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Yes, the guitar solo on Firth of Fifth gives me chills. And while I'd disagree that Hackett was "pretty much the inventor of the tapping technique" he certainly was one of the first to use it widely in a rock context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye88TsHrHO4

There is no Fender guitar that could play that solo. The Gibson-style sustain is mandatory.

If the inventor never made a public claim, who is the inventor? I agree Hackett may not have invented it, but until Return of the Giant Hogweed (Nursery Cryme) no one in the wide world had ever heard tapping.

Captain Ned wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye88TsHrHO4

There is no Fender guitar that could play that solo. The Gibson-style sustain is mandatory.

If the inventor never made a public claim, who is the inventor? I agree Hackett may not have invented it, but until Return of the Giant Hogweed (Nursery Cryme) no one in the wide world had ever heard tapping.

Yup, that solo still gives me chills. Thanks for the link!

Eagles - Take the Devil. 192KHz, 24 bit, 5274 kb/s. Another high-res upgrade. My wallet and file server are both going to hate me by the end of the month.
It just sounds fantastic though. Like the Skynyrd album, this one is not as loud and trebly as the CD version. I can painlessly listen to this at much higher levels than the CD.

just brew it! wrote:

jackbomb wrote:

Skynyrd - Things Goin' On. At 6803 kb/s. Noticeably less bright/harsh than the CD. I could get used to this.

More likely due to different (better) mastering than the higher bitrate, but either way, better sound is better sound!

Many of these high-res downloads seem to be mastered differently. Of the five albums I've downloaded so far, only one sounds exactly the same as the CD: Dreamboat Annie by Heart.

Simon & Garfunkel - Concert in Central Park. Tough day yesterday and some times you just want pure music.

AC/DC - Rock Or Bust

Great album... I won't say "greatest ever" or a anything along those lines; it's just a great album. You can tell that Malcolm isn't playing... Stevie Young isn't a bad guitarist, not by a long shot, but Malcolm just had a little something in his playing that was just his, and it isn't there anymore. But it's still good. Angus belts out some great solos, the bass is a bit more in the front than usual, and the vocals are about the same as always.

Lyrically and musically it's an AC/DC album, maybe a bit of a throwback to some of their earlier stuff. Not like their stuff has really changed much over the years

Iron Maiden - Killers

Nothing beats dusting off an old Maiden album every once in a while to go with your pint of beer.

The Human League - Don't You Want Me

jackbomb wrote:

The Human League - Don't You Want Me

Freshman year in college at the local dance club. I vaguely remember those days.

Queen - Somebody to Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pMM4iwC-ag
Queen - Fat Bottomed Girls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMnjF1O4eH0

Opeth - Pale Communion

I had heard *of* these guys, but hadn't paid them any attention since they tended to get lumped in with the death metal camp (of which I am not much of a fan). Well, after reading that Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree, whom I have also recently discovered) has been working with them off and on for a number of years, I decided to give them a chance. On this, their most recent album, there's not a hint of death metal in sight (or should that be earshot?); if I had to pigeonhole it, it's quirky, occasionally jazzy, occasionally folky, and at times overtly retro prog rock. Mellotron and organ? Check. Extended 10+ minute track? Check. String arrangements by Dave Stewart (no, not the Eurythmics one, the other Dave Stewart, who used to play keyboards on Bill Bruford's solo projects)? Check.

Huh. Not at all what I expected.

I guess I'll work my way backwards through their catalog until it gets too death metal-ish for my tastes.

As an aside, what's the deal with thrash/death metal guys going prog/jazz anyway? Alex Skolnick (guitarist from Testament) has a jazz trio side project; their latest release "Veritas" is very good. And as an aside to this aside, Skolnick's previous side project (a short-lived instrumental funk-rock outfit called Attention Deficit) was absolutely killer.

The Moody Blues - Isn't Life Strange

Opeth - Heritage

So now I've taken the first step into their back catalog (see my previous post), with this, their 2011 studio release. Overall perhaps a bit heavier (at least on a couple of the tracks) than Pale Communion; less jazzy, yet also a little less focused, like they're trying to figure out where they want to go next. This one still gets a big thumbs up from me! (Heck, after a few more listens I may end up preferring it, jury's still out.)

I absolutely love discovering semi-obscure "new old" musicians and bands like this. There's so much out there... so much good music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXRtx-unYdc young summer - taken
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoWSzQhdi5M sweet talker - here we go again (edit)

Always going back to this:

Live from Daryl's House: I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) w/Chromeo

The talkboxing, the funk!

Also, check out OK Go's music video for I Won't Let You Down, shot in a single continuous take from an octocopter drone. The choreography is great; there are many behind-the-scenes articles and a video from OK Go themselves about it.

Also, the Honda UNI-CUBs (the self-balancing scooters on which they're riding) are cool in a Segwayish "I'm not sure it's marketable but it's pretty spiffy" sort of way.

Also also, got some Schiit audio gear and have been re-listening to stuff, discovering new things (and/or convincing myself that I am). Notably the Freeze sample from Jamie XX's Girl is weirder and more, I dunno, haunting.

Young MC - Bust a Move. Just never gets old.

Any Revocation fans? Deathless is great but Existence is Futile is still one of my favorite metal albums of all time.

queens of the stone age - no one knows

Rainbow - Catch the Rainbow

Leo Sayer - No Business Like Love Business

Had to knock out some household chores (Friday belongs to SWMBO) so it was time for some really loud rock. Putting my age out there for all to see, today's selection was Third Stage from Boston. Every riff has you putting down the green scrubby and/or sponge and playing some mean air guitar while reveling in the multiply multi-tracked density of Brad Delp's lead and harmony vocals. You should see me mimic "Cool the Engines" (and no, no video forthcoming). The new (to me) NAD amp still has some dust kitties to burn off. Another few Fridays should take care of that.

Music like this reminds me of being 16 (back in 1980) and in the back seat of a friend's POS Chevy Nova with the Jensen cassette deck cranked up to 10% THD, a six-pack of Molson Golden on the floorboards, other intoxicants available if that was your thing, and just rolling over the roads with no destination, no responsibilities, no nothing. The moment existed to be the moment and that was all that was needed.

Getting old sucketh, yea verily. Out of non-knowledge stemming from youth, how we wasted the very hours/days that now resonate so deeply as middle age creeps in.

Unlike 1980 the current stereo will easily hit 100+ db without any distortion, so I've got that going for me, which is good.

Captain Ned wrote:

Unlike 1980 the current stereo will easily hit 100+ db without any distortion, so I've got that going for me, which is good.

Too bad the '80s probably did enough damage to your hearing that you can't fully appreciate it now!

just brew it! wrote:

Captain Ned wrote:

Unlike 1980 the current stereo will easily hit 100+ db without any distortion, so I've got that going for me, which is good.

Too bad the '80s probably did enough damage to your hearing that you can't fully appreciate it now!

Hey, I can still hear the dog whistle at the end of Sgt. Pepper.

Been rocking the new Periphery double album non-stop since it came out. You either love it or hate it, and I'm definitely loving it.

Joe Walsh - County Fair

Deciding what Acid vinyl to buy from:

http://stayupforeverrecords.com/

The Knack - Round Trip

The "forgotten" third Knack album that was pretty much ignored by everyone, and was out of print for many years. Some good great (if somewhat uncharacteristic of them) material on this; I imagine it flopped in part because it wasn't what people were expecting. It was fashionable to bash them back in the day (for a variety of reasons), but there's no doubt in my mind that these guys were talented musicians and songwriters.

Two of the standout tracks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NADoxIz5y20 (the rhythm section really kicks major ass on this, nice guitar solo too)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p2D-ryGscQ (quirky, catchy, I really like it!)

RIP Doug Fieger.

Edit: And just for grins, here's Swedish metal band Hammerfall covering My Sharona:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-SFWc0dGfE

I'm embarassed to admit this, but I've been having fun learning to play the guitar parts in Megitsune, Ijime, Dame, Zettai, Heado Bangya, and Doki Doki Morning.n in Rocksmith2014

I know many of you will demand my man card, but COME AT ME BRO!. It's fun, infectious, and if it gets more people into metal, the more the merrier.

Bucks Fizz - Making Your Mind Up.
OMG. What a bubbly song
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And now
Deniece Williams - Let's Hear It For The Boy

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The Rolling Stones - Miss You

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Diana Ross - Tenderness

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Three Dog Night - Joy To The World

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King - Love and Pride

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Odyssey - Going Back To My Roots
Might have to shut off the computer and let the tape deck take over! Goodbye, foobar. Dolby, here I come!

Have to say, "Do You Believe In Love?" by Huey Lewis and the News is one of the greatest pop songs of the early '80s; ditto for "If This Is It". These guys were definitely a product of their time, but without the '80s arena rock excesses; if anything they were a bit retro (even for back then), with the do-wop style harmony vocals.