Power Pop Music

There is a nice assortment of artists on this one.

The highlight is "Misguided Angel" by the Cowboy Junkies. The singer's voice is angelic and ethereal. It is an improvement from the already great version on their Trinity Sessions cd.

"Renegade" by Warren Zevon is a stripped down, accoustic version where Zevon's voice is emotional and cracks in all the right places.

Marshall Crenshaw puts more zip into the power pop gem "Cynical Girl" and it is a winner.

Bruce Cockburn's "Waiting on a Miracle" is a wonderful, slow burner with tasty guitar licks all over the place.

I love Alex Chilton's "Guatana Amerika" which is played nice and raw...like a 1960's garage band.

There is a nice variety here and the performances are above average.

Nice Yo La Tengo track -- "Lewis" from their President Yo La Tengo album

Just to correct the other reviewer, The Fabulous Twister Sisters WAS a joint partnership between violinist/vocalist, Deni Bonet and vocalist/guitarist, Julie Adams, which broke up when Deni left the show a few years ago, to pursue a solo career. I agree about the quality of this record, though, of which the high spot is the chilling duet between Warren Zevon on piano and Deni Bonet on violin

The Twister Sisters is really Julie Adams with a backup band and she is fantastic. A wonderful combo of Emmylou Harris and Sarah MacLachlan sounds. Sarah is on here too, sounding sultry and ethereal. Alex Chilton is stripped down to a trio and offering up something wry and catchy. Martin Crenshaw is his usual playful self. Warren Zevon is not wry or humorous on this one - he does one of those Southener lamenting over the south's loss of the Civil War - and he sounds convincing to me.

I have vol 3 and vol 2. Vol 3 is my favorite out of the two,

Dude, if you like that catchy heavy 80s fantasy metal with brilliantly fast solos, I know these guys won't disappoint you. There's no screaming in here. Just fast jams. This is an amazing album. They just can't go wrong

It can't have been easy for Gamma Ray to follow up their epic 1995 album Land of the Free, but with 1997's Somewhere Out in Space, the band delivered another dose of high quality power metal.

Somewhere Out in Space might not be as majestic as Land of the Free, but it's not that far behind it either. This is a very good power metal album, and definitely has that epic and melodic sound that Kai Hansen practically invented. The whole album is solid, but there are some standout tracks. The title track is a high-speed metal anthem worthy of Helloween, Valley of the Kings and Lost in the Future are epics song despite their relatively short length, Watcher in the Sky could have come from Judas Priest's Painkiller album, and Shine On is a majestic anthem. Future Freedom Call drummer Dan Zimmermann was on board for this album, and you can definitely hear elements of what would become the Freedom Call sound here.

Gamma Ray would continue their series of excellent albums with 1999's Power Plant.

I suppose it goes without saying that Gamma Ray would appeal to Helloween fans. Fans of the more recent power metal bands like Sonata Arctica, Freedom Call, Edguy and Hammerfall also owe it to themselves to check out Gamma Ray, and Somewhere Out in Space is a great album to start with.

Some really incredible stuff on this album. 'Beyond The Black Hole' and 'Somewhere Out In Space' are, in my opinion, among the best metal songs ever recorded. Other notables are 'Valley Of The Kings', 'Men, Martians and Machines', and 'Pray', but there's more goodies to be found here. Unfortunately, the last few songs feel a little forced. It's nice to get a CD with 14 songs, but quality is better than quantity, and there are a couple of real boners in there that kept me from giving this CD a '5'. But the good ones make it worth having in your collection. You'll never get enough of them.

This is the album that really sold me on German power metal. I'd heard and liked Helloween(still do), but I must admit I was blown away after buying this on a whim. To newcomers, this won't sound all that extraordinary since you're probably already desensitized by the countless number of power metal clones out there. I consider this the real deal(along with Helloween and Blind Guardian....Grave Digger too I suppose) coz the grandaddy of this sound(Kai Hansen) is the leader of the group. Gamma Ray aren't the originators of this sound, Blind Guardian and Helloween existed long before, but this album is of personal significance because it was the one that really grabbed me. I think it had something to do with the intense energy and speed. I had always been a huge fan of thrash, but most of those groups(though I still love them) were always about Satan, death, disease, hate, etc. In the sleeve for this album, the band is smiling in their pictures! Very un-speed metal-like. I wish more people knew about this group in a world of extremely lame metal bands. It's scary that these guys are big in many other countries, but virtually unknown in the U.S. The ability to play instruments isn't really a necessity here.

This is actually a progressive power metal concept album based on Arthur C Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey (That's the author, the guy who directed the movie version was Stanley Kubrick). This is really good music and good vocals and just plain fun to listen to.

This album was pretty good. Straight Thuggin was off tha hook. That was the best song on the album. Hydroponix is my favorite too. Overall I like that CD. They need to put out another album. I brought this album because I was tired of seeing it on the shelves. But when I heard it, it was relatively decent. If you don't got this album, get it. There's at least six or seven hott joints I heard on there. So pick up dat album, ya heard~?? Peace

EX-0-Lotta

EVER SINCE THEM TWINS LEFT THE TANK THINGS WENT DOWNHILL. FIRST OF ALL WHO MADE THEM SMALL TIME BEATS. AM I MY BROTHERS KEEPER WAS A TRU CD SO WHAT HAPPENED. I UNDERSTAND YALL WNET TO JAIL BUT HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHAT GOT YOU TO THE SPOTLIGHT. BEG P TO COME BACK TO THE TANK.

This CD is different for the normal Hip-Hop/Rap CD. If you've never heard Kane & Abel, this CD is interesting. The first couple of times, the beginning of the CD sounds almost like "techno-rap". After listening for a while, it seems to change into a upbeat Gangsta Rap album. The styles are different from other CD's, and amusing, but this CD doesn't have a lot of variety between the songs. The beats and rhymes, almost blend together, making ya long for something different, something new. Some sexist remarks seem to pop out of the song right at the wrong time (like right when your mom walks in). And some of the lyrics just seem out of place. Despite these set-backs, its still worth listening to. Add it to your collection for those times, when your home alone, and ya need something different, just for a little while.

Mr. Mæstrø

Rise To Power, M.W. Empire is tight and all, but Kane & Abel would have done better on this album if it had NO LIMIT flavor! What really happened, why did they have to leave NO LIMIT....

I got this CD after I saw the video for Straight Thuggin. That songs tight, but its the only good song on the CD. The only reason Straight Thuggin is good is because of Twista, he's the man. I tried to listen to this album and had to stop it because it was so horrible. I can't see how anyone could like this album.

This remains one of my favorite Utopia albums since it's release back in '82. The last Todd solo album Healing left me somewhat cold and so this was a nice surprise. Utopia's last album had been the Beatles inspired farce Deface the Music so I was somewhat surprised and happy to find this the band's most serious album. Dealing with the changes brought on by the first year of President Reagan and the moral majority, this is the band's most political album. The album deals with recession, inflation, racism, covert military activity and censorship. From the dripping sacastic wit of the title track to the emotionalism of Only Human to the joy of One World, this is one to get.

I didn't realize when I was in high school how these songs would follow me in life. Brilliant; atypical Todd Rundgren. Though basically anti-establishment, some may notice some songs have been used by major companies (i.e. Nissan among others) in ads of the past ten years. A sleeper in the best sense. You should have this in your CD collection. A precursor to bands such as BNL and Phish, Utopia's sense and sendiments can be shared and felt by all who listen.

A 5 Star album. The music is great stuff. And the messages are as relevant today as they were then.

Recording from 1981-82, the beginning of the Reagan presidency. It's not really an indictment on our 40th president. Rather, it's a regurgitation of liberal fears of what a Reagan administration would be like: war ("Lysistrata"), the elimination of the welfare safety net ("Only Human"), corporate greed ("Last Dollar", "Love of Money", the title cut), and censorship ("Fahrenheit 451"). History reveals that Utopia were better artists than prognosticators (don't quit your "Day Job", Todd!). It's hard to argue with the tunes, however, many of which are infectious, and almost convincing (almost!). Which proves that, by definition, rock music is "feel" music, best served from the left.

What intrigued me when I first ran into this years back was the "rock'n'roll (da Beetles, in particular) is the devils music" bonfire shot--with the album's cover superimposed as the offending product...Jiminy Crunketts, what chutzpah! Then I was afforded a listen by my friendly neighborhood record store clerk...I liked it immediately, but I was never a big fan of Todd Rundren before this. "Lysistrata" is a personal favorite, 'cause that's actually what is sorta what's happenin', but no one's had the...uh...chutzpah to say it. "One Million Monkeys" and "Shinola" are catchy skewerings of the music industry, but the Gamble/Huff "For the Love of Money" and "Last Dollar On Earth" are "anti-Greed is Good" anthems if I ever heard one. Listening to this now makes one realize that things have not changed that much from them Reagan years, the game's the same but the faces have changed...also, do we have anybody besides these boys and Joanie Baez to lay it on the line and tell the people the real deal?

Really is a greatest hits - you'll smile, reminisce, sing, jump, dance, rock and be so glad you bought this - Love Somebody, Human Touch, Jessies Girl (of course) - can't go wrong with ANY song on this cd. Songs have energy -if you've seen Rick in concert, you;ll revisit here - if you haven't, you'll want to. Great selection of songs - all the songs you want to hear.

I have never been much of a ric Springfield fan, but he does have some catchy songs, and they are all here on one disk. So you don't have to have all of his other cds, and listen to the weaker songs, to listen to the good songs.
I've Done Everything for You, a ligher version of the Hagar song, holds up good, as does most of the rest. Rock of Life, has improved over time. Take this cd and it's songs for what they are, light good fun pop.

Ricks hits are great. His greatest hits are great. He's a great entertainer - buy it, enjoy it, relive the memories and enjoy the music which is still live and vital and fun for today. He really has done everything for us - music-wise! Terrific CD

I have to smile after reading all the reviewers here bashing the music critics for bashing this music. Hello??--that is what these people live for! Any guitar-driven rock-based pop with over-the-top melodic hooks has to be the most empty, talentless music on the planet, right? We all ought to be used to hearing these ignorant, close-minded criticisms by now.

While this collection isn't long enough and does reduce some of the tracks to single-length songs, I simply can't complain at all about it. I NEVER get tired of listening to it! (Neither does my wife, who plays it all the time.) Every single song is a melodic gem, epitomizing the best of '80s pop/rock. Excitement and passion are generated by each melody of each track. Anyone who compares this to "teeny-bopper" music (which does in fact fit into that category of "talentless") flat out doesn't know what they are talking about. Rick writes his own music, and actual instruments are used in playing it (as anyone who has seen him in concerts knows).

It's funny how over time that even the biggest hits of Rick have not stood the test of time on radio (except maybe on '80s nostolgia formats). I guess adult contemporary finds the music a little too rocking while rock radio finds it too pop. For sure, these songs haven't gotten worn out on radio like the biggest hits of many of Rick's contemporaries. But for me, I know every track here by heart--who needs the radio? This is a must-have collection for fans of Rick and melodic rock fans in general.

Oh dear, Oh Dear, Rob O'Connor - What have you started! Without a doubt Rick Springfield is an icon of the 80's, and the fact that he is still going strong in the year 2001 must say something for the man himself. Not many bands or artists (or Actors!) can boast such a feat (bearing in mind he is releasing NEW material as well). This album contains some of Rick's Classic Tracks that made the man, but to fully appreciate the man's talent in singing & writing (Don't forget he doe's write his OWN material!) maybe listen to TAO, Rock of Life, or Karma amongst other CD's out there. Bare in mind as an example that 'TAO' was released in 1985 and even today it is still ahead of it's time! In the years 'RS' has matured in his singing & writing ('Karma' being a good example), but has not compromised anything. You may say "oh... he's biased towards this guy", DAMN RIGHT!, believe me, upon seeing this man perform in the UK in '85 (Not been back since! - HINT! HINT!) I was hooked. I have all the CD's this man has released and trust me; this man has talent oozing from every pore. Listen to his music! Listen & Read the Lyrics! (He hasn't thrown these words together because they sound good! they actually mean something!). Believe me, nowadays listening & understanding lyrics and there meanings, are something that is rare in today's musical climate. Enclosing, if you have not got any of this man's work, you can do no wrong than sample genius at work. Forget that the majority of these tracks were released in the 80's; this man was way ahead of his time...

I consider myself a big fan of Badfinger. I've been trying to get a hold of Badfinger stuff for a little while. It can be difficult since a lot of their music is no longer sold, or is only sold in the U.K. I managed to get a copy of this album which is a compliation of Badfinger covers. Although I loved the concept of the album since badfinger isn't very appreciated, I was extremely disappointed by it. First of all, it was hard to get excited about the bands on the record. When your complilation's most recognizable band is a one hit wonder (The Knack) you know you're in bad shape. For the rest of the tracks they chose sterile and bland sounding groups that no one has ever heard of. All the tracks sound like you'd hear them on some lame mix station. I'm reminded of bands like the cranberries, and songs like "two princes" Music which in it's own right is at least palattable, but when combined with Badfinger's music makes for horrible results. None of the tracks on this album are unique from eachother. I would have loved to hear some Alternative (like weezer) metal, or blues renditions on this album, Just something interesting that would make this compilation fun, i would even be happy with some rap! Instead one is left with what's probably the worst record with badfinger's name on it.

Brad Jones' cover of "It's Over" is worth the price of admission. He may have even played all the instruments, a la Todd Rundgren. In any case, it's a power-pop classic that outshines the original (think Cheap Trick's cover of the Move's "California Man).

This is a better tribute album than others out there. The musicianship really shines through. Some songs are direct translations, others are very different interpretations of the classics. Personal faves are Get Away by the Rooks and a very different and enlightening version of Day After Day by 20/20. Nary a clunker in the bunch. Get it if you can find it.

I don't give a lot of credence to Amazon reviews in general for the simple reason that they are generally penned by amateurs (read: fans) and can best be likened to mildly canine drooling over the fan's latest craze, quite likely already forgotten by the time the review is in type (or font or bits or whatever it is these days.) But every once in a while an injustice must be, if not corrected, at least addressed. How clueless is the previous reviewer? 1) Almost everything Badfinger ever released is readily available. So any "big fan" who can't find it is hopeless to start with. 2) Many of the artists on this compilation are giants in their own right. If you've heard of The Knack, but don't know Cotton Mather, Dwight Twilley, The Plimsouls, Aimee Mann, etc, etc. etc., you probably only think you've been listening to Badfinger, it was really the Maroon 5. And secondly (sorry, little George Bush joke there) while no Badfinger lover in their right mind would trade any of these versions for the original (true of any tribute LP I've ever heard), these versions are intelligent, creative, expertly performed, and in many if not most instances, highly enjoyable and inspirational. If you truly know and love Badfinger (and sadly, there ain't anything much new coming from them) this is an excellent purchase.

In my Opinion Sentenced are the best Rock Band Ever From the day the have started singing untill the day the stoped!
I can't stop lestining For them what matter i do i come back to them.

Not necessarily the holy grail of hard rock, but damn fine and solid throughout. Very good songwriting, sense of dynamics and sense of overall heaviness. Not like the over the top metal stuff of recent years. Recommended for fans of midwest heavy rock with a somewhat prog twist ca. 60s-70s ala SRC, Third Power, etc. I prefer the MC5, Stooges, etc., but this is a cool listen nonetheless.

i wholeheartidly agree with the above reviewer!..i was looking forward to this as well...but was wholly underimpressed!...i think monster records hype things beyond belief and all that i've gotten has failed to light any fire!..can't hold a candle to similar underground 70's acts like blues creation,night sun,bedemon,buffalo,etc!..pass on this one ERGO!

I will be honest, I was completely looking forward to this disc arriving when I ordered it from Monster records. I had read a lot about it, and am a huge fan of heavy psych rock, especially the obscure stuff from the early to mid 70's. Looking at the cover and reading reviews, I was sure this will be a heavy monster rock winner.

Boy was I wrong!! This release is lame. It has some instances where they rock, but overall it is boring, and the songs go nowhere. The vocals are incredibly lacking of power, and the heavyness for the most part just is not there. This is the only cd that I have from this time period and this style that I have since sold. Don't believe the hype on this one!!

I think this is a great slab of authentic 70s hard rock 'n roll obviously inspired by the likes of Jeff Beck, Cream, Hendrix and the blues. There's even a hint of complexity ala Rush to be found here. The heavy Gibson/Marshall 70s sound just dominates this thing and sets it's hooks in you right from the start! This is easily one of my favorites among the rare U.S. hard rock records from the 70s. Great to see it on CD finally. Check it out!