A terrific show tonight, as we (literally in some cases) dusted off some rare rock and roll collectables. All apologies for showing off my ample stomach; fortunately you got to see some equally ample collections as well! Kiss, Leppard, Maiden, Sabbath…we brought you some of the coolest vintage items and stories to go with them. Ticket stubs? Lots! Tour programs? Got ’em. Things you didn’t know existed? Check that box off as well. Random stuff sent to us by Aaron? Aye carumba!
Guests tonight included John Snow who has a nice collection of autographs, and Harrison Kopp with some rare old CDs.
Next week is the 2 year anniversary LeBrain Train with Rob Daniels and Tee Bone (and hopefully more)! Thanks for watching, as we roll into a 3rd year of the Train!
This is a show that people have been wanting for a long time! So what do we do? We give the people what they want!
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike & Friends
Episode 102 – “Snow” and Tell: Rock and Roll Collectables
Tonight on the LeBrain Train, Mike will be joined by John Snow of 2Loud2OldMusic fame once more, to compare collectables! “Show and Tell” shows are always casual and fun, and this one will be special! While our collections are modest compared to some, they aren’t too shabby and should be more than enough to keep you entertained on a Friday night. We will be joined by Harrison the Mad Metal Man who has a couple cool things to show off as well. What will we see? Action figures, Funko Pops, tour programs, ticket stubs and lots more! (Personally, I hope to see the world’s only Blaze Bayley bobblehead.)
As for me, I intend to tear apart my music room live tonight, to show you everything I can! Some items, like my Spinal Tap and Beatles figures, are in storage. There’s still plenty here to enjoy! I have old newspaper clippings and all sorts of cool stuff to rediscover here. Grab a beverage and settle for a fun Friday with us tonight!
In my 20s and early 30s, I used to think I would love nothing more than I love music.
It’s an easy conclusion when people let you down, but a good song never would.
When love hits you for real, everything changes. You have to redefine everything. What once seemed crucially important now seems trivial. What used to have your undivided attention now competes with something nearer and dearer to the heart. It happens. There’s nothing wrong with that; in fact it’s a good thing to have in your life. I don’t think Paul Stanley will mind that there’s something more important to me now than a collection of songs.
Love is heaven, and love is hell.
Love is hell when the one you care for is sick and it kills you inside every time to see them hurt.
Love is hell when their suffering stabs you in the heart and leaves you in agony.
Love is hell when there’s nothing you can do about it.
Epilepsy is hell.
It’s hell for the person who has it and it’s hell for the people who care.
Epilepsy is hell when you see someone in a seizure and can do nothing until it has run its course.
Epilepsy is hell when someone falls and you’re too late to stop it.
Epilepsy leaves marks. Sometimes, you don’t even know where they came from. “You must have fallen,” I said to Jen. But when? How could she not know? Purple bruises decorate her chest, her arms, even her face. People see bruises and they judge. They assume. They look at you funny.
I would have done anything to catch her fall. But how can I when I can’t be everywhere all the time?
The facial bruise stares back at me, and it makes me turn my head. I can’t look at it. It’s horrible. It makes me want to break down and cry. How could this have happened? But there’s nothing I could have done. I wasn’t there and she has no memory of it. We can only guess and sometimes that leads the imagination to come up with far worse, far scarier scenarios.
Even when the seizure is over, the afterburn can go on for hours. Sometimes it’s like sleepwalking. She’s completely unaware of what’s going on, but she’s able to unlock a door and leave the house. It’s happened before, at least three times. Once I found her wandering the hallway, bumping into a wall. Once she left the house in the middle of the night and I only realized she was gone when the phone rang. She was trying to buzz herself back into the building, terrified. She had no idea how she got out there. The third time, I noticed the house had gone quiet and she was nowhere to be found. I discovered her walking in a daze up King St., in the cold, with no shoes on.
I’m usually able to stop her. No mean feat; she’s strong.
Yesterday was awful.
I was working on a project. I heard her coughing, and I ran out into the living room. She was fine, just something went down the wrong pipe. I admonished myself for panicking. But then, 10 minutes later, there was more noise, like mumbling. I ran back into the living room to find her in a full-blown seizure. Her lips were blue and she was making unintelligible sounds. It passed quickly and she laid down on the couch to rest, completely zonked. Then the worst came. The next sound I heard was the door opening. Sure enough, she was on her way out again, unaware of her situation.
I don’t know how, but I somehow managed to race out there and position myself between her and the already open doorway. It is like a blur to me now and I have no idea how I did that. It was teleportation, or a miracle. I slammed and locked the door and kept myself jammed against it. Even in her dazed state, she kept unlocking the door and reaching for the knob. She kept repeating, “Sweety, I have to go,” but could not respond to questions. She had no idea she had no shoes on. I stood there in front of that door for a solid 10 to 15 minutes, as she tried to move me out of her way. I resisted, but she is strong, and I was terrified that if she pulled at me and I didn’t budge, that she would fall backwards and hurt herself worse.
The neurologist wants me to try and get video of these kinds of episodes. How??
I struggled, wrestling with her, trying to keep her hands away from the door knob. She cried in pain when her wrist twisted in my hands. It was the worst feeling in the world — for me.
After what seemed like millennia, she grew weary or perhaps forgot what it was she was doing. She went back to the bed, to sleep it off. It took almost three hours of sleep for her to return fully to normal. Or at least, whatever passes for “normal” when this is the life you have.
My “normal” now is a constant state of alert. I am always listening. I have to be. It’s a constant state of anxiety that rarely subsides. It is the life I live now. It’s like when the Starship Enterprise is at yellow alert. I’m at yellow alert almost all the time. I go to red alert when she’s in danger. Red alert happens every few weeks. It seems like I’m rarely in condition green. We have a system where she’s supposed to text me every 30 minutes when she’s out alone, which helps keep me calm. It’s not perfect but what else can I do? You could say “just don’t worry about things you can’t control”, but after 10 years of conditioning, my nerves are shot. It’s hard to make a plan for your night, let alone your life, when this happens.
But here’s the thing.
Love is hell, but the truth is, it is also heaven. The good always outweighs the bad. I would not trade my place with anyone. I am where I want to be. With the person I love. Through good and bad. Sickness and health. That’s what we swore to, and that’s the way it is. If this is my life, so be it. I just have to learn to live with it, and I’m trying every day to get a little better at that.
Sometimes the easiest way to make a video is to do it live. Last night I unboxed four new arrivals from Japan!
There’s one seller in Japan who has dozens of items on my wishlist. They’ve helped me add many long-sought items to my library over the years. This time, I added to my Scorpions and ZZ Top collections, while taking a chance on a serious Iron Maiden rarity that was priced inexplicably cheap.
Wanna see how it turned out? Watch the short video below.
“Steamrock fever, screaming rock believers.” – Klaus Meine, 1977 “Scream for me screamers, I’m a rock believer.” – Klaus Meine, 2022
SCORPIONS – Rock Believer (2022 Universal 2 CD edition)
The album of the year could be from a 57 year old band!
Although they’ve been trying hard, off and on, to recreate the past for the last 20 years or so, Scorpions never convinced us it was the 1980s again. Until now.
Whatever happened (be it the intense focus granted by a worldwide pandemic, or just the magic of interpersonal chemistry), Scorpions have issued their best record since Love At First Sting. Even the cover art recalls an earlier time in Scorpions history. With Rock Believer, the band have proven that time is no obstacle.
There are a lot of songs here and almost all of them are highlights. Opener “Gas in the Tank” feels like vintage, top-notch Scorpions. While Matthias Jabs emulates the sound of a car chase on his guitar, Rudolph Schenker lays down the first of many fully-leaded riffs. Though vocalist Klaus Meine no longer screams all the time, neither does Ian Gillan or very many other singers his age. The singer is still recognizable as nobody else, hanging onto his power and range. Nowhere on the album do you miss the screaming. Never do you say “all this song needed was a scream.” With the title “Gas in the Tank”, Klaus Meine may have unknowingly come up with a new anthem for 2022.
The only track that comes off as substandard by comparison is the second one, “Roots In My Boots”. On any past album from Crazy World on, it would be a high-speed highlight. On Rock Believer, we headbang along knowing that something better is coming. The chorus fails to land and neither do the lyrics. We are redeemed on third track “Knock ‘Em Dead”, which has the patented mid-80s Scorpions chug. Throw some candy-coated Matthias fills on top and it’s the classic sound. Klaus mentions “The Zoo” in the lyrics but it’s not all Judas Priest-like self-referencing (though there’s plenty of it on this album).
The gem of the album is “Rock Believer“, a truly remarkable ballad/rocker that strikes all the boxes. Klaus’ vocal performance is truly remarkable, going from forceful to tender in a single line. I am a rock believer like you too, Klaus. “Rock Believer” is an example of hard rock songwriting perfection. Every ingredient and aspect of the performance is flawless. Nothing extraneous, although drummer Mikkey Dee gets to go a little nuts at the end, which is a brilliant touch. It is rare to hear a song as immediately catchy as “Rock Believer” these days, but here you go, rock believers! This chorus is the kind that can stick in your head for the whole of a long weekend. (Trust me.)
A loud gothic riff on “Shining Of Your Soul” gives way to a familiar lighter reggae vibe similar to Scorpions classic “In Trance”. It’s a brilliant melding of two styles, and one that reaches back to the glorious 1970s era of the band. Certainly not a re-write of “In Trance”, but possibly a sequel. Jabs’ solo is absolutely brilliant, but don’t ignore underappreciated bassist Paweł Mąciwoda who brings a schooled melodic approach.
“Seventh Sun” stomps like the Scorps of old, recalling “The Zoo”. The bass leads the way while a sharp, sparse riff punctuates the song. It sounds like a huge mammoth of a beast, prowling heavily through the steppe. Scorpions don’t lose sight of melody and so “Seventh Sun” is strong in this regard as well. At 5:30, it is longest song on the album and closest to an epic.
Back to high-octane rockers, “Hot and Cold” really kicks. The riff is heavy and Paweł really goes for those low bass notes. While the chorus on this song is fine and dandy, it could be an example of a tune where the verses are superior. At least in terms of interesting and mind-grabbing guitar work, they are. Soon there’s another stinging riff, on the thrash-paced “When I Lay My Bones to Rest”. If you like your hard rock blasting fast and loud, then you will love “When I Lay My Bones to Rest”. Another heavy tune, “Peacemaker”, has been well received by fans. Scorpions have a long history as a band with a consistent anti-war stance. “Peacemaker” is the latest and possibly heaviest of these tunes. From the guitars to the chorus, “Peacemaker” rocks massive with melody and catchy stabs of guitar.
“Call of the Wild” is a different kind of song for this album. Klaus mentions a “Lovedrive”, but this song is one of their heavy and slow sex romps. It is somewhat unremarkable next to other tunes on the album, but it is different and picks up towards the end. Dig the slight “Sympathy for the Devil” homage. But have you noticed it’s been 10 songs, and not a real ballad among them? Ballads used to be a scourge of Scorpions albums, becoming too numerous especially on 1996’s Pure Instinct. This time there is only one, and it’s a classy one left for the end. “When You Know (Where You Come From)” is a thoughtful song, but it is the rare Scorpions ballad that stands as strong as the classics. It has a late 70s, early 80s construction and an absolutely epic guitar solo section.
11 songs with no instrumentals, interludes or fillers already makes for a hearty album. Scorpions had enough material written to make it a double, and so there’s a bonus CD with six bonus tracks. Seven in Japan, including their exclusive bonus track “Out Go the Lights”, an Accept-like heavy metal warehouse stomp. While “Out Go the Lights” is clearly bonus track material, the other six songs are not. Some of them are among the heaviest songs.
“Shoot For Your Heart” is album-worthy, with a cool unique lick in the riff that leaves you crying for more. This is a high-speed driving tune, the Scorpions bread and butter. “When Tomorrow Comes” has spoken word choruses with a forceful heavy metal riff and more “ahh, ahh, ahhs” than you can shake a scorpion’s stinger at. Good banger, but perhaps a bit too different for the proper album? It would not have weakened the record, but could possibly alienate listeners with weaker stomachs. “Unleash the Beast” is another bangin’ track, and check out Paweł’s deft bassline. “Unleash the Beast” doesn’t have the same kind of melodic might that most of the album has, but its strengths lie elsewhere, such as the creative guitars or Klaus’ talk-sing stylings. The vibe changes on “Crossing Borders”, a laid back rocker with charm and hooks. The guitars have a sleazy rock vibe and the lyrics follow suit. The final bonus track is an acoustic version of the closing ballad “When You Know (Where You Come From)”. The acoustic guitar solo perfectly augments Klaus’ flawless vocals. It’s a lovely coda and an appropriate way to end the extended version of Scorpions’ best album in decades.
Even with the wealth of of material on the deluxe edition of Rock Believer, missing is the ballad “Sign of Hope“, their 2020 standalone download-only lockdown single. Hopefully we’ll get a physical release of that eventually, though with the world now emerging it seems less relevant.
Though there are a couple songs that strive to be as good as the others, there’s nothing here worthy of the skip button. Even with the bonus tracks, Rock Believer is a solid listen from front to back. You cannot go wrong with either version, so just get one. Lockdown sucked and it was good to know Scorpions were using the time to create new music. Let’s support them in their efforts and celebrate their success.
Perhaps a tad prematurely, immediately after Adrenalize had given all it had in terms of singles, Def Leppard released the spiritual sequel to 1989’s home video Historia. That thorough collection of videos was composed of music from four albums, while Visualize only covered one (and a bit). As such, this time they added interviews and interesting TV clips to fill out the run time.
Since Historia closed on “Love Bites”, it’s only fitting that Visualize opens with the next video, “Rocket”. As far as cool 80s videos go, “Rocket” was a success. It was even an educational slideshow of all Def Leppard’s musical heroes! It’s also very very 80s, with lots of TV sets hanging about.
Then Visualize takes a different track. The next big event in the lives of Def Leppard was a sad one: the passing of Steve Clark. He is commemorated with TV clips, interviews and an excellent all-Steve video for “Switch 625”. Joe Elliott laments that all Steve had in his life was a guitar and a bottle, but at least he left something worthwhile behind — the music.
Interview tracks are interspersed between music videos. Rick Allen discusses his drum kit and how he uses his left leg to do what he used to with his arm. Then there’s a surprising video of a live Ben E. King TV performance, featuring his new backing band, Def Leppard. “Stand By Me” is not the complete clip but enough to show you that Leppard could do it! Rick Savage plays a strange 80s synth bass guitar, and Steve Clark was still with them. Another partial clip, “Jean Genie” with Joe, Ronnie Wood and the Hothouse Flowers, is cool but just a snippet. Same with an acoustic version of “Ziggy Stardust”. Shame they couldn’t use the full tracks. The origin of the track “From the Inside” is discussed with a short clip as well.
“Let’s Get Rocked” is opened by an amusing interview with Sav about filming in front of a blue screen. Indeed, “Let’s Get Rocked” was a pioneering video, if terribly dated. It’s also their only video as a four-piece band without Steve. The next interviews address this — the hiring of Vivian Campbell. His big debut was the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in early 1992. His music video debut with the band was on the mediocre “Make Love Like A Man”. Its gimmick was a big screen behind the band; pretty standard stuff. The rarely seen “I Wanna Touch U” follows, with Leppard once again live in the round! The fake crowd screams are distracting but the video is cool, if not triumphant.
The big ballad “Have You Ever Wanted Someone So Bad” has a gothic look, but oh so 90s in style. The picture-in-picture (some colour, some black and white) look was overdone. A small batch of interviews from the period are followed by “Tonight”, an excellent understated ballad. The conceptual side of these videos was getting progressively foggy, but when they’re on the screen in start black and white, the band look cool. “Heaven Is” was another rarely seen clip, and perhaps it’s better that way. As always, the band stuff looks great but the conceptual shots are just bizarre. Ditto “Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)”. Dunno what’s up with the naked people or Cliff Burnstein playing baseball with a window. A true shame, as this semi-ballad is a Def Leppard masterpiece of a song, simply top drawer. It deserved better. When the video came out, I was so disappointed. “What have they done?” We deserved better.
“Two Steps Behind”, “Love Bites” and “Photograph” are live, from a hometown gig in Sheffield. More of the show would be made available on a 1995 home video release called Video Archive.
Finally, the future: Joe says there’s a long long way to go, not realizing he just wrote a future Def Leppard hit song title! Collectively, they were excited to write together. Rick Savage says it’s “Phase 2”, and Joe Elliott employs another Star Trek analogy about exploring. There was plenty of creative energy in the band and it’s obvious. But don’t hit “eject”! Stay tuned for the post-credit scene! An important message from Joe.
Visualize was one of those sequels that just came too soon. Interview material is valuable and desirable, but Historia played more like a visual album. It was a better entertainment experience. Visualize is choppier. It wouldn’t matter so much if all the songs were complete, but the TV performances are just teases of complete tracks. Unfortunate.
Creating your own “Worst Of Kiss” album is a fun concept. I could certainly come up with some variations on that theme! In this Contrarians episode, Marco and Bret each picked five songs for their Lazy Nights: The Worst of Kiss compilation. Marco did one side, Bret the other. And Bret is right that you could pick all Gene songs! But that wouldn’t make for a real Kiss compilation.
Marco and I have some disagreements here. I’m more in tune with Bret. See what you think!
Thanks to Tim Durling for having me on his show once again for this Helix special. It was a history lesson for the viewer and a Show & Tell session for us! See our rarest, most cherished Helix items and give us an R while you’re at it, won’t you?
I did make one mistake I need to correct: It was not Rick Trembley who played at the 30th anniversary concert, but the late Ron Watson.
This is one of the best shows I’ve ever been involved with. Worth watching the whole thing.
A huge thank you to my co-host Harrison the Mad Metal Man, and my guests Tim Durling, Brian Richards, and Uncle Meat! Being awash in the love and admiration of my friends is a really special thing, and I thank you for making my 10 Year Anniversary show perfect. I was worried tonight’s show would be a little narcissistic. Perhaps it is, but it did my soul a lot of good. I feel energised to keep writing.
Highlights of tonight:
Some fascinating Tim Durling talk about rare 8-tracks and his book Unspooled. Tim’s book features a previously unreleased EXCLUSIVE chapter of Record Store Tales, only available by buying Unspooled. (Copies still available.)
Brian Richards reviewing the new KISS official bootleg CD.
Brian also showed off his Top Five Metal Compilations.
We revealed the true identity of one-time commenter “nolongeracustomer“.
Top Five Record Store Tales from Lana – a list I appreciated so much.
Top Five lists from Harrison and I – Reviews, and Meat posts.
The return of the Nigel Tufnel Top Ten – special lists from Harrison and Mike.
Thanks to my guests, my co-host and my friends who made this all the wonderful experience that it has been. I appreciate you all.
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike & Friends
Episode 101 – 10 Years of Record Store Tales & mikeladano.com
It’s my party and I’ll throw it if I want to! 10 years is a good enough excuse, right?
Join me tonight for lists, guests and tunes. Tim Durling, Harrison Kopp and longtime reader Brian Richards are on deck. If you wanna join the party, drop us a line!
There will also be a big secret revealed for the first time tonight!
mikeladano.com 