Any recommendations?

[ek88]

Not a far cry from classic's "new music" topic, but has anybody recently bought an album worth investing in (or worth staying away from)?

Here are some of my recent purchases:

Hallelujah - Sammy and the Wabos: I'm not a huge Hagar/VH fan, but I really like the track listing and it sounds terrific. If you like live albums and are familiar with the songs, pick it up. Incidentally, the lone studio track (Hallelujah) smells strongly of Van Hagar.

Not Another Teen Movie Soundtrack: I'm a junkie for electric guitar-driven remakes of 80's songs. If you fit the same description, check this album out.

Saturate - Breaking Benjamin: Surprisingly good, but maybe a little heavy for the average Styx fan. The best description I can give is a cross between Def Leppard's Pyromania and the newer rock sound (not as radio friendly as the Lep's were, though).

Replacements Soundtrack: Yet another soundtrack in which some of the better tracks heard in the movie were nowhere to be found. A bad impulsive buy on my part.

Let Go - Avril Lavigne: Very catchy tunes, very radio friendly. I like it for a change of pace.

No Pad, No Helmets . . . Just Balls - Simple Plan: I'd call this a strong album within its genre (new or modern rock), but in the bigger picture it's only slightly above average. Not a bad listen if you want to sample something new in the world of rock.

Now 14 - Various Artists: Yuck. Early on, these Now compilations consisted of a diverse representation of modern music. Nowadays, they tend to be laden with the latest hip-hop and pop offerings and are therefore, very one-dimensional.

Gutterflower - Goo Goo Dolls: Though not as strong as their last album (Dizzy Up The Girl), probably my fave out of the ones I've listed here. The songs are well-crafted and catchy, and there's a nice mix of electric and acoustic guitars in many a track. However, if you want to give the Dolls a listen, start with Dizzy and then pick this one up if you like what you hear.

Well, there's my 2-cents, for what it's worth. Anybody else feel like sharing? How about new releases by older bands? It's sometimes hard to find time to check up on the older bands, since they get virtually no promotion or airplay these days.

[swwskj]

EK,

Other than Evanescence-"Fallen" and Linkin Park-"Meteora", the majority of CD's I've bought recently are older ones. Most significantly are the 1st four Foreigner albums which were remastered with bonus tracks.

As far as people jumping on the Patriot bandwagon, you had to know that was going to happen. But at least for now, they're a hard team to hate. Very similar to the Packers when they made their run a few years ago.

When you mentioned 1996, did you mean the Superbowl victory over Pittsburgh or the following year when the Panthers whooped the Cowboys ass the first time and ended the dynasty? LOL!

Scott

[yogi]

Last Thursday my Amazon.com Jack Blades CD arrived. I have given it quite a few spins since then. The price is inflated, but WELL WORTH IT!! It truly is an EXCELLENT CD. The music and the moods vary greatly. I would reccommend it to anyone who liked Tommy Shaws Seven Deadly Zens. The CD's parallel each other. The song'Shine On' that Jack and Tommy perform together is incredible. When you hear them sing' I cant think of anything but you, Cant see anything but you,Cant feel anything but you, I am yours', you will swear you are listening to a classic Police song the likes of, Message In A Bottle, or Dont Stand So Close To Me and it's 1980 all over again. Other CD highlights are Dont Want To Be Alone Tonight, We Are The Ones, and Sea Of Emotions, . It is a GREAT CD that gets better with each listen!!!

[Soloud]

I bought the Lynch/Pilson cd and other than the 1st song (Breath and a Scream) I found it dull and boring and certainly not worth the $$ I paid for it. Sounds like a collection of weak Lynch Mob/Dokken stuff with very little classic George Lynch guitar. So I recommend it to no one

[ek88]

Yogi,

Appreciate your review. Been hearing some great things about the Jack Blades CD. Think I'm going to pick that one up!

Scott,

Heard "My Immortal" on MTV2 the other day. What a killer tune. Evanescence is my next CD purchase, hands down. Oh, and I have no comment on the 1996 crack

[M. J. Perry]

Zebra 4 is an excellant CD to have. Also Cheap Trick's "Music For Hangovers" which is live is one that should be in you CD player.

[ek88]

Couple more recommendations:

Picked up Fallen - Evanescence and I find it to be quite awesome. Also got No Doubt's Singles CD. Kind of an off the wall purchase for me, but I really like it. Speaking of Cheap Trick, they sure had some great tunes back in the day. What's the track listing for "Music For Hangovers", anyway? Just wondering if it's older or newer stuff. Never heard of Zebra 4. What kind of music is it?

[M. J. Perry]

Zebra did a song called "Tell Me What You Want" and "Who's Behind The Door" which got a heavy rotation on MTV in the early '80's. Yes MTV was good at one time. Zebra is a three piece rock and roll band. Right now they are mostly playing around the New York City area and along the bayous around New Orleans.

Cheap Trick's Music For Hangovers song list is as follows: Oh Claire, Surrender, Hot Love, I Can't Take It, I Want You To Want Me, Taxman Mr. Thief, Mandocello, Oh Caroline, How Are You?, If You Want My Love, Dream Police, So Good To See You, The Ballad Of T.V. Violence, and Gonna Raise Hell.

Also Pat Benatar's latest CD called Go is good to listen to.