When it comes to making immaculately crafted acoustic sets that warrant repeated listens, MTV Unplugged has a nearly unparalleled track record. For a program and recording series that has spanned more than twenty years, and seen such a wide and disparate cast of talents, the show has become a cornerstone for acoustic sets. From Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam, to Led Zepplin and Kiss, to LL Cool J and Jay-Z, one thing remains the same, and that is the consistency and standard they hold to the audio quality of all of their recordings.
On the latest release, Scorpions Unplugged In Athens, MTV has stayed true to their format and delivered another high quality performance from a group of musical legends. The release, a CD-DVD combo set, is set below the stars in a gorgeous open-air amphitheatre in Athens in front of a decent sized crowd Scorpions loyalists. The band has come dynamically well equipped and full bodied to this performance, appropriating 6 additional musicians, a full 8-piece string section accompaniment from the group Strings From Heaven, as well as special guest appearances from Morten Harket, Johannes Strate, CATHE, and Dimitra Kokkori. The sound is full and rich, the quality is exceptional, and most of all the music is on point, staying true to the spirit and energy the Scorpions have been conjuring since the early seventies.
All the huge classics are here in spades: “Rock You Like a Hurricane“, “No One Like You“, “Send Me an Angel“, “Still Loving You“, and “Wind of Change“. The instrumental arrangements are dynamic and robust, doing justice to the sound that brought these German rock legends international fame and recognition. Around every corner there are visually as well as audibly interesting details that make watching worth the price of admission. For instance, the finger picking insanity at the beginning of “Speedy’s Coming”, or any of the mid-set solos illustrating the guitar chops and expertise of a lifetime of performing.
As this Unplugged album comes on the heels of the worldwide Scorpions farewell tour, it seems these guys are alive and still kicking. While they’ve had a long touring history and become heavy metal icons, it seems fitting to see a group that have been together for the better part of forty years to step into a subtler arena and do an acoustic set. Although the boys have additionally confirmed after the farewell tour that they will not be breaking up, it seems that they might be ready to step back and take some time to reflect. Overall this is an entertaining set, albeit a bit relaxed and calmed down compared to the Scorpions early catalog. A must have for any die-hard Scorpions fan.
Tracklist:
1. Sting in the tail
2. Can’t live without you
3. Pictured life
4. Speedy’s coming
5. Born to touch your feelings
6. The best is yet to come
7. Dancing with the moonlight
8. In trance
9. When you came into my life
10. Delicate dance
11. Love is the answer
12. Follow your heart
13. Send me an angel
14. Where the river flows
15. Passion rules the game
16. Rock you like a hurricane
17. Hit between the eyes
18. Rock’n’roll band
19. Blackout
20. Still loving you
21. Big city nights
22. Wind of change
23. No one like you
24. When the smoke is going down
25. Where the river flows
Artist: My Education
Track List:
To start, the album is sonically constructed of mostly traditional instruments, highlighting horns, guitar and keys. Many times the arrangements sound fairly close to a traditional jazz sound, but there is a definitive twinge of the avant-garde that builds to unstructured eruptions throughout a number of the pieces. Think Ornette Coleman doing backup for Tom Waits. The percussion is sparse and minimal, at times being little more than an occasional click or steady chop. And then there are the vocals. Being a tribute to a jazz vocalist, the spotlight and driving force of this album is the vocal delivery. Objectively, the sound of the vocals can be described as deep and breathy, whispered and quivering, as if sung by someone on the edge, lovesick and broken. But it gets deeper. It sounds as if Stewart has conjured the dark brooding essence of the powerful sacred feminine that is present on the perimeter of all of Nina Simone’s works. At times he sounds as if he is not just channeling this energy into these songs but even casting a wicked spell, damning the ones who have betrayed and degraded women throughout time. This is a musical journey into a dark and foreign land, riddled with many strange and unexpected sights.
Canadian based rapper CeasRock’s new album
Remember how alternative (whatever the hell that means) music used to rock? Not the crap that is “radio-friendly”, but the stuff that used to really kick ass. Like all the nineties powerhouses, especially the grunge guys when they were still trying to make it, and the “indie” bands that rocked and didn’t really know they were indie bands yet? Well let me tell you folks, Swedish rockers The Quill certainly remember.
Modern progressive music is somewhat of a boys club. With the exception of a few bands that surfaced between the mid-90’s and now, the female gender has been primarily absent from the world of progressive hard rock and metal. Finally, the wait ends now with the introduction of New York City alternative/progressive quintet EYE RA HAZE. Not only featuring drummer Kevin Corcoran’s (ex-Buried Alive) thunderous beats and Berklee-schooled bassist Chris Marrone’s fresh rhythms, the band also includes the female triple-threat of seductive crooner Natasha Nicholson, striking 8-string guitarist Nicole Papastavrou (ex-Through this Defiance), and captivating classical pianist Karine Catenacci.
02.15 – Will’s Pub – Orlando, FL
About Fear of Men: Fear of Men, born of an art school project, has turned into one of the most promising bands of 2013. Drawing their inspiration from art and philosophy, Fear of Men deliberately juxtaposes iconic museum imagery and lyrical themes of loneliness and fragmentation with buoyant pop melodies.
The new album sees a return to the social conscious that marked out his initial forays into music. This is small ‘p’ politics, the politics of the everyday, 21st century kitchen sink with the internet and social networking as well as beer and fags and fights.
