Before I begin this review, let us please dispense with the term “grunge” as a way to describe music and stuff it aside as a word for the resinous build-up inside of a weed smoker’s bong. “Grunge” has always been a media creation for lazy journalists to lump the music of all bands from Seattle into one faceless category. Can you say that Tad, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Screaming Trees have any sonic similarity aside from the fact that they like their guitars up loud in the mix? If you can, please go read an Adam Lambert review elsewhere and let the serious music fans enjoy this website on their own.
Posts Tagged ‘Black Sabbath’
Heaven & Hell – The Devil You Know
In many ways, though this may be taken as sacrilege, Black Sabbath fronted by Ronnie James Dio was an outfit responsible for far superior and consistent material than the one fronted by Ozzy Osbourne. I understand that Sabbath back in the 1970s was fueled by a desire to shock and an unending flow of chemical enhancement, but in drafting the former Rainbow vocalist, and shifting the lyrical invention away from bassist Geezer Butler and over to the man who would actually be singing the words, Butler and guitarist Tony Iommi were freed to craft some of the most enormous and dark riffs known to recorded music. Black Sabbath can never again feature a vocalist other than Osbourne due to legal boundaries set by Ozzy’s management (wife). Fair enough! As Dio, Butler, Iommi and drummer Vinnie Appice reunite, it seems it’s not simply a necessity but actually more fitting to name the band something other than “Black Sabbath.” Thus, named after the first Sabbath album featuring Dio, Heaven & Hell have released their first full-length, The Devil You Know on Rhino Records.
Warhorse – Nick Simper leaves Deep Purple for a new Thoroughbred
At the height of Deep Purple’s first wave of commercial success – thanks largely due to their remaking of Joe South’s “Hush” – bassist Nick Simper stepped away to play in Marsha Hunt’s band, whose members included keyboardist Rick Wakeman and guitarist Ged Peck. The stint with Hunt would be short-lived, though, and Simper soon was looking to form a new band, which begun with Hunt alumni Wakeman, Peck and drummer Mac Poole. Vocalist Ashley Holt – who had auditioned for the original Purple singing slot – was recruited, and the lineup was set… almost. Wakeman’s heart must not have been in it, as the liners indicate that he failed to show for practice one too many times. A replacement was found in former Rumble keyboardist Frank Wilson, whose Hammond organ stylings would figure largely in Warhorse’s sound.
Glenn Hughes – Soul Mover
Ex-Trapeze, ex-Deep Purple, ex-Black Sabbath bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes has released several solo albums since his 1978 debut, Play Me Out. His 2005 effort, Soul Mover, may be my favorite of the lot. Hughes gets a little help from his friends, guitarist Dave Navarro and drummer Chad Smith of Jane’s Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers fame, along with keyboardist Ed Roth and guitarist J.J. Marsh. They provide the perfect complement to Hughes’ blend of soulful hard rock.
Egg – The Polite Force
Egg’s The Polite Force is one of many excellent reissues I recently received from my friends at Esoteric Recordings. This UK-based label specializes in “good music,” with a far-ranging artist roster including Bill Fay, Keef Hartley, Claire Hamill and Paladin.
The Polite Force was originally released in 1971, and features the trio of keyboardist Dave Stewart, bassist/vocalist Mont Campbell and drummer Clive Brooks – ¾ of former band Uriel (minus guitarist Steve Hillage). Egg have often been compared to Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and the musicianship is certainly top-end in both cases, but Egg seem to go less for speed than melody mixed with a dash of dissonance.
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