RECORD STORE TALES Part 297: “The World Must Change”
1997. A middle-aged mustached gentleman walked into my store with Eric Clapton’s latest single, “Change the World”.
“Hi,” he said. “I bought this at HMV, but it’s not what I wanted. I’m looking for a song, I think it’s called “The World Must Change”. Do you know it?
I searched my memory for a bit but drew a blank.
“I heard it on the radio. It’s a real hard-driving song,” he said, “and I could swear in the lyrics, he was singing ‘the world must change’. I told the girl at HMV and she said it was Eric Clapton. She sold me this, and it’s definitely not the right song.”
If he told the girl at HMV that it was a “hard-driving” song, I don’t know how she came up with “Change the World”, unless she’d never heard “Change the World” before. It is anything but hard-driving.
The fellow searched my rock section for pretty much any CD that look like it had songs about changing the world, and listened to a number of them, but came out blank.
A Google search today reveals little, aside from a George Benson song called “Everything Must Change”, but that is even further away from “hard-driving” than the Clapton track.
He ended up selling his Clapton single to me for $2, because HMV wouldn’t take it back once opened. It was a huge drop from the $9.99 sticker price, and he wasn’t happy, but $2 was pretty much top dollar for us to buy CD singles at the time (unless you had something rare, like an old Metallica single). I felt genuinely bad that I couldn’t find that song for him. I suggested he call the radio station on which he heard the track.
Now today, I appeal to the Internets at large: Any ideas what song it could have been? Post a comment!
Thanks to Amazon, this arrived today. Only a week late, but for free shipping I won’t complain too much. When a parcel comes packaged inside not one but two boxes, you know it’s big. And this sucker is heavy. 5 discs, with two huge books inside. I can’t wait to dig in.
KENNY ROGERS – 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection (2004 Universal)
A CD like this, at this price point (generally around 5 bucks) is perfect for the non-fan like me.
I’ve always liked Kenny’s songs, but I was not a fan. My mom bought me a copy of The Gambler when I was a kid (well, it was for my grandpa but he already had it, so she let me have it). I only listened to the title track. I like a handful of Kenny Rogers songs, the rest I find too sappy. So this CD is perfect for me. It’s all the Kenny I need.
I can only review this CD based on my own likes and dislikes, and stuff like “Crazy In Love” is just too sappy. But “Lady” is cool, it has some drama to it. It’ll never make it to one of my road trip CDs, but it’s cool. “She Believes In Me” is another softy, but there’s something schlocky about it that I enjoy. Let’s be honest, I bought this CD for “The Gambler”, “Ruby”, “Lucille”, “Reuben James” and one of the greatest psychedelic funk rock songs ever written, “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)”. They wisely sequenced the CD with this song last. Saving the best for last!
As with all 20th Century Masters CDs, there are some brief liner notes for the unitiated, and a brief running time. Good enough for me. I’m given to understand that “Someone Who Cares” is a non-album single, so that’s a bonus. Unfortunately, it’s slower than molasses in January. Thankfully, “Something’s Burning” by the First Edition has some upbeat parts to offset the ballads.
Normally I rank these 20th Century Masters discs no higher than 2 stars, but I’ll go higher this time, because I’ll never need to buy another Kenny Rogers CD.
Clickhere for Aaron’s loving review of this album, from his Rush “Partial Series”.
RUSH – Fly By Night (1975 Anthem, reissued 2011 in the Sector 1 box set)
Gotta love this album cover. It is classic. Always has been.
This, the first album ever to feature “The Professor” Neil Peart on drums and lyrics, is the birth of the new Rush, the Rush we know today. Slowly shedded were the straight-ahead rock sounds, although their shadows remain (“Best I Can”, for example). In the stead were acoustic guitars, songs about Elvish cities, and much more complex arrangements. Fly By Night remains today a beloved and important slab o’ wax in the mighty Rush canon.
For the most part Fly By Night remains heavy although the rawk groove is gone, replaced by…well, I don’t know what to call it. In it’s place is sheer ability, filtered through the Canadian lens; the snow-white brilliant abilities of Lifeson, Lee and Peart, barreling straight through the winter night, determined to just frickin’ play their tails off. (How did ya like that run-on sentence?) To listen to this monster is to listen to three kids who knew they were better than the other kids on the block. Maybe the songwriting wasn’t entirely there yet but the pieces were falling into place.
You can’t beat “By-Tor” for its piercing vocal and metallic romp, yet it bends and slithers through a lengthy instrumental section. “Anthem” harkens back to the groove of album #1, yet foreshadows the heaviness of album #3. It remains one of Rush’s most identifiable rampages. The title track reveals hippy-like happiness sheathed within the band’s monstrous technical abilities. “Making Memories” is fun acoustic-based classic road rock. “Rivendell” is a personal favourite, an ode to the home city of Elrond and his Elf kin.
Like many Rush albums of the early 1970’s, some of this music might be impenetrable to the uninitiated. However, one must push through it in order to appreciate where this band came from and where it was going.
Finally, when this album was reissued in the Sector 1 box set, a 5.1 mix on DVD was included as a bonus. I couldn’t leave you without speaking about that mix, briefly. It’s a pretty straightforward surround mix, presumably because as Rush albums go, Fly By Night is a lot more straightforward than the later discs. Not a lot of tracks and instrumentation to play around with. It’s clear though, and it’s a pleasure to listen to. I only wish I had the ability to listen to 5.1 mixes more frequently, so I could get to know this disc a little better.
From the snowy climbs of Hamilton, Ontario roars the Monster Truck. I first heard this band via the fine folks over at 107.5 Dave FM. When they started playing “Righteous Smoke” in rotation, I knew I had to check out Monster Truck. Uncle Meat has questioned my liking of this band, however. He compared them to Nickelback and implied it was hypocritical of me to like one band and hate the other.
I don’t equate the two bands, although I admit similarities exist. Monster Truck appear to be more rooted in classic 70’s hard rock, where Nickelback have always sounded to me like a watered down version of all the bands of the 1990’s. (We called them “TheoryofaNickelCreed” back in the Record Store days.) Monster Truck are sweaty rock. The presence of the organ on The Brown EP sounds more like Uriah Heep than Chad Kroeger.
With that out of the way, The Brown EP is an enjoyable 15 minutes(!) of hard Canadian rock. I think Monster Truck are at their best whilst rocking out, so my least favourite track on the EP is “Seven Sea Blues”. It has become a bit of a hit single, so I might be alone on that one. Meanwhile, “Righteous Smoke” rocks solidly to the head and gets it banging. It has a solid groove and it sticks to the brain like peanut butter. “I Am Freedom” has a similar vibe, and the keys backing the riff help Monster Truck achieve their own slant on this sound.
“Love Attack” almost sounds like a classic Alice Cooper track at first, but it’s a shorty at just 1:42. “Sworded Beest” is awesome. I’ve always dug bands that had multiple lead singers, and this song has two: lead vocalist/bassist Jon Harvey, and guitarist Jeremy Widerman. Their vocals work well together, kinda like a Billy Gibbons/Dusty Hill deal. “Sworded Beest” rocks like a juggernaut but goes full-on heavy metal at the end.
My only real beef with the EP are the drums. Yes, they are hard, heavy and loud in the mix — all good things to me. But they sound a little dead, and I crave a snare sound that sounds more like a snare, and cymbols that don’t just sizzle all the time.
Not a bad EP. I’d like to get their album Furiosity next, because the single “Sweet Mountain River” from that disc is my favourite so far.
RECORD STORE TALES Part 296: Four Musical Child Names
Some parents choose regrettable names for their children. None of the names below were intrinsically bad, except perhaps in the case of the former Nirvana fan. Here are four names from children I met in the record store days, and the music that inspired them…
1. Kurdt
The girl with the toddler named Kurdt was selling off her entire Nirvana collection. Regrets? Nah!
2. Lars
Absolutely hilarious to see a long-haired dad with a Metallica shirt on yelling at his rat-tailed kid: “Lars! Stop that!”
3. Sebastian
My old customer Gord named his son after the Canadian god of rock.
4. Rhiannon
A mom was in looking for Fleetwood Mac. “Tell the man your name!” she said to the little girl with her. With a beaming smile she said, “RHIANNON! Not Rihanna! RHIANNON!”
It’s the end of theWeek of Singles 3! Since it’s Friday I have to leave you with something a little more special. If you missed any of this week’s singles or EPs, click below!
METALLICA – “One” (1989 Sony Japan 5 track single)
While there is no doubt that this single is indeed rare, when T-Rev and I shared an apartment together in the late 90’s, we both owned a copy. We figured we must have had the only living room in the country with two Japanese copies of the “One” single by Metallica. I believe both of us acquired our copies via the record store. (Unfortunately, neither of us had the obi strip.)
Along with the full 7 1/2 minute version of “One”, this single presents Metallica’s excellent cover of Budgie’s “Breadfan”. Metallica’s take, which emphasizes the heavy parts, is awesome. It was “Breadfan” that inspired me to check out Budgie, and then discover yet another one of my favourite bands. “Breadfan” was always a monster; Metallica simply turned it up. It is a song that they were born to cover anyway. The unusual thing is that “Breadfan” is one of Budgie’s most notably bass-heavy tracks (from a bass-heavy band anyway), but Metallica’s cover comes from Metallica’s least bass-y period. I’m sure Newsted must be digging in deep to play those Burke Shelley bass rolls, but you can’t hear him clearly enough.
Next are two live bonus tracks: “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” from Dallas, Texas, February 5 1989. (The 7″ and 12″ singles contained different live tracks: “Seek & Destroy” and “Creeping Death” respectively.) I think this period of live Metallica is among their best. Hetfield’s voice had filled out to max out on the menacing scale. Newsted was an able replacement for the late Cliff Burton, and I enjoyed his backing growls on “Sanitarium”.
Last and rarest is the original demo version of “One”. It was recorded to four-track tape: drums, James’ guitar, vocals, Kirk’s guitar. That’s right – because it’s only four tracks, there’s no bass! (Insert jokes about the …And Justice For All album right here: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .) This demo was recorded in November 1987, and unlike many Metallica demos, this one has lyrics. “One” was a fully-formed song in the demo stage, with only a couple parts unfinished. It’s remarkable and I’m sure Metallica had no idea in 1987 that what they were writing was going to become a rock classic. As confident as they probably were, I’m sure nobody in Metallica said, “In 25 years we’ll be playing this at the Grammy awards.” Yet it’s all there; 95% of the very song that would be played at the 2014 Grammys, with Chinese pianist Lang Lang.
This is a great little treasure and I’m sure “one” day (stinky pun) I’ll add the 7″ and 12″ singles to my collection to get the other two live tracks.
DEEP PURPLE – “Knocking at Your Back Door” / “Perfect Strangers” (1984 Polydor 12″ single)
What a find this was. While Simon Robinson has kept Deep Purple’s catalogue largely available on CD in lavish packages, here’s an oddity that has slipped through the cracks. Granted, interviews are fairly low on my collecting priority list. When something like this falls in your lap, you still gotta bite.
I got this limited edition (#9240/????) at an old used music store in Uptown Waterloo. I cannot remember the name; perhaps a kind reader will remind me. They were technically a “Christian” store but still carried music of all varieties. This 12″ was sitting on their shelves (price long lost) and I snagged it. The A-side contains not one but two hits, and the B-side, in depth interviews with all five Deep Purple members. All was harmonious in Deep Purple, coming off the high of making the album Perfect Strangers and embarking on a successful tour. The dischord did not return until The House of Blue Light. Therefore these interviews reflected a rare time of excitement and positivity for the short-lived Deep Purple MkIIb.
First, the music: To get both awesome singles from Perfect Strangers on one 12″ is handy! These are two of MkIIb’s best tracks, if not the two best tracks, period. By the end of the A-side, my mind is already blown by the grandiose, intelligent, classic sound of Deep Purple. Of note, these are the full length tracks, not single edits.
The interview side is helmed by Tommy Vance for the Friday Rock Show. Each member is interviewed separately, which is how it should be for Deep Purple. The amiable Jon speaks for 10 minutes, recalling Deep Purple history, particularly the very early years. They also discuss Jon’s few writing credits on the new album, a potential pot-stirring question. Ritchie Blackmore then reveals he doesn’t mind giving up being “the” leader of a band (Rainbow). Ritchie claims the hardest part of being the leader of a band was “trying to find the perfect member”. He sounds excited when discussing Deep Purple’s on-stage chemistry. Meanwhile, Roger Glover sounds like he’s eating a bag of crisps. He also sheds light on the early stages of the reunion, and the things they discussed to make it work. I enjoyed Ian Paice’s interview most; he dismisses what was going on in 80’s pop music as “a fashion show”. He proclaims that his goal for the reunited Deep Purple was to bring back a little bit of class to rock and roll. In my mind there is no question that they succeeded. Finally, the singer: Ian Gillian is soft-spoken and optimistic. He too is glad to have shed the responsibilities of being the leader of a solo band.
If you’re a Deep Purple collector and you find this record sitting on a shelf for a reasonable price, do not hesitate. Tommy Vance asks probing, intelligent questions and the result is an interview disc that will enjoy listening to more than once.
ANTHRAX – Live from Sonisphere Festival 2010 (picture disc EP, Record Store Day exclusive)
I don’t get these Record Store Day exclusives, honestly. I saw this thing for a reasonable price on Amazon and bought it without even knowing it was some kind of “exclusive”. I sure didn’t buy it at a record store, but I won’t turn this into a Record Store Day rant.
This is a very nice looking picture disc. I wouldn’t recommend playing it too often, you know how quickly a picture disc can wear out. If you’re lucky enough to own the Big Four Live CD box set, you won’t need to play this. I don’t have that very limited set, but these two Anthrax performances make me want it! “Medusa”, an oldie from the Anthrax days of yore (Spreading the Disease), is just as powerful as ever. Belladonna’s voice has changed, but not enough to matter. The song has been tuned down, but that really only makes it heavier.
“Only”, the first single from the John Bush era of the band, is on the other side. This is one of the best Anthrax songs ever, in my opinion. Joey certainly turns a more than able performance. He sounds at home, and I quite enjoy his version, especially when he starts shrieking before the guitar solo.
I loved this single, and I was surprised how awesome Joey sounded. I really lost track of Anthrax after the We’ve Come For You All period and haven’t been too excited about all the rotating singers since then. However since Joey’s been back (for hopefully the rest of the band’s life) I’ve been a lot more interested, and that’s why I bought this. I didn’t know how good he would sound on the Bush-era stuff, and “Medusa” smokes with furious intensity too.
BON JOVI – Livin’ On A Prayer(1987 Polygram double 12″ single)
For the second time this week comes a record that I acquired via T-Rev. This time, some friends of his were selling off some old vinyl, and he knew I’d be interested in this one. Indeed! From the juggernaut mid-80’s smash hit Slippery When Wet comes “Livin’ On A Prayer”, possibly the best known Bon Jovi hit. Previously, I owned this single on cassette, but we all know how permanent the music on a cassette can be. I was seeking what I call a “hard copy” — something more permanent like vinyl. T-Rev delivered!
There are six tracks total, with two on the first record. What a pair! “Livin’ On A Prayer” is a song I have nothing bad to say about. It’s hard to talk about a song such as this, which I probably hear daily, via the radio. Trying to look past the intense familiarity, I hear some great dark keyboards and a still-great talk box guitar part. It’s a still a great song, achieving musical heights that Bon Jovi would seldom scale.
Even better though is “Borderline”. This song is so hard to find, that I don’t even own it on a CD. It’s not on the (domestic) version of Bon Jovi’s 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong box set (though it is on the Japanese). This is an undiscovered Bon Jovi gem, deep into that Slippery sound and keyboard-heavy. It easily could have been on the album; hell it could be a single in its own right. Songs like this are long-time favourites of Bon Jovi fans in the know.
The second record commences with a Bon Jovi semi-hit, “In and Out of Love” from 7800° Fahrenheit. I used to like this song when I was young. Even though it’s one of Jon and Richie’s hardest rockers, it doesn’t really appeal to me anymore. The words are laughably bad: “You wanted me to meet your what? Your daddy is who? Hey, just how old are you anyway? Oh, no…” Thankfully you can’t keep Sambora down, and Richie nails a cool, memorable guitar solo.
The coup de grâce is the final side, all rare live tracks recorded in Japan on the 7800° tour. These are some of my favourite Bon Jovi live recordings, and once again, I’ve never seen them on any kind of CD. All three tracks are from Bon Jovi’s first album: the single “Runaway”, “Breakout”, and “Shot Through the Heart”.
“Runaway” sounds amazing, and I think this song is underrated. It’s played a bit faster than the album version, and the vocal harmonies of Jon and Richie are young and fresh. “Breakout” is not especially notable, though hearing first-album Bon Jovi played live is a rare treat. Then, a surprise, as the band break into Cher’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” as a segue into “Shot Through the Heart”. The “Bang Bang” segment is an absolute treat, once again showing off those young voices, accompanied only by some David Bryan keyboards. This intro overshadows the song itself, though it is still one of those great Bon Jovi deep cuts. It’s a dark broken-hearted hard rocker with some smokin’ Sambora axe.
At roughly 32 minutes, I don’t know whether this is a single or an EP.* All I know is, it’s longer than Diver Down.
5/5 stars. An absolute must for any Bon Jovi fan with a turntable.
* It’s an EP, according to the spine, which I only noticed while taking these photos.
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