Ibis Sun Supreme (1974) [2010, Japan Shm Cd, Uicy 94501]

As the title suggests, Live Bites is a collection of live tracks from the Scorpions, recorded at a time (between 1988 and 1995) when they weren't at the top of their form, despite the hit single "Winds of Change." There are occasional highlights that might make the CD worthwhile for the band's most dedicated fans…

10cc's second album was the next phase in what guitarist Eric Stewart called the band's "masterplan to control the universe. The Sweet, Slade, and Gary Glitter are all very valuable pop," he proclaimed, "but it's fragile because it's so dependent on a vogue. We don't try to appeal to one audience, or aspire to instant stardom, we're satisfied to move ahead a little at a time as long as we're always moving forward." Sheet Music, perhaps the most widely adventurous album of what would become a wildly adventurous year, would more than justify that claim….

Of all the bands that were unjustly overlooked in the early 1990's, none deserved the spotlight more than Tyketto. The band's debut album Don't Come Easy was an AOR/melodic rock masterpiece, embodying everything good about that style of music, and should have vaulted the band into the same arena as bands like Damn Yankees, Bad English, Firehouse, and Giant. Instead they went largely unnoticed…

Supersonic and Demonic Relics is mostly the same sort of material the Crüe included as bonus tracks on their 1999 catalog reissues: live performances, rarities, outtakes, alternate versions, and previously unreleased songs; plus an extended Skinny Puppy remix of "Hooligan's Holiday," and the two songs recorded specifically for Decade of Decadence…

Intense, is a word that comes to mind when listen to this YES-influenced classic from the seventies. The band simply doesn't slow down for a minute as they rush through the multiple sections in each song. My only complaint is that they should have considered releasing an Italian version (like the MAXOPHONE album) of the album. The English vocals are okay (the accents are fine), but the music is really screaming for some Italian. If you're in the mood for YES-influenced music done with the energy, and optimism, of the 70's Italian prog scene then you will love this CD. ~ Steve Hegede

If anything, CCR's third album Green River represents the full flower of their classic sound initially essayed on its predecessor, Bayou Country. One of the differences between the two albums is that Green River is tighter, with none of the five-minute-plus jams that filled out both their debut and Bayou Country, but the true key to its success is a peak in John Fogerty's creativity. Although CCR had at least one cover on each album, they relied on Fogerty to crank out new material every month. He was writing so frequently that the craft became second-nature and he laid his emotions and fears bare, perhaps unintentionally.

Mardi Gras is the seventh and final studio album by American band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released on April 11, 1972. Unlike previous albums, Mardi Gras had Stu Cook and Doug Clifford sharing songwriting and production with John Fogerty, as well as their own lead vocal contributions for the first time. Following the album's release, the group was officially dissolved on October 16, 1972 in a statement released by the group and its record label Fantasy Records. Mardi Gras is the only album by the band that was not remastered and reissued until the 40th anniversary of their formation, in 2008.

During 1969 and 1970, CCR was dismissed by hipsters as a bubblegum pop band and the sniping had grown intolerable, at least to John Fogerty, who designed Pendulum as a rebuke to critics. He spent time polishing the production, bringing in keyboards, horns, even a vocal choir. His songs became self-consciously serious and tighter, working with the aesthetic of the rock underground – Pendulum was constructed as a proper album, contrasting dramatically with CCR's previous records, all throwbacks to joyous early rock records where covers sat nicely next to hits and overlooked gems tucked away at the end of the second side. To some fans of classic CCR, this approach may feel a little odd since only "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" and maybe its B-side "Hey Tonight" sound undeniably like prime Creedence.

As Kiss approach 40 years of ridiculously dumb rock & roll fun, it makes sense that their 20th studio album, Monster, is more self-referential than anything. Following 2009's Sonic Boom, the album marks the second set of tunes by a revamped "original" Kiss lineup, with Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons joined by new guitarist Tommy Thayer and re-emerging drummer Eric Singer donning the makeup and personas originated by Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, respectively. Dressing up these semi-random players in the classic comic book costumes is just step one in re-creating the feel of Kiss' 1970s over the top heyday.