Hey, it's time for another one of these! My goal is to do an anniversary article once a month for the rest of the year. That should provide some decent variety, especially as I get closer to the present! This month, 1975! To be honest, this year is very much a time of transition. Prog was wearing out its welcome, arena rock was really picking up, and punk was still a few years off. Still, a lot of great stuff came out this year, so let's get into it!
Early in the year, Rush introduces the world to Neil Peart with Fly by Night. While they still retain much of their Zeppelin-like debut, the song-writing definitely went up a notch or two when they got their new drummer. Of course, Zeppelin themselves would show their chops that same month with Physical Graffiti, a titanic double-album with epics like "Kashmir" and "Ten Years Gone." Also expanding the arena rock style is Alice Cooper and Kiss, with their style and flashy flair. Alice introduced us all to his nightmares, while Kiss were Dressed to Kill, though their success wouldn't come around until they release Alive! later on this year. Inspired by UK's glam rockers, these bands gave shows few attendees would forget, letting us rock 'n' roll all night!
As winter turns to spring, we get Aerosmith's Toys in the Attic. With massive tracks like "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion," its no wonder they still get airplay on classic rock radio. At the same time, fellow blues-rockers Bad Company released Straight Shooter, giving us "Feel Like Makin' Love" and "Shooting Star." The Eagles followed with One of These Nights, a massive album featuring not only the title track, but "Lyin' Eyes" and "Take It To The Limit" as well! Despite this trend of more streamlined rock, the prog-masters were still putting out material. Rick Wakeman would continue his solo career by dabbling with King Arthur and his Knights, Camel released The Snow Goose, Hawkwind had Warrior on the Edge of Time, and Uriah Heep was making a Return to Fantasy. Rush would be highly productive and release Caress of Steel, expanding their prog rock style with "Bastille Day" and the side-long epic "The Fountain of Lamneth." Of course, the big prog rock record would be Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. Featuring incredible and innovate moods and melodies, the band really came together and made a masterpiece (in my opinion, anyway). Unfortunately, it would also be the last time they would be so well-balanced and in-sync with each other. Heavy metal also saw a few excellent releases, with Black Sabbath releasing Sabotage, a rather underrated album with classics like "Hole in the Sky" and "Symptom of the Universe." Meanwhile, Rickie Blackmore would finally break from Deep Purple and introduce the world to Ronnie James Dio with his Rainbow Debut. "Man on the Silver Mountain" remains one of the most epic tracks ever recorded! Wrapping things up, Fleetwood Mac would introduce the world to Stevie Nicks on their second self-titled album, providing singles in the second-half of '75 and deep into '76. Styx finally gets their major record label debut with Equinox, full of great songs like "Lorelei," "Lonely Child," and "Suite Madame Blue." And finally, a discussion of rock from 1975 would not be complete without Queen's A Night At The Opera, released at the end of November. Between the poppy "You're My Best Friend," the epic "The Prophet's Song," and of course the headbang-worthy "Bohemian Rhapsody," it was a release few rockers could afford to miss. Hard to beat a conclusion like that! Hopefully, you're all enjoying this style of article. I know I'm having fun digging through all this stuff, and I know I've missed some great tracks, so I've got another playlist below. If I'm missing anything, let me know. Until then, rock on! \m/
Good heavens, it's been a while since I've done one of these! Part of it is that I relistening to the 2019 albums for my top 5, so I didn't start spinning anything new until this month. Still, I've got some interesting albums to talk about, so let's get started. Asia - Astra
Despite listing Asia as one of my favorites there on the right, I really haven't listened to much beyond their self-titled, Alpha, and their first reunion album Phoenix. That being said, I've always wanted to get deeper into their catalog, and I figured now is better then never. So Astra. With Howe leaving, this album definitely doesn't carry as much of a prog vibe as the first two (though Alpha was already showing signs of streamlining). With Krokus guitarist Mandy Meyer filling in, the band is now fully embracing an arena rock sound, leaving behind the flourishes that made their debut so vibrant. The result is some pretty stereotypical 80s AOR. That's not to say the album is bad. "Too Late" and "After the War" are the two closest in style to the earlier albums, "Go" is a great rocker, and "Rock and Roll Dream" shows some interesting dynamics with the help of a symphony orchestra. Geoff Downes' keyboards really take up a lot of space on the album, providing the songs his trademark richness in the tones and textures. It's also curious to hear a cameo of THX's Deep Note at the beginning of "Countdown to Zero." Reading up on some of the background on the recording, it's clear that they were going for more pop radio success, and it shows. Songs are cleaner, bigger, but not necessarily stronger. I'm sure if I give it more time, I'll find more to like about it, but for now, it's just kinda okay.
Gamma Ray - Insanity and Genius After reviewing Sigh No Moremore than a year ago, I've finally come back to this band and their discography. Their first two albums were okay, definitely a part of the early transition out of 80s speed metal, but very few songs really stood out. Here, we see Gamma Ray starting to break out and try some things, on their way to their iconic power metal sound. Still, there are a few quirks to shake out. A few songs, namely "No Return" and "18 Years" still have a strong Helloween sound, though I suppose that's just Kai Hansen at this point. "The Cave Principle" and " Heal Me" have strong progressive metal elements, with that latter song even showcasing a small mellow moment a la Pink Floyd, and a bit of theatrical touches towards the end. "Gamma Ray," despite being a cover, fits their sound to a T, with a very catchy chorus. "Last Before the Storm," however, is very much a glimpse into the future for this band and for power metal as a whole! It's easy to hear in this song the rest of German power metal that would be created in the decades to come. As it would turn out, this is the last album with Ralf Scheepers, and it's obvious that he's really grown as a singer. We start to hear many of his iconic style that would become an integral part of his later band Primal Fear. His performance on "The Cave Principle" really showcases this. Otherwise, it's just okay as an album. Like I said, they seem to be in transition, shaking out the last of the 80s cliches and trying to identify what they should be in the 90s by exploring a few different ideas. I understand Land of the Free is when the band really takes off, and when I get around to it, I'll let you know!
Alter Bridge - Walk the Sky Here's yet another band whose discography I have yet to really get into. I remember getting their first album, mostly from the momentum of wanting to follow up with the Creed guys after they broke up in 2004, and while I thought it was pretty good, very little of it stuck with me. However, after spending a large part of last year being blown away by their singles for this album, I finally decided to put it on and hear where Tremonti, Kennedy, Marshall, and Phillips are up to these days. First of all, this album sounds just plain huge! Of course, the big riffs and crunchy guitars were not a surprise, but it's the subtle symphonic or synthy touches that really kick this one into a higher gear. And in between it all, there are little, intricate guitar parts that help the songs sound very rich and varied. Sometimes they turn up the crunch and sometimes they break out the acoustic guitar for something softer. However, it never feels inconsistent, mostly because the melodies and vocal lines tie everything together so well. In contrast, the lyrics are simple and very straight-forward, though they certainly aren't cliched. Miles Kennedy, however, sings them with such sincerity that it makes them so much more than just their word count. He really puts on a great performance here. Of course, with this many songs, it would be difficult for everything to be at the same level of quality, and I do feel like the songs start to blend together after "Pay No Mind." Also, "Indoctrination" is a bit of a weirder one as it tries to go for something darker and more dramatic, but I don't know if it works all the way through. Nothing horrible, but a few road bumps in the album's flow. Still, there was plenty to like, that's for sure, with the standout tracks being "In the Deep," "Take the Crown," "The Bitter End," and "Pay No Mind." Honestly, I feel a bit ashamed that I didn't get to this one sooner (though it certainly would have made my Top 5 of 2019 much harder!). It's great to hear the band still providing triumphant epics in a genre that often doesn't have them. Really solid stuff.
As you can see, my article output has really stayed consistent so far this year, and I admit I'm pretty pleased! Things may change in the future, but for now, I'd like to keep at this pace for as long as I can. There certainly isn't a shortage of great material to cover, that's for sure! Until then, rock on! \m/
Sorry for not posting here. Life has a funny way of messing with your priorities, and all my intentions for this blog were sidelined for a while. Anyways, I just wanted to share some videos of new stuff out there that I wanted to recommend that people check out.
First of all, Apocalypse, the new Primal Fear album, is out! While I don't think it was as good as the last one (Rulebreaker! \m/), it had some pretty good songs, including this one above. Solid power metal for sure.
This is from a new band I had never heard of before. It looks like they're a fusion of two bands from Texas. The vocals seem a little low in the mix, but otherwise this is some very epic US prog/power metal! They don't have a full-length album out, but you can find a few songs on their bandcamp page.
Meanwhile, Dee Snider decided to buck his glam past and go for a more modern sounding album with For The Love of Metal. It's an interesting listen, but Snider acquits himself admirably to the new sound and makes it work. Sounding somewhere between modern Disturbed and classic Testament/Metallica, it's a nice, heavy album with some satisfying crunches.
Getting into prog rock for a moment, this band In Continuum is actually the left overs from Sound of Contact (who's album Dimensionaut I loved!). Basically, it's the same band without Simon Collins, so the vocals are different, but they remain very sci-fi focused. I look forward to their first album when it comes out . . . . sometime.
Of course, my favorite band (or part of them) has been busy. While Yes featuring ARW did release a live album earlier this year, this video was leaked as content for an upcoming album. However, we haven't heard anything else, or even if it will be a full-length release! Still, it's something to tide us over until we get more news.
Finally, let's do some 80s throwback stuff. I decided to give Vega a chance and was blown away by just how anthemic they were. If you miss the massive, wall-of-sound style of rock that dominated the end credits of epic 80s films, this is the band for you!
Anyways, that's it for me. Sorry for not being more productive. This is something I want to get more into again, but life has got me occupied elsewhere. Still, I hope this wave of new material tides you over for now. Until then, rock on! \m/
Let's start off with a classic, shall we? By the mid-70s, Styx was growing in popularity. With singles like "Lady," "Lorelei," and "Crystal Ball," they were making their way onto radio stations around the United States. However, this album was the one that shot them up to stardom, and when you listen to it, it's easy to hear why. Full of anthemic sounds and clever lyrics, there's good reason many of the songs on this album are still played on classic rock stations around the world. I don't think one could call The Grand Illusion a "concept album," per se, but it does revolve around a certain set of themes, mostly provided through Dennis DeYoung's lyrics. The songs satirize an increasingly superficial and conspicuous world (something that we still struggle with today!), leaving one to wonder what is real and what is not. These themes are found most obviously in the title track, as well as well as "Miss America" and "Fooling Yourself." "Superstar" touches on it as well, though it's less critical, as if it wants to invite the audience onstage to join in on the fun of fame and glory. Which brings me to their music and it's accessibility. Every single song on this album is very easy to get into and enjoy, with big, arena-filling riffs and great use of textured synthesizers. Even when they get proggier in second half of the album with "Man in the Wilderness" and "Castle Walls," (including a great Pink Floyd inspired drum solo) things never stray too far into the weird or technical, resulting in a consistently enjoyable album. Nothing embodies this more than "Come Sail Away." Starting off as a piano ballad that slowly builds, expressing a desire to explore and see the world, only to eventually explode with that huge chorus, those iconic riffs reaching to the ceiling. Even when it gets a little space-y with the bridge, it still drives forward at an unrelenting pace until it brings it back to the chorus and the big finish. A great balance of straight forward rock buoyed by progressive rock flourish, and that's why it's Styx best known and most beloved song from this album, if not their whole catalog. I also want to point out the work of Chuck Panozzo. While he is not often listed as one of the greatest rock bassists, but he's very solid, and his bouncy beats are what help Styx's songs feel so driven. One doesn't have to be some technical wizard or innovative player to be a great bassist. As for everyone else, Dennis DeYoung's work really dominates the album. Full of theatricality and piano work, he's almost succeeded in being an American verison of Queen. Tommy Shaw puts in work as well, not only providing the hit "Fooling Yourself" but also the haunting and passionate "Man in the Wilderness." His and James Young's guitar work is classic 70s rock. The Grand Illusion is 70s arena rock done right, and Styx at their best. While not every song is perfect ("Superstar" feels a little shallow, and "The Grand Finale" is neat but not really memorable), there is enough going on here to be the staple of classic rock stations the country over for the past 30 some-odd years. Perhaps it's sounds and production are dated, but this album is such timeless rock that it still feels relevant and lively.
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