The Scrounger's Report

Christmas Vacation, and Clark Grizwold I'm not, so screw hanging decorations.
It's time for some scrounging, damnit! Spent a small fortune yesterday, but
picked up a bunch of schtuff. I've only had a chance to listen to a few of the
discs, but what I've heard (for the most part) sounds pretty decent. Nothing
exceedingly rare, but some nice pickups. The cool thing was being able to walk
into a single store in Bumblefuck, Illinois and find all this on the shelves...

Roger Taylor - Strange Frontier. 1996 (1984). EMI/Parlophone Records (U.K.)
Ok, so this poppier than I was expecting. I really wish the players on this
album were listed...

Tributo a Queen. 1997. Hollywood Records.
Definitely different. Various Latin artists covering Queen in Spanish. 

Soundtrack - Titan A.E. 2000. Java/Capitol Records.
I dig the movie and the soundtrack, even if it is mostly alternative bands...

Machinery - Reconstruction. 1997. 6 Cylinder Records.
Interesting proggish heavy metal out of Connecticut.

Bombshell Crush - Light Fuse and Get Away. 2003. Self-Released.
Believe it or not, I met the guitarist working in the CD store in Bo-Hick,
Illinois. They've only been together a few months, but have put together a
pretty decent 9-track demo CD! Rather than me trying to describe their sound
(since they don't have a single easily-definable "sound" per se), I'll purloin
their own somewhat humorous description from their web site: "In a creatively
bankrupt industry dominated by aging post-teen idols, grammatically challenged
bling kings, and interchangeably benign faux-punk bands; where A&R men and
critics alike scramble to lay claim to the next big thing, Bombshell Crush are a
breath of fresh air. Playing with a reckless disregard for achieving IT status,
their sound is a unique hybrid of pop, hard rock, punk, and metal. This unlikely
synthesis explodes onstage when coupled with the barely restrained energy of the
band members themselves. Able to shift gears from a bone-jarring riff to a
"Beatle"-esque harmony, they can knock you down and pick you back up again in a
space of seconds. Short on gimmick and long on attitude, Bombshell Crush care
more about crafting great songs than appealing to any specific "demographic",
and refuse to cash in on the latest trends. They have drawn comparisons to
Aerosmith and Guns And Roses, as well as more contemporary artists like Stone
Temple Pilots and Audioslave. They proudly wear their influences on their
sleeves, and ; like them or not , their conviction is utterly contagious , as
they sweat , smirk , scream , and occasionally bleed their way through a show
that demands nothing short of your full attention!"

http://www.bombshellcrush.com for more info.


Mother's Mistake - S/T. 1994. Slymee Weezle Wreakhords.
Very minor label melodic metal. Production? WHAT production??? The reason I
picked it up is that the band supposedly went on to become one of the midwest's
better-known Metallica tribute bands "Master of Puppets".

Crown of Thorns - S/T. 1994. Now and Then Records (U.K.)
Finally got around to picking this up. Excellent AOR!!

Sonic Lords - S/T. 1995. Platform Records.
Fairly unremarkable hard rock, but has relatively decent cover of Sweet's "Fox
on the Run".

Paris - S/T. 2000 (1976). Zoom Club Records (U.K.)
Well, this was a failed gamble. Bob Welch project from the '70s with a slightly
Zeppelinish sound, albeit lighter. As usual, Zoom Club's mastering completely
and utterly blows.

Tad Morose - Paradigma. 1995. Black Mark (Germany)
EP from them that I had not seen before. Fairly heavy prog.

Rock Goddess - Young and Free. 1994. Magnum/Thunderbolt (U.K.)
Fairly capable female-fronted hard rock. Haven't listened to it yet other than a
cursory few secs.

Danger Danger - Rare Cuts. 2003. Low Dice Records.
Musically, excellent! Production quality is what you would expect for a
collection of demos and outtakes.

Helloween - Treasure Chest. 2002. Metal-Is Records (U.K.)
I'd been passing on the 2-CD version of this, hoping I could find the 3-CD
version. Now finally I have it (was fairly inexpensive at $17 too). I don't
really care about the included poster, but the disc of B-Sides is worth picking up.

Holland - Little Monsters. 2003 (1985). Wounded Bird Records.
The production/mix shows its age, but musically this is fun stuff. Kudos to
Wounded Bird for doing reissues right (hear that, Escape???). Both original year
of release and year of reissue clearly indicated on the artwork, as is the band
lineup. No guessing (hear that, Escape???).

Queensryche - Revolution Calling (7-CD BOx). 2003. EMI Records.
Purely a collectible, since I have all of the worthwhile Queensryche discs
already (no, I don't own Hear in the Now Frontier *spit*).

Royal Hunt - The Best. 1998. Rondel/Teichiku (Japan).
Completist fodder, but since it was only $15, I figured "Why not?"

Harem Scarem - B-Side Collection. 1998. WEA (Japan)
Harem Scarem - Ballads. 1999. WEA (Japan)
Harem Scarem - The Very Best of. 2002. WEA (Japan)
More completist fodder. So who's leading the race to have more redundant
compilations, Harem Scarem or Thunder?

Symphony X - Twilight in Olympus. 1998. Zero Records (Japan)
I'd never gotten around to buying the domestic release of this, and since this
had been sitting in inventory for over 2 years, I bullied the owner into giving
me a deal on it :). I don't think it has any bonus tracks, just a sticker,
postcards, and slipcase.


and the cool stuff:

Various Artists - Voltage Overload (AC/DC Tribute). 2003. Shark Bite Records
Seemingly cool tribute CD with tracks provided by various AC/DC tribute bands
from around the country. Bands include Dirty Deeds Indeed, Whole Lotta Rosies,
Live-Wire, Ballbreaker, High Voltage, DC/DC, Robert Valdes, Downpour,
Hells-Bells, and Big Balls.

Wycked Synn - The Vision. 2003. Chavis Records.
Yowza!! Excellent melodic prog metal. This ranks up there as an album of the
year contender. The "prog" aspect of it is not intrusive at all, and the songs
are very accessible. Lead singer has a Geoff Tate quality to him. Definitely
recommended!!

Pink Cream 69 - Electrified + 3. Moria Records (Brazil).
Whoah! The completely different cover art on this jumped off the stands at me.
I've scanned a copy that you can check out:



I already had the U.S. release, but since this was only $12.99, I had to grab
it, especially since it includes 3 tracks not included on the U.S. version:
Always Love You, One Time Is Not Enough, and
Queen of Sorrow. The last cut especially kicks major ass! Apparently this is
fully licensed, not a bootleg. It even includes a second lyric booklet in
Portuguese. Way cool find. (like the U.S. version, it includes the Cockney
version of "Gone Again" as a hidden track.)

and lastly:

Randy Rhoads Tribute. 2000. EastWest (Japan).
I initially wandered past this, simply thinking it was a Japanese reissue of the
Ozzy album...NOT!!!! Check out the lineup:

1. I DON'T KNOW
   Vocals: Sebastian Bach 
   Rhythm Guitars: Wolf Hoffmann 
   Solo Guitars: Wolf Hoffmann 
   Acoustic Guitars: Wolf Hoffmann
   Drums: Michael Cartellone 
   Bass: Mike Brignardello 
   Keyboards: Bob Parr 

2. CRAZY TRAIN
   Vocals: Sebastian Bach 
   Backing Vocals: Sebastian Bach
   Rhythm Guitars: Kane Roberts 
   Solo Guitars : Jake E. Lee
   Drums: Michael Cartellone 
   Bass: Mike Brignardello 
   Vibra Slap: Michael Cartellone 

3. GOODBYE TO ROMANCE 
   Vocals: Rob Rock 
   Backing Vocals: Rob Rock 
   Rhythm guitars: Kane Roberts 
   Solo Guitars: Roy Z 
   Drums: Michael Cartellone 
   Bass: Mike Brignardello 
   Keyboards: Bob Parr 

4. MR.CROWLEY
   Vocals: Joe Lynn Turner 
   Rhythm Guitars: Kane Roberts 
   Solo Guitars: George Lynch 
   Drums: Michael Cartellone 
   Bass: Mike Brignardello 
   Keyboards: Bob Parr 

5. REVELATION (Mother Earth) 
   Vocals: Mark Slaughter 
   Rhythm Guitars: Kyoji Yamamoto
   Rhythm Guitars: Jake E. Lee
   Solo Guitars: Kyoji Yamamoto
   Acoustic Guitars: Jake E. Lee
   Drums: Michael Cartellone 
   Bass: Mike Brignardello 
   Keyboards: Bob Parr Fretless 
   Bass: Bob Parr 
   Vocoder: Bob Parr 
   Vocoder: Mark Slaughter
	
6. OVER THE MOUNTAIN
   Vocals: Joe Lynn Turner 
   Backing Vocals: Joe Lynn Turner
   Rhythm Guitars: Al Pitrelli
   Guitar Solo: Al Pitrelli
   Main Sole Guitars: Chris Impellitteri
   Drums: Michael Cartellone 
   Bass: Mike Brignardello 
   Vocoder: Al Pitrelli Outro

7. FLYING HIGH AGAIN 
   Vocals: Mark Slaughter 
   Backing Vocals: Mark Slaughter
   Rhythm Guitars: Kane Roberts 
   Solo Guitars: George Lynch 
   Drums: Michael Cartellone 
   Bass: Mike Bringardello 

8. BELIEVER
   Vocals: Sebastian Bach 
   Backing Vocals: Sebastian Bach
   Rhythm Guitars: Kane Roberts 
   Solo Guitars: Dimebag Darrel 
   Drums: Michael Cartellone 
   Bass: Mike Bringardello 

9. S.A.T.O. 
   Vocals: Rob Rock 
   Backing Vocals: Rob Rock 
   Rhythm Guitars: Al Pitrelli 
   Main Solo Guitar: Chet Thompson 
   Solo guitar fills: Al Pitrelli 
   Drums: Michael Cartellone 
   Bass: Mike Brignardello 
   Keyboards: Bob Parr

10. DIARY OF A MADMAN
    Vocals: Joe Lynn Turner 
    Backing Vocals: Joe Lynn Turner
    Choir Vocals: Bob Parr 
    Rhythm Guitars: Wolf Hoffmann 
    Solo Guitars: Wolf Hoffmann 
    Acoustic Guitars: Wolf Hoffmann
    Drums: Michael Cartellone 
    Bass: Mike Brignardello 
    Keyboards: Bob Parr
    

That's all for now. An expensive day, but some fun listening material!

Have a rocking holiday,

-Dan