StevePerryHair wrote:Rip Rokken wrote:StevePerryHair wrote:I know this is unrelated, but I wondered if you got your "Secret Society" cd and what you thought?
Actually, I just got it today! That and the first of my Journey CDs, "Departure". The CD was described by the seller on Amazon as "LIKE NEW", and it's anything but... case is very rough, booklet has wear, and the CD does have some scuffing (fairly light -- nothing major). I would grade it as G to VG. Still, I'm a little ticked that it was misrepresented, but no big deal... I'll had a new case and maybe get it buffed a tad. It will be as good as it can get.
"Secret Society"... Just popped it in today and it's definitely different than "Start From The Dark", right from the first song. I did like what I heard, but for different reasons than the previous disc -- I think this will be more of a grower. In typical fashion, I got stuck on track 3, "Getaway Plan", and like it so much I'm having trouble advancing. I will try to listen straight thru tomorrow.
Yeah, I think Start from the Dark was much better, with only about 2 songs I usually skip. Secret Society does have a few good ones though so give it a chance. Always the Pretenders, Let the Children Play, A Mother's Son, and Devil sings the Blues are all pretty good. Wish they would tour here again.
Got to listen to it all the way thru today... what a great disc! I was surprised by the strong spiritual theme in two of the songs, and the last new song, "Devil Plays The Blues" would make an excellent Christian rock song -- really lifted me up out of a blah day, and probably now my favorite song on the disc. I ran across a review on Amazon that pretty much echoed my thoughts throughout:
I will admit, I wasn't sure how I felt about this cd upon my first listen. I instantly liked Start From the Dark, which was a definite departure from older material. This album seems much more adventurous, different sonic textures, different moods. With every spin, I liked it more, each song was ditinct and memorable. I have grown to love it. The songs are memorable, each with a different flavor, but a different sort of hook. As much as I loved Start From the Dark, this album seems more varied than their previous album. My personal favorite was the last track, "The Devil Sings the Blues," which highlights John Norum's fretwork with its uptempo outro, very reminiscent of his solos on Don Dokken's solo album, Up From the Ashes. "Always the Pretender" is most likely the first single, and is most representative of Europe's new sound, with a catchy chorus and fast upbeat verse. Europe experiments with different vocal effects (I think Joey's using a megaphone!) as well as a youth choir (in "Let the Children Play," an excellent mid-tempo track), making for an interesting listening experience. I like the keyboard work by Mic Michaeli on "Secret Society", adding cool musical textures while being somewhat understated (as opposed to The Final Countdown), as well as the beautiful piano on "Mother's Son." This Europe, while being fun and adventurous, shows the wisdom of their years, and gives their more mature fanbase more food for thought and ear.
Also check out there other album, Out of this world.. great stuff!