A lot of good music this year in the metal/hard rock genre. A lot of excellent returns to form. Here's a short list of what you really should check out:
Anthrax - Worship Music
Megadeth - Th1rt3en
Black Country Communion - 2
Whitesnake - Forevermore
Adrenaline Mob - EP
Mr. Big - What If?
Mastodon - The Hunter
Journey - Eclipse
Warrant - Rockaholic
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Fun With Music
So during bowling last night, the convo came up about the farce that is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Sure, it's pointless, but it's also silly fun. So here goes, the R&RHOF as decided by me... well, at least the top twenty anyways. Anyway, here's 11-20.
NOTE: I've only included the hard rock/metal artists NOT in the RRHOF.
20. Thin Lizzy - Beautiful use of dual guitars, flowing lyrics, & the charisma of the late Phil Lynott.
19. Tesla - Again, classic use of dual guitars, mixed with a powerful voice & melodic songwriting.
18. Pantera - Warped by Van Halen & KISS, Dimebag Darrell helped create the standard in 90's metal.
17. Pat Benatar - The other half of the sexy sirens of rock, along with Ann Wilson, Benatar could sing the phone book & still make it rock. Need more proof, check out Hell Is For Children live...
16. Motley Crue - So called "Hair Metal" takes a bad rap... loud guitar, catchy hooks, fun... the Crue lived it & lived it well.
15. Dio - Little man, HUGE pipes. Dio made keyboards sound heavy. Fantasy lyrics, scorching axe riffs, & a voice that rivals only angels, Dio made his mark solo, even after a brilliant career with Elf, Rainbow, & Black Sabbath.
14. Cheap Trick - Where else are you gonna find a drummer named Bun... HUGE choruses & all out fun for all.
13. Scorpions - from Uli to Rudolph, these Germans could wail. And here's a common theme... dual guitars & big vocals. Sting Of The Tail was a perfect return to form.
12. Foreigner - Lou Gramm & Mick Jones... the AOR Page/Plant. Unfortunately, got saddled with the "Corporate Rock" tag, whatever that means. Good songwriting & memorable hooks. Just good ol' R&R fun.
11. Ozzy Osbourne - He's already in with Sabbath, but his legacy may reign supreme as a solo artist. Known for introducing the world to phenomenal, yet differing, guitar gods, the Oz Man's songs are catchy & listenable.
Top 10 coming soon... & in honor of the Eddie Trunk Rocks year-end show, here's the Top 10:
10. Megadeth - Fueled by his unceremonious exit from Metallica, Dave Mustaine formed a metal band rivaled only by the one he left. A distinctive voice, matched only by its melodic mate, 'Deth proved a soapbox for political & socio-economic musings.
9. Rush - Power trio, virtuosos, distinctive, never duplicated... Rush are truly one of a kind, mixing heavy metal with pop sensibilities, wrapped up in thoughtful lyrics & unmatched musicianship.
8. Heart - Ann & Nancy... two Zep lovin' ladies with a passion for bad ass guitar rock. Ann could sing the alphabet & make it rock harder than most male singers.
7. Def Leppard - Put aside the pop stylings of most of the last 15 years, Def Lep was part of the NWOBHM. They hit the big time with Pyromania & Hysteria, but their true roots lie in On Through The Night & the criminally underrated High 'N' Dry. Need proof... Let It Rock, Mirror Mirror, Lady Strange.
6. Boston - Symphonic is a good word. Everyone knows the multi-tracked brilliance of Tom Scholz, but the real genius was the vocals of the late Brad Delp. Putting those two elements together with melodic, soaring tunes proved to be brilliance. I dare anyone not to become a goofy air-guitarist when More Than A Feeling comes on the radio... see, you can't do it.
5. Iron Maiden - More dual guitars & more operatic vocals, complete with intelligent lyrics & galloping bass lines. Another facet of the NWOBHM, Maiden was personified by lead singer Bruce Dickinson & mascot Eddie.
4. Judas Priest - Common theme: two distinctively different lead guitarists & freak-of-nature singers flying above it. Halford set the standard that the likes of Geoff Tate have been emulating for 20+ years. If you don't feel like raising a fist during You've Got Another Thing Coming, you're not alive.
3. Bon Jovi - They've managed to reinvent themselves in the last 10 years, almost at the expense of what made them famous in the first place. The duo of JBJ & Richie Sambora have created some of the best Springsteen-ian pop metal classics ever. From album one to Keep The Faith, they managed to mature, yet keep their roots alive. Listen to the guitar solo in the middle of the epic Dry County... pure genius.
2. KISS - To paraphrase, Love 'em, Leave 'em. But you can't deny 'em. They changed the face of music in countless ways, even without the incessant merchandising. At their core, they were meat & potatoes rock, but great fun. And what is rock & roll without a little fun? Image, tunes, live shows, they did all & mostly better than the rest... even if they're using substitute Ace & Peter's.
1. Deep Purple - Criminal, criminal, criminal omission from the actual R&RHOF, as they are one of the original triumvant along with Led Zep & Sabbath. Classical music applied to rock by the incomparable Richie Blackmore. Ian Gillan, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Joe Lynn Turner... it's like a who's who of metal vocal genius.
So there it is. Of course, it's not perfect. I left out many deserving groups, such as Whitesnake, Motorhead, Styx, Bad Company, Queensryche but no list is perfect. Feel free to email me to say what a dumbass I am. Otherwise, enjoy it for what its' worth... and thanx for reading.
NOTE: I've only included the hard rock/metal artists NOT in the RRHOF.
20. Thin Lizzy - Beautiful use of dual guitars, flowing lyrics, & the charisma of the late Phil Lynott.
19. Tesla - Again, classic use of dual guitars, mixed with a powerful voice & melodic songwriting.
18. Pantera - Warped by Van Halen & KISS, Dimebag Darrell helped create the standard in 90's metal.
17. Pat Benatar - The other half of the sexy sirens of rock, along with Ann Wilson, Benatar could sing the phone book & still make it rock. Need more proof, check out Hell Is For Children live...
16. Motley Crue - So called "Hair Metal" takes a bad rap... loud guitar, catchy hooks, fun... the Crue lived it & lived it well.
15. Dio - Little man, HUGE pipes. Dio made keyboards sound heavy. Fantasy lyrics, scorching axe riffs, & a voice that rivals only angels, Dio made his mark solo, even after a brilliant career with Elf, Rainbow, & Black Sabbath.
14. Cheap Trick - Where else are you gonna find a drummer named Bun... HUGE choruses & all out fun for all.
13. Scorpions - from Uli to Rudolph, these Germans could wail. And here's a common theme... dual guitars & big vocals. Sting Of The Tail was a perfect return to form.
12. Foreigner - Lou Gramm & Mick Jones... the AOR Page/Plant. Unfortunately, got saddled with the "Corporate Rock" tag, whatever that means. Good songwriting & memorable hooks. Just good ol' R&R fun.
11. Ozzy Osbourne - He's already in with Sabbath, but his legacy may reign supreme as a solo artist. Known for introducing the world to phenomenal, yet differing, guitar gods, the Oz Man's songs are catchy & listenable.
Top 10 coming soon... & in honor of the Eddie Trunk Rocks year-end show, here's the Top 10:
10. Megadeth - Fueled by his unceremonious exit from Metallica, Dave Mustaine formed a metal band rivaled only by the one he left. A distinctive voice, matched only by its melodic mate, 'Deth proved a soapbox for political & socio-economic musings.
9. Rush - Power trio, virtuosos, distinctive, never duplicated... Rush are truly one of a kind, mixing heavy metal with pop sensibilities, wrapped up in thoughtful lyrics & unmatched musicianship.
8. Heart - Ann & Nancy... two Zep lovin' ladies with a passion for bad ass guitar rock. Ann could sing the alphabet & make it rock harder than most male singers.
7. Def Leppard - Put aside the pop stylings of most of the last 15 years, Def Lep was part of the NWOBHM. They hit the big time with Pyromania & Hysteria, but their true roots lie in On Through The Night & the criminally underrated High 'N' Dry. Need proof... Let It Rock, Mirror Mirror, Lady Strange.
6. Boston - Symphonic is a good word. Everyone knows the multi-tracked brilliance of Tom Scholz, but the real genius was the vocals of the late Brad Delp. Putting those two elements together with melodic, soaring tunes proved to be brilliance. I dare anyone not to become a goofy air-guitarist when More Than A Feeling comes on the radio... see, you can't do it.
5. Iron Maiden - More dual guitars & more operatic vocals, complete with intelligent lyrics & galloping bass lines. Another facet of the NWOBHM, Maiden was personified by lead singer Bruce Dickinson & mascot Eddie.
4. Judas Priest - Common theme: two distinctively different lead guitarists & freak-of-nature singers flying above it. Halford set the standard that the likes of Geoff Tate have been emulating for 20+ years. If you don't feel like raising a fist during You've Got Another Thing Coming, you're not alive.
3. Bon Jovi - They've managed to reinvent themselves in the last 10 years, almost at the expense of what made them famous in the first place. The duo of JBJ & Richie Sambora have created some of the best Springsteen-ian pop metal classics ever. From album one to Keep The Faith, they managed to mature, yet keep their roots alive. Listen to the guitar solo in the middle of the epic Dry County... pure genius.
2. KISS - To paraphrase, Love 'em, Leave 'em. But you can't deny 'em. They changed the face of music in countless ways, even without the incessant merchandising. At their core, they were meat & potatoes rock, but great fun. And what is rock & roll without a little fun? Image, tunes, live shows, they did all & mostly better than the rest... even if they're using substitute Ace & Peter's.
1. Deep Purple - Criminal, criminal, criminal omission from the actual R&RHOF, as they are one of the original triumvant along with Led Zep & Sabbath. Classical music applied to rock by the incomparable Richie Blackmore. Ian Gillan, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Joe Lynn Turner... it's like a who's who of metal vocal genius.
So there it is. Of course, it's not perfect. I left out many deserving groups, such as Whitesnake, Motorhead, Styx, Bad Company, Queensryche but no list is perfect. Feel free to email me to say what a dumbass I am. Otherwise, enjoy it for what its' worth... and thanx for reading.
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