The last album you heard

[ArtieRollins]

Since I have become a member here, I have probably spent "some" time browsing through and finding great (both old favorites and new) songs in threads such as  Greatest 80's Songs,  What Are You Listening To Right Now? and specially  Rare '80s music, and it is nice to see the love for music on this forum, but then again, this is a Miami Vice forum, so I guess that is no surprise, considering all the classic tunes used over the years in the TV show, and how it has influenced my own music taste over time. 

Anyway, I am a bit of an album guy and thought about starting up an similar thread as  Movies you have seen recently, were one could leave a little review or rating of the last album you have heard and your thoughts of it. 

I start up with an album I bought a couple of weeks ago, from a band I only know through their hit singles, and have been listening to them for about 4-5 times, over past few days.

I am not very good at these things, so I will try to keep it short and simple, and put the album and its total score at the bottom.

INXS - Kick (1987)

Pop/rock

01. Guns in the Sky 2,5/10

Not a very impressive opener. The whole macho grunts done by Hutchence and its overblown production dominates but not in a good way, and for an album that is considered by many as an 80s "classic" it leaves me wondering how the hell such a bad number made it, not only onto the album, but as the opening cut. They should have just skipped this and went for a big, powerful song such as Need You Tonight or Devil Inside instead. I end up with generous 2,5/10 as the only reason I can think of, is that it only last for about 2 minutes and 20 seconds.

02. New Sensation 6/10

Great opening, full of melodic hooks right from the very start, and would have been a much better opening choice than the forgettable Guns in the Sky. Sadly it's chorus is a bit weak compared to the rest of the song.

03. Devil Inside 8,5/10

Devil Inside sounds huge, and is heads above the two other cuts in both quality and style. The guitar solo halfway through and its outro later on, is pure class. 

04. Need You Tonight 8/10

Almost 30 years on, and it gets played more often than many new hits on the radio, and is also frequently used in different TV commercials. But still, I am not tired of hearing it. A great 80s classic.

05. Mediate 5/10

A bit different than the rest, but the drums and lyrics are downright terrible. Would have been so much better if it were an instrumental piece, as there are some really intereresting and beautiful stuff going on there, but it never gets the chance to take off as it is too short.

06. The Loved One 4/10

The music sounds good, but the unimaginative and irritating chorus lets it down, big time.

07. Wild Life 4,5/10

Once again, the music is fine but the chorus/lyrics along with a very weak melody does very little for me.

08. Never Tear Us Apart 9/10

Would easily been a 10/10, but somehow it does not feature the stunning, first 55 seconds that the video version have. The whole reason to why I ended up buying the album, and the best song on it.

09. Mystify 8,5/10

If only Kick had been filled up with more great numbers like this. Fantastic number.

10. Kick 6,5/10

A song which would have been a worthy contendor in my ears to finnish off the album, that or Never Tear Us Apart, but once again Hutchence and his "OH-OH-OH-AH-AH-AH" comes along and almost ruins it.

11. Calling All Nations 4/10

New Sensation part 2, and once again the overblown production is all over the place.

12. Tiny Daggers 5/10

I have heard this before, and at first I thought it could be something by Bruce Springsteen during his Born in the U.S.A days, but it sounds very similar to Rod Stewart and his Young Turks. 

Total album score: 5/10

This album was a bit of an disappointment for me, as I went in and hoped for the best. Sadly there are just too many, forgettable and dull fillers stuffed in and it, at least for me, ruins any chance Kick had of being a really good album. I will probably hold onto it, but mostly because of the quality songs.

The best cuts: Mystify, Never Tear Us Apart, Need You Tonight and Devil Inside

The worst cut: Guns in the Sky 

Edited September 4, 2016 by ArtieRollins

[Matt5]

That's a nice album .

[Vincent Hanna]

I've been listening all the Ozzy Black Sabbath stuff on shuffle. It's pretty incredible they were doing rock/metal this heavy in 1970 almost a decade before all the hair metal bands. These guys were ahead of their time and it's awesome.

[ArtieRollins]

Black Sabbath still sounds like they were from a whole other dimension.

Gotta love their album covers, epic stuff.

I really enjoyed the stuff about Black Sabbath and the little stories that Geezer Butler told in Metal Evolution - TV-series that I have spent the last few days watching. I had a great time, even though a few of the episodes felt like they just did not belong there in the first place. The grunge or "anti metal" episode, and especially the Nu Metal part were just a total waste of time, and "talent".

They had a feature about Prog metal and it did involve a little bit of classic prog bands like King Crimson, Rush, Genesis, Yes etc, but I wish they would have an entire episode that covered it, because some of these bands truly helped pave the way for so many metal bands and rock musicians later on, and some of them were just as hard and heavy as say Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin, and did not have the whole silly Spinal Tap circus act, with the "look how ridiculously fast we can play our ridiculously complex music", while wearing medieval clothes and lyrics about dragons and wizards etc, (not that there is anything wrong with that).

King Crimson (if compared to Yes, Genesis, ELP, Jethro Tull and so on) is a band that often felt more like a proto-metal band, (in the beginning at least) as they really took it up a notch without overdoing everything and the shortlived but highly influential "Red era 1973-1974" starring Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford and John Wetton really lay down some of the most brutal and heavy but still beautiful music that came out of the 70s:

 

Edited September 5, 2016 by ArtieRollins

[ArtieRollins]

I remember buying a huge load of Alice Cooper records when one of my favorite music stores were throwing a big sale back in winter 2006, and even though it was through films such as Friday The 13th series, John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness and the cult classic Class of 1984, that made me interested in his music, it were the albums from the first half of the 70s that made me a fan. But somehow I have never really given any of his late 80s and early 90s records any chance, so I decided it was finally about time to go through them, just to see if I have missed out on something.

Artist: Alice Cooper

Album: Raise Your Fist and Yell

Style: Hard rock, heavy metal

Year: 1987

Track Listing:

01. Freedom 4:09

02. Lock Me Up 3:24

03. Give the Radio Back 3:34

04. Step on You 3:39

05. Not That Kind of Love 3:15

06. Prince of Darkness 5:10

07. Time to Kill 3:39

08. Chop, Chop, Chop 3:06

09. Gail 2:30

10. Roses on White Lace 4:27

I have to admit, I am a bit of "slow" listener. One who needs to listen to an album, somewhere between 2-5 times before I feel I can decide if it is any good, bad or just terrible, sadly Raise Your Fist and Yell is one of those that I almost didn't make it through, the first time. As it comes off as being almost unlistenable, and shockingly unimaginative. It is packed with loud, screechy guitars and lots of energy, but that does not always mean it is a good thing, as this might just be, not only the single worst Alice Cooper album, but one of the biggest stinkers I have heard in years. The only times the album "almost " rocks, is when it sounds like uninspired rip-offs of Megadeth or Judas Priest, and were songs like Peace Sells and You Got Another Thing Coming must have been a huge influence, sadly not one of the 10 cuts comes even close to that kind of quality.

Highlights: Are you kidding me? 

Total Score:  1/10

Edited September 25, 2016 by ArtieRollins

[ArtieRollins]

Artist: Alice Cooper

Album: Trash

Style: Hard rock, pop/glam metal, heavy metal

Year: 1989

Track Listing:

01. Poison 4:29

02. Spark in the Dark 3:52

03. House of Fire 3:47

04. Why Trust You 3:12

05. Only My Heart Talkin' 4:47

06. Bed of Nails 4:20

07. This Maniac's in Love with You 3:48

08. Trash 4:01

09. Hell Is Living Without You 4:11

10. I'm Your Gun 3:47

It is very obvious from the beginning that Trash has a much improved budget, along with bigger guest musicians and producers, co-writers but it comes with a high prize, and that is that it does sound a bit too "polished" at times and some of the guest apperances is more a miss than a hit, but in the end, I guess Mr. Cooper saw what magic a radio friendly hit on MTV could do for other big 70s rock stars, and wanted to have his share cut out for him, and by getting Desmond Child involved as producer and co-writer, it is no wonder why the album became a success.

Poison is one of those huge, monster hits from the 80s that constantly keep getting played several times a day, on radio but one I still somehow have not go tired of. It is truly a great and catchy song. One that I still think would become a hit, if released in any other decade and I am not the least surprised why most radio stations never play any other cuts from Trash, as they are just nowhere near as catchy as Poison.

The next two numbers, Spark in the Dark and House of Fire (which sounds a little too much like a Bon Jovi b-side) are both decent and a times, catchy pop/rock tunes, but nothing special. 

Why Trust You is a bit of a step down and is soon followed by a very tame ballad were Steve Tyler (Aerosmith) shows up an destroys the song with his usual macho screaming. 

Bed of Nails has a bit of Phantom of the Opera going, and provides the album with a much needed "heavy" number, but once again a song that is not very memorable. 

This Maniac's in Love with You might just be the weakest song on Trash. It is not horrible as the 10 songs on its predecessor but clearly a very uneven and rather irritating filler, that I wish would not have made it onto the album.

Trash (with Jon Bon Jovi on vocal) is far more edgier and heavier, a really good rock and roll number and one that stands out as probably the second best song on the album. and were Alice and Bon Jovi comes off as a much better team than with Steven Tyler.

Hell Is Living Without You has some nice guitar work thrown in there, but does very little for me and then comes the last cut, the 50s retro rocker I'm Your Gun.

A "Superior" album if compared to Raise Your Fist and Yell, but it could have used some of its more heavier and raw sound instead of the clean party rock (Def Leppard/Bon Jovi production) that dominates a little too much, but then again without it, Alice Cooper might never had had his big comeback in the first place.

Trash does have some fine moments, and that is probably the only reason why I am keeping it in my collection, but in the end, it is just another forgettable 80s album with one really big hit single.

Highlights: Poison and Trash

Total Score:  4/10

Edited September 25, 2016 by ArtieRollins

[ArtieRollins]

Artist: Alice Cooper

Album: Hey Stoopid

Style: Hard rock, pop/rock, heavy metal

Year: 1991

Track Listing:

01. Hey Stoopid 4:33

02. Love's a Loaded Gun 4:11

03. Snakebite 4:33

04. Burning Our Bed 4:34

05. Dangerous Tonight 4:41

06. Might as Well Be on Mars 7:10

07. Feed My Frankenstein 4:44

08. Hurricane Years 3:58

09. Little by Little 4:35

10. Die for You 4:16

11. Dirty Dreams 3:29

12. Wind-Up Toy 5:27

The radio friendly, MTV party rock of Trash is still going strong, but the catchy and melodic style that made Mr. Cooper a big star, once more, are long gone.

Hey Stoopid is sadly nothing more than just a poor attempt of trying (and failing) to copy the success of Poison and feels like one big, overlong and naive 80s hangover (that would end badly for most of the late 80s MTV rock stars) as "grunge" were just within inches away from turning the tables around.

My problem with the record, is that most of the songs either sounds like Poison part 2 or 3 or 4, or that they remind me of other big hits from the same time.

Especially with Feed My Frankenstein (awesome song title) that sounds a little too much like En Vogue and Free Your Mind, not sure which one were made or written first, but for me it is a big problem, as I really detest Free Your Mind, an awful song, and it is not Alice Cooper fault.

Much of the albums material sounds far too rushed, like cheap left-overs from the Trash sessions and there are just too many songs here (12) of them and the only stand out numbers, (which are great by the way) are one of Cooper's finest 80s/90s songs with the fantastic album final, Wind-Up Toy, and the atmospheric ballad, Might as Well Be on Mars. But sadly, they are not able to save it.

Highlights: Wind-Up Toy and Might as Well Be on Mars

Total Score: 3/10

Edited September 25, 2016 by ArtieRollins

[ArtieRollins]

Artist: Alice Cooper

Album: Lace and Whiskey

Style: Hard rock, pop/rock

Year: 1977

Track Listing:

01. It’s Hot Tonight 3:21

02. Lace and Whiskey 3:14

03. Road Rats 4:51

04. Damned If You Do 3:14

05. You and Me 5:07

06. King of the Silver Screen 5:35

07. Ubangi Stomp 2:12

08. (No More) Love at Your Convenience 3:49

09. I Never Wrote Those Songs 4:34

10. My God 5:40

Well, turned out that I did not have any other of his 80s or 90s albums, and to be honest I don't mind, as the quality of the three titles above is not much at all, in fact I had a bit of hope that when going backwards to the late 70s and the follow to one of my favorite Alice Cooper albums, Goes to Hell (1976), but sadly it is just one overlong yawnfest of uninspired and dreadful fillers. 

The first song out, It’s Hot Tonight sounds like one of the lesser b-sides to the previous and far better album, Goes to Hell, but it completely lacks any of the coolness and catchy rhythms of that record. Lace and Whiskey, the title cut is nothing to write about and Road Rats actually has a bit of the old Alice Cooper style, but again not a very good one. 

Then the horror show really goes full on, with shockingly dull and boring cuts like Damned If You Do and You and Me, and it gets worse as King of the Silver Screen along with the retro rockabilly Ubangi Stomp keeps on giving me a very hard time to actually find any postive things to say about the record. 

The three final songs is actually not that bad, but the only one who kind of almost comes of as a half "decent" Cooper song, are My God and that is just too little and far too late. 

I don't mean to turn this into a trash all Alice Cooper titles thread, but as I am no hardcore, die hard fan of his music, and this is a very bad record, so for me I decided to throw in the towel after only 3 listens in a row, as it does nothing for me, other than giving my music collection a very much needed breath of space, hopefully one I can fill with a far better album than this forgettable sleeper.

It is not as horrible as Raise Your Fist And Yell, as it actually provides some ok orchestral moments here and there and some of the songs are almost likeable, but they does not comes close to being as catchy and funny as his previous two solo albums, and therefore I give it a far to generous 2/10. 

Highlights: Not really

Total Score: 2/10

Edited September 26, 2016 by ArtieRollins

[Matt5]

19 hours ago, ArtieRollins said:

Artist: Alice Cooper

Album: Lace and Whiskey

Style: Hard rock, pop/rock

Year: 1977

Track Listing:

01. It’s Hot Tonight 3:21

02. Lace and Whiskey 3:14

03. Road Rats 4:51

04. Damned If You Do 3:14

05. You and Me 5:07

06. King of the Silver Screen 5:35

07. Ubangi Stomp 2:12

08. (No More) Love at Your Convenience 3:49

09. I Never Wrote Those Songs 4:34

10. My God 5:40

Well, turned out that I did not have any other of his 80s or 90s albums, and to be honest I don't mind, as the quality of the three titles above is not much at all, in fact I had a bit of hope that when going backwards to the late 70s and the follow to one of my favorite Alice Cooper albums, Goes to Hell (1976), but sadly it is just one overlong yawnfest of uninspired and dreadful fillers. 

The first song out, It’s Hot Tonight sounds like one of the lesser b-sides to the previous and far better album, Goes to Hell, but it completely lacks any of the coolness and catchy rhythms of that record. Lace and Whiskey, the title cut is nothing to write about and Road Rats actually has a bit of the old Alice Cooper style, but again not a very good one. 

Then the horror show really goes full on, with shockingly dull and boring cuts like Damned If You Do and You and Me, and it gets worse as King of the Silver Screen along with the retro rockabilly Ubangi Stomp keeps on giving me a very hard time to actually find any postive things to say about the record. 

The three final songs is actually not that bad, but the only one who kind of almost comes of as a half "decent" Cooper song, are My God and that is just too little and far too late. 

I don't mean to turn this into a trash all Alice Cooper titles thread, but as I am no hardcore, die hard fan of his music, and this is a very bad record, so for me I decided to throw in the towel after only 3 listens in a row, as it does nothing for me, other than giving my music collection a very much needed breath of space, hopefully one I can fill with a far better album than this forgettable sleeper.

It is not as horrible as Raise Your Fist And Yell, as it actually provides some ok orchestral moments here and there and some of the songs are almost likeable, but they does not comes close to being as catchy and funny as his previous two solo albums, and therefore I give it a far to generous 2/10. 

Highlights: Not really

Total Score: 2/10

You like your metal Artie?! 

Ive been chillin' to some Lou Rawls lately a little bit !

[ArtieRollins]

On 27.9.2016 at 3:05 PM, Matt5 said:

You like your metal Artie?! 

When it's good quality, yes but as of now it seems like I am just going through the bottom barrel of artists/bands whom I like, but albums that I have not heard before or that it have been ages since last time, and I have to be brutally honest as my music collection, desperately needs more space, and what's the use of having a huge collection stuffed with crappy albums, I never want to hear again. But at least, I am giving them a fair chance.  

[ArtieRollins]

Artist: Alice Cooper

Album: Muscle of Love

Style: Hard rock, glam rock

Year: 1973

Track Listing:

01. Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo) - 5:10

02. Never Been Sold Before - 4:28

03. Hard Hearted Alice - 4:53

04. Crazy Little Child - 5:03

05. Working Up a Sweat - 3:32

06. Muscle of Love - 3:45

07. Man with the Golden Gun - 4:12

08. Teenage Lament '74 - 4:32

09. Woman Machine - 4:31

The last and final studio album by the Alice Cooper band, and they may have gone out with a silent whimper, but thanksfully not a stinker. Sure, there are some almost good moments in there, but the album feels very rushed or forced at times, and it does not get any better with the utter horrible wannabe Bond theme Man With the Golden Gun (thanksfully not chosen to be the theme of the film with the same title) along with Crazy Little Child  which seems like it were thrown in at the final moment, and does only hurt the record, which is rather sad as Muscle of Love do come with some almost classic Alice Cooper cuts like Teenage Lament '74, Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo) and Hard Hearted Alice, but the rest of the material is just nowhere good enough or memorable, and in the end comes as a huge disappointment considered it were released not so long after their classic Billion Dollar Babies (1973).

Highlights: Teenage Lament '74, Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo) and Hard Hearted Alice

Total Score: 4/10

[ArtieRollins]

Artist: Rush

Album: Roll the Bones

Style: Pop rock, rock

Year: 1991

Track Listing:

01. Dreamline - 4:37

02. Bravado - 4:35

03. Roll the Bones - 5:30

04. Face Up - 3:54

05. Where's My Thing? (Part IV, "Gangster of Boats" Trilogy) - 3:49

06. The Big Wheel - 5:13

07. Heresy - 5:27

08. Ghost of a Chance - 5:18

09. Neurotica - 4:39

10. You Bet Your Life - 5:01

I have always enjoyed their 80s stuff and have never had any trouble with their increasingly synth dominated sound, but in the end of the 80s and early 90s the music world had changed rapidly and the synth were by many seen as the "enemy" as many bands growing tired of the instrument even began bragging in the liner notes that they did not use any synthesizers or drum machines when recording their own albums, Rush howerer did not care at all and went their own way, still holding on a little longer to the more pop/rock oriented sound of their latter 80s releases.

Roll the Bones opens with the half catchy Dreamline, but it is the follow up, Bravado that is the albums clear winner. A real beauty and one were Alex Lifeson shines halfway with a stunning guitar solo.

Then comes the below average title cut, which to even make matters worse, uses a terrible rap/hip-hop sample midway through, and when one think "finally, that crap is over" then only to be hit in the face once more. What the hell were Rush thinking off? 

Face Up is another forgettable cut, and is followed by the very similar Simple Minds instrumental Where's My Thing? (Part IV, "Gangster of Boats" Trilogy) that is not bad actually, but certinly no YYZ.

The Big Wheel continues the easily lost tune route, and Heresy is not a bad number but not great either, thanksfully Ghost of a Chance comes along and saves me from total boredom. One of their more experimental numbers and gives the album a much needed quality injection and features some very beautiful moments, and is clearly the second best cut on the album, with Geddy Lees raspy voice and again Lifeson who provides some true good guitar work, the rest of the songs that follow, I only wish would have been left out, as they are not even mediocre, just bland and dull with nothing to show for. Ghost of a Dance should have been the albums closer. 

Not horrible, but compared to the quality these guys made in the 70s and throughout most of the 80s, Roll the Bones is nothing special, and if it were not for a couple of bright moments, I would have gotten rid of the album, but I really love do love Rush and even their worst is still way better than say, what guys like Alice Cooper did around the same time.

 Highlights: Bravado, Ghost of a Chance and Where's My Thing?

Total Score: 4/10

Edited September 28, 2016 by ArtieRollins

[ArtieRollins]

Artist: Rush

Album: Test for Echo

Style: Hard rock, prog rock, pop rock

Year: 1996

Track Listing:

01. Test for Echo - 5:56

02. Driven - 4:27

03. Half the World - 3:41

04. The Color of Right - 4:48

05. Time and Motion - 5:04

06. Totem - 5:00

07. Dog Years - 4:56

08. Virtuality - 5:43

09. Resist - 4:22

10. Limbo - 5:28

11. Carve Away the Stone - 4:05

Test for Echo is one of those Rush albums that seem to divide the fanbase just as much as their change from the epic, long and often complex hard rock/prog rock releases they did throughout the 70s, and then went on to become a more radio friendly and synth driven band in the 80s, along with shorter shongs and less hard hitting rock numbers. Anyway, on Test for Echo it is clear from the start, that the band is having a bit of identity problems as their other 90s stuff did not feel much at home with what was going on in the rock scene at the time, and here they did one of their heaviest and most playful albums in a very long time, and one were the synth is now left out.

The album opens with the rather heavy title track, but for all its hard and edgy style, it is a very forgettable opener. The next cut, Driven continues with the more heavy rock style and offers some truly great bass riffs by Geddy Lee, but beside having a fine chorus it is far away from being a good Rush track.

I think I'll stop there, as after Driven it just goes down hill, and very fast. Songs like Dog Years, Virtuality and Half the World are truly some of their absolute worst efforts, both lyrically and music wise. Embarrissing moments, I just want to forget. 

I don't like to use the word, worst when it comes to Rush, but this is a very bad album. Hearing Rush trying to fit in with the post grunge crowd is just an awful experience.

Highlights: Driven

Total Score: 2/10

Edited September 29, 2016 by ArtieRollins

[Stinger390X]

I love Rush as well !

Been a fan since John Rutsey was the original drummer but really got into them after their first album and have loved everything since. I grew up with these guys! Saw them at a highschool dance for the first time in 1973.

Their first album had a song "Working Man" and it rang true of Cleveland and Detroit's working class and when DJ's had to take a leak or wanted a smoke break, they put on Working Man as it was seven minutes long. A lot of airplay for that time in the early 70's as most songs were 2-21/2 minutes tops! This got them American exposure.

The next few albums were remarkable with songs like "Lakeside Park" an homage to Port Dalhousie from new drummer Neil Peart's hometown.

Hemishere had lots of great tunes but YYZ was such a superior guitar virtuoso that it turned me onto guitar. The song was about the Toronto International Airport. We used to sit outside the fence on the hood of the car with a scanner and watch planes land when we were kids. (just like in Waynes World)

The 80's were the synth years and Geddy got very proficient in playing bass and keyboard simultaneously.  I saw the band many times in concert and they did all the music themselves with no taped track in the background. Amazing that three guys could play such elaborate music!!!!!!!!!

Songs like "Subdivisions" were of the MTV era and made new connections with a younger audience and still the music evolved. It was lyrically satisfying and musically exclusive to the sound of Rush and the amazing drumming of Neil. No other band around had a sound like them!

The newer albums of the late 90's came out and you could see the evolution of Geddy's voice. He could no longer hit the high notes like on the first album but it still maintained a constant of the group.

The "Stones" may have gone rock, pop, disco, country and regge but Rush is in it's own category or "prog rock"

Have loved Rush from the get - go and continue to respect them on the highest front. I have every album including a rare RED VINYL copy of Hemispheres. I also own one of the first 1000 cut debut albums which I did not find out till many years later. Mine is reddish on white in colour and the later ones were blueish on white. I have been told by collectors to hang onto that!

Rush is the playlist of my life as you could name a song and I could give you a time and date and what happened or where I was etc. It's been a 40+ year love affair and I can't say that about too many other bands, even though I have many other favourites I admire a lot.

 

[ArtieRollins]

9 hours ago, Stinger390X said:

Amazing that three guys could play such elaborate music!!!!!!!!!

I don't remember which music magazine, but NME or Uncut had some great tributes for different music themes/genres back in 2005-06, such as the brit pop era (cool britannia) - 1993-1996 and grunge/alternative rock scene of the early 90s, and then my two favorites, which followed the highs and lows of psychedelic rock and the prog rock scene of the late 60s and throughout the 70s. They also had brilliant magazine which covered the british new wave/new romantic era (1977-1983).

Anyway, in the one about prog rock, there was a big section dedicated to Rush and their music/influence and I think it was Gene Simmons who told the interviewer that when he first saw Rush, he thought they would be "eaten" alive, as they looked and behaved very different than the "typical" rock stars of the time, but when Gene saw them later play live, he said something like, "he could not believe his own eyes and ears", as these three canadians made all the other bands seem like amateurs, with their huge and complex music and sound, and then Gene mentioned something like, "and the most fantastic thing was that they were only three guys, but sounded like they had a fucking orchestra of professional musicians on stage with them". 

Not sure if it was Kiss or AC/DC but one of those bands were touring with Rush (around 1975 or 1976) and after one of their concerts, one of the bands went knocking on Rush hotel door, hoping they would come along and have a good time out with lots of drinks and womens, only to find Neil Peart alone in the room, with his head buried deep into a huge book that he had bought earlier, and both Geddy and Alex had gone to sleep as they wanted to start the next day as early on and get a lot of time to practice.

The rock musicians, must have thought they knocked on the wrong door, and in the music magazine I think one of them even said something like "What happened to that awesome band who blewed everybody away one stage just a couple of hours earlier, and who the hell are these "geeks"?. 

I guess this kind of lifestyle showed why Rush were and still is one of the best and talented groups in rock history, as instead of blowing their talent, time and money away on cheap booze and women, they always looked for new ways to improve them self. 

Edited September 30, 2016 by ArtieRollins

[ivoryjones]

On 9/25/2016 at 0:23 PM, ArtieRollins said:

One who needs to listen to an album, somewhere between 2-5 times before I feel I can decide if it is any good, bad or just terrible

It's funny how things change. Nowadays we can nearly listen to everything right now on our devices. When I was about 8-9 year-old, by my request my parents didn't give me a small amount of money per month, but an LP record of my choice... So by the end of the month I knew the entire "album of the month" by heart...  It's amazing how some albums could only show to be good after dozens of runs!!!! I would trash many of them if I stopped at the 5th run.

On 9/5/2016 at 6:52 PM, ArtieRollins said:

[...] Rush, Genesis, Yes  [...]

King Crimson [...] ELP, Jethro Tull and so on [...]

It's so nice to read those names! Those are particularly the guys that demanded me more and more album runs to even be sure I did like their music! I just didn't have the age to grasp what they were doing

Pop history took a strange twist during the last decades, IMMO, and nowadays one has nearly to apologize when mentioning Prog Rock without bashing it (and without mentioning "pretentious") .

Maybe, by coincidence, these days I've been hearing two albums that certainly are the ones that demanded more entire runs from me in order not to hate them. In the process, I ended up loving them so much that I do believe they're my all-time favorites. Please go easy on me, they are either Prog related (the first one) or authentically Prog (the second one)!

Here they are:

Artist: Peter Gabriel

Album: Security

Year: 1982

Style: Experimental (in lack of a better word!)

01. The Rhythm Of The Heat

We must remember that by 1982 the concept of "World Music" was not that strong yet, and Gabriel had been working on it since at least the previous album (which had Biko). So this track felt really weird by the time it was released. To my ears the inner tension of "The Rhythm Of The Heat" is unbearable, and it leads to a very violent climax, a quality that Miami Vice producers didn't fail to perceive when they used the song on "Evan" episode...

02. San Jacinto

Another one that demands a bit on the listener and possibly has a style on its own. Though completely different than the first track, it also builds on some source of stagnation that little by little leads to a dramatic climax on the second half. The story behind the lyrics is a rite of passage, in which an Indian boy is bitten by a snake and has to either die or learn courage. 

03. I Have The Touch

This one feels to me as a clear "pop relief" in a record that so far has been very challenging to a listener that expects riffs and refrains. Though I'm really not much into "I Have The Touch", I must say that in a bright day it feels irresistible.

04. The Family And The Fishing Net

Another disturbing track (Gabriel even uses the word "disturbing" when he shows the intro on "The South Bank Show" 1982 especial). Having "met" this album in a very early age, I must admit there were some bits on this one that made me feel a little bit scared back then. Everything seems a little bit out of place here. The drum patterns are uncommon, the keyboards (including the Fairlight CMI, that appears all the time on this album) make you feel unease. Yet, after a good number of tries, it's just a great track.

05. Shock The Monkey

Possibly the most famous track of this album. I can't say I am very fond of it, but again, just like "I Have the Touch", it seems to balance the album's "complete discourse". I love the very dry but clean guitar sound, a sound which Peter Gabriel used on a lot of his records.

06. Lay Your Hands On Me

Peter Gabriel must have been working (consciously or not) on how to build climax out of stagnation. This is not the first time it happens on this album. This time, on the one hand you have very static formulations that seem to lead to nowhere, but in the whole picture you have a dramatic density being build little by little. It's as if the song had two different paces, the one at the front, somewhat detached and unchallenging, and the one behind it, in which mood of the transformation is build.

07. Wallflower

It's impressive how Peter Gabriel's voice blends well with the Yamaha CP-70 Electric Piano. Both have a clean but somewhat "hoarse" quality. To me, a sad and deeply beautiful track. I have thought for decades that the lyrics were about inner struggles ("you face the night alone" etc), but apparently it was originally thought to be about real political prisoners. Well, I still prefer the first view...

08. Kiss Of Life

Well, I could easily live without that one... I can't see it much connected to the rest, but one may see it as a "bright" ending to a somewhat dense album...

 

Highlights: San Jacinto, The Rhythm Of The Heat

Total Score: 9/10

 

Well the other album that I listened to recently is this:

 

Artist: Emerson, Lake & Palmer (a.k.a. ELP)

Album: Brain Salad Surgery

Year: 1973

Style: Progressive Rock

 

There's an old joke, probably post-1977, by which one says "Do you know how to spell pretentious? E. L. P."

To my view, there's a difference between being bold and being pretentious. To be artistically pretentious is like to write a check and have no money in the bank (artistically speaking). I really don't think that is the case of ELP. Musically and metaphorically, they would have to have a big account, having one of the best drummers ever (indecently forgotten or ridiculously under ranked by Rolling Stone lists) and arguably the most influential Keyboard player of Rock History, Keith Emerson, who recently passed away and has also been forgotten by most of the mainstream media. More than good musicians, the guys knew what to do with composition, they weren't just virtuosos that composed only for the sake of showmanship. If you think that's just a subjective comment, it's nice to remember that contemporary classical composers like Aaron Copeland and Alberto Ginastera did like the music of ELP...

Brain Salad Surgery probably is their most incredible album. But I wouldn't suggest it as a first ELP album to hear, as it is sometimes too difficult.

 

01. Jerusalem

A British hymn brought into a pungent Rock format. Prog Rock (ELP in particular) and Punk have been opposed to each other since always, yet Keith Emerson (1944-2016) and Johnny Rotten (John Lydon) became friends, and this version of Jerusalem was banned from UK Radio when it was released... It sounds like a punk story, doesn't it?

02. Toccata

This one came from a contemporary composition written by the Argentinean classical composer Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983). As the composition was not public domain in 1973 (and it's not public domain to this day yet), Emerson had to meet the composer himself and ask him permission for the arrangement/recording of Toccata. With all those synths, drums and "liberties" ELP took on the track, still Alberto Ginastera not only authorized the arrangement but also wanted that the album had his own message on the credits section: "Keith Emerson has beautifully caught the mood of my piece". This track benefits from a keyboard designed by Moog called "Moog Lyra", a prototype back then. Well ahead its time, it would be like someone using an iPhone 8s in 2016... Also many synths on this track are no Keyboard synths, but drum synths (by then virtually nonexistent!), used by Carl Palmer. For all the band members, this must have been a nightmare to play live, skill-wise.

03. Still.... You Turn Me On

First an hymn (Jerusalem), then a classical piece (Toccata)... Well, it's time to say "don't worry, we're still a band" (not unlike the song "From The Beginning" on the previous "Trilogy" album from 1972). So here's Greg Lake turn to show this is also a band of acoustic guitar ballads. Not a bad one at all, and Emerson's unnaive arrangement (with some lines played on a harpsichord) is somehow comparable to what George Martin added to some of the Beatles greatest songs. Funny enough, Keith Emerson and George Martin died both on March 2016, within a couple of days distance.

04. Benny The Bouncer

This is the lighthearted moment of the album, maybe even the comic relieve. It works like a comic interlude on the album's "full discourse". The final parts of the album will demand a lot from the listener, so let's have a break before them. This one is inspired on saloon style and honky-tonk piano music. Another exclusive Moog prototype here, the "Moog Apollo", a full polyphonic synth in an era that such thing was just a dream.... Next, ELP's arguably finest composition: Karn Evil 9.

05. Karn Evil 9 - 1st Impression (Part 1 and Part 2)

This first movement (or "Impression", a term they probably chose to avoid the "pretentious" stigma) had to be broken in two parts because it wouldn't fit Side One. So there was a fade-out at the end of Side One, then a fade-in on the beginning of Side Two. If I may suggest, search for a CD version that have both parts of 1st Impression as one thing. One of the joys of the CD era was to finally hear the 1st Impression as a one single beast without fade-in/fade-out.

An impressive "moving forward" track, with one musical idea leading to the other in a very organic way. It's not a lengthy track really. Well, objectively it is (13 minutes if you merge parts 1 and 2), but that's an overstatement! It's rather a great architecture instead of a long duration postponement with nothing happening.

The fugato beginning (on a Hammond C-3) starts a long preparation for the later coming of the "Welcome Back my friends" theme, with a lot of hooks and cool rhythm patterns in the process. When such theme finally appears on the beginning of Part 2, you'll have a strange familiarity with it. No wonder, it has been foreseen and prepared musically many times (check the "Step inside! Hello! We've a most amazing show" part, some minutes before, that's the main example of how "organic" Keith Emerson could be as a composer).

06. Karn Evil 9 - 2nd Impression

A fast, fierce sometimes, contemporary jazz track, and technically demanding. I'm sure guys like Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett and Joe Zawinul had to know it and respect it.

07. Karn Evil 9 - 3rd Impression

This is the last track of the album and the last movement of the album's central piece. It has an hymnal central theme that sounds as if you knew it since forever, no matter if in fact it's the first time ever you're listening to it... Yet such theme goes through bridges, changes and move to new constructions. A fine end to one of the most difficult albums to hear that I know of.

Highlights: Karn Evil 9, Jerusalem, Toccata

Total Score: 10/10

Edited October 10, 2016 by ivoryjones

[ArtieRollins]

Artist: Rush

Album: Grace Under Pressure

Style: Pop rock, synthrock, new wave

Year: 1984

Track Listing:

01. Distant Early Warning - 4:56

02. Afterimage - 5:04

03. Red Sector A - 5:10

04. The Enemy Within - 4:33

05. The Body Electric - 5:00

06. Kid Gloves - 4:18

07. Red Lenses - 4:42

08. Between the Wheels - 5:44

Grace Under Pressure is filled up with a fine selection of catchy, short and very melodic pop/rock songs, even though they often come with some rather depressive and dark lyrics to go along with it. The synths keep getting bigger and more prominent, but not so much as it becomes a big problem, even though it sometimes comes at the cost of pushing Alex Lifeson and his great guitar to the background.

I really wanted to like this, as I love Moving Pictures (1981) and Signals (1982), but my main "problem" with Grace Under Pressure is that it too often lacks those powerful sounds of its predecessors, and the production is at times just too thin, which is a shame, as they had a lot of potential to begin with. 

Another one is that the album feels way to "safe", and there are just very few of the cuts that really sticks out, and even if it is not a big problem, I would find myself in a bit of trouble, if I were to figure out my favorite songs from the album, were I could easily mention 5-6 numbers from Signals or Moving Pictures, just within a few seconds.

The only number that I never enjoyed is Red Lenses, which feels like it should be on Power Windows instead, and one I often tend to skip. Not bad but still the weakest cut on the album.

Grace Under Pressure is a good effort, but not a great one, as it comes off as having to many "left overs" from Signals, but I'll give it a postive rating as it does contains some good songs here and there, but still a bit of "disappointment" after a series of fantastic album releases, but I would gladly take most of the stuff on Grace Under Pressure than what they made in the 90s and early 00s.  

Highlights: Kid Gloves, Between The Wheels, The Enemy Within and Red Sector A

Total Score: 6/10

[ArtieRollins]

29 minutes ago, ivoryjones said:

On 25.9.2016 at 5:23 PM, ArtieRollins said:

One who needs to listen to an album, somewhere between 2-5 times before I feel I can decide if it is any good, bad or just terrible

It's funny how things change. Nowadays we can nearly listen to everything right now on our devices. When I was about 8-9, by my request my parents didn't give me a small amount of money per month, but an LP record of my choice... So by the end of the month I knew the entire "album of the month" by heart...  It's amazing how some albums could only show to be good after dozens of runs!!!! I would trash many of them if I stopped at the 5th run.

A lot of people today are truly spoilt rotten, and many of these so-called "music lovers" actually brags about not having bought any albums or a movies in years as they are all out there for free, and they don't have any time to listen to a full album, instead they might give the first 2-3 songs a chance, then moves on, so they can "impress" their friends with their fantastic and original music taste. 

For me, I guss I am far away, and probably very outdated, but I would rather discover 4-5 really great and personal favorite albums a year, (the kind of records one keep coming back to and were every song is a gem) instead of trying to "compete" with everybody else in finding 50 new favorite songs a week, by artists one have forgotten completely the next.

29 minutes ago, ivoryjones said:

On 5.9.2016 at 11:52 PM, ArtieRollins said:

[...] Rush, Genesis, Yes  [...]

King Crimson [...] ELP, Jethro Tull and so on [...]

It's so nice to read those names! Those are particularly the guys that demanded me more and more album runs to even be sure I did like their music! I just didn't have the age to grasp what they were doing

Pop history took a strange twist during the last decades, IMMO, and nowadays one has nearly to apologize when mentioning Prog Rock without bashing it (and without mentioning "pretentious") .

Maybe, by coincidence, these days I've been hearing two albums that certainly are the ones that demanded more entire runs in order to not hate them. In the process, I ended up loving them so much that I do believe they're my all time favorites. Please go easy on me, they are either Prog related (the first one) or authentically Prog!

Prog have often been used as a "dirty" word but for far too long, and I think it has finally gotten to a place were people do not care, and the music has also gotten a lot of recognition over the past 10-15 years, as bands such as Tool, The Mars Volta, Radiohead, A Perfect Circle, Mastadon, Opeth and so many other within the metal/rock scene has showed their appreciation of the fantastic and truly groundbreaking work the prog bands of the 60s and 70s laid down and the younger acts are not the least a shamed of their influence of the older prog giants, and why should they.

[ArtieRollins]

Artist: Rush

Album: Signals

Style: Rock, prog rock, synthrock, new wave

Year: 1982

Track Listing:

01. Subdivisions - 5:35

02. The Analog Kid - 4:47

03. Chemistry - 4:57

04. Digital Man - 6:23

05. The Weapon - 6:24

06. New World Man - 3:42

07. Losing It - 4:53

08. Countdown - 5:49

Signals will always hold a special place for me, as it were the first Rush record I bought and listened too, and it went on to make a big impression on me, with it's powerful, dreamy and haunting futuristic 80s sound along with Neil Peart's perfectly tight drumming, Geddy's incredible basslines and voice, then of course the sharp and clean guitar riffs of the very talented Alex Lifeson.

Subdivisions is the perfect opener, with it's huge walls of heavy synths, and Peart's wild drums, then later on Geddy's brilliant, playful bass steps into the picture and it only keeps getting better, but at the same time the trio never takes it "over-the-top" but instead does probably one of their finest "pop" songs ever, and when finally Lifeson lays out one of his many fantastic guitar solos and the songs begins to fade out, I just want to go back and hear it once more, Rush at their absolute finest. 

The Analong Kid is winner from the beginning, with it's incredible fast playing and a number so full of positive energy, it always makes me sit there with a huge smile afterwards. Then later on comes the hauntingly beautiful chorus were Geddy sings his heart out as the song is at times truly majestic. That and another fantastic, short guitar solo by mr. Lifeson.

Chemistry continues the great run and were the mighty Digital Man takes it up another notch with a insanely well made intro, before it slows down a bit and into a nice break that reminds me a bit of late 70s The Police. 

The Weapon and New World Man are probably the closest thing to being the "weak" cuts, but they would easily stand out as some of the best songs on most of the albums that would later follow.

Losing It are not just the best number on the album, but one the most beautiful songs Rush ever did and I am glad to see they have recorded it live more recently, a real work of beauty and the lyrics are among the finest Neil Peart have ever put down on paper.

Countdown is a worthy album closer, along with a great build up and its use of samples. One of their finest synthrock moments and one that ends a truly classic Rush record with style.

Highlights: Subdivisions, The Analog Kid, Digital Man, Losing It and Chemistry

Total Score: 8/10

Edited September 30, 2016 by ArtieRollins

[ArtieRollins]

Artist: Yes

Album: 90125

Style: Pop rock, prog rock, new wave

Year: 1983

Track Listing:

01. Owner of a Lonely Heart - 4:27

02. Hold On - 5:15

03. It Can Happen - 5:39

04. Changes - 6:16

05. Cinema - 2:09

06. Leave It - 4:10

07. Our Song - 4:16

08. City of Love - 4:48

09. Hearts - 7:34

Back in 2003 or 04 I got a hold on the newly remastered and expanded edition of 90125 on CD, just a couple of months after being introduced to Owner of a Lonely Heart while being transported back to the 80s, thanks to GTA: Vice City (2002) and its perfect soundtrack. At first, I were maybe expecting more songs in the same style as the opener, which for me at the time felt a bit "disappointed" as I never really got past the album more than once or twice. Then a couple of years later I bought most of their 70s records and fell in love with the more epic and long prog classics and since then, I have not been given their later 70s/early 80s releases much of chance, and to my surprise it turned out that 90125 was a far better album than I remember, and I am very happy I hold on to it.

Owner of a Lonely Heart is a song that still sounds just as good as when I heard it back in summer of 2003, playing as Tommy Vercetti, driving through the neon lighted Miami at night, and just having a good time, listening to the fantastic soundtrack (something GTA game have never come close to since). It is also worth mention how catchy the song is, never a dull moment and when the chorus kicks in after about 2 minutes or a bit more, it is worth the wait and I remember being a bit angry with GTA: Vice City as they cut out the last one and a half minute of the song, which has a fantastic outro.

Hold On and It Could Happen are maybe not on the same "level" as the album opener and it took some repeats before they began to grow on me, but to follow such as strong cut, was always gonna be a hard task.

On Changes the old prog rock roots from the 70s are finally beginning to come out of its "hiding" and show off with a fantastic intro, that turns into a great little riff, along with the mighty bassplaying of Chris Squire and some great guitar work by Trevor Rabin. Without a doubt, one of the best tracks on the album. 

Cinema continues the prog rock fashion, even though a bit short but works well as a fine little intro towards (in my ears) the albums absolute highlight, the incredible feel-good gem that is Leave It. I must admit, I am a little  a shamed, as I did not discover it until just recently (I cannot understand how it went over my head back in 2003), and again, Jon's voice and Squire's bass works at perfection and then to top it off, you get a little dose of magic done by Trevor Horn, and it leaves one with the question: "Why did this brilliant gem of a pop masterpiece not become an instant monster hit?"

Our Song reminds me a little of what super rock/prog group Asia did a year earlier on their self titled debut, and that is not such a bad thing, but it is a bit of a "let down" after having gone through the fantastic trio before it, even though the cut contains again, some truly masterful work by Squire and his bass. 

City of Love and Hearts are probably the "weakest" cuts one the album, but there are not one bad song here, or any that I would skip over.

Even though I do miss the brilliance of guitar legend Steve Howe, it is clearly that without Trevor Rabin this album would probably never be made, and both he an Trevor Horn should be very proud and deserve all the praise they got for giving these old rock "dinosaurs" ( who at the time were written off years earlier by many a mean critic), a much needed 80s injection, and one that gave them a well worthy taste of their biggest success ever.

Highlights: Leave It, Changes and Owner of a Lonely Heart

Total Score: 7/10

Edited October 1, 2016 by ArtieRollins

[ArtieRollins]

On 30.9.2016 at 3:29 PM, ivoryjones said:

There's an old joke, probably post-1977, by which one says "Do you know how to spell pretentious? E. L. P."

To my view, there's a difference between being bold or pretentious. To be artistically pretentious is like to write a check and have no money in the bank (artistically speaking). I really don't think that is the case of ELP. Musically and metaphorically, they would have to have a big account, having one of the best drummers ever (indecently forgotten by Rolling Stone lists) and arguably the most influential Keyboard player of the Rock History, Keith Emerson, who's also forgotten by most of the mainstream media. More than good musicians, the guys knew what to do with composition, they weren't just virtuosos that composed only for the sake showmanship. If you think that's just a subjective comment, it's nice to remember that contemporary classical composers like Aaron Copeland and Alberto Ginastera did like the music of ELP...

Brain Salad Surgery probably is their most incredible album. But I wouldn't suggest it as a first ELP album to hear, as it is sometimes too difficult.

I really enjoyed reading your fine review of E.L.P and their classic, Brain Salad Surgery. It is not often one come by those, these days. sadly.

Carl Palmer were really a beast on the drums, specially on albums such as Tarkus and Trilogy, and he lay down some incredible stuff that clearly had a huge influence on more than one or twice metal drummers later on. 

Keith Emerson would probably be the one showing up, when his rival Rick Wakeman had nightmares. Sure he could play fast, and one might even suspect him of being from another dimension at times, but he could also provide some groundbreaking stuff within the evolution of the synths and while Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream and other electronic acts often gets most of the credit, E.L.P. were one of those rock bands that saw the synthesizer as an incredible instrument and opportunity which could do things that no guitar or bass could ever come close to. It might not always sound pretty, but Emerson made music that were unheard of by most music fans at the time, and if he had been in Throbbing Gristle or Nine Inch Nails some years later, doing the same stuff, he would be hailed as a genius by the trendy music police, instead he and the band were ridiculed.

Greg Lake, what could I say, a fantastic bassplayer and a voice, one that could tear down walls. King Crimson never got a "worthy" replacement even though I love John Wetton and his work on the majestic Red era between 1973-1974. But Lake were really the ultimate prog rock singer.

 

Edited October 1, 2016 by ArtieRollins

[ArtieRollins]

Artist: Yes

Album: Tormato

Style: Prog rock

Year: 1978

Track Listing:

01. Future Times/Rejoice - 6:46

02. Don't Kill the Whale - 3:56

03. Madrigal - 2:26

04. Release, Release - 5:44

05. Arriving UFO - 6:07

06. Circus of Heaven - 4:31

07. Onward - 4:05

08. On the Silent Wings of Freedom - 7:47

I had very low expectations for Tormato, after reading and hearing mostly negative things about it, coming both from Yes fans and music critics and released only a year after their big "comeback" album with Going for the One which came out the same year Punk rock exploded.

Going for the One gave Yes a fully deserved hit record and proved the doubters wrong, as these great prog veterans showed that they could still lay out some truly spectacular music that would go on an enjoy both critical and commercial success in a time when punk and the three minutes song rule dominated the charts and radio stations, and most of the british prog bands were either long gone or struggled hard to cope with the new times.

A year later Tormato was out and it is no surprise why it become such a easy vicitim for the critics, as it surely are the worst album Yes made in the 70s, but at the same time it does show a band who really tried to explore new ideas but at the end of the day it ended up sounding like one big, unfinished and very poorly made record.

There are some beautiful moments in there, and none of the songs are horrible, but then again there are no stand out cuts in there either, as most of the material are just not good enough to fill a whole album.

To go from such masterful epics as Awaken (Going for the One) to end up with below average fillers like Circus of Heaven or Release, Release showed that the band were in a desperate need of some new blood or a very long vacation. Thanksfully it did arrive 2 years after with Trevor Horn and Geoffrey Downes from The Buggles as the band found new inspirations and a new generation of fans within the next decade.

Highlights: None

Total Score: 3/10

[Stinger390X]

On ‎9‎/‎30‎/‎2016 at 8:57 AM, ArtieRollins said:

Not sure if it was Kiss or AC/DC but one of those bands were touring with Rush (around 1975 or 1976) and after one of their concerts, one of the bands went knocking on Rush hotel door, hoping they would come along and have a good time out with lots of drinks and womens, only to find Neil Peart alone in the room, with his head buried deep into a huge book that he had bought earlier, and both Geddy and Alex had gone to sleep as they wanted to start the next day as early on and get a lot of time to practice...........

 

Yes it was Gene Smmons who said this. Rush were very simple humble musicians and did not party the rock&roll lifestyle of the fantasies that were told of other bands like the who or Bowie.

I remember when I was in highschool Ruch was cool but Max Webster was bigger and more popular. We listened to their record so often we even spoke "MAX WEBSTER TALK" which were just lines from lyrics and we quoted them in every day speech. (a highscool thing) Rush was the opening act for the tour and a couple of years later Kim Mitchel and Max Webster were opening for Rush! What a flip-flop!

Rush also opened for many bands including Kiss, Alice Cooper and many others of that era.

Rush has many accolades from famous musicians. If you get a chance get the video "Rush Beyond the Lighted Stage" It is a fabulous documentary about the band and is very revealing about the band and how close they really are. Thirty years later they still joke about Neil being "The new guy" It's hilarious!

 

I've read your other posts and agree with much of your comments. You and I are very parallel musically and you are also quite knowledgeable as I consider myself an audiophile too! We have to grab a beer and sit down and chat some time!

Edited October 3, 2016 by Stinger390X

[Matt5]

On 10/1/2016 at 1:57 PM, ArtieRollins said:

Artist: Yes

Album: 90125

Style: Pop rock, prog rock, new wave

Year: 1983

Track Listing:

01. Owner of a Lonely Heart - 4:27

02. Hold On - 5:15

03. It Can Happen - 5:39

04. Changes - 6:16

05. Cinema - 2:09

06. Leave It - 4:10

07. Our Song - 4:16

08. City of Love - 4:48

09. Hearts - 7:34

Back in 2003 or 04 I got a hold on the newly remastered and expanded edition of 90125 on CD, just a couple of months after being introduced to Owner of a Lonely Heart while being transported back to the 80s, thanks to GTA: Vice City (2002) and its perfect soundtrack. At first, I were maybe expecting more songs in the same style as the opener, which for me at the time felt a bit "disappointed" as I never really got past the album more than once or twice. Then a couple of years later I bought most of their 70s records and fell in love with the more epic and long prog classics and since then, I have not been given their later 70s/early 80s releases much of chance, and to my surprise it turned out that 90125 was a far better album than I remember, and I am very happy I hold on to it.

Owner of a Lonely Heart is a song that still sounds just as good as when I heard it back in summer of 2003, playing as Tommy Vercetti, driving through the neon lighted Miami at night, and just having a good time, listening to the fantastic soundtrack (something GTA game have never come close to since). It is also worth mention how catchy the song is, never a dull moment and when the chorus kicks in after about 2 minutes or a bit more, it is worth the wait and I remember being a bit angry with GTA: Vice City as they cut out the last one and a half minute of the song, which has a fantastic outro.

Hold On and It Could Happen are maybe not on the same "level" as the album opener and it took some repeats before they began to grow on me, but to follow such as strong cut, was always gonna be a hard task.

On Changes the old prog rock roots from the 70s are finally beginning to come out of its "hiding" and show off with a fantastic intro, that turns into a great little riff, along with the mighty bassplaying of Chris Squire and some great guitar work by Trevor Rabin. Without a doubt, one of the best tracks on the album. 

Cinema continues the prog rock fashion, even though a bit short but works well as a fine little intro towards (in my ears) the albums absolute highlight, the incredible feel-good gem that is Leave It. I must admit, I am a little  a shamed, as I did not discover it until just recently (I cannot understand how it went over my head back in 2003), and again, Jon's voice and Squire's bass works at perfection and then to top it off, you get a little dose of magic done by Trevor Horn, and it leaves one with the question: "Why did this brilliant gem of a pop masterpiece not become an instant monster hit?"

Our Song reminds me a little of what super rock/prog group Asia did a year earlier on their self titled debut, and that is not such a bad thing, but it is a bit of a "let down" after having gone through the fantastic trio before it, even though the cut contains again, some truly masterful work by Squire and his bass. 

City of Love and Hearts are probably the "weakest" cuts one the album, but there are not one bad song here, or any that I would skip over.

Even though I do miss the brilliance of guitar legend Steve Howe, it is clearly that without Trevor Rabin this album would probably never be made, and both he an Trevor Horn should be very proud and deserve all the praise they got for giving these old rock "dinosaurs" ( who at the time were written off years earlier by many a mean critic), a much needed 80s injection, and one that gave them a well worthy taste of their biggest success ever.

Highlights: Leave It, Changes and Owner of a Lonely Heart

Total Score: 7/10

I agree about Owner of a Lonely Heart - always liked that tune!

[ArtieRollins]

On 4.10.2016 at 1:17 AM, Stinger390X said:

Rush has many accolades from famous musicians. If you get a chance get the video "Rush Beyond the Lighted Stage" It is a fabulous documentary about the band and is very revealing about the band and how close they really are. Thirty years later they still joke about Neil being "The new guy" It's hilarious!

Sorry about the late replay, but I actually ended up buying this film yesterday, on sale for absolutely nothing, and I'm looking forward to seeing it later tonight. I noticed it is produced/directed by Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen, whose work I have enjoyed very much through titles such as Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005) and Metal: Evolution (2011), and the way these two guys seem to care for their rock/metal idols, I guess I have no worries when it comes to a full Rush documentary. 

I think I might just do a little Rush marathon, maybe warm up with Beyond the Lighted Stage and then go on with Live in Rio (2003). 

On 4.10.2016 at 1:17 AM, Stinger390X said:

I've read your other posts and agree with much of your comments. You and I are very parallel musically and you are also quite knowledgeable as I consider myself an audiophile too! We have to grab a beer and sit down and chat some time!

They might not be the most "famous" band around, and I never cared much about what the rock critics think, but still today, I almost never hear any music fans bad talk them, only that some are having a bit "trouble" with Geddy's voice, but it is always their incredible talent and music that seems to fascinate people and their fans are very loyal.

Edited October 7, 2016 by ArtieRollins