tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34114835945237982492011-08-03T05:06:07.012-05:00Music Reviews on classic bands like Styx, Journey, foreinger, REO Speedwagon, and etc.. PLUS anything else I may like.Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.comBlogger431100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-3271988561318682912010-11-05T14:00:00.000-05:002010-11-05T14:04:44.917-05:00List as been updated to the H's, Huey Lewis the last I did today.<br />Date is 11/5/2010<br /><br /><span style="color:#330099;"><em>Bootleg or unofficial release</em></span><br /><br /><br /><strong>4 NON BLONDES</strong><br />Bigger, Better, Faster, More!<br /><br /><strong>38 SPECIAL<br /></strong>Rockin Into The Night<br />Wild Eyed Southern Boys<br />Special Forces<br />Strength In Numbers<br />Rock And Roll Strategy<br />Resolution<br />Anthology<br />Drive Train<br /><br /><strong>707</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Kevin Chalfant, Storm, Two Fires,Shadow's Fade,</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Journey, Steel Breeze)<br /></span>Mega Force<br />Anthology<br /><br /><strong>AC/DC</strong><br /><span style="color:#333399;"><span style="color:#000000;">Back In Black</span><br /></span><span style="color:#330099;"><em>The Collection; For Whom The Bell Tolls (7 cd set)</em></span><br />Black Ice<br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>Black out<br />Black Ice Black Out (2cds)<br /><br /></em></span><strong>AEROSMITH<br /></strong>Pumpin at The Hammersmith<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Oh </span></em><a href="mailto:#@&amp;#$"><em><span style="color:#330099;">#@&amp;#$</span></em></a><em><span style="color:#330099;"> Another Aerosmith Collection</span></em><br /><br /><br /><strong>AIR SUPPLY</strong><br />The Definitive Collection<br /><br /><strong>ALDO NOVA</strong><br />Aldo Nova<br />Subject Aldo Nova<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">KBFH </span><br /></em>Twitch<br />A Portrait of Aldo Nova<br />Blood on the Bricks<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Blood Demos</span></em><br />Nova's Dream<br />The Best Of Aldo Nova<br /><br /><strong>AMY GRANT</strong><br />Heart In Motion<br /><br /><strong>ANDERSON BURFORD WAKEMAN HOWE</strong><br />An Evening Of Yes Music<br /><br /><strong>ANDY TAYLOR</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Duran Duran)</span><br />Dangerous<br />Reissued and Remodelled<br /><br /><strong>ANN WILSON</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Heart/Love Mongers)</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"></span>Hope and Glory<br /><br /><strong>ARCADIA</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Duran Duran)</span><br />So Red The Rose (2cd special Edition)<br /><br /><strong>ASIA</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Yes/GTR/John Wetton/Icon/GPS)</span><br />Asia<br />Alpha<br />Live at Budokan<br />Astra<br />Then And Now<br />Live in Moscow<br />Aqua<br />Osaka, Japan<br />Aria<br />Live in Germany<br />Arena<br />Archiva 1&amp; 2<br /><span style="color:#330099;"><em>Aqua Demos and Outtakes</em></span><br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">After UK</span></em><br />Anthology<br />Heat of the Moment; The Best Of Asia<br />Different Worlds (live)<br />Aura<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Live in the USA</span></em><br />Anthologia<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Vienna Live</span></em><br />Silent Nation<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Reunion Tour<br />Live in Atlantic City<br /></span></em>Fantasia Live Tokyo<br />Phoenix<br />Live in Scandinavia<br />Omega<br /><br /><strong>AURAS</strong><br />Next Generation<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>THE BABYS</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Bad English/Journey/Neal Schon/John Cain/John Waite/Styx)<br /></span>Anthology<br /><br /><strong>BACKSTREET BOYS</strong><br />#1's<br /><br /><strong>BACHMAN TURNER OVERDRIVE</strong><br />Gold<br /><br /><strong>BAD COMPANY</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Brian Howe/Queen)</span><br />Holy Water<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Live 1991</span></em><br />Here Comes Trouble<br />Company of Strangers<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Feel Like Rocking Steady<br /></span></em>Stories Told and Untold<br />The Original Bad Company Anthology<br />Best of<br /><br /><strong>BAD ENGLISH<br /></strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Journey/Neal Schon/John Cain/Styx/Hardline/Soul Sirkus/<br />Santana/John Waite)</span><br />Bad English<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">When I See You Smile<br />The Restless Ones<br />The Pavilion</span></em><br />Backlash<br /><span style="color:#330099;"><em>The Lost Tapes<br /></em></span>Greatest Hits<br /><br /><br /><strong>BEATLES</strong><br /># 1<br /><br /><strong>BEE GEES<br /></strong>One Night Only<br />Still Waters<br />Number Ones<br />The Ulitmate Bee Gees<br /><br /><strong>BENJAMIN ORR</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(the Cars)</span><br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Ben Orr</span></em><br />The Lace<br /><br /><strong>BERNIE LEADON</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Eagles, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Flying Burrtio Brothers)</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Natural Progression</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><strong>BIG DADDY WEAVE</strong><br />Fields of Grace<br /><br /><strong>BILL CHAMPLIN</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Chicago, Son Of Champlin)</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Runaway</span><br />Burn Down The Night<br />He Started To Sing<br />Mayday: Live<br />Throught It All<br />No Place Left To Fall<br /><br /><strong>BILLY IDOL</strong><br />Idolize Yourself; The Very Best Of<br /><br /><strong>BILLY JOEL</strong><br />The Stranger<br />52nd Street<br />Glass Houses<br />An Innocent Man<br />The Bridge<br />Storm Front<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">After The Flood</span></em><br /><span style="color:#330099;"><span style="color:#000000;">River of Dreams</span><br /><em>Storytellers</em></span><br />2000 Years the Millennium Concert<br />My Lives<br /><br /><strong>BILLY OCEAN</strong><br />The Ulitmate Collection<br /><br /><strong>BILLY SQUIER</strong><br />Absoulte Hits<br /><br /><strong>BRITLES, SHORROCK, GOBLE</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Little River Band)</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Full Circle</span><br /><br /><strong>BLONDIE</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Debbie Harry)</span><br />Blondie<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">NO Sharp Objects<br /></span></em>Plastic Letters<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Looks Good in Blue</span></em><br />Parallel Lines<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">The Paradise Ballroom<br />All The Children are Drunk<br />Live in Glasgow<br /></span></em>Eat To The Beat<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Live in Europe</span></em><br />Autoamerican<br />The Hunter<br />The Platinum Collection<br />No Exit<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Live<br />The Heart Of Glass Project</span></em><br />The Curse of Blondie<br />Live By Request<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Raptured....</span></em><br /><br /><strong>BLUE OYSTER CULT<br /></strong>The Essential Blue Oyster Cult<br /><br /><strong>BOB CARLISLE</strong><br />Butterfly Kisses<br /><br /><strong>BOB SEGER</strong><br />The Hits<br /><br /><strong>BOBBY KIMBALL</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Toto)</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Rise Up</span><br />Classic Toto Hits<br />Back In Spades<br /><span style="color:#330099;"><em>Best Left Unsaid</em></span><br /><br /><br /><strong>BON JOVI</strong><br />Slippery When Wet<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Slippery Demos</span></em><br />New Jersey<br />Keep The Faith<br />An Evening With...<br />Crossroads<br />These Days<br />Destination Anywhere<br />Crush<br />One Wild Night<br />Bounce<br />The Left Feels Right<br />Have a Nice Day<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Have a Nice Show<br />Japan 2006</span></em><br />100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong<br />Lost Highway<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Lost Highway Promo Tour</span></em><br />The Circle<br /><br /><strong>BONNIE TYLER</strong><br /><strong></strong>All My Best, With Love<br /><br /><strong>BONRUD</strong><br />Bonrud<br /><br /><strong>BOSTON</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Delp/Goudreau, RTZ)</span><br />Boston<br />Live in Cleveland<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Japan 79<br /></span></em>Third Stage<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Smokin<br />Oakland<br />Live in Ontario<br /></span></em>Walk On<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Fiddler's Green<br /></span></em>Greatest Hits<br /><span style="color:#330099;"><em>Mansfield<br />Live in Portland<br />Mission Aborted</em></span><br />Corporate America<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Stage-struck<br />Camden<br />Promo</span></em><br />Corporate Canada<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Summer fest 04<br />Live in Music City<br />A Tribute to the Nicest Guy in Rock</span></em><br />Best of<br /><span style="color:#330099;"><em>Live Reboot<br /></em></span><br /><strong>BRIAN HOWE</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Bad Company)</span><br />Tangled In Blue<br />Diversity<br />Circus Bar<br /><br /><strong>BROTHER FIRETRIBE</strong><br />Heart Full Of Fire<br /><br /><strong>BRUCE HORNSBY</strong><br />The Way It Is<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Live At The Garden Arts Theater<br /></span></em>Greatest Radio Hits<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Live In Orlando<br /></span></em>Intersections 1985-2005<br /><br /><strong>BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN</strong><br /><strong></strong>Greetings From Ashbury park, N.J.<br />The Wild, The Innocent, and The E Street Shuffle<br />Born To Run<br />Darkness On The Edge Of Town<br />The River<br />Nebraska<br />Born In The U.S.A.<br />Tunnel Of Love<br />Chimes Of Freedom<br />Human Touch<br />Lucky Town<br />In Concert/MTV Unplugged<br />Greatest Hits<br />The Ghost Of Tom Joad<br />Tracks<br />18 Tracks<br />The Rising<br />The Essential Bruce Springsteen<br />Devils And Dust<br />We Shall Overcome<br />Magic<br />Working On A Dream<br />Odds and Ends<br /><br /><strong>BRUCE TURGON</strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Shadow King, Foreigner)</span></strong><br />Outside Looking In<br /><br /><strong>BRYAN ADAMS</strong><br />Cuts Like A Knife<br />Reckless<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Hollywood, Cal</span></em><br />Into The Fire<br />Waking Up The Neighbors<br />So Far So Good<br />18 Till I Die<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Warwick Castle<br />Live Around the World<br /></span></em>MTV Unplugged<br />On A Day Like Today<br />The Best Of Me<br />Room Service<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">A Night To Remember<br /></span></em>The Very Best of<br /><br /><br /><strong>BRIAN SETZER</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Stray Cats)</span><br />Guitar Slinger<br />The Brian Setzer Collection 1981-1989<br />The Dirty Boogie<br />Vavoom<br />Ignition<br />Nitro Funny Daddy<br />The Ultimate Collection<br />Tribute To Sun Records<br />13<br />Live<br />Dig That Crazy Christmas<br />Christmas Comes Alive<br />Songs From Lonely Avenue<br /><br /><strong>Buckingham/Nicks<br /></strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham)</span><br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Demos<br />Live in Alabama<br />Frozen</span></em><br /><br /><strong>CARMEN<br /></strong>The Standard<br /><br /><strong>CARRIE UNDERWOOD</strong><br />Some Hearts<br />Carnival Ride<br />Play On<br />Sessions<br /><br /><strong>the CARS</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Ben Orr, Ric Oceask)</span><br />The Cars (2cd special edtion)<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in the Great White North<br />Live<br /></span></em>Candy-0<br />Panorama<br />Shake It Up<br />Heartbeat City<br /><span style="color:#000099;"><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Heartbeat in Texas</span></em><br /></span>Door To Door<br />Live 1987<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Strap Me in Live<br />It's Alive</span></em><br />Complete Hits<br />Just What I Needed<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Sight and Sound<br />For Sale<br />New and Used</span></em><br /><br /><br /><strong>CASTING CROWNS</strong><br />Casting Crowns<br />Lifesongs<br />The Altar and the Door<br /><br /><strong>CELINE DION<br /></strong>All The Way A Decade of Song<br /><br /><strong>CHARLIE DANIELS</strong><br />Full Moon<br />Renegade<br />Simple Man<br />The Essential Charlie Daniels<br />Dueces<br />The Ultimate Essential Best Of<br />A Blue Grass Christmas<br /><br /><strong>CHEAP TRICK</strong><br />Greatest Hits<br />Latest And Greatest<br /><br /><strong>CHER</strong><br />If I Could Turn Back Time<br />Believe<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">LIVE 2002</span></em><br /><br /><strong>CHICAGO</strong><br />1<br />2<br />3<br />Live at Carnegie Hall<br />Japan<br />5<br />6<br />7<br />8<br />Greatest hits<br />10<br />11<br />Hot Streets<br />13<br />14<br />Gretest Hits 2<br />17<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Alameda Coliseum</span></em><br />18<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Live 1987<br /></span></em>19<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Live with the Beach Boys</span></em><br />Greatest Hits 82-89<br />21<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Live 1993<br />Night &amp; Day Special Concert</span></em><br />Night and Day Big Band<br /><span style="color:#330099;"><em>Stone Of Sisyphus [bootleg version]</em></span><br />The Heart of Chicago 1967-1997<br />The Heart of Chicago 2 1967-1998<br />25<br /><span style="color:#330099;"><em>Christmas Special<br /></em><span style="color:#000000;">Live in Concert</span><br /><em>Look Away<br />By Request<br /></em></span>30<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Live and Rare</span></em><br />Stone Of Sisyphus [studio release]<br />The Best of<br /><br /><strong>CHICKENFOOT</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Sammy Hagar, Van Halen)</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Chickenfoot</span><br /><br /><strong>CHRIS DE BURG</strong><br />Crusader<br />The Gateway<br />Into The Light<br />Flying Colours<br />The Lady in Red, the Very Best of...<br />The 20th Century Masters<br />The Story Teller<br />Moon Fleet and Other Stories<br /><br /><strong>CHRIS ISSAK</strong><br />Chris Isaak<br />San Fransico Days<br />Forever Blue<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Live 1991</span></em><br />Baja Sessions<br />Always Got Tonight<br />Best of<br />Mr Lucky<br /><br /><strong>CHRISTINE MCVIE</strong><br />Christine McVie<br />In The Meantime<br /><br /><strong>CINDERILLA</strong><br />Once Upon A ....<br />Rocked, Wired, &amp; Bluesed, The Best of<br /><br /><strong>COBRA</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Survivor,Target,Jimi Jamesion)</span><br />Cobra<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">In the Studio</span></em><br /><br /><strong>COLLECTIVE SOUL<br /></strong>Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid<br />Collective Soul<br />Disciplined Breakdown<br />Dosage<br />Blender<br />7 Year Itch<br />Youth<br />Afterwords<br />Home<br />Collective Soul<br /><br /><strong>COREY HART</strong><br />The Singles<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>COVERDALE PAGE</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Whitesnake, Jimmy Page</span>)<br />Coverdale Page<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Rehearsals 1993<br />Live 93<br /></span></em><br /><strong>CREED</strong><br />Human Clay<br />Weathered<br />Live<br />Greatest Hits<br />Full Circle<br /><br /><br /><strong>CROWN OF THROWNS</strong><br />Breakthrough<br />Crown Of Thorns<br /><br /><strong>CSYN</strong><br />American Dream<br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Live on the Beach<br /></span></em>Greatest Hits<br /><br /><br /><strong>DAMN YANKEES</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Styx, Tommy Shaw, Jack Blades, Night Ranger)</span><br />Damn Yankees<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Electric Lady land</span></em><br />Don't Tread<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live Uprising</span></em><br />High Enough and Other Hits<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live Westwood One</span></em><br /><br /><strong>DAUGHTRY</strong><br />Daughtery<br />Leave This Town<br />Leave This Town; The B-sides<br /><br /><strong>DAVID LEE ROTH</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Van Halen)</span><br />The Best<br />The Best 2<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Who Threw That Bottle<br />Gone Crazy</span></em><br /><br /><strong>DAVID GLEN EISLEY</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Giufrria)</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Stranger From The Past</span><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>DEBROAH HARRY</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Blondie)</span><br />KooKoo<br />Rock Bird<br />Once More Into The Bleach<br />Necessary Evil<br />Two Times Blue the Remixes<br /><br /><strong>DEEP PURPLE</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Rainbow, Whitesnake)</span><br />Knocking On Your Back Door<br />The Very Best Of Deep Purple<br />20th Century Masters<br /><strong></strong><br /><br /><strong>DEF LEPPARD</strong><br />Pyromania<br />Hysteria<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">In The Round<br />Another Night In The Round</span></em><br />Adrenalize<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">The Circus Comes To Town</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Shaved And Unplugged</span></em><br />The Vault<br />Slang<br />Slangin 97<br />Euphoria<br />Historia<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">B-sides<br /></span></em>X<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">X Tour NYC<br />X Marks the Spot </span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live In N.C.</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live In Holland 06<br /></span><span style="color:#6600cc;">Rare Gems (7cd set)</span></em><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Songs From The Sparkle Lounge</span><br /><br /><strong>DELP AND GOUDREAU</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Boston, RTZ)</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Delp And Goudreau</span><br /><br /><strong>DENNIS DEYOUNG</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Styx)</span><br />Desert Moon<br />Back to the World<br />Boom Child<br />Once Upon A Dream<br />10 on Broadway<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">10 on Broadway Live<br /></span></em>The Hunchback of Notre Dame<br />Ultimate Collection<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in the Big Apple<br /></span></em>A Love Foretold<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">The Grand Cayman Ballroom<br />WTKS-FM Orlando<br />Live in Chicago<br />Live in Syracuse NY<br />Appleton Live<br />Interviews and Vids</span></em><br />The Music of Styx<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Return to the Big Apple<br /></span></em><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>Rockline<br />Radio Dec 04<br />Radio Songs and Medley<br /></em></span>When I Hear a Christmas Song<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Rockin the Cable</span></em><br />One Hundred Years From Now (Import)<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">New Year's Eve Party 07</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live In Canada 2007</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live In Clearwater, FL 2008</span></em><br />One Hundred Years From Now<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live and Rare</span></em><br /><br /><strong>DEVO</strong><br />Greatest Hits<br />Something For Everybody<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>the DILLS</strong><br />The Dills<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>DIO</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell)</span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;">Holy Diver</span></span><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live On The BBC</span></em><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;">The Last In Line</span> </span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>We Rock Live</em><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Dream Evil</span></span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;">Lock Up The Wolves</span></span><br />Strange Highways<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live 1993</span></em><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Ludwigsburg live</span></em></span><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">The Dragon Is Loose</span></em><br />The Very Beast Of Dio<br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;">Master Of The Moon</span></span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;">Evil Or Devine</span><br /></span><span style="color:#6600cc;"></span><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">First to Last in Line </span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Heaven and Hell live<br />Dio Live And Rare</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;"></span></em><br /><strong><span style="color:#000000;">DOKKEN</span></strong><br />Greatest Hits<br /><br /><strong>DON HENLEY</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Eagles)</span><br />I Can't Stand Still<br />Building the Perfect Beast<br />The End of the Innocence<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">All She Want to Do Is Dance<br />Live in Japan<br />Save Walden Woods Concert</span></em><br />Actual Miles<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Storytellers<br /></span></em>Inside Job<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Inside Outtakes</span></em><br />The Very Best Of..<br /><br /><strong>the DOOBIE BROTHERS</strong><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">All The Best</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;"><br /></span></em><strong>DREAM THEATER</strong><br />Images And Words<br />Live At The MArquee<br />Awake<br />A Change Of Seasons<br />Falling Into Infinity<br />Train Of Thought<br />Live At Budokan<br />Octavarium<br />Systematic Choas<br />Chaos In Motion<br />Black Clouds and Sliver Linings<br />Greatest Hit Plus 21<br />Once In A Livetime<br />Wither<br /><br /><strong>DURAN DURAN</strong><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live 89<br /></span></em>Strange Behavior<br />Greatest Hits<br />Singles (10 cds)<br /><br /><strong>THE EAGLES</strong> <span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Don Henley, Glen Frey, Joe Walsh, Timmothy Schmit, Bernie Leadon,</span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Flying Burrrito Brothers, James Gang)</span><br />Wanted<br />Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975<br />Hotel California<br />Flying Again<br />Live<br />Greatest Hits Vol 2<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">MTV Pre-show</span></em><br />Hell Freezes Over<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Hell Freezes Over (Alternate)</span></em><br />Selected Works<br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>That's The Eagles<br />Rockin in Knoxville<br />The Boys of Summer Live in the Summer<br />Romancing and Dancing </em></span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>The Boys of Summer<br />BBC<br />The Very Best of...<br />Farewell</em><br /></span>Long Road Out of Eden<br />Illegal Eagles<br /><br /><strong>EARTH WIND &amp; FIRE</strong><br />The Best of Vol 1 &amp; 2<br /><br /><strong>ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA</strong><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">All The World and More, ELO At It's Best</span></em><br /><br /><strong>ELLIOT EASTON</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(the Cars)</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Change No Change</span><br /><br /><strong>ELTON JOHN</strong><br />21 At 33<br />Jump Up<br />Too Low For Zero<br />Breaking Hearts<br />Ice On Fire<br />Leather Jackets<br />Live in Australia<br />Reg Strikes Back<br />Sleeping With The Past<br />To Be Continued....<br />The One<br />Made In England<br />Live At The Gardens<br />Big Picture<br />One Night Only<br />Songs From The West Coast<br />Peachtree Road<br /><br /><strong>ENUFF Z' NUFF</strong><br />Greatest Hits<br /><br /><strong>ERIC CLAPTON</strong><br />Unplugged<br />Complete Clapton<br /><br /><strong>EUROPE</strong><br />Europe<br />Always The Pretender<br />Final Countdown<br />Out of This World<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live<br /></span></em>Prisoners In Paradise<br />1982-1992<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Sweden Rock Festival<br />Live 05 </span></em><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Secret Society</span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;">Always The Pretender</span></span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;">Super Hits</span><br /><em>Live in Japan<br /></em></span>Almost Unplugged<br /><br /><strong>EURYTHMICS</strong><br /><strong></strong>Ultimate Collection<br /><br /><strong>EXTREME</strong><br />Accidential Collisions Of Atoms; Best Of<br /><br /><strong>FAITH HILL</strong><br />Faith<br />Breath<br />The Hits<br /><br /><strong>FIREHOUSE</strong><br />Firehouse<br />Hold Your Fire<br />3<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Dallas 93 Live</span></em><br />Good Acoustics<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Good Acoustic Night</span></em><br />Bring em Out Live<br />Prime Time<br />Ultimate Collection<br /><br /><strong>the FIXX</strong><br /><strong></strong><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">The Fixx Fix, The Best of<br /><br /></span></em><strong>FLEETWOOD MAC</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks)</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Fleetwood Mac</span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>Mac Nashville 1977<br /></em></span><span style="color:#000000;">Rumors</span><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Rumors 2, Alternate</span></em><br />Tusk<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Tusk Demos</span></em><br />Mirage<br />Tango In The Night<br />Behind The Mask<br />25 Years The Chain<br />Time<br />The Dance<br />Landslide<br />Say You Will<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Don't Stop Playing </span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Say You Will Promos</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Say You Will Demos</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Unleashed Tour 2009</span></em><br /><br /><strong>the FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Eagles)</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Hot Burrito's; The Best Of</span><br /><br /><strong>FOERIGNER</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Lou Gramm, Lou Gramm Band, </span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Shadow King, Bruce Turgon)<br /></span>Foreigner<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live 1977<br /></span></em>Double Vision<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live 1979<br /></span></em>Head Games<br />4<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">BBC Show<br />The Night Life in Paris<br /></span></em>Agent Provocateur<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in 85<br /></span></em>Inside Information<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Out In the Green<br />Blue Morning in the Land of the Rising Sun<br /></span></em>Unusual Heat<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live Heat<br />BBC Show</span></em><br />The Very Best of and Beyond<br />Classic Hits Live<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in the USA<br /></span></em>Mr. Moonlight<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">House of Blues<br />Deer Creek<br />King Biscuit Flower Hour<br /></span></em>Anthology<br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>25th Anniversary tour<br />Melody 2005<br />Profiled<br />Tilburg<br />Revisions</em></span><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em><br /></em></span><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Westwood 1<br /></span></em>Can't Slow Down<br /><br /><strong>FRONTIERS</strong><strong> </strong><strong><br /></strong>Recaptured<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live </span></em><br /><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;"><p></span></em></p><strong>GEDDY LEE</strong><br />My Favorite Headache<br /><br /><strong>GENESIS</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel,</span><span style="color:#ff0000;"> </span><span style="color:#ff0000;">Mike and the Mechanics)</span><br />In The Beginning<br />From Genesis To Revelations<br />Trespass<br />Nursery Cryme<br />Foxtrot<br />Selling England By The Pound<br />A Trick Of The Tail<br />Wind &amp; Wuthering<br />And Then There Were Three<br />Duke<br />Abacab<br />Three Sides Live<br />Genesis<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">The Mama Tour<br /></span></em>Invisible Touch<br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>The Domino Tour<br /></em></span>We Can't Dance<br />The Way We Walk 1 The Shorts<br />The Way We Walk 2 The Longs<br />Calling All Stations<br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>Station to Station</em></span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>Live On An Alien Shore<br /></em></span>Turn It On Again, The Hits<br />Torn It On Again, The Tour Edition<br />Archives Volume 2 1976-1992<br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>BBC 2007<br /></em></span>I Know What I Like Live<br /><br /><strong>GIANT</strong><br />Last Of The Runways<br />Time To Burn<br />Song<br />Promised Land<br /><br /><strong>GIUFFRIA</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(House Of Lords)<br /></span>Giuffria<br /><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in 85<br />Detroit Rocks<br />Japan<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong><span style="color:#000000;">GLASS TIGER</span></strong></span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;">No Turning Back 1985 to 2005</span></span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;"></span><br /></span><span style="color:#6600cc;"></span><strong>G</strong><strong>len Burtnick</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Styx)</span><br />Heroes and Zeroes<br />Slaves of New Burswick<br />Retrospectacle<br />Palookaville<br />Welcome to Hollywood<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Demos<br />Hits and Misses</span></em><br /><br /><strong>GLENN FREY</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Eagles)</span><br />No Fun Aloud<br />The All-nighter<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in the 80's<br /></span></em>Soul Searchin<br />Strange Weather<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">I've got Dublin<br /></span></em>Live<br />Solo Collection<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">I've Got Mine; The Best of Glen Frey </span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;"></span></em><br /><strong><span style="color:#000000;">GOLDEN EARRING</span></strong><br />The Continuing Story Of Radar Love<br /><br /><strong>GOTTHARD</strong><br />Human Zoo<br />Lipservice (reloaded)<br />Lift U Up<br />Made In Switzerland<br />Anywhere Anytime Tour Ep<br />Domino Effect<br />The Call<br /><br /><strong>GOWAN</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Styx)</span><br />Gowan<br />Strange Animal<br />Great Dirty World<br />The Good Catches Up<br />Solo Live, No Kilt Tonight<br />Homefield<br />Best Of<br />Solo Live; Au Quebec<br /><br /><strong>GPS </strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Asia, John Payne)</span><br />GPS<br /><br /><strong>the GRAND DESIGN</strong><br />Time Evalation<br /><br /><strong>GREAT WHITE</strong><br />Once Bitten<br />Twice Shy<br />Sail Away<br />Stage<br />Great Zepplin (tribute to Led Zepplin)<br />Can't Get There From Here<br />The Essential Collection<br />Latest And Greatest<br />Greatest Hits<br />Hooked on the Hits<br /><br /><strong>GREGG ROLIE</strong><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live<br />Live 2<br />Live at Waterfest<br />Live in 05<br /></span></em><br /><strong>GTR</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Asia, Yes)</span><br />GTR<br />King Biscuit Flower Hour<br />UNR<br /><br /><strong>HARDLINE</strong><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Neal Schon, Journey)</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Double Eclipse</span><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Exposed<br />Eclipsed<br /></span></em><span style="color:#000000;">2<br />Leaving The Back Door Open </span></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>HALESTORM</strong></span></span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;">Halestorm<br /></span></span><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span><strong><span style="color:#000000;">HALL AND OATES</span><br /></strong><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">I Can Go For That, The Hits</span></em><br /></span><span style="color:#000000;">Live in Birmingham</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Live By Request</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>HEART</strong> </span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Lovemongers)<br /></span><span style="color:#000000;">Heart<br /></span><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Mud Island</span></em><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Bad Animals<br /></span><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Animal Instinct<br /></span></em><span style="color:#000000;">Brigade<br />Rock This House Live</span><br />Desire Walks on<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Unplugged in the USA<br /></span></em><span style="color:#000000;">The Road Home<br />Greatest Hits<br />Greatest Hits</span><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">House of Blues</span></em><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Greatest Hits 1985-1995</span><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in Seattle</span></em> <span style="color:#6600cc;"><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Jupiter's Darling<br /></span><em>You Must Get High </em></span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;">Love Songs</span></span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;">WTFEP</span></span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;">Red Velvet Car</span></span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live In PA 2010</span></em></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong><span style="color:#000000;">the HONEYDRIPPERS</span></strong></span></span><br />The Honeydrippers Vol 1<br /><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>HONEYMOON SUITE</strong><br /></span><span style="color:#000000;">Big Prize</span></span><br />Racing After Midnight<br /><br /><strong>HOOTIE AND THE BLOWFISH<br /></strong>Cracked Rearview Mirror<br />The Best Of Hootie and The Blowfish<br /><br /><strong>HOUSE OF LORDS</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Giuffria)</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Power and The Myth</span><br />World Upside Down<br />Come To My Kingdom<br />Anthology<br />Cartesian Dreams<br /><br /><strong>HOWARD JONES<br /></strong>The Best Of<br /><br /><strong>HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS </strong><br />Sports<br />Fore<br />Live 1988<br />36 All Time Greatest Hits<br />Time Flies; The Best of...<br />Live At 25<br />Greatest Hits<br />Soulsville<br /><br /><strong>HUGO<br /></strong>Hugo<br />Time on Earth<br />Fire In the Night<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Evolution<br /><br /></span></em><strong>JACK BLADES</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Night Ranger/Damn Yankees/Shaw Blades)</span><br />Jack Blades<br />The Best of..<br /><br /><strong>JAMES "JY</strong><strong>" YOUNG</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Styx)</span><br />City Slicker<br />Out on A Day Pass<br />Raised By Wolves<br />Best of JY<br /><br /><strong>JARS OF CLAY</strong><br />Jars of Clay<br /><br /><strong>Jason Scheff</strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Chicago)</span><br />Rarities<br />Chancy<br />The Very Best of<br /><br /><strong>JEFF SCOTT SOTO (JSS)<br /></strong>Here and There<br />Love Parade<br />Prism<br />Ballads<br />Lost in the Translation<br />Tailsman 7<br />**Demos<br /><br /><strong>JERRY LEE LEWIS</strong><br />The Hits<br /><br /><strong>JIM PETERIK</strong><br />World Stage<br />Rock America<br />Above the Storm<br />Best of<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Demos</span></em><br /><br /><strong>JIMI JAMISON</strong><br /><p><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Survivor)</span><br />Target<br />Captured<br />When Love Comes Down<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Demos</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live at the Biebob<br />Have Mercy Demos<br /></span></em>Empires<br /><br /><strong>JK NORTHRUP</strong><br />JK Northrup<br /><br /><strong>JOE WALSH</strong> </p><p><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Eagles)</span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>Westwood one</em></span><br /><br /><strong>JOHN FARNHAM</strong> </p><p><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Little River Band)</span><br />Whispering Jack<br />Age of Reason<br />Full House<br /><br /><strong>JOHNNY CASH</strong><br />Best of...<br /><br /><strong>JONATHAN CAIN</strong> </p><p><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Journey, Bad English)</span><br />Back to the Innocence<br />Piano With a View<br />Body Language<br />Bare Bones<br /><br /><strong>JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP</strong><br />American Fool<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live and Outtakes 91-92</span></em><br />Live, Love, and Happiness<br />Live in Chicago<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Summer fest</span></em><br />The Best That I Could Do<br />John Mellencamp<br />Rough Harvest<br />Cuttin Heads<br />Trouble No More<br />Freedom's Road<br />Live on Freedom's Road<br /><br /><strong>JOHN WAITE </strong></p><p><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Bad English)</span><br />Live in London<br />Essential<br />Temple Bar<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Galaxy Theater</span></em><br />Falling Backwards<br />When You Were Mine<br />The Very Best of<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Arrow Rock<br /></span></em><br /><strong>JOSEPH WILLIAMS</strong> </p><p><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Toto)</span><br />Joseph Williams<br />I'm Alive<br />3<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Demos<br /></span></em><br /><strong>JOSHUA KADISON</strong><br />Painted Desert Serenade<br /><br /><br /><strong>JOURNEY</strong> </p><p><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Neal Schon, Jonathain Cain, The Jonathain Cain BAnd, Bad English, The Vu, Hardline, Steve Perry, Steve Augeri, Tall Stories, Tyketto)</span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>Before the Journey<br /></em></span>Journey<br />Look Into the Future<br />Next<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Misty Mountain Romp</span></em><br />Infinity<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Before the Rise<br />Next Karma<br />Infinity Live<br />Infinity Demos<br /></span><span style="color:#6600cc;">In Tails; Super Jam 2</span></em><br />Evolution<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in the City of the Broncos<br />City By the Lake<br />Mile High<br />Evolution Tour Chicago<br />Shibuya</span></em><br />Departure<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in Japan<br />Demos<br />Huston, we are Clear for Take off</span></em><br />Dream After Dream<br />Captured<br />Escape<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Escape from Japan<br />Keep On Running to East Troy<br />Blue Sky Party<br />Live in LA</span></em><br />Frontiers<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">A Chain Reaction in Japan<br />Live In Philly<br />Faithfully Live<br />Frontiers Tour<br />Live at JFK<br />Hometown Reunion<br /></span></em>Raised on Radio<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live 1986<br />I'll Be Alright in New Jersey<br />Raised On Radio Tour<br />Unidentified Flying Objects<br />Any Night in Any Town<br />Live on New Year's Eve<br />Raised on Radio Documentary<br />Happy New Year With Journey<br />Cain Bolton Demos<br />Journey Demos with Bolton<br />AOR Provider</span></em><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>Bill Graham Tribute Concert</em></span><br />Time 3<br /><span style="color:#6600cc;">Flashback</span><br />Trail By Fire<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">The Covers<br />Remember Me Live<br />Vacations Over Tour<br />Trail By Battle<br />Retrofitted</span></em><br />Greatest Hits Live<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live on the City By the Bay<br />Vacation is over in FT Lauderdale<br />Live In Japan<br />Journey to the Beach<br />Live From New York...<br />Live in Concord<br />Live 1999</span></em><br />Arrival<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Devils and Angels<br /></span></em>Arrival<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Signs of Life<br />Far East Arrival<br />**Red Rocks<br />In The Heartland<br /></span></em>The Essential Journey<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">To Be Live Again<br />Finding Our Faith</span></em><br />RED 13<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Under the Radar Tour<br />Live in Japan 2002<br />Journey Rama<br />Warfield<br />Showdown in the Value City<br />Live at Hartford Meadows<br />Red 13 Live<br />Arrow fest 03<br />Main Event<br />Live 2004<br /></span><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live at the Wolf Trap<br />Tokyo On Edge<br /></span></em>Generations<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Generations Opening Night<br />Generations Tour 05</span></em><br />Generations<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Gone Crazy at Casino Rauia<br />Better Together on Jones Beach<br />Tinsel town USA<br />A Place in your Heart<br />A Better Live in The Big Apple<br />Beyond the Seas<br />The Light Brigade<br />Monster's of Rock 06<br />Return to the Netherlands<br />Live at Jones Beach<br />Changing of the Guard<br />I'll be alright Without You<br /></span><span style="color:#6600cc;">Soto Throws Down<br />Raised On Stage<br />Hollywood Bowl<br />Arrow Rock 06<br />Reno 06<br />Return to Manchester<br />Birmingham 2007<br />Live and Rare<br />Live and Rare 2<br />Live and Rare 3<br />Live and Rare 4<br />Live in Chile<br />Rockline</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Texas Jam 08<br /></span></em><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>KANSAS</strong><br />Kansas<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Vinyl Demos<br />Breaking Ground<br />Live Power<br />Leftovers</span></em><br />Live at the Whisky<br />The Ultimate Kansas<br />Freaks of Nature<br />Khymera<br />Always Never the Same<br />Somewhere to Elsewhere<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Canadian Jam<br />Live in Cooper Town<br />On the Self<br /></span></em><br /><strong>KELLY KEAGY</strong><br />Time Passes<br />I'm Alive<br />The Best of<br /><br /><strong>KENNY LOGGINS</strong><br />Outside from the Redwoods<br />Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow<br /><br /><strong>KEVIN CHALFANT</strong><br />Phoenix Rising<br />Running With The Wind<br />Back to Square One<br />Christmas With All My Friends<br />Shadow's Fade<br />Live at Waterfest<br />Fly to Freedom<br />Freedom Flight<br /><br /><strong>LAWRENCE GOWAN</strong><br />Lost Brotherhood<br /><br /><strong>LED ZEPPLIN</strong><br />How The West Was Won<br />The Best of<br />Live 2007<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#000000;">LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM</span></strong> </p><p><span style="color:#ff0000;">(Fleetwood Mac)</span><br />The Gift of Screws<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live San Juan<br />Live and Rare<br />Live<br /></span></em><br /><strong>LIONEL RICHIE</strong><br />Back to Front<br /><br /><br /><strong>LITTLE RIVER BAND<br /></strong>Playing to Win<br />No Reigns<br />Monsoon<br />Get Lucky<br />Reminiscing<br />Full Circle<br />Where We Started<br />One Night In Mississippi<br /><br /><strong>LONESTAR</strong><br />Lonestar<br />Crazy Nights<br />Lonely Grill<br />I'm Already There<br />From There To Here<br />Let's Be US Again<br />Coming Home<br /><br /><strong>LOU GRAMM</strong><br />Ready or Not<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live Midnight Blue<br /></span></em>Long Hard Look<br />I Wish Today Was Yesterday<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">LIVE 2003<br />Arrow fest 03<br />**Bloomingdale<br /></span></em><br /><strong>LYNYRD SKYNYRD</strong><br />The Best of...<br />Edge of Forever<br /><br /><br /><strong>MEATLOAF</strong><br />Bat out of Hell<br />Bat out of Hell 2, Back into Hell<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live out of Hell<br /></span></em>Welcome to the Neighborhood<br />Live Around the World<br />The Very Best of...<br />The Definitive Collection<br />Bat out of Hell with Orchestra<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">VH1 Storytellers<br /></span></em>Couldn't Have Said it Better<br />Bat Out of Hell 3, The Monster is Loose<br /><br /><strong>MELISSA ETHERIDGE<br /></strong>Melissa Etheridge<br />Brave and Crazy<br />ME<br />Chicago Nights<br />Yes I Am<br />Your Little Secret<br />Live And Alone<br />Unplugged<br />Breakdown<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live</span></em><br />The Road Less Traveled, Greatest Hits<br /><br /><strong>MELODIC ROCK</strong><br />V 3<br /><br /><strong>MERCY ME<br /></strong>Almost There<br />Undone<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>MICHAEL BOLTON</strong><br />Greatest Hits<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Demos</span></em><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>MICHEAL JACKSON<br /></strong>Best of<br /><br /><strong>MICHAEL W SMITH<br /></strong>Healing Rain<br />The Best of<br /><br /><strong>MIKE AND THE MECHANICS<br /></strong>Mike and the Mechanics<br />The Living Years<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in Philly<br />KBFH</span></em><br />Word Of Mouth<br />Beggar on a Beach of Gold<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Unplugged<br /></span></em><br /><strong>MIKE BURKE</strong><br />I Need Your Power<br /><br /><strong>MIKE ELDRED</strong><br />Me<br /><br /><strong>MS FUNK</strong><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Platform Shoes</span></em><br /><br /><strong>NANCY WILSON<br /></strong>Live at McCabe's Guitar shop<br /><br /><br /><strong>NEAL SCHON<br /></strong><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Derek &amp; Domino's tryout<br /></span></em>Untold Passion<br />Neal Schon and Friends<br />Late Nite<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Late Bammies</span></em><br />Schon/Rodgers<br />Beyond the Thunder<br />Electric World<br />Voice<br />I on U<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">After Show Gig<br />Schon and Friends 2<br /></span></em><br /><br /><strong>NIGHT RANGER</strong><br />Dawn Patrol</p><p>Midnight Madness<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">You Can Still Rock in America<br /></span></em>7 Wishes<br />Big Life<br />Man in Motion<br />Greatest Hits<br />Live in Japan<br />Feeding off the Mojo<br />Neverland<br />Rock In Japan<br />Seven<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">A HArd Day's Night in Atlanta<br /></span></em>Hits, Acoustic and Rarities<br />Hole in the Sun<br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>New Years Night Ranger</em></span><br /><br /><strong>OPEN SKYZ</strong><br />Open Skyz<br /><br /><strong>ORION THE HUNTER</strong><br />Orion the Hunter </p><p><br /><strong>PAT BENATAR</strong><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in New Haven<br />Live in Portland<br /></span></em>All Fired up<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">NYC Electric Ladyland 1993<br /></span></em>Heartbreaker, 16 Classic Performances<br />Inamorata<br />Synchronistic Wanderings<br />Summer Vacation Tour Soundtrack<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Crossroads<br />Live At the Chumash Casino Resort</span></em><br /><br /><strong>PATTY SMYTH</strong><br />Greatest Hits<br /><br /><strong>PETER CETERA</strong><br />One More Story<br />World Falling Down<br />One Clear Voice<br />Your the Inspiration, a Collection<br />Another Perfect World<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live<br /></span></em><br /><strong>PETER GABRIEL</strong><br />Shaking the Tree; The Hits<br /><br /><br /><strong>PHIL COLLINS</strong><br />Face Value<br />Hello, I Must Be Going<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in 82<br /></span></em>No Jacket Required<br />12 inchers<br />...But Seriously<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in Germany</span></em><br />Serious Hits Live<br />Dance Into the Light<br />Tarzan<br />Hits<br />A Hot Night<br />Testify<br /><br /><strong>PHILLIPS, CRAIG, DEAN</strong><br />Let my Words Be Few<br /><br /><strong>THE POLICE</strong><br />Every Breath You Take<br />Live 2007<br /><br /><strong>PRINCE</strong><br />The Best of the Artist once Know as....Prince<br /><br /><strong>PRIDE OF LIONS</strong><br />Pride of Lions<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live<br /></span></em>The Destiny Stone<br />The Roaring of Dreams<br /><br /><strong>QUEEN</strong><br />Classics<br />Greatest Hits<br />Return of the Champions<br /><br /><strong>RAMOS</strong><br />Living in the Light<br /><br /><strong>RED RIDER</strong><br />Best of<br /><br /><strong>REO SPEEDWAGON<br /></strong>Ridin the Storm out<br />R.E.O.<br />You Get What You Play For<br />You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish<br />Nine Lives<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">I Speak No Dutch...<br /></span></em>A Decade of Rock-n-Roll<br />Hi Infidelity<br />Speed of Sound<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live HI FI<br />Boston Tea Party<br /></span></em>Good Trouble<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Shakin It Loose in LA<br />Live in the Stillness of the Night<br />Good Trouble Tour<br /></span></em>Wheels are Turning<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">New Year Countdown<br />Live at Kemper Arena<br /></span></em>Life as We Know It<br />The Hits<br />The Earth, A Small Man, His Dog, &amp; a Chicken<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live it Up, Live<br />Go For Broke<br /></span></em>A Second Decade of Rock and Roll<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Back on the Road Again<br /></span></em>Believe in Rock and Roll<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">When I Get Home....<br /></span></em>Building the Bridge<br />The Ballads<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live and on the Run<br />Live in St Louie<br /></span></em>Live Plus<br />The Essential<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Dealin in Vegas<br /></span></em>Hi Infidelity Then Again...Live<br />XM Artist Confidential<br />Find Your Own Way Home<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in Thackerville<br />Live in Sweden<br />Finding My Way Home<br />Live in 2008<br /></span></em><br /><strong>RIC OCASEK</strong><br />Beatitude<br />This Side of Paradise<br />Fireball Zone<br />Quick Change World<br />Troublizing<br />Nexter Day<br /><br /><strong>RIK EMMETT</strong><br />Absolutely Live<br /><br /><strong>RICHARD MARX</strong><br />Richard Marx<br />Repeat Offender<br />Rush Street<br />Paid Vacation<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live Vacation<br /></span></em>To The Bone<br />Flesh and Bone<br />Live<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Unplugged<br /></span></em>Greatest Hits<br />My Own Best Enemy<br />Days in Avalon<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Rare Gems<br /><br /></span></em><strong>ROBERT PLANT</strong><br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Big Log Tour<br />Sixty + six<br />Live in 88<br />Live in Nashville<br /></span></em><br /><strong>ROD STEWART<br /></strong>Storyteller<br />Live Dynamite<br />Vega bound Heart<br />Unplugged and Seated<br />If We Fall in Love Tonight<br />When We Were the New Boys<br />Human<br />The Great American Songbook<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>ROY ORBINSON</strong><br />36 All Time Favorites<br />Live in Texas<br />Mystery Girl<br />King of Hearts<br /><br /><strong>RTZ</strong><br />Return to Zero<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">All You Got Live<br /></span></em>Lost<br /><br /><strong>RUSH<br /></strong>Rush<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">First Time<br /></span></em>2112<br />All The World's a Stage<br />A Farewell to kings<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">In The Beginning<br />Pink Pop<br /></span></em>Permanent Waves<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">La Villa Strabgiato<br />Allentown's Freewill<br /></span></em>Moving Pictures<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Stage Right<br /></span></em>Exit Stage Left<br />Signals<br />Grace Under Pressure<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Afterimage Live<br />Cool Under Pressure<br />Live Under Pressure<br /></span></em>Power Windows<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Power Demos<br />Tinted Windows<br /></span></em>Hold Your Fire<br />A Show of Hands<br />Presto<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Hand Over Fist<br /></span></em>Chronicles<br />Roll The Bones<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in Texas<br />Rush -N- Roulette<br />Big Ben Big<br />Mirrors<br />Counterparts in the Studio<br /></span></em>Counterparts<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Counterparts Rehearsals<br />Rush for the Roses<br />Critical Mass<br />Animated</span></em><br />Test For Echo<br />Retrospective 1<br />Retrospective 2<br />Different Stages<br />Vapor Trails<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">One Big Victory<br /></span></em>Rush in Rio<br />Feedback<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in the Heart of Country<br /></span></em>R30<br />Snakes and Arrows<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live 07<br />Live in Atlanta<br />Overnight Delivery<br />Red Rocks Rush Redux<br /></span></em><br /><br /><strong>SAMMY HAGAR<br /></strong>Standing Hampton<br />Through the Fire<br />VOA<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">VOA Tour<br /></span></em>Sammy Hagar<br />The Best of<br />Unboxed<br />Anthology<br />Marching to Mars<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">The Red Rocker at Red Rocks<br /></span></em>Red Voodoo<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live in Las Vegas<br /></span></em>Ten 13<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Live Voodoo<br /></span></em>Not 4 Sale<br />Hallelujah<br />The Other Half<br />The Red Collection<br />Livin it Up<br /><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">Pacific Cooler<br />Live with Mad Anthony Express<br /><br /></span></em><strong>SAVAGE GARDEN</strong><br />Savage Garden<br /><br /><strong>SHADOW KING</strong><br />Shadow King<br /><br /><strong>SHANAIA TWAIN<br /></strong>The Woman in Me<br />Come on Over<br />Come on Over International version<br />Kickin in Dallas<br />Twain<br />Wild and Wicked<br /><br /><strong>SHAW BLADES</strong><br />Hallucination<br />Extra Cuts<br />Influence<br />Wild horse Live<br /><br /><strong>SHERL CROW<br /></strong>Tuesday Night Music Club<br />The Unreleased album<br />This is Not A Gig<br />Live at the Shine<br /><br /><br /><strong>SHOOTING STAR</strong><br />Circles<br /><br /><strong>SHY</strong><br />Sunset and Vine<br /><br /><strong>SLAUGHTER<br /></strong>The Best of Slaughter<br /><br /><strong>SONIC FLOOD<br /></strong>Sonic Flood<br /><br /><strong>SOUL SIRKUS<br /></strong>World Play<br />World Play<br />Opening Nite<br />Live in Holland<br />One Night to Go<br /><br /><strong>STARSHIP</strong><br />Greatest Hits (Ten Years and change 79-91)<br /><br /><strong>STEVE PERRY<br /></strong>Street Talk<br />For the Love of Strange Medicine<br />Live at the Beacon<br />Missing You Toronto<br />Listen to Your Heart<br />Live at the Pyramid<br />Stand Up and Sing<br />Lovin and Touchin Minneapolis<br />Greatest Hits<br />Alien Project<br />Holding On, Demos and other songs<br />Missing You Writng Session<br /><br /><strong>STEVIE NICKS</strong><br />Red Rocks<br />Black Gold<br />New York, New York<br />Time Space<br />Street Angel<br />Live on the Street<br />Westwood 1 Live House of Blues<br />Trouble in Shangri-la<br />Storytellers<br />Abbey Mixes<br />Mystical Moments<br />Shangri-La Outtakes<br />Enchanted Eagle<br />Ahi Benefit<br />Real to Reel<br /><br /><strong>STEVIE RAY VAUGHN<br /></strong>Double Trouble Greatest Hits<br /><br /><strong>THE STORM</strong><br />The Storm<br />The Storm Live<br />Live on the Road<br />Eye of the Storm<br />The Very Best of...<br />Live At Waterfest 03<br />Live<br /><br /><strong>STYX<br /></strong>Styx<br />Styx 2<br />The Serpent is Rising<br />Man of Miracles<br />Lady<br />Equinox<br />HBFR<br />HBFR (alternate version)<br />Equinox Tour<br />Crystal Ball<br />Crystal Ball Tour<br />The Grand Illusion<br />Live in Chicago<br />Angry Young Men<br />Pieces of Eight<br />Main Event Live<br />Cornerstone<br />Live at Wembley<br />Best of Styx<br />Paradise Theater<br />Live 81<br />Rockin in Tokyo<br />Kilroy Was Here<br />Radio Broadcast<br />Sunset in Paradise<br />Live in Paradise<br />Caught in the Act<br />Classics<br />Edge of the Century<br />LA on Edge<br />Greatest Hits<br />Greatest Hits<br />Greatest Hits part 2<br />Live in Camden<br />Symphonic Paradise<br />**Live at the Starplex<br />Paradise Nevada<br />IN the Studio-The Grand Illusion<br />Return to Paradise<br />Live at the Konocti Resort<br />The Singles Collection<br />Welcome to the Grand Illusion<br />Lady, The Encore Collection<br />Pieces of Eight on the Studio<br />The Last Illusion<br />Brave New World<br />Best of Styx with DeYoung<br />Perspective<br />**Live at the Hammerstein<br />JY's Birthday PArty<br />Return to Kelseyville<br />Rare<br />Arch Allies<br />Live in Japan<br />Extended Versions<br />Styx<br />Yesterday and Today<br />Styxworld<br />Sliver Legacy<br />Volunteers for America<br />Blue Collar World<br />At the River's Edge<br />The Millennium Collection<br />Promo<br />Live at Caesars Tahoe<br />Live 2003<br />Live in Green Bay<br />Cyclorama<br />Live at the Cricket Pavilion<br />Party at Glenn's<br />Live on the PA<br />Rockers<br />In the Studio Rockers<br />Live in Atlantic City<br />Unplugged live<br />Live in Concord<br />21st Century Live<br />Sunset Station<br />Come Sail Away the Anthology<br />The Compete Wooden Nickel Recordings<br />Big Bang Theory<br />I tunes plus<br />Big Bang in Manchester<br />All Hail Styx<br />**Live at Sunset Station<br />Classic Rock Christmas<br />One With Everything<br />One With Everything<br />One With Everything Live<br />Blue Collar Man-Mimed<br />Rare Cuts 07<br />Styx Bits<br />Styx Bits 2<br />Live at Billy Bobs<br />Live in Fort Worth<br />Live at the Bud and BBQ Fest<br />At the Show Place Theatre<br />Live in 08<br /><br /><strong>SUPERTRAMP<br /></strong>Classics<br />Live 83<br />Some Things Never Change<br />**One More From The Road<br />**Super Golden Radio Show<br />Roger Hodgson Live<br /><br /><strong>SURVIVOR<br /></strong>Caught in the Game<br />Eye of the Tiger<br />Vital Signs<br />Live in Indianapolis<br />Live in Japan<br />When Seconds Count<br />Too Hot To Sleep<br />Greatest Hits<br />LA Grange, IL<br />Highland<br />Live in 1994<br />Rock Hard in Paducah<br />Mohegan Sun<br />Fire Makes Steel<br />Extended Versions<br />Ultimate Survivor<br />Reach<br />Live in KC<br /><br /><strong>TALL STORIES</strong><br />Tall Stories<br />Live in New York City<br /><br /><br /><strong>TAYLOR HICKS</strong><br />Do I Make You Proud<br /><br /><strong>THIRD DAY</strong><br />Wire<br />Wherever You Are<br /><br /><strong>THUNDER</strong><br />BBC<br /><br /><strong>TINA TURNER</strong><br />Simply the Best<br /><br /><strong>TRIUMPH<br /></strong>Stages<br />The Sport of Kings<br />Classics<br />Surveillance<br /><br /><strong>TOM KOLB</strong><br />Tom Kolb<br /><br /><br /><strong>TOM PETTY and the HEARTBREAKERS</strong><br />Southern Accents<br />Live 85<br />Pack up the Plantation<br />Full Moon Fever<br />Into the Great Wide Open<br />Hits Live<br />Wildflower weekend<br />Wildflowers<br />Playback<br />High Grass Dogs<br />Echo<br />The Last DJ<br />Live at the Olympic<br />Hanborc<br /><br /><strong>TOMMY FUNDERBURK</strong><br />TF<br /><br /><strong>TOMMY SHAW<br /></strong>Girls With Guns<br />Live in Montgomery, Alabama<br />What if<br />Live in Japan<br />Ambition<br />Live Ambition<br />7 Deadly Zens<br />Border Shows<br /><br /><strong>TOTO</strong><br />Toto<br />Hydra<br />IV<br />Japan<br />Isolation<br />Fahrenheit<br />VII<br />Live in Paris in 87<br />Past to Present<br />Kingdom of Desire<br />Absolutely Live<br />Tambu<br />Rock etc<br />Holland/Sweden<br />3.3.96<br />Sedul<br />Sweden<br />Live in Africa<br />XX<br />Holland<br />Minefields<br />Reunion tour<br />Dreamfields<br />Live Minefields<br />Return to Sequel<br />European Tour<br />Sofia<br />Simi Valley<br />25th Anniversary Live in Amsterdam<br />Gampel<br />Live 04<br />Unplugged<br />Tribute<br />Falling in Between<br />Hooked in Tin Tokyo<br />Belgrade<br />Rare<br /><br /><strong>TWO FIRES</strong><br />Two Fires<br />Live at the Gods<br />Ignition<br /><br /><strong>TUBE</strong><br />Tube<br /><br /><strong>TYKETTO</strong><br />Shine<br />Reunion<br />Underworld<br /><br /><strong>U2</strong><br />The Best of 1980 - 1990<br /><br /><strong>VALENTINE</strong><br />Valentine<br /><br /><strong>VAN HALEN</strong><br />The Beginning<br />Van Halen<br />Women and Children First<br />1984<br />Live in 1984<br />Die Laughing<br />5150<br />Live Without a Net<br />OU812<br />For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge<br />Live in the Pleasure Dome<br />Live Right Here, Right Now<br />Balance<br />Loud and Balanced<br />Volume 1<br />3<br />3 Live<br />VH<br />Unreleased<br />Van Hagar reunion<br />Someboby Get Me A Dr., Van Halen is back...<br />Van Halen Unchained<br /><br /><strong>VERTIGO</strong><br />Vertigo<br /><br /><strong>WALL FLOWERS<br /></strong>Wallflowers<br /><br /><strong>WHITESNAKE</strong><br />Whitesnake<br />Live<br />Unplugged<br />Donnington<br />Greatest Hits<br />GOLD<br />Good To Be Bad<br /><br /><strong>YES</strong><br />90125<br />Union<br />Talk<br />Open Your Eyes<br />The Ladder<br /><br /><strong>ZZ TOP<br /></strong>Greatest Hits<br />The Very Best Of </p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-327198856131868291?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-45160898827400414622009-11-12T11:04:00.000-06:002009-11-13T17:28:28.403-06:00<div><br /><br /><div><strong>Dawn Patrol-1982 (C)</strong><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwhBNU77I/AAAAAAAAA3M/-qp_r3dx2fY/s1600-h/d376224vitp.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 196px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382840060944379826" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwhBNU77I/AAAAAAAAA3M/-qp_r3dx2fY/s200/d376224vitp.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><br />Night Ranger's first cd, and one of my least liked cd by the band. Everything is here that is in the following cds, two guitars, two singers, and songs about young love and life. But for some reason it just doesn't come together yet. <strong>Don't Tell Me You Love Me</strong> was there only top 40 hit from this cd, and is the best song on it. <strong>Sing Me Away, Call My Name, Eddie's Coming Out Tonight </strong>and<strong> Young Girl In Love </strong>are all worthy mentions. But rest of the cd is just flat.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Midnight Madness-1983 (A-)</strong><br /><br /><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwsLjx5oI/AAAAAAAAA30/XKXZSJEC0II/s1600-h/f30712z6234.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 196px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382840252701468290" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwsLjx5oI/AAAAAAAAA30/XKXZSJEC0II/s200/f30712z6234.jpg" /></a> My second favorite Night Ranger cd. All my favorite hits too, <strong>Sister Christian, (You Can Still) Rock In America, Rumors In The Air, When You Close Your Eyes,</strong> and <strong>Let Him Run</strong>. plus rest of the songs are all good, with <strong>Touch Of Madness</strong> being one kick butt rocker. All the songs are done with a passion and the power of youth. Plus with a song titled like <strong>Rock In America,</strong> you would expect pure cheesey song, but the song rocks without the cornyness you would expect.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div><strong>7 Wishes-1985 (A)</strong><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwr4ZkyxI/AAAAAAAAA3s/ofUllHaPLCM/s1600-h/f29540woek6.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 198px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382840247558392594" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwr4ZkyxI/AAAAAAAAA3s/ofUllHaPLCM/s200/f29540woek6.jpg" /></a> Never have understood the title name to this cd, it is only the 3rd, and the song and cd could have been 3 wishes, couldn't see any rhyming concerns to change to 7. On top of that aren't most wishes in groups of 3? oh well. This is my favorite cd by the band. While Jack maybe the main song writer of the band, it is Kelly that brings power to this cd. Vocally he rips through the songs with such intensity and passion. <strong>Faces</strong> and <strong>I Need A Woman</strong> are prime examples of this. <strong>Sentimental Street</strong> is the best song on the cd, again great vocals from Kelly. <strong>Interstate Love Affair</strong> is the best rocker on the cd, with Jack's <strong>This Boy Needs To Rock</strong> a close second. <strong>Goodbye</strong> puts a perfect ending on the cd, some great guitar work on the solo of this song and through out the cd.<br /><br /><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><strong>Big Life-1987 (B+)</strong> </div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwfkM2wEI/AAAAAAAAA2s/C8BxBFkR19M/s1600-h/c41551uxr1n.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382840035977904194" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwfkM2wEI/AAAAAAAAA2s/C8BxBFkR19M/s200/c41551uxr1n.jpg" /></a> First thing I noticed when I originally put the cd on was the upgrade in production on the cd (but since they all have been remastered and tinkered with over the years, they all sound better) The title track to the cd is a great rock song, with some great vocals from Jack. <strong>Big Life</strong> the song, is one of my top 5 favorite songs by the band. <strong>The Secret Of My Success</strong> is another great song from the cd, with some of the best keyboard work (if not the best) by the Alan of the band. Jack and Kelly trade off vocals though out the song, which is nothing new for them, but it just adds to the over all effect of this song. But other than those two songs, there is nothing that really grabs you. The cd is good, no bad songs on the cd, but musically it is lacking. <strong>Rain Comes Crashing Down</strong> and <strong>Hearts Away</strong> are to other above average songs on this cd.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Man In Motion-1988 (D+)</strong><br /></div><br /><div><br /><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 194px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382840236687596114" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwrP5xmlI/AAAAAAAAA3c/SPdVBHeksEE/s200/e88528pwzqs.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div>Why is the man in motion? Why is he walking on a hill? Why is the sun setting on him? Is he late? What is he late too? I don't know the answer to the questions, but I do know that this is my least favorite cd by the band. Production bites the big one on this cd. The playing comes across uninspired. Even when the rock out on a song it is like going thru the motions. So maybe the man in motion is the band going thru the motions? Or is it because the production is so bad the songs seem lame? The first 3 songs seem like good songs, <strong>Man In Motion, Reason To Be, </strong>and<strong> Don't Start Thinking (I'm Alone Tonight) </strong>but they are lifeless. Rest of the cd, just about aw full. Shame too Jack and the band had a good run up to this cd. So maybe the sun that is setting on the man in motion, is the the sun or the big life setting on the band.<br /><br /><strong>Greatest Hits-1989 (A)</strong><br /></div><br /><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwgVGcx6I/AAAAAAAAA28/YLAa0EIdzEg/s1600-h/c3897655843.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382840049104373666" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwgVGcx6I/AAAAAAAAA28/YLAa0EIdzEg/s200/c3897655843.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div>A good hits cd for the band, does nice work of covering all the radio top 100. There is something from all the cds released up to this time. Just wished that could have added some AOR or MSR hits form the cds to this package. But it does show what made the band big, and its wasn't the hair. it was good solid song writing, to good singers with Jack and Kelly and great keyboardist with Alan and two very good guitarist with Jeff and Brad.<br /></div><br /><div><br /><strong>Live in Japan-1990 (B+)</strong> </div><br /><br /><br /><div><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 196px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382840447231817826" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOw3gPbeGI/AAAAAAAAA38/cQtYUbVrMNU/s200/f77628fko06.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div>The cd was recorded just before the band broke up on the <strong>Man In Motion</strong> tour. Never saw the tour, but the cd they were supporting at the time was awful. But thankfully this concert from that tour was good. It is so good it actually breaths new life into the hits and even it the songs from <strong>Man In Motion. Man In Motion, Don't Start Thinking, Reason To Be and Halfway To</strong> <strong>The Sun</strong> actually sound good and worthy to be on a cd with the rest of Night Rangers songs. Like I said above, the production on Man was bad so maybe that is what hurt the songs. Anyway the cd sounds great for a live cd (don't know how much post-production work was done). <strong>Let Him Run, Goodbye, and Reason To Be</strong> make for outstanding music as the songs are back to back with some great acoustics.<br /><br /><strong>Feeding Off The Mojo-1995 (B-)</strong> </div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwgnev2KI/AAAAAAAAA3E/siCj1sBDIEQ/s1600-h/d35006i123e.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382840054038124706" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwgnev2KI/AAAAAAAAA3E/siCj1sBDIEQ/s200/d35006i123e.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /><div>There are a few things different about this cd,</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>1) Jack Blades is gone in Damn Yankees, and the band is down from a 5 man unit to a 3 man unit</div><br /><br /><div>2) Since Jack was the main song writer the band credits the songs being written by Night Ranger plus what ever outside help.</div><br /><br /><div>3) The band brings in outside song writers, not to just help with the songs, but to write songs for them.<br /></div><br /><div>4) the band actually sing other artist's songs. Case in point they do a good cover to Peter Frampton's<strong> Do You Feel Like I Do</strong> and the Beatles' <strong>Tomorrow Never Knows</strong>.<br /><br /></div><br /><div>With these changes, which were needed after the bad Man In Motion cd, the bad pulls off a good comeback. With Jack off in Damn Yankees, instead of sitting idle the band moved ahead. There are surprisingly some good songs on the cd. <strong>Mojo, Last Chance, Precious Time, The Night Has A Way</strong>, plus to two remakes above. But rest of the cd misses the mark and ends up pulling the overall quality down. But this new line up first and only cd was good enough I would have bought another outing by them.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Neverland-1997 (A-)<br /></div><br /><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwgOw8XjI/AAAAAAAAA20/INXV6UGDOdM/s1600-h/c903895tu5p.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382840047403556402" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwgOw8XjI/AAAAAAAAA20/INXV6UGDOdM/s200/c903895tu5p.jpg" /></a><br /></div><br /><div>Jack Blades returns along with the rest band on a very solid cd. The lead off song was not I was expecteing, but<strong> Forever All Over Again </strong>is a masterpiece when it comes to Night Ranger ballads. The title track <strong>Neverland</strong> cranks the rock up the cd. Jack plays a mean bass line through it. <strong>As Always I Remain</strong> has Kelly singing a mid tempo rocker. Kelly's vocals are as strong as ever. The chours really makes the song. <strong>Someday I Will</strong> another mid tempo song that really shows the band in top notch. <strong>My Elusive Mind</strong> is another rocker, showing signs of youth still in the music, but mixed with a little more maturity than before. That is something that the whole cd has shown, signs of growth in the writing and playing. <strong>New York Time</strong> starts out good, but lags a little before an awesome guitar solo. I<strong> Don't Call This Love, Anything For You</strong> are two great songs that close out a remarkable comeback by the band. Really <strong>Sunday Morning</strong> is the only song I don't like on this cd. The slow parts of the song are painful to listen to, but once it picks up, it improves. </div><br /><br /><div><br />Seven-1998 (B)<br /><br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwqxxs70I/AAAAAAAAA3U/D4GZ07nWr50/s1600-h/d2987373097.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 199px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382840228600672066" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwqxxs70I/AAAAAAAAA3U/D4GZ07nWr50/s200/d2987373097.jpg" /></a></div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div>A good solid cd from the band, but nothing really stands out other than <strong>Sign Of The Times, Don't Ask Me Why, and Soul Survivor.</strong> It is worthy of other Night Ranger cds and has all the classic elements, except for the big production. The production is good, but lean, I guess it was a sign of the times for that era.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Rock In Japan; Greatest Hits Live-1999 (B+)<br /><br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwrlHQqxI/AAAAAAAAA3k/oRs0UyojNbg/s1600-h/f027304o2nz.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 196px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382840242381302546" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOwrlHQqxI/AAAAAAAAA3k/oRs0UyojNbg/s200/f027304o2nz.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>Another good live cd from the band, good production all the hits, plus some good selections off the then new cd Neverland. You like live cds (like I do), this worth pickin up.<br /><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div><br />Hits, Acoustic &amp; Rarities-2005 (A-)<br /><br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOw3wmBB7I/AAAAAAAAA4E/mmhiAYueknM/s1600-h/h10601z3kre.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 198px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382840451621521330" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOw3wmBB7I/AAAAAAAAA4E/mmhiAYueknM/s200/h10601z3kre.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div>This is not just another hits package, yeah the hits are here, but they have been rerecorded. Sister Christain he has a rerecord and acoustic version, both of which are swesome. Don't Tell Me You Love Me is live and rerecorded. Only complaint, nothing from Big Life like the Secret Of My Success, or fropm Man In Motion, which could have used the updates production (better).</div><br /><br /><br /><div>A very good cd.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div>Hole In The Sun-2007 (B+)<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOw4IvhihI/AAAAAAAAA4M/fSWrtlifhAw/s1600-h/i74934bwo3n.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 175px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382840458103851538" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SrOw4IvhihI/AAAAAAAAA4M/fSWrtlifhAw/s200/i74934bwo3n.jpg" /></a><br />This is Night Ranger's hardest rockin cd and one a lot of fun to crank up and listen to. The opening track <strong>Tell Your Vision </strong>kicks the cd into gear, and it just keeps rolling along song after song. Not to say their aren't some slower songs, <strong>Their Is Life and Fool In Me</strong> are two songs of the better. Songs that really stand out on the cd are the ones already mentioned plus, <strong>Rock Star, What Ever Happened, and Being</strong>. No complaints from me on the production, band sounds good with some much needed life brought back to the music. A great return.</div><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-4516089882740041462?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-28808620092390658242009-08-29T09:34:00.001-05:002009-08-29T18:08:38.466-05:00<strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">Crystal Ball-1976 (C-)</span></strong><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDIpDOC1FBI/AAAAAAAAABI/B4VuIQOoOo8/s1600-h/crystal.jpg"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jDO_0I6I/AAAAAAAAAwU/ReWOcQMnxUY/s1600-h/f54291k56ou[1].jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 195px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363192375972996002" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jDO_0I6I/AAAAAAAAAwU/ReWOcQMnxUY/s200/f54291k56ou%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a><br /><strong>Crystal Ball,</strong> the title track off of Tommy Shaw's debut with Styx. The title track is a classic. But the rest of the CD doesn't hold up as near as well. <strong>Put Me On</strong>, is an interesting rocker, sung by JY, and a good song to start the CD off with. <strong>Mademoiselle</strong> has good harmony with a good guitar lick played through it. <strong>Jennifer</strong> and <strong>This Old Man</strong> by DeYoung are nowhere near his best work. The former has some interesting sound effects in the song, but nothing that helps the song out. While <strong>Jennifer </strong>is almost unlistenable . Tommy's other song, <strong>Shooz,</strong> tries to rock hard. but to me it is stale. For the most part this whole CD is pretty stale. Who would know,that this would be the superstar line, by listening to this CD?<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">The Grand Illusion-1977 (A+)</span></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDIq4-C1FCI/AAAAAAAAABQ/6byIr4SXXi4/s1600-h/GI.jpg"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jDcsbzBI/AAAAAAAAAwc/KBdrSHktjrQ/s1600-h/f54345ig9ta[1].jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 196px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363192379649805330" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jDcsbzBI/AAAAAAAAAwc/KBdrSHktjrQ/s200/f54345ig9ta%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a><br />This is it, the greatest Styx cd, and one of the best cds in rock history. Not a bad or weak song on this disk. And it shows Styx at their best, as a group, and this is a group effort, from the opening title track, to the last. The first track, <strong>The Grand Illusion</strong>, is a heavy metal anthem on the illusions of life, for the rich or poor, the common man or the superstar.<strong> Come Sail Away</strong>, is the best track, about looking back on life, about your dreams. This is my favorite song period!! As it slowly builds from its piano opening, to its rocking ending, this song as you singing along with. Dennis also has two other songs on this disk, the mystical, and haunting <strong>Castle</strong> <strong>Walls </strong>(love the keyboard work in the middle of the song, have it for one of my ring tones), and the <strong>Grand Finale</strong>, which brings this great CD to a close. Tommy, also has some his best work, <strong>Man in the Wilderness</strong>, has a great guitar solo in the middle, and <strong>Fooling Yourself</strong>, with acoustic guitar and keyboards, makes for an interesting get up off your butt and sing along song. <strong>Superstar</strong>, is the only song that really doesn't hold up to rest, but it's still good. JY's one song, the rocking <strong>Miss America</strong>, is his best work, and the song that he is best know for. Blazing guitars, a sea of keyboards, and a wall of harmonies, all hidden behind lyrics about life, this makes for a awesome concept album. The songs, all fantastic, listened to by their selves, or on the radio, cannot do the album the justice, of sitting down and cranking it up, from start to finish. MY Favorite CD by Styx or anyone....<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">Pieces Of Eight-1978 (A-)</span></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDMtpOC1FDI/AAAAAAAAABY/citwiq0LMYU/s1600-h/8.jpg"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jsQej61I/AAAAAAAAAwk/0iIZPoOXLks/s1600-h/f57196pvo5g[1].jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 199px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363193080745028434" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jsQej61I/AAAAAAAAAwk/0iIZPoOXLks/s200/f57196pvo5g%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a><br /><strong>Pieces of Eight</strong>, is the hard rocking follow up to their 1977 heavy metal, prog rock cd, <strong>The Grand Illusion</strong>. And what a follow up it is. Like their previous cd, their is not a bad song on this outing. Most bands, now a days,would crack under the pressure, of having to record a follow up, to a highly successful cd. Plus the pressure of doing this in just over a year of their last release. Pieces starts off rockin, with <strong>The Great White Hope</strong>, a song written and sung by JY. This song deals with the success that the band was going thru, and how one minute your on top of the world, and the pressure you are under to stay on top.<strong> I'm Okay</strong>, is a brilliant song by Dennis, with a great organ solo in the middle, love the way the song starts too. But every one of us at one time or another has felt the way this song is singing about, am I really different, is it okay to be this way? <strong>Sing For the Day</strong>, a Tommy Shaw song, is very good and is one of four songs of his on this cd. Even though this cd is named after a Dennis song, Tommy is the hero on this outing, this is some of his best work, with <strong>Renegade</strong>, and <strong>Blue Collar Man</strong>, being two his greatest songs. <strong>Aku-Aku</strong>, is the ending song, and the weakest on this set. <strong>Queen of Spades</strong>, is a rocker, with a good beat. The title track is a haunting number, with a good piano part. <strong>The Message</strong> a keyboard instrumental, leads into the <strong>Lord of the Rings</strong>. JY handles vocals on Lords, this is a good song, with good guitar work in it, but JY's vocals are little too nasal in it. A great cd, from a great band, and one their last albums that seemed like a group effort, instead of individual efforts.<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">Cornerstone-1979 (A-)<br /><br /></span></strong><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;"></span></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDMvbOC1FEI/AAAAAAAAABg/F1aipPPs4hY/s1600-h/cornerstone.jpg"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jC_gCkoI/AAAAAAAAAwM/6l76Ql4XLu8/s1600-h/f54243ot42m[2].jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 194px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363192371813192322" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jC_gCkoI/AAAAAAAAAwM/6l76Ql4XLu8/s200/f54243ot42m%5B2%5D.jpg" /></a><br />A new CD, and a new direction, for STYX. Not only did this CD contain the #1 smash <strong>Babe</strong>, but it contained, some of the finest writing to date for the group.<strong> Borrowed Time</strong>, and <strong>Lights,</strong> were both co-written by Dennis and Tommy. And both are good songs, with the first having a great opening, but the lyrics, are a little dated today, (talking about here comes the 90's). <strong>Babe</strong> is the ultimate power ballad, before the term power ballad game into being. This song changed STYX and their musical direction. <strong>The First Time</strong>, another slow song, contains stringed instruments, and I'm not talking guitars. <strong>Why Me</strong>, a song dealing with, why does everything go wrong with me. It is also one of the first, if not the first Styx song to feature horns for the band. Yes, a new direction. <strong>Boat on the River</strong>, by Tommy, is simply beautiful, a peaceful song, that, if you close you eyes, you can imagine, that you are on a river bank, on a spring night ( I know that sounds corny, but hey..) <strong>Eddie</strong>, is your typical JY rocker, this seems to be the typical type of song for JY on each CD, and it getting a little old... Eddie rocks, but never really goes anywhere. Never Say Never Again, a mid tempo song, is the weak song on this outing. <strong>Love in the Midnight</strong>, with it's three part harmonies, and rockin interlude, brings this disk to a close.This CD is good, very good, but, it's the beginning of the end for STYX. Even though it has two songs co-written by Dennis and Tommy, it seems to be a Dennis CD, which there is nothing wrong with that, but STYX is a group. And has a group, it needs to be a group effort, or each member needs to take turns, being in charge of the direction of the album. Dennis was in charge of this disk, and the next two,<strong> Paradise</strong>, and <strong>Kilroy.</strong> Personally, Dennis, in my opinion, was the mastermind behind most of the hits, and is a brilliant keyboardist, an outstanding vocalist, and an underrated songwriter. But, STYX is a group, and Tommy and JY are excellent singers and songwriters too. I hope Tommy remembers this has STYX heads into the future with its new line up. But for this year that this CD was released, STYX was on top of he world, with their third straight smash CD.<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">Best Of Styx 1971 to 1975 -1980 (B)</span></strong><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDINQuC1E9I/AAAAAAAAAAo/fv7q_vaTs8Q/s1600-h/best+of.jpg"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3kglWRaNI/AAAAAAAAAxM/35ax9qbtD8A/s1600-h/g75200iffzd[2].jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363193979700603090" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3kglWRaNI/AAAAAAAAAxM/35ax9qbtD8A/s200/g75200iffzd%5B2%5D.jpg" /></a><br /><br />When this album was released in 79, the line up that appeared on it had already changed. John C. had been replaced with Tommy. Plus the group was well on their way to superstar status by then. So wooden nickel released a best of record, from the four albums that STYX had recorded with them, before changing over to A&amp;M records. This album contains the top ten hit <strong>Lady</strong>, and that's the only hit that is on this release. But that should not rule it out as a good cd, since it does a good job picking the better songs from that era of the band. <strong>Witch wolf, Man of Miracles, Southern Woman</strong>, <strong>Rock and Roll Feeling, and Lady </strong>are some of the songs on the cd. As a eleven track CD, it could have included a few more songs, but back when this was released, there were no Cd's, and album space was limited. So some better songs, by JY were left off, like <strong>Young Man.</strong> And not even represented, are JC's songs <strong>like A Day, The Serpent is Rising</strong>, or <strong>As Bad as This</strong>. But, this a good CD to start you the Wood Nickel years with.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ffff00;">Paradise Theater-1980 (A)<br /></span><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDMw5eC1FFI/AAAAAAAAABo/7gsytLtic5o/s1600-h/paradise.jpg"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jsz0htoI/AAAAAAAAAw0/tR20chtVeuw/s1600-h/f75694ch3u3[1].jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 197px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363193090232399490" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jsz0htoI/AAAAAAAAAw0/tR20chtVeuw/s200/f75694ch3u3%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a><br /><strong>Paradise Theater</strong> is a work of art, a labor of love, from vocalist, keyboardist, Dennis Deyoung. From the opening piano note, of <strong>A.D. 1928</strong>, to the closing note of <strong>A.D. 1958</strong>, Paradise will hold you in awe. Not since <strong>the Grand Illusion</strong>, has STYX made an album this good. It all starts with A.D. 1928, which goes into<strong> Rockin</strong> <strong>the Paradise</strong>, and that is what this CD does, ROCKS. It's not the heavy metal / prog rock, of <strong>Grand Illusion</strong>, or the hard rock of <strong>Pieces of Eight</strong>, but it comes over strong, even on the slow songs. With the fist pumping anthems of <strong>Rockin the</strong> <strong>Paradise,</strong> a song about America needing to stand up and be counted, to <strong>Half Penny; Two Penny</strong>, which deals with the decay of the American dream. <strong>The Best of Times</strong>, and the disco-rock flavored <strong>Too Much Time on my Hands</strong>, have sing-a-long choruses, that has you humming along with them all day. <strong>Snowblind</strong>, is a rock radio classic, written by Dennis and JY, and sung by JY and Tommy. This song deals with substance drug abuse, and JY's singing on the beginning of it, is very haunting. The song was also accused of having backward satanic messages on it. My question who sits and plays a record backwards anyway. The lesser known songs on this disk, <strong>Nothing Ever Goes as Planned</strong>, and <strong>She Cares</strong>, are both very good, and deserve repeated listening, as does this whole CD. This is the last "true" Styx classic, with the line up of Dennis, Tommy, JY, John, and Chuck. There would be other STYX Cd's with this line-up, and different line-ups, but no other CD this great, has come out since.<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">Kilroy Was Here</span></strong> <strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">-1983 (B)<br /></span></strong><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDM0AOC1FGI/AAAAAAAAABw/xK00W7gQZQ4/s1600-h/kilroy.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jCtveO-I/AAAAAAAAAwE/7Na7VBvL_as/s1600-h/f54080wr7xh[1].jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 196px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363192367046081506" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jCtveO-I/AAAAAAAAAwE/7Na7VBvL_as/s200/f54080wr7xh%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />I remember buying this cd the day it came out, I don't remember making it past<strong> Mr. Roboto</strong>, the first day. The next day at high school, I was singing the song, all day, to anyone who would, or wouldn't listen. Later, I played the rest of the CD. I thought it was good, very good. Now as I listen to the cd, <strong>Kilroy</strong>, I find that it really doesn't really stand up to the test of time, or even other Styx Cd's. <strong>Mr Roboto</strong>, is still awesome, but its one of those songs that you crank up at home, but in public, you turn it down, and hope that no one hears you, but thanks to the Volkswagen commercial, a few years back, its now hip again to crank this song up in public. <strong>Don't Let End</strong>, is you typical Dennis Deyoung song, your typical good Dennis Deyoung song. The sing along chorus, and catchy beat of this song will, having you singing it all day. <strong>Cold War</strong>, suffers alot over time, seems very dated now, but the keyboard work in this song is very good. And the live version, of this song (see Caught in the Act video), really rocks. Tommy's other two songs , <strong>Haven't We Been Here Before</strong>, and <strong>Just Get Thru This</strong> <strong>Night,</strong> are both very good, with the latter, being very textured, a very pleasing song to listen, and relax to. Dennis' other song, <strong>High Time</strong>, is not a good song, its tied into the Kilroy concept, and that seems to bring it down. Even though Dennis ties a good beat to this song, it wobbles as bad as a <strong>Roboto</strong>. JY's two songs, are <strong>Double Life</strong>, and <strong>Heavy Metal Poisoning</strong>. <strong>Double Life</strong>, is a good song, and a little on the slow side for JY, one of the things that makes it an even better song. <strong>Heavy Metal Poisoning</strong>, is the most disappointing song on the CD. Just the name of the song promises, a get down, head banging, in your face song, but .... it's a song from the point of view of, Dr Righteous, the "bad guy" of the concept CD. So instead of this great hand pumping get down song, we get this slowed down song that sags under its own overblown weight. And JY's singing on it, is boring beyond tears. But I have to say JY does a great job of tying the song it with the Kilroy concept. The CD closes with<strong> Don't Let it End</strong> <strong>(reprise),</strong> a waste of space, it's an attempt to bring the concept to a close. It tries to tie a couple songs together, like the <strong>Grand Finale</strong> did for <strong>the Grand Illusion</strong>, but it never gets off the ground. If you don't take this CD serious,for the concept it is suppose to be, and you just sit back and listen to it, you'll find some good songs. But what this CD really needs is rocking song or two added to it..<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">Caught In The Act-1984 (B-)</span></strong><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDNXteC1FKI/AAAAAAAAACY/PRqts3Q02G4/s1600-h/caught.jpg"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jtGYUbrI/AAAAAAAAAw8/mxqiRRCxXo8/s1600-h/f77940ol88h[1].jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 172px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363193095214362290" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jtGYUbrI/AAAAAAAAAw8/mxqiRRCxXo8/s200/f77940ol88h%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a><br />Caught in the Act came out in 1984, just after the breakup of STYX. At the time it was the only live cd by the group. The disk is 14 songs, one of them is a new studio track, <strong>Music Time</strong>. <strong>Music Time</strong> is a fun light hearted song, not to be taken too seriously, and not to be mistaken as a good Styx song. It's not one of their best by far, but not near their worst. The live songs, are a mixed treat. Some songs come across flat, and boring, <strong>Babe</strong>, and <strong>Don't Let it End, Mr</strong> R<strong>oboto</strong>, all very good studio songs, are missing something on the live tracks, <strong>Fooling Yourself</strong>, tries very hard to rock, and almost does, but it misses the mark. <strong>Crystal Ball</strong>, seems uninspired. <strong>The Best of Times</strong>, holds its own, as does<strong> Come Sail Away</strong>.<strong> Blue Collar Man</strong>, <strong>Snowblind</strong>, And <strong>Rockin the Paradise</strong>, do just that Rock. <strong>Too Much Time on My Hands</strong>, is a pleasant surprise, no longer does it sound like a rocked up disco song, but a good rock and roller, with more guitar, and a more lively beat, plus the song ends better. But the true star of this cd is JY's <strong>Miss America</strong>. This song kicks some serious [...]. On the studio version, it's a great song, on a great cd, <strong>The Grand</strong> <strong>Illusion</strong>. On this cd, it sticks out, above and beyond the rest. As far as this cd goes, compared to their other live cds, it's the weak one. But still it's good.<br />Oh, I did I mention no <strong>Lady or Renegade</strong> on the cd!!!<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">CLASSICS-1987 (A-)</span></strong><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jtaepDUI/AAAAAAAAAxE/TnkYbuictZw/s1600-h/i76406d6i1l[1].jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 198px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363193100609588546" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jtaepDUI/AAAAAAAAAxE/TnkYbuictZw/s200/i76406d6i1l%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Classics came out in 1987 and as all the basic hit Styx songs. Missing is <strong>Lady</strong> (recorded on a different label)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">Edge Of The Century-1990 (B)</span></strong><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDNZO-C1FLI/AAAAAAAAACg/4kbxMV07F8k/s1600-h/edge.jpg"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jso7JNfI/AAAAAAAAAws/SKH2pyc-SMM/s1600-h/f64739xmsyb[1].jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 199px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363193087307363826" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jso7JNfI/AAAAAAAAAws/SKH2pyc-SMM/s200/f64739xmsyb%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a><br />Glen Burtnik, steps into Tommy Shaw's place on this cd. And does a fine job, better than Tommy did on his first Styx cd, <strong>Crystal Ball</strong>. From the opening track, <strong>Love is the Ritual</strong>, you know that STYX is in capable hands with Glen. Two of his other songs,<strong> Edge of the</strong> <strong>Century ,</strong> and<strong> World Tonite</strong>, are both great rockers, but he misses the mark, with the ballad,<strong> All in a Days Work</strong>. Dennis, is still Dennis, turning out slow songs, like the moving <strong>Show Me the Way</strong>,<strong> Carrie-Ann,</strong> and <strong>Love at First Sight</strong>. Good instrumental on <strong>Back to Chicago</strong>, and a good song, but it doesn't feel like a STYX song, more like one of his solo songs. And the rocker<strong> Not Dead Yet</strong>, shows that Dennis can still sing a rock song, even if he doesn't write them any more. JY's one song is <strong>Homewrecker,</strong> a standard JY song, good keyboard playing in it, but it still feels like songs by the numbers. Over all not a bad start, for the new line up. Glen proved he could write for STYX, and after seeing him in concert with STYX, that he could sing Tommy's songs. The group proved they were not dead yet.<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">Greatest Hits, import,-1992 (A)</span></strong><br /><br /><br />Good selection over CLASSICS above and more up to date. Includes songs from Classics and from Edge of the Century which wasn't out, when Classics was released. <strong>Love is the Ritual</strong> a song by Glen Burtnick is a nice welcome, since this is the only hits cd it is on, or that Glen sings lead on period. Since this is an Import <strong>Lady</strong> is included, but mastering is off and you have to turn the volume up on the song to make it as loud as the others. Another minus,<strong> Babe</strong>,<strong> Blue Collar MAn,Mr. Roboto</strong> are edited to make all the songs fit on one cd.<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">Greatest Hits- 1995 (A)<br /></span></strong><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3h_0ZKbZI/AAAAAAAAAvU/Oevv6JhHzOk/s1600-h/1995.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 196px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363191217780321682" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3h_0ZKbZI/AAAAAAAAAvU/Oevv6JhHzOk/s200/1995.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Greatest Hits 1995 included all the songs from Classics, minus <strong>Light Up</strong>, Added instead is <strong>Lorelei.</strong> Plus a newly recorded <strong>Lady, </strong>with Tommy Shaw playing on the song. This is the best of the hits cds<br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDnC1-1Y7zI/AAAAAAAAAEg/OXs39SzP5lg/s1600-h/1c.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">Greatest Hits part 2-1996 (A-) </span></strong><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3h_xetEjI/AAAAAAAAAvc/qeXKICYWdzM/s1600-h/1996.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363191216998257202" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3h_xetEjI/AAAAAAAAAvc/qeXKICYWdzM/s200/1996.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br />Has all the other hits not on the above cds. These songs didn't really score on the charts, but did get radio airplay and are concert favorites. Plus two new songs, "<strong>It Takes Love</strong>" and "<strong>Little Suzie</strong>" Both are Glen Burtnick songs and both are pretty good. Suzie is a good rocker with Tommy singing lead . On Love Dennis has lead and the song has a snappy beat to it. Both songs while good do not quite hold up to the classic Styx songs.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">The Best Of Times; The Best Of Styx-1997 (A)</span></strong><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3iABCD54I/AAAAAAAAAvk/QFhGja-K6AQ/s1600-h/1997.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 195px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363191221173086082" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3iABCD54I/AAAAAAAAAvk/QFhGja-K6AQ/s200/1997.jpg" /></a><br /><strong>The Best of Times; The Best of Styx 1997</strong> is an import that combines the songs off of the 95 and 96 cds, plus the new songs. The only bad point is that it is one cd, so a lot of the songs are not on here, that were hits in America. It takes the hits from across the seas.<br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDnCn-1Y7xI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/vxxeNQ9kSeg/s1600-h/1e.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">Return To Paradise-1997 (B+)</span></strong><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDNa4eC1FMI/AAAAAAAAACo/xsnp-PLgZf8/s1600-h/return.jpg"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3iAYN7zgI/AAAAAAAAAv0/ztDZrbR_kSE/s1600-h/c952325bgtu[2].jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 197px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363191227396902402" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3iAYN7zgI/AAAAAAAAAv0/ztDZrbR_kSE/s200/c952325bgtu%5B2%5D.jpg" /></a><br />RETURN TO PARADISE, features three new studio recordings, plus two classic songs sung live, that were not on CAUGHT...,<strong> Renegade</strong>, and <strong>Lady.</strong> For the most part, the songs are equal to, the original studio versions, and way better than their last live versions. The only song that comes up short on this outing, when compared to its last live recording, is <strong>Miss America</strong>. It's a good recording on this disk, but on CAUGHT, it is awesome. <strong>Grand Illusion</strong>, is the big winner on this disk, the way they have reworked the song is great, it was a rocker before, but now it blows the original one away. <strong>Snowblind</strong>, and <strong>Too Much Time</strong> <strong>on My Hands</strong>, which were good last time, still rock. Dennis also does better on this CD, his song<strong> Babe</strong>, which was stale last time, comes across fresh. Crystal Ball which last time, was uninspired, now seems to be robust.<strong> Suite Madame Blue, Lady, Regenade, Rocking</strong> <strong>the Paradise, Blue Collar Man, Fooling Yourself, Come Sail Away</strong>, all rock, equal too or better than the original. Lorelei even comes on stronger. <strong>Show Me the Way, Best of Times</strong>, and <strong>Boat on the River</strong>, are good but are the weakest of the set. The new songs are good, but don't rank up there with the STYX classics. <strong>Paradise</strong>, is another Dennis ballad. Tommy's <strong>On My Way</strong>, is a rocker that could easily been on Cornerstone, or one of their Cd's from that time. Dear John, is a moving tribute to their drummer John Panozzo, who died a year earlier.RETURN TO PARADISE, is better than CAUGHT IN THE ACT, and the following live cds released up to 2001. So start here, for a great live CD.<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">Lady -1998 (C-)</span></strong><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3iAMe-F1I/AAAAAAAAAvs/k0xreOINUi8/s1600-h/1998.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363191224247129938" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3iAMe-F1I/AAAAAAAAAvs/k0xreOINUi8/s200/1998.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a name="6845228990047856026"></a>This is the Best of Styx 1971 to 1975 minus one song. And also the tracking is off stops one song in the middle and starts another.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff99;">Brave New World-1999 (C)</span></strong><br /><br /><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 197px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363192363137851554" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3jCfLrYKI/AAAAAAAAAv8/MrAEi0HY9Vo/s200/d53286ckxd2%5B1%5D.jpg" /><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDNtGuC1FSI/AAAAAAAAADY/zkKkRGxYs1E/s1600-h/brave.jpg"></a><br />When the word was out that STYX was recording a new CD, I was ready. My favorite rock group, was back, after recording some new songs on two greatest hits cds, and a live CD. But upon hearing it I was disappointed. What we got was a STYX cd without Dennis, and we got a Dennis solo CD. Both good, in their own right, but both a MAJOR let down, when put together. As a STYX CD, it rocks, really rocks. JY and Tommy both put out some good songs on this CD. Where Dennis is I don't know. He isn't heard on background vocals, and his keyboards are almost non-existent.<strong> I Will be Your</strong> <strong>Witness,</strong> sounds like a classic STYX song. <strong>Brave New World</strong>, also, could belong on any 70's STYX CD. <strong>Everything is Cool,</strong> is the best STYX song on this CD, this is the song that should have started the CD off. <strong>Heavy Water</strong> is one of STYX' hardest rockin songs in years. JY also does good on <strong>What Have</strong> <strong>They Done to You</strong>. <strong>Number One</strong> tries hard to rock, but falls short. And on the STYX part of the CD, <strong>Just Fell In</strong>, should have JUST BEEN LEFT OFF, it's the worst song on the CD, sounds like Tommy, doing CHEAP TRICK, doing Elvis. On the Dennis solo part, his songs sound like they could have come off any of his 80 cds (<strong>DESSERT MOON, BACK TO THE WORLD</strong>, and <strong>BOOMCHILD</strong>). All three good to great cds. <strong>Goodbye Roseland</strong>, is his best song in many years, it's a touching and moving song. <strong>High Crimes</strong> <strong>and Misdemeanors,</strong> is a jab at both government officials, and rappers. <strong>While There's Still Time</strong>, is good, but a standard Dennis ballad, and you can hear Tommy in the vocals, just enough to let you know, that this is a STYX CD and not a solo.<strong> Fallen Angels</strong>, is a look at being in the lime light, and that we shouldn't look to "stars" to be a guide in our lives.<strong> Great Expectations,</strong> is a clunker, even though the message is good. All songs on the Dennis part are ballads, or slow tempo songs, sure wish Dennis would rock again. Another thing that hurt was the order of the songs. Not having the same producer for the two different parts didn't help either. Must say I like Dennis's production better. But lean toward the STYX part more. Over all a very very disappointing Styx cd!!!!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-2880862009239065824?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-8870195827939617922009-08-14T12:57:00.000-05:002009-08-29T18:13:02.604-05:00Hugo is as close as to being a twin bother of Steve Perry by looks as he is by sounding like the man. At first glance you would think you are seeing Steve Perry in his prime, right off of the Escape era. And at first listen one would think that also. But there is something about Hugo, that at times his voice sounds weaker than Perry's and has a hollow ring to it. This could be from production, because not all the cds are quite that way, but the thinness is there. On his second solo cd <strong>Time On Earth</strong> from 2000 his vocals are so frail and back in the production, that it is hard to understand what he is singing. At times the songs are what Perry could be writng, but they seem to "lacking" a soul or heart to them at times too. Again could be from production or from lack of a good writng partner to bring some new ideas, cause at times the songs are so close to greatness.......!<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">Valentine - 1991 (B+)</span><br /><br /><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369136293846736386" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SoMBAylkXgI/AAAAAAAAA18/7iPmd8F_HpY/s200/51ruz%252B2kMLL._SS500_%5B1%5D.jpg" /> A great start. The band came out burning. Production at times sound very 80's to me, which tends to take away from the music at times. And the production tends to make more than just Hugo's voice seem hollow. His voice while sounding good, seems like it could break if to much strain was put on it. And while the music sounds hollow, it is crisp and clear, but it seems to have no depth. But enough of that.<br /><br /><br /><div><strong>Runnin Out Of Luck Again</strong> starts the cd off good, a really cool opening leaves you wondering what this cd will sound like. But it soon kicks in to a good rocking tune. <strong>No Way </strong>keeps the fire burning, but lack of depth and bass really pulls the reigns back on this song. <strong>Tears In The Night </strong>really screams Journey, and Hugo shines on this song, showing the promise of what he has to offer. <strong>Too Much Is Never Enough </strong>is a updated Anyway You Want It, with a twist to it . <strong>Never Said It Was Gonna Be Easy </strong>is my favorite song on the cd. Hugo really shines on the slower songs. The cd has some other good songs like <strong>Once In A Life Time &amp; You'll Always Have Me. </strong>Of course there are a couple of songs I do not like, <strong>Naughty Girl </strong>and<strong> We Run.</strong> Rest of the cd is pretty standard rock music for that time frame. I think the band over all was good, just production held them back.<br /></div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#ff6666;">Open Skyz -1993 (B-)</span><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC8EJF9bZI/AAAAAAAAAtk/YuqtAhVnJR4/s1600-h/93.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359490335917305234" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC8EJF9bZI/AAAAAAAAAtk/YuqtAhVnJR4/s200/93.jpg" /></a><br />This to me really is the second valentine cd. They changed the name because their guitarist (I believe) left the group, otherwise this is rest of Valentine, or so I have been told. Hugo again shows some amazing vocals, but for me it is the songs this time around, that really don't make the cut. <strong>None Of It Matters</strong> is a good song with some interesting keyboard work at the end of the song. <strong>Nothing With Out You</strong> is another nice song, with Hugo sounding very "Perry like". The song as I said is nice, but seems to be missing a hook to it. The same can be said for the song following that one too, <strong>Golden Years. Open Skies</strong> kind of get things back on track, with a very intresting 60's opening, but it holds my interest. <strong>The Answer</strong> is a very vocally powerful song, that Hugo nails against an acoustic background, WOW!!! The band finally shows some life on <strong>Everyday Of My</strong> <strong>Life. </strong>The song really rocks and Hugo pulls off a very muscular vocal on it, shame the background vocals on the chorus distracts from the song. <strong>Pickin Up The Pieces Again</strong> show some limit on the height of Hugo's voice, still it is another great job. Hugo and the band even take on Supertramp's <strong>Give A Little Bit</strong>, which is the best song on the cd. Which kind of brings home what I said earlier, that Hugo needs a good song writer to be with him, he can write, but at times he lacks a musical punch. <strong>Candy From Strangers</strong> is another strong showing from the band with a good vocal, but the song lacks something to grab your attention. <strong>Take Me There</strong> closes the cd out, but after two other really good slower songs on the cd, this almost feels like been there done that. I am not taking away from a good song here, but the other two fill two close to this one. Have to give it to Hugo he nails it, and the slower ones seem to fit him even better. Production is better this time around too. But this time the songs seem to be lacking. </div><br /><div><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">Hugo-1998 (A)</span><br /></div><br /><div><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 197px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359490101512828242" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC72f3k9VI/AAAAAAAAAtc/FOF5GZkw5tY/s200/98.jpg" /> This is what the Journey reunion Trail By Fire cd should have been like. Hugo like either Storm cd, did Journey better than Journey did at the time. This is my favorite Hugo cd. The production on this cd is crisp and clean and packs a punch. The songs are all good, no, make that great. The band members play with a purpose, and axeman Vinny Burns plays a slick guitar putting a fire in the songs. And Hugo has never sounded better. If Hugo intended for this to sound so much like Journey, or if he is just doing Hugo, I do not know, but it sounds good.<br />The cd starts off with a bang with <strong>the intro/We Will Find A Way</strong>. This was the very first song I ever heard Hugo sing, and I have been hooked ever since. On the first two cds above Hugo really shined on the slower songs, but here he shows he is in complete control. Love the ending of the song, the echo effect drives home the production values of the cd. <strong>Walk Away</strong> carries a good beat thru the song and the chorus has you singing along. Slow keys and another great chorus has <strong>So Many Tears A Go</strong> screaming for repeated listens. And the songs pulls a Journey on you with the high vocal note with matching guitar solo, reminds of Steve and Neal in the glory days. <strong>Crazy </strong>hooks with the vocals and the chorus and keeps you humming along.<br /></div><br /><div>The cd seem to have a natural flow from song to song that keeps you listening. <strong>All That You</strong> <strong>Wanted</strong> is a slow burner of a song, the song stays in check but seems like it could bust open at any moment. <strong>All The People You Love</strong> has a good guitar lick and a rougher sounding Hugo matching the edge on the song. <strong>If Your Ever Lonely</strong> has a familiar sound to it, at times I could swear I have heard it somewhere before, but then it changes directions so slightly, just to be different. <strong>Desire</strong> (is that Neal playing?!?) again another song with a scorching guitar part, but even with that, it is my least liked song on the cd. Vocally, the chorus fails to deliver. But still a song that is worthy to be in with the rest of the songs on this cd. <strong>Standing Alone</strong> is a rocker, with a good vocal. The cd closes with the best vocal track on the cd, <strong>A Tear In LA. </strong>Listening to the song it seems like it could have been a follow up to Faithfully, with the mood, playing and wording of the song. Wow a great song and cd.</div><br /><div>This cd could have easily been a natural follow up to Raised On Radio.<br /></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#ff6666;">Time On Earth-2000 (C-)</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC7uYQs9lI/AAAAAAAAAs0/Xx1XPZWpmZw/s1600-h/00.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 198px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359489962031773266" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC7uYQs9lI/AAAAAAAAAs0/Xx1XPZWpmZw/s200/00.jpg" /></a> From the start of the first note, the cd had a false hope to it. <strong>Can't Stop Loving You</strong> had an old familiar sound to the music, but that is were it ends. The keyboards sound distant and faint. Hugo starts singing and he sounds hollow. the chorus kicks in and it comes across the outer edges of the sound spectrum giving it a distant light touch when it should pick up the song, it distracts from it. Not a good start. One saving grace for this song is the guitar, it is clean and clear. <strong>Tell It To My Heart</strong> has a good chorus, and an ok build up to it. And Hugo pulls off some good vocals on it, especially at the end of the song, holding the note over the guitar. But this is one of the few bright spots on this cd. <strong>Last One More Time</strong> could have been a vocal triumph for Hugo, but the vocals seemed slurred and the high notes unnecessary. He seems to be worried about trying to be Steve Perry, and the song shows his short comings on it. Passionate vocals isn't always about going high as you can. <strong>Anyone In Love</strong> sounds beautiful, but comes across as a very boring song. <strong>Fine </strong>shows some fire to it, something this cd is very lacking in, but at times Hugo vocals on this song are almost grating. The tone of this whole cd is bland. <strong>Blues For You,</strong> is one of the two really standout songs on this cd. Hugo sings with a passion that seems to be missing for most of this cd. The playing by the band also shows a deep burning fire. If rest of the cd could have been like this...IF!!! <strong>This Love Song, I Will Be Waiting, </strong>and<strong> Our Love Will Be There </strong>are just plain boring. Every time I listen to these songs, I can not help but think what a waste of talent. The other outstanding song on this cd is Triumph's <strong>Magic Power, </strong>Hugo delivery and vocal power is great, the band shows life too. The cd closes with what could have been another great song, I like the song, I just don't like the production on this song. Heck, I don't like the production on the whole cd to be honest. Poor material, poor production, lifeless singing and playing. Only 3, maybe 4 songs I listen to on the whole cd. Shame, because Hugo is talented.</div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#ff6666;">Fire In The Night-2004 (B)</span></div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC7ujrH62I/AAAAAAAAAs8/AbrSgYFyC0M/s1600-h/04.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359489965095381858" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC7ujrH62I/AAAAAAAAAs8/AbrSgYFyC0M/s200/04.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>A big improvement over the the last cd. Better writing, singing, playing, and a lot better production. The cd starts with a barn burner with <strong>Hand In Hand. </strong>This song belongs in a handbook on how to right songs that sound like Journey. It is very good. <strong>Fire In The Night, </strong>is another good rocker, with a strong beat to it.</div><br /><div><strong>I'll Learn To Live Without You</strong> is a nice mid tempo song, that sounds like a leftover from Raised On Radio by Journey (which is not a bad thing). The acoustic <strong>Just So You Know </strong>is probably my favorite song on this cd. Hugo sounds awesome. Hugo as good interaction with his guitarist on <strong>(Don't Wanna) Say Goodbye Tonight,</strong> it is good to see a little bit of dueling going on with them. <strong>Just To Be With You Tonight, </strong>another slow song that Hugo pulls off well, no surprise there. While <strong>Here I Am</strong> suffers a little from a really lack of build up from the band. This song could have been through the roof if the band had been kicked a few notches.</div><br /><div>I really dislike the opening vocal on <strong>Every Time You Walk Away. </strong>Rest of the song just never recovers. <strong>It's The Love </strong>while a good song also lacks from really strong playing, or a deeper sounding bass. And <strong>Hold Me</strong> the closing song tries to show some punch, but by the time it delivers, I have already lost interest in the song.</div><br /><div>Over all a strong cd from Hugo.<br /></div><br /><br /><div><br /><span style="color:#ff9966;">Hugo's Evolution Live 2006</span><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SoR7niG0nBI/AAAAAAAAA2E/2uWYyhShJ1o/s1600-h/hugo+evolution+2006.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369552574833007634" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SoR7niG0nBI/AAAAAAAAA2E/2uWYyhShJ1o/s200/hugo+evolution+2006.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div>So does Hugo sound like Steve Perry? Here is a download of his band Evolution. Evolution is a Journey Tribute band. This show has 10 live songs recorded at the Canal Ball Room. 10 tracks and front cover in the download. So could Hugo have pulled off being Journey's new singer?</div><br /><div><br /><a href="http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QQJS8JVJ">http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QQJS8JVJ</a><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><span style="color:#ff6666;">Soul Salvation-2008 (B+)</span><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC7vPa3KqI/AAAAAAAAAtE/DBJ97HaIgho/s1600-h/08.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359489976838335138" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC7vPa3KqI/AAAAAAAAAtE/DBJ97HaIgho/s200/08.jpg" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC72f3k9VI/AAAAAAAAAtc/FOF5GZkw5tY/s1600-h/98.jpg"></a></div><div><br />Wow what a return, <strong>Soul Salvation</strong> is a great cd!!! The tile track is one of Hugo's best!!! Hugo sounds great and the band is just as good if not better than they were on the first Valentine cd. The music seems inspired and the production is top notch. <strong>Dream On The Way </strong>starts the cd off on the right foot with a nice tempo song that is great all the way thru. The vocal ending of the song is great. <strong>Pickin' Up The Pieces, </strong>another mid tempo song with Hugo and the band playing with a fire that begs to be noticed. I usually hate songs named Love Song, but this <strong>Love Song, </strong>stings with passion. The guitar solo is one of the best on any Hugo cd. Hugo glides thru the vocal on the song, the high notes are clean and full of power. With the way <strong>One More Chance </strong>starts out with the urgent guitar and beat, I was really expecting a faster paced song, but the band keeps it under control, which just servers Hugo's vocals better. The song seems like it could explode at anytime, but it never does, which just adds to the heat of the song. Hugo as always shined on the slower song, and the slower the song the more like Perry he sounds. With <strong>Pages, </strong>Hugo should have been in full Perry mode, but that is not the case. <strong>Pages </strong>is the weakest song to this point on the cd, it ends up picking up some steam, but it is the arrangement of the song that kills it for me, seems to busy. <strong>Every Time You Go Away, </strong>starts with a nice little vocal intro, then kicks into gear, becoming a nice mid tempo song. I really like the chorus on this song, even though it likes a good hook to grab your attention. Could have liked a longer guitar solo on this song too. Ending reminds me of <strong>Girl Can't Help It</strong> from Journey's Raised on Radio. <strong>I'll Be The One</strong> has a laid back feel to it that for some reason didn't really grab my attention the first few times I listened to it. It has grow on me, but is lacking something, needs a little more punch to it. Has some nice vocal work to it. <strong>Wait </strong>has a catching chorus to it and rock pretty good thru out the whole song. Some good keyboard work on this song too. Good soulful guitar solo in the song. Hugo's vocal is stunning, like the way the music stops for a few seconds and Hugo carries the song for that instance. Just adds to the strength of the song. The last song <strong>Love Is All We're After </strong>is the worst song on the cd. I really do not care for this song. Hugo sings in a lower register, which he has done before to good effect, but here it is very distracting and annoying, The song has a very retro feel to it, which also for some reason I do not like.<br />Over all a very good return for the band. A couple of songs really hurt the cd, but the over all feel for the cd is good. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color:#ff6666;">The Dream-2008 (A)</span><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC7va8_G9I/AAAAAAAAAtM/BI7dzczVpnY/s1600-h/41GiA6aAalL._SL500_AA240_[1].jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359489979934251986" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC7va8_G9I/AAAAAAAAAtM/BI7dzczVpnY/s200/41GiA6aAalL._SL500_AA240_%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a></div><div>While Hugo's debut self titled solo cd from 98 is my favorite cd by him, this cd is a very very close second. If you wondered how Hugo would sound with Neal Schon playing the guitar, you got the next best thing, Josh Ramos. It was Josh who gave the Storm that extra Journey edge on their two cds, and he does it again here. The cd also has a nice "wall of sound" production, yet the vocals or the guitar never get lost.</div><br /><div><strong>You're Not Alone </strong>starts the cd off rocking, and as soon as the guitar starts you there is something different this time around. The song is fast paced with a hard hitting drum through it. The chorus lifts the song up and Ramos burns it up. Heck Ramos burns it up the whole cd, finally someone to give Hugo that extra push. The second song also starts with a urgency, but quickly fades, by then it has already pulled you in. <strong>All I Wanted</strong> has a beat that keeps you in the song, even though it never really picks back up to how it started. Josh's playing makes the song smolder. The title track <strong>The Dream </strong>is a nice Journey tribute, that pulls the vocal style from <strong>Don't Stop Believin. The Dream </strong>is not only a tribute to the song, but a modern day extension of the song. <strong>Fools Game</strong> is one of the weaker songs on the cd. It sounds good, but comes across lacking lyrically. It is however a great showcase for Ramos. <strong>Bring Back This Love, In</strong> <strong>The City</strong>, and<strong> Tomorrow</strong> are good songs, all show what make Hugo and Ramos a good pair, strong guitar and great vocals. The two of them take these slightly above average songs and pump some life into them.</div><div><strong>When You Get Lonely</strong>, I can not make my mind up on this song, one time I think it is my least liked song on the cd. The next time I really like it. Today, I really like it. The problem with it is Hugo's vocals. At times I think they are a bad fit for the song, then the next time I can hear the loneliness he is expressing. Not a bad song when I am not into it, but when I am, my third favorite song on the cd, behind <strong>You're Not Alone</strong> and <strong>The Dream</strong>. <strong>I Can</strong> <strong>Take You</strong> closes the cd. Clocking in clocking in just a few seconds under 8 minutes shows why theses two people need to work togerther even more. The song holds your intrest the whole time, Josh's best work on the cd, which is great thru out. Hugo pulls out the high notes and finally has someone to push him on.<br />Givin time this may end up being my favorite Hugo cd..</div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC72f3k9VI/AAAAAAAAAtc/FOF5GZkw5tY/s1600-h/98.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-887019582793961792?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-5929781168811773832009-07-27T09:28:00.013-05:002009-08-11T14:37:22.959-05:00Styx is my favorite rock group. One of the reasons I have like the band is because it is hard to put their music into anyone category. Rock-n-Roll, pop, hard rock, soft rock, new wave. The band has had hits in all these feilds too. At any time in the bands history, they have had 3 vocalists. Dennis DeYoung (keys), Tommy Shaw (guitar), James Young (guitar), John Curuleswski(guitar), Lareance Gowan (keys) , and Glen Burtnik (guitar). Plus the band has had Todd Sucherman and John Paanozzo on drums. Also on bass was original bass man Chuck Panoozzo, and now Ricky Phillips. But no matter the line-up or the year, the band has made good music and put on great concerts.<br />The early years of Styx was Dennis, John C., John P, JY and Chuck, this was up until the Equniox cd, which would be John C's last.<br /><br /><br /><div><div><div><div><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Styx-1972 (C-)</span></strong><br /><br /><div><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDIll-C1E_I/AAAAAAAAAA4/qx-bUfz2Qtc/s1600-h/styx.jpg"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3dwEorVwI/AAAAAAAAAuk/RRlBOhjmoYc/s1600-h/d37431okspm[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363186549215942402" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3dwEorVwI/AAAAAAAAAuk/RRlBOhjmoYc/s200/d37431okspm%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The first cd by Styx is the most un Styx like of all the cds. 2 or 3 songs on the cd are written by the members of the band, the rest of the cd is covers. Not that the covers are bad, they just are not that good. Styx would not have a good covers cd till about 30 years later. My favorite cover song, which is my favorite song on the cd, is <strong>Quick Is The Beat Of My Heart.</strong> <strong>Best Thing</strong> is my favorite Styx written song. But I would not buy this cd if I were not a Styx fan, any of their best of cds from this era 2 of the 3 good songs on the cd. By the way, the cover show is from the 1980 re-releases, this not the original.<br /><br /><br /></div><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Styx 2-1973 (C+)</span></strong><br /><br /><div><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDIHw-C1E7I/AAAAAAAAAAY/jnzPNNVDalg/s1600-h/styx2.jpg"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3dwQNSiwI/AAAAAAAAAus/yVKj5mqkiNk/s1600-h/c41342j6okv[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363186552322296578" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 193px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3dwQNSiwI/AAAAAAAAAus/yVKj5mqkiNk/s200/c41342j6okv%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />After a lackluster start, Styx came back with their follow up CD, Styx 2. This time writing their own songs, and John C. singing on the two songs that he wrote,<strong> A Day</strong>, and <strong>You better ask</strong>. <strong>A Day</strong> is a good song, containing a very good instrumental in the middle. <strong>You Better Ask</strong> is one of the two weak songs on the CD, a song about VD and pregnancy and the problem it causes. But the star of this CD is Dennis. Writing five of the six songs, and handling vocals on three of them. Dennis started it all right here, with a song called <strong>Lady.</strong> Not a hit at first, but a couple years after the release of this CD, it would be a top ten hit, their first of many. <strong>Father O.S.A.</strong> one of the other songs that Dennis has lead vocals on is a prelude of songs to come for the group (<strong>Madame Blue</strong>, etc). JY isn't to be counted out, handling vocals on <strong>You Need Love</strong> and the rocker<strong> I'm Gonna Make You Feel It</strong>, which is a great closer for the CD. Styx showed life on this CD, long before anyone really knew them. <strong>Earl Of Roseland</strong> is my least liked song on the cd, Dennis' voice is grating.<br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Serpent is Rising -1973 (D+)</span></strong><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDIN2-C1E-I/AAAAAAAAAAw/y5dNRh60Zig/s1600-h/serpent.jpg"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3hfyrTjBI/AAAAAAAAAvE/AsZlJogATQc/s1600-h/3169DGXXRKL._SL500_AA130_[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363190667563731986" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 130px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 130px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3hfyrTjBI/AAAAAAAAAvE/AsZlJogATQc/s200/3169DGXXRKL._SL500_AA130_%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I remember when I first got his album (CD), I put it on and cranked it up. I was totally blown away by the opening track, <strong>Witch Wolf</strong>, JY had created an awesome rocker. But things didn't awesome for long. <strong>The Grove of</strong> <strong>Eglantine</strong>, by Dennis falls flat, one of my least liked songs by Dennis. I do not like the way it is sang, arranged, I just don't care for it. But JY, again saves the CD with the third track, <strong>Young Man</strong>. This track has a meaning behind it, and can still be sung today as easily as when the Vietnam war was going on. And this song kicks butt. JC, enters the game with a good <strong>As Bad As This</strong>, but by the time the track is over, a non listed song pops up, <strong>Plexiglass Toilet</strong>. This has to be the worst Styx song in history. Its a embarrassment to listen to, when I play the CD now, I have to hit the skip button. It's hard to keep listening to the CD after hearing this song, most of the time, I'm able to move on to the next song. But since its a "hidden" song its tacked onto the end of <strong>As Bad</strong> <strong>As This</strong>, and you can't program your player to skip "Plexi"without skipping "As bad as.." The next song is <strong>Winner Takes All,</strong> a good message, but Jy voice is whiny, and the CD never really recovers with the following tracks.The CD really tries to rock, and at points it really does. <strong>Witch Wolf,</strong> and <strong>Young Man</strong> are two of JY's finest. Dennis writes three songs and sings vocals on two, one of witch is a duet with JC. As a concept CD, which it tries to be, it comes up very short with its dark message. Basically it is some songs (most of them poorly produced and written) with a very very thin theme in some of them.<br /></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Man of Miracles-1974 (B-)<br /></span></strong><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDIL6-C1E8I/AAAAAAAAAAg/ebrkmjZWNTo/s1600-h/mirqacles.jpg"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3hgKtmRVI/AAAAAAAAAvM/AGhiomaDBU8/s1600-h/g73056hlibb[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363190674015798610" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 199px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3hgKtmRVI/AAAAAAAAAvM/AGhiomaDBU8/s200/g73056hlibb%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Their 1974 release, starts off with the rocking <strong>Rock and Roll</strong> <strong>Feeling</strong> and ends with the metal title track <strong>Man of Miracles</strong>. And this CD contains some very good songs, even though they never got any air play, <strong>Lady</strong> from Styx 2 was starting to be picked up ath the time of this release .This CD contains other rockers besides the two mentioned above, <strong>Southern Woman</strong> the 3rd sung and written by JY, shows that he could carry a STYX CD. He also sings <strong>A Man Like Me, Havin' a Ball</strong>, and shares vocals with Dennis on<strong> Lies</strong>. Having written or, co-written about half the tracks on this outing, JY made what would be his best STYX CD. He would later be reduced to one to two songs a CD, as the Tommy and Dennis pair would take over the writing chores on later Cd's.Dennis made his presence know this time, on the last CD (SERPENT) he was almost unnoticed. But this time he showed his style, that would later develop into his superstar writing pattern.Here he as the songs <strong>Golden Lark, A Song for Suzanne</strong>,both good, the haunting <strong>Evil Eyes</strong>, the lackluster <strong>Christopher, Mr.Christopher</strong>. And if you were lucky you may have the CD with the hidden track <strong>Unfinished Song</strong>, which besides Lady is his best song up to this date. JC didn't sing on this outing, and he only co-wrote three songs. Rest of the band Chuck and John, show a growing connection in the playing together, the whole group appears to be coming together. only leave <strong>Havin' a Ball,</strong> which keeps repeating itself, is the weakest song this time, followed by DeYoung's Christoper song .Over all not a bad album.<br /></div><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Equniox-1975 (B+)</span></strong><br /><br /><div><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SDIns-C1FAI/AAAAAAAAABA/n7YzhmHH8VQ/s1600-h/equniox.jpg"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3dw76LlgI/AAAAAAAAAu8/9XVTPP3lSgk/s1600-h/c401859y460[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363186564053308930" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sm3dw76LlgI/AAAAAAAAAu8/9XVTPP3lSgk/s200/c401859y460%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Styx starts off their new CD with a one two punch,<strong> Light up</strong>, and <strong>Lorelei.</strong> Both songs sung by Dennis show the growing range of his vocals, and the range of his keyboards. The former was written with JY (which he now sings lead vocals on in concert). The CD is very keyboard driven, and very well produced. Both songs, along with this Cd's <strong>Suite Madame Blue</strong> are Styx' classics. <strong>Suite</strong> <strong>Madame Blue</strong> is one of my all time favorite songs, the live versions of this song stand out above just about any song on radio or in concert today. <strong>Lonely Child</strong> is your typical Dennis song. <strong>Midnight Ride</strong> is a classic JY song, and one of his best ever. <strong>Mother Dear</strong> would be JC's last song for Styx (he would leave the group before they would start this tour), and other than some good keyboard work, this song falls flat. <strong>Born for Adventure</strong>, is a good rocker.Overall not a bad start with their new record label, and it stands up well to the test of time. Over the past couple of years this CD has grown on me even more.<br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-592978116881177383?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-89975984510485210292009-07-17T13:05:00.009-05:002009-07-27T07:03:36.482-05:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC_T4arT7I/AAAAAAAAAuM/TkYhveS7Rr8/s1600-h/p07925up68c[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359493904853585842" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 183px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC_T4arT7I/AAAAAAAAAuM/TkYhveS7Rr8/s200/p07925up68c%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Steve Perry, The greatest singer is Rock history, and one of the greatest singers ever. The man could belt a rocker that would floor you, then sing a ballad that would rock you with the emotion he put into it. The man has also caused more controversy. Who cares if "Elvis has left the building", it is "Perry has entered the building!" His sudden disappearance after Journey's <strong>Trail By Fire</strong>, has divided the Journey camp. Did he leave Journey or was he fired? Did he really have hip problems and if he did, was there surgery. Is he losing his voice? Is he ever going to make a new cd? Every year for the past 10 years, rumour has it Perry is in the studio working on a new cd. 10 years now!!! And the big one, which came first the chicken or the egg question, "would Journey have made it big without Perry or would Perry have made it big without Journey?" Whatever the questions, the man has talent as a singer and song writer. But who would have been more popular?<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ffff33;">Street Talk-1984 (B+)</span><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC_Sd4wBII/AAAAAAAAAts/LssLmgufK1Y/s1600-h/84.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359493880552096898" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 195px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC_Sd4wBII/AAAAAAAAAts/LssLmgufK1Y/s200/84.jpg" border="0" /></a> Journey's vocalist Steve Perry's <strong>STREET TALK</strong> is his first and best solo cd. With a voice like Perry, it is hard not to know it is not him singing. He has a voice like no other. He is the voice of rock. <strong>STREET TALK</strong> confirms this even more.<br />Oh Sherrie starts off the cd. It starts off with a very recognizable keyboard intro, but when Perry sings, you know who is in control. This is his show, no matter how good the music is or how poor, Perry sails above it all. Perry sings with control and confidence. Even though his voice is showing more wear and tare, he pulls it off in a slightly lower range. He still soars above the rest of the singers in the field.<br />Perry vocals are showcased on all songs, but he really shines on <strong>Oh Sherrie, I Believe, She's Mine, Foolish Heart, Running Alone</strong>, and <strong>Captured By The</strong> <strong>Moment.</strong><br />While <strong>Strung Out</strong> wasn't a vocal showcase for Perry that it could have been, it is still a good song, and is the most Journey like sounding song on the cd. And that brings the only weak point to the cd. The people playing the music for Perry. As great of a singer that Perry is, he needs a strong band to back him up. The musicians are good here, but they are not of the Journey caliber.<br />Still a very good cd here,and some good songs. </div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color:#ffff33;">For The Love Of Strange Medicine (C-)/Remastered (B)</span></div><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC_TOkTmlI/AAAAAAAAAt0/S3bf6UercZY/s1600-h/94.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359493893619685970" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC_TOkTmlI/AAAAAAAAAt0/S3bf6UercZY/s200/94.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Production, production, production. It can make a bad cd good, or a good cd sound bad. This cd show both sides of the coin. When this cd first came out, I was ready for it. A new cd from the voice of rock himself, Steve Perry!! This man can sing and right music, but more than anything he can sing. From the opening note of <strong>You Better Wait</strong> to the note of <strong>Anyway</strong> I was in shock!?! What had happened?! This was not the Steve Perry I know. While there were some good songs on here, the cd was lifeless, from the singing to the playing. So I put the cd on again, this time I cranked it up. HORRIBLE!!! Turned it down half way threw the cd. It was almost a week before I came back to it. Listened to it in the car, at work, on my walkman. Everywhere I went this cd went with me. And for years the memory of this horrible outing by Perry was how I pictured him. The Journey reunion faired better, but failed to live up to Journey's high standards. While I said it was a bomb (for Journey), it is not a bad cd. But this cd was bad. The only songs I every listened to when I put this on were <strong>You Better Wait, I Am, Stand Up, Missing You</strong>, and <strong>Anyway</strong> the rest were skipped.</div><div>Now flash forward 12 years. Journey reissues their catalogue freshly remastered. I by them all plus Steve's Street Talk. I was amazed by how good they sounded. But did I want to waste my money on this cd? I am glad I talked my self into. The remasters have breathed a new life and a new sound into this cd. The music no longer seems stale, but full of life and crisp. Now other songs that I skipped I listen too, and the songs I liked, only sound better.</div><div>Yes production can make a difference.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color:#ffff33;">Greatest Hits Plus 5-1998 (B+)</span><br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC_TvrB3qI/AAAAAAAAAt8/cyPhbvsSjqI/s1600-h/98.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359493902506253986" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC_TvrB3qI/AAAAAAAAAt8/cyPhbvsSjqI/s200/98.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><br />Is Steve really worth a hits cd? Only 2 cds (solo) and I was not a big fan of the second for a long time. Yeah Steve is worth this. Included are some soundtrack solo stuff the Awesome <strong>I Stand</strong> <strong>Alone</strong> and some early demo, plus songs from his unreleased <strong>Against The Wall</strong> cd. Would have been nice to have had some Journey songs recorded from his solo shows.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color:#ffff00;">Playlist; The Very Best Of Steve Perry-2009 (B)</span><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC_TyZZ2bI/AAAAAAAAAuE/mhoTPkxkhZc/s1600-h/2009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359493903237634482" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 182px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmC_TyZZ2bI/AAAAAAAAAuE/mhoTPkxkhZc/s200/2009.jpg" border="0" /></a>Can't really say a lot about this set. Nothing new, and it is all covered in the 1998 hits cd. Worth buying if you do not own the remastered cds above.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Ok, who would have been more popular if Perry had not gotten hooked up with Journey? </div><div></div><div>Perry had retired, given up on music Journey was still moving a long, having hired a new singer right before Perry came along. I think both would have done ok. Perry's solo stuff has been good but not outstanding, while Journey's has done a little bit better. What Perry was lacking was someone who had the fire that his voice had, and keep the music sharp. What Journey had was someone who could sing, but they seemed scared to move on from the prog sound they were stuck in (Perry had the attitude to move them foreward). So I think, Journey would have gone down the rock road and Perry more pop or even r&amp;b. But it doesn't really matter because they got together and made some of the best music out there. Schon needed someone who could match his playing, and Perry had the voice to do it. Perry, then Cain brought a more pop rock approach to the sound, but Neal's guitar keep even the slow songs on fire, and Perry's voice gave them soul. </div><div>Forget about all the what ifs and what could have been, just crank it up and enjoy the voice and the music.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-8997598451048521029?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-28028771037650679892009-07-11T19:29:00.049-05:002009-07-27T07:02:39.373-05:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpKR2a9LcI/AAAAAAAAAsE/UcigOdRIJhU/s1600-h/p21635li91c.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357676377237433794" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 165px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpKR2a9LcI/AAAAAAAAAsE/UcigOdRIJhU/s200/p21635li91c.jpg" border="0" /></a> Sammy Hagar is one of the finest rock and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">front men</span> in the business. He has had a successful solo career, fronted one of the biggest rock bands in history, Van <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Halen</span>. And on top of that he has worked with and has the respect of the rock community.<br />Sammy may not have the best voice out there, but he packs an emotional wallop in his songs. Sammy may not be the best guitarist out there, but he can handle his own against the best. He may not be the<br />best stage persona, but he has <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpKRn7ECzI/AAAAAAAAAr8/300GaoVPpPI/s1600-h/p13387q2b4y.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357676373345569586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 147px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpKRn7ECzI/AAAAAAAAAr8/300GaoVPpPI/s200/p13387q2b4y.jpg" border="0" /></a>fun on stage, and brings the audience along for the fun. Sammy's song writing at times seems pigeon holed, but he does it good, and will still step out into the political or religion area and have his say. So what makes Sammy one of the best <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">front men</span> out there, all the above, and a love for what he does. It shows on every <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">cd</span>. I may not like everything he has done, but Sammy holds to his guns, and lets it rip. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">cds</span> below are what I have, and with the new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Chickenfoot</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">cd</span>, now is a good time to see how it compares to the rest.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SluAWhxapDI/AAAAAAAAAss/WmSsvRYnxU0/s1600-h/m62468bysvf.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358017306198451250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 179px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SluAWhxapDI/AAAAAAAAAss/WmSsvRYnxU0/s200/m62468bysvf.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Chickenfoot</span>-2009 (B+)</span><br /><br /><br />A new "<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">super group</span>" of veteran rockers, lead by Hagar on vocals, with his musical buddy from Van <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Halen</span>, Micheal Anthony on bass. Joe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Satriani</span>, is the guitarist, and Red Hot Chilly Peppers drummer, Chad Smith fills out the band. What a combination, I didn't know whether to run and hide or strap on my headphones and crank it up. Not being a big Chilly Pepper fan and not having followed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Satriani</span> career that much, I was in doubt about this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">cd</span>. But hearing Mike and Sam together again was what made me crank it up. I am glad I did. This <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">cd</span> starts off with a bang and heads along at warp speed. Sometimes the music seems ready to jump off the disk. The first 4 songs <strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Avenida</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Revolucion</span>, Soap On A Rope, Sexy Little Thing and Oh Yeah,</strong> along with <strong>Get It Up</strong> and <strong>Learning To Fall</strong> make for a great rock and roll <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">cd</span>. The band for the most parts seem to click very well together, still a little issue with the drummer, but he moved up a notch in my book. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Satriani</span> I like his style, got 6 of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">cds</span> on the way. What can I say about Sammy and Mike, other than <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">BAM</span>!!!! In your face rock, lets see if Dave, Eddie and little <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">wolfie</span> can beat this!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpKELbP0qI/AAAAAAAAAr0/sL1PzGz_94Y/s1600-h/c931638k02b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357676142357631650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpKELbP0qI/AAAAAAAAAr0/sL1PzGz_94Y/s200/c931638k02b.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#ff0000;">Sammy Hagar-1977- (C+)</span><br /><br />First record of Hagar's I ever owned. This <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">cd</span> hasn't really stood the test of time that well. The are a hand full of good tunes <strong>Red, Rock-n-Roll Weekend</strong> are the best of them, while <strong>Filmore Shuffle</strong> and <strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Cruisin</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Boozin</span></strong> feel out the rest the decent songs.<strong> C&amp;B</strong> musically, is good , but hate the thought of drinking and driving with your buddies, now a days, sends shivers down my spine. Rest of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">cd</span> is filler and the songs really are slightly below average.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpJ3btwpaI/AAAAAAAAArs/JYeLVOpsnJ4/s1600-h/g43731ra4ma.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357675923391948194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpJ3btwpaI/AAAAAAAAArs/JYeLVOpsnJ4/s200/g43731ra4ma.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;">Danger Zone-1979 (C)</span><br /><br /><br />This outing by the Red Rocker contains some good songs also. <strong>Love Or Money, Bad Reputation, Iceman</strong> and <strong>Run For Your Life</strong>. But as with Sammy early work, the songs were either good or bad, and it is about 50/50 on this outing. Production is better this time too. Sammy plays with a gusto on all the songs, it just that all the songs aren't worth the effort.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpJqIWzsEI/AAAAAAAAArk/ot7V6_RucCQ/s1600-h/g43556p4mxj.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357675694857105474" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpJqIWzsEI/AAAAAAAAArk/ot7V6_RucCQ/s200/g43556p4mxj.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#ff0000;">Musical Chairs-1981 (B-) </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><span style="color:#000000;">This is were Sammy started coming into his own. Chairs is a raw energy filled <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">cd</span>. The songs are all good. There are no songs that have "filler" written all over them. <strong>Reckless,</strong> <strong>Turn Up The Music</strong>, <strong>You Make Me</strong> <strong>Crazy,</strong> and <strong>Someone Out There</strong> are the stand outs on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">cd</span>. <strong>Turn Up The Music</strong> is one of my top 10 Hagar songs. And he has done something here that was really lacking on his earlier efforts, you want to listen to the whole <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">cd</span>, and some of the songs have you singing along.</span><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpJg2gS_VI/AAAAAAAAArc/O3p4wkk0Fpg/s1600-h/e65878rtqzw.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357675535446244690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpJg2gS_VI/AAAAAAAAArc/O3p4wkk0Fpg/s200/e65878rtqzw.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;">Standing Hampton- 1981 (A)<br /></span><br />This is my favorite Hagar <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">cd</span>. From front to back it rocks. If Hagar came into his own on Musical Chairs, he kicked it into overdrive with this outing. <strong>I'll Fall In</strong> <strong>Love Again, Heavy Metal, Sweet Hitchhiker, Baby's</strong> <strong>On Fire</strong>, and my favorite Hagar, <strong>There's Only</strong> <strong>One Way To Rock</strong>. Production on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">cd</span> is the best yet to this point, not to raw and not to polished, it adds just the right kick without overdoing it. Not a bad song on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">cd</span>, the music is tight, the vocals are powerful and Hagar is at his best. There is only one way to rock with Hagar, LOUD!<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpJYiJCxQI/AAAAAAAAArU/5wG0d94o2jc/s1600-h/f57277jdswo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357675392541050114" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpJYiJCxQI/AAAAAAAAArU/5wG0d94o2jc/s200/f57277jdswo.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;">Live 1980-1983 (D)</span><br /></div><br /><div>I wanted so bad to like this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">cd</span> when it came out in 83. The performance and production does nothing to catch Sammy at his best, and that is on stage. Cd (record then) was recorded in 1980 so nothing from his last two fine recordings, Standing Hampton and Musical Chairs are on here. I feel it was released to catch some sales on Hagar's new found popularity. Song selection is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">ok</span>, and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">cd</span> may be better if it was remastered. But for now it is the low man on the totem pole.<br /><br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpJOOar19I/AAAAAAAAArM/n-9DPIboLDM/s1600-h/f30817qfmrt.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357675215447644114" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 194px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpJOOar19I/AAAAAAAAArM/n-9DPIboLDM/s200/f30817qfmrt.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;">3 Lock Box-1983 (B)</span><br /></div><br /><div>Again Hagar delivers another great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">cd</span>. Many people I have talked to consider this his best <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">pre</span> Van <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Halen</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">cd</span>, and some his best period. I am not one 0f those people. I think the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">cd</span> is good and has many good songs on it like, <strong>3 Lock Box, Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy, Rise Of The Animal</strong> and <strong>I Don't Need</strong> <strong>Love</strong>. It is the other songs that fail to hit the mark. <strong>Remote Love</strong> and <strong>I Would Change A Thing</strong> are cringe worthy. Rest of the songs are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">ok</span>, but do not offer any thing good or bad to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">cd</span>.<br /><br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpJGcElidI/AAAAAAAAArE/QyO8geReVI0/s1600-h/c954144exf2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357675081674099154" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpJGcElidI/AAAAAAAAArE/QyO8geReVI0/s200/c954144exf2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;">Through The Fire-1984 (C-)</span><br /><br />I did not get this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">cd</span> till a few years back. Never heard of it till then. Hagar and Neal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Schon</span> of Journey on one <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">cd</span>. The possibilities!! The cover promised this music would be on fire, just like I thought. <strong>Top Of The Rock</strong> was just that my favorite song from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">cd</span>. But then something bad happened, rest of the songs failed to capture the lead of song. What should have been an awesome musical experience turned to pain. Each track was a bigger disappoint than the last one. It wasn't until <strong>My Home Town</strong> that the guys turned it around and then it was too late. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">cd</span> may not be as really bad as I say it is. But the problem is with the greatest axeman in the business, Neal, and one of the greatest rock and roll front men, you hopes are really high for a great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">cd</span>, no an outstanding <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">cd</span>. What we got here is a plain doctored up live <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">cd</span>, with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">ok</span> production and just <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">ok</span> songwriting and playing.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpIzWZH6-I/AAAAAAAAAq8/OYlgi-Dcyw0/s1600-h/j31559jdmsg.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357674753732111330" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 199px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpIzWZH6-I/AAAAAAAAAq8/OYlgi-Dcyw0/s200/j31559jdmsg.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;">V.O.A.-1984 (B)</span><br /><br />Again back to his basic band, Hagar pull out another good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">cd</span>. <strong>I</strong> <strong>Can't Drive 55</strong>, one of Sammy's best songs, starts this disk out on the right start. A hard guitar lick and a great sing along chorus that sinks its hooks in you and drags you along. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">cd</span> almost stumbles with the second song, <strong>Swept Away</strong>. The song is a little too over dramatic for it's own good. <strong>Rock Is In My Blood, Two</strong> <strong>Sides Of Love,</strong> and <strong>Don't Make Me</strong> wait are standard Hagar affair, they are still worth repeated listens. And the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">cd</span> ends with the awesome <strong>Burning Down The City</strong>, some great guitar work on this song.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpIermNEzI/AAAAAAAAAq0/Plnib0tDRVo/s1600-h/c53917exlb0.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357674398646866738" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpIermNEzI/AAAAAAAAAq0/Plnib0tDRVo/s200/c53917exlb0.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;">I Never Say Goodbye-1987 (A-)</span><br /><br />This is my second favorite <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">cd</span> by Hagar, which was recorded after his first <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">cd</span> 5150, with Van <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">Halen</span> (Van Hagar). The production adds a heavy feel to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">cd</span>, which normally I do not care for, but it works here. Some of Sammy's best guitar work is on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">cd</span>, and his voice is in true form. Every song is good from the blues <strong>Standing At The Same Old Crossroads</strong>, to free flying <strong>Eagles Fly</strong>. <strong>Returning Home</strong> and <strong>Boys Night Out</strong> sound like 5150 material (which was their best <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">cd</span>), while the rest could have had a place on any of his last 3 studio <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">cds</span>. The last three songs on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">cd</span> are in my top 10 Hagar songs, <strong>Back Into You, Eagles Fly, What</strong> <strong>They Gonna Say Now</strong>. <strong>Give To Live</strong> was the hit off this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">cd</span>, and probably my favorite liked song on it. A great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">cd</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sltwn5zrXwI/AAAAAAAAAsk/B_tsQ3kREBk/s1600-h/e81440jp4o1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358000012522118914" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sltwn5zrXwI/AAAAAAAAAsk/B_tsQ3kREBk/s200/e81440jp4o1.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="color:#cc0000;">The Best Of Sammy Hagar-1992 (A)</span></div><br />Of all the early Hagar "best of" collections this is the best. Pulls from all the early <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64">cds</span>, plus has Hagar's version of his own song, that Rick Springfield made famous, <strong>I've Done Everything For You.</strong> Plus Otis <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65">Redding's</span>' <strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66">Sittin</span> On The Dock Of The Bay</strong> with the rock Boston on backing vocals. Plus it doesn't hurt that it has all <em>my</em> favorite early Hagar songs, like <strong>Plain Jane, Turn Up The</strong> <strong>Music, Reckless, Bad Reputation, You Make Me Crazy</strong>. A good solid best of collection all the way around.<br /><br /><br /><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlsdGxGw06I/AAAAAAAAAsM/VQIYj5NxpnU/s1600-h/d83441n4q7c.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357908183785460642" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 195px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlsdGxGw06I/AAAAAAAAAsM/VQIYj5NxpnU/s200/d83441n4q7c.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67">Unboxed</span>- 1994 (A)<br /></span><br />Another good collection of Sam's songs, this time from 81 to 87. The big ones are here <strong>Only One Way To Rock, Heavy Metal, I</strong> <strong>Can't Drive 55</strong>, plus many other. Two new songs <strong>Buying My</strong> <strong>Way Into Heaven </strong>and <strong>Up In Smoke</strong> are a welcome addition to the Sam club of music.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpIJsfXDSI/AAAAAAAAAqs/GBlt-8MpyPc/s1600-h/d15840025nj.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357674038109343010" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpIJsfXDSI/AAAAAAAAAqs/GBlt-8MpyPc/s200/d15840025nj.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;">Marching To Mars-1997 (A-)</span><br /><br />Sammy comes back to his solo career with a vengeance. Marching is a solid effort that kicks some serious butt! <strong>Little White Lie</strong> is a rocker with a blues feel to it, and Huey Lewis is playing harmonica on it too. Lie is under 3 minute and packs a punch, that makes me want to throw down on guitar, or in my case air guitar. Following along in the right Now mode, is <strong>Who Has The</strong> <strong>Right</strong> a very social commentary song about life and death. <strong>Both Sides Now</strong> is another good rocker, as is the tile track. The Meatloaf song, which Hagar wrote, is on here, <strong>Amnesty Is</strong> <strong>Granted</strong>. Meat played it out as a straight rocker, but Sammy builds it up then takes it down for a nice controlled ride with his voice at times cutting loose and taking you over the edge. rest of the songs stand out as more than just filler. Another great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68">cd</span>.<br /><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357908188798866930" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlsdHDyDVfI/AAAAAAAAAsU/034hiP1Zrcg/s200/e446624wdzi.jpg" border="0" /><span style="color:#cc0000;">The Anthology-1998 (B+)<br /></span><br /></div>A good collection of songs from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69">montrose</span> to his V.O.A. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70">cd</span>. The songs are in chronological order and show a good selection from his early years to his right before Van <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71">Halen</span> years.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpIBapR8WI/AAAAAAAAAqk/luQwvmlZHAc/s1600-h/d40460f7ebx.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357673895880159586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpIBapR8WI/AAAAAAAAAqk/luQwvmlZHAc/s200/d40460f7ebx.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;">Red Voodoo-1999 (C)</span><br /><br />Sammy started getting away from the rocker and going more into the party mode in both persona and concerts. It was a change I didn't like. The songs are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72">ok</span>, and the production pretty weak. The songs are not bad, but other than <strong>Don't Fight It</strong>, I really can't find any reason to own it, unless <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73">yur</span> a Hagar fan.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpGhKJcmQI/AAAAAAAAAqU/Cp-Ckk8JImQ/s1600-h/e32349f1y2q.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357672242184231170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpGhKJcmQI/AAAAAAAAAqU/Cp-Ckk8JImQ/s200/e32349f1y2q.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;">Ten 13-2000 (B)</span><br /><br />A return to basic for Sammy here, at least on recording. Better production, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74">writing</span> and playing make for a better record, and that is what we got this time around. It starts off with <strong>Shaka <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75">Doobie</span></strong> a nice little rocker, with a nice guitar lick. Must say Sammy and his new band (from 97's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76">cd</span> up) are starting to gel pretty good here. <strong>Let Sally Drive, Serious <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_77">Juju</span>, Deeper Kind Of Love</strong>, and <strong>Ten 13</strong> are the standouts, only a couple songs fall below standard fare, and the rest stay above average rock.<br /></div><br /><br /><div><br /><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpGY9La4WI/AAAAAAAAAqM/hODHFkabJCw/s1600-h/f50116d2xb7.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357672101263892834" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlpGY9La4WI/AAAAAAAAAqM/hODHFkabJCw/s200/f50116d2xb7.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;">Not 4 Sale-2002 (B+)<br /></span><br />Another laid back <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_78">cd</span> from Sam, that rocks! Sam must be getting older and wiser, having learned what works and what doesn't, he has laid the ground work for a great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_79">cd</span> here. Production at times seems a little weak, but the song <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_80">writng</span> is above par. <strong>Half Way To</strong> <strong>Memphis </strong>is one of his finest songs. <strong>Stand Up, Whole Lotta</strong> <strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_81">Zep</span>, Hallelujah, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_82">Things've</span> Changed</strong> are all stand out songs on a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_83">cd</span> full of good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_84">siongs</span>. Sammy plays with the experience of a <span style="color:#ffff00;">seasoned</span> rocker, but with the gusto of a young one. One of My most listened to Sammy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_85">cds</span>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlkvKfJL-lI/AAAAAAAAAp8/OGeaw6eaTNk/s1600-h/g10431eq0c9.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357365088939145810" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 173px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlkvKfJL-lI/AAAAAAAAAp8/OGeaw6eaTNk/s200/g10431eq0c9.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;">Live: Hallelujah-2003 (B)<br /></span></div><div>Live, raw, loud and in your face is the best way to describe this cd. If I remember right the cd was recorded in different cities and not at one show, which I must say kinda of set me back at first. But there is no denying this Sammy at his best. Montross, Van Halen and his solo songs are here.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlsdHgEZ4gI/AAAAAAAAAsc/syedpVW_7gs/s1600-h/g42771cy174.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357908196392034818" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlsdHgEZ4gI/AAAAAAAAAsc/syedpVW_7gs/s200/g42771cy174.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="color:#ff0000;">The Essential Red Collection-2004 (A-)<br /></span><br /></div>Probably the best collection of Hagar songs from early to his 1999 cd Red Voodoo. Collects some of his soundtrack songs too.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Slku93k4VNI/AAAAAAAAAp0/vNiDeggxsPA/s1600-h/h37479o1vke.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357364872159450322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 177px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Slku93k4VNI/AAAAAAAAAp0/vNiDeggxsPA/s200/h37479o1vke.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;">Livin' It Up-2006 (B)</span><br /><br />A great laid back cd from Sammy, and the new songs <strong>Sam I Am</strong> and <strong>Living On A Coastline</strong> are great songs that set the mood for rest of the cd. Want rock, you got it, want some blues, it is here. want some folk sounding songs, check, want some country he got that too. A very dervierse cd for Hagar, and it comes across very clear that Sam is having a blast.</div><div>Sammy covers Dylan and Chesney along with a couple of others. Sammy's band is tight, and so is the production. Very good outing, but, there were a couple songs that I tend to skip, not because they are bad, just not my cup of tea, or in Sammy's case shot of tequila.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlkurryzBZI/AAAAAAAAAps/14gp4Un8ELg/s1600-h/l81005mspzg.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357364559758951826" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 178px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlkurryzBZI/AAAAAAAAAps/14gp4Un8ELg/s200/l81005mspzg.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;">Cosmic Universal Fashion-2008 (D+)</span></div><div><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span><br />I have gave this cd several listens before passing judgement. Sammy has long been one of my favorite artists, but this is crap. Sam tries to reinvent himself. I don't know what he trying to prove here, we all know he can rock, but this cd tries to be so upfront, that it is distracting. Most of the problem seems to come from the production of the cd. I don't know who produced this cd, got mine copy off Itunes, but he needs to be fired. The production is so sloppy in its attempt to sound modern and hip that it kills the songs. And for the most part the songs need to be killed. Sammy does a horrible cover of the Beaties Boys<strong> Fight For Your Right To Party</strong>, the Beastie Boys? Come on Sam, you can write better songs than this in your sleep. </div><div><br /></div><div>The title track, <strong>Psycho Vertigo, Peephole</strong>, and <strong>When The Sun Don't Shine</strong> are the best of this poor selection. They are actually good songs, but production just about makes them unlistenable. I actually like <strong>Peephole</strong> better here even with the production better than the Soul Sirkus version that Hagar and Schon wrote for Planet Us. About the only track that Sammy's vocals don't sound like he is whinning. I thought for a while Sammy's vocie was shot unitl I heard Chickenfoot, again a casuality of poor production.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe next time Sam will leave his tequila at home and pay more attention to want his going on around him.<br /><br /></div><div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-2802877103765067989?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-4824041326600090352009-07-07T14:14:00.011-05:002009-07-17T13:20:47.776-05:00<span style="color:#cc0000;">CORPORATE AMER<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjhyf8wHI/AAAAAAAAAk8/f9vjhIaqYpE/s1600-h/f54684d6pwk.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355804182760439922" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 193px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjhyf8wHI/AAAAAAAAAk8/f9vjhIaqYpE/s200/f54684d6pwk.jpg" border="0" /></a>ICA 2002 (C)<br /></span>The name of Bostons latest cd should really be call It's Been Such A Long Time part 5. What is it about an average of 5 years between cds? What was there last cd called? Who is Boston? That should be the rally cry for Boston fans.The Bands cd COPORATE AMERICA is different than any other Boston cds for a few reasons...1) Several vocalist on one cd, 3.2) A woman is in the band, on bass.3) Several songs not written by Scholz.4) The least sounding Boston cd out there.The vocalist is a welcome part for the most part. Fran Cosomo joins Brad on several songs, plus each do there own. The bad part is it takes away from the wonder called Brad Delp. Also, Kim Dahme is the other vocalist, and she is good, but when she is singing it is NOT Boston. Kim also plays bass and does a great job of it.The cd starts out with I Had A Good Time is a great song that fits into any Boston cd. Band seems like they are having fun at it too, need to with a title like that. Cosmo wrote and sings the next song Stare Out Your Window, which could have come off the underrated WALK ON cd. Stare is also a good song, with a little slower pace to it. Cosmo vocals are good.The title track has all the vocalists on the song, singing, screaming, and purring to the voice of Corporate America and it's corruption. But the production isn't quite what I would have hoped for on this song. The vocals are all mixed together, but it may have been intended this way.Turn It Off and Crying are also good songs, for the fact they seem more old style Boston and less the "new" Boston.Rest of the songs are really not that great, but most of the time I end up hitting the skip button. But I do have one burning question for Scholz, why, WHY, is a live version of Livin For You on the cd?!? It an ok song, not the worse or best from WALK ON. So why have it on here, it not any different from the first version. Maybe it is because to write another song would have added a year or two to the cd coming out. But what is a year or two to Boston. The song may have been good!<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">GREATEST HIT<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjw4GJy_I/AAAAAAAAAlc/OA_XmkjONrE/s1600-h/l97985zh2ls.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355804441960893426" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjw4GJy_I/AAAAAAAAAlc/OA_XmkjONrE/s200/l97985zh2ls.jpg" border="0" /></a>S 1997 /2009 (A-/A)<br /></span>Boston has only four cds at the time of this hits collection, but it has been about 20 years during those four cds. The Hits cd has all the big songs and a few minor ones. Even has three new songs plus a a remix of one of the new ones.All the old songs deserve their place on this record. My grip on that is only one song form the WALK ON cd is on this cd, and that is the mellow Livin For You. The songs Walk On, I Need Your Love, and Surrender To Me are the better of the songs form WALK ON.My other grip, is the new songs. Tell Me is an ok song, sounds like a left over from WALK ON, The Star Spangled Banner is a Scholz showcase (Neal Schon of Journey does it way better). But the main grip is Higher Power, a great new song, but not good enough to be on here twice in two different edits. Come on...Could have put one of the WALK ON songs on here instead.<br /><br /><br /><br />Well the 2009 version did just that, they put I Need Your Love from WALK ON, as an extra song, and got rid of the extra edit of Higher Power, which was a good song, but it didn't need to be on the cd twice. Then they got rid of the weaker then new song Tell Me, and put a song from CORPORATE AMERICA, I Had A Good Time. This makes for a much better cd.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">WALK ON 1994<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjg00nEoI/AAAAAAAAAkc/lKCjuTAhgLU/s1600-h/c40906r49u6.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355804166204101250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjg00nEoI/AAAAAAAAAkc/lKCjuTAhgLU/s200/c40906r49u6.jpg" border="0" /></a> (B)</span><br />Boston Walk On cd was their first cd with out the amazing front man Brad Delp. Instead of Delp they replaced him with Fran Cosmo and Tommy Funderburk. This cd has an overall heavy sound to it, due to the type of music and the heavy handed production.<br /><br />The cd starts off heavy and hard with I Need Your Love, and although it is apparent Delp is not singing, the song is still pulled off rather good. And The cd keeps rolling with Surrender To Me, another rocker with the two vocalist trading off leads. This works out well.<br /><br />The cd slows down a bit with Livin' For You, a rather slow temp song, that doesn't bring the cd to a stop, but kinda breaks the tempo that is set for the cd. While the vocals are good, it is on the slower songs were Brad is really missed.<br /><br />The 4 part title track is one of my all time favorite Boston songs, and a great song to hear in concert. The song as all the elements of a classic song, soaring vocals, wailing guitars, a crunching bass line, and over the top keyboards. AWESOME SONG!!!!<br /><br />But the cd falls apart after this. The three remaining songs are some of the weakest ever done by Boston. Magdelene is a symphonic disaster, and the vocals are flat. What's Your Name is lame and We Can Make shows promise but never raises above the promise.<br /><br />A good start for the new line up, and better than the weak 2nd Boston cd DON'T LOOK BACK, but it is a shame it takes two vocalist to fill Delp's shoes.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">THIRD STAGE 1<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjhliSwDI/AAAAAAAAAk0/l4c9LOFIyFI/s1600-h/f35556k52jo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355804179280609330" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjhliSwDI/AAAAAAAAAk0/l4c9LOFIyFI/s200/f35556k52jo.jpg" border="0" /></a>986 (A-)</span><br />Boston took about 6 years to get get their 3rd cd out. And 3rd stage was well worth the wait. Their DON'T LOOK BACK cd seemed like a ripoff of their 1st cd. But their new cd is a huge steep forward over their last cd. The songs are better, are better written, better played, and better produced.<br /><br />Amanda starts off the cd, and with its blend of electric and acoustic guitars, it makes for a great song. Brad sings his butt off on this song, the emotion is real and honest.<br /><br />We're Ready keeps the cd going and slowly builds before fading out into the Launch, which is a prelude to Cool The Engines. Cool...is a good song that really rocks. The drums and bass on this song are great and really add to this hyped up song.<br /><br />The cd started off great with the above songs, but the next songs, although not bad, are the weakest on the cd. My Destination, A New World/To Be A Man are still better than most songs on the DON'T LOOK BACK cd.<br /><br />But the cd picks back up with I Think I Like It, but it is Cantcha Say (You Believe In Me) that gets the cd rolling along again. Brad again delivers the goods, and Tom who plays most of the instruments delivers.<br /><br />The cd closes like it opens, with an electric/acoustic song that rocks. Hollyann has Brad's best vocal on any Boston song. Sad to say, he would never have an all Boston cd to his self again.<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">DON'T LOOK BA<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjwnam2rI/AAAAAAAAAlU/NTRMS4NJCv0/s1600-h/k33561z4z1m.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355804437483281074" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjwnam2rI/AAAAAAAAAlU/NTRMS4NJCv0/s200/k33561z4z1m.jpg" border="0" /></a>CK 1978 (C+)</span><br />3rd Stage is well written and well produced and well worth owning.<br />Don't Look Back is Boston's 2nd cd. At First when you put this cd on, and the title track comes on you know you are about to be treated to another great cd from the band. Don't Look Back is a killer track with an awesome riff. I would put this song up against any on the first cd. But things start falling apart after that. The Journey and It's Easy are nowhere near the quality of the first cd.<br /><br />A Man I'll Never Be, not the rockin of the previous cd on this cd, shows another side of the band not shown before. With more reflective lyrics and a slower mode to the song. And it comes off good.<br /><br />Feelin Saistfied is another good song, that will have humming along with it. But almost feels like a rip off of the first cd. Party is cut from the same cloth of Smokin and Rock-n-Roll BAnd. But it does it with a slightly fresh feel to it, and leaving you wondering if they were trying to copy the other two songs.<br /><br />Used To Bad News and Don't Be Afraid close out the cd and leave you feeling what just happened? The cd starts off great, then wonders in and out of good songs. Plus the production seems muddled. A very poor second effort from the band.<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">BOSTON 197<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjwMPkOrI/AAAAAAAAAlE/FTFCdSv4Log/s1600-h/f86628gvfdo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355804430189214386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjwMPkOrI/AAAAAAAAAlE/FTFCdSv4Log/s200/f86628gvfdo.jpg" border="0" /></a>6 (A+)</span><br />Another one of the great all time debut albums of all time. Boston 1st cd, Boston, from 1976 is the Bands best cd. Like most bands that have a very strong debut, they never recapture the magic of the first cd. But Boston unlike most bands come close to the magic on other releases, but do not quite make it. Who would have thought that this little 8 song cd (record at the time) would also be the biggest selling debut by an artist (until Whitney Huston came along), for over a decade.<br /><br />There is not a inferior song on this cd. Every song has ,magic to it. And a lot of that is owed to Brad Delp. One of the best singers ever, and one of the most under appreciated. This man can hit the notes and make it seem easy. And Tom Scholz has a unique guitar sound all his owe. He is one of theses guys when you hear the first chord of his axe, you know it is him. Maybe that is why Boston's first cd was so big, combine Delp and Scholz, plus some dang good tunes and you have one great cd.<br /><br />More Than A Feeling starts off so innocent with its acoustic guitar, then turns into a monster of a song, with its crunching guitar, the clapping, and the impossible high notes. You can't but help sing along.<br /><br />Peace Of Mind will have you pumping your fist in the air to it's rhythm, and humming along.<br /><br />Rock -N- Roll Band and Smokin are cut from the same cloth. These songs will have you playing air guitar to them, and wishing you were in a rock and roll band, this rock and roll band. These songs just rock, pure and simple. But that is it, there is really nothing pure or simply about Boston's music.<br /><br />Fore Play is one of my favorite instrumentals of all time. It has one of the best beats ever heard in a song. It is a perfect lead in for Long Time, a song that Delp owns. The man is just awe inspiring on this, as he is with Let Me Take You Home Tonight. This another song in which he shines. And another great sing along song too.<br /><br />Something About You also shows the depth of Delps voice to. Not only can he hit the high notes, but he sounds good on a lower register.<br /><br />Boston is more than Delp and Scholz, catch a live show and see what it takes to make there sound. But in the studio it is just the two of them, and they are are magic.<br /><br />RTZ<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">FOUND IN AMERICA 2005 (B-)</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#000000;"></span><br /><br />Found in America ia left over songs from the first cd. The songs are good but the production isn't quite as good as the last two RTZ cds. It is a shame too, because the cd song wise is pretty good. I have seen different covers for this cd, and slightly different naming of the cd. Turn This Love Around is a clear standout on this cd, as is the live recording of Return To Zero.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">LOST 1999 (B<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOmSDU5zRI/AAAAAAAAAls/VyLWeLUzC2Y/s1600-h/f33872a8kv3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355807210934488338" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOmSDU5zRI/AAAAAAAAAls/VyLWeLUzC2Y/s200/f33872a8kv3.jpg" border="0" /></a>)</span><br />This second cd by the band is another good cd. But it is not near as good as the original. Lost starts off with a one, two, three punch that jsut about kills rest of the cd. These three songs are so powerful that it is hard to overcome you sense of awe over theses songs. After these songs I was stunned about how good they were, that rest of the cd was a disappointment, even on the better songs that followed on the cd.<br /><br />The first three songs could have easily been on the first RTZ or Boston cd. But the following two songs, Violent Days and Change for Change are the weak songs for the cd. They really seem out of place here with rest of the music.<br /><br />One In A Million gets better, but the cd kicks it back up with the next three songs, but Don't Lead Me On ends kinda weak. But over all a good cd.<br /><br />I must say the production on this cd is the best of the RTZ cds, and the band plays good. This is some Brad Delp's best work ever...<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">RTZ<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOzOBWufZI/AAAAAAAAAl8/wposg3TDnwY/s1600-h/thumbnail.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355821435336949138" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOzOBWufZI/AAAAAAAAAl8/wposg3TDnwY/s200/thumbnail.jpg" border="0" /></a> 1991 (A-)</span><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOzOBWufZI/AAAAAAAAAl8/wposg3TDnwY/s1600-h/thumbnail.jpg"></a>Boston's lead singer Brad Delp and ex Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau form a group between Boston cds, RTZ. Their debut cd RETURN TO ZERO is a very good cd. Barry and Brad have worked together on other projects away from Boston, but RTZ is their best effort. Barry was always over shadowed by guitarist Scholz in Boston, so we get to see what Barry has to offer, which is a lot. And Brad shines even more with this more laid back simple production of the cd.<br /><br />The cd starts off with Face The Music, a song that slowly builds both musically and vocally and ends up delivery in a big way on the opening track. And it isn't just the opening track that packs a punch, There's Another Side and All You Got both delivery the goods. Leaving no doubt in my mind, that this is a Boston cd that never got released.<br /><br />Songs even get better with some of Delp's best vocals ever with This Is My Life and Rain Down On Me. And the simple clear production is a blessing to these songs. Having Scholz heavy handed (but good) sound on the songs would only have taken away from them.<br /><br />And the simple majestic Until You Love Comes Back Around is a Delp performance that begs the listener not to feel his loneliness. This Delp's best vocal ever!! The piano is haunting and as simple as the song is express more emotion than any Boston song since there debut cd.<br /><br />The title track is a song that could have fit on any Boston cd, and is the closest sounding classic Boston sound.<br /><br />But as good as this cd is, there are some not so great songs and a dog on here. The dog is Livin For Rock-n-Roll. Sounds like the song was made just to put the word rock and roll into a song. Devil To Pay and Hard Time are pretty weak to.<br /><br />Overall a very good debut cd from the band<br /><br />Other side projects<br /><br /><br />Orion The Hunter<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">ORION THE H<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjhL7wEbI/AAAAAAAAAkk/VThMV1qfMgQ/s1600-h/c41357de7ap.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355804172408066482" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjhL7wEbI/AAAAAAAAAkk/VThMV1qfMgQ/s200/c41357de7ap.jpg" border="0" /></a>UNTER 1984 (B)</span><br />Orion The Hunter is want to be Boston cd. It had Barry Goudreau, one Boston's guitarist, and Fran Cosmo a soon to be Boston vocalist. Plus Brad Delp (Boston vocalist) made a guest appearance on a couple songs, plus co wrote a couple of others.<br /><br />Having said that Orion is a decent cd, with some good songs. But for the most part the cd sounds dated nowadays. But songs like there hit So You Ran, I Call It Love, and All Those Years hold up pretty good. Dark and Stormy is a good song, but with a title like that, you would want a little more raw emotion in the song.<br /><br />Rest of the songs are ok, but for the most part it his hard to get past how 80's the cd sounds at times.<br /><br /><br /><br />Barry Goudreau<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">BARRY GOUDREAU 1980 (B)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjhflClMI/AAAAAAAAAks/2sibKS_uUBE/s1600-h/c56430d5m44.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355804177681519810" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOjhflClMI/AAAAAAAAAks/2sibKS_uUBE/s200/c56430d5m44.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />For many years this cd has been tried to be passed off as an unreleased 3rd Boston cd (Mission Aborted). I can see why too, Delp is singing and the song have that classic Boston fill to them. The only thing missing is the heavy handed guitar of Scholz. But that can be over looked, Delp just takes you to another place with his singing. This cd is hard to find, but worth looking for. Nothin To Loose is my favorite song from the cd. Life Is What you MAke It is also a great song. Rest of the songs are good, nothing really bad on this disk.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">DELP &amp; GOUDREAU 2003 (A-)</span><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOk_nHQSWI/AAAAAAAAAlk/wsOSa1kzHxs/s1600-h/h59897zvifu.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355805794611775842" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SlOk_nHQSWI/AAAAAAAAAlk/wsOSa1kzHxs/s200/h59897zvifu.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This is a stand out disk, never has Delp sounded any better. The minute you push play, you'll be takin back by his voice. What You Leave Behind is masterful, and after his death gives the song even more meaning. The whole cd is like this. His voice is stellar, and Barry's playing is superior to just about anything he has done. The songs are a slow to middle tempo to them, but pack a punch behind them. A fitting cd to the end of Delp's career.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-482404132660009035?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-84020194344301779412009-07-03T10:55:00.020-05:002009-07-27T09:58:30.164-05:00It is a surprise that this group has been around since 1982. But many fans believe the group has only been around for two <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">cds</span></span> in the early 80's, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">a hand</span> full of hits <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">cds</span></span>, then made a comeback in 2008. But really the group has <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">soldiered</span> on the past 25 plus years. After the second <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">cd</span></span> ALPHA, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">guitarist</span> Steve Howe left and was replaced, by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">just</span></span> about a different axeman every <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">cd</span></span>. Then after ASTRA, the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">third</span> studio <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">cd</span></span>, singer John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Wetton</span></span> was replaced by John Payne. Payne stayed with the group about 20 years, before a full blown reunion tour led to a reunion <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">cd</span></span>. But no matter which version of the group you like, they have been around putting out for the most part good music.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">PHOENIX-2008 (A)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tkRLz4YI/AAAAAAAAAjc/77MKxbQ0_Z0/s1600-h/k44879d74cm.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354267108101579138" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tkRLz4YI/AAAAAAAAAjc/77MKxbQ0_Z0/s200/k44879d74cm.jpg" border="0" /></a>PHOENIX is the Asia <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">cd</span></span> a lot of fans have been waiting for, the return of the original lineup. I for one was a big fan of the original lineup, but probably a bigger fan of the later day John Payne vocal era. Original vocalist John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Wetton</span></span> was always a fairly good in the studio, but live I always thought he was pretty crappy, off key and out of time. His solo <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">cds</span></span> following Asia were not better, actually they were worse. But something happened, he got off the booze, and straighted his life out. He got back with Asia keyboardists <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Downes</span></span> and made an excellent <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">cd</span></span> called Icon. Now they, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Downes</span></span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Wetton</span></span>, have gotten rest of the original band together and made a great new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">cd</span></span>.<br /><br />PHOENIX starts out with one the best Asia songs ever, Never Again. I would put this song in my top 3 Asia songs, it is that good. From the opening guitar lick this song stands out. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Wetton</span></span> sings on this song and rest of this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">cd</span></span>, in top form. As a matter of fact, he has never sounded better. And the same can be said for the rest of the band, they are all in top notch form.<br /><br />I can think of nothing bad on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">cd</span></span>, the last time I listened to it was today, and I can only think of how good this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">cd</span></span> is.<br /><br />PHOENIX never falters. It is like taking a step back in time. This should have been the follow up <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">cd</span></span> to ALPHA. The only thing missing is Mike Stone, doing the production on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">cd</span></span>. That is really my only complaint about this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">cd</span></span>. The production is not the big sound of the first three Asia <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">cds</span></span>, but now it is a more lean sound. But this lean sound fits the somberness and maturity of the music. But the production does seem a little heavy on the bass, and when cracking it up, it tends to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">thumpy</span></span> and not enough top end.<br /><br />I could go on about the songs, but if you don't like the first three songs on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">cd</span></span>, then it is not for you. Never Again, Nothings Forever, and Heroine are those songs. This how "classic" rock should sound.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">FANTASIA LIVE IN TOKYO-2007 (B)<br /></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tkNksOeI/AAAAAAAAAjM/eEnqYJdJTE8/s1600-h/i85222p4g2p.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354267107132193250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 195px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tkNksOeI/AAAAAAAAAjM/eEnqYJdJTE8/s200/i85222p4g2p.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Asia has never really put out an exciting live <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">cd</span></span>, and this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">cd</span></span> will not change your mind. All the hits are here, from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Wetton</span></span> era of the band. It was recorded on the reunion tour that the band started out on in 2006. The band sounds good, but nothing makes you want to put it on instead of the studio <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">cds</span></span>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">PROGRESSIVE ROCK FRIENDS-2008 (D+)<br /></span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tkuy7cZI/AAAAAAAAAjk/5YdFuT4kUX0/s1600-h/l87210lz627.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354267116050280850" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tkuy7cZI/AAAAAAAAAjk/5YdFuT4kUX0/s200/l87210lz627.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />What is this crap!?! Some record company trying to make money off the reunion tour of the band. With covers of some of their solo work, for the songs they couldn't get outright. And the Asia songs are from the dreadful LIVE IN MOSCOW. And speaking of the live songs, this was thrown <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">together</span> so quick the live songs are not even edited for smooth transactions between songs. Skip it and buy the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">original</span> stuff.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">LIVE IN <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">ATLANTIC</span> CITY USA-2007 (C+)</span><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tkTPlnCI/AAAAAAAAAjU/V49CFmC0zVE/s1600-h/k24859r78oi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354267108654292002" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tkTPlnCI/AAAAAAAAAjU/V49CFmC0zVE/s200/k24859r78oi.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">descent</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">bootleg</span> of the reunion tour, the above professional <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">cd</span></span> is a better product. Production is better, and all the songs are the same.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">REUNION TOUR-2006 (B-)<br /></span><br />One of the first shows from the reunion tour, all the same songs as above two shows (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">cds</span></span>). Band sounds a little rough around the edges, but they had only been on tour a couple of weeks. Still a good find.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">SILENT NATION-2004 (A)</span><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SItcMkLBYxI/AAAAAAAAAOU/QnwMQ8cL4oo/s1600-h/g43666cuku1.jpg"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tY2uTeUI/AAAAAAAAAi8/OkMqw3f0fac/s1600-h/g43666cuku1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354266912019937602" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tY2uTeUI/AAAAAAAAAi8/OkMqw3f0fac/s200/g43666cuku1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This is my favorite Payne era <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">cd</span></span>, and my second favorite Asia <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">cd</span></span>, behind their debut <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">cd</span></span>. There is not a sub par song on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">cd</span></span>. Every song is good, and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">cd's</span></span> first four songs are awesome. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">cd</span></span> dips a little for a couple of songs (Silent Nation and Ghost In The Mirror), but even these songs are good. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">cd</span></span> even has a male chorus on a couple songs that really adds to the atmosphere of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">cd</span></span>.<br /><br />It is a shame this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">cd</span></span>, on any Payne era <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">cd</span></span>, never took off in America. They have had some pretty good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">cds</span></span>, but a couple of duds too, like just about any group. But also just like about any group that has gone <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">thru</span></span> a major lineup shakeup, people tend to either stay an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">originalist</span></span>, saying that only the original lineup is the group. Or they take hold of the new lineup and say this is how the group should haven been all along. And there are the few like me, that like the music (if it is good) no matter what the lineup is. A shame people can't listen to the music and leave the politics of the band out of it, because this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">cd</span></span> is very good music...<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">LIVE IN VIENNA CONCERT DOWNLOAD-2002 (B+)</span><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SItyGmXap_I/AAAAAAAAAO0/kPwbMRiBv4Y/s1600-h/Asia+2002.front.jpg"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4x0xkpPzI/AAAAAAAAAj0/QdujUX6kFiE/s1600-h/1.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354271789720092466" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4x0xkpPzI/AAAAAAAAAj0/QdujUX6kFiE/s200/1.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SItx3glmmzI/AAAAAAAAAOs/9zwtt4xGJfY/s1600-h/Asia+2002+back.jpg"></a><br />Will try to put a concert on site every week or two for download. Artwork will be included and track listings too, if I have them.<br /><br /><br />This week, I am putting up a Asia concert from 2002. This concert is from the John Payne lead vocal era. This is a soundboard recording and has 19 songs in all. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4x1HzZvNI/AAAAAAAAAj8/D0cBHE34Vr8/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354271795687570642" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 158px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4x1HzZvNI/AAAAAAAAAj8/D0cBHE34Vr8/s200/untitled.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It is my favorite concert I have from this era of the band. It includes many of the classic Asia songs, Only Time Will Tell, Heat Of The Moment, and a few more, plus some cool Payne era songs, Awake, Free, Who Will Stop The Rain, and many more. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">cd</span></span> also has a keyboard solo, and new song <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">Bad ass</span> dog, and a Asia Melody containing a few new and old Asia song thrown together.<br /><br />Plus When John introduces the wrong wrong song, it becomes a running joke throughout the show. Well worth listening too. Artwork is in the download and on this page. The link is below for the show...<br /><a href="http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LOGFOYYZ">http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LOGFOYYZ</a><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">ANTHOLOGIA</span></span>-2002 (A)</span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tLgnv_lI/AAAAAAAAAic/R3rCCP0ykMs/s1600-h/f32616hu9by.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354266682748567122" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tLgnv_lI/AAAAAAAAAic/R3rCCP0ykMs/s200/f32616hu9by.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This double <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">cd</span></span> set, has all the fist 3 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">cds</span></span> (Asia, Alpha, and Astra), plus the new songs off Now And Then. It even includes the b-side songs included on Heat Of The Moment; The Very Best Of Asia (1982-1990). This is a very good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">cd</span></span>, but since all the songs are on other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">cds</span></span>, it is hard to recommend. But the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">cd</span></span> has been remastered and the songs sound great, even most of the ones from Astra and Then And Now, but there are some songs no remastering can help, like the dreadful Am I In Love and Summer (Can Last To Long).<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">LIVE IN THE USA-2002 (B-)</span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tYmHbEXI/AAAAAAAAAis/GsPmVW5DcrQ/s1600-h/f86260fsif2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354266907561890162" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 195px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tYmHbEXI/AAAAAAAAAis/GsPmVW5DcrQ/s200/f86260fsif2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />A <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">dvd</span></span> recorded in Philly, on the AURA tour. Songs sound <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">ok</span></span>, production is a little muddy, and the fan interviews, ugh? But a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65">descent</span> set list of new and old songs.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">AURA-2001 (B+)</span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tKm3jqnI/AAAAAAAAAh8/j9Av0-fF6hQ/s1600-h/e799384ova5.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354266667245611634" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 175px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tKm3jqnI/AAAAAAAAAh8/j9Av0-fF6hQ/s200/e799384ova5.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Asia's 2001 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">cd</span></span> Aura is their first full <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">cd</span></span> of new material since Arena in 1996. Arena was a very weak <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">cd</span></span> and the two unreleased <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">cds</span></span> were weak and the greatest hits had nothing new. Aura is a very strong <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">cd</span></span> from the band.<br />Awake starts the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">cd</span></span> off strong and is a very strong vocal from Payne. Ready to Go Home, Forgive Me, On The Coldest Day In Hell, Free, The Longest Night and Aura are the strong songs on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">cd</span></span>. Rest of the songs are good and have a strong vocal and musical performance. There is nothing really weak on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">cd</span></span>, no filler, but rest of the songs lack a hook to pull you in, to make them burn into your memory.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">The Very Best of Asia: Heat of the Moment (1982-1990)-2000 (A+)</span><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SH-Kh67BYRI/AAAAAAAAAOE/K5c88j9YkDA/s1600-h/e18032c9g3p.jpg"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4s6_gg1VI/AAAAAAAAAh0/AuhE6gpCgu4/s1600-h/e18032c9g3p.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354266398981936466" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4s6_gg1VI/AAAAAAAAAh0/AuhE6gpCgu4/s200/e18032c9g3p.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This is the best of all the Asia hit <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">cds</span></span>, from any era of the band. This <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64">cd</span></span> only covers the John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65">Wetton</span></span> vocal-ed era, which is the most well known era. This <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_77"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66">cd</span></span> blows away the pitiful THEN AND NOW <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_78"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67">cd</span></span>. This <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_79"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68">cd</span></span> also contains 3 b-side songs, Daylight, Ride Easy, and Lying To Yourself, which are all fine songs. Couple of songs have the radio edit version, which isn't as good as the album cut. But over all a great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_80"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69">cd</span></span>, and the best of the best.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">ANTHOLOGY-1997 (B)<br /></span><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SGQlC5XTsjI/AAAAAAAAAKo/Ds2BuReDHhA/s1600-h/g20472panv0.jpg"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk45RXocLXI/AAAAAAAAAkE/OmfkOqAXaOw/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354279977554292082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 177px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk45RXocLXI/AAAAAAAAAkE/OmfkOqAXaOw/s200/untitled.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />It has been about ten years since Asia's first hits <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_81"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70">cd</span></span> THEN AND NOW. That <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_82"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71">cd</span></span> was weak, not enough old songs and two much new. But it was a fitting end to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_83"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72">Wetton</span></span> era. Now the band is back with a new hits <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_84"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73">cd</span></span> from the Payne era.<br /><br />The song selection from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_85"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74">cd</span></span> is pretty good, but a little to heavy on the songs from the Arena <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_86"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75">cd</span></span>, which I think is the Bands weakest <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_87"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76">cd</span></span> of new material. But that is just my opinion. Also some of the bands big hits from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_88"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_77">Wetton</span></span> era are on here (Only Time Will Tell, Heat Of The Moment, Don't Cry, and Go). But theses songs don't hold up to the Payne songs, for the simple fact they are rerecorded by Payne and the current lineup. Due to record companies, the originals are not here. So the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_89">originals</span> are rerecorded. But at least they are here.<br /><br />Also <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_90"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_78">GTR's</span></span> The Hunter is on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_91"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_79">cd</span></span>, rerecorded. And I must say that it is a pretty good version of the song.<br /><br />Over all not bad at all, not a lame as THEN AND NOW, but not as good as HEAT OF THE MOMENT: THE BEST OF ASIA.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_92">ARCHIVA</span> -1996 vol.1 (B) vol.2 (C+)</span><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SGJt7HF8z4I/AAAAAAAAAKg/iSgVuHyxxLY/s1600-h/c94531tu5c3.jpg"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4s6Fwt-2I/AAAAAAAAAhU/Q5lmfEAET1Q/s1600-h/c94531tu5c3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354266383480650594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4s6Fwt-2I/AAAAAAAAAhU/Q5lmfEAET1Q/s200/c94531tu5c3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Volume 1 and 2 are basically songs that did not make it on to previous Asia <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_93">cds</span>. Some of the songs you can hear why they were left off, and really should have been left off here as while. But some songs are really good. Songs go back to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_94">Wetton</span> era, and some back to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_95">GTR</span> era that had vocalist Max Bacon on lead. But all songs now have Payne on vocals.Over seas this was released as a double <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_96">cd</span>, but here in the states they were released separately. Album covers are the same except for one saying Vol 1 the other Vol 2. Vol 1 has some good songs, most notably is the lead off song Heart Of Gold. A very good pop oriented song. Also pretty good is I Believe and Reality. Payne does a great vocal on I can' Wait A Lifetime. And Steve Howe shows up for Ginger, a good solo song. Tears is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_97">ok</span>, and the rest of Vol. 1 is pretty weak.Vol 2 has the awesome A Right To Cry and Obsession. Moon Under The Water and Love Like The Video are descent, as is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_98">ELO's</span> Showdown, but rest of the d is pretty bad.Not really worth picking up unless you are a die hard Asia fan .<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">ARENA-1996 (C-)</span><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SFpYWL6izrI/AAAAAAAAAIo/hpze8EMYVCs/s1600-h/f26278bwo3n.jpg"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tLfZcofI/AAAAAAAAAiU/NCCHGDGFFok/s1600-h/f26278bwo3n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354266682420142578" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 195px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tLfZcofI/AAAAAAAAAiU/NCCHGDGFFok/s200/f26278bwo3n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />After two very strong Cd's from the new lineup, the group loses a good axeman and makes a not so good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_99">cd</span>, just like the original line up on their third <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_100">cd</span>. Arena comes off very laid back, too laid back. The songs are missing the rock feel of previous <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_101">cds</span>. The axeman brings no life to the songs. Production is not up to the standards of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_102">cds</span> that came before. At times the songs seem muddled.<br /><br />There are only three songs that I really listen to on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_103">cd</span>. The Day Before The War comes off very haunting, Never shows some urgency to it, and the title track Arena along with it's intro, Into The Arena are the best track on this disk. Arena (the song) actually benefits from this new laid back sound of the group.<br /><br />Overall a very boring outing from the group. Plus poor production and a lack of wanting to rock make for a very unhappy Asia fan.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">ARIA-1994 (B+)<br /></span><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SFnAz2wZfBI/AAAAAAAAAIY/LA8MpdXP7Qs/s1600-h/0000480511.jpg"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4t6c7y51I/AAAAAAAAAjs/T6QzW_LSkgc/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354267489212753746" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4t6c7y51I/AAAAAAAAAjs/T6QzW_LSkgc/s200/untitled.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />Another great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_104">cd</span> from the band with new vocalist John Payne. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_105">cd</span> starts off with a great 1,2,3 punch with Anytime, Are You Big Enough, and Desire. John again shows great emotion in his voice, that makes you feel the pain or love that the song is trying to get across. Feels Like Love another great song, along with Sad Situation. Aria is a slow marvel of a song with a moving symphonic ending.<br /><br />But unlike the last <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_106">cd</span> AQUA, this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_107">cd</span> does a couple of songs that don't hit the mark, Remembrance Day and Summer. But still a great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_108">cd</span> overall.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">AQUA-1992 (A-)</span><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SFm1QaWEBxI/AAAAAAAAAII/d4aeDd7rf1w/s1600-h/g40690mwqe4.jpg"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tY2eLJdI/AAAAAAAAAi0/dV_BPdlrIYQ/s1600-h/g40690mwqe4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354266911952283090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 178px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tY2eLJdI/AAAAAAAAAi0/dV_BPdlrIYQ/s200/g40690mwqe4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Big changes for the band here. New vocalist John Payne and new guitarist Al <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_109">Pitrelli</span> are welcome changes. Both bring an excitement to the band that has been missing for some time. Payne is a good replacement for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_110">Wetton</span>, who left to do battle with his own personal demons. Both new comers play great and Payne turns out to be a great vocalist as well as writer. The songs come across as more mature and even though they are not the big arena rock of the 80's hair bands, the music is still strong and has a good kick to it.<br /><br />Who Will Stop The Rain has some great keyboard work on it and doesn't come across sounding dated. Someday is another good song with a strong chorus. But the two best tracks on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_111">cd</span> are The Voice Of Reason and Don't Call Me. Both pick up speed and power as the move along, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_112">Paynes</span> voice may not be as pristine as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_113">Wetton's</span>, but he delivers a very powerful and moving vocal on these tracks.<br /><br />Rest of the songs are good have some equally strong points to them. There is not any songs that I skip when in my cd player, so this makes a very good cd for the band.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">LIVE IN MOSCOW-1990 CD (C-) DVD (D)</span><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SFmxlpyZccI/AAAAAAAAAIA/C6whYd3r1AU/s1600-h/d724972s0dp.jpg"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4s6q2a87I/AAAAAAAAAhs/vkMxbMUGI28/s1600-h/d724972s0dp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354266393436681138" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4s6q2a87I/AAAAAAAAAhs/vkMxbMUGI28/s200/d724972s0dp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This cd, Asia's first live cd, is scraping the bottom of the barrel. Right off the bat, axeman Steve Howe is missed. The new guitarist Pat Thrall does ok, but for the most part, the band comes across sounding sloppy. John Wetton sounds off key and like he is having a very bad night. Production of the cd while good, just makes the band sound even more lifeless than they already are.<br /><br />Book of Saturday and Starless, are included on the cd, and are the best points of the cd. The new song Kar-Anne has a bouncy feel to it, but is still one of the groups most boring songs.<br /><br />The video sounds no better, and the group sure are not the entertaining bunch on stage. They basically stand in there spot and do there thing. The video does contain Rendevous 602, Cutting It Fine, and Prayin For A Miracle, which are not on the cd.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">THEN AND NOW-1989 (B+)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk47Kg_M_gI/AAAAAAAAAkM/JmOgIG64Z2I/s1600-h/c844252h7xc.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354282058829856258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 195px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk47Kg_M_gI/AAAAAAAAAkM/JmOgIG64Z2I/s200/c844252h7xc.jpg" border="0" /></a>The only reason I mention this cd is for 2 of the 4 new songs. Days Like These and Prayin 4 A Miracle. Both two very strong Asia songs. There are other hits cds by the band out there, but they do not have both songs on them. The other 2 new songs are 2 of the worst by Asia, and are not worth typing. As for rest of the cd, the other 6 songs are from the first 3 cds by the band, which are great to good. But a lot of songs were left off. The hits cd I would get would be Heat Of The Moment released in 2000.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">ASTRA-1985 (B-)</span><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SE3ZbPDR96I/AAAAAAAAAH4/O5_U5jzwyak/s1600-h/f06528ubbno.jpg"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tLP3YvSI/AAAAAAAAAiM/JSDWEhn9m4c/s1600-h/f06528ubbno.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354266678250749218" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 199px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tLP3YvSI/AAAAAAAAAiM/JSDWEhn9m4c/s200/f06528ubbno.jpg" border="0" /></a> Asia's 1985 cd Astra, was their first without axeman Steve Howe, and he is sorely missed. Keyboards seem to be creeping more and more into each cd, and without a strong guitarist there to hold down the front lines, the sound can easily slide to one side. Which is what has happened on Astra. Mandy Meyer does a descent job on the strings, but the keyboards just push him to the back.<br />Go starts the cd off, and at the start you can tell something is different in the sound. Go rocks, but Mandy is so far in the back, it is hard to hear him. And this continues through out the cd. There is some good guitar work on After The War, Rock and Rock Dream, Go, and Suspicion. But it is short, and does not draw you toward it, the way Howe did. And again the guitar is pushed so far back into the sound, it is really hard at times to get the feel for the player.<br />So Dowens struts his stuff on this cd, and he is good. Suspicion, Go, Voice Of America, and Count Down To Zero, really show off is playing.<br />Go, Voice Of America, Wishing (love how the chorus starts the song), and Suspicion are the best songs on the cd. What should be great songs, Rock And Roll Dream, After The War, and Love Now Til Eternity, fall flat. There is no killer riff to hook you.<br />Wetton does ok this time, his singing gives me goose bumps on Countdown to Zero, but for the most part he and Palmer seem to be going thru the motions.<br />After a great debut cd, they seem to be falling further away with each release.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">LIVE IN ASIA-1983 (B-)</span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk48DurHB4I/AAAAAAAAAkU/IFuk9W6lw8M/s1600-h/i10634hcrfc.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354283041756219266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk48DurHB4I/AAAAAAAAAkU/IFuk9W6lw8M/s200/i10634hcrfc.jpg" border="0" /></a>Neirther John Wetton or John Payne was lead singer on this Asia's biggest concert ever. This MTV special feature drummer's Carl Palmer ELP partner Greg Lake on vocals. When band members and singer Wetton could not get along right after the recording of the second cd, Wetton left, leaving the group hanging, so in stepped Greg. Greg does a good job and comes across very much like Wetton. But this would be of the only instance I know of the Greg stepping in. Can't say much of the song list, since it is only two cds in, so there really isn't a lot to choose from.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">ALPHA-1983 (B+)</span><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SEyYIin-gOI/AAAAAAAAAHg/aC4GoX_-tsI/s1600-h/f06509h6var.jpg"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tKzPob1I/AAAAAAAAAiE/XIkCONkr-vQ/s1600-h/f06509h6var.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354266670567812946" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4tKzPob1I/AAAAAAAAAiE/XIkCONkr-vQ/s200/f06509h6var.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Asia returned with a good second cd, that offered more of the same from the first cd, but with a more keyboard slant. The cd unlike, the first cd does have some songs that come across as filler. Every song on the first cd was top notch, but some on the second could have been b side singles, they were that poor. Never In A Million Years, My Own Time, Eye To Eye, are prime examples of this, just dull songs.<br /><br />But, the cd does have some good songs that is on the level of the first cd, The Last To Know, True Colors, Midnight Sun. And Some songs that may actually be better than most of the fist cd, Don't Cry, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, The Heat Goes On, and Open Your Eyes.<br /><br />Wetton is still in good voice, and delivers with great passion, love is delivery on Last To Know. Downes is more prominent this time around and has some good work here. He really gets to shine on Open Your Eyes, Midnight Sun, Heat Goes On, just like the list of songs that he puts his touch on.<br /><br />Never been a Palmer fan, and he does a good job, not as good as the first cd, but still one of his best cds. And Howe isn't in the fore front like he was on the first cd, which is a shame, he is a very good guitarist, and shouldn't be short changed.<br /><br />Last cd till 2008 with this, the original line up.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">ASIA-1982 (A+)</span><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SEthDAWuMQI/AAAAAAAAAHI/hnOknzm_ee0/s1600-h/c844275q8o7.jpg"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4s6W8bgPI/AAAAAAAAAhk/en5ZKvrMzrc/s1600-h/c844275q8o7.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354266388093174002" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sk4s6W8bgPI/AAAAAAAAAhk/en5ZKvrMzrc/s200/c844275q8o7.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Asia's debut cd is one of the best debut by a band. From the opening licks of Heat Of The Moment, to the last beat of Here Comes The Feeling, this cd keeps you enticed. Heat... is one of those rock anthems that you know within 2 seconds of hearing it.The opening keyboard on Only Time Will Tell is also one of those songs that sticks with you, long after the song is over. The whole cd is like this, song after song, after song.Never been a Carl Palmer fan, but he out does his self this time, and he really shines on Wildest Dreams. Also never liked John Wetton's vocal in King Crimson, or UK, but here he hits every note and shows no strain at all, no matter what the note. Without You is a good showcase of how good he is singing on this cd. Steve Howe as always done a good job, and when you hear the start of Heat Of The Moment, you know he still has it. His guitar work this cd is good to stunning.Geoffrey Downes, I never knew of him until this cd, but I have been a fan of his ever since. Really Asia has revolved around his keyboard playing. Vocalist, drummers, guitarist come and go, but Downes has always been there, and seems to be the back bone of the group. From start to stop, I sing all the way through on this cd, and the air guitar is always cranked up.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-8402019434430177941?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-56481711208707258612009-06-07T14:03:00.018-05:002009-07-17T13:23:48.692-05:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SiwpaqV4YYI/AAAAAAAAAhM/lsndAtECJfM/s1600-h/99072201.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344692395801338242" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 183px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SiwpaqV4YYI/AAAAAAAAAhM/lsndAtECJfM/s200/99072201.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Steve <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Augeri</span> steeped into some very big shoes when he replaced Journey's lead singer Steve Perry. Perry has been called the Voice of Rock, and I would have to agree with that. When the word was out that Perry was out of the band, and the band was looking for a new lead singer, I really didn't know what to expect. Part of me thought the band should call it quits. But then all those years that Journey was inactive, their music was missed in concert, and it was time for something new from the band other than live <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">cds</span>, hits <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">cds</span>, and unreleased songs. My first thought was Kevin <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Chalfant</span>. Kevin would have been the perfect fit, having song in the Storm, a group composed of Journey members. But that did not come about. Next I here a dude named Steve <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Augeri</span> had been chosen to replace the voice. I had yet to hear of anything from him, and did not know of his work in Tall Stories or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Tyketto</span>.</div><br /><br /><div>Remember Me was the first song with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Augeri</span> on vocals. I was stunned! I liked this song and the guy singing it. I wanted more. But I had to wait since this was a soundtrack song for the movie Armageddon. Steve would stay with the band for 8 years before leaving due to vocal problems.</div><div>Although Journey did not get the sales of the Perry <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">cds</span>, journey released some good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">cds</span>.</div><br /><br /><br /><div><strong>Remember Me</strong> was a great song on a great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">cd</span>. A great way to introduce the new lead singer.</div><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344691245049223666" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SiwoXrdMmfI/AAAAAAAAAgk/ufjk00Gk72A/s200/e66036h6var.jpg" border="0" /><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">Arrival-2001 (A-)</span></em></strong><br /><br /><div>A lot of good things about this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">cd</span>. From the awesome axe work of Neal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Schon</span>, to the vocals of new comer Steve <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Augeri</span>. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">cd</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">harkens</span> back to the glory days of the band. The music is tight and production is stellar. And on top of that, the band has written some of their best songs.</div><br /><div>Stand outs are <strong>Higher Place</strong> (one of the bands best rockers),<strong> Loved By You</strong>, <strong>World Gone</strong> <strong>Wild</strong>(Neal is awesome on this), <strong>To Be Alive Again</strong> (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Augeri</span> is vocally stunning on this track), <strong>We Will Meet Again</strong> (great way to close the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">cd</span>), and <strong>Kiss Me Softly</strong> (a updated feel to a journey love song).</div><div><strong>All The Way</strong> (a good song) sounds kind of boy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">bandish</span>, and one or two other songs don't stand up to rest of the material or have the Journey fit to them (could be the outside writers on them), the songs are still good.</div><div>A welcome surprise to the bands catalog.</div><br /><div>The Japanese version of this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">cd</span> was released about 6 months earlier, but once it was leaked to Napster and fans complained about all the ballads, the band went in a recorded some more rockers which was an improvement, and did away with the weaker songs.</div><div><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">Arrival {Japan} -2000 (B)</span></em></strong></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong><em>Live 2001 (A-)</em></strong> </span></div><br /><div>A great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">dvd</span> to showcase the new singer <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Augeri</span>. He takes on two new songs from the Arrival songs, plus the Journey catalog. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Augeri</span> holds his own with Perry songs, although there are a couple signs of struggle on a vocal or two. But you can not fault the man, Perry couldn't do any better today. But from the opening of <strong>Separate Ways</strong> to the singalong of <strong>Faithfully</strong>, this is a journey well worth the ride.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Siwob_9ee-I/AAAAAAAAAgs/ICdKDVkZVSk/s1600-h/f59677thctt.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344691319272799202" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 195px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Siwob_9ee-I/AAAAAAAAAgs/ICdKDVkZVSk/s200/f59677thctt.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong><em>Red 13 -2002 (C+)</em></strong><br /></span><br /><div>A few things you find different about this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">cd</span>. The songs are longer, one over 7 minutes two over 6 minutes and the last a little over 4. Another is that this is an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">EP</span>, only 4 songs. The songs vary from the typical love songs, to a more personal level. But I really can't say this is a good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">cd</span> since the last thing you will notice about the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">cd</span> is the production, or lack of. This is in my opinion the worst sounding Journey <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">cd</span> out there. A shame because the songs are good.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Siwoga_OsHI/AAAAAAAAAg0/fmRGPN5mdGY/s1600-h/h04257xh6xm.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344691395247386738" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Siwoga_OsHI/AAAAAAAAAg0/fmRGPN5mdGY/s200/h04257xh6xm.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong><em>Generations-2005 (B+)</em></strong><br /></span><br /><div>After the dismal Red 13, Journey has returned with a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">cd</span> worthy of the Journey name. <strong>Generations</strong> ROCKS from the get go<strong>.Faith In The Heartland</strong> is one of my top 10 Journey songs, as is the bass driven <strong>Out Of Harms Way</strong>, a song about our soldiers overseas. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Augeri</span> is in true form here. Not sounding so much like Perry as he did on Arrival, but more his own singer. True there are some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Perrism</span> there (this is Journey of course), but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Augeri</span> is more natural here and more rocking. <strong>Beyond the Clouds</strong> is another awesome song on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">cd</span>, with its almost gospel feel to it. </div><br /><div>Surprising about this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">cd</span> is how every member of the band has a turn on lead vocals. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Schon</span> choose to bring a solo song he performed with Perry year ago called <strong>Self Defense</strong>. The song has been changed some for this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">cd</span>, with Dean singing Perry part and the song now called <strong>In Self</strong> <strong>Defense.</strong></div><div>Keyboardist Jonathan Cain sings on two songs with the best being <strong>Every Generation</strong>.</div><div></div><div>Bassist Ross <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Valory</span> does a great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">ZZ</span> Top on Gone Crazy, which is a good song, a really good song, but comes off sounding out of place on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">cd</span>. Which really hurts the grade of this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">cd</span>, because it really hurts the flow of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">cd</span>. But I do really like this song, and would buy a solo <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">cd</span> from Ross.</div><br /><div>Drummer Dean <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Castronovo</span> sounds more like Perry than <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Augeri</span> on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">cd</span>, which is fine with me, since <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Augeri</span> has done a stunning job this time around. But Dean shines on his two songs Never <strong>Too Late</strong> and <strong>A Better Life.</strong></div><br /><div>This <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">cd</span> would be a little better if production would have been better. It is way better than Red 13, but not quite on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">parr</span> with Arrival. Plus track layout could have been better if a couple of songs had been omitted, not because they were bad songs, but do to the fact they either didn't fit in or took away from the vibe the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">cd</span> had going.</div><br /><br /><div><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">AUGERI</span> / Tall Stories</strong></div><br /><div>Besides being in Journey, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">Augeri</span> fronted Tall Stories, it was their debut <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">cd</span> that got him noticed by Neal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">Schon</span>.</div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SiwoNJS-kSI/AAAAAAAAAgc/JzBqrhRA3n0/s1600-h/e4baa2c008a0c3cab908b010_L.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344691064080863522" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SiwoNJS-kSI/AAAAAAAAAgc/JzBqrhRA3n0/s200/e4baa2c008a0c3cab908b010_L.jpg" border="0" /></a> <strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">Tall Stories-1991 (A-)</span></em></strong><br /><br /><div>A great debut <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">cd</span> from the band. Back in 91 the band made their only <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">cd</span> (until 2009), a great example of melodic rock. The music had a soul fullness about it and the singer, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">Augeri</span>, had a eagerness and since of desperation to his voice. All the songs connected to the listener. I found this record in 2001 after reading about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">Augeri</span> online.</div><br /><div><strong>Wild On The Run, Sister Of Mercy, Chain Of Love, Never Enough</strong> are stand out tracks.</div><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Siworcdh_xI/AAAAAAAAAhE/FAfBbKYd_04/s1600-h/tallstories-skyscraper.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344691584621477650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Siworcdh_xI/AAAAAAAAAhE/FAfBbKYd_04/s200/tallstories-skyscraper.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong><em>Skyscraper-2009 (A)</em></strong><br /></span><br /><div>Back after some rest of being out Journey <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">Augeri</span> returned with Tall Stories second <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">cd</span>, which most of it was recorded back in the early to mid 90's. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">cd</span> is awesome. This <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">cd</span> is also one of my favorites of 2009.</div><br /><div><strong>Tomorrow, Stay</strong>, and <strong>You Shall BE Free</strong> are my favorites, and come the closest to sounding like Journey, and while rest of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">cd</span> ranges from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">Zepplin</span> to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">Whitesnake</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">Augeri</span> and company deliver a strong, very strong <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64">cd</span>.</div><br /><div><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65">AUGERI</span> / <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66">Tyketto</span></strong></div><br /><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67">Tyketto</span> had already released two strong <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68">cds</span> with <strong>Don't Come Easy (B) and Strength In Numbers (B+) </strong>when Danny Vaughn lead singer, left the band, to care for sick wife. He was replaced by Steve <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69">Augeri</span> for the next <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70">cd</span>.</div><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SiwonEYDI3I/AAAAAAAAAg8/ArODvxvPGA0/s1600-h/l27231kiwk1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344691509436556146" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SiwonEYDI3I/AAAAAAAAAg8/ArODvxvPGA0/s200/l27231kiwk1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">Shine-1995 (B)</span></em></strong> </div><br /><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71">Alot</span> of people I have talked to say this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72">Augeri's</span> best <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73">cd</span>. I disagree. The main reason is the production of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74">cd</span>. It comes across as very cheap 70's sounding at times. But at other times the music does shine <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75">thru</span>. <strong>Jamie, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76">Rawthigh</span>, High, and I won't Cry</strong> are the stand outs. Rest of the songs are good, but muddled in the production.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-5648171120870725861?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-50566850874020251372009-03-14T15:15:00.023-05:002009-08-11T14:39:17.946-05:00<strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Infinity-1978 (B)</span></em></strong><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxG7FC5geI/AAAAAAAAAgU/KaR63paav-w/s1600-h/inf.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313199641170903522" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxG7FC5geI/AAAAAAAAAgU/KaR63paav-w/s200/inf.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Steve Perry</em> has arrived!! The Voice Of Rock makes his debut on Journey's 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">cd</span> <strong><em>Infinity</em></strong>. And from the first note of the first song you can tell that this is a different band. A band focused and with a mission. Finally <em>Neal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Schon</span></em> had someone who could match his high soaring guitar. And they were a match that no other band could top.<br /><strong><em>Infinity</em></strong> starts with a slow number about there hometown San Francisco, <strong>Lights</strong>. Songs like this would be the future of the band on the radio. <strong>Lights</strong> was the best way to start off the new direction. Lights showcases both <em>Perry and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Schon</span></em>, and shows what makes this band click now.<br /><em>Perry</em> shines on other songs to, the classic <strong>Wheel In The Sky</strong>, love his sky high vocal over <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Schon</span></em> solo in the song.<br /><strong>La Do <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Da</span>, Patiently, and Winds Of March</strong> again is a showcase for <em>Perry</em>. But <strong>Can Do</strong> and <strong>Opened The Door</strong> are the low part of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">cd</span>, and almost bring back the feel of the first three <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">cds</span>.<br /><em>Perry</em> isn't the only Singer in the band. <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Rolie</span></em> is still around, and shares leads with <em>Perry</em> on <strong>Feeling That Way</strong> and <strong>Anytime</strong>. Shame <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Rolie</span> </em>is reduced to this, because he is a good singer, it was just the direction the band was going in was not going to get them fame.<br />Production at times is a little heavy, and the new remasters only bring theses shortcomings more to the forefront.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SGfJ2reHbCI/AAAAAAAAAMc/lSVp-xKPHQ8/s1600-h/c734834tuxu.jpg"></a><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><em>Evolution-1979 (B-)</em></strong><br /></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxEUbPvH6I/AAAAAAAAAfU/_ftHhyT9pv0/s1600-h/evl.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313196778092175266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxEUbPvH6I/AAAAAAAAAfU/_ftHhyT9pv0/s200/evl.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />Journey's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">cd</span> saw yet another member change, this time <em>Dunbar</em> is gone on drums and <em>Steve</em> <em>Smith</em> comes in. <em>Smith</em> makes a big improvement in the sound and direction of the band. The music becomes tighter, giving the music more focus and direction. So the two Steve's have made a big impact on the music.<br /><strong><em>Evolution</em></strong> starts of with the regal instrumental <strong>Majestic</strong>. A great opening for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">cd</span>, just wish this song could have been longer. Then moves quickly into <strong>Too Late</strong>, a song about getting a new start before you can't. Reminds me a little of the <strong>Lights</strong> mood, and kinda of weird the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">cd</span> first full song is in the same mood and tone. But it is a good song, and the new drummer is very apparent.<br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Lovin</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Touchin</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Squeezin</span></strong> is a staple Journey song. The song has a great beat,<em> Neal</em> has good lick, and <em>Perry</em> pours the emotion into the song. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">na</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">na</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">na</span>...chorus ending usually has a room full people singing with, even now almost 30 years later. The live version I must say is even better, so catch the band in concert when you can.<br />Now the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">cd</span> slips for me with the rocker <strong>City Of The Angels</strong>. It just never goes anywhere, to me just a noisy mess of a song. The same <strong>When Your Alone (It Ain't Easy).</strong> Again loud, but for what reason. I do not like Neal's guitar in this song. And Perry too seems to be loud just to be loud.<br />But thankfully, the next song brings the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">cd</span> back in line. <strong>Sweet and Simple</strong> is just that, and Neal and Perry seems to be at a perfect match. <strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Lovin</span> You Is Easy</strong>, is an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">ok</span> song, but the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">cd</span> brings next a Rollie and Perry duet (for lack of a better word), that rocks. And is better than the two they did together on the last <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">cd</span>, <strong><em>INFINITY</em></strong>.<br />But again the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">cd</span> fails to keep up the pace, and the closing last 3 songs are mediocre and best, <strong>Do</strong> <strong>You Recall</strong>, is the better of the last three. <strong>Daydream </strong>and <strong>Lady Luck</strong> are just poor songwriting.<br />Production is better on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">cd</span>. If the songwriting had been a little bet better, it would have put it on the same level as <strong><em>INFINITY</em></strong>. I guess the main difference between the two are, <strong>INFINITY</strong> had more songs that were better, and <strong><em>EVOLUTION</em></strong> had some that were very good, but also had so that were very weak. So I give the advantage to <strong>INFINITY.</strong><br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Departure-1980 (B)</span></em></strong><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxEF98a85I/AAAAAAAAAfE/w2FLIbBg3Yk/s1600-h/dep.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313196529708364690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxEF98a85I/AAAAAAAAAfE/w2FLIbBg3Yk/s200/dep.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><strong>DEPARTURE </strong>is keyboardists <em>Greg Rollie's</em> last recording with the band. And the band turns in a tighter performance than on any previous <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">cd</span>. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">cd</span> starts off with a bang, <strong>Any Way You</strong> <strong>Want It</strong> is a very driven song. Driven by high powerful vocals, hard riffs that drive the music home, a pounding bass line, and mixed into this is some great keys by Rollie.<br />The next song <strong>Walks Like A Lady</strong> changes pace to an almost R &amp; B feel, and <em>Ross</em>' bass and <em>Smith's</em> drums bring out the best of the song, and again some good keyboard work by Rollie. And speaking of Rollie, this is probably his best work to date. But that doesn't save the next to songs, which fall flat.<br /><strong>Someday Soon</strong> even with the great vocal work, is a no show. And <strong>People And Places</strong> is just boring.<br />Thankfully the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">cd</span> picks up again and <strong>Precious Time</strong> kicks it back into gear, and <strong>Where Were</strong> <strong>You</strong> slaps it into overdrive. <strong><em>DEPARTURE</em></strong> is Journeys hardest rocking <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">cd</span> to this point. They have gotten away from the jazz rock of the early <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">cds</span>. And each <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">cd</span> sells more and more. One of the things that has helped the band to this point is the one two combination of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Schon</span> and Perry combo, with a little Rollie thrown in. And a good example of this is <strong>I'm Crying</strong>.<br /><strong>I'm Crying</strong> is big, bad, loud, overexerted, and awesome!!!! The song is just Perry at his best, with rest of the band following along. Neal axe work is menacing and haunting at the same time. Best song on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">cd</span>.<br /><strong>In The Line Of Fire</strong> is another good fast paced rocker. This song is a ball of energy that is set to explode.<br />But the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">cd</span> slows with the instrumental Departure, and goes into the vocal showcase <strong>Good</strong> <strong>Morning Girl</strong>, another example of why Perry is "The Voice of Rock". This is followed by the ballads <strong>Stay Awhile</strong>, which is a very nice laid back song, showing the possibility of future songs like <strong>Faithfully and Open Arms</strong>.<br />But the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">cd</span> ends on a sour note with Homemade Love. A sort of boogie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">woogie</span> song that goes nowhere.<br />This <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">cd</span> is on the level of <strong><em>INFINITY</em></strong>, but the production at times seems hollow and shallow, taking away at times from the music. But musically, this was there best to this point.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Captured-1980 (B+)</span></em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxD2hXQhrI/AAAAAAAAAe0/Dhai-dCkiow/s1600-h/cap.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313196264338261682" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxD2hXQhrI/AAAAAAAAAe0/Dhai-dCkiow/s200/cap.bmp" border="0" /></a> Journey's live <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">cd</span> <strong><em>CAPTURED</em></strong> is a great name for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">cd</span>. They have captured a true Journey concert, they show the band how they really are, fun and rocking. They take you on a ride that is easy to get into. Not only is Journey hyped on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">cd</span>, but the fans are too.<br />When I listen to a live recording there are things I listen for. 1) how does the band sound, does it sound like the band on the studio <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">cds</span>. 2) What new things do they bring to the songs. 3) Are the songs at least as good as the original. 4) How do they interact with the crowd. 5) And how raw or polished the sound is.<br /><strong>CAPTURED</strong> succeeds on just about every level. Just about every song on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">cd</span> is as good as the original. With a few surpassing the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">original</span>. <strong>Line Of Fire, Lights/Stay Awhile, Walks Like A</strong> <strong>Lady, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">Lovin</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">Touchin</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">Squeezin</span>, and Wheel In The Sky</strong> all surpass the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">original</span>. <strong>Any Way You Want</strong> on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">cd</span> is one of the few live versions of the song that come off good, they nail it here.<br /><strong>Do You Recall and Dixie Highway</strong> are the downers on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">cd</span>. Rest of the songs are good and tight. Perry is in true form vocally, and he knows how to work a crowd. Neal a good short solo, and on the record and tape there is a good Ross/Smith instrumental.<br />The whole concert has a very live feel to it, and makes for a great listen.<br />The new song, <strong>The Part's over (Hopelessly In Love)</strong> starts out one way then about midway <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">thru</span> changes beat and direction, as the songs lyrics slides to another take on the song. This works good too. Rollie plays on the concert part, but a studio musician feels the keys on the new studio song. Over all the best <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">cd</span> of the Rollie era.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Escape-1981 (A+)</span></em></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxEMGz15GI/AAAAAAAAAfM/RPwsPBXWeRc/s1600-h/esc.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313196635167515746" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxEMGz15GI/AAAAAAAAAfM/RPwsPBXWeRc/s200/esc.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><em>Escape</em></strong> is my favorite Journey <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">cd</span>, and my second favorite <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">cd</span> of all time. Only Styx' The Grand Illusion stands in front of it. Journey is also keyboardist <em>Jonathan Cain's</em> first <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">cd</span> with the band. This <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">cd</span> is a harder rock album of all the previous <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">cds</span> by the band. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">cd</span> also has 3 top ten hits and 2 other songs make the top 40. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">cd</span> was also the bands first #1 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">cd</span>. Even to this day, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">cd</span> still makes the top 10 on the catalog charts.<br />There is not a bad song on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">cd</span>. There is no filler on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">cd</span>. There is nothing but great music on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64">cd</span>. Neal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65">Schon</span> and Steve Perry have never sounded better together, and haven't sounded this good since then. This whole <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66">cd</span> was magic.<br /><strong>Open Arms</strong> is the power ballads of all power ballads. Some say it was the song that started power ballads, I would put that up for debate. But one thing you can't debate is the power of this simple love song. No wonder it sat at the #2 spot for 6 weeks. Steve's vocals soar on this song.<br /><strong>Still They Ride</strong> is another prime example of Steve's vocals. They bring this song to life, and Neal's guitar work on this is stunning. <strong>Still They Ride</strong> is one of my all time favorite songs by the band.<br /><strong>Don't Stop <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67">Believin</span>'</strong> is my all time favorite Journey song, and at one time probably half of the free worlds. This song still charts today. It is hard to ignore, with it piano intro, Steve's tenor, and Neal's fiery guitar hook, all of this within about a minute into the song. And the song just keeps getting better.<br />One of Neal's best solos is one<strong> Who's Crying Now</strong>, fantastic. But I must say this is one of the very few "hit" Journey song's I'm tired of nowadays. It is still a great song, always will be, but it has grown old to me. I can only listen to it maybe once or twice a month now.<br />Rest of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68">cd</span> is just awesome, to the opening riffs of <strong>Stone In Love</strong> to it's angelic guitar ending. Every song has something special about it. Lay It Down has Perry vocals soaring higher and higher and Neal throws down. I could just keep going on about the songs on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69">cd</span>.<br />Cain present is quickly felt, the keys are now more of a lead instrument and less of a background instrument. More piano is present too. Rest of the band has never sounded better. And Rock has never sounded better.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Frontiers-1983 (A-)</span></em></strong><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxEmeoQ5nI/AAAAAAAAAfk/AhRRFY-i5N8/s1600-h/fron.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313197088238003826" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxEmeoQ5nI/AAAAAAAAAfk/AhRRFY-i5N8/s200/fron.bmp" border="0" /></a>Journey's 1983 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70">cd</span> is a another rocker from the band. The hit their stride with their last <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71">cd</span> <strong>ESCAPE</strong>, and keep it going here. There are plenty of well known songs on this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72">cd</span>, <strong>Faithfully</strong>, <strong>Separate Ways, Send Her My Love, and After The Fall</strong>. The first two are songs that are recognized within the first two seconds of the song. The first is a strong uptempo rocker, with some of Jonathan's best keyboard work. And Faithfully is another Cain showcase.<br />What is also a nice surprise is the no charting songs. <strong>Edge Of The Blade</strong> has a good guitar lick running in it, and this song jams. <strong>Trouble Child</strong> has some of drummer's Steve Smiths best work, and does Trouble Child.<br /><strong>Rubicon</strong> is an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73">ok</span> song, and I really don't care for the title track. But over all this is a great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74">cd</span>.<br />Also a very nice surprise is on the re release of this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75">cd</span>, they included the two songs that were suppose to original be on it, <strong>Only The Young </strong>and <strong>Ask The Lonely. </strong>This <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76">cd</span> could have been on the same level with <strong>Escape, </strong>if the record companies had played there cards right.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Raised On Radio-1986 (B)</span></em></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxE_O8V0lI/AAAAAAAAAf0/LRV2P5L-E5s/s1600-h/ror.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313197513523974738" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxE_O8V0lI/AAAAAAAAAf0/LRV2P5L-E5s/s200/ror.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong><em>RAISED ON RADIO</em></strong> is either an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_77">ok</span> soft Journey <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_78">cd</span>, or Steve Perry's greatest solo <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_79">cd</span>. Either way it is a good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_80">cd</span>. <strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_81">ROR</span></strong> has a lot of hits on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_82">cd</span>. And the hits are the strong points of this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_83">cd</span>. <strong>Be Good To Yourself</strong> is a nice little rock song that is in the classic Journey vein. With<strong>I'll Be Alright</strong> <strong>out You</strong> is my favorite song off the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_84">cd</span>, and has a more rhythm and blues fell to it, with nice guitar work in it from Neal.<strong> Girl Can't Help It</strong> has some of Perry's best vocals on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_85">cd</span>, and the song has nice pacing through it. <strong>Suzanne</strong> is the least liked of the hits for me. <strong>Why Can't</strong> <strong>This Night Go On Forever</strong> is my second favorite song off the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_86">cd</span>, and has Perry's best vocals on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_87">cd</span>. But it is once you get past the hits that the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_88">cd</span> starts to fail. The hits sound more like Journey music, the album cuts sound more like Perry's solo work.<br /><strong>Positive Touch</strong> has a nice bouncy beat to it that is helped along Jon's piano, but other than that the song is flat. The title track is gibberish. <strong>It Could Have Been You</strong> has Neal doing some catchy guitar work, but the song goes nowhere. Rest of the songs are good, but good for Journey is what other groups wish for, but for Journey, it is just not good enough.<br /><p><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><em>Greatest Hits-1988 (A+)</em></strong><br /></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxGfH3GlDI/AAAAAAAAAgM/mzuroSx9_pg/s1600-h/m00448y7f0z.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313199160890397746" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 129px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 135px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxGfH3GlDI/AAAAAAAAAgM/mzuroSx9_pg/s200/m00448y7f0z.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Of all the Greatest hits <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_89">cds</span> out there from this group and all the other groups in the world, this is my favorite hits package! Period, THE END. Anything that has been been to top 40 radio for the group, has just about made it. From start to finish, this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_90">cd</span> stays cranked up. All of the Perry ear hits are here. Plus the then no album hits by the band <strong>Ask The lonely and Only The Young. </strong></p><p>his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_91">cd</span> was released again after <strong><em>Trail By Fire</em></strong> to include the top 10 hit <strong>When You Love A Woman.</strong></p><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Time 3-1992 (A-)</span></em></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxEbOxK-bI/AAAAAAAAAfc/v9LoUu9CJSo/s1600-h/f75820x9hct.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313196895001835954" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 170px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxEbOxK-bI/AAAAAAAAAfc/v9LoUu9CJSo/s200/f75820x9hct.jpg" border="0" /></a>Great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_92">cd</span>! All the top 40 plus a lot of rock radio and fan favorites not on the <strong><em>Greatest Hits </em></strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_93">cd</span> are here. Plus about 11 or so unreleased (at least at the time this came out) songs. Most are pretty good. Stand outs from those songs are <strong>Good Times, Natural Thing, La <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_94">Raza</span> Del Sol, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_95">Liberity</span>. </strong>Plus a few that should have stayed <span style="color:#ffff00;">unreleased</span> <strong>With A Tear, Only Solutions, and Into Your Arms. </strong>Everything from the beginning to the end in the late 80's is here.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Trail By Fire-1996 (C-)</span></em></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxFJZYN-bI/AAAAAAAAAf8/xzZX-fvonwM/s1600-h/tbf.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313197688123947442" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxFJZYN-bI/AAAAAAAAAf8/xzZX-fvonwM/s200/tbf.jpg" border="0" /></a>In 1996 Journey came roaring back onto the scene. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_96">cd</span> went to #3 and they had a hit single with <strong>When You Love A Woman</strong>. I listened to this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_97">cd</span> a lot. Back then I thought the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_98">cd</span> was THE BOMB, now I realise it is just A BOMB.<br />This <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_99">cd</span> starts out hard and fast with one of their best rockers in years, <strong>Message of love</strong>. What is there not to like about this song. It also has one of the coolest intro to any song, Journey or other band.<br /><strong>One More</strong> is a more modern day rocker that uses Perry raspier voice to good effect. Neal is just awesome on this one.<br /><strong>When You Love A Woman</strong> slows things down, but still keeps the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_100">cd</span> very alive. This song ranks up there with some the all time Journey ballads. Perry and the band sound great.<br />But I see now days that after this 1-2-3 punch the cd just falls apart. Back in '96 I guess I was just ready for a new Journey cd, that Perry singing the phone book would have been good.<br /><strong>Castles Burning</strong> tries to recapture the fire of the first two songs, but instead of being a blaze, it is just a lot of smoke with not much heat. Perry sounds good, and Neal's playing is good, but this song is just missing something. Maybe direction, since it really goes nowhere. I guess the same could be said for most of the cd. They never reach the strike of the first 3 songs, or the magic of their former cds.<br /><strong>It's Just The Rain</strong> and <strong>Still She Cries</strong> could have been so much better. But as far as rest of the songs I have not mentioned, really they are not worth mentioning.<br /><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><em>Greatest Hits Live-1998 (B-)</em></strong><br /></span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxD8CancsI/AAAAAAAAAe8/hOIPLwzmCTw/s1600-h/d95576ip4j4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313196359110062786" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxD8CancsI/AAAAAAAAAe8/hOIPLwzmCTw/s200/d95576ip4j4.jpg" border="0" /></a> When this cd first came out I loved it. But now after listening to boots (there are alot better out there than this) and a lot of other concert shows, I find this rather a BIG dissapointment. The notes say recorded from two different shows. You can tell too, by the audience noise. The sticker also said (at the time I bought it) <em>Journey's biggest hits recorded live on their comback tour.</em> The problem with that was <strong><em>Trail By Fire </em></strong>was their comeback cd and they did not tour off of it. And the songs are from the Frontiers tour.<br />Band and Perry both sound good, but this is not Journey at their best.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour-2006 (A)</span></em></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxGNKIiOhI/AAAAAAAAAgE/UEEk6VGl5kM/s1600-h/h29038x0nxs.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313198852262738450" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 196px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxGNKIiOhI/AAAAAAAAAgE/UEEk6VGl5kM/s200/h29038x0nxs.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />A 2 disk speical, 1 cd and 1 dvd. A lot better set that the above <strong><em>Graetest Hits Live</em></strong> cd. The band is hot and Perry has never sounded better. Whether they are playing the slow songs or the fast ones, the band is hot!! A very good snap shot in time of the band at the top of their game.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">The Essential Journey [Limited Edition 3.0]-2008 (A-)</span></em></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxEvm7Bl_I/AAAAAAAAAfs/hh5fq8VKDIM/s1600-h/l81734v02cv.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313197245082998770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 179px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbxEvm7Bl_I/AAAAAAAAAfs/hh5fq8VKDIM/s200/l81734v02cv.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Nothing new here just cover everyhting that Perry was invloved in. Th orginal version of this cd was 2 disks, but after the live Houston cd, they went with 3 cds. It all good and worth picking up.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-5056685087402025137?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-38226294605283087312009-03-14T08:41:00.007-05:002009-08-11T14:40:00.214-05:00<div><strong><em>JOURNEY (C-)</em></strong><br /></div><div></div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sbu2nXio75I/AAAAAAAAAeE/LR0udk4Ik7A/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313040972864090002" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sbu2nXio75I/AAAAAAAAAeE/LR0udk4Ik7A/s200/untitled.bmp" border="0" /></a>Journey's first cd was sure different from what people think of Journey today. There was two guitarist Neal Schon and George Tickner (who was only on this one cd), there was no Steve "The Machine Gun" Smith on drums, it was Ansley Dunbar (for 4 cds). Also no Jonathan Cain who would help write the big sweeping ballads. Greg Rollie was on the keyboards and handling lead vocals, so that meant no Steve Perry. Journey was not the hit machine they would become known as.<br />On their first 3 cds without Perry they had this progressive, jazz type rock that at times worked pretty good for the band. On the first cd the hit and miss is very apparent.<br /><strong>Mystery Mountain</strong> and <strong>Of A Lifetime</strong> are two very good songs that show the good musicianship of the band. But of the seven songs on the release, only four of them have vocals. <strong>Kohoutek</strong> is the best of the instrumentals, the others are ok at best.<br />This is not a bad cd, but the jams on most of the songs at times seem a little too long. The production is not the best either, everything seems "low" in the mix . But like I said not bad.<br /><br /><div><strong><em>Look Into The Future (C+)</em></strong></div><br /><div><strong><em></em></strong><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sbu2TP_d4jI/AAAAAAAAAd0/BjZ78iufWT4/s1600-h/2.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313040627240133170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sbu2TP_d4jI/AAAAAAAAAd0/BjZ78iufWT4/s200/2.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />The 2nd Journey cd is just a hair bit better than their first cd. They still have that progressive jazz rock feel to them. And like the first cd it's a lot of hit and miss. And again it is about 50% good/bad. Greg's vocals are better this time around, and Neal is the only guitarist too, that is how it should be anyway. Neal is<em> the</em> best axe men out their, in my opinion.<br /><strong>On A Saturday Night</strong> starts out the cd, and if anything was to be commercial off the pre-Perry cds, this is their best chance. One almost wants to sing along with this song. <strong>She Makes Me</strong> <strong>Feel Alright</strong> is another decent song as is <strong>Anyway. I'm Gonna Leave You</strong> is also a classic Journey song, that Perry fans have never heard of.<br />Production seems more level this time around, but still not much of an improvement over the last cd. Overall, you can walk away with some decent songs on this cd.</div><br /><div><strong><em>Next (D-)<br /></em></strong><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SF8glinux0I/AAAAAAAAAJw/eP6Cswm9QQI/s1600-h/k48289orp6x.jpg"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sbu2b06d0OI/AAAAAAAAAd8/5aCHxJUwfrQ/s1600-h/3.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313040774590222562" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sbu2b06d0OI/AAAAAAAAAd8/5aCHxJUwfrQ/s200/3.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />Journey's 3rd cd Next, is my least favorite cd from the band. There is only one song that I like on this cd. That song is <strong>Nickle and Dime</strong>. And the reason I like Nickel and Dime is... Take a very close listen to it. <strong>Tom Sawyer</strong> mean anything to you? Rush took the idea of this song and made it into their best know song <strong>Tom Sawyer</strong>, from the <em>MOVING PICTURES</em> cd. Rest of the songs, no direction, no good vocals, no idea of what they should be doing.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-3822629460528308731?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-19364667145679311062009-03-13T18:05:00.007-05:002009-07-17T13:25:41.437-05:00<strong><span style="font-family:georgia;">BAD ENGLISH</span></strong><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sbrs52MbHrI/AAAAAAAAAds/GtlfcoXI28I/s1600-h/P04417YHY98.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312819188981243570" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 195px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sbrs52MbHrI/AAAAAAAAAds/GtlfcoXI28I/s200/P04417YHY98.jpg" border="0" /></a> During Journey's decade long breakup in the late 80's, Neal Schon (guitar) and Jonathan Cain (Keys) teamed up with vocalist John Waite and bassist Ricky Phillips who were the group The Baby's with Cain . Thus was born the super group Bad English, after adding Deen Castronovo on drums (who would later join Journey when they reformed). Bad English was more known for their power ballads, which is a shame, cause this band could rock. Like Journey before, Schon was the back bone to this group, and gave the music, much needed balls (like in Journey). But the radio seemed to skip over that part of the band and go with the heart of the music, which like in Journey, Cain was the man. Surprisingly Waite, who in my opinion was never a strong vocalist, provided the soul to the music (much like Journey's soul master, Steve Perry). Waite was able to hold his own with Schon and Cain and make some of the best power ballads ever. Power ballad aren't any good without heart and soul, and the balls to push out this sweet sappy stuff. And all of this was on the first cd. Bad English could have made a good run of cds, but seemed to just give up when things didn't go their way with the second cd.<br /><div><div><div><br /><div><div><div><div></div><p><strong><em>BAD ENGLISH (A+)</em></strong></p><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbrsslI6hMI/AAAAAAAAAdk/AklJ16LAj2g/s1600-h/k46400xbvry.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312818961064821954" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbrsslI6hMI/AAAAAAAAAdk/AklJ16LAj2g/s200/k46400xbvry.jpg" border="0" /></a>Bad English's debut cd is one of my all time favorite cds. This cd is just simply awe inspiring. And why can't this cd be great?!? It has 2/3's of Journey's hit makers Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon, and Journey's drummer Deen Castronovo. Plus Ricky Phillips on bass (Styx's ) and on vocals John Waite.<br />The cd starts out with the hard hitter <strong>Best Of What I Got</strong>, and it just keeps going on from there. <strong>Lay Down</strong> and <strong>Rockin Horse, Tough Times Don't Last</strong> are other big rockers. These rockers have the big sound plus the get down.<br />Also with the big sound, are the power ballads <strong>When I See You Smile, Ghost In Your Heart,</strong> <strong>Possession,</strong> and <strong>The Price Of Love</strong> (which has one of Neal's best solos).<br />The other songs hold up very good too. <strong>Don't Walk Away</strong> and <strong>The Restless Ones</strong> sound more like Waite solo than a Journey type songs, but still hold up good. Heck, this whole cd stand up well to the test of time.<br />A great cd from the band<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbrsSQ8L_OI/AAAAAAAAAdU/IA1CfgDcYec/s1600-h/d74586s86mf.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312818508966132962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbrsSQ8L_OI/AAAAAAAAAdU/IA1CfgDcYec/s200/d74586s86mf.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong><em>BACKLASH (B-)</em></strong><br />The cd is a dim journey for the band. Their first cd seemed hard and big, this one has a darker edge. Even though some of the songs were very Journeys, they didn't seem to have the heart of Journey or the their first cd.<br /><br /><br /></div><div><strong>So This Is Eden</strong> is a hard rocking Hotel California updated song, that goes in to the spoils of stardom, so yeah this song should be dark, but the ballads <strong>Like Time Stand Still,</strong> and <strong>Time</strong> <strong>Alone With You</strong>, are also downers, even though they have some very good acoustic guitar work by Neil. <strong>Straight Thru Your Heart</strong> comes straight from the Journey playbook, it still carries an undertow, take almost takes the heart out of the song. <strong>Dancing Off The Edge Of The</strong> <strong>World</strong>, about a hot woman on the dance floor, is about how all the men treat her.<br />Those are the first five songs, but they can not lift up the second half of the cd. Some good attempts with <strong>Make Love Last</strong> and <strong>Pray For Rain</strong>, but given the half hearted attempts at the songs on the last part, and the over all darkness of the cd, it just isn't a fun listen. This cd, even though it has some good songs, just can not match what all of these guys have done in the past. I only pull this cd out when I am in a down mood and really don't want to be cheered up.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOAo7okbY6I/AAAAAAAAAQU/c8FVOajkK3M/s1600-h/i10851o2h5w.jpg"></a><strong><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbrshG1qnkI/AAAAAAAAAdc/s_U3AsHbN7I/s1600-h/i10851o2h5w.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312818763952463426" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbrshG1qnkI/AAAAAAAAAdc/s_U3AsHbN7I/s200/i10851o2h5w.jpg" border="0" /></a>GREATEST HITS (A-)</strong><br />Kind of weird that a group that has only 2 cds has a 2cd hit package. But they do. Actually they have 2 different hit packages. Both are the same on the first cd. But the 2002 has the extra cd that the 2003 doesn't have. Plus the 2002 is cheaper too!?! Go figure. The 2002 is the better, for the extra songs and better price. Plus it includes the radio remix of <strong>The Price Of Love</strong> on the extra cd.<br />So pick it up, the mixtures of the songs together from <strong>BACKLASH</strong> and <strong>BAD ENGLISH</strong>, actually given the over cd a better grade, since a lot of the darkness of <strong>BACKLASH</strong> is lessened when listened with the first cd.<br /><br /><strong><em>UNRELEASED</em></strong><br /><br />Bad English only released two cds of new music before the band broke up. Both the cds BAD ENGLISH and BACKLASH are worth buying, or you can pick up the 2002 hits cd. But the group never got a live cd out there. The band was awesome live. So I listed below the shows I have and included a down loadable link to the RESTLESS ONES show.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOFg7zLH-3I/AAAAAAAAAQs/j1fQSbGoM9c/s1600-h/bad+english+new+jersey+89.jpg"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbrrKHUTM7I/AAAAAAAAAc0/aXFwS9pqw-c/s1600-h/bad_english_new_jersey_89.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312817269432333234" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 116px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 102px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbrrKHUTM7I/AAAAAAAAAc0/aXFwS9pqw-c/s200/bad_english_new_jersey_89.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong>WHEN I SEE YOU SMILE</strong> - This is a radio broadcast from 1989. Good sounding boot. John forgets the lyrics in one of the songs.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOFhhKyUT0I/AAAAAAAAAQ8/3y4Rp8WrN_c/s1600-h/bad+english+restless+ones.jpg"></a><br /></div><strong></strong><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div><strong><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbrrrZSzmmI/AAAAAAAAAc8/v643vBDw60o/s1600-h/bad_english_restless_ones.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312817841193589346" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 144px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 148px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbrrrZSzmmI/AAAAAAAAAc8/v643vBDw60o/s200/bad_english_restless_ones.jpg" border="0" /></a>THE RESTLESS ONES</strong> - The best of the Bad English shows, band sounds alive and like they are having a blast up on stage. Show is from 9-15-89. Link is below, has 15 tracks and front and back artwork.<br /><a href="http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IP4QVLZ8">www.megaupload.com/?d=IP4QVLZ8</a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOFgwBjNGzI/AAAAAAAAAQk/-WGoPasygzg/s1600-h/bad+english+91.jpg"></a></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sbrq7OLDlzI/AAAAAAAAAcs/XWl-lQZFSCE/s1600-h/bad_english_91.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312817013574571826" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 148px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 144px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/Sbrq7OLDlzI/AAAAAAAAAcs/XWl-lQZFSCE/s200/bad_english_91.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong></strong></div><div><br /><strong>Live At The Pavilion</strong> - Recorded in Concord, CA on 4-14-91. this was recorded just weeks before Backlash came out and the band fell apart. Were the above two shows are FM or SB, this show is an audience recorded show, and you can here two goofballs talking at times.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOFhV7jjOtI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/w65EuNizIZ0/s1600-h/be5.bmp"></a><br /><strong></strong></div><div><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbrsKjauieI/AAAAAAAAAdM/16zIdUjH_Ck/s1600-h/be5.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312818376487111138" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 115px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SbrsKjauieI/AAAAAAAAAdM/16zIdUjH_Ck/s200/be5.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong>The Lost Tapes</strong> - This cd is suppose to be demos that never made it onto a Bad English cd. Some songs sound like John Waite solo material (maybe they hadn't been Schonized yet). But some tracks, you can clearly hear Schon's playing. In doubt about this "whole" cd. </div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-1936466714567931106?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-43961600042123167202009-01-30T14:57:00.007-06:002009-07-17T13:27:11.920-05:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SYNuKdBCaZI/AAAAAAAAAak/ag4UOHQiZEA/s1600-h/e02253jmb9e.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297198712584563090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SYNuKdBCaZI/AAAAAAAAAak/ag4UOHQiZEA/s200/e02253jmb9e.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Never been a Baby's fan. Never even knew who they were until the debut Bad English cd came out. I was very impressed with that cd, so much so, that I went and bought or listened too just about everything John Waite did. John Waite's solo career has been hit or miss, more miss in terms of popular music, but he really has had some good songs. But with the Baby's it was the other way around. He had more hits with that group than he did solo. But to me the songs are pretty lame.</div><br /><br /><div>That is the problem with this anthology cd, by the band, cause for the most part, if it wasn't a radio hit, it is pretty much not worth listening too. Another problem, too many songs, The Baby's only had a handful of hits, not the 17 songs on this cd, so there is a lot of filler. Third this is the cd version of the same release many years earlier, and that is a better one to take home, cause it is just the hits. </div><br /><br /><div>But there is some good out of this. The songs sound better (remastered?), and a more detailed booklet than the original release. There is one or two non-hit gems on here, but really the cd should have been cut off at 10 or 11 songs.</div><br /><br /><div>Wish I could say a lot more good about this cd, but I can't..</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Grade <strong>B</strong></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-4396160004212316720?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-46703540087402854812009-01-08T10:51:00.033-06:002009-07-27T09:49:54.666-05:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZv0V3Gu1LI/AAAAAAAAAb8/MfBKJNLKpG4/s1600-h/kevinblue.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304101642565506226" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 173px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZv0V3Gu1LI/AAAAAAAAAb8/MfBKJNLKpG4/s200/kevinblue.jpg" border="0" /></a> Kevin Chalfant, in my opinion is one of the greatest singers out there. The man has a golden voice, that can be soft or powerful, and a range to match. Not many people know of Kevin, but he has been around for many years, singing in bands like <strong>The Storm, Two Fires, 707, Steel Breeze, and Shooting Star. </strong>I may not know the whole story, but I can say I know a lot of his music. Kevin was rumored to take Steve Perry's place back in 88 when Perry left the group Journey. Then in the mid 90's before Journey's Trial By Fire cd, Kevin was in the group doing a few shows for the band. The band was to start recording with Kevin, when Perry decided he wanted back in Journey, so they sent Kevin packing, along with Gregg Rollie. Would have loved to have heard a Kevin lead Journey, with Neal, John, Gregg, Smith, and Ross on cd and stage. But it was not meant to be. And yet again when Perry bailed on the Trail tour they went with Steve Augeri (who had a good run with Journey). And yet again when Augeri lost his voice on the Generations tour, the call went out to Kevin, who this time couldn't be there on Journey's time frame. Again, with Augeri and Jeff Scott Soto out of the picture, I was once again hoping for a Kevin led Journey, but again, it is not meant to be.<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Even without Journey, Kevin has put out some fantastic cds, and some of them have been done with past and present members of Journey. The cds I have by Kevin are reviewed below, and I can strongly recommend buying his cds. If your a Journey fan, there are times when his music is more Journey than Journey themself.<br /></div><div><strong><em>SOLO CDS</em></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color:#006600;">Running With The Wind (A-)</span></strong><br /></div><div>This cd was done be<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZvzoMFIPlI/AAAAAAAAAa8/WTV-mNDPCKw/s1600-h/f88731d4337.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304100857921945170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZvzoMFIPlI/AAAAAAAAAa8/WTV-mNDPCKw/s200/f88731d4337.jpg" border="0" /></a>tween Storm cds, and has a more laid back feel to this cd when compared to the two Storm cds. The first 5 songs on the cd are just plain great. The soul coming from Kevin's voice is beyond belief. Kevin shows he is not a Steve Perry clone, although the compression will always be there. Kevin takes a natural approach to his singing being more his self, than trying to sound like Perry.</div><div><strong>Love Changes Everything</strong> is a good example of this. On this cd, he is more himself, which is always a good thing. Kevin voice shows such power on this song and through out the cd.</div><div>The last 4 songs fail to match the power of the first 5, but still come across strong. It is just that the first half of the cd is very strong, and over shadows the second half of the cd. The only song on the cd, I usually skip is <strong>Hurricane, </strong>which is the only weak link to a other wise great cd.</div><div><br /><strong><span style="color:#006600;">Shadows Fade (A-)</span></strong></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SamLF3_SXqI/AAAAAAAAAcU/eWsQBYWejko/s1600-h/g93055e1tkg.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307926568877842082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SamLF3_SXqI/AAAAAAAAAcU/eWsQBYWejko/s200/g93055e1tkg.jpg" border="0" /></a> This is a treasure indeed. <strong>Twisted Again</strong> starts the cd off on the right foot. Awesome vocals and a very powerful song. <strong>Sooner Or Later </strong>is another good rocker. The cd rocks for the most part and very uptempo. Best guitar work since the Storm days. <strong>Speak </strong>shows off the miracle that is Kevin's voice. My only complaint, is that the cd is a little heaver in production than what I am use to with Kevin, but it doesn't take away from the music or the voice.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><strong><span style="color:#006600;">Back to Square One (A)</span></strong><br /></div><div>This a Christian hymn cd of traditional songs like <strong>I Have Decide To Follow Jesus, How Great Thou Art, At The Cross, Just As I Am, </strong>are just some of the 10 hymns on this awesome cd. When I saw <strong>How Great Thou Art </strong>was on this cd, I was both excited about it and dreading it. I didn't know how Kevin would sing it. Go for the Elvis live cut on the basic hymn. I was wanting the Elvis and also hoping he wouldn't do it. And by Elvis, I mean vocally cut loose, and rip the song. But he didn't. And really that is a good thing, because this is praise cd of worship. And vocally showing off would be defeating the purpose and putting the spot light on you and not Christ.</div><div>The term Back square one means to go back to the beginning, and in today's age when some Christian rock can not be told from regular rock, this cd is a true pleasure to hear.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong><span style="color:#006600;">Christmas With Friends (A)</span></strong></div><div>My favorite Christmas cd. Traditional songs and rockin Christmas songs all on one cd. Kevin brings them all to life in awe inspiring vocals. This cd is in heavy rotation every year from Thanksgiving to Christmas. The best out there.</div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color:#006600;">Fly 2 Freedom (A)</span></strong></div><div>Kevin has often <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZvzwJO32cI/AAAAAAAAAbE/Blkh0kuZkvo/s1600-h/fly.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304100994596460994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZvzwJO32cI/AAAAAAAAAbE/Blkh0kuZkvo/s200/fly.jpg" border="0" /></a>been compared to Steve Perry through out his career, and now he has done a Journey tribute cd. Journey's hits are here and we get to see how Kevin would have done fronting Journey. Don't Stop Believing', Faithfully, Lights, Open Arms, and Send Her My Love are the stand outs on this cd. But it is Separate Ways (an awesome Journey song) that falls flat. Kevin does a stand up job on the song but it the retro fluffy keyboards that really hurts the song, the song is still very listenable, but it takes away a lot of the punch that this song is known for. Rest of the cd and its songs come off very good.</div><div>Some have gotten mad over Kevin doing these songs, trying to be Perry, but they have the wrong idea. this is a cd of tribute to one of the greatest bands out there, by one of the greatest voices paying homage to another great voice. This cd isn't meant to replace your Journey collection, but give others take on the songs. And this take is very good indeed.<br /><br /><strong><em>with the Storm. </em></strong><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZv0bsdsxqI/AAAAAAAAAcE/W-qo0VWKDi8/s1600-h/stormoriginal.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304101742788265634" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 108px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZv0bsdsxqI/AAAAAAAAAcE/W-qo0VWKDi8/s200/stormoriginal.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><strong></strong><div><strong><span style="color:#006600;">The Storm (A)</span></strong></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SamLgUIASlI/AAAAAAAAAcc/SpDYjdoZbCg/s1600-h/The-Storm.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307927023107197522" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SamLgUIASlI/AAAAAAAAAcc/SpDYjdoZbCg/s200/The-Storm.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>When I first heard the lead off single for this cd, <strong>I've Got A Lot To Learn About Love, </strong>I just knew that Journey was back inaction with Steve Perry. I went in the music store asking for the new Journey cd, no body knew what I was talking about, until I mentioned the song on the radio. They handed the <strong>Storm</strong> cd to me and I sat in the car listening to it, before going home. I was blown away!! How could a group sound this much like Journey and <em>not </em>be Journey. <strong>You Keep Me Waiting, </strong>awesome song to open the cd with, and it just got better. Kevin never heard of him till I listened to this cd, and I have been a fan ever since, buying new and back catalog cds by him. Steve Smith and Ross Valory sounded tight together, but they should, they were Journey's rhythm section for over 10 years. Ramos, a great axeman had enough of Neal Schon's sound to add to the Journey sound. But the big surprise was Greg Rollie. Greg never sounded better on keys, and turned in his best vocals up to that point. His lead vocals on<strong> In The Raw, Call Me, Take Me Away, Still Loving You,</strong>are smooth, yet emotional. Better than anything he has done with Journey or solo. But the BIG winner was Kevin, him and Rolie teamed up vocals on some songs for the pure-Escape feel of Journey. But when Kevin was alone on vocals, in that time he was untouchable. Two of the most vocally stunning songs were <strong>Show Me The Way </strong>and the closing song <strong>Can't Live Without Love. </strong>Those songs showed that Kevin could handle Perry legacy. The Storm did Journey has good as Journey if not better.</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><strong><span style="color:#006600;">Eye of the Storm (A+)</span></strong></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZvzi4EiGXI/AAAAAAAAAa0/R7qs_yfzhMc/s1600-h/d13112sx501.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304100766651390322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZvzi4EiGXI/AAAAAAAAAa0/R7qs_yfzhMc/s200/d13112sx501.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>This cd is even better their debut cd, and that was great. Ever song has a purpose and that is to please. <strong>Don't Give Up </strong>starts of the cd a rockin and the cd never really lets you down from there. The band sound even more Journey like but at the same time towards their own sound.</div><div><strong>Long Time Coming </strong>is my favorite song on the cd, and one of my top songs of all time. Kevin is fantastic on this and rest of the songs. While Gregg again has some of his best vocals too. And songs like <strong>Come In Out Of The Rain, What Ya Doing Tonight, To Have And To Hold, </strong>and <strong>Give Me Tonight</strong> could have fit on any Journey cd. A Shame the band split up do to record company politics. </div><div><br /></div><div><strong><em>with Two Fires</em></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color:#006600;">Two Fires (B+)</span></strong></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SamL7WCBJlI/AAAAAAAAAck/8NrTlz6bMtg/s1600-h/h91852e30hb.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307927487475426898" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SamL7WCBJlI/AAAAAAAAAck/8NrTlz6bMtg/s200/h91852e30hb.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />A great debut cd by the band, shows a lot of promise of what is ahead for the band. CD has strong writing, playing and production. Josh shows a strong hand on the axe, and Kevin is vocally awesome. <strong>My Love Will Be There </strong>is an awesome song to open the cd, and sets the tone for rest of the in what to expect. <strong>A Mans Gotta Do What A Mans Gotta Do </strong>will have you singing along. <strong>Summer of Love, Remember, I Won't Give Up On Us </strong>are other stand out songs on this cd. Rest of the cd is pretty good, one or two songs are a little weak, but other than that....This is a cd I put in a crank up from start to finish.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><strong><span style="color:#006600;">Ignition (B-)</span></strong></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZvz0rYshGI/AAAAAAAAAbM/Jij47hLKPRY/s1600-h/g58649t69vp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304101072483943522" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 199px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZvz0rYshGI/AAAAAAAAAbM/Jij47hLKPRY/s200/g58649t69vp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>There are a few things that are disappointing about this cd. One is the songwriting, with the talent involved in this cd, Kevin and Josh, plus Survivor's Jim Peterik, one would think that this would have been an outstanding cd. But it seems to be rock by the numbers. Two is the production, after the first <strong>Two Fires</strong> cd and <strong>The Storm </strong>cds, this seems to be almost demo quality sound. But Ramos and Kevin sound awesome, just wish they were going somewhere in the song. A few of the songs seem to really have no meaning. There are some shining stars on this cd. Songs like <strong>I Will Remember You, Ignition, </strong>and <strong>I'm Falling. </strong>Rest of the songs are not skip or turn down poor, but they don't have the crank it up or sing along quality you expect from Kevin. Still not a bad cd to own, just not one of his best.</div><div><br /><strong><em>with 707</em></strong></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><strong><span style="color:#006600;">Mega Force (C-)</span></strong></div><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZvz-fnYrOI/AAAAAAAAAbc/0coskOMCDK8/s1600-h/h33038p4mxj.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304101241123024098" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 199px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZvz-fnYrOI/AAAAAAAAAbc/0coskOMCDK8/s200/h33038p4mxj.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>This is my lest favorite cd with Kevin on it. The production really bites and the so does most of the song writing. Like Shooting Star, 707 as never really been a group I have really liked or followed. The copy I have is the 2006 bonus track re-issue. If memory serves me right, the original came out in or around 82. There are several problems with this cd that I do not like. One the bonus material is pretty bad. The productions sound like it was pulled right off the LP and not remastered, has a very hollow and shallow feel to it. The songs are lame and the music is just about as lame. Kevin singing is not that good either. Sounds like it was cut vocally in one weekend, with Kevin having a cold and sore throat<br /></div><div>Having said that there are a couple of bright spots that save this cd from doom. Namely <strong>Can't Hold back </strong>and<strong> Mega Force. </strong>This very very seldom seems the inside of any of my cd players.</div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /><strong><em>with the Vu</em></strong><br /></div><div><strong><span style="color:#006600;">The Vu [Also know as Phoenix Rising by Kevin Chalfant] (B)</span></strong></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZv0OIm-9HI/AAAAAAAAAb0/3c2ZSKA-esM/s1600-h/i02904nx7sa.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304101509825229938" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZv0OIm-9HI/AAAAAAAAAb0/3c2ZSKA-esM/s200/i02904nx7sa.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>(one of several covers I have seen)<br /><br /></div><div>Kevin teams up Journeyman Ross Valory to make a solid cd. Some stand out songs are <strong>Keys to the City, Who You Gonna Believe, One Track Mind, and So Long.</strong> An early cd that should have got Kevin the Journey job back when Perry first left the band. The other songs hold there own, and there is really nothing I dislike about this cd.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong><em>with Shooting Star</em></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color:#006600;">Circles (B)</span></strong><br />I have never<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZv0DrSnA_I/AAAAAAAAAbk/ESKsELuKONE/s1600-h/h42932q2htv.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304101330156454898" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SZv0DrSnA_I/AAAAAAAAAbk/ESKsELuKONE/s200/h42932q2htv.jpg" border="0" /></a>r been a Shooting Star fan, and I was hoping that maybe with Kevin in the band that would change my mind. I have to say it did not. When I first got this cd, and the only reason I bought was due to Kevin being in the band, I was not impressed. I listened to it about 5 or 6 times and then put it up on the shelf. From time to time I would give it a play, and never really warmed up to it. But something as happened over the past year, I have started to like the cd. Guess I never really gave it time to grow on me. Maybe part of the problem was Kevin was involved in the writing of the songs, except for one. Maybe it was the production. What ever the problem was, it was either me, or I grew use to the music. <strong>Runaway</strong> and<strong> What Is Love </strong>were the stand outs on the cd. But songs such as <strong>Borrowed Time, Everybody's Crazy, Temptation, I'm A Survivor </strong>have call be songs that I play on a regular basis. While <strong>George's Song </strong>gets skipped every time, rest of the cd seems to be filler that depending on my mood is either passed on or turned down.</div><div>Kevin's singing is good as always, the music seems a little lifeless at times. The problem I have had with Shooting Star in the past. Goes to show no matter good a singer is, if the playing and/or the writing isn't any good, the cd will never be above average (look at Steve Perry's <strong>For The Love Of Strange Medicine </strong>cd). </div><div><br /><br /></div><div><strong><em><span style="color:#006600;">STEEL BREEZE</span></em></strong><br /></div><div>Still looking for this cd, been out of print for years. Downloaded their debut cd (without Kevin) the other day, and it pretty good. Also been looking for the cd that has is <strong>Hold Onto Your Vision </strong>song. Found a utube link so here is the down load of it....</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QYEXKTI7">www.megaupload.com/?d=QYEXKTI7</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Anyone know where I can get the two above cds, let me know.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-4670354008740285481?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-68407684935244979182008-12-17T18:39:00.007-06:002009-07-27T09:53:13.484-05:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmDEhb65riI/AAAAAAAAAuU/W2p17NX_tM0/s1600-h/p63347d9ksq[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359499635280424482" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 161px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SmDEhb65riI/AAAAAAAAAuU/W2p17NX_tM0/s200/p63347d9ksq%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>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.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#999999;">BAT OUT OF H</span></em></strong><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmvVyOeiBI/AAAAAAAAAXU/clYMcGJFM8g/s1600-h/d13411l5cbm.jpg"><strong><em><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280944826863224850" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 174px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 169px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmvVyOeiBI/AAAAAAAAAXU/clYMcGJFM8g/s200/d13411l5cbm.jpg" border="0" /></span></em></strong></a><span style="color:#999999;"><strong><em>ELL</em></strong> <strong>(A+)</strong></span> 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 <strong>All Revved Up With No Place</strong> <strong>to Go</strong> and <strong>Bat Out Of Hell</strong>. You have operatic with songs like <strong>For Crying out Loud</strong>, silly with <strong>Paradise by the Dashboard Light</strong> and the emotional <strong>Two Out of Three Ain't Bad</strong>, <strong>Heaven Can</strong> <strong>Wait,</strong> and <strong>You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth</strong>. And in every song Meatloaf pours every once of strength into his vocals. This is one awesome cd.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><strong><em>DEAD RINGER</em></strong> </span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmvm9ABtFI/AAAAAAAAAXc/Um7xiu4mmm4/s1600-h/e45560hxliw.jpg"><strong><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280945121813181522" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 146px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 159px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmvm9ABtFI/AAAAAAAAAXc/Um7xiu4mmm4/s200/e45560hxliw.jpg" border="0" /></span></strong></a><strong><span style="color:#999999;">(C-)</span></strong> 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.<br /><strong>I'm Gonna Love Her for Both of Us, Everything Is Permitted</strong> 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 <strong>Read 'Em and Weep and Dead</strong> <strong>Ringer for Love</strong> (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.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmv6aeM1sI/AAAAAAAAAXk/QFxE7S20Gcc/s1600-h/e45561s7yyi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280945456141883074" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 157px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmv6aeM1sI/AAAAAAAAAXk/QFxE7S20Gcc/s200/e45561s7yyi.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="color:#999999;"><em>MIDNIGHT AT THE LOST AND FOUND</em> (D)</span></strong> 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.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmwOOH6dtI/AAAAAAAAAXs/AJ5XogU9Cuc/s1600-h/f64690c5l78.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280945796424562386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 146px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 128px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmwOOH6dtI/AAAAAAAAAXs/AJ5XogU9Cuc/s200/f64690c5l78.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#999999;"><em>HITS FROM HELL</em> (B)</span> </strong>10 songs from the above 3 cds. Luckily it picks the best. But really a Hits cd from only 3 cds?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmw-P7cQtI/AAAAAAAAAX8/r715H-SyxC0/s1600-h/c413941l873.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280946621542843090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 138px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 112px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmw-P7cQtI/AAAAAAAAAX8/r715H-SyxC0/s200/c413941l873.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#999999;"><strong><em>BAD ATTITUDE</em></strong> <strong>(F)</strong></span> 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!!!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmxY905lLI/AAAAAAAAAYM/WWFqzXHjYC8/s1600-h/d13654e4nf5.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280947080540034226" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 135px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 114px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmxY905lLI/AAAAAAAAAYM/WWFqzXHjYC8/s200/d13654e4nf5.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><strong><em>BLIND BEFORE I STOP</em></strong> <strong>(F-)</strong></span> 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 <strong>Bad Attitude</strong> are so far removed from the grand sound of Meat, a shame.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmwYd2eF5I/AAAAAAAAAX0/ivL7D8BQW08/s1600-h/d505249w41h.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280945972445058962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 146px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 138px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmwYd2eF5I/AAAAAAAAAX0/ivL7D8BQW08/s200/d505249w41h.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><strong><em>THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION</em></strong> <strong>(B-)</strong></span> Again from the first 3 cds. But with some extras throw in from other projects. 16 songs on cd 1 but some, including <strong>Bat Out Of Hell</strong> 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.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmyNZ_LRqI/AAAAAAAAAYk/55ug_JntLpg/s1600-h/d84662h6jc9.jpg"><strong><em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280947981452527266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmyNZ_LRqI/AAAAAAAAAYk/55ug_JntLpg/s200/d84662h6jc9.jpg" border="0" /></em></strong></a><strong><em> <span style="color:#999999;">BAT OUT OF HELL 2</span></em></strong><span style="color:#999999;"> <strong>(A)</strong></span> Awesome return!!! <strong>I'd Do Anything</strong> <strong>for Love (But I Won't Do That),</strong> 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.<br /><strong>Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back</strong> 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. <strong>Rock and</strong> <strong>Roll Dreams Come Through, Objects in the Rear View Mirror May</strong> <strong>Appear Closer, Everything Louder Than Everything</strong> <strong>Else </strong>are also standouts on a standout cd.<br />Only minor complaint is the cussing (us of GD) in <strong>Wasted Youth</strong> and <strong>Good Girls Go to Heaven (Bad Girls Go Everywhere)</strong> is a weak song. Otherwise a fantastic cd.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmxnFp5bXI/AAAAAAAAAYU/ZMl0NvXI2Uw/s1600-h/d15212v0d7c.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280947323159539058" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 194px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmxnFp5bXI/AAAAAAAAAYU/ZMl0NvXI2Uw/s200/d15212v0d7c.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#999999;"><strong><em>WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD</em></strong> <strong>(B-)</strong></span> 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 <strong>Runnin' for the Red Light (I Gotta Life), Martha,</strong> and <strong>When the Rubber Meets the Road</strong>.<br />Other songs lift the cd up like the <strong>I'd Do Anything For Love (But I</strong> <strong>Won't Do That)</strong> want to be - <strong>I'd Lie for You (And That's</strong> <strong>the Truth), Left in the Dark, Not a Dry Eye in the House,</strong> <strong>If This Is the Last Kiss (Let's Make It Last All Night)</strong> and the Sammy Hagar rocker <strong>Amnesty Is Granted.<br /></strong>Rest of the songs are ok, but not really worth a mention.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmxJW9dPmI/AAAAAAAAAYE/3e8xg1Qj4-M/s1600-h/c71187l54v8.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280946812408905314" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 171px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 145px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmxJW9dPmI/AAAAAAAAAYE/3e8xg1Qj4-M/s200/c71187l54v8.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><strong><em>LIVE AROUND THE WORLD</em></strong> <strong>(B+)</strong></span> Great live cd. All songs come off as good as the original, and some of the earlier songs between Bat 1 &amp; 2 come off great. A great 18 song double cd.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmxyyhn5uI/AAAAAAAAAYc/Pm6jGX9Z4wY/s1600-h/d34595ks78t.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280947524182992610" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 159px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 145px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmxyyhn5uI/AAAAAAAAAYc/Pm6jGX9Z4wY/s200/d34595ks78t.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="color:#999999;"><em>THE VERY BEST OF MEATLOAF</em> (A-)</span></strong> This draws from all the Meatloaf cds up to this point. Includes a new song <strong>Home by Now/No</strong> <strong>Matter What</strong>, and a great remix of an already awesome song <strong>Life Is a</strong> <strong>Lemon and I Want My Money Back</strong>. A great cd to pick up, really shows Meat at his best'<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><strong><em>VH 1 STORYTELLERS</em></strong> <strong>(B+)</strong></span> The singing is good and the storytelling is funny. Offers a remix of Is <strong>Nothing Sacred</strong> from the last cd.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmyZDjAp3I/AAAAAAAAAYs/35Pe-gJrYL4/s1600-h/g05052panv0.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280948181587240818" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 133px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 140px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmyZDjAp3I/AAAAAAAAAYs/35Pe-gJrYL4/s200/g05052panv0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><strong><em>COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER</em></strong> <strong>(B)</strong></span> Yeah he could have!!! This cd has some great songs <strong>Couldn't Have Said It Better, Did I Say That, Do It!, and Testify</strong>. 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.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#999999;"><em>BAT OUT OF HELL: LIVE WITH THE MELBOURNE SYMPHONY</em> (A)</span></strong> 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!!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmyptfDe-I/AAAAAAAAAY0/9P1IJUIW584/s1600-h/h45355lir15.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280948467722845154" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 195px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SUmyptfDe-I/AAAAAAAAAY0/9P1IJUIW584/s200/h45355lir15.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#999999;"><em>BAT OUT OF HELL 3, THE MONSTER IS LOOSE</em> (A-)</span></strong> 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 <strong>It's All</strong> <strong>Coming Back to Me Now</strong>. 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.<br /><strong>If It Ain't Broke Break It, Seize the Night, The Future Ain't What</strong> <strong>It Used to Be</strong>, 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.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-6840768493524497918?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-61274926486376976062008-12-06T23:43:00.004-06:002009-07-17T13:39:46.341-05:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/STtlMZd67xI/AAAAAAAAAXE/6aZUEkoU6ZQ/s1600-h/jy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276922652063887122" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/STtlMZd67xI/AAAAAAAAAXE/6aZUEkoU6ZQ/s200/jy.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div>Nothing really comes together on this cd, not the writing, singing, or playing</div><br /><div>Grade: D-</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-6127492648637697606?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-31546154745772999422008-11-26T08:53:00.005-06:002008-11-28T05:39:45.461-06:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SS_YCFNWxpI/AAAAAAAAAWs/W2jU07S9RM4/s1600-h/ddy+10+on+broadway.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273671218943674002" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SS_YCFNWxpI/AAAAAAAAAWs/W2jU07S9RM4/s200/ddy+10+on+broadway.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Here is a link to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">concert</span> by Dennis <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">DeYoung</span>, 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 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">cd</span>. I fixed some of the problems that the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">original</span> had (at least my copy had).<br />Good show and it rocks!!! Enjoy<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Download</span> this link:<br /><a href="http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VXOXA7ST" target="_blank">http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VXOXA7ST</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-3154615474577299942?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-18311095984107321362008-11-02T14:11:00.006-06:002009-07-27T09:53:31.959-05:00AC/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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />BON SCOTT ERA<br />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.<br /><br /><strong><em>TNT (D</em></strong>) Don't really care for anything on this cd.<br /><strong><em>HIGH VOLTAGE (C-) </em></strong>Title track rocks, but not the rest<br /><strong><em>DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP (B+) </em></strong>Title track along with <strong>Problem Child, She's Got Balls,</strong> &amp; <strong>Squealer. </strong>Production is getting better.<br /><strong><em>LET THERE BE ROCK (B)</em></strong> Another good effort. <strong>Problem Child </strong>is on this one again, it's good but not that good. <strong>Let There Be Rock</strong> &amp; <strong>Whole Lot Of Rosie round the cd out.</strong><br /><strong><em>POWERAGE (C+)</em></strong> Bad production ruin what could have been a better cd<br /><strong><em>IF YOU WANT BLOOD...(C)</em></strong> Poor live offering.<br /><strong><em>HIGHWAY TO HELL (A-) </em></strong>Robert "mutt" Lang produced and some good songs make for the best Bon Scott era cd.<br /><br />BRIAN JOHNSON ERA<br />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.<br /><br /><strong><em>BACK IN BLACK (A+)</em></strong> Considered by many the best hard rock cd of all time, listen and you will know why. Another "mutt" produced cd.<br /><strong><em>FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK...(A-) </em></strong>"Mutt's" last cd produced for the band. Music is a little more laid back, but still rocks.<br /><strong><em>FLICK THE SWITCH (C+)</em></strong> horrible production<br /><em><strong>FLY ON THE WALL (C)</strong></em> Better production, but song writing isn't as good.<br /><strong><em>BLOW UP YOUR VIDEO (B-) </em></strong>Some songs make me want to blow up my stereo, but over all better than the last two cds.<br /><strong><em>WHO MADE WHO (A-) </em></strong>A hits cd and a movie soundtrack. Light on the songs, so move of a movie cd.<br /><strong><em>RAZOR'S EDGE (A) </em></strong>Awesome return to form for the band.<br /><strong><em>LIVE (B)</em></strong> Great live cd. the 2 cd set is a little too much AC/DC for me.<br /><strong><em>BALLBREAKER (B)<br />STIFF UPPER LIP (B-)</em></strong><br /><strong><em>BLACK ICE (B+)</em></strong><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-1831109598410732136?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-35804425059910517982008-10-02T00:45:00.032-05:002009-08-11T14:43:19.821-05:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTZPYpNjWI/AAAAAAAAAUU/Nr3QzgyTv9A/s1600-h/cars9.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252561923757411682" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 83px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 93px" height="48" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTZPYpNjWI/AAAAAAAAAUU/Nr3QzgyTv9A/s200/cars9.jpg" width="86" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTSM1hY3UI/AAAAAAAAAR8/zBQqCiJmLmQ/s1600-h/cars.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252554183388224834" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="147" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTSM1hY3UI/AAAAAAAAAR8/zBQqCiJmLmQ/s200/cars.jpg" width="161" border="0" /></a> <strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">THE CARS (A)</span></em></strong> 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.<br /><strong>Good Times Roll</strong> starts the cd and that is just what the cd does, let the good time roll. "<strong>My Best Friend's Girl Friend</strong>"is infectious, and who hasn't been in the situation of the song. "<strong>Just What I</strong> <strong>Needed</strong>" 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.<br />"<strong>You're All I Got Tonight</strong>", again who hasn't been there, the band seems to have their hand on the pulse of all young people of the time. "<strong>Moving In Stereo</strong>" 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.<br />Even the lesser know songs and A list. You can't go wrong with this cd.<br />They called this cd a new wave cd, I call it a great rock and roll cd!!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTSX_zxWEI/AAAAAAAAASE/tvIenMoeSLg/s1600-h/cars2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252554375128242242" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="120" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTSX_zxWEI/AAAAAAAAASE/tvIenMoeSLg/s200/cars2.jpg" width="142" border="0" /></a> <strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">CANDY-O (A-)</span></em></strong> Another great cd from the band. "<strong>Let's Go</strong>" is one of my favorite songs by the band. The cd is full of energy with songs like "<strong>Candy-O</strong>", "Got A Lot On My Head", and "<strong>Night Spots</strong>". and has a gentler side with songs like "<strong>It's All</strong> <strong>I Can Do</strong>". Plus plenty of the techno geek sounds in the songs, to know it is the Cars.</div><br /><br /><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTS6j4d5NI/AAAAAAAAASM/5CSsCqhNono/s1600-h/cars3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252554968927167698" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="119" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTS6j4d5NI/AAAAAAAAASM/5CSsCqhNono/s200/cars3.jpg" width="140" border="0" /></a><br /><em><strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">PANORAMA (D+)</span></strong></em> Is a very dark cd, and nowhere near as fun or catchy as the first 2 cds. "<strong>Don't Tell Me No</strong>", "<strong>Gimme</strong> <strong>Some Slack</strong>" and "<strong>Touch And Go</strong>" are the only songs I really care for on this very dull cd.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTTNaPghvI/AAAAAAAAASU/6Us3tsH_5OE/s1600-h/cars+4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252555292756969202" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 132px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 124px" height="106" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTTNaPghvI/AAAAAAAAASU/6Us3tsH_5OE/s200/cars+4.jpg" width="132" border="0" /></a> <em><strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">SHAKE IT UP (B-)</span></strong></em> 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 "<strong>Since Your Gone</strong>","<strong>Shake It</strong> <strong>Up</strong>" and <strong>"I'm Not The One</strong>". "<strong>Cruiser</strong>" 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.</div><br /><br /><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTTvIf073I/AAAAAAAAASc/w3hKYSWIrac/s1600-h/cars5.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252555872109129586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 129px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 108px" height="121" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTTvIf073I/AAAAAAAAASc/w3hKYSWIrac/s200/cars5.jpg" width="145" border="0" /></a> <strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">HEARTBEAT CITY (A+)</span></em></strong> 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 "<strong>Hello Again</strong>" and the whole cd is like that. Cd is probably best known for the songs "<strong>Drive</strong>" and "<strong>You Might</strong> <strong>Think</strong>", but there are a lot of other great songs on this cd like "<strong>Why Can't I Have You</strong>" and "<strong>It's Not The Night</strong>". Their Best cd.</div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTUFYx1poI/AAAAAAAAASk/5n0zPjzo1WE/s1600-h/cars+8.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252556254436763266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="117" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTUFYx1poI/AAAAAAAAASk/5n0zPjzo1WE/s200/cars+8.jpg" width="106" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">GREATEST HITS.</span></em></strong> (A) The new song "<strong>Tonite She Comes</strong>" 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.</div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTUW6aZC-I/AAAAAAAAASs/nk_h56bFWEg/s1600-h/cars+6.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252556555523001314" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="109" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTUW6aZC-I/AAAAAAAAASs/nk_h56bFWEg/s200/cars+6.jpg" width="113" border="0" /></a> <em><strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">DOOR TO DOOR (B)</span></strong></em> 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. "<strong>You Are The Girl</strong>", "<strong>Strap Me In</strong>" and "<strong>Fine Line</strong>" 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 "<strong>Door To Door</strong>".</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTUjzgaPqI/AAAAAAAAAS0/5RZwv3bfEb8/s1600-h/cars+7.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252556777007496866" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 117px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 107px" height="107" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTUjzgaPqI/AAAAAAAAAS0/5RZwv3bfEb8/s200/cars+7.jpg" width="158" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">JUST WHAT I NEEDED; THE CARS ANTHOLOGY (A)</span></em></strong> 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.</div><br /><br /><br /><div>RIC OCASEK SOLO CDS<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTU1p1MKvI/AAAAAAAAAS8/gY1bc67CxrM/s1600-h/cars+rick.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252557083647945458" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTU1p1MKvI/AAAAAAAAAS8/gY1bc67CxrM/s200/cars+rick.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTVGlc389I/AAAAAAAAATE/HyBIvhumbD4/s1600-h/cars11.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252557374529991634" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 97px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 100px" height="100" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTVGlc389I/AAAAAAAAATE/HyBIvhumbD4/s200/cars11.jpg" width="112" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff6600;">BEATITUDE (D+)</span></em></strong> Avery boring cd with stale production. "<strong>Jimmy Jimmy</strong>" and "<strong>Quick One</strong>" 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</div><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTVWJv474I/AAAAAAAAATM/acHmYOv2Xfk/s1600-h/cars12.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252557641971462018" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="146" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTVWJv474I/AAAAAAAAATM/acHmYOv2Xfk/s200/cars12.jpg" width="150" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff6600;">THIS SIDE OF PARADISE (A-)</span></em></strong> Better production and a better cut of songs. Cd starts out rockin with "<strong>Keep On</strong> <strong>Laughin</strong>" and goes thru all the gears with slow songs like "<strong>True Love</strong>", bouncy songs "<strong>True To You</strong>", mesmerizing "<strong>Emotion In Motion</strong>". Just about everything covered by the Cars is here, and it makes for a good ride<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTVluLer9I/AAAAAAAAATU/RJ7SJDxMmZU/s1600-h/cars13.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252557909448896466" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 129px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 123px" height="123" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTVluLer9I/AAAAAAAAATU/RJ7SJDxMmZU/s200/cars13.jpg" width="145" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><strong><em><span style="color:#ff6600;">FIREBALL ZONE (B)</span></em></strong> 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.<strong> Rock Away</strong> is my favorite song on this cd.</div></div><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTV9lotBWI/AAAAAAAAATc/dpQuNjTwH0E/s1600-h/cars+14.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252558319472412002" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="141" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTV9lotBWI/AAAAAAAAATc/dpQuNjTwH0E/s200/cars+14.jpg" width="132" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><strong><em><span style="color:#ff6600;">QUICK CHANGE WORLD (A-)</span></em></strong> 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). "<strong>Hopped Up</strong>" is just that, "<strong>Come Alive</strong>" and "<strong>Don't Let Go</strong>" 10 years earlier would have been hits, and that is a shame, there are a lot of good songs on this cd.</div><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTWXGo8h-I/AAAAAAAAATk/QxoTOO0PKPI/s1600-h/cars16.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252558757828528098" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="142" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTWXGo8h-I/AAAAAAAAATk/QxoTOO0PKPI/s200/cars16.jpg" width="120" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><strong><em><span style="color:#ff6600;">TROUBLIZING (B-)</span></em></strong> 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.</div><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTWoH_eI6I/AAAAAAAAATs/vJIOe025Rao/s1600-h/cars17.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252559050249216930" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="107" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTWoH_eI6I/AAAAAAAAATs/vJIOe025Rao/s200/cars17.jpg" width="119" border="0" /></a><strong><em><span style="color:#ff6600;">NEXTERDAY (B)</span></em></strong> is another good effort at Ric for a comeback. He starts the cd off with a bang, "<strong>Crackpot</strong>", "<strong>Bottom Dollar</strong>", and "<strong>Don't Lose Me</strong>". It also ends on a good note with "<strong>It Get's Crazy</strong>" 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.<br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div>BENJAMIN ORR SOLO CDS<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTXL5c-eKI/AAAAAAAAAT0/yWOT5xnqBVo/s1600-h/cars+ben.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252559664821729442" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTXL5c-eKI/AAAAAAAAAT0/yWOT5xnqBVo/s200/cars+ben.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong><strong><span style="color:#33cc00;">THE LA</span></strong><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTYLhekJyI/AAAAAAAAAT8/FKWOZOJzT64/s1600-h/h42210ly719.jpg"><strong><span style="color:#33cc00;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252560757897570082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 113px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 116px" height="119" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTYLhekJyI/AAAAAAAAAT8/FKWOZOJzT64/s200/h42210ly719.jpg" width="147" border="0" /></span></strong></a><strong><span style="color:#33cc00;">CE (B+)</span></strong> 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 "<strong>Drive</strong>", "<strong>My Best Friend's Girlfriend</strong>", 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, <strong>HEARTBEAT CITY</strong> would have been a good home for them. "<strong>Too Hot To Stop</strong>" is the perfect song to start the cd off with, very upbeat and Cars sounding. "<strong>Stay The Night</strong>" is a beautiful song, were Orr's voice purrs out the lyrics. Would have been a good follow up to the Cars song "<strong>Drive</strong>". 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.</div><div></div><div></div><div>THE NEW CARS-<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTYqzG5g4I/AAAAAAAAAUE/HzjHr6lUWuE/s1600-h/cars51.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252561295206089602" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTYqzG5g4I/AAAAAAAAAUE/HzjHr6lUWuE/s200/cars51.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>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.</div><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTY7Jmoo2I/AAAAAAAAAUM/Gu67InMn3jY/s1600-h/cars52.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252561576122688354" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="135" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SOTY7Jmoo2I/AAAAAAAAAUM/Gu67InMn3jY/s200/cars52.jpg" width="130" border="0" /></a><br /><div><strong><em>IT'S ALIVE (A-)</em></strong> 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 "<strong>Not Tonight</strong>", 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 "<strong>Drive</strong>", 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?</div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-3580442505991051798?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-8791846835152796502008-10-01T23:32:00.013-05:002009-08-11T14:43:57.768-05:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SORZo_dOOpI/AAAAAAAAAR0/f_J1yjQ-2wg/s1600-h/schon.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252421626184481426" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SORZo_dOOpI/AAAAAAAAAR0/f_J1yjQ-2wg/s200/schon.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />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.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252410550271423410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 113px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 117px" height="135" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SORPkSdxM7I/AAAAAAAAARE/IsmVH8lsTV0/s200/untold.jpg" width="126" border="0" /><br /><span style="color:#006600;">UNTOLD PASSION (C-)</span> 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.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SORTWUWH93I/AAAAAAAAARM/3855AUE3A0Y/s1600-h/late.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252414708304574322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="139" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SORTWUWH93I/AAAAAAAAARM/3855AUE3A0Y/s200/late.jpg" width="129" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color:#009900;">LATE NITE (A)</span> 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?<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SORVBWLbJEI/AAAAAAAAARU/zm1AMPWreo0/s1600-h/beyounf.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252416547042567234" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="126" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SORVBWLbJEI/AAAAAAAAARU/zm1AMPWreo0/s200/beyounf.jpg" width="97" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#009900;">BEYOND THE THUNDER (A)</span> 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?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SORWFJoE0SI/AAAAAAAAARc/K67tcW1qlFs/s1600-h/Elec.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252417711904182562" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="121" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SORWFJoE0SI/AAAAAAAAARc/K67tcW1qlFs/s200/Elec.jpg" width="92" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#009900;">ELECTRIC WORLD (C+)</span> 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.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SORXbWs-uMI/AAAAAAAAARk/oj_nGJSstOk/s1600-h/voice.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252419192883165378" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="105" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SORXbWs-uMI/AAAAAAAAARk/oj_nGJSstOk/s200/voice.jpg" width="92" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#009900;">VOICE (A-)</span> 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.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SORY3wYSt7I/AAAAAAAAARs/UTkSZRHmFbM/s1600-h/ionu.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252420780323682226" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 99px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 84px" height="97" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SORY3wYSt7I/AAAAAAAAARs/UTkSZRHmFbM/s200/ionu.jpg" width="115" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#009900;">I ON YOU (B+)</span> 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.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-879184683515279650?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-56553580117608672302008-08-17T19:51:00.003-05:002008-08-17T20:00:09.921-05:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SKjJZQE-u0I/AAAAAAAAAP8/dMUmueixmIo/s1600-h/guiffria+detriot+1985.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235656002467969858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SKjJZQE-u0I/AAAAAAAAAP8/dMUmueixmIo/s200/guiffria+detriot+1985.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SKjI0TO42PI/AAAAAAAAAP0/qtGNPG1_26U/s1600-h/giuffria+detroit+1985.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235655367659673842" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SKjI0TO42PI/AAAAAAAAAP0/qtGNPG1_26U/s200/giuffria+detroit+1985.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SRFELTFD" target="_blank">http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SRFELTFD</a></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>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. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Great show</div><br /><br /><div>Front and back artwork is in the download.</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-5655358011760867230?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-66914080352735573022008-08-09T21:07:00.003-05:002008-08-09T21:59:35.017-05:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SJ5TQcLsfUI/AAAAAAAAAPc/b7DPgJS_RJc/s1600-h/icon.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232711358959353154" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SJ5TQcLsfUI/AAAAAAAAAPc/b7DPgJS_RJc/s200/icon.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Grade A</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-6691408035273557302?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-68609811255468942252008-07-20T21:43:00.007-05:002009-03-27T13:38:00.850-05:00<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SItfsLuCOSI/AAAAAAAAAOc/be0cGFyB4o0/s1600-h/P11969VEQI6.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227377005158349090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SItfsLuCOSI/AAAAAAAAAOc/be0cGFyB4o0/s200/P11969VEQI6.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>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&amp;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.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>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...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong><em>Holy Diver (A)</em></strong> Great metal cd, Ronnie has the voice and Vivian Campbell has the Axe. Stand out songs on this headbanger is <strong>Stand Up And Shout, Holy Diver, Don't Talk to Strangers, </strong>and <strong>Straight Thru the Heart</strong></div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>The Last In Line (B-)</em></strong> 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.</div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Sacred Heart (B)</em></strong> Better than the last cd, but not as good as his first. Title track plus <strong>Rock And Roll Children, Hungry For Heaven, Another Lie,</strong> and<strong> Just Another Day</strong> are the stand outs. <strong>King Of Rock And Roll</strong> show how bad the cd can be, along with <strong>Fallen Angels</strong>.</div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Dream Evil (C-)</em></strong> This cd was boring when it came out, and still is. Only a couple of songs make this cd worth listening too. <strong>All The Fools Have Sailed Away </strong>is classic Dio, and <strong>Naked In The Rain</strong> burns like acid rain. But for the rest....</div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Lock Up The Wolves (B-)</em></strong> One of Dio's lowest sailing cd , but one the better ones I liked. The cd is more rock and less metal. <strong>Wild One, Between Two Hearts, Night Music, Lock Up The Wolves, Twisted, Why Are They Watching Me </strong>and the slow <strong>My Eyes</strong>, are all good songs. Rest of the cd is big miss. </div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Strange Highways (C+)</em></strong> Dio tries to return to the heavy metal sound of the mid 80's, and comes close on the songs, <strong>Strange Highways, Hollywood Black, </strong>and <strong>Give Her The Gun. Bring Down the Rain</strong> is ok, but rest of the cd is pretty weak.</div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Angry Machines (D+)</em></strong> Poor sounding cd, most of the songs seem thrown together, just to put something out. <strong>Dying In America, This IS Your Life</strong>, and <strong>Don't Tell The Kids</strong>, 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.</div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Magica (B)</em></strong> 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&amp;D. At times it is a bit much, but it is typical Dio, over the top and loud. Standouts are<strong> Lord Of The Last Day, Fever Dreams,</strong> and <strong>Feed My Head</strong>. Nothing bad on here either.</div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Killing The Dragon (B+)</em></strong> 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 <strong>Rock And Roll, Scream, Guilty</strong>, and <strong>Throw Away Children</strong> are in the classic Dio vein. rest of the cd is pretty good too. </div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Master Of The Moon (C-)</em></strong> <strong>One For The Road</strong> 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.</div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Stand Up And Shout; The Dio Anthology (A)</em></strong> is the best of the Dio collections out there. Runs from his <em>Elf </em>years to the <em>Strange Highway</em> cd.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>On the Sabbath side</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Heaven And Hell (A)</em></strong> 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. <strong>Neon Knights</strong> is a solid rocker, and <strong>Children Of The Sea</strong> starts off majestic before opening up to full throttle. <strong>Wishing Well</strong> has a mean riff thru it, and <strong>Lonely Is The Word</strong> is a haunting song. The other songs are well above the metal make too. And the title track is Sabbath's best ever.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong><em>The Mod Rules (B-)</em></strong> Is a poor follow up to the <em>Heaven And Hell</em> cd. <strong>Falling Off The Edge Of The World </strong>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.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong><em>Dehumanizer (D)</em></strong> <strong>Time Machine</strong>, and <strong>TV Crimes</strong> are great songs, the rest is to downbeat for me.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-6860981125546894225?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-26125892418122867552008-07-12T17:55:00.004-05:002008-08-09T00:29:44.513-05:00<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SHk9Wh42uII/AAAAAAAAAN0/LSGx2GAZFOE/s1600-h/g49682e1tkg.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222272700176054402" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SHk9Wh42uII/AAAAAAAAAN0/LSGx2GAZFOE/s200/g49682e1tkg.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div>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. </div><br /><div>The only song that does not hold up with an symphony is Rockin The Paradise. It just doesn't rock. The horns kill it.</div><br /><div>A very good live cd, well worth the money!</div><br /><div>As for the new songs, it is a mixed bag.</div><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div>Hello God is awesome, lyrically and musically. This is the Dennis I know. He pushed hisself on this song and the result was great.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>All I can say is BUY THIS CD!!!!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Grade A-</div><br /><div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-2612589241812286755?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-61279284659520496612008-07-07T07:46:00.012-05:002009-07-27T09:57:52.683-05:00<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SHkYRJjcc-I/AAAAAAAAANc/I1uBt5FTKJI/s1600-h/P03644F5KWJ.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222231925814227938" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SHkYRJjcc-I/AAAAAAAAANc/I1uBt5FTKJI/s200/P03644F5KWJ.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>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.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">IX Greatest Hits (A)</span></em></strong> 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.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">Greatest Hits, Vol 2 (B+)</span></em></strong> 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.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">16 (B+)</span></em></strong> 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 <strong>Hard To Say I'm Sorry, </strong>and <strong>Love Me Tomorrow</strong>, plus some other songs that didnt make the radio like <strong>Rescue You </strong>and <strong>Chains</strong>. Never knew horns could rock so, and just about the whole cd does.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">17 (A)</span></em></strong> 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. <strong>Stay The Night, Hard Habit To Break, Along Comes A Woman, Your The Inspiration</strong> are just some of the awesome songs on this cd.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">18 (B)</span></em></strong> <em>Peter Cetera</em> is gone on to solo fields, and is replace by <em>Jason Scheff</em>. 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 <strong>Will You Still Love Me</strong>, this is a good a lot of Cetera era. As are some of the other songs, <strong>If S</strong><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SHkYKZqSdiI/AAAAAAAAANU/ioIYzlnCggQ/s1600-h/p09424g383d.jpg"><strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222231809878816290" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SHkYKZqSdiI/AAAAAAAAANU/ioIYzlnCggQ/s200/p09424g383d.jpg" border="0" /></strong></a><strong>he Would Have Been Faithful, It's Alright, Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now, and I Believe</strong>. But rest of the cd is filler, and a odd remake of<strong> 25 Or 6 To 4.</strong><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">19 (A-)</span></em></strong> More big hits, and a little filler make for their second best cd. The haunting <strong>I Don't Want To Live Without Your Love</strong> is one of my top 3 Chicago songs along with <strong>Look Away</strong>, both of which are on this cd. <strong>Victorious and Runaround</strong> are the only weak songs on the cd. A great cd.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">20 Greatest Hits (A+)</span></em></strong> Great songs from 16 to 19. But could have placed a couple more songs on the cd.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">21 (C+)</span></em></strong> 12 song cd, only half are good, and they are good!!<strong> God Save The Queen, You Come To My Senses, Explain It To My Heart, What Does It Take, Chasin The Wind,</strong> and <strong>Who Do Love</strong> are some very strong songs by the group. <strong>Holdin On</strong> is ok, but rest of the cd is stale at best.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">Night And Day; Big Band (A-)</span></em></strong> 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.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">25 The Christmas Album (B)</span></em></strong> 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.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">26 The Live Album (C-)</span></em></strong> 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 <strong>You Love Keeps Lift Me Higher And Higher</strong>.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">30 (B+)</span></em></strong> 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<strong> King Of Might Have Been</strong>. Fantastic harmonies on <strong>Caroline </strong>and <strong>Long Lost Friend</strong>. No bad songs, but a couple songs are filler, and could have done without the horned version of <strong>Feel</strong>.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">Group Portrait (B)</span></em></strong> 4 cds Cover from the beginning to 1981..a little too much early Chicago for me, but a good collection<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">The Heart Of Chicago 1967-1997 (A-)</span></em></strong> New songs <strong>Here In My Heart</strong> and <strong>The Only One</strong> 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.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">The Heart Of Chicago 1967-1998 Vol. 2 (A-)</span></em></strong> <strong>All Roads Lead To You</strong> is a awesome new song, but the other new one <strong>Show Me A Sign</strong> shows signs of live only during the chorus. Most of the songs that were missing on Vol 1 are here. A shame nothing from <em>21</em> or <em>Night And day</em> are on here, both cds had really good songs on them.<br /><br />PETER CETERA solo cds<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#66ffff;">Solitude.Solitaire (B-)</span></em></strong> Some good songs on this cd, but the production and beat of the cd really hurt it. <strong>Gl</strong><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SHkYWVh-tfI/AAAAAAAAANk/jJrmmRv5VTk/s1600-h/P04786S5P6J.jpg"><strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222232014928655858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SHkYWVh-tfI/AAAAAAAAANk/jJrmmRv5VTk/s200/P04786S5P6J.jpg" border="0" /></strong></a><strong>ory Of Love, Next Time I Fall In Love, and Only Love Knows Why</strong> are the standouts on this disk.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>One More Story (B+)</em></strong> Production is better as is rest of the cd. <strong>Best Of Times, One Good Woman, Heaven Help The Lonely Man, Save Me, </strong>and<strong> Peace of Mind </strong>all from the first half of the cd are standout songs. The second half of the cd is pretty good too.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33ffff;">World Falling Down (B)</span></em></strong> Peter slows things down a little on his cd and aims more for the AC market, which suits him fine. Some good songs, <strong>Have You Ever</strong> <strong>Been In Love</strong> my favorite Cetera solo song, but nothing else really stands out this time around.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33ffff;">One Clear Voice (B-)</span></em></strong> The title track is awesome as is <strong>Faithfully</strong>. <strong>Happy Man</strong> remake from his Chicago days is ok. Rest of the songs are not bad, but not great either.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33ffff;">Another Perfect World (C)</span></em></strong> 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.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33ffff;">You Gotta Love Christmas (B-)</span></em></strong> Why do Peter and Chicago seem so inter twinned? Not has good as Chicago's Christmas cd, but still worth playing on the holidays.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33ffff;">Glory Of Love; Live (B)</span></em></strong> Better than Chicago's live cds, but not as good as I was hoping.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33ffff;">Your The Inspiration; A Collection (B-)</span></em></strong> 3 recordings of Chicago songs, and a collection of his hits that don't cover everything. Could have been so much better!<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#33ffff;">Greatest Hits (B)</span></em></strong> This 2002 release isn't much better than the above, at least this one has the Glory Of Love on it.<br /><br /><p>Jason Scheff</p><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SHkYo2CH-tI/AAAAAAAAANs/d7vJf5GL4tk/s1600-h/jasonhomepage.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222232332891060946" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SHkYo2CH-tI/AAAAAAAAANs/d7vJf5GL4tk/s200/jasonhomepage.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><p><strong><em><span style="color:#999900;">Chancey (A-)</span></em></strong> Great first solo cd from Jason. Included some of the then unreleased Chicago cd <em>The Stone Of</em> <em>Syphilis</em>. 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.<br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-6127928465952049661?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-18364281570204563492008-06-29T23:31:00.008-05:002008-08-09T00:29:14.628-05:00<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SG8JXfo9uII/AAAAAAAAAM8/InC4VvmpcUE/s1600-h/p09108jp8v2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219400792380651650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SG8JXfo9uII/AAAAAAAAAM8/InC4VvmpcUE/s200/p09108jp8v2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SG8JMMF8NYI/AAAAAAAAAM0/wUHLOFc3AkI/s1600-h/c20945849t1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219400598154917250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SG8JMMF8NYI/AAAAAAAAAM0/wUHLOFc3AkI/s200/c20945849t1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>These 4 men make the group Damn Yankees, and Tommy and Jack have made two awesome cds together outside of the group. Ted Nugent is the motor city madman, Tommy is part of the writing and singing partnership of Styx. And Jack was with the 80's hair-metal / pop band Night Ranger. All of these men have had success in the past, and these cds would be no different.</div><br /><div>Damn Yankees-Damn Yankees (A) Awesome debut from the group. Big surprise is the high harmonies that the group has. Ted and Tommy play great off of each other, and the band provides a strong back beat for them.</div><div>The title track has a fiery guitar lick, Coming of Age is a bouncy rocker, Bad Reputation has some great guitar work, High Enough is high harmony rocker that hits the stratosphere. And rest of the songs are great, from straight ahead rockers to a little pretend blues.</div><br /><div>Damn Yankees-Don't Tread (B-) This cd should have been a lot more than what it was. Where You Going Now as good as the song is, is just a rip off of High Enough. But the song is still one of the bright spots on the cd. So is the rocker of a title track, and 15 minutes of fame. Uprising is one of Ted's best songs, and Tommy really shines on Someone To Believe and Silence Is Broken. Rest of the cd is dribble.</div><br /><div>Damn Yankees- High Enough And Other Hits (A) Can't really argue with the choice of songs, other than the lame Mister Please. Better of the hit cds.</div><br /><div>Damn Yankees-Live Uprising (B+) A great shot dvd with great sound. Renegade from Styx, Rock In America by Night Ranger, and Ted's Cat Scratch Fever makes an appearance. The mini interviews are fun and give some insight behind the band.</div><br /><div>Shaw/Blades-Hallucination (A) So close to be a perfect cd. This is a rocking semi acoustic cd, with the lush harmonies that Jack and Ted are know for. Love to social comments are all on this cd. A great find.</div><br /><div>Shaw/Blades-Influence (A-) Some great covers by Tommy and Jack, highlights are Yes's Your Move, Summer Breeze, Time Of The Season, Lucky Man, The Sound Of Silence, and California Dreaming</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-1836428157020456349?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-3536713523571381622008-06-27T19:38:00.005-05:002009-03-27T13:22:27.890-05:00<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SGW1I1aouuI/AAAAAAAAALQ/qcCXCWh7iLQ/s1600-h/b44.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216774906760968930" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SGW1I1aouuI/AAAAAAAAALQ/qcCXCWh7iLQ/s320/b44.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SGW02U56ZqI/AAAAAAAAALI/wW03L5Q60lo/s1600-h/blondie1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216774588796135074" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SGW02U56ZqI/AAAAAAAAALI/wW03L5Q60lo/s320/blondie1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Blondie came out in the mid 70's and was a hit overseas before they became a hit in the states. They stayed around till the early 80's, when they fell apart. Deborah Harry the lead singer tries solo to varying success, before the band got back together in the late 90's. I was a big fan of the band and at one time owed all their albums and solo projects. I still have a few cds and bootlegs from the band and for the post part they are still worth listening to.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><em><strong>Blondie (C-)</strong></em> Not much here. Band is raw and the songs seem to need a lot of work for the most part.<strong> X-Offender</strong> and <strong>In The Flesh</strong> are the only songs I like. Better off by one of the hits cd the group has, because these two songs are usually on it.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Plastic Letters (A-)</em></strong> is my favorite cd by the band. This is a fun cd. The band rocks, is serious, and during it all there is a sense of freedom and fun. Easier to say what I don't like, <strong>Cautious Lip</strong>.<br /></div><div>Hard to pick a stand out, but if I had to right now it would be, <strong>Fan Mail</strong> and <strong>Youth Nabbed As Sniper.</strong></div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Parallel Lines (B+)</em></strong> A new direction and a new sound. No longer the new wave sound, but a more pop sound. A great cd with some really good songs, <strong>Hanging On The Telephone, One Way Or Another, Sunday Girl</strong>, and <strong>Heart Of Glass</strong>. Plus several other good songs. Don't really care for <strong>Fade Away And Radiate </strong>and <strong>I Know But I Don't Know.</strong></div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Eat To The Beat (B)</em></strong> While there are no songs that I don't like on this cd, this cd has some songs that don't really stand out and get your attention. <strong>Dreaming, The Hardest Part, Atomic,</strong> and<strong> Slow Motion</strong> save this cd from being a just ok cd.</div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Autoamerican (C+)</em></strong> The band keeps slipping down in song quality, and this cd has songs that I either love or Hate, nothing in between. <strong>Live It Up, Tide Is High, Here's Looking At You, Rapture, </strong>and<strong> Faces. </strong>All other songs bite.</div><div><br /> </div><div><em><strong>The Hunter (D-)</strong></em> <strong>War Child</strong> is the only song I like. Rest is trash!!</div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>No Exit (B+)</em></strong> 12 years after their last cd, Blondie returns with a near perfect cd. Well ok a very good cd. <em>No Exit</em> covers all the bases, from rock, to rap, to lounge singer. And for the most part it is all done good.<br /></div><div><strong>Screaming Skin</strong> starts the cd and it sets the mood of what is to come, some good guitar work on this song and through out the cd. The same with the keyboards. <strong>Screaming Skin</strong>, the radio friendly <strong>Maria, Nothing Is Real But The Girl, Boom Boom In The Zoom Zoom Run</strong> are just some of the different styles of songs. And they are all done with craft of a band playing together for years, but with energy of band rediscovering themselves.</div><br /><div><strong>Dig Up The Conjo</strong> and <strong>Night Wind</strong> are two of the weaker songs on this release.<br /></div><div>Also depending on which version of the cd you got there is a 3 song live set recorded about year earlier than led to the reformation of Blondie.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Live [aka Live In New York] (A-)</em></strong> A great live cd. All songs sound fresh and new. Nothing boring on this cd.</div><br /><div><strong><em>The Curse Of Blondie (B)</em></strong> Mixed feelings about this cd. At times I really like a lot of the songs, and think it is better than the B. And at other times I can't listen to a lot of the songs and think it deserves a c or less. But no matter what mood I am in <strong>Shakedown, Good Boys, Undone</strong> and <strong>The Tingler</strong> are good songs all the time.</div><br /><br /><div>As far best of cds go...</div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>The Best Of Blondie (A-)</em></strong> All the top 40 hits are including a horrible remix of <strong>Heart Of Glass.</strong></div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Blonde And Beyond (A-)</em></strong> a good section of odds and ends mixed with hits. <em>Johnny Cash's</em> <strong>Ring Of Fire</strong> makes this worth buying.</div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>The Platinum Collection (A+)</em></strong> a 2cd set that is the best Blondie hit cd out. All the radio hits, concert favorites, demos, unreleased, and remixes (done right) are here.</div><br /><br /><div><em>SOLO</em></div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Deborah Harry's Rock Bird (A-)</em></strong> Very good solo effort, has the hit <strong>French Kissin In The USA, </strong>plus <strong>I Want You, the quirky You Got Me In Trouble, </strong>and the big bubble gum pop <strong>Free To Fall</strong>, and<strong> In Love With Love</strong></div><br /><br /><div><strong><em>Deborah Harry's Debravation (C-)</em></strong> A Madonna want to be cd. <strong>I Can See Clearly, Rain, </strong>and<strong> Communion</strong> keep this being a total wash out.</div><br /><br /><div>Bootleg Blondie concerts</div><br /><div><strong><em>No Sharp Objects (B)</em></strong> Descent sound and set list (1977) date not known,early in career.</div><br /><div><strong><em>Looks Good In Blue (B+)</em></strong> Good sound and set list. Recorded in 78.</div><br /><div><strong><em>The Paradise Ballroom (B)</em></strong> Recorded in Boston on 12-4-78. Good set list and FM broadcast</div><br /><div><strong><em>All The Children Are Drunk (A-)</em></strong> Maybe it was Blondie who was drunk. Good show. From 12-1-79.</div><br /><div><strong><em>Live in Glasgow (A)</em></strong> Good show on New Year's eve</div><br /><div><strong><em>Live in Europe (B)</em></strong> Another good show, some minor sound issues.</div><div> </div><div>And I just got this one in 2009</div><div> </div><div><strong><em>Raptured in NYC (A)</em></strong> The best Blondie boot out there. Great sound and alot of fun to listen to.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><p><br /></p><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3411483594523798249-353671352357138162?l=abitaman.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Abitamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06104356095253567913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3411483594523798249.post-77725926883909002822008-06-21T20:10:00.002-05:002008-06-22T18:23:13.398-05:00<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SF7ez12paII/AAAAAAAAAJI/BKwREmfpHZM/s1600-h/h17063twjlu.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214850400752593026" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_rvjl5yxtegY/SF7ez12paII/AAAAAAAAAJI/BKwREmfpHZM/s320/h17063twjlu.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>During the the 1996 Return To Paradise Tour, Styx keyboardist Dennis DeYoung wrote and recorded his own version of the Hunchback. The cd which features Dennis and Dawne Marie on vocals, and there are some great vocal work on here from the two of them. And there are some really good songs. But that is were it the ends.</div><br /><div>Who Will Love This Child is a very good song with a strong vocal to it. Bu the music doesn't match the performance of Dennis. Beneath The Moon is from Dennis's 3rd solo cd BOOMCHILD, and Paradise would show up on RETURN TO PARADISE, While There's Still Time, would be on BRAVE NEW WORLD. And there are other good songs Ave Maria, With Every Heartbeat. But the music slowly takes away from the songs. It lacks the impact of the vocals. And while the production is crisp and clear, it again shows the lack of a st