708. Van Halen / Van Halen. 1978. 4/5

By November 2013, there is little that I could write here about Van Halen that hasn't written or said a thousand times over. It is a seminal album, one that broke new barriers, created some new ones, and launched not only this band but a hundred others that came in the years following its release. In the end, the only thing I can write is my own thoughts and opinions on it, and no doubt they too mirror many others from down the years.

Van Halen showcases the wonderful talents of the four members, and how they combine so well in the band. Alex Van Halen has a terrific drum kit and the sound he gets out of it on this album is terrific. He shows off all his skills and rolls. Michael Anthony plays his bass with what seems like simplicity but is much more effective than that, and his backing vocals are a real key to the music. And then you have David Lee Roth's soaring vocals, and Eddie Van Halen's guitar. A pretty awesome foursome.
Much of the album I think you can either take or leave depending on your mood. The album opener "Runnin' With the Devil" is a moody piece, dominated by David Lee Roth's vocals with a short stint from Eddie Van Halen's guitar in the middle. This is followed by the 103 seconds that changed a million guitarists lives, the Eddie Van Halen guitar solo entitled "Eruption". This is what made this album so significant, and still does to this day. It showcased Eddie's talent to the world, a position from which he has never turned back, and he has dragged the band with his name in the same direction. It was then a clever move to follow this with a cover of The Kinks" "You Really Got Me", because it has one of the most recognisable guitar riff intros in the history of music. Thus, even though he may not have written it, the listener goes from hearing Eddie's "Eruption" into this well known riff, and it all falls into place. His guitar re-working of the song also works very well, along with the vocals from both Dave and Michael.
In many ways the album has dated over the years. It isn't as fresh as it was when it was released. The one obvious exception to this is "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", which still maintains the best of what Van Halen had to offer - a terrific riff from Eddie, a really nice underscore bass line from Michael, great drumming from Alex and Dave's pointed and scene-stealing vocals. 35 years later and this remains one of their greatest ever songs.
Songs like "I'm the One" and "Jamie's Cryin'" are very much dominated by David's vocals and lyrics than anything the rest of the band are doing. They're doing their bit of course, but the memorable parts of the songs are the vocals. Realistically, the remainder of the album doesn't stand out itself, but becomes more of a conglomerate of the whole. "Atomic Punk" allows Eddie to become creative on guitar, which dominates the song. These songs all have that atypical early Van Halen sound, guitar and drum oriented with Dave's story-telling vocals being complemented by the harmonies of Michael and Eddie, but are not ground-breaking material or standout tunes. Eddie's solo is the highlight of "Feel Your Love Tonight". "Little Dreamer" is more introspective with a slower pace and feel to it that the hard rock songs of the first half of the album. The cover of John Brim's "Ice Cream Man" seems all out of place, but was obviously a band favourite - and the blues is not really my thing either. The album comes to a close with "On Fire", which is back to the pace and rock that you expect from the band, and completes this debut opus with a bit of heart.

Van Halen has never been a band to be pigeon-holed, and the album Van Halen is of the same stuff. There is a mixture of everything here, though it all has what can now be categorised as a Van Halen sound to it. Some of it still holds up brilliantly, some of it can probably be best papered over. It is still a good listen if you go from start to finish, but picking out selected songs to play may have you questioning their worth in the greater scheme of things. There is certainly no doubt that it was a groundbreaker when it was released, and that it still has its place all these years later.

707. Lita Ford / The Bitch is Back... Live. 2013. 3.5/5

Following up her excellent Living Like a Runaway album from last year, Lita Ford and her band has been out on the road heavily promoting both the product and her live show, with the result being this live album The Bitch is Back... Live, an excellent mix of new material from her latest album and the best of her material from her back catalogue in the 1980's and 1990's.

It's been a long road for Lita, having been away from live performances for the better part of 15 years. What this album does showcase is that she can still sing, and she can still play guitar as effectively as she ever has. The band gels together nicely, and the crowd seems enthusiastic. Lita's byplay between songs sometimes seems a little forced or clichéd, but perhaps that worked for the audience when it was recorded. Surely there is no need to tell your audience to "check out these lyrics" as she does before "Hate". If they've come to see you play live then I'm sure they've already checked out the lyrics.
After opening up with the Elton John cover "The Bitch is Back", Lita showcases her new material to good effect. "Relentless", "Living Like a Runaway" and "Devil in my Head" all come across as good hard rock songs, which all have that extra grunt here in a live setting than their studio counterparts are able to show. "Back to the Cave" and the rollicking "Can't Catch Me" from the Lita album keep the good vibe of this album rolling.
The older songs, such as "Out For Blood" and "Dancing on the Edge", sound really good here, much better in the live environment they deserve than on the under-produced studio albums that they came from. Here they sound like the full blooded hard rocks songs they always should have been. The same can be said for new songs like "Hate", which really benefits from the harder edge the live sound gives the song.
The album finishes with arguably the two biggest songs of her career, "Close My Eyes Forever" and "Kiss Me Deadly". While they both sound great, there are a couple of times when it just sounds like Lita is trying to sing too perfect, instead of letting that live voice come on through. Just a small observation in the whole scheme of the album.

This is a veritable greatest hits compilation in a live setting, and it all comes together rather nicely. For anyone who has followed Lita's career this is a pleasant surprise, and verification of the talent she has not only as a guitarist and singer, but as a writer. Whatever had been the motivation to move away from music, her return with Living Like a Runaway was proof she still had something to give, and The Bitch is Back... Live is further proof that she and her band can still pull it off on the stage. probably not one for the fence-sitters, but fans will enjoy this release.

706. Def Leppard / Viva! Hysteria. 2013. 4.5/5

Earlier in 2013, Def Leppard took up a short term residency in Las Vegas. The highlight of this was that for the first time the band was going to play their biggest selling album, Hysteria, in full every night. Obviously this created quite a surge of interest, and given that it was going to be a limited season, and that it would only occur in the one city, there was little doubt that it would be released both audibly and visually so that fans from all around the world could enjoy the occasion. Thus we are presented with Viva! Hysteria.

Playing the entire album live more than 25 years after its release must have been a gamble, but it the end it is a triumph. Joe Elliott's voice, which I always felt was perhaps going to be the major issue in attempting most of these songs, covers all steps wonderfully. Of course, given that the majority of the songs on this album have still remained in the band's setlist over the years certainly helped. But the first time I put on Viva! Hysteria was a trip down memory lane. It took me all the way back to 1987, the year I finished high school, and played the original Hysteria over and over. The band here is terrific, not only instrumentally but vocally. Everything comes together in a great performance of a terrific album. My favourite songs from the album were always "Animal", "Gods of War" and "Run Riot", and they are still the best songs here. The performance is completed by the addition of two of the band's biggest songs from the Pyromania album, "Rock of Ages' and "Photograph". Terrific stuff.

But wait - there's more! And what's more, the extras are even better! In support to themselves each night, the band came on under the assumed name of Ded Flatbird, which apparently was one of the misheard names the band was called in their early days. On separate nights, the band would play a different setlist as the support band, containing songs that they hadn't performed live for years. For me, the great part was that the majority of these songs were from their first two albums which have been buried in the mists of time. And it is a real buzz to hear the band play songs like "Good Morning Freedom", which was only ever released on the single for "Hello America" off their debut album On Through the Night. Brilliant. Then add other songs from that album such as "Wasted" and "Rock Brigade" - how is a song like "Rock Brigade" not in their setlists more often? I love it. Then there is the brilliant "Mirror Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)" from High 'n' Dry. But it is the second support gig that really smokes, headed up by "On Through the Night" and "Slang", before playing the entire Side A (for those that remember the vinyl release) of the brilliant High 'n' Dry album - "Let it Go", "Another Hit and Run", "Saturday Night (High 'n' Dry)", "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" and "Switch 625". Just fantastic! What an awesome spectacle for those that got to attend this gig on that night.

Fans of Def Leppard - certainly those that have been fans since the 1980's - will love this. Not only is it a homage to their most popular and biggest selling album, it pays respect to many of the songs that paved the way for that album, and ones that haven't been performed in a long, long time, as well as the sprinkling of other songs from the era since that found their foundation in Hysteria. This CD/DVD set is a wonderful moment in time, one that all Def Leppard fans will love.

705. Motörhead / Aftershock. 2013. 4/5

It's a new Motörhead album, and though this will be their 21st studio album release, they can still pack a punch. OK, so maybe they will never match up to their classic albums from previous decades, but really, if you ask anyone what their favourite Motörhead albums are, and they will all have a different opinion. That's because over a long period of time, the band has been able to match the quality of its work.

The album kicks off with the immediate hard rocking "Heartbreaker" which not only instantly signals this as a Motörhead album with the grumbling bass and guitar work, but sits at that similar Motörhead tempo that sometimes feels as though it is just ambling along, but actually pushes you faster and harder than you expect. This is followed by "Coup de Grace", another perfect example of the band's best music - hard, fast and catchy. Great solo as well from Phil Campbell.
Now, I'm no blues fan (see any of the rants involving the last half a dozen Gary Moore albums of his life when he decided to follow the blues rather than his rock/metal brilliance of the 1980's), but the band gets away with it for me here. "Lost Woman Blues" is a nice tribute to this style of music (albeit a much heavier version than traditional blues), with all three members performing their roles with distinction. "Dust and Glass", which appears later in the album, is not so much blues as a slower, wistful track that, for me, also interferes with the overall intensity of the album. Both these songs just halt the momentum a bit too much for my liking, which overall is a disappointment.
The prevailing mood is restored with "End of Time" which is followed by the rollicking "Do You Believe". A lot of people consider that every Motörhead album sounds the same, and to a certain degree they are correct, in the same way that AC/DC have their signature sound, and Iron Maiden have their signature sound. After almost 40 years though it is only natural that you will find some similar pieces amongst the collected woodwork. Have a listen to the bridge in "Do You Believe", and tell me you don't find yourself singing "Love Me Like a Reptile" from Ace of Spades. Uncanny likeness, but not an abrasive one. "Death Machine" and "Going to Mexico" are also great songs.
There is a lot to like here, including some great soloing from Phil Campbell on songs such as "Crying Shame" and "Knife". His guitar work all through this album is arguably some of his finest ever with Motörhead. "Queen of the Damned" is old school Motörhead, thrashing along at a breakneck speed with guitars and drums throbbing. In fact, the whole album feels like a throwback to the glory days of the band. It is quintessentially Motörhead. "Keep Your Powder Dry" and "Paralysed" conclude the album on a high, and it is not a difficult choice to play the disc again from the beginning.
Along with Campbell's guitaring, Lemmy's signature bass work still hold every song together. It is the familiarity of this that continues to make the band so beloved by the fans. Mikkey Dee's drumming is also fantastic, keeping the three piece in perfect synchronisation along the way.

As I mentioned at the start, it is difficult to compare this album to the those from the past, given the history they have and the high esteem they are held in. In putting my neck out, I think it compares favourably with everything and anything they have released before. This is a resurgent album, and we can only hope that with Lemmy's well publicised health problem over the past twelve months that it isn't the last we hear in this resurgent phase of the band.