Traci Lords - 1000 Fires (1995)

Traci Lords' first album is a competent exercise in techno, not dance-pop. Throughout "1000 Fires" the beat takes the center stage, with most of the tracks featured just a handful of hooks and thread-bare melodies.
Unlike most techno albums, Traci Lords debut goes beyond simple rave standards and packs an album full of meaningful energy and alot of feeling. It starts off with the hit single 'Control' (from the film "Mortal Kombat") and takes you into a virtual dance wonderland.
"Let me kiss it and make it better," purrs the X-rated vixen turned mainstream actress as she attempts to get a rise out of the techno audience. With writing/production from Babble (ex-Thompson Twins), the KLF's Ben Watkins and Mike Edwards of Jesus Jones, the music is sleek, robotic, and primed for clubbers who'll view her as the camp descendant of disco queen Amanda Lear. "Outlaw Lover" is worthy of Mitsou. The songs inculde hardcore pieces ('Good n' Evil'), soft ballads ('Distant Land'), and even campy tunes ('Okey-Dokey'). Every track is a winner, not one fails to loose your intrest. A standout piece includes 'Father's Field', an emotional account of a painful (and true) experience that happened to Lords.

Track List

01.  Control -  7:10
02.  Fallen Angel -  4:58
03.  Good-N-Evil -  6:29
04.  Fly  -  4:08
05.  Distant Land  - 7:07
06.  Outlaw Lover  - 3:58
07.  I Want You  - 6:00
08.  Say Something  - 4:07
09.  Father's Field  - 5:41
10.  Okey Dokey  - 6:43

Release:  March 1995
Recorded:  in London, England.
Label:  Fontana, MCA
Genre:  Dance, Techno
Length:  55:50
Producer:  Juno Reactor, Babble, Mike Edwards
Engineers:  Otto The Barbarian, Keith Fernley, Ian Richardson

Personnel:
Traci Lords -  vocals
Nick Burton -  drums
Juno Reactor -  programming
Ronald Sam - vocals
B.J. Cole -  pedal steel guitar

Queen + Paul Rodgers - Return Of The Champions (2005)

"Return Of The Champions" is a double live album by English rock band Queen + Paul Rodgers. 

It was recorded in May 2005 during the Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour at the Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield, England (except for "Imagine", which was performed in Hyde Park, London immediately after that year's terrorist attack) and released on 19 September 2005.
When thinking of suitable replacements for Freddie Mercury in Queen, Paul Rodgers is not a name that immediately leaps to mind. As the former lead singer for Free and Bad Company, Rodgers roughly belongs to the same '70s British hard rock pack as Queen, but Rodgers is pretty much the polar opposite of Mercury: a gruff, bluesy, barrel-chested macho blues-rock belter opposed to Freddie's grandly flamboyant, eccentric glam rock showman. 

Yet when Queen or more accurately, Brian May and Roger Taylor, since John Deacon decided to stay retired reunited in 2005, they picked Rodgers as their frontman, perhaps because he was one of the few marquee-level names from the '70s left who wasn't working steadily. 

The double-disc "Return Of The Champions" documents their concert at the Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield on May 9, 2005. The set list is pretty heavy on Queen standards, with a few Bad Company and Free songs, such as "Feel Like Makin' Love" and "All Right Now," thrown in for good measure. Queen sounds big, tight, and professional, and there's even a sense of excitement to some of the performances, as if May and Taylor are invigorated to be out on-stage again, playing these songs for an adoring crowd.


Disc 1
01.  Reaching Out  (Black, Hill) - 1:06
02.  Tie Your Mother Down  (May) - 4:30
03.  I Want to Break Free  (Deacon) - 3:59
04.  Fat Bottomed Girls  (May) - 5:45
05.  Wishing Well  (Bundrick, Kirke, Kossoff, Rodgers) - 4:33
06.  Another One Bites the Dust  (Deacon) - 4:02
07.  Crazy Little Thing Called Love  (Mercury) - 4:35
08.  Say It's Not True  (May, Rodgers, Taylor) - 4:15
09.  '39  (May) - 4:38
10.  Love of My Life  (Mercury) - 5:11
11.  Hammer to Fall  (May) - 6:45
12.  Feel Like Makin' Love  (Ralphs, Rodgers) - 6:20
13.  Let There Be Drums  (Nelson, Podolor) - 3:42
14.  I'm in Love with My Car  (Taylor) - 3:36
15.  Guitar Solo  (May) - 6:59
16.  Last Horizon  (May) - 7:14

Disc 2
01.  These Are the Days of Our Lives  (Queen) - 4:38
02.  Radio Ga Ga  (Taylor) - 5:59
03.  Can't Get Enough  (Ralphs) - 4:22
04.  A Kind of Magic  (Taylor) - 6:07
05.  I Want It All  (Queen) - 5:09
06.  Bohemian Rhapsody  (Mercury) - 6:18
07.  The Show Must Go On  (Queen) - 4:33
08.  All Right Now  (Fraser, Rodgers) - 6:54
09.  We Will Rock You  (May) - 2:35
10.  We Are the Champions  (Mercury) - 4:30
11.  God Save The Queen  (Traditional arr. May) - 1:33

Released:  19 September 2005
Recorded:  9 May 2005 at the Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield, England
Genre:  Rock
Length:  101:00
Label:  Parlophone
Producer:  Joshua J. Macrae, Justin Shirley-Smith, Peter Brandt

Personnel:
Freddie Mercury: pre-recorded vocals ( "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Beautiful Day")
Brian May: guitars, arrangements, vocals
Roger Taylor: drums, percussion, vocals
Paul Rodgers: vocals, guitars
Spike Edney: keyboards, percussion, vocals
Jamie Moses: guitars, vocals
Danny Miranda: bass guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals

Roy Orbison And Friends - A Black And White Night, Live (1989)

"A Black & White Night Live" is a Roy Orbison music album made posthumously by Virgin Records from the HBO television broadcast, Roy Orbison and Friends, "A Black and White Night". The album was released in 1989 and included the songs "Blue Bayou" and "Claudette" that because of time constraints had been deleted from the televised broadcast.On piano is Glen D. Hardin, who had played piano for Buddy Holly as well as for years for Elvis Presley. Lead guitarist James Burton is also from Presley's group. Male background vocals, with some on guitar, are Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, and Steven Soles. Female background vocals are k.d. lang, Jennifer Warnes, and Bonnie Raitt. The show also had a number of celebrities in the audience such as Kris Kristofferson, Billy Idol and Sandra Bernhard. On the other hand, the performances are extremely reverential to the established studio versions of the songs (all of the hits are here), and intended to mimic them, so this isn't quite the same as a live album as it would have been done back when.

Track List

01.  Only The Lonely - 2:43
02.  In Dreams - 3:09
03.  Dream Baby - 3:50
04.  Leah - 2:59
05.  Move On Down The Line - 5:12
06.  Crying - 3:10
07.  Mean Woman Blues - 3:04
08.  Running Scared - 2:29
09.  Blue Bayou - 3:11
10.  Candy Man - 3:33
11.  Uptown - 3:21
12.  Ooby Baby - 4:10
13.  The Comedians - 3:36
14.  (All I Can Do Is) Dream You - 3:24
15.  It's Over - 3:12
16.  Oh Pretty Woman - 6:19

Released:  November 23, 1989
Recorded Live:  September 30, 1987, at the Coconut Grove, Los Angeles, California
Genre:  Rock
Length:  57:32
Label:  Virgin
Producer:  T-Bone Burnett

Personnel:
Roy Orbison:  Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
Glen D. Hardin:  Piano
James Burton:  Lead guitar
Jerry Scheff:  Bass Guitar
Ronnie Tutt:  Drums
Jackson Browne:  Backing vocals
T-Bone Burnette:  Acoustic Guitar
Elvis Costello:  Acoustic Guitar, Electric Organ, Harmonica
K.D. Lang:  Backing Vocals
Bonnie Raitt:  Backing Vocals
J.D. Souther:  Backing Vocals
Steven Soles:  Backing Vocals
Bruce Springsteen:  Guitar, Vocals
Tom Waits:  Electric Organ, Acoustic Guitar
Jennifer Warnes:  Backing vocals

Billy Idol - Charmed Life (1990)

By 1990's aptly named "Charmed Life", Billy Idol was seemingly more well-known for his excessive lifestyle than his creative zenith of a few years prior. This made his channeling of Jim Morrison on a rowdy cover of "LA Woman" even more apt. He had done so before, of course, most memorably on 1986's "Whiplash Smile". But where Idol's clever amalgam of dance beats and punky guitar breaks had done its part to define the 1980s, his update of the classic Doors song was the new sound of the same old seedy, City of Angels underbelly, remixed for the cusp of a new decade. Its mirthful screams and bizzaro beat speak ("She drinks my wine spo-dee-o-dee") also marked one of Charmed Life's few memorable moments. "Cradle of Love" was another obvious high point; together with its saucy video the clattering, histrionic single was largely responsible for the LP's platinum status. But Steve Stevens had departed prior to Charmed, taking his pyrotechnic guitar with him, and his absence is certainly felt. The album wallows in mood pieces like the greaser-tinged "Endless Sleep" or the confessional "Prodigal Blues." While the latter cut does feature a surging melody and some great synth textures, its guitar blasts don't ring with the same fervor. Likewise, the fiery soloing of "Right Way" doesn't mesh as well with Idol's vocal or the synthetic-sounding backing track the whole thing is like the classic pieces of a Idol song, disassembled.

Track List:

01.  The Loveless (Idol, Mark Younger-Smith) – 4:17
02.  Pumping on Steel (Idol, Younger-Smith) – 4:42
03.  Prodigal Blues (Idol) – 5:41
04.  L.A. Woman (Densmore, Krieger, Manzarek, Morrison) – 5:19
05.  Trouble with the Sweet Stuff (Dave Concors) – 5:50
06.  Cradle of Love (Idol, David Werner) – 4:39
07.  Mark of Caine (Idol) – 4:33
08.  Endless Sleep (Dolores Nance, Jody Reynolds) – 3:13
09.  Love Unchained (Idol) – 4:41
10.  The Right Way (Idol) – 5:05
11.  License to Thrill (Keith Forsey, Idol) – 6:02

Released:  May 1990
Recorded:  1989–1990
Genre:  Hard Rock, New Wave
Length:  54:20
Label:  Chrysalis
Producer:  Keith Forsey

Duff McKagan's Loaded - Dark Days (2001)

"Dark Days" is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Loaded,
lead by Duff McKagan, he is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses. The overall vibe of the album has a dark, almost murky atmosphere. Duff has grown in leaps and bounds since his first (undertated) album "Believe in Me."
This album shows how truly talented Duff Mckagan is. Although he was an important member of G-N-R, his presence was overshadowed by the musical geniuses of Axl, Slash, and Izzy. Duff sings lead on this as well as handles bass of course and electric guitar as well as piano. His vocals are very well done and fit this type of music right on target. Speaking on Duff's vocals , Duff always was a decent background vocalist in Guns n Roses.
The songs are all well done and show elements of his punk roots, especially the standout lead track Seattle Head.

Track List

01. Seattlehead - 3:48
02. Then and Now - 3:15
03. Wrap My Arms - 4:02
04. Dark Days - 3:51
05. Want To - 4:53
06. Misery - 3:37
07. Criminal - 5:09
08. Queen Jonasophina - 3:29
09. Shallow - 4:06
10. Superman - 3:32
11. King of Downtown - 3:29
12. Your Way - 5:18

Released:  July 2001
Recorded at:  Jupiter Studios, Seattle, Washington
Genre:  Hard Rock, Alternative Rock
Length:  48:28
Label:  Self-released
Producer:  Martin Feveyear, Loaded

Personnel:

Duff McKagan – vocals, bass, guitar, piano on "Misery", production
Dave Dederer – guitar, production
Geoff Reading – drums, backing vocals, percussion, production
Martin Feveyear – keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals, production
Mike Squires – additional guitars
Jon Irvie – engineering
Mike Easton – engineering
Dave Colins – mastering

Izzy Stradlin & The Ju Ju Hounds - Izzy Stradlin & The Ju Ju Hounds (1992)

"Izzy Stradlin & The Ju Ju Hounds" is the first album by former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin. This is a great, raw and raunchy slice of rock and roll, in the style of The Rolling Stones, and filled with good guitar work from Izzy himself and lead guitarist Rick Richards, formerly of The Georgia Satellites. If you've listened to the track "Dust n' Bones", sung by Izzy on Guns n' Roses' album "Use Your Illusion I", you'll have a pretty good idea what to expect. But still, this is NOT Guns n' Roses revisited, and thank heavens for that! This album is filled with solid, straightforward rock and roll, and Izzy has cultivated a hoarse, nasal vocal style which actually suits the songs pretty well. Izzy Stradlin was never as extrovert or as carismatic as Axl Rose or fellow Guns n' Roses guitarist Slash, but he is a better (and less pretentious) songwriter by far, and this is a truly great, timeless rock and roll album.

Track List:

01. Somebody Knockin - 3:27
02. Pressure Drop - 2:42
03. Time Gone By - 3:47
04. Shuffle it All - 6:19
05. Bucket O' Trouble - 2:10
06. Train Tracks - 4:27
07. How Will It Go? - 3:51
08. Cuttin' the Rug - 5:01
09. Take a Look at The Guy - 4:45
10. Come on Now Inside - 3:58
11. Morning Tea (Hidden Bonus Track) - 3:00

Released:  October 13, 1992[1]
Recorded:  Total Access Studios, Redondo Beach, California
Genre:  Rock
Length:  43:30
Label:  Geffen
Producer:  Izzy Stradlin, Eddie Ashworth
Engineer:  Eddie Ashworth
Mastered By:  George Marino
Mixed By:  Izzy Stradlin

Personnel:

* Izzy Stradlin - vocals, guitar
* Rick Richards - lead guitar
* Jimmy Ashhurst - bass guitar
* Charlie "Chalo" Quintana - drums
* Ron Wood - Guitar, Vocals
* Eddie Ashworth - Mandolin
* Ian McLagan - Organ [Hammond B-3]

Circus - In The Arena (1977)

"In The Arena" is an album from the group Circus. Bernie Millar: Vocals, Bones Brettell: Keyboards, Gary van Zyl: Bass, Sandy Robbie: Guitar , Wally Cullis: Drums and Glenda Hyam: castanets on 'Conquistador'.
They were one of the most exciting live progressive rock bands of the mid 70's. In lead singer Bernie Miller the group had a showman that rivaled Jagger, Freddy Mercury etc... add some of the hottest players in the country and some great songs like "Speed Queen", "Long legged lady" and their heartstopping version of "Conquistador" and you get an album that 26 years later still sounds as majestic as it did back then.
They sound like some kinda combination of Queen, Jethro Tull, Kansas and early Styx with "Michelle" being the heaviest tune and favorite.

Track List

1.  In The Arena (Bernie Millar) - 4.25
2.  Liberated Lady (Bernie Millar) - 5.17
3.  Stupid Boy (Bernie Millar) - 2.59
4.  Conquistador (Reid/Brooker) - 5.46
5.  Long Legged Lady (Waterman/Bennett) - 2.50
6.  Speed Queen (Bernie Millar/Sandy Robbie) - 2.42
7.  I Wanna Be Free (Bernie Millar/Gary van Zyl) - 4.58
8.  In Spite Of It All (Bernie Millar) - 4.00
9.  Michelle (Bernie Millar/Bones Brettell) - 5.06

Released:  1977
Genre:  Progressive Rock
Label:  Fresh
Length:  38:20
Produced by:  Grahame Beggs,
Arranged by:  Circus
Engineered by:  Ian Martin, Greg Cutler, Peter Thwaites

Wilco - A Ghost Is Born (2004)

"A Ghost Is Born" is the fifth studio album by Chicago-based alternative rock band Wilco. It features singer Jeff Tweedy on lead guitar more than any previous Wilco album.
It is the Wilco album with the strongest stylistic link to its immediate predecessor, as if their new fans are being given a moment to catch up. The languid, ghostly song structures, the periodic forays into dissonance, and the pained, hesitant vocals from Jeff Tweedy that were so much a part of this album. "A Ghost Is Born" is considerably warmer and more organic; the extended instrumental breaks in several of the songs (two cuts are over ten minutes long) sound more like a group in full flight.
And while Wilco's former secret weapon, Jay Bennett, is now out of the picture, the rest of the group (especially multi-instrumentalist Leroy Bach, keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen, and guitarist/co-producer Jim O'Rourke) fill the gaps with admirable grace and strength. If "A Ghost Is Born" has a flaw, it's in the songwriting; while this album is a "grower" if there ever was one, revealing more of its unexpected complexities with each spin, there are no songs here as immediately engaging as "War on War," "Heavy Metal Drummer," or "I'm the Man Who Loves You" from YHF, and while "Hummingbirds," "Handshake Drugs," and "Wishful Thinking" are tuneful and charming, they lack the resonance and emotional impact of Tweedy's strongest work. And the album's most purely enjoyable tune, the witty "The Late Greats," closes out the disc after the 15-minute drone dirge of "Less Than You Think," dramatically blunting its effectiveness. "A Ghost Is Born" confirms what old fans and recent converts already know that Wilco is one of America's most interesting and imaginative bands and it's brave and compelling listening.

Track List

01.  At Least That's What You Said – 5:33
02.  Hell Is Chrome (Tweedy, Jorgensen) – 4:38
03.  Spiders (Kidsmoke) – 10:46
04.  Muzzle of Bees – 4:56
05.  Hummingbird – 3:11
06.  Handshake Drugs – 6:07
07.  Wishful Thinking (Tweedy, Kotche) – 4:41
08.  Company in My Back – 3:46
09.  I'm a Wheel – 2:37
10.  Theologians (Tweedy, Jorgensen, Girard) – 3:36
11.  Less Than You Think (Tweedy, Stirratt, Kotche, Jorgensen, Bach, O'Rourke) – 15:04
12.  The Late Greats – 2:31

Released:  June 22, 2004
Recorded:  November 2003–March 2004 in Manhattan, New York
Genre:  Alternative Rock
Length:  67:26
Label:  Nonesuch
Producer:  Wilco, Jim O'Rourke

Nine Inch Nails - Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D (Year Zero Remixed) (2007)

"Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D" is a remix album from Nine Inch Nails. It Includes tracks from the 2007 CD "Year Zero". It includes such remixers as Saul Williams, Ladytron, The Faint and The Knife.
Slightly half a year after the release of "Year Zero," (2007) Trent Reznor has released an album of remixes for that album.
"Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D" is a little different from past NIN remix albums in that several other artists were brought in to remix individual songs. Each artist, such as Ladytron, the Faint, Saul Williams, Stephen Morris & Gillian Gilbert etc, put their own unique spin on the songs, so each track sounds pretty unique from the one that preceded it, yet everything works and it makes for a very interesting listen. The result is a remix album that sounds like a bunch of artists screwed around with "Year Zero," warped it, and then put it back together. Because several different artists stylized each song uniquely, "Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D" is always taking twists and turns, and one never knows where one will wind up. And while some remix songs are rather tedious, every track on "Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D" is thoroughly engrossing, and I say that as someone who generally doesn't like remixes.

Track List

01. "Gunshots by Computer" (Saul Williams) - 1:43
02. "The Great Destroyer" (Modwheelmood) - 4:19
03. "My Violent Heart" (Pirate Robot Midget) - 2:34
04. "The Beginning of the End" (Ladytron) - 4:20
05. "Survivalism" (Survivalism_Tardusted) (Saul Williams) - 4:19
06. "Capital G" (Capital G: Phones 666 Revolutions) (Phones) - 7:26
07. "Vessel" (Bill Laswell) - 6:10
08. "The Warning" (The Warning: Real World Remix) (Stefan Goodchild feat. Doudou N'Diaye Rose) - 3:43
09. "Meet Your Master" (The Faint) - 3:35
10. "God Given" (Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert) - 4:27
11. "Me, I'm Not" (Olof Dreijer) - 14:00
12. "Another Version of the Truth" (Kronos Quartet and Enrique Gonzalez Müller) - 4:25
13. "In This Twilight" (Fennesz) - 4:37
14. "Zero-Sum" (Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert) 5:38

Released:  November 20, 2007
Label:  Interscope, HALO 25
Genre:  Industrial Rock, Electronica
Length:  1:11:14