The Sweet - amazing 70's Rock in all it's crazy glory!

Throughout 2014 and 2015, I was obsessed with the Electric Light Orchestra - I just couldn't go a day without listening to some of Jeff Lynne and Co.'s magical creations.  As the calendar was changing from 2015 to 2016, I kept hearing songs from a band called "Sweet" on two of my favorite satellite radio stations in the car - Classic Vinyl and 70's on 7.  They played a song called "Little Willy", and I thought - well, that was a catchy tune.  Then, I heard their two more well-known US hits, "Ballroom Blitz" and "Fox on the Run".  Again, I liked what I heard, but it still wasn't enough to make me go "Holy shit! I need to hear more!". 


However, I then heard their song from 1975 called "Action" - and, yes, the "Holy shit!" moment was had.  I couldn't believe what I was hearing - these guys sounded like a harder rocking version of Queen!  I do love me some crazily overdubbed vocal harmonies!


So, since the beginning of 2016, I moved to get my hands on everything I could from this band called "The Sweet" or "Sweet" (I really don't know what their official name is, so I just call them "The Sweet"...sounds more dramatic with the "The").  Also, before I go into my ramblings, run (don't walk!) to their official YouTube site - it's an absolute treasure trove of awesomeness!  They've recently put up a few videos from a live performance they did back in 1974 on the legendary German music show called Musikladen.  It's.so.fucking.amazing!  Their performance of a song called "No You Don't" is so kickass, I actually got mad at myself for living all these years and only now finding out about this band.


Ok, let my new-fanboy ramblings begin...

I've just taken my first step into a larger vinyl record world...

Thine ears have heard the glory of the sound of music – no, I’m not referring to that old movie about the Von Trapp family *rolls eyes* - rather, good ol’ vinyl records. 

I love music…all kinds of music...it re-energizes me.  Additionally, I would say about 95% or so of my favorite music was recorded during the pre-digital days, so I had been itching to go back and listen to vinyl records and their analog sound again.  There were two things holding me back though: 1) the vinyl records that I remembered hearing back in the day never really impressed me sound-wise because we never had a fancy sound system, plus I was too young to really appreciate good audio recordings anyway (I listened to crappy 8-tracks and cassettes for pete’s sake!) – and – 2) I’m rather frugal by nature, and the thought of buying new equipment and re-buying expensive albums I already owned on CD/mp3, made me a bit hesitant to say the least – though the collector in me had been wanting my favorite albums on vinyl anyway just to have.

Well, after feeling a bit down and stressed with life (why I get that way, I don’t know, I actually have a lot to be thankful for) I needed a bit of a pick-me-up.  So, I took the plunge and jumped (in a budget-friendly way) straight into the deep end of the vinyl pool.  I got a turntable, decent cart/needle, phono amp, SpinClean record cleaner, and a handful of new and old albums, and started my journey into a whole new/old world of sound.

And what an amazing new/old world it is!!!

As a frequent lurker on the various “audiophile” sites/forums, the two constant themes you hear in regards to vinyl’s superiority over the CD/mp3 format is: “warmth” and “dynamic range” of the soundscape.  As two examples in response to that I thought - “Well, I’m really happy with the sound quality of my Ozzy-era Black Sabbath Deluxe Edition/Remastered 2009 CD’s from the UK Sanctuary label, as well as my 2011 Remastered CD’s of the Queen albums from the 70’s…is a vinyl recording really better than those?”.  There is a fair amount of “vinyl snobbery” on those sites, so I had to separate the “wheat from the chaff”, so to speak, in the information I was taking in.  Anyway, as my first vinyl purchases, I went and bought all 8 of the Ozzy-era Black Sabbath albums that Rhino recently re-issued on 180 gram vinyl from a site called Acoustic Sounds.  These albums had received good reviews on those same audiophile sites; the original UK pressings, as much as I would love to have them, are a bit too pricey for me.  On Ebay, I was lucky to happen upon a set of original Canadian pressings of the Queen albums from the 70’s (News of the World wasn’t included though, dang it!) at a good price, so I went for it (also, the sound quality of the old Canadian pressings seem to be held in the same high regard as the old UK pressings).  After a cleaning in the ol’ Spin Clean record cleaner, they all looked fantastic.  So, how did these new/old vinyl albums sound?...

Believe It...or Not! - Just realized I'm in my very own WABAC machine...

My house isn't filled with countless gears, buttons, switches, or blinking lights, but based on what I've been enjoying lately, I think I may have inadvertently created my very own WABAC machine... 

Current reason I'm thankful for being literate
A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not!" Ripley - I've always been a big Ripley's fan, though as a young kid in the early 80's, I actually thought Jack Palance was "Ripley" since he was the one who hosted the show.  Anyway, a biography on this guy's fascinating life was long overdue, but it was worth the wait - Neal Thompson has created a fantastic read!  I'm not even done with it yet, and it's already one of my favorites.  The early 20th century world still held so many secrets,

Top 10 Favorite Albums of the 2000's first decade

Compiling this list was harder than I thought it would be - two of my favorite bands during this first decade have been the Black Keys and White Stripes, whose entire catalogs were released during this time (with the exception of the White Stripes' debut album from 1999). Also, I was somewhat surprised that just about every year was represented in my personal list. Ah, and that brings me to another point...notice how I included "favorite" in the title because unlike professional critics who think their opinion is the be-all, end-all when it comes to what the top albums are, I realize my personal "top 10" could be somebody else's "bottom 10"...although they would be wrong, of course. :)

Without further ado, let's get this started with number 10 - since counting down backward to 1 is supposed to be more dramatic...I guess. Anyway...

10. The Best Little Secrets are Kept - Louis XIV (2005)

This album kind of makes me think that this could have been what might have happened if Bon Scott hadn't died and then decided to take AC/DC in a "new direction" in the early 80's. This album has a rockin', bad boy (almost a bit revolting at times if you pay attention to some of the lyrics) feel to it like any other traditional rock album...yet, the sound is a little out in left field, so to speak. I only wish they would have added their great instrumental "The Hunt" to this album.

9. Costello Music - The Fratellis (2007)

Fun album that'll have you tapping your toes and bobbin' your head to the beat (though some of the beats are a bit off-time and off-kilter - but they work). "Creepin' up the Backstairs" is probably the most well-known song from the album.

8. Audioslave - Audioslave (2002)

What do you get when you mix Rage Against the Machine with the lead singer of Soundgarden? A kickass album, in my opinion. This group's first album blasted you in the package from the get-go with "Cochise", and didn't let up with the awesomeness throughout the entire album. In fact, the final track, "The Last Remaining Light", is my favorite song on the album. Too bad they couldn't keep the magic going in their subsequent albums.

7. Is This It - The Strokes (2001)

What a great friggin' album! The riffs, the beats, the vocals - everything is put together simply and solidly for an album filled with catchy tunes. I remember first hearing "Last Nite" and thinking "wow, haven't heard a song like this in a long time - I need to hear more!". "Soma" and "Take It or Leave It" are two of my favorites.

6. Contraband - Velvet Revolver (2004)

"Well, awright! GnR is back with a better singer!" is what I thought when I first heard about the creation of Velvet Revolver. I was just hoping the songs wouldn't suck - and, man, they sure didn't! Great, straight-forward, rock-n-roll album - with a few ballad-esque numbers thrown in. In fact, one of those more mellow tunes, "You Got no Right", is my favorite off the album.

5. Parachutes - Coldplay (2000)

In my opinion, Coldplay is a group that defies logic. With each successive album, the quality of their songs have gotten worse; yet they've become bigger and more successful with each successive album. Their debut album is so dang good - full of rich, atmospheric sound and quality lyrics. Their second album also very solid (some may say their best). Third album - crap. Fourth album - even crappier. Oh well, enough of that. This album is a perfect listen on those cold, cloudy, rainy or snowy days - just slap on a pair of headphones and shut out the world around you.

4. Elephant - The White Stripes (2003)

This was an incredibly tough choice for me, as all but one of their albums were released this decade. Do I go with "White Blood Cells", which featured the first song I had heard from them - "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" - a song with such an infectious riff, that it drove me to buy my first electric guitar just so I could play the riff? Do I go with "De Stijl", an incredibly good album filled with bluesy-perfection? No, in the end, I gotta go with the album that combined everything that was great about their first three albums and raised it up another level yet. This really is a behemoth of an album, and I can't think of a more appropriate title than what it was given. The greatness of this album made it even harder to accept how sub-par their next two albums were, but - oh well - the first four albums more than make up for it.

3. Rubber Factory - The Black Keys (2004)

Even harder than my White Stripes album choice was my Black Keys choice. The Black Keys may just be the best group going today. This album was my first introduction to this incredible duo and it instantly blew me away! Is there a more kickass song than "Stack Shot Billy"? Well, sure, but the choices are few. Their cover of "Act Nice and Gentle" is one of my favorites as well. Like I said, this was a tough choice as the two albums that preceded it, and the two albums that proceeded it, are all fucking brilliant! All I can say is that I hope there's more to come from this group in the next decade.

2. Wolfmother - Wolfmother (2006)

This album will punch you square in the clackers and you'll thank them for it! Plain and simple, this album ROCKS!!! Alot of people harp on them and say that they're just recycling old Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath sounds - well, to that, I say "THANK YOU, Wolfmother! More please!". I wish there were more new groups dabbling in the great inventiveness of late-60's and early 70's rock. This album is cosmic, man, cosmic...what an incredible debut album. Favorite song - "Colossal". As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to listen to that right now.

1. Diorama - Silverchair (2002)

I've got one word for this album - "Masterpiece"! This Australian group continued to evolve from it's mid-90's grunge origins with each successive album, but their first release in the 21st century is this century's finest piece of popular music - in my opinion of course. Songs like "Across the Night", "The Greatest View", and one of my all-time favorites from any band - "Tuna in the Brine", sound as if they should be on other classics such as The Beatles' "Abbey Road" or Queen's "A Night at the Opera". If you haven't heard this album, you're missing out on greatness. Don't your ears deserve something great for a change?

Best of the rest (in alphabetical order):

Amy Winehouse - "Back to Black" (2007): She's weird, but this album has a great retro sound.

Belinda Carlisle - "Voila" (2007): Surprisingly good - even though it's all in French. Another underrated gem from the former Go-Go.

Dan Auerbach - Keep it Hid (2009): Solo effort from The Black Keys' frontman. Do not keep this one hid! (that was my clever play on the album title...*ahem*) "Real Desire" is a standout track.

The Darkness - "Permission to Land" (2003): Solid debut rocker. They could have been somebody, they could have been a contender.

Evanescence - "The Open Door" (2006): Great voice, great sound.

Fiona Apple - "Extraordinary Machine" (2005): I love her voice...and her eyes...ok, I'm starting to get creepy. The bootleg version of this album is even better...but you didn't hear that from me.

Franz Ferdinand - "You Could Have it so Much Better" (2005): Catchy tunes!

Green Day - "American Idiot" (2004): Better than "Dookie".

Kylie Minogue - "Light Years" (2000): A girlie album to be sure, this heavily disco-infused gem is a slightly embarrasing guilty pleasure for a dude such as myself.

Metallica - "Death Magnetic" (2008): Just missed my Top 10. Welcome back to greatness, Metallica.

Queens of the Stone Age - "R" (2000), "Songs for the Deaf" (2002): ROCK ON!

Robert Plant/Allison Krauss - "Raising Sand" (2007): Good stuff. This album will surely be on many professional critics' "Best of the decade" lists.

System of a Down - "Hypnotize / Mesmerize" (2005): Essentially a double-album, this melodic, heavy rocker is a must-have.

Tool - "10,000 Days" (2006): A return to greatness after the sub-par "Lateralus" from earlier in the decade.

Diorama: Silverchair Gold from 2002

I tell ya, nothing more timely than a 2007 review on a 2002 album!

As I eagerly anticipate the upcoming release of Silverchair's first album in 5 years (titled Young Modern), I thought I might take a step back and share my thoughts on what I think is not only their best album, but one of the best albums by any group...Ev-ah! <--Hey, how 'bout that wacky spelling of the word "ever"...yeah, I'm still pretty hip.

After three albums of ever-evolving music, Silverchair mixed together everything great about those first three albums, added a heaping dollop of 1970's Queen-esque grandiose, and created an ever-fresh batch of ear candy. (As a matter of fact, I listened to the whole album (for the ba-jillionth time) this very morning on my trusty ol' iPod...which pretty much inspired me to write this post...but I digress (have you noticed that digressing forces you to use a lot of parentheses and ellipses?)...hmmm).

Seriously, not only did they add a heaping dollop of Queen-esque goodness, I think they channeled the creative spirit of Freddie Mercury himself from the afterlife. Ya know, you hear a lot of rock bands say stuff like "yeah, we're spending extra time in the studio to do something really special and ambitious...a lot like those old Queen albums" when they try to make an album that's creative and different from the norm...BUT, what usually happens is that they cut one or two tracks that sound like cheesy Bohemian Rhapsody ripoffs, and totally miss the mark on what made the Queen-sound so unique.

The studio pairing of Van Dyke Parks with Silverchair for Diorama created musical brilliance not heard since Roy Thomas Baker paired up with Queen to make their gems in the '70s. The elaborate orchestrations, vocal harmonies mixed in perfect unison with melodic music, and occasional crunching guitar riff, truly makes sweet music to one's ear. However, if you only know Silverchair from their 1995 grunge-rockin' debut album, Frogstomp, you may or may not be pleasantly surprised - as the first track on Diorama is not like anything heard on that album...

Track 1: Across the Night - The opening track let's you know right away that this is not like any of the other Silverchair albums. Lead-singer, Daniel John's vocals on this song are fantastic - especially when the song changes pace near the end - as the sweeping orchestration crescendos, John's vocals match and exceed the musical backing in such an impressive way, you'll fight the urge to give your music player a standing ovation upon conclusion.
Rating: Brilliant!

Track 2: The Greatest View - The brilliance continues in this track, as they very subtly throw everything but the kitchen sink into this song (I swear I hear banjo before the second chorus...no cowbell though). Great vocals belt out uplifting lyrics while crunching guitar softly underlines this musical concoction, as it patiently waits to roar to the forefront in the form of a kickass riff (one which Jimmy Page would even be envious of) each time after the chorus.
Rating: Brilliant!

Track 3: Without You - Guitars rage in the background, mixing with a thundering drumbeat in the foreground, to create a sonic thunderstorm that envelops what is really just your standard radio fare power ballad, but it's still a great song. Once again, vocals are great with a few changes of pace thrown in for good measure.
Rating: Excellent

Track 4: World Upon Your Shoulders - If there is one "meh" song on this album, it would be this one (in my opinion). It's not a bad song mind you (it even has a bit of Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here-sounding guitar diddlin') , but when compared to every other incredible track on this album, it just seems a little vanilla. There is a neat little musical and vocal interlude in the middle of the song that adds a little spice though.
Rating: Good

Track 5: One Way Mule - If there's a song on this album that even comes close to mirroring the hard rockin' grunge sound of their debut album, it would be this track. However, even this rockin' tune has some great harmonies and melodic sophistication to it.
Rating: Excellent

Track 6: Tuna in the Brine - Ah man, this is THE ONE!!! This is Silverchair's Bohemian Rhapsody (although it might actually pair closer with March of the Black Queen) and Stairway to Heaven all rolled into one. If I were to make a Top 10 list of my all-time favorite songs, this one would be in the top 5! This song is a perfectly orchestrated wall of sound - emotional vocals, perfect harmonies, and just a fantastic sweeping scope!
Rating: Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant x 100!!! (yeah, I kinda like this song)

Track 7: Too Much of Not Enough - Fantastic rocker that sounds like it could be the lovechild of The Greatest View and One Way Mule. The matching bassline and guitar riff leading into the chorus frickin' rocks!
Rating: Brilliant!

Track 8: Luv Your Life - A sweeping, symphonic ballad - yet with acoustic undertones - is this one. Classic lyrical moment - "I don't pay for sanity, but sanity don't come cheap". If you don't find yourself singing, or at least humming, along to this one then you just don't appreciate good music. This song sounds like a late-era Beach Boys and Beatles conglomeration (the Van Dyke Parks influence perhaps?).
Rating: Brilliant!

Track 9: Lever - Straight-ahead rocker that reminds me a little of their song, The Door, off their 2nd album - Freak Show. The guitar riff throughout the song sounds like lightning bolts - lightning bolts shooting out of Emperor Palpatine's hands at the end of Return of the Jedi!
Rating: Excellent

Track 10: My Favourite Thing - Another ballad-esque song...again, outstanding vocals and harmonies. I wouldn't say this song is "my favourite thing" (ahhhhh!...yeah...that was clever), but it is a damn fine thing!
Rating: Excellent

Track 11: After All These Years - Now, this song is a straight-ahead mellow ballad - however, it too features the great symphonic orchestrations like the rest of the album. It's one of those songs that makes you feel like you should be sitting and reflecting on your life...can't say that I actually have, but ya know, I'm just saying that's what it makes you feel like.
Rating: Brilliant!

Simply, one of the greatest albums I've ever heard. It will make you thankful for having two functional ears.