Heavy Metal Review: Rob Halford-The Complete Albums Collection

Release Date: May 19, 2017

Label: Legacy

Website

Rob Halford is The Heavy Metal God. I don’t think too many people would dispute that claim. Although there are a few others like Ozzy that can stake claim to that title however he is the self-proclaimed prince of darkness. Halford has made his mark with the legendary band Judas Priest and he did have a remarkable solo career for several years. He is on his second long term stint as their front man and doing very well indeed.

I never got into his band Fight before and this was a great opportunity to do so. I really enjoyed the four recordings that are part of this box set. Even the K5: The War of Words Demos were good. And as far as demos go I would have to say excellent.

Halford put together a young and energetic band that really knew how to bring down the house. All you need is a good band and Halford fronting it, and you the perfect recipe for heavy metal mayhem.

When Resurrection and Crucible came out I remember being very anxious to hear them. I was wondering without Judas Priest if the man would lose his core sound and command in songs. Well that thought was dispelled quickly as those two releases cemented his solo career once and for all. We are all glad he went back to Priest but he did carve out an excellent solo career. It’s all about talent and chemistry and those two elements blended well on those excellent releases.

Live Insurrection is one of the better live albums I have ever heard. For my metal tastes, it ranks right up there with Deep Purple’s Made In Japan and Uriah Heep Live, both 70s classics that I played all the time. The only qualm I have with this box set is the inclusion of two other live albums, which are good but they don’t touch Live Insurrection. I really don’t think there was a need to have three live albums in one box set. More rarities would have been appropriate for this type of career spanning release.

Two was an experiment and it doesn’t sound like it belongs in this set at all but it was one of Halford’s solo projects. Halford III: Winter Songs was a novelty and now he can say he did a Christmas album. I thought it was a waste of time when he released it and it is the one blemish on his otherwise incredible career. Halford IV: Made of Metal would get him back on track again although it was not one of his best it was a good listen. He reclaimed his title as the heavy metal god once again and moved on to make some incredible music with Judas Priest (and they are working one another album presently).

So, take away two live albums and the Christmas album and what you have is various shades and levels of heavy metal music with one of the best voices in the history of the genre. Those three releases could have been replaced easily for us hungry metal fans with other recordings in the vaults. Perhaps that will be for another day though.

When you hear the scream like a banshee on “Resurrection” you know there is nobody that did it like Rob Halford. So just crank it up and enjoy. I started every day off for a week listening to this music on my morning drive. Metal and a cup of joe always set me right.

Check out the amazing solo career of Mr. Rob Halford. His work with Judas Priest continues to be excellent and what he did on his own certainly made a statement as well. He can hang his head high knowing his music represented Heavy Metal in the best way possible. 

4/5 Stars

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

July 2, 2017

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Rob Halford The Complete Albums Collection

Albums:Fight
K5: The War of Words Demos
War of Words
Mutations
A Small Deadly Space
2wo
Voyeurs
Resurrection
Live Insurrection
Crucible
Live in Anaheim
Halford III: Winter Songs
Halford IV: Made of Metal

Folk Pop Review: Simon and Garfunkel-The Complete Albums Collection

Release Date: November 24, 2014

Label: Sony Legacy

Website

Simon and Garfunkel were a quintessential element of American culture that helped shape the 60s. You cannot make comparisons to The Beatles, The Beach Boys etc. as they had their own specific genre and audience that they entertained however they were highly regarded as a major influence in music like their counterparts.

The tumultuous 60s changed everything and it was music from the likes of this legendary duo that was a sign of the times. They were a dynamic voice heard blaring over the airwaves, a mirror of our society and all its blemishes and one of the most recognizable voices in the music industry (and remain so to this day).

The Complete Albums Collection is the most comprehensive Simon & Garfunkel library anthology ever assembled. It includes the duo's five studio masterpieces (first released between 1964 and 1970), newly remastered from first generation analog sources, and first-time remasters of The Graduate (the motion picture soundtrack album released in 1968) and the long out-of-print The Concert in Central Park that was recorded in 1981.

They had so many prolific and memorable hits. What is the first song that comes to mind for you when you hear the names Simon & Garfunkle? “Sounds of Silence,” “ Scarborough Fair/Canticle,”  “I am a Rock” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” are the tracks that stand out for my memories. Growing up in the age of radio rather than the digital age was very different with no complexities whatsoever (in comparison to present day life). I either taped music from the radio on my portable tape cassette player or bought 45s or LPs at my local record store or department store. Groups like this remind me fondly of those days. Interesting enough vinyl LPs continue to gather momentum with each passing year however CD box sets such as this are still holding tremendous value for this listener. They are easy to store and do a nice job of encapsulating an entire career at a reasonable price.

Bands such as Simon & Garfunkle served as a voice for an entire generation and certainly Bob Dylan gets a lot of credit for inspiring this type of music and approach. Freedom of speech and fighting repression through words and music would shape our country into what it is today. Music is the fabric of society we could not do without and when I hear this testament to the 60s and beyond I feel waves of emotions sweeping through my entire body and soul. 

There is beauty, discovery and poetry found in this box set. The expansive booklet included is an extra treat that makes it all complete for the listener that wants to look back and remember and the newly initiated will find just as much awaiting their ears.

These two voices, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle, were the perfect blend that made the music sound just right every time. This is history; validation, memories and reminders of the past and just how important one musical duo became an intrinsic part of our society. In fact most people new when you turned on the radio anywhere there was good chance one of their songs would be playing as frequently as daily news reports. We could count on them and they knew how important airplay was to their career. It doesn’t work that way anymore and a lot of the time I wish it did but we are an advanced society with complications that would have been beyond our comprehension back then. Music from these two legendary performers somehow makes it all better for a while.

The Complete Albums Collection is a must have for any music fan or anyone interested in folk-pop music and the roots of change that spurred on an entire generation. It's more than music, it’s about our lives. What you get are 11 albums that are truly a document to an entire career and it can be a keepsake and always a revelation if you open your heart and mind.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Sounds of Silence, Scarborough Fair/Canticle, I am a Rock, Bridge Over Troubled Water

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-Write A Music Review Founder

January 14, 2015

Review Provided By Write A Music 

Albums Included:
01.Wednesday Morning, 3AM
02.Sounds Of Silence
03.Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
04.Bookends
05.Bridge Over Troubled Water
06.The Graduate
07.Greatest Hits
08.The Concert In Central Park (2 discs)
09. Old Friends
10. Live From New York City, 1967
11. Live 1969