Cozy Powell was the drummer for groups such as Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Whitesnake and other groups I don't listen to. So why do I own this CD? One evening when we were in high school, my friend Jim played me the cheesy title track from Powell's 1979 album, Over The Top.
Incorporating themes form Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, Over The Top certainly lives up to its name. Intrigued, I borrowed the album was not only introduced to the concept of a drummer having a solo album, I was also introduced to instrumental rock music (which eventually got me to Jeff Beck, so that's a good thing). There's a lot of quality playing by everyone involved in this disc, featuring people like Beck, Jack Bruce, and David Sancious. If there's a weak spot, it's the writing. But if you like Beck's mid-'70s fusion albums and/or instrumental prog rock, check this out (at least the first 2/3).
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart
Tracks: I dig the five tracks from Over The Top that lead off this compilation, particularly Sweet Poison and The Loner. To be honest, those tracks are why I purchased this CD. Also included are 4 tracks from the Tilt album (1981) and 7 tracks from Octopuss (1983). I don't listen to them as much, but that has nothing to do with quality, but because I didn't listen to them in high school. Nostalgia won that battle. Still, the tunes from Tilt are much better than those from Octopuss.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: A dubbed cassette of the Over The Top album was played quite a bit in the Markmobile, particularly during the summer months. For those of you new to the blog, the Markmobile was a white, leaded gas-guzzling 1973 Ford Maverick V8 with no air conditioning but a sweet Pioneer deck. The ladies loved it.
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