Skunk Anansie rose from the mean streets of London in the early part of 1993, in time of social, political and musical changes. As they stated, their name, “Skunk Anansie” is taken from the West African folk tales of Anansi the spider-man, with “Skunk†added to “make the name nastier”. The band, in 2004, was named as one of the most successful UK chart acts between 1952 and 2003 by the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, with a total of 141 weeks on both the singles and album charts ranking them at #491.
Skin (born Deborah Dyer, 3 August 1967, Brixton), Cass (born Richard Keith Lewis, 1 September 1960, London), Ace (born Martin Ivor Kent, 30 March 1967, Cheltenham) and Mark Richardson (born 28 May 1970, Leeds) get the public and media attention by their incendiary live show and “vitriolic striking attack on the preconceived image of what a rock band should be at that time.” Read more Skunk Anansie – Paranoid and Sunburnt (1995)
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Chickenfoot – Chickenfoot III (2011)
Don’t panic – as I did 😀 -, you didn’t skipped the band’s second album, despite its title, this is not the band’s third album, but second. Some rumors said that the working title was “Chickenfoot IV”.
Scheduled to be released on September 27, 2011, the new album delivered by the “supergroup” of Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony (Van Halen) and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) continue exactly from where they left on the debut album with the same kind of classy, powerful American hard rock. “Last Temptation” could find its place on any Van Halen album. It’s the classic case of something familiar, but fresh. But it’s not the only song which could be on any Van Halen album. “Alright, Alright” follows pumping in that same bright American spirit. Satriani delivered a tasty solo while the whole recording sounds quite raw and alive.
And let’s admit it: this “everything’s alright” attitude it feels so good sometimes and if the band can delivered some good-old fashioned hard rock in it’s best shape and with some fresh breath and timeless taste, it’s just great! Read more Chickenfoot – Chickenfoot III (2011)
Dire Straits – Love Over Gold (1982)
Some critics consider it Dire Straits’ attempt to turn in the area of progressive rock, “Love Over Gold” released on 20th September 1982, was the band’s fourth studio album. Written exclusively by Mark Knopfler, the album sold two million copies during the first six weeks after its release. Eventually sold over 4 million copies in Europe and reached gold status in the United States in 1986. It was also the last album featuring drummer Pick Withers.
The album featured the 14-minute-long epic “Telegraph Road”, while its main chart hit, “Private Investigations”, gave Dire Straits their first top 5 hit single in the United Kingdom, where it reached the number 2 position despite its almost seven-minute length. Read more Dire Straits – Love Over Gold (1982)
Marilyn Manson – Mechanical Animals (1998)
The world was frightened by Marilyn Manson back in 1996 after the release of the (in)famous “Antichrist Superstar” and expectation was set high for their next release. “Mechanical Animals” showed a different face of Marilyn Manson and take the world by surprise once again. Marilyn Manson had “sold out”? Some old-time fans were dissapointed by the more glam rock oriented sound and less aggressive approach of the album, some consider it even radio-friendly, still, “Mechanical Animals” contains music far more complex than most of his work. Inspired by 1970s style, Bowie-esque glam rock and borrowing both from Roxy Music and T. Rex, Manson delivered a rock opera concept album and the second installment in a trilogy that was started with “Antichrist Superstar” and was closed by “Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)” and as it was later explained, it was released backward. Read more Marilyn Manson – Mechanical Animals (1998)
dEUS – Keep You Close (2011)
(Ain’t) “Living in a movie, but a franchise” – sing Tom Barman on the brand new dEUS album and once again, I’m thrilled by this Belgian band while I love them since I heard for the very first time “Suds & Soda” back in 1994. This music is not so complicated, but subtle and smoothly sophisticated, maybe they lost something from the biting wildness of their first period, but dEUS remains really alternative, truly indie – although singed to multinationals, and the same original outfit. Juggling between – and through – twisted blues, free jazz skronk, post-grunge dissonances and gloomy art rock explorations, dEUS delivered an unique blend of music. Perhaps “Vantage Point” back in 2008 was their smoothest release up to date, but still they have the magic power to hypnotize us.
Read more dEUS – Keep You Close (2011)
Kiss – Animalize (1984)
Kiss officially appeared in public without makeup for the first time on a September 18, 1983 on MTV for the release of the band’s album “Lick It Up.” “Lick It Up” became Kiss’ first gold record in three years, but guitarist Vinnie Vincent who replaced Ace Frehley in 1982 did not get along with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, and left the band at the conclusion of the tour in March 1984. Vincent’s replacement was Mark St. John. Before joining Kiss, St. John (Mark Leslie Norton, February 7, 1956 – April 5, 2007) was a well known and respected teacher and guitarist for the Southern California cover band Front Page and after leaving Kiss, he formed a band called White Tiger.
“Animalize”, the 12th studio album by Kiss and the second album of the “unmasked” period, was the biggest-selling Kiss album since 1977’s “Alive II” and it was certified platinum only in four months.
When asked what “Animalize” meant, Stanley said that people were starting to become more like computers – and that “making music by pressing buttons” was no fun. Read more Kiss – Animalize (1984)
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)
“The band is just fantastic,/That is really what I think./Oh by the way, which one’s Pink?” (“Have a Cigar”)
44.28 minutes of magic. Released on 12 September 1975, it was an instant success; record company EMI was unable to print enough copies to satisfy the demand. And “Wish You Were Here” it’s even more popular today as it was back in the days when it was first released. Exploring the former band-mate Syd Barrett’s mental illness and decline (“Shine On You Crazy Diamond”), but also about absence, alienation (“Wish You Were Here”) and subjects considering the music business (“Welcome To The Machine”/”Have a Cigar”). Read more Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)
Tom Waits – Bone Machine (1992)
“Are you still jumping out of windows in expensive clothes?”
Actually the future seems even darker now than back in ’92 while “Bone Machine” and it’s hypnotic textures, noisy percussion and experimental glows are still sounds fresh and its rich lyrics are still very actual.
“What does it matter, a dream of love / Or a dream of lies / We’re all gonna be the same place / When we die”…
What Tom Waits, Keith Richards, Les Claypool and David Hidalgo have in common? The bone machine. Several songs from the album were covered by several artists: “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up” was covered by The Ramones for their last album, “Adios Amigos”, but also by Petra Haden and Bill Frisell on their album collaboration “Petra Haden & Bill Frisell” (2003), by Hayes Carll on “Trouble In Mind” (2008), and by Scarlett Johansson on her debut album, “Anywhere I Lay My Head” (2008). “Goin’ Out West” has been covered by Queens of the Stone Age, Gomez, Widespread Panic, Gov’t Mule, the Blacks and Australian blues guitarist Ash Grunwald. This song also is featured in the 1999 film “Fight Club”, while “Earth Died Screaming” is featured in the 1995 film “Twelve Monkeys”, and “Jesus Gonna Be Here” is featured in the 2005 film “Domino”, in which Waits appears. Read more Tom Waits – Bone Machine (1992)
Mansun – Six (1998)
The band was formed in Chester, England in 1995 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Paul Draper and bassist Stove King. Originally called themselves “Grey Lantern” but changed their name to “Manson”, after the cult leader Charles Manson but were forced to change it to “Mansun” due to copyright issues.
After several EP’s and singles, their critically acclaimed debut album, “Attack of the Grey Lantern” was released in 1997 and it knocked fellow Parlophone act Blur’s self-titled album from the top spot of the British album chart.
The album’s sleeve art was a painting produced by Max Schindler, and commissioned especially for the album. It contains many references to personal interests and obsessions of the band, such as a TARDIS and an image of Tom Baker as Doctor Who, and Patrick McGoohan as Number 6, from The Prisoner. There is also a depiction of Winnie the Pooh standing close to a painting that may be a reproduction of Vinegar tasters, a Taoist allegorical painting. Guitarist Dominic Chad is known to be both a Taoist and a fan of A. A. Milne, and the album’s name is in fact a reference to Milne’s book Now We Are Six. Read more Mansun – Six (1998)
Faster Pussycat – Wake Me When It’s Over (1989)
This isn’t definitively their dirtiest album, actually after their sleazy debut album, on this the boys from Los Angeles turned to more bluesy sounds kind of leaving behind their glam and hair metal roots, but still, this is 60 minutes of quality and dirty rock and roll as only at the end of the 80s were possible. “Bathroom Wall” back then was one of my favorite songs, kind of Sex Pistols/New York Dolls meet Steppenwolf (“Born to be Wild”).
“House of Pain” is a bluesy song, off the band’s original punk rock/glam outfit and style. The guys still rocks on with “Where There’s a Whip, There’s a Way”, “Slip of the Tongue”, “Ain’t No Way Around It”, etc, while songs as “Cryin’ Shame” combined hair metal and blues rock tastefully. One of my favorites from this album is the bluesy, cabaret taste like “Arizona Indian Doll”.
“House of Pain” reached #28 in the Billboard Hot 100 and the video, which was directed by future film director Michael Bay, was in rotation on MTV. The album itself peaked at #48 in the Billboard 200. Read more Faster Pussycat – Wake Me When It’s Over (1989)
