#classic rock greatest hits 60s 70s 80s

[oshioshili]

Classic Rock Greatest Hits 60s,70s,80s || Rock Clasicos Universal - Vol.2

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Rock Rolls On: Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Hits of the '50s 1984 Rock & Roll / Doo Wop / R&B

Two things you really gotta love about this double-LP release: first, the album art. I mean, who can resist this totally 80s aesthetic here, with all these bright, fluorescent colors placed onto a square-tiled background like this? Certainly not me. And second, you have to appreciate the whole budget nature that went into producing this thing too, because this really isn't your run-of-the-mill 50s oldies comp at all.

See, what this thing actually is, is a compilation that was put out by a label called Pair Records that happens to pull its selections from two other already existing compilations that were released in the 70s. You can't tell from the photo that was taken of the album art here, but if the photographer had zoomed out just a little bit more, they would've captured the disclaimer at the bottom of the front cover that says that all of the songs on the 2nd LP in this set are actually from a rockumentary soundtrack called Let the Good Times Roll, which featured a bunch of live recordings that were taken from two separate 1973 concerts during a rock & roll revival tour that included a whole bunch of 1950s and 60s staples on its billing. That soundtrack was put out on a label called Bell Records, which is owned by Arista.

And the only reason why I know all of this is because I bought this damn release myself and currently have it sitting right in front of me. I came across it on Discogs and saw some *very* strange track lengths—a Bo Diddley song with a runtime of over five minutes?!?—and decided to find out if they were correct. And it turns out that they certainly were.

However, what's not indicated at all on this release is where all of the tracks on the first LP come from. Now, these ones are all studio recordings, so whoever compiled this particular record could just say that they came up with all of these selections themselves; except for the fact that *all* of these songs also appear on another Bell comp from 1972 called You Must Remember These Volume I. So, given that the second LP is also comprised entirely of songs from a 70s Bell release, it would stand to reason that this first LP would be too, even though nothing on the release itself points to that fact.

But does any of this information actually matter, though? No, not really. Of course, at the end of the day, what really matters most is not so much the trivial provenance of these songs, but whether or not they themselves are actually good. And they are; they are *very good.*

The first LP serves up a bunch of spectacular doo wop tunes, leading with a stone-cold classic in Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs' "Stay," a 1960 chart-topper (hey, waitaseckin! Isn't this a 50s comp?! 🤔🤷‍♂️) that features some sudden and glorious falsetto on its chorus that comes courtesy of vocalist Henry Gaston. Then, following that one is a pretty immaculate remainder as well, but two especially sweet dollops are The Channels' "The Closer You Are," which never charted nationally(!), but was a big regional hit in 1956, and The Silhouettes' "Get a Job," which was another national chart-topper in '57. These two songs, to me, represent some of the absolute cream of the all-time vocal doo wop crop. Just powerful, totally electric songs, with vocalists who, together, make up a dynamic range, from low to mid to high. "The Closer You Are" sports both a weaving falsetto and an intermittent onomatopoeically bonging bassline, and "Get a Job" deploys some really catchy doo wop scatting, a fantastic sax solo, and a distinct, watery lead vocal from Bill Horton too. Terrific, deeply satisfying, and very lively doo wop fare in both of those unmissable tunes.

And speaking of lively, the second LP, which, again, only has live recordings on it, really brings it too. But the lone performer who stands out among the rest on this particular record is the one and only Little Richard. Two of his biggest hits in "Lucille" and "Good Golly Miss Molly" get lined up back-to-back here and they're both so irresistibly energetic. A pair of excellent performances that feature his signature "woo"s, as well as his passionate rasp and gravel. It's one thing to hear him do it in studio, but it's really a whole 'nother thing to hear it done live, with a very wanting, appreciative crowd and a full backing band to match all that both he and that crowd happen to give. Lots of infectious reciprocation going around in both of those songs that ends up generating a great and unforgettable atmosphere.

What's unfortunate for you, though, is that I can't actually find *any* of these live recordings on YouTube! 😧 I mean, go figure, right? A seemingly unassuming budget comp of 50s hits from the 80s actually has a bunch of tunes on it that can now be considered rare by today's standards? Funny how that works, eh?

So, yes, this is a cheap and completely unoriginal release of 50s songs that appears to pull all of its material from two other places. But more importantly, because of the music that's on it, it really still is a phenomenal double-LP set, and very surprisingly, it has a slew of tunes on it that you actually can't easily find these days. You'd think that all commercially released live recordings of such rock & roll luminaries as Bill Haley and His Comets, Little Richard, and Bo Diddley would be on YouTube already, but apparently not!

Feel free to message me if you're interested in hearing them, though!

Highlights:

Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs - "Stay" The Turbans - "When You Dance" The Nutmegs - "Story Untold" The Channels - "The Closer You Are" The Silhouettes - "Get a Job" Lee Allen & His Band - "Walkin' With Mr. Lee" The Five Satins - "In the Still of the Night" Bill Haley And His Comets - "Rock Around the Clock" Little Richard - "Lucille" Little Richard - "Good Golly Miss Molly" Bo Diddley - "Hey Hey Hey"

[micamicster]

⭐⭐⭐ music question!! any particular song choices you put a lot of thought into or just really want to talk about?

noa ur a real one for this. i know youre asleep rn i hope you enjoy the madness you've unleashed when you wake up <3

Back when I started writing this i complained nonstop about how i didn't know anything about 80s music and im happy to say that is no longer true! I have listened to SO MUCH 80s music in the last month holy shit.

Playlist with all the referenced songs <3 If people want to know what the hell im talkign about at any given time they will all be on here <3

I already talked in the end notes about what music everyone is based on so I won't get into that here. Instead I'm gonna talk about the "soundtrack songs," or the songs that i insist on shoehorning into every scene. (Actually discussed with my sister A Lot about whether the songs are fun or meaningful or are clutter in different scenes and the jury is kinda still out on that. So would be interested to hear what people think!)

The most important songs in part one are probably Last Dance With Mary Jane and Dancing in the Dark. I'd always wanted Last Dance for Steve's crisis about being back in indiana. That's a song I listened to on LOOP writing that scene! I love tom petty so much--i feel like he has a unique sympathy for the characters he creates in his songs. They're very kind songs, and they feel very comforting, even when he's talking about ennui and dissatisfaction and heartbreak. Dancing in the Dark is dancing in the dark i literally cant even explain more. Perfect song. (Other good bruce songs for steve are Brilliant Disguise for Steve/Nancy and Independence Day for his daddy issues <3)

In part I think the major songs are Cyndi Lauper's Good Enough, which I brought into the scene to be another thing they don't have in common. The bus scene is a whole list of Shit They Don't Have In Common, and Good Enough is an answer to that question (if it's good enough for you it's good enough for me), but it's also a kinda depressing hint at Eddie's perspective on the fwb situation (if it's good enough for you it's good enough for me).

Every kid's breakfast order song! Dustin's is a 70s rock song and also a pun (i love dustin). Lucas' is a classic off my favorite Steve Wonder album. It's a little older (1980), so it's probably one his parents played when he was a kid. He sings it to Max in a wildly over the top way (just like he used to see his dad do for his mom) and she pretends hes so annoying but she loves it. (Lucas has the most flexible voice the the group btw he can do any genre). Will is playing a gay ass song by the replacements, one of the greatest of 80s alt rock. Mike is playing an electronic piece that nobody else likes (the icicle works were one hit wonders iirc). El is playing a 60s girl group (headed by the incomparable ronnie spector, who was also abused by her manager, like El was, even though that's not something El would know to associate her with). Max is listening to Talking Heads. She (and will) listen the most widely of any of the kids, but I think her heart lies with new wave/punk (again vs will who is a punk/alt rock kid). Eddie plays Iron Maiden. He's a twenty-something teenage dirtbag babey!

Breakfast club scene I think is self explanatory. Don't you forget about me etc etc

FUCK this is so long. Imma keep goign. Now for some songs i DIDN"T get to include:

REFUGEE TOM PETTY aka the song that best sums up the Eddie/Steve situation in this fic. Could not make it fit naturally into the text but you should know it's The Song

Downtown Lights by Blue Nile is the song I listened to while writing the party scene in nyc. I did not include it because it came out in 1989 which is not accurate :( Alternatively I chose Drive by The Cars for that scene, but I ended up not putting any lyrics in at all, because I thought it might just clutter the thing up. (But I think I left it on the playlist anyway because i listened to it so much lol)

[popentertainmentmusic]

Ken Sharp – I’ll Remember the Laughter (Jet Fighter)

Back in the day, when an artist could not fit all the goodies they had stored up on a single slab of vinyl, they would release a two-record set. The latest collection by pop/rock anthropologist Ken Sharp is an embarrassment of riches. It wouldn’t even fit in a two-record set, at 50 tunes it’s more like a three-record set or a box set.

The album title I’ll Remember the Laughter is rather apt because laughter is not the only thing this brace of tunes will make you remember. It is a stylistic traipse through the history of 60s and 70s AM/FM radio (with a little 80s and beyond mixed in for good measure).

Sharp has grown a cult audience for his sharp pop songwriting skills and on-point understanding of popular (and also obscure) music of the past. Taking a sonic trip through I’ll Remember the Laughter is like coming across a transistor radio from the multiverse; an alt-history of songs that could have, should have and would have been hits in the glory days of Top 40 radio, only if they had just been recorded in time.

It is a place where Todd Rundgren rubs elbows with T. Rex, The Knack hangs out with Hall & Oates, and The Raspberries had the kind of career that merited inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The styles of I’ll Remember the Laughter are all over this place – and I mean that in the best possible way. From the bluesy shredding of “No More Silver Linings,” the strutting bubblegum pop/soul of “42nd Street” to the catchy prog of “Halyx Rising (Lora’s Song)” to the sunshine pop of “Dennis” to the soulful lament “Cracking This Heart of Stone,” the album is a primer of musical styles and feels.

“Lightning Crash” feels like an old lost Cheap Trick fave, while “Shut Out the Lights” rides on a Clapton-esque guitar line. “Ghetto Child” (not to be mixed up with the Spinners classic of the same name) does share that song’s Philly International soulful vibe, as does the sweet intro to “Are You a Lover or a Fighter?” which eventually moves into more of a blue-eyed soul feel. “Between the Lines” on the other hand, pulls from the paisley underground school of The Dream Syndicate and The Bangles.

Beyond Sharp’s sharp originals, I’ll Remember the Laughter also offers some adventurous and intriguing covers. There is a swinging version of The Who’s “The Kids are Alright” and two (count ‘em) covers of songs from a semi-obscure pre-superstardom album by 80s pop/rock icon Rick Springfield of “Jessie’s Girl” fame. (Springfield adds some tasty backing vocals to Sharp’s recordings of his songs.) However, possibly the greatest cover is a stunningly catchy version of “Girl,” which is remembered in pop culture as the song which Davy Jones performed in his guest appearance on The Brady Bunch.

So, if you miss the glory days of pop radio, where diverse styles rubbed shoulders in a mind-boggling array of music – with the only true through line being that most of it was one hell of an earworm – you can recreate that sensation with I’ll Remember the Laughter.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2023 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: February 6, 2023.

[benchniduna]

Classic Rock Music Collection | Classic Rock Greatest Hits 60s, 70s and 80s

[vanderhell]

Classic Rock Greatest Hits 60s,70s,80s || Rock Clasicos Universal - Vol.2

[asidesandbsides]

Starts With M, Part 3

Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance / Living in China

We all know it's a milestone of popular culture, but putting "The Safety Dance" aside, I don't think I like Men Without Hats. "Living in China" is at least lyrically interesting, but I don't mean that it's good, and in fact I find it annoying. Maybe it's wrong to judge a band from one single release, but when it's their biggest hit... anyway, it sounds alright, I think. Probably didn't get played too much back then.

The Merry-Go-Round - You're a Very Lovely Woman / Where Have You Been All My Life

This actually merits further research, I think. They're a little worn down, but both sides have some fun and interesting music on them. "Lovely Woman" is one of those late 60s chamber-pop harmony showcases that I can't help but like, while "Where Have You Been" is a charmingly offbeat rock song.

The Merry-Go-Round - Listen, Listen / Missing You

OK, "Listen, Listen" is pretty awesome. This band is very much a creature of its era and setting (late 60s Los Angeles), and they evidently didn't distingish themselves from the competition back in the day, but with songs like this there's no reason they couldn't have. "Missing You" has solid B-Side energy, exactly what you need to support a hit. The fact that it wasn't actually a hit is probably just bad luck.

The Merry-Go-Round - Live / Time Will Show the Wiser

Again, the quality is a little worn on "Live", but I hear a good song under the fuzz. "Time Will Show the Wiser" is quite a bit clearer, and is a lively number that is definitely on the correct side of the disc. The fact that there are three of these here shows my mom saw something in these guys. Let's hear it for the music industry's also-rans, sometimes they make really good records!

Lee Michaels - Do You Know What I Mean / Keep the Circle Turning

I found a lot of dust on this record, but most of it was superficial, and the sound is actually quite clean. This is... not a great song, but a pretty good one. Do you know what I mean? Sorry. Anyway, the B-Side has a gospel-ish orientation which was very a la mode in the 70s.

Ronnie Milsap - Smoky Mountain Rain / Crystal Fallin' Rain

A very good sound on this disc, which happens to be an old favorite of mine. I'm not, as a rule, enamored with the sound of Nashville in the 80s, but the combo of song and singer prevail triumphantly in this instance. Too bad about those two little skips in the outro. Milsap continues to sing about rain on side B, and it doesn't grab me quite the same way, but the record is in good shape regardless.

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - The Tears of a Clown / Promise Me

I'm on the record somewhere as saying that classic Motown represents the apex of pop music writing and performance, and with that in mind I think you'll understand when I say that "The Tears of a Clown" is in fact one of the greatest pop songs of all time. I cannot hear this song without thinking "holy shit, how do you make music this good?" Naturally, it doesn't sound brand new or anything, but there is an energy to a classic Motown record that is irrepressible. "Promise Me" is also a good tune, but I'm less inclined to apply superlatives to it.

[hollywood-beverly-hills]

Classic Rock Greatest Hits 60s,70s,80s || Rock Clasicos Universal - Vol.2

[mywifeleftme]

41: Ike & Tina Turner // Workin' Together

Workin' Together Ike & Tina Turner 1970, Liberty

“Kenneth Anger and Tina Turner died on the same day,” my friend Jay broke the news to me yesterday afternoon. “And people say God isn’t homophobic.” (A bit later he added, “Apparently Martin Amis also died. So maybe God is bi,” which would explain His persecution complex, anyway.) Turner had been mythologized, homogenized, and eulogized a thousand times over well before her actual death at 83, and while a skim of her Wikipedia page suggests she’d been up to plenty over the past ten years (a weird Christian music foundation; a Broadway musical using her songbook; a hit on the UK charts featuring something called a 'Kygo'), unless she publicly forgave Ike or became Q-pilled, nothing was likely to change her legacy much.

Beyond the ‘80s pop megahits, that legacy rests on a period of her career (the ‘60s and ‘70s) that’s not adequately attested to by her LPs. Although the Ike & Tina machine churned out plenty of spectacular singles and b-sides (“River Deep – Mountain High,” “The Hunter,” “Nutbush City Limits,” “Contact High” etc.), they never delivered a wall-to-wall classic album. Their true power was as by all accounts the world’s greatest live rhythm & blues revue, driven by Ike’s stern leadership and Tina’s bottomless reserves of energy and mostly bottomless dresses.

Workin’ Together is generally considered their best studio effort, and it’s clear the goal was to capture as much of that live energy as they could. Like most of their albums, it mixes contemporary rock covers (Beatles, CCR), some new Ike originals (like the title track), and rinsed and reused re-takes on their early singles (“The Way You Love Me”; “Goodbye, So Long”). On Side Two in particular they deploy a lot of the tricks they used on stage: after rasping and strutting through the minor classic “Funkier Than a Mosquita’s Tweeter,” they milk a dramatic piano solo into (of all things) R&B chestnut “Ooh Poo Pah Doo.” A spoken intro by Tina follows while Ike croons lightly in the background, promising a ‘nice and rough’ rip through “Proud Mary”—and this is precisely what we get, on the album’s clear standout (and biggest hit). After a breath we’re into Ike’s “Goodbye, So Long” (another dance number they’d been playing since the mid-‘60s), followed by a vampy take on “Let It Be” that I’d happily take over the original.

Workin’ Together highlights Ike’s best and worst (musical) qualities. He was one of the great bandleaders in all of music for over 25 years, and he helped create Tina’s iconic style. He also embraced Black music’s movement toward funkier styles, styles he’d played a role in inventing. But he was also aggravatingly conservative, and his domineering management of Tina prevented her from flourishing as a recording artist to the degree peers like Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, and Roberta Flack achieved. In another timeline, with the chance to work more closely with the great producers of the day, this might not be the best studio album she ever cut. But, despite plenty of great chart successes to come, she never bettered it.

41/365

[scenteddefendorlady-blog]

Watch "Classic Rock Greatest Hits 60s, 70s, 80s🔥🔥🔥Top 100 Classic Rock Songs of The 60s, 70s and 80s" on YouTube

ALBUM SPOTLIGHT 🎧

[tisthenightofthewitch]

THE 20 GREATEST GHOST SONGS – RANKED - KERRANG!

From Opus Eponymous to Prequelle, we rank the greatest compositions from Ghost

Words: Sam Law

Photo: Tom Barnes 

Undoubtedly the breakout band in heavy music over the past decade, it’s been a wild ride for Swedish creeps Ghost. Melding elements of hard rock, doom, classic metal, psychedelia and outright guitar-pop – then daubing on the corpsepaint – their combination of deceptively digestible sound, occultist ethos and anti-ecumenical aesthetic has captured the imagination of music fans and sling-shotted their live ‘rituals’ into arenas on both sides of the Atlantic.

Of course, mysterious mainman Tobias Forge (aka Papa Emeritus I-IV, aka Cardinal Copia) has had his struggles. In 2013, the band was forced to temporarily rebrand as Ghost B.C. for legal reasons in the U.S. The initially intriguing, fluid anonymity of his bandmates’ Nameless Ghoul personas (even Dave Grohl apparently once donned the cowl) became a sticking point, too, as the collective sued Tobias in 2017, failing in their suit but also dispelling some of the precious mystique.

That Tobias has endured – not just surviving, but flamboyantly thriving in the heightened spotlight – feels like proof his band are here to stay. New music is eagerly anticipated in the not-so-distant future but, for now, we rank the 20 tracks on which Ghost have built their unholy empire thus far…

20. MUMMY DUST (MELIORA, 2015)

‘I was carried on a wolf’s back, to corrupt humanity / I will pummel it with opulence, with corpulence and greed!’ Arriving on a wave of staccato percussion, spiked with gnarls of riffage and flashes of synth, this pounding cut from 2015’s Meliora – named after the insubstantial detritus of years past – plays out as one of Ghost’s most compelling indictments of the avarice of mankind. Although its creeping instrumentation, growled baritone and choral climax don’t exactly show the Swedes at their most inventive, Mummy Dust has been elevated massively in the live arena, with Papa leaning into the lurching malevolence before showering the audience with ‘money’. In Ghost we trust.

19. WITCH IMAGE (PREQUELLE, 2018)

Ghost might have traversed a full spectrum from gouging metal via classic rock to shimmering guitar-pop thus far, but the further their sound has strayed into the light, the harder the lyrics have drilled down into darkness. It’s never been truer than on this underrated ditty from Prequelle. A textbook three-and-a-half-minutes built of sweet acoustic and rich electric guitars surging towards its massive chorus, you can practically taste the relish as Tobias ladles the syrup onto some of his darkest words. ‘While you sleep in earthly delight, someone’s flesh is rotting tonight / Like no other to you, what you’ve done you can not undo…’

18. CON CLAVI CON DIO (OPUS EPONYMOUS, 2010)

After the baroque organ intro of Deus Culpa, it’s the throbbing bassline of Con Clavi Con Dio that truly pulls back the sacristy drapes on Ghost’s compelling debut. Translating crudely as ‘With Nails, With God’, the title Con Clavi Con Dio is actually an attempt at clever wordplay, drawing comparisons with the nails of crucifixion and the conclave of bishops at the head of the church as Tobias sings, ‘Our conjuration sings infernal psalms and smear the smudge in bleeding palms.’ Theological musing aside, it’s the dark swirl of sound here that truly draws the listener in, with gauzy layers of guitar, synth and vocals – not to mention the devilish tritone interval – building into a towering cathedral of subversion.

17. FAITH (PREQUELLE, 2018)

No relation to the oft-covered George Michael classic, the fourth single from 2018’s Prequelle feels like a defiant statement of the band’s arena-straddling prowess twelve years in. Powered by snarling six-strings and pounding drums – custom engineered to get tens of thousands of fists pumping – it’s seething proof that this band’s heaviest sounds are still among their best. At the same time, we get a furious flash of the man behind the mask as Tobias takes aim at his ex-Nameless Ghouls with some serious lyrical barbs: ‘The Luddites shun the diabolical, a fecal trail across the land / Although it stinks, feels and looks identical / And a pack of fools can take the stand.’ Oooft.

16. PER ASPERA AD INFERNI (INFESTISSUMAM, 2013)

Riffing on the popular Latin phrase ‘Per aspera ad astra’ (‘Through hardship to the stars’), Per Aspera Ad Infini literally translates as ‘Through Hardships To Hell.’ Its churning sound diabolically matches up. Layering on riffage that calls to mind the epic doom of heroes like Candlemass, marching-beat percussion and a lyrical treatment revolving around that title chanted as a mantra, there is sinisterness throughout. Its defining quality, however, is the fragility and despair Tobias manages to summon as he begs with ecstatic fervour, ‘Oh Satan, devour us all / Hear our desperate call.’

15. SECULAR HAZE (INFESTISSUMAM, 2013)

The lead single from 2013’s sophomore LP Infestissumam immediately built on the spooky foundations laid by Opus Eponymous with broader pantomime atmospherics and – on its live premiere in Linköping, Sweden, where Papa Emeritus II was unveiled – the first branches of their expanded mythos. A carnivalesque organ sets the tone of mischievous eeriness before the pendulous musicality hits full swing with Papa inviting us in: ‘You know that the fog is here omnipresent when the disease sees no cure / You know that the fog is here omnipresent when the intents remain obscure – forevermore!’ As if their mainstream-invading intent wasn’t clear enough, its single release even came with a B-side cover of ABBA’s I’m A Marionette featuring Dave Grohl on drums!

14. SEE THE LIGHT (PREQUELLE, 2018)

Another barely-veiled reference to Tobias’ struggles with ex-bandmates, See The Light is also one of his band’s most shamelessly uplifting compositions. Feeling like a positivist ’80s anthem – shot through with a little venom – its tinkling keys, soaring synths and understated, rumbling riffage propel an effortlessly memorable message about transcending the ill-will of one’s antagonists. Sing it together: ‘Every day that you feed me with hate, I grow stronger!’

13. DEUS IN ABSENTIA (MELIORA, 2015)

Riding on the metronomic beat of their Monstrance Clock, the closer on Ghost’s third album (translated from Latin as ‘In The Absence Of God’) is an extravagant exercise in arch theatrics. Benefiting from Klas Åhlund’s grandiose production, Tobias comes across as both demon and angel, extending his dark invitation: ‘The world is on fire, and you are here to stay and burn with me / A funeral pyre, and we are here to revel forever.’ Concluding with a hymn-like Latin chorus, it feels like the ultimate corruptive culmination: a musical sacrament truly touching only to those in the know.

12. STAND BY HIM (OPUS EPONYMOUS, 2010)

The track that started it all. Inspired by that irresistible lead riff – stumbled upon while practising for another band – Tobias foresaw a deep, dark well of potential waiting to be tapped and threw himself in headlong. Although Stand By Him’s schlocky lyrics feel gleefully on-the-chin nowadays (‘The Devil’s power is the greatest one / When His’ and Hers’ holiest shuns the sun / A temptress smitten by the blackest force / A vicar bitten blind in intercourse’), they paved the way for everything that followed. On top of that, its soaring ‘It is the night of the witch…’ chorus line even rivals that of Donovan’s Season Of The Witch (an obvious influence) for sheer spellbinding catchiness.

11. GHULEH/ZOMBIE QUEEN (INFESTISSUMAM, 2013)

One of the less immediate tracks on Ghost’s second album was also its most important. A staggering, seven-and-a-half minute opus that unfolds from its sorrowing piano line and Papa’s desiccated hiss through a swaggering midsection to a conclusion full of proggy bombast; this was proof of the untold breadth and depth of their vision and sound. Pushing from their basis in ’80s classic rock through the looser sounds of the ’70s and right into ’60s psychedelia, this ode to the titular zombie queen (‘Up from the stinking dirt she rises, ghastly pale / Shape-shifting soon but now she’s rigid, stiff and stale’) feels like Tobias’ first real attempt to stretch his (cursed black) wings and remains amongst their most rewarding compositions.

10. RITUAL (OPUS EPONYMOUS, 2010)

Anyone who remembers Ghost’s ethereal emergence from the shadows likely does so with this earworm writhing in the back of their mind. Combining the slick melodies and wry fatalism of prime Blue Öyster Cult with the crunchiness of Pentagram and Saint Vitus – soothing organs and a driving bassline pulling away – they had the musical formula nailed. It was the imagery contained therein, however (all ‘bedouins and nomads’, fallen angels and ‘smells of dead human sacrifices from the altar bed’) that captured the imaginations of a congregation ravenous for a fresh take on ancient evil. Here, the doors to the sanctum were truly open.

9. YEAR ZERO (INFESTISSUMAM, 2013)

Tying into the Ghost B.C. renaming necessitated by their Stateside legal wranglings (the year zero being the pivotal point between the B.C. and A.D. timelines), Infestissumam’s sixth track developed into one of the greatest showcases of their dark majesty. Opening with a powerful Gregorian chant (‘Belial, Behemoth, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Satanas, Lucifer’) calling to mind Jerry Goldsmith’s legendary soundtrack to The Omen, Ave Satana, the direct riffage and bludgeoning choruses that follow hammer home a sense of sheer monstrosity. Typically, the Year Zero concept is subverted, with Forge (and, reportedly, guitarist Martin Persner) picturing an ancient antagonist far predating biblical times: ‘Since dawn of time the fate of man is that of lice, equal as parasites and moving without eyes / A day of reckoning when penance is to burn, count down together now and say the words that you will learn.’

8. MIASMA (PREQUELLE, 2018)

Just when you think you’ve got Ghost figured out, they pull something like this. The first of Prequelle’s two extended instrumentals feels like showboating from an outfit whose legitimacy some fans had dared question following the acrimonious departure of so many players. Rearing into view as an expansively primitive space-rock soundscape, layering up into an ’80s prog epic, then exploding in a kaleidoscopic whirlwind of synths, Michael Jackson riffs and the best metal saxophone this side of Norway’s Shining, it was proof that Tobias’ vision would not be dictated solely by his own crooning King Diamond fixation and that it, frankly, knew no bounds.

7. ELIZABETH (OPUS EPONYMOUS, 2010)

Four years since their formation, Elizabeth felt like the break Ghost had been waiting for. Released on 7” vinyl (with the less-ear-catching Death Knell on B-side), the Mercyful Fate comparisons were immediate, with many seeing the sense of eerie grandeur and kitsch luridity at play as directly descended from the great Danes’ 1987 classic Devil Eyes. An ode to infamous Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory – alleged serial killer and bloodbather – sees Papa getting his teeth sunk in lyrically: ‘Her pact with Satan, her disposal of mankind / Her acts of cruelty and her lust for blood makes her one of us!’ The fine balance between sensuality and sin has yet to be bettered.

6. RATS (PREQUELLE, 2018)

The lead single from 2018’s Prequelle feels like a bridge between the (relative) heaviness of the band’s past and the unfettered theatricality of the album that was about to follow. Powered by a straightforward riff and piercing organs, dazzling solos and a rogue harpsichord, its introduction of the Black Death concept in which the album would wallow (refracting contemporary grievances through the filthy lens of the 14th century bubonic plague) felt both atmospherically appropriate and deliciously alive. The Scandi-pop ‘oooh-aahs’ in the chorus remain one of the band’s most gleefully irreverent touches, too. And the question of whether ‘them filthy rodents still coming for your souls’ is reference to Tobias’ old bandmates has provided rich fuel to keep the metal gossip mill turning.

5. MONSTRANCE CLOCK (INFESTISSUMAM, 2013)

In the Roman Catholic church, the monstrance is an (often ornate) receptacle in which the consecrated communion host is displayed for veneration. A monstrance clock was an aesthetically-similar Renaissance-era timekeeping device capable of displaying date, time and a wealth of other celestial information, often used in church rituals. We suspect that Ghost just liked the faintly cheeky sound of the phrase when quickly spoken. Still, the song they wrought from that initial giggle is utterly unforgettable. Deliberately paced and overflowing with evangelical zeal, a slow build flourishes into a splendiferous closing chorus that’s turned many an arena into a church of the Dark Lord: ‘Come together, together as one / Come together for Lucifer’s son!’

4. DANCE MACABRE (PREQUELLE, 2018)

If Rats was pandering somewhat to the existing fanbase, Dance Macabre was the other side of the coin. A shamelessly retro ’80s-style power ballad that’s as light on overt Satanic references as it is heavy on the cheese, some fans saw it as a form of selling-out: a dilution of devilish imagery in service of greater American radio-rock appeal. Perhaps they had a point. From its fist-pumping percussion and effervescent guitar solo to that ‘wanna, be wit chu’ chorus hook, however, it’s executed with enough committed precision and knowing panache to stand on its own terms, and a whole legion of new fans couldn’t help be swept along through the gateway and on to far darker delights. Tobias’ explanation that this is a soundtrack for people living like there’s no tomorrow – as many literally did during the plague – adds an extra dimension. Best experienced with the gleefuly vampiric music video.

3. CIRICE (MELIORA, 2015)

It’s strange how things work out sometimes. Originally conceived with producer Klas Åhlund as a nine-minute instrumental deep cut, Cirice was chopped down and reworked into Meliora’s irresistible lead single – becoming the song that really kickstarted Ghost’s stratospheric ascent. An insidious opening combusts into an infernal crescendo before lurching into the band’s most bludgeoning riff to date. All the while, Papa’s beguiling vocals reach out, full of dark romance, for new converts to their corrupted congregation. 2016’s GRAMMY for Best Metal Performance felt like just reward for such inspired work. The Roboshobo-directed music video – featuring a school talent show that’s almost as horrific as the ones we remember – is another stone cold standout.

2. SQUARE HAMMER (POPESTAR, 2016)

Following the unprecedented success of Meliora, Ghost found themselves suddenly commanding crowds far larger – and more diverse – than they’d seen before. Most of the ingredients for these grander live rituals were already in place, but they lacked the barn-burner early in their set to get these massive rooms onside. Dropped as the standalone original track on the Popestar covers EP, Square Hammer gave them just that. Abstractly melding the cultist themes of Satanism and Freemasonry, the concept of selling one’s soul – ‘ready to swear right here, right now, before the devil’ – was hardly new, but the outright pop energy of those surging synths and that exuberant chorus clearly signalled that the game had changed.

1. HE IS (MELIORA, 2015)

If Ghost’s diabolical mission statement is to make the Luciferian ideals more palatable to the masses, then He Is must be their masterpiece. So perfectly camouflaged – with twanging acoustic guitars and reverberating vocals that could’ve been nicked from the golden age of AOR – is their message, that they could drop this at any Christian rock festival and only the most switched-on devotees would know the difference. Openly indebted to giants like Kansas and Journey (and less openly to more recent occult acoustic acts like Ancient VVisdom), there’s a burning light to the sound. The use of divine-sounding Latin (‘Nostro Dispater, nostr’alma mater’) to identify the titular ‘He’ as the dark lord of the underworld is just another characteristically twisted masterstroke. Kneel at their altar.

All rights owned by Kerrang!

What do you guys think? 

Personally there’s a few I’d replace and Ritual is always my NO.1. 

[vanderhell]

Classic Rock Greatest Hits 60s,70s,80s || Rock Clasicos Universal - Vol.2

[hollywood-beverly-hills]

Watch "Classic Greatest Hits 60s,70s,80s - Best Classic Rock" on YouTube

[goochills]

How a small Portable Turntable Gadget brought my grandfather back to life.

Studies have shown that music can help heal disease. The truth is that I couldn’t believe it, but the experience with my grandfather and a particular turntable changed my perspective.

I am Jimmy. I’m 37 years old and I grew up listening to the greatest 60s, 70s and 80s rock hits. My grandfather Harold is responsible for that childhood full of fun and culture.

My grandfather used to have a giant vinyl record collection from the best bands of the time: Pink Floyd, The Doors, Guns and Roses, Poison, Metallica, Iron Maiden and so on. It was a small mountain of vinyl records; his musical artillery hidden in the closet.

He used to take his turntable out to the living room every afternoon and we both listened to the best guitar solos of Slash and Kirk Hammett. We were always humming the chorus of “Paint it Black” or “November Rain”. I had a happy childhood, although I confess that the horn of his record player was a bit noisy.

At the beginning of 2000, the economy in my home was fragile and my grandfather had to sell many things like his TV, a European coin collection, a Pete Rose-signed baseball and, of course … his old turntable.

My grandfather’s vinyl records became a memory in his closet. Then I went to a university outside the city, so I was away from my grandfather for several years.

In late 2018, my grandfather was diagnosed with chronic pneumonia. He was bedridden and down; my mom could barely convince him to eat once a day.

I visited him whenever I had time. My grandfather was always sad; even her memories were depressing. He talked about his memories of the post war, his job failures, fines, etc. He was sad and very angry. His pneumonia worsened at the end of 2019.

One day I was in his room and I noticed that he kept his vinyl record collection in his closet. It was amazing that he still had more than 100 records of the best rock of the Golden Age.

At that moment, I remembered reading an article by the neurologist Eckart Altenmüller about music and its impact on the body and mind.

The article discussed the power of music as a tool in neurological rehabilitation or as a possible mechanism to promote brain plasticity. So I thought maybe listening to the music we used to enjoy when I was a child could help my grandfather feel happier, despite his illness.

I looked for turntables at local stores, but they were expensive. I looked for turntables in online stores, so the problem was its price and shipping cost, because we live in a remote city.

Finally I found a RokBlok, when I saw it I asked myself ‘How can that rectangular box play the music on my grandfather’s vinyl records?’ I thought: well, its price is cheap, it is small and my grandfather could take it from the room to the patio because it is light. And guess what? I bought it, and it was delivered in a week, on a Friday afternoon at my home.

Next day I went to my grandfather’s house early, but he was asleep. Mom told me that he couldn’t sleep because of his cough. Still I didn’t give up. I looked for a Poison vinyl record and left it on a straight table where I placed the RokBlok… et voilá! “Every rose has its thorn” started playing and my grandpa jumped out of bed excited.

My grandfather could not believe what he saw and heard. He immediately looked at the vinyl record as the RokBlok rolled in a circle and played one of our favorite tracks. My grandfather asked me with a huge smile: “Son, what is that? It sounds great!”

Guess what? After a week, my grandfather had listened to more than half of his old rock vinyl records again. He was my happy grandfather.

Mom was surprised that my grandfather ate more often and had started helping with some housework while the RockBlok played his favorite music.

Last week was my grandfather’s 75th birthday and he looked great. His acute coughing fits decreased and he follows his treatment. And guess what? We celebrate his birthday with the RokBlok and a pair of wireless speakers, thanks to the integrated Bluetooth connection to the RokBlok. Now the old vinyl records sound great and my grandpa is always happy.

It is definitely a device that I would recommend to all people who have vinyl records and want to listen to them again, without spending a fortune on classics turntables. You will enjoy a relaxing experience, which will help your body and mind to feel better every day.

The post How a small Portable Turntable Gadget brought my grandfather back to life. appeared first on HUNDRED GADGETS.

source https://hundredgadgets.com/how-a-small-portable-turntable-gadget-brought-my-grandfather-back-to-life/