The title song is something special. It starts the album on such a satisfying note; “I fear I’ll do some damage one fine day,” Paul Simon confesses, “but I would not be convicted by a jury of my peers”; that most of the rest pales in comparison. The other best song is the other one with a funny title; 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover; on which the singer seeks relationship advice from a female companion.
my rating : 3 of 5
1975
I don’t know what the Purple bit is about; this drink looks clear to me; but it really does taste like some kind of fruit. Whether or not it’s more akin to an actual Guava or Pear is up for debate, but it’s one of the more interesting Bang flavors. It’s also loaded with caffeine; 300 milligrams; for “performance energy”.
my rating : 3 of 5
![Vitamin Water : Zero Sugar : Squeezed [ Lemonade Flavored ]](https://marcellee.com/posts/120886.jpg)
I’d complain about this tasting too much like Water, but I guess that’s the point. The Squeezed bit has to do with the fact that it’s Lemonade Flavored; there’s no actual lemons or lemon juice listed on the ingredients list; but it’s not at all sour, which is a good thing. What’s not good is that it’s not very sweet, having Zero Sugar and all.
my rating : 3 of 5
The title should be plural because, as the cover illustration suggests, both Sister and Brother Bear have Bad Dreams. Those nightmares are caused by Space Grizzlies; “action figures” Brother and his friends are “just crazy about”.
The overall lesson of the story has to do with how the mind “keeps right on thinking” during sleep, but its most endearing moments come when the Bear siblings are awake; playing together and going to the movies with Mama and Papa.
my rating : 3 of 5
1988
![audio review : a DM Records compilation : Deep House UK [ Volume 1 ]](https://marcellee.com/posts/120834.jpg)
I criticized the second Deep House LA for mixing instrumental songs with Vocal ones. Deep House UK does the same, but here it’s more acceptable because this is Volume 1 thus it’s not breaking a previous standard. The complaint this time is that they come at random.
Still UK is on par with the first LA, but some tracks are mistitled. Da Mental Groove, for example, is Part 3, but its beat switch is one of the set’s best moments along with the xylophone on The Meaning. Whole song highlights include Our Voices, Cool The Fire and Get On.
my rating : 3 of 5
1996
I thought this would taste like lemonade; a drink I don’t generally enjoy; but I was pleasantly surprised at first sip. The flavor reminds me of marshmallows; Lucky Charms marshmallows to be exact; though not as sweet, probably because it’s made with “0 sugars”. It provides a whopping 300 milligrams of caffeine though for “performance energy”.
my rating : 3 of 5
I don’t know about Mixed Berry. This tastes like Kool-Aid; maybe even its bootleg cousin Flavor Aid; with either too much water added or not enough sugar. The fact that it has Zero; it’s sweetened with sucralose instead; suggests the latter. Not that a cold bottle won’t do its job of replenishing your body after a tough (sports) competition.
my rating : 3 of 5
Though the caramel flavor is overwhelmed by the inclusion of fudge swirls, the Ice Cream itself is pretty good. The “choco coated crisps” are what hamper the experience. It would taste a lot better without them, but then it wouldn’t be Star Crunch.
my rating : 3 of 5
I don’t know what’s so Superb about these Cookies. They’re “soft-baked”, which I generally prefer over crunchy, but the “deliciousness” bit on the box rings false. Like most of the Chocolate Chip variety, they’d actually taste better plain. The Free To Eat bit has to do with the fact that they’re “gluten-free” for whatever that’s worth.
my rating : 3 of 5
![audio review : a DM Records compilation : Deep House LA [ Volume 3 ]](https://marcellee.com/posts/120781.jpg)
This third Volume of Deep House LA gets things back on track. Let’s pretend the second one never happened as we groove to the oddly titled Why Didn’t You; easily one of the best songs in the series.
That the album falters from there is less of a concern than the missing six songs, but hey, at least we’re back to artists you never heard outside the Deep House club and vocals limited to short sample snippets.
my rating : 3 of 5
1997
![audio review : a DM Records compilation : Deep House LA [ Volume 1 ]](https://marcellee.com/posts/120757.jpg)
This is a “continuous mix of 20 hot dance tracks”. That means the music, by names you probably never heard of, blends together as if you’re at a trendy nightclub in Los Angeles. The genre is Deep House and the Grooves suit the occasion, though the DJ doesn’t play the best songs; I’ll Take You Deeper, Animal Magnetism and Sunset On Rio; till the end.
my rating : 3 of 5
1996
audio review : Deep House LA [ Volume 2 ]
audio review : Deep House LA [ Volume 3 ]
Bass 305 were, at one point in time, releasing a new album every year. Now fans have to wait a decade. Their newest have come literally once every ten years. This Bass Resurrection; another album title that has to do with coming back; is even more of a tease as it’s initially promoted as a limited edition of 305 CDs; actual Compact Discs; a throwback to their 1990s heyday. Fans who miss out have to wait even longer to hear it.
Is it worth the wait? Well, it’s the best Bass 305 album since their 1995 Departure, which doesn’t mean much considering every album since has been way below par. This set pays homage to Digital Bass and Bass The Future, but Virtual Bass is their real magnum opus. An album comparable to that would be a return to form. This is merely a return to decency, which, after all these years, is still a pleasant surprise.
What’s even more surprising are collabs with not only past labelmates Techno Bass Crew and Underground Bass Masters but rivals Techmaster PEB and Bass Mekanik; the latter of which includes the album’s best music. Good Versus Evil is a frustrating listen though as the angelic piano chorus; this beautiful bit should’ve been looped to no end; is abandoned halfway in. A similar thing happens on Outer World.
What’s up with all the rehashing? I don’t like the idea of remakes in general. Remaking your own songs when there’s nothing wrong with the originals, not to mention the fact that you’ve already remade them before in the past, is just absurd. Even worse are the Quad City songs; the Bassheads anthem is so damn annoying; and the Comeback Mash-Up at the end. These tracks make no sense on a new Bass 305 album.
Dreamer, on the other hand, is a conceptual improvement over its Cryptobass demo version. Bass Love Ballad should’ve also been given a proper title, but it too sounds nice. Add One Small Step; these Florida boys have always been enamored with the purported Apollo moon missions; to the list of standouts and you start to realize the best moments of this Resurrection revolve not around Bass but pianos.
my rating : 3 of 5
2021