411 Music Roundtable: August Edition
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 08.07.2007
The 411 Music staff discusses the month that was, including Britney Spears’ freakouts, the music of Cheap Trick, the RIAA’s lawsuits, the upcoming war between 50 Cent and Kanye West and lots more! Plus previews of new albums by J Dilla, Drowning Pool, Scorpions, Fuel, Public Enemy and lots more!
Hey folks, it's another edition of the 411 Music Roundtable, where the much-admired and/or smashed Music Zone staff look back on the news of the last month and forward to the new releases of this one.
On with the show!
AUGUST 2007
BIGGEST WINNER OF THE MONTH
Ozzy Osbourne
Jesse Coy: Come back to me in a month, and if things go wrong at the free Ozzfest show this year, maybe I'll change my tune. But right now, I'm seeing some innovative ideas that I like. In part, and what's applicable to this month, I'm referring to the whole concept of making a green screen video for "I Don't Wanna Stop", and then having fans assemble and complete the video, with the Ozzy camp picking the best of the submissions for issuing it officially. I think it's a pretty cool concept. Apparently, so did the Ozzy camp. This past month, it was announced that the band's second video, "Not Going Away," would be done the same way.
Now 25
Dan Marsicano: God, I hate people so much. Should I be surprised that this collection of worthless crap has sold almost 500,000 copies in three weeks time? Listen, I like some of the stuff on the radio (I'm not some crazy metal head who cranks 80's metal in my driveway all day), but the songs on the radio are so overplayed. Even though I hate, and I mean hate, Now 25 with a passion, I have to give the album credit as it sold like hotcakes these past couple of weeks and will probably sell a few million copies in the end. So hats off to you, Now 25, for putting together a collection of music those mindless teenagers can "rock" out to all goddamn day.
Traffic Entertainment
Phil Watts, Jr.: You may have noticed over the past several months that the vast majority of albums that have come down the pike have been reissues. You've had the Juice Crew reissues like Biz Markie's first album (The Inhuman Orchestra)), MC Shan's Down By Law, Masta Ace's Take A Look Around, Tragedy's first two albums, The debut of the pre-GZA Genius (Words Of The Genius), and Kool G Rap & Polo's Wanted Dead Or Alive. Then there were the Delicious Vinyl compilations, like Pharcyde's Sold My Soul, the long-shelved Wascals album, and the upcoming Jay-Deelicious comp, which spotlights J-Dilla's contributions to the label (particularly a huge chunk of the Pharcyde's Labcabin album). Then there were the many out-of-print and long-shelved albums like J-Rock's Streetwise (featuring early work from DJ Premier), the Ultimate Force (with MC Master Rob and a pre-DITC Diamond D), Busy Bee's Running Thangs, and many, many more now seeing the light of day. And you know what? Traffic Entertainment made all of these reissues possible! So instead of bellyaching about how fucked up today's hip-hop has become, you can snatch up any of these reissued classics and show today's kids what hip-hop is supposed to sound like.
Cheap Trick
John Nagle: Cheap Trick proved once and for all this weekend that they are America's greatest rock band by performing a blistering set at Virgin Fest in Baltimore. The band took the stage at the hottest point of the day and played as if the heat didn't exist. Besides, how many 50 year old men can hit high notes exactly like they did in 1980?
Miley Cyrus
Mitch Michaels: The star of Nickelodean's "Hannah Montana" has held down one of the Top 3 spots on the Billboard 200 for nearly the entire month of July, so you have to give her props for that. The album doubles as her solo debut, which is just an ingenious marketing ploy. Not only that, but Miley's newfound fame even helped her dad, Billy Ray, score his highest debut since his early 90's heyday this month. Bring Billy Ray Cyrus back from the dead – now THAT'S star power.
BIGGEST LOSER OF THE MONTH
RIAA
Jesse Coy: Oklahoma mother, Debbie Foster, was accused by the RIAA of illegally downloading music back in November 2004. There's a problem, though. Foster didn't own a computer or even know how to use one. Her name was on the broadband bill, though. The RIAA said that it'd settle the case with the single mother if she paid $5,000. So Foster got legal help to fight the charge. The RIAA decided to withdraw its case. The court approved the RIAA's request, going so far as dismissing the case 'with prejudice,' which means that the RIAA will have to pay for Foster's legal bills. Ah… I feel so sorry for the poor, little old RIAA, with all these bullies counter-suing them! [note from Dr. Dribble- my patient, a certified music junkie and therefore a very sick man, was being facetious with that last comment… thank you].
Avril Lavigne
Dan Marsicano: It all started in early July, when 1970's band the Rubinoos accused Mrs. Lavigne of plagiarizing their 1979 song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" in Lavigne's smash hit "Girlfriend". I have heard the two together, and they are pretty close musically. Now there are new reports out that accuse Lavigne of plagiarizing another song. This time, the comparison is with Lavigne's song "I Don't Have To Try", off her new album, with the Peaches' 2003 song, "I'm The Kinda". We all know that she doesn't write her own material and that she has writers that help her out. It's basic common knowledge. (Ed. Note: Avril actually is credited with co-writing every song on every album she's ever released) However, Avril isn't helping matters by replying "I've never heard this song" or the absolutely stupid response of "I wasn't born then." Avril Lavigne is one of the reasons I hate today's pop music. Most of the artists don't know anything about music unless it was released in the past ten years. It's a damn shame and this incident could hurt Avril in the long run if accusations like these continue to come out in the near future.
Tony Yayo
Phil Watts, Jr.: "The streets are different now. Guys like Ghostface don't matter. They don't. They had a run, but it's over - he didn't even write Supreme Clientele!" That imbecilic quote came out of the mouth of G-Unit's equivalent to Memphis Bleek, Tony Yayo, in this month's SPIN Magazine. Yet, looking at Yayo's career (such as it is), he doesn't even have a pot to piss in, much less a window to throw it out. Think back over 2 years ago, when this fool was about to drop his debut album, Thoughts Of A Predicate Felon, and decided to promote it by going to jail over some dumb shit. This prompted 50 to keep his name out there by selling those peculiarly Freudian shirts ("FREE YAYO!!!") so that when Tony got released from prison, he would get to enjoy massive multi-platinum success. Predicate Felon turned out to be G-Unit's first big FLOP, and would start a 2-year losing streak for the once-moneymaking crew that they are still trying to recover from. Here's another fun fact: Al Sharpton's war on rap did NOT start with Don Imus. Al started the war when he heard the news of a 14-year old kid getting smacked up for no reason by some rapper. That rapper was Tony Yayo! So in closing, we have a completely worthless LOSER who is not only responsible for the downfall of his own crew, but also inadvertent responsible for the resurrection of the censorship movement against hip-hop. Congratulations, moron.
Britney Spears
John Nagle: The human train wreck continues. The pictures of her pole dancing are some of the saddest pictures I've ever seen. There is no life in her eyes. What happened?
Mitch Michaels: Comeback, comeback, comeback. That's all you hear about Britney Spears, that she's preparing for this massive return to the spotlight and the top of the music world. Well, kids, this is her comeback. She's been everywhere this month. Crazy photo shoots, threatening photographers, delivering snarky undercover CDs to a gossip website and pole dancing like a zombie. And don't forget about all those trips to the bathroom. It's just hard for single moms these days, isn't it?
BIGGEST MUSIC NEWS OF THE MONTH
James Hetfield & His Taliban Beard
Jesse Coy: Reports claim Metallica's James Hetfield, while en route to Live Earth, was stopped and questioned by authorities at London's Luton Airport because of his lush, Taliban-like beard. Says James Hetfield, "In the last few weeks there have been a lot of rumors flying around saying that I was detained by airport security in London while on tour in Europe. I'm here to tell you that it never happened . . . pure fabrication! The story is simply that there is no story . . . it's scary how gullible and easily fooled the press is!" I didn't put those exclamation points in there. I think James Hetfield did. Am I sensing Some Kind of Monster II, where we get to see the progress of therapy sessions involving James confronting his own beard over the false press it's generating and how it's misunderstood?
McDonald's Live
Dan Marsicano: I really hate the fact that McDonald's is sponsoring a "music festival". Let me first say that this is not a music festival. It's just a bunch of concerts with one to two artists per date. Yeah, you heard me right. Only one or two artists are scheduled per
date. Great McDonald's, thanks for an hour of music. Oh, don't forget that it is free, right?! Well, you know, there is another festival that is free this summer. I wonder what festival is that? Hmmm…oh yeah, Ozzfest. You know the festival with two different stages with almost twenty bands that lasts the whole day and goes all summer long, instead of ten dates. Listen McDonald's, don't try to bribe people with hot artists and the promise of a free concert. They are going to come to eat your fatty foods and heart attacks on a bun no matter if Ne-Yo or Freddy the Flute Boy stops on by for half a day.
50 Cent's Curtis & Kanye West's Graduation Get 9/11 Release
Phil Watts, Jr.: After numerous release date push-backs (Curtis was originally a June release, while Graduation was set for August), the wonderful people at Universal (which owns both Interscope and Def Jam) thought up the oh-so-brilliant idea to put them both on September 11th. Many have considered it the ultimate yin vs. yang battle of the ages, even though they both got questionable tastes in fashion and egos bigger than this planet. 50 has already drummed up his processed beef machine (like getting one of his butt-boys to talk garbage about Ghostface), while Kanye is pandering to the pop fans with appearances in events like Live Earth. Things will get real annoying the closer the release date gets, as everyone will be asking us to choose sides. FUN FACT: Remember Jay-Z's The Blueprint, which not only put Jigga back on the map after a long dry period, but also made both Kanye and Just Blaze in-demand producers? It's release date: September 11, 2001.
Appetite For Destruction Turns 20
John Nagle: The new issue of "Rolling Stone" came in the mail last week, and five pieces of Hollywood street trash stared back at me. I felt the same twinge that I felt the first time I held their debut record in my hand a decade ago: "These guys are going to corrupt me, and I love it." I looked at the headline and couldn't believe what it said: "Appetite Turns 20." The picture was 20 years old, but it didn't feel that way. Guns N' Roses remained forever young in print. I put the record on that night, and even though I know the record like I know the grooves of my fingers, I still felt like I was doing something dangerous. Axl had one thing to say about my sentiment: "You think you're so cool….why don't you just…….FUCK OFF!"
RIAA Loses Court Case
Mitch Michaels: Not since Verizon refused to hand over detailed internet subscriber information has the illegal downloading public scored such a crippling blow over the RIAA's vendetta against filesharing. When Capitol Records (and thusly the RIAA) was forced to pay the court costs of a single mother they were suing for copyright violations because there was no evidence to back the claims, the winds of change began to blow across the world wide web. Now maybe the record industry can continue to adjust to new technology rather than continue to squash it.
MOST NOTABLE RELEASE OF THE MONTH
Beatallica - Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band
Jesse Coy: It's notable for a number of reasons. First, it's very cool that they got the permission needed from both camps to release the sucker. Secondly, it's a great album, earning the first 10 I've ever given to a band (well deserved) in a review. Guitarist/vocalist Jaymz told me that the free mp3's that the band had posted early on didn't compare in any way to the material on the official release. After listening to this album multiple times, for reviewing purposes, and just because I like it so much, I did recently go back and listen to those mp3's that I'd burned onto a CD. You know what? He's right. The mp3's, still fun, don't have anywhere near the life that the CD has. And by the way, if you're tired of the Metallica of Some Kind of Monster (I think they looked intensely whiney and stupid in that documentary), and want to go back to the fun days, where they just jammed out and played excellent music, here you go. Sort of…
Dan Marsicano: Beatallica is single handedly the funniest parody band out there today, in my mind. Their first record, Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band, has been in my rotation for the past month. As I write this, I'm listening to the title track and find myself banging my head and laughing at the same time. It's so brilliant that even Albert Einstein would say, "Egads!" Or maybe not, but that's not the point. If you haven't picked this up, (judging by the record sales, you probably haven't), go and get it immediately.
Sean Price - Master P: Official Mixtape
Phil Watts, Jr.: Don't worry, people. Sean P didn't leave the Boot Camp Clique to join No Limit Records. He's simply continuing his hot streak, and keeping people hungry for his next album. The guest list includes Agallah The Crookie Monster, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Diamond D, Big Shug, Prodigy, and of course Buckshot. Stay tuned for the next album, tentatively titled Mic Tyson!
The Joneses- Keepin' Up With the Joneses
John Nagle: Speaking of Hollywood street trash, these guys could have given the Guns a run for their money. Unfortunately, they might have been a little too sleazy for the masses. This is a reissue, and it is a tour de force of authentic New York Dolls style raunch. This record should come with a condom, because I'm pretty sure it gave me gonorrhea.
Jason Isbell - Sirens Of The Ditch
Mitch Michaels: Jason Isbell's solo CD is something I've been waiting years for. Formerly a standout in the Drive-By Truckers, Isbell steps out to become a hell of a solo guy here, putting out some awesome sounding rock music. DBT members abound here, which should appeal to their fans, but this album is all about Jason Isbell and his vision. If you like country-flavored rock with rough edges, this is for you.
MUSIC DVD OF THE MONTH
"Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection
Jesse Coy: I just finished watching this one recently, and was quite pleased to have seen on it a few Weird Al videos that I'd never seen before. I'd had the VHS collection of his videos, which didn't include a number of these newer ones. "It's All About The Pentiums"… geez, it's hard to believe that's Weird Al, he does such a phenomenal job. There's also the not-much-happening, Dylan-esque style song, "Bob." Oh, and the video for the theme for Spy Hard. Pretty funny stuff. There're 24 videos total, and if you don't have a hamster named Harvey to watch these videos with, pretend you do. It'll further enhance an already fun experience.
Slayer: Still Reigning
Dan Marsicano: It's Slayer playing their 1986 classic Reign In Blood in its entirety. Nothing else needs to be said. Oh, blood rains from the ceiling on the band at one point in the concert. Now nothing else needs to be said.
Walk The Line
Mitch Michaels: There's a lot to love about this Johnny Cash biopic, which I caught a couple times on Cinemax last month. Not only does Joaquin Phoenix do an amazing job playing Cash, the supporting cast of musicians (Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, Waylon Jennings, the Tennessee Two) are played perfectly. The movie does a good job of never letting these gigantic figures in music history overshadow its principle subject, but still allows their famous personalities to shine through. If you're interested in the early days of rock ‘n' roll, this is a must-watch.
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE MONTH
Cheap Trick - Cheap Trick
Jesse Coy: I only got this album quite recently in preparation for the Virgin Music Festival, and I was unsure of what to expect of it. There's a good chance I won't catch them there anyway (they're on too early in the day). Released in 1977 (roughly the same time as was the Sex Pistols' Never Mind the Bollocks, as a matter of fact), it certainly qualifies in age as a classic. With songs like "Elo Kiddies," "Taxman, Mr. Thief," and "Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School," there's a lot of intelligent, sarcastic, and socially analytical writing here. I still have a hard time pegging the release, but it's a far cry from the soft rock image of Cheap Trick that my mind always summoned up about them. The version of this release that I got had five bonus tracks, one of which was a faster, leaner, even punky or punchy version of "I Want You To Want Me".
Billy Joel - Glass Houses
Dan Marsicano: I usually pick some crazy metal album, but this month, I decided to pick something different. Billy Joel is one of my favorite artists, and even though he has many classic albums, Glass Houses has been listened to the most by me this month. It may not be his best albums, but Glass Houses is Billy Joel at his heaviest. There are so many great tracks, but one really gets me every time. "All For Leyna" is one of his underappreciated songs and is probably my favorite song by him (other than "I Go To Extremes" because of that awesome piano solo). Billy Joel would never return to his really hard rocking roots after this album, but Joel proved for one album that he wasn't as much of an adult-contemporary artist as some people saw him back in the late 1970's.
Zapp - Zapp
Phil Watts, Jr.: With everybody and their great grandmother trying to put vocoder effects in their voices these days (and doing a HORRIBLE job of it), it's about time that people knew about this group. Zapp was one of the few groups that kept the funk alive during the 80's. While many have experimented with robotic-sounding voices in their music before this group came out, Zapp's frontman Roger Troutman was the only one who used it and made it sound FLY! Many have tried, but nobody came close. NOBODY! The hit song "More Bounce To The Ounce" is considered a true funk classic and was just a hint of the madness to come. Another notable song was "Be Alright". The moment this song hits, you will automatically think of 2Pac ("Keep Your Head Up"), whom Roger would colab with over 15 years later ("California Love"). Unfortunately, Roger was murdered by his own brother (and Zapp band member), Larry Troutman, who killed himself soon afterward. So next time some moron plays that shitty T-Pain record, or that "Beautiful Girls" song (or whatever the fuck it's called), put on "More Bounce To the Ounce", turn it up and drown that garbage out!
Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction
John Nagle: I pretty much summed it up before, but this record never gets old. It makes you wanna do bad things, which all rock music should do. Because of this record, I still keep a glimmer of hope alive for Chinese Democracy.
Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness
Mitch Michaels: SP fans have had plenty to celebrate this month. The Pumpkins' new album Zeitgeist was released and, for people who love the band, was a pretty sweet return to form by Billy Corgan and company. Also, they've been hitting festivals hard this month and, only recently, announced a full fall headlining tour. You can be sure plenty of 90's alt rock fans have spun "1979" or "Zero" or "Thirty-Three" more than a couple times during July. Not to mention, Mellon Collie was named one of 411's Top 100 Albums Ever!
LYRIC OF THE MONTH
Jesse Coy: "Take all your overgrown infants away somewhere/And build them a home, a little place of their own/The Fletcher Memorial/Home for incurable tyrants and kings." - Pink Floyd, "The Fletcher Memorial Home"
Dan Marsicano: "And I'll smile and I'll learn to pretend/And I'll never be open again/And I'll have no more dreams to defend/And I'll never be open again" - Dream Theater, "Space Dye Vest"
Phil Watts, Jr.: "Every three tenths of a second/Wack new jacks are coming out with their records/Don't let the record be a smash or a hit/'Cuz then these fake rappers start thinking they're THE SHIT/now all the other rappers wanna sweat them/put them in their videos and make records with ‘em/Your style was sloppy so they had to fine-tune it/Fools get souped up when they sell a million units" - King Sun, "Suck No Dick"
Mitch Michaels: "She told me I took the best years of her life/And she was only seventeen" - Jason Isbell, "Hurricanes & Hand Grenades"
NEXT MONTH'S NEW RELEASES
Drowning Pool – Full Circle
Dan Marsicano: I enjoyed Sinner with original singer Dave Williams, and once he passed away, I think the band lost that voice that they had. Hopefully, former Soil singer Ryan McCombs is the guy that they need to move on as a band. I'm excited to hear it, and review it, but I do have my hesitations about the quality of the release.
Mitch Michaels: Album number three, lead singer number three. Talk about bad luck. The sad thing is that the band will never get the recognition they got after "Bodies" broke, which is a shame because their Desensitized album was nearly as good as Sinner. Hopefully a new vocalist who has some metal cred already under his belt will put these guys back in the spotlight. Either way, I smell a new WWE PPV theme on the way!
Scorpions – Humanity: Hour 1
Dan Marsicano: Yes, the Scorpions can be cheesy at times, but their last album Unbreakable was a return to form for the band after a string of horrid releases. This album was released a few months back in Europe and it has been getting some great reviews all around. I am excited to see what the band can do with the idea of a concept album.
Atreyu – Lead Sails Paper Anchor
Dan Marsicano: Atreyu is definitely a guilty pleasure for me. Their songs can be catchy from time to time and the guitarists put out some great riffs and even some decent solos in about 25% of their songs. Their new single, "Becoming The Bull", is getting a beating by their fans on their MySpace page. I personally found it enjoyable and while it is different I found myself tapping my foot along to the melody. The lack of screaming works well for the band and I am curious to see what Atreyu does with a new label and more creative freedom.
Brand Nubian - Time's Runnin' Out
Phil Watts, Jr.: The wonderful people at Traffic Entertainment have declassified another album, this time reissuing what was to be their reunion album, Time's Running Out. Some of you may remember when they released a song called "A Child Is Born" for the Soul In The Hole soundtrack. Well, this particular album had the ORIGINAL version of that song. Not only did Puba, Jamar and their long-time DJ Alamo lay a hand in the production, but also DITC's Lord Finesse and DJ Vance Wright, famous for his work with Slick Rick. However, this album was shelved (until NOW), which led to them getting a short-lived deal with Arista, where they released The Foundation instead.
CL Smooth - The Outsider
Phil Watts, Jr.: CL starts his small label, Blackheart Entertainment, and tries to jump back into the game after a faulty start. It's sad how he Isaiah Washington'd his solo career before it even started. No one is ever going to let him live that down (well, not while I'm alive, anyway!) Love you to death, CL, but…
MF Grimm - The Order Of The Baker: Gingerbread Man Mixtape
Phil Watts, Jr.: Hopefully, Grimm has finally gotten his hatred for the Bush administration and MF Doom out of his system (especially since he dedicated his 3-disc American Hunger album to talking about it!) It's time for the man to lighten up. I know he's got plenty of reasons to be mad (who knows what really went on between Grimm & Doom?), but it's time to set all that aside for once. By the way, he plans on making an autobiographical comic book called "Sentences: The Life Of MF Grimm" for DC Comics' Vertigo line. Be on the lookout.
Beat Konducta (aka Madlib) - Vol. 3-4: Beat Konducta In India
Phil Watts, Jr.: Another one of Madlib's wild and crazy instrumental projects: The sounds of INDIAN CINEMA! This man just keeps getting ideas! Check the hilarious COMMERCIAL for this project!
Jay Dee (aka J-Dilla) - Jay Deelicious 95-98: The Delicious Vinyl Years – Originals, Remixes & Rarities
Phil Watts, Jr.: This spotlights his work on Pharcyde's Labcabin album, including the remixes to "Y?" and "She Said", as well as material with the Brand New Heavies and their former (at the time) lead singer, N'Dea Davenport. It sucks that there isn't any unreleased material, though, so If you already have the albums that these songs came from, the only reason to purchase this would be for the instrumental versions of all the songs.
AZ - Memphis Sessions: The Remixtape
Phil Watts, Jr.: Nas' former partner in crime is still doing his thing, this time releasing a mixtape featuring his acapellas over old soul samples, similar to the Prodigy/ALC project, Return Of The Mac. Yeah, he's not as big as he should be, but he's getting by.
Lords Of The Underground - House Of Lords
Phil Watts, Jr.: Here Come The Lords was one of the dopest albums to come out in the early 90's, and it's good to see that Mr. Funkeman, DoItAll, and Lord Jazz are getting back in the game. It's just too bad that K-Def and DJ Marley Marl (who produced the first two albums) aren't as involved in it anymore.
Talib Kweli - Eardrum
Phil Watts, Jr.: After kicking off 2007 with the Madlib-produced Liberation album, Kweli is hoping to continue the streak with Eardrum. Aside from Madlib, he also has his old friends Hi-Tek and Kanye to help out, beatwise. Meanwhile, the guest list of MC's include Jean Grae, KRS-One, and UGK (hey, Pimp C---GET YOUR MIND RIGHT! You are making an IDIOT out of yourself!!!)
Frank N Dank & J Dilla's European Vacation
Phil Watts, Jr.: As much respect as I have for J-Dilla, I do admit that he did have some weak spots, particularly, his work on Frank N Dank's debut album, 48 Hours. But, then again, Frank N Dank aren't exactly the fliest MC's on the planet, and even the dopest of beats can't hide the fact that these guys make the Group Home sound like Organized Konfusion! Hopefully, J-Dilla's departure is enough to force these two to step their game up.
Public Enemy - How To Sell Soul To A Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?
Phil Watts, Jr.: With all that SOUL in the album title, the beats had better have mad SOUL in it! I wish Chuck would bring in some consistent producers to work with. What makes it even worse is how Flava Flav has embarrassed this group with his various "reality shows" (adding to my reasons for why I have a visceral hatred towards reality shows.) Chuck could come up with the most riveting commentary about ghetto life, but all people will be thinking of is "Flava Of Love".
KISS - Kissology - The Ultimate KISS Collection, Vol. 2: 1978-1991
John Nagle: My inner KISS geek is rejoicing right now. The first volume was amazing, and was the first time in a long time that KISS actually gave the Army their money's worth. I'm really looking forward to seeing the full version of their infamous interview with Tom Snyder in '79, along with the MTV unmasking special. The crown jewel of the set is "KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park" which is finally being officially released in all its campy, drunken glory. The only complaint I have is that there isn't much from the Animalize or Asylum, but you can't have everything.
Ratt - Tell The World: The Very Best Of Ratt
John Nagle: When I saw that Ratt was releasing another greatest hits album, I wondered if it was necessary. In 1991, the band released Ratt N' Roll 8191, which was one of the best hair band compilations on the market. The problem with Ratt N' Roll is that it was in chronological order, so you heard the band go from a raw rock band to an overproduced machine track by track. Tell The World mixes the songs up, so although the track list is basically the same, the decline won't feel as sharp.
Fuel - Angels & Devils
Mitch Michaels: I've had a soft spot for Fuel since I saw them open for Aerosmith back in 2001. People would say that the new record (their first without former frontman Brett Scallions) will be a tough sell, but the new lead singer could be the shot in the arm the band needs, seeing as how their 2003 set Natural Selection didn't exactly live up to its predecessor. But I would just love to see this record outsell Chris Daughtry's debut, just ‘cause I hate that bald headed motherfucker.
High School Musical 2
Mitch Michaels: If your child asks for this album, would you do me a favor and send them to military school? And if YOU like this album, do me a favor and eat some broken glass. STOP ENCOURAGING THIS SHIT!
Halloween: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Mitch Michaels: I've never seen the tracklist for a soundtrack get me excited for a movie, but Rob Zombie's Halloween and its collection of archive stuff has done it and done it well. BOC, KISS, Misfits (!!), Alice Cooper…this is essential October listening. Holy fuck!
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals – Lifeline
Mitch Michaels: I'd always thought Ben Harper was a cool guy, but I caught him at Virgin just the other day and he absolutely rocked the fuck out of the place. He and his band are like a throwback to the rock of Hendrix and the social messages of Bob Marley, and they can PLAY man. If you think you know Ben Harper, you really don't until you've seen him live.
THE END
And that'll do it for this month. Join us next month for another awe-inspiring edition of the 411 Music Roundtable!
