Artist: Queensryche Title: “Take Cover” Label: Rhino Entertainment Release Date: 11/13/2007 Genre: Progressive Hard Rock Rating: 3.5/5
There is a part of me that grumbles every time I discover that a band is planning on presenting their fans with an album of covers because I look at the reasons behind the CD’s release with two different viewpoints. My first feeling is that of hesitation based on the thoughts that for some reason the band is copping out delivering original material and the second is that of overall curiosity about how it might actually turn out. It would seem as though cover albums have become quite the standard issue from established bands these days and sometimes they are quite interesting while at others are rather arduous listens. Over the past couple of years we have seen no less than eight such releases and I am only going by the ones I can name off the top of my head. One band that I felt would never do such a thing to their fans is Progressive Metal legends Queensryche – and yet here we are listening to “Take Cover”, the bands own hat tossed into the cover album mix. The Queensryche effort actually delivers some interesting tunes and the band explains each one out as to their reason for including it. Like the other albums of its kind there are some strong points and some weak ones and while we probably disagree on some of the points that follow here is my take on what I heard. “Welcome To The Machine” was a perfect opener for the release with the Ryche bringing additional mood to the Pink Floyd classic track. Continue reading “Take Cover” by Queensryche→
Artist: Axel Rudi Pell Title: “Diamonds Unlocked” Label: SPV Records Release Date: 10/9/2007 Genre: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Rating: 3.5/5
Just when you thought you had heard your last “Metal Band Does Covers of Another Bands Tunes” album, along comes German guitar wizard Axel Rudi Pell with his own offering on “Diamonds Unlocked”. When I first realized that the virtuoso player had done this I admit that I shuddered a little bit and said “here we go again”, but after a quick couple of listens I felt that he brought some good tunes to the table and offered an interesting takes on them as well. The album begins with a brief overture which serves as the only original piece on the record in the true sense of the word and then our journey begins into how ARP would deliver some of these songs if they were his own. Thankfully he opts to remain largely to the original style and sound as opposed to mixing it up too much. First up is “Warrior” by Riot and this is a stellar rendition of an already powerful number by an as powerful band. Pell’s guitar work is right on target here and the drums from Mike Terrana are — drums from Mike Terrana, and don’t need to be further explained because of his own talents. Continue reading “Diamonds Unlocked” by Axel Rudi Pell→
Artist: Tesla Title: “Real To Reel” Label: Tesla Electric Company Recordings Release Date: 6/5/2007 Genre: Hard Rock Rating: 4/5
Tesla proved to the world that they were not your run of the mill Rock and Roll group years ago when they released the blockbuster “Five Man Acoustical Jam”. Combining reworked versions of their own material and some covers it was an album that showed that these cowboys of the modern day were truly some of the most versatile players that the Hard Rock circuit had to offer. This was during a time when more attention was being paid to those who simply added an extra can of hair spray to the mix instead of refining the Rock we were all craving. Cheap gimmicks and fanfare never applied to Tesla who always stuck to their roots and gave us classics such as “Love Song”, “Coming Atcha Live” and “Paradise”. “Real To Reel” finds the bands return to delivering quality music and this time around they bring out the songs that they felt were important to their own development as a group. The release is quite similar to that which was recently issued by Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw whose own album “Influence” offered fans an idea of how they began in an acoustic manner. With “Real To Reel” Tesla is going to show the world a little of the same thing but it is full amplified and electrical this time. There are some great versions presented and while many are dead on renditions of the classics one cannot deny that the bluesy rasp of singer Jeff Keith is able to make these tracks his own just a little. The great aspect of the release is the fact that it includes covers that many of the bands fans might not have ever expected of them such as the Temptations “Ball Of Confusion” and the Guess Who’s “Hand Me Down World”. Great tunes yes indeed but I am sure that the younger fan base only had a limited if any exposure to these songs as they grew up with the band. Continue reading “Real To Reel” by Tesla→
Artist: Poison Title: “Poison’d” Label: EMI Capitol Records Release Date: 6/5/2007 Genre: Glam Rock Rating: 3/5
As artists began to release albums that featured their own renditions of songs they found favor upon as “Influence”, aimed at generating “Feedback” or that just made them say “Yeah” how far behind could we have expected Poison to be with their own version. The ever-growing trend has been largely well-received and this appears to be the next logical step from symphony orchestra recordings or unplugged releases. The guys in Poison were rulers of the Glam or Hair Metal realm back in the day and their brand of covers presents us with bands that they liked and also found personal musical guidance from – I admit that while I enjoyed some of this I was also let down a little based on a couple of factors. The choice of songs seems sound as they choose a number from The Sweet and David Bowie, who was in his Ziggy Stardust role for the selected tune. At first I was rough on The Sweet cover since I hold the band in such high esteem but by the second listen this was just a fun track that mixed it up a little ala Poison, and the same applies for the Bowie track. Poison succeeds tremendously on the ballad tracks like Alice Coopers “I Never Cry” and the Tucker Band’s “Cant You See” as they are perfect for the style they worked so well into their own “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn” and “Something To Believe In”. Continue reading “Poison’d” by Poison→
Artist: Shaw/Blades Title: “Influence” Label: VH1 Classic Records Release Date: 3/6/2007 Genre: Rock Rating: 4/5
Their names are very well known in the hallowed halls of Rock music history for the numerous and often memorable contributions with Styx, Night Ranger and Damned Yankees. This time around, Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades join forces for an album that presents their fans with music that both inspired and helped to foster their own musical beginnings as well as form a solid foundation on which music would build. Presenting “Influence”, an album of material that reminds you of how special the building blocks of Rock music actually were. You might be saying “oh no, another covers album”, but on this CD are some of the most important songs ever to be recorded. Together the pair presents classics from Simon & Garfunkel, The Zombies, The Mamas & The Papas and many more. Recorded with acoustic guitars, light drums, keyboards and vocals this is bare bones music, and it required nothing more than these ingredients to make it work. Many of the songs are precise renditions and this is found in the “Sounds Of Silence”, “Lucky Man”, and “California Dreamin’” most specifically. My Mother was a fan of all of these bands and as result, I was raised on this stuff and hold it very close to my own heart as some of my very favorite songs despite what I might listen to today. While those favorites were lined out I was also very impressed with the Yes tune “Your Move”, for they hit the same pitch as Jon Anderson straight on, and even slip a little “Give Peace A Chance” (John Lennon) in the chorus. “Time Of The Season” and “Dirty Work” were pleasant additions and really sound as fresh as the time when they were introduced to the world. Tommy and Jack are great singers and finding them doing this stuff in tandem again makes the release a very special piece of music. The pair experiments just a little on the album by delivering a knock down version of “I Am A Rock”. It serves as the heaviest number on the recording and does complete justice to the original. Continue reading “Influence” by Shaw Blades→
