So, what have you been listening to lately?

[uwe]

Like Steve Wilson or Todd Rundgren, he puts his stamp on everything he does regardless the moniker, but the Pop collaboration was a good fit. Here they were - consciously so - obviously in Bowie tribute mood, worse things can happen IMHO:

[slinkp]

HoL would really deserve a lavish deluxe double or even triple CD/Bluray treatment, with studio outtakes and alternative versions, demos and all. It's one of the period-defining albums of the 80ies. I have the CD that has been available for a long time, but I believe that album would really sonically explode if you heard it in, say, 5.1, a format that doesn't work for most rock music (to my ears at least), but just seems to be made for Katie's aural landscapes.

Now that would be interesting.

Per this article, there were 8-track demos that were transferred to 24 or 48 and used as bed tracks to enhance, rather than starting from scratch.
I wonder if those 8-track tapes still exist??
http://www.uncut.co.uk/features/this-girl-is-very-very-tough-the-untold-story-of-kate-bush-s-hounds-of-love-4812

There's also a 1986 12" single remake of "Hounds of Love"


And the 2012 remix of "Running up that Hill" which is pitched down with a new vocal added:


As for outtakes, I haven't turned up anything about any. I think what's on the album is what there is.

[westen44]

Homme has always seemed like a real douche bag, but I only know what I see in the press. I do tend to like his music, but the only thing I've been inspired enough to buy was Them Crooked Vultures. I should check out the Iggy thing.

That's all I know, too, is from what I've read.  I agree the music is good.  It's a good representative from that genre.  I just liked them better with Nick Oliveri, like I was saying.  For a while, I was not pleased with him leaving the band.  But after reading more details it began to look like it was Josh Homme who was right in the matter. 

[uwe]

As I type, the new Satriani album is playing on my office stereo - with Glenn Hughes on (as is his style: urgently and assertively played) bass (yes, you caught me, that is why I bought it) and his buddy Chad Smith from that other unknown Californication band, the one with the socks, on drums. It's lovely music (dynamic, light and shade and not samey at all), but guitar instrumental music and me ...  , I am forever thinking "What an awesome backing track, now when do the vocals come in again?"  If Satch had handed all his guitar melodies (very hummable) over to Glenn and said "write some lyrics to this", this would have been such an excellent comtemporary rock album with great vocals, a hot rhythm section and a, yes, tasteful and accomplished lead guitarist.

They should rush-release a "+ VOCALS!" version and I'd be happy.

[patman]

Got Gregg Allman's "Southern Blood" in my office computer right now.

The recording of the band sounds really good.

[uwe]

Yup, that's a warm-sounding album. Nice way to say good-bye.

[uwe]

And the 2012 remix of "Running up that Hill" which is pitched down with a new vocal added:

I like that even better than the original - and that is saying something!

[westen44]

Hydra--an obscure 70s band which I know almost nothing about.  They seem to be a lesser Southern version of Grand Funk Railroad.  The bassist does the vocals. 

[gearHed289]

but guitar instrumental music and me ...  , I am forever thinking "What an awesome backing track, now when do the vocals come in again?"  If Satch had handed all his guitar melodies (very hummable) over to Glenn and said "write some lyrics to this", this would have been such an excellent comtemporary rock album with great vocals, a hot rhythm section and a, yes, tasteful and accomplished lead guitarist.

They should rush-release a "+ VOCALS!" version and I'd be happy.

Joe was laughing about the fact that he hired one of the greatest rock vocalists ever to play bass on an instrumental album.  I kind of fell off fro the genre by the end of the 90s, but still like to indulge once in a while. It's best experienced live or on video. My original band Nomadic has been doing some shows with a Steve Vai tribute band, and it's pretty inspiring to watch.

[uwe]

Strangely, with Vai's work, I don't miss the vocals as much. His sound, his approach, he's a lot more "un-rock" than Satriani and his compositions are that way too. Vai to me is more like a keyboard player and that is not knocking him, he's one hell of an instrumentalist and has a recognizable sound all of his own.

In a rock setting, I would have loved to see him with Alcatrazz (where his techno & effects guitarship really worked). I did see him with Whitesnake in 1989/90 - man, I could have certainly done without that.   In comparison to him, even Vandenberg (not my favourite WS guitarist either) sounded as earthy as John Lee Hooker.

Now listening to mid-seventies live recordings of Chappo's Streetwalkers. Good band they were, the ole goat! They had a very special twin guitar sound, courtesy of Charlie Whitney and Bob Tench, something I haven't heard that way before (and as you might have gathered by now: I listen to a lot of twin guitar harmony music!  ).

Just got the Steven Wilson Remix of Jethro Tull's Heavy Horses in, gotta give that a spin too.

[slinkp]

Speaking of rock instrumentals, I put on "Shut up n play your guitar" yesterday. I do enjoy Zappa's leads.

[uwe]

That is one of my all-time favourite put-downs: In a 1976 review of a Rush concert in the UK, an NME-scribe wrote the following vitriolic (as only Brits can be) lines: "Alex Lifeson is a competent guitarist within the limits of the genre. I've been to too many Frank Zappa concerts to say more."

[doombass]

Hydra--an obscure 70s band which I know almost nothing about.  They seem to be a lesser Southern version of Grand Funk Railroad.  The bassist does the vocals. 

I knew about them but never heard them before. Very good album.

[doombass]

I usually don't like much of the modern metal scene but there's something about this I can't resist. Probably the combination of agressiveness and hooky melodic refrains:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9VFg44H2z8&list=RDl9VFg44H2z8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-2yuGgp_U8&index=6&list=RDl9VFg44H2z8

[uwe]

I've seen'em as openers for Priest - not a trace of Pantera in them.  But they do not fail to entertain. Yet when Halford sings the second verse in the second vid, it's a different world, he automatically catches demands your attention.