Dead or Alive in the 90s:  the same, yet different
919454
Wow.  This album rocks, and a big way.  It's amazing that Pete and Co. have even lived, let alone triumphed, into the 21st century.  "Nukleoptra" perfectly marries DOA's trademark 80s  synth/glam/HiNRG style with a modern, 90s sound.  Especially noticible on  the "You Spin Me Round" and "Sex Drive" remixes, the  sounds are familiar, yet very fresh.  But what really shocked me was the  new (well, new to us fans in the US who didn't know about the imports)  tunes.  The title anthem, "Nukleopatra," is so perfectly Pete,  with hilarious lyrics and a great 90s dancehall wall of sound.  Be sure to  crank up the volume on this, and the rest of the tracks.  "Unhappy  Birthday" is wonderfully dark and tragic, yet you still can't help  shaking it.  A very different sound than what we're used to hearing from  the bad boy from Liverpool.  "Rebel Rebel" is dripping with irony  and the lyrics seem eerily perfect for Pete.  "The Right Stuff"  is simply funky.  Yes, there probably isn't much new ground broken here,  but it's just so great hearing one of my (and practically everybody else's)  favorite 80s groups make a successful metamorphosis into the 90s.  Only now  it's the 00s, so what could be in store?  There are rumors of a new album,  but Pete is famous for being flaky.  Their 1998 US mini-tour miscarried  before they ever left Europe, alas.  I can't believe I waited so long to  check out this CD... it's really strong and, in some ways, the most  cohesive work from DOA in a decade and a half.  Petey Boy hasn't lost his  Ethel Merman-like ability to pound out pathos.  When he sings "I'm a  Star," I'm believing it.  But alright already with the cosmetic  surgery!
4682885
Loved it when it came out in the early 90s. Yes, they sound like The Police meets They Might Be Giants, but it's a cool sound.
861214
The product itself arrived fast and in excellent condition.
The music on the album, however, represents a decline in the Isley Brothers' musical influence.

Even if what Chris Jasper said in the jacket (that more and more he was writing the songs to be sung by the younger members) accounts for a different musical shift, it still sounded way too stilted and not as vibrant as their previous outings. In short, it was way too old for a group, that by even the early date of 1980, had become living legends.

I still enjoy the songs, especially "Say You Will" and "Here We Go Again", but it was only because of Ronald's voice that the songs got anywhere at all. His vocal stylings and quality are what makes the songs listenable. But there was too much programming and not enough rawness, and the improv that was done was in the predictable places. "Go All The Way" was a good endevour, but did not accomplish what the album title's intentions.
2003049
Thirteen volumes in, the American version of the Now That's What I Call Music series has become quite stratified in terms of its selections and organization. Begun in the fall of 1998 at the height of a teen-pop trend, the series retains an affection for the remaining vestiges of that style, and standard-bearers Justin Timberlake of NSync and Jennifer Lopez lead off this volume. After that, there is the familiar segueing to rap/hip-hop, adult contemporary, pop/rock, and mainstream rock over the course of the 20 selections. Released roughly every four months, the albums do not present the 20 biggest hits of the period by any means. Rather, the choices represent both a sampling of different styles and a combination of tracks that are actually popular with ones the major record labels are trying to push. (How else explain the presence of Lisa Marie Presley?) Picking more for musical style than quality, and more for a balance of allowed tracks from the participating labels than sales, the collection is not a success as a hits compilation, and it is only a qualified success as a time capsule of the popular music of its time. The trend toward snotty adolescent punk-lite is glimpsed in the inclusion of Bowling for Soup's "Girl All the Bad Guys Want," the Ataris' "In This Diary," and Sum 41's "The Hell Song," for example, but the wave of artists exposed by the reality TV shows is ignored. Anyone judging the state of popular music circa mid-2003 on the basis of these 20 selections would have to conclude that it was uninspired and derivative. When a revival of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" sounds like the most interesting song out there, things are not going well. No wonder record sales continued to decline.

Recommended: Yes
3714623
I recently have been trying to complete my Time-Life "Sounds of the Seventies" series collection. Luckily, I noticed before buying this one (issued in 1997) that it the exact same track listing as the regular "Sounds of the Seventies -- 1979" that was issued in 1990. It is also the exact same thing as "Ultimate Seventies -- 1979", which was issued sometime after 2000. So if you are trying to complete a set of the CD series, feel free to buy this one. But if you are just collecting the songs and already own one of these other 1979 CDs, there is no need to buy this one. The track list (thanks to bsnpubs.com) is:

1. Good Times - Chic (45 version)
2. Fire - Pointer Sisters
3. We Are Family - Sister Sledge (45 version)
4. You're Only Lonely - J.D. Souther
5. I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick (live 45 version)
6. Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees
7. Don't Bring Me Down - Electric Light Orchestra
8. Ring My Bell - Anita Ward
9. Reunited - Peaches & Herb
10. Bad Girls - Donna Summer
11. Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? - Rod Stewart
12. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
13. Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy - Bad Company
14. Heart Of Glass - Blondie (censored 45 version)
15. Tragedy - Bee Gees
16. My Sharona - Knack
17. Promises - Eric Clapton
18. What A Fool Believes - Doobie Bros.
1657241
Being an MBM since waay back in '89, I remember hearing this release with trepidation.  "Did Meat Beat go techno?"  Well guess what, they went from the dissintegrating genre of industrial music to being one of the leading pioneers of the electronic music scene in the 90s.  Never before had Jack Dangers put his voice, or his samples to better use to weave a protest against the Reagan/Bush/Thatcher administrations of the 80s and early 90s.  He was, like a lot of us youngsters, upset at what had been dubbed the "New World Order" and he, along with Johhny Stephens used Satyricon as a forum to vent their frustrations on issues such as politics, animal rights, corporate greed, depletion of natural resources, overpopulation, even organized religion was a target.  What resulted stands the test of time, even now over 15 years later.  I only hope their new album "Autoimmune" goes back to the biting raps of MBM's past.
661717
I find it interesting that many of the negative reviews of this album come from listeners under 20 or so. They're comparing it to the last 2-3 albums put out (Hot Minute, Califormication,and whatever the New Bland Album is called). I suppose it's hard for them to appreciate the album in the context of the music that was being made at the time. Remember, this was released in 1984, not 1994. Or 2002.
RHCP were a fairly unique band at that time. Now, almost 20 years later, the radio is overwhelmed with "alternative" rap/metal/ska/pseudo-punk bands like Blinktown. Or Crazy-182. Gee, how cutting edge. Kindof like tatoos and piercings - when every idiot out there is doing it, it's not exactly 'rebelious' anymore.
Anyway, while this isn't the RedHot's best, I would put it far above the last 3 put out. Basically, I think they hit their pinnicle when BSSM came out in 1991. I remember going to a couple of shows that year and and seeing the same idiots in the audience that used to wear Slayer and Poison t-shirts. I thought, well, it's gone mainstream. It's over. And it was, for me.
73397
You could argue that Jerry Only is a better bass player than frontman, that he doesn't quite have the spark of either Glenn Danzig or Michael Graves.  That said, he's obviously passionate about keeping the band going.  You have to give him credit for keeping at it in the era of lip synching and Auto-Tune.

So, anyway, Dead Alive, recorded on Halloween 2001 at BB Kings in Times Square, isn't the greatest live album that I've ever heard, by any means.  But it's certainly a fun collection of cool sci-fi/horror inspired tunes, which is what has always been the appeal of the Misfits for me.  It's not cutting edge or groundbreaking, but it's pretty enjoyable.  If you're already a Misfits fan, you'll probably like it.  If not, I guess I'd give one of their greatest hits CDs a listen first.
2691638
I remember in '83 a buddy saying that Live Under a Blood Red sky was the greatest live album ever.  The version of Sunday Bloody Sunday and Electric Co. make a strong case.  Too bad Judy Collins made them edit out the Send in the Clowns bit.  You can still find the original release on vinyl.  This album marks the cross over from regular pop band to a band of conscience and vision.  As such, I expect this album to be remembered for quite some time.
2626164
Remember the style of music that came out in the late 70's called Punk?

The pioneers of this type of music were bands such a Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and the Talking Heads.  The style becamse somewhat funk-influenced to the gut-wrentching hardcore metal influenced sounds of The Dead Kennedies and Ministry.  Even Social Distortion had their own little sound to offer.  This is how it went through the 80's.

Yet, after the who Nirvana-mania that saved music from Whitesnake and Warrent, Punk, as well as many other sounds, seemed lost until...

Green Day comes around with "Dookie."  This continued the punk sound into what we know today.

So in the words of Oasis:  "Where did it all go wrong."

It's not that this sounds on it's own is bad.  When Blink 182 first came out, they had a lot of fun to offer.  But gawd, where do we draw the line?  After that, we had ( in no particular order) Sum 41, New Found Glory, My Chemical Romance, Showoff, and jeez, I could go on forever.  They all sound so much alike.  Still they were once tolerable.  But with simple plan, (sigh), enough is enough.  I can't even tell the difference sometimes between these guys and Bowling For Soup.  And I don't easily confuse bands.

Really, though, these guy call themselves Punk.  But last time I checked, Punk was about rebellion, Anarchy, disatisfaction with where humanity is going, all that stuff.  Ex Sex Pistols "Anarchy In The UK" or Ramones "I'm Against It."  Now Listen to some of the titles off this:  "I'm Just A Kid," "God Must Hate Me," "I'd Do Anything."  Difference?  You'd have to be blind not to see one.  These guys have jumped on the "poser" bandwagon that every other "punk" band on a major label has jumped on, and thus, mainstream punk is doing the same thing heavy Metal is.
1329772
The Beastie Boys first release in the 1990s is definitely different in style to their past major releases. They go back to their punk roots in major way and this album has that 90s alt rock feel to it as well. Some really good tracks can be found on this album. My only major complaint is that this album is really hit or miss in quality and the style change every few songs. That style change can be very chaotic and jarring at times. Not a bad release, but Ill communication, released a few years later, is definitely one Beastie Boy releases.
137192
I like this song and this group because they remind me of the music I listened to in the 90s. There are hints of guys like Pearl Jam and Bush here. Sadly, rock like this is getting harder to find.
749530
This album came out at an unfortunate time in rock's timeline, just when the grunge movement was becoming the New Big Thing. Melodic power-pop of this kind fell out of fashion in the early 90's, and Jellyfish's trippy-hippie overtones were out of sync with the current trends of 1990-94. But if you like 1960'-70's classic pop of the Badfinger or McCartney style, this is for you.
 I was lucky enough to see Jellyfish live in its original ensemble (circa 1991 between their 2 albums) at a college in San Diego, and they were fantastic. Some hardcore fans were there, but most of the audience seemed a bit indifferent. If it had been 1976 instead of 1991, they'd have been major stars. Of all the Beatle-ish clone power-pop bands over the years to make a go of it, these guys were the best of the bunch. Even Badfinger and Wings paled by comparison. Nevermind Cheap Trick or the Knack. I'm glad after 20 years I held on to this CD.
4759278
So much was changing extremely fast in 1967. American pop culture,the music that came from it-pretty much everything. For his part his "alleged" motorcycle accident in following the conclusion of his 1966 tour with the band in support of&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Blonde-on-Blonde/dp/B0000024OG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Blonde on Blonde</a>&nbsp;likely had it's benefits for him. In the end he basically seemed to deliberately create an comeback that flew in the face of the psychedelic era preconceptions of pop music. Even having been a recording artist for five years at this point (and even than it seemed as if he'd be around forever) Bob Dylan continued knowing how to push people's buttons. And it was quite intentional. Much as Madonna did a decade and a half later with her image Bob Dylan was doing with his music-carefully pushing the barriers of what his audience expected. And from the B&W,anonymous looking cover portrait to the change in Bob's overall vocal and musical style we now find him seemingly distancing himself from.....Bob Dylan.

  At this point Bob was preparing the next phase of his musical career,which would basically end around the time of his 1970 release&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/New-Morning/dp/B0000024WJ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">New Morning</a>. A lot of people tend to describe this as the beginning of Bob's country phase. Considering the fact that the title song,"The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest" and "I Am A Lonesome Hobo" are narrative "story" songs with some use of steel guitars and such one can here a little bit of that. But there's more here than that. Primarily composed of stripped back uptempo numbers as opposed to ballads this music,particularly in the basslines from Charles McCoy blend Bob's usual folk style with a blues/gospel oriented rhythm. It's a style I've heard called "soul-folk". And perhaps his meeting around this time with Mavis Staples,whose family the Staple Singers recorded&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Soul-Folk-in-Action/dp/B000000ZKZ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Soul Folk in Action</a>&nbsp;this same year influenced that as well. Songs such as "All Along The Watchtower (popularized by Jimi Hendrix,of course),"The Wicked Messenger" and one of my favorites here "Down Along The Cove" could actually have almost come from that album,with the "soul-folk" element in full swing.

  Much as with a lot of people in 1968 Bob was kind of going for a new direction. What made it interesting is that he kind of bypassed the Summer Of Love due to his period of exile. Somehow this album not only reminds me of that end of an era but a narrative tale of my own that might be worthy of a Bob Dylan song someday. How in high school my father recited "The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest" in his creative writing class. They applauded the verse but question the writer,of course. Now to me that sums up who Bob Dylan was in the late 60's-both applauded and questioned all at once. But as I am so fond of saying sometimes it's about the music and the message with Bob. And here he's looking upon the world more as individual characters and singing their stories as opposed to broader stream-of-consciousness and social issues of the past. It's a very intimate and soulful albums. And in a lot of ways says more about who Robert Zimmerman is outside the character he's always portrayed musically. And Bob Dylan IS a character. But this is honest,genuine poetry-heavily inspired by blues/soul/gospel flavors that come together to make it likely one of the most appealing albums Bob ever made.
2966847
Allegedly a different mix (the pre-mix) of the Dead Boys' second LP.  I suspect a bit of EQ fiddling using some god awful mastering program.  It really isn't that different to the original and... given how much copies of that are going for, there is no reason for complaining (unless you work for Sire records).  The version of "Ain't it Fun" (The old Rocket From song) makes it all worthwhile but, as a whole, the First LP was so good that this one will always look like the poor cousin.
2678416
The few 1970-1973 live tapes represented here are all that remains of one of the most interesting trios in rock.  Their instrumentation (organ, bass & drums) makes inevitable comparisons to similar contemporaneous ensembles as Egg, Soft Machine, The Nice, Hansson/Karlsson and Glass, especially on the tracks featuring fuzzbox on the organ (maybe even Caravan!)  Yet this band also contains the roots of what would become, in the '80s and '90s, a thriving "dark progressive" scene in Belgium with such bands as Univers Zero, Present, X-Legged Sally, Cro Magnon, Fukkeduk and others.
There are equal measures of fast unison playing in odd time signatures, and moodier group improvisations often in minor keys.  Arkham was a unique ensemble at a unique time, and points the way to much that would transpire in the next couple decades.
So why only four stars instead of five?  Well, these 30-year old live recordings are a bit dodgy by today's standards, and detract somewhat from an unencumbered enjoyment.  Still, to have this group preserved at all is little short of miraculous.
2197698
Pearl Jam have changed considerably since 1991's debut "Ten", and this excellent collection of songs mirror a band clearly more at ease with life than they were in the early 90s. Lead single "Nothing as it  Seems" makes up for it's lack of bite with the exploration of  soundscapes born in the Mid West, while "Light Years" and  "Thin Air" show a subtlety in the band's personality that went  previously unexplored. My only gripes are with the absence of a real  grabber like "Jeremy" or "Rearviewmirror", and the  trowaway nature of "Grievance", but, hell, I'm only nitpicking.  Lovely.