5 comments about The Day After Yesterday.

1. Was never a Rick Springfield fan, but heard a clip of an old favorite (UNDER THE MILKY WAY TONIGHT) on a car commercial, ordered this CD and expected a pop hits top 40 fluff album. To my total amazement this has now become one of the best CD's in my 450+ title collection. In short this a perfect portrait of a very talented singer from the 80's who created a single work that takes you on several musical journeys ranging from introspective lyric-rich Romantic to Air Guitarin Rock to Jazz-ish Blues. And this enthusiastic applause for 'Day After Yesterday' is coming from a die hard Doors, Led Zepplin and Guns & Roses fan! If you would like a softer experience, with 'seasoning' and with an 'edge' you will like this CD.



2. I've been a Rick fan since 1972 with his, Speak To The Sky. You can still hear his encouraging voice throughout every song on this album. Getting his take on these ROCK CLASSICS is a must for any true Rick fan. say what you want about him, but he's got more guts than most of the pandering rockers out there. He's been at it so long, he has no need to pander. A truly unique songsmith/singer. I'm glad he has let his own skill/talent, drive his train and not something as fragile as an ego. Artist that are driven by that always end up ravaged by the idot "Rock Press" and the fickle taste of the record buying public. This album is a gold nugget of great grooves, songs that connect on a level few Rock musicians can pull of for an entire album of Songs.
   [...].



3. At 36, I am one of those women who fell in love with RS as a pre-teen, and grew up with him. I was really looking forward to this one after SDAA, which I personally thought was his best album since Tao. Like other RS fans, I can usually find something to appreciate with any of his albums- not so with this one. This album is terrible. I could tolerate Not in Love - the rest of the album was just a weak, string of songs that could at best make me fall asleep. This is honestly the first RS album I've ever bought that I never play!



4. This is so different than any other Rick Springfield cd. I loved the way he sounds.



5. Give this guy a break, he hasn't gone soft or easy listening. This albumn is a just what a woman needs to chill.
   Turn down the lights, open a bottle of wine/beer put on this CD and grab the one you love (that is if Rick has other plans for the evening)
   
   This is definately one of his sexier compliations, he puts his own spin on each song and makes it special, I hope he does more like it. You can't get enough of his deep, sexy, voice.
   Rick truly rocks
   xxx

5 comments about Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits Of The '80s, Vol. 5.

1. 
   This is my favorite of the Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the 80's series. I took the opportunity to review a dozen other volumes in the series however Vol. 5 is my favorite for a single reason...the inclusion of Valley Girl by the late Frank Zappa and his daughter Moon. I had this CD but needed to replace it because of a crack. Mickey by Toni Basil and Vacation from the Go-Gos are also in this set but Valley Girl made this a must have and I found it here.



2. Nope, in fact it was one of the songs that I hated the first time I heard it and can still gather up a load of revulsion for today. The oddball tune that drags this collection up to the .500 line is Pete Shelley's "Homo Sapien". Funny, catchy and just plain clever, but I worry about Pete. Other than that volume 5 barely trips the meter. Welcome to the middle of the new wave road.



3. My biggest complaint about this particular album is the inclusion of "Hold onto Something" by Great Buildings. Many of these songs define my days in high school, but for the life of me I can't remember ever hearing of this band. However, I do remember hearing this song...or one very much like it -- Joe Jackson's incredibly popular song titled, "I'm the Man," from his album, "I'm the Man" (1979), which was hugely popular through the early eighties.

   Re-mixing this album with the correct song would help this album's rating a lot.




4. The best entry in Rhino's awesome "New Wave Hits" series.(Volume 1 which covers the late 70's is also excellent).All 16 songs are culled from 1982 which was indeed a very good year for pop music. Haircut One Hundred's "Love Plus One" and Flock of Seagulls' "I Ran" were anthems of the(then) young MTV Generation. These quirky video darlings raged like a hurricane of fresh air in the face of bland corporate schlock which hogged the airwaves. Songs like the Go Go's "Vacation" and Tommy Tutone's "867-5309" were not only pure fun-- they were also well-crafted 3-minute pop gems. In fact, nearly every tune on volume 5 is cut from the same intelligent pop mold. Other standouts from this set include the vastly underrated Marshall Crenshaw's "Someday Someway", The Jam's "A Town Called Malice" and Soft Cell's absurdly humorous "Sex Dwarf". The only weak cuts are Gang of Four's "Man in Uniform" and the truly horrible "Art of Parties" by Japan. Overall, this is a fantastic collection which harkens back to a truly innovative time in pop music-- a brief time when catchy Hit Singles ruled and all possibilities seemed endless.



5. This is my favorite of the series. Actually there are only two cuts that I consider weak ("Kids in America" and "Mickey"). ALl the rest are great little slices of the variety and creativeness of 80's new wave rock. Good c.d. to have.

1 comments about Romantics/National Breakout.

1. the Romantics first and second cd's are both featured on one disc. this is some really good raw sounding rocknroll from 1979-1980 when their songs had a catchy 60's brit rock flair. The first cd features "what I like about you" a classic song. the second cd has a song that is very overlooked in the Romantics catalog.."night like this" this song deserves to be heard again for good measure. Great song!! the bass line is cool too! The Romantics carried on the tradition of vocal/chorus song with catchy riffs and great drumming. Both cd's are an example of rocknroll that had no over production and crazy guitars.

5 comments about Twelve Stops and Home.

1. Echoing later 10cc, Supertramp at their peak, and, yes, even the earlier Beatles, The Feeling does a great job of offering catchy, melodic pop that is simply a pleasure to listen to.
   
   But despite the influences I mentioned above, The Feeling isn't a retro band or a throwback to something else. It's just tough to come up with equally infectious pop creators among their peers. . . not many bands are currently filling this niche (without also trying to sound appropriately "hip" and ironic).
   
   It's great to hear a modern band that's not afraid to embrace the best that pop that can be: full arrangements, tight harmonies, hummable melodies, and a refreshing sense of humor.
   
   Get The Feeling.



2. This is a fantastic album. Very well played, insightful lyrics and extremely ear friendly. These guys know how to make a good pop record. I highly recomend this. In the vain of Travis, and coldplay a bit although (ironically based on their name) I'd say with a bit more punch than those two. I enjoyed the album tremendously and still regularly listen. Actually this was a second purchase as the first cd obtained a nasty scratch on my favorite track no less.
   
   I like this ablum from top to bottom, and the cool thing is it will grow on you.
   
   p.s. their second album is good but not as good as this one.



3. As an unapologetic Anglophile, I too watched snippets of the Concert for Diana two years ago and was greeted by a warm wave of melodic, bright and joyous music. In addition to being just leveled by Take That's "Patience" and at least enticed by Lily Allen, there was this unassuming combo that went by a very apt name, The Feeling. While I couldn't determine what song it was that intrigued me, the sound itself was quite compelling and I filed the experience away for future investigation. I finally found my way back to the group after hearing fellow stars Keane's song "A Bad Dream" last evening on Scrubs, but as serendipity would have it, the first YouTube video I checked out was "Sewn". I had been terribly ill the previous 3 days and, as happens so much, music helped me to feel just a bit better. Clicking on the YT play button, I was met by a deceivingly simple acoustic guitar line, then completely devastated by the kind of vocal melody seldom heard on American radio since the days of Bread or America. Like those notorious soft rockers, the 'NA-na, NA-na-na-na' hook of "Sewn" may seem inane to the sophisticates and no, most of his lyrics won't render him a Nobel laureate, but lead vocalist Dan Gillespie Sells' key changes are undeniably gorgeous and affecting. While 'Danny Boy' (who resembles nothing so much as a cross between Charlie Sheen, Tobey Maguire and Ewan MacGregor) hasn't ever made any attempt to hide his sexual orientation, what is actually an exhortative call-and-response with himself as protagonist renders "Sewn" applicable to either a female or male object of affection despite the somewhat eyebrow-raising phrase 'shake that [...]' (still not nearly as shocking as it might once have been in this context and age of ambiguity, though). Gillespie Sells and the band breaks down and brings home "Sewn" with a slightly heavier, slowly building crescendo very reminiscent of "I Should've Known" by Aimee Mann in its plaintive vocal improvisation. It's worth noting that the single version of "Sewn" inexplicably forsakes an entire 3rd verse and chorus, leaving the sense of it being unfinished.....
   
   While Dan's hope was indeed to evoke a Seventies harmonic vibe (mission accomplished and then some more often than not on this record) as with Keane, The Feeling owes a lot to Scotsmen Fran Healy and Travis, really the first British ensemble to revisit such a softer sound. Their 2 albums The Man Who and The Invisible Band remain highly original, underrated masterpieces, but such songs as "Fill My Little World" and "Never Be Lonely" (the video for which displays an impressive appreciation of visual and audio dynamics alike, evoking Yes' "Owner Of A Lonely Heart", Badfinger and Queen in 2 interspersed, sonically progressive vignettes) on Twelve Stops.....reveal that The Feeling are arguably capable of producing their own touchstone works.
   
   There is, however, a reason why I only assigned the record 4 stars and, while I won't be receiving it for a few days yet so any review here perhaps relies too much upon the strength of "Sewn", New Wavy numbers such as " I Love It When You Call" (likely a product of their penchant for performing "Video Killed The Radio Star") left me underwhelmed. I haven't heard any of the band's sophomore offering Join With Us either so I can't comment on how The Feeling might have subsequently changed, but on their Wiki page, there's a list of other unlikely covers this lot has done in the past, sometimes under alternate names. A sampling: "Lose Yourself" by Eminem (!!!) and, believe it or not, "Reign In Blood" by SLAYER (!!!!!!!) So I can say with some confidence that The Feeling will surprise listeners as their career unfolds.....



4. I saw The Feeling open for Mat Kearney a couple years ago, expecting to be bored and waiting for the main event. I had been introduced to the band on VH-1 after midnight with their video for "Sewn" and had immediately written them off as too weird to enjoy (seriously, what is with all the weird videos from Brits?). Boy, was I wrong. This album is fabulous, great pick-me-up music. It probably skews better with women than with men, and it's lightly reminiscent of The Beatles' more commercial days. I have to agree with Anthony from Milwaukee in his review when he says he doesn't understand the song "Kettle's On." It's true, it's kind of like the lost song on the CD in that it's really the only one that makes very little sense.
   
   Less important here, the band also has a great stage presence. Now just waiting for US tour #2.



5. This is a great way to get your British fix for the day!! Love the accents in their songs!

3 comments about 867-5309/Jenny.

1. A perfectly adequate specimen of '80s pop, but destined to be forgotten -- until Stewie, the James-Bond-supervillain in a baby's body, cemented it into immortality.
   
   Stealing every scene of *Family Guy* he's ever in, as always, Stewie picked up the kitchen phone, tried to tap in a half-remembered number that came out "8-6-7-5-3-0-9," realized what he had done, and hung up the phone in frustration, crying, "Damn you, Tommy Tutone!"



2. I LOVE LOVE LOVE 867-5309, so much so that I learned how to play it on guitar....what an infectious song. I like a few others too, but that, to me, is the quintessential 80's song for me....along w/ the police and U2, of course.



3. OK, you remember the big hit - "867-5309/Jenny" - and you want it in your collection. Now you must choose. Do you get this budget priced compilation, with 10 songs, or do you spend almost twice as much money for "Tommy Tutone/Tommy Tutone 2", which will give you 22 songs?
   
   The other reviewer of this collection chose to save a few bucks and go with the 10 songs, and obviously he's happy with his choice. But I'd like to take this opportunity to urge you to spend a little more and get the other CD instead. Otherwise you'll miss out on fine songs such as "Angel Say No", "Shadow On The Road Ahead", "Why Baby Why", and "Steal Away".
   
   No matter which way you go, you're going to end up with songs only from Tommy Tutone's first 2 albums. Which is fine, their career was short, and album 3 was pretty weak anyway. (Two later CDs surfaced after a long break, with only one of the original band members participating.) If you get this collection, you'll get 5 songs from each of the two albums, if you get the other CD you'll get the 2 albums in their entirety.
   
   If you're a fan of the power pop genre or of Tommy Tutone in particular, spend the extra money, it's well worth it. If you just want the hit, then get this one. If you're afraid that Tommy Tutone might not have had enough good songs to make it worth getting either one, fear not. They had plenty of good songs.

3 comments about Back on the Streets/King Cool.

1. Donnie Iris's 3 great songs were "Ah, Leah", "Sweet Merilee" and "Love Is Like A Rock". The other songs were pretty mediocre, IMO.



2. Great cd as all Donnie Iris discs are! Only wish they put "Too Young To Love" on it



3. It is good to see that there is still enough interest in Donnie Iris hat his first two albums are back in print. His last two of his four albums on LP have yet to even merit a CD issue, so being able to find these is a treat.
   
   Iris burst forth from Pittsburgh PA after a tenure with one-hitters The Jaggerz ("The Rapper") with his solo album "Back on The Streets." This is the Iris album that has "Ah Leah!" on it. Problem is, it was pretty rocky going after that. Iris and partner Marc Avsec played everything on this album, and it comes off a bit stiff. Also, there is too much going on here to make Iris sound like he was doing much else other than chasing styles. Aside from "Agnes" and "I Can't Hear You," there is little here that sounds like an artist defining himself. (Nonsense like "Joking/Shock Treatment" didn't help his case, either.)
   
   After this, Iris put together the Cruisers and cut the far superior "King Cool." Three best songs on "Back On The Streets" are on the 20th Century Masters - Best of Donnie Iris set.
   
   Iris and his new Cruisers launched forth with a semi-concept album for his second effort. "King Cool" was a street bard with love for "Sweet Merilee" and a knack for Buddy Holly pop. In the span of ten songs, King Cool sees his love rise ("Love Is Like a Rock") and ultimately crash ("The Last To Know"). In between, Iris and his band tackle a variety of styles. From Elvis Costello new wave ("Pretender") to Huey Lewis Top 40 hits ("My Girl"), "King Cool" expertly wove an album as solid as the eighties could provide. This was Donnie Iris' best full length album, even though he still turned out some top flight singles on all his albums. The proof of the kind of ecstasy that Iris was able to pry out of his work is best witnessed in "That's The Way Love Ought To Be." As the song nears its climax, Iris/Cool asks Merilee to "come a little closer, a little bit closer, and kiss me" just before leaning in with a perfect rock and roll yelp of "oh oh oh yeaaaaaahhhhhhhh" delight. As poppy as Huey Lewis, but not as threatening as Joe Jackson or Elvis Costello, Iris walked a fine line all the way through "King Cool."
   
   One can now hope that maybe the third and fourth albums ("The High and Mighty" and "Fortune 410") finally see the laser light of day. A full-on retrospective off ALL Iris and Avsec's material - he's still recording and touring - would be cool, as well.

5 comments about Enuff Z'nuff.

1. This Album is a Pop Metal Masterpiece! From start to finish it just rocks like an old school Metal Album should."New Thing" is so damn catchy it should have been a bigger hit than it was and "Fly High Michelle" has such a great vocal and tune to it it just blows my mind these guys didnt blow up in the 80's and 90's.Their songwriting skills and playing ablilties are way above average.One to check out if you like 80's metal.



2. As difficult as this may be to imagine, Enuff Z'nuff's crackling debut is essentially bubblegum disguised as lite metal disguised as power pop by four hair farmers masquerading as Poison operating under cover in the federal witness protection program as Hanoi Rocks. And they're from Chicago, which probably explains the Illinois juju here, singer Donnie Vie a dead ringer for Cheap Trick's Robin Zander, from neighboring Rockford.
   
   Although he tends to over rely on some sort of string-bending hocus pocus which sonically approximates Barbaro getting his first whiff of the glue factory, hooks burst forth in a technicolor splash from Derek Frigo's guitar on perfect-world hit singles like "New Thing," "Fly High Michelle," and "Little Indian Angel," the latter a 100-watt bust-up between Jeff Lynn-era Move and the 1910 Fruitgum Company.
   
   And lest there's any doubt left what motivates these guys by the time track eight rolls around, there's the snappy, Crue-on-pop-rocks prance of the not-so-double-entendre "Kiss the Clown," and its not-so-subliminal suggestion: "bend over baby, this ain't love."
   
   I still can't decide if it's a complete piss-take, mind-numbingly rote and overdone, or bloody genius. Let's split the difference.



3. THE BAND: Donnie Vie (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Derek Frigo (lead guitars, R.I.P.), Chip Z'nuff (bass, guitars, vocals), Vikki Foxx (drums & percussion).
   
   THE DISC: (1989) 10 songs clocking in at approximately 43 minutes. Included with the disc is a 10-page booklet containing song titles/credits/times, song lyrics, black & white individual band member photos, and thank you's. All songs written by Vie and/or Z'Nuff, except "Finger On The Trigger by Vie and Frigo. This is the band's 1st studio album. Recorded at Royal Recorders, Lake Geneva, WI. Label - ATCO / Atlantic Records.
   
   COMMENTS: A great start to an amazing and unique band from the Chicago suburbs (Blue Island, IL). Caught somewhere between Cheap Trick and The Beatles - the songs are groovy and instantly catchy (the band has sighted The Beatles as one of their major influences). Thinking back, 1989 was an incredible year in the world of long haired rock music - outside of the established big names of the time like Aerosmith, Van Halen, Scorpions and Motley Crue - there were many bands just getting their feet wet. 1989 gave us some amazing albums from Blue Murder (self titled debut), Mr. Big (debut), Skid Row (debut), "Shark Island (debut "Law Of The Order"), Giant (debut "Last Of The Runaways"), L.A. Guns ("Cocked & Loaded"), King's X ("Gretchen Goes To Nebraska"), White Lion ("Big Game"), Junkyard (debut)... and this 1st release from Enuff Z'nuff. Donny Vie's slightly scratchy vocals are full of attitude and Frigo's guitars full of swagger. Frigo's guitar solos are amazing... he was truly one of the greats flying under the radar. Foxx's drumming and flashy high-hat work reminds me of a young Steve Smith (Journey). Two hits came from this debut - the infectious opener "New Thing" (singing about the infatuation and the beginnings of a new relationship), and its polar opposite "Fly High Michelle" (substance abuse and love lost). Other highlights include the power ballad "I Could Never Be Without You" and the bluesy tracks "She Wants More" and "In The Groove". The last track, "Finger On The Trigger", is an all out guitar assault by Frigo... an upbeat and exciting way to end the album. In my opinion, Enuff Z'nuff never got the critical acclaim they deserved. They came onto the music scene when hair/glam bands were a dime a dozen (though the band was never really a hair/glam band per say), and grunge was right around the corner. If you purchase only one or two of their albums - this debut, or their 2nd release "Strength" (1991) is the place to start (4.5 stars).



4. I have been listening to this CD on a regular basis since 1989! Do the math, that's 17 years! I still believe this is one of the best CD's of all time. They didn't quite fit in the 80's glam genre, sure they looked glam but they have kind of Beatle's melody thing going. Hard to describe... so, I recommend you buy it!



5. Good first album. Bought this back when it was released off the strength of Fly High Michelle, which still sounds awesome. New Thing is okay, as is Hot Little Summer Girl. Little Indian Angel is a good track as well. They were just warming up with this debut, and their efforts that followed just got better and more personal.

5 comments about Anthology (1968-1985).

1. Rock chameleons come and go, but Todd Rundgren and David Bowie have outlasted them all. Both started with failed bands (though Nazz was somewhat successful), entered a phase of being singer/songwriters, went glam, recorded Philly soul and R&B, and produced other important acts (more on that later).
   
   The main reason to buy a "best of" is when any given single album by an artist isn't representative enough of their output. Forced to name my favorite Todd outings, I'd have to choose the 2-disc "Todd" and his band Utopia's "Swing To The Right". But there's so much great stuff before and after! You'll hear a good cross-section of his work on this 2-CD set, and even more if you supplement it with Utopia's single-disc "Anthology". It's all here - gorgeous ballads, the radio pop hits, some psychedelia, and many guitar-driven rockers.
   
   For me, Todd's golden era was the 12 years between 1970 and 1982. His band The Nazz had issued 3 albums prior to then, and they were good - but perhaps too indebted to their musical heroes The Yardbirds and The Who. It wasn't until "Runt" (1970) that Todd started to find his own voice. He's the most "soulful" of the 70's rock stars, frequently incorporating his Philly soul roots (and Motown influences) into his singing and his rock. As time went on, he'd alternate solo and Utopia releases. Early Utopia sounded a lot like Mahavishnu Orchestra. Todd's scorching guitar playing was very reminiscent of John McLaughlin. I like it, but prefer the second, more pop/rock/new wave version of the band featuring Roger Powell, Kasim Sulton, and John "Willie" Wilcox.
   
   Favorite solo Todd (on which he often played all the instruments himself): "Runt", "Something/Anything?", "A Wizard/A True Star", "Todd", "Faithful", "Hermit Of Mink Hollow", and "Healing". Favorite Utopia: "Another Live" (early band), "Oops! Wrong Planet", "Adventures In Utopia", the Beatlesque "Deface The Music", "Swing To The Right", and "Utopia" (1982). Personally, I feel his efforts since then have been interesting, but not of the same caliber. I make an exception for "The Individualist", which was truly excellent.
   
   I can't conclude a Todd review without mentioning his production career. Todd's produced great records over the years by a host of rock luminaries, including New York Dolls, Patti Smith, Meat Loaf, Badfinger, and XTC. That's another way he resembles Bowie, who did the same for Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and Mott the Hoople. Both were also pioneers in the fields of music videos and computers, though Rundgren is much more technically involved than his British counterpart.
   
   Todd Rundgren: a renaissance "man for all seasons".



2. Had Todd's Anthology way back in LP album form (have no idea what ever happened to it). Purchased it cassette form (still have that).
   
   Now I have the cd. Sounds better than ever before.



3. A true musical genius. Take a blow get a ZyR voduski and snapple lemonade and let the music cover you up. PowerPLUS from the 70's and 80's. Tight lyrics and pop masterpiece arangements. go todd go.



4. This is a good place to start for Todd Rundgren/Utopia collectors.
   It has most of the essential hits and key album tracks
   that the casual listener would want.
   
   But for those who'd want to dig deeper(or already have,
   like me), it's still enough to whet your appetite.
   
   I would've liked to see some of the 'Faithful' cover
   versions (especially the note-for-note 'Good Vibrations')
   appear here, but that's a minor complaint.



5. With just four songs representing it here,the truly essential Todd Rundgren album "Something/Anything" is simply not given its due. Unfortunately, there really are no other worthwhile Rundgren anthologies out there, so what you may want to do is purchase this anthology and supplement it by buying individual albums with the bigger concentrations of Todd's best work. I would argue that 1974's "Todd" also deserved more tracks included, especially the "Sidewalk Cafe/Izzat Love?" suite (sweet!).
   
   One nice aspect to this album is Todd's tongue-in-cheek bio, some decent notes, and all lyrics included in the insert. Including "Open My Eyes" was also a smart move, so this is set is certainly not a bad one by any means, and as noted, it's the best available.
   
   Considering that most CD anthologies hold around 75 minutes of music per disc, this one clocks in rather short at about 105 or so minutes total for two discs. There WAS a European anthology which had fourteen more tracks, but it is no longer available new or used (so don't bother to look for it--I tried through four different Amazon Marketplace Merchants). So we are stuck with this strong but incomplete anthology; there really is nothing better available, so buy it and a few other Todd favorites to supplement.

5 comments about Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon.

1. Good selection of songs from John Lennon's albums that reflect his personal and political journey. Most versions of his songs are very good. Not wild about the version of Cold Turkey -- way too laid back. Most love songs included are pretty good; a few are forgettable. All in all this is one of the best tribute albums I've ever purchased.



2. I love the originals, and some of the groups doing the covers, but this has to be one of the worst messes I've ever heard.
   
   The covers are lifeless and dull, and even The Flaming Lips, who I thought could do no wrong, do a horrible cover.
   
   Get the originals, forget these covers.



3. I ordered this from Amazon.com since I'm in the UK and this title wasn't available from Amazon UK. It took about 2 weeks to arrive and was worth the wait. As other customers have said, as a rule Lennon/Beatles cover songs aren't much good at all but this CD is a notable exception.
   
   I admit that my reason for buying this CD was initially due to the fact that I'm an Alice In Chains fan and their late lead singer Layne Staley appears with MadSeason, his side project alongside Alice In Chains. They perform 'I don't wanna be a soldier', a song which I never thought was one of Lennon's best.
   This version though(I think) is better than the original, yet at the same time sounding quite authentic, as well as being unavailable on any other album.
   
   There are other notable tracks apart from this one, such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers' version of 'I found out'.
   This sounds a lot 'grungier'(for want of a better word lol) than most of their stuff, and works well, as do tracks like 'steel and glass' by Candlebox. 'Cold Turkey'Lennon's description of the nightmare of heroin addiction, is another good track. This track starts off deceptively quietly before getting heavier, even if it isn't as harrowing as the original.
   
   So a good covers album then, one which I feel would be particularly interesting to fans of the individual artists here, since these tracks are as far as I know unavailable elsewhere.



4. I got this disc at a used CD shop in town for six dollars, I wasn't expecting much, as most of the Lennon cover/tributes i've heard were pretty lacking. I was dead wrong. There is only one bad cover on this dics, every other is great!

   Red Hot Chili Peppers/I Found Out - Slow, Angry, and funky. Something the peppers haven't ever done before and its cool to hear them do a song that doens't stick to their style. 3/5

   Mad Season/I don't Wanna Be a Soldier - I never liked this song, but I think this cover is more enjoyable than to original (to me) Driving guitars and bass, and some really good vocals. 3/5

   Candlebox/Steel and Glass - Awesome cover off the Walls and Bridges album. It's especially good because the guitar were buried by the string in the original, but Candlebox's cover features loud guitars and stand out bass. Cool guitar solo too 5/5

   Blues Traveler/Imagine - Pretty standard in the beginning, with some cool bass fills, but after the first verse things get really blusey and some harmonica come in. Good rendition! 4/5

   Screaming Trees/Working Class Hero - I always thought this was one of Lennons best, but the only cover i've heard was by Cyndi Lauper and it was awful (love cyndi though) The song starts out with just two guitars chiming with vocals, but it builds up and adds a cello and evtually drums and bass come in and give the song a lot of power, great cover. 5/5

   The Minus 5/Power To The People - I head this song tacked on as a bonus track on "Plastic Ono Band" and this cover is millions of times better than the original, believe me. It is amazing Minus 5 were able to see the potential of this otherwise lackluster song, fuul of energy absolutely great. 4/5

   The Magnificent Bastards/How Do you Sleep - Rockin cover. Performed with all the spite and malice of the original, featuring a cool guitar interlude. 4/5

   Flaming Lips/Nobody Told Me - Amazing! recorded with cheap, super distorted guitars, it sounds perfect. Great drumming and basswork from the lips as usual. 5/5

   Super 8/Well Well Well - Sounds just like the original, except for the extra loud guitars on the chorus and the awesome vocals (not to mention the solo!) 5/5

   Cheap Trick/Cold Turkey - I don't like Cheap Trick, I don't like Cold Turkey, I don't like this version. Weakest cover on the disc 2/5

   Collective Sound/Jealous Guy - Acoustic guitar instead of piano doing th cords on this one, no stirngs either, really cool! The only reason I don't give this one a 5 is because Elliott Smith's cover of this song is ten times better. 4/5

   Sponge/Isolation - The biggst suprise on this disc. Opens with a strat playing arpeggios with the vocals, sounding very sad and eerie, but then the chorus comes in with an explosion of power chords and drums. Best cover on the disc. 5/5

   Toad The Wet Sprocket/Instant Karma - a very happy, clean sounding cover. Not much else to say, very enjoyable! 4/5

   Mary Chapin Carpenter/Grow Old With Me - Very sparse mostly her and a piano. The sound is so lush and beautiful, and her vocals are outstanding. 5/5

   George Clinton/Mind Games - here's something unexpected, George Clinton from the funk grou Parliment giving this song some soul. Clinton does a superb jop, lots of strings and guitars, and delight and a great way to end the album! 5/5




5. I must admit that the reason I bought this CD is because I'm a fan of John Lennon and of the grunge scene of the early 1990's. So needless to say, I enjoyed the cover of "I Don't Want To Be A Soldier" by Mad Season (LAYNE STALEY'S VOCALS ARE ALWAYS AMAZING) and "Steel and Glass" by Candlebox, but for me the best track was "Working Class Hero" by The Screaming Trees. Mark Lanegan's voice is unbelievable and this cover is closest in my opinion to the original in quality. A pleasant surprise were Mary Chapin Carpenter's surprisingly good cover of "Grow Old With Me" and the cover of "How Do You Sleep" by The Magnificent Bastards. Collective Soul does a very good cover of Jealous Guy. Now, on to the bad. No surprise The Red Hot Chili Peppers would be found here with their cover of "I Found Out", I never liked "Power To The People", so I was going to skip it anyway, but The Minus Five didn't do all that bad with it. It actually shocked me that an established band like Cheap Trick couldn't pull off "Cold Turkey".

   All in all, this disc is really worth picking up used, I'm glad I didn't pay full price, but it is a keeper since about half the tracks are at least decent.

5 comments about International Pop Overthrow.

1. Going thru my cd collection (over 1,000) and trying to fill up my MP3 player, when I decided to try and make a top 10 list. #10 on my all time favorite is Material Issue. There is something about this cd perhaps that every other song is about a girl and that gets you to thinking about your own past and females you would like to write a song about? Is it just so pop wanna be rock? Is that when I first bought the cd I felt I discovered a gem that I forced all my friends to listen to? Anyways this song is alternative pop with some real catchy sing along tunes on it and is worth adding to your collection.



2. When people say an album (or movie or tv show, etc...) is bad and they do NOT explain why they think it is, then you know that they either don't know what they're talking about, they just like to talk bad about good things, or they just don't get it. When everyone else and myself all agree that this is a solid pop/rock album, then you know the people described above have their comments deflated. Is the album good? Yes. Very good. Is it the greatest thing since sliced bread, maybe not.
   
   Here's the greatest advice to everyone looking to find out if an album is great or not. CLICK ON THE SONG SAMPLES and listen for yourself! Don't let anyone tell you it's great or it stinks. If you like what you hear, then it is good. It's as simple as that. Enjoy.



3. Material Issue was a Chicago band who wrote some of the most killer 3 minute power pop songs! themes of love and girls are dominant (at least 6 different girl's names are sung about in the lyrics). the music is strong and full of hooks and hummable choruses that pack their weight in radio gold. this album spawned a few college hits if i remember correctly. this comes highly recommended for fans of Cheap Trick, Big Star, or Field Trip.



4. Material Issue may have been the best pure band out of the Chicago scene that spawned Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair, and Urge Overkill, among many others. It's great three minute, three chord rock and roll, wearing Jim Ellison's heart and influences on its sleeve. Contrary to one of the other reviews, MI did not disband. Ellison killed himself, a tragic loss for pop music. But that is not why to buy this album: buy it for the life that courses through Ellison's songs and his band's performances, not for the sad way his life ended.



5. Influences (Cheap Trick, etc) aside, this album is filler free, which makes it better than anything previously put out by a power pop act. Thus this is the definitive power pop album of all time. It's a shame MI never got their just due. A power pop act in the midst of the over indulged 'grunge' movement sealed their fate. I saw them in Atlanta in '94 or '95 and remember I was 1 of maybe 50 people. That's the stupid ugly side of the music biz folks, be part of the new craze or be pushed aside. Nearly every song on this disc is memorable, with Very First Lie, Valerie..., and Crazy among the many gems on this album. Sadly, Material Issue's frontman and soul left us. I thank him for leaving us a part of him and hopefully many others will find their way to this much unheralded music.