901. Billy Joel / Streetlife Serenade. 1974. 2.5/5

After two albums that had had varying degrees of success and popularity, and a career that was beginning to head in the right direction, the story goes that Billy Joel was under some pressure from the record company to get out another album to build on the success of Piano Man. Writing time was at a premium, and one could safely say that that does seem to come through in the music on Streetlife Serenade.

"Streetlife Serenader" starts the album off calmly and, dare I say it, serenely. As it turns out, the opening song seems to set the standard for the majority of the album, as for the most part the songs here are set in a calming atmosphere that is rarely broken free of. "Los Angelenos" and "The Great Suburban Showdown" are songs that are fine but that don't quite break out of the mould that has been set here. "The Great Suburban Showdown" could have been an Eagles song without the harmonies that band would have brought to the table.
"Roberta" is a pretty song, featuring the best of Billy's 'sweet' vocals. "Last of the Big Time Spenders" is again kept afloat more by Billy's marvellous vocals than by the music itself. "Weekend Song" sounds like it should be being performed live in a blues club, while "Souvenir" is a short piano ballad which on its own is another that showcases the best of his ability on both the keys and his vocals.
The two piano instrumentals on the album are of differing styles, and both are excellent. "Root Beer Rag" is very much as the title suggests, a honky tonk ragtime musical piece "The Mexican Connection" closes the album in its beautiful style, upbeat in mood and writing, it has the other instruments firmly in the background while the piano takes centre stage. It is a clear, crisp musical interlude to finish off the album on a high note.
"The Entertainer" is the song that stands out from the crowd on this album. It is the one song that shows some urgency, some real passion and energy. The song builds throughout its 3 minutes and 41 seconds, with another instrument coming into the song with each verse, until by the end we have a cacophony all blended together to make the song sound like a musical production in itself. Billy's vocals also build through the song, starting off quietish as he explains his way through his career, until we get to the end where he is at his biggest point. It's a cleverly written and performed song, which is still one of my favourites of his, and really does tower over this album as its masterpiece.

I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about this album. You can't question the musicianship on the album, but it does feel as though there is something missing in the song writing. "The Entertainer" is the absolute stand out song on the album, but apart from that the others all have little to distinguish themselves from the ordinary. It is an easy listen to put this album on and let it run through, but even now when it is over, there's probably not a lot of encouragement to listen to it once again.

Rating:  "I'm not a serenader, and I'm not a long haired band".  2.5/5

900. Billy Joel / Piano Man. 1973. 3.5/5

Billy Joel had been through some tough personal issues leading up to gaining his elusive first recording contract, and once this had occurred he would have felt that those troubles would have been over. However this was not to be, and having his first album “Cold Spring Harbour” mixed incorrectly and mastered at too high a speed meant that he was extremely unhappy with how that first album had turned out. Whether or not he would have been able to extricate himself from that contract without help is unlikely, at least not without a lot of pain. In the long run, he had a stroke of luck, and Columbia Records came knocking on his door offering him a chance after having seen a live recording he had made for a radio station become an underground hit. He was still legally bound to his first record company, but eventually (apparently under some pressure from Columbia) that contract was sold to his new label, and he was able to move forward on a major record label.
The release of “Piano Man” on Columbia thus gave Billy Joel an international profile that may well have exceeded his expectations. It certainly gave him a chance to show that apart from his song writing he was able to incorporate much more into his music than just lyrics and piano. He moved to Los Angeles on signing his contract and remained there for three years. For six months when he first arrived he played at The Executive Room piano bar on Wilshire Boulevard. It was during that time that he observed those around him, the customers he saw there on a daily basis, and slowly put together a story that he put to music all about the bar’s patrons. It was a song that was to become his signature piece, a song that would change his life and be revered around the world.

"Piano Man” immediately comes across as far more upbeat than “Cold Spring Harbour” both lyrically and musically. The opening track "Travelin' Prayer" reminds me of that old favourite "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", with the obvious reason being the violin fiddling away at a furious pace at different sections of the song. Add to this the honky tonk piano and the banjo and the similarities in style are complete. It makes for a great opening to the album. The titular track comes next, and "Piano Man" is the obvious gold nugget of the album, the song that has defined the artist and his career. Based around his own experiences of playing at a bar over those early years, the almost autobiographical song is known by people of all ages all over the world, and is the one song everyone can identify with Billy Joel. It still sounds as marvellously fresh and vital as it must have done on its release. "Ain't No Crime" is a good follow up, no doubt drawing on personal experiences to put together the lyrics, and sounding almost gospel in music and vocals. "You're My Home" was written by Billy as a gift for his wife on Valentine's Day, as he had no money at the time to buy her anything. It must be nice to be able to be talented enough to do such a thing.
"The Ballad of Billy the Kid" is lyrically, in Billy's own words, factually inaccurate, with many lines within the song having no part of the actual life of Billy the Kid. Despite this revelation, the song itself sounds great and is another sing-along hit.
"Worse Comes to Worst" opens up the second side of the album and combines variations of themes such as country, rock and gospel in a mix that strangely works, mainly through Billy's heartfelt vocals and marvellous piano playing. "Stop in Nevada", "If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You)" and "Somewhere Along the Line" all feel a bit monosyllabic in regards to the music, if not the song lyrics themselves. "If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You)" is the best of the three songs, but unlike the lively first side of the album, here it feels as though it gets bogged down a little.
"Captain Jack" was the song that is credited as the song which led to Columbia records wanting to and eventually signing Billy Joel to a record deal. On tour before this album was even thought of, Billy and his band played this at a live performance for a radio station, who then played that live version of this song for the next 12 months because of the number of requests they received to play it, not only gaining popularity from its listeners but gaining interest from record companies. It has been a favourite ever since, and one that I've always enjoyed because of the move from sublime to the raucous rendition of the chorus throughout. As a closing song, it is instrumental in wanting you to play the whole album over again because of the enjoyment you get from this finishing melody.
While the overall songs here are another step in the direction that Billy Joel eventually found as his middle ground, I would not class this as a better album overall than “Cold Spring Harbor”. The two standout songs aside, there is not much difference in the quality and enjoyment of the songs here and from his first album. they are all enjoyable and have wonderful musicianship, but there was certainly better yet to come.

Catching up to all of Billy Joel’s albums, especially those from the first half of his career, was something that I didn’t get around to doing until about 15 years ago. The singles from the radio I knew well, and then the Greatest Hits compilation that came out in the 1980’s filled a lot of other spaces. And occasionally I would be at a get together at someone’s house, and a Billy Joel album would come on. But as to actually getting those albums myself, and listening to them, it was some ways down the track.
Thus when I did get “Piano Man” and listen to it for the first time, I was still pleasantly surprised. The basis of his music is all here, written around his piano and vocals, and then expanded beyond that with other instruments and supporting vocals when needed. And listening to Billy Joel play piano and sing at you is always something worth doing. The songs here are his usual collection of lively upbeat songs and quieter more reflective songs, each with their own stories and derivatives throughout.
It is hard to believe that this album is 50 years old, perhaps because I didn’t hear it until so long after it was released, but more from the fact that the title track itself just doesn’t feel that old. Billy’s albums are all contemporary enough that they could have been written and recorded in any of the decades stretching from the 1970’s to the 1990’s, so the fact this one has reached its 50th anniversary is amazing.
I have listened to this a lot over the last 2-3 weeks, and it is still a great and easy listen. The songs that did not receive radio airplay are still solid tracks, and the album blends well together. For me it is somewhat true that it is the albums in the second half of his recording career that I enjoy the most, but that doesn’t change the fact that his albums of the early to mid-1970's are also very good. "Piano Man” is the epitome of that simile.

899. Billy Joel / Cold Spring Harbor. 1971. 3.5/5

I have only recently gone backwards in time to partake in the earliest Billy Joel albums. Like many of my vintage I know the popular tracks, and I know the albums from the late 1970's and early 1980's, but the first albums are mostly a mystery to me. In order to be able to complete my Billy Joel collection, I wanted to be able to say that I had experienced all aspects of the journey.

For the most part this is a sombre, melancholy and reflective album. Whereas the Billy Joel that most music listeners know has songs that are at an upbeat tempo and come out of the speakers with an enthusiasm that bounds, the majority of songs here are set back in recording, happy to float out at you rather than jump out. What you will hear is that wonderful piano sound that dominated the 1970's by both himself and Elton John. When that piano takes centre stage, with the drums and bass playing as the background, and Billy's vocals crooning over the top, that is when his songs, and this album, sounds at its best. "Falling in the Rain" and "Turn Around" are particularly good examples of this. They are favourites of mine on this album simply because they are the perfect mix of Billy's strengths, vocally, lyrically and the piano.
"She's Got a Way" is the best known of these tracks, as it has continued to creep into live sets through the years. I don't mind the song, but I don't think it is the strength of this album at all. "You Can Make Me Free" is what first lights up this album for me, if only because Billy brings his vocals and piano out the front for the first time, igniting the album in a away the opening track does not.
"Everybody Loves You Now" is the one song that differs from the norm, driven along by Billy's piano and showing off a disposition that is slightly out of character with the majority of these songs, though only because the others tend to slip on the side of misery. There is more anger in the lyrics here than anywhere else on the album, but it creates an uplifting vibe rather than a downward one. The other side of the coin comes through in "Tomorrow is Today" and "Nocturne", both lovely sounding songs but at the heart of the lyrics is... well... the broken heart. Certainly this is the case from the former song, which then segues into the instrumental piece of "Nocturne", but there is really no need for lyrics in this song to convey its emotional impact. There's no doubt about Billy Joel's talent in these two songs, one those explains his emotions perfectly with lyrics in the first song, and then perfectly in music in the second.
One should also quickly make mention of the fact that this was mastered at the incorrect speed, and this the vocals in particular sound anything but like Billy Joel. The stories regarding this event are out there for those interested in reading about them. Suffice to say Billy was not happy, and changed producer and record company from the following album onwards.

Some may say that casual listeners of Billy Joel's music would not like this album. To be fair, casual listeners would not even go looking for this album. It wasn't recorded for them. It was recorded as the first step to what Billy Joel and his music became. That's not to say the biggest fans will necessarily enjoy this either, but they at least will appreciate the skill and diversity that exists on this album compared to what came after it. There may not be a lot of joy and happiness within the songs on this album, but there is little doubt as to the talent that still exudes from it even in this modern day. Embryonic perhaps, but there is a lot to gain from taking the time to listen to this again.

Rating:  "Maybe you will find a little time to think of me".  3.5/5

898. David Bowie / The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. 1972. 4/5

On any list of 'world's best albums' or 'albums you must listen to before you die' you will find the name David Bowie a number of times, and especially this album. Few people who have a love of music in general would not know the name of Ziggy Stardust, even if they are unaware of the full history of the name, the character or the album. As it turn out, I am not overly au fait with everything David Bowie myself. I know all of the singles he released, and I know the more famous of the other tracks that weren't, but when it comes to a detailed knowledge of all of his albums, I am as much the apprentice as others.

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars is one that I have a better knowledge of in his discography. It wasn't until ten years or so ago that I actually obtained it and listened to it in full, rather than the snatches of pieces I had heard through the ages. I had listened to the album plenty of times before I was informed that it is a concept album, loosely telling the story of Ziggy Stardust himself. OK, so I had sort of pieced together that it was a little like that, but I never really went looking for that in the lyric and the music. I approached it from the start as any album, and while the songs do tend to segue seamlessly into each other with a modicum of ease, the 'story' never really stuck with me.
I love the way that the opening track "Five Years" builds its way to a peak, letting the listener come into the album with the band, slowly but surely increasing the urgency of the message to everyone. "Soul Love" does a similar thing, building to a high point in the middle of the song before fading back out towards the end. "Moonage Daydream" delivers an unbelievable solo section at the back end of the song, combining guitar, synth and keyboards to give off that impression of being in space. This then moves into the excellent "Starman" which again combines that amazing "Bowie" sound of both acoustic and electric guitar with synth through the background that he uses so well, along with his perfect vocal. Awesome. "It Ain't Easy" is a cover of the Ron Davies song, and which is wonderfully "Bowiefied" from the country rock song it is to a glam rock hybrid to close out side one.
Side two starts off with "Lady Stardust" which to me is just an average run of the mill song, but this then moves into "Star", a more upbeat song, driven by the piano chords and background "oohs" and "aaaahs" as Bowie does his thing over the top. Wistfully wonderful. "Hang On to Yourself" has never really worked for me. It's just a bit off the beaten track, a bit too repetitive and has never grabbed me. "Ziggy Stardust" is similar but different, and quite possibly just for the way Bowie sings it. There is again nothing too special about the song, except it is Bowie's vocals that are absolute centre stage, and they make it what it is.
My favourite Bowie song of all time is still probably "Suffragette City", with that great opening riff, the sax through the song with the piano backing, with Bowie singing at himself. It is spectacular, just one of those songs that grabs you from the first time you hear it and it never leaves you. That is "Suffragette City" for me. The album concludes with "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide", which details the final demise of Ziggy Stardust, ending the album in much the way it started, as a musical show more than an album itself.
Even now this is an album that almost demands you are in a mellow frame of mind in order to listen to it and get the most out of it. The ebbs and flows of the music - but it's not the kind of album you put on at a rousing party, it's the kind of album you put on when everyone has left, and you just want to sit down and relax for a bit and enjoy the relative serenity. This is the atmosphere where you can derive the most from what the album delivers.

This is rightly held up as an all time classic. If I was a music historian over all genres of music I would give this full marks. On a personal preference level, I lean much more towards the heavier side of music, and as such rate it here in a way that distinguishes it from all of the other albums I love. So while I may not give it five stars here, you can be assured that I still think it is an album that everyone should experience, just for the genius of David Bowie.

Rating:  "Wham bam thank you ma'am!".   4/5

897. Anthrax / Persistence of Time. 1990. 5/5

The progression of Anthrax through their first four albums was on a similar path that their contemporaries all travelled along. The opening album of pure thrash metal, with vocals that serviced what the band had written but from what more was needed. The second album that was tighter musically and vocally more proficient. The third album that funnelled all of that into producing an album that was at the top of their form, one that still holds true years later. Anthrax had done this as well, with that progression from the “Fistful of Metal” album, and then the change of vocalist that went on to produce “Spreading the Disease” and the legendary “Among the Living”, that still holds true against two other third albums in the discography of highly regarded thrash metal artists, “Reign in Blood” and “Master of Puppets”. In 1988 Anthrax then released their fourth album, “State of Euphoria”, an album that still enthralled the fans and sold as well as the band’s previous two albums, but critically was reviewed with less enthusiasm. Part of the criticism the band received for this album was that it was felt that the band was becoming too ‘cartoonish’, a reference to the stage wear the band wore during gigs, and that many of their songs were written around novels and comic books. Some of that seems misplaced, as the band had tackled some serious issues in a couple of songs from that album.
Heading into their follow up album, there was a lot going on around the band that perhaps led to a slight change in their lyrical and musical direction. The band returned to the studio in late 1989, surrounded in the turmoil of several on going issues. The first was that guitarist Scott Ian was in the process having divorced his first wife during this process, something that is rarely pleasant and now doubt affected his mental state and mood during the writing and recording of the album. Then in late January 1990 a fire in the complex where their studio was situated meant that they lost their rehearsal room along with up to $100,000 worth of equipment, not something that could be replaced quickly or easily. On top of this, it was later revealed that the band had begun having talks of working with a new lead singer, something that their current lead singer Joey Belladonna was kept in the dark about. There was quite an age difference between Belladonna and the rest of the band, and the differences in their pastimes and listening material were said to be a part of why this discussion took place. All of this swirled around the band as they spent more than three months composing and recording what would be their fifth studio album, one that did indeed have a change of tone about it. But would these changes, the maturing of the band’s songwriting to have a bigger focus on the world around them, not only appease their critics but their fan base as a whole?

The increasing ticking of a clock to start to "Time", followed by the frantic guitars and timing-perfect drums is the perfect start to the album, combining all of the best parts of Anthrax's music. Charlie Benante’s drumming on this song from the outset is outstanding, that metronomic-like double kick is amazing alongside everything he is doing on his snare and toms up top. Joey Belladonna’s vocals are precision perfect with the exact right amount of phrasing and emotional kick as the lyrics dictate it is required. Frank Bello on bass combines timing perfect with Charlie throughout, leaving Scott Ian and Dan Spitz to rail over the top. The lyrics speak of life and death, and how time may be an enemy if you let it. There are so many superb lines in this song, but just a piece here is: “Life and death as words they don't mean shit, It's what you do with them and how you live with it, Raging like a bull inside a cage, Just give me a stage where this bull can rage”. This is a truly wonderful start to the album, one of their very best. The opening track segues straight into the follow up in “Blood”, another with Charlie’s opening drumbeat followed by the guitar riff. “Blood” has some great time changes throughout as Charlie mixes things up to mess with the tempo throughout. Lyrically it explores various stories within its different meanings, which may have been a result of the difficulties the band faced during the writing process. While it seems to concentrate mainly on wars, fighting each others brothers, there are lines that speak deeper of Scott’s mood at the time, such as “Misery can be so attractive, when making yourself happy is the only alternative, At the expense of someone else's life, Do it for yourself, damn it, do what's right”. “Keep It in the Family” speaks volumes about racism and prejudice that is handed down from parents to kids, with the kids only learning from what is behind their door and not from where ‘the real world is outside your door’. There’s no holding back in the lyrics here, some that are still far too close to home even 35 years later, such as: “Retribution, no solution, constitution, Discrimination through the nation
Raining hatred”. Sound familiar? It’s another great song on the album, where the topics have become darker and more socially aware. They mix slower heavier riffs with the faster and louder aspects. There is no doubt that this is not an out-and-out thrash album, something that some people are unable to get past. But it is damn heavy and still thought-provoking lyrically, and the maturity both lyrically and musically is a huge step up from their last album.
"In My World" returns the album to the upbeat tempo musically at which it performs its best, rollicking along once again and being driven by Charlie's rolling drumbeat and the flailing of the guitars, while Joey wails over top in fine form. Lyrically, 35 years ago, I would never have thought that I would be so in tune with what parts of this song are saying. It’s a different world, and I am generations older than i was when this was released. “But when you have lines that suggest “I just want my life to do whatever I like
Yeah, it's a selfish need to have no responsibility, So I'll say what I'm gonna say cos I'm going to Hell anyway, I'd rather be alone in my world”. Not in the way that the lyrics and song suggest, but my need to be out in the world has diminished over time, and these lyrics do strike a chord with me. Musically it is fabulously mature thrash metal, the changing tempo engineered by the rhythm section here is terrific, and lyrically it is extremely easy to sing along to with gusto. Another great track. On the back of this, "Gridlock" is the most thrash-like song on the first half of the album, even if it could be described, as I did with the previous track, as a 'mature' form of thrash. Joey stars again on this song, preaching from the stage on the judgements that others will place on you, those who are more interested in gossiping behind your back and tearing you down without confronting you directly. And it is so accurate, especially in workplaces, something I have found in the past, and this song is a perfect example of that kind of behaviour. The band leaves nothing in the tank when it comes to sprouting their vitriol over such practices, along with great riffing and soloing from Dan and Scott. This is a superb way of closing out the first side of the album, and you almost feel a state of exhaustion come over you as a result. It has been draining physically and emotionally from the outset.
The opening to side two of the album is perhaps the best example of the strides Anthrax had made in its writing and performing to this stage of their career. It opens with a snatch of conversation from the classic Twilight Zone episode from Series 3 called “Deaths-Head Revisited”, where the protagonist former commandant of a Dachau concentration camp in Nazi Germany, on visiting the camp 17 years later, insists “we did as we were told”, to which his ghostly companion Alfred Becker, whom he tortured while at the camp replies "They just heard you offer the apology for all the monsters of our times” and followed by an echo of laughter as the instrumental “Intro to Reality” begins. This is a wonderfully written and performed piece, three minutes of awesome riffing and melodic guitar with the bass and drums holding the song together underneath. It builds beautifully in a crescendo before crashing into the killer riff that then kicks in to Joey's spitting vocals that set the scene brilliantly, the segue straight into the beginning of “Belly of the Beast”, which then tells the story portrayed in “Deaths-Head Revisited” from the point of view of Alfred Becker, with Belladonna immediately sneering “You walk this earth without a heart, you tear the innocent souls apart, you shovel your conscience into the grave”. Lyrically this song is a wonderfully composed tome based on that Twilight Zone episode, conveying the horror of the time and of what is described in the episode both in the past and the then present. It is perfectly sung by Belladonna, spitting and incredulous in the same instant. It is the basis of what this album was all about, combining the instances of time throughout, and still delivering a message. It is probably still the highlight of the album for me.
This is followed by the sensational cover of Joe Jackson's "Got the Time", which not only ties in nicely with the album title but rifles along at that thrash speed everyone can enjoy. This is a ripping song, pulled off perfectly by the entire band. Frankie Bello’s bassline is the star attraction here, being front and centre throughout the song, and it sounds like the band is having a lot of fun playing it.
The remainder of the album continues on the angry side of angry. "H8 Red" is another song that seems to be an example of how Scott Ian was facing his difficulties at the time. Lyrically it isn’t set upon that, it incorporates the usual mix of topics that Anthrax throw at you during this album, but there seem to be some pointedly noticeable lyrics that can easily be interpreted as having come from a realistic argument. Beyond that, it is another great song. I love the way the vocals and backing come together on this song and the drums and guitar riffs flood together in a perfect tidal wave of aggression. More of the same follows with "One Man Stands" and "Discharge". All three final songs use 'hate' and 'lie' as a major theme in the lyrics, and the anger inherent in the music and lyrics continues the theme of the album.

19-freaking-90. That is a very long time ago. I was 20 years old, going on 21, with a job that did little else but earn me money to do what I wanted to do, a close group of friends and no romantic attachments. Seems like the perfect life, doesn’t it? And for much of it, it pretty much was.
The memories of this album are still enormous. Anthrax had never toured Australia before, and they began their “Persistence of Time” tour in New Zealand and Australia. This album was only released 9 days before the concert where I saw them. They had played New Zealand and flown into Sydney, where they had an instore appearance at Utopia Records, where they would sign stuff if you’d made a purchase that day. I bought the CD and the vinyl, and then got both signed by the whole band, as well as getting a drumstick signed by Charlie (I had just taken up the drums about a year earlier). I still have the signed CD and drumstick. The vinyl was unfortunately lost in the flood of 2001, a sad day for music in the Peters household. Five days later we saw Anthrax live for the first time. I had had five days to try and suck this album into my conscious, and I did a pretty good job of it overall. It probably wasn’t the perfect way to see the band. I would love to have had more time to really know the album, like I do now. But it didn’t detract from the magnificence of that night.
The album got stuck in my rotation. It along with three other albums that were released around this time became the ones that were replayed over and over on a constant loop. And this lost nothing compared to those others either. This was not a new Anthrax, but it felt like it was a more focused Anthrax. Every song here is pivotal to the rest of the album. The topics covered are hard core, stretching from war to race to anxiety to anger and back again. The music is just brilliantly heavy and dark, magnified by the topics covered and creating a wonderful whole picture throughout.
All combatants are at the top of their game here. Joey Belladonna's vocals are just perfect, especially in songs such as "Time" and "Belly of the Beast" where a bit of attitude is necessary. Frankie Bello's bass work is terrific again, especially in the bass players' handbook song of "Got the Time". Dan Spitz and Scott Ian's duel guitar riffing is tight and complete, revelling in the speed and heavy chunk that proliferates this album, while Charlie Benante's drumming is as superb as always, the masterful timing and precision of his playing is a joy to behold, and it is pretty much the star turn on this album.
I have had this album out and on again for almost two weeks now. I could easily have it out for another month or so. I just don’t ever get tired of this album. Everything about it is quite superb. If I haven’t listened to this 20 times from start to finish in that time period then I am a bad judge. I’ve been air drumming and singing along loudly for that whole time. Is it their best album? It’s close. Is it my favourite Anthrax album? If you made me choose, then yes it probably is.
1990 was a pretty big year in music. Megadeth had found their masterpiece, Judas Priest had rediscovered their killer instinct, Slayer had maintained their rage while still finding a broader fan base. There's no doubt that in this metal landscape, “Persistence of Time” more than held its own, and kept Anthrax on the top shelf of metal bands heading into the new decade. 35 years later and it still sounds pretty bloody awesome.

896. Yngwie J. Malmsteen / Perpetual Flame. 2008. 4/5

When I first heard that Tim Owens was going to be the lead vocalist on the new Yngwie Malmsteen album, it was the most excited I had been about a new Yngwie album since the release of Odyssey way back in 1988. I mean, how could it miss? Yngwie's guitaring and Ripper's amazing vocals? It had to be a win-win situation.
Of course, in most circumstances when I think things like this I am dreadfully disappointed in the long run.

Once again the album is a mix of songs with vocals and straight instrumentals. The instrumentals on this album are on a par as in recent times for Yngwie. As has started to become a regular thing, Yngwie plays all of the lead and rhythm guitars as well as the bass guitar on all tracks, as well as additional keyboards, also wrote and composed all of the tracks on the album. So, in essence, with the instrumental tracks, it is all Yngwie. So judge the material on the back of one man's effort and ability. As is almost always the case with this man, these are just fantastic. "Caprici di Diablo" is followed on the album by "Lament", with both instrumentals clocking in at four and a half minutes. "Caprici di Diablo" is the faster paced of the two, while "Lament" has that extra emotion played into it with a melancholy pace. "Heavy Heart" is an almost epic finale to the album, featuring the best of the undercurrent rhythm while Yngwie layers his guitars over the top in a cavalcade of crushing riffs and runs.
The album opens with a fierce flurry on the guitars and the predictable and punishing Ripper scream to start the album off on the right foot. "Death Dealer" and "Damnation Game" both rip along at the best Yngwie speed, rifling guitar matched by the keyboards and hard hitting drums. Live to Fight (Another Day) slows the tempo back to a slower, heavier undertone, allowing Ripper to wax lyrical over the top of the grunging beat in duality. "Red Devil" is saved from the average by Yngwie's solo break which is the highlight of the song. "Four Horsemen (of the Apocalypse)", "Priest of the Unholy" and "Careful What You Wish For" are all excellent combinations of Ripper's vocals and Yngwie's amazing guitar sound.
Just to mix things up, "Magic City" has only Yngwie providing lead and backing vocals on a lengthy 7+ minute track. The change in vocals is absolute. Not that there is anything wrong with Yngwie's singing, but it is a stark difference form the powerhouse that is Tim "Ripper" Owens. "Eleventh Hour" sees the return of Ripper to the microphone, before the concluding "Heavy Heart" puts a close on the album.
Is there a down side? If I was to be nit-picking, Ripper's vocals all seem to be on the one wave length. There is not the variety that he is capable of in both pitch and depth of character. For the most part of the album he retains a similar disposition, which could well be because of the way the songs were written rather than his personal preference. Everything still sounds brilliant, but perhaps a bit of variety in the vocals would have improved things even more. Like I said, nit-picking.

Overall it is another terrific album from Yngwie and his dwindling support staff. His return to form after a lacklustre decade during the 1990's is a welcome one. While he has had a number of people performing vocals for him throughout his career, Ripper also bring back a power to this side of the material that is both welcome and challenging.

Rating:  "Now the demon is here again, vengeance is burning in my soul".  4/5

895. Five Finger Death Punch / The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell Volume 1. 2013. 2.5/5

Prior to the Soundwave Festival in 2014 I started researching the bands of whom I had little to no knowledge, and checked out their music in an attempt to decide who I was going to see and who I could safely avoid. Five Finger Death Punch was one of those bands, and had conveniently released two albums during 2013, allowing me to get an up to date perspective on a band that I had heard nothing about to that point in time. This was the first of those, and the second was the following Volume 2. While I didn't have a lot of time before the Festival to digest the album, I found enough to make me interested enough to follow them up on the day, and their live show was excellent, and they continued to pique my interest without ever really grabbing it completely.

Fast forward two years, and my thoughts haven't changed a great deal since that time. The style of metal that Five Finger Death Punch play is not in the main region of my listening pleasure. At times they fall terrifyingly close to a Nickelback theme, which always makes me doubt what I see in any of their music. At times they sound like they are trying to do a Fozzy cover, but surely that would be just plain silly.

"Diary of a Deadman" is a really strange way to end an album that has completely mixed its style so much that its hard to find a point at which you can like the whole shebang. It feels as though it wants to be a ballad again, but between the quiet spoken vocal pieces and the loud drum and riffing sections that then lead us back to the hardcore vocals it just can't make up its mind, and thus I am left in a quandary as to whether I like it or not. I probably don't. The title track is in the same boat, a hardcore ballad that tries its hand at winning over those kind of fans. Like most of the songs here this isn't terrible, but it lacks something that can drag it above the average.

"M.I.N.E (End This Way)" is one of those songs here that delves into the Nickelback arena, a dangerous path for any band to cross given the polar opposites of most people's feelings about that band's music. There must be people out there who like this kind of stuff. I do not.

The obvious fan favourite is the opening track "Lift Me Up", which includes guest vocals from Rob Halford. Always a nice way to gain some promotion amongst the heavy metal community. It has the right energy and structure to be a flag bearer for the album. If the whole album was like this it would be closer to a winning situation, but that is not the case. "I.M.Sin" is perhaps the only other song that comes within cooee of standing on its own, "Dot Your Eyes" would probably be fine except it does sound as though Ivan Moody is trying a bit too hard on vocals.

When I saw the band live I enjoyed their show, I enjoyed their set and though it didn't reach out and grab me like other bands did on that day I felt as though there was something on offer. Repeated listenings to this album has left me more disappointed than disavowed. Perhaps in the long run they just aren't for me after all.
Rating: "I'm gonna change history". 2.5/5.

894. Yngwie J. Malmsteen / Trilogy. 1986. 4.5/5

Whether you love him or hate him, there is no denying the fact that Yngwie Malmsteen is an absolute freak on the guitar. While many who admire this fact are also vocal about the mainstream way Yngwie approached his career, citing that looked for a commercial bent in his song writing to reflect an ambition beyond just being a superb guitar player, I can only say that, for the first few albums of his career at least, I loved every single aspect of it.

Trilogy continues along the same path that was started with Marching Out. Instrumental pieces featuring Yngwie's amazing talent are mixed with fully fledged songs that combine lyrics with guitar and keyboard solos all structure within the fabric of the tracks. Some suggested they had a commercial bent. I prefer to describe them as catchy pieces with simplified lyrics. None of the songs here have the slightly more complicated story-telling tales that accompanied the tracks on the previous album. They are simple, and designed one would suggest for the sing-along aspect that they actually encourage.
For the most part this album isn't as furious as Marching Out, but it is no less enjoyable. New vocalist Mark Boals has an impressive set of pipes on him, and the music almost feels as though it has been put in that mid-tempo range to allow him to croon over the top and not feel rushed. The major tracks such as "You Don't Remember, I'll Never Forget" and "Queen in Love" use this to their advantage. They aren't fast, but Boals uses his range to deftly create the mood of the song, which is then replicated during Yngwie's guitar solo break. "Dark Ages" is a slower and darker mood than these songs, but uses similar techniques.
The faster tracks such as "Liar" and "Fury" enhance the upbeat tempo by being fuelled by the double kick drum of Anders Johansson throughout the length of the song, which again is replicated by a faster paced fretboard action from Yngwie during his break. His duelled solos with Jens Johansson's keyboards generate the highlight of these songs, a nice touch that is a hallmark of most of the best Yngwie Malmsteen songs. "Fire" is probably the heaviest song on the album, using conventional drumming but with a heavier emphasis on the guitars and vocals. "Magic Mirror" is a more power metal styled faster paced song again.
As will always be the case with Yngwie, he still has his instrumental pieces, where he can structure his guitar to maximise its exposure while the rest of the instruments are generally there to enhance rather than take centre stage. "Crying" is a good example of this, while the closing track "Trilogy Suite Op: 5" showcases the best that he has to offer.

Yngwie Malmsteen is a wonderful guitarist, and more than handy on just about every other instrument as well. He once again takes on all roles here apart from the Johansson brothers on keyboards and drums. Mark Boals brought a less frenetic style of vocals to the album, which is probably also reflected in the music itself. I still love this album, and think it is a great testament to Yngwie's talent and the growing European power metal sound that this was a forerunner to.

Rating:   "I now will tell you all a story, that no one ever heard before".  4.5/5

893. Iron Maiden / Virus [Single]. 1996. 5/5

I understand why people had a natural aversion to Blaze Bayley and by association Iron Maiden when he replaced Bruce Dickinson as lead vocalist of the band in the 1990's. But really, if those same people had given the two albums that were released during this period the time of day, they would have discovered some pretty good material.

This single came out when Maiden released their first (but somewhat sadly not last) greatest hits package, Best of the Beast. The double disc version took two songs from each album released to that time, and a couple of other songs. As a sweetener, a new song was also produced, which led off the greatest hits package and was released as this single.
"Virus" would be one of the best Maiden songs ever, if only they had abandoned the first two minutes and twenty seconds of the song, and even the last 30 seconds. The "short" version of the song that can be found on certain versions is actually the best version of the song, as it does exactly that, removing the useless first part of the track. I love this song, and I love Blaze's vocals on it.
The other two songs are the original tracks that were found on the Metal for Muthas album from 1979. These versions of "Sanctuary" and "Wrathchild" both feature Tony Parsons on guitar, a treat for the die hard fans, but perhaps not so exciting for those that just want to listen to the band and not care about its history.

Rating: "Without a conscience they destroy, and that's thing that they enjoy". 5/5

892. Judas Priest / Turbo. 1986. 4/5

On the back of their albums “Screaming for Vengeance” and “Defenders of the Faith”, and having concluded their world tour titled the Metal Conqueror World Tour to promote the Defenders album, Judas Priest did not schedule any live shows for the entire year of 1985, which was their first ever extended hiatus from touring and recording. After 11 years of releasing nine albums and a live album and touring consistently between them, it was time to take a little rest. They did however make one live appearance in 1985, that being at Live Aid at the Philadelphia concert, taking the stage after Crosby, Stills & Nash and before Bryan Adams, and performing the songs “Living After Midnight”, “The Green Manalishi” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”. Beyond this, it was a year of rest, relaxation and contemplation.
This year of contemplation led to greater temptation for lead singer Rob Halford. Already struggling with increased substance and alcohol abuse, the year off performing saw his life spiralling, with increasing violent feuds and altercations with his partner at the time, which then led to him going even harder with his addictions. The suicide of his partner late in 1985 not only brought him heartache but the realisation that if he continued in the direction he was heading, he would soon probably die of his own addictions. This led him to resolve to get clean, and he went into rehab where he spent a month in December 1985 and January 1986, coming out with a clear head and a new determination. Halford has since said in interviews that his struggle with the secrecy of his sexuality was affecting him, causing him to fall into depression and fuelling his addictions. Since this time, Halford has been clean and sober.
When it came time to begin writing for the new album, the band had decided that on the back of the success of their previous two albums, that this follow up would be a double album titled “Twin Turbos”, half of which would be of a more commercial sound, and the other half which would be more aggressive in their traditional heavy metal style. Eventually, this idea was scrapped, whether due to the demands of their record label or the decision of the band itself. Several stories and sources through the years have suggested both sides. The material that was written was split up, notionally seeing the more commercial songs appearing on what would become “Turbo”, and the other becoming the starting point for the following album which would become “Ram it Down”. Other songs from this writing period eventually turned up on CD reissues of earlier albums, which not only makes it difficult to judge those songs of that time period, but realistically has missed a trick in reissuing them as a single bonus CD.
It is somewhat remarkable just how maligned this album is in the core of the Judas Priest discography. Trying to follow up the brilliant “Defenders of the Faith” album would be no mean feat. And It was another of those defining times in the history of the metal genre, with a split between the fast and raucous thrash metal element that had begun its climb into the persona, and the glam and hair metal element that was not only drawing in the makeup and fashion styles but bringing that 1980's staple, the keyboard synthesiser, into many bands' curricular as a progression in their music. Any change to a band’s output was often confused for being a sell out. Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing both use guitar synthesisers on this album, a move that has been debated furiously on the album’s release and in the years since, and was followed by Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Steve Harris on Iron Maiden’s 1986 album “Somewhere in Time”. It was a changing world, and experimentation was coming from those bands who had previously steadfastly stuck to their twin guitar expressions. And it was within these changes that Judas Priest put their foot forward and came out swinging with their own advances on their traditional style of metal with the release of the album “Turbo”.

While on the surface there may appear to be a change in the style of the heavy metal genre played here, the usual Judas Priest elements are all to the fore - the solid rhythm section of Dave Holland on drums and Ian Hill on bass guitar, the twin guitar attack of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton, and the vocal talents of Rob Halford. You can agreeably argue that the immediate heaviness of the music is not as prevalent as it had been on recent albums, and that the songs have a more mainstream feel about them partially due to the synths being used, but also due to the style these songs were being composed as a part of the initial “Twin Turbos” package. All of those things are accurate. One of the best examples of this change is for the song "Parental Guidance". It can be debated that its simplicity in structure both musically and lyrically is a come down from what truly set Judas Priest apart from the pack. In many ways “Parental Guidance” can be compared to the song “Breaking the Law”. Both songs are similarly structured with their simple verses and singalong choruses, the addition of a guitar solo to match, and looking for an anthemic quality to the song overall. And yet the difference between the two is significant. Because “Breaking the Law”, for all of the fatigue fans may have of it over its 45 year history, is still one that every fan loves and sings along to and plays air guitar to every time they hear it. It HAS that anthemic quality. And it speaks to the kids, who are down and are looking to rebel. “Parental Guidance”, which lyrically references the PMRC and their placing of the band’s song “Eat Me Alive” on their ‘Filthy 15’ list, doesn’t have the same great energy and fist pumping qualities of the other track. The rhythm and tempo are dialled back and sung in a much less frantic way. The solos from both Tipton and Downing are great, but the rest of the track is just a steady unchanging rhythm, and easy listening protest song that doesn’t raise to any great heights. The topic could easily have engendered a fiercer output of the topic, which would probably have improved the song no end.
The sister track to “Parental Guidance” is “Private Property”, a song that travels a similar track and trap musically, while being up front lyrically about the antagonist of the song keeping their distance in trying to move in forcefully on the protagonist. It’s a simple base rhythm line, settled in that mid-tempo that doesn’t engender any great passion from the chest. With the excess speed ripped out of the songs, it needs something to really bring it to your notice and draw a response from the listener. Once again, the solo from Tipton adds a small slice of something, but it is very little. The addition of the backing vocals in the chorus to try and make it an anthemic line really doesn’t work. At least, not in the studio setting.
Slipping into the following phase of the album, we have the songs that come out of the speakers more energetically, more fully charged in tempo and in output, that give you a better taste of the old Judas Priest with an updated modern sound. “Rock You All Around the World” which closes out the first side of the album and “Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days” which is the second song of the B side, both have similar lyrical output and subject matter. “Rock You All Around the World” is the band’s war cry, the advertisement of their music and their drawing power, and the anthemic cry of the title of the song. Halford has written lyrics like this before, but perhaps not as straight forward as these ones are. Meanwhile “Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days” lyrically follows similar themes but tends towards the desire to put work behind and head off to wild times as portrayed in teenage holiday films everywhere. It should be noted that in later years, Halford admitted that his lyric writing on the “Turbo” album was ‘subpar’. These two songs are simplistic in the lyrical content, but musically at least are a bit more entertaining. They attempt to be anthemic in the style of “Living After Midnight”, and for some perhaps they are much like that.
The opening song of the album, the more-or-less title track “Turbo Lover”, was the first single from the album, and had the video of the song played everywhere on its release. It offered up the first taste of the band’s synth use for this album, one that brought about an engaging and separating force upon the song and album. Not only that, it did set the tempo for the new opus. The synth mirroring the motorcycle sound, the fabulous building of the song from its beginnings with Halford’s vocals soft and low, the rhythm of drums and bass, with slight interjection of the synth. Then Rob goes louder and harder, and the guitar riff arrives, and the final burst into the chorus. And then, better yet, the rush and ride into the second phase, crashing out of the chorus with that hard drum beat and guitar, and Halford rises further again. Hey – you know the song, everybody does. It is the standout song from the album. And even on a polarising album it stands tall in the Judas Priest song catalogue. “Locked In” is a great follow up, once again maximising the guitar synths to obliterate thoughts of previously heavy metal Priest albums. But Halford’s vocals rise to a higher tier and drive the song through the barriers presented. The lyrics – yeah, okay, a bit naff really, trying to be the hard rock love song – do really stretch the ability of the fan to stick with them, and sing along. The pre-chorus into the chorus of: “You've got the key, the key to my heart, go ahead and use it, Drag me in—slam the door, Then I'll be yours, for evermore, You've got me locked in, Locked inside your love”. I mean, that’s pretty hard to get on board with when it comes to singing the song. But yeah, I still do it. And musically it is a great tempo and the guitars from Tipton and Downing and terrific.
As for the other end of the album, both tracks are solid enough. "Hot For Love" sounds great, the underlying guitar riff itself drives the song along nicely but just tends to get a bit repetitive in the chorus line to fully enjoy it more than the average. The opening stanza of guitar riff mood is fabulous, and the great dual guitar solo section through the middle is also terrific. Musically? Great. But those lyrics again. Really. It’s like having a bad hair day listening to some of these. Take just the first verse. “Twenty-four hours of the day, You're on my trail, and I can't get away, I can't shake you off, you're a wolf on the prowl, You got my scent and I can hear you howl”. Oh my. That is some D-Grade Motley Crue or Poison level stuff right there. Musically it’s fine, but lyrically it is a tough ride. And the concluding song of the album, “Reckless”, is a bit better – but only because I can’t really tell exactly what it is the lyrics are invoking. “I’m feeling reckless, way out of hand, real survivor, reckless, Coming at gale force ten”. I mean, I could take a guess at what is being suggested here, but I think perhaps it is better if I don’t think about it. Again, musically it is okay, and the guitars and solo pieces showcase the fact it is Judas Priest.
That leaves the opening track of the B side to discuss. The mood setting of “Out in the Cold” is exceptional. It builds in the same way as “Turbo Lover” does, the opening synth bringing in the drums until the 1.30 minute mark where it climbs into its work. The subtle pulling back as Halford’s vocals begin, and then the wonderful dropping of tone as Halford sings ‘Where are you now, the fears are coming back to me once again”, rising into the chorus. This is another of the very heavy guitar synth songs on the album, the ones that offer a major turning point that this album offers. But here on “Out in the Cold” the atmosphere that it creates makes for that creepy moody track that actually creates something truly special. Lyrically it feels very much sounds like it is Rob talking about his relationship at the time through the song, and that slight stretch of emotion adds to the whole theatre of the track.

I do love the “Twin Turbos” idea, the concept of the two halves of the double album, and the ability to explore two styles of the metal genre that were butting against each other back in 1986. I liked the idea so much that eventually I burned myself a second disc (remember the days of doing that?) for my “Turbo” album that includes all of the songs written for that original idea that have since been released on other albums. Would it have worked at the time? It is difficult to judge from this far in the future, because four of those songs - “Ram it Down”, “Hard as Iron”, “Love You to Death” and “Monsters of Rock” - all appeared on the following album “Ram it Down”, and no doubt a couple of the songs on this album would have switched sides.
Apart from seeing “Turbo Lover” and “Locked In” on the music video shows of the day and age, my first experience of many of the songs off this album came via the following live album “Priest... Live” which was released the following year in 1987. On that double live album, I heard “Out in the Cold”, “Private Property”, “Turbo Lover”, “Rock You All Around the World” and “Parental Guidance” before I knew the studio versions. And those songs all sound better on that album in the live environment than they do on the studio album – which, as I do say on every live album I review on this podcast, they SHOULD! Because that is their natural environment. So much so that when I first heard this album it was a slight disappointment, mainly I would suggest because of the slightly dropped tempo compared to the live versions, and the slightly lowered energy levels of the tracks listed.
Looking back at the time I first got a copy of this album, I in no way had any thoughts about the ... lack of quality... of the lyrics. Didn’t really give a rat's arse about them to be honest. I was fully focused on the songs as music and how much I enjoyed that aspect, while still singing the songs at the top of my voice as words and not as lyrics written for a purpose (or lack thereof). The album was of its time both musically and lyrically, and for me suited my love of the heavy metal genre and its assorted offshoots. I just... loved... the album!
The question you may be asking yourself now is has that love changed over the years? Look, I won’t lie to you. I have a bias to Judas Priest and their music, and more than anything else the Judas Priest albums of the 1980’s, because that was where ALL of my teenage years were lived out, and where the music tended to merge with memories of my life such that a memory will trigger a song or album, and the reverse is true as well. This album came out in my final two years of high school, a time where apart from hopefully working scholastically hard enough to get through our final exams, we had a lot of get togethers and overnight parties and all the things 17 and 18 year old kids did together. And to me at least, the one thing that “Turbo” is... is a party album. Great fun tunes with upbeat musical qualities, some great solos to air guitar along to, easy to learn lyrics to sing along to with choruses meant to be sung in a group of like minded kids, all at high velocity volume while drinking beer and laughing and having a great time. That is what “Turbo” is to me.
In listening to the album this week for this episode, it is another one where I needed to get my thoughts in order and hopefully offer the two sides of what makes music so important. Firstly the honest appraisal of what I hear on the album, and be able to express that for what it is. In the case of this album, the gamble the band has taken musically, and also the overall massive fail when it comes to the lyrical content of the majority of the songs, the almost slight immaturity of it all. The walk down the path of the sleaze rock bands and their song lyrics compared to what they had produced in the past. And secondly, how I feel about the album both on its release and now, in how I enjoy the album despite what I may also think about it when breaking it down to its core pieces. And in the case of this album today – I still love it. And yes, I can hear our good friends Jeff and Jay from the amazing and brilliant Judas Priestcast screaming at me in cyberspace as I speak – screaming for vengeance, if you will – but there you have it. I still love listening to this album. It will never stop me remembering those days at the end of high school, those Wild Nights and Hot & Crazy Days, being Reckless, getting Locked In, trespassing on Private Property and rebelling against Parental Guidance, and feeling like I’m Out in the Cold. Fun times. But more importantly, songs that I still love to listen to and sing along to.
Yes. I love “Turbo Lover” and “Locked In” as the opening two tracks. Superb. “Rock You All Around the World” is just a great anthemic quality. “Out in the Cold” is mesmerising, the forerunner to “A Touch of Evil” a few years later. And the whole mood and bassline and guitar riffs of “Hot for Love” ... awful lyrics, but musically just a fabulous song.
“Turbo” is where Judas Priest decided to mix things up a little. Retrospectively it has been criticised and somewhat pummelled in some quarters, and if you shine a light on certain aspects of the album that can be seen to be justified. For me, as has been the case for most of my music loving and listening life, I can accept some form of mediocrity if the other pieces stand up. For me, that’s where I stand with “Turbo”. It might not be groundbreaking in the way some of their earlier albums – and as it turns out, some of their latter albums – happened to be so, but for me, I will always be Hot for Love for this album.