The new Alice Cooper album Welcome 2 My Nightmare features his original band members and is a parallel to the 1975 classic Welcome To My Nightmare.
Alice Cooper - Welcome 2 My Nightmare
I’ve been an Alice Cooper fan since I was five years old and my older brother played me School’s Out. I used to beg him to play that song over and over again. Alice Cooper has been a huge influence on my stage shows with my live band as well. So I’ve got all of Alice Cooper’s albums and he’s had some great ones as well as some not-so-great ones. Alice was due for a great album and I really feel like he’s delivered a great album with his new release titled Welcome 2 My Nightmare. Continue reading “Alice Cooper – Welcome 2 My Nightmare Album Review”
It’s been a while since we’ve heard from The Cars as a group. Sure we had The New Cars in 2006 with Todd Rundgren filling in for Ric Ocasek and playing The Cars greatest hits in a live show. That album also had some nice singles but it was missing both Ric Ocasek and drummer David Robinson. In fact the last time Ric Ocasek, David Robinson, Elliot Easton and Greg Hawkes played on a Cars album was on 1987’s Door to Door. At that time Benjamin Orr, one of The Cars primary songwriters, vocalist and bass player was alive and well. Sadly Benjamin Orr passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2000. Continue reading “The Cars – Move Like This Album Review”
The Strokes 2011 album titled “Angles” is their best effort to date read the review here.
The Strokes - Angles
I’ve been a huge fan of The Strokes ever since they came into the public eye with their 2001 release “Is This It” which featured the hit single “Last Night”. The band then had to endure being raked over the coals by the critics and the fashionistas. Their response was to break up and try to launch several ill-fated solo efforts. Julian Casablancas, Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. all released solo albums to good critical response but underwhelming fan response. Finally in 2009 the members began writing new material for a brand new Strokes album. Continue reading “The Strokes – Angles Album Review”
Review of the Linkin Park album A Thousand Suns release date September 2010.
Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns
I was never a fan of Linkin Park’s early records. I’ve always hated Chester Bennington’s distorted screeching that ruins almost every song he’s used that irritating vocal style on. That being said, the bands last album Minutes To Midnight was a turning point in the bands style and creative flow. The songs were suddenly better, the screeching vocals less prominent with actual singing taking it’s place. I became a big fan of the band after listening to Minutes To Midnight over and over again. (Although I did have to edit out Bennington’s screeching, scratchy, distorted, awful vocal in one section of the song Given Up.) Continue reading “Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns Album Review”
Review of the Jeff Beck album Emotion & Commotion which features the songs Somewhere Over The Rainbow and Nessun Dorma.
Jeff Beck - Emotion & Commotion
For as long as I’ve been playing live guitar I’ve had people come up to me and ask me who my favorite guitarist is. Ever since I began playing at age 13 my favorite guitarist has been Mr. Jeff Beck. I bring some of Jeff Beck’s influence with me into every live band that I’ve ever been a part of. I just love his phrasing and the adventurous way he coaxes a myriad of different and astonishing sounds out of his Fender Stratocaster. Continue reading “Jeff Beck – Emotion and Commotion Review”
Review of the new Ace Frehley album titled Anomaly. It’s a rockin’ record that will have you banging your head like it was 1976.
Ace Frehley - Anomaly
Even though the new Ace Frehley album “Anomaly” has been out for a couple months I just barely picked it up. I don’t follow every single one of my favorite artists religiously so the new Ace album had slipped under my radar. Luckily, I subscribe to Guitar Player magazine and they did a cover story on the new Kiss album and included an interview with Ace Frehley which is what tipped me off to the new album.
First off let’s back up a bit and talk about the new Kiss album. I don’t have it and I certainly don’t plan on buying it. Why don’t I own the new Kiss album? Because Kiss isn’t Kiss without Ace Frehley on lead guitar and Peter Criss on drums! Oh don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the “after Kiss” Kiss albums and have several of them. I’m also a big fan of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. But the new Kiss album is a major turn-off for me because they’re trying to capitalize on the Kiss makeup legacy by dressing up substitute players on lead guitar and drums. That’s why I’m officially boycotting the new Kiss album. Continue reading “Ace Frehley – Anomaly Album Review”
Live Musician Central review of the album by Chickenfoot, the new supergroup made up of Joe Satriani, Sammy Hagar, Chad Smith and Michael Anthony.
Chickenfoot - Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Chad Smith
Who is Chickenfoot you ask? Maybe you recognize the names Michael Anthony, Chad Smith, Joe Satriani and Sammy Hagar. If not, how about the band’s Van Halen and Red Hot Chili Peppers? Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar are two former members of Van Halen and Chad Smith is the drummer from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Joe Satriani is one of the greatest guitarists in instrumental rock-n-roll. These four guys comprise the hot new rock band Chickenfoot. I’ve always been a fan of taking select musician’s from top live bands and putting them together to form elite supergroups. So it was with great anticipation that I waited for the release of the new Chickenfoot album.
I am a longtime fan of Joe Satriani and have been following his career since he released “Surfing With The Alien” in 1987. Joe’s guitar playing has been a great source of inspiration to me over the years and I’ve always been impressed that he’s followed his own path with his album releases and tours. He’s never become a hired gun for a successful band (other than the Deep Purple tour in ’93) which he did not join permanently so as to pursue his solo career. So I was very intrigued with the prospect of him working with two former members of Van Halen and a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Continue reading “Chickenfoot Album Review”
