First Glance

First Glance is the seventh studio album by Canadian rockers April Wine, released in December 1978. First Glance became April Wine's first gold record outside Canada, and is credited with bringing "Canada's best kept secret" out into the open. Growing up in the midwest it took a while for these guys to trickle down to the podunk town I lived in, but the second I heard them I think I was their number one fan in the midwest. Being sixteen at the time music had taken a short hiatus in my life as the all important "driver's license" had entered the picture. So I was unaware of this great album until a younger sibling introduced me to it. I was embarrassed enough to not let that happen again.

It had an immediate impact and the first two singles were both successful on Canadian radio. It was the third single, a raucous rocker called "Roller", that brought the band mass appeal across North America. "Roller" started its momentum in Michigan and soon was a popular hit across the U.S., finding its way into the Billboard Top 30 where it stayed for eleven weeks. Constant touring helped propel the band to greater success, as American audiences from coast-to-coast embraced the hard rock of this "new" band from Canada. Incidentally there were two different album covers for this album. The Canadian release had the purple cover and the US release had the band on the front. My guess is they had to deviate from the original Canadian cover because the rest of North America had no idea what these guys looked like so they put a group photo on the cover.

Right Down to It
Roller
Buy It

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If I Weren't So Romantic I'd Shoot You

When he was just 17, Rick Derringer's band The McCoys recorded "Hang on Sloopy" in the summer of 1965, which became the number one song in America before "Yesterday" by The Beatles knocked it out of the top spot.

Derringer also recorded and played with a version of Johnny Winter's band called "Johnny Winter And ..." and both Edgar Winter's White Trash and The Edgar Winter Group. Derringer also had a successful solo career, and his solo version of "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" was a hit single. He also recorded extensively with Steely Dan, playing lead guitar on songs such as "Show Biz Kids".

In the 1980s, Derringer expanded his producing skills, discovering "Weird Al" Yankovic as well as Mason Ruffner. Rick was "Weird Al" Yankovic's lead guitarist for five years, before being replaced by Jim West.

If I Weren't So Romantic I'd Shoot You came out in 1978. At the time it was released the "Romantic" album was dismissed by a lot of critics as too derivative of punk/new wave but it has stood the test of time and remains as one of my favorite albums of that year. Crammed full of power pop licks and, yes, new wave attitude this is nothing but a great Rock'n'Roll album.

EZ Action
Rocka Rolla
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Bricks Are Heavy

Bricks Are Heavy is the third album by the Los Angeles all female band L7, released in April 1992. Although L7 was associated with the horrible "grunge" movement of the 90's. I would heavily disagree with that. Musically the album is heavier and dirtier than the band's previous two recordings or any of the so called grunge artists. While the band retained its punk and hardcore punk roots, there was more emphasis on heavy metal than before. Heavy and dirty it is. The band's name derives from a 1950s slang phrase meaning "square," but is often mistaken for a reference to the sex position, "69". The slang phrase "L7" can be heard in the classic Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs song "Wooly Bully" ("Let's not be L7, come and learn to dance..."), in the Rick James song "Bustin' Out" ("L7- just a little too damn straight..."), and in the Paul McCartney song "C-Moon" ("I could be L7 and I'll never get to heaven if I fill my head with glue").

These girls were rockin nasty and had their share of controversy during their career. Supposedly at the 1992 Reading Festival, Donita Sparks removed her used tampon on-stage and threw it into the crowd yelling "Eat my used tampon, fuckers!" in protest against the mud being thrown by the crowd. Now I wasn't there so I couldn't confirm that as 100% fact but I've read it everywhere. Or how about during a live show in London in 2000, the band offered a one night stand with drummer Dee Plakas as a raffle prize; the winner later claimed his prize of sex with her on the tour bus. Again I'm not sure how to confirm the truthfulness of this as I wasn't the winner of the raffle. My kind of rockin' women.

Pretend We're Dead
Shitlist
Buy It

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Authentic Pirate Hip Hop

I should save this post for September 19th which is International Talk Like A Pirate Day but I couldn't wait. When I discover something this great homercat has to spread the word. All Props to sammie for making me aware of Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew. Captain Dan and his crew have been around since 2006 and have three albums under their belt. Yes this is a group specializing in pirate-themed hip hop music. Captain Dan & the Scurvy Crew combines elements from hip hop music genres such as gangsta rap, nerdcore hip hop, and crunk with Baroque and Classical instrumentation.

Authentic Pirate Hip Hop is the first album by these guys and it covers all of the important aspects of pirate life, from looting and drinking, life on the high seas, threats against rival pirate crews, to wenches and of course, rum. Now my friend Sammie knows that I'm not a big fan of rap music but he told me that I had to hear this and he was right. Their music creates a perfect juxtaposition between the golden age of piracy and the modern age of the gangsta. The beats are great, the lyrics have an intelligent They Might Be Giants-esque quality,(all the pirate slang and nautical terms are used accurately) and if that's not enough- many of the tracks are simply hilarious! Many of you may be thinking I have lost my mind but these guys are awesome and you've got to check them out. Don't let the album cover fool you. I know it features a weak-ass looking pirate wearing $5 worth of Halloween clearance rack pirate gear. Get a gander at these tracks and then track down and buy the album (best bet at cdbaby.com). It's well worth it and absolutely brilliant.

The 7 Seas
Flintlock Glock
Mutiny
Buy It

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Ringmaster

From best American group to worst in one post. If you're one of the few juggalos out there then you probably wouldn't classify Insane Clown Posse as the worst American group out there but 99.8 percent of all critics agree that they are the worst. Not being a normal critic I guess I fall into the juggalo category.

Ringmaster is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse, released in 1994 by Psychopathic Records. It is the second Joker's Card entry in the group's Dark Carnival saga. The album is meant as "all of your sins and hatred whipped and spun into form, a form that will bring about this dreaded Carnival's visit."

The ICP are about the only rap artists that I can stand to listen to, while most people think they're shitty, especially those who have never heard them. They are the loudest ICP haters. Yep, their overt sexism, inadvertent racism, and rampant juvenalia is right out there in the open and it will offend the casual observer, of course, but that's just what they're looking for. Ringmaster is a much more focused album than their first, Carnival of Carnage. Not to say it's their best but there are several ICP classics here icluding Chicken Huntin', Murder go Round and Mr. Johnson's Head. Not for everybody of course but if you get it and not take it too seriously you too can enjoy ICP. I must admit it's an acquired taste much like Public Image Ltd is.

Chicken Huntin'
House of Mirrors
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Another Birthday eh (or the greatest American band)

After I did all them megaposts about Canada's birthday, it wouldn't be right if I didn't give a shout to our brethren to the south and wish them a happy birthday too. What to do for their birthday? Of course the old compilation album came to mind, but I just didn't have the time to make a list. So I thought about it and decided to coincide the fourth with the greatest American band. Twasn't no picnic because I had about 10 bands that were in the running. But when you pick one based upon how hard they rock it, pop it, ballad it, lyricize it, or generally the all aroundness of a good band it really narrows it down. Then when you're biased it helps. Of course I speak of Cheap Trick.

Really how more Americana can you get than hailing from the midwest or should I say Illinois right smack dab in the middle. In my opinion Cheap Trick is the greatest American band and if you've ever seen them live you know of what I speak. The studio albums do them no justice even if they are excellent. Having just released a new album (which is also available on vinyl and 8 track) they are still alive and kickin' out the jams. There is something about their music that speaks to my very soul. The Cheap Trick getting lost in the whole classic rock shuffle thing baffles me to this very day. Some people only know one or two songs or don't even know they're still rockin' it, which in itself is a crime. Admittedly the Tricksters have had the worst luck in the world with record labels, but still they are way under appreciated. Recently I got the 30th anniv. Live at Budokan set and I gave my extra Live at Budokan album to a 21 yr old kid at work who had never heard of Cheap Trick and it blew him away. He loves it and raves about it often. Anyways for those who may not be familiar with their entire catalogue a few tunes from a couple out of print albums and other obscure stuff. I'm sure some will try to argue with my greatest band moniker but homercat will not bend on this one. Happy fourth neighbours!

Album titles are in bold font

Woke Up With a Monster
Tell Me Everything Great tune and the lyrics are awesome

Standing on the Edge
Cover Girl

The Doctor
Rearview Mirror Romance

Cheap Trick 1997
Baby No More

Special One
My Obsession

One on One
Love's Got a Hold of Me

Buy Cheap Trick!


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No. 1 In Heaven

After the disappointing sales of Sparks previous two albums (Big Beat and Introducing Sparks), the brothers found themselves at a 'what do we do now?' moment. By 1979 they had tired of the rock band format and determined to take their music in a more electronic direction. They had expressed admiration for Giorgio Moroder, creator of the iconic disco anthem I Feel Love performed by Donna Summer, to a German journalist who turned out to be a friend of his. As a result, they teamed up with Moroder and created No. 1 In Heaven. Their eighth album would not only redefine the Sparks sound but would challenge the concept of what is meant by a band and would be a major influence on emerging electro pop artists. The collaboration produced the duo's best album in years. With only six songs on the album it produced chart hits like "Number One Song in Heaven" and "Beat the Clock". The remaining four cuts are solid album tracks and the Mael brothers prove on songs like "Tryouts for the Human Race" and "Academy Award Performance" that their bizarre songwriting wasn't compromised by working with Moroder. Great Stuff.

The Number One Song In Heaven
Tryouts for the Human Race
Buy It


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Oh What a Feeling - Disc #4

Happy Birthday Canucks! In honor of Canada Day here is the final installment of Oh What A Feeling - A Vital Collection of Canadian Music. Homercat's lager of choice for the festivities tonight will either be Pacific Pilsner or Race Rocks. If you're celebrating tonight do it safely and let's not cause too much trouble for the local constables. Canada Eh!


192 kbps

Title(Artist)
1. Where Does My Heart Beat Now (Celine Dion)
2. Helene (Roch Voisine)
3. Just Wanna Stop (Gino Vannelli)
4. Black Velvet (Alannah Myles)
5. Could I Be Your Girl (Jane Arden)
6. Constant Craving (k.d. Lang)
7. Fare Thee Well Love (The Rankin Family)
8. If You Could Read My Mind (Gordon Lightfoot)
9. Helpless (Neil Young)
10. Sometimes When We Touch (Dan Hill)
11. You Needed Me (Anne Murray)
12. Flying On Your Own (Rita MacNeil)
13. How Many Rivers To Cross (Luba)
14. Try (Blue Rodeo)
15. Showdown At Big Sky (Robbie Robertson)
16. Hold On (Sarah Mclachlan)
17. Superman's Song (Crash Test Dummies)
18. Tears Are Not Enough (Northern Lights)

Copy and Paste this link into your browser to download
http://rapidshare.com/files/224543695/vital1homnercatoh9feeling2Disc_4.rar

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Oh What a Feeling - Disc #3

Oh What A Feeling - A Vital Collection of Canadian Music Disc #3


128 kbps

Title(Artist)
1. Snowbird (Anne Murray)
2. These Eyes (The Guess Who)
3. Sweet City Woman (Stampeders)
4. Signs (Five Man Electrical Band)
5. You Could Have Been A Lady (April Wine)
6. As Years Go By (Mashmakhan)
7. Which Way You Goin' Billy? (Poppy Family)
8. When I Die (Motherlode)
9. Spinning Wheel (Blood Sweat and Tears)
10. The Weight (The Band)
11. Put Your Hand In The Hand (Ocean)
12. Stay Awhile (The Bells)
13. Music Box Dancer (Frank Mills)
14. Wildflower (Skylark)
15. Four Strong Winds (Ian & Sylvia)
16. Suzanne (Leonard Cohen)
17. Rock 'n' Roll Song (Valdy)
18. Farmer's Song (Murray Mclauchlan)
19. Painted Ladies (Ian Thomas)
20. Seasons In The Sun (Terry Jacks)
21. Rock Me Gently (Andy Kim)
22. The Homecoming (Hagood Hardy)
23. Last Song (Edward Bear)

Copy and Paste this link into your browser to download
http://www.mediafire.com/?m2123n9zxwb

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Oh What a Feeling - Disc #2

Ok here is Oh What A Feeling - A Vital Collection of Canadian Music Disc #2. Some of you may be wondering why I don't just put up all 4 discs in one post and be done with it. First of all there's the whole ripping, tagging, packing and uploading thing, which takes quite a while to do. Then of course, homercat don't roll that way. This second disc probably has a few more tunes that everyone is familiar with. For those that aren't interested in downloading the whole thing I've posted one mp3 from the list.


192 kbps

Title(Artist)
1. Closer To The Heart (Rush)
2. Turn Me Loose (Loverboy)
3. Cuts Like A Knife (Bryan Adams)
4. Sunglasses At Night (Corey Hart)
5. Eyes Of A Stranger (Payolas)
6. See The Light (The Jeff Healey Band)
7. Just Came Back (Colin James)
8. Patio Lanterns (Kim Mitchell)
9. New Girl Now (Honeymoon Suite)
10. Don't Forget Me [When I'm Gone] (Glass Tiger)
11. Let Your Backbone Slide (Maestro Fresh-Wes)
12. If I Had A Rocket Launcher (Bruce Cockburn)
13. If I Had A Million Dollars (Barenaked Ladies)
14. New Orleans Is Sinking (The Tragically Hip)
15. Life Is A Highway (Tom Cochrane)
16. Push (Moist)
17. You Oughta Know (Alanis Morissette)

Copy and Paste this link into your browser to download
http://rapidshare.com/files/220967779/vitalhomercat192feelingD2.rar


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