George Harrison: Let it Roll: Songs by George Harrison Review

George Harrison is one Beatle that is universally beloved. His fellow counterparts all had their flaws. Paul comes across as being a little egotistical and pompous. John had some major family issues which really puts into question his true desire for world peace. Ringo... Well I think we can all agree he wasn’t the most talented member. George was the quiet, talented and charming member of the fab four and as his career continued on, his comfort zone and song writing abilities continued to grow - as can be seen on Abbey Road where the bulk of quality material comes from Mr. Harrison himself. His solo career took off without a hitch and yet to this day, there hasn’t been a truly career spanning Greatest Hits release which chronicles his entire solo career. While the wait was long overdue, Let It Roll captures George’s entire career pulling from his solo career and even dabbling into his Beatles career. The great thing about this disc is it doesn’t pull the studio versions of his greatest Beatles hits, instead it pulls live versions, which is very welcomed because it lends itself more to the solo theme. Of course there will be questions of what should and should not have been included on the album, but all in all, Let it Roll does an excellent job of pulling the best of his work, and for anyone who is looking for a quick, yet all encompassing peek into his career, there is no better place to start than Let it Roll.

1. Got My Mind Set On You (from Cloud Nine, 1987)
2. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) (from Living In The Material World, 1972)
3. The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) (from All Things Must Pass, 1970)
4. My Sweet Lord (from All Things Must Pass, 1970)
5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (from Concert For Bangladesh Soundtrack, 1971)
6. All Things Must Pass (from All Things Must Pass, 1970)
7. Any Road (from Brainwashed, 2002)
8. This Is Love (from Cloud Nine, 1987)
9. All Those Years Ago (from Somewhere In England, 1981)
10. Marwa Blues (from Brainwashed, 2002)
11. What Is Life (from All Things Must Pass, 1970)
12. Rising Sun (from Brainwashed, 2002)
13. When We Was Fab (from Cloud Nine, 1987)
14. Something (from Concert For Bangladesh Soundtrack, 1971)
15. Blow Away (from George Harrison, 1979)
16. Cheer Down (from Lethal Weapon 2)
17. Here Comes The Sun (from Concert For Bangladesh Soundtrack, 1971)
18. I Don't Want To Do It (from Porkys Revenge soundtrack, 1984)
19. Isn't It A Pity (from All Things Must Pass, 1970)

Grade: A

McCartney Never Expected to Get The Beatles Catalog Back

This Message comes from PaulMccartney.com:

Some time ago, the media came up with the idea that Michael Jackson was going to leave his share in the Beatles songs to me in his will which was completely made up and something I didn’t believe for a second.

Now the report is that I am devastated to find that he didn’t leave the songs to me. This is completely untrue. I had not thought for one minute that the original report was true and therefore, the report that I’m devastated is also totally false, so don’t believe everything you read folks!

In fact, though Michael and I drifted apart over the years, we never really fell out, and I have fond memories of our time together.

At times like this, the press do tend to make things up, so occasionally, I feel the need to put the record straight.

Paul

John Mellencamp: Life, Death, Live and Freedom Review

Mellencamp’s 2008 release, Life, Death, Love and Freedom was a monumental album in his career. It was an album that wasn’t directed to the masses - instead it was an introspective, rootsy, folk album filled with cynicism and despair. Not necessarily the Mellencamp the world is accustomed to. It very well may have been his strongest album of his career, and while it was phenomenal, it wasn’t exactly groundbreaking which has me posing the question of, was this album which pulls eight songs exclusively from his last release really necessary? The answer is no, this wasn’t a necessary release at all. Instead, this is the kind of album that should be freely distributed to fan club members, and not sold to the general public. Even at it’s relatively low price of $7.99 (CD) and $5.99 (Digital), I would find it extremely difficult for anyone, other than a deeply devoted Mellencamp fan, to justify a purchase of this album.

Life, Death, Love and Freedom was a superb album that channeled an abject Mellencamp who had the end of the line clearly in his sights. He delivered old-school bluesy folk arrangements with a dark edge. This live versions of these songs add even more grittiness and power, and sound like an improvement over the already stellar studio recordings.

Despite the quality of this album, and the low price point, it’s hard to warrant a purchase. Essentially, the target audience is the most die hard of Mellencamp fans who thoroughly enjoyed his last effort. The live version don’t add that much more to their studio counterparts, but overall do pack a little more punch. This album will get more play from me in the future than his studio album, but for someone who doesn’t need to own everything in John’s discography, then the studio album will suffice.

Grade: A

(Based solely on the quality of material)

No Go Know: Time Has Nothing to Do With It Review

"Pretentious" is a term that cynical rock critics love to use, and it was a term that plagued Progressive Rock. Bands that were tagged as being "pretentious" were more often than not just releasing music that was bigger and more complex than what the typical rock audience was accustomed to hearing, and quite often, simply better. However, releasing double albums is also an excuse for critics to call a band pretentious, and while I won’t go as far as to say that double albums themselves are pretentious, it is a little too much material for a listener to digest. It has always been a mystery to me as to why a band would release a double album - take the best songs from each disc and make one masterful album instead of creating some bloated album that has listeners falling asleep by the second disc. If it’s a rock opera, release it as two separate entities - System of a Down’s approach to releasing what was technically a double album, although not a rock opera, and turning it into two separate releases was fantastic because it allowed listeners to absorb all of the material. No Go Know decided to take the bombastic route, and released a double album that is mixed with subherb highs, and the occasional lows.

No Go Know puts together an album that predominantly purveys indie sensibilities but are never afraid to go outside the boundaries and mix in a myriad of hard rock jam sessions doused in fuzzed out psychedelia. It’s during these rocking climaxes where No Go Know truly shines. On "End of a Stay"- a rather violent and sadistic tale, No Go Know closes the song down with primal wailing vocals, drama educing guitars, and pounding drums, all of which arrives after a rather mellow, yet emotionally powerful introduction. As the album moves along into the second disc, it feels a little bogged down and all of the music starts to feel more and more like a blur, and much of this is due to the excessive amount of material on the album.

Periphrasis is a tell tale sign of poor writing (for more signs of poor writing just read my blog) which seeks to achieve greater volume at the expense of quality. If you can release a single disc with the strongest material rather than two discs which cover both highs and lows, then the obvious choice is to go for the single disc. There's nothing wrong with brevity. No Go Know’s best moments shine brightly; condense this album and you would have one of the better albums of 2009.

Grade: B

Another Week Another Vinyl: Iron Maiden: Flight 666

Iron Maiden is the preeminent metal band hailing from England (Other than Black Sabbath.) Their live shows are a testament to why their following is so devoted and The Flight 666 vinyl release only furthers the reasons for their prominence as one of the greatest metal bands in history. This set comes with two beautiful looking picture discs decorated with excellent photos from the tour. The sound quality is crisp and as you would come to expect, the performances are epic. It’s a live album that makes you feel like you were there for each song, with great feedback from the crowd and an honest and powerful performance. They pull almost all of the songs from a different location on their tour giving a sample of each performance. One thing detracting from the live feel is the fadeouts at the end of each track, but considering the uniqueness of this collection, I can live with this little blemish. The set list will be sure to please both casual and hardcore fans with a healthy mix of major hits and deeper cuts. With all the live Maiden releases out there, one would expect this to be just like the rest, but with a great song selection and an intense performance, Flight 666 ranks up with the very best of their material.

(Disc 1)

1. Churchill's Speech
Bandra Kurla Complex/Mumbai, India
February 1, 2008

2. Aces High (Steve Harris)
Bandra Kurla Complex/Mumbai, India
February 1, 2008

3. 2 Minutes To Midnight (Bruce Dickinson/Adrian Smith)
Rod Laver Arena/Melbourne, Australia
February 7, 2008

4. Revelations (Dickinson)
Acer Arena/Sydney, Australia
February 9, 2008

5. The Trooper (Harris)
Makuhari Messe/Tokyo, Japan
February 16, 2008

6. Wasted Years (Smith)
Arena Monterrey/Monterrey, Mexico
February 22, 2008

7. The Number Of The Beast (Harris)
The Forum/Los Angeles, USA
February 19, 2008

8. Can I Play With Madness (Dickinson/Harris/Smith)
Foro Sol/Mexico City, Mexico
February 24, 2008

9. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner (Harris)
Izod Center/East Rutherford, USA
March 14, 2008

(Disc 2)

1. Powerslave (Dickinson)
Saprissa Stadium/San Jose, Costa Rica
February 26, 2008

2. Heaven Can Wait (Harris)
Palmeiras Stadium/Sao Paulo, Brazil
March 2, 2008

3. Run To The Hills (Harris)
Simon Bolivar Park/Bogota, Colombia
February 28, 2008

4. Fear Of The Dark (Harris)
Ferrocarril Oeste Stadium/Buenos Aires, Argentina
March 7, 2008

5. Iron Maiden (Harris)
Pista Atletica/Santiago, Chile
March 9, 2008

6. Moonchild (Dickinson/Smith)
Coliseo de Puerto Rico/San Juan, Puerto Rico
March 12, 2008

7. The Clairvoyant (Harris)
Pedreira Paulo Leminski/Curitiba, Brazil
March 4, 2008

8. Hallowed Be Thy Name (Harris)
Air Canada Centre/Toronto, Canada
March 16, 2008

The Mars Volta: Octahedron Review

Wait a minute, didn’t I just get a copy of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’s solo album around two months ago? God forbid Omar went longer than six months without releasing music, but the consistent onslaught of recordings doesn’t seem to put a damper on the quality, if anything, it could be argued for the better. Also, wasn’t the Volta’s previous release, The Bedlam in Goliath, an overwhelming attack of heavy guitars, pounding beats, and layers upon layers of sounds which when approaching the eardrum sounds eerily similar to getting hit in the face with a brick? Yeah, it definitely was. Here on Octahedron, The Mars Volta go soft. So what happened on Octahedron to make it so mellow - for the Volta at least - and so calm and relaxed?

If the Mars Volta’s releases were to be graphed on a line chart, you would see a steady rise in intensity and boldness with each succeeding record. Octahedron breaks the constant rise and brings them back to a place that if going by the line chart, would be the very bottom - at least in terms of intensity and boldness. It finds them at their most reserved and tame. Acoustic guitars take center stage, and riffs of electric intensity take a back seat, rarely rearing their head other than on the furious, “Cotopaxi”. With a softer album, melodies become more and more crucial; the Volta capitalize on this with the majority of songs having memorable qualities, especially on the albums highlight “Halo of Nembutals” with its stellar chorus.

Despite being rather tame for the Volta, the music is still complex with numerous intricacies which won’t leave prog fans in the dust, which inevitably means, the Volta still haven’t recorded an album that will cross over into the pop mainstream.

The Bedlam in Goliath was a bit overboard in terms of its sheer intensity and it’s inability to ever let the listener breathe. Octahedron was certainly a move in the right direction, but the leap may have been a little too large. The album sounds terrific, but Omar and Cedric are at their best when the electric guitars are searing by at an unstoppable rate and the chaos is all but uncontrollable. But to end this review on a high note - because ultimately this is a great album - Octahedron finds the Volta in a different place, and while it may sound a tad bit off kilter for the band, they make the softer melodies their own and never veer too far away from the complexities which make their music so fantastic.

Grade: A-

Another Week Another Vinyl: The Kinks: Are the Village Green Preservation Society

This past week at the record store, I was like a kid in a candy shop. There was a tremendous amount of amazing albums to choose from, and the only thing holding me back from my insatiable desire to purchase every album in the store was the lack of cash in my pocket. Despite that minuscule problem holding me back I still managed to pick up three stellar albums: The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, ELP Tarkus and Neil Young Harvest. It’s hard to do better than that on one trip!

When I saw the The Kinks record I was nearly floored in excitement - I’m not sure quite sure why, but for some reason I was really hungering for that album. As I picked it up I immediately assumed the price tag would be out of my range, but it turned out to only be $8. I examined the record and it look pristine. The jacket was a little worn, but the vinyl itself looked like it could have been printed yesterday. With such a cheap price I felt like a kid who stuffed twenty gumballs in his mouth when approaching the counter at a candy store - trying to conceal the wrongdoings but at the same time simply exploiting the flaws of the store. Was the price wrong? I doubt it, considering the title of the album was right on the tag, but it just seemed too good to be true.

Soon after exiting the store I was blasting this vintage Kinks record that played without a hiss or crack. I don’t know the true value of this record, especially considering the amazing condition, but I would be astonished if it was anywhere under twenty dollars. Quite honestly I would think it’s worth more like forty, but I am far from being a vinyl collecting expert.