Musical Ramblings: You never know what you will find on eBay
This week is going to be a little different. Although I said I was going to take the first few issues and go over some of the awesome stuff I've picked up over the summer, this week will be a look at two reissued disks. One did come out this summer and was an immediate buy and the second one was an impromptu (and probably drunken) Ebay purchase. I'm not one that usually picks up too many reissues because, especially with Roadrunner Records, the reissues are just not worth it and it seems like the companies are just out to make a quick buck with some “extended” packaging and a bonus song or two that you could easily download. These two releases (actually by Roadrunner Records) are worth the dough and here's why:
Stone Sour
Come What(ever) May Special Edition
This CD blew me away last year and it was in my top five. When I first heard that they were reissuing this CD and it was barely a year old, I thought, “Good old Roadunner, soaking us again,” but once they released what was actually on here, I was quite intrigued.
Not only do you get the regular awesome 12-song track-list, but you also get four new tracks not available anywhere else (well, I assume that one or two may have been on an overseas release and therefore posted on the net).
“Suffer,” “Fruitcake,” “The Day I Let Go,” and “Freeze Dry Seal” are all actually really good tunes and I'm surprised they didn't make the cut in the first place (cough $ reissue). You also get their version of Chris Issak's awesome tune, “Wicked Game.” Their version is ok, but nothing beats the original. The last track, “The Frozen” is a spoken word by Cory Taylor that deals with the trials of wanting to become a rock star.
The best part of this reissue (besides the $16 price point) is that not only do you get the videos for “30/30-150,” “Through Glass,” “Sillyworld,” and “Made of Scars,” but you also get complete live show filmed in Moscow, Russia from October 2006.
There are 12 tracks that span both of the band's releases and it rocks the whole way through. Stone Sour has proved to me that they are just as excellent live as they are on this CD.
As a re-release, this one is really awesome and I'm sure Stone Sour fans have already picked it up. If you're on the fence, sell your regular CD and get this one.
Coal Chamber
Coal Chamber
This was my impromptu Ebay purchase. I've seen it in the stores a couple of times but I could never justify spending about $20 on this one. I liked half of this disc when I first bought it and thought Coal Chamber got better with their next two CDs (while vocalist Dez is a billion times better in an ass kicking band, Devildriver now).
I got this one for about $10 on Ebay and I thought that although the whole CD wasn't the greatest, it did spark a huge surge in metal and Nu-metal at the time. “Loco,” “Sway,” and “Bradley” are still sick songs and kick-ass when you play them really loud. As the CD goes on, though, I found it to be lacking the kick that it gave me during the first half.
The reason I bought the reissue is because of the demos that I heard are actually better than the original CD release. “Pig,” “Sway,” and “Loco” are pretty solid on here where “Unspoiled,” really doesn't have much resemblance to the CD track.
The other reason I picked this one up was because it features two complete concerts, the video for “Loco,” and “Loco” being performed live at Ozzfest (which is the version that they took for the very first “Ozzfest Live” CD that they release back in the 90s.
The live show taken from San Francisco in 1999 isn't that bad but it also shows that Coal Chamber wasn't the best band to see live. This is further reiterated by the second show from Los Angeles in 1996. This is taken straight from a VHS tape and there are no song selection options, so you have to fast forward if you don't want to listen to a particular song. This performance is sloppier than a pig's shit.
Although I sound pretty down on the band's performances, it does bring back some fuzzy nostalgia for me and as an old (or perhaps still slight) fan of the band, this was worth the dough for me. Some may find something still unique about Coal Chamber today and pick up the regular version, but with most kids nowadays thinking that My Chemical Romance and all that other emo bullshit out there is actually good music, I don't think they'll dig this. This was is for hardcore fans only.
Stone Sour
Come What(ever) May Special Edition
This CD blew me away last year and it was in my top five. When I first heard that they were reissuing this CD and it was barely a year old, I thought, “Good old Roadunner, soaking us again,” but once they released what was actually on here, I was quite intrigued.
Not only do you get the regular awesome 12-song track-list, but you also get four new tracks not available anywhere else (well, I assume that one or two may have been on an overseas release and therefore posted on the net).
“Suffer,” “Fruitcake,” “The Day I Let Go,” and “Freeze Dry Seal” are all actually really good tunes and I'm surprised they didn't make the cut in the first place (cough $ reissue). You also get their version of Chris Issak's awesome tune, “Wicked Game.” Their version is ok, but nothing beats the original. The last track, “The Frozen” is a spoken word by Cory Taylor that deals with the trials of wanting to become a rock star.
The best part of this reissue (besides the $16 price point) is that not only do you get the videos for “30/30-150,” “Through Glass,” “Sillyworld,” and “Made of Scars,” but you also get complete live show filmed in Moscow, Russia from October 2006.
There are 12 tracks that span both of the band's releases and it rocks the whole way through. Stone Sour has proved to me that they are just as excellent live as they are on this CD.
As a re-release, this one is really awesome and I'm sure Stone Sour fans have already picked it up. If you're on the fence, sell your regular CD and get this one.
Coal Chamber
Coal Chamber
This was my impromptu Ebay purchase. I've seen it in the stores a couple of times but I could never justify spending about $20 on this one. I liked half of this disc when I first bought it and thought Coal Chamber got better with their next two CDs (while vocalist Dez is a billion times better in an ass kicking band, Devildriver now).
I got this one for about $10 on Ebay and I thought that although the whole CD wasn't the greatest, it did spark a huge surge in metal and Nu-metal at the time. “Loco,” “Sway,” and “Bradley” are still sick songs and kick-ass when you play them really loud. As the CD goes on, though, I found it to be lacking the kick that it gave me during the first half.
The reason I bought the reissue is because of the demos that I heard are actually better than the original CD release. “Pig,” “Sway,” and “Loco” are pretty solid on here where “Unspoiled,” really doesn't have much resemblance to the CD track.
The other reason I picked this one up was because it features two complete concerts, the video for “Loco,” and “Loco” being performed live at Ozzfest (which is the version that they took for the very first “Ozzfest Live” CD that they release back in the 90s.
The live show taken from San Francisco in 1999 isn't that bad but it also shows that Coal Chamber wasn't the best band to see live. This is further reiterated by the second show from Los Angeles in 1996. This is taken straight from a VHS tape and there are no song selection options, so you have to fast forward if you don't want to listen to a particular song. This performance is sloppier than a pig's shit.
Although I sound pretty down on the band's performances, it does bring back some fuzzy nostalgia for me and as an old (or perhaps still slight) fan of the band, this was worth the dough for me. Some may find something still unique about Coal Chamber today and pick up the regular version, but with most kids nowadays thinking that My Chemical Romance and all that other emo bullshit out there is actually good music, I don't think they'll dig this. This was is for hardcore fans only.
