The Jim Jones Revue - Burning Your House Down

YOURZ

This is turn your stereo up, windows right down, driving down the highway towards a bloodshot sunset music.  The night is in front of you, another shitty day is behind you and the only thing you can think about is getting yourself as far away from everything as possible.  But you'd settle for, at the very least, something cold, strong and easy to drink.

The Jim Jones Revue aren't doing anything that hasn't been done before, but who gives a fuck.  This is rock and roll in the tradition of Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard through to Jon Spencer and every other greaser rock'n'roller in-between.  It is raucous, hot, sweaty and completely and utterly infectious.

I dare anyone listening to High Horse, for instance, to not want to kick back their chair, jump on the table and dance til you puke.  (Okay, maybe a bit over-the-top but then, so is this music).  Even if you've lost your youthful vim and vigour (and, please, let's not forget flexibility) you'd be thinking about doing it.  The only complaint I have about this album is that it seems over before I had even remotely enough.

So, Mine, they're coming to Australia early next year.  Waddaya think?  It would be loud, messy and we'd have a ball, I'm sure.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP, all the way up!

MINE

It was a little shouty in parts for me but mostly this is, as YourZ says, pants-down, gritty, bluesy rock (and furthermore roll).  I did find it a little difficult to listen to in a whole lump - but that's because this is party music.  I should be wrestling my way through the crush of bodies to find a drink while having a yelled conversation with someone I haven't seen for months over the too-loud music - and probably knocking over something valuable in the process.

It's not new.  It's not clever.  It's not remotely nice.  But it is a whole lotta fun.

VERDICT:TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.jimjonesrevue.com/website/home

Heart - Greatest Hits

YOURZ

Heart is definitely a 'I like their old stuff better than their new stuff' band for me.  Barracuda, Magic Man and Crazy On You were the tracks that impressed my friends and I back when these songs were first released.  That the band was led by two spunky girls who *gasp* played rock guitar like boys made this band all the more exciting. 

I am not, however, a fan of their ballads.  Long, over-earnest looks into the camera, soft lighting and schmaltzy backings just make me gag.  This is not a good look on me at the best of times.  I think one of my workmates thought I was trying to swallow my tongue.

Thankfully technology enables me to skip over those transgressions quickly, so my gagging was limited to noise and a little spittle on the keyboard.  This collection doesn't concentrate too much on that period of their career, thankfully.  Instead, it reminded me of how good some of their other rockin' tracks are, like Heartless, Bebe Le Strange and Even It Up - top stuff.  And their live cover of Zeppelin's Rock And Roll is just magic, man. (Mine says: can't believe you wrote that)

VERDICT: TURN IT UP 

MINE

Led Zeppelin for chicks.  Ann Wilson's vocals just thrill me every time, but I have to admit I've never owned the band on flat black plastic.  In fact, my recent rediscovering of the band came about because of a movie, The Virgin Suicides.  Which I could rave about night and day but I'll leave that for another time.

Anyway, as I recall the soundtrack to the prom is Magic Man, which has been a favourite song for ever, and prompted me to first go out and buy the film soundtrack, and then to buy this Greatest Hits CD.  Which, dammit, I don't listen to often enough.  There's dreamy ballady stuff and even - goodness, is that a banjo on Dreamboat Annie? 

There's a bunch of live stuff and it wraps up with a lovely version of Rock And Roll.  I turned this up to 11 (actually 26 on the car stereo) and had a ball.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP (wish I could approximate the opening riff to Barracuda but you get the drift)

For more information: http://www.heart-music.com/