Thursday
Nov122009
New Love in Town...and More!
Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 12:01AM Has anyone checked out the new Europe album, Last Look at Eden? The single "New Love in Town" is a great ballad, and I like the video, too. In a lot of ways, this "new" Europe sounds better than the classic stuff. I don't know if it's because the band is just more comfortable with their songwriting these days or if the production team is better, but the songs on Last Look at Eden really do stand up. The album's title track is amazingly strong - it's almost as if the band decided to wait 20 years to release their best effort.
"New Love in Town"
"Last Look at Eden"
Reader Comments (20)
Steffan...
Glamrocker Archie...
You guys like Europe...
Me, too...
They paved the way for this whole genre of AORish Glam Metal from Sweden, Norway, Germany and other European countries.
My critique of the above videos:
1) "New Love In Town". Great song. Wish the guitars were cranked a little more a la "Carrie". And I love the idea of the thing set in a hanger like this is where they "jam" and rehearse or conduct sonic electronic musical experiments or whatever it is these guys do to cook up all of their supreme AOR confections. Also, who's corporate jet is who's?
2) "Last Look At Eden". Not as good. But probably would like it better if it got the usual treatment, tho I do applaud the attempt at the newer trappings of tryin' out the pseudo Death Metal guitar sound so prevalent today. I guess this goes into the "updated sound of Europe" category. Nice video, backdrop, cinematography and special effects, tho.
Let's flashback to the 80's/early 90's, if you guys don't mind indulging me...
Ever heard 220 Volt, "Eye To Eye"?
Check out the video for "Love Is All You Need" on YouTube, if you haven't already seen it.
or how about the 3/4's Scottish group, Strangeways?
Or how about Alien or Harlot?
Check out YouTube for Alien's "Tears Didn't Put Out The Fire"...
Alien's whole 1st album (was that their last, too?) is just unreal.
I realize this is about Europe, but was just curious if you guys had those or heard any of their stuff?
And my feeling is this stuff never would have broken out if it weren't for Europe.
It's funny, when I was really gettin' into all things Hair/Glam after I saw Spinal Tap, of all things (before that I was into Punk and New Wave and also, Glam Rock, y'know -- Bowie, T-Rex, Mott, Gitter, Quatro, etc., while also still embracing my Classic Rock roots), I kinda had a disdain for these guys and any Rock that had this kind of keyboard treatment.
Side bar: Funny how Gene $immons mocked Greg Giuffria when he arrived at the studio on the first day when he began executive producing (read: "molding") Giuffria into his new pet project, House of Lords (both great examples of this kinda stuff), saying, as he walked past Greg's keyboards, "Hmmm, keyboards...that's not very Rock and Roll." Meanwhile, HELLO?! -- "Heaven's Falling" or "Forever", Gene?...ya pompous @#&*%?!
Okay, I'm back...Initially, I disdained the song, "The Final Countdown" but now, and I'd say for about 17 years it is one of my all time favorite anthems, then again, it is also one of my all time favorite comedy records, too.
I mean, you do have to appreciate the pure 80's style of cheese this represents. I know it's unintentionally funny, but in my view it's one of the most hilarious things ever committed to 8-Track ever.
When I first went all out on "Hair Metal", I just did not want any keyboards in my Hair Metal. No, siree. Gimme Ratt, Gimme Scorps, but gimme death when it comes to the frickin' keyboards is how I thought about it for quite awhile. So foolish, I mean, I was into Boston when that hit, what the hell? I think at the time I just wanted everything to sound like AC/DC.
I tried to ignore Europe but I just found their tunes just too irresistable. "Carrie" is easily one of my fave top 5 Power Ballads of all time, and could just be the definitive Power Ballad of all time, or practically so.
I can actually remember being in my girlfriend Carol's car, comin' home from a party in '87 (where I actually took a burning log out of the fire and played air guitar with it as my guitar when "Rock You Like A Hurricane" came on the stereo (note I said, burning, not flaming), and she was mad at me for flirtin' with some of the girls and she was gonna break up with me. Then "Carrie" came on the radio.
I started singing along with it to Carol, subbing in "Carol" over Joey Tempest's "Carrie" whenever he sang it. Well, it worked and I saved the relationship which lasted another year. If you had seen her back in the day, you'd be thankin' Europe, too! She was a dead ringer for a young Patti Hansen, Keith Richard's wife. Carole is also one of the few X's I've been able to remain friendly with.
This new Europe stuff is pretty strong, too, but it's hard to top the classic comedy album, "The Final Countdown" or the "Out of this World" album, too, for that matter. "The Final Countdown" really is our "Dark Side of the Moon", tho, donchya think?
Hey, you know who came back really incredibly of this ilk and I who I would just love to see, though I think they are back on hiatus?...
Treat
...from Scandinavia...
YouTube "Get You On The Run" (live in a mall record store, too) and "Rev It Up", if you aren't familiar with this band.
Great stuff and their comeback stuff from 2007 is just as strong, for sure...
Hey, where's Christian on all of this? Christian, this genre seems right up your alley, no?
Yeah, as far as Europe is concerned, the entire continent of Europe ruled with this kinda stuff!
And I love it!
p.s. Also check out the total cherry on top for this discussion...go watch "Swedish Metal Aid" on YouTube! They're all on there and you'll even get Europe's lead singer, Joey Tempest, doin' his part. But who's that playin' piano? It's from '85. Maybe one of our Swedish friends will chime in and demystify this for us. Obviously, a fund raising thing a la that American Metal charity song, "We're Stars!", another killer who's who video you can check out on YouTube, if you haven't seen it, from back in the day. Anyway, the first time I saw the Swedish MetalAid vid like 4 years ago, it gave me the chills. Killer power ballad written especially for charity (probably by the piano player), sung live and real and raw. And when I just watched it again, just now, the tears started to well up, but not as much as when I first heard "Carrie". The band Europe and all their Swedish counterparts. Seriously, it's beautiful!
p.s. Kenny, still haven't gotten Danger Danger, "Cockroach" loaded on yet. Can't wait to hear Paul Laine. Promise I'll give you my opinion when I see one of your forthcoming comments, after I listen to it...
I can actually remember being in my girlfriend Carol's car, comin' home from a party in '87 (where I actually took a burning log out of the fire and played air guitar with it as my guitar when "Rock You Like A Hurricane" came on the stereo (note I said, burning, not flaming), and she was mad at me for flirtin' with some of the girls and she was gonna break up with me. Then "Carrie" came on the radio.
Okay, I realize there are speedfreaks, but now I realize there are Swede Freaks, myself included...
So, I'm fully aware this is supposed to be about Europe, but I hope you guys don't mind if we take the scenic route to get there...
Kenny: It's nice of you to encourage me to start a "blog". But to tell you the truth, I usually don't really have much to say, unless it's triggered by something intriguing that Allyson posts (and here she's batting a thousand, as far as what fascinates me) with her pithy and wry observations and very often highly critical opinions (either positive or negative) . And it also comes from what you guys have to say about it, a context if you will, where each and every person is contributing and creating and elaborating about the subject and points of view to be discussed. If you'll notice, I'm rarely the first to comment on a subject because I usually don't know quite what to make of it.
Then you guys always write something that gets me thinking about it, too! And taking your leads on stuff, like in your case, Danger Danger's "Cockroach" album. Or Glam Rock Archie's tip to check out one of Europe's other songs, "Gotta Have Faith", from this latest release. That's what this is really all about for me... In fact, as much as I love compliments as much as the next person, I would rather read what you guys are thinking about the subject of Metal, and more interesting to me, specifically, Glam Metal.
What can I say, I love the stuff and it is my mission to go back and get (even if it means buyin' it for a second time --maybe that's how MetalbUy named himself) every damn thing I either missed or never played or stored, etc, and listening to it now, to see how it stacks up against all the music (every kind of music) that's come out since.
Speaking of going back and getting, let's all do it and bring it back...alive, like some of these killer bands like Crash Diet, have done.
And to that point, it's Allyson's concept, "Bring Back Glam!... that is precisely what got me hooked on this web site in the first place!
Anyway, it's all reciprical and you guys keep the conversation going as much as me or anyone else that jumps on.
Hell, I found this site only a few months ago, because I was trying to find out more about the Bulletboy's CD, "Freakshow", which I've now bought twice, the first time back in the day, not too long after it came out, when I got the special limited edition for like 3 bux , listened to it once and filed it (now it's in storage at an undisclosed location where I'd like to take Dick Cheney and make him listen to it on 11) because it wasn't hittin' me.
Then, I thought, c'mon, it's gotta be good. So I got it again. Then I also wondered if they were touring and thought they might be playin' around where I live because Torian lives very close by. So, I Googled 'em and I guess it was right around the time "10cc Billionaire" came out, so. lo and behold, bringbackglam.com came up and that was all she wrote, pun intended and in the words of Firehouse.
So, let's all join the cause and Bring Back Glam so we can not just relive the old days, but live the Glam Metal life, one and all, in the here and now!
And, tho I love the idea of a blog, I dunno. I barely know what that is anyway...
Thanks for the compliment and encouragement...
But let's get back on the subject at hand (still not Europe, sorry folks)...
And way thanks for your tip on Danger Danger, "Cockroach"!
In fact...
"Ola Soleeba!"
...as in I'm not worthy!
...as in "Down on my knees"
...I mean, Garth (he's always first in my book) and Wayne level "on my knees, not worthiness", dude!
How much do I love Danger Danger's "Cockroach" (both versions)?
I'd go up to Fed Ex Kinko's right now and get a giant blow up of the album cover (If they'd let me... they get weird about that stuff), hang it on my wall and go through the whole "Ola Soleeba", "I'm not worthy" ritual I just described to you all over again...
Except for one thing...
The album cover sux.
So I ain't gettin' no blow up.
Would love to see what they had on the drawing boards when they had this album on the launching pad, especially when you consider what they did for the first two, the second one being the standout for me.
But, that said, this is one of the few cases where I would say this, by the way...
Who cares what the damned album cover looks like, this frickin' package of tuneage Roxxxxxxxxxxxxxx!!!!!!!!! like I can't frickin' believe...
Talk about an album we could wish would have changed Rock and Roll History! Absolutely, unbelievably frickin', incredible!
To tell you the truth, tho I can't make up my mind which of the versions I like better, but I definitely like either version better than their two previous albums, and I like those a helluva lot, don't get me wrong! One things for sure, it is refreshing to hear them with the b*llsier Laine, for sure!
For me, the very first song, "Still Kickin'" just rocks like no tomorrow. An immediate anthem for what I've been doin' these days, no question. I've got em side by side on iTunes and also both albums, Poley's first, Laine's second. I agree with everything you said but I'm still listening and I mean morning, noon and night.
You know how you get on an album and just fry it out for two weeks straight nonstop, including going to sleep to it? I did it with G'n'R "Appetite", Crue "Two Fast For Love", Junkyard, Roxx Gang "Things You've Never Done Before", Bulletboys, Life Sex & Death, Dirty Looks "Cool to The Wire", Accept "Metal Heart", etc., etc., and that was all back in the day.
Cockroach! Can't stop listening to it. You k'now, like "Hold the calls, girls, I'm busy right now" (Hahaha!!! MetalbUy, I'll address your concerns over there on Al's PBF page) level of greatness, for me, dude!
And now this...unreal, dude... you really called this one!
Almost to Europe, but first...
I've been "Messin' With Metal" (sounds like an album title) since I was a kid in Old Greenwich, CT when I peered through a the side window of someone's garage 3 neighborhoods over from mine (I was such the wild leaping knome explorer back then), having been drawn over by some kind of crazy mean music coming from there.
The music led (here it comes) me to this big house (think 20's cedar shake giant 6 bedroom victorian job) with a huge detached two car garage. So I looked through the window, you know, my hands up like horse's blinders to eliminate the sun's reflection, so I could see what all this racket was. I mean, it sure sounded good and I had to see what the hell it was and where it was coming from...
So there the scene was laid out before me... long haired dudes with guitars -- I'm thinkin' SGs and Les Pauls, Fender bass and Ludwig drums, granted I can't know for sure, but having watched the Beatles, the Doors and everyone else on the Ed Sullivan Show and having seen a few seasons worth of "Monkees" episodes, I knew enough to decipher that the equipment they were using wasn't cheapo stuff and they're playin' for awhile and then they stopped.
I remember this distinctly because my eyes (and ears!) were just poppin' out of my head with the wide eyed wonder of a child. At this point, and I remember this like it was yesterday, the dude with the SG (bell bottomed Levi's, straight long hair, army jacket and a handlebar mustache) flips the record on the turntable and picks up the Album cover to read to the other members which song they were going to run through next, playing along with the record, naturally.
And then he put the needle on the record and up they all cranked it. I think my mouth was open so wide drool was probably coming out and I didn't even notice (I still do that sometimes, hahaha!!!). It was just so stunning and awe inspiring. The beauty of it was, these guys were so enthrawled in their playing and the business of learning this song they were playing over and over again, though I do remember the guy guitarist kept picking up the needle and starting it over without letting the song end. And they would start all over again. I probably watched this go on for about 5 times until I, with all the attention span of a flea at this point in my life (that hasn't really changed either, hahaha!!!), simply moved on to the next neighborhood and the next adventure.
The year was 1969 and I was 9 years old. The album the guy held up to read the back cover to his bandmates was...
Led Zeppelin II
and the song they were learning?
"Whole Lotta Love"
Crued: Very clever name, dude. Appreciate you calling a moment in my life "classic". Yeah, I'd say your namesakes might have had a little to do with the burning log episode.
Can't pinpoint the exact time of year but it was Winter and a Friday. I had a few pops and the thing was gettin' kinda dull. At the time I was workin' in this babe factory of a company in D.C. and the whole party was like 12 hot chicks and like 5 dudes after the "normal" couples filed out. We're talkin' no one over 30. The chick that was throwin' it had DC !0! on the stereo (remember this is before civilization, pre - iPod.). I'm tendin' the fire in the fireplace and on comes "Rock You Like A Hurricane".
I don't know what the hell came over me, but I felt compelled to grab one of the logs that was kind just smoldering that hadn't even caught fire yet, and I just grabbed it and started jammin' with it, doing my best Page circa "Song Remains The Same" maneuvers that, at that point, had become so second nature to me, having seen the movie so many times (probably 80 times).
It was only 22 years later that I found out where I had gotten the idea. This summer my ex-lead guitarist showed me a picture I took of him in 1980 when we were hangin' out and jamming with a potential rhythm guitarist at his jam space out on some farm in the West Virginia sticks.
The picture was taken out in front of the dude's farmhouse. Except it wasn't my ex-lead guitarist's customary white Strat in his hands. It was a recent model piece of firewood he had grabbed from a cord of wood next to where he was standing.
Flash to 7 years later and there I am stealing my ex-axeman's idea (without realizing it until this summer when he showed me the pic from '80), trying to impress the ladies by jumping around, doing splits and my best Rudolf Schenker sh*t eating grin impersonation with a frickin' smokin' log as a guitar. And maybe attempting a little jealousy igniting (no pun intended) tactic on Carol at the same time.
Which may explain why MetalbUy, who's still stuck on Pretty Boy Floyd over on an earlier post by Allyson where I lost the plot way worse than on this thing about Europe, thinks I need a girlfriend.
And that's because maybe my pick-up techniques haven't improved much since I last hallucinated pick-ups on a semi-charred piece of wood.
To read about my girl problems (Girl problems? Yeah, I got girl problems? I can't get rid of 'em. Plus they keep buggin' me when all I wanna do right now is write about our cause of bringin' back the Glam!), go back over to the Pretty Boy Floyd past post here.
Now, finally, speaking of bringin' back the Glam, let's bring it back to our fearless boyz from Sweden, Europe and all the others (wish we had a Swede readin' this stuff so they could chime in on who all the big Swedish players were/are).
Before I went to sleep to the best album I've heard in years, DD's "Cockroach" (see what woulda happened if Seattle or East L.A. and Brooklyn hadn't taken over completely in '93? Just when we got it right, pfffffft!!!), I watched that Swedish Metal Aid performance again on YouTube. Killer! Found out a little bit more on that and have my hunches on who some of the other people on it are...
Turns out Joey Tempest, lead singer of Europe, wrote the song (according to Wikipedia) for the charity project, Swedish Metal Aid. I thought it was the guy playin' the piano and lead guitar in the thing, who I'm going to guess was Kee Marcello of Sweden's Easy Action, because he was the producer.
There's no way to know for sure, unless we get some feedback from Sweden. The lead singer of 220 Volt's on there. What about that Brunette belter? Who the heck is that? I wonder what she looks like now, MetalbUy? Though, she's probably too old for me now, the way I've been rollin' of late, seriously, bro, hahaha!!!).
Anyway, did you guys check this out? Crazy. By the way, I couldn't find if this was ever released on album or cd but I imagine it was. Another reason to go to Sweden, besides checking out Crash Diet, Al... hahaha!!! I did cough it up for Hearin' Aid and I already got Sam Kinison's "Wild Thing" on i-Tunes recently because lately I'm fascinated by these group clusterf*ck Metal blowout things, whether for charity or not.
Look at Kinison's "Wild Thing" again on YouTube. It's a total Hair Metal Blow Out (no pun intended, again!). All our heroes are on there to honor Kinison (way before he met his untimely demise on a solitary highway bolting down the road in his Lincoln Mark VI into oblivion). All the L.A. Boyz plus Toxic Squared, Dio, etc., et al. I'm gonna check it out again. I suggest you do the same.
Anyway, sidetracked...
Yeah, so unless we get some Swedophiles on here to spell it all out for us, I think we've pretty much conquered Europe and it's time to become Swedishphiles ourselves on the Crash Diet post she's had up since Midnite, Friday, the 13th (Yikes, but now there's a whopper of a soundtrack and Metal vids to boot!). I'm movin' on but I'll be back to check to see if MetalbUy or any of you boyz are out to shanghai me again...
p.s. Crued, love the name, btw... Can't wait to see Anvil. Can't believe I missed it in the Theater (midnite shows only and I'm usually... uh... a little... um... tied up... uh, at that time (MetalbUy!), just kiddin'. But I think I can rent it On-Demand right now or I'll Netflix it. Al's right, dude! We gotta represent, to borrow a phrase from our current MTV brethren, and I don't mind forkin' out a coupla bux so these guys see a piece of the action, no matter how big or small, because they deserve it for all the reasons you stated and also saw in the movie. If anybody earned something for their music, they did. They dreamed and now should live the dream. I don't care how broke I already am from buyin' all this stuff, I'm cuttin' 'em in on their own action, even if it's a Penny Royal Tea (we know where that came from...). And Al, Guys, lemme know if you want me to shut up and I will. I know I can go on way longer than Guiness World Record Book record holder, Judas Priest's live triple false endings to "Electric Eye", on any given night. Ola Soleeba, Kenny!...
Whoa! Glam Rocker Archie!... There you are, man... Holy sh*t, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout! Just when I was ready to bail, your latest comment above just appeared! Awesome info and perspective! Crued was right, you do absolutely ROKKKKKK!!! Yeah, dude... 220 Volt 9love the original U.S. release green cover where their logo looks like a rusted out emblem on an old Chrysler 300 or somethin', tho I guess the new remaster probably sounds a helluva lot better. Dude, Alien! OMG! (I usually never write OMG but...) this is a killer CD. "The Air That I Breathe" as well as Graham Bonnet's "Only One Woman" (ever seen him circa '68 beltin' that one out? YouTube!)., let alone the more rockin' stuff on there like, "Go Easy". Now that I think about it, I'm gonna see if I can get this as a Japanese Import because those remastering jobs just pop like a mofo. Just popped on "Go Easy" and it really is a result of Europe's popularity, I think, that paved the way for bands like this. I've always meant to do a playlist of Swedish Hair Metal, so I'm hoping all of this discussion will finally lead to someone laying it down. I'd attempt it but I just haven't gone through the research motions enough. Maybe we can all collectively compile it together right here or off line, or how ever but rest assured, no matter how one of us we'll be poppin' it on here because like you said, the European Rock Scene rules and I'm beginning to believe that was the case even back toward the tale end of the day in the early 90's. They took the L.A. thing and just blew it out long after the American record companies rolled up the sidewalks on the strip and, like you say, they've kept 'em rolled up ever since. But I really think the Guitar Hero/Rockband brigade are gonna knock 'em down and save the American Glam Metal Scene in the knick of time, and hell, it still might even be the Dirty Pennies or the Crash Diets of this round that might at least be able to crack it open with 'em to at least get the gate back down over the moat for the American Kidz. Flashback: Treat! Oh, so killer... Hey, what about Sleez Beez! Monsters, all three albums... Gotthard... oh, man... that Deep Purple, "Hush" cover. let alone the rest of that first album... All of these bands have left me carvin' up playlists for the last several months... And what about what Kenny flagged me... You got DD's "Cockroach"? Killah! How 'bout the Swedish Metal Aid vid? YouTube, bro, if ya didn't see it, yet? Like Newman says to Redford in that sample from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid sampled on that "Strangeways" (I think) tune, "Who are those guys?...". Let's dismantle this Swedish scene from '80 to the present, once and for all! BTW, personally, "Love Is All You Need" by 220 Volt is my favorite of the heap... Guitars on that kill... BTW, judging from that SwedeMetalAid Vid, there may be enough to make a strictly Swedish Playlist, but we could also do another one that's got the Netherland's (Sleeze Beez?), Germany (Gotthard and the usual U.S. known suspects), etc., etc., you know the Scandi's, etc... Gonna see what's up with Crash Diet and go deal with MetalbUy's harrassment (hahaha!!!) back on Al's Pretty Boy Floyd post here. And also gonna see if there's still anything percolating on the Aerosmith thingy she's got up on here... I'll check back throughout the night... And guys, I'm going to give up on the typos and mindbending grammatical torture I'm unfortunately inflicting on you guys as I realize now, I've overshot this one by a mile!! Ciao, for now...
Guitarist John Norum was clearly against the commercial direction of the band and went off and did one of the best rock albums of all time - Total Control [i.e. he wrote, played, sang some of the tunes]. If you have never heard it, get it, you will love it. Then he joined Don Dokken for another amazing album, Up From The Ashes. Several solo albums later, and Europe finally reunites in 2003.
In 2005 I literally "ran into" Joey Tempest and keyboardist Mic Michaeli on the boardwalk in Mission Beach, San Diego. My son who was 5, was dribbling a soccer ball and Mic tripped over it. I felt bad, until later that night, when I saw them in a tiny club on the beach, Mic tripped over the wires on the way on stage.
So, the important part - they absolutely shredded the old tunes and the new ones off Start From The Dark. Amazing album - must listen to. It became our soundtrack along with TESLA's Into The Now on our long drive back across the country.
The 2006 Secret Society was OK, it never really caught on with me.
The 2009 Last Look At Eden - simply amazing from beginning to end - fell in love with one listen and loved every minute of it.
We need to get Europe playing here, at a festival, a tour or a cruise. Immensely talented band.
Whoa, just popped that Don Dokken album on last week. Didn't even realize that was John Norum. Got "Give It Up" parked right next to Lynch's "Wicked Sensation" for contrast and comparison in position 77 and 78 respectively.
Look, y'know, I bust chops on everyone. No one is spared, especially myself. So as much as I bust on Europe, look, I love 'em. Always loved "Carrie", if you read my "Carole" story, too, you'll know it wasn't just now, but back when it first hit the radio. Tempest is really singin' it like he means it there, no lie. And did you look at this Swedish Metal Aid. Hey I know, I'm gettin' obsessive compulsive about this one, but he wrote it and is just belting it out with all his might on that live Swedish television clip.
You're lucky you saw those guys in San Diego, on the beach, no less. And as far as the guy trippin'... It's like that old classic print ad for of all things, a correspondence piano school in the 40's...
"They laughed when I sat down at the piano... But when I started to play..."
I'm sure he killed it when he started to play, just as you described...
How awesome is it that these guys were/are touring around like that. Hey man, they danced at the big show... What's the difference? They knocked your and everyone else's socks off that night in San Diego. It's not always just about the money, especially if you've got something socked away like these two guys do, one would think...
Totally wanna see 'em... and coulda a few years back in a small venue on Long Island (a planetarium with a light show no less and passed. Doh!
Appreciate the tips and I'm gonna check out "Total Control" now. Any thoughts on 220 Volt, Alien, Treat, et al? Are there other Swede's to check out. I really do want us all to compile a list if you're game. But don't feel obligated, by any means, I'll take a stab at it to, and hopefully some others and we can pile it up... and not Swede, of course, but Gotthard and Strangeways...any thoughts?
NirVana, dig the name...
Peace out...
Ordered that Norum disc, "Total Control", based on your reco... 1990... right in the pocket of the era I like best when it comes to Metal...
Please give a think on those bands I listed and if you have that stuff, etc...
Also, any other reco's
And same goes for all the Metal Kidz out there...
C'mon Rock and Roll People! People, Let's Rock And Roll!!!
Let's have a Swedish Metal Weekend!
Just ordered a Treat T-shirt...
I'm gone (in more ways than one, hahaha!!!)
Well, looks like the 1st Annual SwedeMetal Fest is just about ending with an attendance of ! (Just kiddin' -- y'all had a couple of comments and checked stuff out...right?...
Guess everyone pretty much fried out on this one and I hope it isn't because you got karpal tunnel syndrome from having to scroll down past your normal radial tolerance...
Okay, did a little more research and used a little crutch to help me along (what else is new). I remembered that awesome site, heavyharmonies.com (for historical documentation purposes, as this site is the one with all the juice! -- haven't found one better. But I do get a kick out of sleazegrinder.com, especially the Flash Metal Suicide section, tho he hasn't updated it in awhile). Since heavy metal harmonies offers a global view of all bands in the Glam/Hair/AOR arena, it's the perfect source to get a picture of the Glam Metal scene, past and present... and the real beauty of it is, it does it by country.
So go check it out if you want to know 99.999% of all the bands of this genre that exist in each country...
Here's what I got...
3 Swedish Lists...
1 is the 80's/early 90's SwedeMetal (no Death, Thrash, etc., tho.) tht I own and love.
2 is the stuff I've heard of and wonder if any of you Metaloids know about 'em, and can recommend any of 'em.
and...
3 is the list of the newer stuff out of the country...
So, here we go...
But first, remember, Heavy Metal Harmonies, or heavymetalharmonies.com, for the most complete list of Swedish Glam/Hair/AOR/Melodic Metal...
Okay, here 'tis...
The Classic 80's/early 90's Glam Swede Metal I own (and love)... and star ratings...
1) Europe****
2) 220 Volt*****
3) Treat*****
4) Alien*****
5) Great King Rat*****
6) Dalton**
7) Easy Action**
8) Electric Boys***
The Stuff I've Heard About , Want To Get & Wonder If Any Of You Guys Know About...
1) Baltimoore
2) Boulevard
3) Snake Charmer
4) Masquerade
5) Swedish Erotica (best name yet of a Swedish Band)
6) Sahara
7) Overdrive (or are they new?)
8) AB/CD (actually, I got this back when it came out but I ain't gettin' in that storaage anytime soon. So, I just pre-ordered it and their other ones -- they're all being reissued and are comin' out 1st week of December. You gotta Wikipedia them.. Frickin' comedy! They rock b*lls!
Lastly, the new SwedeMetal I have...
1) Crash Diet*****
2) Crazy Lixx*****
3) Veins of Jenna*****
5) Zan Clan*****
6) H.e.a.t. (have it but don't remember if I like it, will check out... creat album cover,tho)
7) Sister Sin (don't remember either but nice cover art.
Happy Swedishmettalling!
p.s. Don't forget to lemme know what I should get. And don't forget to Google the Swedish Hair Metal Aid vid and watch it on youtube... A veritable who's who of Swedish Metal... Tell us who everybody is...
No wonder you guyz abandon me in a lukewarm Cauldron over here.
I forgot our boy, Yngwie! What a Metal Monster! That dude should deserves his own list under the title His Majesty, Metal Monarch of Sweden. My fave cut of Yngwie Malmsteen? His cover of "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! by Abba (Swedish, too!). And of course, the entire Steeler album. Ron Keel rules, too! Speaking of Abba, ever heard 80's L.A. Strip scenesters, Celebrity Skin's cover of Abba's "S.O.S."? Any other tips on your fave Yngwie songs I should check out beyond Steeler, like something from the Rising Force stuff?
Trivia: 80's/early 90's Swedish AC/DC spoofers, AB/CD, wrote a song about Yngwie called "Rock'n'Rolex",hahaha!!! You heard it? I pre-ordered their re-releases on Amazon. It's comin' out December 9th.
Just got the John Norum album, "Total Control", you recommended. Loadin' it on now...
I'll let you know... (but I am psyched to hear it!)...
John Norum, "Total Control".
Mindblowing!
There are guitarists who burn...
This guy scorches!
I love every cut...
And all the originals are awesome!
And I really like his cover of "Back On The Streets" by Vinnie Vincent Invasion, one of my fave Glam Metal tunes of all time! And Norum's version just kills. And tho it's obvious that his guitar playing talents are immeasurable on his originals, the VVI cover is sort of like a litmus test.
In other words, it's like, if he can play that, he can play anything, kinda deal. And he just shreds it to bits like another day at the office. I mean, this lives up to the original in every sense... totally rivals it!
And I can see how you mean he really needed to make this record to kind of let loose a little more than he might on a Europe record. All the leads just blaze. It's like I'm debating if I really need one of the songs on my iTunes (it's so overun, I'm constantly having to chuck stuff to squeeze what I want more of on there, y'know.) and then his lead kicks in and I wind up keepin' it. I literally knew I couldn't chuck one song off this album into the Metal scrap heap after listening to it all the way through.
Hey, quick on Europe... They had "The Final Countdown" on Metal Mania on VH1 Classic on Saturday Night and gotta say, I never really had paid much attention to this vid in the past.
And they really don't play it that often, I don't think, at any rate, cuz I watch the show every Saturday without fail as it's on late, etc., after all the Metal Mayhem Metalboy! has to endure, hahaha!!!
Actually, make that mayhem... I wish it was Metal! We gotta start Metal Nation. Hey at least as an alternate virtual world where our Glam Metal Avatars can hang out, right?
So back to Europe's "Final Countdown" vid...
I've got a big widescreen LCD TV and let me tell you, I got up and just went right up to it and watched it point blank for the first time, really... You know what I mean, I mean I just gut right up there to notice every detail and let me tell ya, it is just one of the best vids I've ever seen!
Okay, the keyboards get a little cheezy for me, but still the song wouldn't be the same without 'em and the song is killer. What incredible talents these guys are! Stunning, especially when you consider how young they are in this vid. And that kid, Joey Tempest, sure can belt 'em out, too boot!
Thanks again, for the tip and welcome back from the trip. I read on Al's post, you were on Shiprocked and from how she describes it, it sounds like you all had a great time rockin' the boat! Wish I coulda been there. Maybe next year, if the food's better, tho I'm sure havin' Metal for dessert probably more than made up for it, hahaha!!!
p.s. Hey, do you have Riot, "Privilege of Power"? If so, let's discuss. If not, I highly recommend it. But, I imagine you have it...