The George Lite Zone

The 100 Best and Absolute Greatest Heavy Metal Albums in the World, Ever.

2011-11-09T14:09:00.000-08:00

As I've just about completed my collection of 100 CDs culled from Jacelyn Bond's damn fine book, and bastard of a charade title, The 100 Best and Absolute Greatest Heavy Metal Albums in the World, Ever, I thought it was about time I blogged the list to aid anyone else who wants to make their world a little heavier. Collecting the albums has been a long strange trip through the annals of rock history and taken me through classics by the likes of Sabbath, AC/DC and Deep Purple to Scandinavian Death Metal. Yes the choices are debateable but the book is a great way of discovering some wonderful music to headbang like a maniac to. It's got some notable omisions too, in particular a certain Black Country band who most would argue are the greatest rock and roll band of all timel and who cast a giant blimp shaped shaddow over the genre.

In addition to the 100 albums I've also listed the other albums by the bands concerned that the book says are worth getting, so if any of the artists take your fancy you can always explore them further. If you click on the covers It will take you to the albums on the Amazon UK website

With Christmas coming up Jacylyn's work would make a fine addition to any metalhead's Christmas stocking along with a generous selection of the albums it lists. They're so heavy though that Santa's sleigh may not cut it when it comes to getting them to your rooftop, he may need to enlist the help of a large gas filled dirgible of a metallic nature...

Enjoy.

Accept

Balls To The Wall

Also of note...

Restless And Wild

Metal Heart

AC/DC

Highway To Hell

Also of note...

High Voltage

TNT

AC/DC

Back In Black

Also of note...

Let There Be Rock

Alice Cooper

Billion Dollar Babies

Also of note...

School's Out

Alice In Chains

Dirt

Also of note...

Alice In Chains

All Shall Perish

The Price Of Existence

Also of note...

Awaken The Dreamers

Anthrax

Among The Living

Also of note...

Sound Of White Noise

Arch Enemy

Burning Bridges

Also of note...

Rise Of The Tyrant

At The Gates

Slaughter Of The Soul

Also of note...

Terminal Spirit Disease

Behemoth

Demigod

Also of note...

Satanica

Thelema 6

Zos Kia Cultus

The Apostasy

Benighted

Icon

Also of note...

Insane Cephalic Production

Identistick

Black Label Society
Hangover Music Volume VI

Also of note...

The Blessed Hellride

Mafia

Also Zack Wylde's solo album...

The Book Of Shadows

Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath

Also of note...

Master Of Reality

Black Sabbath

Paranoid

Also of note...

Black Sabbath Vol. 4

Sabotage

Black Sabbath

Heaven And Hell

Also of note...

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Bruce Dickinson
The Chemical Wedding

Also of note...

Tattoed Millionaire

Accident Of Birth

Candlemass

Nightfall

Also of note...

Epicus Doomicus Metallicus

Ancient Dreams

Tales of Creation

Cannibal Corpse

Tomb Of The Mutilated

Also of note...

Kill

Carcass

Heartwork

Also of note...

Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious

Swansong

Cradle Of Filth

Damnation And A Day

Also of note...

Thornography

Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder

Danzig

Danzig

Also of note...

Danzig II: Lucifuge

Danzig III: How the Gods Kill

Danzig 4p

Dark Tranquillity

The Gallery

Also of note...

The Mind's I

Damage Done

Fiction

Death

Human

Also of note...

Scream Bloody Gore

Deep Purple

Machine Head

Also of note...

Fireball

Deep Purple

Deep Purple In Rock

Deftones

Around The Fur

Also of note...

White Pony

Saturday Night Wrist

Deicide

Deicide

Also of note...

The Stench Of Redemption

Death Do Us Part

Despised Icon

The Ills Of Modern Man

Also of note...

The Healing Process

The Dillinger Escape Plan

Miss Machine

Also of note...

Calculating Infinity

Dimmu Borgir

Death Cult Armageddon

Also of note...

Stormblåst

In Sorte Diaboli

Dio

Holy Diver

Also of note...

The Last In Line

Sacred Heart

Dream Evil

Dream Theater

Images And Words

Also of note...

A Change Of Seasons

Metropolis Part 2 - Scenes from a memory

Entombed

Wolverine Blues

Also of note...

Left Hand Path

Clandestine

Exodus

Bonded by Blood

Also of note...

Fabulous Disaster

The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A

Gamma Ray

Land of the Free

Also of note...

Majestic

Land of the Free II

Godsmack

IV

Also of note...

Faceless

Gojira

The Way of All Flesh

Also of note...

From Mars to Sirius
Guns N' Roses

Appetite for destruction

Also of note...

Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide (EP)

Use Your Illusion I

Use Your Illusion II

The Spaghetti Incident?

Hammerfall

Legacy Of Kings

Also of note...

Glory To The Brave

Crimson Thunder

Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken

The Haunted

Made Me Do It

Also of note...

One Kill Wonder

Revolver

Helloween

Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2

Also of note...

Helloween

Walls of Jericho

Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 1

The Dark Ride

In Flames

Whoreacle

Also of note...

The Jester Race

Colony

Clayman

Reroute to Remain

Iron Maiden

The Number Of The Beast

Also of note...

Iron Maiden

A Matter of Life and Death

Iron Maiden

Piece Of Mind

Also of note...

Somewhere in Time

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

Iron Maiden

Powerslave

Also of note...

Killers

Fear of the Dark

Isis

Panopticon

Also of note...

Oceanic

Judas Priest

British Steel

Also of note...

Sad Wings of Destiny

Screaming for Vengeance

Judas Priest

Painkiller

Also of note...

Defenders of the Faith

Killswitch Engage

The End Of Heartache

Also of note...

Alive Or Just Breathing

King Diamond

Abigail

Also of note...

Fatal Portrait

Them

Conspiracy

Kiss

Kiss

Also of note...

Alive!

To be continued...

Best Albums Of 2010

2010-12-31T13:30:00.001-08:00

For what it's worth, and before the chimes of Big Ben toll in the New Year, here are my top 12 albums of 2010.

1. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

I first came across Canada's Arcade Fire when I saw the video of Rebellion from their debut album funeral. The Suburbs is a work of genius, hence it hitting the number one spot in my list of the year.

2. John Grant - Queen Of Denmark

I saw John at Botanique this year and he was amazing. I defy anyone to find a more beautiful song than Marz and others like Where Dreams Go To Die make this a stunning solo debut. It was a close call between this and Arcade Fire as to which was my favourite disk of 2010.

3. The Young Gods - Everybody Knows

On to Switzerland for number 3 and a band that I'd not heard before. A potent cocktail of post-industrial electronica and balls to the wall rock liberally spiced with sound samples, they will take your head for a spin and park it on the dark side of the moon. Thanks Maj for the heads up on these boys.

4. Yeasayer Odd Blood

Oddblood is Yeasayer's second album, following on from All Our Symbols, and is a cracker.

5. Stornoway - Beachcomber's Windowsill

With a name like Stornoway this band should by rights be Scottish, but instead hail from Oxford. Alternative folk of the highest order.

6. Rumer - Seasons Of My Soul

Championed by Burt Bacharach, Rumer has a voice that has, justifiably, been compared to Karen Carpenter. This is her debut album and she is destined for great things.

7. The Coral - Butterfly House

Jingly, jangly guitar sounds that would have done the Byrds proud, this was the album that I think should have won the Mercury this year.

8. I Am Kloot - Sky At Night

Yet another great band from Manchester, I am kloot deliver lyrics of the highest order, wrapped in a parcel of musical madness. Love them!

9. Tunng - And Then We Saw Land

Another band I saw at Botanique in Brussels this year and a damned fine performance it was too. Becky Jacobs step up from backing singer to lead added another dimension to the band. Alternative folk to dance to after watching the Wicker Man.

10. Tindersticks - Falling Down A Mountain

With my home city being Nottingham, home of the worlds greatest football team and I don't mean County, it's astonishing that I'd never heard the Tindersticks. That gaping hole in my musical knowledge was put to rights with Falling Down A Mountain which is a worthy addition to my end of year list.

11. The National - High Violet

The National's lead singer's vocals seem to have gone up an octave or two on this one. The application of tight jeans don't seem to have effected the quality of their music which once again is superb.

12. Ray Lamontagne - God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise

Finally a man with a voice like a glass of bourbon, Ray Lamontagne. Ray sprang to prominence with Trouble and his latest album trips the light fantastic from Country, to soulful ballads and rock. Hearing this encouraged me to pick up his back catlalogue which I'd also heartily recommend.

Here's a taster of my dirty dozen from 2010. Sit back with a glass of fine wine, press play and enjoy!

Roll on 2011. Happy New Year everybody!

Gentlemen Of Verona at Beurresterrace

2010-06-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

Gentleman Of Verona were amazing tonight. One of the best Belgian bands I've heard for years. Come to think of it, one of the best bands, I've had the pleasure to hear, period.

High octane music delivered with cruise missile precision, by a band who were tight as a kangeroo's khyber, and a female vocalist who kicked ass bigtime.

Reminiscent of L7, Hole early Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and Susie And The Banshees this is a band to watch out for in the future. Their new album Brutally Honest is out now on CD and, to be brutally honest, it's bloody brilliant. Their first album, the eponymous Gentlemen Of Verona, is available for download from iTunes and is also of a very high quality. If you like good music, buy them!

Album Of The Week John Grant - Queen Of Denmark

2010-05-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

John Grant's The Queen Of Denmark is an extraordinary work, melding Grant's wonderful voice and tinkling piano with sublime backing from Midlake. Chicken Bones, Sigourney Weaver, Marz, this has to be one of the finest debut's I've ever heard. Lyrically exceptional, sonically awesome, buy it!!!

Pope Benedict condoms anyone?

2010-04-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

So, the Vatican's response to a recent Foreign Office memo regarding his visit is "One has to question whether the action taken is enough.".

Is that the same pope who, when a cardinal heading the Vatican office dealing with sex abuses, did not respond to letters from an archbishop regarding a case of a priest thought to have abused some 200 deaf boys? Yes, one has to question whether the action taken was enough.

The memo suggested that the pope should officiate over a gay wedding. As Benedict, has stated in the past that homosexuality is an intrinsic moral evil, that would show a tolerance for other people's beliefs which would be commendable.

As to the idea of a Benedict condom, brilliant idea, they should ship them to Africa where thousands die of AIDS each year, following the churches misplaced guidelines on birth control. Benedict XVI was heavily criticised after saying that condoms "aggravate" the spread of the disease. Britain's leading medical journal, The Lancet, accused Benedict in an editorial of having distorted scientific evidence in order to promote the teachings of the Catholic Church. He was also condemned as being misinformed and insensitive by Aids groups, health professionals and governments around the world, including the European Union, France and Germany.

Jim Murphy, the Secretary of State for Scotland and the man who is responsible for the Pope's visit, says regarding the offending memo "These are vile, they are insulting, they are an embarrassment, and, on behalf of the whole of the United Kingdom, I want to apologise to His Holiness the Pope.". On behalf of the whole United Kingdom? I don't bloody think so, I think a significant proportion of the countries population would not welcome a homophobic, AIDS promoting, pedophile protecting pontiff to our shores.

A Bitchin' Song

2010-04-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

Go Nige!

Bitch Song launch party at Churchill's bar in Brussels on Sunday May 2nd. Buy one as a present for next Valentine's Day.

The Bitch Song and other great Belgian music videos can be seen at Ming's favourite website, Music Brussels. To quote the great Arno, if you go there you'll be "Dancing in the streets of Belgium, Brussels where they eat sprouts, and raw mussels.".

Hard Rock - The Classiest of Rock

2010-04-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

Check out Together Magazine's interview with Music Brussels. Hard rock, the classiest of rock. Music Brussels, the classiest of music websites. Churchill's, the classiest of bars. Put them all together and you've got class in a glass.

Cheers!

Du Psyché Space Rock devant le Palais Royal

2010-03-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all you Satan worshiping goat lovers out there who voted for the Narcotic Daffodils in the race for the palace. I'm happy to announce that after a play off today at KultuurKaffee they were chosen along with 2 other Brussels bands, Five Easy Days and OPMOC, to grace the Place des Palais near the Royal Palace on May the 7th!!!

It's just as well they won mind, if they hadn't then someone would have had to deal with Nursie from Dr Poembak.

The Narcotic Daffodils, space rock fit for a king.

To The Devil A Goat

2010-03-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

Vote for the Daffodils or the goat gets it!

The Narcotic Daffodils, cool for cats, hot as hell for goats.

Just What The Doctor Ordered

2010-03-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

Now how did those lyrics go again... oh yes I remember "Vote for the Narcotic Daffodils, a better remedy than those blue and white pills, Mr Jacky will cure your ills...".

Vote Daffodils, they're just what the doctor ordered to take those winter blues away.

Nice gig tonight by the way Scotty & David, the Benito band were awesome again tonight, bloody surreal, but awesome.

Thanks for the CD Simon. Listening to it now as I type, cracking stuff, just the sort of songs to grace the palace. I look forward to your album when you release it. Anyone who doesn't vote for you guys should track 6!

Back To The Future Of Gaming

2010-03-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

It looks like it could be very popular with the ladies too.

Vote for Narcotic Daffodils

2010-03-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

I'm sure they meant "Vote for The Narcotic Daffodils".

Don't be a number, vote for the Daffodils!

Band On The Run to la Nuit des Lumières

2010-03-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

Photo by Gilles Van Eylen

The race to become the play at la Nuit des Lumières outside Place des Palais is heating up. Go to the Nuit Des Lumieres website and vote The Narcotic Daffodils.

You know it makes sense!

Let's take Mr Jacky to the palace.

A Post Rock Out In Brussels

2010-03-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Last night, not for the first time in Brussels, I was in a bit of a quandary. Did I go to Beurskafee to see two post rock bands, Belgiums own Cecilia::Eyes and Alkalys from France, or stay in Churchills to listen to the excellent Men In Blue? On the principal that I'd probably not get the chance to see Alkalys in the foreseeable future, I opted for the former and headed down to Beurs and the Beurskafee.

First off, the Beurskafee venue. I must have walked past it hundreds of times and not known it existed, delving into it's murky heart I was mightily impressed. The cavern like quality of its interior has a superb atmosphere and is ideal for gigs. Spacious, but not overly so, and oozes character from every brick. Little touches like the letters WC projected onto the wall on the steps down to the bog, that's bathroom to you Americans out there, and a ladder ascending into the ceiling behind the bar make it feel like a piece of installation art. I didn't see it, but there's also a much bigger hall on the first floor. All in all a great place to showcase Brussels finest music (hint Suki).

Sitting there beer in hand I waited for the gig to start and a close encounter of the post rock kind. As to what post rock is, I didn't have a clue before that night, but hey, there's so many musical sub-categories you can't know them all. Checking it out since then, I've heard it described as a mix of ambient, jazz, electronica, and experimental music with more than a hint of minimalism and repetition ala Steve Reich and Philip Glass. In post rock, traditional rock instruments provide musical texture rather than act as the driving force found in its mainstream kindred.

And so on to the show, first up Cecelia::Eyes, a band consisting of a bassist, Pascal Thys, two guitarists Christophe Thys, Mike Colart & Gauthier Vilain, and a drummer, Xavier Waerenburgh. Xavier also plays keyboards. This was the bands first live performance of their second studio album, Here Dead We Die, and a damn fine album it is too.

Hypnotic, pulsating, layered in sampled voices and poetry driven on by Xavier's metronomic drumming, Cecilia::Eyes were a mightily impressive group live. Guitars and bass weaved a rich soundscape taking the audience to another place in time and space, and it was a place that I was in no hurry to leave. Music to chill out to, delivered with a deft touch by a band who were masters of their craft. If you've had a bad day at the office then Cecilia::Eyes' music would be a great way to unwind. Post rock also has elements of drone rock and I could here this in their music with musical themes gradually building in intensity to the point when they were unstoppable and overwhelming. Blowing away your senses and mind in short order. Hey I really loved this band.

To quote from the central mantra in Anthem For Doomed Youth "The art of war is simple enough, find out who your enemy is and strike him as hard as you can, as often as you can and keep moving on.". This is one band that will keep on moving on, I look forward to watching their journey.

I've since listened to the bands previous album Mountain Tops Are Sometimes Closer To The Moon and the EP Echoes From The Attic and can report that both are also top drawer and well worth checking out.

Here Dead We Lie will be available in stores from the 16th of April 2010, in the meantime you can order it from their label dEPOT214 RECORDS or send an e-mail to depot214@depot214.com. Go buy it!

After the ambient beauty of Cecilia::Eyes, France's Alkalys were much heavier proposition delivering a drum heavy set with kick ass intensity and rocking the joint. With a plank of wood used as a bow to play a guitar this was a different form of post rock. A thunderous mutated form which if left unattended would like as not eat your hamster and mug your grandmother.

The Brussels crowd were whipped into a frenzy by the aural assault, which is quite impressive considering their normal passivity. Guitars were played and bowed, the drums thundered on until finally the show ended in a wave of feedback and adrenalin. Great stuff.

As for the Men In Blue, by the time I hit the street it was 00:30 in the morning so I had to settle for watching their excellent cover version of The Beatles Come Together when I got back to my apartment. More pre rock than post but damn fine nonetheless. The word on the street is that their concert in Churchill's last night was outstanding and that the place rocked big style. I do promise to see them the next time they play Brussels, post rock invasions not withstanding.

Vive la France, vive post rock, vive la Musique Bruxelles, thank you and good night.

Music Brussels Opening Party

2010-03-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

I've not forgotten this blog posting. I just want to do this great night justice.

Something For The Weekend

2010-03-12T18:41:00.000-08:00

Check out the full video to My TV Is Dead's great track Love In Stereo. They lit up the stage at the music Brussels Opening Party and their new album, Freedomatic, is superb.

Love it !!!

On the subject of cool videos, here's a trailer for the new Slash album due out next month. Aided and abbetted by such rock luminaries as Dave Grohl, Ozzie Osbourne and Lemmy, it looks like it going to rock big time.

I can't wait.

Tread On Tread Dark

2010-03-09T10:23:00.001-08:00

Last Tuesday night I was in Bonnefooi bar when I bumped into Madensuyu's friendly neighborhood sound engineer and pole dancing panda, Tom. "Hey shouldn't you be out in South America with the band?", I asked, to which he replied with a nod in the direction of a chair in which sat the aforementioned bands lead singer and guitarist, Pieterjan Vervondel. Doh! Yet again my powers of observation, and spidey senses, had failed me.

Speaking to the guitar maestro, I was told that The Brasilian tour was amazing, with the footage I'd seen of St Paulo typical of the reception they'd received. Tens of thousands of partying South Americans sambaing to the primal rythm of Ghent's greatest export. Now that's mind boggling.

I then asked about the prospects for a new album after their outstanding previous release. "D is Done was a deep album, a dark album." I was told, "The next will be deeper, darker.". When will it be released? I asked to which I received the depressing news that it would be "in two to three years time". Fefefefefeck! Two to three years is a long time to wait, but, as with all great bands, I'm sure the wait will be worth it.

In the meantime to stave off withdrawal symptoms, Madensuyu can be seen at the AB in Brussels on May 30th, along with Brooklyn's Growing, a drone/ambient/noise band and a Norwegian Psychedelic/Indie-Rock/Metal outfit called Motorsycho. Any band with Motor in their band name can't be bad and I always was a big Stuart Pearce fan!

Further fixes of the band live this year can also be obtained at:-

Tivoli (Klub Radar), Utrecht (NL), March 20th @ 21:00
Les Nuits Botanique, Brussel, May 9th @ 20:00
SPOTfestival, Aarhus (DK), May 20th @ 20:00
Studenterhuset, Aalborg (DK), May 21st @ 20:00
Huset Magstraede, Kopenhagen (DK), May 23rd @ 20:00

D is done, time to get started on 'E' I think. Tread on tread light.

She Loves You, Yeh, Yeh, Yeh

2010-03-05T09:43:00.000-08:00

For fans of Taiwan's finest metal band, Chthonic, there's a feature on their bass player and backing vocalist, the delightful Doris Yeh, in the March edition of Neo magazine. I think I'll give it a read while firing up Pandemonium and Mirror Of Retribution on my Sonos box.

Also worthy of note on the magazine front is this months edition of Classic Rock which features a CD of collaborations between various rock luminaries including Tony Iommi, Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons and rock god and Bass Assasin Number 1, Lemmy.

While on the subject of Classic Rock, the magazines website is currently streaming Aussie rockers Airborne's new album, No Guts. No Glory, in its entirety. I seem to recollect a certain Mr Kiliminster featuring in the video of Running Wild from their first album, I wonder if he'll put in an appearance for their new one?

Torchwood Lost Souls

2010-02-25T13:43:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard it already check out the BBC radio Torchwood episode, Lost Souls, courtesy of BBC's iPlayer.

Martha Jones is working on the large Hadron Collider at CERN, and something strange is happening prior to the big turn on. Is Captain Jack about to encounter one black hole too many?

Fafafafuck for me Brasil

2010-02-25T13:05:00.000-08:00

George Lite Zone favourites Madensuyu, in the land of Pelé, playing Lost Jimmy's favourite D Is Done song.

Fafafafuckin' awesome!!!

Music Brussels Opening Party - Band #4 The VOGUES

2010-02-25T08:03:00.000-08:00

Time to ramp it up at the Music Brussels party, with a bit of glam punk attitude. The Vogues come on like a band that should have been in at least one Austin Powers movie, with 60's sensibilities and a spiritual home of London. Gor' blimey guvnor!

They quote their influences as being The Beatles, The Stones, The Kinks, The Stone Roses, Blur, Oasis, Suede and The Strokes which is OK by me. This cocky Belgian five piece consist of Fab on vocals plus the fab four of Nico and Ian on guitar, Guillaume on bass and Denis on drums. Fab comes across like a Belgian Mick Jagger, all swagger and attitude, just what you want for fronting The Vogues.

The bands first EP, Fall/Winter 10 is out now and contains the killer track Sunglasses. I'm sure that copies will be available at saturday's MB party. You can here this and another four tracks on the bands Facebook page. Give them a spin.

So put on your union jack underpants, come on down to Churchill's bar on saturday night, and rock out to the Vogues. Yeah, baby, yeah!

Music Brussels Opening Party - Band #3 dIPLOMAT

2010-02-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

Question How do you follow an act like Garner? Answer With a band guaranteed to rock and bring the house down. That's dIPLOMAT that is.

I first came across the band listening to the track Last Disco Bitch, which is the opening track on their cunningly titled album, The Diplomat.

Unable to get it's catchy tune out of my head and driving rhythm, I was impelled to buy a copy of the aforementioned CD which proved to be equally memorable.

The band were formed by guitarist/vocalist Fabrice Dubard and bass monster Sophie Chiarmonte in 2005. Throw in Pascal Storme who beats the crap out of his skins and you've got a storming group (cue sound of thunder) who know how to rock.

I met the band briefly in a bar in Brussels a couple of months back, while listening in on an interview with them, and a nicer bunch of people you couldn't hope to meet. Mild, mannered Sophie's transformation into the bass playing rock goddess at the heart of the band is one of the wonders of the rock world and a site to behold.

I've heard that the band are far better live and rock big time. I mean really big. Bowel moving big. Power rock that will jangle your teeth, set your feet dancing and your head banging. Roll on the 27th. I can't wait!

Until then here's the band playing Sentimental Zoo to tide you over

Next up on stage, The VOGUES. Stay tuned...

Music Brussels Opening Party - Band #2 Garner

2010-02-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

I first encountered Garner's Niko Rambaud and Laurent Stelleman playing in a band with no name, in a bar with no name just off Brussels' Grand Place. Asked by MB's own Suki Jenkins to take some pictures of the gig and forgoing the night's Champions League football, I sat enthralled by an amazing voice chased down by a couple of Barbars. The Band With No Name rattled through a set of bar room standards that night and whetted my apetite for their other band, the illustrious Garner.

The third member of the band is the renowned rock drummer Didier Fontaine who includes on his impressive CV the likes of David Byrne and Deus. Saturday's MB party sees the launch of the bands first album, and I've been giving a preview copy a spin for the last week. The overriding impression I've got is that Niko has a fantastic voice, he started voice training from the age of four, and it shows check, out this video of This Is How I Used To Live to get a taste of it.

Garner are a tight unit and the I found the complex interplay between bass, guitar, vocals and drums a joy to listen to. Rocking, soaring, diving this is a great rock soundscape and I'm sure that it will be a major success after it's MB party birthing (Suki can be the midwife).

Niko was recently interviewed by FM Brussels along with Music Brussels own Suki. You can hear it here on The George Lite Zone courtesy of Music Brussels first ever Ming Cast. Also played on the show was the excellent track ASAP, which is also how quickly you should buy the album after its launch party at the Music Brussels main event. Another track of note is the cracking Walk The Line that has the sort of urban cool that makes you want to stick on a pair of shades and strut on down the high street. The word!

Finally, having heard Niko in action and on album I'm convinced that with a voice of that quality he must be some kind of super hero. Recent unearthed footage bares this out, and suggests that he may well have a role in the next series of Heroes.

Next up to tread the boards, dIPLOMAT. Stay tuned...

MingCast001 - FM Brussels Interview

2010-02-23T13:17:00.000-08:00

Brought to you courtesy of FM Brussels (22/02/10 Rue de Flandre / Vlaamse Steenweg) here's an interview with Suki Jenkins and Garners own golden tongued vocalist, Nico Rambaud, discussing amongst other things, the forthcoming Music Brussels opening party. The session ends with Garner's song ASAP taken from their forthcoming album.

MingCast, it's the dog's bollocks!!!

Music Brussels Opening Party - Band #1 My TV Is Dead

2010-02-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

Opening for Music Brussels on the 27th are My TV Is Dead, who's album Freedomatic is currently gracing iTunes on my Mac as I type.

With a backbeat provided by drummer, and on occasion drum machine, it swirls along quite nicely a potent mix of psychedelia, rock, techno and sumptuous vocal arrangements, taking you on a musical journey to remember. At times reminiscent of the Beatles and Psychedelic Furs amongst others, the music is rich in its diversity. Amaury Massion's voice has a dreamlike quality, or have I fallen asleep and just dreamt that, delivering their material in perfect counterpoint to Joël Grignard's bass and guitar work. And what great material it is.

To give you a feel for the band, here are a couple of choice video cuts to tantalise the senses. Enjoy.

Daydream

This sounds like the best song that REM never released, with some sublime guitar, keyboards and a haunting melody to lift the heart.

Just Another Day

Played in the following clip as an acoustic number. On the album this opens with a heartbeat with a sonar like ping taking you down to musical depths few that bands can reach. Breath taking.

Love In Stereo

The video to this, the bands first single, will see the light of night at the MB opening party and is another example of the catchy rifts and fine musicianship that adorns this great album. I'll post it on this blog when posible. In the meantime here's a teaser taken from the bands My Space account.

Other tracks of particular note Riot Love, Believer and Riding Horses. Check out the bands My Space account to listen to some more of their sublime sounds.

I hope this has wetted your apetite for the band. If you're in Brussels next saturday night, turn off your TV and see a great wee band in action. One of my favourite Belgian CDs of the moment and a perfect opener for what promises to be a perfect night next saturday.

Next up Garner. Stay tuned...

Another Perfect Pancake Day

2010-02-16T21:19:00.001-08:00

Yet again I find myself away from blighty on that festival of flipping, pancake day. And so it's back to that old crepe stalwart Le maison de crepes for some of Brussels finest to adorn my plate. An excellent rum and raisin crepe was followed in short order by its lemon and sugar stablemate.

No Narcotic Daffodils in this Brussels creperie tonight, just some damn fine crepes.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I Think Therefore iPad

2010-02-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

Only the best digital media will be good enough for Apple's iPad.

iPod, iPad, iBooks, I think you'll love Music Brussels. Reach out and touch someone on the 27th.

It's coming.

Happy 40th Birthday Black Sabbath!

2010-02-13T08:25:00.000-08:00

What is this that stands before me?

Figure in black that points at me

Turn around quick, and start to run

Find out I'm the chosen one

Oh nooo!

It was 40 years ago today that an album was released that would change the course of music and give birth to the genre that we know as heavy metal. Black Sabbath's Black Sabbath album with its doom laden rifts was like nothing that had come before it, each song delivered with sledge hammer intensity to set heads banging across the land.

Not the folk and blues driven stuff that Zeppelin were producing, or the prog rock rifts of Purple, oh nooo, this was metal in its purist form. Sabbath did more to father heavy metal than any other group. Alice Cooper, Nirvana, Metallica and countless 80's thrash metal bands took their inspiration from this band of Brummies.

Sabbath were originally called Earth, but, thankfully had to change their name due to another band having the same name and getting tired of being confused with them. The name Black Sabbath was taken from the name of a Borris Karloff film they saw on a poster. With Tony Iommi on guitar, Terry "Geezer" Butler on bass, Bill Ward on drums and the irrepressible Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, Sabbath delivered their satanic brand to the masses, provoking controversy and outcry with their source material and lyrics that encompassed everything from madness, and drug abuse to nuclear war and the end of the world.

December of '69 saw the release of their first single, Evil Woman, with the remaining 7 tracks of their first album being recorded and mixed in two days in January of 1970 with it being released in the UK the next month on Friday 13th.

The figure in black in the lyrics of the opening track, relates to a mysterious figure that Geezer saw after waking from a nightmare. Lucifer come to add his pennies worth to the album? or too much sweet leaf? who knows.

N.I.B. a song written from the perspective of satan, did not, as was popularly thought at the time, stand for "Nativity In Black" but was a reference to the pointed goatee beard sported by the drummer which, mightier than the sword, resembled the nib of a pen.

Like Zeppelin, Sabbath took inspiration from Tolkien and magical character strolling the land in The Wizard is Gandalf.

Behind The Wall Of Sleep is a play on the title of H.P. Lovecraft's 1919 short story Beyond The Walls Of Sleep. Dark forces indeed. A film adaptation of this story was released in 2006, which is quite impressive as the original was only four pages long.

The album's cover is a picture of Mapledurham Watermill on the Thames in Oxfordshire with a figure in Black occupying the foreground. The mill appears in the Doomsday Book, which is ironic considering the flood of doom metal that followed its image being used by a band who ground out the genre.

2009 the Deluxe Edition

Black Sabbath
The Wizard
Behind the Wall of Sleep
N.I.B.
Evil Woman
Sleeping Village
Warning

Wicked World
Black Sabbath" (outtake)
Black Sabbath" (instrumental)
The Wizard (outtake)
Behind the Wall of Sleep" (outtake)
N.I.B. (instrumental)
Evil Woman (alternative version)
Sleeping Village (intro alternative version)
Warning Part 1 (outtake)

In 2009 the album was released as a deluxe edition with a second disk of out takes and instrumental versions doing full justice to this classic album. Also given the deluxe treatment were the albums Paranoid and Master Of Reality. Volume 4 through Never Say Die were also re-released as a single disk with no significant extras, but re-mastered. The series will next move on to Dio era Sabbath, with Heaven & Hell, Mob Rules and Live Evil in the deluxe multi-disk pipeline.

So break out a copy of the album, eat a cake made Mapledurham Mill flour and wish many happy returns to a great album. Ozzy you are the chosen one!

Hawkwind Find Their Mojo

2010-02-06T09:43:00.000-08:00

Hawkfans impatient for the release of the bands next studio album should grab a copy of the latest Mojo magazine. Featuring covers of the classic Syd Barrett 70s album The Madcap Laughs it includes a version of Long Gone by captain Brock's psychedelic warlords.

Throw in further renditions by the likes of REM and it makes this months Mojo pretty indispensable. The full track listing is: -

Field Music - Terrapin

J Mascis - No Good Trying

The Besnard Lakes - Love You

Race Horses - No Man's Land

R.E.M. - Dark Globe

Hush Arbors - Here I Go

Captain Sensible - Octopus

Hope Sandoval & the Warm Intentions - Golden Hair

Hawkwind - Long Gone

Skygreen Leopards - She Took a Long Cold Look

Cate Le Bon - Feel

Jennifer Gentle - If It's In You

Marc Almond - Late Night

Robyn Hitchcock - Dark Globe (live bonus track)

In the magazine, Brock compares Syd to Hawkwind's resident poet Bob Calvert. Syd and Bob shared a couple of traits they were both barking mad and both damned fined musicians.

Music Brussels Opening Party

2010-02-01T10:18:00.000-08:00

Great things sometimes start in small places, JK Rowling penned her first Harry Potter book in Edinburgh's Elephant House coffee shop and on February 27th another piece of magic will take shape as Churchill's bar opens its doors to the Music Brussels launch party.

Belgian music as I have found is a match for anything to be found in the world, but is in desperate need of promotion. The countries musical scene is also in a state of civil war, with the French and Flemish portions at loggerheads. Music Brussels aims to break down any cultural divides putting Belgian Music in the worlds shop window regardless of the language it's sung in.

To mark this event some of the countries finest musicians will be playing at the launch. My TV Is Dead, Garner, dIPLOMAT and The VOGUES, who will be having a launch of their own that night in the shape of a new album.

Free CDs, free drinks (courtesy of sponsors Jamesons and Absolut Vodka), free T-shirts and free music, it promises to be a night to remember followed by a future filled with the sounds of sweet Belgian music. Kick off is at 7:00 so if you're in Brussels that night, be there or be square. And it's not hip to be square.

I'll be blogging profiles of the bands who'll be playing in the weeks leading up to the event, so watch this space, get your diaries out for the 27th and get ready for a night of enchantment.

In the meantime you can follow Music Brussels via the usual social networking suspects.

Daffodils & Crêpes

2010-01-30T12:50:00.001-08:00

I wandered lonely as a cloud,

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crepe eating crowd,

A host, of narcotic daffodils.

L'amuse Gueule crêperie, a strange venue for music, but in psychedelia strange is good. The last pancakes were munched, the diners departed and the strains of a sitar filled the air. Cue guitar, bass & drums and some hypnotic, pulsating music from The Narcotic Daffodils. At times reminiscent of Hawkwind in their prime, the band produced a wall of sound that had me in head banging heaven. They did however vary their sound quite a bit, with two covers thrown into the mix for good measure.

Personally I'd like to hear them do more psychedelic material, but speaking to keyboardist and Sitar maestro Simon Rigot after the show, they want to keep their music varied. But hey, a heady cocktail of rock and mind expanding melodies is OK by me. I'd also like to hear more Sitar, but as Simon also plays keyboards that would be a tad tricky. Not a problem in the studio, but live he'd need to grow a few more sets of hands. If he does then I think a cover version of An Octopus's Garden would be in order.

Since the last time I saw the band, they seem to be playing a lot tighter as a unit and are developing (or is that blooming) into an excellent group.

Set List

Back from Calcutta
Mister Jacky
Heels
Anthem
She's Not There
Riding the Drag
Go Fuck Yourself
Deedoodah
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Jam
Jungle Drums

The band are taking a hiatus from gigs for the moment so they can work uninterupted on recording a CD. The Daffodils will return again in the spring for the Brussels Jazz Marathon, with a concert with the Benito Band.

For details of this and other concerts in the city, check out the Music Brussels website when it comes on-stream next month. In the meantime you can follow it on Twitter or Facebook. News of the launch party coming soon.

Le narcotic daffodils, my favourite drug.

Streaker

2010-01-06T12:42:00.000-08:00

Now that's what I'd call a streaker! Could she get any rasher?

Back In The Doghouse

2010-01-04T14:37:00.000-08:00

News from the Twitterverse. Glasgow's Doghouse Roses started recording their new album today, with 2 songs completed and 11 more to go. I enjoyed their last album, How've You Been (All This Time), and they were great in concert at Botanique, so I look forward to this one.

Fuck The World

2010-01-04T05:01:00.000-08:00

Turbonegro, Norway's finest death punk exponents. Just when you thought that punk was dead, it was reanimated by these Scandinavian maestros and mutated into a metal hybrid that truly rocks.

Santa delivered me copies of their excellent Apocalypse Dudes and Scandinavian Leather albums this Christmas. From the latter of these two here's a song that sums up the recent Copenhagen climate talks perfectly. Fuck The World.

The End Is Just The Beginning

2010-01-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

Good riddance RTD. Daleks, Sea Devils and some kick ass action. 2010 is going to be a great year for Dr Who!

Over-sentimentality aside, the episode finale does raise some interesting questions. Check out this article it IO9.com, Figuring Out Dr Who's Lingering Mysteries, that speculates their may be forces at work in this episode above and beyond the returning time lords.

After Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles most other TV shows Are Garbage

2010-01-03T05:33:00.001-08:00

After Russell T delivered his final camp piece of Who to the viewing public, it was nice to see that some people now how to make quality SF without resorting to sentimental slush. Season 2 of Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles was excellent and far better than the franchises latest filmic incarnation. With Shirley Manson on board the shows final series delivered on all levels, quality script, acting and special effects with a multi-timeline plot to suit. It's just a crying shame that Fox, in their infinite wisdom decided to terminate it. It seems that todays TV money men prefer to splash their cash on singing freaks, dancing has beens and jerks in a house rather than invest in quality. TV aimed at the lowest common denominator and that's pretty damned low.

The good news of Sarah Connor's demise is that Shirley can now concentrate on her solo album and that long overdue fifth Garbage release.

The Two Faces Of Gordon Brown

2009-12-29T18:27:00.000-08:00

Riddle me this. It amazes me that the British government currently jumping up and down over the execution of a Briton with alleged mental health problems in China, are the same jokers who didn't lift a finger over the extradition of hacker Gary McKinnon to the US regardless of his.... mental health problems.

McKinnon is possibly facing 60 years in an American jail, which with his medical condition is a possible death sentence, a fact conveniently ignored, by Gordon Brown and his toadies in the foreign office, so they can maintain their 'special' relationship with Uncle Sam. Ironic isn't it.

A dark night in the annals of British diplomacy.

The 12 Discs Of Christmas

2009-12-21T01:36:00.000-08:00

The Lunar Tiki's Leo, A Santa Fit To Deliver My 12 Discs Of Christmas

2009 has been a great year for music, the year that the avant garde broke into the mainstream with bands like Animal Collective, The Dirty Projectors and Grizzly Bear riding high in the charts.

Live highlights for me included the Dodo's in Antwerp (far better than their Brussels show), Melody Gardot, The Dirty Projectors and a magical performance from Grizzly Bear ably supported by St Vincent. Not to forget Belgium's own Madensuyu, who's hypnotic drum and guitar playing carried me off on a wave of musical bliss on three separate occasions.

And so, without further ado, here, for what it's worth, is my pick of the musical crop from this exceptional year.

1. The Phantom Band - Checkmate Savage
2. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
3. The Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
4. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest It's Blitz!
6. St Vincent - Actor
7. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
8. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
9. Bill Calaghan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle
10. The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
11. Megafaun - Gather, Form and Fly
12. Madensuyu - D is Done

For any iPod toting music lovers out there, here's a playlist taken from the above, which as it happens I've got playing as I type.

1. The Phantom Band - Folk Song Oblivion

A tough call to pick one track from such an outstanding debut album. Island, Crocodile.. all wonderful stuff.

2. Animal Collective - My Girls

A synth laden, harmony ridden uplifting song to make your spirit soar.

3. The Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move

Off key harmonies and Dave Longstreth's strange guitar style make the Dirty Projectors a unique force of musical nature. Stillness Is The Move is a corker. Also recommended their collaboration with David Byrne, Knotty Pine which can be found on the fabulous Dark Was The Night Collection.

4. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

Evocative of a memorable night at Cirque Royale and a magic night from a magic band.

5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero

Again a tough call, Heads Will Roll or Hysteric called equally have made this list.

6. St Vincent - Black Rainbow

A doom laden song, slowly building to a crushing climax.

7. Andrew Bird - Masterswarm

My biggest regret this year was missing Andrew's gig at the Edinburgh Festival. Tickets in hand, but stuck in Brussels that weekend. Not only that I managed to miss his Brussels performance too. Ah well, there's always next year. Masterswarm is a bizarre track of insects nesting in human flesh. But touching too.

8. The Decemberists - Won't Want For Love (Margaret In The Taiga)

Great back beat, great vocals, great song.

9. Bill Calaghan - Eid Ma Clack Shaw

Words taken from a dream and a dream of a song. Eid ma clack shaw, Zupoven del ba, Mertepy ven seinur, Cofally ragdah. Bill really must lay off eating cheese late at night.

10. The Low Anthem - Charlie Darwin

In the anniversary of his birth Charlie D had to get a look in and this track is a thing of beauty.

11. Megafaun - The Fade

Surprise act of the year for me. I saw these guys supporting The Dodos in Antwerp and they blew me away with their Fleet Foxesque harmonies and weird little songs, nicely exemplified by The Fade.

12. Madensuyu - Tread On Tread Light

It raises the hairs on the back of my neck every time I hear this one.

And finally. My number one New Year's resolution has to be to see The Phantom Band live somewhere, anywhere!. Their debut album is astounding and they've produced some amazing music.

As always, any alternative lists always appreciated as comments to this post.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

The Dodos turning Trix in Antwerp

2009-11-23T11:44:00.001-08:00

The night began with a detour in the direction of a Rockabilly gig which happened to be playing the same venue that night. The nice chap on the door for this quifftastic event took us to a lift which carried us to the first floor and a rendezvous with the Dodos. "Hi y'all" I drawled to the man at the desk "is this the rockabilly concert?". After being told no, I pointed out that I was only joshing and settled down to a pre-gig beer.

It's great when you go to see a band and find that a support act are exceptional too. Thus was the case last Saturday night. The Dodos as expected rocked, the surprise in this little kinder egg of a concert were Megafaun. This bearded threesome from Wisconcin sound a bit like the Fleet Foxes on acid, which is no bad thing. Lumbering around like a group of musical Bigfoot, these guys really rocked the house in a moonshine swilling stomping sort of way. I'm listening to their debut album, Gather, Form & Fly at the moment and it's excellent. Well worth a listen.

Support act number two, Cymbals Eat Guitars were OK in a garage bandy sort of way but never really did it for me. One of the rare occaisions I neglected to buy a CD by a supporting act. They'll probalbly prove me wrong now and go on to become multi media megastars.

The Dodos were superb having a harder edge than they did in Brussels and producing a barnstorming performance. I was sure they played more tracks from Visiter and less from their new album than they did at Botanique, but Meric assured me after the show that it was the other way around. Logan thought that it was a strange concert, although quite what that means I'm not sure. Also lost was Logan's signature drum rimming technique, although as he pointed out the acoustics of Trix were such that they absorbed any high sounds, which probably explains why it felt less mellow than the Brussels show and more aggressive.

The band in general were much tighter than when I saw them last, and came over as being far more comfortable with the new material. It's amazing what a few weeks on the road does for a group.

Thinking about the Dodos they remind me a lot of Madensuyu. Both bands build their music around the rythm section, with guitar and drums playing off each other to great effect. The Dodos, unlike Gent's finest do have a third member in their group, Keaton Snyder on Vibraphone, but this isn't a key part of their sound. Fans of either band should check out the other.

After the show Marie finally got to talk to Logan, after someone prevented her doing so in Brussels by talking too much about drumming. Albums and posters were signed, and pictures taken of a smiling happy person with the band.

Thanks to Marie for the heads up on the show, the lift too and from the venue and the pleasure of her most charming company.

Justin Robson Room 101

2009-11-13T11:51:00.001-08:00

Novacon 39's guest of honour, Justina Robson, advocated that social networking and blogs be consigned to room 101. So that's it for this post and the George Lite Zone.

Musings from 20,000 feet

2009-11-02T09:32:00.000-08:00

Canceled flights and detours via London do have some advantages. In this case the chance to listen to Hawklords Live 1978 released on the excellent Atom Henge label.

First off a trip back to 1978 and Bob Calvert in all his pomp. The 1978 Hawklords tour is special to me as it was the first time I saw the Hawks live. As the first bars of Automoton segued into 25 Years On, I found myself transported back to that night. Calvert on stage with bullet belt and flying helmet. The definitive urban guerilla delivering the ultimate sonic attack. High Rise and Deathtrap followed, the latter delivered with blistering intensity. Age of the Micro Man mellowed things out a bit then, Steve Swindells swirling synth playing and regae rifs counterpointing Calvert's vocals perfectly. No disrespect to messrs Brock and Wright, but no one delivers Spirit Of The Age quite like Bob and the version recorded here doesn't doesn't disapoint. The classic Urban Guerilla then showcases what Calvert brought to the band, make believe violence on a 100 watt stack and a song which will probably reside in my head yet again for the next 24 hours (I must remember not to sing it to myself going through security at Brussels Airport).

A dreamlike version of Sonic Attack then breaks into a cracking rendition of Psi Power, before proceedings are finally concluded with the classic Brainstorm punched out in inimitable style by Bob.

The auditorium lights come on, walking through a forest of plastic beer cups to the exit, ears ringing and a feeling of profound satisfaction. Roll forwards 31 years and a plane coming in to land. Welcome to the future.

Forget the anemic Live 79, this is the Hawks at their best. Highly recommended.

Willard Grant Conspiracy & Doghouse Roses at Botanique

2009-10-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight the Willard Grant Conspiracy were aided and abetted by a fine alternative Folk act from Glasgow called Doghouse Roses, initially as the support act and later joining the conspiracy. Iona Macdonald has an exceptional voice and backed by quality guitar playing from Paul Tasker, Doghouse Roses are a fine alt Folk group. I look forward to seeing them back home in Scotland some time.

Doghouse Roses left the stage briefly before returning with Willard Grant Conspiracy. A session of top drawer musicianship followed, with Iona's silky vocals providing the perfect counterpoint to Robert's potent brand of Americana. An aural delight to swirl around in the mind and savor, like a fine cognac. Music to warm the soul.

The following pictures were the first I've taken with my newly acquired Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II. An excellent lens for low lighting conditions when you don't want to use a flash. Also great for hunting pandas.

Madensuyu at KVS Brussels

2009-10-17T00:37:00.000-07:00

24 hours on from Mudhoney's Berlin gig, I was still buzzing from their adrenaline fueled brand of West Coast punk. Madensuyu in Brussels were going to have to be exceptional to take me to the same heady levels of rock nirvana.

And exceptional they were. For a two man band Madensuyu produce a wall of sound that is simply astonishing. Listening to their studio material had given me an inkling of what they could do, but live they are something else. Woman, Fafafuckin', Tread On Tread Light... hypnotic pulsating music that blows the mind.

Ghent's finest have raised my live rock bar another couple of notches and reaffirmed my belief in just how good the Belgian musical scene is at the moment.

Go out and buy their albums. Better still, if you can, see them live, you wont regret it.

Finally, here are a few more images from a truly memorable night in Brussels.

Moshing to Mudhoney in Berlin

2009-10-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

The last time I was in a mosh pit was at Motorheads 25th anniversary concert in Brixton, the birthplace of punk, it's ironic then that the band to drag me back into the pogoing fray were the godfathers of grunge, Mudhoney, returning to Berlin after a 15 year absence.

Tracks from their new album, The Lucky Ones, meshed seamlessly with their old classics, as body surfers cascaded onto the stage in a blitzkrieg of the flesh. On that stage lead singer Mark Arm threw himself around like a man possessed, running at the crowd one minute and jerking around in demonic puppet fashion the next. A punk master in all his pomp. "You may have noticed we had Kurt Cobain on stage with us earlier", he quipped. "He was a bit smaller than I remembered him".

Touch me I'm sick in particular brought the house down, with the German audience freaking out en masse. Two encores rounded off proceedings, with the crowd still baying for more.

All in all a fantastic nights entertainment. 10 out of 10 for both the band and the crowd. Brilliant.

Giving The Dog A Bone

2009-10-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

A walk up Friedrichstraße today took us into Scheunenviertel, known as the "barn quarter". Amongst other things, this former Jewish center of the city hosts numerous art shops and includes Tacheles. At the turn of the 20th Century Tacheles was one of Berlin's most elegant shopping centers but has since fallen into disrepair and been converted into an alternative art center.

Perusing one of the Tachele artists studio's I came across the surreal work of Hungarian born artist Andras Bartos. A walk further down the road to Oranienburger Str. 27 brought us to a shop full of his work. After much humming and more than enough harring I couldn't decide on a print for myself. Calvin on the other hand immediately went for this macabre canine piece which will be winging its way back to Bonnie Scotland in a few days time.

Dave Grohl - The Greatest Drummer In The World?

2009-10-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

Sitting here in our hotel room in Berlin surfing You Tube in search of musical entertainment. Having just played a live version of L7's Pretend We're Dead on iTunes, I went hunting for footage of grunge's finest in full flight. That's when I came upon this clip that reminded me what a damn fine drummer Dave Grohl is.

With Brütal Legend fast approaching, here's young Jack Black and Kyle Gass performing their tribute to the greatest song in the world, aided and abetted by the shiny demon himself.

And here's Dave playing the tributed song. Hmmm is that why Zeppelin didn't have him guesting with them at the O2 Arena.

Although he would have done a bloody good job...

If they ever make a live action Muppet Movie, Dave's getting my vote to play Animal!

Rover's Return

2009-10-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

I'll swear that Gym Ball I was working out on tonight is out to get me. Bounce to the left, bounce to the right, roll along on your belly supported by your hands, bounce, bounce, bounce... By the time I'd finished I felt like Tigger.

How can a ball be such hard work. I'm not a number I'm a free fan!

Speaking of balls, here's an old classic from those German metal maestros Accept. It's the title track from their 1983 release and is the opening album in that old charade favourite The 100 Best And Absolute Greatest Heavy Metal Albums In The World Ever.

L7th Heaven

2009-10-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Suki for reminding me just how good L7 are. I meant to follow up on them when I heard the track Shitlist on the Natural Born Killers Soundtrack album years ago and was mightily impressed. It's taken from the album Bricks Are Heavy which is a good place to start with the band.

In terms of all female grunge bands they kick Hole's ass. Now that just doesn't sound right now, does it!

Here's a video of the girls playing Shitlist in Rio in '93.

Play it loud, then play it again, this is good stuff.

Huw In Hospital

2009-10-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

I just heard the bad news from Hawkwind's MySpace account, that Huw Lloyd Langton has just been admitted to Dorset County hospital with kidney failure and is on dialysis after a bout of food poisoning.

Anyone out there who wants to send him a get well card can send it to: -

Huw Lloyd Langton
Prince of Wales Ward
Dorset County Hospital
Williams Avenue
Dorchester
Dorset DT1 2JY

My best wishes go out to him and Marion.

Mudhoney - Urban Guerilla

2009-10-02T00:19:00.000-07:00

In search of Mudhoney Berlin gig tickets, I stumbled across this cover of one of my all time favourite Hawkwind tracks, Urban Guerilla.

http://www.last.fm/music/Mudhoney/_/Urban+Guerilla

Mudhoney's version was recorded for a John Peel session in 2002, and released on a 2003 Mojo Magazine freebie, it was also included on the compilation album Up Yours! Punk's Not Dead. Cargo Records also did a limited edition 7 inch run in a series of Hawkwind covers.

Hawkwind's original dates back to '73 and was banned by the BBC due to its release coinciding with a series of IRA bombings at the time. Mudhoney have captured the punk sensibilities of the original, while incorporating guitar riffs reminiscent of early Hawkwind. All in all a bloody good cover. I think they did Bob Calvert proud here. Speaking of which...

Johnny Berlin

2009-10-01T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Flemish province of Limburg straddles the border between Belgium and The Netherlands and is home to 5 piece indie band Johnny Berlin. Featuring Paul Renner - vocals & guitar, Laurens Renner - synths & vocals, Roberto Beck on Drums, Tom S. Downing - Lead guitar and Jean Letour on Bass.

Musically they hark back to the golden days of 80's electronica with some punk undertones. A time of Kevin Keegan, Spandau Ballet and bad haircuts (such as yours truly's disastrous Afro). Great vocals, cool keyboards and catchy riffs this is a nice band.

To cut a long story short, the band took it's name from the legendary 19th Century pimp Johannes "Johnny" Renner. Born in Berlin in the 1920's he wandered depression torn Europe before establishing himself in Belgium in the 30's. Johnny was one of the first people to open a brothel on Chaussée d'Amour (The Highway of Love) between Liege and Saint-Trond and went on to establish a series of bordellos in Brussels, Antwerp and Amsterdam. He died a rich man in 1965 leaving two wives and four children. Two of his grand children went on to form a band....

I've just been listening to their album, Find What You Love And It Will Kill You, and it's excellent stuff. Taking a trip over to the bands My Space account, they site their influences as Joy Division, Morrissey, Philip Glass, Smashing Pumpkins, Interpol, Sigur Rós, Nirvana, Talk Talk, oasis, Front 242.

The following video is taken from this album and gives you a taste of their style.

Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Suki Jenkins who gave me a copy of this excellent album and helped open my eyes to what's out there in the great wide Belgian music scene.

I'm ashamed to say I've been over here in Belgium for 5 years now, on and off, and haven't really progressed beyond listening to the odd Deus album. Still it's never too late to explore new music. In the course of the next couple of weeks I'll check out some more Belgian's finest and post my impressions on the Zone. Stay tuned.

Sonos Attack

2009-09-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

In case of Sonos attack on your district, follow these rules. If you are making love remain in the shelter and use your Sonos remote to stream Hawkwind to your nearest media player. Do not panic. Try to get as close to the sonic source as possible. It's good shit!

Remember, if others make requests for music, play more Hawkwind via the Sonos control on your iPhone. Think only of yourself. Yourself...

With my CD collection just about re-ripped and residing on a 2TB Apple Time Capsule, I was looking for a means of streaming the music round the house. After exhaustive trawling of the web I came across Sonos and decided to invest in a starter pack. This consisted of 3 peces of kit. The ZP90, pctured above, was connected to my router via an ethernet cable, and my amp using a digital audio cable. Connecting digitally meant that the DAC on my Arcam amp was used, which improves the sound quality considerably, if I want to upgrade further at some point then a seperate DAC could be used. As such the quality of sound produced would satisfy the most demanding audiophile. The ZP90 doesn't have its own amplification so is relient on an exernal amp, it also creates its own wireless network to connect with the Sonos remote and other players. Sonos uses its own state of the art network called Mesh to channel music. It has a line in connection, so you can attach an external audio device, such as a CD player, and stream round your house too.

The second box included in the package, the ZP120, has a built in amp and can be connected to a pair of speakers. I placed this in the bedroom and connected up my DAB radio.

The final item is the touch screen remote which has a charging cradle. After installing the software on my Mac and, with a little difficulty, pointing it in the direction of the Time Capsule's network disk, and indexing the music held on it, I coupled the two players with the remote and set about taking it for a spin.

Selecting a few tracks from my collection I routed them through the amp in the front room, sound quality was superb and indistinguishable from a CD. I then used the remote to play an internet radio station, that old favourite Planet Rock. Surprisingly the sound was again crystal clear. I followed this with net music from Last FM and music routed from the DAB radio in the bedroom. Great sound, total control of the music in my house and complete flexibility regarding how I choose to play it. Musical nirvana.

One final bit of icing on Deliah's Let It Bleed cake, I also downloaded he Sonos control Ap to my iPhone, giving me another remote. To get a feel for what you can do with Sonos, give the following video a watch.

So far I'm pretty damned impressed.

The Fleet Fox

2009-09-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

The last time I saw J Tillman was at AB supporting his other band The Fleet Foxes. On that occaision he played to a packed concert hall, tonight he played a far more intimate venue, Botanique's Rotonde, to a crowd of around 80. At the AB he played alone, this time he fronted a 5 piece, electric guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and Joshua on rhythm guitar and vocals. And great vocals they were too.

This was good stuff, reminiscent at times of Mike Nesmith in his prime and, when they opened up, of the free flowing space rock of Hawkwind in full flight. On some numbers, they had the sort of manic intensity of the Bad Seeds with gongs banged, recorders blown and heads well and truly banged.

After the electric mayhem that ensued, the set concluded with Josh returning to the stage and encoring solo with two acoustic numbers.

Haunting.

The Dirty Projectors At Botanique

2009-09-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

Botanique, saturday night and the anticipation of another cracking nights musical entertainment. First out of the blocks the highly experimental tUnE yArDs. Singer Merill Garbus accompanied by a single guitarist wove together a web of time delayed drums, vocals and ukulele playing that defied belief. If she could have travelled back in time multiple times to provide a one woman chorus and rhythm section with herself it would have sounded a lot like this. Add in a cracking vocal range, at time soulful, bluesy and out and out playful, and you've got a unique and highly enjoyable act. I'm listening to their album BiRd BrAiNs now it's an excellent, if a bit bizarre, listen too.

After the last reverbed echo's of Merill's vocals finally faded, on came support number two, a Canadian band called Sunset Rubdown. Fronted by keyboardist Spencer Krug, they hail from Montreal and got the crowd rocking along nicely prior to the main event. Their latest album is called Dragonslayer and well worth checking out.

And so, on to the main event, the Dirty Projectors. Now these are strange fish indeed. Otherworldly harmonies, off key guitar riffs that defy belief and a lead vocalist Dave Longstreth strutting the stage like a young David Byrne. The next hour flashed by, a haze of surreal sounds and capitivating performance.

The show ended with a rousing version of Knotty Pine, a track they performed with the genuine David Byrne on the excellent Dark Was The Night compilation.

Saddle Up Little Doggie

2009-09-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

Car free Sunday in Brussels. The streets are filled with cyclists, rollerbladers and horse riding dogs. Only in Belgium...

Pussy

2009-09-18T14:34:00.001-07:00

Rammstein. Pussy. Classic. Watch the premier of the new video before it gets banned!

http://www.visit-x.net/rammstein/

It's time to get Dirty

2009-09-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

Here I am sitting listening to the excellent Brooklyn based band Dirty Projectors latest album, Bitte Orca and looking forward to their gig at Botanique tomorrow night. I'll post a review of the gig on the Zone at some stage over the weekend.

In the meantime, here's the video to a track from their new album, Stillness Is A Move.

You just gotta love a video with a Llama.

Stop That Pigeon

2009-09-13T01:10:00.000-07:00

The above footage was shot by your intrepid reporter in Cafe Nero in Perth yesterday, and is brought to you by the wonders of iPhone.

I think this crazy bird fancies a cup of java and a muffin. Does that make it a mocha'ing bird?

Blossom

2009-09-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

I just read Dave Hoffer's "My Case Against Motorhead" lambasting the worlds greatest Rock N' Roll band. I suggest you do too and add a couple of choice comments.

As my old mucker Ken would have put it, he should have titled it "Blossom". It's the Biggest Load Of Shite Since 'Orse Manure.

Rockin' out to the Dodos In Botanique

2009-09-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

First off the support act at Botanique tonight, Wye Oak, were excellent. Hailing from Baltimore they're a two piece with Andy Stack on drums, keyboards and backing vocals, while the delightful Jenn Wasner provides lead vocals and guitars. A mix of rock and folk they were most impressive, so much so that I picked up a couple of signed albums, If Children, and The Knot, after the gig. How the hell Andy plays drums with one hand and keyboards with the other is beyond me. Jenn's vocal range was impressive, as was her guitar playing. All in all a good start to the night.

As an aside, of their two albums to date, Jenn recommended The Knot as it is her favorite of the two.

On to the main event, The Dodos. Before the concert I'd listened to a couple of Dodos albums, Visiter and the newly released Time to Die, playing on my Mac Book Pro as I type. Both are fairly solid albums, with the Visiter being more readily accessible, while the latter is more of a grower. Having heard them in concert, I've concluded that they are a far better band live than in the studio. The concert was, to put it mildly, awesome. San Francisco's finest put in a great set with Logan Krieber's drumming forming a core of sound around which Meric Long spun a sequence of first rate guitar work and vocals. Sounding at times like improv Jazz crossed with bluesy rock, this was music of the first order.

Live the Dodos punch above their weight, delivering a soundstage that feels much larger than the augmented two piece that they are. This is down to Meric's playing like a man possesed and inspirational drum work from Krieber, that holds it all together.

Logan has an interesting drumming style, frequently hitting the rim while playing. Talking to him after the show he told me this has a habit of de-tuning the drums which then required frequent re-tensioning. He also plays with a tambourine gaffer taped to his foot to provide that extra jingle when required.

Extra percussion was provided by Keaton Snyder on the fabulous beast shown in the background above. All in all a rocking gig left me sweating like a race horse and happy as a kid in a sweet shop at the end of the night.

Two great bands, great music, great night. Result.

A few of pieces of Trivia. The Dodos last album was produced by Phil Ek who previously worked with the Fleet Foxes. Meric Long released a solo EP called Dodo Bird, with Krieber providing percussion on some tracks. Their 2006 album, Beware of the Maniacs, was released with this as the band name, Fans however started just calling them The Dodos, and their former moniker became extinct in favour of their current band name. Wye Oak were originally called Monarch but changed to Wye Oak to avoid confusion with a host of other bands using that name. The Wye Oak is Maryland's state tree.

Pussy Warmers

2009-09-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

I came across the Swiss record label on the way out of Caroline Music in Brussels today. Playing in the background was some down and dirty rock. Asking the dude behind the counter what it was, I was told it was a band called Roy And The Devil's Motorcycle and that the album was called Because Of Women. He also proudly showed me their stash of CDs from the same independent record label stating that they were all excellent. A trip to their website, www.voodoorhythm.com, when I got back uncovered this gorgeous cover of the album Pussy Warmers. It also features a model of the month, a trick labels like Chiswick, Bronze and SPV could have incorporated into their respective sites.

Excellent name, excellent cover, excellent label. I do like cats.

By the way, early listenings to Roy And The Devil's Motorcycle indicate they could be a band to listen out for in the future. A great cover of Johnny B. Goode and a lead vocalist like a paired down Mick Jagger. Laid back dirty delta blues guitar accompanies a slow back beat. Music to sit in your hammock to and drink Southern Comfort. Now back to the model of the month page...

Ichi

2009-09-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

The tale of the blind Swordsman has popped up in numerous Japanese Zatoichi movies, and in the Rutger Hauer film Blind Fury. On Saturday night I sat down to watch the latest take on the theme with a Blue Ray of Ichi.

This latest spin has a young girl in the lead role and all in all was excellent. It is implied, but never stated, that the sword wielding heroine, played by the gorgeous Haruka Ayase, is the daughter of Zatoichi. Carrying on the family traditions of tapping away with a cane and slice and dicing the bad guys.

From the beautifully choreographed fights to the wonderful cinematography this is a worthy addition to the canon. I was particularly impressed with the haunting soundtrack be Lisa Edwards. In fact I was so impressed with the soundtrack I just ordered it from Amazon.

A blind babe with a sword, gratuitous violence aplenty and a great score. What's not to like?

As samurai films go, Ichi is well up to scratch.

Motörhead - In the Studio

2009-09-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

At £8.99 this looks a bargain for any self respecting Motörheadbangers.

2001 - Is it the apes playing?

2009-09-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

In space no one can hear you scream. Unless you listened to this in space however, when they'd hear you for sure. Kubrik will be rolling in his grave.

Thanks Steve.

Marooned - Desert Island Disks The Next Generation

2009-08-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

Back in 79 Hawkwind were touring with Ginger Baker on drums and Tim Blake weaving his magic on the keyboards. Meanwhile someone had a cracking idea; collar a load of music writers and ask them to select the album they'd take with them if stranded on a desert island. The result was the aptly named Stranded: Rock and Roll for a Desert Island.

28 years later another group of music buffs scratched their heads and came up with Marooned: The Next Generation of Desert Island Discs. 20 albums chosen to be played as you build your raft and play your choice to a native for your very own 'Friday' Night Rockshow.

Each album forms a chapter in the book, with the would-be castaways extolling their merits and the reasons for their choice.

I thought I'd take the disks for a spin and assess their sea faring suitability. As Marooned opens with a bone fide classic, I thought that'd be a good place to start.

Motörhead - No Remorse
Skunk Anansie - Stoosh
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Various Artists - History Of Our World Part 1 - Breakbeat and Jungle Ultramix by DJ DB
Divine Styler - Spiral Walls Containing Autumns Of Light
John Martyn - Solid Air
Alice Coltrane - Journey Into Satchidinanda
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Scorpions - Virgin Killer
Stereolab - Transient Random Noise Bursts With Announcements
Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Dionne Warwick - Legends
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Dio - Anthology
The Meters - The Meters
Stephen Stills - Manassas
Brand Nubian - One For All
The Cars - The Cars
Sonny Rollins - A Night At The Village Vanguard
Iron Maiden - Killers

As the nearest island to me is Inchkeith in the Firth Of Forth, which is a tad cold to be marooned on, I think I'll settle for giving each a weeks play time then write up my thoughts.

And so as Lemmy opens up his base on Ace Of Spades and virtual seagulls wheel overhead in time to Filthy Phil's drumming, I'll start my first week with the mother of all best ofs, Motörhead's No Remorse.

Stay tuned.

Get Ready To Rock Out

2009-08-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

Get your diaries out pop pickers. Get Ready To ROCK Radio is doing a Rock Profile on Motörhead on the 27th of September. It's certainly music I want to hear.

Here's the rest of the schedule for the show: -

Sunday 16 August - Wishbone Ash
New album/DVD in September; on tour in October

23 August - Jethro Tull
Ian Anderson on tour in September

30 August - Porcupine Tree
On tour in October and December

6 September - Fleetwood Mac
On tour in October/November

13 September - Steve Hackett
New album in October; on tour in November

20 September - Alice Cooper
On tour in November/December

27 September - Motörhead
On tour in November

4 October - Queensryche
The band play 'Hard Rock Hell' in December

Note that several of the above bands were listed in my last post so the shows should ROCK.

Thinks for the heads up by Mr H courtesy of a comment on a post on Jimmy's esteemed blog Moving Like A Parallelogram!.

The 100 Best And Absolute Greatest Heavy Metal Albums In The World Ever

2009-08-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

I love a good list, food, The Good Curry Guide, drink, Around Brussels In 80 Bars, and music. All can take you on a journey to discover new sensations and expand your mind. They're also a great topic of conversation and debate, why was one thing included and not another. And all in all they're great fun.

One Of The Latest additions to this cannon of work is Jacelyn Bond's The 100 Best and Absolute Greatest Heavy Metal Albums in the World, Ever. Ooh now there's a controversial title if ever there was one. In this case it will take you on a journey from Heaven to Hell, a journey of power chords, hair metal and flying sheep heads. Strap yourself in and I hope you enjoy the ride.

First off here's the list.

Accept, 'Balls To The Wall' (1983)
AC/DC, 'Highway To Hell' (1979)
ACDC, 'Back In Black (1980)
Alice Cooper, 'Billion Dollar Babies' (1973)
Alice In Chains, 'Dirt' (1992)
All Shall Perish, 'The Price Of Existence' (2006)
Anthrax, 'Among The Living' (1987)
Arch Enemy, 'Burning Bridges' (1999)
At The Gates, 'Slaughter Of The Soul' (1995)
Behemoth, 'Demigod' (2004)
Benighted, 'Icon' (2007)
Black Label Society, 'Hangover Music Vol VI' (2004)
Black Sabbath, 'Black Sabbath' (1970)
Black Sabbath, 'Paranoid' (1970)
Black Sabbath, 'Heaven And Hell' (1980)
Bruce Dickinson, 'The Chemical Wedding' (1998)
Candlemass, 'Nightfall' (1987)
Cannibal Corpse, 'Tomb Of The Mutilated' (1992)
Carcass, 'Heartwork' (1993)
Cradle Of Filth, 'Damnation And a Day: From Genesis To Nemesis' (2003)
Danzig, 'Danzig' (1988)
Dark Tranquility, 'The Gallery' (1985)
Death, 'Human' (1991)
Deicide, 'Deicide' (1990)
Despised Icon, 'The Ills Of Modern Man' (2007)
Deep Purple, 'Machine Head' (1971)
Deftones, 'Around The Fur' (1997)
The Dillinger Escape Plan, 'Miss Machine' (2004)
Dimmu Borgir, 'Death Cult Armageddon' (2003)
Dio, 'Holy Diver' (1983)
Dream Theater, 'Images And Words' (1992)
Entombed, 'Wolverine Blues' (1991)
Exodus, 'Bonded By Blood' (1985)
Gamma Ray, 'Land Of The Free' (1995)
Godsmack, 'IV' (2006)
Gojira, 'The Way Of All Flesh' (2008)
Guns N' Roses, 'Appetite For Destruction' (1987)
Helloween, 'Keeper Of The Seven Keys Pt ll' (1988)
Hammerfall, 'Legacy Of Kings' (1998)
The Haunted, 'Made Me Do It' (2000)
In Flames, 'Whoracle' (1997)
Iron Maiden, 'The Number Of The Beast' (1982)
Iron Maiden, 'Piece Of Mind' (1983)
Iron Maiden, 'Powerslave' (1984)
Isis, 'Panopticon' (2004)
Judas Priest, 'British Steel' (1980)
Judas Priest, 'Painkiller' (1990)
King Diamond, 'Abigail' (1987)
Killswitch Engage, 'The End Of Heartache' (2004)
Kiss, 'Kiss' (1974)
Kiss, 'Destroyer' (1976)
Korn, 'Korn' (1994)
Korn, 'Follow The Leader' (1998)
Kreator, 'Pleasure To Kill' (1986)
Lamb Of God, 'Sacrament' (2006)
Machine Head, 'The Blackening' (2007)
Marily Manson, 'Antichrist Superstar' (1996)
Mastodon, 'Leviathan' (2004)
Mayhem, 'Wolf's Lair Abyss' (1997)
Megadeath, 'Rust In Peace' (1990)
Mercyful Fate, 'Don't Break The Oath' (1984)
Meshuggah, 'Destroy Erase Improve' (1995)
Metallica, 'Ride The Lightning' (1984)
Metallica, 'Master Of Puppets' (1986)
Metallica - '...And Justice For All' (1988)
Metallica, 'Metallica' - aka The Black Album - (1991)
Monster Magnet, 'Powertrip' (1998)
Morbid Angel, 'Blessed Are The Sick' (1991)
Motley Crue, 'Shout At The Devil' (1983)
Motörhead, 'Ace Of Spades' (1980)
Napalm Death, 'Utopia Banished' (1992)
Neurosis, 'The Eye Of Every Storm' (2004)
Nightwish, 'Once' (2004)
Opeth, 'Blackwater Park' (2001)
Ozzy Osbourne, 'Blizzard Of Ozz' (1980)
Ozzy Ozbourne, 'Bark At The Moon' (1983)
Paradise Lost, 'Draconian Times' (1995)
Pantera, 'Vulgar Display Of Power (1992)
Queensryche, 'Operation: Mindcrime' (1988)
Rage Against The Machine, 'Rage Against The Machine' (1992)
Rainbow, 'Long Live Rock 'N' Roll' (1978)
Rammstein, 'Mutter' (2001)
Sepultura, 'Chaos A.D.' (1993)
Saxon, 'Strong Arm Of The Law' (1980)
Skid Row, 'Skid Row' (1989)
Slayer, 'Reign In Blood' (1986)
Slayer, 'Seasons In The Abyss' (1990)
Slayer, 'God Hates Us All' (2001)
Slipknot, 'lowa' (2001)
System Of A Down, 'Toxicity' (2001)
Testament, 'The Legacy' (1987)
Tool, 'Xenima' (1996)
Trouble, 'Manic Frustration' (1992)
Type O Negative, 'October Rust' (1996)
Van Halen, 'Van Halen' (1978)
Venom, 'Black Metal' (1982)
W.A.S.P, 'W.A.S.P' (1984)
White Zombie, 'Astro Creep: 2000
Yngwie Malmsteen, 'Rising Force' (1984)
Unearth, 'lll: In The Eyes Of Fire' (2006)

Here's my penny's worth. First off and a bit of a show stopper for the title, hown can you have a best ever Metal list and not include arguably the greatest ever Heavy Metal band Led Zeppelin? Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones. Has there ever been a better line up in the history of rock? Add to that the fact that this is a band who produced probably 4 of the top 10 metal albums ever and calling your book The 100 Best And Absolute Greatest Heavy Metal Albums In The World Ever and leaving out this fab four is like leaving Pelé, Maradonna Cruyff and Best out of a book called The Best And Absolute Greatest Football Players In The World Ever. Contreversial.

That said, the book is a great resource for discovering new bands and top quality albums. Only this weekend I picked up copies of Godsmack's IV and Tool's Aenima on the strength of their being included. I enjoyed both immensely and would recommend them to anyone.

Jacelyn Bond probably also picked albums on their strength of their influence on the metal scene. For example, I personally think that Motörhead's Overkill, which was ommitted, was a finer album than Ace Of Spades, included, but it can't be denied that the latter was probably more influential on the genre overall. Hence it makes sense to include their 1980 masterpiece. On the other hand, if you can include 3 Slayer albums, surely there's room for at least one more album by the finest balls to the wall rock band on the planet (not that I'm biased).

It may have made sense to limit the list to a maximum of one album per group. Then again, if you did that, would you leave out AC/DC's definitive Bonn Scott album, Highway to Hell, or the brilliant Back In Black?

All things considered this is a well written and entertaining guide to the world of metal and a worthy addition to any headbanger's bookshelf.

Go buy it. You know you want to.

And finally Cyril, anyone else care to comment...

In The Belly Of The Raven (26/80)

2009-08-22T05:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon in Brussels, with a newly aquired copy of Around Brussels in 80 Beers in hand, I made my way to #26, Corbeau, The Raven.

An excellent ham and cheese omellette washed down with a superb Queue De Charrue bruin beer, in a wood panelled bar oozing class in spades. Queue de Charrune is aged in oak and has a complex taste, redolant of fruit with subtle liqourice overtones. Tart, yet sweet at the same time, it's well worth checking out.

Good food and good beer, a winning combination and a great start to the guide.

View Larger Map

Footnote: A return visit to the bar later in the evening was equally as ggod. Of special note, the coconut beer, Mongozo, and the excellent roquefort sauce that accompanied the damned fine steak that constituted tonights dinner.

Dark Was The Night A Taster

2009-08-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

Dark Was The Night is a superb collection of alternative country music and an album I'd recommend unreservedly. I'll be posting a full review shortly, but in the meantime here are 3 choice cuts from it to tide you over till I deliver the full meaty article.

If you click on the above widget you can add your own DWTN selection of up to 3 songs to your blog. A worthy pursuit if ever there was one.

Bon Apetite.

Red Alert

2009-08-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

Watch out, watch out, there's a new Limited Edition Marmite about. Hailing from Burton On Trent, Marston's Pedigree is a prince among beers. Now allied with the King of savoury spreads this could be a classic combination. Grab it while you can.

ChthoniC

2009-08-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

Wo.

This lot sound amazing. Elements of Rammstein, Apocalyptica and Swedish metal wrapped up in a parcel of Korean awesomeness.

Role on August 10th and the release of Mirror of Retribution. I hope the rest of the album sounds as good. In the meantime there's always the best of Chthonic - Pandemonium. From the reviews I've read this looks like it's a great album too.

Thanks to Jimmy for the heads up on this stunning video.

Bad Hair Day

2009-08-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

Walking into my local heavy metal CD store in Brussels today, I picked up two shiny disks of joy. One was Motley Crue's Shout At The Devil, and the other featured this well coiffeured rocker.

Pop quiz, who's this candidate for Hair Bair Bunch the motion picture and, for bonus points, who were the band and what was the album I bought?

On another topic, I picked up a copy of Vetiver's Thing Of The Past LP. Well worth the asking price for a cracking cover version of Hawkwind's Hurry On Sundown. Listening to Vetiver is like eating a sunshine sandwich. Mellow, chill out music of the gods, harmonically reminiscent of the Grateful Dead in their pomp, which is no bad thing. Also recommended, their latest album, Tight Knit.

How I Met Your Get Psyched List

2009-07-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

In one of the best season one episodes of How I Met Your Mother, The Limo, Barney, played by the actor formerly known as Dougie Howser, Neil Patrick Harris, gets things going with his Get Psyched playlist. The only song played from it in the show is however Bon Jovi's Shot Through The Heart. Which begs the question, what is the full list.

A bit of googling revealed the following, as identified by fans of the show with the aid of freeze frame, 20/20 vision and a zoom in on the slipcase.

1. “I Wanna Rock” — Twisted Sister
2. “You Give Love A Bad Name” — BJ (Bon Jovi)
3. “Lick It Up” — KISS
4. “Paradise City” — GNR (Guns & Roses)
5. “Dancing With Myself” — Billy Idol
6. “Rock You Like A Hurricane” — Scorpy (Scorpions)
7. “Panama” — Van Halen
8. “Talk Dirty To Me” — Poison
9. “Thunderstruck” — AC/DC
10. “Dr. Feelgood” — Crue (Motley Crue)
11. “Round and Round” — Ratt

Good choice.

An examination of Barney's blog on the CBS website reveals a second version of the list:-

1. “You Give Love a Bad Name” - Jonathan B. Jovi
2. “The Humpty Dance” - Digital Underground
3. “Come Sail Away” - Stix
4. “Don’t Stop Believin’” - Journey
5. “The Transformers Theme Song” - O. Prime
6. “You’re the Best Around” - Joe Esposito
7. “High Enough” - Damn Yankees
8. “Jessie’s Girl” - Rick Springfield
9. “Rock You Like a Hurricane” - The Scorpions
10. “Hip Hop Hooray” - Naughty by Nature
11. “Change of Heart” - Tom Petty
12. “Run Away” - Slade

Interestingly, the track played when the CD was first played in the show, was Bon Jovi's Shot Through The Heart that tallies with the blog version not the listing on the CD case. But with the mighty Thunderstruck on the TV version, I know which one I prefer.

Remember though, if you burn it to CD, don't let Moby steal it.

As an aside you can get the DVD of Season 1
really cheap on Amazon at the moment. Check it out, it's legendary. Thanks to Laura for the heads up on the show.

Now the hard part, if you were going to put together a CD's worth of heart pounding, adrenalin fueled, all thriller no filler, musical mayhem, what would make the grade?

To be continued...

Comedy Club

2009-07-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday night at the Brussels comedy club was a sweltering affair with temperatures hovering around that of the surface of the sun. The biggest round of applause that night was for the worthy individual who had the sense to throw open the doors and let some air into the auditorium. If he hadn't then I think the audience would have transformed into empty clothing and puddles of water.

Here's one of the nights acts, and arguably the pick of the bunch, John Maloney.

CAR2D2

2009-06-17T13:55:00.001-07:00

After a spate of breakins in the company car park, some employees took the issue of automotive security way too seriously...

Chester French

2009-06-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

Tonights Chester French gig at Botanique's Rotonde was short, around 45 minutes, sweet and highly enjoyable. And with only 60 ish people in the audience, they managed to do what much bigger bands have failed to do here, and got the denizens of Brussels dancing en masse. Meanwhile yours truly did his one man mosh pit impression, pogoing along to the beat like some kind of demented dancing bear.

The only track of theirs I'd heard before was She Loves Everybody which I aquired courtesy of a free download. I'll put that to rights later when I give the album I bought after the gig, Love the Future, a spin. Not a bad buy for 5 euros, signed by the dude with the mike.

The band were formed by Maxwell Drummey and D.A. Wallach at Harvard University in 2003 and are named after the sculptor Daniel Chester French, who among other things designed the statue at the Lincoln memorial.

A piece of trivia for the geek files - Chester French were one of the first bands to promote themselves using Facebook, being freshmen at Harvard at the same time as a certain Mark Zuckerberg launched his social website.

Todays video is brought to you by the letter 'B'.

2009-06-15T01:38:00.000-07:00

Brighton seems to be a musical Mecca in Britain at the moment. Brakes, British Sea Power and one of my favorite bands of the moment, Bat for Lashes. They do like the letter 'B' in Brighton. Check out this video of the band from the David Letterman show.

Natasha Khan has a great voice and Two Suns is a great album.

The Hangover

2009-06-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while a movie comes along that makes you laugh like a drain from start to finish. Old School was the last film to hit all the relevant funny bones, so it's apt that the latest injection of mirth should come from the same stable.

The Hangover is the story of the stag party to end all stag parties, a lost groom, a tiger a chicken and iron Mike Tyson. Throw in roller girl herself Heather Graham, some excellent totally un-PC gags and a funny as feck script and you're on a winner. Warning, don't drink while watching this or your beverage will shoot out your nostrils as you roll around the floor laughing your socks off. Highly recommended.

Breakfast Of Champions

2009-06-14T04:04:00.001-07:00

In search of petit dejeuner this fine Brussels sunday morning I googled my way to this fine breakfast emporium at Place Luxembourg, Le Pain Quotidien. A basket full of lovely breads, a selection of spreadables (jams, marmalade, chocolate spread etc.) and a soft boiled egg washed down with a coffee.

Aahhh, now on with the day!

Tickets To Ride

2009-06-14T01:46:00.000-07:00

I think I'm gonna be sad, think it's today... Well I was a bit on Friday night when I failed in my attempt to get a ticket to see the excellent Yo La Tengo at Botanique. Not wanting to maintain a maudlin mood for too long, and to avoid future disapointments of a giggish nature, I decided to get one step ahead of the game and purchase some concert tickets.

First up next Tuesday is Chester French. I noticed they were playing Botanique, checked them out on-line and having discovered they have a good rep, decided to check them out.

I came across The Dirty Projectors listening to their collaboration with David Byrne on the indie compilation Dark Was The Night.

Any band favoured by Mr Psycho Killer has got to be worth a punt, as is the aforementioned compilation, which is most excellent by the way.

Rounding off this little trilogy of musical delight is a subtle harmonic band from blighty. Quiet, introspective music from the godfathers of folk... Only kidding, I'm sure Motörhead will unleash their usual brand of ear bleeding mayhem on November 5th. It'll be interesting seeing them at Forest National, a tad larger than their usual venue of Ancienne Belgique. As an aside, Cliff Richard And The Shadows are playing there 3 days later. Perhaps Lemmy will turn up to jam on a version of Summer Holiday with them. Alternatively Cliff could add his vocal talents to Killed By Death. The Vorst is yet to come.

Brutal Legend

2009-06-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hmmm Brutal Legends...Gratuitous violence, check. Jack Black, check. Large breasted floozies, check. Fantasy setting, check. Lemmy, I gotta have me that game when it comes out.

Fireballs

2009-05-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

Before PXR5 there was XL5.

Now now, Venus, none of your feminine intution. Let's stick to the facts.

Bloodsports

2009-05-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

No not the muscles from Brussels finest hour, this is a track from a band I saw in Brussels just over a week ago, Official Secrets Act. This little ditty has had more airplay on my Macbook than any other since then.

Nice work lads.

Les Nuits Part III - Return To Botanique

2009-05-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

After last weeks glories of Brit Pop featuring Official Secrets Act and Brakes, it was the turn of Uncle Sam and Canada's finest to close out the festival de Nuit.

First on Botanique's Orangerie stage was a young girl from Brooklyn called Sharon Van Etten. Sharon has a voice of aching purity that is reminiscent of early Judie Tzuke, which is no bad thing. Singing songs from her soon to be released debut album, Because I Was in Love, she held the Brussels crowd captivated. Just a girl, a guitar and a voice to make the angels weep. On this performance and on listening to her album I'd say she's destined to go far in the music industry. I wish her well.

I've only one thing to say about the second act, holy crap! The sonic attack that the Akron/Family hit us with was a total assault and battery of the senses. Waves of feedback, Gongesque chanting, free flowing Grateful Dead style jamming, these guys have it all and then some. Akron/Family are impossible to classify, one minute sounding like the ghost of 1970 vintage Hawkwind, the next letting rip a death metal scream followed by a track straight out of Woodstock. Hypnotic, pulsating, and with more energy than the average nuke, I take my hat off to them. Bloody marvelous.

The Akron family are a hell of a hard act to follow. Enter the Canadian indie folk band The Acorn, a multi member beast spinning Arcade Fire style riffs off a rythmic core of twin drummers. Imagine the Fleet Foxes with a rougher rockier edge. High energy stuff. Cue more manic dancing, foot stomping and banging of heads. A commendable effort. At the moment Acorn aren't a huge act in the industry, but give them time and they may grow into a mighty oak.

And so it was on to the final band of the evening, another Canadian outfit, Great Lake Swimmers. Fortunately for my protesting body, which had been pushed to the limit cavorting to the previous 2 acts, Great Lake play a mellow laid back music with lead singer Tony Dekker ably supported by beautiful harmonies from his band mates. Set the controls to chill and go with the flow. A fine set was topped off by an encore with Sharon Van Etten joining the band on stage.

A sublime end to a sublime evening. And that's no bull.

As an aside, Sharon and Great Lake Swimmers are in Scotland next week, playing at the Twisted Wheel in Glasgow on Thursday the 21st. Recommended viewing for anyone in the neighborhood.

A Nice Cup Of Tea And Some Tart Citron

2009-05-16T07:31:00.001-07:00

The tea room over the road from The Greenwich makes what is probably the best Lemon Meringue pie I've ever eaten. In Belgium the meringue is soft and sweet and perfectly counterbalances the tartness of the lemon. Add to that some superb teas, friendly service and a resident dog and you can't go wrong.

Timbo

2009-05-14T10:21:00.001-07:00

Grantham's greatest living artist, in yours truly's humble opinion, survey's the new web enabled juke box in the Blue Pig. Back in the day young Tim used to paint designs on the backs of cut-offs for the towns hard rocking population. So if anyone out there in webland fancies a nice snaggletooth logo on their denim, I'll be happy to pass on the order. Personally I'd go with the Overkill cover, always a classic!

The years rolled by and a progression of psychedelic imagery flowed from young Timmy's brushes, earwigs, cichlids and the odd landscape to please the mainstream and bring in the beer money. When I get a chance I'll post some choice examples for your delectation.

Lovely stuff.

Brakes in Amsterdam - an all night Disco Party

2009-05-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

Bitterzoet is one of the best clubs in Amsterdam to watch hip indie bands. A place where trendy isn't just a trend, the clientele are knowledgeable and the atmosphere is as cool as the beer.

Brakes delivered once again delivered a superb set. This band really are as tight as a Kangeroo's kyber. Jackson, All Night Disco Party, Porcupine Or Pineapple, Spring Chicken... the songs rained down as the mood of those assembled soared. In these days of economic armageddon and the four horseman on the move it's great to find a band that don't take themselves too seriously and put a smile back on the face of popular music.

An after gig drink with the band culminated in an extended dancing session in a Blues club near Leidersplein. An all night disco party indeed!

Go out and buy their albums, you won't regret it.

To the Beer Mobile

2009-05-10T12:55:00.001-07:00

This vehicle adds a whole new meaning to the expression Drink Driving. A pedal powered bar!!
I hope these girls had a designated driver at the wheel.

Les Nuits Part Deux - Brakes

2009-05-08T13:17:00.001-07:00

After the esoteric delights of Official Secrets Act, Brakes came on like a shot of adrenalin to the heart, power chords a ringing and telling lyrics a singing. Fan-bloody-tastic!!! Seamlessly blending elements of punk, country and rock together their performance had humor and dancibility in abundance. Eamon Hamilton's vocals at times were reminiscent of Michael Stipe's but flew the full spectrum from rawness to sweetness.

Prior to Brakes, Eamon played keyboards with British Sea Power for 3 years, while guitarist Thomas White and his brother Alex (drums) were the nucleus of another Brighton based band The Electric Soft Parade. Mark Beatty was persuaded to play bass when the trio descended on his rehersal/recording rooms Mockin'bird Studios in Brighton.

I think the events organisers must have confused Brakes with US band The Brakes as the programme had them down as a US band. After this performance from Brighton's finest you may as well confuse a Porupine with a Pineapple . Outstanding !!!

Checking out the band's website, I see they're playing in Amsterdam tomorrow night which coincidentally is where I'm heading in the morning. Hmmm...

Les Nuits part I - Do You Want To Know a Secret?

2009-05-08T12:05:00.001-07:00

It's not often I go to a gig on spec and end up seeing a great band. A last minute decision to descend on Botanique for Les Nuits festival resulted in an even rarer event, the discovery of two great bands I'd not heard before.

The festival was spread across 4 sound stages with a new band playing on each every hour between 8:00 and 12:00. Cool. With so many acts to choose from I had a quick scan of the merchandise tables before taking my pick. In so doing I spotted two CD's with some decent reviews.

Official Secrets Act - Understanding Electricity - "Excellent", "hugely energetic, needle sharp" NME; "ThunderouslyExciting" The Guardian and "This Band are ready." Zane Lowe.

Breaks - Give Blood - "It's original, it's quirky and it rocks" The Sunday Telegraph; "Lunacy has seldom sounded more exhilerating" Q; "Pretty Much Perfect " Time Out; Full of fraught frivolous fun." NME 8/10; The melodic menace of the Pixie... and country licks of the Violent Femmes" Guardian ****

Buying a copy of each, I headed outside, passing numerous exotic food sellers and beer hawkers on the way to a tent and an encounter with Official Secrets Act. The band took to the stage to take up a dual drummer barrage of sound. What followed was 40 minutes of whimsical Brit pop with Hawkwindesque keyboard flourishes overlaying solid guitar and bass and the lead singers soaring vocals. Little Birds, Mainstream, Bloodsport this band have some absolute belters in their bag. Catchy Lyrics, hooking rifts and a stuffed crow. On this performance, and a subsequent listen to their debut abum, this band could go far and are more than a match for their British contemporary's. What's more, how can a band sporting a stuffed bird on stage fail? It didn't do Bob Calvert any harm in '77.

Speaking to the band after the gig, I found that two of them hailed from Scotland, the keyboardist / lead guitarist coming from a town near Aberfeldy, while another said he was from Largs.

It's official, this band wont be a secret for very much longer.

And so it was time to take a break before moving on to the Rotonde for band number two. Breaks...

Quote Of The Day

2009-05-02T02:17:00.000-07:00

Quote of the day from Calvin, writing down a list of ingredients for 2 weekend recipes.

"There are probably enough spelling mistakes in there to feed a family."

Knowing, a turkey by numbers

2009-04-26T02:25:00.000-07:00

Warning Spoilers Ahead

Don't read if your unfortunate enough to be planning to see this movie.

The Plot - Kid gets a bunch of numbers in a time capsule written by another kid 50 years in the past that predicts disasters. Nicholas Cage reads the list, runs around and gets hot and bothered. Kid gets rescued with the grand daughter of the 50's kid by a bunch of aliens. Everyone gets hot and bothered, the world ends and the kids run off to do a spot of tree hugging on an alien world.

Verdict - Total tosh but mildly entertaining. Knowing could have been a good movie, but the addition of a bunch of sci-fi hocum at the end with a scene ripped of from Close Encounters didn't do it any favors. Cage's acting was pretty wooden throughout, with the film giving him numerous opportunities to deliver his very best angst expression.

Recommendation - Knowing is a film in part about a message from the past giving someone the knowledge of future disasters and the ability to save people from them. In the spirit of the film, using the powers of numerology here's my prediction.

983367336244065 If you see this movie, you'll regret it.
185778053217122 Go see Monsters Versus Aliens instead.

My Lovely Horse

2009-04-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

Gentlemen, it's Ted O'Clock.

My lovely horse running through the field,
Where are you going with your fetlocks blowing in the wind?
I want to shower you with sugarlumps,
And ride you over fences,
Polish your hooves every single day,
And bring you to the horse dentist,

My lovely horse,
You're a pony no more,
Running around with a man on your back,
Like a train in the night,
Like a train in the night.

Big Trouble In Little Tokyo

2009-04-18T14:16:00.001-07:00

With excellent Sushi, Teriyaki and exceptional Yakitori, Little Tokyo is one of Leicester's best kept secrets. Add to that superb service, a great atmosphere and some of the friendliest waiters this side of Yokohama and it wont be a secret for much longer. And don't forget the deep fried tempura ice cream to round things off.

Outstanding !

Back in the nest

2009-04-15T17:20:00.000-07:00

Yet again Amsterdam's finest bar provides the venue for a demonstration of the remarkable recuperative powers of Dutch beer.

The Laughing Horse

2009-04-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

Walking across Dam Square with Calvin I came across the bizarre sight of this laughing horse. Perhaps someone told it a joke, perhaps it'd seen the Father Ted Eurovision episode, or perhaps it was just stoned. Either way it made for a good picture.

First We Take Manhattan

2009-04-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

My recent acquisition of the glorious double live album of Leonard Cohen Live in London recorded at the O2 Arena, reminded me of the genius of Canada's finest ever singer songwriter. With a world tour coming up, it's a good time to be a Cohen fan. There's also a DVD version of the concert, but with an alleged Blue Ray version in the pipeline I think I'll hold fire till it's out.

Trawling the web in search of all things Cohenesque I came across this video of Jennifer Warnes superb version of Leonard's First We Take Manhattan. I first got into Jennifer Warnes through her Leonard Cohen tribute album Famous Blue Raincoat. In the 70's she was a backing singer in Cohen's band and won a Grammy in '88 for her duet with Bill Medley on the Dirty Dancing song (I've Had) The Time of My Life. My last purchase of hers was The Well which was an excellent album too. She's one hell of a talent.

Then there's always the original version.

Enjoy !!!

The Cooper-Hofstadter Polarization

2009-04-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

Genius...

Angels Of Life

2009-03-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

Surfing the web in search of Hawkwind lyrics, as you do, I stumbled across this little piece of classic 'Wind on John Moules myspace account http://www.myspace.com/johnmoules. A most excellent page, check it out. It should be linked to by any self respecting Hawkwind blogger. There's also a nice piece of Girschool footage embeded there too.

...we're born to erase, all of your days....