By 1996 the popular musical landscape had dramatically changed since Def Leppard’s massive popularity in the 80’s and early 90’s. They had two of the biggest albums of the 80’s. As well as defying all odds with the number one ‘Adrenalize.’ Released in the midst of the grunge revolution. But a short four years later, industrial was taking over, alternative pop/rock was at the helm and Def Leppard needed to figure out how they fit into the changing music scene. The result was the underrated, stellar ‘Slang’ album. Their rawest record since Rick Allen lost his arm.
Continue reading Hard Rock Anniversary – 25 Years of Def Leppard’s Underrated ‘Slang’Smith/Kotzen Knock It Out Of The Park With Debut Album
The highly anticipated Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen collaboration has finally been released. And it’s everything we were hoping for a more. Funky, soulful, heavy and of course, killer guitar riffage and jamamge. From top to bottom it’s clear that Smith and Kotzen worked hard on creating a strong, timeless album. Rooted in heavy blues rock tradition. All killer, no filler.
Continue reading Smith/Kotzen Knock It Out Of The Park With Debut AlbumTop Ten Rush Deep Cuts
Ranking ten tracks from a band like Rush can be a challenge. With over 45 years of material, the music can seem endless at times. Even ranking the deep cuts is hard because that’s the vast majority of any bands material. And Rush is certainly no exception. Maybe some of their 70’s material, which is why it’s mostly missing from this list. That’s certainly become the most talked about era of the band as a whole. This list focuses on ‘Moving Pictures’ and onward. Which in my opinion is when the band was at its best. Here’s their most overlooked tracks from past 40 years.
The Camera Eye – Moving Pictures
‘The Camera Eye’ has the unique distinction of being Rush’s final ten minute plus track. As Rush were figuring out how to compact their sound into four to six minute songs that were more accessible, their popularity grew. But they still had a few mega-prog hangover moments on 1980’s ‘Permanent Waves’ and ’81’s ‘Moving Pictures.’ ‘The Camera Eye’ is one of the best Rush long tracks they’ve ever done. It benefits greatly from both Rush’s progressive songwriting and their ability to compose simple, catchy rhythms, riffs and vocal melodies. An ultimate Rush track for ultimate fans.
Chemistry – Signals
Okay, I’m just going to come out a say it. ‘Signals’ is better than ‘Moving Pictures.’ There, fight me! The album is just loaded with excellence, ‘Subdivisions,’ ‘Digital Man,’ ‘Analog Kid’ and ‘New World Man.’ All of which rank among Rush’s best work hands down. And they’ve all gotten their fair share of either radio play or concert play over the years. But the one track on the album that really seems to get overlooked is the excellent ‘Chemistry.’ First off, it’s a great example to show doubters of Alex Lifeson’s guitar heroics. His descending scale runs in the intro are breathtaking. Then the song moves into a very catchy and accessible verse before moving into a spacey, reflective chorus. This is really when Rush found that balance between their technicality and drive to write songs that are more palatable for non fans.
Grand Designs – Power Windows
‘Power Windows’ is without question the peak of Rush’s use of keyboards. Yes, there’s more of a presence of keys on the previous ‘Grace Under Pressure.’ But the album is much less consistent in quality. ‘Power Windows’ is where the keys really work. They add melodies, textures and even grand, hair raising epicness (Manhattan Project). But the real strong tracks on the album get much attention. Particularly as time has moved on. ‘The Big Money’ has become one of Rush’s most iconic songs. ‘Territories’ dominated the ‘Clockwork Angels’ tour from 2013. And it seems to become more and more relevant as each day passes. ‘Manhattan Project’ is screaming with epic, incredible writing. ‘Mystic Rhythms’ got plenty of MTV play. And ‘Marathon’ would be a concert staple for the rest of the decade. But the second track, ‘Grand Designs’ kind of gets lost in the shuffle. Although it did see a resurgence on the ‘Clockwork Angels’ tour. It’s fantastic 80’s Rush track. Neil’s drums drive the band perfectly on this one. His drums sound incredible on ‘Power Windows.’ Hand down one his best records.
Lock & Key – Hold Your Fire
1987’s ‘Hold Your Fire’ is still crawling with Keyboards. But the reduction in them is noticeable. Tracks like ‘Force Ten’ and ‘Time Stand Still’ have a decent amount of key melodies sprinkled about. But it’s the main trio of drums, bass and guitar that dominate and hold down the songs. Much of ‘Hold Your Fire’ is this way. As well as their next two follow up albums. But you can also really hear how Rush have learned melody and mastered four minute pop rock songs. Not that Neil’s lyrics change that much. There are moments that are weakened, in my opinion, by too many keys. ‘Mission’ being the prime example. But a perfect balance between keys and pure Rush is ‘Lock & Key.’ It’s a great example of how keys can really work for a band. It had major hit potential. With a music video and having a strong presence, but not dominating the rest of the instruments. It’s a really strong track that just hasn’t gotten that much attention outside of their 80’s work. And some minor greatest hits attention. It also contains a killer Alex Lifeson guitar solo. Should have been a smash hit. But, ya know, Rush.
Superconductor – Presto
While ‘Presto’ sees an ever further departure from keys, they’re still there. And ‘Presto’ is simply just not the best Rush album. I feel like there’s a lot of filler on the record. But there are some amazing highlights that would signal (no pun intended) where Rush would be heading with ‘Roll the Bones,’ ‘Counterparts’ and ‘Test for Echo.’ But overall the album just doesn’t work. It’s way too adult contempo combined with filler material. Too much acoustic guitar as well. Maybe Rush were burned out. Who knows. But there are some excellent highlights that rank among Rush’s best work. ‘Show Don’t Tell’ is top ten Rush. But that song is renowned and a major fan favorite. ‘The Pass’ is also a hit, but not one of my personal faves. But there is a track just after the halfway point call ‘Superconductor.’ It’s a great, aggressive, Rush rocker. Complete with a heavy, twangy guitar riff and tight as all hell drums. The key changes also add a nice element. A great song that was a part of Rush’s set list for the next three tours. Too bad it’s fallen by the wayside now.
Neurotica – Roll the Bones
It was challenging to choose a deep cut from the ’91 masterpiece ‘Roll the Bones.’ There’s just so many: ‘The Big Wheel,’ ‘Ghost Of A Chance,’ ‘You Bet Your Life’ and ‘Where’s My Thing.’ The album is just stacked. And it’s the first of the final six Rush albums. All of which accomplish the same amount of quality throughout. Making them, in my opinion, the best work of Rush’s storied catalog. The track I chose from ‘Roll the Bones’ is the amazingly catchy ‘Neurotica.’ It’s got a great blues based groove to it. Something not terribly common in the Rush world of music. Plus, at this point, Geddy’s banshee vocals have gone by the wayside. And you can hear the direction Rush were going to head into. It’s tracks like ‘Neurotica’ that brought back a ton of Rush fans that may have jumped ship in the 80’s. A perfect combo of feel and technicality that would sustain Rush for the rest of their career.
Alien Shore – Counterparts
Again, such a tough choice on choosing a deep cut. There’s so many great tracks: ‘Between Sun & Moon,’ ‘Cut to the Chase,’ ‘Cold Fire’ and ‘Everyday Glory.’ But the deep cut that triumphs them all is ‘Alien Shore.’ An amazing jam from Rush. With lyrics that are ahead of their time by about 25 years. Neil Peart’s drums sound incredible. ‘Counterparts’ is probably the best produced album of Peart’s drums. ‘Alien Shore’ displays that in full. The main tracks of the album are amazing as well: ‘Animate,’ ‘Stick it Out’ and ‘Leave that Thing Alone.’ The latter being one of their best instrumentals. ‘Alien Shore’ did see some rotation during the ‘Counterparts’ tour. But it fell by the wayside quickly. One of the most underrated tracks from Rush.
Virtuality – Test For Echo
‘Test For Echo’ kicks ass. It might be my favorite Rush album. It’s the perfect combination of their heavier sound mixed with prog and a seamless, palatable song structure. The title track and ‘Driven’ are Rush staples. ‘Half the World’ brings in a global consciousness combined with excellent song writing. ‘The Color of Right’ follows the same path. ‘Time and Motion’ is a clear display on bands like Dream Theater influencing the prog metal pioneers. ‘Limbo’ is a killer instrumental. But it’s the deep cut ‘Virtuality’ that claims a spot on this list. Heavy, demonic, mixed with a 90’s pop alternative chorus and you’ve got a winning Rush song. It’s one of those tracks that really makes you think, ‘why didn’t this get more recognition?’ It got a little love on the tour. However, it’s been largely overlooked since then. But ‘Virtuality’ remains one of the greatest Rush tracks.
Peaceable Kingdom – Vapor Trails
‘Vapor Trails’ is without a doubt one of the greatest comeback albums of all time. It’s chock full of epic, concert staple Rush tracks: ‘One Little Victory,’ ‘Ghost Rider,’ ‘Secret Touch, ‘Earthshine’ and the title track. But there’s also many overlooked songs that don’t get nearly enough credit: ‘Ceiling Unlimited,’ ‘Sweet Miracle’ and ‘The Stars Look Down’ rank among the most reflective songs from Rush’s entire discography. The lyrics, coming off of lyricist Neil Peart’s life altering tragedy of losing his wife and daughter within the same year are prominent. And one of the strongest songs on the album, ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ is no exception. It’s deep, overlooked. It rocks. Not only is the influence of tragedy prominent, but the influence of bands like Soundgarden make their mark. And it’s certainly for the better when it comes to this era of Rush. Depth and kick ass riffs are at the forefront here.
BU2B – Clockwork Angels
While ‘BU2B’ is the second track on Rush’s final magnum opus ‘Clockwork Angels,’ it remains a deep cut. It doesn’t make an appearance on the tours live album from 2013. Maybe it’s because it kicks just too much ass. It’s the heaviest song Rush has ever written. It drops like a Tool track. But keeps its Rush purity. It works perfectly within the concept of the album. ‘BU2B’ doesn’t just work well within the record, it also has its own message. It calls out socially conscious situations that effects everyday people. Which is what makes ‘Clockwork Angels’ one of Rush’s best albums. It rocks, has the concept and sounds fresh for the 21st century.
So there it is folks. My top ten Rush deep cuts. I know the 70’s material may be missing to some fans. But I feel that the material from the 70’s period is covered well in the Rush legacy. This list is the tracks that may have been overlooked. What are some of your favorite Rush deep cuts? Sound off in the comment section!!
Metal Anniversary – Living Colour’s ‘Stain’ – 3/2/93
When we think of the great heavy metal albums of all time the typical names often come up: Metallica’s ‘Ride the Lightning,’ Megadeth’s ‘Rust in Peace,’ White Zombie’s ‘Astro Creep’ and Guns ‘N Roses’ ‘Appetite for Destruction.’ But those albums, as great as they are, just skim the top of the world of heavy music. There’s many bands who deserve a prominent spot at the table. On a massive level. And Living Colour are one of those bands. And their third album ‘Stain,’ is the best example of why.
Continue reading Metal Anniversary – Living Colour’s ‘Stain’ – 3/2/93Beavis And Butthead Return To Film
America’s smartest, dumb ass, gen X’ers are back to put Millennials and Gen Z’s in their proper place. Mike Judge has returned to B&B and is currently making a film. Not only that, but the show itself is set to make a return as well.
Continue reading Beavis And Butthead Return To Film15 Year Old, Casey Bishop, Wows American Idol Judges With Motley Crue Rendition
Every season of American Idol there seems to always be that one breakout person. Obviously because the network is trying to create a pop star. He/she usually shows up in the audition round and the general viewing public gets an instant feel that this is going to be the person to watch. This is very likely due to the show being extremely fixed and edited for entertainment. And this year it looks like the producers have chosen their golden contestant in the form of a shy 15 year old girl named Casey Bishop.
Continue reading 15 Year Old, Casey Bishop, Wows American Idol Judges With Motley Crue RenditionThe Weeknd Brings Authenticity To SuperBowl Halftime
In the past few years we’ve seen some, to put it nicely, poor superbowl halftime shows. First, the Chili Peppers played to a track. Which isn’t the worst thing because of the time limits, particularly for a band. Then there was the embarrassing Maroon 5 performance. Followed by last years strip show. Although, gotta give mad creds to Sharkira for playing some real drums (albeit not that well) and picking up the guitar and rocking out briefly. But this year is a different story. The Weeknd, brought his authenticity and musicality to the superbowl halftime show.
Continue reading The Weeknd Brings Authenticity To SuperBowl HalftimeIn Defense Of…KISS’ ‘Music, From The Elder’
It’s KISS’ most polarizing album. And one of the most polarizing in all of hard rock and heavy metal. It has legions of loyal fans. And many who despise the album to the point of using the vynl as target practice. I’m talking, of course, about KISS’ 1981 flop, ‘Music, From The Elder.’
Continue reading In Defense Of…KISS’ ‘Music, From The Elder’Hard Rock Anniversary – 1/5/73 – Aerosmith Debut
It’s one of the most admired and strong debut albums in all of rock. A while it didn’t take off initially like say, Van Halen’s debut or Poison’s, it set a standard of hard rock excellence that would eventually morph into Aerosmith claiming the title “America’s Greatest Rock Band.’ It all starts with their excellent debut album.
Continue reading Hard Rock Anniversary – 1/5/73 – Aerosmith DebutArmored Saint – Punching the Sky – My Candidate for Metal Album of 2020
It’s the most tasty, old-school, metal album of the year. Armored Saint’s ‘Punching the Sky’ isn’t just a great metal album. It’s a statement from the 35 year metal veterans that there is no slowing down in song writing or production. A top to bottom album. ‘Punching the Sky’ delivers on all fronts: song writing, feel, production, technicality and strength. There have been many great record out this year. But ‘Punching the Sky’ ranks at my top candidate for metal/hard rock album of the year.
Continue reading Armored Saint – Punching the Sky – My Candidate for Metal Album of 2020