Archive for the classic rock music Category

QUEEN – “News Of The World” 1977 album I behold

Posted in 1970's classic rock albums, 1970's classic rock bands, 1970's classic rock songs, 1970's hard rock bands, 1970's classic rock music, 1970's hard rock, 1970's Rock, 1970's rock music, classic hard rock, classic hard rock bands, classic hard rock music, classic rock, classic rock 1978, classic rock album finds, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, classic rock music, classic rock music 1977, classic rock songs, collecting classic rock, collecting rock music, cool album covers, creepy album covers, essential classic rock albums, essential hard rock albums, essential rock albums, hard rock songs, Music, old school hard rock, rock music, scary album covers, shopping for music, spooky album covers, thrift store finds, thrift store rock music finds, vintage rock album finds, vintage rock albums with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 4, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

Queen "News of the World" small picOn October 28, 1977, Queen – News Of The World was released. I was eleven years old, not interested very much at the time about owning this album. Sometime within the first year of this albums release, I ventured into the local Bradlees department store, took one look at the 45 rpm sleeve of the Queen – We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You, (double A single), the very large head of that somber, yet spooked out robot head had me hooked and intrigued. I was just as enthralled by the artwork of this robot head as I was the two songs on the 45 record. I treated this 45 record and sleeve like it was pure gold… staring into the eyes of this nightmarish robot head, becoming transfixed by this image. Of course, I listened to this 45 record like there was no tomorrow, as an eleven year old in 1978, just owning this stuff was bragging material at the Parochial School I was enrolled at. I no longer have this memorable 45 record with it’s alluring sleeve, I positively do not remember how I let it go. Fast forward to 2009, I now am the proud owner of two album copies of this incredible Hard Rock masterpiece, both copies are vinyl too, not CD. I have spent fifty cents on each album, for one dollar… two copies of the Queen album News Of The World. I will never buy the third copy of this album I find, I’d rather leave it to the next collector or fan of exceptional Hard Rock Music and/or Queen, to be just as thrilled as I am of it’s artistic and musical importance.

It just seems so surreal at times, to think that such a significant and sensational album within the history of Rock Music, can be had for a mere fifty cents at one of my local thrift stores. I obtained both copies of this album through my thrift store jaunts, both being found within the last two years or so. Both album copies are in near mint condition, in other words fabulous shape, based on their being circulated around for maybe thirty years or so. The double gatefold artwork found within is breathtaking to me. I am not about to even come close to reviewing a Hard Rock album of this elite caliber… that would be insanity, even embarrassing. No, what I am expressing are the memories of seeing and buying this 45 record at age eleven, being drawn into the artwork and Hard Rock songs of Queen’s News Of The World at such a young age. Sometimes in life, there are those situations, those moments that never seem to change at all, moments that seem to be repeated through ones lifetime… I still stare into those eyes of that very large robot head, still being mesmerized by the uncanny Hard Rock excellence that is Queen News Of The World.

The album artwork seen on Queen News Of The World was created by American Science Fiction Artist – Frank Kelly Freas.

Queen "News Of The World" large pic


KISS “Unmasked” – 1980 album I listened to all Summer of 2009

Posted in 1980's classic rock bands, 1980's hard rock albums, 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal hits, 1980's popular rock bands, 1980's rock music, 1980's hard rock, 1980's heavy metal bands, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's heavy metal songs, Album Review, classic hard rock music, classic heavy metal albums, classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, classic rock music, classic rock songs, cool album covers, essential classic rock albums, essential heavy metal albums, essential heavy metal songs, essential rock albums, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal memorabilia, heavy metal music, heavy metal music 1980, heavy metal on vinyl, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Music, old school hard rock, old school heavy metal, rock music, vintage heavy metal albums, vintage heavy metal bands with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 3, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

main-150KISS. I have the fever… it is the addiction to this enormous American Heavy Metal juggernaut that hooked me back in grammar school… the (gulp), 1970’s that is. Over this past Summer of 2009, (actually it goes back to last Winter too), I have ultra consistently listened to the KISS album “Unmasked”… after each listen I am a better Metalhead for it. Unmasked  was released back on May 20, 1980, right before I embarked on my High School years. By now, for anyone who reads my stuff regularly, may be tired of my mentioning that I owned 8 track tapes… still, I need to tell the world that I owned Unmasked on 8 track, thank you all for understanding. The memories that get stirred up inside my Metal mind, each time I listen to Unmasked are good ones… the Summer of 1980… going to the UCONN Basketball Camp, collecting odd and evil looking spiders in my backyard and having no worries in the world other than entering a new teenage chapter in my life.

Now that the memories are out of the way, I could care in the least about the controversy, rumors or paid professional Rock critic reviews regarding Unmasked. Frankly, like the scene from Gone With The Wind, the character Rhett Butler (played by Clark Gable), says sternly to Scarlett O’ Hara (played by Vivien Leigh), “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”. That is it in a Metal nutshell… I don’t give a damn. The last time I checked, this album peaked at #35 on the U.S. Billboard Album Chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA on July 30, 1980. So there obviously were other KISS fans out there who liked this album too, going all the way back to 1980. I have read over the years, that Peter Criss never played drums on the Unmasked album, that Anton Fig played all the drums and was uncredited in the liner notes. Again, I don’t give a damn.

Shandi was the song that was supposed to be the big hit from Unmasked… or so I have read over the decades. Was it the big single? I don’t give a damn. All I know is that this song reminds me of lazy, hot, sunny and care free Summer days of when I was fourteen years old. When I listen to Shandi now, it makes me feel good… so Metal be it. My favorite song from Unmasked is… a tie. Is it possible to have a tied favorite of songs from one album? I don’t give a damn. Here they are: Is That You? and What Makes the World Go Round. Is That You? opens up this album in the finest of KISS fashion, it is a song in my Metal opinion, that embodied everything that critics of KISS hated most… contagiously hard driven grooves and bad ass lyrically. KISS could not have chosen a better opening song for Unmasked. What Makes the World Go Round is probably the one KISS song that gets played the loudest by me – ever. I quantum like it, therefore that is it. Metal case closed. It is my Metal opinion that Paul Stanley sings outstandingly great on this album. The original vinyl version of Unmasked came with a very large poster, depicting KISS in a comic book/cartoon form, shunning their KISS masks to reveal their faces with KISS make up still on. (This is shown on a smaller scale, on the very bottom of the album front cover). I did inherit this album on vinyl with it’s bonus poster, years ago – in a trade. 

She’s So European and Naked City are Gene Simmons songs personified. As I see it, these two Gene Simmons songs stand side to side with his vocal classics God of Thunder and Christine SixteenTwo Side of the Coin is an Ace Frehley classic. I cannot express any other way, the Metal conviction I feel towards this song… it Rocks. There is no need to make any other unnecessary comments about it. I listen to and write about the bands and albums that have made my life enjoyable, KISS Unmasked is as perfect an example of this. I never have and never will, get caught up in what the professional overpaid critics of the Rock world say about a band or album. Even if such said band does not care for their own specific album or song they created, if I still dig it, well then, I don’t give a damn.

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Gene Simmons – My third favorite KISS solo album

Posted in 1970's classic rock albums, 1970's classic rock bands, 1970's classic rock songs, 1970's hard rock bands, 1970's classic rock music, 1970's hard rock, 1970's heavy metal, 1970's heavy metal albums, 1970's heavy metal music, 1970's rock music, 1980's heavy metal bands, Album Review, classic hard rock, classic hard rock bands, classic hard rock music, classic heavy metal albums, classic metal, classic rock, classic rock 1978, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, classic rock music, classic rock songs, classic rock vocalists, cool album covers, essential classic rock albums, essential hard rock albums, essential heavy metal albums, essential rock albums, Gene Simmons, Hard Rock, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, hard rock vocalists, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal cover songs, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, heavy metal music 1978, heavy metal solo albums, heavy metal solo artists, heavy metal solo vocalists, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, metal odyssey, Metal Reviews, Music, old school heavy metal, rock music, rock music vocals, rock vocalists, vintage hard rock albums, vintage heavy metal albums, vintage heavy metal bands, vintage rock albums with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 1, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

Kiss - Gene Simmons solo album small picGene Simmons, The Demon, bass guitarist for KISS, music producer and actor. (The many hats this legend has worn are numerous, quite the achiever is Gene Simmons, in my Metal opinion). Gene Simmons always seems to stay in the public eye, the limelight follows this Heavy Metal icon everywhere he goes… with “Celebrity Apprentice” and his very own family reality series “The Family Jewels” making his presence seen and known while KISS is idle. A short while back, I started writing about my favorite KISS solo albums, in preferential order, no less. Why am I doing this? First, I am celebrating the four original members of KISS, their solo albums being what I consider to be quite a historical achievement in Heavy Metal and Rock history. The quality across the board is apparent in the music that Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter created with their solo albums… my reminding and/or informing anyone who is interested in these great KISS solo albums makes for a fine Metal deed. For me to list in order, my favorite KISS solo albums, (it is not etched in Metal stone here), deciding the sequence of which album ranks 1 thru 4, is based on which album has given me the biggest Metal listening thrill over the decades.

As for the songs on this album, the best interpretation for me, as a whole, is Hard Rock and Rock Music that showcases the diversity in the vocals of Gene Simmons and the talent of his being a highly respectable guitarist. Gene Simmons plays electric and acoustic guitar throughout his solo album, he does not play bass guitar here. While with KISS, there are not many moments where Gene Simmons diversifies with his vocals, (that has always been fine with me), plus Gene Simmons plays bass guitar exclusively while with KISS. Looking back, this album was a great opportunity for Gene Simmons to eradicate the expected, delivering on the unexpected… “When You Wish Upon A Star” is the finest example that I could possibly point out. Now, do I like listening to Gene Simmons sing this song? As a teenager, back in the late 70’s into the ’80’s… no, I could never understand why Gene Simmons would have done this song. I actually would deliberately not listen to it after I heard it the first time. Fast forward to 2009, well, I now like this rendition of “When You Wish Upon A Star”, the softer side of Gene Simmons is rather a relaxing listen… (I guess I am getting softer as I get older). Plus, as a Metal bonus, my nine year old twin daughters really dig this song… and Gene Simmons too.

My favorite song is the album opener “Radioactive”, it just glistens with Old School KISS, courtesy of Gene Simmons, of course. His vocals are exactly what you would expect on this song, the commanding and sinister tone that is part of the Gene Simmons persona. I really like the vibe I get from “See You Tonite”, just a solid Rock song that has swirls of late ’70’s sound. “True Confessions” is another Classic Rock song that standouts with the background vocals of Helen Reddy… yes, Helen Reddy. This Gene Simmons solo album was the strongest seller out of the four KISS solo albums, I can honestly understand why, after owning and listening to these songs for years. This Gene Simmons album may not be my favorite out of the four KISS solo albums, yet it does not mean squat when I look at the big Metal picture… this Gene Simmons album is a Rock Classic.

Some of the guest musicians on this Gene Simmons solo KISS album: Rick Nielsen, guitarist of Cheap Trick appears on “See You In Your Dreams”, (Rick Nielsen’s name is spelled incorrectly, by the way, in this albums liner notes, Neilson), Bob Seger – background vocals on “Living In Sin” and “Radioactive”, Joe Perry of Aerosmith plays guitar on “Radioactive” and “Tunnel Of Love”, Donna Summer – background vocals on “Burning Up With Fever” and Cher – voice on phone call during “Living In Sin”. These guest music celebrities that appeared on this album make for excellent Rock Music trivia… not every Metalhead in the world is going to know that Donna Summer appeared on the Gene Simmons solo KISS album.

KISS Gene Simmons - solo album large pic

“Frankenstein” – The Edgar Winter Group Rock Classic, an Over Kill Thrash Metal cover song

Posted in 1970's classic rock albums, 1970's classic rock bands, 1970's classic rock songs, 1970's hard rock bands, 1970's classic rock music, 1970's hard rock, 1970's Rock, 1970's rock music, 1980's thrash metal music, 1980's metal music, 1990's heavy metal albums, 1990's heavy metal bands, 1990's thrash metal albums, 1990's thrash metal bands, 1990's thrash metal songs, classic hard rock, classic hard rock bands, classic hard rock music, classic heavy metal albums, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, classic rock cover songs, classic rock instrumentals, classic rock music, classic rock music 1972, classic rock songs, cool album covers, essential classic rock albums, essential thrash metal albums, hard rock songs, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal albums, heavy metal cover songs, Metal, metal music, metal odyssey, Music, old school hard rock, old school thrash metal music, Over Kill, Rock, rock music, Thrash Metal, thrash metal albums 1991, thrash metal cover songs, thrash metal music, thrash metal music 1991, thrash metal music instrumental songs, thrash metal music reviews, vintage rock albums with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 31, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

The Edgar Winter Group "They Only Come Out At Night" small picIf I had to choose one of my favorite Rock instrumental songs of all time, there is no doubt “Frankenstein” comes to mind. The Edgar Winter Group released “They Only Come Out At Night” in November of 1972, this is the album you will find this original song on. Written by Edgar Winter, how ahead of it’s time was this song? Realistically, this now Classic Rock masterpiece of an instrumental song was as diversified as it was heavy. The multi talented musicianship of Edgar Winter is standout on “Frankenstein”, with the keyboards creating enough spookiness to validate the song’s title. The saxophone, in my Metal opinion, has always had a macabre sounding affect on me, only adding to the overall eerie coolness that “Frankenstein” erupts. I fell Metal head over heels for this song decades ago… I still slap this song on very frequently, especially around Halloween. Seriously, this song just goes perfect when Autumn arrives… once October hits, I have plenty of scary and heavy songs to bust out and revel in their dark side glory, “Frankenstein” leads the pack. No Halloween season can ever get by me, without listening to this song on a consistent basis. The Edgar Winter Group released a mammoth of a Rock album with “They Only Come Out At Night”, “Frankenstein” just made this release immensely complete, with it’s inclusion.

Now, step in… Over Kill. “Horrorscope” was released on September 3, 1991 and on this album, Over Kill includes the cover version of “Frankenstein”. The running time of this Over Kill  cover version comes in at 3:29, compared to The Edgar Winter Group’s original version of 4:44. Despite the shortened length of time, Over Kill demonstrated a monstrous Thrash Metal approach to honoring such a legendary Rock instrumental classic. Yes, I bought this Over Kill album within the first week of it’s release back in 1991, (I still have it on cassette too). When I first listened to Over Kill’s Thrash Metal burn on “Frankenstein”, I was stunned, all I felt was the immediate power force of guitar, bass and drums all coming together like a Metal typhoon. The only word that I honestly can remember saying aloud, listening for the first time to Over Kill’s cover version was… whoa. I also dropped plenty of complimentary f-bombs alongside the adjectives of great, incredible and insane. I still do, when talking about this Over Kill cover of “Frankenstein”. I will not lie, I look upon Over Kill, past and present, as if they were and still are the Thrash Metal kings of the entire universe. That type of Metal bias has no persuasion whatsoever, when I tell the entire planet that this cover by Over Kill is one for the Metal record books. As for the “Horrorscope” album itself… Thrash Metal of profound intensity.

I will succumb by stating, I honestly without a Metal doubt, cannot choose one version of “Frankenstein” over the other. This is a wicked example of how an original Rock Classic can be so legendary and inspiring, yet the cover version with all of it’s grand Thrash Metal bite and might, results in my saying it is a Metal tie. September is just around the corner… October shall be upon us very soon… “Frankenstein” will be played very loud by me very many times starting now… my home stereo speakers are going to get a Metal workout like they never experienced before.

Over Kill "Horrorscope" album large pic

GIRLSCHOOL – “Play Dirty”, a Heavy Metal song from 1983 revisited

Posted in 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal hits, 1980's classic rock, 1980's heavy metal bands, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's heavy metal songs, 1980's metal music, classic rock music, classic rock songs, collecting music, cool album covers, essential heavy metal songs, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal music, heavy metal music 1983, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal songs 1983, Metal, metal music, metal odyssey, Music, old school heavy metal, vintage heavy metal albums, vintage heavy metal bands with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 30, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

Girlschool is a female and British Heavy Metal band that formed back in 1977. The first time I ever heard a song from Girlschool was back in 1983… on the infamous “Metal Shop” Heavy Metal – FM radio show. The early 1980’s were my Metal Music nurturing years, so many bands, songs and albums to digest as a hungry teen Metalhead. I would not trade in those Metal Music learning years for anything. There are bands that I revisit from time to time, that have perhaps just a few songs that I really listen to over the decades. Girlschool is one such band, they have one particular song that, man, I just can never forget about… “Play Dirty”, from their “Play Dirty” album, (released in 1983). “Play Dirty” was the fourth studio album from Girlschool. Over the years, I realized from reading many an article and collecting enough Metal Music, that the great Lemmy Kilmister of (the legendary) Motorhead, has his Metal ties to Girlschool. (This always made me feel that Girlschool was ordained with Metal integrity).

When I first heard “Play Dirty” back in 1983, I was blown away by the fact that this song was not just cool, it really rocked the roof off for me. I probably should have delved deeper into the Girlschool catalog of albums over the years… there still is time to do so. This song has stayed with me ever since my first time hearing it… I continue to make certain that this Heavy Metal classic of a song is always at the ready to be cranked up – whenever I get the Metal itch for it. I even bought this song off of itunes this past Winter, while buying up a bunch of Heavy Metal songs… just to make certain I had an extra copy of it. (Yeah, I really like this song a lot). Simply put, it is a high powered, melodic driven, heavy chorus laden, 1980’s Heavy Metal song. I surmise that it is the way this song all came together, with everything just seeming to click for me, that makes it so unreal memorable to my Metal senses.

Girlschool "Play Dirty" album cover large pic

TED NUGENT – “Free For All” a 1976 Hard Rock album of greatness

Posted in 1970's classic rock albums, 1970's classic rock bands, 1970's classic rock songs, 1970's hard rock bands, 1970's classic rock music, 1970's hard rock, 1970's Rock, 1970's rock music, Album Review, classic hard rock, classic hard rock bands, classic hard rock music, classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, classic rock music, classic rock music 1976, classic rock songs, classic rock vocalists, essential classic rock albums, essential hard rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, hard rock vocalists, Music, old school hard rock, Rock, rock guitarists, rock music, rock music vocals, rock vocalists, vintage hard rock albums, vintage rock albums, Vocals with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 29, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

main-150Ted Nugent “Free For All”, (released in 1976), is an album of Hard Rock songs that I slap the label of greatness on. There is no one you can compare Ted Nugent to… he was and still is his own Rock and Roll Warrior. Meat Loaf’s vocals and Ted Nugent’s guitar are a double dose of Classic Hard Rock superiority on this album. Meat Loaf is the lead vocalist on the songs: “Writing On The Wall”, “Street Rats”, “Together”, “Hammerdown” and “I Love You So I Told You A Lie”. Meat Loaf is the real deal vocally, on these songs. “Free For All” was an accomplishment of incredible songs that just continue to knock me over to this day. This album just carries me off into the thunderous land of Hard Rock glory. Ted Nugent is truly an originator of 1970’s Hard Rock guitar… listening to the guitar play of this legend makes me want to stand atop a crowd of onlookers and scream hell yeah!! In my Metal opinion, Ted Nugent and “Free For All” is all about 1970’s Hard Rock in it’s most genuine and heaviest state. An uncompromising group of songs that are Hard Rock personified, aimed at stirring up a good time and feeling the Ted Nugent power of guitar cool. I finally had my first introduction to this album and other Ted Nugent albums at that, in the early 1980’s. Ted Nugent quickly made me aware that Hard Rock music should never be watered down, it should be hard driven and fostered with head turning guitar licks aplenty. With “Free For All”, there are so many Hard Rock attributes happening that this album could easily be labeled as The Great Reference Book of Hard Rock, in my Metal opinion.

The album opener “Free For All” plays out as such… a Hard Rock song that sounds heavier than it really is, a Hard Rock song that highlights the fusion and importance of a bass driven flow. “Free For All” the song, when played at the recommended loud volume, makes me feel like the world is a wonderful globe of Rock and Roll beings. “Dog Eat Dog” is just another Ted Nugent classic… it powers forward without making a single pit stop, so be forewarned… this is a Hard Rock song that should never, ever, be turned off until it is rightfully over. “Street Rats” takes a back seat to no other Hard Rock song, in all of Hard Rock history. This song has never failed at it’s goal to Rock me out senseless… never. The word mellow just does not coincide with the persona or music of Ted Nugent. However, “Together” is a song that I consider to be toned down enough for the dreaded mellow adjective to come out and play. Hey, I am going to say that this song is one of my favorites of the entire catalog of Ted Nugent albums. “Together” is a song that is hard enough to not be a bona fide ballad, yet it comes across rather soothing, based on the Ted Nugent heaviness scale.

“Light My Way” is the one song on this album that I feel legitimized why Ted Nugent was/is such a great guitar player, he jams like a Hard Rock guru meets Southern Hard Rock legend. “Hammerdown” does not stray away from the Ted Nugent guitar lead and solo laden blueprint that makes this entire album – a 1970’s Classic Hard Rock album of upmost legitimacy. “I Love You So I Told You A Lie” could very well have been a song on a future Meat Loaf album, in my Metal opinion. Meat Loaf truly bestowed his vocal brilliance on this Ted Nugent album. Add Meat Loaf into the mix of songs on “Free For All” and this album has and always will satisfy any Classic Hard Rock hunger fits, that I may encounter. For the record, I have listened to this album non-stop today, it just has the Hard Rock groove and vibe I was hankering for.

Derek St. Holmes was the lead vocalist on the songs: “Turn It Up”, “Light My Way” and “Dog Eat Dog”, while Ted Nugent is the lead vocalist on the title song “Free For All”.

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Why I feel KISS gave Rock n’ Roll back to America and other KISS points too

Posted in 1970's classic rock albums, 1970's classic rock bands, 1970's classic rock songs, 1970's hard rock bands, 1970's hard rock, 1970's heavy metal, 1970's heavy metal albums, 1970's heavy metal music, 1970's Rock, 1970's rock music, 1980's classic rock bands, 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's classic rock, 1980's heavy metal bands, 1980's heavy metal music, 1990's heavy metal bands, classic hard rock, classic hard rock bands, classic hard rock music, classic heavy metal albums, classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, classic rock music, classic rock songs, current heavy metal music, essential classic rock albums, essential heavy metal albums, Gene Simmons, glam metal music, Heavy Metal, heavy metal albums, heavy metal bands this decade, heavy metal memorabilia, heavy metal music, heavy metal this decade, Metal, metal music, metal music today, metal odyssey, Music, old school heavy metal, Rock, rock & roll, rock and roll, rock and roll hall of fame complaints, rock music, rock music commentary, vintage hard rock albums, vintage heavy metal albums, vintage heavy metal bands with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 28, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

KISS logoKISS gave Rock n’ Roll back to America. This legendary Heavy Metal band did this in 1974 with the release of their debut album – “Kiss”. Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, Roy Orbison, B.B. King, Chubby Checker, The Big Bopper, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beach Boys, The Doors, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and a throng of other American Rock bands and musicians created a sound that took over the planet… Rock n’ Roll. Let’s not forget the Country, Blues and Soul musicians and bands that played a key role in creating American Rock n’ Roll, expanding it’s identity, look and genres. Rock n’ Roll was born in America. Then, fast forward to the British Invasion… along came The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Moody Blues, The Animals, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and many, many more Rock bands and musicians who crossed over the Atlantic Ocean to introduce an entire new sound, look and attitude to American Rock n’ Roll fans, as well as the world. (I use all of the bands as mentioned, to provide more clarity with my point,). I am an undisputed huge fan of the British Invasion of Rock and Roll, I am only pointing out that Rock and Roll started here in America and Kiss re-established this fact with their emergence and might. After this British Invasion of Rock n’ Roll, Kiss made the impact statement like none other, here was a loud, confident, group of musicians living in America, playing their brand of heavy music – in costumes and makeup no less.

Kiss being introduced to the world in 1974 may have had more of an impact than some Rock historians think… The Grateful Dead, with their extremely loyal and abundant following with unmatched touring was American – I will never disagree with this bands unique impact on Rock Music history. However, Kiss was not about peace and love… this was the loudest band in the land Dressed To killsinging about girls that are Hotter Than Hell, partying, Makin’ Love, God of Thunder, a Love Gun and all things against the norm in ways that were not quite presented before in Rock Music history. What Rock Band from the 1960’s used Pyrotechnics like Kiss? How many Rock musicians could spit up blood and still play the bass and sing? Who used such an elaborate and eye defying stage show before Kiss? Kiss not only made Rock n’ Roll powerful, they (gasp) made it fun and entertaining too. The marketing blitz of items that portrayed the Kiss logo and band were everywhere during the 1970’s… if you look around today, these same items plus new products bearing Kiss are around us. Any Kiss tour during the 1970’s was nothing to ignore, the Kiss Army was never just a fictitious entity… it was and still is real.

After Kiss broke all the Rock n’ Roll rules, more Rock bands than I could ever mention here took their lead and emulated Kiss either musically, with make-up, through stage shows and/or marketing. When I stop to think about it, what other Rock or Heavy Metal Band garnered more media attention during the 1970’s than Kiss? With their all around power of Rock, Kiss let it be known, through their albums, that they were not fooling themselves or the fans all along. Kiss is setting the stage again, ready to unleash their brand new album Sonic Boom onto the masses… October of 2009 should be quite the month in the life of this middle aged Metalhead, for Kiss shall return… giving back their brand of Rock n’ Roll to us all again. That is why, in my Metal opinion, Kiss gave back Rock n’ Roll to America back in 1974, they are now only going to remind us as to why their music lives on.

It is high time for the so called Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, to stop playing nonsensical games and induct an American Rock Band that redefined American Rock n’ Roll history through their music and pop culture impact, Kiss over the decades has become an American institution. Since I am on the topic, I could care less about the voting process or who votes at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, all I know is that the ignorance is growing by leaps and bounds over there in each passing year of it’s existence. I do have one word of advice for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, (if you can consider this an actual word), DUH? I would guarantee this… more fans will go to this Hall of Fame to see Kiss than than anyone could ever imagine. Once again, this is my Metal opinion and I am steadfast about it.

KISS logo

BLUE OYSTER CULT – “Fire Of Unknown Origin”, 1981 album is a Rock Classic

Posted in 1980's classic rock bands, 1980's hard rock albums, 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal hits, 1980's popular rock bands, 1980's rock albums, 1980's rock music, 1980's classic rock, 1980's classic rock music, 1980's hard rock, 1980's heavy metal bands, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's heavy metal songs, Album Review, classic hard rock, classic hard rock bands, classic hard rock music, classic heavy metal albums, classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, classic rock music, classic rock songs, cool album covers, essential classic rock albums, essential hard rock albums, essential heavy metal albums, essential rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock songs, hard rock vocalists, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal music, heavy metal vocalists, metal odyssey, Music, old school hard rock, old school heavy metal, Rock, rock music, rock music vocals, rock vocalists, vintage hard rock albums, vintage heavy metal albums, vintage heavy metal bands, vintage rock albums with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 27, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

Blue Oyster Cult "Fire of Unknown Origin" small picBlue Oyster Cult released “Fire Of Unknown Origin” in 1981, which was perfect timing for me. I already had Kiss, Foreigner, Cheap Trick, Queen, Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC and Bad Company in my system back then, being wowed by Blue Oyster Cult was my ears next step in branching out into the Heavy Music world. Back in 1981, there was the choice of buying music on 8 track, I bought “Fire Of Unknown Origin” on this medium – thank you very much. (I no longer have this 8 track from yesteryear, the 8 track player is a memory as well). This album is just another example of what melded my Metal and Hard Rock Music tastes at a young age, (I was fifteen years old in 1981). Another stepping stone album, if you will, towards the lifetime of Metal and Hard Rock Music adoration that I behold. In my Metal opinion, this BOC album is an early 1980’s Heavy Metal meets Hard Rock album, that has consistently lured me back for many a listen over the years.

I always appreciated the lead vocals of Eric Bloom. The mellowness that carpets his vocals is a signature sound of BOC. The biggest hit from “Fire Of Unknown Origin” was “Burnin’ For You”, where the vocals of Eric Bloom and the semi-heaviness of the music really compliment one another. This song was a mainstream FM radio favorite for years, one of my favorite Hard Rock songs ever. “Joan Crawford”, “Heavy Metal: The Black and Silver” and “Fire Of Unknown Origin” are three other songs from this album that I could never get enough of. I have always liked this entire album, “Fire Of Unknown Origin” comes highly recommended from me to younger and new fans of BOC and/or Classic Rock. This is one of those times where I honestly state, this is just a great album of Hard Rock and heavy songs, a true classic.

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JOE SATRIANI “Surfing With The Alien” – My music of choice for today and many days to come

Posted in 1980's classic rock guitarists, 1980's hard rock albums, 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's instrumental rock albums, 1980's rock albums, 1980's rock music, 1980's classic rock, 1980's classic rock music, Album Review, classic hard rock, classic hard rock music, classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock music, classic rock songs, cool album covers, essential classic rock albums, essential hard rock albums, essential heavy metal albums, essential rock albums, Guitar, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, heavy metal solo albums, heavy metal solo artists, instrumental guitar rock albums, Music, old school hard rock, old school heavy metal, Rock, rock guitarists, rock music, vintage hard rock albums, vintage heavy metal albums, vintage rock albums with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 26, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

main-150I listened to Joe Satriani “Surfing With The Alien” all day today… in the car, in the house and back in the car once again. (Released in 1987, I own both the vinyl LP and CD). I have those days, where I choose that one CD and listen to it the entire day. Joe Satriani is without question, one of my favorite guitarists that ever lived. Pinning down who my favorite guitarist is of all time is too impossible of a task – there are just way too many guitarists across the entire Rock and Heavy Music spectrum that I revere. It’s not that I do not want to get controversial about naming an all time favorite guitarist, I named what I feel is the greatest Metal album of all time, in a previous post – (Black Sabbath, “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”). There are just so many unique styles of playing out there, in the world of guitarists, I tend to draw from a cornucopia of these styles and enjoy what I hear from a vast array of players. Joe Satriani really nails it down, with pin point accuracy, on this album. Combining speed and clarity, while slowing things down at all the right moments, makes for a harmonious and melodic guitar instrumental experience, is the best quick summary for Joe Satriani on “Surfing With The Alien”. The daunting question of: Is Joe Satriani a Rock, Hard Rock or Heavy Metal guitarist? – can only be answered by stating Joe Satriani can play it all and play it with greatness. The catalog of albums that Joe Satriani has created over the years proves just that, the proof is in his music.

When I listened to “Surfing With The Alien” today, I never stopped to think about what these songs would be like if lyrics were to be put into the mix. (I am thinking it now, though). That is what a great guitar instrumental album will do for me, the focal point is the guitar brilliance of Joe Satriani, no vocals are necessary. The guitar play of Joe Satriani is what speaks, in essence, that is what it should do. I have always equated a great guitar player, as a musician who can make me hear and feel the emotion that erupts from the notes and chords they play. At 1:46, “Hill Of The Skull” may be one of the shortest songs on this album, yet this is the one that overflows the most emotional feeling – for me. Surfing With The Alien” is hands down, the most popular and fastest song from this album, a quick fix for getting back on my feet and body slamming any negative thoughts in my brain. If I had to describe this album in just two words, they would be: groove saturated. “Always With Me, Always With You” and “Echo” are not just crossover songs to lure the easy listening crowd into the outskirts of Heavy Music, these are songs that encapsulate the upbeat harmony and instinctive music writing genius of Joe Satriani.

My favorite song on “Surfing With The Alien” is Ice 9″. Oh man, do I really like this song. By process of elimination, there is going to be the one song out of the ten found here, that sends it straight through me.“Satch Boogie” is a song that reels me in as well, it shows just how dynamic Joe Satriani had become as a player, on just his second album release. Listening to just this CD today really did make my day that much better. It is not that often that I will listen to only one CD for an entire day… this has definitely been an exercise in Metal constraint for me. To not slap in some Death Metal, Black Metal or straight up Heavy Metal within today’s routine, only justifies how much I really enjoy this album and Joe Satriani’s guitar. Tomorrow I will go back to my daily mix of Metal listening, still I guarantee that I will crank up “Ice 9” once again.

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BOSTON – “Don’t Look Back” sealed album provides a very cool Classic Rock find

Posted in 1970's classic rock albums, 1970's classic rock albums sealed, 1970's classic rock bands, 1970's classic rock songs, 1970's hard rock bands, 1970's classic rock music, 1970's hard rock, 1970's Rock, 1970's rock music, 1980's classic rock bands, 1980's rock music, 1980's classic rock music, 1980's hard rock, Album Review, classic hard rock, classic hard rock bands, classic hard rock music, classic rock, classic rock 1978, classic rock album finds, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, classic rock music, classic rock songs, collecting classic rock, collecting music, collecting rock music, cool album covers, essential classic rock albums, essential hard rock albums, essential rock albums, everyday experiences, flea market finds, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, hard rock vocalists, Music, old school hard rock, Rock, rock & roll, rock album reviews, rock and roll, rock and roll memorabilia, rock music, rock music vocals, rock vocalists, thrift store finds, thrift store rock music finds, vintage hard rock albums, vintage rock album finds, vintage rock albums with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 25, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

main-150On one of my recent Hard Rock/Heavy Metal hunts via the second hand route, I came across a true Classic Rock album that I grabbed ahold of within milliseconds of spotting it… Boston “Don’t Look Back”. As a Metal bonus, this great album is also – still factory sealed. That is so right, this vintage Boston album which was released on August 2, 1978, has still, it’s original plastic wrapping protecting it for thirty one years. I never owned “Don’t Look Back” on album before, finding a mint copy of it now, in 2009, is so fine. Sure, I have Boston on CD, yet landing one of my favorite Classic Rock bands on sealed vinyl, on a trip to a thrift store unleashes a cool high for me… every time. I realize this price always gets mentioned when I write about my vintage album finds, it is the truth when reveal it only cost fifty cents. Yikes, that is cheaper than most of the plastic prizes my daughters pay for at the (what I still call) bubble gum machines in front of the grocery stores.

I just can’t say enough about the song writing found on “Don’t Look Back”, the music and lyrics are just prime examples of what Classic Rock and Hard Rock is about. This is an album where the two biggest hits are my favorite two hits as well. Going on decades now, the guitar leads on the song “Don’t Look Back” still sends me into a Hard Rock high. If “A Man I’ll Never Be” has gone down in Rock Music history as a ballad, then so be it. Musically, it really cannot be disputed as a ballad… so I just consider this song as my second favorite ballad of all time. (My favorite ballad ever is “Home Sweet Home” by Motley Crue, which I posted on this Metal Odyssey blog in recent weeks). As I stop to ponder, Boston was/is in a Hard Rock class of their own… what other band out there really sounds like them, musically or vocally? Orion The Hunter comes to mind, with their one album, (released on May 9, 1984). Realistically, Orion The Hunter sounded like Boston due to the band members being: Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau, lead singer Fran Cosmo (who became the vocalist for Boston in the 1990’s) and the late Brad Delp who provided background vocals on the “Orion The Hunter” album. Honestly, can a spinoff  band of Boston count when trying to name another band that has that legendary Boston sound?

This is what makes hunting for Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music so interesting… once I land a find, I begin to seek out further the history and Rock Music family tree of the band and album I find. All of this Hard Rock happiness and it only cost fifty cents. I am not too interested in opening the sealed plastic wrap that has protected this album for so long… I am quite content to just stare at it and keep it as a Classic Rock collectible for now. In the end, looking for Hard Rock and Heavy Metal finds can be an educational trip into Rock History. Plus, paying fifty cents for a Boston album that is originally sealed, is extremely more frugal and genuine than paying fifty thousand dollars to rent out twenty eight acres of fun, for one week, on Martha’s Vineyard.

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FOREIGNER “Double Vision” – a Classic Hard Rock album revisited

Posted in 1970's classic rock albums, 1970's classic rock bands, 1970's classic rock songs, 1970's hard rock bands, 1970's classic rock music, 1970's hard rock, 1970's Rock, 1970's rock music, 1980's classic rock bands, 1980's rock music, 1980's classic rock music, Album Review, classic hard rock, classic hard rock bands, classic hard rock music, classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, classic rock music, essential classic rock albums, essential hard rock albums, essential rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock songs, hard rock vocalists, Music, old school hard rock, Rock, rock album reviews, rock and roll, rock music, rock vocalists, vintage hard rock albums, vintage rock albums with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 24, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

main-150Foreigner, a Hard Rock band that opened the doors to the world of Heavy Music for me. Double Vision”, an album that I consider to be one of the greatest Rock or Hard Rock albums ever created. On June 20, 1978, “Double Vision” was released. On January 26, 1979, I received this revered album as a birthday gift from my late mother. I was able to choose an album, just one album, on a trip to the Caldor department store… Foreigner “Double Vision” was my choice, on that birthday. Each year that passes by, these fond memories only grow stronger. Man, if I was to say I have listened to this album more times than any other album, it would not be a stretch. Back in 1979, I was only listening to a handful of Hard Rock bands that would eventually guide me into evolving into the Metal Music loyalist that I am today. I was thirteen years old and completely blown away by this album and band… I listened to every lyric, every chord, every note, that erupted from these songs. Foreigner was actually teaching me, at this very young age, that Hard Rock music this enormous could and would make my life enjoyable. I continue to reflect, to revisit often, the bands and albums that molded my heavy music tastes. 

From the very first listen to “Double Vision” until this very day, I honestly would choose “Blue Morning, Blue Day” as my favorite song from this album. I completely reject any notion that this song is a ballad. In my Metal opinion, Lou Gramm was at his most impeccable, vocally, on this song. My second favorite song from this classic album is a clear choice… the instrumental “Tramontane”. Whoa, when I first listened to “Tramontane”, it was my introduction to what a Rock instrumental really was and really sounded like. I realized then, at thirteen years old, that Rock and Hard Rock music did not always need lyrics to sound amazing. “Hot Blooded” and “Double Vision” are the two super hit singles from this album that literally sent psyched up – shock waves throughout my entire body. Here I was, only a few years removed from listening to a dozen or so 45 rpm’s that were my mom’s from her teen years… I went from Buddy Holly and The Everly Brothers, straight to the Hard Rock strength of Foreigner. Back in 1979, at age thirteen, this was one thrilling Rock Music leap for me. In 1979, Foreigner joined Kiss and Cheap Trick to round out my big three heavy bands that I was so ecstatic over. Queen and Bad Company were right behind them… trust me when I say that once 1980 rolled around, I was in a Hard Rock and Heavy Metal whirlwind of wonder.

Once “Double Vision” was locked into my system, I needed more Foreigner… so I delved into their debut album by buying it in the Summer of 1979. “Head Games” was released in 1979, with “4” coming out in 1981, both of these Foreigner classics I took to as well. When it was all said and done, my winner was and always will be “Double Vision”. The albums Foreigner released after “4” seemed to take off into a different Rock direction, I never could grasp onto any Foreigner ballads. I was already too spoiled by the first two Foreigner albums to really embrace any Pop Music ballads that they made so hugely popular in the mid to late 1980’s. As I look back now, it is the “Double Vision” album that is really Foreigner, this is one of the albums that took hold of a thirteen year old back in 1979 and set him straight on a life long path of Heavy Music listening bliss. I have absolutely no regrets, just a ton of Metal gratitude to Foreigner.

Foreigner, as they appeared on “Double Vision”: Mick Jones on guitar, Lou Gramm on lead vocals, Ian McDonald on guitar & keyboard, Al Greenwood on synthesizer & keyboard, Ed Gagliardi on bass and Dennis Elliott on drums.

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BLACKFOOT – “Highway Song” was there when I needed it

Posted in 1970's southern rock music, 1970's classic rock music, 1970's rock music, 1980's classic rock bands, 1980's rock music, 1980's southern rock music, 1980's classic rock music, 1980's southern hard rock, 1980's southern rock, classic hard rock, classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, classic rock music, classic southern rock, everyday experiences, everyday social experiences, family, feel good stories, highway traffic stories, old school southern rock music, road trip stories, rush hour traffic stories, southern hard rock, southern hard rock albums, southern rock, southern rock 1979, southern rock albums, southern rock music with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 23, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

6085149Blackfoot has always been one of my favorite Southern Rock Bands, their songs and sound flat out Rock for me. The history of Blackfoot includes a long list of musicians, this is one band that has seen it’s share of lineup changes over the years. My favorite years of Blackfoot Southern Rock were definitely 1979 through 1981. The Blackfoot albums released during those years were “Strikes”, “Tomcattin'” and “Marauder”. The CD “Blackfoot Greatest Hits”, (pictured here), contains ten songs representing these three albums, which was at Walmart a couple of years ago… for five bucks I bought it without question. Admittedly, I do not own any other Blackfoot albums, so picking up a Greatest Hits of Blackfoot was essential sooner or later. I really get into this Blackfoot CD during the Spring through Autumn months… probably due to the fact I always equate Southern Rock to warmer weather. Go figure. The first track on this CD is  “Highway Song”, my favorite Blackfoot tune ever. This CD I played in my car recently, the timing of listening to “Highway Song”, on this particular small road trip, could not have been any better, here is how it all unfolded…

My family wanted to go shopping, (for back to school clothes), at the very large mall… this is the big one, the biggest mall in the area where we live. It is not a problem at all for me to join them… this oversized shopping mecca has a Hot Topic, therefore I can have a store of interest to check out. We embarked on our mall trip at around 5:30 p.m. – rush hour on the highway. I have never been a huge fan of rush hour congestion on the roadway, especially the highway. I spent too many years, like millions of others, wasting away hours on end, inside of a car, due to the rush hour creep. Thank heaven for the inventive mind or minds that decided to put stereo systems into cars decades ago. Having a CD player in the car has become an accepted necessity for me, music can not just entertain during a rush hour debacle, it can get me through psychologically during a highway traffic jam. We sure enough, didn’t even get onto the highway before realization set in… the traffic ahead of us was moving slower than we could walk. Step in “Highway Song”, as this Blackfoot CD played, It finally hit me that this was the best song to have playing, while stuck in a sea of cars moving at 3 mph. 

What should have been a fifteen minute trip down a straight highway became a forty minute stop and go. It appeared that there was no traffic accident, no highway construction, nor was there any debris in the roadway causing this delay, nope. The rush hour tie up seemed to be, in my Metal opinion, the one word that traffic reporters have used for many years now… phenomenon. You know, when traffic will slow down to a crawl for no apparent reason at all. It is like a domino affect, once the first car slows down, the rest in line have no choice but to follow suit. I have been involved in many, many, many, worse and longer rush hour scenarios throughout my life, this was definitely not the end of the world. Still, it was cool that the one CD I decided to listen to, even before our car reached the highway, was this Blackfoot Greatest Hits with “Highway Song” just getting started. What were the odds of this moment coming together? My listening to this song and the entire CD on our rush hour adventure to the mall, made the trip feel like the fifteen minutes it usually takes to get there. The bottom line is, Blackfoot and “Highway Song” made this rush hour jam easier to take.

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JOURNEY – “Arrival” is a 2001 album I finally bought in 2009

Posted in 1970's classic rock bands, 1980's classic rock bands, 1980's rock albums, 1980's rock music, 1980's hard rock, 1990's hard rock music, Album Review, classic hard rock, classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, classic rock music, essential classic rock albums, essential rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, hard rock vocalists, Music, old school hard rock, Rock, rock album reviews, rock music, rock music vocals, rock vocalists, vintage rock albums with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 20, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

main-150When it comes to Rock and Hard Rock Music, I always have put Journey on my listening rotation. I am guilty of not keeping up with the purchases of new CD’s over the years from Journey, “Arrival” is a perfect example of this. After the 1986 album “Raised On Radio”, I never picked up “Trial By Fire”, “Arrival” (until now) or “Generations”. You betcha I did grab a copy of “Revelation”… the Walmart 2 CD/1 DVD version too. It is not as if I totally forgot about Journey, these albums are just victims of the hordes of releases out there I have always wanted to buy… financially it is impossible to buy everything. Man, I am impressed by this Journey album… more than that, I cannot believe it took me this long to land “Arrival” into my music collection. I guess after each listen to “Arrival”, all I can really say to myself is what was I waiting for and thinking?  (I should have just bought this album years ago and stop worrying about how much money I spend on music!). I can’t comprehend how this album has not sold over a million copies? What gives? If “Arrival” was fronted by the legendary Steve Perry and released back in the 1980’s, it surely would have been multi platinum… wouldn’t it? Who knows, we shall never know, it is all make believe speculation on my part. All I do know is that “Arrival” is chock full of Rock and Hard Rock songs that are premium quality, in my Metal opinion. The song writing on “Arrival” is so outrageously good, I shake my head and thank the fact Journey is still around Rocking today.

Neal Schon is tremendous on guitar, (as usual), especially on “Livin’ To Do”… a choice favorite song of mine from this album. “Higher Place” is the opening song, the one and only song I was familiar with before I bought “Arrival”. “Higher Place” is the perfect table setter for this album, it has all things Journey about it happening. “I Got A Reason” is another song that really stands out for me, the lyrics and upbeat melody delivers plenty of highs here.  Steve Augeri on lead vocals does sound extremely close to Steve Perry… yet I will always state – there is only one Steve Perry, only one. With that off my chest, Steve Augeri does a smash up job on lead vocals, this guy can sing. On “With Your Love”, Steve Augeri makes me really like a ballad for a change. Neal Schon again, on guitar, adds the strength to this ballad that makes it rise up with musical emotion. I cannot hesitate to recommend “Arrival” to any fan of Classic Rock and Hard Rock, of any generation. Walmart has this CD in their retail store… that is where I found “Arrival”, plus it was an even five dollars. Five dollars, for a sealed (not used) CD… there are many times the Walmart CD aisles Rock.

Journey, as they appeared on “Arrival”: Neal Schon on guitar & backing vocals, Steve Augeri on lead vocals, Jonathan Cain on keyboards & backing vocals, Ross Valory on bass guitar & backing vocals and Deen Castronovo on drums & backing vocals. “Arrival” was released on April 3, 2001.

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Y&T – “In Rock We Trust” is ’80’s Heavy Metal I trust

Posted in 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal hits, 1980's popular rock bands, 1980's heavy metal bands, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's heavy metal songs, 1980's metal music, Album Review, classic heavy metal albums, classic metal, classic rock albums, classic rock music, cool album covers, essential heavy metal albums, essential metal music albums, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal albums 1984, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, heavy metal music 1984, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Music, old school heavy metal, vintage heavy metal albums, vintage heavy metal bands with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 18, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

7723902I received in the mail today, a package from my best buddy, Scott. In this package was a CD, “In Rock We Trust” by Y&T. Now, this is the kind of mail that I like receiving… not bills or junk mail, just pure 1980’s vintage Heavy Metal. Talk about a solid Metal reminder of how power grooved this Y&T band was back in the ’80’s. This album was released way back in 1984, (the year I was supposed to graduate High School). I opted for an extra half year of High School back then, yet that is Metal history now. I listened to “In Rock We Trust” in it’s Metal entirety, just minutes after it was unleashed from the bubble mailer that brought it to my Metal safe haven. Every song on this album is a Heavy Metal winner, for me. From the Heavy Metal chorus to the riffs and leads and everything else heavy in between, makes this album ripple with thunderous Metal might. I just have recently been listening to the Y&T album “Contagious”, take my Metal word on this… “In Rock We Trust” out heavies “Contagious”. I have never been a strong advocate for comparisons within a Metal band’s music catalog, I feel each album that is created is unique. There are those times, where exceptions are made on Metal Odyssey. Seriously, if anyone out there is considering to buy some Heavy Metal from the ’80’s, this album I undoubtedly recommend.

My best buddy Scott made my Metal day today… little did I know that this CD was coming my way, I guess I did not realize I needed a vintage fix, of some heavy duty Y&T Heavy Metal, either. Man, these ten songs hit me in all of the right ways today. Like Scott said to me on the phone today… “this Y&T album is just darn good Summer Heavy Metal”. I could not agree with him more… only I will take it one Metal step further, “In Rock We Trust” is one darn good year long Heavy Metal album. I see Scott’s point however, these songs make you feel like you are packing up the car, heading to the beach or one big time keg party… and it is the late ’80’s, where your only worries are having cash for gas, chips and beer. Ahhh, the stuff that vintage Heavy Metal makes you think about… Metal really is worry free music after all. If making a feel good Heavy Metal album back in 1984 was considered a crime, then Y&T is guilty on all Metal charges.

“Lipstick And Leather” and “Don’t Stop Runnin'” are the two hits that made their way on FM radio and MTV back in ’84.  Both songs are heavy rockin’ through and through. I really have taken a liking to the first song – “Rock And Roll’s Gonna Save The World”, it starts off rather slow and steady, yet it gives every indication that this is just the prelude to the pumped up Heavy Metal that engulfs my Metal senses. “Breakout Tonight!” and “She’s A Liar” are two songs that exemplify the signature 1980’s vibe of Heavy Metal. “In Rock We Trust” should come with a sticker of recommendation on the front CD cover… that reads: Play these songs loud – it will serve you right. Y&T with “In Rock We Trust” served me right today. I just cannot fathom as to why I never owned this Y&T album until today… I guess that no longer matters, this Heavy Metal gem is in my Metal possession now. This is just another reason why I can never take Metal Music or my best buddy Scott for granted. 

Y&T as they appeared on “In Rock We Trust”: Dave Meniketti on lead guitar & lead vocals, Phil Kennemore on bass guitar & backing vocals, Joey Alves on rhythm guitar & backing vocals and Leonard Haze on drums & backing vocals.

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DEEP PURPLE – “Deepest Purple” is a Space Truckin’ ride back to the ’70’s

Posted in 1970's classic rock albums, 1970's classic rock songs, 1970's hard rock bands, 1970's classic rock music, 1970's hard rock, 1970's Rock, 1970's rock music, 1980's hard rock, Album Review, classic hard rock, classic hard rock bands, classic hard rock music, classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, classic rock music, cool album covers, essential classic rock albums, essential hard rock albums, essential rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock drummers, hard rock guitarists, hard rock music this decade, hard rock songs, hard rock vocalists, heavy metal music, Music, old school hard rock, Rock, rock album reviews, rock keyboard musicians, rock music, rock vocalists, vintage hard rock albums, vintage rock albums with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 16, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

main-150Is it just me thinking this way? Deep Purple “Deepest Purple”, (subtitled “The Very Best of Deep Purple”), is the epitome of what a Rock/Hard Rock Greatest Hits album is supposed to be. These Deep Purple classics are hands down, sensational and historical Rock Music. Gimme a break, how can any generation not want to embrace these songs? These Deep Purple songs are perfect examples of just how amazing the song writing was in Rock and Hard Rock, back in the 1970’s. Could Deep Purple have been ahead of their time? I certainly think so, by at least a decade. The hardness, forget about the heaviness for a second, is what drives these Deep Purple songs to the top tier of  Rock and Hard Rock history, in my Metal opinion. Just stop to think about this, for a Metal second… how many new Rock or Hard Rock bands out there today, could actually put out a Greatest Hits album, down the road, with such impeccable and recognizable songs? “Smoke On The Water” and “Highway Star” are two Hard Rock songs alone, that represent a generation of Rock and Hard Rock music and the decade of the 1970’s. “Fireball” and “Child In Time” are just the icing on the Hard Rock cake here.

Certainly, I am not going to argue the clear fact that we had genre and decade defining Rock and Hard Rock groups during the 1970’s such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, ELO, Yes, Boston, Moody Blues, The Doors, Molly Hatchet, Bad Company, Kansas, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Pink Floyd, AC/DC (Bon Scott era), Lynyrd Skynyrd and Ted Nugent. The list of iconic Rock and Hard Rock bands from the 1970’s is huge. You betcha. Of course I missed mentioning some well deserved bands and solo musicians here… this post would be gigantic if I was to make a master list. My point I am making is this… there was Deep Purple, man, and they rocked liked no tomorrow during the decade of the ’70’s – “Deepest Purple” is sound Rock and Hard Rock proof of that. If a time machine really did exist and I could rent one, (I am certain that I would not be able to afford to buy one), I would get on that Rock and Roll mother ship and take a ride to a vintage Deep Purple concert back in the 1970’s. (I am positive that Connecticut would have one hefty and major time machine tax, Senator Christopher Dodd would be all over that one – if a time machine existed).

Back to Deep Purple… I could not complain about which lead singer would be fronting this legendary band… if I was to go back in time to see them in concert, it is pick ’em at lead singer  –  for all I care! David Coverdale, Ian Gillain, Glenn Hughes or Tommy Bolin as lead singer… it would not matter, I would be cheering on this 1970’s version of Deep Purple like a psyched out, Hard Rockin’, “Space Truckin” fan! Aw heck, throw in the late 1960’s lead singer Rod Evans for good measure too, he counts. I am not by any shape or form, taking away the great Hard Rock achievements of the Deep Purple lineups of the 1980’s through present day, no way. This Deep Purple music dynasty is special, an undisputed Hard Rockin’ franchise. I just have that Rock and Roll fantasy once in awhile, this whole time machine journey to see Deep Purple in the ’70’s is one. So, the next time you hear, “Woman From Tokyo”, “Burn” and “Stormbringer”, not to mention the other great hits of Deep Purple, earlier mentioned, just remember when they were written… these songs epitomize the label of – timeless. “Space Truckin'”… ’nuff said.

I tip my Metal Music hat to all the past and present musicians of Deep Purple, especially Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, Jon Lord on keyboards, Roger Glover on bass guitar, Joe Lynn Turner on lead vocals, Nick Simper on bass guitar, Joe Satriani on lead guitar and Ian Paice on drums. I thank Don Airey on keyboards and Steve Morse on guitar for keeping the Deep Purple – Hard Rock machine turnin’ and churnin’ to this day. If it wasn’t for Deep Purple, Metal Music as we know it today, probably would not sound so cool. That… is my Metal opinion.

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Ace Frehley – my second favorite Kiss solo album

Posted in 1970's classic rock albums, 1970's classic rock songs, 1970's classic rock music, 1970's hard rock, 1970's heavy metal, 1970's heavy metal albums, 1970's heavy metal music, 1970's Rock, 1970's rock music, Album Review, classic hard rock, classic hard rock music, classic heavy metal albums, classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock music, classic rock music facts, cool album covers, essential classic rock albums, essential hard rock albums, essential heavy metal albums, essential rock albums, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, heavy metal solo albums, heavy metal solo artists, heavy metal solo vocalists, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, Music, old school heavy metal, rock music, vintage hard rock albums, vintage heavy metal albums, vintage rock albums with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 9, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

main-150Ace Frehley will always be my choice pick for the guitarist of Kiss. Ace Frehley was the original guitarist and in my Metal opinion, the best at lead guitar for Kiss. I few posts ago, I stated that my favorite Kiss solo album of all time is Paul Stanley. I cannot backtrack that sentiment, the Paul Stanley album is for me, #1. With that said, out of the four Kiss solo albums, Ace Frehley is clearly my #2 choice. My fellow peer in Metal blogs over at The Metal Files, (a cool Metal Music blog that is worth the visits), commented his favorite Kiss solo album is Ace Frehley… this spurred me into delving into the Ace Frehley solo album once again. I do own the Ace Frehley solo album, (released on September 18, 1978), a record that has been with me for decades. I actually bought this Ace Frehley vinyl from a cut-out bin, from a small department store named Woolworths, back in the very early 1980’s. My Ace Frehley album has the top right corner actually cut off, therefore, that is probably why it was in a cut-out bin! Despite the cosmetic damage that this album cover suffered, the album itself and the large fold-out poster of Ace Frehley that was included with the album, never sustained damage from the cut-out process. (Each Kiss solo album had a large fold-out poster of the respective Kiss musician inside the album sleeve, with each of the four posters interlocking together, through die cuts, to form one giant Kiss collage, if you will).

Now, I have not ever owned the Ace Frehley solo album as a CD… until today. A trip to Best Buy had me, as usual, walking the CD aisles and staking out some Heavy Music that would pacify my Metal hunger. Well, Classic Heavy Metal has done it again… the Ace Frehley solo CD caught my eye, it was about time to upgrade my vinyl copy after all. I paid $7.99 for this Ace Frehley CD today, that is cheaper than buying a steak and a whole lot more gratifying too. “Rip It Out” and “Speedin’ Back To My Baby” are the first two tracks… I tag these two songs as being my two favorites. These songs have that Ace Frehley vibe happening, vocally of course, yet the guitar of Ace is so incredibly vintage. To plop a CD into the car stereo on the ride home and have the very first two songs crank like this… all I could say to myself as I drove was… Space Ace Rocks. As I continued to listen to Ace Frehley, it was a consistent reminder to me, as to how Rock legit his solo album was and still is. When I was much younger, back in 1978, I bought the 45 rpm of “New York Groove”, with the “B” side being “Snow Blind”. Both of these songs I do put on a Metal pedestal for the memories they stir… I was just a young, little dude playing this 45 record back in 1978, CD’s and ipods were non existent and The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox – in a one game playoff for the American League East Division title. Plus, I had no bills to pay back in 1978 either. Ace Frehley as with all of the Kiss solo albums, bring back memories that money just can’t buy.

This Ace Frehley solo album did reach platinum sales status, (one million or more copies sold), peaking at #26 on the U.S. Billboard album charts as well. My fellow Metal blogging peer at The Metal Files commented Ace Frehley did not write “New York Groove”… Russ Ballard did. “New York Groove” peaked at #13 on the U.S. Billboard Singles chart. Not to sound like a television music show judge, excuse me by saying… Ace Frehley nailed it with “New York Groove”. Aw, heck, Ace Frehley nailed it on all nine songs too.

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Uncovering Heavy Metal/Hard Rock finds in: Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania

Posted in antique shopping finds, backroads usa, classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, classic rock music, collecting music, collecting rock music, cool album covers, everyday experiences, everyday people, everyday social experiences, family, feel good stories, rock music, rural pennsylvania, shopping for music, travel, travel america, travel stories, vacation stories, vintage rock album finds with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 7, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

MetalOdyssey

I found Heavy Metal and Hard Rock Music memorabilia in Bird-In-Hand, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Amish Country. You read that correctly. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think of landing some real cool Heavy Metal/Hard Rock finds in this neck of the woods. Life is sweet when you can uncover and discover places you have never been to before, only to find unexpected Heavy Music treasures. An early Summer, family trip to this beautiful area of Pennsylvania, provided for some much anticipated rest and relaxation, sitting by the motel pool, with my Metal loaded ipod at the ready. The Amish are a gentle, hard working, religiously devout people. Witnessing the Amish farms and seeing these folks work the fields and travel by horse and buggy only makes me respect them all the more. I admire their perseverance. The Amish are a devoted people, devoted to their families, friends, religion and to the land they sow. Observing the Amish community makes me wonder why life as I know it, has to be so hectic, so competitive in every aspect?   One of the other items on our to do list, while staying over at Bird-In-Hand, was to check out any or all of the nearby antique shops. Here is where this story picks up the Heavy Music theme.

p2sBefore I, my wife and daughters began our journey to Bird-In-Hand, I just figured my only connection to Heavy Music was going to be from the ipod I packed. Uh, nope. Right on Old Philadelphia Pike, Route 340, is a row of vintage built shops and barns… everything from a Hardware Store to a Teddy Bear Store is in view. Yes, I mentioned a Teddy Bear Store on Metal Odyssey. One of these shops contains a cluster of antique dealers, where all the dealers are not present… yet their goods are. Walking in, I perused the unusual and typical, the mundane and interesting of all things antique. My wife and daughters set off on their own path, navigating this rather large antique mecca of a barn. After twenty minutes of scouring the old artifacts that surrounded me, I heard my wife in an excited voice tell me to walk over in her direction. There, it was there, that she motioned with her hands… three large rooms filled with Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal albums, CD’s and memorabilia. The Amish Country Rocks. 

main-150To say I was Metal ecstatic would be an understatement. How can this be? How could there be such a bounty of Heavy Music and Rock memorabilia smack dab in the middle of Bird-In- Hand, Pennsylvania? There are some questions in life, that are better left unanswered… this is one of them. Who cares why there are cool dealers within this antique shop, nestled in the middle of Amish Country, selling their Heavy Music memories… all that matters is it exists! Hooray for this Metalhead. The dealers who had used albums and CD’s for sale have great Heavy Music taste. I immediately grabbed hold of the Kiss Gene Simmons solo CD, it was my wife’s choice pick to boot. I will admit, it was a no brainer picking up this used CD, the entire package is in mint condition. I also picked up, without hesitation, the ZZ Top used CD, “Antenna”. (My wife and I saw ZZ Top on this tour, back in the ’90’s). There were also a few CD’s still originally sealed for sale as well, running at six bucks each. The lone unused CD I bought was Cheap Trick – “Heaven Tonight”, (released in 1978). I never owned this Cheap Trick album, therefore it was about time. Some Kiss trading cards, a couple of Beatles magnets and a used, mint copy of GTR – self titled album, rounded out my finds. 

Kiss - Gene Simmons solo album small picI could not have been more satisfied, of having found such an assortment of Heavy Music memorabilia to look over. Especially gratifying is the fact, I never expected to uncover the music that means so much to my life on this trip, in the quaint and friendly village of Bird-In-Hand, no less. As I exited this antique shop, with my bag of Hard Rockin’ goodies in hand, I vividly recall having to walk very closely past… an Amish man tending to his horse and buggy. My way of life, is not this Amish gentleman’s way of life. This whole experience walking out of the antique shop felt rather awkward, maybe semi embarrassing. Here I am, all psyched out about my finds, walking towards the family car, with a Kiss – Gene Simmons CD clearly visible through the plastic bag that I am clutching onto, as this polite Amish man tends to his horse. Talk about a tale of two separate worlds crossing paths. 

    Bird-In-Hand village sign pic

   

My favorite KISS solo album is…

Posted in 1970's classic rock music, 1970's hard rock, 1970's heavy metal, 1970's heavy metal albums, 1970's heavy metal music, Album Review, classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock music, cool album covers, essential heavy metal albums, hard rock album review, hard rock songs, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal solo albums, heavy metal solo artists, heavy metal solo vocalists, heavy metal vocalists, metal odyssey, Music, old school heavy metal, Paul Stanley, vintage hard rock albums, vintage heavy metal albums with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 31, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

main-150Each member of Kiss had released a solo album back on September 18, 1978. I remember back then, being a young Kiss fan, there was much to rejoice about… four new Kiss albums to choose from. Being just twelve years old, I could not just run out and buy all four new albums. Back in 1978, my parents did not have a bounty of expendable cash to dole out to me, thus I was only earning a quarter here and there for the yard work I did. (Sounds like the 1930’s or something, doesn’t it?). Instead, I waited patiently to obtain or receive as a gift, one or all of the Kiss solo albums. Not until January 26, 1979, did I receive the Paul Stanley solo album, as a birthday gift from my parents. To say that I was ecstatic on that day would be an understatement… Paul Stanley was and still is, my favorite musician and vocalist from Kiss. At that age, I remember just staring at the front cover portrait of Paul Stanley, holding the album jacket in my hands, thinking this was the greatest birthday of my entire life. The memories are so cool to reflect on… what is more cool is that Paul Stanley is still making music both solo, (“Live To Win”, October 24, 2006), plus with an upcoming new Kiss album.

I don’t know if it is just me, yet I feel the songs on this album could very well have been released recently, given the fact there are so many vintage Heavy Metal Bands being revived in recent years. Maybe it is due to my growing up with Kiss and these albums, that I do not find this music dated. Well, enough about the age and dates here… this is the album that boasts my favorite Heavy Metal ballad of all-time, it is “Hold Me, Touch Me (Think Of Me When We’re Apart)”. This song always held it together for me, with the melody, lyrics and Paul Stanley’s vocals being three parts of equal coolness. This album opener is “Tonight You Belong To Me”, a song I consider to be one of the heaviest out of the bunch. This song opens up with Paul Stanley singing as if he is about to embark on a slow ballad, this is definitely not the case. The Heavy Metal gravitational pull, swallows me right up with this great song. “It’s Alright” is another fine heavy song, it has for me, all the qualities to still psyche me out – with Paul Stanley’s vocals again, the ever important lyrics and of course, the music itself.

“Move On” is the one and only song on this album that I really have never grown to like. This is a song that I could not connect with, nor do I understand how it musically fit into the song list for this album. Obviously, “Move On” has never swayed my admiration for this Paul Stanley solo album. One song that does not meet my liking is not going to ruin an entire album of songs. Paul Stanley wrote every song on this album, while co-writing with Mikel Japp on “Move On”, “Ain’t Quite Right” and “Take Me Away (Together As One)”. Out of the four Kiss solo albums, Paul Stanley was and always has been my choice of favorite, this is not to take away from the Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss albums… it is just my personal taste. Besides, I do enjoy the other three solo albums too, just not in the same way as this Paul Stanley solo album. As a whole, I have always found this Paul Stanley solo album to be the catchiest, most melodic and more song driven out of the four, with some cool slices of Heavy Metal to go along with it.

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Cheap Trick “The Latest” is their latest great album

Posted in 1970's rock music, 1980's rock music, Album Review, classic hard rock music, classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, classic rock music, cool album covers, current rock albums 2009, essential rock albums, hard rock album review, hard rock albums 2009, hard rock guitarists, hard rock music this decade, hard rock vocalists, Music, new hard rock album, Rock, rock album reviews, rock music, silly album covers with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 26, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

main-150Cheap Trick, “The Latest” may just very well be the album that proves this band has elevated themselves beyond the Rock Legends status. It is in my Metal opinion, Cheap Trick has become deserving of being called – Music Legends. Once again, Cheap Trick has not tried to reinvent themselves, instead they have created thirteen new songs that justifies their Rock and Roll existence and legendary status. What Cheap Trick has proven to me, with “The Latest”, is that I can marvel at this band and also learn a valuable lesson about life… the lesson of never giving into complacency. The last three Cheap Trick studio albums including “The Latest” is as strong a Rock Music achievement as I could ever hear. This band is just knocking out some of the greatest albums of their career, this decade alone.

The mindset to create a complete album of memorable songs, has not seemed to wane, from the Cheap Trick – bag of Rock Music tricks. “The Latest” begins with the song “Sleep Forever”, at 1:37 long. This song with it’s limited and heartfelt lyrics, coupled with a somber musical atmosphere and mood, took me off guard upon my first listen. My interpretation of this song, is saying goodbye to a loved one, someone that is cherished, after this loved one passes away. My beautiful Mother, someone I always and forever will cherish and love in my heart, passed away on July 10, 2009. I first listened to this album and “Sleep Forever” on July 21, 2009… I felt as if everything around me went still while my thoughts and feelings instantly gravitated towards my late Mother. The timing of my hearing this song for the first time, so close to the day my Mother passed away, became an emotional moment that I never anticipated from “The Latest” Cheap Trick album. I will say this… Cheap Trick has made one beautiful little song with “Sleep Forever”, a remarkable testament to this bands articulate musical diversity.

“Sleep Forever” is perfect being the first song on this album, for the remaining twelve songs are balanced with upbeat, Rock, Hard Rock and many dashes and dollops of that vintage Cheap Trick sound. In my Metal opinion, if this song was to be the last track to hear, instead of it being the first, well, it would be ending this great album on a sad note. This is a song that is perfect where it is, as song number one, let the emotions flow… then it is time to Rock the rest of the way through “The Latest”. Let it be known from me, that the remaining twelve songs on this album are as Rock inspiring as one could ever wish for. “California Girl” is classic Cheap Trick, with the Rock pace and lyrics resembling the roots of this prolific band. “Miracle” and “Times Of Our Lives” are two songs that signify the essence of how Cheap Trick taps into humanity as subject matter – all the while, in an uplifting, Rock spirit kind of way.

Fans of Cheap Trick are going to buy or already have this album. It is the casual Cheap Trick fan, the fan of Classic Rock and/or Hard Rock that I really recommend this album to. Cheap Trick, for me, have not lost their Rock edge, they have gained an edge with this new album. “The Latest” may have given me an emotional start with “Sleep Forever” at the onset, yet I thank Cheap Trick for that. This is a prime example of just how a song can keep me grounded, then the remaining album carries me off into Cheap Trick’s land of addicting Rock and Roll cool.

Cheap Trick: Rick Nielsen on guitars, background vocals & keyboards, Robin Zander on vocals, guitar & keyboards, Tom Petersson on bass, background vocals & guitar and Bun E. Carlos on drums & background vocals

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Rainbow – “Bent Out Of Shape” 1983 album revisited

Posted in 1980's hard rock albums, 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's hard rock, 1980's heavy metal bands, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's heavy metal songs, Album Review, classic hard rock, classic hard rock music, classic heavy metal albums, classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock music, essential hard rock albums, essential heavy metal albums, essential rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock songs, hard rock vocalists, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, Music, old school heavy metal, rock music, rock vocalists, vintage hard rock albums, vintage heavy metal albums, Vocals with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 23, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

Rainbow "Bent Out Of Shape" small picRainbow was and still is one of the Hard Rock/Heavy Metal bands that I look upon with Metal reverence. The song writing, lyrics, musicianship, melodies, well, I could go on forever about why I have liked this band so much. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, in my Metal opinion, is a guitar legend, both with Deep Purple and Rainbow. Ritchie Blackmore collaborated with lead vocalist Joe Lynn Turner on a few releases, back in the 1980’s. “Bent Out Of Shape” is one of those albums they created, writing nine out of the ten songs together. “Bent Out Of Shape” can be taken as a commercial Hard Rock statement, only It is difficult for me to define this album as such. My standards for commercial Rock or Hard Rock/Heavy Metal definitely differ from other peoples standards. I need to hear consistent sappy ballads and/or radio – bubble gum – friendly songs before my stamp of commercialism is placed on an album. In other words, I feel “Bent Out Of Shape” is one mighty, melodic, Hard Rock album. Honestly, I have no problem with labeling “Bent Out Of Shape” as a Heavy Metal album. This album was released in 1983, the heaviness of Rainbow for back then, easily gave this band the label of Heavy Metal.

“Snowman” is the lone song that was not co-written by Joe Lynn Turner. This song is an instrumental, written by Ritchie Blackmore and Howard Blake. This song has a yearning feeling to it, an almost dream like atmosphere as well, I have always gravitated to it over the years. “Street Of Dreams” was the hit song from this album, plenty of FM radio play it used to receive as well. This song is very melodic, the keyboards play an integral musical role on this track. “Desperate Heart” is quite similar in style, to that of “Street Of Dreams”… both with melody and tempo. “Drinking With The Devil” is my pick for the heaviest song on this album, it has some cool edginess to it, with Joe Lynn Turner adding some tough attitude vocally. “Can’t Let You Go” is another notable song, tailor made for Joe Lynn Turner’s vocals. This song as with “Desperate Heart” and “Street Of Dreams” seems to fit the soul searching theme that I interpret from the lyrics. 

Overall, “Bent Out Of Shape” carries on the signature sound of Rainbow, with rich and vibrant keyboards courtesy of David Rosenthal and of course, the guitar play of Ritchie Blackmore. Joe Lynn Turner has the velvet vocals of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal, he continues to release some quality solo albums to this day. If I had to pick which version of Rainbow that I like best, of course I would choose the Ronnie James Dio fronted Rainbow. With that opinion aside, the Joe Lynn Turner era of Rainbow was and still is quite cool for me. I never can resist buying any music that Joe Lynn Turner has his vocals on, there is no doubt in my mind, that he has had an impressive career. For my taste, “Bent Out Of Shape” has not lost any of its Heavy Rock luster, as years pass. If anything, I still appreciate the quality of all of these songs on this album. In my Metal opinion, this Rainbow album is light years better than a good percentage of new Hard Rock music you hear on the radio or internet today.

Rainbow, as they appeared on “Bent Out Of Shape”: Ritchie Blackmore on guitars, Joe Lynn Turner on vocals, Roger Glover on bass and percussion, David Rosenthal on keyboards and Chuck Burgi on drums. “Bent Out Of Shape” was produced by Roger Glover.

Rainbow "Bent Out Of Shape" large pic