The Catz Ass

Right now, I'm listening to this Roseville, Michigan band called The Catz Ass and its CD "Ride This". And I just cannot believe a band could release something as 80s as this in the year 1997. Yup, this is 80s style sleaze/glam hard rock (or else I wouldn't be commenting on it here) as it could be. Everything that you would expect from a typical sleaze band, you would find it here except for some boring fillers. I'm very happy to say that "Ride This" doesn't have even a single weak song in it. Even the ballad "Mother Dear", I liked very much. It started off as a generic hair band ballad that has some acoustic guitar in the start but the sound got big and it would pull you, whether you like it or not with it. Even the guitar solo on that added to its appeal. The song "D-Bad" has the lyrics: "...I'm feeling good without doing bad! (or atleast that's what I understand)", now that is entirely a different world when it comes to sleaze/glam when everyone wants to be a bad boy. "Still Waiting" is another enjoying track. Simple songwriting worked wonders on the 8th track "With Love" and great cover of The Monkees' song on "Last Train To Clarksville".

One more good thing about this is that this is easily available for download on motorcityrock.com. But with an album like this, I'd prefer to have an original copy. I'd hunt it on eBay.

Derek Frigo and Enuff Z'Nuff

Much have been written about Derek Frigo's death in 2004 on apparent drug overdose and his band Enuff Z'Nuff but not about his virtuosity. Currently, I'm listening to Enuff Z'Nuff's self-titled debut (which pushes me to write about them) and really enjoying it. It can be said that the band belongs to the "hair metal"/"hair band" crop of the 80s but the music herein is not like what you expect from your ordinary hair band. When I first got a hold and listened to this CD, my first thought that they don't have that "take-a-look-at-us, we're-bad-boys" attitude. Some may even say that the album is boring for it's not choked-full with fast songs about sex, drugs and rock n'roll. Though it also has some fast moments like Hot Little Summer Girl, Little Indian Angel and Kiss The Clown, you'll know that they are not after what the other "glam bands" like Nitro and even the great Shotgun Messiah are after. This is not who can play the most notes in the most bizzare way, what can of sleazy environment they live in and how many drugs they've already taken but about song writing. Theirs is a reminder of the Beatles. I absolutely love the lyrics in "For Now" with lines that go: "... for now you are the sale, there is no other buy". And Derek's playing didn't overcome any songs unlike that of other virtuoso guitarists' songs, he just played FOR the songs. And one thing that really pissed me off is that he's not as respected as others who have less talent but more popular than him. Tell me how many times you've seen Warren DeMartini on the cover of some guitar magazine and how many times you've seen even just a small article about Derek Frigo.

The way I put it why this album didn't become a monster seller is that it is way more than the average "hair metal"/"hair band" fan could ever enjoy.

The Stand

Happy New Year! It's been months since I last updated this blog and it's about time. Probably, I'll make it a New Year's Resolution to update this more frequently. Okey, to start off 2009 I decided to give some comments and opinion about this little known band from the 80s called The Stand. There are some wrong informations going around about this band and album if you ever find this in the internet. First off, this band is not Canadian. They're Americans. And the songs here are not set of demos but are properly recorded ones. And that this band recorded 2 more albums namely "Heartbreak Town" and "In Three Days". The said titles were recorded by a band that also goes by the name The Stand. Yes, there were at least 2 bands in the late 80s-early 90s playing under this name (don't know what the hell is in this name that these bands crazy about). The other The Stand was fronted by musician/producer Tony Valenziano. The band that recorded this self-titled album was from WV as this album was recorded in Studio L in Weirton, WV. And this album was produced by the studio's owner. He's the one who confirmed the facts that I wrote about about this band. I asked him if this band ever recorded anything other than this album and his answer was NO. This is the only recording of this band. As I don't want to devulge names in this blog to keep matters safe but one thing that readers can do to clarify and confirm these facts are to hunt for this CD and look for the name of the producer. Use the internet and it won't be that hard of a hunt.

And as for the music, it's AOR/80s style Hard Rock. There's this one song here entitled "Dare To Be Different" that reminded me of Glass Tiger(?), but most are rockers like "You're It" (which starts off with drums and piano keys - with the vocalist asking for them to be louder) and "Chains of Love". Overall, I really like this CD. Not the greatest indie out there but once you see this, grab it!

NOUVEAUX

Hey, there! It's been several weeks since I last updated this so, I'm back. I'm going step back for awhile in featuring Canadian artists and bands for this incredible CD that I bought a few weeks ago. The CD in mention is Beginnings by the band NOUVEAUX. I've read the comments left for this album at Heavy Harmonies and got very excited. I saw this at one of the CD and Games stores in town (which is not one of my favorite) and immediately bought this. And boy, once I pushed play, the sound was tremendous. I mean Def Leppard-style production! From the chorus to the over-the-top production - not to mention the Christian lyrics, this one is a winner in my book. Oh, I forgot to tell you that this is a Christian band. Just the opening track alone (We Believe and with lyrics like We believe in the Creator of the skies) you'll know what they're all about. Third track (Holding My Own) has the lyrics "...mountains will fall in your presence and the ocean will stand in your way" that will stick to your mind like a gum on your shoe. Track 6 "All That Glitters" has the crunching guitars again and of course, awesome melodies. In fact the melodies or what we know as "hooks" here in this album are so huge (oh, I hate to use this but...), they can catch a whale. This was released in 1994 but can definitely stand toe-to-toe with some of the best CCM artists and bands of today. And one barometer that I use in determining which one I know the masses will like is my wife. She likes the music in this CD!!! But most importantly, again, this band gives glory to whom glory is due.

On my collecting music and real passion

First off, thanks for those who have already checked out my blog. I just would like to take time from writing about my CD collecting and about my REAL passion - the one the is most important to me. I know that most of you readers may think that CD collecting and finding the rarest title are all I ever think of and they consume me. Well, there is this thing that is more important to me than that (and I hope by the way I live my life, it shows), and that is my relationship with my creator. Yes, I do have a relationship with God. And for those who have the idea that if you listen to hard rock and heavy metal, you must be into the occult are so misinformed. That is so much in the past when people are so ignorant about heavy metal that whenever they see people wearing a concert shirt, they instinctively think that that person is a devil-worshipper. Don't be judgemental to others who are into these kinds of music. Though I may never be induced by the music that I listen to (I do listen to some extreme metal), I can never, ever say that I'm spiritually strong. The thought of having it all is stronger more than ever once a person has this kind of love for music. Yes, I LOVE hard rock music. And that is what I think gets in between me and the most important thing in life. I hope now by writing about it, I will be able to have some kind of balance and be levelheaded about it everytime I post into this blog. And yes, before you think anything, I've already talked to God this morning so there!

BRIGHTON ROCK - S/T

It's been awhile since I last updated this blog. So, here goes another one of my so-called "reviews" (just my 2-cents worth) on this another Canadian band called BRIGHTON ROCK. I remember reading about them way back in high school and their debut album. Also remember how one of the guys in this group, at least in that promo pic, look very much like Jon Bon Jovi (who at that time was the biggest rock star on the planet). All I could ever do at that time was wish I can listen to their album 'coz I knew that there was no way I could ever get a copy of their album. Well, after more than a decade, I was able to get a hold of their self-titled debut on CD format. The music itself didn't disappoint. Just the right kind of hard rock that I expected from a typical "hair band". But the production of the album is terrible (well, I've heard worse). Thinking that it is already digitized, I expected more. The sound was just not loud enough. And I mean that literally. In other indie produced CDs, you can say that the mix was not good. But in this case the mixing of the vocals and instruments was good enough. Probably, just the transferring from the master tapes. Anyway, some good rockers here like "We Came To Rock", "Assault Attack", "Jack Is Back" & "Barricade". Noticed the title?, even by just looking at the sleeves and reading them, you'll get the impression that this is indeed another album that will rock you. Again, the music didn't disappoint and can really satisfy if you're craving for another hard rock band other than your typical White Lion, Winger or Warrant. This one is not that hard to find. Still available on eBay. So, if you happen to chance it there, bid on it. Guaranteed rock n'roll!

The Big Prize by Honeymoon Suite

Just would like to take a break from the CD hunting report and just write about one of my most favorite Canadian band of all time and their second release, The Big Prize. I've been holding on to my copy of this CD for several years now even though one of the tracks skips and I still haven't found another copy of this in my recent CD hunting expeditions. I'm not that in a hurry, though because this one is still available thru their official website and even on eBay. Anyway, the music on this CD packs more punch than their self-titled debut that was released in 1984. Released on Valentine's Day of '86, it went platinum in Canada in just a short time which is not a surprise. Music fans in those days still know what was done right and with class unlike today. This is pure AOR heaven! Like what was written earlier, this one rocks more than their first release. More crunch on their guitar sound and more aggressive. Though they still have their "old" sound that is melodic rock in songs like What Does Is Take, they have taken it a notch more in terms of "heaviness" with songs like Wounded. I can still remember in my high school days listening to that song on our old cassette player, liking it very much and wondering who the hell it was. I thought then that it was Night Ranger because of the keyboards, for no one (I thought) can use the keyboard on their songs and not sounding like a wimp like NR. Then after more than a decade, I finally heard this song again inside our car after getting a hold of this CD. Then I finally learned more about this band and got the idea that "maybe Canadians do it more with style?". Of course I know Rush and Triumph, but it is as if this band opened my eyes to what is more out there. And one more thought, this one was done a year ahead of Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi which was also produced by the same producer of this one (Bruce Fairbairn), maybe, the Bon Jovi guys thought that this is exactly the kind of sound that they're looking for so they got the same producer and also recorded in the same recording studio where Honeymoon Suite made this album. Maybe.