NOTE: In this post, Digital Streaming/Downloading applies to legal content people pay for. This isn't an argument about bands vs. online piracy, although if I get really bored/desperate I might voice my full opinion on that another month.
The year is 2014.
...Well, at the time of typing this up, it is.
For all I know, some lone survivor in the apocalyptic wasteland of New Korea has just picked up a cracked iPad with this blog post inexplicably on the screen.
If that is the case, hello survivor! Sorry 'bout the whole end of the world thing. Hang in there, K?
...where was I?
Oh yeah, music (or to the survivor, noise that isn't explosions or children screaming)!
So it's 2014 and the idea of having music streamed/downloaded to an electronic device of your choice is more commonplace than the knowledge of how to make music without said device to do all the legwork for you. Despite expensive licensing fees for iconic bands such as The Beatles or Led Zeppelin, they still appear in the iTunes library for you to access for less than £1 a song.
There are various articles online that discuss whether this is fair to the band, especially with subscription sites like Spotify that don't demand money to listen to each song and pay peanuts to the musicians. For this reason, there are many bands who disagree with these services using their music and, as a result, are absent from the online database.
These absent bands include Slade, Def Leppard, Scorpions and The Black Keys, although not all necessarily due to financial disagreements. Granted most people couldn't give half a fuck about Slade not being easily available (even though 1981's "Till Deaf Do Us Part" is one for all Hard Rock fans to check out, especially if they like Whitesnake and Motley Crue) but I know for a fact that all of these bands are capable of producing great material and would like the chance to listen to it via the most convenient medium.
I could always listen to scattered discographies on Grooveshark (a great and totally free music service that's perfect for locating more obscure tunes along with hits, if you're interested!) but I'm still intrigued to know what these bands have against services that the majority of existing musicians seem to have little to no problem with. It may have taken bands like AC/DC and Metallica a while to cooperate but in the end, they realised that it benefits a lot of people (presumably including themselves).
Nigel Godrich and Thom Yorke of Radiohead have gone on record as stating Spotify is bad for new musicians and is better for old bands who want people to hear their music again. Whilst Yorke may have a point about there being a better way to provide musicians with the money they deserve for their efforts, he seems to be missing the fact that musicians don't do what they do for themselves, unless they're Pop stars.
Yes, I'm speaking as a consumer but surely Spotify is primarily for consumers. It's allowing listeners to hear a wider selection of albums than they'd hear via radio or other methods. From that, they develop a taste for a band and decide to buy their albums or go to their concerts. I can't tell you how many albums I've bought as a result of listening to them first on Spotify or how many songs I've discovered through spending evenings digging through the plentiful selection of 70's and 80's Rock, an experience that's the closest to rooting through CDs at a second hand record shop most kids today will ever get to enjoy.
The Black Keys seem to have a similar stance, claiming that they haven't released all their albums on Spotify because they believe it's unfair to the artist but are open to it when a better deal comes along...in other words, they want more money. As for the older bands I mentioned, I have no idea why their albums aren't readily available, especially with Scorpions and Bob Seger who have a selective catalogue of live albums and a few studio ones available.
Maybe it's a region thing, as I know there are Americans who can't access albums in the UK/Europe versions of iTunes and Spotify, even though organisations who insist region blocks are necessary consist of nothing less than Fucking Cunts. However, the main point of this post is to decide whether or not one side is in the "right". Are the bands doing the right thing by saying their material shouldn't be available in digital format or are they being complete tools and inviting themselves open to piracy?
In my opinion, it's the latter all the way.
There are lots of things that piss me off but big bands getting high and mighty with their own material, making it harder for people to pay for their product and pretending that they're doing it for the greater good by depriving fans of their art? I see no flawless excuse for it. It's either greed, stupidity or misguided disdain.
I seem to recall Pink Floyd arguing that their music was designed to be listened to as a whole album, not as individual tracks to purchase whenever necessary. This would be a good argument if you never heard Pink Floyd songs as individual tracks on the radio. Clearly you CAN listen to songs on their own, so why stop people from buying the songs that they want?
Def Leppard have some of their recent live/re-recorded albums on Spotify and several studio ones available in America, despite being a British band. I doubt this applies to them but I know some bands get pissy about fans wanting their old material and not paying attention to the newer albums. Whilst this is an understandable irritation from an artist's perspective, they owe their own history more respect than they're giving it. Without their iconic albums and hit songs, it's doubtful that they'd ever be in a position to say "Hey, I've got a new solo Indie record out, go check it out BUT DON'T ASK ME ABOUT THE ALBUMS I RECORDED THAT MAKE YOU GIVE A SHIT ABOUT ME IN THE FIRST PLACE!"
Also, some of these big-headed Rock-divas need to get some fucking perspective. Do you think it's ever occurred to them that maybe, just maybe, their newer material isn't as good as their older classics? Songs become hits for a reason and if Robert Plant's new single doesn't reach the same level of acclaim that Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love or Immigrant Song received when they were released, surely that tells you something. Just because he's got a million dollar name doesn't mean he's entitled to have swarms of flies buzzing around every turd he craps out.
Then there's the Anti-Glee argument that Dave Grohl gave us a while back during one of his finer moments. Long story short, after Slash and Kings Of Leon said no to the dickbag in charge of Glee when asked for permission to use their songs, Dickback then went off on one and basically called them jerks for not allowing kids to hear their music. Dave Grohl then stepped in and said something along the lines of "not every band aspires to be in fucking Glee", followed by the Internet cheering in unison at this magnificent middle finger to someone who well and truly had it coming.
Well, the same argument could apply here. It's not compulsory for bands to give their music away and they should be well within their own right to say "You know what? No. I don't want my music on the same place as those other bands", so long as they're happy with the fact that people will pirate their music if they can't buy it. With most pirates, it's not a simple matter of laziness or being a cheap twat. People are happy to pay 99p for a song IF it's available. If the artist has made it difficult to access their song, people will turn to the next easiest method which is probably ripping it from Youtube or using some other site.
Now, if the artist is happy with that, then there's no problem. If they're happy to let their fans access their music for free in shitty quality because of their own beliefs against a service that seeks to provide art to those willing to pay a small fee, that's their prerogative. It's not one that I agree with but I'm not gonna protest it. I would argue that with Glee, it was a matter of taking a Rock song and turning it into a bland, soulless showtune sung by mediocre actors and drug abusers, whereas this is still their original song. I would argue that but it doesn't change the outcome.
What I will argue is a band claiming this when really they're against the service for a different reason are a band who need to sort their shit out. When a band claims they're doing it for "the smaller bands" when really they mean their own little solo project? When a band doesn't want people to buy songs individually because they want people to buy the more expensive album instead? That's when they need to pull their head out their arse and perhaps even release an album that has more than one or two worthwhile songs on it.
Another reason that I haven't mentioned is due to the record companies. A lot of bands have had to swap record labels and, as a result, haven't got a portion of their career on these sites due to the record industry that owns certain albums being wankers. I know it's easy to blame greed when it comes to record labels...so I'm gonna blame greed. Damn, that WAS easy!
Sometimes, it simply takes time to sort this issue out. Bands like The Eagles, Styx and Slayer have started off without notable albums on Spotify but over time, their back catalogue has been gradually added, presumably after the company earned enough money to meet the record label's demands. The last reason a band might disagree is because the band might have beef with someone who owns one of the organisations (see Black Keys again).
Again, can't blame them for not wanting to pay an arsehole but they seem to be forgetting that the service isn't meant for the arsehole. If Spotify's entire purpose was to let people make members of the band fellate the CEO by playing their music, that reluctance to cooperate would make more sense. It'd also see me single-handedly funding the company just by leaving Wheatus on repeat but that's not the point nor the purpose of Spotify. For the billionth time, and say it with me here folks, IT'S FOR THE CUSTOMERS!
The whole point of releasing albums is for people to listen to and enjoy or reflect upon. So you have to help fund a piece of shit, big deal! Everyone works for a knob at some point in their life. You can bitch about it and refuse to chip in to buy him a new private jet but at the end of the day, who are you hurting more? Some tosser who's already got enough money to hire footballers to fight to the death or the people who care about you enough to want to hear your work?
To recap, I can understand why a band or artist disagrees with iTunes, Amazon or Spotify (among other companies whom I've not bothered mentioning because nobody gives a shit about them; looking at you, Google Play) and appreciate some of their motivations towards keeping their music off those sites for now.
I don't fully agree with it and I'm sure there are other reasons I've missed that make a lot more sense than ones I've written about, but obviously I can't comment on them until I know what they are. If you have any opinions or better knowledge on this subject matter, feel free to educate me in the comment section.
In a perfect world, we'd be able to listen to any band we wanted to without ads, lag, region lock or DRM issues. I would've thought a paid subscription service like Spotify would help break down those barriers and allow people to enjoy the widest collection of music available in peace but between the CEOs or record companies demanding more cash for someone else's work and the tired artist angry at the percentage of profit they get relative to the number of times someone plays their new single, someone needs to back down for the people actually spending the money.
Sunday, 6 July 2014
Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Tenology: My Favourite Tracks From SSBB
Another Tenology post? Oh goody, more of my opinions!
It's OK though because this post isn't designed to be so...well, hostile. These aren't 10 things that annoy me or are gonna come with a rant. They're 10 musical tracks that I have arranged into a descending order of my favourites. Yep, this time it IS an appropriate use of "Top 10"...but I'm still calling it a Tenology because music and stuff.
So what's the topic?
VIDEO GAMES!
Yes, since it's the month of E3 (or rather WAS the month, since E3 finished about a week or so ago), I decided to look into video game music again. And no, I'm not gonna be as heavy with criticism as I was for my GTA post.
Since the highlight of E3 for many gamers was the new Smash Bros for WiiU and 3DS, I've decided to look at the last game in the series, Super Smash Bros Brawl for the Wii. It had hundreds of different songs covering Nintendo's sizable selection of games from the 80's to the 00's, all designed to be used as battle anthems for Nintendo's mascots and memorable characters to duke it out to.
Some tracks were taken straight from the games (such as the songs from Sonic The Hedgehog games) but a lot of them were fresh new re-imaginings of songs from old Nintendo titles. To make the choice easier for myself (since there are so many awesome tunes in that game!), I chose to only include newly recorded songs for this list. So no Sonic Boom or Douche-Man, although those would rank near the top if I could include them.
Right then, on with the list!
10. Go K.K. Rider! - Animal Crossing
Coming in at 10 is a heroic little number that features a singing dog in the middle and yes, I can sing along to his lyrics perfectly and there is no shame in that if you can too! Granted I've never played an Animal Crossing game so I know nothing about where this comes from but hey, doesn't stop me from liking it!
I shouldn't have to justify why I like any of these tunes but fuck it, I'll do it anyway. I love the general melody and for bonus points, it sounds like something epic that would play as someone flies into battle on a dragon..you know, until the dog starts singing.
9. Tetris Type A - Tetris
So how could they possibly make the iconic Tetris Type A theme any better? By injecting it with a touch of Russia, of course! Now it sounds like something that would play in a magnificent ballroom...you know, until the dog starts singing.
BUT WAIT! There is no dog! Only this delightfully kooky remix that has been set to play on a stage based around a haunted mansion. Very nice indeed!
8. World Map (Pikmin 2) - Pikmin
Based on what I'd heard, I didn't think it'd be possible to make fighting music from the Pikmin series...and for the most part, I was right. However, this tune works surprisingly well on the battlefield. The reason I like it? Probably the combination of string instruments and percussion throughout the track.
7. Boss Battle - Super Smash Bros. Melee
A remix of the Main Menu theme from the last Super Smash Bros game that also doubles up as an awesome tune for Boss battles. From the first few notes, I fell in love with this tune and despite hearing this tune several hundred times due to my continued efforts in Boss Battle mode on Intense difficulty (Again, fuck you, Porky!), I still haven't tired of hearing it.
6. White Land - F-Zero
To be honest, as a fan of Rock/Metal, most of the F-Zero tunes are awesome to me. I also like Shotgun Kiss and Fire Field but my Re-Records Only rule means White Land takes number 6 in my list. I don't know about you but I always like hearing electric guitars shredding away on a Nintendo game (one of the reasons I'm excited for Hyrule Warriors, coming out this year!) so combined with a fast tempo, this track is definitely one I love to hear...you know, until the dog starts singing....OK, I'll stop doing that now.
5. Flower Field - Yoshi
It's not a fighting tune, you're right there. However, it oozes cuteness, especially when you know it's a Yoshi tune. The Yoshi stage itself is pretty shit and the rest of the music isn't great BUT when I unlocked this song, I was playing on it all the time! Along with most of the other tracks on this list, it's also a decent improvement on the original track from the game it came from. In this case, Yoshi Touch & Go, I believe.
4. King K.Rool / Ship Deck 2 - Donkey Kong
Starts off as a jolly pirate shanty. Nice, nice. But wait, what's this? Keep listening, keep listening...
BOOM! HEADBANGER RIFF! MORE GUITAR!
Definitely one that kicks ass whilst you're kicking ass. Just a shame it feels quite short...and the stage it's isn't great either.
3. Song Of Storms - Legend Of Zelda
I'm a huge fan of Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time and quite frankly, I bet I could find 10 songs that would beat all of the ones mentioned so far in this list. However, this version of the classic "Windmill Hut" song with backing band and GUITARRRRRR definitely got me excited to play the game when I first heard it. The only reason it's not higher is because of the way it goes into Ganondorf's Castle...although the use of Serenade of Water at the end was very nice.
2. Corneria - StarFox
Another track on a mediocre stage that got me excited to play it once I unlocked it. Far more fun to fight to than the Space Armada or Star Wolf tunes and whilst it's not a straightforward improvement on the original Corneria tune (which I think has a better drum beat), it definitely earns its place in this list.
So what's at number one? Well, if you're reading this you've probably already read it due to scrolling too far. Hasn't helped that I made the letters for the song names big...but if you haven't read it, then iiiiiit's...
1. Ocarina Of Time Medley - Legend Of Zelda
Yeah, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's played SSBB because this medley is fucking perfect.
No, shut up, it's perfect. Not hearing anything else about it.
It can't be improved, it is 10/10.
Epic feel from the guitars and strings, excellent to fight to, fantastic combination of a variety of tunes from Ocarina of Time and the stage it's used on, whilst not a stage from Ocarina Of Time, is definitely one that has replay value for more purposes than just the song.
Oh, and those final dramatic notes! Have you ever landed a Falcon Punch on the last note? I have.
It's. Awesome.
So that's my Tenology for anyone who's into the Smash Bros series. Special thanks to GilvaSunner for providing most of these tunes without my permission, although I guess he uploaded them to Youtube without permission too so it evens out. He also has a load of other Nintendo soundtracks on his channel if you like video game music so definitely worth checking out!
What music has the new Smash Bros game got to offer? Well, based on the fansite that's collected songs used in various trailers for the game, it's already shaping up to be an exceptional musical offering. I'm already hyped for the Zelda, Mega-Man, Pokemon, Kid Icarus and Donkey Kong related music and that's only a fraction of the songs that'll make the final cut! WOOOO! Bring on the Smash!
It's OK though because this post isn't designed to be so...well, hostile. These aren't 10 things that annoy me or are gonna come with a rant. They're 10 musical tracks that I have arranged into a descending order of my favourites. Yep, this time it IS an appropriate use of "Top 10"...but I'm still calling it a Tenology because music and stuff.
So what's the topic?
VIDEO GAMES!
Yes, since it's the month of E3 (or rather WAS the month, since E3 finished about a week or so ago), I decided to look into video game music again. And no, I'm not gonna be as heavy with criticism as I was for my GTA post.
Since the highlight of E3 for many gamers was the new Smash Bros for WiiU and 3DS, I've decided to look at the last game in the series, Super Smash Bros Brawl for the Wii. It had hundreds of different songs covering Nintendo's sizable selection of games from the 80's to the 00's, all designed to be used as battle anthems for Nintendo's mascots and memorable characters to duke it out to.
Some tracks were taken straight from the games (such as the songs from Sonic The Hedgehog games) but a lot of them were fresh new re-imaginings of songs from old Nintendo titles. To make the choice easier for myself (since there are so many awesome tunes in that game!), I chose to only include newly recorded songs for this list. So no Sonic Boom or Douche-Man, although those would rank near the top if I could include them.
Right then, on with the list!
10. Go K.K. Rider! - Animal Crossing
"FREE BIIIIIIIRRD!!!"
Coming in at 10 is a heroic little number that features a singing dog in the middle and yes, I can sing along to his lyrics perfectly and there is no shame in that if you can too! Granted I've never played an Animal Crossing game so I know nothing about where this comes from but hey, doesn't stop me from liking it!
I shouldn't have to justify why I like any of these tunes but fuck it, I'll do it anyway. I love the general melody and for bonus points, it sounds like something epic that would play as someone flies into battle on a dragon..you know, until the dog starts singing.
9. Tetris Type A - Tetris
Come on, we all made a custom Tetris stage once we knew this song was in the game, right?
So how could they possibly make the iconic Tetris Type A theme any better? By injecting it with a touch of Russia, of course! Now it sounds like something that would play in a magnificent ballroom...you know, until the dog starts singing.
BUT WAIT! There is no dog! Only this delightfully kooky remix that has been set to play on a stage based around a haunted mansion. Very nice indeed!
8. World Map (Pikmin 2) - Pikmin
Yeah, sure, just fight on my head why don't you.
Based on what I'd heard, I didn't think it'd be possible to make fighting music from the Pikmin series...and for the most part, I was right. However, this tune works surprisingly well on the battlefield. The reason I like it? Probably the combination of string instruments and percussion throughout the track.
7. Boss Battle - Super Smash Bros. Melee
Fuck you, Porky!
A remix of the Main Menu theme from the last Super Smash Bros game that also doubles up as an awesome tune for Boss battles. From the first few notes, I fell in love with this tune and despite hearing this tune several hundred times due to my continued efforts in Boss Battle mode on Intense difficulty (Again, fuck you, Porky!), I still haven't tired of hearing it.
6. White Land - F-Zero
"Shit, jumpjumpjumpjumpjumpjumpFUCK, too late!"
To be honest, as a fan of Rock/Metal, most of the F-Zero tunes are awesome to me. I also like Shotgun Kiss and Fire Field but my Re-Records Only rule means White Land takes number 6 in my list. I don't know about you but I always like hearing electric guitars shredding away on a Nintendo game (one of the reasons I'm excited for Hyrule Warriors, coming out this year!) so combined with a fast tempo, this track is definitely one I love to hear...you know, until the dog starts singing....OK, I'll stop doing that now.
5. Flower Field - Yoshi
Seasons changing was pretty and all but it's not like it actually did anything significant...other than be pretty, of course
It's not a fighting tune, you're right there. However, it oozes cuteness, especially when you know it's a Yoshi tune. The Yoshi stage itself is pretty shit and the rest of the music isn't great BUT when I unlocked this song, I was playing on it all the time! Along with most of the other tracks on this list, it's also a decent improvement on the original track from the game it came from. In this case, Yoshi Touch & Go, I believe.
4. King K.Rool / Ship Deck 2 - Donkey Kong
What is it with Donkey Kong stages and them always being more deadly than they appear?
Starts off as a jolly pirate shanty. Nice, nice. But wait, what's this? Keep listening, keep listening...
BOOM! HEADBANGER RIFF! MORE GUITAR!
Definitely one that kicks ass whilst you're kicking ass. Just a shame it feels quite short...and the stage it's isn't great either.
3. Song Of Storms - Legend Of Zelda
There's a special place in Hell for whoever added that fucking cannon to this stage
I'm a huge fan of Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time and quite frankly, I bet I could find 10 songs that would beat all of the ones mentioned so far in this list. However, this version of the classic "Windmill Hut" song with backing band and GUITARRRRRR definitely got me excited to play the game when I first heard it. The only reason it's not higher is because of the way it goes into Ganondorf's Castle...although the use of Serenade of Water at the end was very nice.
2. Corneria - StarFox
See, if this stage had gravity effects to match the space travel, THEN it might have been better!
Another track on a mediocre stage that got me excited to play it once I unlocked it. Far more fun to fight to than the Space Armada or Star Wolf tunes and whilst it's not a straightforward improvement on the original Corneria tune (which I think has a better drum beat), it definitely earns its place in this list.
So what's at number one? Well, if you're reading this you've probably already read it due to scrolling too far. Hasn't helped that I made the letters for the song names big...but if you haven't read it, then iiiiiit's...
1. Ocarina Of Time Medley - Legend Of Zelda
Been a while since I played LoZ:TP but surely there was a better stage idea than just flat and, every now & then, a big hole?
Yeah, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's played SSBB because this medley is fucking perfect.
No, shut up, it's perfect. Not hearing anything else about it.
It can't be improved, it is 10/10.
Epic feel from the guitars and strings, excellent to fight to, fantastic combination of a variety of tunes from Ocarina of Time and the stage it's used on, whilst not a stage from Ocarina Of Time, is definitely one that has replay value for more purposes than just the song.
Oh, and those final dramatic notes! Have you ever landed a Falcon Punch on the last note? I have.
It's. Awesome.
So that's my Tenology for anyone who's into the Smash Bros series. Special thanks to GilvaSunner for providing most of these tunes without my permission, although I guess he uploaded them to Youtube without permission too so it evens out. He also has a load of other Nintendo soundtracks on his channel if you like video game music so definitely worth checking out!
What music has the new Smash Bros game got to offer? Well, based on the fansite that's collected songs used in various trailers for the game, it's already shaping up to be an exceptional musical offering. I'm already hyped for the Zelda, Mega-Man, Pokemon, Kid Icarus and Donkey Kong related music and that's only a fraction of the songs that'll make the final cut! WOOOO! Bring on the Smash!
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
Tenology: Overrated Trends of Rock
Firstly, I apologise to anyone who thought this site would be a place for regular music reviews (myself included). Truth is I haven't felt the passion to write a review in months and the way I see it, there's no point in doing something recreational if you have no desire to do it. I do, however, still love to write and definitely feel no absence in passion for opinion pieces such as these.
What does that say about me as a person?
I'll leave that to your interpretation!
Anyway, as you may have guessed, this is a Top 10 piece...with a slight difference. When it comes to opinion articles that are solely your beliefs, e.g. My Top 10 Favourite Iron Maiden Albums, then I guess the term makes sense. However, when you're writing a general piece that is supposed to be about the opinion of everyone reading, e.g. Top 10 Guitar Solos, then you're using the term incorrectly.
What may be an amazing solo to the person writing the list could be nothing but shite to many of the people reading it, so can it really be called a "top" solo? Hence why I am not calling this "Top 10 Overrated Trends of Rock". I'm simply saying that IN MY OPINION, these are 10 things about Rock (and Metal) that are highly overrated and may have been impressive at the time but don't really deserve the same appreciation as they received decades ago. Not that they're bad, just that they're not as amazing as everyone seems to make out they are and some of them bug the shit out of me.
So, time to get this list started off. Also, these are in no particular order. They're just 10 things I've plucked from my brain that I believe are highly overrated in the world of Rock. This also means that getting offended by what I write because you simply disagree with me kinda makes you a bit of a pussy:
1. RE-RELEASED ALBUMS
This may be a good idea for lesser known albums from great bands but ever since digital streaming and downloading services allowed anyone with a laptop and WiFi connection to access entire discographies of bands dating back as far as the 60's, what's the point? Sure, Judas Priest released 30th anniversary albums with cooler covers but the material's still the same as what's already available, aside from a few live versions that are often inferior to the studio ones anyway.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, re-released albums should contain at least 2 discs. One with the original album on it (and any live tracks they wanna throw in) and one with all the songs rerecorded by the band, so that new band members have a chance to play older songs and old members get to relearn/rewrite tunes they haven't played in decades.
I would love to hear studio versions of Iron Maiden songs from 1980-81 but with Bruce, Nicko, Janick & (on some of them) Adrian involved and may even pay money for them! Plus, whilst the original will always be "best" in some aspects, bands have proven that it is possible to rerecord or replay material and vastly improve it (see "The Fly" - U2 or my review of Saxon's Unplugged And Strung-Up), be it with different band members, modern recording technology or just trying something new.
2. HIDDEN TRACKS
OK, I've got a feeling most people will agree with me here but these just plain suck. They're clearly made for a time before you could download songs individually or have the entire contents of an album on display to observe. But putting that aside, which prick thought hidden tracks were a good idea in the first place?
"I know, let's put some shitty filler track we couldn't be bothered to include with the rest of the songs right at the end after nine minutes of silence for people to discover after forgetting to turn their CD player off!"
There's no real purpose to it other than dicking with people who actually paid for your album by making it harder to enjoy your material. Good going, dipshits. Thank fuck this trend slowly died down in the early 2000's and anyone still doing it today should be considered legally retarded.
3. LYRICS ABOUT WAR
Oh no, countries are hate-mongering, tax dollars are funding power-hungry warlords, the youth of today are being slaughtered on an emotional battlefield! Isn't war a load of cock?
YES! We get it! It's bad! But there are only so many times you can sing about it before it starts to feel a bit pointless. You know those wankers who go overboard in trying to prove they're not racist only to make it sound like they're definitely a racist?
"I have a friend named Curtis and I love Mexican food and I read anime and my neighbour is Muslim and I'm cool with that even when he wears a backpack because I'm totally not a racist! But don't take my word for it, here are a list of black people I've shaken hands with!"
Yeah well if you're making money off songs about bastards who make money out of war, surely you must see a little bit of irony there. Granted there are some belting songs about war but come on, this isn't college English Lit. Lay off the war stuff for a bit, at least until you have something to say other than "War can balls".
4. "DON'T STOP BELIEVING"
Some of you will probably argue "It's not a bad song, it's just a shame Glee ruined it". Yes, you're right. Glee took this song and spit-roasted it on a twinkly stage with cheap, soulless vocals and a kid in a wheelchair playing the guitar like it was the single greatest frigging sight you could ever witness. However, you can't deny that this song is overrated as fuck.
It's likable due to the cheese-factor but other than a few fancy solos and Steve Perry's fine vocal work, it's a pretty mediocre tune. It's definitely no "Stone In Love" or "Keep On Runnin", two tracks from the same album that have more or less been doomed to lesser popularity for the rest of time thanks to that one fucking song.
Alright, this isn't the only song that's overrated based on personal tastes. Personally, I think "Bohemian Rhapsody" isn't worth the effort of listening to it until Brian May wakes up and I would rather stare at the album cover of Hotel California in silence for the duration of the song than hear the title track itself but I'm certain that this song is easily the one that people can agree on being highly overrated.
5. 8 MINUTE PROG-METAL MASTERPIECES
This one is definitely more my opinion than the general consensus. Some metalheads love long tracks with 2 minute solos whereas I get bored by the majority of them. Don't get me wrong, I love some longer songs. "Dream Of Mirrors" - Iron Maiden clocks in at over 9 minutes and that's one of my favourites from the Brave New World album.
Plus Metallica have a selection of top notch tracks ranging between 7-9 minutes across their numerous albums but I really wouldn't call the longer songs of either band the best. It may be the best on the album but there's no way in Hell that "Paschendale" is one of Iron Maiden's top songs and there's undoubtedly no way that longer, more progressive tunes like "Orion" or "The Day That Never Comes" are examples of Metallica at their best...unless you count the bass on "Orion" but that's a different argument.
My point is unless they're a Prog Rock/Metal band like Dream Theater then chances are their long winded musical odysseys are more for the "serious" listener who is quite happy to mentally drift off mid-song. Me? I'd much rather keep the song between 4-7 minutes so that there isn't a lull and I slowly lose interest over repeated listens.
6. BRITPOP
OK, I think the song is alright. It's worth listening to just once if only for the chorus and there isn't a single instrument that's played badly but I cannot for the fucking life of me understand why so many people seem to agree the solo in this song belongs anywhere near the likes of "Free Bird" or "Stairway To Heaven".
It's alright. That's it. It's not crap but, to me, it's pretty damn forgettable and nothing about it really stands out for any reason other than "According to the Internet, I'm supposed to cream myself every time I hear this solo".
Oh, and it fades out. Double fucking whammy!
Of course some are gonna find this solo to be amazing and most probably feel the same confusion about why "Stairway To Heaven" is regarded as an iconic track with a phenomenal solo. In fact, don't let on but I kind of agree with them, but that's not why you're still reading. I can understand why bands I don't like are popular. I get the appeal of Bruce Springsteen despite what I said above but I genuinely can't compute why of all songs, this one appears on every generic Top 10 guitar solo list made by man.
10. RANDY RHOADS
I think before I continue, I should say a few words of remembrance about the talent lost not long ago.
So long every metalhead who quit out of this blog post in anger.
We will remember you.
Anyway, why do I think RR is overrated? Because every fucker who wears denim and leather talks about this guy as if his shit doesn't stink. Credit where due, his riff work is pretty damn tight. "Flying High Again" and "I Don't Know" definitely prove he's locked that particular ability down.
But then you've got songs like "Crazy Train" and...well, "Flying High Again" where the solo damn near lets the whole thing down. As a music critic for Rolling Stone once said, he's "a junior-league Eddie Van Halen - bustling with chops but somewhat short on imagination". He might be able to tap like a pro but the noises coming from his vicious string pounding sound bland and hollow, like he's only tapping because he can rather than his tapping adds anything good to the song.
Compare "Crazy Train" to "Bark At The Moon". Both have different guitarists but also similar riffs. However, whereas the solo in "Crazy Train" starts and just about finishes as a clusterfuck of tapping, the "Bark At The Moon" solo actually builds and sounds fucking awesome, not to mention the outro solo too! How does "Crazy Train" end?
Oh, it fades out. What a surprise.
What's that? I can't judge a man's skill based on one example? Good point, let's compare 2 others.
"Mr Crowley" and "Centre Of Eternity".
Well, the riff in "Centre Of Eternity" wins this one hands down but...OK, "Mr Crowley" has a kickass pair of solos...that fade out. Oh dear. Meanwhile, "Centre Of Eternity" has just the one awesome solo but at least the song ends properly.
So in conclusion, I don't think he's a bad guitarist. He proved he had the ability to write amazing riffs and had the occasional success with a solo but I'm still not sold on this "Randy Rhoads Is God" idea that exists in the metalhead hive-mind.
So that's that. Ten things about Rock/Metal that I believe are no longer worth all the hype or have never been worth it in the first place.
Have you got personal peeves about overrated Rock trends/tropes? Share in the comments and let me know what irks you about musical mediocrity. Also, feel free to educate me if I've made any glaring errors about songs/genres/artists that desperately need to be sorted out. As far as I know, my opinions are solid although if a couple are a bit wobbly, I have no problem rebuilding them with the right materials.
What does that say about me as a person?
I'll leave that to your interpretation!
Anyway, as you may have guessed, this is a Top 10 piece...with a slight difference. When it comes to opinion articles that are solely your beliefs, e.g. My Top 10 Favourite Iron Maiden Albums, then I guess the term makes sense. However, when you're writing a general piece that is supposed to be about the opinion of everyone reading, e.g. Top 10 Guitar Solos, then you're using the term incorrectly.
What may be an amazing solo to the person writing the list could be nothing but shite to many of the people reading it, so can it really be called a "top" solo? Hence why I am not calling this "Top 10 Overrated Trends of Rock". I'm simply saying that IN MY OPINION, these are 10 things about Rock (and Metal) that are highly overrated and may have been impressive at the time but don't really deserve the same appreciation as they received decades ago. Not that they're bad, just that they're not as amazing as everyone seems to make out they are and some of them bug the shit out of me.
So, time to get this list started off. Also, these are in no particular order. They're just 10 things I've plucked from my brain that I believe are highly overrated in the world of Rock. This also means that getting offended by what I write because you simply disagree with me kinda makes you a bit of a pussy:
1. RE-RELEASED ALBUMS
Why the hell don't you already own most of the tracks on this album anyway?!!
This may be a good idea for lesser known albums from great bands but ever since digital streaming and downloading services allowed anyone with a laptop and WiFi connection to access entire discographies of bands dating back as far as the 60's, what's the point? Sure, Judas Priest released 30th anniversary albums with cooler covers but the material's still the same as what's already available, aside from a few live versions that are often inferior to the studio ones anyway.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, re-released albums should contain at least 2 discs. One with the original album on it (and any live tracks they wanna throw in) and one with all the songs rerecorded by the band, so that new band members have a chance to play older songs and old members get to relearn/rewrite tunes they haven't played in decades.
I would love to hear studio versions of Iron Maiden songs from 1980-81 but with Bruce, Nicko, Janick & (on some of them) Adrian involved and may even pay money for them! Plus, whilst the original will always be "best" in some aspects, bands have proven that it is possible to rerecord or replay material and vastly improve it (see "The Fly" - U2 or my review of Saxon's Unplugged And Strung-Up), be it with different band members, modern recording technology or just trying something new.
2. HIDDEN TRACKS
Why, boys, WHY?!
OK, I've got a feeling most people will agree with me here but these just plain suck. They're clearly made for a time before you could download songs individually or have the entire contents of an album on display to observe. But putting that aside, which prick thought hidden tracks were a good idea in the first place?
"I know, let's put some shitty filler track we couldn't be bothered to include with the rest of the songs right at the end after nine minutes of silence for people to discover after forgetting to turn their CD player off!"
There's no real purpose to it other than dicking with people who actually paid for your album by making it harder to enjoy your material. Good going, dipshits. Thank fuck this trend slowly died down in the early 2000's and anyone still doing it today should be considered legally retarded.
3. LYRICS ABOUT WAR
You guys are awesome beyond words but unfortunately not exempt from the following
Oh no, countries are hate-mongering, tax dollars are funding power-hungry warlords, the youth of today are being slaughtered on an emotional battlefield! Isn't war a load of cock?
YES! We get it! It's bad! But there are only so many times you can sing about it before it starts to feel a bit pointless. You know those wankers who go overboard in trying to prove they're not racist only to make it sound like they're definitely a racist?
"I have a friend named Curtis and I love Mexican food and I read anime and my neighbour is Muslim and I'm cool with that even when he wears a backpack because I'm totally not a racist! But don't take my word for it, here are a list of black people I've shaken hands with!"
Yeah well if you're making money off songs about bastards who make money out of war, surely you must see a little bit of irony there. Granted there are some belting songs about war but come on, this isn't college English Lit. Lay off the war stuff for a bit, at least until you have something to say other than "War can balls".
4. "DON'T STOP BELIEVING"
So...many...better...songs
Some of you will probably argue "It's not a bad song, it's just a shame Glee ruined it". Yes, you're right. Glee took this song and spit-roasted it on a twinkly stage with cheap, soulless vocals and a kid in a wheelchair playing the guitar like it was the single greatest frigging sight you could ever witness. However, you can't deny that this song is overrated as fuck.
It's likable due to the cheese-factor but other than a few fancy solos and Steve Perry's fine vocal work, it's a pretty mediocre tune. It's definitely no "Stone In Love" or "Keep On Runnin", two tracks from the same album that have more or less been doomed to lesser popularity for the rest of time thanks to that one fucking song.
Alright, this isn't the only song that's overrated based on personal tastes. Personally, I think "Bohemian Rhapsody" isn't worth the effort of listening to it until Brian May wakes up and I would rather stare at the album cover of Hotel California in silence for the duration of the song than hear the title track itself but I'm certain that this song is easily the one that people can agree on being highly overrated.
5. 8 MINUTE PROG-METAL MASTERPIECES
"This is a song based on a 900 page novel. Buckle up"
This one is definitely more my opinion than the general consensus. Some metalheads love long tracks with 2 minute solos whereas I get bored by the majority of them. Don't get me wrong, I love some longer songs. "Dream Of Mirrors" - Iron Maiden clocks in at over 9 minutes and that's one of my favourites from the Brave New World album.
Plus Metallica have a selection of top notch tracks ranging between 7-9 minutes across their numerous albums but I really wouldn't call the longer songs of either band the best. It may be the best on the album but there's no way in Hell that "Paschendale" is one of Iron Maiden's top songs and there's undoubtedly no way that longer, more progressive tunes like "Orion" or "The Day That Never Comes" are examples of Metallica at their best...unless you count the bass on "Orion" but that's a different argument.
My point is unless they're a Prog Rock/Metal band like Dream Theater then chances are their long winded musical odysseys are more for the "serious" listener who is quite happy to mentally drift off mid-song. Me? I'd much rather keep the song between 4-7 minutes so that there isn't a lull and I slowly lose interest over repeated listens.
6. BRITPOP
John, Paul, Ringo and George
I like some Britpop songs. Oasis have a cracking crop of them, as do bands like Blur and Supergrass. However, for a subgenre that only really stayed in the mainstream for about 2 years before everyone lost interest in Mancunian twangy vocals and floppy hair, people seem to treat it like it was in any way revolutionary.
Maybe I'm hearing a lot about it because I live in the UK but then why did I have to discover NWOBHM on my own without the help of TV and radio? That lasted roughly the same period of time and ended up giving the world The Big Four! What did Britpop's legacy give us? Bands like Razorlight and The Strokes. Wow, thanks! Hope we kept a fucking receipt.
I know I'm being flippant and Britpop was mostly a reaction to the depressing sound of Grunge that took off due to its radio-friendly and likable sound but I would say this genre is about the equivalent of a Rick Springfield Greatest Hits CD. You might enjoy the first couple of well known tracks but after that, you find yourself thinking "Why the shit does this exist?" Actually, that's quite a bad analogy for me because I hate "Jessie's Girl" so much that if she was an actual person, I would honestly enjoy the sight of them getting headbutted.
7. SONGS THAT FADE OUT DURING A GUITAR SOLO
Turn that feckin' knob back up to 11, mister!
As suggested by the image, Tom Petty is one of the main offenders, although Lynyrd Skynyrd have done it far too many times as well. Fact is though I've never listened to a song that fades out on a solo and thought "Well, I'm glad it's ending there!" It's no secret that I play Guitar Hero and Rock Band and ever since they started to only use master recordings, I've learned that some songs we'd otherwise accept as ones that are supposed to fade out actually sound way better with their natural ending.
"Rockin In The Free World" - Neil Young has a sweet big finish that works far better than a fade and if you listen closely to "Born To Be Wild" - Steppenwolf, you can hear the beginning of a solo just as the song closes. Now I know these aren't strictly "overrated" as I doubt anyone out there is raving about songs that fade out during one of the defining elements of a good Rock song and yet, clearly they're popular enough for musicians to keep doing it.
So that goes for Rock and Metal. In fact, ESPECIALLY Metal! Metal songs shouldn't fade out at all! They should have a final note that brings the song to a powerful close. If you're a Metal band and you've faded out one of your songs, you're either a) Not really bothered about the song, b) Trying to make it sound ominous instead of good or c) Trying to get it to be a hit so it'll get plenty of TV or radio airplay, giving the host time to switch tracks...you know, back when they had to do more than press the 'Enter' key.
8. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Born to run away as fast as you fucking can
Yeah, I don't like Bruce Springsteen. I hate "Born To Run", "Dancing In The Dark", "The River", all those tunes that you'll find on a dickhead's iPod or a piss poor playlist. His voice is like someone gave Bob Dylan one of those voice modulators criminals use to hide their identity over the phone and his music can only be described as Bubblegum Hard Rock.
I literally have no idea how he earned the title 'The Boss'. Did they mean it in the same way you would in video games? He's a strong enemy you have to struggle through to move onto something better? The one song he does that I actually quite like is "Radio Nowhere" and even that's a shameless rip-off of "867-5309/Jenny" - Tommy Tutone. If someone told me tomorrow that they'd cast a magic spell ensuring that I'd never hear another Bruce Springsteen song again in my entire life, I probably wouldn't give a crap and if you thought about it hard enough, chances are neither would you.
I literally have no idea how he earned the title 'The Boss'. Did they mean it in the same way you would in video games? He's a strong enemy you have to struggle through to move onto something better? The one song he does that I actually quite like is "Radio Nowhere" and even that's a shameless rip-off of "867-5309/Jenny" - Tommy Tutone. If someone told me tomorrow that they'd cast a magic spell ensuring that I'd never hear another Bruce Springsteen song again in my entire life, I probably wouldn't give a crap and if you thought about it hard enough, chances are neither would you.
9. "COMFORTABLY NUMB" GUITAR SOLOS
[PROCEED TO BANG HEAD REPEATEDLY ABOVE]
OK, I think the song is alright. It's worth listening to just once if only for the chorus and there isn't a single instrument that's played badly but I cannot for the fucking life of me understand why so many people seem to agree the solo in this song belongs anywhere near the likes of "Free Bird" or "Stairway To Heaven".
It's alright. That's it. It's not crap but, to me, it's pretty damn forgettable and nothing about it really stands out for any reason other than "According to the Internet, I'm supposed to cream myself every time I hear this solo".
Oh, and it fades out. Double fucking whammy!
Of course some are gonna find this solo to be amazing and most probably feel the same confusion about why "Stairway To Heaven" is regarded as an iconic track with a phenomenal solo. In fact, don't let on but I kind of agree with them, but that's not why you're still reading. I can understand why bands I don't like are popular. I get the appeal of Bruce Springsteen despite what I said above but I genuinely can't compute why of all songs, this one appears on every generic Top 10 guitar solo list made by man.
10. RANDY RHOADS
"WABLILBABBILABILABILAL"
I think before I continue, I should say a few words of remembrance about the talent lost not long ago.
So long every metalhead who quit out of this blog post in anger.
We will remember you.
Anyway, why do I think RR is overrated? Because every fucker who wears denim and leather talks about this guy as if his shit doesn't stink. Credit where due, his riff work is pretty damn tight. "Flying High Again" and "I Don't Know" definitely prove he's locked that particular ability down.
But then you've got songs like "Crazy Train" and...well, "Flying High Again" where the solo damn near lets the whole thing down. As a music critic for Rolling Stone once said, he's "a junior-league Eddie Van Halen - bustling with chops but somewhat short on imagination". He might be able to tap like a pro but the noises coming from his vicious string pounding sound bland and hollow, like he's only tapping because he can rather than his tapping adds anything good to the song.
Compare "Crazy Train" to "Bark At The Moon". Both have different guitarists but also similar riffs. However, whereas the solo in "Crazy Train" starts and just about finishes as a clusterfuck of tapping, the "Bark At The Moon" solo actually builds and sounds fucking awesome, not to mention the outro solo too! How does "Crazy Train" end?
Oh, it fades out. What a surprise.
What's that? I can't judge a man's skill based on one example? Good point, let's compare 2 others.
"Mr Crowley" and "Centre Of Eternity".
Well, the riff in "Centre Of Eternity" wins this one hands down but...OK, "Mr Crowley" has a kickass pair of solos...that fade out. Oh dear. Meanwhile, "Centre Of Eternity" has just the one awesome solo but at least the song ends properly.
So in conclusion, I don't think he's a bad guitarist. He proved he had the ability to write amazing riffs and had the occasional success with a solo but I'm still not sold on this "Randy Rhoads Is God" idea that exists in the metalhead hive-mind.
So that's that. Ten things about Rock/Metal that I believe are no longer worth all the hype or have never been worth it in the first place.
Have you got personal peeves about overrated Rock trends/tropes? Share in the comments and let me know what irks you about musical mediocrity. Also, feel free to educate me if I've made any glaring errors about songs/genres/artists that desperately need to be sorted out. As far as I know, my opinions are solid although if a couple are a bit wobbly, I have no problem rebuilding them with the right materials.
Tuesday, 29 April 2014
Grand Theft Auto V: Where Rock Went Wrong
I like the Grand Theft Auto series for many reasons.
Not just because the missions are usually very fun and the controls are incredibly easy to get the hang of, or anything related to the plots within the game (which, let's face it, are the weakest parts of not just GTA but RockStar games in general, although that's another story altogether...no pun intended).
The main reason I enjoy playing Grand Theft Auto games (post GTA III) is because of the soundtrack.
For those unfamiliar with Grand Theft Auto, I'll summarise the core concept with a few sentences.
There's a lot of driving, shooting, killing, swearing, weapon collecting and unlike Mario games, the more stars you collect is directly related to how badly you're fucking up.
But one of the hidden gems of the GTA series of recent years has been the ability to listen to a variety of tunes across several radio stations whilst driving around. Whether you're on a main story mission or are simply looking for chaos, it's always fun to listen to some cracking songs whilst doing so. Combine this with some of the entertaining radio banter in between tracks and the game feels just that little bit better.
Whilst the games seem mostly to aim their musical tastes at the Hip Hop fans, there are a few games with fantastic Rock and/or Metal stations, clearly arranged by someone who knows their shit. My favourite has to be V-Rock from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, a station dedicated to 80's Hard Rock and Metal with tracks from bands including Motley Crue, Iron Maiden, The Cult, Megadeth, Judas Priest, Twisted Sister and Quiet Riot. One of my fondest memories from the game is chasing down a car and gunning it down to the tune of 'Madhouse' - Anthrax, followed immediately by 'Raining Blood' - Slayer.
A close second would be Liberty Rock Radio from Grand Theft Auto IV, a general Classic/Hard Rock station with bands like ELO, The Who, Thin Lizzy and Elton John, along with a load more added as DLC. What I loved about this soundtrack was the mix of well known and lesser known songs, giving listeners something awesome to drive to whilst also providing them with new music. So after a soundtrack this brilliant, it would stand to reason that the GTA V Classic Rock setlist would be even better, right?
No. Wrong.
Dead wrong.
Horribly wrong.
It's rubbish.
Full of mediocre songs that are about as fun to drive around to as a cassette of disco B-sides.
Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of decent tracks. 'Baker Street' - Gerry Rafferty fits the game well and 'Lonely Is The Night' - Billy Squier would've been awesome, had they not edited the best fucking bit out, but for the most part, the soundtrack seriously lacks the magic that previous Rock radio stations have had.
I feel like in trying to make the game more "mature", they've tried to do the same to the soundtrack. As a result, it comes across as incredibly bland and rather lifeless at times (I mean, 'What A Fool Believes' - The Doobie Brothers? Really? You're gonna pick a post '75 Doobs song? The fuck is wrong with you?!). By the looks of it, they've made the same mistake that Guitar Hero 5 made. They picked the right bands but the wrong songs...and also the wrong bands, in some cases.
But hey, the game was a massive success so maybe this is just my misguided opinion talking. As far as games go, this one tried to push all the boundaries. Sadly, despite boasting an impressive soundtrack quantity, quality wasn't around when they picked the tracks to make the Rock radio station. Hopefully if they do DLC, like the last installment, they'll include some more rocking material.
Hold on though! What's that I hear you saying?
"Screw you, idiot! That soundtrack was awesome! What do you know about good music?"
Well, I like to think I know a fair bit about Classic Rock. But why don't I let you decide. Here's a Youtube playlist to a 22 song setlist I believe would've been better than the one picked for GTA V's Los Santos Rock Radio. I've tried to pick similar bands but better songs. However, if you'd rather check out songs individually, here's a list below:
(if any of the links don't work for whatever reason Youtube craps out, let me know and I'll fix them when I can)
'Long, Long Way From Home' - Foreigner
'The Bitch Is Back' - Elton John
'Rock & Roll Fantasy' - Bad Company
'Jesus He Knows Me' - Genesis
'Fire Woman' - The Cult
'Sleeping My Day Away' - D-A-D
'The Wall Street Shuffle' - 10cc
'Get Out Of Denver' - Bob Seger
(Don't Fear) The Reaper' - Blue Oyster Cult
'Keep On Runnin' - Journey
'Roll On Down The Highway' - Bachman-Turner Overdrive
'Ma-Ma-Ma Belle' - Electric Light Orchestra
'Song Of A Baker' - Small Faces
'My Sharona' - The Knack
'Going To The Country' - Steve Miller Band
'The Chain' - Fleetwood Mac
'Fight From The Inside' - Queen
'Friday On My Mind' - The Easybeats
'Hell Is For Children' - Pat Benatar
'Midnite Cruiser' - Steely Dan
'The Boys Of Summer' - Don Henley
'Hip To Be Square' - Huey Lewis & The News
So that's my list. Granted I'm biased but if that was the GTA V Rock radio soundtrack, maybe I would've considered buying the game instead of Saints Row IV which not only has a decent collection of Rock/Pop but also lets you create a mixtape of all the songs to listen to whenever you want in-game. I still have no idea why RockStar have yet to implement this feature into GTA games.
Anyway, enough about Saints Row. If you like my setlist, let me know in the comments. If you have opinions on the GTA music, let me know too. Also, if you have a GTA style setlist of about 20 songs belonging to a particular genre then post that and I'll give it a listen...you know, provided it's Rock and/or Metal. If it wasn't obvious, that's kinda my deal...yeah.
Not just because the missions are usually very fun and the controls are incredibly easy to get the hang of, or anything related to the plots within the game (which, let's face it, are the weakest parts of not just GTA but RockStar games in general, although that's another story altogether...no pun intended).
The main reason I enjoy playing Grand Theft Auto games (post GTA III) is because of the soundtrack.
For those unfamiliar with Grand Theft Auto, I'll summarise the core concept with a few sentences.
There's a lot of driving, shooting, killing, swearing, weapon collecting and unlike Mario games, the more stars you collect is directly related to how badly you're fucking up.
But one of the hidden gems of the GTA series of recent years has been the ability to listen to a variety of tunes across several radio stations whilst driving around. Whether you're on a main story mission or are simply looking for chaos, it's always fun to listen to some cracking songs whilst doing so. Combine this with some of the entertaining radio banter in between tracks and the game feels just that little bit better.
Whilst the games seem mostly to aim their musical tastes at the Hip Hop fans, there are a few games with fantastic Rock and/or Metal stations, clearly arranged by someone who knows their shit. My favourite has to be V-Rock from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, a station dedicated to 80's Hard Rock and Metal with tracks from bands including Motley Crue, Iron Maiden, The Cult, Megadeth, Judas Priest, Twisted Sister and Quiet Riot. One of my fondest memories from the game is chasing down a car and gunning it down to the tune of 'Madhouse' - Anthrax, followed immediately by 'Raining Blood' - Slayer.
A close second would be Liberty Rock Radio from Grand Theft Auto IV, a general Classic/Hard Rock station with bands like ELO, The Who, Thin Lizzy and Elton John, along with a load more added as DLC. What I loved about this soundtrack was the mix of well known and lesser known songs, giving listeners something awesome to drive to whilst also providing them with new music. So after a soundtrack this brilliant, it would stand to reason that the GTA V Classic Rock setlist would be even better, right?
No. Wrong.
Dead wrong.
Horribly wrong.
It's rubbish.
Full of mediocre songs that are about as fun to drive around to as a cassette of disco B-sides.
Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of decent tracks. 'Baker Street' - Gerry Rafferty fits the game well and 'Lonely Is The Night' - Billy Squier would've been awesome, had they not edited the best fucking bit out, but for the most part, the soundtrack seriously lacks the magic that previous Rock radio stations have had.
I feel like in trying to make the game more "mature", they've tried to do the same to the soundtrack. As a result, it comes across as incredibly bland and rather lifeless at times (I mean, 'What A Fool Believes' - The Doobie Brothers? Really? You're gonna pick a post '75 Doobs song? The fuck is wrong with you?!). By the looks of it, they've made the same mistake that Guitar Hero 5 made. They picked the right bands but the wrong songs...and also the wrong bands, in some cases.
But hey, the game was a massive success so maybe this is just my misguided opinion talking. As far as games go, this one tried to push all the boundaries. Sadly, despite boasting an impressive soundtrack quantity, quality wasn't around when they picked the tracks to make the Rock radio station. Hopefully if they do DLC, like the last installment, they'll include some more rocking material.
Hold on though! What's that I hear you saying?
"Screw you, idiot! That soundtrack was awesome! What do you know about good music?"
Well, I like to think I know a fair bit about Classic Rock. But why don't I let you decide. Here's a Youtube playlist to a 22 song setlist I believe would've been better than the one picked for GTA V's Los Santos Rock Radio. I've tried to pick similar bands but better songs. However, if you'd rather check out songs individually, here's a list below:
(if any of the links don't work for whatever reason Youtube craps out, let me know and I'll fix them when I can)
'Long, Long Way From Home' - Foreigner
'The Bitch Is Back' - Elton John
'Rock & Roll Fantasy' - Bad Company
'Jesus He Knows Me' - Genesis
'Fire Woman' - The Cult
'Sleeping My Day Away' - D-A-D
'The Wall Street Shuffle' - 10cc
'Get Out Of Denver' - Bob Seger
(Don't Fear) The Reaper' - Blue Oyster Cult
'Keep On Runnin' - Journey
'Roll On Down The Highway' - Bachman-Turner Overdrive
'Ma-Ma-Ma Belle' - Electric Light Orchestra
'Song Of A Baker' - Small Faces
'My Sharona' - The Knack
'Going To The Country' - Steve Miller Band
'The Chain' - Fleetwood Mac
'Fight From The Inside' - Queen
'Friday On My Mind' - The Easybeats
'Hell Is For Children' - Pat Benatar
'Midnite Cruiser' - Steely Dan
'The Boys Of Summer' - Don Henley
'Hip To Be Square' - Huey Lewis & The News
So that's my list. Granted I'm biased but if that was the GTA V Rock radio soundtrack, maybe I would've considered buying the game instead of Saints Row IV which not only has a decent collection of Rock/Pop but also lets you create a mixtape of all the songs to listen to whenever you want in-game. I still have no idea why RockStar have yet to implement this feature into GTA games.
Anyway, enough about Saints Row. If you like my setlist, let me know in the comments. If you have opinions on the GTA music, let me know too. Also, if you have a GTA style setlist of about 20 songs belonging to a particular genre then post that and I'll give it a listen...you know, provided it's Rock and/or Metal. If it wasn't obvious, that's kinda my deal...yeah.
Monday, 3 March 2014
How To Get Into Metal
[DISCLAIMER]
THE FOLLOWING BLOG POST IS MEANT TO BE LIGHT-HEARTED AND FUN IN LOOKING AT METAL. IF YOU TAKE THIS BLOG POST COMPLETELY SERIOUSLY AND ARE OFFENDED OR ANNOYED BY THE CONTENT, TAKE IT SOMEWHERE ELSE BECAUSE I COULD NOT GIVE A TOSS.
Hey, casual music fan!
Did you hear a Metal song on the radio and thought it was pretty good?
Did someone you know play some Metal and you enjoyed it?
Did it whet your appetite for the genre and you want to hear more?
Then you're in a place that might not be the best source of music advice but sod it, you're here now, I might as well have a crack at it!
Unless you're listening to a specific Rock/Metal station, chances are there are only a few bands you heard on the radio. Two that immediately spring to mind are Iron Maiden and Metallica, although it's possible that you could've heard some Judas Priest, Saxon, Motley Crue, the list goes on. The aim of this blog post is to give you some recommendations and guide you as you get into more and more Metal bands. Obviously, I don't know what you're into and I can only really guide you based on what I assume is correct mixed with my own taste so I apologise if I'm wrong.
However, if you disagree with the content of this post and still want some decent Metal, I recommend going on Spotify and getting the Last.FM app. You can play the song(s) you like and then get it to make a playlist of similar songs that you can check out. It's kind of like the Genius function on iTunes only it isn't completely unreliable and crap. Anyway, let's get started!
Whilst I could talk for ages about different Iron Maiden songs and their best albums (for top quality Heavy Metal, check out "Powerslave" and "Number Of The Beast"), I'm gonna write about The Big Four. The Big Four are four Thrash Metal bands who are generally considered important in the world of Metal. What's more, they can be arranged into four tiers that get steadily more aggressive and "Heavy". At tier #1, it's Metallica.
Yep, there is a picture above. Might be worth clicking on it or something.
"Metallica" (or "The Black Album") has divided Metal fans for years. Some say it's good and has quite a few solid Metal tracks whilst most say it's shit and Lars Ulrich should burn at the stake. My opinion? It's not bad. It's different to their earlier material and I would say it's nowhere near as good but it has a couple of cool songs on it. The big hit from this album was Enter Sandman, although if you heard a Metallica song on the radio then it could've been that or (more likely) Nothing Else Matters.
Now, if you liked either or both of those, it sounds like you're not repelled by songs being quite heavy. I would recommend giving the rest of the album a try. If you enjoyed it, the next album I would recommend is my personal favourite from Metallica: "Ride The Lightning".
Whilst it's full of aggressive Thrash tracks such as Fight Fire With Fire and Trapped Under Ice, you can also find varying strengths of Metal on this album. If you liked softer tracks such as The Unforgiven, you might like Fade To Black. If you liked relatively heavy songs such as Sad But True, check out For Whom The Bell Tolls. If you liked faster songs such as The Struggle Within, you might find Creeping Death to your liking. After listening to those songs, your next best bet is probably the following album, "Master Of Puppets".
People tend to cite this as the best Metallica album. Personally, I think it's overrated. However, it still has some great songs like Orion, Welcome Home (Sanitarium) and the title track. Now, if you've enjoyed what you've heard so far, that's a good sign. Of course if you've heard some of the heavier tracks like Battery and you they're not to your taste, that's fine. You might grow to like them at a later stage, which means moving onto the next tier of Metal.
The next logical leap from Metallica is Megadeth, a band with similar riff based Rock but with more of a political stance in the lyrics and more fury in the guitar work. Small note: I haven't listened to every album by The Big Four, so I could miss some tunes that you'll enjoy more than others. However, I have listened to their most well known albums, along with a few that might not be as popular. At the end of the day, your best bet is to do a bit of independent research into these bands and their music.
Saying that, if you can't be arsed to trawl through entire back catalogues for the sake of finding a few decent tunes, carry on reading. Onto Megadeth and a passable album that's easily accessible if you're into Hard Rock.
Released last year, "Super Collider" received mostly negative reviews from critics for being less of a Thrash album and more of a generic Hard Rock one. However, for a first time listener, you're gonna find songs that may appeal to you such as the title track or The Blackest Crow. I also recommend the album opener, Kingmaker. This song is more typical of Megadeth's older sound from the 90's and if you enjoyed it, I've got another great album for you: "Countdown To Extinction".
A great follow up to a better album that contains quite a few of the band's classics, such as Symphony Of Destruction and Sweating Bullets. I also recommend the title track and, if you like your Metal a bit heavier, Skin O' My Teeth. You may have noticed that some of Megadeth's riffs are a bit darker (for lack of a better term) than Metallica's. You've got more songs in minor key and the riffs sound like they've got more power behind them.
However, Megadeth also have a fair amount of faster, aggressive tracks too. The two iconic Metal albums that contain several of these are 1986's "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" and 1990's "Rust In Peace". We're gonna look at the one I prefer.
Maybe I just prefer blue to red but I personally think this album tops "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?", even if critics and Metalheads think that album is superior. Don't get me wrong, that album has a few awesome songs like Peace Sells, Wake Up Dead and Devils Island but I believe this album is better to listen to overall.
From the blistering rage of the opening track, Holy Wars... The Punishment Due, to the exceptional soloing in Tornado Of Souls, this album demonstrates the band at their best. If you like fast songs, Take No Prisoners might catch your interest. If you like slow ones with catchy riffs, Lucretia is one for you.
By now, if you've spaced out the listens to each album, you should be into Thrash a little bit more now. I would recommend revisiting Metallica's debut album, "Kill Em All" before making the leap to the next tier of The Big Four, or maybe their fourth album "...And Justice For All", which contains a fair helping of fast Thrash.
So you've listened to Metallica and you've dabbled in Megadeth. These guys are the easier bands to get into but what's that? You want more? You want to keep journeying further and further into The Big Four's music? Alrighty then, time to bring out the next band: Anthrax.
Anthrax have a sort of Punk sound to some of their well known songs but that doesn't mean they go any easier on the riffs and soloing. It simply means you can expect some fantastic bass and drums from them. Whilst it may not be their biggest album, I would say this next one is their best. Not only in terms of the music on it but also as a way to move from one tier to another.
Boasting quite a striking cover, "Spreading The Disease" is one of those great albums that keeps you engaged start to finish. Tracks like the album opener, A.I.R, go full throttle with every instrument whereas more familiar songs such as Madhouse act as great bridges between Megadeth and tunes from this band's following album. However, before moving onto the next album, you may want to spend a bit more time on this one.
Tracks like Medusa and Lone Justice are ideal for those who still want steady Heavy Metal but you've also got songs such as Armed And Dangerous, starting off slow and gradually gaining power. If you like that song, now might be a time to revisit Metallica tracks such as Battery and The Four Horsemen.
Anyway, as I mentioned before, Anthrax incorporated some Punk elements into their music (particularly in the vocals and drums) for their next album, "Among The Living".
This album contains two of their signature songs, Caught In A Mosh and Indians. Dealing with rapid tempo changes, this music might not be to your taste but if there is a part of the song you like (for example, the main riff in Indians) then it's worth sticking with them over a couple of listens. As with a lot of songs, you find that the more you listen to them, the more you grow to like them. However, this album also has a few that you might instantly enjoy. For me, that track was One World which sounds like it could've easily fit onto "Spreading The Disease".
Now by this point, I reckon you've heard enough Metal to dip your toe into the water with the final band. Some are able to listen to this band and instantly like what they hear, although others might need some warming up first. However, if you find the right material, you should grow to like them. The last band in The Big Four is Slayer.
If I were to compare these bands to drugs, I'd say Metallica is the gateway narcotic. It's relatively harmless although still frowned upon by society. After that, you've got Megadeth. A bit heavier and probably something you should avoid in large doses unless you're happy to take on the side effects. Next is Anthrax, dangerous territory. However, not as dangerous as Slayer who, in the drug world, would be the equivalent of needles and blow jobs for cash. Luckily, there's a positive to this! As is the case with quite a few 80's bands, their first album is awesome.
At this point in their career, the band hadn't quite found their groove yet. You can tell in tracks like Black Magic and Die By The Sword that the blueprints are all there but they haven't quite settled on the lightning fast guitar strumming and hellish vocal growling yet. As a result, you've got songs such as Crionics and Tormentor that might be best to start on. As an added bonus, this music is incredibly similar to the NWOBHM subgenre (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) so if you liked those songs, check out early Iron Maiden, Saxon and Venom, the band that were undoubtedly a strong influence for Slayer.
Despite containing fan favourites, Slayer's biggest song comes from their third album, "Reign In Blood". That song is appropriately titled Raining Blood and if you like that song, chances are the rest of Slayer's 80's and early 90's music will appeal to you too. However, before you check out that album, there is one more that you may consider listening to first.
Ahhh, another freaky album cover. Excellent!
Anyway, "Seasons In The Abyss" certainly contains songs that bear the Slayer rhythm, such as War Ensemble, but the band have other tracks that blend the rhythm with slower riffs, such as Spirit In Black. If you're still reading and, months down the line, you've been periodically improving your resistance to Heavy Metal, congratulations!
So, what next? You've sampled from four plates and now it's time to get out there and do some more feeding! But where to begin?
Well, there's that Spotify/Last.FM thing I mentioned near the start of this post. You could also do research into the bands that influenced The Big Four such as Diamond Head and Judas Priest. As for modern Metal...well, there are good bands who keep the Heavy Metal feel alive (see my last review), bad bands who are just emo pussies writing angsty music about suicide for tweens and bands who divide opinion and deserve a listen first before you believe comments online like "DragonForce suck! They just speed up their music in the studio and can't play it live!" (They can. I've seen them. You have no idea what you're talking about).
But if there's a message to take away from this post, I'd say it was that you'll never know what's right for you until you listen to it. You could discover your new favourite band tomorrow after just one play and if you're willing to put in the time and effort, you may find a song by a band you hate that doesn't suck as much as the rest of their material. Bottom line is you shouldn't stop at hearing one decent song. If you really liked what you heard, check out some of their other tunes.
Of course, you might be unlucky and only find one good song on the entire album, despite the band being popular and well loved. I call this The Meat Loaf Paradox.
THE FOLLOWING BLOG POST IS MEANT TO BE LIGHT-HEARTED AND FUN IN LOOKING AT METAL. IF YOU TAKE THIS BLOG POST COMPLETELY SERIOUSLY AND ARE OFFENDED OR ANNOYED BY THE CONTENT, TAKE IT SOMEWHERE ELSE BECAUSE I COULD NOT GIVE A TOSS.
Hey, casual music fan!
Did you hear a Metal song on the radio and thought it was pretty good?
Did someone you know play some Metal and you enjoyed it?
Did it whet your appetite for the genre and you want to hear more?
Then you're in a place that might not be the best source of music advice but sod it, you're here now, I might as well have a crack at it!
Unless you're listening to a specific Rock/Metal station, chances are there are only a few bands you heard on the radio. Two that immediately spring to mind are Iron Maiden and Metallica, although it's possible that you could've heard some Judas Priest, Saxon, Motley Crue, the list goes on. The aim of this blog post is to give you some recommendations and guide you as you get into more and more Metal bands. Obviously, I don't know what you're into and I can only really guide you based on what I assume is correct mixed with my own taste so I apologise if I'm wrong.
However, if you disagree with the content of this post and still want some decent Metal, I recommend going on Spotify and getting the Last.FM app. You can play the song(s) you like and then get it to make a playlist of similar songs that you can check out. It's kind of like the Genius function on iTunes only it isn't completely unreliable and crap. Anyway, let's get started!
Whilst I could talk for ages about different Iron Maiden songs and their best albums (for top quality Heavy Metal, check out "Powerslave" and "Number Of The Beast"), I'm gonna write about The Big Four. The Big Four are four Thrash Metal bands who are generally considered important in the world of Metal. What's more, they can be arranged into four tiers that get steadily more aggressive and "Heavy". At tier #1, it's Metallica.
Yep, there is a picture above. Might be worth clicking on it or something.
"Metallica" (or "The Black Album") has divided Metal fans for years. Some say it's good and has quite a few solid Metal tracks whilst most say it's shit and Lars Ulrich should burn at the stake. My opinion? It's not bad. It's different to their earlier material and I would say it's nowhere near as good but it has a couple of cool songs on it. The big hit from this album was Enter Sandman, although if you heard a Metallica song on the radio then it could've been that or (more likely) Nothing Else Matters.
Now, if you liked either or both of those, it sounds like you're not repelled by songs being quite heavy. I would recommend giving the rest of the album a try. If you enjoyed it, the next album I would recommend is my personal favourite from Metallica: "Ride The Lightning".
Whilst it's full of aggressive Thrash tracks such as Fight Fire With Fire and Trapped Under Ice, you can also find varying strengths of Metal on this album. If you liked softer tracks such as The Unforgiven, you might like Fade To Black. If you liked relatively heavy songs such as Sad But True, check out For Whom The Bell Tolls. If you liked faster songs such as The Struggle Within, you might find Creeping Death to your liking. After listening to those songs, your next best bet is probably the following album, "Master Of Puppets".
People tend to cite this as the best Metallica album. Personally, I think it's overrated. However, it still has some great songs like Orion, Welcome Home (Sanitarium) and the title track. Now, if you've enjoyed what you've heard so far, that's a good sign. Of course if you've heard some of the heavier tracks like Battery and you they're not to your taste, that's fine. You might grow to like them at a later stage, which means moving onto the next tier of Metal.
The next logical leap from Metallica is Megadeth, a band with similar riff based Rock but with more of a political stance in the lyrics and more fury in the guitar work. Small note: I haven't listened to every album by The Big Four, so I could miss some tunes that you'll enjoy more than others. However, I have listened to their most well known albums, along with a few that might not be as popular. At the end of the day, your best bet is to do a bit of independent research into these bands and their music.
Saying that, if you can't be arsed to trawl through entire back catalogues for the sake of finding a few decent tunes, carry on reading. Onto Megadeth and a passable album that's easily accessible if you're into Hard Rock.
Released last year, "Super Collider" received mostly negative reviews from critics for being less of a Thrash album and more of a generic Hard Rock one. However, for a first time listener, you're gonna find songs that may appeal to you such as the title track or The Blackest Crow. I also recommend the album opener, Kingmaker. This song is more typical of Megadeth's older sound from the 90's and if you enjoyed it, I've got another great album for you: "Countdown To Extinction".
A great follow up to a better album that contains quite a few of the band's classics, such as Symphony Of Destruction and Sweating Bullets. I also recommend the title track and, if you like your Metal a bit heavier, Skin O' My Teeth. You may have noticed that some of Megadeth's riffs are a bit darker (for lack of a better term) than Metallica's. You've got more songs in minor key and the riffs sound like they've got more power behind them.
However, Megadeth also have a fair amount of faster, aggressive tracks too. The two iconic Metal albums that contain several of these are 1986's "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" and 1990's "Rust In Peace". We're gonna look at the one I prefer.
Maybe I just prefer blue to red but I personally think this album tops "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?", even if critics and Metalheads think that album is superior. Don't get me wrong, that album has a few awesome songs like Peace Sells, Wake Up Dead and Devils Island but I believe this album is better to listen to overall.
From the blistering rage of the opening track, Holy Wars... The Punishment Due, to the exceptional soloing in Tornado Of Souls, this album demonstrates the band at their best. If you like fast songs, Take No Prisoners might catch your interest. If you like slow ones with catchy riffs, Lucretia is one for you.
By now, if you've spaced out the listens to each album, you should be into Thrash a little bit more now. I would recommend revisiting Metallica's debut album, "Kill Em All" before making the leap to the next tier of The Big Four, or maybe their fourth album "...And Justice For All", which contains a fair helping of fast Thrash.
So you've listened to Metallica and you've dabbled in Megadeth. These guys are the easier bands to get into but what's that? You want more? You want to keep journeying further and further into The Big Four's music? Alrighty then, time to bring out the next band: Anthrax.
Anthrax have a sort of Punk sound to some of their well known songs but that doesn't mean they go any easier on the riffs and soloing. It simply means you can expect some fantastic bass and drums from them. Whilst it may not be their biggest album, I would say this next one is their best. Not only in terms of the music on it but also as a way to move from one tier to another.
Boasting quite a striking cover, "Spreading The Disease" is one of those great albums that keeps you engaged start to finish. Tracks like the album opener, A.I.R, go full throttle with every instrument whereas more familiar songs such as Madhouse act as great bridges between Megadeth and tunes from this band's following album. However, before moving onto the next album, you may want to spend a bit more time on this one.
Tracks like Medusa and Lone Justice are ideal for those who still want steady Heavy Metal but you've also got songs such as Armed And Dangerous, starting off slow and gradually gaining power. If you like that song, now might be a time to revisit Metallica tracks such as Battery and The Four Horsemen.
Anyway, as I mentioned before, Anthrax incorporated some Punk elements into their music (particularly in the vocals and drums) for their next album, "Among The Living".
This album contains two of their signature songs, Caught In A Mosh and Indians. Dealing with rapid tempo changes, this music might not be to your taste but if there is a part of the song you like (for example, the main riff in Indians) then it's worth sticking with them over a couple of listens. As with a lot of songs, you find that the more you listen to them, the more you grow to like them. However, this album also has a few that you might instantly enjoy. For me, that track was One World which sounds like it could've easily fit onto "Spreading The Disease".
Now by this point, I reckon you've heard enough Metal to dip your toe into the water with the final band. Some are able to listen to this band and instantly like what they hear, although others might need some warming up first. However, if you find the right material, you should grow to like them. The last band in The Big Four is Slayer.
If I were to compare these bands to drugs, I'd say Metallica is the gateway narcotic. It's relatively harmless although still frowned upon by society. After that, you've got Megadeth. A bit heavier and probably something you should avoid in large doses unless you're happy to take on the side effects. Next is Anthrax, dangerous territory. However, not as dangerous as Slayer who, in the drug world, would be the equivalent of needles and blow jobs for cash. Luckily, there's a positive to this! As is the case with quite a few 80's bands, their first album is awesome.
At this point in their career, the band hadn't quite found their groove yet. You can tell in tracks like Black Magic and Die By The Sword that the blueprints are all there but they haven't quite settled on the lightning fast guitar strumming and hellish vocal growling yet. As a result, you've got songs such as Crionics and Tormentor that might be best to start on. As an added bonus, this music is incredibly similar to the NWOBHM subgenre (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) so if you liked those songs, check out early Iron Maiden, Saxon and Venom, the band that were undoubtedly a strong influence for Slayer.
Despite containing fan favourites, Slayer's biggest song comes from their third album, "Reign In Blood". That song is appropriately titled Raining Blood and if you like that song, chances are the rest of Slayer's 80's and early 90's music will appeal to you too. However, before you check out that album, there is one more that you may consider listening to first.
Ahhh, another freaky album cover. Excellent!
Anyway, "Seasons In The Abyss" certainly contains songs that bear the Slayer rhythm, such as War Ensemble, but the band have other tracks that blend the rhythm with slower riffs, such as Spirit In Black. If you're still reading and, months down the line, you've been periodically improving your resistance to Heavy Metal, congratulations!
So, what next? You've sampled from four plates and now it's time to get out there and do some more feeding! But where to begin?
Well, there's that Spotify/Last.FM thing I mentioned near the start of this post. You could also do research into the bands that influenced The Big Four such as Diamond Head and Judas Priest. As for modern Metal...well, there are good bands who keep the Heavy Metal feel alive (see my last review), bad bands who are just emo pussies writing angsty music about suicide for tweens and bands who divide opinion and deserve a listen first before you believe comments online like "DragonForce suck! They just speed up their music in the studio and can't play it live!" (They can. I've seen them. You have no idea what you're talking about).
But if there's a message to take away from this post, I'd say it was that you'll never know what's right for you until you listen to it. You could discover your new favourite band tomorrow after just one play and if you're willing to put in the time and effort, you may find a song by a band you hate that doesn't suck as much as the rest of their material. Bottom line is you shouldn't stop at hearing one decent song. If you really liked what you heard, check out some of their other tunes.
Of course, you might be unlucky and only find one good song on the entire album, despite the band being popular and well loved. I call this The Meat Loaf Paradox.
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Chasing The Dream - Skull Fist
I think it's fair to say a lot of people would love to be able to travel back in time. Some of us would want to correct mistakes, others would want to relive certain memories. However, I'm pretty sure that if the members of Skull Fist were given a time machine, they'd want to travel back to 1984 to release this album, "Chasing The Dream".
What? You've never heard of Skull Fist? What, do you live under a rock or something? Well I might as well write some info for YOUR benefit then!
Skull Fist are a Canadian Metal band that have released a total of two albums (at the time of typing this). Their first album borrowed a few tracks from their 2010 five track LP "Heavier Than Metal" which, in my personal opinion, is a great listen if you're into 80's Metal. From the guitar harmonies to the screeching vocals, this band certainly knew how to crank out the old school sound.
But the question is: does their latest effort maintain the same passion and love for Heavy Metal or have they pulled a Black Tide and turned into whiny Metalcore dweebs?
Fortunately, the answer is the former.
Track one, Hour To Live, not only bursts in with a furious set of riffs but also allows the new drummer, Chris Steve, to try and make an impact and try he certainly does. There's plenty of energy in his work, employing double-bass and what I call the "Speed Metal beat" but since the band have still kept their toned-down sound akin to 80's Metal acts like Keel and Crimson Glory, it lacks the necessary power that an opening track with such speed and enthusiasm deserves.
Next up is Bad For Good, another good indication that the fire hasn't died with these lads. Their music still sounds like it's from a mysterious new album uncovered after 30 years, mostly due to the riff and solo-work from Jackie Slaughter and Jonny Nesta respectively. However, even though this track is rather average, it's the next one that finally grabs you.
Track three is the title track, Chasing The Dream, and it also sounds a lot more like their 2010 material. Same rhythm, same high pitched vocal work (also from Jackie Slaughter) and overall, the kind of song that should belong on many a Modern Metal compilation (maybe if songs like this did, those compilations wouldn't be bloody awful). If I was a betting man, I'd say this is the one the band had the most confidence in after recording the album.
Following on is Call Of The Wild, a track with an all-too familiar gallop and some decent bass licks from Casey Slade too. It also proves that one of the advantages of writing contemporary music that clearly belongs in the past is that you have a wider range of influences. The dual guitar and bass in this song during the chorus clearly borrow elements from the Paul Di'Anno era of Iron Maiden, whilst the steady gallop is mostly typical of the Bruce Dickinson period.
Fans of "Heavier Than Metal" will know track five as it's a rerecord of their LP opener, Sign Of The Warrior, albeit slightly beefed up with guitar harmonies, fancier fretwork and more prominent back-up vocal work to give it a more polished sound. However, for the most part, it's the same song that you'll still enjoy if you liked the original. Kicking off track six with a riff to make air guitarists moist, You're Gonna Pay is probably my favourite on the entire album.
Sure, it's more of the same but I would argue it has slightly more strength than the other songs, even with the tempo change in the middle. It's the first song where I haven't felt heavier drums or guitars would benefit the sound. Track seven, Don't Stop The Fight, resurrects the "Speed Metal beat" and gets your foot rapidly pumping again. I feel like I could write an entire essay about all the different factors that make this band perfect for denim-clad fans of 80's Metal. In fact, I reckon I pretty much have done with this review. I mean, come on, even the names of the tracks sound like they were lifted from an unwritten Saxon album.
Shred's Not Dead is the penultimate track, but it also happens to be an instrumental. However, considering the title's implication, you'd think the band would save their best soloing for this track. Unfortunately, it tends to blend into the sound of the rhythm guitar and drums. Luckily, there's also some notable bass at the end of the song so it's not a complete loss.
Finally, there's Mean Street Rider, another track that could easily slip into their earlier work undetected and still provide an awesome and coherent listening experience. Coming in at just over five minutes long, this song also has a section where both drums and guitars take turn soloing. As a result, it kind of steals some of the previous track's thunder. However, all in all, it's still faithful to the Skull Fist sound so you don't need to worry about the band stumbling on the dismount.
The 2010's are proving to be the Decade Of The Comebacks and not just in regards to bands from the 70's/80's releasing new material. Newer bands are still recording albums that go against the mainstream sound, falling into the New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal subgenre and providing fans of old Metal with something to sink their teeth into that doesn't have soft melodic piano sections or a vocalist screaming like a constipated pig.
As a band, Skull Fist are perfect if you like groups such as Helloween, Gamma Ray and Running Wild. In fact, if you like Skull Fist, do yourself a favour and check out other NWOTHM bands like White Wizzard and Enforcer. As an album, "Chasing The Dream" is spot-on if you want to play it in your car whilst speeding around pretending you're in Brutal Legend.
Select tracks might appeal to you more than others although overall, this is an album to enjoy as a whole. All the instruments range in their speed and (in the case of vocals) pitch so it's not a case of the exact same track copied and pasted start to finish, although due to the lack of differentiation towards the end of the album, I would give this a 7/10.
Apologies for the shorter review but I've been feeling a bit bleh recently and if I'm being honest, an album like this doesn't need a huge write-up. You could listen to about three random tracks and get an accurate representation of the whole thing. Besides, February is a shorter month so why not a shorter review? Anyway, come back towards the end of March for another blog post that may or may not be on "Aftershock" - Motorhead.
What? You've never heard of Skull Fist? What, do you live under a rock or something? Well I might as well write some info for YOUR benefit then!
Skull Fist are a Canadian Metal band that have released a total of two albums (at the time of typing this). Their first album borrowed a few tracks from their 2010 five track LP "Heavier Than Metal" which, in my personal opinion, is a great listen if you're into 80's Metal. From the guitar harmonies to the screeching vocals, this band certainly knew how to crank out the old school sound.
But the question is: does their latest effort maintain the same passion and love for Heavy Metal or have they pulled a Black Tide and turned into whiny Metalcore dweebs?
Fortunately, the answer is the former.
Track one, Hour To Live, not only bursts in with a furious set of riffs but also allows the new drummer, Chris Steve, to try and make an impact and try he certainly does. There's plenty of energy in his work, employing double-bass and what I call the "Speed Metal beat" but since the band have still kept their toned-down sound akin to 80's Metal acts like Keel and Crimson Glory, it lacks the necessary power that an opening track with such speed and enthusiasm deserves.
Next up is Bad For Good, another good indication that the fire hasn't died with these lads. Their music still sounds like it's from a mysterious new album uncovered after 30 years, mostly due to the riff and solo-work from Jackie Slaughter and Jonny Nesta respectively. However, even though this track is rather average, it's the next one that finally grabs you.
Track three is the title track, Chasing The Dream, and it also sounds a lot more like their 2010 material. Same rhythm, same high pitched vocal work (also from Jackie Slaughter) and overall, the kind of song that should belong on many a Modern Metal compilation (maybe if songs like this did, those compilations wouldn't be bloody awful). If I was a betting man, I'd say this is the one the band had the most confidence in after recording the album.
Following on is Call Of The Wild, a track with an all-too familiar gallop and some decent bass licks from Casey Slade too. It also proves that one of the advantages of writing contemporary music that clearly belongs in the past is that you have a wider range of influences. The dual guitar and bass in this song during the chorus clearly borrow elements from the Paul Di'Anno era of Iron Maiden, whilst the steady gallop is mostly typical of the Bruce Dickinson period.
Fans of "Heavier Than Metal" will know track five as it's a rerecord of their LP opener, Sign Of The Warrior, albeit slightly beefed up with guitar harmonies, fancier fretwork and more prominent back-up vocal work to give it a more polished sound. However, for the most part, it's the same song that you'll still enjoy if you liked the original. Kicking off track six with a riff to make air guitarists moist, You're Gonna Pay is probably my favourite on the entire album.
Sure, it's more of the same but I would argue it has slightly more strength than the other songs, even with the tempo change in the middle. It's the first song where I haven't felt heavier drums or guitars would benefit the sound. Track seven, Don't Stop The Fight, resurrects the "Speed Metal beat" and gets your foot rapidly pumping again. I feel like I could write an entire essay about all the different factors that make this band perfect for denim-clad fans of 80's Metal. In fact, I reckon I pretty much have done with this review. I mean, come on, even the names of the tracks sound like they were lifted from an unwritten Saxon album.
Shred's Not Dead is the penultimate track, but it also happens to be an instrumental. However, considering the title's implication, you'd think the band would save their best soloing for this track. Unfortunately, it tends to blend into the sound of the rhythm guitar and drums. Luckily, there's also some notable bass at the end of the song so it's not a complete loss.
Finally, there's Mean Street Rider, another track that could easily slip into their earlier work undetected and still provide an awesome and coherent listening experience. Coming in at just over five minutes long, this song also has a section where both drums and guitars take turn soloing. As a result, it kind of steals some of the previous track's thunder. However, all in all, it's still faithful to the Skull Fist sound so you don't need to worry about the band stumbling on the dismount.
The 2010's are proving to be the Decade Of The Comebacks and not just in regards to bands from the 70's/80's releasing new material. Newer bands are still recording albums that go against the mainstream sound, falling into the New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal subgenre and providing fans of old Metal with something to sink their teeth into that doesn't have soft melodic piano sections or a vocalist screaming like a constipated pig.
As a band, Skull Fist are perfect if you like groups such as Helloween, Gamma Ray and Running Wild. In fact, if you like Skull Fist, do yourself a favour and check out other NWOTHM bands like White Wizzard and Enforcer. As an album, "Chasing The Dream" is spot-on if you want to play it in your car whilst speeding around pretending you're in Brutal Legend.
Select tracks might appeal to you more than others although overall, this is an album to enjoy as a whole. All the instruments range in their speed and (in the case of vocals) pitch so it's not a case of the exact same track copied and pasted start to finish, although due to the lack of differentiation towards the end of the album, I would give this a 7/10.
Apologies for the shorter review but I've been feeling a bit bleh recently and if I'm being honest, an album like this doesn't need a huge write-up. You could listen to about three random tracks and get an accurate representation of the whole thing. Besides, February is a shorter month so why not a shorter review? Anyway, come back towards the end of March for another blog post that may or may not be on "Aftershock" - Motorhead.
Thursday, 30 January 2014
Unplugged And Strung Up - Saxon
Before you ask, no this isn't the album review I was originally planning to do months ago. If I'm being honest, the album review I had planned for this month was "Aftershock" - Motorhead and I do still plan on reviewing it (I get the feeling that's gonna become a catchphrase on this blog) but it's looking like February is going to be a better month for me to listen that.
So what's happening in January? Well, I still wanted to do a review but, at the same time, I didn't want to listen to brand new material just yet. I've been hearing quite a bit of "new" music recently and I didn't want to dismiss anything that could be pretty awesome purely because it didn't live up to the same quality as the other songs I've been checking out. So where does that leave me?
In short: An album of live/acoustic/rerecorded tunes that I already know from one of my favourite Metal bands, Saxon.
In long: ...well, this following review, I suppose.
Saxon may not be as big as other UK Metal acts such as Iron Maiden or Judas Priest but that doesn't mean they're any less influential. You can hear elements of Saxon's music from their early NWOBHM material in American Thrash Metal. In fact, you can hear chord sequences and riffs from songs in certain tracks on Metallica's "Kill Em All". Not just the obvious Princess Of The Night chorus use in Seek And Destroy but I'm almost certain the band had Heavy Metal Thunder in the back of their mind when they were writing parts of The Four Horsemen.
Despite only really being known by the average Rock/Metal fan for one song involving wheels made of a certain metal (which is probably one of their worst "good" songs, when you've heard their other material), these ageing rockers still know how to deliver top notch Metal and pack a hell of a punch at live gigs. It's for that reason I was excited when I noticed new material from Saxon on Spotify that wasn't just their 2013 album "Sacrifice".
If their 2002 album of rerecords, "Heavy Metal Thunder", taught me anything it's that these guys haven't lost it. In fact, with developments in recording technology, some songs actually sound better than the originals on that album (see Power And The Glory, for starters). What I'm basically trying to say is that if ever there were a band who could get me hyped for old rope, it's these chaps.
Unlike "Heavy Metal Thunder", this isn't simply another Greatest Hits catalogue. Most of the songs are either quite obscure or from albums that didn't receive high amounts of praise and attention but that doesn't mean the compilation is lacking in energy or catchy tunes. The first track, a rerecording/remix of Stallions Of The Highway from their debut in 1979, has exchanged some of the speed for power, enhanced by drums and bass from Nigel Glockler and Nibbs Carter respectively. As a result, fans of the original may find themselves enjoying the same song for different reasons.
Following the strong opener is an orchestrated rerecording of Crusader, one of the many tracks included on this collection that is also available on certain special editions of "Sacrifice". As well as giving the song more of an epic feel, they've also opted to remove some of the vocals to focus on the new & improved sound rather than the old lyrics. Next up is Battle Cry, a lesser known track from "Rock The Nations". One immediately noticeable difference is the song being in a lower key, presumably to accommodate Bill Byford's vocal range dropping slightly. However, I personally think it improves the song.
Songs that evoke imagery of soldiers preparing for a battle before the final charge should be fierce and masculine. They should lay it on heavily with the galloping rhythm and the riffs should have the same strength and dynamics as the sound of a thousand men clashing swords in war-driven fury. It's that reason that I personally prefer the version of Iron Maiden's The Trooper with Lemmy on vocals but that's an opinion we don't need to dwell on. More to the point, this rerecording of Battle Cry has extra power and if I had a choice of which version of the track I'd prefer to listen to whilst riding into the mouth of hell, I'd pick this in a heartbeat.
Continuing with the grand orchestrated songs, a rerecording of The Eagle Has Landed comes next. Out with the synth, in with the strings! Whilst still maintaining a solemn heart, this track perhaps isn't quite as emotive as the original if only due to Byford's vocals sounding less soulful with age and more rough with time. Next up is Red Star Falling, a song originally from the 2007 album "The Inner Sanctum". Personally, I'm not sure why this song really needed rerecording when only six years passed since it was originally released. Plus, the original already has added strings in the background.
Don't get me wrong, it's still got an awesome solo and it's not a bad song, just a bit of a wasted opportunity for a better track to get the beefed-up treatment. Of course, anyone could sit and say "This one should've been on it, not that one!" and they'd have about as strong an argument as the next person to disagree with the song choice. However, I would assume Saxon fans are more likely going to appreciate a rerecorded song from Wheels Of Steel or Denim And Leather and, at the end of the day, most of the people who'll be purchasing this album are Saxon fans.
But maybe this one wasn't for the fans. I admire a band that can say "No, we're not going to turn into mindless crowd pleasers releasing the same compilation with various versions of Don't Stop Believing on over and over when we get low on royalty money" (that's not to say I don't like Journey, I just hate that fucking song). These guys are rerecording songs that they are proud of and perhaps think more of their newer fans should be aware of, hence why tracks like Broken Heroes aren't significantly different from the original save for a fancier string intro and a more impressive sound.
Perhaps that's also why modern tracks such as Call To Arms have been included. The songs that have been rerecorded with an orchestra are all slower and touch down into power ballad territory, which is probably the best kind of song to record with an orchestra. The band picked their slower songs that they thought worked best with strings on top and gave us an alternate version of songs that perhaps lacked the power they felt they deserved. Anyway, following this track is a rerecording of Militia Guard, another song from the debut. Stripped of its original raw sound and replaced with heavier guitars from veteran Paul Quinn and newbie Doug Scarratt, this tune gets the feet tapping and the heads banging again.
Following this is Forever Free, another rerecord without orchestra. Even though I love this song, I personally feel the rerecording brings little new to the table and if you've heard one version, you won't gain much from hearing the other. The same could be said for Just Let Me Rock although the rerecording manages to take an already slow, plodding rhythm and makes it even heavier. Fans of the song may consider this an improvement.
The last batch on the collection are acoustic, starting with one off the debut again. Frozen Rainbow combines Rainbow Theme and the original Frozen Rainbow into one acoustic track. Iron Wheels is a live recording but fortunately helps back up my argument about Saxon being an incredible live band who are able to play either as good as or better than their studio efforts, rarely ever worse. Requiem starts to wind the album down, preparing the listener for the final track. However, as a song, it's an equally soulful version aided by Byford's vocal work. The final track is an acoustic cover of Big Twin Rolling (Coming Home) from "Dogs Of War", shortened to Coming Home.
Whilst the other acoustic renditions have mostly stayed faithful to the original track, this song differs wildly and changes a fast-paced Blues track into an atmospheric Bluegrass style song with sliding guitars and a slow tempo. A perfect end to the album and a damn fine re-imagining of a good song that gives fans something new to listen to. Some versions of this compilation include the aforementioned "Heavy Metal Thunder" but this review is strictly "Unplugged And Strung Up" material, although if you decide you want this album then I recommend getting the expanded edition.
Other than the last track, there isn't really anything on here for fans to consider "new". Chances are stores like HMV would charge a tenner for it but in all honesty, it's probably best you stick to listening to it on Spotify if you're not majorly struck by most of the original tracks. However, it's definitely a brilliant addition to a Saxon fan's collection and if you like the songs they've chosen to re-release, I would spend some time giving it a listen. As for a personal rating, I would say 7/10. The quality of the music is strong, the band are as tight as a nun's nipsy and whilst a few of the song choices are questionable, I wouldn't call any of their efforts "bad".
Anyway, that's my January post sorted. See you again at the end of February for either a review or something "different".
So what's happening in January? Well, I still wanted to do a review but, at the same time, I didn't want to listen to brand new material just yet. I've been hearing quite a bit of "new" music recently and I didn't want to dismiss anything that could be pretty awesome purely because it didn't live up to the same quality as the other songs I've been checking out. So where does that leave me?
In short: An album of live/acoustic/rerecorded tunes that I already know from one of my favourite Metal bands, Saxon.
In long: ...well, this following review, I suppose.
Saxon may not be as big as other UK Metal acts such as Iron Maiden or Judas Priest but that doesn't mean they're any less influential. You can hear elements of Saxon's music from their early NWOBHM material in American Thrash Metal. In fact, you can hear chord sequences and riffs from songs in certain tracks on Metallica's "Kill Em All". Not just the obvious Princess Of The Night chorus use in Seek And Destroy but I'm almost certain the band had Heavy Metal Thunder in the back of their mind when they were writing parts of The Four Horsemen.
Despite only really being known by the average Rock/Metal fan for one song involving wheels made of a certain metal (which is probably one of their worst "good" songs, when you've heard their other material), these ageing rockers still know how to deliver top notch Metal and pack a hell of a punch at live gigs. It's for that reason I was excited when I noticed new material from Saxon on Spotify that wasn't just their 2013 album "Sacrifice".
If their 2002 album of rerecords, "Heavy Metal Thunder", taught me anything it's that these guys haven't lost it. In fact, with developments in recording technology, some songs actually sound better than the originals on that album (see Power And The Glory, for starters). What I'm basically trying to say is that if ever there were a band who could get me hyped for old rope, it's these chaps.
Unlike "Heavy Metal Thunder", this isn't simply another Greatest Hits catalogue. Most of the songs are either quite obscure or from albums that didn't receive high amounts of praise and attention but that doesn't mean the compilation is lacking in energy or catchy tunes. The first track, a rerecording/remix of Stallions Of The Highway from their debut in 1979, has exchanged some of the speed for power, enhanced by drums and bass from Nigel Glockler and Nibbs Carter respectively. As a result, fans of the original may find themselves enjoying the same song for different reasons.
Following the strong opener is an orchestrated rerecording of Crusader, one of the many tracks included on this collection that is also available on certain special editions of "Sacrifice". As well as giving the song more of an epic feel, they've also opted to remove some of the vocals to focus on the new & improved sound rather than the old lyrics. Next up is Battle Cry, a lesser known track from "Rock The Nations". One immediately noticeable difference is the song being in a lower key, presumably to accommodate Bill Byford's vocal range dropping slightly. However, I personally think it improves the song.
Songs that evoke imagery of soldiers preparing for a battle before the final charge should be fierce and masculine. They should lay it on heavily with the galloping rhythm and the riffs should have the same strength and dynamics as the sound of a thousand men clashing swords in war-driven fury. It's that reason that I personally prefer the version of Iron Maiden's The Trooper with Lemmy on vocals but that's an opinion we don't need to dwell on. More to the point, this rerecording of Battle Cry has extra power and if I had a choice of which version of the track I'd prefer to listen to whilst riding into the mouth of hell, I'd pick this in a heartbeat.
Continuing with the grand orchestrated songs, a rerecording of The Eagle Has Landed comes next. Out with the synth, in with the strings! Whilst still maintaining a solemn heart, this track perhaps isn't quite as emotive as the original if only due to Byford's vocals sounding less soulful with age and more rough with time. Next up is Red Star Falling, a song originally from the 2007 album "The Inner Sanctum". Personally, I'm not sure why this song really needed rerecording when only six years passed since it was originally released. Plus, the original already has added strings in the background.
Don't get me wrong, it's still got an awesome solo and it's not a bad song, just a bit of a wasted opportunity for a better track to get the beefed-up treatment. Of course, anyone could sit and say "This one should've been on it, not that one!" and they'd have about as strong an argument as the next person to disagree with the song choice. However, I would assume Saxon fans are more likely going to appreciate a rerecorded song from Wheels Of Steel or Denim And Leather and, at the end of the day, most of the people who'll be purchasing this album are Saxon fans.
But maybe this one wasn't for the fans. I admire a band that can say "No, we're not going to turn into mindless crowd pleasers releasing the same compilation with various versions of Don't Stop Believing on over and over when we get low on royalty money" (that's not to say I don't like Journey, I just hate that fucking song). These guys are rerecording songs that they are proud of and perhaps think more of their newer fans should be aware of, hence why tracks like Broken Heroes aren't significantly different from the original save for a fancier string intro and a more impressive sound.
Perhaps that's also why modern tracks such as Call To Arms have been included. The songs that have been rerecorded with an orchestra are all slower and touch down into power ballad territory, which is probably the best kind of song to record with an orchestra. The band picked their slower songs that they thought worked best with strings on top and gave us an alternate version of songs that perhaps lacked the power they felt they deserved. Anyway, following this track is a rerecording of Militia Guard, another song from the debut. Stripped of its original raw sound and replaced with heavier guitars from veteran Paul Quinn and newbie Doug Scarratt, this tune gets the feet tapping and the heads banging again.
Following this is Forever Free, another rerecord without orchestra. Even though I love this song, I personally feel the rerecording brings little new to the table and if you've heard one version, you won't gain much from hearing the other. The same could be said for Just Let Me Rock although the rerecording manages to take an already slow, plodding rhythm and makes it even heavier. Fans of the song may consider this an improvement.
The last batch on the collection are acoustic, starting with one off the debut again. Frozen Rainbow combines Rainbow Theme and the original Frozen Rainbow into one acoustic track. Iron Wheels is a live recording but fortunately helps back up my argument about Saxon being an incredible live band who are able to play either as good as or better than their studio efforts, rarely ever worse. Requiem starts to wind the album down, preparing the listener for the final track. However, as a song, it's an equally soulful version aided by Byford's vocal work. The final track is an acoustic cover of Big Twin Rolling (Coming Home) from "Dogs Of War", shortened to Coming Home.
Whilst the other acoustic renditions have mostly stayed faithful to the original track, this song differs wildly and changes a fast-paced Blues track into an atmospheric Bluegrass style song with sliding guitars and a slow tempo. A perfect end to the album and a damn fine re-imagining of a good song that gives fans something new to listen to. Some versions of this compilation include the aforementioned "Heavy Metal Thunder" but this review is strictly "Unplugged And Strung Up" material, although if you decide you want this album then I recommend getting the expanded edition.
Other than the last track, there isn't really anything on here for fans to consider "new". Chances are stores like HMV would charge a tenner for it but in all honesty, it's probably best you stick to listening to it on Spotify if you're not majorly struck by most of the original tracks. However, it's definitely a brilliant addition to a Saxon fan's collection and if you like the songs they've chosen to re-release, I would spend some time giving it a listen. As for a personal rating, I would say 7/10. The quality of the music is strong, the band are as tight as a nun's nipsy and whilst a few of the song choices are questionable, I wouldn't call any of their efforts "bad".
Anyway, that's my January post sorted. See you again at the end of February for either a review or something "different".
Sunday, 22 December 2013
Shout Out: Deep Cuts Volumes 1-3 - Queen
Apologies for the lack of activity on here. I know I said I was going to do an album review in November (and I do still plan on doing that!) but since I wanted to do at least one more post before 2013 is over, here's something that will possibly become a regular thing along with reviews and opinion posts on certain soundtracks/setlists.
Rather than just review things that have come out and everyone likes, I figure it's a good idea to draw some attention to albums I enjoyed that perhaps aren't as popular as they should be. Kicking us off are three different compilations from arguably the strongest Classic Rock band in the world: Queen.
I don't think it's an over-exaggeration to say that everyone knows who Queen are. You could fly to the furthest corners of the planet, find the ancient crusader from the third Indiana Jones film, ask him about Queen and chances are he'd at least be able to stomp & clap the beat to 'We Will Rock You'. They're a band who are universally adored for their catchy radio friendly tunes whilst still retaining the badass image of a Rock band due to the fact that everyone in the band was great at what they did.
Granted Freddie Mercury (or rather, his pipes of platinum) was the key member who stood out, you can't deny that Roger Taylor (drums), John Deacon (bass) and of course Brian May (guitar) played their part in immortalising Queen in the records of Rock. However, their ability to write not just one but a string of iconic songs as easily as you or I would write a shopping list came at a price.
You see, if you asked the average person to name a Queen song, they'd probably have no hesitations before coming out with "Don't Stop Me Now" or "Bohemian Rhapsody". However, if you asked them to name the album it came from, they might have some problems. Chances are they'd have even bigger problems naming any other song that came from the same album, and that's the only trouble with Queen. They're so talented that any song of theirs that isn't on a Greatest Hits album is doomed to obscurity, despite many of them being superior to some of their popular hits.
Fortunately, in the modern age where just about any piece of information you require is no more than a few clicks away, it's easy to listen to entire Queen albums in all their underrated glory. Unfortunately, the modern age has a fatal flaw: laziness. Most people can't be arsed to watch a Youtube video longer than 60 seconds, let alone listen to a band's entire back catalogue, just to find songs they may or may not enjoy...and that's where the Deep Cuts collection gloriously swaggers in.
22 years of "filler tracks" split across three volumes, all handpicked by members of Queen and the Foo Fighters drummer (?). These compilations span Queen's career up until Freddie's departure, so there's none of that Paul Rodgers material from 2008 but I doubt anyone will lose any sleep over that. Anyway, the first volume contains tracks from albums released between 1973 and 1976.
Opening up the album, "Ogre Battle" gets to work in showing you that Queen aren't just a radio band and could write great songs that weren't destined to be played on mainstream stations. The heavy chugging of May's guitar and soulful power of Mercury's vocals drench the first two tracks ("Stone Cold Crazy") with the classic Queen sound, whilst Taylor's drumming and Mercury's ivory tinkling take over on track number three ("My Fairy King").
From start to finish, this volume deals with Queen's earlier fantasy-inspired material. Songs of mystical lands and tales of space exploration that still manage to sound more masculine than your average Metalcore band. If you like songs such as "Seven Seas Of Rhye" and "Killer Queen", I would recommend giving this one a listen. Below is the tracklist and underlined are the songs that are my personal favourites.
Rather than just review things that have come out and everyone likes, I figure it's a good idea to draw some attention to albums I enjoyed that perhaps aren't as popular as they should be. Kicking us off are three different compilations from arguably the strongest Classic Rock band in the world: Queen.
I don't think it's an over-exaggeration to say that everyone knows who Queen are. You could fly to the furthest corners of the planet, find the ancient crusader from the third Indiana Jones film, ask him about Queen and chances are he'd at least be able to stomp & clap the beat to 'We Will Rock You'. They're a band who are universally adored for their catchy radio friendly tunes whilst still retaining the badass image of a Rock band due to the fact that everyone in the band was great at what they did.
Granted Freddie Mercury (or rather, his pipes of platinum) was the key member who stood out, you can't deny that Roger Taylor (drums), John Deacon (bass) and of course Brian May (guitar) played their part in immortalising Queen in the records of Rock. However, their ability to write not just one but a string of iconic songs as easily as you or I would write a shopping list came at a price.
You see, if you asked the average person to name a Queen song, they'd probably have no hesitations before coming out with "Don't Stop Me Now" or "Bohemian Rhapsody". However, if you asked them to name the album it came from, they might have some problems. Chances are they'd have even bigger problems naming any other song that came from the same album, and that's the only trouble with Queen. They're so talented that any song of theirs that isn't on a Greatest Hits album is doomed to obscurity, despite many of them being superior to some of their popular hits.
Fortunately, in the modern age where just about any piece of information you require is no more than a few clicks away, it's easy to listen to entire Queen albums in all their underrated glory. Unfortunately, the modern age has a fatal flaw: laziness. Most people can't be arsed to watch a Youtube video longer than 60 seconds, let alone listen to a band's entire back catalogue, just to find songs they may or may not enjoy...and that's where the Deep Cuts collection gloriously swaggers in.
22 years of "filler tracks" split across three volumes, all handpicked by members of Queen and the Foo Fighters drummer (?). These compilations span Queen's career up until Freddie's departure, so there's none of that Paul Rodgers material from 2008 but I doubt anyone will lose any sleep over that. Anyway, the first volume contains tracks from albums released between 1973 and 1976.
Opening up the album, "Ogre Battle" gets to work in showing you that Queen aren't just a radio band and could write great songs that weren't destined to be played on mainstream stations. The heavy chugging of May's guitar and soulful power of Mercury's vocals drench the first two tracks ("Stone Cold Crazy") with the classic Queen sound, whilst Taylor's drumming and Mercury's ivory tinkling take over on track number three ("My Fairy King").
From start to finish, this volume deals with Queen's earlier fantasy-inspired material. Songs of mystical lands and tales of space exploration that still manage to sound more masculine than your average Metalcore band. If you like songs such as "Seven Seas Of Rhye" and "Killer Queen", I would recommend giving this one a listen. Below is the tracklist and underlined are the songs that are my personal favourites.
1. Ogre Battle
2. Stone Cold Crazy
3. My Fairy King
4. I'm In Love With My Car
5. Keep Yourself Alive
6. Long Away
7. The Millionaire Waltz
8. '39
9. Tenement Funster
10. Flick Of The Wrist
11. Lily Of The Valley
12. Good Company
13. The March Of The Black Queen
14. In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited
And so we find ourselves on the next volume (and my personal favourite), Deep Cuts 2, 1977-1982
Continuing the sound of the first volume, this one opens with "Mustapha", a funny little tune covering the section of Queen's material that show they didn't need to take themselves seriously to be an awesome band, followed by a song that showcases their ability to sing and play with aggression ("Sheer Heart Attack"). Whilst the first compilation featured the band in their early years, the music on this volume sounds more refined and perfected.
However, this album also contains music from Queen's 80s albums, so we get a few tracks like "Staying Power" which experiment with Funk and synth or "Battle Theme" from the Flash Gordon soundtrack. Overall, I would say this volume has the most musical variety whilst still sounding like a collection of excellent Queen songs.
This is the album to check out if you like "Under Pressure", "Fat Bottomed Girls", "Another One Bites The Dust" and songs like that. Same as before, here's the tracklist with my faves underlined.
1. Mustapha
2. Sheer Heart Attack
3. Spread Your Wings
4. Sleeping On The Sidewalk
5. It's Late
6. Rock It (Prime Jive)
7. Dead On Time
8. Sail Away Sweet Sister
9. Dragon Attack
10. Action This Day
11. Put Out The Fire
12. Staying Power
13. Jealousy
14. Battle Theme
Finally, the heaviest one of the three. Deep Cuts 3, 1984-1995
Since the music on this compilation comes from Queen's career after they'd rocked the planet and established themselves as Rock Gods, the songs have a more epic feel. The slow but strong opener "Made In Heaven" comes from Queen's last album so there's a solemn tone behind it, but that doesn't mean the album is all doom & gloom. "Machines (Or Back To Humans)" picks up the pace a little bit with some synth & vocoder action whilst other tracks on the album provide a good guitar & drum combo to dance to ("Khashoggi's Ship").
Despite the fact that most of the tracks on this album are rather slow, there's certainly a noticeable range in how heavy the songs are. Whilst a few are rather soft and feature mostly piano or strings ("A Winter's Tale"), there are a couple of songs that fully cross the line into Metal territory with dynamic riffs, plodding drums and hard-edged vocals ("The Hitman").
These songs are probably to your taste if you enjoy singles such as "I Want It All" and "The Show Must Go On". Here's the last tracklist with highlighted favourites for you.
1. Made In Heaven
2. Machines (Or Back To Humans)
3. Don't Try So Hard
4. Tear It Up
5. I Was Born To Love You
6. A Winter's Tale
7. Ride The Wild Wind
8. Bijou
9. Was It All Worth It
10. One Year Of Love
11. Khashoggi's Ship
12. Is This The World We Created...?
13. The Hitman
14. It's A Beautiful Day (Reprise)
15. Mother Love
Deep Cuts Volumes 1-3 are perfect for someone who likes Queen, Classic/Hard Rock and enjoys listening to music. However, I wouldn't say they're the perfect collection of Queen "deep cuts" (no "Brighton Rock" or "Fight From The Inside") but that's more than likely down to personal taste. Similarly, my recommendations could be completely wrong.
You may love the songs I mentioned but hate the tracks I enjoyed. The only way you'll know for certain is by listening to them yourself and to be honest, if you like the majority of Queen's popular songs, you may as well check these compilations out. All three of them are on Spotify and every individual song is bound to be on Youtube or Grooveshark or whatever. I guess if I had to rate each volume based on my own taste, I'd say:
Volume 1 = 6/10
Volume 2 = 8/10
Volume 3 = 4/10
Volume 1 = 6/10
Volume 2 = 8/10
Volume 3 = 4/10
I doubt I'll get a review or other blog post done before the end of the year but I hope you've enjoyed reading this one. I also hope you have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and minimal stomach upsets from undercooked turkey. Be seeing you!
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