the charm

Current Mood: accomplished

The last legitimate full price CD from a store that I remember buying was Bad For Good: The Best of the Scorpions, which was in 2002, I think. Since then, I've added to my music through the now defunct allofmp3, which was a Russian-based online music store similar to iTunes except that songs cost pennies, not dollars. This (apparently) legally gray area service allowed me to feel good about not illegally downloading, and also avoid what I feel to be outrageous store music prices. The site has since been closed due to various financial, legal, and licensing problems.

During this time, I avoided a huge digital ordeal at Purdue. A crappy short lived music service (Cdigix) was provided to Purdue students free of charge in a pathetic attempt to curb illegal downloading. Problems included: laughable selection, frequent maintenance and technical problems, temporary storage of songs, and non-transferable file rights. In short, terrible competition for free file sharing, evidence of which can be found here.

So, for the first time in quite a while, I find myself contemplating purchasing a legitimate album from a store. Unfortunately, most of my favorite artists/bands are dead or broken up. I haven't liked more than a handful of bands of the last couple of decades, so I've resigned myself to missing out on the joy of an album release of my favorite band. Those still touring or making music are usually former shells of their once glorious and decadent selves, now embarassing TV personalities, shameless sellouts or drugged out skeletons still performing (sometimes all three). Thus, I've compiled a short list of potential albums I'm watching with considerable apprehension, with some notes:


Humanity - Hour 1 by Scorpions
August 28th, 2007
Scorpions rock, straight up. I've heard the new single "Humanity" from H-H1, however, and while the rock is good, I'm not crazy about the lyrics. Here's hoping Germany's greatest export will not disappoint.



Avenged Sevenfold by Avenged Sevenfold
October 30th, 2007
Only a band like A7X could release an album specifically on Halloween without it seeming cheesy. As long as they keep their hard rock sound and harmony vocals, instead of reverting back to cookie monster vocals or falling into emo territory, this should actually be a pretty bad ass album.

TBA by AC/DC
January 2008
I thought the last good AC/DC album was Razors Edge, back in 1990. Haven't heard much about this new album, though.

Untitled Album by Queen + Paul Rodgers
late 2007-mid 2008
I'll admit I still haven't really gotten used to Q+PR. Yes, I love Bad Company, but Freddie cannot be replaced, John quietly bowed out, and now there's all sorts of weird shit going on like the We Will Rock You Musical. Yes, a few tours of Europe performing Queen and Bad Co.'s hits was interesting, but now there's a studio album coming out of this?! Please, guys. Don't fuck with me here.

Nostradamus by Judas Priest
early 2008
Judas Priest released Angel of Retribution in 2005 and I loved it. It's one of my favorite JP albums, to be honest. Beyond that, you're talking about the once-forefront band of the NWOBHM making a concept album about Nostradamus. If there was ever a band to tackle that subject, it would be them. I love concept albums (I'm looking at you, The Who), and this one might be a double album?