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Get Ready to ROCK! Best of 2007 | |||||
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Here we go again, another year, another hangover, our reviewers present their Best Of 2007... This page will be updated regularly before the end of December 2007.
Jason Ritchie
Top CDs
1 THRESHOLD Dead Reckoning (Nuclear Blast) - the band's best yet with some killer riffs and keyboard solos
2 FARRAH Cut Out And Keep (Indie) - sublime pop rock gems. Essential for lovers of Cheap Trick, Jellyfish, Squeeze, Jackdaw 4 and latter day XTC.
3 KAMELOT The Ghost Opera (SPV) - this is how epic metal should be done.
4 SAGA 10,000 Days (Inside Out) - Michael Sadler's farewell and one of the band's best albums.
5 MIND'S EYE A Gentleman's Hurricane
(Lion Music) - they keep getting better and worth a listen fro their use of harmonies alone.
Also rated: Blackfield - II, Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Black Planet, Jackdaw 4 - Bipolar Diversions, Allen/Lande - The Revenge, Sacred Heart - Shake
Top DVDs
1 QUEEN Rock Montreal (Eagle Rock)
2 FOREIGNER Alive & Rockin'
(Eagle Rock)
3 THE BEATLES Help! (EMI)
Top 5 Gigs
1 Rush Wembley Arena, London
2 Kamelot and Threshold Mean Fiddler, London
3 REO Speedwagon Hammersmith Apollo, London
4 Waking the Witch, Windsor Arts Centre
5 Journey Hammersmith Apollo, London
Top Debuts
1 EDEN'S CURSE (AFM Records) - hard rock with a metal edge.
2 TD LIND - glorious pop rock tunes. Every song deserves to be on the radio!
3 WILDKARD Meglomania (Escape Music) - Kick under another name with added keyboards. Wonderful melodic rock.
4 STORMZONE (Escape Music) - if you like Uriah Heep, Whitesnake, Praying Mantis et al then get this.
5 MIKA Life In Cartoon Motion - yes he does sound like Freddie Mercury at times but you can't knock the wonderful OTT pomp of his songs.
David Randall
Top CDs
WHITESNAKE 1987 (EMI)
Excellent reissue of classic album, add in the original videos and more recent footage and a really good value package emerges. In the same series, the Hawkwind Space Ritual reissue is also worth checking out.
MARILLION Somewhere Else (Intact)
An album that sounds effortless but is up there with the band's best. Combining the best of their post-Fish output.
25 YARD SCREAMER Cassandra
(2112/GRTR!)
A biased view, maybe, but the band deservingly received glowing critical praise for their third album - not least a 7/10 in Classic Rock magazine.
MERMAID KISS Etarlis
Second album from female-fronted progressive/melodic rock band and onward and upward. Lush orchestration, intriguing concept.
JAMIE FIELD Mermaid Kiss Best of 2007
CARINA ROUND Slow Motion Addict The concert
album that many feel should have been released between 'After The Goldrush' and
'Harvest' finally sees the light of day. Simple and wonderful.
Any good discoveries this year that you'd like to share? So much good music out there - off the top of my
head a few albums that have made an impact for one reason or another include
Sarah White's 'Bluebird', 'Dhira' by Dhira, The Beangrowers' 'Dance Baby Dance'
and Oom's 'Dead Analogue'.
I've also been relistening to a lot of Gentle Giant, Judee Sill
and Al Stewarts's 'Zero She Flies'. Currently listening to Jah Wobble's 3CD
anthology 'I Could Have Been A Contender'
What sort of a year have you had? Highlights?
Personal highlight was seeing the release of 'Etarlis' -
it's a project that Evelyn and I have been working on for a number of years. And
we've been completely overwhelmed by the amazingly positive reaction to the
album.
What are your immediate plans?
Currently we're rehearsing a new live set, and also writing for
the next album.
We'll be out playing from the spring onwards, and we'll start recording the
new album in January.
VOICES OF ROCK (AOR Heaven)
Splendid slice(s) of melodic rock fronted by a variety of vocalists including James Christian and Harry Hess. A fine concept, well executed.
Listen in to the GRTR! Radio Show on 23 December for interviews
with Voices of Rock co-creator Michael Voss and Rieser's Chris Blair.
Honourable mentions:
RIESER Well Dressed Thief, DELTA The Life & Times Of Jim Vallie &
Sweet Rosalyn Top DVDs
DAVID GILMOUR Remember That Night
(EMI)
An immaculate rendition of his 'On An Island' tour, with useful extra footage and bonus material. A true master craftsman at work.
THIN LIZZY Live And Dangerous
(Mercury/Universal)
Definitive live gig refurbished for the digital age with bonus live CD of previously unreleased gig. An excellent reminder of one of our greatest rock bands of the seventies.
Top Gigs
EUROPE (Liverpool, February 2007)
The band have successfully updated their sound for a tougher metal age whilst retaining their song craft and stage presence. Magnificent.
MARILLION (Liverpool, June 2007)
Immaculate gig to promote new album.
25 YARD SCREAMER (Cambridge Rock, August 2007)
Festival debut for upcoming Welsh trio, who impressed all who saw them and reinforced (and enhanced) their complex album 'Cassandra'.
JETHRO TULL (Birmingham, March 2007)
Always a good gig, this time spiced up by GRTR! diarist/violinist Anna Phoebe who provided an excellent foil to Ian Anderson and was a darn sight more attractive to look at. Roll on the band's 40th anniversary in 2008.
JAMES GRANT (Staffordshire, September 2007)
An interesting gig from one-time Love And Money frontman, in an off-beam location. Reinforcing the artist's songwriting brilliance and allowing the listener to reflect on, and reinvestigate, an impeccable recorded output since the late eighties.
JAMES GRANT Best of 2007
I havent bought any records this year. Bob Dylan - was that last year?
Thought it was alright. I saw Nick Cave which was quite
good although he was in his Grinderman phase and I would have liked to have seen
a bit more sensitivity, I've never seen anyone assault a piano in such a way..
I saw John Prine, which I thought was pish, (for someone whos written so
many great songs, why did he start each one exactly the same way with the same
guitar intro?) supported by Mindy Smith who was also poor. For
myself, I enjoyed the gig in Stafford and I also enjoyed two nights I played at
the Tron in Glasgow and The Tolbooth in Stirling. Any good
discoveries this year that you'd like to share? The only
films I really get to see are along the lines of Surfs Up, Ratatouille, Stardust
etc., actually I did quite like Casino Royale.. I can recommend
the books, Carry Me Down by MJ Hyland, 'Stuart' A Life Lived Backwards by
Alexander Masters, The Testament Of Gideon Mack by James Robertson.
I cannot speak eloquently enough to do justice to how I feel about The Road by
Cormac McCarthy, the terms 'classic' or 'masterpiece' are utilised for marketing
purposes on the back of practically every book you would care to peruse. But
this is the real thing. Honest. What are your immediate
plans?
I'm recording at the moment , I hope to have something out by
Summer, I am positive in as much as I can be about working in a dying industry.
Like a miner. I honestly don't think I have found my zenith yet and I will find
a way to get through to people. Big disappointment: DREAM THEATER (Manchester, October 2007)
Play the hits! More noodles than a Chinese takeaway.
LOOK OUT 2008!
NATASCHA SOHL
- GRTR! favourite and her time may have come...
NATASCHA SOHL Best of 2007
1. Fall Out Boy - Infinity On High (This is a great high energy
pop/punk/rock album with really musical and hooky sing-a-long songs, it kinda
rocks!!)
Any good discoveries this year that you'd like to share?
Well I don't think they're new, but I only just
heard about a band Paramore, who from what I've heard, kick ass! They
have a feisty girl singer and hooky songs and they rock! I'd like to hear more
from them... Gigs
1. Foo Fighters - O2 Arena, London
What sort of a year have you had? Highlights?
A definite highlight of this year was finding out that one
of my songs 'Naked' was used for the MTV show The Hills, that was pretty
exciting and great exposure! Hopefully it will be the start of many good things
to come!
What are your immediate plans?
At the moment I'm doing a lot of writing and recording with
my guitarist. We're getting all our ideas down and recorded as well as we can so
that when we record it all 'properly' we dont forget what we were getting at!!
Also I'm spreading the word and getting ready for the release of Dirty Little
Word!!
DELTA - talented Midlands duo with ace debut album, now following a more soulful route.
UXL - three brothers and friend from Brum, debut album showed maturity far beyond their tender years.
Listen in to the GRTR! Radio Show on
23 December for an interview
with John Tierney from UXL
Pete Whalley
Top CDs
1. OH LAURA A Song Inside My Head, A Demon In My Bed
Forget the likes of Rilo Kiley, Swedish debutantes Oh Laura deliver 11 perfect indie/alt/pop gems. Add the exquisite vocals of Frida Öhrn, and this album is as good as it gets.
2. HYDROGYN Bombshell
Dreadful live, but with Michael Wagener behind the production desk, the pneumatic Julie Westlake and band serve up a perfect platter of AC/DC influenced rock. Unoriginal and clichéd, but undeniably great fun.
3. THE MOTELS Clean, Modern And Reasonable
Martha Davis returns to recording under The Motels name for the first time in two decades, with a largely unplugged, understated and fundamental revisiting of the band's back catalogue. A welcome and impressive return to form of an artist who should have been an icon but who has mysteriously remained below most people's radar.
4. MARILLION Somewhere Else (Intact)
Never too old to rock and roll. The band who like to do their own thing continue to go from strength to strength. While past output has been patchy, there are more moments of magnificence here than you'll find on a dozen other prog albums.
5. MISSY HIGGINS On A Clear Day
The Aussie songstress has sidestepped the tricky second album elephant trap with aplomb. While perhaps not reaching the dizzy heights of her debut, this more band and AOR orientated album nevertheless delivers the goods on all counts.
Top DVDs
1. DAVID GILMOUR Remember That Night
(EMI)
Live DVDs don't come any better than this. The next best thing to catching DG live, and packed with 'must have' bonus features, every home should have one.
2. THIN LIZZY Live And Dangerous
(Mercury/Universal)
At last, a fitting tribute to Phil Lynott and the boys. Lavishly packaged , Live And Dangerous is a reminder of just how good the band were live.
Top Gigs
1. EUROPE Liverpool Academy, February 2007
Forget The Final Countdown, the Swedish rockers delivered a set tighter than David Coverdale's jock strap. Based around their 'comeback' albums Start From The Dark and Secret Society, to a man they were simply stunning. My expectations were zero, I came away a convert.
2. MARILLION Liverpool University, June 2007
Promoting Somewhere Else, and in front of an unusally diverse fan base, Marillion remain one of the best live acts around. While Steve Rothery may be a static stage presence, Steve Hogarth is one of the most charismatic front men in the business and makes every gig a night to remember.
Pete Feenstra
Top CDs
Cross generational top draw rock blues from the man of the moment. 'Sloe Gin' is almost the album Led Zeppelin never made! Just like reinventing the wheel, Joe has opened up rock-blues to a new generation, and like the British invasion, has re-imported it back to the USA.
PATTI SMITH Twelve
(Columbia)
The one time art punk turns in an excellent retro rock set, with stellar re-interpretations of Hendrix, Neil Young, The Doors, The Stones, The Allman Brothers etc and even Nirvana, and it all works superbly.
THE YARDBIRDS Live at BB King's Blues Club
(Favored Nations)
Steve Vai knew exactly what he was doing when he signed up this latest impressive line-up of The Yardbirds. And in young Ben King, the band has a guitarist to match his illustrious predecessors. 29 cracking songs played live, no overdubs and a real crowd!
RUSH Snakes & Arrows
(Atlantic)
An impressive return to form with muscular playing, dense lyrical imagery, and shades of Zeppelin, as the Canadian prog rockers reclaim their crown.
MAN Diamonds & Coal
(Point/Voiceprint)
Living proof that the enduring Welsh guitar band still have a tiger in their tank. 'Diamonds & Coal' shows the baton has been successfully passed to the new generation. Martin Ace still supplies dry lyrical humour.
Top DVDs
THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE Live at Monterey
(Universal)
Immaculately restored print of Hendrix's ground breaking performance, with added interviews and Eddie Kramer's surround sound.
TONY PALMER All My Loving
(Voiceprint))
As good a retrospective of the 60's as has ever been made.
YUSUF ISLAM Cafe Session: Live From Porchester Hall
(Polydor)
Sometimes you just have to overcome your personal prejudices and hold up your hand and accept the fact that there is no substitute for deep, moving, enduring quality songs, and this.
LARRY CORYELL A Retrospective - A sequel to his story
(Inakustic)
Where once Larry Coryell was a feted, if not over indulgent jazz fusion guitarist, he now appears have almost been forgotten, which is a shame because this DVD is a master class in rock, blues and jazz.
Top 5 Gigs
FOCUS
(Boom Boom Club, Sutton Feb 2007)
Led by the larger than life Thijs Van Leer, and marshalled by drummer Pierre Van Der Linden, Focus unveiled new guitar start Nils Van Der Steenhoven and brilliantly took us back to the source of Prog Rock.
ROGER CHAPMAN & THE SHORTLIST
(Jazz Café, London, June 2007)
The old bleater and his cracking band shows no sign of growing old gracefully as he stomped, hollered, wailed, and of course berated the crowd. A magical turn by an only slightly matured wild man of rock.
JOHN OTWAY BIG BAND
(Cambridge Rock, August 2007)
An unpromising mid afternoon spot on a wet Sunday in a huge barn, smack in the middle of an animal rescue centre, provided the unlikely setting for a manic and frankly brilliant performance by rock's greatest performance artist.
LOU REED
(Hammersmith Odeon, July 2007)
A masterful performance of 'Berlin', complete with orchestra, choir, rock band and audio visual props. Surprisingly powerful, moving and brilliantly arranged.
DEVO
(Royal Festival Hall, June 2007)
80's oddball outfit still fighting the system in their middle years, and bringing smiles all round with a blistering performance.
Big disappointment:
INXS (London, June 2007) Great band but formulaic front man not worthy of Hutchence boots
LOOK OUT 2008!
OLI BROWN BAND
- New Ruf records signing, Oli is an 18 year old guitar slinger who has already traded licks with the likes of Walter Trout
MINUSCULE HEY
- Hugely talented French duo, these alt; rockers made their debut UK tour on the indie circuit, but were equally well received by The Zombies and Kinks audiences.
25 YARD SCREAMER
- Offering a contemporary take on Prog Rock, this excellent Welsh trio
deliver epic songs emotively delivered by vocalist Nick James.
NICK JAMES 25 Yard Screamer: Best of 2007
On their own at the top of what they do, this is
prog metal heaven.
Occasionally dubious lyrics but my God I could
listen to it all day.......and have done just that! They are the masters.
Ambitious, but then why not!
It was a joy to play to an audience who GOT US!
Many thanks to them one and all. Another nice thing was being voted for on the
'Long Song Of The Year ' competition on rock24/7 radio.
We got 4th, thanks to Prog Paul for that one. And
all the fantastic responses that we've had to our album Cassandra. We would
never have predicted that the feedback would be so positive, but we're thrilled
that it is!
John Stefanis (Metal Editor)
1. ROTTING CHRIST
Theogonia
5. W.A.S.P Dominator
Joe Geesin
Top CDs
FOGHAT Live II
Boogie and blues rock at its best, a fine 2CD collection proving the new line-up still has it.
ANTHRAX Live @ BBC
(Universal)
Vintage east coast thrash, at the height of their success with the classic line-up too.
GILLAN Mr Universe, Glory Road, Future Shock, Double Trouble, Magic
(Edsel)
Five vintage solo classics of blistering hard rock from the Deep Purple singer, 79-82 with loads of extra tracks. And don't forget the singles box set with bonus DVD, highlighting just how good (and successful) a singles band they were.
SAXON The Inner Sanctum
(SPV)
How can an ageing trad metal band continue to get better? Here's the proof.
MAGNUM Princess Alice And The Broken Arrow
(SPV)
New album from the Brummie prog pomp rockers, a real return to form.
RAINBOW Live In Nuremburg 1976
Completes the series of 3 councerts from Germany that year, of just about the best hard rock ever. Featuring Cozy Powell, Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie Dio, Jimmy Bain and Tony Carey.
Top DVDs
SAXON To Hell And Back Again
(SPV)
The band that influenced Spinal Tap in their own documentary. Still relevant, still down to earth, still rock'n'roll.
The rest of my 2007's DVD viewing has been taken up with Dr Who and Simpsons.
Top Gigs
THE GARY MOORE EXPERIENCE
Hippodrome, London, October 2007
As part of a tribute to Jimi Hendrix, a fitting tribute from one legend to another.
SAXON
Astoria, London, 15 May 2007
GIRLSCHOOL
Underworld, London, 10 May 2007
Two magical evenings - two of my favourite bands, and they did not disappoint.
HIGHLIGHTS 2007
CHRISTOPHER LEE
- interviewed, face to face. What an amazing guy!
SAXON - album launch
19 January 2007.
Preview of new album, and interviewed the band too.
Alan Jones
Top CDs
MARTHA TILSTON Of Milkmaids And Architects
Superb collection of contemporary songs from Steve's daughter - a real chip off
the old block as the guitar playing is first rate and the quality of the
songwriting exceptional.
My Album Of The Year! Unbelievably this is young Irish singer/songwriter Fionn
Regan's debut album, yet he sounds like he's been doing it for years. Fabulous
guitar playing and incredibly diverse and off-kilter lyrics make you keep
pressing the replay button.
This came down to a toss up as to who was the best blues-rock guitar player on
the planet between Joe and Walter Trout. Joe just wins out due to the diversity
on this album - superb string-busting blues/rock with some nice acoustic twists.
Brilliant.
Yet another tour de force from the superb Richard Thompson. With the exception
of 'Henry The Human Fly' I have never been disappointed with a RT album and I
can't imagine anyone who likes fine music, well played will be disappointed with
this. And surely the track 'Dad's Gonna Kill Me' is among Richard's very finest.
Kate just keeps raising the bar with every album she releases, but even by her
standards this is exceptional. Self-produced for the first time, this is just a
superb collection of both contemporary and trad/arr folk music of the highest
calibre.
Nikk Gunns
Top CDs
HOUSE OF GAMES Rise and Shine
- great new band from Estonia.
PAUL STANLEY Live To Win
- brilliant solo album from Kiss frontman.
HANOI ROCKS Street Poetry
- this CD is the natural successor to 1984's "Two Steps From The Move" album
MICK JAGGER Best Of
- great best of collection from the legendary Mick Jagger
VELVET REVOLVER Libertad
- sophimore effort from the band...and very good it is too!!
Top DVDs
KISS Kissology Vol 2 & Kissology Vol 1
- I grew up listening to KISS and this collection brought back years of fun.
ROLLING STONES Biggest Bang
- 4 DVD set covering the bands massive "Bigger Bang" tour
EUROPE Live In Sweden 1986
- a great concert DVD from a great band
SAMMY HAGAR Sammy and The Wabos - Livin' It Up In St Louis
- this DVD is a party from the first chord until the last (I wish I had been there myself!!)
Top Gigs
BRYAN ADAMS
at Wembley Arena, London
MOTLEY CRUE
at Hammersmith Odeon, London TESLA
at Shepherds Bush Empire, London
EUROPE
at Shepherds Bush Empire, London
BUCKCHERRY/BACKYARD BABIES/DAMONE
at The Mean Fiddler, London
Top CDs
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR Real Time Top DVDs
ROGER HODGSON Give A Little Bit
ASIA Fantasia Live in Tokyo
Andy Nathan
Top CDs
1. PRIDE OF LIONS The Roaring of Dreams
- Wonderful grandiose AOR as if the 80's had never gone away, with the great combination of master songwriter Jim (Survivor) Peterik and the soaring vocals of Toby Hitchcock
2. BON JOVI Lost Highway
- again BJ move with the times and manage to take the contemporary Nashville sound and marry it with their enduring ability to write memorable hooks
3. JOHN MELLENCAMP Freedoms Road
- a return to his roots with simple but effective blue collar anthems and tales of the American heartland that reclaim patriotism from George W Bush and his cronies
4. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Magic
- great to see The Boss at his up tempo best with the E Street Band back in tow and a series of rousing anthems
5. MAGNUM Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow
- a mellow but surprisingly effective return to the olde-worlde Magnum sound.
Top Gigs
1. SUMMERFEST, MILWAUKEE
- the 40th anniversary of this wonderful ELEVEN day downtown music festival. So many highlights including Def Leppard revitalising their setlist on a triple header with Styx and Foreigner, Heart rocking out, REO Speedwagon in commanding form before a home crowd and The New Cars and Lindsey Buckingham both being a revelation
2. FIREFEST 4 Nottingham
- the best ever of these fan run festivals that are an AOR fan's dream. Sensational comebacks from Valentine and FM just eclipsed by Tyketto's fiery farewell performance
3. JOURNEY
Hammersmith Apollo
- a very special occasion both for being the first appearance
of one of my favourite bands in a quarter of a century in my home
city, and sharing the show with my new family three days after getting
married!
4. JOHN FOGERTY Wembley Arena
- rocking out to his Creedence classics with the vigour of a man half his age
5. TESLA Islington Academy
- vintage performance showcasing the best in American hard rock
Bill Leslie
Top CDs
1) HEAVEN AND HELL Live At Radio City Music Hall (SPV)
- at last a live album that does the Dio fronted era of Black Sabbath justice.
2) VELVET REVOLVER Libertad
- against all expectations the GnR offshoot actually justify the hype
3) JOE BONAMASSA Sloe Gin (Provogue)
- blues perfection, even if half of it consists of covers.
4) SLOUGH FEG Hardworlder
- 'proper' metal, mixing a twin guitar attack a la Wishbone Ash with the power of early Sabbath.
5) MUSTASCH Latest Version Of The Truth
- excellent melodic hard rock featuring the best Bond theme that never was
Honourable mentions:
Magnum Princess Alice And The Broken Arrow, Road To Ruin - RIIR, Helloween - Gambling With The Devil, Mother Superior - Three Headed Dog, Tesla - Reel To Real
Top Reissues
1) SLADE Whatever Happened To Slade
- the long lost 1977 album proved to be the jewel in a fine reissue series
2) GILLAN The Singles Box
- every Gillan single plus the promos in reproduced covers and a nice box - a collector's dream!
3) JAGUAR Archive Alive Vol.1
- a superb collection of rarities from the nwobhm bands early days
4) HEAVY PETTIN Prodigal Songs
- with this many gems not making the actual original albums it's even more perplexing that Heavy Pettin' missed the gravy train.
5) THE ANSWER Rise II
- one of the best albums of recent years gets better with a full CD of new songs, live takes, covers and demos added.
Top Gigs
1) HEAVEN AND HELL Cardiff Arena (14 Nov 07)
90 minutes spent in the company of legends
2) Y&T Bristol Thekla Social (28 Oct 07)
Dave Meniketti and co. on fine form - just why did this band never get huge?
3) MAN Cambridge Rock Festival (18 Aug 07)
Pushed close by John Otway and Stray as the best performances of a fine festival, the Man band were so good it shaped my listening and record buying for the next few months.
4) THE ANSWER Chepstow Rock Festival (1 Jul 07)
- the young Irish four-piece have no right to sound so bloody powerful.
5) TWISTED SISTER Hard Rock Hell, Butlins, Minehead (10 Nov 07)
- he might look like Bet Lynch on a bad day but what a set Dee Snider et al produce - a hell of a show riddled with rock classics and er ... Christmas songs!
Dave Hunter
CDs
I'm not sure this should be included, being as it's a box set, but it is
absolutely the dog's danglies. Brilliantly packaged, limited edition and most
definitely a 5/5 collectors piece!
THE ANSWER Rise (special edition)
How do you improve on the brilliant first issue of an album? Easy, just add more
of the same and re-issue as double CD!
QUEEN Rock Montreal
OK, so there is an unlimited amount of good quality Freddie live material out
there but this show was one of the best. A couple of extra tracks from the
original video release and not available on the DVD either makes this a must
have for every Queen fan.
Four Yorkshire lasses, four acoustic guitars and four splendid vocalists. A bit
folk, a touch rock, very slightly country and often compared to Crosby, Stills,
Nash and Young.
Top quality melodic hard rock, almost but not quite up to the dizzy heights of
On A Storytellers Night.
DVDs
Quite simply the definitive live album now available on DVD, sheer delight.
This show is from the 40th anniversary of the festival in 2006. Certainly not
the first Deep Purple show to be recorded there but this one covers their career
right up to Rapture of the Deep, and of course includes Smoke On The Water
A pretty comprehensive collection of live footage from the Bon Scott era, (even
if the quality of some of the earliest is a bit ropey) and some classy stuff
from Brian Johnson makes this a must have for anyone remotely interested in
AC/DC.
Superb set featuring many Pink Floyd classics, helped by a stellar cast
including Crosby Nash and Bowie.
THE GAS Are Going Up
Brings back memories of a fantastic day. The roar of 40,000 Bristol Rovers fans
going absolutely mental as Sammy Igoe runs almost the full length of the Wembley
pitch to slot home and seal the play-off final sending The Gas up, still sends
shivers up and down my spine!
Gigs
The biggest eye-opener of the weekend, I still can't get the vision of the
headbanging violinist, Liz Prendergast, out of my head. Definitely one of the
most visual of performances I have ever witnessed.
MOSTLY AUTUMN Cox's Yard, Stratford
Bryan Josh is, without doubt, one of the finest guitarists in today's prog
market and Heather Findlay definitely has the best female voice I have ever
heard, so quite why this isn't the biggest band on the planet is beyond me.
Everyone needs to catch them live at least once and there is nowhere better than
at an intimate venue like this.
Y&T Thekla, Bristol
An unusual venue, an absolutely storming set in front of a packed, extremely
enthusiastic crowd by a band all too infrequently seen on these shores.
BLAZE BAYLEY/WOLFSBANE Rock of Ages Tamworth
History in the making in the town where it all kicked off for them.
TWISTED SISTER Hard Rock
Hell, Minehead
It must have been 20 years at least since I last caught these guys and it will
probably be another 20 until I see a show that totally blows me away like this
one! A totally unashamed return to my formative years.
Stuart Hamilton
Top CDs
1. EPICA The Divine Conspiracy
...a bleak year for female fronted gothic metal, but this is a truly stunning album.
2. KEN HENSLEY Blood On The Highway
... ex Uriah Heep dude brings his life story to music.
Listen in to the GRTR! Radio Show on
30 December for an interview
with KEN HENSLEY
3. MICHAEL KATON Live & On The Prowl
... dirty, dirty blues, just downright nasty.
4. ANNIHILATOR Metal
... did exactly what it said on the tin - proper metal.
5. BONERAMA Bringing It Home
... the worlds greatest four-trombone rock 'n' roll.
Top DVDs
1.
KAMELOT One Cold Winter's Night
... awesome presentation of awesome prog tinged power metal
2. HEAVEN & HELL Live From Radio City Music Hall
... don't listen to fools, cos this rules
3. THE REALM OF NAPALM RECORDS
... awesome collection of hard to find clips inc Korpiklaani, Leaves Eyes and Tyr.
4. SPACE RITUAL Satiricon
... hoary old Hawkwind dudes breathe life into hoary old Hawkwind tunes for hoary old Hawkwind fans.
5. SAXON To Hell And Back Again
... cos it's Saxon
Top gigs
1. HEAVEN & HELL Glasgow SECC
...it had to be, nothing else matched the power.
2. ALICE COOPER, MOTORHEAD, JOAN JETT
Glasgow SECC
... great package with something for rockers of all ilks.
3. GRAHAM BONNET
The Classic Grand, Glasgow ... one of my childhood heroes, up close and personal.
4. SAXON
Glasgow Garage
...heavy metal thunder blasted out in a sweaty club like it was 1981.
5. KROKUS
Glasgow QMU
... it's Krokus, people! In the UK! Rocking!
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