NMC #54 (Blink 182, Tommy Bolin)

Time to stretch the rules of this forum for a week...

Playlist: http://snack.to/5vpRBO

Ruler Stretcher #1

Blink 182 - Neighborhoods

September 2011

1. Ghost on the Dance Floor

2. After Mignight

3. Snake Charmer

4. Kaleidescope

5. Love is Dangerous

My Take: Im not a fan of this band pre Angels and Airwaves. But after they disbanded and regrouped I like the maturity of the music. This one stretches the rules because, well, its Blink-182, not exactly a classic act.

Reviews: At the tail end of their career the first time round, you had a Blink-182 trying to forget their past and desperately trying to prove that there was depth to their songwriting; that they were actually, y’know, serious musicians. On 'Neighborhoods', then, you have a band completely at ease with its past and one confident enough to acknowledge their early work.

There's also a surprising curve ball in how much some of the tracks, particularly opener 'Ghost On The Dancefloor' and single 'Up All Night', showcase Tom DeLonge's taste for theaircraft hanger-filling power chords of side project Angels And Airwaves. Given it was the guitarist's desire to pursue other projects that played a large part in the band's messy first ending, it's amazing quite how much of his work with A&A has made it on to 'Neighborhoods', and how relaxed the other two seem about that.

Rule Stretcher #2

Tommy Bolin - Teaser Deluxe

March 2011

6. The Grind

7. Crazed Fandango

8. Teaser

9. Lotus

My Take: The Geetar work is phenomenal!!! This one is a rule stretcher because it was originally released in 1975 as "Teaser", but ... This is the first time on CD and its different tracks from the Teaser sessions. So new too...

Reviews: Similar to both volumes of Whips and Roses that were released in 2006, Teaser Deluxe is comprised of outtakes from the same sessions that gave way to Tommy Bolin's underrated yet classic 1975 solo effort, Teaser. Once more, producer Greg Hampton is the man behind the controls, and has again come up with a collection of vintage Bolin that simply kicks ass sonically. While the versions on the original Teaser will always be the definitive versions, the album has never been released in the U.S. on CD (only available as a high-priced/hard to find import). So certainly, Teaser Deluxe will come in handy. As with Whips and Roses, the renditions on Teaser Deluxe are a lot looser and freer than what wound up on Teaser, as heard on the renditions of "Homeward Strut," "Teaser," and "Marching Powder" included here. Plus, you'll find a pair of songs that are included as much longer, jammy versions than what was included on Teaser -- "Wild Dogs" and "Lotus" (which includes some great six-string work from Bolin).

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Niels (Mod) on October 25, 2011 at 4:42pm

You're right. It's DISGUSTING!! I might post the newly remastered version of "Wish you were here" in my next NMC, if that's how we play

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Permalink Reply by Jon on October 25, 2011 at 5:02pm

Damn straight, yo!

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Permalink Reply by RJhog (Admin) on October 26, 2011 at 10:33am

Tommy Bolin (Thumbs slightly below sideways)

The guitar playing is very nice. I don't know anything about Bolin, but I'm pretty sure he died young. Anyway, the drawback for me is the overall songwriting. There's nothing here that moves me. However, I will say that I liked the last track, Lotus, even though it's 6 hours long.

I almost forgot to listen to this. I'm glad Jon posted a reply recently, which reminded me.