Between their debut, “This Was” in 1968 and their 21st in 2003 with “The Jethro Tull Christmas Album “, Jethro Tull has delivered albums with distinctive sounds crossing genres and styles, merging prog/art rock, hard rock, heavy metal, jazz, blues, folk, classical, Elizabethan, and world music. I heard Ian Anderson’s music for the first time with the 72’s album “Living in the Past” and even if I wasn’t an unconditional fan of Tull, Anderson, we have to admit it, delivered quality materials throughout the years. “Roots to Branches” released on 4 September 1995, probably is not as acclaimed as “Thick as a Brick” (1972) or famous as “Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die!” (1976), but definitively is a colorful trip into a musical universe filled up will all the spices from Anderson’s workshop. Read more Jethro Tull – Roots to Branches (1995)
rock
Alice Cooper – Welcome 2 My Nightmare (2011)
I love Alice. I loved his “Killer” from ’71, just like “School’s Out” and “Billion Dollar Babies” from ’72 and “Muscle of Love” from ’73. Then I loved “Welcome to My Nightmare” in 1975 and “Alice Cooper Goes to Hell” very next year. Later I loved “Special Forces” (’81), “Zipper Catches Skin” (’82), “DaDa” (’83), and “Constrictor” (’86). “Trash” (’89) and “Hey Stoopid” (’91) were both two great albums, “The Last Temptation” was alright and I really loved “Brutal Planet” in 2000 where Alice kind of give his answer to his followers and meanwhile new stars such as Marilyn Manson proving – once again – that he still have the power. But after that I kind of lost my appetite for Alice, “Dragontown” was at least a mediocre release while “Dirty Diamonds” sounds like a lost material from the 70s, not bad for that times, but quite outdated for the 2000s. Honestly, Alice didn’t really convinced me in 2008 with his concept album “Along Came a Spider”.
Then Alice planned to release a sequel of “Along Came a Spider”, but producer Bob Ezrin proposed instead the idea of a sequel to “Welcome to My Nightmare”, part of the thirtieth anniversary of its original release. Read more Alice Cooper – Welcome 2 My Nightmare (2011)
Anathema – Falling Deeper (2011)
Scheduled be released on September 5 2011, “Falling Deeper” is an upcoming compilation album in which the band recorded different versions of their past songs, a follow-up to 2008’s acoustic compilation “Hindsight”.
The album was produced by guitarist and main composer of the band Daniel Cavanagh, while the orchestral arrangements are from Dave Stewart who worked so successfully with Anathema on “We’re Here Because We’re Here”. Dutch singer Anneke van Giersbergen sings on “Everwake”. The album was recorded and mixed by Andrea Wright at the legendary Parr Street Studios in Liverpool. Read more Anathema – Falling Deeper (2011)
Buckethead – Empty Space, Underground Chamber, Look Up There (2011)
Buckethead’s 32nd studio album, as well the second edition in the Buckethead Pikes series following “It’s Alive” . More experimental, much heavier, contorted, but beautiful, “Empty Space” with a total length of 32 minutes (ten songs) bring to the surface some intense riffs, noisy textures and wild, hurricane-like solos, but also funky basses, avant-garde experiments, industrial soundscapes, in few words, Buckethead shot all his big guns at our ears and once again he spare no energy to create music. Can’t stick labels to this, can’t force it into some boxes, his music have no genre, but style and class. Probably both, genius and madman, Buckethead is by excellence the most fascinating guitar wizard. Read more Buckethead – Empty Space, Underground Chamber, Look Up There (2011)
The Libertines – The Libertines (2004)
Coming on the second wave in the early 2000s of garage rock and post-punk revival bands along Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, The Editors and Franz Ferdinand, The Libertines delivered in 2004 their second, self-titled album which instantly reached #1 in the UK and it sold 72,189 copies in its first week. The album is included in the book “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die” and in 2006, NME placed the album 47 in a list of the greatest British albums ever. For a band released up to date only two albums, not a bad performance at all.
The Libertines were formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Bar̢t (vocals/lead guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals/rhythm guitar) and both of their full-length LPs were produced by Mick Jones, of the legendary British punk band The Clash. Read more The Libertines РThe Libertines (2004)
Infectious Grooves – Mas Borracho (2000)
This is a “not so old oldies”, released 11 years ago on 29 August, 2000, it’s the fourth – and up to date last – album released by the maniacs of Infectious Grooves. Maybe this is not same “classy” as the more notorious “Sarsippius’ Ark”, but as any Mike Muir project and product, it still kicking ass. Not to mention, we’ve got on the bass guitar the murderous Robert Trujillo (ex-Suicidal Tendencies, now Metallica), guitarists Dean Pleasants (also played with Ugly Kid Joe, George Clinton, etc), and Adam Siegel (Excel, Suicidal Tendencies, The Blondes, Eels, etc), and drummer Brooks Wackerman (Vandals, current drummer of Bad Religion).
The title of the album, as written on the album, means “but drunk” in Spanish. However, it most likely is a misspell of “más borracho”, meaning “more drunk” or “drunker”. Be prepared to funk off your ass and punk it up! Read more Infectious Grooves – Mas Borracho (2000)
The Beach Boys – Still Cruisin’ (1989)
The Beach Boys are one of the few mandatory “things” in music. If they wouldn’t be formed back in 61 somebody should be “invented” them. Many things in music would be different without Mike Love, Brian Wilson and Al Jardine. They gained popularity across the United States for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting the Southern California youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, chosen for the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001, The Beach Boys are one of the greatest rock and roll bands while their 1966 release, “Pet Sounds”, frequently rank among critics’ lists of the greatest albums and “Good Vibrations” as the greatest singles of all time. Paul McCartney named “Pet Sounds” one of his favorite albums of all time and has frequently said that it was the inspiration behind the Beatles’ album, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” Rolling Stone magazine listed The Beach Boys at number 12 on their 2004 list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time,” the highest ranking for an American Rock & Roll band.
Initially rising to become the most popular surf rock band in the U.S. during the early 1960s, the band with a legacy of 82 singles, 28 studio albums and 4 live recordings, The Beach Boys… still cruisin’. Read more The Beach Boys – Still Cruisin’ (1989)
Pearl Jam – Ten (1991)
20 years ago “Ten” exploded out of the blue. The album initially sold slowly upon its release, but by the second half of 1992 it became a breakthrough success, attaining gold certification and by February 1993, American sales of “Ten” surpassed those of “Nevermind”, the breakthrough album by Nirvana. “Ten” bring Pearl Jam to the elite of the Seattle grunge movement, along with Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Soundgarden. Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain angrily attacked Pearl Jam, claiming the band were commercial sellouts, but later Cobain reconciled with Vedder. While Pearl Jam was accused of jumping on the grunge bandwagon at the time, “Ten” had overwhelming contribution in popularizing alternative rock in the mainstream. The album has been certified diamond by the RIAA in the United States and by June 2011, it had sold 9,869,000 copies, and remains Pearl Jam’s most commercially successful album.
The album produced three hit singles: “Alive”, “Even Flow” and “Jeremy”. Pearl Jam received four awards at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards for its video for “Jeremy”, including Video of the Year and Best Group Video, the band refused to make a video for “Black” and this attitude began a trend of the band refusing to make videos for its songs, despite it being common knowledge that music videos were one of the most vital sales tools in any band’s arsenal.
Released on 27th August, 1991, “Ten” is one of the rock classics, one of the (few) records that actually matters. Maybe meanwhile Vedder and his band mates lost their guts – and direction -, but back than Pearl Jam rocked. Read more Pearl Jam – Ten (1991)
Snurfu – Bag of Bones – EP (2011)
There’s not too many things to say about a band formed only three years ago and delivering their first EP. Watching their video for “372nd Military Police” on YouTube I was thinking they are a punk band juggling between New Model Army and The Exploited, later listening their four songs from the EP I realized this is (only) Rock (And Roll), there’s something raw, garage and punk taste-like about it, but still, this is unpolished, good-old Rock and it feels alright.
The opening “Your Sister Too” have a kind of Velvet Revolver after-taste, it’s right in the middle between Guns N’ Roses and Stone Temple Pilots, between Rock and Post-Grunge. “My Empty Song” bring to the surface some Southern/Stoner roots and sounds, it’s quite classy and the guitar riff is actually pretty wicked. Read more Snurfu – Bag of Bones – EP (2011)
The Rolling Stones – Tattoo You (1981)
Perhaps this was their last classic record, one nice, less polished, Rock And Roll album. Released on 24 August, 1981, 30 years ago, “Tattoo You” was put together of outtakes from previous recording sessions to promote the band’s follow-up worldwide tour 1981/1982. The band didn’t want to kick off the road without having a new record and the time was too short to write enough new songs, one the other hand, that period was marked by tensions between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, so working on new songs probably would be a pretty difficult task at the moment. Still, “Tattoo You” was ranked #34 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s and number 211 on the list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Read more The Rolling Stones – Tattoo You (1981)
