KISS ALIVE!

The Mong

Music Group

CommentaryDecember 2008

Blitzen Trapper – “Furr” = 2.5 STARS
AND
Everest – “Ghost Notes” = 2.5 STARS
Both seemingly influenced by many bands and artists I hold in high regard, I wouldn’t necessarily claim either is derivative, but maybe they are both a bit uninspired. I “say” maybe because I can’t quite put my finger on it: the songs are good and the production is tight so I can’t point to anything specifically or even generally that I can be particularly critical of; yet, I cannot find anything in particular to latch onto here either. I am sincerely perplexed by these releases so instead of pondering on it, it’s solid midway scores for both of ’em.

Whitesnake – “Slide it In” = 3 STAR
Meeting this on its own terms and for its own time, it fills the Zeppelin void, “rocking” in the way it intends to rock. Dated as it is, “Slide it In” is a surprisingly enjoyable listen.

The Yayhoos – “Fear Not the Obvious” = 3.5 STARS
A damn good, crowd pleasin’ bar band whose borderline corniness is effectively erased by their palpable conviction. Hell, in my book, any band that can successfully reinvent “Dancing Queen” is walking the right side of that fine line.

G’HITS – Golden Smog
Like most supergroups, not so super. Good, not great, with a few notable exceptions, especially the covers.

TOPIC
What was the first album (or albums) you ever bought AND have you listened to it since?

Kiss “Alive” (1975). Oddly, no, I haven’t listened to it since grade school. I remember really loving “100,000 Years.” Big drum solo if I recall. Around the same time was Elton John’s “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” (1975). I’ve only recently revisited this album and love it even more now than I did then.