Back in my environs now, with my fat broadband pipe and a larger piles of review material, it's time to get back to it.
Obviously this column is tinged with sadness as we all recall the towering talent of the guitar legend Les Paul. His influence on all the bands I review in this column is practically incalculable.
DVD Reviews
Jason Aldean: Wide Open Live
Some of you might be wondering what the hell I am doing recording this chart topping country artist in this column. I got to tell you this guy rocks harder than some so called rock bands. His audience realizes that as well, as there are quite a few long live metal horns being thrown in the crowd. Aldean and his band produce a blend of hard rock and country that would appeal to many rockers. No slide guitar, fiddles, or female backing vocals are too be found, just driving tunes.
Besides Jason’s cowboy hat there is nothing country about this band. It ain’t just “She’s Country” with its Angus Young inspired intro and corking solo either. Hell the DVD even includes a drum-solo straight out of a Rainbow gig (if mercifully shorter). Yeah he has a cheeky song about his “Big Green Tractor,” but don’t be fooled, this guy is equal parts rock. The Blu-ray version of the DVD includes a cover of Tom Petty’s “I won’t Back Down” paying tribute to a band favourite.
Ignore your pre-conceived notions about “country” and give this guy a try. Rock-tinged country was never so much fun. Oh yeah, and the guy seems to have the effect Def Leppard used to have on their female fans.
Jethro Tull: Living With the Past
A musical tour through Tull’s, or rather front-man Ian Anderson’s, past with performances ranging from the bare bones to the full Tull stage show. As you might expect there are all the tracks you would expect including his ode to perverts “Aqualung”, “Thick as a Brick” and their most recent heavier track “Hunt by Numbers”. If you want to repeat the music, without the frequent breaks for interview and recollections, there is a handy CD of just the music to enjoy.
Extras include a couple of snippets of collaborations with other bands, though not complete songs which is most annoying. Just as the track gets going it cuts off and you get returned to the extras menu. Not sure why they bothered to include these two tracks to be honest.
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