Hard Target 1993

A self-taught guitarist, Hendrix began his musical career backing such R&B greats as Ike and Tina Turner, Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett and B.B. King. Brought to London from New York by former Animals bassist Chas Chandler, Hendrix quickly established himself as the brightest new star on the burgeoning progressive rock scene of the early '60s…

UFO is not an easy band to pigeonhole. Throughout their lengthy career (they formed in 1969), they've ranged from pin-you-to-the-wall hard rock, introspective balladry ("Love To Love"), progressive rock, proto-metal (Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker was a member from 1974 to '78), blues ("Back Door Man"), and good old rock & roll ("C'Mon Everybody")–all of which is evident on this concert recording from Tokyo, Japan in June 1992. Other tracks include "Running Up The Highway," "One of Those Nights," "Doctor Doctor," "Only You Can Rock Me," and more.

Scorpions is a German rock band formed in 1965 in Hanover by Rudolf Schenker. Since the band's inception, its musical style has ranged from hard rock to heavy metal. The lineup from 1978–92 was the most successful incarnation of the group, and included Klaus Meine (vocals), Rudolf Schenker (rhythm guitar), Matthias Jabs (lead guitar), Francis Buchholz (bass guitar), and Herman Rarebell (drums)…

Tell the Truth, Billy Squier's final album for Capitol Records, proved to be heartbreaking experience for the rocker. Tragically, one can only guess why the label even chose to release this record. The following theories spring to mind. Perhaps the album was a tax write off, a favor to Squier, or, worse, released to fulfill the singer's contractual obligation (which sometimes proves to be a cheaper proposition rather than buying the artist out of his/her deal). Released at a time when Squier's public profile was, shall we say, less than stellar, the label chose to completely overlook the album. To make things worse, in the wake of the Seattle explosion, Capitol had just experienced another changing of the guard.

Norway is not precisely the cradle of Progressive Rock, but a band formed in 1969 when the genre was still on diapers, a group of musicians from Oslo, decided to form a Hard Rock band inspired in legends such as LED ZEPPELIN and DEEP PURPLE, but gave a step forward and created a unique sound that blended all this influences with our beloved genre and a strong Psychedelic element…

After losing founding vocalist David Byron in 1976, many hard rock fans thought Uriah Heep had reached the end of the line. However, the group bounced back in 1977 with Firefly, an album that pursued a stripped-down sound harking back to the group's early-'70s successes. They also boasted a new singer in John Lawton, a vocalist who had made his fame working with artsy German hard rockers Lucifer's Friend. Although he lacked the multi-octave range of David Byron, Lawton boasted an impressive and emotionally rich hard rock voice that instantly jelled with the Uriah Heep sound. An ideal example of this new synergy was provided by the opening track, "The Hanging Tree," which featured Lawton dramatically delivering a narrative about an outlaw on the run over a spooky musical track that blended echo-drenched synthesizers with some typically gutsy guitar riffs from Mick Box.

Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf (1973). This is the solo debut of Uriah Heep's resident keyboardist and top songwriter, but it isn't the heavy metal epic one might expect. In fact, Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf uses electric guitar sparingly and instead goes for a moody soundscape built on acoustic guitar and piano. Songs like "Black Hearted Lady" and "The Last Time" even evoke a bit of a country and western feel, thanks to their use of mellow-sounding slide guitar. This subtle sonic style puts Hensley's songwriting in the spotlight and that is a good thing because each of the songs is well-crafted and tuneful: a subtle combination of acoustic guitar and synthesizer brings out the haunting, delicately crafted melody of "From Time To Time" and "Black Hearted Lady" effectively evokes its mood of heartbreak with a descending acoustic guitar riff…

The quirky guitarist with the endlessly wavy hair made it two winners in a row with this one. Snooks Eaglin guests on guitar for three tracks (including the hilarious "Big Foot" and a joyous "No City like New Orleans," while Porter and drummer Herman Ernest III lay down scintillating grooves behind King's ringing axe and wise vocals.

One of the best-sounding Led Zeppelin bootlegs that surfaced in the 1990s was Another White Summer, which focuses primarily on a June 27, 1969 concert at Playhouse Theater in London. A bootlegger calling itself Big Music obviously had a high-quality master recording to work with, for the sound quality is superb (by 1969 standards)…