Cowboys & Aliens – Language Of Superstars (2005)

Julian Sas stepped into 2005 with a brand-new album, a brand-new band and a brand-new sound. “Twilight Skies Of Life” is Julian’s sixth studio album and a giant leap forward for the axe-man from the Dutch Delta, the ‘Land van Maas en Waal’, that part of the lowlands where rivers Maas and Waal (a branch of the Rhine) are trying to emulate their big sister Mississippi. Julian spent four weeks on “Twilight” in the studio with producer Jos Haagmans, who is best known for his work with multi-platinum Dutch-language bards Boudewijn de Groot and Frank Boeijen. The sound got heavier, muddier, fuller. That has a lot to do with the fact that ten years of experience led to a truly international four-piece.

The album comes with a DVD that features five songs drawn from a concert in Ferrara, including such old favorites as Last of the Rock Stars. There are also two music videos, a discography, and a brief biography.

The Very Best of… Slade effectively renders every past Slade hits collection redundant, as remastered sound and a sharp eye for all the band's U.K. chart entries serve up a peerless examination of what remains one of British rock's most flawless careers. No matter that the hits went so badly off the boil around 1975-1976 – still, three-quarters of disc one is nonstop solid gold and the remainder of the set isn't far behind, as Slade's mid-'80s renaissance delivers further smashes "My Oh My" and "Run Run Away." Which would be hits enough for anybody, but the fun doesn't end there. A bonus second disc then digs into the darker recesses of the Top 75 to pull out the band's lesser successes, a mixed bag that runs from "All Join Hands" to "Ruby Red," the 1980 live version of "Born to Be Wild," "Gypsy Roadhog," "C'Est la Vie," and more. It's not a complete guide to Slade on 45 (there's no "Give Us a Goal," for a start), but it comes close enough.