2025 in 2025: Day 160

The Scandalous Sex Suite - Prince

Remixes of Scandalous from the Batman soundtrack. One has a big extended guitar solo, one has Kim Basinger talking like Prince is trying to mack on her.

Highlights: That big guitar solo?

6.5/10

Scary Monsters - David Bowie

80s Bowie is just a lot of fun with his oddity. And funky basslines. 

Highlights: Ashes to Ashes, Fashion, Kingdom Come, Teenage Wildlife

7/10

Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters

Is this gayest album of 2004? Turning Pink Floyd into a club dance song would certainly suggest that. The whole thing just constantly switches between Elton John doing 70s pop and late 90s club remixes. 

Highlights: Music is the Victim, Take Your Mama Out, Filthy/Gorgeous, Laura

6.5/10

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Various Artists

Super hipster indie rock all the way, but some of it is pretty good. Especially the songs performed by the bands in the movie. I would totally go to a Sex Bob-omb concert.

Highlights: We Are Sex-Bob-omb - Sex Bob-omb, Black Sheep - Metric, Teenage Dream - T-Rex, Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl - Broken Social Scene

6.5/10

Scoundrel Days - a-ha

More of the usual from these dudes, somewhat darker? It was the mid-90s, so everyone was on that kick, but it is still kind of a mature pop thing.

Highlights: Cry Wolf, Manhattan Skyline, Scoundrel Days, The Swing of Things

7/10

Scream & Shout [Single] - will.i.am

It says Britney Spears is here, but is that her doing the British speaking voice? Repetitive trash. Which could apply to almost every song by will.i.am or Britney Spears.

4/10

Sea Change - Beck

This was the album that got me interested in Beck; it is more acoustic and introspective than anything else he had released to that point, and that was the sort of thing I saw myself doing. There are some good songs, but some of it is a bit... uninteresting. All very chill. Particularly compared to his other work.

Highlights: Sunday Sun, Lost Cause, Lonesome Tears

6/10

Second Sighting - Frehley's Comet

Nothing as catchy as the debut Frehley's Comet album, but still pretty decent Ace Frehley rock album. His style never changes. And that was a good thing. RIP Ace!!!

Highlights: Insane, It's Over Now, Loser in a Fight, Juvenile Delinquent

7/10

Secret - Ayumi Hamasaki

Big beats. Big strings. Big rock guitars. Big hooks. Big ballads. Big feels. Big anthems. If I ever met an Ayu fan that did not love this album, I would be big skeptical of them. 

Highlights: Startin', Born to Be..., kiss o' kill, BLUE BIRD, Beautiful Fighters

9/10

Secret Samadhi - Live

This was Live trying to be a bit darker and edgier and just ending up being noisier and messier. And half these songs genuinely sound the same. Some really lame lyrics and even lamer guitar solos.

Highlights: Graze, Lakini's Juice, Gas Hed Goes West

6/10

SEE YOU - BiSH

Ah I missed BiSH! BiSH is OVER episode something seven? For every great month, there was a really average month. This was one of the latter.

Highlights: I am wasting my time with this marathon when I could be listening to better BiSH

6/10

Seeker Lover Keeper - Seeker Lover Keeper

Three of Australia's top indie folk women unite to make a super group of indie folk women and the result is... amazing lyrics and killer harmonies. I would say it is possibly a little underwhelming, but honestly it is pretty much what it says it is on the box. And I will always have all the heart emojis for Sarah Blasko.

Highlights: Even Though I'm a Woman, Light All My Lights, Bridges Burned, We Will Know What It Is

7/10

Send Away the Tigers - Manic Street Preachers

The most consistent rock album by the Manics. It is just straight up Summer rock, like they have been listening to ELLEGARDEN all Summer like me! Except Summer is only just beginning. And replace actual Summer lyrics with a communist manifesto.

Highlights: Your Love Alone is Not Enough, Indian Summer, The Second Great Depression, Rendition, Autumnsong

9/10

Seventeen Seconds - The Cure

Well, this sure is a change of pace. The REAL first album by The Cure. Lots of dark space and atmosphere and clean guitars.

Highlights: A Forest, Seventeen Seconds, Play For Today

7/10

SEX AND LOVE - Enrique Iglesias

Enrique and every guest artist he could find! And Pitbull just hanging around as usual. Some of this is just by the numbers, but some of it is a full on PARTY! And the ballads are pretty much all perfection.

Highlights: Bailando, There Goes My Baby, El Perdedor, Physical, Heart Attack

7/10

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

I gave a detailed review of this album waaaay back in the day! And I still maintain it is overrated.

Highlights: A Day in the Life, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, With a Little Help from My Friends, Sgt, Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1485

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2025 in 2025: Day 114

Live + 1 - Frehley's Comet
Ace and his band live - not really a lot to say. Except that I would likely rate the Greatest Hits Live album a bit higher. Oh, and the studio track is very good.
Highlights: Words Are Not Enough
7/10

Live Acoustic E.P. - Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan and a piano performing what sounds like a VERY small group of people. Nothing wrong with any of it, whatsoever.
Highlights: Building a Mystery
6.5/10

Live at Avatar Studios - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
It is all the between-song banter that I enjoy most. I would trade all the extended Grateful Dead-inspired jam endings for another few minutes of yelling out random stupid things like JIMMY HACKEYSACK and RHODA RO. I like Easy Tiger, so this is an Easy Pleaser for me. And that end solo for I Taught Myself How to Grow Old is amazing.
Highlights: I Taught Myself How to Grow Old, Goodnight Rose, Magnolia Mountain, Everybody Knows
7/10

Live at Glam Slam 1992 - Prince
This was part of the Diamonds and Pearls reissue a couple of years ago. It is a killer performance and Rosie Gaines is a the second star of the show. Prince is number one, of course. Some big long funky jams and high energy new jack swing action.
Highlights: Diamonds and Pearls, Jughead, 1999/Baby I'm a Star/Push, Cream/Well Done/I Want You/In the Socket
8/10

Live at The Apollo, Vol. II - James Brown
Bah gawd this album is just about the cold hard funkiest live album ever recorded. So many jams, I am sure everyone in the band got a couple of solos throughout. And those beats! You can not have hip-hop without sampling some of that.
Highlights: There Was a Time, Bring It Up, Sweet Soul Music, Maybe the Last Time
8.5/10

Live at the BBC - The Beatles
A very fine collection of The Beatles performing their early hits and some rock'n roll classics. It is a great showcase of how talented they were as musicians. And hilarious dudes all round, because the between-song banter is generally hilarious.
Highlights: Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby, Ticket to Ride, Matchbox, Slow Down, Honey Don't
7/10

Live at the BBC, Vol. 2 - Queen
This is a little LOGMAN collection of the extra BBC tracks found on all the reissue bonus discs. I would just get the On Air set, but I am really only missing a few now and I am sure they will be reissued in other ways. 
Highlights: We Will Rock You [Fast Version], Spread Your Wings, See What a Fool I've Been, Flick of the Wrist
8/10

Live at the Brixton Academy - Faith No More
Mike Patton sounds like he has cold or is just a terrible singer. I am guessing the latter. The funny thing is when he actually tries to sing something properly he sounds a million times better! I mean, this is just garbage. Wait - there are two bonus studio tracks? In 30 years this is my first time realising that. Perhaps even teenage LOGMAN could not make it through how bad this album was to hear them?
Highlights: The Cowboy Song
4/10

Live at the Rainbow: 31 March 1974 - Queen
More live Queen? Yes please! Especially this performance; Queen II is one of the greatest albums ever, so getting an actual concert from the tour supporting that album is great. And it is a pretty darn impressive performance - they sound absolutely massive and just nail everything.
Highlights: White Queen (As It Began), Father to Son, Ogre Battle, Son and Daughter
8/10

Live at the Rainbow: November 1974 - Queen
And Queen return some 8 months later to promote their Sheer Heart Attack album. Good for them! It is a little lacking compared to the previous show, but it is still pretty great. And boy this crowd are Jonesing for Liar the whole show. Pretty funny when Freddie just gives up trying to introduce it, because the crowd just will not stop yelling about it.
Highlights: The March of the Black Queen, Stone Cold Crazy, In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited
7.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 995

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2025 in 2025: Day 75

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

A whole bunch of super cool riffs. These dudes were the kings of the mid-00s indie rock sound... for about 6 months.

Highlights: Jazqueline, Take Me Out, Auf Achse, Michael

8/10

Freaks (Radio Edit) [Single] - Timmy Trumpet & Savage

Savage has such a rad voice. And this song is still surprisingly enjoyable.

8/10

The Freddie Mercury Album - Freddie Mercury

What better way to cash in on a rock legend's death by releasing a compilation of solo songs and remixes a year after his passing? I still remember when The Great Pretender was released and people were shook at seeing Freddie without his moustache again. 

Highlights: In My Defence (Ron Nevison Mix), Barcelona, The Great Pretender, Time (Nile Rodgers Mix), Mr. Bad Guy (Brian Malouf Mix)

8/10

FREE URSELF [Single] - Prince

I won the gamble on this one.

9/10

The Freedom Sessions - Sarah McLachlan

Very chilled - even by Sarah McLachlan standards. Mostly acoustic versions of songs that I will listen to next week? So let's see what I think of them then!

Highlights: Mary, Good Enough, Ice Cream, Ol' 55

6.5/10

Frehley's Comet - Frehley's Comet

It feels like forever since I had some Kiss, so getting some Ace is a very welcome kick after the chill-ness of most of this morning's playlist. I don't think I mentioned this last time, but the original version of Into the Night was actually in an episode of Miami Vice. They should have used the Frehley's Comet version to make the show even more perfect.

Highlights: Rock Soldiers, Into The Night, Calling to You, Stranger in a Strange Land

8/10

Freight Train Heart - Jimmy Barnes

Fun fact: American Idol's Randy Jackson played bass on half of this album - I'm guessing it was when he was part of Journey, because they played on half of this album as well. They killed it. Bah gawd Driving Wheels just has the most driving rhythm section and kicks lots of butt. This whole album does, actually. 

Highlights: Driving Wheels, Last Frontier, Walk On, Seven Days

9/10

The Freightwhaler Sessions - Freight Whaler

How does it work having the name spelt two different ways? We are unable to agree on the spelling? Are DRA fans just annoying like that? This is actually... very good.

Highlights: Bar Lights, The Ghosts are Out Tonight, Sometimes That's Hard to Do

7.5/10

Friction, Baby - Better Than Ezra

I used to have this album, but then traded it in, because it is not very good. But I kept one song - Desperately Wanting. Because it IS very good.

9/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 616

LOADED DECK (1998)

Playing cards have changed a lot since my day. No wonder no once can defeat Ace...

Another Ace Frehley compilation! This time with new songs! And more live songs!

One Plus One is a neat little simple song with a really cool guitar solo. Give It To Me Anyway has someone else singing. I think it is Richie Scarlett. He's a cool dude and this song is really fucking cool - the chorus is killer. And then it is a whole lot of awesome Ace Frehley songs like Do Ya and Shot Full of Rock.

Actually, there are only 3 previously released tracks on here. Weird.

The live songs are all quite fun. Then we get the last two Fractured instrumentals to close things out, because why not? Fractured III still owns.


Highlights:
Give It To Me Anyway, Do Ya, Shot Full of Rock, New York Groove (Live), Fractured III

Lowlights:
Not sure how many times I need to say this, but it is an Ace Frehley compilation so the only lowlight is when I realise Ace isn't coming over tonight to lay down a solo on one of my tracks



Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Paul Guitars and a thumbs up

12 PICKS (1997)

The 12 Disciples readied themselves to prove their musical worth...

An Ace Frehley compilation? Sure, why not!

This is just a bunch of Frehley's Comet songs with half a live album added to the end. Obviously, the studio cuts are awesome because they are Ace Frehley and when compiling awesome Ace Frehley songs, you end up with something awesome.

The live tracks are all from a Frehley's Comet concert in London. They are pretty decent; apart from one Frehley's Comet song, they are all Kiss tracks. Interesting approach, but then again this album was probably released to cash in on the Kiss reunion. Otherwise it probably could have just been labelled Frehley's Comet or something.


Highlights:
Like, three quarters of the album so I'm not going to list them all. It's Ace Frehley, yo!

Lowlights:
None - it's Ace Frehley, yo!



Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Paul Guitars and a thumbs up

REVENGE (1992)

Graffiti was becoming a serious problem in Kissland...

Kiss are back!

And this time Gene is opening the album? What the what?? That's normally Paul's job!

That's ok, Unholy is a pretty damn good song to open with. And Paul is straight back to his normal self with Take It Off. No guesses as to what he's singing about. The production on this album is so much tighter than anything I've heard in a while and it really suits the added attitude the songs have. Spit is pretty much Gene's best song in almost a decade. Which is then followed by God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II - the greatest song in the history of mankind. The future as well. If you plan on writing a better song, you should just give up now and watch Arrested Development because it is impossible.

Paul's voice is super awesome on this album. Heart of Chrome is a lesson in badassery, and Thou Shalt Not continues Gene's trend of being awesome again. Amazing the difference leaving the 80s behind has done for him. No more of that speed hair metal wannabe garbage - he's back to making songs that make it sound like he is going to stomp around Tokyo like Godzilla. Or maybe even battle against Godzilla in a fire breathing competition. My money's on Godzilla, but you never know what tricks Gene might be up to...

Paul serves up possibly the sappiest ballad since that sachrine mess he left on his solo album, though at least Every Time I Look at You is somewhat better. So Gene goes back to being an angry arrogant man with Paralyzed. He's quite good at that. Then Paul talks about making not so sweet love to a woman, before we are treated to a demo version of Frehley's Comet's Breakout, but with Ace's guitar work replaced by Bruce Kulick. I guess that's what he gets for doing Hide Your Heart first...


Highlights:
Spit, God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II

Lowlights:
None. Kiss rocked this shit up!!!



Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Paul Guitars

SECOND SIGHTING (1988)

This close, they always look like landscape. But nope, you're looking at balls...

Oh, more Frehley's Comet?

Sure, why not?
Because this album is nowhere near as good as the first one?
Oh, that's probably a good reason not to... but then again, it is Ace Frehley so I will.

Insane is just typical Ace coolness. Driving rock with lyrics about being awesome. That's the stuff. Dancin' with Danger has some weird spacey guitar work going on that I can't describe. It's Over Now is such a classic 80s power ballad like you wouldn't believe. I'm sitting here with my lighter out, swaying it in the air and feeling the emotion in my ripped jeans.

I'd say more, but this album is fairly much the same thing over and over. Ace's songs are awesome and typically Ace. The other dude's songs vary between awesome and smelly old pants. And then it all ends with some really weird track where Ace discusses a pro-wrestling squirrel or something. Might have been the second UFC world champion after Mr. T retired, I can't quite work it out...


Highlights:
It's Over Now

Lowlights:
Fallen Angel, not enough Ace Frehely led tracks



Verdict = 3 Smoking Les Paul Guitars

LIVE +1 (1988)

Ace and the band pleaded with the lighting guy as he tried to melt the drummer...

This is just a quick little EP from Frehley's Comet, involving 4 live songs and a new studio track. The live tracks are good if you enjoy the original versions. Which I do. Though the 4 minute drum solo in Breakout seems a little excessive. Rocket Ride's extended guitar solo is not excessive in the slightest, however. The new studio track is Words Are Not Enough and it is great. Totally should have been in a great 80s movie, like Back to the Future or something.


Highlights:
Rocket Ride [Live], Words Are Not Enough

Lowlights:
Long ass drum solo for no reason



Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Paul Guitars

FREHLEY'S COMET (1987)

The new Frehley's Comet from General Motors - available in your choice of red or blue sparkle...

Ace is back! And he told you so!!!

This time he's back with a new band, including some other dude singing lead on every second song. Ace's songs are generally better, though. Because Ace is better than everyone. Even you. Don't take it personally, it's just what he does.

Rock Soldiers is awesome and seems to just be a story of him getting high and crashing his car or something. Breakout is a track that originally started as a jam between Ace and Eric Carr. Why you would care is beyond me, but hey you are the one reading this. I probably am too. Into the Night is also awesome and features some really great lead work from Ace. Like that's new...

Calling to You sounds like it should be in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure or something. That's an awesome movie. Dolls is some strange song about how much Ace likes dolls. I'm guessing he means actual real women in general or something and not Victorian dolls. For some reason I am now picturing him sitting in an old cottage having a tea party with some Cabbage Patch Kids...

Ace then regales us with what it's like being a spaceman on Earth in Stranger in a Strange Land, before Fractured Too and then hits his rocket blasters back to outer space. Or wherever he has been since Music from 'The Elder'.

We've missed you, Ace!!!


Highlights:
Rock Soldiers, Into the Night

Lowlights:
Ace not turning dolls into a garbage pail kids tribute song



Verdict = 4  Smoking Les Paul Guitars