David Bowie to release new studio album in March

While David Bowie might be turning 66 today, the singer/songwriter has much bigger news than this. It has been announced today that Bowie will release a new studio album. The album, The Next Day, will be Bowie's 24th studio album and his first since 2003's Reality. The album is scheduled for release in March. Here are the release dates

Australia- March 8
Everywhere except US- March 11
US- March 12

There will be two editions of the album released: a standard 14-track one and a deluxe edition with three bonus tracks. The tracking list for the album is as follows.

1. The Next Day
2. Dirty Boys
3. The Stars (Are Out Tonight)
4. Love Is Lost
5. Where Are We Now?
6. Valentine's Day
7. If You Can See Me
8. I'd Rather Be High
9. Boss of Me
10. Dancing Out in Space
11. How Does the Grass Grow?
12. (You Will) Set the World On Fire
13. You Feel So Lonely You Could Die
14. Heat

The bonus tracks are...

15. So She
16. I'll Take You There
17. Plan

As a Bowie fan, I'm pretty excited to hear some new material from him. In all honesty, the "newest" album of his I own is Outside so I'll have to brush up on his last few albums though I doubt they'll sound anything like the new album. If you know Bowie, you know that the guy is a chameleon: he can do just about anything.

Another thing to note is that "Where Are We Now?" is up on iTunes as a single. You can watch the music video on YouTube and/or Vimeo. Personally, I think the song is just okay. I don't know what the rest of the album is going to be like but they could have chosen a better song. Still, it's great to hear and see David after all these years.

2012: Year in Review

Well, 2012 has come to a close. Personally, I’m quite surprised by how things have come out this year. It looks like I got more music compared to last year. Like previous years, I will sum up each album I got in one paragraph. This will also include albums I got a bit later and did not review when they came out.  The albums will also be split into two categories: new albums and archival/live albums.

New albums

  

Ringo Starr

Ringo 2012

Rating: ***

            Not much is expected from Ringo Starr when it comes to his studio albums. Ringo 2012 is an example of this. The album is average at best but it’s still a fun album to listen to. Ringo decided to re-record “Wings” and “Step Lightly”, both of which are nice renditions. My favorite song might be “Wonderful” but everything else is just alright.

  

Paul McCartney

Kisses on the Bottom

Rating: *** ½

            It sounded great at first: two former Beatles would release new studio albums this year. In all honesty, Kisses on the Bottom is nice album but it isn’t the Paul McCartney we are used to. Still, Paul wanted to make an album like this for a long time: an American songbook. “My Valentine”, which is one of the two original songs on the album, is probably my favorite. Overall, it isn’t a bad album at all but I would want the next McCartney album to be a Paul McCartney album.

 

Van Halen

A Different Kind of Truth

Rating: ****

            Van Halen are back! I’m not kidding. They really are. A Different Kind of Truth is the band’s first album in 14 years as well as their first album with singer David Lee Roth since 1984. It really is a return to the old-school Van Halen sound. With songs like “Blood and Fire”, “She’s the Woman”, “Bullethead”, and “Stay Frosty”, you’ve got yourself a very Van Halen sounding album. Even with original bassist Michael Anthony absent, Van Halen still rocks!

 

Ian Anderson

Thick As A Brick 2

Rating: *** ½

            With the 40^th anniversary of Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick this year, Ian Anderson decided to the released a “sequel” of some sort but as a solo album. The sequel explores the possibilities of what might’ve happened to Gerald Bostock, the boy who wrote the controversial long poem all those years ago. While an interesting idea, I’m really not a fan of sequels to classic albums. Considering what it’s up against, Thick as a Brick 2 can be considered one of the best sequels to a concept album.  

  

Accept

Stalingrad

Rating: ****

            Much to the surprise of some people, Accept reunited in 2009 with former TT Quick singer Mark Tornillo taking over for original singer Udo Dirkschider. The 2010 reunion album, Blood of the Nations, won both critics and fans over. Almost two years later, Accept released the follow-up Stalingrad. In all honesty, I didn’t listen to Blood of the Nations until two years after it was released. Blood of the Nations is a great album and Stalingrad is a pretty worthy follow up. Songs such as the self-titled track, “Shadow Soldiers”, and “Flash to Bang Time” are all heavy duty material. Still, I prefer Blood of the Nations but Stalingrad is a very good album.  

 

Rush

Clockwork Angels

Rating: ****

            In their four decades of being together, Rush are not a stranger to doing the conceptual song. However, Rush haven’t ever released a full-blown conceptual album…until now. Clockwork Angels, the band’s 19^th studio album, is a remarkable piece of work. I’m just surprised at how much thought went into this one album. The album follows the concept of the voyages of a man living in a steampunk world. Songs like “Headlong Flight” and “The Wreckers” are up there with Rush’s best songs. “Seven Cities of Gold” is another personal favorite of mine. Overall, Rush have really impressed me with Clockwork Angels.

 

Bob Dylan

Tempest

Rating: ****

FAVORITE ALBUM OF THE YEAR

            I have to say that I do like a good surprise. Bob Dylan has done just this with his 35^th studio album, Tempest. I wasn’t crazy about his last studio effort, Together Through Life. It was painful to listen to because of Dylan’s shot voice (and because of this, I didn’t bother getting his Christmas album released later that year in 2009). On Tempest, Dylan’s voice has not changed. So what makes this album better? I would have to say it’s the songs. “Duquesne Whistle” is a dark but somehow warm approach to Dylan’s music. The entire album is like a modern day version of Blood on the Tracks, in my opinion. I do enjoy the 14 minute long self-titled track, which tells the story of the sinking of the Titanic. “Roll on John” is a heartfelt tribute to John Lennon while “Pay in Blood” is personally my favorite song off the album. At 71 year old, Bob Dylan is still a pretty cool guy.

  

Ian Hunter

When I’m President

Rating: ****

            Ian Hunter returns with a simple little rock n roll album. Hunter’s solo career is a bit overlooked compared to his time in Mott the Hoople. When I’m President sees Hunter still at it and it’s just really good. There’s the boogey-fueled “Comfortable”, the brilliantly written self-titled track, and the hip shaker “What For”. I like this album.

  

Steve Harris

British Lion

Rating: ***

            Much to the surprise of many people, Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris decided to release a solo album. The result is one of the most confusing albums I’ve ever listened to. Sure, this isn’t Iron Maiden. This is a Steve Harris solo album and his first too. So that allows him to do whatever he wants since it isn’t Iron Maiden. The problem is Harris’ choice in lead singer, Richard Taylor. Taylor has a good voice but it isn’t ballsy enough to tackle the heavier tracks. It’s just a really strange album but still, it isn’t bad at all.

 

John Cale

Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood

Rating: ****

            John Cale decided to release an album this year, his first in seven years. Cale is one of those musicians who will try anything at least once (and you can expect that from a former member of the Velvet Underground). Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood sees Cale experimenting with electronic music and even dabbling in Autotune a bit too. Compared to the other albums in Cale’s solo career, Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood does stick out. I really enjoy songs like “Face to the Sky” and the brilliantly written “December Rain”. Cale even works with Danger Mouse on “I Wanna Talk 2 U”. Overall, Shifty Adventures is a good album.

  

Kiss

Monster

Rating: ****

            Four decades after their creation, Kiss have unleashed a monster of an album with Monster. The album heavy, hard-hitting rock n roll and it does tend to sound like their music back during the peak of their career. “Hell or Halleluiah”, “Freak”, “Long Way Down” and “The Devil Is Me” are all great. Even without the original line-up, Kiss still knows how to make a kick ass album.

  

Neil Young

Psychedelic Pill

Rating: ****

            Neil Young and Crazy Horse released two albums this year. The second of them, Psychedelic Pill, is a sort of “blast from the past” sounding album. Young’s voice hasn’t really aged and the band sound great. The album certainly lives up to the title: it really is psychedelic. “Driftin’ Back”, “Ramada Inn”, and “Walk Like a Giant” are very long jams from Young and Crazy Horse, which does sort of get boring after a while. The self-titled track is pretty good as well. Overall, Psychedelic Pill is worth checking out.

  

Aerosmith

Music From Another Dimension

Rating: ***

            As their first album of original material in 11 years, Aerosmith had a lot to make up for: pop-oriented albums, Steven Tyler’s stint on American Idol, and the feud between Tyler and Joe Perry. Even with original producer Jack Douglas’ presence, Music From Another Dimension isn’t the comeback album fans were expecting. Sure there are some good rockers like “Lover Alot”, “Legendary Child”, and “Street Jesus”.

2012 Albums Ranked

1. Bob Dylan- Tempest

2. Van Halen- A Different Kind of Truth

3. Rush- Clockwork Angels

4. Kiss- Monster

5. John Cale- Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood

6. Ian Hunter- When I'm President

7. Neil Young- Psychedelic Pill

8. Accept- Stalingrad

9. Ian Anderson- Thick As A Brick 2

10. Paul McCartney- Kisses on the Bottom

11. Aerosmith- Music From Another Dimension

12. Steve Harris- British Lion

13. Ringo Starr- Ringo 2012 

Archival/Reissue/Live albums

The Rolling Stones

           

Google Play have released five more albums in the Rolling Stones bootleg series. Those albums are:

Hampton Coliseum (Live, 1981)- ****

L.A. Friday (Live, 1975)- **** ½

Tokyo Dome (Live, 1990)- ****

Light the Fuse (Live, 2005)- ****

Roundhay Park (Live, 1982)- ****

            All of these releases are very good and it’s a great way to celebrate the band’s 50^th anniversary. Of those five released this year, L.A. Friday is my favorite. All of the other ones are great as well. Still the best in the series was the one released last year, The Brussels Affair, but these albums follow it up just fine.

  

Captain Beefheart

Bat Chain Puller

Rating: ****

FAVORITE ARCHIVAL RELEASE OF THE YEAR

            After years and years of being bootlegged, Captain Beefheart’s original 1976 Bat Chain Puller album has finally seen the light of day. Kept in the vaults by Frank Zappa’s estate, Gail Zappa was nice enough to release the long-awaited album. Listening to different renditions of songs such as “Bat Chain Puller”, “Harry Irene”, and “The Human Totem Pole” is just amazing. I really like the “new” songs too. My favorite song here is “Odd Jobs”, which is just a wonderful combination of spoken word poetry and rock music.

  

Quiet Riot

Live at the US Festival 1983

Rating: ****

            Quiet Riot’s performance at the US Festival in 1983 was finally released this year in a CD/DVD combo pack. The band plays an electrifying 40 minute set to a crowd of 500,000. The video has been brilliantly restored and remastered as well.

  

Janis Joplin

The Pearl Sessions

Rating: ****

            While this might be seen as a cash-grab of sorts, The Pearl Sessions is actually a pretty good release from the Janis Joplin estate. While this does come with the original Pearl album, the real treat is the second disc which has outtakes and all kinds of goodies. Listening to the second disc, the listener might feel as if they are in the studio with Joplin.

 

George Harrison

Early Takes- Volume 1

Rating: ****

            While really unnecessary, Early Takes is a surprisingly good release that ties in with the DVD release of the Martin Scorsese directed documentary on George Harrison. Hearing these songs stripped down is amazing.

  

Paul McCartney (and Linda McCartney)

Ram

Rating (original album): **** ½

Rating (bonus disc): ****

            The McCartney Archive Collection continues with the reissue of the 1971 classic Ram. The original album sounds wonderful and the remastering is really top notch. The bonus disc is an improvement over some of the other bonus discs that have come with the three previous entries in the collection as we get song brand new songs. My personal favorite: “A Love For You”.

 

Joey Ramone

Ya Know?

Rating: ****

            Much to the surprise of some people, Joey Ramone did have enough material recorded to make another posthumous solo album. Ramone, who died in 2001, had been working on his first solo album Don’t Worry About Me at the time of his death. That album would be released in 2002. So a decade has passed and it turns out Ramone had more material recorded. I would give this a low four-star rating but the material on here isn’t bad at all. “Rock N Roll Is the Answer” is probably the strongest cut on here. The other tracks are pretty good.

 

Led Zeppelin

Celebration Day

Rating: **** or **** ½

FAVORITE LIVE RELEASE OF THE YEAR

            Nearly five years later, Led Zeppelin have finally released their reunion concert from 2007 at London’s O2 Arena. Even after being apart for so long, the band are still able to play these classic songs. At times, the band does sound a bit sluggish but as the concert progresses the band gets better. Even at his age, Robert Plant can still sing the material. The surviving members (Plant, Page, and Jones) are also with Jason Bonham, who takes the place of his late father for this one-off performance.

In Memoriam

Bob Weston- guitarist for Fleetwood Mac

Mark Reale- guitarist for and founding member of Riot

Michael Kramer- bassist for the MC5

Davy Jones- singer for the Monkees

Ronnie Montrose- guitarist for Montrose, Edgar Winter Group, Gamma

Levon Helm- drummer for the Band

Robin Gibb- member of the Bee Gees

Bob Welch- guitarist for Fleetwood Mac

Jon Lord- original keyboardist for Deep Purple

Ed Cassidy- drummer for Spirit

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Class of 2013

The 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees have been announced today. Six of the 15 acts nominated got in and I've got to be honest: this years list isn't all that great. In fact, it's disappointing. I'll go through each act and give my thoughts.


Rush- The Canadian prog rockers easily topped the fan ballot and are now inducted in the Hall. Formed around 1968, Rush have had their share of critics slamming them. However, their rabid fan base has kept the band going. Bassist/singer Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart have been together since 1974, one of the longest lasting line-ups in any rock band.

Heart- Heart are the other big name that were inducted. Fronted by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, Heart were one of the most successful rock bands of the 1970's. The band's popularity got a sudden boost towards the end of the 1980's and have been going ever since.

Randy Newman- Singer/songwriter Randy Newman is finally in. Newman said he didn't think he'd be alive when he got in but luckily he is.

Albert King- Who?

Donna Summer- Whatever. She was going to be inducted once she died.

Public Enemy- SERIOUSLY? What the hell? Didn't you get the memo, Rock Hall? NO MORE HIP HOP!


So that's all the inductees for 2013. I know that the Hall is trying to be diverse in their choices but the fact that Deep Purple and Joan Jett were nominated and didn't get inducted is just stupidity. From what I remember the fan ballot was...

Rush
Deep Purple
Joan Jett
Heart
Albert King
Donna Summer

See if it were the fans and only the fans, you'd have four legit ROCK acts and two other people.

I'm going to go ahead and list everybody who isn't in...

Deep Purple
Thin Lizzy
New York Dolls
Captain Beefheart
T. Rex
MC5
Lou Reed
Judas Priest
Iron Maiden
Jethro Tull
Yes
Warren Zevon
Motorhead
Kiss
Dio

Spirit drummer Ed Cassidy dies

Ed Cassidy

May 4, 1923- December 6, 2012

Ed Cassidy, drummer for the psychedelic rock band Spirit, has died. He was 89 years old. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Cassidy started his musical career in 1937 as a jazz drummer. He drummed for many jazz artists prior to forming Spirit in 1967 with his stepson Randy California. Spirit also consisted of singer Jay Ferguson, bassist Mark Andes, and keyboardist John Locke. Spirit released four albums between 1968 to 1971 before everyone but Cassidy and Locke left the band. Spirit would go on until 1973 and after this, Spirit would reunite with California and Cassidy at the helm. This continued until 1997 when California died after drowning in the ocean in a successful attempt at saving his son in a riptide. Locke died in 2006. 

I'm sad to hear of Ed's passing (aka Mr. Skin). Spirit are such an underrated band. The man lived a long life and he was a terrific drummer. 

RIP Mr. Skin.

The Rolling Stones- Roundhay Park review

The Rolling Stones

Roundhay Park (Live, 1982)

Rating: ****

Google Play have released the sixth and, sadly, the last in the Rolling Stones Bootleg Series. The album Roundhay Park, is a nice show during the Rolling Stones' 1982 tour. The show took place in Leeds on July 25, 1982 at Roudhay Park. It was the last show of the 1982 tour and sadly, it would be the last time the band would play live with tour manager and long time pianist Ian Stewart, as he would die from a heart attack in 1985. 

The show is pretty good. The band run through their first 20 years quite impressively. All the performances are good and band sound great. However, I'm a bit disappointed in the choice of concert: the setlist is almost  exactly the same as Hampton Coliseum, being that the tour was still in support for Tattoo You. The only difference is that "Angie" is played and "Let It Bleed" and "Waiting on a Friend" are left out. 

Of the six albums released, I think Roundhay Park is not in my top favorites. Still of the shows released, I think this is the only one where the band is playing at an outdoor venue. That's pretty cool, in my opinion. If anyone from Google Play is reading this, I beg you to keep the series going. Don't stop now. 

Transformed: Lou Reed's Transformer at 40

 

Lou Reed

Transformer

1972

Rating: **** 1/2

By 1972, it appeared as if Lou Reed’s music career was over. His self-titled solo album failed to sell and he would soon be forgotten. Luckily, this all changed with the release of Reed’s second studio album Transformer. Produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, Transformer catapulted Lou Reed into superstardom.

            From 1965 to 1970, Lou Reed was a member of the Velvet Underground. The band released four albums in that time frame, all of which would be commercial flops but went on to influence the many bands that followed. After a playing a gig at Max’s Kansas City, Reed disappeared. He later announced that he was leaving the Velvet Underground and would retire from music. This changed when Reed decided to pursue a solo career.

In April 1972, Reed released his self-titled debut album. It was a flop but RCA gave Reed another chance with a second album. This was when David Bowie came to the rescue. By 1972, Bowie had achieved worldwide popularity with the release of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Bowie was an avid fan of the Velvet Underground and wanted to help Reed make an album. Bowie had already saved the career of Mott the Hoople a few months earlier that year and with Bowie’s guitarist Mick Ronson, they produced Reed’s second album Transformer.

            The album opens with “Vicious”, a nice little rocker that could’ve easily been on a Velvet Underground album. The lyrics were said to be inspired by the Velvet Underground’s first manager Andy Warhol. According to Reed, Warhol asked Reed to write a song that was vicious. When Reed asked what Warhol meant, Warhol replied “Like you hit me with a flower”. Warhol’s quote worked its way into the song and Reed did write a song that was indeed vicious. “Andy’s Chest” is yet another song Reed wrote with Warhol in mind.  Of the album’s eleven tracks, “Andy’s Chest” actually started out as a Velvet Underground song. The song was written and inspired by the attempted assassination of Warhol by Valerie Solanas. Although Warhol survived the shooting, the song is still moving. “Perfect Day” is one of Reed’s best known songs, as it has been covered several times. The song might be about Reed’s own heroin addiction but still, the song has nice piano playing and nice lyrics. The song later became a #1 hit in the UK when it was re-recorded by the BBC as a charity single with an array of famous recording artists.  

            “Hangin’ Round” is a simple little tune that has Reed using his story-telling technique of his, introducing listeners to all sorts of characters. The first side ends with Reed’s most popular song, “Walk On the Wild Side”. The song was inspired by the Nelson Algren novel of the same name, published in 1956. Algren approached Reed to write song for a musical version of the novel that he was putting together. The musical never happened so Reed used the song for Transformer. The two bass lines in this song are played by session musician Herbie Flowers. He’s playing an upright bass and an electric bass, which overlap each other. Lyrically, the song is almost a tribute to the people that were at Warhol’s Factory in New York City. Reed name drops almost everybody in this song and the end result is just fantastic.

            Side two opens with the gender-bending “Make Up”. The sound of the song is a bit on the soft side but the chorus is a knock-out: “We’re coming out” sings Reed. “Out of our closets.” “Satellite of Love” is another highlight off the album and is seen as one of Reed’s best songs. The song began life as a Velvet Underground song but it ended up here on Transformer. The song seems to be about a man who watches the launch of a satellite and the jealousy of the man seeing the girl he likes going out with other men. So, there’s also sort of stalker side to this song too. Also if you listen closely to the end, you will hear Bowie singing those high notes. “Wagon Wheel” is a simple rocker while “New York Telephone Conversation” is a bizarre little ditty. “I’m So Free” is a bit of a deep cut. It’s got some great lyrics and Reed’s vocals are pretty good. The album closes out fittingly with the jazzy “Goodnight Ladies”.

            Transformer was released on November 8, 1972. The album saved Lou Reed a career. The album charted at #29 in the Billboard 200 while it charted at #13 in the UK Albums Chart. With the success of Transformer, Reed was able to continue and make more albums. The follow-up to Transformer was the conceptual 1973 album, Berlin. The albums Reed released after Berlin are really hit or miss. He’s released some good albums such as The Blue Mask, New York, and Magic and Loss. Reed has also released some weak albums such as Metal Machine Music. Reed’s most recent project was a collaboration with Metallica in 2011 with the conceptual Lulu, which received mixed to negative reviews. Still at 70 years old, Reed is still performing no matter what people think of him.

            As for Transformer, it remains a classic album. For me, I currently have Transformer at #59 on my list of favorite albums of all time. It’s just an album that you can listen to over and over again. It’s also, without a doubt, Reed’s best album.

Aerosmith- Music from Another Dimension review

 

Aerosmith

Music from Another Dimension!

Rating: *** or *** 1/2

It has been eight years since Aerosmith have released a studio album. However since that album, Honkin’ On a Bobo, was a blues covers album. So, it has also been eleven years since the band released a studio album of original material (that album being Just Push Play). The band’s sound has changed in the span of over four decades, more recently being a little too commercial compared to Aerosmith’s glory days in the hard rocking 1970’s. The band’s latest album, Music from Another Dimension, isn’t the hard rocking album fans were expecting but still manages to be a very good album.

           

Aerosmith have been together since 1970. The current line-up (as well as the classic line-up) consists of singer Steven Tyler, guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton, and drummer Joey Kramer. The last three years for Aerosmith have been crazy. In November 2009, Perry announced that Tyler had left the band. Only a day later, Tyler said he wasn’t leaving the band. This led to a well publicized feud between Tyler and Perry, leaving the band’s future in question. An example of this would be in 2011 when Tyler joined the judges’ panel on the hit Fox singing competition, American Idol, which led to some harsh words from Perry. Tyler and Perry patched things up shortly before recording the new album.

The album opens with the rocker “Luv XXX” (reads “Love Three Times”). The song is pretty good and it’s just great to hear Aerosmith after all these years. My only problem with this song is that the chorus sounds a little too much like “Love in an Elevator”. Still, it’s a nice opener that’s almost a rehash of the band’s late 1980’s sound. As for the other 14 tracks, it gets pretty eclectic musically. This is both good and bad. I do enjoy the soul-infused “Oh Yeah” and the funky “Out Go the Lights”. There’s some great guitar work from Perry and Whitford on those two songs. There are also a few ballads…okay maybe one too many ballads. I’ve never been a fan of “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” so songs such as “What Could Have Been Love” and “Another Last Goodbye” are pretty mediocre pop songs. For me, the weakest of the songs is the country-flavored “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You” which features American Idol winner Carrie Underwood. Underwood is a good singer but why couldn’t this song be on her album with Tyler as the guest?

Still, the album does redeem itself with several rockers. The aforementioned “Luv XXX” is an example. “Street Jesus” is a great bluesy hard rocker that sounds like it could have been a song on any of their earlier albums. Despite the cruddy production, the fast-paced “Lover Alot” is another highlight off the album. Perry even gets to take over lead vocals for “Freedom Fighter” and “Something”, both of which are strong. My personal favorite song off the album is the lead single, “Legendary Child”. The lyrics are autobiographical in a way with  Tyler singing about trading “them toys for other joys” (“Toys in the Attic”) and taking “a chance at a high school dance” (“Walk This Way”). The chorus is very reminiscent of the chorus in “Sweet Emotion”.

Music from Another Dimension is a pretty good album from Aerosmith. Still it all depends on what kind of Aerosmith fan you are. If you’re expecting another Toys in the Attic or Rocks, you’ll probably be disappointed. If you like Aerosmith no matter what, you may like this album. Personally, I think any Aerosmith is good but I do prefer the band’s material from the 1970’s more than what came after. This album was produced by Jack Douglas, the producer for those earlier albums. With Douglas, you’d expect the band to make another Toys, Rocks, or Draw the Line. This really isn’t the case but whatever this is, Music from Another Dimension isn’t bad.