Rock Daydream Nation: Who are our Favourite Guitar Duos of all Time?

Joining Peter and I are a special Rock Daydream Nation YouTube panel featuring Reed Little, bicyclelegs, John the Music Nut, Parish of Rock and Brandon Battick (Disturbing the Priest).  It’s a seven-person panel and the topic is epic enough to warrant it.  It’s our favourite guitar duos of all time!

With seven people, and two picks each, that’s 14 amazing guitar duos.  Plus another 14 runners-up.  28 guitar duos for you to check out, including some obscure ones from Australia, and one from Canada.  This is a show you do not want to miss.

Saturday March 21 at 9 AM EST!  Join us!

 

Top Five Album Closers: Re-edited for length

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

Special Re-Run

Top Five Album Closers – LeBrain Train Re-edited

This was a great episode!  Originally run on October 15, 2021, the live stream was roughly two and a half hours long.  Far too lengthy to watch in 2026, we have brought this episode down to a perfect hour.  Where was Harrison that night?  Active in the comments, and watch out for a memorable “Bleep!” comment from Uncle Meat to the Mad Metal Man!

On hand that night were Tim Durling from Tim’s Vinyl Confessions, and his fellow Contrarian, Marco D’Auria, along with original cast member Uncle Meat.  The show was a sequel to Top Five Album Openers, two weeks prior.  We decided to follow up with the Top Five Album Closers of All Time, and with the input of these fine panel members, this was an entertaining show that we are very proud of.  The chat was brisk and informative.  The lists (at bottom, if you don’t feel like watching, although you should!) were diverse and full of great closing songs that you may not have heard.  It was a more challenging set of lists than Album Openers was, and there was very little crossover.  Many excellent selections from the mainstream to the obscure.  We also included a number of “bonus tracks” at the end:  the runners-up that were just as exciting as the songs that made our lists.

Thanks Tim, Marco and Meat for helping to create a must-watch episode.  Enjoy!

Friday March 20 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

 

The Contrarians: Top 5 Wild Encounters Working at the Record Store

Thank you to Marco D’Auria for inviting me for this special episode of the Contrarians!  What are my Top Five Encounters when I was working at the Record Store?  I mulled it over and told some stories.   (I did mess up a couple minor details but nothing major.)  This fun 35 minute video highlights some of the funniest highs and lows of working at a Record Store for 12 years!  Many of these stories involve “live wire” customers!  Some are about some really rare CDs that I scored back in the day.

Working in used CDs during the Golden Age of the CD was an experience not many people get to have.  I am grateful that I am one of the few.  I will never forget it.  Please enjoy the show!

 

All my Contrarians appearances to date:

  1. Nicknamed Album Covers
  2. Minimalist cover art
  3. Brown album covers
  4. Yellow album covers
  5. Albums with Fire and Explosions
  6. Spaceships! Aliens! Robots!
  7. This Album Cover is Hell!
  8. Toys & Games
  9. Dreaming in Stereo:  Beds & Sleep on album covers
  10. Favourite Bands…WORST Album Covers
  11. They Swapped Covers!
  12. Great Album Covers From Bands We Despise
  13. Top 10 NWOBHM Covers
  14. It’s A Piece of Art!
  15. Compilation Kaos!
  16. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Hipgnosis!
  17. Amped Up!
  18. Packaging Fails
  19. Where’s the Band?
  20. Slippery When Wet
  21. Greetings From New York
  22. Done With Mirrors
  23. Eyes Without A Face
  24. Rock Out With Your Clock Out!
  25. Album Covers You Can Hear
  26. Album Covers You Can Smell
  27. Huh?!? Album Covers that Send the Wrong Message

Top 5 Album Openers: Re-edited for length

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

Special Re-Run

Top Five Album Openers – LeBrain Train Re-edited

Tonight Mike is off, recording an episode with Peter Kerr for Rock Daydream Nation.  Therefore tonight we’re re-purposing a five year old LeBrain Train episode that you gotta see.  This episode, edited here for length, originally ran October 1 2021 with Uncle Meat and Harrison Kopp:  Top Ten Album Openers!

LeBrain Train debuted at the start of the pandemic, in March 2020.  It was more geared towards chat, since nobody had anywhere to go or anything to do back then.  The episodes are too long to be enjoyed today, so we’ve cut the chit-chat and kept it to the music for this re-run.

What songs do you think just kicked off an album right?  We made sure we didn’t skimp on the analysis and appreciation.  Ritchie Blackmore, Ozzy Osbourne, Ian Anderson, Ronnie James Dio, Bruce Dickinson and of course Blaze Bayley all graced us with their musical presence on this night.  There was plenty of discussion with the audience that night, some of which is included in this re-run.  We also included a slew of runners-up for you to check out.

Every one of the songs listed tonight deserve some time in your ears.  You can read the lists below, or have some real fun and watch the show!  It’s all under an hour.

Friday March 13 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

 

 

#1237: Good Times Don’t Get Better Than This

RECORD STORE TALES 1237: Good Times Don’t Get Better Than This

Do you ever have a song that you really like, so you show it to your friends, in hopes that some will also dig it?  It’s nice when a song connects, but sometimes it is more memorable when it doesn’t.  Many times people say “Sure, it’s OK, not for me though.”  That’s easy to understand.  We’re all different.  What can really stick in the memory is any time a song you like elicits a violently negative reaction.

I’m thinking back to 2004.  I was working one afternoon with my full-timer, Kevin.  We rarely saw eye to eye on music.  He was into…I don’t know, I guess you’d say he was into “Indi” music?  He’ll hate me forever for not remembering anything about his musical tastes.  I remember a band called Death Cab For Cutie and I’ll always associate that name with Kevin.  What happened was, I was really enamored with the Helix documentary 30 Years Of Helix.  A very slick and well made DVD, I watched it many times that summer.  The end credits went to a Brian Vollmer solo song called “Good Times Don’t Get Better Than This”.  It’s an upbeat acoustic song from the Vollmer solo album When Pigs Fly.  I hadn’t played that album in ages and had forgotten all about the song, until I saw that DVD.  The song was in my head; stuck in a good way.

I put the song on a mix CD, one of my “integrity mixes” (which my old co-worker Kam called generally “quite great”).  One night I was playing the mix CD with Kevin, and asked him to listen to the Vollmer song.  There is a whistling part at the end that just killed me.

It was a dark time in my life and to find music that made me feel good and positive was rare.  Maybe that’s why Kevin just didn’t appreciate “Good Times Don’t Get Better Than This”.  For me, it allowed me to envision myself camping outdoors, by the fire, with the best friends, and playing a great song.  I hadn’t had that experience yet, but it seemed like a cool setting for a great song.

“What do you think?  Great eh?” I asked him

“That…was not good,” he told me bluntly.

“You don’t like it at all?” I asked.

“No, that was a terrible song!  It was so cheesey!  It sounded like bad campfire rock!”

I was shocked at just how much he hated it.  Genuinely shocked.  Crushed, even?  Maybe it was the campfire singalong quality, but that song was definitely not his thing.  I really hoped he’d appreciate it but you can’t force people to like things that they just don’t like.  After all, I didn’t like Death Cab For Cutie, and I definitely disliked that Franz Ferdinand they were always playing.

Funny these things that stick in our memories over 20 years later.  I can’t remember a single song from a mix CD that he made for me in ages past, but I remember that one song he hated.  Psychologists, have at it.

 

 

“Good Times Don’t Get Better Than This” lyrics

From When Pigs Fly (1999)

(Gadd, Palleschi, Vollmer, & Weir)

 

And I said hey!  I can’t complain,
I’m lucky to be here,
With all my friends, good times,
Don’t get better than this!

I’ve got a friend,
His name his Ed,
He accidentally lost his head,
You’ll never see him with a frown,
‘Cause he’s positive the negative will never get him down.

And he says hey!  I can’t complain,
I’m lucky to be here,
With all my friends, good times,
Don’t get better than this!

And then there’s Joe!
He sold his soul for rock and roll,
The devil made him do it,
Can’t you see?
He ain’t gettin’ rich, uh-uh,
But he gets around,
And there’s a winkle on his face for every road that he’s been down.

And he says hey!  I can’t complain,
I’m lucky to be here,
With all my friends, good times,
Don’t get better than this, ah!

(Whistling)

And I said hey!  I can’t complain,
I’m lucky to be here,
With all my friends, good times,
Don’t get better than this!
And I said hey!  I can’t complain, uh-uh!
I’m lucky to be here,
With all my friends, good times,
Don’t get better than this!
Well they don’t get better than this!

 

 

 

 

 

 

#1236: Zombie Seizures

RECORD STORE TALES #1236: Zombie Seizures

 

I am a full time caregiver.  It is my blessing, but it is also undeniably a taxing role.  I love my beautiful epileptic, and I have come to know the signs when it comes to her health better than my own.  I would not trade this role with anyone else, because I would not trust this role to anyone else.  There was only ever one other person I trusted to take care of Jen, and that was her mom.  Now the job falls solely upon me.

Seizures come in a variety of flavours.  Some are simple “zone outs” or absence seizures.  Some involve the more stereotypical convulsions.  The worst ones involve serious falls and injuries.  The ones I have grown to hate the most are what I call “wandering seizures” or “zombie seizures”.  In a trance-like state, Jen will wander around the apartment, trying to find an exit.  Sometimes she collides with furniture or tries to walk through a wall.  In these cases I find myself trying to keep her from injury and guide her back to the bed.  This is often impossible.  When Jen is in one of these seizure states, she can be all but unstoppable.  Even if I am physically blocking her path, she can still manage to unlock and partially open doors in an attempt to get out.  She is very strong.  In one of those seizure states, she is also very determined.  It can take an hour for her to come out of it.  That is a long time to keep watch, keep guard, and try to physically keep someone safe.

This week was a bad one.  On Saturday, as usual, I struggled with sleep.  I wanted to wake up early and get to work on my many creative projects.  And so, I did.  I was up before 5:00 AM.  By 2:00 PM, I needed to crash for a nap.  Jen snuggled me to sleep for a bit and then went to go watch the sports coverage on TV.  About an hour later, I groggily woke, not fully rested but at least better than before.  I heard a banging on the bedroom window and I knew immediately what it was.  Most people would be scared shitless.  “Who is banging maniacally on my bedroom window?”  For me, experience told me what had happened, and a look out the blinds confirmed it.  Jen was stuck outside, in the mud and snow wearing just socks on her feet.  Her hair was a mess and it was clear she had a zombie seizure.  It took what seemed like forever to find a pair of pants and my keys.  (I need the keys to get back in.)  I threw on some Crocs and ran outside.  Jen had already wandered the full length of the parking lot, all the way to the road.  A few neighbors were watching – I ignored them, ran to Jen and spun her around 180 degrees.

“What’s going on?” she asked, but I didn’t say much.

“Getting you back inside.”

“To the car?” she asked as we walked past our vehicle.

“No, to bed.  Come on, let’s go,” I nudged.

We even have bells attached to our door, so that if Jen walks out unexpectedly, I can hear the door open.  Unfortunately this doesn’t help if I am asleep.  You can only prepare so much.  You can only safeguard so much.

We slowly got ourselves inside, got the socks off, and got her into bed.  It felt like forever.  I have no idea how long it really took.

I was physically exhausted and sore after only those few minutes of activity.  A neighbor knocked on the door to return a blanket that Jen had dropped in the snow.  I spotted two cop cars outside, so I knew someone had called 911.  Strange that it was two cops and no ambulance.

It often takes me a solid 24 hours to recover from a zombie seizure experience.  It takes Jen about the same.  Sometimes I feel like a zombie at work, when it happens on a work night.

She’s OK.  I can’t imagine what it’s like to be in that state.  She won’t remember any of it.  I will remember it all.  Someone has to.  Someone has to accurately tell the neurologist what happened when we see him again.  It’s my job to make sure.

I am a full time caregiver.  It is my blessing.

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 31: The Final Frontier

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 31:  The Final Frontier

With special guest D’Arcy Briggs

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #140

When Iron Maiden returned on 13 August 2010 with a new studio album The Final Frontier, for the first time in a long time, it felt like “just another Iron Maiden album”.  There were no gimmicks, no comebacks, just 10 new songs.  Many of the new songs were longer and looser.  The beginning of the new Iron Maiden?  We at 50 Years of Iron Maiden try to appreciate each album as they stand on their own, and in this episode we break it down track by track, retrieving nuggets of gold.

Joining Mike and Harrison this time is new guest D’Arcy Briggs from the @Darcyska YouTube channel.  D’Arcy was glad to be able to choose this album.  He explains why in the episode.  Once again, we have the right guest for the right record.  This is a passionate episode with depth and appreciation for an album that often slips through the cracks.

Unfortunately, for the first time in Iron Maiden history, we have a new studio album with no new B-sides.  We do have singles, but no additional songs.

Once our trio of fans breaks down the album for analysis, Harrison will run us through the tour and setlists.  Would many of these songs reappear on tours down the road?  Harrison has the details.  And of course, we’ll address the controversial artwork!

Please join us for this premiere as we love to interact in the comments!

Friday March 6 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube.

SCHEDULE NOTE:  CLOCKS CHANGE ON SUNDAY – DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

 

 

NEWS: Sebastian Bach to join Twisted Sister for select 2026 dates!

Very exciting news today as Twisted Sister guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda announce that former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach will be joining the band for select dates in 2026.  The dates are scheduled for fall, and “do not affect or conflict with Sebastian’s current or future solo touring schedule, which remains fully intact.”

We are very excited to see what Twisted Sister sound like in their new incarnation.  Fans will recall that Dee Snider had to drop out for health reasons.  This is never an easy decision to make.  It will be interesting to see Dee’s reaction, but ours can be found below.

 

Bassist Mark “The Animal” Mendoza will not be on the tour, replaced by Dee Snider’s bassist Russell Pzütto.  Replacing A.J. Pero on drums is ZO2’s Joey Casatta.  Bach sang lead on “You Can’t Stop Rock and Roll” from the Twisted Forever tribute CD.

#1235: Revisiting Trillion Dollar Treats

RECORD STORE TALES #1235: Revisiting Trillion Dollar Treats

Three years ago, I wanted to replace my old Technics tape deck.  The belts were worn out and I don’t have the skill to replace them.  I headed over to Max the Axe’s Garage Sale, AKA “Trillion Dollar Treats” and bought a Kenwood.  That Kenwood lasted a couple years, but started to act up and crackle when playing tapes recently.  I decided to go back to  Trillion Dollar Treats and see what Maxie had for sale this time.  Max collects old tech, and he had three decks for me to look at.

Unfortunately, Max, our rock star superhero, is recovering from an augmentation.  His brand new titanium hip is causing him some pain, but we still managed to find a good tape deck in the collection.  Max also had some “not for sale” goodies that I just had to take pictures of, for the memories.

The new tape deck was the mission.  I own several things on tape that don’t exist on CD (though as reissues become more comprehensive, that list gets shorter every year).  I want to be able to play and archive my cassettes (and any new ones that I buy) without crackle.  As time goes on, there are fewer and fewer tracks that only exist on cassette, but I also seem to acquire more tapes as the years go on.  I still like the option to play them, and archive the tracks digitally.

Max had several decks, including a rack-mounted one, but I made my choice after only one quick demo.  I picked the Onkyo pictured below, and it does indeed sound great.  I am considering putting a Helix rarity that I own online, that has now been archived in better quality.  Of course, the issue there is, if I put it online, it’s no longer a rarity, is it?  Still, my Helix tape sounds better now than in the past 35 years of playing on other decks.

 

After purchasing my new deck, for which Max threw in two sealed Maxell blank tapes, I had a look around Trillion Dollar Treats to see what else Max had in his collection.  While not for sale, the below items tickled my fancy enough to share with you.

 

NEW!  As seen on TV!  Curl-A-Dog hot dog slicer.  Because who doesn’t need this?  Bonus 20 hot dog recipes, in case you’re cooking impaired.

 

Alterego Voice Decoder!  Three different vocal effects for you to use:  “Monster”, “Alien” and just an amplification.  Masks pictured but not included.

 

Light-Up Shoelaces!  For those who thought my Croclights were cool.

 

Electric Plane Launcher.  From Middlesex University!  I do wish I was better at folding paper airplanes.  Maybe that is a new hobby I should look into this summer.  This can launch them up to four meters!  But the warning states, this is NOT a toy.

 

Golf Selfie Clip.  I know Max does enjoy golfing, but now I expect selfies when his hip heals up.

 

Best of all… the Flying Bat.  Only takes 2 AA batteries.  I would like to see this baby take on my drone.

Even though all of these things are totally awesome and hilarious, Max did dig up one more thing that is not for sale… yet.

In storage, Max found an old reel to reel tape, a master recording of six songs.   It weathered the elements over the decades by remaining sealed in plastic.  The tape contains Max the Axe recordings, including versions of songs that we have never heard before, along with some familiar classics:  “Please Please”, “Magnum P.I.”, “6 Gun”, “Why Do You Talk” and “401”.

The tape appeared to be in good shape, but later that day, Max acquired a working reel to reel player, just to hear them and hopefully do a transfer.  Ultimately we hope these songs will be mastered for release.

It was a great morning spent with Max the Axe at Trillion Dollar Treats.  Stay tuned as there should be more music coming in the months ahead, from Max the Swingin’ Axe!  Stay tuned, for if we are lucky, more music is coming soon.

 

DVD REVIEW: Alice Cooper – Special Edition EP (2003)

ALICE COOPER – Special Edition EP (2003 ClassicPictures)

Special Edition EP…on a DVD?  Sure, why not.  This unofficial Alice Cooper DVD on a now-defunct label recycles three music videos that Alice recorded for German television in the early 1970s.  It’s the kind of thing that you bought because it was cheap and, again, why not?  Before YouTube made such videos easy to find and watch on demand, a DVD like this was a good way to get some obscure Alice Cooper video clips.

The menu music is generic rock, not Alice, but again this is very unofficial.  “Under My Wheels” (live 1971) begins the DVD, with music recorded live as well as video.  There is a cool “Pop-Up” feature that gives you some trivia as you watch.  Nothing ground breaking that fans were dying to know:  More like “Alice Cooper virtually invented rock theatre.  He changed trends in fashion.  A guy can dress like a girl now.”  Those are actual pop-ups that you get on this DVD.  Fortunately, Alice and the band’s performance is great.  Alice is rocking the spider eye makeup.  The audio isn’t superb or up to modern standards but this probably sounded great on your TV in 1971.

“I’m Eighteen”, recorded in 1972, has more pop-ups such as Alice’s birth date and location.  The band look super psychedelic with rear screen visuals. Alice sings the first verse as “Ma ma ma ma ma, la la la la la,” which is certainly different.  Dennis Dunaway is covered in sequins.  Neal Smith is a monster on the kit.  This is one of the versions where Alice quotes “American Pie” at the end of the song.  One of the 50 most important songs in rock history, according to the pop-up trivia.

“Public Animal #9” is a rare treat from School’s Out.  Recorded in 1972, the rear screen remains, now showing close ups of the band as they play.  The song begins with an instrumental intro that is not on the album.  This instrumental bit is dominated by the melodic basswork of Dennis Dunaway.  Then Michael Bruce and Glen Buxton come in with the riff and the opening guitar melody.  The band “hey hey hey’s!” behind a leather-clad Alice.  A rarity, this is one of the few live versions of this song you can easily buy, behind one on The Sound of A EP.  Alone, worth the price of the DVD.

There are more features.  “Previews” contains 30 second clips of other releases in the series, including:  Deep Purple (with a bit of “Highway Star”), Motorhead (“Ace of Spades”),  and so on.  Each of these artists has a three-song DVD in the series you can buy, with similar TV appearances.  The “DVD Jukebox” feature includes some bonus previews.  This is basically 33 minutes of ads for other DVDs.  Some, but not all, are full songs, but with ads over top rendering them unwatchable.  Jack Bruce’s “Sunshine Of Your Love” is only 90 seconds.  A pretty useless special feature.

The Alice Cooper Special Edition EP (DVD) is only worth the three songs in the main feature.  Purchase accordingly!

3/5 stars