The Human League sprang onto the music scene right around the beginning of the eighties. They were one of the pioneers of the synth-pop sound, and enjoyed hits with songs like "Don't You Want Me," "Mirror Man," and "Human." This best-of collection is a musical trip down the pop version of memory lane. I personally spent most of the album looking for an exit back to real rock and roll.

The album begins and ends with "Don't You Want Me," probably the band's most well known song. The second version is an updated techno remix version and is actually quite enjoyable. In fact, the synthesizer work on the whole album isn't bad, but most of the songs don't hold up to repeated listening. There are four songs I recognized as actually being "hits" on the album, and those are about the only four I could stomach hearing more than once or twice. Their lyrics, at times listenable, border on the inane at other times. (Granted, the same could be said for my reviews.)

Though they had some musical influence, as I said earlier, in the area of
synth pop, their music is basically eighties pop kitsch. Fans of this time
period and this type music will probably love this CD. I, however, wasn't that big of a fan then, and time has done nothing to change my views. If anything, buy this album for the novelty. Buy something else for musical enjoyment.

I'm sure you all know who John Fogerty is - the lead singer of "Creedence Clearwater Revival," if you don't recognise his solo work. This album is a testimony to all the hard work he's done for his fans over the years. The concert was taped over two days in a Warner Brothers sound studio and distributed for Pay Per View showings. This album is something Fogerty has wanted to do for a long time and now we all get a chance to see the fruits of his work.

All of the old favorites are here, including "Proud Mary," "Born On The
Bayou," "Suzy Q" and "Bad Moon Rising," as well as more recent solo tunes like "Centerfield." The sound is amazing. The songs are almost identical to what you'd pick up on any other "CCR" or Fogerty CD and the sound is great. The audience adds life to the recording rather than detracting from the performance, as I've heard done too many times. You'd be hard pressed to find a better recording of any live album.

The only new song to be found it the title track, "Premonition." Fogerty
wrote it specifically for this set, and it's really pretty great. It's done
in the same style as the majority of his other songs, although it's hard to
mistake his voice, so just about anything he does immediately brings to mind driving around with friends, listening to CCR, in mid-summer, with the windows down, smoking, and having a blast.

Also included on the album are "Green River," "Who'll Stop The Rain," "Down On The Corner," and just about any other favorite song of his you might want to hear. This is a must-buy for any classic rock fan.

"Fury Of Five" hails from Asbury Park, NJ, the town made famous by Bruce Springsteen, although it's unlikely you'd ever make the connection. This heavy-hitting hardcore band formed in 1994 and has toured with the likes of "Fear Factory" and "Earth Crisis." It's also been said that their live shows are packed with more energy and mayhem than should be legally allowed. I say whatever makes the fans happy is good for me, though I might not personally want to get my brains bashed in the moshe pit.

This CD is really pretty awful. Maybe the serious hardcore fan would enjoy it better, and maybe I'm just getting weary of the genre, but I couldn't bear to listen to it for more than a few minutes at a time. There wasn't a single song that I liked and none that stuck out for me. I've heard worse, but I can't think of anything more boring.

Since forming in Long Island in 1992, "Vision Of Disorder" has done pretty well
for themselves. Playing at the first Ozz Fest, being honored with having two
tracks included on the first "New York's Hardest" compilation, and touring with "Machine Head" have been the start of their success. Whether they'll continue to gain popularity is certainly not up to me.

All of the songs start differently but end up sounding about the same.
Unintelligible lyrics, driving drum beat - Monotony Inc.! The lone exception was "Jada Bloom" which, though I didn't exactly like it, did have some variety since there was singing and a little bit of interesting music when the chorus wasn't playing. "Landslide" was okay too, when it didn't sound like they were puking into their microphones - which is what a good deal of the rest of the album sounded like.

I wouldn't give this one to anybody I know, but if you're a die-hard hardcore fan, it might be worth a listen just to find out what all the fuss is about.

"Mondo Beat," from Narada Records, is a celebration of percussion and rhythm. It is a collection of songs from various artists who are masters at writing and performing drum-based music. The album encompasses a variety of styles of music, from musicians all over the world, ranging from Latin Jazz, to Egyptian Folk, to American beats, to Tribal Rhythyms.

Artists on this release include: Tito Puente, James Asher, Mickey Hart (of Grateful Dead fame), The Musicians of the Nile, and several other globally-famous percussionists. The songs are all catchy and listenable in their own way, but for most people it will be hard to listen to an album that is solely percussion-based.

"Sleeper' is one of the most popular bands I've never heard of. This britpop group had a single on "Trainspotting," and has toured with groups such as "The Lemonheads" and "Blur," and seem to have quite a following. What I'm not sure about is why they've gained popularity. Don't get me wrong, it's a good solid bunch of music on this CD, but it's not something that I would consider exceptional. Half of the lyrics don't make sense, or at least they're not presented in a coherant fashion. That's all right of course, but when the majority of the songs start to blend together, it would at least help if I knew what they were talking about. Some of the titles don't match up to the songs either.

Actually, a funny story I heard about this is that originally they titled all
the songs after characters in Reservoir Dogs: Mr. Pink, Mr. Blonde, etc. The only one that stuck was "Nice Guy Eddie." What can I really say about the music? I'm not sure. It's soft and sometimes sensual, it's like
"Chumbawamba" on downers and minus the politics.

The one song that did stand out for me on the album was "Good Luck Mr. Gorsky" which had to do with Neil Armstrong's comments after landing on the moon. The lyrics on this one don't really make any more sense than the rest, but it's got a real nostalgic/psychadelic feel.

If you enjoy good female fronted bands, and are into British rock, you might want to give this one a try. It's really quite pleasant to listen to with some very good music. It's just not something I'd place among my favorites.

I'm a major Gloria fan, and found this album disappointing. It seems like she is recycling her sound, and almost doing a Gloria knockoff. Several songs, including "Heaven's What I Feel," will immediately put you in mind of her past hits, without giving you the same joy of discovery. Kind of like finding out your Rolex really isn't.

"Real Woman Tonight" sounds like a Donna Summer takeoff and a return to the days of disco. "I Just Wanna Be Happy" is reminiscent of the fifties hit "Hand Jive," and is my favorite cut on the album. While there are 16 tracks, five of them are remixes or Spanish versions of the first eleven. The remix of "Feelin' " opens with a familiar bit of dialogue from the movie "Animal House." The Latin version of "Heaven's What I Feel" comes off better than the English version, and should be a hit on the Latin charts. Non Gloria fans weon't find this the best introduction to her talents, while fans will take the chaff with the wheat. It may not be Wonder Bread but it's still filling.

It's about time a record like this one has come along. Punk music in
general should look to the "Swingin' Utters" as the pace car for the genre. This San Francisco based five piece band combines all the swagger and sneer of punk, with the pop melody and 70's Brit catchiness. "Five Lessons Learned" collects all the driving force and seriousness of Bad Religion, and throws things like keys and harmonica into the mix. The Utters manage to trip the line of a Jesus and Mary Chain and yet still remain punk.

I would say this is a new wave for punk, but the fact is the "Swingin'
Utters" have been playing their brand of classic 70's, Brit-styled punk for the better part of ten years. So my question is, "Where have these guys been all my life?"

Johnny Bonnel vocalizes with all the suave and smoothness of a pop singer, yet check out the title track and you would swear this was a Bad Religion Song. The guitar work of Darius Koski and Max Huber is nothing short of genius, combining classic punk riffs with catchy melody and even some folky sounds. Much to my surprise there was even some well placed solos throughout the record. These guys can really play. Spike Slawson's bass was a bit overrun, but a careful ear will pick up the trills and runs of this accomplished four stringer. Greg Mcentee's drums did not shine out, and, in this case, they just don't need to. The beats are there, the songs carry well, and Mcentee fits in to place rather then tripping up the band with unneeded showboating.

"Five Lessons Learned" is definately a CD to add to your collection. Look for these guys on the WARPED Tour, but definitely look for 'em in the record stores!

Okay, I want to know right now where is "Rancid," and who are these
impostors pretending to be "Rancid?" Whoever recorded this crap is not the band who brought us "Out Come The Wolves." I refuse to believe that "Rancid" could ever churn out this drivel. There is just no way.

All 22 tracks of this disc are boring, tedious, and downright annoying.
There is no punk attitude, there are no songs to stomp to. This record is weak and pathetic. I fear that the success of "Out Come The Wolves" has gone straight to the heads of this band, so they have become products of the machine they so desperately strike out against.

Of course, that's assuming this is "Rancid" on this record. But it's not,
trust me. This is a band of impostors and "Rancid" are being held in a
basement somewhere by the evil capitalists. Eventually the band will break free and set the story straight - I hope!

Hard rock/metal has made it's come back, caused a splash, and turned hybrid in less then two years. You can track the trend from comeback groups like "Megadeth" and "Pantera" leading the way for the old timers, to "Incubus" and "Hed PE" paving new road. Hard rock and metal have fused with rap, and even electronica, to bring forth a new spin on an old record. "Thumb" represents this second generation of hard rock/metal.

Borrowing heavily from bands like "Pantera" and "Nine Inch Nails," and even sounding a bit like "Incubus," "Thumb" combines hard driving power cords and thunderous bass with samples and scratching. The vocals plead with desperate urgency, and ring with a sweet dissonance that flows from a tortured soul.

What "Thumb" unfortunately lacks is originality. While the bass is pushed far up in the mix, the bass lines are simplistic and generally uninteresting. I am a long standing believer in the idea that the bass player is often overlooked, but featuring a player with no chops is futile.

Each track hits and fades, sounding pretty much like the last, which is not necessarily a bad thing. "Exposure" is a good effort over all. The songs are solid and pack enough distortion power to feed the appetite of most headbangers. This record seems to follow the peaks and valleys of most other records in the genre, landing "Thumb" as a medium sized fish in a big pond.