Compression

Compression

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Billy Sheehan shone as the bassist for David Lee Roth and balladic rockers Mr. Big. Now solo and working with the equally talented likes of guitarist and former Roth bandmate Steve Vai and Missing Persons drummer Terry Bozzio, Sheehan shows the full breadth of his musical personality. Compression is mostly a true solo effort with Sheehan more than adeptly handling all instrumentation. Thankfully, though, it's never self-indulgent; Sheehan's songwriting and vocal chops are impressive. Fans of the progressive but melodic band King's X will dig Sheehan's fluid, flawless playing and memorable melodies and will find much to like in surprisingly commercial, bluesy songs like "Something's Gotta Give." This is a consistent and illustrious debut. --Katherine Turman

Tracks:

Diggin' My Potatoes
Ying Yang
23 Hours Too Long
No More Doggin'
No Cuttin' Loose
Ain't Doin' Too Bad
Sunny Road
Superharp
Easy Loving
High Compression

Customer Reviews:

Great Blues Harp.......2005-02-10

This is a great Chicago Blues CD and a top notch outing in Blues Harmonica. To give it five stars it would have to rank with the all time classic Blues CDs and it's not quite that. But this is a thoroughly enjoyable recording of Chicago Blues. Much has been made of the fact that half the songs are with a traditional five man combo and the other half are with a larger ensemble that includes sax, trumpet, trombone. Honestly, the whole album works together seamlessly, don't get hung up on that.
The CD starts off with great energy on the opening track "Diggin' My Potatoes". Cotton's voice and harp - and the band's support - are in great form here and that feeling is sustained throughout the CD. The energy of great Blues playing, that's often so elusive on recordings, is not lacking here. One of my favorite tracks is 23 Hours Too Long ( is there a better line in the Blues than "She's been gone 24 hours, and that's 23 hours too long"? ) But the instrumental title track really smokes. If you're even a casual fan of Blues Harmonica, you need this CD for that track alone. A real stunner.
You're most likely to enjoy this CD if you like Junior Wells, Little Walter, Buddy Guy.

****1/4 - sheer power!.......2004-06-30

The great James Cotton is over 70 now, and he has been battling serious throat problems for a long time, but even though his once impressive vocal power is largely gone, he is still a commanding presence on stage, and his abilities with the harmonica are undiminished.

This 1984 album is one of his finest, along with 1974's "100% Cotton"...his raspy voice has plenty of character, and his playing is magnificent, all quivering fills and muscular riffs.
James Cotton shines on the slow burner "23 Hours Too Long", perhaps the best rendition of Eddie Boyd's classic tune, and he is equally magnificent on up-tempo numbers like "Diggin' My Potatoes" and "Superharp", the groovy swagger of "Ying Yang" and "No Cuttin' Loose", the fiery instrumental "High Compression", and the supremely catchy boogie of "No More Doggin'".

Cotton is backed (by never overwhelmed) by a soul-flavoured horn ensemble on a handful of these tracks...the rest are recorded in a more traditional setting with the Chicago All-stars (that's how they're billed), i.e. Aron Burton, Robert Covington, Morris "Magic Slim" Holt, and the great Joe "Pinetop" Perkins on piano.
James Cotton is equally convincing as a gritty soul shouter on "Easy Loving" and "Ain't Doin' Too Bad" as he is performing more traditional Chicago blues, and this album remains one of the finest of his 50-year career. One of the finest electric blues records of the mid-80s, indeed.

His Best.......2001-01-03

At his peak, James Cotton's harmonica playing was unmatched by anyone dead or alive in terms of raw energy. This album captures his mighty harp and more with a simply splindid format. Half of the tracks place him with a supurb traditional blues band, while the other half line him up with a funkier group. The result is a sensational demonstration of Cotton's skills in singing and harp playing and his ability to play in both a standard blues format and a more modern combo. A must have for any Cotton or harp fan.

Average customer rating:

Not bad
Good, slightly obscure CD
Good But Not "Slip"
THIS IS THE HEAVIEST HARDEST LOUDEST ALBUM YOU WILL EVER HEAR
A tired remake of "Slip"

Manic Compression
Quicksand
Manufacturer: Fontana Island
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Quicksand
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ASIN: B000001ECZ
Release Date: 1995-02-28

Tracks:

Backward
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Simpleton
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Album Description

Revelation: 43

What more can be said about Quicksand? This album is destined to be great, an aural assault upon the senses. Produced by Don Fury & Wharton Tiers. Vinyl is not dead.

Customer Reviews:

Not bad.......2007-05-05

Not bad but a bit of a let down after their first album slip. Sound quality is pretty poor and the vocals are realy muffled. The band sound like they are playing on the other side of the building. Some pretty good tracks on this one though just poor sound quality lets it down.

Good, slightly obscure CD.......2006-05-15

Story is the band broke up around the time this was released, which is probably why these guys never reached the stature of bands like Soundgarden - in other words, on the radio but still good. I got this real cheap about 10 years ago and it still rocks.

Good But Not "Slip".......2006-02-21

Quicksand's 1992 effort "Slip" is a classic and I highly recommend it. However, I wish I could say the same for Manic Compression. Though it has just a handful of good songs, it just does not measure up to Slip. I bought this when it came out in 1995 and all I could remember is how disappointed I was and even more when they broke up. There are not many memorable tracks on this and the production is just sub-par, which I was surprised to see due to the fact Don Fury (Slip, Warrior Soul, Helmet) produced it. Walter Schreifels and Tom Capone are excellent songwriters and veterans of the New York Hardcore scene. Their combined resume is impressive with Youth of Today, Bold, Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand, CIV, Rival Schools, Handsome and Instruction, all of which are worth checking out. These guys seem to get record deals with ease but the problem is these great bands never last. This might not be Quicksand's best but it is much better than most bands around today that call themselves hardcore.

THIS IS THE HEAVIEST HARDEST LOUDEST ALBUM YOU WILL EVER HEAR.......2005-10-23

I bought this album ten years ago. 1000 albums later there is still no equal by any other band. This album will give you brain damage. Which is probably why my review isn't very coherent. This album had sex with your mom. There are tiny infant eardrums waiting to be exploited by this album. Think fugazi, helmet, snapcase, glassjaw, old soundgarden, slayer, unsane, unecessary violence, pro death bumperstickers, unrest, rioting in the streets, turn your amplifiers up to 11 and cry yourself to sleep. You just found nirvana. oh yeah this goes double for slip.

A tired remake of "Slip".......2005-07-28

For some reason the band had the sophmore blues with this recording. It just seems like a tired rearrangement of "Slip." Personally, I like it but I would rather listen to its predecessor.

Average customer rating:

Classics Explained: Rite of Spring
Stravinsky , Rahbari , and Brt Po Brussels
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00007FPFN
Release Date: 2003-07-15

Average customer rating:

Not just for musicians! Incredible rockin' grooves.
crikey!
Surprinsingly not an album full of bass solos!
Compressionised
Uncompressed

Compression
Billy Sheehan
Manufacturer: Favored Nations
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00005NG5P
Release Date: 2001-08-21

Tracks:

Bleed Along The Way
Oblivion
Something's Gotta Give
What Once Was...
Chameleon
Perfect Groove
One Good Reason
Three Days Blind
Caroline
All Mixed Up
Feed Your Head

Amazon.com

Billy Sheehan shone as the bassist for David Lee Roth and balladic rockers Mr. Big. Now solo and working with the equally talented likes of guitarist and former Roth bandmate Steve Vai and Missing Persons drummer Terry Bozzio, Sheehan shows the full breadth of his musical personality. Compression is mostly a true solo effort with Sheehan more than adeptly handling all instrumentation. Thankfully, though, it's never self-indulgent; Sheehan's songwriting and vocal chops are impressive. Fans of the progressive but melodic band King's X will dig Sheehan's fluid, flawless playing and memorable melodies and will find much to like in surprisingly commercial, bluesy songs like "Something's Gotta Give." This is a consistent and illustrious debut. --Katherine Turman

Customer Reviews:

Not just for musicians! Incredible rockin' grooves........2003-11-14

Being a long-time fan of Billy Sheehan's bass work and the bands he has been in, I decided to buy "Compression", his first solo album. Billy Sheehan is certainly one of those musician's musicians; in short, a rock genre virtuoso on his instrument of choice. Of course, being a excellent player and an excellent song writer can be rather exclusive from each other. Altough I won't name any names, I've found that a lot of solo albums from such virtuosos make for a boring listen.

"Compression" is NOT an album of bass solos. It does NOT in the typical "neo-Classical" style of rock that we've heard from too many other bands. It IS however a collection of great songs written and performed by Billy Sheehan. Aside from some guest stars on a few tracks, Billy handles all the instruments and voices. And quite well.

The music here is, dare I say it, danceable! No, not dance music, but hard rock with a real groove. "Oblivion" is a great track with fast riffs, but it just plain rocks. I especially like the majestic sounding "Chameleon" (no, not the Herbie Handcock song of the same title), the laid-back funk pentatonic funk of "Caroline", and climatic closer "Feed Your Head". If I had to liken the overall music styling to something else, I'd say it sounds similar in some ways to ZZ Top's "Rhythameen" album and the band King's X.

Although Billy Sheehan has always gotten credit for his dazzling solos, he's also knows full well how to pull back and groove with his bass. And he can play more than the bass guitar. "Compression" is a testament to all this. Granted I'm a musician myself, but it's great to see somebody like Billy Sheehan make an album that people other than musicians might listen to.

crikey!.......2002-06-23

I went to see Steve Vai play in London last year, with Sheehan as Bassist. I had been dragged along for my friend's birthday, and didn't really know who any of the dramatis personae were. Suffice to say that I went out and bought Compression the next day. It is an exceptional, complex album that gets better every time I listen to it. There are clever musical phrases, and (not that I'm qualified to judge) some highly skilled guitar/bass playing. Sheehan's voice is distinctive, and in places mesmerising. I stumbled across this artist by happy accident, and would recommend him unreservedly.

Surprinsingly not an album full of bass solos!.......2002-01-29

I must admit I wouldn't have bought this initially because I would have assumed it would have been a bass ego-trip for this highly respected bass player.

But after reading seeing 'Chameleon' played on Steve Vai's tour I was pretty impressed. Smart move from Steve because he's promoting Billy's CD by playing this song, but the CD happens to be on Steve's record label!!

So what we have in essence is 11 quality hard rock songs in which Billy sings, plays guitar (very impressively), and of course plays the bass.

The album is a lot heavier than I would have expected (but that's baritone guitars for you) and sounds pretty modern.

Mr Big it isn't. Bass solos it isn't. Korn it isn't. But somewhere in between Billy has done a terrific job in coming up with a strong album.

Now if only he'd continue working with either Vai or Gilbert then we'd all be happy!

A worthy purchase.

Compressionised.......2001-12-08

Three Words i can say and they are:

A Perfect Groove!!!!!

Uncompressed.......2001-10-04

Not another boring bass player effort.The more I listen to this Cd the more I love it. Not a bad song on the disc,my only wish is that when Mr. Sheehan takes a solo or riff that it was more up front in the mix.The same was true of his Niacin efforts, both very good discs. Mr Sheehan can sing and sing well. I highly recomend this disc if you like Via/Satriani vocal type efforts.

Average customer rating:

Something New and Different

Compression
Billy Sheehan
Manufacturer: Import [Generic]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock Guitarists | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005HWLQ
Release Date: 2001-04-25

Tracks:

Bleed Along the Way
Oblivion
Somethin's Gotta Give
What Once Was.......
Chameleon
Perfect Groove
One Good Reason
Three Days Blind
Caroline
All Mixed Up
Feed Your Head
Wear Away the Stone [*]

Album Description

Japanese edition of 2001 solo album for the Mr. Big bassist. Includes one bonus track 'Wear Away The Stone'. 12 tracks in all.

Album Details

Japanese version featuring a bonus track: 'Wear Away the Stone'.

Customer Reviews:

Something New and Different.......2001-06-06

Billy Sheehan, powerhouse bassist for bands such as TALAS, David Lee Roth, Mr. BIG and Niacin, debuts his first solo album. First noticable thing about the album is his GREAT voice!!. Second would have to be the fact that this is an album of well written songs with lots of melody and vocal "hooks". Steve Vai and Terry Bozzio make brief guest spots, but Billy Sheehan plays all bass and guitar parts and programs the drums which sound great and actually sound like a drummer playing not just a drum machine. This CD will be staying in my CD player for a long time. This would be a great CD to "take a chance" with buying. A++++++++++Jon Schwalls