Thank you to John Clauser of My Music Corner for joining me for an impromptu Friday afternoon! I wanted to finish showing off my birthday hauls, because there was some cool stuff still to be seen. Possibly the coolest of them was a Star Trek: Strange New Worlds plaque made by the propmaster on that show and purchased directly from him. I also received a replica lamp from the Star Wars series Andor, and a Tchaikovsky CD. This led to an informative back-and-forth about classical music in the comments, led by Pete Jones.
John Clauser brought with him some personal stories and rare copies of his own music. One is an album that he played some guitar on, one is an album of his own making, and another is a live DVD recorded at a coffee house! He also has a demo tape of his early W.A.S.P.-influenced solo music.
Quiet Riot was an artist that John spotlighted, with a bonus Randy Rhoads bootleg. He also brought a double live Accept — a prelude to his next big deep dive series on My Music Corner!
The final thing I had to show off was my Lego Jazz quartet, which ironically, Aaron received for his birthday a few days ago.
Thanks to everyone for the lively comments. This is why I love going live. See you next time!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man Episode 66: Surprise Friday Stream with John Clauser
SURPRISE! John Clauser from My Music Corner and I will be live at 3:00 PM this afternoon. That’s just three hours from this posting!
John & felt like being social this Friday, so come one and all and join the conversation. I have some new things to show off, including birthday gifts and cottage treasures. John will have some cool stuff to show as well. Perhaps we’ll even discuss his Twisted Sister series and what is to come next at My Music Corner.
Join us today at 3:00 for a classic cottage afternoon show. These are always a blast. Welcome to the cottage John!
Friday July 26 at 3:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 4:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy onYouTube or on Facebook!
RECORD STORE TALES #1144: “In The Summertime” (2020 Hindsight)
Remember the summer of 2020? It seems so far away now. It was the “summer that wasn’t” for a lot of people who were quarantined at home during the first major pandemic in 100 years. I knew I would have a lot more perspective on it eventually. Hindsight is, as they say…20/20.
After that harsh winter (got severely sick twice, and don’t know if it was Covid at any time because tests didn’t exist yet), I needed a break. Then Premiere Doug Ford closed the beaches.
It wasn’t just the big city Toronto beaches that closed, but even our little private beach. It made little sense to us. Weren’t we safer outside? Even travel to the cottage was prohibited in 2020. Only “essential travel” was permitted. The idea was not to stress out-of-the-way hospitals, and prevent the spread of the disease. We all know how well that worked! At least I didn’t get Covid for three years (that I know of). This was the reason beaches were closed: to discourage travel.
Since we own property in cottage country, my parents used that as a reason to travel. Property must be inspected and cared for, especially after a winter like that. I used mental health as my reason. My wife and I needed the cottage or we’d have snapped here in our tiny little apartment. By the end of May, we finally made our first trip back up to Lake Huron. Nobody reported us, nobody judged.
We own a piece of property that is beachfront. There was no way we weren’t going down there. It was a cold May. There was nobody around.
We cherished every second we had at that cottage, even though we were alone and social distancing from any neighbour we ran into. That actually suited me fine. As a classic introvert, I really thrived during social distancing. Not shaking hands, not seeing people in person…sometimes, it felt like my own personal utopia!
Beaches started to open up in the spring, and with this came the onslaught of “Sooners“.
People weren’t going on holidays. Most of them were stuck at home. Instead of going away on a holiday, they instead made day trips to beaches like ours. My dad called them “Sooners”. Sooner: “a person settling on land in the early West before its official opening to settlement in order to gain the prior claim allowed by law to the first settler after official opening.” That’s what my dad dubbed the annoying beach-goers that crowded our little area in 2020 and 2021. There was “Man-Bun” and his two girlfriends, and a family of umpteen kids whose mom let them run around naked. Those were the memorable ones.
I’m going to take you on a slight detour here. Another thing that happened in 2020 was the temporary halting of many of our favourite TV shows and movies. YouTube began to seriously thrive. This is when my friend Uncle Meat introduced me to many new channels I had never heard of before. I began consuming the work of Todd in the Shadows by binge. One of his main features is a series called “One Hit Wonderland”. One of the tracks he covered in that series was “In The Summertime” by Mungo Jerry. It was a deep dive on what made the song a hit, and why Mungo Jerry never followed it with anything as iconic. I became obsessed with the song that summer.
My dad believes in asserting your territory, especially where Sooners are concerned. For him that meant sitting down on our beach chairs, ensuring nobody used them. For me, that meant singing out loud like we owned the place. There was more to it than just that though. I was genuinely just happy to have a beach to go to, and my childhood beach at that! So I sang, and I felt every single note in my heart as I reached up to touch the sun.
In the summertime, when the weather is high, You can stretch right up and touch the sky!
Jen joined in.
When the weather’s fine, You got women, you got women on your mind, Have a drink, have a drive, Go out and see what you can find.
Wait a minute…did he just sing “have a drink, have a drive?” 1970 was a different time for sure. Still, it sang well as we raised our voices in song. Nobody turned to stare. Everyone (and there were a lot of people!) stuck to their own groups.
Ahh, social distancing. Gotta love it.
The one and only flaw with our perfect afternoons of singing? I only had one verse of “In the Summertime” memorized. It got repeated over and over. Nobody noticed.
Now that things have returned to something resembling normal, the Sooners have gone. Social distancing is no longer necessary. I don’t mind. I still sing “In The Summertime” when I hit that water. I still stretch right up so I can touch the sky. I still think Mungo Jerry wrote a great song. Its corniness is its charm, but unless you’ve sung that song at the top of your lungs while enjoying a brief respite during a global pandemic, you haven’t experienced “In The Summertime”.
“Water, water, everywhere!” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge
RECORD STORE TALES #1143: Setbacks
Just when I had my music room coming back together again after the shelf disaster in June, another calamity has struck. Things were going well. I had all the CDs organized into the C section and was about to start working on D. I had everything planned, and I knew I had enough storage to handle all my CDs and then some. I came home from work one day to find the floor absolutely soaked.
There had been a torrential rainfall in the prior days, so I crossed my fingers and hoped it was an isolated incident. My office at work flooded, so it didn’t seem impossible. I got out the towels and fans and soaked it up. The water refused to dry out. Looking outside, there was no standing water in the area and nothing that could seemingly get into the house.
Process of elimination insinuated that the water was coming in from the air conditioner unit. The unit is within the wall directly behind me when you see me hosting Grab A Stack of Rock. Behind the black curtain is my AC unit. In front of the access panel…are shelves and cabinets full of CDs. (Yes, I know that’s not the best storage system, but I’m out of space.)
And so, I ripped apart my music room once again, called a technician in, and paid him overtime to fix the leak.
The good news is, he seemed to have fixed the problem. Fans are running non-stop and it seems the floor is starting to dry out, finally.
Now I have to put the room back together again, a tedious, laborious, and frustrating task.
On an interesting side not from the files of “it could have been worse”, a pipe underneath my work broke and flooded a hallway. They had to drill two giant holes in the floor to fix it. Repairs are ongoing.
I hate water!
Tonight we are back to the cottage for some much needed R&R – rest & relaxation, and rock & roll. We need it.
Now that Ratt has ceased to exist as a band, we seem to be getting better and better reissues. There was that Atlantic Albums CD set that came out recently with cool bonus tracks, and a forthcoming LP reissue with that set with an additional recently-discovered unreleased track. Too bad Stephen Pearcy didn’t dig that one up in time to issue on 2024’s Rarities album, a nine track compilation of unreleased versions spanning 1982 to 1989. These include the classic lineup of Peacy, Robbin Crosby, Warren DeMartini, Bobby Blotzer and Juan Crocier. There is also one previously unheard song written by Pearcy and Crosby to add some extra value.
We open with a 1983 version of “Tell the World” from the 1984 Ratt EP. It is a less polished version of the same, complete with shouted backing vocals and echo effects. The most notable differences are the prominent busy Blotzer drum fills. This is followed by a 1982 rehearsal tape of the hit-to-be, “Round and Round”. Of course the sound quality is what should expect for a 1982 rehearsal tape. It’s garage quality and probably recorded by a boom box in a really loud room. That said, it’s still a fun listen since the band is so tight and the song was years away from the charts. It’s actually unfinished; about 90% there.
Do you know how many songs Ratt have about wanting something? We already have “I Want A Woman” and “I Want To Love You Tonight”, which might be why “I Want It All” didn’t make an album. “I Want It All” is an undated demo from the 80s that was later finished up with new bassist Robbie Crane on 1997’s Collage. This older version is rougher but otherwise the same arrangement. It’s a little different for Ratt, opening with acoustic guitars. It’s a good sassy mid-tempo Ratt track that would have fit on any number of albums post-Out of the Cellar.
The next batch of tunes are live. “In Your Direction” from Cellar is from 1987, as is “Round and Round”, “Body Talk” and “Drive Me Crazy”, though “Body Talk” is also noted as being live in Germany. “In Your Direction” is bootleggy, most likely an audience recording. “Round and Round” is clearer but a little by rote. You can hear Juan’s backing vocals clearly, and Stephen even drops an F-bomb that would have been edited out had it been released in the 80s.
“Body Talk” and “Drive Me Crazy are a pair from Dancing Undercover. The intensity of “Body Talk” is impressive, though some of it gets washed out in the thrashy tempo. The greatest sin, however, is the premature fadeout during the guitar solo. There is no such fade on “Drive Me Crazy” which fares well live. The backing vocals are a bit ragged, but it all holds together in a stampeding Ratt romp.
Back to a 1985, “Wanted Man” from Cellar is the last of the live songs. The bass drum is a bit thuddy, and nothing’s particularly clear (especially Robbin), but the performance is spot on. Listen, we all like buying bootlegs, don’t we? You should have no issue with the sound quality so long as you understand in advance, none of these recordings were intended for release.
The final song is the previously unheard “Love on the Rocks” from 1989, which did not make the Detonator record. Written by Stephen and Robbin, it’s a pretty damn solid Ratt song and one of the best sounding tracks on the album. The chorus is decent and a properly produced version would have been polished-up album worthy. As it is, it’s a good B-side or bonus track.
While not essential, this Ratt compilation is a solid addition to any collection. It’s for the fan that has everything but wants a little (back for) more. But that cover artwork? Surely they could have done better than that.
A few weeks ago, Tim & I tackled a classic Helix album on Tim’s Vinyl Confessions. Check out this 4:07 mini album review, in which we discuss the album and the rare Canadian glow in the dark cassette.
The album should have been bigger than it was, so hopefully we spread some appreciation in the video below.
In 1994, Rush were inducted to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, after a mere 20 years as a recording band. Not bad for three nerds from Southern Ontario. I had my VCR running that night, and this is the whole segment, complete and uncut, with all introductions and fades, unlike other copies on YouTube. Tom Cochrane was selected to induct them.
“Tonight we’re here to blow the lid off our three friends,” says Cochrane.
This 17 minute segment includes interviews with Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart. Tom Cochrane narrates the story of the unstoppable band with the rock solid fanbase. It’s funny in hindsight to hear Neil talking about having fans as old as 40. There is testimony from fans both young and old.
Celebrity fans also appear with awesome stories and tributes:
Mike Myers (Wayne’s World)
Sebastian Bach (Skid Row)
Tyler Stewart, Andy Creegan, Jim Creegan, and Ed Robertson (Barenaked Ladies)
Peter Collins (producer)
The Tragically Hip (performing “Limelight”)
Kim Mitchell (Max Webster)
Joe Carter & Paul Molitor (Toronto Blue Jays)
Les Claypool, Larry Lalond & Tim Alexander (Primus)
Vernon Reid (Living Colour)
Chris Cornell & Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)
Ben Mink
Sam Sniderman (Sam the Record Man)
Ray Danniels (Rush Manager)
As a precursor to things Alex Lifeson would say and do in the future, he is the comedy relief here. His son Justin also has a comedic bit, proving it’s in the genes. Poignantly though, Alex wishes for another 20 years…which, sadly, is all they got.
This is a beautiful tribute to Canada’s greatest export. Watch the whole thing; you will not regret the 17 minutes.
After you hit the big 50, it seems birthdays are less important and a little hum-drum. My 52nd birthday fell on a Friday, so I decided to take advantage of that and have a little long weekend for myself. My week ended on Thursday, which coincided with one of the boss’ birthdays at work. He was turning 65, so we had a bit of an upscale lunch to celebrate both birthdays. My coworkers and I enjoyed an afternoon at Milestones in Cambridge. I had a delectable penne pasta with shrimp, mushrooms, bacon and a creamy truffle sauce. The sauce was aromatic, and quite deliciously pungent. It was almost more an experience of smell rather than taste, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. A wonderful start to the birthday weekend.
Thursday night was an evening to chill. I bought a Lego set, the Atreides Ornithopter set which will give me my first Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac and Josh Brolin minifigs for my collection. This difficult set kept my hands occupied while I enjoyed a traditional movie treat. I went with 1984’s The Last Starfighter, a movie that I watched with Bob Schipper the summer it came out 40 years ago. “Better than Star Wars!” I told my parents when I got home. Watching it again today, it’s definitely derivative of Star Wars though able to deliver new things in a grounded Earthly setting. I smiled the whole way through.
I couldn’t sleep that night. We had water coming into the home office, and after the shelf disaster of three weeks ago, it kept me up at night. I also slept on my arm in a way that pinched my nerves and left me with two numb fingers on my left hand. Ah, 52. But I had morning plans.
I wanted to head down to the Grand River at 6:00 am when nobody is around, and take the drone up. With Jen at my side on second camera, we had a quick flight over the fog at sunrise and got some remarkable footage. First birthday goal accomplished!
I wanted to do something special for my birthday meal, and so I chose a lunch instead of a dinner. Why? Because as you get older, bed time gets earlier. I also wanted to do something different that we don’t usually do. And so, Jen sucked up a Benadryl for me, and we hit up Ye’s Sushi. There was plenty of stuff that Jen could eat, but an allergic reaction is impossible to avoid, so precautions were taken. I really appreciated this sacrifice on her part. Her favourite was the edamame, while mine was the beef short ribs. For me, generally, beef won the show. Dessert was deep fried banana with chocolate dip sauce.
Jen had to crash for a couple hours after the allergy meds kicked in, but she enjoyed her first sushi outing and I really appreciate her doing it. Next year we’ll do something different, but this was a first for us and it was really special.
At that point, it was time to get ready for Grab A Stack of Rock at 3:30. I warmed up my coffee and jumped in front of the camera. I had originally thought of taking my birthday off from the show, but as the week wore on, I felt like I wanted to celebrate a bit with my friends. So, I scheduled a show and Jex Russell, Tim Durling and John Clauser joined me for gifts and memories. And much more.
All Jen’s gifts came from Encore Records in Kitchener. They were:
Ratt – Rarities (2024)
A good compilation of demos and live stuff. There’s a 1989 demo called “Love on the Rocks”, which is a Pearcy/Crosby composition that never made it onto an album. Good song, and a CD that is hard to find.
Black Country Communion – V (2024)
I hear good things! I am missing a few BCC releases, but there has never been a better time to jump back into the band. I’m spinning it now and enjoying that bluesy rock groove with just a hint of Zeppelin that I love so much.
Prince and the Revolution – Live(2022)
From the Purple Rain tour, I figured this release would make a great accompaniment to my Purple Rain deluxe edition. It will go well in the car on a future cottage trip. Contents: two CDs and a blu-ray, including favourites of mine like “Computer Blue” and “I Would Die 4 U” . Closing the set is nearly 20 minutes of “Purple Rain”. This will be epic!
The gifts were just a precursor to the main event, which caught me by surprise and knocked me out of my chair. With the help with Tim Durling, Jex arranged special surprise birthday messages in a video that we ran live on the show. I was blown away by the words and sentiments from so many people!
Jex Russell
John Clauser, performing an acoustic version of “Grab A Stack of Rock”
Rob Daniels from Visions in Sound, with some kind words that hit me in the heart
Aaron Stewart of the KMA
Harrison Kopp with Lego art
Uncle Meat with some comments that left me head over heels…
Martin Popoff with some more kind words that left my jaw on the floor
Dr. Kathryn Ladano (with Molli, Daisi, Winston and Bruce)
Grant Arthur from the Rock Warehaus with good advice
Metal Roger with metal vocals
Todd Evans of the Contrarians to grab a stack of cake
Tom Brislin, keyboard player from Kansas
Jen Ladano right from the bowling alley
D’Arcy Briggs from darcyska on YouTube!
Marco D’Auria with a funny name mix-up and more kind words that I don’t think I deserve
Brent “the Doctor” Doerner of Helix to grab a stack of beer
Steve Deluxe and some wise words about B-sides
Tim Durling, who helped connect some of these people with Jex
Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation with a pretty excellent vocal performance
Chris Preston of MyRockandRollHeaven on Twitter
My Aunt Lynda and cousin Geoff with embarrassing stories
Matt Phillips of GoNorth Design, with a custom Lego Stratocaster
My mom and dad
By the end of it, I was emotionally exhausted…so much love and encouragement from people I really look up to. The one common recurring thread was a message I really need to hear: keep doing what you do.
What better birthday gift could anyone want?
The rest of the weekend will be spent enjoying music, and reflecting upon the blessings I have in my life.
I cannot thank you, my friends, enough for this very special birthday. No matter how hard I try to search for the words, they remain out of my reach. My words cannot sum up the feeling of a full heart.
The birthdays keep coming, relentlessly as the tides, but Jex Russell ensured that this one was special and different indeed.
This birthday, I was joined by Jex, John Clauser and Tim Durling for a fun Friday afternoon that turned quite epic by the end. Before that surprise unfolded, we took a look at my new shelving and a large chunk at my CD collection. We discussed favourite birthday memories and a movie in its 40th anniversary this year: The Last Starfighter. (This led into a side discussion on Howard the Duck.)
Jen joined us for gifts at the halfway point of the show. She gifted me with two new releases and one deluxe live album. You’ll have to watch the show and see! (Clue: royal rodents and the Phoenix lights.)
As a finale, Jex unveiled his surprise. With the assistance of Tim Durling, it was like an episode of “This Is Your Life”, or a Cameo with all my favourite people. Jex’s presentation included friends both famous and infamous. There was even an acoustic version of the Grab A Stack of Rock theme song performed by Johnny Metal himself. Thank you, John!
Here is Jex’s presentation:
By the end of it, I was flattered and honoured, and maybe my eyes were a little wet. I’m not crying, you’re crying. All my reactions to the kind words and surprise guests are live and unfiltered.
I’m the guy who usually has all the words. I don’t have any this time. If a picture is worth 1000 words, just watch my face.
Thank you everyone for everything. Here’s to another year.
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man Episode 65: Celebrate Mike’s Birthday on Grab A Stack of Rock – Live!!
(There will NOT be cake)
I was going to take the day off, and just chill on my birthday. No Friday show. “I deserve a break,” I reasoned. We had the Great CD Avalanche of 2024, a physically & emotionally & financially taxing event in recent weeks, and it will be many weeks more before all the CDs are alphabetized again. So, my birthday was going to be spent going out to a quiet lunch with Jen, and then watching Doctor Who and the Acolyte at home.
Then I started to think, that sounded a little too lonely. I wanted to celebrate with my friend Jex. So, I asked.
“Brother, whatever you want to do on your birthday, show or no show, I support you man!” came his response.
I thought about it for two days. I decided that I wanted to celebrate my birthday with Oojaboojagan.
Today’s show is a no-list, no-pressure, just chill-and-join-us event! I’ll be stuffed full of food by that time, and I may even have a birthday drink, so you never know what you will get! There is no theme, but I promise you this much:
Grant Arthur from Grant’s Rock Warehaus plans to attend.
I will open my gifts from Jen live! (She shopped at Encore Records.)
Jex has “something” planned.
You will get the first look at the new show backdrop, with my new shelving, and I will be able to show you a whole bunch of CDs if you want to see them. They’re not all alphabetical yet, but I’m in good shape to retrieve most things from the collection. This is the first episode of Grab A Stack of Rock to feature the new hardware, and I’m excited to have my music looking good again.
Join us this afternoon at 3:30 PM E.S.T. for “Operation: Oojaboojagan”! Seriously, I have no idea what Jex has planned.
Friday July 19 at 3:30 P.M. E.S.T. / 4:30 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy onYouTube or on Facebook!
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