Music Review: Jimmy Eat World - Chase This Light

Note: Posted on Blogcritics.org December 2007

For the last eleven years or so, Jimmy Eat World has put out full-lengths that have either been labeled landmark releases that influenced a generation of emo-centric rock bands or gotten fairly respectable praise from fans and critics alike.

The first of them, 1996's Static Prevails saw the then young Mesa, Arizona quartet making a raw, melodic but mostly emo-core record that only hinted at its top-notch songwriting abilities. 1999's Clarity, though criminally under-marketed by their former label Capitol Records, slowly but surely solidified Jimmy Eat World's reputation at home and abroad as one of the best and most influential bands in the emo genre.

Commercial and radio hits, however, didn't come until Jimmy Eat World released Jimmy Eat World (a.k.a. Bleed American) in 2001. Though it contained an emo hit ("Sweetness") written in the Clarity era, this record was more in the power pop vein than any previous release. It was such a big hit that songs like "The Middle," "Sweetness," "Authority Song" and others have gone on to be featured in everything from sports stadiums to movies and in the case of "The Middle," covered by local cover bands or ripped off by newer so-called "emo" bands.

2004's Futures, in contrast to prior releases, had a darker sound and mood, but wasn't a commercial hit. Still, fans and critics mostly praised it, and even on the band's current tour, the few songs from the album that make their set list get loud cheers.

So, does Chase This Light (Interscope Records) recapture any of the magic and power of Jimmy Eat World's best records?

In essence, there's a little Clarity on the album, and some of the pop appeal of Jimmy Eat World (a.k.a. Bleed American) as well. For example, first single "Big Casino" has a speedy rhythmic guitar going through its verses that harkens back to Clarity's minor hit "Lucky Denver Mint." It's a heavy power pop number that's getting lots of airplay on modern rock radio, but the song doesn't quite have the catchy vocals to sing along to that their more successful radio hits had.

By contrast, the final track on the album, the incredibly expansive break-up song "Dizzy" will remind older fans of why they fell in love with Jimmy Eat World in the first place. The intensity of Jim Adkins's personal lyrics and the tense and melodic guitars that complement each other as "Dizzy" builds to a crescendo are classic Jimmy Eat World. It's the best song they've written in a long time, IMO.

Elsewhere, strong points on the album include the political and punk-inspired anthem "Electable (Give It Up)," "Firefight," new single "Always Be," and "Carry You." The latter track has a truly memorable chorus and should be a future radio hit. However, like some other tracks on the record, "Carry You" is a bit too pop-friendly in its production, with double octave vocals in the verses and "do-do, do-do-do" background vocals that take away from the personal and passionate vocals Jim Adkins brings to the song.

"Gotta Be Somebody's Blues" has a live string section conducted by David Campbell, but they are the song's highest point, as the hushed nature of Adkins's vocals isn't very appealing. This is not to say that it's a bad song. There is not a "bad" song on Chase This Light, just some songs that do not entice you to hit the repeat button on your CD player.

There is one song, however that is bound to cause mixed reaction among Jimmy Eat World's older and newer fans. "Here It Goes," found in the last half of the album, is basically a dance-pop rock number with a bass line straight out of '80s pop. It's the most un-Jimmy Eat World song of all-time, IMO, but it is infectious and hard to resist.

Taken together, Chase This Light is a largely satisfying power pop rock record with hints of what used to be their trademark emo anthems. While it certainly will get more spins in my CD player than Futures and Static Prevails, it's not quite on par with emo masterpieces like Clarity and the near perfect power pop of Bleed American CD. In fact, this record suffers at times from super slick, pop-oriented production and perhaps too much of it overall - in a too-many-cooks-spoil-the-broth kind of way - with the legendary Butch Vig serving as executive producer, while Chris Testa, John Fields, and the band serve as co-producers.

Ultimately, like many 2007 releases, Chase This Light isn't an instant classic but is definitely worth owning if you've been a Jimmy Eat World fan all these years. In Pitchfork fashion, I'd give it a 7.8 out of 10.

For more info on the band, visit their official website or their Myspace page.

Also, check out a Windows Media audio clip of the new single "Always Be".

Music Review: Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Alien: Legacy Edition (CD/DVD)

Note: Posted on the Blogcritics web site last month

Twenty years after its initial pressing, famed guitar teacher and virtuoso Joe Satriani's Surfing With The Alien still stands as an album that revitalized instrumental music and made him a household name in rock, one of the best in the business.

More than selling millions of records, it inspired legions of guitarists to follow his path and even made instrumental rock music a genre cool enough to earn Grammy nominations, of which Satriani himself has earned fourteen. This year, the album got the remaster treatment — courtesy of Epic/Legacy Recordings. Along with a bonus DVD featuring a full Satriani concert, the total package stands out as one of the most notable reissues of 2007.

It's easy to forget that SWTA was Satriani's sophomore effort, with 1986's Not Of This Earth being his first foray into the instrumental rock world. It was solid and technically impressive in its own right. But the array of diverse sounds and moods of SWTA's ten tracks, along with Satriani's technically precise playing made this record a masterpiece.

From beautiful emotive love ballads like "Always With Me, Always With You," swinging blues rock boogies like "Satch Boogie," impossibly fast, complex hard rockers and strange or classical-sounding music, it's all there.

Original producer John Cuniberti was chosen by Joe to remaster the album, and there is a noticeable difference in overall sound, not as much in his lead guitar playing as in the backing guitars, drums and other percussive instruments. The sonic textures of the instruments that compliment his guitar work are more crystal clear or explosive-sounding than ever before.

In the liner notes, Satriani gives some valuable insight into both what went into the production of SWTA and his experience playing the 1988 Montreux Jazz Festival, the full performance of which is included in the DVD portion of this re-release. Nigel from Spinal Tap tells some pretty amusing stories of his encounters with Satriani on the DVD as well. You also get to see a couple of old videos from this era, including a black-and-white video of "Always With Me, Always With You."

Satriani's versatile technical skills and incredible songwriting abilities are on full display throughout SWTA, as his many adoring fans and musicians already know. But whatever the reason, the audience at the 1988 Montreux Jazz festival gave mostly respectable applause throughout Satriani's SWTA-heavy set most of the time. In fact, as Joe recalls in the album's liner notes, much of the crowd left as soon as his band started playing!

They were supposed to hit the stage at midnight on July 15, 1988 but got pushed back to 4am because prior bands played well over their set times. As if that wasn't bad enough, Satch was told to cut down his set time as well. Unfair as it was, the band still rocked the joint, and it's a shame that the crowd who stayed didn't have anywhere near the energy the band did. As to those who left, apparently they didn't know what they were missing.

True, it was a jazz-oriented audience and Satriani was not yet as famous as he would later become, but there was some awe-inspiring musicianship on that stage, not only from Satch but from bassist Stu Hamm as well. While Jonathan Mover isn't the greatest drummer I've ever seen, he kept pace with those two throughout the 58-minute set and like Hamm, got the stage to himself for a few minutes to show off his soloing skills.

Speaking of midnight, the song "Midnight" really stood out from this show, just as it does on the album. On the DVD, you get to actually see Satriani recreate the majestic beauty of the baroque-styled instrumental. Skill-wise, it's a challenging song to pull off either in studio or live, and Satch does his two-handed finger-tapping work on stage with ease at this late hour, creating lovely and tense, minor-keyed melodies with two-to-four fingers (using both hands) at a time! It's the type of song that truly is best appreciated live.

In all, Surfing With The Alien: Legacy Edition is highly recommended to all Joe Satriani fans — even if you have the original CD (or cassette tape, remember them?). Besides a remarkable improvement in the sound of the original album, getting to see him and his band live in concert early in his solo career is rare, and is what makes the total package truly valuable and worth the purchase price.

Say It Ain't So, Roger!

This was published on Blogcritics in December. An UPDATE is at the end of the article.

Like many in the baseball world, I was visibly and emotionally shocked to learn that the once immortal Roger Clemens had steroids injected into his behind and had done other illegal performance-enhancing drugs for at least three years (1998, 2000, 2001).

Maybe I shouldn't have been, since his name was among many others floated around in association with the Jason Grimsley affidavit last year. But then again, Grimsley claimed that affidavit was not accurate and denied volunteering the names of other illegal drug users. Thus, other than David Segui, no other alleged cheaters ever came forward or were confirmed as such, so I didn't put much stock in the Grimsley affidavit.

But when you have Roger Clemens' former trainer, Brian McNamee telling former Senator George Mitchell, some heavily detailed information about when and where he helped inject his high profile client with steroids and human growth hormone (HGH), you take those statements seriously. After all, like other witnesses in the 400+ page report, McNamee gave his testimony to Mitchell in front of agents from the FBI and IRS and knows he could get himself into legal troubles if he gave false information to them.

So, how did Roger Clemens respond to McNamee's allegations? First, he sent his lawyer Rusty Hardin to issue a flat denial on his behalf just hours after the report became public last Thursday afternoon. Tuesday, a whole five days after the report came out, we get another statement, this time through his agent Randy Hendricks, which said in part: "I want to state clearly and without qualification: I did not take steroids, human growth hormone or any other banned substances at any time in my baseball career or, in fact, my entire life."

That might sound plausible at first, but here's the catch: HGH and steroids weren't banned from baseball when he allegedly took them, from 1998-2001. In fact, it took years for baseball to catch up with federal law in banning steroids, which were finally outlawed in MLB in 2002, followed by HGH in 2005.

If he was telling the truth, Clemens would have said he never took, without qualification any performance-enhancing drugs his entire career. But he can't do that, nor will he come out and deny these charges outright in person (instead of handing off statements through agents and lawyers) or under oath because doing so could risk becoming another Marion Jones.

Another fact worth noting is that on page 175 of the Mitchell Report, it says that even after 2001 when McNamee was dismissed by the Yankees, Clemens "remained a source of income for McNamee up to and including 2007." In fairness, we don't know what exactly Clemens kept paying him for, but the fact remains that in MLB, only he and Andy Pettitte were "loyal" to McNamee after he left the Yankees, according to the Mitchell Report.

If Roger Clemens is really innocent, he should be preparing to sue McNamee, Kirk Radomski (who supplied McNamee with some of the illegal drugs Clemens used) and perhaps Mitchell himself for defamation of character, libel and slander. But common sense tells you he's not innocent in this matter, especially when his close friend Andy Pettitte admitted last Saturday that he too got HGH from McNamee (but allegedly used it for just one two-day period).

I'm sure this won't be the last we hear from the Rocket, who is now no longer a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. Like Barry Bonds, he cheated in the latter part of his career, but the "Integrity," "Character" and "Sportsmanship" qualifications for the Hall make no such distinctions. And if in the next five years the facts that Brian McNamee and others gave to Mitchell are not successfully refuted by Clemens via a lawsuit, the Rocket's legacy will be forever tainted and like the recently indicted Bonds, should be kept out of Cooperstown.

UPDATE: A couple of Mondays ago, Clemens officially filed a defamation suit against Brian McNamee. But that's not going to be enough to clear his name, as he (along with other Yankees including Chuck Knoblauch and Andy Pettitte) are scheduled to testify under oath to Congress on February 13.

News reports on ESPN.com and elsewhere have claimed that Roger's representatives were warned by McNamee's reps as far back as 2004 that when MLB began stricter steroid testing that Roger may be in trouble for doing steroids.

Before this development, I was willing to at least hold out hope that Clemens was in the right and McNamee, for whatever reason, was in the wrong. But now, a situation may be developing where McNamee, who also has to testify on Feb 13, is willing to be a Greg Anderson and go to jail for Clemens - like Anderson did for Barry Bonds - instead of sticking with his story he told to Mitchell investigators. Will McNamee go to Congress and actually take back most or everything he said about Clemens and lose his freedom in order to protect The Rocket's legacy, even if what he told George Mitchell was the truth? That would be fucked up, I know.

The equally important question is, will Clemens lie under oath or will HE change his mind and tell Congress not only what he did from 1998-2001, but also what, if any illegal substances he took in 2004 or any other year? All I have to say is, Barry Bonds=perjury. Will Clemens be foolish enough to possibly suffer that same fate? Only if he refuses to tell the truth about his past and if the feds can prove he lied to them and if McNamee's claims remain credible or are never solidly refuted.

Music Review: As Tall As Lions - Into The Flood EP

This was published last month on Blogcritics, but I'm re-posting it here because it came out near the end of 2007 when no one cares about new music and thus needs more attention!

Long Island, New York has turned out a steady diet of hardcore and punk bands over the years, so when the British-influenced indie rock quartet As Tall As Lions came on the scene a few years ago, people paid attention. The LI natives released their debut album Lafcadio in 2004 and (self-titled) ATAL sophomore disc in 2006, to the raves of bloggers everywhere, including those at Stereogum, who labeled them a Band To Watch last year.

As Tall As Lions has toured with the likes of Sparta, Acceptance, Coheed & Cambria, June and Copeland. And fans have been so into their live show that the band tried to get their label Triple Crown/East West to release a live DVD this year. That didn't happen, but on November 27, the label did release their brand new EP Into The Flood, which is available on various digital formats, including iTunes, Amazon.com, and Rhapsody.

First song "505" starts out quietly but soon morphs into a cello-led, beautifully sad soft rocker not unlike early Death Cab For Cutie or Coldplay's "Trouble." However, where the more famous latter track is dreary in its mood, As Tall As Lions's "505" is more bittersweet chamber pop. And as you'll hear on this and other tracks on the EP, including its ambitious epic title track, singer Daniel Nigro's vocal range is considerably higher than Chris Martin's trademark falsetto.

The rest of this EP follows a similar path to the first two tracks and is worth checking out, but is not quite as memorable as the first two tracks. Nonetheless, "Blacked Out" retains a bit of that Coldplay flair mixed with a Jeff Buckley influence, even if the music isn't adventurous like the late crooner's best known material.

In all, Into The Flood is a largely satisfying appetizer for fans eagerly awaiting the release of As Tall As Lions's third album, due out next year. The EP is available now, so download all five tracks at Amazon.com or the band's Myspace page.

Tejada Traded To Astros

A day before the Mitchell report comes out, Baltimore finally gets rid off their unhappy slugger Miguel Tejada and trades him to the Houston Astros for five little known players. Hmm. Is it just a coincidence? Or do the Orioles want to start the 2008 season with a clean slate, knowing that some of their players will inevitably be named in former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell's long-awaited "Steroids" Report, which is due out Thursday?

True, a current Oriole may still be in the report, including Jay Gibbons, but the disclosure of his name wouldn't carry the weight of disappointment or outrage the way a star player's name like Tejada's would.

But this Orioles-Astros trade seems rushed and at the moment, unproductive for Baltimore as they got no big name players in return: "...outfielder Luke Scott, pitchers Matt Albers, Troy Patton and Dennis Sarfate, and third baseman Michael Costanzo." Do any of these names sound familiar to you? Me neither. Luke Scott is the only somewhat recognizable name since he played in 132 games last year. But in 2007, his third season, his numbers and production thus far in his career makes him comparable to a young Coco Crisp, who is also on the trading block. And even if some of these other players develop rather quickly into everyday major league players, you have to wonder why both teams made this trade in this manner at this time.

The Minnesota Twins have been busy trying to trade their unhappy franchise pitcher Johan Santana for major league-ready talent from teams such as the Red Sox, Mets and perhaps that other New York team for weeks now. That's a smart goal and business move; you lose a franchise player like Santana and then try to get potential franchise centerfielders like Jacoby Ellsbury or veterans like Coco Crisp and a young lefty such as Jon Lester - all of whom contributed to a World Series championship two months ago - in return.

But for Baltimore's president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail to accept a bunch of mostly unproven talent while trading away Tejada just doesn't sound like a smart business move and that he got the most value for him that he possibly could. True, Tejada is 31-years-old now and his numbers are down from his incredible 2004 season where he knocked in 150 runners and was injured for the first time in his career in 2007, thereby possibly weakening his trade value.

Call it pure speculation, but maybe there was something else to this trade. Tejada's numbers have been in steady decline since 2005, which is around the time when MLB got tougher on steroid/illegal drug penalties. Remember, both illegal drug users Rafael Palmeiro (in 2005) and Jason Grimsley (in 2006) accused or named Miguel Tejada as basically being one of them, even though Tejada's name was later absolved of any blame for Palmeiro's failed steroid test. So don't be surprised if Miguel Tejada's name turns up in Mitchell's report tomorrow. And don't be surprised if Baltimore then gets accused of hurrying him out of town before any possible outcry of "get the cheater out of here" could start around town.

Even if he isn't one of the 60-80 current or former MLB players that turn up in the Mitchell report, this kind of trade is still questionable. Why would the Astros, who finished 2007 with a lousy record (73-89) be so willing to give up 5 young players to Baltimore if they were really that good? My feeling is, they got the better end of the deal and was more than willing to take one of the better shortstops in the game - even if his numbers have declined - and hand Baltimore 5 mid-to-upper level prospects and barely seasoned players. Call MacPhail a sucker, a desperate front office guy...or if I turn out to be wrong and these prospects turn to gold, a freaking genius.

Music Review: Dub Trio - Cool Out And Coexist

New York-based instrumental metal and dub band Dub Trio have captured all the strengths of their sophisticated sound with the release of their third - and first live - album, Cool Out And Coexist (ROIR Records).

This highly respected and in-demand three-man band is made up of DP Holmes on guitar/keys, Stu Brooks on bass/keys, and Joe Tomino on the skins/percussion. Since they came on the scene in 2004 with their debut full-length Exploring The Dangers Of, Dub Trio has shared the stage or recorded with some of the biggest pop and hip-hop stars in the world. Such big names include The Fugees, 50 Cent, Mos Def, Mobb Deep, Bo Rice and Soulive.

But that's not all. Over the last year or so, they opened for hard rock heavyweights Clutch, Bad Brains during CBGB's closing week, Skindred, and more recently for fellow New York metal band Helmet. The trio also shared the stage with The Wailers, Meat Beat Manifesto, Yellowman, Cat Empire, and Prefuse 73 in recent years. In 2006, they recorded the song "Not Alone" with Mike Patton (Faith No More) for their sophomore record New Heavy and Patton's own Peeping Tom project.

So how did an instrumental group that is still pretty much under the radar get to play with such a diverse group of big name artists in a short period of time? Luck, connections and word of mouth all sound like plausible explanations. However, what you really have to do is experience their live show - I did in March - and you'll get a true sense of just how buzzworthy these guys are.

Recorded February 19th and 20th, 2007 at the Union Pool in Brooklyn, NY, COAC has the sound quality of a studio album - audience applause is kept to a minimum volume - but captures all the action and intensity of a DT live show.

For a three-man band, Dub Trio's sound is massive. Holmes's crunchy, sometimes noisy guitars and digitally delayed roots reggae riddims are out of this world; Brooks's bass lines are deep and heavy as f*ck and Tomino's drumming is a dynamic mix of explosive metal insanity and trippy, effects-laden percussion. In other words, it's dub-tastic.

Dub Trio's work is so versatile that it has been compared to the likes of Bad Brains, Helmet, Sly & Robbie, and King Tubby (the late dub master who is also credited as one of the pioneers of the "remix"). It's a palette drawn from familiar genres many of you grew up with. Mixing everything from metal, jazz, noise, punk, dub, roots reggae and electronica, DT is the United Nations of underground music, only it doesn't need to be reformed or strengthened as a body. The band is in fine form, as is.

The title track, with its rapid-fire drum attack starts like your typical modern day metal ditty, but then everything changes in an instant, with Brooks's bass taking over the lead melody for the dub section, followed by ambient-sounding guitar work by Holmes. The epic, six-minute collage then ends with some serious thrash metal (just the way you imagined it).

"One Man Tag Crew" is a furious mishmash of dub and Bad Brains-ish punk - call it "dunk" (ok, maybe not). Elsewhere, for spacious tracks like "Casting Out The Nines," picture Sigur Ros with a dub rhythm section.

"Drive By Dub" is one of the most pure dub/reggae tracks on the record, and it is also the quietest, with a somber melodica solo midway through, courtesy of drummer Joe Tomino. Of course, coming right after the considerably rowdier "Jack Bauer," the track's contrast is apparent and at the more than halfway point of the disc, considered a breather, a chill tune.

If you're still wondering how much of it is hard rock and how much is dub, it is more rock than dub. However, the blending of different styles of music, the unpredictability of how and when Dub Trio jumps from one genre to the other and back again is an exciting, mind-blowing listening experience.

Overall, Cool Out And Coexist is hands down one of the coolest albums of 2007 and should make any true music lover's year-end list. If you think you've found and listened to all the good music there is in 2007, think again. This live CD might just be the most exciting 47 minutes you've heard in a long while. It is highly recommended.

For more info on Dub Trio, go to ROIR-USA.com, Spectrummusic.net or their Myspace page.

Note: Cross-posted today at Blogcritics.org

Music CD/DVD Review: R.E.M. - Live

Note: First published on Blogcritics.org 12/1/07

R.E.M.'s Live (Warner Bros.) is no ordinary concert release. The band has made a concerted effort to reach out to its fan base, as it re-launched the R.E.M. Dublin website as part two of its promotion of the live compilation, which is based on two shows taped from Dublin in 2005. This version lets you watch song clips, a live trailer of the DVD portion, see band photos, and click on a link to an archived original version of the site, where you can watch R.E.M.'s five-night "working rehearsals" at Olympia Theatre and read reviews or blog about them yourself.

The Athens, Georgia-based group is still in Dublin as we speak, putting the finishing touches on what will be their 14th studio album when it's released next year.

As for the release itself, if you just put your blinders on and listen to the music, it is pretty great, especially for a band that's been around for over twenty-five years and was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But where there are strengths, there are also weakness.

First, the complaints: I can understand R.E.M.'s effort to make the three-disc compilation (which hit stores in mid-October) both affordable and worth every dollar. The band chose to combine highlights from its February 26, 2005 and February 27, 2005 shows from the Point Depot in Dublin into one release. However, having one of those audio discs containing only five songs is dumbfounding.

Why not split the twenty-two tracks into two eleven-track discs? Or better yet, why not make the most of the second CD by including at least one version of every song played at the two Dublin shows? Songs played but missing from this compilation include "Seven Chinese Brothers," "These Days," and "Electrolite." Most fans wouldn't have a problem with those songs being included here, unless the live versions of those and other missing tracks were so bad that the band didn't want anybody to hear them ever again.

That issue aside, the sound and production of both discs is of the highest caliber. If you didn't know or care to know any better, this sequence of twenty-two songs sounds and feels like a full show, and you might as well enjoy it as such, since R.E.M. was in top and spirited form in Ireland.

A pleasantly surprising and steady rocker from the Monster disc, "I Took Your Name" started the R.E.M. Live experience off on the right foot. "So Fast, So Numb," a rather obscure track from New Adventures in Hi-Fi soon followed. Elsewhere in the set, the audience dug Peter Buck's note-for-note perfect rendition of favorites like "Losing My Religion" and clapped in rhythm for "Drive," during which Stipe added "Bushwhacked" to the lyrics. [Don't act surprised, given Stipe's past political preferences.]

As far as band energy and dynamics are concerned, the guitars were nice and loud when warranted (ex. "Orange Crush," "One I Love") and the strings/keys were warm and cuddly when needed (ex. "Everybody Hurts," "Losing My Religion").

Bassist Mike Mills, a true pro who almost always sings in tune - as opposed to the occasional off-key yelps by Stipe - shined on several cuts and even sported a cowboy hat to sing lead vocals on the beloved early '80s fav "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville". Daniel Ryan of The Thrills made a guest appearance on guitar/back-up vocals for that performance, while Stipe took a rare turn on back-up vocals as well.

Back to the DVD side of things, the blurry visuals that came in and out of focus on "Boy In The Well" - a song from 2004's Around The Sun CD - were very cool, particularly during the melodic solo by supporting musician Ken Stringfellow (Posies, Big Star, Lagwagon). The many multiple screens at the venue that focused on each band member and their instrument were another plus - musicians (such as myself) no doubt appreciated that. The DVD viewer however, doesn't see enough of these sustained instrumental frames or close-ups; there are far more shots of Stipe and his stage antics by comparison.

Speaking of camera work, the frequent and rapid changes in visual effects and colors, as well as the unsteadiness of some of the shots can be a distraction and amounts to overproduction by video director Blue Leach (whose credits also include Depeche Mode). This DVD is supposed to be about the band first and foremost after all, not about displaying all the cutting edge visual effects one can muster into one production.

I'm not saying that was Leach's intention here, but at times it felt like there were 100 different digital video flashes per minute and that his cameras had A.D.D. The whole point of videotaping is to capture the action wherever it is, right? At several points, the focus seemed based more on imagery than on the action on stage.

Back to the pluses of the show: the Mills-lead "Cuyahoga" still rules in all its jangle rock glory, and "What's The Frequency, Kenneth," though missing Buck's signature tremolo effect otherwise features a much better guitar solo than on record. And for those wondering about new material from R.E.M., one brand new, albeit short song made it onto the release, "I'm Gonna DJ." Stipe's it's-the-end-of-the-world-themed lyrics are kind of corny, but the song rocks.

My verdict: Though the band has had a few other DVD releases over the years (see Amazon list below), Live is R.E.M.'s first ever CD/DVD live concert combo, and though it has its flaws, you won't regret buying it. When the music is this good, any complaints about production, packaging, or track exclusions seems minor by comparison.

The only advice I have for you regarding this release is that if your eyes start to hurt or get annoyed by all the visual craziness, just look away for brief moments at a time until the cameras return to steadier, more visually sane angles. Don't let these distractions ruin your overall enjoyment of the work of this legendary rock band. If all you care about is the music, you'll get your moneys worth.

The Live trailer can be seen on You Tube.

Better yet, watch "I Took Your Name" and "Bad Day" in full before you purchase the CD/DVD.

For more info on R.E.M., visit their main website.

Music DVD Review: Pearl Jam - Immagine In Cornice: Picture In A Frame

Note: First posted on Blogcritics Magazine's web site 11-25-07

Pearl Jam may never again be that omnipresent, chart-topping band of rebellious rockers of the early 1990s. But they don't have to be mainstream rock superstars in order to produce some great music and embark on one memorable tour after another (every other year, on average). Pearl Jam have built a loyal fan base the world over, and whatever you think of their records post-Vitalogy, this band has always been an exciting and even legendary must-see live act.

Tours from earlier in this decade have been well chronicled on audio bootlegs and on a couple DVDs (see Amazon list below), so it was only a matter of time for Pearl Jam to pick out some highlights of their more recent 2005/2006 tours to sell their fans. First came the Live at the Gorge 05/06 audio box set, and now comes Immagine In Cornice, a concert film/documentary directed by the renowned filmmaker Danny Clinch (Dave Matthews, Bruce Springsteen's Devils & Dust).

Based on the band's five shows and weeklong stay in Italy in September of 2006, Clinch and his crew of cameramen give fans an intimate look at what the band does on-and-off stage, in the towns of Milan, Bologna, Pistoia, Torino and Verona.

As far as performances go, Pearl Jam was in peak form for most of these song selections; they had five shows worth to choose from for this film, after all. Fan favorite "State of Love and Trust" rocked at a faster and more furious pace than on the Singles soundtrack. "Evenflow" got the extended treatment; McCready's solos channeled Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Matt Cameron showed off his drum solo skills to the delight of the crowd in Torino.

Whether playing in an obscure town like Pistoia, the Forum in the beautiful city of Milan, or weathering the rain in Verona, Pearl Jam played for packed stadiums that had both home and international flavor; fans from as far away as Finland and Israel traveled to experience these shows. But it didn't matter where the audience came from or how new or old Pearl Jam's songs were; cameras caught fans passionately moving or jumping to and singing the words to everything from "Better Man" and "Comatose" to "State of Love and Trust" and "Alive."

Eddie Vedder literally took his stage antics to new heights at Duomo Square in Pistoia, as he climbed one of the poles on the side of the stage and sang from the platform during the popular show closer "Rockin' In The Free World." On the near mosh pit-worthy "Blood," one of the less popular, but killer tracks from the Vs. disc, Vedder began the song by spitting out some whiskey he just drank, while he and the band gave everything they had to finish out this less than perfectly executed live version.

Another smart move was the inclusion on this DVD of Eddie Vedder joining opening act My Morning Jacket - a top notch live rock band in their own right - in Torino for an excellent, exhilarating cover of The Who's "A Quick One (While He's Away)."

Perhaps just as valuable as the performance footage is some of the off-stage moments Clinch caught on film. Lead guitarist Mike McCready is full of stories, explaining the origins (and admitted obsession) with tattoos on his arms. After a brief shot of him talking to fans and signing autographs in the light of day outside his Verona hotel, McCready recalled how he used to be like these rock star chasers; he claimed that around 1982 he hid under The Scorpions limo until he spotted and received their singer's autograph. Mike McCready: a guitar virtuoso and man of the people.

Here's some other highlights:

* Eddie working on an 8-track recording of the Tom Waits song "Picture In A Frame" after a soundcheck. The song is also later performed near the end of the DVD by his likeness as background music.
* Pearl Jam organist Kenneth "Boom" Gaspar's emotion-filled performance of a song of his on a vintage church organ in Pistoia, a small Italian town known mainly for organs.
* A short clip of a couple Italian acoustic guitarists playing "Porch" on a sidewalk for the locals.
* The short appearance of Eddie Vedder's little girl Olivia, riding aboard the tour bus with her dad as they say goodbye to "Milano" and take in its beautiful scenery. Vedder's well-rehearsed attempts at addressing his audiences in Italian aren't bad either.

My only minor complaint is that although this film strikes a mostly satisfying balance between the old and the new, there is only one song from Vs. on it, and there could have been a few more full songs included from these five shows overall. For example, late in the film, Eddie and the boys are shown backstage at the Arena di Verona crossing out and ultimately deciding what to play for an encore: "Blood" and "Indifference" were among the chosen, but only "Blood" was shown.

In all, Pearl Jam's Immagine In Cornice DVD is a real treat, and though it was released two months ago, any serious PJ fan must add it to their collection this Christmas if he/she does not already have it. Though it doesn't have everything you would want, this film offers more than just another concert; it gives fans some valuable insight on the touring lives of this band, which is still one of the best live American rock bands around.

Note: Although the track list linked here looks complete, it only represents songs played in full or with live video footage. There are some other songs that Pearl Jam either toyed with offstage, during soundcheck or played as background music to more Clinch footage, including "Immortality," "Love Boat Captain," a short Vedder/McCready acoustic run through of "Lukin" and the aforementioned Tom Waits cover "Picture In A Frame."

Music Review: Via Audio - Say Something

Note: First published on Blogcritics Magazine's web site 11-16-07

This New York-based indie pop quartet met at Berklee College of Music in 2003, recorded a self-titled EP in 2004, and three long years later got signed to SideCho Records. Add to this the fact that Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie is a big fan of the band and that Jim Eno of Spoon produced their highly anticipated debut full-length Say Something (SideCho) and you've got a promising album the indie rock world will surely take notice of.

First song "Developing Active People" has slight delay tactics on guitar that could easily pass for Chris Walla's work with Death Cab (hence the unsurprising fact he's a VA fan). The bass guitar lines and inclusion of trumpets/horns on "Harder On Me" have the aura of recent Broken Social Scene. However, unlike that Canadian supergroup, this group of four doesn't need double digits worth of band members to put many layers of sound into their craft.

"Presents" is perhaps the catchiest one of them all, with its cutesy and infectious male/female vocals, short, electric guitar and keyboard spurts, a constant acoustic guitar melody, all performed over a constant, fast beat that rests only for a mere five seconds.

The slow, heavy, and crunchy chords of "Hazmat" recall Weezer, and the quieter understated melodies that end it are reminiscent of Pavement. The oscillating and tension-filled "Enunciation" shows off both the band and guitarist/singer Jessica Martins' versatility, going from quiet-loud-quiet vocals with relative ease over passive and kinetic minor (and uglier-sounding) melodies.

On my personal favorite "We Can Be Good," Martins sings, "If we try/I know that we can be good." Well, on just 11 tracks spanning 40 minutes, Via Audio, despite their apparent humbleness, proved they are very good at what they do. They went to a top music school after all, so they'd better be "good" at the very least!

What they've done with Say Something is make a very - for the most part - pumped up and listenable indie pop record for those with short attention spans. It's got some versatility, catchy tunes and impressive musicianship.

What more could you want? A perfect album, you say. There may be a couple of down moments on the record, but the fast pace and consistency of Say Something as a whole obscure any faults. It's an excellent debut, and fans of Death Cab For Cutie, Stars, or Magic Numbers will dig this without a doubt.

For more info on Via Audio and to buy their music or watch live performances, go to their Myspace page.

Music Review: Thursday - Kill The House Lights DVD and CD

NOTE: Yeah, I've been getting lazy about cross-posting my Blogcritics articles here; this one was published on 10/30/07.

Often labeled as one of the progenitors of the current "emo" movement, Thursday has survived "nu metal," the garage rock revival, and whatever other trends that ruled the day in their ten years of existence.

Their sound has always been hard to pinpoint, however. Some critics may call them emo or "screamo," others (like All Music Guide) describe their music as "soul-baring post hardcore." Like one-time peers At The Drive-In, they created an exciting and genre-defying type of punk-inspired rock the kids still love to this day. They have taken elements of punk, metal, and post-punk and blended them into four albums worth of rock, starting with 2000's Waiting and most recently with 2006's A City By The Light Divided.

The Kill The House Lights DVD has a career-spanning documentary that takes them through their early days in the late 1990s to the present. The crown jewel of the disc is a forty-five minute live concert from their hometown of New Brunswick, NJ in 2006.

It features fan favorites and other songs from most of their albums, including "Understanding In A Car Crash" and "Paris In Flames," both from 2001's groundbreaking Full Collapse CD, as well as newer songs like the intensely personal and religious-themed "Sugar In The Sacrament." Just watch singer Geoff Rickly work the crowd and join them as they sing out, "This is all we've ever known of God/Fight with me let me touch you now."

Watching this show, you will see why Thursday has gotten headlining slots on multiple Warped Tours over the years; their live show rallies fans to give out almost as much energy to the band as they give to them.

The audio portion of this release features twelve tracks, including about five new songs, the first of which should please older fans: "Ladies and Gentlemen: My Brother The Failure" is intense, hardcore, and sounds like it would have been a natural fit on one of the early albums.

Other tracks include a live version of "Signals Over The Air" - from the same 2006 Holiday show featured on the DVD - and a few demos, the oldest of which is "Wind Up," a song culled from Thursday's first four-song demo in 1998.

Overall, Kill The Houselights, which comes out in stores this week (Victory Records), is very highly recommended for anyone and everyone who got into Thursday's music over the years. There aren't many punk rock bands like them around, and though others have taken elements of their sound and diluted the post-hardcore genre, they give it respectability and a bit of originality too.

It may be Tuesday, but Thursday sounds good any day of the week.

For more info on the band, visit their myspace page or the band's All Music Guide entry.

Music Review: Prong - Power Of The Damager

Note: Originally published on Blogcritics 11/7/07

In the early and mid-'90s, Prong's unique blend of super-heavy industrial and thrash metal was ahead of its time and clearly influenced what was then the looming "nu metal" movement. At the time, I was a teenager who looked forward to every killer episode of MTV's Headbanger's Ball every Saturday night, which along with WAAF radio in my hometown of Boston is how I discovered Prong.

Its time in the spotlight of heavy metal was all to brief however, as albums after 1994's Cleansing never took off or delivered singles as strong and popular as "Beg to Differ" or "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck," the latter of which is without a doubt Prong's most well-known song.

This is not to say that other albums like Rude Awakening or Prove You Wrong were duds; they just never made a splash beyond the underground metal community the way 1990's Beg To Differ and Cleansing did. And that's a shame because like Machine Head, Biohazard, Helmet and a few others, Prong added a new and exciting chapter to heavy metal that has gone largely unappreciated over time.

With the release of its newest album Power Of The Damager (13th Planet Records) last month however, this should change. It is clearly Prong's loudest, brutally heavy and consistent record since Cleansing; traces of earlier records like Beg To Differ are present as well.

The only significant difference between Cleansing and Power is the industrial noises are no longer a part of Prong's sound. This new record is all super heavy power, speed and thrash metal. And if you have none of these CDs in your metal collection, I suggest buying them all together. They're that good.

With drummer Aaron Rossi's aggressive - he frequently employs double kick drum pedals - and at times groovy rhythms setting the pace and band leader/guitarist Tommy Victor and bassist Monte Pittman's respective instruments tuned down to C and occasionally D, Power picks up where Cleansing left off. The staccato riffs, start-stop rhythms and Victor's snarl and growl are all still present, from album opener "Looking For Them" to "Worst of It" and on down the track list. "No Justice" is especially angry and reflects the times we live in; it also features machine-gun fast riffs and wild screams from Victor.

Elsewhere, "Spirit Guide" starts out semi-spacey and throws a couple of dramatic change-ups in tempo, but doesn't let up for long. It, like several other songs features a squealing, frantic guitar solo. Make no mistake about it, this album is ferocious to the very end. Last track "Changing Ending Troubling Times" sees Rossi and Pittman having no trouble at all keeping up with Victor's speed metal riffs.

In all, Power Of The Damager produced what their 2003 comeback record Scorpio Rising did not: truly inspired metal. Even Ministry's Al Jourgensen thinks this is their best CD "ever." Prong fans can debate that but in the meantime, be sure to add this one to your top metal albums of 2007.

To listen to a few more songs from this album, visit Prong's myspace page and for additional info on the band, click here.

Concert Review: Smashing Pumpkins - Orpheum Theater, Oct. 15, 2007

In the first four years of their existence (1988-1992), the Smashing Pumpkins weren't known for epic, powerful or dynamic live shows. Yes, they rocked hard and were good enough to open for Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Nirvana and even Guns 'N' Roses, but lack of onstage chemistry and offstage problems almost spelled the end of the band before their breakthrough album Siamese Dream came out.

But from 1993 until 2000, as their songs became more memorable and well-known, so did their shows. Ask anyone who saw them in their hey day or bought the classic video/DVD Vieuphoria (1994), which was a must-have for any true Pumpkins fan.

Fast-forward to 2007, seven years after mastermind Billy Corgan broke up the band and you'll find this new version of the Pumpkins to be anything but a letdown; they are as tight as ever, even with three new members for this year's tour.

The Pumpkins returned to the Orpheum Theater in Boston for the first time in more than nine years and did an unprecedented three-night stand (October 13, 15, and 16th). I was lucky enough to attend the latter two shows, and this review will be based on the October 15 show, which in my opinion was the best of the three.

Things got off to a rapturous start when opening instrumental rockers Explosions In The Sky took the stage at around 7:30pm. Their loud-quiet-loud formula was reminiscent of Mogwai, and the half-hour or so set they played won over a good chunk of the audience. The people in front of me even gave the band a standing ovation once they finished around 8:05pm.

Afterward, while waiting in line for an SP shirt, it was apparent that many in the audience this night are in their 20s and 30s, with some older folks mixed in as well.

Two old high school friends - in their mid-20s now - ran into me and said they never saw the Pumpkins back in the day and were really excited about this night. And so it occurred to me that Corgan and company had a tough job to do: win over the old fans while attracting new ones. It was a packed house at the Orpheum, so whatever the mix of old and new fans was didn't really matter. They were all here and ready to rock.

At around 8:50 pm, original Pumpkins Corgan and Chamberlin took the stage behind their respective instruments (guitar, drums), while new members Lisa Harriton (keys/backup vocals), Jeff Schroeder (guitar/backup vocals) and Ginger Reyes (bass/backup vocals) took their places as well.

As a long-time Pumpkin fan myself, it was clear by the opening riffs of the first song that all in attendance were in for a special night. The show began with "Where Boys Fear To Tread," a simple, steady yet rather obscure hard rocker from the band's platinum double album masterpiece Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness that hadn't been performed live in almost ten years. Next was "Hummer," a long-time fan favorite from one of the most beloved albums of the 1990s, Siamese Dream. Good to the last note, it felt like 1993 all over again.

"Bring The Light," one of the highlights from the Pumpkins' new album Zeitgeist allowed Schroeder to show off his guitar chops and shred along with Corgan during the solo section. Its extended ending, complete with another guitar solo from Billy and Harriton's warm synths underneath made the song even better than the album version. In fact, I wish a version like this made the album instead of the chorus of Corgan voices that ends the studio recording.

Speaking of light, the triangle-based, multi-colored lights that shone above the band could have fooled you into thinking Pink Floyd was playing below. It was different, and very cool to watch as the night went on.

"Neverlost," another new one and "Lucky 13 (from the Internet-only Machina II album) got respectable applause, and then it was Harriton's turn in the spotlight, as she played a pretty and short piano intro to "Tonight, Tonight," one of the band's biggest hits and videos.

Later, Corgan took a minute to tell us he spent some time at Boston Common earlier in the day and ran into some SP fans from Quebec - fans that didn't get a chance to see SP "in the old days" but came to the show tonight.

The crowd initially booed when he said they were from Quebec, at which point the Chicago native shot back (pardon the pun) that unlike America, at least in Quebec he knows he is less likely to be vulnerable to gun violence. But the boos turned to cheers when Corgan thanked the fans for making the trek to tonight's show.

In perhaps the coolest moment of the show and a moment I'll never forget, Jimmy Chamberlin came out from behind his enormous drum kit and all alone with Corgan played tambourine while the crowd clapped along to a perfect rendition of the Adore favorite, "Perfect."

Like many fans of a great band, I live for the times when a band plays a song or two so rare that your friends (who weren't there) are envious of your luck and "I was there when they played..." moments. This was such a time.

The moonlit magic of the bass-heavy "1979" CD single b-side "Set The Ray To Jerry," a dark and dreamy, longing-for-love song that rarely gets played live was a great treat for die-hard Pumpkins fans. In fact, this being Halloween season, the Pumpkins gave this audience more rare treats on this night than anyone could've anticipated, along with plenty of tricks courtesy of that bright, colorful and triangle-shaped light show above the stage that complimented every song.

Speaking of "1979," Corgan performed it during a second encore with just a mic and an acoustic guitar, and realizing the audience was into every note and word, stopped playing to let them sing out the last chorus. Talk about striking a chord with an audience, Corgan not only realized he had done so, but made the most of it as well.

Just a few songs earlier, Corgan had thanked the fans for coming and dedicated "That's The Way (My Love Is)" to them, especially to those of us who came to this show instead of watching the Red Sox-Indians playoff game that night.

By the time Corgan finished "1979," the Pumpkins had given you more than your money's worth - 22 songs! With tracks like "Zero," "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," "Today," "Thirty-Three" and newer radio singles "Tarantula" and "That's The Way" already played and a few more to come, you begin to realize how strong the group and in particular Corgan's catalog of songs are after all these years. [Keep in mind that though the band played "Drown" and "Starla," they did not even play a single song from their first album Gish, which was one of SPIN's top 10 albums of 1991] I'd put them up there with any of the top alternative groups of the day or yesteryear.

The last of the Pumpkins' special treats came right after "1979," when they played another song from Machina II, "Let Me Give The World To You." Many in the Pumpkin fandom remain puzzled to this day as to why this track never made either Adore or Machina. It sounded like a hit then and sounds even better now, like a cross between "1979" and "Cherub Rock," the latter of which was the night's last and 24th song during a third encore.

From "Today" to "Starla" to "STRTJ" to "Let Me Give The World to You," it was almost like seeing one of your favorite Pumpkins mix CDs played live before your very eyes. It wasn't a dream, it was very real and of all the Pumpkins shows I've been to over the years, this one was the best, by far.


Set:

* Where Boys Fear to Tread
* Hummer
* Bring the Light
* Neverlost
* Lucky 13
* Tonight, Tonight
* Tarantula
* Starz
* Zero
* Starla
* Thirty-three
* Perfect
* To Sheila
* Set the Ray to Jerry
* Today
* Bullet with Butterfly Wings
* That's the Way (My Love Is)
* Superchrist
* Heavy Metal Machine
> On the Road Again [Canned Heat]
> I Love Rock 'n' Roll [Arrows]

Encore 1:

* Drown
* United States

Encore 2:

* 1979
* Let Me Give the World to You

Encore 3:

* Cherub Rock

Music Review: Down - Down III: Over The Under

Note: First published on Blogcritics Magazine's web site 10-02-07

Since the 2002 release of their second CD Down II, a lot has happened to the Southern supergroup of metal heavyweights known as Down. Frontman Phil Anselmo battled and overcame hard drug use, endured the loss of his ex-Pantera bandmate and beloved metal icon Dimebag Darrell (killed on stage in December 2004 while performing in post-Pantera band Damageplan), and, like his New Orleans-based bandmates, was displaced and suffered through Hurricane Katrina.

Overcoming these tragedies, guitarist Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity), vocalist Phil Anselmo (Pantera), bassist Rex Brown (Pantera), guitarist Kirk Windstein (Crowbar) and drummer Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod) reunited and embarked on a small, sold-out 21-show tour of Europe in the summer of 2006. The band demoed 18 new songs in New Orleans sometime thereafter and then recorded 15 tracks in Los Angeles in early 2007. Twelve of them made the cut.

On Down III: Over The Under, the third album in twelve years for this super side project, the band finds themselves kicking out their usual massive, heavy riff-based Southern metal - as opposed to the less nuanced and mostly power chord-based "nu metal" - but with more depth (musically/vocally) than ever before. Keeping with the times, the band even uses Pro Tools technology for the album.

Down's first two records were well-received within the metal community, and though there are no clear-cut hits to be found in this new batch of songs, the record as a whole is a consistent rocker with very little downtime. This should please Down fans young and old. Starting with 1995's debut record Nola (short for New Orleans, Louisiana) and on to the present, Down has taken pride in being considered the southern Black Sabbath of our time. But they also seem to take on other influences here as well, which, in my opinion, includes Thin Lizzy, Lynyrd Skynyrd and even Alice In Chains.

"Three Suns and One Star" starts things off with their trademark Sabbath feel. "In The Thrall Of It All" and "Nothing In Return (Walk Away)" each find Anselmo singing at times like the late Alice In Chains frontman Layne Staley. And as with every album, Down takes a break from their usual Dropped-D flat tunings (on guitars/bass) to write a few even heavier songs in Dropped-B tuning, including "N.O.D.," the slow groove of "Mourn" and "Pillamyd," which sees Keenan layering down some C.O.C.-styled licks.

On "Never Try," the band shows off their bluesy side. Pitted half way through the CD, it adds a nice contrast and break from the norm. "On March of the Saints" is another standardly heavy rocker, but with even heavier emotion and Hurricane Katrina-related lyrics. Anselmo sings: "We have been through change/by the season of the storms...with all our lives at stake/from at rest to the present are sitting high among the elect/on march the saints."

The new album itself pretty much rocks from start to finish (with the lone exception of Track 9, an instrumental). Their style is mainly carefully crafted mid-tempo metal - some call it "stoner" metal - that can mix in flashy guitar solos, dual harmony-laden riffs and rhythmic change-ups at any given time. It all makes makes for high quality, never-boring hard rock or old-fashioned head-banging metal.

If you've listened to Down's previous albums (Nola, 1995 and Down II, 2002), you know that they never disappoint, never let you down (pun totally intended) and likely never will as long as they stay true to form. Simply put, Down III comes awfully close to (but not quite) being five-whole-stars-perfect and is one of the best hard rock/metal albums you'll listen to this year. It was released last Tuesday (9/25) through ILG/Warner Music Group. So go pick it up ASAP at the record store of your choice.

For more info on Down, go to their official page and myspace page.

Music Review: Megadeth - That One Night: Live In Buenos Aires

Note: First published on Blogcritics 9-06-07

If you're in a great band, if you've built up a loyal fan base AND have had some degree of success over the years, there's a good chance that you will put out a live record some day. And if your band has sold over 70 million records worldwide in a span of 20 years, as Dave Mustaine's band Megadeth has, the time has finally come for that definitive live album.

Hardcore Megadeth fans know the band has released a couple live compilations and a fan club-only unplugged album in the past, but That One Night is their first official single show release. It captures a rejuvenated Dave Mustaine and his mates arguably at their absolute peak here, in terms of both performance and energy.

Recorded October 9, 2005 at Obras Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the concert features more than 100 minutes of non-stop, career-spanning (through 2004's The System Has Failed CD) thrash and speed metal over two discs. The DVD release of this show came out this past spring. It was recently certified Gold, and was as highly regarded as this newly released audio version should and likely will be.

But listening to either of the two CDs, listeners can easily use their imaginations to picture the electricity inside Obras Stadium that October night. The 25,000-strong fans in attendance really brought out the best in Megadeth.

Though Megadeth has gone through many lineup changes over the years, the group that Mustaine put together for the 2005 tour was the most fiery and fiercest in recent memory. It featured the Drover brothers - Shawn on drums and Glen on guitar - and James MacDonough (Iced Earth) on bass. The lone original member and main songwriter Dave Mustaine has likely never sounded better and kicked out more consistent, skull-crushing metal jams and gems than on this night. However, some may be left begging for more, as this 21-song set (like its DVD companion) is allegedly missing some tracks that were played that night, including "Sweating Bullets." Nonetheless, any worries of getting ripped off or not getting your money's worth will go away within minutes of pressing play on your CD player.

From show opener "Blackmail The Universe" to live staples like "Skin Of My Teeth" - both on disc one - and "Peace Sells" (disc two), the band showcases their influential brand of thrash and speed metal to the delight of the masses. The audience not only knows the lyrics to Megadeth's most beloved songs — they sing the opening chords of classics like "Symphony of Destruction" and an extended version of "Trust" — they also make their own vocals where there are none in order to sing along to the guitar riffs and solos on tracks such as "She Wolf."

Dave Mustaine even sings parts of songs like "Trust" in Spanish and allows the audience to sing an extra chorus. Taken together, it may not be the greatest heavy metal concert of all time, but it should certainly be high on anybody's list, as it is the most interactive and truly inspired metal concert put to tape in recent memory (at least according to these ears).

Dave Mustaine has a special bond with the Argentinian people that goes back several years. In the CD jacket, he recounts how fans there rode in taxis driving 100 mph just to hand him gifts in the van he was riding in; others who knew where the band spent their time in the country spelled out M-E-G-A-D-E-T-H "in the rocks of the [Sheraton] hotel landscaping."

But perhaps the most moving of all Mustaine's recollections is when he tells of the first time Megadeth ever played in Buenos Aires. Outside the gates of the show, he met a very sick young boy who suffered from a rare and fatal accelerated aging condition. The boy let Mustaine know how much he loved him and his music and Mustaine let him know the affection was mutual.

So if you had any doubts as to how powerful heavy music can be and what it can mean to people around the world, especially Megadeth's, those doubts should be gone by now. This band played their hearts out for those tens of thousands of fans and recorded a nearly flawless set that Megadeth fans all over the globe will enjoy for years to come.

DVD Review: Baseball's Most Unbreakable Feats

Note: First published on Blogcritics 9-18-07

In this DVD, Baseball's Most Unbreakable Feats, current major leaguers, Hall of Famers, baseball historians and managers assess 10 so-called unbreakable records and the likelihood (or lack thereof) that the names associated with them will hold up over time. With Roger Clemens as narrator and opinions expressed by everyone from Lou Brock and Dave Winfield to present day players and managers like Tom Glavine, Craig Biggio and Terry Francona, it is a fun film to watch. All 90 minutes of it. The statistical breakdowns of the records and what it would take to break them again are informative, and even the background music - symphonic, rockin' or electronic - sets the mood well.

As for the records, they include: Nolan Ryan's 5,714 K's, Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA, Ted Williams's .406 AVG, Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hit streak, Eric Gagne's 84 consecutive saves, Rickey Henderson's 1406 career SB's and 130 SB's in one season, Cal Ripken's 2632 consecutive games played, plus a few more.

For starters, the consensus among everyone in the DVD (and fans as well) is that no one will ever get close to Cal Ripken Jr.'s 2632 consecutive games streak, for sure. Miguel Tejada, the closest to his record these days, is mentioned as the most likely candidate to catch up to Ripken. However, on June 22, just under two weeks before this DVD was released (July 3), his own streak of 1152 consecutive games played ended as he sat out of the game due to a wrist injury. Tejada's streak is the fifth longest in MLB history but still more than nine seasons worth of games shy of Ripken's record, which spanned three presidential administrations (1982-1998). Thus, Ripken's record is not just the most unbreakable record in baseball, but arguably in all of sports.

A record that is arguably just as unbreakable as Ripken's streak is Cy Young's 511 wins. As some players pointed out (i.e. Barry Zito), starting pitchers aren't allowed to pitch as frequently as they did in Young's era (late 1800's-to-early 1900's) and likely never will again, both for health and competitive reasons. Still, Greg Maddux did manage to break one of Young's records, having recorded at least 15 wins in 17 consecutive seasons through 2004. (In a side note, Clemens made a minor error in saying Maddux "just" broke Young's consecutive wins record, which happened three years ago; Young's mark was previously at least 15 wins in 15 consecutive seasons.)

When it comes to a couple records, some players are of the "never say never" mindset. And regarding Ted Williams's legendary .406 AVG in 1941, Kevin Millar nominates Ichiro Suzuki to challenge it in the future. A couple of peers mentioned Albert Pujols and Twins catcher (and former batting champ) Joe Mauer as well, but most see Ted's .406 AVG as unsurpassable. Also cool is interview footage of the late Teddy Ballgame. Indeed, footage of him, Pedro with the Red Sox and other heroes of the past makes this DVD high on nostalgia.

One record that I see as possibly vulnerable is Pete Rose's 4256 career hits. Reigning AL MVP Justin Morneau thinks so as well. However, older guys like Francona and Bobby Cox do not. Still, with more and more players playing into their 40s these days, it may not be a question of if his record can be approached but when. According to the film, through age 32, Rose had 2152 hits, while Derek Jeter had 2150 hits at the same age (through the 2006 season). However, Rose played all or parts of 24 seasons to get 4,000+ hits. Jeter, now at age 33, has played at least 12 seasons and is fast approaching 2350 hits. Therefore, if Jeter stays healthy, consistent and wants to play for about ten more seasons, even as a DH, he will give Rose's record a run for his money.

I'm not going to spoil it for you and tell you how 160 players, managers and coaches ranked the top 10 "unbreakable feats," but it is interesting to note what records did not make the DVD at all: Hank Aaron's all-time RBI record (2297) or the formerly sacred all-time HR records - single or career-spanning. Barry Bonds broke the latter two, but not without the help of performance enhancers, some of which (the cream and clear) he admitted in sworn testimony to using for a short time earlier in this decade. Still, many fans expect a few of today's power hitters to eclipse whatever HR number Bonds ends up with, especially A-Rod, and even Albert Pujols. And at age 32, A-Rod already has over 500 HRs and nearly 1500 RBIs!

Overall, this DVD is highly recommended and a must-have for baseball fans that appreciate the fact that baseball is not only a team game but a game of statistics and historic accomplishments. Even if you are familiar with some of these records, you, like the players in this film will likely be awestruck of them and appreciative of what it took for the likes of Nolan Ryan, Rickey Henderson and Cal Ripken to attain their mammoth records. Even the bonus material, which evaluates more unbeatable records, such as back-to-back no-hitters (by Johnny Vander Meer, 1938 ) and two grand slams in one inning (by Cardinal Fernando Tatis in 1999 off Dodger Chan Ho Park, both times) is worth watching.

To watch a two-minute trailer of it, click here.