Albums You've Listened To Today, V.9

[Mithrandir]

[bluefox4000]

Frank Zappa

 

Freak Out (8/10)

Absolutly Free (8/10)

We're Only in it For The Money (10/10)

Cruising With Ruben And the Jets (7/10)

Weasels Ripped My Flesh (6/10)

Burnt Weeney Sandwich (7/10)

Chunga's Revenge (8/10)

 

Yea know i love Zappa to death one of my all time fav artists.  but these really early albums with the original Mothers and the Flo and Eddie stuff is my least fav period's.  i mean there's gems in here like the We're only in it....Album is fun and my fav from this period but  a lot is just not too enjoyable for me.

 

Stuff's important but not what i love in Zappa.  too me it's over-nite Sensation and on where he started his golden period.  from there i just love almost everything.

 

Mick

 

[Mr. Not]

37 minutes ago, bluefox4000 said:

Frank Zappa

 

Freak Out (8/10)

Absolutly Free (8/10)

We're Only in it For The Money (10/10)

Cruising With Ruben And the Jets (7/10)

Weasels Ripped My Flesh (6/10)

Burnt Weeney Sandwich (7/10)

Chunga's Revenge (8/10)

 

Yea know i love Zappa to death one of my all time fav artists.  but these really early albums with the original Mothers and the Flo and Eddie stuff is my least fav period's.  i mean there's gems in here like the We're only in it....Album is fun and my fav from this period but  a lot is just not too enjoyable for me.

 

Stuff's important but not what i love in Zappa.  too me it's over-nite Sensation and on where he started his golden period.  from there i just love almost everything.

 

Mick

 

 

 

I listened to Halloween 81 recently in two separate sittings and it was quite the listening experience, 6 hours... A lot of repeating songs though.

Honestly I'm so bummed they never really performed the better half of You Are What You Is.

 

There's still a lot of Zappa I haven't listened to, if we're counting the post humous works then i've probably only been through about half of his discography, but I've mostly gotten the meat and potatoes covered, I don't think there are too many gems left to discover.

 

I want to revisit Civilzation Phaze III, it's the perfect type of album for Zappa to go out on, and was one of the first full albums of his I ever listened to after I got interested  

[bluefox4000]

7 minutes ago, Mr. Not said:

 

 

I listened to Halloween 81 recently in two separate sittings and it was quite the listening experience, 6 hours... A lot of repeating songs though.

Honestly I'm so bummed they never really performed the better half of You Are What You Is.

 

There's still a lot of Zappa I haven't listened to, if we're counting the post humous works then i've probably only been through about half of his discography, but I've mostly gotten the meat and potatoes covered, I don't think there are too many gems left to discover.

 

I want to revisit Civilzation Phaze III, it's the perfect type of album for Zappa to go out on, and was one of the first full albums of his I ever listened to after I got interested  

 

 

Zappa's a lot, lol.  BTW i love that halloween set.  it's good.  but i just pick and choose which concert i put on.  i've never binged it all at once.

 

But yea my view is zappa from like 73 to his death was pretty consistant.  the 80's you kind of have to pick and choose.......BUT in my opinion he never full out crashed and burned like a lot of 70's artist did in that decade.

 

But yea that 60's/early 70's stuff is rough for me.

 

Mick

[Segue Myles]

3 hours ago, Mr. Not said:

 

It bridges the gap between new Sonata and old Sonata imo - similar to how Pariah's Child did, but in a more direct way. Aside from the speed and some of their classic power metal song structure motifs coming back, along with some faster solos... It really can't pass as "classic" Sonata Arctica. Silence was the gold standard imo, and i am the typical fan who does believe their first four albums are their best work and always will be. 

 

You're lucky you went into this blind. For months now Tony has been in dozens of interviews, many with small youtube channels even, promoting that "Old Sonata is back" and saying stuff like "I regret Unia and everything following it, I was ignoring the fans"... But as I've said before, Elias/Henkka cannot do what Jani/Mikko did, they can tap upon it with songs like "First in Line" and "Rise a Night" for example, but they still cannot, or refuse to, do what Jani/Mikko did for the sound of the band, which was easily half of the magic. Elias's playing on this album is still obviously Elias's and not Jani's, he's stubborn with his aggressive guitar tones and in your face riffs, rather than working with the rest of the band to make a complete atmospheric sound. Same goes for Henkka with his keyboards, the band sounds more fragmented now than it does unified, and that's been a problem they've had for a while now.

 

Anyway, I wouldn't be so critical of the album if it weren't for the fact that they heavily pushed the idea that it was going to be old Sonata - but I'm not disappointed either because I didn't fully buy in to that narrative, I knew it wasn't possible. It's a great album for what it is. 4 of the songs might need some warming up to (I'm not enjoying Cure For Everything & Angel Defiled much, and the last two songs on the album sound very "Talviyo" which is an album I hardly enjoyed at all...), but other than it's a great, brief album.. I got more than I would have ever expected from them at this point. 

Shame he regrets Unia and all that followed. 

 

But he's entitled to look at his lifestyle work and feel that way. I loved their discography up until the last album. This is fine. I enjoyed it a lot, and I'm glad!

 

At the same time, I do find my tastes these days align with their discography pre-Unia. Which initially, was the opposite. 

[Segue Myles]

Iced Earth- Iced Earth

 

Easily in my top ten debut metal albums ever. Up their with Burn My Eyes, Remission, The Legacy and Iron Maiden for me.

[Segue Myles]

Iced Earth- Burnt Offerings 

[Union 5-3992]

Judas Priest - Stained Class

Paraidse Lost - Draconian Times

Mastodon - Emperor of Sand

Sleep - Dopesmoker

Truckfighters - Gravity X

Judas Priest - Invincible Shield

[TheAccountant]

Judas Priest - Invincible Shield

 

The weather is terrible here in upstate NY.  Heavy rain - again, or perhaps I should say still as it seems to never stop - the ground is just water logged.  Revolting.  Anyway, I don't often sit down with an album on Saturday night but since I picked up the new Priest album I had to make an exception.  Others are raving about it.  What did I think based on my first listen?  

 

First off, what kind of tea is Rob Halford drinking?  If anybody knows I would like to find out because I want some of it.  My goodness he still has amazing vocals.  Ok - not the vocals he had back in the 1980's.  But given his age he is awesome.

 

Second thought, the album starts decently with "Panic Attack" and "The Serpent and the King".  Both are good songs.  Then (IMO) it gets better.  Every song after that (my copy of the album has 11 songs on it) is very good.  "invisible Shield", "Devil in Disguise", "Gates of Hell", "Crown of Horns", "As God is my Witness", "Trial by Fire", "Escape From Reality', "Sons of Thunder", "Giants in the Sky" - they are all very good.  As others have said, for a band this late in their career to put out an album that is this good is impressive.  Very impressive.

 

Third thought, their are some excellent guitar solo's all through the album but the album also has some very good drum work.  I have said it before and will sy it again - Scott Travis is a very underrated drummer.

 

Fourth thought - is it me or does "Escape From Reality" have a weird vibe to it?  I am certain its intentional - it sort of goes with the song.  If the other songs have a "Lets have a beer" sort of vibe then this song has a "lets have a joint, or lets try these mushrooms" sort of vibe.  Again, I like the song.  Just an observation.

 

Fifth thought - the best song on the album is, um, I don't know.  To many to pick from.  Perhaps the title track, perhaps "Escape from Reality", perhaps "Crown of Horns", perhaps "Sons of thunder", perhaps "Giants in the Sky", perhaps "Gates of Hell", perhaps "Trial by Fire".  Good grief  - I just mentioned most of the album.

 

Wonderful album. 

 

 

[Pressure/Hopenosis]

 

Still loving this album!  Doing a little work in the wood shop with the kid.  This album has been on repeat and I think six times through.  I like this as much as I did grace Under Pressure when I first put it in.  Familiar yet different overall vibe for each artist.  Not all in your face all the time,  The guitar solos all over this album?  Holy crap!!!!

[Mr. Not]

[yyz305]

[yyz305]

[yyz305]

[Segue Myles]

Iced Earth- Plagues Of Babylon 

Iced Earth- Incorruptible 

 

I will always be a fan of this band! Loving these two albums a lot at the moment.

[custom55]

Easing into Sunday morning.

 

 

 

[Segue Myles]

AFI- Decemberunderground 

[bluefox4000]

Frank Zappa-Over Nite Sensation (9/10)

 

this right here is the start of my fav zappa band/era.  the next incarnation of the Mothers

 

Frank

Bruce Fowler

Ian Underwood

Ruth Underwood

Tom Fowler

George Duke

Ralph Humphrey

 

Tis incarnation blows the Originals mothers away for me.  they could play literrally anything.

 

This lineup lasted 4 or 5 years but killer stuff.

 

Mick

 

 

[bluefox4000]

Zappa-Apostrophe (10/10)

 

Mick

[Segue Myles]

Nine Inch Nails- Pretty Hate Machine 

Nine Inch Nails- The Downward Spiral

[Mr. Not]

Weather Report - Black Market

Weather Report - Heavy Weather

 

No matter how many times I give these guys a try I only really enjoy Birdland. And i keep giving them a lot of tries because I really like Birdland.

[bluefox4000]

13 minutes ago, Mr. Not said:

Weather Report - Black Market

Weather Report - Heavy Weather

 

No matter how many times I give these guys a try I only really enjoy Birdland. And i keep giving them a lot of tries because I really like Birdland.

 

 

i don't like instrumental music in general.  i don't even like it much when zappa does it.

 

so like Weather Report. Brand X Miles Davis.  not my cup of tea.  I don't mind when someone puts an instrumental or two on an album but a full album of it......yawn.

 

Mick

 

 

Edited March 10 by bluefox4000

[treeduck]

[treeduck]

[TheAccountant]

19 hours ago, TheAccountant said:

Judas Priest - Invincible Shield

 

The weather is terrible here in upstate NY.  Heavy rain - again, or perhaps I should say still as it seems to never stop - the ground is just water logged.  Revolting.  Anyway, I don't often sit down with an album on Saturday night but since I picked up the new Priest album I had to make an exception.  Others are raving about it.  What did I think based on my first listen?  

 

First off, what kind of tea is Rob Halford drinking?  If anybody knows I would like to find out because I want some of it.  My goodness he still has amazing vocals.  Ok - not the vocals he had back in the 1980's.  But given his age he is awesome.

 

Second thought, the album starts decently with "Panic Attack" and "The Serpent and the King".  Both are good songs.  Then (IMO) it gets better.  Every song after that (my copy of the album has 11 songs on it) is very good.  "invisible Shield", "Devil in Disguise", "Gates of Hell", "Crown of Horns", "As God is my Witness", "Trial by Fire", "Escape From Reality', "Sons of Thunder", "Giants in the Sky" - they are all very good.  As others have said, for a band this late in their career to put out an album that is this good is impressive.  Very impressive.

 

Third thought, their are some excellent guitar solo's all through the album but the album also has some very good drum work.  I have said it before and will sy it again - Scott Travis is a very underrated drummer.

 

Fourth thought - is it me or does "Escape From Reality" have a weird vibe to it?  I am certain its intentional - it sort of goes with the song.  If the other songs have a "Lets have a beer" sort of vibe then this song has a "lets have a joint, or lets try these mushrooms" sort of vibe.  Again, I like the song.  Just an observation.

 

Fifth thought - the best song on the album is, um, I don't know.  To many to pick from.  Perhaps the title track, perhaps "Escape from Reality", perhaps "Crown of Horns", perhaps "Sons of thunder", perhaps "Giants in the Sky", perhaps "Gates of Hell", perhaps "Trial by Fire".  Good grief  - I just mentioned most of the album.

 

Wonderful album. 

 

 

Additional point that was staring me in the face - the art work is excellent.  Not just the album cover but also the record jackets.  The art work for an album and the physical sensation is a big part of why I prefer vinyl, or, as a back up, CD's.  Its part of why I rejected CD's for a long, long time and will still get an album on vinyl if I can.  The record industries change from vinyl to CD coincided with my (mostly) stopping my music purchases.  Yes = the quality of music dropped off a cliff about the same time but I enjoyed the physical sensation of looking through bins of records and enjoying the artwork.  Got many a good album just due to kick-but artwork.  Albums I would likely not have found otherwise.

 

This is a very, very good album in every way I can think of.