Brief CD Review Thoughts

[TageRyche]

There's a few CDs I have that I haven't or hadn't gotten around to listening to yet. Whether they are too "old" or I end up not really having much to say about them, I'm not doing a full on review.

Instead, I'm just putting in a sentence or two about what I thought of them. I'll probably keep updating this thread as I get around to various albums that have been sitting waiting for me to play them.

Joe Bonamassa - Blues of Desperation - While there were a couple of tracks I wasn't all that enamored with, overall this album was another winning blues solo album from Bonamassa.

Boneyard Dog - Bluesbound Train - Another bluesy rock and roll record, this debut album was pretty much kicking my ass each time I listened to it.

U2 - The Joshua Tree 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition - Sadly, while I absolutely love the album itself (it is one of my all-time favorites), the anniversary edition isn't much to write home about. Disc 1 is the original album while Disc 2 is a live concert from the Joshua Tree tour. It's not bad, but there's nothing special about it really.

Inglorious - S/T - I was really kind of hyped up about this album but I think the fact I've already sold it off on eBay might give you a hint about my final reaction to the album. Okay, that might be slightly unfair but after listening to the album four times and I couldn't really pick a single memorable song out of it, there's obviously something of a disconnect.

[TageRyche]

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Against The Wind (1980) - Thanks to RJhog I was finally able to get a copy of this album!

And that's a big YAAY for me because as it turns out Against The Wind is chock full of many amazing songs.

If I'm being honest, of the album's 10 tracks, the only one that I found just a teensy bit wanting was "Long Twin Silver Line" and even that was a pretty decent song. 

After factoring in the title track, "You'll Accomp'ny Me", "Her Strut", "Good For Me", "Fire Lake" and the rest of the other nine songs, this is definitely one of Seger's best albums and amply demonstrates why I find him such a compelling artist. His songs are just great slices of rock and roll and you can't help but sing along to any number of this album's songs.

[TageRyche]

Impellitteri - System X (2002) - Before picking up this album I was familiar with the band solely from their debut album which is a commercial powerhouse of a record, even if it actually lacked high sales figures. It had a great sense of melody to accompany the obvious guitar fireworks from Chris Impellitteri. Add in Graham Bonnet's fantastic vocals and the album Stand In Line was a monster album.

But the band didn't really make a mark after that. So when I saw this album (the Japanese version, BTW), I had to grab it up.

My first impression was that it lacked a lot of the same sense of hook driven melodies of the debut album. However, that's not necessarily a knock against the album. In fact, the extra sense of heaviness makes the album seem that much more interesting. This is a fact that surprised me. Graham Bonnet is on vocals here as well and you could've knocked me over with just how METAL his vocals sounded. He's always been a powerhouse but this struck me as being so much more.

The album starts off with a couple great songs in "United We Stand" (clearly referencing 9/11) and "Perfect Crime" which has an intriguing rhythmic style to it. I also like the songs "She's A Nighttime Lover" and "Falling IN Love With A Stranger".

Besides those four songs, I have to say that while the rest of the album's cuts weren't BAD, they didn't really ring my bell quite as much. I've listened to the disc three times now and I just can't find my way to a greater appreciation of those songs. It's disappointing but as a whole, the album is solidly constructed and nothing to turn your nose up at. Plus, you never know, you might start raving like a lunatic over some of the songs that I didn't.

[Yngve J. Chapleen]

Pretty close to my thoughts.

[TageRyche]

Yngve, interesting that we share a similar view on this album.

[TageRyche]

Kiss - Love Gun (1977) - I have a number of friends who are Kiss fans, including two who are hardcore members of the Kiss Army. Me, I'm more of a casual fan. I like all the big hits but I had never really bought too much of their material until maybe a year or two ago when I decided that I wanted to have all of the band's studio albums.

Which brings us to this album. I finally acquired it thanks to RJhog's superior music finding skills. It's got three songs ("I Stole Your Love", "Christine Sixteen" and the title track) that are instantly recognizable. I like the songs like many other Kiss fans I'm sure.

But as for the rest of the album, I wasn't completely sold on it. The songs "Tomorrow And Tonight" and "Almost Human" are tracks I found to be quite enjoyable. So that's fully half the album that I did like. As for the other half of the album, I thought the songs were okay but really nothing that got me all that excited personally. I'd listen to them again when I play the album but I can understand why none of them are in the band's current setlist.

[Yngve J. Chapleen]

An OK album, but great Ken Kelly cover.

[TageRyche]

Yes, the cover is great.

[TageRyche]

Van Halen - Van Halen (1978) - It is funny that despite never having this album in my collection until just yesterday I ended up having a feeling of ownership that stretched back over four decades.

That's because over the 41 years since the album was released, the songs have been played so often on the radio that nearly every song felt familiar to me.

I mean, look at the first four tracks alone: "Runnin' With The Devil", "Eruption", "You Really Got Me" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". That quartet alone is enough to make the album a success. But when you add in "Jamie's Cryin'" and "Ice Cream Man", you know the reputation the Van Halen album has is not just someone blowing smoke.

Of course, I also remember "I'm The One" and "Feel Your Love Tonight" too. I vaguely remember "Atomic Punk" and "Little Dreamer" as well.

In fact, the only song I can't remember hearing over and over again on the radio is the album closing "On Fire" which is a great way to end the album and also serve as a way to sum up the band on this debut release. They were indeed on fire and this is to the surprise of no one I'm sure, an album I'm going to be playing a lot.

[TageRyche]

Van Halen - Van Halen II (1979) - I have to say that while I was really enamored of the debut album, I found the second release from Van Halen just a little bit wanting.

Yes, I like the classic tracks from this one ("Dance The Night Away", "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" and "Beautiful Girls") but other than "D.O.A.", none of the albums came across to me as anything particularly memorable. For me anyway.

[TageRyche]

Van Halen - Women and Children First (1980) - Well that was a bit of a disappointment. This album featured two songs that are classic VH tracks in "And The Cradle Will Rock" and "Everybody Wants Some".

But I have to say that after that, I was kind of let down by the rest of the material on this disc. I didn't seem to really enjoy any of the other tracks at all and this is not an album I'd play much in the future.

 

[Yngve J. Chapleen]

Another "seen it coming" moment, just because I have the same opinion on this album.

It is the very first Van Halen album I saw in my life, in the German teen magazine BRAVO. Before that, I didn't even know they existed. If I remember correctly, this release was part of a 3 album spotlight on hot Hard Rock bands currently (back then) from USA, the article talked about. (The other band was Gamma, and I can't remember the third one). Based on that write-up, I was looking forward to hearing this album for a long time. Needless to say, when I finally got a chance, I too was disappointed. In fact, it is my least favorite VH album, including the dreaded "3", and since this was in fact their 3rd album in chronological order, that means three's not a charm for me when it comes to VH.

[TageRyche]

When I posted on another board about buying the latest batch of CDs, one person responded that I had gotten some great stuff but they were surprised that I didn't have them beforehand. 

I guess it is probably a good thing that I didn't have this one beforehand or I might not have continued buying VH albums.