I guess I bought this because I really like the first Body Count album. I don’t think I’ve really listened to it.
Bonfire – AC/DC
There comes a time when all bands sell-out. I think they have to, it maintains their income and produces the goods for the record company. Metallica have done it loads and I find a lot of their stuff nauseating. AC/DC by all measures have done it too. Branded Monopoly and anything else that you want but I don’t see it as selling-out. I see it as giving the fans what they want. For some reason it’s different for AC/DC [there’s cognitive dissonance for you!].
Bonfire is a collection of music from the Bon Scott days of AC/DC [when they were at their best]. The discs are split up into the following:
- Back In Black [not Bon but it’s there]
- Atlantic Studios
- Paris I and II
- Volts
The Atlantic Studio recording is of them live in the early days. It’s great. Really raw and lovely. The Paris CDs is just the CD version of the video “Let There Be Rock”. Volts is a collection of rare recordings from the early days.
I bought the Let There Be Rock video in about 1989, over an Easter break. I remember watching it. Videos were new to me and this was AC/DC live. At the end after the concert when the screen goes black and “To Bon” is written on the screen I cried. It’s hard not to. The world lost an extreme talent the night he died. On my return to school after the break Steven, who was the other AC/DC nut in my year group, had also watched the video. He had shed a tear too. The soundtrack is lovely. It’s nice to hear slightly different versions of the songs.
Volts is good but it freaks me out hearing classic songs with different lyrics.
If you are a Bon Scott fan then this is grade A merchandise.
Body Count – Body Count
I’m sorry. Who?
Ice-T?
Singing metal?
What?
That’s right. Ice-T has a band called Body Count and they play metal. Ice-T “sings” his stuff. This is a great album. It makes me laugh and slightly sad at the same time. Ice-T definitely has a message to portray and it seems to be one about the desperation of black people in society and getting laid. It’s funny how these things fit the music but when written down they just don’t scan very well.
My favourites:
- Body Count’s in the House
- Body Count
- KKK Bitch
Blood Sugar Sex Magik – Red Hot Chilli Peppers
I have a feeling the Chilli Peppers along with some other bands mentioned before are somewhat over-rated. I bought the album What Hits? and I really liked it. The songs were fast and raw.
I bought this album. Now, I can recognise it is a good album and I can almost see why people rave about it and the Chillis but they just don’t do it for me and so are over-rated.
“Suck My Kiss” and “Give It Away” are my favourites. The rest don’t bother me. I really disliked the Chillis when they became super popular (it’s in my psyche to dislike popular stuff) and stuff like “Dani California” etc just makes me want to puke.
Blade Runner – Vangelis
Every now and then you need a bit of chill-out music. Where would someone like me turn for that?
Films.
Most of my classical and easy listening knowledge comes from music in films. Blade Runner is an excellent film made atmospheric by the music contained within.
This is that music. Simple.
Blackout – Scorpions
In the late 80s those cheeky Scorpions had a massive hit with “Winds Of Change” from the Crazy World album. I bought that album – no bad songs there just classic straight talking rock.
After a while I bought this on music cassette. The cover has a man screaming with his eyes being impaled with eating forks. Just sayin’!
Look, this was released in 1982 and I listen to it still. The songs are really good and catchy. It’s not ground breaking rock, in fact it’s rather derivative, but it is a very well constructed album and brilliant. How many great German bands are there? [quite a few in these pages].
There isn’t a bad song. My personal favourites are:
- Blackout
- Can’t Live Without You
- Now!
- Arizona
- China White
There you have it. I’m a fan of the Scorpions. Not enough to have a tattoo but a fan.
Black Ice – AC/DC
This album proved to be a return to greatness for the grandfathers of rock. This band have been around for so long and made some less-than-brilliant albums that all hope had been given up. I heard about this album while listening to the Bruce Dickinson rock show on BBC Radio 6 Music. He was raving about how good he thought it was and what a return to form it showed. I was curious. Bruce is a big AC/DC fan and so he couldn’t be wrong.
This is a complete wonder of an album. It doesn’t have the gritty rawness of the Bon Scott albums but it is crafted and written brilliantly. It has everything you could want. Blockbusting riffs, brilliant drums, good lyrics and thundering bass. It’s great.
All the songs are good. Well worth putting on in the car for a summer drive. It’ll cheer you up.
Black Gives Way to Blue – Alice In Chains
This album was part of the “catch up with what bands I used to like have been doing” phase from about a year ago. I had thought that Alice were dead, much like their singer but then this was released in 2009 with a new singer.
I’m amazed at how good his voice sounds and how much like the original he is. It is very much an “Alice” album. Slow, heavy, melodic and haunting. It’ll freak you out. Well done Mr Alice.
A Bit of What You Fancy – The Quireboys
At sometime in the sixth form someone saw The Quireboys support another band. That’s all the memory I have about why I would know this band. I bought this album on vinyl and I would classify it as good old fashioned British pub rock and roll. This album is well worth a listen. I like the melodies and the singing. This is definitely a summer album. I can imagine playing this in the garden with the sun glaring down and saturating the whole village in glorious shine.
I listened to this album so much in my formative years that I think all the songs are ingrained. My favourites are:
- 7 O’clock
- Sex Party
- Long Time Comin’
This was a great purchase.
Biohazard – Biohazard
You go through life aware of some bands who really influenced other bands or perhaps they were there at the beginning. Then, you hear a collaboration song by that artist and think, hey, that’ll be good.
It’s ok. I’ve listened to it twice. Probably won’t listen to it again. Not fussed by it.
Big Sexyland – Revolting Cocks
The continuance of the transformation started by such electronica bands as Throbbing Gristle. The Revolting Cocks took samples and an industrial sound a little further and produced an album of lovely political songs that challenge perceptions of music.
Personal highlights:
- 38
- Union Carbide
- No Devotion
This band led into Ministry, Nine Inch Nails and todays shouty metal. It’s very good.
Best of Michael Schenker – Michael Schenker
I bought this on CD as I had a gatefold album on vinyl also called the best of Michael Schenker. Michael is the brother of Rudi who is one of the guitarists in the Scorpions and Michael played with them for a while but he’s also played with UFO and MSG. I really like the sound of 70s rock and this has lots of that. The riffs are really good and the songs are well written.
My highlights are:
- Armed and Ready
- Are You Ready to Rock
- Attack of the Mad Axeman
It’s all real proper disco rock and very much a summer album. There’s something about the guitar sound which is lovely. It has that under-produced sound, probably due to the equipment of those days. Much like black and white movies tell us that the world only got colour after the second world war, we only got good sound for music during the 1980s. Mind you, most of the music produced in the 80s was rubbish!
Also, Michael is a blue-eyed German blond. He’s a good poster boy for rock music.
Iron Man 3
Went to see this film at the Showcase Cinema at Bluewater. I had to pick a seat at the front row because I was the last person in. There were a bunch of annoying teenagers just behind me and to the left but that’s what happens at the cinema. If I could watch these films at home I probably would but, then again, it’s nice to get out.
The best thing about this film is Stark’s character. He’s so quick witted and a completely self-obsessed and absorbed arse. It makes it worth seeing. Look, the story is ok. The effects are ok but I guess it’s the set-pieces people go to see. They were good and the crane at the end was massive, really impressive.
It’s amusing to think that every time IronMan landed Tony would be squashed to a pulp inside. I know the man is bright and able to make 42 different models of IronMan in his spare time and have them all working really well but I just don’t think he’s invented the inertia drive. I could spend all day moaning about science but I shan’t. Oh, apart from the acupuncture needles in Stark towards the end, what horse poo!
Anyway, look, it’s a superhero action film. Not up to the standards of Watchmen but a good one none the less.
Best Of – Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie J Malmsteen
Why do I know this man’s work? Who got me into this stuff? I’m pretty sure that Andy Smith saw Yngwie play a concert and I didn’t go. Somewhere along the way I ended up with a couple of his songs on tape or heard them while at friends houses.
Eventually I bought a live album by the man. This was not that one.
Sometime later I downloaded a Best Album so that I had some studio versions of his work. I doubt that I’ve listened to it all the way through, in fact none of the song titles scream out at me.
Oh well. The guy is an awesome guitarist and I saw him play at Shepherd’s Bush. It was a good gig. Different, but good.
Beast From The East – Dokken
Mark Hodges persuaded me to buy this album shortly after my sixteenth or seventeenth birthday. I had some record vouchers and wanted new vinyl. I’d only been into decent music for a short while and so it was important to make the correct choices.
This is a gatefold live album recorded in Japan. The cover illustration is a picture of a whole back tattoo. I really like the sound of a four piece band when the guitar does a solo. I like hearing the rhythm section keep the beat going while the guitarist just goes off on one. The sound of this album is perfect.
When I bought this on CD it didn’t come with my favourite song, “Sleepless Nights” and I’m a bit annoyed about that. For the last twenty five years the middle section of that song has stuck in my brain. George Lynch’s guitar makes an awesome screeching sound and it has sent shivers down my spine since around 1988.
My highlights on this album are:
- Unchain The Night
- Kiss Of Death
- Mr Scary
- It’s Not Love
Mr O would say this is an album of pure cockrock and he wouldn’t be wrong. The 1980s produced some great sounding bands and I’ve spent quite a bit of time and money buying proper versions of the albums friends had taped for me.
Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell – Meat Loaf
This was the return of Meat Loaf. I’m pretty sure that after having one of the all time greatest selling albums he ended up skint, although I would imagine that Jim Steinbeck who actually wrote the songs is rather well off. I could be wrong on this matter and I can’t be bothered to check.
“I’d do anything . . . . “ was the main single released from this album and it’s a good song but it was over played in the 90s. I can’t remember another song from this album. It probably plays well though. I imagine 50 year old men driving their Rovers listening to this, or the presenters of Top Gear.
Bat Out Of Hell – Meat Loaf
In the fourth year at school I used to quiz Michael Francis about a band I knew called Bachman-Turner Overdrive. He did seem aware of them and their one main hit which is also one of their worst songs! The reason I would quiz him is that he was the music guru. Every class must have one and he was ours. He regularly bought NME and we would look at the charts and wonder at the music. I hadn’t really reached my musical maturity. Anyway, I can remember seeing an album in the charts that had been in the charts for nearly 10 years! This always struck me as an administrative error. What sort of music would stay popular for that long? The answer is, of course, Bat Out Of Hell.
I can’t remember when I bought this, but I did get it on music cassette. After 1995 I lost the cassette and I think I have finally figured out that I left it with RC. I didn’t mind too much but every now and then you need some operatic rock. The riff of the title song would play in my head and eventually I bought the CD version when digitising my collection.
Bat Out Of Hell – a song that is 9:50 long. It was always a good song to play at Imperial College Radio to give you some time to make a coffee and visit the gents! Not only that but it is a great song. I
really like the 70s sound of rock and this takes it to a whole new level. Operatic themes and ear crunching riffs. “Paradise” and “You took the words” are a couple of my favourites. The CD version I have includes the song “Dead Ringer For Love” which I am pretty sure isn’t on the original release. But every song here is a stunner. It’s retro and fantastic. Well worth listening to. Very much a summer album. Just had a closer look at my iPhone and I can see that I have the wrong artwork associated with this album. That’s something to change this evening!
I bet you say that to all the boys!
Ballbreaker – AC/DC
There are some excellent and classic AC/DC but this album is not one of them. I could probably count the number of times I have played this using my thumbs! Hey, it’s still AC/DC and just what they always write. The video for “Cover You In Oil” is rather amusing.
Back In Black – AC/DC
The first album recorded by AC/DC after Bon Scott died choking on his own vomit. A fitting title. One of the world’s highest selling albums and deservedly so. It’s hard to give enough praise for this collection of ten songs. I honestly am not sure what else I can write about this album. Oh, I know. When I first bought this on music cassette there was a production error on my copy which meant that the bells at the beginning of “Hells Bells” had an echo and so did much of the first few songs. For some reason I never took the tape back to be changed. I just put up with it.
“You Shook Me All Night Long” is my favourite song on this album. Great riff, great drums and great lyrics.
Axis Of Evil – Suicide Commando
Axis of Evil – Suicide Commando
Those crazy Belgians have a lot to answer for. I found this artist while looking for more aggrotech and hellectro. I’m pretty sure I looked on Wikipedia for associated acts and probably looked through iTunes to see related acts from Combichrist. Axis of Evil is full of dance beats, samples and club style synth sounds with some lovely disturbing lyrics over the top.
To start an album with the worldwide statistics on suicide is a brave move and one that works. Just a glance at the song titles will inform you of the style and mood of the music. Strangely I find this stuff quite upbeat and happy. It’s definitely my kind of stuff.
- Consume Your Vengeance
- Face of Death
- Evildoer
- Plastic Christ
These pretty much sum up this album!