Jump to content

Jaminbenb

Members
  • Posts

    2967
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Jaminbenb

  1. I got a box set years back called "Supernatural Fairy Tales -- The Progressive Rock Era" thinking that it would really open me up to some new acts...and looking at the list of songs all these years later, I don't think I got into anyone new from it (well new to me, they were all older acts) And I was pretty much glad I got it at a used CD store because if I would have paid full price, I probably would have been mad.... but it almost seemed like a set geared towards bands that they didn't know what to do with, so they classified them as "progressive" and were done with it. Hell, they even had a Zappa song on it (besides the Yes, ELP, Nice, Genesis, etc.) I think I give it an occasional listen when I don't know what else to dig into..and I also think the last time was several years back...not a bad total package, but not something that made me rush out and buy anything new. I actually think I found newer more exciting stuff from the "Tales from Yesterday" release with the Yes tribute stuff on it... Some pretty interesting stuff that Magna Carta was promoting when their label was sort of new. (I think they did a Floyd, and a Genesis tribute album also) Then once Portnoy started futzing with Transatlantic, I really found some cool new stuff, (although I DID know about Marillion) But I got into Spock's Beard, and a little Flower Kings because of it, and I turned into a Spock's Beard/Neal Morse freak! But what's interesting, is on some other pages that I've frequented over the years, and some other groups, people really got turned off to Neal once he went whole hog religious...Ok, so he sings about God and Jesus, now...whatever...bands have been slipping that sort of stuff in for years!?!?! What can ya do...
  2. I worked in a couple of record shops from 1993-'96, and we sold these higher-end boots there-Swingin' Pig and TAKRL were almost exclusively soundboard recordings...they were very clumsily marketed in disguise as 'imports'...hahaha. Generally, we sold single discs for $25, doubles for $50, and a 3CD set would go for anywhere from $60-75. And they sold, week in and week out. I got to buy them at our cost, which was significantly less than that. Yeah...different places did different things....some were $15-$20 per disc....other's were $30! and those were the ones you researched before buying, because if it sucked...you were stuck! My one local place cut deals with those of us that bought a lot, so it was a good place....AND they knew how to find things.... got a great Floyd boot from a show I saw in Philly in 1987 that, besides being a great show, was just an amazing piece of packaging! Exactly....I got to the point with my local "indy record store" owner that he called me to give 1st dibs on any Rush or Floyd silvers he got in. Much the same story with me. I worked in a record store from '83 to '87 and always had first dibs on what came in the "Imports" shipment. With my staff discount not too many boots made it to the record bins. These were mainly picture disc and vinyl boots as cds were just making an appearance in my last year there. I wish I worked in a record store back then...always had a damn office job, and no time for a second job like that....but the one guy in my local store would say NEW "Rush", "Pink Floyd", or "Zappa" when ever I walked in! We also had a "Disc Go Round" that wasn't really "hip" to the whole bootleg thing, and that place ended up being a treasure trove of stuff over the years... Some guy unloaded his Asia and Yes collection, and I picked up a LOT of stuff for about $2-$5. each! (Imports as well as the bootlegs) Was sad to see that place go!
  3. Don't get me started on that snare.....I suggest hitting some of the bootleg sites and pulling one of the live shows...the snare is natural and doesn't detract from the album....that said....cool live show...you'll enjoy it! Just bummed that it was only the whole NEW album...but ok.... Maybe I'll get to see them on a "play it all " tour!
  4. I worked in a couple of record shops from 1993-'96, and we sold these higher-end boots there-Swingin' Pig and TAKRL were almost exclusively soundboard recordings...they were very clumsily marketed in disguise as 'imports'...hahaha. Generally, we sold single discs for $25, doubles for $50, and a 3CD set would go for anywhere from $60-75. And they sold, week in and week out. I got to buy them at our cost, which was significantly less than that. Yeah...different places did different things....some were $15-$20 per disc....other's were $30! and those were the ones you researched before buying, because if it sucked...you were stuck! My one local place cut deals with those of us that bought a lot, so it was a good place....AND they knew how to find things.... got a great Floyd boot from a show I saw in Philly in 1987 that, besides being a great show, was just an amazing piece of packaging!
  5. Yeesh.....if the names The Swingin' Pig or TAKRL or Kornyfone don't mean anything to you, then you really aren't in an intellectual position to comment on this thread. But here's a hint: bootlegging was around LOOOONNNNNG before the internet made free trading easy, practical, and inexpensive. Until 1998 or so, the only way most people had access to these recordings was the commercially-released stuff from the bigger underground labels. Yeah, trading circles existed, but those were hard to fond and even harder to break into. People the piously say that no money should ever trade hands for bootlegs have absolutely no clue as to the effort, and in some cases, THOUSANDS of dollars that were spent to put these recordings into the free range where they exist today. Oh, Ron, pardon my stupidity. How low should I bow before your arrogance superior knowledge? HAH! Ron was around way back, and probably knows more than most of us would even consider knowing! Ron was a "go to" person with Rush boots back in the old daze! You scoff!
  6. Dream Theater is very "present" in my mind since I just saw them the other day...but when I was choosing something to put into my car to listen to, I reminded myself of the series of recordings that Portnoy had them release because he knew that people "wanted more"... he was an avid boot collector, and IIRC, back when he would frequent the old AOL boards, would ask people to send him copies of stuff they got..kind of wild! So when he started their YtseJam records, and released the demos, live stuff, and other things it was awesome! And you sort of knew that it would happen..just a shame that it seems to have gone to the wayside since he's no longer in the band...(although that website is still online)
  7. Oh no doubt! I've been in bands where you dreaded dealing with someone on a day to day basis but they were great musicians.
  8. I saw him last May on his "solo" tour...amazing stuff! Still hoping that he does a Porcupine Tree "reunion" and comes back to this area...dude is freaking amazing live! (and the fact that he did Lazarus at that show STILL blows me away!)
  9. I'm still bummed that I didn't get to see them when they played Hershey in 1980 (parents weren't into me going with the people that had the tickets, so I had to pass) But a friend that got to see them on September 19, 1976 at a small venue called the Zembo Shrine Auditorium, in Harrisburg was the killer of the shows that I missed...although I didn't know about them at THAT point ...a slight while later when ATWAS came out...(like a week...) and the friend that saw that show said "you need to hear this guy"!!
  10. How is Mangini not a great drummer? Too technical for you? Because talent wise he is amazing. http://www.dailymoti...k-2013-hd_music Now I'll sit and wait for Segue to tell me he has a right to not think Mangini is great! :| You like him, I don't...His technique is "eh", and he plays with a "hit everything at once and let the fans sort it out" style... not a fan! edit: and I just watched that solo you linked..he's not doing anything anyone else isn't doing..his four limb independence is adequate, and his "one handed" stuff is stuff that I've known drum corps guys to do forever, and it's just not that hard if you have decent chops and you're warmed up....he's better than some guys, but he ain't all that....(and I bet he was a tenor player in high school band) That's cool. I love his playing and him in general. I was a little bored tonight....so I wandered over to their website and re-watched the drummer audition videos, and thought that Peter Wildoer and Marco Minneman were the better choices...(Wildoer was wild!) But Mangini was better prepared, and gelled with the guys a lot better...so I see why they chose him...
  11. That's just a band I never really found attractive...a friend played some odd and obscure stuff for me years back, and I agreed with it, but the more commercial stuff, that they seem to play on the radio, and in concert was never on my "A" list... (kind of like Springsteen stuff...or Bowie...)
  12. That's off the charts awesome! I had to come home and confess to my wife that for two hours I was in love with another woman. :P That's the other thing...she's not bad!!! :drool:
  13. That's off the charts awesome!
  14. Of the tours I've seen, definitely the R30 overture because it had so many things in it! But there really wasn't an opener of the tours other then the last one that I DIDN'T like... I picked The Anarchist only because it signaled the last tour....
  15. Yes is Steve Howe's project, more than anything else...Great that he's still out there playing, and if they're within a reasonable driving distance, I'll still probably go see them, but it's not the way it was without Chris. Although the tour I saw a few years back, that I was calling Howe, Squire & White, was sort of not really Yes at that point, either... I saw Anderson Ponty last year, and that felt more like Yes than the Yes show I saw... can't wait for the project with Wakeman and Rabin!
  16. The concept that people WANT live shows is the fact that a lot of people just want everything they can get their hands upon... I was like that years back, but now I'm a little more discerning about it. I think the band doesn't like it from the old "people are making money off of our work" attitude, but that was something pre-1990-2000-ish...once the internet took off, and people started trading, and the more serious traders would go buy ONE bootleg, and trade the living crap out of it (and tell people that wanted to buy it to send them some blanks) was the test that showed that the real fans just wanted the music. I actually think the bigger issue was when people would take the "official" version of a release, and make copies and sell them, as opposed to a concert recording. THAT seems to be a big issue in some countries (like Lorraine said..the Russians) I think that bands need to open their vaults in order to have the best version of any given tour, but that said...people are going to want a document of a show that they attended! (which is pretty much how I live these days, unless someone says that ______ is a great version of ________'s tour!) I read every review of whatever is released on sites like Dimeadozen, for the bands I'm interested in, and if I don't have the date, or it claims to be a better version of a show I like, I'll download it and give it a whirl.
  17. How is Mangini not a great drummer? Too technical for you? Because talent wise he is amazing. http://www.dailymoti...k-2013-hd_music Now I'll sit and wait for Segue to tell me he has a right to not think Mangini is great! :| You like him, I don't...His technique is "eh", and he plays with a "hit everything at once and let the fans sort it out" style... not a fan! edit: and I just watched that solo you linked..he's not doing anything anyone else isn't doing..his four limb independence is adequate, and his "one handed" stuff is stuff that I've known drum corps guys to do forever, and it's just not that hard if you have decent chops and you're warmed up....he's better than some guys, but he ain't all that....(and I bet he was a tenor player in high school band)
  18. Go read my review in the review thread... Great show...album came over a lot better live than I expected it to do...GO SEE IT IF YOU CAN! Stage show is great, but the constant walk on/walk off stuff is a little annoying at times.... Mangini is NOT a great drummer, he's a good drummer, and I'm not his fan...(and no I'm not a Portnoy disciple) Myung is looking tired and older, but still plays like a beast! Petrucci needs to lose the beard, but is still one of the best guitar players out there! Rudess is like a wizard, and plays amazingly! LaBrie consumes a lot of liquid during a show...
  19. Dream Theater, The Astonishing! Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA 04/22/2016 Ok, finally got to see Dream Theater, but “unfortunately” it was an entire performance of ONLY their new album… NOT that I’m complaining, but I love going to shows where I KIND of know the music…this one hasn’t been out long enough for me to really have a handle on it, and the studio version of it has the most GOD-awful sounding snare drum on it! It actually gets tiring when you listen to it for long stretches of time…but that’s just me…. ANYWAY…This IS an amazing band! I’ve been following them since I got their first album back in about 1991. I remember reading about them in a Rush “Fanzine”, and the person reviewing the album said that they were the next coming of Rush…ok...maybe not QUITE that good, but good nonetheless… (my opinion was this is what Rush would have sounded like if they stayed more “metal” than proggish) But I liked the first album, and when the second album came out, I was hooked! (and hitting the online forums checking them out…in fact they were so NOT famous yet that Mike Portnoy and their original lead vocalist (Charlie Domeneci) were avid followers of the old AOL music forums, and would just hang out online and be dimwits with the rest of us…but I digress… No I don’t…Kevin Moore left, and Derek Sherinian got into the band, and formed my FAVORITE era of the band, but that was short lived, and Jordan Rudess (after playing a one off show a few years earlier) got into the band full time and they did Metropolis Part II. Which was great, but in my opinion was when the band got into some different stuff, and sort of lost my interest. (although Train of Thought was a great album) After Mike Portnoy had some crazy years doing different projects, and wanted to take a break, they FIRED him, and started a quest for a new drummer and ended up with Mike Mangini. (and lost my interest as a “go to” band) First album with him, seemed too “pre-planned”...next album was just “ok”…. Now when I heard they were doing another complete concept album, I (being a prog freak and thinking that concept albums were cool) was intrigued, and followed the hype online, and got a copy of the album, and as I said…that damn snare drum was just TOXIC! A friend called and said “DT is coming to the Tower, you wanna go?” So I thought “why not!” As the weeks of their tour wore on, I figured that someone somewhere would tape the show, and I’d be able to tell if that awful snare drum was part of the live production…thankfully it wasn’t, and I actually sort of enjoyed the “bootleg” of the concert! So AS we got closer to the show I listened to another version of it and thought…ok…tolerable! So here we are! I got picked up, the guy driving was familiar with the area (Daughter goes to Villanova, and has been to more concerts than anyone I know) and we got there in record time. This was my first show at the Tower and I thought it was cool! (I’ve been to a lot of shows in the Philly area, and it was great to finally get to one here) As we walked into the theater, we were CONSTANTLY reminded that we were NOT allowed to take ANY pictures whether with a camera, a phone, or whatever at any time or we would risk being ejected, the band has strictly forbid this! Ok…WTF? I’m not one of those people that constantly stands with my cell phone raised and snapping every ten seconds, but I LIKE to take a souvenir here and there for myself…(which usually looks like crap and I delete it anyway) But these “ushers” were being very annoying about it. OK…phone stays in the pocket...no biggie. The show started ON TIME! Most of us that go to concerts knows that 15-20 minutes late is a usual thing…nope…8:00 the lights dimmed! A few minutes later the overture started and we were off! I won’t go crazy into the show…(because it’s a new one on me…I may have heard the entire show four or five times before now, and never in one sitting) But it was good, REALLY good, these guys play their butts off…Petrucci is off the charts, and seemed to be on the seven string most of the night…Myung is looking old and tired, and was on his HUGE six string bass all night, in fact, every time he walked back on stage it looked like he was carrying a lance! ….Rudess is like a freaking wizard up there, and just playing stuff you can’t imagine. (on his usual single keyboard rig that’s integrated into the stage décor) His single keyboard rig turns, and dips so you can see him playing, he’s an amazing musician! Magnini is a “good” drummer…but I’m not impressed…sorry for those that are… Watching him, you can see that he has stuff all over the place left, right, center...and his playing is “convenient”. Meaning that it seems no matter where he throws a stick, a sound comes out. I’m not detracting from his “convenience” drumming because, why make things harder for yourself…but I’m just not a fan of having four to five hi-hat set ups placed in different parts of your kit, and his “independence” tom-snare-cymbal set up…but again…”whatever works for you” but I’m more impressed with other drummers…and what he’s playing isn’t the greatest stuff I’ve ever heard with this band! (I’ll leave it at that, I know people are drooling over this cat, I’m not) LaBrie’s vocals were tough to hear because the sound system (in my opinion) didn’t compliment him. He was a tad lower in the mix than he should have been. The guy I went with was a little annoyed that he couldn’t hear the vocals, and I have to slightly agree…shame on the sound guy (and we were only about four to five rows in FRONT of them, so that’s NO excuse! He should have been pristine!) The stage show itself was cool, they had some great video, and lighting, and it really was a great part of the entire show. BUT the fact that the band constantly entered and exited the stage during the show was a little confusing. The beginning of the show, it was just the instrumentalists…and when he “came in” LaBrie entered the stage and started singing…but EVERY time he had more than a few bars of rest, he’d walk to the side of the stage, or OFF stage behind one of the video boards, then if it was a piece with just him and Rudess, the rest of the band would walk off…and then it was a production for Myung to carry his long necked bass back on stage…Mangini to jump back up on his drum riser, and Petrucci to re-enter…sorry…STAY ON STAGE! To me it was just too confusing seeing who was on, off, walking back or off…but honestly LaBrie was the worst…sing two words, and walk off stage… I don’t get it. Back to the part about the taking pictures….a kid in front of me pulled his phone out…snapped a picture or two, then shot maybe 10 seconds of video…an usher came up whacked him on the back and said “DON’T DO THAT, OR I’LL HAVE TO REMOVE YOU!” So he shrugged, and put his phone back in his pocket… really? What was that going to hurt? Anyway... So to SUM up….. GO SEE THIS SHOW! Don’t take my complaints to heart, I’m a tough sell…but it’s a great show with excellent musicians, and a cool stage show, The “annoying things” aren’t enough to detract from Dream Theater’s “Wall”, “Tommy”, “2112”, “final cut”, “Tales From Topographic Oceans”…etc…add your favorite… It’s a great album, and once the live version is released you’ll love it even more! I’m glad I finally got to see this band in one of its incarnations after all of the years I’ve been following them in various states of fan-dom!
  20. Not too long ago I found out Prince was the writer to the song Nothing Compares To You which was sung by Sinead O Connor. That was one huge song back in the day, Well that's the other thing... besides his own career, he helped out a lot of other people, wrote stuff for them...did their production, and all that... he had it together! Sheila E was one of his drummers for a while, too!
  21. Amazing! As I said to a friend, I wouldn't go out and buy his music like it was the end of the world, but the man had serious talent, and did some great things! My favorite stuff is on the Hits & B-sides collection, not to mention a few things that I've picked up here and there over the years. This year sucks ass! I'm still not over Keith Emerson!
  22. Project Object cancelled...bummer! No explanation other than they need to reschedule probably for the fall.... Ok...we can add PAUL McCARTNEY to the list on July 19th in Hershey! And I just saw that Toto is coming to Lancaster in August! (and not as an opening act!) DT this Friday...
  23. Sorry...but as a beer geek, I gotta go with a SIX pack! CoS, 2112, AFTK, Hemi, PW, MP!
  24. I think they did a cool job with it! Nice to see the boys getting some love! (Got a text from a friend that said "your t-shirt collection is on TV") Oh..and the other cool thing is that the cassette tape had the proper color box! Gotta give "props" to the "prop" guy!
×
×
  • Create New...