Pike 66 - Leave the Light On

When Brian Carroll lost his beloved mother, he unleashed the ridiculously good Pike 65 - Hold Me Forever in her memory. Many regard that album as Buckethead's best Pike, and rightfully so, as that album truly is wonderful in every sense of the word. However, many forget to mention Pike 66, the third in a trilogy of awesomeness delivered by the bucketed one. This Pike tends to be overlooked, especially when taking into account the magnitude of Pike 65. It has a lot of track to track contrast, with each of these being quite unique to each other. The album is possessive of a sort of restrained happiness, that instills a great deal of emotion as you listen. When you really dig into it, you'll find that this album definitely holds its own as a fantastic Pike - one that holds a spot on my favorites list.

Pike 66 has a good assortment of tracks in different styles, including one of his long solo-oriented songs. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what kind of vibe it has due to the huge differences between each song. "Hospitality" is an emotional, moving track with some delicate leads while "This Room Sleeps One and A Half" is a heavy, dark, looming track that features a little bit of that demented Buckethead flair. The album has a pretty wide array of different styles ranging from riff-heavy sequences to long, involved solos. Overall, everything is executed wonderfully and Buckethead never loses his musical footing here; he packs a lot of creativity into this Pike, and it definitely shows.

While these are all great songs, one of them deserves some special attention. "The Bellman" is one of the best Buckethead has ever done, and it still stands among my absolute favorites out of his entire discography. It starts off with a distinct intro before breaking into one of the most amazing hybrid pick sequences Buckethead has ever done. The track is full of awesomeness in the form of soaring leads, catchy sets of picking and tapping, and a very catchy riff set underneath it. He also whips out the killswitch on some downright chill-inducing lead sections to make for a track that covers most of Big B's signature techniques as well as being an all around killer track. "The Bellman" rules, make sure you hear this one, Bucketbots.

So after you hear Pike 65, make sure you listen to this one too, as it more than deserves some accolades as an excellent Pike by itself. This one can easily be recommended to Buckethead fans and newcomers alike, as it is full of spectacular soloing and some mean licks. Leave the Light On is the third of the magnificent 60's trilogy, and it is one of the top tier Pikes. While it only has four tracks, they're all great, especially "The Bellman". And remember, always leave the light on when listening to this one, Bucketbots.