R.I.P. Ace Frehley

I am taking a break from the iTunes library marathon this afternoon, as I just heard the news about Ace Frehley. And I am not sure how I can focus on making fun of the lame music I listen to.

I grew up a bit of a Kiss fan, but it wasn't until High School that my friends and I really got in to them. Then by the time the reunion tour hit town, I became a full-fledged member of the Kiss Army and Ace Frehley was king. As I got more in to playing guitar, learning and jamming along to Kiss songs was paramount to improving my fledging abilities. But also, they were an absolute blast! I even started watching old live footage and mimicking Ace's on stage choreography, then trying it out while jamming on my own at home. Because that is what makes life great.

When we met with a record producer back in 2002, he asked me my thoughts on a whole bunch of stuff and I simply replied "So long as I get to go on stage and act like Ace Frehley, I'm happy". I was never the best guitarist or even tried to be; I just wanted to be able to play like Ace and attempt to be as cool. But nobody was as cool when playing the guitar.

Back in 2015, the day after my 35th birthday, I had the opportunity to go see Ace live in concert - and attend a meet and greet. I took along an old magazine from around 1998 in the hopes he could sign the fold-out poster of Ace with his Les Paul. His reaction was something like "What the hell is this?" and then he showed it to his bodyguard, both enjoying how cool it was, before signing the poster and the cover. Then I gave him a birthday card (it was his birthday 2 days later) and told him how much of an influence he had been on me. I know he heard that stuff all the time, and I'm sure he did not care at all, but it honestly was one of the coolest moments being able to talk to someone that I considered a massive guitar hero. Then he and his band absolutely tore the house down and it was awesome. And loud!

For some reason, I had been thinking that this day would come - and I had been dreading it. I was hoping I might get the opportunity to see him in concert again, maybe attend another meet and greet before he was gone. But sadly, that was not to be.

The original Spaceman has now left us to return to his home planet. This one may have been his temporary home, but he made our world a better place with his music and influence. Here's to you, Ace!

2025 in 2025: Day 141

Patty Duke Syndrome - Patty Duke Syndrome

Early grunge Ryan Adams. And it is genuinely... fine. Kind of surprising I do not listen to this ever, but maybe that is because it is kind of the low quality and it is Ryan Adams. Crazy that Hypnotixed was from all the way back here,.

Highlights: Texas, Anarchy Time, Hypnotixed, History

6/10

Paul Stanley - Paul Stanley

This album rocks hard. It is pretty much Kiss with some extra cheese and some sappy ballads thrown in as well. Paul loves his sappy ballads. And rockin' out.

Highlights: Move On, Tonight You Belong to Me, Goodbye, It's Alright

8/10

Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys

I need to find the clip where the B Boys are making fun of the way some jock dudes at a Beastie Boys concert pronounce it "Paul's Bow-tique". I can see how people love this album, because it is completely over the top and quite adventurous. Like, it sure trips me out when I think that this came out around the same time MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice were tearing up the charts. But that is the thing with this album; there are not a lot of hooks or well-structured songs. The songs that are a bit more complete are seriously awesome, though.

Highlights: Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, Shadrach, Shake Your Rump, Hey Ladies

7/10

PAX AM Days - Fall Out Boy

FOB hook up with the DRA and give us a quick punk EP. Like, the most punk thing Fall Out Boy have ever done. Just quickfire reckless abandon for 8 songs and zero pretentiousness. Good times!

Highlights: Caffeine Cold, We Were Doomed from the Start (The King is Dead), Demigods

7/10

PAX-AM Digital Single: 001 - Ryan Adams

These are so quick, I should just copy what I wrote during the 2014 marathon! These two songs genuinely rock.

Highlights: Lost and Found, Go Ahead and Rain

8/10

PAX-AM Digital Single: 002 - Ryan Adams

Rough acoustic songs. Very forgettable, but not terrible.

6/10

PAX-AM Digital Single: 003 - Ryan Adams

A bit more of the indie rock kind of vibes. Disco Queen reminds me of Wasteland, just without the supreme awesomeness.

Highlights: Disco Queen

7/10

PAX-AM Digital Single: 004 - Ryan Adams

Very rough home demo kind of things. Well, one of them is genuinely a home demo. The other just sounds like it?

6/10

PAX-AM Digital Single: 005 - Ryan Adams

DRA thinking he is some of metal god, though Oblivion does suit a rough punk aesthetic. People Need Sunlight is almost the opposite and I thank him for that.

Highlights: People Need Sunlight

7/10

PAX-AM Digital Single: 006 - Ryan Adams

I feel like I have these songs elsewhere as well. Like either on Orion or as bonus songs on an album. Or even one of the 'internet radio' albums? 

6.5/10

Peace - Eurythmics

Kids today will never know what Eurythmics reuniting meant for the music world. The crazy part was they did in response to the state of the world in 1999. Think about where we are now. Anyways I am a fan of Annie Lennox in every possible way, but I do not think her voice on this album is very good. She sounds like Alicia Keys, the way she just sings under the note. It is frustrating because, while it is clearly a more mature sound, some of these songs are really good and only furthers their legacy. The 80s New Wave edge is completely gone and this is more music with a message and lighter delivery.

Highlights: Power to the Meek, Peace is Just a Word, Anything But Strong, 17 Again

7/10

Peace is the Mission - Major Lazer

Seriously the best name for an eletronic music artist. This is only the song Powerful, which also has Ellie Goulding and Tarrus Riley on vocals. It is not a bad song. I think I prefer his just full on electro stuff? Except I do not have any of it in my library, so I must not like it that much...

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1272

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2025 in 2025: Day 140

PAiNT it BLACK - BiSH

I have the b-side, SCHOOLYARD, becuase it is seriously awesome and I was on a bit of a mission to complete my BiSH collection... until they one-upped me by releasing their full discography in one big collection. In a pizza box. So, yeah, this is totally redundant now.

8/10

Pandora's Box - Aerosmith

A massive collection of 70s hits, live songs and alternate takes. It is kind of fun to hear the evolution of Steven Tyler's voice - dude sounds like a drunk having a laugh on their earliest recordings - but, otherwise, this is all very redundant. I have all the studio album tracks on their albums. And the live stuff is not that hot. It does have me looking forward to listening to Rocks, though.

Highlights: Sweet Emotion, No More No More, Nobody's Fault, Walk This Way

6.5/10

Panic - Alexei Sayle

Sadly, this is only Didn't You Kill My Brother? Alexei Sayle is very funny AND a full on Marxist as well. Hooray, the fat bastard! (FYI I am not insulting him, it was a song on his sketch show and I am sure zero people would get the reference, hence the disclaimer instead of just writing something else like a normal person).

7/10

Parachutes - Coldplay

Back when Coldplay were kind of a rock band? I would almost argue indie borderline folk rock, perhaps? Not very happy? Anyway you look at it, I have not listened to this album in probably 20 years and I had forgotten that it is actually very good - I have been too distracted by how terrible they have become. Except for that song with BTS. Keeping everything so much simpler would appear to have pushed them a bit more creatively. 

Highlights: Spies, Yellow, Everything's Not Lost, Don't Panic

7/10

Parade - Prince & The Revolution

Bah gawd this album is so bizarre. I can understand why The Revolution bailed on Prince after this; things are fairly minimalist, without having the normal structure and actual music you would expect from a Prince song. That said, there is still some serious funk and great rock to found in here. I would welcome a remix of this album, because I feel like the bass is sorely lacking and that could make a big improvement.

Highlights: Anotherloverholenyohead, Kiss, Sometimes it Snows in April, New Position

7/10

Paradise - Lana Del Rey

LOGMAN: Oh, hey, I have not listened to this in forever. I do not even remember the songs at all. *Cola starts* This song is not bad... *Listens to lyrics* oh... no...

Highlights: Not that

5/10

Paris (Live At Le Zenith 1992 / 30th Anniversary Expanded Edition) - The Cure

This is a very solid performance, and I am going to credit about 80% of that to Boris and his solid drumming - because the tempos is nice and reserved, almost on the beat and not pushing things at all. Also, I can appreciate how different the setlist is to the other live albums I have from The Cure. 

Highlights: Charlotte Sometimes, Play For Today, One Hundred Years, Close to Me

7/10

Party Queen - Ayumi Hamasaki

This album is the absolute nadir of Ayu's career. And I blame Timmy 100% for his terrible songwriting and attempts at rapping. THAT SAID some of the cringe is actually fun? Like, NaNaNa is incredibly tragic, but boy howdy do I love that chorus for that very reason. And then parts of the album - the songs without Timmy - are some of the greatest songs of Ayu's career? Well, top 20 songs, perhaps. So yeah, I do not know what the hell to say. 

Highlights: reminds me, call, how beautiful you are, Letter

6.5/10 (8/10 without Timmy. Maybe even 8.5)

The Passage - Kebee

Our next installment of random K-Pop songs in my library. At least time, I seem to have about half of the album. This is a bit less hip-hop and more R&B compared to some of the other random stuff I have. It is kind of groovy.

Highlights: Where are the Claps?

6/10

Past Masters - The Beatles

I will be honest: this is one of those compilations that I very rarely pay attention to, which is probably very silly. When I do listen to it, like today, I am just a very happy person, because it is mostly very good singles. And then it gets to 1969 and there are a bunch of killer tracks that I absolutely love.

Highlights: Don't Let Me Down, Old Brown Shoe, The Ballad of John and Yoko, Revolution, You Know My Name (Look Up the Number), Day Tripper

8/10

Past To Present 1977-1990 - Toto

I have never really been the biggest fan of Toto. They are seriously brilliant musicians, but maybe there is something too perfect about them?  However, some of their singles are undeniably awesome. 

Highlights: Hold the Line, Rosanna, Africa, Stop Loving You

7/10

Patient!! [BiSH Ver.] - BiSH

I have been waiting for this! The actual end of BiSH and it is exactly the extreme awesome I wanted. I could listen to this again and again and again... Start the day with BiSH, end the day with BiSH.

10/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1260

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2025 in 2025: Day 139

Orion - Ryan Adams

I do not think he used a fake name for this one, right? And for good reason; it is probably a bit more solid than the ones he did that way. Clearly put more effort in. It is not metal like he claimed, but that suits me fine. More of a 70s prog rock concept album about battles in outer space. Some seriously great riffs all around.

Highlights: Fire and Ice, Imminent Galactic War, By Force, End of Days

6.5/10

The Other Side of the Coin - Ace Frehley

This is a bootleg of Ace Frehley demos from the 80s and 90s. Most are pretty much what you would expect from bootleg demos, but at least it has Back in to My Arms Again, which is from 1984 and he finally recorded a proper studio version 40 years later... and it is awful. The demo is a million times better. We will get to the modern version at the tail end of this marathon... Some of this stuff sounds like Ace was auditioning for Devo.

Highlights: Take Me to the City, Back in to My Arms Again, Into the Night

6/10

Otras Canciones - George Harrison

I really have no idea what this compilation is. Half the titles are just Titulo desconocido and all the songs are in poor quality. Some rare songs, some single versions, some songs repeated. Clearly a messy bootleg, this one!

Highlights: The sheer randomness

6/10

Our Secret Spot - the HIATUS

The tamest album from the Hiatus. It was released right before the ELLEGARDEN reunion tour started, so I get the feeling it was a bit rushed and maybe lacked a bit of effort. Between the Black and Grey was released a year later, so clearly my man had a lot going on. 

Highlights: Servant, Back on the Ground, Firefly / Life in Technicolor, Get Into Action

7/10

Our Version of Events - Emeli Sandé

This is just the song Next to Me. I ended up with this by chance, but that is good because it is a pretty cool song.

8/10

Out of Control - Peter Criss

For some reason, I remembered this being not so great. I even remembered my Kissathon II review as saying it was bad. I listened today, and I thought it was pretty good. Then I read my Kissathon II review, and I scored it about what I would now. Except I would be much less harsh on the production? So I would be less funny? Sounds about right.

Highlights: There's Nothing Better, My Life

6/10

Out of Here - Corduroy

An album that genuinely changed my life - it really altered how I approach funk guitar and my own playing in general. This and Jamiroquai's A Funk Odyssey were insanely influential at the time. As much as I dig their funk-jazz instrumentals and fake movie scores, adding vocals just took these guys to the next level for me. Adding beautiful melody lines and harmonies? Killer stuff. Not literally, or the 3,000 of us that bought this album would be long dead...

Highlights: Don't Wait For Monday, Practice What You Preach, Out of Here, The Diceman, Motorhead

9/10

Out of the Light - Brian May

The bonus disc for the Back to the Light reissue. Some instrumentals, some live songs, all good times. Hearing him and Slash go back to back like that kind of makes Slash sound bad. 

Highlights: Too Much Love Will Kill You [Guitar Version], 39/Let Your Heart Rule Your Head [Live], Too Much Love Will Kill You [Live], Driven By You [Cozy and Neil Version '93]

7/10

Out of the Vein - Third Eye Blind

This album rocks to hard... for the first half. It is just big powerful banger after big powerful banger, hook after hook, fist in the air and screaming along! Then the second half is all totally chilled out and kind of repetitive and less inspired? Except for Company. That song still goes kind of hard.

Highlights: Blinded, Forget Myself, My Hit and Run, Faster

8/10

Outside - David Bowie

Yes, I know the album title is actually 1.Outside. I will fix it later. But that is the least of this album's concerns. The whole thing is a mash of weird industrial and prog and electro crazy and should be listened to in the dark.

Highlights: We Prick You, Outside, Hallo Spaceboy, Strangers When We Meet

5/10

Outtakes and Demos - Queen

Another self-compiled collection of tracks from the Queen reissues. Quite interesting for the most part. I would like a proper version of Feelings Feelings if they have it somewhere. 

Highlights: Feeling Feelings [Take 10], Sail Away Sweet Sister  [Take 1 with Guide Vocal], Football Fight [Early Version - No Synths!], The Hero [Revisited Version]

6.5/10

The Overture & The Underscore - Sarah Blasko

About as lo-fi as a chill indie record could ask for. And without being all that negative or depressing. However, it is the darker songs that really shine on this album. Blasko often sings with a very breathey style, but I really dig when gets a bit more forceful. And her lyrics are genuinely topshelf.

Highlights: Beautiful Secrets, Don't U Eva, Sweetest November, Remorse

7/10

Oyster - Heather Nova

Talk about influential albums! So much emotion and passion wrapped up in acoustic songs, layered with beautiful harmonies, solid rhthym and very moody guitars. Honestly, when I was 20, this was the album I wanted to make.

Highlights: Walk This World, Walking Higher, Maybe An Angel, Doubled Up, Island

8.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1248

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2025 in 2025: Day 138

One of the Boys - Katy Perry

Before she became so incredibly insufferable, Katy Perry was making bubblegum pop-rock with Alanis Morissette's main collaborator. And boy does it show! This stuff is way more guitar-based than anything she has done since and sounds like Alanis doing a pop album or something. Luckily, most of the songs are actually VERY good, even if the lyrics are a bit immature. 

Highlights: Waking Up in Vegas, Thinking of You, I Kissed a Girl, Hot N Cold

7/10

One Sweet Day - Rumble Fish

Random K-Pop ballad. And not a boy band? This one is called You Really Are. It is good.

7.5/10

One Way Ticket to Hell...And Back - The Darkness

I generally like this album as a follow up to Permission to Land. It still rocks really hard, but is a little less 'old school' in its approach. But they changed bassist for this one, and their original guy (who has since returned) is awesome, so that loses points. 

Highlights: One Way Ticket, Is I Just Me?, Hazel Eyes, Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

8/10

One World - PASSPO☆

This album rocks. I wrote lots about it before, so I will instead use my brain power to do other things... like listen to this without writing. 

Highlights: Next Flight, WING, 2DAYS, Tap My Toe

8/10

The Open Door - Evanescence

I was going to be all 'how did I end up with this album?', but then Call Me When You're Sober hit and I was like 'oh yeah, this song is really good'. The rest? Not my bag at all.

Highlights: Call Me When You're Sober

6/10

Open Up And Say... Ahh! - Poison

Peak hair metal! There really is nothng metal about this music, but boy we sure thought it was heavy metal when I was a kid. Who cares? It is as fun as a banana split. Especially this album; it is mostly super cheesy and upbeat and a total party.

Highlights: Nothing But a Good Time, Fallen Angel, Your Mama Don't Dance, Back to the Rocking Horse

7.5/10

Opiate - Tool

This is the most normal alt. rock recordings Tool ever did. And, susequently, is probably the only work of theirs that I still think is fun. Fun like a Limp Bizkit album. I like fun.

Highlights: Hush, Jerk-Off (Live), Opiate, Cold and Ugly (Live)

7.5/10

Oracular Spectacular - MGMT

This is just Electric Feel. I do not know anything else by these guys. I do not even know how I ended up with this song in my library.

7/10

Orange Sunshine - JUDY AND MARY

A little less raw crazy punk, a little more polished crazy punk. All very fun, if not all that memorable, but probably the sort of thing that grows on you with more listens.

Highlights: Radio, Cheese Pizza

7/10

Orbital Period - BUMP OF CHICKEN

This album is kind of a bit more epic than their other works - a lot more big ballady-type things. A couple of songs that almost had me thinking I was listening to RADWIMPS. Overall, I actually really dig it.

Highlights: メーデー, supernova, 花の名, Believe

7/10

Orgazmo: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Various Artists

This is only Now You're a Man by DVDA - the band of Matt Stone and Trey Parker. They should just put out an album of DVDA songs. Also, please note that Orgazmo is their best movie, outside of Baseketball.

8/10

Origins Vol. 1 - Ace Frehley

Ace and a whole bunch of his friends cover a lot of classic 60s and 70s rock. Including Kiss. Seems unnecassary, but it is Ace so I will take it gladly. Even if all of this is not that exciting. Mike McCready's guitar solo on Cold Gin sounds like he recorded it on his phone and emailed it to Ace in 128kps Mp3 form.

Highlights: White Room, Spanish Castle Magic, Rock and Roll Hell

6.5/10

Origins Vol. 2 - Ace Frehley

Ace is back with more special guests and cover songs from the 60s and 70s, but with less Kiss? Mostly the same guests and same artists being covered. I think he has mentioned he wants to do another Origins album. I hope he does not.

Highlights: Never in My Life, I'm Down, Jumpin' Jack Flash

6/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1235

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2025 in 2025: Day 137

On the Hour: Series 00 - Christopher Morris

BBC comedy series. This is purely the pilot, which is very funny, but is mostly repeated in the first series.

7/10

On the Hour: Series 01 - Christopher Morris

More news shenanigans. Very British and very 1991, so some of it is either very dated or just goes a bit over my head, to be honest. But always worth having some Alan Partridge talking about sports. I had no idea his wife died! But, hey, "at least you get some time to yourself".

Highlights: Segment on backwards messages in songs, Alan Partridge being Alan Partridge, the environmental tips

7/10

On the Hour: Series 02 - Christopher Morris

And even more in-depth news reporting! I should watch this show again. Crazy that yesterday I listened to 7 hours of Buddy Holly and it was all considered one album, yet this show is split by season. Meh, it makes sense to me!

Highlights: Alan Partridge reviews the Olympic opening ceremony, truck drivers being blamed for the extinction of elephants 

7/10

A ONE - Ayumi Hamasaki

Things kick off with a big rock song - Ayu rock never disappoints - and then we get some big power ballads, ballads, rock, and some full on dance. Ayu's diversity never disappoints. This is genuinely one of my favourite albums; Ayu's voice is at its absolutely peak and there is so much emotion in everything she delivers. And musically this album just captures everything I love about Ayu and more. 2014-2016 Ayu was something else!

Highlights: Out of control, WARNING, Story, Anything for You, Last minute

9/10

One for All - Peter Criss

I am coming in to this trying to keep an open mind, but I do still recall my original review. How can I not?!? And my immediate reaction again is that Peter's voice on this is downright terrible. But you know what? It is not actually quite as bad as I remember. Maybe it was just coming with the low expectations? But yeah, retiring was Peter's best idea in a while.

Highlights: Doesn't Get Better Than This, Last Night, Falling Over Again, Whisper

5/10

One is not a Lonely Word - Drunken Tiger

A couple more random Drunken Tiger songs, because that is how I roll. One of these days I am going to get a full Drunken Tiger album. At least one!

Highlights: Emergency Situation, Memories of Death

8/10

One Live Kiss - Paul Stanley

Paul Stanley playing Kiss songs and his own songs from his two solo albums. His voice is old and the band are a bit much, but it is fun to hear these old 70s solo songs being performed live. Kind of makes me want to make my own recording of Goodbye at some point...

Highlights: Move On, Goodbye, Tonight You Belong to Me, Lick It Up

7/10

One Night With You: The Best of Love, Vol. 2 - Luthor Vandross

This is purely the song The Best Things in Life are Free, with Janet Jackson. The song is with Janet Jackson - the title is not that The Best Things in Life are Free With Janet Jackson. Though, truly, that might just make something free even more amazing. For some reason this is the version without the Mo' Money rap. My collection confuses me sometimes.

9/10

One Nite Alone... (Solo Piano and Voice by Prince) - Prince

This is definitely the most soulful release you will find from Prince. Complete with a history lesson! The minimalist production really makes for something a bit more special and intimate sounding. However, the label on this album is bit misleading; there are scatterings of drums and bass on probably half of the songs. But that is because Prince knew what a song needed.

Highlights: Avalanche, Pearls B4 the Swine, U're Gonna C Me, Young and Beautiful

7/10

One Nite Alone... Live! [Disc 1] - Prince

Not your usual Prince concert; mostly deep cuts and newer tracks - certainly no hits or anything to be found on this disc, at least - and some big epic funky jams. Well, that part is typical of a Prince concert, for sure!

Highlights: Strange Relationship, Muse 2 the Pharaoh, 1+1+1 is 3, When U Were Mine

7/10

One Nite Alone... Live! [Disc 2] - Prince

Less big long funky jams and more hits and whatnot. Although Prince does the best troll-job on an audience by reducing the biggest hits of the night to simply snippets in a medley. 

Highlights: Take Me With U, Everlasting Now, How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?, Family Name

7.5/10

One Nite Alone... The Aftershow: It Ain't Over! (Up Late with Prince & The NPG) (Live) - Prince

Now, this is one funky party! The aftershow gigs were pretty legendary for just being wild funk jams, and this features all sorts of funk legends popping in to get down with Prince. 

Highlights: Joy in Repetition, Peach (Xtended Jam), 2 Nigs United 4 West Compton, Everlasting Now (Vamp)

8/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1222

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2025 in 2025: Day 136

O(+> - Prince and the New Power Generation

This is probably one of my favourite Prince albums; it is not perfect, but he just went so hard with the new jack swing on this. And the funk. And the power ballad stuff. It starts off with a sermon on a mountain and just never lets up. Epic stuff. Also, Tony M gets a bad rap - he really was great on this album.

Highlights: Love 2 the 9's, My Name is Prince, The Morning Papers, Sexy M.F., 7

8/10

Obsessed - Mariah Carey

Mariah sends Eminem to the burn ward! Or something... she sure does not really sing on this like she used to; very heavy autotune and no fancy stuff. Honestly, sounds more like Lady Gaga!

Highlights: Obsessed

7.5/10

ODDINARY - Stray Kids

Fairly straight-forward big beat hip-hop K-Pop styles from these guys. And I mean that is quite different for Stray Kids; usually their stuff can get unnecessarily complicated! 

Highlights: Waiting For Us, MANIAC, Lonely St., Charmer

7/10

Odelay - Beck

I think Beck is rap for white people that pretend to like hip-hop. 

Highlights: Lord Only Knows, Where It's At, Jack-Ass, High 6 (Rock the Catskills)

7/10

Odelay [Bonus Disc] - Beck

Well this was.. pointless. Like spending my money on Beck!

Highlights: I legit could have bought a few meals instead of these Beck albums

4.5/10

Odyssey Number Five - Powderfinger

I do not have the full album - just a couple of decent songs. Which is a gawdam relief right now.

Highlights: My Happiness, My Kind of Scene

8/10

OE: Brazil - Various Artists

NZ dub and similar musicians do Brazilian style dub? Something like that, I think. So it is terrible in two countries? Just kidding - it is not that bad. Good background music, particularly the more bossa nova tracks.

Highlights: 2 4 1 - Barbatuques & Maaka Phat & P. Digsss, Embrace This Place - Funk Como le & Recloose & Tyna

5.5/10

Off The Soundboard: Live In Donington 1996 - Kiss

Reunion tour Kiss! Like most reunion tour Kiss concerts, it rocks; Gene sings like he has eaten razors, Peter drums with inconsistent tempos, Paul continues being a rockstar frontman, and Ace is Ace. I especially love the way he misses his line in Shout it Out Loud, but then jumps in and tries to make it fit. Very badly. And the beauty of being a music festival is we are talking a 90 minutes concert here - so it is just hot fire Kiss slamming it down!

Highlights: Love Gun, Black Diamond, 100,000 Years, Rock and Roll All Nite

8/10

Off The Soundboard: Live in Tokyo 2001 - Kiss

The last Kiss concert! For all of a year. The last Kiss concert with the original lineup! Except one of them got fired before the last bunch of concerts. Regardless, Eric Singer was awesome on drums and this concert kicks the big butts. Why could they not have made this Alive IV?

Highlights: Detroit Rock City, Deuce, Firehouse, Let Me Go Rock & Roll

8/10

Off the Wall - Michael Jackson

MJ with the disco fire! Take away She's Out of My Life and this would be a perfect album of banger after banger. Still a hell of a disco jam as it it.

Highlights: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Get on the Floor, Rock with You, Burn this Disco Out

8.5/10

OLest - Charisma.com

And speaking of bangers, it is everyone's favourite OL duo. Big beats, funky rhythms, catchy rapping and hooks. 

Highlights: 超絶に胸が痛んでいるあなたの上司, こんがらガール, アラサードリーミン, やれよ。

8/10

On a Day Like Today - Bryan Adams

For as much as I like Bryan Adams, this album is a bit of a weaker effort. There is a sequel of sorts to One Night Love Affair - or at least I like to think it is, because otherwise it just comes across as BA ripping himself off. And the man is way too self-aware to do that. I think maybe the whole thing is missing one of those big ballads he always seemed to pull out. Instead, outside of a few rocking tunes and that awesome duet with Melanie C, a lot of the songs are just kind of middle of the road. That duet with Melanie C sure is awesome, though.

Highlights: When You're Gone, Before the Night is Over, On a Day Like Today, Cloud Number Nine

7/10

On How Life Is - Macy Gray

I would not say no to hearing the rest of this album, but for now I will settle for only having Still in my library. Beautiful song. I still maintain that Macy Gray is the worst actor I have ever witnessed. I should watch Fuller House again...

9/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1210

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