I just listened to a few samples of Nothings Changed and there are some blues overtures in a few songs (Satisfy Me- slow blues and Baby's Got a Habit more uptempo), so I guess you can argue those tunes. As a collection of songs, I think this is one of Joe's best records, but the production and drum sound is very brittle. As for the other comments about DP, Rainbow and Yngwie, I thought w
Forum: Noticeboard

JLT is probably my fav singer. For his solo CDs of original material I would get Usual Suspects and Second Hand Life. It's a a mix of AOR and Melodic Hard Rock. IF you are looking for the Bluesy Hard Rock, then try the self titled "JLT" For indie releases, the production on these sound as good as the records with big budgets. The Sunstorm, too syrupy for my taste. Great vocals
Forum: Noticeboard

It's an interesting discussion but with DP these days, if you can accept Purple with Steve Morse, then I think a lot of people will like the new record. If however, you are looking for a more Blackmore styled record, then you go after the Heaven & Earth record. For me, I have always been open minded and I enjoyed most of Purple output over the years. I am looking for quality songs and
Forum: Noticeboard

I love both... very different records, but music really isn't a competition for me. My 2 Cents, Frank
Forum: Noticeboard

The record labels marketing of Made in Japan meets Perfect Strangers... not even close. To be honest, I don't want either of those repeated anyway (great records, but great artists move forward not back). Now What sounds like Deep Purple.... the Morse era Deep Purple of course. If you don't like the Morse era Purple, then this record is not going to convert anybody. That said, I love the
Forum: Noticeboard

I've listened to about all of the clips on YouTube... bloody brilliant. I really liked Purpendincular (had about 5 or 6 killer cuts). Abandon, mixed but some good custs (69 and Fingers to the Bone), Bananas, fresh, but some of the songs sounded unfinished. I thought Rapture would have been brilliant (song writing great stuff but the production was sterile). I think this may be the best Morse
Forum: Noticeboard

I agree Andrew, the vocals are in that Paul Rodgers/JLT style which is good company. I will be curious to see what other people think of it. My cents, Frank
Forum: Noticeboard

I received an advance copy of the new Heaven & Earth release, Dig. This is my favorite record that I have heard in ages. For those who are not aware, the backing tracks and a lot of the music was recorded in analog in a real studio, so the production is crisp and vibrant. You can actually hear separation in the instruments. There are plenty of Hammond organ flourishes, crunchy guitar rif
Forum: Noticeboard

The 7 or 8 tracks I heard, although not finished were superb and had vocals on them. Definitely old school in spirit and in the way it was recorded and I know there is a lot of money behind it too, which you can hear in the production and see in the artwork. The thing I loved was the warmness of the instruments and you can hear that old hammond B3 and guitar tone... closest in spirit to 70's Br
Forum: Noticeboard

A LOT of thought and care went into this record. The last one was a "band" record, but this lineup seems more solid, better production and the players are all top notch. Joe Retta is from my hometown of Rochester, NY, so props to him and he sounds awesome. The album cover is fantastic, love the concept. The production sounds fantastic. This one and the new Purple record in April.
Forum: Noticeboard

Hello All, There is an EPK for the new Heaven & Earth CD on YouTube.... I heard the demos a while back. Music sounds great, very old school 70's and 80's rock. Really looking forward to this one. Cheers, Frank http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nCu8TAT9eU
Forum: Noticeboard

Despite my bias, Deep Purple has to be the most overlooked band not in the RnR Hall of Fame. Well, they made the 2013 ballot. Wonders never cease!!! It's too bad this happened after Jon Lord's death. I would love to see Blackmore fire up the strat and get on stage with the lads. Frank
Forum: Noticeboard

Go to Don Mancuso's Website and you can buy all the Black Sheep material on CD. I bought it about a year ago. Cheers, Frank
Forum: Noticeboard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK423i-NGcY About 20 minutes into the above link, Lou talks bout his surgery and side effects. Frank
Forum: Noticeboard

From what I remember reading, when Lou had the surgery, it effected one of his glands (pituitary I think), and he has stated he will be on meds the rest of his life. It is not a case of him working out more, diet, etc... If everyone remembers his condition pre-op, he was one of the most in-shape singers (ripped actually), so I know you guys means well, but this is not a case of someone lett
Forum: Noticeboard

I couple of months ago I heard about 7 songs in rough stage off the new the Heaven & Earth CD and all I can say if you like old school Rock 'n Roll, I think you will love the new CD. There is a lot of hammond organ in the mix and some great riffs, guitar solos, etc. with quality production. I cannot wait to the finished product. Frank
Forum: Noticeboard

I am one of the biggest JLT fans and have everything he has done. If you are looking for rock tunes, the answer is not much. I actually think the 2nd one is better than first by far. The song Gutters of Gold on the 2nd CD and Love's Gone Wrong on the first are the most uptempo. That said, the Sunstorm in general is not my fav, but people who love AOR seem to really dig it. My 2 Cents, F
Forum: Noticeboard

It's hard to tell from the clips. The sound is good and it really will come down to the hooks and the songs. I love UFO and can't believe me it took me this long to get into them. I'm a fan, Frank
Forum: Noticeboard

Kenneth wrote: "Kelly is singing as well as Lou could ever sing, really and If you ever think of Lou nowadays, the comparison is non existent as Lou is a pale shadow of his former self. Lou's a hero and I admire him to the bone, but he can't sing anymore, it's as simple as that." I think Kelly is a great singer and I've the known the guy for years. That said, I think Lou has co
Forum: Noticeboard

He never said it was "Rainbow' so not sure where you guys get that. That's the point of calling it OTR. He is a great singer and the ONLY singer who could cover the entire Rainbow catalog IMHO. Feel sorry for Joe?.... come on, you guys have no clue, this guy is getting paid for a living doing something he loves to do. Great bunch of musician who put on a great show. Nothing wrong wi
Forum: Noticeboard

It's Joe's guitarist, Karl Cochran's CD. You can download on ITunes. Great CD and there is a reworking of a JLT song Breaking Away on this called Inside Looking Out I believe. This is a hidden gem of CD. Frank
Forum: Noticeboard

Frazzle Batt wrote: > > Well JLT perhaps ought to zip his mouth...because he ain't no > spring chicken and things will start catching up on dear old > Joe soon enough. > > That was pretty much the point of my thread.Not so much as JLT telling us something most of us already suspected,but his motives for doing it.Last time I checked,he wasn't exactly selling out arenas around
Forum: Noticeboard

Howard and I have some mutual friends and I sent him an old Back Street Crawler tune, "It's a Long Way Down to the Top" which he considered re-doing for this record. It didn't make the cut though. I have a feeling this CD is going to be class all the way with a lot of variety of tracks which I love. Howard is a great quitar player, who has both chops and feel. If I try hard enough
Forum: Noticeboard

Hey does anybody know when Howard Leese's solo CD is going to be released? There is a nice review at Classic Rock Revisited http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/reviewhleese.htm I know about this CD for years and it sounds like a great rock record in the spirit of 70's/80's rock with all of Howard's influences thrown in. It has guest vocalists, Joe Lynn Turner, Paul Rodgers, Jim Jamison, Paul
Forum: Noticeboard

Here is a link to be able to play full MP3s of the new Sunstorm CD http://www.imeem.com/people/WNjwxjy/playlist/8KrJrs1Y/sunstorm-2009-house-of-dreams-2006-st-mus/ For those of you who like this kind of stuff, it sounds really good. I didn't care for the first one and much prefer JLT's solo material. That said, I know a lot of people do like this style of AOR and if you liked the first one,
Forum: Noticeboard

I have already received Joe Lynn Turner's 2nd Hand Life (2HL) CD, the Euro version. While Joe has described this as a cross between Sunstorm and Usual Suspects, I will say that thankfully, it is more Usual Suspects with an emphasis on the big choruses than Sunstorm and a much more diverse and interesting record than Sunstorm. I will go track by track: Love is Life- A breezy, uplifting mid temp
Forum: Noticeboard

I got a chance to see a test copy of the Heaven & Earth DVD a few weeks back. Lots of cool stuff, funny stories and live footage. I really like the new song too and I believe it will be available both as a video and MP3 that you can download. Just about everyone who's been involved over the years is on the disc. Worth checking it out. You can order it direct from the band at: http:
Forum: Noticeboard

I'm really glad that I'm not much of a Van Halen fan after reading Andrew's news blurb. I find it REALLY funny that people are saying that the new/unheard music is the best yet. Until they get a singer in, who knows what the finished product will sound like. For the Van Halen fans, I say that it could be worse.... You could be a Boston fan and have to wait seven years for a new record ;-) Fr
Forum: Noticeboard

Not out yet, though I have heard it and it's quite good (much better than Bad Relgion, the last one IMHO). It's being released on July 28th and I use buccaneer records (www.buccaneerrecords.com), as they are VERY reliable and have the lowest prices around. Frank
Forum: Noticeboard

I agree with you on one thing: that it's all a matter of personal taste. While I think Asia stayed relevant instrumentally after Wetton's departure, I always cringe at John Payne's shrill, operatic vocals. It was the same thing when Fran Cosmo took over Boston's lead vocals--just didn't do it for me. That's not to say lead vocal changes don't work sometimes, but more often than not the successor
Forum: Noticeboard