Showing posts with label ZZ Top. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ZZ Top. Show all posts

Nashville Pussy – Up the Dosage

Nashville Pussy  Up the Dosage
Label: Steamhammer/SPV
All Access Rating: A-

Nashville Pussy - Up the Dosage 2014
"The South's Too Fat to Rise Again" may be the greatest song title in history. And "Hooray for Cocaine, Hooray for Tennessee" isn't too shabby either. Yes, Nashville Pussy is at it again, offending the humorless and churning out morally repugnant, 190-proof Southern rock grain alcohol spiked with so much sleazy punk attitude that it could cause blindness, if ingested in mass quantities. 

That's a small price to pay for energetic, shit-kicking rock 'n' roll this ballsy. The black sheep of this white trash family, guitarist/vocalist Blaine Cartwright, says of Up the Dosage that, "This is our Back in Black!" And he isn't just whistling "Dixie." Taking a cue from AC/DC, they aim for simplicity on the rowdy Up the Dosage, packing it to the brim with solid, hot-wired riffing and degenerate songwriting born with a swagger. Political correctness be damned, this souped-up Nashville Pussy are as funny and raunchy as ever, as Cartwright details a sordid, booze-impaired tryst with a high-spirited pregnant women who's "meaner than shit, hotter than Hell" in the Rolling Stones-y, Let It Bleed-era "Before the Drugs Wear Off," featuring a tasty boogie-woogie style piano that channels the spirit of Ian Stewart. 

Then there's the hilarious ode to masturbation that is the high-octane, rip-roaring "Rub it to Death," its turbo-charged, muscular guitars threatening to tearing themselves away from the bones of such mean, cocksure hooks, just like those found in the pulse-pounding "Spent" and an accelerated, utterly infectious "The South's Too Fat to Rise Again." This is Nashville Pussy, the fast version, and like Motorhead, they play rock 'n' roll – unrepentant, dirty and with a taste for drugs and everything tawdry.

Cartwright's wife, guitarist Ruyter Suys, goes for the throat on Up the Dosage, her solos sounding like a hail of gunfire. That's her singing on the hit-and-run blast of gutsy psycho-billy known as "Taking it Easy," and she is a commanding presence. It helps to have sound that is richer and more vibrant than past efforts, and for that, sound engineer Brian Pulito is to be commended. Ultimately, though, it's Nashville Pussy's mix of metallic crunch and ZZ Top's bluesy nastiness, so prevalent on the title track and mid-tempo drawls "Till the Meat Falls Off the Bone" and "White and Loud," that makes Up the Dosage such a tasty meal, even if the cook probably spit in the food.
– Peter Lindblad



CD Review: Clutch – Earth Rocker


CD Review: Clutch – Earth Rocker
Weathermaker Music
All Access Review: A

Clutch - Earth Rocker 2013
Having a fast machine is more important to Neil Fallon than just about anything. Well-meaning people keep telling the Clutch front man he has to change his evil ways on the track “Crucial Velocity” from the groove-metal champions’ newest flaming chunk of blistering, no bullshit rock ‘n’ roll Earth Rocker, that deceit leads to jail time and cheating everyone is going to get him into hot water one day.

Fallon isn’t worried about it. He can always jump into his “Rocket 88, the fastest in the land” and drive away. They’ll never catch him, not with the slightly fuzzed-out, turbo-charged “Crucial Velocity” on the radio, at least. One of the best driving songs since Fu Manchu’s “Mongoose,” it practically demands that you step on the gas, even if your radar detector advises you shouldn’t. So does “Unto the Breach,” another satisfying, hell-on-wheels riff fest that turns on the afterburners and squeals its smoking tires before racing down the straightaway at unsafe speeds.

And that’s the direction on Clutch’s GPS for Earth Rocker, out on the Weathermaker Music label. It is always pointed straight ahead, and there are very few detours, aside from the cosmically soulful “Gone Cold” Clutch roasts slowly on a spit over some cowboy’s campfire on a cold desert night. Trimming the blues fat from their most recent releases, Clutch adopts a leaner, more aggressive stance on Earth Rocker, even if the Texas two-stepping boogie and outlaw attitude of the revenge fantasy “Book, Saddle & Go” rolls up a fatty of Tres Hombres-era ZZ Top and inhales deeply.

Tempos vary on Earth Rocker, as the stoner-metal heaviness, funk grooves and wah-wah radiance of “The Face” and “Mr. Freedom” – gurgling like a bong – chug along with brutal, calculating precision, organically growing ever more powerful and seductive, while “Cyborg Bette” sounds like Canned Heat on amphetamines and the full-throated roar of the title track takes full advantage of Clutch’s limitless horsepower. Primal and loud, these witches’ brews of chemically-induced mayhem mix screamingly efficient guitar solos from Tim Sult, forceful vocals, hammering riffs and diverse rhythms to make potent magic.

Lyrically vicious, defiant and unapologetic about anything, Earth Rocker is the voice of a modern-day warrior battling the forces of conformity and complacency and doing so while firing up a musical vehicle that is built not only for speed, but also for effortless and subtle shifts in dynamics. Get in and go for a ride. There is plenty of room in this Rocket 88. (http://weathermakermusic.com/)
– Peter Lindblad

Best of 2012 - Classic Rock


Rush, Thin Lizzy, The Doors, ZZ Top find fountain of youth
By Peter Lindblad
Shaking off the rust that inevitably comes with old age, a number of classic-rock artists showed everybody that they refuse to go gently into that good night.
Rolling Stones - Grrr! 2012
Whether it was the Rolling Stones’ revving up their best song in years with “Doom and Gloom,” or Aerosmith bringing their own brand of “Global Warming” to the masses in live shows that were full of piss and vigor, old greats like those icons, as well as KISS and Bruce Springsteen, burned their AARP cards and did the kind of great work – be it in the studio, as with Springsteen’s Wrecking Ball or Heart’s Fanatic, or on the road – expected of them 20 or 30 years ago.
There were incredible songs, such as Springsteen’s “We Take Care of Our Own” or Joe Walsh’s “Analog Man,” and albums like KISS’s Monster that had unexpected vitality and inspired performances. And tours like the Loverboy/Journey/Pat Benatar triple bill served notice that many of these bands are still capable of delivering the goods onstage. Truly, though, one band rose above them all in 2012, putting out one of the best records of their career and finally getting their just due from critics, while other releases simply outshined the competition. Here’s the best classic rock had to offer in 2012.
Artist of the Year: Rush
Rush - Clockwork Angels 2012
Voters for the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame finally saw the light in 2012. After shunning Rush for so long, they did the right thing for once and selected the Canadian progressive-rock power trio for membership, perhaps earning them some small measure of goodwill from their harshest detractors – although they stand to be inundated with slings and arrows for denying Deep Purple again, and deservedly so. What exactly was it that tipped the scales for Rush this time around? Could it be the fact that they produced one of the year’s best albums in Clockwork Angels? Undoubtedly, that had something to do with it, especially when critics that had been unkind – to put it charitably – toward Rush in the past gave in and applauded a record of sublime beauty, complex musicianship and soaring ambition. A sci-fi concept album with a compelling anti-authoritarian narrative, steam-punk imagery and coming-of-age drama, Clockwork Angels is a tour de force of heavy, intricately constructed guitars (see “Headlong Flight” and “BU2B” for proof), crafty melodies, shifting moods and textures, and epic arrangements – in other words, a Rush album. Sometimes the Rock Hall voters need to be hit over the head a number of times before they finally get it, and it seems that Rush knocked some sense into them in 2012.
Album of the Year: ZZ Top – La Futura (Universal Republic)
ZZ Top - La Futura 2012
La Futura, as it turns out, is deeply rooted in ZZ Top’s past, and that makes it a welcome sight in 2012. A spicy, simmering pot full to the brim of Texas blues-fired boogie, with some of the tastiest licks Billy Gibbons has cooked up in quite a while – this being ZZ Top’s first album in nine years – La Futura is nasty and mean from jump-street, with tracks like “Chartreuse,” “Big Shiny Nine” and “I Don’t Wanna Lose, You” recalling the wicked, dusty Panhandle grooves of dirty classics like “La Grange,” “Tush” and “Cheap Sunglasses.” Like a strutting striptease, the tantalizing “Consumption” is trashy, honky-tonkin’ fun, while the soulful “Over You” is a surprisingly tender and heartfelt love song that comes straight out of the Stax Records playbook. And even though a lot of La Futura harkens back to 1973, it has a modern production sheen to it that doesn’t tame these lions, and the first single, “I Gotsta Get Paid,” has more swagger and tight, stop-start hooks than the Black Keys could ever hope to obtain.
Song of the Year: Rush – “The Wreckers” (off of the album Clockwork Angels on Roadrunner Records)
No one has ever accused Rush of sounding like R.E.M. or The Byrds or Matthew Sweet, and there’s good reason for that. Jangly power-pop has never been Rush’s cup of tea – that is, until now. There’s a bright, sunny quality to the guitars in the intro and the verses to “The Wreckers” that couldn’t possibly sound less like Rush, and yet there it is. And it reaches out its hand to invite you in, a warm smile on Geddy Lee’s face and Alex Lifeson’s colorful guitar licks beckoning with a shiny, happy sound that may or may not hide a dark truth. Be careful of these men, for they are not what they seem. Ultimately, they want to warn you that what is sometimes sold as the truth can often be a lie, as Lee sings in the transcendent choruses, “All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary of a miracle too good to be true.” “The Wreckers,” on the other hand, is not. At the very least it is angelic. Awash in swerving, swooping strings and cinematic keyboards, those magical, glorious choruses where a world-weary Lee dispenses that sage advice are some of the most emotionally powerful and soul-stirring moments Rush has ever brought to bear on record. And there is a bridge in “The Wreckers” that is dangerous to cross, for it traverses a deep, wide canyon of synthesizers, crashing drums and doom-laden guitars that is simply magnificent to behold. Do not be wary of “The Wreckers.” It might not be a miracle, but it’s pretty damn close.
Best Concert DVD: The Doors at the Bowl ‘68 (Eagle Vision)
The Doors - Live at The Bowl '68 2012
For its historic value alone, “The Doors at the Bowl ‘68” is heads and shoulders above any concert DVD released this year. Restored in painstaking fashion from the original camera negatives, the band’s entire performance from that night is included here, and it features the band in high spirits. Loose and improvisational when the occasion calls for it, the threesome of John Densmore, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger could go on endless journeys into the jungles of the musical subconscious, but they could be tight and sinewy. Playing at the famed Hollywood Bowl for the first time – in the area they called home, no less – The Doors set the night on fire, and a particularly impish and focused Jim Morrison howled and sang with a primal energy that only he could summon. An abundance of incisive and fascinating bonus features put the event into perspective and the inclusion of performances of “Hello, I Love You,” “The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)” and “Spanish Caravan” that had previously been lost to time have found their way back. And it’s good to have them again.    
Best Documentary DVD: Freddie Mercury – The Great Pretender (Eagle Vision)
Onstage, Freddie Mercury was indestructible, a force of nature whose flamboyant showmanship knew no bounds and whose voice rang out as clear as a bell in loud stadiums full of adoring fans who hung on his every word – that is, when they weren’t singing along with him. That was the Freddie the world knew. But, in his personal life, Mercury was less sure of himself, a man who sometimes made mistakes and was a slave to his appetites. “Freddie Mercury – The Great Pretender” explores every facet of the singer’s extraordinary life, from his globe-trotting childhood through his wildly successful, if sometimes contentious, studio work with Queen and on to his fascination with opera and the ups and downs of his inconsistent solo work. Loaded with archival images and video footage – including sensational live material – “Freddie Mercury – The Great Pretender” also packs in revealing, insightful commentary and fascinating anecdotes from Brian May, Roger Taylor and a host of other Queen confidantes. It’s a loving portrait of an artist who died too young, and yet, it’s a completely honest rendering that pulls no punches. Mercury probably wouldn’t have it any other way. 
Best Live Album: Thin Lizzy – Live in London 2011 (Four Worlds USA)
Thin Lizzy - Live in London 2011
Phil Lynott isn’t going to come walking through that door … ever again. He’s gone, but the amazing rock ‘n’ roll he left behind deserves to be heard in a live setting, doesn’t it? And who better to play it than Thin Lizzy survivors Scott Gorham and Brian Downey. A fitting tribute to their fallen friend, this concert LP is 19 tracks of explosive hard-rock, containing all the Thin Lizzy hits and then some in a fantastic set list. The mix is primed for optimum power, and this collection of musicians performs classics like “Jailbreak,” “Cowboy Song” and “The Boys are Back in Town” with grit, enthusiasm and swashbuckling panache, those well-executed, signature twin-guitar leads tangled up so exquisitely like ballroom dancers twirling around on the edge of a switchblade. There’s a lot of ground to cover with Thin Lizzy, and this particular incarnation does its best to thumb through the catalog and pick out only the choicest cuts. It’s a flawed record, to be sure, but there’s no doubting the joy and electricity with which Lizzy performs these classics. Word has it that some of the boys from this version of Lizzy are starting a new band called Black Star Riders. Based on this release, which in my eyes becomes more thrilling with repeated listens, expectations should be exceedingly high for them.
Best Reissue: Blue Oyster Cult – The Columbia Albums Collection (Legacy Recordings
Blue Oyster Cult - The Columbia Albums Collection 2012
The word “exhaustive” doesn’t even begin to describe this archeological dig. For starters, this set, released in celebration of Blue Oyster Cult’s 40th anniversary, gathers together every last one of their studio albums released between 1972 and 1988, from their self-titled debut LP on through to Imaginos. That means it includes classic albums such as Agents of Fortune, Spectres, Fire of Unknown Origin, and Cultosaurus Erectus, among others. Oh, and did I mention the live albums? On Your Feet or on Your Knees, Some Enchanted Evening and Extraterrestrial Live are remastered for greater sonic impact and expansiveness. Packed to the gills with great photos and fascinating liner notes, there is a 40-page booklet that accompanies the collection, which is packaged so snugly and efficiently that it won’t throw your cataloging system – if you have one – completely out of whack. You want rarities? There’s a disc for that, too, plus another that gathers as many of their radio broadcasts as they can find and downloads and a bushel full of bonus tracks. Where other classic-rock artists, or rather their record labels, seem to take pleasure in releasing their past works in dribs and drabs, offering very little in the way of rare stuff, Blue Oyster Cult has done it in one fell swoop and they have given the people what they wanted.
Best Book: Gregg Allman – My Cross to Bear (William Morrow)


Gregg Allman - My Cross to Bear 2012
Written in collaboration with esteemed music journalist Alan Light, “My Cross to Bear” finds Gregg Allman in a reflective, confessional mood. Ambling easily through the past, Allman takes his time getting to the real meat of the story, but when he does, the tales he tells are sometimes unsettling, occasionally funny, and often heartbreaking. Life, love, drugs and music – that’s what Allman’s book is about, and it’s a portrayal that isn’t a flattering one. Looking into the mirror, Allman sees his flaws in sharp relief and is willing to expose them for all to read. Once you get past all the self-excoriating personal revelations, there is plenty of behind-the-scenes information on the Allman Brothers to excite fans of their music.

Autographed Memorabilia at Backstage Auctions Hits Center Stage

Rare Signed Memorabilia from Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Band Highlights the 2012 Rock 'n Pop Auction

No matter what you collect - or who you collect - an autographed item is and always will be a crowning piece in every collection. Not only are the days of 'easy access' long gone, but with more demand than supply, getting your hands on an authentic signature isn't all that easy anymore - especially if you're looking for anything in the A-Level rankings.

"Sure, autographs are readily available, you can find them 24/7 on a host of websites these days, but the question always is 'How do I know I'm getting the real deal'?" says Jacques van Gool, owner of Backstage Auction. "We have always been extremely careful in accepting signed items, which is why we - from day one when we started our business - decided to only accept consignments from musicians or those professionally active in the music industry. That way we have a much, much higher authenticity threshold and can offer, in addition to an autographed item, a peace of mind, which is equally if not more important".

Leading the pack in this auction is a fully signed 'Houses Of The Holy' album by all four Led Zeppelin band members, which is only one of a handful known to be in existence. Collectors of rock memorabilia will know that authentic Led Zeppelin autographs are among the hardest to find and an item like this deserves to be called 'Houses Of The Holy Grail'.

Fully Signed Led Zeppelin 1973 "Houses Of The Holy" Album
Exceedingly Rare Fully Signed Led Zeppelin 1973 "Houses Of The Holy" Album

No less impressive is a fully 'Music From The Big Pink' album from 1970, signed by all five members of The Band. Very few pieces that contain all five original 'John Hancock's' are known to be in circulation, and with only two surviving members of this legendary Woodstock outfit, this piece is certain to get a lot of attention.

The Band Fully Signed 1970 "Music From The Big Pink" Album
The Band Fully Signed 1970 "Music From The Big Pink" Album



Collectors will have little trouble to rally behind a cool Rolling Stones signed song book, that also contains signatures from back-up singers Lisa Fisher and Blondie Chaplin 

Rolling Stones 1997 Signed "Beggars Banquet" Songbook
Rolling Stones 1997 Signed "Beggars Banquet" Songbook

or a variety of autographed Pink Floyd memorabilia, which includes a nice selection of anything from a CD, hard cover book, to even a set of highly unique proof prints, which were all signed by David Gilmour. 

Pink Floyd 1992 David Gilmour Signed "Shine On" Book Proofs
Pink Floyd 1992 David Gilmour Signed "Shine On" Book Proofs

In all, there are roughly 50 autographed pieces, which can be easily found under the section of "Artist Signed Items".  Each and any of them deserving of a new, appreciative home - and hopefully some wall space! After all, where can you find this many wonderful items at a great price and the knowledge that what you get is 'The Real McCoy'. So fans of Queen, Genesis, Cheap Trick, ZZ Top, Elvis Costello, Blondie, Ramones, Joe Cocker, INXS, Jethro Tull, The Kinks, KoRn, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne and on and on - be sure not to pass up on this opportunity. Our crew members pick is this awesome ZZ Top signed drum head - those boys from Texas ROCK! 

ZZ Top Fully Signed Ludwig Drum Head
ZZ Top Fully Signed Ludwig Drum Head

The Backstage Auctions' 2012 Rock 'n Pop Auction is open for bidding November 3 - 11th, but is available now for previewing the entire catalog. VIP All Access Registration is FREE and only takes a minute or two.



CD Review: ZZ Top - La Futura


CD Review: ZZ Top - La Futura
Universal Republic
All Access Review: A-
ZZ Top - La Futura 2012
Almost as iconic as the long, scraggly beards they’ve steadfastly refused to shave off for anyone, ZZ Top’s “Eliminator Car” – a custom-built ’33 Ford Coupe with a powerful engine and beautiful contours – was not just a sweet ride. For three craggy, old guys from Texas, it represented the mother of all turning points. Though they seemed hopelessly out of step with the times in the synthetic, neon-lit early ‘80s, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard had no intention of retiring to Texas to sip Jeremiah Weed, play grab-ass with waitresses and reminisce about the good old days. Come hell or high water, they were going to reinvent themselves, using synthesizers and sequencers to update their crusty, greasy-spoon blues-rock for a new generation with the sleek, stylish and mean-as-all-get-out Eliminator.
And what better symbol of this transformation than an old-timey, Depression-era car pimped-out to attract loose women barely clothed in micro mini-skirts and stiletto heels. Unlike most mid-life crises, this one worked out splendidly for ZZ Top, as Eliminator – on the strength of skintight, nitro-burning singles “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs” and “Got Me under Pressure” – roared up the charts and did doughnuts in Billboard’s parking lot. They'd done more than simply assimilate with pop music’s paradigm shift; they’d conquered it, all while not losing sight of what made them great in the first place. Soon after, however, ZZ Top would go too far, as the emphasis on electronic flash made Eliminator’s futuristic successor, Afterburner, seem as bloodless as PVC piping, and that car with the great lines and striking paint job suddenly seemed emblematic of the excesses that had eroded their true character.
Despite the title, ZZ Top’s latest, La Futura, does not march boldly into some brave new sonic world, where computers have taken over and humanity has to serve its robot overlords. This is the ZZ Top of 1973 and Tres Hombres, when Gibbons and company were pit masters of a smoky, sweaty form of slow-cooked blues that dripped fat and practically fell of the bone, even if La Futura was inspired by collaborations with Texas DJs and hip-hop artists. And La Futura is a delicious, artery-clogging feast, with most of the entrĂ©es being reworked versions of others’ recipes. That includes the gnarly, sleazy bump-and-grinds “I Gotsta Get Paid,” “Chartreuse” and “I Don’t Want to Lose, Lose, You” – three seedy songs you don’t want to inspect with a black light. Even nastier is “Consumption,” a lusty Gibbons-penned joint that has the hip-swaying, cowgirl swagger of a sassy Dallas stripper, who goes home at night and cries into her pillow while listening to the bittersweet and soulfully rendered, Stax-influenced ballad “Over You," La Futura's most disarming moment.
Aside from “Flyin’ High” taxing Gibbons' strained vocals to the breaking point and the track taking too much of a liking to John Cougar Mellencamp’s “Hurts So Good” – by way of AC/DC, oddly enough – La Futura is classic ZZ Top from top to lovely bottom, where “Big Shiny Nine” and “Have a Little Mercy” evoke memories of “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” and “I Thank You,” respectively. His curmudgeonly, whisky-gargling vocals as mean and lascivious as ever, Gibbons’ guitar riffs growl with real junkyard dog menace, while his solos bite hard and have quite a bit of hair on them. As for Hill and Beard, they continue to massage the rhythmic, rumbling low-end to a very happy ending, indeed. Satisfying in almost every way, even if they could vary the pace a little or manage to make the proceedings not sound quite so labored, the organic and gritty La Futura could easily sit and have a drink with all the old ZZ Top master works … as long it doesn’t order a Zima.
-            Peter Lindblad