Recent Purchases

Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Special Edition - Rob Zombie: Sales must be slow for the original Hellbilly Deluxe 2 that came out in February. Rob repackaged the new CD adding 4 new mediocre songs plus a DVD with very limited videos of "behind the scenes stuff as well as a video of Alice Cooper's School's Out. 2 outta 5 stars.

Blood of Nations - Accept: Accept has reinvented themselves without singer Udo Dirkschneider and replacing him with former T.T. Quick singer Mark Tornillo. Accept doesn't miss a step here. In fact I'll say it's an upgrade at this point in their career. Some gems on the CD are The Abyss, Shades of Death, Time Machine, Kill the Pain and Pandemic 5 outta 5 stars.

War is the answer - Five Finger Death Punch: After catching FFDP at Mayhem Fest I decided to pick up War is the Answer. This is another CD worth the money. Hard to See, Bulletproof and No One Gets Left Behind are the gems here. They do a decent cover of Bad Company. Also Canto 34 shows off the bands instrumental talent. 4.5 outta 5 stars.

Painkiller - Judas Priest 3.5 outta 5 stars.

Marilyn Manson - Holy Wood 3 outta 5 stars.

I recently picked up Rolling Stone's THE BEATLES 100 GREATEST SONGS. I can't disagree with the top 10, however some of my personal favorites didn't crack the top 20. Although you will notice my list will be heavy John Lennon songs (favorite Beatle). Coming in at #1 for Rolling Stone was A Day In A LIfe. I would have it in my personal top 20. But Hey Jude and Let It Be...come on!...Let it be is horrible. I only have one Paul song coming in at 7.

Rolling Stone
1. A Day In A LIfe
2. I Want To Hold Your Hand
3. Strawberry Fields Forever
4. Yesterday
5. In My Life
6. Something
7. Hey Jude
8. Come Together
9. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

My List (RS)
1. Tomorrow Never Knows (18)
2. I Am The Walrus (33)
3. Nowhere Man (66)
4. Strawberry Fields Forever (3)
5. Ticket to Ride (17)
6. You're Going to Lose That Girl (27)
7. Eleanor Rigby (22)
8. Help! (15)
9. In My Life (5)
10 Across the Universe (84)

Tomorrow Never Knows, the last track on Revolver began the turn in their music. The song Lennon found his first true relief from the real world and the bands celebrity. It was the change from the Beatlemania Beatles into what I consider "real musicians/songwriters" Beatles. Before they were a pop band kicking out number one hits on the top 40 list. Rubber Soul started a small change in music and continued to Revolver.

Loser (John 5) - The First Time

Recent purchases 6/10

Here's some recent purchases. Some disappointing, some more than expected.
1. John 5 - The Art of Malice - 5 outta 5...This guy just keeps getting better and better. It's a front to back, every song's a good one.
2. Ozzy Osbourne - Scream - 2 outta 5...I will say this was a little disappointing. Ozzy himself didn't sound too confident in the release. I would have much more preferred a more Black Sabbath sound like the NIB release with Primus or Stillborn with Black Label Society. "Soul Sucka"....seriously???
3. Krokus - Hoodoo - 5 outta 5...this was a pleasant surprise. Hoodoo Woman and Born to be Wild are top tracks on this one.
4. Ratt - Infestation - 1 out of 5...Another disappointing outing. "More of the same" is all I have to say.
5. Scorpions - Sting in the Tail 2.5 outta 5...This is a repeat of their last album. The album starts out really good then drops off into a bunch of ballads trying to recreate Still Loving You. I much prefer the 70s Scorpions but overall this ok.
6. Hole - Nobody's Daughter 4 outta 5...call it Courtney's Comeback. She still sounds awesome and I highly recommend then new VH1 Classic's Behind The Music: Courtney Love. Skinny Little Bitch, Pacific Coast Highway are the top two on this one and a sad Letter to God.
7. Airboune - No Guts, No Glory - 2.5 outta 5. After their kick-ass debut five star Runnin' Wild, this album with 16 tracks is pretty much more of the same. I was hoping for something new and fresh.
8. The Lions - Let No One Fall - 5 outta 5. Here's a surprising fresh new "sleaze rock" band. Have a rough GnR sound. Although it's a 6 song EP, all six songs totally rock.

We will miss you Ronnie.

This week we lost one of Metal's most recognizable icons. A huge loss to the Metal genre. Metal fans from around the world will miss you.

Worth a Listen

Here's some new stuff I've been playing lately thats worth a listen.

1. Skinny Little Bitch - Hole - Courtney's comeback is on the right track. Heavy and basic.
2. Gimme Riot - Lions - This band out of Austin, Texas is hitting the big time over in Europe. Their 6 song EP Let No One Fall is now available here in the states and each song is as good as the first. Think Velvet Revolver
3. The Abyss - Accept - With new singer Mark Tornillo from the New Jersey local T.T. Quick sounds just as good as former Accept singer Udo. The Abyss is heavy and has some great riffs from Wolf Hoffman. Excited to hear the rest of the album.
4. Ghost - Slash/Ian Atsbury (The Cult) - This opening song off the new Slash album features Ian Atsbury from the Cult. This is probably one of the better songs on it.
5. We're all gonna die - Slash/Iggy Pop - Great song with a little punk.
6. Sting in the Tail - Scorpions - typical 80s scorpions sound
7. Poster Child - Lions - another great song off the 6 song Let No One Fall EP.

Today's Rant: Courtney's Comeback

Today I'm reading post bashing the new Hole song Skinny Little Bi$#@. Phrases like 90s rehash, give it up, druggie go away, and stuff like that. I'm here to say then someone STEP UP TO THE MIC! Where's the next great RocknRoll Beeatch then??? I hear names like Taylor Swift, Fergie, Lady Gaga, etc....WTF...but no new Rock Queens...It's ok if Axl Rose punches out a photographer. Nobody seemed to mind...except for the photographer. It's very "Rock"...Rock stars wouldn't be rock stars without the Sex, Drugs, RocknRoll and any other Mayhem they can get themselves into. So what if she's a addict I say. That's her life. She chose that life. All the greatest rock stars in music history were at one time an addict...including The Beatles. I for one like the song. It's brash, it's hard, and Courtney's voice sounds as good as ever. It could be worse but it isn't.

70s vs 80s/90s Scorpions

Something I'm figuring out now about the Scorpions was not a lot of people have heard the pre-1979 Scorpions. When you say Scorpions most people think Rock You Like a Hurricane, Still Loving You, Winds of Change, No One Like You, Tease Me, Please Me and others. I can remember like it was yesterday when my best friends uncle gave me his Best of Scorpions Vol 2. The funny thing was I was expecting those songs to be on there. But instead songs like Top of the Bill, Speedy's Coming and They Need a Million were the highlights from the 70s records. Long before Matthias Jabs, Rudy Schenker and Rock You Like an 80s Hair Metal Hurricane, there was Michael Schenker and Uli Jon Roth on Guitars. The first 5 albums I must say are old school Heavy Metal. Listen to early Judas Priest, old Black Sabbath, and the first 2 albums from Iron Maiden. Uli Jon Roth I must say is a underrated lead guitarist. Lonsome Crow (1972), Fly to the Rainbow (1974, Virgin Killer (1976) and Taken by Force (1977) are the just as much the roots of early metal. My personal favorite is Taken by Force. The last Uli Jon Roth Album. By the time Jabs joined the group and switching record labels to RCA, they became too commercial. To the point of get a song on the radio or MTV was more important the music itself. Love at First Sting was their first album success in the MTV era. Rock You Like a Hurricane was so overplayed and can't be taken serious as song. I understand hits means sales (money)...but isn't it supposed to be about the music. Any band member will tell you it's about the music. Why do you think all these old bands nowadays are going back their "meat and potatoes" sound that got them started?
Playlist:
1. Top of the Bill
2. The Sails of Charon
3. Steamrock Fever
4. Longing for Fire
5. They Need a Million
6. Your Light
These are 5 MUST in any Scorpions fan playlist.

video of the Week: Airbourne "Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast""

Worth a Listen

Here's a few tunes worth a listen.
1. Stillborn - Black Label Society (featuring Ozzy Osbourne)
What I like about this song is it's vintage Ozzy. It has a 1973 feel about it. Very dark and not too much production like the new Ozzy stuff. In fact Ozzy should go back to the basics. I know he's 60+ years old but Black Rain wasn't bad but like the previous albums was way over produced.
2. Gimme Riot - Lions
I got the single off of Classic Rock magazines free "One's to Watch in 2010". These boys from Austin, Texas are a cross between Velvet Revolver and AC/DC. The unfortunate thing is is the full 6 song EP Let No One Fall is a Import and is not on iTunes. You can listen to the rest of the killer EP at http://www.ilike.com/artist/Lions/album/Let+No+One+Fall.
3. Cold Hearted Man - AC/DC off of the new Backtracks: Studio Rarities
This is vintage Bon Scott. It sounds like it should have been on the Powerage Album.
4. Paraskavedekatriaphobia (Friday the 13th) - Fozzy
This is Wrestler Chris Jerico's Metal Band. His voice is actually pretty good although it sounds a bit like Ozzy.
5. Painkiller - Judas Priest
Great Album, Great heavy song.
6. mOBSCENE - Marilyn Manson
If you like heavy guitarist John 5 and Marilyn Manson, this is the song for you.

Video of the Week: AC/DC "Shot Down in Flames"

2010 Albums to look forward to.

1. Airbourne - No Guts, No Glory, April 20
2. Ratt - Infestation, April 20
3. John 5 - The Art of Malace, TBA
4. OZZY - TBA, TBA
5. Krokus - Hoodoo, May 25
6. Accept - TBA, TBA
7. Scorpions - Sting in the Tail, March 23
8. Linkin Park - TBA, TBA

video of the Week: Judas Priest "Painkiller"

Random Thoughts 02/10

1. New Rob Zombie HBD2 is a little disappointing. I would like to see John 5 show off a little more. Other than the single releases; What? and Sick Bubblegum, the album lacks in crunch.
2. What in the world is going on in the Aerosmith camp. A. Steven Tyler threatening a lawsuit. B. Joe saying Steven auditioned for Led Zeppelin. and lastly C. Joe saying they are considering a female replacement.
3. Anxious to hear the new Airbourne and Ratt (although early leaks of the new singles have been disappointing.)
4. Love the new Fozzy, wrestling's Chris Jericho's band.
5. Nothing against Zakk, but I'm excited to hear Gus G with Ozzy this summer. Look up Firewind on iTunes to hear Gus G on guitar. Think cross between EVH and heavy Steve Vai.
6. What happened to VH by the way. Where's the new album? Where's the "World Tour"?
7. I heard the new LIVE Satriani....too much echo in Paris.
8. Ace needs to come to Indy.
9. Tracii Guns needs to give up the band name.
10. The Grammy awards Best Hard Rock Performance for AC/DC's War Machine and Best Metal Performance for Judas Priest's Dissedent Aggressor is a joke. It was more a lifetime achievement award. They've had much better performances. The Grammy's are a joke. Just as the Rock n Roll Hall of Shame. Congrats otherwise.

Video of the Week: Rob Zombie "Sick Bubblegum"