Not Really Record Reviews Album musings from a guy who probably hasn't listened to the entire disc... [1]Recent | [2]2000 | 1999 | [3]1998 Last update: 28AUG00 _________________________________________________________________ _Rating System (in Secret Satan Signs): from * * * * * (cool) to * (sucks)_ _________________________________________________________________ 1999 Reviews Various Artists - _The British Rock Symphony_ - ?, 1999 Smashing all-star, orchestral-expansion of hits from the Stones, the Who, Led Zeppelin, and the Beatles. (Did I miss anyone?) Roger Daltrey and Ann Wilson duet on "Kashmir," Alice Cooper starts up "Start Me Up," Paul Rogers imagines "Imagine," etc. Some are entire songs; others are medley-ized. Fabulous production; some of the best electric/orchestral blending I've ever heard. Reviewed 11/99. * * * * Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony - _S&M_ - Elektra, 1999 A little of this goes an awfully long way. Interesting as all get-out, the record-live genre-buster neither entertains nor offends on a consistent basis. Some tracks are certainly better than others, in terms of recording quality, the orchestra not sounding simply overdubbed, or Metallica not playing suck-metal. Others, like "Battery," are never-heard-that-before head-scratchers. (Symphonic thrash! Hilarious!) And a few, like "Master of Puppets" with the strings drowning out the singing audience, are a plain and simple mess. Oh well, at least Ennio Morricone's "Ecstasy of Gold" (their concert opener) is included. Reviewed 11/99. * * * Anthrax - _Return of the Killer A's_ - Beyond, 1999 Boring "best of" compilation, at least when compared to outtake and B-side heavy _Killer B's_ album. "I'm the Man" is here, albeit in edited version. So is "Bring the Noise," a cover of Joe Jackson's "Got the Time," and a couple John Bush-fronted tracks. To the best of my knowledge, the only new-new track is a cover of the Temptations (!) "Ball of Confusion," pairing both Bush and former vocalist Joey Belladona. And that one's worth a listen... Godawful album cover, too. Ugh. Reviewed 11/99. * * * Queen - _Greatest Hits III_ - Hollywood, 1999 Freddie-centric collection consisting mostly of "guest" efforts, re-mixes, and solo album excerpts. There's a track here from _Made in Heaven_, a track there from _A Kind of Magic_. By in large, though, it's stuff like Elton John singing "The Show Must Go On," Freddie's cover of "The Great Pretender," or a street-tough remix of "Another One Bites the Dust." Good linear notes, too! _And_ they've included "Thank God It's Christmas!" My only gripe: did they _have_ to shorten the intro to "Barcelona?" Reviewed 11/99. * * * * U.D.O. - _Best Of_ - Gun, 1999 German import, with over 70 minutes of music from the wee one's five (or is it six?) solo albums. Eh, I would've included more earlier tracks than later, but at least you get his kick-ass covers of "Lovemachine" and "I'm a Rebel" as well as the double-bass bruiser "Timebomb" and without having to own the weaker albums that they're drawn from. Reviewed 11/99. * * * The Simpsons - _Go Simpsonic with the Simpsons_ - Rhino, 1999 Second album of songs 'n' stuff from the TV series, after _Songs in the Key of Springfield_ and not to be confused with either _Simpsons Sing the Blues_ or _The Yellow Album_. Lots of sing-alongs and showtune parodies, this time. Best of the best includes "We Put the Spring in Springfield" (the Brothel Song), the "Mary Poppins"-parodying "Shary Bobbins" suite, and "You're Checkin' In" (from A Musical Journey Through the Betty Ford Clinic). Hilarious. Reviewed 11/99. * * * * Cledus T. Judd (No Relation) - _Juddmental_ - Razor and Tie, 1999 T.'s fourth album and follow-up to _Did I Shave My Back For This?_ is a lamer, tamer effort, notable for only one or two LOL-on-the-first-listen tracks. ("She's Inflatable" and the Ricky Martin parody "Living Like John Travolta.") Maybe it gets better on repeated plays; or maybe you just need to really know the source material well. Reviewed 11/99. * * Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops - _Magical Musicals_ - Telarc, 1999 Kunzel's third disc-- third?-- of Disney music is substantially less exciting, due to largely less-familiar material. Sure, "You've Got a Friend in Me" (orchestra only) is here, as is "Cruella DeVille" (with Indiana Hoosier choir). But so are such newer (and, frankly, far less tuneful) tunes from Hercules, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and a couple direct-to-video releases. Eh, maybe it'll grow on me... Reviewed 10/99. * * * Various Artists - _Not the Same Old Song and Dance_ - ?, 1999 Bob Kulick-produced, all metal-star Aerosmith tribute starring Mark Slaughter, Vince Neil, Ted Nugent, et al. Most are "classic" tracks, e.g. pre-Geffen. Only one downright dud, an overplayed "Dream On" with Dio singing and Yngwie playing. Reviewed 10/99. * * * * Various Artists - _Tribute to Accept, Vol. 1_ - Nuclear Blast, 1999 Way-better-than-expected tribute to the heavy-metal legends, by more bands I've never heard of. Mostly traditional arrangements with _real_ singing (as opposed to cookie monster-style). Great production and performance-ship. Udo guests on one. Songs are all pre-RCA days. Hope there's a Vol. 2 some day... Reviewed 10/99. * * * * ZZ Top - _XXX_ - RCA, 1999 Wow! Nine new studio songs, including an instrumental w/excepts from late-night talk-show host Art Bell's show, _plus_ four live tracks (also new), _plus_ a hilarious live introduction from Bell's ennunciatin' fool announcer. What more could you want? Continuing on their funkalicious _Rhythmeen_ bent, that "Little ol' Band From Texas" adds a layer of techo-industrial sounds to their sound. And with their blues base remaining as heavy as ever, the results are smile-inducingly inventive. Of the fab four live tracks, "Sinpusher" is a clever lyrical reworking of "Pincushion" from _Antenna_. And that's the King's standard, "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" reworked as (!) a slow blues number. Superb. Reviewed 10/99. * * * * * Asleep at the Wheel - _Ride with Bob _- Dreamworks, 1999 Their second all-star Bob Wills tribute and quite the genre buster. Blues, jazz, lounge, country, western swing... it all collides to terrific effect here. So much to speak highly of, including such wonderful pairings as Meryl Haggard and the Squirrel Nut Nippers horn section and Willie Nelson and Manhattan Transfer. Reviewed 9/99. * * * * 1/2 Joe Lynn Turner - _Undercover 2 _- Shrapnel, 1999 The Rainbow vocalist returns with a second set of hard-rockin' covers, these much more AOR-oriented than the last batch. And though we've heard 'em a gazillion times ("Born to Be Wild," "The Boys Are Back in Town," "Mississippi Queen," etc.), the playing and production is tight 'n' tough-enough to warrant at least a listen, if not a purchase. Of course, the mind can't help but wonder what'll be on tape for the inevitable _Volume 3_? Big-hair bands from the eighties? Disco a go-go? Reviewed 9/99. * * * Megadeth - _Risk _- Capitol, 1999 Dave Mustaine and Company continue to experiment, though unlike, say, Metallica's double _Load_, the results don't suck. No flat-out rockers on this one; it's all multi-tracked, multi-layered, multi-instrument genre-benders. Synths here, strings there; techno beats in one place, almost-disco in others; and some fabulous Eastern melodies in fave-so-far track "Insomnia." It'll take quite a few more listens to fully appreciate. Reviewed 9/99. * * * * Metal Church - _Masterpeace _- ?, 1999 Finally! The long-anticipated reunion/reforming with original vacalist David Wayne! And original guitarist/songwriter Kurt Vanderhoof is on hand, too! And the results sound... nothing like the old church. Not really. Gone are the easily accessible melodies. Gone, too, is Wayne's old voice. Fifteen years later and he's less... throaty. And on the high-end, he sounds (to me) like King Diamond. Maybe it grows on you after a couple dozen spins... Reviewed 9/99 * * 1/2 Black Sabbath (with Rob Halford) - _Ozzy Meets the Priest_ - Bootleg, recorded 1992 Essential Birmingham-era, Brit-metal boot with ex-Priest powerhouse Rob Halford subbing for R.J. Dio. If I recall correctly, the backstory went something like this: at the end of their "Dehumanizer" reunion tour, Sab was scheduled to hook up with Oz for a few songs. Dio left in a huff and Halford finished their final shows in L.A. On this not-bad-by-any-means-sounding boot, Rob sings nine songs, split roughly half-and-half between Ozzy- and Dio-era. The set list: "Children the Grave," "Children of the Sea," "Symptom of the Universe," "N.I.B.," "Die Young," "Into the Void," "Heaven and Hell," "Sweet Leaf," and "Neon Knights." The Ozzman finishes the set, singing four faves: "Black Sabbath," "Fairies Wear Boots," "Iron Man," and "Paranoid." Very good sound quality, marred only by a distracting second or so of presumably inserted silence between each track. The periodic whoops and yelps from the audience only add to the amusement. With the exception of one or two missed cues-- including a false start on "Children of the Grave"-- Halford is great. You were expecting any less? Reviewed 7/99. * * * * Various Artists- _Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be_ - Reptilian, 1999 Rough, rude, and rowdily raucous AC/DC tribute from Reptilian records featuring a bunch of bands I've never heard of. Many of the mostly Bon Scott-era tracks are straightforward versions (though with distorted guitars and/or vocals). Let's see, there's also a hip-hop/punk version of "Big Balls," a banjo-accompanied (!) "Whole Lotta Rosie," and a prim, spoken-by-a-Brit reading of "Back in Black." Extra half Secret Satan Sign for the cover, a cartoon rendering of Hell featuring a metal dude and a trio of naked "devil women," two of which appear to be engaged in a decidedly "R"-rated activity. Don't look for this one in Wal-Mart. Reviewed 7/99. * * * 1/2 Original Soundtrack - _SouthPark: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut_ - 1999 Songs from the film, plus a handful of punk, alt.rock, and hip-hip "interpretations." The dozen musical numbers are nothing short of brilliant, fabulous foul parodies of both Broadway (old and new) and Disney showtunes. My faves: "Uncle F*cka," "Kyle's Mom's a B*tch," "I Can Change," and the deliriously delightful "I'm Super" sung by Big Gay Al. Reviewed 7/99. * * * * Deep Purple - _Perfect Strangers, Nobody's Perfect _- Mercury, 1999 Remastered reissues of D.P.'s mid-80's efforts. Artwork and linear notes have been restored. _Perfect Strangers_ adds the ten-minute mellow instrumental "Son of Alerik"; _Nobody's_ _Perfect_ includes all tracks from the differing original disc, LP, and cassette versions. Great sound on both and you gotta love the live studio version of "Hush" on the latter. Reviewed 7/99. * * * * * (Strangers) * * * 1/2 (Nobody's) Mitch Miller - _Greatest Hits_ - Sony, 1999 Disappointingly slim collection of Miller, His Gang, and the Orchestra. A mere 37 minutes of music spread over 15 tracks. Admittedly, the price was right ($7.50 at _[4]www.cdworld.com_) but would it have killed 'em to have tacked on another 10 or 20 minutes' worth of music? Reviewed 7/99. * * John Lithgow - _Singin' in the Bathtub_ - Sony, 1999 Delightfully punny album of children's (or child-friendly) songs from decades gone by. The veteran actor/folk singer is accompanied by every manner of instrument-- solo piano, acoustic guitar, ragtime band, big-band, etc. He speaks, he rhymes, he lets the kids sing along on a couple of tracks. Between this and a Burl Ives platter, it'll cure what ails ya. My faves: the spastic, sound-effects enhanced title track, the daffy taffy "From The Indies To The Andes In His Undies," and that ol' Sinatra standard "Swinging on a Star." Or would you rather be a mule? Reviewed 6/99. * * * * Black Sabbath - _Under Wheels of Confusion (4CD) _- Castle, 1996 Fab Sab compilation from a few years back, imported, remastered, with extensive linear notes, an intro. from Ozzy, and one of those hand-drawn "Rock Family Trees" by What's His Name. Four discs, spanning '69 through '87. Lots of Ozzy-era, plus cuts with Dio, Gillan, Hughes, and Martin. Fewer live tracks, maybe a half-dozen total. Sounds great. Dirty. Raw. Reviewed 5/99. * * * * * Roy Clark - _The Lightning Fingers of Roy Clark_ - Razor & Tie, 1999 Reissue of the Hee-Hawer's first solo effort, a 1960-something mixed-genre all-instrumental release. Backed by bass, drums, and the occasional sax-- think the Ventures-- the grinnin' picker covers country, bluegrass, pop, polka (!), and even a swingin' rendition of Glenn Miller's "In the Mood." Reviewed 3/99. * * * Motorhead - _Everything Louder Than Everything Else (2CD)_ - CMC, 1999 What glorious noise! Lemmy and Company's umpteenth live album, with a couple dozen tracks recorded in Hamburg last year. All the hits are here, old classics to new. Lemmy's no-bull banter is a howl, as is his occasional attempt to incite the crowd. The mix is a non-dubbed wall of noise. You'll have to know the songs by heart to hear half the melodies... Reviewed 5/99. * * * * Various Artists - _Built For Speed/Tribute to Motorhead_ - ?/1999 The season's second 'head tribute and a whole lot more fun than the first one. No killed-by-death metal here; just heavy- and hard-rockers by a bunch of bands I've never heard of. The arrangements are mostly straight-forward. There's some fiddling, here and there, including a delightful spoken-word intro to "Ace of Spades." And "Bomber" is covered in as a laid-back, lounge tune! There's even a half-decent doing of "Orgasmatron!" Reviewed 3/99. * * * 1/2 Various Artists - _Huminary Stew/Tribute to Alice Cooper _- ?/1999 Various Artists -_ Deaf Forever/Tribute to Motorhead_ - ?1999 Two tribute albums to mention-- the former is an all-star metal collaboration pairing the likes of Dave Mustaine, Don Dokken, and Dee Snider with such ace axe men as George Lynch, Marty Friedman, and Zakk Wylde. No duds on this one, with ace production and a couple surprises, including Clarence Clemons' sax on "Under My Wheels" and Roger Daltrey's vocals on "No More Mr. Nice Guy." The latter is a death-metal (AKA "Cookie Monster music") tribute to Lemmy and Company, covering older tracks, from the _Orgasmatron_ album back. Good playing and (mostly) straightforward arrangements make for some thrashy fun. Just don't take the raw-meat vocals _too_ seriously... Reviewed 3/99. * * * * (Huminary) * * * (Deaf) Copyright 2000 by Michael J. Legeros