Tag Archives: rhino entertainment

“Cowboys From Hell” (Deluxe Edition) by Pantera

Artist: Pantera
Title: “Cowboys From Hell”
Label: Rhino Entertainment
Release Date: 9/14/2010
Genre: Heavy Metal
Rating: 4.5/5

Continuing a year of interesting anniversary releases comes Pantera’s “Cowboys From Hell” which is celebrating its being first delivered some twenty years ago. It was an album that while arriving at the beginning of the Grunge Era was one that said “F You! We’re dishing out some Metal with this band so hold onto something”. The album was the groups major label debut and originally came to us on ATCO Records with their signing coming care of Mark Ross who witnessed them in action after being stranded in their region by a hurricane. In today’s Metal Republic there are few fans among us that have not heard this album nor been impacted by its level of power. It was truly a beacon to all fans and one that showed just how much life the true Heavy Metal sound still had in it despite what the conventional radio stations were pushing down our throats at the time. To celebrate the milestone those folks at Rhino Records have given us the 20th Anniversary Edition in a number of different formats and the one we are examining is the 3CD version. This particular one features the original remastered album, a CD of previously unreleased live material and a third CD of demo recordings. With each disc being special in its own right I have decided to break up my thoughts on each of them one at a time. Strap yourselves in for the ride as we shall begin with some thoughts about the bands debut.
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“Tell The World: The Very Best Of Ratt” by Ratt

Artist: Ratt
Title: “Tell The World: The Very Best Of Ratt”
Label: Rhino Entertainment
Release Date: 8/21/2007
Genre: Hard Rock
Rating: 4/5

Following in an almost hot on the heels pace of their DVD release “Ratt: Videos From The Cellar: The Atlantic Years” came “Tell The World: The Very Best Of Ratt” – a twenty song greatest hits compilation that will surely give you something tasty to sink your teeth into. I had to admit that I always liked the early material from Ratt because even though they were often lumped into the Glam Rock movement of the eighties, there was just something about their level of guitar work and overall melody that made them so much more appealing than 80% of the other bands that came out around that time. The release covers the bands Atlantic Records years and as result omits everything from their debut EP which in some sense is a crying shame since at least two of those numbers are worthy of placement here. I am speaking of course about the stellar “You Think You’re Tough” which even had an early video in the infancy years of the MTV generation. Also missing is this very albums title track of “Tell The World” and it made me wonder who thought that was a good idea. Fans of the band who already own the long ago released collection called “Ratt & Roll 8191” should plan on keeping that in their collection a little longer since there are tracks presented there but not here. Now back to this particular collection because despite these couple of concerns it is a really solid one that is worth owning. Add to this the fact that all tracks are remastered and as result are a lot “bigger” than we first heard them on the individual CD’s that some of us have in our music libraries.
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“Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010” (Blu-ray) by Eric Clapton

Artist: Eric Clapton
Title: “Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010” (Blu-Ray)
Label: Rhino Entertainment
Release: 11/9/2010
Rating: 5/5

Let me preface this review by saying that there is so much to recommend on this 2-Disc Blu-Ray set from Rhino Entertainment that your time might be better spent just going out and buying it instead of reading this review. For those who need convincing I will delineate just a few of what I consider high points of the package which represents a distillation of 11 hours of music played in Chicago’s Toyota Park on June 26, 2010.

Those already familiar with the Crossroads festivals and their ensuing DVD’s expect to be treated to special performances by the “name” acts and for the most part won’t be disappointed. For me it is the unexpected moments of virtuosity that make this and earlier installments of Crossroads on DVD a treat. An immediate revelation amidst 2010‘s performers is Earl Klugh. His beautiful melodic nylon string guitar licks simultaneously evoke “Breezin’” style mellowness and Return To Forever like fusion. I will certainly be exploring his expansive catalog in more depth.
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“Live At Radio City Music Hall” [DVD] by Heaven & Hell

Artist: Heaven & Hell
Title: “Live At Radio City Music Hall”
Label: Rhino Entertainment
Release Date: 8/28/2007
Genre: Heavy Metal
Rating: 5/5

The reunion of the original Black Sabbath members at Ozzfest several years ago was nothing less than historic and of course led to a reunion tour and numerous festival appearances on its own. After it had completed there were many voices in the Metal community speaking aloud and wondering about that other important chapter in the bands history which was the post-Ozzy Mark II lineup referred to as “The Dio Years”. Answers would come in 2005 as those members of Black Sabbath Mark II reunited for a compilation entitled “Black Sabbath The Dio Years” and not only did the release present to us the cream of the crop from their albums together, but it also delivered three new songs that showed the Metal world that a fire was still burning in this particular creative furnace. Fortunately the special nature of the compilation led to a very limited touring run and the band would rename itself “Heaven And Hell” for the course of these shows. It was an obvious homage to the first Sabbath material with Dio on the microphone and to many was a much better idea than calling themselves Black Sabbath. One of the gigs that was done during this brief tour is presented in full on this DVD as the band took over the hallowed Radio City Music Hall and performed a stunning concert for over 8,000 people. The tickets for this event sold out within the hour and if you were a Metal fan and somehow sadly missed the boat on the actual gig, this film does its best to bring you into the venue for a closeup look at how it went down. I am proud to inform you all that I was one of the number inside Radio City and stood glued to my spot as I witnessed Heavy Metal history taking place as they performed together in this configuration for the first time in more than fifteen years.
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Foreigner @ Nokia Theatre Times Square (10/20/2009)

Logo - Foreigner

Artist: Foreigner
Venue: Nokia Theatre Times Sq. (New York, NY)
Opener: n/a
Date: 10/20/2009
Label: Rhino Entertainment

It’s pretty funny but when I think back upon all of the shows that I have attended over the course of my life it seems that not once did I ever catch the band Foreigner when they were first reaching their zenith. I was primarily surprised about this based on my loving so many of the bands tunes and how could this not be the case when popular radio during the late seventies, eighties and even some of the nineties always found their classics in regular rotation. Back in the day it was not uncommon to find the deejays playing the radio listening public a “block” of Foreigner greats or a particular album side and believe me, no one was complaining about it. The band while formed in 1976 has changed quite a few members and only finds founding guitarist/songwriter Mick Jones in place as he continues to lead the charge of the bands music with fresh talent. In 2009 Foreigner consists of Jones of course and now Kelly Hansen (vocals), Jeff Pilson (bass), Thom Gimbel (guitar), Brian Tichy (drums) and Michael Bluestein (keyboards). Many of the followers of the eighties Hard Rock and Metal remember Pilson from Dokken and Hansen from Hurricane. These stalwarts of Hair Metal would be joined by drummer Brian Tichy (who I remember from working with Billy Idol and Derek Sherinian most recently) and Thom Gimbel and Michael Bluestein who handle second guitar and keyboards respectively. Clearly the classic material of Foreigner would be in excellent hands with these musicians.
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