Reviews

TV REVIEW: American Dad – “Persona Assistant”

AMERICAN DAD โ€“ โ€œPersona Assistantโ€ (Episode 16, season 13)

For fans of Roger the alien, the13th season of American Dad really delivered this time.ย  It was a special episode:ย  #250 of the long-running animated series.ย  The best episodes usually focus on Roger and his many personas.ย  This instalment was one of them.

We get a glimpse of Roger’s daily life.ย  He’s busy for an alien.ย  He has so many personas to live, and only 24 hours in a day.ย  The workload must be getting to him.ย  He’s feeling sickly and has a strange lump growing on his ample forehead.

Roger is resistant but the Smith family take him to see Dr. Kalgary, the show’s resident master of the dark sciences.ย  Kalgary removes the lump, a large tumour, and Roger is sent for rest and rehabilitation.ย  Taking a jar with his tumour sealed inside, Roger goes on vacation.ย  So who will handle all his personas while he’s away?

Stan steps up for the recovering Roger, only to find that living the lives of his all personas is hard work!ย  Of course he mucks it all up.ย  To his shock, Roger’s personas were so important that their absences causes the city to descend into chaos and anarchy.ย  When Roger finally returns, he is not alone.ย  It turns out that his species have a way of handling stress.ย  That tumour was not a tumour at all, but a little homunculus named Rogu!*ย  With Rogu’s help, Roger can fix the damage that Stan has done.ย  But not before the return of one of American Dad’s most requested personas:ย  Ricky Spanish!ย  The most hated man in town!ย  Only Rogu can stop him.

When I saw Rogu, I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard.ย  The same thing happened the next day when I watched again.ย  For whatever reason, Rogu has tickled my funnybone in a serious way.ย  Roger has, over time, become almost a normal character.ย  There’s little he can do that surprises you anymore.ย  Rogu?ย  That’s a whole new ballgame.ย  The show can get even weirder now.ย  (Rogu is absolutely certain to return, considering an upcoming episode is called “The Hand that Rocks the Rogu“.)

In the second storyline, Steve’s joined the jazz club at school.ย  Playing on the old stereotype of drugged out jazzbos, Steve takes performance enhancing drugs to take his scat singing to the next level!ย  The finals are coming, and Steve brings his scatting to the extreme.ย  Only morphine can stop him.

Fuck yeah, American Dad.ย  I thought maybe the best years were behind.ย  Apparently not.ย  Carry on!

5/5 Rogus

 

* Not “Grogu”

REVIEW: Tommy Shaw – Girls With Guns (1984)

TOMMY SHAW – Girls With Guns (1984 A&M, 2013 BGO Records)

When Styx split, both Tommy Shaw and Dennis DeYoung were quick to release solo albums.ย  All we had to judge them by was their new singles.ย  Dennis came out of the gates with a ballad (“Desert Moon”).ย  As 12 year old kids in 1984, we took no interest in what Dennis was doing. Tommy Shaw, on the other hand, had a bright pop rocker called “Girls With Guns”.ย  It was loud, fun and featured a great music video all done in a single take.ย  Neither song sounded like Styx, but “Girls With Guns” sounded more like what we were into.

Dennis’ album outsold Tommy’s, but Tommy’s rocks better.

The title track is of course the main feature.ย  Dated with 80s keyboards or not, it is still a great song.ย  This was proven by Tommy when he performed it acoustically without the keys.ย  It’s just rock with joy, and a great beat.

“Come In and Explain” has a progressive Styx vibe and easily could have worked in that context.ย  Instead, it’s a great Tommy Shaw solo track.ย  It has a blue collar groove but highbrow keyboards.ย  Another great song is the ballad “Lonely School”.ย  It has a classic sound, albeit a cheesy classic sound.ย  The album alternates between cool and corny, and some songs that straddle the line.ย  There’s nothing dreadful.

This CD was a “holy grail” item of mine for years, but was reissued in 2013 as a remastered double CD with Shaw’s second album What If.ย  The CD also features two extended songs, presumably because vinyl couldn’t hold the full length.ย  Glad to have Girls With Guns in my collection, though I won’t be racing to play it every week.

3/5 stars

REVIEW: Styx – Brave New World (1999)

STYX – Brave New World (1999 BMG)

Most bands have stinker albums somewhere in their history. For Styx, that would be their sadly disappointing reunion album Brave New World.ย  Styx were not exactly in harmony with lead singer Dennis DeYoung, and this would be his last album with the band.

The most obvious evidence of the dischord in the band is that Brave New World sounds like two groups.ย  In one:ย  Tommy Shaw and James Young.ย  In the other:ย  Dennis DeYoung.ย  The songs with Shaw and Young singing have hardly any DeYoung, and vice-versa.ย  It sounds as if they could find no common ground.ย  Far removed from the days of old, when even a disagreeing band could sound like a group.

The single “Everything is Cool” is by far the hardest rocking and best song.ย  There are a few decent ones, such as the exotic title track, but nothing that the band would still perform on stage today.ย  The most Styx-sounding track is Dennis’ ballad “While There’s Still Time”.ย  That’s right, a ballad!ย  Shaw’s “Just Fell In” is also swell, with a 1950s vibe.ย  Other songs such as “Number One” are annoyingly modernized.ย  The late 1990s is not a period that has aged well in music.ย  The production, the mish-mashing of styles…Styx seemed to pick up on the bad parts of these trends.ย  Too much programming, too many samples.ย  Not enough Dennis!ย  DeYoung can only be distinctly detected on a handful of tracks, mostly ballads.ย  These are often the best songs…all but “Hip Hop-cracy”, which is so painfully 1999.

It’s kind of a shame that the Styx reunion sputtered the way it did, but the silver lining was their second life with Lawrence Gowan.ย  The Styx reunion album was sadly a bust.

2/5 stars

REVIEW: Video Capture USB 2.0

VIDEO CAPTURE USB 2.0ย – Software by honestech

I almost gave this 0 stars.

For only $18, I was willing to take a chance. I needed to get my VHS Archives online before it was too late and the tapes were degraded all to hell.ย  Fortunately the tapes are in great shape, so all I needed was a way to convert them.ย  I didn’t even know if my VCR was still working.ย  It’s not so easy to hook up an old VHS player to a hi-def system anymore.

So I gambled my $18 for a little USB device to connect my VCR to a PC, using a USB-to-RCA device and some special software.ย  I set up a little work station with my VCR and laptop and began running into problems.

Issue #1 is no big deal for me, but might be for you.ย  The software you need can’t be downloaded, it’s on a little 3″ CD included, with a 16 digit access code printed on it.ย  My laptop refused to install the software — something to do with permissions and security.ย  The manual isn’t super-helpful.ย  “Any problems, please email the seller,” it says.ย  I’m sure some lackey at Amazon could tell me how to install it….

I bypassed the error by installing the software in a different folder.ย  Then I hooked up the VCR to the USB device and plugged everything in.ย  Unfortunately I could not get the software to detect the video source.ย  It defaults to capture from a webcam, but it couldn’t access the USB.ย  “The selected device cannot be used” said the popup window.ย  “If you get this error message, the USB might not install correctly.ย  Input win+x or use other ways to open the device manager”.ย  That was the not-helpful advice in the manual.ย  However it did tell me that the USB needed to install something on the laptop, and that was the hold up.

I was unable to get the USB to install, so I decided to try a different computer.ย  I tore down my little work station and hauled the VCR over to my desktop.

Everything installed quickly and easily on my PC.ย  In the end all I lost was an hour of my time, and my plan to use my laptop for everything.ย  No big deal.ย  I can manage.ย  So how does this device work?

Once you have it running, it works like a charm!ย  It’s the easiest thing in the world to use.ย  Rather than burn my tapes to DVD, I set the device to export directly to .WMV video file.ย  Click “record” on the software, press “play” on your VCR, and you are in business.ย  As soon as you click “stop”, the file will save itself.ย  You can make a file up to 24 hours long!ย  Any tape you have, this baby can handle it.ย  There is also an editing suite here to trim the excess or add transitions, but I don’t use it.ย  It is very limited.ย  You may as well use the default video editor on your computer (Window Movie Maker on mine).ย  Within minutes of playing my tape, I had videos on Youtube.ย  So painless!

The quality you get will depend entirely on your tapes and VCR.ย  Fortunately those things were not an issue for me.ย  You’ll probably have a harder time finding a VCR that isn’t all beat up, than using this device.ย  Incidentally you can plug in anything that uses standard RCA plugs or an S-video connector.

Bumpy installation aside, theย Video Capture USB 2.0 has done everything I needed it to do, and actually more smoothly than I thought it would be.ย  For the price, this device is recommended — but be forewarned you may have the same problems installing it as I did.

3/5 stars

REVIEW: The Hellacopters – Grande Rock (1999 vinyl)

THE HELLACOPTERS – Grande Rock (1999 Sub Pop vinyl edition)

Personally, it all began with Iron Tom Sharpe and Joe Big Nose Perry.ย  By 1999, everyone was well aware that the big Kiss reunion album, Psycho Circus, was a diluted compromise of the album they should have made.ย  “The Hellacopters made the real new Kiss album, man.”ย  Come on, Tom, quit yanking my chain.ย  “You’ll love it.ย  This is the album Kiss should have made.ย  No man, seriously, they even have a song called ‘Paul Stanley’.”ย  ย Joe stepped in by offering to pick me up a vinyl copy, which had a bonus track, at the Orange Monkey.ย  I gladly took him up on his offer and hoped to hear what Iron Tom was talking about.ย ย Grande Rock was the Hellacopter’s third LP, but LeBrain’s first Hellacopters.

What’s this about Kiss then?ย  As “Action De Grรขce” easily demonstrates, The Hellacopters can groove like the original foursome don’t even dare anymore.ย  This is Kiss circa 1976, but if they had taken a road other than Destroyer.ย  This is something like what they could have done if they wanted to take Kiss Alive! to the next step, and maybe taking some punk inspiration instead of disco.ย  “Move Right Out of Here” slams like Dressed to Kill on jet fuel.ย  “Alright Already Now” adds some harmonica, fuzz bass, and wah-wah.ย  The Hellacopters are not slavish like Klassik’78, they’re not trying to duplicate anything.ย  They’re going their own way with it, and it just so happens to be a lot better than Psycho Circus.ย  A lot of the vocals actually are closer to Steven Tyler circa Draw the Line.

A slower and darker vibe hits on “Welcome to Hell”, with some electric piano mixed in with Frehley-like solos and a little “Sympathy for the Devil”.ย  The punk rock builds on “The Electric Index Eel”, with stabbing guitar licks in under two minutes of length.ย  Clearly far beyond Kiss.ย  But then as if to get my attention back, there it is:ย  “Paul Stanley”, the song!ย  The riff must be inspired by Paul’s solo song “Tonight You Belong to Me”.ย  Wasn’t I telling you recently that Paul is one of rock’s most underrated riff writers?

The vinyl bonus track is right at the end of side one:ย  “Angel Dust”, which really sounds more like a top speed Appetite for Destruction outtake.ย  There’s a lot of Guns N’ Roses on this record too, particularly when there is a wah-wah solo or a blast of speed.

“The Devil Stole the Beat From the Lord” continues the rock and roll party on side two.ย  It’s pedal to the metal right through to “Dogday Morning”.ย  There’s a real gem in the middle of side two called “Venus in Force”, a big and grand riff with a song to go with it.ย  A more Kiss-like tempo in “5 Vs. 7” maintains a sense of variety.ย  Enjoy the flurry of guitars in the extended fade-out.ย  “Lonely” is a nice shorty by contrast, like a Gene Simmons love lament written in a hotel bathroom.ย  Closing position goes to “Renvoyer”, a killer outro jam.

Here is an interesting observation for you.ย  I used to think that Grande Rock had a great side one, but not much happening on side two.ย  However, I hadn’t actually listened to the vinyl for years.ย  I was listening to an mp3 rip of the 13 track album.ย  This time, I played the record and my perspective changed.ย  You have to get up and flip the record, and I happened to do something else for a few minutes before I dropped it back on side two.ย  That intentional break right there is everything.ย  There’s some sort of reset that happens, and you’re good to go for round two.

Grande Rock is damn near perfect for anyone craving a dose of the classic 1970s with a toe in punk rock too.ย  Vinyl is the way to go.ย  Don’t even bother with the CD, which taunts you with the fact that you bought the wrong version on the back cover by telling you that you’re not getting “Angel Dust”!ย  Awesome.

4.5/5 stars

 

REVIEW: John Dunsworth – Stories – Volumes I & II (2010 & 2012)

JOHN DUNSWORTHย – Stories – Volumes I & II (2010 & 2012)

John Dunsworth, known as the beloved Jim Lahey on Trailer Park Boys, was a Canadian treasure.ย  By all accounts he was a caring man who gave generously of his time to fans and friends.ย  He loved this country and took great pride in the fact that many Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan were entertained by his “drunken” antics as Lahey.ย  He toured coast to coast with Pat Roach as Lahey and Randy, meeting fans in character and signing autographs.ย  People loved John Dunsworth.

John recorded two CDs of his life stories.ย  Some copies were recently found in a box by his daughter Sarah Dunsworth, who plays Sarah on the show.ย  She made them available to fans and even included memorabilia in the mailed packages.ย  We’ll get to that; the CDs are quite interesting.

Dunsworth had a rich voice, and you might even find these stories soothing to listen to.ย  Amusing anecdotes about family and friends are framed in an entertaining way.ย  He had a long career in show business and shares those stories as well.ย  As a casting director, Dunsworth gave a young Ellen Page a role in a TV movie called Pit Pony.ย  She later played Trina Lahey in the second season of Trailer Park Boys.ย  Media gave him credit for “discovering” Ellen Page, but he is far more humble about his small role.ย  The real talent belongs to Ellen Page, and he was very proud of her.

John talks about childhood.ย  I have a few things in common with him.ย  Neither of us could sleep on Christmas Eve, and both of us would creep downstairs in the early hours of the morning.ย  Some stories are darker.ย  “Flight 111” is about a plane crash over the ocean, that John was a member of a search party for.ย  229 people died, but the cause of the crash is debated.ย  Keep listening as the story takes a turn to the unknown.

I mentioned that copies came stuffed with free gifts.ย  Mine came with two “Lucy and Sarah” buttons but I almost missed the real treasure inside.ย  It’s just a copy, but I got a page from a Trailer Park Boys script, and not just any Trailer Park Boys script.ย  Season five (the hash driveway season), episode nine:ย  “I Am the Liquor”.

Randy:ย  “Is that you talking or the liquor?”

Lahey:ย  “I am the liquor Randy.”

Possibly the most legendary line of Lahey dialogue of all time.ย  Sarah Dunsworth signed it, as it originally came from her script.ย  Incidentally, by this page it appears the episode was originally titled “I’m A Cock-Riding Gay Cowboy Am I?”ย  I am going to keep this page safe and sound, because I love it.

The light and dark of Stories Volumes I and II will be treasured by the hard core Dunsworth fans, and they are out there.ย  Very limited in number, they will not be around long.ย  Check them out on the official John Dunsworth site.

4/5 stars

REVIEW: Queensryche – Speaking in Digital: A Conversation with Queensryche (1986 promo)

QUEENSRลธCHEย – Speaking in Digital: A Conversation with Queensrycheย (1986 EMI America promo interview LP)

Here’s a nice little rarity for you, a full-length Queensryche interview disc from the Rage For Order era.ย  Promos are a funny thing for reviewing (and this is our second Queensryche promo review).ย  These records were never made for sale, therefore nobody reviews them.ย  Nobody…but us.ย  Is there any rock knowledge or collector’s value to be gleaned from this disc?ย  Let us find out.

It’s an attractive record, Geoff Tate’s digitally distorted face in black & white.ย  No Try-Ryche, but a neat digital Queensryche logo.ย  The interview is conducted by radio DJ Ralph Tortoro.ย  A very low-key Geoff Tate begins by answering general questions about the beginning of the band and their independent EP.ย  Chris DeGarmo is a bit more engaged and adds the details.ย  Shy Michael Wilton speaks up only on occasion.

You’ll also get bits and pieces of music:ย  Snippets of “Queen of the Reich”, “Warning”, and “Gonna Get Close to You”.ย  There are four full songs too:ย  a massive “Screaming in Digital” (so hot on vinyl!), “I Dream in Infrared”, “Chemical Youth” and “The Whisper”.

Interesting things I noted while listening:

  1. They hadn’t settled on the name Queensryche for the band until they had to print up the first EP, forced to make a decision.
  2. Maiden was one of their favourite bands to cover according to Chris.
  3. Tate clearly didn’t like being called “metal” even back in 1986.
  4. “NM 156” from The Warning is hailed as the track that showed the way of the future of Queensryche.
  5. Steve Harris loved The Warning and asked for Queensryche to open for Iron Maiden.
  6. Rage for Order is a “loose concept” album, examining order over three levels:ย  order in relationships, political order, and technological order.
  7. Other questions remain unasked.

The new digitally enhanced Queensryche of 1986 was destined to confuse people in the short term, gradually winning over fans as time went on and people “got” the album.ย  If you want to deepen your understanding of its themes, this record will help.ย ย There’s more too; we won’t tell you everything.ย  As a fan, you should be able to decide if Speaking in Digital is the kind of thing you want in your rock and roll reference library.ย  The young, shy Queensryche interviewed on this LP are as cold as the machines that are striving for order in the lyrics.ย  It’s a dry but interesting listen.

3/5 stars

 

 

REVIEW: Devilsradio – The EP (2019)

DEVILSRADIO – The EP (2019)

Here’s a new Canadian three-piece with some hard rock for your ears!ย  Their new three track EP has potential.ย  They’ve kept the songwriting short and to the point.ย  There’s a distinct 90s groove to the EP, without resorting to direct references or ripoffs.ย  When we say “90s groove” we’re referring to rhythm front-and-center, and a singer who does it from the guts.

Opener “Fear the Monster” has a pretty immediate chug, perhaps from the Stone Temple Playbook.ย  This track is the clear winner of the three.ย  As soon as it hit, my right hand started doing the air guitar motion.ย  Chug chug — the riff is the key.ย  Good song, and probably really good live.

“Lost in the Dark” and “Great Day” make up the rest of the EP, good songs both.ย  The edge is on the dark side, these are not party songs but good ones for those angsty days.ย  They could use some guitar embellishment, but the grooves crush.ย  Get your headbangin’ on.

The EP sounds like a good first outing for DevilsRadio.ย  There’s room to grow but they have a solid foundation from which to build.ย  I’d like to hear them write more songs and add more to their sound, be it backing vocals or instrumental flourishes.ย  There is good material here and “Fear the Monster” should get you movin’.

3.25/5 stars

1. “Fear the Monster”ย  2:57
2. “Lost in the Dark”ย  4:43
3. “Great Day”ย  3:37

 

Check out the EP here!

REVIEW: Max the Axe – Trillion Dollar Threats (2010)

MAX THE AXEย – Trillion Dollar Threats (2010 Mutant Music)

Max the Axe’s stellar new album Status Electric didn’t pop out of thin air.ย  Before he nailed it with that CD, Max had five prior releases.ย  Status Electric included a couple songs from the previous album Trillion Dollar Threats.ย  “River Grand” was vastly improved with Eric “Uncle Meat” Litwiller’s vocals.ย  Though it’s no Status Electric,ย Trillion Dollar Threats is still an entertaining slab of rock.

Trillion Dollar Threats features a variety of players.ย  There are several singers:ย  Geoff Dyke, Ted Moore, John Kelly, Mickey Straight, Ted Guirey, and Eric Litwiller.ย  That’s almost enough singers to staff the entire career of Black Sabbath!ย  Over the 16 tracks, there’s not a lot of cohesiveness, but there is a lot of rock.

“Overload” is a heavy-as-fuck opener, 80s thrash metal through and through.ย  It’s all about that chug, but the vocals seem like an afterthought.ย  “Guns to Iran” takes a spoken word approach, over a heavy riff, but when the singer (Geoff Dyke) attempts to sing…it ain’t good.ย  Mickey Straight improves things immediately on “Daddy Was a Murderin’ Man”.ย  There’s some punk rock in Max the Axe and this is where it comes out (guitar solo notwithstanding).ย  Maybe a little Faster Pussycat or LA Guns too.

Max is the master of the chugging heavy metal guitar.ย  “Labyrinth” has that, before meandering around a few different bits.ย  It’s a good groove that could use some editing.ย  “I Don’t Advocate Drugs” has a good riff coupled with entertaining lyrics.ย  For more amusement, there’s “Belljar Party”, the story of stuff going missing after a party.ย  “Whoever it was, they took my Walkman too.”ย  Other cool tracks include the spacey “Mutant Mind”, “Livin’ the Country”, and “Mexican Standoff”.

According to Litwiller, “Uptite Friday Night” is the exact same version as the one on Status Electric.ย  That’s OK because the sloppy drunk vibe is perfect.ย  The original “River Grand”ย  has Terry Guirey singing, but although this is the blueprint the Litwiller version is clearly better.ย  He took it in a more grungy Alice in Chains direction.

Look at Trillion Dollar Threats as a stepping stone to Status Electric.ย  All the band members (Max, Eric, Dave Haslam and Mike Mitchell) are there on one track or another.ย ย Status Electricย couldn’t be as great as it is without Trillion Dollar Threats laying the groundwork.ย  It needed to be cut down from 16 tracks (way too much for most albums), and some of the tracks need some tightening, but there is some decent rock on Trillion Dollar Threats.ย  If you like metal in the retro style, there will be plenty of riffs here for you to digest.

3/5 stars

REVIEW: Whitesnake – 1987 (30th Anniversary Edition box set)

WHITESNAKEย – 1987ย (30th Anniversary Edition Rhino box set)

Back when I reviewed the original “Deluxe” edition of Whitesnake’s 1987, I said, “Great album, but this reissue could have been so much better.”ย  And so here we are.

Let’s get right down to it.ย  You already know the story of Whitesnake 1987 or you wouldn’t be here.

The main feature is the 2017 remaster of 1987, which actually sounds pretty great.ย  In this day and age, if you’re seeking the warmth of a vintage vinyl experience, you can go and have that experience for far less money than this box set costs.ย  For a compact disc, this might be as good as we’ve gotten so far.ย  If you look at the Audacity waveforms below, you can see the 2017 remaster (top) has roughly the same levels as a previous one from Whitesnake Gold.

I’m still hanging on to my original UK version of 1987, but for compact disc, this is probably it.

David Coverdale wanted to adapt Whitesnake to the 1980s with this album, and this lineup with John Sykes, Neil Murray, and new drummer Aynsley Dunbar was certainly able to deliver.ย  The album was always loud, especially compared to their 70s output.ย  Sykes provided the squeals that the kids wanted.ย  David was back in top voice.ย  The album they delivered is legendary for how it changed Whitesnake’s fortunes.

The running order on this box set is not the original UK or US, but the combined running order as used on the previous 20th anniversary edition.

“Still of the Night” blows the doors in, a tornado in the night, mighty and sexy too.ย  Whitesnake had never been this aggressive before, but “Give Me All Your Love” lulls the listener back to something easier to digest on first listen.ย  “Give Me All Your Love” was a successful single because it’s melodic pop rock with guitars.ย  But then the band scorch again with “Bad Boys”, top speed right into your daughter’s headphones!ย  Whether it was Aynsley Dunbar or just the songs that they wrote, the pace is high gear.

“Is This Love”, a song that David was writing with Tina Turner in mind, was another massive hit.ย  ย John Kolodner (John Kolodner) insisted that they keep it for themselves, and he was right as he often was.ย  For a big 80s ballad, “Is This Love” really was perfect.ย  It tends to work better in a stripped back arrangement, since the original is so specifically tailored to that era.ย  Still, Sykes’ solo on it has to be one of his best.

Speaking of hits, “Here I Go Again” is the one that Sykes didn’t want to do, and look what happened.ย  That humble pie probably tasted no good to Sykes when he found himself fired by Coverdale after the album was completed.ย  His replacement, Adrian Vandenberg (Vandenberg) actually played the guitar solo, so dissatisfied was Coverdale with the one Sykes produced.ย  “Here I Go Again” was of course a minor hit from Saints & Sinners, but deserving of a second shot in America with production more suited to their tastes.ย  Don Airey on keyboards; though Whitesnake did without an official keyboardist this time.

“Straight For the Heart” is a great also-ran that perhaps could have been another single if they kept trottin’ them out instead of stopping at four.ย  High speed but with incredible hooks, it’s impossible not to like.ย  “Looking For Love” is the second ballad, but actually originally unreleased in the US.ย  It’s toned down from the style of “Is This Love”, and Neil Murray’s bass is pronounced.ย  He was a huge part of the groove on this album, if you really settle in and listen to the rhythm section.ย  His bass has a certain “bop” to it.ย  “Children of the Night” returns the tempo to allegro and the lyrics to dirty.ย  I can’t imagine too many fathers of the 80s wanted their daughters to go to the Whitesnake concert if they heard David cooing, “Don’t run for cover,ย I’m gonna show you what I’ve learned, just come a little closer, come on an’ get your fingers burned.” Another UK exclusive, “You’re Gonna Break My Heart Again” cools it down slightly, but that Sykes riff is hot like a torch!

“Crying in the Rain” is held back to second-last in this running order, even though it opened the US album.ย  Another re-recording, “Crying in the Rain” was suggested by Kolodner because he knew Sykes could give it that massive blues rock sound that it had in the live setting.ย  Again, he was right.ย  “Crying in the Rain” is massive — perhaps the most sheerly heavy piece of rock that Whitesnake ever dug up.ย  Finally the CD closes with the last ballad, “Don’t Turn Away”, which closed the US version.ย  It’s a fine song indeed, and a really good vibe on which to end Whitesnake 1987.

The second CD in this set is called Snakeskin Boots:ย  Live on Tour 1987-1988.ย  Presumably, these are recordings from throughout the tour, assembled into a CD-length running order.ย  The “boots” in the title implies bootleg quality, but it certainly sounds better than that.ย  Soundboards maybe?

The studio lineup of Whitesnake dissolved and David got Vandenberg in, followed by Vivian Campbell (Dio) and the rhythm section of Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge (Ozzy Osbourne).ย  This new lineup was not based in the whiskey blues of the old band(s), but in the flashy stylings of the 1980s.ย  Vivian and Vandenberg were both capable of shredding your brain.ย  That’s generally how they do it on these recordings.ย  Opening with “Bad Boys”, the manic tempo is maintained while the guitars reach for the stratosphere.

Sounds like it was a hell of a show, rolling into the groove of “Slide it In” and “Slow An’ Easy”, and the good news is the 1987 band can play the 1984 songs too.ย  David Coverdale is the ringmaster, the veteran, confident and in prime voice.ย  All the songs are from either 1987 or Slide it In, with only one exception:ย  the slow blues “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City” from the original 1978 Snakebite EP.ย  Sounds like Vivian Campbell accompanying David on this slow, classy blues.ย  No Deep Purple in the set; but my old pal Rob Vuckovich once said he went to the Toronto show on this tour bearing a flag that said “PLAY PURPLE”.ย  He also claimed David acknowledged it by saying, “We’re not playing any of that!”

“Here I Go Again” comes early on the CD, fourth in line, and it’s excellent.ย  “Guilty of Love” is a nice surprise, and “Love Ain’t No Stranger” is more than welcome at the party.ย  “Is This Love” is well received, and works well in the live setting without too much extra production.ย  Adrian can’t top the Sykes solo, though he gets within very close range.ย  Vivian and Adrian get a feature solo with a keyboard backdrop, and it’s quite good — more like an instrumental than just a solo.ย  It leads into a brutally heavy “Crying in the Rain”; Tommy Aldridge literally beats the shit out of it!ย  The CD closes on “Give Me All Your Love” with David substituting the word “baby” in the opening line with “Tawny”!

There’s little question.ย  For most fans, the major draw of this box set will be this live CD.ย  If that is you, you will not be disappointed by Snakeskin Boots.

Disc three in this monolith of a box set is the 87 Evolutions.ย  This is an interesting concept but not one that you will be craving to have a listen regularly.ย  This disc is intended for deeper study.ย  These tracks are the album’s songs in various stage of demoing.ย  “Still of the Night” for example starts as a living room demo, with David slapping his knees for drums, and only the most basic of lyrics.ย  Then this demo fades seamlessly into a more advanced full band arrangement, with the lyrics still unfinished.ย  There’s a funky middle solo section here that is more jam than song, but a blast to hear.

That is the kind of thing you can expect to hear onย 87 Evolutions.ย  No need to spoil what you should enjoy discovering yourself.ย  This is for the hardcore of hardcore fans, those that want every squeal that ever came from Sykes’ axe.ย  You are gonna get it.ย  Incidentally, I think I prefer David’s original, rough slow bluesy version of “Give Me All Your Love” to the glossy pop song it became.

This disc ends with a “Ruff Mix” of the completed “Crying in the Rain” from Little Mountain studios.ย  All the parts are in place, the mix just needed that modern bombast that David was aiming for.

The fourth and final CD, 87 Versions, is a collection of alternate remixes released on various singles, and brand new remixes as well.ย  These are really cool bonuses.ย  The 2017 mix of “Still of the Night” has a really dry sound, allowing you to really hear the spaces between the instruments.ย  A lot of these remixes have a different balance of instruments, so you will hear different things yourself.ย  There are two remixes of “Give Me All Your Love” on this CD:ย  the 2017 with the original Sykes solo, and the highly coveted alternate with “new” solo by Vivian Campbell.ย  There are also two remixes of “Here I Go Again”, including the old “Radio Mix” with a completely different group of musicians and a much more pop arrangement.

Among these remixes is something called the 1987 Versions:ย  Japan Mini-Album, proving that Japan always get the best stuff.ย  This apparent EP contains the B-sides and bonus tracks that you couldn’t get on the album.ย  “Standing in the Shadows” was another song re-recorded for 1987, though left as a B-side.ย  “Looking For Love” and “You’re Gonna Break My Heart Again” are also included, since back then you could only get them in the UK.ย  “Need Your Love So Bad” was a previous Whitesnake B-side, remixed in 1987 for a new B-side!ย  It’s an absolutely stunning ballad, quiet with only keyboard accompaniment.

With all these tracks included, pretty much every track associated with the 1987 album and singles is covered.

Whitesnake: The Videos is the fifth disc, a DVD.ย  It’s really just an add-on, nothing substantial (like a 5.1 mix).ย  First on the menu:ย  “More Fourplay”, the classic MTV videos that set the world on fire in 1987.ย  Some behind the scenes footage too.ย  MTV was a huge part of this band’s success (hopefully Tawny gets paid a royalty from this reissue?).ย  These glossy videos are…well, they didn’t age as well as the album did.ย  Why does Rudy always lick his bass?ย  You just gotta laugh at “Here I Go Again”; the pretentious image of the three guys (Viv, Adrian, Rudy) playing keyboards passionately side by side…utterly silly.ย  But yet iconic.ย  “Is This Love” has the band playing on evening rooftops, Rudy wielding a double-neck bass.ย  Why?ย  Doesn’t matter; in 1987 we thought it was awesome.ย  “Give Me All Your Love” is a notable video, being a “live on stage” type, but also with the brand new guitar solo cut by Vivian.ย  For his solo, Viv chose to play on the wang bar a bit too much, but at least David let him do one.ย  It remains Vivian’s only studio appearance with Whitesnake, ever.ย  Unannounced but cool just the same, “Love Ain’t No Stranger” (from Slide It In) is used in whole as the end credit song for the “More Fourplay” segment.

Next up is a 28 minute documentary about the making of the album.ย  David has clear recollections and is always a delight to listen to.ย (Some vintage Coverdale interview footage is actually from a MuchMusic piece with Denise Donlon.) Interestingly, he claims that the “Still of the Night” riff is one that he found in his mother’s attic, that he wrote back in the tail of Deep Purple.ย  “Still of the Night” could have been a Purple song, but it took John Sykes to make it what it became.ย  We then move on to the assembly of the touring lineup, dubbed the “United Nations of Rock”.ย  Tommy and Rudy are also interviewed in vintage clips, with Tommy proudly proclaiming that they want to bring musicality back to rock and roll.

The “Purplesnake Video Jam” (whut?) video of “Here I Go Again” is basically a brand new music video using alternate footage from the time.ย  The mix is similar to the old single mix, but spruced up.ย  Finally there is the “’87 Tour Bootleg”, and woah!ย  It’s pro-shot multi-camera footage.ย  You only get half of “Crying in the Rain”, and all of “Still of the Night”.ย  Why not more?ย  Is this a tease for some kind of upcoming DVD?ย  The footage reveals a band of their time, but a good band.ย  Not the best Whitesnake lineup ever (Sykes gets that), but a good lineup with something special together.ย  They were tight, they could all play their nuts off, and present a high energy 80s stageshow, especially Rudy.ย  By the end of “Still of the Night”, David is actually dodging panties being thrown at his head.ย  I kid you not.

As per usual, any box set worth its own respect is packed with added stuff usually made of paper.ย  In this case, a nice hard cover booklet, a smaller softcover lyric book, and a poster.ย  Posters have to be the biggest waste of money in a set like this.ย  Who’s going to hang it?ย  I’m probably never even to unfold mine once.

Now that you have all the details, you should be able to decide if this box set needs to be in your collection.ย  It needed to be in mine.ย  And guess what — Slide it In is next!

5/5 stars