Author: mikeladano

Metal, hard rock, rock and roll! Record Store Tales & Reviews! Grab A Stack of Rock and more. Poking the bear since 2010.

Shock Me: The Tragic Passing of Ace Frehley, My First Rock Hero (1951-2025)

When I was in grade eight, I nicknamed myself “Ace”.

I think the reason I picked Ace as my favourite Kiss member (and therefore favourite rock star) back then was twofold.  It didn’t have anything to do with the music.  I didn’t know what songs he wrote, and I didn’t hear any of the songs he sang for a short while.  Early in my Kiss fandom, I picked Ace because of his cool silver makeup, and the spaceman theme.  I was a science fiction kid looking for my next thrill now that Star Wars was over.  It was Kiss.

Frehley’s guitar playing wasn’t complicated, but it was impossible to duplicate.  Kiss know that:  they tried.  Any Kiss fan worth their salt can easily tell the difference between Ace and his final replacement, Tommy Thayer.  Tommy was the next best thing, but he didn’t have that chonky, gnarly feel that Ace poured into every solo and every rhythm track.

Ace’s style was based on the pentatonic blues scales of the classic rock bands he loved.  His rhythms, double tracked with a Les Paul and a Fender, was the foundation of the original Kiss sound.  His solos, blazing and breakneck, were squiggly delights of power.  I loved Ace.

When I got my first Kiss albums in September of 1985, I had yet to hear his voice.  When I finally did on Dynasty, I loved it.  Ace’s voice had a smooth, commercial sound that Gene and Peter’s did not.  I loved “2000 Man” and “Hard Times”.  Especially “Hard Times”, because the lyrics gave a glimpse of the childhood of the Bronx boy named Paul Frehley.

Ace’s first post-Kiss solo album was finally released in 1987, and I was immediately on board.  My sister bought Frehley’s Comet for my birthday that summer.  I loved the album:  “Rock Soldiers”, “Into the Night”, “Calling To You”, “Fractured Too”…I played it back to back all summer.  I dreamed of Ace opening for Kiss on their upcoming Crazy Nights tour.  Hah!  As if that would happen.

Ace’s premature loss is tragic, but what is most tragic is that Kiss refused to allow him back on stage with them during their farewell tour.  By now we have all learned that life is too short to not reconcile with our friends and loved ones.  Kiss never did and now they never can, and that is a tragic loss too.

On September 25 2025, Ace fell in his home studio.  He suffered bleeding in the brain, and was taken off life support on October 16.  Kiss fans worldwide steeled themselves for the news.

I hope Ace is not just remembered for the classic Kiss songs he wrote and played on.  I hope attention is paid to his solo albums, from which you could build an absolutely killer boxed set.  Tracks like “Insane”, “Juvenile Delinquent”, “Trouble Walkin'”, “Space Invader”, “I Wanna Go Back”, and “Mission To Mars” should all be given just as much attention as “Rip It Out”.

The first original Kiss member to fall was Ace Frehley.  That is a sad landmark.   Let us remember him not for the feuds, the drama, or the negative words that Gene and Paul bandied about too often.  Let’s remember Ace for his charisma and most of all, his music.

Rip it out, Ace, for Words Are Not Enough.

VIDEO: State of the Rock – Oct 16 2025

A quick update as we head into the final cottage weekend of the season. Grab A Stack of Rock will roll on with some great content this winter and into 2026, but changes are afoot.

REVIEW: Mötley Crüe – From the Beginning (2025)

MÖTLEY CRÜE – From the Beginning (2025 BMG)

There are two things that Motley Crue are really good at:  Pissing off their fans, and releasing compilations.

In 2019, the Crue released The Dirt soundtrack, featuring four new songs and 14 classics.  In 2025, with the well running very dry, they released From the Beginning, featuring no new songs in its 19 tracks, and just one new version of an old classic.

From the Beginning is at least the 7th Crue compilation of hits, depending on what you count and what you don’t (I’m not counting box sets).  This is a band that has only 10 studio albums.  The well is so dry that this compilation includes several tracks from past compilations.   So much could have been done better.

Let’s start with the fail of the packaging.  It’s always interesting when a band chooses a photo of an old lineup rather than the current one.  The inside fold out also features an old photo, meaning current guitarist John 5 is not pictured here, even though he’s on the album.  There are no liner notes, no credits, just an inner sleeve with eight past Motley Crue logos.  (Corabi’s is of course missing, as are several other mid-period Motley Crue logos.)   It’s cheap grey and black printing, no colour.  Absolutely nothing of value in the packaging for any fan, new or old.

Moving on to the one new version of an old song:  the original 1985 recording of “Home Sweet Home” is remixed to include Dolly Parton, who has reinvented herself as a rocker recently, in duet form.  There have been many successful duets when one artist is recorded many decades later over an old song.  This is not one of them.  It sounds fake, and it sounds silly to have 2025 Dolly singing with 1985 Vince.  The guy’s not dead!  There’s no reason for this, except that 2025 Vince Neil is no match for 2025 Dolly Parton.  This congested sounding remix is truly awful, and not because of Dolly Parton.  When singing without the old Vince backing tracks, she sounds magnificent and still powerful.  Couldn’t they even get John 5 to record a new solo over top?  No; they continue to use Mick Mars on their new releases while publicly attacking him.  With all respect to the incredible Dolly Parton, this version of “Home Sweet Home” shouldn’t even count as part of the Motley Crue discography.

True to its word, From the Beginning is a chronological compilation, beginning with the common Elektra mixes of “Live Wire” and “Take Me to the Top”.  This one-two punch always serves well, and the compilation is off to a good start.  If anything, these songs sound more necessary today than ever, no matter who really played bass (which is very loud on this mastering)!  The crunch of Mick Mars’ guitar belching distortion is a satisfying sound, especially at its most primitive.  The classic suite of Shout at the Devil tracks are “Shout” itself, “Looks That Kill” and “Too Young to Fall In Love”.  Even two past superior compilations, Decade of Decadence and Greatest Hits (1998), didn’t include all three.  Decade featured just two songs per album, and excluded “Too Young”.  Greatest Hits (2009) did include all three, and most of the other songs on this set.  There’s something about these tracks that sound like they might be slightly remixed.  Wikipedia credits them as 2021 remasters, but…there’s something off.

Fortunately for the new fan making their first Motley purchase, the original “Home Sweet Home” is included in the Theater of Pain tracks, along with “Smokin’ in the Boys Room”.  For the old fan, we’ll wish they included something else like “Louder Than Hell”, but fat chance of that.  To the point, there should be a rule that “Home Sweet Home” only appears once on any single disc album.

The usual two from Girls, Girls, Girls (“Wild Side” and the title track) are followed by the usual five (yes, five) from Dr. Feelgood (title track, “Kickstart”, “Without You”, “Don’t Go Away Mad” and “Same Old Situation”).  These exact seven songs also appear on Greatest Hits (2009) though not in the same order, just in the same chunk.  Then, just like Greatest Hits, “Primal Scream” from Motley’s first compilation Decade of Decadence makes it appearance.  This song is like a wake up shot after snoozing through the same-old same-old.

At this point the compilation drops the album-by-album continuity, because as we all know, Vince Neil was fired from the band in 1992 after Decade of Decadence.  Motley doesn’t like to acknowledge several of the post-80s albums in their compilations, including Motley ’94 with John Corabi, and New Tattoo with Randy Castillo.  In this case, they also ignore 1997’s electronica-inflected reunion album Generation Swine and the new songs from the compilation albums of the era.  (These include the aforementioned Greatest Hits which had two new songs, and Red White & Crue which had four, all of varying quality.)  Instead we jump to 2008’s Saints of Las Angeles, a comeback album of sorts, and the last studio album the band would produce to date.  The title track is an appropriate addition and still kicks today with a chorus that is worthy of past glories.

Downhill from here, as we go to the irritating and completely un-memorable “The Dirt (Est. 1981)” from The Dirt soundtrack, itself a greatest hits with four new songs.  The presence of Machine Gun Kelly, who played Tommy Lee in the movie, makes this one a slog and an obvious attempt to lure in new younger fans.  Staying chronological, “Dogs of War” from the recent Cancelled EP is a nice addition since it features the current lineup and John 5 on guitar, but is otherwise forgettable.

Finally, the album closes on the Dolly duet, which we should really refer to as a fake duet since it sounds so achronological, both on the album and as a song.

For a similar but superior listening experience, just buy Greatest Hits, Decade of Decadence, or just the plain old 20th Century Masters, which at least had some text inside.

1.5/5 stars

REDEMPTION: Interview with RICK HUGHES – Sword, Saints & Sinners and Solo!

When I received an offer to interview Rick Hughes of the band Sword, about his forthcoming new album called Redemption, I immediately contacted my buddy Dan Chartrand from OffTheCharts to do it with me.  Turns out, he received the same offer, so we joined forces.  This is good, because Rick’s new album is bilingual, and so is Dan!  We recorded the interview on Thursday October 9, and it will debut Monday October 13 (Thanksgiving Day) on Dan’s channel.

Hey Dan…I get the next one, OK?

With Rick, we broke down the many guests on his new album including Robby Krieger, Tommy Aldridge, Rudy Sarzo, Brad Gillis, Sean Kelly and Jacob Deraps.  (Great stories from Rick here!)

We also talked about the new songs, including an amazing soft rocker called “The Will of the Gun” and the bangin’ “Ca va Brasser”.  Rick also finds redemption with one of his old songs finally recorded by the guy who wrote it:  “Someday”.  A different version of this song was a hit for Aldo Nova in 1991, co-written by Jon Bon Jovi.  Great stories here!

Of course we had to talk about Sword, so there are a couple stories there about Sword opening for Motorhead and Metallica in the 1980s.

Do not miss this incredible interview with Rick Hughes, one of the most positive rock stars on the planet.

 

#1221: $538.00 in Customs?!

RECORD STORE TALES #1221: $538.00 in Customs?!

In September 2023, I received an email from a musician that I will not name.  Below is an edited version of what I received:

Hi!! My name is XXXXX XXXXX, I have a couple of CDs out.   I see that you collect physical media.   If I send you one of each, would you review them for me? XXXXXX XXXX produced and sang back up vocals among other things on the first album.   The second album is acoustic, with XXXXXX XXXXXX playing all acoustic guitars.  I wrote every track on both albums except one song that was XXXXXX‘s… Anyway would love to send you a couple, let me know my brother and have a great day!!

The names that I redacted include a famous musician that I recognized from a fairly big “hair metal” band.  Normally I decline all review requests, because as the sender noticed, I collect physical media and that’s what I review.  For him to offer a couple review copies, I immediately said yes.

I forgot about it for a couple weeks, but eventually received a parcel notification in the mail.  The first things I look at every time a parcel notification arrives are:

  • Pickup date/time (usually next day at 5:00 PM).
  • Customs charges, if any.

My eyes popped when I saw the customs charges.

$538.00!

I had never seen anything so high before.  When I used to order toys in from the United States, I would often get $500 of toys in one box, and the customs would usually be well over $100 for the box.  I’d never seen anything this high before.  What the hell did I order that had $538.00 of customs on it?  I couldn’t think of anything I ordered that would be that expensive.

I called the post office to see if they could tell me who sent the parcel?  That was a headache and a half.  They really did not want to look for the parcel and read me the sender’s name or address.  I was persistent and kept asking.  “All I need to know is who sent me this parcel, because I have no idea what it is or where it came from, and $538.00 is a lot of money.”

They probably have some kind of policy at the post office about revealing information like that over the phone.  However, I was not letting up, and I didn’t want to drive to the post office to look at a parcel that I was very unlikely to pay for.

Finally I was given a first name.  Not a super common version of the first name, so it immediately connected the dots.  It was the guy with the two CDs that he was sending me for review.  Two CDs…for $538.00?  That made no sense.  What the hell did he put for the value of the parcel?  Did he mean to write $20.00, but wrote $2000?  Did he send me 200 CDs instead of two?  I asked how large the parcel was, but Canada Post had already hung up.

I never contacted the guy back, and he never emailed me when his parcel was eventually returned.  I don’t know if he’s still making music or not.  There is at least one other artist (a country singer) with the same name, but I did find his albums on Discogs.  His debut came out in 2009 with a followup in 2021.  Neither are on a label, but the second CD does have a photo of the famous musician from a name band.  Neither album had a selling history.

I wonder what happened to my mystery musician?  I wonder what the customs screwup was?  I’ll never find out now!

 

 

 

 

VIDEO: Happy Birthday Jex! and TVC goes to the Record Expo!

“SEE JEX LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE: SPEECHLESS! EMOTIONAL! VULNERABLE! All while opening a mystery box from Tim Durling and Mike Ladano!”

Video premieres Saturday Oct 11, 3:45 PM EST.

And for the context, check out the Tim’s Vinyl Confessions Crew at the Riverview Record Expo!

Video premieres Saturday Oct 11, 3:00 PM EST.

🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 23: Rock in Rio

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 23: Rock in Rio

Special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 Episode

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #120

It was with great joy that we anticipated Iron Maiden’s first live album since Donington 1992:  Rock In Rio!  A decade had passed, and with it, three new studio albums, all of which are represented in the live set.  The new six-man Iron Maiden lineup was on fire, and little did we know it would become the most stable lineup in the band’s history.  Though they had released live B-sides from the Ed Hunter tour, Rock In Rio was the first full live album with the new lineup, and of course, new songs!  We even got a live DVD out of it.

In Rio, Iron Maiden played to approximately 250,000 people; the second largest crowd of their entire career, only topped by the 350,000 people who saw them in Rio in 1985.  They hit the stage with a setlist generous on new songs, classic hits, and respectful nods to the Blaze era.

Harrison and I will break down the album, produced by Kevin Shirley, track by track in tonight’s special live episode.  Don’t miss this one as we always enjoy interacting with the comments, and we can do this best when we are live.

Much like Iron Maiden, we are best when we are live.  Check it out tonight!

Friday October 10 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

#1220: The Maxell Tapes and the Rules of Acquisition

RECORD STORE TALES #1220: The Maxell Tapes and the Rules of Acquisition

The year was 1997.  We carried blank tapes at the Beat Goes On, and had for some time.  I believe in 1997 we were carrying Maxell tapes of various grades.  After that, we switched to Sony.  We only carried two lengths, which were the most popular:  60 minutes, and 90 minutes.

We sold them as singles, and we also created “bricks” of three tapes, by using Scotch tape to package them together.  We would sell the “bricks” for a discount compared to single tapes.  Obviously with this being so long ago, I cannot remember the exact pricing, so let’s say it went like this:

  • Maxell UR60 – $1.59 each
  • Maxell UR90 – $1.99 each
  • 3 pack brick of Maxell UR60 – $3.99 each
  • 3 pack brick of Maxell UR90 – $4.99 each

We also sold the Maxell XL-II tapes which were more expensive, but let’s keep things simple for these purposes.  We’ll just talk about the UR tapes.

One afternoon, we were running low on tapes and waiting for a restock order.  I had sold out of the UR90 bricks, but still had some singles for sale.

A girl walked up to the counter and asked if she could get a deal if she bought three Maxell UR90 tapes.  I said sure, and grabbed my calculator so see what it would be.  I punched in some numbers, and didn’t check my math.  Having clumsy fingers, I have learned I need to punch in numbers twice when adding on a calculator, but back then I wasn’t in this habit.

“$5.99 for three tapes,” I told her.

“Sounds good,” she said.  We processed the transaction and she left happily with her three Maxell UR90 tapes.

Only then did I realize that I charged her more than the three tapes would have sold for originally.

“Damn!!” I said out loud.  I ripped her off.

We had a saying for when we ripped off a customer, either on purpose or by accident.  (An example of “on purpose” would include selling a “used” copy of a CD as “new”, which we sometimes did when a sufficiently mint “used/new” copy came in.)  The saying was this:

“Pure profit.”

Like a Ferengi reciting the rules of acquisition, I consoled myself with the knowledge that the bossman made an extra three cents that day on some Maxell blank tapes.

FERENGI RULES OF ACQUISITION (which the Beat Goes On usually followed where applicable):

 

Number Rule Episode
1 Once you have their money, you never give it back. DS9: “The Nagus“, “Heart of Stone“; PRO: “First Con-tact“
3 Never spend more for an acquisition than you have to. DS9: “The Maquis, Part II“
6 Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity. DS9: “The Nagus“; ENT: “Acquisition“
7 Keep your ears open. DS9: “In the Hands of the Prophets“
8 Small print leads to large risk. LD: “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place“
9 Opportunity plus instinct equals profit. DS9: “The Storyteller“; LD: “Hear All, Trust Nothing“
10 Greed is eternal. DS9: “Prophet Motive“; VOY: “False Profits“
16 A deal is a deal. DS9: “Melora“
17 A contract is a contract is a contract… but only between Ferengi. DS9: “Body Parts“
18 A Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all. DS9: “Heart of Stone“, “Ferengi Love Songs“
21 Never place friendship above profit. DS9: “Rules of Acquisition“; PRO: “First Con-tact“
22 A wise man can hear profit in the wind. DS9: “Rules of Acquisition“; VOY: “False Profits“
23 Nothing is more important than your health… except for your money. ENT: “Acquisition“
31 Never make fun of a Ferengi’s mother. DS9: “The Siege“
33 It never hurts to suck up to the boss. DS9: “Rules of Acquisition“, “The Dogs of War“
34 War is good for business. DS9: “Destiny“, “The Siege of AR-558“
35 Peace is good for business. TNG: “The Perfect Mate“; DS9: “Destiny“
45 Expand or die. ENT: “Acquisition“; VOY: “False Profits“
47 Don’t trust a man wearing a better suit than your own. DS9: “Rivals“
48 The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife. DS9: “Rules of Acquisition“
57 Good customers are as rare as latinum. Treasure them. DS9: “Armageddon Game“
59 Free advice is seldom cheap. DS9: “Rules of Acquisition“
62 The riskier the road, the greater the profit. DS9: “Rules of Acquisition“, “Little Green Men“, “Business as Usual“; LD: “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place“
74 Knowledge equals profit. VOY: “Inside Man“
75 Home is where the heart is, but the stars are made of latinum. DS9: “Civil Defense“
76 Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies. DS9: “The Homecoming“
91 Your boss is only worth what he pays you. LD: “Old Friends, New Planets“
94 Females and finances don’t mix. DS9: “Ferengi Love Songs“, “Profit and Lace“
95 Expand or die. VOY: “False Profits“; ENT: “Acquisition“
98 Every man has his price. DS9: “In the Pale Moonlight“
102 Nature decays, but latinum lasts forever. DS9: “The Jem’Hadar“
103 Sleep can interfere with… DS9: “Rules of Acquisition“
109 Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack. DS9: “Rivals“
111 Treat people in your debt like family… exploit them. DS9: “Past Tense, Part I“, “The Darkness and the Light“
112 Never have sex with the boss’ sister. DS9: “Playing God“
125 You can’t make a deal if you’re dead. DS9: “The Siege of AR-558“
139 Wives serve, brothers inherit. DS9: “Necessary Evil“
168 Whisper your way to success. DS9: “Treachery, Faith and the Great River“
190 Hear all, trust nothing. DS9: “Call to Arms“
194 It’s always good business to know about new customers before they walk in your door. DS9: “Whispers“
203 New customers are like razor-toothed gree-worms. They can be succulent, but sometimes they bite back. DS9: “Little Green Men“
208 Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than a question is an answer. DS9: “Ferengi Love Songs“; PRO: “First Con-tact“
211 Employees are the rungs on the ladder of success. Don’t hesitate to step on them. DS9: “Bar Association“
214 Never begin a business negotiation on an empty stomach. DS9: “The Maquis, Part I“
217 You can’t free a fish from water. DS9: “Past Tense, Part I“
223 Unknown, but presumably concerned the relationship between “keeping busy” and “being successful”. DS9: “Profit and Loss“
229 Latinum lasts longer than lust. DS9: “Ferengi Love Songs“
239 Never be afraid to mislabel a product. DS9: “Body Parts“
263 Never allow doubt to tarnish your lust for latinum. DS9: “Bar Association“
285 No good deed ever goes unpunished. DS9: “The Collaborator“, “The Sound of Her Voice“
289? Shoot first, count profits later. LD: “Old Friends, New Planets“
Unknown A man is only worth the sum of his possessions. ENT: “Acquisition“

From the Star Trek Memory Alpha wiki

 

VIDEO: “Mystery” by Dio / Ruko Over Lorne Beach

The flight started well enough, but I lost control of the drone during the return, right around the guitar solo (Vivian Campbell). It started veering to the left and losing altitude. I managed to bring it back to the beach and land it in the sand, but I thought for sure it was going to hit the water or trees. Why? It’s a “Mystery”!

To its credit, the Ruko U11MINI 4K gets incredible images with its always-level camera.

The water levels are heading back to their low point. It is a 20 year cycle. It does create beautiful imagery. Enjoy the flight.

Mystery (Dio/Bain)
From The Last In Line (1984)

Can you hear me
can you see
there’s a storm on the edge of the sky
does it matter
it does to me, i can tell you why
When there’s thunder, there should be rain
but it don’t always follow the rule
and is the wise man always right?
no he can play the fool
It’s always a mystery, not what it seems to be
it’s always a mystery, just like you and me
We are lightning
we are flame
and we burn at the touch of a spark
if there’s fire, but no one sees
the there’s only the dark
Just imagine, will you try
i can see that you’ve opened your mind
silver linings can disappear, but they always shine
It’s always a mystery, not what it seems to be
it’s always a mystery, just like you and me

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Harrison’s Box Sets and Mike’s Whitesnake

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

Episode 119: Harrison’s Box Sets and Mike’s Whitesnake

Time for a Maiden break this week, as Harrison and Mike have their ears full of live Maiden preparing for the next two shows!  In the meantime, Harrison has acquired a good sized collection of box sets, while Mike is only one Whitesnake box away from completing his collection of Coverdale’s boxed compilations.  Not much else to say except we will dive deep on some cool collections tonight!

“Ere’s a box set for ya!”

This is possibly the last cottage show of the season, and an indoor one this time due to the early sunset.  Join us tonight live for this special look at some expensive beauties.

 

 

Friday October 3 at 7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.