Powerstars

Hey, Powerstars here! That last journal, run entirely on requests, killed me, because a lot of the albums I had no motivation to review. So now, I'm starting a new one. I may still take some requests, but not all. Anyways, this is a fresh start. I'll link my previous reviews in the below post. Also, please give me feedback. I'd love to spark up some conversation.

NOTE: Scores do not necessarily reflect my preference on the album.

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ml#post1367837

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Powerstars

OLD TEXT REVIEWS:
-Metallica - Beyond Magnetic
-Love Story In Blood Red - Hot Cha
-Dream Theater - When Day And Dreams Unite
NEW TEXT REVIEWS
-#1 - Bon Jovi - What About Now
-#2 - Queen - Hot Space
-#3 - Paul McCartnery - McCartney
-#4 - FearOfDark - The Early Attempts
-#5 - Richie Sambora - Aftermath Of The Lowdown
-#6 - Nintendo(?) - The Fantastic World Of Super Mario Bros. 3
-#7 - The Beatles - Let It Be
-#8 - 3 - The Ghost You Gave To Me
-#9 - Sonny Moore - Gypsyhook
-#10 - Nirvana - Nevermind
-#11 - Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
-#12 - David Bowie - The Next Day
-#13 - The Killers - Hot Fuss
-#14 - Dragonforce - Inhumane Rampage
-#15 - Life In HD - Life In HD
-#16 - The White Stripes - Elephant
-#17 - Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
-#18 - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
-#19 - Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
-#20 - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
-#21 - Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon
-#22 - The Killers - Sam's Town
VIDEO REVIEWS:
-01 - They Might Be Giants - John Henry
RANTS:
-#1 - WMA files
-#2 - 12-12-12 Album
-#3 - Covers That Overshadow The Original
-#4 - Bands Who Ditch All But One Member
MOVIE NIGHT
-#1 - Kurt And Courtney
THE SONG OVERTHINKER:
-#1 - "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction
-#2 - "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" by The Backstreet Boys
-#3 - "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons
MUSIC FORUM FLAME WAR
-#1 - Roblox's Linkin Park Conflict
-#2 - Bowie vs. Cobain

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Powerstars

As much as I love Bon Jovi, even I have to admit that their recent albums haven't been as good as I'd been hoping. He's been singing the same songs about the everyman fighting the battle of life, with occasional variety. "Lost Highway" was full of dissapointing country schlock, while still listenable, it wasn't all that great minus a couple tracks. "The Circle" was a great return to form, but it didn't really do anything new, nor did it rock hard enough. With a quick track by track analysis, let's see if this one did any better.

1. Because We Can
Whoa. Right off the bat, we have something way different from anything the band has ever done before. Very poppy, but with generic Bon Jovi lyrics. Catchy, but not terribly special.

2. I'm With You
From the very beginning with the reversed guitars, I was hooked on this song. Described by a random friend of mine as "the perfect song to get stoned to," this track is, unlike the opener, something very special indeed. Why couldn't this have been the lead single?

3. What About Now
Generic Bon Jovi at it's finest. Out of all the songs on the album, this sounds the most like their older output. Generic, but not in a bad way. Generic in a very enjoyable way.

4. Pictures Of You
Intro is very '80s poppish, not Bon Jovish, but I like the '80s, so it's awesome. This is the kind of song filled with emotion that causes me to always sing along to the chorus in an out of tune manner. The solo is also really dissonant against the backing track, and it is glorious.

5. Amen
Kinda boring and not that memorable, but not all that bad. Mediocre.

6. That's What The Water Made Me
One of those songs designed to drive the crowd wild at concerts. No really. I went to his concert, and this song drove the crowd wild. Lyrics are Bon Jovi at their Bon Jovi-ist.

7. What's Left Of Me
More like "What's Left Of Lost Highway," this song has a bit of a country twang to it, which disappointed me, because it shouldn't have that twang. It's still a really good song.

8. Army Of One
Keyboard in the intro is pretty awesome. It's an awesome song, but once again, it's Jon writing about what Jon really freaking likes to write about. Catchy, no less.

9. Thick As Thieves
Chorus is okay, rest is forgettable.

10. Beautiful World
Pretty good song, kinda forgettable. I don't know why, but it kinda sounds like The Killers to me. Maybe it's just me.

11. Room At The End Of The World
Dreamlike and cool. It's lyrics are like half-generic Bon Jovi, half-not. It's cool, but, once again rather forgettable.

12. The Fighter
Nice little acoustic ending song. Not forgettable, not memorable. Nevertheless, a good way to end the album.

CONCLUSION: Bon Jovi has redeemed itself after a bad album and a mediocre album, they've showed they still have a huge load of rock left in them

Final Score: 75/100 (Pretty Dang Good)

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Powerstars

REVIEW 002: HOT SPACE BY QUEEN

In 1980, Queen released "Another One Bites The Dust." It became a hit very easily, with it's funky bassline. The band wanted to repeat this success, so they recorded a funky Disco/RnB/Dance-influenced Rock album. This alienated their older fans and made Queen less relevant than ever before. Guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor did not like the new sound, believing that Freddie Mercury's current manager had influence over him. But is this album as bad as many seem to think? Let's find out.

1. Staying Power
Perfect for an opening track, but it sets the tone for things to come. Less rock, more funk. It has a (pretty good) funky horn arrangement and a drum machine. Yes, Queen used a drum machine. This was indeed a low point in their career. Decent, catchy track, but it sets the tone of the album.

2. Dancer
Synth bass. Indeed a low point. It's a decent dance track, but it's not at all memorable. The only catchy part of the song is the chorus.

3. Back Chat
I rather like this song. This is what the whole album should've sounded like. Catchy Rock-Dance fusion with the Rock being the leading element. Y'know, or just do a Rock album. But this is indeed a great catchy track.

4. Body Language
Worst song on the album. There is barely any guitar here, and the guitar that is here is barely freaking noticeable. Synth bass sounds lame here. And Freddie Mercury wrote this song, so you'd think he'd know what he'd be doing here, right? Wrong. The entire song is about a hot chick. Mix it in with a lame pun of a title, and you've got what may be the worst Queen song ever released.

5. Action This Day
Decently rocking song. It's quite catchy and has almost trippy vocal harmonies. It, once again, uses a drum machine, but hey, what're ya gonna do?

6. Put Out The Fire
The song that sounds most like Queen on this album. It rocks out loud. Thank you, Brian May, for not completely selling out on this one. He recorded the solo drunk. Now, that, my friends, is rock and roll.

7. Life Is Real (Song For Lennon)
Given that this album was released in 1982, 2 years after John Lennon's death, it should be fairly clear what this song is about. It's a gentle piano ballad with quite a few nods to Lennon, musically. Well-done boys.

8. Calling All Girls
Rocking song with only one clear influence from other genres: record scratching. Ah well. Still a good, catchy song.

9. Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)
A twangy ballad with acoustic guitar, and once again, no clear dance influences. Wow.

10. Cool Cat
Well, I guess we needed one more funky song, but a good one. Funky bassline with Freddie Mercury showing his vocal abilities by singing in falsetto. Catchy tune that'll get the head bopping.

11. Under Pressure (Ft. David Bowie)
Best song on the album. Period. PERIOD. The only clear dance influence is the emphasized bass, which improves this song so much. The falsetto parts are amazing. It's such an amazing song, no body can do it like the studio version. Bowie can no longer sing it as he did here.

Conclusion: A decent album with a few gems. I'd say you're best buying a couple of the more Rock songs I mentioned on iTunes or what have you. Overall...

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Powerstars

REVIEW 003 - MCCARTNEY BY PAUL MCCARTNEY

Ah yes, I remember when I got this album. I was really into The Beatles. My mom had bought a turntable. I was excited, because I could listen to more albums this way and my mom already had a collection. She went to a garage sale and found this album, among one by Ringo Starr and one by Wings. I was so excited to play the album...and then I found the phonograph didn't work because it needed speakers which we still have yet to get. This happened like last year.

But, never one to be discoraged, I brought the album to my Grandpa's house and listened to it with my aunt. I was surprised to discover how experimental it was. I've been looking for an album to review lately, but it's been right in front of me all along. Review this one.

1970 was a dark time for The Beatles. There were creative issues more than ever before and they officially broke up. Paul was peeved off when Phil Spector remixed Let It Be, particularly "The Long And Winding Road." He officially announced the Beatles breakup and recorded an album with no help from anyone except his wife. This would explore the "back to basics" approach Let It Be was meant to have, but it was a ton more experimental. Aside from that one well-known gem (Maybe I'm Amazed), how does this album stack up?

1. The Lovely Linda
Very obviously in an unfinished form, it's a decent song. I wish it was more than just a demo though, for then, we could have a great little opening track. It's still a catchy "song" though.

2. That Would Be Something
First finished song on the album, it's more what I would expect from Sir Paul. A catchy little ballad, it's a pretty decent song. I like it. I particularly like where Paul beatboxes along to the drums.

3. Valentine Day
A more rocking, still acousticish song. It's a cool little instrumental demo, and I don't really mind it being a demo, I'm starting to appreciate the tone of the album.

4. Every Night
Oooooh! This is awesome! A more commercial song. This album really does have quite the acoustic twang to it. This song alone could prove it. One of the catchier songs to break up the experimenting.

5. Hot As Sunglasses
Sounds like almost like an acoustic version of The Beatles' song "Flying." It's fairly folkish, but the twang really stops it from being spacey like it should be. The only spacey thing is the keyboard and the ending with a bit of the then unreleased "Suicide". It's okay, though, just forgettable.

6. Junk
My personal favorite song on the album. It's such a simple, catchy tune. A demo left over from The White Album sessions, it would have fit there perfectly. I can't get enough of this song.

7. Man We Was Lonely
The panning on the intro is really cool. I dig it. Other than that, it may be the most county song Paul's done with the possible exception of "Dance Tonight"

8. Oo You
More electric than all the previous songs. I really like it. It has a lot of great percussion, but unfortunately, I must say it is forgettable, as it was one that I did not remember after listening to it, while a lot of others stuck in my head.

9. Momma Miss America
Drums, bass, and wah-wah guitar. I didn't like it much on the first listen, but it's really grown on me listening to it again. It's funkyish, hardish, rockish stuff. One complaint, it repeats itself too much for an instrumental.

10. Teddy Boy
Good stuff, although I prefer the Beatles version. It's a really good song, very simple, very diggable, very catchy.

11. Singalong Junk
Ugh, maybe I can get enough of this song. Why include an instrumental version with more instruments? I don't understand.

12. Maybe I'm Amazed
The classic ballad that everyone knows and loves. Made popular by Wings in 1976, though the studio version is the one we hear the most now. I dig the screaming Paul does, and the backing vocals are superb. Not much I can say that hasn't already been said.

13. Kreen-Akrore
Cool drums at the beginning. They do go on a bit long, but that's alright, they have variety. The vocal part after that is cool, but one of the most noticeable voices isn't really that interested in doing it. Then more drums. Then finally, we close off the album with almost a reprise to Maybe I'm Amazed. K, that was definitely the most experimental thing Paul's ever done.

Conclusion: Pretty good album with gems, but some of the experimental things don't really do it for me. They're either too short or too long.

FINAL SCORE: 77/100 (Great, but flawed)

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Trollheart

You're saying you only got a phonograph (turntable I assume) last year? Why not just get a USB turntable? Mind you, mine's still in the box: one day, I will unpack it! I used to have a turntable (being from the seventies/eighties generation it was for a while all we had to play music on, other than cassette decks) and have a sizeable collection of albums on vinyl (which we used call LPs; any oldies here know what that stands for?) but the last deck I had came literally crashing down when my shelf collapsed, taking my CD player, CD recorder and amp with it, and I've just never got around to replacing it.

I never heard of an album of demos, sounds interesting although I am not a Beatles fan (put that gun away!) and less of a McCartney one (and that axe.. slowly now, careful...)

Good review though.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Powerstars

What is that?

Was that a Pink Floyd reference? =P BTW, any albums you'd like me to review?

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Trollheart

Seriously? It's a turntable that links to your PC via a USB slot, so you can play/record albums with your computer. One of these...


Actually no it wasn't, but kudos for making the connection!

Albums to be reviewed, eh? Well.... considering you did Bon Jovi, you might be interested in Richie's third solo album, "The aftermath of the lowdown", which I reviewed last Christmas. Brilliant, brilliant album. Would be interested to hear your thoughts. If you need a copy, PM me if you're interested...

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Powerstars

I don't think that would work on mine considering I have a PC from like 2003.

Cool. I've actually been considering doing that album. Sure, feel free to PM it to me, if you do I'd review it. The only song I know from it is World, which I love...a lot.

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Trollheart

Well all you need is a USB slot, so I would imagine it would work. It doesn't need any other special conditions to make it work. Could be worth a try. Look at it this way: if you can hook your ipod or iphone to your PC then you should be able to hook up a USB turntable...
It's on the way as we speak! Enjoy!

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018