Label: Reprise Released: October 31, 2006 Often when a band takes steps to broaden their appeal outside of their core audience, they flounder. This is particularly true if the band strongly rooted in personal appeal and emotional energy. They can fall into the traps of over-production and self-importance and the result is usually an uncomfortable, lackluster effort. After the success… Read more »
Label: Hear Music Released: June 5, 2007 Paul McCartney’s solo career has been erratic to say the least. His first solo effort shows us both that he’s a great pop songwriter and that he’s willing to stretch out and take chances at times. Sometimes those chances worked, but often they were too slick for their own good. From the mid-70s… Read more »
…but what about Enhanced LPs? Check this out.
Overlord has an image problem. Their myspace name (overlordisnotmetal) shows that they are consciously aware of it. Even though I found this band through one of my favorite indie rock bands, Palomar, I still wondered, “Is this a metal band?” The answer is most stridently “no.” While that might put off those who find them haphazardly, this band’s catchy, sixties… Read more »
I found this online archive of old issues of Maximum Rock n Roll and Flipside all in PDF format. Now I know what I’ll be reading for awhile. You know, I was checking out issue #1 of Flipside and reading their reviews of the brand new Clash self-titled LP and the Jam’s In the City and it’s amazing punk ever… Read more »
Album: You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic (1979) Ian Hunter is best known as the singer for Mott the Hoople, but he’s also released a number of fine solo albums, not the least of which is You’re Never Alone With a Schizophrenic. There’s a largely forgotten tune on side two called “Standin’ in My Light.” It starts off with subtle… Read more »
Label: Sire (re-issued on Captain Oi!) Released: 1977 The Saints first popped up outside of their native Australia in 1976, somewhere between the demise of the pre-punk era of the New York Dolls, MC5 and Stooges and the punk explosion that would occur the following year. Their now classic “(I’m) Stranded” b/w “No Time” self-released single made it to Britain… Read more »
Salute 27 takes their name from the many rock n roll deaths at the age of 27 (Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, Robert Johnson). After listening, it’s kind of appropriate that their name is a tribute to the past, because their music definitely is. “Going to the Lake” is pure 70s hard rock from their 2006… Read more »
Rising out of the ashes of DC’s Minor Threat and Boston’s DYS, Dag Nasty at least initially met the challenge that they were left by their previous bands’ legacies and even laid the groundwork for what would become emo long before it became a genre full of cry-baby guys whining about their girlfriends. Their positive anthems of belief in yourself… Read more »
One of the explanations offered for Prince’s 1987 shelving of his Black Album project was that he felt it was of inferior quality and didn’t want to release it. Considering that he released Lovesexy instead might be a good reason to doubt the rumour (along with the other, more interesting explanation that he had a religious experience related to it),… Read more »