Christmas Playlist 1 – 2001

Playlists ‐ ‐ December 21, 2018
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Christmas Playlist 1 – 2001

Somehow it took until 2001 for me to come up with a mix of Christmas songs.  A mix of many of the beloved and some more obscure (many from a Mix CD purchased in London in December of 2000). Let’s dive in.

Gabriel’s Message – Marillion – Sting had a Christmas hit with this song back in the 80s, I favor Marillion’s take but I’m biased  https://tinyurl.com/y8jfz3nb
I Wish It Could be Christmas Everyday – Wizzard – Fairly unknown in the US , Wizzard was the band formed by former Move and ELO founder Roy Wood.  I first heard the song at …

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Steve Perry – Traces Review

Reviews ‐ ‐ October 19, 2018
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Steve Perry – Traces Review

“I know it’s been a long time coming“, so begins the unexpected return of Steve Perry. Fans have been waiting literally decades for the former Journey lead singer to return and finally he has.

The new album was teased for a day on Perry’s website before being fully announced.  Long expected, but kept completely under wraps from media, Traces dropped in October, 2018 and the world was once again graced with The Voice.  The last time Perry sung was on Journey’s underappreciated 1996 album Trial By Fire.  Within two years of its release he was replaced in the group by Steve …

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Playlist: Someday Never Comes

Playlists ‐ ‐ September 14, 2018
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This was a playlist that was created in 2015.  It had been a long time since I had done a playlist (or mix). Like most playlists, in the previous year there were a couple of songs I knew I wanted to base a mix around and those songs (in this case Down A Burning Road, Peaceful Harbor, and Bennett Built a Time Machine), were more epic/prog so I wanted the majority of the surrounding songs to be more mainstream.

Someday Never Comes

All That’s Yet To Come – Glen Burtnik:  Play Here   – A tremendous solo vocal song from Burtnik’s 2010 album Welcome To …

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3.2 – The Rules Have Changed Review

Reviews ‐ ‐ August 24, 2018
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3.2 – The Rules Have Changed Review

Back in 1988 3 released their sole album To The Power of Three and it didn’t really set the world on fire.  Perhaps if the band was named Emerson, Berry & Palmer it would have done better. Formed by Brits Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer, along with Californian Robert Berry, 3 existed for two years, enough time for an album and a tour.  Once the tour was over, Emerson ended the band. Prog fans said the band wasn’t proggy enough and they were just trying to follow the likes of Asia and 80s Yes.  The album did have one song …

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Gin Blossoms – Mixed Realty Review

Reviews ‐ ‐ August 23, 2018
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Gin Blossoms – Mixed Realty Review

It has been eight years since the Gin Blossoms’ last album, 2010’s No Chocolate Cake. The time has been spent touring, touring and more touring. As with most bands today there is no money to be made in making new music. This a reality that has stifled 95% of the “classic rock” bands output.  Touring and merchandise are the way musicians have to make their living which leaves precious little time for creating new songs. Luckily for fans of the Gin Blossoms some time recently was put aside to go into a recording studio to record Mixed Realty and what emerges is their …

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Foreigner – Mr. Moonlight Review

Reviews ‐ ‐ August 11, 2018
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Foreigner – Mr. Moonlight Review

Even though they were unwelcome in 1994, Foreigner came back and released their strongest album in years. The previous album, Unusual Heat, came out three years earlier with a new lead singer Johnny Edwards, and completely sank without a trace.  For Mr. Moonlight, Lou Gramm was back at the mic and singing better than ever.

Unlike the last album with Gramm, 1987’s Inside Information, most of the songs on this album were collaborations between band leader and guitarist Mick Jones and Gramm, as they had been on most of the heyday albums. The album leads off with a typical Foreigner rocker ‘Under the Gun’.  …

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Collapsis – Dirty Wake Review

Reviews ‐ ‐ July 29, 2018
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Collapsis – Dirty Wake Review

I found Dirty Wake by Collapsis in a Listening Station (remember those?) at Circuit City (remember them?) sometime in 2000.  The terrible cover not withstanding (I believe it’s band leader Mike Garrigan lying naked in the desert), the music is fantastic.

From what I’ve read, and there’s not a lot on the band, Garrigan was gigging around the Chapel Hill, NC area for years and finally got signed to a deal, released an album.  Then instead of recording as himself for the follow-up he formed Collapsis.  Think Gin Blossoms, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Del Amitri, guitar forward melodic rock.  The issue …

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Asia – Astra Review

Reviews ‐ ‐ July 21, 2018
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Asia – Astra Review
  • Artist:
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  • Release Date: 11/1985
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1985 was a LONG way from 1982.

In 1982 Asia’s debut album soared to the top of the Billboard charts and stayed there for six weeks.  The follow-up Alpha, released in 1983 didn’t fare as well but still sold respectable numbers.

Astra was released in 1985 with a tremendous thud.  Originally to be called Arcadia, the band changed the title after the Duran Duran spin-off band announced they were using the name for their group.  A lot had changed in the two years since Alpha.   Vocalist, bassist John Wetton left the band , and then rejoined but the bigger blow was the …

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Marillion – F.E.A.R Review

Reviews ‐ ‐ January 31, 2018
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Marillion – F.E.A.R Review

Four years after what many felt was a return to form in Sounds That Can’t Be Made, Marillion released Fuck Everyone And Run (F.E.A.R.) to resounding applause in 2016.

Built around three multi-suite tracks, F.E.A.R. is Marillion’s strongest album since 2004’s Marbles.

Kicking things off with ‘El Dorado’, a little diddy with singer Steve Hogarth waxing about the weather, above Steve Rothery’s tuneful acoustic guitar.  Hogarth’s soft falsetto intro’s the second part of the song ‘The Gold’ but once the song kicks in with its powerful chorus it’s clear that this album will be something special.

The band has been trying to find their feet ever since 2004’s Marbles, the last album …

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Alan Parsons – On Air Review

Reviews ‐ ‐ August 14, 2017
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Alan Parsons – On Air Review

After disbanding the Alan Parsons Project (APP) in the late 80s , namesake Alan Parsons took some time off.  After spending the 60s, 70s and 80s first as an in demand studio engineer and then leader of a hugely popular band, the final release of the Project , 1987s Gaudi signaled a change. Parsons and his partner in the Project Eric Woolfson decided it was time for a split. It was a full six years before Parson’s released an album, 1993’s Try Anything Once. That album lead to the first tour of Parson’s career.  Following the obligatory live album, On Air appeared in …

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