HELIX – 30th Anniversary Concert (2004 EMI)

Helix will be turning 40 in 2014!  When I talked to Brian Vollmer back in September, he wasn’t interested in taking a look back this time.  Helix did glance back for their 30th in 2004, and this DVD was one of several celebratory releases.

The Helix DVD, the 30th Anniversary Concert, is one of the best rock videos I’ve seen. This band has so much history, and most of it was onstage that night, July 17 2004.

Vollmer decided to celebrate the 30th in style. Traveling to nearby Brantford and taking over the beautiful Sanderson Centre, Helix unveiled a setlist that honored their entire history, and guested nearly every band member from 1974 to 1990!

There were a few conspicuous by their absence, such as longtime bassist Daryl Gray, and a few that we knew couldn’t turn up (the then-missing Mike Uzelac, the late Paul Hackman). However, Brian Vollmer (only remaining original Helix member) proceeded to reunite members of the original 1974 Helix, which had never even been recorded before! From there we go to the lineup responsible for the first two albums (sans Hackman and Uzelac, replaced here by current Helix alum Rainer Weickmann and 1976 bassist Keith “Bert” Zurbrigg, wearing trademark tux). Brian Doerner is introduced as Canada’s greatest drummer, and while Neil Peart and Gary McCracken might disagree, he’s definitely up there. His brother Brent literally steals the show. Singing such lost classics as “Billy Oxygen” and “Crazy Women”, Brent still has that rock star quality. His guitar playing was stellar that night.

Other members from back in the day turned up: Leo Niebudek on drums, and then, finally…Greg “Fritz” Hinz, all the way from sunny Florida, behind the skins to celebrate Helix’ late 80’s heyday.

Not to be overshadowed, the 2004 Helix lineup returned to the stage for some more hits. “Archie” Gamble is a fantastic drummer, it should be noted, spinning his sticks while creatively keeping the time. The addition of a female vocalist, Cindy Weichmann, allowed the band to perform 1976’s “You’re A Woman Now” for the first time ever with a female vocal, just as it was on the album.

The nucleus of this DVD are the six tunes from the 70’s that rarely, if ever, get played today. As great as the hit 80’s material was, the 70’s stuff is what makes this DVD different from any other Helix product you can buy.

There are generous bonus features: interviews with Brian and his ever-supportive wife Lynda, candid scenes of rehearsals and Brian trying to get this monster concert together. There are interviews with fans who traveled all the way across the country to see this one show. Best of all are the clips of the old band members, now short-haired, meeting up again for the first time in years. “I’m Brian Drummer and I play Doerner,” says the drummer as he arrives. As Brian stands next to his twin brother Brent, Fritz says, “I never could tell you two apart”. It’s like watching someone’s family reunion video.

If you are a Helix fan, you have no excuse for not owning this. If you are only a casual Helix fan and want to check out some of their best stuff, this is the DVD package to get. Not only do you get the hits, but you get the history, and that’s not something to be ignored for a band that turned 30.

5/5 stars

This stuff below taken from the Wikipedia page, but I don’t care; I wrote the Wikipedia page.

Chapters

All songs written by Brian Vollmer and Paul Hackman except where noted.

1. The Band (includes the song “Ave Maria” performed by Brian Vollmer) (6:58)
2. The Sanderson Theatre (5:54)
3. The Concert: “Space Junk” (taped intro) (Rainer Wiechmann)/”Rockin’ In My Outer Space” (Bill Gadd, Rob Long, Tony Paleschi, Vollmer) (5:53)
4. “Running Wild In The 21st Century” (3:53)
5. “The Ballad of Sam and Mary” (Gadd, Long, Paleschi, Vollmer) (4:11)
6. “It’s Hard to Feel the Sunshine When Your Heart is Full of Rain” (Gadd, Long, Paleschi, Vollmer) (3:35)
7. The Original Helix: “Thinking It Over” (studio recording) (Del Shannon)/”Buff’s Bar Blues” (Alex Harvey) (9:59)
8. The Early Years: “I Could Never Leave” (studio recording) (4:01)
9. “Crazy Women” (Brent Doener) (3:41)
10. “You’re A Woman Now” (Hackman) (6:59)
11. “Billy Oxygen” (Doerner) (5:08)
12. The Early 80’s: “Women, Whiskey & Sin” (studio recording) (Vollmer) (3:36)
13. “It’s Too Late” (Doerner) (4:01)
14. “Breaking Loose” (Vollmer, Doerner) (4:23)
15. The Capitol Years: “Give It To You” (studio recording) (4:10)
16. “Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'” (Joey Levine, Richard Rosenblatt) (3:24)
17. “Heavy Metal Love” (3:45)
18. “(Make Me Do) Anything You Want” (Paul Naummann, Danny Taylor) (4:03)
19. “Deep Cuts the Knife” (Hackman, Bob Halligan, Jr. (4:31)
20. “Wild in the Streets” (Hackman, Ray Lyell) (4:30)
21. “Dirty Dog” (Vollmer, Doerner) (3:40)
22. “Rock You” (Halligan) (6:23)
23. “The Kids are All Shakin'” (4:54)
24. Aftermath (includes the song “Danny Boy” performed by Brian Vollmer) (3:15)

Bonus Features

1. 8mm Memories (8:44)

Personnel

Helix

• Brian Vollmer – lead vocals
• Jim Lawson – guitar
• Rainer Wiechmann – guitar
• Cindy Wiechmann – acoustic guitar, vocals, keyboards
• Jeff “Stan” Fountain – bass
• Glen “Archie” Gamble – drums

Special guests: Everyone on “Rock You”

The Original Helix

Chapter 7, “Buff’s Bar Blues”

• Brian Vollmer – lead vocals
• Bruce Arnold – drums
• Ron Watson – guitar
• Don Simmons – keyboards
• Keith “Burt” Zurbrigg – bass

The Early Years

Chapters 8-11

• Brian Vollmer – lead vocals on all except “Crazy Women” and “Billy Oxygen”
• Brent “The Doctor” Doerner – guitar, lead vocals on “Crazy Women” and “Billy Oxygen”
• Brian Doerner – drums
• Keith “Burt” Zurbrigg – bass
• Rainer Wiechmann – guitar (standing in for Paul Hackman)

Special guests: Cindy Wiechmann and Cheryl Lescom – backing vocals on “You’re a Woman Now”, Cole G. Benjamin – keyboards on “Billy Oxygen”

The Early 80’s

Chapters 12-14

• Brian Vollmer – lead vocals
• Brent “The Doctor” Doerner – guitar
• Leo Niebudek – drums
• Keith “Burt” Zurbrigg – bass (standing in for Mike Uzelac)
• Rainer Wiechmann – guitar (standing in for Paul Hackman)

The Capitol Years

Chapters 15-22

• Brian Vollmer – lead vocals
• Brent “The Doctor” Doerner – guitar
• Greg “Fritz” Hinz – drums
• Jeff “Stan” Fountain – bass (standing in for Mike Uzelac and Daryl Gray)
• Rainer Wiechmann – guitar (standing in for Paul Hackman)

Special guest: Ray Lyell – vocals on “Wild in the Streets”

Studio songs

• Brian Vollmer – lead vocals on all studio songs
• Paul Hackman – guitar on all studio songs
• Brent “The Doctor” Doener – guitar on all studio songs
• Keith “Burt” Zurbrigg – bass on “Thinking It Over” and “I Could Never Leave”
• Brian Doerner – drums on “Thinking It Over” and “I Could Never Leave”
• Mike Uzelac – bass on “Women, Whiskey & Sin”
• Leo Niebudek – drums on “Women, Whiskey & Sin”
• Daryl Gray – bass on “Give It To You”
• Greg “Fritz” Hinz – drums on “Give It To You”