There is something to be said for less sometimes being more. This album is so inconsistent in terms of quality and style that it's hard to follow as a full set.
This is the latest in a series of releases featuring the late Randy California and his band Spirit. This one is a six CD set that includes quite a bit of unreleased music, rarities and more.
In order to properly review this, I should talk a bit about music, and particularly the trend in a lot of modern pop. Looking to the sonic art form, the creation of it is a very human experience.
Camper Van Beethoven - Key Lime Pie Review by Gary Hill Ethnic, alternative and art rock styles are combined on this album to create a very intriguing soundscape. The vocal work on the album is in a style which seems like a marriage of David Byrne and Fred Schneider vocal styles
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Captain Beyond - Captain Beyond Review by Gary Hill This 1972 release was the first of three albums by Captain Beyond, who was at the time Rod Evans (formerly of Deep Purple), Bobby Caldwell (who had played with Johnny Winter, among others), Rhino (Larry Rhinehart from Iron Butterfly), and Lee Dorman (also from Iron Butterfly) with several backing musicians. This one almost qualifies as progressive rock.
Those popping this disc in to spin and expecting a Cheap Trick album might be disappointed. Sure, Bun E. Carlos has been best known as the drummer for Cheap Trick, but honestly, this is not a Cheap Trick album.
Those who follow Music Street Journal regularly will probably know that I’ve got a soft-spot for music that combines seemingly disparate musical styles into something fresh and new.
If you find yourself longing for the classic soul music of the 1970s, you will probably feel at home here. It's obvious that Cornell CC Carter shares that feeling to a large degree.
There has been a real interest in roots music in the last decade or so. If you want new music that has an honest old-school bluegrass sound, I can't imagine you'll find much better than this.
This new collection showcases an intriguing old school act. While the earliest music here dates to the 1950s, there are songs near the end that are from the 21st Century.
For those who like plenty of electronic beats and bleeps mixed up with their rock and roll, Celldweller is a new name to conjure with. Looking like a cross between one of the Misfits, the Cure's Robert Smith and pro wrestler, the enigmatic maestro named Klayton is the mind behind the madness of Celldweller.
Harry Chapin - Some More Stories: Live At Radio Bremen 1977 Review by Gary Hill It might be obvious, but I’ve been a fan of the song “Cat’s Cradle” since I first heard it. I really hadn’t paid attention to a lot of Harry Chapin’s other work, though.
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There is quite a bit of variety here. Part of that variety is obtained through the use of two different lead singers. Another part comes from the music itself.
In terms of music that generally lands under singer/songwriter headings, you probably won't find many releases stronger than this one in recent history.
Cheap Trick - At Budokan-The Complete Concert Review by Gary Hill This disc is the classic Cheap Trick album At Budokan with several tracks added to make it both representative of the whole performance and a two CD set. It is safe to say that Cheap Trick both defined and transcended the power pop genre. They combined (and continue to) catchy melodies, metallic leanings, More
I’ve always had a special sort of relationship with the music of Cheap Trick. Growing up in their hometown of Rockford, Illinois gives one a sort of connectedness to Cheap Trick.
Cheap Trick - We're All Alright Review by Gary Hill Cheap Trick hail from my hometown of Rockford, Illinois, so they have a special place in my heart, both because we share a lot of local cultural mindset and because I have at least some passing personal experience with some of the guys. More
This new set from Conner Cherland seems to me as a set that would benefit from a little shuffling around of songs. The first four tracks here are a bit samey, landing in the zone of 80s music.
James Christian - Meet the Man Review by Greg Olma Melodic rock has been maligned a lot in the press but I have always been a fan of this type of music. There is not much depth as far a lyrical content goes but what it lacks in lyrics, it makes up in good catchy melodies and flawless performances.
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This is quite a refreshing and entertaining set. It's well rooted in the music of the 60s and early 70s. Yet there is also a modern freshness to it in some ways.
This is a band that shows a lot of promise. The first couple songs seem to be the most adventurous moving into territory like jazz, country and progressive rock.
The new LP is a compilation of music from a killer blues artist who was not well-known outside certainly circles. It includes a host of studio recordings along with a live track.
The music here is generally laid back, but there are differing levels of that. It's often retro in texture. Most of it is jazzy, but there are elements of other musical forms sprinkled throughout.
I’ve never really been a big fan of this kind of old time vocal music. That fact should tell you just how good this is when I say that I really like this album a lot.
I would not call myself a fan of The Coasters. The kind of old-school vocal music they do is not a musical form that I like enough to make me a fan of these guys.
Colin Spring and the Band That Murdered Silence - Cancion De Pollo Review by Gary Hill I have to give kudos to any band whose name has a literary origin, and this is one such outfit. Their moniker comes from a passage by Joseph Conrad where he says that the house band in a club was "not so much making music as murdering silence."
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Collective Soul - Dosage Review by Lisa Palmeno Collective Soul's Dosage is definitely "collective"; the sum of the the parts make a very cohesive, coherent, and unified artistic piece. The CD is percussively unique overall, with many different sounds that would appeal to gen x'ers, but loaded with influences from the '70s on up.
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I have to admit that I’ve always sort of been in the periphery when it comes to this band. I’ve heard quite a bit of their stuff, and liked it, but I’ve never called myself a fan.
I know Judy Collins might not seem like the kind of artist that a prog and metal fan like myself enjoys. I've always liked her music, and especially her voice, though.
This is a compilation disc gathering up two releases from this band and assembling them all on one CD. The group have a sound that walks a fence between alternative rock and punk.
Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting Review by Gary Hill This album is a very nice work, featuring many musical themes and textures. Although not all of the album`s lyrics fit the Halloween mode, the title track is firmly rooted there, and much of the music has tones that work well.
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With Live In Brazil Concrete Blonde have given us a solid album showcasing their live performance. Those whose only introduction to the band are the singles might find this to be a bit raw, but truly that edge really adds something.
Alice Cooper - Dragontown Review by Gary Hill Last year Cooper introduced to a world he called "Brutal Planet", and it was a brutal sounding very hard-edged release that had a strong concept to it. One would expect more of the same on his follow up, but that is not what he delivered. More
Alice Cooper - Dragontown (Special Edition) Review by Gary Hill This Special Edition version of Alice Cooper's Dragontown contains the entire original album as the first CD of this 2 CD set. A second CD has been added wiuch contains four previously unreleased songs and two videos. More
Alice Cooper - Brutal Planet Review by Gary Hill Quite probably Alice's strongest release in years, and possibly one of the best ever, this disc is a concept album that musically seems to take the classic Alice sound and bring it up to date with a hard (even brutal) edge. The album really seems to fully integrate those two types of sounds, which is something that he seems to have been struggling with in recent years. More
Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare Review by Gary Hill To many this classic album represents Alice Cooper at his theatric best. It is a loosely knit concept album that at times is a bit weak, at times a bit over the top, but in many ways a spooky masterpiece.
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Alice Cooper - The Last Temptation Review by Gary Hill This album is show biz from Cooper. It really feels like much of the high entertainment of `70`s era Cooper, while bringing a new intensity and power to them. This one has plenty of spooky moments along with humor.
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Alice Cooper - A Fistful of Alice Review by Gary Hill It has been said that this release is redundant because hard-core Alice Cooper fans already have a solid live album in The Alice Cooper Show. However, I find that this release is a a considerably better recording, and that the performance presented herein is superior to that one. More
This album showcases a metal perpective on the classic Cooper sound and also shows prog tendencies in several places. Alice is joined on this album by many musicians, including several very notables guests (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Ozzy Osbourne and others).
Chet Atkins is a legend within and without country music. In 1952 he put together the Country All-Stars and recorded this set of instrumentals (one song has vocals).
Cracker - Garage D'Or Review by Gary Hill One of the bands that emerged when the great Camper Van Beethoven broke up, Cracker has always been an intriguing band that merges a poppy sort of mentality with a great alternative take on retro sounds. They are perhaps similar to what REM might be if Stipe and company didn't take themselves so seriously.
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Robert Cray - Twenty Review by Gary Hill Robert Cray has always been lumped into the blues category, but this disc (along with the rest of his catalog) really shows that while his music at times fits well within that genre, more often than not it is far more wide reaching than the compartmentalized pigeon hole that the moniker creates.
It’s hard to pinpoint this or land it in one particular place. There’s a lot of Americana here, but things like folk music and old time rock and roll are joined by Goth rock and Pink Floyd like elements.
I previously reviewed another set from Bill Curreri. I said of that one that it was sort of in the same Americana style as Tom Petty, but that the vocals seemed a bit strange to me.
Apparently this outfit was a short-lived group that were around Liverpool at the same time The Beatles were getting together. There is a definite Beatles-type element to a lot of the music here.