Andrew Blake Sharp

I love blogging. I'm here to discuss anything that relates to music and sports.

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Throwback Thursday Review: Pink Floyd - THE DIVISION BELL (1994) Album Review

Here we go, another Throwback Thursday Review. This time we're going to talk about The Division Bell by Pink Floyd. Before I really go in depth about the album, I'm going to say something aside from this. I'm going to dedicate this review to a friend of mine named Kevin Pederson. He's a big Pink Floyd fan, he absolutely LOVES this album that I'm reviewing, and he's played this album for me to get me more into Pink Floyd's music. Thank you Kevin for playing this album for me, I love Pink Floyd too because you played this album. Now on to the initial review.

The Division Bell is the 14th studio album from Pink Floyd, and the 2nd album in the David Gilmour Era following the leave in the 80s of Roger Waters. While Rogers Waters is a genius and I still recommend the 70s heyday to anyone, his politics damn near ruined Pink Floyd. In 1987, Pink Floyd released A Momentary Lapse Of Reason. I don't understand the hate of the album, I think it's a great album but it has a lot of additional musicians to make it feel like a David Gilmour solo record. Somewhat the same thing for The Division Bell but that is not to say it's a bad album because it's absolutely not. It's a much longer album than A Momentary Lapse Of Reason and for certain a better album too.

When Roger Waters left the band, David Gilmour took over as the lead man for Pink Floyd. Changes occurred, very noticeable in the lyrics, because these lyrics in the David Gilmour songs are not political at all, so that is a change and for the better. The Division Bell has 11 tracks, little over 66 minutes of music. We're going to go at it track by track, how I feel about each of the songs.

Track by track review

1. CLUSTER ONE: The Division Bell opens on a close to 6 minute instrumental. First starting off with ambient sound effects. Then piano comes in and then the famous signature guitar bends from Gilmour. Could be classified as filler but not for me. This is a very relaxing piece of music.

2. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME: The pace of the album picks up with this song. Opening with a funk from organ and bass and a groove from the drums. It's a great intro, and then 20 seconds in, David Gilmour storms in with a beautiful solo style guitar lick. His string bending is fucking incredible. He plays quick solos all throughout the 4 minutes. His vocals are quite great too. Not only is his voice great to hear but his guitar playing is too. I don't know the name of the female vocalists on this song but they harmonize beautifully with Gilmour's vocals in the chorus on this song. Great backing vocals too.

3. POLES APART: The intro has some beautiful clean guitar playing. I like this intro because that guitar line repeats in the verses. Nothing new here vocally, David Gilmour pours his amazing voice on the song. This song can be all over the place because there's lots of sound effects in the instrumental section of this song, including the sound of the ringing of The Division Bell that is heard in High Hopes as well. Then close to the 5:20 mark, the song ends off on a solo from Gilmour. Once more, the notes, the tone consists of everything we love about David Gilmour's playing.

4. MAROONED: Another instrumental, this time it's 5 and a half minutes long. It is better than Cluster One too. The piano playing goes together with Gilmour's guitar playing. The intro is majestic. This is a David Gilmour solo. And then at the 2:30 minute mark, David Gilmour goes into another solo and it's absolutely mesmerizing. It's like Kenny G but instead on guitar. Very beautiful piece.

5. A GREAT DAY FOR FREEDOM: Richard Wright's piano and Gilmour's vocals go very nicely on this song. Just like Poles Apart, the song fades out on a terrific solo from Gilmour. Not much to say here because it is shorter and sounds the same like the other songs on this album.

6. WEARING THE INSIDE OUT: This intro is absolutely heavenly. Once the saxophone solo hits, I just wanna close my eyes and drift far away. This song features lead vocals from Richard Wright too. Never heard him sing until I heard this one. I must say, his vocals are great and fitting for a song. I love the harmony from the female vocals too. I love the horns almost close to the midsection of the song. There's another great solo in the first half of the song. The 2nd solo on this song that ends this song is a very amazing ending to a beautiful piece of music. The Division Bell has some very great music all throughout. An album highlight.

7. TAKE IT BACK: There's a catchy palm muted guitar riff from Gilmour that repeats throughout the 6 minutes. The chorus is one of the best on the album with the harmony from the female vocals. Not really filler per se, but it keeps the album interesting.

8. COMING BACK TO LIFE: One of my favorites on this album. What else is new? More beautiful music in the intro with some guitar licks fro Gilmour that have a Bluesy vibe to it. A minute and a half in the song, Gilmour shows off his vocal range over a smooth synth line. It's a great vocal solo. And after his beautiful vocal solo, the music picks up and transitions into a catchy guitar riff. The lyrics are a brilliant cut too. From what I've read, David Gilmour wrote this song in a very personal and difficult time for him. The great thing about these lyrics is the message of difficult times and recovering strong in the end. The lyrics can be applied to any aspect of our lives too. And of course, this song ends more on Gilmour's guitar playing that make this song and album even better.

9. KEEP TALKING: Some vocal samples from Stephen Hawking are on this song. This song has a riff kinda like the one to Take It Back and it's pretty good. I love the backing vocals that go along with Gilmour's vocals. The guitar solo somewhat has some vibes like the solo to Sorrow off A Momentary Lapse Of Reason. Another relaxing song to a very beautiful album.

10. LOST FOR WORDS: I've seen some comments from this song considering it Pink Floyd's worst song. Absolutely not. The acoustic guitar playing makes this song listenable for me. I would not consider this song filler, though the middle section of the song seems completely out of place. This song is good because of its guitar work.

11. HIGH HOPES: The ringing of The Division Bell opens up the finale of the album. More beautiful piano comes in to accompany with Gilmour's vocals. The song is beautiful and eerie at the same time. There's a really beautiful acoustic guitar solo as the first solo. And following the acoustic solo, the song automatically gets better for one last verse and chorus. The real highlight of the song and the album comes at the end as the song fades out on a steel guitar solo. YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO LISTEN TO IT, IT'S ONE OF THE BEST PIECES EVER RECORDED. The steel guitar solo is amazing enough to bring a tear to your eye and give you goosebumps or even both. This is a perfect finale to a song, a band's career and album.

20 years after the release of The Division Bell, Pink Floyd would release one final album in 2014 titled The Endless River, which is a lyric used in High Hopes. It is mostly instrumental except for the last song having vocals. It is also unused material from The Division Bell sessions. While it's not the last studio album, it is the last recording session from the band. Pink Floyd does not tour as a band anymore, just David Gilmour and he performs now and then for his solo material. But Pink Floyd does not have to tour anymore, they left the legacy and it lives on forever.

I'm going to give this album a 10 out of 10. It initially got mixed reviews, but this is an album to not be overlooked. David Gilmour's guitar tone and playing on this album is some of his best work. This album is absolutely packed with some beautiful music. This is good music to turn on and relax to, and once you turn on the album, you just absolutely want to get lost in the music. The Division Bell is criminally underrated and it's truly a masterpiece. You should listen to it and repeat the listening experience over and over. This is not Pink Floyd's best, but it's very damn close to matching their best albums. Probably the most underrated album of all time. If you have not heard The Division Bell, go listen to it. But if you've heard this album, go listen to it again.

My Rating: 10/10 | Favorite Songs: What Do You Want From Me, Poles Apart, Marooned, A Great Day For Freedom, Wearing The Inside Out, Take It Back, Coming Back To Life, Keep Talking, Lost For Words, High Hopes | Least Favorites: None.

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RUSH - SIGNALS (1982) Album Review

RUSH was indeed on top of the world. Albums such as 2112, A Farewell To Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures and then two masterful live albums in All The World's A Stage and Exit...Stage Left are instant classics and are among fan favorite RUSH albums. Now it's time to move forward, changes in RUSH's sound came following the live album. Ready to swim? It's time to dive into the experimental waters, also known as the synth era that had 4 albums. We're here to talk the 1st of the 4, Signals.

The synth era was what got me into RUSH. Signals was the album that got me into RUSH when I was 8 years old in 2002. The first thing we need to know about the synth era, some people can consider it a drop in quality for RUSH. But I'm here to defend that it's not. This is an experimental time for the band and I am all for a band experimenting with new things. As a matter of fact, the synth era is pretty good for RUSH. RUSH had synthesizers quite a bit on A Farewell To Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures, but here in the synth era on Signals and the other 3 albums we're going to get to, the synthesizer is used much more and some of the times it starts the song.

Signals has some iconic artwork. A dog sniffing a fire hydrant. Classic RUSH artwork. Musically, Signals is 8 tracks, 42 minutes of more music. Not that hard at all to digest either. Matter of fact, Signals is turning 36 in September and there's plenty of more RUSH albums celebrating their birthdays in September too. Synths are used a lot on Signals but there's still some instrumentation here because RUSH is not RUSH without the instruments. Once more, we're going to go at it track by track, how I feel about the songs.

Track by track review

1. SUBDIVISIONS: Synths open this album from the get-go. The synth line is catchy and the song kicks in gear quickly off that synth line. I like the lyrics to this track a lot. It relates a lot to the high school kids, “Conform or be cast out”, “Be cool or be cast out.” But the truth is, just be yourself and that was me in high school. It's a catchy tune with some nice instrumental section before the 1st verse and after the 2nd chorus with the solo. Solid opener that was performed a lot on the RUSH tours.

2. THE ANALOG KID: Alex's fast paced riffing is all over this song and it's fantastic. The intro is one of my favorite RUSH riffs. Lyrically, the song is telling a story of a boy moving away from his home town in search of what he may find in the future. This song is paced with some great riffs and near the end is the best part. When Geddy sings, "When I leave I don't know what I'm leaving behind”, this song just gets better as Alex enters solo mode and he comes in and shreds for one of his better solos. The soloing is soaring and very impressive. This is one of the better songs this album offers. Was even played well on Clockwork Angels Tour too.

3. CHEMISTRY: This song has some amazing guitar work once more from Alex. I love that guitar line before the verse where he's playing a quick 20 second solo. This song is consistent throughout and does not get boring at all. The riff in the verse and the guitar chords in the pre-chorus when Geddy is singing “Eye to I, reaction burning hotter” is catchy itself too, and simple at the same time. I find myself air guitaring to those notes. The song structure repeats itself for the 2nd verse and chorus too. But after the 2nd chorus, Alex retaliates with a very good outro solo. This song is fun and very enjoyable.

4. DIGITAL MAN: Listen to this intro, because it's another reason why Neil Peart is the best drummer of our time. Neil's drum fills kicks this song off in 2 seconds and it's impressive. The better part of the song comes after the 2nd chorus. The verse where Geddy sings, "He's got a force field and a flexible plan / He's got a date with fate in a black sedan" and so on is a very clever lyric and it's nicely sung and then the song goes into a instrumental section started off with another amazing bass riff from Geddy. Alex has an epic solo, just like his solo to The Analog Kid.

5. THE WEAPON (PT. II OF FEAR): Moving Pictures kicked off the reverse order of the Fear Trilogy with Witch Hunt (Pt. III) and here is The Weapon (Pt. II). The opening drum beat is catchy and that opening drum beat repeats all throughout, making the song better. In my opinion, this is the best song on the album that's full of great tracks, and to add, this is my favorite RUSH song. Neil's lyrics on this song can explain about all kinds of fear and that someone out there is using our fears against us. The lyrics are the best on this album, and there's some great stuff here throughout. This song has some very amazing moments, the vibe, the suspense, the chorus, the melodic singing from Geddy, RUSH never struggled with that. The song gets a whole lot better after the 2nd chorus with an exciting instrumental section. The music is dark and the song explodes to a killer guitar solo from Alex. I get goosebumps every time I hear this song. A real highlight.

6. NEW WORLD MAN: Another one of the RUSH classics. A synth riff opens up this song. This song charted well for the band too going in the top 10 of the Billboard 100 Countdown. The song is catchy too, great vocals from Geddy, some catchy guitar playing in the riffs from Alex. The lyrics in the choruses are very great too. I feel Police vibes in this song somewhat. Shorter song but still a great song in terms of keeping the album entertaining.

7. LOSING IT: OH MY GOD, THIS SONG IS BEAUTIFUL. A true ballad of the album. Once more, the song opens up on some beautiful synthesizer. Lyrics relate to aging and of course times of former glory fading away, it's all a stage we'll reach in life. The lyrics have a very sad mood to the title of the song, and Geddy's vocals, which might be the best on the album sell this one on an emotional level, which is fitting for the song. The chorus near the end of the song is absolutely saddening and perfect enough to make you cry. Then comes in a masterful violin solo from Ben Mink and just makes the song even more perfect. Losing It is a true highlight. For the first time in RUSH's career, this was played on R40. Unfortunately I didn't see RUSH on R40 but the live album version was great.

8. COUNTDOWN: Signals closes up on this close to 6 minute track. The band took a trip in 1982 to watch the liftoff of the space shuttle Columbia, and that is how the song was inspired. The song, once more starts on some synthesizers, more of an intense vibe on this song. The lyrics written by Neil tell a story along with the feelings of what was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Geddy once more sings this song with emotion and intensity just like the events they witnessed. That riff before that chorus is catchy and makes the song even more epic. Following the chorus, Geddy repeats that riff on the synthesizer and compliments Alex's riff. Near the end of the song, there's a fantastic synth solo and the song fades out slowly. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is an epic song, very fitting finale to an album.

Following Countdown, longtime producer Terry Brown would not produce another RUSH album. In conclusion, when this was released in 1982, it didn't get the best reception but over time, RUSH fans grew to love it. It's honestly a love it/hate it kind of album. Still to this day Signals is my favorite RUSH album and favorite album of all time because it's the album that got me into RUSH in 2002. 10 out of 10. This album has aged well. There's plenty of synth, but RUSH puts their instrumental touch on the songs. There's plenty of great music to enjoy here.

My Rating: 10/10 | Favorite Songs: Subdivisions, The Analog Kid, Chemistry, Digital Man, The Weapon, New World Man, Losing It, Countdown | Least Favorites: None

And now it's time to dive more into deeper waters of the synth era. The band continues to use more synths on the next album. The band experiments with more dark themes lyrically. Next time we're talking about Grace Under Pressure.

[andrewsharpblog]

Throwback Thursday Review: Van Halen - VAN HALEN III (1998)

Another Throwback Thursday Review on my blog. We're going to talk about Van Halen III. Why the most hated Van Halen album, why aren't we talking about a classic record such as Van Halen 1 or 2, Fair Warning, Diver Down, 1984? Well I feel Van Halen III needs to be talked about. While one of the most influential albums in rock history in Van Halen 1 is little over 40 years old, Van Halen III is almost 4 months off its 20th anniversary.

Following the release of 1995's Balance, the final album in the Van Hagar Era, Van Halen recorded a few songs for its greatest hits disc, Humans Being featuring Sammy Hagar, then Can't Get This Stuff No More and Me Wise Magic with David Lee Roth and that was in 1997. These were some great songs placed on a disc loaded with Van Halen hits from both eras. So David Lee Roth was back in the band and then back out again and the band was without a singer. They ended up recruiting Gary Cherone from Extreme as vocalist for what would be the next Van Halen album. Eddie Van Halen signed on Mike Post as producer, a guy that has no background with rock albums to produce an album by a premier rock band. Oh boy.

Was Van Halen III a disaster? From what I read and heard online, the answer was absolutely yes. Production is probably an off-putting factor for some on this album. And to add to that, the album was a flop commercially, selling nowhere as good as albums the past two eras. This album got some bad reviews too. And even myself when I became a Van Halen fan in 2008, I put off listening to this album on many occasions, because of those bad reviews. And finally on July 10, 2018, I sucked it up and gave it a listen because I just felt like I had to listen to all the Van Halen albums to call myself a fan.

Van Halen III has 12 tracks, 65 minutes of length. That's the longest Van Halen studio album. You can listen to Van Halen 2, Diver Down, Fair Warning twice and this Van Halen album will be in the final minutes. Van Halen III may be considered as the worst Van Halen album, one of the worst albums of all time, but is it really that bad? The band rarely acknowledges Van Halen III's existence, going to show they wanted to forget about this one. Coming into this album, I was expecting not at all to like it. Do I honestly hate it? We're going to find out as we break it down track by track.

Track by track review

1. NEWORLD (INSTRUMENTAL): Van Halen III opens up on some acoustic guitar and piano. 1 minute and 45 second instrumental. For a rock album? This album starts on a soft note but the instrumental is honestly beautiful. On Neworld, we pretty much enter a new world, a new era with a new Van Halen vocalist even though it lasted one album. Beautiful acoustic guitar work and piano. I like it.

2. WITHOUT YOU: From 1 minute 45 seconds to 6 minute and 30 seconds. Major shift. This was a song released as a single too. It's ok. Alex Van Halen opens up on some nice drumming, Eddie Van Halen comes in and he's rocking on his guitar. Gary Cherone lays some vocals and they are not that bad, actually pretty good. There's some great guitar playing throughout this song. I like the chorus too, Gary Cherone sings well. There's a real solo past the mid mark of the song, and it's nothing new, and Eddie Van Halen shows why he's one of the best guitarists in the 2nd wave of rock music. This is a great song packed with some shredding and great riffing. 

3. ONE I WANT: Eddie's riffs open this song. I seriously don't know what the lyrics are talking about, but Van Halen hasn't always been the strongest in the lyric department. Gary Cherone is a great vocalist and sings his ass off some more and I like his vocals no matter what the lyrics are saying. The chorus is catchy too, I like the harmonization by the band here. This song has everything I love about Van Halen - Eddie Van Halen as a shredding and a riff writer, the harmonization by the band and the great vocals. Close to the 5 minute mark, Gary Cherone lets out a scream of “yeah's” and it's great.

4. FROM AFAR: The song starts out quiet and builds up to an arena-style rock riff at the 30 second mark. It's a great riff once again by the Guitar God. 55 seconds in, Gary Cherone sings verses. I like the guitar playing. The song is rather laid back and I like Eddie's guitar playing and the guitar effect in the verses. From Afar can be said the same thing about One I Want and Without You. We're 4 songs and I actually like what I heard. But that's me being a fanboy because I find myself to like anything Van Halen puts outs. I really like the guitar effects in this song.

5. DIRTY WATER DOG: Some drums open up this one, not as good as the drumming that opens up Without You. And once more, some more guitar playing and the song gets better. Bass can be audible here too. Some great harmony in the verses and the chorus. Lyrics can feel disjointed as each verse talks about . Gary Cherone is being Gary, the band is jamming along. In these songs, you hear Hagar and Roth influence in his vocals. I thought this was going to be filler but I find things to like about this song. Eddie's guitar playing and Gary's vocals are why I'm liking these songs in what is a surprise defense review.

6. ONCE: And to a ballad, the 7 minute 42 second song Once. This song opens up on some gorgeous piano. Gary's vocals take a screaming approach on a ballad. Can be off putting but Gary hits a high register on this song and the album. The solo guitar licks are beautiful and emotion. You have to listen to this song all the way through to feel the emotion of this song. You can say Once is the best song on the album or one of the best. I love this ballad, it's one of my personal favorites in the ballads of Van Halen.

7. FIRE IN THE HOLE: Now on to the 2nd half and last song 6 this album offers. This song was on Lethal Weapon 4. This is a straight rock song with great singing, drumming, and guitar playing. And if you listen to it right, you hear Roth and Hagar influence in Cherone's vocals. And this song's guitar playing, well let's just say a mixture of two great Van Halen songs - Drop Dead Legs from 1984 and Cabo Wabo from OU812. Great riffs once again by Eddie that you just may find yourself busting out the air guitar to, Gary Cherone is singing his ass off. I love the chorus. The solo in the middle section of the song is epic. This song is consistent all the way through and I just don't wanna shut off the song at all. With like 1 minute left following the final chorus, the final chorus sends the song out in some very rocking fashion with Alex Van Halen laying a simple drum beat and Eddie drops a head-bang worthy type of riff. I love this ending a lot, I do air drums and air guitar because it's that kickass.

8. JOSEPHINA: This song is a song about a beautiful girl. Some great guitar work, which is clean send a great vibe as I listen. At like the 1:30 minute mark, the song shifts into a pre-chorus and I like that part because it's got a great palm-muted riff, some simple drumming from Alex, some great singing from Gary, he even reaches some falsetto at a part in the pre-chorus. The chorus keeps that going too. Some great guitar playing in the soloing and the all around. Just like the other songs, I really like Josephina. I'm really liking what this album is offering me so far, a Van Halen album that's considered a failure and I'm liking. This is more than definitely a misunderstood time for the band.

9. YEAR TO THE DAY: Some beautiful and clean guitar work start this 8 and a half minute song for longest song on the album. The guitar playing is beautiful. The 2:10 minute mark, Gary belts out  a yelling scream and it's amazing and the song picks up and the song absolutely rocks and then falls back to its clean territory before picking up to the rock territory. There's a really amazing instrumental section here. The band absolutely thrives off instrumental sections, and that's a fact. Give the band a break with no lyrics and they'll come up with something masterfully done. The ending is absolutely terrific with another jaw-dropping solo from The Great Eddie Van Halen.

10. PRIMARY (INSTRUMENTAL): After a string of long songs from track 2 to 9, we're back to another short instrumental titled Primary leading up to Ballot Or The Bullet. It's skippable at best but you don't have to skip it. It's a nice short track at about a minute and a half.

11. BALLOT OR THE BULLET: Nice guitar lick to open this song. This song has some great riffs to get it by and make it a great and listenable song. The riffs in the verses may encourage you to play air guitar to it. This song has politics all over it in the title in the lyrics and that's fitting. Ballot Or The Bullet is one of the better songs on this album. Great stuff lyrically and riff wise.

12. HOW MANY SAY I: This is a weird song, closing off Van Halen III with a 6 minute track. The song is a piano ballad. The piano is beautiful, I'll give it that and Eddie Van Halen sings on this one. It can be pretty embarrassing when he's better at the backing vocals. And myself, it's not the best because he's not that good of a guitar player. There's no guitar or drums but I somewhat like the harmonizing in this song. That's just about it.

You probably were not expecting this, but on my take, Van Halen III is not as bad as expected. I truly believe Van Halen III was a misunderstood time for the band. It was a tough time for the band that had a falling out with Hagar. Is it the best Van Halen album? Absolutely not. The production is pretty bad but I appreciate the instruments behind this album. Gary sings well whether the lyrics are bad or not. Eddie Van Halen is a monster on this album with his riffing and soloing. There's some special stuff on this album.

7.5 out of 10. Just really the production and How Many Say I really drag this score down for me. I can handle the lyrics. But most of the time, I really enjoy the instrumentation as it's strong enough to get me through. I must say, a first listen through was pretty rough. Repeated listens made sure the album grew on me. This one is a grower folks.

Favorite Tracks: Without You, One I Want, From Afar, Once, Fire In The Hole, Josephina, Year To The Day, Ballot Or The Bullet | Least Favorites: Primary, How Many Say I

And now in 2018, who knows what's going on with Van Halen. Maybe they're done because they're pretty old now and Wolfgang Van Halen is getting ready to release a solo record. Who knows though, Van Halen does not really talk to the press. I don't see Sammy Hagar reuniting. If Van Halen does music again, being that I like Van Halen III, maybe they should call up Gary Cherone for another album.

[andrewsharpblog]

RUSH - EXIT...STAGE LEFT (1981) Live Album Review

You can say that Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures were high points of RUSH's career. Exit...Stage Left is the band's 2nd live album and the songs on this live recording were recorded on the tours for Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures. RUSH was at the top of their game and this live album damn sure proves that.

There's a lot of great things to say about RUSH. Not only were they an amazing band in the studio, but they sure as hell backed it up on the road too. I truly believe there's a few bands that can sound amazing live just like how they did on the studio album. RUSH boasts that proudly. Exit...Stage Left is another live album by the band, and it's one that the band does to perfection.

There's a lot of great things to say about this live album. One thing is the track listing: There's Beneath Between & Behind from Fly By Night played faster, A Passage To Bangkok from 2112 that was originally omitted from the first pressings due to the overall album length until it was re-added to the remastered version in 1997. These versions are both amazing live, especially A Passage To Bangkok with a really nice solo section, but there's 11 more songs though. The live album includes some hits from Moving Pictures (Red Barchetta, YYZ with a drum solo, Tom Sawyer), some popular songs from Permanent Waves (The Spirit Of Radio, Freewill and Jacob's Ladder), and then there's remaining 70s material - Closer To The Heart, Xanadu, The Trees that was directly flowed into from a beautiful acoustic instrumental called Broon's Bane, and then La Villa Strangiato. Classic songs from another classic RUSH era.

This live album is 76 and a half minutes long of phenomenal RUSH music. It's RUSH being RUSH, making amazing music and showing to the world that no one plays instruments better than the Holy Trinity from Canada. Listening to this album, they play some of the most complex songs ever made (Jacob's Ladder, Xanadu, La Villa Strangiato) and the performances on each song are spot on note for note. That's talent folks and RUSH showed exactly that.

Busting out the air instruments while listening to RUSH just feels mandatory. It's very hard not to when Geddy Lee lays down some catchy synth lines and bass riffs. Alex Lifeson is riffing and soloing amazingly on his guitars. And of course, Neil Peart - The Professor of the Drum Kit. This is music meant to be played loud. And even myself bust out the various air instruments throughout the songs.

Another great thing about this album: production is pretty solid. Live records get lots of negative judgement for the audio quality. RUSH at the top of their game on this live album go for some nice production and they sound all around amazing.

Exit...Stage Left is another fantastic live outing by RUSH. It is one of the greatest live records. It's all about the music and the album is absolutely jam-packed with exactly that. Perfect 10 out of 10. The music, the track listing, the sound that RUSH replicates from the studio to the road assures you why they were one of the best live bands of all time if not the best live band ever.

My Rating: 10/10 | Favorite Tracks: The Spirit Of Radio, Red Barchetta, YYZ, A Passage To Bangkok, Beneath Between & Behind, Jacob's Ladder, Broon's Bane/The Trees, Xanadu, Freewill, Tom Sawyer, La Villa Strangiato | Least Favorites: None

Exit...Stage Left is the end of a classic RUSH era. RUSH enters a new era where they do some new things to their sound. Next time around, we'll go swimming in the experimental waters of the synth era.

[andrewsharpblog]

RUSH - MOVING PICTURES (1981) Album Review

Along with 2112, Moving Pictures is the crowning achievement for RUSH. If there was ever a time someone told you to get them into RUSH, Moving Pictures would be the go-to or one of the best albums to get someone into this legendary band. There's a very good reason why Moving Pictures is a masterpiece. All of the songs are pretty popular, the entire album was performed live in its entirety on the Time Machine Tour (The tour I saw RUSH in concert, unfortunately the only time I got to see them). And the singles from this album were all major hits for the band. Another thing about Moving Pictures is that all of the 7 songs would have been great singles on top of the ones that already were. 

Moving Pictures was the beginning of the end of a classic era that spawned together albums such as Fly By Night, 2112, A Farewell To Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, but it was also the beginning of something new for the band following Exit...Stage Left, the band's 2nd live album that we'll talk about next. We'll talk about the beginning of a new era at the end. But for now, it's time to discuss Moving Pictures by RUSH.

7 tracks, 40 minutes of music. Slightly longer in length but once again, it's nothing new. More music, another album of Geddy, Alex and Neil showing their superior musicianship.

Track by track review

1. TOM SAWYER: One of RUSH's popular hits and instant live staple. The song opens with synths. Everything about this song is catchy, the drums, the vocals, the melody. It's a great pump up song. The drum fills after the guitar solo still amazes me.

2. RED BARCHETTA: This song is about a car. Alex has some great guitar work on this. I like it when Geddy sings high notes in the chorus. There's some good riffs and a solid solo here. All around, a solid song that'd be great to drive to.

3. YYZ: This song is based off morse code. Also, it's instrumental. Damn, is RUSH good at those? Geddy, Alex and Neil show off their musical chops like it's nothing new. The riff is fast and the band jams their asses off for 4 minutes. Neil has some amazing drum fills and Geddy gets to shine with his pulsating bass riffs that seriously got a mind of its own. What else can I say? It's a fantastic song. One thing I love about RUSH, all 3 members get to shine on their instruments.

4. LIMELIGHT: The opening riff is one of Alex's catchiest. The chorus is one of RUSH's best too. The solo is personally Lifeson's favorite and as for me, it's definitely up there. So much emotion heard in his solo on this one.

5. THE CAMERA EYE: 11 minutes, longest song on the album and actually the last RUSH studio song to go over 10 minutes. I love the synths on this song. It slowly builds up. And then the sing speeds up after another synth riff. The music is adventurous. There's enjoyable riffs. The song structure repeats and the ending is amazing. Alex goes into solo mode, and it's very epic. Once more, Alex shows off his shredding skills.

6. WITCH HUNT (PT. III OF FEAR): Neil Peart started a series called Fear, 1 song each album for the first 3 parts. This song has an eerie vibe in the beginning and all throughout. I love the vibe here. The song is rather laid back in the instruments, only just a few chord riffs from Alex but they are great. This song has one of my favorite RUSH lyrics that holds true to people today, "Quick to judge / Quick to anger / Slow to understand / Ignorance and prejudice / And fear walk hand in hand." The song has no solo until future live versions but this song didn't need a solo.

7. VITAL SIGNS: Lyrically, Neil Peart is writing about science, a continuance of more science topics to be talked about in future RUSH songs. There's some great chord riffs here and after that first verse, there's a catchy riff that really gets stuck in your heard. Once again, no solo but it does pass as a solid song.

In conclusion, Moving Pictures is a masterpiece. Yes, some of the songs did get overplayed but this is enjoyable rock music in 40 minutes. Another 10 out of 10. This album does everything right. And when the album was done live on Time Machine, they still sounded great live like they did in 2010/2011.

My Rating: 10/10 | Favorite Songs: Red Barchetta, YYZ, Limelight, The Camera Eye, Witch Hunt, Vital Signs | Least Favorites: None

See you around for Exit...Stage Left.

[andrewsharpblog]

RUSH - PERMANENT WAVES (1980) Album Review

Now that the 70s heyday of RUSH is reviewed, it is now time to go on and talk about the 80s music. Following the release of 1978's Hemispheres, the band returned to their homeland in Canada. The band was home, close to their families coming off some masterful albums that are widely regarded as prog classics. It was a pretty great time. Now it's time to talk about Permanent Waves.

Permanent Waves was recorded at Le Studio, Morin Heights in Quebec, which became the studio for other RUSH recordings in the 80s and a few in the early 90s. Permanent Waves is another one of the RUSH albums that are less than 40 minutes. 6 tracks, 35 minutes of music. Question remains, is Permanent Waves as good as the classic 70s albums? The answer is absolutely yes. There's some touches of prog here. Songs are shorter but it's RUSH, the band can write any song in any length and it would have the instrumental magic that the band does so well.

Track by track review

1. THE SPIRIT OF RADIO: Permanent Waves opens up with one of the band's popular hits and live staples. The opening riff from Alex is absolutely soaring and still to this day it's amazing when the opening riff hits. Ever since it became a song, it was a live staple and the song is great to hear live. Lyrically, it's talking about radio. The lyrics make radio life friendly and the music does a great job fitting the mood of the lyrics. Great riffs, great solo, great vocals. In general, just all around a great opener.

2. FREEWILL: Another radio hit and live staple. If there's one thing about Permanent Waves, this album had some consistent live staples, plus some few others that were performed live. Lyrically, the song is self-explanatory. I still like the lyrics, “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” Still rings true to this day. The message of this song is one for the ages, really encouraging people to make their own choices. It's inspiring lyrically. “I will choose a path that's clear, I will choose free will.” After the 2nd chorus, the band does what they do best, and that is play their respective instruments. Geddy Lee has an amazing bass riff and Alex comes in with a solo and he's absolutely shredding and it's fantastic.

3. JACOB'S LADDER: This song is almost 7 and a half minutes long. Only a small amount of lyrics in this one. I struggle with understanding what this song is about. There's not much lyrics to go in depth about the meaning, but what there is on this song is music. Geddy, Alex and Neil continually demonstrate their superior musically talent. This song absolutely thrives off a long instrumental break. There's some great riffs, an epic guitar solo. And later in the song, there's a beautiful synth line and the instrumental section of this song is epic and still gives me goosebumps. This is a song that they've played a few times, and was included on Exit...Stage Left and R40 and both versions were excellent live.

4. ENTRE NOUS: This is a great song. Even though this song does not have a guitar solo, there's some great music on this track. There's a great riff in the verse when Geddy is singing. There's some beautiful acoustic guitar work in the chorus. But what the highlight is of this song - the lyrics. Lyrically, I believe it's talking about reaching out to understand each other. The lyrics are absolutely brilliant not only on this song but on the entire album. Having Neil in the band as drummer and lyricist did amazing things to RUSH's sound and the lyrics stood out with RUSH. This song made its live debut on Snakes & Arrows Live and they pulled it off.

5. DIFFERENT STRINGS: The shortest song here, and it's less than 4 minutes. From my understanding, this song was not played live. The song is slower-paced. The music is beautiful, it's got a very amazing vibe to it. The lyrics on this track are handled by Geddy Lee. Neil of course is the primary lyricist, but Geddy's lyrics on this track are quite great. I really like what the lyrics go after on Different Strings. “Different eyes see different things, different hearts beat on different strings.” Powerful lyrics. Yet we are all human, we all see life just a bit differently. Great message behind this one. I also like the solo near the end of this track.

6. NATURAL SCIENCE: And we have now arrived at the longest song on the album, the 3-part, 9 minute epic, Natural Science. The song is divided into 3 parts. The song opens up on some beautiful acoustic guitar work from Alex. Near the end of this song, the song picks up a little bit and maintains its way throughout the rest of the song. Part 2 - Hyperspace has an epic guitar riff from Alex and it repeats on the verses. And after all the verses, there's quick a drum fill by Neil, and the band is in rocking gear and jamming their hearts out. The first solo by Alex is absolutely epic. In Part 3 - Permanent Waves, the song switches into another catchy riff and after a while, another solo and Alex is shredding once more. It's fantastic. The song was played live consistently as well and it was a great staple live. I do like both the studio and live versions for Natural Science.

In conclusion, RUSH puts out another winner in Permanent Waves. This album stacks very well on a RUSH album rankings list. It is up there with the classics such as 2112, A Farewell To Kings, Hemispheres. It is a fan favorite as well. And as a matter of fact, even some may consider Permanent Waves as their favorite RUSH album. Most of these songs were very well done live. Freewill and The Spirit Of Radio are still to this day played on the radio. 10/10 for me. Not only because I'm a fan, but also because it's just that good. RUSH put out another flawless record in Permanent Waves. The music is impressive time after time, the listening experience is easy to get through. The riffs, the solos, the drumming, the bass playing, the vocals, the flow of the album, it's consistent, and quite entertaining. There is no bad song here. The lyrics are some of RUSH's best work by a long shot.

My Rating: 10/10 | Favorite Tracks: All 6 | Least Favorite: None.

RUSH is still in their prime on Permanent Waves. The album is a masterpiece, but what's next to be reviewed is something even bigger. See you in a few days for once again, another one of the most anticipated reviews in the RUSH Discography. We're soon going to be talking about the granddaddy album, the crowning achievement not named 2112 - we'll see you around for Moving Pictures.

[andrewsharpblog]

Dream Theater - BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS (2009) Album Review

On June 23, 2009, progressive metal legends Dream Theater released their 10th studio album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings. The album is forever released upon the world and it was 9 years ago when the album came out. And since it is June 23, I'm going to give it an anniversary review.

It was exactly in 2009 when I discovered Dream Theater. Their biggest hit, Pull Me Under off their 2nd album Images And Words was one of the last few songs playable on Guitar Hero: World Tour. I played that song so much I got into the band. Then I followed their music and found out a new album was coming out at the time. 1 week later after its initial release, I bought the album. I took the album over to a friend's house to put it on a laptop to put it on my MP3 player, and I got to listening to the album.

There's plenty of Dream Theater albums that are lengthy. A few that are 60 minutes and a lot that are in the 70 minute range. Black Clouds & Silver Linings has 6 standard edition tracks, 75 minutes of music. If you're looking for 2, 3 minute songs, you don't find them here. If you don't like long songs, I strongly suggest you don't bother listening. The songs and the albums they make are pretty damn long. Is that a bad thing? Not at all. Dream Theater is a 5 man band of world class musicians and they indeed show off their musical chops each and every album they've put out. We're going to break it down track by track to see how really good this album is.

Track by track review:

1. A NIGHTMARE TO REMEMBER: Black Clouds & Silver Linings starts off with a 16 minute track. A lot happens with the 16 minutes. Sound effects of a thunderstorm open. Then a piano comes in, it's got a very dark vibe and the music too. This song is very dark with the drumming, the piano, the guitar. Lyrically, this one is constructed by John Petrucci and he's telling a horrific story of a car wreck and goes to the hospital and asks about others if they're ok. The lyrics do an amazing job of selling the story and fitting the song, and so does the music. There's lots of transition from a verse to a chorus. The chorus in the middle of the song is beautiful and catchy. But the amazing part comes after the chorus, where solo spots are exchanged. John Petrucci lays down an epic guitar solo, but then Jordan Rudess comes in with an amazing keyboard solo and they switch back and forth. It's absolutely phenomenal and I'm getting goosebumps as I type it. I get goosebumps listening to it. There's lots of riffs. This is a very strong opener.

2. A RITE OF PASSAGE: After a 16 minute track, this one is an 8 and a half minute song. Lyrically, once again constructed by John Petrucci (the guitarist) and it's about freemasonry and other topics towards this day in age. It starts off with a main riff that gets heavy after its repeat. The song has a catchy chorus and you may even sing along to it. And after the 2nd chorus, the song goes into another instrumental break, and the band once again shines so well when given an instrumental break. Another killer solo by Petrucci and Rudess. This was a single as well and was the first song I heard from the album, getting me excited to hear the rest.

3. WITHER: This song is almost 5 and a half minutes, with 10+ minute epics taking over the last 3 songs on this album. Dream Theater is in ballad territory on this one. This song is lyrically constructed by John Petrucci again, and this song could apply to anything including life. The chorus is great, the solo is too though it's quick. The great thing about the lyrics in this song is that the lyrics allow listeners to put their own meaning into the songs he writes, and John has done that in other songs. The lyrics are great, the song is a solid change of pace.

4. THE SHATTERED FORTRESS: Now with the back to back less than 10 minute tracks in A Rite Of Passage and Wither, the album finishes off with back to back to back epics that are all longer than 10 minutes. This song is 12 minutes 49 seconds and is the last and 5th part of the 12-step suite Mike Portnoy wrote spanned across 5 albums. The song starts out with a quiet riff and progressively builds up and gets louder. There's a few riffs before the verse and they are really great. The song has vocal harmonies from the previous 4 songs in the 12-step, 5 song suite. After the 2nd chorus, there is a nice bridge and goes into a breakdown riff, then followed with an absolutely phenomenal keyboard solo. At first it gave me goosebumps and it still does. The song transitions into some cleans and James sings well. There is a solo near the end and it's fantastic. All ties come to an end on this track. A great track and a great closer for the 5-song 12 step suite. For anyone wanting to listen to the entire suite the band made, it is a list as follows:

Part 1 - The Glass Prison (SIX DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE) - 13 minutes 52 seconds

Part 2 - This Dying Soul (TRAIN OF THOUGHT) - 11 minutes 28 seconds

Part 3 - The Root Of All Evil (OCTAVARIUM) - 8 minutes 35 seconds

Part 4 - Repentance (SYSTEMATIC CHAOS) - 10 minutes 43 seconds

Part 5 - The Shattered Fortress (BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS) - 12 minutes 49 seconds

5. THE BEST OF TIMES: This song was written in dedication to Mike's father that passed away before release of this album. The song is sad and goes on an emotional heartfelt journey. It opens up with some orchestra and piano, which is perfect for a tribute. After a beautiful acoustic solo, John Petrucci is absolutely shredding and the song gradually builds up. These lyrics were of course written by Mike Portnoy. When a loved one passes away, we only have positive memories to reflect upon. James sings the lyrics well and adds more emotion to the song. This song is truly an amazing dedication to the passing of his father. The song ends out on a spectacular guitar solo - indeed one of Petrucci's best that goes on for 3 minutes. You absolutely need to hear the solo, because it's very touching.

6. THE COUNT OF TUSCANY: And we've arrived at the closing song of the album, it is the longest song here and 19 minutes of length. The lyrics are written by Petrucci, and tells of an adventurous story about how he meets the Count in an Italian Mansion. The bearded historian, however, is quite clearly identified in the lyrics as the Count's brother - who is bearded, curates a museum, has a distinguished accent and is in the wine business. The song tells an epic and a fantastic story, and the music behind it is great. The music fits the adventure. There's some great riffs throughout this epic track. The chorus is amazing. The atmosphere is dark in bits and pieces of the song. After a solo, there is some guitar effects that take up quite a bit of the final part of the song, and then transitions into some beautiful acoustic guitar work. After going on an adventure, they've reached the end, the brink of death. The song builds up near the end and the visitors are let go, and the song ends on a beautiful guitar solo and James sings with some harmonizing “Oh's.” Such a wonderful ending to a very epic song.

As you probably know by now, I thought this album was very very good. And originally on first listen, I was very impressed. The tracks are very long, but coming in to this album at that time, I heard lots of RUSH and their 20 minute song 2112 so I handled these lengthy tracks no problem. I'm glad these songs are long, I don't forget about them, a lot of great things happen musically in the time that each track offers. Dream Theater experimented more in dark/goth territory on this record. I appreciate the dark vibes because it fits the songs. There's lots of superior musicianship, these world class musicians showed off their musical chops once again. Unfortunately, this would be the last album to feature Mike Portnoy on the drums because things happened following this album and leading up to the next album that would come out in 2011.

It's a strong 9.5 out of 10 for me. Dream Theater did a great job keeping me entertained throughout the album. The album had not that many songs but offered lots of stellar instrumentation within 6 tracks and 75 minutes. Black Clouds & Silver Linings is one of the better albums by Dream Theater as well, a good top 10 Dream Theater album for sure. Dream Theater did an amazing job turning me into a fan, and it was because of this album that I became a fan and explored their previous albums. I'm proud to call myself a Dream Theater fan.

My Rating: 9.5/10 | Favorite Tracks: A Nightmare To Remember, A Rite Of Passage, The Shattered Fortress, The Best Of Times, The Count Of Tuscany | Least Favorites: None.

[andrewsharpblog]

Throwback Thursday: EMINEM - RECOVERY (2010) Album Review

Before I start the initial review, I'm going to say this. This is the first time I'm doing Throwback Thursday Reviews on my blog. When my blog posts and I share it to my other socials, I sure hope that my friends end up reading it because a lot of hard work goes into these album reviews, and for anyone not to read my blog is just them saying they could care less. Now on to the initial review:

8 years ago on June 21st, Eminem released his 7th studio album, Recovery. It was released in other countries such as Australia on June 18 but came in America a few days later. The US release was originally intended for a Tuesday release of June 22, because at the time, albums were released on a Tuesday, but instead was pushed a day early and ended up being released on a Monday. This happened because I assume of the high anticipation this album had, and also because it leaked online early.

When Eminem entered rehab following the release of Encore, he came back in 2009 with Relapse and an extra disc later that year called Refill. Recovery was originally going to be Relapse 2, but instead changed its name. And shortly after Relapse: Refill, Eminem released more music in the summer of 2010. 3 hours worth of music within 2 years. Eminem had lots of music and released it in a quick time period. Recovery is another full disc set of material, another 70 minute album, just like his previous albums - The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show, Encore, Relapse and now Recovery. 16 tracks, 1 hidden making it 17 songs total, 77 minutes of music from the legendary Detroit rapper.

How does it go? Right off the bat, I'm going to say this. Either you love it or hate it. There'll be a few that hate it, but there was a lot of people that loved this album. And I myself love Recovery. I consider it to be one of my Top 3 Eminem albums of all time. This album is damn good. Eminem felt like he was not satisfied with Encore or Relapse. And while I did like Relapse and some moments off Encore, Eminem does a way better job on Recovery. This album is absolutely filled with metaphors in the lyrics, and I do find a lot of them to be hilarious. On Recovery, Eminem says a lot of funny shit on the record but he is rapping like he absolutely means it. He's rapping like he was in his heyday from The Slim Shady LP to The Eminem Show. Once again, I'm going to go track by track because I enjoy the tracks thoroughly, and at the end of each track review, I'll give my #1 favorite lyric from each song.

Track by track review:

1. COLD WIND BLOWS: Eminem opens up RECOVERY with some singing. It ain't that bad, matter of fact, it's pretty good in the intro, chorus and the outro. The beat comes in and the beat is solid. Eminem raps 3 verses and oh my goodness, he cusses a firestorm of profanity. It's funny, but never listen to this song edited as most of it is cut out. The chorus is very catchy and one that you might find yourself singing along to. This is a good opener. FAVORITE LYRIC: "Apples to oranges, peaches to plums yeah / I'm bananas pussy, cut off the grapes and grow a pair."

2. TALKIN’ 2 MYSELF - feat. Kobe: Eminem opens up the song with some talking, thanking some fans that have stuck despite of how hard it's been. The verses are solid and he's rapping about how when he was away from music, Kanye and Lil Wayne were stepping on the scene. But he's back and nothing's stopping him. The chorus is solid but not as good as Cold Wind Blows. FAVORITE LYRIC: "It's different, them last two albums didn't count / Encore I was on drugs, Relapse I was flushin’ them out."

3. ON FIRE: This song is better than Talkin’ 2 Myself. This is a great track, Eminem really gives critics a piece of mind, and his 2 verses are great. Hook is not the best, but his verses are serviceable enough to make this a great song. Eminem shows off his multi-syllable rhyming technique on the first verse and he does that quite more on the record. FAVORITE LYRIC: "Got the gall to make Chris piss in his drawers / Tickle him, go to his grave, skip him and visit his dog."

4. WON'T BACK DOWN - feat. Pink: The metaphors are absolutely hilarious on this song. I don't think any listener could go through this song without at least laughing at the metaphors this song drops in almost 4 and a half minutes. Not a fan of Pink on this song because the hook is kinda weak, but it is Eminem's song, and he spits fire on this track. FAVORITE LYRIC: "Fuck a steak slut, I'll cut my toes off and step on the receipt before I foot the bill / Listen garden tool, don't make me introduce you to my power tool, you know the fuckin drill."

5. WTP: Stands for “White Trash Party.” Could be skippable to some but this is one of the many solid songs on the album, almost 4 minutes long. The beat is good, the rapping is serviceable, the chorus is solid and this one just goes by. A great song nonetheless. FAVORITE LYRIC: "I'll be the S-L to the I-M to the S-H-A-D-Y, and I don't need a tank top to be a wife beater."

6. GOING THROUGH CHANGES: Seriously, one of the best songs on the entire album, at almost 5 minutes of length. This song samples Changes by Black Sabbath. Eminem raps 4 verses over a very quick chorus, talking about how he is going through changes, for better and worse. This song is really sold on emotion, between the 3rd and 4th verse, the song is really at the top. The song rides out on a very good beat for one of the best on the album. A true highlight for Recovery. FAVORITE LYRIC: "But I can't pretend there ain't, I ain't placing any blame / I ain't pointing fingers, Heaven knows I've never been a saint."

7. NOT AFRAID: The first single on this album, and it was a huge success, was even a #1 on the Hot 100, and charted #1 on plenty of other charts. Eminem talks over the hook and speaks some inspiring words. His rapping is great and he raps like he means it. The lyrics are more relatable stuff that people can relate to. Once again, sold very well on emotion just like Going Through Changes. The beat is good too. FAVORITE LYRIC: "I'm manning up, I'ma hold my ground / I've had enough, now I'm so fed up / Time to put my life back together right now."

8. SEDUCTION: After WTP, this album really gets on a roll and it's very hard stopping it. The hook is ok, but this song makes a living off some amazing verses where Eminem raps faster than he's ever been. I like Eminem's bars on this song. His flow is great and his speed is impressive. FAVORITE LYRIC: "She's sitting here, getting liquored up at the bar / She says it's quicker to count the things that ain't wrong with you than to count the things that are."

9. NO LOVE - feat. Lil Wayne: This song didn't chart well as the first two singles, but this is still a damn good song. Lil Wayne's verse is ok on this track, the hook is catchy and one you can find yourself singing along to. But the best part of this song is Eminem's verse. On this verse, Eminem proves why he's one of the best rappers in the game, as he indeed spits his best verse of all time. Relatable lyrics once more and really can be directed to anyone that walked away when life gets hard. It's got the unforgiving attitude in lyrics such as "It's a little too late to say that you're sorry now, you kicked me when I was down." FAVORITE LYRIC: "I'm standing on my Monopoly board / That means I'm on top of my game and it don't stop til my hip don't hop anymore."

10. SPACE BOUND: The 4th single this album offered. Didn't chart as well but still a great song. This is a song about relationships. The lyrics are heartbreaking. Eminem's been through a lot of heartbreaks and he's still standing. The chorus is great too. FAVORITE LYRIC: "Nobody knows me I'm cold, walk down this road all alone / It's no one's fault but my own, it's the path I've chosen to go / Frozen as snow, I show no emotion whatsoever so / Don't ask me why I have no love for these motherfuckin ho's."

11. CINDERELLA MAN: This song is simple, accompanied by a stomp-clap kind of beat. It's catchy and keeps the album going. Eminem raps well on the track about how he's back. Eminem was pretty much the Cinderella Man after a long time from a break. He's back and better than ever. FAVORITE LYRIC: "Rewound the future to the present, paused it, don't ask how / Fuck the past motherfucker, he's the shit right now."

12. 25 TO LIFE: This song is very interesting. Though I thought this song was about a woman, Eminem uses analogy to consider hip hop a woman. It's very interesting. Hook is weak but these verses are what gets the job done. FAVORITE LYRIC: "All I ever felt was dissed, helplessness / Imprisoned, by a selfish bitch."

13. SO BAD: Dr. Dre provides a classic Dre beat. Eminem spits fire on this classic beat. The hook is solid, the beat is spectacular. FAVORITE LYRIC: "I got ya caught up in the rapture / Make you recapture the feelings you had for your last boyfriend before he slapped ya."

14. ALMOST FAMOUS: BEST SONG ON THE ALBUM!!! The song is intense, builds up into an intense chorus building up into an amazing verse. Eminem's verses on this track are some of the best on the album. Lots of punchlines so this may be hard to pick a favorite lyric. He raps about how he was starting out as a rapper and now into one of the best. FAVORITE LYRIC: "They can go get a belt or a necktie, to hang themselves by / Like David Carradine, they can go fuck themselves and just die."

15. LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE - feat. Rihanna: The 2nd single that did so well. A #1 like Not Afraid. This song speaks of an unhealthy relationship that's better off going separate ways. I don't care for Rihanna's chorus, but Eminem has great verses. I love the line "Life is no Nintendo game but you lied again / Now you get to watch her leave out the window guess that's why they call it window pane." Oh my God, I love that metaphor. However, FAVORITE LYRIC: Maybe that's what happens when a tornado meets a volcano / All I know is I love you too much to walk away though."

16. YOU'RE NEVER OVER: I love the addition of this song on Eminem. This song is dedicated to his friend he lost Proof that really tore him in two. He spits two verses on this song and they are phenomenal, especially on the last verse. Hook is ok but Eminem thrives big time on verses on RECOVERY. FAVORITE LYRIC: "Proof you knew I'd come out of this slump, rise from these ashes / Come right back on they asses and go Mike Tyson on these bastards."

17. (UNTITLED HIDDEN TRACK): You're Never Over was going to be the last song here, but this is the last song. "Not quite finished yet", Eminem speaks. Eminem gets straight to the point. He raps about no common theme here, he raps all sorts of words here, technically nonsense and he executes it perfectly. The metaphors and the multi-syllable rhyming here is ridiculous. This one may make you laugh. FAVORITE LYRIC: "Coming straight from the fish's ass, yeah in other words I'm a bass turd." 😂😂

In conclusion, Eminem comes back huge on RECOVERY. When he came back, he was stronger than ever. He's rapping as strong as he was in his heyday. He's on top of the world and nothing stops him here. RECOVERY was a monster success. The singles Not Afraid and Love The Way You Lie were #1 singles on the Hot 100, plus other charts in other countries. Almost three-forth's of a million copies were sold in its first week in the US. It was a #1 album on the Billboard 200, and was #2 on the Billboard 200 at year end. Ever since it was released on June 21, 2010, RECOVERY did an amazing job taking care of the charts. 

I'm giving RECOVERY a perfect 10 out of 10 for many reasons. 1, because the music on this full disc set is top notch. Once the album gets going by Going Through Changes, this album does not derail for any moment. It's very consistent as an album and a listen from beginning to end. It starts strong and finishes strong. 2, of course because I'm a fan. Even though Recovery was released in 2010, it is the album that got me into Eminem and was the first rap album I ever owned, which was in 2011. And 3, because of more sentimental value. Recovery was my go-to album for most of my junior year of high school. It got me through a lot of shit, losing friendships, bad breakup. I was relating to what Eminem was saying in his songs. If there's one thing about Eminem - Recovery, it is the replay value. It makes you want to listen to the album, and after one listen, you're coming back for more. That's what it was for me. Once I listened, I couldn't get enough of it. 

My Rating: 10/10 | Favorite Songs: Cold Wind Blows, On Fire, Won't Back Down, WTP, Going Through Changes, Not Afraid, Seduction, No Love, Space Bound, Cinderella Man, 25 To Life, So Bad, Almost Famous, Love The Way You Lie, You're Never Over, (Untitled Hidden Track) | Least Favorites: None

Recovery has stood the test of time. 8 years after its release, the album still holds up incredibly well. Eminem has won lots of awards, but with Recovery, he won 5 awards - an Echo Award, 2 Billboard Music Awards for Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Rap Album, an American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Album, and at last, a Grammy for Best Rap Album. With some awards this album won, the impact this album had on me, the sentimental value, the commercial performance this album had, Recovery is a big winner that just added more greatness to Eminem's never-dying legacy. Eminem, in my eyes will be considered as the greatest rapper of all time.

EMINEM - RECOVERY: BEST ALBUM SINCE THE MARSHALL MATHERS LP, #2 IN MY TOP 3 EMINEM ALBUMS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EMINEM - RECOVERY. LONG LIVE THE LEGENDARY RAP MASTERPIECE FROM THE GREATEST RAPPER OF ALL TIME!!

[andrewsharpblog]

RUSH - HEMISPHERES (1978) Album Review

Hemispheres is the 6th studio album by the Rock Gods of Canada, RUSH. RUSH is still in their prime following the success of 2112 and A Farewell To Kings, and it continues much more on Hemispheres. They continue to write prog epics, which goes on for just a few more albums. Out of the 4 tracks this album offers, 2 of them are epics, the first track and then the final track, which is an instrumental. This album is shorter by a little bit in time and shorter in song amount. There's 4 tracks, 36 minutes of length. Once again, it does not take too long to digest this album and we're going to go track by track as well.

Track by track review

1. CYGNUS X-1 BOOK II: HEMISPHERES: This album opens up with the famous Alex Lifeson Chord. The band jams for most of the song until there's a few verses of lyrics that end this song. What else can I say about the instrumental power by RUSH. It takes over the song. Lyrically, the sequel picks up where it left off on A Farewell To Kings. Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage tells a story about a ship that dares to fly into a black hole where the flying ship is brutally destroyed and fast forwards to the future. In the sequel, Neil's lyrics use mythology to story tell of a battle between the Gods, Apollo and Dionysus (Part 4 - Armageddon: The Battle Of Heart And Mind). Cygnus intervenes and claims a balance between the heart and mind (Part 5 - Cygnus: Bringer Of Balance). The song has a lot going on in the 18 minutes this track has. Lots of instrumentation that makes the song stand out on its own, and story telling that ends beautifully in Part 6 - The Sphere: A Kind Of Dream, a brilliant 1 minute closer to end this song and get the album started very nicely. Of course I love the Famous Alex Lifeson Chord to open the song and album. I like the opening riff in Part 4 - Armageddon, the solo in Part 5 - Cygnus, the lyrics in Part 6 - The Sphere. Action occurs in the lyrics throughout the entire piece, the music is superior enough to keep a listener engaged.

2. CIRCUMSTANCES: After an 18 minute epic to open the album, we shift into a 3 almost 4 minute song. The riff opening this song is very catchy. The verses are well sung, the chorus is catchy too. I like hearing Geddy sing a line in a different language as well. This song has no solo but it's got a nice bridge section after the 2nd chorus, with a clean guitar line and a fitting synth line from Geddy. This song was played live on Snakes & Arrows Live in 2008 and they performed it so well. This is a great song.

3. THE TREES: This song 4 minutes and 45 seconds. The song opens up with a beautiful acoustic riff. Geddy sings Neil's lyrics about trees, but honestly, even though Neil wrote the song about trees, there could be a debate about some symbolism to the lyrics, could symbolize government. There's a few verses in the songs, but this one is sold on once again a strong instrumental section, with some wood block effects on the drums, a clean guitar riff, a beautiful synth passage and a nice bass riff before the solo. Following the solo, there is a nice riff and Geddy Lee sings in his high falsetto on the verses. Another great song on the album.

4. LA VILLA STRANGIATO: The last song on the album. 9 and a half minutes of musical greatness. It is an epic and it is an instrumental. According to Alex Lifeson, this song is written behind some nightmares he would have. La Villa Strangiato was one of the first few instrumentals the band crafted, and it is among as one of the band's best. On this closing moment of Hemispheres, RUSH shows why they are indeed one of the best bands on the planet. This song is a 3-headed instrumental behemoth, amazing drumming by Neil, some groovy bass lines by Geddy, and some phenomenal guitar work by Alex (maybe even considered his best). You're in for a treat once the song approaches the solo section. The solo is one of RUSH's best guitar solos of all time, and Alex says what he needs to say in the solo. Yes, there's some bends and then there's some shredding, it's a perfect blend on this song. The song has plenty of riffs and harmony to make this one of the best RUSH songs they have crafted. It took them a long time to get this song down and recorded, and once they did, it's here to stay and it's a masterpiece. Was even played live on a few tours and was included on a few live albums, all of which were performed well live. It's hard to decide between the opener and La Villa Strangiato as the best song on the album but oh my goodness, the first and final track are the meat and potatoes of the record and well worth the listen.

As a follow up to A Farewell To Kings, RUSH did it again, crafting together another amazing record in Hemispheres. The story telling is phenomenal, and while there is not entirely too much lyrics, the songs really thrive off really great instrumentation. There is no bad song on Hemispheres at all, all 4 tracks stand out on their own. Perfect 10 out of 10. 

My Rating: 10/10 | Favorite Songs: Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres, Circumstances, The Trees, La Villa Strangiato | Least Favorites: None.

RUSH is still in their heyday on this album, and now that we got the 70s discography wrapped up, it's time to go on and talk about the 80s material. RUSH returns home to record more music in a few years. Three more of the band's best albums, 1 being a live album and then we're going to talk about the synth era. See you in a few days from now as I talk about Permanent Waves.

[andrewsharpblog]

I like making collages dedicated towards some of my favorite bands. This one is of Alter Bridge, their 5 studio albums they've released thus far and a picture of the band. Alter Bridge is a hard rock, alternative metal band. Personally one of my top 5 favorite bands too, and that's saying a lot because I listen to great music. They are a drastically improved version of 3 members of Creed (Scott Phillips, Brian Marshall, and Mark Tremonti) but with Myles Kennedy, who is one of the best rock vocalists. Guitar player Mark Tremonti is a damn good guitarist and one of the best riff writers in music today. Their song Blackbird, title track off the 2007 album is considered as one of the greatest guitar solos ever, and it sure is. Their music has definitely got me through some stuff. All their albums are fantastic in their own way and I'm definitely looking forward to the new Alter Bridge album that is going to be coming out sometime in 2019.

[andrewsharpblog]

My Top 10 Albums Of 2018 So Far

2018 has been in my opinion a very great year in terms of albums I've enjoyed. There's been a few duds released this year, but we're not here to go in detail about those duds. Instead, I'm here to talk about my personal top 10 albums that have made sure that I've liked some music released this year. This is a Top 10 So Far, as we're 6 months by the time this blog posts with 6 months remaining and plenty of more music to be released. Remember, this list is all my opinion. 

My Top 10 Albums Of 2018 So Far

10. Shinedown - ATTENTION ATTENTION (May 4, 2018): This is their concept album. I ranked this album pretty high back in May, but in June, the album dropped in ranking. ATTENTION ATTENTION is not a bad album whatsoever, it’s actually very good and I still listen to it from time to time. The reason why it dropped for me, is because each week following May 4th, more amazing albums were released. The album has plenty of great tracks and I don’t get bored listening to it. Shinedown does add some electronic elements here while maintaining some of their rock edge. Still a great album, and Brent Smith once again delivers a phenomenal vocal performance, maintaining him as one of the best rock vocalists. I still love songs such as DEVIL, BLACK SOUL, ATTENTION ATTENTION, PYRO, MONSTERS, DARKSIDE, EVOLVE, GET UP and BRILLIANT.

9. Widek - DREAM REFLECTION (June 9, 2018): Widek is a one man instrumental band from Poland. He does all the music, writes, records, masters, programs all of it. In 2017, his album Hidden Dimensions was #2 on my list of my favorite 2017 albums, but #9 in the middle of the year. I wouldn't say this is a bad album by any means, it's just not as good as Hidden Dimensions. Dream Reflection has some great riffs and solos, enough to get it by. But I'll still defend this album because the listening experience is beautiful.

8. Judas Priest - FIREPOWER (March 9, 2018): It's amazing to know that the first wave of metal royalty are out still making great music. We're talking, they've been releasing music for little over 40 years. Last time Judas Priest released an album, it was Redeemer Of Souls in 2014. And in March of 2018, they came back with FIREPOWER. Fitting title for the album too, Judas Priest has lots of FIREPOWER in their discography and there's a lot of it on this album too. Amazing record from beginning to end, a listen of this album does not get boring. The album is packed with fantastic solos, fantastic guitar riffs, great melodic choruses. FIREPOWER is filled with a lot of great moments enough to keep a listener satisfied and is Judas Priest in another one of their finest hours. Best album since Painkiller? Pretty damn close!

7. Joe Satriani - WHAT HAPPENS NEXT (January 12, 2018): Another album by the instrumental guitar maestro. What Happens Next is his 16th studio in 30+ years as an instrumental solo guitarist. It’s honestly nothing new from Satriani, it’s just him doing what he does best - playing the guitar. Glenn Hughes is on the bass, Satriani on the guitar, and Chad Smith from The Red Hot Chili Peppers on the drums. It’s an amazing lineup and they jam for 12 songs and 51 minutes of music. Satriani proves once again he’s capable of shining on his own, and his band shines too. In my opinion, What Happens Next is Satch’s best album since Black Swans And Wormhole Wizards though I’ve enjoyed all his albums in their own way.

6. Animals As Leaders - LIVE 2017 (May 11, 2018): Animals As Leaders is one of my favorite instrumental bands, and I love every album they’ve put out. This is an amazing instrumental project founded and fronted by guitarist Tosin Abasi, the genius leading the way for this group. Javier Reyes on guitar and Matt Garstka on the drums. All the songs this live album offers were recorded in 2017 when the band was touring all year. The live versions sound amazing and almost similar as to how they were recorded in the studio. Though there are no live versions for any songs off 2011′s Weightless, there are some plenty of great tracks in the track listing including Arithmophobia, Tempting Time, Nephele, Physical Education, The Brain Dance, Ka$cade, CAFO and many more. All the songs feature amazing instrumentation.

5. Five Finger Death Punch - AND JUSTICE FOR NONE (May 18, 2018): Oh my goodness, this band went through a lot following the release of Got Your Six and this new album. The label sued the band for the band recording music without consent from the label, Ivan entered alcohol treatment. But the great thing about this album, while there are still some cringe worthy lyrics, they are better than Got Your Six. I prefer the 16 song deluxe edition over the standard 13. More songs, the better. The lyrics are personal and reference lines to the band’s legal fight and Ivan’s battle with alcoholism. There’s some great hooks on this album, this band surely does not struggle in the hook department. The guitar work is nothing new, there’s plenty of great riffs to get it by and Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook are a great dual layer guitar line. Ivan’s vocals are in my opinion some of his best work. His soft vocals in softer songs really sell on emotion and so does his screams. All around, this album is a mixture of soft and heavy, clean vocals and some aggression, which fit what the band was going through leading up to this release.

4. YYNOT - YYNOT (June 1, 2018): The first set of original material by a RUSH tribute band. RUSH influence can be heard all throughout this 9 track, 43 minute piece of musical greatness. There are no bad songs at all, I get RUSH vibes from all of the tracks. All 4 members know the old school RUSH sound, and they use it on their self titled debut and they perfectly execute it. Not much to say here in this. The album says what it needs to say, and the music is straight to the point, just like how RUSH was. When a band releases a debut album, I expect a strong first impression and YYNOT delivered that. If there’s a band that’s capable of representing the mighty RUSH sound, it is YYNOT. Hop on board with this band and album, this is going to be a fun journey. I’m ready to hear more albums in the future, I bet they’ll take us for “Another Trip Around The Sun” (track 7, pun intended too).

3. Mike Shinoda - POST TRAUMATIC (June 15, 2018): I'll give my brief review for Post Traumatic here. Last time Mike Shinoda released a solo album, it was in 2005 with The Rising Tied under pseudonym, Fort Minor. And now he's back with another album following what was the tragic death of Chester Bennington (R.I.P Chester). Once again, another album with 16 tracks, but this time it's 53 minutes compared to the 51 minutes of The Rising Tied. Post Traumatic is a damn good album. I enjoyed it easily on first listen and I intend on giving it more listens too. The album is not that boring at all, I like a lot of things about this album. The flow is consistent and not entirely too hard to get through. Mike Shinoda lays some great bars in his rapping, he does a lot of venting, which fits any difficult situation. The music and beats are great, the production is phenomenal. There's a great mixture of Mike rapping and singing, he puts his talent to great use on this album. And at last, the vocals are pretty catchy too. I don't know what the future holds for Linkin Park, but if they continue on, believing they will, they should continue to experiment with all sorts of sounds, rock, electronic, pop and hip hop because Linkin Park still has some talent in the guitar playing, the beats, the rapping and the singing. 9.5 out of 10 for me on this album, strong recommendation.

2. Joe Bonamassa - BRITISH BLUES EXPLOSION LIVE (May 18, 2018): I've been a fan of Joe Bonamassa for little over 3 years. I'll never stop being a fan, he is the real deal. He's released 31 years in almost 18 full calendar years. All of his albums are great as well. Of course Joe Bonamassa is going to rank high. He's such a phenomenal guitar player and he's releasing new music quite a bit, 1 or 2, maybe even 3 albums a year. This is his 2nd album of 2018 so far (might get a 3rd? maybe), but this is a tribute live album dedicated towards the British Blues legends, such as Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and the good ole Eric Clapton. Bonamassa and his world class Blues band cover 14 songs, all of which are done with perfection. All of the songs are fantastic as well, none of which should be skipped, and Joe Bonamassa puts his shredding guitar talent on these songs. 

1. Tremonti - A DYING MACHINE (June 8, 2018): A Dying Machine is a concept album about synthetic humans, love and war. A book behind this album is going to be released someday. Tremonti is the solo project by former Creed and current Alter Bridge guitarist, Mark Tremonti. With his work in Alter Bridge, the song Blackbird, title track of the 2007 album was considered one of the greatest guitar solos of all time, and it honestly is. Mark Tremonti has established himself as one of the best riffmasters in rock music. And truth be told, he’s only going to get better as he progresses. I rest my case that A Dying Machine is my favorite album of 2018 so far. The riffs are fantastic, this album has so many riffs for days and for also to keep a listener entertained all throughout. Mark Tremonti even has some great solos - in songs such as Bringer Of War, Traipse, and Desolation to name a few. And another great thing about this album, out of the 62 minutes of music, there are no bad songs on A Dying Machine at all. The songs are filled with great guitar playing, great vocals and melodic choruses. Mark Tremonti continues to show off his masterful guitar skills, and he is extremely confident in his vocals and this band is getting more melodic and heavy. 

And that is that, My Top 10 Favorite Albums Of 2018. Remember, this is all my opinion, I'm sure you'll have a differently arranged list. Some of these albums may be in your list if you have a Top 10 Favorites list. And if you read this list, check these albums out. Stay tuned for more blog posts. I'll be coming up with more.

[andrewsharpblog]

RUSH - A FAREWELL TO KINGS (1977) Album Review

After many days of not reviewing, I'm back and I'm swinging together reviews as fast as possible. It's time to talk about A Farewell To Kings. A Farewell To Kings is the 5th studio by Canadian legends, RUSH. Released in 1977, it is a follow up to 1976's 2112 and their first live album, All The World's A Stage. It is very much a concept record, and as a matter of fact, the last song on this album leads into the opener of the next album, which we'll review eventually.

A Farewell To Kings is 6 tracks, 37 minutes of length so it's not that long to take in whatsoever. This album is an easy playthrough, but after many listens through, you're bound to give the album more listens, because RUSH is still in their prime and it does not stop here at all, and also because this album is damn good.

Track by track review

1. A FAREWELL TO KINGS: A Farewell To Kings opens up with a close to 6 minute title track, opening on some beautiful classical acoustic guitar that's played for about a minute before kicking into some rock territory. Neil's superb lyrics talk about history, and noble time. Geddy sings well on the track, Alex has some great moments on the guitar, especially in the solo, which follows the 2nd verse and an amazing bass riff by Geddy before the solo kicks in. Great opener.

2. XANADU: Another epic by the band. This one is 11 minutes in length. The lyrics talk about the exploits of Kubla Khan. There's not much lyrics but it gets the story across. Xanadu, thrives off of its musicianship. Beautiful classical and slide guitar and the song builds up in a very amazing fashion. The main riff by Alex is intense. The synths from Geddy in the middle of the song are wonderful. Some great drum fills by Neil. And as the song progresses, the song gets more and more suspenseful and it ends off with a bang as Alex unleashes a killer guitar solo as it eventually is considered as one of his best. When this song is performed live, Alex busted out the double-neck guitars, and they did it perfectly on R40 as well.

3. CLOSER TO THE HEART: One of the shortest songs of the album, 2 almost 3 minutes of length. And this song is so classic it became one of RUSH's best hits, and live staples. Best live version of this song is in my opinion A Show Of Hands version, Time Machine version being my 2nd favorite. And yes, it's still played on the radio 40 years later. The song is beautiful, Alex has some soaring solos on the short track.

4. CINDERELLA MAN: Alex Lifeson has some great riffs on this 4 minute track as the 4th song on the album. Neil's lyrics are telling a story about losing in life by going up against the best in one's game, but the message and perspective of Neil's lyrics are meant to be inspiring, encouraging us to hold on to our dreams and desires. Great song.

5. MADRIGAL: This is a 2 and a half minute song, shortest on the album. Just like Rivendell off Fly By Night, Madrigal is one that is ignored by RUSH fans. It's a simple and dark song talking about how grief can be replaced by love. The music behind this track, there's nothing entirely too much, but it's got a beautiful synth, fitting for the song. 

6. CYGNUS X-1 BOOK I: THE VOYAGE: And we've arrived at the last song on this album, the 10 minute epic. Where the first 5 tracks talk about noble time, this song fast forwards to the future through science fiction story. There's some sounds at the beginning of this song, very eerie, and the lyrics are once again telling a magnificent story about the constellation of Cygnus. Geddy opens up with a bass riff that follows a pattern, the drums repeat the bass riff and then so does the guitar. The instrumental section of this song takes up the 1st half of this song at about 5 minutes. The band is jamming together once again with perfection. The lyrics are talking about a ship that dares to fly into a black hole known as Cygnus X-1 (the first black hole in our galaxy). The lyrics progressively get more intense along with the music. There's some great riffs, a great solo. But the final part of this song, oh my goodness, is where hell breaks loose. The ship that flies into the black hole is destroyed and the instruments bring more intensity to the story. Geddy's screaming vocals are absolutely outstanding, and I'm just getting goosebumps as I type this. Cygnus X-1 Book 1: The Voyage is not only a song but it's an experience and an absolutely terrific one. Easily the best song on the album and one of the best RUSH songs of all time.

In conclusion, RUSH is still very well in their prime on A Farewell To Kings. The music behind this record is fantastic, there's no bad song on here at all, the songs that are placed on this album were meant to be there in the first place. RUSH continues to add on to their legacy with more well-crafted songs from this album. A Farewell To Kings is so good it even got a 40th anniversary edition released in 2017 with the original album, a live album from that tour and some covers. Perfect 10 out of 10, not only because I'm a fan but also because it's just that good.

My Rating: 10/10 | Favorite Songs: A Farewell To Kings, Xanadu, Closer To The Heart, Cinderella Man, Madrigal, Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage | Least Favorites: None.

See you around another time as we talk about Hemispheres.

[andrewsharpblog]

RUSH - ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE (1976) Live Album Review

The RUSH Discography review is back. 2112 was the breakthrough the band needed and it was the breakthrough album that happened. While I enjoyed the self-titled, Fly By Night, and Caress Of Steel, RUSH's prime began with the 2112 album. It's time to talk about the band's first live album released later that year in 1976, All The World's A Stage. 

On All The World's A Stage, songs were recorded in the band's homeland. The band's prime continues and goes on for a very long time as we progress through the discography review. This album originally had 9 tracks and first pressings had What You're Doing excluded for time reasons. Then when the live album was remastered under The Rush Remasters in 1997, What You're Doing was re-added to the track listing. So this album is 10 tracks, 79 almost 80 minutes of live music. How does it go?

This live album is amazing. Leading up to the release of this live album, there's renditions of songs from each of the first 4 albums on here. The songs are hard rocking, full of energy and are sung almost perfectly like they were on the studio album. If there's one thing about RUSH, not only were they an amazing band in the studio but they backed up it with perfection in a live setting too.

The track listing of this album is superior too, featuring songs such as Bastille Day, Anthem, Fly By Night/In The Mood (medley), Lakeside Park, 2112 (all parts except Part 3 - Discovery), By-Tor And The Snow Dog, Working Man/Finding My Way and What You're Doing. In track 9, Working Man/Finding My Way is a medley that's almost 15 minutes long and features an amazing drum solo from Neil Peart, aka “The Professor On The Drum Kit.”

I've reviewed all the songs on the studio albums and I don't need to review entirely too much here on the live album. The songs sound similar live as to how they were recorded in the studio. There is no bad song here at all, and the album is amazing enough to keep listener entertained throughout the 80 minutes of musical greatness. The production is raw and while some could consider it a criticism in judging a live album, it's fitting for All The World's A Stage. Raw production on a first album, studio or live is usually common.

In conclusion, at the time All The World's A Stage was released, this band was on top of the world, and as we progress, the band continues to release more amazing records. It's a perfect 10 out of 10 for me. The musicianship is unbeatable, all the songs are well done, and there is no bad song on here at all. This is a live album that is very hard to put down and the replay value is ridiculous too. After a listen, you want to give the album more listens. All The World's A Stage is one of the best live albums out there, and as RUSH progressed on through their amazing journey of music, they would continue to release live amazing live albums.

My Rating: 10/10 | Favorite Songs: Bastille Day, Anthem, Fly By Night/In The Mood (medley), Something For Nothing, Lakeside Park, 2112, By-Tor And The Snow Dog, In The End, Working Man/Finding My Way/Drum Solo, What You're Doing (all 10 tracks) | Least Favorites: None.

We'll be back soon as we review A Farewell To Kings.

[andrewsharpblog]

Tremonti - A Dying Machine (2018) Album Review

Andrew Sharp here. I'm back with another review of what will probably be my best review of 2018. One of my highly anticipated albums of the year, and one that I've been looking forward to reviewing all year round, and now's that time to do so. We're here to talk about one of the big ones, the 4th studio album by Tremonti, titled A Dying Machine.

In case you don't know, Tremonti is a solo project by former guitarist of Creed and current guitarist of Alter Bridge, Mark Tremonti. The solo project released their debut All I Was in 2012. But it was through Alter Bridge mainly where Mark Tremonti establishes himself as a great modern guitarist. His guitar solo to Blackbird off the 2007 album is widely considered as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time. And in the following work of Alter Bridge and his solo work, I can assure you now in 2018 that Mark Tremonti is one of the best modern guitar players. He's only going to get better from here on out, and is personally, one of my favorite guitarists.

On A Dying Machine, this album is a concept album, penned behind a storyline about synthetic humans, love and war with so far an unreleased novel to go with this album. Still trying to understand the concept but I think I'll get a better understanding once the novel comes out. We're here to talk about the music. A Dying Machine is 14 tracks, all of which are great in their own right. It is 61 almost 62 minutes of length, making it their longest album to date. I've listened to this album a few times myself, which did not take too long. How did it go?

THIS ALBUM IS FUCKIN INCREDIBLE!!! As much as I love the other 3 albums under the Tremonti discography (All I Was, Cauterize and Dust), I'm convinced A Dying Machine is Tremonti's best work to date, and as for any album featuring Mark Tremonti on guitar, A Dying Machine just very well may be better than Alter Bridge's 2013 crowning achievement, Fortress as amazing as that album was. The music sounds the same just like the other albums, which is not a concern for me at all. Mark Tremonti is the spotlight behind this album, and when he's on top of his game, so is the band. 

And Mark is indeed on top of his game on A Dying Machine. There's some softer numbers in songs such as the closing instrumental Found and The First The Last (one of my personal favorites off the album), and then there's the heavy hitters in songs such as Bringer Of War, A Dying Machine, Throw Them To The Lions, Make It Hurt, A Lot Like Sin, The Day When Legions Burned and Take You With Me and so on. Throughout the 14 tracks this album has to offer, there is no bad song here at all, making this album a very nice and consistent flow.

I have nothing but praise for A Dying Machine. The lyrics are actually very good and I've had no problems with the lyrics at all. Most of the songs are flat out heavy, the solos (especially on Bringer Of War) are some of Tremonti's best. Also, the vocals are top notch, the choruses are melodic and very catchy. Ever since Mark singing on Waters Rising off 2013's Fortress, he has been getting better as a vocalist. I hear confidence in Mark's voice. 

And at last, the best part about this album -- the riffs. Oh my goodness, this album is loaded with riffs, we're talking riffs for days. You better get yourself an air guitar for this album. It is no lie that Mark Tremonti is not only getting better as a singer (he's always been a good singer anway), but he still is one of the modern day premier riffmasters in rock music. This album has plenty of riffs to keep a listener satisfied, as well as a listener coming back for repeated listens. 

In conclusion, Tremonti has crafted their best work to date on their new album, A Dying Machine. You will not find a bad song on here at all. This album is a masterpiece from track 1 Bringer Of War to track 14 Found. The musicianship is spectacular. 61 minutes of musical greatness. Imagine this album being like an hour TV special. A Dying Machine is that album, letting listeners enjoy an hour of music. On the new album, Tremonti pulled together their finest hour.

Perfect 10 out of 10 for me. Strongly recommended to anyone that appreciates great music, hard rock, heavy metal, and most of all, great guitar playing because this album is filled completely with it. We're halfway through the year and there is plenty of more albums to be released, but for real, if there is an album that has potential for winning Album of the Year for 2018, A Dying Machine is that prime contender. CHECK THIS OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!

My Rating: 10/10 | Favorite Tracks: Bringer Of War, From The Sky, A Dying Machine, Trust, Throw Them To The Lions, Make It Hurt, Traipse, The First The Last, A Lot Like Sin, The Day When Legions Burned, As The Silence Becomes Me, Take You With Me, Desolation, Found (All 14 tracks) | Least Favorites: None, this is an album where no song should be skipped whatsoever.

[andrewsharpblog]

My Visit In Great Bend

Tuesday night, I posted a status on Facebook saying I miss my friends in Great Bend, hoping to visit there soon. Things get worked out and I got to go back for a visit. Wednesday, Aunt Toni shows up from out of town, trying to look for a place to live for my Grandma.

WEDNESDAY (7/6/18): I get to Great Bend around 6. I attend church at 7 at Foundry Methodist, the church I go to. I talk with the Pastor about some things going on and then we study God's Word in Deuteronomy 6 and Matthew 28. Then I spend the rest of my night relaxing watching Game 3 of the NBA Finals (Warriors win 110-102 to take a 3-0 lead).

THURSDAY (7/7/18): I wake up early and have some amazing french toast for breakfast and then go over to Grandma's old apartment to take steps in finishing packing. I find Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 in a bag that originally belonged to Aunt Dawn before she passed away in 2013. Puts a smile on my face because the CD is amazing and is in good condition. And then I find out I get to be here until Monday morning. My visit got a whole lot better. For lunch, Aunt Toni, Cousin Thomas and I eat Gambino's buffet. I take a 2 hour nap and go spend some time with Austin Levingston for 2 hours. Me and him take a selfie that I post on Facebook and Instagram. Aunt Toni and I go pick up some drinks at Sonic and then I relax some more and watch some hockey on NBC. Thursday was a fantastic day.

FRIDAY (7/8/18): My cousin Austin shows up from Hutchinson very early. Aunt Toni gets the UHAUL and Austin and I load it up in a timely manner. Then we go to Hutchinson and rent out a storage unit. I run my stopwatch on my phone. Austin and I unload the truck in 15 minutes and 45 seconds. We drop the UHAUL off in Hutchinson and then cousin takes us back to Great Bend. Aunt Toni and I run errands and then relax after a day of kicking ass on a Friday. At 7, I go to Vets to watch slow pitch softball and meet up with friends I haven't seen in a while. I'm in for the night before 10 because I'm exhausted after a long and great day.

SATURDAY (7/9/18): I didn't do much Saturday. It felt like a laid back day. In the middle of the day, I walked over to the other side of town in the heat to hang out with Corey for a little while. For supper I had some really good fajitas and I sat around watching a couple interesting Lifetime movies. Then around 9:45, Aunt Toni and I went to go get shakes. Saturday was rather relaxing but still a great day.

SUNDAY (7/11/18): I wake up around 8 and Aunt Toni and I go to Sunday school and stay for church. It was great seeing my wonderful church family. For lunch, we pick up some tacos and go home and relax until it's time for me to go to karaoke at Applebee's. I spent all day watching Lifetime movies, some very interesting ones too. At 7, I walked that way to Applebee's to sing karaoke. I haven't sang at Applebee's in over a year. And I saw more friends I hadn't seen in a while. I sang quite a bit too so I had such a great time.

Monday, I wake up pretty early after getting about 6-7 hours of sleep. I pack my stuff up and I get ready to go back home to Hutchinson. Aunt Toni and I are on the road before 8:15 and I get back to Hutchinson before 9:30.

In conclusion, I had a great 5-day visit in my hometown, going to church on Wednesday and Sunday, going to slow pitch at Vets on Friday, karaoke at Applebee's on Sunday, seeing lots of my friends that I have not seen in a while. Unfortunately, there were a few friends I didn't get to see but hopefully I got better luck next time. But I saw a majority of my friends and that is enough itself to call it a great visit. Who knows if I'll stay here in Hutchinson or move to Great Bend, but if at all possible, I'll definitely try to visit as much as I can. I hope to visit Great Bend again very soon.

[andrewsharpblog]

RUSH - 2112 (1976) Album Review

The RUSH Discography review has returned (Sorry for the long wait). Back in my review for Caress Of Steel, I talked about the background behind the album. I personally gave it a positive review but it was still not the successful album by the band. Coming in to 2112, RUSH was fixing to get dropped from their label because Caress Of Steel got its criticism for the band finishing the album with two long songs. RUSH was pressured into writing more radio friendly songs from the label. 

RUSH faced some very big decisions, either to continue on with writing the prog epics they started making since Fly By Night or write shorter songs. Instead, RUSH decided to craft a 7-part, 20 minute epic that is set in the future, becoming the band's longest song and one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded.

2112 has 6 tracks, 38 almost 39 minutes of length with the 20-minute epic of the title track taking up all of side 1. Side 1 is the concept album with the other 5 songs being much shorter and not pertaining to the concept of the record. I'm going to break down this album track by track.

Track by track review

1. 2112: The 7-part, 20 minute epic. It is the band's longest song and one of the greatest rock songs ever. It is a concept song talking about the future of music. Part 1, Overture is mostly an instrumental setting tone behind the record. The song has some great riffs and soloing. The only lyrics are at the end of this song, where Geddy sings “And the meek shall inherit the Earth.” Part 2 is The Temples Of Syrinx, talking about the priests having control of all kinds of music. It connects with Overture and were played together when RUSH included this song in their live sets. I like the riffs behind the song. Part 3 is Discovery, where a man goes behind a waterfall  and finds a guitar, uses it to make some beautiful sounds. The song is beautiful for its acoustic guitar work and at last he's excited to share it with The Priests. Part 4 is Presentation is where he shares his discovery only to be rejected and to piss off The Priests. Both of the choruses to part 4 are fantastic, the anger is heard in Geddy's vocals, and after the 2nd chorus, Alex goes on an shredding guitar solo. In Part 5, Oracle: The Dream, he dreams of a planet where creative music lives. He wakes up from his dream depressed that he can't be part of it. Part 6 is Soliloquy, and he's reached an all-time low in depression. You hear the sadness in the lyrics and Geddy's voice in the Soliloquy, but then another solo from Alex, and it's ABSOLUTELY EPIC!! I still get goosebumps in the solo to Soliloquy. And the final part of 2112 is the Grand Finale, and it's a war between planets. Alex is shredding near the end of the song and the song ends with “Attention all planets of the Solar Federation, we have assumed control.”

Overall, the 20 minute title track is a masterpiece. Another RUSH epic telling a magnificent story of fantasy with the phenomenal lyrical talent in Neil Peart. Plenty of reasons to call 2112 one of the greatest rock songs ever. It was included regularly on the band's live sets (even played live in entirety on their Different Stages live album, pieces of it played on other live albums). The song was even playable on Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock. RUSH was given another kick at the can and my God, did it pay off big time on 2112.

2. A PASSAGE TO BANGKOK: Side 2 kicks off with this 3 and a half minute song. From my understanding, it's about getting drugs, henceforth the lyric "We only stop for the best.” The riff is catchy, and the solo is interesting. A Passage To Bangkok was played live on Exit...Stage Left and Snakes & Arrows Live and the solos are really epic over a rhythm guitar riff. Great song.

3. THE TWILIGHT ZONE: After a solo opening the song, the song simmers down. It's another 3 minute song like A Passage To Bangkok. The lyrics are very science fiction, the music behind it is relaxing. The solo at the end of this song is soothing and perfectly fits the vibe of the song.

4. LESSONS: Alex writes these lyrics to this one. The lyrics are actually great too. This song makes a living off its great guitar work from Alex. Some great riffs like any other RUSH song and really thrives off its solo to end this song. Lessons is very underrated but such a great song on a fantastic album.

5. TEARS: These lyrics were written by Geddy Lee. This song is beautiful and sold on lots of emotion. As a heart wrenching love song, it is a change of pace and not a bad one either. Just like Lessons, Tears is another underrated RUSH song.

6. SOMETHING FOR NOTHING: And we are at the last song on the album. This is a fantastic finish to a masterpiece of an album. It's got strong musicianship, strong vocals, great guitar work, and a brilliant song lyrically. I love the last set of lyrics this album offers, "What you own is your own kingdom / What you do is your own glory" and the lines that follow the rest of that verse. Some of the best RUSH lyrics ever.

In conclusion, RUSH really hit big on 2112. This is the breakthrough and did exactly what Caress Of Steel. With 2112, the band enters their prime with more classic albums to come. Perfect 10 out of 10 for me, this is a legendary legacy for the band and one of the best if not the best prog album ever. The album flows consistently. There is no bad song here at all, not even Tears. It was the band's first commercial success.

My Rating: 10/10 | Favorite Songs: 2112, A Passage To Bangkok, The Twilight Zone, Lessons, Something For Nothing | Least Favorites: None

Next review will be for the first live album, All The World's A Stage.

[andrewsharpblog]

YYNOT - YYNOT (2018) Self Titled Album Review

I can assure you that it's a very exciting time when a band releases their debut album upon the world. June 1st, 2018, on the 14th birthday of the Cygnus-X1: A Tribute To RUSH site, YYNOT released their self-titled debut album.

This album is all original material by a band that not only makes great original songs but they do amazing renditions of RUSH songs. This album offers 9 tracks in 43 minutes of length. This album is an easy and a fun listen all the way through. There's RUSH influence that can be heard instantly in every song, every moment in the instruments and vocals. I definitely got lots of RUSH vibes listening to this album, mostly RUSH's material in the 70s with a little bit of touches of Permanent Waves.

There's a lot of great things to say about this album, and honestly, I have 0 complaints or concerns here. This album offers 9 tracks, most of which we've heard before the debut even released. From track 1 in Hourglass to track 9, the album and band's title track, YYNOT, which is an instrumental, all of the songs do a fantastic job in keeping the listener entertained.

The lyrics are impressive too. The lyrics in Kingdom Come, which talks about the world wide battle against terrorism is a perfect address towards what's going on in this world today. I like the relatable lyrics in the 2nd track Invisible Heart. I also like the lyrics in the 7th song, Another Trip Around The Sun, lyrics such as “We gotta laugh, cry, satisfy, take bad with the good / Go on make your own movie like it's Hollywood”, “The next thing you know / Time slips away / Don't forget to press save” and also “We got the neighbor next door with the friendly hello / Got the friends who have your back no matter which way you go.” 

Rocky also sings the lyrics very well. Her Geddy Lee-influenced vocal range, singing from low, mid-range to the high notes is impressive on all of the songs, especially the 4th song To Come Back Home. If there is any song capable of bringing a listener to tears, it's that song. The 8 out of 9 songs that have vocals (last song is an instrumental), Rocky adds a lot of melody and emotion to the vocals and the choruses, which make these songs very catchy. There's passion, there's power in her vocals.

As for the instruments, the drums, bass and guitar. Joel channels out some inner Neil Peart, Tim definitely has some groove in his bass riffing just like Geddy Lee. The guitar work by Billy Alexander is absolutely phenomenal too. He's got the guitar tone, the sound and the Alex Lifeson style riffing and soloing in the songs, and the best part, Billy even uses the famous Alex Lifeson Chord throughout all of the tracks. He executes it perfectly.

In conclusion, YYNOT definitely put out a very strong first impression on their debut album. The production is very smooth and clean. Everything is in sync and comes together nicely. I was definitely impressed with their lyrics. In RUSH, Alex, Geddy and Neil shined altogether. In YYNOT, that's the same story with Rocky, Billy, Joel, and Tim. All of the members deliver amazing performances. This album is balanced with strong lyrics and strong musicianship. Rocky sings very well on all of the songs, and when she's not singing, Billy, Joel and Tim pull off instrumental sections with perfection.

Perfect 10 out of 10 for me. I have no complaints here. The album's flow is extremely consistent. There's not a bad song at all, all of them stand out and anybody can enjoy these well crafted tunes. A listen of this album is short and easy to get through, and at last, the performances from all 4 members are a true representation of RUSH's sound in the 70s. This album is my favorite album of 2018 so far, this album's for sure going to be on repeat. If you're a legitimate RUSH fan or like rock music in general, scope out the album and band. 

My Rating: 10/10 | Favorite Songs: Hourglass, Invisible Heart, Etheria, To Come Back Home, Kingdom Come, The Curtain Falls, Another Trip Around The Sun, Run On Love, and YYNOT | Least Favorites: There is none.

Welcome aboard, YYNOT, this is going to be a very fun journey.