The Foo Fighters have always put out quality videos. They never take themselves too seriously, which makes it all that much more fun. I woke up this morning with their song “All My Life” in my head and thought today I will rank their top 10 videos.
10: Rope:
9: The Pretender:
8: The One
7: My Hero:
6: All My Life:
5: Walk:
4: Big Me:
3: Long Road To Ruin:
2: Learn To Fly:
1: Everlong:
Finally in 2000 after nearly 5 years in the making, Tony Iommi released the be all end all of solo albums featuring guest vocalists. All of the songs on the album were written by Tony Iommi, producer Bob Marlette and each of the vocalists that appear on the songs.The album features Phil Anselmo, Dave Grohl, Henry Rollins, Billy Corgan, Serj Tankian, Billy Idol, Ian Astbury, Peter Steele, Skin, and Ozzy. According to Tony Iommi, he and Phil Anselmo had recorded three tracks together for the album, but only one was put onto the album. Phil had later on said that there was a chance that they might have done a full album had time permitted amongst other things. The album peaked at number 129 on the Billboard charts and its only single released, “Goodbye Lament” featuring Dave Grohl reached number 10 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. This album is quite a remarkable album, as it shows what Tony Iommi’s playing sounds like with different types of singers. Slash tried to do something similar with his first “solo” album, but to me he failed miserably mainly because he is overrated and picked the wrong people to have on his album. Tony Iommi is a true legend and master of his craft, and this album is a testament to his legacy
Iommi- Album:
Tony Iommi and Phil Anselmo- Invasion Of The Saviours:
By: Brian Lacy
Since the Foos recently released their 8th album, why not give their albums a ranking. Here’s the order from not their best to the best.
Sonic Highways:
Echoes Silence Patience and Grace:
In Your Honor:
Saint Cecilia:
There’s Nothing Left To Lose:
5]
Foo Fighters:
The Color And The Shape:
Wasting Light:
One By One:
When a band reaches a certain point in their career it’s hard to keep things fresh and inspired. For the bands eighth album the gents in the Foo Fighters tried something different. While the idea is a great one, the final product falls a bit flat. The idea of recording a song in a different city is a great idea. Lyrically it just falls flat. The songs feel rushed and incomplete. It’s as though the thoughts were unfinished. The show on HBO is quite interesting and full of a rich musical history. In my opinion the show is way better than the album. The albums eight songs are very hit and miss. The best song I heard on the album is a song called “Outside” which features the great Joe Walsh. This is the best song on the album hands down. This album is very disjointed and not an “album.” It’s a collection of single songs, that have no cohesiveness. Also the use of Butch Vig as a producer I think was the wrong choice. His input and methods just don’t work for what the band was trying to do, Nick Raskulinecz would have been the perfect choice. The first song “Something From Nothing” is a good track but nothing special. The whole record is nothing special. In fact I’d probably put this album towards the bottom of the list of ranking their albums. I truly thought that after how good Wasting Light was they would continue on a path similar to how that album turned out. Nice try on this one Foos.
On the scale of 1-10: I give this a 4
By: Brian Lacy
In no particular order:
1. James Hetfield- Metallica
2. Jerry Cantrell- Alice In Chains
3. Clint Lowery- Sevendust
4. Stephen Brodsky- Cave In
5. Ken Andrews- Failure
6. Scott Kelly- Neurosis
7. Eric Clapton
8. John Fogerty- Creedence Clearwater Revival
9. Dave Grohl- Foo Fighters
10. Neil Young
11. Chris Cornell- Soundgarden
12. Kurt Cobain- Nirvana
13. Brian Molko- Placebo
14. Josh Homme- Queens Of The Stone Age
15. Jimi Hendrix
16: Jim Ward- Sparta
17. Lou Reed
18. Billy Corgan- Smashing Pumpkins
19. Matt Talbott- Hum
Heavy music has some of the most dedicated hard working people in the bands. The music is not necessarily accepted by the mainstream, but the fans of the genre are die hards. Mixing their love of Black Flag and Black Sabbath, Obliterations have an unrelenting sound of fury and destruction. They recently signed to Southern Lord Records and recorded their upcoming full length at Studio 606 (Dave Grohl’s studio). The band is made up of current/former members of Black Mountain, Saviors, Night Horse and Pink Mountaintops. Singer/Screamer Sam James Velde has a raspy yet take charge vocal style. Stephen McBean’s guitar playing is heavy and crunchy with a very clean style of playing. Austin Barber and Flo Schanze are an extremely tight rhythm section that can explode and play blisteringly fast or in the laid back pocket. Obliterations have released two EP’s so far. Both are in your face with their driving force. Their sound harkens back to the days of real hardcore punk and heavy rock. Obliterations is part of the solution to the junk that is mainstream!
https://www.facebook.com/Obliterations
http://obliterations.bandcamp.com/
By: Brian Lacy
There is a debate that has been going on for quite some time about Nirvana. There are many out there that consider Nevermind to be the holy grail of their brief catalog. Then there are those who hold In Utero in higher regard. I tend to fall in the In Utero camp. Not to take anything away from Nevermind, In Utero is just the better album in regards to the production, and songwriting. Sure “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Come As You Are,” “Lithium” and “Drain You” are all good songs. Those songs while meaningful just don’t connect as much as the ones on In Utero. There is more desperation anguish, and suffering in the In Utero songs. The production of the vocals really show that as well. Steve Albini’s engineering skills trump Butch Vig any day. Not to take anything away from Butch, his work on Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream, and all the Garbage albums are great. Nirvana just needed someone like Steve Albini to really get at the raw nature of the songs. Songs like “Scentless Apprentice,” “Heart Shaped Box,” “Rape Me,” “Milk It” and “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” have that hard edged roar to them and the way they were produced really captures that demand to be noticed. The softer side of the album with songs like “Dumb,” “Pennyroyal Tea” and “All Apologies” embrace the very delicate nature of the band. The only song to really capture that on Nevermind was “Something In The Way.” The drums thump in more of a way that captures the true essence of how Dave Grohl plays. The bass sound has more of a dirty yet balanced sound that attaches itself to the rhythm in a clearer way. The guitars have more edge to them. They cut through the songs with an abrasive razor sharp dynamic. Vocally you can hear all of Kurt’s pain in every syllable he sings. His screams reach new heights since Steve Albini refused to double track Kurt’s vocals. It’s quite noticeable at the end of “Rape Me.” There is something else that has always bothered me about Nevermind. The way Nevermind turned out sort of has a very controlled production and compressed radio-friendly mix.That is something that is not very flattering to a rock band like Nirvana.
Granted this is all just my opinion, but I think this makes for a good debate. Sure we will never know what the next step for Nirvana would be. Though the indication of “You Know You’re Right” which was done by Adam Kasper shows that they were continuing in the direction that Steve Albini steered them in.
By: Brian Lacy
There is always a big debate when it comes to cover songs. Did the band do it justice or does it fall flat? Did they make it their own or do it verbatim? One thing for sure is that when a band covers a song and they find the right one, it becomes undoubtably theirs.
There are quite a few that stand out in my mind and Nirvana’s version of David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World is one of my all time favorites and perhaps one of the best covers ever. Their performance of this song at their MTV Unplugged is such a stand out track. The words fit perfectly with Kurt Cobain’s persona. The arrangement also treats the original in a special way not to completely deviate but to fit in with the sound of Nirvana.
By: Brian Lacy
AUDIOECLECTICA 