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PopTodd

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Posts posted by PopTodd

  1. Iron Maiden

    Judas Priest

    ;)

     

    I do love Maiden and Priest, but seriously (for this board):

    Stray Cats

    Not that nobody here knows them, but how great were they?

     

    Brinsley Schwarz

    Nick Lowe's first big band had an amazing run in the early-mid 70's. And the live on the BBC collection that came out a couple of years ago shows that they were even more amazing live. "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love, and Understanding?" was theirs before Elvis', after all.

  2. I dislike the fact that you start so many threads - but the following are great songs

     

    I apologize for offending your sensibilities.

    Guess I just am used to boards with higher traffic and posting rates. In deference to this board, I will try to slow down a bit.

  3. den-11.jpg

     

    Only heard parts of that one, but it's good.

    And the only "officially released" solo album -- Pacific Ocean Blue I have in its entirety and it IS damn good (if you can get past the 70's production).

     

    Other fans?

     

    Anyone have the entire Bamboo album?

  4. I saw about 30 min. of it before I had to turn off the tube and go to sleep. (Alarm is set for 5:00.)

    But it was pretty interesting. Shed a new light on not just the man, bit also (for me) on the strip, which I have always loved; sometimes without even knowing why.

     

    PBS shows like this are part of the reason why I don't have cable.

  5. Please, please, PLEASE don't let this happen. :pray

    The Bulls have built a terrific team mostly through the draft, and they're exciting to watch. Given another year or two, I think they're NBA Finals material. I just don't understand the impulse to upset all that just to snag Kobe Bryant. He might make the team better for a year or two, but I think the long-term effects would be disastrous.

     

     

    Agreed.

    They guy can't even get along with Phil Jackson.

    So, echoing the comments directly above... with Skiles?

    Oy.

  6. I was 11

     

    I don't think I've heard anything since then that I could stomach. I'm usually pretty easy on pop bands, but I find some of that hysteria stuff down right offensive

     

     

    I was 12 and I hate Hysteria, too.

    But still I know all the words to "Rock Of Ages" (God help me).

     

    Any yeah, I hadn't heard anything since then that I could stomach either. But one night I was listening to the Loop here in Chicago and they played "Waterloo Sunset" out of the blue. It obviously wasn't The Kinks, but an obviously newer version with crunchy guitars and all that. And I found myself really digging it.

     

    Then the DJ came on and let me know that it was Def Leppard, from their new album of cover tunes and that piqued my interest. I got the album and it reminded me exactly why I did like that band all those years ago and why, despite myself, I still really did like Pyromania.

     

    Believe me, Def Leppard would be the last band I'd be pimping, but get over it. They're a damn good rock band (High and Dry is a good record, too) and this is an excellent, just plain fun album.

  7. I've been slowly immersing myself in this site for a while now and am really enjoying it.

    Great idea that I've found a couple of new artists through using.

     

    My label has sent my band's CD in for consideration/inclusion and I am waiting with baited breath.

     

    But before that happens, I got my stations for now.

    Awww yeah!

  8. Anyone have that out-of-print Laughner demos collection? -- Take the Guitar Player For a Ride?

    (Yes, that was him that Wilco was quoting on "Misunderstood".)

     

    You know of any other Laughner collections out there? My copy of the one mentioned above has been trashed and, as it is out-of-print, I obviously have no access to a copy for less than $50-100.

     

    Fans?

    Do you know the solo stuff, or just the Pere Ubu and Dead Boys tracks?

  9. They put out an all-covers album last year that was REALLY damn good.

    Just a great rock band playing the songs that inspired them to play music in the first place.

    Excellent versions of:

    1 20th Century Boy (Bolan) 3:40

    2 Rock On (Essex) 2:53

    3 Hanging on the Telephone (Lee) 2:22

    4 Waterloo Sunset (Davies) 3:38

    5 Hell Raiser (Chapman, Chinn) 3:19

    6 10538 Overture (Lynne) 4:30

    7 Street Life (Ferry) 3:26

    8 Drive-In Saturday (Bowie) 4:07

    9 Little Bit of Love (Fraser, Kirke, Kossoff)

    10 The Golden Age of Rock 'N' Roll (Hunter)

    11 No Matter What (Ham) 2:51

    12 He's Gonna Step on You Again (Demetriou, Kongos)

    13 Don't Believe a Word (Lynott) 2:19

    14 Stay with Me (Faces)

     

    And, here....

     

    Def Leppard always had a streak of glam running beneath their heavy rock -- listen to "Armageddon It" or "Photograph" for proof -- so it's no surprise that when the quintet decided to record a covers album in 2006' date=' they devoted it to the '70s glam and hard rock that inspired them to pick up their guitars and play. What does come as a surprise is that the resulting Yeah! is a sheer delight, a roaring rock & roll record that's their best album since Hysteria. Often, cover albums get bogged down in reverence or ambition, as artists either offer interpretations that are straight copies or fussy reinterpretations as they busily try to make a favorite song their own. That's not the case here. Def Leppard alternate between fairly faithful renditions of familiar classics like T. Rex's "20th Century Boy," Badfinger's "No Matter What," or David Essex's "Rock On," to subtle reinterpretations where they make seemingly difficult covers seem easy and unmistakably Def Leppard. It's true on their streamlined, muscular take on Electric Light Orchestra's swirling, psychedelic "10538 Overture," but it's most notable on their remarkable reworking of the Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset," which now sounds like a power ballad from Hysteria without ever once sounding like it's an affront to the immortal original. This take on "Waterloo Sunset" works because it's informed by a palpable love of the original, and that love is apparent throughout this terrific record. But there are plenty of good covers albums that are fun merely because the band is having a good time. What makes Yeah! exceptional is that Def Leppard is reconnecting with the reason why they're even in a band by playing the rock & roll that inspired them in the first place. They're reinvigorated by this material, and by playing these songs, it's easier to appreciate what makes Def Leppard a great rock & roll band. Compare their versions of Free's "A Little Bit of Love" or Thin Lizzy's "Don't Believe a Word" to the originals -- they're not as big and bluesy as Free, but the huge riff that drives the song is a direct forefather of Leppard's powerful signature sound, and "Don't Believe a Word" hammers home that few bands built on Lizzy's twin guitar harmonies as well as this group did. But it's not just that these covers put Leppard's music in context; it's that they sound more like a genuine rock & roll gang than they ever have: listen to the truly raw take on the Faces' "Stay with Me," which may not be quite as sloppy as the original (how could it be?), but it's equally greasy and riveting -- plus, it's sung with raw gusto by guitarist Phil Collen, whose turn on the mic emphasizes that this is a sound of a true group. They still sound like Def Leppard -- there are still cavernous drums, huge guitars, and driving harmonies -- but they no longer sound as slick and calculated as they did on their albums after Hysteria; they sound alive and vigorous, making a convincing case that they're now their own best producers. If they could carry this sound and feel onto an album of originals, they would have a killer record, but saying that diminishes the accomplishment of Yeah!. It's a killer record in its own right, and more pure fun than anything yet released in 2006. Few bands could achieve an artistic comeback via a covers album, but as this glorious record proves, there are few bands like Def Leppard.[/quote']

    4.5 Stars

     

    So, I'm not alone!

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