The Clash

Sound System

Legacy Records

Sound System is a comprehensive look at the unique stamp The Clash put on rock and roll in the seventies and eighties. It’s a massive twelve disc set that includes the albums as well as three discs worth of extras and rarities and a DVD chronicling all the band’s visual works.

As any self-respecting rock fan will know, the albums need not be included here. We know them all by heart and we know that with today’s technology they can only sound better, right? So, we aren’t gonna waste time talking about the albums. If you don’t have them, go buy them because they will change your life.

On to the rarities discs then. All three discs contain very early works from the band and the quality is shoddy at best. Disc one kicks off with the single version of “White Riot” and the B-side “1977,” to little fanfare and it’s pretty downhill with the gritty production and a batch of songs that just don’t live up to the band’s legacy (I’m looking at you “Bank Robber” and “1-2 Crush On You”). The Cost of Living EP appears on this disc as well so “I Fought the Law” saves the album a bit.

Disc Two fares a little better featuring both the single version and the 7” B-side (with different lyrics) of “This Is Radio Clash.” It also includes a forgettable Bob Clearmountain mix of “Rock the Casbah” and some outtakes of  both “Midnight to Stevens” and the album’s main bright spot “The Beautiful People Are Ugly Too.”

Disc Three focuses on the rarities by collecting the band’s first ever recording sessions (not a good thing as it turns out), the Guy Stevens produced Polydor demos (only a year after their original), and a live show from 1979 that took place at The Lyceum in London. The Polydor demos are largely a better version of the band’s original demos with the editions of “Janie Jones” and “Career Opportunities.”  “White Riot” is the most notably different as it’s much tighter and clearer. The live show is okay but the recording is pretty weak (typical of the time though, so just making it available is kinda cool for diehard fans). I was really excited to check these discs out and, to be honest, I was shocked at how terrible they are.

What redeems the extras in this set is the DVD. By the time I got to it I was questioning whether I actually still enjoyed The Clash but the DVD served as a strong reminder of how important this band actually was and still is. It features all the band’s videos, which in hindsight is an interesting revelation. The band changed so much from their early punk rock days to the questionable choices the early eighties brought, particularly with regards to fashion and bigger melodies. I don’t see this as a bad thing but they seemed so much less volatile by the early to mid-eighties. Super 8 Medley and the immortal Clash on Broadway appear here as well reminding us that The Clash were more than just a band. The Julien Temple archive appears here as does the White Riot Interview, both of which are interesting once through and show a much humbler band than you are expecting to see. A Sussex University show from 1977 is also included which is kinda fun as well but it makes it obvious that the band were still trying to find their place. They are awkward all the way through but the it was certainly resonating with the fans.

Overall, if you aren’t a diehard fan of The Clash then this is not for you. If you are a diehard fan then you’ll likely want to own this, but I’m not convinced it’s worth the cost of admission. There aren’t any real hidden gems here in my opinion.

Guess Who's Turning 40?!

Normally, my first reaction to a Petra compilation would be, “Do we really need another compilation!?” After all, these guys have got to be in the running for most compilations/greatest hits packages for any band ever. I’ll make a notable exception here as this double disc is in celebration of the band’s 40^th anniversary!

First and foremost, this disc is split very well. Petra is easily boxed into “eras” and they do it perfectly here. Disc one collects the early years as well as the years with Greg X. Volz fronted the group. All the big hits like “God Gave Rock and Roll To You,” “Judas Kiss,” “Road To Zion,” and the controversial “Killing My Old Man,” are here in full force. Personally, I would have liked to have heard a couple deeper cuts but these are certainly the songs  that all of us early birds associate with the seventies and early eighties Petra. For those that have never heard the band, they ebbed and flowed through this era starting out sounding like a poppier Eagles and ended it sounding like the cutting edge bands of the time. Bands like Foreigner, Styx, and Kansas. The band incorporated synths and progressive structures (as evidenced by “Judas Kiss” and “Beat the System”) into their music long before it was popular to do so.

Disc two features the most successful years of the band’s career. By the mid-eighties and into the early nineties the band were playing to massive crowds everywhere they went and their albums sold well even by mainstream standards. Although they were plagued by lineup changes towards the end of this discs material, the big hits are surprisingly consistent in retrospect. The songs here feature the band’s third and final singer, former Head East singer John Schlitt.

The songs collected here are mostly the band’s stadium charged anthems that were featured in front of sold out festival crowds during the golden years of CCM music. “This Means War!,” “All Fired Up,” “Beyond Belief,” “Sight Unseen,” “ Creed,” and “He Came, He Saw, He Conquered,” all represent this era well. I’m quite surprised to see the ballad “Get On Your Knees and Fight Like a Man” omitted though as it was a huge hit and spawned a ton of t-shirt sales (had one myself back in the day!). 

The band’s last years (disbanding in 2006 officially) were tremendously unkind to them but the album does include the title track from their last major album Jekyll & Hyde that will remind you that the band still had some steam left, even amongst the massive shift in music in the early new millennium.

As a treat for the fans, the band (consisting of only founder Bob Hartman and frontman John Schlitt) have recorded a new tune as well entitled “Holy Is Your Name.” It’s a soft-spoken, ballad that fits well into the current worship market and for the band’s diehard fans, it could have easily been a cut on Revival. I enjoy the song but mostly it just reminds me that none of us are kids anymore.

If you are unfamiliar with Petra than this is a wonderful place to start. If you are a diehard fan, the new song is worth picking up this release but, aside from that, you likely have all these songs already. That all said, I’m just happy to have a new Petra release on my desk. Sometimes as you grow up you forget how connected you felt to certain things at different points in your life. I have a story that accompanies everyone of these songs and, to this day, feel that they are as much mine as they are Petra’s. 

Michael Jackson- The Ultimate Fan Extras Collection (Itunes Exclusive)

Epic Records/Legacy Recordings

The Ultimate Fan Extras Collection is a new compilation that features nearly three gigabytes of “extra” material from throughout the King of Pop’s storied career. From Off the Wall demos through new mixes used for the Immortal show, there are 164 songs featured throughout which truly makes it worthy of its title. Remixes and instrumental pieces are abundant here, however they have also included rare demos, Spanish language versions, and b-sides that did not make Jackson’s albums, a  healthy sampling of which are from the height of his career and were cut from the Bad album. The collection is arranged by era/album, with the final section being more of a scattered collection featuring numerous Remixes, Rarities, and Gems all in one place. This release is also presented in conjunction with the estate of Michael Jackson.

If you are a diehard fan and have been following along with the recent anniversary reissues of Jackson’s classic works then you probably already have nearly everything on this collection. If you are like me, however, and you have maybe one or two of the anniversary editions, then this is for you. You already know that the extras are pretty high quality and this set collects all of them in a single work.

How do you even pick highlights on an album like this? I’m not sure it’s possible as it depends so heartily on your favorite Jackson era, how into remixes you are, how interested you are in demo recordings, etc. One thing that will be universal though are the extra songs that are collected here.

For me, it’s the Bad  extras that blow me away. This section alone is worth the price of admission and is a very firm reminder that Bad would have been even bigger had it been a double album. I’m not sure I have ever wished that an album were longer, until this collection. “Al Capone,” “Streetwalker,” “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” with a touching spoken word intro added in, the biting “Price of Fame,” are all top notch tracks. Just really amazing stuff that was obviously complete and ready to roll. It’s “Song Groove (a/k/a Abortion Papers)” though that really turns your head. An obvious stand against abortion that references God’s word being against it from the King of Pop?! It’s no secret why a label would have wanted to keep that off a high profile album in the late eighties!

Another highlight includes the home demo of “Billie Jean.” While it may only be a demo, it’s Jackson’s rawness that really sucks you into it. He’s fumbling around looking for the right lyrics and almost beatboxing parts of the song, offering ample evidence of what we already knew, there was genius inside the man’s mind. The Clivelles and Cole (C& C Music Factory is mastery, right?) remix of the hit “Black or White” from Dangerous is another highlight. While I miss the guitar riff that drives it, this unique mix likely would have been just as successful. Of course, the demo for “We Are the World” is powerful in its simplicity and brings back so many memories of times many would consider much better for us as a people. It’s wonderful to hear Jackson solo here, this could easily been one of his biggest hits without the all-stars he eventually assembled to sing it.

For me, the only thing that drags this collection down is the inclusion of the Immortal material. Many fans will really enjoy this but, for my money, I just can’t get into it without the visual. I would say that fans of Cirque De Soleil’s other shows, or perhaps Broadway works, are more likely to take to this than Jackson’s core fanbase. Still though, it does promote the all-inclusive nature of this collection.

Overall, this is a lot of bang for your buck. It lists for $79.99 digitally but, for the most part, these are real, complete songs so it’s really not that expensive considering the 164 tunes included. And if this doesn’t satisfy your hankering then the label has also released Jackson’s entire catalog, completely remastered specifically for Itunes. 2013 has just given us a whole lot of the King of Pop, reminding us of him at his best rather than the fact that he left us too soon. 

Foghat Live at MountainFest

Morgantown, WV

July 27, 2013

After leaving the underappreciated Savoy Brown in 1970, Roger Earl and “Lonesome” Dave Peverett formed Foghat. Becoming a household name throughout the seventies, the band has ridden out the waves and through it all (including the era where each man was leading his own version of Foghat, a reunion, and the sad passing of Peverett and Rod Price) they are still here rockin’ four decades later. The 2013 lineup consists of founder Roger Earl, bassist Craig MacGregor (who joined in the band’s seventies heyday), guitarist Bryan Bassett (Wild Cherry, Molly Hatchet), and vocalist/guitarist Charlie Huhn (Ted Nugent, Victory, Gary Moore, etc.).

I have seen many classic rock bands play over the last few years and, honestly, most of them are shadows of their former selves musically, no matter how enjoyable the show might be. So, after waiting in a literal downpour for an hour, Foghat appreciatively took the stage at the MountainFest biker rally. Sure I was excited to see any semblance of this classic band, but I honestly didn’t expect much.

From the opening notes, Foghat tore the place down! They came out sounding HUGE, with thick guitars, stadium drum tones, and bass that rattles your chest. This is the first “classic” band that I have seen that sounded so massive. While the band delivered blistering versions of “Fool For the City,” “Drivin’ Wheel,” and “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” among others, it was the in-between time that fascinated me the most. Huhn and Bassett are monster guitarists to say the least and between songs (and just as often within) they traded solos or licks. Bassett may just be the world’s premiere slide guitarist delivering faithful renditions of Foghat favorites while taking them to a whole new level musically. The band even took a moment to pay homage to Pittsburgh’s own Bassett’s former life by playing a piece of Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funk Music!” The band played for about an hour and a half before leaving the stage briefly and then returning for the obviously omitted “Slow Ride,” the hit which made them a household name in Rock and Roll.

They band ripped through a set that included all their hits in the pouring rain, thanking the  fans over and over again (and there were about 1,500 of us) for standing in such crappy weather to get our Foghat on. While many will scoff at this idea, I absolutely believe that Foghat’s 2013 lineup is a hundred times more musically proficient and dynamic than their heyday counterpart and the folks in attendance seemed to back up my idea with sporadic chants of “That was better than ’79!” from throughout the crowd.

The point is, if Foghat comes to your town do not miss it! The band also have a new single out called “The Word of Rock and Roll” that features all the boogie-woogie and blues you can pack into a hit song. It is available at Itunes now!

Elvis at Stax: Deluxe Edition

RCA/Legacy Recordings

Legacy Recordings continues their celebration of the granddaddy of Rock and Roll with Elvis at Stax: Deluxe Edition. Releasing just before the anniversary of his death, this three CD set features the Memphis studio sessions from forty years ago. The recordings took place in July and December of 1973 and were largely released on the albums Raised on Rock/For Ol’ Time Sake (1973), Good Times (1974), and Promised Land (1975). Many of these takes have been released on reissues and special editions before but never in a cohesive collection such as this. In addition to the three CD deluxe set, a single disc highlight CD and a 180 gram vinyl edition will be released simultaneously.

Disc one of this set features both the R&B and Country sessions from July of 1973. It’s kind of odd to hear both styles back to back but it’s really striking to hear how much fun these guys seem to be having on these outtakes. I mean, it’s the little things, bits of laughter, heckling, etc. that really makes this feel special to me. It’s a reminder that these were real people, despite the fact that they changed the world with their music. Highlights for me on this disc include the old school, southern rhythm and blues of “Find Out What’s Happening (Takes 8-7)” and the authentic country “There’s a Honky Tonk Angel” that remind you that people like Red Sovine, George Jones, and Mel Tillis were certainly influenced by Presley’s take on the genre, and perhaps vice versa.

Disc two features the Pop recordings, which by today’s standards is hardly Pop, and the masters from July of 1973. While I enjoy disc one a lot, this one strikes me a bit more. Presley just sounds really amazing on this collection of songs and one can only speculate that it’s due to his involvement primarily in movies during the preceding decade. The highlights here for me are the South of the Border suave of “Spanish Eyes” and the even-keeled, vocal driven “Girl of Mine” (whose guitar licks have a bit of an island flare if you listen closely. I would have loved to have heard this done with a ukulele!) from the Pop sessions. From the masters versions it’s hard to beat “For Ol’ Time Sake”  which comes closer to contemplative introspection than almost any song from the seventies. The bluesy “Three Corn Patches” is another highlight and finds Presley singing just different enough from his usual croon that it commands your attention immediately.

Disc three rounds this edition out with the masters from December of 1973. While I really dig the outtakes of “Promised Land” it’s on this disc that it really jumps to life as Elvis snarls the blues with that ever famous kinked lip. The band jump, jive, and wail behind him the whole time, never letting up for a moment. The comically titled “Love Song of the Year” is a little goofy but it makes me smile every time I hear it. In my opinion, this song is totally out of character for Presley and that endears me to it. It’s certainly another side of himself and the background orchestration is wonderful. The master of the all too short “Mr. Songman” is another favorite moment from this disc. Although it’s not as interesting as the more barebones outtakes, the finished version has a rich texture to it that gives it a certain oomph it lacked beforehand.

The obvious here is that any completist will want this in their collection….and there are a lot of Elvis Presley completists out there. These outtakes give a lot of insight into an Elvis Presley that was making a strong comeback in the midst of the rise of both pomp/arena rock and disco. While the songs may be familiar, having them altogether and playing consecutively make you feel like you are there in the midst of the Rock and Roll’s greatest making what would become his last stand. Strangely enough, this would be his beloved Memphis’ last major stand as well.

This set isn’t just for the diehard Elvis Presley fan, if you love this era of music in general or would like to learn some important and oft overlooked musical history, Elvis at Stax will take you to school in any of its formations. 

Magica (Deluxe Edition)

Niji Entertainment Group

The nineties were a rough time for Dio’s less open-minded fans. The decade opened with 1990’s Lock Up the Wolves which was followed by 1993’s Strange Highways and 1996’s Angry Machines. The latter two in particular drew ire for departing from the Dungeons & Dragons format that had put Dio on the map in the decade prior. Both Strange Highways and Angry Machines featured the angrier, and good bit stranger, guitar work of Tracy G. and are two of the heaviest albums the band ever made, yet many of the traditional elements of metal fell to the wayside during this time and many fans either moved on or lost heart.

As Ronnie James Dio did so many times throughout his career, he seemingly stepped back and re-evaluated Dio as it stood then. Re-enlisting Simon Wright, Jimmy Bain, and, most importantly, guitarist Craig Goldy, RJD set himself back on track by writing and recording the Magica album. Becoming Dio’s only concept album, it was released in 2000 and became a sleeper hit, having sold over 100,000 copies to date. Dio fans returned rapidly and Magica’s word of mouth promotion helped its successor, Killing the Dragon, become a landmark album in the Dio catalog as well.

Magica is unquestionably one of Dio’s greatest moments. While the album keeps some of the alien/future theme elements (takes place on another planet, etc.) Dio grew fond of the nineties, it primarily focuses on the fantasy elements of classics like Sacred Heart and Dream Evil lyrically. They even work in bits and pieces of the religious condemnation that came with Holy Diver.

Lyrically, the story of Eriel and his son Challis’ battle against the evil Shadowcast is told throughout the album, revealing a truly fantastical story that echoes many real-life circumstances when the metaphors are stripped away.

Dio slows it down a bit on Magica musically by turning the controlled chaos of Angry Machines on its head and reviving the thundering drums, plodding bass, and virtuosic guitar work of the band’s classic albums. I assume that Magica was done on a much smaller budget than the classic albums, and it’s that lack of slick production that makes this one so endearing. The band sound more aggressive on the faster songs and the slower songs, particularly, “As Long As It’s Not About Love,” feel more heartfelt since they couldn’t get so overblown.

“Challis” is a certain highlight here with its powerful guitars that throwback to the traditional metal sound the band helped shape. “Fever Dreams,” although a bit plodding for my tastes, has an extremely catchy chorus and a bouncy guitar that is accentuated by a rhythmic march. “Otherworld” is excellent here as well, managing to sound a bit futuristic while utilizing the bass as the driving force and freeing the guitars to create a slightly different atmosphere from the other tunes.

The big issue here is certainly all “the filler.” The short musical pieces that accompany the actual songs aid the story musically but really break your concentration when trying to absorb the story. I would venture to guess that, while this album is loved by diehard fans, it was the more straightforwardness of Killing the Dragon that brought the mighty Dio a hearty new audience of younger fans.

For this deluxe edition of this out of print fan favorite, a second disc is included. The disc kicks off with  Ronnie James Dio himself reading the story of Magica. It’s nice to hear the story as it was intended (and it’s written in the liner notes as well). It gives you a real sense of how passionate RJD was about this story and what would have (hopefully) accompanied it someday. As we know, Magica 2 and 3, were a great part of that hope. “Annica” (released originally on the Japanese edition of the album only) is a big, guitar piece that sounds great but was thankfully left off the original as it was already “mood setter” heavy. Live bootlegs of “Feed My Head,” “Fever Dreams,” “Lord of the Last Day,” “As Long As It’s Not About Love,” and “Losing My Insanity” are included on this disc as well. As with most things Dio did, the band sound solid, but also like a band trying to find their place in a new music world. This was extremely out of place in the early new millennium and the band sound more reserved than they did in their heyday.

The demo for “Electra” is this edition’s defining moment though. The only recording for a further exploration of Magica, it truly fills you with sadness. The band sound great here, but it’s Dio’s emotional performance that takes it over the top. He does it all here, it’s intimate and searching and it soars like an anthem and it commands your attention as it sets the stage for such an important coming moment that will never come.

As Mick Wall says in the liner notes “….we are reminded just how much Dio really meant…” and it’s true. Magica came during Dio’s most unpopular years and it’s the sound of him being himself after a decade of exploration. It’s the sound of Dio reconnecting with his fanbase on a level that only  he and his fans could understand. Magica was not an album for outsiders or newcomers, it was, and is, an album for the true believers. 

Legacy Recordings

When Judas Priest announced their final lengthy world tour, the metal world was shocked. Despite the over-indulgence of Nostradamus, the band seemed to be in the best form they had been in decades. Epitaph is the media capture of the band’s May 2012 performance at London’s legendary Hammersmith Apollo, a stage not too far from where the young Priests got there start. This time around, the band also introduces new guitarist Richie Faulkner, who brought so much new life to the band that they have begun work on a new album.

Not only was this the last massive tour for the mighty Priest, it was also unique in the fact that at least one track was chosen for performance from every album that included Rob Halford. It makes for a wild ride and a very comprehensive look at both the band’s evolution and their eventual reversion. Part of me is a little sad though that they didn’t include any tracks from the two non-Halford fronted albums. Jugulator and Demolition. While not the band’s greatest achievements, both had a handful of excellent tunes (like “Cathedral Spires” and “Jugulator” or “Hell Is Home” and “Machine Man”) that I would have loved to have heard Halford’s powerful voice on. But such is life.

If you have seen Judas Priest live then all the classics are here! Motorcycles, chains, laser lights, a huge stage set up, pyro, the whole nine yards. The band bring together all the classic elements of their stage show one last time to give the fans what they want. The band sounds absolutely awesome on almost every song, so much so that I found myself wondering if they were piping in parts of the show. They do a little intro for most of the songs and the backdrop reminds you of which album each track comes from.

The opening “Battle Hymn” is a certain highlight here with huge, epic guitar-godiness and Halford lurking around in a cloak with his Judas Priest emblazoned staff. Halford sounds top notch throughout the performance but he stays hunched over much of the time and was quite likely dealing with the severe back issues that he has had this year. “Judas Rising” is another highlight for me as it’s a new song and that album features a ton of great material that was somewhat overlooked. “Painkiller” and “Electric Eye” are taken to new heights by new guitarist Richie Faulkner. I wasn’t a fan of him coming into the band but he manages to make this material his own and he plays it with so much energy and respect, I get excited at the possibility of seeing him live. Additionally, “The Green Manalishi (with the Two-Pronged Crown)” (one of the two covers included here) is absolutely mesmerizing here with its raw power and commanding verses, proving this song belongs to Priest more than it does its previous owner.

Of course, alongside the diehard fan’s favorites are the big hits like “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming,” “Living After Midnight,” “Breaking the Law,” and “Metal Gods.” So the band have really done their best to include both diehards and casual fans in their setlist.

The high definition of the BluRay disc makes this absolutely outstanding. It so pristine, especially the colors (reds and blues in particular), that you feel like you are there. From the massive sound to the stage nearly jumping of the screen, I wish they had made this as 3D as well. It’d be so powerful to have, literally, come to life.

While Epitaph would be a fitting ending, I’m glad there is more to come even if the days of the lengthy world tour are over. The band’s age certainly catches up with them on Epitaph, as watching Halford have trouble standing and the rest of the band making only choice moves here and there is not like watching the Priest of even 2000. That said, they sound so good that they overcome that fairly well. If you are a Judas Priest fan then Epitaph is a must, if you are a casual fan, this may be the only way you’ll get to see the band live so don’t hesitate to pick it up.