Rock and roll never sleeps, but I've been feeling more exhausted than ever lately (maybe it's the heat). Because of that, I've decided to dig deep into the history of rock to try and relax and cool off. Let's see what I've been listening to this month!
Pink Floyd - Obscured by Clouds
When I’m feeling exhausted, Pink Floyd can be the best band to listen to in the world. Their mix of blues, ambiance, and rock just seems to provide a lot of relief from the weariness of the day. While some albums are better about it than others, I decided to listen to the often overlooked Obscured by Clouds, and it was the right album to listen to that day.
Being a hodgepodge of songs made for a movie soundtrack, it doesn’t have the thematic vibe of their better known albums, but it shows how, even when they’re just throwing stuff together, they still know how to set an iconic tone. Set between the bluesy Meddle and the dramatic Dark Side of the Moon, there are some very nice pieces on here that wouldn’t be out of place on either, honestly.
Of course, there are some stand out tracks. “The Gold It’s In The…” is very different, almost coming across as a CCR or Guess Who style blues rocker (and not a bad one, in my opinion). And there’s “What’s … Uh The Deal?”, a great acoustic ballad later made famous by its inclusion on David Gilmour’s later solo tours. In fact, Gilmour has a lot of good (if short) solos on this album. However, it’s the instrumental sections that really stood out to me this time around, notably the opening title track and “Mudmen.”
To be sure, this isn’t Pink Floyd at their best, but to dismiss this album as mere filler would be a mistake, in my opinion. If you’re in the mood to just throw on a solid, ambient rock album and not worry about following a thread from track to track, Obscured by Clouds fills that need quite well.
Rainbow - Down to Earth
I’m pretty familiar with Rainbow’s classic three albums with Ronnie James Dio, but I hadn’t really bothered with their later stuff, that is until I decided to tune in to Dee Snider’s House of Hair show. After he played a few tracks from this album, I decided I should give it a shot. Right off, it’s definitely a change of pace from Dio’s sword-and-sorcery and mysticism. Gone are the long, proggy epics, and instead we get a handful radio-friendly rockers with a much more straight-forward approach.
That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad, but it does make comparisons to the earlier stuff somewhat useless. Comparing it to the likes of Styx’s Grand Illusion or Kansas’s Point of Know Return would probably serve it better. However, even in the company of those albums, a lot of this stuff sounds very bog-standard late-70s arena rock. The production also seems a bit muddy, like they were trying for a “wall of sound” effect, but the results sound like everything is just smushed together.
Still, there are some songs worth listening to. Blackmore brings his bouncy riffs and solid solos, while new singer Graham Bonnet has his moments. Singles “All Night Long” and “Since You Been Gone” do have their charm, and “Eyes of the World” still has shades of the Dio-era bigness. Songs like “Makin’ Love” and “Love’s No Friend” have more of an old-school Deep Purple vibe, which let Blackmore’s bluesy-ness really hang out. “Lost in Hollywood” makes for a pretty solid closer, as well.
So, overall, not a bad album. Perhaps not the chart-breaking success they were going for with the transition from 70s metal to 80s AOR, but a decent attempt at the sound while still retaining a few of the elements that has made Blackmore one of the most celebrated guitarists in the world.
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
Speaking of Dio, can you believe that I hadn’t listened to his iconic first Black Sabbath album until this month? While I was somewhat familiar with Sabbath’s Ozzy period, as well as early Rainbow and Dio’s later solo career, I had overlooked this nexus of two great names for far too long, so I decided to fix that, and throw it on.
Up front, this definitely has Dio’s stamp all over it. The epic melodic lines, the mythological references, the soaring vocals over crunchy powerful riffs; it really does feel like a prototype of Dio’s Holy Diver, and it sounds amazing. Dio may have been many things, but he certainly knew how to pen a rock song and give it life like few others can.
That’s not to say he overwhelms the album. Tony Iommi is definitely here, bringing his solid, thick chords and riffs. In fact, compared to the likes of Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die, both of which sounded pretty thin, the production on Heaven and Hell is very full and powerful, so I can see how many would see this as a major step up for the band.
I do think the first side (with “Neon Knights,” “Children of the Sea,” and the title track) is definitely stronger than the second, though “Die Young” has a lot of dynamic range. It also seems to have a bit of a glossy sound, not unlike Judas Priest’s British Steel, as Sabbath rides the NWOBHM wave of tighter, faster, slicker metal. Overall, very solid, and I feel bad for having missed it this whole time.
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Wrapping this up with another classic, it’s hard to go wrong with AC/DC. While some of their albums might have more going for them than others, every single one is a testament to a band that just wanted to play fun, stripped-down rock and roll!
Just to be clear, I’m listening to the international version, so this one has “Love at First Feel” and “Rocker” instead of "R.I.P. (Rock in Peace)" and “Jailbreak,” as well as the shorter variations of the songs it shares with the Australian version.
Not that it matters all that much, really. Like I mentioned earlier, you know what to expect with an AC/DC album, and this one certainly delivers. While the title track may be one of the best known songs in their catalog (and for good reason!), there are other solid songs like "Rocker" and “Problem Child” to fill things out, and "Ride On" provides a unique change of pace, being a slow-burning blues rocker. Of course, you also get a few songs on the raunchier side, with the aforementioned “Love at First Feel” and the notorious “Big Balls,” but they’re performed with such tongue-in-cheek, it’s hard to really take them seriously.
In the end, it's probably pointless to review an AC/DC album. Their sound is so familiar and recognizable, you probably already know how you feel about them, and any given album won't change that for you. For me, they're albums that let me kick back and not think for a while, and sometimes, in this heat, it's all I want.
The more I listen to rock music, the more staggering it becomes how much of it is out there, and how much of it I want to listen to. Still, the journey certainly is a blast, whether I'm checking out the new stuff or digging up classics.
I'm planning on doing one more article before this month ends, so keep an eye out for that. Until then, rock on! \m/
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