retroblog.net

After 23 years and over 25 million copies sold, Journey’s Greatest Hits finally gets a second volume. It’s pretty much a no-brainer to release a “sequel” to one of rock’s best selling compilations. I’m just surprised it took the record label this long to do it. Anyway, the new release is titled, what else, Journey – Greatest Hits Vol. 2.

I’m happy to report that the new release doesn’t appear to be some sort of haphazardly put-together “money-grab”. In fact, none other than the great Steve Perry was on-hand for the remastering of this release. It has been said that Perry still has approval rights for anything related to Journey’s back catalog. Even though he hasn’t been the frontman for the band since 1996, it’s the Perry fronted-era that matters most, at least in terms of sales. And so just like the first volume, volume 2 focuses on Perry related material. Nothing from 1996 onward.

Now, it’d be hard for any band to top those 16 tracks from the first compilation. There’s just no-denying the power of classics like “Don’t Stop Believin’”, “Who’s Crying Now”, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” and “Open Arms”. So, Volume 2 is a bit of a step down in terms of actual bona-fide “hits”. But as a companion piece to the first Greatest Hits disc, it actually works. Songs like “Stone in Love”, “After the Fall”, “Escape” and “Suzanne” stand up pretty well with the previous volume. There are a couple of odd choices that I personally would have changed out though. I would have chosen “Message of Love” instead of “When I Think of You” from the album “Trial by Fire”. And maybe something like “Why Can’t This Night Go On Forever” in place of “Good Morning Girl”. But it’s nice that “Little Girl” was included since it’s on the often overlooked soundtrack album “Dream After Dream”.

As for the remastered sound – there’s noticeable EQ changes on some songs that help bring out some of the low end and soften some of the harshness of the high frequencies. For example “Suzanne” always sounded a bit “bright” on the original CD with not enough bottom so this remaster corrected this and now sounds more evened out. I wouldn’t say this is the “definitive” remaster in terms of perfect audio quality but sound engineer Robert Hadley along with Steve Perry succeeded in achieving a cohesive sound over all the various tracks on this compilation.

So, if you have GH Vol. 1 and want to go a bit deeper into Journey’s catalog, Greatest Hits Vol. 2 is a great buy. As for longtime Journey fans, you probably have all these tracks in your music library but you might still want to check it out for the updated remastered sound.

retroGrade: B

Journey – Greatest Hits Vol. 2
record label: Columbia/Legacy
released: November 2011
remastered by: Robert Hadley and Steve Perry at The Mastering Lab, Ojai, CA

TrackList
1 Stone in Love
2 After the Fall
3 Chain Reaction
4 The Party’s Over (Hopelessly in Love)
5 Escape
6 Still They Ride
7 Good Morning Girl
8 Stay Awhile
9 Suzanne
10 Feeling That Way
11 Anytime
12 Walks Like a Lady
13 Little Girl
14 Just the Same Way
15 Patiently
16 When I Think of You
17 Mother, Father (Live in Houston 1981)
(more…)

NO, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. I’m hosting another DVD giveaway! As a followup to my BONES: The Complete Sixth Season DVD giveaway that I posted last night, I’ve got the new Paul McCartney documentary titled The Love We Make to give out to one lucky retroblog reader.

EAGLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES PAUL McCARTNEY DOCUMENTARY THE LOVE WE MAKE
Out on DVD and Blu-ray December 6, 2011
It was one of the most emotional documentaries ever aired on the Showtime Cable Network. Now, for the first time, on December 6, fans will have a chance to own The Love We Make, a look back at Sir Paul McCartney and his efforts to plan and perform a benefit concert in the aftermath of the worst day in the history of New York City.
Eagle Rock Entertainment will release the film, directed by Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter) and Bradley Kaplan, on DVD and Blu Ray. Shot in stark 16 mm black and white, complete with color concert clips, The Love We Make juxtaposes dramatic images of “The Concert For New York City,” held mere months after 9/11, with that of scenes of McCartney himself as he walks the streets of the town that his former songwriting partner, John Lennon, loved so much.
“It was an honor to be able to help New York and America at that time in its history,” said McCartney of the concert. “There was a feeling of shock and fear in the air that I thought we could help alleviate with music and the fact that so many people stepped up to join us made for a very uplifting evening for us all.”
Recorded in DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital 5.1 and LPCM Stereo, the 90-minute film features cameo appearances by President Bill Clinton, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Jay Z, Billy Joel, Elton John and many more in onstage and backstage moments.
It is a film that no music fan can afford to miss.
—-

Here’s how to enter to win the Paul McCartney DVD!

- Leave me a comment on this page – please share a little tidbit about your favorite Paul McCartney tune. It can be anything… something personal about yourself or some trivia about the song. be creative! (be sure to log the entry in using the rafflecopter widget to get counted!)

you can earn bonus points by doing the following:
- LIKE my facebook page and follow me on twitter.
- you also have the option of liking this post on FB to spread the word about the contest.
- and finally, you can also tweet about it. (you can do this once per day, just be sure to log them into the rafflecopter widget!)

(more…)

Currently in the middle of its 7th season, Fox TV series Bones continues to bring in solid ratings. Normally a typical TV series is on its last legs by the 7th season but this particular show seems to be chugging along nicely. With solid writing and well developed characters, Bones keeps viewers coming back for more.

And you can win the 6-DVD set of the 6th season of Bones by entering in the latest Retroblog giveaway. You’ll notice that I’ve jumped on the rafflecopter bandwagon. There are a ton of blogs utilizing the rafflecopter app for contests/giveaways so I thought I’d give it a try. It should streamline the whole process which might ultimately allow me to host even more giveaways on this site.

But first things first. Here’s what you need to do to enter.

- Leave me a comment on this page – let me know what you like about the TV series Bones!
- earn bonus points by liking my facebook page and following me on twitter.
- you have the option of liking this post on FB to spread the word about the contest.
- you can also earn points by tweeting about it. (once per day)

(more…)

Thanks again to all those that participated in the Gary Moore CD/DVD giveaway.

all the entries were compiled into a spreadsheet and numbered sequentially. I then used random.org to generate three random numbers.

and the three winners are –

Ed N., Peter G. and Ronald O.

Congratulations!

The winners should have received an email from me by now so check your inbox!!

and for the rest of y’all, keep an eye out for more giveaways coming up soon…

stay connected via twitter, facebook and RSS.

Eagle Rock Entertainment has been on a roll lately. They’re putting smiles on the faces of classic rock fans the world over by releasing great new DVDs by Peter Gabriel, Lindsey Buckingham, Counting Crows, Dream Theater and Cream. They’re also responsible for releasing the last live performance of the late great Gary Moore. I have to say that the folks in charge of Eagle Rock have good taste in music! Here’s the official announcement of the Gary Moore release:

EAGLE ROCK RELEASES GARY MOORE LIVE AT MONTREUX 2010 FEATURING THREE BRAND NEW SONGS ON CD, DVD, AND BLU-RAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2011
Eagle Rock Entertainment recently released the very last live performance in the life of acclaimed guitarist/singer/songwriter Gary Moore. Live At Montreux 2010 strikingly shows a major return-to-rock for the musician who spent years exploring the blues. In fact, in the last days of his life, Moore, who died on February 6 of this year, was working on a new rock album.
What makes this release so compelling is the inclusion of three never-before-released gems, “Days Of Heroes,” “Where Are You Now” and “Oh Wild One,” that he previewed for the Montreux audience and had fully intended to put on the album he was writing and recording at the time. The rest of the set is heavy on the 1980s rock he pioneered solo, as well as his late 60s/70s work with Phil Lynott in Thin Lizzy and Skid Row. And, of course, some blues.
Gary Moore was born in 1952 Belfast, Ireland. Heavily influenced by Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green, he joined Skid Row (not to be confused with the American band of the same name) as a teenaged phenomenon in 1969 for three albums before going solo, joining Thin Lizzy, and going solo again. His hit single “Parisienne Walkways” catapulted him into the hearts and minds of discerning music lovers around the globe and subsequent forays into Celtic (Wild Frontier, 1987) and blues (Still Got The Blues, 1990) preceded an album with Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce (BBM, 1994). Much more blues would follow, most notably Power Of The Blues in 2004. Through it all, he maintained the highest level of musicianship and became revered for his constant searching and the redefining of his own artistry.

Live At Montreux Track Listing:
CD:
1 Over The Hills And Far Away
2 Military Man
3 Days Of Heroes
4 Where Are You Now?
5 So Far Away/Empty Rooms
6 Oh Wild One
7 Blood Of Emeralds
8 Out In The Fields
9 Walking By Myself
10 Johnny Boy
11 Parisienne Walkways

DVD/Blu-ray:
1 Over The Hills And Far Away
2 Thunder Rising
3 Military Man
4 Days Of Heroes
5 Where Are You Now?
6 So Far Away/Empty Rooms
7 Oh Wild One
8 Blood Of Emeralds
9 Out In The Fields
10 Still Got The Blues
11 Walking By Myself
12 Johnny Boy
13 Parisienne Walkways

—
It’s a must-have for any classic rock fan.

and as a matter of fact, I’ve got three Gary Moore Live at Montreux 2010 CD/DVD sets to giveaway. That’s right, three lucky retroblog readers can win this!

here’s what you need to do to win:

head over to this surveymonkey page and answer the following Gary Moore related questions:

Name Gary Moore’s biggest British hit which reached number 5 on the charts back in 1985.

Name one of the bands Gary Moore played in during his career.

Pretty easy. This contest ends at 5pm on November 30, 2011. From all the correct entries, I’ll randomly choose three winners.

Oh and you get bonus points if you follow me on twitter and facebook. be sure to mention it when you submit your answers in order to get credit.

Thanks for participating!
(more…)

like a lot of other music blogs, I receive promo DVDs and CDs from various companies for me to review. And over time, the retroblog promo bag has gotten quite full. So, I thought I’d do another giveaway so that I share some of these cool titles with my retroblog readers.

here’s what you do. take a look at this photo of DVDs and CDs.

all you have to do is identify as many CDs/DVDs as you can that’s featured in this photo. I’ll need artist AND title of each item. The person that identifies the most items in this photo correctly will be sent the CD or DVD of their choice (from this pile of promos of course). Simple as that.

submit your answers at this link. (via surveymonkey)

Since this is a contest the requires correct answers please refrain from posting any of the answers in the comment section of this post. I’m only accepting answers through THIS LINK.

As always, when submitting your answers, please include your correct mailing address and email address so that, if you win, the prize will be sent to the right address. I know, I know, it’s common sense but still, from past experience, I HAVE to mention it.

Oh and bonus points for those that follow me on twitter and facebook. be sure to mention it when you submit your answers in order to get credit.

Thanks for participating! have fun!

this contest ends at 11:59pm November 18, 2011.

please note: only open to those in the U.S.

Thanks again to all those that participated in Doctor Faith CD giveaway.

all the entries were compiled into a spreadsheet and numbered sequentially. I then used random.org to generate three random numbers.

and here are the winners –

The grand prize winner (Doctor Faith CD autographed by Christopher Cross) is Todd N.

the two runners up (regular unsigned Doctor Faith CDs) are: Victoria K. and Sara S.

Congratulations!

The winners should have received an email from me by now so check your inbox!!

Keep an eye out for more giveaways coming up soon…

Christopher Cross will be out on tour this year to support his latest album, Doctor Faith. It’s Cross’ first studio album in 12 years and I’m sure he’s pleased to see all the positive reviews. Check out what Chris Epting of Pop Culture Road Trip had to say about the new album:
“Doctor Faith shimmers with the same rich melodic atmosphere that was the essence of his first, self-titled LP. Reflective, personal and sometimes introspective, Cross (who co-wrote the album with Rob Meurer) is in fine form throughout the 13 tracks.”

To commemorate the new release and tour, I’ll be giving away a Doctor Faith CD signed by none other than Christopher Cross himself!! That’s right, an autographed copy of Doctor Faith. Interested? Here’s what you need to do to enter in the drawing.

Simply post a comment here with a little tidbit or factoid relating to Christopher Cross. For instance, you can post your favorite song of his or maybe if you’ve seen him live, how about posting a neat moment from his concert. anything goes. just keep it clean, people.

bonus points for those participating in this drawing that also follow me on twitter and/or LIKE me on facebook. (just be sure to let me know by posting an additional comment here in order to earn your bonus entries!!!)

And that’s NOT ALL! I have two extra regular CDs (unsigned) that I’ll be giving to two runners up.

Winners (the grand prize winner will receive the autographed CD of Doctor Faith, two runners up will receive the unsigned CDs) will be chosen at random (using the random number generator random.org) from all the entries received. The winners will be notified via email and will have to respond within 48 hours. Mailing addresses will be forwarded to a representative at Universal Music who will be sending out the prizes directly to the winners.

I’ll be taking entries until 11:59pm July 5th, 2011.

(more…)

Thanks again to all those that participated in Freschetta Pizza & cutting boards giveaway.

all the entries were compiled into a spreadsheet and numbered sequentially. I then used random.org to produce a random number.

and without further ado – the winner is:

Nessa

Congratulations! Please send me your mailing address and I’ll get your prize sent to you in the next week or so.

OK, so that was fun!

Be on the look out for another giveaway in the coming weeks. and be sure to LIKE RetroBlog on facebook to stay in the loop for future drawings and contests.