Diesel`s album Solid State Rhyme from 1994 featured the singles "All Come Together", "Fifteen Feet of Snow" and "Get It On". It was another multi-platinum success. It was preceded in May by the EP "Still Got A Long Way to Go", a duet with Jimmy Barnes from Barnes' album Flesh and Wood, however this was not a chart hit. Eigentlich meist bei Progressiv Rock Scheiben so...aber auchmal hier im R&B Bereich ein Album dass erst bei mehrmaligem hören zündet. Also nicht gleich aufgeben. Für mich hat sich das Album in den letzten Jahren zum Milestone entpuppt. Vieleicht muss man aber die ganze Sache Live gesehen haben, um die Energie des Australiers so zu erfassen.
Ich hab Ihn zu dieser Zeit in Frankfurt zusammen mit Jimmy Barnes gesehen. Ein unvergessenes Konzert.Wertung:******(6)


Diesel - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Percussion, Keys, BG Vocals
Kane Baker - Drums
Rob Woolf - Piano
Miechelle Kelly - Violin
Marcus Holden - Violin

1. Chill Pill
2. Get It On
3. Love Again

4. All Come Together
5. You
6. Sacred Cow
7. Make It Right
8. Still Thinking About Your Love
9. 15 Feet Of Snow
10. Come If You Dare
11. Bad Seed
12. Blur
13. Time

Robert Plant-
Pictures at Eleven is the debut solo album by former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant, released in 1982. Genesis drummer Phil Collins played drums for six of the album's eight songs. Cozy Powell handled drums on "Slow Dancer" and excelent drums at "Like I've Never Been Gone".

Pictures at Eleven is the only one of Plant's solo albums to appear on Led Zeppelin's record label Swan Song. By the time of Plant's next release, 1983's The Principle of Moments, Swan Song had ceased to function and Plant had started his own label titled Es Paranza, which would also be distributed by Atlantic Records.

Working with Robbie Blunt, Plant is able to build his own unique style with a smooth, crisp vocal performance on many of the tracks of this CD. "Burning Down One Side" starts off the disc and it is the most Zeppelinesque, along with "Slow Dancer", in my mind. Plant pulls on his vocal chords in these tracks with the old Zeppelin sound reminsicent of some of the Physical Graffitti work. Plant and Blunt stand on their own though whith "Moonlight in Samosa" and "Fat Lip" - two songs that flow as though there is no clock in the room.
You can't help but just get caught up in the smoothness of those tracks.
The same can be said of "Far Post" which is a bonus track on the CD. If you loved Zeppelin you can't go wrong with this first Plant solo disc. The only thing I will say is don't expect the Jimmy Page solos because Blunt is a different type of musician but a quality one none the less. Also, the arrangements are similar to Zeppelin but definitely not Zeppelin. Plant has done work following this disc that is good and worthy of excellent review but to me this is his best because he needed to grab people after leaving Zeppelin. He did just that because it proves he is by himself more than just a long-haired god to the ladies - he is what many of us knew all along - a unique voice with a stylistic flair for combining his past to build his future. Mein absoluter Lieblingstitel von Plant LIKE I`VE NEVER BEEN GONE mit Cozy Powell unverkennbar an den Drums :-)

Milestone:******(6)

2. "Moonlight in Samosa" – 3:58
3. "Pledge Pin" – 4:01
4. "Slow Dancer" – 7:43
5. "Worse Than Detroit" – 5:55
6. "Fat Lip" – 5:05
 7.Like I've Never Been Gone - 5:56
8. "Mystery Title" – 5:16

• Robert Plant - vocals
• Robbie Blunt - guitars
• Jezz Woodroffe - keyboards & synthesizers
• Phil Collins - drums on 1-3, 5-6, 8, 9 & 10
• Cozy Powell - drums on 4 & 7
• Paul Martinez - bass
• Raphael Ravenscroft - saxophone on 3

Foreigner - 4 (1981)
Es gibt Alben, da stimmt einfach alles. Die "4" von 1981 ist so eins. Die Kompositionen sind auf hohem Niveau, die Musiker sind überdurchschnittlich gut und Lou Gramm ist ein super Sänger. Alle, die melodischen Hard Rock auch mal mit Pop gewürzt lieben, sollten hier zugreifen.

Das Album bietet die gesamte musikalische Spannbreite der Gruppe um Mick Jones. `Night life` und besonders `Juke box hero` sind tolle Hard Rock Songs. `Waiting for a girl like you` ist eine wunderbare Ballade und `Urgent` ist ein Schmachtfetzen bei dem sich Lou Gramm die Seele aus dem Leib singt.
Weitere Höhepunkte sind `Break it up`, `I`m gonna win`, `Woman in black` und `Girl on the moon`. Alle genannten Songs gehören zu den besten der Gruppe überhaupt.

Das Album und die Singles waren sehr erfolgreich. 6 Sterne sind mehr als verdient. Diese Qualität erreichte die Gruppe leider nie wieder.
Wertung:******(6)
Over the course of their first three late-'70s albums, Foreigner had firmly established themselves (along with Journeyand Styx) as one of the top AOR bands of the era. But the band was still looking for that grand slam of a record that would push them to the very top of the heap. Released in 1981, 4 would be that album. In producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange -- fresh off his massive success with AC/DC's Back in Black -- guitarist and all-around mastermindMick Jones found both the catalyst to achieve this and his perfect musical soulmate. Lange's legendary obsessive attention to detail and Jones' highly disciplined guitar heroics (which he never allowed to get in the way of a great song) resulted in a collaboration of unprecedented, sparkling efficiency where not a single note is wasted. "Nightlife" is only the first in a series ("Woman in Black," "Don't Let Go," the '50s-tinged "Luanne") of energetic, nearly flawless melodic rockers, and with "Juke Box Hero," the band somehow managed to create both a mainstream hit single and a highly unique-sounding track, alternating heavy metal guitar riffing, chorused vocals, and one of the ultimate "wanna be a rock star" lyrics.
As for the mandatory power ballad, the band also reached unparalleled heights with "Waiting for a Girl Like You." One of the decade's most successful cross-genre tearjerkers, it has since become a staple of soft rock radio and completely eclipsed the album's other very lovely ballad, "Girl on the Moon," in the process. And last but not least, the surprisingly funky "Urgent" proved to be one of the band's most memorable and uncharacteristic smash hits, thanks to Junior Walker's signature saxophone solo. Through it all, vocalist Lou Gramm does his part, delivering a dazzling performance that confirmed his status as one of the finest voices of his generation. Three years later,Foreigner would achieve even greater success on a pop level with the uneven Agent Provocateur, but by thenJones and Gramm were locked in an escalating war of egos that would soon lead to the band's demise. All things considered, 4 remains Foreigner's career peak.

1 Juke Box Hero
2 Night life
3 Break it up
4 Waiting for a girl like you
 
5 Urgent
6 Girl on the moon
7 Woman in black
8 Luanne
9 Don't let go
10 I'm gonna win

Dennis Elliott - drums, Vocals, background vocals
Lou Gramm - Lead vocals, percussion
Mick Jones - guitar, keyboard, vocals, background vocals
Rick Wills - bass, background vocals

Tracklist:
1: Tarot Woman
 
2: Starstruck
3: Stargazer
4: Run With The Wolf
5: Do You Close Your Eyes
6: A Light In The Black

Ronnie James Dio - vocals
Ritchie Blackmore - guitar
Tony Carey - keyboards
Jimmy Bain - bass
Cozy Powell - drums



Nach dem RAINBOW-Erstling „Ritchie Blackmore´s Rainbow“ war die Rockwelt zwar vorgewarnt und hatte auch die unvergleichliche, majestätische Stimme eines Ronnie James Dio vernommen - aber mit einem derartigen Monster wie „Rising“ hatte dennoch niemand gerechnet. Der von Weltklasse-Producer Martin Birch, der sich zuvor einen Namen mit diversen Deep Purple-Klassikern gemacht hatte, veredelte Longplayer enthielt zwar nur sechs Songs, stellte dafür aber das gesamte Hardrock-Universum auf den Kopf. Schon der für damalige Verhältnisse knüppelharte Opener ´Tarot Woman´ sorgte für klare Verhältnisse: Ritchie Blackmore hatte zusammen mit seinem neuen Partner Ronnie James Dio eine grandiose Mischung aus erdigem Hardrock und klassischen Mittelalter-Elementen - ohne jedoch in kitschige Blackmore´s Night-Sphären abzudriften - geschaffen und sich dabei musikalisch selbst übertroffen.
Monumentalwerke wie ´A Light In The Black´ oder das bombastische, göttliche ´Stargazer´ - bis heute eine der herausragendsten Hardrock-Kompositionen aller Zeiten - stellten alles bisher Dagewesene, in den Schatten und sind auch im neuen Jahrtausend qualitativ unerreicht.
Letzteres gilt vor allem für das weitere Schaffen des Herrn Blackmore, der „Rising“ trotz starker Nachfolge-Releases wie „Long Live Rock´n´Roll“, „Down To Earth“, „Straight Between The Eyes“ oder auch „Perfect Strangers“ nie übertreffen konnte. Kurz: Ein absolutes Muss!! gehört in jede Sammlung
Wertung ******(6)

1. "Bad Attitude" (Grehan) - 5:28
2. "Feel it again" (Coburn)



3. "Lost and Found" (Coburn) - 4:22
4. "What Does It Take" (Grehan) - 4:13
5. "One By One" (Grehan) - 3:42
10. "Take My Hand" (Grehan) - 3:41

• Ray Coburn - keyboards

                          

Rock of Ages Facebook
Rock of Ages Festival
Kansas

Rainbow-Long Live Rock'n'Roll - der Name ist Programm und was die Herren Blackmore, Powell, Dio, Stone und Daisley mit diesem Album präsentierten ist ein Stück Rockgeschichte und machte die Trilogie perfekt.

Leider handelte es sich dabei aber auch um die letzte Kollaboration dieser Weltklasse-Kombination, denn nach Long Live Rock'N'Roll verließ Dio die Band (oder musste verlassen), weil sich Bandleader Blackmore wie schon bei Deep Purple als Egomane erwies, der das komplette musikalische Sagen behalten wollte.
Nie wieder erreichte die Band nur annähernd diese Kreativität, denn es war zugleich das letzte Album mit dem genialen Köpfen Blackmore, Powell und Dio. Ronnie war und bleibt die einzig wahre Rainbow-Stimme und der leider tödlich verunglückte Cozy war der Hammer am Schlagzeug.
Dies ist Hard Rock und war so einzigartig und unverkennbar wie die ganze Band, eben typisch Rainbow.Es ist sicher nicht notwendig, jedes Stück hier genau zu beschreiben."Gates Of Babylon", "Lady of the Lake", "Kill the King", "Long live Rock`n Roll" und, nicht zu vergessen "Rainbow Eyes" sind Songs für die Ewigkeit.Unter dem Strich bleibt Long Live Rock'n'Roll wohl nur die zweitbeste der Rainbow-Platten (nach RISING aber immer noch knapp vor dem Debüt). Das stellt umso beeindruckender die Qualität der anderen Scheiben unter Beweis, denn schließlich gehört Long Live Rock'n'Roll in jede Plattensammlung.Wertung:******(6)

Ronnie James Dio – vocals
Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
David Stone – keyboard
Bob Daisley – bass
Cozy Powell – drums
Rainbow - Facebook

"Long Live Rock 'n' Roll"
"Lady of the Lake"
"L.A. Connection"
"Gates of Babylon"

"Kill the King"
"The Shed (Subtle)"
"Sensitive to Light"
"Rainbow Eyes"

                            

Gowan - Lost Brotherhood (1990).
With an all-star supporting cast including Rush's Alex Lifeson and bassman extraordinaire Tony Levin, Lawrence Gowan has put forth a very potent release that showcases an accessible hard rock texture. The material ranges from hard and gritty grooves to mellow and sedate, and covers most territory in between. The disc is most effective, however, on the powerfully melodic numbers.
Eine meiner Alltime Faves. Die Vorgängerwerke von Gowan waren relativ unspektakulär. Dann kam 1990 Lost Brotherhood. Ein absoluter Meilenstein mit wunderbaren uptempos und Balladen. Dannach gings dann schon bald zu Styx. Da spielt und singt er heute noch.
Wertung:******(6)

Tracks:
 
All the Lovers in the World
Lost Brotherhood
Call It a Mission
The Dragon
Love Makes You Believe
Fire It Up
Out of a Deeper Hunger
Tender Young Hero
Message from Heaven
Holding This Rage

Alex Lifeson Guitar
Eddie Schwartz Producer, Vocals
Greg Critchley Drums
Jerry Marotta Drums, Percussion, Vocals (Background)
John Webster Keyboards
Ken Greer Guitar, Pedal Steel
Larry Gowan Vocals, Keyboards, Piano
Mike Howlett Producer
Steve Kendry Drums
Steve Shelski Guitar
Terry Gowan Vocals (Background)
Tony Levin Bass, Stick

Styx/Gowan via Facebook 

Uriah Heep - Salisbury 1971


Die Musik auf diesem Album schwankt zwischen arttypischem 70er Hardrock, melancholischem Progrock. Wertung:******(6)

1 Bird of Prey Box, Byron, Hensley, Newton
2 The Park, Hensley 
3 Time to Live Box, Byron, Hensley
4 Lady in Black, Hensley 
5 High Priestess, Hensley 
6 Salisbury, Box, Byron, Hensley



Mick Box (guitars)
David Byron (voc)
Paul Newton (Bass)
Keith Baker (Drums)
Ken Hensley (Keys, guitars)

Uriah Heep auf Facebook

Uriah Heep Homepage