2025 in 2025: Day 157

Rock'n'Roll Circus - Ayumi Hamasaki

This starts out extremely dark... but quickly pivots to full on pop fun. And lots of ballads.

Highlights: RED LINE ～for TA～ [album version], Microphone, Sunrise ～LOVE is ALL～, You were...

7.5/10

Rockin' Bones: 1950s Punk & Rockabilly - Various Artists

Imagine it is Friday night and you are cruising the town in your 1957 Chevy. Not the phone. If you are not playing this collection, then you deserve to crash into an ice cream truck.

Highlights: Down on the Farm - Al Downing, Red Hot - Bob Luman, Froggy Went a Courting - Danny Dell, Sunglasses After Dark - Dwight Pullen, Duck Tail - Joe Clay, Cast Iron Arm - Peanuts Wilson

7.5/10

Rocky: Original Motion Picture Score - Bill Conti

If this does not get your blood pumping and want to take on the world, then you are dead and I am standing triumphantly on your grave with my arms in the air like Rocky.

Highlights: Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky), Going the Distance, The Final Bell, Butkus

8/10

Rocky Balboa: The Best of Rocky - Various Artists

As the title suggests, this is a best of the Rocky soundtracks/score - used in Rocky Balboa. Which is one of the greatest entries in the Rocky franchise. Which also is a way to sum up this album. All great songs connected by inspirational dialogue from the movies. I am a champion!

Highlights: Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky), Going the Distance, Redemption (Theme from Rocky II), It's a Fight - Three 6 Mafia

8/10

Rocky II: Music by Bill Conti - Bill Conti

Gonna Fly Now gets a bit more funkified, and the rest is not as exceptional as the first film.

Highlights: Redemption (Theme from Rocky II), Gonna Fly Now, Conquest, All of My Life

7/10

Rocky III: Original Motion Picture Score - Various Artists

Less of a score and more of a proper soundtrack, with Frank Stallone providing half the songs. And they are kind of disco pop. In 1982. Kind of reminds me of The A-Team a little.

Highlights: Eye of the Tiger - Survivor, Gonna Fly Now - Bill Conti, Conquest - Bill Conti, Pushin' Frank Stallone

7/10

Rocky IV: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Various Artists

Bill Conti has been replaced by the man who did the score for The Transformers: The Movie. I would like to hear his full score. Instead we get a fun super 80s compilation, with such luminaries as James Brown, Go West and Kenny Loggins. Take that, communism!

Highlights: War/Fanfare from Rocky - Vince DiCola, Training Montage - Vince DiCola, Living in America - James Brown, No Easy Way Out - Robert Tepper

8/10

Rocky V: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture - Various Artists

Things go deeper in to mainstream music with a full on compilation of 1990 hip-hop. We get some Rob Base, Joey B. Ellis and the man himself, MC Hammer! And an Elton John ballad to round things off, I guess? How did nothing from this album make the cut for the Rocky Balboa soundtrack?

Highlights: That's What I Said - MC Hammer, Feel My Power - MC Hammer, Go For It! (Heart and Fire) - Joey B. Ellis, The Measure of a Man - Elton John

7/10

Romeo + Juliet: Music from the Motion Picture - Various Artists

I do not have the full album - I grabbed my favourite songs from this off my friend's CD. In 2024, I would have ripped the full CD. In November 2025, I would have taken one song less. Is this the strangely-sexiest song by Garbage ever?

Highlights: #1 Crush - Garbage, Local God - Everclear, Lovefool - The Cardigans, You and Me Song - The Wannadies

8/10

Romeo Must Die: The Album - Various Artists

Jet Li's first Hollywood leading role. Which meant teaming up with modern hip-hop and R&B superstars. Because hip-hop dudes appreciate martial arts. 

Highlights: It Really Don't Matter - Confidential, Swung On - Stanley Clarke, We At It Again - Timbaland, Try Again - Aaliyah

7/10

The Rookie: Music From the Motion Picture - Various Artists

This is just a song called In My Time of Need by Ryan Adams. I may have this elsewhere? Probably a different version. Because LOGMAN has all the versions of everything like a moron.

6/10

Room Service - Bryan Adams

BA recording an album in a hotel while on tour just to prove he can. And it is mostly upbeat pop rock, so clearly he was staying in nice hotels. Or he was getting the kind of "room service" his buddies Kiss were singing about on Dressed to Kill...

Highlights: She's a Little Too Good for Me, Not Romeo Not Juliet, Room Service, Right Back Where I Started From

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1452

FREE PALESTINE

UWF Fury Hour: Episode 6

UWF Fury Hour Episode 6, 5th November 1990

TONIGHT! Billy Jack vs Ken Patera battle to determine THE MASTER OF THE FULL NELSON

Oooh the intro has been updated - now we've got a Rocky-inspired theme song, complete with 'fighting' montages! Along with some random photos of Hollywood scenery.

Herb and Bruno are here! Tonight we have the Kings of the Full Nelson! Plus the usual wrestlers and THE VIKING!!!

'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff vs Gary Keys
Some dude is holding up a Four Horseman sign and I can't help but imagine a world where Ric Flair bailed on WCW a year earlier and turned up in UWF to battle Paul Orndorff. 

Winner = 'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff via piledriver

Orndorff talks about Dr. Death jumping him from behind. Did that happen? I thought they had a match that ended with a bullshit double count-out.

'Chief' Jay Strongbow vs Cactus Jack
Strongbow's entrance music is less Native American and more Japanese sounding. But he is also less Native American and more Italian American, so whatever. Herb says Strongbow showed his his teepee - and it's a big one! Bruno is just like 'What the fuck are you talking about?!?'. Strongbow's "war dance" is hilariously bad; less Native American war dance, more kid trying to kick ants out of his pants. Wait - my episode is cut! I don't have the end of the match!!

Winner = Logman via not having to watch the whole thing

'Cowboy' Bob Orton vs Michael Moore
Herb immediately lets us know that Orton will easily win. Shocker! Orton hits his top-rope suplex and Herb goes absolutely nuts.

Winner = 'Cowboy' Bob Orton via superplex

Herb wants to see him do that to Orndorff. Biased jerk! I thought you supported the good guys??

Nikita says he hasn't liked what's been happening in professional wrestling until he saw UWF - because these people wrestle! Tell that to 'Chief' Jay Strongbow vs Cactus Jack!

Captain Lou's Corner
Today, Captain Lou Albano is 'live' in the middle of the ring. HOLY SHITBALLS IT'S ANDRE THE GIANT!!!

He came here because the UWF is the best in the world. OK. Andre is confused and thinks UWF stands for U Want to Fight?

THE VIKING!!! and his plastic hammer have "a message for Mr. X and Mr. B: I'll be back!". Dude, where are you going??

THE VIKING vs Kevin Benjamin
Herb and Bruno can't get over Andre the Giant coming out to say "Hi". Who cares, now that THE VIKING is here?!? THE VIKING is so far ahead of the times that Bruno doesn't even know what moves he's doing!

Winner = THE VIKING via murder

The doctor has to come out again, but this time THE VIKING is all 'this guy needs to be killed more to make it worth your time' and drops some more elbows. THE VIKING is the best!

David Sammartino vs Riki Ataki
Apparently, David came out earlier to help 'The Chief' against Cactus Jack - so that's all I missed. Herb mentions Ataki hasn't won a match in the UWF - no shit, he's a jobber and you guys make it VERY clear at the start of each match that he sucks. Poor David; his Dad is so interested in his match that instead of giving him glowing commentary he is choosing to argue with Herb about the main event.

Winner = David Sammartino via figure four boredom

Andre the Giant says we will see a lot of him here in the UWF. Spoiler: we will never see him again.

Billy Jack Haynes vs Ken Patera
Bruno thinks they are under-reporting Patera's weight. I mean, there's no weight clases, so who cares?!? Bruno does - that's who! In a complete surprise, this is the slowest and most boring match ever until Billy Jack Haynes beats up the referee for reasons.

Winner = Ken Patera via disqualification

Ken Patera teases getting back in the ring for 5 more minutes, but he already won the match so he goes home instead.

Next week: Billy Jack Haynes will rematch Colonesl DeBeers. The black referee wants to another chance to call this match. I smell screwball antics.

Thoughts:

• Andre the Giant was a hell of a get. Shame Vince cut him off on that.
• THE VIKING
• We got our first meeting of this guy:
  
  
  

UWF Fury Hour: Episode 5

UWF Fury Hour Episode 5, 29th October 1990

Tonight we get Koloff vs Koloff. As someone that has been watching 5 years of NWA/WCW over the last 15 months, I can safely say I am familiar with this story.

Herb and Bruno are looking forward to the main event - Herb is hoping the chain doesn't get brought in to the ring. FOREBODING?!?!

The Viking makes his debut tonight! Will he live up to the hype? The hype being me telling myself this dude is going to be bad.

Billy Jack Haynes vs Gary Keys?
Bruno likes Billy Jack Haynes' wrestling style. I used to as well!

Winner = Billy Jack Haynes via Full Nelson

Where's Davey Meltzer when you need him?

Trailer for Rocky V.
I'm trying to skip the ads today, because with us being in lockdown and me trying to catch up on a whole bunch of episodes, I have limited time to watch this nonsense. But I'll always stop the fast forward for some Rocky.

Ken Patera vs Riki Ataki
Herb gets me excited by hyping a future battle for the "Master of the Full Nelson" feud with Billy Jack Haynes. So exciting and never done before! Bruno completely writes off Ataki by comparing his wrestling to Bruno's opera career. Ouch!

Winner - Ken Patera via Full Nelson

'The Golden Greek' John Tolos is the manager of The Bounty Hunter. He references Dan Spivey - so is The Bounty Hunter just Dan Spivey? Why does he need to wear a mask to defeat B. Brian Blair, when Spivey had been smashing Blair on every episode??

'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff vs Matt Starr
Orndorff is aparently America's hero or something? He has U Can't Touch This as his entrance theme, so he actually should be. Dude is legit the most over guy on the roster.

Winner = Paul Orndorff via Piledriver

'Killer Bee' B. Brian Blair vs The Bounty Hunter
John Tolos repeats his earlier promo in front of the crowd. Herb is offended, but then follows Tolos' lead by calling B. Brian Blair "Bumblebee" without even a hint of irony. Blair has a new manager - a woman named 'Honey' - and she's carrying some bizarre weapon type of thing.

Which leads to Bruno and Herb arguing about what type of weapon it is. For the whole match. As the match progresses, it becomes less likely The Bounty Hunter is Dan Spivey, because I don't think even Spivey is this terrible.

Winner = B. Brian Blair via shenanigans

The Golden Greek stomps on The Bounty Hunter for losing. Dude has standards - deal with it. He gets on the mic and completely buries The Bounty Hunter some more, and then can't even get his name right. He then recommends Blair get some therapy for his buzzing. Now he's bragging about his "stable"; my man, the only wrestler you are associated with is The Bounty Hunter and you just told us he is the biggest loser in the world.

THE VIKING vs The Patriot
ZOMG THE VIKING IS CARRYING A PLASTIC HAMMER.

I'm fucking dying here. Unlike The Patriot, who is fucking dead already.

Winner = The Viking via murder

I have a new favourite wrestler. And it's not The Patriot.

A doctor comes in to stretcher out The Patriot's lifeless corpse. You know he's a legit doctor, because he's wearing a white coat and carrying a black bag.

Captain Lou's Corner
Today's guest is Ivan Koloff. Albano asks how he and Nikita are getting along. Do you not watch the fucking show?? As always, Captain Lou tells his guest he respects him and his skills but can't respect the bad things he is doing. Which only pisses Ivan off more.

'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff is here to beat the greatest competition and be champion.

Ken Patera says he has beaten the best and always comes out number one. Except for when he fought Bruno. And Hulk Hogan. And Dino Bravo. And every fucking person.

Nikita Koloff vs Ivan Koloff
We're blowing off this feud pretty quick? Ivan beats the snot out of Nikita for a bunch. Nikita makes a comeback... and guess what happens next:

Time-limit draw

The Koloffs continue to fight outside the ring.

Herb tells us this was an awesome show. The Viking sure was!

Thoughts:

• Another relatively fun show
• Ken Patera is hilariously terrible
• THE VIKING!!!

LIVE TO WIN (2006)

Paul Stanley's career as a wax dummy was proving to be very lucrative...

Paul Stanley is back with his first solo album in almost 20 years!

And it's mostly kinda average. Not bad or anything, but nothing outstanding. The title track was pretty cool when it was on South Park. Lift and Wake Up Screaming both have a problem, where the music sounds like a cross between Hoobastank and Evanescence, while the vocals sound like Paul is singing on a Michael Bolton album or something. It's a weird juxtaposition that doesn't quite work. Everytime I See You Around is a pretty cool little semi-power ballad and Bulletproof is listenable. All About You is an example of where Paul lets his balls hang out and rocks the party.

Second to None is a box of cheese. Paul really likes these cheesy love songs. And then it's just more cheese, whether it rocks or is soft. I don't mind cheese - in fact, I quite enjoy it. But for some reason, the obvious nature of these songs just doesn't rock me. It all sounds the same.

If I want a Creed album, I'll listen to Creed.

The band, not the movie. Though I'd prefer the movie.
The trailer rocks and I'm really looking forward that film. Might have to do a Rocky marathon to get in the mood...


Highlights:
All About You, Reminding myself to buy my ticket to see Creed

Lowlights:
Loving You Without You Now - what the fuck does that title even mean???



Verdict = 3 Smoking Les Paul Guitars