***** The Arista Years by The Grateful Dead – An Amazing Song Collection From Late Weaker Albums

I know what you are going to say.  It’s probably something like this, “I bought a cd from when the Grateful Dead where on the Arista label and was totally disappointed.”  I agree these years generally where not as good.  However, this powerhouse greatest hits package would never leave you thinking that.
I am not an illegal drug user, nor do I condone the use of illegal drugs, but I have heard it said that the only time the Grateful Dead sound good is, “When you are high.”  I think I heard that before this album was released.
What is striking about this collection of songs is that they are good in a jazzy sort of way, with a little showmanship and a lot of crafty talent.  In fact, to date, I still think that this collection is the best of all their greatest hits, and albums, and since Jerry Garcia is dead, I can sit with confidence on my proclamation that of all the Grateful Dead’s albums this one is the best.  However, what I cannot say is that it has been the most important to people’s idea of the Grateful Dead.  Most of these songs are long forgotten, in favor of songs by Phish.

***** Mother’s Milk by the Red Hot Chili Peppers – Arguably Their Underground Breakthrough

About the time that Mother’s Milk came out, folks where starting to notice the Chili Peppers, if for no other reason than their album covers, and their legendary antics.  This album predates me a bit, as I was not a fan of them going back this far.  I hadn’t even heard of the Red Hot Chili Peppers when Mother’s Milk was released.  However, I felt the call to purchase it after soon after I was completely blown away by Blood Sugar Sex Magik all the way back in 1991.

Had it not been for the antics of the Chili Peppers antics, I still regard it unlikely that they would have made it big without it.  Just as it was the naked baby on the cover of the Nirvana’s Nevermind album that was a strong reason Nirvana was catapulted to stardom, so to was just having the word, “Sex,” in the Blood Sugar Sex Magik album title, the nudity on The Abbey Road EP, and the picture on the cover of Mother’s Milk album the reason for this album’s catching on.

So enough talk, what about the music?  Let me tell you this, if Mother’s Milk doesn’t deliver to you some of the best rock music you have ever heard, I think you need to get your hearing checked, or maybe even your soul, because Mother’s Milk is full of funky soul music.

If you don’t have the money for this one, then I would strongly recommend “What Hits? (1992)” or “The Best of the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s (2005).  However, I wouldn’t think of either of these albums as a substitute for getting the early Chili Peppers stuff that predates 1991.  Early in their career the Chili Peppers could do no wrong in my opinion.  Thus, while the greatest hits packages are good, they are no substitute for the early Red Hot Chili Peppers albums.

**** The Red Hot Chili Peppers (1984) - There Is Something About This Album, Something Amazing

This album was made in 1984.  By 1984, I think some of us thought we had heard all the newer sounding rock music that would be made.  When I think of what folks where listening to in 1984, the Van Halen album 1984 comes to mind.  That was a tremendous album, but by 1984 there was an incredible crust of amazing music that the Red Hot Chili Peppers had to crack through in order to make it big.  The band that broke the crust turned out to be Nirvana, with their album Nevermind.  That album gave a chance of success to albums like the album Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and if you liked that album, maybe you thought about checking out this one.
The Chili Peppers put out a lot of great music before their breakthrough album, but it was just that it is was hidden by 1980s big hair bands.  This album should come as a refreshing deviation from what is normal in music.  I love it, and I hope that you are able to do the same.  If nothing else pick up either one of the following greatest hits albums “What Hits? (1992)” or “The Best of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (2005),” if you aren’t planning on getting the Chili Peppers albums before Blood Sugar Sex Magik.  As to whether or not there are enough good songs on this one to make it worthwhile to buy the self-titled effort of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I would have to say that is a, “Yes,” but not a strong enough yes for me to rate this album 5 stars.  I rarely rate any albums 5 stars for that matter.
Also, if you haven’t noticed that most of my reviews are of bands that are of lesser popularity than usual.  It just so happens to me that I don’t like being a part of the herd.  I don’t like being a part of things that are very popular.  Likewise, I was only naïve and in 8th grade when I bought the mega-popular album Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and I do have to admit; the crowds got it correct on this one.  Unusually, music that was popular was also good.  I think that has also happened in a few other instances like The Dave Mathews Band, and Lady Gaga, but for the most part I enjoy this album because it is still somewhat of a rarity that is very fun to listen to.
Last, but not least.  Unlike the other retro-champions of this time, such as Nirvana or the Smashing Pumpkins, The Red Hot Chili Peppers do not offend my ears with overly simple music.

*** High Tension Wires by Steve Morse – Three Stars for a Generic Prog Rock Album

You can never go by some popular album reviewing sites on the web.  Many of them get it all wrong when it comes to rating albums.  The best albums are rated low.  The albums that are not quite as good are rated higher.  My advice is to always stick with a reviewer that has the same taste as you, and that is not something you can get from a large website that tries to review every album.  Thus it is such, you have to know that you can never trust mega review sites because you will most certainly get reviewers with good tastes.  In this instance, the review site that I am think of got it correct for their review of High Tension Wires.

High Tension Wires has only one redeeming aspect, and that is that it is a technical album.  I’ll give them three stars for that.

**** Stand Up by Steve Morse – Awesome, But Likely To Get Lost In The Massive Shuffle of Prog

So what does 4 stars mean in this instance?  To me it means that there is superb music, outstanding song writing, but that this album won’t be remembered such that it stands the test of time.  Eventually, folks will probably stop bothering to seek out this far in Steve Morse’s catalogue, simply because most folk don’t have the time to listen to all the stuff out there, which is in one way kind of exciting, but in this case is sad, because this is a really good album, and will be sad when one day distributors stop bothering with it, and it can no longer be bought.

And, what about the songs, is it an good album through and through?  The answer to the is a resounding answer is a yes!  Stand Up truly is a world class work of art.

While Stand Up is not Steve Morse’s best work it is definitely worth picking up.  There are most certainly some really good songs on this effort.  It is both technical and interesting to listen to.  Steve Morse and the Dixie Dregs catalogue represents some of my most favorite progressive rock.  I heard of them all the way back when I was at college from a music teacher.  He was switching formats from tape to cd, so he offered me his tapes.

One thing that stands out on Stand Up is that the vocals sound a lot like Eric Johnson of the Eric Johnson band.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was him, but I lack the jacket of this work.  That Stand Up has any vocals at all on it is worth mentioning because usually Steve Morse plays without a singer.  It doesn’t have a lot of vocals, so be alerted.  To me it doesn’t matter who is singing, just that it is good.  If you have heard of Eric Johnson, chances are that you may not have heard of Steve Morse or his better known band the Dixie Dregs.  However, if you have heard of the Dixie Dregs, then chances are that you will have heard the music of Eric Johnson.  And, if you like this sort of music then the album Stand Up should make a great addition if you are an album collector who collects for the sake of listening.

*** Guitar Battle - Song Writing Is More Important Than Good Musicianship. Heard It 1,000 Times, Yet?

This album basically sounds like a bunch of musicians, really good musicians even, just got together and said, “Hey!  Let’s wing it on a couple classic songs and call it an album.”  I can definitely vouch for that they did not match the power of the original recordings.  And, maybe that is due to poor recording equipment, I don’t know.  This is obviously a low budget recording, and the folks that made it probably had no money to spare on making it.

Guitar Battle is anything but classic renditions of classic songs.  At other times, it seems that they just want to turn up the cheese factor with the guitar solos.  I know in certain instances people like John Coltrane where able to create amazing albums in this manner, but that is not the case with this one.

I should also mention that before he was the famed John Petrucci, the afore said musician plays on this one with lackluster.  As far as it concerns me, this is some of his worst recorded work, and should only be purchased for those looking to complete a collection, and not bought by folks expecting a good album.

John was never a great improviser.  Likewise, though when play with Dream Theater he has improvised, but I will state that these improvisations even in Dream Theater, which I will have you know is one of my favorite bands, never impressed me.  Likewise, I don’t feel that John Petrucci evolved much beyond the skill with which he played with on Guitar Battle.

What I will say for certain is that John is a great song writer, and a tremendous musician, but only so long as he does not venture far from the written music page.