"Made in America"Various Artists (M-Z)
"Made in America"Now this was a nice find! THREE essentials here: "What I Like About You" (which is on every 80's compilation known to mankind), "Bang the Drum All Day" (which is a bit rarer), and, most essentially, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" (QUITE rare to find on a non-country compilation! And speaking of which, am I the only person who thinks the devil's fiddle solo BLEW AWAY Johnny's?) Also of interest is the Eddie Money song (probably the best song he ever did), "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg (probably the only GOOD song he ever did), and a surprisingly good tune by Head East. The rest is, well, for the most part, country-flavored FM pop...or "Redneck Rock", if you like. :)
"Metal City"Seen this one kicking around the used bins for awhile, and finally picked it up when I realized it had two rare Venom songs ("7 Gates of Hell" & "Nightmare") on it. Not much to say about the other bands -- Warfare is a horrible Venom clone, Saracen is a generic, melodic NWOBHM/power metal band ("We Have Arrived" is a cool song, the other two suck), and Avenger is sort of a cross between the two. Oh well, it was only 99 cents, so I can live with it (...yeah, but would I toss a dollar bill down the sewer?? I think not...)
"The Metallic Era"Hey cool, a tribute album of old NWOBHM bands doing covers of Metallica songs...oh, wait a minute. Actually, these are the ORIGINAL VERSIONS of songs Metallica covered on their "Garage Days" albums, B-sides, etc. Of course, it's not entirely complete -- Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy" is missing, and so are the Misfits songs. Only reason I can think they were left off is that they couldn't get the rights to rerelease the songs, since there's at least 10 minutes of free space on this CD...
"Monsters of Rock"Yes, this is that 80s rock thing you've seen on TV, with that nerdy guy jumping out of the airplane... Well, 80s rock compilations are always tricky, because they *always* contain a bunch of songs I already have; heck, this one overlaps on EIGHT songs alone!!! "So," you ask, "what's the point of owning this one?" Well, I do believe I'm about to tell you. You see, I've always wanted to get "Turn Up the Radio" by that one-hit-wonder band Autograph -- "But wait!! That album's still in print, isn't it?" Hey, don't interrupt!! Yes, yes, Sign in Please is still available, but...BUT...that album has a *shortened* version of that song (at least the crappy vinyl did) whereas I prefered to find the radio single version which contains an extended intro. So I took a chance and ordered this one (no, not from TV, but through MusicBlvd [MAY THEY ROT IN HELL]), figuring if I was wrong, I'd just return it. To be honest, I thought I was gonna be screwed. But...rejoice! It *is* the extended version! Guess my karma isn't that fucked after all.
As for the rest, well, there's only 3 songs that really suck: Poison, of course, has never been capable of doing a song that doesn't make me retch (although, if they had used "Something to Believe In" instead, I'd feel less nauseous); Warrant's "Cherry Pie" is similarly putrid, and Alice Cooper proves that he hasn't been able to write a decent song since 1980. On the other hand, "Final Countdown" is one of my guilty faves (hey! stop that snickering!), and "Seventeen" is also pretty catchy, though hardly essential. All in all, it's not that bad a collection...I've looked at other 80s rock compilations, and it could have been a LOT worse, believe me!!!
Just a sampler CD a friend gave me, featuring many indistinguishable power metal bands. A couple songs here and there are okay (though I can hardly remember which ones); the rest is crap. Only good feature is that the CD comes in a plain plastic sleeve, which means it doesn't take up THAT much space on my wall...
"NASCAR on Fox: Crank it Up"This is the fourth NASCAR tie-in CD, but so far, it's the only one worth owning -- the first two contain nothing but country music, and the third one's marred by a remix version of Metallica's "Fuel" (which negates any chance of me purchasing it right there), plus a new version of Sammy Hagar's "I Can't Drive 65" (yes, he really did CHANGE THE LYRICS!!! And it sounds way stupider than you can imagine...) This one caught my eye, though, because of the huge number of cover songs; in fact, just a few days earlier I had been walking down Universal Citywalk and heard some hard rock version of "On the Road Again" blaring from one of the music stores! Other standout tracks include Slayer's version of "Born to be Wild" (the zillionth cover of that tune, I think), Type O Negative's ritualistic massacre of Deep Purple's "Highway Star", Darwin's totally unrecognizable cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car", Primus bassist Les Claypool's yee-haw rendition of the country standard "Hot Rod Lincoln" (which interpolates bits of "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver", though I'm still bemused that nobody did a full cover of that track); and perhaps the strangest cover song ever, Fenix*TX doing "Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car" by Billy Ocean. Oh yeah, we've got Fear Factory doing that Gary Numan song "Cars", originally released on their Obsolete CD -- and while I normally despise remixes, this mix is actually BETTER!!! You see, part of my aversion to remixes is that they thoroughly "deconstruct" the song, but in this case, all they did was remove the annoying BOINK sounds that sullied the original version. (Err, the original cover, that is.) The Machine Head remix also sounds quite good, in fact there was a Supercharger CD right next to this one at the store, I might have to go back and pick it up. (hed)p.e.'s version of Jimi Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic" is merely perfunctory (and I'm really getting annoyed with all these stupid-looking nu-metal band names, are all the good names really taken?) -- oh, and I realized too late that the Gov't. Mule song features James Hetfield on vocals, which technically puts this CD on the banned list...but I won't tell anyone if you won't. :)
"Necropolis Distribution Sampler Volume 11"Got this as a freebee from an order I placed with Cybertzara. Mostly gutter-thrash/grindcore metal, but there are a few unusual tracks here and there (especially the one by that French-sounding band.)
"Once Upon a Song"I get a kick out of watching those commercials for 70's & 80's compilations that they advertise on TV, since reading the track listing is akin to shopping for baseball trading cards ("Got it, got it, need it, got it, need it...") In fact, not long ago there was an ad for some 80's rock compilation where I owned EVERY SINGLE SONG they listed! But I digress...
Now, the problem with these 70's compilations is that they're always loaded down with PURE CRAP, with maybe one or two songs that I need but would only buy on a compilation. So it was kind of a shock to see an ad for this set, which contains no less than EIGHT bonafide classics: "American Pie", "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", "Spill the Wine", "Cat's in the Cradle", "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", "A Horse with No Name", "Me and Bobby McGee", and "A Boy Named Sue"!! That's a clearance level of nearly 25%, which is UNHEARD OF, and even though I already had most of these songs on mp3 (except "Devil", which I already owned on Made in America), I gladly spent $32 for this set.
Of course, the other songs are a mixed bag -- there's some good ones, like "Brandy", "Mama Told Me Not to Come", and "Proud Mary" (originally by Credence Clearwater Revival, of course), but dear God, most of the rest totally SUCK. But I guess that's what fast-forward buttons are for...and laugh if you must, but I really do get a kick out of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon", that song is just so GAY you can't help but like it. And the excreble "Seasons in the Sun" is rendered listenable when I sing along the words me & my friends came up with in fourth grade: "We had joy, we had fun, we went naked in the sun/But the cop used his gun, and he shot us in the buns...".
"The Ozzfest -- Live"You know, I really hate promotional CDs that are packaged as if they're some really cool live shit. Especially when it's a concert festival led by that fat, wife-beating, pigeon-chomping drunkard who said years and years ago he would never do another concert again! And I *really* hate these shitty CDs with supposedly cool "animated" covers...WHO CARES?!?!! In fact, I passed this one up several times, and finally bought it only because it was a mere $4.99 and I didn't want to end up kicking myself several years later for not getting that live Fear Factory song.
"Pathological Compilation"Ahh yes...the "Holy Grail" of my Need-It List, until now. In fact, when it came up on eBay, I was asking myself just HOW HIGH I would go, price-wise; luckily, I managed to get it for a mere $17 (well, more like $26 with postage, since the seller was from England.) What's funny, though, is that a few days later, some guy offered to sell me the CRAPPY VINYL for $150!!! I just HAD to laugh in his face...
So, what's the big deal? Well, it's got 2 exclusive Godflesh tracks, how's that for essential?? Plus there's an extended version of Carcass's "Genital Grinder", plus a few more obscure industrial & hardcore tunes. The songs by Coil, God, and Terminal Cheesecake are quite interesting, whereas the hardcore tunes by Stretch Heads and Silverfish pretty much suck. The most interesting song here, however, is the one by Napalm Death, which is done TOTAL industrial style...it doesn't even sound like them!!
"Requiem for the Americas: Songs from the Lost World"A new-age'ish album featuring a buttload of guest vocalists: Jon Anderson (Yes), John Waite (the Babys), Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran), and...Jim Morrison??? Now THAT'S quite a trick, getting him to recite some poetry on this album, some 18 years after he died!!!! Other guest musicians include Stewart Copeland (the Police), Grace Jones, and some more Duran Duran guys. Oh, apparently this CD is long out of print, so finding it for $1.99 was a nice score. :)
"The Roots of Rock: 80's New Wave"Oh man, this one's a REAL pisser. First of all, there's way too much overlap (Thomas Dolby, Tears for Fears, Dexy's Midnight Runners); and secondly, they mixed in regular singles with CRAPPY REMIX VERSIONS!! "Something About You" by Level 42, for instance, is a horrid extended remix version (and was one of the songs I bought it for, dammit!); "99 Luftballons" is the barf-eating ENGLISH version, and where in God's name did they dig up that putrid DISCO REMIX for "The Look of Love"?? On the other hand, the long version of Animotion's "Obsession" is very good, in fact a whole lot better than the short version that appears on 80's New Wave: New Wave Dance (which I bought on the same day, coincidentally); plus the Big Country song is the full-length album version, thankfully. It's also cool to get that Waitresses song, plus that Iggy Pop song (I guess); "A Town Called Malice" is also a nice jam...so to speak. :)
"The Show That Never Ends: The Best of Progressive Rock Live from the King Biscuit Vaults"Finally traded away my useless "Radio Ga Ga" 3-inch single for this sampler CD, comprised of selected tracks from various King Biscuit releases. Of course, my major interest here is the ELP tracks--however, they sound virtually identical to the tunes on Welcome Back My Friends..., so I don't think I'll be getting the King Biscuit CD. Dixie Dregs sounds like an odd combination between Genesis and the Allman Brothers Band (the only bit of their music I had heard before was Dream Theater's brief rendition of "Cruise Control".) Gentle Giant may have one of the coolest band names in progressive rock, but I was unimpressed with their sound, mostly because of the whiny-voiced lead singer. Rick Wakeman's selections (you know...that Yes guy) from his Six Wives of Henry VIII sound pretty trippy.
"Stairway to Heaven, Highway to Hell -- Make a Difference Foundation"This was the last crappy vinyl record I bought brand new (back in 1991 or so, can't remember exactly when...) Basically it's a bunch of modern bands doing covers of songs by artists who died of drug abuse: The Who, The Sex Pistols, The Who again, Jimi Hendrix, no idea, Thin Lizzy, no idea, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley, and Led Zep again. Not a bad piece of work (and an interesting concept to boot), even the songs by lame-ass bands Bon Jovi and Cinderella sound pretty good. "Purple Haze" is by far the best song here, and that's what prompted me to buy the album in the first place (I already had the Scorpions song on CD.) I'm not sure what Drum Madness or JAM are supposed to be, I think they are taken from a benefit concert where all the performing bands got together for the finale. (At any rate, Klaus Meine of the Scorps sings lead on "Hound Dog".)
"Sub Pop 200"Isn't it interesting what you can find looking through the used v/a bin! This lovely gem is basically a sampler CD of various underground grunge bands, released in 1988, when of course nobody outside Seattle knew that grunge existed. Of course, only 2 bands here went on to superstardom (gee, I wonder which ones??), and although Mudhoney & Screaming Trees have had varying degrees of success, I've never even HEARD of the others (..."Cat Butt"??? Hmm....)
"25 Very Rare Masters from the Sixties"Sometimes you can tell you are following "The Path" (in the Buddhist sense) when tiny chunks of gold like this fall out of the sky. It's kind of a long story (HA! like that's ever stopped me before...) but the gist of it is, I'd just finished talking with a psychic advisor that my stepmom kinda forced me to speak with (don't ask), and afterwards, drove out to Pasadena to visit my brother for lunch, since he's an "open-minded skeptic" and more up-to-date on "debunking" tactics than I am. We laughed over the notes I took down from this charlatan's feeble attempt at a reading (not only was she a fraud, she wasn't a very good one, either!) and on the way home, I hit the used CD stores out that way, which are normally too far to visit on a routine basis. Didn't find what I was looking for, but in the "various" section, THIS thingy suddenly leaped out at me. And what do I see...a Jethro Tull song ("Blues for the 18th") that I not only didn't have, but DIDN'T KNOW EXISTED!!! And since I've got every other song that Jethro Tull has sung, rapped, spoken, farted, etc. -- well, you can call it what you want, perhaps it was pure coincidence, or God smiling on me, or simply a glitch in The Matrix. :) In any case, it was definitely a fruitful excursion.
From what I can tell, this is a compilation of "rare masters" compiled by this producer guy named Derek Lawrence, who claims to be big in the 70's rock scene (I sure as hell never heard of him before.) But aside from the rare Ritchie Blackmore guitar pieces (that overrated guitarist from Deep Purple/Rainbow -- I know you already knew that but I had to work the links in somehow) and the Jethro "Toe" songs that were released as their first 45rpm single (and included on various box sets, so I already had them), there isn't much else here...everything else is a mishmash of 60's soul/gospel/blues that I have no special inclination towards, although "Bouncing Bass" is kinda neat. Indeed, I discovered later that the outside edge of the disc is SMOTHERED in circular scratches, so the last 1 or 2 tracks skip like mad...but heck, I don't even give a shit. (Maybe I should try that toothpaste trick...)
"Ultimate Revenge 2: Soundtrack" (live)Never been much into live thrash, especially live thrash compilations, but since the tracks by Forbidden & Dark Angel have been added to the Century Media reissues of Twisted into Form and Darkness Descends respectively, buying this original prevents me from being tempted into upgrading those CDs. :) The Wherehouse had a $4.99 sticker on it, but when the cashier rung it up, he said, "Oh, this one's been cut in price"...to 99 cents!! Pretty cool, huh? Especially since the eBay people are too stingy to go below 10 bucks...
"Virus 100"Apparently this is something of a tribute CD celebrating the 100th album released by Alternative Tentacles Records...yeah, yeah, yeah, who cares except for that IT'S GOT "NAZI PUNKS FUCK OFF" BY NAPALM DEATH!!!!!!!! The rest is mainly post-modern punk rock, with a couple totally crap hip-hop tracks ("California Uber Alles" and "Insight".) The two versions of "Let's Lynch the Landlord" sound COMPLETELY different -- FNM's version is a jazz/ska song (with a bass riff reminiscent of Deep Purple's "Black Night"), while L7 turns in a more straightforward rock version. "Holiday in Cambodia", of course, is the Dead Kennedys song, but this version sucks big time...check out Laaz Rockit's version instead!
(Note: I've been informed by a few people that these are ALL Dead Kennedys songs...which means, of course, this entry belongs in the tribute section. But I'm too lazy to fix it!)
"A Wake-Up Call for the '90s--Epic/Associated Hard Rock Sampler"I bought this from my brother for something like fifty cents. Except for the unreleased Prong song, there's nothing worthwhile here (besides songs that I already own on other CDs.) Okay, the Gothic Slam song is pretty cool too.
"WHITE: Nightmares in the End"--The End Records SamplerThis sampler came with my order from The End Records. I really hate when they do that, especially this one, which didn't even have a SLEEVE, just stuffed inside a big fat folded up piece of paper with some weird story shit on it! The music here ranges from Gothenberg-style thrash to orchestral black metal, not bad but nothing impressive.
"Wizard's Convention: The Deep Purple Family"
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Finding this CD was one of those strange bits of serendipity that happens every once in a while. It all started when a guy sent me email about this project from the 70's, featuring several members of Deep Purple plus a couple songs by Ronnie James Dio. Turns out it's pretty rare, so I tacked it on the end of my "Need It" list, never expecting to find it. Well, two days later, I wound up at the far end of the Valley at a CD store I rarely visit, and whaddaya know, there's the CD staring right at me. Weird!!
The music itself, however, turned out to be a disappointment. With a title like Wizard's Convention, I was expecting something progressive, or at least, you know, a little rockin'. Turns out it's all crappy Seventies pop music, mostly piano ballads, with most of the guest singers having nothing to do with Deep Purple at all! David Coverdale's contribution at least has a twinge of blues, but the R.J. Dio tracks don't sound like Dio at all, maybe he sang backup vocals or something. (Jon Lord's listed in the credits, but there's no indication of which songs he performs on.) Well, I guess it's a keeper anyway...
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