Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 5th, 2012
Even though by many standards, I am probably considered old, I would like to think I can still experience new music, especially when it comes to me for review. Of course, you are also reading the guy who loves to annoy others driving down the street with Whitesnake and Motley Crue. Anyway, I was definitely interested to take a gander at this blu-ray that showcased the talents of a band called Kasabian who performed in late 2011 at the O2 Arena in London. Let's take a look.
In 1997, Tom Meighan (vocalist), Sergio Pizzorno (guitarist), Chris Edwards (bassist), and Christopher Karloff (lead guitarist) formed the band Saracuse. They all resided from England (Countesthorpe and Blaby) and put out their first demo EP in 1998. It only had three songs: "What's Going On", "Life of Luxury" and "Shine On" and they were recorded live. However, it helped to launch a band who was struggling to finds its mark.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on June 19th, 2012
The Raconteurs were formed in Detroit in 2005 by Jack White, formerly of The White Stripes; he pulled together artists Brendan Benson, Patrick Keeler and Jack Lawrence, who were formerly with the Cincinnati garage rock band, The Greenhornes to create the radio friendly garage band, The Raconteurs. Pulling from the roots of rock and roll with a raw, gutsy sound, they immediately scored with their debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, which went to number two in the U.K. and made the top 10 on Billboard's album chart in the U.S. In 2008, the band played one of the premier musical festivals, the Montreux Jazz Festival in support of their second album, Consolers of the Lonely. The concert was captured on video and is The Raconteurs’ first live recording and official video released by the band.
To enjoy the garage band sound, one must be ready for rough and unpolished rock and roll. The Raconteurs: Live at Montreux 2008 is about as rough and unpolished as it gets. I realize this is going to sound like blasphemy to fans of Jack White and the band, but the concert sounds so raw it seems as if they didn’t even practice for the set. Harmonies are way off, guitars crazy out of sync, voices cracking and croaking off key, even the rhythm of the percussion is unsteady at times. This is not helped by a terrible live mix which at times buries the vocals and other times highlights them to the point of crushing the backing instruments.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 22nd, 2012
Hi, this is Casey Casem (play along, alright) and welcome to American Top 40. Michael “Mick” Hucknall was often made fun of due to his red locks in Lancashire, England as a young boy. Little did those children know that Mick would use that to propel himself into a music career at just eighteen years old with the Frantic Elevators during the 1970’s. That was the start of a very fruitful music career for Mr. Hucknall. This long distance dedication goes out to Eddie in Tuscaloosa, Mississippi celebrating his 84th birthday today and here is “Holding Back the Years” by the band known as Simply Red.
Simply Red has always been one man’s brainchild and that was Mick Hucknall. It is said that in 1976 when he watched a Sex Pistols gig in Manchester that well that led to the formation of his first group known as the Frantic Elevators which debuted in 1977. That band would actually last for about seven years until they broke up in 1984. The punk band never really caught attention and was only liked by the locals that saw the band perform. However, before they split up, they released a very important song by the name of “Holding Back the Years”.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on March 4th, 2012
Most people that regularly read my work can probably see my love for the Transformers. We are not talking about the movies either (the first one was decent, the rest were abominations), but instead it is the cartoons that I enjoy so much. Generation One, Beast Wars, Cybertron all hold a special place in my heart. So, when my webmaster mentioned he had season one of Transformers Prime on Blu-ray for me, I think I literally jumped through the ceiling in anticipation. Let us take a look.
Before we begin, I must make mention that this Limited Edition Set includes a full length graphic novel (in digest size) that acts as a prequel to the show. It centers around two main Autobot characters, Arcee and Cliffjumper who start out on the planet of Cybertron but find their way to a strange planet thanks to Spacebridge technology. The main antagonist is Starscream and the story is actually really good. Recommended reading before one even throws in the first disc.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on February 27th, 2012
Carlos Santana is too cool for words. When I say that, I refer to both his widely-acknowledged status as a "Guitar God" and to the fact that he doesn't utter a single word until the 21-minute mark of his latest concert film, Santana — Live at Montreux 2011. Santana may not be chatty, but he and the rest of his eponymous band do a valiant job of holding your attention throughout most of this 167-minute concert in Montreux (which is in Switzerland, and I'm only a little ashamed to admit I had no idea where Montreux was located before I watched this disc).
The music starts almost immediately after you press play — following a short and sweet on-stage introduction by festival creator Claude Nobs — and what follows is a no-frills performance with minimal between-song banter that will nevertheless delight fans of salsa, jazz and rock and roll, genres that Santana has been masterfully fusing for decades. Santana performs his most popular hits — including "Black Magic Woman", "Oye Como Va", "Smooth" and "Maria, Maria" — a few personal favorites of mine (like the playful "Foo Foo") and more than a handful of instrumental numbers that seamlessly blend into one another. There were a couple of instances where I didn't even realize a new song had started until I checked the handy track list on the pop-up menu. (That 23-track song list also allows you to skip ahead to your favorite tunes.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 8th, 2012
Some music due to my age and music exposure, I just do not quite get. Led Zeppelin, Eagles (once I got out of college) or Black Sabbath, I love. Rush? I can not stand them. Pink Floyd? Way over-exposed to the point where I just do not want to listen to them except one in a while and only to certain songs. The Doors? Hrmmm, well I do like some of their songs. As it just so happens, the Blu-Ray review I have for you today involves my favorite Doors song, L.A. Woman.
The Doors always envisioned themselves as a four man band, a modern jazz quartet of rock and roll. They were working on intellectual levels higher than a lot of bands. In 1970, they were working on their six studio album. Previous albums had been the same, an almost standard rock and roll band with guitarists, drummers, keyboards, and Jim Morrison. They want to try and do something different: bluesy, with horns and elements of jazz. Work started in the December of 1970 to produce: L.A. Woman.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on February 3rd, 2012
Owl City's popularity was born out of social networking websites such as Myspace. From the days of uploading songs while living in his parent's basement, to going #1 on Charts in an astounding 24 countries, Owl City (aka Adam Young) continues to ride his hysterical success into his inevitable, first concert film.
Young and his band of pretty 20-somethings don't seem to break a sweat while delivering a suspiciously polished sounding hour-and-a-half long performance. I say suspicious because, although the camera shows that everyone is playing these songs accurately (not that they're all that challenging mind you), it just sounds a lot like the studio versions. I'd start making accusations of playing partly to tapes or adding tracks in post-production because the guitar sounds a little too clean, some instruments and voices are mixed in and out mysteriously...but Young is such a polite young man in his in-between song banter that I shall not go into it any further. You're welcome Mr. Young.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on February 1st, 2012
The title of this documentary stems from the quote “In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." In this film, said “love” refers to the love and support Paul McCartney, and other major celebrities, give to New York in the immediate wake of 9/11. Starting from early rehearsals and finishing with McCartney's closing performance at the “Concert for New York” benefit, we watch one of the most famous people on the planet demonstrate his uncanny sense of humility and humanity as he proves he is a “man of the people.”
The camera is mostly candid as we witness McCartney not be able to walk a single foot on the streets of New York without getting endlessly mobbed by fans. It is refreshing to see that, whether surrounded by starry-eyed civilians or fellow celebrities, McCartney never loses his playful mien.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on December 14th, 2011
Quick, ask me a question that involves Rock and Roll music. Chances are the answer to that question is either the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. The answer was Nickelback? Oh, then the question must have been: Name a Band that only had two good albums and spent the rest of the time copying their own music repeatedly until you wanted to smash Chad Kroeger in the face. Anyway, our review today takes us to 1978 and the Rolling Stones. See, I told you all avenues lead to the Beatles or Stones.
The Rolling Stones by 1978 were a huge success having released over a dozen albums, many of which reached Gold and Platinum status many times over. Their latest album, Black and Blue went to Platinum in the US and hit #1 on the Billboard charts and stayed on the charts for twenty four weeks. Their two big hits off the album included “Fool to Cry” and “Hot Stuff”. The former song, “Full to Cry” scored as a top ten hit. In addition to Platinum status in the US, France and the UK both reported Gold sales for the record.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on December 1st, 2011
My parents were always an oddball lot when it came to music. My mom liked the crooners and if she ever did touch rock and roll, it was something very light and airy. My dad however was a totally different animal. He listened (and still does) to Led Zeppelin, the Moody Blues and Queen. But perhaps one of his favorite albums of all time is Paranoid by Black Sabbath. The front man for Sabbath is the one and only Ozzy Osbourne. I find myself in a fortunate position where I get to review his documentary, God Bless Ozzy Osbourne.
As we open up this documentary, we are told that the makers of this movie have spent the last two years on the road with Ozzy Osbourne. Nearly everyone survived. We visit Argentina as one of Ozzy’s tourstops. We get a very candid look at Ozzy as he puts on makeup, exercises his body and his voice and his slow walk to the stage. He seems to be an everyday normal heavy metal singer but this person who is always been labeled as “Rock n Roll’s definitive crazy person” has a special tale to tell.
![The Love We Make [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-love-we-make-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![The Rolling Stones: Some Girls - Live in Texas '78 [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-rolling-stones-some-girls-li-large.jpg)
![God Bless Ozzy Osbourne [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/god-bless-ozzy-osbourne-blu-ray-large.jpg)
