Label: Epic Released: May 22, 2007 You’d think that 16 years of half-hearted recordings would destroy Ozzy’s career. If that isn’t enough, surely the overexposure from his asinine reality show would do it. No? How about one of the worst covers albums ever recorded? Somehow Ozzy seems to survive all of this, like a heavy metal Rasputin. I think “Not… Read more »
Label: Tee Pee Records Released: February 6, 2007 The problem with Emerson, Lake and Palmer is that they don’t put enough rock in progressive rock. Don’t get me wrong, I like a lot of ELP, but they do tend to lean a bit too far to the classical side. Over 30 years after ELP’s peak, Titan comes along to correct… Read more »
Label: Anti Released: April 10, 2007 Some bands use rhythm. Some bands use melody. Grinderman uses insanity. Much of Nick Cave’s latest project has to be some of the darkest, most desolate music since Suicide’s debut 30 years ago. Unlike Suicide though, Grinderman has a more organic approach with traditional intruments and a definite feel of improvisation. While it might… Read more »
May 16, 2007, The Ottobar, Baltimore, Maryland First, this show was a benefit for a great cause. J. Robbins has given an awful lot to the music community over the years between his own bands and those he produced. Now, J.’s family is in need. His son Callum has Spinal Muscular Atrophy and his care requires more than insurance will… Read more »
U2 has had a remarkable career spanning almost three decades in which they have consistently pushed the limits of what rock music can be while remaining incredibly successful. Few bands have done as much to shape music as U2 and certainly no one has done it for as long. They may be the only band to really play in the… Read more »
All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)I still remember a friend calling me to tell about “Beautiful Day” the day it came out. It was back in the Napster era and I got right online to check it out. I must’ve played five times in a row at least. It was the best rock song I’d heard in years and… Read more »
Achtung Baby (1991)Admittedly, this album took a little time to grow on me. It was a shock. Even though there was four years between their last proper album and Achtung Baby, I certainly had no idea that the band had spent that time completely reinventing themselves. Once I got past that though, it quickly became clear that this album was… Read more »
The Unforgettable Fire (1984)This album still has some elements of the Irish period remaining, making it somewhat of a transitional album. Still, the bigger sound courtesy of the Brian Eno/Daniel Lanois production team and the heavily American-focused lyrical themes land this one more firmly in U2’s American period. The well-known “A Sort of Homecoming” and “Pride (in the Name of… Read more »
Boy (1980)Everything was already in place for greatness. A few years before, guitarists everywhere were floored by what Eddie van Halen was doing, but it seems that no one noticed the Edge doing something every bit as innovative. The difference is that the Edge didn’t have to carry his band. His playing was no more nor less than the song… Read more »
Sorry for the unrelated post, but this is an important message. If you have a dog or cat, please take a look at this list of foods that are poisonous for them. My dog Vinny got into a bag of raisins last week. We had no idea that raisins were toxic to dogs. He spent five days in the hospital… Read more »