The Music Banter Members' Journals Monthly Update Thread

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Captain America and Green ... Canary ... something, I don't know. You know what he's like...

I should the differences between Green Arrow and Black Canary would be rather obvious.

[Trollheart]

Time for another update, and since I can't think of anything clcver to introduce this one, nor come up with any theme, what say we just get on with and then then we can all get back to our lives? Deal?

Anteater gets us going, but not onboard his Yacht Rock, um, yacht, this time. No, at last someone has done it, and if it was going to be anyone it would be him, with help from Toto-journal-partner Unknown Soldier. http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...r-journal.html needs no explanation, and kicks off with “The best of 75-77” with this week Starcastle's Fountains of light.

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...continuum.html continues with Zeds Dead (didn't even know he was alive!)

while contractual obligations between he and Pet_Sounds mean that http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...lks-about.html this week listening to ... Billy Joel. But, not Billy Joel. Um, you ever heard of Atilla? No, not the Hun! The band! No? Me neither. But Batty reviews it here in exchange for Pet_Sounds promising to review an album for Manowar week which he has yet to do!

and Exo decides to review his best albums of 2015 so far in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...s-musings.html : sure what better place to do that? Included are Mount Eerie, Creepoid, Courtney Barnett, Earl Sweatshirt and more.

While http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...63-2015-a.html reaches 2011, where we hear from Poor Lily, Death Grips, Kendrick Lamar and Danny Brown, among others.

More of http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...es-patrol.html, with a visit from the Secretary of Defence! No, really! And whatever you do, do not call Fiddler “Drill Sergeant!”

So what's happening in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nnerspace.html this week? Well, a dissertation on piracy for one thing. Also more James Joyce and “Great Music no-one is looking for”. Check it out!

Down in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...is-arcade.html he's finally finished Outlast, and is about to take on Nuclear Throne! That's him gone for another few weeks then...

Read all about Mondo's travels on the way to Reno in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...im-leavin.html as his odyssey gets going

and don't forget to read the latest chapter in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...rgy-story.html while you're at it; up to chapter seventeen now, which is so big it's in two parts.

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...listening.html sees our favourite guitar god and newest mod deploring the state of the music industry in terms of bands being hung out to dry by record labels and producers, with some personal experience to go with that.

Finally back in some sort of action, I have the third Marillion album, Misplaced Childhood, reviewed as part of the Marillion discography in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html, while perhaps appropriately, given my change of avatar today, there's more Futurama in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html, with the story of Hercules playing out in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...gy-legend.html. A few reviews in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...i-reviews.html with Sleep Thieves, The Lord Weird Slough Feg and Prefab Sprout.

Unknown Soldier is as ever http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html as he heads nearer to the top ten for 1985 with Agent Steel and Lizzy Borden.

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...tasy-epic.html seems to have descended into some sort of drug-fuelled madness, but I'm sure it will all work out in the end.

To be fair, there are quite a few, again, this week, posts that could have been chosen for my

I considered efforts from Fiddler, Anteater, Innerspaceboy and Plankton, but in the end I had to go for this, if for no other reason than hopefully it encourages Mondo to keep writing and keep us updated on his travels.

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

Haven't wrote anything down for the rest of that week but I'll go for a synopsis.

June 28 - July 8

Pretty much more general chillin. Drank my weight in hard cider most of the time up until the fourth. I hung out with some other friends and stayed there during this time, different from the pals I met up with first. Two of them, a couple, were having a lot of problems at the time, dealing with finding new places to live as well as some serious quarreling between the two. I witnessed completely unrestrained emotional outbreaks from both of them. They would be moving, each to a different place nearby, both in California. Even more squabbling ensued from others, all brought about by similar means. Moving out, moving in. The couple left on Monday morning.

Friends and family came together for the Fourth of July. Drank a semi-heavy amount and enjoyed some fantastic dinner. Some music that usually tickles my emotions came on, made me think about what I was doing here, and in general. I can never seem to know. I left the area we were hanging out to be alone for a minute, and began crying, just a tad. That passed soon enough.

No one seems to be functioning right right now. Everyone is fighting with everyone else. A very conflict filled week. I stayed at another friends house these last two nights, and he and his roommate had more loud arguments, to be followed by more screaming and crying. Still, it all passes. I think I'm leaving soon, well, tomorrow most definitely, but had also considered going later today. It's Four o'clock and heavy rain though. I'd already told the people I was with today I'd be leaving on the bus and they dropped me off there. It's not too interesting to hear about me hanging out, but I guarantee the real experience will start within twent-four hours.

Now I'd like to try something a little different, something I'm going to call

I know I had “Classic Journals I have read” before, but this is going to concentrate on the VERY FIRST post in a journal, and then trace its evolution (or devolution) to see if the journal lived up to the promise of its first post, deviated wildly from it, faded away a short time (or a long time) later, or went on to become the journal the author had hoped and intended it to be when he or she wrote the opening post.

I'm including every single journal ever started here, right back as far as I can go, and am using a random number generator to decide who gets featured, so it could be yours, or it could be a journal that only started a few weeks ago, or indeed a journal that has been going for years. It could even be a journal by someone who has left us, or started new journals. It could be a journal long given up by its author and left to moulder in the lower pages, forgotten and unloved. We'll see.

If your idea didn't work out, and you're still around and reading this, don't take offence. I know how hard it is to make a journal work --- we all do --- and it's nothing more than gentle fun if yours didn't fulfil the promise you had hoped it would, with perhaps even a gentle nudge to, you know, maybe take another shot at it?

So, who's first on the examination table then?

Well: there are sixteen pages of journal entries, with twenty per page (leaving out the stickies at the top) so that makes ... um .. um .. times ten, carry the five, add three .... six thousand four hundred journals! Oh, wait, no that's not right. Perhaps I need to call in a scientist to help me.

Okay so that's 320 journals. So into my Random Number Generator go 1 to 320, hit the button and we get...
62.
That means it's none of the current journals, though not too far back. Let's see, three pages and we find...
http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ouse-v-ii.html

Well, this is interesting! I know this journal was going for some time before Bulldog left us, came back, left us and is, I think, still here? So what was the opening post? On August 1 2010 Bulldog wrote

Originally Posted by Bulldog

So, as the more eagle-eyed among you may have noticed by my depleted post count, I've gone and deleted my old journal. Several reasons for this;

1) I thought the last one had gone a bit stale, so I figured a fresh start was on the cards.
2) I fancied doing a much more organised, album-centric one, which wouldn't really have fitted in the old thread.
3) I wanted to start another epic album thread without the confines of a particular discography or genre.
4) I was bored.

Also, for added zaniness, I'm gonna go allmusic on everyone and use a pretty star system to rate things like below;



^ Put simply, anything I put 3 1/2+ stars after gets my official stamp of recommendation, while any other ratings just equate to some random musing or other. In other words, some of these albums may be amazing, some not so great, some you might despise. Either way, I'm gonna update this twice a week. I don't mind helping anyone particularly interested out with finding links either.

So then, read or don't...

As I don't know his journal that well, I'm going to hold off judgement, as it were, till next week and spend the coming week browsing through his entries. I'll give you my conclusions next week. Bet ye can hardly wait, eh?

And so we come to the end of another update. If you want more of the same, you know what to do and where to be!
Till then,
Toodles!

[Josef K]

If you get one of my journals, please roll again. They've all (both?) been abortive and bad and I don't need to be reminded of that again.

[Trollheart]

Originally Posted by Josef K

If you get one of my journals, please roll again. They've all (both?) been abortive and bad and I don't need to be reminded of that again.

So noted. Anyone else who for whatever reason would prefer me not to feature their journal let me know, and if it comes up i will then indeed roll again.

[The Batlord]

I'd prefer your to roll again if you get Ki's journal.

[Trollheart]

Originally Posted by The Batlord

I'd prefer your to roll again if you get Ki's journal.

God help me if I get your Manowar one! And god help you if I get your never-completed one about High Fidelity!

[Trollheart]

Seems everyone has chosen this week to return to writing in their journals! We have no less than three members coming back into the fold, and we welcome them all. Read more below.

A double from the insectivore to get us underway this week, as Anteater continues http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...r-journal.html along with his partner in crime Unknown Soldier, and this week they're looking at Kansas and Styx. Speaking of Styx, very bad continuity joke but, you know, the ancient Greek river of the dead? No? Well, anyway, Ant is sailing this particular ship solo as he embarks on another leg of http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ravaganza.html, which this week has taken him to the Virgin Islands, and as a consequence he's sharing music by Player, Chicago, Marc Jordan and Bobby Caldwell.

The Review Randomizer has become just the Randomizer, for those who wish to know, and down in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...continuum.html Aux-in is listening to Pierce Fulton, Ziggy, Andy Moor and Gareth Emery, who I think may be a favourite of the lovely Vanilla. Not quite sure about that. Must admit, I listened to the Andy Moor track and it was not at all bad. Too busy to hear the whole thing but what I heard I didn't hate.

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ic-banter.html speaks for itself really. In the wake of Manowar week, deciding we had not had enough True Metal, The Batlord decided to catalogue their entire discography. For hardened metal heads and fans of cheesy metal only! Albums like Into Glory Ride, Battle Hymns and Hail to England all get the Batty treatment, as well as some singles and EPs and all his reviews from the aforementioned Manowar week. With more to come. You have been warned!

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-journal.html is back, but not with part two of Drones by Muse, not yet. This week he's doing album spotlights, with Thom Yorke, The Oh Sees and Philip Selway.

There's a whole lot going on down at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...is-arcade.html, with his review of Bioshock Infinite, Trove, screenshots galore (well, three) as well as a tribute to the late CEO of Nintendo, and probably a lot more too. Check it out!

Not only that, but LiL is back from whatever strange alternate dimension she's been exploring for the last while, and finishing off her review of Sparks's Kimono my house in the return of http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...de-sparks.html.

Gonna have to make the time to read http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...im-leavin.html as it looks to be really interesting. But I'm way busy at the moment. You don't have that excuse (as nobody is busy except me) so head on down and read all about his travels. Hey, maybe he'll even write you a poem!

After three months away Plankton is back to sling some more out of http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...um-bucket.html, with more of his life story soundtracked by Stevie Ray, Public Enemy and Snap?

Things are finally moving on the Marillion discography down at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html as we finish off the Fish era with Clutching at Straws and move into the Steve Hogarth years with Holidays in Eden, Afraid of Sunlight and This Strange Engine. There's a return of two of my older journals, as one of the http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ver-heard.html turns out to be Catherine Wheel's Chrome, and then the long-not-at-all-missed http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...m-reviews.html takes a butcher's at The Ladybug Transistor. Yeah.

Oh and http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...i-reviews.html has Alestorm and No-Man, and we begin yet another discography, this time of Steve Earle. My album reviews now include ratings, “Love or Hate?” style.

Fate's Warning and Manilla Road are two of the albums featured for 1985 in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html

and finally, Violet is back to give us the review Chasoco has yet to complete (), yes it's Drones again, this time in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-endeavor.html.

I think we all know what the

is going to be this week. Suck it, as he'd say, losers!

Originally Posted by The Batlord

****in' A, dude, all the Manowar reviewing I've been doing has given me the urge to do their entire discography -- and I don't just mean their studio albums, but live albums and videos/DVDs, singles, demos, compilations, bootlegs, and anything else I haven't thought of. My eventual goal is to review every single release Manowar has ever put out or been on (official or otherwise). This is a glorious undertaking, which a True Metalhead of the Highest Caliber such as myself is not only solely qualified for, but obligated to perform (like Muslims visiting Mecca).

This will be a long-term venture, hence why I will not be doing this in the Manowar Week thread, which is almost over anyway -- though to a True Metalhead, every week is Manowar Week. I'll repost the reviews I've already done, and keep a list of links in the OP. I might even decide to rereview certain albums if I decide that I've sufficiently changed my mind on a release that it merits a new look, though the original review will not be replaced.

So, welcome to the co-best thread on Music Banter (the other being of course The Batcave). All glory to Manowar, and let's get this **** underway.

Spoiler for Manowar's Discography:

This is the current list I've compiled of Manowar's entire discography, with releases I've already reviewed in bold. It's probably complete as far as official releases go, but I'm sure there are bootlegs out there still to be found. Oh my ****ing god, there are so many ****ing bootlegs, and they probably all sound like ****. **** you pirating *******s.

1981: Demo '81
1982: Battle Hymns
1983: Defender [single]
1983: Into Glory Ride
1983: Fight for Revenge [bootleg]
1984: Hail to England
1984: All Men Play on 10 [single]
1984: Sign of the Hammer
1984: Secret of Steel [bootleg]
1984: Hail to Scotland [bootleg]
1985: Defenders [bootleg]
1985: We Are No Angels [bootleg]
1986: Kill with Power [bootleg]
1986: Live in New York 1986 [bootleg]
1987: Blow Your Speakers [single]
1987: Fighting the World
1987: Live and Alive [bootleg]
1987: Wind, Fire, and Steel [bootleg]
1988: Gates of Walhalla [bootleg]
1988: Kings of Metal/Herz aus Stahl [single]
1988: Wheels of Fire [single]
1988: Kings of Metal
1989: In Concert [DVD/video]
1989: Battling Hamburg [bootleg]
1989: Live Docks 10.04.89 [bootleg]
1989: Gates of Steel [bootleg]
1989: Kick Out the Posers [bootleg]
1990: Live in Tilburg '87 [bootleg]
1991: Warriors of the Metal Sword [bootleg]
1991: Vind , Eld Och Stal [bootleg]
1992: Metal Warriors [single]
1992: The Triumph of Steel
1992: CH 84 [bootleg]
1992: Live '92 (The Mighty Return of the Kings of Metal [bootleg]
1992: Manowar Kills [compilation]
1992: Live USA [bootleg]
1992: Death to All, Peace at Last [bootleg]
1992: Death to False Metal! [bootleg]
1992: Live in Athens [bootleg]
1992: Return of the Metal Kings [bootleg]
1992: Defender [bootleg]
1992: Live in Holland [bootleg]
1992: We Are Heavy Metal [bootleg]
1993: Secrets of Steel [boxed set]
1993: Made of Steel [bootleg]
1993: Defender of Steel [bootleg]
1993: Wimps & Posers Leave the Hall [bootleg]
1993: Thunder & Lightning [bootleg]
1993: The Victory of Metal [bootleg]
1993: The Triumph of Steel in Osaka 1993 [bootleg]
1992: Metal Warriors [bootleg]
1994: Best of Manowar: The Hell of Steel [compilation]
1994: Live for Glory [bootleg]
1994: Hail to Italy [bootleg]
1994: Out of the World [bootleg]
1994: The Kings of Metal - Recorded live at Mailand, 1992 [bootleg]
1994: Live in Athens
1996: Return of the Warlord [single]
1996: Louder than Hell
1996: Number 1 [single]
1996: Courage [single]
1996: Courage (Live) [single]
1997: Courage (Live) [DVD/video]
1997: Anthology [compilation]
1997: Hell on Wheels: Live [live album]
1997: Steel Hearts at War [bootleg]
1998: The Very Best of Manowar: The Kingdom of Steel [compilation]
1998: Steel Warriors [compilation]
1998: Into Glory Ride/Hail to England [compilation]
1998: Remixes [bootleg]
1998: Live in Portugal [EP]
1998: Live in Spain [EP]
1999: Live in France [EP]
1999: Live in Germany [EP]
1999: Hell on Stage: Live [live album]
1999: Mystery in the North [bootleg]
1999: The Nordland Warriors [bootleg]
1999: Strange Losses in Sweden [bootleg]
1999: Live in Moscow 1999 [bootleg]
2000: Hell on Earth Part I [DVD/video]
2000: Battle Hymns/Sign of the Hammer [compilation]
2001: Herz aus Stahl (Live & Rare Songs) [bootleg]
2001: Blow Your Speakers: 1982-1987 [bootleg]
2001: Rare Steel (Live and Rare Songs) [bootleg]
2002: Warriors of the World United [single]
2002: Warriors of the World United Part 2 [single]
2002: Warriors of the World
2002: Warriors of the World United [DVD/video]
2002: An American Trilogy [single]
2002: The Dawn of Battle [EP]
2002: Fire and Blood: Hell on Earth II [DVD/video]
2002: The Metal Gods of Dynamo [bootleg]
2002: Warriors of Cologne [bootleg]
2002: Best Ballads [bootleg]
2002: Leave No Retreat [bootleg]
2003: Hell on Earth III [DVD/video]
2003: War of the Worlds - Warriors of the World Tour 2002/2003 [bootleg]
2003: Warriors Over Cologne [bootleg]
2003: Warriors United on Stages of Steel [bootleg]
2003: Hail to Germany [bootleg]
2005: King of Kings [single]
2005: Hell on Earth IV [DVD/video]
2006: Sons of Odin [EP]
2006: The Day the Earth Shook: The Absolute Power [DVD/video]
2007: Demons, Dragons, and Warriors [split]
2007: Gods of War
2007: Gods of War: Live [live album]
2007: Silent Night/Stille Nacht [single]
2007: Live in Bulgaria [bootleg]
2007: Demons, Dragons, and Warriors [bootleg]
2007: The Metal Warriors in Bulgaria 2007 ‎[bootleg]
2007: B-Side the Gods [bootleg]
2008: Die with Honor [single]
2008: Kings of Metal/The Triumph of Steel [compilation]
2008: Live In Munich Part I (video) [bootleg]
2008: Live In Munich Part II (video) [bootleg]
2008: Monsters of Rock [bootleg]
2009: Thunder in the Sky [EP]
2009: Hell on Earth V [DVD/video]
2009: The Secrets of Ipswich [bootleg]
2009: At the Gates of Hell [bootleg]
2009: Warlords of Metal [bootleg]
2010: Battle Hymns MMXI
2010: Rare Demo & Live Recordings [bootleg]
2011: The Revivid Battle [bootleg]
2011: The Dark Avengers [bootleg]
2012: The Lord of Steel
2012: The Triple Album Collection (Fighting the World, Kings of Metal, & The Triumph of Steel) [compilation]
2012: Live Buenos Aires , Argentina 1996 [bootleg]
2012: Live in Moscow 2007[bootleg]
2013: The Lord of Steel: Live [live album]
2014: Kings of Metal MMXIV
2014: Twilight Hocus [bootleg]
2014: Kings of Metal in Tokyo [bootleg]


Yes, I realize this list looks ridiculous and unreadable. This is mainly just a reference for me, and an occasional source of amusement whenever I forget just how ****ing many Manowar bootlegs there are. And I didn't even include all those low quality Russian MP3 collections that seem to have popped up like Herpes.

Demo

1981: Demo '81


Full-Lengths

1982: Battle Hymns

1983: Into Glory Ride

1984: Hail to England

1987: Fighting the World

1988: Kings of Metal

1996: Louder than Hell

2002: Warriors of the World

2007: Gods of War

2012: The Lord of Steel


Singles

1983: Defender

1984: All Men Play on 10

and as for

well, nobody even comes close to Ki this week, with all the entries he's made in his journal, so it's another one for your virtual mantlepiece, man!

And that's it for this week. Time has caught me up again, and I'm late posting this.
Till next week,
Toodles!

[Thelonious Monkey]

Just to clarify, Chascoso is a female.

[Trollheart]

Originally Posted by _Violet_

Just to clarify, Chascoso is a female.

oops! Thanks for the heads-up. I can't edit already posted material, but I'll bear it in mind for the future. Also, apologies to Chascoso....

[The Batlord]

An excellent choice for Post of the Week.