334. BEN HARPER - The Will to Live An album that took a little while to grow on me for some reason, but I'm crazy about it now (I think it may have been the quantity of slow material.) This disc contains some of my favorites of his: "I Shall Not Walk Alone", "I Want to Be Ready", "Widow of a Living Man."
335. BEN HARPER - Burn to Shine Probably my list favorite Harper album (that I own...I still need to get his first one), but that's kind of like saying "my least favorite child," that concept doesn't really exist. There are some fantastic tunes on it though like "The Woman in You" and "Two Hands in Prayer."
I tell ya...these kids today with their hula hoops and their rock and roll music...no respect for their elders!
336. BEN HARPER & THE INNOCENT CRIMINALS - Live From Mars This is a truly awesome album. A true five star live album if there ever was one. In addition to his own material, there's an interesting mix of covers including "Sexual Healing" (Marvin Gaye), "Whole Lotta Love" (Led Zepplin) and "The Drugs Don't Work (The Verve). He plays a wide range of material, from super chill stuff, to energetic jams. Disc 1 is all with the band, Disc 2 is all Ben solo...just voice & guitar.
337. BEN HARPER - Diamonds on the Inside What a shocker, Harper puts out another mindblowing album. The opening track "With My Own Two Hands" is an awesome social anthem in the tradition of Bob Marley, "Temporary Remedy" finds him getting the most aggressive he's probably gotten on record, he teams up with Ladysmith Black Mambazo on "Picture of Jesus" and "Bring the Funk" could very well be a 70s anthem. I'm crazy about 13 of the 14 songs. Oddly enough, the one I don't like is my least favorite Ben Harper song ever, "Touch From Your Lust."
338. BEN HARPER & THE INNOCENT CRIMINALS - Live at the Hollywood Bowl EP I assume the EP was released to stir up interest in the DVD, but man, EPs are such a tease. This is four tracks of Harper & co. just ripping it up. Marley & Gaye covers included: Brown Eyed Blues With My Own Two Hands > War Sexual Healing Amen Omen
339. BEN HARPER & THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA - There Will Be A Light Ben joins up with the Blind Boys for a full length CD after successful collaboration of a few tracks on some Blind Boys albums. 11 tracks, 7 of them are really solid, and 4 are so-so. Those 7 are really something else. Gospel church type of stuff. It'll get you moving.
340. RICHIE HAVENS - Grace of the Sun I was in New York several years ago for a big music industry convention. Different management companies put on showcase concerts of their rosters. I'd gone to scout another band playing after Richie Havens and had some time to kill, but not enough to do anything else, so I figured I'd go see him play. I remember hearing old records of his at my friend's house growing up (his parents were big fans.) I didn't think he'd be able to retain that energy and I thought I'd be seeing a disappointing dinosaur act. Man, nothing could've been further from the truth. Richie nearly blew me out of my chair. I was thoroughly impressed, but for some reason never picked up any of his CDs. A few months ago, I heard a track off of this disc on a compilation and it similarly blew me away so I finally picked up the record and the things is great top to bottom. Good to see that an artist that played at the original Woodstock can still put out quality music.
341. MARTIN HAYES & DENNIS CAHILL - Live in Seattle Every time I listen to this CD I'm amazed at how much sound a fiddle & guitar can make. Martin Hayes is a six time all Ireland fiddle champ. Talented beyond belief, and the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet. Cahill has a very understated, but cool guitar style. One of the best concerts I've ever seen and I consider myself lucky to have been the promoter of it (in Birmngham that is...not the show on this disc.)
342. MICHAEL HEDGES - Breakfast in the Field This man could do things with an acoustic guitar that other mortals only dreamed about. His premature death in a car accident several years was a great loss to the guitar world. This is his debut album and it has got some mind-bending tracks on it like "Eleven Small Roaches" "Silent Anticipations" and "Peg Leg Speed King." I think he was the only thing ever put on on Windham Hill that wasn't new age noodling (though he did have one or two clunker records.)
343. HELMET - Strap It On This album is so raw & so heavy. The whole thing is quite good, but it is worth owning specifically for the song "Blacktop." That is one of the best heavy songs I've ever heard. It had got a monster groove that just makes you feel like you could split a mountain in two. This disc just scratches the surface of the greatness this band would achieve on later albums.
I have lost so much stuff through loan outs and through moving 5 times in the last 3.5 years, I don't know what's happened to a lot of my stuff.
344. HELMET - Meantime In the late 90s, when a bunch of pretty heavy bands started selling a lot of records, I couldn't help but think how it should've been Helmet instead. I know Meantime went platinum, but that's just a drop in the bucket compared to what the immitators sold. While a lot of those bands had a more polished, watered down and marketable sound, I'm firmly convinced a lot of them took a page out of Helmet's book. Anyway, this is some of best, heaviest stuff that's ever come out in my book. "Unsung," "Ironhead" "In the Meantime" are just brutal they're so heavy. "FBLA II" has some of the coolest riffage ever on it. I never tire of hearing it.
345. HELMET - Betty The album where they started to spread their wings a little bit. They could still bring it super heavy ("Rollo," "Milquetoast"), but you started to see more variation in the kind of heaviness with songs like "Wilma's Rainbow," "Biscuits for Smut," and then you got a total curveball with "Sam Hell." This is the first tour I saw them headline on (and the last time I saw them.) I saw them in Atlanta at the Masquerade. Opening were the Rollins Band and Sausage (a Les Claypool side project that was the original lineup of Primus.) First time I saw them in the tiny college town of Jacksonville, AL opening for Faith No More.
346. HELMET - Aftertaste Talk about a record that didn't get a fair shake. I have to admit I wasn't super crazy about it myself the first time I heard it, but eight years later it is holding up just fine. "Exactly What You Wanted" is one of the standout tunes on this disc. The band broke up after this record.
347. HELMET - Unsung: The Best of Helmet (1991-1997) For the longest time, I just had the first three Helmet albums, and didn't own Aftertaste. I figured I'd pick this up because it would give me the best songs off it, and then it'd be a nice mix disc with the inclusions from the other records. Well, this made me go get Aftertaste because I liked these tunes so much. Amazing how much a little distance from that album made me like it so much. There's also two songs from soundtracks. "Just Another Victim" (with House of Pain) from Judgement Night and "Disagreeable" from Feeling Minnesota. As with any compilation, there's some omissions that you can't believe ("Blacktop," "FBLA II," Biscuits for Smut") and some suprise inclusions "Overrated," "I Know". Great place to start though if you've never checked out this band.
348. HELMET - Size Matters Helmet reforms years after calling it quits. However, the only original member is Page Hamilton. Hamilton and label figure it's okay to still call it Helmet as he wrote all of the songs anyway. New lineup includes John Tempesta (formerly of White Zombie) on drums, Frank Bello (formerly of Anthrax) on bass and Chris Traynor (who had played live with Helmet on the Aftertaste tour) on guitar. This one took a little while to grow on me. There's still a few songs that aren't great, but it's still a really solid record. Better than most of what gets put out for sure.
349. FR. APOSTOLOS HILL - The Gates of Repentance: Byzantine Hymns of Great Lent Another landmark disc in the translation of Byzantine hymnography into English. Fr. Hill has a splendid voice. This disc has been remastered and expaned. I have the original version, but want to get the new version.
350. FR. APOSTOLOS HILL - Hymns of Paradise Largely a disc of Orthodox funeral hymns. Sounds depressing, but it isn't. Beautiful music.
351. PAUL HINDEMITH - Mathis Der Maler I heard this piece on NPR one night. After it was over, I got in the car and went straight to the record store to by it. Disc also includes the great piece Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria Von Weber and Nobilissima Visione.
I hope to heaven when you hit the "J's" I see the first "Jackyl" cd. I uploaded that to my Ipod this afternoon, made me think of it. Someone with as diverse tastes of yourself must realize the genius of using a chainsaw as an instrument. Do you tune the chainsaw or tune the band around it? I mean the challenges are staggering.
352. GUSTAV HOLST - The Planets The section called "Mars, the Bringer of War" is where the riff from "Am I Evil?" came from (a song by Diamond Head, but popularized by Metallica.) I've heard better, heavier versions than this, but this only set me back about $7-8 so I can't complain too much. Keeping with the space them, it also includes a suite of music from Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the Star Wars theme, both by John Williams.