Thanks to a mixture of record company disputes, internal group fighting and simple stubborn pig-headedness, John Fogerty's releases have tended to be few and far between. If his output had matched other recording artists of the same era then he would simply be a household legend. As it is, maybe his reclusive nature in the recording studio has done him a favour, because what he has done both past and present is quite simply brilliant.

The track listing seems to have no particular running order and you get a nice mix of Creedance Clearwater Revival (CCR) material and Fogerty solos all the way through its playing time. Starting off with two of the most recognisable CCR hits and then progressing onto Fogerty's most famous solo song, you will instantly get the feel of the album: Southern bluesy rock is the order of the day here, and rarely does he move away from that. The CCR material will be the most crowd pleasing with little gems such as Fortunate Son (a song about Vietnam), Up Around The Bend and the ever popular Proud Mary being among the best of the best. Every song by CCR was a big seller (maybe not in the U.K) and the fantastic southern sound of Fogerty's writing and performing is seldom bettered by anybody. John Fogerty's solo material is no damp squib though, with tracks such as Rockin' All Over The World (yes the same song that Status Quo did) Hot Rod Heart and the rollocking Old Man Down The Road, you will see that he has lost none of his songwriting magic. Another little bonus is that some of the tracks are the live versions, and this will show you that he is also indeed one of the best live acts of his kind in the business.

So, to sum it all up what do you have here? Well, you have beautifully written and performed southern style boogie rock all done by a master of his art. His voice still sound great today and he can still write with astonishing quality and timelessness. With such a great catalogue of CCR and solos to pick from there are bound to be a few favourites left out and it makes you wonder why the disc wasn't expanded into a double. That aside, just slip on your crocodile skin boots, open a bottle of Jack Daniels and enjoy some of the best southern rock you will ever have heard.

If, like me you are sometimes put off by far east, non-english speaking films because of the crummy dubbing or weak storylines then you have missed a real treat here. O.K, so the dubbing is crummy, up to the point of it being embarrasingly comical, but the storyline isn't too bad and the film has a humour to it that has a distingtive Western feel.

The film follows Ting, a young man (played by Tony Jaa) from a small Thailand village. Every 24 years the village celebrates the festival of Ong Bak; a religious festival that is supposed to bring prosperity to the village, however the evil Don has chopped of the head of their revered Budda statue and fled to the big city with it in his grasp. Cue for Ting to give hot pursuit. He arrives in the big city and seeks help from former friend George, but he finds George with problems of his own with debt and local gangsters. This is of course all just thinly vieled excuses for lots of fights and incredible set pieces.

What makes this film a cut above the average far east movie is the fact that the makers of the film are obviously fans of Western cinema. The humour in the film works on all levels and the storyline is recognisable to everybody. The support cast is surprisingly good, with George providing laughs, his friend and long suffering partner Muay backs him up very well, and the bad guys are all effective in their own unique way; in particular Mad Dog, he sends shivers down your spine even on screen.

Even with this strong support cast, Tony Jaa steals every scene. The whole gimmick of the film is based on the fact that no wires, trick photography or C.G.I was used; every stunt that you see him perform is really him doing it-and what he does is breathtaking. He says that he models himself on great Asian actors such as Jet Li, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, and you can see parts of them all rolled into one with Tony Jaa. He can be comically funny one minute and amazingly intense the next; or he could take a man out with a single move or he could use an impressive array of unique moves to totally destroy an opponent. Either way you will be glued to your screen with a look of complete amazment on your face.

When you watch this film you will wonder how any human-being could move in the way he does, and you will be left begging for more from Tony Jaa. You only hope that Hollywood can find a suitable movie in which he can showcase his unique ability.

Do yourself a favour though and watch the film in it's dubbed version...it really is much better.

The Lowestoft quartet are possibly one of the biggest bands around at the moment, yet they still struggle with the accusations that they are not serious, or that they are a Spinal Tab-esque joke band. On the evidence of this latest offering from Justin and the boys you would have to wonder...WHY?

If you like your modern heavy rock/heavy metal music to be a load of screaming down a microphone along to thrashing instruments that don't really make a tune, more of a racket, then this album probably isn't for you. If you dream back to the good old days of the seventies when rock acchieved perfection, with the likes of Queen, T-Rex, Black Sabbath etc etc, then you will not be dissapointed with this disc.

Staying with the formula from their previous album, Permission To Land, of keeping the album short like you used to get on an L.P, One Way Ticket...follows the same guidelines. The first four tracks are superb hard rock tracks that are all supremely catchy and singable at the same time. The title track and Knockers in particular are possibly the best tracks that the group have offered so far. Track 5, or in L.P terms, end of side 1, is the customary ballad. Again, it is possibly one of the best slower tracks that they have done.

On to side 2. Just like the first half of the disc, the first four tracks are again hard rockers. They are not quite as good as the previous tracks but still very good. Bald in particular is a witty offering that will have you sniggering whilst you rock out! Track 10 is the closing ballad and maybe the weakest track on the album. That does not make it a bad song, just a little down on the previous high quality of songs on the disc.

This album was always going to be a make or break album for the boys, and a lot of people would argue that it is certainly a more mature sounding offering from The Darkness. The foul mouthed profanities found in the first album are mostly absent from One Way Ticket...and Justin Hawkins spends less time trying out his falsetto voice, instead using his high pitched delivery more sparingly and to greater effect. The legendary producer Roy Thomas Baker deserves a mention as well; having worked with some of the best bands in the world, such as Queen, you certainly get the impression that he brought the best out of the group.

Another point to note is the change in bassist. Out went Frankie Poullain and enter Richie Edwards. Normally a change in bassist would not cause too much problems, however if take a look at the writing credits, Poullain co-writes many of the best tracks on the album, so it will be interesting to see if the songwriting quality takes a nosedive on album number three.

In conclusion, this album has a modern fresh sound that also sounds like it would be in place in the seventies, which is no bad thing. The music world has been crying out for a band like this to show all of the 'pretty boys and girls' infesting our charts today how it is really done. As for the tag of 'Joke Band'; well if these guys are jokes, then please keep the laughs coming fellas.

Midnight Oil had obviously heard of the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Well the previous album to Blue Sky Mine (Diesel And Dust) certainly wasn't broke so the Oil's never fixed it. They stuck with the same formula of foot-tapping rockers to haunting ballads, all with a healthy slice of moral thrown in for good measure.

The opening track, Blue Sky Mine sets the tone for the album. Catchy, rocky without being overpowering and if you want to hear the message that the song delivers then it's there for you to explore; if you just want to be entertained without using your brain, then it is equally good at doing that too. The fantastic Forgotton Years and King Of The Mountain can boast the same qualities with a catchy beat and unique theme. Stars Of Warburton, Shakers And Movers and One Country tone the pace down a little and are sung with great emotion and style by Peter Garrett, making them very high quality songs. Midnight Oil have always done their ballads with a great slightly echoy haunted sound and Bedlam Bridge, Mountains Of Burma, River Runs Red and Antarctica are as good a Midnight Oil ballad as you will hear.

Blue Sky Mine is Midnight Oil in the second half of their careers and although their older albums are brilliant, the later albums show a new maturity and diversity to their sound. The angry and bitter sounds of their first albums is less evident and has been replaced with a little more subtlety and maturity. Peter Garrett has never lost his Aussie accent and that is possibly one of the most appealing things about this group; they are Australian and proud of the fact. Jim Moginie is quite rightly regarded as one of Aussie's best guitarists and the other musicians are great performers and writers as well, in particular drummer Rob Hurst who contributes to many of the Oil's best songs. Some will argue that Midnight Oil acchieved perfection with Diesel And Dust, but this album (and a few others) run that album pretty close. It certainly has more of a sense of fun and less seriousness than Diesel And Dust, but it never repeated the massive hit single that Diesel did. Don't let that fool you though, if you liked Diesel And Dust then you will like this; no doubt about it.

Midnight oil has always been a wee bit of an enigma to us British, never hitting the heights of stardom that they did in their native Australia or America. This could be down to the strong Aussie accent in which singer Peter Garrett performs. In much the same way as The Proclaimers never hit the heights in this country because of their strong Scottish burr, maybe us Brits like our singers with the customary unaccented sound. More likely however it is because of the political slant that all Oil's albums contain, and quite frankly us Pomme's don't come across to well in some of the releases, making it impossible to market them over here. Other countries (America, France and even Australia) are not immune to an Oil's ear bashing but we just can't seem to take our share of critisism - although the majority of France don't care too much for them either.

The fact that they are not too well known over here in the U.K has probably made them one of Australia's best kept secrets. They are not full out rockers like they are often billed, but have a genuine sound of their own. They were once described in the British press as the Australian Def Leppard, but that is complete tosh. They are not as loud as the Lep's but neither are they mellow. Some tunes have been described as being like E.L.O without the classical arrangements, but they are not that complex, yet they are more complex than your average rock group. You can probably tell that they are hard to classify, and that adds to their unique appeal.

So what about the songs. Well everybody knows Beds Are Burning; Midnight Oil's only true Worldwide smash hit. It has got to be one of the most instantly recognisable hard rock tunes ever, with its pounding drum line and simple but effective guitar-led rhythms. The lyrics are very poignant and meaningful, but if you arn't into that kind of thing then just sit back, crank up the volume and enjoy this track as the rocker that it is. The gems don't stop there; Put Down That Weapon, Arctic World, and Whoah are all deeply haunting in sound and masterfully crafted. The Oil's are good enough to get their message across to those that wish to hear it and still entertain those that don't. Dreamworld, Warakurna, The Dead Heart and Gunbarrel Highway are faster paced than others on the album but not as raucous as Beds Are Burning. Each track has it's own unique sound and style and you will find yourself singing along to with a big old smile on your face. Warakurna in particular is catchy in the extreme. The remaining tracks are also fast paced but a little more melodic, making them sound well written and well performed (which they are).

The great thing about this collection of songs is that each song has it's own meaning, and depending on your perception of the album, each listener will come up with a different meaning for each song. You don't just get well written songs and a fantastic unique sound from Midnight Oil, you also get a history lesson but not one that's rammed down your throat. The songs are clever and subtle enough for you hear it only if you choose to do so. If you choose not to then you are still wildly entertained by the well crafted rock on display. The Oil's are different and that is refreshing, and you can't help but feel that if more musicians took such a genuine and heartfelt interest in the plight of the World today, then we would all be in a much better place. A truly great and moving album.

Nazareth released their first album way back in 1971 and it sounds nothing like the Nazareth we have all come to know and love. The problem arises because the Dunfirmline quartet seemed to have no idea on which musical direction to go in, so they tried for as many styles as possible in the 9 track running list.

The album is the home for a Nazareth classic in Morning Dew, but don't expect the fast paced version from Snaz or their Greatest Hits. This version is a track that has a very haunting appeal within it's several minutes long running time and a very catchy base line and vocals so powerful and tourtured that you will definatly find appealing. Another good track is the album opener, Witchdoctor Woman; this track is about as close as you will get to the Nazareth sound that you will be familiar with. gruff vocals, fast paced hard bluesy rock. The rest of the tracks can only be described as patchy at best. Dear John, Fat Man and Red Light Lady are not bad but the vocals sound uninspired and the music a little simple. Ballads such as Country Girl and I Had A Dream are quite nice in a simple sort of way, but compare them to Nazareth's future offerings and they simply don't stand up.

You can probably think of many groups who's first album could also be described as their best, but you can't say that about Nazareth, not by a long shot. Having said that, it is worth getting this album just to see for yourself how far Nazareth have come from their beginings. A couple of these songs are worth the purchase cost and maybe the other songs will be a better suit to your music tastes; after all music is a very personal choice and you should make up your own mind how weak or how strong this album is. In my humble opinion though, if you are collecting the music from Nazareth, the best bluesy rock group ever, then leave this album purchase until you have the others.

This second album from Nazareth is a much more consistant offering than their debut album. The trademark Nazareth sound is still not quite there but you can hear a definate change in style from their debut recording and the songs are far better. The production of this album was handled by the great Roy Thomas Baker, the man responsible for some of Queen's earlier and better recordings, as well as more recently the brilliantly refreshing album by The Darkness, One Way Ticket To Hell...And Back. so you could see that Nazareth was definatley attracting talented interest even at this early stage of their career.

Many of the songs on this album have a more atmospheric and haunting feel to them; none more so then I Will Not Be Led, Love Now You're Gone and the fantastic history lesson in 1692 (Glen Coe Massacre). None of these songs can be described as hard rock, but they certainly have a rawness and bluesy feel about them, all trademark future Nazareth sounds. Other songs such as Cat's Eye Apple Pie and Fool About You have a nice little jingly acoustic sound to them and will probably have you singing along to them with a laconic smile on your face. Madelaine, Sad Song and In My Time are ballads with just enough quality and emotion to give you a flavour of what was to come in future releases. Also included on this album is the original version of Woke Up This Morning, a song which they took and reworked for their breakthrough Razamanaz album. This version will have many Naz fan's split as to which version they prefare; this version has a little more of an electric sound compared to the reworked version.

This album is usually overlooked both when it comes to compilations of Nazareth tracks and in the band's own live shows, but that may just be because of the different nature to the songs. Sure, they may sound a little bit dated as well, but they have stood the test of time much better than other groups offerings of the era. This album was only recieved in a luke walm manner at the time, but since Nazareth have grown in popularity, so has the demand for this album. The fans find it a nice little change from the normal sound you usually find with Nazareth, and new fans find it to be a well written easy listener that gives the flavour of Nazareth without throwing you in at the deep end. Whatever your standing on Nazareth, if you enjoy well crafted soft rock songs then you will find much to like about this album.

Nazareth are probably best known for thundering rock tracks such as Hair Of The Dog, catchy songs such as My White Bicycle and tear-jerking weepies such as love Hurts, but on The Catch they tried a new more electronic approach, and it didn't really work.

You could compare this album to Queen's Hot Space album in the way that both groups had been doing what they do best for years, blowing all opposition away, but maybe had to get an album like this out of their system. You will know what i mean from the opening track, Party Down. You could put it on in your local nightclub and people could get up and dance to it. Drum machines and synthesisers are evident on this track, and you can detect them on other tracks as well. Other tracks such as Last Exit Brooklyn and Love Of Freedom are far to restraining on Dan McCafferty's vocals and again musically seem to lack any of the creativity that make Nazareth so much better than most other groups and the songwriting on most of the tracks seem a little lackluster and short of ideas. Don't fear though, it isn't all doom and gloom; the cover of The Rolling Stones song Ruby Tuesday shows what Kieth and co. could have had if they had a proper singer and Sweetheart Tree is a happy little jingle that is catchy in the same way as Nazareth classics such as Holy Roller or Place In Your Heart. However, it's the track This Month's Messiah that could earn 5 stars all on it's own; this is a hard rocking, fast playing massive Nazareth fan's favourite that deserves to be on a much better album than The Catch. It's a travisty that it is on one of Nazareth's weaker recordings as it may mean that a lot of people will never get to hear it, although they have started to play it in their live shows again, so that's good news.

The fact that Nazareth never tried this sound again will probably tell you that the group themselves are not particularly fond of this album, but nonetheless it's a testament to the fact that Nazareth are never afraid to try something new, and with all the different styles Nazareth have tried and conquered then it isn't surprising that they would eventually have a bit of a dud.

The Fool Circle was the follow up album to the slightly A.O.R experimental Malice In Wonderland recording and it continues in a the same theme albeit in a slightly lesser extent.

Just like Malice In Wonderland, this album opens up with a track (Dressed To Kill) that is not a true full blooded rocker, but it's catchy lyrics and memorable tune made it a big favourite with the fans and a feature in the live shows even to this day. What makes this album a little better than Malice In Wonderland is that the songs are still seemingly aimed at our American cousins, but they have also retained much more of Nazareth's classic sound. Another Year, Pop The Silo and We Are The People are as melodic as you would expect from an American group, but they have also retained a rawness to them which compliments the tracks surprisingly well. Let Me Be Your Leader, We Are The People and Little Part Of You are catchy fast paced numbers that will have you mincing up and down your livingroom floor. Two very nice surprises on this album has to be the Darrell Sweet composed tracks Every Young Man's Dream and Victoria; simple, singable and great fun, you would wonder why the late, great Darrell didn't do more solo writing and usually kept his writing credits to group writing. The big stand out track on Fool Circle Has to be the cover of J.J Cale's Cocaine. only ever heard in it's live version, Nazareth show that they are one of the very few groups that can take any song from any genre and turn it into a true Nazareth classic.

This album is better than Malice In Wonderland but when i reviewed that album i gave it the same three stars. That is because The Fool Circle still has the feeling of Nazareth doing something they are very good at, but not quite suited to. I would have given this album a 3 1/2 if i could, but never mind, all you really need to know is that this album is Nazareth on the road to perfecting the A.O.R sound that they displayed in Sound Elixr, but still retaining enough of the Nazareth sound that makes them one of the longest running and best loved bands in the world - and long may they continue to be.

Nazareth had just come of the back of the albums Expect No Mercy and No Mean City, arguably two of their best ever records; so it comes as a bit of a surprise that the fella's changed style and went for a more American A.O.R sound. The vocal deliveries are as good as you would demand from Dan McCafferty, and the musicianship with Zal Cleminson still on board from the previous album was still at a high standard; unfortunatly the songs are maybe not as well written as previous offerings.This is probably due to the experimental nature of the sound Nazareth were going for and later albums with a similar theme such as Sound Elixr have showed that Nazareth learned from the experiences of this album.

The album opens up with Holiday; not a full on rocker that usually opened up a Nazareth album, but in fact a very well crafted storytelling song with an incredibly catchy tune, memorable chourus and superb backing vocals that made the song a hugh favourite amongst Nazareth fans and a definate in their live set for many years. The rest of the tracks would find it hard to live up to such a good song, but tracks such as Talkin' To One Of The Boys and Talkin' 'Bout Love run it quite close with their unusual sound and catchy lyrics. Heart's Grown Cold and Fallen Angel are ballads with a anguished feel; you can almost feel the pain and suffering that the songs project coming through the speakers. Both of these songs became favourites to play live as well. The rest of the tracks have a sound to them that would definately play better across the Atlantic, although if you are a fan of groups such as Journey then you could add a star to the album rating.

All in all you have a collection of songs here that are well crafted, well thought out and well executed, but you can never move away from the feeling that Nazareth just don't sound quite right doing this type of sound. Fortunatly there is just enough of the old sounding Nazareth to please exsisting fans as well as give new fans a taste of what Nazareth do best.