After 8 albums of progressive art rock Styx turned into more radiofriendly keyboardbased and melodic rock/pop. They also got a big hit with "Babe" which reached nr. 1 on the american charts. The album peaked at nr. 2 so this was a truly successful album. But is it any good? There's some great melodies and as always with this band, great vocals, but it's way too cheesy and melodic but I don't blame them for trying to reach the charts after releasing 8 albums. Here and there some of the former progressiveness of Styx can be heard, that's when they are really good but this album is actually not worth having. They made better music earlier in the 1970's. Exceptions is the fantastic folkinspired "Boat on the river" and the Tommy Shaw-progressive "Love in the midnight".

Drummer John Panozzo died of liverfailure caused by alcohol,  in 1998.

1)Lights (6,5) Very melodic ballad-orchestral rock with T.Shaw on vocals.
2)Why me (7,0) Typical D.De Young theatrical and dramatic musical rock.

3)Babe (6,5) Cheesy but good sweet ballad with De Young on vocals.

4)Never say never (7,0)

5)Boat on the river (9,0) Fantastic acoustic folk music song with Shaw at he's best.

6)Borrowed time (6,5) More rock at last.

7)First time (6,0) Very cheesy ballad.

8)Eddie (7,5) A good rocker with J.Young on vocals.

9)Love in the midnight (9,0) A fantastic melodic progressive rocker with great vocals from Shaw.

Score: 7,22

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

James Young-vocals and guitars (b.1949)

Dennis De Young-vocals, keyboards and piano (b.1947)

Chuck Panozzo-bass (b.1948)

John Panozzo-drums (1948-1998)

Stoned Guitar was a band from New Zeeland and this is their 2nd album released in the middle of the wave of psychadelica, acid rock and experimental music and this is no exception to the "rule" at the time. It is very Jimi Hendrix-inspired escpecially the vocal style. It is not at all among the better albums I have heard in this style; the songs are monotone and very very noisy with a lot of, dare I say, stoned guitar...

Maurice Greer still fronts the band in 2013 and Billy TK is still a well known and active musician in New Zeeland. Larry Waide is dead.

1)Black Sally (7,5) Heavy, noisy, slow rocker with a good refrain and a wild guitar solo.

2)Stoned guitar (1,5) I don't understand this. Just terrible guitar-cat-that-gets-killed-noise.

3)Jug-a-jug (7,0) First terrible noise for 3 minutes and then a very Hendrix-inspired very noisy song but with some good guitar playing.

4)Midnight sun (6,0) Monotone riff in this 10-minute slow hard rocker.

5)Tomorrow (5,0) Melodic acoustic that sounds like Bob Marley's Redemption Song.

6)Railway and gun (3,0) (Rory Gallagher) 9-minute slow blues with noisy guitar playing.

Score: 5,00

Maurice Greer-vocals and drums

Billy Te Kahika-guitars

Larry Waide-bass and guitars

On the 9th album by one of the 70's biggest rock bands, Uriah Heep have their moments but something is clearly not as it was. The songs are no longer as majestic and powerful, nor as lengthy as they were before. There are some good moments but they also leaned towards a more melodic radio rock-friendly approach which did not do much positive to the former "high and mighty" Uriah Heep, other than maybe selling-wise. The band had for the first time produced an album by themselfs and it was their most lightweight to date. Singer David Byron made his last album with the band, after being fired after the tour due to his alcohol problems that he had had for some time but got out of hand on the tour for the album. Also bassist John Wetton quit the band, he who replaced original bassist Gary Thain before the last album. Gary Thain was found dead in december 1975. He died of an heroin overdose. The rock-life can be hard...

1)One way or another (7,0) Terrible singing by John Wetton but an okey hard rock song.

2)Weep in silence (8,0) Wonderful powerballad but too sharp guitarsound.

3)Misty eyes (7,5) Partyly very good, partly cheesy half acoustic with a good a capella-part.

4)Midnight (7,0)

5)Can't keep a good band down (7,5) Simply a rock'n'roller.

6)Woman of the world (6,0) Stupid poppy song.

7)Footprints in the snow (7,5)

8)Can't stop singing (5,0) Too cheesy and poppy soul like song.

9)Make a little love (7,5) A good bluesrocker.

10)Confession (6,5) 2-minute vocal-piano ballad.

Score: 6,95

David Byron (David Garrick)-vocals (1947-1985)

Mick Box-guitars (b.1947)

John Wetton-bass, mellotron and piano (b.1949)

Lee Kerslake-drums (b.1947)

Ken Hensley-organ, piano and guitars (b.1945)

I remember this album from my uncle's record collection in the late 70's when I started exploring he's records. The Black Sabbath albums were frightening and strange and I did not really get the music by then but as time has flown by I really really like the sheer quality of the early Sabbath albums. This, their 2nd is no exception and it's super heavy, melodic, variated with great attacking vocals and tempo changes and guitar solos to kill for. They were of course inspired by the progressive movement of the time that was huge in heavier music and I not many bands were NOT inspired by that and it can clearly be heard even on this album and they make the best possible of it.

The album was recorded only 4 months after their debut album was released and it reached nr. 1 in the british charts and the single Paranoid nr. 4. The album has sold 10 million copies worldwide! It was released in USA the year after and reached nr. 12 there and is ranked as nr. 131 on the Rolling Stone-magazine 500-list of the best albums of all time.

What is sure as hell is that this album inspired all heavy music to follow and created a way for heavy music to reach the top lists and people all over the world.

1)War pigs (9,0) 8-minute oozin' slow heavy metal with brilliant progressive and melodic parts.

2)Paranoid (8,0) Simple riff and short hit song.

3)Planet caravan (7,0) Strange sounds from hell...

4)Iron man (8,5) See song 1.

5)Electric funeral (8,5) Super slow and devilish...

6)Hand of doom (9,5) My favourite song on the album, see song 1. but better!

7)Rat salad (8,0) 2-minute progressive and great chaos.

8)Fairier wear boots (8,5)

Score: 8,38

Ozzy Osburne(John Michael Osburne)-vocals (b.1948)

Tony Iommi(Anthony Frank Iommi)-guitars and flute (b.1948)

Geezer Butler(Terence Michael Joseph Butler)-bass (b.1949)

Bill Ward(William Thomas Ward)-drums (b.1948)

+

Tom Allom-piano on 3.

This is the debut album from American Dust, a band that included Marc Bell on drums, whom would join punkers Ramones in 1978 as Marky Ramone. The music on this album is far from the Ramones; this is 70's hard rock with a very heavy edge and the cover shows that these guys wanted to be known as such. Also, since it was 1971, there's some progressiveness but overall it's more straight forward heavy hard rock with good production and good playing and good songs. A shame this band did not make it bigger. I can really recommend this album!

1)Stone woman (8,0) Fiery drumming and slide guitar in this energic rocker.

2)Chasin' ladies (9,0) Damn good and intense slow rocker. Good stuff!

3)Goin' easy (6,5) Half-boring bluesy calmer song but with a nice melody.

4)Love me hard (8,0) Very heavy and crazy drumming.

5)From a dry camel (8,5) A 10-minute progressive song in two different tempos. Good!

6)Often shadows felt (8,0) Intelligent progressive rock-psychadelia.

7)Loose goose (6,0) Crazy wild instrumental rockabilly-like rock'n'roll.

Score: 7,71

Richie Wise-vocals and guitars

Kenny Aaronson-guitars and bass (b.1952)

Marc Bell-drums (b.1956)

What was to be Blue Öyster Cult, one of the most popular and influental bands of the 70's was from 1967 named Soft White Underbelly and they recorded material for an album as early as 1968 but it was never released. They changed their band name in 1971 and the line-up was completed as the recordings for this album were made.

The album sold well enough and they toured with The Byrds, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Alice Cooper.

I really really like this album. It contains everything that I like with 70's rock and hard rock music. Variated, simple, almost progressive songs with heavy riffs and raspy vocals as well as a lot of melody. BÖC made this superbly already on their first album and there were many to follow. Some songs are a bit too...weird and the lyrics and names of the songs are...well I don't know if they were very serious or just trying to be mystic. Anyway it suits the music.

1)Transmaniacon MC (7,5) Groovy and psychadelic.

2)I'm on the lamb but I ain't no sheep. (8,0)

3)Then came the last days of may (8,5) Slow bluesy song with a lot of feeling.

4)Stairway to the stars (8,5) Uptempo with a very strong refrain.

5)Before the kiss, a redcap (7,5)

6)Screams (7,0) Psychadelia-rock.

7)She's as beautiful as a foot (5,0) Very strange but very BÖC.

8)Cities on flame with rock and roll (8,0) A very good slow and heavy classic rocker!

9)Workshop of the telescopes (6,5)

10)Redeemed (7,5) Happy banjo-country mixed with psychadelic 70's rock! The way to go!

Score: 7,40

Eric Bloom-vocals, guitars and keyboards (b.1944)

Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser-vocals and guitars (b.1947)

Allen Lanier-guitars and keyboards (b.1946)

Joseph Bouchard-vocals and bass (b.1948)

Albert Bouchard-vocals and drums (b.1947)

After the british then glam-band Slade peaked in popularity in 1975 they moved to USA to seek success in the only place that that far hadn't taken on to Slade's world wide popularity. They did not succeed and returned to Britain in 1977 just to see the music industry changed. Now it was punk that everything was about but Slade did not give up. They recorded this album that did not make any mark at all on the charts but, damn is it a good album! Superb songs and full tilt rock 'n roll all through makes this the absolutely best Slade album in my opinion! Get it!

1)Be (7,0) Energic unpolished glam-bluesrock.

2)Lightning never strikes twice (8,0) High octane rock 'n roll!

3)Gypsy roadhog (7,5) A good rocker.

4)Dogs of vengeance (7,0)

5)When fantasy calls (8,0) A very heavy and strong song.

6)One eyed Jacks with moustaches (9,0) A great blues-heavy hardrocker!

7)Big apples blues (8,0) Hard, heavy and intense.

8)Dead men tell no tales (7,0)

9)She's got the lot (7,0) Really really heavy and strong and Holder's vocals is as strong as ever. Unfortunately very bad chaotic last minute.

10)It ain't love but it ain't bad (7,0)

11)The soul, the roll and the motion (8,0) Full tilt rock 'n roll!

Score: 7,59

Noddy Holder-vocals and guitars (b.1946)

Dave Hill-guitars (b.1946)

Jim Lea-bass (b.1949)

Don Powell-drums (b.1946)

For this album I have stolen a very good review of the album from www.thegorgon.com. I really enjoy this album, it has some really good songs in the psychedelic, progressive spirit but I consider it more as a rock/hardrock-album that is quite typical for the beginning of the 70's. But the stupid Witch-theme is not very "tough".

Early occult rock anomaly, Salem Mass, released a single record recorded from a bar-converted-to-makeshift-studio somewhere in Idaho. Often hailed as an obscure gem lost to the washes of time, Witch Burning offers an interesting blend of psychedelic rock, screeching vocals, and noteworthy use of the Moog synthesizer.

Let me preface this by saying I am not exactly sure which gentleman performed the vocals on the title track, “Witch Burning” on Salem Mass‘ only album, but this man sounds like a fucking maniac. He screeches and pierces the ear in a way that makes David Byron of Uriah Heep seem like an angelic crooner. You’re either into these abrasive vocals (especially for the time) or you’re going to hate them. Interestingly enough, the vocalist changes for most of the album. Instrumentally the keyboards run most of the melodies giving it a progpsych tang while the guitars keep the album rooted in hard rock and proto-metal. The title track has a six or seven minute instrumental interlude with some of the LP’s best guitar soloing and showcasing it’s most progressive moments.

The Moog synthesizer gives this occult album a very space rock feel on almost of the tracks on Witch Burning, and used in an extremely unique way. Had Salem Mass continued to produce albums and achieve some sort of artistic recognition, the way heavy metal and psychedelic rock would’ve played out in the 70s and into the 80s could have been changed forever. Jim Klahr’s use of the Moog is extremely, I mean just ridiculously eerie (“My Sweet Jane” is a great example). It’s creepy melodies and atmospheric humming adds a very spooky layer to the evil lyrical content. In a landscape dominated by Hammond organs, it makes the album standout.

I Definitely recommend Witch Burning by Salem Mass to collectors and fans of the genre – most others are not going to have much of a frame of reference for this obscure album. However, it has some interesting concepts that were just itching to be developed further. Good for a listen and to grab a few tracks off for regular listening.

1)Witch burning (7,5) A 10-minute start to the album that grooves with nice and crazy organ and a midtempo rhythm and hardly any singing.

2)My sweet Jane (7,5) Very nice melodic ballad-like song.

3)Why (5,5) A short song with a driving rhythm.

4)You can't run my life (8,5) Great heavy groove!

5)You're just a dream (7,0) Bluesy Doors-like song.

6)Bare tree (7,5)

7)The drifter (8,0) Very nice melodic and driving song.

Score: 7,36

Mike Snead-guitars and vocals

Matt Wilson-bass and vocals

Steve Towery-drums and vocals

Jim Klahr-keyboards