Tag Archives: electric

Eugeology #17 – King Kobra’s Ready to Strike

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After last week’s weirdness, this choice from Eugene was a welcome return to more standard ’80s hairband rock. Lots of guitar riffs, soaring lead vocals punctuated with backing vocals on the refrains – yep, that’s our ’80s hairband sound and we’re going to stick with it. And with a name like King Kobra, what else would you expect?

If we were using a 5 point scale I’d give these guys a solid 2.5. Didn’t love it, but it was about average. The lyrics and lead vocals were a little strained and more than a little than over the top at some points, but given the genre and the era, I don’t think you can hold that against them.

Of the ten tracks, I liked Shadow Rider and Dancing With Desire best, mainly because Mark Free’s vocals were, comparatively, more restrained and didn’t draw as much attention to themselves as on the other tracks. They also had less of the glam-band feel and fit what I’d consider a more traditional hard rock mold. Overall, the album wasn’t bad but it did have the feel of a debut, which it was.

Long story short – it wouldn’t hurt you to listen, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.

Update: Just read Tim’s take and he is going to disagree with my review wholeheartedly, and I’m pretty sure Eugene will too. The trend I’m noticing is that they enjoy the hallmark features of 80s hairbands more than I do. I agree with Tim that the guitar play is strong without being over the top – I should have mentioned that in my initial review – and that Free’s got a helluva voice. I just don’t think the style is in my wheelhouse.

Links & Notes

Ready to Strike Wikipedia Page

King Kobra’s Wikipedia page

Eugene’s Take at Wheeler’s Dog

Tim’s Take at Useless Things Need Love Too

Eugeology #16 – Alice Cooper’s Special Forces

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This is a review I struggled with because I just don’t know that I have the music-review chops to adequately describe what I think of this album, so let’s just make it simple: this album is weird. Why? Well, it just is. It doesn’t sound like other stuff I’ve heard from Alice Cooper, and it doesn’t really fit neatly any genre with which I’m familiar.

Just because it’s weird, though, doesn’t mean it’s bad. There are definitely some tracks I thought were kind of fun like You Want It, You Got It, You Look Good in Rags and Don’t Talk Old to Me, but I swear I couldn’t give you a single example of anything that it’s similar to in my experience. Hell, if I didn’t have the album’s Wikipedia page to reference I couldn’t even tell you the 5-year timeframe in which it was recorded. The year was 1981, by the way, and I challenge you to listen to it and say it really sounds like anything else coming out at that time.

Hate to be a broken record (insert pun groan here), but it’s just plain weird. I think I’ve decided I don’t overly like it, but I can’t really say I didn’t like it. I just don’t know what to do with it, or what to tell you about it, so give it a listen yourself and see what you think.

Links & Notes

Special Forces Wikipedia Page

Alice Cooper’s Wikipedia page

Eugene’s Take at Wheeler’s Dog

Tim’s Take at Useless Things Need Love Too

Eugeology #15 – Starz’s Attention Shoppers!

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From the opening note of the first song, I felt like I was sitting in my bedroom as a middle schooler rejoicing to the tunes emanating from my newly-acquired clock (FM!) radio. What I’m about to write might make Eugene and Tim vomit, or at least scratch their heads and say “Whaaaat?”, but my first impression was that I was hearing a long-lost Styx album. That didn’t last all the way through the album, but it was an early impression.

My comparison to Styx probably has something to do with the feel of this one. It just reeks of the late ’70s rock/pop smell – airier guitar riffs than what would follow in the ’80s and a very “happy music” tempo. The notable exception is the last track, Johnny All Alone, which is a seven minute, melodic and somber tune. Of course, it’s the one I liked the most.

Have to say that if you’re not a fan of ’70s pop-rock you’re not going to like this album, but if you are then this is a great choice. I’d never heard a single track from the album (that I can remember) and I enjoyed it enough that I gave it an extra listen. And as I mentioned I think Johnny All Alone truly leaves you with a good aftertaste (afterhear?) when you’re done.

Links & Notes

Attention Shoppers! Wikipedia Page

 Starz Wikipedia page

Eugene’s Take at Wheeler’s Dog

Tim’s Take at Useless Things Need Love Too

Eugeology #14 – Aerosmith’s Pump

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In a stunning change of direction, Eugene picked a band and album with which I’m more than a little familiar. Aerosmith’s Pump has several songs that anyone around in the late 80s or early 90s would have heard on their favorite FM station or blasting from the tape deck while tooling around in their buddy’s ’83 Toyota, including Love in an Elevator, F.I.N.E., Janie’s Got a Gun, What it Takes and The Other Side.

So yeah, I’d heard every one of these tracks at some point in my hazy past – a first for any of Eugene’s selections – and so I wasn’t expecting to learn a whole lot when I sat down to listen. Of course, I was wrong.

I was wrong because I forgot that I’ve never really before done what I’m doing with Eugene’s list: I’m reading about the band and the album as I listen. Because I haven’t spent any time around the music business, whether it be working at a record store, a radio station, bar or concert venue, I’ve never really spent any time learning what goes into the making of an album or getting it released. So what did I learn? Well…

  • They recorded in the same studio that Bon Jovi recorded Slippery When Wet
  • They didn’t include lyrics in the album booklet because they were worried that the Parents Music Resource Center (remember those tools?) would protest the sex and drug references in the lyrics. Go figure.
  • F.I.N.E. is an acronym for “Fucked Up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional”

“So enough with the history lesson,” you’re saying. “How’d you like it?” you’re wondering. Well, I’ve always liked this album, but even for someone who doesn’t mind hearing a 40-song rotation over and over at the store, many of these tunes were overplayed. Janie’s Got a Gun was a song, that by the end of 1990, I thought I never wanted to hear again. Since it’s been a while since I’d heard any of the tracks from the album (except for What it Takes) I found myself enjoying them all again, and I also rediscovered some deeper tracks that I’d forgotten about and really liked – Hoodoo/Voodoo Medicine Man being the best example.

All in all, this is a great album and I recommend it for anyone who likes some good old fashioned hard rock with a tinge of blues.

Links & Notes

Pump Wikipedia Page

 Aerosmith Wikipedia page

Eugene’s Take at Wheeler’s Dog

Tim’s Take at Useless Things Need Love Too

Eugeology #13 – Masters of Reality

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What rock was I living under that kept me from discovering this album before now?  There’s much to like, not the least of which is that there’s a healthy strain of blues laced throughout. That said, it’s not the kind of blues influence that has me thinking, “Okay, that riff was cool the first twelve times but enough’s enough.” Rather it’s the kind of blues influence that injects a bit of lightness to balance out the “rockier” cuts.

The band’s Wikipedia page describes them thusly:

Masters of Reality is a hard rock group formed in 1981 by guitarist and singer Chris Goss and Tim Harrington in Syracuse, New York.[1] The band is sometimes associated with the “Palm Desert Scene“, which includes bands like Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age and many other stoner rock or (as they prefer to call it) “desert rock” bands. The band is named after the album Master of Reality by Black Sabbath.

I was nodding my head when I read this because one of my first thoughts, when I started listening, was, “These guys remind me a lot of Queens of the Stone Age” and that’s a good thing because Queens is one of my favorite bands from that era.

Honestly, I loved this album. The variety from track to track, Chris Goss’s vocals, the backing vocals, Tim Harrington’s lead guitar…I just loved all of it. Now, if you’re one of those folks who just can’t stand the blues in any way, you’ll probably disagree with me wholeheartedly.

I’m REAL interested in Tim’s take on this one because I just don’t know how he’s gonna react. He’s not a fan of southern rock, and any blues-influenced rock will have a taste of that, but this is truly bluesy so I suspect it grew on him as he listened. As always I’m interested in Eugene’s backstory for this one and I’m pretty sure this one is a true favorite of his.

Links & Notes

The Masters of Reality (Album) Wikipedia Page

The Masters of Reality Wikipedia page

Eugene’s Take at Wheeler’s Dog

Tim’s Take at Useless Things Need Love Too

Eugeology #12 – Twisted Sister’s Love is For Suckers

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With Eugene’s last selection, I basically trashed Sammy Hagar. Not that I think Hagar is a bad singer, but I’m just not a fan and his style distracts me enough that I have a hard time enjoying whatever song I’m listening to. This week’s selection features a singer, Dee Snider, that most people would think more likely to be annoying/distracting. He’s gimmicky and over the top, almost a parody of the 80s hair rock singer he was. Weirdly, though, I’ve always liked him.

Maybe it’s because I always loved how over the top Snider and the rest of Twisted Sister was. It was an unapologetic approach, a total schtick, and you almost had to remind yourself they were actually a pretty good band.

 

I was not real familiar with this particular album, but like everyone else alive in the mid-80s I’d heard their third album – Stay Hungry – a LOT. Hell, We’re Not Gonna Take It was essentially the anthem of my graduating class.

But this review is about Love is for Suckers and I’ll say it’s a solid effort. On my kindergarten grading sale it’s a low √+, with more √s than +s, but still enjoyable. It’s less “showy” than Stay Hungry was but it also seems a little more consistent. Simply put it’s just kinda fun.

I’m interested in Tim’s take on this one because it seems like the kind of thing he’d dig. I already know Eugene likes it, so I’m interested in his backstory for this one (those are my favorite parts of all his reviews).

Links & Notes

Love is for Suckers Wikipedia Page

Twisted Sister Wikipedia Page

Eugene’s Take at Wheeler’s Dog

Tim’s Take at Useless Things Need Love Too

Eugeology #11 – Montrose

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Gotta say this up front for this album: I’ve never been a Sammy Hagar fan. Wasn’t a big fan of his solo stuff, and didn’t like his stint with Van Halen either. I can’t explain why, but I just never liked his approach to singing.

So, that being said listening to this album was kind of hard. Basically, I got tired of Hagar about halfway through the second song so I just tried to concentrate on the rest of the band as I listened.

Using my kindergarten grading system that I introduced with the last album I ended up giving this one a straight √. It might have been a √+ if anyone but Hagar had been singing, but since the lead singer is obviously a HUGE part of the band it’s awful hard to overcome that.

For instance, I really liked the start of I Don’t Want It but as soon as Hagar got into the action I just kinda had an, “ugh” reaction. Still, when Ronnie Montrose’s guitar was front and center I was really liking it. Honest to goodness that was true with almost every track of this album, so let’s just say that if you could eliminate the vocals this would be a + album.

As with UFO (Eugene’s last selection), I really enjoyed the long, 70s-style jams. If you’re a fan of that and don’t have the same problem with Hagar that I do, then you’ll like this one.

I’ve intentionally avoided reading Eugene & Tim’s reviews so that they don’t skew mine, but if I had to guess I’d say they don’t feel the same way about Hagar that I do. Wish I could explain why he has that effect on me, but it is what it is, so I’m prepared for Eugene to give me his flabbergasted look.

Links & Notes

Montrose Wikipedia Page

Eugene’s Take at Wheeler’s Dog

Tim’s Take at Useless Things Need Love Too

Eugeology #10 – UFO’s Strangers in the Night

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Thank God for Wikipedia. Without it, I would have had no idea this pick of Eugene’s is considered by many aficionados to be one of the best live albums. Until he sent the link to me and Eugene I’d never heard of UFO’s Strangers in the Night, but thanks to the wonders of the internet I can pretend to have known that Slash stated this is his favorite live album.

As I stated on the last post, I’m way behind in my Eugeology listening so I’ve come up with a system to expedite my listening and reviewing: until I get caught up I’m simply keeping a playlist of the songs on the album and scoring the songs thusly: If I like the song it gets a “+”, if I think it’s passable I give it a “√” and if I don’t like it I give it a “-“. You might recognize this as the same scoring kindergarten teachers use.

So, using my system the album gets a very solid “√+”, without a single track getting a “-” and more getting “+s” than “√s.” I was going to list my favorites here, but as I listened that list got pretty damn long so suffice it to say I really like the majority of them.

What I loved about the band: lead guitar. Dude really brought it, and to my untrained ear it didn’t sound like he missed a thing. Since guitarist Michael Schenker played with the Scorpions, who I loved back in the day, I’m pretty sure I’m biased.  I also thought drums and bass were strong, but I’m no expert. Vocals were pretty good too, but as with every live album I’ve ever heard the vocals are overtaken by the instruments. In the end I really think Schenker carried the day.

What I loved about the album: solid, classic 70s-style concert jamming, which is why I really liked Love to Love (8 minutes) and Rock Bottom (11 minutes and the guitar solos are truly “Holy hell!” worthy).

Going to have to thank Eugene for turning me on to this one.

Links & Notes

Strangers in the Night Wikipedia Page

UFO Wikipedia Page

Eugene’s Take at Wheeler’s Dog

Tim’s Take at Useless Things Need Love Too

Eugeology #9 – The Cult’s Electric

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I am WAAAAY behind on my Eugeology posts, but that’s the price I pay for, well, living. You see my (much) better half and I recently celebrated our 25th anniversary and all the related planning, traveling and other such really put a dent in my free time. So, I’m going to be listening to a bunch of bands and posting my vapid and uninformed thoughts about them over the next few days.

This week’s band is one of my favorites from the late 80s and early 90s, The Cult and the album is Electric. The first time I heard them was also the first time I saw them; it was a performance on a late show (I don’t remember which one) and I was entranced by singer Ian Astbury. The combination of his stage presence and his incredibly distinctive voice was something to behold, and I thought it definitely set them apart from the rest of the crowd at the time.

I’m much more familiar Sonic Temple, which was the album they produced after Electric, but there were a few tracks on this I recognized. Love Removal Machine is probably the song the average schmo like me would have heard, but I’d also heard Wild Flower and their cover of Born to Be Wild (not a great cover BTW).

What I’ve always loved about The Cult is that you always know it when you hear them. As I’ve already said Astbury is one of the most distinctive singers around, but I’d also say that Billy Duffy on guitar has a pretty recognizable style, although some of his solos fall prey to the <insert solo here> arrangement. In other words they feel a little gratuitous.

This is a solid album, but if I had to pick I’d go for Sonic Temple as their better album. If you’re looking for a little harder edge, old school rockin’ then this is definitely worth your time, but if your time is limited then go with the later album.

Links & Notes

Electric Wikipedia Page

The Cult Wikipedia Page

Eugene’s Take at Wheeler’s Dog

Tim’s Take at Useless Things Need Love Too