It’s a holiday weekend in Canada! Happy Thanksgiving. Because it’s a holiday weekend I thought I’d be lazy and just review two songs instead of an album!
W.A.S.P. – “Mean Man” (1989 7″ single)
I bought this at a record show in 1995. For $8 it seemed like a great deal: Non album track “Locomotive Breath”, purple vinyl, and a “means test”. A what?
“Locomotive Breath” is one of my favourite Tull tunes anyway, so I was fine with Blackie and the gang pummeling their way through this cover. The riff is perfect for a metal band like W.A.S.P. to utilize anyway. They do it straightforward and it works.
The A side was from The Headless Children LP. In my opinion, that’s the best W.A.S.P. album anyway, and has my favourite lineup: Blackie, Chris Holmes, Johnny Rod, with Frankie Banali. Not the best song from that album, though. It’s catchy and has a solid riff with a tough-guy singalong chorus. The lyrics are a pretty funny send-up on guitarist Chris Holmes, that’s why he’s on the cover! I’m sure the song did nothing to ease the public’s image of Chris, after being seen drunk in a pool in The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years.
Blackie stated on MuchMusic in 1989 that Chris was not drunk, and that it was an act for the cameras. It certainly does seem staged. Either way I think this song and single was clearly an attempt to capitalize on that image!
The purple vinyl is cool, gotta love the cover image, and as for that “means tester”, it works like a mood ring. Push your thumb on it and it changes colour due to your body heat. The best I seem to do is somewhere between “hard” and “firm”!
THE DARKNESS – Hot Cakes (Deluxe edition with 4 bonus tracks, 2012 Canary Dwarf Ltd.)
The Darkness are probably the band that came out in the last decade that I truly love most. Something about this band just makes me feel GOOD. They always have. I love this band, much to the consternation of some of the people I used to work for at the record store! I love this band, so I worked their music into our wedding reception, and played a shitload of air guitar to it! I just love this band.
I loved the Stone Gods too. But this is the original Darkness: Dan, Justin, Ed and Frankie.
At first I was kind of “blah” to the idea of an original lineup reunion. I liked Richie Edwards just fine too. But Frankie co-writes a number of these tracks, and he has a great stage presence. As for Ed, his trademark drum fills might not be Neil Peart material but he has his own identifiable sound, and his fills are always dead-on perfect for what the songs need. Play air drums to The Darkness some time, you’ll see what I mean!
To get to the point, though: Hot Cakes? It’s magically delicious!
If you didn’t like their second album, the arguably over-elaborate One Way Ticket, then you’ll be happy with Hot Cakes. They’ve brought things back to the basics of guitars, bass, and drums with only the odd embellishment along the way.
But the lyrics are certainly not toned down!
Every man, woman and chile wants to…
SUCK MY COCK!!!!!
Justin’s lost nothing. He’s still bonkshit!* Except maybe just a hint (just a hint!) of his high voice. Or maybe it’s just the production that make it seem that way. It might even be my imagination. So who cares? And to sing and play lead guitar and run around like Steven Tyler? That can’t be easy either!
The majority of songs here are great, and would make my road tape. Much like the first and second albums, there are songs that I keep coming back to over and over again. You become attached to certain hooks in them and then suddenly, BAM! The song is stuck in your head! Examples of this:
“Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us” – Great fast catchy Darkness single, with one of their classic sounding choruses.
“With A Woman” – Simple, basic AC/DC rocker but with Justin’s flare and yet another catchy chorus.
“Everybody Have A Good Time” – “Come on people, tell me how you feel. You want a good time? Well you got yourself a deal!” Along the blueprints of the feel-good tunes from the first album.
“She Just A Girl, Eddie” – Tied for best song on the album. This is the one I can play 10 times in a row and still hit repeat (usually in the car). As for the lyrics? “There are four billion other girls, who want to make love to you.” Eddie can’t argue with that math. And speaking of Eddie, Ed’s drum fills are what I was talking about earlier — simple, powerful, perfect.
“Concrete” – Solid, riff-based song with great high Justin vocal. Catchy as hell.
“Street Spirit (Fade Out)” – Holy. Shit.
On the negatives: The album somewhat follows the blueprint of the first one. For example a ballad, “Living Each Day Blind” falls on track #5, the same place that the similar sounding “Love Is Only A Feeling” was on Permission To Land. At times it gets predictable, but thankfully the song quality back it up.
I paid a fair chunk of money to have the deluxe edition shipped here from Amazon.co.uk. I’m glad to say it: These four extra songs are worth it!
There are two acoustic demos: The campfire-like “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Love”, a song as good as any on the album proper. Then there’s a demo version of the album song “Love Is Not the Answer”, which is better than the album version. The album version seemed very much the answer to “Holding My Own” from album #1. The acoustic version loses that soundalike aspect, and exposes bare Justin’s vocal prowess.
Then there’s “Pat Pong Ladies”. No idea what this one is about since it’s not included in the lyric sheet. This one has a more layered and operatic vibe, more akin to album #2. Having said that, it’s a great tune, better than some of the album tracks. It gets positively Queen at times.
Lastly, “Cannonball (Long Version)”. As my fellow rock enthusiast, Heavy Metal Overload asked, “Where’s the short version?” Maybe Ian Anderson knows. He plays that flute part. Of course! But this isn’t a ballad, or even a Tull-like rocker. No, this is The Darkness sounding like themselves (circa album #2 with some boogie piano underneath and layered screams)!
I’m so glad this band is back. I hope to catch them live. I hope Lady Gaga’s audience is into them…now there’s an odd pairing!
Not really part of my series of Iron Maiden reviews.
There are a few Iron Maiden musical items that I’ll probably never own. I know I won’t own all the singles, but that’s OK — The First Ten Years set, and the first 10 albums with bonus discs takes care of those songs. There are rarer things to be discussed. As I pause between Live After Death and Somewhere In Time in my review series, this is a good time to talk about a couple items.
IRON MAIDEN – Live!! +one (EP, 1980 Japan, 1984 Greece reissue)
This four song EP was released in Japan shortly after the “Women In Uniform” single came out. It contains two songs from that single: the title track, and the live version of “Phantom of the Opera” from the Marquee.
It also contains two live songs not available anywhere else: “Sanctuary” and “Drifter” from the same Marquee show. They’re awesome of course, if you’ve heard the early live Di’Anno stuff that I talked about in my Maiden reviews, then you can imagine these are just as good. Di’Anno does his “yo, yo yo yo” thing on “Drifter”.
I have seen them go for around $100 on eBay. This is definitely on my current “Holy Grail” list.
4/5 stars
IRON MAIDEN – Best of the Beast (1996 four-LP box set)
For this, I’m going to take a moment and slide into a Record Store Tale because this is one of those moments that I wish I could change!
RECORD STORE TALES PART 123: Missing Maidens!
Trevor and I frequented record shows several times a year. On one such excursion, we were in a Dr. Disc store. It was in Hamilton, Ontario. That same visit, the same Dr. Disc store even had Chikara, a rare Japanese Kiss compilation, on CD. But I passed on that, and I passed on the vinyl edition of Best of the Beast, too….
You know those high shelves where they put the expensive items? And you have to ask someone to get it down for you? And they’d go to the back room and get a step ladder? That’s where Best of the Beast was.
Back then, information about such sets wasn’t readily available. I didn’t know it existed until I saw it. If I did, I would have known that the vinyl version had an exclusive live cut of “Revelations”… not the live version from Live After Death! This wasn’t immediately obvious from the back cover. It is only today that I know this!
The vinyl version had plenty more music as well, including album cuts such as “Where Eagles Dare” and “The Prisoner”. It also had the only official re-release of The Soundhouse Tapes ever, since the original 5000. I had that bootleg copy of The Soundhouse Tapes and More so I deemed this to be a less essential purchase. Especially for the $200 that Dr. Disc was asking. But it was sealed, mint, brand new.
I recently saw one in questionable shape on eBay for $240. Some joker on Amazon is asking $900 for sealed copies right now.
So, right now, odds do not seem to be in my favour of lightning striking twice. I don’t know if I will ever have another chance to own this at a decent price in good condition. Alas. I wish I could turn back time!
Almost a decade after the movie, the “black album” (Smell The Glove), and the near-breakup, Spinal Tap returned! Even Marty DiBergi’s documentary could not keep Tap down, and setting aside their differences, they created this reunion album. Mostly new material with some oldies sprinkled in, Break Like The Wind was yet another masterpiece by the Tap.
The lineup was: David St. Hubbins (guitar, vocals), Nigel Tufnel (guitar, vocals) and Derek Smalls (bass, vocals) with new additions Ric (brother of Mick) Shrimpton (drums) and Caucasian Jeffrey Vanston (keys).
It turns out that previous keyboardist Viv Savage was a drummer prior to joining Spinal Tap. He failed to tell them this, and well, he befell the same fate as countless Tap drummers.
From the beginning, like so many Tap albums past, Break Like The Wind was misunderstood. The first single “Bitch School” was about a dog, but many chose a sexist interpretation. This simple rocker is an upbeat catchy single and indicative of the new Tap sound.
The regal “Majesty of Rock” is second. This track was chosen as second single. St. Hubbins dares to ask the deep questions within the framework of a 4 minute pop rock single. “When we die, do we haunt the sky? Do we lurk in the murk of the seas? What then? Are we born again? Just to sit asking questions like these?” An excellent question David.
I do not know why Nigel seemed prone to wearing wetsuits during this period.
Tap turn it up a notch on “Diva Fever”, a fast one to give Metallica a run for their money! A man named Dweezil plays the blistering guitar solo. What an odd moniker.
Just when you thought you could get none more regal, the queen herself, Cher, turns up to duet with David on the gorgeous ballad “Just Begin Again”. With strings and horns beside them, Tap deliver another classic.The lyrics are again deep: never give up, never surrender! Just begin again! As David says in the words, “Life is just a meal, And you never say when!” And if people stand in your way and say enough is enough? “Make the bastards eat their words!” says David!
Derek Smalls takes his first lead vocal on “Cash On Delivery”, a fun rocker advising the listener how Smalls prefers to do business. It rocks along nice.
This is followed by a remake on an old classic, “The Sun Never Sweats” the title track of course from the album The Sun Never Sweats. Nigel’s solo is among the highlights of this classic.
And then, a long lost rarity, “Rainy Day Sun”. It was the B-side to their hit “(Listen to the) Flower People”. Here it is released on CD for the first time, gloriously swirly, psychedelic, and digitally remastered. This ends side one of the original album. If you are listening to a CD, please do not attempt to remove and play the other side.
Side two began with Tap’s first epic since the mighty “Stonehenge”: “Break Like The Wind” itself. Melding middle eastern melody with modern instrumental flare, this one is surprisingly beautiful. Smalls’ bass weaves in and out, as David and Nigel play simple guitar melodies. But all comes crashing down by the time of the powerful guitar solos, and Tap rock once more!
As a surprise to their friend Nigel, the band erased most of his guitar solos and replaced it with other people playing! Four of the greatest guitarists of the 90’s stepped in for Nigel: Slash, Joe Satriani, Steve Lukather, and Jeff Beck. None more epic.
From there, Tap can only disappoint. “Stinkin’ Up The Great Outdoors”, a protest song, is worth protesting.
Nigel finally sings his first lead vocal on “Springtime”, a welcome change of pace. Nigel follows it with “Clam Caravan”, from his solo project. The title was supposed to be spelled “Calm Caravan”, but Nigel liked the misspelled version. “Clam Caravan” is another middle-eastern sounding song, and it lulls you off gently…
Only to be awakened by “Christmas With the Devil”! This is a re-recording of their classic Christmas single from the mid 1980’s. This sonically superior version is even more evil than the original. Happy holidays, to all the children!
The hidden track “Now Leaving” follows, questioning what life is worth if you’re on life support? All three members bring their thoughts to the table, but I think David asks the most eloquent question. “Shall he lie there forever with a tube up his nose, And his peepee and poopoo slipping out through a hose?”
I do not know David, I do not know.
Thankfully, these mortal thoughts are ended by the beginning of “All the Way Home”. You may remember from the film that this was the first song that David and Nigel ever wrote. Finally, their original 1961 demo was found and restored, and mastered for its CD release. This closes the album.
I do not know if the general public felt differently about this album than I do, for Tap did not release another album for 17 years!
IRON MAIDEN – Live After Death (1985, 1996 bonus CD, 1998 remastered edition)
…We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!
With that dramatic, adrenaline pumping speech from Winston Churchill, Iron Maiden hit the stage, careening across the boards ripping to shreds the opening riff to “Aces High”, guitars cranked and perfectly captured by producer Martin “Live Animal” Birch! Live After Death may be the perfect live metal album. Running over a mammoth 100 minutes (on LP anyway), it required specially skilled engineers to cut the vinyl, so long were the records!
I have played this album so many times I could review it in my sleep. I own three copies of it, each one for its own reasons (more on that later). Iron Maiden could very well have released this album and retired, and their place in metal history would have been secured. Great value for the price of a double live album, this was at the time one of the longest double live albums ever released, with not one second of precious vinyl wasted. The package was loaded with photos and text.
Inside the gatefold
Recorded in Long Beach, California (you can tell by Bruce’s incessant shouting, “Scream for me, Long Beach!”) and the Hammersmith Odeon, the crowds are absolutely nuts for Maiden. This is one of the best recorded live metal albums of all time, thanks to Birch. The crowd is loud, the band is clear, and the harmony vocals of Adrian and Steve are perfectly audible. I’m certain there’s overdubs on those backing vocals, they’re too perfect. Whatever. Do I like the album? Hell yeah.
There are some tunes here that you don’t hear live very often, such as “Die With Your Boots On” and the 14 minute epic “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (made even better with Bruce’s intro: “This is about what not to do if a bird shits on you!”). “Powerslave” is as powerful and dramatic as the original album version, glorious solo intact. There are a handful of key Di’Anno-era tracks, such as the single “Running Free”, the growling “Wrathchild”, and the band’s early opus, “Phantom of the Opera”. Indeed, this album is worth buying for “Phantom” alone, so rarely is this played. As for “Running Free”, this may now be the definitive version of that song.
(Note: the cassette version of the album edited out the long Bruce/crowd interplay.)
Here’s the three versions I own, and why:
1. Vinyl. This was what I bought back in 1985 (my first Maiden LP), and I still have it. The original vinyl was a gatefold sleeve enabling you to read all the hidden messages on the tombstones. “Letit R.I.P.” was my favourite. Inside, the album unfolds with two fully coloured photo record sleeves and a generous booklet with liner notes from Birch and a complete list of every date on the tour. Also amusing was a list of everything they went through on tour, from guitar strings to cans of beer.
2. The 1998 remastered CD edition. The original CD releases everywhere were only one single disc, and comprised only the first three sides of vinyl, ending after “Running Free”. This CD version restores side 4 on a second CD, which included “Phantom” and “22 Acacia Avenue” among others — you can’t do without these songs! It also includes a completely different set of photos from the album release, so that’s cool if you already have the vinyl. No overlap.
3. The 1995 UK CD reissue of this album, which included all three B-sides. The “Running Free” single had two exclusive songs, which were “Sanctuary” and “Murdered In The Rue Morgue”, both with Bruce singing of course. The “Run To The Hills” single included the very rare instrumental “Losfer Words” which, as far as I know, was only played a handful of times and never again.
Briefly on the cover art: You recall last time we saw Eddie was being buried. Well, he seems to have recovered. You can see the pyramid in the background. How much time has passed? Maybe we’ll find out next album….
If you don’t own Live After Death yet, then it’s time to fix that!
5/5 stars.
I’m going to pause here for a few days, as this seems a natural place to do so. Not only does Live After Death summarize the previous 6 years appropriately, but the Iron Maiden that emerged after it would be a newly modernized Beast, “Caught somewhere in time…”
I don’t wanna die, I’m a god, why can’t I live on?
How much did I love Powerslave, especially after taking Ancient Egypt in highschool? Finally I knew what the Eye of Horus was, and what the hell the lyrics were about! When I was growing up and first getting into Maiden, Powerslave was the current album. The neighbor kid had it. We literally stared at that album cover for hours.
Derek Riggs outdid himself on the artwork this time, really outdid himself. The Egyptian theme of the artwork allowed him to weave all sorts of hidden messages into the hyroglyphs. I don’t have the LP, but I could swear that somewhere on the cover (front or back) it says “Indiana Jones was here”!
I taped the album from that neighbor, unfortunately on one of the worst sounding Scotch blanks I ever heard. It was unlistenable. Then my dad bought me the tape from the local music store, but even it sounded terrible — warbly. I found that many Capitol Records releases in the mid-80’s in Canada had awful cassette quality. From my Maidens to my Helix, they were mostly unplayable.
It was a long while before I got a listenable version of the album. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks — holy crap, this is GOOD!
“Aces High” and “2 Minutes To Midnight” are the two singles, and of course they lead the album. I only wish “Churchill’s Speech” was included as it was in the “Aces High” video! As kids we always preferred “Aces High”. It combines the manic speed of early Maiden, with the anthemic Dickinson choruses. Just great.
“Aces High” was yet another song that my dad didn’t mind me listening to out loud, since it was about one his favourite historical subjects: the Battle of Britain.
“2 Minutes”, a reference to the Doomsday Clock,was a Dickinson/Smith composition. At 6 minutes long, it wasn’t an obvious single. Vocally, it’s a lot less catchy than “Aces High”. Bruce doesn’t so much sing a melody as he does spit the words out like a furious machine gun! Musically, the riff seems lifted directly from later Budgie, and early Diamond Head. See if you can spot it.
Up next is an instrumental, the first since Killers! “Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra)” is really the only weak song on the album. As an instrumental, it’s not as exciting as something like “The Ides of March”. The riff is rather simple and it sounds like an unfinished song, like Bruce didn’t show up that day or something. The guitar playing (well, all the playing) is of course stellar, there’s always that!
Then comes “Flash of the Blade”, a fucking awesome track, and one of my favourites. I remember trying to learn that riff as a kid, as it’s catchy but uncomplicated. This one’s penned by Dickinson alone, and is about…of course…fencing. Like Steve Harris was on the exact same wavelength, his song, “The Duelists” is up next. Yet another song incorporating fencing, this one was my personal pick for a third single. I remember even drawing my own cover art, with Eddie dueling the Devil! The middle section is an intricate dance of delicate guitars, you can almost picture the men parrying and feinting.
And that ended side one. Side two opened with “Back In The Village”. This would be the only other song beside “Losfer Words” that doesn’t make my road tapes. Another Smith/Dickinson song, it’s got a cool signiture Adrian riff, but up against the rest of these songs, it just doesn’t stand out to me.
But “Powerslave” does! This is another solo Bruce writing credit, and a powerful song it is! Bruce metalizes Ancient Egypt with that cool riff, and his lyrics are a labyrinth of Egyptian mythology. Very cool. The best part of the song however is the middle section. The song slows down at roughly 3 minutes, and there’s some pretty amazing soloing (sounds like Dave). Then things pick up at 3:52, and Adrian plays my favourite Iron Maiden guitar solo of all time! (Of all time, Kanye!) Damn I love that solo! I always have, even when all I had were those crappy cassettes. And as if that wasn’t enough, then there’s a harmony part with Dave and Adrian together, and then Dave’s off on another amazing solo of his own!
(For the record: if there was a second favourite Maiden guitar solo for me, it’s “The Wicker Man”, also performed by Adrian.)
Before you know it, we are at the end. But not quite, for the final song on Powerslave is 14 minutes long! “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner”, based of course on Coleridge, is the latest and perhaps the greatest so far of Steve’s epics. I don’t know if I want to even think about ranking his epics anymore, but “Rime” is certainly a favourite. That opening riff alone would have made a song on its own. But this is a complex song, and it twists and turns and goes through all sorts of different adventures before we’re done. As kids I remember were all blown away that this whole song was written by just one guy!
Talking about “Rime” in words is tough. Lyrically I loved it. Suddenly I understood Coleridge, and it wasn’t at all painful! But musically this is just about perfect. Bruce’s delivery is flawless, and the guitars are woven into epic and amazing solos once again. Just about every section of this song is memorable. It lags a bit in the atmospheric middle section, but this is soon replaced by a triumphant vocal with bright bass guitar melodies.
This 2 CD deluxe edition includes a bonus disc with all the B-side goodies. Didn’t you always love that cover for “Aces High”? Eddie in the Spitfire, flying on, even with a bullet in his head? The B-sides include a live version of “Number of the Beast” that used to annoy us as kids, since Bruce only sings “six!” and gets the audience to finish with “six six!”. With hindsight, who cares, it’s a great live version. It’s just funny how I have that memory so very distinctly!
“King of Twilight”, a cover from a band called Nektar, isn’t a standout though. I like that “Ahh, ahhh, ahh” section and I love the pounding drums. Otherwise it’s not a road tape classic.
“2 Minutes To Midnight” had two excellent B-sides: “Rainbow’s Gold” and “Mission From ‘Arry”. The riff that kicks off “Rainbow’s Gold” is just really catchy, as is that vocal melody. This is a cover from somebody called Beckett. Gotta give Maiden credit for trying obscure covers! Love this song.
And…”Mission From ‘Arry”. Not a song at all, here’s the story. One night, Nicko was asked to extend his drum solo while Harris (‘Arry) got his bass rig up and running. ‘Arry sent his roadie to tell Nicko, who was distracted by the roadie and fucked up his drum solo. Furious he launched into said roadie and gave him a good solid dressing down. After the show, Steve in turn told Nicko that he was out of line and to apologize. In walked Bruce Dickinson with a hidden tape recorder and a mischievous grin! The rest is history, as released on this B-side!
Now, I’m from Canada and I don’t know my British slang that well. Do you guys often use phrases like “Fuck my old boots!”?
I don’t think Powerslave was the album that Piece Of Mind was, but maybe I like it a fraction better than Beast. I dunno. It’s so hard to rank, we’re really splitting hairs here. Powerslave was a little colder sounding, a little brittle compared to the past. Steve’s bass is a little rinky, not warm and deep enough. But that’s the sound of the LP, the songs still rise above.
As a movie buff I was glad when one of our stores decided to carry VHS tapes! My movie collection grew massively at the time. I had access to lots of cool items, in widescreen format. I bought virtually everything that we saw come in, if it was in widescreen format. The staff, T-Rev in particular, knew to keep an eye out for widescreen movies for me. This opened up a whole new retail world for us, for now we had customers that were not interested in music at all, just movies. Of course movie knowledge now came into play, especially when customers would ask a question like, “Do you have that John Wayne movie where he’s after the outlaw guys?”
In 1998 or 1999, I bought my first DVD player. We started carrying DVDs at that time as well. That was exciting too. A lot of people had been asking about them.
When they were still big, you could expect to pay $8.99 to $11.99 for a used VHS tape. $5.99 if it was a cheapie bin special. For DVDs, you might expect to pay $16.99 to $19.99 for a used one. That was in the beginning, prices dropped quickly and within five years, DVDs were almost as cheap as CDs! We even had laserdiscs, on the rare occasion that they came in. They were giant. If you don’t remember what I’m talking about, here’s a size comparison to a CD.
We learned right away though that handling DVDs was not the same as handling CDs! Maybe the plastic they were made of was softer, because they scratched so much more easily than a CD, and the scratches were so much harder to remove. This trouble was doubled with the 2-sided DVD discs.
Fixing a scratched double sided DVD was very, very difficult. You could spend 5 minutes buffing the scratches out of one side, only to find that handling the disc put more scratches in the other side. They were very tricky, and a lot of the DVD discs that we sold in the early days looked terrible, for that reason. They would work fine on most players (most), but looked cloudy and streaky. And a lot of our DVD customers were really, really picky.
Eventually the 2-sided discs became a lot less common. In the meantime, we had to set up display spaces for DVDs, figured out how to store the discs themselves behind the counter without damaging them, and so on. Even slight handling or dust could create problems. Dusting the DVDs could often make them look worse, as the wiping left slight but visible scratches.
At first the selection was pretty poor. Sony were giving away a number of titles for free with their players, so we had a lot of copies of Sphere, and The Negotiator. Trade-ins started after a few months. We started seeing box sets, before they were really common, Criterion Editions, all kinds of stuff. It happened quick, our stock grew and grew….
…And so did my own personal collection! Ain’t it the way?
GLENN TIPTON – Baptizm Of Fire (1997, 2006 reissue)
One cool thing about working in a record store: I actually bought this album 3 times. Essentially, I bought it once and the other two times were upgrades! When it first came out in 1997, I ordered in three copies — one for myself, and one each for my regular customers Len and Shane. Then another regular, Conrad, traded in the Japanese version. I upgraded mine, trading it in and paying the slight difference. Then in 2006 when the remastered edition came out (with the addition of the bonus track “New Breed”), I traded up once more, this time getting some money back for my Japanese printing. All for an album I don’t even like that much!
In fact, if this album came out today, without my staff discounts, most likely I would have skipped it. Back then though, things were very different. Priest was seemingly on ice since 1991. There wasn’t a new Priest album to look forward to. Halford’s most recent solo material (Fight’s A Small Deadly Space) had failed to excite me the way his debut album had. Now it was now up to Glenn to carry the Priest flag for me, and I eagerly ordered three copies of his debut solo CD from our distributor, for me and my customers.
The problem with Baptizm of Fire is, sadly, Glenn’s voice. Glenn’s always sung backup vocals with Priest, but as a lead…sorry. I don’t think so. Sounding like an out-of-breath Dave Mustaine, Glenn definitely gives it his all, which just isn’t enough. Not for metal this powerful. You need a soaring vocal to give you a melody to sing along to, not to whisper.
The songs are good enough though. I really liked “Fuel Me Up”, “Hard Core”, and “Extinct”. Back then, mainstream magazines like Rolling Stone treated rockers like Tipton as dinosaurs, better off extinct! Well today, things have changed and they are considered living legends. Such was the 90’s! Tiptop furiously refutes the claim that he was a dinosaur in “Extinct”, one of the best songs on Baptizm Of Fire.
The original Japanese bonus track, “Himalaya” is included on the remaster, a tribute to the Japanese people according to the liner notes on that version of the CD. Well, Glenn, I am really sorry to be the one to break this to you. Japan is nowhere near the Himalayas. I’m not sure I get it. The other bonus track is included, “New Breed” is of unknown origin but I assume from the album sessions.
In fact so much was recorded that there’s a companion album available: Edge of the World, consisting of tracks recorded with the late John Entwistle and Cozy Powell. More outtakes, they were released under the name Tipton, Enwistle & Powell.
Glenn generated some pre-release hype by loading up this album with guests. Besides the aformentioned Entwistle and Powell, there’s also the devastating Billy Sheehan, Rob Trujillo, Neil Murray on bass! Cozy Powell on drums! Don Airey on keys! And Ugly Kid Joe drummer, the excellent Shannon Larkin! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the performances.
Production-wise, this is a little over-processed sounding, a bit like the soon to come Jugulator album by Judas Priest. Tipton had a hand in producing both.
I’m sorry Glenn. I really wanted to love your solo album, but today it sits on a shelf, seldomly played. Sorry man.
2/5 stars
“Hard Core” – 4:39
“Paint It Black” – 2:56 (yup…Stones cover…and not that good)
“Enter the Storm” – 5:56
“Fuel Me Up” – 3:02
“Extinct” – 5:33
“Baptizm of Fire” (Instrumental) – 5:16 (one of the best tracks if not the best!)
“The Healer” – 4:56
“Cruise Control” – 4:08
“Kill or Be Killed” – 3:21
“Voodoo Brother” – 5:36
“Left for Dead” – 3:45
“Himalaya” (Bonus track on Japanese and remastered editions)
JUDAS PRIEST – Rising In The East (2005 DVD, live in Japan)
Two things I am sick of:
The moaning and whining you read on Amazon reviews about Halford’s voice.
The amount of live material that Priest have released since 1998 (too much).
In regards to point #2, most of that live material was released with Tim “Ripper” Owens on vocals. Rising In The East represents the first “real” live release since the return of Rob Halford (not counting the brief live DVD that came with Angel Of Retribution). So, this release is forgiveable. Even Priest fans who owned the live stuff with Ripper will be eager to get their hands on some brand new live visuals with Halford, with new songs, the first such release since 1987’s Priest…Live!
In regards to point #1, it is true that Rob Halford cannot hit all the high notes anymore, and he has stated as much in interviews. It is what it is. He’s 61 years old! The man still has a fantastic voice. If I could only sing that well! He changes the keys on some songs, sometimes sings different notes, in order to do the challenging songs. Some, like “Painkiller”, he does his best at screaming, even though it’s not 1990 anymore. On other songs, like “Hellrider”, he lets loose a powerful piercing scream or two that seem to come out of nowhere! The cool thing about it is, when he does let loose, it’s so unexpected and so powerful that it just blows you away! In fact, this version of “Hellrider” is my preferred version, over the album.
The song selection is interesting and varied if nothing else. All the staples are here: “Metal Gods”, “A Touch Of Evil”, “Painkiller”, “Hellbent”, “Another Thing Coming”, “Living After Midnight”, “Breaking The Law”. There are also lots of older Priest classics that, for some parts of the 80’s, were seldom played (if ever): “The Ripper”, “Victim Of Changes”, “Exciter”, “Diamonds & Rust” (the acoustic version too). There is a generous helping of new songs from Angel Of Retribution, and a couple odd ducks as well: “Turbo Lover”, “Hot Rockin'”, and “I’m A Rocker”. “I’m A Rocker” is definitely the biggest surprise, as Ram It Down-era material hasn’t been played live since that tour! It’s not the track I would have chosen (give me “Blood Red Skies”!) but I give them credit for being adventurous. The only missing link really is, I would have loved something from Defenders, or maybe “Sinner”.
My only real beef is with Halford’s stage presence. I haven’t seen Halford perform live at all recently, but his stage presence here really baffled and stunned me. For 90% of the show, he is standing in one place on stage, hunched over, staring at the floor, looking like some strange leather-and-studs hunchback. He rocks back and forth holding onto his half-sized mic stand, eyes closed, wailing away. Every once in a while, he stands straight up and walks around, proving he’s not suffering from ankylosing spondylitis.
He barely speaks to the crowd at all. A sample song intro? “Angel of Retribution? Revolution!” That’s it! He speaks a little more before “Turbo Lover”, reciting the same song intro that he used back in 1986, but quickly and robotically.
Considering that Glenn Tipton, KK Downing, and (yes) even Ian Hill give their all on stage while Scott Travis plays seemingly impossible drum parts, Halford’s stage presence was shockingly dull. He’s always had a flair for the theatrical, and his choice of leather and metal costumes show he’s still that guy. I just don’t get what he’s trying to do with the hunching over. I am sure there is a method to his madness, and he’s not waiting on a double hip replacement, but it’s lost on me. Anybody who can add insight, please leave a comment. Maybe you saw him on this tour — I have never seen Priest live.
Song-wise, production-wise, and performance-wise, this is a must-purchase for any Priest fan (I only wish it was released on CD too, although some songs are available on 2009’s A Touch Of Evil Live). Visually, Halford’s performance is puzzling — but even so, it’s actually grown on me since I first watched this.
IRON MAIDEN – Piece Of Mind (1983, 1996 bonus disc)
Exit Clive Burr. Enter that hilarious crazed drum dynamo Nicko McBrain! Surely one of the most beloved characters to ever grace an Iron Maiden album, the band decided to kick off Nicko’s first album with a drum flurry. Like machine guns strafing the sky, Nicko opened “Where Eagles Dare” with a decidedly skillful salvo.
Piece Of Mind is one of Steve Harris’ favourite albums, and one of mine too. Each of its nine songs is worthy of the album; no filler. The subject matter is increasingly more interesting to me as well, as Steve punders history, literature and movies. “Where Eagles Dare” was based on the classic Clint Eastwood film of the same name, and does not disappoint. It is over six minutes of soaring vocals and solos, with the band riffing steadily behind it.
This is followed by one of Maiden’s epic slow tunes, and first ever Bruce Dickinson writing credit on a Maiden album, “Revelations”. Almost seven minutes long, “Revelations” is lyrically complex and melodically incredible. I recall one of my old highschool buddies, Andy Kandic, sang “Revelations” at a highschool audition because he wanted something that would blow the judges away. This is one of Bruce’s best vocal performances ever, but not the last of his writing contributions.
The first of Bruce’s many collaborations with Adrian Smith is next. The hit single “Flight of Icarus” is a shorter number, the type of hard rock song that Maiden occasionally pull out for use as a single. Its chorus soars like the title character, without that annoying crash at the end! This is certainly one of Maiden’s most memorable songs.
As if that wasn’t enough to exhaust you, Bruce and Adrian teamed up with Steve to pen “Die With Your Boots On”. Right from first listen, this was one of my favourite Maiden tunes. Loosely based on Nostradamus, the lyrics are great! “In thirteen the Beast is rising, The Frenchman did surmise, Through earthquakes and starvation, The warlord will arise.” But the bottom line according to Maiden is “The truth of all predictions is always in your hands!” If you’re gonna die, die with your boots on. Great song, great singalong chorus.
Side two is kicked off by one of the greatest Maiden songs of all time: “The Trooper”. This is one that has steadfastly remained in setlists, even through the Blaze Bayley years. It’s a great example of the trademark Maiden gallop. Lyrically this one is about the Charge of the Light Brigade, and the Crimean War. This is where I think Maiden deserves some credit from the educational field. Sure, a five-minute song is not going to sum up the Crimean War, but it got many, many kids into history. My father was always impressed that I had interest and knowledge in history, partly thanks to Maiden songs. He always encouraged me to listen to songs like “The Trooper”, and then follow it with some reading.
Dave Murray’s “Still Life” slows the pace, introduced by Nicko’s backwards Idi Amin impression! Then it picks up, big time. This haunting number is a story of possession, perhaps along the lyrical lines of “The Number of the Beast” and the later “Dance of Death”. I love this song. It was rarely played live, but can be found in live version on a later B-side.
“Still Life” is followed by two lesser known cuts. Slightly less impressive than the rest of the album, “Quest For Fire” and “Sun and Steel” both blow away many songs by the average metal bands out there. Both are short hard rockers, under four minutes in length, anchored by memorable choruses. “Quest For Fire” is not surprisingly based on the film of the same name, but isn’t quite as exciting as the previous stories on this album. “Sun and Steel” though is a fencing number, of course written by Bruce with Adrian. The protangonist killed his first man at 13, and goes on to live a life of battle with the blade. This would not be Bruce’s last foray into fencing with his lyrics.
Finally, another long Steve Harris epic ends this album: “To Tame A Land”. Musically and lyrically very complex, it is based on Dune by Frank Herbert. It is very, very difficult to sing along to this labyrinth of lyrics: “He is the Kwisatz Haderach, he was born of Caledon, and will take the Gom Jabbar.” Without reading the books, you’ll be lost. After reading the books however, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Today this is one of my favourite Maiden classics. It’s certainly hard to get into instantly, but once those tricky melodies and riffs burrow their way into your head, they are there to stay!
They couldn’t get permission from Herbert to use the name “Dune” as the title of the song. Reportedly, when asked, his people responded, “Mr. Herbert does not like rock bands, especially heavy metal bands, and especially heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden!” A shame that was, as “To Tame A Land” was the gateway drug for many to discover the delights of planet Dune.
On Derek Riggs’ cover art, Eddie has been lobotomized, chained up in a padded cell. An open window and a disembodied hand tease him on the back cover. This would have made a great gatefold sleeve! I always imagined that Derek was sequentially trying to tell a story. Previously, we saw that Eddie was pulling the Devil’s strings on The Number of the Beast. But if you looked carefully, you would see that the Devil was really pulling Eddie’s. Now Eddie’s been captured and lobotomized. Further albums covers show Eddie’s burial, resurrection, cybernetic enhancement, and his offspring. I like to think that there was a hidden narrative going on with the artwork.
The bonus CD contains the two B-sides from this album’s sessions, both covers: Montrose’s “I’ve Got The Fire” and Jethro Tull’s “Cross Eyed Mary”. “I’ve Got The Fire” was previously covered by the Di’Anno-led version of Maiden, but this version’s even better. The solos and Bruce’s vocal brings the song to a whole new level, although it does lose some of Di’Anno’s punk-like reckless abandon. “Cross Eyed Mary” is not my favourite Tull song of all time, but I’m not surprised that Maiden are fans! This was probably a good choice, and Maiden do a solid job on it.
Not to overstate the obvious, but Piece of Mind is one of Maiden’s all time best. 5/5 stars
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