Trollheart's Theme Park

Trollheart · 11-27-2016, 02:28 PM

Title: “The Storm”
Format: Album track
Written by: John Oliva and Paul O'Neill
Performed by: Savatage
Genre: Progressive Metal
Taken from: The Wake of Magellan
Year: 1997
Acclaim: n/a

One of the very early albums I reviewed for my original journal, Savatage's The Wake of Magellan contains three instrumentals, of which this is the last, in fact the penultimate track on the album. I love the way it evokes the majesty of nature while threading that with a sense of danger and foreboding. You can almost feel the deck rocking beneath your feet as the gale tosses the ship to and fro like a toy in God's bath. Great stuff.

Things I like about this :

1. The deceptively gentle opening on piano with sound effects
2. The way it builds to a crescendo, just like a real storm breaking
3. The almost Holstesque percussion
4. The fretwork, so emotional

Things I don't like about this:

Nothing

Rating:

Trollheart · 11-27-2016, 05:25 PM

Title: “Stormbringer”
Format: Album track
Written by: David Coverdale, Ritchie Blackmore
Performed by: Deep Purple
Genre: Heavy Metal
Taken from: Stormbringer
Year: 1974
Acclaim: n/a

I'm not the hugest Purple fan. I like the usual albums, but outside of the classics I'm a little meh about them. This was apparently the album that began to turn them away from the hard rock/heavy metal of albums like In Rock and Machine Head and would lead to the departure of a disillusioned Ritchie Blackmore and indeed later David Coverdale too, as one went to form Rainbow and the other Whitesnake.

You can hear sort of funky elements already leaking into the music here from the beginning of the track, and to me it sounds very Zep. Is that wrong? It also features the lyric ”Ride the rainbow” – is this a prophecy being fulfilled?

It's still heavy but nothing like “Speed king” or “Highway star”. Blackmore puts in a fine farewell performance and I guess it's kind of the end of an era. Kind of sounds like a sped-up “Wrathchild” too, though I know that wouldn't be for another six years.

Things I like about this :

1. Still heavy, I'm glad to hear
2. Though apparently it's nothing to do with same, I loved the Michael Moorcock books about Elric of Melnibone, whose magic sword was called, you guessed it, Stormbringer
3. Great solo

Things I don't like about this:

1.The riff sounds very like a Zep song, not sure which one. Chula?
2. A little funky. Man.

Rating:

The Batlord · 11-27-2016, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Registered? Do you mean it's in the URL, cos that's my FTP server as I think you know...

No I do not know. WTF?

Trollheart · 11-28-2016, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

No I do not know. WTF?

Most of the pics I use are saved and uploaded to my FTP, Home. That's how I make sure they stay there and don't get deleted. That's also why a year or two back, when it got compromised, none of my pics would show up. Check the URLs for anything other than wiki pictures and you'll see my domain on them. Weird! I thought you knew this?

The Batlord · 11-28-2016, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Most of the pics I use are saved and uploaded to my FTP, Home. That's how I make sure they stay there and don't get deleted. That's also why a year or two back, when it got compromised, none of my pics would show up. Check the URLs for anything other than wiki pictures and you'll see my domain on them. Weird! I thought you knew this?

Oh hey your email is up on that site. Noted for future abuse.

Plankton · 11-28-2016, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Most of the pics I use are saved and uploaded to my FTP, Home. That's how I make sure they stay there and don't get deleted. That's also why a year or two back, when it got compromised, none of my pics would show up. Check the URLs for anything other than wiki pictures and you'll see my domain on them. Weird! I thought you knew this?

I've made that same webpage using NetObjects before. lol

Yeah, you should probably remove that email addy.

Trollheart · 11-28-2016, 09:58 AM

Title: “Stormy Monday”
Format: Single
Written by: Aaron “T-Bone” Walker
Performed by: Gary Moore
Genre: Blues
Taken from: Back to the Blues
Year: 1947 (original) 2001 (Moore version)
Acclaim: One of the most popular blues standards, it has been covered by everyone from BB King to John Mayall and from Mountain to Muddy Waters.

If you're into the Blues then you really have to be into this song. It absolutely drips the kind of self-pity, anger and bitterness that informs the blues, as the singer laments about facing another week. On one level, we all know that feeling, and given that the full title of the original song is “Call it stormy Monday (but Tuesday is just as bad)” there's no indication things are going to get any better for the singer. Written by blues legend T-Bone Walker, I could have chosen any of a dozen versions to showcase here, but picked one of my two favourite bluesmen, as I believe Gary Moore does a fabulous and emotional version here. Hard to track down a studio version on YouTube but here's Gary live, as we say here, giving it socks.

Things I like about this :

Everything. I know, it's the easy way out, but I do. It's just such a great song, I don't want to break it down into separate components, even if I could.

Things I don't like about this:

Nothing

Rating:

Trollheart · 11-28-2016, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plankton

I've made that same webpage using NetObjects before. lol

Yeah, you should probably remove that email addy.

I'm pretty sure my email is accessible though my profile, no?

Trollheart · 11-28-2016, 03:18 PM

Title: “American storm”
Format: Single
Written by: Bob Seger
Performed by: Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
Genre: Rock
Taken from: Like a Rock
Year: 1986
Acclaim: Just outside the top ten in the US, nowhere in the UK. How surprising.

I've always been a big fan of Bob Seger, ever since I heard “Night Moves” on the radio, and have collected pretty much all his albums. I think I'm correct in saying he has never toured outside of the USA, and he's certainly nowhere near as well known outside the States as he is at home. What I did not know is that this, the lead single from his album Like a Rock (which had originally been titled American Storm) is about cocaine abuse. I assumed it was just another of those gung-ho American nationalist things, but it appears that Bob was worried about the spread of cocaine across the US and wrote this song in reaction to reading John Belushi's biography. Well. You learn something new every day.

The song itself is a powerful driving rocker, running on a romping piano line and with Bob's trademark drawl telling us all about facing ”A full force gale/ An American storm”. Indeed. Takes on new significance now that I know what it's about. Must admit, whoever designed the single sleeve was having a very unadventurous day, as it's the album sleeve too. How boring and lazy. Nothing lazy about the song though!

Things I like about this :

1. Powerful, punching opening that drags you right into the song
2. Great piano work
3. Bob's vocal
4. Great sense of energy in the song

Things I don't like about this:

Nothing

Rating:

Ol’ Qwerty Bastard · 11-28-2016, 05:41 PM

The most important "storm" song

11-27-2016, 02:28 PM	#81 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Title: “The Storm” Format: Album track Written by: John Oliva and Paul O'Neill Performed by: Savatage Genre: Progressive Metal Taken from: The Wake of Magellan Year: 1997 Acclaim: n/a One of the very early albums I reviewed for my original journal, Savatage's The Wake of Magellan contains three instrumentals, of which this is the last, in fact the penultimate track on the album. I love the way it evokes the majesty of nature while threading that with a sense of danger and foreboding. You can almost feel the deck rocking beneath your feet as the gale tosses the ship to and fro like a toy in God's bath. Great stuff. Things I like about this : 1. The deceptively gentle opening on piano with sound effects 2. The way it builds to a crescendo, just like a real storm breaking 3. The almost Holstesque percussion 4. The fretwork, so emotional Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-27-2016, 05:25 PM	#82 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Title: “Stormbringer” Format: Album track Written by: David Coverdale, Ritchie Blackmore Performed by: Deep Purple Genre: Heavy Metal Taken from: Stormbringer Year: 1974 Acclaim: n/a I'm not the hugest Purple fan. I like the usual albums, but outside of the classics I'm a little meh about them. This was apparently the album that began to turn them away from the hard rock/heavy metal of albums like In Rock and Machine Head and would lead to the departure of a disillusioned Ritchie Blackmore and indeed later David Coverdale too, as one went to form Rainbow and the other Whitesnake. You can hear sort of funky elements already leaking into the music here from the beginning of the track, and to me it sounds very Zep. Is that wrong? It also features the lyric ”Ride the rainbow” – is this a prophecy being fulfilled? It's still heavy but nothing like “Speed king” or “Highway star”. Blackmore puts in a fine farewell performance and I guess it's kind of the end of an era. Kind of sounds like a sped-up “Wrathchild” too, though I know that wouldn't be for another six years. Things I like about this : 1. Still heavy, I'm glad to hear 2. Though apparently it's nothing to do with same, I loved the Michael Moorcock books about Elric of Melnibone, whose magic sword was called, you guessed it, Stormbringer 3. Great solo Things I don't like about this: 1.The riff sounds very like a Zep song, not sure which one. Chula? 2. A little funky. Man. Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-28-2016, 09:58 AM	#87 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Title: “Stormy Monday” Format: Single Written by: Aaron “T-Bone” Walker Performed by: Gary Moore Genre: Blues Taken from: Back to the Blues Year: 1947 (original) 2001 (Moore version) Acclaim: One of the most popular blues standards, it has been covered by everyone from BB King to John Mayall and from Mountain to Muddy Waters. If you're into the Blues then you really have to be into this song. It absolutely drips the kind of self-pity, anger and bitterness that informs the blues, as the singer laments about facing another week. On one level, we all know that feeling, and given that the full title of the original song is “Call it stormy Monday (but Tuesday is just as bad)” there's no indication things are going to get any better for the singer. Written by blues legend T-Bone Walker, I could have chosen any of a dozen versions to showcase here, but picked one of my two favourite bluesmen, as I believe Gary Moore does a fabulous and emotional version here. Hard to track down a studio version on YouTube but here's Gary live, as we say here, giving it socks. Things I like about this : Everything. I know, it's the easy way out, but I do. It's just such a great song, I don't want to break it down into separate components, even if I could. Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-28-2016, 03:18 PM	#89 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Title: “American storm” Format: Single Written by: Bob Seger Performed by: Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band Genre: Rock Taken from: Like a Rock Year: 1986 Acclaim: Just outside the top ten in the US, nowhere in the UK. How surprising. I've always been a big fan of Bob Seger, ever since I heard “Night Moves” on the radio, and have collected pretty much all his albums. I think I'm correct in saying he has never toured outside of the USA, and he's certainly nowhere near as well known outside the States as he is at home. What I did not know is that this, the lead single from his album Like a Rock (which had originally been titled American Storm) is about cocaine abuse. I assumed it was just another of those gung-ho American nationalist things, but it appears that Bob was worried about the spread of cocaine across the US and wrote this song in reaction to reading John Belushi's biography. Well. You learn something new every day. The song itself is a powerful driving rocker, running on a romping piano line and with Bob's trademark drawl telling us all about facing ”A full force gale/ An American storm”. Indeed. Takes on new significance now that I know what it's about. Must admit, whoever designed the single sleeve was having a very unadventurous day, as it's the album sleeve too. How boring and lazy. Nothing lazy about the song though! Things I like about this : 1. Powerful, punching opening that drags you right into the song 2. Great piano work 3. Bob's vocal 4. Great sense of energy in the song Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018