Yesterday I wrote a piece about the Ramones shaped around the idea of judging a band's newer work against what they've done in the past. "New" in this sense was historical as the music I was writing about was upwards of 35 years old.
After writing and posting the piece I thought it would be fun to go back and make a playlist of Ramones' songs pulled from the 5 albums that inspired the article. I tried to create a good balance of songs from each release. I only included 2 songs from their sophomore release, Leave Home, but included a total of 7 songs from 1977 (they released their 2nd and 3rd album this year) so I feel the list is still a good representation of where they were musically.
As an added bonus I've included a link to a live performance of each song*.
After casually listening to the Ramones over the years I finally decided to become a "fan" a few years ago. Since then I've been exploring their catalog starting with the genre-defining debut.
I've been taking my time and have found much to like along the way. So far Road to Ruin is my favorite, but I'm sure that will change at some point in my journey.
After spending time with the first 4 albums I finally moved on to the Phil Spector produced End of the Century. I was looking forward to this one because it seems to be such a debated entry in the band's catalog with some members even questioning the choices that were made. Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee were all critical of the album in the years following its release with Johnny even saying "End of the Century was just watered-down Ramones. It's not real Ramones."
Knowing all of this I still went in hoping for the best. Instead of a loud and fast punk albumI discovered an energetic collection of songs that found the band breaking new ground for themselves. A lot of the album might not be "Punk Rock" but it is full of Punk attitude.
After nearly a dozen listens I definitely consider End of the Century to be a solid album. I also find myself slightly conflicted. Is it OK to like the album despite the (some would say) drastic change of direction? Of course the answer is "yes". What other fans or even the band itself think of an album shouldn't taint an individual's enjoyment of said album.
My main takeaway from End of the Century though is really about bands and the expectations that we place on them. Is the listener being fair with themselves if they judge an album based on what a band has already done? Is it better to catch the growth and slight sonic shifts from album to album or should each release be listened to and analyzed in a vacuum in an effort to judge the album on its own merits?
I think the best result might be to straddle those 2 ideas somehow. Embrace the new and then consider it in light of the past. What do you think?
2014 is an historic year for the rock band KISS. February (today to be exact!) marks the 40th anniversary of the band's self-titled debut album, and in April they'll be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after 15(!) years of eligibility.
With original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley - 2011
So in celebration of the anniversary of the band's debut album and 40+ year career I've compiled a playlist featuring my favorite song from each of their 20 studio releases.
1. "100,000 Years" - From the album KISS (1974) 2. "Goin' Blind" - From the album Hotter than Hell (1974) 3. "She" - From the album Dressed to Kill(1975) 4. "Detroit Rock City" - From the album Destroyer (1976) 5. "I Want You" - From the album Rock and Roll Over (1976) 6. "I Stole Your Love" - From the album Love Gun (1977) 7. "Sure Know Something" - From the album Dynasty (1979) 8. "She's So European"* - From the album Unmasked (1980) 9. "Under the Rose" - From the album Music From the Elder (1981) 10. "Creatures of the Night" - From the album Creatures of the Night (1982) 11. "Exciter" - From the album Lick it Up (1983) 12. "Thrills in the Night" - From the album Animalize (1984) 13. "Who Wants to Be Lonely" - From the album Asylum (1985) 14. "Crazy Crazy Nights" - From the album Crazy Nights (1987) 15. "Hide Your Heart" - From the album Hot in the Shade (1989) 16. "Domino" - From the album Revenge (1982) 17. "Childhood's End" - From the album Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions(1997) 18. "Psycho Circus" - From the album Psycho Circus(1998) 19. "Modern Day Delilah" - From the album Sonic Boom (2009) 20. "Freak" - From the album Monster (2012) Playlist on Spotify
* I probably like "Is That You?" more but that was not written by a member of the band and I wanted to include songs that feature at least 1 band member as songwriter.
Back in March I started to listen to all of the music that Black Sabbath recorded with singer Ronnie James Dio. Collected as The Rules of Hell and 45 tracks in total, it covered three studio albums, a live album, and a career retrospective*. Before March I was an Ozzy Osbourne era loyalist. Many weeks later I am very pleased to say that that's no longer the case.
I feel silly for ignoring this music for so long, but I'm happy that I finally opened myself up to it. Not only did I add some excellent Black Sabbath music to my collection, but I also gained a greater appreciation for what an amazing singer Ronnie James Dio was.
Now that my journey is complete I've compiled a 13 song playlist that includes my favorite tracks from The Rules of Hell.
"Ear in the Wall" brings my 45 song journey through the Dio lead Black Sabbath to an end. It's been quite an experience going through the catalog song by song, and I can't believe that I am done. I listened to some great music and definitely gained some new favorite Sabbath Songs.
Sadly "The Ear in the Wall" isn't one of them. It starts with a promising riff but the verse finds the band reverting to stock metal territory. The chorus gets things back on track but overall the song is pretty sub par. The solo is interesting and Dio's lyrics paint some interesting images, but it's not enough to really make the song standout.
Tomorrow I'll wrap things up and offer up a playlist that includes the best songs that I listened to. Thanks for taking this journey with me! I hope you enjoyed it.
"Shadow of the Wind" opens with a monstrous riff. It is slow, plodding and unmistakeably Black Sabbath. It's much more memorable than "The Devil Cried" and will likely find its way to the Black Sabbth playlist that I put together after I finish these write-ups.
Dio's vocal is just amazing. He delivers through out, but during the post-solo section he sings with more power and emotion than any song that I have covered here so far. There is also some great bass work from Butler during this section as well.
*The Live Evil/Mob Rules/Dehumanizer line-up did record an album and tour as "Heaven and Hell" between 2007 and 2010, opting to go under a different name to not distract from the Ozzy Osbourne lead version which had reunited (but was on hiatus) by this point.
One of three songs recorded for inclusion with a Dio era Black Sabbath best of collection in 2007, "The Devil Cried" shows the band in top form. It's the same line-up from Mob Rules, Live Evil and Dehumanzier.
Iommi's guitar tone is thick and punchy, Appice's drums are solid and Butler's bass is as deep as ever. Dio's voice shows no sign of the15 year layoff from the band.
It's a good track and I'm glad it was included on the digital version of The Rules of Hell.
One interesting note: The three new songs are credited to Iommi/Dio from a songwriting perspective.
Originally featured on the Wayne's World soundtrack, this earlier version of "Time Machine" is slightly different than the one found on Dehumanzier. The production is listed as being by Black Sabbath as opposed to Mack.
I didn't compare the songs too much but in addition to having a more aggressive feel there are slight changes, especially in the early parts of the song. It's cool that it was included on The Rules of Hell.
Tomorrow I'll listen to the first of the final three Black Sabbath songs to feature Dio, 2007's "The Devil Cried"!
"Buried Alive" brings me to the end of Dehumanizer, and it is a good final track from a very solid album. Combining classic Black Sabbath with more modern sounds the song covers a lot of ground.
Parts sound like they could be found on several albums from the era from bands influenced by Sabbath. Alice in Chains and White Zombie came to mind while listening.
Butler's bass is really busy and with it's deep tone it is easy to miss. Iommi delivers several excellent guitar breaks. Iommi was really inspired on this album and turned in some memorable guitar parts.
"I" is the first forgettable track on Dehumanizer. That it is Track 9 of a 10 track album shows how strong Dehumanizer is. By no means is it a bad track though; It's just too run of the mill.
After a cool blues based riff at the intro it kind of descends into a fairly stock sounding metal tune.There are some highlights though. Dio's vocal is excellent.
Tomorrow I'll listen to the last track on Dehumanizer, "Buried Alive"!
The first acoustic track on Dehumanzier starts with an intro that reminded me a bit of "Die Young" from Heaven and Hell. Dio's vocal is fitting and Butler's bass lines are nice and melodic.
Things become real memorable though after the guitars get electric.There is a heavy middle section that is followed by an excellent Iommi solo that finds him reaching some high notes via what sounds to me like a DigiTech Whammy pedal. If it is, it's some nice use of the effect, and a bit different than other player's use of the pedal.
"Sins of the Father" comes right out of the gate with vocals and guitar. The melody has kind of a Beatles feel to it. It is definitely different than anything that the band has presented before, and it shows how versatile this line-up of the band was.
The song goes through a few different feels and lays into a nice groove at one point. Iommi delivers a few non-traditional guitar breaks that serve the song perfectly. He does go traditional before it's over though, turning to a blues based approach for the outro-solo.
"Time Machine" has a nice driving pace and a really aggressive Dio vocal. Parts of the song sound like they would fit right in on Sabotage while others feel completely fresh. It is a great melding of new and old Black Sabbath without sounding calculated.
An earlier recording of this song (from the same sessions) appeared on the Wayne's World soundtrack. That's included on The Rules of Hell and I'll cover it on Sunday.
"Master of Insanity" has its roots in a Geezer Butler Band demo from the mid 80s.* The version on Dehumanizer is slightly reworked to give it that true Black Sabbath feel.
"Letters From Earth" has a nice slow pace and groove with an opening riff that reminds me a bit of "Snowblind" from Vol. 4.
There are some cool sounds after the first chorus. They sound like backwards guitars or possibly backwards vocals. The middle/solo section is excellent as well with a great riff before a slick, curvy sounding solo.
"TV Crimes" deals with the hypocrisy of television evangelists. It's a nice, fast paced song with some great Geezer Butler bass work. Dio's vocals have a great flow and show a great command of rhythm. And yes I'm probably starting to sound like a broken record here, but Dio really was something special. That he left so much music behind for people to enjoy is a wonderful gift.
Three songs in to the ten song album and I'm starting to think that Dehumanzier might end up being a go to Black Sabbath album for me.
"After All (The Dead)" starts with what sounds like Tony Iommi creating an ominous cello-like riff via volume swells. From there Dio sings of talking to the dead as the band feeds off of his vocal lines. In a nice call back to earlier days Iommi delivers some trills like those heard on "Black Sabbath".
In June of 1992the Ronnie James Dio fronted Black Sabbath released Dehumanizer. The ten songs on the album were the first new studio recordings to feature Dio since Mob Rules nearly eleven years earlier. The album also marked the return of Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice. Butler returned to the band after a nine year abscence, and Appice was called in after current drummer Cozy Powell was injured. The arrival of Appice marked the new sessions as a reunion of the Mob Rules era of the band.
"Children of the Grave" as the closer for Live Evil isn't surprising as the band seemed to close with it a lot.
It's a great song and an excellent performance from the band. This is a song much more suited for Dio's skill set and he really nails it, delivering a vocal performance that surely sent the fans home happy.
"Paranoid" finds the band returning to the Ozzy era material again.
Dio overdoes it a bit here, bringing a little more to the song than it needed. If nothing else it illustrates how successful Ozzy's simple approach really was. In fairness to Dio though there isn't really much room to maneuver in the song.
The ending offered a nice surprise as the band transitions into "Heaven and Hell" again before leaving the stage while the audience calls for an encore.
