Okay, so it's been a really long time since I've posted anything in here too.  Somehow whenever I get logged out of the site and I click on new posts, it just looks to me like nothing's going on and then eventually realize that I'm logged out... and then I forget my password... and yeah I'm a mess.  ANYWAY, lovely to see some old faces popping up here!!

Hey Qui-gon Joe, long time no see !

Hope all is well amidst the pandemic.

In recent months, I've stumbled on yet another "Why haven't I checked out these guys before ?!" band.

The almighty Motörhead ! Goodness gracious ! What a blast, figuratively and literally !

It started innocently enough, by simply listening to their most popular song on YouTube, of course being "Ace of Spades". Not bad. Not bad at all. Then I checked out "Overkill" and "Bomber". Both tremendous songs ! Then went on to others like "Killed by Death", "Eat the Rich", "Orgasmatron" and "Motorhead".

There was no escaping it now, I was hooked. The first thing I did was buy a good compilation to dip my toes a bit further and a live show. I've come to really appreciate rock concert DVDs in time. Given that I've never to a concert by any of these artists, it's a good way to see how well they performed. I didn't exactly get the best show, but it's still a good one. Clean your Clock was the last professionally recorded show before Lemmy Kilmister's unexpected passing, a month before, give or take. Yes, he was obviously quite ill, but he played for his fans regardless. The compilation oversees stuff from the very beginning in '75 to '00, so overseeing 25 years of music. Very, very satisfied with the album.

And to top things off, I went ahead and got one of their later studio releases not found on the compilation. Aftershock, from 2013, was the second-to-last album before Lemmy's death. It's just as solid as the earlier music sampled.

Do I prefer a specific lineup to others ? Not really, the classic stuff by Lemmy/"Fast" Eddie/Philthy Animal is amazing, but so are the later Lemmy/Phil Campbell/Mikkey Dee trio, the one-off "Another Perfect Day" with ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson, and the mid-80s to mid-90s run with secondary guitarist Wurzel alongside Phil Campbell is as good as anything else by the band.

Like Sabbath and Dio, perhaps I'll eventually purchase all 22 studio albums. We shall see.

And a final word about Lemmy himself. Yes, he overdid it with drugs, booze and women. But you know what ? The man was honest. Instead of living in a mansion with many cars, he stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment. He wasn't in for the money or the glory, but purely for the music and his fans. Despite his addictions, I can't help but admire and respect someone for sticking to his true self.

Wonder what Goldfish will say about this interesting development

i finally got a cd player for my bedroom.. of course i had to do some shredding along with some VGM,, so here's some Axelay,, on a 12-string
https://youtu.be/AAmfaQMTuYc

2-3 months following my last reply here. If anybody cares... oh well.

Concerning Judas Priest

I still have the Metal Works '73 - '93 album. I will likely never get rid of this compilation. Not necessarily a Greatest Hits, but rather what the band thought was their best overall work. It has since been accompanied by Sad Wings of Destiny, the major Priest album released in 1976... and... wait for it... Jugulator ! Yes ! The first of two albums featuring second vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens released in 1997. It's probably the closest relative to Painkiller, although trashier. GFX, have you heard/bought Firepower ? I was going to get that one, but chose the underrated Jugulator instead.

Concerning Motörhead

I had acquired a decent compilation to wet my toes. It has since been replaced. Still have Aftershock. Accompanying it are : Motörhead (1977), Overkill (1979), Bomber (1979), Ace Of Spades (1980), Another Perfect Day (1983), Orgasmatron (1986), 1916 (1991), Inferno (2004) and last, but certainly not least... Bad Magic (2015). Also, I had Clean Your Clock as a Live representation of Motörhead. Lemmy was on his last legs... I respect the man for staying true to his principles, but I prefer to seeing him in better form. So I acquired another concert, this one titled Stage Fright, released in 2005. Big, BIG difference as far as performance goes. Lemmy was killing it, his voice no worse for wear. Energetic and always eager for a Jack n' Coke in between tunes.

I love this man. Makes me regret I only dwelved into his music several years after his passing. Oh well.

If anyone wonders if I still have any links to VGM... Yes, I will never get rid of my FF6 OSV as long as I live. It really marked my late teenage years and I still see flashes of my earlier gaming ventures whenever I hear a tune from it. Decisive Battle ? I still picture the Whelk as Terra, Biggs and Wedge fought it in their Magitek Armor. Kids Run Through The City Corner ? I picture South Figaro, before the Empire invaded. Awakening ? That classic scene that Terra first awakens... or when she explored the Returners Hidedout, talking with Locke, Edgar and Sabin.

Still have the same tarantulas. If I had the room for more, I would love a female (In case nobody knows, females live WAY longer than males) of the following : Brachypelma klaasi (Mexican Pink), Grammostola pulchra (Brazilian Black), Aphonopelma bicoloratum (Mexican Bloodleg), Theraphosa stirmi (Burgundy Goliath Birdeater), Monocentropus balfouri (Socotra Island Blue Legged Baboon) and Pelinobius muticus (King Baboon).

That is all... for now.

I've been getting tempted to get into the spider scene. The Black Velvet spider is totally cute and looks fun.

I have 0 experience with True Spiders (non-Mygalomorphs). I've seen those, they web quite extensively and they ARE adorable. At most, a female will probably live about 5 years at most. To the best of my knowledge, for some reason or other, Velvet spiders aren't as readily available. Other more readily available options which are still not medically significant would be Jumping and Wolf spiders. Both types are apparently more active and still manageable, tho I hear/read that Wold spiders can be a bit fast. IMO, Jumping spiders are just as adorable as Velvets, if not more. What's truly amazing is how well developed their vision is compared to most other spiders. They'll also go around a prey item and calculate the best trajectory to get into striking distance, which really cool to see.

On the ther hands if you are looking for a larger heavy webbing spider with decent longevity, look no further than Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (Green Bottle Blue). I have (yet) to work with said species, but from what I hear, they grow relatively fast, eat well and web lots. Why this species ? Blue legs, green carapace (head) and orange abdomen. From the arid desert regions of Venezuela (!!!), they can be a great spider... if you're willing to accept some skittish behaviour (running around, flicking urticating hairs at the slightest disturbances). They change colour patterns as they grow. Google Images can only provide so much. As I've been told, you have to raise them from a sling (baby) to an adult to really appreciate their beauty. Females are expected to live around 15 years or so, which is still a long time for a tarantula. Personally... nah, I can do without this species.

If I were to reccomend a perfect tarantula for a beginner... it would have to be Brachypelma hamorii, the classic Mexican Red knee. This one, based upon my personal experience, has it all. Beautiful colours, a good appetite, and a potential for long, long, LONG lifespan. Here's the thing : For your first tarantula... do NOT get a spiderling. They can be a bit daunting, especially if it's around 1/4" or less. If you can find one through various online dealers, get a juvenile, around 1.5-2" if available. These are at most 2-3 years old and females of this species are KNOWN to live 30+ YEARS... if that interests you.

Hope this helps.

This was my experience with Motorhead:

Downloaded their entire discography a few years ago
Binged it in the span of a week
Had a HELL of a good time. It will certainly test your sound setup in how well it handles lower midrange frequencies.
Can't remember much about it, except it was pretty consistent all the way through and the production in the later albums was a much better fit than the thin sound from the 80s (no fault of the band here). The 2015 album in particular, I remember sounding exceptionally good.

There's only one Lemmy and there's only one "Motorhead" sound, with very few exceptions in their catalogue. It's a case where you can put pretty much any album on and you get a consistent listening experience, but trying to pick out favorites to populate a playlist is difficult.

In contrast, Judas Priest has a lot of different phases and a lot of variety on each individual album. Painkiller is by far my favorite Priest album (and one of my favorite albums of all time), but I can put on Turbo or Sad Wings and enjoy them, while picking out my favorites. The only "bad" albums I can think of are Ram It Down and Nostradamus and they're still listenable (Ram It Down has both the title track and the super-underrated I'm a Rocker on it, which are playlist staples)

Edit: I have NOT spent much time with the two Ripper Owens albums. They have been on my backlog for...well, over a decade now. Which is odd, considering I like Owens (he sung with Yngwie Malmsteen for a few albums). The two Ripper Owens albums and the two Blaze Bayley Iron Maiden albums remain oddities I just haven't gotten around to.

Before this forum gets locked from further replies...

The moment I heard the first notes off of "Ace of Spades", I knew I was listening to something special. No, not as groundbreaking as Black Sabbath, nor as catchy as Dio, but still great. I quickly warmed up to their sound. Lemmy's bass...That overdriven, fuzzy bass... Goodness gracious ! No other band sounds like them. And Lemmy's cigarette/whisky soaked voice, it's gruff, yet pleasing and fitting for his band. If I were to pick out an album that exemplifies all that is great with Motörhead, it would have to be Bomber, specifically the song "Stone Dead Forever". Apparently, many have mistaken Lemmy's bass for another guitar. Hah !

With Judas Priest... Yes, I did acquire Sad Wings of Destiny... The appeal for it was relatively (Shocked) short-lived. I know... It is an absolute classic album. yet I feel that the Metal Works '73 - '93 compilation has most of the best Halford performances. Now, Jugulator with Ripper Owens... That is a completely different beast. And all the better for it. I have a sense of each vocalist in this way.

I heard a couple of songs from Blaze Bailey with Iron Maiden. He still falls short from Tim "Ripper" Owens, IMO. Jugulator is decent. His second album with Priest... Demolition.... Not so much.

Let's be honest. Ripper Owens is a great singer. Is he better than Rob Halford ? No. Never has been. Never was meant to be. Take the Jugulator album on its own. Don't compare it to other Priest albums and it turns out to be pretty solid ! Not quite reaching the highs of Painkiller, because there are some issues, not only because of the new vocalist, but also the music is different. It's not very melodic by comparison and the solos are very short. Many don't like the overlong intros in most songs. Also, sometimes Ripper sounds like Phil Anselmo from Pantera or even James Hetfield from Metallica. That may turn off some listeners. It would have been better received if it wasn't released as a Judas Priest album, because there are many who think only Halford can sing in the band. Whatever.

Sad Wings was a snapshot of what metal sounded like in the mid-1970s at its heaviest. Motorhead deserves credit for really infusing the "punk" energy (read: speed) into the sound and it evolved from there into the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, which is where Iron Maiden spawned out of it (Iron Maiden in the 80s being my personal example of what heavy metal SHOULD sound like), along with countless other bands that had maybe 1-2 albums at most. To me, this whole era is fascinating to listen to because it was evolving from hard rock to metal-proper. The more commercial aspects came in later, with the likes of Def Leppard and Van Halen and as a counter-trend, thrash (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, etc). Historically, it's all just well-documented and the music holds up well today. But on the same hand, you wouldn't expect "Victim of Changes" on many modern metal albums.

Victim of Changes is indeed a fantastic song ! I'm also pretty fond of The Ripper and Dreamer Deceiver and Deceiver. Side 2 in unfortunately not quite as strong. Still a good album and worth holding onto.

I actually begun my Metal journey with Maiden way back in the late '90s when I bought the compilation album Best of The Beast on a whim. Eventually, I bought a handful of albums like Number of The Beast, Piece of Mind, Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Sun. By the early '00s, I had lost interest into their music and stuck to VGM until the late '00s. Found a used copy of Metal Works '73 - '93, which took me a lot of time to really get used to. During the 2010s, I wasn't sure whether I really liked it or not, but still held on to it.

In the middle of that decade, I finally made the plunge into Sabbath and Dio. Until a couple of years ago, I only had a handful of albums. But eventually, I decided to hunt down ALL their studio releases. A decision I have not regretted given there is a surprising amount of musical variety present.

With Motörhead, I've come to really, REALLY love their sound. Still not enough to get the full discography, because what I currently have is more than enough to please my ears.

And lastly, Priest. They're great but I don't feel compelled to go beyond what I currently own (Sad Wings, Metal Works, Jugulator) as I tend to tire from Halford's voice pretty quickly.

Sorry, GFX, I can listen to a Maiden tune every now and then, but go back to buy their stuff ? Nah, I'll pass.

To each their own, right ?

Probably nobody cares at this point, but whatever.

I have recently acquired every single Motorhead studio release. No, it's not in the attempt in trying to show off. I am simply a completionist by nature. 15 years ago, I owned every single SquareSoft OST from Final Fantasy I to Front Mission 4. Having broken away from the VGM scene in the late 2000s, I gradually became more enthralled in British/American Rock bands. 

From 2015 at the earliest, I begun to acquire Black Sabbath and Dio (The Band) albums. I wasn't expecting to get on a third group, but Motorhead truly struck the right chords with me. Something about Lemmy's distorted bass and his cigarette/whisky soaked voice, plus the various drummers and guitarists that joined through the duration of the band.

Last, but certainly not least, is a soundtrack to a film you might have heard of by chance, Arachnophobia. Scored by Trevor Jones (of Dark Crystal and Labyrinth fame), it was the perfect mix of orchestral and synthesized music. The film itself, which I might have alluded to before (I forget) and is mainly responsible for my current infatuation with anything spider-related (save Spider-Man).

So... currently, here is what I possess. (To anyone interested.)

20 Black Sabbath albums.

Black Sabbath (1970) - 13 (2013) (19 albums) + The Devil You Know by Heaven & Hell (2009) (It had Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice, who gave us Mob Rules and Dehumanizer, so it counts !)

10 Dio albums

Holy Diver (1983) - Master Of The Moon (2004)

22 Motorhead albums

Motorhead (1977) - Bad Magic (2015)

Final Fantasy VI OSV by Nobuo Uematsu

Arachnophobia Film Soundtrack by Trevor Jones

Not bad for a music collection, right ?

maybe we should resurrect the old "stream of consciousness"... that was the most rocking one 4-6 years ago.

i came up with this,, and i cant help but feel that is has some sort of ff9 vibe to it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24Tj5prVCXM