Record Reviews

KHATSATURJAN ~ ARAMED FORCES OF SIMANTIPAK MUSEA 4464 (Barcode: 3426300044648) ~ FINLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2004 - 2005 Released: 2006 2nd album by brilliant Finnish Symphonic Prog band KhatsaturjanFind albums by this artist and a masterpiece of the genre. Their 1st album (an EP called Aramsome SumsFind albums with this title, which was never officially released) pointed already in the direction, but this debut full album really hits the nail right on the head. As the band’s name suggests, they are deeply rooted in classical music (especially Russian classical music) and indeed started by playing modernized versions of classical pieces and only later opted to compose original material. The quartet consists of: Jaakko KoikkalainenFind albums by this artist – bass, keyboards, vocals & guitar, Atte KurriFind albums by this artist – guitars, keyboards & vocals, Ilkka PiispalaFind albums by this artist – drums, keyboards & vocals and Ilkka SaarikiviFind albums by this artist – keyboards, cello & vocals. They all have years of musical studies behind them, which is very apparent from the phenomenal performances heard herein. Considering that all four of them play keyboards and sing, the overall effect they are able to achieve is massive and truly symphonic and choral in scope. There are very few other Prog groups that ever (if at all) achieved the same level of compositional sophistication and orchestral execution, but if parallels must be drown, imagine NiceFind albums by this artist being accompanied by QueenFind albums by this artist vocals. This is an amazing piece of music, which should be cherished by every Prog fan on this planet and heard by all music lovers, but alas I’m afraid the reality is sadly different.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

QUEEN ~ A DAY AT THE RACES EMI JAPAN 67345 ~ UK ~ Classic Rock 5th album from 1976. As the title suggests, this was in many ways a companion album to its masteful predecessor. As much as they struggled to acheive the same level of brilliance, they never managed to match it, but addmitedly they did manage to come damn close. It is a brilliant album in every respect and a timeless masterpiece. Limited Edition

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QUEEN ~ A NIGHT AT THE OPERA EMI JAPAN 67344 ~ UK ~ Classic Rock 4th album from 1975. Considered not only Queen`s absolute classic masterpiece, but also as one of the best Rock albums ever. It includes the track `Bohemian Rhapsody`, which was to become their anthem, and a great collection of songs, all perfectly executed and crafted. Full of humor, satire and even sheer absurdities, the group broke all boundaries and conventions on this one. Limited Edition

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QUEEN ~ LIVE AT WEMBLEY STADIUM EMI JAPAN 67464-65 ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded in 1986 at the gigantic Wembley Stadium in London and released `posthumously` (first in 1992 and now in 2003 with 4 additional songs) proves once and for all that Queen was a superior live band. The band is superb all the way through and the fans have a ball of their lifetime. Great sound quality and excellent material make this a must to any Queen collector. Limited Edition

CD 2 Mini-Sleeve Remastered Recommend To A Friend

QUEEN ~ LIVE KILLERS EMI JAPAN 67461-62 ~ UK ~ Classic Rock First live (double) album by Queen from 1979. At the time of the recording the group already reached legendary status and filled up the biggest stadiums all around the world. The material includes selections from their debut, 1973´s Queen, up until 1978´s Jazz, the album is a solid mix of early hits and forgotten album tracks. The extatic crowd sings along with their heros and in retrospect this is a wonderful document of the era. Limited Edition

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QUEEN ~ QUEEN EMI JAPAN 67341 ~ UK ~ Classic Rock 1st album from 1973. Although largely overshadowed by the later masterpieces, this is a very strong debut album by one of the most popular and revered Rock bands of all times. Basically a Hard Rock album, dominated by the excellent guitar work (with many overdubs and effects) by Brian May and Freddie Mercury´s vocal acrobatics. In retrospect it is a classic of the genre. Limited Edition

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QUEEN ~ QUEEN II EMI JAPAN 67342 ~ UK ~ Classic Rock 2nd album from 1974. Heavier and darker then the debut, this was their first album to win both the critics and the fans approval and hit the charts. It still does not reach the level of magic and perfection acheived on the 3 albums that follow, but it is a great classic nevertheless. It was also the first album to reach US on a wide scale and win the band the huge following there. Limited Edition

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QUEEN ~ SHEER HEART ATTACK EMI JAPAN 67343 ~ UK ~ Classic Rock 3rd album from 1974. Considered as the first of Queen`s true classic albums. The group was slowly moving away from the Hard Rock basics and generating their own characteristic style by mixing elements of Rock and sophisticated Pop, with vocal harmonies and guitar pyrotechnics. A great collection of songs and just on the verge of world-wide explosive acclaim. Limited Edition

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QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS ~ COSMOS ROCKS (DELUXE EDITION) ISLAND 602537014149 (Barcode: 602537014149) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2008 Released: 2008 I must admit it took me a while to even consider listening to this album… I mean, separately, QueenFind albums by this artist was always one of my favorite British Rock bands and of course I have always considered Paul RodgersFind albums by this artist as the best British Blues-Rock vocalist ever, but somehow the combination of these two Rock legends seemed too bizarre to be true. Boy was I wrong… Of course the real Queen ceased to exist when the bigger than life Freddie MercuryFind albums by this artist left us for greener pastures. But the remaining three band members: guitarist Brian MayFind albums by this artist, bassist John DeaconFind albums by this artist and drummer Roger TaylorFind albums by this artist decided to carry on for a while and released a couple of albums following Mercury´s death. After a decade of silence May and Taylor decided to revive the Queen moniker in order to tour. With Deacon opting to stay out, they enlisted Rodgers as the new lead singer and recorded a live album during the 2005 tour, which was followed three years later by this, their only studio album together. After two more live albums they decided to call it the day for good (so far). Now Rodgers with his deep, throaty, Bluesy voice was nothing alike the operatic falsetto of Mercury, which meant only one thing, Queen had to change the repertoire to suit Rodgers´ abilities. The early attempt to combine old Queen material with songs associated with Rodgers´ earlier career did not work that well and therefore the band members wrote fourteen completely new songs for this album, which are all credited to all three of them. Musically they range from Rock ballads to Blues-Rock pieces, all of which suit Rodgers´ voice perfectly. The new material turned out to be surprisingly quite excellent. Of course the result proved that the band had to adopt to the lead singer rather than vice versa. In retrospect this is another excellent album in the long history of Rodgers´ achievements and his many fans will find here exactly what they expect from him. May plays some amazing guitar solos, which he always was capable of doing and overall the album is truly much better that I, and many other people, expected. The cosmos rocks indeed. This deluxe version includes a DVD with material filmed in Japan during the original 2005 tour, previously unreleased, which is definitely a great fun to watch. Better late then never!

CD+DVD 2 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

PAUL RODGERS ~ MIDNIGHT ROSE SUN 8067 (Barcode: 015047806720) ~ UK ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 2022 - 2023 Released: 2023 This is an album by legendary British Blues / Rock vocalist / songwriter Paul RodgersFind albums by this artist, recorded with guitarist Ray RoperFind albums by this artist, bassist Todd RonningFind albums by this artist and drummer Roy RoperFind albums by this artist. Many guest musicians appear on selected tracks. The album presents eight tracks, all of which are original songs (one co-written) by Rodgers. The album is only a couple of minutes over the half an hour mark, which of course is a pity, especially since we had to wait over five years since his last solo album “Free SpiritFind albums with this title” and almost twenty-five years since his last studio album “ElectricFind albums with this title”. But all things considered, this is a most welcomed return! Rodgers lost nothing of his charisma, incredible vocal abilities and songwriting skills, and despite his advanced age (he is a couple of years older than me and we share the same birthday), he is still the best Blues rooted British vocalist, since his early days with Free and nobody comes near his throaty, convincing expressionism. I have seen him live on stage many times and he never disappoints, and his collective discography is all absolute classic, regardless of the musical environment, when he was flirting with Blues-Rock (Bad CompanyFind albums by this artist), Rock (The FirmFind albums by this artist / The LawFind albums by this artist) or Pop (QueenFind albums by this artist), his vocals were always irresistible. Overall, this is a most welcome releases by one of my favorite vocalists of all time, a master of the Blues domain and a great Artist with an incredible career behind him. It is great to see him in perfect shape, giving us old farts hope for a few more years to enjoy life with music. You simply can’t go wrong with Paul Rodgers!

Updated: 05/12/2023Posted: 05/12/2023

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend