Frontiers Records

As Frontiers Records are so awfully good at, they once again present us with a reincarnated version of a B-list eighties rock band. Featuring four out of five original members, the band follow labelmates Tyketto by asserting their rock dominance late in the game. While most of us remember Kix for the MTV hits “Don’t Close Your Eyes” and “Cold Blood,” they provide us with much more here. The rabid hometown crowd digs it as Kix shows how down and dirty they really were a set of rock tunes along the lines of Kiss, early Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, and Great White.

The band rip right into the fiesta with “No Ring Around Rosie” with its dirty guitars and gritty vocal work. It’s hard to not notice by mid-song that the band are in prime form, in fact, I doubt that they have ever sounded as good as they do in 2012. It rips flawlessly into “Atomic Bomb,” a similar sounding tune that does well to keep the high energy flowing. By track four the band slows the pace and offers up their massive MTV hit, “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” In retrospect, this dark and dreary tune has quite a bit in common with Enuff Z’Nuff and the latter day Oasis. It was a great song then and it holds up just as well now. “Cold Blood” fares just as well, gaining a little extra aggressiveness from the live setting that makes it reek of cool. The audience is really into it and they jump in with a classic rock and roll drunken sing along! The AC/DC riffage of “Blow My Fuse” is the highlight here for me, sounding a lot grittier than I remember it and just coming off like a wall of sound. The boogie beat “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” ends the show in a sixteen minute plus fury that makes me want to go see Kix the next time they come to town.

Overall, this album really surprised me. I have always liked Kix but I’ve never been as excited about their music as Live In Baltimore makes me. These guys are rockin’ live and with a reunion album in tow for 2013, it’s quite likely we’ll see a lot more of these guys in the near future!

Reviewed by Mark Fisher

Wilson Phillips Love Their Parents

Sony Masterworks

Is Wilson Phillips making a comeback? I’d say so, considering the recent success of their covers album Dedicated, which features the trio singing their parents (that’d be The Beach Boys and The Mamas & the Papas, for those of you living under a rock for the last two decades or so) biggest hits. Live From Infinity Hall is it’s followup and spotlights both the covers material from Dedicated and the biggest hits from the ladies own back catalog. The DVD also features a music video for “Good Vibrations.”

This DVD is set up really nicely. There are no real frills about it such as multiple discs or four hour long interviews or ten different concerts included in one set. Instead this is one wonderful performance, that is pretty near flawless, sprinkled with a couple of stories to keep everything moving along.

The setlist here is a delicate balance. Most of the material is from Dedicated but when you hear the big Wilson Phillips hits like “Hold On,” “Release Me,” and “You’re In Love,” you can’t help but want more of their own material. The ladies sound amazing even now, their voices blending in those unique harmonies that made them megastars in the nineties. They definitely still have that “it” factor! The covers sound great, interestingly though  they really do have a Wilson Phillips spin on them. Perhaps it’s the lack of male voices dominating the songs or perhaps it’s just that they grew up putting their own spin on these songs, but either way it’s distinctly them.

In my opinion, the highlights include the Wilson Phillips hits above all else. These songs have been out of our consciousness for far too long. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” sounds spot on, as do “Monday Monday” and “California Dreamin’” which come back to back causing a crescendo about three fourths of the way through the set.

I had forgotten how much I enjoy Wilson Phillips. They just don’t make music like this anymore, it’s beautiful and smooth and positive sounding without being completely boring or produced to death. This is an excellent DVD for any fan, old or new, of pop music and vocal harmonies. And with a list price just under ten bucks how can you afford not own this?!

Reviewed by Mark Fisher

A Titanic Comeback

Sony Classical

As 2012 is the 100^th Anniversary of the tragic sinking of the Titanic, Sony Classical has released an Anniversary Edition of the chart topping soundtrack to the record-breaking movie. The movie itself was also re-released to theaters in a digital 3D format to commemorate the anniversary. The Anniversary Edition also includes a second disc, which contains unreleased film music by I Salonisti (the ships band in the film), while the Collector’s Anniversary Edition contains a third disc entitled Back to the Titanic and a fourth disc that features popular songs from the early 1900’s.  Both include four Titanic luggage stickers as a bonus.

To say this soundtrack is an epic moment in pop culture history would be an understatement at best. The album is full of iconic pieces such as the gentle and hopeful sound of “Southampton,” the romantic sound of “Rose,” and the introspective “A Life So Changed.”  Of course, the coupled “The Sinking” and “Death of the Titanic” will make you nervous all over again as they musically recount the film’s climax. Titanic’s love theme remains its centerpiece though. Celine Dion’s absolutely stunning vocal on “My Heart Will Go On” will soften even the harshest of critics. It’s quite literally the performance of a lifetime and firmly cemented the song, the film, the soundtrack, and the artist herself as a quintessential piece of popular culture of the 1990’s.

The second disc included here is entitled Gentlemen, It Has Been a Privilege Playing With You Tonight. This part of the collection features the band I Salonisti, known best for performing as the Titanic’s house band in the film. The songs here are considered to be pieces that would have been played on popular cruises in the early 1900’s as re-recorded by the band. “Valse Septembre” opens the collection in a dynamic way that surely would have encouraged formal dancing. “Wedding Dance” and “Blue Danube” are still well-known pieces that would have lent themselves to the theme of the evening’s festivities. “Song Of Autumn” appears towards the end of the collection. It is rumored to be the song actually played as the Titanic went down and does not appear in the film.  Disc Two wraps up with a beautiful rendition of “Nearer My God to Thee,” a traditional hymn that has probably never been more perfectly placed in a film.

Overall, this is a collection that is very hard to ignore. You may not like classical music, Celine Dion, big budget movies, or soundtracks, but this one overcomes them all. The music James Horner composed for this film is timeless and tells the story of the film as brilliantly as the film itself.

Reviewed by Mark Fisher

UDR/EMI

The brainchild of rock god Ritchie Blackmore and his wife Candice Night, Blackmore’s Night is a folk-inspired tour de force that paved the way for many artists to use traditional/pagan/medieval instrumentation and rhythms in their music and still get signed to labels. It could certainly be argued that Blackmore has now done more than his fair share of bringing new music into the world. Their latest release is a live album recorded  at a concert in 2011 at The Opera House in York, England.

While this doesn’t feature the entire show, it does give a well-rounded sampling of what Blackmore’s Night has to offer. The production is top notch as you can easily hear each instrument instead of the muddied mix that plagues similar traditional folk bands. The package includes both a DVD and a BluRay disc that look superb. Everything is sharp and well-shot, capturing the band’s modest stage set and the obviously fun atmosphere. Everyone’s smiles which really endears you more towards the music if you are standoff-ish about it. The smiles culminate with the band breaking into Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”- proof positive that pop music borrows much from the pagan sounds of yore.

The highlights here include the driving “The Circle” which comes dangerously close to rock and roll (Zepplin style!), the gorgeous “Darkness” which really highlight’s Night’s beautiful vocal work, and the rollicking “All the Fun of the Fayre.” The latter is a carnival romper that could probably be compared to a modern day barn dancing tune. “Journeyman,” while not my favorite tune here, has a rippin’ guitar solo that reminds you that a guitar god is in tow in case you’d forgotten.

Overall, this is a solid live album. The video doesn’t really make it any better but it’s a nice addition to a diehard fans collection. I would say that this or either of the band’s prior live releases are the best place to start for new fans or curiosity seekers. There’s a good sampling of songs and just a little extra spark that could never be captured on a studio recording that makes it just that much better.

Reviewed by Mark Fisher

Heart's Strange Euphoria Gets Boxed

Epic Records/Legacy Recordings

After delivering four decades of blistering, straight-forward, true blue Rock and Roll Heart have really hit their stride. While the band seemed to struggle musically through much of the nineties as well as the early new millennium, 2010’s Red Velvet Car revealed them to be focused, mature, and more comfortable in their skin than they had been in decades. Strange Euphoria, follows that lead by revealing deep cuts, demos, alternate takes, and live performances that leave little question as to how this band survived over the years. Superb musicianship, integrity, and more raw talent than you can shake a stick at come front and center on this three disc, one DVD collection. For the most part, this box set explores Heart’s inner workings in three eras. Disc one is basically the seventies, disc two is basically the eighties, and disc three covers the nineties and on.

The highlights here include pretty much everything if you are even a semi-well-versed Heart fan. Disc one starts out with the pre-Heart (but still pretty much Heart) “Through Eyes & Glass.” It’s a beautiful early track and is billed as Ann Wilson & the Daybreaks (which sounds like a Motown band doesn’t it?!). The demos of “Magic Man” and “Crazy on You” aren’t as biting as their official versions but you definitely get a better sense of the sister’s urges early on. They have a different kind of groove, despite the fact that they are not a million miles from their finished versions.  Disc two highlights include the often overlooked “Bebe Le Strange” (I always felt that this was a classier version of “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You”…) and an acoustic live performance of “Never” featuring John Paul Jones. “These Dreams” and “Alone” are two of my favorite Heart songs and I was excited to hear the versions on Strange Euphoria- to say they lived up to those expectations would be an understatement. Disc three rounds it all out simply by including three tracks (two of which are live) that are technically Lovemongers songs and a live track from Nancy Wilson (“Everything”) that quite assuredly rivals anything on Strange Euphoria. The “Any Woman’s Blues” demo is performed with the Seattle Blues Revue Horns and stands out due to its different musical nature. It really highlights what vocalist Ann Wilson has become over the years as it’s undeniably her but also an entirely different kind of thing. The semi-comical box set title track is also contained on this disc. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I smirked a little bit when it was playing. The recent hit “Hey You” is a highlight here as well and kisses the box set off in a way that lets the fans know that Heart’s well is nowhere near running dry.

The DVD included here is from The Second Ending. It was recorded in early 1976 for KWSU-TV and contains hits like “Dreamboat Annie,” “Crazy on You,” “Magic Man,” and “Heartless.” The band rips it up here musically, sounding loose and anthemic all at once, but it’s quite honestly not much to watch as the band doesn’t seem to have much room to move. I also thought the bass player was a girl at first until I noticed that I could see his nipples so it couldn’t be a girl (they were on television and all). Weird. Fans of Heart’s early history will most enjoy this and it’s a nice inclusion on the box set, even if you won’t find yourself returning all too often to it. On the other hand, aside from a Jethro Tull performance, where else will you see a rock and roll flute solo?

One of the most impressive things about Strange Euphoria though is the booklet. Bound as proper book, it contains a ton of great photos spanning the band’s amazing career. It’s really easy to see the band’s different eras visually through the photographs, names on the tour passes, and, of course, the use of different logos. It’s a fun trip through time for us older folks. Additionally, there are fairly detailed descriptions of each song choice. The Wilson sisters explain why they like each song, why this particular version was chosen for the set, and why they feel it represents this or that in a real way. I’d buy this book as a stand alone without a doubt and it makes me look forward to their upcoming memoir.

“Personally curated by Ann and Nancy Wilson” is the phrase that says the most here. Strange Euphoria feels very natural. It has an artistic flow that you don’t always get on a Heart album. After hearing their choices and reading about why they chose them, you realize that Heart’s veins run even deeper than you may have thought. You also realize quickly what kinds of things they were “talked into” over the years and what was really representative of who they were as people and as a group. Strange Euphoria, in some ways, sets the record straight for both longtime, die-hard fans and music enthusiasts. This is a great piece of musical history that any fan of rock and roll should own.

Reviewed by Mark Fisher

Yesterday’s Got Nothing For Me

There’s a healthy bit of interest in the Rock and Roll air right now about what might happen at Guns N’ Roses Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Almost overshadowing the other inductees, fans all over the world wonder what might happen on what is sure to be a fateful night. I wanted to weigh in with my dream scenario here and maybe offer some unwanted advice to W. Axl Rose. Just for kicks off course.

Axl Rose stands to lose a lot at this induction if he doesn’t play his cards right. If he sucks it up though, he can kickstart his on again/off again career. And, no, I don’t mean reuniting with the original members. Velvet Revolver was proof that no one cares who plays the GNR catalog as long as Rose sings it. Further proof is that the new GNR is selling out arenas all over the world while Velvet Revolver struggled to fill 2,000 seat clubs, and GNR are even doing it despite nearly 15 members having passed through the band since the mid-nineties. People want to see Axl sing the songs and I think he should pull a Blondie and give the people what they want.

Imagine this, the original members show up and accept the award. MAYBE Axl even comes out and accepts with them. When it comes time to rock, Slash, Adler, and McKagan play, possibly even adding Sorum into the mix, with Myles Kennedy (not a fan but he’s the logical choice here) on the mic. Hell, maybe Izzy joins them too. When they finish, Axl and the current GNR line up come out and play “Riad and the Bedouins” from Chinese Democracy. Obviously written about the music industry and featuring the line “I don’t give a f**k about them cause I am crazy,” it’s a natural choice, maybe even tagging part of “Get in the Ring” on the end for good measure. It’d be even more Rock and Roll if Izzy or Duff joined the current GNR on stage in lieu of the “original lineup.” I guarantee that would be Axl’s biggest coup to date and with the GNR name buzzing everywhere again, guess who people are gonna buy tickets to see in 2012? Here’s a hint, not Velvet Revolver. And another hint, not Loaded. There’s always that minimal chance as well though that Slash will stay home and the rest of the guys will reunite. C’mon Slash. If you read this, I’m asking you to be the bigger man and stay home so we can see the rest of the guys bring Appetite back to life. We all know Izzy was behind those songs anyway.

On another note, original drummer Steven Adler has the most to lose here believe it or not. At least in my opinion. For one, he doesn’t have the career or the name recognition that the other members have. For another, he’s obviously still struggling with his addictions and maybe renewed fame or a promise of another fifteen minute run isn’t the best thing for someone who probably became a junkie off of coattail riders in the first place.

I’m sure none of this will happen as it does in my “dream scenario” anyway but it’s what I’m rooting for. Even if it’s against all odds! In reality, this will likely be a bigger trainwreck than either Blondie or Van Halen. In reality, I doubt Axl or Izzy will choose to partake but here’s hoping they do because they deserve as much recognition, and likely more, than the rest of the band.

These Weeds Are Growin' Where the Sun Once Shown

As my friends know, one of my favorite bands of all-time is Life of Agony. They are a band that has had many glimpses of success but they have never seemed to be able to capitalize on it. As their name suggests, the members of the band have many stories to tell and their lyrics are practically a therapeutic diary for singer Keith Caputo who was a victim of abuse and, as a child, watched his parents succumb to drug addictions, among other things. To say that he has “issues” would likely be a massive understatement but he always sang things that I could relate to in some way and the music brought the lyrics to life in profound ways.

I don’t know Keith Caputo at all. I’ve met him a few times and he was always super-gracious to me. I’ve interviewed Life of Agony a few times over the years as well and you won’t find a more down-to-Earth, nicer bunch of guys in the music industry. They are stand up guys all-around and Keith always means what he sings as far as I can tell. These are simply my thoughts as a distant observer.

I read online today that Caputo has “transitioned” into being a woman, dubbing herself KeithMina Caputo from here on out. I was pretty shocked at first, but after considering his public history as well as his move to Amsterdam a few years back, I suppose it’s not a huge surprise. I can see why someone with such deep scars would want to become someone else after suffering so much pain, particularly so early in life.

What I was left thinking about though was how so many people eventually give in and make their own personal demons their friends in an effort to either disconnect from their own histories or reconnect with what they perceive was a better point in their life. The things that drag us down or take us to places we actually don’t want to go to are nicknamed “demons” for a reason. An alcoholic doesn’t refer to alcohol as his a “personal demon” because he feels like it benefits him or his life. A drug addict would probably not tell you that crystal meth makes her life better. The things that drag us down have been given a negative connotation for a reason….they hurt us. They blind us. They keep us from realizing who we were made to be.

Now, what I’m not saying is that transgender, etc. people are evil. I can see how that could be drawn from this writing though, so I want to make that very clear. What I am saying is that people with deep-seeded issues don’t think clearly and they try to make their “demons” their friends. It’s like the old saying goes, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” The funny thing is that that saying is completely wrong and anyone who has tried to do that will be the first to testify that it doesn’t work.

I don’t really have much to say here other than my heart is sad today. Keith Caputo’s words have gotten me through some very trying times in my life. I wish only the best for him and his new life as a woman but I can’t shake the feeling that this can only end poorly simply because it’s treating a symptom instead of the cause. If your heart hurts, changing your outside won’t help. I hope Caputo finds what he’s looking for and I hope that he finds the cause instead of dwelling on the symptom.