Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

Saturday, 22 August 2015

Bloodstock, Friday August 7, 2015: Part2

When we last left our story, our heroes had just been completely blown away by Fire Red Empress. Uplifted by such a great set from the fore mentioned band, we now move back to the main stage and take our positions close to the stage in order to appreciate the full impact of Overkill who were coming on next. While we waited two fellow metalheads came up to me saying that the recognised me from attending both Armoured Saint and Nuclear Assault. One gentleman, Waylon from Mid-Wales as he introduced himself as, stated that the thing about a metal festival is that metalheads from all over can get together and enjoy great music. I fully support his sentiments and Waylon, if you are reading this, thanks for that. It has given me food for thought at the end.
Waylon and pals showing their love of metal
Waylon and pals showing their love of metal
Anticipation increased as the sound checks were carried out before Overkill made their dramatic entrance onto the main stage. Some caught a glimpse of lead singer Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth prompting a guy near me to shout out "Hey Bobby!" I don't think Bobby heard him. Then the inevitable happened and Overkill were out on stage bringing mayhem and destruction with them. As soon as they were out, mosh pits opened either side of where I was standing and wave upon wave of crowd surfers started being passed overhead. I'm sure I passed the same young lady to the front three times because those skimpy denim shorts and thin black tights were looking all too familiar. One person told me that I was getting too old for this shit, I beg to differ.
At first, I thought there was something wrong with Overkill's sound because I could hear the bass over both guitars and it just didn't sound right, not that it mattered that much to the crowd. They were all enjoying the mayhem. Fortunately, it must have gotten sorted because twenty five minutes into their set, Overkill played the song I wanted most to hear, "In Union We Stand," and it sounded fine. What was better was that they followed it up with "Rotten to the Core." So it was a double helping of metal nostalgia for me. Other great Overkill anthems included "Hello From the Gutter," "Electric Rattlesnake" and saving it for the end was "Fuck You," to which Bobby got the audience singing along to. Yes, a very appropriate song to end things with I thought.
Having never seen Overkill before and having seen a lot of bands with front men who possess varying degrees of charisma, I have to say that I was more than impressed with the showmanship of Bobby Ellsworth. He definitely knew how to work the crowd even if did refer to us as mother fuckers throughout. I guess it was a compliment. Overkill could have covered a Wham song and Bobby would have had me singing along to it. It just shows how good he and Overkill are live and credit to Bloodstock for getting them to play there.
Overkill playing to the crowd
Overkill playing to the crowd
Playing In Union We Stand
Playing In Union We Stand
Overkill establishing their dominance
Overkill establishing their dominance

Teal with his souvenir from the festival
Teal with his souvenir from the festival
Just when we had recovered from the carnage caused by Overkill, Sabaton took the stage with intent of causing more destruction. Being second from the top of the bill, they had more use of lights and effects and they took full advantage of it. The drums was on the turret of a tank and I also liked the army helmet and M-16 theme on the microphones. Coming out below the strobe lights and through the dry ice all dressed in camouflage trousers, it gave me the notion that this was somebody to see. Their music proved the notion right. The combination of power, speed and viking metal was a sound to behold. Admittedly, I don't listen to the bands of today as much as I should because of my love for the golden decade, the name of the blog bears witness to this but Sabaton has made me promise to myself that I will pay more attention to them and other more modern bands. I have to say that I was very impressed with them.
The mosh pits dwindled down to one and the waves of crowd surfers thinned out during Sabaton's reign on the stage but it didn't matter. They orchestrated a new way to go nuts by having the entire audience start jumping up and down. I could do that and so I did. In fact I jumped a lot during their performance. Still it was the music that won me over. I knew very little of their music before that particular evening but one song that I remember and loves was "Panzerkampf," which was about a big battle in World War 2 between the Germans and the Soviets. Maybe metal would be a good way to teach history. That's the one thing I found paradoxical about them. They played several songs from their "Art of War" album and that had me wondering that for a band from Sweden, a country who hasn't had a proper war in 250 years, they seem to write a lot of songs about war. It didn't matter that much because again, the power metal had me until the end when Sabaton released blue and yellow confetti into the crowd marking the finale of a really great show.
Sabaton's ascent to the stage
Sabaton's ascent to the stage
Sabaton wowing with their sound
Sabaton wowing with their sound
Great fire effects
Great fire effects
Jumping to Sabaton
Jumping to Sabaton
Need I say more?
Need I say more?
Hail to Sweden
Hail to Sweden
Wanting to avoid having to leave before the end, my stepson and I went and got some energy drinks and rushed back to the main stage to await the headliners, Trivium. The stage set up alluded to the idea that this was going to be a great show. I loved the two devil skulls in the background on either side of the stage. When they came out, they didn't disappoint the huge crowd assembled in waiting before them. However, their appearance didn't go as smoothly as hoped. Guitarist Corey Beaulieu disappeared for two songs. When he came back, he stated he kept getting shocks of the electrical system but thank God, it was fixed and he showed what a good guitarist he is.
Back in full flow, Trivium let their music do the talking for them. Sure they had some great effects being the headliner but it was the music that did it for me. They were another band who I considered too modern for me, (yes I got to stop being such a stick in the mud,) but like Sabaton, they made a believer out of me. At one point, lead singer Matt Heafy stopped to talk about the time he met Ronnie James Dio when Trivium supported Heaven and Hell in Japan in 2007. Heafy explained how gracious Ronnie was in talking about his vocals and what a great man Dio was and reminded the Bloodstock fans that the main stage was named in honour of him. I thought that was cool but of course, Trivium went back to making great music and taking the crowd all the way to the end, even playing three encore songs and ending a great day in metal history.
The stage
The stage

Trivium in full swing
Trivium in full swing
Trivium under the lights
Beaulieu wailing away
Trivium in a blur
Trivium in a blur
Near the end
Near the end
One thing I noticed on this very eventful day is that metalheads are a family. There was one blind man who had to be led by his friends to the front of the stage and another with profound special needs in a wheel chair. In both cases, fellow metalheads accommodated them, allowing them to get through the crowd. I wonder if a One Direction audience would have been so thoughtful and considerate. Another thing I would like to see as a result of the day is Armoured Saint on a UK tour with Fire Red Empress as support. They could play the Thekla in Bristol, I would go see that show for definite.
Next post: Sammy Hagar- Three Lock Box
To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Great Rock Albums of 19980: Pink Floyd- The Wall

220px-PinkFloydWallCoverOriginalNoText
For many people, this was the album of 1980. It was one of those albums I got to listen to extensively without ever having to buy it because everyone I knew had it. Of course, in the realms of top 40 singles, the album is best known for the number one single, "Another Brick In the Wall Part 2." That single crossed a huge section of listeners as I remember both country music lovers and soul music lovers all listening to the song. Even my then disco loving little sister liked it and an ex girl friend said this was their school's rallying song when her school walked out of class in protest. I can't remember what they were protesting about.
As anyone who wasn't blinkered by the singles charts could tell you, that song didn't define the album. There were some other great songs on it and for me these included, "Mother," "Goodbye Blue Sky" and "Comfortably Numb." "The Wall" continued Pink Floyd's tendency to want to listen to them when you needed to lay back and mellow out, especially after you have been puffing the magic dragon. That is what defines this album the most. For me and many others I knew, it was THE party album of 1980. This album was listened to over and over again to while consuming many beers and other substances and in that year, there was no other album where I could enjoy so much while catching a buzz.

It wasn't just the fact that "The Wall" carried on the Pink Floyd tradition of making music conducive to the party atmosphere. Like some of their earlier albums, I was very much amused by the some of the talking parts between and during the songs. I still smile when I hear "Look mummy, there's any airplane in the sky" before "Goodbye Blue Sky" and of course the teacher at the end of "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" who bellows, "If you don't eat your meat, you can have any pudding. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?" Back then, there was an X- rated version to that as well.
Track Listing:
1. In the Flesh?
2. The Thin Ice
3. Another Brick in the Wall Part 1
4. The Happiest Days of Our Lives
5. Another Brick in the Wall Part 2
6. Mother
7. Goodbye Blue Sky
8. Empty Spaces
9. Young Lust
10. One of My Turns
11. Don't Leave Me Now
12. Another Brick in the Wall Part 3
13. Goodbye Cruel World
14. Hey You
15. Is Anybody Out There
16. Nobody Home
17. Vera
18. Bring the Boys Back Home
19. Comfortably Numb
20. The Show Must Go On
21. In the Flesh
22. Run Like Hell
23. Waiting for the Worms
24. Stop
25. The Trial
26. Outside the Wall
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Dave Gilmour- guitars, vocals, clavinet, sound effects
Roger Waters- vocals, bass, synthesisers, sound effects
Nick Mason- drums, percussion
Richard Wright- organ, piano, electric piano, bass pedals
If you want to either mellow out at the weekend or take a trip back in history, you can kill two birds with one stone with this iconic album from Pink Floyd. This is an ultimate party album, not just for 1980 but for all time.

Next Post: Rush- Permanent Waves

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London 

Monday, 2 March 2015

Great Metal Albums of 1979: Triumph- Just a Game

220px-Triumph_Just_a_Game
First of all, I just want to say that whoever the sad individual(s) who said that Canada was a land of shitty music is a complete moron. They probably were Duranies back in the 80s and at this time were of the mind that disco would never die. Their only idea of Canadian artists was Bryan Adams. Canada has given us many great rock and metal artists over the years starting from Rush and going across the board to thrash legends Voi Vod. Of all the great acts from the Great White North (yes, I was a McKenzie Brothers fan too) one that should always be mentioned with them is the great band Triumph. 
Like a lot of acts, Triumph were well into the spotlight and already had some great albums out by the time they came to my attention. When I heard that stuff, I got it into my mind that they were heavy metal although we could debate that for hours. I listened to this 1979 offering by them retrospectively and I wouldn't call it a metal album. Saying that, in that year, heavy metal was still finding its feet and many of the acts that we would come to know and love as metal were still experimenting with their sound. 
If I were to put this album into a category and I hate doing that, I would call it bluesy hard rock. Tracks like my favourite "Young Enough to Cry" and the title track as well as "Moving On" back up my thinking on that one. This doesn't bar the listener from hearing the Triumph sound that would later stamp them. What I did notice was when I heard the track, "American Girls," I thought for a second or two that I was listening to Boston and that's not a bad thing. So, I did my usual practice of not trying to label the album and sat back and really enjoyed the sound of "Just a Game."
Track Listing:
1. Moving On
2. Young Enough to Cry
3. American Girls
4. Laying It On the Line
5. Suitcase Blues
6. Just a Game
7. Fantasy Serenade
8. Hold On
Triumph
Triumph
Rik Emmett: guitars, vocals
Gil Moore- drums, vocals
Mike Levine- bass, keyboards
Forget catagorising and just sit back enjoy "Just a Game" from Triumph. You will see where they started to develop into the major force that they would later become and you'll never have any doubts about the quality of Canadian music. 
Next post: KISS- Dynasty
To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html 
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Thursday, 11 December 2014

Great Rock Albums of 1979: Supertramp- Breakfast in America


cotc
Supertramp's "Crime of the Century" album was another of those classic albums that I missed way back when I was featuring the Great Rock Albums of the 70s, pre-1978. Therefore, I thought I would include it here because it is a very good progressive rock album. It features two of their most noted songs, "Bloody Well Right" and "Dreamer" although I also really like the theatrics behind the track, "If the Audience Were Listening." It is a very good album indeed.
supbia
So without further ramblings, on with the first album of 2013, Supertramp's brilliant 1979 album "Breakfast in America." This album came out in the very tail end of that pivotal year in my life and I can say that it ushered out the 70s for me. The biggest song from the album, "Take the Long Way Home" spoke to me directly. I'm sounding a bit hippy here aren't I? Even if it hadn't I still would have thought it was an excellent song and still would have bought the 45, some of you might remember those. In fact, I think I still have it somewhere up in the attic.
The rest of the album is also very good and told me at the time that there was still room in 1979 for some good hands on progressive rock. Hits like "The Logical Song" and others make this album the classic that it is. Supertramp use their trademark musicianship and show that keyboard centred rock can work. Unfortunately and I'll be ranting more about this when I eventually get to the mid 80s, many bands would completely take the use of synthesisers out of proportion. Still, that is why I enjoy the album so much because it doesn't, it's just a good listening album.
Track Listing:
1. Gone Hollywood
2. The Logical Song
3. Goodbye Stranger
4. Breakfast in America
5. Oh Darling
6. Take the Long Way Home
7. Lord Is It Mine
8. Just Another Wreck
9. Casual Conversations
10. Child of Visions
Supertramp
Supertramp
Rick Davies- keyboards, vocals, harmonica
John Helliwell- saxophone, vocals, woodwinds
Roger Hogeson- guitars, keyboards, vocals
Bob Siebenberg- drums
Dougie Thompson- bass
So for the new year, why not enjoy an album that for many like me, closed out a decade. Listening to "Breakfast in America" will make you feel good and perhaps get over the over doings of New Year's Eve. Now that I have been looking at the famous album cover, I kind of fancy some pancakes.
 Next post: To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Saturday, 9 August 2014

Great Rock Albums of 1979: Fleetwood Mac- Tusk

After more than two years since Fleetwood Mac had made what many called the album of the 70s' "Rumours," the follow up album "Tusk" was released. Because "Rumours" was such a big album, many listeners were expecting another blockbuster album. Being one of those people, I was at first rather disappointed when I first heard "Tusk." The album lacked the  great rock outs such as "Go Your Own Way" and "The Chain," which is still my favourite bass line of all time, that were on the "Rumours" album. "Tusk" presented itself as a more mellower easy listening album.
It took me a couple of listens, but eventually "Tusk" began to grow on me. There are quite a few good songs on it like "Not That Funny" and "Think About Me" and while it might not be an album I would listen to on the way to a metal concert, it is one that I would listen to coming home late at night from one. The softer rock on this album is still of a good quality.
Track Listing:
1. Over and Over
2. The Ledge
3. Think About Me
4. Save Me a Place
5. Sarah
6. What Makes You Think You're the One
7. Storms
8. That's All For Everyone
9. Not That Funny
10. Sisters of the Moon
11. Angel
12. That's Enough For Me
13. Brown Eyes
14. Never Make Me Cry
15. I Know I'm Not Wrong
16. Honey Hi
17. Beautiful Child
18. Walk a Thin Line
19. Tusk
20. Never Forget
Fleetwood Mac
Stevie Nicks- vocals, keyboards
Lindsey Buckingham- guitars, vocals, piano, harmonica
Christine McVie- piano, keyboards, accordion, vocals
John McVie- bass
Mick Fleetwood- drums, percussion
While its not as magnificent as the highly recognised "Rumours" album, "Tusk" is still a good album nonetheless. You may not bang your head away to any of the songs, but it's a good listen when you need to wind down or other related activities. This album was one of the most expensive albums to make at the time and it is believed that because Fleetwood Mac were at the height of their popularity, the ego factor got involved in making this album. I don't know about all that, although I wouldn't be surprised if it was true.
Next post: Blondie- Eat to the Beat
To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Thursday, 24 July 2014

Great Rock Albums of 1979: Bob Dylan- At Budokan

Cheap Trick weren't the only ones who put out a live album from Budokan in 1979, Bob Dylan did too. Like Cheap Trick, this was taken from concerts recorded there in 1978 and released early in the following year. On the album, Dylan plays some of the long time classics as well as some of the tracks from the albums that were more recent around that time. For someone who didn't have have every Bob Dylan album around then and wanted a good mix of Dylan material, this live recording provides all of this. Classics such as "Mr Tambourine Man" and "Like a Rolling Stone" feature heavily here and others like "Shelter From the Storm" also get a good play, although I still prefer the version of that song from "Hard Rain."
When "At Budokan" was released, Dylan had some harsh reviews from critics and Dylan purists alike. Critics, like Rolling Stone said the album was slick and sterile while some purists accused him of selling out. This album was not a sell out for me. See, if Dylan wanted to sell out back in 1979, he would have put a disco beat in all of his songs. That would have been a sell out! To me, like I said above, this is a good and sometimes alternative listen to some classic Dylan tunes and there is nothing I dislike about it.
Track Listing:
1. Mr Tambourine Man
2. Shelter From the Storm
3. Love Minus Zero No Limit
4. The Ballad of a Thin Man
5. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
6. Maggie's Farm
7. One More Cup of Coffee
8. Like a Rolling Stone
9. I Shall Be Released
10. Is Your Love In Vain
11. Going Going Gone
12. Blowin' Like the Wind
13. Just Like a Woman
14. Oh Sister
15. All Along the Watchtower
16. A Simple Twist of Fate
17. I Want You
18. All I Really Wanna Do
19. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
20. It's All Right Ma, I'm Only Bleeding
21. Forever Young
22. The Times They Are a Changin'
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan- rhythm guitar, vocals, harmonica
Billy Cross-  lead guitar
Steve Douglas- saxophone, flute, recorder
Debi Dye- backing vocals
Bobby Hall- percussion
Jo Ann Harris- backing vocals
David Mansfield- pedal steel, violin, mandolin, dobro, guitar
Alan Pasqua- keyboards
Ed Rash- tambourine
Steven Soles- acoustic rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Helena Springs- backing vocals
Rob Stoner- bass, backing vocals
Ian Wallace- drums
This album would be the last before Bob Dylan's conversion to Christianity but that's a story for further down the road in 1979. For me, this album is a great way to reminisce over many of the great classics of Bob Dylan.
Next Post: The Police- Regatta De Blanc
To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Sunday, 13 July 2014

Great Rock Albums of 1979: Hawkwind- PXR5

I had never heard of Hawkwind back in 1979. They came to my attention a few years later from an old friend who was a few years older and listened to them quite a lot through the 70's and as far as I know continues to do so. When he treated me to some of their material from the early and mid 70's, I have to admit I was rather impressed. At the time, I made many comparisons to Pink Floyd in the sense that I thought they were one of those groups you listen to when you want to sit in a secluded room while puffing the magic dragon and contemplating the meaning of the universe. I would later discover that none other than Lemmy from Motorhead fame was a former Hawkwind member and that only made me want to check them out more. I got that opportunity when I first got to England. Not one but two of the friends I made in that first year were hardcore fans and treated me to more of their music.
Confession time, "PXR5" is one of those albums I had to rely on YouTube for before I could write about it here. In fact, it was the first time I heard the album in its full glory. I remembered the great tracks "PXR5" and "Robot" and vaguely remember "Uncle Sam's on Mars" mainly due to the amusing title. Now I can say that the rest of the album is just as good. I hear a hard rock edge to it which I like, especially with the opening track "Death Trap," which it doesn't loose. In short, I really like this album.
Track Listing:
1. Death Trap
2. Jack of Shadows
3. Uncle Sam's on Mars
4. Infinity
5. Life Form
6. Robot
7. High Rise
8. PXR5
Hawkwind
Robert Calvert- vocals
David Brock- guitar, keyboards, vocals
Adrian Shaw- bass
Simon House- violin, keyboards
Simon King- drums
What I love about Hawkwind is that fact that it's hard to put them into a nice fitting category. Wikipedia tries to by referring to this album as "space rock" and while I won't debate that, I wouldn't be so quick as to label them. Hawkwind have a unique sound that incorporates a bit of hard rock, progressive rock and some others. That probably makes it perfect listening for when you are in outer space.
Next post: Bob Dylan- Live at Budokan
To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Friday, 18 April 2014

Great Rock Albums of 1979: The Knack- Get the Knack

I mentioned when I introduced 1979, that for three months of that life changing year, I was in a place where I was starved musically, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina or to quote the film "Full Metal Jacket," home for the crazy brave. When I left that lovely place as a US Marine, I came home on leave and found that the song of the day was "My Sharona" by The Knack. When I listened to it, I thought it was a lot better than all the disco that was around before I went to boot camp and so I bought the 45. A friend played the entire album for me not long after and I must say that I was impressed.
"My Sharona" is by far the best song on the album and Berton Averre's guitar solo on the song is very good indeed. It has always baffled me why he isn't given more space to showcase his talents on other tracks on the album. That is not to say that the other tracks aren't good, I especially like the second single "Good Girls Don't" although I much prefer the lyrical version of the song not meant for radio and "Frustrated" is too a good song just because Averre plays a guitar solo on that one too.
"Get the Knack" was one of the fastest selling debut albums since the debut from The Beatles in 1964. Many began comparing them to the legends from Liverpool and I think that was the big mistake. Okay, there were similarities, but I never thought The Knack were that good. Most of their songs were short sharp rockers that you got into then got out of. It was as simple as that.
Track Listing:
1. Let Me Out
2. Your Number or Your Name
3. Let Me Out
4. (She's So) Selfish
5. Maybe Tonight
6. Good Girls Don't
7. My Sharona
8.Heartbeat
9. Siamese Twims (The Monkey and Me)
10. Lucinda
11. That's What Little Girls Do
12. Frustrated
The Knack
Doug Fieger- rhythm guitar, vocals
Berton Averre- lead guitar
Doug Gary- drums
Prescott Niles- bass
In past posts, I have spoken about the Sophmore jinx and I will be mentioning that again when I visit The Knack's next album. For debut albums, "Get the Knack" is one of the best. It's a fun album that rides well on the back of a classic single and if there's one good thing that can be said about it, it did knock disco off the charts.
Next post: Molly Hatchet- Flirtin' With Disaster
Also available Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyels book shop in London

Monday, 10 March 2014

Great Rock Albums of 1979: Queen- Jazz


Coming off the success of the 1978 smash, "News of the World," Queen proved with the follow up album, "Jazz," why they were a force to be reckoned with back in the late 70s. For me, "Jazz" was every bit as good as their last albums and some of the predecessors as well. Track after track on this album is consistently good and has me bobbing my head along each time I listen to it.
I remember when I heard the very first track, "Mustapha," I wondered whether or not they were taking the proverbial. Maybe Freddie Mercury was doing a Frank Zappa bit and I had the paranoid worry that they were going disco. However, down the line of the song, the guitars kicked in and all was well after that. Then came my favourite track on the album, "Fat Bottomed Girls" and the hit "Bicycle Races" as well as some other fine songs climaxing with "Don't Stop Me Now." A very good album indeed and I'm glad I'm paying tribute to it here.
Track Listing:
1. Mustapha
2. Fat Bottomed Girls
3. Jealousy
4. Bicycle Races
5. If You Can't Beat Them
6. Let Me Entertain You
7. Dead On Time
8. In Only Seven Days
9. Dreamer's Ball
10. Fun It
11. Leaving Home Ain't Easy
12. Don't Stop Me Now
13. More of That Jazz
Queen
Freddie Mercury- lead and backing vocals, piano
Brian May- guitars, lead and backing vocals
Roger Taylor- drums, percussion, lead and backing vocals, electric guitar, bass
John Deacon- bass, electric and acoustic guitar
I have to confess, back in 1979, I tried very hard to dislike Queen, due to my homophobic views back then. Something I regret now. However, when I heard the singles from this album, I couldn't help liking them. The music of Queen has the aura that is very hard not to like and today, I am a full fledged fan.
Next post: Dire Straits
To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Sunday, 23 February 2014

Great Rock Albums of 1979: Toto

Although I was a big fan of Wayne's World, there was one thing in their book "Extreme Close Up" I didn't agree with. That was some of the songs they listed in the category of "Top Ten Party Killing Tunes." There were at least two other songs that I felt shouldn't have been on the list, "Hotel California" by the Eagles and "Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. However, down at number two was "Anything by Toto." I don't agree that every song by Toto is a party killer. Maybe in the case of "Georgy Porgy" but not their most noted song, "Hold the Line." That was the song that made me aware of them and I still enjoy listening to it when I play any of the compilation CDs it appears on. Saying that, I do agree with Wayne's number one choice, "Any disco tune."
Sticklers for music history will point out that this album was released in 1978, but it didn't come to my attention until March of 1979. How it did is an amusing story. An Air Force recruitment band came to my high school and played a gig. They introduced "Hold the Line" by saying that Toto had left Dorothy and the rest of the Wizard of Oz group and formed his own band. No, I didn't find that funny either, but they did make the song sound good. Therefore, I was totally impressed when I heard the actual version by Toto.
If someone bought this album today after hearing "Hold the Line," they may be disappointed in the fact that Toto aren't a true hard rock band. They are more of a prog rock band with elements of hard and soft rock. I will go out on a ledge here and say they sound like 10cc with a bit of Kansas thrown in. While the album definitely isn't party killing, it's not a party enhancer either. This album is what I call a good wind down album. It's great for playing when travelling home from a metal concert and you want something to bring you down. It's also good for chilling in your big chair.
One thing I can say from this and other offerings by Toto is that they're all talented musicians. The opening track, "Child's Anthem" is a brilliant instrumental  intro to the album and while some of the song "I'll Supply the Love" has that generic commercial 70s sound in some places, there is some good guitar licks and a keyboard solo to bring it up. A critic, which I'm not, might say that the musicianship makes up for any other flaws in the music.
Track Listing:
1. Child's Anthem
2. I'll Supply the Love
3. Georgy Porgy
4. Manuela Run
5. You Are the Flower
6. Girl Goodbye
7. Takin' It Back
8. Rockmaker
9. Hold the Line
10. Angela
Toto
Bobby Kimball- lead and backing vocals
Steve Lukather- guitars, lead and backing vocals
David Paich- keyboards, lead and backing vocals
Steve Porcaro- keyboards, lead vocals
David Hungate- bass
Jeff Porcaro- drums
Toto are a good prog rock outfit, maybe not as good as Kansas in my opinion, but still good as their first album shows. And don't pay attention to Wayne's "Top Ten Party Killing Tunes" list.
Next post: Queen- Jazz
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