Archive for July, 2010

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Random Song: Last Man Standing

Friday, July 30th, 2010

Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: Have a Nice Day

I actually encountered this song for the first time on the ‘This Left Feels Right’ DVD. Except that performance was more like the version of this song that’s on the box set, which is a more contemplative, reflective and almost sorrowful performance.

I got my copy of Have a Nice Day not too long after that. Needless to say, this version of the song was a bit of a surprise.

However, after I’d listened to it a few times and I got over the initial shock, this version of the song really started to grow on me. Of course, I’ve always been attracted to the more defiant aspects of rock and roll, and this version of ‘Last Man Standing’ definitely has that. It’s one of the few songs that Bon Jovi has done recently that really has that rock star swagger to it.

Jon’s a bit nasal on this song. However, since this performance of the song isn’t really a vocal showcase, that doesn’t distract me too much. Most of this version of the song is really driven by the bass and Richie’s guitar work. (The solo here is a special treat for fans of Richie’s playing like me.)

Over time, I’ve actually come to like this version of the song better than the version on the box set. I think it’s that whole rock star attitude thing that Jon really brings out here.

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Album Review: Scream

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Ozzy is one of the undisputed legends of metal, and I’ve long enjoyed Ozzy’s stuff. This new album seems to be a solid addition to Ozzy’s catalog.

Scream certainly starts off strong with ‘Let it Die’ and ‘Let Me Hear You Scream’. Both are good, solid metal songs, bringing all of the hard, heavy sound that you’d expect from Ozzy. ‘Let Me Hear You Scream’ is an especially good one to rock out to.

The ballads on this album are another highlight. ‘Time’ especially takes advantage of Ozzy’s unique vocal style to produce a unique song that only Ozzy could have delivered properly. (That being said, if you don’t care too much for Ozzy’s voice, this wouldn’t be your cup of tea. ‘Time’ really showcases Ozzy’s vocals more than the other songs do.)

Some of the other songs later in the album are a bit weak, and less memorable than the first few tracks. I found that ‘I Want It More’ and ‘Latimer’s Mercy’ just weren’t in the same class as the first couple of songs that I mentioned above. But the stronger tracks more than make up for these deficiencies.

All together, I don’t think that this is going to be a ‘classic’ Ozzy album. However, I think it’s a a very solid album. And it definitely has a bunch of good songs on it.

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Random Song: Man on the Silver Mountain (live)

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Artist: Dio
Album: Holy Diver Live

Holy Diver Live is one of my favorite albums. Apart from my deep affection for Dio and his work, this is a really good live album. It strikes a really good balance between capturing the rough edges and improvisations of a live performance and creating a solid album of music.

This track in particular has an energy to it that is hard to pin down. I think part of it is the blazing guitar work in the solos–I’ve always liked the sound of electric guitars, and that’s part of what attracts me to songs like this. The other half of it is the solid bass work. The best songs always have a synergy between the lead guitar and the bass.

I also like this track because it’s not so rushed. Believe it or not, I’ve actually managed to collect two different live versions of this song, and the version on Holy Diver Live clocks in at over a minute longer than the other one. That means that the song has room to breathe. You can actually understand the lyrics in this version, and Dio’s voice really gets to shine. Plus, the solo isn’t anywhere near so muddy. It’s amazing how different two performances by the same artist can really be.

This is one song that really makes me regret that I never sought out tickets to see Heaven and Hell on the last tour.

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Rock of Ages on America’s Got Talent

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

I found a video of the cast performing on America’s Got Talent on Blabbermouth.net.

Maroulis’ performance on ‘I Wanna Rock’ was interesting. I’m very used to the original version, and Maroulis was actually bringing a more melodic sound to the performance rather than belting it out the way that Dee Snider did. He actually takes it and makes it into a real Broadway song, which is pretty cool. Plus, Dee Snider himself shows up halfway through the song.

‘Don’t Stop Believin’ came out much better as far as I’m concerned. The song actually lends itself amazingly well to an ensemble production. It comes out rather drastically different from the original recording, but once again they’ve taken it and made it perfect for use in a Broadway musical. Also, this song seemed to be better suited to Maroulis’ vocal style than ‘I Wanna Rock’. ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ really lets him shine.

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New Video of Dave

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

I’ve really got to remember to check the news on Bing more often. It turns up stuff that hasn’t been showing up in Google News. Anyway, I used Bing on a whim today and found out about the Broadway.com 2010 Audience Awards and the fact that Dave got one of them for his work on Memphis.

There’s a video on Broadway.com of Dave and Joe DiPietro accepting their award. It’s a really cute video that even includes the two guys singing (or trying to, at any rate).

You know, (and I’ve said this before), I didn’t always pay a ton of attention to Dave. He was just kind of there, and his keyboards did bring a certain extra dimension to the music of Bon Jovi. But with all of the awards and attention that he’s picked up from his work on Memphis, I’ve really started to notice just how talented he really is.

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The Magic of Live

Monday, July 19th, 2010

When I went to the Bon Jovi show at the Wachovia Center back in March, they had ads up for the Carole King/James Taylor tour that was going to be coming through later that summer. Now, personally, I like them both well enough, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to see them. My mother, on the other hand, is far more attached to their work.

I tried to convince her that it might be worth the ticket price to go see them, but she wasn’t really interested in paying that much and was worried about what she’d get for the money. A couple of weeks after she passed and the show sold out, PBS aired a special filmed at one of the King/Taylor show, which was, of course, pretty much excellent.

There are some performers who are naturals when it comes to doing live shows–where what you get is so much more than just a rehash of the album. And you never really know who’s going to deliver that experience unless you go and see for yourself, though that’s changing these days.

That’s one really good thing about having the internet–as a new fan, or a returning old one, you can get reviews from normal people like yourself before you buy the tickets. That was how I knew, as a new Bon Jovi fan, that seeing them live was going to be a good show. The critics in the newspapers might not be kind, but if other fans like myself were enthusiastic, it had to be pretty good.

And as it turned out, it was that live performance that really cemented Bon Jovi’s position as my favorite band. Sure, I liked the music on the albums a lot, and Jon certainly was hot. But when I went to see them at the Prudential Center back in 2007, that was when I really started to appreciate just how great they are.

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Review: Elvis in Vegas

Friday, July 16th, 2010

I promised that I’d be back with a separate review of ‘Elvis in Vegas’ today. After all, it’s not every day that Meat Loaf records a song co-written by Jon Bon Jovi. That warrants a post in its own right.

I don’t know that I would have made this connection if I hadn’t known that Jon was one of the songwriters for ‘Elvis in Vegas’, but the song really reminds me of ‘Right Side of Wrong’ from Bounce. It has the same sweeping narrative feel as ‘Right Side of Wrong’, and it also has the same sort of living, breathing imagery throughout the lyrics. That’s probably Jon’s touch; he’s always been good at that kind of song that tells a story, but this one is an outstanding example.

I suppose that I shouldn’t be surprised that ‘Elvis in Vegas’ turned out to be one of my favorite songs off of Hang Cool Teddy Bear–after all, it does have Jon, Desmond Child and Billy Falcon behind it, and those three have been responsible for many of my favorite songs.

But above and beyond that, I like the song because it plays to a lot of Meat Loaf’s strengths. This is one of the few songs on this album that really taps into the expressive range that Meat Loaf can bring to his performances. He can make you believe whatever he’s singing about–and with that power behind the lyrics, this song shines. The chorus on this song is nothing less than a thing of beauty.

This song is definitely a keeper. As a matter of fact, it’s probably going to shape up to be one of my all-time favorites.

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Album Review: Hang Cool Teddy Bear

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Meat Loaf has been a longtime favorite of mine. I actually had some trouble finding a copy of this album around here when it was first released–but I finally got around to getting myself a copy.

In all honesty, I can’t rate this as one of his best outings, but it’s quite respectable all the same. (Any new Meat Loaf album has a lot to live up to–it’s automatically in company with albums like Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II–which is august company indeed.)

This album has a distinctly different sound from some of his earlier work, most likely attributable to the absence of Jim Steinman. However, it’s definitely not a bad thing. The songs here are less operatic that Steinman’s work tends to be, but are mostly all still decently well-written songs with good hooks.

My immediate favorite tracks included ‘Los Angeloser’, ‘Like a Rose’, ‘Running Away From Me’, ‘Let’s Be In Love’, ‘If It Rains’ and ‘Elvis in Vegas’.

For me, at least, ‘Los Angeloser’ is where Hang Cool Teddy Bear really hits its stride. This song opens fire, pretty much right away, dealing with classic rock and roll subject material.

Lyrically speaking, ‘Like a Rose’ is classic sleaze rock–which you know I like. But this one comes served up with a side order of Meat Loaf’s style, and it comes out a unique entity. The production here is also excellent–there’s just enough layers mixed into it to make it sound full, but it doesn’t overpower the vocals. This particular song just oozes attitude–and Meat Loaf is one of the few artists with enough swagger to really pull of a song like this.

‘Running Away From Me’ and ‘Let’s Be In Love’ are actually the songs from this album that remind me most of some of Meat Loaf’s earlier work. This probably the most operatic that this album gets. And Meat Loaf is always at his best when presented with material that veers toward the operatic. (I think that’s why his partnership with Steinman was always so fruitful.) ‘Let’s Be In Love’ especially has that expansive sound that I tend to associate with Meat Loaf.

‘If It Rains’ has a little bit more of a pop sound to it. But then again, a lot of Meat Loaf’s work doesn’t veer too far from pop radio, and he brings his distinct voice to bear here. Mix that up with a good hook and it all works out.

I think one of the things that I really like best about this album is that it mixes things up a little more than some of Meat Loaf’s other releases.

I’ll dive a little deeper into ‘Elvis in Vegas’ on Friday.

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Get Well Soon Jon

Monday, July 12th, 2010

I saw the videos from the Meadowlands show on Friday (it was even on the E! news just a bit ago) and I could see that he was in pain–but you couldn’t hear it in his voice. Now that’s dedication. It just confirms what I always saw in Jon and his band–these are guys who are really dedicated to their music. I could always hear it, and on Friday Jon completely proved it by carrying on when I could tell that he had to be in so much pain.

Anyway, as a fan, all I can really say is: I hope that you recover quickly, Jon.

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Greatest Hits – My Picks

Friday, July 9th, 2010

There’s been a lot of speculation lately over the new Greatest Hits album that Bon Jovi announced, and I personally can’t resist the temptation to weigh in with my opinion. Of course, some songs are basically mandatory–you can’t have a Greatest Hits album without the Big Three from Slippery When Wet or (unfortunately) Who Says.

So without further ado, I give you the list of what I think should be on there. I was working chronologically through the band’s catalog, so that’s the order they’re in, though I doubt that an album would be released in this order.

  • Runaway
    Their first hit is probably mandatory on any Greatest Hits compilation.
  • Livin’ on a Prayer
    This is one of the three songs that forever shaped the identity of this band. Can’t ditch Tommy and Gina.
  • Wanted Dead or Alive
    This song is still worthy of its exalted place in the Bon Jovi canon. Any Greatest Hits collection without this song is nothing more than an unworthy pretender.
  • Bad Medicine
    This is probably the best (and best remembered) hit from New Jersey, and it’s a concert staple. Also, my mother (a nurse) would be highly disappointed if this song was omitted.
  • Bed of Roses
    I speak not only for myself, but for a dear friend, when I say that this song would be deeply missed if they left it out. Besides, this is one of the all time great Bon Jovi ballads.
  • Always
    Only their biggest single ever. Can’t leave that out–whether I like it or not.
  • It’s My Life
    This brought the band back into the limelight back when it was released. Mandatory inclusion. This was one of the few songs that I actually knew before I became a fan of the band. And besides, I still really like it.
  • Everyday
    I still remember seeing the music video for this song a lot back when it came out. Token ‘hit’ from Bounce. Could probably be omitted if space is tight.
  • Who Says You Can’t Go Home
    This was (fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view) a really big hit. Bigger than anything else off Have A Nice Day.
  • Make a Memory
    This was the song that really made Lost Highway for me. A lot of the rest of it I wasn’t keen on. But ‘Make a Memory’ is Bon Jovi at their ballad-writing best, and it earned its spot on any hits collection.
  • We Weren’t Born to Follow
    This was the biggest single off The Circle. Obvious include, once again whether I like it or not.
  • Plus, of course, the new tracks that have been promised…

I’ll be interested to see what actually does make it onto the actual album. Of course, some of it will be dictated by the record company–leaving off stuff like Prayer or Runaway would be obvious no-nos. The rest of it will give an interesting slice of insight into how Jon and the rest of the guys view their own music.

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