Guardians Of The Galaxy: Awesome Mixes And Moments

Yesterday, I saw Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 and was inspired to write a blog post about the fabled Awesome Mixes from both films (although mostly this one). If you want my thoughts on the film in general, feel free to read my lengthy tweet rant/review. However, this blog post is dedicated entirely to the collection of Classic Rock/Pop songs that are just as important in the Guardians Of The Galaxy films as the space battles or the words "I am Groot"; even the title of the film sounds like the name of a musical compilation. That being said, there are going to be some minor spoilers dotted throughout this post so if you haven't seen Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 yet and want to, come back later.

No, this isn't the cover for the soundtrack. It's the film poster and it's pretty fucking cool. It's action packed, it's got the main characters in dynamic poses and the typical blue and orange combination you tend to find on almost every film poster has a vibrant feel to it rather than the usual grainy tints. The reason I'm writing about this instead of David Bowie or Norman Greenbaum is because you could look at this poster with no context aside from the knowledge that the soundtrack is built from songs from the 70s/80s and assume the soundtrack would be full of Hard Rock.
It looks like the sort of film that'd be loaded with AC/DC and the like, not Chicago and Fleetwood Mac. In fact, the trailers for this film used their most action packed songs and even then, they changed the mix to add more emphasis to the percussion in order to punctuate the action beats. So is this misleading and disappointing? Should I demand the third film be loaded with Hard Prog and roaring riffs to make up for the Soft Rock soundtrack? Of course I fucking shouldn't, but then you all knew that anyway. Whilst it's no secret that I prefer my Rock music to actually Rock, I can appreciate a more subdued soundtrack provided it serves a purpose...and this one definitely does.
When Guardians Of The Galaxy (the first one) came out, the soundtrack took people by surprise. I wasn't a big fan of it personally, as any soundtrack that contains "Cherry Bomb" - The Runaways is never going to be perfect, but it had its moments and it's always good to see a film with an old soundtrack. Not only that but the soundtrack had relevance to the plot and gave us some insight into the character of Peter Quill. By the end of the film, Peter finds out that his deceased mum created a second mix tape, teasing the sequel and all the musical possibilities it could contain. As soon as the second film was confirmed, everyone was excited but not just for more adventures from these bunch of intergalactic a-holes. It's pretty neat that a soundtrack can generate this much hype, especially one that isn't full of contemporary chart toppers or acoustic Indie shite.

Director and writer James Gunn knew how important the soundtrack was for the sequel and this time the song choices, rather than the overall music, contained significance. Whilst there are throwaway tracks that were included for fun reasons to contrast the events taking place in the film, such as "Mr Blue Sky" - ELO being used in the exceptional opening sequence or "Southern Nights" - Glen Campbell during a scene where Rocket fucks with a bunch of predatory ravagers, it felt like the lyrics and themes of tracks were the guiding influence this time around.
The first song in the film is "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" - Looking Glass and whilst its initial use has no real importance other than to drive a point home about a character's love of music, it's later used by Ego (a living planet) as a metaphor for his relationship with Peter's mother and their role in the universe. I'm still not sure if I agree with its use in that sense, as it felt a little off-putting watching Kurt Russell recite the lyrics as spoken word whilst the song was playing (think Shatner's cover of "Rocket Man"). Plus, Ego claims the song was one of Peter's mum's favourites...so she included it on the second mix tape she made?
There's also the use of "My Sweet Lord" - George Harrison when some of the gang arrive on Ego's planet, a superb choice due to the way your perception of the song's meaning and tone change with repeated viewings of the film, and "Father And Son" - Cat Stevens during the final emotional scene, a song that perfectly fit both musically and lyrically. Whilst some songs work in this sense, others fall a bit flat. "Surrender" - Cheap Trick in the credits felt forced due to the line about mummy and daddy in the chorus, especially when you consider the fact that surrendering wasn't an option for any of the characters by the end. It was likely chosen for the aforementioned lyrics and it having more of an upbeat tone to go with the silly post-credits sequences, although I would've argued there were better songs to pick from.

The main strength of the soundtracks comes from contrasting tones, such as the use of "Hooked On A Feeling" - Blue Swede as one of the characters is tortured in the first film or "Come A Little Bit Closer" - Jay & The Americans as several characters murder an entire ship of criminals after escaping captivity. It works on different levels but it also strikes a chord with you due to being memorable in its atypical usage. The song can influence the subtext of the scene or the scene can give new meaning to the song, rather than compatible music and moments working alongside each other for a singular purpose.
One of the few weaknesses comes in the use of well known songs. Thankfully, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 only had one misstep and that was the use of "The Chain" - Fleetwood Mac. It's a great tune with two distinct sections, the latter being the one most people probably remember. However, even though it was used brilliantly in the trailer, it has no presence in the film. It reminds me of when the TV show Ashes To Ashes used the song "In The Air Tonight" - Phil Collins but without the iconic drum intro. The show's creator claimed it was because he didn't want people watching the episode and waiting for that moment without paying attention to what was happening in the scene but he got it completely wrong; that's all people are going to do.
It might feel cliche to use well known sections alongside visual cressendos in your film or show but to me, it's better than not using them and tricking your audience into waiting for something that never comes and subsequently forcing them to realise that they haven't been paying proper attention to what was going on. Not only that but the first use of "The Chain" plays during a scene with dialogue. Again, if you use a well known song in the background of a scene with people talking, people are probably going to focus on the well known song. Granted that most of the music playing during scenes with dialogue is relatively obscure in comparison but "The Chain" needed to be less obvious in the mix.

Overall, the Awesome Mixes in Guardians Of The Galaxy are great. The second one was a lot stronger than the first but still fell a bit short of being what I would call an amazing soundtrack. However, both soundtracks should be commended for not taking the easy or uninspired choices (see Watchmen) and since a third film has been confirmed, I'm looking forward to listening to all Classic Rock/Pop tracks out of the 300 potential songs that will definitely be featured if the tease at the end of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 is to be trusted.
On a separate note, I composed a playlist of songs a while back that I would probably blast out on repeat if I were travelling through space (don't ask). It's definitely not the same material you'd get in the Guardians Of The Galaxy films but if you're interested, have a listen on the Spotify app below.

Guitar Hero: Van Halen

I know I "reviewed" the soundtrack to Guitar Hero Live recently but this technically isn't a review. This is one of those posts where I go through the entire setlist to a Guitar Hero/Rock Band game and decide whether the tracks deserve a Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down based on a mix of personal taste, appropriate use in the game and how fun the songs are to play on expert guitar. This time, it's the turn of the franchise's bucktoothed nephew, Guitar Hero: Van Halen, even though I've arguably dedicated enough time to the band when I wrote about their 70s-80s David Lee Roth era studio albums.
I've previously done this with the games Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock, Guitar Hero 3: Legends Of Rock, Guitar Hero: World Tour, The Beatles Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 4. Plus, I've briefly written about Guitar Hero: Van Halen in a blog post detailing the history of GH/RB games where I had mixed thoughts on aspects of the soundtrack but overall, thought it was alright. Time to see whether I still hold that opinion or whether I should've been more critical.
NOTE: Some of these songs have been discussed in other games (namely Rock Band 2) but in those cases, I'll be focusing more on the quality of the guitar chart and whether it belonged in Guitar Hero: Van Halen.

"Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" - Van Halen
I'll admit that whilst I knew several Van Halen songs before playing this game, I discovered most of them here. This was one of the songs I discovered and I fucking love it. Epic riff, decent mini solos, catchy chorus and even though it's just a little bit too long, it's pretty fun to play in GH:VH. Definitely a sensible pick. THUMBS UP.

"And The Cradle Will Rock..." - Van Halen
Ah shit, we were off to such a strong start as well. Yeah, horrible chart with awkward rapid strumming and a pretty fine example of mediocre Hard Rock. Tacky vocals, uninspired guitar work that resembles the sort of wank Randy Rhoads would shit out instead of Eddie Van Halen and even though it's a fairly popular Van Halen track, I would've replaced it with one of the band's better filler tracks. THUMBS DOWN.

"Atomic Punk" - Van Halen
The first filler track by the band but also one of the best. Great driving riffs, some fun HOPO sections that make you forget about the awkward strumming rhythms and a pretty simple chart to introduce you to the greatness of the band. I'm not entirely sure why Activision only picked songs from the David Lee Roth era but if tracks like this helped prevent tracks like "Why Can't This Be Love?" make it into the series, it's getting a great big THUMBS UP. Well, it was going to get one anyway but you know what I mean.

"Beautiful Girls" - Van Halen
I suppose it makes sense to include this song, even if it's not really that fun on guitar. It's decent and one of the band's popular tracks but also very forgettable. On the plus side, I quite like the song and I didn't hate playing it, I just didn't really like it either. Fuck it, THUMBS UP for not sucking and not being out of place in the game. Believe me, there'll be PLENTY of those coming up.

"Best Of You" - Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters in GH/RB games was pretty much obligatory at that point so even though the band have next to no relevance to Van Halen, I can understand their inclusion. Plus, apparently it was down to Wolfgang Van Halen (Eddie's son) to pick most of the guest acts so naturally the setlist was doomed from the start. It sucks on guitar, right up to the rapid strumming section, and it's one of the band's better known tracks due to it basically becoming a meme online. Listening to Dave shouting "THE BEST! THE BEST! THE BEST!" over and over doesn't stop this song from getting a THUMBS DOWN, especially when there are way better Foo Fighters songs that GH never got.

"Cathedral" - Van Halen
The first of three guitar solos that were included on-disc. It's pretty fun to play, considering it's basically just a lengthy HOPO section. Short and sweet, THUMBS UP.

"Come To Life" - Alter Bridge
I bet this song was shoved onto this game's soundtrack because ATVI licensed it but didn't know what to do with it. It has no place in GH:VH and even though Alter Bridge songs have pretty fun charts, I can honestly say that I remember absolutely fuck all about playing this track. It sounds good but it should've been DLC or an on-disc song for Guitar Hero 5 instead of one of the many, many shitty Indie tracks. THUMBS DOWN.

"Dance The Night Away" - Van Halen
Really? This got picked? I guess it works as an easier song in order to give the game a difficulty curve but goddamn, it's dull. It's decent background music but not something I'd like to focus on playing in GH. THUMBS DOWN.

"Dope Nose" - Weezer
A catchy tune but again, really not a great pick for Guitar Hero: Van Halen. THIS should've been on GH5 instead of the Weezer song they chose. At least it has a fun riff and a great solo. I'm tempted to give it a Thumbs Up just for getting at least 2 out of 3 on my marking scale, although it shouldn't have been on this game. Tough call but it's getting a THUMBS UP.

"Double Vision" - Foreigner
Whilst I'm always down for some Classic Rock in these games, this song's a bit of a weird choice. I strongly doubt Wolfgang picked this one so I have no idea who championed this average song's inclusion in the game, unless Eddie or one of the band members expressed an interest in it (even though I doubt they expressed an interest in any part of the game's development). Not a very impressive guitar chart and not a huge hit for the band. There are better Foreigner songs that could've been chosen, let alone better Classic Rock songs. THUMBS DOWN.

"The End Of Heartache" - Killswitch Engage
This one probably was a Wolfgang pick. I mean, it's Killswitch Engage and he was a teenage boy so obviously he likes this band. I can't remember much about the guitar chart other than it being pretty easy for one of the final tier songs but if I had to judge this inclusion based on the quality of this screamy, shite awful song itself, it's a hard THUMBS DOWN.

"Eruption" - Van Halen
There is no debate here. If you're making a Van Halen game, "Eruption" has to be on it. It's just as furious as you can imagine and even though tap notes have made it slightly easier to play than if it was included on a pre-GH:WT title, it's still a tough tune for expert players to master. THUMBS UP.

"Everybody Wants Some!!" - Van Halen
If you were tasked with creating a Van Halen song from scratch, it'd probably end up sounding something like this. Tribal drums, anthematic vocals in the chorus, heavy riffs and a passable EVH solo. Fun fact: you can hear the band fuck up at one point when David Lee Roth starts to speak one of the lyrics just as Eddie plays some chords. Blunder aside, it's a THUMBS UP.

"Feel Your Love Tonight" - Van Halen
One of the filler tracks off the debut album that shouldn't have been picked. It sounds too similar to the generic material and even though "On Fire" off the debut is also a little close to some of the tunes on this game, at least it has a fun chart. I can't remember anything about this song, although I have a feeling that I sightread FC'd it. THUMBS DOWN.

"First Date" - Blink-182
Hahaha, nope! I want to say this was a Wolfgang pick but it was around that time that Activision got a massive hardon for Blink-182 and their songs started appearing all over the GH franchise, even though they all sound the fucking same. THUMBS DOWN.

"Hang 'Em High" - Van Halen
What can I say about this song? Well, it's off Diver Down so that's already a bad start. It's also quite challenging on guitar so it isn't the worst choice they could've gone for. However, there are filler tracks on 1984 that would've tested expert guitar players that deserved to receive more love than this song ("Top Jimmy", anyone? How fucking great would it have been to play that verse riff?). THUMBS DOWN.

"Hear About It Later" - Van Halen
This song's grown on me since I first played it in GH:VH, although I definitely maintain that it's a dull song to play up until the solo when it just becomes a ballache. Not one of my favourites off Fair Warning and certainly not a highlight for the setlist. THUMBS DOWN, I'm afraid.

"Hot For Teacher" - Van Halen
This song was awesome in Guitar Hero: World Tour and I swear they made the guitar chart easier in GH:VH, which seemed like an odd move. Either way, it's still fun to play and it still makes sense to include it in the game, even if the original master was used in GH:WT. THUMBS UP.

"Ice Cream Man" - Van Halen
When Van Halen got all Bluesy, they fucked sucked. They were as lame as your dad dancing at your birthday party and this song's a great example of David Lee Roth's love of the genre ruining a solid track. I mean, just take a moment to stop and think about what the fucking song's actually about. Luckily, the guitar chart doesn't suck and since it sounds different to your average Van Halen song, I can appreciate its inclusion in the game. It's a reluctant THUMBS UP although I don't think I'd lose sleep if I could never play/hear this song again.

"I'm The One" - Van Halen
Here's how to do Blues Rock right, although the "shoobi-doo-wah" bit in the middle is a great example of an Absolute Axl (another of these blog posts is currently in the works). Not only is it an awesome song but the guitar chart's fucking amazing if you can keep up with it. Definitely one of my favourite Van Halen songs to play in the entire game so there's no doubt about it: THUMBS UP.

"I Want It All" - Queen
From my favourite Van Halen song to my favourite guest artist song. Similar to the Blink-182 situation, Activision had recently managed to get access to a bunch of Queen songs so they were going trigger happy with using the band in GH games. However, unlike the Blink-182 situation, this was a good thing. This song showcases Brian May at his best with not one, not two but THREE excellent solos and solid fretwork throughout the rest of the song too. It's a shame it had to be locked away on this game with a setlist featuring many more misfires to come. THUMBS UP.

"Intruder/(Oh) Pretty Woman" - Van Halen
O...K, I guess Van Halen didn't have any more master recordings available so they had to resort to picking a cruddy cover off their worst Lee Roth era album? It's not even a case of Activision's desire to include "(Oh) Pretty Woman" in the series, as the Roy Orbison original was used in Band Hero. Not only that but the original didn't contain 1:40 of shite beforehand. I can understand why "Intruder" had to be glued onto the start of "(Oh) Pretty Woman" but I can't understand why both songs were picked for this game. THUMBS DOWN.

"Jamie's Cryin'" - Van Halen
Another poor choice off the debut and I once again refer you to my "On Fire" comment earlier. Presumably picked to be an easier song on the difficulty curve but it's still a boring song to play and listen to. THUMBS DOWN without hesitation.

"Jump" - Van Halen
Whilst I may not particularly like this song, it's pretty fucking fun to play on GH:VH and obviously, it had to be included in the setlist. GH purists may not be happy about the synth sections being charted but for everyone else, they make up the most fun sections of the song with plenty of manageable but challenging tap note sections to practise. THUMBS UP.

"Little Guitars" - Van Halen
More shite off Diver Down, although the acoustic intro's quite fun to play for those wanting a strum-based challenge. Sadly, the rest of the track sucks and deserves to be cast into the bowels of Hell for committing one of the greatest sins a Hard Rock song can perform; including the word "senorita" in the lyrics. It sounds desperate and makes me want to physically harm myself. THUMBS DOWN.

"Loss Of Control" - Van Halen
Now here's a frenzied little number. A good song to practise if you want to master strumming rhythms and anchoring notes. Even if the song suffers from dire vocals and what sounds like a rushed songwriting process, it's great on guitar. THUMBS UP for showing a little diversity in the band's material.

"Master Exploder" - Tenacious D
Whilst I bloody love this song and enjoyed playing it on GH:VH, it's sadly another example of a song that should've been DLC or an on-disc track for a different GH game. At least the chart's noticeably different to the RB2 one with easier solos and a much harder chord progression in the main riff. I want to give this song a Thumbs Up, I really do. However, I have to judge it as a song on this game's setlist and so, with regret, it's a THUMBS DOWN. Plus, I let "Dope Nose" get a Thumbs Up for personal reasons so this should balance things out.

"Mean Street" - Van Halen
Also one of my favourite songs to play with a fucking ace guitar chart. If you can nail that intro, you feel like a fucking God. Plus, it's got a solid chart all the way through and proves that slower songs can still be awesome. I'm glad this game exists if only because it introduced me to this song. THUMBS UP.

"Pain" - Jimmy Eat World
Oh hey, welcome back Wolfgang! I'm sure he picked some of the songs I've discussed since "First Date" but his presence feels particularly opaque here. It's not a bad song for modern Pop Rock but you know the line; it doesn't belong in this game. Jimmy Eat World could've had a track pack on Guitar Hero with this song, the one on GH5 and some other tune of theirs that isn't "The Middle" and it would've freed up room for two better songs. THUMBS DOWN.

"Painkiller" - Judas Priest
Oh dear God, what did they do to you? They fucking raped you, didn't they? Those bastards!!!
Seriously though, what were Activision playing at? Butchered drum intro, undercharted solo, too much strumming in the main riff and then there's that section between solos where they just charted fuck all, even though you can hear the guitar playing. It's a shame too as "Painkiller" is a fucking badass song that's perfect for GH/RB (although arguably not GH:VH) and they ruined it. THUMBS DOWN and Activision should hang their head in shame...ah who am I kidding, ATVI have no shame.

"Panama" - Van Halen
The first song in the game's career mode and a pretty fun chart too. Whilst it's not the easiest song in the game, it's a great introduction to the band's material and tapping solo aside, it's great to play. A solid choice for a solid song. THUMBS UP.

"Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" - The Offspring
Of all the Offspring songs to choose, of all the ones to include on GH:VH, they picked the "give it to me baby" one. Not "The Kids Aren't Alright" or "Self Esteem" (I know that was in GH:WOR but that could've had a different one), but this one. It's not even that fun on guitar unless you like chords and strumming. THUMBS DOWN.

"Rock And Roll Is Dead" - Lenny Kravitz
I've panned most of the guest acts but credit where due, this one's a solid pick. Excellent riffs/solos and it fits in with the sound of Van Halen, even if it's more Funk than Blues. Whilst this could've worked in the Lenny Kravitz pack they released for GH5, it doesn't feel out of place on-disc here. THUMBS UP, even if the song's sentiment unintentionally echoes the overall reception to the GH franchise at that point in time.

"Romeo Delight" - Van Halen
Another great Hard Rock tune by the band. It has some challenging solos, heavy riffs and a soft section in the middle to emphasise the final chorus. Another standard Van Halen song and certainly a great choice for this game. THUMBS UP.

"Runnin' With The Devil" - Van Halen
Possibly the band's most famous song apart from "Jump", which doesn't really represent their sound in the slightest. It's the second song you play in career mode after "Panama" and even if it is pretty easy on guitar, it's still fun. There's no way they could've justified leaving this song out of the setlist so it's a clear THUMBS UP.

"Safe European Home" - The Clash
I have no qualms about The Clash being in GH:VH and I suppose this is one of the best songs they could've picked, since The Clash don't really have any fun guitar songs. Guitar's straightforward here and even though it gets a little silly in the outro, this song still manages to have more dignity than several songs on this list. This was likely chosen by ATVI instead of Wolfgang but if he did choose it, congrats son; you didn't fuck up. THUMBS UP.

"Semi-Charmed Life" - Third Eye Blind
Welcome back, Wolfgang. This probably should've been on the Third Eye Blind track pack along with "Jumper" instead of the songs they picked but hey, it's not a stain on the GH:VH soundtrack. It's not the most appropriate song either but it doesn't suck. It's fun to play and listen to so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt with a THUMBS UP. However, this means that another song will probably get a Thumbs Down for balance later on, as mentioned with "Dope Nose" and "Master Exploder".

"Sick, Sick, Sick" - Queens Of The Stone Age
Wow, didn't expect that song to come so soon. It's a fun guitar chart and a great song for QOTSA but doesn't belong on GH:VH at all. This should've been on GH5 instead of "Make It Wit Chu", a song that should've been left in Josh Homme's reject pile when recording for Era Vulgaris. THUMBS DOWN even though I like listening to and playing the song but hey, I've got to at least pretend to be fair here.

"So This Is Love?" - Van Halen
Another song that I found out about thanks to this game. Great bassline and a pretty damn fun guitar chart too. The song massively grew on me since hearing it in GH:VH and to this day, it's still one of my on-disc highlights. THUMBS UP.

"Somebody Get Me A Doctor" - Van Halen
I love this song's solo (even if it is quite hard to play) but the actual melody itself is a little off. It sounds unfinished to me or as if EVH took a bunch of notes from other riffs that weren't working and pulled a Frankenstein with it, sort of like the "Tom Sawyer" guitar solo. At least it's consistently fun to play and doesn't feel insulting by taking the place of a better song so it's a THUMBS UP.

"Space Truckin'" - Deep Purple
This guest act feels appropriate and it has a fairly fun guitar chart, even if Deep Purple songs tend to be more miss than hit on GH/RB. I would've thought a track like "Lazy" would've been better for the game, as that sounds more like the kind of song Van Halen would listen to and want to replicate in their own material. However, we got "Space Truckin'" and I'm not disappointed. THUMBS UP.

"Spanish Fly" - Van Halen
The last of the guitar solo trilogy and possibly my favourite. I love the sound of it and it's definitely more fun to play than "Eruption" and "Cathedral". It's still fucking challenging though so don't attempt it unprepared. THUMBS UP.

"Stacy's Mom" - Fountains Of Wayne
Those of you who knew about this setlist were probably waiting for me to get to this track, huh. It's without a doubt, the dumbest track on this game. Fucking boring chart, fucking shitty music, fucking out of place on the setlist and chances are it was fucking down to Wolfgang. THUMBS DOWN and a great big middle finger to everyone who liked this song growing up; your younger self is a colossal prick.

"The Takedown" - Yellowcard
Neck and neck with "I Want It All", this song's one of my favourite on-disc guest acts. It might not belong in the game but fucking hell, it's incredibly fun to play. Granted they had to chart violin to make it fun but at least that shreddy bit in the solo is all guitar. I might not be overly fond of listening to the song outside of GH but the chart is fun enough to give it a THUMBS UP entirely based on how awesome it is. THAT is how much I enjoy playing it.

"Unchained" - Van Halen
I suppose the problem with just picking David Lee Roth era songs is that you end up with a lot of bland Van Halen tracks, like this one. This song works if you haven't got a lot of Van Halen songs to work with but since the game is loaded with them, it gets overtaken by all the better songs. THUMBS DOWN.

"White Wedding (Part 1)" - Billy Idol
Sure, I guess this song works? I can imagine the boys in the band listening to this and it's a good pick for an easy guitar song at the start of the career mode. Plus, they pretty much used all the other Billy Idol songs for different games...except "Speed"...and "Blue Highway"...and "Mony Mony"...but you get the point. THUMBS UP.

"You Really Got Me" - Van Halen
Finishing the setlist is the original master recording of a cover version of a song by The Kinks. I say this because WaveGroup Sound recorded a cover for Guitar Hero 2 so naturally, the original had to be in this game. Plus, it's a well known recording of theirs off the debut. However, I personally would've preferred the Kinks original without the awkward tapping solo. Still, I can't fault the song's inclusion and chart when there's no real reason to vote against them. THUMBS UP.


Now it's time for the final score. With 27 Thumbs Up to 20 Thumbs Down, it seems I do still believe the Guitar Hero: Van Halen soundtrack has some merit. I really thought this would be the first game where there'd be more Thumbs Down than Up. Ah well, there's always GH5.

inFinite - Deep Purple

Hopefully you all got the April Fool's gag last week and didn't actually think I enjoyed the setlist to Guitar Hero Live in any way, shape or form. Here's a straight review of the new Deep Purple album to balance things out.

It's strange to see websites still list Deep Purple as Hard Rock as this album makes it perfectly clear that the band have fully transitioned into the Prog Rock genre. At the very least, they're Hard Prog but Prog nonetheless. It makes sense for the band to make this shift as they're all getting on a bit now and having lost two of their strongest assets to death and Folk (although Blackmore's revisiting Rainbow material now), there's no way they could possibly hope to recreate the iconic Hard Rock anthems they seemed to casually pump out in the early 70s.
Instead, they've opted to combine the Blues elements of Hard Rock with the instrumental aspects of Prog, creating an incredible sound utilised in such a poor way. If there was a list of everything that could be described as the "absolute worst", I reckon Mediocre Prog would fall somewhere between waiting in a queue caused by a fuckwit at the checkout and having dental surgery. Sadly, quite a few songs on inFinite are in that camp, even if each member of the band (except one) is going strong. Fortunately, the album opener isn't one of those.
"Time For Bedlam" may have a punchy rhythm and reminds us that the band haven't lost it but Don Airey's use of organ sounds more like Uriah Heep than Deep Purple. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but it does signify a slight step down in quality at the earliest juncture, even if the song is great. Don Airey and Steve Morse on keys and guitar are one of the album's greatest attributes, followed by Roger Glover's bass and Ian Paice's restrained but densely packed, well orchestrated drumming. That just leaves Ian Gillan on vocals and this is where the album runs into a sizable wall.

Gillan's vocals used to be incredible when he had some passion in his pipes. However, since DP have moved on from being the loudest band in the world, Gillan's vocals needed to make the successful transition too. Instead, they just sound flat and bored, dampening the majority of songs on this album. The only track where Gillan's vocals seemed to work was "The Surprising", which benefited from a different sound to the lion's share of the tracks and a more typically progressive structure like you'd hear in a modern Iron Maiden song. It's a good track if you can ignore the fact that the guitar sounds a little too close to "Highway Song" - Blackfoot for comfort.
There are other songs that attempt to stand apart from the Hard Prog filler such as "Johnny's Band", a track built around a strong riff with more subtle keyboard sections, and album closer "Roadhouse Blues", a cover of the song by The Doors. It's an upbeat end to the album but it comes across as self indulgent when it follows "Birds Of Prey", the band's attempt at an epic Prog finale. Also, it doesn't help that Gillan's voice is especially terrible when compared to Jim Morrison's, even though it was probably Gillan who championed the inclusion of this cover on the album.
Crappy vocals aside, the band are in their element and whilst Ian Paice doesn't sound like he's breaking a sweat on any of these songs, you can tell he's still trying to create great drum rhythms ("On Top Of The World"). It's the fills and rudiments throughout the songs that speak louder than the generic 4/4 beats. Roger Glover's bass sometimes blends in with Don Airey's organ a little too well but if you listen for it, you can hear it thudding away ("All I Got Is You"). Steve Morse gets a few moments in the spotlight where he can impersonate Richie Blackmore ("Get Me Out Of Here") but when him and Don Airey are double teaming together, it sounds phenomenal.

There's one message being broadcast underneath the layers of each track on inFinite; the band still have life in them but Ian Gillan doesn't. What Deep Purple need is a Ronnie James Dio figure to push the band members into challenging themselves with faster rhythms, more complex solos and more progressive finales. It's almost as if the band wanted the best of both Hard Rock and Prog Rock, which can work if each member of the band is able to commit to it. Unfortunately, I don't see any member of DP agreeing to boot Gillan out now so this is it.
I rate the album 6/10 for being musically solid but devoid of any fire or ambition. It pains me to hear such a once-incredible vocalist moaning his way through the album like he couldn't give a fuck, especially when the other band members (new and original) are earning their crust. Normally I'd say "perhaps they're better live" but having seen them live, I can confirm that we're not missing out on anything. What you hear on inFinite is what they've got. Their days of creating the next "Smoke On The Water" have been over for decades but that didn't stop them from giving us "Mad Dog" or "The Cut Runs Deep".

Guitar Hero Live - Various Artists

Apologies for another video game review so soon but I had to type this after realising what I was missing out on.

Guitar Hero Live is the last and best game in the Guitar Hero franchise. It's the byproduct of a five year hiatus brought about by Activision's oversaturation of the music game genre and a desire for money. However, unlike previous Guitar Hero games, it's not a simple cash grab. Guitar Hero Live takes bold steps in completely destroying everything that made the series fun and rebuilding it to be a little bit more realistic.
However, I'm not here to talk about the brave innovations in gameplay or genius pay-to-play system that gamers were surprisingly unwilling to adopt after shelling out £100 to buy the game and new controller. I'm here to discuss the soundtrack and whether or not it works. As the name suggests, Guitar Hero was built around a strong soundtrack of Rock songs classic and contemporary, particularly ones with excellent riffs and solos. Guitar Hero Live abandons this clunky old setlist with a fresh, exciting one featuring just under forty songs from the 21st century and just three from before the 80s.
This is a fantastically smart decision to capitalise on a small but non-fictitious audience; people who like gaming, listen to modern music and have plenty of disposable income. One of the biggest selling points of the franchise had been combining fun gameplay with an awesome soundtrack perfect for the type of gameplay involved. However, now that the gameplay is no longer fun, the soundtrack should reflect this too. Forget epic riffs and furious solos, Guitar Hero Live is all about strumming and awkward note sequences now!

But what about gamers who don't like Rock? Never fear, Activision thought of that! By focusing on one genre, the game is missing out on so many young listeners who need to listen to the latest chart topping songs in order to function properly, hence the inclusion of artists such as Eminem, Rihanna, Katy Perry and Skrillex. Their generic music translates well into this new form of realistic gameplay as you play riffs sampled from much greater Rock songs or electronic dubstep beats on guitar.
The setlist also reflects the fact that the gameplay has taken a step backwards in removing playable instruments. Guitar Hero soundtracks used to have to include tracks with fun drum and bass charts but now the developers can focus on tracks with catchy vocals to sing along to or guitar rhythms to play such as "The Rock Show" - Blink-182 and "The Kill" - Thirty Seconds To Mars, songs that have already been in the Guitar Hero franchise but have now been revitalised with the changes in gameplay.
Whilst it would've been easy for the developers to include plenty of great songs on-disc, only forty two songs are playable without an Internet connection, which is less than half of the amount of songs on the last Guitar Hero game. It's a risky move but it ultimately pays off as it gives gamers more time to hone and practise those songs without worry about too much variety and music to enjoy. Also, whilst it's easy to include a random bunch of tunes without any real place in a series about living the life of a Rock star, slimming down the setlist to Avril Lavigne, Mumford & Sons and OneRepublic ensures we get a game with the best material available.

There's one more area of the game's exceptional soundtrack I've yet to discuss and that's the GHTV mode. Instead of paying money to download songs that you get to play and keep or making previous paid songs compatible with this new game, Activision took yet another intelligent step in making additional music available through a music video system where new tunes are cycled in themed playlists for free. Tracks vary from music from the 10s, music from the 00s, music from the 90s and about twenty songs from the 80s and 70s.
Whilst this means the majority of music will be contemporary, since music videos only really took off in the 80s and even then Metal music videos didn't become popular until the early 90s, the fact that you can play along with your favourite bands (provided they only started releasing music after the 90s) is incredible. It's also a great way of licensing more music due to cheaper fees to pay, meaning players get more songs to be given without any choice.
However, when you do earn coins to purchase songs to play once, it's a great experience. The riffs are more complex and the solos are challenging, even if most of them have been cut due to the fact that music videos tend to be shorter versions of songs for promotional purposes. The developers deserve credit for trying to fit challenging songs into the game despite the new note layout not accommodating sweeping solos and furious fretting.

Guitar Hero Live's soundtrack is perfect. It's beyond perfect and deserves to be recognised as one of the strongest setlists in all of gaming history along with Guitar Hero: Van Halen and Power Gig: Rise Of The SixString. It's so incredible that it transcends a score on this blog, something that has absolutely nothing to do with the date in which this review was posted.

Rapid Fire: Tenacious D

Just managed to get in at the last minute, once again!
For this week's Rapid Fire post, I'm once again choosing three albums by the same band and yes, it's a Hard Rock band again. However, since tomorrow is April Fool's Day, this band also qualifies as Mock Rock. There aren't a huge number of albums by great Mock Rock bands to choose from but since my favourite Mock Rock outfit happens to only have three albums in their back catalogue (at the time of writing this), the choice was obvious.
I used to think this band were kind of tacky but after watching the film and listening to their music, I grew to love them. Now, Tenacious D are one of my favourite bands and I've seen them three times so far, so let's take a look at their three albums starting with their 2001 self-titled debut.


1. Tenacious D - Tenacious D

Tenacious D (album) may look pretty sinister but it's all part of the gag. Their music isn't heavy, devil worshipping music from Hell but sometimes the duo of Jables (Jack Black) and Kage (Kyle Gass) like to stray into those territories with the help of their backing band. Album opener "Kielbasa" is built around an acoustic melody and amusing lyrics that I shouldn't need to analyse for you to get. It soon becomes heavier but it's a strong representation for the rest of the album, as I once claimed in a blog post on great album openers.
Most songs are built around an acoustic melody and lyrics about sex, food or random concepts ranging from friendship ("Friendship") to karate ("Karate") although some start off heavy and stay that way ("The Road", "Rock Your Socks"). However, the biggest amount of variety on the album comes from the blending of comedic skits with Hard Rock tracks. It might make the album a bit hard to listen to in one sitting (unless you like brief amusing interludes between your tunes) but they're still pretty funny.
I recommend listening to this album all the way through at least once but after that, you're probably better off just picking tracks you like to enjoy now and then. Fortunately, there are plenty of these songs to choose from as Tenacious D have a habit of writing quality tunes in short bursts that tend to stray from the traditional Rock song formula.

1. Kielbasa

2. One Note Song

3. Tribute

4. Wonderboy

5. Hard Fucking

6. Fuck Her Gently

7. Explosivo

8. Dio

9. Inward Singing

10. Kyle Quit The Band

11. The Road

12. Cock Pushups

13. Lee

14. Friendship Test

15. Friendship

16. Karate Schnitzel

17. Karate

18. Rock Your Socks

19. Drive-Thru

20. Double Team

21. City Hall/I Believe/Malibu Nights

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

2. The Pick Of Destiny - Tenacious D

Critics panned this album for being a disappointing follow-up to the debut, along with needing knowledge of the film to appreciate completely. However, if you want an album that's entirely music without any of the skits, The Pick Of Destiny is great. Album opener "Kickapoo" spins an entertaining yarn of young JB's oppressive family and his journey to the city of fallen angels where the ocean meets the sand. It sounds like the opening song from an R-rated Rock opera and sets the tone for the rest of the album well.

Unlike their debut, the backing band have more of a presence on these songs with fewer tracks built around acoustic riffs, even though a few crop up here and there ("Classico", "History") and plenty ramping up the heavy material to the awesome degree ("Master Exploder", "Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)"). Whilst I can understand the complete lack of skits on the album (there's a film and it's funnier than the entire first album!), I can also understand how it's quite difficult to enjoy The Pick Of Destiny unless you've seen the film.

The songs on this album don't carry enough of the film's narrative to make it a standalone success so if anything, it's more of a soundtrack than a brand new studio album. However, if bands like Queen can include a soundtrack in their discography then so can Tenacious D, especially when it's as good as this one. I recommend watching the film before listening to this album but if you do want to listen to any songs as a taster first, I recommend tracks one, five, seven and fifteen.

1. Kickapoo

2. Classico

3. Baby

4. Destiny

5. History

6. The Government Totally Sucks

7. Master Exploder

8. The Divide

9. Papagenu (He's My Sassafrass)

10. Dude (I Totally Miss You)

11. Break-In City (Storm The Gate!)

12. Car Chase City

13. Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)

14. POD

15. The Metal

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

3. Rize Of The Fenix - Tenacious D

The band's third/currently latest album may have somewhat of an...irregular album cover but the material on the record is a perfect blend of the first two albums. Coming off a tour that ended up losing money and all the aforementioned negative press, the dynamic duo needed some time to climb back to the top. Six years, to be exact (so still less than Metallica needed). Album opener "Rize Of The Fenix" explains this story with heavy riffs, several acts and the best explosion sound effect I've ever heard. To quote the chorus, the fuckin' D is back!

It's fair to say that the strongest material comes in the first half of the album with classic D material ("Roadie"), Hard Hard Rock ("Deth Starr") and an amusing skit ("Classical Teacher"). Once the album gets about 2/3 of the way through, things start to take a downward spiral with less energetic music and less inspired lyrics ("39", "Rock Is Dead"). There are some exceptions but even those could've been better; "To Be The Best" needed another verse (and the band have added that extra verse in certain live gigs) but it's still good.

I don't think anybody's saying this is the band's best album but it's certainly one of the better albums. It rides the line and pleases fans of Tenacious D and The Pick Of Destiny but most importantly, it doesn't spell the end for the band. The creative well isn't dry and, if the gigs I've been to are any indication, Jables and Kage still enjoy rocking out. Rize Of The Fenix is a solid entry to get the band back on track and a fourth album should try to capture the same magic as the first. More skits, more songs about sex, more actual songs that could be heard on the radio instead of just two-minute snippets that couldn't be fleshed out. Hopefully we'll get another album from the boys soon, as it's been five years since this came out.

1. Rize Of The Fenix

2. Low Hangin' Fruit

3. Classical Teacher

4. Senorita

5.Deth Starr

6. Roadie

7. Flutes & Trombones

8. The Ballad Of Hollywood Jack And The Rage Kage

9. Throw Down

10. Rock Is Dead

11. They Fucked Our Asses

12. To Be The Best

13. 39

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

Triple 7s, whadda ya know? I definitely didn't phone this one in!

I'm currently dealing with technical issues regarding my laptop and the Internet so blog posts may go on hold for a while. I'll still aim for an average of one a week but if I can't meet that, there's always my Twitter account.

Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild - Manaka Kataoka & Yasuaki Iwata

Yes, I'm reviewing a game's soundtrack. This is happening.

NOTE: Whilst I'm using the Sound Selection cover, I'll be talking about more pieces of music than the ones included on the CD. This is mostly because after 30+ years making games, Nintendo still don't know how to release a good soundtrack CD.
Also, whilst I'll be sharing my opinions on this game throughout the review, this isn't a review of the game itself. If you want to know whether I liked the game, I did; a lot. It's great and you should buy it if you're a fan of RPGs, Zelda, open world exploration and well crafted puzzle solving and combat gameplay.


So it's finally here, the new console Zelda game! I remember writing about listening to the trailer music and feeling incredibly hyped for not just the game itself but the soundtrack too. The trailer boasted an epic score combining classic motifs with exciting new melodies on a grand orchestral scale and I for one was looking forward to hearing a Zelda soundtrack with more fantasy elements that you might expect from a game like Skyrim. In the end, we basically got half of that; a mix of old and new but sounding more like an expansion to the Skyward Sword soundtrack. Sure, that soundtrack was cute but certainly not what was advertised in the trailer.
I'm not going to sit here like some hack writer hastily shitting out a blog post about how majestic and beautiful the entire soundtrack is because truth be told, it's my second least favourite of all the console Zelda games. I didn't hate it but I was very disappointed for a variety of reasons. For starters, the main theme isn't great. It's the first piece of music you hear when you leave the Shrine Of Restoration, ready to explore the ravaged but still gorgeous land of Hyrule, and it's just In The Bleak Midwinter. Better parts of the main theme are used throughout the game for when you activate towers and such but it doesn't stand out as a memorable piece of music in the same way that, say, the Wind Waker theme does (and this is coming from someone who places the WW soundtrack as his least favourite).
Secondly, one of the big observations, the silence. When you're out and about in the wild, there is no music apart from a few notes here and there (that play Zelda's Lullaby when you speed them up). I get it, the soundtrack is meant to be the land around you; the crickets, the wind, the wild itself. It's a neat idea but having watched gameplay footage of someone exploring to silence and someone exploring to the Hyrule Field theme from Ocarina Of Time, I feel I would honestly prefer music in place. However, that's only when you're exploring the wild on foot. There's music everywhere else.

You get tame galloping music when riding a horse, mediocre battle music when encountering an enemy and various familiar themes when entering a town or settlement. Whilst opinions will differ on which of these tunes work and which don't, most fans will probably agree that the music in different territories is one of the game's highlights, particularly for fans of Ocarina Of Time (clearly a big inspiration for the game). The game succeeds in blending classic with contemporary but unfortunately, with a series as rich as The Legend Of Zelda, the new music will always be overshadowed by the old.
Take the stables; now and then, you'll encounter a friendly hostel with a remixed theme of Epona's Song and occasionally, you'll find an anthropomorphic parrot playing that exact tune on the accordion. Whilst the stable music is nice, my ear is always drawn to the tune on the accordion when Kass is playing it. You could argue that it's due to the nature of the instrument but it doesn't even sound that overpowering when you listen to it; in fact, the new music always starts first when you approach the stable and yet it's Epona's Song I want to listen to. Other examples include Zora's Domain (containing echoes of the same theme from Ocarina Of Time) and Rito Village, the latter containing my favourite new piece of music but also borrowing the melody from Dragon Roost Island on mandolin.
This is fine if you just want to please fans with nostalgia but not if you plan on creating fresh memorable music, as this game seriously lacks that in the same way newer titles such as Skyward Sword have the Skyloft theme and Ballad Of The Goddess or risk taking games that break the standard Zelda formula like Majora's Mask has Clock Town and the Song Of Healing. Maybe time will prove me wrong here but to me, the most iconic piece of music from Breath Of The Wild (the trailer music) isn't even featured in the final game.

However, despite not containing standout pieces of music, this game does contain some great tracks. Korok Forest is delightfully whimsical and perfectly matched to the environment (if you can excuse the frequent drop in frames) and the aforementioned Rito Village is a fine example of how to properly mix your score, combining string and woodwind without fault. Plus, the game doesn't just excel at peaceful music. Some of the music that plays when you attack Divine Beasts (Vah Ruta and Vah Naboris in particular) is perfect boss battle music. It's just a shame it doesn't last longer, unless you suck at the game.
Another neat feature, which is pretty much a staple of Nintendo games, is a soundtrack that changes based on your progression through the game. A town's theme will add layers containing different instruments depending on what's happening, what time it is and what you've accomplished which, more often than not, improves the original music. The best example of this is in an optional sidequest where you build a town/cult on top of a giant rock; when you recruit a new villager from one of the four main races in this game, music based around that race will be added to the town. It works as a great audio-metaphor and listening experience.
Then there are the little musical cues that pop up now and then when you cook a new dish or get a heart container. As before, some are obvious references to Zelda games (the music playing when the Sheikah Slate downloads new parts of the map being the classic treasure chest theme) and some are new (a musical sting involving a boxing bell when you clear out a nest of Bokoblins). Not much to comment on here other than some work a lot better than others, although luckily the ones that work tend to show up more so that's good.

Overall, Breath Of The Wild's soundtrack is decent. Ignoring technical limitations of the time, I'd say other Zelda soundtracks were better but this is still a fine soundtrack. Much like a tightrope walker, it treads the line between taking risks on the left and playing it safe on the right, momentarily swaying a bit too far to one of the two sides but still making it across to the other side without plummeting towards catastrophic failure at the bottom. Despite my complaints at the start of this post, I give it a 7/10. Remember, we're talking about Zelda soundtracks here and to me, a bad Zelda soundtrack can still reach 5 or 6 out of 10. Compared to other game soundtracks, this one's bloody good so a 7/10 seems fair on the universal scale.
It could've reached an 8 or 9 if the main theme was more original, the trailer music was used in the game and the horse riding/exploration music had a bit more of an adventurous feel to it, but I'll concede that last point is down to personal taste. If you liked my review of video game music, let me know in the comments/via Twitter as Yooka Laylee's coming out soon and I. am. fucking. hyped.
I. am. also. incapable. of. learning. my. lesson. about. not. getting. too. excited. about. video. game. music.

Rapid Fire: Thin Lizzy, U2, Black Star Riders

Happy belated St. Patrick's Day!
To celebrate, I decided to hastily type up a Rapid Fire post celebrating some great Irish bands across the decades. Yes, they may be obvious choices but a popular band wouldn't be where it is today without some kind of reason so let's take a look at three different albums already!

1. Jailbreak - Thin Lizzy

Possibly the most well known (if not one of the most) albums by Thin Lizzy containing two of their biggest hits; "The Boys Are Back In Town" and "Jailbreak", the latter also being the album opener. I may have given this song shit for containing a dumb opening lyric but as far as Classic Rock songs with a bit of a Hard Rock edge go, it's pretty good. In fact, the whole album is full of "pretty good" songs apart from "The Boys Are Back In Town", which is an absolute belter.
Jailbreak is serviceable but the most incredible thing about this or indeed any Thin Lizzy album is Phil Lynott's work as vocalist and bassist. It's quite possibly the defining trait of the band's entire career. His voice isn't just unique but it fits in perfectly with the band's sound regardless of whatever they ended up producing, as proven by the band's foray into Metal territories. But we're not talking about Thunder & Lightning, we're talking about Jailbreak.
Most people credit Gary Moore as being the best guitarist Thin Lizzy ever had but the twin harmonies of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson deserve some credit too. Tracks like "Angel From The Coast", "Cowboy Song" and "Emerald" showed that they knew how to rock out with a variety of soft and heavy riffs, not to mention catchy solos too. I'd recommend Jailbreak to anyone who likes pure Classic Rock without the red, white and blue stains of America on it.

1. Jailbreak

2. Angel From The Coast

3. Running Back

4. Romeo And The Lonely Girl

5. Warriors

6. The Boys Are Back In Town

7. Fight Or Fall

8. Cowboy Song

9. Emerald

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

2. The Joshua Tree - U2

When people quote U2 albums, it's either this or Achtung Baby so when decided which album to listen to for this post, it had to be this one. Straight off the bat, we get three of the band's most famous songs in succession; "Where The Streets Have No Name", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "With Or Without You". These are also the three weakest tracks on the album if you want Rock music as opposed to Wood. It's only when the album gets to "Bullet The Blue Sky" that the band clearly remembered you can make Alternative Rock with some fucking balls. Heavy bass, eerie guitar, drums that would've been better if Larry Mullen wasn't shit and Bono NOT whining.

Before you think of me as some fucking idiot who just wants AC/DC with every album he listens to, I was aware of the story behind this album. Dead friend + soul searching trip across America = The Joshua Tree. However, there are similar sounding tracks on the album that sound like they were written to be listened to and enjoyed ("In God's Country") and tracks that sound like the band trying to show everyone how fucking deep they were, basically the musical equivalent of a carefully posed Instagram pic of the band flexing in front of a mirror at a gym ("Where The Streets Have No Name").

Despite dedicating some time to rocking a little bit in the middle, the band return to slower, more sombre music in the last third of the album. Whilst I may not like the songs, the musical flow of the tracklist works and makes for a better listening experience...provided you can listen to the last songs without your mind drifting onto thoughts of how much happier you'd be listening to something else like a kitten trying to wake up its dead mother. It's lyrically well written and musically well performed (apart from Larry Mullen's parts, he just does what he can) but not an album I'd personally recommend unless you're on some kind of pilgrimage to seek out and listen to all the records you'd find in those pretentious "One Million Albums To Hear Before You Die" lists.

1. Where The Streets Have No Name

2. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

3. With Or Without You

4. Bullet The Blue Sky

5. Running To Stand Still

6. Red Hill Mining Town

7. In God's Country

8. Trip Through Your Wires

9. One Tree Hill

10. Exit

11. Mothers Of The Disappeared

ALBUM RATING - 5/10

3. All Hell Breaks Loose - Black Star Riders

I said that I'd have to listen to more albums by this band in my Heavy Fire review so here I am, talking about their debut in a post on Irish Rock bands when I've already looked at a Thin Lizzy record. It was either these guys or the Cranberries and fuck. that. Anyway, to refresh your memory, Black Star Riders is basically Thin Lizzy 2.0 founded by Scott Gorham with a vocalist who sounds as close as they could get to Thin Lizzy without pissing on his memory. They also made their music heavier so, in theory, it should balance out to make a partway decent Rock band...and it does! As far as debuts go, this is alright.

Sadly, album opener and title track "All Hell Breaks Loose" is piss weak but thankfully the rest of the album makes up for it. I'm assuming they didn't want to name their album "Bound For Glory" after the song due to the connotations of arrogance on the band's part (even if it would've been a greater album opener with a much better name for the album) but if you're after Irish Hard Rock, this album delivers. The main downside to this is that it's a bit tame, even with heavier guitars, but debut albums are allowed to play it safe.

The tracks that do have a bit of an edge to them are usually the better songs to listen to ("Valley Of The Stones", "Bloodshot") but the whole album is enjoyable if not a little generic ("Hey Judas", "Someday Salvation"). I'd recommend All Hell Breaks Loose to anyone who likes Thin Lizzy and Hard Rock, pretty much my views towards Heavy Fire and likely The Killer Instinct, even though I haven't listened to it. The catchy guitar riffs are still there from the days when Lynott fronted the band and whilst it will never be as great as the days of Thin Lizzy at their peak, at least we've got something good.

1. All Hell Breaks Loose

2. Bound For Glory

3. Kingdom Of The Lost

4. Bloodshot

5. Kissin' The Ground

6. Hey Judas

7. Hoodoo Voodoo

8. Valley Of The Stones

9. Someday Salvation

10. Before The War

11. Blues Ain't So Bad

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

I'm aware I still have a blog post for March to catch up on but I've been quite preoccupied with playing Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild. Don't worry though, I'll make sure to post an extra one before April comes around.

Showdown: Live Versions

Time for another Showdown and this time, it's not video game related!
Last time I did a Showdown post, I covered songs that had been rerecorded by the same artist and, if you hadn't guessed by the title already, this time I'm looking at live versions of songs compared to the studio original.
It's fairly common knowledge that studio versions tend to be better than live versions when you're listening to the songs casually. However, even though most live versions are only awesome when you're there at the gig witnessing the band truly bringing the thunder to their well loved material, some are so incredible that they actually surpass the quality of the studio versions and become known as the greater track overall. I'll be discussing the studio and live versions of some of those songs along with a few I've thrown in that aren't as well known.
Whilst some live performances from random gigs throughout history may have been out of this world and easily trounce the originals, I'll only be counting songs from live albums that have been officially released to make it easier for you to find should you wish to listen along as you read. For the first time in a Showdown post, I've included a Spotify playlist link at the bottom of this post to make it easier for you to enjoy the music. As for the format of this post, it'll stay the same but I'll make a note of the albums (studio and live) I'm writing about in each round.
Right, let's get started!

ROUND ONE: "I Want You To Want Me" - Cheap Trick
Original (In Color) - Arguably the band's signature song and a fine piece of Bubblegum Pop Rock. It showcases the band's ability to take influence from The Beatles and still sound like their own entity but if we're being honest, it's a bit wet. It might have a catchy rhythm and all but fuck me, that guitar solo is just pathetic, isn't it? Fortunately the rest of the album has enough belters to make up for this one but how well did this song translate into a live Rock show?
Live Version (At Budokan) - Now THIS is what the song should've been. Chugging guitar throughout, a faster tempo, prominent bass and a proper set of guitar solos. The differences are small but the transformation is hugely effective, making this a perfect example of how to go off book with your live performance and make the song better instead of pissing off all the fans who just wanted to hear you play your best tracks without getting cute.
VERDICT - It has to be the Live Version, doesn't it? I mean, there's no way you can listen to the original and call it the superior version after hearing the band absolutely crush it at Budokan...ohhhh, that's where the name of the live album comes from!

ROUND TWO: "Old Man" - Neil Young
Original (Harvest) - I wouldn't call myself a fan of Neil Young by any stretch but damn, I love this song. Definitely one of Neil Young's strongest tracks and it deserves to be more well known than pretty much every other song of his you hear on the radio. The only part of the song I would consider weak would be the backing vocalists, as they're unnecessary in this recording. Everything else has a purpose and adds to the song in some way but the backing vocals arguably ruin what would've been an otherwise perfect mix.
Live Version (Live At Massey Hall 1971) - Fun fact, this live version actually came out before the studio version so I guess this is technically the original, huh...or rather the live at the BBC version is. Anyway, I chose this track to compare because I'd heard this is an excellent performance (even if it does start with Neil moaning at someone). I'm inclined to halfway agree with that sentiment, as Neil's playing is spot on and his vocals are far more passionate than they come across in the studio version. However, because it's part of an acoustic set, it's missing the crucial ingredient that the other instruments would've provided.
VERDICT - It's a tough call but ultimately, I'm going to give it to the Original. Vocally, the live version is superior but musically (where it counts, in my opinion), it comes as close as it can but doesn't reach the mark. If I could splice this version with one that has piano, bass and drums, I think I'd have the perfect "Old Man", as the casting agent said to the director.

ROUND THREE: "Lazy" - Deep Purple
Original (Machine Head) - A fan favourite and a great example of how fucking amazing Jon Lord & Richie Blackmore were. Deep Purple are mostly known for Hard Rock or a bit of Prog but this Bluesy number off one of their biggest albums shows each member of the Mk II band at their peak...well, except Ian Gillan. Presumably he was out having a crafty fag for the first half of this track but everyone else brings it. This song's definitely grown on me over time and whilst it's still not one of my favourite Deep Purple tracks, it's easily one of their strongest.
Live Version (Made In Japan) - Another popular live album from Asia that stands toe to toe with the band's studio material. The track length may exceed ten minutes and the first minute of that is what I assume to be the band trying to connect to dial-up Internet using a buggered fax machine and an amp BUT once the band stop tossing about and start to play the song, it becomes something special. With beefed up performances from each band member, this version is often considered the superior of the two, even if they do get bored towards the end and piss about for a bit.
VERDICT - I'm going against popular opinion here and siding with the Original. Whilst the live version has some excellent performances, I can't be doing with what's basically the band jerking off when there's a perfectly suitable and catchy studio version available. However, I can imagine the Made In Japan performance was fucking incredible to watch live.

ROUND FOUR: "Folsom Prison Blues" - Johnny Cash
Original (With His Hot And Blue Guitar) - Carrying on the Blues theme with this short number from Johnny Cash, many people will know this song due to the line about the man in Reno. They might also confuse it for "I Walk The Line" as they both have a similar guitar melody. Personally, I prefer this track's music and lyrics but it's a little too slow and basic for me to truly enjoy. Still, compared to other examples of Blues from the decade, this is a great song.
Live Version (At Folsom Prison) - I think the overall performance at the prison is more notable than this actual recording but as far as live versions go, this is pretty decent. Again, the tempo is sped up and musically the solos are a bit more energetic but otherwise, it's practically just the same as the studio version. Oh, and you know how the prisoners all cheer during the Reno bit? Yeah, that didn't happen. It was added afterwards. Still, makes for a good moment in the song.
VERDICT - If you couldn't tell, I'm not really gushing over either of them but it's a clear win for the Live Version here. I decide the victor mostly based on which version I'd rather listen to and if I could only choose one for the rest of my life, I think I'd get the most out of the one recorded at Folsom Prison...oohhhhhh, I just got the name for this album as well!

ROUND FIVE: "Rock And Roll All Nite" - KISS
Original (Dressed To Kill) - Considering this song was released in the mid-70s, can we really call this a Hard Rock track? It sounds more like Classic Rock to me, especially when compared to songs like "Hotter Than Hell" and "Detroit Rock City". Anyway, it's the band's signature song and it's dumb, in a word. It has a great guitar riff but it's built around the same sentiment that the Beastie Boys made fun of in "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)". When the fucking Beastie Boys are giving you shit, you know you need to rethink things.
Live Version (Alive!) - As far as live versions go, this is damn near identical to the studio version except for one key difference; an added guitar solo. Once you listen to this version, you won't be able to enjoy the original again without feeling like it's missing something. It just fits in so perfectly and gives the song that much needed kick. In fact, it's what the WaveGroup Sound based their cover on for Guitar Hero 3: Legends Of Rock (discussed in this blog post).
VERDICT - Obviously the Live Version. If you could edit out the sound of the audience (the single biggest problem with live recordings), you'd have a pretty damn good Hard Rock song right there. With the sound of cheering still in, it's just good.

ROUND SIX: "Young Man Blues" - The Who
Original (The House That Track Built) - This is the second song on this list where the studio "original" isn't actually the original version of this song. It was included on a compilation album about four years after the live album this came from was released and since then has been featured on a Tommy deluxe reissue and on Odds And Sods as a shitty alternative recording. Most people probably don't even know that the studio version exists but I reckon everyone who's heard it knows that it's a bit fucking weak.
Live Version (Live At Leeds) - Possibly the best example of an awesome recording aided by Keith Moon going apeshit on drums and definitely the superior version of the song. Added guitar solos, a tempo that suits the rhythm, more passion in the vocals and some fine bass playing from John Entwistle too. If not the greatest live recording in this list then definitely top three. Shame I've yet to hear another live version of a song by The Who that didn't make me want to self harm.
VERDICT - Weren't you reading? Live Version takes the win. The only positive thing I'll say about the studio version is that there's some guitar playing during the vocals that sounds alright but other than that, it's live all the way!

ROUND SEVEN: "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2
Original (War) - I like U2 on occasion but sadly, this song doesn't make my cut. There's something about The Edge's guitar playing that annoys me and Bono's whining voice doesn't help and since this song is largely just the same guitar and bass riffs on a cycle, it doesn't do much to please me. However, for fans of U2, it's probably their most U2ish song and a good example of the band's songwriting capabilities; they weren't about flashy solos or power, they just wanted to make what they considered good music.
Live Version (Under A Blood Red Sky) - This recording is regarded as one of the best live versions of a song and what I want to know is what the fuck was everyone else listening to? It's all over the fucking place! Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton sound completely out of sync on drums and bass and they come across like a high school band that didn't practise enough before their big show. If I liked the song, I might have a better reception of this track but as it stands, this sounds like absolute tosh to me. At least Bono still sounds like Bono, although it's debatable whether or not that's something that should be praised.
VERDICT - I don't like either track but it's definitely going to the Original here. An absolute mess of a recording with inconsistent drums that may or may not change tempo throughout. In order to know for certain, I'd have to listen to the live recording again and I need some fucking time after hearing it once.

ROUND EIGHT: "Free Bird" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Original ((Pronounced 'Leh-'Nerd 'Skin-'Nerd)) - I don't really need to say anything about this, do I? We all know the song, we all know that the solo is amazing and every time I mention it on this blog, I have to say the same things about the song over and over again. It's an awesome song, even if the slower first half does get a bit dull when you've heard all the other Southern Rock epics out there.
Live Version (One More From The Road) - I've discussed this entire live album before and still think it's one of the best collections of music out there for anyone who likes Skynyrd's music. Every song on it's great to listen to but the track everyone agrees stands out is their 13-minute rendition of "Free Bird". Apparently, this what stoked the flames for the trope of everyone shouting "FREE BIRD!" at live shows, since Ronnie Van Zant asks the crowd what song they'd like to hear before they break into it. It's a fucking fantastic performance too with possibly the greatest big rock ending to any song ever recorded.
VERDICT - Jesus, this is tricky. The original is like stonehenge; it's an artifact that will stand the test of time and probably still be around longer than anything released today. However, that live version is spectacular and I still get chills when I listen to their big finale. I'd like to give the win to both on this one occasion but if I have to pick a winner, I'm going with the Original. The lead into the main riff during the solo is brilliant and whilst the outro on the live version may be superior, the lengthy ballad section at the start goes on just a bit too long for me (cut to about 6:27 for the good bit).

ROUND NINE: "Whipping Post" - The Allman Brothers Band
Original (The Allman Brothers Band) - Southern Rock followed by more Southern Rock, that's just how I roll. It's hardly the most famous Allman Brothers Band track but it was one of their first big songs. It starts off with an ominous bass riff before introducing a Wild West guitar riff that still remains one of their best contributions to music alongside "Jessica" and the solo in "Blue Sky". It's a Bluesy Southern Rock number but it's still pretty damn good.
Live Version (At Filmore East) - Buckle up, boys. If you thought the last live version was long, you ain't heard nothing yet! This rendition of "Whipping Post", despite having a faster tempo, clocks in at over 23 minutes long. Whilst this is an impressive feat for any live band, the tragic fallacy is that people assume this is an incredible live version of a song when really it's a pretty poor version compared to the original. Sure, the first half or so is great but then the band run out of steam and start jerking each other off for a while without knowing when to bloody end. This is one of those few times where faster tempos can make a song worse (see also "Hocus Pocus" - Focus).
VERDICT - An easier decision this time; Original takes the win again. Granted the solos in the live version are something every Rock fan needs to toughen up and listen to all the way through at least once (even if they can probably stop around the ten minute mark), I know which track I'd rather listen to again. It's a shame The Allman Brothers Band couldn't bring this fretting fury to the studio but at least they managed to capture their raw talent at Filmore East.

ROUND TEN: "Do You Feel Like We Do" - Peter Frampton
Original (Frampton's Camel) - Did you know a studio version of this song existed? You'd think it was another "Young Man Blues" what with all the hype around the live version but we'll get onto that in a bit. The studio original is noticeably slower and obviously lacks the middle talkbox section, instead introducing the outro solo a lot earlier. It's actually quite a decent tune and I'd recommend checking it out if you've only heard the live version.
Live Version (Frampton Comes Alive) - Another looooong live song but luckily, this is just 13 minutes as well. Regarded as possibly the most famous live recording on this list, a large portion of this song is dedicated to the credits jam between Frampton and "Buck-Man" on the keyboards before they eventually break into the glorious outro solo. Some people consider "Show Me The Way" to be the better live recording off the album but there's always something to be said for the last song on a band's live album. They've fed off the crowd's energy and now they're ready to release it one last time, hence "Do You Feel Like We Do".
VERDICT - I feel like both deserve some recognition here too but the win's going to the Live Version for taking the material provided in the song and using it more effectively than the studio original. If I could speed up the original just a little bit, I'd probably prefer that version but goddamn, Frampton needed to come alive in the studio that fateful day...OOOHHHHHH, now I get the album name, it's because the Allman Brothers recorded At Filmore East! Fuck, that one took a while to sink in.


Well it's been an educational blog post for some but was there anything I missed? Did I fail to include an even greater example of where the live recording was greater than the studio version or have I absolutely fucking nailed it, once again? Let me know in the comments or via Twitter.

As promised, here's the Spotify playlist for this post and I apologise if any of the verdicts were spoiled for you in scrolling down to the bottom of this post.