CD Odyssey Disc 201: Captain Tractor

We begin the next 100 discs with another milestone. When I'm finished this review I will have completed the first artist where I own more than one album. In this case, I have three discs by this artist.

When this happens, I'm going to take the opportunity to do a quick summation of how all the albums rank against each other in the final analysis. Call it a little extra celebration of their work.

Disc 201 is...Land
Artist: Captain Tractor

Year of Release: 1994

What’s Up With The Cover?: It is a ship sailing across a field of wheat, capturing Captain Tractor's fusion of prairie rock with atlantic Celtic folk. In fact, every Captain Tractor has some variant of piracy or tall ships against a prairie background. It is their thing. I like it.

How I Came To Know It: I discovered the band on their second album, "East of Edson", so "Land" was just me going back and buying their first album after liking their first. I've probably had this album since about 1996 or so.

How It Stacks Up: I have three Captain Tractor albums (their first three). I'd say this is my least favourite, so third. As promised in the teaser - here's a recap of all three in order of preference.

1. East of Edson: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 148)
2. Bought The Farm: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 59)
3. Land: 2 stars (reviewed right here).

Rating: 2 stars.

As noted above, and in previous reviews, Captain Tractor is a nice mix of prairie roots rock and celtic folk, done Canadian style. They are like The Barenaked Ladies in that they are known for their humor, but they've got a serious side that is just as good when they choose to show it.

This album does all the things the later two will, but it doesn't quite do it at the same level. The funny songs aren't quite as funny - and usually lack the satirical insights of later songs as well. The serious songs aren't as strong either.

The one exception to this is the first track, "Pitcairn Island" which is a mostly humorous, slightly serious review of the whole Mutiny on the Bounty story, told through the eyes of the crew. It is principally focused on the crew wanting to marry the native island girls, and say goodbye to England. There are many great lines, but this one sums up the themes:

"Well we're sick of planting breadfruit
For the profit of a King
If we never see Great Britain again
We sure wouldn't miss a thing.

That's why we've met in secret
And quietly we've planned
And as for good old Captain Bligh
From the yardarm he will hang!"

Of course, Bligh isn't hanged in the mutiny - he's set adrift in a smaller boat. The song does get this right later (I guess they only planned to hang him, but relented).

Musically, the song has such a catchy chorus that you can't help but sing along as the crew cheerily revels in gaining their freedom from the English Navy (personally, I'd miss the rum ration, but that's just me). Near the end, it recounts the scuttling of the Bounty. As the ship sinks, the song briefly switches to a reggae beat, which is a clever way to show that they've truly 'gone native'.

Other than this the album doesn't have a lot of standouts. It isn't bad, but it does compare unfavourably to their later work. They have a definite campus rock feel, and the song "Not In This Town" does a passable version of what it's like to move to a new town and not know anyone. It reminds me of what it was like to come from a small town to the 'big city' of Victoria (it was big to me).

While not a good song, I had a few laughs at "Mmmm Donut" which is a song comparing a man and woman to donuts in love featuring more than a few very dirty lines. I can't resist sharing a couple (lines - I don't share my donuts):

"If I were a donut
Of you would I dream
You'd be my bismark
And I'd make you cream.

If we both were donuts
In tender embraces we'd roll
I'd flip on my side
And show you my hole."

This album also features a remake of the McGarrigle Sisters "The Logdriver's Waltz". I think I prefer the original, but Captain Tractor hold their own. By the way, if you haven't seen the National Film Board animated short featuring the original song, it is worth seeking out. It is a classic piece of Canadiana.

This record is only average, but it is a good average, and I enjoyed it. I almost went three stars, but they had to test me by including too many songs (15) many of which really should've been left in the studio. I like extra filling in my donuts, not my records. Less is more, Captain!

Best tracks: Pitcairn Island, Not In This Town, The Road Ahead, Hold Me, Logdriver's Waltz

CD Odyssey: The First 200

It seems like only yesterday I started this thing, and here I am at the 200 disc summary milestone. This blog has rekindled my love of writing and I thank all of you for your encouragement - whether you've posted a comment, or just told me about something you liked in person.

I think I'll stick as close to possible as my review of the first 100 and see how that goes.

The musical spread is still pretty even over the four decades I've been alive. 100 discs ago, the eighties had a slim lead, but the nineties have made a strong showing and moved up the list. I just reviewed my first disc of the 2010s as well! Scroll down to read it - it should be just below this summary if this thing works the way it is supposed to. Anyway, here are the numbers frozen in time for posterity:

Seventies: 44
Eighties: 48
Nineties: 54
Oughts: 50

As before, with some soundtracks and best ofs straddling a decade, there may be some overlap.

In terms of ratings, here is where they stand now.

5/5: 19 albums
4/5: 65 albums
3/5: 63 albums
2/5: 37 albums
1/5: 3 albums
best of (not rateable): 13 albums

I'm still averaging one in ten albums at 5/5. There is a couple that I'd probably take down to 4/5 (like the Wailin' Jennys and Mark Knopfler's "Sailing To Philadelphia", but I'm sticking with my reaction at the time. Besides, it makes me more judicious knowing I can't change my mind later.

Last time around 2 albums had been sold as a result of low reviews, but I found some real crap this time - and actually had occasion to use the 1/5 rating 3 times this time around. Sadly, due to 'domestic considerations', I was only able to sell one of them (Elvis Costello). The other two continue to lurk on the CD racks, ready to strike at any moment from the darkness.

Overall, of the last 100 records, I've sold four more - Gordon Lightfoot's "Gord's Gold Vol II", Elvis Costello's "The Juliet Letters", Miles Davis' "Sketches of Spain" and Stan Rogers' "Turnaround". If you want to know why, read the reviews.

The Dice Gods continue to favour certain artists. Last time it was Kiss and Queen on top.

Queen still reigns with seven, but has some company with Tom Waits having had seven reviews of his own. Close behind is Alice Cooper with six.

Also noteable, Townes Van Zandt, Judas Priest, (the aforementioned) Kiss, Cypress Hill, Mark Knopfler and Rush all have four reviews.

And thanks for asking - still no Blue Oyster Cult. Maybe the dice are punishing me for complaining back at Disc 100. I choose to believe otherwise - obviously.

In terms of genre, Rock and Folk still dominate, which I don't see changing. Here's the top five after 100:

Rock: 73 albums
Folk: 56 albums
Pop: 37 albums
Metal: 20 albums
Country: 17 albums

Exact same order, and practically the same division as 100 records ago. If you're wondering how polls predict things, ladies and gentlemen - there you are.

Well - I now return you to regularly scheduled programming. I shall return with Disc 201, and we'll keep plugging away and do this thing.

CD Odyssey Disc 200: Hank Williams III

Greetings, gentle reader and welcome to the milestone 200th review on the CD Odyssey.

This review is also the first album to be tagged with the "tens" designation. As in, the "2010s". I love that we're in the tens now - like the 1910s, but with more mediums to store music on.

Disc 200 is...Rebel Within
Artist: Hank Williams III

Year of Release: 2010

What’s Up With The Cover?: The album is called, "The Rebel Within" but this would seem to be the rebel without. Hank III is depicted atop a Confederate flag, hiding his face with a kerchief. How...rebellious.

How I Came To Know It: I learned about Hank III first from a coworker of mine when I used to be down at Treasury Board Staff in the Provincial Government back in 2000. This particular album is just the recent release, since I've been buying this stuff ever since.

How It Stacks Up: I have all five of Hank III's albums, this being the latest. His last stuff hasn't been as good as his earlier work, but this isn't the worst. I'd put it 4th.

Rating: 3 stars.

Hank III is the grandson of Hank Williams Senior, who I last reviewed at Disc 32. Unlike his useless father's new country crap, Hank III is the true inheritor of his Grandfather's talents. He even sounds the same, although the songs are original.

Even the topics are the same, mostly revolving around getting drunk and stoned, chasing women and telling folks off. Of course, being a modern artist rather than one from the forties and fifties, let's just say Hank III can be a little more explicit covering these topics. As an example, the title track, "Rebel Within" has a chorus of:

"I'm drunk
And stoned
Let's fuck
'Til dawn"

Crude but effective.

In fact, Hank III has a lot in common with Cypress Hill in that he keeps his subject matter to a minimum. In Hank III's case, he sings principally about 1) Getting drunk 2) Getting high and 3) Telling People Where to Go. He occasionally meanders into what seems like a 4th topic of praising original country music outlaws but this will usually at some point descend into telling someone where to go (country radio, and new country are favourite - and deserving - targets).

The musicianship on this album is excellent - mostly bluegrass with some rock and roll touches that help harden up the edges. Hank III also inherited his grandfather's writing talents, and these songs have a timeless quality that makes you swear you've heard them before, but when you check the liner notes, you'll find Hank III has written all but one of the twelve tracks.

Lyrically, Hank covers the topics noted above, such as the descriptive "Gettin' Drunk And Fallin' Down" which is about exactly what it says, and not much more or "Drinkin' Ain't Hard to Do" in which he highlights one of his talents - guess what it is?

Generally, I enjoy Hank III's plain talking and angry rants - they are very cathartic and fun in the car as well. "Rebel Within" and "Gettin' Drunk And Fallin' Down" are particularly kick ass tracks. That said, overall this record's plain talking too often descends into artistic laziness and poor phrasing. Lines are reused without artistic purpose within the same song, and extra syllables are crammed into quatrains where they don't belong. Hank would tell you this is deliberate, but having heard his brilliance on earlier records, I know he is capable of better.

I would say this record is for Hank III completionists only, but it still has his irresistable "I don't give a shit" charm, and is worth a ride if you've got the first three already. (Go ahead and skip 2008's "Damn Right Rebel Proud" - it's the runt of the litter).

Best tracks: Gettin' Drunk And Fallin' Down, Rebel Within, Lookin' For a Mountain, Drinkin' Ain't Hard To Do.

CD Odyssey Disc 199: Chris Isaak

Queen's "News of the World" was a tough act to follow, but the Odyssey pauses for neither man nor disc. This time it picked another one of those albums I don't put on often, but am always pleasantly surprised when I hear it.

Disc 199 is...San Francisco Days

Artist: Chris Isaak

Year of Release: 1993

What’s Up With The Cover?: I think this is suppose to hearken back to old record covers from the fifties or sixties - all the way down to the listing of the songs on the front, rather than the back. Unfortunately, I don't really like the look of those old records, and I don't like the look of this one either.

How I Came To Know It: I used to own Chris Isaak's monster 1989 album "Heart Shaped World" but along the way I must have sold, likely when facing tough times and an empty beer fridge. I never bothered to rebuy it, but I remember liking his voice, so when I saw "San Francisco Days" in a clearance bin about five or six years ago for only $5.95 I thought, 'how bad can it be' and bought it.

How It Stacks Up: "San Francisco Days" is the only album I have by Isaak right now. Looking back into the depths of my musical memory, I recall "Heart Shaped World" didn't have much beyond the monster hit "Wicked Game", whereas "San Francisco Days" has more to offer over all.

Rating: 3 stars.

Chris Isaak is one of those artists I admire, but never really get into. His sound is a sort of mix of rockabilly, new country and pop. In a way, he is the natural inheritor of Elvis Presley's sound. He also reminds me a bit of a poor man's Blue Rodeo.

The lyrics don't match the abilities of that band, but his voice makes even fairly ordinary stuff sound amazing. It is a high trilling voice that is at odds with rugged good looks that make you think you're about to get an earthy and low sound. Instead, you get a high tenor that warbles effortlessly in and out of falsetto, never losing power. He's like an opera singer in workboots.

There are a few standouts on this album, including "Two Hearts" (which I think might've received minor radio play in the day), "Except the New Girl" and my favourite song "Waiting". "Waiting" is a slow, mournful song with a tune that makes you think of Patsy Cline, with a big echoing guitar sound, and Isaak's signature voice telling a simple tale of heartache and love lost. It is a song that is close to perfect, and it is almost guaranteed to make you think of the last time your heart was broken - whenever that was.

Speaking of songs about broken hearts, "Solitary Man," a remake of the Neil Diamond song is also noteable. I have this song done by Isaak, Johnny Cash and the original Neil Diamond. They are all good in their own way (OK - the Johnny Cash one is merely average) but of all of them, I'd take the Isaak version on this album by a nose over the Neil Diamond original.

The rest of the record isn't as good, but it is never truly bad. Also, it features some exceptional guitar playing, mostly in a country blues style. I don't know if this is mostly Chris Isaak or a guy named James Calvin Wilsey, since they are both listed as 'guitar' in the liner notes. Whoever it is (or whatever combination is used) I found it a pleasant surprise on this listen. Chris Isaak's voice is powerful, and strong musicianship on the other instruments is needed if only to balance it off. "San Francisco Days" delivers.

This album has moments of excellence, but overall it is too inconsistent for me to go above three stars. Still, I enjoyed getting reacquainted and I hope I remember to put it on more often in future.

Best tracks: Beautiful Homes, Two Hearts, Except the New Girl, Waiting, Solitary Man

CD Odyssey Disc 198: Queen

Tom Waits' reign of most discs reviewed at seven didn't last long, as an Odyssey favourite came back for more.

This time, it is one of my favourite albums of all time - and here it is!

Disc 198 is...News of the World
Artist: Queen

Year of Release: 1977

What’s Up With The Cover?: It would appear that a giant steel robot has slain the entire band - that would indeed be world news if it happened. My favourite part of this album art is the robot's face, which has an expression of profound sadness - as though he didn't know how fragile the human body was until it was too late.

How I Came To Know It: I have listened to Queen since my early childhood, as I've noted in previous reviews. This particular album was an early recommendation of my buddy and Queen expert Spence back in the mid-nineties, when I asked him what some of the best albums were to pick up. Of course, he rattled off about four or five more, but this was the first one he said that day.

How It Stacks Up: I have fourteen Queen albums - I'm still missing the elusive "Made In Heaven". While "News of the World" is not usually thought of as the greatest Queen album, for me it is. This is my all-time favourite Queen album, so #1.

Rating: 5 stars

"News of the World" is Queen's sixth studio album, coming right after "Day at the Races" and just before "Jazz", which I reviewed back at Disc 80. It has everything you would expect in a great Queen record; Freddie's theatrics and amazing voice, Brian May's guitar, and John Deacon and Roger Taylor selflessly laying down the groove in the background.

This album for me is Queen at the zenith of their talent. Many years ago I did a mixed CD called "Top Ten Guitar Gods" - Brian May came in 3rd, and I went looking for two songs that exemplified his talents. Both songs I chose - "Who Needs You" and "It's Late" are from this album. "It's Late" is May at his bombastic riff riding best - years later it remains my favourite Queen song. At the other end of the spectrum, "Who Needs You" is a whimsical little number that shows May's softer side (John Deacon wrote the song, and joins May to also play guitar on this song).

The hit from this record is actually two songs released together, which have become the iconic voice of Queen on every radio station and in every football stadium across the land for the past 33 years - "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions". I'd heard these songs so many times over the years, that I expected them to be an afterthought, but the powerful guitar solo on "We Will Rock You" grabs you by the balls every time you hear it. If it doesn't grab you, then you aren't listening. Turn it up and listen again, monkey!

As for the companion piece, one day my long suffering Miami Dolphins will win the Superbowl. When that day comes, "We Are the Champions" will be the first thing that hits my stereo - apologies in advance to my neighbours.

"Fight From the Inside" has one of the best rock grooves ever written, "My Melancholy Blues" has some of the best vocals you will ever hear. No one can do it like Freddie Mercury. The killer tracks just keep coming without pause.

If I had one minor quibble, it would be the bizarre 'close encounters' synth solo midway through "Get Down, Make Love". Even that can't ruin the song, which is one of the sexiest, most explicit sex tracks ever laid down in vinyl.

Speaking of vinyl, I enjoyed this album so much the last couple of days that today I went and bought it on re-issued vinyl. I can't wait to put it on tonight and hear it the way Queen intended.

"News of the World" is as close to perfect as a record gets. If I had the power I'd transform all those "best of" Queen compilations polluting record collections across this country and replace them with "News of the World" - it is the place to start.

Best tracks: All tracks

CD Odyssey Disc 197: Concrete Blonde

Today’s album is one of the oldest discs I own. I’ve had it for twenty years, and it has seen me through a lot of memories along the way.

Disc 197 is...Bloodletting
Artist: Concrete Blonde

Year of Release: 1990

What’s Up With The Cover?: A gothic cover for a gothic record. One white bloodstained rose, amidst a group of more traditional red ones.

How I Came To Know It: I first heard Concrete Blonde when I saw the video for "God Is a Bullet", a song off their previous album. I went to buy something by them, and couldn't find the record with "God Is A Bullet", so I bought "Bloodletting" which at the time was their new release.

How It Stacks Up: I have three Concrete Blonde albums (I used to have their 4th, "Mexican Moon" but I sold it years ago). "Bloodletting" is certainly safe from that fate - it is by far my favourite.

Rating: 4 stars.

I've had this record for so long, and heard it so many times, it is hard to be objective about how I feel about it. Put shortly, I love it, and I still enjoy hearing it, even if it is for the thousandth time.

The record is heavy on the vampire imagery, but it is more than simply a collection of theme music. It has a deep and yearning heart that isn't just about a single image, even one as iconic and complex as the vampire (yeah, I like the vampire myth - if you know me, you know this).

The lyrics are haunting and they hold a sadness that you feel is founded in resigned experience, rather than simply youthful angst. This is exemplified in "I Don't Need a Hero":

"You always said I was a liar
But we burn like a house on fire
No matter what, you know that to be true
And everything you gave to me
Changed everything I used to be
Much more than anyone I ever knew.

"And I don't need a hero
I don't need a soldier
I did when I was younger
But now that I'm older"

These lyrics, like the entire record, come alive with the world-weary siren call that is Johnette Napolitano's voice. She sounds otherworldly and old before her time. Her personality is a force of nature - when she sings softly she is a seductress; when she sings hard, she is a rock goddess. Whichever side of her personality is showing, there is always a part of her that makes you a little nervous to approach. There is a danger in her, but it is a beautiful danger, so you sidle up close anyway.

This album is rich in memory - good, bad and simply evocative. It has been a staple on gaming nights for years, in the car and when I'm painting miniatures. I remember marvelling at how much I enjoyed it, turned up loud when no one was in the house.

I remember the joy in 1992 at seeing my new room-mate, Greg, also owned it (I knew I liked him). I remember that even at the height of overplay, I would still seek out a girl for a slowdance when "Joey" came on at the dance club.

As you'll no doubt remember, "Joey" was a huge pop radio hit in the day that was grossly overplayed. For a while after that, I couldn't listen to it and always skipped it on the disc. Years later I find it has been rehabilitated. It'll never be my favourite song on the album, but I can again appreciate it for the modern classic it is. Also, for a creepy song about addiction, it makes for a pretty good slowdance.

I also will always remember the shame of overhearing my Mom crying in the kitchen as I thoughtlessly played "Tomorrow, Wendy" on a summer home from university. At the time my Aunt Wendy was dying of cancer, and the song's chorus is "hey hey, goodbye/tomorrow Wendy is going to die." I had heard the song so many times it didn't register, but it was Mom's first listen. Talk about being clueless. Sorry, Mom.

The only thing I would change about this record is that I would produce it differently. It is recorded very low, and the sound has a fuzzy indistinct quality. It would benefit from a clearer more direct rock sound, instead of the eighties pop sensibilities that it has brought forward from the last decade. Still this is a minor quibble on a record that is packed with great music that is both catchy, and makes you think.

Also, it has vampires. I like vampires.

Best tracks: Bloodletting, Darkening of the Light, Days and Days, The Beast, Lullaby, Tomorrow Wendy

CD Odyssey Disc 196: Patty Griffin

I've been working late this week, and doing a lot of writing. The plus side to this is - they pay me.

The minus side is that I sometimes feel drained and not up to writing for myself later. Fortunately, the latest disc has plenty to inspire.

Disc 196 is...Children Running Through
Artist: Patty Griffin

Year of Release: 2007

What’s Up With The Cover?: Another classically bad folk album cover. This one at least has some production value, and looks like it was done by a professional. It still comes off as hokey, and I think part of it is the dated outfit that Patty Griffin is wearing. It has that 'dated, but not quite dated enough to be cool' timeframe going on. If I'm wrong on this front, I'm sure Sheila will correct me, and I bow to her greater fashion knowledge.

How I Came To Know It: This album shows the power of connection in music. When I reviewed the soundtrack to "Elizabethtown" back at Disc 33, I noted how much I liked the Patty Griffin song, "Long Ride Home". When I reviewed the Dixie Chicks' album, "Home" at Disc 140, I was enthralled with "Top Of The World" which is a Patty Griffin cover.

I started looking for Patty Griffin albums, preferably with one or both of these songs, but the only one I could find was "Children Running Through". I was a little nervous, finding both the title and the picture uninspiring, but I bought it anyway, hoping it would be good - it was, and now I'm still looking for another of her albums (any album will do). They're damned hard to find.

How It Stacks Up: I loved this album, but as previously noted, I haven't been able to find anymore, so it sits on my shelf alone. Of the one album that I have, it's my favourite.

Rating: 4 stars but close to 5

Patty Griffin is a commercially unsuccessful folk artist with the voice of an angel. I was looking for other albums of hers today and I inadvertently saw her sales figures - it looks like she sells between 150,000 and 250,000 records per release. This is a travesty for such a great artist.

This album has only been in the collection for a few months, and I've probably heard it only about six or seven times. On my first listen I thought it was good, and every listen thereafter it has gotten better.

This is partly because on my first listen I had all kinds of preconceived notions about what Griffin 'should' sound like, based off the one song and two covers I'd previously heard (I also have the previously unmentioned Emmylou Harris cover of Griffin's "One Big Love"). It created a very one dimensional sense of what kind of artist I had bought - a soulful, soft spoken poet.

Griffin is that for sure, and this album has many standouts in that form. "Trapeze" is a song about a girl who runs away from a troubled past and joins the circus. It is touching, tragic and empowering all at once. It reminded me strongly of Guy Clark's "The Cape" about people who are fearless and put their hearts out there for everyone to see - and whether they get broken or not, you know they'll be stronger. As Griffin sings:

"Some people don't care if they live or they die
Some people want to know what it feels like to fly
They gather their courage and they give it a try
And fall under the wheels of the time going by."

"I Don't Ever Give Up" is a song about...never giving up (hey, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar). I know this song is one of those songs like Pearl Jam's "Alive" that is going to be there for me when I need it for years to come.

Where Griffin surprised me was with her more upbeat, bluesy tracks. I didn't expect it from her, and on the first listen it jarred a little - but only because it didn't fit my narrow expectations.

In fact, these songs are as strong as anything on the album, including "Stay On The Ride", "Getting Ready" and "No Bad News", the latter two forming a couple of the most upbeat sounding songs you'll ever find with which to dismiss a man who is bad news in your life. I expect they will be there for women who need them for years to come. If not, they'll be there for me as great art.

On a final note, this album has the original "Up To The Mountain (MLK Song)" which was beautifully covered by American Idol contestant Crystal Bowersox. Yes, I just admitted that I watched American Idol last year. I'm trying to stop, but my wife keeps putting it on, and I don't have the necessary willpower to just go read a book. Hopefully this year will be different.

If I ever needed a suitable tonic to kick my embarrassing AI habit, then Griffin's "Up To The Mountain" would be it. Crystal Bowersox is one of the most talented contestants Idol has ever had, and she killed this song. But after you hear Patty Griffin sing it, you won't settle for anything less. I found myself thinking about all the brave people, like Martin Luther King Jr. who go before us, and forge a path, heedless of danger. People we go up to the mountain with, simply because they ask us to - because it is not enough to be right, sometimes you've got to be brave too.

I found myself thinking about these things every time I listened to Patty sing this song. It is a microcosm of my experience with this record, which on each listen gets better.

The selfish part of me would like to have Patty Griffin as my own secret discovery (OK, not that secret - since Kelly Clarkson and Natalie Maines are both always singing her songs). However, to hoard her would be wrong - she deserves all the success in the world and more and she's not getting it.

So buy her records - but if you see another copy, please tell me where you saw it, because I'm a little desperate and going to Amazon always feels like failure.

Best tracks: Stay On The Ride, Trapeze, Getting Ready, Burgundy Shoes, No Bad News, Up To The Mountain, I Don't Ever Give Up, Crying Over

CD Odyssey Disc 195: Judas Priest

Well, the internet appears down, so I’m actually writing this review in Word to transfer to the blog later. Of course, for you the transition will be seamless – the powers of technology.

This time around finds us back with the artist that got the whole thing going at Disc #1.

Disc 195 is...Stained Class

Artist: Judas Priest

Year of Release: 1978

What’s Up With The Cover?: I’m not entirely sure. I think it is a metal headed man with a glass rod through his skull. That’s my best guess anyway.

How I Came To Know It: In the last few years I’ve been drilling through most of Judas Priest’s early work, and this is just another one of those. This is their 4th studio album.

How It Stacks Up: I have ten Priest albums. While I liked “Stained Class” it was one of the weaker albums – I’d put it somewhere between 7th and 9th depending on my mood.

Rating: 3 stars.

“Stained Class” is another one of Judas Priest’s albums where you marvel just how heavy they are for such an early album. It is only 1978, but this sound will carry forward through the eighties with ever increasing popularity. Priest is one of the originals.

I found “Stained Class” a little uneven in places, although it definitely has its defining moments. Among these is the high pitched guitar riff on the opening track, “Exciter”. This song also features vintage over-the-top lyrics from Halford:

“Racin’ cross the heavens
Straight into the dawn
Looking like a comet
Slicing through the morn
Scorching the horizon
Blazing to the land
Now he’s here among us
The age of fire’s at hand.”

It seems to be a song about a meteorite crashing into the earth. If you’re not sure how that qualifies as ‘exciting’ you wouldn’t be alone. I’ll just say in the context of the music, it works.

Other standouts are a beefed up remake of Spooky Tooth’s “Better By You, Better Than Me” which I think is actually superior to the original, and “Beyond the Realms of Death” – a song about a man who withdraws his consciousness from the world and lets his body waste away and die. This song has slow stanzas, punctuated by a chorus that rocks out. For a song that is so internal in its content, it takes on an epic quality in the hands of Judas Priest. "Beyond the Realms of Death" reminded me of fellow British metalheads (and eternal foils for Judas Priest) Iron Maiden. This is a good thing.

This is one of the Judas Priest remasters, and so has the obligatory ‘bonus tracks.’ The two on this album are an old song entitled “Fire Burns Below” which is passable but nothing to be in awe of, and a live version of “Better By You, Better Than Me” which is OK, but had me preferring the studio version.

Overall this album is good, and even flashes greatness, but I’m going to stick to being a hard marker, and go with three stars.

Best tracks: Exciter, Better By You Better Than Me, Beyond the Realms of Death.

CD Odyssey Disc 194: Black Sabbath

I'm taking a rare break from watching football to do this review. I finished listening to this record on Friday afternoon, but I've had a busy weekend and haven't gotten around to doing this until now.

Besides the Dolphins have already won (23-20 over Green Bay - Yeehaw!) and the three afternoon games all feature teams I don't like (MIN/DAL, SF/OAK, and NYJ/DEN).

So, without further ado,

Disc 194 is...Paranoid
Artist: Black Sabbath

Year of Release: 1970

What’s Up With The Cover?: I have often wondered this. It looks like a guy in a subpar Halloween costume waiving a plastic sword around. If this is supposed to represent the visions of a paranoid mind, it does a poor job of it.

How I Came To Know It: As I've noted in previous Black Sabbath reviews, I've known the band since I was ten. I knew a lot of the songs off of Paranoid, but never owned it until Sheila bought it for my birthday shortly after we got together (mid-nineties).

How It Stacks Up: I have eleven Black Sabbath albums and "Paranoid" is one of the best in a strong field. I'll say it comes in third.

Rating: 5 stars.

"Paranoid" is a staple in the collection of anyone serious about hard rock or heavy metal. It is one of those albums that everyone owns - if you don't own it, then please don't admit it - why embarrass yourself like that?

Chronologically, it comes second after their self-titled debut earlier the same year. It has a more fully realized sound than the first album to my ear, and avoids the small amounts of noodling that exist on its predecessor.

True, the first song, "War Pigs" is eight minutes long - should we sound a noodle alert? No, we should not - my only regret is that "War Pigs" isn't twelve minutes long.

In fact, with "War Pigs", "Paranoid" and "Iron Man", this record has three of the greatest, most instantly recognizable rock songs ever written.

On this listen I paid closer attention to the lyrics of "Iron Man", which are far more subtle than the whole "heavy bolts of lead/fill his victims full of dread" stuff that we all loved as teenagers. Here's the part that caught my attention this time:

"He was turned to steel
In the great magnetic field
Where he travelled time
For the future of mankind
Nobody wants him
He just stares at the world
Planning his vengeance
That he will soon unfold."

I found it interesting that he was supposed to save the world by travelling through time, but once he is transformed, he is shunned by humanity. In doing so, they incite his hatred. Hence by travelling through time to save the people, he actually sets of the string of events that will doom them (and sets himself up as the facilitator of that doom).

More importantly, the song has a kick ass riff, and a Tony Iommi's guitar solo near the end is the master at his best.

Other standouts on this classic are "Hand of Doom" (about drug use, and how it will eventually kill you) and "Fairies Wear Boots" which I believe tells of a fight with some skinheads.

There are no bad songs on this record - its only range is from good to perfect. Sometimes a couple of months after I give a five star review I have second thoughts that I was too generous (Mark Knopfler's "Sailing to Philadelphia" comes to mind). There is no danger of that here. "Paranoid" remains one of the world's most perfect rock albums, and sounds as fresh and interesting today as it ever did, forty years after it was first released.

Best tracks: War Pigs, Iron Man, Paranoid, Hand of Doom, Fairies Wear Boots.

CD Odyssey Disc 193: Tom Waits

There was a tie between Alice Cooper and Tom Waits for most albums reviewed at six. The tie is now broken.

Disc 193 is...Foreign Affairs
Artist: Tom Waits

Year of Release: 1977

What’s Up With The Cover?: A continental looking Tom Waits poses in sultry fashion with a woman I can only assume is foreign - you can tell by the passport. As covers go, this is a cool one. If I could improve upon it, I might've gone for a slightly less 'monster mash' font for the album title, but this is a minor quibble.

How I Came To Know It: Just Sheila and I drilling through the Tom Waits collection. I think this one came to us a little bit later - maybe the last five or six years.

How It Stacks Up: We have eighteen Tom Waits albums. This one is not one of my favourites - I'd say it is in the bottom four, so somewhere between 15 and 18.

Rating: 3 stars.

This album, like the previously reviewed "Blue Valentine" is near the end of Waits' bluesy early period and actually comes out right before that album (which I reviewed back at Disc 98).

Musically, I found this album fairly boring. It is mostly simple blues tracks played on piano, with a bit of jazz thrown in. I think the music was ill-suited to a car ride, and so suffered on this listen, with each song blending into the next in a fairly unnoticeable way. In fact, I had to actively remind myself to keep coming back to it and pay attention. It was almost like Waits wants us to hear it as though it was playing on some old stereo in another room.

This is too bad, because the lyrics are strong, and the stories Waits tells are worth hearing. As ever he is the master of bawdy street talk, and loveable characters that paint their own personalities while talking about something else.

Consider these first eight lines of "Jack & Neal":

"Jack was sittin poker faced with bullets backed with bitches
Neal hunched at the wheel puttin everyone in stitches
Braggin bout this nurse he screwed while drivin through Nebraska
And when she came she honked the horn and Neal just barely missed a
Truck and then he asked her if she'd like to come to Californy
See a red head in a uniform will always get you horny
With her hairnet and those white shoes and a name tag and a hat
She drove like Andy Granatelli and knew how to fix a flat."

That is some good stuff, and the other songs are just as entertaining.

An interesting aside, Bette Midler guest stars on a duet called "I Never Talk To Strangers" and does her best Billie Holiday impression - or at least that's how I heard it. The song itself is just a little too forties radio for my tastes, but I'm sure that is part of what Tom Waits wants it to sound like.

I don't have much more to say about this album. It refuses to command your attention, but rewards you when you give it. I probably enjoyed this record for two stars worth, but when you take the time it is easily three or four.

Best tracks: Muriel, Jack & Neal, Burma Shave, Foreign Affair.

CD Odyssey Disc 192: Bison BC

The latest album in the CD Odyssey is one that I've been listening to a lot lately, but more on that later.

Disc 192 is...Quiet Earth

Artist: Bison B.C.

Year of Release: 2008

What’s Up With The Cover?: Only something completely awesome. A bison-headed humanoid floats above the earth in some kind of mystical open-boat, while cradling a human skull in his clasped hands. I also like the way the logo has that "Boston" look.

How I Came To Know It: This one is another from the oft-mentioned mixed CD that Cat and Ross burned for my birthday a couple of years back. They alternated putting tracks on from various artists that they liked. This one was a Ross selection. I loved the track he chose, ("Slow Hand of Death") and so eventually took a chance on the album, and haven't looked back.

How It Stacks Up: I have two Bison B.C. albums - their most recent just came out a couple months ago. Other than those two, they just have an early rare EP I have yet to see. I love both LPs, but I'll make this one tops, since I knew it first.

Rating: 4 stars.

Bison B.C. is another great Vancouver band (there are plenty on the Odyssey). They play pedal-down heavy metal, and take no prisoners. With so much ironic detachment going on in music right now it is refreshing to have a band just charge ahead like a bull in a china shop (or in this case, a bison) and rock out.

Musically, Bison BC reminded me variably of Tool, Iron Maiden and Metallica. The drum and bass sound very much like Tool, the soaring guitars reminded me of Iron Maiden (as did the obscure subjects they sing about) and the speed of the musical onslaught reminded me of the thrash-metal sound of Metallica. They even sneak in a little hard core here and there.

While the type of music they make is nothing new or innovative, the way they put it together is uniquely their own - they may not be expiremental, but nor are they derivative.

The lyrics aren't inspired, but as previously noted the topics are cool. The opening track, "Primal Emptiness of Outer Space" is about launching a colony ship into space after the earth is destroyed or dead. Also - is that a great song title or what?

Many of the songs that follow similarly dwell on the death of our planet, or the extermination of the human race. Cheery stuff. There is also a two part song about the ancient North American Native myth of the Wendigo.

The Wendigo is a malevolent spirit that possesses human beings and drives them to cannibalism (or takes over those who resort to cannibalism on their own - as usual with myth, the line is fairly blurry). It is a pretty creepy myth, and I think Bison BC do it justice:

"No food or fire, it's been so long
Now this hunger deep inside
It grows oh so strong
Watch the others drift off to sleep
The last is gone I shall begin to feast."

Yikes. I've found the Wendigo myth freaky since I was a small kid (I think I first heard about it when I was seven or eight). Fortunately for me, unless you're paying close attention, it is hard to pick out the lyrics.

On this note, this album has recently taken on a special significance for me. I've been back into writing again in recent months (the blog turned out to only be the beginning). "Quiet Earth" has become one of my favourite albums to put on for a session.

I came upon it a bit by accident. Sheila was hosting book club, and I decided some music on headphones would help me stay focused on writing in the back, rather than be tempted to drift out and talk to a room full of intelligent, beautiful women...

What was I talking about again?

Oh, right - anyway, I tried some classical music, but I actually found that engaged my frontal lobes too much, making it hard to concentrate on writing. By contrast, Bison hit me in the lizard brain. Not only did it not interfere with my writing, if anything it provided a visceral energy that helped keep me going. Since then, when I sit down for a session of writing, I usually get kick-started by putting on "Quiet Earth" - whether there's a room full of interesting women or not.

As for favourite tracks, because I tend to listen to this album as a set piece, it is hard to pick out just a few tracks. Frankly, I don't have to; in addition to rocking hard, Bison also rocks responsibly, and the record is a very trim 8 songs (bravo!). They are all good, but I suppose I'll list a few just to be a good sport.

Best tracks: Primal Emptiness of Outer Space, Slow Hand of Death, Medication, Quiet Earth

CD Odyssey Disc 191: Nirvana

From one of the worst albums in our collection to one of the best - and the first five star review in a while.

Disc 191 is...Nevermind

Artist: Nirvana

Year of Release: 1991

What’s Up With The Cover?: It's a floating baby chasing the almighty dollar. I don't really like this cover, as I'm not a fan of baby pictures, but I admit it is a strong and iconic image. The idea that we are born into this world and immediately loaded with all sorts of expectations about what success is (represented by the dollar bill). I also like the idea that the baby has been 'thrown into the deep end'. This cover says things start out hard and don't get easier. It may be a baby picture, but it is the best baby picture I can think of.

How I Came To Know It: Another Greg/grunge album from the early nineties. I'd like to think Greg brought this home before it broke huge on the music scene - he's usually a step or two ahead. Since I was into Celtic folk at the time, I probably would've missed it otherwise.

How It Stacks Up: I have four Nirvana albums, which I think is all of them discounting oddball stuff like "unplugged" or garage tapes. Of the four, "Nevermind" is the best.

Rating: 5 stars.

"Nevermind" is a hard album to write a review for. So much has been said about it that there isn't much more to add. Frankly, I think too much has been said about it. This is an incredible record, and it rightly deserves to be held among other great rock albums. Managing to hyperbolize such a record is a tough task, but somehow over the last twenty years, we've managed.

People liking it a bit too much is forgiveable when you listen to it. The first six tracks ("Smells Like Teen Spirit", "In Bloom", "Come As You Are", "Breed", "Lithium" and "Polly") are as good as any six tracks you'll hear on a record, and they come at you all in a row.

In a way I was happy to have the comparatively average "Territorial Pissings" come in at number 7, if only to give me a break from the onslaught.

"In Bloom" always stands out for me, and it's a song all the music critics who write a review of this album should listen to carefully. It is a song about the fan who loves the music, but isn't really connecting to it. It isn't necessarily about fakes, it just seems that Cobain thinks we're all fakes to the music experience. Maybe we are, and even if Cobain is a prick for saying so, I for one enjoyed the humbling experience of being called out. For other songs in the same vein, check out Cake's "Rock & Roll Lifestyle" and the most honest rock song ever written, Rush's "Limelight". (You'll hear me say that again before the Odyssey ends, trust me).

"Lithium" deals with the topic of mental illness in a way that makes you really feel the despair of the experience, and "Polly" tells the true story of a woman kidnapped and raped by a psychopath, who escapes him by pretending to fall for him. It is a disturbing song, and a convincing imagining of the inner workings of the disturbed mind.

I remember dancing to "Lithium" at Scandals night club in the early nineties on alternative Tuesday. Listening to it in the car brought that entire experience back to me viscerally, even many years and countless listens later. These songs are good because they aren't just good when you first hear them - they actually get better with age.

On this listen I was reminded that Nirvana is more than just Kurt Cobain's tortured vocals; their musicianship is excellent. I'm not a fan of Dave Grohl's "Foo Fighter" work, but I can't deny his drumming, which is excellent, and Chris Novoselic is no slouch on the bass either.

This album does have that annoying early nineties 'hidden track' where after an excellent song ("Something In the Way") there is ten minutes of silence followed by what is really another song. Even this cardinal sin was not enough to remotely pull this album down from five stars.

I'm not going to say much more, because it has all been said about this album. Besides, to paraphrase "In Bloom" while I like all the songs and I like to sing along, I don't know what it means. All I know for sure is it is a classic.

Best tracks: There are twelve tracks, and I love nine of them. The only weak spots are Territorial Pissings, Lounge Act and Something In the Way, but the latter only because of the hidden track what-not.

CD Odyssey Disc 190: Various Artists

What do you get when you combine the world's most pretentious style of music with the world's most emotionally empty style of music. You get the next disc on the Odyssey.

Disc 190 is...Verve Remixed
Artist: Various

Year of Release: 2002

What’s Up With The Cover?: Two turntables and a grammaphone? My, that seems pretentiously arty - will it be a harbinger of what we should expect musically? Let's continue!

How I Came To Know It: Sheila bought this album. I'm not sure how she came to know it, but it was pretty damned ubiquitous back in the early oughts. More on that later. Anyway, I came to know it in my car the last two days like a prisoner comes to know his captor, minus any traces of Stockholm Syndrome.

How It Stacks Up: We only have one 'Verve Remixed' record, although we used to have a 'volume 2'. Mercifully that one was sold. Sadistically, this one remains.

Rating: 1 star.

If you've been paying keen attention, you may have already guessed I am not a fan of this record. Ostensibly, the goal here was for Verve records to take a bunch of their classical jazz recordings from yesteryear (Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, Shirley Horn, Billie Holliday) and fuse them with remixes done by modern electronica artists (Thievery Corporation, MJ Cole, Richard Dorfmeister).

The result is an unholy chimera combining the worst elements that jazz has to offer (pretentious, emotionally unreachable noodling) with the worst electronica has to offer (artificial, emotionally empty moronic thumping).

Enter the soulless record exec, retorting thusly: "Yeah, but it made lots of money!" And indeed it did. In fact, in the early oughts it was as dismally everpresent as Yellow Label Wolfblass. Most cocktail parties I remember from the period featured both.

There was even a hit single of Dinah Washington's version of "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?" (itself a remake of the 1944 Louis Porter song).

I'm currently reading a collection of William Safire essays on language, so you'll forgive me if I stop to ponder the title of this song, which really ought to read, "Are You, Or Are You Not, My Baby?" or even more directly put: "Are You My Baby or Not?"

Of course the words are chosen by the writer specifically to capture the down-in-the-soul frustration of confused emotion. Emotions aren't grammatically correct - they're messy, dirty things that are hard to express, and the way the song is titled helps us see that mess gloriously exposed.

Despite these auspicious beginnings, by the time "Rae and Christian" are finished remixing it for this album, the song should've been retitled, "r u my baby - y/n?" to better match the emotional content still remaining in the song.

Shockingly, I've just been discussing one of the better songs on the album. How then did it manage to earn even the single star?

The sordid truth is that a couple of times I found my finger tapping to the beat of some of these songs, which in places was catchy. As soon as I realized that this beat wasn't going to advance beyond repeating itself ad nauseum for the next four to ten minutes I stopped tapping. But I'm not going to pretend it didn't happen and so - here's your star, verve record exec.

Best tracks: Um...no

CD Odyssey Disc 189: Pete Yorn

I had intended to do this review right after I watched Monday Night Football. However the second half debacle I just witnessed was so total I needed about an hour just to calm down to the point that I could think about music (yeah we lost - and lost big)

So I took some time to cool off by watching the latest episode of Dexter (which frankly was less of a bloodbath than the Patriots/Dolphins game that preceded it). I think I am now prepared to face the music.

Disc 189 is...Day I Forgot
Artist: Pete Yorn

Year of Release: 2003

What’s Up With The Cover?: It's a picture of Pete in an unknown but apparently urban location. I think we can all agree, Pete Yorn has a pretty awesome head of hair.

On a much lesser note, this cover reminds me how much I'd like to get a jean jacket to round out my wardrobe. Somehow I doubt I'll wear it as well as Pete.

How I Came To Know It: I first heard of Pete Yorn when his album "musicforthemorningafter" came out back in 2001. It received big critical hype, but I never bought it. He actually came into our house when Sheila read a music review of 'best music of the oughts' and "musicforthemorningafter" was mentioned. She bought that album first, but that's the subject of a future review. This is the follow up effort that she brought home shortly thereafter.

How It Stacks Up: Of the two Pete Yorn albums we own (if you've been reading along, you'll know which ones), I like the other one better, but this one is OK.

Rating: 2 stars but almost 3.

We've only had this album for a very brief period of time, and I don't put it on a lot, so I wouldn't say I have a strong association with it. I think its biggest fault is that it suffers by comparison with the album that preceded it.

After a slightly self-indulgent 47 second 'intro' track, "Day I Forgot" settles into some quality alt-pop. The first couple of tracks, "Come Back Home" and "Crystal Village" are two of the better songs on the record, and overall the front end of the album is better than the back end.

At fourteen, this record is pushing what is acceptable in my mind for song total, but since they are all between two and a half and four and half minutes, I forgive Pete his slight unwillingness to edit. That said, I could make a couple of cuts and make a much tighter record in the process.

The music is a little too radio friendly. That isn't to say that I oppose it simply because it is radio friendly (although I often have to fight that impulse). Rather it has that generic quality in places that I tend to associate with the radio.

On a few later tracks, Yorn's voice strays dangerously close to a derivative of Pearl Jam songs from the same period. Sounding like Eddie Vedder is never a good idea, because you'll always suffer in the comparison.

This quality shows up much more strongly later in the album on tracks like "Burrito" and "Man In Uniform". On "Burrito" it didn't bother me, since I didn't like that track anyway, but it disappointed me on "Man In Uniform" where it detracts from what could've been a good song.

When Yorn let's up just a little bit on the vocal throttle, and edges back to his own sound, he has a great tone all his own; a rock voice that makes you want to hear what he has to say. I enjoyed "All At Once" which gives this album a nice lift right at the end, and makes up for a few fairly forgettable songs that come before it.

As for lyrics, I don't think Yorn is brilliant on this album, but he is at least thoughtful, which is more than most people you're going to hear on the radio.

In the final analysis, "Day I Forgot" is still a solid record, although it didn't grab me like Yorn's earlier album, and didn't inspire me to keep drilling through his collection. Still you could do worse, and you can't deny the dude has a fine head of hair.

Best tracks: Come Back Home, Crystal Village, All At Once.

CD Odyssey Disc 188: Neil Young

I actually finished listening to this disc yesterday, but I was enjoying it so much, I decided to listen to it again. I don't see anything in the rules that says I can't do that.

Besides, it was fun.

Disc 188 is...Hawks & Doves
Artist: Neil Young

Year of Release: 1980

What’s Up With The Cover?: It is supposed to be a star from the American flag, the reverse of the album are some red and white stripes. Neil Young is one of a number of great Canadian artists that can enjoy America, without feeling like they are any less Canadian. It is called being confident in yourself.

How I Came To Know It: I was just digging through Neil Young's collection a while back (maybe five or six years ago). This was in the store, and I didn't have it yet. You get to a point with some artists that you aren't afraid to buy any album - I'm at that point with Neil Young. OK, maybe not "Arc".

How It Stacks Up: I have twelve Neil Young records and I like all of them. "Hawks & Doves" really impressed me this time around, and I'm tempted to say it is third, but since I'm only three discs in, I'll put this one somewhere between 3 and 5.

Rating: 4 stars, but a thin line from 5.

"Hawks & Doves" is a very relaxed sounding album from his more definitive folk period. The first four tracks are songs originally recorded in the mid to late seventies, the last five are from 1980; the year the album came out.

This album is so relaxing that it physically calmed my body down after a very stressful week in my life. I think that's why I kept it in the car an extra day; I needed it.

The arrangements are classic early Neil Young; sparse and beautiful, and his voice has a quiet, gentle quality that I prefer to his later rock sound. In many ways, it reminded me of a very early version of "Prairie Wind", which I reviewed back at Disc 160. Where "Prairie Wind" is more about Young's early life, "Hawks & Doves" features a little more politics. Even when he strays into more serious topics (including monitoring the Soviet's on the DEW line ("Comin' Apart At Every Nail") and naval warfare, ("Captain Kennedy") he forgoes angry recriminations in favour of subtle understatement.

That isn't to say he is afraid to make his point, it is more that he does it subtly, to the point where I wasn't sure if he has a lesson, or if he's just telling an interesting story. The answer, of course, is yes.

I always love hearing "Union Man" which is in the fine tradition of sixties protest songs, but done in a humourous way. I've had a real soft spot for union protest songs lately (must be all the Billy Bragg I've bought), and "Union Man" is a good example. Here, Neil sings of an imaginary meeting of the AFM - the American Federation of Musicians (a real union - I looked it up).

In Neil's meeting he calls for new business and a motion is moved "That 'Live Music Is Better' bumper stickers be issued." Neil calls the vote, which passes with flying colours of course.

This time around I was surprised to be taken in by "This Old Homestead", which is a dream sequence taking place in Neil's head. Both the lyrics of this song, and the eerie arrangement evoke a dream admirably. It begins:

"Up and down the old homestead
The naked rider gallops through his head
And although the moon isn't full
He still feels the pull."

Two things stick out here. First, the call of the subconscious through the effects of the moon - made all the more fey by the shortness of the final line in the quatrain. The second that Neil imagines himself naked in his dream.

Later in the song, he confronts his own shadow, which challenges him with "why do you ride that crazy horse." To which the reply is:

"Who are you" the rider says
"You dress in black but you talk like a fed
You spout ideas from books that you read
Don't you care about this guy's head?"

I read a review that suggests the shadow represents critics that question Neil's decision to stick with the Crazy Horse musicians when he doesn't have to. I disagree, and think that this is Neil's own id asking him this question. It shows his bravery as an artist to call himself out for having thoughts of disloyalty to his band. I could talk about this song forever, but I'll just add that later it features three birds one of which carves his phone number in a phone booth with his beak, but that part really has to be heard firsthand.

While I have gone on a little long about "The Old Homestead" this album does not go on and on. It is only nine songs long and clocks in right at thirty minutes, with half the songs under three minutes total. Modern artists take note; more is not always better.

"Hawks & Doves" is a tight little collection of songs, with a relaxed groove that for all it's gentle nature, still has something important to say. It would be worth your time at sixty minutes, but at thirty it is worth your time twice over.

Best tracks: The Old Homestead, Captain Kennedy, Union Man, Comin' Apar At Every Nail, Hawks & Doves.