OZZY OSBOURNE (ABO #069)

OZZY OSBOURNE
THE ULTIMATE SINS 1980-2007

Though many bands have succeeded in earning the hatred of parents and media worldwide throughout the past few decades, arguably only such acts as Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, and Marilyn Manson have tied the controversial record of Ozzy Osbourne. The former Black Sabbath frontman has been ridiculed over his career, mostly due to rumors denouncing him as a psychopath and Satanist. Despite his outlandish reputation, however, one cannot deny that Osbourne has had an immeasurable effect on heavy metal. While he doesn't possess a great voice (it's thin and doesn't have much range), he makes up for it with his good ear, a real talent to deliver memorable melodies and dramatic flair. As a showman, his instincts are nearly as impeccable; his live shows have been overwrought spectacles of gore and glitz that have endeared him to adolescents around the world. Indeed, Osbourne has managed to establish himself as an international superstar, capable of selling millions of records with each album and packing arenas across the globe, capturing new fans with each record.
This compilation covers his whole solo career from 1980 (the referential Blizzard Of Ozz) to 2007 (his latest to date, Black Rain) demonstrating, if needed so, that Ozzy is not only an icon of the metal scene, also a damn fine songwriter which has always been able to surround himself with great musicians and that, even if his glory days are behind him, he still has songs in his bag of magic tricks.

CD 1
1. Crazy Train
2. Goodbye To Romance
3. Mr. Crowley

4. Revelation (Mother Earth)
5. Steal Away (The Night)
6. Over The Mountain
7. You Can't Kill Rock And Roll
8. Tonight
9. Diary Of A Madman
10. Centre Of Eternity
11. So Tired
12. Spiders
13. Secret Loser
14. Thank God For The Bomb

15. Killer Of Giants
16. Shot In The Dark
17. Miracle Man
18. Breaking All The Rules

CD2
1. Mr. Tinkerman
2. I Don't Want To Change The World
3. Mama, I'm coming Home
4. No More Tears

5. Hellraiser
6. Time After Time
7. I Just Want You

8. Ghost Behind My Eyes
9. Old L.A. Tonight
10. Facing Hell
11. Dreamer
12. No Easy Way Out
13. Not Going Away
14. The Almighty Dollar
15. Nightmare
16. In My Life (The Beatles)
17. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield)

My OZZY top three
1. Blizzard Of Ozz (1980)
2. No More Tears (1991)
3. The Ultimate Sin (1986)

My OZZY bottom three
1. Black Rain (2007)
2. No Rest For The Wicked (1988)
3. Down To Earth (2001)

ANGE (ABO#068)

ANGE

VERRES SALUTAIRES

(1970-2008)

It's very uneasy to speak of progressive music in the french show business. It seems there is a lack of interest for that kind of music. Although there are great french progressive bands (Magma, 4/3 de Trio, Nemo, ...) they mostly make it abroad (!). One of those band is considered as the major french progressive band (because of the high sold Charles-Cros-Academy-awarded "Par Les Fils De Mandrin"). This band is Ange. In another hand, I think this band is more a "chanson" group. The lyrics are very unique and singer Christian Décamps like to play with his words. The prog-image of the band is right when you consider the first period (1970-1978) but, like Genesis (a band they were compared with), their music was more oriented to rock (Vu D'Un Chien, 1980) or even variety (Egna, 1985). This error of orientation made their fans go away and even a great album like "Les Larmes Du Dalaï Lama, 1992" couldn't help the band meeting back the success. Ange broke up in 1996 after a farewell tour.
Then Christian Décamps brang back together another band with a younger line-up named Christian Décamps & Fils. The spirit of that new band was so close to Ange's one that Ange came back in 1999 with nearly the same line-up as CD&F... The new young members (Hassan Hajdi, Christian Décamps,...) made the music much more fine and one of their best albums since 1978, "Culinaire Lingus", was issued in 2002. After then, Ange's album were much less interesting...
As it is for many progressive band, it is very difficult to fill in the best work of Ange in only 2CD, that's why this compilation is a 3CD-set.

CD1 :

1. Docteur Man
2. Le Soleil Est Trop Vert
3. Le Soir Du Diable
4. Dignité
5. Ces Gens-Là
6. Aujourd'hui C'est La Fête Chez L'Apprenti Sorcier
7. Bivouac - Final
8. Le Cimetière Des Arlequins
9. Les Longues Nuits D'Isaac

10. Sur La Trace Des Fées
11. Jour Après Jour
12. Au-Delà Du Délire
13. Aurealia
14. Les Noces
15. Autour Du Feu

CD2 :
1. Hymne A La Vie
2. Le Chien, La Poubelle Et La Rose
3. Réveille-Toi

4. Capitaine Coeur De Miel
5. Je Travaille Sans Filet
6. Vu D'Un Chien
7. Saga
8. Le Bal Des Laze (Michel Polnareff cover)
9. La Gare De Troyes
10. Shéhérazade

CD3 :
1. Neuf Heures
2. Là (Pour Personne)
3. Crever D'Amour (Coït Terminal)
4. Revoir Les Sorcières De Salem
5. Tout Feu Tout Flamme
6. L'Or, L'Argent Et La Lumière
7. Nonne Assistante A Personne A Tanger
8. Elle Fait Mes Rides
9. L'Eau Qui Dort
10. Adrénaline
11. Intérieur Nuit

12. On Sexe
13. Naufragé Du Zodiaque
14. Harmonie (live)
15. Tous Les Boomerangs Du Monde

My Ange TOP3:

1. Emile Jacotey (1975)

2. Guet-Apens (1978)

3. Culinaire Lingus (2002)

My Ange BOTTOM3:

1. Egna (1985)

2. Tout Feu Tout Flamme (1987)

3. Moteur ! (1981)

AEROSMITH (ABO #067)

AEROSMITH
SWEET EMOTIONS (THE BEST OF)

It wasn't an easy task to sum up the 35 years of Aerosmith in a double cd yet, I think I did a good job without excluding any album... From a debut album comprising one of the best rock ballads ever, Dream On, to a blues covers opus that made me feel that the band had not much left to say but could still say it with class and talent, Aerosmith has had its ups and downs... Funny that the late 80's to the early 90's (from 1987's Permanent Vacation to 1997's Nine Lives) was the most successful time of the band's history when everybody, either in the music industry or the audience, thought the band was commercially dead. But, then, the Toxic Twins (aka Steven Tyler and Joe Perry) went to rehab and changed their lives. Funny too that one of the most referential hard rock band of the 70's came back on the mainstream audience's map because of a duet with a rap formation (1986's Walk This Way with Run DMC). Funny also that one of the most "dangerous" band of the 70's had its biggest hits with ballads. Aerosmith was (is) a band of many paradoxes, one that never appeared where you expected. Lets see what the long awaited new album will bring us... Anyway, in the meantime, lets enjoy those 35 sweet emotions spanning the band's long and rich carreer!

CD1
1. Dream On 4:27
2. Mama Kin 4:28
3.Same Old Song And Dance 3:53
4. Train Kept A Rollin' 5:46
5. Walk This Way 3:41
6. Big Ten Inch 2:14
7. Sweet Emotion 4:35
8. You See Me Crying 5:12
9. Last Child 3:26

10. Rats In The Cellar 4:05
11. Combination 4:21
12. Critical Mass 4:51
13. Sight For Sore Eyes 3:51
14. Remember (Walking In The Sand) 4:05

15. Reefer Head Woman 4:03
16. Mia 4:13
17. Jailbait 4:39
18. Cry Me A River 4:07
19. Shame On You 3:22

CD2
1. Rag Doll 4:25
2. Dude (Looks Like A Lady) 4:26
3. Hangman Jury 5.33
4. Love In An Elevator 5:42
5. Janie's Got A Gun 5:33
6. What It Takes 6:30
7. Get A Grip 3:58

8. Livin' On The Edge 6:07
9. Cryin' 5:08
10. Amazing 5:56
11. Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees) 3:26
12. Ain't That A Bitch 5:25

13. Jaded 3:36
14. Sunshine 3:38
15. The Grind 3:47
16. Walk This Way (with Run DMC) 5:11

My AEROSMITH Top 3
1. Toys In The Attic (1975)
2. Rocks (1976)
3. Permanent Vacation (1987)

My AEROSMITH Bottom 3
1. Done With Mirrors (1985)
2. Draw The Line (1977)
3. Just Push Play (2001)

MC SOLAAR (ABO#066)

MC SOLAAR

LA VIE N'EST QU'UN MOMENT

(1991-2008)

A little bit of hip-hop has never hurt anyone for good. Although SFP and I are not really into this kind of music, we admit being truly open minded to any new sound. That was what happened when I discovered french rapper Claude "MC" Solaar. What impressed me was not really the music, although I'm mainly into it, but the words. Indeed, for a french rapper, the lyrics of his ... songs are really well crafted and often poetic. This artist really makes me like hip-hop. But don't think too fast, this french rap is very far from those shitty gangstarap. This is really sweet to hear !

1. Qui Sème Le Vent Récolte Le Tempo
2. Victime De La Mode
3. Caroline
4. Bouge De Là, part 1
5. Obsolete
6. Nouveau Western

7. Séquelles
8. Prose Combat
9. Listen
10. Onzième Commandement
11. La Vie N'Est Qu'Un Moment
12. Les Colonies
13. C'Est Ca Que Les Gens Veulent
14. Playmate
15. Jardin D'Eden
16. Cash Money
17. Da Vinci Claude
18. In God We Trust
19. Mollah Solaar (remix
20. Avec Les Loups
21. Rabbi Muffin





My MC Solaar Top 7 :
1. Qui Sème Le Vent Récolte Le Tempo (1991)
2. Prose Combat (1994)
3. Chapitre 7 (2007)
4. Mach 6 (2003)
5. Paradisiaque (1997)
6. Cinquième As (2001)
7. Solaar (1998)

AT THE DRIVE-IN (ABO # 065)

AT THE DRIVE-IN
FAMILY PORTRAIT

Combining emotional melodies and an upbeat rhythm moving at an unpredictable rate, At the Drive-In definitely stuck out in their hometown El Paso, TX. Formed in early 1994, the group debuted soon after with their first EP, Hell Paso, followed by a brief tour across the Lone Star state. With a lineup secured around Cedric Bixler (vocals), Omar Rodriguez and Jim Ward (guitar), Paul Hinojos (bass) and Tony Hajjar (drums), At the Drive-In continued on with a second EP (Alfaro Vive, Carajo!) and toured mostly empty houses and clubs across the western United States. A small gig in Los Angeles — with an audience consisting of only nine people — somehow got the attention of Flipside Records, who released the band's first full-length Acrobatic Tenement in 1996. With constant energy and a stubborn enthusiasm to continue, At the Drive-In began to develop an audience, helped out by constant touring and word-of-mouth hype. Their 1997 follow-up EP El Gran Orgo had more of a melodic bite, but their musical depth and originality still remained. In Casino Out followed in 1998, and 2000 saw the release of Relationship of Command. Then in 2001 the band went on indefinite hiatus. Bixler and Rodriguez formed the Mars Volta, while Ward, Hajjar, and Hinojos moved on to Sparta. (All Music Guide)

1. Circuit Scene
2. Star Slight
3. Paid Vacation Time
4. Winter Month Novelty
5. Alpha Centauri
6. Napoleon Solo

7. Pickpocket
8. For Now..We Toast
9. Hourgalss
10. Rascuache
11. Metronome Arthritis
12. 198d
13. Arcasenal
14. One Armed Scissor

15. Invalid Litter Dept.
16. Enfilade
17. Rolodex Propaganda
18. Quarantined
19. Non-Zero Possiblity
20. Autorelocater

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT (ABO#064)

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT
R U READY TO ROCK ?
(1970-2001)

Don't trust any aspect. Blue Öyster Cult has always travelled through time with many rumors... First, they have been rapidly stamped "hard rock" band and "nasty" boys because of some themas in their songs but, if you listen to the music, it's just rock'n'roll ! while the nasty reputation, this is over estimated because they are one of the nicest people in rock history.
Some people have accused them to have neo-nazi thoughts (maybe because of their logo that reminds the swastika). If it were true, BÖC would be the first jewish nazi in history ever while the logo is simply made of three exclamation mark and a question mark gathered togther by the point.
As you may understand, unlike Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blue Öyster Cult have not the reputation people give them. It's just a good ol' rock band that went through almost 4 decades with almost no lack of talent. Enjoy !

CD1 :

1. St. Cecilia (by The Stalk-Forrest Group)
2. Then Came The Last Days Of May
3. Stairway To The Stars
4. She's As Beautiful As A Foot
5. Cities On Flame With Rock'n'Roll
6. The Red And The Black
7. Hot Rails To Hell
8. 7 Screaming Diz-Busters

9. Buck's Boogie
10. Subhuman
11. Haversters Of Eyes
12. Astronomy
13. Born To Be Wild (Steppenwolf cover)
14. (Don't Fear) The Reaper
15. E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)
16. Tattoo Vampire

CD2 :

1. Godzilla

2. RU Ready To Rock
3. The Great Sun Jester
4. I Am The Storm
5. Black Blade
6. Monsters
7. Burnin' For You
8. Veteran Of The Psychic Wars
9. Dragon Lady
10. In The Presence Of Another World
11. The Siege And Investiture Of Baron Von Frankenstein's Cas
12. See You In Black
13. Harvest Moon
14. Cold Gray Light Of Dawn
15. The Old Gods Return
16. Stone Of Love

My BÖC TOP3 :
1. Blue Öyster Cult (1972)
2. Secret Treaties (1974)
3. Spectre (1977)

My BÖC BOTTOM3 :
1. Club Ninja (1986)
2. The Revölution By Night (1983)
3. Fire Of Unknown Origin (1981)

FOO FIGHTERS (ABO #063)

THIS IS
FOO FIGHTERS

More of a "Beginner's Guide" than a best of, this compilation spans the entire spectrum of genres and emotions covered by the Foo Fighters in their 13 years carreer. Do I need to introduce you to ex-Nirvana's drummer Dave Grohl's band? I don't think so... Both the commercial success and critical acclaim have won the band a reputation that challenges the very status of Dave's previous band. Lets say it wasn't a done deal when the debut self titled album was released back in 1995... But, with talent and persistance, the band managed to establish itself as one of the leading forces of the planetary rock scene. Well done boys and... Keep up the good work!

1. This Is A Call
2. Big Me
3. For All The Cows

4. Monkey Wrench
5. My Hero
6. See You
7. Baker Street
(Gerry Rafferty cover)
8. Stacked Actors
9. Breakout
10. Learn To Fly

11. Next Year
12. All My Life
13. Have It All
14. Times Like These
15. No Way Back
16. DOA
17. Cold Day In The Sun
18. The Pretender

19. Long Road To Run
20. Home

LYNYRD SKYNYRD (ABO#062)

LYNYRD SKYNYRD
I LYKE IT !
(1968-2003)

Lynyrd Skynyrd's name is taken from the members' sport teacher Leonard Skinner but pronounced as it is in the deep south (pronounced 'Leh Nérd Skin Nérd'). The band is the major southern rock band to have emerge even if it is not (so far) my favourite one. The reason is that "Sweet Home Alabama" made a big hit. The story of this song has to be told for those who are not aware. Everything begins in 1970 when canadian singer/song-writer Neil Young sings a song called 'Southern Man'. In that song, Young criticize southern people to have not evoluate since the 1862 war between the north and the south. He tells that in the deep south there are still a lot of racist people. 'Sweet Home Alabama' is a kind of an answer to Neil Young, but they did it awkwardly with a haty 'Well, I hope Neil Young will remember / A Southern man don't need him around anyhow'. Since then the Lynyrd Skynyrd is considerated as a racist band particularly when they feature the southern banner, a huge sign of esclavagism support. However if I don't like that song for that reason, I had to put it in this baistophe.
After a plane crash in 1977 that killed 3 of the major members, Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded until 1989 when a new line-up was united to continue the adventure of the kings of southern rock. But the music was more like a Country-Rock than Southern Rock...

My Lynyrd Skynyrd TOP3 :

1. Pronounced 'Leh Nérd Skin Nérd' (1973)

2. Nuthin' Fancy (1975)

3. The Last Rebel (1993)

My Lynyrd Skynyrd BOTTOM3 :

1. Christmas Time Again (2000)

2. Legend (1989)

3. Twenty (1997)

TELEPHONE (ABO #061)

TELEPHONE

LE NUMERO QUE VOUS AVEZ DEMANDE...

...NE REPOND PLUS

From their debut album in 1977 to their split in 1986, Téléphone were the leading rock band in France. In their rather short carreer, they had quite a handful of hits such as Métro (c'est trop), La bombe humaine, Ca (c'est vraiment toi), Un autre monde or Le jour s'est levé. Only the final one, a song they recorded little time before calling it quits, has been left out of this compilation as it clearly showed a band that had nothing left to say... Do enjoy those 20 songs and 80 minutes covering their five studio albums which showed them refining their teenage angst to an almost adult level and their straight ahead rocking formula to a more subtle, yet still rocking, songwriting... Téléphone were a great band, I feel they would have been much bigger if expressing themselves in English. They chose French and, therefore, went relatively unnoticed outside of France. Here's a chance to catch up on a great rock band which has been rumoured to plan a reformation in the near future... Wait & see...

My TELEPHONE List
1 - Crache Ton Venin (1979)
2 - Au Coeur de la Nuit (1980)
3 - Dure Limite (1982)
4 - Téléphone (1977)
5 - Un Autre Monde (1984)

LES SATELLITES (ABO #60)

LES SATELLITES

DU GROUVE ET DES RENARDS

1987-1993

Les Satellites were one of the many bands to shake the foundations of the French musical industry in the end of the 80's as part of the alternative rock scene that refused compromises with the big labels... Unlike most of the others, the punk part was left in the background in their mix of fun rock, rythm'n'blues and ska. This compilation, elaborated by our special contributor Spice is the perfect picture of their short but intense discography, one that made French punk-kids dance to the addictive sound and enthusiasm of the band!

1 Satellite

2 Le Nez A La Place De La Bouche

3 Les Renards (1)

4 Ce Matin

5 Le Mouton Kabyle

6 Rice Cooker

7 Les Renards (2)

8 les situations claires

9 Pieds Orange

10 Les américains

11 Renards (3)

12 Merveilles Du Monde

13 Les Idées Faciles D'accès

14 Fist fuck playa club

15 Renards 4

16 Il Est Temps

17 Les Porcs

18 Un Attentat

19 Renard 4 (2)

20 Voyages Au Long Cours

Bonus

21 Minie (acoustique)

BLACK BOX RECORDER (ABO #059)

THE SEX LIFE OF
BLACK BOX RECORDER

Black Box Recorder included Auteurs main man Luke Haines, former Jesus and Mary Chain member John Moore, and vocalist Sarah Nixey. Like the Auteurs, Black Box Recorder's songs commented on the state of English affairs, both social and personal, often using character sketches that exposed the less-than-pleasant with sharp frankness and simplicity. Domesticity and childhood themes often ran through their albums. Coming together in 1998 as Haines kept his primary vehicle operable, the trio introduced themselves with their first single ("Child Psychology") being banned from U.K. radio for the line "Life is unfair/Kill yourself or get over it."
The full-length England Made Me followed later in the year, establishing Moore and Haines as a songwriting team that excelled at getting its points across with the least amount of instrumentation necessary. Raw and minimal but still perversely pop, Nixey's detached and fragile-yet-rich voice (usually kept up front in the mix) provided the ideal characteristics for their songs. Two other albums and a compilation of rare tracks followed this debut confirming the band's talent to simple melodies and sarcastic lyrics.
Though the band is not currently active, they have not officially split.

1. Girl Singing In The Wreckage
2. New Baby Boom

3. Ideal Home
4. Child Psychology
5. Swinging
6. Kidnapping An Heiress
7. The Art Of Diving
8. Sex Life
9. The Facts Of Life

10. Straight Life
11 . Gift Horse
12. Seasons In The Sun
13. Start As You Mean To Go
14. Wonderful Life
15. Gsoh Q.E.D.
16. Being Number One
17. The New Diana

18. Girl's Guide For The Modern Diva

RADIOHEAD, part 2 (ABO#058)

RADIOHEAD

Talking On Radio, pt 2 (The Bootleg Version)

To get ingormation on Radiohead, please read the description for ABO#033 on this blog. This new compilation contains songs taken from boots. Obvioulsy, this sound is not perfect, but Radiohead spirit is here at its highest !

Thanks to Stefan for the artwork and to David for selecting the songs from his great collection of boots !

1-Bishop's Robes

2-Follow Me Around

3-Nobody Does It Better

4-Lift

5-Motion Picture Soundtrack (earlier version)

6-Molasses

7-Thinking About You (earlier version)

8-Faithless, The Wonder Boy

9-Maquilladora

10-Union City Blue

11-Meeting in the Aisle

12-Lewis (Mistreated)

13-True Love Waits

14-The Thief (CAN cover)

15-India Rubber

16-How Can You Be Sure

17-Sing a Song for You (Tim Buckley cover)

18-Stupid Car

19-Banana Co.

20-Big Ideas (Nude)

21-Sunday, Bloody Sunday (U2 cover)

22-Killer Cars

23-The Amazing Sounds Of Orgy