BB DOC (ABO #025)

BB DOC
FURYA

This much overlooked french band mixed punk, ska, rock, metal, chanson, fun and many more styles. Formed by Piéro Sapu (vocals, also singer with Les Garçons Bouchers and Docteur Destroy) and Drunk D'Alençon soon joined by Dominique "Moby Dick" Rivière (both on guitars, Mobydick later played in Les Garçons Bouchers and Pigalle) and various rythm sections, they released three albums on François Hadji-Lazaro's Boucherie Productions. This label also brought us bands such as La Mano Negra (featuring Manu Chao), Los Carayos (an all star folk band formed by musicians of the 80's french independant scene and, once again, featuring Manu Chao and the label's boss from Les Garçons Bouchers & Pigalle's fame), Les Tétines Noires (an indie dadaist industrial band I once posted on this blog) and many more great bands. BB DOC, though, has a special place in my heart. First, I was friend with them but mostly they were a terrific live act (one you don't meet too often) with Piéro doing the charismatic (yet funny and prompt to disguise) frontman. They started as a punk/oi band in the early/mid eighties, something that is not too obvious on their albums... "Jazz" (1989), their debut album, still has a few punk tunes but otherwise the only punk remains in the band's routine was the attitude and revolt which never stopped inhabting them. All albums are good, "Desintegraal" (1992, their second opus) is a bit more refined than "Jazz" was and "Rage de Raison" (1997) shows but little marks of what the band once was. They never got the success they deserved and called it quits a few months after this third and final album. Now it's time for you to catch up on a bit of french 90's alternative music, one too few are aware of. Have fun with BB DOC in this hour long selection of their finest cuts!

1.Skunk
2.AIDS

3.Lolo Ganzaman
4.Final del sol
5.Histoire d'eaux (Geno)
6.Les burnes
7.Pingouins !
8.Roule Marcel
9.Paye ! Paye ! Paye !

10.Passent les années
11.Skaman Luv
12.Furya
13.R.I.Play

14.Jah ! Mais...
15.Le code vénal
16.Compte à rebours
17.Dellys
18.Délivresse
19.Tirn aill
20.Ohé les copains

SOUL COUGHING (ABO#24)

Soul Coughing

So Far I Have Not Found The Science

Soul Coughing was a New York-based alternative rock band active in the 1990s.

They found only modest mainstream success, but had a devoted following and largely positive responses from critics; Steve Huey describes them as "one of the most unique cult bands of the '90s ... driven by frontman M. Doughty's stream-of-consciousness poetry, Soul Coughing's sound was a willfully idiosyncratic mix of improvisational jazz grooves, oddball samples, hip-hop, electronics, and noisy experimentalism (described by Doughty as 'deep slacker jazz')."

1-Super Bon Bon

2-Is Chicago, is not Chicago

3-Sugar Free Jazz

4-Bus to Beelzebub

5-Screenwriter's Blues

6-Mr bitterness

7-True Dreams of Wichita

8-Soundtrack to Mary

9-Disseminated

10-Lazybones

11-Collapse

12-The Idiot Kings

13-St Louise is Listening

14-Rolling

15-Circles

16-Maybe I'll Come Down

17-Monster Man

18-I miss the girl

19-How many cans ?

PIGALLE (ABO #023)

LE VERY MEILLEUR DE
PIGALLE

Pigalle are a group who refused to be pigeon-holed - which is a good job really, because their sound was almost impossible to define! Let's just say Pigalle played a catchy and extremely vibrant mix of rock, punk, folk, java, tango and 'chanson réaliste' … how's that for a post-modern musical melting-pot?
This compilation comprises songs from their four existing albums, their live album and a homage compilation to Piaf and Frehel (two great ladies of French "chanson réaliste") with Frehel's Mon Pauvre Grand. Do try this one-of-a-kind-band lead by one of late 80's and 90's French alternative rock's most prominent figures: the incomparable François Hadji-Lazaro!

1.La Goutte d'Or (instrumental)
2.Pigalle

3.Couper le cordon
4.Brève rencontre
5.Marie la rouquine
6.Les lettres de l'autoroute
7.Dans la salle du bar tabac de la rue des Martyrs
8.Sophie de Nantes
9.Eternel Salaud

10.Chez Rascal et Ronan
11.Le chaland
12.Pauvre grand
13.Le fou au chien fou
14.Ne reviens !
15.L'amour forain
16.Vendredi 13
17.Patate
18.Derrière le mur (version acoustique)
19.Geindre
20.Fond de cale
21.Il faudra bien t'asseoir
22.Les amants du vieux pont (instrumental)

23.Dand la salle du bar tabac de la rue des Martyrs (orgue de barbarie)

BLACK SABBATH, part 2 (ABO#022)

BLACK SABBATH
ROOM TO LET (1980-1998)

After Ozzy's departure, Black Sabbath was fronted by former Raibow singer Ronnie James Dio. Although he was a good singer (maybe better than Ozzy), hte albums weren't welcome as they were to be. Indeed, the fan basis blamed Dio to have repalced Ozzy's place. So after two albums he left to found his own band. After Dio's departure Black Sabbath fell into mediocrity. Even Deep Purple's Ian Gillan couldn't them out of oblivion : Black Sabbath had been an old fashionned band. So here will you find the less bad songs of the second era of that great band that was Black Sabbath. But if you'd ask me "What do you prefer in this second life ?" I'd say "Those with Dio" without any doubt, those three albums ("Heaven & Hell", "The Mob Rule", "Dehumanizer") are the only one of that period that I'd have no shame to advise you ...

1. Children Of The Sea

2. The Sign Of The Southern Cross
3. The Mob Rules
4. The Dark / Zero The Hero
5. In For The Kill
6. Hard Life To Live
7. Scarlet Pimpernel
8. The Eternal Idol
9. Headless Cross
10. The Law Maker
11. After All (The Dead)
12. Sins Of The Father
13. Evil Eye
14. Kiss Of Death
15. Psycho Man

My Black Sabbath (without Ozzy) TOP 3 :

1. Mob Rules (1981)

2. Heaven And Hell (1980)
3. Dehumanizer (1992)

KAT ONOMA (ABO#21)

KAT ONOMA

Comme son nom l'indique

Kat Onoma was born in 1980 in Strasbourg but took their name in 1986. They split in 2007. During those twenty years, they produced seven albums (studio or live).

Kat Onoma's main influences are the Velvet Underground, Ornette Coleman, The Troggs and Leonard Cohen. Their music is generally dark, dominated by Rodolphe Burger's guitar and voice. The lyrics are, for the most part them, written by some friends like Pierre Alféri and Oliver Cadot, but they sometimes use words from Shakespeare, Samuel Beckett or Jack Spicer.

01-Cupid

02-The Animals

03-A wind that hungers

04-Four color Game
05-The Radio

06-Will you dance ?

07-Riverrun

08-B. the K.

09-Artificial Life

10-La Chambre

11-Blue Velvet
12-Le déluge (d'après moi)

13-John and Mary

14-Be bop de Beep

15-Family Dingo

16-Soirs de Siam

17-Radioactivity (live)

STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN (ABO #020)

STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN
LIFE BY THE DROP

After Mr. Wonder, here comes another Stevie. One that we lost too early, too young. One that could do many good things with his guitar and his voice.
This compilation focuses on Stevie Ray Vaughan's most peculiar songs. Some might think there are a lot of classics missing, I won't deny that. I deliberately picked the songs that retained my attention while listening (in one sitting) to his discography.
I hope that, after listenning to this 16 tracks selection you'll think: "Damn that helicopter!"

1.Pride and Joy
2.Testify
3.Scuttle Buttin'

4.Tin Pan Alley
5.Stang's Swang
6.Ain't Gone 'N' Give Up On Love
7.Gone home

8.Come On (Part III)
9.Superstition
10.Crossfire
11.Tightrope
12.Leave My Girl Alone
13.Riviera Paradise
14.The Sky is Crying
15.Little Wing
16.Life By The Drop

STEVIE WONDER (ABO#019)

STEVIE WONDER

WONDER-FULL

Stevie Wonder is to me THE black music artist. Even if Ray Charles was the master of Rhythm'n'Blues, Otis Redding the king of Soul, James Brown the emperor of Funk and Michael Jackson the prince of RNB, Stevie is the only one that can boast about to be the only one to have covered all those style of music. Much more : his has put them to their culminating points. Discovered at only 11 (!), Little Stevie Wonder has gone through black music history as someone who didn't invented anything but really understood what it was all about. That's what proves his cleverness...

CD1 :
1. Fingertips
2. Love A Go Go
3. Uptight
4. My World Is Empty Without You
5. I Was Made To Love Her
6. My Girl
7. My Cherie Amour
8. You And Me
9. We Can Work It Out
10. Signed, Sailed, Delivered I'm Yours
11. You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover
12. Look Around
13. Do Yourself A Favor
14. I Wanna Talk To You
15. Love Having You Around
16. Evil
17. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
18. Superstition
19. I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)

20. Living For The City
21. Higher Ground

CD2 :

1. You Haven't Done Nothin'

2. They Won't Go When I Go

3. Contusion

4. Sir Duke

5. I Wish

6. As

7. Another Star

8. Pastime Paradise

9. Send One Your Love

10. I Ain't Gonna Stand For It

11. Master Blaster

12. Overjoyed

13. Free

14. Jungle Fever

15. For Your Love

16. From The Bottom Of My Heart

PRIMUS (ABO#017)

Primus was one of those glorious bands of the 90s that has always been on the back, behind other names that had more notoriaty with less inspiration.
You might label them as a fusion band but their music is very unique : fronted by bass player Les Claypool, the major instrument is logically the bass guitar. That way of playing brings that rock/hard/metal band closer to funk music as it doesn't sound like at all ! I have labelled them as Pachyderm Rock which fits them very well.
Their career was very short (1989-1999) with a short come-back for the issue of their video-clip DVD "Animals Should Not Treat Themselves Like We Do" but the band, and first Les Claypool had so much projects besides (Oysterhead, L.P.'s Buckets Of Bernie's Brain, L.P.'s Fearless Frog Brigade, Sausage, ...).
Enjoy that happy and powerful music and do buy the whole discography, you won't be desappointed.

PRIMUS

LARRY, YOU'RE A BASTARD !

1. The Heckler

2. Too Many Puppies

3. Jerry Was A Race Car Driver

4. Have A Cigar (Pink Floyd Cover)

5. Welcome To This World

6. Ol' Diamondback Sturgeon (Fisherman's Chronicle pt.3)

7. Wynona's Big Brown Beaver

8. The Devil Went Down To Georgia

9. Fisticuffs

10. Golden Boy

11. Shake Hands With Beef

12. Bob's Party Time Lounge

13. Scissor Man (XTC cover)

14. Lacquer Head

15. Eclectic Electric

16. Greet The Sacred Cow

17. My Friend Fats

MR BUNGLE (ABO #016)

MR BUNGLE

Does That Make You Laugh?

Mr. Bungle was an experimental rock/avant-garde metal group from Northern California. The band was formed in 1985 while the members were still in high school and was named after a children's educational film. Mr. Bungle released four demo tapes in the mid to late 1980s before being signed to Warner Bros. Records and releasing three full-length studio albums between 1991 and 1999.

Warning!

This compilation is NOT a best of Mr Bungle! The whole three albums they released are worth your time and I know the tracklist might not be to every Bungle-fan's taste... Anyway, that's my choice for anyone that doesn't know the band yet and I'll stand by it. In my humble opinion, it manages to display how humorous, creative and diverse Mr Bungle's music was. And, with Mike Patton (Faith No More, Tomahawk, Fantomas, etc.) leading it's a band not to be missed!

1.Travolta

2.Squeeze Me Macaroni

3.Carousel

4.Stubb (A Dub)

5.Desert Search For Techno Allah

6.Ma Meeshka Mow Skowz

7.Platypus

8.Retrovertigo

9.The Air-Conditioned Nightmare

10.Ars Moriendi

11.Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy

12.Vanity Fair

GONG (ABO#015)

Just after leaving Soft Machine in 1967, Daevid Allen was about to begin a solo carreer. In 1969, was issued "Magick Brother, Mystick Sister" which was labelled as a Daevid Allen's Gong album. The music was what was to become Allen's signature : a mixture of pop, silly songs, space rock and jazz. When he was expelled from UK he set up on the north of France where he joined together a new Gong line-up featuring french members as Christian Tritsch, Didier Malherbe and later Pierre Moerlen...

The band had great success in France where it was adopted as a pure french band. However, Gong can boast about to be the very first stateless band !

The adventure went on until internal disagreements (mostly about drug uses) made Daevid and his wife Gilli Smyth leave the band, being followed by Steve Hillage for a solo carrer. The remaining band moved toward Jazz-rock and recalled Pierre Moerlen's Gong as Daevid joined back another Gong line-up.

Between 1977 and 1990, Daevid Allen dropped his Gong project but made some albums as "Planetgong", "New York Gong" and "Gongmaison".

By the year 1989, some 1973 and 1974 concert were reissued on CD with Daevid's liner notes saying that rediscovering that music made him reunite a new Gong band. That was done in 1990. From that year Gong survived and made some albums, mostly live, and got back new fan basis.

In 2002, as he was touring with Gong in Japan, Daevid Allen discovered japanese band Acid Mothers Temple and was so amazed by their music that he decided to welcome some "Acid Mothers Templers" in his band. Acid Motherhood was issued in 2004. It's the best Gong album since You (1974).

This collection gathers the only Daevid Allen part of the Gong History, so the albums Shamal, Gazeuse and Expresso II (as attributed to Gong) were not included here but will be in a forthcoming Pierre Moerlen's Gong Best Of ... Beside, you'll find some Planet Gong and Gongmaison tracks.

GONG

YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE UP DOPE

CD1 :

CD2 :

1. Pretty Miss Titty

1. Master Builder

2. Blues For Finland

2. A Sprinkling Of Clouds

3. You Can't Kill Me

3. Pussy

4. Dynamite : I'm Your Animal

4. Eat That Phonebook Coda

5. Wet Cheese Delirium

5. Allez Ali Baba Blacksheep Have You Any

Bull Shit : Mama Maya Mantram

6. Fohat Digs Holes In Space

6. Titicaca

7. Tropical Fish : Selene

7. Spirit With Me

8. Flying Teapot

8. Là-Bas, Là-Bas

9. Zero The Hero & The Witch's Spell

9. Magdalene

10. Sold To The Highest Buddah

10. Tali's Song

11. Selene

11. Supercotton

12. Oily Way / Outer Temple / Inner Temple

13. Love Is How Y Make It

KING'S X (ABO #014)

KING'S X
The Power Of Love (1987-1997)

It all started in 1979(!) when bassist Doug Pinnick and drummer Jerry Gaskill met. Soon, guitarist Ty Tabor joined them. King's X was born? Not quite yet... First they were named The Edge and specialized in classic rock and Top 40 covers, one had to eat. In 1983, tired of the cover-clubs routine, they changed their name to Sneak Preview and started recording original material. Later that year, they released a self-titled album that attracted no attention from the recording business. From here, in 1985, the band moved from Springfield, MO to Houston, TX where they had made connections with Star Song Records which lead to nothing but landing in a new town where luck was awaiting them as they met Sam Taylor, then vice-president of the ZZ Top production company. Taylor convinced the band to change their name to King's X (pronounced King's Cross) and helped them secure a deal with independant metal label Megaforce Records in 1987 while assuming the position of manager and producer.
Their first album, Out Of The Silent Planet, came out in 1988 but, while receiving a unanimous critical acclaim, did not sell much peaking at #144 on the Billboard album charts. The singles from this album, King and Shot Of Love, failed to get more attention. It's a killer album by the way, like all first 6 albums of the band are and, same as with their debut, every King's X album were to be critically acclaimed but selling too few copies to put the band as a big name on the U.S. rock map.
Musically, their mix of heavy guitars, blues roots, pop and soul vocals and slightly progressive influences was an interesting and inovating mix. I hear some Black Sabbath, some Jimi Hendrix, some Beatles and Beach Boys in that music and, all the same, the band has its own identity. One I very much wanted to put a spotlight on with this very compilation comprising 19 songs from their six first albums and one track that was only featured on their 1997's farewell to Altantic records Best Of compilation. If you check out that particular compilation and compare it with mine, you'll see there are songs I left aside to replace it by others (and more, the 1997 Best Of featured only 17 tracks).
Do enjoy this very much underrated genius of a band and tell me what you think!

1.Power Of Love
2.Wonder
3.Goldilox
4.Shot Of Love
5.Summerland
6.The Difference (In The Garden Of St. Anne's-On-The-Hill)
7.Mission
8.Don't Believe It (It's Easier Said Than Done)
9.It's Love
10.Mr Wilson
11.Six Broken Soldiers
12.Legal Kill
13.Lost In Germany
14.Dream In My Life
15.Shoes
16.Flies And Blue Skies
17.Complain
18.Looking For Love
19.American Cheese (Jerry's Piano)
20.April Showers

IRON BUTTERFLY (ABO#013)

Iron Butterfly were formed in 1967 by church organist's son Doug Ingle. In the heart of the psychedelic era, the band had to be one of the major ones to come. That came rapidly with their third album named In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Thanks to the eponymous track, the album sold so much that the band was historically the first ever to recieve a platinum record ! Unfortunately, after that, the succes began to fall due to the too huge success of that song and the too fast starshipness. The band finally disbanded in 1971.
In 1975, former member Erik Brann reunited a band around him and called it Iron Butterfly, but the music wasn't what it used to be, psychedelism had real gone, and so had the main original inspiration of the band, Doug Ingle.
In the 80s and the 90s, the band shortly united for a few concerts but never came back for business, just to have fun together...

IRON BUTTERFLY

ARE YOU HAPPY ?

1. Get Out Of My Life, Woman
2. Iron Butterfly Theme
3. I Can't Help But Decieve You Little Girl
4. Are You Happy ?
5. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
6. In The Times Of Our Lives
7. Soul Experience
8. Real Fright
9. Stone Believer
10. Butterfly Bleu
11. Am I Down
12. I'm Right, I'm Wrong
13. Scorching Beauty

THE ROLLING STONES (ABO #12)

THE ROLLING STONES

Even a Coconut Can't Stop US

The Rolling Stones are an English band whose rhythm and blues and rock & roll based music became popular during the "British Invasion" in the early 1960s. The band was formed in London in 1962 by original leader Brian Jones, but was eventually led by the songwriting partnership of singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Pianist Ian Stewart, drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman completed the early lineup. Ian Stewart was removed from the official lineup in 1963 but continued to work with the band as road manager and keyboardist until his death in 1985. The band's early albums were mainly covers of American blues and R&B songs. The band's single, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", established the Stones as a premier rock and roll act. Starting with their 1966 album Aftermath, the songs of Jagger and Richards, aided by the instrumental experimentation of Jones, expanded an always present stylistic flexibility. Jones died in 1969 shortly after being fired from the band and was replaced by Mick Taylor. Taylor recorded five albums with The Stones before quitting in 1974. Former Faces guitarist Ron Wood stepped in and has been with the band since. Wyman retired in 1993 and was replaced by Darryl Jones, who is not an official member.

The band has released 55 albums of original work and compilations, and have had 32 U.K & U.S top-10 singles. They have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide. 1971's Sticky Fingers began a string of eight consecutive studio albums at number one in the United States. In 1989 the Rolling Stones were inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2004 they were ranked number 4 in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Their latest album, A Bigger Bang, was released in 2005 and accompanied by the highest-grossing tour in history, which lasted into late summer 2007. During the 1969 American tour, tour manager Sam Cutler introduced them as "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World", a title which has remained. Their image of unkempt and surly youth is one that many musicians still emulate.(Source : Wikipedia).

This compilation contains songs from the beginnings until now and is divided in two parts. CD one contains most of their hits. CD two contains lesser known songs. For the last 20 years, even if they released some standard albums, there are still some great tracks on them - sometimes with famous guests (On Slave, the saxophone player is Sonny Rollins, and you can hear Jimmy Page on lead guitar on One hit (to the body)).

note from ayah : to understand the album title, see here

CD 1
1-Jumpin' Jack Flash
2-(I can't get no) Satisfaction
3-Under my Thumb
4-As Tears go By
5-Let's Spend the Night Together
6-Paint it, Black
7-Sympathy for the Devil
8-Gimme Shelter
9-Honky Tonk Women
10-You can't Always Get What You Want
11-Midnight Rambler
12-Street Fighting Man
13-Wild Horses
14-Brown Sugar
15-Angie
16-Miss You
17-Beast of Burden
18-Start Me Up

CD 2
Rocks Off-1
Mother's Little Helper-2
Stray Cat Blues-3
Salt of the Earth-4
Can't You Hear me Knocking-5
Time Waits for No One-6
Shine a light-7
Star Star-8
She's So Cold-9
Little T&A-10
Slave-11
Tie you Up (The Pain of Love)-12
One Hit (to the Body)-13
Moon is Up-14
Out of Control-15
Rough justice-16
Laugh I nearly Died-17
The Worst-18

THE DISMEMBERMENT PLAN (ABO #011)

THE DISMEMBERMENT PLAN

BITS AND PIECES

The Dismemberment Plan was a Washington D.C. based indie rock band formed on January 1, 1993. Aside from a brief interlude in 1998 and 1999 when they were signed by Interscope Records, the band recorded for local label DeSoto Records. Their breakthrough album, Emergency & I, was actually created during their time at Interscope. However, they were dropped from the label shortly after its completion, and thus took it back with them to DeSoto, where it wound up being released. The Dismemberment Plan's live shows were generally high-energy affairs, with Morrison frequently inviting audience members to dance on stage during "The Ice of Boston". One of the band's most iconic songs, "Do the Standing Still", mocked indie rock fans for their reluctance to move during even the band's most frenetic performances, though Morrison himself would occasionally discourage fans from moshing.
The band toured Japan three times and Europe twice, along with many tours of North America.
Musically, while drawing heavily from previous Washington-based art-punk acts such as Fugazi and Jawbox, the Dismemberment Plan were significant for incorporating R&B (in stage banter, Morrison often talked of his obsession with Gladys Knight) and hip-hop influences to their sound. Influential indie rock criticism website Pitchfork Media has called them the fathers of the late-1990s/early-2000s dance-punk movement, which in turn fostered the current New Wave revival. Ironic humor was also a major component of the band's aesthetic. (source: Wikipedia)

1.Soon To Be Ex Quaker
2.If I Don't
3.Tonight We Mean It
4.The Ice Of Boston
5.Academy Award
6.Do The Standing Still
7.This The Life
8.A Life Of Possibilities
9.What Do You Want Me To Say
10.The Jitters
11.You Are Invited
12.Sentimental Man
13.Superpowers
14.Following Through
15.Time Bomb
16.Ellen And Ben

QUEEN (ABO#010)

QUEEN

GIMME THE PRICE

Queen were originally formed as Smile but changed their name for their first and eponymous album. At first,, their music leaned towards glam-rock but, as soon as the glam wave began to lose its momentum, the band chose a poppier orientation (on A Night At The Opera, 1975) with hints of hard rock thrown in the mix (particularily on Sheer Heart Attack, 1974). The eighties saw them at the peak of their popularity with poppy (I Want To Break Free) and even disco/funk oriented material (Another One Bites The Dust). Unfortunately their finest work remained unnoticed (with the exception of Bohemian Rhapsody) so that I felt a good retrospective compilation was a necessity.

CD1:

1. Keep Yourself Alive
2. Liar
3. Modern Times Rock'n'Roll
4. Son And Daughter
5. The March Of The Black Queen
6. Seven Seas Of The Rhye
7. Brighton Rock
8. Flick Of The Wrist
9. Now I'm Here
10. Stone Cold Crazy
11. '39
12. Sweet Lady
13. Bohemian Rhapsody
14. Tie Your Mother Down
15. Somebody To Love
16. We Will Rock You
17. Get Down, Make Love
18. Mustapha
19. Fat Bottomed Girl
20. Bicycle Race
21. God Save The Queen

CD2:

1. The Kiss
2. Cool Cat
3. Under Pressure
4. Tear It Up
5. Hammer To Fall
6. Is It The World We Created ?
7. Who Wants To Live Forever ?
8. Forever
9. Gimme The Price
10. Princes Of The Universe
11. The Miracle
12. Was It All Worth It ?
13. Chinese Torture
14. Innuendo
15. I'm Going Slightly Mad
16. Bijou
17. It's A Beautiful Day
18. The Wedding March

QUEENSRYCHE (ABO #009)

QUEENSRYCHE
BAND IN A BOX (1983-2007)

Although often labelled as a progressive metal band, I feel Queensrÿche is much more than that.
The band was formed in the early 80's in Seattle, a bad time for American metal as the rock scene was, then, mostly dominated by AOR bands such as Foreigner, Journey, Mister Mister or Reo Speedwagon, there was thus no commercial goal in playing this music.
A five piece with twin guitars and a high-pitched vocalist, Queensrÿche soon drew comparisons with Iron Maiden and, indeed, their self titled EP and debut album, The Warning, displayed a similar heavy metal as both bands included progressive aspects in their music.
Two years after establishing themselves as one of the very few rising stars of American heavy metal, the band took a whole other path with their second album (Rage For Order) where new wave and pop influences surfaced. In my humble opinion, this was a groundbreaking and fantastic album, one I still can't grow tired of more it than 20 years after it was released. Sadly, Rage For Order didn't meet its audience and found nothing but contempt among metal-heads.
The band, struggling to survive this unfair blow, then produced a more classic concept heavy metal album that still remains one of his fans favourites: Operation Mindcrime. A fine album actually though it saddened me to hear the band take a step back in its evolution. Next, they produced what remains their biggest hit, Empire. A more commercial album but laden with terrific songs including the chart-topper Silent Lucidity, a beautiful ballad with string arrangements by Michael Kamen. The band, then, toured a lot to confirm the praise they received so that it took three years to see a new Queensrÿche album hit the stores. And what a terrific album that was! Promised Land has some of Queensrÿche's finest material (Out Of Mind, Promised Land and its Pink Floyd influences, Lady Jane, Someone Else? with only a piano and Geoff Tate wonderful voice) and a more organic sound that fits the songs so well.
From there, the band's creativity decreased from an album to another. 1997's Hear In The Now Frontier still has quite a handful of good songs but suffers from a kind of "grungy" production that doesn't give the compositions the clarity it would have deserved. It was also the final album including founder/guitarist/main composer Chris de Garmo. The next two albums, 1999's Q2K and 2003's Tribe are but a pale reflection of what the band used to be. Very few songs can be saved from either albums (I only used two from Q2K and one from Tribe on this compilation). I have to admit I lost faith in the band's talent by then.
But a new era may have begun with 2006's Operation Mindcrime II, sequel to their most revered album. Sure, one can see the band's decision to produce a follow-up to what metal-heads consider an ultimate classic as a commercially-aimed decision, but, the fact is that the quality of the songs proved a return to form I wasn't expecting. It's not the good ole 'Ryche I loved in the 80's and 90's but it's no longer the ghost the band displayed on their two previous albums.
Finally, the band released, last year, a cover album. My hope were quite high when I saw the tracklisting included Floyd's Welcome to the Machine, Police's Synchronicity II (a personal favourite), Queen's Innuendo or Peter Gabriel's Red Rain and I have to concede that I was disappointed by the overall result. Nethertheless, two of those eleven covers worked for me : Red Rain (though it doesn't reach the soles of the feet of Gabriel's version) and Black Sabbath's Neon Knights where Goeff and co prove they're, more than anything else, a true good heavy metal band. Those two songs are, therefore, included in this compilation.
Enjoy the lot and leave a shitload of comments!

CD1
1. Queen Of The Reich
2. Warning
3. Roads To Madness
4. Walking In The Shadows
5. I Dream In Infrared (acoutic mix)
6. Gonna Get Close To You
7. Neue Regel
8. I Will Remember
9. Revolution Calling
10. Mission
11. Suite Sister Mary
12. Jet City Woman
13. Della Brown
14. Silent Lucidity

CD 2
1. Scarborough Fair (Simon & Garfunkel)
2. Out Of Mind
3. Bridge
4. Promised Land
5. Lady Jane
6. Someone Else?
7. Sign of the Times
8. All I Want
9. spOOl
10. Liquid Sky
11. The Right Side Of My Mind
12. Rhythm of Hope
13. I'm American
14. One Foot In Hell
15. The Hands
16. Re-Arrange You
17. Neon Knights (Black Sabbath)

18. Red Rain (Peter Gabriel)

BLACK SABBATH, part 1 (ABO#008)

BLACK SABBATH
HOW BLACK WAS MY SABBATH (1970-1978)

Black Sabbath was founded late in 1969 by Tony Iommi and friends Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. Ozzy Osbourne rapidly joined on the microphone. First named Earth, and Polk Tulk, the name of Black Sabbath imposed itself as the eponymous title brang them up to stardom. Indeed, Black Sabbath, as anyone knows is the reel beginning of Metal culture. Based upon Blues roots, which are very recognisable on their first LP, the music became much more as they're known for... This compilation brings together the best tracks of the first period (1970-1978) until Ozzy leaves. Understand this is the very best of Black Sabbath. A second part (1980-1998) will be taken care of, for those who are much more for that one. I know there are...
A note is to be made : Tony Iommi, before founding the Sabbath has shortly been the Jethro Tull's lead guitarist : you can see him on the Rolling Stones Rock'n'Roll Circus (1968)
(source : Me)

1. Black Sabbath

2. Hand Of Doom

3. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

4. Orchid

5. War Pigs

6. Sweet Leaf

7. Supernaut

8. Changes

9. Iron Man

10. Spiral Architect

11. The Wizard

12. Paranoid

13. Fluff

14. Back Street Kids

15. The Writ

PETER HAMMILL (ABO#007)

PETER HAMMILL

A SINGULAR FOOL

(1970-2005)

This is a reupload of Pierre's Baistophe. The previous one had disappeared, so I updated the link and made new artwork. The tracklist remains the same.

TORI AMOS (ABO#006)

TORI AMOS
PORTRAIT 1992-2007

Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos) was one of several female singer/songwriters who combined the stark lyrical attack of alternative rock with a distinctly '70s musical approach. Her music falls between the orchestrated meditations of Kate Bush and the stripped-down poetics of Joni Mitchell. In addition to reviving the singer/songwriter traditions of the '70s, Amos revived the piano as a rock & roll instrument. With her 1992 album Little Earthquakes, Amos built a dedicated following that continued to expand with her second album, Under the Pink. (source AMG)

1. Crucify
2. Leather
3. Mother
4. Thank You (Led Zeppelin Cover)
5. Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana cover)
6. Strange Fruit (Billie Holliday Cover)
7. Cornflake Girl
8. The Wrong Band
9. The Waitress
10. Professional Widow
11. Blood Roses
12. Professional Widow (Armand's Star Trunk Funkin Mix)
13. Black Dove
14. Spark
15. Glory Of The 80's
16. Enjoy The Silence (Depeche Mode Cover)
17. Scarlet's Walk
18. Way Down
19. Original Sinsuality
20. Big Wheel
21. Programmable Soda

Here will you find the right front cover (I made a mistake while making it).