Pretty good stuff but doesn't live up to the intensity ...
341382
Pretty good stuff but doesn't live up to the intensity of the first three seasons. Plus, they (spoiler!) killed off Omar whose character was the highlight of all five seasons!
3562143
I love Tony MacAlpine.  To me he is one of the gods of guitar.  Edge of Insanity, Maximum Security, Evolution, Premonition, even Chromaticity, all have great stuff.  I highly recommend his stuff in general.
That said, I think this album is weak.  He is a good guitar player as always, but the tunes here are light and simple, this is neither the heavy metal nor the complex jazz influenced stuff he has been known to do.  I listened to this, and although not a single song was "bad", they were all kind of cookie cutter attempts at making something groovy, like he was experimenting with glam rock or something.  Flashy and simple tunes from someone known for calculated and serious performance.
Some people might enjoy this CD; I think it has more mainstream appeal, but it isn't something I find myself ever listening to.  I can't pin down what's wrong with it, it doesn't suck, but it just doesn't click.
Check out one of his many better albums.
4103676
When all hell breaks loose towards the end of 'ZOMBIE', it's a hard film to beat in terms of it's perversely fun and thrilling 'undead-mayhem'. That's why it always pains me to sit through the  first two thirds which don't have much to recommended them. I do love the darkly effective synth score, and the opening in New York waters rocks, but much of the time is spent focusing on uninteresting characters, and therefore the film barely holds my interest. For every great shot of a Zombie emerging from the earth(love that one p.o.v. shot from a Zombie's eyes as it rises, dirt spilling away from it's view) there are several minutes spent with unattractive, uninteresting characters discussing things. It's not too much to ask that a low-budget exploitive Zombie-thriller have more than just sadistic gore scenes to recommended it(that eye/splinter scene still makes me wince). 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'Let Sleeping Corpses Lie' both have fleshed-out(sorry) characters to care about and root for, and Z-grade entries like 'Zombie Holocaust' and 'Nightmare City' are more even in their pacing. I guess I'm a little demanding when it comes to Zombie thrillers as I find them to be some of the most entertaining and comic-book-like in the Horror family tree, and I just think that Fulci's 'ZOMBIE' could have and should have been better.
1093228
Yeah it's a Little slow in the beginning but heats up nicely.  Not to excessive on the torture porn but a bit grimacing. Be warned it is intense.
94023
For the most part I like this stuff but I wish it lasted longer. I find that after 100-150 miles it becomes less effective so I have to give it a wipedown and re-lube. Right now I'm having to reapply every 2-3 days to keep things quiet and smooth which is a bit more than I'd like. After a fresh application my drivetrain is silent and smooth as silk, I just wish that feeling lasted longer! For the record I'm riding Dura Ace 9000 and a KMC chain.
977964
This stuff is pretty good flavor-wise but 3 eyedrops for a pot of coffee and the flavor was still a bit subdued , I just don't know if ill be a regular user of this stuff.
2886596
Great taste and strength somewhat lacks luster! There are better brands.
4709229
Some very good stuff.  JUst didn't go into as many areas or depth as I expected.
743027
I give RHCP credit for constantly pushing the boundaries and willing to go outside its comfort zone. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. RHCP has gone for a mellower sound on "The Getaway" and unfortunately, it doesn't always work. There's definitely a cool 70s retro element to the production that is refreshing, but I miss some of the more rocking tunes. A few songs with more energy would've provided a nice counterbalance to the more laid-back songs.

The title track and "Dark Necessities" are the standouts on "The Getaway." The former features dance-y staccato riffs and chiming from Klinghoffer. The latter features signature slap and pop bass from Flea plus piano and some subtle wah-wah guitar, giving the song a little funk and groove before transitioning into a chorus that is easily the catchiest on the album.

However, the quality starts to slide after "Dark Necessities." After the big beat leading of "We Turn Red," a nimble guitar that fails to match the intensity of the drums results in a mixed effort. Similarly, the crescendo in "Goodbye Angels" doesn't quite hit the climax that it should while the guitar in the otherwise upbeat "Detroit" sounds a bit thin, needing a little more distortion to add bite in the vein of "This Ticonderoga." Perhaps these tracks will translate better in a live setting and come more to life. One pleasant surprise is "Go Robot," which juxtaposes funky bass and guitar against dreamy keyboards bolstered by a steady backbeat. However, moments like these are too infrequent.

The album certainly requires a few extra listens to grow on you. RHCP continues to push the envelope, but hopefully it can strike a stronger balance between mellow and more energetic, rocking tunes the next go around.
4805351
The recording is okay but fails to engender the excitement I felt when I saw them perform on Austin City Limits (which was why I bought the album). The material is good, the playing very good. The recording quality is not the best. But it lacks the impact of the live performance that I was expecting to get from the band's first album.
4610634
I love a good spicy kick in foods, and needless to say this didn't disappoint in giving the ol' kick, however since this is regarded as the spiciest pepper in the world I was a little dissapointed that I didn't end up going to the hospital after eating it. Most spicy stuff just tastes good to me with a slight tingle, tobasco for example is just barely spicy and is about a 2 on a 1-10 scale. This stuff is about an 8 or 9, and while it didn't make me call 911 it put me in a scorched coma for a bit.

First bite was a cautious little nibble, a slight tingle but nothing much. After awhile of nothing I ripped off about half of it and ate it, and while it numbed my mouth a bit once it hit my stomach, well... now I know how Mr. Orange felt throughout Reservoir Dogs. It just sat in my stomach in the same place burning like a damn minituare sun, burning away. So the peppers certainly work well for 'dares' or whatever circumstance it is where you're only eating the pepper.

Mixing them with foods is a different story, the peppers have a great dried delicious quality, and they look just like the picture so you can imagine the texture. The heat is great too since it doesn't overwhelm the other flavors, it's rather subtle like an infernal landmine waiting to go off in your mouth. If you like spicy foods it's a great addition to your kitchen, and if you want to prank someone or go on a dare or whatever, these peppers work for that too.
198999
I intensely enjoyed their last effort that seemed to not only show the band was its' peak but also hinted they were having fun. On this one they reeled it back it bit even more, perhaps a nod to the OST for "The Returned". So in a sense, this effort did not reward me as much and it did not get the same replay as "Hardcore will ..." . In a nutshell, since I did not spend that much time listening, I will only say from  a high level overview, it is good but not great.
288978
Oddly enough - it's the instrumental tracks that shine most on this latest effort from Botti.  The material choosen for this session is strong - but his chops are still kind of weak in places.  Lack of vibrato - and his 'swinging' is sub par - but when Botti plays to his strengths - he shines thru those clouds like an operatic super star.  Some of the songs are fantastic - some of his best ever, maybe (like the first and last tracks - and 'it never entered my mind').  Other tunes are embarassingly fluffy...  Regardless - I still think it's money well spent.

Botti, play to your strengths - the R&B stuff - the orchestration on occasion - but leave the swinging stuff to Wynton...

~T
607458
Not being around for the first flourishing of the Nuge I picked up this collection for the purpose of hopefully gathering a range of his music as a sort of primer, hoping for a window into his back catalogue. And certainly there are a range of the mans hits on this 'super hits' package and the disc focusses on what is probably his most productive golden period of the second half of the 70's.

However that is also part of the problem. With liner notes that are barely two paragraphs and totally minimalist booklet/presentation and with such a narrow window of his catalogue being addressed the usefulness of this release is certainly diminished. Apart from the hits the music is good and solid toe tapping 70's rock with a full body and cool riffs and solos. So it's definitely worthy stuff but my take is that there must be better greatest hits packages out there (I got this from a delete bin on a whim) and I will have to seek out one of them for a more anthology like product to bring me up to speed with this influential and loud mouthed rock icon.

For what I paid for it this was a reasonable buy and like I said, the music is good. But the overall feel is of a story only half told. A sturdy four stars but not into the uncouth realms of posterior pounding.
1467496
Was looking forward to reading this but didn't get much from it. The first 20% is written like a marketing piece trying to get you in touch with your pain. After that it picked up a bit. I learned a couple of things - the exercise from Peter Drucker about how to find your talent was excellent and I'll be looking up more of his work. Was really expecting more from the book though since Neil's blog is such a great source of information and I associate him with 'hustle' so I thought it would go a little deeper into it. If the book had been condensed into about 1/3 of the length I think it would have been a lot easier to read, instead there's a number of very heavy handed stories to illustrate some points while others were just repeated in a variety of ways. There were also a few acronyms I have no idea what they meant (GTFO?, FML?) and some swear words. Overall, just didn't get a lot from it and didn't think it was worth the price.
4882546
This isn't my favorite mix from Masterbeat. A lot of misses here. Simply Red starts things off right, but Gia is one of those big tracks that quickly got on my nerves and just doesn't capture my senses all that much. The combo of Widelife and Byron Stingly for track 3 is just a horrible mish mosh that retains none of the best elements of either of those powerhouse dance tracks. Finally, Cevin Fisher's gorgeous mix of Suzanne Palmer's Luv2Luv saves the day. And Vivian Green keeps the diva vocal coming, thanks to a junior Vasquez mix. Rainwater is more moody than diva, but it's still a bangin' track. More dark and progessive female vocal follows with Strict Machine and then Sanctuary. The somber mood continues with the dark trance sounds of Agnelli & Nelson, and finally, while there's a gorgeous trance mix of beautiful things available, they once again opted for the darker mix. Honestly, this compilation just doesn't have the energy or uplifting feel you'd expect from a Gay Days in Orlando mix. Perhaps it should have been retitled. Track times:

1. fake (6:17)

2. Gia (6:40)

3. I don't want u to turn me (7:00)

4. Luv 2 luv (7:37)

5. emotional rollercoaster (8:14)

6. Rainwater (7:37)

7. Strict machine (9:33)

8. Sanctuary (8:27)

9. Holding on to nothing (9:49)

10. Beautiful things (8:31)
4035264
I am between 3 and 4 stars on this.  Might be a little more detailed than some other dry-fire programs but there is no magic here.  I think it has helped me, but any practice will help.  I am pretty sure you would get an amazing result if you practice the frequency he suggests but most people don't have that much time.  This is good, but probably no better than others.