Joe Bonamassa
Live From The Royal Albert Hall (DVD)
J&R Adventures

Review by Nightwatcher

Once upon a time there was a four year old boy. And that boy had a dream. It was a dream unlike most boys have at that age, for this was not a dream of growing up to be a fireman, police officer, or any other dream typical of such a young child. This child’s unique dream, inspired by seeing video of the farewell concert of Cream, was to be a guitarist – and to play London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall.

On May 4th of this year, that dream was finally realized as blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa – after 20 years of playing professionally since the age of 12, working his way up from playing sleazy dives and tiny blues clubs in the middle of nowhere in particular, relentlessly touring throughout the United States, Canada and Europe – stepped on the stage triumphantly in front of a sold out crowd at the historic venue,

It’s this triumphant concert which is chronicled on the DVD ‘Live From The Royal Albert Hall’. Commencing with shots of a slightly nervous Bonamassa warming up before hitting the stage, interspersed with interviews with family members who had naturally crossed over the big pond to witness a day self described as being “truly larger than the sum of its parts” and “the best day of his life” by the Utica, New York born musician, the set begins with a stirring version of the instrumental “Django” and never looks back.

Featuring a set list understandably heavy with material from his newest studio album ‘The Ballad Of John Henry, there’s still quite enough from his back catalog to serve as a great introduction to past work. Along the way we have the “Kashmir” meets the delta blues of “The Ballad Of John Henry”, the blues shuffle “So, It’s Like That” (replete with a horn section for the first time in a live situation), a minor blues via a stunning version of Otis Rush’s classic “So Many Roads”, the swampy “High Water Everywhere”(Quite effective with its utilization of two drummers for the occasion, the second being Anton Fig of “David Letterman” fame), and rounding out the first disc is a smoldering rendition of “Sloe Gin”, the title track from Bonamassa’s 2007 studio release which brings the proceedings to the intermission on yet another high note. If this were only a single disc, already it would be a success. But wait! There’s more!

After beginning the second disc with a reminiscence of how he met King Of The Blues B.B. King at the age of 12, Bonamassa launches into a song that he wrote when he was 18, “Lonesome Road Blues”. Although he only recently rediscovered the track via an old DAT, the song works in its modern incarnation perfectly alongside compositions of more recent vintage. “Happier Times” a song born from one of the worst periods in his life following a breakup, stuns with its honesty. Laying his soul out in the open in the lyrics, this is the most personal of perhaps all the songs he has written, and ranks certainly among his very best.

After another guest spot by former Manfred Mann vocalist Paul Jones, one of the guitarist’s most ardent U. K. supporters, lending blues harp to Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Your Funeral, My Trial” and a grinding take on the Jeff Beck Group classic “Blues Deluxe”, the assembled multitude are treated to yet another pair of original offerings “Story Of A Quarryman” and the “The Great Flood”, all leading up to the trifecta knock down punch of ZZ Top’s “Just Got Paid”(featuring the excerpt from Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused, complete with Theramin), the epic “Mountain Time” and ensuring a splendid time is guaranteed for all, the soulful, Ray Charles influenced “Asking Around For You”.

Such are the strength of the original compositions that even without a special guest appearance by Eric Clapton, who trades licks with Bonamassa on the Bobby “Blue” Bland classic “Further On Up The Road” this would be a fantastic performance. However with Eric coming onboard, it does signify a passing of the blues rock torch symbolically. For just as the pioneering British guitar legend took the blues in uncharted directions in the 60’s, Joe has the talent to do so in the next decade.

Only 32, with a willingness to experiment and deviate from what’s considered sacred in the blues canon, and a desire not to repeat himself, it would seem that artistically it’s still an open book for him, and it will be intriguing to see where he goes in the next decade. In an interesting side note, the next time the song was played by Bonamassa and band with a guest performer it was at the Mile High Blues Festival in Denver, with young up and coming guitarist Ryan McGarvey. One of the leading proponents of young players who are now being influenced by the musician, his endorsement and patronage of fledgling guitar stars is continuing the blues lineage even further on up the road, if you will.

As fantastic as Bonamassa’s guitar work and vocals are, it would be extremely remiss to not give notice to the other members of the band. For without bassist Carmine Rojas and drummer Bogie Bowles this would be a one man band first of all. Secondly, over the past several years of almost non stop touring, these two have meshed into one of the finest rhythm sections in all of rock or blues, interlocking and forming a rock solid foundation over which the guitarist can shine. Add in keyboardist Rick Melick and you have an extremely potent combo indeed. The addition of Melick it has allowed him to breathe a bit, musically speaking. No longer does he have to fill all the space with his playing, resulting in when he does launch into a solo it’s more focused and therefore even more effective.

Beautifully filmed by Scott McFadyen and Sam Dunn, who are also responsible for the recently released critically acclaimed ‘Iron Maiden: Flight 666′ documentary and 2005’s ‘Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey’. this isn’t your usual blues presentation, and is all the better for it. Used to the high energy world of metal, the pair have succeeded in capturing Bonamassa’s incendiary performance perfectly, infusing it with vitality on par with the execution of musicianship. As such blues purists will probably hate this, but it’s a situation he’s had to deal with from the very start, and won’t come as a surprise this time around as well.

Audio -wise, this absolutely shines. Recorded and mixed by über producer Kevin Shirley, whose guiding hand has been an integral part of getting Bonamassa to the level he is at today during the past half decade, he has accurately captured the true essence of this live performance. Drawing on his expertise throughout the years working with Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Iron Maiden and countless others, the mix conveys the excitement of what it’s like to see the guitarist live.

In terms of of bonus features, what you get here is an extended interview with Bonamassa, where he goes into details regarding why and how the songs were chosen, and also what they mean to him. In lieu of a full commentary track, this works quite well. In all actuality, not many would listen to a commentary more than once anyway (if that in many cases), so to have something of this nature in interview form outside of the main program is a wise choice.

Also included is a bonus performance of the acoustic guitar extravaganza “Woke Up Dreaming”, during which the guitarist demonstrates once again his prodigious talents aren’t only contained in the blues rock genre, but extend to any genre. Having seen him play anything from heavy rock, jazz to fleet fingered workouts such as this on many occasions, it’s quite clear that not only is he one of the top blues guitarists ever, but one must rank him amongst the finest ever to pick up the instrument. The fact that he brings such technique to the blues, in lesser hands, could be a disaster. But Bonamassa has tempered his fretwork to a degree where he never overplays. While not as wild as his earlier live offerings in terms of notes played, there’s still more than enough blues guitar pyrotechnics lighting up the stage, soaring as high as fireworks on the 4th of July (Or Guy Fawkes Day, if you reside in the U.K.).

The two discs of this DVD are a stunning encapsulation of all of the elements which have combined musically to bring Bonamassa to this point in his career. Hands down the most exciting performer to come along in the blues field in decades, the guitarist stands head and shoulders above his contemporaries. First rate all the way – unquestionably the guitar DVD of the year, once again he’s raising the bar for how the blues can be presented.

With the holidays upon us, if you’re looking for an excellent gift for that someone who loves blues, rock or exceptional guitar playing, if you haven’t already, grab this one as you can’t go wrong. To purchase go to this location.

Joe Bonamassa
Live From The Royal Albert Hall (DVD)
J&R Adventures

Review by Nightwatcher

Once upon a time there was a four year old boy. And that boy had a dream. It was a dream unlike most boys have at that age, for this was not a dream of growing up to be a fireman, police officer, or any other dream typical of such a young child. This child’s unique dream, inspired by seeing video of the farewell concert of Cream, was to be a guitarist – and to play London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall.

On May 4th of this year, that dream was finally realized as blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa – after 20 years of playing professionally since the age of 12, working his way up from playing sleazy dives and tiny blues clubs in the middle of nowhere in particular, relentlessly touring throughout the United States, Canada and Europe – stepped on the stage triumphantly in front of a sold out crowd at the historic venue,

It’s this triumphant concert which is chronicled on the DVD ‘Live From The Royal Albert Hall’. Commencing with shots of a slightly nervous Bonamassa warming up before hitting the stage, interspersed with interviews with family members who had naturally crossed over the big pond to witness a day self described as being “truly larger than the sum of its parts” and “the best day of his life” by the Utica, New York born musician, the set begins with a stirring version of the instrumental “Django” and never looks back.

Featuring a set list understandably heavy with material from his newest studio album ‘The Ballad Of John Henry, there’s still quite enough from his back catalog to serve as a great introduction to past work. Along the way we have the “Kashmir” meets the delta blues of “The Ballad Of John Henry”, the blues shuffle “So, It’s Like That” (replete with a horn section for the first time in a live situation), a minor blues via a stunning version of Otis Rush’s classic “So Many Roads”, the swampy “High Water Everywhere”(Quite effective with its utilization of two drummers for the occasion, the second being Anton Fig of “David Letterman” fame), and rounding out the first disc is a smoldering rendition of “Sloe Gin”, the title track from Bonamassa’s 2007 studio release which brings the proceedings to the intermission on yet another high note. If this were only a single disc, already it would be a success. But wait! There’s more!

After beginning the second disc with a reminiscence of how he met King Of The Blues B.B. King at the age of 12, Bonamassa launches into a song that he wrote when he was 18, “Lonesome Road Blues”. Although he only recently rediscovered the track via an old DAT, the song works in its modern incarnation perfectly alongside compositions of more recent vintage. “Happier Times” a song born from one of the worst periods in his life following a breakup, stuns with its honesty. Laying his soul out in the open in the lyrics, this is the most personal of perhaps all the songs he has written, and ranks certainly among his very best.

After another guest spot by former Manfred Mann vocalist Paul Jones, one of the guitarist’s most ardent U. K. supporters, lending blues harp to Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Your Funeral, My Trial” and a grinding take on the Jeff Beck Group classic “Blues Deluxe”, the assembled multitude are treated to yet another pair of original offerings “Story Of A Quarryman” and the “The Great Flood”, all leading up to the trifecta knock down punch of ZZ Top’s “Just Got Paid”(featuring the excerpt from Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused, complete with Theramin), the epic “Mountain Time” and ensuring a splendid time is guaranteed for all, the soulful, Ray Charles influenced “Asking Around For You”.

Such are the strength of the original compositions that even without a special guest appearance by Eric Clapton, who trades licks with Bonamassa on the Bobby “Blue” Bland classic “Further On Up The Road” this would be a fantastic performance. However with Eric coming onboard, it does signify a passing of the blues rock torch symbolically. For just as the pioneering British guitar legend took the blues in uncharted directions in the 60’s, Joe has the talent to do so in the next decade.

Only 32, with a willingness to experiment and deviate from what’s considered sacred in the blues canon, and a desire not to repeat himself, it would seem that artistically it’s still an open book for him, and it will be intriguing to see where he goes in the next decade. In an interesting side note, the next time the song was played by Bonamassa and band with a guest performer it was at the Mile High Blues Festival in Denver, with young up and coming guitarist Ryan McGarvey. One of the leading proponents of young players who are now being influenced by the musician, his endorsement and patronage of fledgling guitar stars is continuing the blues lineage even further on up the road, if you will.

As fantastic as Bonamassa’s guitar work and vocals are, it would be extremely remiss to not give notice to the other members of the band. For without bassist Carmine Rojas and drummer Bogie Bowles this would be a one man band first of all. Secondly, over the past several years of almost non stop touring, these two have meshed into one of the finest rhythm sections in all of rock or blues, interlocking and forming a rock solid foundation over which the guitarist can shine. Add in keyboardist Rick Melick and you have an extremely potent combo indeed. The addition of Melick it has allowed him to breathe a bit, musically speaking. No longer does he have to fill all the space with his playing, resulting in when he does launch into a solo it’s more focused and therefore even more effective.

Beautifully filmed by Scott McFadyen and Sam Dunn, who are also responsible for the recently released critically acclaimed ‘Iron Maiden: Flight 666′ documentary and 2005’s ‘Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey’. this isn’t your usual blues presentation, and is all the better for it. Used to the high energy world of metal, the pair have succeeded in capturing Bonamassa’s incendiary performance perfectly, infusing it with vitality on par with the execution of musicianship. As such blues purists will probably hate this, but it’s a situation he’s had to deal with from the very start, and won’t come as a surprise this time around as well.

Audio -wise, this absolutely shines. Recorded and mixed by über producer Kevin Shirley, whose guiding hand has been an integral part of getting Bonamassa to the level he is at today during the past half decade, he has accurately captured the true essence of this live performance. Drawing on his expertise throughout the years working with Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Iron Maiden and countless others, the mix conveys the excitement of what it’s like to see the guitarist live.

In terms of of bonus features, what you get here is an extended interview with Bonamassa, where he goes into details regarding why and how the songs were chosen, and also what they mean to him. In lieu of a full commentary track, this works quite well. In all actuality, not many would listen to a commentary more than once anyway (if that in many cases), so to have something of this nature in interview form outside of the main program is a wise choice.

Also included is a bonus performance of the acoustic guitar extravaganza “Woke Up Dreaming”, during which the guitarist demonstrates once again his prodigious talents aren’t only contained in the blues rock genre, but extend to any genre. Having seen him play anything from heavy rock, jazz to fleet fingered workouts such as this on many occasions, it’s quite clear that not only is he one of the top blues guitarists ever, but one must rank him amongst the finest ever to pick up the instrument. The fact that he brings such technique to the blues, in lesser hands, could be a disaster. But Bonamassa has tempered his fretwork to a degree where he never overplays. While not as wild as his earlier live offerings in terms of notes played, there’s still more than enough blues guitar pyrotechnics lighting up the stage, soaring as high as fireworks on the 4th of July (Or Guy Fawkes Day, if you reside in the U.K.).

The two discs of this DVD are a stunning encapsulation of all of the elements which have combined musically to bring Bonamassa to this point in his career. Hands down the most exciting performer to come along in the blues field in decades, the guitarist stands head and shoulders above his contemporaries. First rate all the way – unquestionably the guitar DVD of the year, once again he’s raising the bar for how the blues can be presented.

With the holidays upon us, if you’re looking for an excellent gift for that someone who loves blues, rock or exceptional guitar playing, if you haven’t already, grab this one as you can’t go wrong. To purchase go to this location.

Macon.com is reporting when Kirk and Kirsten West decided to move out of their Vineville Avenue home in 2003, the notion of turning it into a museum certainly wasn’t on their radar.

Sure, thousands of visitors from places as far away as Germany, Italy, Japan and Australia had knocked on their door during the decade they had lived there, trying to get a glimpse of what was known as The Big House, where members of the Allman Brothers Band lived in the early 1970s.

It was only after Kirk West — the band’s road manager — was meeting with an interested buyer for the property one night when the man suggested that West start a nonprofit foundation and turn The Big House into a museum.

This weekend, that seed of an idea finally becomes a reality, four decades after the band’s founding.

After five years of fundraising and two years of renovations, the museum is scheduled to open its doors on a limited basis for the rest of the year before a formal grand opening in early 2010.

“At times, I’ve tried to be practical about it, but seeing it come to fruition …” said Kirsten West, her voice trailing off as she broke into a wide grin. “It’s a tribute to the band, but equally it’s a tribute to the fans who believed that we could do it.”

Kirsten West, the foundation’s managing director, said that to date, The Big House Foundation has taken in about $2.5 million in donations from all over the United States.

In addition, the museum also has received donated materials to refurbish the house and many hours of volunteer labor to renovate it.

“Probably 60 percent (of the renovation) has been donated labor and materials,” said Greg Potter, president of the Georgia Allman Brothers Band Association, who also has donated his own time to help get the house in shape. “We had a roofer come in from New York, donated all the materials and put the roof in, and all it cost us was a week’s worth of hotel rooms.”

In the early 1970s, when the band was getting its start in Macon, bassist Berry Oakley’s wife, Linda — whom everyone called “Big Linda” — was searching for a more permanent home and happened upon the Tudor-styled house at 2321 Vineville Ave. by way of a newspaper ad.

Though the house was more expensive than the Oakleys would have liked, Big Linda fell in love with the place, and they moved in with Duane Allman and his family.

The house became the band’s unofficial headquarters, a place to hang out, to party and to play music.

During a recent visit, E.J. Devokaitis, the museum’s co-curator, pointed to a window in what used to be the living room.

“That’s where (former guitarist) Dickey Betts wrote ‘Blue Sky,’’’ he said. “The line in the song, ‘Good old Sunday morning, bells are ringing everywhere,’ that was from that church across the street. It’s still there.”

There are dozens of little nuggets like that as a visitor moves through each room of the house.

That living room now serves as home for various posters, gold records and a huge Steve Penley portrait of Duane. The other side of the front of the house — the rooms where the band often practiced — is home to various photos and awards the band won.

An interior room contains a wide range of memorabilia, including instruments from several band members — Oakley’s Hummingbird acoustic guitar, Gregg Allman’s Hammond B-3 electric organ, a prototype for Duane’s signature Gibson guitar, a drum kit from Butch Trucks — as well as cases full of handwritten song lyrics, concert tickets, contracts, checks and more. In one corner, there’s a life-size portrait of the band during a rehearsal for 1971’s famed “Fillmore East” concert.

In an interior hallway, there’s an exhibit for the band Gov’t Mule, which also had its origins at The Big House and whose members Warren Haynes and the late Allen Woody were later guitarist and bassist, respectively, for the Allman Brothers Band.

On the second floor, where the bedrooms were located, the bedroom of Candace Oakley — Berry’s sister — is a display room for more artwork. Big Linda is redecorating what was Duane’s bedroom to show what it looked like when the band lived in the house.

One of the most interesting rooms on that floor is a tiny room that Duane used as a nursery for his daughter, Galadrielle. The room has been soundproofed and will serve a place where fans can listen to Allman Brothers Band music. In addition, the room will eventually be equipped with a video camera so that fans can share their own memories of the band, Kirk West said. Those recollections will be compiled and become part of the museum’s permanent collection.

The house’s top floor, which served as a recreation room for the band, will be used for educational purposes and meetings, Kirsten West said. Some of the band members want to volunteer their time in the future to teach music to young children, she said. The room also can be rented out for corporate meetings. To read more go to this location.

Macon.com is reporting when Kirk and Kirsten West decided to move out of their Vineville Avenue home in 2003, the notion of turning it into a museum certainly wasn’t on their radar.

Sure, thousands of visitors from places as far away as Germany, Italy, Japan and Australia had knocked on their door during the decade they had lived there, trying to get a glimpse of what was known as The Big House, where members of the Allman Brothers Band lived in the early 1970s.

It was only after Kirk West — the band’s road manager — was meeting with an interested buyer for the property one night when the man suggested that West start a nonprofit foundation and turn The Big House into a museum.

This weekend, that seed of an idea finally becomes a reality, four decades after the band’s founding.

After five years of fundraising and two years of renovations, the museum is scheduled to open its doors on a limited basis for the rest of the year before a formal grand opening in early 2010.

“At times, I’ve tried to be practical about it, but seeing it come to fruition …” said Kirsten West, her voice trailing off as she broke into a wide grin. “It’s a tribute to the band, but equally it’s a tribute to the fans who believed that we could do it.”

Kirsten West, the foundation’s managing director, said that to date, The Big House Foundation has taken in about $2.5 million in donations from all over the United States.

In addition, the museum also has received donated materials to refurbish the house and many hours of volunteer labor to renovate it.

“Probably 60 percent (of the renovation) has been donated labor and materials,” said Greg Potter, president of the Georgia Allman Brothers Band Association, who also has donated his own time to help get the house in shape. “We had a roofer come in from New York, donated all the materials and put the roof in, and all it cost us was a week’s worth of hotel rooms.”

In the early 1970s, when the band was getting its start in Macon, bassist Berry Oakley’s wife, Linda — whom everyone called “Big Linda” — was searching for a more permanent home and happened upon the Tudor-styled house at 2321 Vineville Ave. by way of a newspaper ad.

Though the house was more expensive than the Oakleys would have liked, Big Linda fell in love with the place, and they moved in with Duane Allman and his family.

The house became the band’s unofficial headquarters, a place to hang out, to party and to play music.

During a recent visit, E.J. Devokaitis, the museum’s co-curator, pointed to a window in what used to be the living room.

“That’s where (former guitarist) Dickey Betts wrote ‘Blue Sky,’’’ he said. “The line in the song, ‘Good old Sunday morning, bells are ringing everywhere,’ that was from that church across the street. It’s still there.”

There are dozens of little nuggets like that as a visitor moves through each room of the house.

That living room now serves as home for various posters, gold records and a huge Steve Penley portrait of Duane. The other side of the front of the house — the rooms where the band often practiced — is home to various photos and awards the band won.

An interior room contains a wide range of memorabilia, including instruments from several band members — Oakley’s Hummingbird acoustic guitar, Gregg Allman’s Hammond B-3 electric organ, a prototype for Duane’s signature Gibson guitar, a drum kit from Butch Trucks — as well as cases full of handwritten song lyrics, concert tickets, contracts, checks and more. In one corner, there’s a life-size portrait of the band during a rehearsal for 1971’s famed “Fillmore East” concert.

In an interior hallway, there’s an exhibit for the band Gov’t Mule, which also had its origins at The Big House and whose members Warren Haynes and the late Allen Woody were later guitarist and bassist, respectively, for the Allman Brothers Band.

On the second floor, where the bedrooms were located, the bedroom of Candace Oakley — Berry’s sister — is a display room for more artwork. Big Linda is redecorating what was Duane’s bedroom to show what it looked like when the band lived in the house.

One of the most interesting rooms on that floor is a tiny room that Duane used as a nursery for his daughter, Galadrielle. The room has been soundproofed and will serve a place where fans can listen to Allman Brothers Band music. In addition, the room will eventually be equipped with a video camera so that fans can share their own memories of the band, Kirk West said. Those recollections will be compiled and become part of the museum’s permanent collection.

The house’s top floor, which served as a recreation room for the band, will be used for educational purposes and meetings, Kirsten West said. Some of the band members want to volunteer their time in the future to teach music to young children, she said. The room also can be rented out for corporate meetings. To read more go to this location.

Each time I listen to John Mooney’s version of “Travelin’ Riverside Blues,” I wonder whether Mooney discovered Robert Johnson’s contract with the devil stashed away in an old barn.

On “Dealing With the Devil,” a live solo album released in 1997, Mooney certainly plays his electric guitar like there’s a pack of miniature hellhounds on his tuners. I can’t think of a better slide guitar CD issued in recent memory.

“Grinning in Your Face,” a song by Son House, is just about the only tune on the album Mooney doesn’t slice up with his guitar. Accompanied only by the claps of the audience, he performs an impassioned a capella version of his old mentor’s tune.

The rest of the album features Mooney tearing up tunes by blues gods such as Sleepy John Estes (”New Someday Baby”), Big Joe Williams (”Baby Please Don’t Go”), and Snooks Eaglin (”Country Boy”). Mooney evokes the spirit of the masters on his own tunes, too.

Pick up a copy of this album. Mooney plays like the devil.

(Blues Blog Special is a regular feature that examines older blues albums worth checking out.)

I wrote a very short post on metal Christmas songs a few years ago, but it gets a lot of hits around this time of year. Here it is if you have never read it before.

http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2006/12/metal-christmas-songs.html

Doing a Christmas song on an album is one things, but doing a whole album devoted to the holiday is another thing entirely in my opinion. While I don’t a problem with doing one Christmas song on an album, I do tend to frown on a whole album on the theme. Not for dislike of the topic, but partially because most of these type of albums fall flat and because I think in some cases the artists’ time could be better spent working on some original material.

Now there are different types of metal Christmas album which normally end with different results and most of them are bad.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra are probably the first name that pops if you are forced to think of metal Christmas music. Obviously the most popular of this kind if only because they are only ones who have done the most releases of this type of music. The holiday season rolls around and this project pops out another album and it shows up at Wal-mart, indie record stores and everyone in between. Now I think they are often seen as being a serious act. To me the results are mixed. Okay, they can play and some of the music works, but about half of it is often dry and pretentious. To me the big question on this act is did this need to be done? I really don’t think the metal or music community would have lost anything had this project not existed. That’s not a slam, but just a rather obvious observation.

Aside from TSO the other sort of popular approach for Holiday music is veteran hard rock bands either as a whole or in one time projects covering traditional Christmas songs. Twisted Sister had a surprise hit doing this a few years ago with what was essentially a joke album, but it fit with in their personality. Unfortunately other acts like Helix tried to do a whole album of holiday favorites with far less enjoyable results.

Then you get the compilation albums that might have a band doing one song or maybe a group pulled together to do just one song for this album. These tend be like the tribute albums that have been so common over the last fifteen or so years. Meaning that they are normally mixed bags with a few good songs, a few horrible ones and a number that fall somewhere in between.

Who do these albums appeal to? Are there really that many hard rock/metal fans that just get that holiday cheer feeling and they want to Jingle Bells done by their favorite hair band? Possibly, but more than likely it’s people who like certain acts to the point where they will listen to them sing anything. That last idea is sad to imagine, but I guess that happens.

***Feel free to ad your thoughts on hard rock/metal Christmas music.

I wrote a very short post on metal Christmas songs a few years ago, but it gets a lot of hits around this time of year. Here it is if you have never read it before.

http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2006/12/metal-christmas-songs.html

Doing a Christmas song on an album is one things, but doing a whole album devoted to the holiday is another thing entirely in my opinion. While I don’t a problem with doing one Christmas song on an album, I do tend to frown on a whole album on the theme. Not for dislike of the topic, but partially because most of these type of albums fall flat and because I think in some cases the artists’ time could be better spent working on some original material.

Now there are different types of metal Christmas album which normally end with different results and most of them are bad.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra are probably the first name that pops if you are forced to think of metal Christmas music. Obviously the most popular of this kind if only because they are only ones who have done the most releases of this type of music. The holiday season rolls around and this project pops out another album and it shows up at Wal-mart, indie record stores and everyone in between. Now I think they are often seen as being a serious act. To me the results are mixed. Okay, they can play and some of the music works, but about half of it is often dry and pretentious. To me the big question on this act is did this need to be done? I really don’t think the metal or music community would have lost anything had this project not existed. That’s not a slam, but just a rather obvious observation.

Aside from TSO the other sort of popular approach for Holiday music is veteran hard rock bands either as a whole or in one time projects covering traditional Christmas songs. Twisted Sister had a surprise hit doing this a few years ago with what was essentially a joke album, but it fit with in their personality. Unfortunately other acts like Helix tried to do a whole album of holiday favorites with far less enjoyable results.

Then you get the compilation albums that might have a band doing one song or maybe a group pulled together to do just one song for this album. These tend be like the tribute albums that have been so common over the last fifteen or so years. Meaning that they are normally mixed bags with a few good songs, a few horrible ones and a number that fall somewhere in between.

Who do these albums appeal to? Are there really that many hard rock/metal fans that just get that holiday cheer feeling and they want to Jingle Bells done by their favorite hair band? Possibly, but more than likely it’s people who like certain acts to the point where they will listen to them sing anything. That last idea is sad to imagine, but I guess that happens.

***Feel free to ad your thoughts on hard rock/metal Christmas music.

Solely from the sounds of the “Even Heroes Have to Die,” the first single from Ted Leo and The Pharmacists’ forthcoming album, The Brutalist Bricks, it’s already apparent that this album may be the band’s most epic work to date. Bursting with both acoustic and electronic guitars, and with a serious get up and jump up in the rhythm section, “Heroes,” is as direct and melodic as anything in Leo’s extensive back catalog. And while elements of the band’s past work are quickly evident in this new single, including those familiar nods to early UK punk, new wave, and power pop, there is something different about Ted Leo and The Pharmacists this time around. The band sounds energized, as if that big burden of the Bush years has been lifted off their shoulders and they’ve discovered a new focus for their energy outside of politics. Not that Leo would ever give up a good liberal fight. Ask anyone involved with liberal causes if their work is done now that there’s a Democratic president in office, and they’ll quickly respond, “No.” No, there’s a new fight, and a new reason to rock.

MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – Even Heroes Have to Die

Ted Leo’s sixth full length, The Brutalist Bricks will be out March 9th on Matador Records, and here’s hoping Matador doesn’t succumb to the same fate as Ted’s last two homes — Lookout Records and Touch and Go — both of which went under while Ted was an active member of their roster.

Ted Leo and The Pharmacists
Matador Records

Solely from the sounds of the “Even Heroes Have to Die,” the first single from Ted Leo and The Pharmacists’ forthcoming album, The Brutalist Bricks, it’s already apparent that this album may be the band’s most epic work to date. Bursting with both acoustic and electronic guitars, and with a serious get up and jump up in the rhythm section, “Heroes,” is as direct and melodic as anything in Leo’s extensive back catalog. And while elements of the band’s past work are quickly evident in this new single, including those familiar nods to early UK punk, new wave, and power pop, there is something different about Ted Leo and The Pharmacists this time around. The band sounds energized, as if that big burden of the Bush years has been lifted off their shoulders and they’ve discovered a new focus for their energy outside of politics. Not that Leo would ever give up a good liberal fight. Ask anyone involved with liberal causes if their work is done now that there’s a Democratic president in office, and they’ll quickly respond, “No.” No, there’s a new fight, and a new reason to rock.

MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – Even Heroes Have to Die

Ted Leo’s sixth full length, The Brutalist Bricks will be out March 9th on Matador Records, and here’s hoping Matador doesn’t succumb to the same fate as Ted’s last two homes — Lookout Records and Touch and Go — both of which went under while Ted was an active member of their roster.

Ted Leo and The Pharmacists
Matador Records

Daniel Lopatin rounds up all the pieces of his free floating synth trilogy into one package that washes over the listener in waves of euphoria, paranoia and displaced humanism. The three individually released albums that make up the set (Betrayed in the Ocatagon, Zones Without People and Russian Mind) follow the tale of an Astronaut stranded on an Earth-like planet filled with inhabitants that spend their lives connected to and dependent on machines but remain convinced they aren’t cyborgs. The trilogy ends with the astronaut composing a score from his death bed looking out into a grove of artificial trees. As much as this concept might sound like the basis of a Philip K. Dick novel, the music matches the underlying feelings of alienation, technological crutch and loss of humanity perfectly. Lopatin’s analog syth epic captures a time and place in music techonology that sounded at once familiar in structure and completely otherworldly in execution. With each tonal buzz and fizzle of tube the sounds transport listeners further and further into the terraformed realities of Oneohtrix Point Never’s universe. Rifts captures the journey in one seamless package. If you missed any part of this journey previously, then this release is indispensable.

Download:
[MP3] Oneohtrix Point Never – Hyperdawn
[MP3] Oneohtrix Point Never – Terminator Lake

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE.