STYX – Caught in the Act – Live (1984 A&M, 2018 BGO reissue)
“Hey everybody it’s Music Time!”
Sorta, anyway! Styx were just about toast after “Mr. Roboto“, and Tommy Shaw didn’t want to sing any more songs about androids. (Mars, however, was fine.) He departed to check out some Girls With Guns, but not before Styx put out one more product before hiatus. That would be the traditional double live album, which was actually Styx’s first.
Styx have lots of live albums now, but only two with Dennis DeYoung. Caught in the Act is essential for a few key reasons. It sounds great although there are clearly overdubs in places. It is the only one with the classic lineup of DeYoung/Shaw/James “JY” Young/Chuck Panozzo/John Panozzo. And it has plenty of classic Styx songs that still shake the radio waves today.
Like many live albums, Caught in the Act contained one new song. Dennis DeYoung wrote the uppity “Music Time”, a very New Wave single without much of the punch of old Styx. Shaw was so nauseated that he barely participated in the music video. “Music Time” isn’t one of Styx’s finest songs. It’s passable but clearly a misstep. No wonder it was a final straw of sorts for Tommy Shaw.
With that out of the way, on with the show. Styx opened the set with “Mr. Roboto”, a mega hit that got a bad rap over the years until nostalgia made it OK to like it again. Fortunately only two songs from Kilroy Was Here were included, the ballad “Don’t Let It End” being the other. Live, “Roboto” pulses with energy, far more than you would expect. The disco-like synthetic beats complement the techno-themed lyrics. Every hook is delivered with precision. With the human factor that comes out in a live recording, “Roboto” could be one of those songs that is actually better live.
Styx have always been a diverse act, and this album demonstrates a few sides of the band. Shaw and Young tended to write rockers, and “Too Much Time On My Hands”, “Miss America”, “Snowblind”, “Rockin’ the Paradise” and especially “Blue Collar Man” are prime examples of the best kind. Long nights, impossible odds…yet a killer set of rock tunes. Then there are the ballads. “Babe” is a slow dancing classic, and “The Best of Times” is even better. Finally, the tunes that verge on progressive epics: “Suite Madame Blue”, “Crystal Ball” and “Come Sail Away” have the pompous complexity that punk rockers hated so much. This album is a shining live recreation of some of rock’s most beloved music.
The 2018 CD reissue on BGO Records sounds brilliant with depth, and has a nice outer slipcase. You’ll also get a nice thick full colour booklet with photos and an essay that goes right up to 2017’s The Mission. BGO is a well known, respected label. This reissue is a must.
It may be considered a childish holiday, but it’s not about candy! Here’s HOLEN MaGROIN with the next in his series of Halloween themed reviews. For the last, Soundgarden’s Screaming Life/Fopp EPs, click here.
BATMAN(1989 Warner Bros.) BATMAN RETURNS (1992 Warner Bros.)
Directed by Tim Burton
Given the influx of homogenized yet generally consistent MCU movies, and the equally homogenized yet generally inconsistent DCU movies, it’s almost hard to remember a time when superhero films were not guaranteed billion dollar investments, or when they had a shred of character and individuality. The first film that truly hinted at the superhero genre’s potential to be taken seriously was Richard Donner’s Superman. It was a huge financial and critical success, with Gene Hackman giving the movie a professional actor that legitimized the comic book superhero film as an art form, and not just a niche market for children. However, DC was unable to sustain the quality of the Superman franchise, and it slowly fizzled out until crashing and burning with the critically mauled fourth installment The Quest for Peace. The future of comic book movies looked grim. That is until Warner Bros. handed the keys to the Batmobile over to the artsy and dark visionary Tim Burton, who created two acclaimed and commercially successful Gothic Batman films that work great as Halloween viewing.
At this point in his career, Tim Burton had only made two films, the eccentric road comedy Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and the twisted paranormal comedy Beetlejuice. It’s not evident what Warner Bros. saw in those two comedic movies to make them think Tim Burton would be the proper choice to direct a Batman movie, but choosing him to helm the franchise would turn out to be one of the least controversial moves. The much more derided decision would be the casting of Michael Keaton as Batman, an actor primarily known for his comedies. Because of his credentials, physique, and height, many believed that Keaton was the wrong choice to portray the Dark Knight. Thankfully, these fears were unfounded as Keaton would go on to become one of the most beloved actors to don the cape and cowl. Fears were also alleviated by the casting of Jack Nicholson as the Joker, a man who does what Gene Hackman did for Superman in granting the movie a certain ethos just by being present.
To say that Batman was a success would be an understatement; it was a cultural phenomenon. People were getting the bat logo shaved into their head, before anyone had even seen the movie. It became the highest grossing movie of the year in North America in 1989, being beat out internationally by the third Indiana Jones picture.*
The film opens at night as a family of three leaves the theatre, and I’m pretty sure anyone seeing this movie for the first time assumed that they were the Wayne family. No, the movie was playing a trick on you. It’s just a normal family in the present time being mugged, with Batman running to apprehend the criminals as they make their way up to a rooftop to count their loot. As one criminal discusses his fear of being on the roof because of mysterious bat rumors, the other tells him that it’s all hogwash and that he needs to shut his mouth. That’s when Batman glides in behind them, ready to strike. The two criminals look up at a creature that they can’t fully identify. One opens fire and they see the bat creature fall to the ground. The fear reignites in their eyes as they see it menacingly rise off of the ground, presumably from the dead. After incapacitating one of them with a kick to the chest, he grabs the other and holds him above a ledge, as the bat creature asks him to tell all his criminal friends about him, and to be very afraid. “What are you?!” the criminal asks. The creature simply replies, “I’m Batman.” He sees Batman walk off the building, and the criminal scrambles to look over the ledge to see the Batman nowhere in sight.
This opening scene sets the tone for the film, and illustrates the brilliance of Michael Keaton’s Batman. This is a far cry from the campy ‘60s movie. While Adam West was a public servant, and Christian Bale was a ninja, Keaton is a creature that no criminal understands. No one even knows if he’s human, and by allowing himself to get shot, he creates the illusion that he can’t be killed when he rises from the ground. This iteration of Batman is fully committed to theatricality and mystery. Keaton’s portrayal is very effective at representing the tortured soul of Batman, how he feels completely obligated to fight crime because no one else can. He feels the need to avenge his parents, and his dedication to fighting crime has left him lonely and obsessive over his one goal. His motives had never been clearer, and the film also makes the wise call of making Bruce Wayne more of a recluse in this film than a playboy. While it is ridiculous writing that a man as famous as Wayne does not even have a picture on file at the newspaper for reporters to find, the idea of Wayne’s isolation as a character makes perfect sense in this movie. He is a man driven to fight crime no matter the personal sacrifice or threat to his own mental health, which happens to be pretty unstable throughout the movie.
More unstable is main villain Jack Napier, a nasty gangster that is sold out by mob boss Carl Grissom after Grissom learns that Napier is boning his girlfriend. Grissom sends Napier to clean out a front company, and then calls a Lieutenant that happens to be on his payroll to kill Jack. However, Batman turns up and ruins the operation. Napier opens fire at the Batman, who deflects the bullet sending it straight through Napier’s face. Napier then stumbles over a rail above a vat of chemicals. Batman extends his hand in an attempt to save him. In this scene you see a close up of Batman’s eyes. This creates ambiguity. It’s almost as if he recognizes the man that killed his parents, leaving the audience to decide whether he lost his grip or intentionally let the man go as Napier takes the plunge into the chemicals that will turn him from Jack to Joker. This is another point in which Keaton’s acting deserves praise. He’s able to convey so much emotion with only his eyes visible, something that he’d carry over to the next film.**
The film proceeds with a dark atmosphere, reminiscent of a noir story from the 1940s based on the clothing and set design. Gotham City is a very repressive setting because of all the Gothic architecture. The movie is grim. Napier transforms from a nasty gangster into a full on “homicidal artist”. Nicholson sells the material with great conviction, and manages to be simultaneously hilarious and absolutely terrifying. He strikes this crucial balance arguably better than even the late Heath Ledger, a tribute to the ethos Nicholson lends the picture. We see the Joker proceed with his plans of anarchy and death as the world’s greatest detective does all he can to stop him, culminating in a final steeple confrontation.
Since the Batman creates the Joker in this film, and Burton decides to make the flimsy and misguided creative decision to make the Joker the murderer of Wayne’s parents, a fundamental aspect of the movie is how these two characters are connected. They are two sides of the coin as Ace Frehley would say. They’re both highly motivated and highly intelligent characters set on achieving their own goals without any regard for the law, and they’re both a little crazy. Even after all Joker has done to him, after Batman knocks him off the bell tower, he still tries to save him by looking over the ledge, only to be surprised by the Joker and put into a precarious situation. While Joker does end up getting killed, it’s more of his own fault for not telling his chopper to land on the roof so he could detach the rope from his leg.
By no means is it a perfect film, there are some pacing issues with the third act dragging on too long, the Prince songs don’t work particularly well,*** the issue of Batman killing in this movie, and the fact that the cops don’t just arrest the Joker when he held the bicentennial in the streets after he announced it. Main love interest Vicki Vale is also completely disposable, as is proven by her absence in the second film with only a few sentences explaining where she went. Many of the secondary characters in this movie aren’t needed or even interesting, something remedied in the second film. The main draw of these pictures is the adversarial relationship between Batman and the Joker, good and evil. The first two Nolan Batman movies are ultimately better, but this movie has a 1980s charm and a personal directing style that makes it feel uniquely enjoyable, and it still holds up remarkably well today.
The film itself is highly stylized thanks to Tim Burton’s direction. It also has a camp factor that would disappear from superhero movies altogether after Sam Raimi’s very personal and excellent Spider-Man trilogy. Camp isn’t necessarily bad, it’s actually very pleasing to see a movie acknowledge its own ridiculousness, and bask in it. Relish the goofiness in order to make a more entertaining picture. This actually feels like a Tim Burton movie, whereas many superhero movies today are devoid of any style or originality. They take themselves way too seriously, and sacrifice being fun. This movie manages to blend serious story telling while still acknowledging the inherent silliness of a man that fights crime dressed up like a bat.
When the time came for a follow up picture, Burton was initially not interested. He felt he had done all he could with Batman, until the studio offered him total creative control, something that he hadn’t had the first time around. If the first movie felt like a Tim Burton film, this one ups the ante by a factor of 100. This was an improvement in some areas, and a detriment in others. Tim Burton has never been overly concerned about a coherent plot, or the quality of the plot, tending to focus more on characterization and style. Batman Returns is arguably the most polarizing film in the Batman cannon, and it’s really easy to see why. Burton has little regard for the comic book origins of the characters, and decides to make the film in his own way more so than the first one. Because of this fact, both Michael Keaton and Tim Burton have expressed their preference for this sequel over the original.
A creative move like this would never be allowed today. There is no way that a studio would agree to a film so warped, dark and sexually charged. It takes place at Christmas time, to provide an interesting contrast to all the dark mayhem. Burton loves monsters, and his love of freaks is the engine of this second film. Danny DeVito plays the penguin, who is not the sleek slimy opportunist of the comics, but an actual deformed baby with flippers abandoned by his parents and raised by penguins in the sewers under Gotham City. Now, if that sounds absolutely ridiculous it’s because it is. The suspension of disbelief in this movie is very high. As a matter of fact, to enjoy this movie you have to give in and let it all happen. The movie is absolutely absurd, but the imagination and the character development that went into making it is breathtaking and deserves appreciation.
The plot of the movie is ridiculous, and a little dumb. Cobblepot runs for mayor at the suggestion of corporate tycoon Max Shreck (played by Christopher Walken) because Shreck knows he can control the Cobblepot in order to get his power plant built, that will ultimately suck power from Gotham so he can store it and sell it for a higher price. The citizens of Gotham line up behind the Penguin as a serious candidate after his gang creates chaos to make the current mayor look bad. He becomes a heartwarming story around Christmas time as he creates a public image of goodness by forgiving his deceased parents for abandoning him. Batman reveals Cobblepot for the sleazebag he is in public, and the city immediately turns on him. He responds by trying to kidnap their first born sons as he feels betrayed by his fellow humans and has abandonment issues from his parents. This movie isn’t really about the plot; few Tim Burton movies actually are. This movie succeeds in its own way because of the strength of the characters, and the affection with which Burton treats them. Penguin elicits great sympathy despite being an absolutely grotesque monster, because he was never given a chance. Businessman Shreck is the true monster, as the movie makes the point that not all monsters are disfigured, ugly, or even hated by their fellow man. As the Penguin himself puts it to Shreck “We’re both monsters, but you’re a well respected monster, and I am to date…not.” Shreck is the real monster, it is impossible to feel sympathy for him at all. The first time I saw this movie, I disliked it because of the outrageous plot and the high campiness factor despite being an even darker and more Gothic film that its predecessor. However, on subsequent viewings it became clear to me that the story in this movie is really just sandbox for the characters to play in, and they’re the main reason to watch the movie because they’re so damaged and complex. The movie is like a fairytale, ungrounded and not obeying the normal laws that govern reality. While the first Batman movie seemed to be a studio compromise with Burton’s vision, for better and worse Batman Returns is a true Burton piece of work.
Michelle Pfeiffer plays Catwoman, who is licked back to life by alley cats (just go with it) after sifting through confidential files by her boss Max Shreck. There really is no competition, Pfeiffer is the definitive live action Catwoman, and the movie should have focused on her character more in the movie. Her suit in this movie is intimidating, and at the same time strangely alluring. Her antagonistic relationship with Batman is one of the most interesting parts of the movie, and her life as Selina Kyle with Bruce Wayne represents how uncomfortable the two are as themselves. Before becoming Catwoman, Kyle was a ditzy, timid, awkward secretary. Bruce Wayne, when not being Batman, looks uncomfortable in his own skin and the two together seem to sense there’s more to each other than a lonely secretary and a reclusive billionaire. This tension in the relationship comes to a head in the scene where they both show up to a costume party being the only two people seemingly not wearing costumes, because their day personas are their costumes. They both feel more comfortable as Batman and Catwoman than as Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. You can see it in Keaton’s face as he stumbles around as Bruce Wayne, but looks right at home in the Batcave. It’s apparent in Pfeiffer when Batman implores her to spare Shreck’s life at the end in order to come and live with him. He rips off his cowl and tries to appeal to Selina Kyle as Bruce Wayne to live a normal life, but Kyle ultimately decides that she has to be Catwoman and “couldn’t live with myself” if she settled down again as the pushover Selina Kyle. The Penguin’s attempts to fit in and be accepted as mayor under his Cobblepot name are also thwarted, and he ultimately only reacts in anger because of the rejection, crying “I am not a human being, I am an animal!” This statement could be equally true for any of them. The three characters find different ways to handle their isolation, and they are all essentially animals that cannot be tamed. Catwoman knows that both she and Batman could never be content living together as Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne.
Possibly one of the best aspects of this movie I have yet to mention is the score. Danny Elfman brought his absolute best to the first movie, creating the definitive Batman theme and a fantastic score. He ups his game even more for this sequel, creating the perfectly dark and enchanting soundtrack to match the movie that elevates each scene to that surreal fairytale level that Burton seems to be operating on throughout the movie. The soundtrack is absolutely perfect, especially the sections that deal with the Penguin. They generate actual sympathy, and the theme that connects to him is melancholic. It achieves Burton’s goal of making you sympathize with the monster, because even as he commits all these egregious acts of violence and hate, the theme calls back to early in the movie where he was ostracized by his own parents at birth near Christmas time. The theme of the movie seems to be that people can only act in their own nature, and that society’s view of monsters is only skin deep. That is why Penguin can never truly be accepted, and Max Shreck can.
Despite the blatant disregard for the source material, I find both of Burton’s Batman pictures to be thoroughly enjoyable entertainment that contain enough thought provoking content to merit repeated viewings. Some people say that these movies are all style and no substance because of the stunning atmosphere yet underdeveloped plots, but those people fail to realize that the substance in these movies aren’t found in the plot, they lie in the complex characters, their motivations, and the superb acting that goes into portraying them. While I consider the first Batman to be the superior film in a traditional sense, Batman Returns is more enchanting, captivating, visually stunning, personal, and unrestrained. They both have their own merits that make ranking them a tough call. If I’m being objective I’d say…
Batman – 3.5/5 stars
Batman Returns – 3.25/5 stars
If I was to state my personal feelings and attachments to the movies…
Batman – 4/5 stars
Batman Returns – 3.75/5 stars
* The Last Crusade, which ironically LeBrain reviewed for his Grade 11 Film Class essay, comparing and contrasting it with Steven Speilberg’s first film Duel. And I lost a mark for using the word “picture” instead of “film”, which is why I applaud Holen MaGroin for describing it as a “picture”.
** Holen MaGroin has convinced LeBrain to watch these again soon, to pick up on all these things I apparently missed when I was a kid.
*** Before Prince fans get all medieval on Holen, let me point out: he’s right. Every time a Prince song comes on, it causes a mental “skip” in the brain. Like, “Hey, it’s one of those Prince songs from the album.”
QUEEN – Hot Space (Originally 1982, 2011 Hollywood 2 CD set)
Once upon a time, a band called Queen put a note in the credits of their first album: “And nobody played synthesizer”.
By 1982’s Hot Space, this credo was long gone. In its place, a slick new sounding Queen that did not resonate with Americans the same way old Queen did. Hot Space still bore a fair share of hits, though very different sounding ones from the olden days.
“Staying Power” opens the album with blasts of horns and funky synths. On tracks like this, without any bass guitar, John Deacon played rhythm. “Staying Power” represents the shape of Queen to come. It wouldn’t have sounded out of place on 1989’s The Miracle. The horns give it the needed punch. Then Brian May’s “Dancer” slinks over, a disco rock tune with some (just some) trademark layers of Queen guitars.
If you feel like gettin’ down on the dancefloor, then “Back Chat” is the song for you. It’s in the same vein as disco Kiss, but with the kind of funky authenticity that Queen can bring to the party. “Back Chat” is the album’s first completely memorable song, provided by John Deacon. Fortunately it has real bass, to keep that groove dirty. As a single, it didn’t perform as well as “Body Language ↑⬱”, though it’s a superior song. “Body Language ↑⬱” is all synth with no meat.
Roger Taylor’s funk rocker “Action This Day” boasts a cool sax solo, but the synth drums are lifeless. It’s much better live (find this version on CD 2) with real instruments. Brian May’s “Put Out the Fire” is a welcome return to traditional Queen instrumentation. “Put Out the Fire” is the only song that sounds like “classic” Queen. If you heard it for the first time, you sure wouldn’t assume it was from Hot Space. It’s what you would call a “stock” Queen rocker. No embellishment, no quarter.
Going topical, Freddie tackled the difficult subject of the recently murdered John Lennon. “Life is Real (Song for Lennon)” is composed like a John song, with piano being the main musical support. May’s solo is one of his most tender and warm, but the song is not their most memorable. Taylor’s “Calling All Girls” is far catchier, and would probably be considered a classic if it were better known.
Brian’s ballad “Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)” received worldwide attention at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert in 1992, performed with Zucchero Fornaciari. In this case, the synths work with the song and not against it. They create a dreamy landscape, perfect for Freddie’s plaintive singing. This fantastic ballad is up there with the more famous Queen classics.
“Cool Cat” was recorded as a duet with David Bowie, who was unsatisfied. Although the Bowie mix made it to a test pressing, it was removed from the album and has yet to see a re-release. A dusky, slinky tune like “Cool Cat” would sound neat with Bowie aboard. David’s there for “Under Pressure” (obviously), which doesn’t need discussing because everybody knows that song. Or should. Immediately. It is rock magic, born of a jam between the five musicians. When magic happens, it can create songs as perfect as “Under Pressure”.
Hot Space is a bit wobbly, but the bonus disc evens things out a bit. A soul ballad B-side called “Soul Brother” might have worked better on the album than some of the songs that made it. The single remix of “Back Chat” gives us a chance to revisit the album’s most addictive song. Check out the fast, very dexterous live version of “Staying Power”. It is pretty impressive even if it’s not one of Queen’s greatest songs. The performance on the live take is a lesson by the masters on playing live, so listen up. Similarly, live versions of “Action This Day” and “Calling All Girls” get an injection of life on the stage.
Hot Space shouldn’t be too high on anyone’s Queen want lists, but it shouldn’t be ignored either. Check out the 2 CD version for the worthwhile additions.
SOUNDGARDEN – Screaming Life/Fopp(1987 & 88 EPs, released combined on Sub Pop CD 1990)
I love Halloween. I love autumn. I love horror films. I love metal. When you combine the four of those things that complement each other so well, it adds up to be one of my favourite times of the year. It may be considered a childish holiday, but to me it’s not about the candy. The entire atmosphere of the world seems to change around and on a holiday. The world almost seems to become more surreal, taking on aspects of life that only seem normal in films. There’s no reason Christmas should feel any lighter or peaceful than a regular day, but it does. Halloween has a certain feel too, an eerie one that goes perfect with metal and horror films, the cooling weather, and the waning sunlight. It’s about the deception, the masquerade, the vaudeville, the showmanship that keeps me intrigued by Halloween. Throughout the month on Wednesday’s I’ll be writing reviews of albums that are important Halloween albums to me, finally culminating on the big day (10/31). I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I do writing them.
1987 was the peak year for mainstream metal*, but it was also the starting point for an underground movement that would upset the entire genre of rock for good. Some call it grunge, but I think that term is as disrespectful as “hair metal”, especially given that the so called ‘big four’ of grunge didn’t sound alike at all. My favourite of those four bands was always Soundgarden. Chris Cornell was easily the best singer out of the bunch, and the group’s songwriting was also superior to the other bands from the same town. None of the other bands came close to writing an album as undeniably badass as Badmotorfinger. They were also the most metal out of the Seattle scene, and Chris Cornell didn’t seem to be a whiny punk like Kurt Cobain or Eddie Vedder. Cornell didn’t shy away from success and intentionally sabotage himself like the other two guys, at least not publically. His passing was one of the few times that a ‘celebrity’ death had actually impacted me, and was a horrible loss to the music world.
In the aftermath of his passing, it makes sense to start back at the beginning to see how he progressed throughout his career. Soundgarden made their debut on Sub Pop with an EP called Screaming Life. They followed it up the next year with the Fopp EP, and they were eventually packaged together on CD in 1990 by Sub Pop under the clever title Screaming Life/Fopp. I bought this CD, and Lynch Mob’s Wicked Sensation at the same time in mid October, so both of these albums have a strong mental link to Halloween for me, but the Soundgarden EPs have more than an emotional attachment to the holiday. This is some evil sounding stuff that fits absolutely perfectly with the time of the year. This is partially because Kim Thayil exhibits a much stronger influence on the band’s music than he would on the last few Soundgarden albums. While on later Soundgarden albums, Chris Cornell wrote a substantial amount of the group’s music as well as its lyrics, here a good share of these early songs were written by guitarist Kim Thayil and original bass player Hiro Yamamoto. All the music on Screaming Life was written by one of the two, with Cornell handling only the lyrics. This is a different sounding band than the group that wrote “Black Hole Sun”. There are some punk roots showing with the obvious Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin influences.
The aforementioned Black Sabbath influences are blended seamlessly with the brevity and relentlessness of punk in the album opener “Hunted Down”. This is the group’s first of many classics, and was also their first single. It’s an absolutely evil sounding number, with a hypnotic riff that sounds like the band are summoning demons themselves. The lyrics tell the story of a convict escaping prison and being hunted by the authority figures. He copes by changing his face permanently to avoid detection. The band follows the “Paranoid” single mold by making the song less than three minutes, which gives it a lethal efficiency. The melody is somber, and compliments the music accordingly. Chris Cornell was not yet the consummate vocalist that he would become, but his chops here are impressive for a youngster starting out on his first recording. The song was so good that Sub Pop chose it to be their hold music when people would call the label, prompting the group to call them up just to hear their song on the phone.
That Soundgarden classic is followed up by the much more obscure “Entering”, a four minute song that is so doomy that you think it goes on much longer (before checking the CD again, I had originally typed in the review that it was a seven minute epic!). It begins with slow ringing guitar notes that are enchanting in a dark way. It’s unsettling, yet you’re intrigued by it. This is one instance in which the song perfectly mixes with the stark visuals of the black and white cover. The beginning of this song is actually reminiscent of early 20th century horror films. It wouldn’t sound out of place being played on a grand piano in Dracula, Nosferatu, or Frankenstein, that’s how ominous it is. The song then goes through a dynamic shift and is kicked into high gear by the frantic drumming of the great Matt Cameron as Chris Cornell begins to wail with a slap back delay on his vocals that gives the song an energetic live feeling. The production is rough, but the muddiness only helps enhance the songs.
Following a throwaway screeching punk number, the band turns in one of the best songs in the gloomy and slow drop D tuned “Nothing to Say”. This song can only be described as “Electric Funeral” with better vocals updated for the late ‘80s. The group would never again sound this evil excepting their debut album Ultramega OK, which was actually released on Halloween. Perhaps to break up this seriousness, the band included many joke songs on their early albums. “Little Joe” is one of these, a funked up strange number about a Hispanic kid crossing the border. It’s totally disposable, just like all of their joke songs they just take up space and distract from the better music (except “Big Dumb Sex” from Louder Than Love). It’s still slightly demented in a off-putting way, which keeps it from ruining the mood of the EP.
The Fopp section is much lighter, in content and in mood. It contains just three songs and a remix, with only one original Soundgarden tune. The Chris Cornell’s first sole songwriting credit is with “Kingdom of Come”, a fun little tune, that doesn’t amount to much, but sounds good enough when you’re listening to it. The production on this half of the compilation is much clearer than on Screaming Life. The guitars have much more midrange energy, and the most of the muddiness has been cleaned up. If the first EP sounded like a cult ritual, this seems like the light-hearted after party. The set is rounded off by the covers of “Swallow My Pride” and “Fopp”. These are a couple of tunes just like “Kingdom of Come”, in that they’re enjoyable in a fun way, but there’s not a lot of substance underneath them.
Overall, the Screaming Life section is the superior EP, but together the shades of light and dark are an interesting insight into Soundgarden’s later, more developed sound. This is an absolutely wicked sounding release that most be listened to on headphones at night at least once around the Halloween season. While it’s not perfect and still shows a band in development, it is haunting and helps to scratch that horror metal itch if you’ve already exhausted Welcome to My Nightmareand your Black Sabbath collection.
3.25/5 stars
* LeBrain respectfully disagrees and remembers 1989 as the peak year for mainstream metal.
THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES – 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection(2005 Universal)
Every journey has a first step, and by luck of the draw, my first Bosstones is their 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection CD. This was purchased in the 3-for-$10 bin at BMV, during the now-legendary 2018 Toronto excursion with Aaron. It was the only Bosstones found on that trip, unfortunately, but one is better than nothin’.
I like Universal’s 20th Century Masters series; most of them anyway. Some are pretty terrible, but in general they compile key hits with the occasional non-album gem. The Bosstones’ instalment covers the major label period from 1993’s Ska-Core, The Devil, and More EP to 2000’s album Pay Attention. Pretty much “the stuff you might know”. I say this because I knew a lot of these songs. Which is good!
It’s the brass that makes everything sound so damn tasty. The first blockbuster punch of “Someday I Suppose” and “Don’t Know How to Party” bring the horns to the fore. When you have a gravel-voiced singer like Dicky Barrett it helps to have some sax and trombone to deliver more melodic hooks. This frees Barrett to sing in his in inimitable style, scraping the paint from the walls with sonic sandpaper.
The rest of the band are more than capable of handling background vocal chores, as demonstrated by the 1993 Bob Marley cover “Simmer Down”. Dennis Brockenborough (trombone) ably joins Barrett for “answer” vocals, enriching the Bosstones’ brew. The quality cover tune is swiftly followed by another: “Detroit Rock City” from the 1994 Kiss tribute album Kiss My Ass. Catch the Gene Simmons cameo at the front, telling Dicky he couldn’t do “Detroit” but any other song would be fine. Gene was forced to eat his words, because here’s “Detroit”, with a brick-solid wall of horns and chords. Inclusions like this are great because fans who didn’t want a Kiss tribute album and can’t find the single can just buy 20th Century Masters instead.
Moving on chronologically, “Kinder Words” and “Pictures to Prove It” are more tough, hook-laden ska rock. Tracing the river of cool hooks back to its source, they rise from the well of brassy horns and backing gang vocal melodies. The Bosstones formula is hard to resist once you jump in. Then, once Dicky Barrett’s unique voice gets hold, you’re in the tide. From the same period, a “clean remix” of “Hell of a Hat” is another inclusion that would help out collectors; it’s from a promo-only CD single.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones had a major hit with 1997’s “The Impression That I Get”. It’s completely deserved because it’s a brilliant single. It doesn’t vary from the core Bosstones sound, it just distils the elements down to a concentrate. It’s an obvious gateway point to the band, an invitation to a pretty cool party. From the same album (Let’s Face It) are two more recognisable hits: “Royal Oil” and “The Rascal King”. And though they are not as familiar, “So Sad to Say” and “She Just Happened” from Pay Attention are pretty much just as good.
This is one 20th Century Masters CD that I don’t regret owning. Brilliant band, solid tunes throughout and a couple rarities for the connoisseur. Get Mighty.
STYX – Come Sail Away: The Styx Anthology (2004 A&M)
Styx need to get their albums remastered and reissued pronto. In the meantime, you can Come Sail Away with The Styx Anthology.
The great thing about the Styx Anthology is that it covers virtually all Styx history, even the first four albums on Wooden Nickel records. Each one of those early albums is represented by a track (two for Styx II). Those early albums had some good material on them that usually only diehards get to hear. “Best Thing” and “You Need Love” are bright and rocking, just like you expect from Styx. “Winner Take All” and “Rock & Roll Feeling” are consistent toe-tappers. The jovial harmonies, and lead vocals (by Dennis DeYoung and James “JY” Young) on these tracks could easily be mistaken for later, more famous Styx. Don’t forget the original version of “Lady” from Styx II, their first big ballad. Styx’s flair for the dramatic was there right from the first. (Remember “Lady” as performed by the Dan Band in the movie Old School?)
Shortly thereafter Styx signed with A&M. 1975’s Equinox boasted hits galore. You should know “Light Up” and “Lorelei”. But Equinox was their last with founding guitarist John Curulewski. He was replaced by a guitarist with prodigious talent and a voice to go with it: Tommy Shaw. Shaw’s “Crystal Ball” is one of the best songs from the album of the same title. “Mademoiselle” and “Shooz” are not far behind.
Styx enjoyed an abnormally long period of great, classic albums in a row. After Crystal Ball came The Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight, Cornerstone and Paradise Theatre. With a solid lineup they continued to crank out radio staples. Their music became grander and more conceptual thanks to Dennis DeYoung. Tommy Shaw and JY tended to provide balance with rockier songs. Songs like Dennis’ “The Grand Illusion” are balanced out by Young’s “Miss America” and Shaw’s “Renegade”. Sure, Shaw could write a ballad or two, but his are more rootsy like the acoustic “Boat on a River”.
Through “Come Sail Away”, “Babe”, “The Best of Times” and “Too Much Time on My Hands”, it is impossible to understate how hit-laden this CD set is. “Blue Collar Man”, “Rockin’ the Paradise”…it’s seemingly endless!
Until it ends, right after “Mr. Roboto”. Though their lineup was stable, Styx were volatile. DeYoung was fired at one point for being too controlling. Shaw threatened to quit if the song “First Time” was ever released as a single (it wasn’t and it’s not on here). It came to a head for real with “Roboto”, from 1983’s Kilroy Was Here. Though it went to #3, the tour did poorly and the band were not happy with DeYoung and his rock operatics. Tommy Shaw stated that he couldn’t get into songs about robots (long before he wrote an album about Mars). The Styx Anthology cuts you a break by not subjecting you to their last single before splitting, “Music Time”.
When Styx reformed in 1990 it was without Shaw, who was doing very well in the supergroup Damn Yankees. He was replaced by singer/guitarist Glen Burtnik. Burtnik’s single “Love is the Ritual” is a jarring change. The seven years between it and “Roboto” are audible, as Styx forged a clear hard rock sound with the single. Sporting synth bass and shouted “Hey!’s”, you couldn’t get further from the core Styx sound than “Love is the Ritual”. With the new member singing, it’s hard to hear any similarity to Styx at all. Dennis’ “Show Me the Way” has proven to be a more timeless song. Although it resonated with Americans at the time of the Gulf War, today it is just a great song about keeping the faith.
Styx split again, but reformed with Shaw in 1995. Unfortunately, founding drummer John Panozzo died from years of alcohol abuse and was replaced by the incredible Todd Sucherman. “Dear John” is Sucherman’s first appearance on the disc, a tribute to Panozzo. The somber Tommy Shaw ballad (from 1997’s Return to Paradise) simply had to be included on a Styx anthology. The only Styx studio album ignored on the set is 1999’s Brave New World, and rightfully so. Instead we leap ahead in time for the final song, featuring yet another lineup change, and one of the most significant. Dennis DeYoung was let go and replaced by Canadian solo star Lawrence Gowan. This has proven to be a fortuitous undertaking for both Styx and Gowan. Gowan plays keyboards on “One With Everything” (from 2003’s Cyclorama), an epic six minute Tommy Shaw progressive workout. It’s a brilliant song, and a perfect indication that for Styx, a whole new chapter had opened.*
Do yourself a favour. Go and buy Styx’s new album The Mission, and put The Styx Anthology in the basket too. Then enjoy, and congratulate yourself for a great start on your Styx collection!
5/5 stars
* Two more lineup changes: when bassist Chuck Panozzo fell ill, he became a part time bassist for Styx. Glen Burtnik returned on bass this time and played on Cyclorama. When he left again, he was replaced by Ricky Phillips from Coverdale-Page.
Blotto’s discography was dominated by singles and four track EPs. They had one album, the supremely entertaining Combo Akimbo (1982), and that was that! So, when the CD age rolled around, the suits over at Blottones publishing must have decided to get in on that! Almost all Blotto’s output was reissued in a single CD collection, including the complete album Combo Akimbo.
Blotto’s Collected Works is probably the most logical pit-stop to check out the band on your musical journey. We begun with their hit “I Wanna Be a Lifeguard”, from their debut EP Hello, My Name Is Blotto, What’s Yours?. “Lifeguard” represents the hopes and dreams of a shoe salesman who really just wants to get paid to hang out on a beach all day. Done in the surf-rock style of course. Then “(We Are The) Nowtones” is a musical advertisement for the band you should hire for your next event. “We are the Nowtones! We do Top 40! We wear matching outfits! We look real sporty! Like a living juekbox, we play the hits. Appear in nightclubs that are the pits.”
At this point the compilation presents the Combo Akimbo album in sequence. For my money, I prefer the vinyl. Not only is it a self-contained work, but it’s got way more beef to it. Comparing LP to CD, there is no question which sounds better. Combo Akimbo is blast of an album, but we’ve already reviewed it, so check that out for more detail. The key takeaway for most people will be the song “Metal Head” featuring Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult, which received some MTV and MuchMusic play in the early 80s. For a certain generation, this is the only Blotto song they know due to its presence on the legendary compilation LP Metal For Breakfast.
Blotto’s second EP Across and Down (1980) is also presented in sequence. “She’s Got a Big Boyfriend” has a riff similar to the Beatles’ “Paperback Writer”, but the song goes in another direction — 80s pop rock. Then “Gimme the Girl” is tropical reggae vibes via Albany NY. It’s supremely fun for parties. Run for cover if you’re overly sensitive when “My Baby’s the Star of a Driver’s Ed Movie” begins! The classic ballad stylings contrast with the words. The final Across and Down song is the punk rock scorcher “H.S.H.” — “High School Honey”, a clear winner in any race.
“Lightning Strikes” is a real rarity, from a 1982 indy compilation called Hudson Rock: Fifteen Bands From Albany. It’s an also-ran with nice harmonies but is otherwise largely forgettable. A live version of “I Wanna Be a Lifeguard” is better than the studio original, and it’s another rarity. It was originally released on a low quality flexi-disc that came with a 1987 compilation LP also called I Wanna Be a Lifeguard. Then there’s an amusing song called “The B-side”, from the single for “When the Second Feature Starts”. “The A-side gets all the glory, the B-side, that’s another story…and you’re probably not even listening to this right now!”
The only serious skipper is the cover of “Stop! In the Name of Love” with lead vocals by former singer Blanche Blotto. This B-side from the first EP is campy but not particularly good. The overwrought vocals ruin what might have been a cool disco arrangement. Another dicey inclusion is a “karaoke” mix of “Lifeguard” (eww). A better song to include would have been “Bud…Is After Us” from the first EP which otherwise would have made the CD too long.
Yes, it’s the Collected Works, but there’s still a bit more out there to collect. There’s even another compilation CD called Then More Than Ever from 2000, all unreleased material. Still more to explore; but in the meantime consider Collected Works as a great way to get really, really Blotto.
BLOTTO – Tonight at Toad’s (1982 television broadcast)
Since finally “discovering” Blotto this summer, I’ve already viewed their concert Tonight at Toad’s (3/25/82) numerous times, so much that I know the whole broadcast by heart. The comedic rock band took the stage at Toad’s Place (New Haven, CT) for a TV broadcast. The amicable, well-rehearsed group kept things at all times entertaining.
Blotto opened with the satirical “(We Are) The Nowtones)”, an oldies-style advertisement for a band who’ll play anything you want; and they’ll say “thank you” at the end of every song! It’s a clever little pastiche with even the stage lighting being part of the story.
The second broadcast song, “It’s Not You” was from their then-forthcoming album debut, Combo Akimbo. Guitarist Bowtie Blotto has to tell his girl that it’s all over, but it’s not her fault. “It’s not you, it’s your family that I can’t stand.” With a catchy guitar lick, Bowtie tells it how it is. As soon as Bow takes the girl home, her family goes right into him. “I try, and I try to be cool when they start. But girl, they’re the ones who are tearing us apart!”
Your mother wants to know if I am on drugs, Your brother shows me his collection of bugs, Your aunts don’t like me and your uncles are a bunch of thugs. Your father coughs and blows smoke in my face, He still believes in the superior race, He says if he was president, the world would be a better place.
Dear God, that sounds like a nightmare. But it gets worse!
Don’t take it personally, It’s just all those little things, Like when I come over and your father tells me, “don’t park in the driveway ’cause your car drips oil on the new white pebbles!” And then when I come inside, the cat jumps all over my lap, and gets hair all over my shirt and pants! And your grandmother sits on the newspaper and gets it all wrinkled and balled up, I can’t even read it. And your sister brings out her scrap book, she wants me to look at all of her old prom pictures. I mean, who cares! And your brother wants me to help him with his science project, dissecting frogs! Oh, what a mess! And then when I go in the bathroom, and wash my hands, and all they have is soft soap, and my hands smell like coconuts, and I can’t dry ’em on those little guest towels, so I gotta dry ’em on my shirt, which is already covered with cat hair!
What a great little pop rock tune, though. That’s the thing about Blotto. Even if mixing comedy and rock (a dicey proposition to be sure) isn’t your bag, there’s no denying Blotto were top-notch. The musicianship and especially their singing was always spot-on. They could tackle multiple styles easily, and had an arsenal of three lead singers (Bowtie, Broadway and Sergeant Blotto) to harmonize. They also just wrote good songs.
Broadway goes next with “Occupational Hazard”, also from the forthcoming album. Enjoy this decent rock n’ roll track about the dangers of being in a band. Another good tune: if the songs were not good enough, the lyrics wouldn’t carry the show alone.
Blotto’s big hit was 1979’s “I Wanna Be a Lifeguard” from their debut EP. Sergeant Blotto leads the charge to the beach in this surf-rock new-wave anthem. Poor Sarge, stuck working in a shoe store all summer. His dream job? Being a lifeguard of course! “I want an ocean, and some sunscreen lotion. Take me to the beach with a thousand pretty girls in reach!” Sounds awesome Sarge, sign us up.
The show takes a break for an interview with the five Blotto members, including bassist Cheese and drummer Lee Harvey. They talk about the still-untitled album and banter about naturally. Why were Blotto not huge? Watching this video, it’s easy to imagine Blotto appealing to many. The legend goes that they were once offered a major label deal but would have lost creative control. They chose to put out their album on Blotto Records instead. Maybe if they had signed with the label…? Who knows. Watch this interview yourself and see a band that coulda woulda shoulda.
Back to the music. “Goodbye, Mr. Bond” is sung by the evil villain “Dr. Bow”. Any Bond fan will take delight in this spy adventure. Will Bond escape this time? “I could kill you right now, but no! There’s a better way…” That usually doesn’t go well for the villain, but the song goes on the verge of progressive rock during an instrumental breakdown. “Goodbye, Mr. Bond” flows seamlessly into a cover of “Secret Agent Man” with Sarge on lead vocals.
Kids of the 80s remember Blotto for one song: “Metal Head”. Sergeant Blotto’s friends are gettin’ worried. He’s turning into a heavy metal head! It has all the necessary ingredients for a metal song: Solid riff, howlin’ vocals, ripping guitar solos, thunderous drum fills, and screams aplenty.
This great little show is a wonderful way for you to enjoy the next 45 minutes of your life. Get Blotto.
4/5 stars
(We Are) The Nowtones (from 1979’s EP Hello! My Name Is Blotto. What’s Yours?)
It’s Not You (from 1982’s Combo Akimbo)
Occupational Hazard (from Combo Akimbo)
I Wanna Be a Lifeguard (from Hello! My Name Is Blotto. What’s Yours?)
Blotto were just too much fun! A variety of rocking styles and amusing lyrics makes Combo Akimbo, their only studio album, a blast to listen to front to back.
Singer Sergeant Blotto takes lead vocals on “Too Much Fun”, a punky vintage Alice Cooper rock and roll romp, powered through a particle accelerator. For track two, guitarist Bowtie Blotto leads. “It’s Only Money” is just pure and simple rock and roll: Kiss with a hint of early Beatles. Broadway Blotto (guitar) takes over lead vocals on “Scream”. It’s a pleasantly New Wave 80s-sounding rock song with a great chorus, aided and abetted by Sarge and Bowtie. “I Quit” (vocals by Broadway) is a perfect rock anthem for those who wanna take this job and shove it. Sassy, fun rock and roll.
The most legendary of the songs is of course “Metal Head”, lead vocals by Sarge. It’s a funny and uncomplicated story of what could happen if you too inadvertently become a metal head. Done in the metal style, Sarge complains that “suddenly there’s an endless void where I used to keep my brain”. It plays on the 80s brain-dead metalhead stereotype, but for a comedy song it works. “Wanna customize my van, and I don’t even own one.” That’s Buck Dharma from Blue Oyster Cult on lead guitar (and in the video). Dig those four (count ‘em!) false endings.
Side two is just as much fun as side one. “It’s Not You” boasts chiming, jangly guitars and catchy everything. Bowtie proclaims that “It’s not you, it’s your family I can’t stand!” It’s just a quick blast of gleeful complaining. “Occupational Hazard” sounds, strangely enough, like an outtake from Peter Criss’ first solo album…if it was the best song on the album. It has that old-timey style that Pete was so good at back then…but better. Then the very New Wave rock-styled “When the Second Feature Starts” is a memento of the old drive-in days. Kissing through the cartoons, fogging up the windows…remember what it was like?
Possibly the most intriguing and entertaining song on the album is closer “Goodbye, Mr. Bond”. From the perspective of the villain who has just captured 007, it’s a brilliant homage to the greatest spy of all time. “We’ve been expecting you, monsieur Bond.” The bad guy invites him to sit and chat before discussing how Bond should die. “This is your last interference. I could shoot you right now, but NO! Hahahaha, there’s a better way!” We all know how it goes from there! “Goodbye, Mr. Bond” is a treat whether you like the super spy or not. The music captures the Bond essence and the lyrics pay tribute to both the good and bad Bond clichés.
What a blast Combo Akimbo is. It’s not an outstanding classic album by any stretch, but it’s fun, doesn’t overstay its welcome, and every song is good. Worth tracking down if only for “Metal Head” and “Goodbye, Mr. Bond”.
In 1987, the stage was set for a new exciting sound to challenge the successful glam metal scene. Some thought that metal had become gluttonous and bloated, filled with commercial aspirations that betrayed the genre’s roots. The alternative revolution started not with Nirvana’s Nevermind, but four years earlier when Jane’s Addiction chose to begin their recording career in an unorthodox way. They decided to make their debut LP a live album. Several of the songs on this live album would never be re-recorded for a studio LP, leaving these the only official versions of the songs. At the height of the glam metal craze, Jane’s Addiction was a much needed breath of fresh air in the rock world. Many different styles of rock were being played on the Sunset Strip, but up to this point only the more pop-oriented groups were receiving mainstream attention. This self-titled album at points is a heavier, more aggressive album than a lot of the stuff that was being passed off as “metal” at the time, without actually being metal. At other points, it displays an emphasis on songwriting depth over quick catchy gang chorus melodies. The ballads on this album are of an organic nature, and acoustic guitars play a dominant role in the proceedings.
Jane’s Addiction is an emotionally honest offering. It is a very passionate and energetic recording that shows the full dynamic of the band better than any of their later releases. While their first two studio albums are superior efforts overall, they don’t display the many different influences of the group’s sound as clearly as they do on this record. While they would distill those influences into something truly unique and original on Nothing’s Shocking and Ritual de lo Habitual, this eponymous album shows the influences spread out further into different songs, offering a unique glimpse into what makes the band’s later material tick. Compare the brash speedy opener “Trip Away” with the earnest bass driven ballad “I Would for You”. Or the dirty distorted Zeppelin style struts of “Pigs in Zen” with the acoustic roots rock of “My Time”. It’s a unique experience that doesn’t at all feel like a band trying to find their footing, but one that is about to achieve their full potential.
This concert at The Roxy Theatre captures them as raw as the band would ever be. The recording isn’t stellar, but the production fits the music quite well. The music is emotionally raw and open, so the recording should and does match. Some studio overdubs were utilized during post-production, but these don’t bother you in a way that they would on another live album. Despite being recorded live, Jane’s Addiction doesn’t feel like a conventional live record in the way it progresses. This recording was meant to be an introduction to the band, and it seems as though they thought that the best way to capture the pure power of their sound would be to record the basics in a live setting, while enhancing the recordings with additional guitars, drum parts, and things of that nature to create a hybrid. You get the power of a live recording, with the addition of multiple guitars to hold down the rhythm when Dave Navarro takes a solo. These overdubs aren’t deceitful, because the band doesn’t make any effort to conceal them. They are simply meant to augment to original recording, to give the songs the best possible presentation on the band’s first outing.
The songs themselves are superb. Jane’s Addiction had a well of talent from all four members. In the inspired tribal beats of Stephen Perkins, who is better described as a percussionist than as a drummer. In the urgent bass lines of Eric Avery, whose playing propels the songs along and keeps them from plodding. In the great feeling of Dave Navarro, who isn’t the flashiest player, but knows how to fill space and throws in some of his tastiest soloing to the aggressive punkish “Whores”, one of the heaviest tunes on here that blends the aforementioned punk influences with a metallic sheen and a good portion of spirited melodic vocal chants from Perry Farrell that call to mind a world music influence. Perry Farrell’s voice is more aggressive and gravelly on this recording compared to his screechy sound on later albums. He’s not a great singer, but he possesses a unique voice that sells the material with conviction. His lyrical abilities are also superlative, with many of them being very personal.
Nowhere is this more evident than on “Jane Says”, an early version of the song that would later become their biggest hit on Nothing’s Shocking. The song is just two chords, yet the words tell a tale that is so entrancing that it maintains attention throughout its entire run time. It’s a song about a real life woman that Perry Farrell knew named Jane, and her struggle with drugs and abusive relationships. The re-recorded version is superior, but it’s interesting to hear how the song got its start. It conveys a message that many living in modern society can relate with. The feelings of being so overwhelmed and disenfranchised with your current way of life that simple change is not enough to satisfy you. You feel as though you need to completely overhaul your life, and leave what you have behind to start a new beginning in a foreign land “…Jane Says I’m going away to Spain…”, but practical reasons keep you from fulfilling that daydream “…when I get my money saved…”. It’s truly an alt-rock classic, proving that you don’t need hundreds of layers of backing vocals to write a song that connects with people.
To offer their fans an even greater connection to the music, they use familiarity in two spirited covers. Lou Reed’s “Rock & Roll”, and Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil”, known here as simply “Sympathy”. These cover versions are done in the band’s style, and actually expand upon the originals thanks to Dave Navarro’s perfectly melodic playing in “Rock & Roll” and the unmistakable percussive backbone from Stephen Perkins in “Sympathy”. All the band’s strengths come together on“My Time”, one of the finest selections on the entire album. It’s a folksy rock song with acoustic guitar and harmonica parts, complimented by the perfect amount of percussive flair. This song is more melodic than many of the others on the album, and gives the listener a transcendent feeling. It’s one of those songs that is so beautiful and so moving that it makes the listener feel as though they’ve broken through some new musical barrier, and are floating in a state of emotional and sonic bliss. “My Time” is even more potent when listened to on headphones, and under the dark cover of the night.
As the night wears on, the record bookends “Trip Away” with “Chip Away”, containing some tribal beats and appropriate African influenced chanting from Perry Farrell. While Jane’s Addiction would garner endless acclaim for their first two studio efforts for Warner Brothers, this independent live debut on Triple X would go sadly overlooked. The band can be considered the alternative spiritual successor of Led Zeppelin. However, their music and style is clearly their own. They capture the transcendental sprawl, intensity, and intimacy of listening to a Led Zeppelin album in a way that copycats like Kingdom Come or Greta Van Fleet cannot.* Those two bands and others like them can ape Zeppelin riffs, vocal styles, and stage moves, but they don’t capture that unique and adventurous feeling that listening to one of their records always brings. Jane’s Addiction manages to capture that feeling three times over, with the first of those three times being on this absolutely enchanting live outing.
4.9/5 stars (only because the next two are even better)
1. “Trip Away”
2. “Whores”
3. “Pigs in Zen”
4. “1%”
5. “I Would for You”
6. “My Time”
7. “Jane Says”
8. “Rock n Roll” (Velvet Underground cover)
9. “Sympathy” (Rolling Stones cover)
10. “Chip Away”
STYX – Caught in the Act – Live (1984 A&M, 2018 BGO reissue)
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