Showing posts with label remastered. Show all posts
Showing posts with label remastered. Show all posts

Somewhere in Time Review

Somewhere in Time
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Somewhere in Time? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Somewhere in Time. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Somewhere in Time ReviewIron Maiden's golden age started with "Killers" and pretty much ended with "Somewhere in Time". All of the songs on "Somewhere" are ambitious, adding new elements to Maiden's sound. The guitar synth's found on "Somewhere" are present, but not as overpowering as on the follow-up cd "Seventh Son". Everything Maiden fans enjoy about the band are present on "Somewhere". Steve Harris' bass lines crackle, and Dickinson's urgent vocals really carry the album along. The guitar riffs are catchy, and hook you right away. The thing that always impressed me with Iron Maiden, was that, during the 80's most metal bands like Ratt, Posion, Motley Crue etc, were busy playing and singing about rock n' roll, girls and partying. Maiden often based their music on literature; "Murders in the Rue Morgue", poetry: "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", history; "Aces High", "The Trooper" and "Run to the Hills"; religion; "Heaven Can Wait", "Number of the Beast" and mythology "Icarus" and "Poweslave". The great epic metal tunes on Iron Maiden disks defied the conventions of the time, where most bands stuck to radio-friendly, 5 minutes or less rock anthems. Iron Maiden was, and is more than just a standard metal band, and if you are a music fan, you are doing yourself a great dis-service if you don't pick up the disks from the heyday. "Somewhere in Time" features 8 great track, each better than the one before it. Listen to "Alexander the Great" and ask yourself if any other band at the height of their popularity would have been able to put that song on a cd. The guitar riff on "Wasted Years" will be running through your head all day, and you will be humming the chorus of "Heaven Can Wait" for a long time. This is a great album, from a band that always brought a little more to the table than just catchy rock anthems.Somewhere in Time Overview

Want to learn more information about Somewhere in Time?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Pyromania Review

Pyromania
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Pyromania? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Pyromania. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Pyromania ReviewReleased in 1983 "Pyromania" was the album that broke Def Leppard in America but primarily due to MTV's playing the videos of "Photograph", "Foolin'" and "Rock Of Ages". Again, with Robert John "Mutt" Lange doing the producing as well as co-writing most of the songs "Pyromania" had it's share of great songs starting with the hits "Photograph", "Foolin'", "Rock Of Ages", and "Rock Rock (Till You Drop)", etc. More polished than the band's 1981 album "High N' Dry" (but in my opinion not necessarily better) it was ex-Girl guitarist Phil Collen's debut replacing original guitarist and founder Pete Willis. "Pyromania" seems to have a more commercial sound than the previous albums and the band seems to be getting away from their NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) roots. The remastering on this Deluxe Edition is far superior when compared to the older non-remastered single disc. I hear a crispness and more midrange in this newly remastered version that the older version lacked. The bonus disc (running just over seventy minutes long) from a concert in 1983 at the L.A. Forum is extremely well recorded and is a treat for Def Leppard fans as it includes not only material from "Pyromania" but from "High N' Dry" and "All Through The Night". Songs such as "Rock Brigade", "Wasted", "High N' Dry (Saturday Night)", "Another Hit And Run" and "Let It Go" have never been recorded "live" on cd or dvd for commercial release as far as this reviewer remembers so this is a first. Queen's Brian May even makes an appearance joining the band in playing the Creedence Clearwater classic "Travelin' Band" (the ending mixed with Led Zeppelin's "Rock And Roll"). The packaging of this Deluxe Edition of "Pyromania" is excellent with both discs securely mounted and there's also a fairly lengthy booklet with colorful photos of the band. Highly recommended!Pyromania Overview

Want to learn more information about Pyromania?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Who Made Who (Dlx) Review

Who Made Who (Dlx)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Who Made Who (Dlx)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Who Made Who (Dlx). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Who Made Who (Dlx) ReviewAC/DC's 1986 release entitled "Who Made Who" is actually the music from the soundtrack "Maximim Overdrive" written by Stephen King. The entire soundtrack's music was provided by AC/DC which was ideal for this movie,which was about machines taking over, hence depicted in the song "Who Made Who". There are some excellent rocker's here pulled from the various AC/DC catalog (the several exceptions being the title song "Who Made Who", "D.T." and "Chase The Ace" which made their debut on this album) such as "Hells Bells" and "You Shook Me All Night Long" (from Back In Black), "Sink The Pink" and "Shake Your Foundations" (from Fly On The Wall),"Ride On" (from Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap)and "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)" (from the album For Those About To Rock...). I purchased this cd just for the three above mentioned songs "Who Made Who", "D.T." and "Chase The Ace", the last two are ... kicking instrumental rockers and are unique to this album (or cd in this case). Those of you who remember watching "Maximum Overdrive" will instantly have flashbacks when hearing these three songs. The song "Who Made Who" opens the movie with an awesome car collision due to a drawbridge opening on it's own as cars are lined up on top. Total chaos erupts as the bridge opens and cars crash into one another and a motorcylist and car plunge into the river below. Also, the song "Chase The Ace" is played during a a car chase scene where a Mack truck driving with no one at the wheel, continues to rear end a newlywed couple's car until the truck ends up going over an embankment and going up in flames. "D.T." is played as a young boy rides his bike down a neighborhood street and sprinklers and a lawnmower seem to have a mind of their own and go on for no apparent reason. This newly remastered cd is ten times better than it's non-remastered version, with the volume increased, the mid-range and bottom end pumped up as well. The digipack that houses the cd is attractive and there's also a fifteen page booklet enclosed that has information about the soundtrack "Maximum Overdrive", the making of "Who Made Who" and color photos of the band. This is a must have for all AC/DC lovers and fans of 80's rock. Highly Recommended!Who Made Who (Dlx) Overview

Want to learn more information about Who Made Who (Dlx)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

90125 Review

90125
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy 90125? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on 90125. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

90125 ReviewThis is one of the truly great YES CDs, and perhaps their last true masterpiece. Every note, every measure every nuance is positively creative, compelling and inspiring. All of their strengths are on display. This album sounded warm, full, layered and intricate when it first arrived. Its initial transition to CD was similarly amazing, but this remaster is astonishing!
The story is that YES had folded its tent after DRAMA. Squire and White had released a single and were contemplating their next move when they discovered Rabin. Tony Kaye re-surfaced and a quartet was born, CINEMA. It was Rabin who suggested a different singer and front man than he, and so Anderson walked back in, and YES reinvented itself. It was a heady trip from there on. The concerts had an energy and dynamic they never had before. They had managed to set themselves on a mission that would carry them through BIG GENERATOR, UNION, TALK before fizzling out again. Here, the music is just so terrific, the harmony and choir work so spot on, and the energy so undeniable that this is the benchmark for recreating yourself. Every single track, especially the a capella "Leave It" is thrilling.
It is remasterings like these that justify the entire process. If you know the msuic, you'll be stunned by how good this is. If you are curious about YES, well, it doesn't get any better than this. A Superb Recording in Every Respect.90125 OverviewTheir 1983 crossover smash, a #5 LP with the #1 hit Owner of a Lonely Heart . There's also an unissued remix of that tune plus five other bonus tracks.

Want to learn more information about 90125?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

The Lumpy Money Project/Object Review

The Lumpy Money Project/Object
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy The Lumpy Money Project/Object? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Lumpy Money Project/Object. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Lumpy Money Project/Object ReviewNow this is the sort of posthumous release Zappa fans crave. What MOFO did for Freak Out!, Lumpy Money does for Lumpy Gravy and We're Only In It For The Money, two of the most important albums in the Zappa canon. Herein you'll find three CDs of alternate mixes and historical artifacts surrounding the creation of these albums. The material includes much that is obscure, as well as much that is well-known but presented in an unfamiliar guise.
Disk 1 starts off with a 22-minute composition built mostly from the recorded orchestral sessions for Lumpy Gravy. You will recognize the music from the eventual 31-minute Verve release, but it is organized quite differently. This is apparently what the Capitol release was supposed to sound like before the record company kerfuffle over Zappa's contractual exclusivity delayed matters by a year, allowing FZ time to extend and rework the material into what we now know as Lumpy Gravy. The Capitol version was briefly available on 8-track cartridge, and then kicked around for years in bootlegs run from a stolen acetate test pressing. Here it's presented in mono, having been salvaged from a much better-sounding single-channel reference tape (apparently, neither a multi-track master nor a stereo mix tape has survived). It lacks sung lyrics, and has only a modest amount of spoken material, and most of that seems to come from rehearsal chatter, and not the piano-reverberated directed dialogue that Zappa inserted extensively into the released version (and 25 years later, into his swan song Civilization Phaze III). This may be the most interesting part of the set, a very distinct "primordial" version of what become Lumpy Gravy. If you've listened to Lumpy Gravy proper many times, and have grown tired of the spoken dialog but not the music, then you might really enjoy having this.
Of all Zappa's albums, WOIIFTM may be the one that presents the most textual issues. The original 1967 mix, released on LP the next year, had a thumpy and distorted bass register, and when Zappa reissued the album on CD in 1986, he substituted a 1984 remix that infamously featured new rhythm section tracks laid down by Chad Wackerman and Scott Thunes, replacing the original tracks from Jimmy Carl Black, Billy Mundi and Roy Estrada. After Zappa's death, fan interest led to the original 1967 mix's reappearance on CD, first by Rykodisk in 1995, then Phantom in 2008. This album restores the 1984 remix, and also offers an obscure 1968 mono mix. This latter version closely matches the 1967 stereo release, though with some slightly different instrumental balances and (obviously) none of the latter's trademark spatial exploits. Even the dialog snippets that were censored in 1967 (e.g., "...the Velvet Underground which is as s**tty a group as Frank Zappa's group" in Concentration Mood) are censored in this mono mix, though they're restored in the 1984 remix.
Sandwiched between the two WOIIFTM mixes is a version of Lumpy Gravy that Zappa created in 1984. Like the 1984 WOIIFTM remix, there are added/replaced drum and electric bass tracks. It also introduces singing into the first section, (sounds to me like Ike Willis, FZ and perhaps another singer) with Thing-Fish like lyrics like "Yo mammy, who's yo mammy, who's you daddy? Holy mackle. Whole round Moses..." going along with the original electric guitar tune. I don't get this, honestly, and in the end Zappa never released this version, which appears here for the first time. It does improve on the original mix with respect to stereo clarity in several sections, and once you get past the shock of the opening song, it's a very rewarding listen.
With the four alternate album versions out of the way, we move to Disk 3, which starts with a 25-minute track that seems to comprises the material that Zappa wrote out for the instrumental musicians in the 1967 recording sessions that seeded Lumpy Gravy. The music definitely sounds to me as though it was composed to be source material for an eventual collage, rather than as a standalone composition, but aside from being identified as "an FZ construction" that existed as a stereo mix on ¼-inch tape, it's not clear just how this was assembled. Much of the important instrumental music from Lumpy Gravy is here: including the extended section in septuple time that Zappa often subsequently performed, with lyrics, as Oh No (c.f. Weasels Ripped My Flesh). There is also music that anticipates the "big band" style of Grand Wazoo and the 1988 tour band. The remainder of the album is similar to Disk 2 of MOFO, consisting of outtakes, building tape excerpts, interview excerpts, and audio "home movies" such a brief Zappa experiment with electronic feedback followed by a conversation with his wife where surprise is expressed that the loud sound didn't scare the baby.

About the only misgiving I have about Lumpy Money is the price. As I write this, it's an expensive "luxury" item, whether you purchase it here or from the ZFT's Barfko-Swill store. At current prices it will only appeal to Zappa aficionados, or those with lumpy wallets. But if you can get it at a reasonable price, you won't be disappointed at the gems within it.The Lumpy Money Project/Object Overview

Want to learn more information about The Lumpy Money Project/Object?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Revolver (Remastered) Review

Revolver (Remastered)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Revolver (Remastered)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Revolver (Remastered). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Revolver (Remastered) ReviewThe Beatles' overall achievement is rivaled by no one. In a course of only seven years, they produced 12 and ½ albums (I don't count YELLOW SUBMARINE as a full album), one of which was a double album, and enough independent singles to make up two other albums. Very prolific, and the single most important band ever to grace the rock'n'roll scene. There is countless debates on what is their most important, but to me every one of those albums from Rubber Soul on (excepting YELLOW SUBMARINE) is a self-contained masterpiece.
That being said, REVOLVER gives us the most balanced view of The Beatles that we ever get. Everything that made The Beatles great is here in the right proportions. We have the three tracks of Harrison, including an Indian song of his, we have the ultimate Ringo song (everyone should know what song I'm talking about here), we have Paul's melodious love songs that would overwhelm his solo career, and we have the standard Lennon experimentation. On no other record do we get such a clear picture of what each Beatle brought into the equation. Everyone of them shine for their individual talents. The direct opposite of this is THE WHITE ALBUM, when The Beatles were in the process of breaking up.
In terms of artistic growth (remember, this was released almost a year after Help!, which was released August 6, 1965 and this August 5, 1965) we knew The Beatles were onto something. It foreshadows everything that will happen on SGT PEPPER, and is as important as its successor. And in terms of what made The Beatles great, this is the record to go too, because it gives you the most balanced view of the most important band in rock'n'roll history.Revolver (Remastered) OverviewDigitally remastered digipak edition of this classic 1966 album from The Beatles featuring 'Yellow Submarine, 'Taxman', 'Good Day Sunshine', 'Eleanor Rigby', 'Tomorrow Never Knows' and many more. The album has been remastered at Abbey Road Studios in London utilizing state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. Within the CD's new packaging, the booklet includes detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. A newly produced mini-documentary on the making of the album is included as a QuickTime file on each album. The documentary contains archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere. Capitol.

Want to learn more information about Revolver (Remastered)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Let It Be (Remastered) Review

Let It Be (Remastered)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Let It Be (Remastered)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Let It Be (Remastered). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Let It Be (Remastered) ReviewFor those who don't know the story, the tension and frustration experienced by The Beatles during the "White Album" sessions reached new heights during the GET BACK sessions. In an attempt to bring spirit to the band, Paul was pushing to have The Beatles play live again. Perhaps his thinking was that playing together (as they used to do) would reunite them (as they used to be). Instead, there was much talk of breaking up. It was decided that the group should at least rehearse together while being filmed, but George Harrison actually walked out and quit the group for a few days. Apparently what John said regarding The Beatles at this time was indeed a group reality: "It had become a job."
Excluding the filming that took place at Twickenham Studios (brought to a close by tension within the band and George's walkout), the GET BACK sessions began on January 22, 1969, and ended just nine days later, all of it taking place at the band's Apple headquarters rather than Abbey Road studios. Although The Beatles behaved a little better when keyboardist Billy Preston was brought in, the sessions did not go well, being mostly jamming--meandering from song to song. As George Martin appropriately pointed out, "they were rudderless at this time." Martin was not on hand for much of this, and even when he was present, it is unclear how involved he was. Engineer Glyn Johns was asked to compile the album--not George Martin. Though Johns complied, the ill-fated GET BACK was never given the group's stamp of approval and was left unreleased for over a year.
In January 1970--after the release of the glorious ABBEY ROAD but prior to Phil Spector's involvement--Glyn Johns was given another shot at compiling the album, but this turned out to be another futile attempt to make presentable the sessions that Paul has called "the break-up of The Beatles on film."
Early in 1969, Allen Klein became involved with The Beatles; it was agreed (excepting Paul) that he should run the group's finances and business affairs. Klein, who profited from any additional Beatles releases, was the most likely impetus behind the release of LET IT BE and the involvement of Phil Spector, with whom Klein had worked previously. Klein was notorious for bringing in his own people; George Harrison himself recalled that it was in fact Allen Klein who suggested to John and George that they should have Spector listen to the tapes. John and George, being Spector fans, certainly approved of the idea. So unbeknown to Paul or George Martin, Phil Spector was brought in to have a go at it. Martin recalled that it was all very sneaky and done behind people's backs at a time when "Allen Klein was running John."
Spector produced the LET IT BE album in seven days, beginning on March 23, 1970, and ending April 2. His version involved many edits and an abundance of remixing. The orchestrated overdubs on "Across The Universe," "The Long And Winding Road," and "I Me Mine" were done in one session--the arrangements were by Richard Hewson, not Spector. Two songs on LET IT BE did not come from the GET BACK sessions. John's vocal on "Across The Universe," along with some of the rhythm instruments, came from the original takes recorded in February 1968; and "I Me Mine" was recorded in January 1970, a full year after the project.
Overall, I don't think that the GET BACK sessions were particularly great, nor do I think that they should be trivialized. Although the performances are perhaps not quite representative of what The Beatles were capable of, the songs themselves are strong enough to overcome these less-than-ideal renditions. Spector essentially took the music from the rehearsal-like sessions, dressed it up, and powdered its nose. I never did believe that the orchestra and choir added to "The Long And Winding Road" turned Paul's song into something phony. This great song holds up under Spector's treatment, and I'm glad that Paul finally admitted it wasn't so bad: "I don't think it made it the worst record ever."
I enjoy Spector's LET IT BE and think it worthy of a five-star rating, probably because I'm such a Beatles fanatic. My gripes, however, are that (1) the recordings of "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down" released as the single should have made the album (instead, Spector's mix is solid but inferior on "Get Back," and he sidestepped "Don't Let Me Down"); and (2) the mix of "Let It Be" that became the single is superior to the one on the album, and I also prefer George's guitar solo on the single.
LET IT BE... NAKED, the latest attempt at presenting the material, does not address the inherent problems with the GET BACK sessions--the reasons that caused them to be rejected in the first place. Instead, this cleaned-up version again exposes a band that was focusing more on problems than on music. Why is LET IT BE thought by many to be the group's weakest effort, and ABBEY ROAD (recorded a few months later) thought by many to be one of the greatest rock albums ever made? I think it is clear that in the case of the latter, (1) the band members put aside their differences to focus on the music; and (2) George Martin was allowed to fully work his magic.
Without getting into further details and writing pages here, suffice it to say that I will always wish that George Martin had been given a serious shot at producing this album from the beginning. Maybe then we would have had another Beatles masterpiece.
Let It Be (Remastered) OverviewDigitally remastered digipak edition of this classic 1970 album from The Beatles featuring 'The Long And Winding Road', 'Across The Universe', 'Let It Be', 'Get Back' and many more. The album has been remastered at Abbey Road Studios in London utilizing state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. Within the CD's new packaging, the booklet includes detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. A newly produced mini-documentary on the making of the album is included as a QuickTime file on each album. The documentary contains archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere. Capitol. NOTE: Let It Be was never released in mono and is not available in The Beatles In Mono boxset.

Want to learn more information about Let It Be (Remastered)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...