Roger Taylor - The Lot (2013) [12CD + DVD Box-Set]

Expansive 13 disc (12 CDs + NTSC/Region 0 DVD) collection of solo material by Queen drummer Roger Taylor including albums from his side project The Cross. This box set celebrates his 35 years of activity outside of his `day job' in Queen. The Lot features all Taylor's solo and Cross albums. Four bonus CDs of solo/The Cross single remixes, edits and b-sides are included, as is an exclusive box set version of his new album Fun On Earth. A DVD of videos completes the set, which comes packaged in a hardcase slipcase with a book which holds all the discs.

~ amazon

Queen drummer Roger Taylor's first solo album is a fairly strong set of up-tempo rockers and well-written ballads featuring Taylor's rough voice and effective croon. Much of the material is reminiscent of Taylor's work for Queen – more guitar-based and less bombastic than the work of his cohorts in that band. That's not to say Taylor doesn't get over-dramatic. On "Future Management" and "Magic Is Loose," Taylor's vocals are quite over the top. However, "No Violins" and "Let's Get Crazy" balance things out with some fairly straightforward rock numbers that show the influence of 1950s rock & roll. Surprisingly, Taylor, who rarely wrote a ballad with Queen, shows himself quite adept at writing slower pieces on the lovely "Laugh or Cry." The interesting sci-fi ballad "Fun Is Space" is a striking and beautiful mix of classic rock and futuristic keyboard backdrops. The true highlight of the album though is the marvelous "My Country Parts 1 & 2." A powerful anthem of disillusionment with politics and war, the middle of the song picks up in intensity with some fine drumming from Taylor. Not all the material here is as strong or as memorable, but the album is a fine addition to the collection of any fan of classic rock or Queen.

by Geoff Orens, AMG

Tracklist:

01. No Violins - 4:33
02. Laugh Or Cry - 3:07
03. Future Management - 2:58
04. Let's Get Crazy - 3:43
05. My Country I & II - 6:58
06. Good Times Are Now - 3:30
07. Magic Is Loose - 3:25
08. Interlude In Constantinople - 2:05
09. Airheads - 3:42
10. Fun In Space - 6:25

With Strange Frontier, Roger Taylor seemed to try and cast himself as a British version of Bruce Springsteen, writing a set of songs that were similar to the gutsy and anthemic work of the American rock hero. The similarity went as far as the lyrics, many of which focused on working-class politics. Taylor even throws in a Springsteen cover, "Racing in the Street," for good measure. The differences between Taylor's music here and Springsteen's lie both in Taylor's production, which added some artsier ideas such as the symphonic break in "Killing Time," and in his vocals, which stray more into melodramatic territory than Springsteen ever has. For the most part, the concept works. The album is far from original, but Taylor is an accomplished enough songwriter that he doesn't come off like a poor man's Springsteen. The cover of Dylan's "Masters of War" is a bit bombastic but much of the rest of the album is fairly convincing with the title track and "Man on Fire" being among the highlights. Interestingly enough, Taylor's music is far more reliant on drum machines and synthesizers here than on his previous Fun in Space.

by Geoff Orens, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Strange Frontier - 4:17
02. Beautiful Dreams - 4:25
03. Man On Fire - 4:06
04. Racing In The Streets - 4:28
05. Masters Of War - 3:50
06. Killing Time - 4:59
07. Abandonfire - 4:14
08. Young Love - 3:23
09. It's An Illusion - 4:03
10. I Cry For You - 4:22

The first Cross album was really a Roger Taylor solo project in all but name. Taylor played almost all the instruments on Shove It and wrote the music as well, which veered toward a fusion of hard rock and dance influences. Unfortunately, the drum programming sounds very cheap and the whole project sounds quite rushed with thin instrumentation and basic synth lines. While great lyrics were never Taylor's specialty, those featured on the album are quite poor ("VIP's and royalty get treated like they're special see/But the trick is there for all to see/They're people just like you and me"). The high points on the album occur when Taylor's bandmates from Queen show up. Freddie Mercury puts in a moving performance on the best track here, "Heaven for Everyone," while Brian May does a guest solo on the rambunctious "Love Lies Bleeding."

by Geoff Orens, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Shove It - 3:28
02. Cowboys And Indians - 5:55
03. Contact - 4:52
04. Heaven For Everyone - 4:55
05. Stand Up For Love - 4:23
06. Love On A Tightrope - 4:49
07. Love Lies Bleeding - 4:26
08. Rough Justice - 3:22

Session Out-Takes:

09. Shove It (the 2nd shelf mix - reprise) - 5:49

Mad Bad and Dangerous to Know was more of a band effort than the Cross's first record, and found the group developing a solid hard rock sound. Roger Taylor's voice is far more suited to singing rock songs than dance numbers, and he mostly let the other members in the group pen the record, which consists of solid, if not spectacular, guitar-driven rock numbers. Although the band tend to get bombastic at times, such as on the anthemic single "Power to Love," that's not too surprising considering Taylor's Queen roots. The best songs here, however, are the simplest. "Liar" is built around a nice groove, while the Clayton Moss sung "Better Things" is a fine acoustic number. "Final Destination," the closing ballad, features a soulful croon from Taylor and could fit on any late-'70s Queen album.

by Geoff Orens, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Top Of The World Ma - 3:32
02. Liar - 4:29
03. Closer To You - 3:13
04. Breakdown - 3:54
05. Penetration Guru - 3:46
06. Power To Love - 4:02
07. Sister Blue - 4:15
08. Foxy Lady - 3:27
09. Better Things - 2:46
10. Passion For Trash - 2:35
11. Old Men (Lay Down) - 4:55
12. Final Destination - 3:35

With Blue Rock, the Cross expanded their sound from the retro '70s rock of Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know with a greater emphasis on production and synthesizers. That is not to say there are no rockers on the album. In fact, "Dirty Mind" and "Millionaire" are among their best. But songs like "New Dark Ages," "The Also Rans," and the haunting "Hand of Fools" are dominated by heavy keyboards and shimmering production. The album is also far darker than anything the band had done before, at turns reveling in sleaziness such as on the remarkable opener, "Bad Attitude," or commenting drearily on modern life in "New Dark Ages" and "Hand of Fools." The brighter side of the album is less remarkable. Songs like "Ain't Put Nothin' Down" and "Baby It's Alright" come across as more formulaic while "Put It All Down to Love" succumbs to poor lyrics. However, the album's closer, "Life Changes," is a truly life-affirming number that ranks up there with the band's better work. However, without a U.K. record deal, the best Cross album would also be their last.

by Geoff Orens, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Bad Attitude - 4:45
02. New Dark Ages - 4:58
03. Dirty Mind - 3:31
04. Baby It's Alright - 4:06
05. Ain't Put Nothin Down - 4:31
06. The Also Rans - 5:28
07. Millionaire - 3:43
08. Put It All Down To Love - 3:35
09. Hand Of Fools - 4:35
10. Life Changes - 5:54

Taylor's first official solo effort in ten years, Happiness? is a politically themed album that tackles various issues such as the rise of neo-Nazis ("Nazis 1994"), the plight of Third World peoples ("Revelation"), and political and religious hypocrisy ("The Key"). In large measure, Taylor has abandoned the upbeat rock that dominated his first solo efforts for a more produced record of ballads and mid-tempo tracks. And while the album sounds good, it's hard to come up with a truly memorable song here. Only "Dear Mr. Murdoch" and "Nazis 1994" have enough bile to really grab the listener's attention. The rest of the album offers professional yet rather bland material not helped by Taylor's simplistic lyrics. While Taylor's political and social sympathies are quite admirable, lyrics like "I went to the Ukraine/They don't have much to eat/No sugar on the table/But the people stay sweet," make it hard to be truly affected by his concerns.

by Geoff Orens, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Nazis 1994 - 2:39
02. Happiness - 3:26
03. Revelations - 3:53
04. Touch the Sky - 5:06
05. Foreign Sand - 6:52
06. Freedom Train - 6:17
07. ‘You Had to Be There’ - 2:58
08. The Key - 4:24
09. Everybody Hurts Sometime - 3:03
10. Loneliness… - 2:25
11. Dear Mr Murdoch - 4:28
12. Old Friends - 3:34

With Electric Fire, Roger Taylor put together his strongest set of songs since 1984's Strange Frontier. Adding light touches of electronica to his highly produced rock sound, Taylor manages to sound somewhat current without bending over backwards to be hip like some artists of his generation. The former Queen drummer was also wise to stay away from writing as many ballads as he did for the less memorable Happiness?. The result is that, with "A Nation of Haircuts" and "No More Fun," Taylor wrote his best rockers in years. "Surrender," a powerful and anthemic duet about a crumbling marriage and spousal abuse, is another highlight. Meanwhile, "People on Streets" finds Taylor advancing some of his well-known populism over a subtle electronic groove. The ballad "Tonight" plays it a bit too safe, and the cover of Lennon's "Working Class Hero" was a mistake, but mid-tempo tracks like "Pressure On" and "The Whisperers" have a grand reflective air to them. Lyrically, Taylor still has his shortcomings, but when the music is as strong as most of Electric Fire is, it's not a major concern.

by Geoff Orens, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Pressure On - 5:00
02. A Nation Of Haircuts - 3:34
03. Believe In Yourself - 5:09
04. Surrender - 3:40
05. People On The Streets - 4:16
06. The Whisperers - 6:09
07. Is It Me ? - 3:29
08. No More Fun - 4:22
09. Tonight - 3:48
10. Where Are You Now ? - 4:52
11. Working Class Hero - 4:44
12. London Town - C`mon Down - 7:02





Tracklist:

01. One Night Stand - 4:22
02. Fight Club - 3:02
03. Be With You - 3:10
04. Quality Street - 4:25
05. I Don't Care - 3:24
06. Sunny Day - 3:38
07. Be My Gal (My Brightest Spark) - 2:45
08. I Am the Drummer (In a Rock N' Roll Band) - 2:47
09. Small - 3:51
10. Say It's Not True (Feat. Jeff Beck) - 4:58
11. The Unblinking Eye (Everything Is Broken) (Abridged Version) - 4:54
12. Up - 3:10
13. Smile - 3:02
14. Whole House rockin' - 3:01
15. Dear Mr. Murdoch (nude mix) - 3:17





Tracklist:

01. I Wanna Testify - 3:48
02. Turn On The TV - 3:28
03. My Country (single edit) - 3:53
04. Man On Fire (extended version) - 6:09
05. I Cry For You (single remix) - 4:10
06. Strange Frontier (extended mix) - 8:37
07. I Cry For You (extended mix) - 6:27
08. Two Sharp Pencils - 3:27
09. Nazis 1994 (radio mix) - 3:27
10. Nazis 1994 (kick mix) - 4:27
11. Nazis 1994 (Schindler's mix - extended) - 4:23
12. Nazis 1994 (Makita mix - extended) - 3:57
13. Nazis 1994 (big science mix) - 4:03
14. Foreign Sand (single version) - 4:35
15. Final Destination - 5:31
16. Everybody Hurts Sometime (live in London 1994) - 4:03
17. Old Friends (live in London 1994) - 3:19





Tracklist:

01. Pressure On (single edit) - 3:25
02. People On Streets (mashed) - 3:33
03. Tonight (dub sangria) - 3:51
04. Keep A Knockin' - 3:17
05. Surrender (radio mix) - 3:39
06. A Nation Of Haircuts (club cut) - 3:44
07. London Town - C'mon Down (single edit) - 3:24
08. Surrender (live in Surrey 1998) - 4:11
09. No More Fun (live in Surrey 1998) - 4:24
10. Tonight (live in Surrey 1998) - 4:22
11. One Night Stand - 3:54
12. Woman You're So Beautiful - 3:57
13. Woman You're So Beautiful (mad mix) - 6:04
14. Woman You're So Beautiful (dance hall mix) - 5:37
15. The Unblinking Eye - 6:14
16. The Unblinking Eye (almost completely nude mix) - 6:12
17. Dear Mr Murdoch (nude mix) - 3:17





Tracklist:

01. Cowboys And Indians (7' Single Edit) - 4:34
02. Love Lies Bleeding (She's A Wicked, Wily Waitress) (Single Remix) - 4:16
03. Feel The Force - 3:48
04. Shove It (Extended Mix) - 5:54
05. Shove It (Metropolix) - 3:31
06. Shove It (Denniz Pop Remix) - 5:05
07. Heaven For Everyone (7' Version) (Roger Taylor Vocal) - 5:06
08. Heaven For Everyone (7' Version) (Freddie Mercury Vocal) - 4:55
09. Manipulator (Extended Version) - 4:16
10. Manipulator (Single Version) - 3:59
11. Power To Love (Extended Version) - 5:19
12. Power To Love (Single Version) - 3:28
13. In Charge Of My Heart (Single Version) - 2:18
14. Liar (12' Mix) - 6:32
15. In Charge Of My Heart (Extended Version) - 4:44
16. Liar (7' Version) - 3:19





Tracklist:

01. New Dark Ages (single edit) - 3:28
02. Ain't Put Nothing Down (long version) - 4:55
03. Man On Fire (live in Germany 1988) - 5:09
04. Life Changes (single edit) - 3:55
05. Heartland - 4:47
06. Celebration (Jam Studios 1988) - 4:38
07. I Can Take You Higher (Jam Studios 1988) - 3:30
08. I Can't Get You Out Of My Head (Jam Studios 1988) - 3:38
09. Passion For Trash (Jam Studios 1988) - 2:51
10. Top Of The World Ma (extended mix) - 7:41
11. Shove It (US single edit) - 3:10





Tracklist:

Roger Taylor Solo
1. Roger Taylor – Strange Frontier
2. Roger Taylor – Man On Fire
3. Roger Taylor – Happiness
4. Roger Taylor – Foreign Sand
5. Roger Taylor – Surrender
6. Roger Taylor – Nazis 1994
7. Roger Taylor – The Unblinking Eye (Everything Is Broken)
8. Roger Taylor – Dear Mr Murdoch

Live
9. Roger Taylor – Old Friends (Gosport Festival 1994)
10. Roger Taylor – Man On Fire (Truro City Hall 1994)
11. Roger Taylor – Happiness (Truro City Hall 1994)
12. Roger Taylor – Everybody Hurts Sometime (Truro City Hall 1994)

The Cross
13. The Cross – Cowboys And Indians
14. The Cross – Cowboys And Indian - 2 Drummers
15. The Cross – Shove It
16. The Cross – Heaven For Everyone
17. The Cross – Power To Love
18. The Cross – Liar
19. The Cross – New Dark Ages
20. The Cross – Blue Rock

Interviews & Electronic Press Kit
21. Roger Taylor – Happiness - EPK
22. Roger Taylor – Electric Fire - EPK
23. Roger Taylor – Interview For Parlophone








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