our does the lead singer sound a little like a Perry want to be. Can't blame him though.

Great show

Front and back artwork is in the download.

ICON

Never been a John Wetton fan. As a matter of fact I really only liked him on the first 3 Asia cds. I was happy when he left the group and was replaced by John Payne. I have tried various solo cds by Wetton and other projects he has been involved in, but really didn't care for them! But I must say this is the first cd, other than the Asia cds, that I have loved. This cd is great!!! Yes that is right, John Wetton is great on this cd. Geoffrey Downes Asia's keyboardist dominates this cd. Which was standard on any Asia cd, Downes is just that good. Downes and Wetton were Asia's main song writing force, and it shows here. There are some outstanding songs on this cd.

The cd starts off with the unique overture. The song is over 6 minutes long, a welcome relief from a lot of the quick songs on the radio nowadays that go nowhere. Let Me Know is a good uptempo song that pretty much is the tempo for the whole cd.

God Walks With US is my favorite song on the cd. Wetton's vocals are outstanding. I Stand Alone is my second favorite. A good back to back punch on the cd. A couple of other really good songs that stand out are, Please Change Your Mind and Spread Your Wings.

Don't have anything on this cd I don't care for or press skip when it comes up. After hearing this cd, when I heard Wetton was coming back, I was ready to give him another chance. The cd has a laid back feel, like Asia grown up.

Grade A

DIO cds

Dio is a heavy metal legend, this man has been around for years, playing in Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, then in his own band Dio. When I was a teenager and into my later years I had everything he sang own. The man has an awesome voice. But as I grew older I started leaving the metal behind and staying more in the realm of Rock, more toward the softer to uptempo side. A lot of Christians (which I am now proudly one) have long put his music down as almost satanic, and I can see why they thing that. But if they never grew up listening to him and playing Dungeon and Dragons I can see the misunderstanding. Dio does dive into that realm and he does sing of dragons and beasts, but it is with man overcoming them, just what we fantasized about playing D&D. Dio always keep his music clean and no cussing and nothing offensive, what a lot of metal people do not do. So I understand both sides.

Although I no longer own any Dio cds other than a stray concert here and there, I know all the songs, but to refresh my self I borrowed a friends Dio collection to give them another listen...

Holy Diver (A) Great metal cd, Ronnie has the voice and Vivian Campbell has the Axe. Stand out songs on this headbanger is Stand Up And Shout, Holy Diver, Don't Talk to Strangers, and Straight Thru the Heart

The Last In Line (B-) Too much more of the same, and not enough of the new. Still a good cd. The title track is Dio at his best. Nothing bad but nothing else outstanding.

Sacred Heart (B) Better than the last cd, but not as good as his first. Title track plus Rock And Roll Children, Hungry For Heaven, Another Lie, and Just Another Day are the stand outs. King Of Rock And Roll show how bad the cd can be, along with Fallen Angels.

Dream Evil (C-) This cd was boring when it came out, and still is. Only a couple of songs make this cd worth listening too. All The Fools Have Sailed Away is classic Dio, and Naked In The Rain burns like acid rain. But for the rest....

Lock Up The Wolves (B-) One of Dio's lowest sailing cd , but one the better ones I liked. The cd is more rock and less metal. Wild One, Between Two Hearts, Night Music, Lock Up The Wolves, Twisted, Why Are They Watching Me and the slow My Eyes, are all good songs. Rest of the cd is big miss.

Strange Highways (C+) Dio tries to return to the heavy metal sound of the mid 80's, and comes close on the songs, Strange Highways, Hollywood Black, and Give Her The Gun. Bring Down the Rain is ok, but rest of the cd is pretty weak.

Angry Machines (D+) Poor sounding cd, most of the songs seem thrown together, just to put something out. Dying In America, This IS Your Life, and Don't Tell The Kids, all make for a good listen compared to the songs on rest of the cd. But when compared to the other good songs on other Dio cds, they don't hold up as well.

Magica (B) This epic rock opera is just that, epic. Maybe a little too epic. Dio returns with story dealing once again with his favorite story lines D&D. At times it is a bit much, but it is typical Dio, over the top and loud. Standouts are Lord Of The Last Day, Fever Dreams, and Feed My Head. Nothing bad on here either.

Killing The Dragon (B+) Dio keeps coming back, and it takes a lot to keep this man down. The title track tells it all, Dio is in his territory now, and at his best. The title track along with Rock And Roll, Scream, Guilty, and Throw Away Children are in the classic Dio vein. rest of the cd is pretty good too.

Master Of The Moon (C-) One For The Road starts the cd off very strong, but nothing else comes close to matching it. What a shame to start off so strong and fall so quick.

Stand Up And Shout; The Dio Anthology (A) is the best of the Dio collections out there. Runs from his Elf years to the Strange Highway cd.

On the Sabbath side

Heaven And Hell (A) was always one of my favorite metal cds. I not much into metal, really now a days I steer clear of it, but this cd is awesome. The title track is one of Dio's best. Neon Knights is a solid rocker, and Children Of The Sea starts off majestic before opening up to full throttle. Wishing Well has a mean riff thru it, and Lonely Is The Word is a haunting song. The other songs are well above the metal make too. And the title track is Sabbath's best ever.

The Mod Rules (B-) Is a poor follow up to the Heaven And Hell cd. Falling Off The Edge Of The World is great fast paced rocker, and really the only song that doesn't seemed forced to live up to the previous cd. The title track is another good song, but the rest are just average metal.

Dehumanizer (D) Time Machine, and TV Crimes are great songs, the rest is to downbeat for me.

DENNIS DEYOUNG-Music of Styx: Live With Symphony Orchestra

Dennis' 2 cd set is 23 live songs and 3 new studio songs. This cd adds a symphony orchestra to his music, to great results. Released in 03, four years before Styx would release their live symphony cd. Were Styx used the orchestra to rock up the songs, Dennis uses them to add the arrangements. Dennis' songs were always written to have an orchestra added to them. Just listen to the original version of The Best Of Times, and tell me you can't hear this song without an orchestra in it. And Dennis has other songs that have the same feel to them.

The cd starts off the Bombastic Grand Illusion, and you can tell that this cd is going to be great! This song was great before, now it is even better. And it keeps going, Lady the next song up, has an extended instrumental in it. And some of the songs lead off or have in it, classical songs blended into them, and this seems like a natural extension of the song.

The vocaled Show Me The Way is awesome. Black Wall, which is not one of the DeYoung songs that I like, sounds great with an orchestra. I have always liked the message, but for some reason the music on it seemed flat. But here is full and sharp.

Castle Walls was haunting on the Grand Illusion cd, and here it even seems like it is something out of the middle ages. Makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Suite Madame Blue and Desert Moon are just awesome. With Every Heartbeat which was another song that could have been better on the original cd, is stunning here.

The only song that does not hold up with an symphony is Rockin The Paradise. It just doesn't rock. The horns kill it.

A very good live cd, well worth the money!

As for the new songs, it is a mixed bag.

Goodnight My Love is the weak song of the bunch. It is not a bad song, but it is not good. Typical of Dennis here lately. I think Dennis has forgotten how to rock. He can write a ballad with eyes closed and his ears plugged up, and it would still be a good song. Goodnight is a good song, but for Dennis, good is not good enough.

My God Can Beat Up Your God, is a rock song, but here again it just doesn't have the punch it needs. Again it is still a good song, but Dennis seems to be saying I need a rock song so here you go. Both songs have good lyrics, but just misses the mark on the music level.

Hello God is awesome, lyrically and musically. This is the Dennis I know. He pushed hisself on this song and the result was great.

All I can say is BUY THIS CD!!!!

Grade A-

CHICAGO cds

Never been a big Chicago fan of the early year. I have tried several times to get into those early albums. But unless it was a radio hit or was played a lot on album stations, I never paid them much mind. Even after getting into Chicago in the early/mid eighties, I tried again to listen to the early stuff, but still can not get into it. A lot of fans tend to shy away from the later stuff that I like.


IX Greatest Hits (A) This 1975 release as all the songs I like from the early years. So no need for me to go get the for the early stuff to enjoy theses songs.

Greatest Hits, Vol 2 (B+) Some more good songs from the years that I don't really care for. But all the good songs from 75 to 81 are here.

16 (B+) First Chicago cd I ever bought, and what made dig into the back catalog. Nothing in early years was as good as this. Big hit Hard To Say I'm Sorry, and Love Me Tomorrow, plus some other songs that didnt make the radio like Rescue You and Chains. Never knew horns could rock so, and just about the whole cd does.

17 (A) Power ballads, rock songs, and songs with a danceable beat are what make up this cd, and make for Chicago's finest cd since the start of the band till today in 2008. Plenty of big hits, an no filler. Stay The Night, Hard Habit To Break, Along Comes A Woman, Your The Inspiration are just some of the awesome songs on this cd.

18 (B) Peter Cetera is gone on to solo fields, and is replace by Jason Scheff. Jason comes in having to fill some big shoes, and does a pretty good job of it. And he only gets better with each cd. Just listen to Will You Still Love Me, this is a good a lot of Cetera era. As are some of the other songs, If She Would Have Been Faithful, It's Alright, Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now, and I Believe. But rest of the cd is filler, and a odd remake of 25 Or 6 To 4.

19 (A-) More big hits, and a little filler make for their second best cd. The haunting I Don't Want To Live Without Your Love is one of my top 3 Chicago songs along with Look Away, both of which are on this cd. Victorious and Runaround are the only weak songs on the cd. A great cd.

20 Greatest Hits (A+) Great songs from 16 to 19. But could have placed a couple more songs on the cd.

21 (C+) 12 song cd, only half are good, and they are good!! God Save The Queen, You Come To My Senses, Explain It To My Heart, What Does It Take, Chasin The Wind, and Who Do Love are some very strong songs by the group. Holdin On is ok, but rest of the cd is stale at best.

Night And Day; Big Band (A-) A great cd. My dad had a lot of big band cds back from his day, and before I got into rock I use to put them on and listen to them. But I could have swore that most of theses songs didn't have lyrics to them, so I had to go back and find out. It was good to listen to the old records, but I have to say I really like what Chicago did to the songs. They Chicagoized them, and to very good results. The lyrics fit the songs to a tee.

25 The Christmas Album (B) What Night And Day did to improve for the big band era, Chicago tries to do the same for the classic Christmas era songs. For the most part it works, and Chicago adds their own unique style to the Christmas songs. A stray song here and there misses the mark (not by far). But a good cd to add to you Christmas rotation.

26 The Live Album (C-) Chicago has never had a great live cd (nor great live boot). This effort fails just like all the others. Sadly it sticks to a lot of the older songs, and skips the 80's and 90's. The new songs never get off the ground and that is sad with the remake of You Love Keeps Lift Me Higher And Higher.

30 (B+) A great comeback cd by the band. Some really strong songs on this cd. Feel (the single mix) is one of the best rock songs the band has done in a while. Jason is fantastic on King Of Might Have Been. Fantastic harmonies on Caroline and Long Lost Friend. No bad songs, but a couple songs are filler, and could have done without the horned version of Feel.

Group Portrait (B) 4 cds Cover from the beginning to 1981..a little too much early Chicago for me, but a good collection

The Heart Of Chicago 1967-1997 (A-) New songs Here In My Heart and The Only One are worthy additions to the Chicago catalog of songs. Rest of the cds is pretty good too. Some good songs are missing, but are in Vol. 2.

The Heart Of Chicago 1967-1998 Vol. 2 (A-) All Roads Lead To You is a awesome new song, but the other new one Show Me A Sign shows signs of live only during the chorus. Most of the songs that were missing on Vol 1 are here. A shame nothing from 21 or Night And day are on here, both cds had really good songs on them.

PETER CETERA solo cds


Solitude.Solitaire (B-) Some good songs on this cd, but the production and beat of the cd really hurt it. Glory Of Love, Next Time I Fall In Love, and Only Love Knows Why are the standouts on this disk.


One More Story (B+) Production is better as is rest of the cd. Best Of Times, One Good Woman, Heaven Help The Lonely Man, Save Me, and Peace of Mind all from the first half of the cd are standout songs. The second half of the cd is pretty good too.


World Falling Down (B) Peter slows things down a little on his cd and aims more for the AC market, which suits him fine. Some good songs, Have You Ever Been In Love my favorite Cetera solo song, but nothing else really stands out this time around.


One Clear Voice (B-) The title track is awesome as is Faithfully. Happy Man remake from his Chicago days is ok. Rest of the songs are not bad, but not great either.


Another Perfect World (C) I hated this cd when it first came out, HATED IT!!! But know after giving a few more times over the past 6 or 7 years, it has grown on me, kind of like a wart. Can't say I would included anything on a hits cd, but not a complete waste of plastic either.


You Gotta Love Christmas (B-) Why do Peter and Chicago seem so inter twinned? Not has good as Chicago's Christmas cd, but still worth playing on the holidays.


Glory Of Love; Live (B) Better than Chicago's live cds, but not as good as I was hoping.


Your The Inspiration; A Collection (B-) 3 recordings of Chicago songs, and a collection of his hits that don't cover everything. Could have been so much better!


Greatest Hits (B) This 2002 release isn't much better than the above, at least this one has the Glory Of Love on it.

Jason Scheff

Chancey (A-) Great first solo cd from Jason. Included some of the then unreleased Chicago cd The Stone Of Syphilis. Some songs have a good jazz feel to them, never really cared for that type of music, but Jason does it right. Well worth looking for this hard to find cd.