Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

Re-issues. When a great classic or ciminally underrated work that didn't get the aprresh then gets a better distro many years later. We all know about them. The ones I've noticed popping up in recent months are the following, which will bring short reviews. Some I've already heard. Some I've checked out the first time ever. Hence...the re-issue. Oh, yeah these reviews are a little short.

Brant Bjork - Brant Bjork And The Operators (Reissued on 2LP)

Funny, it seems like I almost forgot about this album. Mainly becaue it's on the forgettable label "The Music Cartel" and out of print. But never fear! Ol' Branty puts it out on 2LP on his label! Strange, 44 minutes and it needs 2LPs....yeesh.

Anyways, going back to it, I forgot just how good this album was! Fantastic rockin' tunes with a tinge of 70s feel and plenty of funny lyrics. Strange that the sound would really fit good on vinyl too.

Final verdict? Get the 2LP if you can't find the cd or love vinyl. It is Out-of-Print as TMC folded in 2004, but I doubt it's impossible to find.

My rating on it: 6/7

Che - Sounds of Liberation (Reissued on LP)

Funny I never heard this release til' the vinyl reissue. Also stuck on a label going under (The infamous Man's Ruin.), Che has been a lost modern gem of desert rock and killer songwriting with hints of classic rock, punk, and stoner.

Seven songs, 33 minutes, and not any of it a pisser! It feels right at home driving around in but at the same time a bit surreal like Jalamanta. Plus Brant's vocals started to really shine (And do so here moreso than even the efforts entitled "Brant Bjork" wink as if he's stoned but ready to get loud and lifelike.

The verdict? GET IT. If you can find the cd, even better. But the LP will more than suffice!

Rating? 7/7

Brant Bjork - Somera Sol (Reissued for no good reason, really.)

For some reason, Brant also put this out too! A re-issue of this album, which I guess was done because the label it was on, Duna, folded pretty much a couple months after it came out. I still got the original. Is it worth 100 dollars on EBay? Is it still listenable?

Hate to say it's a resounding meh. Some of the songs are great but seem to feel like dragging. And getting Alfredo from Kyuss may sound cool, even more so he was fantastic on Che. Here he just seems like he's just getting paid to do the damn thing. Some of the tunes are fantastic, though.

My verdict? If you see it reasonably priced (Under 15 bucks) get it.

My Rating? 4/7

Black Sabbath - The Rules of Hell (Box Set release of all Dio Era materials.)

I'd go buy this, but I'm too ********' lazy to do it. I've got the Dio Years comp from last year, I've got Heaven And Hell on LP, and I got Mob Rules on LP. What I've heard of Live Evil and Dehumanizer is fine, but I can't bring myself to spend fifty bucks on it. Strange...

My Verdict?: Get it immediatley if you have no Dio. Otherwise...just get Heaven and Hell. An underrated classic mainly shunned by Ozzy elitists (AKA MORONS).

My Rating(s):
Heaven And Hell 7/7
Mob Rules 6/7
Live Evil 5/7
Dehumanizer 4/7

Fats Domino - The best of (Re-released for the 5,000,000th time.)

Yes, really. Every year, they take a classic picture of ol' fats, put it on a cover, grab the usual hits, and make the "best of". I love Fats Domino, and along with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Temptations, The Beach Boys, and other 50s soul & rock artists, were the nucleus of my musical childhood. And best of all, he's probably the only artist I can think of who had tons of hits but not even one album. Just best ofs.

The songs, as always, are the usual batch. Blueberry Hill, I'm Walkin, Going Home, Whole Lotta Lovin, you name it! And the music itself is just fine. Just the thing is I'd only recommend it if you don't already have a best of Fats Domino (And how not? They put one out every week it seems.). I went and got the jukebox hits collection, 20 of his best tracks for cheaper, so I don't need it. But seeing it in a store gave me a good laugh, so I had to review it.

Like I said, the best artist who never put out any albums.

My Verdict? Buy it if you don't have any fats domino, otherwise get the Jukebox collection or a box set.

My Rating? 5/7

Melvins - (A) Senile Animal (re-released on 4LP)

Reviewers note: Okay, let's be ********' realistic here. I love the Melvins but I would NO WAY spend fifty bucks on an album that was spread out on 4LPs when it should realistically be one ONE. It does look fantastic,though. And it is a great album so I'll review it.

In 2006, the Melvins, recruiting both members of indie-rock duo Big Business, formed a unique set for their ever-changing line-up, and put out a brand new album. What's to be expected was it'd be good. What I DIDN'T expect was that it's be almost like a new prime or second wind for this long-running act and an album that matches some of their best works, like Bullhead, Lysol, Houdini, and so on.

This album starts off punching hard and bringing TWO drums to the mix with Buzzo's strange vocals all around. One part it sounds as rough and sludgy as they always have, but at the same time, you could almost hear this s**t on the radio! It's unreal, and it sound really good.

Though the album has two tracks with the same drum intros, and one track using the Night Goat riff, it's the perfect blend of what's made the Melvins so great all these years. You've got blistering punk, oddball lyrics, sludgy guitars, SLOW as MOLASSES tracks, incredible drumming, the occasional radio-friendly track, bizarre experimentation and noise, and the wondering of how long THIS new bassist will last.

But they've added new elements like actual singing (Only took 25 years for Buzz to be able to sing decent!), vocal harmonies with all four members of the band, the double-drumming solos, and a hard rocking sound that anyone can pick up and enjoy. It's not just good, it's next to perfect. Could a band 25 years into their career come up with something THIS good (Okay, besides Motorhead and a couple others?)? Can your bands you adore now pull this off 25 years from now?

Doubtful, but the Melvins have. If I told you the Melvins albums to buy first, in a top five of sorts, I'd recommend the following immediatley.

Lysol, Bullhead, Senile Animal, Houdini/Live Houdini, Gluey Porch Treatments

My Verdict?: Vinyl by Melvins IS a diehard collector's gig, so get the cd if you want to hear the MUSIC, which believe it or not, is why youi listen to bands in the first place.

My Rating? No questions, 7/7