Blogcritics Author: Glen Boyd

Book Review: Need to Know - UFOs, the Military, and Intelligence by Timothy Good

Glen Boyd — Mon, 5 Jan 2009 03:41:43 EST

Timothy Good follows up Above Top Secret with another classic study of the UFO phenomenon.
For those familiar with the subject of Ufology (the study of UFOs and aliens visiting our little blue marble), British researcher Timothy Good stands out from the rest of the pack. Good's 1988 book Above Top Secret is widely regarded as one of, if not the definitive volume on a subject where because of its very nature, the crackpots, hoaxsters,...

The Rockologist Buys Himself An MP3 MP5 Player For Christmas

Glen Boyd — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 05:16:35 EST

Any port in a storm, right?
So I finally went and did it. I bought myself an MP3 player for Christmas. Actually, make that an MP5 player.For those who read this column fairly regularly, this may come as bit of a surprise as I've been known to rave on a bit about things like the poor sound quality of MP3s. I've also been known to rail away about how today's...

Book Review: Don't Stop Believin' - How Karaoke Conquered the World and Changed My Life by Brian Raftery

Glen Boyd — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 04:38:02 EST

A great gift for that friend of yours prone to singing badly at parties and other forms of lampshade wearing fun.
Go on admit it. You love Karaoke. No? Well okay, but you've at least done it. Everybody has at least once, right?There is just something inherently irresistible about the opportunity to play rock star for one night in front of a room full of your mostly drunken friends. Can't sing? No problem. As Brian Raftery points out in Don't Stop Believin':...

Music DVD Review: - The Story Of The Yardbirds

Glen Boyd — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:30:41 EST

For fans of rock history, the band itself, or of the famous guitarists the Yardbirds produced, this is a must-get.
Although they never sold as many records or made it quite as big as their friends in the Stones and the Who, the Yardbirds made every bit as lasting an impact on the music world. Even though this band originally made its mark during the Sixties, their influence would last well into the Seventies and beyond. It continues to be felt today. Most...

The Rockologist: My Favorite Albums Of 2008

Glen Boyd — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:58:16 EST

Not necessarily the best albums of 2008, just the ones I listened to the most.
Normally, it would be the custom to do one of those top-ten best-of articles for the year right about now. The thing is, at least if I am being 100-percent honest, I would have a pretty hard time filling such a list this year.It's not there wasn't any good music out there in 2008 -- because there most certainly was. It's just that...

Movie Review: The X-Files - I Want To Believe

Glen Boyd — Mon, 8 Dec 2008 07:20:53 EST

What were they thinking?
Back in the nineties I was just about as big a fan of the X-Files as you were likely to find. Which is why I was as excited as anybody when I heard there was going to be a new X-Files movie last summer.However, as the reviews about the movie started to roll in, so did the dread. There was also the matter of drumming up any interest among my friends...

Music Review: Neil Young - Sugar Mountain - Live At Canterbury House 1968 (CD/DVD)

Glen Boyd — Mon, 8 Dec 2008 02:18:26 EST

You've heard these songs before, but never like this.
While his fans continue to patiently wait for Archives -- the massive ten-DVD boxed set that Neil Young has been working on and promising to deliver for what seems like forever -- one of the nicer benefits of his long, arduous search through the vaults is that it has yielded live gems like this one.As was the case with Live At Fillmore East and...

New Album Releases 12/02/08: Britney Spears, Neil Young, Akon, Cadillac Records

Glen Boyd — Mon, 1 Dec 2008 21:23:29 EST

She's tanned, she's rested, she's sober, she's sane, and she's back.
With the shortest list of new releases seen this year, there isn't a whole lot to talk about this week. It's also probably safe to say that the labels are pretty much done for the year. Which brings us to a little NAR business...Traditionally the record labels shut down for the year around the second week of December, which means -- without...

Music Review: Steven Wilson - Insurgentes

Glen Boyd — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 06:01:02 EST

The anticipation for Steven Wilson's solo album exceeds that of Christmas itself. Well, for me at least...
The official backstory on the first ever full-length solo album from Porcupine Tree's ever-prolific Steven Wilson began a few weeks back when an announcement went out to fans via both e-mail newsletter and on the artist's official website. Wilson's solo album, Insurgentes, was to be made available in a limited run of 3,000 copies. The...

New Album Releases 11/25/08: Guns N' Roses, Kanye West, The Killers, Scott Weiland, Jeff Beck, Coldplay, Hall & Oates, Ludacris, Cynic & More

Glen Boyd — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:40:22 EST

Chinese Democracy is honest to God, really out. And Kanye has entered the building...
Let's see now, where to begin?Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy is honest to God, really, finally out. I haven't heard any of it yet, but I know for a fact that it's out and I've got my can of Dr. Pepper to prove it. Whether or not Chinese Democracy can really be called an actual GNR record or not is a matter of some debate,...