Sad news that Dennis Farina passed away, he was one of my favorite tough guy actors, loved him in Midnight Run with Robert DeNiero and Charles Grodin. He also appeared in Get Shorty and Miami Vice and many other movies and TV shows. He was 69. He even peddled Old Style Beer on this timely classic spot: http://deadspin.com/dennis-farina-in-most-chicago-beer-ad-ever-870192356
Record Review
Queensryche (Century Media)
In the head to head battle of former lead singer Geoff Tate's misguided Frequency Unknown, the rest of the guys picked up Todd La Torre, added Parker Lundgren on guitar and the change has done them well with their latest album which is very hard to find considering the fact that Best Buy had the expended edition with 3 bonus live cuts, a patch and guitar pick to boot and undying love and thank you to the fans that waited so long for this. Myself I got the single CD and even that had the patch to go with it too.
In terms of the weakest link, Queensryche got rid of theirs which was Tate who have the band an identity crisis with their odd albums, doing a covers album which was a head scratcher, American Soldier was better but Dedicated To Chaos turned out to be such a clash of ideals that something had to give and the parting of the ways of Tate and the rest of the band. Tate shot himself in the foot with his album, which suffered from a piss poor muddy mix and the fact that he was on Deadline/Cleopatra a label that's got a bad rep of subpar albums. In the meantime, the band reunited with Jim "Jumbo" Barton (who produced some of their early 90s albums) and decided just to rock out and let La Torre do the singing. In fact, Todd does Geoff Tate better than Tate himself, but also can hit the high notes as well (Vindication), but can tone it down to the ballads such as Open Road or A World Without that some believe might be their best song since Silent Lucidity.
The biggest surprise of all might be the 35 minute playing time for the whole album. Without Tate's excessiveness that bog down Dedicated To Chaos or anything else they have done the past decade, the guys economical but musically worthwhile songs cut right to the chase. Scott Rockenfield does a fine job scoring the instrumental beginning that leads into Where Dreams Go To Die, that the new album feels more like a total band effort and not just being backup guys to Geoff Tate's excursions. Let's face it, I do like Geoff Tate,don't get me wrong but he seemed to wore out his welcome and that with a vocalist like Todd De Torre who can hit the high notes unlike Tate anymore, the band is rejuvenated and it sounds like it too.
As a band going into their 3rd decade together, they have got their second wind and the new album might be their overall best put together album since Empire although I have heard others say it's better than that. With Barton producing once again, they got the sound back and a good argument of keeping their name when the courts decide later in the year. But if the judge played both the new S/T album and Tate's Frequency Unknown back to back, it would a no brainer. And Tate would have to change the name to The Geoff Tate Band. He just lost out big time.
Grade B+
And just for you Tad, more Ivy Doomkitty as she introduces the new action figure. Ratings wise, Miss Ivy has managed to storm into the top ten all time most searched keywords but still has a long way to go to catch Pat Travers. I guess the Samantha Fish love in has faded as she has now fallen into third place with yours truly taking over 2nd. For somebody I don't mention too often Natalie Monet has held her own and within sight of the defunct Dumor Ru keyword. Overall ratings for the Crabb review site continue to hold steady to which we'll be over 3,000 views for the third straight month. We're moving up baby....but then again maybe not: http://spamspoiler.blogspot.com/2012/12/adsense-watchdog-zombiestat-vampirestat.html
The Midnight to One hour of Radio Crabbland. Usually at this time, we don't play a lot of commericals since the majority are in bed, or watching TV but if you had your dial to Radio Crabbland this is what would be playing. From our studios out in the Arizona desert, where the sun heats up the sky and the trains run on by.
12:00 Rose Of Jericho-Eleventh Dream Day
12:03 Norgaard-The Vaccines
12:05 White Horse-Laid Back
12:09 Working For A Living-Huey Lewis
12:12 Dog-1,000 Mona Lisas
12:14 Love Will Find A Way-Yes
Weather Report, PSA
12:19 Same Old Song-Lee Michaels
12:21 New Song-The Who
12:25 High Time We Went-Joe Cocker
12:30 Rolling Stone-Humble Pie
12:36 Don't Ask Me Any Questions-Lynyrd Skynyrd
12:40 Listen To The Band-The Monkees
Station Break
12:45 Dancing The Night Away-The Motors
12:50 Master Of The Universe-Hawkwind
12:56 Walk Awhile-Fairport Convention
1:00 Mojave Plain-Tangerine Dream
Station Break
1:25 Hey Gyp-The Animals
1:29 I Know I'm Losing You-Rare Earth 12 minute version
1:40 Stay Out Of Trouble-Kansas
Break
1:46 Satin Sheets-Willis Alan Ramsey
1:48 I Can't Stand It-Robin Trower
1:51 Green Grass And High Tides-The Outlaws
Top of the hour (to be continued)
2 comments:
Am very much enjoying the Radio Crabbland updates. I like the idea of a station out on the edge of town, where the ghost of Wolfman Jack still broadcasts.... If you build it, the listeners will come....
The spirit of Radio Crabbland is based upon the renegades who were in it for the music rather than taking Cumulus Corporate big bucks although everything does have a price it seems. After all we have enough music to keep radical, it's a endless supply and its out there. Mostly on You Tube and not CC/Cumulus. ;)
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