This is an incredibly boring album, one of the worst rockalbums I have ever heard. Except for the 1st song there's nothing good on this record. Boring and chaotic songs, no melody whatsoever and just dull and boring songs. Seems like Schon and Rolie were'nt very good songwriters. I wonder if there was a albumcontract that they had to get rid of so they had to record this crap. The music is some sort of progressive, symphonic rock that is very very slow and calm. The only fun on this album is Neal Schons hair on the cover.

Gregg Rolie has also played in Santana in the beginning of the 70's and nowadays plays in his own band Gregg Rolie Band.

Ansley Dunbar has worked with many top rockartists like Frank Zappa, John Mayall, David Bowie, Jeff Beck, Whitesnake, UFO and Jefferson Starship.

1)Spaceman (6,5)

2)People (2,0)

3)I would find you (3,0)

4)Here we are(2,0)

5)Hustler (3,5)

6)Next (3,5)

7)Nickel and dime (2,0)

8)Karma (1,0)

Score: 2,94

Neal Schon-vocals and guitars (b.1954)

Gregg Rolie-vocals and keyboards (b.1947)

Ross Valory-bass (b.1949)

Ansley Dunbar-drums (b.1946)

The debut soloalbum from the former Styx-member. The first (and almost worst) song on the album, "Girls with guns" was a big hit in the USA and was also featured in the TV-series Miami Vice. The album reached nr.50 on the Billboard-chart. This album contains soft and melodic hardrock, better known as AOR (Adult Orintaited Rock).

Peter Wood worked with Al Stewart, Roger Waters, Bob Dylan, Cindy Lauper and more before his death in 1993.

1)Girls with guns (5,5) Platic drumsound a lá 1984.

2)Come in and explain (7,5) Good heavy melodic hardrock with a very good refrain that lifts the song.

3)Lonely school (6,0)A ballad that is a little too cheezy.

4)Heads up (7,5) Co-written with Kenny Loggins, another softrockartist.  A good rocksong with good singing as always by Shaw. Also nice guitarplaying.

5)Kiss me hello (7,0) Kind of a ballad with good melody but a little too long.

6)Fading away (7,0) Reaggeish song, okey.

7)Little girl world (5,0) Not the best ballad, kind of strange. Of all artists, G.G Allin (1956-1993) also sings on this song but there is no note on the record about this.

8)Outside in the rain (6,0) Duet with Carol Kenyon. Not very good.

9)Free to love you (6,5) Incredible melodic singing but the song isn't that good.

10)The race is on (7,0) Okey end of the album. I like the saxophonesolos.

Score: 6,50

Tommy Shaw-vocals, guitar and mandolin (b.1953)

Brian Stanley-bass

Steve Holley-drums

Peter Wood-synthesizer and piano (1950-1993)

Steppenwolf was founded in Los Angeles, California in 1967 and this is their 3rd album. They were among the early heavier rockands that defined the rocksound of the 70's and beyond. There's also a significant flower power-psychedelic in their music which also can be heard on this album.

John Kay came with his mother from Germany to Canada in 1958 after fleeing from the Soviet troops during the 2nd world war. He is also colorblind. 

Michael Monarch plays in the supergroup World Classic Rockers.

Nick St. Nicholas was born in Germany and came to Canada after world war 2. He also plays in World Classic Rockers.

Goldy McJohn was born in Canada and records soloalbums.

Jerry Edmonton was born in Canada and died in a car accident in USA in 1993.

1)Don't cry (6,0) Hardhitting guitarplaying, steady marching pace and psychedelic.

2)Chickenwolf (7,0) Nice basslick and the charasmeristic vocals from Kay.

3)Lovely meter (3,5) Acoustic guitars and strange singing. Drugs?

4)Round and down (5,5) Step's goes honky-tonk-psycho. Just crazy

5)It's never too late (7,0) Almost a ballad. Beautiful song with all the typical Steppenwolf trademarks and strong singing.

6)Sleeping dreaming (-)

7)Jupiter child (7,5)

8)She'll be better (7,5) A nice ballad but why destroy the end with chaos?

9)Cat killer (-) Piano/keyboard-duelling.

10)Rock me (7,5)

11)God fearing man (7,5)

12)Mango juice (6,0) Cool psychotune.

13)Happy birthday (5,0)

Score: 6,36

John Kay (Joachim Fritz Krauledat)-vocals, guitars and harmonica (b.1944)

Michael Monarch-guitars (b.1950)

Nick St. Nicholas (Klaus Karl Kassbaum)-bass (b.1943)

Jerry Edmonton-drums (1946-1993)

Goldy McJohn (John Raymond Goadsby)-organ and piano (b.1945)

(See also albums no.3 and 8 by Atlanta Rhythm Section, filed under "Southern Rock")

This, the 4th album from ARS, began to find it's way towards the typical ARS-sound that the band would be known for. There are some okey songs here but it's an very uneven album. Some songs just ain't good and all songs could have been so much better. The keyboardsound is very much Supertramp-style. Their sound was a mix of soulish, even poppy at times, mixed with soft southern rock.

1)Crazy times (6,5) Soft rock with a soulful chorus.

2)Boogie smoogie (7,5) An 8-minute story about rough days in Jacksonville. First slow boogie and then they rock the last 4 minutes. Must be great live!

3)Cuban crisis (4,5) Some kind of calypso-softrock. Not very good.

4)It just ain't your moon (6,0) More 10 CC than southern rock, but that's just ARS.

5)Dog days (7,0) First a beautiful ballad and then chaos at the end. Why did they destroy an otherwise good song?

6)Bless my soul (4,0) A rather boring instrumental.

7)Silent treatment (6,0) An okey southern rock-song but there's something missing in the songs. The guitarplaying in this one is not very good.

8)All night rain (5,5) An a-capellaballad.

Score: 5,63

Ronnie Hammond-vocals (-2011)

Barry Bailey-guitars

J.R Cobb-guitars (b.1944)

Paul Goddard-bass

Robert Nix-drums

Dean Daughtry-keyboards (b.1946)

Stryper is a hardrockband from Orange County, California. They formed in 1983 and this is their 2nd album. It's actually an expanding of their 1st release, an EP with the same name that came out in 1984. In the beginning C.C Deville, later of Poison-fame played in the band during a short time. They are a christian band and at least in the first years they threw bibles and other symbolic features to the audiences and in other ways protested against the devilsymbolics that was popular in the hardrockcommunity at the time.

This album is quite uneven. There are some okey tracks but also some which are not very good. But you can hear that they had the ability to do good songs and it did come later on.

1)Lound'n'clear (6,0) Amateurish sound on this midtempo track that is okey but as an albumopener it's too weak.

2)From wrong to right (7,0) A better track with strong back-up vocals from Oz and Tim.

3)My love I'll always show (3,0) Cheeeezy! Sounds like femal vocals and the title is as cheezy as the song. Terrible.

4)You know what to do (7,0) Here you can hear that this band had better things coming. A heavy riff with their characteristic guitar- and drumsound.

5)Co'mon rock (7,0)

6)You won't be lonely (4,0) Terrible cheezy and repetitive track.

7)Loving you (6,0)

8)Reason for the season (5,0)

Score: 5,63

Michael Sweet-vocals and guitars (b.1963)

Oz Fox (Richard Alfonso Martinez)-guitars (b.1961)

Tim Gaines-bass and keyboards (b.1962)

Robert Sweet-drums (b.1960)

Willie “Big Eyes” Smith was an influential electric blues triple threat.  Not only was he revered for his singing and harmonica playing, but he was also an award-winning drummer.  Born in Helena, Arkansas, Smith moved to Chicago when he was 17 and initially took up the harmonica.  Inspired by the likes of harpists Sonny Boy Williamson II and Henry Strong, Smith formed his own trio within a year of landing in Chicago.  It was also around this time that he played on Bo Diddley’s recording of “Diddy Wah Diddy.”  Smith soon realized that harmonica players were basically a dime a dozen in Chicago, so he switched to drums and was shortly thereafter hired by Muddy Waters.  He went on to play with Waters on and off for the next two decades, only taking a break during the mid ’60s to earn more consistent money as a cab driver.  Between 1960 and 1980, Smith played on over 80 of Waters’ recordings, many of which ending up on Grammy-winning albums.  In 1980, Smith and other members of Waters’ band splintered off to form the Legendary Blues Band who some may recognize as the band behind John Lee Hooker in the 1980 motion picture, The Blues Brothers, starring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.  The Legendary Blues Band recorded seven albums and toured with the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and Bob Dylan during their run.  It wasn’t until 1995 that Smith began making his own albums.  He continued to record and perform as recently as 2010 when he and former Legendary Blues Band mate and Muddy Waters refugee, Pinetop Perkins released Joined At The Hip for Telarc Records.  The album earned the pair a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album on February 13, 2011.  Perkins passed away a little over a month later.  According to The Celebrity Cafe, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith passed away on September 16, 2011 following a stroke.  He was 75.

Early in his career Greg Ridley played under the name of Dino as guitarist for "Dino & the Danubes" before joining bands such as the "Ramrods". Ridley and Mike Harrison formed The VIPs in 1964, playing blues based music. The band added guitarist Luther Grosvenor and American keyboard player Gary Wright, before changing their name to Spooky Tooth in 1968. Spooky Tooth signed to Island and recorded two albums It's All About Spooky Tooth (1968) and Spooky Two (1969).

In January 1969 Ridley was approached by Steve Marriott from the Small Faces - who was forming a new band, called Humble Pie. The line up also included guitarist Peter Frampton from The Herd and drummer Jerry Shirley. Humble Pie's first album As Safe As Yesterday Is was released and a second album Town and Country was also released in the same year. A contract with A&M Records and a re-working of their sound into a harder brand of music, coupled with extensive touring of US followed. A double album Performance Rockin' the Fillmore, featuring a now historic recording of a raw performance of rare quality, catapulted Humble Pie into rock history. Ridley's powerful bass playing anchored the band's performance and was at the centre of their sound. In addition Ridley and drummer Jerry Shirley comprised one of the most respected rhythm sections in Rock music during this period.

This incarnation of Humble Pie continued until 1975 and Ridley left the music business, after finishing an unreleased album with Marriott and abortive attempts with bands such as Mike Patto and Ollie Halsall's band Boxer.

On 14 April 2001 he appeared with Jerry Shirley, Peter Frampton and Clem Clempson, billed as a one off Humble Pie re-union, at a Steve Marriott Tribute Concert. Earlier that year, he had also become involved with a Humble Pie project initiated by Jerry Shirley's reactivation of the group and the enlisting of another former Humble Pie guitarist and vocalist Bobby Tench. This resulted in the album Back on Track, released by Sanctuary in 2002 and a short tour of Germany with Company of Snakes during the early part of 2003. The project was cut short when Ridley became ill.

On 19 November 2003, Ridley died in Alicante, Spain of pneumonia and resulting complications. He was 61.

This selftiteled album (also called the Beardsley album due to that the cover was made by Audrey Beardsley) was Humble Pie's 3rd. The band was formed from The Small Faces (Peter Frampton), The Herd (Steve Marriot) and Spooky Tooth (Greg Ridley) in 1969. They were popidols during the 60's and Marriot had also been a childactor. This album was the last with Framton, he quit in 1971. He later had a successful carrier as a soloartist. Marriot died in a fire in 1991 and Ridley died in Spain in 2003.

1)Live with me (10,0) Not many songs get full points from me but this one is one of the best songs I've heard. For an opening song on a rockalbum to be it's too long, too slow and not rocking enough, but what a song this is! The organ lays the ground and furious drumming, powerful and soulful vocals and exellent guitarplaying in a song that is full of life and power. Incredible!

2)Only a roach (3,0) A honky tonk-waltz? Why?

3)One eyed trouser snake rumba (7,5) A good and heavy boogierocker that is waaay to short (2.50).

4)Earth and water song (8,0) Wonderful song with great singing that is full of feeling (Frampton).

5)I'm ready (7,5) A re-writing of the Willie Dixon bluesclassic. A slow rocker with a heavy riff.

6)Theme from Skint (See you later liquidator) (5,0) A somewhat strange, calm song with a countryfeel to it.

7)Red light mama, red hot (8,5) A superb "red hot" heavy slow boogierocker. Remainds a lot of Frankie Miller. Astonishing last 2 minutes of the song.

8)Sucking on the sweet vine (7,5) A beautiful ballad ends the album.

Score: 7,13

Peter Frampton-vocals and guitars (b.1950)

Steve Marriot-vocals and guitars (1947-1991)

Greg Ridley-bass (1943-2003)

Jerry Shirley-drums (b.1952)