3 comments about Masters of Metal.

1. This compilation made my long freeway commute to work more bearable. I don't care if it reaches the end and starts over; it bears repeating. Good solid hard rock / heavy metal tunes that I haven't heard a thousand times on the radio. I was blown away by the way Circus of Power's "Waitin' For The Wizard" deconstructs itself part way through to the point of sounding like more than one song playing at the same time, and then somehow pulls itself back together. And the Cycle Sluts from Hell deliver the level of quality one would expect from a title like "I Wish You Were A Beer". A jammin' disc that would make a great addition to any head banger's compliation collection.



2. This is good solid metal. All the songs (but one) rock with the best, as the title of the CD suggests. The one poor song is "I Wish You were a Beer", because of its retarded lyrics and generally poor sound. However, don't let that get you down, for "Battle Angels", "Fire and Love", "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and "Waitin' for the Wizard" are all excellent. I would even say that "Battle Angels" by itself, with its crazy rippin' guitars and mad vocals, is worth buying the CD for. Listen to this CD if you like hard and angry metal that's awesomely well done. It's got variety and great quality.



3. "Hey there poseur, I wish you were a beer!", such infinitely wise words from the raunchy rock vixens Cycle Sluts From Hell. Their own CD? Sadly out of print. I'm glad I found this comp that includes it, my Cycle Sluts tape is on it's last legs. The song is all about how they wish that all the poseur guys in bars that hit on them were beers. You wont know whether to giggle madly or start a mosh pit.

No comments about Steel Cowboys, Vol. 1.

1 comments about The 70's Come Alive Again.

1. all of the selections are great, even maggie may and i'm not a rod stewart fan. the extended version of "free bird" on this cassette is not to be believed. it's not the extended "live version" which i have on cd and which cannot compare to the version on this cassette. i wish someone could tell me on what cd of lynryd skynyrd this extended version appears. i imagine the cd of this compilation is worthwhile since it includes the great steppenwolf. to get this much geat music in a cassette at this price is wonderful.

2 comments about Rock Classics.

1. This version of Mississippi Queen is not the 2:33 studio cut but a 4:13 live version. The long solo is good but a bit sloppy and West improvises some of the lyrics (or was just too drunk to remember them); nevertheless, worth hearing. The selections are a hodgepodge, so the music doesn't flow from track to track. The recording is not remastered but the sound is acceptable and for $6.98 a bargain if you need these songs in your collection.
   
   Recording length: about 45 minutes



2. This is a good review of artists on Columbia Records' roster in the late 1960s-early 1970s. Although my LP's cover promised "Time Has Come Today" by the Chambers Brothers also, this CD tracks exactly like the vinyl original. The Byrds offer "Turn, Turn, Turn," one of their very best, while strong selections from Blood, Sweat and Tears and Edgar Winter offer a taste of the Top 40. Richie Furay's "A Good Feelin' To Know" represents the best incarnation of Poco, likewise with Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes." Spirit, Electric Flag and the Buddy Miles/Carlos Santana collaboration offer some psychedelic blues. Finally, you have some Seventies radio fodder in Argent's "Hold Your Head Up" and "Rock On" by David Essex (really, guys, what's this doing here?). In all, a nice mix of the classic and the forgotten.

5 comments about The Best of Southern Rock.

1. i own about 4 of these southern rock CDs to get a wide enough range of what Southern Rock offers, and these are good songs. For goodness sakes, if you want to dig Skynyrd, buy a double album. I'm old enough to have seen Duane Almann alive, and these slam in the truck CDs work for me for rockin' nostalgia, while commuting. And yes, Ghost Riders is worth the price my wife paid for the CD, I can't get my outlaw album to play in the truck!



2. For anyone unfamiliar with "Southern Rock," this cd is a great SAMPLER. However, this is nowhere near the "best of" Southern Rock. I have to agree with the other reviewers in that you would need to include songs from Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot, Marshall Tucker Band, and more songs from Lynyrd Skynyrd to truly represent the "best of" Southern Rock. In fact, several of the songs on this cd would probably fit better on a cd of "Country rock" selections (i.e., Pure Prairie League & Ozark Mountain Daredevils). What this cd does is provide an excellent spectrum of music that falls into the "Southern rock" genre. From the mellow, easy-listening sounds of "Let Me Love You Tonight" and "Fooled Around and Feel in Love," to the jazzy feel of "Champage Jam" to the hard-driving multi-guitar attacks of 38 Special, the Allman Brothers, and the Outlaws, you get a good feel for the variety that exists even within this style of music. Of course the presence of "Ramblin Man," "Sweet Home Alabama," and "Ghost Riders in the Sky" alone make this cd worth the price of admission! The South's Gonna Do it Again!



3. I'd just like to say that there just aint enough Skynyrd on this compilation. I do like The Allman Brothers Band but one song from the Skynyrd, the greatest southern rock band of all time come on. And why is it that on all these "southern rock" or "classic rock" compilations for Skynyrd they always put in songs like Sweet Home Alabama or Free Bird? I love those songs (especially Free Bird) but they're getting played out and that does no good for the band. They should put songs like The Needle and the Spoon on there.



4. Anytime you overlook Molly Hatchet & Blackfoot when your talking Southern Rock, you overlook a major portion of the hard drivin, butt thumpin down south style.



5. How can a southern rock compilation be complete without at least one song from the Marshall Tucker Band, or does that have something to do with licensing?

No comments about Legends of Rock: Classic Rock Heroes.

No comments about The Best of British Rock.

No comments about Made in America, Vol. 1.

5 comments about For the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson.

1. Harry Nilsson wrote so many great songs, and this just includes songs that are not on the `Popeye' movie soundtrack. Harry's version of `Remember' is longer than the 2:21 version by Randy Newman that is at the beginning of this album, but few people would know what notes Randy Newman leaves out. `Turn On Your Radio' is a great song, telling everyone to listen. `One' was a popular rock hit for Three Dog Night, but Aimee Mann gives it a Jon Brion production. `Coconut' is comic by the time the doctor in the middle of the night is singing "You're such a silly woman" or is that crazy? Joe Ely sounds convincing on "Joy to the world was a beautiful girl, but to me Joy only meant sorrow." Ringo Starr and Stevie Nicks sing together on "Lay Down Your Arms." Maybe you never heard that song. `Without Her' is vintage Harry Nilsson, but `Without You' by Pete Ham was more famous when Harry sang it. He is also known for singing the `Everybody's Talkin'' song, the version which was featured in the `Midnight Cowboy' soundtrack. `Jump Into the Fire' has a lot of energy.
   
   Perfect images abound in `The Moonbeam Song'. Party? `You're Breaking My Heart' sounds like a party with Peter Wolf. The sweet songs are `Mournin' Glory Story,' `Salmon Falls,' `The Puppy Song' as sung by Victoria Williams, `Think About Your Troubles', `Good Old Desk,' and `I Guess the Lord Must Be In New York City.' "Keep Your powder dry" and "I'll miss the alimony, too" are some great lines from `Don't Forget Me,' which also includes the dire insight, "When we're older, full of cancer."
   
   Modern excitement gets its kicks in `The Lottery Song' and`Spaceman.' You couldn't possibly appreciate `Me and My Arrow' like a kid would unless you've seen the video, `The Point,' which has a few great songs like `Down' that are not on this album, but I remember it from the `Nilsson Schmilsson' LP.
   `Life Line' at the end of this album is a song from `The Point.' That soundtrack has a `Down in the Valley' which might be a different song with a theme similar to the `Down' on `Nilsson Schmilsson.' When I think of Harry Nilsson, the plea "Send me down a life line" is so close to my thoughts that I am easily confused about where I heard that before.
   This tribute was recorded in 1995 to generate donations to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. If you buy a used copy, the artists' royalties have already been paid by someone else, but there aren't any new copies for anything which is so ad hoc, as they say in Latin.



2. THIS IS BY FAR ONE OF THE BEST TRIBUTE ALBUMS. THE VARIETY OF ARTISTS AND THE QUALITY OF THEIR PERFORMANCE IS GREAT. NOT EVERY ARTIST DOES JUSTICE TO THE SONG BUT I DONT THINK ANY ALBUM CAN MATCH THAT STANDARD. MY FAVORITE, SALMON FALLS AND TURN ON THE RADIO, BOTTOM DWELLER IS WITHOUT HER. I AM SORRY THEY DIDNOT COME OUT WITH A TWO VOLUME SET FEATURING SONGS LIKE, TOGETHER, I GUESS THE LORD MUST BE IN NEW YORK CITY, MAYBE. ETC.



3. Tribute albums are notoriously a mixed bag. Often, they fall into two categories: big names stars making mincemeat of classic songs, or unknown artists living up to their well-deserved status. This, however, is a very, very pleasant exception to these rules. Even the very annoying Randy Newman acquits himself well with a truly moving rendition of "Remember." All of which serves as a reminder of just how good Nilsson really was, both in terms of lyrics and melodies. Sure, there are duds here, like the goddawful trashing of "Coconut" by the semi-talented B-52's frontman Fred Schneider (it's almost too painful to listen to), but there are real gems, too, like Adrien Belew's playful version of "Me and My Arrow," Marc Cohn's "Turn on Your Radio," and a version of "Spaceman" by the Roches which bests the original. "Jump Into the Fire" becomes a Gospel classic, too, at the hands of LaVern Baker.

   What shines through most of all is the deep affection these performers, by and large, have for the music and for Harry. The liner notes are wonderful, too. For me, it reopened the door to Harry that had been closed for so long.




4. You must be a bit of a fan to even consider this album. It's not awful, and there are some great performances. Randy Newman's 'Remember' is very moving. It's great to see Randy returning the respect that Harry clearly had for him. Another standout moment is 'This Could Be The Night' by Brian Wilson. One of Brian's favourite Spector productions. It's also worth noting Jellyfish show us their final ever performance 'Think abnout Your Troubles' which has always been an amazing song, and Jellyfish's treatment, although not lavish, is wonderful.

   Two other standout tracks are 'Mournin' Glory Story' which is very heavy. And I'd say 'Coconut' is fantastic. Forget the subtle original version. This is a truly manic crazed version, and I'm sure Harry would have laughed louder than any of us.

   Despite the odd flourish from Ringo Starr, Carl Wilson, and Ron Sexsmith, there are some fairly dodgy moments.

   I found it really made me want to listen to the original stuff again. And anything that prompts a re-evaluation of how great Harry was is a good thing.




5. As with most tribute albums, about half of the tracks here are people trying their best to sound like the artist...which in Harry's case is just not possible...and the rest are 'rethinkings' of the songs. It's hit-and-miss, with some wonderful performances (Ringo, Adrian Belew, Marshall Crenshaw) some inspired contributions (Victoria Williams, Randy Newman) and some real duds (Fred Schneider's "Coconut" is just awful). But it doesn't really matter, because everyone here genuinely loves Nilsson, and it shows.

1 comments about Guitar Rock: Heavy Favorites.

1. I like all music of Satana group