Normal service will resume .....................presently !

 

 Neal Schon - Universe.    6/10.

Believe it or not I do actually like Neal Schon, I simply don't care for this album, I have played this constantly over the last week , and although it is well played and it has a rather expensive feel to it,  produced by Michael Narada Walden it doesn't really have much life in it, is it well played? well yes it is, but I feel that he doesn't play too his strengths, the album has 15 tracks 6 covers and 9 originals and runs for over 70 minutes, no matter how many times I have played it I have yet too come across a favourite track, I can usually find at least one, but this time to no avail!

I'm not a Hendrix fan so I tend to zone out when people play his songs, I get why he  is loved but his songs are best played by him, you are not going to improve on the original, just saying. the Eye of God has a nice Arabian feel running through it but it doesn't actually say anything, the whole album as a whole kind of meanders, was that the intention, I hope not,  as I have said I like him as a guitar player but he works better with others, from Sammy Hagar, Jan Hammer (Untold Passion a masterpiece) Hardline, Bad English, even with Journey but this I could kind of leave did I enjoy it? well kind of, but it had as much passion as a Yngwie Malmsteen song, kind of soulless and hangs around when it should have just left us already!

Its a nice album, but its an album that you could play in the background quite easily and it probably wouldn't offend too many people, Guitar albums should grab us by the lapels and give us a bloody good shake. i yawned all the way through the Journey, which is sad as its one of my faves! its simply not a great album and I'm not going to score something higher simply because he has played on some great albums, this isn't one of them. This has all been said before, if I'm going to compare it too any other guitar album that was recently, I would go with Joe Satriani , now that had a thread of humanity flowing through it that this kind of lacks, will I stop buying Neal Schon albums, I don't think so, but I think I would go to Spotify or some other listening platform before paying cash for a hard copy.

so there's the first one, I was really looking forward to it, but if I am honest I was a tad disappointed, I get a number of albums each week and then the names go into the bag and the album gets chose randomly the five albums for this week were:

Neal Schon - Universe

Soto - Revision

Volbeat - Hokus Bonus

Brian May - On my way up (Compilation)

Merryweather Stark - Rock Solid.

lets see what the new week brings!

Until the next time...… Toodles!

Brave New World.

 So here we go a brand new era, here's hoping that you like it if it not, erm well lets not go there!

I'm going to start off with my fave albums of last year, you might not agree, unfortunately, thats not an option for you, agree to disagree or go somewhere else this is a brand new world.......onwards!

So here we go strap your self in, here's the 2020 top ten.....in no particular order.

Thundermother - Heatwave, A swedish version (but an all girl version) of Halestorm, well Halestorm crossed with Airbourne, i like them, it is a little too polished for me (their fourth album) a little more rough around the edges would probably win them a few more fans !

Blue Oyster Cult - The Symbol Remains. One of my fave all time bands, when this was released i  had low expectations after their last album (some 20 years ago) boy was i wrong this is probably their strongest album since Fire of Unknown Origin, damn its good and the fresh blood has helped here's hoping that it won't be another 20 years before another album.

Tokyo Motor Fist - Lions, members from Danger Danger and Trixter made a damn good debut album, this might not be as good as that debut but it does move along at a pace and does tick all of the boxes.

Lonely Robot - Feelings are Good. Their fourth (who am i kidding its John Mitchell and friends) album its not as good as the first three (but there was a thread that ran through those albums) this is still a damn good album simply not as immediate as the previous releases.

Richie Kotzen 50 for 50. Yes thats right 50 songs for his 50th birthday its a long album (actually three CD's) but a damn good release, this appeals to me, its damn good!

Dennis De Young - 76 East (Vol 1). everything that a Styx album is missing,Classic songs , Classic vocals, and well lets be honest Dennis himself, this was to be his last album but he enjoyed making it so much it turned into two volumes, i wait with baited breath for the next one, Styx should have a listen because all of the ones that they have done without Dennis have been without humor or songs for that point.

Fish - Weltschmerz. this should have been my album of the year, but i had a strop, me with my reputation, as it happens i do have a few points of issue, its a double album, its got three of the tracks from the " A Parley with Angels" EP, albeit that they are remixed and i dont know which one should have been left off to make the said EP a bit more special, i dont care about more live stuff sorry its the new lyrics and tunes i want to pull apart, the fact that he is also retiring hasn't made me happy either, i mean does he not know who i am, dammit a great album and yes it is actually my album of the year.............Go Figure! the fact i have 73 albums by the gentleman with re issues and live stuff i'm sure he won't mind me having a strop it is a great album.

FM - Synchronized. another year another album, (actually its usually every two years) and another great album, a slight detour from their usual sound, thankfully they don't try and repeat previous glories, for me still the best British Vocalist of the last thirty years (damn i feel old). i could have gone for Steve Overland's solo album but i didn't, yes this is a damn good release.

Jim Kirkpatrick - Ballad of a Prodigal Son. another solo album from a member of FM, surely this can't be that good, 2020 was a damn good year and any other year and this would have been my album of the year, yes it has the DNA of Bernie Marsden on it, its in a style similar to Joe Bonamassa,  but listen to it and see if you don't think that this a damn good album, go on i dare you!

Joe Satriani - Shape shifting. I dont play an instrument, i have no understanding of the complexity of six string wizardry, but damn it this is so good, no shred or technicality boarding on alien skills, this is everything that you need in a guitar album, there is thread of humanity that runs through it from start to finish, another strong contender for album of the year.

There you go a brief overview of what i liked from last year and there was tons more, far too many to mention, they might creep in over the coming weeks, s low start to break me in slowly, i hope you like it please spread the word, i dont get paid to do this and i dont get free copies of the music listed this is what i liked from last year mind i'm not averse to the odd album being sent my way to review, hint hint, watch the skies the new wave has started, until then ........Toodles!

 

This Party’s Over.

Who would have thought after 9 years and now 500 blogs later that the blog was about to go through its first major overhaul, from now on the blog will be 99.9% music reviews and Gig reviews (do you remember gigs?) with the occasional personal blog thrown in the mix! i tried it out for a short time about 18 months ago to generally positive comments from you the maddening crowd!

Yes there will readers falling by the way side but I would like to say a big thank you to the following “Broadsword calling Danny Boy” Nils, Suki, Jessica, Poor Boy, Jens, Gunther (a late comer but a voracious reader with way too many questions) the Two Pierre’s from Canada and France, Sabine, Wolfie (power to the people) A lady by any other name ( I  will get so much shit for that one) Welder a big inspiration, Angie Shandi and her Hubby (a huge thanks on the mental health side of things) Steve Overland for the kind comments (yes that Steve Overland) and a cast of Hundreds (I could say thousands but I think many of you read the same blog time and again) I want to thank the cast of you all who got the blog to over 70000 hits last year you  made an old man feel very old!

Yes, there’s no big surprise, the name game is in play for one final time, but it is so easy even Nils should get it as I know he bought the album that it’s from (on my recommendation) no prizes just me taking the piss if you get it wrong! There will be no more whinging about my health, my mental health and various other items in my wild and wonderful (cough splutter) life, there will be no more scratching my head trying to put a positive spin on the universe, I intend to be truthful as we carry on I either like it or I don’t go figure. The blogs should be considerably shorter from here on in well unless it’s a discography review.

This will be a short one because I feel the need to be brief (for once) honestly for something that I started as anger management, it has turned into something enjoyable, so here’s to a new beginning simply another turn in life, I will miss some of you (mad impetuous fools) just as I miss my real friends out in the real world, I would love for you all to come along for the ride, but for once I’m a realist, life goes on!

So yes please watch the skies for incoming, more than ever I will need you lot to help spread the word, I can’t believe that this part of our party is over here’s to you all and for one last time, I simply bid you all………..TOODLES!