Welcome to another week’s trawl through what is on sale or about to be. It's a pretty good selection this time with no turkeys to speak of.
DVD reviews
Twisted Sister: Double Live
As the name suggests, it's a two-DVD set of a couple of live gigs from the band almost a decade apart. Each DVD includes interviews with the band as they reflect on the time of the live recording. The first one is their final "club" gig in New York in 1982 before heading off to the UK to record their debut. It was their biggest gig to date with what would become their "classic" line-up, and marked their transition to the big time. It was interesting to hear the guys explain how they were frustrated by not being signed and their Spinal Tap-esque quest for the right drummer.
The second DVD is the highlight of this collection however, not least for the interviews explaining the traumatic events that finally brought them back together after 13 years. The actual show, the "NY Steel" gig to aid the 9/11 heroes, was emotional for all the suffering New Yorkers. It was also traumatic for the band, as they had not played together or spoken with each other for a very long time. The video of their rehearsals for the gig show quite a bit of tension among band members. While tracks and song clips from this gig have shown up on other TS releases in recent years, this DVD shows it in its best light. With the reunited Twisted Sister still going strong, especially on the festival scene, it's good to reflect on what brought them back together.
Twisted Sister fans will eat it up, and it's damn good live DVD set for all rock fans.
CD reviews
Various: American Blues
Subtitled "Putumayo Presents," this collection comes from a record label mostly known for its world and roots music stable. Then again, when it comes to hard rock and metal, you don't get any more "roots" than a good dose of the blues. There are none of the new breed players on here like Joe Bonamassa or others of his type, but well known hit-making bluesmen like Robert Cray make an appearance. There are cracking tracks here like Arthur Adams & B.B. King doing "Get Next to Me," and Robert Cray and Albert Collins dishing up "She's into Something."
Of course no American blues compilation would be complete without a track from the mighty Taj Mahal. This is an excellent taster to the variety and range of American blues. It's one of those great primers that newbies to the genre can pick up to get their feet wet. American Blues is a definite addition to your driving music collection, perfect for that long summer drive.
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