Jon Oliva's Pain Discussion

[booB]

To further prove I'm a tomahto, my fave Sava album is Poets and Madmen. It's a mainstay for me. Whenever I come home from a party or the bar, and the buzz is ON, PaM is the perfect cure for the jam jones. That album is so heavy, so hooky, it's Godly.

It's good to see love for P&M on here... it's not my favorite of theirs by a long shot, but it's a much better disc than people give it credit for. I just wish Paul could have LEFT IT THE F#@% ALONE.....

 

[LunaTEKKE]

I thought I would do something a bit different and dedicate a specific thread to each band and sticky it for a bit. This will give those that are unfamilar with the band a chance to read other's thoughts, ask questions, etc. instead of digging through a huge amount of threads at the moment.

I love this new approach…it’s “one-stop shopping” for picking up CD recs!

But I hope the old JOP Setlist thread doesn’t get completely forgotten...since Kong promised that we would hear “Chance” performed in its entirety.

And for the record, I hope to hear some tomAYtoes *and* tomAHtoes in September!

 

[Diamond45]

I'm not that big of a Savatage fan. If I were to listen to one CD to get a good feel for Savatage, which one would you all recommend?

 

[Kong]

As we draw closer to putting the show together, the JOP setlist thread will come back from the dead!.....
We were just talking about 3-4 songs that we will keep in the show from prior tours, but the rest of it will
be re-vamped.....Ah, where to begin?

\m/

 

[booB]

I'm not that big of a Savatage fan. If I were to listen to one CD to get a good feel for Savatage, which one would you all recommend?

Impossible, really. They have several very distinct "eras" of sound, and pretty much every cd of theirs is different from the rest. I can say that the FAN favorites seem (from my perspective) to be Streets, Edge of Thorns, Gutter Ballet, and Hall of the Mountain King.

 

[batmura]

I'm not that big of a Savatage fan. If I were to listen to one CD to get a good feel for Savatage, which one would you all recommend?

What are some of your favourite bands?

Savatage's music is so diverse that each era differs greatly. They're, however, the GREATEST band of all times. That's for sure.

 

[Magius]

As we draw closer to putting the show together, the JOP setlist thread will come back from the dead!.....
We were just talking about 3-4 songs that we will keep in the show from prior tours, but the rest of it will
be re-vamped.....Ah, where to begin?

m/

You start with the Savatage stuff, then you add the Maniacal Renderings stuff. Done.
How easy was that?

 

[LunaTEKKE]

What are some of your favourite bands?

Savatage's music is so diverse that each era differs greatly. They're, however, the GREATEST band of all times. That's for sure.

Yep – this is the question. Usually, when I get asked for a Savatage recommendation, it’s from someone who is not familiar with metal at all, but likes Trans-Siberian Orchestra. In that case, I usually recommend starting with the concept albums “Dead Winter Dead” and “Wake of Magellan.”

“Streets” and “Poets & Madmen” are also great concept albums, but seem to have a little more “edge” to them.

For what it’s worth, the Oliva acoustic set on Wednesday night was most heavily weighted in favor of “Streets.” I don’t know that Jon would have done tracks off of “Edge of Thorns” or “Handful of Rain” if Zak hadn’t been in attendance. Both are *excellent* CDs, though.

Clear as mud?

 

[7thSaviour]

I hope that Jon brings out Zak and Damond for some solo vocals and maybe even some duets with him on the Sava classics.

 

[7thSaviour]

I'm not that big of a Savatage fan. If I were to listen to one CD to get a good feel for Savatage, which one would you all recommend?

1.Mountain King 11/10
2.Handful Of Rain12/10

3.Edge Of Thorns 10/10
4.Streets 9.95/10

 

[VenomGA]

I'm not that big of a Savatage fan. If I were to listen to one CD to get a good feel for Savatage, which one would you all recommend?

Hall of the Mountain King for me

 

[booB]

I hope that Jon brings out Zak and Damond for some solo vocals and maybe even some duets with him on the Sava classics.

Is Damond even associated with the band anymore?

 

[edgeofthorns]

I am one of those die-hard old-school Sirens/Mtn King/Streets fans who just can't get into the Paul O'Neil driven stuff.

I was always under the impression that O'Neil was one of the main reasons the band survived as long as they did. I have nothing against the guy and feel like he took the band to the next level. Gutter Ballet, Streets, EOT, Handful of Rain, DWD, and WOM are the band's peak albums for me.

~Brian~

 

[edgeofthorns]

I'm not that big of a Savatage fan. If I were to listen to one CD to get a good feel for Savatage, which one would you all recommend?

If I had to recommend just one out of the entire catalog, I'd have to go with Edge of Thorns. I feel like it's the best place to start exploring this band, because it has a little bit of everything thrown in. Criss was still alive, Jon was contributing to the music, Zak had just joined, Dr. Killdrums was still around, and Paul O'Neil's musical trademark was on the sound too, which isn't a bad thing contrary to some people's opinions. The title track is one of the best metal anthems of all time without a doubt. I'd put it up against any Black Sabbath, Dio, Priest, or Iron Maiden with all due respect to those bands.

~Brian~

 

[TheWhisper]

I would recommend to start with 'Hall of the Mountain King', then 'Streets"...though 'Power of the Night' is also a fave of mine.

'Raise the fist of the Metal Child'

 

[El Liontamer]

Wow dude that's straight up a tage setlist. I'm willing to give up my children for adoption to see that live =**(.

 

[Pellaz]

Is Damond even associated with the band anymore?

Doubtful, since he's now in Nashville according to his MySpace page.


OTOH, he's not alllll that far from Atlanta......


I'd love to see him fronting Savatage again, even if only for a few songs. He was GREAT when I saw them here with FW. Even the SavaFaithful, wearing their "Savatage Legion" t-shirts, were won over.

 

[edgeofthorns]

Doubtful, since he's now in Nashville according to his MySpace page.


OTOH, he's not alllll that far from Atlanta......


I'd love to see him fronting Savatage again, even if only for a few songs. He was GREAT when I saw them here with FW. Even the SavaFaithful, wearing their "Savatage Legion" t-shirts, were won over.

I've watched You Tube clips of Damond fronting the band and he was stellar from what I've seen.

~Brian~

 

[SavaVIDude]

Including 'Streets'. I didn't go that far! Let's just say it's damn good, and not blaspheme, okay?

Steve in Philly

Hey - STREETS changed my life!! This is AS good, IMO. Savatage is done, unfortunately. This is as close as it's gonna get. And it's really, really good!!

Chris

 

[SavaVIDude]

I was always under the impression that O'Neil was one of the main reasons the band survived as long as they did. I have nothing against the guy and feel like he took the band to the next level. Gutter Ballet, Streets, EOT, Handful of Rain, DWD, and WOM are the band's peak albums for me.

~Brian~

I agree with you on Paul's influence. Who knows where Sava would have gone without Paul? My guess is not very far. Look at before Paul and after Paul. Fight for the Rock and HOMK. He is now getting badmouthed a lot from a lot of old school fans, but I think Sava would have died out in the 80s if not for Paul. Paul kept wanting concept albums with lots of symphonic shit and Jon wanted to return to straight-up rock. They grew apart. It's amazing they came up with what they did because they are polarized personalities. They complimented (and still do with TSO) one another very well. If it hadn't been for that O'Neill book, we would have never has STREETS!!

People say TSO killed Savatage. Some drunk driver in Florida killed Savatage. I am happy TSO is commercially acceptable. It has allowed Jon to do WHAT THE FUCK HE WANTS and I LIKE THAT SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have seen JOP perform that setlist a couple of times, and it will just not get any better than that. That band has become VERY tight live.

Chris