Stampin' Ground, Carved From Empty Words

Stampin' Ground, Carved From Empty Words (Century Media-2000)

Back in the 90's there was a great underground music scene in the UK. Many outsiders looking in would simply see a more loud style of punk and they are kind of right but the fans had a title for it in UKHC (United Kingdom Hard Core) Mixing elements of punk and metal this album is a great example of a cross over band that nailed it. And believe me there were many more.

I have chosen this album as it really did help define the style and move it into the 00's. The album production is pristine and clear as a bell. Drums and bass sound fantastic all adding to much head banning. First track "Officer Down" is a ferocious attack to new ears may well be a mess of guitars but it is in fact quite a slow song. Vocals are again in your face but listen to it. The song and the whole album has riff that still 15 years later make much of the so called extreme metal bands look like they should should do photo shoots with a bunch of flowers.

The whole band seem to blend as one big riff machine and evidence is so blindly there in track three "The Symmetrie Of Hatred" the intro builds up nicely with drums playing all over the shop and into a vocal style that to me sounds like a riff as well. Back in the UKHC days bands would book a pub and have say six bands on one bill the music was fast and loose the fans would just want music to jump about to and this is what this album has in all songs.

"Bathe My Wounds" again brings in the fantastic rhythm build up and shows the band have moved on to the point vocals are not needed all the time. Again music like this is falsely looked at as very fast, not on this track it is a slow head nodding tune and I have seen myself in the window of the bus nodding to the beat.

Produced by Dave Chang he was the go to guy in the 90's for any style of metal music and always does a fantastic job. This for me is one of his highlights as after seeing the band a few times he has captured all the energy so well. Guitars sound big but not so out there vocals really do mean something on this album it all works great. Later track "Mid-Death Crisis" is the classic sound of what UKHC sounds like in the basement of a pub and feel nostalgic to me but to new ears may well open some doors.

The band were on Century Media so never going to conquer the world with this style but they may well have done so much better now with the amount of metal festivals in Europe and America I think they would have done way more sales if people saw them live. But back then there really were non of the smaller festivals for metal music. They went on to do one more album before splitting up at the last show as the first band on the new Donington festival (now Download). If you are a metal fan check out this album but alt music fans who like the likes of Converge will love this album to bits.

Still available at Amazon 

Warren Zevon, Sentimental Hygiene

Warren Zevon, Sentimental Hygiene (Virgin-1987)

This is an artist I never really knew much about and to be honest I rarely had a chance to hear his music, but I can see why as his career has been rather unusual. He initially came to light in the very late 60s and the album "Wanted Dead or Alive" this album by his counts was a total disaster and he ten decided to leave behind his solo dream and took a job with the Every Brothers.

This job got him working with many in the music business and by 76 he got a second attempt at solo fame. But by his fourth (or 5th inc album in 69) album in 1982 the wheels had came off and drink took over his life. Rehab and then again working for others leads to this album. And I think it is his best work. And again another shot at a solo career was offered.

This album is really just a rock album but it has some little hints of folk and country. Some could even say it is more an alt rock album but essentially it is a great album.

The songs are nothing elaborate and I think that is how the album connects so well with me 'the Factory' a song about working for the boss six days a week catches anyone's attention as we have all done the crap min wage work. The song also has a nice touch in the harmonica is from Bob Dylan. This is not the only big name R.E.M. co write the song 'Even a Dog Can Shake Hands' and also provide vocals on the song 'Bad karma' again all done in the rock/folk style I feel is best suited to Warren.

My favourite track is 'Boom Boom Mancini' a song about the boxer Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini. It is as catchy as can be and a fantastic tribute as the boxer was involved in a match that killed his opponent, the death of Duk Koo Kim changed boxing forever as rules were changed to have less rounds and more medical involvement before the matches. Like Mancini, Warren has also had to rebuild his career after divorce and his label dropping him.

This album helped to re start his career and I feel it is his best album. He never got to the dizzy heights of 'Excitable Boy' (a 1978 Platinum seller) but it did gain him enough sales and respect to continue making albums all the way up to his death in 2003.

Warren Zevon managed to achieve a very rare thing in the music business and that is to last for five decades. His catalogue of 12 albums are all very good and for consistently never sell out to the hype of the time again another very rare thing indeed. Even when he was diagnosed with cancer his attention was on the music and in 2002 recorded 'the Wind' recognition came with three Grammy nominations and a win for best folk album.

This album was just under the radar a little I feel the inclusion of R.E.M. could have been a catalyst to help drive this album as they went global in 87 with the Document album. Virgin may well have dropped the ball but again another album for my list for us to enjoy.

Available as a re issue in 2003 here. 

Fish, Raingods with Zippos

Fish, Raingods with Zippos (1999-Roadrunner) 

The ex Marillion front man had done a few albums up to this albums release. And I do remember at the time he was having some trouble in the industry. I think that is why the album is on a metal label. Some sort of new start and well listening to the music he has definitely got full creative control here. 

This album is very much in the feel of what Fish has done before but I have to admit it is way more adventurous. Again I wonder if being on a metal label has made him step up a bit. It is not so much metal but his classic rock feel but there are many guest musicians on here and I think all have given this their best. The first track is fantastic and captures the fun of this album. No way pretentious or at trying to put people off, you will either get it right away or it is not for you. 

As the album goes on there is some fantastic studio work in here as well, with Fish himself helping with recording and production by Elliot Ness. This is easily one of the best sounding albums I have ever heard and I really mean that. There is so much going on, with Fish singing and sounding amazing here you have to listen close to all the little bits of guitar, percussion and keyboards. This is a prog fans wet dream, but as I say there is no pretentious music here and many styles are used and done so well you barley notice. 

Take the drum and bass ending 'Rites of Passage' and at times the distorted guitar is more sounding like a tribute to his past works. There are instruments and sounds all over the place, a small sample here and a spoken work passage there. Not one second of the album is filler or even lets you get board. The last track of the album is split into six separate names but really is one full song 'Plague of Ghosts' clocks in at about 25 minutes and I think it may have been split up to look better on the album track listing for the record label. I don't know but it is fantastic. 

With Fish always being associated with the neo-progressive rock style from Marillion many people may write off his music if they were not a fan of his previous work. But this album is a must listen if you like something a little bit different (more so the last track). It is still in his very much down to earth style with lyrics I am sure come direct from inside the man himself. You could read into all the songs so much more if you wanted as it is that deep but you can also take it as a great fun trip in music, for me it is more like a ride at Alton Towers where you get an experience unlike any other ride in any other park. A one off, and those are always worth waiting in a long line for. 

This was never that big a hit but I got it as the metal press had a soft spot for it and I think the metal label was a problem for many of the older fans who could have missed it. But you are now with the internet at the front of the queue, so why not give it a go?

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Raging Violence, Hirax

Hirax, Raging Violence (Metal Blade Records, 1985)

Here we have a missing part of history, with the big four of thrash bands going on to sell millions and make a great living from it. Here we have a band that could easily have slotted into the Anvil documentary as they seem to not get any breaks as well.

This album is the first by the band and what a great start, first up is it really is quite a different album than most thrash bands. Some like Metallica had a very mediocre singer where as say Slayer had a vocalist that really just talked. The closest to this band is Flotsam and Jetsam with a more operatic style vocal. The album is very much in the 80s metal area but for me one of the better examples of thrash metal about. Even more so for the time.

The speed and timing of the music is very different to other metal bands and has a great punk feel to it bit like the Ramones drumming the relentless hitting of the snare drums you could use as a metronome. But it does come over as fresh and with those vocals it hits the spot. The recording even now does sound good considering it was on Metal Blade I doubt there was much money for the bands debut. Near everything sounds clear but with that more live feel, you can even hear the bass guitar (something very unusual for thrash).

With fourteen tracks over 29 minutes I really am not bothering to review each track as it is kind of all the same but here and there are blistering all out solos, way more epic than the other bands of the time. Not so much trying to steal the show but prove they have it as well. Some of the music has that great groove feel you got in the late 80s with Pantera and Faith no More metalers in any rock pub would be happy to hear this album.

The reason I have it here is more a shock to me as I was looking at gigs coming up and there they were playing near me soon. As they only did this and a few EPs back in the 80s before splitting I did get last years album "Immortal Legacy" (and great it is too) thinking I would never see them. But it seems after many false re activations they have managed to finally get to the UK for the first time ever. So an album you may have missed and a live gig I have never had the chance of seeing in one post.

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Black Sabbath, Headless Cross

Black Sabbath, Headless Cross (IRS-1989)

As a big fan of this band I as all fans love the Ozzy stuff and for a great reason. But all those albums done very well and sold quite rightfully in their million is America and beyond.

Next singer was again a favorite in Ronnie James Dio. But again that was a very successful era in the band. After the second 'Dio' album many fans seem to slowly move on. Some may have felt the constant lineup changes making that once fantastic band seem a little corporate and well stale. But by the time the band got to the late 80s the band was very different. New deal with IRS was signed and a real idea for a change in direction.

A great help for me in this album is Cozy Powell, what a fantastic drummer, he played on many other bands but notable for me Rainbow and on the 'Rising' album. He as ever plays a blinder on this album. And thanks to him a new singer was recruited in Tony Martin. The plan by Tony Iommi was to bring back Dio but Cozy suggested Tony Martin. The idea was to have him on rehearsals and well it all went so well this album was made with the three of them and like the old days all writing credits between the band.

There is an air of AOR on this album but it for me it is in that 80s feel, little bit of a hair metal sort of vibe. But those are all quickly trampled on with guitar from Toni Iommi, easily one of the geniuses of music. Great playing and some nice solos here. Not so much a big riff album but an all round classic rock structure.

The classic inro track really shows what this is all about, Occult and Satanic lyrics and references all over the album. There is also a nice mix of all out metal songs and the classic doom style the band invented in ‘Kill in the Spirit World'. one of the first things I heard about this album was the track ‘When Death Calls’ and I never knew the solo was by Brian May, again amazing stuff and it really expands on everything the band used to be but moving it forward to 1988. As I say the bands at the time were hair metal and slowly there was the grunge thing in the early 90s so it is a nice album in the middle of all that. There are some nice touches of keyboards that give the album that occult vibe from Geoff Nicholls and I think his best work with the band.

Produced by Powell and Iommi it shows how much creativity they had and I am glad that there was no others in the studio as the sound may well have been watered down for that 88 sound.
For me the best Sabbath albums are the first six then this one then the Dio stuff so there really is some great quality here. Well receved at the time by critics but on IRS it really never sold bundles or even got people buzzing at the band. If you are a fan of Sabbath or like many a big fans of the Ozzy/Dio era and and have not heard this it really is a cracking album and fully deserves to be in your collection.

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Johnny Cash, Ragged Old Flag

Johnny Cash, Ragged Old Flag (Columbia-1974)

Mr Cash had up till now some big selling albums. And one of them the 'At Folsom Prison' for me is one of the best live albums ever recorded. The live album was the second of live recordings from inside a prison. But those two albums were so successful I really can't put them in here so I have chosen this one. 

And a good choice I would think, this album was his first ever album where he wrote all the material himself. That is quite unusual for country back in 1974 and a kind of gutsy move. Not only that he did also have quite a political subjects included on the album. Again not the sort of thing you get that often in mainstream/radio music never mind country.

Title song 'Ragged Old Flag' is a spoken word tribute to patriotism. Released as a single it really shows how good a story teller he is. Back when he was young he would write poems and you can tell he loved a good story. Written during the Watergate scandal many Americans were questioning what they country had really done. 

Other songs have the classic man in back themes as he deals with working in jobs with long hours 'All I Do is Drive' and jobs where promotion offers very little in reward 'King of the Hill'. He delves into environmental subjects with ' Don't Go Near the Water' questioning where the fish are going and how clean the water may well be upon getting to the sea. Although the subjects for the songs can be regarded as being negative the album is helped with the inclusion of the Oak Ridge Boys. Mr Cash for me had one of the most unique voices in the world and on this album the crystal clear production does him justice but the Oak Ridge Boys give this some volume and wealth. 

This album is a great start for anyone who is just getting into Johnny Cash as it is a classic country album. Filled with messages and content and made more special as it is all his own (Bar 'I'm a Worried Man' co written with his wife June). The whole album is from his experiences and understanding. As I mentioned the two prison albums near the end of the album 'Please Don't Let Me Out' is about a prisoner who fears being released. Or does he simply think he has more freedom in prison? After all they then have to get a job and work for the man before dieing 'Pie in the Sky'. 

Many who are not used to country may dislike the title song but I love it, remember country music was the first style of music to really rebel like the punks did in the later 70s people had to break away from the so called proper way to play music. And like many punk bands this album is quite simple in structure but the content is what makes you think. As the pistols sang God Save the Queen a few years before Johnny had Ragged Old Flag out. Both to me are similar and can be taken by each of us differently. That to me is good songwriting.

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Whomp That Sucker, Sparks

Whomp That Sucker, Sparks (RCA-1981)

Most people into music know Sparks well due to the gold album Kimono My House but they did keep on going after that album and done some great albums. So much so it is hard for me to single one out.

But I have here is one I think could have done more in sales. Done at Musicland Studios in Germany the band seem to change the sound a little. Going back to a more rock sound and having Reinhold Mack producing is a great addition as he was now working with the likes of Queen and a great all round studio engineer and programmer. Ideal to now bring back a more rock sound to the brothers sound.

First track "Tips for Teens" you can't help but enjoy the all out pop tune and wonder why it was not on the radio every day all the time. It makes you want to buy dance shoes and give it a go. "Funny Face" also feels great and that rock sound is now here with the track showcasing some nice guitar work. Both songs were released as singles and done nothing much at all. Not sure why they seem to just miss the mainstream as they both would have fitted in well with the new wave sound that was hitting the airwaves in the early 80s.

"Upstairs" brings in that nice synthesizers sound that you have heard so many times before. The intro alone makes me pinpoint Musicland studios as I have heard it before. The music has always got some great lyrics from the Mael brothers. At times they come across as very repetitive and no real direction but listen closely.

"I Married a Martian" is a cracking song and so catchy again radio hit all over it and a great title so much so I can see why bass player Leslie Bohem went on to have a successful screen writing career. "Suzie Safety" sounds a bit like the theme tune to a kids show but again all those pop hooks keep the music fun. The album has a nice all rounded production and never sounds too polished. Last track "Wacky Women" should have been out as a single or at least had a crazy video made for it. Grab that comb and sing along to it before a night out. Plenty of drums and bass to keep the toes moving, I love this track!

So there you go I managed to choose a Sparks album and I fear in a few weeks (or seconds) I may change my mind but a great reason here is this album was released in the US under RCA but there was no other big deal in Europe or the UK so it was put out on other labels there. That could have been the mistake that stopped any real sales as the promotion of the band and album would have been hard to tie into each areas for selling. Still it did chart in America (Just) and done well in France where the band enjoyed a high level of success. But this album for me and in 1981 should have done very well in the UK and has Top of the Pops songs all over it. Remember those days you see an act on that show and instantly buy the single the next day? Well why not make up for missing it and give it a go now.

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