For A Change..

5. N.W.A. And The Posse (1987)- I noticed that I seemed to be covering fairly recent rock records and nothing else, so I decided to cover one of the more varied albums on my list today! Whatever happened to hip-hop? These day's it's all T-Pain and that guy who seems to want to make love in some club or other... Whatever happened to people like Public Enemy? Why the autotune craze? This classic hiphop record isn't just an N.W.A album, it's actually a compilation of tracks produced by Dr. Dre phD BA MD. It features such hip-hop deities as N.W.A, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Rappinstine, and The Beastie Boys are sampled on "8 Ball". Some great numbers on here, like Boys-n-The Hood, but there are some pretty terrible tracks too... Witness Fila Fresh Crew's shambolic reinvention of Twist and Shout, in the form of "Drink It Up". Seriously, listen to that... It's not even the funny kind of bad... It's just irritating.
Highlights include: Boyz-n-The Hood, A Bitch Iz A Bitch

Ben's verdict:

A personal favourite

4. De-loused In The Comatorium (2003) - The Mars Volta Yet another debut album, by one of my favourite bands ever. The Mars Volta consists of Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, two ex-members of At The Drive-In- another great band who will receive a plug here at some point, and an ever changing lineup of backing musicians. This album isn't for everybody, that much is certain. It tells the tale of "Cerpin Taxt, a man who tries to kill himself by overdosing on a mixture of morphine and rat poison. The attempt lands him in a week-long coma during which he experiences visions of humanity and his own psyche. Upon waking, he is dissatisfied with the real world and jumps to his death." Which kind of happened to a band member, Jeremy Michael Ward, a month before release... Died of a heroin overdose.. So nooooot exactly party tunes, but still a great album, with appearances from Flea and John Frusciante, both of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on a couple of tracks (Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt and Cicatriz ESP respectively)
Highlights include: Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt, Son et Lumiere/Inertiatic ESP and Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of). Really though, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez would *Falcon Punch* me in the groin if he thought I was encouraging people to listen to single tracks, as it's supposed to tell a story.
Ben's Verdict: -Great stuff, if you're cool with a bit of insanity!

(note: I'm using the alternative album cover here, because it's just so much more impressive!)

Number 3

3. Bottoms Of Barrels (2006)- Tilly And The Wall - Ever heard of a band with a tapdancer instead of a drummer? Now you have! This indie pop quintet from Nebraska, though somewhat obscure, have featured in quite a few ads... Their single "Pot Kettle Black", which incidentally is on "O", an entirely different album was featured in 90210, ads for Seth Rogan's "Observe and Report", and a Jaguar ad.. Although mainly here for the novelty value, their album has some decent songs. My favourites would be "Bad Education", which they performed on Letterman, and "Rainbows in The Dark". The tapdancing has to be seen to be believed...

Ben's verdict: Fun(ny) at first, but it does wear a little thin...


For the lulz, here's a video.. no, I wasn't joking about the tapdancing!

Another Album

2.Them Crooked Vultures (2009)- Ooooh, let's do a supergroup today! When Kurt Cobain's untimely demise brought about the end of iconic Grunge band Nirvana, things weren't looking up for the world of rock.. Fortunately, drummer Dave Grohl went on to form Foo Fighters, who have done pretty well for themselves over the last decade or so. Apparently Krist Novoselic did something too, but nobody cared.
Then, Dave decided to go back to drumming, but not just with anyone- having recorded with Josh Homme, guitarist and vocals of Queens Of The Stone Age, on their album Songs For The Deaf, he enlisted Josh, and a certain someone you may have heard of- John Paul Jones, bassist for Led Zeppelin. The result is an album jam-packed with catchy riffs, funky beats, and everything you could expect from such veterans.
Highlights include: Mind Eraser; No Chaser, Elephants, and Dead End Friends.
Ben's verdict:

75 Albums

1. Are You Experienced (1967)- The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Ok, so I assume most people have heard of Mr. James Marshall Hendrix, even if they just played Purple Haze on Guitar Hero that one time. Are You Experienced was the debut album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and it is has achieved deserved legendary status worldwide. Highlights include: Hey Joe, Foxy Lady, Red House, Purple Haze, The Wind Cries Mary (another track given somewhat of a revival by Guitar Hero), and Fire.
This gets a solid 5 stars from Ben.