"Drama" by Yes

Posted : 5 months, 2 weeks ago on 20 February 2008 01:02 (A review of Drama)

This album is, of course, the oddity of the Yes catalog. Even with the continually rotating line-up the band has had, it is the only album that didn’t feature Jon Anderson on vocals. During the recording in Paris of the follow-up album to “Tormato”, Anderson, along with keyboardist Rick Wakeman, decided to leave the band. Eventually while messing around as a trio, Howe, Squire, and White were introduced to Horn and Downes. At the time the duo was recording under the name The Buggles (those of us in the MTV age remember “Video Killed the Radio Star”, don’t we?). Eventually the two were asked to join the band, and Yes was re-born (for the first of a few of times). It was short lived. After touring to support the album, this incarnation disbanded.

There is really only one glaring problem with this album. It’s too short. Even for the time it was released, it was a little light on the time side. But the music is some of the freshest and tightest the band has ever recorded. This is mostly due to the core trio having written music that they weren’t sure was intended to be Yes music.

“Machine Messiah” right away shows a new side to the band. Yes has always been able to rock, but they sound like a heavy metal band in the opening moments of the album. Or at least what a heavy metal band sounded like back in 1980. “Into the Lens” was one of the songs that Horn and Downes brought to the sessions. They re-recorded it a couple of years later as The Buggles. But on this album it’s a typical 10 minute Yes piece. And given the nature of the lyrics, it wouldn’t be out of place for Jon to be singing them.

“Run Through the Light” is a unique piece as well. Other then tracks from the “Union” album that were recorded with Tony Levin on bass, this is the only that Squire doesn’t play bass on. He steps aside and lets Horn play fretless while himself plays piano. Horn is up to the task too, showing that he is a very accomplished bass player. (For those that don’t know, Horn is now a big-time producer and album label owner, having produced such artists as Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Seal.)

“Tempus Fugit” is probably the most memorable song on the album. With it’s vocodor-ized “Yes, yes” pleas, and it’s incredibly quick tempo, especially the vocals, it zings along like no other Yes song had before, or did after. It really highlights how tight the main trio of Howe, Squire, and White had become.

Those “It’s-Not-Yes-Without-Jon” pundits be damned! This still is one of the best Yes albums ever recorded. And even (oh, boy) 28 years later, it still sounds great today.

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"Toxicity" by System of a Down

Posted : 5 months, 2 weeks ago on 20 February 2008 08:01 (A review of Toxicity)

SOAD was considered one of the Nu-Metal bands of the mid 90’s. Nu-Metal being hard rock / heavy metal with rapped vocals and even samples and maybe even scratching. Well, SOAD is with the rock-metal sound, and at times the rapid fire vocals are shouted and given a rapped-like sound. But timing in the release of their first album is what really had them classified in that genre. Now these days, they are considered one of the “new wave of progressive rock” bands that are coming out. Of course, they don’t like how the media keeps changing their labels. Malakian has mentioned in interviews that SOAD is not the most original band in the world, but it may still be hard to classify the band.

I would agree that it is hard to classify them. Though I tend to label bands, and do that in my write-ups here, I do it to help describe them. I just like good music. And that’s what SOAD provides. Most of the songs deal with social issues. A good description that I read is that SOAD picked up the baton that Rage Against the Machine dropped when they broke up. This in itself doesn’t interest me. I liked Rage mostly due to having three cracking great musicians (who are now in Audioslave with Chris Cornell). But SOAD uses a sarcastic wit which makes it more interesting to listen to. They also have an outrageous sense of humor. Some of the songs are worth a listen just for a laugh. “Needles” (”My tape worm tells me what to do / My tape worm tells me where to go”) and “Bounce” (about going on a date and showing the girl and her friends tricks on a pogo stick) are the best of those.

Now I will admit too that the progressive rock label has some merit. Progressive rock doesn’t mean what it used to back in the early 70’s when it had it’s birth. Prog rock these days usually means great musicianship, intricate and complex chords, time and key changes, though it is also highlighted with longer songs. Well, an average SOAD song clocks in at 3:00, but the other “symptoms” are there. Malakian is an excellent guitarist and switches easily from super power crunch speed metal riffs to ethnic folk acoustic guitar and mandolin without missing a beat and doesn’t make any of it out of place. Tankian screams and bellows at times, typical maybe of the style of music, and uses a staccato rapid fire vocal sequence from time to time too, but he also can sing. And Dolmayan I think is just a damn fine drummer.

The biggest reason I like this album though is that it’s catchy. Every single song sticks with me. I find almost every song on this album going through my head days after listening to it. And that is probably the best sign of a great album.

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"Machine Head" by Deep Purple

Posted : 5 months, 2 weeks ago on 19 February 2008 07:52 (A review of Machine Head)

I got introduced to this one rather late, given who I was listening to 10 years before. It was in the mid 90’s and it was courtesy of the guy sitting next to me at work. He usually listened to country and folk. But one day he brought in this and Black Sabbath’s “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”. Never took to Ozzy’s old band, but I enjoyed “Machine Head” enough that I went and got my own copy.

It is funny how changes in music change our perceptions. Back in 1972 when this was released, it was consider some of the heaviest music ever recorded and helped usher in heavy metal movement. After listening to the likes of Metallica (who are tame by comparison to others now), this is just rock ‘n roll. But it’s filled with great hooks, fun, catchy tunes (by today’s standards) and cool riffs. And I am not just talking about “Smoke on the Water” which has been overplayed by guitar students the world wide.

The thing that probably draws me the most to this album, and where I think Deep Purple might have had it over other bands from their era, was Jon Lord. They embraced the organ as a key component (no pun intended) of their music. Lord does a great solo on the opening track. And you can hear the wailing and growling sounds of the Hammond throughout the album. If you love organ in rock, it’s almost worth buying this just to hear the opening four minutes of “Lazy”.

Of course Jon Lord is not the only stand-out on the album. Even though he is a pompous ass, you can’t help but enjoy some of Blackmore’s work. Glover and Paice are a very competent rhythm section. Nothing fancy, yet cool at the same time. And Ian Gillian, though his voice has changed a bit over the years, back then was probably the best vocalist on the heavy metal scene. Guys like Robert Plant and Ozzy Osbourne moaned, screamed, shouted, and shrieked. Gillian might scream from time to time, but he would sing, and sing well.

And just to clear up something, I am not a fan for overplayed songs. Though I make fun of “Smoke on the Water”, there is a story behind the song that gave me more respect for it. If you don’t know it, go read the story on Wikipedia. It is the events that hampered the recording of this very album. Next time you listen to the song, concentrate on the lyrics.

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"Counterparts" by Rush

Posted : 5 months, 3 weeks ago on 14 February 2008 12:48 (A review of Counterparts)

Like any good recording artist, Rush’s sound has changed with every album. It may be subtle at times, but other times is was very noticeable. “Counterparts” was very noticeable. The album prior, “Roll the Bones”, the band tried to drop the heavily used keyboards and get back to just the three musicians playing as a rock trio. However, it really wasn’t accomplished until they recorded “Counterparts”.

The biggest change though was Neil Peart’s approach to drumming. At the time, after being a successful recording artist for 20 years, he started taking lessons with Freddie Spencer. Peart’s style before had been very complex, and even had some people say that he overplayed his parts. But for “Counterparts” he started to groove and play what was needed. He still had complex parts, but it had more feeling then ever before. And he showed off his new chops from the first moments of the album on “Animate”. The drums just pop so well on the opening track, I know it had a lot of Peart fans asking, “What the heck is he doing?”

The issue of getting back to a more rock trio sound was totally conquered with the second song “Stick It Out”. I was totally floored when I heard this song on the radio before the album was released to the public. Rush, especially Alex Lifeson, where making no bones about the fact that “We’re back!”

At times the band slipped into comfortable places from the past, like with “The Speed of Love” or “Alien Shore”, but it’s a cohesive three-piece, without the reliance on keyboards carrying the melody. And even at these times when they were treading into waters they already had been, it still sounded fresh.

The band also took chances in other areas. “Double Agent” with it’s spoken-word verses is a real juxtapose with the heavy guitar lead, but works so incredibly well. There is also the nonsensical chorus lyrics on “Between Sun and Moon” which is quite odd for Neil, yet still worked very well.

Ah ah, yes to yes, to ah-hah to yes
Why the sun, why the sun?

Overall, Neil’s lyrics worked incredibly well with the whole theme of the album. “Cut to the Chase” is one of my favorite Rush songs, not just on the album. Lyrically it has some great perceptions. (I should have added this to my “Deep Cuts” POST.)

It’s the motor of the western world
Spinning off to every extreme
Pure as a lover’s desire
Evil as a murderer’s dream

The band started making a point of recording an instrumental song every album starting with “Roll the Bones” (they had two previous releases of “La Villa Strangiato” from “Hemispheres” and “YYZ” from “Moving Pictures”). “Leave That Thing Alone” on this album is by far the best of the recent string of instrumentals. Some great funk-like bass from Geddy, some great organ fills to add to the majesty of the song, excellent melody from Alex, and the continued pocket-playing from Neil.

There is a consensus among most Rush fans that since 1980’s “Moving Pictures” the band’s releases have quite a few flaws and never quite recaptured the magic. The only album that comes close is “Counterparts”, which I tend to agree with. (Though I like each release on some level or another.)

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