Price of Admission

In 2001 the U.K.-based Westside reissue label began releasing CD two-fers featuring '50s and '60s folk crooner Jimmie F. Rodgers. His albums for Roulette Records had been out of print for well over three decades. Rather than reissuing the discs chronologically, however, Westside chose a thematic approach. For some artists, such could easily be considered historic hara-kiri. However, this is not the case with Rodgers – as this initial installment amply demonstrates.

The debut album from Norway's TNT is anchored by the charismatic pop-metal vocals of singer Tony Harnell (actually an American) and the high-tech fretwork of guitarist Ronnie Le Tekro. The record also benefits from excellent pacing and, for the most part, great tunes. As far as this kind of music goes, TNT does it far better than most of their contemporaries. Le Tekro's solos alone are worth the price of admission for metal fans; combining a classically influenced Euro-metal aesthetic with electrifying modern chops and imagination, he is capable of real excitement. And Harnell's vocals recall Queensryche's Geoff Tate, but with the theatrics pared down and the intensity cranked up. There are some great rockers here, like "Ready to Leave," "Last Summer's Evil," and "Knights of the Thunder." But watch out for the cheesy power ballad "Without Your Love."

Dave Pike - The Doors Of Perception (1970) {Wounded Bird WOU2007 rel 2007}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 168 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 65 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 7 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1970, 2007 Wounded Bird Records | WOU 2007
Jazz / Modal Music / Psychedelic Jazz / Vibes

The Doors of Perception, recorded by Dave Pike and his group, is one of the oddest records in his rather exotic – and utterly hip – discography. Produced by Herbie Mann and featuring a cast of all-stars including Lee Konitz, Eddie Daniels, Don Friedman, Chuck Israel, and Arnie Wise, this is the Pike version of an acid experiment. On this 1970 release (recorded perhaps as early as 1966), Mann gets all crazy with sound effects like echo chamber, piped-in applause from a make-believe audience, thunderstorms, the dancefloor of a crowded discotheque, a Leslie speaker recorded on overload on warbling audio tape, perhaps even the sound of a live date.