Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Visions

Visions is a great record. It is the first one from Stratovarius that i bought.
The style is something in between heavy metal and speed metal, but highly melodic.
Songs as Kiss of Judas -maybe dedicated in the video to Galileo, just maybe-, black diamond, forever free, and the ballads before the winter -with really nice harp accords - & coming home are amongst the best ones. Worth to make a listening.

The song visions reflects, as well as the cover, Nostradamus prophecies.

9/10 great to have

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

back to the innocence


this is a mellow record. a great one. signed by one of the best aor composers.
so you can expect the melodies with an intimate touch. not as intimate as for a lifetime. i would better say personal more than intimate. i mean, they are not as majestic as in journey, but more personal.
i bought it long time ago, maybe 10 years ago. and i have to recognize it is long since i do not hear it, but this does not mean i do not like it.
best songs: something sacred, full circle, distant shores and little river

no great pretensions, but great music

8/10 nice to have

Monday, January 29, 2007

chosen ones


the best of from stratovarius, apparently a list 'chosen' by the fans.
lyrics are in there, and i bought it basically because i wanted one song, and it won't be a bad idea to have the best of from hte previous records i did not own ... sadly i think different right now. i think very few records best of are really nice ones.
this one is something in between, though i have to admit it has very few listen and it is almost intact, yes absolutely intact.
some of the songs are great

8/10 nice to have

Sunday, January 28, 2007

out in the fields


another very best of, not the ballads one ... but the hits.
not a bad one. a double record, one bonus disc
out in the fields -one of the best songs, with feelin' teaming up with main lizzy man, this one is a great rocker and gives title to this compilation-, empty rooms, over the hills and far away, the loner -one of the best solo melodies in a song, forgotten because the commercial success of still got the blues-, military man -again a song with phil-, wild frontier, friday on my mind and the perennial still in love with you. this song is fabulous, though i prefer it with phil's voice, of course, as well as parisienne...
i can't stand about the live version of parisienne walkways. sorry. i can't. the studio version is sooo perfect. said it again?
the bonus record is mostly packed with live renditions. this is a cool way for a hits record.
lyrics in ;-)

9/10 nice to have

Saturday, January 27, 2007

very best of meat loaf


this is how to make a correct compilation.
they lyrics are in, nice photos and 2 new songs. a double record.
it is not nothing really special, but is more than we were used to.

so that is why i find it a correct best of.
the songs also make it, so are nearly all bat out of hell, bat out of hell II, dead ringer for love ...

the songs are great, no doubt

9/10 great to have

Friday, January 26, 2007

best of white lion


another best of i am ashamed of.
never again buy this 'record company' greatest hits. no matter what price.
no lyrics, no special packaging/booklet, and of course missing the songs completely...

for me road to valhalla, fight to survive, el salvador from the first record are indispensable ... and are not here :-S
and also poor living version of lady of the valley is not acceptable either. their first acoustic accords are ... not ... in

so ... :-S ... thank god internet arrive to save us from the ashes ... :-)

6/10 how not to make a compilation.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

bare bones

a soft record ... with a jazz smile
i just listened to it a couple of times
not exactly the style i was wishing for, but the music was good, just not slightly different: big difference

i prefer jonathan into the big aor world, in which, his tunes shine brilliantly and majestic, with feelin'

7/10 a different point of view. nice to have

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Double Platinum

If you buy this one is because:
-you are a die hard ... then it is ok
-you know nothing about Kiss ... go buying alive records instead.

This is how a compilation must not be done.
Nothing special.

The music is great, the package is poor.

7/10 I wish I had not bought it

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

the ballad of jayne

this single was cheap, so i bought it because i remember this was the first song made my girlfriend cry...
it is an emotional ballad ... dedicated i think to jayne mansfield.
i have seen the video, but i do not like it as much, but for the song, i think it is not good, it is great.
it belongs to la guns ballads, as crystal eyes and it's over now, which i really like

9/10 brilliant

Monday, January 22, 2007

Appetite for Destruction


After listening the illusion records, I remember I was told this one was superior ... could not believe it, so I made a listening. From the first listening I understood the concept that I call 'dirty rock' and was a bit heavy for me then ... too much noise :-S ... But without a doubt the record was melodic and powerful, just was dirty, very very dirty ... soon I knew why this was so high acclaimed.
Instant classics for me were Welcome to the jungle, night train, i think about you, sweet child o' mine, paradise city ...

It is a great record, it does not have fillers. However the illusion records are great too... just slightly different, since they are very much more polished than this one, but the spirit is there.

I remember preferring this cover as well to the uncensored one, which was much more rawer.

10/10 classic status

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Use your Illusion II

There was a time when I thought the II was better than the I. Not anymore. Both are great. Maybe second is mellower ... but, as I already said ... who cares

Stranged, you could be mine, civil war, don't cry, 14 years, yesterdays, get in the ring, and dylan's version knocking on heaven's door ... all great songs.

The riffs from stranged are really impresive ... and as November rain or Coma ... it is not easy to get a 9 minute song so good all the time!!

The strange play Guns did was to disappear from the world and leave millions of fans starving for such kind of great records :-( ... shame ... They could have been as huge and legendary as Led Zeppelin, Kiss...
they had an enormous potential, but did not take profit of it. A real rnr life ...

10/10 brilliant

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Use your Illusion I


This record is somehow special for me since was one of the first ones i bought ... in k7... yesterday I got the cd version. Guns n'Roses opened the whole spectrum of hard rock/heavy metal bands for me. And the illusion records were key for me that time. I also began listening to the radio ... and I finally found that I prefered this music to the radio music :-)
All the tracks are good enough, or I have listening to them so many times that I am not impartial ;-)
But they shine specially coma, november rain, don't cry, back off bitch, right next door to hell, double talkin' jive ...

Guns n'Roses was a phenomenon. They just were not another band. It is true, that the marketing campaign it was done helped a lot to get world wide known... but I think it was well deserved. And there was a time that you could not get a magazine without seeing them in the cover ...

10/10 brilliant

Friday, January 19, 2007

Underground

This one I bought it because it was Graham Bonnet, and I just 'needed' to have all his records. But it is not a good one. The melody is lost, compositions are strange ... well not my cup of tea... nothing to do with the greatest Alcatrazz records, assault attack, stand in line, down to earth ... :-(
The wind cries mary and lost in hollywood are amongst the best track, and I prefer the Rainbow version of lost in hollywood.
At least the booklet is nice, and the lyrics are included ... wow ... and the version I own is the japanese one.

5/10 just for graham fans

Thursday, January 18, 2007

lego

for lego fans, my (& kids) lego collection

http://legadodelego.blogspot.com/

Here comes the Night

Ok, this one is not a heavy metal or hard rock. This one is a cover/tribute from Graham. And most of them are ... well, to say it better I would divide them into 2 groups, the rythmical ones, which most of them I do not like ... :-( , and the soft and long melodic ones, which are the ones i am most into.
Don't, here comes the night, change is gonna come, the classic only one woman, I go to sleep, look, don't touch ... so there is still a bunch of really great songs, more for a passionate night than to rock n'roll all nite ;-P

Curiously, one of the ones I like most is a song from his wife Jo Eime (look don't touch).

One of the best voices in metal to ballad service. Interesting.
The pain for me is that he has composed lots of great songs, but somehow Graham sings more than compose ... is this good? Well, it is not bad, but his really style, for me, are the songs he has written ... and I love them :-)

7/10 nice to have

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Line Up

This record was from the times i loved Graham Bonnet voice, and bought everything that I saw. He has one of the greatest voices in heavy metal, and his peculiar style, with the 'i don't care' attitude it is great.
Night games is the anthem of the record, and there were also good songs as be my baby, set me free, i'm a lover, don't stand in the open ... but all cover versions... :-(
Graham would show his potential in the alcatrazz records so he was just about to explode.
The line up is just a super band, Cozy in drums, Jon Lord in keyboards ...

8/10 interesting to have

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Ace Frehley


After Paul Stanley solo record, this was the one that got my attention. Ace's voice is not bad. Sometimes better than Gene, sometimes not. The songs here are not bad, but for me, Paul's are without a doubt the best. Rip it out, snow blind, ozone, what's on your mind are amongst the best ones. The instrumental fractured mirror is guite good also. and of course the song that got the fame, back in the New York groove.

Maybe I expected more, but overall, is not bad. But his songs like rocket ride, cold gin, shock me, two sides of the coin, talk to me, save your love are stronger in my opinion ... He had a great potential, but never wanted to reach his top ... :-S

7/10 nice to have

Monday, January 15, 2007

Trash

This was my first alice cooper listening. And also one of the songs that introduce me in the unknown world of hard rock and heavy metal. Along with Van Halen and Bon Jovi. then came Guns n'Roses and all the universe opened it for me.
Poison was the anthem. But nearly all the songs are powerful, melodic, and sex. Spark in the dark, house of fire, why trust you, bed of nails.
Only my heart talkin' is a bit special for me, since was the song, along with L.A.Guns the Ballad of Jane which made my girlfriend feel sentimental, soo sentimental... it was not only big known ballads as Carrie, or Bon Jovi's which could show up some tears ...
Also I like the ballad hell is living without you
it is an almost perfect rock & sex record. Because all the songs are about sex ... or sound like sex ... or you just can not stop thinking about sex :-D.

10/10 brilliant

Sunday, January 14, 2007

love gun

this was the first record my girlfriend bought me as a gift.
the cover art is impressive. i prefer destroyer's, but with all the ladies in make up, which may be a bit prepotent, well ... ;-D
what about the songs. some enter into legend: love gun and i stole your love are the best songs. this songs are awesome.
tomorrow and tonight, shock me are also great.
i like the then she kissed me cover too.
but i can not stand for christine 16, or plaster caster, or almost human or got love for sale ... :-( ... and i won't mention peter's song either.
so, this record had really good songs, but the rest say really nothing much for me. also the intensity of the songs in the alive II record is better than the studio.

what i do not like, since this is not a remastered edition is the poor package, no lyrics, no comments, no nice drawn cd ...

8/10 nice to have

Saturday, January 13, 2007

death and progress


diamond head's come back. it was not the same. nothing to do with the fabulous releases from the 80s. the core though was intact. but there are 4 songs really good. starcrossed, featurin tony iommi, truckin', featuring dave mustaine, calling your name, and my favourite, run.
the rest is forgetable, something inconceivable for a DH record. the logo and the cover art are somehow poorer, but you can not live in history all the time, so any come back is welcomed.

8/10 just ... nice to have

to heaven from hell, behold the beginning ...

these are compilations from diamond head.mainly they got remixes of the songs and they have been very popular in the stores due it is extremely difficult to find the originals.
for instance, borrowed time and canterbury are only japanese versions, however lightning to the nations has come out with several reissues, including these compilations.

to heaven from hell, am i evil, behold the beginning, are not special really nice collections with great booklets, photos, lyrics ... but at least decent ones. they are very recommended if you can not find the originals, though i would try it.

why i bought them? well, because there was a time i wanted to have everything about this band, and being their records so hard to find (my first one was behold the beginning), i had to live with what i had :-)

thanks to god, internet, ebay came to save us :-D

10/10 each compilation is worth your money, but am i evil (the anthology) is the best one

Friday, January 12, 2007

stand or fall

this record actually deceived me, since i was expecting more ... it is not a bad record but i prefer the old ones.
i mean, i find it nothing special, that is what attracts me most from this kind of music, the melody, the haunting rythm, and of course, the feelin'.
maybe i should give it another oportunity, but after 3 or 4 listenings, i was sad to find nothing special ... no feelin'

5/10 just average, not what i was expecting from.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

no way out

this one really should show a more mature side of the band, i have heard also that more melodic, but i do not agree.
it is a good record, but does not match the debut album
it is heavy rock from the ealier 80s.

truth be told is i still need a closer listening to this one.

7/10 for nwobhm fans only

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

end of the world


this is the first record from gaskin. it belongs to the nwobhm, though i would classify it not as metal but as heavy rock. however i believe it deserves this place in the nwobhm.
the best songs are sweet dream maker, the end of the world, despiser, victim of the city and handful of dreams. special mention to handful of reasons too.
this is a great collectible, and i've seen it in ebay even for 60$. the version i have is a double record metal collection series 2x1. though i miss the lyrics, the reedition is not bad


8/10 for nwobhm fans mainly

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

a cry for the new world

this is a strange record for mantis. is not a bad one, just a bit strange. it was the first without a mantis in the cover. :-)
anyway it has its shining moments: letting go, a cry for the new world and journeyman rank amongst the best songs composed by the band, mainly by the troy brothers.
i like tino's and chris' voices, and loving tony's then i find colin's a bit strange. don't misunderstand me, it is not a bad voice, but at least a bit curious
mantis seem to have a compromise with earth, so songs flow in this way. you may not find many love songs in mantis 'repertoir' but, as i said once, as long as the songs are good, that's enough
it was voted in japan as 4th metal record of the year.
8/10 nice to have

Monday, January 08, 2007

love at first sting

an almost perfect melodic record. i did not like still loving you the first time i heard it because all the people seemed to like it. now i do. but this is not only the record of still loving you but a bunch of more good damn songs: bad boys running wild, rock you like a hurricane, i'm leaving you, coming home, big city nights, and the criminally underrated crossfire ... so this record rules!
it is melodic and very accessible, and i guess most metal fans, when a record is accessible, think, no! i do not like it! well, let's freedom do its own. the real thing is that klaus and rudolf compose great and the scorpions as a band performs really well ... so ... :-)
seen them in the unbreakable tour and it was great, just missed coming home

10/10 brilliant

Sunday, January 07, 2007

turbo

this was the first judas priest record that i heard. at first i thought they were too much metallic for me but i found this record very accessible. this is not bad. songs were melodic and maybe more hard rock than heavy metal that is why priest fans may complain about it. it is a big step from defenders, my favourite, but i think this is a very good hard melodic work. songs as turbo lover, locked in, reckless, hot for love and the power ballad out in the cold.
i may be blamed :-( because of this but i do not care, i believe it is a great record, and priest were breve for entering in quicksand territory. of course this were not going to please everybody but a great band has to take risks ;-)
the remastered version offers few things, since i expected more. the record is nicely decorated, the lyrics are in but i would have expected some history about the making of the record ... the story of the twin turbos or comments about each song... in this address more information about this could be found: http://members.firstinter.net/markster/TURBO.html

9/10 brilliant

Saturday, January 06, 2007

heavy metal thunder


this is a really nice way to do a greatest hits. a slightly different re-recording, with actual sound. it sounds really great, more powerful and more aggressive. crusader, 747, princess of the night, dallas 1PM, ... all great songs enhanced with power and fury. i only miss the broken heroes power ballad which i personally find outstanding... but! there is a nice 2cd with some live tracks, in which broken heroes is included... shame that live sound -official bootleg?- is not as great as alive or strangers in the night. the booklet is a bit short, but better than more that i have seen.
balance is very positive, and maybe not apply to everybody but people who try to find something special in the records nowadays, since you spend some money you deserve to get a nice record...

9/10 great to have

Friday, January 05, 2007

Alive!

The record that broke all standards. A double live record. who was fool enough to do such a thing? Led Zeppelin did it with Physical graffiti, but was it the same? It was not a live record...
Well this thing, just exploded... the record went platinum, 2x, 3x, 4x ... and KISS reached stardom. The material in there is the one from the first 3 records, which by the way were great... I sincerely prefer the songs that make the Alive II, but Alive! is great too.
Deuce, strutter, hotter than hell, c'mon and love me, she, watchin' you, black diamond, cold gin and the great anthem rock and roll all nite.

You show us everything you've got
You keep on dancin' and the room gets hot

You drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy


You say you wanna go for a spin

The party's just begun, we'll let you in

You drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy

You keep on shoutin', you keep on shoutin'

I wanna rock and roll all nite... and party every day


What more can be said about this record. Just listen to it :-D

10/10 classic status

Thursday, January 04, 2007

down to earth


i love rainbow classic era. no matter who was singing. ritchie's performances are brilliant and any singer which has been in there has a brilliant voice too. i also own all rainbow LPs, even the final cut, and have some vhs too... so i think i know a bit their works :-)
after dropping dio, ritchie picked up graham bonnet. his style was absolutely different from the voice of metal, but graham got a strong and powerful voice too. the compositions, mainly from roger and ritchie are also brilliant, so the result speaks for itself.
i also believe rainbow belongs to that classic rock/metal elite bands which had become a referent for future bands. i can't stand why my kerrang's guide puts skid row into the 50 all-time bands and rainbow is not there. sacrilege!!
i can name only one song here since all of them are awesome, but of course, the most well-known are all night long, since you been gone and lost in hollywood.
cozy powell made the line up so it was really a supergroup, with a new born singer legend

10/10 indispensable. classic status

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

alice cooper goes to hell


another of the first records i bought... bought it with love it to death, this one was interesting, not as good as love... , but it has its own moments.
i was immediately hooked by i never cry (played live to this day, and a favourite from my girlfriend) and wake me gently. i found these two ballads different from all the crap the radio is throwing at every moment...
the title track go to hell is also a great one. you gotta dance, i'm the coolest i guess these were some experiments but not bad ones. also i liked didn't we meet.
it is obviously not as good as its predecesor, but i was glad i bought it :-). not indispensable but worth a listening

8/10 nice to have

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Welcome to my Nightmare


Welcome to my nightmare I think you're gonna like it
I think you're gonna feel like you belong
A nocturnal vacation unnecessary sedation
you want to feel at home 'cause you belong
Welcome to my nightmare whoa oh oh oh


This is how it begins this masterpiece ...
devil's food, the black widow, some folks and only woman bleed
This is the first part of the show. No words to describe it.
Department of youth opens the second part, and it opened the last diamond tour 2005 I went to. Just awesome. a month before i saw the crÜe, and although they were great, they needed some rest ... but Alice was kickin' from song to song without not time for breathin' :-D that was non-stop high rockin'.
Years ago, and my favorite, Steven, which was played tooo :-) ... it always reminds to me classic horror movies.

I don't want to see you go I don't even want to be there
I will cover up my eyes and pray it goes away
You've only lived a minute of your life
I must be dreaming please stop screaming...


Alice was alive after renewing his band, and created a true classic record.

10/10 classic status

misdemeanor

noone was interested in this record because this one only had phil and paul from the original lights out line up.
but the material is not weak, although you only will find a couple of great songs which i doubt ever made the live set from long ago. even i hold the dvd from that tour and i have to say that it is strange ... i would expect ufo tobe at least mogg and way. schenker or chapman at the guitar, but although tommy m does a great job, the feelin' is not there
however, as i said, this time and wreckless are great songs

7/10 just nice to have

Monday, January 01, 2007

1982-1992


this is a compilation from europe. i believe most metal fans will say this sucks because they had popular hits worldwide, and it is a 'hairy' band in def leppard, bon jovi style...
they simply haven't heard the music. as simple as that.
in the future to come and seven doors hotel are the two first openers, from they first record. not only they rock, but they are awesome. then we come to second record, and stormwind and scream of anger do the job brilliantly, as hard rockers. the ballads open your heart and dreamer are very good also.
then we arrive to the final countdown, rock the night, carrie ... which are great songs ... and the only problem is that they are worldwide known... no problem i would say :-)
ready or not, prisoners in paradise, ... i would say i miss the ballad from 4th record tomorrow, but the compilation is good enough. i would have added the king will return, and maybe words of wisdom, but the compilation is good enough
enough said

10/10 brilliant