Saga - Heads or Tails Live

A decent live album that could've been a lot better. Pity they didn't wait a little later to have Sadler return to the fold.I was never the biggest Saga fan growing up, but have come to appreciate their music more over the past few years.  The first full length CD I had heard from them was their 2009 release, The Human Condition, and I gotta say I really dug it. So when their new live album was released, I knew I wanted to check it out.   Heads or Tails was the band's 5th studio album which came out back in 1983.  For the 25th anniversary of that release the band decided to do a live recording of the full album - but this time, with a different vocalist. 

Editor's Note: Rob Morratti replaced original vocalist Michael Sadler in 2008, but has since been replaced by the original vocalist Sadler, in 2011.

Sonically the CD sounds well, but it didn't do as much for me as the last studio release.  I'm not sure if it lost some of its flavor due to the fact that Sadler didn't sing on this release.  Moratti is a great vocalist, and sounded great on the last studio release, but on this one I think he was just weak in some areas.  Not being familiar enough with Heads or Tails, I can't really make the judgement, but something was definitely lacking on this live recording.  The band as a whole sounds great, and I did get into this record, but unfortunately it just didn't blow me away like I was hoping.

Bottom Line:  A good release from the band, but should have been done once Sadler was back in the fold.  Incredible musicianship throughout the disc, but some of the songs fall a little short vocally. This one might have been better had the band just recorded a regular show which encompassed the entire catalog.

Standout Tracks: Intermission, Cat Walk, Social Orphan and The Sound of Strangers

- Ragman is on the loose...

Gary Moore - Live at Montreux 2010

What could have been?  That is a question I ask myself everyday, when I think of fallen rock soldiers.  Gary Moore is one of the more recent rock soldiers to leave us, and it still pains me to think about it.  Gary was such a great musician, and it is ashame to see such a great talent leave us, but it must of been his time.  That being said, he left us some great music to remember him by, and the latest is his last live recording from the Montreux Festival in 2010.  Gary had played the festival for many years, but to the best of my knowledge, this was the first and last show where Gary began to embrace his hard rock roots again.

Live at Montreux includes a blistering 11 track set from the axeslinger, in which he rocked out the crowd with some heavier tunes from his past.  The set also included  (3) new tracks from an upcoming hard rock record that Gary was working on, before his untimely passing.  This is a great set in which Gary and his band sound great.  It is interesting, because Gary sounds like a man possessed, with all of the furious licks, he poured out that night.  It was nice to hear Gary rock again.  It had been too long.  This is essential for all hard rock fans.

Standout Tracks: Empty Rooms, Miltary Man, Days of Heroes and Out in the Fields

Bottom Line: Gary Moore shaking the blues and rocking again.  The new tracks premiered on this one, will get you salivating for more, but unfortunately this is all we'll get.

- Ragman - R.I.P. Gary.  We miss you.

Rainbow - Live in Germany 1976

It is surprising that the strongest incarnation of Rainbow only recorded one studio album together, Rising.  The rumor mill might suggest that is was 1 1/2 (Long Live Rock N Roll - Rumors suggest that the original band might have put together a few tracks, before they made a line up change), but who really knows.  That being said, Eagle Rock Entertainment has just released a live collection of this classic line-up, on their only tour together, called Live in Germany 1976. 

The 2 disc set includes a best of from the band's first 2 albums, as well as a Deep Purple classic Mistreated.  The audio was taken from their tour of Germany back in the day.  This includes a solid set, which sounds amazing.  Dio and Blackmore as well as the rest of the band sound great.  Be ready to take a ride, because many of the tracks are extended with lots of jamming.  I really dug how the band took these songs, in so many directions, with the jams that came about within many of the tracks.  Not sure if these were planned or not, but it just showed how well the band was clicking at the time.  It would have been very interesting if this line up would have stayed together, because there is no telling what they would have put out.

Bottom Line:  A classic live release, from a very underrated band.  Rainbow before they got commercial.  A great introduction if to one of the bands that helped sculpt the music we know today.

Standout Tracks: Stargazer, Catch the Rainbow, Mistreated and Kill the King.

-Ragman wants the visual portion to this one.  It rocks!

Twisted Sister - Double Live (Northstage '82 and NY Steel '01) - DVD

Well Twisted Sister is at it again, by giving the fans more vintage video from their long standing career.  This time in the form of the killer new DVD Double Live.  Double Live is a compilation of two shows from the band from 2 different eras.  The first show is a vintage show of the band from 1982, right before they flew to England to record their now legendary Under the Blade album.  The show features a hungry band on the verge of something big.  It was shot in their home town of Long Island, which visually captured the band at their best.   This part of the DVD, was awesome to see and very entertaining.  Another bonus, is that you get fresh interviews with the guys reminiscing about that historic night.

The second show in this package, is from Eddie Trunk's NY Steel event, put on right after the 9/11 attacks.  This was a great cause that brought metalheads together to raise money for the families of Firefighters and Police officers that lost their lives from this vicious attack.  The show was also a landmark event, in that it brought Twisted Sister back together.  The band had somewhat reunited prior, but this was the first full show the band did after their reunion, and it was all caught on tape.  Hallelujah!  Essentially this was the official re-union of the band.  It is a great show where the band played all of the classics.  The band were firing on all cylinders and sounded and played great.  Just like the previous feature, this one includes some new interviews with the band talking about re-uniting and this show.  This is a great package that is essential for any TS fan.

Bottom Line:  Two classic Twisted Sister show. One from that is old school and one from the not too distant past.  All in all, 2 classic shows that now are available to the public.  This one is a must for hard rock fans.

-Ragman is loving all of the recent classic TS releases.

Modern Superstar - Under My Skin

Modern Superstar is made up from some previous members of Bullet Boys (Ryche Green) and Britney Fox (Jamie Fletcher).  Don't get too excited, because the guys in this band are probably dudes, you are not too familiar with.   Both guys were in later incarnations of these band.s after the originals had departed.  That being said, the two have formed a band to bring back the sounds of hard rock from the 80's/early 90's, but unfortunately it fell a little flat.

Moderns Superstar's debut release is mediocre at best.  The songs are tired and just don't have enough originality to stand on their own.  With the resurgence in this sound over the last few years, some have tried to capitalize, but many have failed.  To make it in the industry today, the sound can be based in that era, but you still need to keep it sounding fresh and I think that is where Modern Superstar falls short.  The songs are okay, but not great.  The only song that I kind of got into was their remake of the Steelherart/Steel Dragon tune We All Die Young from the Rockstar movie.  They sound good on that one, but that was about the only one.

Bottom Line: Average hard rock.  Songs are okay, but not great.  Note: I have a pet peave about song titles, and this one sent me over the edge.  Txt U gud' bye - Really????

Standout Tracks: We All Die Young and Generation Star.

-Ragman needed some aspirin after this one.