Review of Niacin (music not supplement), self-titled

***** Review Title: Enjoy Honing Your Listening Skills

If you haven’t heard of Billy Sheehan or Dennis Chambers, then you are probably out of touch with the best of today’s musicians. Don’t worry, if you are in touch with who is the best and listen to them, you will probably be listening to music by yourself. Often hip sounding music doesn’t draw crowds that commensurate the actual coolness of the music. Niacin doesn’t exactly have a big fan base. If you love music, and I mean loving music not so that you fit in, but because you like combinations of notes, various chord voicing, or the beat, you are well on your way to appreciating a band like Niacin. However, it is true that people that like pop music sometimes like these things to. So really, the question is whether or not you want to improve your ears while listening to great music? Pop music is too fad driven it to ever be much assistance in improving one’s ears. Why would you want to improve your ears? Asking that question is like asking why some people go to the gym. My guess is that you won’t be able to find Niacin in the store. They are just too rare. However, if you are looking for something that will challenge your listening skills, this is a great album. And, yes, I would describe Niacin as hip, and my affection for them is certainly greater than one I might have for a math equation.

Review Of Album Secrets by Allan Holdsworth

Allan Holdsworth ***** Review Title: Nerdgasm

This style of music is my favorite kind, so I might be a little biased in favor of the genre. I just love contemporary jazz. I would compare being a contemporary jazz lover to being a collector of rare metals like gold, silver, and platinum. Contemporary jazz often has the finest musicianship, and it is modern, but it is not hip. Generally, crowds scare me away. If a band has too many followers, then it is usually because they put out a pop album. Through collecting these gem like albums, essentially you will be separating yourself from the heard of tone deaf morons. Allan Holdsworth has been around for a long time. He has put out a lot of great music. Yet, if you mention his name to someone you will probably draw a blank stare. If you have self confidence, then that won’t bother you. People that listen to Allan Holdsworth have self-confidence because they sure aren’t going to get a pat on the back or any other sort of social benefit from listening to him, except maybe through the internet one might be able to connect with some Allan Holdsworth fans. So Allan Holdsworth’s fan base is certainly not that big, nor does his style have the capacity to ever get big, but if big is what you like, as in big crowds, then this is not for you, but if you like big, as in big sound, I highly recommend this album.

1st 100 Disc Changer 2008 The Key to Enjoying Music Is to Develop Your Ears

This is a part of the 100 Disc Changer series. A part of being a good musician involves listening to good music. Even if you want to be in the audience, listening to music will help you enjoy music. However, sometime it is not obvious what is good. So I invite you to check these out because if you listen to them enough, they will improve your ear. Every so often I update my 100 disc changer list. I try to review the albums I take out of it. I also post album reviews at Facebook.com, Amazon.com, and Rdio.

Queensyrche – EP and The Warning

Wes Montgomery – On The Go and Movin’ Wes

Wes Montgomery – Fusion

Simon Phillips – Another Lifetime

Queensyrche – Rage for Order

Queensyrche – Empire

Eric Johnson – 7 Worlds and Souvenir

Eric Johnson – Bloom

Eric Johnson – Ah Via Musicom

Jimi Hendrix – Voodoo Soup

Megadeth – Rust In Peace

Megadeth – Greatest Hits: Back to the Beginning

Megadeth – Cryptic Writings

Jimi Hendrix – Blues

Jimi Hendrix – South Saturn Delta

Planet X – Quantum

Derek Sherinian’s Planet X

Planet X – Moonbabies

Plantet X – Universe

Tony MacAlpine – Freedom to Fly

Iced Earth – Days of Purgatory disc 2

Metallica – Ride the Lightning

Dream Theater – Once In a Livetime disc 2

Dream Theater – Live at the Marquee

Dream Theater – Live Scenes From New York disc 2

Tony MacAlpine – Chromaticity

Tony MacAlpine – Madness

Chroma Key – You Go Now

Tony MacAlpine – Evolution

Iced Earth – Days of Purgatory disc 1

Chico Hamilton – Man from 2 Worlds

King Crimson – In The Court of the Crimson King and In The Wake of Poseidon

Chick Corea’s Elektric Band – Light Years

The Misfits – Walk Among Us

Greg Howe – Introspection

Iced Earth – The Dark Saga and The Melancholy EP

The Best of The Red Hot Chili Peppers

Iced Earth – The Blessed

Dream Theater – Official Bootleg: A Saucerful of Floyd

Fates Warning – Disconnected

Dream Theater – Score disc 2

George Benson – Beyond The Blue Horizon

Al Di Meola – Land of the Midnight Sun and Tour de Force

A mix of pop radio music, like stuff you hear on WPXE

Porcupine Tree – Deadwing

A mix of metal music

Led Zepplin – A mix of live songs and songs that were scratched from my Led Zepplin cds

Gipsy Kings – Greatest Hits

The Best of Kenny Burrell: The Blue Note Years

Shadow Gallery – Prime Cuts

Hammer Fall – Glory to the Brave

Return to Forever – This is Jazz 12

The Very Best of Testament

Iced Earth – The Damned

The Very Beast of Dio

Herbie Hancock – Manchild and Dedication

James LaBrie – Elements of Persuasion

A Nirvana bootleg

Fates Warning – No Exit and A Twist of Fate

King’s X – Gretchen Goes to Nebraska

An Evening with Jordan Rudess and John Petrucci

Drained – No One In Control

Rush Tribute – Working Man

Sting – Ten Summoner’s Tales

Rush – 2112 and Hemispheres

Apocalyptica – Plays Metallica by four cellos

Transatlantic – Live In America

A mix of Jazz standards

Liquid Tension Experiment

Fear Factory – Soul of a New Machine and Fear Is The Mind Killer

Greg Howe – Five

Scorpions – 20th Century Masters

Victor Wooten – A Show of Hands

A virtuoso guitar mix including, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteem, The Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton and George Benson

Korn – Greatest Hits Vol. 1

Simon and Garfunkel – Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme

The Very Best of Santana

Richie Kotzen/Greg Howe – Project

A mix of Miles Davis and John Coltrane

Return to Forever – Romantic Warrior

Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, Roy Hanynes – Question and Answer

Derek Sherinian – Blood of The Snake

Van Halen – 1984

Bela Fleck and The Flecktones – Greatest Hits of the 20th Century

Alter Bridge – One Day Remains and Creed – Human Clay

Dennis Chambers – Outbreak

Hammer Fall – Legacy of Kings

Garsed, Helmerich, Willis and Chambers – Uncle Moe’s Space Ranch

Rush – Caress of Steel and Counterparts

Emerson Lake and Palmer Tribute – Encores Legends and Paradox

Van Halen – Van Halen II

James LaBrie’s Mullmuzzler – Keep It to Yourself

Django Reinhardt – Retrospective 1940-1947

The Best of Chick Corea

Judas Priest – British Steel

Steve Morse – The Introduction

Wes Montgomery – Ultimate

Skid Row – Slave to The Grind

Evanescence – Fallen

Medeski Martin Wood – Last Chance to Dance Trance