Review #172

I used to wonder why is particularly volume 2 of the "You can't do that on stage anymore" collection the one that is considered one of the best Zappa's live albums ever, why not the volumes 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6? Well, I haven't heard the other 5 volumes yet but my curiosity led me to listen to this record and I agree it is one of the best live performances of the Zappa band of the middle '70s. This concert was recorded in Helsinki, Finland in 1974 (September 22 and 23) and the musicians that were in charge of this mind-blowing show were Ruth Underwood, George Duke, Tom Fowler, Chester Thompson, Napoleon Murphy Brock, and of course Frank Zappa.

Unlike most of the Frank Zappa live albums, "You can't do that on stage anymore, vol. 2" doesn't include a lot of songs that didn't appear on other records, actually most of the songs on this album can be located in several Frank Zappa albums published before and after this concerts ("Joe's Garage", "Apostrophe", "One size fits all", "Studio tan", "Roxy & elsewhere", "We're only in it for the money", "Uncle Meat", "Over-nite sensation" and "Waka/Jawaka").

"Dupree's Paradise" is an excellent 24-minute track with an extensive narrative as "Billy The Mountain" or "The adventures of Greggery Peccary" but in this one, the lyrics are not overwhelming and there is more space for the musical madness. "Satumaa" is a Finnish Tango, very popular in Finland, Zappa and his band made an excellent performance that was well received by the audience.

So, what makes this record so great? Well, this is absolute because of the music: the quality of the performances, every instrument sounding as its best through the most intense and well-rehearsed and recorded songs. There is no need of describing each song since, as I said before, most of them are already on other albums, but as a whole performance I'll say this album is probably the most complete Zappa live album there is.

I guess the audience of these shows got extremely satisfied with the performances; not even my mother was born when these shows occurred, so I can only dream about being there but if there is someone out there who attended any of the Helsinki shows (or both), congratulations, you must have had a very good time.

SONG RATING: Tush tush tush (A token of my extreme), 4 Stinkfoot, 5 Inca roads, 5 RDNZL, 5 Village of the Sun, 5 Echidna's arf (of you), 5 Don't you ever wash that thing? 5 Pygmy twylyte, 5 Room service, 4 The idiot bastard son, 4 Cheepnis, 4 Approximate, 5 Dupree's Paradise, 5 Satumaa, 4 T'Mershi Duween, 5 The dog breath variations, 5 Uncle Meat, 5 Building a girl, 3 Montana, 5 Big Swifty, 5

AVERAGE: 4.65

PERCENTAGE: 93

ALBUM RATING: 5 stars

I ranked this album #90 on my TOP 100 favorite Progressive Rock albums of all time.

Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue

Yeah uhm, I mean there's no way you can't give this five stars. One of the most influential and *essential* jazz albums of all time. It is a cornerstone of the multiple genres it encapsulates. Miles Davis, being a master both in technique and composition, had already made multiple master works and would later make many others, but for sure none as iconic as Kind Of Blue.

If you're into jazz this record shouldn't be hard to get into at all. If you're not into jazz, then I highly recommend you to check this album with an open mind. Track structure can sometimes (to mean mostly) be very abstract and inaccessible.

It's incredible how wonderful this album is! Progressive rock is renewed by Sub Rosa, an independent Brazilian band. Years ago, when I bought their first album, The Gigsaw, I was sure that the next one would be revolutionary. And so we are, and so it is. 11:11 is a double concept album with 22 songs. And really are 22 SONGS. Not that senseless instrumental masturbation that Brazilian progressive rock became in the last decades, but SONGS able to play in any good music radio station, just like it used to be in the golden years of music. Pink Floyd, Marillion and The Beatles must be proud of their heirs. Yes, Sub Rosa are the heirs of those titans' legacy. If you want good ballads, you have Carnation, Fossil Irradiation, Dust of God and The Illusion. For the good old rock and roll, Ars Regia Therion, The Men Behind the Curtains, Ride the Black Goat and the bluesy Liber Librae. For the proggers, Slave to Freedom, Do What You Will and the fantastic Breakthrough Listen. The sensibility of The Lambspring, XIII, Romance Hermetic and Less Than Two. The power of Rue Le Tabel, which opens the album, and The Pig. The pop happiness of Chariot of the Crowned Child (one of the best). The mind-blowing innovation of The Play of Life and The Lost Word (in which Sub Rosa teaches how instrumental music must be). And, finally, the union of them all: The Wishing Man! Apotheotic!

And the graphic art, that is spectacular! As perfect as the music! And more than perfect when taken together.

Of course, such geniality, feeling and talent cannot be forgiven by the old fashioned instrument masturbators and their awful fanclub. So, Sub Rosa has haters.

But that's only a tip that Sub Rosa is on the right way.

These same minds hate Steven Wilson, Phil Collins, David Gilmour, John Lennon and everyone who plays Progressive Rock for the people and not for bunkered frustrated egocentric musicians, bounded to their own darkness. Sub Rosa and all these guys make progressive music for people to sing along, and with intelligent lyrics, catchy melodies and good vibes. Fascists don't like it, because they think they are The Few Chosen Ones and progressive rock is for the elites.

Sub Rosa 11:11 is already born as a classic. It comes to us 11 years after the last release of the band, The Gigsaw and, when we bring to mind all this fantastic music, illustrations, concept, and even a tarot deck, everything connected, so rich, so beautiful, so FREE... We must say: THANK YOU, SUB ROSA!!! WE LOVE YOU!

Review #171

Another excellent Zappa live record, this time, a double LP filled with Reggae stylized songs and very intense guitar solos; the album was mostly recorded in 1980 but some of the songs are from other shows between 1978 and 1979. Probably the most popular song from this record is the reggae piece "Fine girl" but definitely the greatest piece of the record is "Easy meet" which was ensembled from the recordings of three different shows (one of them in 1975). The brass instruments, unstoppable percussions, and involving keyboards are omnipresent in the album, always catchy, fresh, and original.

I adore how good Frank Zappa and Ike Willis played the vocal roles as a team in "For the young sophisticate"; three songs from previous Zappa records were played really well in this album: "Peaches en regalia" (re- titled as "Peaches III"), "Tell me you love me" (played much faster than in the original "Chunga's revenge" album) and "Brown shoes don't make it". "Love of my life" is a very nice romantic piece in the vein of the days with The Mothers of Invention. "Dance contest" and "Panty rap" are short sections of Frank Zappa interacting with the audience and with very subtle music in the background (probably my least favorite pieces of the record but not at all bad either).

"Now you see me, now you don't" is another great mainly guitar solo song in the middle of the album, "The blue light" is one of those mostly narrated pieces by Zappa, kind of a very short "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary", the end of the song includes a very nice trumpet riff intercalated with the intermittent keyboards. "Tinsel Town Rebellion" continues with this narrated style with a very fifties' jazzy and swingy rhythm. In "Pick me, I'm clean" and "Bamboozled by love" Ike Willis took back his place as the main singer while Zappa kept jamming with Steve Vai and their amazing guitar riffs and solos.

"Tinsel Town Rebellion" is an excellent live album by Frank Zappa, probably not the best or the most popular one but definitely an amazing and mostly original record.

SONG RATING: Fine girl, 4 Easy meat, 5 For the young sophisticate, 4 Love of my life, 3 I ain't got no heart, 4 Panty rap, 3 Tell me you love me, 4 Now you see it, now you don't, 4 Dance contest, 3 The blue light, 4 Tinsel Town Rebellion, 4 Pick me, I'm clean, 4 Bamboozled by love, 4 Brown shoes don't make it, 4 Peaches III, 4

AVERAGE: 3.87

PERCENTAGE: 77.33

ALBUM RATING: 4 stars

— First review of this album —

To steal a comparison from Ross Scott, the music of Mexican musician Greco Bastián can best be compared to gold ore: rough and unrefined in its current state but with obvious value and potential gleaming within. As with most of his music, this not-so-imaginatively titled EP was created entirely using a DAW, and the first thing one will notice about it is the production: everything is ridiculously loud; the drums tower over all other instruments in the mix and clip frequently; the samples all mimic real instruments (drum kit, piano, guitar, etc.) but little effort is made to make them sound convincing: they have no natural attack and sustain and no natural dynamics. For what it's worth, the artist has said on his Bandcamp page that he one day plans to make this music "real" as soon as he's able to acquire the funds for it, so his music should thus far really only be seen as a prototype. Nevertheless, this is all there is for the time being.

It's a shame because Bastián is clearly a talented composer, and these three tracks are a fine sampler of the hard-rocking Univers Zero/Present-influenced R.I.O. sound in which he has found his niche. "Extitled" lets the listener know right away that they're in for an intense ride, with its dissonant contrapuntal melodies, odd, constantly changing rhythms and general sense of immediate danger, rather than the looming dread conveyed by bands such as Univers Zero. "Titled" is a sinister ostinato-based waltz that gradually builds up an apocalyptic atmosphere before settling down again near the end, with the actual end of the world following on the final track "Retitled", consisting of a theme that gets continuously varied and deconstructed, resulting in a barrage of relentless math rock riffs. If one can get past the abrasive and slightly amateuristic sound quality, this EP proves to be quite a tasty gold ore nugget.

Prepare for the assault...

I don't want the headline to be misleading. This is very much Ruins haha. Rhythmic intensity. Crazed, fun and tribal vocals and chanting. This all, of course, can be a lot, but this is part of the Ruins experience.

Some songs, frankly, don't hit. Some songs hit half the time. But throughout, really, there is that magic (on most tracks). The bassist at this time, Hisashi Sasaki, is excellent. Awesome riffage and licks, oft using fuzz tone to really beef it up (my mind goes to Hugh HOPPER).

Some personal highlights, in order of appearance: the latter half of "Warrido", the wild but brief "Dagdad", "Kpaligoth", the ending of "Zumn-Vigo", "Savollodix", "Quopern" (I would say the most memorable bass riff on the album), the middle section till the end of "Larikoschodel" (the most unique sounds utilized), and the latter half of "Vrresto".

There was a great performance I found from this period on YouTube, consisting of this trio with Dave HOLLAND. Again, it was great. I was pleased to see they had put something from this time together to tape, I suppose with or without Dave. I can't say he could have saved them from the low points on this album, unfortunately. The compositions herein were either written by Jack or by Pat METHENY. Pretty even mix.

As recalled from the aforementioned live performance, this is very of the time "Cool" Fusion. To my pleasant surprise, many moments that could have been spoiled by very plastic, corn-fest sonic flavors were spared (perhaps the nearest to this occurring was, to me, the faux-horns on "Nine Over Reggae", likely the second best track). But regardless of your tastes, of course all well performed, and, for what it's worth, the tracks are each unique; writ and performed by some of the definite all-time greats. That's undeniable.

I will say, plastic or not, songs such as "Exotic Isles" and "Dancing" are maybe too soft, if not flat, for my tastes. Not a whole lot else to say on that. The latter, especially, is very much a low-light, slow-go Pat Metheny song.

Lastly, Herbie on sax on the title track?! I had no idea! So many of these guys are so much more well-rounded than we thought possible lol. I can't say too much in the way of "good" for this track though; Just worth mentioning.

The only real highlight for me was the opener, "Jack In".

True Rate: 2.5/5.0

For fans of the Avant-Garde; Classic yet modern.

A drummer who leads and one who leads as well as Jack from behind the kit is always something to behold. Always loved his style and his presence; such a force. And of course he had a helluva band here.

And for this Special Edition, a refreshing thing for 1980. The album starts off with "One For Eric", a lively and fittingly quirky tribute to DOLPHY. "Zoot Suite" feels like a very... timeless piece(?)--really very hard to explain. Minimalist, experimental. "Central Park West" is solemn, reflective; Slip Warren's bass (or is it cello?) is bowed here to nice effect. "India" pivots to a very free take on eastern sonics. The soloing from David Murray is very satisfying, to say the least. The closer, "Journey to the Twin Planet", is a strange piece, but a lot of interest therein.

True Rate: 3.5/5.0

This record is terrible; I adore this band, but they were clearly slip sloping downwards. Time-Line their eleventh pop-oriented studio album.

They started slowly steeply downwards with the two albums before this one. The only two good things are, the first one being her voice sounding fine on the record. The album cover is the second positive aspect of this release which is basically 80s new wave

The massive orchestral arrangements, the keyboard supporting her magnificent singing, baroque classical sort of stuff, acoustic guitars are just not there, this is everything you liked about Renaissance. This is basically pretty terrible early 1980s synth-pop, which isn't what Renaissance is known for. Furthermore, the synth arrangements aren't great either. All the other instruments are awash which is not what you expect from Renaissance.

0.5/5 at most and there is nothing to review anyway except Annie's voice.

Considered one of the most influential Swedish hard rock bands of the 70s, TRETTIOÅRIGA KRIGET which means Thirty Years War was conceived in 1970 by high school buddies Stefan Fredin and Olle Thörnvall after reading about the religious and geopolitical event in a history class. In the beginning the band formed with six members but was reduced down to four by the time this self-titled debut album was released in 1974. This is one of those bands that straddled the spectrum of influences and offered stark transitions between heavy rock with progressive elements in the vein of the most fiery King Crimson to more standard hard rock in the vein of Led Zeppelin, UFO or Uriah Heep but also the band could shift without warning into mellotron soaked acoustic space rock as well as exercise some of the knottiest time signature bombast in contrast to the otherwise highly melodic display of musicianship.

While never famous outside of their homeland, this band that began in the town of Saltsjöbaden near Stockholm was limited in their audience size mostly due to the Swedish only vocals performed exquisitely by Robert Zima one of the last members to join before the band released this debut album. This first album offered a rampaging display of heavy rock with a jazz-infused quirkiness laced with progressive outbursts that decorated the soundscape. Sounding unique even by today's standards, TRETTIOÅRIGA KRIGET's debut has been cited as a major influence on band's like Ånglagard and Anekdoten and is a primo example of how sophisticated Swedish prog was in it the golden years while the rest of Europe was capturing the world's attention. The band was also famous for changing its style dramatically from album to album and therefore this heavy rock debut was followed by a more pastoral acoustic sophomore release.

After forming the band was lucky enough to catch the attention of Epic Records which signed them up to release this eponymously titled debut. The original release consisted of six tracks that added up to the standard running time of an album, in this case just over 38 minutes long however newer releases offer three bonus tracks which are every bit as good as the original six and even offer an English vocal track with "I've Got No Time" unlike on the original. The album belies its hard rock leanings with the opening "Kaledoniska Orogenesen" which could even be considered heavy metal since it's heavier than anything either Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath had released. The track begins in classic rock form but then shifts into knotty prog territory with a barrage of time signature changes, dynamic shifts and hairpin turns. After an abrupt ending the following "Röster från minus till plus" jumps right into knotty prog territory but less frenzied in the world of psychedelic space rock with some jazzy overtones. At nearly eight minutes long it's also the second longest track and features some excellent prog workouts.

"Fjärilsattityder" showcases a jazzier guitar presence and a dominant choppy bass line. While the lyrics are in Swedish, lead vocalist Robert Zima sings like the Italian singers of the same era however this track is all about letting the guitar riffs and soloing rip. Jimi Hendrix is also a clear influence in the guitar presence however with two guitarists there is a beefier overall sound. This track in particularly reminds me of Osanna. "Mina löjen" just ramps it all up with the perfect mix of frenetic hard rock and prog. At an 8:09 running time also the longest track which allows it to explore much terrain. Another series of straight forward proto-metal moments and knottier jazz-rock prog which features softer vocal driven passages that alternate with angst ridden guitar fueled frenzies that are a mix of King Crimson and Led Zeppelin with a bit more Lucifer's Friend energetic discharge. "Ur djupen," the shortest track under four minutes is a more immediate mix of heavy rock and slower jazzy rock. The closing "Handlingens skugga" features a dramatic build up with military march drumming but then alternates between jazzy spaced out passages and frenetic heavy metal fury. The guitar solos are particularly unhinged.

TRETTIOÅRIGA KRIGET was quite successful in its native Sweden but unlike most rock oriented bands of this era, refused to use English and therefore stunted any international appeal however over time the band has been recognized for its significant talent beyond the local Swedish scene. The band would tone things down a bit on the following album "Krigssång" by jettisoning the heavier rock freneticism and focusing on the spacier prog aspects making this self-titled debut a unique slice of the band's lengthy history (they are still cranking out albums with the latest "Till Horisonten" coming out just this year in 2021.) As far as i'm concerned this debut is the one that works best for me. The contrast between caffeinated rock parts and the spacier slower jazz-rock segments is well worth the price of admission. While there could be a bit more variety especially as the albums reaches the final tracks, there's no mystery in how this band could've been considered Sweden's top hard rock band of the era because even by today's standards it is of very high quality. And to think that this album was released the same year ABBA won the Eurovision Contest and forever put Sweden on the map for exporting its musical talent!