Lost Classic #2

Back with another lost classic from the past.  Something you may know a bit, or are totally unfamilar with...

This one comes from the streets of San Fran in the year 1989...Vain - No Respect.

This one was definitely under the radar for a lot of us. This album gets lumped in what alot of people call "Hair Metal"...sigh...I hate that term.  As I've said in the past...if you were there, at that time, the music that came from that period was Heavy Metal.  Slayer was Metal, and so was this. No, they sound totally different, but it was all part of a bigger scene.  That term came out waaayyy after the fact, and has always pissed me off...rant over.

Back to Vain.  This was their debut, it came probably a few years late, but is a great piece of sleazed up hard rockin' Metal. Think classic Crue doing Guns n' Roses, and you get the picture.  Lots of guitars, great vocals, and a sound you just won't hear today unless it's by some new band that is dreaming they came from the 80's and not 2012.

OK, so maybe there is alot of hair here------>, but the sound that comes from your speakers is straight up 1989 California Metal.  No Respect is quite an achievement for a debut record.  At this point they had graced the cover of a couple of music rags, as well as opened for the mighty G n'R.

The album opens with the gritty Secrets, a nice raw start to the record.  Follow that up with Who's Watching You and single, Beat The Bullet, and you have a killer album filled with attitude and streetwise chops. Deeper tracks like Down For The 3rd Time and Laws Against Love show they should have stood right alongside Skid Row, Tesla and G n'R in terms of sales and support. A super underrated classic from the late 80's that actually signified everything that was right with hard rock at the time.  While many of their peers faded into obscurity with sub par releases, Vain released a excellent album that they can always be proud of.  Here's a clip from the record for my fellow old schoolers.

My All Time Fave Albums Pt. 15

In honour of an almost all original reunion and album, I thought I'd post my fave album by the legendary Van Halen.  That album would be Van Halen II.  

Growing up, I was never a huge Van Halen fan.  I only knew a few singles, and just never really wanted to check them out.  In interviews I always found them (DLR in particular) to be arrogant and brash, and that turned me off of them. Their albums were too short, had too many covers, I just never gave them a chance.  Obviously, this was an error in judgement. One day I decided to pick up some classic Roth era VH, and came home with Van Halen II. The cassette I had purchased had the sides reversed, so mine opens with Light Up The Sky, which continues to be one of my top 5 VH tunes.  My feelings about VH were never the same again.  I quickly collected the entire back catalog ,and the love affair began. The thing about this record (and all the classic Roth era stuff) is not what they play, but what they don't play.  They keep it simple, the production is always perfect (thanks to Ted Templeman), Edwards brilliant guitar flouishes, and Roth's unique vocal stylings are the reason why Van Halen is one of the Top 3 bands EVER to come out of the US. The ultimate feel good party band...nobodys depressed when listening to VH (unless we're talking VH III, that's another story).

Van Halen II  doesn't carry the hit status that some of the other records do (I'm a sucker for an underdog), but has fantastic deep tracks like D.O.A., Beautiful Girls, Somebody Get Me A Doctor and the single Dance The Night Away. Just listing those songs off reminds of why this is my fave album from them.  Maybe we'll hear a track or two from this record on the tour! 

The Hagar era was still good (there will be a post about 5150 eventually), but not as magical as the original VH lineup. Any self respecting rock fan should have this album in their collection.  Bask in the glory and majesty of Roth, Alex, Edward and Anthony...all hail VH!

                                      

Breezy's Top 15 of 2011! #1

Finally!  It was a lot of fun doing up this list ,and it will be fun to look back on in a year and see if I still feel the same way about my picks.  My top pick of the year is from one of my fave bands.  #1 - Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events.

I've been a fan of Dream Theater for a while now, and have enjoyed their past few releases even moreso than the earlier ones (excl. Scenes...one of my desert isle albums).  I've always had Prog Rock in my collection, and include Rush, Genesis and Yes as some of my fave bands.  For those of you who don't know, DT are the giants of the current Prog Rock/Metal scene.  Tricky arrangements, time sigs, and just flat out awesome musicianship are why these guys rock my world.  

In the past 18 months or so, founder/drummer/lyricist Mike Portnoy left the band after one of their most successful albums and tours.  I wasn't sure what was going to happen, because you don't just replace a Mike Portnoy ,but they did with new drummer Mike Mangini (the perfect replacement) and recorded another brilliant album.

If you are a fan of DT, you'll love this record. 9 tracks, with 4 over 10 minutes in length, with all the classic sounds you'd expect.  Words I would use to describe this album would be: Fresh, Uplifting, Complex, Intricate, and not quite as Metal as the past few releases.  I liked the record on spin number 1, but by spin 5, I couldn't stop listening to it.  Alot of great music to take in.  Fave tracks are the epic Bridges In The Sky, the proggy Lost, Not Forgotten ,and the closer, a ballad called Beneath The Surface.

Vocalist James LaBrie has never sounded better, and his bandmates Myung, Petrucci and Rudess continue to be a step above all of their comtemporaries.  I'm glad they decided to continue on in the face of losing a founding member.  I eagerly await your return to Western Canada guys.  Here is the clip from the opening track, On The Backs Of Angels.

Support the bands you like and buy their albums!

Breezy's Top 15 of 2011! #2

I thought I'd have this done already...ahhh the life of a Dad.  Anyway ,this pick is my biggest suprise this year, from an artist I love.  #2 - Alice Cooper - Welcome 2 My Nightmare.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a massive fan of Alice.  His early stuff from Love It To Death through to Flush The Fashion is some of the best rock music ever recorded.  Though his stuff through the 80's is not his best, he had returned to form in the 90's and his past 3 albums have been downright awesome.  Why am I suprised?  It is a sequel, a stab at past glories...sequels dont work (unless it's The Empire Strikes Back ;)) in my opinion.  So he gets Ezrin on board, brings back the original band for three tracks, and we see where Steven is 30 years later.  The result is excellent.  After a few spins I realized this is the Alice I grew up with.  This album is classic Alice in the sense that he covers all the bases, rock, jazz, vaudeville, disco(!), 50's era surf, a great ballad...it's all here. 

 This album has alot of the old Alice Cooper flavour, and studio brilliance from Bob Ezrin.  It is true to the original nightmare, but brings everything up to date.  1st single, I'll Bite You Face Off is a collaboration with the original band and sounds like one of the best tunes the Stones never released.   Something To Remember Me By is beautiful ballad in the theme of Only Women Bleed or You And Me.  Tunes like Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever (incredible) and Ghouls Gone Wild show Alice has not lost his sense of humour (including a duet with Ke$ha (lol).  The opening track (I Am Made Of You) is reminisent of the classic Hello Horray in style. 

I wasn't pumped about this album, but as the old saying goes, Never judge a book by it's cover.  Alice Cooper has done it again, and shows all the kids how it's done (along with his induction into the Rn'R Hall Of Fame).  If you are or were a fan of Alice, check this out.  If you are a fan of great rock, check this out.  If you are neither, check this out.  Thanks for the great tunes Alice !Here's the vid for the first single!  See you soon!

 Support the bands you like and buy their albums!