Category: Album Reviews

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Randy Rhoads Tribute (Live) – Ozzy Osbourne

Here’s the thing. There are some bands and singers who are like classic movies or books. Everyone should listen to them / read them / watch them. Yes, some are shit. Yes, it is society telling you watch to appreciate and sometimes you can strongly disagree with society, but maybe you secretly understand why. Why is it that this film / book makes it into the list of greats or must-reads? Also, to be honest, I do think you should accept what you like and what you enjoy without the need to be shamed by society into thinking you are wrong. You are as you are.

Having said that, Ozzy is a national hero and it’s quite a surprise that the guy lasted as long as he has. Given the drugs, bats and alcohol it is unusual for someone to be as old as him. But, you see, we are now trying to understand survivorship bias. Just because Ozzy made it this far there are plenty of drug addicts that didn’t. They are dead. Just because Ozzy did those things doesn’t mean anyone can. Just because Ozzy with his horrific voice made millions and thrilled the fans doesn’t mean anyone can. We remember the hits but not those thousands of misses.

I don’t think this album will make you cry but you will appreciate that these rock stars are just humans and the note inside the album from Randy Rhoads’ wife is really touching. Zakk Wylde joined Ozzy after Randy died and if there’s one thing we now know it’s that you have to spell your name badly to be a rock guitarist. Start with that and then worry about the guitar thing afterwards.

This is like a greatest hits for Ozzy and it’s a great album. Worth playing many times.

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Rammstein – Rammstein

I do love Rammstein. I know I didn’t really rave about Mutter but this particular album is great. They really are master craftsmen of new German metal. I have no idea what they are singing and to me that doesn’t really matter. The music does enough for me.

  • DEUTSCHLAND – great opener. Lovely song. [probably about killing or something – I don’t do lyrics at the best of times].
  • Radio – these chaps are the best at writing brilliant melodies along with a special beat that makes you move.
  • ZEIG DICH – I’m not sure how this band do it. They make an up-tempo song that you think is going to roll along and then the bridge hits you in the face.
  • Auslander – This is one of those songs where I start thinking it should be a club track. I can imagine dirty nightclubs with all their dance beats playing and then someone puts this shit on and all of a sudden the whole club becomes metal fans. I think it’s also about immigration – but in a good way.
  • SEX – not sure if this is about the joys or the horrors of sex but it’s a bouncy song with superb riffs. Plus, everyone gets to shout out SEX which is fun.
  • PUPPE – Gosh this song starts out all lovely and gentle and you believe it’s going to be sweet and then BOSH it hits you straight in the face. Brilliant.
  • WAS ICH LIEBE – it’s perfectly good.
  • DIAMANT – Lovely and smooth. Could be about death and murder, I wouldn’t know.
  • WEIT WEG – It’s that little melody at the beginning isn’t it? I know a band are good song writers when they do something I wasn’t expecting but it fits the song and makes you think – wow, I’d never have thought to do that. Maybe my imagination is rubbish but there are only a few bands that surprise me.
  • TATTOO – The melody in the chorus is lovely.
  • HALLOMANN – This song rounds off a lovely album. I don’t think that any Rammstein album has disappointed me.

To tell you how good this album is can be summed up with the fact that their key changes don’t annoy me. I thoroughly enjoy this band. Their music is delightful. The live shows are stunning, full of theatre and sound perfect. I probably couldn’t rave enough about them.

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Quadrophenia – The Who

This is one of those albums that everyone goes on about. They also go on about the film. The problem is that I never really got the mods and rockers thing. It was slightly before my time and it all seemed rather silly to me. I can take or leave The Who. I’m just not fussed by them.

There are a couple of good songs on here. But other than that most concept albums always leave me a little cold.

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Rage Against The Machine – Rage Against The Machine

This might be a shocking admission but I’m not really bothered by this album. Something about it doesn’t quite work for me. I bought it after being amazed with the song “Killing In The Name Of”, which I first heard in its entirety on Radio 1 if you can believe that! There’s a couple of good songs on this one but largely I’m left feeling rather “meh”.

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Pyromania – Def Leppard

Def Leppard was one of my gateway bands into metal. If you read my Descent communication I expect they’ll be mentioned there. Def Leppard along with Bon Jovi and Guns ‘n’ Roses got me into guitar based music and this album was one of the special ones. The band had just hit it big with the Hysteria album and so I was seeking out whatever else they had done. The sounds of this album, its production, the guitar riffs, the drumming, all these things can make me feel a teenager again, fortunately without the emotional bullshit that goes with that period of time.

This is a great album. It is what it is. Very commercial rock. It turned this band into a massive hit across the pond. I don’t think it’s quite dinner party background music but it’s close. Non offensive rock. This band got lumbered with the NWOBHM label but they aren’t. The vocals are more haunting and the riffage doesn’t follow that BHM style. Def Leppard just happened to emerge at the same time.

  • Rock Rock (Till You Drop) – great upbeat song.
  • Photograph – remember those lonely times when all you had was a picture to look at and the knowledge that you’d speak in a couple of days at 6pm once the phone calls got cheap.
  • Stagefright – meant to start live, think it’s studio. Good rolling riff.
  • Too Late For Love – a ballad, still it is pretty good.
  • Die Hard The Hunter – not the best on this album.
  • Foolin’ – starts gentle. Gets better. Great cow bell use, that instrument always makes me laugh.
  • Rock Of Ages – starts with something backwards?? Proper radio rock. Has a good rolling bass with melodic vocals creating a great rhythm. Worth listening to.
  • Comin’ Under Fire – not the greatest on here either. Vocals well aligned but a little boring for me.
  • Action Not Words – formulaic rock. A good song but not top ranking.
  • Billy’s Got A Gun – good triples on the bass, song could do with being a little faster for my liking. Love the outro, when I first heard it I wondered about the effort that goes into creating a new melody or sound and how bands use that for just a couple of bars.

The singing in this album is great. The riffage is great. It’s a bloody good representation of that era of music. It also sold masses in the USA and made this band huge. I probably still prefer their first album though!

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Purple Rain – Prince

I’m not sure when I got this album. I’m not a massive Prince fan but I can definitely see that the guy was a genius. I mostly remember the albums: Diamonds and Pearls, Batman and Love Symbol. This one is a classic, I know that much, but I’ve just not really listened to it along with Love Sexy. I do feel slightly ashamed that I don’t know this album well. When Doves Cry and Purple Rain I am aware of and would recognise. Oh well. Such an interesting communication for number 1600 [the address of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue].

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Psalm 69: The Way To Succeed & The Way To Suck Eggs – Ministry

This album is really called ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ but Psalm 69 is much easier.

Holy Maloly. This album is a biggie. When you discover a new sound you want to keep buying and listening to it, get the most out of it. This was probably my first encounter with industrial metal.

JESUS BUILT MY HOTROD

Soon I discovered that this rock thing was true, Jerry Lee Lewis was the devil, Jesus was an architect previous to his career as a prophet. All of a sudden, I found myself in love with the world, so there was only one thing that I could do: Was ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long.

If Hotrod doesn’t get you rocking then there’s something wrong with you. You listen to that first because of the speed and the power and then you settle into the other songs and they hit you, slowly at first. It’s like a punch that starts a mile away and comes at you slowly over hours.

N.W.O. – Bloody amazing. The extended edition is better with about a minute of feedback before the main riff blasts in.
Just One Fix – I’ve got the extended edition of this and I just love the structure of the song. This is a nightmare song about drugs [probably].
TV II – Shouty and powerful.
Hero – Manic riffs and beats to bang your head.
Jesus Built My Hotrod – genius.
Scare Crow – a slow beat song to wake up the neighbours and bounce to.
Psalm 69 – Praise Jesus. An Epic.
Corrosion – Crazy sounds and drums, unique.
Grace – It’s noise, man.

This whole album is what happens when you have musical geniuses out of their heads on drugs and arguing. It’s great. Bloody marvellous.

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Powertrippin’ – Almighty

There was a period of time when The Almighty were the best british metal band out there. I thought they were great. I saw them three times. The best was probably when they supported Megadeth at the Cambridge Corn Exchange. Also I saw them when they supported Iron Maiden at the Cambridge Corn Exchange and they also supported Metallica and Megadeth at the Milton Keynes Bowl in 1993 (ish).

I don’t think I owned an Almighty album before this one. I have since bought a couple of extras but this one is very good. I bought it on CD back in the day and was pleased as there was a bonus disk of the band playing at Donington in 1992. This whole album is a good one. Well worth it. A good mix of acoustic and rock along with a few parts of thrash. The main riff in “Addiction” is super.

Favourites of mine are:

  • Jesus Loves You But I Don’t – a good break up song.
  • Powertrippin’ – (Hear the drummer get wicked)
  • Addiction
  • Takin’ Hold – (I watched a snail . . . . )

The bonus disc has a great short set from this band live at the Monsters Of Rock concert in 1992. The intro says enough:

Donington – Would you please welcome, from Glasgow, Scotland, the all-loud the all-wild the all-fucking-mighty.

Mr Announcer

The tracks from this make one of the best short live EPs I’ve heard. Decent rock and good crowd interaction.

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Practice What You Preach – Testament

Time to admit that although I have listened to this album quite a bit since owning it on a copied tape since I was about 18 there are only two songs that I can really remember. “Practice What You Preach” and “The Greenhouse Effect”. Sure, I’ve listened to the whole thing and I’ve enjoyed the album for many years but if you asked me which songs are on here those two would be your answer with some unqualified hand waving about the others.

I’ve seen Testament twice. Both times was pretty good. The first was alongside other greats of the 80s thrash revolution:

  • Suicidal Tendencies
  • Testament
  • Megadeth
  • Slayer

These four bands played a “Clash Of The Titans” tour and I saw them at Wembley Arena. I can still remember watching Testament and being excited at recognising the song “Practice What You Preach”. The other time I saw them was at Koko. Both times I was impressed.

This is one of those important albums where it helped forge the sounds in my head. It gave me breathing space and helped build the future mix of what I would like.

This album also contains a song about how humans are messing up the environment. This album was released in 1989. Climate change isn’t a new thing. It’s just been ignored by politicians for as long as we’ve known about it.

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