Hard Rock and Metal Music

Blue Oyster Cult was off and running with their second LP, `Tyranny and Mutation', released in the winter of 1973. The album was a combination of very heavy rock and mellower in contrast seemingly more sinister tunes on the second half (the two sides were referred to as "red" and "black"). "The Red and the Black" that kicks off the album is very heavy for the early seventies - they really were trying to beat Black Sabbath at their own game! Basically "Red" was a rehashing of "I'm on the Lamb" from the debut - but metalized! "OD'd", "Hot Rails to Hell" and "7 Screaming Diz- Busters" all became live staples and showed how truly heavy the band was live. "Baby Ice Dog" would feature lyrics from Patti Smith, a frequent band collaborator, for the first time. This melts into Joe Bouchard's "Wings Wetted Down" a very dark and Sabbathesque especially from Albert Bouchard's drumming. As with most great bands, the progression from first album to second is very substantial not that the first album was poor. Also as with the first album, Eric Bloom sings most of the songs and though he was the band's nominal "lead singer", this would also change as the band progressed and each band member contributed an occasional vocal. I think I prefer this record over the debut because it's heavier but the song quality from start to finish is just better! `Tyranny and Mutation" should be recognized for what it is, a classic of the genre but for some reason it gets over shadowed by the records that sandwich. You won't care if you are a BOC fan, as the classic barnstormers that have appeared in countless live shows since their inception will attest to the timeless quality of this hard rock monolith - Lucifer the light indeed!

This was my first BOC album. I consider it their creative peak at a point when their "art" had not yet given way to the ever-broadening audience that would follow. Every song is well-crafted and tightly played, and there are seamless transitions from one song to the next.

It was late 1973, if memory serves, when I got it on vinyl. That's probably right because I wrote a review of it for my sophomore English class. (Got a "D" in that class, btw.)

By 1976 or so, I was playing in a local band, and we did covers of "O.D.'d on Life Itself" and "Quicklime Girl." We did them pretty well, too. I remember how faithful we were to the double-leads and the keyboard and drum parts. And the Eric Bloom screaming at the end of "Quicklime." I did those honors, and one of our dear roadies would laugh to tears as my face turned totally red, holding that final, loud note.

Funny how we didn't realize it soon enough, but those BOC songs would put us in "crisis mode" at a high school dance. We were actually SCARING the kids with those lyrics. But, as I look back on it, it was a normal reaction there, in one of the stauncher Bible-belt enclaves in Southern Indiana. Whoops!

But the rest of the stuff was too challenging. Buck Dharma's guitar work here is AMAZING. The bridge on "Teen Archer," the solo on "Hot Rails to Hell," and just the playing on the rest are a feast for the ears.

And it was too weird, too. "Seven Screaming Diz-Busters?" I get the Biblical "7" reference, but what's a "Diz-Buster?" Anyway, that song is really creepy. It makes you think you're entering Hell. But the call-and-response between the singing and the rippin' fast guitar make it fun.

This album should be featured on VH1 as an example of "early metal." It wasn't just Sabbath and Deep Purple, important though they were. It deserves at least the respect of very much belated hindsight.

Tyranny is a blistering group of dark songs - ranging from speedy angst driven protopunk (The Red & The Black, 7 Screaming Diz-Busters) to elegiac piano/guitar ballads (Wings Wetted Down, Mistress) and so much else - and who can forget the strange and wonderful lyrics that no one else has conjured in the pantheon of rock? At this point in their career most of the songs were written by Albert and Joe Bouchard, lyrics courtesy Sandy Pearlman for the most part. (If you want to hear what this album might sound like if made in the ninties, get The Brain Surgeons' Malpractice lp - Albert's band - from '97). Tighter and harder than BOC's debut, the production crystalline, tuneful with brilliant arrangements, beautiful harmonies, drumming and guitarwork, this may be the record I'll take to that desert island. Note for devoted fans - some of Joe Bouchard's lyrics on this lp were influenced by Pablo Neruda's poetry from "Residence on Earth," and I highly recommend it. Neruda's writing definitely shares the dark impressionistic feel of the album, especially side B.

Through the years, there haven't been a whole lot of hard rock bands willing to go the extra mile and add some creativity to their music as a way to spice up the fun, but Tyranny and Mutation is an album full of interesting and flat out mind-boggling WEIRD musical ideas. In addition to that, this is also the fastest rock Blue Oyster Cult ever put on record (since most of their stuff was slow, dreary and disturbing).

It's a really fast-paced rocking record. The vocal melodies are quite good as well. Blue Oyster Cult should be remembered for years to come, thanks to the band members choosing to make their music distinct, clever and exciting in the early days.

This is a great recording for anyone who enjoys the Blue Oyster Cult. They have one of the best lead guitarist in the world. He's right up there with Clapton and Page. This recording shows a lot of his talent. Check out their new live CD with a DVD included and watch him play that guitar. He's great. they're great and this recording is great.

In the eighties I listened to these albums thousands of times. When I quit vinyl records to make the upgrading to cd I sold more or less 2 thousands albums. I remember I kept only a couple of them, Jeff Beck Guitar Shop and "Wants you" (a mention goes to the cover which for me is particularly lovely). I was soooo in love with this album I couldn't part by it. More than twenty years are gone from the release of these two albums, but I still love them very much! I don't know why I love them so much. A lot of bands that were bigger than Rough Cutt, never have been in my heart like them. Rough Cutt was not a huge act. They were a small act back then in the eighties and disbanded only after these two releases. Nevertheless for me these albums still sounds fresh today and I love, love, love them like few albums; Whitesnake 1987, Ratt Invasion of your Privacy, Def Leppard's Hysteria, Tesla's Mechanical Resonance, everything from Van Halen and few more things. For real, these two albums have the spirit of the eighties full inside them. Paul Shortino'voice is fantastic and the guitar inventions of Amir Derakh even if nothing particularly flashy, were so nice. I'm so glad someone decided to re-release these gems because for a lot of times they have not been available. I remember a lot of summers with these albums in my ears ,... sweet memories!!!! Thank you Rough Cutt!

Inever heard of rough cutt in the day , but i whished i had.This band is fantastic ,as many of the reviewers said.Paul shortino has a great voice ,and the ryhtm section is fantastic.I cant put a finger on who they sound like ,but there still fantastic.From take her,to janice joplins piece of my heart,to black widow ,todouble trouble,these songs are well written and played.If you are looking for a great cd try these two buy rough cutt,by the way there cheap

Back in 1985, I owned both Rough Cutt albums on vinyl and cassette. They were listened to quite often and wore out quickly. I had been looking for these on cd for quite awhile. What a pleasant surprise to find it here (ON ONE CD, nonetheless). The musicianship is amazing and the production is what totally propels this into another universe. If you are a fan of 80's metal - BUY THIS NOW!

I've been trying to get these albums for years. Great singer and songs. One of the great undiscovered bands of the 80's.

Both Albums were 80's rock at it's best. Rough Cutt never got the publicity other less talented bands received during this period. I believe RC focused more on their music and less on the hair and glam. Excellent lyrics awesome riffs---- You won't be dissappointed.

Only time will tell if we stand the test of time!

The first 10 years of his career, I acknowledged "Sammy" by twisting the radio dial to ANYthing else whenever he came over the airwaves. KSHE-95, St. Louis. Around 1984, I was in the great cultured Northeast, stopped in a tavern, delighted to see a jukebox, then astounded to see a Sammy Hagar 45 on it!

"I Can't Drive 55" is sorta the perfect car song, one of the essential DNA components of rock&roll. "VOA" is patriotic, reactionary, whatever, but "55," hey, most Americans actually cannot stand driving the speed limit. The video is painfuller than the album cover but the tune RINGS TRUE. Jailhouse rock!

Two years later, WHOO, boy! And who woulda thunk (somewhere around F.U.C.K.) this canary cornball with the el cheapo guitar had it in 'em to become one of the greatest rock vocalists of ALL time? Payin' dues! It just goes to show lack of (natural) talent CAN be surmounted by discipline, tenacity and sincerity.

I'm not LISTENING to this junk, I'm REPROGRAMMING myself with it!

After years of touring, releasing cd's, Sammy finally acheived commericial success with VOA. His biggest song of his carreer "I can't drive 55" is on here, along with other classic tracks. My personal favorites are "Rock Is In My Blood," "Burning Down The City" and "Swept Away." Sammy joined Van Halen after this cd was realeased. He was at the height of his career as solo artist. Sammy's best cd.
If you get any Sammy cd, this is the one. A timeless classic.

Killer Album.
Someone called "Dick in the dirt" sophomoric, but you just can't beat a good ol' dick song! I love it, you just have to have a sense of humor, albeit a slightly twisted one!

The whole thing kicks butt, the title track may well be cheesy on the lyrical side, but you have to look at the lyrics in the context of the existing Cold War tensions of the time.

VOA is Sammy Hagar's seventh great solo album in a row from his Capitol and Geffen years combined, and it's great to see it finally get the deluxe reissue treatment it deserves. It's unfortunate that STANDING HAMPTON and THREE LOCK BOX haven't gotten similar treatment, but that's probably because they're still in print, whereas this one went out of print a few years ago. Fortunately, the good folks at American Beat Records saw fit to reissue VOA, restoring it to Hagar's catalog. Hagar's advocacies of sanctions against countries that falsely convict foreigners, capital punishment/life without parole for kidnappers, and increased funding for law enforcement make this CD an essential purchase for both your ears AND your conscience.

In general, I don't consider myself a Sammy Hagar fan. Prior to picking up a copy of 1984's "VOA", I'd been listening to 1986's "5150", the first Van Halen album with Sammy, and was seriously turned off by Hagar's unimaginative, 'straight-down-the-middle' wailing, not to mention his extremely tasteless obnoxiousness in spots such as the beginning of "Good Enough".

Despite all that, I was reminiscing fondly over the unforgettable, gloriously 'dumb' rock classic "I Can't Drive 55", the first track here, so I grabbed a copy of "VOA", thinking, "what the heck, let's give it a try", and I'm really pleasantly surprised. The excellently crafted "Swept Away" alternates dreamy acoustic guitar-laden verses with driving hard-rocking choruses. "Rock Is In My Blood" is an irresistible, intoxicating rocker with an anthemic singalong chorus. The title track is a hook-heavy, fast-paced rocker that really gets the blood flowing, although the 'patriotic' lyrics are a tad much in spots. The downbeat album closer "Burnin' Down The City" is solid as well.

The major sore spots of the album arrive in the form of a couple 'pop'-flavored tunes. "Two Sides Of Love" is a cringe-worthy, screamingly generic 'power ballad'; "Don't Make Me Wait" is in the same general mold and also forgettable.

Overall though, if rock is indeed in your blood [sic], "VOA" is a highly worthwhile album.

The more I listen to this album the more I wonder if people really want good solid American rock, or if they're only on Ed's side when he's dazzling everyone with guitar flash. I can see how a musician of his stature could be deluded, even depressed, about the fact that he's one of the most brilliant songwriters ever but nobody cares unless he's got an arrogant frontman doing cartwheels while he rips off legato phrasing and fingertapping licks that make most seasoned guitarists blush to this day. The beauty of Van Halen is that the songs come first and all that flash is just icing on an already solid cake. Ed's success has been ensured by the fact that he's always been smart enough to surround himself with equally gifted musicians. Alex is just as good behind the kit as Ed is on guitar and Mike Anthony's solid bass presence and back-up vocals have always been criminally overlooked.
I wasn't too excited when I found out they picked ex-Extreme singer Gary Cherone as vocalist back then but listening to it now I'd go so far as to say he's the most naturally gifted singer they've had. I guess people need the drama of Diamond Dave and Sammy's wars with Ed to get really pumped for the music. The biggest thing about this album is that it is easily the best sound they've ever had on tape. As a fan of Van Halen for many years I've read countless interviews where Ed talks about achieving the "brown sound", in his description he wants his guitar tone to "sound like Al's snare". I think he got the closest with the sound on 3. If you let your ears dig through the layers of studio work there is still plenty of ear candy to be found. I personally find it gratifying when you have to listen a bit and take your ears off autopilot to find hidden gems.
If you're a Van Halen fan and especially if you realize that they aren't 19 year old party mongers anymore but grown men with real problems, concerns and responsibilities, do yourself a favor and ignore the hype machine and critics' opinions and give this cd a real listen.

If You Thought Eddie Was Doing Fine With Sammy During The "Balance" Years...Well, Whatever Caused His Sunny Side To Go Down...I Don't Know, But Something Kicked In The Alcohol And Turned The Happy Healthy Eddie Van Halen, Into An Angry Old Man Looking Jack A**...Beginning With What We Never Thought Would Happen...Eddie Kicking Sammy Out and Then Tempting With The Fans Minds and Kicking David Lee Roth Out (again) and Giving Us His Joker In The Fold.......Gary Cherone. This Is What Gave Birth To What I'd Like To Call "The Apocalypse Of Van Halen" as they just destroyed everything they had ever stood for in the rock n' roll world with the awful "VAN HALEN III"...I Never Bought It When It Was Originally Released...But Digitally Downloaded It A Couple Of Months Back and All I Can Say Is I'm Glad I Never Spent A Single Cent On This Terrible Terrible Bleak and Terrible Album With The Van Halen Name Attached To It...This Is Most Absolutely A Nightmare and If I Were To Go Back To 1984 with this album...i would probably be killed for just how bad it is.

Why, Why, Why?...I Got Nothing Else To Say......

I have just listened to Van Halen III after a ten year hiatus, and I have to admit that I really enjoyed it! I don't think it deserves the bad reviews that it has gotten over the years, and definitely deserves another listen to those who wrote it off. I consider myself a Van Halen fan, usually the DLR years, and I do agree that this album is considerably different from the rest, but I can appreciate the experimental feel which it exhibits. It is most certainly NOT the worst album ever made as other posts have stated. I think Gary Cherone vocals are good, although they do sound similar to Sammy Hagar at times. As a matter of fact, I am inclined to give Extreme a listen to hear more of his work.

I'd give this negative stars if I could. If someone asked, "What is worse--Van Halen III or the E.T. game for the Atari 2600?" I'd have a very difficult time deciding. As far as I'm concerned, all copies of this album should be buried right next to those game carts in Arizona....

Anyways, what should you expect in this album? An untalented, lame, boring mess. Nothing exciting here. In fact, this album could be used as a measure for any band starting out--if your band sounds better than this, you're ready to start playing at bars/nightclubs. If not, re-rehearse and re-practice until you do :)

Oh, and by the way, I'm not just putting this down because Gary Cherone is the vocalist. I had just made my own personal best of "Extreme" CD. He's great in that band, but not in Van Halen. 'nuf said.....

Although I rather hated Van Halen III when I first bought it, I had not heard a majority of Van Halen's other material and had little to compare this with. These days I will listen to anything at all, from Country to hip-hop, and so today I decided to give this album another listen without letting biased judgement get in the way. As I played this CD in my radio I realized that VHIII is not so much a terrible album as it was just poorly recorded and compiled. Gary Cherone's raspy, sometimes irritating vocals are what really irritated me, because I am a fan of Extreme and know for a fact that he actually does have broad vocal range. I also love Michael Anthony, Van Halen's bassist, and was disappointed to find out that he supplied little of the album's bass (due to personality differences within the band). Although Van Halen III does manage to become the overcoming sum of its dubious parts, the album is just too different than every other Van Halen album for a majority of fans to truly accept, and even the casual listener may have trouble enjoying the convoluted intelligence of many of the tracks. Overall, Van Halen III recieves 2/5 stars from me.

I'm not aiming to write the best Van Halen III review for you because there are much better ones out there, however I can provide a fairly balanced overview of every one of the twelve tracks on the CD, as well as the outtake "That's Why I Love You".

1. NEWORLD: Not an especially entertaining tune, "Neworld" is a brief, pleasant piano/guitar intro to the mega-hit "Without You". Although unsubstantial, however, "Neworld" leads into its counterpart very well, and for this reason I like the song in its number one place on the album. 3/5

2. WITHOUT YOU: Give this song just one listen, and it will be obvious right away why "Without You" climbed the rock music charts as quickly as it did when it was released as a single. Bold, energetic and mildly poppy, this song rocks hard and features Eddie Van Halen at his near best from beginning to end. The quality of Cherone's vocals is fair, although one will find it handy to refer to the CD insert to understand the lyrics due to his muffled speech; despite this minor drawback, though, this song is definitely worthy of its reputation. If only Van Halen had not strayed far from the band's excellent chemistry in this song, VHIII would have gone far.
5/5

3. ONE I WANT: Far from being a great rock song, "One I Want" settles for just average. As usual, EVH is at the top of his game, and he delivers well with an enjoyable guitar solo near the end of the song. The entire band works together to lend a balanced, feel-good rythm to the tone, and overall "One I Want" is a tight, rollicking listen. Definitely a step up from several other tracks on this album, VHIII could profit from even two more songs of this caliber.
3.5/5

4. FROM AFAR: Track 4 hints at the oddly composed, quasi-Pink Floyd reminiscent style of many songs on VHIII, and while not a bad song itself, "From Afar" is by no means a bright spot musically. Cherone's vocals are rather bad and the song's structure is out-of-place; generally, the band's musicianship is synchronized, but this is too weird of a piece to really catch anyone's attention. Lyrically, "From Afar" is deep and stirring, but it becomes bogged down by Gary's intellectual interpretation of love and becomes much more of a song about lust. Eddie and Alex inject the song with very interesting effects, however, and simply hearing their mastery over their music is enough to make one want to hear this. Whether you are partial to David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, Gary Cherone or all three, just accept "From Afar" for what it is: filler.
2/5

5. DIRTY WATER DOG: I have to admit, this song has won my heart for Alex's demanding, powerful lead percussion, Cherone's sturdy, take-charge vocalization, and the song's general tune. My only problem with "Dirty Water Dog" is Eddie's choice of mostly using a sitar in the main riff rather than an electric guitar, which would have made this song perfect. "Dirty Water Dog" is slowed by politically-charged lyrics and needless sound effects, but the song's bridge makes up for its shortcomings through employing Alex's drum mastery and an interesting blend of EVH riffs, leading straight back into the catchy chorus. Overall, with a lot more polishing and a different lead instrument, "Dirty Water Dog" could have been great, but it is still a very good tune in its own right and pulls the listener out of the dreariness of "From Afar".
4/5

5. ONCE: A beautiful, well written and composed love song, "Once" is heartfelt, earnest, and deep. One of only two true epics on VHIII, this song nevertheless sounds like a rip-off of better material and Cherone is not at his strongest. Even so, "Once" is a great listen and will appeal to fans of many different music genres.
4/5

6. FIRE IN THE HOLE: A top-notch, pure Van Halen rockstar anthem, "Fire In The Hole" is one of the best songs on VHIII and is also probably the most balanced. Collectively, Van Halen pulls it together to create this excellent song with great vocals by Cherone; a tight, heavy metal guitar solo; and a big production feel. The song also starts off with a tone-setting helicopter effect and missiles, courtesy the guitar-sounds man EVH, and you may recognize this rocker from the soundtrack of 1998's Lethal Weapon 4. Say what you will about previous Van Halen frontmen, but Gary Cherone mows down this song from start to finish, and the entire band is in high gear!
5/5

8. JOSEPHINA: An excellent and heartfelt ballad, "Josephina" is often overlooked because it does not carry the signature Van Halen party vibe, but despite its small stature this song is truly great. An excellent contribution to VHIII, "Josephina" (named for Gary Cherone's mother) provides amazing lyrical direction and a magical effect to the whole album. The Van Halen brothers employ a unique, unsettling bridge and ending, while Cherone's slow-paced vocals give depth and sentiment to this fine contribution.
5/5

9. YEAR TO THE DAY: Progressive and deep, "Year To The Day" is the second epic of VHIII, and one of the finest songs ever written under Van Halen. My only misgiving about this song is the beginning, which caused me to skip past this track the first several times I listened to the album. Gary Cherone sounds like he is singing underwater, and the instrumental accompaniment is quaint. "Year To The Day"'s introduction is weak and unnecessarily drawn-out, but once it gives way to the majestic chorus the rest of the song is a treat. It is also interesting to note that "Year To The Day" contains elements from the unfinished Van Halen song "Between Us Two", originally concieved by Sammy Hagar to fit 1996's Twister soundtrack. "Between Us Two" was the last straw for Van Hagar and led to Sammy's departure from the band in 1996, which is unfortuate since the scrapped song has been likened to Van Halen's own "Stairway To Heaven". In light of that fact, "Year To The Day" becomes all the more enjoyable, and is an excellent song in nearly every way.
5/5

10. PRIMARY: A rather lame and boring sitar intro to track 11, "Primary" is nothing special and although Eddie's fingers are quick, he gives none of his trademark skill to this solo. The title is obviously a hint to the political theme of the next song, and overall "Primary" is utterly forgettable.
1/5

11. BALLOT OR THE BULLET: You will either like or hate this song; although it comes across like mere filler at first listen, "Ballot or the Bullet" has some merit, but any of this is lost to Gary Cherone's absolutely grating and garbled vocals and the song's solely-politics attitude. A strong, powerful guitar accompaniment could have done wonders, but once again, EVH opted for a more unusual sound for this tune, and his poor choice detracts from its quality. That aside, Eddie's actual playing skill is very, very good, and "Ballot or the Bullet"'s bridge is decent because of the fact that anything this man touches instantly becomes an object of absolute musical mastery. Don't look into this song too much, however: the lyrics are repetetive of other Van Halen and Extreme songs, and dully speak of political agenda and quagmire. Overall, this is a poorly put together effort and throwaway song.
3/5

12. HOW MANY SAY I: Van Halen's infamous VHIII closing track, "How Many Say I" was not noticed for a good reason. Most Van Halen fans who had decided to give VHIII a chance lost what patience they had for the album because of this song. "How Many Say I" does nothing to end VHIII on a positive note, and is widely accepted to be the absolute worst Van Halen song ever. It is a dark, deep acousic and piano saga of guilt over the world's problems, and expresses regret at never trying to help those in need. The song also features Eddie Van Halen himself on lead vocals in a duet with Gary Cherone, and the result is awful; EVH did great in past songs as far as background vocals were concerned, but the two of them together are anything but a good combination. All in all, a possibly toleratable song to someone who likes unusual, peaceful intellectual ballads; but to any fan of hard rock (as Van Halen is SUPPOSED to be), this song is a complete failure and should never have been included on this album, let alone have ended it.
1/5

THAT'S WHY I LOVE YOU (VHIII OUTTAKE): Replaced by "Josephina" on the song lineup, "That's Why I Love You" is an upbeat, pop-feeling song that not only outdoes many of the tracks that did make it to VHIII, but would have almost surely been a pop favorite at the time. "That's Why I Love You" is not flawless, and its few problems stem from Cherone. That aside, there is not one thing wrong with this song; EVH is amazing all the way through and provides a magical atmosphere through his guitar effects during the bridge. The ending chorus echoes earlier days of Van Halen and is absolute glee for any fan, and this song would have fit perfectly alongside the album's opening couple of songs. Personally, "How Many Say I" should have been jettisoned to allow space for both "Josephina" and "That's Why I Love You", because this is an excellent, full-force Van Halen song!
5/5

That does it, ultimately you will have to decide for yourself where Van Halen III stands, whether in comaprison to previous Van Halen albums or all by itself. Hopefully this song-by-song review has helped you out, because I wrote it with an open mind and haven't critiqued the album good or bad besides my own two-star rating (which I do NOT want you to jump on as reason for Van Halen III being automatically terrible). I gave one star for effort and one star for the good songs on this disc. This is both a poor yet unfairly misjudged album and should be given a listen!

I recieved this disc yesterday by mail from Amazon along with Electric Tears. Both disc are Bucktastic! Highly recommended!

Like most of his releases, Buckethead has blown me away with his ability to transform any kind of music into a soundscape. This is not your typical metal, this stuff conjures up some wicked images. It's almost like listening to a very vivid dream.

This album is unlike anything else. A GREAT listening experience, see for yourself....and buy this now

Truth be told, I bought The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell and Slipknot's All Hope is Gone on the same day and they arrived in the same package. I have 2 DVD Burning Drives on my Mac Pro, so I injected both discs simultaneously. I then walked away from my computer to let them both rip. When one of the discs started, I said to myself, "God damn, Slipknot went heavy on their intro track." I walked over to my computer: "Whoops, wrong band." I was listening to The Cuckoo Clocks. This album has all of the detailed shredding Bucket is known for, but this one takes it to the dark and heavy side.

Bucket-Boy truly approached composing the soundtrack for Hades with this one. Chaotic, brutal, dissonant, punishing, dark, and frenetic, are just a few of the many possible adjectives to describe this work. I truly admire his guitar heroics on the CD, but I like a bit more variety and dynamics. This album at times becomes a blur of brutality and viciousness. There are amazing licks and solos, however, so that's why I give it at least 3 stars. He really has a gift for melody and groove, and that gift is put on the shelf for this hellride. I don't recommend it for other than the hardest core of Buckethead fans or horror flick fanatics. Use with caution.

No doubt about it, B-Head is always going to do whatever his inner desire drives him to do, and we must bask in its glory. As with most fans, I appreciate all he does, but like different works in varying degrees. This means people who tend to like his acoustic-based material will probably think this disc is only good for playing when you want guests who've over-stayed their welcome to leave. I was intrigued by a review that suggested "death metal guitar" sounds, and to be sure the sound is REALLY HEAVY. But there's the added dimension of Bucky's energetic and frenetic musicianship that owns this disc. One reviewer complained "there's no guitar solos"...man, the whole damn thing is a guitar solo, only not in the traditional sense. The riffs morph into crazy sounding flurries of notes that hit you right over the head. No subtlety here, and combined with Brain's creatively mathematical drumming, it is truly not for the faint of ear. But, if the energy of such an excursion appeals to you, this might be your thing. There are a few mid-tempo pieces interspersed to help you catch your breath and led your ear drums recover. "The Black Forest" is an example of a track that is do downright quirky, I think it would make any Buckethead fan smile. If you are a fan of heavy guitar playing, you need this. If you really only like his acoustic offerings, be afraid, be very afraid...

Hawkwind's first album is interesting in that it contains both the bands best AND worst songs.

Now, I try to be positive every chance I can get, especially when it comes to music, because I've been listening to music for many years and my hope is that I've learned to appreciate that many bands take a LOT of time to properly figure out.

So that's why I give Hawkwind's debut album 4 stars, instead of 2 or 3, because a 4 is just more appropriate for a band that would soon become one of hard rocks very best.

Let's talk about the best songs first- "Hurry On Sundown", with some AWESOME harmonica playing and beautifully brilliant vocals... this is truly a spectacular song! "Be Yourself" has some wonderful saxophone jamming that leads into some equally impressive guitar soloing. I love this song a lot. And finally, the CCR-sounding "Mirror of Illusion", with a John Fogerty-like vocal melody that's both melodic and EXTREMELY good.

The bad songs would be the two "Paranoia" tracks. It's NOT a good idea to repeat the same 4 or 5 notes for several minutes. "Seeing It As You Really Are" kind of follows the same idea, with too much of it dominated with repeating notes that don't feel like they go anywhere. Still, this isn't as bad of a problem as on "Paranoia", but Hawkwind was better than this, and they should have known it.

I recommend buying the album for the three songs I mentioned above, but the band would become MUCH more consistent starting as soon as the next album.

As a long-time fan of Motoerhead, I was curious to listen to some Hawkwind, the band Lemmy previously was a member of. So I bought this CD more out of historical interest, but I ended up exclusively listening to it (and some other Hawkwind stuff) for the better part of a week.

I've also always liked Monster Magnet, and these guys have clearly been influenced by Hawkwind. Spaced out effects, walls of psychedelic sound, guitars floating in outer space and lyrics detailing the hardships of interstellar travel. What a trippy band! Highly recommended.

Once again I have "discovered" a great band many years after the fact. Growing up in the "70"s and "80"s I never heard their name once. When I heard the music recently I was floored. I just ordered my another of their CD's. Their sound was definitely ahead of their time.

Perhaps you've heard of Hawkwind? Perhaps you've heard a song or an album? Well, nothing beats this first disc, originally issued on vinyl in 1970. Great on 'shrooms and hash brownies.

Only reason I'm giving this CD reissue a five star-rating instead of a four-star one,is BECAUSE of the superbly done remastered pressing of this title,Hawkwind's debut 1970 lp.Every cut here is total awesome sounding!From the trippy opener "Hurry On Sundown" to the rocker "Be Yourself","Mirror Of Illusion",the pre-Hawkwind blues cover "Bring It On Home" and their Pink Floyd cover of "Cymbaline".Now THAT'S class!You get the lp's seven original tracks remastered,plus four(4)bonus cuts.Do keep in mind this record was produced by Pretty Things guitarist Dick Taylor,plus it's got some chart HW members that are rarely heard from anymore,like Dik Mik on electronics and Terry Ollis on drums.I've always thought as Hawkwind as being 'sort of' Floyd's rival.Listen for yourself and YOU tell me.First rate psychedelia,space rock or head music.Pick up a copy and you decide.Most highly recommended.

after the 1979 hit with "i was made for loving you". i guess they wanted a whole album of disco hits. wanted to give this 2 stars, but as a KISS fan since 74 i couldn't. never liked gene's songs on this one. always felt that 3 great songs from the DEMON would have pulled this up to par. looking back 1980 was a good year for hard rock/metal,but not for kiss.

When I was a kid growing up in the 70's KISS was the coolest band in the world. They were the best. They flames. The makeup. Awesome. They were my favorite band...of course I'd never actually listened to any of their songs, but when you are 9 does that really matter? Well my sister got me this album for Christmas and it was the first time I listened to KISS. Wow. They sucked. Still do.

It's true that even the band members admit they are not great songwriters or musicians. They are about entertaining. And that they do very well. So while some of these songs might be ok live, listening to this very slick studio production from start to finish is just not that enjoyable. There are some good songs (Easy As It Seems, Is That You?, Naked City), most are just ok and some are downright bad. You're All That I Want is quite possibly the worst Kiss song ever. Horrible lyrics and forgettable music. I can't believe they included it on the boxset. Truly awful. Gene Simmons "songs" for the most part are just plain bad. Lyrically, they are all the same song (my love this, my love that, etc) and musically they are pretty boring. He's written some good ones over the years, but most suck. Ace's on this album are pretty bad too. Talk to Me has some stupid lyrics (very stupid), Two Sides of the Coin is terrible and don't get me started on Torpedo Girl. BTW, do you think Ace has ever written a song that didn't have a line or two (or several) that start with "Girl"? Talk about filler. Ace, buy a dictionary. And whoever told the members it was ok to put the word "whirl" in a song should be shot. They've all used it at some point. Anyway, if you like hard-rocking Kiss steer clear of this one. I bought this as an LP back when it first came out and I was 12. I hated it then, I like it a bit more now, but it's still doesn't get played by me very often (mostly just when I'm curious to give it another chance).

first off by this time kiss had dropped peter criss and once again use anton fig too record this. also the type of sound on here is really just disco and by this time they were a kid band. its just okay its not really that good at all only for the kiss fan who needs everything by kiss but for most kiss fams steer away from this cd.

The eighties had to be a hard time for bands, music like everything else was changing and Kiss went right along with that and tried to do something original, and they did it.Fans may not like it, and later they changed back to the original sound, but if you listen to this album, which i like by the way, you hear the influences they had on later to come bands.Some guitar riffs and styles i can hear in later Bowie sounds, also bands like Journey,Boston etc. ,and i can even hear a little of the mid eighties Joan Jett.So while it may have been not to fans liking, it was innovative for what it is.

This album is has the heaviest and most memorable riffs of Skid Row's albums, the songs are ground into your brain by the heavy metal machinery!

My only criticism of the album is that its so heavy, you almost can't listen to it all the way through, but it's great to throw on and listen to your favorite tracks. But the lyrics and riffs are amazing.

My review is going to consist of the most memorable lyrics from each song:

MY ENEMY: "The weather's fair, does that change where you stand? My back is turned and the knife is in your hand"
FIRESIGN: "Beaten, burned I'll take the fall and get up right in your face, walk all over what I believe, I'm still here you disappear without a trace!"
BONEHEAD: "If you're a new God let me see a miracle"
BEAT YOURSELF BLIND: "A piece of paper that's fallen out a window, has got a better chance of knowing where it lands"
EILEEN: "There are people we won't remember that dance with her at night"
REMAINS...: "Trip, the lightning spastic, Captain Fantastic, the 1970's"
SUBHUMAN RACE: "Your jumping into the Subhuman Race"
FROZEN: "So I build a fire, So I can sit and stare"
INTO ANOTHER: "Should this scar, then it was meant to be"
FACE...: "You build a wall, inside a wall, and there's no door"
MEDICINE JAR: "Caught the Mother jacknifin', little bit low lifin'"
BREAKIN DOWN: "Not for a second did I believe you, not for a minute did I believe that"
IRONWILL: "Break the molds of beg and submission"

Buy today and get ready to rock, with Bach!

It's the heaviest, detuned, keyed down, close to Metallic-runch there is of all of them. Welcome to the Sub-human Race.

Some think this is Skid Row's best work, perhaps in an attempt to go against the grain or to avoid anointing their more famous albums, Skid Row and Slave to the Grind, as their best. But this is deluded nonsense. Neither as catchy as their self-titled debut, nor as aggressive as the stellar Slave, Subhuman Race comes off as a band that has lost its identity, and is trying to compete with more recently successful bands like Pantera by taking the aggression in a new, clearly thrash influenced direction.

But, for the most part, it doesn't come across as an incredibly successful effort. Most of the tracks lack the character that was to be found, in abundance, on Slave and the highlights of the album are barely equal to the filler on that, the most outstanding of Skid Row's efforts.

There are some quality tracks, which salvage the album for the hardcore fan ("Remains to be Seen" in particular), though they're just not up to Skid Row's best, overall.

I gotta admit, when I first heard Skid Row, I wasn't too impressed. They seemed to be just another band that mirrored the LA glam scene. Then came Slave to the Grind, which had a few promising tunes but still had the overall tone of its predecessor.

Subhuman Race is a far cry from their "MTV" days. It rocks hard and has major riffs and hooks. If you're a big fan of their earlier material, then this effort will probably not be to your liking. On the other hand, if you disliked the first 2 albums but saw the potential for them to take it to another level, then this will have you grinning widely. All those tours with bands like Metallica and Pantera finally rubbed off on their songwriting and pushed their musical ability to the limits. Crushing songs like "My Enemy", "Medicine Jar" and "Firesign" prove that they can also do downtuning, odd time signatures and dual guitar riffing, as well as a good mix of melody and make it sound good. Great album!

Honest magazines of the time agreed that this rocked mightily. But it was 1995 and they were few and far between as it was basically illegal to like Skid Row at the height of grunge and alterna-rock hegemony.

But bugger the mainstream - this rocked! A mature slice of corporate metal still with Bachs trademark pipes soaring and growling their way through tunes that had more in common with Slave to the Grind than the debut. Which is as you'd expect. Heavy rockers abound here as hard riffing is the order of the day, personal faves bein the lead cut My Enemy, the title track and Medicine Jar. That's not to deny the impassioned Bach efforts on Frozen or Beat Yourself Blind. And the band weren't above a few gimmicks, such as the single Breakin' Down being issued in two versions, effectively trying to double sales for the single. But hey, Maiden relentlessly issue all sorts of versions of everything to siphon the last cent (or pence) from their fans wallets and let's not even start on KISS! So I can forgive 'em and really this solid metal outing should of sufficed to silence critics and to ensure the bands survival.

Other tidbits you may find helpful in making your choice would be A) bob Rock production, B) nifty foldout packaging on the initial pressing and C) a defiant will to win. Though to be fair, reasons not to buy this would be A) not quite the kill factor of Slave to the Grind, B) knowing the band were disintegrating from within - yeah it's a downer and C) the absence of chilling slower numbers - there is nothing approaching In A Darkened Room, Wasted Time or Quicksand Jesus.

Still, recommended metal.

it got lost, but i always missed it,this was the first scorpians lp i ever owned you can bet i won't miss it anymore

In Trance shows signs of the Scorpions headed for commercial success, but thankfully, the songwriting hasn't yet suffered which easily separates THIS album from Virgin Killer.

The guitar solos are quite incredible, and the vocals... WOW, they are mostly short, snappy, melodic and get me in the mood to... be extremely violent! haha, only kidding. Violence never settles anything.

THIS is a fine example of an album that just rips your speakers apart and keeps you begging for more when it's over because the music the band was making at the time was just *so good*. In Trance is a must have album for all hard rock fans of the 70's.

1975 gem from the Scorpions. Not yet the sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll band of the late '70s and early '80s, this album is more on the psychadelic edge with the title song and also more dramatic with 'Living and Dying.' Another good one is 'Dark Lady.' Moodier and more melancholic, this is still a great classic by the Scorpions.

If you are looking for angry, driving metal you won't find it here. Look at the title "In Trance". Soaring vocals, soaring guitars and superb duets between rhythm and lead guitars. For a change up the peppy and driving "Robot Man" which was the closing song in the concerts that made "Tokyo Tapes". It is clear why. There is taste of psycadellic reminiscent of the first album "Lonesome Crow". This album really comes into it's own when you have worked a lot of hours, achieved your milestone and are way too wired to sleep.

I'm a HUGE fan of the Scorpions with Matthais Jabbs. I worked my way backward in the band's catalog starting with Love At First Sting. Blackout and Lovedrive are great albums, and I love World Wide Live. I couldn't get into In Trance, and I really tried to. It's lacking the energy and shredder guitar solos and melodies of the late 70s and 80s material.