2024 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 2 - Complete

*Ted Nugent - Cat Scratch Fever. 1977 Epic (MC). From the same sale as below (Aug). Ah Terrible Ted. Love him or hate him one cannot deny his presence on the worldwide hard rock stage. I've taken a wide berth around this LP at various sales, presuming I'll be stuck with it if I don't want it. But for a few pennies, I'll go for the tape, why not? I still enjoy his first two solo studio albums, and this is his third and most popular. It's been over 40 years since I heard it in full, going back to early high school. This is certainly better than I remembered and a few of these tracks received airplay back then. It's fairly melodic too, conjuring up Nugent's past with The Amboy Dukes. He was a superstar during this time, and Cat Scratch Fever helped solidify his reputation. He was to lose his edge shortly thereafter, but he still was a major force as a live act, and one I got to see in 1980. Full of energy that man was.

*Deep Purple - Machine Head. 1972 Warner Bros (MC). From a garage sale up north that mostly has been documented in the classic rock journal (Aug). This guy had some older tapes, and this is an original in a hard shell Ampex case. You don't see these much anymore. Some of these tapes refused to play, but Machine Head wobbled and warbled at first until it seemed to get into the music too lol. As for that music, about as iconic as it gets for heavy guitar / organ based hard rock. Everyone knows 'Smoke on the Water', while a majority will recognize 'Highway Star', 'Lazy', and 'Space Truckin'. I now have a category where I own three or more formats - in this case: LP + CD + MC. I think they call that in the medical world a... sickness.

The following came from a friend's garage sale. He had a pile of cassette tapes for a buck each, so I bought about 35 of them, many I kept as extras for the heck of it.

Alice Cooper - From the Inside. 1978 Warner Bros. (MC). Looks like I found this on LP back in 2019 and subsequently gave it 1 star, which is really bad. I don't even remember that. Hence I now keep these journals. Let's try it again. I don't hear it so awful this go round, but yea, it's not very good for certain. Mostly limp-wristed hard rock shilling for radio time. OK only a +1, moving it to a Gnosis 6. Woof. (Aug)

AC/DC - Highway to Hell. 1979 Atlantic (MC). As noted many times before, I'm no fan of AC/DC. For me, Highway to Hell has always been Exhibit A as to why. To this day I think the title track is abhorrent. But is the whole album so bad really? After taking a deep breath I went for a full listen. I can objectively say it's better than I remembered, +2 in fact. Which is still two points from any kind of collection consideration. But I moved it from way outside of my interest area to average for the style. (Aug)

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Texas Flood. 1983 Epic (MC). I purchased Vaughan's Couldn't Stand the Weather when it first came out, but that was all I knew about his work until recently. Texas Flood is his debut and is more conservative than the aforementioned Weather album. Straight up Texas Blues with only a hint of the psychedelic. (Aug)

Jimmy Page - Outrider. 1988 Geffen (MC). Much better than I would have expected. Page takes the Led Zeppelin sound to 1988. Perhaps more like The Firm. Not as multi-dimensional as Zeppelin's classics, but they were also losing their way by the end like everyone else. You really couldn't hope for much more than this. Solid hard blues rock, though I found the first side better. (Jul)

Rush - Hold Your Fire. 1987 Mercury (MC). Hard rock by reputation only. One wonders what the point of Rush's albums were during this era. They were far removed from their legacy and now their music sounded dated even by 80s standards. Dull. (Jul)

---end of sale

Van Halen - 5150. 1986 Warner Bros (LP). From the large garage sale buy south (Jul). Better than I remembered hard rock with Sammy taking over. Side 1 is the better of the two. A little too poppy at times, but not an embarrassment.

Kiss - Asylum. 1985 Mercury (LP). From a local record store's $1 bin (Jun). A high priced store that inexplicably will throw in more expensive albums in the buck bin because it might have a flaw. This one has a nasty looking scuff on Side 2. It's inaudible! I'll take the deal thank you. As for the music I found this one better than the previous Animalize. Better tones and songwriting. None of which plays to Kiss' strength. Average I guess.

The Hunt - Back on the Hunt. 1980 Visa (LP). From a large garage sale buy that I've mainly covered in the Jazz/Fusion or Funk journals (Jun). I really enjoy The Hunt's debut and I'd heard the second was a major drop off in quality. Is that true? Mixed bag but 6 of the 10 are solid hard rockers. A1,A2, A5, B3-B5 are more thoughtful than expected. The other four are pretty dreadful, though A3 is maybe just too long rather than bad. They should have stuck to originals as two of the three stinkers are cover tunes. I won't keep this one but better than I expected.

*Rare Earth - Ma. 1973 Rare Earth (LP). From Tiger Records (Jun). Another solid hard rock funk album from Rare Earth who seem to specialize in heavy psych covers of soul classics. B3 is a killer, one of their best ever. B4 is oddly erotic but a very good track and a different direction for the group. I can do without B2. The side long track is like a lot of the Rare Earth catalog - always on the cusp of something big, and yet they hold back. They never really did let loose for that one psychotic Krautrock styled freakout. I'll keep this one.

April Wine - Harder....Faster. 1979 Capitol (LP). From an antique mall (Jun). I seem to be gravitating towards Canadian hard rock / AOR of late. Solid entry and some really good tunes, and some throwaways. Some of these tracks were soundtracks to my freshman year of high school. Their cover of Crimson's Schizoid Man adds one more point. 

Roy Buchanan - Second Album. 1973 Polydor (LP). From What's Left (Jun). Solid instrumental blues rock. Doesn't amp up too much but there is a little of that.

Joe Satriani. 1995 Relativity (CD). From a Kansas City area thrift store back in Oct 2023 (Jun). Solid guitar fronted hard rock / blues / metal release. Satriani takes the kitchen sink model and tries his hand at various styles. Well played and he has a good melodic sense. Not something I need to keep however.

The Cult - Electric. 1987 Sire (LP). From the Springs record show (May). This album bugs me. I should embrace it. An obvious 80s band who went decidedly hard rock, a favorite style of mine. But it's a type of modern hard rock I don't appreciate. Too self-conscious and too cool for school. I struggle to get through it. I thought my rating of 8 was too low, but if anything, it may have been a bit high.

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts - I Love Rock n' Roll. 1981 The Boardwalk (LP). From the COS record show (May). The title song was one of many soundtracks of my high school years. Not a song I ever embraced I'll quickly assess. This is their debut after Jett left the Runaways. Much credit is heaped onto Jett for releasing a groundbreaking hard rock album, an unusual move for women at the time. From my perspective, I say whoop-de-doo. This is a decidedly masculine sounding album, and The Blackhearts are dudes anyway. One would think Heart would have far more credibility on that topic, and they brought a unique feminine touch, that which is completely missing here. I consider this album boring as heck. Every song sounds the same and is borderline 50's rock and roll revivalist. Not impressed. 

---collection revisits

Kai Kln - Vigoda. 1996 Rude Boys (1992) (CD). Sacramento, California based Kai Kln have much more of a Guns N' Roses thing going here on Vigoda than the pure hard rock delight of the debut Rythym of Stranger (sic). Though there's some carryover of the same energy and sound in places. Not a bad album at all, but definitely playing more to an established audience with set expectations rather than the pure retro 70s hard rock of earlier. (May)

* - Keeping for the collection

Mandrill - Composite Truth. 1973 USA-New York

I'm much more familiar with Mandrill's fourth effort Just Outside of Town, but this predecessor has a familiar pattern to that title. A unique mix of funk, soul, prog, and Latin rock. 'Fencewalk' is one of their most known compositions and is also one of the highlights of the album. Great heavy guitar too. Parts of 'Golden Stone' could have been lifted right off The Yes Album. 'Moroccan Nights' is their standard soft instrumental to close the album and is stunningly beautiful. I'm not too fond of the calypso based 'Polk Street Carnival' but the rest is aces. 

Ownership: LP: 1973 Polydor. Gatefold. Promo. Acquired at a store in Pueblo (2023).

CD: 1998 Collectables. Jewel case. Booklet with history of the band (same on all four of the Collectables CDs).

2008 (first listen); 5/16/15; 7/2/19; 8/30/24 (review/new entry) 

Entity - Il Falso Centro. 2013 Italy

Two years after the release of Entity's debut Il Falso Centro, I purchased the CD along with four other contemporary Italian prog albums (the others were by Astrolabio, Aurora Lunare, Locus Amoenus, and Marchesi Scamorza). That's a lot of intense music in a short period of time. Entity was the last one to click, some nine years later. But why? On the surface Il Falso Centro is pitch perfect by-the-numbers prog rock as only the Italians know how to do. The dynamic and meter changes; the passionate instrumental and vocal sections.The retro instrumentation (mostly modern variations to emulate the sound). Respected writers on ProgArchives are gushing in their praise, and reference check some of the greatest 1970s bands from Italy. What else could you possibly want? 

Well.... I want something to stick, that's one thing. Last night's listen was to be the feature, an album I will focus on and nothing else. But my mind started to wander as the music began to develop. I started researching other things on the internet. By the fourth number I was enjoying what I was hearing before realizing that a half hour had blown by and I still had no idea what I was listening to. I stopped the music and started again. Closed my eyes and tried to process every note. Objectively speaking Entity have a great understanding of the genre. But perhaps it is too well studied, a doctorate dissertation of Italian prog. As the album unfolded more gems began to shine and I was finally immersed into its contents. I was battling the perception of "too much of the same thing" from a collection perspective. And maybe that still holds true. But that "same thing" is a sound that I cherish.

Ownership: CD: 2013 Locanda del Vento. Jewel case.

1/31/15 (first listen); 12/28/23; 8/19/24 (review / new entry)

Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush - Eye of the Storm. 2000 Canada-Quebec

In 2005 I wrote:

Whoa! Nice surprise this one is. I was expecting at best an attempt at his patented driving hard rock / Hendrix styled rock. What I didn’t foresee is a more progressive styled album. Eye of the Storm features some looooong space rock jams using Arabic scales – just like the old Krautrockers would do! You can hear this on the lengthy ten minute title track and even more so on the slightly longer ‘He’s Calling’. It isn’t until the 4th track, ‘Learned My Lesson Well’, that the What’s Next era Marino shows up. And that’s great too! This is followed by the 11 ½ minute ‘Heat of the Moment’ which recalls ‘Poppy’, my personal favorite Marino composition. Next is 'Windows to the World' which reminds me of ‘The Answer’ from Mahogany Rush IV (nice to see Frank reaching this far back into his repertoire). Another long cut, ‘Avalon’, also brings to mind the highly melodic ‘Poppy’ in addition to the jazzy instrumental ‘Tales of the Unexpected’ era. Believe it or not, I not only think this is a great album, but I think could very well be his best studio effort! Totally amazed by that.

---in 2014, I wrote another one (likely I had forgotten my prior review)

This really was a magnificent comeback for Frank Marino. Eye of the Storm arrived in 2000, 18 years after his last significant studio album Juggernaut (there were a couple of obscure efforts in between and one excellent live album). Perhaps what's most amazing about Eye of the Storm is that the album isn't a continuation of his more known hard rock style, but rather a further look back into his psychedelic past of the very early days of his career. Many of the tracks are quite lengthy: Four of them near or over the 10 minute mark with two more pushing eight each. The music at times goes off into a space rock direction, filled to the brim with Marino's amazing solo guitar talent. If you're familiar with the excellent 'Poppy' track from his live albums, then there's quite a bit of that style here. Only the straightforward, yet still excellent rocker 'Learned My Lesson Well' will recall the Marino of the 'What's Next' era.

As I write this review, we have yet to get a new album from Frank. If this is indeed his swan song, then he definitely went out on a high. Though possibly even better than this studio effort, is the 2004 ReaLLive album that just lays the concert hall to waste.

It's really too bad this album has fallen through the cracks, and few seem to have noticed. As I write this, it's #889 for 2001. Wow - that's really sad for an artist who has a legacy like Frank Marino - and this is one of his best albums ever! I do think its rediscovery is eventual - it's only a matter of time.

---2024

For that last sentence, I said similar on my recent review of Tales of the Unexpected. And the album is now #1,606 for 2001, having lost half its ground. Over time, quality music transcends the trends of an era. Like evaluating a president, history will be the judge based on data, not emotion. I predict Frank Marino will be near the top when it's all said and done. I enjoyed another +1 listen, and it now resides in the highest tier of my world.

Ownership: CD: 2001 Just A Minute. Jewel case. Lyric booklet.

2//05 (first listen/review); 9/28/14 (second review); 8/18/24 (update/new entry)

2024 Metal Journal Vol. 2 - Complete

Quiet Riot - Metal Health. 1983 Pasha (MC). Thrift shop find (Aug). I bought this title on vinyl upon release while still in high school. In those days sometimes you would hear the "right" track and then subsequently go out and buy the LP. That's what happened to me, as they played 'Run for Cover', arguably the best track here. Quiet Riot were a band I saw in the import bins, as their first two albums were very hard to come by - and expensive. So I was predisposed to like them without hearing a note. And obviously disappointment ensued. The album as a whole isn't as bad as I remembered and I enjoyed a +2 listen, which is still two points from even considering keeping. The glam / pop metal side of the band, most known for their cover of 'Cum on Feel the Noize', is most representative of the album at large.

Leash Law - Dogface. 2004 Black Lotus (CD). From the 2016 buy (Aug). Didn't have high hopes for this title and that ended up being true. Average metal with grating vocals and unmemorable riffs. Not a lot of invention either. Average for the style. Going for less than Ray Conniff LPs in the marketplace too... A loser I'm afraid to say.

Scorpions - Savage Amusement. 1988 Harvest (LP). With the Warlock's (Jul). To my ears not really any better or worse than its predecessor Love at First Sting. Pop metal with a handful of big riffs trying to capture the radio market. Good for what it is. It'll sell.

Warlock - Triumph and Agony. 1987 Vertigo (LP). Same sale (Jul). Two points off of the debut. Here Doro's voice is more grating and the tunes are more anthemic and commercial in nature. Gone are the exploratory riffs and amateur curiosity.

*Warlock - Burning the Witches. 1987 Vertigo (1984) (LP). From T&R sale (Jul). Doro's grand entrance on the world metal stage. All these years and I've never heard anything by, or related, to her. Burning the Witches is old fashioned metal with a unique in-a-tunnel metal sound. Doro sounds mostly like Geddy Lee, and one could argue that Warlock at this stage sound like a metalized Rush. It's not very progressive but the riffs and songwriting are excellent if not amateurish. No chance I would have liked this album when it came out, as it was looking backwards and was miles from the progression Metallica was bringing to the surface. Today I think it's great in that nostalgic sort of way. Great vintage metal cover art that today would likely be banned for its negative sexualized depiction of women. Probably Doro herself designed it, but that's the modern idiot for you.

Dream Child - Reaching the Golden Gates. 1998 Metal Blade (CD). Same as Wingdom (Jul). And for most of the CD, same as Wingdom in the music category. Textbook prog metal. But Dream Child are French and they never do anything by the book. So there's quite a few moments of unexpected musical turns. It's not messy enough for me, but it wasn't too far off. I would have kept this only a few years ago.

Wingdom - Reality. 2005 The A Label (CD). Finally getting back to that 2016 metal buy (Jul). There are so many albums like Wingdom's sole output. European power metal with a Dream Theater like delivery minus the acrobatics. From a musical perspective Reality is very accomplished. From an originality standpoint, the Finnish group score a big fat zero. There's not one interesting sequence for the entire 57 minute length. You'd think with close to a full hour at their disposal they could come up with something unique, even if by accident. If I was new to the genre, any one of these albums would make the grade. But that ship sailed in the 90s.

Twisted Sister - You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll. 1983 Atlantic (LP). Same deal as the Keel (Jun). This wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but it's no classic either. It's mostly dumbo metal, but there's a couple of decent tracks here with thoughtful riffs. They were business opportunists who made a good living doing this kind of metal. Right time, right place.

Keel - The Right to Rock. 1985 A&M (LP). From a local store for a dollar (Jun). Only needed a cleaning. Total mid 80s bonehead metal. Side 2 is much better, but much of it is re-recordings from their debut, which must be better. With tracks like the title song and 'So Many Girls, So Little Time' I think it's safe to assume Keel didn't graduate... elementary school.

At the Gates - Slaughter of the Soul. 2002 Earache (CD) (1995). From an antique shop in Hutchinson, Kansas (Oct 2023/Jun). Excellent guitar tone. Deathy screamy vocals. Tracks tend to blend together. Not my thing but good for what it is.

Steve Vai - Passion & Warfare. 1990 Relativity (CD). I had this on vinyl back in the day, and grabbed this CD recently for a buck for the hell of it. For this kind of guitar fronted hard rock / metal, Passion & Warfare is one of the better ones I've heard. Good energy and some fine melodies as well. I'm going +1 but still not enough to keep. From an antique shop in Hutchinson, Kansas (Oct 2023/May).

The Sterling Cooke Force - Force This. 1986 Ransom (LP). Well... this didn't work out at all lol. After enthusiastically going on about the Electric Sun styled debut, Force This sounds like what the band looks like on the back cover. Hair metal. I was hoping the image was a curveball and the guitar tone remained the same as prior. No such luck. Win some, lose the rest. Discogs acquisition (Apr).

Stryper - Soldiers Under Command. 1985 Enigma. White vinyl (LP). Held this one back from the RT collection (2021/Apr). I think he bought it because of the vinyl color. Anyway, famous Christian "white metal" act. Musically not bad at all, very much representing the style of the day. They look like hair metallers but they offer more than that. Still it's nothing unique beyond the lyric content. To be sold.

Stryper - The Yellow and Black Attack! 1986 Enigma. Blue vinyl and round cover (LP). Same deal as above from RT (2021/Apr). And musically very similar. Solid metal for the Christian set.

Motorhead - Another Perfect Day. 1983 Mercury (LP). The last Motorhead album from that collection buy last year (2023/Apr). Moving more towards hard rock, even a bit of commercialism. Not really any better or worse to my ears than some of the earlier Motorhead albums. But I think I have enough, and can let this one go. 

---collection revisits

*Suspyre - When Time Fades... 2008 Sensory (CD). I can't seem to let this go. It's like many of my prog metal albums. Exceptionally well played, overly technical, and not very memorable. But this is even more than the usual tech savvy, so I feel like it just needs more time. (Jun)

Confessor - Unraveled. 2005 Season of Mist (CD). Second album by North Carolina based doom metal band Confessor, some 14 years after their debut. Their uniqueness is brought forth by adding a progressive component to their sound. And while it does remain rhythmically interesting, the songs still sound pretty much the same. Same tones, same style. I recall their debut being better. Will need to revisit. (May)

* - Keeping for the collection 

Metallica - Kill 'em All. 1983 USA-California

It all starts here. This album. The one that put thrash metal on the map, and perhaps was the jet fuel the entire heavy metal genre needed to survive for the ages. As I noted on Accept's Restless and Wild, they lit the match. Metallica took that fire to the torch and scorched the earth with it.

For me personally I was looking for a sound. I didn't know what it was, but I needed a place to burn some pent up energy, both mind and body. By 1983, I was a huge fan of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon, the aforementioned Accept album and a few others. Iron Maiden was the closest to what I was seeking, but they weren't ever really that heavy to be honest. But they had the right idea compositionally with 'Phantom of the Opera', 'Hallowed Be Thy Name', 'To Tame a Land', and many others. According to RYM, Kill 'em All was released on July 25, 1983. That ties to my memory as well. It wasn't until August that I purchased my copy (which I still own) after reading about it in Kerrang. The timing is important because it was only a couple of weeks before I entered college. One of those identity defining moments at a key time in life.

I remember hearing the album for the first time and my reaction to it. 'Hit the Lights' was a perfect opener. A lot of albums back then had a perfect opener. But would it sustain? Then came 'Four Horseman'. And there it was - that was the sound I was looking for! The riffs, the production, the meter changes, everything about it was so perfect. ...And it never let up from there. The album was relentless in its pursuit of heaviness with a bit of brainpower. Some of their best tracks can be found here (including the two openers), especially 'No Remorse', 'Whiplash', 'Jump in the Fire', and 'Seek & Destroy'. 

They were to improve dramatically on their next two albums in the areas of songwriting, technique (including vocals), lyrics, and production heaviness. And yet Kill 'em All was already miles ahead of any perceived competition.

As I stated - it was an album that shaped an identity. As noted here a few times, I attended Texas Tech. That school is in Lubbock, in the middle of hardcore West Texas. Country music ruled supreme and many young cowboys from the area went to school there. I had nothing in common with any of them. I was a city kid from Dallas. There were a few of us like that. It would be three months before I even met someone who knew who Metallica was. Instant friendships were bonded in that way. Long haired, torn denim, tennis shoes wearing metal heads in the world of clean cut cowboys complete with hat and boots. The only downside was that all the pretty girls (and there were many of them!) liked the cowboys. Sigh. 

A true story: One early afternoon after class, I needed to burn off some energy (common theme apparently), and was jamming to 'Whiplash'. Two of my dorm mates were walking down the hall. Imagine 6' 4" tall cowboys, tight jeans, boots, and black hats - walking in lockstep. They saunter past my door. They stop and look backwards into my room and ask in a western twang:

 "What the hell is that sh*t?". 

"It's Metallica, dude" 

"What?" 

"Metallica".

"Well that sh*t SUCKS. Keep it down!"

Ownership: LP: 1983 Megaforce. Single sleeve with lyric inner bag. Acquired at a mall record store as noted above (1983). Funny to think about that too. At a mall store... Probably right next to Men at Work's Cargo.

CD: Vertigo/Polygram (Argentina). Commodity jewel case. I keep this version since it has two hidden bonus tracks taken from the 'Creeping Death' EP: 'Am I Evil?' and 'Blitzkrieg', both killer cuts.

CD: 2010 Vertigo (Japan). Papersleeve edition. I have the first four albums in this format, though it's superfluous to own.

8//83 (first listen); 1//04; 8/8/15; 8/8/24 (review/new entry)

Diamond Reo - Dirty Diamonds. 1976 USA-Pennsylvania

Pardon the expression, but here's a real diamond in the rough. Pittsburgh's Diamond Reo started and ended as a rather typical 70s glam band, at least that's what I've read not having heard these albums. But in the middle was one try at gritty midwest styled hard rock, of the kind you almost exclusively find in the private press world. There are 10 tracks here and almost all of them feature some nasty guitar riffs and solos. A couple of tracks on Side 1 (A3, A4) are more basic, but otherwise this is hard rock heaven. Nothing at all commercial about it. If Diamond Reo could have navigated the mid 70s terrain like Frank Marino did, then great rewards would have been for the taking at the end of the decade with the success of Van Halen and the like. But it wasn't meant to be and Diamond Reo is a band very few have heard of. Look for this title in the budget bins if you have a taste for 70s hard rock. Also lend an ear to 'It's a Jungle Out There' and tell me that maybe Axl Rose and the boys might have stumbled onto this album in their youth.

Ownership: LP: 1976 Buddha (Germany). Single sleeve. Acquired from JL (2022).

The above replaced the US pressing on Kama Sutra that I bought for 25 cents at a local store here in Colorado Springs (2021). The cover was fairly beat though. There is a CD on Rock Candy that has become scarce.

11/28/18 (first listen); 9/6/21; 8/8/24 (review / new entry)

Existence - Reign in Violence II. 1990 / 2004 Germany

I often state that I like my heavy metal a bit on the messy side - highly creative, unusual, quirky, and unpredictable. Let me introduce you to the latest band I've heard in this category: Existence. From the first notes, I knew this was going to be in my wheelhouse. The riffing and solos are excellent, the vocals are somewhat normal, and the music is all over the place. Now on this latter observation, I'm not a fan of genre hopping or avant garde dissonance. It's none of that, rather it's a very familiar sound but off-kilter. In the end it sounds like Iron Maiden playing the music of Manilla Road with a side of early Fates Warning. The vocals and NWOBHM's heritage recall Legend (UK). Competent and creative, but not pitch perfect, not even close. Existence defies their German heritage and sounds like a band that could have emerged from the garages of West Virginia. And 1990 was the height of these bands rising to the surface. Most received no press coverage and were a memory of but a few that saw them in the dingy clubs of the era.

As if to prove their quirkiness, Existence's existence (as it were) is also murky. Their debut Reign in Violence was recorded in 1990 but not released until 2001. To add to the weirdness, that debut only came out on LP. In 2001? So they missed the cassette and tail end of the LP era only to release an LP in the middle of the CD era. OHKaaay. Their next recording wouldn't be until 14 years later, the cd-r only Ventricular Fibrillation. By then the few that did know Existence had long forgotten them and this oddly titled release didn't get them any further notice. They did release one more CD in 2008 which I haven't heard.

To take the strangeness one step further, the privately released Reign in Violence II compilation features the above two albums. Neither in full (first album is missing one track and the latter is missing three), but the oddest part is the way the tracks are presented. Every other song comes from one album or the other. And while their musical approach didn't change at all in those 14 years, their sound did. So it's a rather jarring contrast going back and forth. One from a 1990 era tech metal production album to another 2004 production, which has an almost industrial sound to it. It's just bizarre really. The booklet doesn't help, providing lyrics to only the Reign in Violence album while the other you would think might be instrumental (it's not). The back cover color codes which album each track comes from, but they don't provide a key to the colors. And just to put the final nail in the insane grave, they inserted one 15 second uncredited instrumental in the middle, so even the track numbers don't match for the latter two thirds. What a mess.

Ownership: CD: 2005 private. Jewel case with photos and lyrics. Acquired in 2016 as part of a large CD buy. That I'm just now hearing...

8/4/24 (first listen / review / new entry)

2024 Psychedelic / Garage Journal Vol. 2 - Complete

The Association - Greatest Hits. 1968 Warner Bros-Seven Arts (LP). From a large garage sale buy in Monument (Jul). It retails at a dollar even today, so bought it only because I was curious. I always think I like The Association more than I do. Their hits sometimes appear as a soundtrack to various shows, and they sound great there. But as an album, even a collective of their best tracks, don't transcend that Free Design, Beach Boys, Strawberry Alarm Clock bar of harmony based popsike greatness.

*The Doors - Absolutely Live. 1970 Elektra (2xLP). From a large garage sale south collection buy (Jul). Worth keeping for this album's version of 'When the Music's Over' which sounds like a crazed Krautrock track with psychotic vocals from Morrison. Both Krieger and Manzarek go off the rails with their respective guitar and organ solos. Densmore is very active on the drum kit as well. Much more kinetic than the also great studio version. There's plenty of other moments like that interspersed throughout. They front load the blues tracks which is my least favorite aspect of The Doors, so they get most of that out of the way early.

The Mama's and the Papa's - If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears. 1966 Dunhill (LP). Thrift shop find (Jun). Early pressing but not the toilet bowl cover. Any album with 'California Dreamin'' is worth hearing. What a great track for its era. 'Monday, Monday' is the other hit here, and sure enough it's the second best track. The rest is rather typical mid 60s folk pop with slight psychedelic overtones. I have a CD comp that cover the best tracks here, so I can move this out.

*various artists - Psych-Out soundtrack. 1968 Sidewalk (LP). Nice score from a local antique mall priced well under going rates (May). The Strawberry Alarm Clock cuts are featured on their albums, so for me the highlight is the The Storybook, who have a similar songwriting style. Also one track each from The Seeds and Boenzee Cryque.

The Grateful Dead - Aoxomoxoa. 1987 Warner Bros (1969) (CD). Thrift shop find (May). For the most part this is rambling country rock. The music doesn't match the image or the reputation. They will always be known as a live act. And much better for their legacy because of it.

* - Keeping for the collection

2024 Fusion / Jazz Journal Vol. 3 - Complete

*Jimmy McGriff - Tailgunner. 1977 Lester Radio promo (LP). From T&R sale (Aug). Of all the albums from this haul, this is the one I was most looking forward to. And I was rewarded with the best listen in the stack (along with a metal album that you'll see whenever I publish that journal - it was a very eclectic sale). McGriff is well known as a soul jazz Hammond B-3 player, sort of like a friendlier version of Larry Young. By the 70s, he'd hopped onto the jazz funk train like everyone else. Four out of the six tracks are written by the songwriting team of Brad Baker and Lance Quinn and they are all aces. Fantastic melodies, good grooves, and fine soloing. The title track even sports a hard rock edge that is quite appealing in this setting. Guitarist Jerry Friedman's Bullfrog is a fun track, also with a strong rhythm. However this was in the era when everyone was trying hard for a signature dance tune. And "Dancing The Bullfrog" didn't make the cut lol. McGriff's one composition closes the album and is arguably the weakest track here, harkening back to an earlier era but with a disco beat. To make a great salad, one needs to do more than pour new dressing on old lettuce. Very nice gatefold cover too.

*Yamashta / Winwood / Shrieve - Go. 1976 Island (LP). From a thrift shop (Jul). All these years and I still hadn't heard this album. It's much better than I thought it would be. A strange combination of high flying fusion and electronics, with some art rock thrown in. Al Di Meola gets in some mean licks and Klaus Schulze brings his signature synthesizer sounds. The art rock sections recall later era Far East Family Band. This is an album I think I'd rather have on CD. I'll keep an eye out for a cheap copy of the Esoteric release.

*Gabor Szabo - Rambler. 1974 CTI (LP). Trade credit from What's Left (Jul). Standard issue Szabo album with lightly amplified acoustic guitar strummed over instrumental jazz rock. Bassist Wolfgang Melz is the centerpiece of the album, having written five of the six songs. His playing is also very noticeable. Not one of my favorites from Szabo but good enough to keep for now.

*Milt Jackson - Sunflower. 1973 CTI (LP). From the same place as the Hawkins (Jul). I usually don't get very excited when knowing an album is jazz with vibes in the lead. But on Sunflower the album is more moody, and the vibes remind me of how they are used in Krautrock at times. Freddie Hubbard's title track has a great melody too. Features an all-star cast of jazzers.

Coleman Hawkins with Kenny Burrell & Ray Bryant - Soul. 1962 Swingville Stereo (LP) (1958). From an estate sale warehouse (Jul). Pleasant jazz jazz.

Herbie Hancock - Secrets. 1976 Columbia (LP). Thrift shop find (Jul). Still heavy on the funk though some of the tunes are becoming caricatures of the sound. Nevertheless a solid entry for the genre, but I have way too much of it as it is. 

*The Headhunters - Straight from the Gate. 1977 Arista promo (LP). More from that large fusion/soul garage sale buy (Jul). A mix of hard hitting instrumental jazz fusion and funky vocal numbers. They succeed on all accounts. Some great guitar from future P-Funk member Obsidian Blackbyrd.

Cannonball Adderley and the Bossa Rio Sextet with Sergio Mendes. 1968 Capitol (LP) (1963). Thrift shop find (Jul). I've become a huge Bossa Nova fan, and in particular I really enjoy Sergio Mendes. But this album is way too friendly in a jazz standard kind of way. Doesn't have the melodic magic of Mendes' later works. Maybe it's just the sax playing - doesn't translate well.

Bobby Timmons - Workin' Out! 1965 Prestige (LP). Beautiful original copy found at an antique mall for a fraction of going rates (Jul). More trad jazz with Johnny Lytle's vibes all over it. Pleasant but not my thing.

* - Keeping for the collection

2024 Funk / Soul Journal Vol. 2 - Complete

Silver, Platinum & Gold - Hollywood. 1981 Neptune promo (LP). Purchased with the David Astri (Jun). A more typical disco album with plenty of synthesizer moving it into the boogie category. Too many vocals and a few handclaps sink it for me, but it does have some stellar moments, especially the guitar. Very obscure album.

David Astri - Do it Right. 1983 Award (LP). From an antique mall (Jun). This was an extension of the sale below. The records were more expensive, but so are their worth. I only paid a fraction of going rates. Musically quite a good mix of electronic, disco, and boogie. As good as THP Orchestra, more 80s though. I'd consider keeping it but I think I'll take the profit since it's not really my genre of choice.

*T.H.P. Orchestra - Two Hot for Love. 1977 Butterfly (LP). From a large garage sale purchase also cataloged in the Jazz journal and others (Jun). This is their "debut" though in reality there's one prior to this. All of side 1 and the first half of side 2 is just as great as the Tender album. Hardcore driving disco that keeps your toes tapping. The latter two tracks seem to be almost a different band and the disco is far more trite. All the same, I rate the two albums similar. About as good as it gets for the genre.

Cousin Ice. 1980 Urban Rock (LP). More from the garage sale (Jun). Ira Crossin was a rich kid from the Upper West Side buying his way into the Studio 54 set. He played sax and flute, but rather than join the conservatory circuit, he goes in for disco to get the hookers and blow presumably. This album should be a killer but it lacks the melodies necessary to make it work. All the same it's a pretty rare album that we'll be reselling.

Ozone - Glasses. 1983 Motown promo (LP). Same garage sale (Jun). A very different Ozone has emerged from the boogie inspired group of their 1980 debut. Glasses offers a unique blend of British styled new wave and American soul/funk. Never really heard anything like it before and for that it gets points. This was to be Ozone's final album, as I don't think they ever caught on with the general public. 

*Mandrill - We Are One. 1977 Arista promo (LP). Same garage sale (Jun). This is my second time to own this, the other going back 20 years without as much context as I have today. Mandrill were never a group to be pigeonholed and We Are One is no different. They've moved on from their proggy funk days over to the disco movement, but this isn't a garden variety album of that genre either. They're a large ensemble that remains very musical and there are many gems throughout. A worthy addition to the Mandrill catalog, just keep your expectations in check as to the contents.

*T.H.P. Orchestra - #2 Tender is the Night. 1978 Butterfly (LP). White vinyl. Same garage sale (Jun). This is the album that made me think twice about disco. A friend gave it to me in the early 90s. I wouldn't allow myself to like it, but I secretly did anyway lol. I eventually gave it away, but now have a different perspective. Besides this copy is much nicer. And I like it far more than I ever thought I would. This is a great example of composed music - with high quality musicians - performing what is perceived as simple. While the metrics aren't complicated per medium protocol, the bass player could care less and decides to make it complicated anyway. Ha! On Tender is the Night there is a 6 piece rock band, 6 more on horns, and no less than 10 folks on strings. Plus two female vocalists. So take that Mr./Ms. DIY stay-at-home computer musician! All these tracks are catchy as heck too. They just make you feel good. And want to make you dance for those who know how to do such a thing. I would have no idea honestly. The collective is from Toronto and were attempting to emulate the European disco craze. I think they surpassed it. The repetitiveness would prove to be its only weakness. Then again, repetition is the key to learning.

* - Keeping for the collection

2024 Fusion / Jazz Journal Vol. 2 - Complete

David Sancious & Tone - True Stories. 1978 Arista promo (LP). Same garage sale (Jun). Ligertwood's vocals are annoying here and the progressive rock attempt is too forced. I was somewhat disappointed in this effort, especially considering I like his albums prior.

Michael Urbaniak - Body English. 1976 Arista promo (LP). Same garage sale (Jun). Side 1 seems stiff but I like the period sounds of Side 2. Almost a keeper but perhaps too slick and glossy.

Miroslav Vitous - Majesty Music. 1976 Arista promo (LP). Back to the garage sale (Jun). Solid fusion album from Czech bassist. Opening track has fuzz bass and that would have served the album better had he kept using it.

Jaco Pastorius - Invitation. 1983 Warner Bros. (LP). From a local antique mall for $1 (Jun). The opener I recognized from Maynard Ferguson's Primal Scream album. A wonderful 70s styled TV soundtrack composition. I'm not a huge "bass as a lead instrument" guy unless it's Zeuhl, and that's a different use altogether. Highly regarded album but doesn't sway me much.

*Larry Young's Fuel - Spaceball. 1976 Arista promo (LP). Same sale as below (Jun). A much stranger album than I had realized in the past. High creative and sounds like something that may have come from France during this era. There's elements of funk, jazz, disco, and prog throughout. Within the parameters Young boxed himself in with, it still sounds fresh and unique. Jazz and fusion fans aren't too keen on Young's departure from the norm, but I'm enjoying it immensely.

Airto - Free. 1979 CTI promo (1973) (LP). Same sale as below (Jun). Side 1 is an excellent variation of the early 70s jazz rock sound, deftly adding Brazilian touches. Side 2 starts with a free improvisation, hence the title. The last two tracks are on the happy side of jazz. Overall still very good, but only half an album for me.

*Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66. 1966 A&M mono (LP). From the same sale as below (Jun). I told myself that the next clean copy of this album I find then I'm buying it. And this certainly fit the bill. It's a 25 minute album, and is mostly fluff. But the best kind of fluff. Really captures the 1966 ethos, a most creative year that seems to serve as an island unto itself. Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 is the dictionary entry for Bossa Nova.

*Isotope - Illusion. 1975 Gull promo (1974). (LP). Recently scored some minty jazz and funk albums (mostly promos) from a local garage sale all at very cheap prices (Jun). New member Hugh Hopper takes over with his fuzz bass and leads a very fine set of jazz fusion tunes. I've always liked this album but now appreciating even more. +1 listen.

*Benson & Farrell. 1976 CTI (LP). From a local antique mall (Jun). Excellent release that features Farrell on his best instrument, the flute. And Benson is doing his best Gabor Szabo imitation here. I need an upgrade. Splendid.

Allen Youngblood - Selah. 1984 Griot (LP). From a local antique mall (Jun). Once I saw Julian Priester listed, I figured this might be a piece worth considering. And it was. Sort of a late era spiritual jazz release. A bit too traditional for me to keep, but glad I picked it up. Seems to be a price riser too.

*Stanley Clarke - Children of Forever. 1973 Polydor (LP). From a local antique mall (Jun). Much more personal than his later fusion works. Even a Magma vibe can be detected in the wordless voices. A solid release and the best I've heard from Clarke.

* - Keeping for the collection

2024 Hard Rock Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

Bow Wow - Hard Dog. 1981 SMS (LP). A couple of years ago I cataloged five different albums from a Japanese metal band called Anthem. I ended up selling them all - at a nice profit, but I was hoping to keep a few. I had the same opportunity with Bow Wow @$5 each. Probably I should have picked up more, but I sensed I was going to move them all straight to the sell bin. At least with Hard Dog that premise held true. This is already their 8th album, and I don't think I saw anything prior to their 6th, Telephone. After some research, I would be interested in hearing their 70s output. Whereas Anthem, who came a few years later, are most certainly heavy metal, Bow Wow are a hybrid of hard rock and metal. If you've read enough of my reviews, one thing you'll note is that my appreciation of American hard rock has much to do with the time and place aspect of it. Hard working blue collar clubs, where the patrons can let their hair down while drinking cheap beer and dancing with the ladies. I can always picture the dive bar the group is playing in while enjoying the music. I don't get that same vibe with Japanese groups - probably because I've never been there. And even if I had, the Japan of the 2000s wouldn't be the same as the 70s and 80s. But I bet there was a similar type scene, and it would have been exciting for fans at the time. But it's lost on me. Still it's a very good album, pretty safe and conservative all things considered. They sing in English - I think. From the RMRS (Apr).

*Pink Fairies - Never Never Land (1971). 2019 Polydor (The Polydor Years) (CD). I grabbed a cheap sealed copy of this 3xCD comp of all their albums plus bonus tracks and extensive liner notes. Pink Fairies debut demonstrates a varied album that contains both forward looking, contemporary, and retro styled sounds. I find the latter more to my taste with the melodic/loungey aura of 'War Girl' and the psychedelic jam of 'Uncle Harry's Last Freak-Out' being the highlights. As for their future outlook, add Pink Fairies to the list of groups that informed Motorhead with its punky straightforward hard rockin' music with gruff vocals. Took me a bit to get into this title, but I'm there now. (Mar)

*Pink Fairies - What a Bunch of Sweeties (1972). 2019 Polydor (The Polydor Years) (CD). Continuing my trek through the 3xCD set. This is Pink Fairies second album and it's even harder to get into than the debut. Much of this is because of the ridiculous sophomoric humor, a lot of it surrounding every 4th grader's favorite topic of the planet Uranus. Perhaps it still had some zing left in it by 1972 among young adults, hard to imagine though. The album doesn't really find its gear until track 4 'Marilyn', though they had to derail that with a drum solo (not too long fortunately). But there is one fantastic track here, side two's lengthy opener 'Walk Don't Run' is heavy psych at its best. B2 is also quite good. The CD offers an alternate recording of B1, making it that much better. Overall, perhaps not worthy of ownership on its own, but being part if this CD set will likely keep it around. (Mar)

*Pink Fairies - Kings of Oblivion (1973). 2019 Polydor (CD). Wrapping up the 3xCD set is Pink Fairies' final album from their original incarnation. This one goes for the throat early and never lets up. Lyrically they're all in for the glam scene though musically it's purely hard rock. There are no highs to be found like on the other two, but no dips either. A more consistent and respectable close to their original career. This 3 CD set is perfect for me considering where I land with the band. Liner notes and bonus tracks are good as well. Originals aren't necessary for me in this case. (Mar)

* - Keeping for the collection

2024 Psychedelic / Garage Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

---collection revisits

*Os Mutantes. 2004 Polydor (1968) (CD). Another CD in my collection I had no recall of. I tend to be favorable to albums of historical significance. And that's where Os Mutantes scores marks in my book. I mean, a Sgt. Peppers type release from Sao Paolo in 1968 wasn't a common occurrence (in fact, it's generally considered the first rock release from Brazil). And that's where my praise ends. I don't really find this album all that great really, but it certainly makes up for a lot of shortcomings in spirit. Spouts of fuzz guitar never hurts either. Very much a period piece, I don't hear it anymore pleasurable than the St. Johns Green LP. Albums like this are unique though, and worth holding onto for that. (Mar)

Bobak, Jons, Malone - Motherlight. 2006 Air Mail (1969) (CD). Another quirky Morgan Blue Town release, closer to psych than prog, but no mistaking the progression. Whereas Pussy Plays took the first album Soft Machine approach, Motherlight had their ears glued more to Syd era Floyd, minus the lengthy instrumental bits. (Feb)

*Strawberry Alarm Clock - Good Morning Starshine. 2005 Collectors' Choice (1969) (CD). SAC's final album is a major departure from the image and music the band is known for. Hear they attempt a bluesy hard rock sound. Some of the old pop psych magic is still there, but clearly the group is planning for the future. They had the right idea, but there wasn't enough interest to keep them going. Like most psych bands of the 60s, they couldn't find their audience much past 1970 / 71, and ultimately folded. I'm keeping this CD, but not sure if it's for the long haul. Their first two albums are among my all time favorites, so I tend to give more rope to these later and lesser efforts. (Jan)

* - Keeping for the collection

2024 Funk / Soul Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

A Taste of Honey - A Taste of Honey / Twice as Sweet . 2000 Capitol (CD) (1978/1980). Found this at a thrift shop in the Kansas City area (May / Oct 2023). I have my antennas out for CDs such as this, as they are rarer than you might initially think. 'Boogie Oogie Oogie' is an iconic disco number, played incessantly in the late 70s. It's super too. And I like the Ernie Isley styled phase guitar. 'World Spin' is another interesting track from the debut. But the rest is fairly ordinary stringsy soulsy disco-y. Twice as Sweet is similar with no highlights. I'll take the profit.

Patrice Rushen - Pizzazz. 1979 Elektra promo (LP). Another two dollar pick up from the Rocky Mountain Record Show (Apr). This is three years before her recognized smash accomplishment Straight from the Heart. I wrote about that one already. That album is like finding money laying around. This one is disco versus boogie (I'm not so good at distinguishing them). I'm a sucker for a pretty girl with a nice smile, so I had to hear it. For what it is, I can appreciate the talent displayed. But it's not my style of choice overall. One of these days I hope to find her earlier fusion oriented albums.

The Steve Karmen Big Band - Memories. 1969 United Artists (SP). I own this group's 45 from the year before and it's a killer instrumental funk track. Also goes for big bucks. I pulled this out of a thrift shop in Kansas (Jan / Oct 2023) presuming similar, but nope, it's worth five bucks tops. The SP is the same song, one has vocals, the other is instrumental. The latter is much nicer to my ears. Fairly middle of the road orchestrated pop compared to the more raucous 'Breakaway'. No need to keep this one.

Patti Williams - Satan's Daughter / Wings of Love. 1971 Rocky Ridge promo (SP). This one was from a local antique mall (Jan). Carries some value, so why not try it? Yea, not my kind of soul funk. Gospel styled crooning with strings. OK, well I heard it all the way through. Next.

---collection revisits

*Budos Band - III. 2010 Daptone (CD). Very similar to the second album but it still has some exceptional moments making it worth keeping. (Apr)

Toni Esposito - Rosso Napoletano. 2014 Sony (1974) (CD). Pleasant breezy jazz fusion with funk undertones. Sort of ordinary really. I can get it go. (Apr)

* - Keeping for the collection; x - Not in RYM

2024 Prog Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

*Abigail - Prvni. 2003 private (CD). Related to Hokr and similar. Has that "Czech art rock vibe" that we also hear with the MCH Band and Dunaj. Keeper. Gift from a friend. (Apr)

---collection revisits

French TV - The Violence of Amateurs. 1999 Pretentious Dinosaur (CD). Too much embracing the Avant Prog model trying to appease that crowd. Ruins the flow of a perfectly good progressive rock album something that French TV excels at, and proves that here on occasion. Their highest rated album, but not in my world it isn't. (May)

*Honduras Libregrupo - La Unica Posicion es la Oposicion. 2008 Azione Artigianale (CD). One of those albums that makes me want to stop writing about music, as it's difficult to capture what they're doing. But what they're doing I like. A mix of prog, psych, Krautrock, experimental, and jazz rock. It sounds unpleasant on paper but the album is an enjoyable listen. I need to explore more from these guys. (May)

*MCH Band - Karnevale. 1999 Black Point (CD). There's just something unique about Czech art rock. It's progressive rock, but not in the typical Yes/Genesis way. King Crimson and VDGG seem to be the bellwethers, but even those are distant references. I've gone on about my personal experiences with the MCH Band, so I'm already biased to their greatness. I struggle to define what this sounds like, but I do enjoy it. (May)

MKII - Burning Daylight. 1994 SI (CD). An unusual release from SI, moving away for their standard neo prog template. This is glossy atmospheric instrumental music with bluesy guitar solos. A fine album, though not distinctive enough to keep. (May)

Golem - Orion Awakes. 1996 Psi-Fi (CD). Promise not to go on about what a fake this is. This is one of the more obvious pieces of evidence that it's not from the 70s and features a pastiche of different sounds from different eras. Whatever - blank the backstory out - and you have a decent retro Krautrock album. It's infuriating they didn't tell the truth. The music continues to suffer because of the lie. I went on about it, didn't I? (May)

*Tempano - Atabal Yemal. 1998 Musea (1979) (CD). Excellent symphonic prog from Venezuela, typical of the late 70's European scene, but still not yet rooted in South America. Instrumentation is a bit primitive as to be expected, but the spirit is alive. The CD adds three tracks newly recorded in 1998, but were intended to be on the debut. These naturally sound better (still primarily analog), and the music is well composed. Even a bit of Univers Zero can be heard, the opposite of their sunny disposition. This is one of those albums where you're better off having the CD than the LP. (Feb)

Samla Mammas Manna - Kaka. 1999 Amigo (CD). I bought this when it came out and gave it quite a few listens on my commute to work back then. I had high hopes that it would have aged well for me. But unfortunately it didn't. It's true to their legacy, and mixes progressive rock with carnival like sounds and motifs. I kept a few of the classic 70s/80s Samla/Zamla works, so this one becomes superfluous. (Feb)

The Spacious Mind – Live Volume One: Do Your Thing But Don’t Touch Ours. 2002 Goddamn I'm A Countryman (CD). Amen to that title! Despite the 1999 date of this live recording, only one track ‘Interplanetarian Lovemachine Pt. III’, was culled from that year’s Mind of a Brother. Two songs, ‘Upon Which Areas May the Circles Be Drawn?’ and ‘Euphoria Euphoria’ are from the LP-only Garden of a Well Fed Head, so in effect they make their CD debut here. Also included is ‘The One That Really Won the War’ from Organic Mind Solution album plus a unique piece appropriately titled ‘Jam’. This is a fully improvised album that uses the original tunes above as only a base from which to explore new trippy sounds. They’re also wise in their choice of instrumentation, with plenty of perfectly amplified acid soaked guitar, organ, bass, and extra percussion. These guys have the post 1969 Pink Floyd tripout vibe down to a science. One gets the impression that if they played the same set of tunes the next night, it would all be different (Jan)

Holy River Family Band - Earthquake Country. 2001 Wild Places (CD). Following on from Welcome to the Riverhouse, Holy River Family Band continue on their trek down the songwriting path. On Earthquake Country you will here more of a folk-rock sound with more diversified instrumentation. Much in the same way that The Spacious Mind's Sailing the Seagoat was a musical departure for that  band (who share members with the Holy River Family Band). (Jan)

* - Keeping for the collection

2024 Classic rock / AOR Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

*Saga - Images at Twilight. 1979 Maze (LP). Been looking for this one in the wilds for about five years now, so it was great to nab for $5 at the RMRS (Apr). For Saga's debut I wrote: "For 1978, Saga was predicting the future of music by at least four years. This isn't the Midwest pomp of Styx or Kansas, but rather the global AOR/MTV sound of 1982. Way ahead of their time, Saga were already using punchy guitar lines and synthesizers crammed into compact radio friendly tunes. And they were always good at adding a touch of sophistication to their compositions, going far beyond pandering to the masses. Which is their secret sauce and makes them so endearing all these years later." Images at Twilight follows in the same manner. Perhaps a hair less gratifying than the debut, but I'm rating them the same. They were to improve both artistically and commercially soon after.

ZZ Top - Fandango! 1975 London (LP). I always grab ZZ Top when I see them for cheap, in this case two bucks at the RMRS (Apr). I hadn't heard this one since high school. The hype sticker on my in-shrink copy says "Side 1 Recorded LIVE" Well, hot dog! If that's all there is to hype, it's not going to be much I'm afraid. Side 1 is, in fact, Texas Boogie. Not so great. This is one of those weird albums where the two hits that came from it close the LP. It's the better side, as I also like B1. Still it's not anything I need to own. Fast seller at the next show.

Robin Trower - Passion. 1987 GNP Crescendo (LP). From the RMRS (Apr). Hard to pass up this striking cover. A few years ago I detailed my journey through the Chrysalis box set of Trower, which ended two albums prior to this. Free from commercial constraints I would have expected Trower to let loose here. Instead he couldn't give up the dream. As usual, he recruited an excellent vocalist, but the music itself is mid to late 80s blandola with a slick production. Once again his guitar saves the day, especially on the instrumental 'Night'. He should have just recorded a whole album like that. If he had, this wouldn't be a $5 record with nearly 100 for sale at any one time. The music doesn't match the title nor the cover. Bummer.

Satin Whale - A Whale of a Time (1978). 2023 Made in Germany (CD). Ugh. My dream that Satin Whale had great potential to put out a proggy AOR masterpiece certainly did not come to fruition on their 4th album A Whale of a Time. The fact is I did not have a whale of a time listening to this. While As a Keepsake had plenty to praise, there's nothing here I liked other than maybe the instrumental opener with its disco like strings, minus the beats. I think I would have liked the album more were it disco instead. A very disappointing try for FM radio exposure. I still have high hopes for their final album (in this series) that came around three years later. (Apr)

Satin Whale - Don't Stop the Show (1981). 2023 Made in Germany (CD). Closing out the 5xCD set. Their last album was the plodding A Whale of a Time, which arrived with a thud. Once Don't Stop the Show started, I knew it was going to be better than its predecessor. Welcome to the 80s, Satin Whale! Here they provide a more energetic and punchy sound - not too far from a Saga or any number of thoughtful well known 80s AOR bands. Unfortunately this only lasted through the second song. A3 to A5 are turkeys, sloppy tries for stardom. Guess Satin Whale used all of their melodic songwriting skills on their first two prog albums. B1 shows promise that maybe they'll finish out on a high note. B2 wears out its whalecome (OK, I'll stop) after the first couple of minutes, And then down the tubes they go again. Still a much better try than A Whale of a Time, and I found it good overall, but nothing more. Well... poo. This set ends up being a disappointment for me on a number of levels. Just having Desert Places on CD is enough excuse to keep, and I certainly don't mind having Lost Mankind as a supplement. As a Keepsake has some very fine moments, but the last two I don't even consider part of the collection even if I own them via this package. (Apr)

Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill. 1980 MCA (1972) (LP). From a pure economic standpoint, this was my best recent find from the local antique mall (Feb). Finding Steely Dan albums is like finding money on the floor. So at $2, it was a good "market move." But I was sure to keep this, Steely Dan's debut. I don't know what it is about groups like Fleetwood Mac and Steely Dan, but there's something that rubs me the wrong way about them. Can't put my finger on it, but my thoughts on Rumours would go well here. There's this nagging feeling I get - something I recall while working in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 90s and early 2000s. It goes like this: "We all agree that Steely Dan is one of the greatest 70s rock band ever, right?" Well, wait, uhhh, no not exactly. "So you don't like Steely Dan?". Well sure I do, they're good and all, but... This is followed by a look of disgust and bewilderment. I ruined the narrative. How could I? It's obvious I'm just being obstinate and a contrarian. Leave us be, you neanderthal. But, but, but. Well anyway, I can't seem to escape that feeling while hearing this album. I tried to escape into the "I like Yacht Rock" trope, but failed at that too. There are three iconic tracks on here, including the one song I will defend 'Do It Again'. Electric sitar and analog synthesizer solos do still count for something. The rest is fine, but is it so great really? I think if you graduated high school or college anytime in the 1970s, probably so. Those years for me were the 80s. So I don't get it. I'll make my profit. I can always hear these songs the next time I'm at the grocery store.

Golden Earring - Switch. 1975 MCA / Track (LP). The next four albums came from a store in Pueblo (Feb). Ever since college, I've been curious as to what the Golden Earring albums sounded like after Moontan. This isn't what I expected. A rather mundane set of eclectic rock tunes without much consistency. Nor hooks. It does get better on Side 2, but only enough to take into the good category. Wasted opportunity.

Uriah Heep - Head First. 1983 Mercury (LP). Kind of the same idea as Golden Earring, I'm curious what Uriah Heep was up to after 1974. I had owned Fallen Angel prior (1978) and thought it was very mediocre. I hear Head First better than that title, but it's clearly not in my wheelhouse either. Another wasted opportunity, Uriah Heep came from the same hard rock royalty as other early 70s bands, and thus was positioned to capitalize on the burgeoning metal movement. Or they could just pander for FM radio time. They chose that route, and were both artistic and commercial flops. They have a good sound here, but the songwriting is mostly mediocre. If the 2009 Sweden live album is a barometer (which I reported on a couple of years back), it would appear Uriah Heep rebounded nicely. Too late for critical acclaim and financial fortune, but good enough for the oldies hard rock / prog circuit. (Feb)

Uriah Heep - Equator. 1985 Columbia (LP). Got this along with Head First. Holy moly - this is bad! Having spent my high school and college years in the 80s, I tend to be sympathetic towards bands trying to make a career out of music. It was a different era where bands were often financially rewarded for "selling out" to the corporate driven labels consistently chasing hard for profits. Head First is a good example of a legendary underground band making a go for commercialism but falling short of the artistic line of quality. It's certainly listenable. But Equator is at another level. This is pathetic. We're at the desperation stage here (ed: I used a more graphic metaphor, and Google flagged it with a warning - jeez, it wasn't that bad). It's almost as if the band purposely decided to be terrible, thinking it was a winning strategy. No redeemable qualities here whatsoever. One of the worst albums I've heard in the last 10 years. (Feb)

Grand Prix - Samurai. 1983 Chrysalis (LP). I first heard about this album real time from Kerrang, and they described it as a hard rocking Styx. For those who prefer James Young's contributions to the band. 40+ years later, I'm hearing this album for the first time, recalling that sentiment. And I can't agree with it. JY added more grit to his compositions. At its best, there are some proggy moments that point to Saga or even Journey on Frontiers. But this is mostly panning for hits on the radio. I could see some of these making a splash in its era, but alas it was not meant to be. Band is British but they sound American to me. (Feb)

---collection revisits

Enbor – Katebegiak. 1994 Elkar (1980) (CD). Enbor are really more of a rock band than a “prog” band, but they have elements that allow for more explorations than a typical 4/4 rock outfit. The varied instrumentation, once again lead by flute, is what takes this album to the next level. Kind of like the more progressive minded AOR bands in the US during the late 70s, but taking in a good dose of Basque culture, not to mention language.

* - Keeping for the collection; x - Not in RYM

2024 Metal Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

Ferrigno - Leal - Kuprij. 2003 Lion (Finland) (CD). Thrift shop find (May). Super fast and technical instrumental metal fusion. Well done for the style but old hat by this time.

Pessimist - Cult of the Initiated. 2021 Seasons of Mist (1997) (LP). From the RMRS (Apr). Not as heavy as expected, but certainly as annoying. Bark, growl, grunt. Blleeeeeuuuuuuuuuhhhhh. The music rumbles on. Not much in the way of dynamics or metrics. I've always struggled with death metal, and this isn't the title to change my mind. Good score at 5 bucks though.

*Motorhead - Bomber. 1979 Bronze (LP). Blue vinyl. From the collection buy last year (Apr). Pretty much what I said about Overkill, I could say here: Juiced up hard rock, borderline metal; Excellent solos; "Not sure if I'm keeping all these Motorhead's, but maybe the classics will get a longer ticket. Neat cover art as well."

Gargoyle. 1988 New Renaissance (EP). If you're a collector of private pressings, there's no way you'd miss this cover. I was surprised to see something like this at the end of the RMRS show for $5 (Apr). Gargoyle were from Portland (OR) and played a brand of speedy traditional heavy metal. A bit primitive and unsophisticated for this late date. I do like the vocals as he can actually sing, rather than scream or bark. The EP features three tracks that ultimately all ended up on their debut, so that diminishes the value somewhat, though not entirely for specialty collectors. If I ever do find the full album, I'd probably keep it if the music is similar. 

Black Sabbath - Seventh Star. 1986 Warner Bros (LP). From Dr. Boom in a trade (Mar). Generally regarded as one of the worst Sabbath albums, if not the worst, much of that has to do with the time and place. Were I a huge Sabbath fan in 1986, and I had adopted all the new trends in metal, I can imagine that Seventh Star was quite the shock to the system. I definitely enjoyed Sabbath back then, and was deep into NWOBHM and thrash, but I had no expectation from Black Sabbath at that time. I figured they were irrelevant. Many apologists point out it's really a Tony Iommi solo album, so it shouldn't even count as a Sabbath album. So here I am some 38 years later hearing this much maligned album for the first time. OK, yep, definitely not Mob Rules or even Born Again. To me it sounds like Rainbow - a good follow up to Bent Out of Shape. But I can be objective at this point, versus being emotional as a youth. There's a couple of clunkers, A2 being the most notable one that everyone points out. I thought the album overall was very good, but nothing revelatory. I have plenty of 80s hard rock like this, including Rainbow themselves, so I'll take my profit. 

Metal Majesty - This is Not a Drill. 2004 Lion (Finland) (CD). Thrift shop find (Feb). From The Netherlands, Metal Majesty is essentially a solo project with additional drums. Imagine Queen as a light metal band. Usually I take a dim view of all-instruments-played-and-sung-by-one-guy albums, but this isn't so bad really. Objectively it's well done and thought out, but it's not for me.

Iron Mask - Hordes of the Brave. 2005 Lion (Finland) (CD). Thrift shop find (Feb). From Belgium and led by guitarist Dushan Petrossi. He's one of many European guitarists who mastered the instrument and can play faster than what seems possible. And he proves it over... and over... and over. The music is typical Euro Power Metal, with choruses, digital keyboard symphony orchestras, and a neoclassical styling (chromatic scales, man). Like a heavier and faster Blind Guardian. There are a couple of vocalists featured, one has a Bruce Dickinson fixation, the other James LaBrie. Hard to be too critical here, as this is a very professional release with good songwriting. I prefer my metal a bit more messy and unpredictable. I feel like I've heard this album before - many times in fact. 

---online (all Feb)

Chase - Evensong / Evermore Pt. II. 1983 Corduroy Mouse Wax. From the endless well that was the NWOBMH scene, Chase offer a more thoughtful romp with keyboards and thematic changes, straddling the line with both progressive rock and AOR. Chase has ties to Diamond Head and there are similarities to their respective sound.

x Aquilla - Rock the Night / Running Down. 1985 private. No idea where this is from. All potential, no delivery. Starts off great with a wonderful metal riff only to devolve into a boogie track complete with one note pounding piano. Hey - they're going to rock the night! pfft. B) side is better, high energy, but still average for the era. Keyboards are a nice touch. 2.5/3

x Mean Streak - I Don't Wanna Hear It / Reasons Rhyme. 198? Streak Records. Pittsburgh based group who more than likely named their band after the Y&T album of the same name. Musically similar in that radio friendly hard rock, light metal way. Keyboards on the B side were more than a welcome presence. Another mostly unknown 45. No RYM - so 3 stars here.

x Orlando – Future School / Lunacy. 1982 Futurock. From the Detroit area. A) side starts with a good hard rock guitar melody line. Vocals are higher pitched and sound very 80s - bridging the gap with new wave it would appear. Good fast soloing also recalling the decade. B) starts off even faster, some real guitar hero type playing. The music isn't really metal, but it has that attitude and the solos belong to that school. The solo on 'Lunacy' is nuts, something Malmsteen would bring to prominence a year later with Steeler. Very creative and pioneering piece of music. Well worth hearing. 3.5 / 4.5

---collection revisits

*Kyuss - Blues for the Red Sun. 1992 Dali (CD). Arguably the beginning of stoner rock as we know it. Some powerful moments and others that drag, typical of the style. But Kyuss were first, and for that alone, it's worth admiring and keeping. (May)

Behind the Curtain – Till Birth Do Us Part. 1999 Sensory (CD). Despite claims of being “avant garde”, I felt this band from Denmark fit more comfortably in the traditional prog metal areas of Dream Theater and Fates Warning. They have strange sound too, not particularly heavy, but certainly metal. This was to be their only album. (Jan)

* - Keeping for the collection; x- Not in RYM

2024 Fusion / Jazz Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

Atmospheres - Clive Stevens & Friends. 1974 Capitol (LP). Antique mall find (May). Imagine Mahavishnu Orchestra with a sax player. It's the latter that creates a bit of a wedge between me and this album. When in melodic mode, the album displays its talent. But there's a lot of skronk and squeak here that gives me a headache (literally). Borderline keeper, just a bit too much noise. 

*Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil. 1999 Blue Note (1966) (CD). This and the Dolphy came from a thrift shop find in the Kansas City area (Oct 2023) and just now getting to hear them (May). This is more my kind of jazz. In fact this is exactly the kind of jazz I want to be hearing at a dark lit Italian steakhouse. Highly melodic, rarely out of control. I get some of the same vibe that I do from Miles' Kind of Blue. Strangely I don't own too many albums like this, so I'm keeping this one.

Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch. 1999 Blue Note (1964) (CD). I really wanted to like this since everyone else seems to. Sometimes I think people feel obligated to like something, then write their justification as to why they agree. I can understand the allure for certain. A talented musician, a tortured soul who wasn't long for this world, releases an album that was radical for today much less the year I was born. Doesn't mean I find it enjoyable. Unfortunately. (May)

Julie London - Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast. 1967 Liberty (LP). The next four albums came from the Rocky Mountain Record show (Apr). I've had a few London albums come through here, but I never exhibited the patience to hear them, anxious to gain my profit. The $2 dealer at the show had a few, including a couple in incredible condition (usually her albums are fairly beat, especially the covers). So I grabbed those two, both new to me. Recently I went on about how much I enjoyed Helen Merrill's debut. London and Merrill were peers with the former being far more commercially successful. This is the well that Diana Krall drank from. As for this album, how about that title? Breathy and sensuous, London gives us 10 perfunctory songs that all pretty much sound the same. For 1967, this album was already out of date, though the culture that surrounded it lasted well into the 1970s. It was the wink-wink oversexual days when most men and women were abstinent against their will. Had this title come out in 1956, it would have been hubba hubba. The beginning years of Playboy and the like. By the free love years of the late 60s, it could only be considered quaint and charming. Ironically wholesome, when that wasn't its intent at all. I can pass on this title, but I'm sure there will be a couple in her canon I'll keep.

Hidehiko Matsumoto - The First by Sleepy. 1977 Toshiba (Japan) (LP). If I see a Japanese jazz album for less than $10, I'm buying it. This one was $5 from the show, so an easy decision. Pretty much a standard 50s / 60s styled jazz combo with Matsumoto playing sax with a little bit of flute. Nothing I need at this stage but a pleasant listen. Matsumoto's nickname, fwiw, was Sleepy. This title did come out in the US, but this is the Japanese original. (Apr)

Julie London - Sophisticated Lady. 1962 Liberty (LP). Another London from the two dollar bin at the RMRS. Perfect follow up to Motorhead. Heavy on the strings, this is music for the hotel lobby at some stuffy Gilded Age 1800s hotel in Manhattan. You can just smell the smoke coming through the restaurant while you fumble for change at the payphone. Call your boss - dialing fast, cutting your finger on the metal: "I just sold 300 boxes of saddle shoes to Miller - how fast can we ship? ... 3 months!!! That's not gonna work". Time for a mixed drink before heading home on the A Train. (Apr)

*Dave Valentin - Land of the Third Eye. 1980 Arista GRP (Japan) (LP). Late in my high school years, I used to go to sleep listening to our local jazz radio from North Texas State University (now known as University of North Texas). They're a very famous school for jazz and classical musicians. Their Lab Band is considered one of the best in the world and they have some sought after albums too. Most of the jazz the station played wasn't really to my taste, though hardly offensive. Good for the purpose of putting me to sleep. Even today, I prefer this music as background in restaurants, but not necessarily for sit down listening. One exception I recall was Dave Valentin. I've always enjoyed flute, and his infusion of Latin culture adds to the spice. Hard to miss this cover. I'm usually buying anything with an obi at $5 (same RMRS table), but this is one I didn't look up its value because I wanted to hear it regardless. I've seen Valentin's albums in the bins before, but this is my first try at hearing one. With a cover of two vixens on the front, I thought it might be a bit disco-y. But that title is certainly intriguing, as are some of the others. The opener 'Sidra's Dream' sold me right away, with a most engaging deep groove. 'Fantasy' is my favorite Earth Wind & Fire song, and I like Valentin's interpretation. I found all the tracks pleasant to very good, save A3 which was more commercial in nature. It is a flute jazz album - and after awhile, it's too much icing on the cake at once. I don't have too many albums like this, and A1 is brilliant, so I'll keep it. (Apr)

*Astrud Gilberto - Now. 1972 Perception (LP). From Dr. Boom in a large trade (Mar). What can I say? Astrud is my kind of girl. Her sweet vocal styling makes me melt. Usual mix of covers and originals along with Portuguese and English vocals. Easy listening Bossa Nova music as if we never left 1966. Fine with me. 

Donald Byrd - Thank You… For F.U.M.L (Funking Up My Life). 1978 Elektra (LP). Acquired for a buck at a shop in Pueblo (Feb). Speaking of desperation so as to stay in the game. Back cover gives the game away with Byrd looking ridiculous in his double breasted yacht captain suit. Long ways from the gritty aura of Ethiopian Nights, Black Byrd, and Street Lady. Of course it must be stated that Byrd wasn't above recent trends, and played right into the jazz funk movement of the early 70s. He just happened to be really good at it. And here he follows the style of the day: Disco. And to be fair, this is a decent attempt for relevancy. The final track 'Close Your Eyes and Look Within' offers promise that Byrd could have had another winner on his side. Too many strings, boring beats, and annoying vocals sink this title though. Feels like a contract obligation album for Byrd. 

---collection revisits

Fred – Live at the Bitter End. 2004 World in Sound (1974) (CD). High energy Mahavishnu inspired instrumental fusion. Violin leads galore with some good guitar thrown in. Decent non-soundboard live recording, though organ is completely flushed out and overall a bit tinny. (Feb)

*Catalyst - Perception. 2010 Porter (1973) (CD). Second album that is very similar to their first. Even copies the same track order flow of atonal versus melodic. Perception is a little bit more hard jazz mainly due to the title track being 14.5 minutes, and it gets a bit noisy. As such I rate the debut one point higher. If I had this on its own, I'd probably let it go (though I'd probably keep an original LP, there's a cool vibe here), but since the CD is attached to the first album, which I really enjoy, it's going nowhere. (Jan)

* - albums I kept for the collection