#happy anniversary to this classic album

[deadthehype]

The Game The Documentary album booklet. Photographed by Jonathan Mannion.

[sunstonespark]

happy 25th birthday to my favourite show ever (ft. the anniversary of my otp meeting) and of course, to my darling gf (@ichijokaoru)!! ❤ 👍

(bonus below)

[sweetpaintedladie]

Ronnie Wood in 1975 during the recording of his sophomore solo album, Now Look

©️unknown

[nightbynightfly]

An Album a Day 2024: Day 51

Feb. 20, 2024

Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic (1974)

Jazz, Rock, Classic rock

[robsheridan]

Hard to believe Nine Inch Nails' classic The Downward Spiral is 30 years old today! Here is some detail photography I took of the original album cover painting by Russell Mills for the 10th anniversary deluxe edition release, which I had the unique honor of designing, and somehow that is now 20 year old.

Everyone has that one album that hit at just the right moment of adolescence to change their perspective on music and get them through their teenage angst. The Downward Spiral was that album for me, released as it was in 1994, when I was a freshman in high school (and an absolute banner year for music/films/games all around). I must have stared at the artwork for hours over those years, without even much detail to draw from on its tiny 5” CD slip case. So five years later, when I found myself inexplicably working for Nine Inch Nails, it was surreal to see the actual original painting in the flesh, hanging as it was at the time in Trent Reznor’s office at Nothing Studios, New Orleans.

I was struck by how much dimension and texture there was in the artwork that never translated on that tiny slipcase printing, how much detail was happening in the physical materials of the art: Flies, moths, wires, blood… I had been staring at this “painting” for so long, yet suddenly it was like I had never seen it before. I also noticed that it had aged - the wires had wilted over the years, drooping down from their original position as captured in the original album cover (interestingly, judging by the photo posted today by NIN, the piece has since been restored); a tooth was missing from the other main piece.

That experience stuck with me and it was the first thing I thought about when the task of re-imagining the album package fell upon me in 2004. I wanted to re-photograph the artwork, subtly updating the cover to show that ten years had changed it physically, much like our perceptions of art and music and memories change over time with perspective. I also wanted to dig into the previously unseen details of the work and explore it with my macro lens, so that fans like me, old and new, could have new layers of texture to pore over for hours while listening to a legendary album.

Happy birthday, old friend.

[obeymefictionwriting]

Brothers on Your Anniversary!

This blog honestly gives me so much life, thank you so much for reading and enjoying it! I hope you'll love this hc as much as I do <3

Lucifer

Lucifer has been planning your anniversary like half a year in advance

Meaning, the guy is C O N F I D E N T

You might think he'd be the type to take you to a fancy restaurant and such but he will actually plan the date according to your specific preferences

Doesn't mean he won't get you a huge-ass bouquet with the rarest Devildom flowers

Is actually pretty nervous since it's his first ever anniversary in a relationship and he is a control freak and want it to be perfect for you

Will kiss your knuckles softly and will then twirl you around, effortlessly spinning you in a smooth dance

Gifts you an intricate and beautiful pendant with his love confession engraved on it

"I'm looking forward to the eternity with you by my side, my love"

Mammon

The day will be 10000000% dedicated to you

Shopping spree, any restaurant you want, any activity you wish to try - just say a word

Holding hands 24/7 everywhere, proudly showing you to literally EVERYONE

"Dat's right, dat's my baby and damn we hit 1 year together!"

Is so proud of you being near him that he almost tears up

Poor boy has never had a relationship and is now determined to keep you forever

At the end of the night, will blush heavily as he wraps his arms around your waist and leans in for a kiss

"I'm s-so happy we are t-together...Thanks for dealing with my dumb ass..."

Levi

Decides to surprise you with a kick-ass 3-course dinner cooked entirely by him, obviously

Is EXTREMELY nervous but tries not to show it

Gets you a matching set of pjs and a super cute necklace

Proposes to watch some anime or movies and secretly hopes you'd say yes, because he doesn't feel like going out and wants to be just the two of you this evening

Holds your hand all the time

Plays with your hair lazily and grins

"Can't believe got a person like you to be my partner"

Satan

Classic romance is his thing

Be sure he'll take you to a small and cozy but ridiculously expensive place

He'll insist you two dress up because "the occasion is so very special"

Out of all brothers, is most likely to propose on your anniversary

After dinner, will probably take you to the nearest park; champagne and blanket ready

(oops, a momentary cat distraction)

Showers you with affection and can't keep his hands and eyes off you

"Kitten, I'm honored to be loved by someone like you"

Asmodeus

Mhmmm an anniversary... so exciting!

Plans out a whole day dedicated just to you two

Spa, fancy dinner, shopping, massage - all included!

It's the first time ever for him to care so much about someone else and he is dedicated to make this day unforgettable

"I have a special something just for you"

RENTS THE WHOLE RESTAURANT TO SLOW-DANCE WITH YOU IN THE CANDLE LIGHT

"Honey, you have immense power over me and I surrender to you now and forever"

Beelzebub

He loves you so much that he actually wants to make it NOT about food

The things is, he has no idea what else to do... like... sports, maybe?

You notice how tensed he is and directly ask what's up

Reluctantly agrees to your offer to just eat somewhere and then cuddle home with snacks

"I tried to think of something unique because you deserve the best"

Wraps his hands around you and won't let go

Offers you head massage and just uses any excuse to touch you

"Y'know... You are my dearest person"

Belphie

Actually MAKES AN EFFORT

An attic, stargazing, a bottle of wine, and amazing fruits and sweets - just how good does it sound?

Presents you with a photo album filled with your mutual photos; a sweet note going with every photo

"You made my life full of memories that I'd cherish forever"

Kisses you softly all the time and braids your hair delicately

Loves this moment of peace and happiness but is a teeny tiny bit worried you might have preferred something more outdoorsy

"Just stay with me always, okay?"

[d-criss-news]

“As an artist, there is no right way to do something” – Helen J Shen in conversation with her Broadway co-star Darren Criss

New York City’s Belasco Theatre first opened its doors in 1907 with a production of A Grand Army Man, going on to premiere productions of seminal plays such as Rocky Horror Picture Show and stage Tony-award-winning adaptations of Shakespeare classics. Now, it is the stage on which Helen J Shen will make her Broadway debut. Having risen through the ranks over the past few years on a series of off-Broadway productions, Shen is starring opposite Golden Globe and Emmy award winner Darren Criss in Will Aronson and Hue Park’s sci-fi, romantic musical Maybe Happy Ending. Set in late-21st century Korea, the story follows two life-like Helperbots each at the end of their warranty, whose chance encounter unravels a tale reshaping the traditional mould of relationships.

Darren Criss: Good morning! We started our first day in the theatre yesterday. How does it all feel? Helen J Shen: It was wild to be there because it’s a gorgeous theatre. It’s like a little jewellery box, it’s so ornate and intricate. I saw How To Dance in Ohio in the balcony at the Belasco Theatre, and I was thinking about how many shows specifically in the Belasco that I’ve been a fan of, not even having seen them, but just knowing the impact of them. Knowing that this will be a part of its legacy forever is wild.

DC: By ‘this’, you mean yourself, Helen J Shen. Your name is on the marquee in lights. HJS: Nobody told me about that before it happened. I just got a picture of it when it was up.

DC: Really?! You didn’t know that your name was going to be up on the marquee? HJS: No! It wasn’t something we had talked about or agreed upon, I feel like the production and the powers that be have been like, “This is an introduction moment for you.” They didn’t have to do that.

DC: It is. It’s a fitting gesture to have your name outside to let people know who is lighting up the theatre inside. While we’re talking about the Belasco and your love of going to Broadway shows, you grew up in Jersey so you weren’t too far from the city, did you grow up going to Broadway shows? Tell me about your experience in two ways, the actual going to Broadway and the consumption of Broadway culture, which are not necessarily the same thing. I didn’t grow up near New York, I wasn’t a ferry ride or subway ride away, I was across the country so for me, Broadway was what I would pick up in record shops. Cast albums would come out and that’s how I would familiarise myself with what was going on. You were much closer to it and you grew up with more resources on the internet. I want to hear how Broadway was part of your life as baby Shel? HJS: Baby Shel was introduced to the tenth anniversary concert of Les Misérables, I had the physical VHS.

DC: I had that same one! HJS: We wore that VHS to its strings, it was replayed so much. I came into the city more so to do piano stuff because I was competitive starting from six years old. I would go to Carnegie Hall and Steinway Hall.

DC: Wait, unpack that for me. When you say you were competitive, what does that entail? HJS: Classical music competitions.

DC: A literal piano duel. HJS: Correct.

DC: How would one be adjudicated? HJS: How accurate you were, or how close you could get to perfect, which is an interesting way for me to have been introduced to music.

DC: I have so many thoughts on that. HJS: As an artist, there is no right way to do something. So to have such a narrow idea of what successful musicianship is was kind of soul-crushing. Now, I love classical music, I love playing the piano but I had to rediscover that love because it was so intense.

DC: How old were you when you were doing this? HJS: The first time I competed on a national scale I was ten or eleven.

DC: Wow. What was your piece that you always got ‘perfect’? I have strong feelings about what that means but within the rules of the competitive piano world. HJS: Chopin Nocturne no. 2 in D flat major was a huge one for me. Concertos were huge, I did a Bach concerto, and a Chopin concerto – I just love Chopin so much. Romantic music is the genre for me.

DC: Agreed. HJS: No shade to the Baroque period. [laughs]

DC: I’m with you, I did a lot of Baroque stuff because the violin is the same. I didn’t compete but I played in a lot of Philharmonic and Baroque quartets and as a result, it’s a lot of cocktail hour music for dukes and duchesses, as opposed to the romance of Chopin and Tchaikovsky. It frustrates me to no end that you guys had to compete. HJS: I already knew my passion for it was in music in general and being on stage. Piano brought me to Italy a lot, I spent a lot of time going abroad at a young age. It was my first time being away from home, I was ten the first time I went to Italy by myself.

DC: By yourself?! HJS: The piano teachers were there and there were chaperones.

DC: Yeah but without parents, to me that’s kind of by yourself. When you’re ten that’s a big deal. HJS: I remember being like, “Mum, dad, stop being so on top of me! I’m trying to be cool around my new friends.” Then the first day I got there I got motion sickness from the plane, I didn’t want to watch the horror movie that everyone was watching so I stayed in my room and suddenly had a wave of, “Oh my god, I’m in another country for fifteen days without my parents!”

DC: Fifteen days?! At ten years old! That’s hard graft, dude. HJS: It’s an eternity when you’re ten. The SIM card wasn’t working, first panic attack – woo!

DC: Wow, you wear that like a champ. I can’t be casual about that, that’s pretty intense. On top of this, assuming you had to compete. HJS: Yeah. Also timing-wise in Italy, everything starts later, plus jet lag.

DC: I never really thought about soloist musicianship being a competition, but if you’re on this track and you’re studying classical, at what point does it pivot to being an actor? Or singing? I don’t know which one was the first gateway. HJS: I did theatre, my first community theatre was doing Gretl in The Sound of Music in a local production. It was never the thing that was the main focus, it was always the tangential thing if you have time. My parents heard about Paper Mill’s [Playhouse] educational programme and the thing about Chinese immigrant parents is, if you’re going to do anything, you’re going to do it to its fullest extent, you’re not going to half-arse it and you’re not going to quit even if it’s hard. That’s been engrained in me from an early age. Theatre brought me so much joy, it was undeniable that I was going to pursue it. It unlocked something else in me. I grew up sort of isolated, I’m an only child and I was like, “I don’t want to sit in a practice room by myself anymore, I want to do things with other people.”

DC: Were you doing this at the Paper Mill programme while you were competing in piano? Was there a clear turning point? HJS: In high school, the summer months were prime real estate for the things that I wanted to do instead of school, the fifteen days of that Italy programme directly conflicted with the July conservatory at Paper Mill so I had to be like, “This year I’m going to do this, next year I’m going to do Italy.” Then starting in mid-high school I was like, “I think that there is something that I love to do and there’s something I feel obligated to do.” I wanted to be with my Paper Mill fam. That was where I first sang Cornet Man from Funny Girl which ended up being my college audition song.

DC: Nice! Did you learn Cornet Man from that or were you a fan of Barbra [Streisand] or Funny Girl before? HJS: It was a deep cut.

DC: Funny Girl for teenagers is categorically a deep cut. That’s not something teenagers are listening to, call me completely out of touch. HJS: Barbra has always been ingrained in the canon for me. Growing up it was always like, here’s Audra [McDonald], Barbra and Lea [Salonga], these are the voices.

DC: Was there a point where you knew you could do this to a degree that was a little more serious than the other kids? I’m not trying to blow your shit up, I think we can both agree you have a very strong voice, that’s why we’re here. [laughs] But, if you’re playing a piano all the time you’re not sitting there singing, so when did you realise? HJS: I don’t know, but the role that is highlighted in my head is when I played Mushu in sixth grade in Mulan Jr.

DC: [laughs] Does Mushu get a song in the junior version? HJS: She does. It didn’t age well.

DC: Well, it gave you a gateway to singing, so regardless of its content it sounds like this was a moment. HJS: It was a moment where I was like, “Not only do I like it but it likes me a little bit.” My house was filled with music but it was always a secondary thing. Doing something scary like pursuing art as a career, I remember fighting so hard and being like, “My parents don’t understand, they want me to find something that has stability.” Then I was talking to my godmother about it who I’m very close with and she was like, “How risky and scary was it for them to come to America?” Not knowing the language, not having any financial stability, just on a hope and dream – building a community out of nothing, helping each other out. All of these things that I definitely took for granted and was like, “They don’t understand!” But to then reframe, they were so punk for coming here. [Darren applauds] I will never understand how scary that was, but also they did that with the hopes that I could pursue something I am passionate about. When I graduated from high school my dad made a speech about how he was very inspired by the risk I was taking, to have that transition of “I thought you had all the answers, I’m mad at you for not having all the answers,” and then to be like, “They’re learning from me?!” It’s wild.

DC: That’s how it works, in teaching you shall learn. I love the idea that them embarking on this wild west hope and a dream tale is parallel to your own. How old were your parents when they emigrated to the United States? HJS: They were in grad school so about my age.

DC: If we’re talking about parallels, I was also 24 when I made my Broadway debut. HJS: I know! We’ve been talking about it feeling like a homecoming of sorts for you, can you speak more about that?

DC: Well, it’s a relief they haven’t kicked me out yet. I’ll just say that. I tend to hang out at the party longer than I probably should so I’m always very conscious of the host being like, “Alright, this is it.” HJS: The host being the ghost of David Belasco.

DC: He’s definitely on the invite committee, for sure. I wouldn’t say it’s a homecoming, it’s just a continuous grateful lap around the arena. Sometimes I’m in the crowd, sometimes I’m on the field, but for most of my life I was outside dying to get in, they haven’t kicked me out yet and I’m just happy to be in any part of it. We both went to the University of Michigan and you told me a great story that I would love to share, we were talking about what show really knocked you on your ass? HJS: Impact-wise, the show you’re talking about is Passing Strange. I was deck electrician on practicum one of my freshman year, it was my first semester of college and there was nothing to do for this show because it was so hands-on by everybody in the cast. All I was tasked to do was to watch and be an audience member, Tiffany Rachelle Stewart was the director of this production and so many amazing alumni are in this production, it changed how I thought theatre could be. Passing Strange is sort of autobiographical of Stew’s [author, Passing Strange] life, him and his writing partner Heidi Rodewald wrote it for The Public Theatre and then it happened on Broadway at The Belasco. Seeing the Michigan production made me realise my peers were part of this intricate storytelling and were so hands-on in creating, there were things that were divisive and I didn’t know theatre could do that. It inspires me as a hopeful writer and performer in general that we can experience and understand life through these other mediums and make it artful and beautiful. I saw it twenty times and sobbed every time.

DC: You’re speaking to something that really hit me when I was also at Michigan, when you’re in those amazing sponge years of eighteen to 22. I’ll be frank, the musical theatre department at The University of Michigan is a very prestigious, well-known and really incredible programme – I was not a part of this programme. [both laugh] The reason why I’m saying this is because I was completely blown away by the musical theatre kids – it was the first time meeting kids my age doing things that pros do. As we approach your Broadway debut, is there anything from the vision board or the dream catalogue where you’re like, “When I get to Broadway, I’ve always wanted to…” HJS: This already being the Broadway debut is such a glorious victory. I would like to sit on the stage and soak it all in. [laughs]

DC: Empty theatres to me are churches, they’re these very sacred holy places. HJS: We have ghosts in ours!

DC: We do have ghosts. The Belasco is famously one of the most storied theatres on Broadway. There is a holiness to the literal or figurative ‘ghosts’ of the theatre, this is a place where people go to be moved and to feel some kind of catharsis, not unlike the many holy houses of any house of worship around the world throughout time. Being in a theatre alone is a really sacred experience, I hope you find a second amongst all the craziness to do that. Are there any heroes that you grew up idolising? Because I guarantee you whether you like it or not, in a few months’ time there are going to be kids watching this that will forever hold the name Helen J Shen sacred because of this cast album. Not to say the pressure is on but it’s more of a polite reminder that the wheel does spin around. HJS: It was Lea [Salonga] in that 10th- anniversary concert.

DC: Yeah dude, me too honestly. HJS: For her to have done Miss Saigon at the age that she did is just so wild, it’s amazing. I have since been fortunate enough to meet and work with amazing people who have also been doing incredible work, for way longer than I’ve been alive.

DC: Well, that is how I feel about getting to work with you and you’ve only just begun… [Darren sings] And… we’ve only just begun our day because we’ve got to go to tech. HJS: We’ve got to go to tech!

[relientkenny]

Happy 10 Years to every one of my favorite albums in 2013. 2013 will forever be known as one of the BEST years in music. literally EVERYONE dropped insane classic, debuts, cultural impacts & experimental albums

2013 - 2023 10th Anniversary

here’s the playlist for it all and some more i should’ve added 👋🏾 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5GJZUXHJiRIe406qPbPjjH?si=9jXQjjYXS1aqS6dArq10MA&pt=8dc5628f473a9b1e027999a972214a61&pi=u-NkA8y2L8T5CT

[putschki1969]

Now that Keiko and Hikaru are not part of the FJ concerts, there might be a greater chance for Kalafina to reunite, though not in the same way as before. I can imagine them coming together for concerts, perhaps once a year, but it’s unlikely they’ll release new songs. Let’s be honest—any new songs they release will inevitably be compared to the ones composed by YK.

While my wish is for Kalafina to reunite, I would never want the girls to face more hate or negativity. They don’t deserve that.

I really hope they can arrange something to make it possible for them to hold a few concerts here and there, nothing crazy, nothing that would cause scheduling conflicts with their solo activities, as you say, just once a year would be totally fine. Their Anniversary Live was amazing but it mostly focused on their mainstream work. The girls themselves said that there were so many more songs they would have wanted to sing but there just wasn't enough time. I understand that they would go for their more generic stuff in order to appeal to the widest audience possible but the rest of their amazing music deserves the spotlight as well. Just let them do one or two acoustic lives and I will be happy.

Hmm, yes, I don't need them to release new songs. I mean, I personally wouldn't mind if they did but I realise it just wouldn't be the same without Yuki and the backlash would be too extreme. I also don't see the girls wanting to tarnish Yuki's legacy like that. Kalafina's music is all of their creation and if one of them is missing, it would become something else.

One thing they could do though is to release a bunch of cover albums. Just imagine Kalafina doing another Christmas album or something like that Ghibli tribute thingy that Takebe produced and Wakana participated in. They wouldn't be releasing anything "new" per se so I don't think hardcore YK stans could complain about that. There's really no harm in them just re-imagining existing classics with their unique harmonies. Takebe seems to know his way around producing cover albums so I have complete faith in him that he would do a great job.

[sagehaleyofficial]

On this day 20 years ago, The Used released their second album In Love and Death. ❤

It was certified platinum in the U.S. and is their most commercially successful album to date. It spawned three singles, including the classic emo tracks "All That I've Got" and "I Caught Fire," as well as a cover of Queen and David Bowie's hit collaboration "Under Pressure" with My Chemical Romance as a bonus track on the reissue edition.

Happy 20th anniversary! What's your favorite song off of this quintessential album?

[bluescluesposting]

Even though this blog is mainly Blue's Clues and Blue's Clues accessories, I want to give a special happy 30th anniversary shout out to two other Nick Jr. shows, I love- Gullah Gullah Island and Allegra's Window!

Both shows were part of a big revitalization for the Nick Jr. block in 1994, with mascot Face introduced about a month before. Blue's Clues also started development around this time, and can easily be considered the start of Nick Jr.'s "golden age".

Gullah Gullah Island was a really important show for so many kids. It was one of the first preschool shows to have a black family front-and-center, and put a strong emphasis on their culture. A big step in representation- and as a white kid growing up in a small town that's more diverse now, but SUPER white in the mid-90s, it was so important for me to see media featuring kids and families of different backgrounds. It was important then and still important today- I REALLY wish the Nick Jr. channel could still show reruns of it (and by that I mean, reruns at times when kids would actually be awake to watch it, not 3 AM), but at least it's on Paramount+ (knock on wood...if they took Allegra off who knows what classics are next). I bought all the DVDs of it a few years ago before they were discontinued and I'm proud to own the soundtrack album. The songs in this show are great, by the way- I think my favorites are "Friends and Family", "P-L-A-Y", and "Move Your Body". And the theme song might be the biggest ear worm theme in Nickelodeon history (rivaling only CatDog). You can find the entire series on the Internet Archive for free!

Allegra's Window might not have been as influential or important as Gullah Gullah Island- there were a LOT of puppet-based musical shows on in the 90s- but it was still a great show. It emphasized getting used to new situations (such as starting daycare), which can be hard for very young kids, and put a heavy emphasis on music in general- which actually was pretty important as this was right around the time a lot of elementary schools were starting to cut music programs as a cost-cutting maneuver. This show had SUCH a fun aesthetic and I loved the puppet and costume designs (I've cosplayed as Lindi before and I'm pretty sure Encora was an influence on my own personal fashion style). Every Jumbo Pictures show has always had such a fun but calming feel to it. Not just Allegra, but Doug, PB&J Otter, and 101 Dalmatians: The Series as well. The songs are also really good and feature a lot of Broadway-based talent writing them (as well as the human actors performing some of them!). Sadly this one slipped into obscurity; it wasn't reran as often as Gullah Gullah Island and ended abruptly during production on S3 thanks to Jumbo Pictures getting bought by Disney. Paramount+ also took it down last year for unknown reasons (among all the Nick content taken off, it was the only one over 15-20 years old- most of the removals were from the late 2000s to now), but the entire show is on the Internet Archive.

So happy 30 years to two great shows! And once again, I miss Nickelodeon Studios a lot. The shows from the Florida studio just had such a specific feel to them no matter the show or target audience (I get the same feel I get from AW and GGI that I do from Clarissa Explains It All or Legends of the Hidden Temple). I'm so glad to have grown up with this era of Nick.

[black-arcana]

EPICA Releases New Single 'Arcana'

Dutch symphonic metal titans EPICA have released a brand new single, "Arcana". The track heralds a new chapter in EPICA's two-decade-long history and marks the band's first new release since the group's chart-topping 2021 album "Omega" and the collaboration EP "The Alchemy Project". It offers a glimpse into the band’s future music, coming in 2025.

EPICA comments: "'Arcana' guides you through the universal stages of spiritual evolution in life. It leads the way to a higher consciousness and spiritual self-awareness.

"Writing this song was a spontaneous effort, so it came together quickly, which felt so natural that it wrote itself. The music contains classic EPICA elements but has some vibes that might remind you of '80s alternative rock or modern metal."

The single is now available on all streaming platforms. It also includes "The Ghost In Me (Danse Macabre)", EPICA's recently released collaboration with Europe's second-most visited theme park, Netherlands's magical De Efteling, and their much-anticipated new attraction, Danse Macabre.

The music video for "Arcana", directed by Remko Tielemans, can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Spain's Mariskal Rock, EPICA singer Simone Simons spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the follow-up to "Omega" album. She said: "I think that there should be a single by the end of the summer-ish. That's that's our plan. And the album should be released [in] 2025.

"I just wrote with Mark [Jansen, guitar] and Rob [Van Der Loo, bass] also yesterday that I'm so happy with the songs, I'm so proud how everything turned out and it's gonna be another amazing EPICA album.

"We added a couple of new elements, but also went back to the roots, the old EPICA," she continued. "And yeah, I just can't wait for people to hear this.

"I loved 'Omega' and we toured so much with 'Omega' and had wonderful experiences, but then when you reach the end of a touring cycle, you start to get itchy and feel, 'Okay, now it's time to do the new album. Can we do it as good or maybe even better than the last album?' That's always the thing we strive for, ways to renew ourselves a little bit. And we feel a very strong spiritual connection also that it's our ninth album. So there's gonna be themes around the symbolic meaning of nine, the number nine."

Elaborating on the musical direction of EPICA's next album, Simone said: "The songs are heavy. There's a beautiful ballad, a very cinematic song, very uptempo, very doomy, melancholic and amazing, amazing power riffs. It's the most epic EPICA, I think, so far. Yeah, I think so. I mean, I'm feeling it. I'm very happy with it. I'm proud of it. And they are going to start recording the orchestra now next week. They're flying to Prague; that's where we record the orchestra. And I will be recording my final vocals as well."

In November 2022, EPICA released "The Alchemy Project" through Atomic Fire Records. The EP was co-written and performed with diverse guests ranging from extremists like FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, Niilo Sevänen (INSOMNIUM) and Björn "Speed" Strid (SOILWORK) along with melodic masters like Tommy Karevik (KAMELOT),keyboard legend Phil Lanzon (URIAH HEEP) and Roel Van Helden (POWERWOLF) to a once-in-a-lifetime song with Simons, Charlotte Wessels and Myrkur.

Just one day after the release of its anniversary reissues "We Still Take You With Us" and "Live At Paradiso", EPICA celebrated 20 years of existence live in September 2022 at 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands, the same place where they played their first show (supporting ANATHEMA) back in 2002.

EPICA was formed by Jansen after leaving AFTER FOREVER in 2002, and the band quickly gained attention outside their home country, taking big steps towards becoming the leading symphonic metal superpower they have long proven to be. After their ambitious debut "The Phantom Agony" (2002) and the surprisingly eclectic sophomore work "Consign To Oblivion" (2005),the road took them to new heights via their first concept masterpiece "The Divine Conspiracy" (2007) and their global breakthrough "Design Your Universe" (2009). 2012's opus "Requiem For The Indifferent", 2014's bedazzling "The Quantum Enigma" and "The Holographic Principle" (2016),cemented their reputation as not only one of the hardest-working metal bands in the business but also as one of the best. With "Omega", the final part of the metaphysical trilogy they began with "The Quantum Enigma", they reclaimed the throne without so much as the blink of an eye, amassing three million-plus streams during the first week of the album's release.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe

[rhapsodynew]

#classic rock news

#new music

A book with memorable graphics of legendary bands. It is being prepared for publication.

Only 500 copies – such a limited edition will be released the book “Rock Visions: Rock 'N' Roll Graphics From The Print Age”, which is a collection of memorable artifacts of twelve famous rock bands and performers of our time. In this list: Alice Cooper, David Bowie, Elton John, BAD COMPANY, JOURNEY, KISS, LED ZEPPELIN, PINK FLOYD, QUEEN, THE ROLLING STONES, STEVE MILLER BAND and THE WHO.

The book presents their graphic legacy – from original tour programs, backstage passes and concert tickets to T-shirts, posters and record covers.

🌧 It's time for November Rain. November will delight us with a lot of good music. Courtesy of UCR News

November 1st

• The Cure – Songs of a Lost World ❤️

• Elvis Costello – King of America and Other Realms (6CD box)

• T. Rex – Bolan Boogie: The Best of T. Rex (2CDs or 2LPs)

• Todd Rundgren – Arena

Warren Haynes [Allman Brothers Band] – Million Voices Whisper

• Weezer – Weezer (The Blue Album): 30th Anniversary Edition (3CD set) ❤️

November 8

• Beach Boys – The Beach Boys' Christmas Album

• Hawkwind – Doremi Fasol Latido (multiple format reissue, including 3CD/2Blu-ray deluxe box)

• Neil Young – On the Beach

• Paul Carrack [Squeeze / Mike + the Mechanics] – How Long Has This Been Going On?

• Pete Townshend [The Who] and Rachel Fuller – The Seeker ❤️

• Rick Wakeman – Yessonata

• Steve Perry [Journey] – The Season 3 ❤️

• Talking Heads, Talking Heads: 77 ( 3CD/Blu-ray или 4LP

• Widespread Panic – Hailbound Queen

15th of November

• Black Keys – Ohio Players (flying double act)

• Bryan Adams – Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 2024 (3CD/1 bLue-ray box)

• Burton Cummings [Guess Who] – Some good moments

• Don Henley – Creating the Perfect Beast (original 40th Anniversary vinyl edition)

• George Harrison – Life in the Material World (original edition of the 50th anniversary vinyl record)

• Iron Maiden – The Mighty Slave (original edition of the vinyl record with zotrope for the 40th anniversary)

John Cale [Velvet Underground] – "The Academy is in Danger"; Paris, 1919: Luxury Remastered Edition (VP)

• Linkin Park – From Scratch ❤

November 22nd

• Allman Brothers Band – Final concert on 10/28/14 (3 CD sets) ❤️

• The Beatles – American albums of 1964 in mono format

• Kan–Kan lives in Kiel, 1977

Chicago, I live at 55

• Don Henley – I Can't Stand Still; Cass County (Multi-voice editions)

• The Doors – The Doors 1967-1971 (box of 6£) ❤️

• Judas Priest – Rock and Roll: the anniversary edition for the 50th anniversary (in English) ❤️

• Motley Crue – Dr. Feel Good: Deluxe edition for the 35th anniversary of the group (set of 3 CD) ❤️

• Neil Young – On the Beach (opposite)

• "Smashing Pumpkins" – Aghori Mhori Mei (VP)

• Marilyn Manson – "One Murder under God" ❤️

U2 – How to Disassemble an Atomic Bomb: 20th Anniversary reissue (CD; limited edition super deluxe 5CD or 8LP box; cassette); How to Disassemble an atomic Bomb: Re-assembly edition (extended digital edition)

• Van Zant [Lynyrd Skynyrd/.38 Special] – Always look up ❤

November 29th

• Eric Clapton – Crossroads Guitar Festival 2023 (4CD/2 bLue-ray set) ❤️

• John Wetton – Concentus: The John Wetton Live Collection, Volume 1 (10CD box)

• Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes – Concert at the Capitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey - December 30, 1978 (series of 3 albums, including yellow marbled edition; Sovenoman Zandt)

• Status Quo - The Path to Glory (reissue in summary, including a limited section of "Autographed Vinyl Records")

• War - CD Collection 1977-1994 (set of 4 CDs)

• Wilco – Hot Sun Cool Shroud ("Cold Sun")

🤘 New U2 track

The song "Happiness" was written during the session for the Irish rockers' 2004 album "How to Disassemble an atomic Bomb" and was included in the new album "How to assemble an atomic Bomb again" along with the Wound inspired songs "Rural Mile" and "Your Photo (X + W)"

The upcoming album will include new, previously unreleased songs found in the session archives of the original album. It will be released on November 22 in the room with the main version of "How to disassemble an atomic Bomb"

Tool Group announces the first ever all-inclusive "Live In The Sand" festival featuring Primus, Mastodon and others

Festification and Tool are pleased to announce the holding of the first ever "Tool Live In The Sand" festival at the luxurious five-star Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Royalton Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, from March 7-9, 2025. "Tool Live In The Sand" will bring Tool fans from all over the world to the island

At this unique event, which will be headlined by Tool. There will be two nights featuring some of the most iconic and influential rock bands in the world, including Primus, Mastodon, Eagles Of Death Metal and Coheed And Cambria. The stars also include King's X, Fishbone, Wheel, Cky, Moonwalker, and longtime Tool collaborators Alex Gray and Allison Gray join as special guests.

Scorpions announce a concert in honor of the band's 60th anniversary in their hometown with Judas Priest

The legends of German hard rock Scorpions will celebrate their 60th anniversary on stage with a big concert in their hometown

The "60th Anniversary — Homecoming" event will take place on July 5, 2025 at the Heinz von Heiden Arena in Hanover and will include performances by special guests, including Judas Priest

Recall that as part of the celebration of their 60th anniversary, the legends of German rock will also visit Las Vegas

THE NEW CONCERT ALBUM TEARS FOR FEARS

Songs for a Nervous Planet is a live album that includes four new studio tracks, as well as live recordings by Tears For Fears during the tour and in their best moments. The album includes live versions of such hits as "Shout", "Head Over Heels", "Everybody Wants To Rule The World", "Mad World" and others. Covering all periods of the band's existence from The Hurting to The Tipping Point and beyond, this album will take you on an incomparable sonic journey, which is the Tears For Fears concert and their career to date

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Ranking Crüe Albums

Because it’s their anniversary and I want to do something special for the band who’s currently keeping me sane!<3

(Warning: this is an extremely long post so… you’ve been warned!! For those choose to continue reading, I hope you enjoy this, and please don’t crucify me for my opinion!)

Today, I will be ranking the first five Crüe albums, because I can’t rank them all in one post… plus, maybe no one wants to know my thoughts on the later albums. To the Crüe, happy anniversary you old bastards!! sorry I couldn’t send a card or anything!!

Too Fast For Love

Too Fast For Love was the bands first studio album. The one that started it all, it would only take two more years after this was recorded to see the band hit superstardom. When listening to this album, I can automatically see why that was the case. Chock full of punk hits and gritty songs, this to me is quintessential Crüe. I know everyone pinpoints ‘Shout’ as the “Mötley Crüe sound,” but to me, this is it. Singles include: Live Wire and Stick To Your Guns. Anyways, here’s a play by play of my thoughts on each song:

Live Wire: This is what mostly everyone thinks when they think of the Crüe. This is the song that started it all, and boy what a great start it is! From the opening riff to Vince’s epic high note, this song is the best example of the band I can think of. What else can be said about such an iconic track? It’s timeless, unforgettable and guaranteed to make you stop everything to just listen to it the whole way through. A fast paced track that’s bound to get you jumping, at least it made me get hype the first time I listened to it! This to me is the perfect way to start an album. My ranking: 9.7/10

Come On And Dance: I might get flack for this one (and so soon in my ranking!) but… while this song is really good, it’s not one of my favourites on this album. Maybe it’s just me (it is!!) but I’m fine with it playing in the background but… I wouldn’t put it in my top ten… or my top twenty. Still, I can admit when it has its good moments, and it’s by no means a filler track (we’ll talk about that a bit more later). My ranking: 6/10

Public Enemy #1: Now this is a song I would put in my top twenty! It’s fun, fast and catchy: exactly what I like in a song. Oh! And also… cowbells. I am a complete sucker for a good cowbell moment. At least… when done correctly like Tommy does in this song. I know they played this song a lot in the early days, but you’ll see as we continue just how many songs off this album they stopped playing once they hit the end of the ‘Shout’ days into ‘Theatre of Pain.’ My ranking: 7.8/10

Merry Go Round: I am completely biased here. This is the song that really forced me to truly dig deep into Mötley Crüe’s discog. We’ve all heard the big hits, we all know what that’s like, but before last year, I hadn’t really dug that deep into their entire discography. Only the hits. So, when I heard this play towards the start of ‘The Dirt,’ I fell in love. What a melancholic and melodic song this one is. So beautiful, with lyrics that kind of pierce my heart. I owe this song my entire life actually and I will be selling my possessions to it (kidding…but still!). Also… that solo,,, absolutely spectacular!! Thanks for going crazy on this one Mick!! my ranking: 10/10

Take Me To The Top: Another classic track from this album. My go to song when I need to just dance it out, also a fun song to lip sync along to! This is a song that’s usually guaranteed to get stuck in my head all day, that’s how iconic it is to me. (I apologize from now I will be saying iconic a lot… that’s just how I feel about this band.) Also the solo is amazing, though it is said that this solo was used in ‘Running Wild in The Night’ and ‘Why’re You Killing Yourself?’ One being a song that was probably set to be used on the ‘Shout’ album, the other was an unreleased track from their early days, most likely repurposed into TMTTT. ‘Running Wild’ was never released so I guess we’ll never know how that song would have worked out. My ranking: 8/10

Piece Of Your Action: Another one of my favourites. For some reason I just think Vince’s voice suits the song so perfectly. The solo is also pretty top notch, but then again this album is full of memorable guitar solos so… I’m probably going to sound like a kiss ass throughout this review. If you haven’t noticed yet… this is my favourite album of theirs… but for a good reason! My ranking: 9.5/10

Starry Eyes: Now, if Merry Go Round kickstarted my obsession with this band, Starry Eyes cemented it. You can’t help but bop your head to this one! Oh, and another kick ass solo from Mick! I think this one is a bit under appreciated, and it deserves more hype in my opinion! Then again, there’s a lot more songs I feel we should be appreciating… some of which may be controversial?? You’ll see! My ranking: 10/10

Too Fast for Love: Surprisingly, this wasn’t a single. I would have put out a different single aside from ‘Stick To Your Guns’ to be honest with you, and ‘Too Fast for Love’ would have been a contender. Then again… when it comes to songs that should go on an album, the Crüe really fumble the bag sometimes. You’ll see. Either way, this is a really great track, well it’s the title track, it should be good! Not to toot Mick’s horn every single time but, they’re not lying when they call him the riff master. There’s so many examples of it on this album, but I just want it to be known from now. My ranking: 8.5/10

On With The Show: Honest to god, this song resonates with me so much. From the depths of my soul, I love this song in such a crazy way. It’s just this weirdly hopefully sad song. Sad as in wistful at least. Especially when they brought back during their Red, White, and Cr��e tour after not playing it live for such a long time. That must have been a treat for the old crueheads! I view this as the quintessential Crüe track, like that’s a good introduction to the band if I ever heard one. If I ever have the honour of picking up an instrument and learning to play it, I want this song to be the first Crüe song I learn to play. My ranking: 9.8/10

Toast of The Town: A more upbeat and actual hopeful track, it’s not the worst song on this album (there is none!), but it’s also not one of my favourites. Still, it’s the cutesy upbeat tone that makes me unable to skip it whenever it comes on! My ranking: 7/10

Tonight: The bands first cover of a bunch more to come! And what a damn good one too! Sure, I’ve never actually listened to the original… but do I have to? I think the Crüe owns this song personally. I hate repeating this but there’s so much nostalgia in this album for me, like sure I wasn’t there when the band put this album out… but every time I listen to it I feel like I was. Ok… enough of the tangent. This is a great song, a great cover and I think for the most part… they used to eat with their cover songs! My ranking: 10/10

Stick To Your Guns: Funnily enough, the history with this song is weird. When TFFL first came out, Stick To Your Guns was on it. When they released it under their own label ‘Leathür Records,’ the song was on the original pressings for the album, but when they re-recorded it for Elektra Records, the song was omitted. If I remember correctly, from what I heard (from Mick), was that Nikki had sold the song to Rodney Bingenheimer. Of course, take that with a grain of salt cause I can’t remember exactly what he said about the song or why Nikki sold it… but it would explain why the song got removed from the album and why it took so long for them to recover it to put on the deluxe version of the album. Besides all that lore, the song is pretty good, and just the opening bit with the cowbell and guitar chord is killer. My ranking: 6/10

Honorable Mentions:

- Nobody Knows What It’s Like To Be Lonely (also known as I’ve Got The Power): So… I love this song. I understand why it didn’t make the album, but I recently heard a sped up version (aka a recreation of what it should sound like), and… god I love this song. This still would have been nice as a single. Mind you, the slowed down version is nearly seven minutes long, with the sped up version being just two minutes shorter than that.

- Why’re You Killing Yourself?: Another cute little track. Maybe this one could have made the album if they… changed all the lyrics and the name lmaoooo!! Oh… and that pesky guitar solo… well, we could fix that up too I guess. It’s weird cause sometimes I like their unreleased songs more than the ones that replaced them.

- Two Timer: Surprisingly I haven’t heard this one! I know they performed this one a lot in the early days, and it probably would have made it on the album hadn’t everyone clocked that it was a cover! Yes, apparently this song was a cover too. I’ll listen to it and figure out if I would have added it to the album.

My overall score for this album, out of twenty is: 20/20 (sorry, I am biased I love this album the most.)

Shout At The Devil

Shout At The Devil was the band’s second album, and a foray into heavy metal. This is the album that skyrocketed them into stardom. There was plenty of controversy behind this album, with all the satanic imagery starting a campaign against heavy metal as a whole. In a way, you can thank this album for the ‘parental advisory” stickers that plagued the cover of explicit albums beyond the years. Still, this album is chock full of the bands greatest hits, and other killer tracks. Singles include: Looks That Kill and Too Young To Fall In Love. Here’s my opinions on the tracks:

In The Beginning: Now, this is just an intro to the album. An atmospheric one, and it definitely sets the tone for the album, especially with the quick transition into the first song. Dark, with that message to rise up against whatever oppresses you. My ranking: 10/10 only because I like a good intro.

Shout At The Devil: The title track, and the most beloved song the Crüe has to offer. This, of course, is for good reason. This song, and album, was a great way to push back from detractors and scare the general public that refused to understand them. Aside from the controversy, this song just kicks the most epic of ass. Tommy’s pounding drums, the riff that just cuts right through you… everything about this track kills. It’s like a marching song for the masses, excited to rip everything apart. Also… when we talk about this song, let’s just forget the ‘97 remix doesn’t exist! My ranking. 10/10

Looks That Kill: Another fan favourite, and the first proper music video of theirs. I don’t really have much to say except that it’s a great song and there’s a reason it got its own music video. As I edit this (cause I’m finding a lot of mistakes as I read this), I think I should just add a bit more. I think this is a lot of fans introduction to the band. This song a perfect anthem for the band in my opinion, there sound was fully curated by this song, and while we’ll see plenty more fan favourites as we go on, this song is undoubtedly the band’s definitive sound. My ranking: 9.8/10

Bastard: This song has its own controversy to it. It was specifically targeted by the PMRC, due to its lyrics. This song is also very obviously about Alan Coffman their first manager, who they parted ways with as soon they signed with Elektra. No matter what happened behind the scenes, that situation gave us this absolute killer song and I’ll always be thankful of that. Maybe they should have been allowed to… ok nevermind. My ranking: 9.9/10

God Bless the Children of the Best: This is essentially a Mick solo track and how fucking beautiful it is!! The combination of acoustic guitar and electric guitar is quite pleasing to my ears. Also including the most beautifully haunting guitar solo I’ve ever heard. Personally I think they should have let Mick do this style of interlude for every album. you know me though, I’m Mick biased… so my wants are probably not shared by others. My ranking: 10/10

Helter Skelter: Another cover for the Crüe! As the band swiftly forayed into heavy metal, this song was ultimately a great idea to add to the album. Helter Skelter has been regarded as one of the songs to really popularize the growing metal movement (though some people go as far as to say it was the song that originated metal as a whole). So, it’s kinda obvious the Crüe would go on to cover it on their second album! Some people don’t like this cover but personally I love it. They do a great job at capturing that sort of chaotic energy of the original and cranking it to eleven. It also helps some of the members were already fans of the band. (Mick was very notably a fan of the band as a kid and even went as far as to start a Beatles cover band. Nikki, while being slightly critical of the band, named the ‘white album’ as one of his favourites) My ranking: 8.7/10

Red Hot: I would say this is one of, if not my favourite song off this album. I’ve always loved a good double bass moment, and Tommy’s double bass literally makes the whole song. I mean… it starts off the song! And the intro to this song is undeniably iconic. I also have to make mention of Mick’s solo in this one. It’s very memorable and… it’s just so beautiful to me, very melodic and just cuts through to my soul. My ranking: 10/10

Too Young to Fall in Love: Talk about another iconic intro! This is the second single off the album, and the second song on this album to have its own music video. Another fan favourite, unfortunately I’ve overplayed it a bit too much to really enjoy it much any more. I know this ranking is going to offend some! Don’t worry, one day I’ll revisit it! For now I need a good long break from hearing it in order to listen to it with fresh ears and a better perspective. My ranking: 6/10

Knock ‘Em Dead, Kid: Now, this one is a real kickass track. This song also has a part of the solo from Runnin’ Wild repurposed into this track. That is now two released songs that have taken things from Runnin.’ You’ll see as we go on that this song has some more connections to another released Crüe song. It makes sense though, as it feels like the Crüe were really trying their hardest to put that song out. I guess they just couldn’t remake it in a way they all liked. Overall, this song is just a real heavy, hard hitting song. My ranking: 8/10

Ten Seconds To Love: A real sleazy track that’s just one big innuendo. It leaves nothing to the imagination. The lyrics tell you enough, it’s extremely tongue in cheek. Other than that, this has one real good bass line, which is something I’ve always appreciated. Personally I think this is one of the only songs that really lets Nikki shine. It’s dirty, sleazy, and fun… all the things I love! My ranking: 7.5/10

Danger: I don’t think we talk about this song enough. The more I listen to it, the more I like it. It sort of grows on me. Of course, I get why it might not be a favourite, after listening to songs like ‘Red Hot,’ or ‘Looks To Kill,’ how could anyone remember this much slower and brooding track. To me, it feels like a song you listen to when you’re out on your balcony (one that overlooks the city btw) and smoke a cigarette while you look out at the scenery around you pensively. Yeah, it sounds weird but that’s just how I feel about it. My ranking: 8.5/10

Honourably Mentions:

- Runnin’ Wild In The Night: I’ve talked about this song almost extensively now. While it’s never been officially released, you can find this track on YouTube. Mind you the audio isn’t the best, though I have found versions that have tried to edit it the best they can. It’s a great track, and it would have been amazing to hear officially.

- Black Widow: A song a lot of older crueheads have probably already heard decades ago. The first time I’ve heard about it was during an interview with Mick and Nikki in the early 90’s. A fan asked a question about the track, and like usual, Nikki gave them a vague answer. This one was released on the 35th anniversary version of ‘Shout’ so, I guess that fan finally got what they wished for.

- I Will Survive: A pretty infamous track. This is another song I personally wish they would have released. The band talked about it in ‘The Dirt.’ This was the song where Nikki and Tommy (and possibly Vince as well) chanted “Jesus is Satan” backwards… which ended up sounding like “scrambled eggs and wine.” I’ve heard said track and I think it sounds more like gibberish! Fun fact: on the back of the album, there’s a warning message that mentions the album containing backwards messages. Not thinking anything of it, you might think that was probably just a ploy to get more people to buy the album because… well none of the songs on this album contain backwards messages. I can’t help but wonder if this was a song that nearly did make it on the album and that’s why that message was put onto the album. Just something I think about a bit.

Hotter Than Hell: If this sounds familiar, you’d be right. This was also supposed to be on this album, and luckily for us, we got to see it in another form on the next album. we’ll get into this one a bit more. I think you might get the gist of what I’m trying to say.

My overall score for this album: 19.8/20

Theatre of Pain

Theatre of Pain was the band’s third album, and the most contentious. There’s a lot to be said about the circumstances surrounding what happened before the album’s production and during it. Unfortunately, that is another story for another day. The album features two extremely successful singles, ones that still feature in commercials to this day. There is a lot of debate on this album, with it being panned by the band and most of their fans as their least favourite album. It’s seen now by many as, essentially, the bands collective mental breakdown. Now, if I may cut in here: I love this album. I absolutely love this album. Sure, there are certain songs that aren’t necessarily the best, but it’s an amazing album. I may lose some people here, and that’s totally ok. Just know, I’ll be trying to defend this album the best I can. Singles include: ‘Smokin’ In The Boys Room,’ ‘Home Sweet Home,’ and ‘Keep Your Eye On The Money.’ Let’s get into the tracks:

City Biy Blues: Out of the bat I feel I have to defend this song. Yes, I think this song is good. It’s a good song to start the album off with in my opinion. Sure, It’s obviously not as great as the other tracks on this album. Still…the cowbell makes up for it. If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I love a good cowbell moment. My ranking: 7/10

Smokin’ In The Boys Room: Another cover!! Yep, we’re still going here, and I’ll be the first to say it’s one that I’m more impartial to. This is a song that really got a really good reception. Its music video went platinum on MTV and the song topped the music charts. This song was actually supposed to be on TFFL, but when they tried to record it, they couldn’t get it together. Funnily enough, Nikki apparently hated the song, and especially hated playing it live, as opposed to Vince, who was the one who suggested they record the song again and loved playing it live. Personally, it’s not my cup of tea so I guess I have something in common with Nikki. My ranking: 5/10

Louder Than Hell: Remember what I said about Hotter Than Hell? Yep, it’s pretty much the same song, except they changed one singular word. Either way, this is a great song! It’s one of my favourites on the album. They played this song a lot for the TOP tour and I get why! This song is pretty groovy, and the solo?? Don’t get me started on that one! Not to kiss any ass here but I ascend every time I hear it. I don’t know why people shit on Mick’s playing when songs like this exist!! My ranking: 10/10

Keep Your Eye On The Money: The third single (yes there were three), though less successful than its predecessors. I noticed they performed this song a lot on the Girls’ tour. As someone who likes watching concerts from that era the most, I’ve been conditioned into liking this song because of that. It’s not even that bad! A nice bluesy groove, I can say I get down to this song regularly. I will thank Tacoma Dome ‘87 for influencing me into liking this one! My ranking: 8/10

Home Sweet Home: Now…who could ever forget this song? Probably the most notable Crüe song. A fan favourite to the max, this song went double platinum on MTV, became a staple at concerts, spawned covers (of course), and possibly overstayed on the charts a bit. But all of that is deserved. It’s just a nostalgic song about yearning to go back home after being away for so long. And also that iconic, soul stealing, awe inspiring solo deserves all the love and admiration. Thank you Mick, that solo never fails to make me shed a tear. My ranking: 10/10.

Tonight (We Need A Lover): I never cared for this song much until I listened to a radio interview with Tommy and Mick and this song played in between the breaks. Instead of just skipping through the song like I usually would, I decided to just listen to it. I know I need to have a more open minded approach to music, so I just sat there. There’s a great use of a keyboard synth thing in the background in the middle of the song. And then towards the end it speeds up and fades away. It’s great that I chose to give this song a second chance cause I ended up really liking it. My ranking: 8.8/10

Use It Or Lose It: Not that bad, like I said I love myself a good double bass moment! While it isn’t that bad, it also could be better. I will say it definitely sounds like a filler song. And that’s possibly the reason why so many people hate this album but… this is just one filler song so far, we’ve been hit with gold this entire time so far! My ranking: 7/10

Save Our Soul: Can I just say something: I LOVE THIS SONG!!!! Ok, thank you. I absolutely love this song! No one really talks about this song. I’ll be the first to say it’s the best song off this album hands down. “But Lily, what about ‘Home Sweet Home’???” SORRY I don’t care!! This is the best song off this album, no arguments! Now, you might remember when I talked about Runnin’ Wild In The Night, I said there was another song that took inspiration from that song. Well… surprise! This song is pretty much a rewrite of running wild in the night, well… at least the first verse is! Yep, they ripped off the first verse of Runnin,’ but that’s fine cause this song is killer either way! You know what it is? This song makes me feel like I’m walking down the streets of a barren dirty road, with violence and bloodshed all around me. And songs like that tend to make it to my playlist automatically. Weird imagery, but that’s just how I feel! My ranking: 10/10 (but if I could I’d give it an eleven.)

Raise Your Hands To Rock: A cute little ditty about… I don’t know, rock n roll?? Another one of my favourite cuts off this album. It feels like the perfect song for a rock road trip playlist. It’s even funnier when knowing this song caused Mick a bit of hell. He was stuck trying to figure out a good solo, so in his frustration he downed a bottle of wine and cranked out what you hear on the track. Suffice to say, I find it’s a pretty good solo so… wine 1 Mick 1! My ranking: 9.8/10

Fight For Your Rights: For me, this is a very… meh track. I was making fun of Use It for being a filler track, but at least it wasn’t a filler track that happens to be the last song on the album! I think that’s a no no in the world of rock (and music in general) Not the best way to end an album, but we take what we can get, right? My ranking: 5/10

Honourable Mention:

- Run For Your Life: Yes, this is actually a track made during the ‘Shout’ days, but it sounds like it could have been a ‘Theatre’ track… and I can name a bunch of songs they could have replaced with this one!

My overall score for this album: 17/20

Girls,’ Girls,’ Girls’

Girls,’ Girls,’ Girls was the bands fourth album. It spawned two very successful singles, one of which still plays in strip clubs to this day. This album managed to launch the group to number two spot on the billboard 200 chart. Their sound also changed drastically with this album, going for a more bluesy approach. Now, for the record… I think this was the band’s collective mental breakdown. The band was delving deeper into their own respective addictions and most of the time they were high/drunk during the recording of the songs. They weren’t exactly churning out the best songs, and even they had admitted that they weren’t putting out their best work and were only focused on writing two good singles for the album. Still, it’s not that bad of a record… but also it’s not one of my favourites. (Please put your pitchforks down!!) Let’s just get into the tracks now:

Wild Side: We start off exceptionally well with the hard hitting and blues ridden song ‘Wild Side.’ It’s so good I’ll forgive Nikki for getting inspiration for this song from his little catholic schoolgirl girlfriend… but remember, that’s only because this song kicks major ass. That completely sleazy guitar riff, the computerized beats and sounds… all of it is amazing. Won’t go as far as to say this is Nikki’s magnum opus, but it’s pretty damn close! My ranking: 10/10

Girls,’ Girls,’ Girls’: where would strip clubs be if the Crüe never made this song? Out of business of course! Sure, it’s purely objectifying and degrading to women but… if you let the feminism leave your body for a bit and just rock out, you’ll get the appeal of the song. It would have been even better if we had gotten to hear what that last little staccato riff would have sounded like if Mick didn’t fall out of his chair while recording it… alas, we didn’t so I’ll- no! I’m kidding I’m not taking points off for that!! My ranking: 10/10

Dancing On Glass: Just slight insight into the bands mindset during this time. Mainly inspired by Nikki’s own addictions, and his first overdose back in ‘84. It’s a great track, with a great vocal performance by Vince and background singer Brie Howard. I’ve also conditioned myself to like this song through various concert performances of the song. A very catchy song that occasionally gets stuck in my head at times. My ranking: 9.8/10

Bad Boy Boogie: And just like, we’ve hit a snag. It’s not a terrible song at all, but it’s definitely not a favourite of mine. I’ll say, looking back, I do think Mick’s bluesy riffs save this one. You can fully tell the blues bug had bitten Mick during this album, and no one was going to stop him this time! And thank god they didn’t. My ranking: 6/10

Nona: A beautiful, mainly instrumental track. The only lyrics to be heard are very self explanatory and to be honest, complete the track as is. This is a beautiful tribute to the woman who pretty much raised Nikki throughout his entire childhood. There’s a full instrumental version on the deluxe version of this album that’s just a bit longer and equally as good. My ranking: 9/10

Five Years Dead: Back to filler. The title comes from a book Nikki found at a used bookstore and read. The song has nothing to do with the book though, and I guess that’s a good thing. No other thoughts on this song… I told you this album was the band’s collective mental breakdown and all the filler we’ve already come across can tell you that. My ranking: 5/10

All In The Name Of…: Well… if you ignore the opening line, or that entire verse as a whole, it’s a pretty good song! Argue over the meaning of the song all you want, I only pay attention to the instrumental! Off the bat it’s fast paced and demands attention. There’s a good reason they started their Moscow peace festival set with this song! It gets the people going! (And by the people, I mean me!) my ranking: 9.9/10

Sumthin’ For Nuthin’: To end the album off… some more filler. This album isn’t my favourite… as you can probably tell, and this song is also my least favourite off this album. It’s got its good moments though, mainly the very bluesy slide guitar sort of solo from Mick and… yeah actually that’s it. It does sound good when you rediscover it after not listening to it for months! My ranking: 6.5/10

You’re All I Need: I have a love hate relationship with this song. I hate the lyrics, most of the song, the cheesy little piano in the background. But I love Mick’s solo for this song. His little riffs also happen to save the song for me. You can’t deny that ‘Home Sweet Home’ is the perfect rock ballad… but the rest of their ballads? Could have done without. The Crüe weren’t exceptionally great at writing ballads in my opinion but… there were so many other bands influenced to make shitty rock ballads so I guess they weren’t alone in that. My ranking: 6/10

Honourable Mention:

- Rodeo: If this song was on the album in the first place, I probably would give this album a greater score. This was the bonus track on the deluxe version of the album, and according to Mick’s daughter Stormy, it was between this song and You’re All I Need. In a just society, Rodeo made it onto the album and You’re All I Need faded off into obscurity. Ok… besides that though, this song is just incredible. A melancholic story of life on the road, feeling like you’re in a circus with no way of going home. My favourite part about this song is Mick making his guitar sing the chorus (“Rodeo! Rodeo!) along with Vince.

My overall score for this album: 16/20

Dr. Feelgood

Dr. Feelgood is the bands fifth album and the last one I’ll be reviewing today. This is their first album recorded after their brief hiatus and stints in rehab. It’s suffice to say they were pretty sober while recording this album. This album launched them to the top of the billboard 200 chart, their first (and only to do so). Producer Bob Rock had a very specific approach to producing that the band wasn’t used to, so there was a lot of tension in the studio. Along with the pressure of making an album that would top their last one. There’s five singles released for this album: title track ‘Dr. Feelgood,’ ‘Kickstart My Heart,’ ‘Without You,’ ‘Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away),’ and Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.).’ Let’s just get right into it:

T.n.T (Terror ‘n Tinseltown): This is an introduction to the album, something that hadn’t been done since ‘Shout.’ Mainly atmospheric, with sirens and what sounds like a 911 call. This really sets the scene for the album, especially the first song. My ranking: 10/10

Dr. Feelgood: Of course, a quintessential song for the Crüe, everything about this song is amazing. Just the dark tone, purely hard hitting. The heavy groove of the bass and drums, the iconic guitar riff and solo. This was the perfect way to start an album that was supposed to be a clean slate for the band. My ranking: 10/10

Slice Of Your Pie: A very slow and mellow beginning before going straight to an extremely bluesy sounding song. This is to be expected, as Mick has his name written all over this album! I don’t really have much to say about this one actually, it’s a nice track. This would be the soundtrack for a beach trip for me. I can just imagine myself lazing in the sun as this blares out a little boombox. My ranking: 8/10

Rattlesnake Shake: Unfortunately I have to say I don’t like this song. It’s most likely due to the cheesy sounding horns on the song, as the riff is pretty good and the solo not that bad. Unfortunately the horns ruin whatever fun I would have had with that. The breakdown with just the drums and bass is also a good addition, but then we go right back to loud, obnoxious synths and it all just unravels. To me… this one’s a skip. Yep, that’ll ruffle feathers but, I can’t lie! My ranking: 4/10

Kickstart My Heart: With the Crüe, any song based on a real life experience is guaranteed to be a banger. ‘Kickstart’ is one of them. Another famous song of theirs, this one sounds like a machine kicking into gear. It’s fast paced chugging would get anyone’s heart pumping (ha!), it shows the band at their best. With all guns blazing and going out with a bang. This would be even better if the song that played after this one… didn’t play after this one. My ranking: 9.8/10

Without You: …Boring. Bland. Yawning. Yes, the meaning behind this song is cute, but if I was Tommy and Heather I would have asked Nikki to write a better song about us! There’s nothing saving this song, not even the cute slide guitar solo! And that’s saying a lot cause there’s plenty of songs Mick has saved with a good guitar solo. Reminder: this is the same band that put All In The Name Of.. on their last album. Do you really think I believe they can successfully record a beautiful sentimental ballad? NO!! My ranking: 4/10

Same Ol’ Situation: And we’re back to the good songs! This one’s extremely funny when you really pay attention to the lyrics. You’d never figure this band could hold some solidarity with the beautiful lesbians of this world. Cause… at the end of the day, we all go through the same thing with every sort of relationship! No matter what I’ll forgive them cause this song is a banger! My ranking: 10/10

Sticky Sweet: The opening riff is killer, I’ll admit it. Even if I don’t like this song that much, I will admit it’s pretty good. Notable guest backing vocals by Steven Tyler… this was compensation for Mick intruding on their recording of ‘Pump’ with his guitar. If you listen closely, you’ll hear him all over some of the tracks for that album. My ranking: 7/10

She Goes Down: A personal favourite of mine. Yes, the lyrics are questionable but… like I said, I don’t always pay attention to the lyrics! Do you really expect the band that put out such lovely ballads as ‘Girls,’ Girls,’ Girls’ to put out politically correct feminist lyrics?? Yeah… I just pretend Vince is singing gibberish and vibe. Anyways, the key change towards the end is also pretty gold to me. My ranking: 10/10

Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away): There’s just so many good tracks on this album in my opinion. The breakdown towards the end where it just gets faster and louder… ugh I love it so much!! What really sold the deal for me was when I watched their performance at the 2008 pepsi music festival in Argentina. The crowd damn near lost it during this song, and when the breakdown started, they began jumping up and down like maggots. That’s the exact reaction I expect when I listen to this song. My ranking: 10/10

Time For Change: The bands ‘We Are The World.’ At least… in my mind it is! Question: does anyone else kinda hear the melody of 21 Guns when they listen to that last guitar riff thing at the end of the song?? Maybe it’s just me. Anyways, the song has a great message and it sounds great. A really good closer to the album in my opinion, just a nice little mellow feelgood song, something you can wave your lighters to. My ranking: 9.9/10

Honourable Mention:

- Get It For Free: anyone who’s been perusing this blog for a while now knows how I feel about this song. I briefly beefed with the band when this song got taken off Spotify for a while. Thankfully it was returned to me once the 35th anniversary for this album released. No more crash outs now that I can peacefully enjoy this song with no more interruptions. This should have been on the album and I can definitely name a song that could have been knocked off to make room for this one.

My overall score for this album: 20/20

AND THATS IT!! Thank you for coming on this journey with me. I know this was extremely long, but I just felt I had to do this, for both the bands 44th anniversary and for my 1 year anniversary of being a fan! I know it isn’t much, but I wanted to get my thoughts on their music out there, cause all I don’t really talk about it as much. I just needed to take the time to appreciate their music, and appreciate some of the songs I don’t always listen to. I have to thank the Crüe for their hard work and years of dedication to their fans and the music. No matter what, I love this band despite their transgressions and controversy. Like I said, I hope you enjoy this and I promise I’ll stop yapping soon!!

[brokendownoncemeterydrive]

💫 A belated album birthday! 💫

The good people of Tumblr very recently made me realize that I missed a very important date! The 10th anniversary of the release of American Beauty/American Psycho was Thursday the 16th of January. Happy birthday, sexy!!

I feel like my connection to this album runs deep, because this was the Fall Out Boy I grew up with, in the sense that songs off of this album and off of Save Rock and Roll were the ones I would have heard on the radio when I was a very young teenager. You know the ones! “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark”, “Centuries”, “Uma Thurman”, etc etc. I didn’t personally step into fob world until a lot later, but it still feels nostalgic to me because those songs were just massive at the time. Nobody was escaping that shit!!

This album is a super gem to me; I love “Fourth of July” (who doesn’t??), I love “Novocaine” (possibly top 5 Patrick vocals??), I really love it all! Iconic all around. And “Centuries” fucks, honestly! It just bears the curse of being overplayed.

I’m a big fan of the music video for “Uma Thurman” as well! I think it’s so cute. I love Joe’s part in it especially, because fun fact that I think a lot of fob fans probably already know, but the reason he’s basically lounging for the whole video is because he was recovering from back surgery at the time. I generally love a classic fob goof moment for a music video… except for “Bishop’s Knife Trick”!! A gorg song that could’ve had such a moving music video and instead we got everything but, lol. They could’ve had humor in it and still made it compelling and dramatic (see the “Hold Me Like a Grudge MV!!)… oh, Mania era fob. You were a trip!

End of, though, it ain’t that serious, and this post isn’t about that music video anyway. It’s about my deep love for American Beauty/American Psycho! Revisit it if it’s been a while- you will have fun with it!

Closing plea to fob, please add “Novocaine” to all future set lists. I have GOT to see Patrick body the fuck out of that song live on stage at least once before I’m dead.

Stay frosty!❄️

[mouldymp3rotations]

1024-012

Part VI of my 20th anniversary series and happy 1 year anniversary to this blog ! 🎉

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V

As usual : Song titles link to individual mp3 file download

All 5 songs can also be downloaded together, in a zip file, from the link at the bottom

This month's rotation focuses on bands that were brand new, in 2004, but were already on the way to become the staples of visual kei they are today :)

アンティック-珈琲店- (AN CAFE) - 踊るメルヘン時計 (odoru meruhen tokei)

This is how i discovered an café ! And it's their only song i'll really go out of my way to listen to, not gonna lie lol. Back in high school, it became my best friend's favourite band for a while, after discovering them through me, so an café will always have a special spot in my heart despite not being my style at all !

Odoru meruhen tokei was found on the √69 single, released in 2004

彩冷える-ayabie- - マゾチ(三月に見た夢の再構成) (mazochi (sangatsu ni mita yume no saikousei))

Now that i think about it, it's funny that i always put ayabie in the same basket as soroban (for me being slightly disappointed that their usual sound is more kawaii than this) cause yumehito did go from soroban to ayabie (and it made everything sorse but that's another story and shall be told another time :))

mazochi was the second track of the GOTHIC PARTY single, released in 2004

D - 空中庭園 (kuuchuu teien)

I got really deep in D before realizing that I wished I liked more than I actually did lmao. This being said, they still have a handful of songs I should probably put in a regular playlist and kuuchuu teien is one of them.

Kuuchuu teien was released in 2004 as the opening track of the 夢なりし空中庭園 (yume narishi kuuchuu teien) single.

ドレミ團 (doremidan) - 傘月 (sangatsu)

I hope we can all agree that this has gained its classic status since then because that song is really fucking good.

sangatsu was on the 素晴らしきかな過多想募 (subarashiki ka na kata sou tsuno) single which released in 2004.

Here's me uploading the song here cause i can only find another version on yt

(this is how i learn there are several version of a song like 90% of the time lmao)

ナイトメア (NIGHTMARE) - be buried

It's nightmare's fault i got into Death Note, but it's another unfortunate case of it all went downhill from there, oops. I always had a good time listening to one of their songs, but finding something to say about this song in particular made me realize that I always used nightmare's songs to plug holes in my 43247874 burned discs compilations, especially this early in my getting into vk... In the end, I think I went with this song cause it captures well their sound from the era :)

The 8th track of the LIVID album was be buried and was released in, you guessed it, 2004.

Get the .zip file

-> HERE <-

ngl that rotation was out of my comfort zone LOL