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 Never turn your back on a friend by Budgie

My first encounter with Budgie was in the late 80′s while at college. My classmate knowing I was a hard core fan of the band Rush plays me a cassette full of assorted songs asking me to identify Rush. I jumped to the challenge. After a couple of songs the distinctive vocals of Geddy Lee confirmed to me it was Rush. But to my amazement I was wrong! Rush’s song was further down the list and instead I was staring at the cover of the cassette reading a song by the band Budgie. In fact on that cassette Budgie’s song sounded better than Rush’s.

Almost two decades later I am looking at Roder Dean’s artwork and I realise he also did work on several of Budgie’s albums. Our of sheer curiosity I check one of their hits, “Breadfan” and I dumbfounded with that similarity of the Geddy Lee like vocals and the sound. I dive into Budgie’s music and all I can get are gems. I am not surprised that so many heavy metal bands were covering their songs. Metallica, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, all heavy metal giants covering their songs, amazing!

Both Budgie and Rush were three member bands. In both the bands the lead vocals were offered by the bassist. In their early days members of Budgie even looked like the members of Rush. Both Geddy Lee (bassist/lead vocalist) of Rush and Burke Shelley (bassist/lead vocal) wore large rimmed glasses. However unlike Geddy Lee, Burke’s voice would eventually change over the years into a more coarser sound.

Budgie was one of the earliest of the heavy metal bands inspiring dozens of others including Metallica and The Melvins.

Released in 1973, Never turn your back on a friend was their third album. Roger Dean’s artwork on the cover of the album is impressive. Apart from Burke the other members of the band on this album are Ray Phillips on drums and Tony Bourge on lead guitar.

Now for a review of the songs.

1. Breadfan- The riff at the beginning is sure to impress you. No wonder bands such as Metallica covered it. Just  do a search on YouTube  for “Breadfan” and there are more Metallica videos covering this song than Budgie. Burke’s voice sounds more childish than Geddy Lee.  The singing style also strongly reminded me of the ubiquitous “Venkateswara Suprabatham”, a classical piece by India’s very own M.S Subbulakshmi. You could easily fool someone this was an early Rush song.

2. Baby, please don’t go- A cover of Big Joe Williams’ original song. What incredible bass playing and lead guitar work with Ray providing all the terrific drum support he can. Again very much Geddy Lee like vocals.

3. You know I’ll always love you – Lovely acoustic number with beautiful lyrics, sung so well. A small song compared to the rest but offering a nice break in between the heavier numbers.

4. You’re the biggest thing since powdered milk – The  second longest song after Parents.  Starts with a brisk solo from till 1:43 min. The line “Oh it helps/hurts me when I cry….” is really moving. At 5.20 just after the lovely solo with thundering bass comes a riff like Deep Purple‘s Pictures of Home but lovely in Budgie’s own original style; incredible bass and guitar work.

5. In the grip of a tyrefitter’s hand – Great bass playing. You are reminded of a a Tony Iommi’s solo at 3 min, and at 5 min. The song has some great riffs, bass lines and again, you could easily fool someone this was Rush.

6. Riding my nightmare- Another lovely acoustic number to soothe the brain after the heavy dose of exciting stuff you heard before, sung well.

7. Parents- There are no shortage of anthems when it comes to Budgie and here’s the anthem of this album and an incredible anthem to conclude. The incredible lines, sweet and innocent lyrics and one of the best I’ve heard about school and kids since “Need no education” from Pink Floyd and “School” from Supertramp. 

The lines of the song -

When I was a little boy,
They would say to me,
Don’t go in the world and play,
It’s bad company.
All the had was child and faith,
Let them grow and let them wait,
Just to find what it was to be free.

But now I’m over twenty one
Growing up I’ve had my fun
And I know it’s got to be.
Baby lying in a womb,
Are you free or in a tomb?
Let me in,I feel I want to cry.
Oh the road is there,
Oh that road is there,
Come on back,back!

Wash Your hands and up to bed,
Mind your manners or your dead,
Mind the cars cos you’ve got school on monday.
Put my trus in god
Who is he I know not what
Something mummy said to me one sunday.
Maybe love is life but life is not
something I need plenty of.

Oh I wished I’d never lived a day,
now there’s no one near me now,
tell me what to do and how.
Take me,let me sing my cares away!
Oh that road is there,
Oh that road is there,
Come on back,back!

Wash your hands and up to bed,
Mind your manners or your dead,
mind the cars cos you’ve got school on monday.

Black ik black and white is white,
Witch to choose and witch is right,
Guide me to a place where I was stay,
Wrap me up and keep me warm,
Hide myself far from the storm,
Sleep and love will keep my mind at rest.
Only now I realise why my parents had to try,
Love you all and keep you all my life.
Oh that road is there,
Oh the road is there,
Come on back,back!

The line – “come on back” is sung beautifully. Song comes with terrific solos from Tony and with the sounds of the wailing birds in the background towards the end of the song lends it a very unique creative touch.

All the songs from the album can be  listened to on YouTube. Enjoy this great album!

I need to claim great-anonymous-albums.com on Technorati, the blog directory and so I am doing so by including the short code they have asked me to incude on a new post.

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Desert Rain by Indian Ocean

This is my first live album review and it feels great that I am reviewing an album by a band from India.

Honestly the cover of the album sucks but I was in for a treat when I listened to the music. As of this writing one of the original band mates Asheem Chakravarty who used to play the Tabla, percussion and offer his vocals is no longer alive.

This is the  debut album of one of India’s premier rock bands. They were fortunate to have their DAT recorder switched on while playing live on New Year’s Day 1997 at The SAHMAT concert at Mandi House, Delhi. The recording has become a record of sorts as there was no company to promote or sell the album. A company had to be formed to do so.

One gripe is the not-so-perfect quality of the recording. Another gripe is the singing which is more of the chant and bhajan type. However the singing has improved considerably over the subsequent albums. However the originality and the beauty fo the music is undeniable.

At the time of this recording the band comprised Rahul Ram on bass and vocals, Susmet Sen on guitar, Aseem Chakravarty on Tabla, percussion and vocals and Amit Kilam on drums and percussion.

Now a review of the songs -

Boll Weevil – 5.20 – Bass starts the song with tabla and guitar joining in soon. Drums join in and the song moves on beautifully.  Susmet takes over and smoothly guides the guitar beautifully. At 2min.08sec vocals are heard and we are back with the music at 3.59 till its completion.

Desert rain – 5.36 – I wonder if it is the jew’s harp at the beginning or some other traditional Indian. Little singing and lyrics resembling more of chanting.  Susmet does his bit on the guitar. Could have been a better song if only the singing was better with more lyrics than chants.

Euphoria – 6.02 – Till 2.35 till the vocals interrupt this is a beautiful song; some drums and percussion join in with the vocals and they go on for a while till u get sick of it; at 4.13 vocals disappear and we are back to the music. Again Susmet shines on his guitar.

From the ruins – 7.59 – Begins with a sad and dark music being played by guitar joined by bass. Susmet’s guitar playing is beautiful. At 3.49 the irritating vocals commence, this time chanting Hari Om and Sanskrit slokas; more drums heard during this time and beyond. At 6;10 vocals stops and we are back to the music with some more sloka shouting towards the end.

Going to Ito – 3.33 – Smallest of the songs but beautiful with lovely bass and guitar play and very little vocal.

Melancholic Ecstacy (7.58) - True to its name the song is a gem. The longest of the album at almost 8  minutes and Susmet lets the guitar sing and it is joy to listen to such a beautiful composition. You’ll be amazed at just what the guitar, tabla and bass can do. At 4 min the pace changes and quickens. Drums joins only sporadically but from 6 min onwards it can be heard more prominently. 

Village Damsel 6.49 – Begins as a cheerful number.  At 2.00 min singing starts. I think the language is Bengali (correct me if I am wrong). At 3.25 it is back to the music and vocals and then vocals gradually giving away to the music with Rahul’s bass taking the limelight. Music reminded me of Ananda Shankar’s instrumentals too.

My only complaint with the engineering behind the album is the quality of the recording which could have been made better.  A little re-mastering would have bettered the recording in a long way.

You can listen to the album for free here at hummaa.

If you are a hardcore of the band, Dire Straits can you say if you have listened to all their studio albums? If you think you have, think again. Can you recall some songs like “Twisting by the pool” and  ”Two young lovers”? And did you wonder where those songs came from?

Dire Straits did release an EP (Extended Play), LP record (predecessor to the cassette) called ExtendedancePlay (read that slowly). The UK release had 3 songs on it and the U.S version 4. The songs, “Twisting by the pool”, “Two Young lovers”, “Badges, Posters, T-shirts” and Stickers” and this sweet number called “If I had You”. Songs from this album were rarely played live but they appear on compilation and hits albums. Wikipedia says it is called ExtendedancEPlay. When I heard it in 1988 on a cassette tape it was an album called Twisting by the pool which according to Wikipedia was also how the album was called after the first song on the album.

 Check out this beautiful sweet song with the usual hooks, licks and the typical sounds of the keys from Mark Knopfler and his band.

“Guitar for Mortals” by Adrian Legg

Time flies. I didn’t know it would take such a long time to write another review. Anyway here it is, a review of one of the most beautiful acoustic albums I have ever listened to, Guitar for Mortals by Adrian Legg. The beauty of the album is that it sounded so refreshingly different from the acoustic albums I had listened to until then.

Those were the days, late 1997 to early 1998 at Woodlands in Singapore. I was lucky to have rented a portion of the house of Sajeev, a businessman and salesman who sold HiFi equipment for a living. What more could I ask!  Though I wasn’t impressed by the array of systems at his house the YAMAHA AV amplifier was more than I could ask for to play music.  He had a bunch of acoustic guitar albums and  some of them can get very boring but there was this one CD that I refused to sample, Guitar for Mortals  by Adrian Legg. Maybe it was because it didn’t have  impressive album art like the others did or maybe because I didn’t know the guitarist, Adrian Legg.

My curiosity got the better of me and one day when I played it I was rendered speechless. I wondered why I hadn’t picked the album before. I hadn’t listened to such beautiful notes and tunes from a purely acoustic album in a very long time. The more you listen the more the album grows on you. After this first listen this would be the only CD I would choose to play for many evenings after work. Many a time I would just close my eyes and enter into another beautiful world of calm. This is a great album if you are listening alone beside the fireplace, or beside a window when it is raining outside, in the woods or in a place of calm and serenity.

Unlike my previous reviews in this review I’ll focus only on the good numbers or should I say the numbers I rate good.

This following are the songs in the playlist I would normally play each time I listen to this album.

Coging’s Glory – Nice quick opener. Sometimes I do leave this song out and go with the rest but it is a nice one.

Netsman and the Laird – A beautiful song filled with delightful tunes. The guitar is played very differently and the tunes are bright, lovely, haunting and sad at the same time. This song hooked me.

Mrs. Jack’s Last Stand – The song that blew me away.  I am sure it will do the same to you too if this is the first song you listen from the album. On Amazon.com I read one lovely review where someone driving began to hear it play on the car-stereo and actually got off the road and parked the car to the side to listen to it. I am not surprised why.

Nanci -  I don’t recall if this song was about a girl but Adrian has written notes on each of these songs on the CD. This is another beautiful song but I wished it could have been shorter.

After the gig - Guitar tunes sound very similar to tunes from music from India but the feeling is lovely, one of haunting and strong nostalgia. The notes and tunes are simply incredible.

Pieta -  Another favourite on the album the guitar literally sings on this one with such beautiful tunes. I was happy it was a longer song. Again a sad sounding, nostalgic instrumental giving you all those lovely thoughts of yesterday. 

Anu – A lovely concluder to the playlist.

Seven Year Ache and Candle in Notre Dame are slow and good songs but I rarely put them in the playlist.  Of the 12 songs on the album I find myself listening to the six I have mentioned earlier.  The CD is still worth buying as other reviewers have liked songs that I have left out in my review.

By the way Adrian plays an Ovation guitar on this album which is also featured on the cover of the CD. If you haven’t seen any of the Ovation guitars I must tell that they are a sight to behold. They are beautifully made.

Adrian has received praise from other guitarists notably Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, both heavy-metal guitarists and shredders.  Wikipedia.org reports the following. Adrian Legg shared the stage with acclaimed guitar experts Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson and Steve Vai as part of the G3 tour. Vai called Legg “Uncle Adrian” and Satriani said of Legg’s musicianship “He’s simply the best acoustic guitar player I’ve ever heard. I don’t know anyone else who can create such a cascade of beautiful notes… Adrian plays like he’s got hammers for fingers.”  How perfectly said.

If you haven’t listened to Adrian before I am sure this album is going to be come as a very sweet surprise.

The only annoying thing on the album are sharp notes that sound so sharp that they can sound a bit harsh on your ears.   To solve this problem ensure you reduce the treble and increase the bass on your amplifier.

While I am still tweaking my next review I thought I could fill in the void with a review of some other rare but worthwhile and interesting music. This also happens to be my first review of a single.  After I watched Frijid Pink’s version of The Animals hit, “House of the Rising Sun” I couldn’t help including it here. From Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A, Frijid Pink were a blues and hard rock band and their version of the popular song was released 5 years after the version from The Animals. It rose to No.7 and made the band instantly popular in the U.S and even more popular in Europe. The song has been done differently from what the The Animals did. It had a more heavy metal and rockier sound. Singing and lead guitar work were more on the lines of hard rock than the softer version The Animals made.

What is really interesting is that on Wikipedia it is reported Frijid Pink was so popular during this time that Led Zepplin, then, a fledging band from the remains of The Yardbirds opened for them in concert.

The original line-up soon disintegrated with vocalist Tom Beaudry and guitarist Gary Ray Thomson departing. New members joined the band but Frijid Pink never saw success like they did when they made their version ”House of the Rising Sun”.  They remain a one-hit wonder.

“Camarade Coma” by Megaphone Ou La Mort

Once in a while I am contacted by members of a band who have been reading my blog and it makes me feel happy that there are readers who appreciate the thing I am doing via great-anonymous-albums.com. I return the favour by reviewing their music.

Megaphone Ou La Mort is a five piece band from Spain.  They call themselves “a multicultural rock band”. This is evident from the lyrics of the songs as they are both in English and French. Though I cannot understand the French lyrics the music and tunes speak for themselves.  Another reason why I jumped to listen to their music was the use of twin lead guitars. Though not on the lines of the pioneers of the technique by progressive rock band Wishbone Ash, I am open to listen to any band that uses twin-lead guitars.

And although I have a criteria for including album reviews here I do think Megaphone Ou La Mort deserve a break for the music they make. I was blown by the freshness of their sound and music. I couldn’t help playing some of their songs in a loop on the first listen. Most of the songs are short and sweet with only one exceeding the five minute mark. As for their sound I would say they are a mix of U2′s harmonies and the freshness of The Arctic Monkeys but Megaphone Ou La Mort have an identity of their own.

Now for the detailed review of the songs.

1. La Poésie du Travail- A good opener showcasing the skills of vocalist John Martinez and the the instrumentalists, Fer Marti on bass, Sergio Sorace on drums (like the drummer of The Arctic Monkeys, he uses only one Tom, check the video link below) and Diego and Correcto on guitars.

2. Pina Pellicer – Not as impressive as the opener but a quicker small song doesn’t hurt.

3.  Nuit Sans Nuances - Acoustic number reminding me sometimes of the chords of “Kiss Me” by the band Sixpence none the richer. 

4.  Cherie – Lovely song, sounds like U2′s “I will follow” but can I say, “Even Better than the U2 song”? Loved the bass, drums and guitars on this one.

5. Sunday Kid- My favourite from the album for its lovely guitar(s) solo. It starts sounding like “Love song” by 311 but then you know soon it is a Megaphone Ou La Mort original. Diego and Correcto shine here with a beautiful guitar piece. The guitar solo is so lovely I couldn’t help playing the song over and over again after the very first listening. Lead solo also did remind me of the harmony of the lead guitar on Toad and the Wet Rocket’s “All I want” and the heavier and stronger guitar lead in the song “My Coco” from Stella Star but Megaphone Ou La Mart’s solo is impressive in its own way. John’s singing was lovely too and so was the bass and drums support from Fer Marti and Sergio Sorrace. Loved the way John sang the line ”…please forgive this young man’s soul….”.

6. Party Doll – Liked the line “love me for my mind” in this song.

7. Dolce Vita - Lively song with a nice rhythm and I am reminded heavily of Eddy Grant’s guitars on his song “Boys in the street”.

8. ESQUISSE D´UN HOMME PRÉCAIRE- The longest song but it does get my approval for a good ballad even though it is not in English. I am reminded of the bass and rythm of A R Rahman’s song ”Ada” for the movie “Taj Mahal” but then again this is another Megaphone Ou La Mort original.

9. Le Garçon Rêvé – Another acoustic number with violin used along with the guitar.

10. Wasted – A mini guitar solo is laced in-between with more licks and techniques towards the end.

11. City Song- A touch of sadness, with the violin (or is it the guitar made to sound like the violin) and another notable song. I am reminded of Bono’s singing here but again John Martinez’s vocal is not a copy of the U2 front-man.

12. Lutter- An Ok number to conclude. The YouTube video of the song is here.

I certainly expected more music from the instrumentalists but let us wait and see what they have to offer in the next album that Megaphone Ou La Mart has planned in 2010.

You may download the full album using the link http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CKW85REO

or if you don’t have the time to download listen to the best of the album here at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Megaphone-ou-la-mort/55495315700?ref=ts

The recording of the album is good. One thing I noticed is a postman’s bicycle like bell like sound that you can hear. Wonder if it is part of the percussion but I clearly thought my postman was ringing his bell.

Megaphone Ou La Mort is certainly no U2 clone like the band Coldplay and certainly deserve a listen.

Osibisa

After they first came to Chennai 25 years ago, for a second time , Osibisa rocked Chennai, on Sunday, November 22′nd and it is only fitting I write a review of their self-titled debut album, the album and the band that gave the world, World Music. Unlike their previous concert where so much advertising took place months before their concert, this time ads were confined to just the leading newspaper from South India, The Hindu. The concert also took place in a much smaller venue as compared to the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium as in the previous case. My reviews of the concert are on my personal blog are can be found by clicking this link.

It would be a very poor understatement if I or we were to label Osibisa as an Afro-pop band. With a steady dose of elements of rock, jazz and traditional African sounds and voices Osibisa were a creed apart from the material we are normally used to listening from the band.

Listening to their older albums and in particular their debut you even wonder why music as this wasn’t categorized under the Progressive rock genre. Filled with guitar, keyboard and percussion solos this is a music that must have taken listeners by surprise when they first heard it way back in 1971. But unlike the typical doom, gloom, frustration, depression, rebellion or bizzare feeling as in the music of many of the progressive rock and rock bands Osibisa’s music is nothing but happy vibes. This is the case with many other African bands and artistes I have heard. Get the most stubborn audience and Osibisa will get them on their feet and they will be clapping, swaying and dancing to the music in no time. 

Osibisa, the debut album may be new to many listeners but on the Billboard Hot 200 they rank at #55.

Now for a song by song review.

1.  The Dawn – There can never be a more fitting opener to Osibisa’s music than this song from their debut album. This is the song that gave the world the infamous bass-drum sound so typical of Osibisa and their African music. Osibisa has always opened their concerts with this number mentioning the meaning of “Osibisa” as “Criss cross rythms that explode with happiness”. Keyboard, guitar and flute solo’s fill the song.

2.  Music for Gong Gong – Imagine a trumpet-saxophone instrumental from an African band in the Top of the Pops. That is what this instrumental is all about.  There are very few who don’t want to be up and dancing for this number. Lovely saxophone solo by Teddi and the keyboardist and the percussionists and bassist support the song brilliantly. The percussionists perform their trademark solo that is so much a part of Osibisa’s live concerts in style. Check out how the bassisst joins in after the combined solo from the percussionists. Simply beautiful.

3.  AiKo Biya – Another huge concert favorite. This one’s bass-drum pattern and the ones of the first two songs have been heavily imported into several movie songs in Indian movies by Indian composers. Lovely guitar solo from Dell Richardson followed by a trumpet solo. A lovely percussion solo from the percussionists ensue and conclude the song.

4.  Akwaaba – Song may sound to start in the vein of the earlier songs but somewhere in the middle check out how the song breaks from its original tune to let Dell Richardson play a beautiful guitar solo.

5.  Oranges – If you liked trumpet and horn sections in bands that play them then this is your song. Teddy plays a a lovely saxophone solo.  Has a nice guitar solo too from Dell Richardson. Mostly an instrumental with occassional chanting of “Oranges”

6.  Phallus C – More jazzier, first comes the sax solo, then the lovely guitar solo with the beautiful drum beat in the foreground and keyboardist providing the required support. Seriously I wonder how people could label Osibisa as just Afro-pop. One listen to this number and they are going to correct themselves. When the guitar solo ends the percussionists go for it one more time. Simply brilliant.

7.   Think About the people – Not the best concluding song but reveals Osibisa’s versatility in making different types of songs, this one on social issues. Slow bass starts the song and keyboardist shows of his skills along the way but this song has more singing and lyrics this time. I would consider this song only as a filler.

Since their objective were happy vibes, the focus was not on soloing though the members could get pretty serious when it came to solos.

I also read on Wikipedia that though their music has been used and sampled by other artistes Osibisa has received little or no royalties. For years we have been wathching programmes on Indian Television channels heavily use their music. I wonder if these shows even know whose music they have been using let alone pay royalties.

And lastly not to forget the incredible artwork of Roger Dean that has further added to the artistic beauty of the band. Roger has been the official artist for most of Osibisa’s albums.

If you appreciate world music or listen to a lot of progressive rock, Osibisa will be a breath of fresh air. Never miss them.

For 40 years Osibisa has been rocking and are currently on tour. Thanks to a a tenacious Teddy Osei who got a new lineup along with old members to tour again.

The artistes on the album – Teddy Osei (Tenor Sax, Flute, Africal Drums, Vocals), Sol Aarfio (Drums), Mac Tontoh (Trumpet, Flugehorn, Kabasa), Wendell Richardson (Lead Guitar, Vocals), Spartacus (bass guitar, assorted percussion), Robert Bailey (Organ, Piano, Timbales), Loughty Asisi Amao (Congas, Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax).

“Elegant Gypsy” by Al Dimeola

Phew! Finally a review after quite SOME time.

The striking cover of the beautiful girl in the black gypsy attire and Al DiMeola in his attactive black vest and white shirt, sporting the lovely black Gibson (there’s another and better picture in the inner sleeve or backside of the CD) were the reason I picked up the CD at the MBH music store in Singapore but as I tried the CD out there was no way I was going to leave the store without buying it. The music on the CD was simply mind-blowing though it had just 6 songs on it.

Al was a prodiguous guitarist ever since he picked up the instrument. Too good for his age he had to leave his early band for want of more challenging music-playing. He later joined the reknowned Berkley School of Music where his extended hours of practicing were legendary. No wonder he was recruited at such a young age into Chick Corea’s “Return to forever” with whom he did two classic albums before beginning to record his own.

Released in 1977, “Elegant Gypsy” was Al’s second solo album and one that you musn’t miss. Typical of his guitaring, “Elegant Gypsy” featuring crisp, clear playing with Al producing a wide gamut of tunes on his guitar at varying speeds. I always thought Al had some of the strongest guitar playing hands. Though “Elegant Gypsy” won an annual award for the Best Guitar Album from Guitar Player Magazine and is also considered one of the largest selling guitar albums it is relatively unknown and less heard today.

Another reason why this CD is special is because of the talented musicians on the album besides Al DiMeola, particularly Jan Hammer on Synthesizer and Keyboards, Steve Gadd and Lenny White on drums and Paco De Lucia, the classical guitarist.

1. Flight over Rio – What a brilliant way to start the album. Filled with latino rythms, great licks and fantastic accompaniment from the supporting artistes this is a great opener.

2. Midnight Tango – By the time I heard this beautiful song I had already made up my mind that this CD would be mine. I also used this song while trying out my YAMAHA mini system at the Plaza Singapura in Singapore in early 1997. The reason I write this is because the sales guys were so moved with this song they were enquiring about the artiste on the CD. At 2.5 min the song changes pace and from the slow ballet opening but still very listenable. After 6 minutes there is a small yet beautiful drums/Bongos solo from the percussionists.

3. Midnight Tango – A duet with veteran classical great Paco De Lucia that’s out of this world. Al plays the acoustic guitar at blazing speeds where I was convinced that one could play acoustic guitar faster than the fingerpicking style of the classical guitarists. While speaking to Guitar Prassanna, a fine guitarist from Chennai (now living in Boston and who incidentally also went to Berklee School of Music) playing Carnatic, Jazz and Rock, I was told that even Carnatic music could be played faster on the electric guitar using a pick than the finger picking technique.

4. Race with the Devil on Spanish Highway – This song needs to be checked out for the sheer speed of guitar playing along with the melody that only Al can produce on the Gibson Le Paul. One of Al’s complex pieces and a concert fav, on “Race with Devil on Spanish Highway” Al plays the guitar at blazing speeds and yet not sacrificing the beauty of the tunes. Many think that Al was hugely responsible for the shred guitar genre. Wikipedia reports that Al is a big influence on Swedish guitar ace and super shredder Yngwie Malmsteen.

Here’s a video of Al playing “Egyptian Dance” and “Race with the Devil”. Watch it just for Al DiMeola because the supporting musicians are not the ones from this album and the ones in the video suck real bad, particularly the drummer.

5. Lady of Rome, Sister of Brazil – Small but sweet song, so short making it look like a 5 song album. But good song nevertheless.

6. Elegant Gypsy Suite – Beautiful tunes of the guitar, that varies from soft and smooth to fast and blisteringly furious. A classic with the instrumentalists taking things to the limit.

The personnel on the CD -
Al DiMeola: Electric guitars, Acoustic Guitars, Piano, Percussion.
Paco de Lucía: Acoustic Guitar (track 3).
Anthony Jackson: Bass guitar.
Jan Hammer: Keyboards, synthesizer (tracks 1, 6).
Mingo Lewis: Percussion, Keyboards, Synthesizer.
Barry Miles: Piano, keyboards (tracks 2, 4).
Steve Gadd: Drums (tracks 1, 6).
Lenny White: Drums (tracks 2, 4).