Cheap Trick – Busted and Lap of Luxury Many 70s bands brought in outside writers to boost their commercial fortunes in the 80s and Cheap Trick were no exception. These two albums haven’t aged well but there are still tracks like Never Had a Lot to Lose, Don’t Be Cruel and Ghost Town that make these worth having for CT fans. And speaking of CT fans…
Ginger Wildheart – 555% (Discs 1 and 2) I can’t put an album in my end of year list if I’ve only listened to two-thirds of it can I? I’m all about the thirty-five to forty minute running length so three CDs is a bit of an imposition. In other news: the excellent opening track Forget About It is currently the most played song on my iPod.
Paradise Lost – Draconian Times (Legacy Edition) One of the essential HMO albums. I like it so much I can’t even really think of much to say about it. Eh… how about Nick Holmes reminds me of Paul Calf so every time I see his face I think “You’ve got shit on your shoes”? It’s tough being me.
Fish – Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors Fish’s debut solo album. It’s less convincing in the rockier moments than when it turns sultry and soppy. Good to hear Janick Gers’s playing on here, but it’s long-time Fish sideman Frank Usher that walks away with the guitar honours for his gorgeous playing on Cliché.
Ian Hunter – Welcome to the Club Euphoric live album from Hunter and Mick Ronson. I listened to this coming back on the train to Glasgow from Ayr at the weekend. Coincidentally, my first Ian Hunter experience was a gig he put on in Ayr. Very small-time gig for such a Rock Legend but it turns out he grew up in Hamilton near Glasgow and his family used to go to Ayr for their holidays. He had a day off so he pencilled in a seaside gig for old time’s sake! I wasn’t familiar with him at the time but I made a point of going to see him because it wasn’t every day a Rock Legend came to Ayr and I thought I should encourage that sort of behaviour. I’m glad I did because it was a phenomenal show and I’ve been hooked ever since.
Saint Vitus – Lillie: F-65 Excellent 2012 comeback album that finds the Doom legends reunited with their iconic frontman “Wino”. Now, before I knew about the band I assumed he was called Wino because he was… well… an alky. Well it turns out his surname is Weinrich which became Wino. Kind of like when my name, HMOverlord, gets shortened to HMO.
Reverend Bizarre – In the Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend My Saint Vitus experience was so enjoyable it put me on a Doom kick. So, what better to listen to next than an album from Reverend Bizzare, who bizarrely went to number one in the Finnish charts with the excellently titled Teutonic Witch. This is Sabbathy Metal taken to its logical extreme. Don’t like a chord? Then wait around, there’ll be another one along in three minutes.
SONG OF THE WEEK: I wanted to pick something a bit heavier but I can’t escape the fact that my favourite song this week was Angeline from Ian Hunter’s Welcome to the Club. This was a Mott the Hoople song called Sweet Angeline. I don’t know why she isn’t sweet any more but this is my favourite version of the song at any rate. I almost embarrassed myself on the train I enjoyed this so much.
[Ian Hunter - Angeline(Live)]
