Accept - Restless And Wild [1982]

I found myself humming several songs from this album earlier today, and it occurred to me that I hadn't yet posted it here on Court In The Act. Initially, I enjoyed the instrumentation on the album but found the vocals nauseatingly akin to AC/DC, but have since got over that and learned to love this fantastic set of songs. Germany really has always known how to make metal; from the excellent trad scene of the early 80s to some of the best thrash ever produced, to rapidly developing death metal and black metal scenes in the early to mid 90s. However, this is quite possibly the most famous album ever to come out of Germany that is actually great (read: no Scorpions), and plaudits for the seamless integration of poppy (everything is poppy, maaaaan) hooks into individual tunes.

320 kbps

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Deep Purple - Machine Head [1972]

Whether you like clean vocals or not, there is no question that Deep Purple's Machine Head was revolutionary in the development of metal - the likes of 'Smoke On The Water' gave the genre a little more mainstream credibility after the supposed 'satanism' of Sabbath, and the whole album had a rockin' vibe which, although inferior in my eyes to In Rock, has not been reached often since.

256 kbps

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Kyuss - Blues For The Red Sun [1992]

Josh Homme, for those who don't know, is most commonly known as the singer/guitarist/head honcho for Queens Of The Stone Age. Before that he was part of the heavy, stomping machine that is Kyuss and this album, Blues For The Red Sun, is by far my favourite of theirs.

This album is regarded as a seminal stoner rock album (along with Sleep's Holy Mountain (Persona 101: I disagree that Holy Mountain is a rock album, but whatever)) and it's easy to see why with the instrumentation/production. The guitar is a wall of chunky heavy sound, the bass rumbling underneath and a slight hollow sound to the drums creating a lazy attack on each beat.

Now a thick, heavy sound is all very well and good, but what of the songs? Well, tracks such as 'Green Machine', 'Apothecaries' Weight' and 'Writhe' should answer that question for you as most tracks on this album are very heavy and, perhaps more importantly, catchy .

Overall this is an album that is always heavy (but not metal) and mostly catchy/interesting. A criticism of this album is that it's a bit too long and by the end I find myself tired of the album (as the sound on this is album is pretty much constant).

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256 kbps

Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous [1978]

Referred to by many as one of the greatest live albums of all time, "Live and Dangerous" fully captures what it must have been like to be at a Lizzy gig in their heyday. And although it has been quite obviously dolled up in the studio a bit, this album and its renditions of some Lizzy classics are simply great. A particularly fantastic part of the album is "Cowboy Song" and how it seamlessly blends into "The Boys are Back in Town".

As you can probably tell, I love this album and think that you most likely will as well.

M4a, ~320 kbps (VBR)

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Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak [1976]

Although Thin Lizzy these days is little more than a glorified tribute band, back in "the day" they were one of the best rock bands in the world. And they certainly do their best to live up to that status on this record.

Containing such classics as the title track and "The Boys Are Back In Town" (arguably one of the most iconic songs of the '70s), this album brilliantly showcases the writing and playing talent not just of frontman Phil Lynott, but also Scott Gorham and the two Brians. As a result, this album remains as enjoyable to listen to as it is catchy. An absolute must for any music fan.

Mp3, 320 kbps

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Alice In Chains - Dirt [1992]

Alice in Chains are the best grunge band. Yep, I just said it - sorry Nirvana, but this band chews you up and spits you back out faster then you can say "but what about Nevermind". This is the second album from AIC and due wanting a heavier and darker direction for the band lyrically they jumped stright back into the topic (which is a common theme on this album) of addiction which featured on the previous album but now has been "turned up to 11" so to speak. For thoese who did not know AIC's singer Layne Staley was a herion addidict and this addiction he never overcame as he died a recluse in 2002. This album takes the dark sound of grunge and gives it a metal feel with heavy riffs, interesting solos and a unique vocal harmony between Staley and Cantrell (guitarist and backing vocals). Highlights for me would be "Them Bones", "Angry Chair" and "Junkhead" but these are gems in a sea of gold as, for me anyway, only one of these songs is a tad sub-par (God Smack) but is nothing to bring the album much. For a different take on metal and grunge listen to this catchy, heavy, dark album - you will not be disappointed!

MPED-4
128 kbps

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Now once I get back from my trip to Holland, I'll get posting some music by The Cure.

Persona 101: Edited for spelling and grammar.

Jethro Tull - Aqualung [1971]

Well if it isn't everyone's favourite band of angry prog hobos, Jethro Tull! Regarded as one of the essential prog rock bands (which is ironic, because the band often claimed to be parodying the genre), many of their albums are considered classics, such as this: "Aqualung".

An album of two halves, side one is about the character 'Aqualung', a disgusting vagabond and his daily activities. Side two for some reason is about religion, although I'm not entirely sure why. Either way, this is a folky/bluesy/proggy blast of an album, with frontman Ian Anderson's flute at full throttle throughout. A must for any prog fan.

M4a, ~320 kbps (VBR)

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Jeff Beck - Emotion & Commotion [2010]

And here's my other favourite Jeff Beck album. As great as his '70s releases were, many of them don't offer much that "Wired" doesn't.

Beck's most recent studio release is this, the astonishing "Emotion & Commotion". In what was an interesting step away from his usual works, "E&C" contains a wide variety of styles. This includes (but is not limited to) the hard-rock track "Hammerhead", the cover of well-known soul song "I Put A Spell on You" and the orchestral album-closer "Elegy for Dunkirk". As usual, most of the tracks are instrumental, but where there are vocals, Beck has enlisted the help of such well-known singers as Joss Stone and Imelda May. Although this album is lacking somewhat in original compositions, the cover versions are done in Jeff's unique style which makes them massively enjoyable to listen to again and again.

Mp3, 128 kbps

Link was taken down. Comment on this if you would like to see a reupload.

Jeff Beck - Wired [1976]

Jeff Beck is perhaps the least-known of the famous three Yardbirds guitarists (not without reason; the other two are Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton), but in my opinion the music he made after leaving that band blows Page and Clapton out of the water.

Here then is "Wired", my favourite. Brilliantly blending his intricate solos with jazz influences, "Wired" is a completely instrumental album that contains some of Beck's best tracks (including "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" and "Sophie"). For anyone interested in jazzy/bluesy rock, this is an essential.

M4a, ~320 kbps

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(n.b. Also, I'm not going to be uploading it here but give "Jeff Beck With The Jan Hammer Group Live" a listen. It has a very similar sound to this album.)

King Crimson - Red [1974]

King Crimson are no strangers to variation and experimentation, and although this (the last album of their "classic" period) had a similar sound to their previous album ("Starless and Bible Black"), it would prove to be a very different listening experience, containing layered guitar overdubs, and only one live recording.

The album starts off with the title track, a guitar-driven instrumental, and only gets better. For me, the highlight of the album is "One More Red Nightmare", with a catchy verse and excellent solo from Mr. Fripp.

M4a, ~320 kbps (VBR)

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Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum [1968]

Blue Cheer are somewhat unconventional, perhaps, for this blog, but they were instrumental in the development of metal; their proto-metal interpretation of 'Summertime Blues' herein was probably the heaviest thing around for its time, aside, of course, for the rest of this album.

192 kbps

Similar artists: Black Sabbath, Jex Thoth, Black Widow

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Clutch - Blast Tyrant [2004]

I think the thing I like about Clutch is that they're a man's band, and acknowledge that in everything they do. Just listening to the hard, bluesy riffs of this album (full title: "Blast Tyrant's Atlas Of The Invisible World Including Illustrations of Strange Beasts and Phantoms") makes me feel like I could grow a humongous beard at any moment.

The stoned, bluesy, "I'M A MAN AND I EAT BEARS" sound of the album is perfectly complemented by frontman Neil Fallon's throaty singing on tracks like "Mercury" and "Cypress Grove". This album is simply great fun all the way through, and I definitely recommend it.

Mp3, 256 kbps

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