LED ZEPPELIN - Complete Studio Recordings (1993)

As Basil Bunting wrote about Ezra Pound's Cantos, "There are the Alps... you will have to go a long way round/if you want to avoid them." Led Zeppelin's work is the central fact of 1970s rock & roll; in its loving homage to and shameless piracy from the blues, its glorious and wretched excess, its transformation of hippie and folk-rock graces into a foundation-shaking kaboom, and its offhanded myth-making, the band turned everything caught in its wake into a reaction to it--or against it. The three non-album tracks the box includes are grace notes rather than lost jewels, but the point of the set is to be a Rosetta stone of album rock, the stairway to a gaudy paradise that they constructed. --Douglas Wolk


Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Good Times Bad Times
2. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Led Zeppelin, Bennett, Paul
3. You Shook Me - Led Zeppelin, Dixon, Willie
4. Dazed and Confused
5. Your Time Is Gonna Come
6. Black Mountain Side
7. Communication Breakdown
8. I Can't Quit You Baby - Led Zeppelin, Dixon, Willie
9. How Many More Times

Disc 2:

1. Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin, Bonham, John
2. What Is and What Should Never Be
3. The Lemon Song
4. Thank You
5. Heartbreaker
6. Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)
7. Ramble On
8. Moby Dick - Led Zeppelin, Bonham, John
9. Bring It on Home

Disc 3:

1. Immigrant Song
2. Friends
3. Celebration Day
4. Since I've Been Loving You
5. Out on the Tiles
6. Gallows Pole - Led Zeppelin, Traditional
7. Tangerine
8. That's the Way
9. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
10. Hats off to (Roy) Harper - Led Zeppelin, Traditional

Disc 4:

1. Black Dog
2. Rock and Roll
3. The Battle of Evermore
4. Stairway to Heaven
5. Misty Mountain Hop - Led Zeppelin, Jones, John Paul [1
6. Four Sticks
7. Going to California
8. When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin, Bonham, John

Disc 5:

1. The Song Remains the Same
2. The Rain Song
3. Over the Hills and Far Away
4. The Crunge - Led Zeppelin, Bonham, John
5. Dancing Days
6. D'Yer Mak'er
7. No Quarter
8. The Ocean

Disc 6:

1. Achilles Last Stand
2. For Your Life
3. Royal Orleans - Led Zeppelin, Bonham, John
4. Nobody's Fault But Mine
5. Candy Store Rock
6. Hots on for Nowhere
7. Tea for One

Disc 7:

1. Custard Pie
2. The Rover
3. In My Time of Dying
4. Houses of the Holy
5. Trampled Under Foot
6. Kashmir

Disc 8:

1. In the Light
2. Bron-Yr-Aur
3. Down by the Seaside
4. Ten Years Gone
5. Night Flight - Led Zeppelin, Jones, John Paul [1
6. The Wanton Song
7. Boogie With Stu - Led Zeppelin, Bonham, John
8. Black Country Woman
9. Sick Again

Disc 9:

1. In the Evening
2. South Bound Saurez - Led Zeppelin, Jones, John Paul [1
3. Fool in the Rain
4. Hot Dog
5. Carouselambra - Led Zeppelin, Jones, John Paul [1
6. All My Love - Led Zeppelin, Plant, Robert
7. I'm Gonna Crawl

Disc 10:

1. We're Gonna Groove - Led Zeppelin, Bethea, James Alber
2. Poor Tom
3. I Can't Quit You Baby - Led Zeppelin, Dixon, Willie
4. Walter's Walk
5. Ozone Baby
6. Darlene - Led Zeppelin, Bonham, John
7. Bonzo's Montreux - Led Zeppelin, Bonham, John
8. Wearing and Tearing
9. Baby Come on Home - Led Zeppelin, Berns, Bert
10. Travelling Riverside Blues
11. White Summer/Black Mountain Side
12. Hey Hey What Can I Do

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Yngwie Malmsteen - Perpetual Flame (2008)

Yngwie is the undisputed King and master of his style of composition, music and guitar playing.
He does not change much and we respect him for it... He is his own man and we like knowing what to expect from him.

The only negative thing about this new album is a problem MANY new releases seem to suffer from.......

Over-compression, extreme limiting, digital pops and overloads and other Mastering problems that you hear on many new CDs because younger engineers are squashing the dynamics of the music to try and make the CD as loud as possible..... but in doing so, they squeeze the life out of the music and create all these harsh, edgy, abrasive tones on the new albums that make them hard to listen to.

The latest Metallica album was so bad in this regard that the digital overloads caused the CDs to stop playing on many people's CD players ---- that or they would keep hearing a POP and see the words CD ERROR or CD OVERLOAD on the LCD displays.

A Mastering and Mixing guy like Bob Katz could really make Yngwie's music shine like a work of art.

It would be nice to see Yngwie hook up with a guy like Bob Katz ..... it would be more like Chris Tsangarides who did nice engineering work for Yngwie's albums in the 90s too.

Get your copy from ROCK KINGDOMS MuSIC STORE!!

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Whitesnake - Good To Be Bad (2008)

I must admit, I've never been a fan of Whitesnake, but I am a fan of Coverdale (especially his short time with Deep Purple) when he isn't singing ballads (I hated "Is this Love"). The ballads of David Coverdale were always a turn-off for me, and alas, I thought that's all Whitesnake performed. How wrong I was!! I must rate this album a 5, in spite of the fact there are just a few songs I skip.

It was also my misguided belief that Coverdale and Whitesnake were still a relic from that bygone era of the hair-bands. Fortunately, I was wrong about him. I now realize that Coverdale was just doing what he loved all along: good, old fashioned rock n' roll!!!

I cannot remember how I discovered this album, but the first song I heard from it was the title track, "Good to be Bad." After that I listened to the other tracks and I was not disappointed. Four-fifths of this album impressed me. The guitars were booming, Coverdale's vocals were characteristically powerful, and the writing was excellent. Coverdale's creative genius again shines through this incredible album.

But for all David's extremely rocking tracks, there are the ballads he fell in love with, which I hate, because they are dramatic, cliché and Coverdale performs so much better when he is piping about sex, drugs and rock n' roll! I believe he sells himself short by writing those types of songs. But, even if you are like me, don't let the ballads deter you, there are just a few on this album (even though most of the songs are still about love and relationships)!

Here are how I grade the individual tracks:
1. Best Years -- Begins with awesome guitar work and maintains a rocking, bombastic sound throughout. Coverdale's vocals are top-notch and the lyrics are well written. Though I don't care for the "you came along..." line, this track is one of the best on the album. A-

2. Can You Hear the Wind Blow -- More profound guitar work, and even better vocals and lyrics. It begins, "Over the mountains, across the sea...". I love the rhythm and the chorus. I hear the wind blow, David!! A

3. Call on Me -- The guitar work is yet again very impressive and possesses that belligerent, aggressive feel. On this track, in my opinion, can be found Coverdale's best vocal work of the entire album. His voice hits peaks and lows, but never ceases to amaze. The lyrics are perhaps the catchiest on the entire album, and the solo around the three minute mark tops it all off. A+

4. All I Want All I Need -- Not by any stretch of the means is this a muse-inspired ballad from David. The vocals are, as always, good; the guitar work, although very pedestrian, is enjoyable; the chorus is catchy, but most of the lyrics are very trite and cliché. "You're all I want..." makes me sing along but the rest of the track just leaves something to be desired. The only way I can sum up this track to you is by telling you I'd put it on my iPod but I'd skip it more often than not. C+

5. Good to Be Bad -- WOW!!! What a song! Guitars are once again bombastic, vocals are very similar to Call on Me, as Coverdale's voice has more mood swings than a knocked up schoolteacher named Ethel. Features another top-notch guitar solo. A

6. All For Love -- Another cliché love-song from David, which has some promise, is sold short due to a mediocre chorus. That is unique because "All I Want" was exactly the opposite: good chorus, disappointing on the whole. The overly romantic chorus lowers this one's grade (although the beginning guitar work is good). C+, maybe B- at best.

7. Summer Rain -- This song leaves me thinking, "David, what the heck are you rambling about?" Very acoustic, feminine and not very Coverdale-like at all, even despite his tendency to get soft. If you enjoy Simon and Garfunkel you'll eat this number up. C-

8. Lay Down Your Love -- Even though he is constantly talking about how his heart (and your heart) feels in this one, he manages to win me over with an attractive main riff, the album's arguably best solo, and his rocking vocals. "All my life I've been alone, lookin' for somebody to call my own," gives me chills every time I hear it, and Coverdale's screeching of "lay it dowwwwwn" is a nice feature too. While not as freaking awesome as his first three tracks, I would not miss it. B+

9. A Fool in Love -- See? Even he thinks his romance is over-the-top! Anyway, this song rocks. The first thing I thought when I heard it was that it mixed styles: it has an 80s feel, but also a Southern/country/western rock motif, and that typical Coverdale sound. But it works well: chorus is nice, riff is good, and just an all-around feel-good song. B+

10. Got What You Need -- This song certainly has what I need: a quirky "aye-up" at the beginning, that aggressive guitar work, and that repetitive chorus that everyone loves to hear. Coverdale, at one point, seems like he is rapping about how well he satisfies women. I'm gonna be honest, it is very entertaining. B+

11. 'Til the End of Time -- Another slow, very acoustic song which showcases that emotional personality of Coverdale and assures you he will always love you. It is a decent song, and not as annoying as "All I Want," but it isn't my style and seems almost filler to me. No booming riffs in the song, no aye-ups, and Coverdale never appears to wow us with his vocal durability. C

Overall, a good album which features 2-3 songs which could have used work. The songs I liked were so good, I'm still giving it an A+.

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Metallica joined by King Diamond on stage at Ozzfest 2008, setlist and video footage of new song ‘Cyanide’ also posted

Metallica played Ozzfest 2008 this past Saturday and were joined by the legendary King Diamond for an encore of the Mercyful Fate classic ‘Mercyful Fate’.



Why can’t this happen more often? Metallica should bring a band like King Diamond or Mercyful Fate out on the road with them. It’s nice to see the band stay with a classic set as well, here’s their setlist:

‘Creeping Death’, ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’, ‘Ride The Lightning’, ‘Harvester Of Sorrow’, ‘Welcome Home (Sanitarium)’, ‘Cyanide’ (a new song), ‘…And Justice For All’, ‘No Remorse’, ‘Fade To Black’, ‘Master Of Puppets’, ‘Damage Inc.’, ‘Nothing Else Matters’, ‘Sad But True’, ‘One’, ‘Enter Sandman’, ‘Mercyful Fate’ (with King Diamond), ‘Seek And Destroy’

Here’s the live performance of their new song ‘Cyanide’:

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Tesla - Forever More (2008)

Telsa return in 2008 with their first new studio album since 2004's Into The Now, which debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at #31 and featured the mainstream rock hits: "Caught in a Dream" and "Words Can't Explain". Tesla is a Hard Rock band formed in Sacramento, California in 1984, and they have sold over 16 million albums in the US as of 2008. Forever More is their seventh studio album. This is Tesla's first album to be produced by Terry Thomas since 1994's Bust a Nut. The album was engineered by Michael Rosen, who worked with the band on their Into the Now album and marks the first full album of original material for new guitarist Dave Rude.

Forever More is easily one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2008 for this listener. I am a big fan of Tesla, and have been for many years. Their cover albums from 2007 Real to Reel Volume 1 and 2 were really good, and I have had high hopes that the band would put out a CD with some new kick ass tunes for me (and everyone else) to enjoy.

Forever More finally hits stores October 7th. It has been over four and half years since their last studio album, Into the Now. I can gladly say that this album was worth the wait.

The title and opening track “Forever More” has more of a modern feel to it. It reminds me a lot of the sound from the Into the Now record. Frank Hannon’s trademark sounds show up often on this song. This one grows on me each time I hear it.

“I Wanna Live” is a great new rocking tune from Tesla. This is their first single, and it ought to be a hit.


Believe it or not, “One Day At A Time” rocks even harder than “I Wanna Live”. This song ought to be a new concert staple for Tesla.

The first time I heard the song “So What” was right here at Rock Kingdoms. I liked this song the first time I heard it, and still do. (Click here to listen to “So What”).

Each time I hear “Just In Case” I think to myself, man this ought to be a monster hit. This song sound is more similar in sound to The Great Radio Controversy. This song ought to be huge, if radio picks it up. Great stuff!

There are so many good songs on this disc, it is hard to call them all favorites, but “Fallin’ Apart” is definitely one of mine.

“Breakin’ Free” is a very moody sounding tune by Tesla. In fact, I don’t recall hearing them do a song anything like this one before. This song has some modern bass tones, and guitar sounds that initially reminded me of Tool in the beginning of the song. It then morphs into a sound that is more reminiscent of Into the Now. This isn’t my favorite song on Forever More, but isn’t bad either.

“All of Me” also has a very modern sound to it. This is a very mainstream rocker that ought to draw some new fans to Tesla.

I think the song ‘The First Time” should have been named “Extraordinary”, but aside from that, this is a pretty cool tune. Dave Rude breaks out the slide guitar on this bluesy rocker.

Tesla has been performing “Pvt. Ledbetter” during their live shows in 2008, so I was already very familiar with this song. This is also on Tesla’s new DVD, Comin’ Atcha Live. This is another solid tune and is also one of my favorites on Forever More.

“In A Hole Again” has more of that modern sound to it. I love Hannon’s solos on this song, but as a whole (no pun intended) this is my least favorite track on this disc.

The closing track “The Game” has a heavier edge to it, and sounds like it could have been a left over track from the Bust A Nut record. Dave Rude and Frank Hannon really jam on this killer song. This is a really cool tune to close out the album.

Forever More is every bit the album that I hoped it would be. Is it Tesla’s best work? No, not by any means, but it is really good. Forever More is better than their last studio effort Into the Now, and will please Tesla fans everywhere. Forever More has stellar guitar work, great production, and the fantastic vocals of Jeff Keith. What more could a fan want? This is highly recommended listening!

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