Rose - "Intense Live Series Volume 3"

Rose - Intense Live Series Volume 3

1993, Intense

1. Oppression

2. On My Knees

3. Demons

4. Hide

5. D.O.P.

6. You Gotta Move

I think Rose's edition (along with Deliverance's) of the Intense Live Series are my favorites. The band puts together some rockin' version of album tunes. I really enjoy the speedy version of "Oppression" and the electric doom version of "On My Knees." "Hide" is a new track that kind of mixes the stoner rock style of the band with blues. I also have to give the guys kudos because I've never liked the song "You Gotta Move" but I even enjoy that too.

Useless Fact: According to the liner notes Randy invited his whole family to the recording studio and a few of the helped out on some of the tracks.

Die Happy - "Intense Live Series Volume 4"

Die Happy - Intense Live Series Volume 4

1993, Intense

1. Justified

2. In Studio

3. Painted Truth

4. In Studio

5. Temple Of Soul

6. In Studio

7. Celebration

8. In Studio

9. Endless Time

10. All Over Me

If I remember correctly the Intense Live Series got a lot of flak from critics but I always thought they were pretty fun. Die Happy's installment was the only one I didn't get on tape back in the day. I don't know why... I just missed it somehow. Well now I finally have it and it's pretty much what I expected - a fun "live" disc with decent versions of album material. It really showcases how great a vocalist Kyle Basuri is and how great a bassist Greg Chassion is. The band also does a little bit more acoustic stuff than some of the other discs in the series. "Temple Of Soul" is pretty cool as an "unplugged" tune but I think I could do without Greg Chassion shouting the chorus at me in the second half of the song. "Endless Time" is a new ballad and "All Over Me" is a Petra cover - both rock.

Useless Fact: Terry Taylor (DA, Swirling Eddies, Lost Dogs) was the executive producer for this whole series. I have a hard time seeing him with the likes of Tourniquet, Rose, and Die Happy.

Red Sea - "Blood"

Red Sea - Blood

1994, Rugged

1. Soulshaker

2. Blood

3. Wolves at the Door

4. Dust to Dust

5. Last Day of Winter

6. Walk on Fire

7. Shades of Purple

8. Hellbound Train

9. Losin' My Way

10. Down Home Static

11. Tears of Joy

I should like this. Really, I should like it. Red Sea's Blood could almost pass for a third Die Happy album. It features Kyle Basuri on vocals and Greg Chassion on bass. So... there's no reason for me not to like it. Yet... whenever I put this on one of two things happen - my mind wanders and I forgot what I heard or I fall asleep. It's not that it's bad, not at all. I'm just weird. That's really all I have to say.

Useless Fact: Bands on Rugged records had a habit of creating some pretty 80's looking cover art. Red Sea was no exception.

Spy Glass Blue - "Shadows"

Spy Glass Blue - Shadows

1997, Organic

1. Thin and Leaner

2. Lodging

3. In Sultry Places

4. Can You Feel

5. Me Mine

6. On and On

7. Stygian

8. Iron Grey

9. Ignorant Side

10. Come Patmos

11. Should Have

12. Tell

Hmmm.... so Spy Glass Blue is a band featuring Allan Aguire from Scaterd Few. Since I loved Sin Disease so much (and still love it to this day) I thought I'd check out Spy Glass Blue. Eh... it's alright. It certainly doesn't have the raw edge to it that Scaterd Few had. It's definitely more melodic and Allan's vocals are a bit more restrained, staying in a lower Bowie-esque mode for most of the disc. I kind of missed the yowling honestly. The basswork is also amazing. I can't remember who played on this album but that awesome spin warping bass that was present on Sin Disease is here too - only a bit more melodic. For some reason I've never really been able to get into this at all. It's not bad but I never really seem to want to go back to it.

Useless Fact: Allan Aguire and his family were on the show Wife Swap. They swapped with an uptight conservative Christian family. It was interesting. Of course the other family thought the Aguires were out of their minds for awhile!

Foxworthy, Jeff - "Big Funny"

Foxworthy, Jeff - Big Funny

2000, Dreamworks Nashville

1. Intro

2. Seeing Things on the Road

3. I'd Heard Every Redneck Thing

4. Telephones in the Bathroom

5. Jeff Gordon Enunciates

6. Speaking of Words

7. The Way I Grew Up

8. My Wife's Family

9. House Full of Girls

10. It's A Different World

11. I Don't Need to Know That

12. You're Being Trained

13. Women Want To Talk

14. Thanks Ya'll - Encore

15. Blue Collar Dollar

A decent amount of material on Big Funny shows up in the Blue Collar movies. So, like Foxworthy's latest, you may have already heard some of the stuff on here. Luckily for me, I think there's more that I haven't heard here. In fact, I think some of Jeff's best lines are on this disc. "It's a weird feeling to be mad and learning at the same time." Good stuff. I suppose it also helps that I haven't seen any of the Blue Collar movies in years. Big Funny ranks right up there with Totally Committed in terms of my favorite Foxworthy albums.

I will say one thing... in "You're Being Trained" Jeff talks about how women really rule the house and how all men are being trained. You know guys... it doesn't have to be like that. In my experience women can only control a man up to the point that he allows himself to be controlled.

Useless Fact: "Blue Collar Dollar" continues the tradition of music/comedy songs. I don't really like these.

Foxworthy, Jeff - "Games Rednecks Play"

Foxworthy, Jeff - Games Rednecks Play
1995, Warner Bros.

1. Introduction
2. Victoria's Secret
3. Games Rednecks Play
4. Southern Accent
5. Nasa & Alabama & Fishing Shows
6. Clampetts Go To Maui
7. I Love Being a Parent
8. Out of the Gene Pool
9. Seek and Destroy
10. Don't Drink and Drive
11. More You Might Be a Redneck if...
12. Party All Night

Jeff Foxworthy's second disc (after You Might Be A Redneck If...) is pretty good. I think it's a step up from the first one with some great stories - particularly taking his family to Hawaii. I've been listening to these at night to unwind lately and I got sick of the ones I had so I bought some of the other ones I didn't have.

Useless Fact: "Party All Night" is another one of those country songs with Foxworthy bits as the verses. It didn't quite make the transition from CD to my Ipod. Can't imagine why...

Star One - "Space Metal"

Star One - Space Metal

2002, Inside Out

1. Lift Off

2. Set Your Controls

3. High Moon (Outlander)

4. Songs of the Ocean (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

5. Master of Darkness (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back)

6. The Eye of Ra (Stargate)

7. Sandrider (Dune)

8. Perfect Survivor (Alien)

9. Intergalactic Space Crusaders (Blake 7)

10. Starchild (2001: A Space Odyssee and 2010)

Star One is a side project of Arjen Lucassen. After he made his mellow Ambeon album Arjen wanted to make a straight-forward metal album. It's about as straight-forward as Arjen is really capable of. There's still plenty of progressive playing and multipart songs. However, it is heavier than anything Ayreon has done and the songs aren't as long for the most part - except for the 10 minute epic "Starchild". The songs are based off of various sci-fi films (I've provided the titles above). To be honest this sounds like a heavier version of The Universal Migrator II: Flight of the Navigator. Not that that's a bad thing. I'm not sure the hooks are as apparent but it's a really fun listen. It even made me want to rewatch some of these old classic movies. A few of the vocalists have appeared on other Ayreon projects like Damien Wilson and Floor Jansen. Russell Allen is from Symphony X and Ed Warby once again provides the drums. Basically, if you like Ayreon you'll like this too. My only complaint about this disc is that the chorus of "Sandrider" and the chorus of "Intergalactic Space Crusader" sound a little too similar.

Useless Fact: Star One also produced a live album and Arjen is currently working on a new Star One project as I write this.