John Wetton: An Extraordinary Life

 

John Wetton: An Extraordinary Life

I'm a big fan of John Wetton's. For my money, there were few vocalists that could outdo what this man could do, all while playing the bass guitar. I've been a big fan of Asia for years, and own all of the albums. I also have John's work with UK, King Crimson, and Icon. But for some reason I never owned any of his solo albums. That was rectified with this beautifully done box set. Flipping through the extensive liner notes, and included booklet and I can't help but be a bit sad that he's gone. 

As I listen through to these albums for the first time, it occurs to me that I'm listening to new to me music from one of my all-time favorite musicians. I don't know how I missed out on these albums for so long, but I'm so happy to be hearing it. There will never be a musician like John, and I'm happy to honor his memory by listening to his music. He'll always be missed, but never forgotten.

Kudos to everyone that was involved with this phenomenal box set. And Rest In Peace to John. Thanks for the music!

Rob's Top 100 Albums of All Time (75 - 50)

 Welcome back, my friends. I didn't want my last post to get too long here, so I thought I would start a second post for the next 25 albums on my top 100 favorite albums of all time list. You'll see more prog-rock sneak into this part of my list, but they're all great albums, and I'm having such a great time listening to them all, as I post these short blurbs about each album. No more talking, let's get to it!

#75 - Avantasia: The Scarecrow (2008)

To me, this is symphonic metal at its finest. "The Scarecrow" is the first part of Tobias Sammet's "Wicked Trilogy". To me, this album is just perfection. There are so many great guests here. Bob Catley (MAGNUM), Amanda Somerville, Alice Cooper, and MIchael Kiske (Helloween) to name a few. The music is melodic, and heavy, and very symphonic, and a wonderful ride from start to finish. The title track is more than 11 minutes of pure brilliance, just to name one favorite. The other two albums in this trilogy are fantastic as well, but this part is my favorite. 

#74 - Def Leppard: Adrenalize (1992)

This was the album that introduced me to Def Leppard. I'm sure I most likely heard some stuff on the radio, but this is where I really started to love the band. Of course "Let's Get Rocked" was all over the place, but I think "Tear It Down" and the ballad ("Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad") are my favorites here. The entire album just sounds so powerful, and in your face. You just can't help but love the melodies, and instrumentation. 

Geddy Lee: My Favorite Headache

 

Geddy Lee: My Favorite Headache

Originally released back in 2000, I'm going to call this re-release a huge missed opportunity. Sound wise, I always thought that this album sounded perfect. In fact, it still sounds perfect, but other than a few things that I seem to notice a bit better here (like the organ during "Window To the World"), I don't really hear any major differences. 

The good here is that there is a booklet included, that actually has the lyrics. When the album was initially released, you had to go to a website for the album to read them. The website is long since gone, so it's nice to have something that you can hold, and look at. There are a couple bonus tracks as well, but they're just two of the album tracks, with Geddy's vocals removed (and I really don't want his vocals removed!). They're a cool little addition, but if only there were a couple other songs they could have used...

The bad here is that there are two other songs that could have been put here. When Geddy released his book last year ("My Effin' Life"), he released two new songs from these sessions: "Gone", and "I Am... You Are". I love these two tracks, and it would have been nice to have a physical release for them. This would have been a great chance to do that. Alex had four new tunes added to his, so I have to wonder why they weren't included here. Such a huge missed opportunity. 

As for adding this one to my collection, it was a no-brainer. Not only is it definitely Rush related, but the two instrumental tracks are cool to have. I'll take anything new to add to the Rush collection. But had "Gone", and "I Am... You Are" been added, this one would have been elevated to a much higher status for me. And I hope that some day, we get those two tracks on an EP, or a single. Something that I can hold in my hands. For now, this one has always been a great album, and I'm not upset that I bought this new version.

Alex Lifeson: Victor

 

Alex Lifeson: Victor

When this was first released back in 1996, the album was called only "Victor". I guess Alex or the label wanted to draw more attention to this release. Nobody knows who Victor is, but Alex Lifeson used to play the guitar for this three piece band from Canada, called Rush. In case you are one of those that did not know that.

This is a remix, and not just a remaster, and there are some very good changes here, with some things removed to let the music breathe a bit better. There are some vocals that have been removed (especially one of the more cringe-inducing lines in "Don't Care"). I also enjoy that you can really hear Les Claypool on "The Big Dance", and that some edits were made to the title track, making the programming seem a little less awkward in a couple spots. 

The four bonus tracks (all instrumental) are really cool to have as well (especially "Serbs"). These were all released on his website a little while back, but it's nice to be able to have them on CD. Three were written during the "Victor" sessions, with the fourth being written during Rush's "Clockwork Angels" sessions. 

Overall, if you were a fan of this album, you'll like this version. If you didn't like this album initially, this won't change your mind. I've always been a huge fan of the album. It's got some Rush-like moments, but overall this is a completely different album, and one that I'm happy to have a new mix of. 

Rob's Top 100 Albums of All Time (100 - 76)

 A few months ago, I started to compile my list of top 100 favorite albums of all time. During this time, I added many, removed many, added some back, and re-removed some. That was the easy part. The hardest part was figuring out which order to put these all in. I used a MS Access database so that I could quickly manipulate the placement of each album, but even then there was a lot of work involved in this project.

I think you'll see that I have a rather eclectic taste in music, and as I work through the list in reverse order, you'll see that some of the albums that made this list are pretty out there when compared to the bulk of my choices. One problem that I have with this list is that there are so many albums that I need to spend more time with, that would probably make the list a few years down the road. There are also some that may not make this list a few years from now. Who knows? Music tastes change. What I do know is that I can't imagine doing this every year. This was a huge undertaking, but for now, I'm happy with the choices, and placement of these albums.

I'm going to update this post with each album, as I count down from 100 to one. To be honest, I don't know how long it will take me to get through this, as I'm going to play each album as I update the list. That's a lot of music, my friends, but I'm looking forward to going through it, because even though these are all my favorites, there are some that I haven't listen to much in recent years. So much music, and so little time. Anyhoodles, let's get started with the first 25.

# 100 - Days of the New: Days of the New (1997)

Released in 1997 (mere weeks after I graduated from high school), the debut album from Days of the New sort of hit the radio by storm. The music was heavy, and acoustic at the same time. The vocals are fantastic, and the guitar work is top notch. I saw the band open for Veruca Salt on this tour, and while this would be the only album with this line-up, it was still a fantastic album, and an amazing show.

# 099 - "Weird Al" Yankovic: Straight Outta Lynwood (2006)

To be honest, there are a few "Weird Al" albums that could have made my top 100 list, but I went with this one. I think I played this one more than the other albums. "Don't Download This Song", and "Do I Creep You Out" are majestic beauties, and "Trapped In the Drive-Thru" is pretty fantastical. Maybe you don't see Al show up on many top 100 lists, but he definitely deserves a spot on mine.

#098 - Kottonmouth Kings: High Society (2000)

There won't be much rap on this list. In fact, I'm fairly certain this will be the only one. I guess it's sort of a punk-rock / rap hybrid kinda thing. I loved the first several albums from KMK, but at some point their stuff just became too much of the same for me. Still, this album is a fantastic listen, and brings back some great memories of hanging out with my little bro. This particular copy, I got signed by the band, before a show in Omaha on this tour.

#97 - Carrie Underwood: Some Hearts (2005)

Here's another anomaly in my list, a country album. For some reason this album always just sort of hit the spot. I love the writing, and the performances here. The thing I find that I love the most about this album is the vocal melodies. In addition to being a fantastic singer, she belts those melodies out with such beauty, that I can't help but love it. This is a fantastic album, full of great tracks.

#96 - Don Henley: The End of the Innocence (1989)

I was never the biggest fan of The Eagles. I loved the more rock based tunes, but the country stuff never did it for me. This album strips out the country stuff, and shows Don just rocking out, which is more my speed. There are some fantastic ballads as well! Sure a lot of this was overplayed many a year ago, but I loved it then, and I love it now. And did you know that there are songs here that weren't all over the radio? There are, and they are all great. A fantastic album from Don... if a little political.

#95 - Cinderella: Night Songs (1986)

Many years ago, Santa brought me a shelf stereo system that a had a turntable built into the top, and he brought me four records. Two of those four records end up on this list. This is one of them. I played this album so much that I swear the grooves got worn down. I can't pick one song from this album that I don't love. And who doesn't love Keifer's vocals?! A fantastic album from start to finish!

#94 - Breaking Benjamin: Dark Before Dawn (2015)

I didn't really know this band before this album came out. I'm sure I heard some of the bigger hits on the radio. But from the first time I heard "Failure", I was hooked. I had to go out and buy the album that day, and I'm glad I did. There isn't one bad tune on this great disc. The music is heavy, melodic, and the vocals are just first rate. Doesn't matter how many times I play this one, I'm always ready for a repeat. I'm a sucker for a good melody, and this album has them all over the place!

#93 - AC/DC: The Razors Edge (1990)

Okay, so I know that this album may be a bit obvious for a favorite (or maybe not?), but I love every single track on this disc. So much stuff that didn't quite get the attention that it deserved. The title track is likely my favorite AC/DC tune. It's hard to believe that there was a time that MTV played music videos, but if you were around then and didn't see "Thunderstruck", you were probably living under a rock. Great tune, even if it is a bit overplayed these days. The album is heavy, and fantastically written. Great performances all around! See less

#92 - Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion II (1991)

It was tough to pick between this one, and "Use Your Illusion I", but it felt like cheating to pick both. I chose this one because in the end, there are more songs I love here, than the first one. First of all, "Estranged" may be my favorite G N' R song. Second of all, I remember waiting for this one to come out, back in 1991, thanks to "You Could Be Mine". What a fantastic song that one. In fact, there aren't any songs I don't like on this one. It's a fantastically heavy album, and the entire band sound amazing together.

#91 - Faster Pussycat: Wake Me When It's Over (1989)

I got this fantastic album for Christmas when I was a kid, and loved every moment of it. This is some heavy stuff, and very melodic, which are two of my favorite music styles. Initially it was "House of Pain" that drew me into this album, but upon repeated listens, the rest of the album revealed itself as just an absolute classic metal album. Great stuff here!

#90 - Savatage: Dead Winter Dead (1995)

This is where it all started for me, with Savatage. I concept album, which automatically gives it points for me. But the biggest factor of my love for this one is the intense musical, and instrumentation, and the wonderful melodies. This album is a master class in how you write an engaging, and lasting piece of music. There's not a single wasted note on this one for me. I daresay, it's a masterpiece. The more you play it, the more it reveals itself. And I have played it a time or two! 

#89 - Muse Absolution (2003)

I looked this band up after hearing Dream Theater's song "Never Enough", and was blown away. This is a fantastic album of great hooks, killer melodies, and some very cool music. I think that song "Stockholm Syndrome" is what pulled me into the album, and remains my favorite tune to this day. If I'm being honest, I know some of their other albums, but this is the one that I come back to quite often. There is an anniversary reissue that I hope to pick up at some point.

#88 - Faith No More: The Real Thing (1989)

Way back when, when MTV used to play music videos, you couldn't go more than an hour or two without hearing something from this fantastical album. Once again we see another album on my list that is heavy, and melodic. Clearly this is a favorite style of mine. There are some amazing guitar solos here, and clearly Mike Patton is one of the all-time greatest vocalists. There are some great tunes here, and a very cool cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs", and the very "By-Tor & the Snow Dog" vibe of "Woodpecker From Mars". This one is a no brainer for my list.

#87 - U2: Achtung Baby (1991)

So many great albums came out in 1991, and you couldn't hardly turn the dial on the radio, or watch MTV without hearing something from this album. It was everywhere. And though there were tunes that were way overplayed, I still love every track on this album. To be honest, this may be the only U2 album that I love from start to finish. Such a great collection of songs. And who could forget the live performance of "Even Better Than the Real Thing" with U2 and Garth, at the 1992 MTV Music Awards!

#86 - Bon Jovi: The Circle (2009)

I know that this album isn't often cited as a favorite, but for me it just clicked from that first listen. I played this thing endlessly when it first came out. The band are performing fantastically, Jon sounds great, and the songs are well written, as one would expect from this incredible act. I don't care too much for most of the material that would come after this album, but for "The Circle", Bon Jovi crafted an album of great material, and one that I still play fairly often to this day. And I have to mention "Happy Now" as a melodic beauty, and probably my favorite Bon Jovi song of all time.

#85 - Ashlee Simpson: Autobiography (2004)

I wrote this list up focusing on albums that I've listened many multiple times. This album fits that bill for me. The album is obviously pop, with a big rock flair. Maybe this stuff isn't for everyone, but I like nearly every track here. In addition to decent music, there a lot of vocal melodies. There are times when the lyrics come off as a bit cringe, but I could listen to this album once a week, and never grow bored of it. In particular, the song "Undiscovered" reminds me so much of the song "Bad" from U2, and that can not be a bad thing.

#84 - Evanscence: Fallen (2003)

This is another one of those albums that were all over the place when it came out. There are so many hits on this disc, and even the songs that weren't played constantly on radio stations everywhere were fantastic tunes. Every song on this album is worthy of praise. I can remember playing this one at least once a day when it came out. Amy is such a great singer, and the band were no slouches either. With this line-up, it's no wonder that the following albums were never quite as good as this one. The music and vocals just work so well together. This one is definitely a classic of the last twenty years!

#83 - Symphony X: Paradise Lost (2007)

Symphony X are one of those bands that took me way too long to get into, but when this album came out, I loved it on first listen. The music is very heavy, and symphonic, and full of progressive rock hooks. The music is extremely well written, with so much crunch, and melody. And the vocals are fantastic, but what else would you expect with Russell Allen at the microphone. The title track is one stand-out, as it's a bit on the power-ballad side, which I love, but with a lot more crunch, and some amazing vocal melodies. Not one wasted moment on this album, and a fantastic ride from start to finish. 

#82 - Creed: My Own Prison (1997)

This is another one of those albums that was all over the radio when it first came out. It seemed like every time people had grown tired of the same song over and over again, another great track would be released from the album. Maybe they've become a bit of a novelty act at this point, but I have always loved this band. I'm hoping a new studio comes along eventually, but until then, the gave us four great studio albums, starting with this one.

#81 - Led Zeppelin: In Through the Out Door (1979)

There are so many albums that any fan could put here for Led Zeppelin, but for me, this one has always been my favorite. Maybe it's the prog fan in me, but "In the Evening" is easily my favorite LZ song, and "Carouselambra" is another fantastically epic tune. This album even has my favorite ballad from Zeppelin, "All My Love". The rest of the album is just as good, if a bit experimental. But as I've said, you really can't go wrong with any Zeppelin album.

#80 - The Offspring: Ixnay On the Hombre (1997)

When this album came out, my friend Ert and I played the hell out of it. There are so many great, melodic moments on this album, and the songs really are top notch. I'll admit that I don't really know the rest of the band's albums as well as this one. But when I put this disc on, I'm always transported back to my senior year in High School. The disc ends with "Amazed", and "Change the World", both of which might be among the most fantastically melodic songs ever written. Great stuff on this album, and it gets even better with age.

#79 - HIM: Dark Light (2005)

Here's another album that I absolutely adore, yet I know nothing further from the band. Maybe some day I'll dig deeper, but for now this is a flawless album to me. There are some fantastic melodies here, and I just love the vocals. The music is a sort of heavy, gothic sound that I just love. I remember falling in love with this one from the first time I heard it. Just an all-around great album. Also, do you think it's a coincidence that there are two tracks that share a name with songs from the Kiss album "The Elder" ("Under the Rose", and "Dark Light")?

#78 - Disturbed: Asylum (2010)

It's funny to me when people say that all of Disturbed's music sounds the same. Not only is not the same, but this album is the perfect example of how diverse the band can be. There are so many great songs with such great melodies, and amazing performances, that I will never understand the "same" comment. If you take the time and dig into this one, I think you'll see what a talented band this is. That's not to say that I don't love their entire catalog, but to me, this one is something special.

#77 - Veruca Salt: Eight Arms To Hold You (1997)

It wasn't until I saw Veruca Salt on tour for this album, that I fell in love with their music. There's something about heavy music, with melodic, female vocals that I just love. This album is full of great songs, and killer hooks. "Loneliness Is Worse" is a song that I think I could listen to on repeat, and not get bored with it. "Volcano Girls" was the big radio single from this album, and it should have been huge. Like I said, not a bad song on the album for me, and one I come back to fairly often.

#76 - Van Halen: Balance (1995)

When coming up with my favorite albums list, I had to make sure that I picked only the most popular albums from each band, so that I didn't upset anyone on the internet. Then I ignored that rule, and picked "Balance" as my favorite Van Halen album. I have loved this album from the first time I heard it. This was such a great follow up to "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge". And while it might not be the popular choice for a favorite Van Halen album, to me there is not one back track on this album. I love it from top to bottom.