Styx - The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight Live (Blu-ray)

Following in the latest trend of bands performing their greatest albums in their entirety, the boys of Styx have made a fine concert flick.Over the last few years many classic bands have gone on tour playing their classic albums in their entirety.  Priest did it with British Steel a few years back and Def Leppard did it with High and Dry, but neither band has done two classic albums back to back until Styx.  In 2010 Styx went on tour playing 2 of their biggest albums, The Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight, in their entirety and it is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.  It is bold for a band to go out and play a classic album, but to do 2 back to back, is unheard of.  The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight tour is a rare moment that may not be repeated again, thank goodness it was released on this memorable DVD.

This is a solid show showing Styx at the top of their game.  Usually, an undertaking like this, would be career suicide, unless the original members are still in tact.  Yeah the faces have changed, but the band still sounds awesome.  Gowan does a nice job sitting in for the long departed Dennis Deyoung.   The only two original members left in the band are James Young and Tommy Shaw, but for this live show, the guys brought back original bassist Chuck Panozzo, which was a treat.  Too bad they are still at odds with Deyoung, because that would had made for an awesome performance.  That being said, the current band kicks ass and the original guys weren't missed, unless you are looking for nostalgia.  The show is shot as a film and not as a video.  The picture is crisp and the sound is dead on.  A solid watch from start to finish.  Nice to see the band can still kick it this good live.

Bottom Line: Styx pushing the envelope by playing two classic albums back to back.  The band execute them with ease and put on a hell of a show.  Let's all be thankful there was not Mr. Roboto.

-Ragman is thinking he might check out Styx, the next time they come through town.

Queen - Days of Our Lives (Blu-ray)

If you're wondering how this amazing documentary does with the story of Queen. Hey, it's a kind of magic.Queen is, and will always be one of the best hard rock bands of all time.  Yeah, they had some off periods, but who hasn't.  They are one of those seminal bands that have shaped the music we listen to today.  As you all know, I'm a huge rock doc guy, and when one comes that blows me away, I will get on my soap box and scream to the heavens as to how awesome it is.  The latest rock doc to catch my eye is the very in depth Queen - Days of Our Lives documentary.  Originally aired on the BBC in a two part series, it is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

Days of Our Lives is a very comprehensive look at the band that is Queen.  The DVD takes you from the beginning, when the band formed, all the way through to the Paul Rogers era.  There is tons of great concert and archived footage of the band through their existence, with the late great Freddy Mercury.  There is lot of archived interviews, mixed in with current interviews with Roger Taylor and Brian May.  As many core Queen fans know, original bassist John Deacon, has retired since the death of Freddy Mercury, for the most part, only appearing with band twice since Mercury's passing in 1991.  This is a great DVD which dives deep into the band and gives you the full scoop.  And if that isn't enough there are some great bonus features.  If you love or even like Queen, this is a must.

Bottom Line:  An in depth look at one of the great hard rock bands ever.  A must for any Queen fan.

-Ragman was blown away by this doc.

Podcast #133: Tattoo

The erstwhile Aussies of Strange Karma have been hitting the West Coast hard for a while now, and it's starting to pay off with some buzz.How geeked are you that VH is back? "A lot!" Maybe, but will they be able to keep things going? Join Genghis and Ragman as they talk about Van Halen’s upcoming CD, A Different Kind of Truth, and the subsequent tour. The boys also take you through some of their favorite Van Halen tunes as well as what they think of the first single, Tattoo. Next, the boys go down under for their interview with Strange Karma guitarist, Paul Strange, who discusses the band’s debut CD and the challenges of breaking out of Australia. HORNS UP!

DVD of the Show: Van Halen - Live in Buenos Aries

Beer of the Show: Traditional Blond Ale (Omer.)
	Presentation: 3.0 Alcohol: 3.5 Taste: 3.5 Drinkability: 3.5 Overall: 3.5	"You just gotta love those Belgian style ales, and this one does a nice job of being light, but offering a wealth of complexity. Nice work, Omer."

Featured Tracks: Van Halen - Hear About it Later, House of Pain, Little Guitars, Where Have All the Good Times Gone; AC/DC - Ride On; ZZ Top - Brown Sugar; Van Halen - Poundcake, Outta love again, Best of Both Worlds; White Lion - Wait; Winger - Seventeen; Van Halen - Tattoo, Dirty Movies; Strange Karma - Time, Down and Out, America, Indian Sun, and Harder than a Stone

Classic of the Show: Roxy Blue - Rob the Cradle

Ragman Pick of the Show: Steel Panther - Just Like Tiger Woods

Genghis Pick of the Show: Van Halen - Somebody Get Me a Doctor

- Ragman is biding his time until Tuesday (time will tell if it's worth it)...

Podcast #133: Tattoo

A Serbian Film

After Hostel ushered in the torture porn craze, you'd think we've seen it all by now. Not really.I think I've just seen one of the most disturbing movies of my life.  Seriously, I've seen some heavy duty stuff before, but I don't believe anything tops A Serbian Film.  In the vein (ha!) of "torture porn" films like Hostel, A Serbian Film aims for some dark places and makes you feel like you should shower afterwards.  This film is about a retired porn actor named Millos who is lured back into the industry for a one off film that will supposedly set him up for life.  The director, a very shady character, convinces Millos that this gig is all about art and will become a breakthrough film. Little does he know, he's just been cast for a snuff film. Going in blind, Millos takes the job and (naturally) chaos ensues.  This film is not for the faint of heart because it goes into some totally fucked up dark places.  

The film actually is Serbian with English subtitles.  And it will captivate you from start to finish.  There's not a boring moment in this picture with all of the messed up things going on throughout.  It sort of has a Memento feel to it, because for much of the movie the main character is desperately trying to remember what he has done.  This movie, though deliberately controversial in so many ways, was highly entertaining.  It's schlock chock full of action which will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time and easily one of the better horror films I have seen in a good while.

Bottom Line: Hostel meets Memento.  Fans of those two films will likely find this a must watch.  A film that will leave you feeling a bit unsettled - there are some huge lines that were crossed with this one - but it still made for a solid watch.

- Ragman is more than a little disturbed after seeing this one...

Issa - The Storm

While the singer isn't without talent, you'd swear she hitched a ride on a DeLorean to 2011.I don't know a lot about mononymous Norwegian singer Issa, but if you told me this CD was found in the glove compartment of an abandoned 1985 Mustang somewhere, I'd believe you.  Don't get me wrong, it's not that this album is bad in terms of production or songwriting provided you take it as a product of the classic 80s melodic rock its clearly modeled after. I'm telling you, had this album come out as is in 1985, you'd be seeing Issa's blonde tresses all over an episode of I Love The 80s. On a side note, even her videos have an 80s flavor [I don't think she planned].

As it is, however, it comes across as derivative ("retro", at best) in an era of 21st century rock music that's seen countless bands come and go that were built on this formula.  And while the guitar work fits nicely over the same old keyboard patches and echoey drum kit, it's hard to ignore the "been there, done that" feeling you get listening to an admittedly competent group of musicians.

The Bottom Line: One the one hand, it's the same old melodic rock sound from nearly 30 years ago, but on the other, it's catchy grooves and choruses that are just as listenable as they were so long ago.  So what's the harm?

- Genghis is remembering how hot he thought Jan Kuehnemund was back in the day...