No comments about Ska Down Jamaica.

1 comments about Witchcraft: A Gothic Compilation.

1. Ann odd assortment of songs and impressions. There is one stand out, the utterely incredibly edifying and majikal Necromancing the Cunning linguist by Gene Loves Jezebel (Who are a Triple X records band I beleieve?). It's truly bewitching and I for one am intrigued. There's something ELSE going on here and I want to learn more. The rest of the CD is insignifigant in this company but not without charm.

2 comments about Radio Free Music, Vol. 1.

1. I bought this CD on a whim a few years ago and it is one of my favorites. It is a great mix of songs and most are by performers either I had never heard of or who I had never listened to. It introduced me to artists whose CD's I now purchase. I like the concept and hope that more CD's are to come. I only know of #1 and (recently now) #2.



2. If you are looking for an eclectic mix of music that you don't hear everyday, this is the CD for you. It is a great blend of artists--from many genres--with something to appeal to nearly everyone. Check some of the tracks for yourself!

5 comments about In Honor: A Compilation to Beat Cancer.

1. I first purchases this album when it first came out because I was a great fan of Saves the Day in their early years, but also of Sean McGrath. Yet, through this album I have been able to hear other bands in which I probably would have never heard. The fact that these different bands were able to get together with their varying styles of playing worked great, a lot better than I thought that it ever would. The way that these various styles worked together for such a good cause surely demonstrates the way that so many different people, no matter who you are, can come together and help stop such a horror that is cancer.
   I also wanted to say that after listening to this album over and over again, my college roommate went out and bought it for himself, even though he could have easily copied it from me. And then our friends went out and bought it, and so on and so on. At my college alone, I know of 45 people that have bought this album from just being in the room listening to it. So keep it up everyone and spread the music



2. I just got this CD a few weeks ago, and I think it is great. These charities are very deserving of the money. I am a little disappointed that only 3 others have reviewed it.



3. After losing both my parents to cancer in 2002 & 2003 (Breast for my mom and Leukemia for my dad) I have made it my personal goal to do what ever I can to support finding a cure for cancer. I do the charity walks, were the ribbons, and am conscious about my purchases when they are benefiting this cause. This is why I gave this cd 5 stars. Not only is the music awesome, but it feels great to know that it is reaching beyond my own ears. Most of the other compilations out there supporting this cause are more mellow and mostly ballads (which are great and I also own), this cd is for the love of rock. I plan to buy more for Christmas gifts. Coincidently this cd is for the "younger" crowd and spreading the word to that crowd is key because you can not be "too young" to develop cancer.



4. everyone should own this comp because A) proceeds benefit various cancer organizations and B) the bands are awesome. All of the acoustic tracks, whether is be Staylight Run/TBS/Motion City Soundtrack etc., are worth the 11$ are their own. Also, i think comps. give people the opportunity to hear some bands they may never find on their own (like Murder By Death). Overall this cd is an excellent buy and worth ever cent.



5. I bought this album for two reasons: 1) All of the Proceeds go towards the fight against cancer. 2) The music is great. Many of the comps that have come out this summer have been somewhat disappointing for me. This is just not the case with "In Honor."
   This album has a little bit for everyone. From the moving intro to the end of both cds you can feel that this album means something to those who worked on it. It is not just a bunch of emo kids complaining. You can tell that every track was specifically selected for its meaning, which makes for a very heartfelt album.
   I have been a huge supporter of the Sean McGrath fund since finding out about it in March. I was extremely saddened to hear of Sean's passing when it happened and I have continued to support the fund. It is uplifting to see such great bands joining together to support a great cause and two great charities.
   I suggest everyone go and BUY a copy of this album and not just download it. I know that everyone who likes the type of punk/emo/hardcore music that Vagrant Records puts out, will love this album. And if you don't like it or are not familiar with it, you should still buy it because it really has music for anyone who is a fan of music. Great music for a great cause!

No comments about Strength Thru Oi!.

2 comments about Monsters of Goth [3 CD Boxed Set].

1. I got this 3-cd set for christmas about a decade ago. I've been listening to it recently and I still think its brilliant!
   
   What IS goth, though? There are many songs on these CDs that can be lumped into other genres. Labelling music is not my point-- I'm saying that to the layman (non-goth or person not familiar with the vast, varying genre), this is still an enjoyable collection of danceable, rocking, melodious, beautiful, sad, weird and/or strange music! Dont let the word "goth" scare you away. Its not a collection of songs describing eating monkey brains or blood rituals.
   
   I rated this item FIVE stars. You won't hear Marilyn Manson or the Cure here. These bands are mostly obscure (in the US, as far as I know, anyway) and that lends to its enjoyment.
   
   I must say that to enjoy this collection, you must have a taste for the odd, or the lust to sail in unchartered waters that your ears may not be used to. There are some duds that even with time, I cannot grow to love, and there are others that once understood (like Nancy Sinatra's much imitated "Some Velvet Morning") are cool and impressive works. Then of course there are many songs that can take you the first time.
   
   Here are some comments on my favorite tracks:
   
   "Torture Me", by *i forgot* - either will incite uncontrollable laughter with your friends, or utter depression if you are alone. a mellow piano tune nicely sung by what sounds like a vampire on prozac.
   
   "Sweet Rain", by Gene Loves Jezebel - GLJ is hardly "obscure", having charted maybe 3 good songs in the 1980's. "Sweet Rain" is live, and heavy on the reverb, but the guitars are like a series of rapid pin pricks to the arm. you cant help but become adrenalized.
   
   "Jonestown" by Lucyfix - has actual audio of hitler ranting, and some from the doomed Jonestown community. the eerie vocals are beautifully harmonized.
   
   "HaHa", by Scarehead - a GREAT song. its slick bass and rhythm keeps this song moving. i imagine the vocalist to be adorable. forget that she sounds a bit possessed as she taunts you and asks you to question what lies beneath your cool exterior, madness, perhaps? "Locked away/sometimes, we let them play...".
   
   I cant imagine a goth rock collection getting better. bands of late (within the last 4 years, say) havent done it for me anymore.



2. That's about the best description I can think of for this boxed-set - proto-goth. This collection runs the gamut from Batcave (Alien Sex Fiend) to deathrock (Lords of the New Church) to the "wave with no name" (Echo and the Bunnymen) to Lydia Lunch (try categorising her music, I dare you).

   This comp predates and in many ways far surpasses all three two-c.d. sets in Mick Mercer's _Gothic Rock_ collections despite having only half as many discs. Going from Bolshoi's soft almost-pop of "Lyndi's Party" to Lydia Lunch's industrial/noise opus "Stinkfist" to Faithful Dawn's oh-so-goth "Enchant Me" and Scarehead's downright fun ode to insanity, "Ha Ha" and Ghost Dance's cover of "Radar Love" this comp proves that yes, there *was* gothic rock before London After Midnight and no, it didn't all sound like Siouxsie Sioux or Bauhaus.

   While the biggest "monsters" of goth on this comp are Alien Sex Fiend and Valor's incarnation of Christian Death, I think they should have chosen a different title, but oh well, like the hair metal comp of similar moniker most of these guys are Titans by association (Ghost Dance is compiled of former members of the Sisters of Mercy) and influence to the modern bands.

   An excellent choice for those disoriented with modern goth music and heard all sorts of rumours about what it was like before Projekt Records.

4 comments about Too Much Time On Our Hands: A STYX Tribute Album.

1. A couple of artists paying homage to the greatest band of all-time isn't a bad thing at all. I like every song on here because yeah it's not Styx duh because its a tribute album and their is nothing wrong with paying your repects to your favorite band by playing their songs. I pay my respects to Styx by writing reviews about them that is how I do it these guys use their gift of making music to do it. It's just how they work and there is nothing wrong with that.



2. This album makes an interesting study for any Styx fan, or a fan of any of the artists that contributed. Unique in its approach, Too Much Time On Our Hands emphasizes the vision of each artist's interpretation of the track to which they contributed. In that way, fans who know each artist's style will easiliy recognise their sound. Like any compilation or mix tape, there are highs and lows for every listener. Favorite moments: Lost and Found's freakish grade school recorder Grand Illusion, a heavy Man In the Wilderness by Jerry Chapman and His Evil Herbivores, and the album's cover design.



3. How could one not love Styx? Yeah, they're bombastic and their 70's and 80's hits sound a bit dated now, but Styx always crafted melodic rock that stuck with you.
   Here's a fine and fun set of Styx songs done in decidedly unStyx ways. And it's a bit of a revelation.
   My favorite tracks include Alva Star's lovely rendition of "Lady" (ditto for Jeff Krebs' version of "Boat on the River"), the bizzare take of "Babe" by Jim Roll and the Famous Authors, the emotional Beki Hemingway track, and the punk-indie "Grand Finale" by Hearts Beat Red.
   Overall, it's a must for Styx fans...



4. If you do a cover of a well known song you must change it enough to distinguish your recording yet leave it recognisable. The versions on this album are distinct enough to be worth the effort but they lack the grandeur that makes the originals great. Gone is the extraordinary showmanship Dennis DeYoung brought to his vocals. Gone is the agony of JYs screaming guitar. In their place is a more respectable laid-back and folkish sound. These are good songs performed well but they don't inspire the way classics do.

No comments about Gothic Legends.

5 comments about Punk-O-Rama, Vol. 4.

1. I know most reviews say that this is not the best Punk O Rama volume. But I'll have to disagree. It's the best.
   You can always rely on good songs by NOFX and Pennywise.
   But the highlights of this CD are 1998 by Rancid (very catchy song in the typical Rancid way), Faster than the World by Pulley (a good fast song), Hopeless Romantic by Bouncing Souls, Think the World by All, and Getaway by Ten Foot Pole (all three really good pop punk songs).
   The only song I ever skip on this CD is Big in Japan by Tom Waits. That song's annoying!
   Get this CD. You won't regret it as you listen to it over and over again.



2. This album was good and all but it just seems like they grabbed a handful of songs and threw them on a CD. The songs featured are not the best by the bands.



3. Come on people.

   I can't understand you don't get bored with compilations like these. It's fun to discover new bands but you can't base your judgement on one song only so you need to find another source still to find out if you really found a new band.
   Ok, this is not the worse out there. There are worse compilations, but well. Some are better. Punk-O-Rama 2 and 3 are better than this one, so I'd say buy them IF you want to buy a compilation. I prefer EP's and albums though.

   Also, why is Tom Waits on this compilation? Yes, I know why; because's he on Epitaph...but isn't this called PUNK o rama?




4. This is a great cd to listen to while driving, working, partying, whatever. It is a good collection of songs from a bunch of good punk bands. (not blink 182, sum 41 etc.) It is more than likely that after listening to this a few times, you will be singing along and air-guitaring with many of the songs.



5. This album has some really good punk songs on it. All of them are awesome save for tracks 17-20 which are either poppy or they sound like they're goth or metal. But if u want a Punk compilation that has all awesome punk tracks buy vol. 5.

5 comments about Deep Ska.

1. I picked this comp. up about a year ago for ten bucks at a Half-Priced Books (who doesn't love that place?) The 2 star reviewer here cites that a few of these songs are from the late 70s/ early 80s; he's right. But don't let that annoyance blind you to the fact that there's enough great tracks to have you listening for hours on end. Not only that, but it avoids bombarding you with overly popular names (Desmond Dekker's got one song, Toots has two or three(?), the Skatalites are unavoidable though, considering their being the backup band for just about everyone). While there's a bit of genre mixing too (rocksteady, ska, reggae, etc) most people don't know the difference and these artists all dabbled in a bit of all... so who cares?
   
   I know that its a good collection worth paying twice the price I did. Its great to hear sounds from a time when there was still a lot of rollicking R&B piano and upright bass in ska. Duke Reid's tracks are my favourite, particularly "Duke's Cookies."



2. I unfortunately own this one (not much longer) and have analyzed it carefully. There are several reasons for why you shouldn't buy this, even though the price is very low.

   1. They are not all ska tracks. 5 of them are Rock Steady, 4 are Early Reggae, 3 are UK Reggae (by the Pyramids) and 5 sounds very modern, from the 80's or newer. This could have been acceptable if they were sequenced in an intelligent manner. They are not.

   2. The mastering is poor. I have several of these songs on better compilations and by comparison these sounds harsh, like they have tried to increase the treble too much.

   3. Many songs are not so great. Half of the songs are instrumentals, mostly by the Skatalities under other names (like Tommy McCoook, Roland Alphonso or Don Drummond). These songs are not the best of The Skatalites, more like the worst of. A few exceptions of course, classics like Silver Dollar, Eastern Standard Time are included. But if you like The Skatalites there are compilations with better songs and better sound quality. 'Foundation Ska' on Heartbeat and 'Guns of Navarone: The Best of' on Trojan comes highly recommended.

   4. Proper seems to be a shady record label with a business concept that means they are trying to circumvent the copyright laws. They claim they have "licenced" these tracks from Enzo Hamilton, and he's often accused of being a notorious bootlegger of reggae music.

   5. There would be room for all the songs on only 3CD's.

   A good place to start your ska collection would instead be this: Rough & Tough - The Story of Ska (2CD's, Trojan). Good songs, good sound, and it's rather inexpensive too!




3. Fan of third wave ska? Looking to explore ska's original roots? This is the perfect set to buy. Extensive, plentiful, Skatalite heavy and dirt cheap. This will open the doors to the wonderful world of 60s ska. You might even be surprised at how many songs you recognize considering how often third wave ska bands covered the originals. One thing, don't expect super high quality. Not that this set is 'poor.' It's that these songs were all originally produced on subpar recording equipment. Enjoy!



4. If you want to hear an incredible amount of first-rate Jamaican ska at an incredibly reasonable price, this is the set for you.

   This collection is grounded in a lot of first-rate work by the Skatalites, including a lots of songs listed under Tommy McCook, Don Drummond, and other individual members of the band. There's also an excellent sampling of early Toots and the Maytals as well, including the classics "Monkey Man" and "54-46 Was My Number", and John Holt's original version of "The Tide Is High", which was later a big hit for Blondie, of course) is also here. In addition, there are literally dozens of outstanding songs from bands I'd simply never heard of, including Blue Rivers & the Maroons doing the ska classic "Guns of Navarone" and Nora Dean doing "Oh Mama."

   There's only one song by Desmond Dekker, one by Laurel Aitken, and none by Prince Buster, so this is by no means the last word in Jamaican Ska. However, there are CDs in print from each of these artists. A lot of the songs on this collection, you simply can't find anywhere else.

   As box sets go, the packaging is pretty ordinary--just jewel cases in a box with liner notes. As far as I can tell, this is the only sacrifice you make buying this set. There is an excellent essay filling the 20-plus page liner notes, but unfortunately, no details on the recording, though this could well be because this information simply doesn't exist. Still, it would have been nice to know who played on what recordings, since the lineups seem to vary so much. The sound quality is very good in most cases, though none of this music was recorded under pristine conditions, so don't expect audiophile recordings. A few songs seem to show the limitations of the source material.

   Though the price on this set is terrific, this would still be a first-rate collection at twice the price. Highly recommended to anyone interested in Jamaican ska, whether it's your first CD in the genre, or you have a substantial collection.




5. This box set holds 80 tracks of Jamaican music from the 1960s. A detailed booklet describes the history of the style and the musicians. The music is relaxed, charming, great fun to listen to. If you've never heard Ska, get this set and try it. The price is a bargain.