MiniReview
House of Lords “Big Money” - House of Lords debuted in 1989 with the release of the self-titled album, a record which is still regarded as one of the best arena rock releases of the 80s, up there with frontrunners like Whitesnake, Deep Purple, and Van Halen. The band has a varied and spotty catalogue ever since, with frequent lineup changes and oscillating musical styles to match. Some releases are downright catchy arena rock whereas others are less melodious prog rock. This month the band will add “Big Money” to its discography, which feels like a blend of their mixed melodic and prog rock past. The trademark vocals of James Christian sound finer than ever, and he is surrounded by updated guitar sounds and pounding beats. James teamed up again on the songwriting with long-time friend and partner Mark Baker along with the other band members Jimi Bell and BJ Zampa for this release. While “Big Money” rocks through and through, several of the tunes are overly long and burdened with less than compelling riffs. Standouts include “First To Cry”, “The Next Time I Hold You”, “Run For Your Life”, and “Once Twice”. More info on House of Lords can be found here.
Surprise of the week
Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars is recording with latest American Idol winner James Durbin. Get the scoop here.
News
R.E.M. has broken up. Hard to believe…read about it from the band member’s perspectives here.
New “best of” collection coming from Paul Simon October 24. Details and track listing here.
Get a taste of the Lou Reed and Metallica project, “Lulu” here. It’s only 30 seconds, but confirms my worst fears about this collaboration.
Love this article at Popdose about Survivor’s underrated ballad “Ever Since The World Began” (video below).
INXS have sacked their singer JD Fortune for the second time. Story here.
Where are they now? Colin Hay (Men At Work) released a new video. Check it out here.
Toto collides with Survivor – Kimball Jamison. Debut video!
Random iPOD song of the week
Survivor “Ever Since The World Began” from the album “Eye of the Tiger”
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