Archives: Reviews

Next Position Please

In 1983, Cheap Trick needed a miracle. Since the "overnight" success of…

Christopher Thelen

November 13, 1997

Black Light Syndrome

Jeff Beck, eat your heart out.You've been trying for three decades to…

Christopher Thelen

November 13, 1997

The Devil Glitch

It's not often I get to chat with someone who is in…

Christopher Thelen

November 12, 1997

This Was

Back when I was in the process of discovering Jethro Tull (which…

Christopher Thelen

November 12, 1997

Unmerry Melodies

I'm wet behind the ears when it comes to the punk genre…

Paul Hanson

November 11, 1997

Psycho Babylon

Back when Beck first burst onto the scene, I didn't understand what…

Christopher Thelen

November 11, 1997

Elton John

"Hey...Could I walk you to art class?""I suppose."Her green eyes looked up…

Hansen Olson

November 10, 1997

Toy Story 2

There are certain videos in our household that I'm surprised ever leave…

Christopher Thelen

November 10, 1997

Garbage

Hi, I'm Sean McCarthy. I had an order for the Italan beef…

Sean McCarthy

November 9, 1997

It Haven’t Been Easy

Usually, whenever I've had a pretty crappy day, be it for personal…

Christopher Thelen

November 8, 1997

Incesticide

How do you follow up one of the biggest breakthroughs in rock…

Christopher Thelen

November 7, 1997

The Singles – The First Ten Years

According to my mother, I was an Abba fan since I was…

November 6, 1997

Irish Tour

The night I saw Rory Gallagher (pronounced "Gal - a - her"),…

Hansen Olson

November 5, 1997

Wildflowers

Tom Petty is one of the great American rock and roll songwriters…

Jason Warburg

November 4, 1997

Mirador

Usually, when I throw a CD into the player from a group…

Christopher Thelen

November 4, 1997

Rainbow

Rainbow is the first Mariah Carey album that fans can admit they…

November 3, 1997

Savior Servant

Ambiguity is not always something that should be strived for.There is a…

Christopher Thelen

November 2, 1997

Recovering The Satellites

August & Everything After was a surprise success in 1993, and as…

Scott Floman

November 1, 1997

Street Survivors

On October 20, 1977, the face of rock and roll was changed…

Christopher Thelen

October 31, 1997

Crushed

I hate reviews like this...One of the most difficult tasks any music…

Christopher Thelen

October 30, 1997

Zuma

Y'know, back in '75, when this album came out, we never thought…

Hansen Olson

October 28, 1997

Tis The Season To Be Jelly

Today we're going to talk about a subject that has often been…

Christopher Thelen

October 28, 1997

Greatest Hits Volume Two

I'm a sucker for songs about love gone wrong (like I would…

October 27, 1997

The Colour & The Shape

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. This is my first confession…

Hansen Olson

October 26, 1997

Diva La Grande

My wife has recently been watching reruns of the television show "In…

Christopher Thelen

October 25, 1997

Waiting For Columbus

Live albums are always difficult things to produce -- how does one…

Christopher Thelen

October 24, 1997

Mother’s Milk

For Anthony Kiedis and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, tragedy turned into…

Christopher Thelen

October 23, 1997

Accident Of Birth

You really have to feel sorry for Bruce Dickinson.No matter how hard…

Christopher Thelen

October 22, 1997

New Miserable Experience

Does stress concentrate the creative mind? Is angst the fount of all…

Jason Warburg

October 21, 1997

British Steel

"Boy," the reader must be thinking, "Chris's been listening to a lot…

Christopher Thelen

October 21, 1997

The Sound Of Music

I remember back in the early eighties -- were any of our…

Denise Henderson

October 20, 1997

Back In Black

Do you remember your first time?No, no, I'm not talking about that...…

Christopher Thelen

October 19, 1997

Vitalogy

I swear, Pearl Jam has to be one of the spottiest bands…

Christopher Thelen

October 17, 1997

Kick Out The Jams

Welcome to the true birthplace of grunge. Originally released in 1969, "this…

Scott Floman

October 16, 1997

Angel Dust

The Faith No More fans that I have talked to are as…

Sean McCarthy

October 15, 1997

Life After Death

The ghost of Tupac Shakur haunts Christopher Wallace throughout his last album,…

Sean McCarthy

October 14, 1997

Some People Can Do What They Like

Robert Palmer become popular with his Secrets album in 1979, which featured…

Eric E5S16

October 14, 1997

Little Head

People have been telling me for years that I should drink more…

Jason Warburg

October 13, 1997

OK Computer

This may have happened to you before. An album that you have…

Sean McCarthy

October 12, 1997

Women And Children First

Whenever I have difficulty deciding what the next album I should dig…

Christopher Thelen

October 11, 1997

Medusa

These days it's a sin to like Luciano Pavarotti and Alanis Morissette…

October 10, 1997

Lovesongs For Underdogs

After spending your career as part of a band and having to…

Christopher Thelen

October 9, 1997

Heartbeat

Don Johnson and I have one thing in common: Our first love…

Eric E5S16

October 8, 1997

Marching To Mars

Sammy Hagar joined Van Halen in 1985 as the replacement for frontman…

Paul Hanson

October 7, 1997

Marching To Mars

I was never particularly fond of the Sammy Hagar era of Van…

Larry (Duke) Williams

October 7, 1997

Return To Paradise

Sometimes I think that Styx chose the wrong name for their band…

Christopher Thelen

October 6, 1997

Introspect

These days, it takes a lot of guts to be a heavy…

Christopher Thelen

October 5, 1997

Timeless

If you thought Top 40 Divas were exhasting, you gotta see the…

October 4, 1997

Varnaline

Alternative music is a unique animal in that it takes all the…

Christopher Thelen

October 3, 1997

Bulk

A 2-CD record is a pretty hard sell right now. This summer…

Sean McCarthy

October 2, 1997

Pyramid

Since I was a young boy listening to the radio, I have…

Christopher Thelen

October 1, 1997

Leftoverture

With the vastness of the Pierce Memorial Archives (is there an echo…

Christopher Thelen

September 30, 1997

Homogenic

The little pixie's whacked.For those who thought this year's Lilith Fair represented…

Sean McCarthy

September 29, 1997

The Complete Recordings

Eric Clapton would have hated me back in 1990.You see, that was…

Christopher Thelen

September 28, 1997

Song & Dance – The Songs

Although she will be remembered in the annals of theater history as…

September 27, 1997

Something / Anything?

As vast as the Pierce Memorial Archives are, there often are times…

Christopher Thelen

September 26, 1997

Pretty Hate Machine

In recent days, I've been chatting with "Eric E5S16" (sorry, Eric, but…

Christopher Thelen

September 25, 1997

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols

You might not believe this at first, but the Sex Pistols were…

Bill Ziemer

September 24, 1997

Talk Show

If you were Scott Weiland, I'd be real worried.You've just spent the…

Christopher Thelen

September 23, 1997

The Cars

Sometimes it seems hard to believe that so much time has passed…

Christopher Thelen

September 22, 1997

Little Earthquakes

It's been over six months since I reviewed Tori Amos's Boys For…

Christopher Thelen

September 21, 1997

Gadzooks!!! The Homemade Bootleg

I guess I have to admit I've been fairly fortunate this year.…

Sean McCarthy

September 20, 1997

Darkness On The Edge Of Town

One of the most difficult things about this job is having to…

Christopher Thelen

September 19, 1997

Love Songs From The Abyss

One of the most difficult things any new band has to do…

Christopher Thelen

September 18, 1997

Live At Carnegie Hall

Talk about chutzpah.In 1971, Chicago was only three albums old - all…

Christopher Thelen

September 17, 1997

Butterfly

With 81 million albums sold, she ain't broke (either way). So it's…

September 16, 1997

We’re An American Band

A few months ago, Grand Funk graced these pages - and I…

Christopher Thelen

September 15, 1997

Terragram

When my father first asked me to review this album (he's in…

Scott Floman

September 14, 1997

The Who Sell Out

When it comes to The Who, it sometimes is a difficult choice…

Christopher Thelen

September 13, 1997

Genuine Houserockin’ Music

God damnit,what a miserable day I had at work! (I have to…

Christopher Thelen

September 12, 1997

Animals

With all the talk about whether or not Roger Waters is rejoining…

Christopher Thelen

September 11, 1997

Big Lizard In My Backyard

Could punk have a sense of humor?Jello Biafra tried to inject some…

Christopher Thelen

September 10, 1997

Punch The Clock

With all the media attention surrounding the death of Princess Diana, my…

Christopher Thelen

September 9, 1997

Luck Of The Draw

Damn VH-1. Damn VH-1 to hell. The station became a beacon for…

Sean McCarthy

September 8, 1997

Dr. Feelgood

Admission number one: I have never been a fan of heavy metal…

Christopher Thelen

September 7, 1997

Deja Vu

Borrowing Neil Young after his triumphant stint with Crazy Horse (on Everybody…

Scott Floman

September 6, 1997

Never Enough

It is an album that makes me happy, it is an album…

Christopher Thelen

September 5, 1997

The Autobiography Of Mistachuck

Twenty-year anniversary events haven't shocked me as much as I thought this…

Sean McCarthy

September 4, 1997

Fragile

Some readers may remember back in April I pulled Yes's Tales From…

Christopher Thelen

September 3, 1997

Bridge Of Sighs

I feel like I owe reader Joe Temborious an apology.You see, Joe…

Christopher Thelen

September 2, 1997

Lights Out

UFO is the type of band who you may hear on the…

Christopher Thelen

September 1, 1997

Cereal Killer Soundtrack

Back when I was in college radio, I was invited by a…

Christopher Thelen

August 30, 1997

Back On The Streets

It's not often I write a review "flying blind." I usually have…

Christopher Thelen

August 29, 1997

Vulgar Display Of Power

Any time I listen to Pantera's second major-label release Vulgar Display Of…

Christopher Thelen

August 28, 1997

Adrenalize

After Hysteria hit the stores, Def Leppard joked about how long it…

Sean McCarthy

August 27, 1997

The Clash

It's practically inevitable to compare the Sex Pistols and the Clash. They…

Sean McCarthy

August 26, 1997

Exodus

The time is 1977. Imagine you're Bob Marley: you narrowly survived an…

Christopher Thelen

August 25, 1997

Hotter Than Hell

As much as I've enjoyed Kiss's music over the years, I've found…

Christopher Thelen

August 24, 1997

Janet.

Opera being the first music that ever made an impact on me…

August 23, 1997

Honky Chateau

It may be hard to believe, but by 1972, Elton John was…

Christopher Thelen

August 22, 1997

Classic Gold

At the height of his career, George Carlin was to the comedy…

Christopher Thelen

August 21, 1997

Around The World In A Day

When Around The World In A Day, the follow-up album to Prince…

Christopher Thelen

August 20, 1997

Colossal Head

It's like going from a wide stretch of starlight desert range in…

Sean McCarthy

August 19, 1997

The Crossing

When I was 12 years old, my aunt gave me a copy…

Christopher Thelen

August 18, 1997

Bill Withers’ Greatest Hits

One thing I love about big sales at the used record stores…

Christopher Thelen

August 17, 1997

Ramones Mania

As hard as I try, I just don't quite get The Ramones.Oh,…

Christopher Thelen

August 15, 1997

Paul’s Boutique

The second effort from the Beastie Boys, Paul's Boutique, is another LP…

Graham Drennan

August 14, 1997

Pre-millenium Tension

Dense and suffocating, Tricky's album Pre-Millennium Tension was not the album that…

Sean McCarthy

August 13, 1997

99.9 F°

Yesterday we talked about how fickle the finger of popularity can be.…

Christopher Thelen

August 12, 1997

Sports

How fickle is the finger of popularity in the rock world. In…

Christopher Thelen

August 11, 1997