Blog

United States (54):
Dream Theater
Metallica
Hollywood Undead
John Mellencamp
Eagles
Megadeth
Symphony X
Liquid Tension Experiment
Santana
Mötley Crüe
Avenged Sevenfold
Van Halen
Skid Row
W.A.S.P.
Fates Warning
Platypus
Poison
The Jelly Jam
Dio
Slayer
Creedence Clearwater Revival
KISS
Bon Jovi
Aerosmith
Shadows Fall
Spinal Tap
Stryper
Liquid Trio Experiment
Winger
Harold Faltermeyer
Escape the Fate
Alice Cooper
Racer X
Eminem
Dokken
Trivium
Survivor
A Day to Remember
Beatallica
Jeff Wayne
Toto
Kenny Loggins
Paul Anka
Tenacious D
Vince Neil
Bowling for Soup
Chroma Key
John Williams
Extreme
Blue Öyster Cult
White wizzard
Alcatrazz
Steel Panther
Michael Jackson

United Kingdom (28):
Whitesnake
Bad Company
Free
Bullet For My Valentine
Rainbow
Gary Moore
Muse
DragonForce
Iron Maiden
Thunder
Deep Purple
Rory Gallagher
Saxon
Wham!
Queen
Discharge
Napalm Death
Queen + Paul Rodgers
Diamond Head
Lostprophets
Bill Bailey lol
Thin Lizzy
Led Zeppelin
Feeder
Every Word Is Yours
David Coverdale
Eric Clapton
Alestorm

Germany (5):
Scorpions
Helloween
Axel Rudi Pell
Johann Sebastian Bach
Ludwig van Beethoven

Sweden (4):
Yngwie Malmsteen
Europe
Opeth
Pain of Salvation

Italy (2):
Rhapsody (Of Fire)
Ennio Morricone

Denmark (2):
Mercyful Fate
King Diamond

Canada (1):
Bryan Adams

Austria (1)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

France (1)
Pipo & Elo

Unknown (1)
The String Quartet

Finland (1)
Turisas

Austrialia(1)
AC/DC

Tue 14 Jul – Judas Priest, Whitesnake

Second of four 2009 summer show reviews: The Rust Belt Imports British Steel!

Cleveland welcomed Judas Priest and Whitesnake this summer! If you've been dying for reviews of the show/tour, you've likely found them elsewhere by now since this is nearly two months after the show, but here are some thoughts and comments, along with the official set lists and some pics and videos in case you haven't seen them directly in the photo library or on the youtube channel.

A lot of Judas Priest fans questioned the pairing of these two bands, since the style of music is different. That certainly is a valid point, particularly if you compare the biggest hits of Judas Priest with the multi-platinum, bombastic Whitesnake hits of the late 80s. And also considering that this Judas Priest tour celebrates the 30th Anniversary of British Steel, while Whitesnake is playing mainly their late 80s hits and only a single song from their latest album, Good to Be Bad. (They are somewhat celebrating a 25th anniversary of Slide It In.)

But if you trace the history and evolution of the bands, I don't think the pairing is all that odd. Give a listen to where David Coverdale began in Deep Purple all those years ago, and the early (best, IMHO) work of Whitesnake, and then listen in comparison with the earlier 70s Judas Priest albums, particularly up through Stained Class - not at all a bad pairing. But I know that's a bit of a stretch for fans of one who aren't fans of the other, especially because neither band plays much of any material from that era live anymore. So I think what this comes down to is that David Coverdale and the JP boys have a mutual respect for each other's longevity and long-running dedication to their craft, and probably make good touring mates at this stage of their games.

Regardless of initial puzzlement, I think the pairing was proven out by the performance, and while there were definitely contigents who were obviously there to see only one of the bands, I think both camps found the other band to great performers.

Whitesnake:
It's true: Whitesnake is basically whomever David Coverdale is working with at any given moment. But this has always been David's band. So part of the judgment has to come down to whether David can still deliver, and part must rest on whatever lineup he has currently assembled.

On the first count, had I posted this immediately after the show, I would have said "mostly." At the time, I would have figured David still has the range, but not enough to last an entire show. He has to conserve himself, sticking to a somewhat lower register than in days of yore and being conservative on the highs. However, in light of the damage he did to his voice and having to drop off the tour later, I'm much more inclined to believe that he's at or nearing the end of his live performance career.

Doctors said that what happened was caught before he could do any permanent damage, but I think the signs are clear: the songs sung as originally performed are going to have to be retired. Unfortunately, that's part of the attraction of the live performance: to hear those legendary songs sung by those legendary pipes. Frankly, though, this isn't 1988 (incidentally, the last time I saw Whitesnake live), and while what you get live is good, it's basically just good enough for how it was played this year: as an opening act. I imagine that David would still be able to at least record new material, since he can work at his own pace and doesn't have to record at the same level he must use when live. But I'm glad that I saw them this time - and we're lucky our show came before the damage - because I suspect that from this point forward, live performances are likely to be limited to Europe.

On the second count, the band is just passable. It's a touring band pretty much of journeymen, and while they can definitely handle the material, there's nothing there that would be an exceptional draw in its own right. Besides seeing David perform, the only real highlight of the set was the guitar solo spotlight, which featured Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach (booed when introduced) trading off solos. Entertaining to watch, but not so awesome that you remember it down the line.

Here's some shots from the show, including a couple of the best DC close-ups for the ladies who didn't have a chance to see them on tour:












Set list:
Bad Boys
Fool for Your Lovin'
Love Ain't No Stranger
Slow An' Easy
Lay Down Your Love
*Guitar spotlight*
Cryin' In The Rain (with extended drum solo in the middle)
Is This Love
Give Me All Your Love
Here I Go Again (video below)
Still Of The Night



Judas Priest:

Last year's Metal Masters show featured an incredibly good set, and they sounded better than when I had seen them previously on Ozzfest 2004. Could they match last year's performance? On one hand, I am biased by the setlist this year. Whereas last year was a hefty mix of Nostradamus and 80s cuts, this year was the celebration of the 30th anniversary of British Steel, featuring the entire album played in order, and finished off with a trio of late strong cuts and an encore of all-time favorites:

Rapid Fire
Metal Gods
Breaking The Law
Grinder
United
You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise
Living After Midnight (video below)
The Rage
Steeler
The Ripper
Prophecy
Hell Patrol (at many stops on this tour, this slot featured Rock Hard Ride Free)
Victim of Changes - a chance to experience my favorite moment* from Unleashed in the East in the flesh! And this proved that Halford can *still* bring it, high notes and all.

Encore:
Freewheel Burning
Diamonds And Rust (video below - what an awesome treat to see this favorite live - this was my personal highlight!)
You've Got Another Thing Comin'

We got a strong visual clue that this would be a classic throwback show right away:

(credit: my buddy SEO)

Rob Halford came onstage and performed the entire British Steel tracklist in denim. I've never seen Halford perform in denim and can't imagine he's worn anything other than leather and steel onstage for 30 years.

Judas Priest continue to defy most signs of aging. They're tight up there on stage: sharp solos, pummeling drums and bass that aren't muddled, and they are always dead on with whatever songs from their massive catalog that they showcase on tour. But I say "most signs" for two reasons. One, to be honest, Rob does seem to be a bit tired at times, though as I said, he can still hit his range. Second, though I'm not complaining about the quality of the set, it was a bit short. They do vary the setlist enough from tour to tour that they can't really be accused of relying on just a core plus one or two more, but as tight as they seem to be, I think we could have got maybe 2-5 more. But it's quibbles. They ARE getting older, and rather than hack through a set longer than they can run for a full tour, they bring a tight set and give us quality over quantity. Judas Priest have always been known for providing a stellar live show, and they're not going to tarnish that reputation. They certainly brought a stellar show here, and they had special reason** to provide Cleveland fans with a most excellent performance!

Here's some additional best shots from the show:










(credit: my buddy SEO)





I close this review with a montage of show pics assembled by SEO:


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With this and "Diamonds and Rust", and with The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown) last year, I've now completed my own personal experience of my favorite moments from Unleashed in The East, and can cross that off my bucket list!

**Curious side note: if you doubt that Cleveland is a metal town with some of the best metal fans in the world, talk to Jim Bartek and ask him about the special "thumbs up" from Halford near the start of the show!

list of my favorite metal/rock singers (in no particular order)
-Bruce Dickinson
-Ozzy Osbourne
-James Hetfield
-Lemmy
-Dave Mustaine
-Geddy Lee
-Rob Halford
-Phil Lynott
-Ronnie James Dio
-Joe Lynn Turner
-Joey Belladonna
-John Bush
-Andrew Stockdale
-Ian Gillan
-David Coverdale
-Geoff Tate
-Axl Rose
-Udo Dirkschneider
-Roger Daltrey
-Sebastian Bach
-Glenn Hughes
-Bon Scott
-Brian Johnson
-Steven Tyler
-Alice Cooper
-Robert Plant
-Ian Anderson
-Freddie Mercury
-David Lee Roth
-Eddie Vedder

The idea is to go to the page of your number one artist, and follow the link of it's number one similar artist, then repeating that for this artist and so on, noting down each artist as you go. Do this until you've got to 50 artists. If you get any repeats, just go to the second similar artist or the nearest one that you haven't already had.

1. Led Zeppelin
2. Page & Plant
3. Robert Plant
4. Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation
5. Coverdale/Page
6. David Coverdale
7. Whitesnake
8. Rainbow
9. Deep Purple
10. Uriah Heep
11. Ken Hensley
12. David Byron
13. The Byron Band
14. Rough Diamond
15. Force Majeure
16. Revolution Renaissance
17. Michael Kiske
18. SupaRed
19. Place Vendome
20. Pink Cream 69
21. Andi Deris
22. Helloween
23. Gamma Ray
24. Iron Savior
25. Primal Fear
26. Grave Digger
27. Running Wild
28. Accept
29. U.D.O.
30. Sinner
31. Pretty Maids
32. Bonfire
33. Jaded Heart
34. Michael Bormann
35. House of Lords
36. Tyketto
37. Danny Vaughn
38. Vaughn
39. From The Inside
40. Elevener
41. Frozen Rain
42. Myland
43. Overland
44. M.ill.ion
45. Talon
46. Faith Circus
47. China Blue
48. Places Of Power
49. Lost Weekend
50. Von Groove

Deep Purple / Burn [Live at California Jam, 06 Apr 1974] / Deep Purple: Live in California '74 [DVD] (2) / Jan 2006

This is the second of three posts honoring the 35th Anniversary of California Jam on April 6th, which I failed at the time to highlight.

In the first post, I covered Black Sabbath's peformance. Deep Purple followed them on the California Jam bill. As I mentioned previously, California Jam was not a rock festival that was properly recorded, other than some of it being simulcast on ABC with audio on FM radio. However, unlike Black Sabbath's performance, which has never been released in its entirety, the entire Deep Purple set was finally released on DVD in 2005 as Deep Purple: Live In California '74. (This was actually a re-release of a 1981 laser disc.)

As popular as Black Sabbath were at the time, Deep Purple were monster sellers. And yet, they were also a band in flux, having recently parted ways with Ian Gillan and Roger Glover. Their performance at California Jam was actually the high point of their tour to support Burn, the first album of the Mark III lineup with a 23-year old David Coverdale on vocals and Glenn Hughes on bass and vocals.

Playing to 200,000 people (200,000! festivals in Europe and Latin America still draw that many, but I can't imagine something that huge in the States today!!) was a real baptism of fire, especially for Coverdale, but he and the rest of the band not only handle the pressure, they play one of the all-time storied live sets. (Some of this was previously touched on in the discussion thread for my birthday salute to David Coverdale last Sep 22nd.)

Don't go out of your way to get the DVD or pay more than a few bucks for it, because the quality isn't that great. It would be good to have in your collection of concert films and rock docs if you're like me and have a library of those, but you can watch most of it in an evening online.

This is their opening performance of "Burn" to get you started:



Here is the rest of the Deep Purple setlist for that evening, including five of the songs from Burn:
Might Just Take Your Life
Lay Down, Stay Down (not included on the original release of the show)
Mistreated
Smoke On The Water
You Fool No One (opened with Lazy and closed out with The Mule)
Space Truckin’ (a/k/a "Smoke on the Infield" - really! look up the video for this one to see Ritchie's wild destruction that extended this to nearly 30 minutes)

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Para fechar o ano uma estatísta dos albuns mais escutados em 2008, alguns deles já estavam previstos, outros foram surpresa até para mim.

1. Coverdale/Page
(David Coverdale & Jimmy Page)

2. Lipservice
(Gotthard)

3. Immortal Verses
(Submersed)

4. No Gate´s
(Oficina Blues)

5. Contraband
(Velvet Revolver)

6. Back in the U.S. Live 2002 (disc 1)
(Paul McCartney)

7. Who's Next
(The Who)

8. Pink Cream 69
(Pink Cream 69)

9. Mood Swings
(Harem Scarem)

10. Tinnitus Sanctus
(Edguy)

Just a reminder that these are what LastFM thinks I should listen to, not necessarily what I think you should listen to.

1. Bob Marley - "Natural Mystic"
I know this song quite well, but this arrangement is very different. Much slower, more horns, and binghi drums. In fact, if this were the first version I heard, I'd say it was a rare misstep in the Marley ouvre. Not a great version of one of the best songs to come out of Jamaica.

2. David Coverdale - "Don't You Cry"
The former lead singer of Whitesnake and Deep Purple, so we have some arena-styled rock. I know people go nuts about this sort of thing, but this track is overblown and very much too sappy.

3. Duquende - "Tu Camisita De Flores (Tangos)"
A spot of flamenco, so there's no knowing what we'll get today. I'll be perfectly honest at this point and admit that I really don't know how to tell one flamenco vocalist from another, so he sounds alright.

4. Black Uhuru - "Sponji Reggae"
This is an atrocious-quality live version of the song, but the quality of the song itself can still come through. Michael Rose's vocals and the wonderfully supple melody behind him just work out perfectly. Shame it's recorded by a congenital halfwit, though.

5. Trelldom - "Sonar dreyri"
Trelldom was one of the first black metal acts I heard, and I remember it turned me off the style for ages. This track actually demonstrates exactly why - while it contains all of the features of a black metal track, it does precisely nothing with them for ten minutes. Boringness should be a crime.

6. Göksel - "Karar Verdim"
A bit more Turkish pop, again with a female vocalist. While the music is good, her voice doesn't suit it at all - she's gone with the "irritating little girl" sound for some reason. Not good.

7. Troll Collins - "Meet Ze Monsta"
Being a similar artist to That 1 Guy, this must at least be interesting music. Well, I'm not sure it is. He's got a half-hearted drum loop and a vocoder going on, but nothing is helping me like it.

8. Murat Boz - "Maximum"
Some more Turkish pop, and with a sort of hip-hop flavour to it. Decent music, and the vocalist is rather impressive. He's still just starting his career, it seems, although he should be bound for big things.

9. Gülşen - "Adı Aşk Sebebimin"
Female Turkish pop again. Rather derivative and boring.

10. Jose Merce - "Arrengao (Blues)"
And we finish with some flamenco. Well, flamenco that starts with a blues guitar and in fact sounds more as though it's from the Deep South than Iberia. It's an interesting idea, although I'm not sure it really works here.

Rush / Working Man / Rush (8) / Mar 1974

sablespecter's Album of the Year for 1974 (RDF: 87.5%)

Rush emerged at exactly the right time, becuase 1974 was otherwise not that strong of a year. It was a "gap" year for the might troika of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Pink Floyd. Deep Purple did their part (see below). Eagles gave us one, but they weren't the powerhouse they were yet to become and it wasn't that strong; they actually spent the year finding their way along new direction that would be revealed the following summer.

But in a golden era of prog rock, I think there was a growing demand for something that more flat-out rocked with less complexity. Or maybe just a complementary alternative with less keyboards. That gap was filled with a number of great debuts and new styles. Some drew on the prevailing influences such as guitar-driven hard rock, some drew on progressive elements, some on the dark themes, and some even on glam. So, we had four debuts this year that would go on to heavily influence generations to come: Rush, Kiss, Judas Priest, and Bad Company. We also got the first album with what was the "real" Scorpions sound.

The debut by Rush though easily takes the award. This is hard rock Rush, and though they drew on progressive elements and quickly went that direction, this one is a more primal record. Rush broke out with this very album thanks to some help here in Cleveland, which I know I've mentioned before (more than once...) but thought the bragging rights were worth mentioning again as I credit this album as an AotY.

It's great to see multiple generations now at the shows of these rock elders. It's quite a different world now, though. These days the youngest generations aren't hearing this stuff broke via radio the way we did. They're discovering the classics like today's selection via video games, and this is having such a big impact that Rush gave Rock Band an alternate version of the song, and are even considering the possibility of selling a full album via Rock Band!

Selected other Red Dot tracks...these along with today's selection are all infrared dots:

Finding My Way: Was there ever such an awesome ear-grabbing opening track on a debut? (Oh, probably, it's just hyperbole...) But this one reels you in at first listen and tells you this band has immediate potential, and they never looked back. This is the kind of thing Led Zeppelin should have done with their debut: "Communication Breakdown" could have done the same immediate grab had they not buried it in the middle of side 2.

Here Again: A perfect song to put you into a reverie. I love to put this on the turntable and just watch the vinyl spin 'round while I lose myself in contemplation, and this song gets me there quick. One of my top ten Rush tracks and a previous SotD.

What You're Doing: Too bad more Alex Lifeson solos like this didn't remain a constant fixture all the way through the years! Great in-yer-face attitude lyrics, too, that tended to become more smoothed over in coming years. This song has probably my favorite Geddy Lee's vocals on the album.

Before And After: A nice mellow opening for the first couple of minutes, letting it build slowly to the rock and more great guitar work from Alex around 3:25. A nice way to lead into one final kick from today's album-closing selection.

--------
Rounding out the Top Five of 1974 (in order of descending RDF):

Scorpions: Fly to the Rainbow: Uli Jon Roth joins as Michael Schenker departs. Highlights of the album are in fact the contributions of Roth. Check out especially the album-closer title track, penned by Roth and Michael Schenker together. 71.4% RDF

KISS: Kiss: "What the hell is this?" everyone was thinking. But how could you not want to hear the music inside? And what a debut it was. In fact, in my personal collection, no other Kiss studio album matches it, and only Destroyer comes close. 70% RDF

Deep Purple: Burn: The best of the David Coverdale era, including the eternal classic Mistreated, written together with Ritchie Blackmore and which Ritchie kept in the Rainbow sets for years. 62.5% RDF

Neil Young: On the Beach: Other Neil Young albums may have been stronger relative to this one, but in the weak year of 1974 for albums, this one rises near the top. The title track is shamefully underplayed. I've never even heard it on the radio, actually. Or any other song from this album, come to think of it. So maybe it's not so strong objectively, but it's still one of my favorite Neil Young albums. 62.5% RDF

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order by band/artist name):
Bad Company: Bad Company
Jackson Browne: Late For The Sky
Eric Clapton: 461 Ocean Boulevard
Electric Light Orchestra: Eldorado
Fleetwood Mac: Heroes Are Hard to Find
Hawkwind: Hall of the Mountain Grill
Judas Priest: Rocka Rolla
King Crimson: Red
Randy Newman: Good Old Boys
Steely Dan: Pretzel Logic
UFO: Phenomenon

Is your favorite album from 1974 on this list? Are there any others you would add?

\m/ (ò_ó) \m/