Albums
90125 - Yes
The Yes Album - Yes
Fragile - Yes
Never Say Die - Black Sabbath
The Number Of The Beast - Iron Maiden
Sona Fariq - Sona Fariq
The Number Of The Beast - Iron Maiden
The first album with Bruce Dickinson at the microphone. Paul Di'Anno sang on Iron Maiden and Killers and I think it is fair to say he sang a fair bit better than Brucie could ever manage. However, Mr Dickinson has a certain charm of his own and added his own touch to the groups' sound and style.
The rest of the group, Dave Murray and Adrian Smith on guitars, Steve Harris on bass, Clive Burr on drums; are all on good form here. You don't expect vast levels of virtuosic talent from Maiden, and to be honest you don't get it. You do expect rock solid and fast riffs, plenty of crashing around on the drums and something that deserves a nice high volume and you get all of that in spadefuls. There is plenty of space in the sound for lots of bass work and that is a good thing, Harris is probably the most talented individual in the group and as well as playing some corking rock bass lines he writes a large proportion of the songs (or song, for the cynics among you).
Maybe it does get a bit repetitive for those not fully into the style, but it is great fun. A candidate for that one representative album of the genre. A couple of the classic popular Maiden tracks are here, number of the beast, run for the hills; but the album tracks are all top notch as well.
I don't have even a majority of Maiden albums, but this is one of my favourites of those I have heard. A great example of the new wave of British metal that hit the early eighties.
Recommended to:
-metal fans of all shades
-those looking for something fun, noisy and honest
-Patrick McGoohan aficionados
Not recommended to:
-people offended by references to the beast, whores and death and destruction
-those who cringe at the thought of three guitars being thrashed to within an inch of their lives
-anyone with a love for the pure tones of a choirboy
Laser Squad Nemesis
Time for a little analysis of Alliance results to date. Seeing as divsion one can't be bothered to finish their games I shall have a look at divsion two today.
The Brigantes and Bouncing Krauts have got away to corking to starts, perhaps a little unexpected, but looking at the league table, nothing seems certain at the moment. Doomed have only won one in three and even gobbo's crew are winning things. Even gobbo is winning things. The only conclusion that is easy to draw is that is nothing is certain.
Keep an eye on the Bouncing Krauts, they might go further than anyone (including this humble duck) predicted.
Other People's Mistakes
Eating too much chocolate. Bad for you, spoils it in the long run, bad for you.
08 August 2004
31 July 2004
Stand Up
Albums
Skyscraper - David Lee Roth
Skyscraper - David Lee Roth
I originally purchased this album as a result of a discussion about Steve Vai. I have often come across people who think he is a top notch guitarist and as I hadn't really heard much of him, I asked someone to recommend an album on which he was at his best, and this one came up, rather handily it happened to be in an HMV sale at the time. David Lee Roth is probably better known as the front man of Van Halen, and on this album Vai plays the guitar parts.
The album itself is reasonably passable eighties rock, in the tradition of such groups as Whitesnake and I presume Van Halen as well. It isn't bad, some good tracks, some pretty poor ones and a Beach Boys cover as the opening song. I didn't really get the point of that, I suppose Roth just felt like singing a Beach Boys song. There is nothing spectacular, Roth doesn't seem to be the greatest vocalist in the world, but he isn't offensively bad, the artists who recorded with him seem to know their jobs.
Which brings us back to the original question, Steve Vai. I am not convinced I understand why people get so excited about him, but he is pretty good. Steady riff work, reasonably solos, a very good widdler, although on the basis of this album it may be his only trick. Reasonable, but not special. A bit like the album.
Recommended to:
-eighties rock fans
-David Lee Roth fans (probably)
-Steve Vai fanatics
Not recommended to:
-anyone with limited resources
-people who are offensive about Whitesnake and their peers
-those looking to escape averageness
Laser Squad Nemesis
So, the clans are analysed and that just leaves my final table predictions. This may not entirely tie up with my discussion of the clans, as clearly that was written over a protraced period and results are flooding in now (in division two at any rate). So:
Division One:
the Faceless Consortium
The Dragons Rising
Anaraknaphobia
99ers
8-bit Fanatics
Grunts On The Edge
Rogue Element
Invincible Crazy Fists
---
Crimson Scales
The Worms That Turned
Alice's Mighty Dischord
Division Two:
Doomed
Aftershock Reloaded
Bouncing Krauts
---
Rock N Roll Suicides
Phoenix Rising
Brigantes
Alone It The Dark
Disciples of Grammer
A.B.C. Warriors
Cursed Clowns
Hippo Squirrels
Other People's Mistakes
Eating cold food when you have a bad tooth.
Skyscraper - David Lee Roth
Skyscraper - David Lee Roth
I originally purchased this album as a result of a discussion about Steve Vai. I have often come across people who think he is a top notch guitarist and as I hadn't really heard much of him, I asked someone to recommend an album on which he was at his best, and this one came up, rather handily it happened to be in an HMV sale at the time. David Lee Roth is probably better known as the front man of Van Halen, and on this album Vai plays the guitar parts.
The album itself is reasonably passable eighties rock, in the tradition of such groups as Whitesnake and I presume Van Halen as well. It isn't bad, some good tracks, some pretty poor ones and a Beach Boys cover as the opening song. I didn't really get the point of that, I suppose Roth just felt like singing a Beach Boys song. There is nothing spectacular, Roth doesn't seem to be the greatest vocalist in the world, but he isn't offensively bad, the artists who recorded with him seem to know their jobs.
Which brings us back to the original question, Steve Vai. I am not convinced I understand why people get so excited about him, but he is pretty good. Steady riff work, reasonably solos, a very good widdler, although on the basis of this album it may be his only trick. Reasonable, but not special. A bit like the album.
Recommended to:
-eighties rock fans
-David Lee Roth fans (probably)
-Steve Vai fanatics
Not recommended to:
-anyone with limited resources
-people who are offensive about Whitesnake and their peers
-those looking to escape averageness
Laser Squad Nemesis
So, the clans are analysed and that just leaves my final table predictions. This may not entirely tie up with my discussion of the clans, as clearly that was written over a protraced period and results are flooding in now (in division two at any rate). So:
Division One:
the Faceless Consortium
The Dragons Rising
Anaraknaphobia
99ers
8-bit Fanatics
Grunts On The Edge
Rogue Element
Invincible Crazy Fists
---
Crimson Scales
The Worms That Turned
Alice's Mighty Dischord
Division Two:
Doomed
Aftershock Reloaded
Bouncing Krauts
---
Rock N Roll Suicides
Phoenix Rising
Brigantes
Alone It The Dark
Disciples of Grammer
A.B.C. Warriors
Cursed Clowns
Hippo Squirrels
Other People's Mistakes
Eating cold food when you have a bad tooth.
30 July 2004
Blondie Strikes Again
Albums
Abraxis - Santana
Laser Squad Nemesis
The last of the clans tonight, The Worms That Turned from division one and Phoenix Rising and the Rock N Roll Suicides from division two.
Worms:
One of the great old names and the clan of Alliance's founding father, DoctorWorm. Not what they once were. Line up troubles have plagued the clan and they look more than a little shaky. Barring dramatic recruitment turn arounds, I fear they will end up the whipping boys of division on this season. A shame, but is has to be someone.
PR:
Home of thegoblin, a walking one man conversation who fills the forums with joy. The clan isn't too bad either with a good mix of experience and talent. They might manage promotion this season, but it might take a little luck against the top ranked clans.
RNRS:
A fighting finish last season didn't save them from the drop. The original season line-up looked powerful, with three top thirty elite players and experience, if a lack of form, in the middle order. With names dropping out, things look a little rougher now and the old hands will need to pull their weight even more. At the start of the seasonone of the favourites for promotion if not the title, now, maybe a top three spot is dubious.
Other People's Mistakes
For a change, another trampolining mistake:
Forgetting to kick out of a tuck front, still landing just about on your feet but driving your knees into your chest. Badbadbadbad.
Abraxis - Santana
Laser Squad Nemesis
The last of the clans tonight, The Worms That Turned from division one and Phoenix Rising and the Rock N Roll Suicides from division two.
Worms:
One of the great old names and the clan of Alliance's founding father, DoctorWorm. Not what they once were. Line up troubles have plagued the clan and they look more than a little shaky. Barring dramatic recruitment turn arounds, I fear they will end up the whipping boys of division on this season. A shame, but is has to be someone.
PR:
Home of thegoblin, a walking one man conversation who fills the forums with joy. The clan isn't too bad either with a good mix of experience and talent. They might manage promotion this season, but it might take a little luck against the top ranked clans.
RNRS:
A fighting finish last season didn't save them from the drop. The original season line-up looked powerful, with three top thirty elite players and experience, if a lack of form, in the middle order. With names dropping out, things look a little rougher now and the old hands will need to pull their weight even more. At the start of the seasonone of the favourites for promotion if not the title, now, maybe a top three spot is dubious.
Other People's Mistakes
For a change, another trampolining mistake:
Forgetting to kick out of a tuck front, still landing just about on your feet but driving your knees into your chest. Badbadbadbad.
29 July 2004
E-Bay Ahoy
Albums
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath's first album and for me one of their best. It has one of my favourite opening track openings (one day I shall write a list) and great tracks. Some of Sabbath's most famous moments are hear, the harmonica in The Wizard and the opening and riff of N.I.B. for example.
Because of the age of the recording and the nature of production the album does sound a little rough at times, but I think the rawness can be an asset in places, some of the cleaner sounds of later albums don't entirely match the songs or the atmosphere. The songs themselves are pretty good; none are poor by Sabbath standards and some of the classics are here.
Ozzy is Ozzy, sounding as good as he is able (bless his socks), Tony Iommi shows off some of his best work, unfortunately in future albums he didn't always live up to his early standards. Geezer is good, giving us an early taste of his abilities. Bill Ward is, umm, well a reasonable drummer.
A very solid album and one that should be high on the list in the Sabbath catalogue.
Recommended to:
-Sabbath fans
-classic heavy rock/metal fans
-anyone looking for a good introduction to Sabbath
Not recommended to:
-people who don't like metal/rock
-those who like ultra-clean and precise production
Laser Squad Nemesis
Tongiht under the spotlight are the Faceless Consortium and the Hippo Squirrels.
tFC:
The undisputed rulers of Alliance. A line-up that is close to being unmatched, now well blooded as well as talented. There were some questions at the end of last season as to whether the clan would stay together long enough to defend their position, but if this was unfounded there are potentially only one or two clans who can touch them (on a good day).
HS:
They beavered away last season and looked to have good fun awith a good team spirit. Unfortunately, the lack of big names cost them dearly and there is a slight question over their lack of subs. One of the dearly loved clans who unfortunately probably won't manage too much in the trophy cabinet.
Other People's Mistakes
Getting carried away. By everything. All the time. For pities sake sit down and think about it first boy.
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath's first album and for me one of their best. It has one of my favourite opening track openings (one day I shall write a list) and great tracks. Some of Sabbath's most famous moments are hear, the harmonica in The Wizard and the opening and riff of N.I.B. for example.
Because of the age of the recording and the nature of production the album does sound a little rough at times, but I think the rawness can be an asset in places, some of the cleaner sounds of later albums don't entirely match the songs or the atmosphere. The songs themselves are pretty good; none are poor by Sabbath standards and some of the classics are here.
Ozzy is Ozzy, sounding as good as he is able (bless his socks), Tony Iommi shows off some of his best work, unfortunately in future albums he didn't always live up to his early standards. Geezer is good, giving us an early taste of his abilities. Bill Ward is, umm, well a reasonable drummer.
A very solid album and one that should be high on the list in the Sabbath catalogue.
Recommended to:
-Sabbath fans
-classic heavy rock/metal fans
-anyone looking for a good introduction to Sabbath
Not recommended to:
-people who don't like metal/rock
-those who like ultra-clean and precise production
Laser Squad Nemesis
Tongiht under the spotlight are the Faceless Consortium and the Hippo Squirrels.
tFC:
The undisputed rulers of Alliance. A line-up that is close to being unmatched, now well blooded as well as talented. There were some questions at the end of last season as to whether the clan would stay together long enough to defend their position, but if this was unfounded there are potentially only one or two clans who can touch them (on a good day).
HS:
They beavered away last season and looked to have good fun awith a good team spirit. Unfortunately, the lack of big names cost them dearly and there is a slight question over their lack of subs. One of the dearly loved clans who unfortunately probably won't manage too much in the trophy cabinet.
Other People's Mistakes
Getting carried away. By everything. All the time. For pities sake sit down and think about it first boy.
28 July 2004
Funky Monkey
Albums
The Ladder - Yes
Supernatural - Santana
Poland - Tangerine Dream
Supernatural - Santana
This was an album hat caused a little bit of a stir when it was released (in 1999 I think). It had several top selling singles on it and made a bit of a splash with the public, a bit of for a latin-blues guitarist who had his British heyday in the seventies. Part of the success was because of some superb marketing from BMG, part because many of the tracks were collabarations with other well known artists spanning many boundaries (Wyclef Jean, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill and so on) and partly because there is some great music on there.
Sanatana is a great guitarist, not maybe as good as he thinks he is, but pretty good all the same. He is backed up with some atmospheric bass and organ work that fatten out the sometimes sparse guitar parts. The songs are strong and consistant, full of energy but relaxed, an oxymoron that the latin style really can pull off.
It does feel a bit like an ego trip for Santana at times, but that is to be entirely expected of course. And E.C. shows himself to be the better guitarist in the last track (entirely my opinion of course...).
Recommended to:
-those looking for a good long album to relax and get funky to
-Sanatana fans
-people who buy few albums but want some good latin style music that is both good and popular
-fans of skillful guitarists (who don't already own some Santana)
Not recommended to:
-fans of proper blues
-people who think ego and music don't mix
-snobs who think popular equals bad, you deserve to miss out on a good album
Laser Squad Nemesis
The LSN meet was a grand time, lots of brilliant people and fun to be had. More details when I get my photographs processed.
Tonight's clans are Rogue Element and The Dragons.
RE:
Last season's shock promotion, no-one rated RE but they won matches. They look underpowered to be taking on division one, but a confident start may reap rewards. It is hard not to see them dropping back to division two, but they took us all by surprise last time.
Dragons:
The Dragons took a beating last season. In part this was due to line-up problems and too many players defaulting games, but even with that taken into account, it wasn't pretty. With a stabilised line-up things should be better in division two and they have no little strength. I don't think it will be quite enough to face down the main contenders in the end, but this season will be a good confidence booster.
Other People's Mistakes
Don't take on more than you honestly think that you can handle. It is better to let people find alternatives at the start than to let them down and break your word at the end. It could end up costing you anything and maybe everything. Do enough well, rather than too much poorly.
The Ladder - Yes
Supernatural - Santana
Poland - Tangerine Dream
Supernatural - Santana
This was an album hat caused a little bit of a stir when it was released (in 1999 I think). It had several top selling singles on it and made a bit of a splash with the public, a bit of for a latin-blues guitarist who had his British heyday in the seventies. Part of the success was because of some superb marketing from BMG, part because many of the tracks were collabarations with other well known artists spanning many boundaries (Wyclef Jean, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill and so on) and partly because there is some great music on there.
Sanatana is a great guitarist, not maybe as good as he thinks he is, but pretty good all the same. He is backed up with some atmospheric bass and organ work that fatten out the sometimes sparse guitar parts. The songs are strong and consistant, full of energy but relaxed, an oxymoron that the latin style really can pull off.
It does feel a bit like an ego trip for Santana at times, but that is to be entirely expected of course. And E.C. shows himself to be the better guitarist in the last track (entirely my opinion of course...).
Recommended to:
-those looking for a good long album to relax and get funky to
-Sanatana fans
-people who buy few albums but want some good latin style music that is both good and popular
-fans of skillful guitarists (who don't already own some Santana)
Not recommended to:
-fans of proper blues
-people who think ego and music don't mix
-snobs who think popular equals bad, you deserve to miss out on a good album
Laser Squad Nemesis
The LSN meet was a grand time, lots of brilliant people and fun to be had. More details when I get my photographs processed.
Tonight's clans are Rogue Element and The Dragons.
RE:
Last season's shock promotion, no-one rated RE but they won matches. They look underpowered to be taking on division one, but a confident start may reap rewards. It is hard not to see them dropping back to division two, but they took us all by surprise last time.
Dragons:
The Dragons took a beating last season. In part this was due to line-up problems and too many players defaulting games, but even with that taken into account, it wasn't pretty. With a stabilised line-up things should be better in division two and they have no little strength. I don't think it will be quite enough to face down the main contenders in the end, but this season will be a good confidence booster.
Other People's Mistakes
Don't take on more than you honestly think that you can handle. It is better to let people find alternatives at the start than to let them down and break your word at the end. It could end up costing you anything and maybe everything. Do enough well, rather than too much poorly.
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