METALLICA-Death Magnetic (Warner Bros)
As if Bob Rock never happened, Metallica go back to days of ..and
Justice For All and Master Of Puppets to make their most aggressive
album in twenty years. Ten songs clocking over seventy minites with
twisted thrash metal, one wonders what would have happened had Rick
Rubin got hold of them before Load. Not that Load was a complete waste
of time, I did enjoy that album a bit more than the black album but
ReLoad regressed and I passed on St Anger due to scalding reviews. Kirk
Hammett is soloing once again, and the stop start of the songs give a
rush not seen since (need I say it) Master Of Puppets. Suicide and
Redemption does drag a bit too long but the guys haven't been this
hungry and inspired since (.........)
AND IT'S LOUD TOO. So give em a hand guys, they deserve it (despite their napster hating ways) ;-)
Grade A minus
Suggested Cuts: Judas Kiss, The Day That Never Comes, That Was Your Life
Fall in Iowa, finally we get some beautiful sunsets, clear blue skies
that you can see forever and the peacefulness that makes living here
tolerable. It was seven years ago today that we had weather like this
but it was a day that forever changed the way life was. We remember the
World Trade Center and the brave people who lost their lives due to
braindead zealots. Always and forever may they be in a better
afterlife.
Now the tunes of the week.
1. The Sound Of Your Voice-38 Special 1991 Their attempt to be
Survivor, the band not the reality show that is. Max Carl have never
sounded out of place in a Southern Rock band.
2. Leaving On A Jet Plane-The Mitchell Trio 1967 The debut of the
John Denver written song. Denver replaced Chad Mitchell as lead singer
and songwriter of this folk trio and this was their last album.
Collector's Choice Music actually reissued this on CD a few years ago
but I did find a decent copy of the Reprise album. The Chad Mitchell
Trio was second only to the Kingston Trio in the folk rock moment but
lost chances and dumbass label heads render these guys to the forgotten
bands of the 60s. John Denver actually did very well himself as a solo
artist before a ill fated plane ride command him for the ages.
3. Just To Satisfy You-Waylon and Willie 1981 Originally Waylon did
this years before he redid it with Willie and they got a top ten hit.
And The Townedgers have been playing around with this song for a
possible release in the future.
4. Stranded-Manfred Mann Earth Band 1980 Trevor Rabin, later of YES
fame would produced this album for the Earth Band and it became a FM
classic here simply of the title Stranded In Iowa. And of course you
know us Iowans love to hear songs promoting our state. Just look at the
fame of Slipknot if you don't agree with me. Anyway, Chance was a hard
to find CD that you can sell on Ebay and get at least 30 bucks from
some desperate Iowan but Water Music has reissued this with bonus
tracks. Despite Stranded, For You and a cover of The Brains' Heart In
The Street, the rest of the album sucks. BTW, what happened to the
reissue only American Beat Records? Seems like nothing has come out
lately from that label.
5. Howdy Neighbor Howdy-Porter Wagoner 1963 Porter Wagoner was a
Nashville oddity. He could sing songs such as this number or Good Time
Was Had By All with the happy call and response and he could sing sappy
stuff too. But he was also famous for singing some of the more morbid
songs too. The First Mrs Jones, is about a stalker ex husband who offs
his ex, The Rubber Room was about being committed in a Psycho Rode and
the Cold Hard Facts Of Life, finds out that some dude is going over to
do his wife and he finds out and catches them and kills them and gets
life in prison. And this all made top ten on the country charts back in
the 60s. Back when country music was a real as life got and none of
this Nashville hack crap that Carrie Underwood or The Lost Trailers
shove down your throat. Think The Lost Trailers would sing Cold Hard
Facts Of Life? Not while they're on BNA records. Gawd, I miss Porter
and his real country music.
6. Hoedown-Emerson, Lake And Palmer 1972 Every time I hear this song
I think of Robert Mitchem's Beef commercial. And this ELP song came
from a 8 track that I had of them. 8 Tracks, the cutting edge of the
early 70s. Click.
7. Set Me Free-Danny Wilde 1988 One half of The Rembrants going the
pop rock route. And Any Man's Hunger is a very good album although
Danny sounds a bit too Bon Jovi ish. But really I love this album
enough to get a extra copy when I was in AZ.
8. Fever Shot-Linn County 1969 Hometown band makes album number two
for Mercury Records and get legendary status in the state. Doesn't
mean it's all that great, it just shows you where the Hippy Dippy blues
came from. This song gets regular play on Beaker Street.
9. A Few Words In Defense Of This Country-Randy Newman 2008 Pretty
much means what it says. Worst president in our lifetime and there have
been worse ones (Harding, Cooledge comes to mind but your opinion will
vary). And it might get worse if McCain and the female Cheney become
the new occupiers.
10. I'm Going Home-Ten Years After 1967 From Undead, their second
album and not the Woodstock version although I think the Undead version
is easier to take. Alvin Lee is a pretty good guitar player but I tend
to think his lyrics are tossed off. Not Greshwin or Harold Arlen but
good enough for rock and roll.
And finally, a sad passing to tell you. Rick Cicalo, the mayor of
Washington Iowa but used to play bass in Bo Ramsey and The Backsliders
and other notable Iowa City bands passed away due to a short illness.
He was 54. As a drummer I tend to disagree with Jim Musser's assessment
that Rick and Steve Hayes were the finest rhythm section ever to come
out of Iowa, but I do agree that they made a excellent drum and bass
combo to The Backsliders and The Mother Earth Blues Band. He will be
missed.
http://rscrabb.blogspot.com/
Diggy Kat comments:
Waylon? what now? i could have sworn i heard his name! lol
i never knew John Denver was in The Mitchell Trio...well never heard of
them! i do have a John Denver greatest hits though! i always swoon for
Sunshine On Your Shoulders =) (Crabby: Chad Mitchell was way before your time bro!, I think he may have been ahead of my time too).
