Melissa the Troll logged in at 1 AM last night to tell me that my opinion does not matter. I did not need Melissa to tell me that, but who is going to tell Melissa that her opinion matters just as much?
Melissa left a comment on my Avril Lavigne – Under My Skin review. Apparently her math isn’t that great, as she didn’t realize that my 3.5/5 score = 7/10, a pretty good review. She probably didn’t like that I found a few songs to be “shit”, but what can you do? It’s not like my opinions actually matter.
Jen and I took a Friday off so we could make a long weekend at the lake. With three days to ourselves, good food and good music were a given!
Music for the road trip up:
Ace Frehley – Bronx Boy
AC/DC – Power Up
Deep Purple – Deep Purple
Upon arrival, I spun the usual Kiss on the porch, until 9:00 PM at which point I tuned in to Thursday Night Record Club with Brent Jensen and Alex Huard, discussing AC/DC’s Back In Black.
We filled the weekend with food (pork chops, steaks, trout, and veggies) and more music (lots of Kiss and Iron Maiden). We enjoyed a few nice walks in the cool summer air. Yes, it was a chilly one, but we still managed a game of Monopoly on the back porch, in the open air. Our money never blew away once!
What did blow me away? Listening to Iron Maiden’s Live After Death on the back porch. It was like 1986 all over again, but only if 1986 had digital quality sound on the back porch! We also played some music for Grampa Winter, who would have cranked Kenny Rogers’ Greatest Hits and “The Gambler”. Except he did it on vinyl with some big old speakers mounted on the front of his bunkhouse.
Friday night I did an excellent live show with Rob Daniels and Harrison Kopp, showing off some incredible collectables. This enabled me to do some stop motion with my new phone/camera, which turned out really cool. The new camera is also finally capable of capturing some of the majesty of Kincardine sunsets. I was impressed with the results and intend to use it frequently all summer. Another feature is slow motion, which I used to capture some fire and waves.
It was over all too quickly.
Music for the drive home:
Peter Criss – Out of Control
Peter Criss – Let Me Rock You
Criss – Cat #1 (Half)
I can’t explain why I chose those, but every once in a while, you need to listen to some Peter Criss. So I did.
Please enjoy the video of the weekend, all the sound of Max the Axe, below.
The opening boops and bops of lead single “Now” sounded like some pop band from Sweden, not Def Leppard. Worse, they sounded desperate.
The last studio album Euphoria was sonically calculated to bring back the good old days, but only sold half a million copies in the US, in a case of diminishing returns. To turn the ship around commercially, professional hitmakers Marti Frederiksen, Per Aldeheim and Andreas Carlsson were employed to help produce. Songs from professional songwriters were used. The band’s core sound was watered down and only now and then does the real Def Leppard surface for air.
It has been argued that eliminating the first single (and first track) “Now” would strengthen the album. While may be, we simply cannot ignore this track co-written by pro Marti Frederiksen. While opens with clicks and wheezes like a life support machine, acoustic guitars and keyboards set up the tune. Dark, soft and unimpressive until the main guitar hook kicks in at the chorus. But the chorus is lifeless and uninspiring. Only the chunky guitars have any impact, unfortunately hobbled by more clicks and sonic idiocy. At least drummer Rick Allen, who co-wrote this and a number of the album tracks, sounds lethal.
The sonic blemishes go unabated on the ballad “Unbelievable”, written entirely by hitmakers including Max Martin. The drum and sound effect programming is irritating and adds absolutely nothing to do the song. Only on the chorus, where Leppard drown it out with their harmonies, do we get relief. On X, Def Leppard had reach Peak Ballad, and that’s not a good thing. Their reliance on them was hurting their credibility as a rock band. If their voices were not so recognizable, you would not have been able to identity “Unbelievable” as a Def Leppard song.
Fortunately “You’re So Beautiful” has some spark. This upbeat pop rocker has a nice, laid back chug and very sweet harmonies. It’s not overly encumbered by programming. Phil Collen sings a chunk of it which adds another element. It’s decent.
More acoustics abound on “Everyday”, making us wonder if Leppard ever intend to rock on this album. As far as pop rock goes, “Everyday” is pretty good, with some pretty undeniable hooks. Expertly constructed with the aid of Frederiksen, “Everyday” is a keeper.
One of Leppard’s softest ballads is “Long, Long Way to Go” written by One Direction hitmakers Wayne Hector and Steve Robson. Fortunately it’s a song that Leppard makes work. Rich strings and heavy production do not impede this time. There’s an acoustic version included on the Japanese version of the album that lacks a lot of the excess, and is actually superior. Fortunately, that version is included on a later CD in The CD Collection Volume 3. “Long, Long Way to Go” is an album highlight. Even though they didn’t write it, it deserves to sit up there with some of Leppard’s best balladeering.
“Four Letter Word” is the first actual rocker, even though it steals part of its riff from the superior “Armageddon It”. Decent song, but unfortunately a knockoff. Better is “Torn to Shreds” which is ballady, but still boasts a pretty tough chorus. This song has a pop sound that implies it was cowritten by a hitmaker, but it was not. This is all Leppard. They were reaching for pop but at least they let it loose a bit on the chorus.
Irritating sound effects return on “Love Don’t Lie”, like ants at a picnic that just won’t go away. Not a bad song, with a nice stuttery guitar part that would be nice to hear breathing on its own. It’s not a total loss but the production is really un-rock in every way. Now, let’s not get into an argument about being open minded, or categorising Leppard as a “rock” band. Leppard have long called themselves a pop group, and that’s fine. There’s that, and there’s a step too far into sonic indigestion, and that’s where we are. Having said all this, the single “Gravity” is one of the most offensive of the songs. It could have been Backstreet Boys or N*Sync with guitars. Or worse.
“Cry” introduces the concept of a “guitar riff” to the X album. Too little, too late, on an unremarkable song. “Girl Like You” is a better song, but the programming and digital gunk are still there hovering in the background like a computer virus. At this point, patience is wearing this and we just want this album to end. One more ballad to endure, “Let Me Be the One” is over quickly, but what is the point? There are so many ballads seeping into the Leppard catalogue at this point in time, and few of them are notable.
Fortunately, X ends on the best song, “Scar”. Though not as heavy as “White Lightning” or as memorable as “Gods Of War”, “Scar” has that kind of dark edgy vibe. It checks pretty much all the boxes. It has a riff, a good melody, some very vintage Leppard-y guitar work, and great harmonies. One of X‘s strengths is the care put into the deeply layered vocals, a Leppard trait unheard to this degree since Hysteria. It truly is a cool sound.
There were a number of bonus tracks and B-sides available to augment your X experience for better or for worse. Japan had two bonus tracks: the aforementioned acoustic “Long, Long Way to Go” and “Kiss the Day”, another slow pseudo-rocker. The official website used to offer a song called “Perfect Girl”, which is a better demo of “Gravity”. All these and more such as “10 X Bigger Than Love” are now in the box set, and we’ll take a closer look at those songs when we get to disc four of The CD Collection Volume 3.
Oh, and why X as the title? Counting Retro-Active and Vault, it’s their tenth album. Yeah, Vault shouldn’t count, but what can you do?
If you were making a Def Leppard Best Of CD set (which, nine years after Vault, was Leppard’s next move), you could make a good case for including two songs from X, those being “Scar” and “Long, Long Way to Go” (preferably the acoustic version). Is that what Def Leppard did? Find out next time.
For fun, this is a stop motion of our game of Monopoly. I took a picture after every move and Jen beat me in about an hour.
It was a bloodbath. Jen (the train) started strong with some railroad and utility purchases. Mike (the race car) got bogged down early on with a long string of bad rolls leading to only three properties owned. Jen quickly snapped up the second utility, Park Place, and all four Railroads. Mike collected all the Greens, and began building houses, but was wiped out by the Railroads. When Jen finally bought the last property left, Boardwalk, it was all over. The hotels built were never used. It was the Electric Company that dealt the fatal blow and left Mike’s car piece in a wreck.
This deluxe Monopoly has old fashioned wooden houses and hotels, metal markers, organizers for all the cards and money, and proper storage for everything while boxed. For a neat and tidy traditional game of Monopoly (or with whatever traditional rules you play with), this is our go-to version.
From last night’s show Cool Collectables, here’s the animation of Transformers Earthrise Scorponok transforming from Scorpion to robot mode. This took about an hour to make. Toy includes DK-19 upgrade kit by DNA Design,
The always difficult-to-please Chris Sarre called this a “Top Five” show last night, and I’m flattered but have to agree with him! Thanks to Rob from Visions In Sound, and Harrison the Man Metal Man for showing off your music and entertainment collectables last night. From rare CDs, autographs and Australian exclusives, to board games, books and odds n’ ends, we saw a lot of cool items with great stories behind them.
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike & Friends
Episode 111 – Cool Collectables! Helix bass, Rob Daniels and Harrison Kopp!
Tonight I’ll be showing off some previously unseen treasures of my collection. The summer months offer a wealth of riches, including a variety of things at the cottage. From books and magazines to toys and games, and finally my new acoustic bass formerly owned by the late Don Simmons of Helix, there will be plenty of fun things to look at tonight. Rob from Visions In Sound, and Harrison the Man Metal Man will be on hand as well with their own treasures.
While this episode will be less focused on music than usual, it will be 100% zoomed-in on fun.
NOTE: I am not a musician, so no song requests on the new bass! I am a casual fan just looking to fart around to some records this summer on the porch. We will be taking a nice close look at the bass but I will not be able to play you a song.
As always, your participation is encouraged and desired. As David Lee Roth said, “It ain’t no good without an audience” so please like, share and join us live!
In 2005, near the end of my sad reign as Record Store Manager, I was working at the head office branch. There was a door in the back of the store that lead to an office space with several desks, and a warehouse area for supplies. It was like the Great Wall. On one side sat the the elite who laughed as they made the decisions, what stock we were carrying, and other sundry details that came down from on high. On the other side, we the rabble that worked behind the counter serving the unwashed public.
Or at least that’s how they made it feel to me. The cold detachment. It was always unnerving when you could hear them discussing your store behind the wall.
Either way it was clear by 2005 that I was the old guard on my way out. Management was unprofessional, and some of us couldn’t help noticing that other stores got away with things that mine didn’t, perhaps due to personal relationships. This is not only my observance but that of others in the know. So I knew the deck was stacked against me until I eventually made my move to depart.
The only door to the back office was filthy with fingerprints when I took over that store. You know how the area around a doorknob gets blackened with the dirt and grime of the years since last painting? I was shocked, because I inherited that store from someone who seemed to be more preferred than I was. One week I decided to scrub that door, and surrounding wall, clean.
Anytime management were not around that week, such as the night shifts, I would get out the cleaning products and scrub. It took a few days, but eventually I got all the black off the door and wall. They were as fresh as the day they were painted. The grossness was gone.
I waited for someone in management to notice, but notice never came.
A week or two later, I asked someone if they noticed I had cleaned all the grime off the door?
QUEENSRŸCHE – “Days O Deth” (2014 demo, released 2021 online by Scott Rockenfield)
If any rock band has had the #1 weirdest drama going on in their history, Queensryche must be considered a front runner. First there was the “spitting incident” and 2012 split with Geoff Tate. This drama was swiftly followed by the existence of two completely different bands touring and releasing albums as “Queensryche”. The Queensryche brand issue was settled in a 2014 lawsuit, with original members Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson and Scott Rockenfield winning the rights to the name for their version of the group. A year after, Scott Rockenfield took a six-month touring leave from the band, and never returned. It appears Scott was finally fired from Queensryche in 2018 due to non-participation. He has not been active with the group since their excellent 2015 Condition Hüman album, the last to feature the drummer in any regard. Queensryche carried on with vocalist Todd La Torre playing drums in the studio, and Kamelot’s Casey Grillo drumming live.
Then suddenly in 2021, Scott Rockenfield came out breaking the silence! Presenting a new (now defunct) “Queensryche2021” website, Rockenfield essentially declared his own version of Queensryche. Pictures on his site were Wilton and Jackson, but not La Torre, for whom he spared no ire. Calling La Torre a “subcontracted employee”, he unilaterally declared the current active Queensryche illegitimate.
Proclaiming “Welcome to the New World” on his site, he posted “R ya READY TO F***in’ ROCK !!!?? ….I AM !!!!!!!” [sic]
You can always tell how serious a press release is by the number of exclamation points, question marks, and ellipsis are used.
Aside from a lot of sniping, Rockenfield promised new music in 2021, but only offered one old demo. Ironically this demo from 2014 features his nemesis Todd La Torre on lead vocals! For 99 cents, you could download “Days O Deth” from his now-defunct website. With the website gone, so now too is the track.
“Days O Deth” is a shorter demo version of what became “Toxic Remedy” on 2015’s Condition Hüman. Missing is the opening guitar harmony, as it goes into a riff that was refined for the final version. Instead of the very ‘Ryche-ian guitar harmonies that “Toxic Remedy” opens with, this one focuses on the pounding of the riff. It’s quite cool that way. The verses are pretty much intact as is the chorus. While the final “Toxic Remedy” sounds more Queensryche, this demo is rougher, heavier and perhaps a touch more unique as to how it treats the riff section.
One can be certain that the legitimate members of Queensryche never saw a penny of the 99 cents paid for this download. Therefore it is understandable if a fan chose not to pay for a demo track that Queensryche certainly deserved compensation for. Until events unfold further, perhaps in courts, we can have no real idea what is going on with Scott Rockenfield’s role in Queensryche. Which is unfortunate, as diehard fans no doubt would very much want and enjoy this demo. Will it ever see an official release? See above. Events will unfold as they will.
URGE OVERKILL “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” (1994 CD Single)
“Sister Havana” may have put Nash Kato and Eddie “King” Roeser on the map, but it was their Neil Diamond cover “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” that put them in the ears of almost 10,000,000 Pulp Fiction soundtrack buyers. Even the Tarantino novice knows that the auteur director has a way and a vision with soundtracks. Urge Overkill were the beneficiaries of that vision when their 1992 cover (from the Stull EP) was used in one of the most dramatic, well performed and memorable scenes in Pulp Fiction. You remember it well, don’t you? Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman), who seems to only own Urge Overkill on a reel to reel tape*, hits “play” and starts singing and dancing around the room. Meanwhile, Vincent Vega (John Travolta) is having a moment with himself in the bathroom with a monologue about loyalty. Then Mia finds a baggie of heroin in his coat pocket, mistakes it for coke, and overdoses. Blood runs down her nose as Nash sings, “Soon, you’ll be a woman”. Powerful imagery.
It would have made more sense for Neil Diamond to be on the reel to reel tape, but let’s not complain. Urge Overkill’s cover is brilliant, not deviating far from the original. As the song sways and cha-chas like Mia Wallace in her mansion, the trio are accompanied by piano, acoustics and percussion. Kato nails the vibe vocally; his voice is just lower and rougher than Neil Diamond’s.
The single has two B-sides: One from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack and one from Urge Overkill’s Saturation album (on which “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” does not appear). “Dropout” from Saturation is an unexpected tune, focused on a synth-y beat, a couple acoustic guitars and a single keyboard hook. Lead vocals are by drummer Blackie Onassis, accompanied by subtle female backing vocals. It’s actually a really cool song, difficult to describe adequately. It’s stripped down and laid back with minimal sound effects and a focus on the way the vocals are layered. You would not think it was the same band who did the first track! This cut is slightly edited down at the end from the album version, by 10 seconds.
Finally The Tornadoes close the single with their surf-rock instrumental “Bustin’ Surfboards” from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. Think back to the film and you’ll remember this music. Jody, Rosanna Arquette’s piercing-obsessed character, is playing the tune when Travolta comes by to score some drugs from Eric Stoltz. This is a vintage track, featuring the sound of crashing waves over the surfin’ guitars and whammy bars.
When you think about it, the track listing for this single is actually quite cool. For the average Pulp Fiction fan, they were getting a second Urge Overkill song that they wouldn’t have come across otherwise. For the UO fan, they were getting the A-side and a Tornadoes tune from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack that they might dig. Something for both scenarios.
And yes, before you ask, the “damaged” CD artwork seen below is just part of the artwork. Like an old worn pulp fiction novel.
4/5 stars
* Teac were still making reel to reel machines in the early 90s.
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