Rob's Entertainment Reviews

Vice is a band that has been around for quite some time, with their debut album being released back in 1989. And yet I somehow have managed to have never heard of them. So when their new album "3 Fingers Up" hit my review list, it was with no opinion of the band that I hit play on the first track, "Shitty Shituation" (an anthemic hard-rocker, if I've heard one!). From the first notes I knew that I had stumbled on something that I hadn't heard in years: good, heavy, party rock. The music on this album is heavy, but serves the songs very well. The drums are a pounding reminder of how hard rock used to be way back in the day. The bass guitar fills out the rhythm section beautifully, and the duo may be one of the best rhythm sections that I have heard in a while. The guitar player is excellent at his craft, and reminds me a little bit of 90's era Kiss. And finally, the vocals are fantastic, and I'm pleased to say, there is no grunting growls here. J...

It seems that in this brave new world, for fans of films, and television it's almost essential that you have a Netflix subscription. Even better is that this streaming video giant is producing more and more shows, and movies that are actually fairly decent viewing experiences. And though a lot have a plot that resembles something that you have probably already seen, most studios have been re-hashing ideas for a very long time, so you can't blame Netflix for jumping on that bandwagon. Enter the new Netflix film, "Secret Obsession". Now, before you read much further, if you haven't seen this movie, I must warn you that there are spoilers here, so read ahead at your own risk. Although, I will say that knowing the entire plot will not ruin this movie for you. Especially since it pretty much tells you the plot in the trailer for the movie. Released in July of 2019, this film is about a woman named Jennifer (played by Brenda Song, most notably known for her role i...

The first live album after Neal Morse's departure from Spock's Beard, came after their second studio release without Neal, an album called "Octane". Without Neal, the studio album is vastly different from the previous material, but one fact always remains the same with Spock's Beard: when you buy an SB album, you know that you'll be getting your moneys worth, with more prog than you can shake a mellotron at. Released in 2005, "Gluttons For Punishment" is a fantastic live set of old, and new material. And while the bulk of the material here is taken from the previous two albums (with most of that coming from "Octane"), it is really cool to hear some of the older material get a bit of a facelift with the "new singer", drummer Nick D'Virgilio. The album kicks off with the epic "Flash Before My Eyes" from the band's "Octane" album, and doesn't let up until the conclusion of "The Light",...

I've taken some criticism for reviewing older albums before, but that's fine with me. If you don't like to read these older reviews, my suggestion to you is that you just browse back out of this review, and read something else. For those of you that don't mind reading the older reviews, today I want to talk about Rush's 1980 studio release, "Permanent Waves", because it is a fantastic album, and the one that I am currently listening to. The legend says that "Permanent Waves" was released on January 1st of 1980, making it the first album to be released in the 80's. I don't know if that's necessarily true, or not, but it does make for a nice thought. Of all the albums that come after it, "Permanent Waves" led the way. It has a nice ring to it. And while it doesn't necessarily have the stereotypical 80's sound, it is certainly a departure for the three Canadian musicians that wrote it. With only six songs to choo...

When I got the news that new music from Ben Averch was coming soon, I was pretty excited. I have been following his excellent music since his "Washington State" album (an album that i still hold in pretty high regards). I didn't know how long I would have to wait for the very first Midnight Lands album, "Destroy the World", but I was pretty happy just to know that new music was forthcoming. So it was with complete shock that the day after learning about the coming of the album, I was treated with the entire album. To thank Ben for the gift of his wonderful music, I thought I would do an "Initial Reaction" post for the album. The album kicks off with "Catch And Release", and right away you can still hear the Rush influence, but he takes that sound, and with each album molds it into more his own. It's such a breath of fresh air to hear those vocals once again. With fantastic vocal harmonies, a killer guitar solo that would make Alex Li...

I'm not thinking that there are many bands that have been through as many near complete line-up changes that King Crimson have been through. The only constant member of the band from the first album to today has been guitar wizard Robert Fripp. As a result, the band have gone through many changes in sound. From the early prog days of the 70's, to the total 80's sounding albums (you know what I mean here), and then back again to the heavier albums of their latter career, this band has been through a lot of changes. King Crimson is a band that I will be doing an entire studio discography review on in the future, but I wanted to do a list of my top ten favorite songs from their discography. Like most of my top ten lists, I'm sure that many won't agree with me, but I'm fine with that. Music is very subjective, and this band definitely has something for everyone out there. ----- 10: Lizard (Lizard) The title track to King Crimson's third album, ...

Before you read what are, in my opinion only, the ten best Queen songs, I must warn you Queen fanatics that my list might just anger you, and send you into a Rob-bashing tirade. My tastes are likely wildly different from many Queen fans. But that's okay. At least, it should be. With so many amazing songs to choose from, these are simply the ten that I enjoy more than others, from a catalog that I love. So try to not get triggered when you read my list. And if you want to have a civil discussion about why I'm wrong, and you're right, you know where to find me on Facebook. At least, I think you do. ----- 10: Liar (Queen) The earliest song in my list comes from the band's first album. This song is quite a bit heavier than most of the songs on this list, but showcase just what a fantastic rock band that Queen have always been. Freddie's vocals are phenomenal, and the band are firing on all cylinders for this track. This is truly one of the great rock songs of ...

When Hootie & the Blowfish first blew up, I have to admit that I wasn't a big fan. "Hold My Hand" was the big single, and I just wasn't that impressed with the song. But when I heard "Let Her Cry", I knew that this band was something special. The music was somewhere in-between bluegrass, and rock, and I just loved it. I got the full album for my birthday from my friend Adam that year, and I was hooked from the first notes of "Hannah Jane", right through the final a-capella track of "Motherless Child". I could tell then that I was going to be a lifelong fan, and I wasn't alone in thinking that, because the album went on to be the ninth highest selling album of all time. Nearly every song on the disc was a bona fide hit. And the songs that weren't hits were all every bit as good as the tracks that were. As the years unfolded, and the band released four more albums, all albums that I love to this day, "cracked rear view...

When I was a kid, I used to play a game on the NES called "Rampage". There wasn't a lot of depth to it, but it did keep us amused for longer than it should have. The basic premise is that you play as a genetically engineered monster, and you destroy cities. You would punch the shit out of buildings, and for some reason I remember looking for women taking baths. It was really classy. Like I said, there was not a lot of depth. So, how could one turn this game into a movie? Well, with The Rock, of course. First off, let me just say that I am no movie buff. The amount of huge, classic movies that I have not seen would probably surprise anyone. So I don't know anything about cinematography, or great directing. I base my enjoyment of movies off of one major criteria: did it entertain me. And if I really liked it, would I watch it again. And that's about it. So all of you huge movie fans that want to pick my opinion on this movie apart, chill out. It's going to f...

When you read a poll about the top guitarists, one name that rarely (if ever) get dropped is Alex Lifeson. Somehow, Alex has become some sort of kept secret amongst fans of the Canadian Power Trio, Rush. I don't know why so many critics and listeners marginalize the contributions that Alex has made to rock music. Maybe it's being overshadowed by drummer Neil Peart, or singer/bassist Geddy Lee, but whatever the reason is, you can't deny that Alex Lifeson is a fantastic guitar player. He plays with more emotional, and leaves the flurry of notes to other players, and maybe that's why I like his style so much.  I'm not guitarist myself. I don't know the names of certain techniques, or ways of playing. But I have heard a lot of music in my life, and I know what my ears like. So, you may not agree with my rankings, or assessment, but that's fine with me. I just wanted to have a little fun here. Alex will always be my favortie guitar player, and here are ten s...

This time around, we're going to sit down and listen to me talk about the Motley Crue discography. This is another fantastic discography, and while I have a least favorite, that does not mean that I don't love the album. Unfortunately, some album as to be at the bottom of the list. As usual, you may not agree with my list, but that's okay, because music is wildly subjective, and no two opinions will be exactly the same. Enjoy! -----|----- Rob's Discography Review: Motley Crue New Tattoo: This is the band's one and only album without Tommy Lee on the drumkit. I'm not saying that that is the reason that this album falls at the bottom of the list for me, but his drumming style is missed. He may not be the world's greatest drummer, but he has always fit well with Motley. The band brought in Randy Castillo to fill the drum throne, and released an okay album. It's not amazing by any stretch, but I do enjoy it. A lot of the songs were co...