Author Topic: The Official Hard Rock / Classic Metal Music Discussion and Memorabilia Thread!  (Read 896569 times)

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Offline MrBoom_shack-a-lack

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Ok you did come off like an...



....shame on you!

"I said to Nigel Tufnel, 'The door is open if you want to do anything on this record,' but it turns out Nigel has a phobia about doors." /Derek Smalls

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People that know me know that Dream Theater and Iron Maiden are 1A and 1B for me. Well 1C is UFO. Been a lifelong fan.

So, I just had my first listen to UFO's A Conspiracy Of Stars.

I REALLY like it. Very solid from front to back. Tracks 7 & 8 were a slight dip, but the rest of it is pretty strong. This is the 5th album of the Vinnie Moore era. So far, I found the most consistent album has been The Visitor. This album reminds me of that. Such an improvement over Seven Deadly.
This, to me, is Vinnie's strongest album with the group. He was very active on You Are Here, and this reminds me of that a little. He really steps up. Some of his best UFO solos are present.

And it is always a treat hearing Phil Mogg's voice on new music. This guy is an absolute gift. I know he's never mentioned with all the greats, but that's what makes him even more special. Just so genuine.

Vinnie Era UFO has basically evolved into some laid back rock. No surprises here. But I believe they recorded this together, and it sounds that way. I am very happy.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline wolfking

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Good to hear this about UFO.  I've been following them since Vinnie joined and the albums have been hit or miss.  I'll probably pick this one up now.
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline bl5150

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People that know me know that Dream Theater and Iron Maiden are 1A and 1B for me. Well 1C is UFO. Been a lifelong fan.

So, I just had my first listen to UFO's A Conspiracy Of Stars.

I REALLY like it. Very solid from front to back. Tracks 7 & 8 were a slight dip, but the rest of it is pretty strong. This is the 5th album of the Vinnie Moore era. So far, I found the most consistent album has been The Visitor. This album reminds me of that. Such an improvement over Seven Deadly.
This, to me, is Vinnie's strongest album with the group. He was very active on You Are Here, and this reminds me of that a little. He really steps up. Some of his best UFO solos are present.

And it is always a treat hearing Phil Mogg's voice on new music. This guy is an absolute gift. I know he's never mentioned with all the greats, but that's what makes him even more special. Just so genuine.

Vinnie Era UFO has basically evolved into some laid back rock. No surprises here. But I believe they recorded this together, and it sounds that way. I am very happy.

Interesting........I have the UFO but didn't get around to a proper listen.   A lot of fan reviews are saying Mogg's voice is totally shot , which I'm sure you'd be calling out if that was the case.  I think perhaps it's more a case of him sticking to a range that he can handle.

Will try and give it a listen today.
« Last Edit: March 03, 2015, 04:45:45 PM by bl5150 »
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I don't think it's shot. I haven't been a fan of how it's been recorded recently though. I think that technology has taken some warmth out of his voice. But even if he has lost range, his voice is total comfort for me.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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I've been following them since Vinnie joined and the albums have been hit or miss.   

You Are Here..Half is great, half is not
The Monkey Puzzle..Same, half is great, half is not
The Visitor...The most solid, though its best are not on par with the best from You Are Here or TMP
Seven Deadly..the worst so far
A Conspiracy Of Stars...Just about on par with The Visitor

IMO, of course.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline jjrock88

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What would you rank as the quentisential UFO.

I have Strangers and a Best of

Offline bl5150

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"I would just like to say that after all these years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights, I still don't need glasses. I drink right out of the bottle." - DLR

www.theguitardojo.com.au

Offline wolfking

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Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline bl5150

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Well I just got through my first listen of the new UFO and it does very little for me.   Take that in the context of my being a very casual UFO fan.  They have a couple of albums I really like but for the most part I've never been a big fan aside from a track or two off each album - in terms of Schenker stuff I much prefer his MSG output.

One thing that has become a bit clearer (having read a swag of new reviews on the album) is that diehard UFO fans almost universally love it.   So if you're a big fan.........it's probably an auto purchase.

For me though it's missing the two elements I like in my music - big melodies and/or some fire/balls.....preferably both.   It's  typical of the sort of bluesy/plodding 70's rock that I've never liked much and the sort of vibe Europe are trying to get these days.......at least Mogg has a voice better suited to it than Joey Tempest.   As far as the vocals go - I'll cut the guy some slack............for a 66 year old it's a very solid performance but it is very monotone/range free stuff that's not unlike Ian Gillan since he lost his range.   I don't like much modern DP either - the difference here is that I do prefer Vinnie Moore to Steve Morse.  And Moore's playing does save a few songs for me - he seems to have imposed himself on the music a bit more here and it helps.  There's a couple of ripping solos.

I will say that the Chris Tsangirides production is a big step up from other recent efforts-it's a very good sounding album.    But of the 11 songs (including a pretty decent bonus track) I rated 4 that I might want to listen to again and nothing got 5 stars. 

So my rating is around 69% which isn't terrible by any means but it's really just not my style of music .

« Last Edit: March 04, 2015, 06:02:32 AM by bl5150 »
"I would just like to say that after all these years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights, I still don't need glasses. I drink right out of the bottle." - DLR

www.theguitardojo.com.au

Offline bl5150

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By the way - I was down at my local pub tonight and got a surprise to see an upcoming gig there by Uriah Heep.   You could probably count the number of people in the local area who know of them on one hand I reckon  :D   
"I would just like to say that after all these years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights, I still don't need glasses. I drink right out of the bottle." - DLR

www.theguitardojo.com.au

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I'm on my iPhone so I'll respond to those UFO comments when I get home.  :omg:

The last three Uriah Heep albums have been really solid.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline bl5150

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I'm on my iPhone so I'll respond to those UFO comments when I get home.  :omg:

The last three Uriah Heep albums have been really solid.

 :lol   Knew I'd be in trouble.
"I would just like to say that after all these years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights, I still don't need glasses. I drink right out of the bottle." - DLR

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What would you rank as the quentisential UFO.

I have Strangers and a Best of
Strangers culls its tracks from the 5 70's Schenker albums:
Phenomenon '74
Force It '75
No Heavy Petting '76
Lights Out '77
Obsession '78

JJ, Obsession is probably the heaviest of the bunch, with Schenker ripping all over it. I think you'd like that a lot. Force It probably has the strongest material, but my personal favorite is NHP, which contains Schenker's finest playing.

The Wild The Willing And The Innocent (1981) is the 2nd of the 4 Paul Chapman albums and is a masterpiece.

Walk On Water, the 1993 Reunion album of the Strangers lineup is also a must have.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Well I just got through my first listen of the new UFO and it does very little for me.   Take that in the context of my being a very casual UFO fan.  They have a couple of albums I really like but for the most part I've never been a big fan aside from a track or two off each album - in terms of Schenker stuff I much prefer his MSG output.

One thing that has become a bit clearer (having read a swag of new reviews on the album) is that diehard UFO fans almost universally love it.   So if you're a big fan.........it's probably an auto purchase.

For me though it's missing the two elements I like in my music - big melodies and/or some fire/balls.....preferably both.   It's  typical of the sort of bluesy/plodding 70's rock that I've never liked much and the sort of vibe Europe are trying to get these days.......at least Mogg has a voice better suited to it than Joey Tempest.   As far as the vocals go - I'll cut the guy some slack............for a 66 year old it's a very solid performance but it is very monotone/range free stuff that's not unlike Ian Gillan since he lost his range.   I don't like much modern DP either - the difference here is that I do prefer Vinnie Moore to Steve Morse.  And Moore's playing does save a few songs for me - he seems to have imposed himself on the music a bit more here and it helps.  There's a couple of ripping solos.

I will say that the Chris Tsangirides production is a big step up from other recent efforts-it's a very good sounding album.    But of the 11 songs (including a pretty decent bonus track) I rated 4 that I might want to listen to again and nothing got 5 stars. 

So my rating is around 69% which isn't terrible by any means but it's really just not my style of music .

If I'm being completely honest, Brent, there's a lot of truth in your post.

I'm a lifelong UFO fan and they've always been a favorite band of mine. Just hearing Phil Mogg's voice transports me to being a 15 year old kid again, so I'm not all that objective.

Vinnie era UFO, in all honesty has been a huge disappointment. I thought they had great energy on You Are Here, but I realize a lot of that had to do with Jason Bonham, similar to how Russel Gilbrook has driven recent Uriah Heep. He's made a huge difference.  Andy Parker's drumming is purely pedestrian at this point.
UFO has settled into this almost Rolling Stones-ish vibe under Vinnie.

The bar, unfortunately is set pretty low at this point. I'm halfway through my second listen, and I still say I really like this, but your Deep Purple analogy is actually a great one. I think you really have to be a strong DP fan to get into their recent output. I just cannot make it through one of their albums.

UFO's last album was terrible. That sucks. This album is a huge step up. All this coming from a huge UFO fan.

One point I will disagree with though is that Schenker's work in MSG has never approached anything he did on those classic UFO albums.
He has some nice work on the early MSG albums, but for the most part, he's hasn't really done anything special in a very long time. Now Bridge The Gap is the best band oriented thing he's done in MSG since Save Yourself, but other than Adventures Of The Imagination, everything he's done has been pretty forgettable. That is until Bridge The Gap which is incredible. Also Doogie White's best performance. Can't wait for their new album in a couple weeks!
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline bl5150

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The oldest UFO albums I have are Obsession and Strangers (loved a couple of tracks on both but wasn't fussed on most) ..........so perhaps I need to go back and check out some of the deeper cuts that aren't on Strangers.

 It's almost a given though that the further back into the 70's I go the less I tend to like  ;D  Although my No 1 all time album is from 1978 (but sounds totally different to most 70's albums)  I just don't seem to connect with much released pre 1980 outside of maybe half a dozen bands.   It may well be that Schenker's playing is better in that era but chances are I will like the 80's songs better.

I will go back and check out some of that stuff though.  I may be pleasantly surprised.

Take this for what it is (one person's opinion) but someone I know who has an advance copy of Spirit On A Mission says it blows away Bridging The Gap.
« Last Edit: March 04, 2015, 07:17:16 AM by bl5150 »
"I would just like to say that after all these years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights, I still don't need glasses. I drink right out of the bottle." - DLR

www.theguitardojo.com.au

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Take this for what it is (one person's opinion) but someone I know who has an advance copy of Spirit On A Mission says it blows away Bridging The Gap.

That's good to hear. Vigilante Man didn't really do anything for me, but I have very high hopes for this album!

The early UFO albums are really great. Not sure you'd like Phenomenon, because other than Rock Bottom, it's kind of mellow in a early 70's way. But thinks really started to pick up with Force It.

UFO could be highly inconsistent. There is a lot of competition out there for one's ears. I get that.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline wolfking

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Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline bl5150

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New Pyramaze in May.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1G4V6ztfDNM

Sounds good.

It does sound promising - it's a shame they didn't manage to get their shit together while Urban Breed was in the fold though.
"I would just like to say that after all these years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights, I still don't need glasses. I drink right out of the bottle." - DLR

www.theguitardojo.com.au

Offline LudwigVan

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Take this for what it is (one person's opinion) but someone I know who has an advance copy of Spirit On A Mission says it blows away Bridging The Gap.

That's good to hear. Vigilante Man didn't really do anything for me, but I have very high hopes for this album!

The early UFO albums are really great. Not sure you'd like Phenomenon, because other than Rock Bottom, it's kind of mellow in a early 70's way. But thinks really started to pick up with Force It.

UFO could be highly inconsistent. There is a lot of competition out there for one's ears. I get that.

I'll throw my 2 cents in with Force It being my favorite UFO album.

Probably followed by Lights Out, then
No Heavy Petting close on its heels.
"There is nothing more difficult than talking about music."
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To me, the five classic Schenker era albums are all must haves!
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline bl5150

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The guy singing this is the new singer for Red Dragon Cartel  :-\

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4ARDVpi_n0
« Last Edit: March 18, 2015, 11:55:03 PM by bl5150 »
"I would just like to say that after all these years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights, I still don't need glasses. I drink right out of the bottle." - DLR

www.theguitardojo.com.au

Offline jjrock88

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That Smith singer didn't impress me live; I never heard the full studio album. Seems like it got mixed reviews.


Offline bl5150

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That Smith singer didn't impress me live; I never heard the full studio album. Seems like it got mixed reviews.

I never really bothered to come back to it after the first couple of listens.  Smith was a great drummer/backing singer in Harem Scarem and did great on the odd lead vocal but he's not full time lead singer material.   This new guy that Jake has hired in the 5 minutes after Smith left doesn't inspire me either.  Jake has enough pull to get someone decent - I wish he would. And he needs someone decent to pull off RDC, Badlands and Ozzy stuff live.    Zander actually sounded good on the track he did on the debut album but if he featured across a whole album I'm sure the touring side of things wouldn't work and I can't really imagine him singing Hard Driver or Bark At The Moon  ;D
"I would just like to say that after all these years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights, I still don't need glasses. I drink right out of the bottle." - DLR

www.theguitardojo.com.au

Offline jjrock88

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Was Smith fired?

And you're right, Lee could definitely get a bigger name who fits singing those songs

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The guy singing this is the new singer for Red Dragon Cartel  :-\

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4ARDVpi_n0
So he went from a dude from Harem Scarem to a dude from Scary Hairy?? :lol

The song or two that I heard from RDC, I thought the vocals were terrible. I like the new guy a lot more.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline wolfking

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I didn't even give that album a listen.  The tracks that were released as videos I thought were pretty shit unfortunately.
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline wolfking

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New TMac coming in April.  Already pre-ordered my copy;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq2f9j4KIs8
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline bl5150

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RIP AJ Pero ............passed away at 55  :-\
"I would just like to say that after all these years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights, I still don't need glasses. I drink right out of the bottle." - DLR

www.theguitardojo.com.au

Offline jjrock88

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very sad news......RIP

Offline bl5150

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Was Smith fired?

And you're right, Lee could definitely get a bigger name who fits singing those songs


Darren had this to say about the move: "IT IS TRUE I LEFT RDC, KINDA COMPLICATED BUT I THINK IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. ONE DAY ILL COMMENT MORE, FOR NOW "THATS ALL FOLKS!!!"

Sounds like he got sacked  :lol
"I would just like to say that after all these years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights, I still don't need glasses. I drink right out of the bottle." - DLR

www.theguitardojo.com.au

Online Evermind

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Was Smith fired?

And you're right, Lee could definitely get a bigger name who fits singing those songs


Darren had this to say about the move: "IT IS TRUE I LEFT RDC, KINDA COMPLICATED BUT I THINK IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. ONE DAY ILL COMMENT MORE, FOR NOW "THATS ALL FOLKS!!!"

Sounds like he got sacked  :lol

Shit, that got me laughing alright. :lol
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Offline bl5150

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Back from holidays now and it'll take a week or two to get on top of things , but hopefully I can get our lists back on track with some work on 1987.   It's probably my first real holiday from work and music in 20 years and now that I've returned I'm realising just how much work I put into keeping up with music and related correspondence that I get sent .  It might just be checking out sound/reviews of 4-5 albums a day but over 2 weeks it's built up into a hell of a pile.  TAC will be glad to know that I have the new Schenker album sitting here , so I'll try and get some thoughts out on that shortly.

I've never posted photos/personal stuff on DTF and this isn't really the thread, but it's where all the cool kids hang out so what the hell  ;D    I thought for some laughs I'd update you on my little fella Ben and his Jedi Metal Master training - he has just progressed through the latest level with flying colors and the force is strong in him as you can see.   He is also a Monopoly addict , but now insists on KISSopoly  :metal  .  Click to enlarge if reqd.





For those of you who are fashionistas you're no doubt wondering "Who are you wearing?".  Well my board shorts are by Quicksilver and my t-shirt is a joint effort by David Lee Roth and Jack Daniels   :lol


The good news from my point of view is that I'm finally getting around unaided (still with plenty of discomfort) and got myself into decent physical shape over the last few weeks after the best part of a year on my ass....back to a lean 95kg.   It's been hard work and this holiday was in an area with plenty of hills ,so I've walked myself into the ground , worked out a lot and tested myself out in the surf on my first visit to the beach in a year.  I won't say it was a great success but it was nice to get out there again.   Now we'll see if I can recover financially ,which will be much harder.  :-[

Oh......got myself some KISS tickets while away.  Good seats etc...  I had pretty much decided not to bother again and have missed the last couple of tours - they're my most seen band (6 or 7 times) and Paul hasn't been in great shape vocally of late , but I couldn't resist seeing this Spider stage that's visiting OZ for the first time and it's just such an event seeing half of Melbourne in KISS make up on the night.  I've missed that experience and may not get the chance again.  They'll easily sell out Rod Laver Arena (centre court for the Australian Open Tennis) which I imagine will be 10-12,000 people and they likely could do a 2nd gig there if they wanted.


Anyway.......lost of stuff to catch up on.   :metal
« Last Edit: March 22, 2015, 09:16:12 AM by bl5150 »
"I would just like to say that after all these years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights, I still don't need glasses. I drink right out of the bottle." - DLR

www.theguitardojo.com.au

Offline jjrock88

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Good to hear you're feeling better!!

And it sounds like the Benster is turning into a solid rocker

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  I've never posted photos/personal stuff on DTF and this isn't really the thread, but it's where all the cool kids hang out so what the hell  ;D   
Yes, it is definitely the "cool" thread!


I'm getting the MSG on Tuesday, but likely buying the mp3's as Amazon is listing the album at $30 compared to $9 for the DL. Judging on your ratings for the new UFO, not sure if I want to read what you have to say about the MSG. ;D


Also, where are those pics taken?? I always assume there's salt water crocs waiting around.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol