620. Lou Reed & Metallica / Lulu. 2011. 0.5/5

I cannot say that there was any moment - from the first rumours until its ultimate release and my initial listenings - that I thought that this was going to be very good, or that it was a good idea. However, the great thing about being hugely successful icons of the music industry (as both parties here undoubtedly are) and not necessarily having to do things for the money anymore, is that you can do practically anything you suddenly have a fetish for without any qualms or problems. To me, this fits in perfectly here for both Metallica and Lou Reed.
So you can't go in expecting it to be a Lou Reed album, and you can't go in expecting it to be a Metallica album. Well, what the hell can you expect?!

In the end, it is a motley of farcical spoken ranting, repetitive monotonous and grainy instrumental backing music that bores you almost to a coma in passages, and uncomfortable leaderless song compositions. It's hard to get enthused about something that is about as exciting as watching paint dry. The songs, in most cases, are just sooooooooo long for no reward. The song structures appear to just be make them as long as possible without actually doing anything interesting either musically or vocally. The final two songs alone stretch for almost 31 minutes. Are you kidding me? Why was it thought this was necessary? Was there no one in the studio who thought to say "hey guys... a little long here"? Honestly, two CDs totalling almost 90 minutes is just further proof that this was a love fest for both parties, doing what they felt like without a strong producer there to try and wind the egos back to reality. Maybe - MAYBE - if this had been edited down in to a CD album lasting maybe 50 minutes to an hour... no, even that wouldn't have saved it.

Start off with four minutes of James chanting "Small town giiiirrrll" while other endless words are spoken by Reed ("Brandenburg Gate"). Then there's the four minutes of the same riff while interchanging Reed's poetry and James half-arsed 'chorus' before a quick solo break ("The View"). Then there is seven and a half minutes of noise, UNPLEASANT squealing noise, broken up by a little bit of decent work from Lars, but generally just awful ("Pumping Blood").
"Mistress Dread" starts out promisingly, but then you realise that it is just the same guitar/drum riff for five freaking minutes, with Reed droning on over the top of it, then a slight change for the remaining two minutes of the song. Ditto "Iced Honey", a reasonable hard rock riff that doesn't change for four and a half minutes. "Cheat On Me", eleven and a half minutes of rubbish. "Frustration" (plenty of that by this time, I can assure you) has the closest thing to a decent riff so far on the album - it sounds incredibly like a Black Sabbath riff - but it is wasted here in this song and arrangement. "Little Dog" sounds like something grunge bands use as their "hidden track" at the end of a CD. In other words eight minutes of crap.
And yet, after all of that, it is not ALL bad. There are small pockets of time here when your ears prick up, and you think "wow... there's great riff" or "hey, I like that fill", mostly probably within the songs "Frustration" and "Dragon". It's just that they come so infrequently and are drowned out by so much average rubbish that they cannot lift the entire album from out of the mire of mediocrity. "Junior Dad" at almost twenty minutes is just an album killer - seriously, anyone who mades it this far is really going to have trouble getting through this monster shocker.

In the long run, Lou Reed and Metallica did this project for themselves, and no doubt enjoyed themselves doing it and creating it. I'm sure they would have preferred that it was universally loved rather than panned, but that hasn't - and can't be - the case. I can't speak for Lou Reed fans, but for Metallica fans, it is something best not spoken about.

619. Whitesnake / Live at Donington 1990. 2011. 4/5

The long-overdue release of this Donington headlining performance has always seemed a little strange to me, given that most of us (myself included) have possessed an A-quality bootleg of the concert for over a decade. Why then do you wait until just a couple of months after you have released a new solo album (the rank average Forevermore) to also throw this into the mix as well? Is it to remind the old fans that they are still around, and by the way we have a new album out as well? I don't know, but the marketing side of things seemed a little unusual.

So here in all of its glory is Whitesnake live in 1990 on the Slip of the Tongue tour, with David Coverdale surrounded by a fair armoury of Steve Vai, Adrian Vandenberg, Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge. Like many live performances of the age, it was a mixed bag. Coverdale's vocals in a live setting often seem to be a little out, whether it is just that he can't do live what he does in the studio (and he's not the only vocalist in that boat) or that it just doesn't come across great in the recording, but at times in some tracks he appears to be struggling. No big drama, that's live music. The song list is a mix of new and old, of fast and slow, and because of this the album runs hot and cold.
The album starts off with a bang, with "Slip of the Tongue" exploding out of the speakers, followed by "Slide It In" and the powerful "Judgement Day". No argument here, we're moving along well. "Slow An' Easy" slows the tempo down a little, before the gangbusters "Kittens Got Claws" raises the bar once again.

From here though, we move into the middle of the album, where everything gets a little awkward. When you are at a live show, watching the band perform and jumping around, there can be seen to be a little bit of sense in the 'solo break'. It gives the other band member s a break and, in my case at least, an opportunity for the crowd to grab a beer or a smoke before hostilities recommence. However, on a live album that you are listening to in the comfort of your home or in the car, solo breaks are unnecessary and above all else - boring!
So here it is that amongst some of Whitesnake's biggest songs - "Cheap An' Nasty", "Crying in the Rain" and "Fool For Your Loving" - we are subjected to Vandenberg's solo break, then Aldridge's solo break, and then Vai's solo break. Great for people at the show. Almost completely futile for those of us who just want to listen to the songs.
"Here I Go Again" and the super "Bad Boys" close out the bulk of the show, before the very average "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" and the overblown "Still of the Night" complete the album if not overwhelmingly, then perhaps less than excitedly.

This is an excellent recoding of a moment in history, when Whitesnake were at their theoretical peak in regards to commercial success. Despite the reticence I have displayed here, this is still worth grabbing and listening to, unless you have that bootleg of the gig tucked away somewhere. If you do, then its quality is just as good as this, so save your dollars.

618. Slayer / Show No Mercy. 1983. 4/5.

From humble beginnings and playing covers of the bands that were their influence at the time, those being Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Venom and Mercyful Fate, came the debut album from one of the most influential thrash metal bands of all time, “Show No Mercy”. And while the production of the album leaves a lot to be desired and is still to this day a source of frustration for the band members, almost all of the debut albums from those now deemed as giants suffered from the same problems, through a lack of money and influence. All of that changed in time, but it gives the whole album an air of authenticity, that even the great bands start from scratch. Indeed, listening to the album today, it doesn’t sound any different to the first albums of all of those artists, and for the most part stands up perfectly well in retrospect.
Started as a cover band for parties and clubs in 1983 with the original foursome of Tom Araya, Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman and Dave Lombardo, Slayer was invited to open for the band Bitch at the Woodstock Club in Anaheim, California, to perform eight songs, six of which were covers. Also there that night was Brian Slagel who had recently founded Metal Blade Records. Impressed with what the band put on, he met with them backstage and asked them to record an original song for his upcoming “Metal Massacre III” compilation album. The band agreed and their song "Aggressive Perfector" was their contribution, which made an immediate impact on the listening public, and led to Slagel offering the band a recording contract with Metal Blade.
Without any recording budget, the band had to self-finance its debut album. To do this, they combined the savings of Tom Araya, who at the time was employed as a respiratory therapist, and money borrowed from Kerry King's father. Having scraped enough together to get underway, the band entered the studio in November 1983. The album was rushed into release, stocking shelves three weeks after tracks were completed, an amazing effort from the start of the project to its completion.

Inauspicious or not, all of the ingredients that came together to create the Slayer giant were already here. The songwriting and guitaring duo of Hanneman and King show off their wares, Dave Lombardo's drums don't stop for a breath, and Tom Araya's storming bass and vocals stand at the forefront of each song. You can still hear the band's influences on this first album. The songs, while competing in that thrash metal tone that they became famous for, are not as overtly heavy, fast or blistering as they become later on. You can pick up some similarities with Metallica's “Kill 'Em All” album and Megadeth's “Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!” album. Not only that, most of the album has a Judas Priest and Iron Maiden feel about it, a much more mainstream heavy metal sound, almost melodic in places than the thrash hardcore sound that was to come. I still love those faint tinges of those bands in these songs even to today.
The album kicks off with the excellent "Fear Has No Boundaries", with all of its black metal tendencies slashed by their desire to play fast and aggressive guitar and drums. It is one of the songs here that straddles more than one genre of the metal scene, fired up by Araya’s opening scream and accompanying guitar solo riff to kickstart. This is followed by the staple satanic song "The Antichrist", where the speed ratchets up, and the dual solos in the middle of the song offer up everything that the band was to offer for the next 40 years. Simple, parent-annoying, and a great singalong tune. From here the album charges into the classic "Die by the Sword", still a great song in the modern age. This has such a Judas Priest feel to it at the beginning which is just awesome. It’s not a breakneck speed song, it is a real chugging song that Slayer have always been able to write even when at their most thrash oriented, and make sound perfectly brilliant, which is exactly what this song is even to this day. "Fight 'Til Death" increases the speed tempo and continues the blitzkrieg of the senses.
The Mercyful Fate influence really shows through on tracks like "Metal Storm / Face the Slayer" and "Black Magic". Great songs dictated by fast pounding drums and typical leads from Hanneman and King. Awesome stuff. “Metal Storm/Face the Slayer” closes out the first side of the album in style, while “Black Magic opens up the second side with the same intensity that has before it on the first half of the album.
"Tormentor" is dominated by the lead breaks of these two great guitarists, lifting an otherwise fairly average song to greater heights. Lombardo takes centre stage in "The Final Command", his drums rifling throughout the song at an incredible rate without losing their crispness, before those guitars again come to the fore with Iron Maiden-like harmonies. "Crionics" again almost tries to be an Iron Maiden song in both structure and melody. While it is not what most Slayer fans will recognise from their catalogue, it is still quite an interesting song to listen to again. Put it on and tell me you can't hear Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name" as you listen to the guitars. Great stuff. The album is closed out by the title track "Show No Mercy", which is closer to what most fans think of as a Slayer tempo.

While the style of the album may be unlike what came further up the line, it is great to hear even today. The fact that Slayer built their own sound out of their own influences is testament to their greatness. It doesn't matter what you hear when you listen to this album, the important thing is that it is a terrific Slayer album, and one that seems to be maligned for the wrong reasons. I still think it is brilliant.
My introduction to Slayer came closer to the end of the 80’s decade that the start, and I didn’t hear this album until I had heard the four albums that followed this. But to be honest, that made no difference to my enjoyment, nay, love, of this album. I’ve always felt this was a terrific album. It doesn’t matter at all if the production isn’t as good as what came down the track. Hell, NONE of these great thrash metal artists have debut albums that sound completely brilliant in a production sense. But that was just how it was in those days, with no money and no time to make it brilliant. But the fans didn’t care. They just wanted the album so they could have the songs and wear the needle out playing the vinyl over and over again. Which, as it turns out, is exactly what I have done now for days on end.
Are you going to rank this album at the top of the Slayer pile? I don’t know, but my guess is you probably won’t. There are some great Slayer albums out there, and while this is terrific it probably won’t match what was to come. But it still a joy to listen to, and be able to pick up just where it all began, to hear those influences in their music that are perhaps only noticeable on this album before they really morphed into their own sound.
40 years on, this album still stands the test of time. It may not be as polished as other metal albums from 1983 such as from Iron Maiden and Dio, but they were already at the top of their game by then, with legendary producers at the helm. That soon came to pass for Slayer, as they flew quickly to the pinnacle of the thrash metal scene worldwide.

617. Rainbow / Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. 1975. 4/5

Having grown disillusioned with the direction (and I imagine his declining role of power) that Deep Purple was taking, guitarist extraordinaire Ritchie Blackmore decided to put out a solo single. For the job of helping to record it, he aimed to recruit the majority of the band that had acted as Deep Purple's support act in recent times, Elf. In turn, the decision by Blackmore to record a solo single soon changed. Instead, he quit Deep Purple, and decided to record an entire album with his new musical acquaintances, forming a new band called Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (which was soon shortened to the now-known Rainbow).

This album, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, was the start of a lot of things that proved to be the betterment of the heavy music genre. Firstly, it was the revitalisation of Blackmore's career, kickstarting his enthusiasm and disposing of his stagnancy, which not only went on to produce a magnificent Rainbow discography, but eventually provided the impetus for the second coming of the band that he had just quit. Secondly, it was the real beginning, after almost twenty years in the industry, of the defining years of one of the greatest ever vocalists, Ronnie James Dio. With Blackmore's influence, Dio finally found his niche and began to write and perform the songs that he was meant to sing. Finally, a band emerged, in the main because of Blackmore and Dio, that went on to influence generations of musicians who came after them, and the music that they subsequently created.

All that being said, this isn't the perfect album, caught as it is somewhere between the old and the new. It kicks off with the legendary "Man on the Silver Mountain", still one of the best known riffs in the metal age. It is still a classic even today, kept alive for so long by always being in Dio's solo tours.
"Self Portrait" is an average song, with nothing memorable but not out of place. This is followed by "Black Sheep of the Family", the Quartermass cover that Blackmore had wanted to record with Deep Purple (he was voted down) and had then decided to record as his solo single. One still wonders what fascinated Blackmore so much about this song. Dio's vocal is as brilliant as always, but it just isn't really in the style of the rest of the album. It's enjoyable enough, but the rockabilly style doesn't really fit.
The amazing "Catch the Rainbow" follows, and proves that you can do a slower, melodic tune and still retain the integrity of the band. Dio's vocals soar here in a brilliant showcasing of his amazing range, while Blackmore's guitaring appears understated on the surface, but actually drives the emotional strings of the song. Pure genius.

"Snake Charmer" almost sounds like it was meant for Deep Purple, with the bassline running through the song reminiscent of something that Roger Glover may have played. It also has a concerted guitar solo without the keyboard backing. "The Temple of the King" is the second of the great slow melodic songs on this album, with Blackmore experimenting with strings throughout the song, and Dio's vocals driving it along in sheer beauty. Even in quieter songs, the power of Dio's voice is remarkable
"If You Don't Like Rock n Roll" is almost pure Elf, those rockabilly keys really showing where this song was anchored. It probably isn't a good fit here either, but it is all a part of the transition process that was happening.

"Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" is another classic, originally written to be the B-side to "Black Sheep in the Family". Again it is the Blackmore and Dio combination that make this a wonderful song.
The album closes out with an instrumental-only version of The Yardbirds "Still I'm Sad", which is a strange decision, given that they possessed Ronnie James Dio in the band. Why not utilise him? When they played it live, Dio always sang it, and it sounds awesome. This version is good, but Dio singing it would have made it much better.

Overall, this is a terrific opening for the band, and having shaken off the dust of this first album, Dio and Blackmore then went on to produce two of the best albums of all time before their partnership concluded.

616. Motörhead / Overkill. 1979. 4.5/5

Following on from their eponymously titled debut, which showed some promise without being completely memorable, Motörhead get their stuff together for their second album, with the pieces beginning to fall into place. Unashamedly a hybrid of hard rock and punk styles that fit together to make this a heavier album, the band now define the style that has gone on to serve them for over 30 years.

Overkill brings to the front the unique Lemmy vocals along with his rifling bass work, the searing drumwork of "Philthy" Taylor as well as the super guitaring of "Fast" Eddie Clarke. Starting off with the classic self-titled opener, "Overkill" sets up the album perfectly, letting the listener know from the start that this is a whole new ball game when it comes to this band. "Overkill" is everything that makes Motörhead who they are. One of their classics. This is followed by the live staple "Stay Clean", and we settle in for the bulk of the album. "(I Won't) Pay Your Price" and "I'll Be Your Sister" are basic in concept, but are the solid hard rock songs that Motörhead thrive on. "Capricorn" is almost a 1960's flower power song. You can practically see the band surrounded by flowers and hippies. It's a little strange in this environment.

However, this is immediately rectified by two of their best songs, the hard rocker "No Class" and the legendary "Damage Case". Both showcase the best of what Motörhead bring to their music - a prominant loud simple drum beat, great riffwork and solo from the guitar, and the solid bass line all packed around Lemmy's spitting lyrics. Sensational stuff. "Tear Ya Down" continues this vein of style, harder and faster and again containing a great solo riff from Clarke and riffling bassline from Lemmy.

The closing songs on the album aren't quite up to this trio, but there's no shame in that. "Metropolis" slows the tempo down, and while if you take the song on its own it is great, in my view its mood tends to halt the progress of the album. This slower tempo continues into "Limb From Limb" with similar results and feelings for me, though it speeds up towards its conclusion to ensure the album finishes on an up tempo note.

All in all, Overkill is a classic album, one that all metalheads should own as a matter of course, or at the very least have listened to and sampled in their heavy metal education. No collection really should be without it.

Rating: "Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud". 4.5/5

615. The D-Generation / The Satanic Sketches. 1989. 5/5

In the late 1980's, the D-Generation were lured from the ABC to Channel 7 for the hope of commercial success (and probably money), where they did a number of specials for the television network.
This album is basically a collection of their best skits that also translate to being funny with just audio, much in the same way as artists such as Monty Python did during their television run.

For those listening today, for the most part it probably doesn't all translate well. It helps to have grown up with it. But sketches like "The Balltearer" and the world's worst accapela group, The Flying Dickheads, are still great. I still piss myself over "The Balltearer" (utilising the scientifically proven weight loss method of unbearable pain). This also contains the single released at the time, "Five in a Row", which is a pisstake of five Aussie music icons (the artists involved were John Farnham, Jimmy Barnes, Little River Band, Kylie Minogue and James Reyne). Still quite brilliant to this day. 23FM, turn it on, lock it on.

Anyone who knows the D-Generation will love this. Those who do not may not get the humour at all. One for the middle-of-the-road generation.

614. A.S.a.P. / Silver and Gold. 1989. 2.5/5

Don't come looking at this is if you are looking for an Iron Maiden album. In the same way Bruce Dickinson's Tattooed Millionaire is a step away from the style of music Maiden was doing, this is also - except that it is a big giant moon step away from that.
There is a greater use of synths and keyboards here than anything Adrian had tried before, but the songs themselves are more just in a progressive rock kind of theme than anything else. The tunes are catchy enough and as such enjoyable. To be completely honest, I enjoy it more now than I did when it was released 23 years ago, mainly because at the time I WAS searching for that Maiden Heavy Metal music with Adrian's great guitaring. What you actually get is completely different.
This album's roots can be found from a number of jams Adrian and Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain did following the Powerslave tour, with ex-band mates of Adrian's from his first band Urchin, Andy Barnett, Dave Colwell and Richard Young, to relieve the 'boredom' of their break from touring and recording. The band wrote some songs for the "project", which when they were performed live at two gigs was recorded and released as the bootleg The Entire Population of Hackney. From these gigs, the song "Reach Out" was used as the B-side to the Iron Maiden Wasted Years single, and "Juanita" and "That Girl" were used as the B-side to the Iron Maiden Stranger in a Strange Land single. More importantly, a band friendship had been reunited, and a song called "Silver and Gold" would be a catalyst.

When Adrian decided to leave Iron Maiden in 1989, he gathered together these former bandmates, and recorded this album, Silver and Gold as his new project , A.S.a.P (Adrian Smith and Project). No doubt the fan enthusiasm with the three songs the 'band' had written that had been released as Iron Maiden B-sides gave them hope that they could replicate it in their own band. Of course, the material written and performed was directed more to the AOR/hard rock side of music than the blazing heavy metal of Smith's former band.

The first three songs on the album, although immediately bringing to the fore the synth/keyboard aspect of the band which sets it apart from the true heavy metal genre, are good hard rock songs, which show off the best of the band. "The Lion", they previously mentioned "Silver and Gold" and "Down the Wire" showcase Adrian's lead vocals in a band setting, and his guitar work is instantly a stand out from partners Barnett and Colwell. These three songs are the best on the album.

"You Could Be a King" is one of the weaker songs on the album, not really offering anything musically and the vocals just don't produce anything to build some strength. Adrian's guitar solo on "After the Storm" is the best part of this song. It is a slippery path. The album from this point descends into a motley of slide guitar, synth programming and rock ballad-type songs that they simply are unable to pull off. The middle of "Kids Gone Astray" and "Fallen Heroes" are almost comical in their strict adherance to bland rock playbook, but without the strength of musicianship or vocals to give them any semblance of credibility.
"Blood on the Ocean" completes the album in a wash of piano and synth keyboards melodrama, almost wishing itself to be a Whitesnake ballad. By the time this song closes out the album, one begins to wonder exactly what is was that made Adrian believe that this was worth leaving Iron Maiden for. Maybe by this time he was wondering that himself.

Even taking in the fact that this album never had any pretence of being a heavy metal album, it does eventually come to disappoint. It has a few moments of clarity, where you can see some good coming into the world, but overall this just doesn't cut it. Fans of all ages - 1989 and 2012 included - will see that the story hasn't really changed much because of this.

613. McAuley Schenker Group / Perfect Timing. 1987. 3.5/5

Michael Schenker had had a fairly turbulent decade throughout the 1980’s, one that had come following his decision to quit UFO after a successful five album stint, and form his own Michael Schenker Group. Four albums had followed, along with two live albums, all with different and revamped line-ups as players discovered the difficulty in dealing long term with Schenker’s volatile personality. The content of each of those four albums by the Michael Schenker Group seemed to change along the way as well. The band and material had morphed from guitar-based hard rock songs on the first album to something akin to more radio-friendly based songs on the “Built to Destroy” album. In fact, the US mixed version of that album certainly slanted the songs that way compared to the UK mixed version (which to me is a much better version).
With the members of that version of the band moving on, along with twice spurned lead vocalist Gary Barden, Schenker went out searching for another partner in crime. In the process he met Robin McAuley, an Irish vocalist who had been in bands such as Grand Prix and Far Corporation. Such was the strong bonding between the two in the initial stages of their writing partnership, they even decided to form a new group that was now called the McAuley Schenker Group, that retained the same initials and therefore band motif of MSG. With the partnership now bonded in name as well, other band members needed to be recruited. It was an eclectic bunch, all hard working musicians in lesser known bands through the early 1980’s, drawn together at the prospect of being involved in a new band that had commercial success as its aim. And being led by the wonderful vocals of Robin McAuley, and driven by the legendary guitar of Michael Schenker, what could possibly go wrong?

From the outset this is a different album from what has come before it in the Schenker discography. Do you want more keyboards infused into the songs? You got it. Do you want a downplaying of the guitar in the songs? You’ve got that too. What? Hang on. Michael Schenker is a guitar god. Why on earth would you downplay the guitar here? Well, it’s the 1980’s mate. And if you want commercial success in the 1980’s, you have to make sure that the songs have verses and choruses, that they have singalong lyrics, that those lyrics are mainly based around the subject of boy meets girl or love itself, that the keyboards are more dominant because that’s the sound they want on radio, and that if you have to have guitar in the songs make sure it blends with all of that around it.
Now, are things THAT desperate on this album? No, but the style here is definitely a change, and that needs to be stated from the outset. Offsetting this is the excellence of Rocky Newton’s bass guitar riffs and lines on this album, because that bottom end is excellent, and along with Bodo Schopf’s drums provide an integral part of making this album as good as it is. And it becomes more important given the songs here are generally at a fast walk rather than a sprint or a stroll. The bass and drums keep that pace nicely, and the bass rambling up and down in the songs is a dominating facet.
And yes, for the most part, Schenker’s guitar is left holding time with the keyboards and rhythm guitars of Mitch Perry. There’s no Guitar Hero stuff going on for the most part of this album, Schenker’s standout parts are kept strictly in check. They aren’t struck out completely. He has great moments in songs such as “No Time for Losers” and “Get Out” and “Rock Til You’re Crazy”, and he is prevalent within the framework of all the songs. But it’s not dominant like it was in the past.
Does any of this detract from the album? No. Come in and listen to this album like it was a Ratt album or a LA Guns album or other hair metal bands of that era, and it will still well on top of that pile. Because that’s the style they have gone for here, the hair/glam metal that was popular at the time and charting, which is what the band wanted. And Robin’s vocals across the album are sensational, and worthy of recognition. He sings a hard rock anthem as well as he sings a rock power ballad, such as “Follow the Night” and “Time” are the two best examples on this album. And while the album itself only managed to reach 95 on the charts on the US, it provided Schenker and McAuley their first charting single in the US, with “Gimme Your Love” riding high on MTV airplay by making #40 on the US charts. So in their eyes, the album achieved what they were looking for.

This album was released four days after my 18th birthday, but I didn’t hear it until a couple of months later, when my well known heavy metal dealer procured me a copy on cassette. I actually heard it first at his house, not long before Xmas that year, and loved it from the outset. And through those months that stretched between the end of my final year exams and the beginning of university in the early months of the following year, this album became one of my main listening experiences. Early on, I didn’t really notice the difference in musical output from the band. It just slipped right in and was enjoyable from the start. And as I believe I have mentioned earlier, the style of the album is much more hair or glam metal than what Schenker had done before, which I enjoy anyway so it didn’t deter my love of it. I always notice the lack of real ripping guitar solos compared to what I had been used to from Schenker in the past, and yeah the songs when you look back on them now are a bit cheesy. But for me it is still a great listen, and I still love it. If you wanted me to sit down and critique it as a review then I would have to raise some points as per the above. But I don’t have to do this, all I have to do is present it to you, the listener of this podcast, offer you the cuts I have chosen, give you a bit of the history of the album and a bit of my own history with the album. It is tied to the time by its genre and certainly by the hairstyles on the front cover. But for me, none of that matters in this instance. This is a great start for the McAuley Schenker Group, one that didn’t last for long but gave us some great songs during its short existence.

612. Deep Purple / ABandOn. 1998. 2/5

Despite the changing landscape of music throughout the 1990’s decade, and the fact that the band had now been playing for thirty years, Deep Purple had still found a way to be relevant in the era that they had arrived in, and were still drawing sell out crowds to their shows around the world. The split with Ritchie Blackmore had achieved a couple of things. Firstly, the relationship between all of the members of the band settled down to the point that they could all work with each other without the tension and the bickering that had taken place over years with the Mark II lineup. And that was clear on their first album together “Purpendicular”, where a different sound was incorporated into the album, differing styles that caught some fans unawares, and which was attributed to the new guitarist Steve Morse. And this was the second point of the departure of Blackmore. He had always advocated for remaining in the rock to hard rock spectrum, incorporating melodic song structures more in the way that had been the latter-day Rainbow albums (thus his preference in trying to keep Joe Lynn Turner on vocals after the “Slaves and Masters” album), whereas Ian Gillan was trending towards a different type of singing and therefore musical sound. And this is certainly more of the direction that “Purpendicular” took against “The Battle Rages On”.
Coming into the writing and recording for this new album, Morse was now a core member of the band, and no doubt would have been more comfortable in the writing department. And it was an important album in the history of the band. The late 1990’s, as has been discussed on many podcast episodes of albums released in this era, was a turbulent melting pot of changes in the hard rock and metal genre, and for a classic band such as Deep Purple, the trappings had to be negotiated as well. Finding a way of writing an album that the band loved and wanted to perform, and yet finding a way to keep themselves relevant in the current music climate, was never going to be an easy task.

Reviews over the years have suggested that “Abandon” is a return to a harder place than what the band produced for “Purpendicular”. Overall I tend to disagree with that. For me, this album has been the transition that the band truly wanted to make after the removal of Blackmore from the band, the transition to a more conservative groove oriented band rather than the bastions of the wild and crazy days of hard rock from the early 1970’s.
The opening of “Any Fule Kno That” into “Almost Human” works well enough for those that have followed the course of the past few albums. And “Seventh Heaven” has some nice guitar pieces woven in to the framework of the song that overall does appear like it is trying to find where it sits in the world, while “Watching the Sky” moves between the thoughtful and the hard core throughout the song.
“Don’t Make Me Happy” is a very bluesy, almost lounge-club act-like song, that first taste of what is to come. “Fingers to the Bone” is the template for me as to where Deep Purple were heading with this album and the way they wanted to sound in the future. It’s a very easy listening type song, which Gillan sings well and the band plays well... but with zero ferocity or true type of instruments. Lord’s organ is in piano tinkling mode, Paice’s drumming stays in neutral, Morse and Glover are barely present. And you can add a few more songs like that into this category. “Jack Ruby” is, like “Don’t Make Me Happy”, more a lounge club act song, in a seedy blues club in a basement somewhere. “She Was” and “Whatsername” travel along the same slow tempo easy listening path that “Fingers to the Bone” takes.
The end of the album does brighten up proceedings. “’69” brings us back to the tempo that we know from Deep Purple in their modern era, a more enjoyable mix of pace and energy from Gillan’s vocals, as well as duelling solos from Lord and Morse that finally allows us to feel comfortable in the band again. “Evil Louie” isn’t quite the same energy output but does have a nice Morse guitar piece to showcase what can actually do as apart from what he mainly showcases on this album. And, just to prove that the band seem to be making a course change in their music but still want to retain their older fanbase, there is a reworking of the song “Bloodsucker” that originally appeared on “Deep Purple In Rock” as the final track. And yet, all it proves is that Ian Gillan cannot and doesn’t try to hit those notes that he did 25 years previously, and that the original is not only a brilliant track but a difficult one to re-examine.

Deep Purple toured Australia for the first time since the Mark II reunion tour back in 1984. On that tour I was lucky enough to see them twice, first at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, and then for a secret gig they did at Selina’s on Anzac Day, which was just amazingly awesome. They even played a tweaked and extended setlist at that gig at Selina’s, and being the smaller venue, and being able to be right up close to this amazing band doing their thing, it was an amazing experience.
On this tour, they played only three songs from this album in their setlist - “Almost Human”, “Watching the Sky” and at the secret gig they played “Seventh Heaven” in the encore. Well, they played “Bloodsucker” as well, but you can’t count that, can you? And given the back catalogue of material that the band has, and that they are expected to play every night, you can understand why there were only a couple from their newest album. But, in some ways, it also highlighted the difference in the material from this album to what most people wanted to hear.
I had a copy of this album prior to seeing them in concert, and to be honest it just hadn’t grabbed me at the time. A few listens in, and I was already turning back to “Perfect Strangers” and “The House of Blue Light” and “Slaves and Masters”. And for me it was the first indications that the band was looking to become less raucous, less heavy, less loud, and create a different spectrum to reside in. And I couldn’t begrudge them that. And in the albums that have come since, more of that has been obvious. And, those albums I still like, as I still do this album. But it is very much a different band from the one that had been around until 1976, and then again from 1984 onwards. This album for me is where the metamorphosis began in earnest, to a sound that suited the slowly greying members of the band. It also signalled the final album that founding member Jon Lord played on before he moved in another direction in 2001. The changes were continuing for Deep Purple, and this album was just the beginning.

611. Bon Jovi / 7800° Fahrenheit. 1985. 2/5

All before the tidal wave of super-stardom hit the band following the release of their following album comes Bon Jovi's second album, the fashionably titled 7800° Fahrenheit.
For those of us who were busy growing up in the 1980's, this album passed under most of our noses sometime before 1986, and whereas there was some minor support for it and the band at the time, it was never really something we (or I) cottoned onto. Sure, there was the catchy opening song "In and Out of Love" which most of us caught, made a slight move with, before ultimately moving onto harder material that was out there at the time.

To be honest, that is probably this album's biggest problem. While it has its moments and its fair share of good solid rock songs, it doesn't really excel on any level in order to bring in a high score when it comes to rating it as an album. I can't deny that, if I've been drinking, and someone throws on "Price of Love" I will still raise the fist and start singing along. But that can really only happen when alcohol is involved. Once the very VERY 1980's keyboard and synth beginning of "Only Lonely" starts however, you very quickly get brought back to reality. This song brings back the truth, that this album is firmly anchored to the time by it's very production and instrumental arrangement, let alone the background "vocals". Truly, this song is one that you expect to see cheesy bands playing at high school proms in bad teenage films from the mid-1980's.

Look, it doesn't really get much better. The synth at the start of "Silent Night" kills the song before it starts (not that it could have saved this soft ballad trash. And again - the start of "Hardest Part is the Night". Wow. So very very very 1980's soft metal. Tragic. Then the start of "(I Don't Wanna Fall) To the Fire". More. Does it stop?!?

This really is quite an amazing album. Every trick that was being used in recording music in 1985 can be found on this album - overuse of synths and keyboards, terribly weak and doused-out backing vocals, a complete lack of real guitar strength, and Bon Jovi's lead vocals at almost a monotone level. In 1985 the glam metal scene was being dominated by  Motley Crue, Ratt and W.A.S.P. And they were all doing it better and harder than this. A lesson Bon Jovi soon learned.
To be honest, anyone who gets past the first couple of songs on this album in this day and age is searching for something that just doesn't exist here. Look further up the line, you'll probably find what you are looking for there.

610. Hughes Turner Project / 2. 2003. 2/5

After an interesting and listenable debut for this pairing and their band, and then the live album Live in Tokyo that really showcased their quality, this is their follow up, one that would attempt to prove their were not a one trick concept.

Now, as long as you are a fan of AOR and/or soft rock music, I think you'll find what you are looking for here. As someone who much prefers the heavier style of music, I found this rather dull, quite repetitive and just not in my taste. Apart from perhaps two songs, Glenn Hughes barely uses that amazing vocal range of his, preferring to just settle for a single tune melody. Joe Lynn Turner does much the same. The music itself is very much looking to be closer to the style of bands like Foreigner than the bands that I love them from, like Deep Purple and Rainbow. Another criticism I have is that not only do the songs not really grab hold of you, they are far too long in length, which does not help when you just aren't enjoying them. If they wre 3-4 minnutes songs, maybe you could get past them. When they are 5-6 minutes long, it's just too much.

This album was really aimed at a certain audience, and despite my love and appreciation of both these men and their work, and the fact that their band once again does an excellent job, this album does almost nothing for me.
Of course, you won't know what you think of it until you hear it.

609. Primal Fear / 16.6: (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead). 2009. 3/5

Given the super start this band had when they formed in the mid-1990's, I still look forward to each new album when they are announced. In recent times before this was released however, you couldn't really be sure what sound the band was going to go for. They were a band whose music was in flux, and the cocoon this time was even darker and dimmer than it had been.

The assortment comes straight at you from the very beginning. The album kicks off with the power metal standard of "Riding the Eagle", which is well done and includes a nice solo and melodic vocals from Scheepers. This is then followed by the heavier and harder "Six Times Dead (16.6)", whose influences are much better defined than "Black Rain", which isn't sure whether it wants to be a power metal ballad or a guitar experimental Spanish serenade. In the end, it tries to be both. Very unusual, and I don't think it works.
Perhaps the problem lies in that the band itself isn't sure in what direction it wants to go. There is none of the sheer power and sponteneity of their earlier releases. the drumming is metronome-like, but in some songs it could just as well have been replaced by a machine, such is the lack of variety (see "Under the Radar" as an example).

Overall, they have moved away from any definition of speed metal that they might once have had, and in its place is a combination of melodic and power metal tunes that, on the whole are not bad songs, but likewise they do not have anything that sets them apart from each other. Songs like "Smith & Wesson" and "The Exorcist" are like that for me on this album. I like the songs, but they just feel like they have missed a trick with them! Scheepers does not extend his vocal range at all, Black's drumming could have been played by just about anyone on the planet, while the guitars are efficient without being scintillating.

It is disappointing more for the fact that the band itself are better than they have produced on this album. It is average, middle-of-the-road fare that only offends those of us who expect more from them. Such is the standard timing and beat throughout, you could almost send yourself off to sleep listening to it. Probably not the greatest compliment for a metal band.

608. Slash featuring Myles Kennedy / Apocalyptic Love. 2012. 2.5/5

I must admit that I was curious as to what this album might hold. After the demise of Velvet Revolver after two albums (one surprisingly good, the other deadbolt average) and a solo album a couple of years ago, this felt as though it was more of a collaborative effort, with vocalist and guitarist Myles Kennedy coming in to provide assistance both with his previously stated talents as well as song writing. It was probably the closest that Slash will come to a band again, so I was hoping for good things.

Initial listens have proven unsurprising, though with a dash of disappointment. The songs aren't bad, but they are overall uninspiring. There is a monotreme hard rock groove running through the entire album, without a great deal of variety or thrill. It just feels like it has all been done before, mainly because it has. Slash and Kennedy have gone for a middle-of-the-road stock standard selection of hard rocking tracks and slower soft rock ballad tracks. There is nothing particulary wrong with that, and they do it well. Kennedy's vocal range is very well represented on the tracks here, and he again proves his mettle. However, Slash is the one we wanted to be showcasing his talents, and for the most part it just doesn't show at all. Where are the trademark licks and solos? They are non-existant. Instead, we have a range of songs when the guitar is played very well, but without inspiration.

In many ways, this is like a hard rock version of the Seattle bands such as Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Nirvana. Strip out the Seattle grunge, and throw in a hard rock guitar instead, and that's what you have here. Hey! Isn't that what they tried in Velvet Revolver? Hmmm.
There is some good enough stuff here, but songs like "Not For Me" and "Bad Rain" and "Far and Away" are just so cliched in their arrangement that it is a little embarrassing. Other songs though, like "Hard & Fast" and "Standing in the Sun", give you hope that there is better around the corner.

I'm sure all of this would stand up better in a live environment. In the long run here though, it just sounds like yesterday's news, and that is the biggest disappointment of all.

607. Joe Satriani / Satchurated: Live in Montreal. 2012. 4.5/5

There's not a whole lot you can say about Joe Satriani that hasn't been said everywhere before. The man is a genius on the guitar, and his sound is as instantly recognisable as soon as you hear it as Eddie Van Halen's is. His songs are as entertaining and enjoyable as those of bands who carry around an extra person in their group to spurt out lyrics in a cacophony of varied tones.

This double disc live opus recorded in Montreal brings together an amazing array of songs from his long and varied career. Supported and surrounded by his talented bandmates, Satch puts on a show worthy of listening to time and time again.
My favourites all come more from his early albums, if for no other reason than I know them all intimately, and far better than I do his more recent efforts. Songs like "Ice 9" and "Flying in a Blue Dream", and "Satch Boogie" are still as good now as they ever were. "Always With Me, Always With You" is also still great. But come on... where is "Surfing With the Alien"? And personal all-time Satriani favourite "Crushing Day"? OK, it was fun to hear "Big Bad Moon" again, but surely those two were worthy of inclusion.

This is a terrific showing of Satch and his band's ability to play live, and for anyone who does not know his worth in the whole scheme of things, is a great way to discover his brilliance.

606. Gamma Ray / 10-12-2006, Gaelic Club, Sydney, Australia [Bootleg]. 2006. 5/5

One of the best moments of the musical side of my life was when I finally got to see Gamma Ray live. To be honest, I never thought it would happen. It's a long way to come from the other side of the world. It was almost unheard of for European power metal bands to travel Down Under (Edguy being one exception), no doubt with the expense of doing so to bring all of their gear.
Then out of nowhere, they announced a fly-by stop over, and Sydney was one of only two gigs.

Flash forward six years, and out of nowhere, I discover a bootleg of the gig on my favourite bootleg site at Guitars101, and I am excited all over again. To hear the actual gig I went to once again!
This bootleg quality is amazing. Someone had some good equipment and a great position. It has it all. It has the minute mistakes, the minutest off keys, the crowd at its excited best. Just magnificent.
The band is truly on song, and Kai's vocals soar to the ceiling. The setlist is a wonderful combination of  songs from almost all of the Gamma Ray catalogue. It kicks off with the magnificent "Garden of the Sinner" before moving into a cacophony of newer tracks, "New World Order", "Man On A Mission", the brilliant "Fight", "Blood Religion" and the crowd pleaser "Heavy Metal Universe".
For the oldest fans, the Helloween trilogy follows. I almost wet my pants in excitement when they broke into "Ride the Sky", which was then followed by the staple sing along songs of "Future World" and "I Want Out".
"The Silence" is almost a rest period in this set list, but it is soon cranked back up to ridiculous levels with "Rebellion in Dreamland" and "Land of the Free", before they return with the encore of "Valley of the Kings", "Somewhere Out in Space" and "Send Me A Sign", which closes out the evening.

This is still very close to the best gig I have ever seen, and this bootleg is a magnificent testament to how good the band is in general, and how magnificent they were on this evening.

Now... when are you coming back again?!?

Guitars101 Forum - Gamma Ray, Sydney, 10-12-06

605. The 12th Man / 12th Man Again! 1990. 5/5

Billy Birmingham returns with more laughs in his third release in the series. Whereas It's Just Not Cricket was like a highlights reel of a cricket match, and Wired World of Sports much like the theme of the TV show, this combines the on air and off air commentary and antics of the cricket.
While Richie, Tony, Max and Ian have appeared in the previous releases, 12th Man Again! introduces for the first time Birmingham's impersonation of Bill Lawry to the mix, and with hilarious outcomes.

Any Australian who grew up watching the cricket knows these commentators and players. Birmingham's impersonations are brilliant and accurate, his mock up of cricketing names intelligent and masterful, and the whole scenario outlandish and side-splittingly funny.
It is still a terrific half hour to spend even to the modern day. Top shelf.