Rush: Test For Echo

 

Rush: Test For Echo (1996)

Way back in 1996, I was just starting my senior year of high school, when this album was released. How was that 28 years ago? The 16th studio album from my favorite band, Rush. Through the years, this album has taken its unfair share of criticism, but I for one have always loved it.

There was an album premiere on the radio, and I believe they played the entire album, with interviews from all three band members. I can remember listening to that broadcast, and loving everything that I heard. It was clear that this album was much more melodic, and less heavy than the previous album, "Counterparts" (my favorite Rush album). There is so much to love with this album, and Geddy sings some of my favorite vocal melodies of the band's career on this one (particularly with "The Color of Right", and "Totem"). 

For my money, there's not a single dud on this album. Oh sure, "Dog Years" has some silly lyrics, but I have always loved their charm. And I'll admit that it took me far too long to really warm up to "Time And Motion", but after some time I learned to love it as well. And I must mention "Carve Away the Stone" here, as it is such a wonderful, and sadly forgotten tune in the Rush catalog.

This one may be a far cry from their more popular stuff, but to me "Test For Echo" was yet another home run. It may not be looked on as one of the favorites to many fans, but for me it finishes well above a couple of those albums that often get namechecked as the best. But... that's just my opinion. Whatever your opinion was, pop this one in, and give it another play. Who knows, maybe you'll enjoy more than you thought you would.

I also really enjoy this Neil Peart instructional DVD, where he goes through the entire "Test For Echo" album. It's a fantastic watch from the late, great Neil Peart.

David Gilmour: Luck And Strange

 

David Gilmour: Luck And Strange (2024)

I can't believe it's been so long (nine years!), but I'm finally hearing a new David Gilmour album, and I've gotta say, I'm liking it much more than "On An Island", and "Rattle That Lock". It's not that I didn't love those albums, but they lacked that certain power that I know David Gilmour for. 

The album kicks off with the short instrumental track, "Black Cat", a moody opening track that leads into the title cut. And the pure magic begins here. DG went back to some old sessions, and pulled out a performance from Pink Floyd (and frequent collaborator), Richard Wright. It sounds so good to have a performance from Wright again, and the tune is just fantastic. I got goosebumps playing it. The next track, "The Piper's Call" is another one that really shows the talent of David Gilmour. The track is heavy, and moody at times (would you want it any other way), with a fantastic guitar solo. This song is killer!

"A Single Spark" is a bit moody, and atmospheric, and almost feels like it would sit nicely on "The Division Bell". The vocal melody is just fantastic, and shows that David can still sing as well as he always could (at least in the studio). There's some really cool things going on in this song, and the keyboard performance is particularly cool, and of course that emotive guitar solo is phenomenal. Another great track. "Vita Brevis" is another short instrumental track, with some harp (?), some sweet sounding keys, and a quiet bit of guitar soundscape. Decent little track.

"Between Two Points" was released as a single, and features vocals from David's daughter, Romany (who has a beautiful voice). Musically it's a bit of a ballad, with acoustic guitar, some pretty orchestration, and another wonderful guitar solo. I will say that the tracks seems mixed a bit too loud, with some clipping, but otherwise it's a pretty good song. Not my favorite on the album, but I really enjoyed it. "Dark And Velvet Nights" starts heavy, and goes through a few peaks and valleys musically. This one is a very cool, hard rocking, bluesy track, and may end up one of my favorite tracks on the album. It definitely sounds like one hell of a jam, with a fantastic performance being turned in by every member of the band. Again, it feels like it could have been on "The Division Bell". 

"Sings" is a track that sounds like it could have been on one of the last two albums. At least to me it feels like it fits that same, moody atmosphere. It's a really cool track, even if it is a huge departure from the last track. Again, the vocals from David are phenomenal, and the keyboard work really makes the tune breathe. There's a sort of quiet interlude part here that I really enjoy as well. This one is a nice little tune. 

The album closes with "Scattered", and to say this one feels like a Pink Floyd song would be an understatement. To me, this tune evokes feelings of "Meddle" (particularly "Echoes", thanks to the keyboards), "Wish You Were Here", and "The Division Bell". This one may not be an all out rocker, but it may be my favorite track on the album. Musically, it's just so huge. There's a chaotic, musical interlude that gave me goosebumps. The tune ends off with what may be amongst David Gilmour's best guitar solos in his entire career, and a beautiful vocal outro. For my money, I wouldn't mind an entire album like this one track. What a great way to end one hell of a great album. I only hope David has another album in him, because this one is just phenomenal. 

Rush: Hold Your Fire

 

Rush: Hold Your Fire (1987)

Released on this day in 1987, "Hold Your Fire" would be Rush's twelfth studio album, and their final studio album for Mercury Records. This album would also be the first time that one of the band's studio albums featured more than eight tracks. With ten tracks to choose from, that's a lot of Rush for your buck!

The album kicks off with "Force Ten", a song with lyrics co-wrote by Neil Peart and Pye Dubois ("Tom Sawyer"). It's also a track that was written at the last minute, and thankfully so, as it's one of the best on an album full of great songs. From there we go to "Time Stand Still" which may be among the most beautiful songs the band had ever written, both musically, and lyrically. 

The keyboards are still pretty much everywhere here, but Alex definitely takes a strong step forward with the guitars, and turns in some of the tastiest licks in the catalog. Of particular note are the guitars in "Open Secrets", and "Prime Mover" (another personal favorite Rush track), and "Turn the Page" (which is among my top three favorite Lerxst guitar solos).

This album has taken a lot of crap over the years, from the direction of the band to outright hate of "Tai Shan" (a beautiful song that I adored). But for my money, from "Force Ten" to "High Water", this album will always be a top five Rush disc for me.

Genesis: Duke

Genesis: Duke (1980)

"Duke" is the tenth studio album from Genesis, and the album that I sort of briefly jump ship from. It's not that I don't like the album, it's just not one that I find myself going back to all that often. Though listening to it today, I can't imagine why. There is some really fantastic music on this album. 

By the time they got to "Duke", Genesis had become a three-piece in the studio, and it seems that maybe Phil had a little more control over the music, as there are hints of his solo material showing up here. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing. In fact, "Misunderstanding" is a fantastic song, penned by Phil Collins. Still, there's enough of Tony and Mike here to make this album a definite Genesis disc.

The album kicks off with "Behind the Lines", "Duchess", and "Guide Vocal", an opening that may be a bit subdued, but really fantastic. In fact, these three tracks make up part of the story of Duke, though the band decided not to track them together, so as to allow for singles. Thus, "Turn It On Again", "Duke's Travels", and "Duke's End" were placed elsewhere on the album. Had they been sequence together, I feel the album would have finished much higher in my ranking of Genesis studio albums.

I must also mention "Alone Again", which I think may be at least among the most beautiful of Phil's vocals, throughout his entire career. How this one wasn't a bigger hit completely baffles me. Especially in a world where the band quite often pulled out "Illegal Alien" (at least in part).

I enjoy "Duke" whenever I do pull it out, but generally my tastes go elsewhere. Still, this is a great album, and one that could definitely use a bit more attention from time to time.

 

Ozzy Osbourne: Diary of A Madman

 

Ozzy Osbourne: Diary of A Madman

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the world's biggest Ozzy fan, though I would never deny his talent, or his incredible vocals. Since I felt in the mood to hear some Ozzy this morning, I sort of just closed my eyes and pointed at a CD, and pulled that one out.

"Diary of A Madman" was his second solo release, way back in 1981. If you said you'd never heard anything from this album, I would assume you're lying. This disc is full of hits, and forgotten classics. Of course "Over the Mountain", "Flying High Again", and the amazing title track are pretty well known, but for my money, I think that "Little Dolls" should have been a hit. The guitars alone on this track give me goosebumps every time. What a great tune that is. And since I'm a sucker for a power ballad, I gotta say what a great tune "Tonight" is as well.

I'm not sure where I would rank this one in the Ozzy catalog, as I'm not familiar enough with it all to rank anything, but I will say that every time I put this one on, I am highly entertained. This is a fantastic disc, and one that any rock or metal fan should have in their collection.

Dream Theater: Los Angeles, CA (1998)

 

Dream Theater: Los Angeles, CA (1998)

For some reason I was really in the mood for some live Dream Theater music today, and this fantastic show from the "Falling Into Infinity" tour really seemed like the right call. The setlist here is absolutely phenomenal, calling on all of their previous albums, and heavily on "Falling Into Infinity".

Unlike "Once In A LiveTime", this album is quite as polished as that one, as I'm sure you could tell from the "official bootleg" tag. However, the sound is still really good, and some of the material that didn't show up on the official release really makes this one something special. Of particular interest to me are live takes on the beautiful ballad, "Anna Lee", the b-side "Speak To Me", a fiery performance of "New Millenium", and some amazing covers of "Perfect Strangers", "The Trooper", "Where Eagles Dare", and "Killers". 

Even though this album wasn't officially released by a major record label, it's still a fantastic addition to any Dream Theater collection, and one that I pull out often enough to be happy that I picked it up all of those years ago. Check it out, and enjoy the Sherinian!

Rush: Roll the Bones

 

Rush: Roll the Bones (1991)

Released on this day back in 1991, this is the first album to come out after I became a die hard fan of the band. I was in the 7th grade, and after seeing the band on their PRESTO tour, I was excited for this one. After hearing both "Dreamline", and the title track on the radio I was more than ready to hear the rest of the album.

This one is in my top five favorite Rush albums, with songs like "Heresy", "You Bet Your Life", "Bravado", and "Face Up" high up in my favorite Rush song list. Though to be honest, there isn't a single song here that I don't love. And let's not forget the band's first instrumental track in a decade, "Where's My Thing (Part IV: Gangster of Boats Trilogy)" comes a mere ten years after "YYZ".

The tour was nothing short of phenomenal, with a really cool closing medley that consisted of "2112: Overture", "Finding My Way " (the last tour to ever feature that song!), "La Villa Strangiato", "Anthem", and "Red Barchetta". I'll never forget that show, as it was pure magic. 

Rush: 2112

 

Rush: 2112 (1976)

There are people that will argue with you all day about whether or not this is a concept album. It is not. Side A is a concept piece, but side B are completely unrelated to the story of "2112". Side A is a seven piece suite that tells the story of a world where music has been removed from society by some angry priests, who dwell in the Temples of Syrinx, until one man happens upon an acoustic guitar, and teaches himself how to play it. The priests immediately reject the instrument, and destroy it. The man goes on to have a dream of a better world, and decides to end his own life. The ending, to me, always sounded like the original habitants of the world return, and take the rule back from the priests. So, happy ending? You be the judge.

Side B is made up of five shorter tracks that have absolutely nothing to do with side A, but are all fantastic songs in the Rush catalog. From the foreign substance subject matter of "A Passage To Bangkok", to the rallying cry to believe in yourself of "Something For Nothing", there's not a dull track here. My personal favorite is the Alex Lifeson penned "Lessons", but "Tears", and "The Twilight Zone" are both fantastic as well. 

This is the album that gave Rush their freedom from label interference when making a new album, and the album that brought many more fans to a Rush show. For my money, though it doesn't finish in the top half of my favorite Rush albums, no album from my favorite band could ever be bad. 

Rob's Discography Marathon: The Tragically Hip

Hello, all, and welcome to discography marathon of Canda's own, The Tragically Hip. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I don't know the entire history of the band. To be honest, I've only become a huge fan of the band over the last few years. As such, there may be facts that I get wrong. I apologize for this, and mean no disrespect to the band or fans. I'll be updating this as I listen to each studio album, and writing down some rather brief thoughts of each album. And as always, since this is my blog, the opinions here are obviously my own. Thanks, and welcome to the Great White North, with The Tragically Hip.

The Tragically Hip (EP) - 1987

We start our Tragically Hip marathon with this fantastic EP from 1987. With only seven tracks to choose from, I can't find a single track that I don't love here. The music is a bit less polished than what the band's future albums would sound like, but this album is full of fantastic melodies, and music. 

The band all sound phenomenal, and Gord's vocals are as good as they ever were. Only "Highway Girl" would make the greatest hits compilation, but for my money, "Last American Exit" should have made that set. What a melodic beauty that tune is. 

This may not be my favorite release from The Hip, but it's undeniable that this was album was the framework for an amazing career. 

Up To Here - 1989

Released in 1989, "Up To Here" is the full-length debut from this legendary Canadian band. For now I only have the original CD release, but an expanded anniversary release is coming in November, and I can't wait to get my hands on it. 

Looking at the track list of this album is almost like looking at a greatest hits compilation. Nearly every track here is a pretty well known tune. From the album opening trio of, "Blow At High Dough" (a track with so many varied versions, thanks to the improvisational skills of front man Gord Downie), "I'll Believe In You (Or I'll Be Leaving You Tonight)", and "New Orleans Is Sinking", to "She Didn't Know", "Boots Or Hearts", and "Trickle Down", I've heard many live version of these fantastical songs. 

In addition to those well-loved tracks, the album also has such amazing songs as "Opiated", "38 Years Old", and "Another Midnight". In my opinion there isn't one dull song on this album.

The Tragically Hip: Road Apples (Deluxe) - 1991

For their second album, The Tragically Hip went to New Orleans to craft what I find to be among the top few best albums from the band. Originally titled "Saskadelphia" as a play on city names from their endless touring, the band's label decided that the title was "too Canadian" (could there ever be such a thing?!), luckily the band had "Road Apples" up their sleeves. Leave it to a dumb record label exec to not know what that term really stands for. 

The music here is nothing short of brilliant. From start to finish, there is not one song that is better than the others. It's all fantastically written, and performed slices of brilliance. There are so many great moments here, both musically, and vocally. This is the album that actually finally pulled me into the world of The Hip. 

The version picture above is the deluxe edition, with a bonus live show, and an EP called "Saskadelphia" (they finally did it, boys!), which features six tunes that were previously unreleased, and recorded around the time of the album. Sadly no studio version of "Montreal" could be found, but the live version is pretty damned good, so we'll forgive them. 

Even though this album is in my favorite albums from The Tragically Hip, they have a lot of albums to go, and more fantastic songs than I could list in one post. It's all uphill from here, and what a great voyage it is!

Fully Completely (Deluxe) - 1992

After the brilliance of "Road Apples", The Tragically Hip followed it up with another flawless offering of heavy, melodic, and beautiful songs. This is yet another album that I can't find a single flaw in. "Fully Completely" has the distinction of being the first album with lyrics written solely by front-man Gord Downie.

This album is full of classic Hip songs, with "Courage", "Fully Completely", the hard rocking "At the Hundredth Meridian", the incredibly heavy "Fifty Mission Cap", the absolutely beautiful sounding "Wheat Kings", and "another monster, heavy tune, "The Wherewithal". There are also some amazing tunes that (as far as I know) weren't as big. "Pigeon Camera" is a particular favorite of mine, "We'll Go, Too", and "Eldorado" are all just as fantastic as the band's more beloved material.

I'm not sure where this one ranks for me, but as with most albums from The Tragically Hip, there isn't a single tune that I don't love here. Such a great album. This version also included an absolutely performance from September of 1992, that no fan should be without.

 

Day For Night - 1994

In a stroke of luck, I come to the "Day For Night" portion of my marathon on the release date for this magnificent album. In addition to being a huge album for the band, they also got to appear on Saturday Night Live for this album's touring cycle. That night they played album opener (and quite a somber-ish one for an album opener) "Grace, Too", a song which would probably make many fans' favorites list, and the fantastic "Nautical Disaster" (with an absolutely smoking outro).

"Day For Night" is another one of those albums that is full of amazing songs. In addition to the aforementioned tracks, the album is also home to the rocker "Greasy Jungle", with some amazing guitar work, and killer vocal melodies. "So Hard Done By" is another sort of medium paced tune that I just love (just listen to that guitar work!). "Yawning Or Snarling" is a more melodic rocker, a song I don't believe was a big hit, but it should have been. "Fire In the Hole" is another song that should have been huge. It's so big, and powerful. From the crunch of the guitars, to the pounding drums, this is one hell of a great rocker. "Thugs" has a bass line that I defy you to find something quite as perfect for a tune. "Titanic Terrarium" is one of those tunes that just has such a creepy sort of vibe, that I love so damn much. I also must mention "Scared", as it is such a beautiful song, and one of my all-time favorite Gord Downie vocal performances. The album closes with "Impossibilium" which is my favorite song on the album. A hard edged, melodic masterpiece, this is a song I would use to introduce folks to The Hip.

Hit after hit, great tune after another, "Day For Night" is some of the best music written by this band, or many others. This is the kind of stuff that should have been burning up the charts all around the world. This album is just that good! Definitely another home run from this stellar Canadian band.

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. 

The Flower Kings: Stardust We Are

 

"Stardust We Are" is the third studio album (fourth?) from prog-rock great, The Flower Kings. It is also their first double studio album. There is a lot to digest here, but I think if you sit with an open mind, and really get to know the music, I think you'll find plenty to love here. I know I did.

The album kicks off with "In the Eyes of the World", and this was the very first Flower Kings song I heard in full, actually performed by the band. There is so much to love in this song. The instrumentation, and performance are both intriguing, and incredible. There is some fantastic keyboard work, a blistering guitar solo, and the vocals are, to my ears, top notch. If you don't like this song, I'm not thinking you'll like the rest of the album, as it really does set the mood, and feel of this album. And for the next two discs, each song is a constant reminder of how great this band truly is. 

"A Room With A View" is a fairly pretty, and brief, instrumental, and leads into "Just This Once", a song that kicks off extremely chaotic, and ends up being a really nice tune, with some crazy twists. This leads the listening into "Church of Your Heart", which may be in my top favorite songs of all time. This song is a melodic, progressive rock beauty. Clocking in at just over nine minutes long, this tune is my favorite song on an album full of great songs. The vocals are just beautiful throughout (with some really fantastic vocal harmonies), and the music sets a mood that makes this nine minute song just fly by.

"Poor Mr. Rain's Ordinary Guitar" is another brief instrumental track, with some pretty acoustic guitar played over a pleasant sounding rain storm. Less brief, but still instrumental, "The Man Who Walked With Kings" is another melodic tune, with some really cool ideas, and sections woven throughout. It's a very pretty song, and one that creates a great vibe. 

"Circus Brimstone" is another sort of chaotic tune, with some really cool bass, and guitar work. Once again it's an instrumental (Well, mostly. There's some backwards talking stuff, and a laughing sound that haunts my dreams to this day), and a very good one at that. There are many moods and feels to this one, and it's a lot fun (and an almost sort of King Crimson vibe at about the midway point), before segueing into another brief instrumental, "Crying Clown". At less than a minute, it's just a fun little breather after that last roller coaster. "Compassion" ends the first CD of the album, and it's a very melodic, and moody track, with one hell of a guitar solo. This tune is a great way to set up a sort of breather from the cacophony of the rest of the first part of this album, as you put in the next disc. Just don't change the CD too soon, or you'll miss the weird space battle section. And is it just me, or does it feel a bit... "karn evil"?

Disc two kicks off with the brief "Pipes of Peace", which introduces the melody of the albums epic title-track, on an organ. It's a very peaceful tune. "The End of Innocence" is a mid paced melodic-rocker, with some fantastic guitar work, and Roine's wonderful vocals. "The Merrygoround" picks the pace up quite a bit, and as definitely a nice prog-rocker. Lots of great music, and sounds going on here. It's just a really fun tune. The instrumental section here is a great showcase for all of the instruments, but the drums in particular were pretty great. "Don of the Universe" starts with a short percussive intro, and leads into a fun sort of instrumental with a middle-eastern flair, that also gives a sneak peek of the title-track.

This album sure loves the quick sort of instrumental interludes, and "A Day At the Mall" is another one of them. Not much here. Just a sort of keyboard track, with people talking in the background. One would assume they're at the mall, just before seeing "Different People". This tune is another great, melodic tune. I think it's the vocals that really shine on this track. It's definitely a sing-along. "If28" is another brief instrumental piano interlude, foreshadowing the theme of the title track. "Ghost of the Red Cloud" is a fine, up beat number, with a fantastic bass line, and some really good vocals. 

"Hotel Nirvana" is the final instrumental interlude of the album, a short guitar piece, before the epic title-track that closes out this amazing prog-rock rollercoaster ride. The final 25 minutes of the album are devoted to one of the band's biggest, and most known songs, "Stardust We Are". This track has everything that I love about progressive rock: expansive intstrumental sections that aren't afraid to do a bit of exploring, soaring vocal melodies, and a little bit of everything to showcase the talents of each member of this wonderful band. And while I love the entire suite, it's the third part of this track that really shines. In fact, it's even been re-recorded, and used on the band's compilation album. This really is the best way to end an album. 

"Stardust We Are" has long been one of my favorite albums from The Flower Kings, and I can't see that changing any time soon. Oh sure, there are those that will think the album is too long, or even certain songs are too long, but I'm not one of them. I love every moment of this album, and will have a huge smile on my face every time I play it. This is top notch stuff, and I love it.

Steven Wilson: Hand. Cannot. Erase

Released in 2015, this is the fourth studio outing for Steven Wilson. When this first came out I think I played it endlessly for days. The concept is about a woman who dies, and nobody notices that she's gone. It's actually pretty depressing. Just perfect for a Steven Wilson album. This one is pretty fantastic from start to finish, in my opinion.

The album kicks off with the brief two minute instrumental, before moving into "3 Years Older", and if this tune doesn't draw you in, then you might not be paying attention. There are some fantastic musical moments here, and a killer instrumental section, that makes this tune one of my favorites from the album. The third track, the title track, is quite a beautiful tune. From the music, to the lyrics, I love every aspect of this melodically wonderful tune, but it's the vocal melody that gets me every time.

"Perfect Life" has some female narrative, about the protagonist having a friend who is like a sister briefly, before pushing her deep inside of her mind. Lyrically, there isn't a lot here, but the track is an atmospheric beauty, and one I like quite a bit. "Routine" has this hauntingly beautiful section in it, with mellotron, that I absolutely love. The vibe between the mellotron, and acoustic guitar creates a great tone, for the rest of the band to come in for a very cool instrumental section. This one features also features vocals from Ninet Tayeb, and she sounds fantastic. The song has moments of beauty, total chaos, and is another favorite on the album.

Elsewhere on the album, I really enjoy "Home Invasion", which has some of the heaviest moments on the album, and an excellent vocal performance. This tune segues directly into "Regret #9", which kicks off with some fantastic keyboard work, that calls imagines of Pink Floyd's "Animals" to mind... at least for me. Though there are no vocals here, between the keys, and a killer guitar solo, this song may be a favorite of mine. But then again, I am a sucker for a well written instrumental tune. 

"Ancestral" is another great song, that goes through many different moods, and changes. An epic song that embodies the term "progressive rock". There are some absolutely wonderful instrumental moments (including some very King Crimson-y flute playing), some goose-bump worthy vocals, and overall another amazing track, on an album already full of them. At 13+ minutes, this one is the longest track of the album. This one is prog-metal at its finest.

The last full track on the album, "Happy Returns" is a melodic beauty, and if you know me, you know that this is the kind of track that I live for. With some beautiful acoustic guitar, lovely piano work, and emotionally drenched vocals, this tune is my absolutely favorite song from the album. I love the heavy stuff, but a melodic rocker is always going to be my favorite. I just love this tune. 

This album still stands as my favorite Steven Wilson solo album. I know the word "masterpiece" is thrown around a lot, but to me, this album is a beautiful masterpiece. There are so many facets to this wonderful piece of music, that I hear something more to love each time I put it in. And to be honest, now that it's done playing, I kinda want to play it again. Great stuff, and definitely worth checking out, if you are a fan of fantastically well written progressive rock music.

Eloy: Ocean / Ocean 2: The Answer

 

Tonight I'm playing two of my very favorite Eloy albums.

The first "Ocean" album was what got me into the band. Released in 1977, the album is a concept album based on Plato's "Island of Atlantis". Musically, I think there is a lot of music here that could rival any of the better known prog material of the 70s. In my opinion, there's not one wasted moment during the albums 44 minutes (spread over four tracks).

"Ocean 2: The Answer" is obviously a follow up to the original album. Musically, the band had strayed a lot from the sounds of their 70s output, so obviously the vibe is different here, but I think they did a pretty great job following up the classic first album. Like the previous, the music here definitely deserves more attention than the band ever got.

Honestly, in my opinion, you can't go wrong with any Eloy albums. Though they have gone through many changes, I can't fault any of their albums. That said, these two are my favorite. What are yours?

Helmet: Meantime

 

Here's one I haven't played in a very long time. At least a couple decades. It's crazy how much of it that I still remember. When many bands were jumping on the grunge wagon, I feel like this album did something different, and I don't care for the comparisons to Nirvana. 

Some favorites here are "Unsung" (I mean, of course this one is a favorite, it was many people's intro the band), album opener "In the Meantime", "Ironhead (this gets the nod for that guitar solo alone), and "Turned Out". But honestly, you can't go wrong with any of these tunes. This album is heavy, and a great listen. Hopefully I don't wait another twenty years to give it another listen.

Yes: My Two Favorite Albums

 

Yes have been one of my favorite bands for years. One of the pioneering progressive-rock acts, it's hard to deny their sheer brilliance, and musicianship. For me, I love all of their albums, and every style of music that they dabbled in, but if I'm being honest with myself, these two albums are my favorite. 

"Close To the Edge", and "Relayer" have a lot in common. Stylistically, they have a very similar feel. At least, in my (possibly flawed) opinion. Both albums start with epic tunes, each taking up the entire first side of the album. And they both have two tracks each on the reverse side, both tracks also being pretty epic, in both length, and in composition. 

"Close To the Edge", the title track to the band's fifth album, is just under nineteen minutes long, and is essential prog-rock listening in my opinion. The album goes through many changes, and is broken down into four sections, "Total Mass Retain" being my favorite part of the tune. Side "B" is made up of two classic prog tunes as well. "And You And I", and "Siberian Khatru" are both every bit as good as the first side. It's easy to see why this would be a favorite, not just for me, but for many fans of the band.

"Relayer" kicks off with the nearly twenty-two minute epic, "The Gates of Delirium". This is my second favorite Yes tune of all time (the first being "Mind Drive"). The keyboard player is different than "Close To the Edge", and he brings a little something different to this fantastic track. "Soon", the closing section of "Delrium" was also issued as a single, but to me, it just doesn't do the track justice. This song needs to be heard in full. "Sound Chaser", and "To Be Over", each at over nine minutes long, close out the album in fantastic fashion. 

For a while I tried to pick between the two, in case anybody were crazy enough to ask me what my favorite Yes album was. As I get older, I think I realize that I don't have to pick between the two. And generally when I play one, I play the other. I just have to. They need to be heard together. And after these, maybe I'll play "Drama", which is my third favorite Yes album. Who knows?