My Amazon Reviews: Queen "Queen (debut - 40th Anniversary Edition)"

Growing Up Royal (3.5 Stars) 
3.5 Out Of 5 Stars

The debut album from Queen contains a few of the elements that would eventually define the band, but is very much a generic early 70's Prog-rock/metal album. The pomp and grandiosity that would become Queen hallmarks are largely absent, however Freddy Mercury's distinct voice and Brian May's original guitar tones are in evidence throughout. The legendary excess and theatrical flair is a mere tease at this stage, with Queen's vocabulary still in a formative period.

The key tracks are the ones usually plucked for the many Queen anthologies, "Keep Yourself Alive" and "Liar." The Kings and medieval themes prevalent in the era are available on "Great King Rat" and a tease of Queen II is offered when the album closes with "Seven Seas of Rhye." For the most part, the show is May and Mercury's, with a quick peek at Roger Taylor's vocals on the otherwise forgettable "Modern Times Rock and Roll." The band has not quite gelled and the Queen everyone knows and loves emerged in full on the second album then really detonated on "Sheer Heart Attack" and "A Night at the Opera" (both superior albums).

The bonus tracks are not much to write home about (subsequent album re-issues get more interesting bonus tracks as the band progresses). Only "Mad The Swine" is new, the rest are demo songs.

My Amazon Reviews: Peter Case "Wig!"

Diggin' What He's Putting Down
4 Out Of 5 Stars

Peter Case recovers from a serious illness and surgery, and gets out the guitars for therapy. "Wig!" - eleven songs recorded in barely a week to a two inch analog tape machine plus another song done in one take from a few years back - is a ragged, raw, blues-based rock album that sweats. In the early days of The Plimsouls, Case exhibited ab affinity for blues in his power-pop, and in the years since going solo, has delved deeper and deeper with each release. "Wig!" is that sort of convincingly gritty rock that his fans have been waiting for, with legendary X drummer Dj Bonebrake pounding the drums and guitarist Ron Franklin giving heat to the backing.

"Life is long and the road gets mean/but the old blue car is more than just a machine" Case howls on "New Old Blue Car" (which he originally recorded for his 1986 solo debut as "Old Blue Car"), which could be a metaphor for Case's recovery. Case is, as usual, on point with the new songs and their lyrics. His medical emergency was both physically and financially draining; like so many musicians, Case had no medical insurance. he came out of this grateful for the support of his friends (who put on benefits to cover the expenses) and with an understanding of how fragile the safety net can be. The songs "House Rent Jump" and "Ain't Got No Dough" are racing with energy, while the lyrically obtuse "Somebody Told The Truth" ponders what would happen if everyone woke up and realized just how stacked everything is against them.

Feisty or moaning (the piano based "My Kind of Trouble"), Peter Case is back in his zone. No polish was required to get the feelings out on "Wig!" I'd recommend this for fans of T-Bone Burnett and Steve Earle.