My playlist this month has been a strange one indeed. It has not followed the norm since I managed to find the remote to my cd changer which opened up a world of older music. See, when you have a massive disc changer at floor level with a couple of hundred odd cds in it - and no remote control - the desire to crawl around on your knees and fiddle with the buttons and knobs till you find *exactly* what you feel like listening to at that very moment is - ah nonexistent. But with the control back in my hands and it taking a minute or two to navigate to some long lost gem well that's something different entirely. Most of these selections were cds I bought before the whole Euro thing, when German imports could be had for cheap, and also when pawn shop hopping was a secondary hobby. There's nothing like scowering bins and racks stuffed with cheap used discs that are unknown and unloved and thus still collecting dust. So here we go....
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow - Rainbow
I know this doesn't fit in with my intro description. This was a cd I received as a birthday present way back when, in my early teenage years and was quickly dismissed. An overdose of poppy 80s Rainbow and Winger had blinded my eyes to the brilliance of this raw and gorgeous cd full of mysticism and Ritchie Blackmore's soul catching guitar work. "Catch the Rainbow" indeed. Years later I would turn "Temple of the King" into a soothing lullaby for my own youngsters and jam out with "Stargazer" at every opportunity.
Virgin Steele - Marriage of Heaven and Hell II
"Strawgirl" holds a special place in my heart too, well done cd all around and one of DeFeis' best. His mixture of power and progressive, pomp and intricacies is so well balanced...
Mydra II
I pine for the first Mydra but make do with the second. It was a lost buried treasure that was unearthed years after it had been recorded and shelved by the group. Not nearly as daring or *creepy* as the first AOR disc by them (I recall it having the weirdest vibe), this one is more pop and radio fluff but still a nice listen.
Kamelot - Ghost Opera
Difficulty does not even begin to describe my wrestling with trying to get this thing into words...
Eyewitness - ST
A bargain bin find that kept me happy for awhile. AOR with a twist.
Gotthard - Domino Effect
Ahhh Gotthard, love the band, love their albums and have been milling over this disc for awhile. Not as good as their earlier stuff but quite tasty.
Europe - Wings of Tomorrow
My first foray into the world of metal and after 20 something years, the magic is STILL THERE. An amazing piece of music that captures this hard rock flair and vibe that I have not really seen copied yet. Atleast not with this kind of flair and sheer quality. "Stormwind", "Scream of Anger", "Dreamer", the title track... oh how I could go on (and have in a past review).
Crimson Glory - Crimson Glory
Midnight was a great vocalist and this shows why. The songs are heavy, progressive and utterly catchy. It has been overshadowed by the followup masterpiece, "Transcendence" but this is a superb slice of music in its own right. "Dragon Lady" is a sing along favorite among many others on here.
Whitesnake - Whitesnake
Ahh my love for David, Sykes and company is neverending. This disc was a staple in my youth and still a great cd even now. The soulful metallic luster of "Crying in the Rain", the thunderous lust of "Still of the Night" and the questioning comfort of "Is This Love?" are just a trio of the many highlights here.
Elegy - Lost
This is how Elegy should sound.. when they lost their first singer and changed their direction, nothing was the same. I loved their hyper brittle sound and sugar rushed guitars, all warped around these unique progressive tapestries. Nah, they don't make it like this anymore. A pawn shop snag that has been a favorite ever since.
Def Leppard - Hysteria Deluxe Edition
Another of my childhood heroes. When my life revolved around grade school activities, this was the cd that fueled my fire and kept me rockin through the playground. And it still holds up today as a brilliantly recorded piece that has layers and layers you can just lose yourself in. This deluxe edition counts as my fifth? time purchasing this disc and its worth every penny for the Bsides and live tracks. It's everything Hysteria...
Coverdale/Page
Coverdale's husky tattered voice, Page's dark moody guitar, the depressive atmosphere is so thick you could cut it with a knife and serve it for supper. "Thinkin bout the times we had, good times always turn into bad, now my days are growing cold..." You can just wrap yourself up in this pessimistic, desperate and love crushed disc, and lose yourself into its soul crushing blackness. "As I watch the rising sun, I see the new day just begun, thinkin bout the sacrifice, wonderin how to pay the price, now my world is going cold..." If you ain't depressed when you begin listening to it, you WILL be when its all over. Brilliant, tragic but brilliant.
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