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Thoughts on recent buys (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Deftones)

 
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JosephC



Joined: 26 Apr 2000
Posts: 1074
Location: Middleton, WI

PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2003 1:48 pm    Post subject: Thoughts on recent buys (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Deftones) Reply with quote

Grading scale:
10-Top
7-Good
5-Average
3-Bad
1-Forget it
And of course, everything in between counts. Remember, 5 is average. Anything an 8 and above deserves a serious look into.

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BON JOVI : BOUNCE

Bon Jovi was always one of my favorite hair bands of the 80s. I got each of their albums/CDs right when they came out and was really into this band. The first time I heard "You Give Love a Bad Name," I knew that this band was going to go from a moderately popular act to one of the biggest rock bands on the planet. The rest is history.

I was a big fan, but around the time they got to their 6th studio CD, "These Days," I noticed that I liked the odd numbered releases ("Bon Jovi," "Slippery When Wet," "Keep the Faith") much more than the even numbered releases. When "These Days" came out, I was fairly disappointed with that one (although it did have some moments). But, if the pattern held true, I should have loved the #7 CD, "Crush." Unfortunately, after the brilliant "It's My Life," the CD left me flat. To me, either Bon Jovi was not as good a band as they once were, or I had simply moved on and was no longer a fan of their pop style of hard rock.

Needless to say, I wasn't going to run out and pick up "Bounce" when it came out. I figured that, more than likely, I would just not like this CD. I was wrong.

It starts off with the 9/11 tribute "Undivided," a nice rocker that gets this off on the right foot. The second song, "Everyday," is the famous pop that Bon Jovi is noted for. It's no "Livin' on a Prayer," but it's still a solid pop song with a strong hook. "The Distance" is the third track, and it's a slower rocker (almost ballad) that has a nice Springsteen/pop vibe to it. I'm not going to run through all 12 tracks, the basic breakdown of the CD is 8 rocker-types and 4 ballad-types. Virtually all the rockers are very good songs. And while I'm not a real fan of most of the ballads on this, there is one acoustic one ("You Had Me From Hello") which is a real stunner.

Bounce is a great sounding CD. And while Sambora doesn't cut loose with any amazing solos, his guitar sound on this is fantastic. Overall the band, and Bon Jovi himself, sound great on this CD.

Overall, this is a great CD, easily the best in 10+ years for this band. If it wasn't for some of the crappy power ballad that really bog this thing down ("All About Lovin' You" is the best/worst example), this could have really gotten a big-time grade. As it stands, it's still a da*n good CD. If you liked Bon Jovi in the 80s, this is one you need to have.

Final grade = 8.0

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AEROSMITH : JUST PUSH PLAY

Another one of the "pop" CDs that I've avoided for awhile. I must admit I was put off by this from the first time I saw it, I mean, what's up with the frickin pink cover?!?!? It didn't help that I got sick of hearing "just push play, just push play" in that Dodge (or whatever it was) commercial. Historically Aerosmith would rank as one of my all time favorite bands. As far as new Aerosmith, I really liked "Pump" but it seemed to start going downhill from there. "Get A Grip" started strong but faded late. "Nine Lives" was simply a horrid effort of one good track with the rest being total filler. The coupled with Steven Tyler's apparent addiction to being a wimp, and I wasn't expecting anything from "Just Push Play."

In the end, "Just Push Play" was much better than I anticipated. The highlights are the lead track, "Beyond Beautiful," which has that same "Love in an Elevator" vibe. "Trip Hoppin" isn't the blues, but it has that vibe and is pretty enjoyable. "Light Inside" is fantastic, maybe the best song on the CD, but (predictably enough) is buried as the 11th track on the CD. But for every great song it seems there is a real clunker. "Just Push Play" is an obvious attempt at "Walk This Way II" and it falls flat with Tyler simply being annoying on the track. "Fly Away From Here" is your taylor-made top 40 track, and as one would expect it completely sucks.

When it comes down to it, and I average the good tracks versus the tracks I don't like, this one comes out as a very average release. "Just Push Play" isn't what "Pump" was, but it is sure a heck of a lot better than the "Nine Lives" disaster was.

Final grade = 5.0

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DEFTONES : DEFTONES

I like the Deftones for one reason, "Around the Fur." I just found that to be a great, great CD. I went back and picked up their first CD, "Adrenaline" and found that to be pretty average. Before their release of their 3rd CD, "White Pony," I had heard media reports that the record label found it to be so weak that they didn't even want to release it. Well I picked up "White Pony" and it was indeed a disappointing effort. So I really didn't know what to expect from the new, self-titled release. But since "Around the Fur" still sits in pretty recent memory, I decided to give "Deftones" a chance.

It started off nice, good guitar sound to open things and the first verse was right up my alley. Unfortunately, the chorus for the first song sucked. And, well...that was about it. Everything went down from there. Most of these songs were so bland it was hard to distinguish one from another. And when they tried to do something different, like the electronic "Lucky You," it yielded and even worse result. This is a pitiful CD, even making the disappointing "White Pony" look good in comparison.

I was tempted to give this a 1.0, but after further consideration it probably isn't any worse than the Geoff Tate CD.

Final grade = 2.0

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Other recent grades:

Apocalyptica/Reflections = 9.5
John Arch/A Twist of Fate (EP) = 9.0
The Crown/Deathrace King = 8.5
The Duskfall/Frailty = 8.5
Opeth/Damnation = 8.5
Cradle of Filth/Damnation and a Day = 8.0
Led Zeppelin/How the West was Won (3 CD) = 7.5
O.S.I/Office of Strategic Influence = 7.5
Soilwork/Figure Number Five = 7.5
Dimmu Borgir/Enthrone Darkness Triumphant = 7.0
The Black Heart Of Candlemass/Leif Edling-Demos & Outtakes '83-'99 (2 CDs) = 7.0
Evergrey/Recreation Day = 7.0
Symphony X/The Odyssey = 7.0
Virgin Steele/Guardians of the Flame = 7.0
Armored Saint/Symbol of Salvation (3 CD reissue) = 6.5
The Crown/Crowned In Terror = 6.5
Disturbed/Believe = 6.5
Virgin Steele/Virgin Steele I = 6.5
The Gathering/Souvenirs = 6.0
Voivod/Voivod = 6.0
Kamelot/Epica = 5.5
The Crown/Hell Is Here = 5.0
Porcupine Tree/In Absentia (2 CD) = 5.0
Arcturus/The Sham Mirrors = 4.5
Bloodbath/Resurrection Through Carnage = 4.5
Old Man's Child/In Defiance of Existence = 4.5
Bloodbath/Breeding Death (EP) = 3.5
The Haunted/One Kill Wonder = 3.5
Daeonia/Crescendo = 3.0
Dream Evil/Evilized = 3.0
Staind/14 Shades of Grey = 3.0
Manowar/Warriors of the World = 2.0
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Jake



Joined: 02 Mar 1999
Posts: 4963

PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2003 5:39 pm    Post subject: Thoughts on recent buys (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Deftones) Reply with quote

I didn't even know Bon Jovi had a new cd out. Shows what I know.
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BRUSH



Joined: 16 Jun 2003
Posts: 7
Location: Australia

PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2003 9:47 pm    Post subject: Thoughts on recent buys (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Deftones) Reply with quote

DEF LEPPARDS "X" ALBUM IS QUITE GOOD.
I'D RATE IT A 8/10
TED NUGENTS LATEST IS PROBABLY HIS BEST AKBUM FOR SOME TIME -7/10
AN AUSSIE BAND CALLED THE SCREAMING JETS RELEASED A DOUBLE LIVE ALBUM AT THE START OF THIS YEAR AND IF YOUR INTO HONEST HARD ROCK N ROLL - I RECOMMEND IT - BRILLIANT 9/10
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Fatalcharm



Joined: 18 Dec 1998
Posts: 1973
Location: dayton,tx,usa

PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2003 11:39 pm    Post subject: Thoughts on recent buys (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Deftones) Reply with quote

Actually "These days" is one of my top 3 Bon Jovi albums. The last 2 for me have been fairly forgettable. Save "Say it Isn't So", which is just quirky enough to be likable.

Def Leppards X is allright, and suprisingly it went over well with the fans when I saw them in concert. I still prefer the direction they took on "Euphoria"

Deftones I just don't get especially since that "Chino" guy made a comment basically saying metallica won't be remembered 50yrs from now.
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Metalfilm1



Joined: 15 Aug 1999
Posts: 3559
Location: Yonkers, NY 10710

PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2003 5:31 pm    Post subject: Thoughts on recent buys (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Deftones) Reply with quote

Call me kooky, but I really loved White Pony.
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