Three bands immediately spring to mind whenever the term ‘progressive metal’ is mentioned. One is Dio as they could be called one of prog metal’s founders, the second is Savatage, especially after the “Gutter Ballet” album and the third band is the one I’m posting about today, Dream Theater. They are another band I discovered on the compilation album I’ll be visiting in the near future and like Mammoth, they impressed me. Therefore, it’s only logical that I explored their debut album, “When Dreams and Day Unite.”
Oh yes, to clarify, I can already hear some of you screaming at the top of your lungs, “What about Rush?” I don’t consider them metal and neither do they. Maybe progressive hard rock at best but not metal. In any case, I still enjoy a good Rush album so this whole argument is pointless.
Now back to Dream Theater and their debut. “When Dreams and Day Unite” starts off with three good tracks, the third one an instrumental and while I say good as they keep me interested, track two, “Status Seeker,” being the best of the three, the throat grabbing track comes fourth, “The Killing Hand.” For me, this is the best track on the album and I can see why it was the one which appears on that compilation album. It’s an eight minute long progressive metal master piece with all the elements required for such a track. What I had forgotten is that it was broken down into five parts. It tells a story of time travel and murder although the writer, John Petrucci, isn’t totally sure himself. Great keyboard work, some nice guitar work, a steady rhythm section and good vocals all combine to make it the best song on the album.
What critics have said, not that I pay attention to them, although there is some truth in the fact that the band were finding themselves as a band and individual musicians. This is not a criticism of the band but it’s something a lot of bands experience with their debut albums. I could have said the same about Mammoth in my previous post. However, what they have done on “When Dreams and Day Unite” is build the foundation for their more successful follow up album, “Images and Words.” Listening to the album, I remember why I was excited about Mike Portnoy filling in as drummer for Twisted Sister and I can add John Petrucci to my list of underrated guitarists. Some have slated Charlie Dominici’s vocals on the album but I find nothing wrong with them and of course, you can’t have good progressive metal without keyboards and Kevin Moore shows he’s the one for the job. While I don’t hear much of John Myung’s bass on the album, I know he lays down a good line.
Not wanting to leave out the rest of the album, I can say that the second half of the album, with the exception of “The Killing Hand,” is better than the first. The standout track of the four is “Light Fuse and Get Away.” It’s another cool track which neatly combines all the elements. Saying that, there seems to be a Rush-Styx influence throughout most of these songs.
Track Listing:
A Fortune In Lies
Status Seeker
The Ytse Jam
The Killing Hand- i. The Observance, ii. Ancient Renewal, iii. The Stray Seed, iv. Thorns, v. Exodus
Light and Fuse Get Away
Afterlife
The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
Only a Matter of Time
Dream Theater
Charlie Dominici- vocals
John Petrucci- guitar
Kevin Moore- keyboards
John Myung- bass
Mike Portnoy- drums, percussion
While “When Dreams and Day Unite” is the only Dream Theater album which failed to break into the top 200, it did set the foundation of greater things to come for the band. Still, if you fancy some great progressive metal, then check this album out.
Next post: Pretty Boy Floyd- Leather Boyz With Electric Toyz
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
A little over a year ago, man how time flies, Mike Ladano and I wrote a joint post ranking Savatage albums from worst to first. In regards to this 1989 album, “Gutter Ballet,” both Mike and I put it near the bottom of our rankings, although my sister Dawn ranked it a number four and my son Jake at five. There are valid arguments for both. What both Mike and I agreed about the album is that the second side does not measure up to the first and is predominantly filler. With that, since I like starting with the ‘not so positive,’ I will begin with the second half of the album.
On another point, do you have an idea stuck in your head that no matter how much you hear to the contrary, there’s no shifting it? Well for me, for over 30 years, I thought the title of the album was “Guitar Ballet” and not “Gutter Ballet.” Silly me. Then again, listening to the album and how it marks Savatage’s shift from mainstream metal to more progressive metal, they carried on what Dio had started, you could say the album actually was a guitar ballet.
“Gutter Ballet’s” descent into mediocrity starts with the track, “She’s in Love.” It’s not a bad track to say the least as another point I will make about the entire album right now is that Criss Oliva’s guitar work is top notch and actually saves songs like this one. It’s a hard and fast song and if it was on the “Fight For the Rock” album, would be one of the best songs on it but unfortunately, it’s not the case here and wouldn’t stand up to songs on albums I view in higher regards.
“Hounds” comes out as if the album is going to get back on track and it does for the beginning and then again at the end. I love the impending doom on the intro combining acoustic guitar notes from Criss and Jon’s vocals before the song explodes in the fashion which typifies Savatage. However, somewhere in the middle of the song, it loses focus, going off into some weird form of tangent which if cut out, would make the track better, especially the way Criss hammers out the guitar solos. He almost singlehandedly saves the second half of the album.
“The Unholy” is a track that sort of comes and goes with little notice. It’s okay to listen to at the time but right after, it fades from memory. It could be the fact that it is followed by the best track on this part of the album, “Mentally Yours.” This is Savatage doing what Savatage do best. A good slow intro before exploding but unlike “Hounds,” it stays on a steady course. On a personal note, reflecting back to my childhood, I can identify with, Jimmy, the protagonist in the song.
Jimmy went out to play with the friends he made
Why did they send him away?
It made his mommy mad, drove his daddy bad
They didn’t understand.
At the end, I find another minor criticism about the album and that’s because I originally got it on cassette. On vinyl, the closer is “Summer’s Rain” and as a closer it is very good. It’s melody guides the album out in the right way. However, on cassette and CD, the track, “Thorazine Shuffle” is added but a good closer it does not make. Now, I know that these two tracks along with “Mentally Yours,” were part of a three song conceptual suite but I still think “Summer’s Rain” should have closed out the album on vinyl, cassette and CD.
Now onto the very positive! The album opens with “Of Rage and War” and it great opener it DOES make! I love how Jon’s shrieks of terror bring in the song with some great riffs from Criss and credit more credit should be given to the rhythm section of Johnny Lee Middleton and Steve Wacholz. Like a good opener, it gets the blood pumping and the listener ready for the rest of the album. Criss’s solos shape what is to come in regards to his guitar playing for the entire album.
“Of Rage and War” is immediately followed by the title track and that is such an awesome song, period. It came in at number five in my rankings of top ten favourite Savatage songs and it came in at number two on Mike’s list. There is so much to like about this song that I would only be repeating myself if I were to put it down here. Just such a fantastic song.
Another thing Savatage do very well is instrumentals and you get two on the album. The first one, “Temptation Revelation,” really showcases what Criss Oliva can do on the guitar aided some good progressive bits thrown in and how they join together at the end. The other instrumental, “Silk and Steel,” is just as good. You get a little acoustic guitar tinkling from Criss but he does such a great job on it. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, if Criss’s life hadn’t been so tragically cut short, he would have been counted along with the many guitar gods. That’s why he joined Ronnie James Dio up in Rock Heaven. In any case, both instrumentals are less than three minutes a piece but you definitely remember them.
Saving the best for last, “When the Crowds Are Gone” is not only the best song on the album, it’s my favourite Savatage song of all time! In fact, when I do depart the mortal realm, it is in my will to be played at my funeral. Hopefully that won’t be for quite a few more years. This song is simply magnificent. Starting with Jon on the piano with his vocals bringing the song in perfectly before Criss comes in with that guitar and we get a total party. It just gets the adrenaline rushing through my body.
Track Listing:
Of Rage and War
Gutter Ballet
Temptation Revelation
When the Crowds Are Gone
Silk and Steel
She’s in Love
Hounds
The Unholy
Mentally Yours
Summer’s Rain
Thorazine Shuffle
Jon Oliva- vocals, piano, keyboards, bass and drums on “Gutter Ballet”
Criss Oliva- guitars
Johnny Lee Middleton- bass
Steve Wacholz- drums
Chris Caffery does not appear on the album but is credited in the liner notes for guitar and keyboards
“Gutter Ballet” may not be Savatage’s best album but it does help them make the transition to more progressive metal and does so very well. There are some amazing tracks on the album and with Criss, you can call it a guitar ballet.
Next post: Danger Danger
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
Ronnie James Dio was doing a marvellous job as master of ceremonies for the New Year’s Eve festival but now he had to prepare for his own band’s performance. Therefore, after introducing Metal-Head, which consistied of Mike Howe on vocals, Jeff LaBar on guitar, Lemmy on bass and Joey Jordison on drums, he left to get ready. Fortunately, Elvis was more than happy to step in temporarily.
Bright spotlights shone down on the King as he walked to the centre of the stage. “Are we having a good time?” he asked the audience. The response was a raucous cheer. He continued, “Now, with Cozy Powell on drums, Jon Lord on keyboards, Jimmy Bain on bass, Criss Oliva on guitar and Ronnie James Dio on vocals, I’m delighted to give you, Deep Black Rainbow!”
Red lights slowly illuminated the front of the stage. As they rolled back, a mediaeval setting began to reveal itself. Two black knights holding two-handed swords stood as sentinels at either side of the stage. The lights continued to roll back further spotlighting Jon Lord’s keyboards and Cozy Powell’s drum kit before finally showing a painted castle at the very back of the stage. A foreboding thumping beat came over the intercom whetting the audience’s collective appetite.
Suddenly, riffs of a familiar song crackled through the air and in a flash, Ronnie James Dio appeared at front centre stage with Criss Oliva on his left and Jimmy Bain to his right. Jon and Cozy were in their respective places. Like all the bands who had played before them, the members of Deep Black Rainbow all looked las they did in their prime. Ronnie and Jimmy looked as if they had just recorded the “Holy Diver” album. Likewise, Jon looked like he did when Deep Purple made “Machine Head” and Cozy could have been in Rainbow in the late 1970s. The second Ronnie put his lips to the mic and let out the first words, the crowd went wild. The fervor carried on as he continued to sing:
“You got desire, so let it out.
You got the power, stand up and shout”
The instant Ronnie sang “shout,” floodlights lit up the stage and cast its beams out into the audience. A few might have had some apprehension when it came to the guitar solo as to how Criss Oliva would handle it. They weren’t disappointed. He didn’t stray from the original solo while at the same time, putting in his own style. It carried the song to the final chorus when Ronnie pointed the microphone out to the crowd who screamed back in unison, “Shout!” One song in and the band had the audience eating out of their hands.
The crowd had not time to catch their breath as Ronnie started singing:
“I’m a wheel, I’m a wheel
I can roll I can feel
But you can’t stop me turning.”
Ronnie’s voice and power chords brought the crowd back to life and when the time came, they roared back, “The man on the silver mountain.” The song illustrated how tight this band was as they were wowed by the Rainbow classic.
At the conclusion, Ronnie finally addressed the audience. “”How are we? Are we rocking out tonight?” I feel particularly priviledged to be on stage with these guys. It’s like old times with Jimmy and Cozy and I’m glad Criss and Jon were able to join us. Speaking of Jon, I think he should start the next song.”
Jon Lord needed no further encouragement as he immediately went to work dazzling the crowd with his keyboard wizardry. The audience showed their appreciation and then the rest of the band joined in treating everyone to “Black Knight.” That was followed by another Rainbow classic, “Tarot Woman” with Jon still doing on the keyboards what he did so well in the mortal realm.
“Thank you, thank you,” Ronnie showing his appreciation on behalf of the band. “This is a song Jimmy and I did when we were in our own band, it’s called ‘The Last in Line!”
Multicoloured lights flickered as Criss Oliva began on the guitar. Ronnie came in with:
“We’re a ship without a storm
The cold inside the warm
Light inside the darkness that it needs, yeah
We’re the laugh without the tear
Cold without the fear
We are coming,”
The entire stage lit up as he sang, “Home!” Once again, it sent the crowd into an hysterical frenzy. Criss’s power chords and Jon’s keyboards were supported by the rhythm section of Jimmy and Cozy and reminded all as to what a great song they were playing. Ronnie’s vocals spearheaded the fabulous song and when it came to its too soon conclusion, Ronnie sang, “We’re the last in, we’re the last in..” and then pointed his microphone out to the audience who screamed back, “Line!” He put the final stamp on the song with a very melodic, “We’re the last in line.”
Waiting for the thunderous cheers to die down a little. Ronnie addressed the audience. “As you know, I worked with Jimmy and Cozy while we were alive on Earth and I know Jon from when my first band, Elf, toured with Deep Purple, but none of us have ever worked with Criss here before and we are very fortunate that he agreed to join us. So, our next song is from the band you all know Criss from, Savatage, and the song is, ‘Hall of the Moutain King.’”
Criss responded by playing the opening notes with a renewed gusto and when the rest of the band joined in, it sounded just like it was meant to. Ronnie’s vocals when he sang the title sounded beautifully melodic. Furthermore, Criss’s guitar solo had everyone screaming in appreciation. At the very end, Ronnie put his own stamp on it when his unique voice sang out, “Madness reigns, in the hall of the mountain king!” before Cozy concluded with a spectacular drum roll.
Four members of the band abruptly walked off the stage leaving Criss on his own. He needcd no prompting as to what to do as the guitarist immediately began playing his guitar and overawing the crowd with his six string magic. Criss frantically moved his fingers up and down the neck of the instrument, pausing now and then so the audience could roar their approval. Those four minutes in the spotlight seemed like mere seconds as before anyone realised, the rest of the band came back ready to continue.
“Criss Oliva on the guitar!” Ronnie declared. His guitarist responded with some light acoustic notes. No one could be sure if the audience was expecting it but they still showed their delight at “Temple of the King.” The dimmed lighting and spotlight on Ronnie illustrated the somber mood of the song. When it finished, the next chords Criss struck set the entire venue into near madness as the next song just happened to be “Children of the Sea.”
After the final “look out” at the conclusion of the epic Black Sabbath number, Ronnie again had to wait for the crowd to finish voicing their approval. When it died down enough, Ronnie gave a cheerful, “thank you” before announcing, “This next song is a new one, written by all of us and you’re hearing it for the first time. It’s called ‘Decieve the Devil!’”
The intro was a subtle guitar backed up by the organ. Ronnie began singing in a ballad mode to this slow accompaniment. Suddenly, a power chord was struck along with a note from the bass and a brisk drum roll from Cozy and things suddenly began to speed up three tempos. The harder rock got the audience clapping along as Ronnie shifted his vocal style. For those listening closely, “Deceive the Devil” could have been the offspring between “The Last in Line” and the Savatage monster, “This is the Time,” but no one really cared, they just enjoyed the song. Two verses and chorus sung, Criss stepped into the spotlight and cranked out yet another killer guitar solo.
When one could have thought the song was winding down to its end, the stage suddenly came to life. The two knights on either side of the stage moved about ten feet into the middle. Lasers shot back and forth across the stage with small explosions when they hit. The warring knights caused such a spectacle that the audience hardly knew the song ended as the battle continued on for a few minutes more, delighting all. When the battle ceased, the two knights returned to their posts at the sides of the stage with the crowd still shouting their delight and American fans breaking out their cigarette lighters.
Four members of the band exited the stage leaving Jon Lord alone at his keyboards. Several spotlights shone down on him as he demonstrated his keyboard wizardry and those in the stands demonstrated their delight. Jon produced sounds that had many who were watching and listening scratching their heads wondering how he did it. However, it wasn’t just the sounds he was making which captivated the audience. Bright lights shot out of the keyboards and a florescent display on the back wall treated all to a marvellous light show. It was a wonder that Jon’s solo only lasted four minutes.
“Jon Lord on keyboards!” Ronnie called out when the rest of the band returned. Jon continued on his keyboard, but now he was playing more familiar notes. Jimmy joined in on bass and guitar and drums followed on and before anyone realized, Ronnie was singing “Woman From Tokyo.” When that Deep Purple classic ended, it was Cozy’s turn to show what he could do on the drums. He needed no encouragement as he hammered away on the skins with some amazing drum rolls. After wowing the crowd for five minutes, Jimmy came back on stage and joined him playing bass along with Cozy’s drumming. Again, the audience showed their appreciation.
When Ronnie, Criss and Jon joined the other two on stage, they unleashed their second original. “Fear in the City” was a slow, bluesy number done in a stoner rock style, much reminiscent of the band Ronnie was in before he left the mortal world, Heaven and Hell. Nevertheless, the audience ate it up, Criss’s blistering guitar solo might have helped.
“The next song describes of all us,” Ronnie declared. “We are all rock and roll children!” While the audience screamed their approval, the band launched into the song. The energy was felt all around. At the chorus, Ronnie again pointed his mic out to the crowd who shouted back, “Rock and roll children!”
Ronnie melodically responded, “Alone again.” He pointed the microphone back out the the crowd who again shouted back, “Rock and roll children!” To which he sang back, “Without a friend, but they got rock and roll.”
The back and forth happened again when the second chorus came around and then again after the guitar and keyboards solos, went back and forth with the audience until the song’s conclusion. However, Ronnie didn’t give the audience any time to recover, “Here’s an old one, ‘Rainbow in the Dark.’”
They didn’t need a breather as the audience bellowed their appreciation for the Dio classic. When it finished to raucous cheers, Ronnie addressed the crowd. “We might not be in the mortal plane any longer but rock and roll lives on! So, help us go out on a high, long live rock and roll!”
Both band and auidence were so full of energy there was no indication both had been fully engrossed in the show for an hour and a quarter. The Rainbow classic got the place jumping and Ronnie got the fans to sing along one more time. He would sing, “Long live,” and the audience screamed back “Rock and roll!” If the sing along, the light show and the efforts of the band wasn’t enough, Deep Black Rainbow had one more trick up their sleeves. Right after Criss’s guitar solo and while Ronnie repeatedly sang the title of the song, a mechanical dragon, much like the one from Dio’s “Sacred Heart” tour rose up from behind the drums and greeted the crowd, blowing smoke from its nose. Furthermore, it appeared to acknowledge everyone sitting in the audience. It remained with the band and even took the final bows with them before they left the stage.
There was absolutely no way the audience was going to let Deep Black Rainbow get away that easily. In one loud voice, everyone roared and screamed for the band’s return. This went on until throats began to get sore and even that didn’t stop many. It was only then the band triumphantly returned to the stage.
“You all rock!” Ronnie saluted as his bandmates got to their instruments. A few familiar keyboard notes from Jon and the band was all in. Then, Dio, beckoned to the side of the stage. “Come on!” he motioned. Then Elvis appeared, waved to the crowd, and grabbed a microphone. Chuck Berry returned to the stage, duck-walking to center stage as the crowd screamed in approval. Criss Oliva followed, plugging in his electric guitar so familiar from the Gutter Ballet album cover. He was followed by Randy Rhoads who plugged into another stack of amps. The final guitarist, Tee Bone Man himself, had the honour of standing between the two legendary axemen. His face was humble and his eyes were made of joy.
Eric Carr and Clive Burr emerged, carrying tambourines and shakers. Brian Connolly and Kelly Groucutt were behind them with microphones in their hands. Cliff Burton just had a beer, while the two Charlies weren’t quite sure how they fit in, but were just glad to be there. Paul MacLeod had returned, and simply grinned at all the rock majesty from the side of the stage.
A few familiar keyboard notes from Jon and the band was all in. The crowd roared as Ronnie sang, “Nobody’s gonna take my car, I’m gonna race it to the ground,” and when the appointed time came, the audience sang back, “I’m a highway star!”
Keyboard solo followed guitar solo behind floodlights which shone down on the audience. Each time the line would come up, the crowd continued to shout back, “I’m a highway star!” to the very end.
Nothing moved as Jon continued on the keyboards which played more notes which seemed very strangely familiar. With baited breath, everyone listened in anticipation for the guitar to kick in and then every head bobbed in unison to the rhythm and joined Ronnie in singing, “Holy diver, you been down to long in the midnight sea, what’s becoming of me?” Heads continued to bob and the crowd sang along even more as the Dio classic entirely lit the place up.
“We have time for one more,” Ronnie announced. The familiar guitar riffs of an all time classic sent all into mass hysterical frenzy. Criss and Ronnie led the procession as everyone joined in the party that was “Smoke On the Water.” An amazing light show accompanied the iconic hit and if Ritchie Blackmore had been there, he would have taken out a court injunction against Criss forbidding him to play it again, as he totally nailed the guitar solo. Jon followed on with one more amazing keyboard solo and then a brief drum solo from Cozy. Charlie Parker’s saxophone joined in for “Smoke”, while everyone sang along to the indelible chorus. The end came too soon as the audience screamed their heads off and cigarette lighters lit up the seating area. Ronnie graciously thanked everyone for coming and enjoying the show and being so wonderful. All of Deep Black Rainbow came together, took their final bows and exited the stage.
All of Deep Black Rainbow came together, took their final bows and a few heavenly hugs. The band glimmered bright, and faded away in a giant cascade of stars. Tee Bone remained alone on stage. Speechless, the man stood before them for an achingly long silence.
“Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, friends from near and far…I don’t know what to say!” He paused, unsure how to finish. Ultimately, he went with his guts. “People…let’s see the Kiss Avatars top that! You just witnessed the greatest rock show of all time! Let’s hear it!” The crowd screamed in eternal gratitude, for there would never be a show like this one. “Now let’s count, because it’s almost midnight!” A massive clock was projected on a screen behind him.
“10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…wooo!” screamed the rapturous attendees.
“Happy New Year!” screamed Tee Bone at the top of his lungs. “Welcome to 2024!”
* * *
80smetalman Note: For those of you who have read “Rock and Roll Children,” you may be wondering why the concerts in the story weren’t so intense as this one. After all, one critic slated the book calling the concert account ‘bare bones stuff.’ The answer is quite simple, when I wrote “Rock and Roll Children” I attended all but three of the concerts mentioned in the story and went strictly from memory from concerts I had seen 25 years prior. Furthermore, unlike Hollywood, I wanted historical accuracy. Therefore, everything that happened in those concerts, I actually witnessed. For the NYE, concert above, I had no such restrictions and therefore let my imagination go wild. I would like to thank Mike and everyone else for allowing me to contribute to this great story.
Whether or not it’s my weird brain but did you ever find an album really good but can’t explain why you like it so much? This has always been the case for me with The Cult’s album, “Sonic Temple.” It’s a brilliant album, make no mistake about that. The songs are just fantastic, some critics criticized the album for repeating the same formula song after song but hey, it works. I find myself bobbing along to the opener, “Sun King” and then doing the same on the next track with the single, “Fire Woman.” I really love the riffs on this one.
Another criticism hurled at the album is that they went from a defiant indie rock band to Warrant wannabees. Okay, there are some elements in songs which do point to hair metal but those are done in a way unique to The Cult. Maybe it’s because it seems to me that Billy Duffy is let loose more on the album to do what he does on the guitar. He nails some really good guitar solos, one on the mentioned opener and another on the power ballad, “Edie (Ciao Baby).”
A difficult task, although I’m not complaining because it meant I had to listen to the album more, was identifying the hidden gem. There were a couple of candidates. “American Horse” does bring the power and this song alone puts them in the heavy metal category with that blistering guitar solo and the mentioned power ballad was also a strong consideration. However, and it was a very very close call, the hidden gem goes to “Sweet Soul Sister.” This song has a bit of a Savatage feel at the beginning and that was what won it for me. In addition, it’s one of those metal anthem type songs where if played live, would have the audience clapping along with it.
While I prefer the first half of the album, the second half is by no means weak. “Soul Asylum” starts things off in a cool melodic metal way with some great power chords, though it does drag a little at over seven minutes long. “New York City” is also a strong power rocker which borders near thrash and when I first saw the track listing, I thought the penultimate track, “Soldier Blue,” was going to be a cover of the Buffy Saint-Marie classic. Trust me, it’s nothing like that! Instead, it’s another great metal sounding tune. Still, I wonder what a Cult cover of Buffy’s song would sound like.
Track Listing:
Sun King
Fire Woman
American Horse
Edie (Ciao Baby)
Sweet Soul Sister
Soul Asylum
New York City
Atomic Blues
Soldier Blue
Wake Up Time for Freedom
Ian Astbury- vocals, percussion
Billy Duffy- guitar
Jamie Stewart- bass, keyboards
Additional Musicians:
Mickey Curry- drums
Note: Eric Singer and Chris Taylor played drums on demo versions
Iggy Pop- backing vocals on “New York City”
John Webster- keyboards
Bob Buckley- string arrangement on “Edie (Ciao Baby)”
Said it before and I’ll keep on saying, “Who gives a stuff what the critics say?” “Sonic Temple” is a fine offering from The Cult.
Next post: Aerosmith- Pump
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
After our successful joint post at the beginning of the year where Mike and I, as well as my sister and eldest son, ranked Savatage albums, we decided to make another joint post declaring our top ten favourite Savatage songs. Hopefully, the posts will come out together.
For me, the first three songs were already set in stone but it was a fun challenge ranking and deciding the rest of my list. Four to seven wasn’t too difficult but the last three were a little more challenging. Plus, there were five songs which were considered but didn’t make the cut. I might cite them in an ‘Honourable Mentions’ post some time in the future.
Savatage’s ability to be hard hitting and theatric, sometimes within the same song is what drove me to them. I just love these songs, period. I feel I need no reason to explain why because I can’t do so in a way that makes sense. Like I said, I love these songs. The only possible exception would be for the one which is number 2 on the list. That particular song helped me cope with the break up of my first marriage. Anyway, enough of my prattling on, here’s my top ten Savatage songs, followed by my sister Dawn and son Jake.
10. Edge of Thorns
9. Conversation Piece
8. Strange Wings
7. This Isn’t What We Meant
6. Handful of Rain
5. Guitar Ballet
4. Hall of the Mountain King
3. This is the Time
2. All That I Bleed
When The Crowds Are Gone
That’s my list, now for Dawn’s.
7. Christmas Eve
6. Guitar Ballet
5. One Child
4. Edge of Thorns
3. Hall of the Mountain King
2. Dead Winter Dead
Handful of Rain
Now for Jake’s
Starting left and going clockwise: Me, my eldest Jake, my younger son Will, his fiancee Ela and my stepson Teal. A true metal family!
10. Tonight He Grins Again
9. Follow Me
8. Summer’s Rain
7. When the Crowds Are Gone
6. If I Go Away
5. This Is The Time (1990)
4. Back to a Reason
3. Alone You Breathe
2. Not What You See
Believe
Here’s our top ten Savatage songs and I’m sure many of you will want to contribute your own, feel free. First, check out Mike’s.
Looking back on yesterday’s post, I realized I posted the song “Wake of Magellan” twice, the second one being where “Hall of the Mountain King” should be. I’m surprised and a little relieved no one pointed this out. So, as a special bonus, here’s the title track, my favouirte for “Hall of the Mountain King.”
After a successful joint post with 2Loud where we ranked Survivor albums from worst to first, I have decided to do it again, only this time with Mike Ladano. From our years of reading each other’s posts, we have learned that both of us are big Savatage fans. Therefore, it seemed mandatory that we write a joint post ranking Savatage albums from worst to first. The only difference is that this time, my sister Dawn and eldest son Jake are also offering their rankings as they are also big Savatage fans. It will be interesting to see which albums we agree on and how different our rankings are. So, enough of me rambling, here’s Savatage ranked from worst to first.
11, Fight For the Rock (1986)
It seems almost universally agreed that “Fight For the Rock” is the worst Savatage album, though I did point out the positives when I wrote about it. This album is too pop. Savatage were chasing hits and that’s the reason for this album. They do a cover of a 70s hit “Day After Day” but it lacks that Savatage metal influence. It is saying something when, at least in my opinion, the best song is a re-recording from the debut album.
10l Poets and Madmen (2001)
Here’s where some people might think I am a madman. First of all, this album is many steps above the one at the bottom, “Poets and Madmen” is a damn fine album. My only issue is that while there are some great tracks on the album, none of them would make my top ten list of Savatage songs. I have always considered the album the band’s last hurrah as it is their final studio album. “The Rumour” is my favourite track on the album and “Morphine Child” is also a great track. .
9. Guitar Ballet (1989)
Actually, it took a couple of listens between this one and “Poets and Madmen” to decide which got nine and which ten. “Guitar Ballet” won out for two reasons. One, Criss Oliva lays down some cool solos on it and two: it hosts my all time favourite Savatage song, “When the Crowds Are Gone” and the title track would make my top ten, maybe even five. What lets the album is that there are no real standout songs on the second side, “Mentally Yours” being the one exception. If the second side was as good as the first, I would have it higher in my rankings.
8. Power of the Night (1985)
When I wrote my post for “Power of the Night,” I said that I thought it was a rough draft for their breakout album which would come two years later and is ranked at number three. There are some very strong tracks on the album and the band’s hunger is plain to hear. In fact, there are no tracks I would consider weak, just maybe needing a bit more polish which would come on future albums. “Warriors” and “Necrophilia” are the best tracks here but hearing this album and the one which would come two year later, I am led to question further about what were they thinking with “Fight for the Rock?”
7. Handful of Rain (1994)
Credit to Jon Oliva where credit is due. “Handful of Rain” was the first album following the tragic death of guitarist Criss, Jon’s brother. It is reported that the band was in disarray following Criss’s death. It is said that “Handful of Rain” is the Savatage album not made by Savatage. What happened was that Zack Stevens still handled the vocals and they got Alex Skolnick from Testament to play guitar but Jon came out of retirement and performed the bass and drum duties. Even with all of that, a great album came out if it. The title track and “Taunting Cobras” are my faves but I also really like “Castles Burning.”
6. Sirens (1983)
I feel that it’s only fitting that the debut album, “Sirens” gets the middle spot. While I didn’t listen to the album until many years later, I can hear the potential behind the band. It is said that the album is split between the commercial route they could have taken, (we see where that went with “Fight for the Rock”) and the more metal route which Savatage is famous for. What I love about the album is the fact that Criss is let off the leash and hammers our some really great guitar solos, especially on the last two tracks, “Scream Murder” and “Out on the Streets.”
5. Streets- A Rock Opera (1991)
“Streets” is what it says in the title, a rock opera. Jon and Criss always wanted to make such a concept album and boy, what a great job they did here. The story is about the rise and fall of DT Jesus and the songs tell the story very well as well as the great musicianship which the band is famous for. There are some great standout tracks here like “Jesus Saves,” “Strange Reality” and my personal favourite, “Somewhere in Time.” I think my problem is that I lost the CD so it doesn’t get regular listens and Christmas is over. Maybe I can put it on my birthday list for June.
4. Wake of Magellan (1998)
“Wake of Magellan” is another concept album and it’s also a great one. It tells three stories, one about a brave attempt by a ship’s boatswain to save a stowaway from being thrown overboard. The second is the story of Irish reporter Veronica Guerin who died fighting the drug trade in her country. The final is the who the album is named after, Ferdinand Magellan, sails out into the Atlantic to give himself a glorious death. However, he sees a man drowning and saves him, therefore, regretting his decision and chooses life. Many great tracks adorn the album, the title track for one and “Complaint in the System.” “Blackjack Guillotine” and “Turns To Me” are also great tracks.
3. Hall of the Mountain King
I said when I posted about the album and I’ll say it again, “Hall of the Mountain King” was the breakthrough album for Savatage. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this album has ten great tracks, so many I won’t list them individually but my favourite is there for a listen. HoMK is the only album from the 1980s to make my top five but it definitely deserves its place. Jon”s refined shrieks of terror accompanied by Criss’s guitar make this album what it is.
2. Dead Winter Dead (1995)
Another great concept album focusing on the war in what was Yugoslavia which was going on at the time it was made. Listening to the tracks, I can hear why I think this is their best concept album, especially with all of those tracks. Criss Oliva might have no longer been with us but Al Pitrelli and Chris Cafferey do a great job in his place. Again, too many great songs to listen individually but my two favourites here both begin with “This.” The title track makes a good change up.
Edge of Thorns (1993)
There are several reasons why “Edge of Thorns” takes the number one spot. For one, this was the last album with Criss before his tragic death. It’s also the first album to feature Zack Stevens on vocals and his vocals gave the album the extra lift it needed. Of course the number of great tracks on the album has a lot to do with it as well although I still can’t figure out who Skraggy is and what’s so special about his tomb. A very personal reason why “Edge of Thorns” is number one is because the track “All That I Bleed” helped me get through the break up of my first marriage.
That was my list but now it’s time to share my sister’s and son’s lists.
My sister Dawn
Dawn’s List:
Note: she refused to rank Savatage’s first three albums as she feels they were unworthy.
8. Poets and Madmen
7. Wake of Magellan
6. Streets
5. Hall of the Mountain King
4. Guitar Ballet
3. Edge of Thorns
2. Handful of Rain
Dead Winter Dead
My son Jake in the front. It’s also his third anniversary so will everyone please which him and his wife Grace a Happy Anniversary!
Jake’s List:
11. Fight For the Rock
10. Power of the Night
9. Sirens
8. Handful of Rain
7. Hall of the Mountain King
6. Wake of Magellan
5. Guitar Ballet
4. Edge of Thorns
3. Streets
2. Dead Winter Dead
Poets and Madmen
That was the Savatage rankings from Dawn, Jake and myself and you can check out Mike’s rankings here: https://wp.me/p2hc2t-zLK
Next post: Happy New Year
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
When I wrote “Tee-Bone Man and Superdeke’s Time Travelling Adventure” for Mike Ladano’s blog, the biggest challenge in discipline for me was not to get totally carried away with all the possible collaborations between musicians who have left us. It doesn’t take too much smarts to realize that the possibilities are endless and I could have filled many pages with them and that’s just the ones I would like to see!
Lemmy
First, I am quite convinced that every deceased musician would love to sing or play with the King, Elvis and that includes Lemmy. It would be an interesting song, that part’s for sure. Of course Lemmy wouldn’t be left out as many would like to get him to play bass on their song or sing with them and I’m not just talking about metal musicians. Why couldn’t he lay down a bass line for Jim Morrison or Janis Joplin? Then we can take it to the complete other extreme and have Lemmy do a song with Whitney Houston. Why not?
One combination I mention in the story would almost certainly happen. I firmly believe that Ronnie James Dio would have hooked up with former bandmates from Rainbow and the connection of that band to Deep Purple and Black Sabbath and formed a band with Jimmy Bain on bass, Jon Lord on keyboards and Cozy Powell on drums. Furthermore, I stand by my choice for guitar in the group as I strongly feel that Criss Oliva of Savatage fame would be the best fit for the above combo. Of course, you are all welcome to put forward alternatives.
The Fab Four
The Who
One combination which I thought of putting into the story but didn’t was a collaboration of the two deceased Beatles and two deceased members of The Who. John Lennon and George Harrison on guitars, John Entwistle on bass and Keith Moon on drums might be something to hear. We can even make it more interesting by throwing in the two deceased members of The Rolling Stones. Then again, we can get Brian Jones and Charlie Watts to play along with the two dead Doors! Like I said, the possibilities are endless!
The teacher in me has now taken over and so, here’s your assignment. Put together your own bands, duets or collaborations of deceased musicians and post them here! There are no right or wrong answers. Maybe the Righteous Brothers song I featured last week can motivate. After all, they have a point: “If there’s a rock and roll heaven, you know they’ve got a hell of a band.”
After all of the great feedback and all the fun I had writing a joint post with 2loud2old, I would be happy to write joint posts with many of you in the future. It doesn’t even have to be two person post adventure and I’m sure many of us here could put our heads together and write a joint post. Posts could be ranking a band’s albums, ranking musicians or anything really, the sky’s the limit!
The only issue is that I would like to keep these type of posts spaced out as I am totally committed to the tour of heavy metal’s golden decade. Actually, I’m closer to the end as I am now well into 1988 and there’s only 89 left. However, it was never my intention that when I posted the final album of 1989, to end 80smetalman. You don’t get rid of me that easy! While I might cut down the frequency of the posts after that, I would still be open to ideas and joint posts would be one of them. Although, we could still write some along the way.
One point which I must absolutely insist on is that any joint post involving Savatage, Mike has to be included. He’s a big Tage fan as much as I am. Other than that, the sky is the limit.
After obtaining permission from Big Bad Burch, thanks dude, I am writing my own post for songs with the same title. As you can see, the song title in question is “Handful of Rain” and I present three songs with that title. The first one comes as a result from when I put the title in a Google search. Paul Brett is a British guitarist who played in such bands as The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and although he was never officially in the band, played lead guitar in The Strawbs.
Paul’s “Handful of Rain” is a mellow acoustic number and listening to it, I ask myself, “Why wasn’t this song more known?” This is a great song to mellow out to. It’s mainly Paul on the acoustic guitar but the flute accompaniment makes it sound even better. Of the three songs, I would definitely say this one is a hidden gem since I already know the other two songs.
This isn’t the actual Savatage lineup from the song as the vocals are sung by Zach Stevens
Being one who likes to go from one extreme to the other on occasion, let’s go from the mellow rock sound of Paul Brett to the hard rocking sound of Savatage. It comes from their 1994 album of the same title. As many of my followers know, I’m quite the Savatage fan and this song is one of the reasons why. It just totally rocks!
Danny Vaughn
After going from one extreme to the other, I will end in the middle. The final offering of “Handful of Rain” comes from Vaughn, led by Tyketto lead singer, Danny Vaughn from the 2000 album, “Soldiers and Sailors on Riverside.” I have always classed that album as my favourite melodic hard rock album of all time and this song contributes to that. I have always considered Danny the most underrated male vocalist, period. His voice goes great with the melodic sound and the right use of power chords in the song make it great.
My verdict: All three songs are brilliant and they would each suit a particular mood for me. However, there is a winner and that goes to Savatage. That song just totally rocks it! However, this is just one person’s opinion, have a listen to the three songs and decide for yourself which one you like best. Remember, dissent is welcomed on 80smetalman so don’t be afraid to speak out.
Next post: Steven Earle- Copperhead Road
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
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