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VoodooLounge13
Try as I might I just can’t get into Power Up. Idk. Somethings not there for me. If that’s it for me they went out on a whimper. I thought Rock or Bust was a much stronger albeit incredibly short album. I’ve been a fan since Jr High and would probably put them as my #2 all time.

Hey Voodoo, out of curiosity, when were you in Jr. High?

Power Up is a solid and inspired album, in my opinion far superior to Rock Or Bust. Realize, Shot in the Dark, Through the Mists of Time (nostalgic and quite new in spirit), Demon Fire, Wild Reputation, Systems Down and Code Red are excellent tracks.

One of the best albums with Brian, which has its place next to the classics, obviously insurmountable.

***
I'm just a Bad Boy Boogie



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-10-06 10:01 by powerage78.

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crholmstrom

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Markdog
Through the mists of time has a real Cheap Trick vibe to my ears.

When I was in high school I saw a triple bill (both nights) of Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick & AC/DC. This was before Highway to Hell. AC/DC actually got booed at first because the spuds thought they were punk rock. They were so great though that the band won them over. Sadly, that was the only opportunity I ever had to see Bon. I originally had tickets for the first night. The show was so great that I bought tickets for night 2 at the door. Cheap Trick were outstanding, too. Ted was uhhhh Ted but in the late 70s things were different haha.

Don’t be afraid to say it, Nugent friggin smoked back then, that guitar would put you in fear the building was coming down.
He became a crazy old bastard ranting about guns and politics but back then Ted was a bad mother.
I had friends who had seen AC with Nugent and Aerosmith I think in the summer of 79 in a stadium. They came back doing arenas in the fall, just them and Aerosmith.
I still kick myself because I didn’t go, I was gonna wait until they were a headliner because I’d seen Aerosmith about a hundred times.
Bon died that winter and that was it.no offense to Brian but Bon Scott was gonna be a huge lead singer.I mean Roger Daltrey /Robert Plant huge.

From 78/80 losing Keith Moon, Bonham and Bon Scott really changed Rock and Roll forever when you think about it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-10-06 11:13 by lem motlow.

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lem motlow

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crholmstrom

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Markdog
Through the mists of time has a real Cheap Trick vibe to my ears.

When I was in high school I saw a triple bill (both nights) of Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick & AC/DC. This was before Highway to Hell. AC/DC actually got booed at first because the spuds thought they were punk rock. They were so great though that the band won them over. Sadly, that was the only opportunity I ever had to see Bon. I originally had tickets for the first night. The show was so great that I bought tickets for night 2 at the door. Cheap Trick were outstanding, too. Ted was uhhhh Ted but in the late 70s things were different haha.

Don’t be afraid to say it, Nugent friggin smoked back then, that guitar would put you in fear the building was coming down.
He became a crazy old bastard ranting about guns and politics but back then Ted was a bad mother.
I had friends who had seen AC with Nugent and Aerosmith I think in the summer of 79 in a stadium. They came back doing arenas in the fall, just them and Aerosmith.
I still kick myself because I didn’t go, I was gonna wait until they were a headliner because I’d seen Aerosmith about a hundred times.
Bon died that winter and that was it.no offense to Brian but Bon Scott was gonna be a huge lead singer.I mean Roger Daltrey /Robert Plant huge.

From 78/80 losing Keith Moon, Bonham and Bon Scott really changed Rock and Roll forever when you think about it.

I saw both Bon & Bonham but sadly never had a chance to see Keith Moon. Saw a great show with Kenny Jones in the Who but it wasn't quite the same. Bon may have been the best front man ever if he had lived. Brian Johnson was a good replacement for Bon but not quite at the same level. I still think Doc Neeson of the Angels/Angel City would've been the best replacement for Bon.

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DGA35

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VoodooLounge13
Try as I might I just can’t get into Power Up. Idk. Somethings not there for me. If that’s it for me they went out on a whimper. I thought Rock or Bust was a much stronger albeit incredibly short album. I’ve been a fan since Jr High and would probably put them as my #2 all time.

Hey Voodoo, out of curiosity, when were you in Jr. High?

87-89.

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powerage78
Power Up is a solid and inspired album, in my opinion far superior to Rock Or Bust. Realize, Shot in the Dark, Through the Mists of Time (nostalgic and quite new in spirit), Demon Fire, Wild Reputation, Systems Down and Code Red are excellent tracks.

One of the best albums with Brian, which has its place next to the classics, obviously insurmountable.

I do like Realize and Demon Fire. Those might be the 2 stand-outs for me.

Sometimes ac/dc were over the stones, just by little things like that:

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Paddy

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powerage78
Fantastic stuff

AC/DC - 1978-09-14 - Schaumburg, IL, USA.


Bon Scott
Malcolm Young
Angus Young
Cliff Williams
Phil Rudd

01) Intro - Tom Marker/WJKL
02) Live Wire
03) Problem Child
04) Sin City
05) Gone Shooting
06) Bad Boy Boogie
07) Rock and Roll Damnation
08) The Jack
09) Dog Eat Dog
10) Rocker
11) Let There Be Rock

[youtu.be]

Thanks for this!

Yes, thank you! I believe the announcer, Tom Marker, went on to WXRT. Wasn't this at Poplar Creek?

OK I spent some more time listening to Power Up, and I just can't get into it. I stand by my opinion that I think it's one of their weaker outings. I might slot it just ahead of Flick as their weakest. I think Brian's vocals are too often mixed way down in the mix, such that most of the time you can't even hear him. I like the music of Realize, but I've no clue wth he's singing, and because of that, it detracts from it for me. I don't like it as much as I did. And Demon Fire, IMHO, is just a rip-off of Caught With Your Pants Down from Ballbreaker. Below are both songs.

Demon Fire

Pants Down


I think that's probably my biggest problem with this album as a whole: too many of these riffs sound derivative of prior songs. I know they used a lot of Malcom's old tapes to come up with stuff for this album, and so maybe that's partly why, but I just feel like there's a certain lack of originality here. Now, I know the whole argument that AC/DC have never changed their sound and all that. Clearly. That's what makes them so great!!! But this time I think they're just playing off the past without bringing enough fresh material to the table. For me, the only standout track on the album is Kick You When You're Down. I think the album might have benefitted from finally bringing Brian back into the song-writing process.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2022-10-19 15:22 by VoodooLounge13.

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VoodooLounge13
OK I spent some more time listening to Power Up, and I just can't get into it. I stand by my opinion that I think it's one of their weaker outings. I might slot it just ahead of Flick as their weakest. I think Brian's vocals are too often mixed way down in the mix, such that most of the time you can't even hear him. I like the music of Realize, but I've no clue wth he's singing, and because of that, it detracts from it for me. I don't like it as much as I did. And Demon Fire, IMHO, is just a rip-off of Caught With Your Pants Down from Ballbreaker. Below are both songs.




Pants Down


I think that's probably my biggest problem with this album as a whole: too many of these riffs sound derivative of prior songs. I know they used a lot of Malcom's old tapes to come up with stuff for this album, and so maybe that's partly why, but I just feel like there's a certain lack of originality here. Now, I know the whole argument that AC/DC have never changed their sound and all that. Clearly. That's what makes them so great!!! But this time I think they're just playing off the past without bringing enough fresh material to the table. For me, the only standout track on the album is Kick You When You're Down. I think it might have benefitted from finally bringing Brian back into the song-writing process.

I'll take Flick of the Switch over anything they've done post Razors Edge! I remember when it came out, it wasn't very radio friendly. After having Mutt Lange produce the previous 3, they self produced, a raunchier Let There Be Rock sound. Tour started in Vancouver with Fastway opening, big crowd but not sold out. I think after 2 1/2 years of North America getting into AC/DC and buying all the back catalog, there was a bit of fatigue! H2H was the only Bon era album that went gold while he was alive. All the ensuing gold/platinum albums came after BIB was released.

Fly On The Wall in 85 is my least favourite. There's an album that you can't make out what Brian is singing!

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DGA35

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VoodooLounge13
OK I spent some more time listening to Power Up, and I just can't get into it. I stand by my opinion that I think it's one of their weaker outings. I might slot it just ahead of Flick as their weakest. I think Brian's vocals are too often mixed way down in the mix, such that most of the time you can't even hear him. I like the music of Realize, but I've no clue wth he's singing, and because of that, it detracts from it for me. I don't like it as much as I did. And Demon Fire, IMHO, is just a rip-off of Caught With Your Pants Down from Ballbreaker. Below are both songs.




Pants Down


I think that's probably my biggest problem with this album as a whole: too many of these riffs sound derivative of prior songs. I know they used a lot of Malcom's old tapes to come up with stuff for this album, and so maybe that's partly why, but I just feel like there's a certain lack of originality here. Now, I know the whole argument that AC/DC have never changed their sound and all that. Clearly. That's what makes them so great!!! But this time I think they're just playing off the past without bringing enough fresh material to the table. For me, the only standout track on the album is Kick You When You're Down. I think it might have benefitted from finally bringing Brian back into the song-writing process.

I'll take Flick of the Switch over anything they've done post Razors Edge! I remember when it came out, it wasn't very radio friendly. After having Mutt Lange produce the previous 3, they self produced, a raunchier Let There Be Rock sound. Tour started in Vancouver with Fastway opening, big crowd but not sold out. I think after 2 1/2 years of North America getting into AC/DC and buying all the back catalog, there was a bit of fatigue! H2H was the only Bon era album that went gold while he was alive. All the ensuing gold/platinum albums came after BIB was released.

Fly On The Wall in 85 is my least favourite. There's an album that you can't make out what Brian is singing!

Really?? Even over Stiff Upper Lip?? That's a great album!!! Funny how tastes are different! I actually LOVE Fly On The Wall!! It's my favorite Brian album!!!! It's so friggin raw and raunchy!!! I play it all the time. Other than Bedlam in Belgium, I have no use for Flick. I think those Mutt-produced albums are what made them so damn good!!!! I liked Ballbreaker for the fact that it brought back Rudd, but it's not really held up well over time. Black Ice was decent. ROB I really liked a lot. Power is just lifeless for me.

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VoodooLounge13

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DGA35

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VoodooLounge13
OK I spent some more time listening to Power Up, and I just can't get into it. I stand by my opinion that I think it's one of their weaker outings. I might slot it just ahead of Flick as their weakest. I think Brian's vocals are too often mixed way down in the mix, such that most of the time you can't even hear him. I like the music of Realize, but I've no clue wth he's singing, and because of that, it detracts from it for me. I don't like it as much as I did. And Demon Fire, IMHO, is just a rip-off of Caught With Your Pants Down from Ballbreaker. Below are both songs.




Pants Down


I think that's probably my biggest problem with this album as a whole: too many of these riffs sound derivative of prior songs. I know they used a lot of Malcom's old tapes to come up with stuff for this album, and so maybe that's partly why, but I just feel like there's a certain lack of originality here. Now, I know the whole argument that AC/DC have never changed their sound and all that. Clearly. That's what makes them so great!!! But this time I think they're just playing off the past without bringing enough fresh material to the table. For me, the only standout track on the album is Kick You When You're Down. I think it might have benefitted from finally bringing Brian back into the song-writing process.

I'll take Flick of the Switch over anything they've done post Razors Edge! I remember when it came out, it wasn't very radio friendly. After having Mutt Lange produce the previous 3, they self produced, a raunchier Let There Be Rock sound. Tour started in Vancouver with Fastway opening, big crowd but not sold out. I think after 2 1/2 years of North America getting into AC/DC and buying all the back catalog, there was a bit of fatigue! H2H was the only Bon era album that went gold while he was alive. All the ensuing gold/platinum albums came after BIB was released.

Fly On The Wall in 85 is my least favourite. There's an album that you can't make out what Brian is singing!

Really?? Even over Stiff Upper Lip?? That's a great album!!! Funny how tastes are different! I actually LOVE Fly On The Wall!! It's my favorite Brian album!!!! It's so friggin raw and raunchy!!! I play it all the time. Other than Bedlam in Belgium, I have no use for Flick. I think those Mutt-produced albums are what made them so damn good!!!! I liked Ballbreaker for the fact that it brought back Rudd, but it's not really held up well over time. Black Ice was decent. ROB I really liked a lot. Power is just lifeless for me.

The stuff that big brother produced in the early days is excellent, too. That's when I got into them. Mutt Lange did a good job also but the older stuff is a bit more raw & fits the band well.

Yes, the Vanda/Young production fits the band in that era. It wasn't until Mutt took over on Highway to Hell that they got the more commercial sound. As I'm sure everyone knows, he went on to produce Pyromania and Hysteria and then marry Shania Twain and produce her albums.
All of AC/DC's albums since Razors Edge were recorded in Vancouver by various producers, mostly Mike Fraser. I would like to see Mutt produce one last album, get that Back In Black style sound. Those About To Rock was too polished.

I agree about the Vanda/Young production!! Wasn’t trying to say the Mutt albums were the best just the production vs Flick was worlds apart. All those Bon albums are stellar. Really hard to rank them but Powerage is my fave hands down. My favorite album by them period.

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VoodooLounge13
I agree about the Vanda/Young production!! Wasn’t trying to say the Mutt albums were the best just the production vs Flick was worlds apart. All those Bon albums are stellar. Really hard to rank them but Powerage is my fave hands down. My favorite album by them period.

Mine too. & if I remember correctly Keith liked that one.

Unfortunately, I don't think AC/DC hasn't put out a good ALBUM since Back In Black. And thats not meant to be a hater or anything, I'm a huge fan, but they've sucked for the most part besides a couple songs on each album. I think I've heard every record. For Those About To Rock had the title track, Fly On The Wall had Sink The Pink and Shake Your Foundations (and the title track), Blow Up had Heatseeker and the next song, Razor had Thunder and Moneytalks, Stiff Upper Lip had the title and Safe In NYC, Black Ice had a few but that was also a much longer album so maybe 5 good songs in the 15 or so. But their first 7 albums or so up to Back In Black are flawless front to back. After that, they could never do more than just a few good songs an album IMO. I don't think there was anything memorable on these last two releases, its always just been recycled stuff, and the quality really dipped after Malcolm died even though I think one of the albums was parts he had already written.

I love Realize. Very solid rock song.

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crholmstrom

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VoodooLounge13
I agree about the Vanda/Young production!! Wasn’t trying to say the Mutt albums were the best just the production vs Flick was worlds apart. All those Bon albums are stellar. Really hard to rank them but Powerage is my fave hands down. My favorite album by them period.

Mine too. & if I remember correctly Keith liked that one.

It's ironic that many people will say Powerage is their favourite of the Bon albums when it has sold the least. Similar to VH, many will say Fair Warning is their favourite of the original 6 albums when it is the lowest selling.
Yes, Keith said he's a fan of Powerage as was Eddie VH and Wolfgang VH.

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DGA35

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crholmstrom

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VoodooLounge13
I agree about the Vanda/Young production!! Wasn’t trying to say the Mutt albums were the best just the production vs Flick was worlds apart. All those Bon albums are stellar. Really hard to rank them but Powerage is my fave hands down. My favorite album by them period.

Mine too. & if I remember correctly Keith liked that one.

It's ironic that many people will say Powerage is their favourite of the Bon albums when it has sold the least. Similar to VH, many will say Fair Warning is their favourite of the original 6 albums when it is the lowest selling.
Yes, Keith said he's a fan of Powerage as was Eddie VH and Wolfgang VH.

Pretty sure you could add Axl Rose to that list, too.

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crholmstrom

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DGA35

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crholmstrom

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VoodooLounge13
I agree about the Vanda/Young production!! Wasn’t trying to say the Mutt albums were the best just the production vs Flick was worlds apart. All those Bon albums are stellar. Really hard to rank them but Powerage is my fave hands down. My favorite album by them period.

Mine too. & if I remember correctly Keith liked that one.

It's ironic that many people will say Powerage is their favourite of the Bon albums when it has sold the least. Similar to VH, many will say Fair Warning is their favourite of the original 6 albums when it is the lowest selling.
Yes, Keith said he's a fan of Powerage as was Eddie VH and Wolfgang VH.

Pretty sure you could add Axl Rose to that list, too.

Yep. Here's Riff Raff with Axl:

[www.youtube.com]

Powerage has always been far and away their greatest album IMO.

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VoodooLounge13

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DGA35

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VoodooLounge13
Try as I might I just can’t get into Power Up. Idk. Somethings not there for me. If that’s it for me they went out on a whimper. I thought Rock or Bust was a much stronger albeit incredibly short album. I’ve been a fan since Jr High and would probably put them as my #2 all time.

Hey Voodoo, out of curiosity, when were you in Jr. High?

87-89.

he's younger than us.

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treaclefingers

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VoodooLounge13

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DGA35

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VoodooLounge13
Try as I might I just can’t get into Power Up. Idk. Somethings not there for me. If that’s it for me they went out on a whimper. I thought Rock or Bust was a much stronger albeit incredibly short album. I’ve been a fan since Jr High and would probably put them as my #2 all time.

Hey Voodoo, out of curiosity, when were you in Jr. High?

87-89.

he's younger than us.

Does that mean my opinion is invalidated?!?!? LOL


Dirty Deeds was the first cassette I got of theirs, and I wore out that thing. To this day Ride On remains my favorite song of theirs. Powerage just has a great bluesy sound unlike anything else they did, save maybe Stiff Upper Lip, but that was with a different singer.

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VoodooLounge13

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treaclefingers

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VoodooLounge13

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DGA35

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VoodooLounge13
Try as I might I just can’t get into Power Up. Idk. Somethings not there for me. If that’s it for me they went out on a whimper. I thought Rock or Bust was a much stronger albeit incredibly short album. I’ve been a fan since Jr High and would probably put them as my #2 all time.

Hey Voodoo, out of curiosity, when were you in Jr. High?

87-89.

he's younger than us.

Does that mean my opinion is invalidated?!?!? LOL


Dirty Deeds was the first cassette I got of theirs, and I wore out that thing. To this day Ride On remains my favorite song of theirs. Powerage just has a great bluesy sound unlike anything else they did, save maybe Stiff Upper Lip, but that was with a different singer.

Take it easy, Voodoo - treacle is having fun.

Yeah I know. Hence the LOL. No offense taken. I was literally laughing when I typed that.

Here is a precise and well-argued analysis. Thanks.
I propose you another subject just as fascinating, for which I expect the same level of requirement and (relative) objectivity : the discography of the Stones since 1981 and the album Tattoo You, which contains the last MAJOR hit of the band, SMU.

Since 2005, and the expectation of a new Stones studio effort, I don't think you're short of food for thought.

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VoodooLounge13
OK I spent some more time listening to Power Up, and I just can't get into it. I stand by my opinion that I think it's one of their weaker outings. I might slot it just ahead of Flick as their weakest. I think Brian's vocals are too often mixed way down in the mix, such that most of the time you can't even hear him. I like the music of Realize, but I've no clue wth he's singing, and because of that, it detracts from it for me. I don't like it as much as I did. And Demon Fire, IMHO, is just a rip-off of Caught With Your Pants Down from Ballbreaker. Below are both songs.

Demon Fire

Pants Down


I think that's probably my biggest problem with this album as a whole: too many of these riffs sound derivative of prior songs. I know they used a lot of Malcom's old tapes to come up with stuff for this album, and so maybe that's partly why, but I just feel like there's a certain lack of originality here. Now, I know the whole argument that AC/DC have never changed their sound and all that. Clearly. That's what makes them so great!!! But this time I think they're just playing off the past without bringing enough fresh material to the table. For me, the only standout track on the album is Kick You When You're Down. I think it might have benefitted from finally bringing Brian back into the song-writing process.

***
I'm just a Bad Boy Boogie



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-10-19 14:54 by powerage78.

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powerage78
Here is a precise and well-argued analysis. Thanks.
I propose you another subject just as fascinating, for which I expect the same level of requirement and (relative) objectivity : the discography of the Stones since 1981 and the album Tattoo You, which contains the last MAJOR hit of the band, SMU.

Since 2005, and the expectation of a new Stones studio effort, I don't think you're short of food for thought.

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VoodooLounge13
OK I spent some more time listening to Power Up, and I just can't get into it. I stand by my opinion that I think it's one of their weaker outings. I might slot it just ahead of Flick as their weakest. I think Brian's vocals are too often mixed way down in the mix, such that most of the time you can't even hear him. I like the music of Realize, but I've no clue wth he's singing, and because of that, it detracts from it for me. I don't like it as much as I did. And Demon Fire, IMHO, is just a rip-off of Caught With Your Pants Down from Ballbreaker. Below are both songs.

Demon Fire

Pants Down


I think that's probably my biggest problem with this album as a whole: too many of these riffs sound derivative of prior songs. I know they used a lot of Malcom's old tapes to come up with stuff for this album, and so maybe that's partly why, but I just feel like there's a certain lack of originality here. Now, I know the whole argument that AC/DC have never changed their sound and all that. Clearly. That's what makes them so great!!! But this time I think they're just playing off the past without bringing enough fresh material to the table. For me, the only standout track on the album is Kick You When You're Down. I think it might have benefitted from finally bringing Brian back into the song-writing process.

Are you suggesting Powerage78 that many here feel that the Stones since '81 have been a derivative of their former selves? Or are you suggesting that I analyze the post-81 work in a similar fashion as I did Power Up to the rest of AC/DC's catalog?

I came into the Stones in '89, as a 13-year old boy, in middle school and the video for Mixed Emotions on constant rotation on MTV. I loved the song. I've discussed all of this before. I was not there from the beginning, and I suppose that is part of how I come to view the band's catalog in such a different light than most here.

I grew up with hair metal, and I still - to this day - listen to Bon Jovi, Cinderella, Kix, Bang Tango, Bulletboys, Poison, Def Leppard, Skid Row, LA Guns, GNR, Tesla, White Lion, Whitesnake, Britny Fox, Great White, Motley Crue, all those bands that were blasted into superstardom on the heels of the video. Hair metal is my baseline for music. But I also branched out into a lot of classic stuff like AC/DC, Bruce, Neil Young, Paul Simon/Simon & Garfunkel, Zep (came and went - imo HIGHLY overrated), The Beatles, The Who, ZZ Top, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, REM, The Black Crowes, Hendrix, Tom Petty, Sinead O'Connor, Metallica, Ozzy, Classical, Country of the 90's (Garth, Alan Jackson, Shania Twain, Joe Diffie, John Michael Montgomery, Tracy Lawrence), I'm sure I'm missing some, but these are most of my favorite artists, for whom I have most, if not all, of what they've produced (solo ventures too for the bands).

Then came grunge, and as a HS senior and college student, the angst of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, STP really resonated with me. Wasn't a huge PJ fan, and to this day, I still wouldn't consider myself a huge fan, though they do have some stellar, thought-provoking albums. No Code and Vs. are my two absolute favorites. I was incredibly distraught when Cobain blew his head off. It very nearly took me down as well.

My first Stones album was Steel Wheels, and The London Years. So most of their famous stuff I came to as a single. When I first saw them in '97 almost half of that setlist I'd never heard before!!! And it was still enough to knock The Beatles out of the top spot as my favorite band. Now I'm not even sure The Beatles are in my top 25!!!! I just never listen to them, but that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate what they did. I went back and backfilled my collection based on the track listing and the number of songs I knew on that album, or at least I thought I knew. I had no idea that one was better than the next, or the elevation of certain albums. All that came later. Exile was the last album that I came around to thinking was pretty good. I couldn't get into it no matter how hard I tried. I just didn't get all the fuss everyone made over it. I grew up in a very ROCK world. Exile seemed the antithesis of that. It wasn't until I moved into my first place and used to throw it on every Saturday morning as I cleaned my apartment that I started to appreciate it. It makes for great housekeeping music! LOL But even now, it still doesn't rank in my Top 3 (VL, SF, GHS).

I suppose if I had been a fan since Come On and the first album I would probably have the snarky, cynical view of the band that many on here have, because I look at new albums by many of the aforementioned artists in a similar fashion that a lot of folks on here look at a new Stones album. For example, Motley Crue went downhill for a looooooooong time after Dr. Feelgood. And every new album that came out still failed to recapture that prior level of greatness. Then they were able to finally get back to it with Saints of LA, IMO. I could go with a similar analysis of Bon Jovi, Metallica, Garth, Paul Simon, Neil Young. You name it. A lot of those artists, though, do put out some really great quality albums again down the road (Bon Jovi - Crush; Metallica - St. Anger (often ridiculed, but as angry as the first 4), Death Magnetic, Hard-wired; Neil Young - Harvest Moon, Promise of the Real Stuff, Sleeps With Angels). At the time that I came into the Stones, I think that they were in their own renaissance period with VL and B2B, and for me, those are both quality albums - obviously Voodoo far more so, as it's my all-time favorite of theirs, but I go back to both of them consistently more so than the early 60's albums, and truth be told probably even more so than say LIB or BB. in the last year or so, I've pretty much listened to VL, B2B, GHS, TY, SF, El Mo the most. Beyond that, usually I'll just throw my iPod on shuffle and whatever comes up, comes up, for the Stones. Usually that's a lot of the live tracks from the Vault releases.

Almost every artist has dipped - quality wise - in their output, at some point during their career. I try and look at each release on its own merit, never expecting it to be what that artist's best album was, or a rehashing of it, but enjoying it for what it is, or if stylistically different than most other things done, does it advance the artist, artistically into a further, well-roundedness (Neil Young comes to mind here, tho I admit there is stuff of his that he has done that I just cannot get into. Are You Passionate was a real snoozer for me). I think really the only artists that come to mind who were/are fairly consistent in their output are Hendrix, Petty, and AC/DC. I suppose for those that love them, one could make the case for Zep as well, tho for me, every damn album sounds almost exactly the same and aside from IV, I don't need them at all.

So objectively, I do believe that their best years were with Mick Taylor and the sweeping solos that he brought to the band. His contributions are undeniable. I do at times wonder what the band might have continued to sound like with Brian and all of his talents for the different musical instruments he brought into the band. The Ronnie years have produced some fine albums, too, though, and B&B will always be one of my favorites of that time period, and it holds an extra special place for me, as it came out the year I was born!!! But I have always dug the funkiness of it, and it might even be a Top 5 album of theirs for me. I am in the camp that Some Girls is a bit overrated, as it has two of my top 4 LEAST favorite Stones songs on it - Shattered and Beast of Burden. So I don't often go back to this one. TY is a magnificent album too, but I also love DW for its rawness and tension. I would give anything to see them break out One Hit live on the next tour.

I think El Mo is the best damn thing they've ever put out from a live perspective, easily blowing away both Brussels and Ya-Ya's. As a live band, I have only ever known the Darryl-era, and I have loved all that that has been! I have no prior shows with Bill to lament the loss of his playing style, so I can't relate to that factor. However, now with Charlie gone, I do notice that the drum sound is not the same with Steve, and though he's a great drummer in his own right, it's just not the same for me, so I suppose I can appreciate how everyone feels about the changes in the band over time now that there HAS been a change in the time that I've been going to see them.

I don't really know how much more objective I could be in looking at the band and their catalog. I believe I'd ranked all of their albums on a different post some time ago - I'd have to really dig to find that post - but one would see that a lot of their early stuff would be near the lower half of that ranking for me. I don't know how many diehards can actually say that, or even how many folks who came into the band around that same time ('89) and are a similar age to myself (46) would rank the albums, or view their catalog in a similar way. I often feel that I'm the only one here who does. I certainly know I'm the only one who ranks Voodoo as the best thing they've ever done. And again, there's a backstory and tons of emotions that are tied to that factor. And one can't forget the friggin' sex appeal of that album. Many on here don't care for I Go Wild, and I absolutely love it. It's some of the friggin' raunchiest stuff Mick's ever written. Combine Voodoo with Sticky and that makes for an unbelievable 1-2 punch of crotch-driven music!!! And really that is, and will always be what the Stones are to me: Rebellious Sex-Fueled Kings of Rock-n-Roll. Others have tried to imitate them, but no one will ever succeed in replacing them.

Thanks VoodooLounge13 for this great great post.

I was indeed pointing out that there is a before and after 1981-Tattoo You and that (supposed) creative decline is also true for the Stones...as for so many other bands and artists.

So objectively, I do believe that their best years were with Mick Taylor and the sweeping solos that he brought to the band : we agree.



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I'm just a Bad Boy Boogie



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-10-19 16:31 by powerage78.

<I grew up with hair metal, and I still - to this day - listen to Bon Jovi, Cinderella, Kix, Bang Tango, Bulletboys, Poison, Def Leppard, Skid Row, LA Guns, GNR, Tesla, White Lion, Whitesnake, Britny Fox, Great White, Motley Crue, all those bands that were blasted into superstardom on the heels of the video>

Cool! LA Guns are nice guys Tracii guested with our band on tour in Amsterdam. He's a fantastic guitar player. An ardent Jimmy Page-fan.

Cocked & Loaded is a great album.

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I'm just a Bad Boy Boogie