hr-HR http://sakalli.blog.hr (Review from allmusic, wikipedia) Although his health weakened by the 90s, Mercury insisted that the band work on music until the very end. Much... http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627238543/rufus-zuphall-outside-the-gates-of-eden-live-2006-256.html (Review from ohrwaschl.de) In summer 2006, the band performed at famous Belgian rock-underground club "Spirit of 66". This show was broadcast by German radio station "Deutschlandfunk". Over more than 120 minutes Rufus Zuphall played a hand-picked show including their classic titles like "Weiss der Teufel", "Avalon", "Spanferkel", "Portland Town", "Knight of 3rd degree" and others. Also new songs like the title track of this double album "Outside the gates of Eden", a superb work, which is reminiscent of the best moments of their classic second Album "Phallobst" are included. Further new titles like "Blue Zone", "Lover Mine" and "Sixpack" shows Krause is still able to pin compositions. Rufus Zuphall continues to use different musical elements and though now the new compositions can be characterized rather as songs than pieces, one essential component has been preserved the love of the long musical form. This great concert is a showcase for the tremendous passion and performing abilities of Rufus Zuphall. Line-up : - Klaus Gulden / flute, percussion - Gunter Krause / guitars, vocals - Helmut Lieblang / bass - Gero Korner / hammond organ, keyboards - Roland Hegel / drums Track List : CD1 01. Spanferkel - 2:47 02. Portland Town - 4:21 03. Outside The Gates Of Eden - 6:41 04. Blue Zone - 5:23 05. Lover Mine - 6:04 06. Knight Of 3rd Degree - 7:35 07. Sixpack (Into The Night) - 5:41 08. Avalon - 12:38 09. 1000 Mothers Weeping - 5:57 10. Rain Keeps Fallin' - 8:26 CD2 01. Angels Fly By Night - 4:07 02. A Deeper Shade Of Blue - 6:49 03. 900 Miles - 8:07 04. 60 Ways To Sing The Blues - 7:28 05. Colder Than Hell - 9:41 06. Weis Der Teufel - 19:39 07. Through The Night - 3:58 Links in comments. http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627238543/rufus-zuphall-outside-the-gates-of-eden-live-2006-256.html Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:52:00 +0100 http://www.blog.hr/komentari/post/1627238543/rufus-zuphall-outside-the-gates-of-eden-live-2006-256.html http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627238141/queen-innuendo-1991-256.html (Review from allmusic, wikipedia) Although his health weakened by the 90s, Mercury insisted that the band work on music until the very end. Much of the material on the album deals with the band's coming to terms with his imminent death. The theme is also reflected in the music, which can be heavy and arresting but also bleak and dark, and very often both. Innuendo is in some sense a return to Queen's roots with its harder rock sound, strong vocals from Freddie ranging over four octaves, overdubs, multipart composition and psychedelic effects. "Innuendo" was a fitting way to end one of rock's most successful careers. Nine months after the album's release, Freddie Mercury died. Line-up : - Freddie Mercury / vocals, keyboards - John Deacon / bass, keyboards - Brian May / guitars, keyboard, vocals - Roger Taylor / drums, keuboards, vocals with: - Steve Howe / Spanish Minstrell guitar (1) - Mike Moran / keyboards (7) Track List : 01. Innuendo - 6:31 02. I'm Going Slighty Mad - 4:22 03. Headlong - 4:38 04. I Can't Live With You - 4:33 05. Don't Try So Hard - 3:39 06. Ride The Wild Wind - 4:42 07. All God's People - 4:21 08. These Are The Days Of Our Lives - 4:15 09. Delilah - 3:35 10. The Hitman - 4:56 11. Bijou - 3:36 12. The Show Must Go On - 4:35 Links in comments. http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627238141/queen-innuendo-1991-256.html Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:14:00 +0100 http://www.blog.hr/komentari/post/1627238141/queen-innuendo-1991-256.html http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627237569/rufus-zuphall-colder-than-hell-live-2000-256.html (Info from rufus-zuphall.de, alexgitlin.com) Rufus Zuphall is one of the significant German rock bands of the early seventies. Formed in Aachen in 1969 the band melted together blues elements, Anglo-Saxon folk, classical influences and driving guitar rock with progressive song structure into an autonomous instrumental dominated, unmistakable style. In 1972 the band broke up due to the pressure of commercialization. In 1999, thirty years after the forming of the band, a promoter succeeded in persuading the original members of the band to play once again. On June 19th they made a fantastic, cheered, and critically acclaimed reunion concert supported by the ingenious youngster Gero Korner playing keyboards. This one-off concert's terrific success made it easy for the "old guys" to give it one more try. Since then, the band have been playing at different locations and festivals with the addition of Roland Hegel who is more than a substitute for their original exceptional drummer Udo Dahmen. This live album captures the band during their tour in 2000, performing both old classics and some new songs. Line-up : - Gunter Krause / guitar, vocals - Helmut Lieblang / bass - Klaus Gulden / flute - Gero Korner / keyboards - Roland Hegel / drums Track List : 01. Schupfner - 3:19 02. Portland Town - 4:30 03. Makrojel - 6:51 04. Angels Fly By Night - 3:59 05. And The Rain - 7:37 06. Freitag - 5:52 07. Colder Than Hell - 7:19 08. People - 8:07 09. A Thousand Mothers Weeping - 5:25 10. Weis der Teufel - 17:25 11. No Face Today - 6:37 Link in comments. http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627237569/rufus-zuphall-colder-than-hell-live-2000-256.html Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:55:00 +0100 http://www.blog.hr/komentari/post/1627237569/rufus-zuphall-colder-than-hell-live-2000-256.html http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627236467/queen-miracle-1989-256.html (Review from allmusic) Following their massive 1986 European stadium tour for the A Kind of Magic album, Queen took an extended break. Rumors swirled about an impending breakup, but it turned out the break was brought on by a painful marital divorce for guitarist Brian May (who subsequently battled depression and contemplated suicide), and Freddie Mercury being diagnosed with AIDS. Instead of sinking further into misery, the band regrouped, worked on each other's mental state, and recorded one of their most inspired albums, 1989's The Miracle. Lyrically, the songs tend to reflect on the band's past accomplishments ("Khashoggi's Ship", "Was It All Worth It") as well as the state of the world in the late '80s (the title track, "I Want It All"). Miracle packs quite a sonic punch, recalling the rich sounds of their past classics. Split 50/50 between pop ("Breakthru," "Invisible Man," "Rain Must Fall") and heavy rock ("I Want It All", "Khashoggi's Ship", "Was It All Worth It"), the album was another global smash, even re-establishing the band in the US. Line-up : - Freddie Mercury / vocals, keyboards - Brian May / guitars, vocals, keyboards - John Deacon / bass - Roger Taylor / drums, percussion, vocals Track List : 01. Party - 2:24 02. Khashoggi's Ship - 2:48 03. The Miracle - 5:02 04. I Want It All - 4:41 05. The Invisible Man - 3:57 06. Breakthru - 4:08 07. Rain Must Fall - 4:23 08. Scandal - 4:42 09. My Baby Does Me - 3:23 10. Was It All Worth It - 5:45 11. Hang On In There - 3:46 12. Chinese Torture - 1:45 13. The Invisible Man (Bonus 12') - 5:28 Link in comments. http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627236467/queen-miracle-1989-256.html Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0100 http://www.blog.hr/komentari/post/1627236467/queen-miracle-1989-256.html http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627235379/french-tv-2006-this-is-what-we-do-256.html (Review from progressor.net) French TV is again back with nothing else less than extremely innovative music, which avoids any precise definitions. The violin and various woodwinds impart a certain chamber sense to French TV's ninth offering, while the brass instruments make the jazz-fusion component more distinct in places, particularly in the middle of each of the first two compositions, "Colorless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously" and "Ska Face", both, unlike the other tracks, featuring guest trombone players. The centerpiece "My Little Cicada" is notable for a longish episode with atmospheric violin- and acoustic guitar-laden arrangements. In the beginning of "Look at the Bears", the organ somewhat calls to mind a theme from "Pictures at an Exhibition", but not for long, soon giving way to the clarinet and bass exercising new methods in chamber rock. "On the Theme from ESPN X-treme" some classical-like movements and an exotic stringed instrument (reminiscent of saz) is present. With the exception of these peculiarities, the compositions have much common ground between themselves, each coming with no thematic sections as such, but consisting exclusively of ever-changing, both highly eclectic and cohesive arrangements. With an average track length of 10+ minutes, there is more than enough time to develop themes and push them through countless twists and turns. Each track showcases French TV's intelligent ability to construct long polymorphous compositions, that would be equally cerebral and fascinating. It seems it's impossible for French TV to record a bad album. Line-up : - Mike Sary / bass, voice - Warren Dale / keyboards, winds, reeds, mallets - Chris Smith / guitars, violins, exotic strings - Jeff Gard / drums with - Steven Dale / trumpet (1 & 2) - Pam Thompson / trombone (2) - Paolo Botta / keyboards (3) Track List : 01. Colorless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously - 10:19 02. Ska Face - 8:24 03. My Little Cicada - 11:48 04. Look at the Bears! Look at the Bears! Look at the Bears! - 8:10 05. Theme From ESPN X-Treme Cobalt Blue 4x4 Bathroom Tile Installation Games - 13:01 Link in comments. http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627235379/french-tv-2006-this-is-what-we-do-256.html Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:20:00 +0100 http://www.blog.hr/komentari/post/1627235379/french-tv-2006-this-is-what-we-do-256.html http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627234793/queen-live-at-wembley-1986-256.html (Review from allmusic) Live at Wembley proves once and for all that Queen was a superior live band, and like the Beatles, Stones, etc., had far too many hits to fit in a two-hour show. Recorded in their native England at the gigantic Wembley Stadium on the A Kind of Magic tour, the group was at their peak of popularity back home. This would unfortunately turn out to be the band's last tour, and it showed the group including old rock & roll covers, classics, then-current songs, improv, and overlooked album tracks. Queen opens up the show with the near-heavy-metal roar of "One Vision" and adds lively renditions of the well-known "Tie Your Mother Down", the David Bowie collaboration "Under Pressure" and their very first hit, "Seven Seas of Rhye". Also included on first disc is the early forgotten show-closer "In the Lap of the Gods", the beautiful (and sadly prophetic) ballad "Who Wants to Live Forever" and a downright funky version of "Another One Bites the Dust". Disc Two opens with a pair of acoustic numbers including the perennial crowd fave "Love of My Life" but soon switches gear to some good old rock & roll covers. Spirited and fun versions of "You're So Square (Baby I Don't Care)" and "Tutti Frutti" expose Queen's roots, while their own "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" fits in perfectly with all the 50s hoopla. And casual fans will recognize "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Radio GaGa" and "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions". Live at Wembley '86 does a good job of balancing the well-known, for the uninitiated, and the lesser-known, for the hardcore fan. Line-up : - Freddie Mercury / vocals, keyboards - John Deacon / bass - Brian May / guitars, vocals - Roger Taylor / drums, vocals Track List : CD1 01. One Vision - 5:50 02. Tie Your Mother Down - 3:52 03. In The Lap Of The Gods - 2:43 04. Seven Seas Of Rhye - 1:18 05. Tear It Up - 2:12 06. A Kind Of Magic - 8:41 07. Under Pressure - 3:41 08. Another One Bites The Dust - 4:53 09. Who Wants To Live Forever - 5:16 10. I Want To Break Free - 3:33 11. Impromptu - 2:56 12. Brighton Rock Solo - 9:10 13. Now I'm Here - 6:20 CD2 01. Love Of My Life - 4:48 02. Is This The World We Created - 2:58 03. (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care - 1:36 04. Hello Mary Lou (Goodbye Heart) - 1:50 05. Tutti Frutti - 2:53 06. Gimme Some Lovin' - 0:55 07. Bohemian Rhapsody - 5:50 08. Hammer To Fall - 5:56 09. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - 6:05 10. Big Spender - 1:06 11. Radio Ga Ga - 5:57 12. We Will Rock You - 2:47 13. Friends Will Be Friends - 2:06 14. We Are The Champions - 4:04 15. God Save The Queen - 1:27 Links in comments. http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627234793/queen-live-at-wembley-1986-256.html Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:11:00 +0100 http://www.blog.hr/komentari/post/1627234793/queen-live-at-wembley-1986-256.html http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627233560/french-tv-pardon-our-french-2004-256.html (Review from frenchtvonline.com) The eighth French TV album, "Pardon Our French" twitches, squirts, squeaks, flows, soars, marches, stomps, cranks, hovers, trips, uses sonic commas, semi-colons, ellipses, does ballet and the Snoopy dance, goes to the circus and west but not least, bewilders. All in ways the faithful will love and virgin ears listening for something unusual might well appreciate. The marching band opening and ensuing circus themes in "Tears of a Velvet Clown" offers a dose of that unique French TV instrumental humor, while opener "Everything Works in Mexico" clobbers the listener with a dazzling array of changes and some nice Spanish guitar and violin work by Smith. "Sekala Dan Niskala" is a musical romp through west and east Asia; they cover it all with riq, tabla, dumbek, violin, rebab, flutes, sampled gamelon, and many other instruments. "Ruff Tuff Creampuff's Take Over" is a raging barn-burner where intense keyboard, sax, and guitar lines weave around each other while the intricate bass and drum work keep everything afloat. The near 17 minute 'Pardon Our French Medley' is a wonderfully accessible and powerful instrumental amalgam of tracks by such French legends as Ange, Atoll, Carpe Diem, Shylock, Pulsar & Etron Fou, here all put into one giant musical melting pot with some scorching electric guitar work throughout, allied to solid rhythms from that department and seriously flowing playing from the arsenal of synths and keys, providing a truly breathtaking fusion of jazz-rock and prog-rock that keeps the mix of melodic prog and dramatic jazz-rock within suitably structured confines and delivers a blend of synths-guitars dominated music that ranges from the atmospheric to the downright explosive, every member of the band playing a vital role as the medley rolls by. French TV knows how to take a sonic melange, a veritable quilt of abstraction, harness its nefarious energy centers, and imbue it with distinct identity and sense of direction. Line-up : - Mike Sary / bass - Warren Dale / keyboards, brass, woodwinds, vibes - Chris Smith / guitars, banjo, electric violin - Jeff Gard / drums with - Steven Dale / brass (1,4) - Stephanie Dale / piccolo (4) - Will Stewart / trumpet (4) - Pam Thomson / brass (4) - Richard Steiger / percussion (2) - Natalie Gilbert / vocals (3) - Denise Gilbert / recitative (3) - Howie Gano / string ensemble (3) Track List : 01. Everything Works In Mexico - 11:55 02. Sekala Dan Niskala - 6:19 03. The 'Pardon Our French' Medley - 16:58 04. Tears Of A Velvet Clown - 13:17 05. When The Ruff Tuff Creampuffs Take Over - 11:40 Link in comments. http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627233560/french-tv-pardon-our-french-2004-256.html Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:52:00 +0100 http://www.blog.hr/komentari/post/1627233560/french-tv-pardon-our-french-2004-256.html http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627233050/queen-live-magic-1986-256.html (Review from progarchives.com, wikipedia) "Live Magic" captures Queen at pretty much the height of their career. The resurgence in their popularity which resulted from their appearance at "Live Aid" is captured here in a succession of songs which were live anthems and pop classics. Most of the performances here were recorded at Knebworth Park, the band's last ever concert with its classic line-up. The remaining few from a show in Hungary and in Wembley Stadium. The bad news is that the compilers have tried to squeeze a quart into a pint pot. There are a total of 15 tracks, squeezed onto two sides of an LP. This results in many of the songs being abbreviated. The album is made up of songs taken from three separate gigs, two in the United Kingdom, and one in Hungary. Such is that band's professionalism that in reality it matters not where the recordings took place, the sound and the crowd's reaction is the same. There is no doubt that these recordings capture some of the excitement of a Queen gig; from the opening "One vision" through "Tie your mother down" and "Seven seas of Rhye", the band rapidly wind up the crowd to a frenzy. One purpose the album does serve is to demonstrate the strength of the song-writing talent throughout the band. All four band members have songs included which can be classified as Queen classics. The emphasis is largely on Queen's then more recent numbers. The six songs on side one of the LP are largely unabridged, with only "Seven Seas of Rhye" being cut down to segue into "A Kind of Magic". The shortened tracks on the second side are presented as a sort of medley, leading to disappointing renditions of songs such as "Friends Will Be Friends". The anthems "We are the champions", "Radio Ga-Ga" and "We Will Rock You" inevitably wind the crowd up further, Freddie by now has them in the palm of his hands. Line-up : - Brian May / guitar, vocals - Roger Taylor / drums, vocals - John Deacon / bass - Freddie Mercury Vocals, piano with: - Spike Edney / additional guitars, Keyboards, Vocals Track List : 01. One Vision - 5:08 02. Tie Your Mother Down - 2:59 03. Seven Seas Of Rhye - 1:21 04. A Kind Of Magic - 5:29 05. Under Pressure - 3:48 06. Another One Bites The Dust - 5:50 07. I Want To Break Free - 2:40 08. Is This The World We Created - 1:30 09. Bohemian Rhapsody - 4:41 10. Hammer To Fall - 5:20 11. Radio Ga-Ga - 4:26 12. We Will Rock You - 1:32 13. Friends Will Be Friends - 1:09 14. We Are The Champions - 2:01 15. God Save The Queen - 1:18 Link in comments. http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/02/1627233050/queen-live-magic-1986-256.html Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:21:00 +0100 http://www.blog.hr/komentari/post/1627233050/queen-live-magic-1986-256.html http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/01/1627231232/french-tv-case-against-art-2002-256.html (Review from progressor.net, progweed.net) The seventh French TV album is not only as outstanding as their previous, it clearly shows that the words like ''repetition", "stagnation", and not to mention "decadence", aren't applicable to them. It is another remarkable example of these veterans' indefatigability in searching for new ways in their creation. Each of the five compositions that are featured on the album, contain very diverse and complex arrangements, all of which are filled with seemingly endless and often atonal interplay between various soloing instruments, constant and mostly sudden changes of tone and mood. The core of bass/guitar/drums/keyboards is augmented by a healthy dose of woodwinds and violin, adding subtle texture or spiky tone colour. The predominantly instrumental offerings undulate with every twist and turn; delicate flute interludes give way to dark and unsettling sax drones. The calm of sweeping violin is broken by thunderous bass riffs. The post-Canterbury sound shines through many times, injecting the songs with a jazzy, lyrical melodicism. The cover tune this time is a re-working of Happy the Man's "Partly the State", complete with original vocalist Cliff Fortney. It runs circles around the original, with added clarity and bite. Line-up : - Mike Sary / bass - Dean Zigoris / guitar - Warren Dale / keyboards, sax, vibe, clarinets - Chris Vincent / drums - Chris Smith / guitar, violin, banjo, mandolin with - Greg Acker / sax, flute (2,4,5) - Cathy Moller / violin (2,5) - Cliff Fortney / vocals, flute, recorder (3) - Shawn Persinger / acoustic guitar (3) - Kirk Davis / percussion (3) - Karen Hyer / soprano (3) - Stephen Dale / trumpet, euphonium (4) - Pam Thompson / tuba (5) Track List : 01. That Thing On The Wall - 8:53 02. Viable Tissue Matter - 11:45 03. Partly The State - 10:30 04. One Humiliating Incident After Another - 9:18 05. Under The Big W - 14:18 Link in comments. http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/01/1627231232/french-tv-case-against-art-2002-256.html Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:34:00 +0100 http://www.blog.hr/komentari/post/1627231232/french-tv-case-against-art-2002-256.html http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/01/1627230443/queen-a-kind-of-magic-1986-256.html (Review from allmusic) "A Kind of Magic" was Queen's biggest album yet in England, where it reached number one, remained on the charts for 63 weeks and spawned several hit singles the epic title track, the tuneful pop/rocker "Friends Will Be Friends" and one of their most haunting ballads, "Who Wants to Live Forever". Most of the songs were written for the movie "Highlander" but instead of issuing just a movie soundtrack, the band added a few non-movie tracks and made an official Queen release out of it. It may not have been as cohesive as some of their other albums, but "A Kind of Magic" was their best work in some time. Queen would embark on a sold-out tour of outdoor stadiums in Europe upon the album's release, which would sadly turn out to be their final tour. Line-up : - Brian May / guitar, keyboards, Vocals - Freddie Mercury / keyboards, vocals - John Deacon / bass, keyboards - Roger taylor / drums, keyboards, vocals with - The National Philharmonic Orchestra / Orchestra - Michael Kamen / orchestration - Lynton Naiff / string arrangements - Spike Edney / additional keyboards - Steve Gregory / saxophone (3) - Joan Armatrading / incidental vocals (8) Track List : 01. One Vision - 5:11 02. A Kind Of Magic - 4:24 03. One Year Of Love - 4:27 04. Pain Is So Close To Pleasure - 4:22 05. Friends Will Be Friends - 4:07 06. Who Wants To Live Forever - 5:17 07. Gimme The Prize - 4:34 08. Don't Lose Your Head - 4:38 09. Princes Of The Universe - 3:33 10. A Kind Of 'A Kind Of Magic' - 3:37 11. Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends... - 5:58 12. Forever - 3:20 Links in comments. http://sakalli.blog.hr/2010/01/1627230443/queen-a-kind-of-magic-1986-256.html Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:45:00 +0100 http://www.blog.hr/komentari/post/1627230443/queen-a-kind-of-magic-1986-256.html