Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 8th, 2012
My favorite genre of music to make fun of is Metal (even though I like listening to it). As an example, This is Spinal Tap, the best musical mockumentary ever, we learn that metal can be freaking hilarious. That’s why when my webmaster offered me Metalocalypse Season Four on Blu-Ray, I eagerly said yes even though I had only seen the cartoon once or twice. However, once I opened it up, I realized before me was perhaps one of the funniest dark comedic cartoons I have ever seen.
This site has not really touched this series since Season One, so I will go ahead and go over the basics. Metalocalypse is about a band, possibly the world’s greatest death metal band, Dethklok. This band has become so successful that they are considered the seventh largest economy in the world. Dethklok consists of five members: Nathan Explosion (lead singer), Skwisgaar Skwigelf(lead guitar), Toki Wartooth (rhythm guitarist), Pickles (drummer) and William Murderface (bassist).
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on November 7th, 2012
Please put down the torches. The mediocre rating you see attached to this review is in no way an indictment of Queen, one of rock history’s most iconic bands fronted by, arguably, the best male vocalist of all time. No, this mediocre rating is specific to this two-disc DVD collection of Freddy Mercury and Co’s music video oeuvre.
Queen: Greatest Video Hits features 33 clips starting with the band’s mid-1970s breakthrough, continuing through their reign as the kings of stadium rock in the early and mid-1980s, and concluding right at the dawn of the 1990s. (Mercury died in 1991 of bronchopneumonia resulting from AIDS.) For the most part, the music videos — especially the earlier clips on Disc 1 — seem relatively primitive by today’s standards, but they serve as a great time capsule of the burgeoning art form. Plus, the music is undeniably terrific.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 30th, 2012
Whether you’re into their music or not, The Doors: Live at the Bowl ’68 gives fans a chance to see a band (and a rock icon) at the height of their powers. Admittedly, The Doors didn’t have the longest shelf life — the band was formed in 1965, released their self-titled debut album in 1967, and frontman Jim Morrison was found dead in a Paris apartment in 1971 — but their impact can be felt to this day. Of course, when I say the band was at the height of their powers, you should understand that means there’s a pretty good chance Morrison was on acid.
That’s not irresponsible guesswork on my part; drummer John Densmore makes the claim himself in one of the behind-the-scenes documentaries on this disc. (For what it’s worth, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger pass up the chance to confirm Densmore’s statement.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 28th, 2012
“I think we all knew it was good. But it was only when we started getting hits, which is sort of a rare thing in my life, that you start thinking, 'Maybe we’re gonna sell something here.'”
Peter Gabriel was one of the founding members of late ‘60s prog rock pioneers Genesis and released four untitled/self-titled solo albums in the late 1970s and early ‘80s, which spawned hits like “Solsbury Hill” and “Shock the Monkey.” But it wasn’t until 1986 that the British rocker enjoyed the greatest success of his career.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on October 17th, 2012
Some bands stand the test of time. Rolling Stones, Beatles, Bon Jovi, Village People, errrr, okay let’s continue. Another of those bands is Queen who some experts have estimated that the band has sold over two hundred million records. Their most famous lead singer is of course the legendary Freddie Mercury. But Freddie Mercury was such a unique personality that he was not always interested in making music with Queen. He had many other interests and this documentary we have today explores them.
At the Rio festival in January of 1985, Freddie Mercury decided to perform in front of 350,000 people in a pink sweater and fake breasts. The next day, he is interviewing with David Wigg in suspenders and a seemingly normal t-shirt. When asked about whether or not he was intimidated by the size of the crowd he preformed at. He simply smiles and says that bigger is better in everything. The Emperor of Rock has found some new clothes.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 20th, 2012
The voice of Etta James — specifically on her rendition of “At Last” — has launched 1,000 wedding receptions. The singer, who passed away earlier this year, also had a long history with the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Though this Blu-ray includes performances from the 1970s and 1980s, the focus is on her 1993 show, which came the same year James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and followed a late ‘80s comeback from drug and alcohol addiction.
The concert doesn’t waste any time jumping right into the music. Unfortunately, we have to endure two instrumental tracks — and approximately 8 ½ minutes of screen time — before the star of the show takes the stage. (Appropriately, the second of those tracks is “Hold On, I’m Coming.”) At least we get to marvel at the band members' unfortunate early ‘90s fashions — one of the trumpet players looks like Super Mario — as we wait for James to show up.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 4th, 2012
Before watching this Blu-ray my knowledge of Staind consisted of only what I’ve heard in passing on the radio. I wouldn’t call myself a fan or go so far as to say I dislike them, I simply view (or hear) them as something to fill the void when the radio is on. Where I did grow a bit of an appreciation for the band was in an interview that’s included on the disc that turned out to be more insightful than the standard fluff piece you may expect.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 24th, 2012
My wife listens to a lot of different music. We share some bands, but we do vary quite a bit. So normally, even if I have not heard the band before, I ask my wife whenever we here at Upcomingdiscs receive a new music disc. In this case, I had already known the band but it was a curiosity for me at best. My wife I come to find out though is a huge fan of Slipknot which leads us to our music Blu-Ray review: Slipknot: (sic)nesses. Let us see what really “heavy” metal is all about.
Slipknot was formed in 1995 out of Des Moines, Iowa. The founding members were percussionist Shawn Crahan and late bassist Paul Gray. The original name of the band was actually the Pale Ones. It was only after Joey Jordison (main drummer) suggested a name change in 1995, that the real Slipknot was born. Later in the same year they began recording material at SR Audio, a hometown studio. The album was self-financed and with only forty thousand between them, things were not going to be easy.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 15th, 2012
I can still remember the day I first rented the movie Say Anything from the mom and pop video store that I used to hang out at through most of my childhood. It was a movie that stuck with me over the years, and it was that movie that introduced me to Peter Gabriel because of the infamous boom box scene. Ever since that movie “In Your Eyes” has been what I equated to the go to song to play for a girl any time I do something stupid (which is often) or when I say something stupid (happens more often). And for those of you old enough to remember when MTV actually played just music videos, it was hard to resist the awesomeness of the animated video Gabriel had for “Sledgehammer”. I wouldn’t call myself a super fan of the artist, but “Solsbury Hill” is one of those songs that could squeeze into my desert island top 10 songs if I was forced to actually make a list of favorites. So needless to say, when given a chance to review this concert I took it with open and eager hands.
When I put in the Secret World Live Blu-ray, I expected to get a well-shot concert with some good live performances, but instead I got so much more. This isn’t simply a man with his band belting out a few hits. This is a production filled with elaborate production numbers that take place on two stages with a long catwalk connecting the two. From the moment Gabriel emerges from a red telephone booth to perform “Come Talk to Me”, the man sets out to put on a show for the audience that is simply incredible. The opening number, done as a duet with a young Paula Cole, is beautifully choreographed, and this is only the beginning.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 13th, 2012
Stand-up comedy almost always puts me in a good mood. Even when it is bad, it can be unintentionally good and what is good can often be spectacular. Needless to say, I always am on the lookout for new comics or comics that I have overlooked. Today, we get to take a look at Todd Barry, a man who has been in standup for about 15-20 years. Yes, I believe I have completely missed this one.
Todd Barry was born on March 26, 1964 in the Bronx, New York and grew up in Florida. He actually did not start doing standup until about 1994 where he did a few open mike nights in New York City. It was not until 1999 where he finally got a break of sorts as he did a Comedy Central Presents episode that showcased his brand of comedy. I believe this is the standup that I saw a few weeks ago though I might be confusing it with the episode he did for Comedy Central during 2006. It was really good regardless.
