Obsession #4

The quiz is on vacation til Monday, May 4th. The scores will be updated soon.

For the time being, Tina is busy writing emails.
And it feels great :))



Max Sharam "Is it ok to call you mine?"
Album "A Million Year Girl" - 1995

Quiz #166 - U2 "Sometimes you can't make it on your own"

A bit late for today's quiz, but I got distracted. I got presents, good company and even some compliments. So don't let me hear you complain...

As for the quiz, it expires next Friday, May 1st.

UPDATED:

U2 still are expert craftsmen, capable of creating records with huge melodic and sonic hooks, of which there are many on How to dismantle an atomic bombB, including songs as reassuring as the slyly soulful "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" and the soaring "City of Blinding Lights," or the pile-driving "All Because of You."

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U2 "Sometimes you can't make it on your own"
Album "How to dismantle an atomic bomb" - 2004

Quiz #165 - Hard Fi "Suburban Knights"

Back to work... and what finer way to start a day of work than with a small break...

So, you have until next Thursday to provide the right answer. If needed, ask your boss :)

UPDATED:

A common thread that ran throughout the wild praise for Hard-Fi's Mercury Prize-nominated 2006 debut, Stars of CCTV, is that the Staines quartet were warriors against the stultifying sameness of suburbia. Far from running from this pigeonholing, Hard-Fi opens up their second album, Once Upon a Time in the West, with "Suburban Knights," a pun that reveals the depth of their cleverness just as the second song, "I Shall Overcome," reveals the depth of their politics, as the title of the '60s protest standard "We Shall Overcome" is turned upside down and inward, making it a plea for personal release.

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Hard Fi "Suburban Knights"
Album "Once Upon a Time in the West" - 2007

Quiz #164 - Judas Priest - Painkiller

As always, you only have a week to post your answers in the comment form.

UPDATED:

From out of nowhere, Judas Priest suddenly revitalized themselves with Painkiller, in no small part because of new drummer Scott Travis, whose busy, virtuosic rhythmic base pushes Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, and Glenn Tipton to their most energetic and impassioned performances in an extremely long time. Songs like the title track, "Leather Rebel," and "Metal Meltdown" thrash like mad; Halford's shrieking and growling is positively frightening, as he uses his incredible vocal range to an almost King Diamond-like effect.

But it isn't just the rediscovered power that makes Painkiller the band's strongest musical effort in ages: the elegant "A Touch of Evil," for example, is reminiscent of the progressive, intricately arranged pieces of their '70s work.

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Judas Priest - Painkiller
Album "Painkiller" - 1990

Quiz #163 - Kingdom Come "Should I"

First time here? All you have to do is guess the artist and the song and post the answer in the comments. Rules and current scores in the sidebar.

This quiz expires next Tuesday, April 28.

I guess you're never too old to play with duckies :))

UPDATED:

Few new bands have caused as much of a stir with the release of their debut single and few have, simultaneously, generated so much backlash as German hard rockers Kingdom Come did with "Get It On." Mistaken by many fans as a reunion of the surviving members of Led Zeppelin, the quintet was derisively known to some as "Kingdom Clone".

When "Get It On" was leaked to several radio stations around the U.S., it generated considerable buzz due to the speculation of the "mystery" band. The Zeppelin comparisons were enough to bolster early sales and the record shipped gold as "Get It On" became a sizable AOR hit and the band took part in the Monsters of Rock tour with acts like Van Halen and the Scorpions.

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Kingdom Come "Should I"
Album "Hands of Time" - 1990

Quiz #162 - Editors "The Racing Rats"

Enjoying the mini-vacation here, but no reason to fall behind with them quizes :)

This one is valid til Monday, April 27.

UPDATED:

Editors have so far released two platinum studio albums, selling over 2 million copies between them worldwide. Their debut album The Back Room was released in 2005. It contained hits such as "Munich" and "Blood" and the following year received a Mercury Prize nomination. Their follow-up album An End Has A Start went to number 1 in the UK Album Chart in June 2007 and earned the band a Brit Awards nomination for best British Band. It also spawned another Top 10 hit single with the release of "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors".

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Editors "The Racing Rats"
Album "An end has a start" - 2007

Quiz #161 - Marillion "Easter"

Things are slowly winding down here with the Easter and all...

If the full bellies don't get in the way of browsing for videos, try to provide the answer to this quiz til April 24.

UPDATED:

Marillion emerged from the short-lived progressive rock revival of the early '80s to become one of the most enduring cult acts of the era. The group formed in Aylesbury, England, in 1979, and adopted its original name, Silmarillion, from the title of a J.R.R. Tolkien novel.

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After Fish's departure, Marillion teetered on the brink of collapse: The frontman's distinct voice and poetic prose made him the defining member of the band. One can only imagine how record executives held their collective breath as Steve Hogarth was brought in to take the reins. His first outing with band, 1989's Season's End, removed all doubts about the band's future. Hogarth's unique, expressive voice fit Marillion perfectly; on the full-throttle rock assault of "The Uninvited Guest" or the emotional "After You," Hogarth's singularity is unmistakable. The heartfelt "Easter," with its imaginative electric-acoustic arrangement, is another showcase for Hogarth's talents.

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Marillion "Easter"
Album "Seasons End" - 1989

Quiz #160 - Monster Magnet "Space Lord"

I'd like to take this guy's example and not have to work another day in my life... but as it is I'll just settle for the next 5 days off :)

If you didn't know, Easter comes later in Romania; as does everything else...

UPDATED:

Retro-rock visionaries Monster Magnet spent much of the 1990s struggling against the prejudices imposed upon image and sound by alternative rock fashion nazis. In fact, it wasn't until that movement's late-'90s decline that the band's dogged persistence finally paid off, when their fourth album, Powertrip, catapulted to gold sales status on the strength of its massive hard rock hit, "Space Lord."

In the meantime, Monster Magnet had managed to become one of the most successful and influential bands associated with the so-called underground "stoner rock" scene. And yet, their influences span much further than that scene's foundations in '70s hard rock and metal, delving into space rock, psychedelia, and beyond.


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Monster Magnet "Space Lord"
Album "Powertrip" - 1998

Quiz #159 - Vince Neil "You're invited (but your friend can't come)"

Since the spring is making a late appearance, no use yearning for the summer, right?

Wrong. Hopefully this warms you up a little. And you have til next Wednesday (April 22) to guess who it is.

UPDATED

Following the massive tour to support Dr. Feelgood, Vince Neil was fired from Motley Crue. As to why he was fired is up to different interpretation from different bandmembers. As a result, the singer embarked on a semi-successful solo career, teaming up with former Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens on 1993's Exposed, which sold respectably.

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Vince Neil "You're invited (but your friend can't come)"
Album "Exposed" - 1993

Quiz #158 - Eels "Novocaine for the soul"

What a great song to recover from the loud metal music I subjected myself to over the weekend...

A very hypnotic song, from a weird band with weird videos. You have til next Tuesday (April 21) to find out who they are.

UPDATED:

Due to Mark Oliver Everett's prolific songwriting, he landed a recording contract as a solo artist for Polydor Records. This was followed by a pair of underappreciated releases, 1992's A Man Called E (which was supported with a tour opening for Tori Amos) and 1993's Broken Toy Shop, before E left the label and formed Eels along with bassist Tommy Walter and drummer Butch Norton.

The trio inked a deal with the then-newly formed DreamWorks label and issued their debut, 1996's Beautiful Freak. The album spawned a sizable MTV/alternative radio hit with "Novocaine for the Soul," its promo clip received three MTV Video Music Award nominations the following year, and the group's popularity rose in England (resulting in a Brit Award, which was presented to the group by goof metallists Spinal Tap).

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Eels "Novocaine for the soul"
Album "Beautiful Freak" - 1996