Reviews

Love it or hate The Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band' is widely regarded as one of the most important albums in popular music. Upon its release in May 1967 popular music shifted slightly, and every band raced to release their own swinging 60s masterpiece. The Rolling Stones were no different, and anticipation was high for the oddly (and controversially titled) Their Satanic Majesties Request album upon release in December that year. Instead of being overwhelmed with the riches within, most fans felt the complete opposite - and for good reason. This wasn't an album that could even come close to competing with The Beatles, or even The Stones themselves for that matter. 'Sing This all Together' is an odd sing-along ditty opener that feels like a writing-in-progress jam. Just as it wakes up, it seems to lethargically crawl back to bed without generating much excitement. 'Citadel' is a big improvement, but feels rather dated - as though it had escaped from a tape recorded a couple of years earlier. 'In Another Land', Bill Wyman's sole vocal performance for the band, is an odd psychedelic track that feel more at home amongst the early Syd Barrett Pink Floyd recordings than The Rolling Stones. It is an interesting song, but still far from being worthy of being released as the first single from the album (as it was in the U.S.). '2000 Man' is the closest this album comes to 'classic' Stones, and it is certainly a stand out track. The chorus is horribly overproduced, but it still was of enough interest to the world that KISS later covered it on their Dynasty album. The reprise of 'Sing This All Together' is totally pointless, and the limited charm the first version had is totally missing here. This is filler, pure and simple - and over 8 minutes of it. Side two opens with the diamond in the rough, the only real jewel in the album's crown. 'She's A Rainbow' bursts to life, and although it does reek of 60s styling, it's a timeless song all the same. This is evidence that behind the experimentation of the album (and the clear rush to get something on the shelves before Christmas), the songs had some potential. 'The Lantern' is lacking any punch, and although it is actually one of the better tracks on the album - still feels like it is not fully realised. It again adds to the felling that this is all a bit rushed. 'Gomper' is a 5 minute 'freak-out' mess, and is potentially the worst song the band ever put their name to. It was seen as cool and progressive to introduce Indian instruments into you songs during that era, even if they had no real reason being there. This is a great example of that, feeling more like the song was built around the sounds of the instruments than anything harmonic or melodious. Anyone not on acid at the time of their first listen must have been wondering exactly what they were listening to here. If this wasn't psychedelic enough for you, here comes '2000 Light Years From Home', easily the most 1967 of the songs here. The Hammond organ could be from no other time period. It is actually an endearing track though, and is certainly more listenable than the preceding 5 minutes. 'On With The Show' ends the album, and would actually be a fun ending if the rest of it was better quality. Sounding like a drunken cabaret announcer, Mick Jagger urges the listener to enjoy themselves as the band will now play through some old standards, and if by chance you are too drunk - they'll send you on your merry way in a cab. How many people in December 1967, after laying down their hard earnt money to buy this album, must have wondered if the band themselves should have probably taken that cab ride home rather than record any of this? Whether we like it or not, as fans we have to sometimes accept that good bands are capable of making bad albums. When this is the case though, usually you will hear cries of 'if any other band has made this it would be held in higher regard!', and that is often true. When it comes to this album though, it is just plain bad regardless of who made it. This is the sound of a band chasing a trend instead of staying true to themselves, and the simple fact that when the band re-emerged 6 months later they released the back-to-basics 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' shows that even they realised that.

Thankful that with TheBigBlackMachine HQ and our yearly Top10 challenge I encountered BLS for the first time with The Blessed Hellride (2023). To this day it still gets a run. A classic album in their catalogue. For the next 3 or 4 years they were relentless in releasing a new album every year (2003 to 2006) - All an enjoyable listen. Things slowed down since then and with 5 releases in the past 20 years, it appears to me 'ol Zakky boy is mellowing in his old age, which brings us to Engines Of Demolition. Forming again my single listen then review challenge - time for a deep breath before I continue with this review. Straight up, this is an ordinary album from Mr. Wylde. To coin a phrase from one Lars Ulrich during the making of St. Anger - 'It's stock' - but it may even be a stretch to call it that. To be clear it is a good collection of songs, that for which there is no reason to hate. The opening track 'Name In Blood' tells you who you are listening to. It's decent song. As with most songs from Zakk, we are all looking for the earth shattering solo, and he absolutely delivers in spades. It's his meal ticket and as long as he continues to put it together in years to come, he will be fed well. The rest of the song, hmmm. Let's build on this. 'Gatherer Of Souls' is the next track and is punchier than the first track, leaving me to believe were heading toward some classic BLS style songs. 'The Hands Of Tomorrows Grave' is track 3, and we are back to mid-paced temp with nothing really to write home about. Apparently track 4 is the time to add in a slow placed plodder after all the excitement and relentlessness of the first 3 songs. He's put together some beautiful slow tracks, often with a piano involved, but this is not anywhere near that level. I hadn't intended this to be a track for track review. Its interest for me wanes when you get to track 5 or 6 in the 13 tracks on this release, leaving me not much to write about. Here is where I make my call of it being stock, if even that for BLS. That's likely being generous. I will make comment on the last track devoted to Ozzy who as we know has been a big art of Zakk's life both professionally and personally. As expected, it is a personal piano tribute by Zakk. You can't but not listen to the lyrics and realise you are witnessing a man whose major influence in his a career for over 30 years is no longer with us. As beautiful as that track is, it doesn't excuse the remainder of the album as just a collection of songs that don't present to us anything to get excited about or necessarily provide the want to go back and have another listen.