2015 – Green and Black Music

Live To Win: A Tribute to Lemmy Kilmister

December 30, 2015August 19, 2016 Green and Black MusicHawkwind, Kilmister, Lemmy, Motorhead0 comment

Motörhead are a part of my youth. At the time I was discovering music, promotional videos from 1916 were played in heavy rotation on Headbangers Ball. I soon purchased the album along with a copy of No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith. Yet another Motörhead fan was born. Shortly thereafter, stories of Lemmy’s pre-Motörhead existence began to reach me. The rumors that he had been a roadie for Jimi Hendrix were indeed true. I can’t imagine anything that gives more street-cred to a musician than lugging around Hendrix’s Marshall stack. Yet, there was even…

Articles Observations and Musings Uncategorized

NEVER SAY DIE! PUNK ROCK MEMORIES OF THE UNDEAD

November 25, 2015March 8, 2017 Green and Black Musicbobby steele, misfits, undead0 comment

Look at this glorious memory that has found its way to me! This lost relic was discovered at a friend’s house. Its very presence remains a mystery. Neither my friend, nor his wife, had ever listened to The Undead. Both were at a loss to explain how it came to reside beneath the basement stairs. Yet, there it sat. Displaced and lost, this punk rock bible had finally been found. My hosts kindly insisted that I keep it. It’s as if cosmic forces conspired to unite us. Not owning…

Album Art Exploration Articles Observations and Musings

TASTING IN TOKYO: SUBLIMINAL HOMOEROTIC ALBUM ART OF THE SCORPIONS

November 3, 2015November 23, 2018 Green and Black Music5 Comments

Most of us are familiar with the eighties version of the Scorpions. In the decade before MTV and “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” the band steadily released well-received albums to an international fan base. Although these records arguably represent the band’s best work, the music is often overshadowed by their outrageous cover art. Some images were humorous while others were done in bad taste. They could also be strange. Very strange. LONESOME CROW It all started innocently. Lonesome Crow, their debut album, features a human hand towering over a scorpion. Seems…

Album Reviews Articles

IRON MAIDEN – THE BOOK OF SOULS ALBUM REVIEW

October 1, 2015August 19, 2016 Green and Black Musicalbum review, book of souls, iron maiden, mayan eddie0 comment

Fifteen years have passed since Iron Maiden reunited with Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith. Brave New World, made it apparent that a new Iron Maiden had reared its head. Rambling lyrics and clean guitars were miles away from vintage Maiden. Tours promoting new albums focused almost exclusively on newer material. Many older fans felt abandoned but the strategy of divorcing past from present proved wise. Iron Maiden emerged a contemporary success rather than a nostalgia act. Secure in this triumph, the band finally seems comfortable embracing their history within the…

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Bizarre Reprise

September 1, 2015June 29, 2017 Green and Black Musicfrank zappa, hot rats, mothers of invention0 comment

Bizarre Reprise ———————— Calm emergence From desolate tomb Displaced in forgotten foliage Rising in secrecy. Black eyes peer Over decayed edge of death Blank yet ominous Concealing intent. Left for dead Abandoned mothers seek reinvention While immortal genius rises To defy expectation.

Album Reviews Articles Observations and Musings

Don’t RUSH to Judgement: An Impassioned Defense of Caress of Steel

July 20, 2015May 6, 2017 Green and Black Musiccaress of steel, rush bastille day, rush the necromancer, the fountain of lamneth13 Comments

Rush fans are a funny bunch. Passionate and opinionated, they love to argue amongst themselves. From Zeppelin-esque beginnings, to prog-rock glory, to misadventures with keyboards, the band simply followed their musical instincts. While most fans embrace all eras, an emotional minority clings to specific periods that they hold near to their heart. For me, this narrow connection roughly translates to 70’s Rush. True, I love parts of Permanent Waves and freely admit that “YYZ” is an indisputable work of undying perfection. Yet, to me, Hemispheres was the last great Rush…

Album Reviews Articles

Corrosion of Conformity IX Album Review

June 26, 2015August 19, 2016 Green and Black Musicalbum review, c.o.c., corrosion of conformity, crossover, doom, ix, punk, trio0 comment

IX is the follow-up to Corrosion of Conformity’s 2012, self-titled album. Resisting calls by some fans to bring guitarist/vocalist, Pepper Keenan, back into the fold; the band chose to delay the inevitable and continue the momentum unleashed from playing as a three-piece. While IX lacks the intensity and rawness of Animosity, a conscious recreation of past glories was never the intention. By choosing to revive the trio format, the band clearly desired to capture the contemporary incarnation of a group known for continual reinvention. Change pushes musicians to approach their…