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Classic Rock Discussion thread, including Catfish's Top 20 Lists.
catfish1957:
Classic Rock Album of the Day- AC-DC - Highway to Hell (1979) **** 1/2
I'll just say it. Is this the most fun, rocking, and party-worthy band of all time? They are for me. AC/DC is another one of those absolutely great bands who have a perfect read on the pulse of their fans. Are they great lyricist? :silly: Are they a highly balanced plethora of talent? :silly: Though, granted, the Angus Young ax work is a magical touch of wizardry in the midst of 3 chord stand hard rock and roll, sans metal. I absolutely love the Bon Scott era too, as his ability to shrill and scream with this madness has that touch of a mysterious aura of classic rock at its best, the other guys are kind of journeyman status, good but unheralded. Songwriting hook chops are right in the sweet spot of these guy's product too.
Highway to Hell is an utter iconic staple of classic rock airplay. This LP and High Voltage are almost both perfect rock and roll albums in the Scott era. Little or no filler. Like earlier, this is a band that gives their fan's their moneys worth. What they lack in the pompous claim in artistry, is 1000% compensated by being the best at what they do. And that is standard 3 chord 2X4 up against the head un-PC, and inappropriate fare, to all our vicarious rock and roll fantasies of excess. And yeah, we love it.
In finale, one can not under-estimate what AC/DC has been in the world of rock and roll. Back in the 1978-'82 era, when New Wave/Punk genre was flooding the airwaves, AC/DC pretty much stood alone as an alternative. AOR was fading, but these boys held the mantle, and I am thankful for that. And this wouldn't be a complete review, without acknowleding the coup the band pulled off by adding Mutt Lange's production into focus. And this is another example where an extra production push that put this one is of classic status. Lange did a great and almost impossible job of corralling the Garage Band charm, and channeling it into a hard rocking hook machine. And bonus points too, for tightening up the product, much in the way Ezrin did with Kiss. That is why this LP makes a lot of "greatest Hard rock album" lists.
Fun Fact: Un-fun. Much like with the Who's Swan Song LP with "Who Are You", and "the not to be taken away" sad irony, this album of this name was so sad since, within a year Bon Scott had died. I like Brian Johnson as a replacement, but Bon was really not replacable.
Side 1-
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Highway to Hell- Outside Smoke on the Water, can you think of a more iconic hard rocking power chord intro? Nuff said. 1
Girl's Got Rthym- 90% of AC/DC's stuff is shameless double entendre' If you don't like it, and aren't rocking along with it?..... check with the ABBA review I did a few weeks back. 2
Walk Over You- Charm on this one, is this number has that look and feel of stuff they were doing 5 years earlier. Standard bluesy hard in your face rock and roll. 8
Touch Too Much- Nothing on this album is really what I call filler, but something has fall when this stuff is ranked. 9
Beating Around the Bush- Using that classic mid 30's "Baby Please Don't Go" classic blues licks. Angus smokes the solo on this, among others. 5
Side 2-
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Shot Down in Flames- The sleeper. Band takes a great song and adds some PG-13 hilarious songwriting. Love the power chords.... Fantastic one that isn't the first or last time the topic of misunderstanding women comes into focus. 4
Get It Hot- Seems they were trying to emulate early 1970's Stones on this effort. Decent, but not top tier, of what is a great album- 7
If You Want Blood- As great as this AC/DC classic is, I still consider it the 3rd best on the album. Sternum crunching, bad ass 4/4, 3 chords in your face #@$#@$@ 3
Love Hungry Man- Unique, pseudo-balladry at its most subdued, at least on AC/DC's terms Angus shreds it again, in what you are realizing is damned great and consistent LP 6
Night Prowler- Someone's got to finish 10th on a 10 song album. Hard core blues that is excellent. It's off tangent status is maybe why I ranked it last. But AC/DC's fans who are bigger blues enthusiast, might have this one in their top 2 or 3. It's all in taste, when you try to review an album this good. 10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CwIB6pQoPo
catfish1957:
Classic Rock Album of the Day- Allman Brothers- Self Titled (1969) - ***
In honor of the recent death of Dicky Betts, I'd like to cover an LP of maybe what was the pinnacle of American Rock Blues Prowess. Despite the widespread assumption that the Brits had cornered the market on resurrection of American Blues, this particular album shined as a example that the home grown stuff was as good or better than the Brit posers. Sure Clapton, Page, Beck, Mayall were getting all the rock and roll press attention. Deservedly so. But there were sure a few American examples too. Big Brother, ZZ, among others had started forging a path that was as near impactful, and important to music history.
Picking the apt Allman Bro.'s was a simple task. Their debut contains the classical lineup with Both Allmans, Betts, Oaks, and Trucks. It also has that blues rawness that is absent in the subsequent more successful LP's. This is the blues bland white board slate, and no polish. And none of the internal strife or personnel changes that altered the formula. I am not really a big blues fan, but when I do want to hear it, I like the simplistic jammed approach than production values that water the stuff down. The Allmans did a good job of paraphrasing their blues licks in a manner that they came off as plausible covers of the Delta. Vs. Brits who seem to be more inclined to make rock songs with blues bones, tendons, and ligaments. A whole different animal from viewpoint.
Fun Fact: As impactful and great as the debut album was it was one of worst charting in their career. I have a feeling that the '70's purchases did give it an ongoing demand.
Side 1-
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Don't Want You - Spencer Davis remake that is really a little more rock sounding base, but there is no mistaking the fine Duane Allman-Betts blues dueling. Which gives this LP in it's own right standing by that itself. And at face value, Greg's voice comes across more plausible as a blues practioner than his UK counterparts. 4
Not My Cross to Bare- More traditional and heartfelt. I bet Clapton heard this one, and was sold on the Derek and D concept, just on this one alone. 3
Black Hearted Woman- One of my staples from the KAAY Beaker Street Days. A staple of early southern blues rock that would gel as a genre as great bands like Skynrd, and others would appear. Hardest rocker, but enough of a bluez like splash give it enough oomph to say this is new stuff for us on the West side of the Atlantic. The sloppy feel is endearing, on purpose, and gives it it's flair. 2
Trouble No More- Bro's do a nice cover of this Muddy Waters mainstay. Still even this nice piece makes bottom tier status. 6
Side 2-
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Every Hungry Woman- Same meter and feel a bit as Whipping Post. Not near as good though. 7
Dreams- Low flow, and rolling blues that the Brother take it back half a notch, They addtioally stick in some of that hammond back sound that was pretty typical in the 1960's. If there is one knock on side 2, Duanne, and Gregg seem to be relying on a common and repetitive sound that doesn't break away enough from just one desired blues style. 5
Whipping Post- My favorite Allman Brothers song- Love the improv/ rough almost bar like jam that makes this a song of grit, heartfelt blues. Song has that great double dueling guitar and organ sound that hallmarked this band's sound for albums to come. Lot's of tries, but none of them ever came close to this magic. 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH7JQxOxEQg
catfish1957:
Classic Rock Album of the Day- Deep Purple- Shades of Deep Purple- (1968) ** 1/2
Been having a good time lately reviewing and listening to bands who whisked through the breakthroughs and rapid fire changes of what constituted the transition of rock between 1964 and say about 1969. There is no doubt that 100% pivoted on what the Beatles were doing. But in retrospect, the way rock changed in those 5 years was breathtakingly rapid. Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, The Who, and Led Zeppelin are maybe the some of the best examples of great bands that worked the formula to perfection. None replicated the impact of the Beatles, but all 4 took an idea, ran with it, in a different way, and almost made genres upon themselves.
Deep Purple, of course is centered around the great guitarist Richie Blackmore. Blackmore did a fantastic job circumventing line up changes, that resulted in just enough of an incremental sound changes to keep the fans guessing, and in some cases, the music fresh. In their debut album, and few subsequent, I think you will find both crtics and fans liking the original lineup, just for that classic sound. A line up with Blackmore, Paice, and Lord is the backbone of that heavy sound. Their debut album is sorely missing a flailing screaming front man singer who seemed in this music era was needed to complete the rock and roll persona and experience. That is why I believe this why Rod Evan's tenure was so short. And neeless to say his foray into Captain Beyond was a disaster and it underscored his shortcomings a vocalist.
In Deep Purple terms, this is a substandard LP, but one has to be fascinated in hearing the progeny of the thought processes that even in their infancy can be plucked out of bits and pieces of this album. In the department of adapting to the psychadaelia theming that all their peers were invoking, Purple was pretty much failing on that account. Purple were great hard rockers. Not a great band playing like an Iron Butterfly clone. That is why about a 1/3 of this LP is filler, but one can't discount Hush, and "And the Address" as glimpses of what is to become. Plus the fact that Blackmore had to rely on three staple covers to fill vinyl is not a good look. They did the covers well, but others did them better. Well maybe not Hush, and they pretty much cut that one out as their own.
Fun Fact: Yes' Rick Wakeman picked this LP as the greatest British LP ever made. No idea why.
Side 1-
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And the Address- Fine instrumental, and we get spared Rod Evans for a bit. Has kind of psychadaelia MC5/Blue Cheer touch to it, but putting Lord, Paice, and Blackmore in a focused like jam session was a winner- 2
Hush- As I mentioned it is a cover, but one that pretty much is associated with them instead of the originals. Does anyone even remember Joe South? Yes, this one's Purple's, just as much as All Along the Watchtower's is Hendrix'. Song incorporates some psychadaelia, a prologue like heavy feel too, and enough hook to make it chart worthy. In retrospect, if Hush hadn't charted, would we had even seen a second Deep Purple album. Not so sure. 1
One More Rainy Day- Very dated '60's effort that misses the mark. Song sounds like a slightly edgy Monkey's tune. 7
Prelude: Happiness/I'm So Glad- Kind of a Mix of Cream's, Ulysses, and mash up of Iron Butterfly, and the slightest tinge of King Crimson. Even seems to have a hint of prog...... Prog? Naw............ 6
Side 2-
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Mandrake Root- Kind of draws from that Sookie Sookie Steppenwolf melodic line, and with the same level of hard rocking late '60's flair. Well played, and enough turns and innovation to make it a winner on this LP. 4
Help- Bizarre cover of the Beatle's classic. Extra oddity points for picking one from early Beatles catalog. A crooning sappy ballad of this upbeat number is worse than strange. Bet Blackmore wanted this one back for a second opinion. 8
Love Help Me- Solid standard rocker, that really doesn't sound or come across as a Deep Purple. Sure seems the band was struggling with what sound they wanted to go with. Even this song, as uneven as it is, does have some redeeming moments with that quaint '60's vibe in what almost seems to be a schizophrenic LP. 5
Hey Joe- I love this song, whoever sings it, and......of course Hendrix did it best. I do like how Purple liluminated some strange but off beat angles to it though. Spanish theming,sans Spaghetti Western like.....ramming right into the famous melodic line. Nice. 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3sqPIGGwHg
berdie:
I really enjoyed your reviews of the Allmans and Deep Purple. You do such an excellent job!
The only thing I have to add is...of course I remember Joe South. happy77 However, I like DP's cover much mo better.
catfish1957:
--- Quote from: berdie on May 02, 2024, 10:45:03 pm ---I really enjoyed your reviews of the Allmans and Deep Purple. You do such an excellent job!
The only thing I have to add is...of course I remember Joe South. happy77 However, I like DP's cover much mo better.
--- End quote ---
Thanks for the kind words. Let me know if there a gems out there I should cover..
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