Dude!! What a show that was! Technical difficulties aside, another excellent Nigel Tufnel Top Ten. Hottest Riffs of the 1970s was the topic at hand. The lists went far and wide and everybody came out of it with huge smiles on their faces. Rush, Van Halen and Black Sabbath received a lot of extra love tonight, but you’ll have to watch to find out!
Mike Slayen – special guest on electric guitar to demonstrate some riffs!
It was a tremendous amount of fun to actually hear some of these riffs instead of just talking about them. A huge thanks to Mike for doing this with us. And he will be back when we talk about the 80s.
The less said about this show, the better, because who wants spoilers? Not you, trust me!
To jump straight to the lists without all the preamble and introductions, go to 0:21:00 and enjoy!
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano
Episode 47
In October 2020, we did one of my favourite LeBrain Train episodes: Van Halen deep cuts. Shortly after, I was contacted by guitarist Mike Slayen about how much he enjoyed the lists. He asked me if there was any way he could participate and I “sure DUDE!” See, Dude is the title of his excellent instrumental acoustic CD. But Mike knows not just acoustic, but also the sweet siren song of a fully electrified six-string. Why not talk about Top Riffs?
Kevin, Aaron, and Uncle Meat were interested. But it was quickly obvious that the scope was too large, so we decided to break it down by decade. In the future, we’ll reconvene to talk about riffs of the 80s and 90s, but tonight, we talk about the greatest time ever (perhaps) for guitar riffs: the molten 1970s.
Mike Slayen is a guitar teacher, so what I am hoping is that he can demonstrate how some of these riffs are played. This is going to be a fun night with plenty of great picks for you (and I) to check out. See you tonight, and please share with your music buddies!
JIM CREAN – The Book of Cryptids Volume II (2020 Dark Night Records)
Jim Crean, hard rock singer extraordinaire from Buffalo, New York, has issued another covers album called The Book of Cryptids Volume II. Many will shy away at the thought of a covers album, but Crean always picks interesting covers off the beaten track. The Book of Cryptids Volume II works because A) these are not songs you typically hear covered, and B) Jim kicks ass on them all.
It’s a varied album. “Medusa” by Anthrax opens heavily and melodically. You might wonder how a hard rock singer like Crean tackles Anthrax. Without difficulty! Jim has a bit more rasp, but where Joey Belladonna gets aggressive, Jim pays more attention to the notes. It’s a fine trade-off. Second in line is the seldom-covered Aerosmith classic “Kings and Queens”, which is right up Jim’s alley. Sounds like a banjo is thrown in for texture during the verses. For an even deeper cut, check out the flawless version of Def Leppard’s “Mirror Mirror”. It ticks all the boxes from dual guitars to throbbing bass. Old raspy Def Leppard is well suited to Jim, who wrenches some panache from the chorus. An ace performance.
Gowan’s “A Criminal Mind” is definitely an unexpected cover. The only band known for covering it is Styx — featuring Lawrence Gowan. Jim Crean could be the only other singer to dare tackle it? This song might be a bit of a sacred cow in some quarters, but Jim does an admirable job of it. Not vastly different, but with its own unique vocal colours.
Keeping with a synthy 80s plot twist, “Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)” is the old Mike + the Mechanics hit. Cool guitar solo on this track that stays pretty true to the original. Then “Cry For Freedom”, the White Lion slow burner from 1989, is another surprise. Crean has covered White Lion before, but “Cry For Freedom” is a special song. Not a ballad yet not a rocker, it leans heavily on the beat and the vocal. Then it has a guitar burn-up near the end, and this one sounds exactly like Vito Bratta.
A keyboardy piano ballad called “Love Is” (Vanessa Williams) …well, let’s just say it takes balls of steel to put it on the same album as an Anthrax song. Fortunately Jim makes it cool, but not as cool as the earlier “Criminal Mind”. But then it’s a whole different ball park: Mother Love Bone, and “Star Dog Champion”. Again, a song that might be considered sacred in some quarters. Jim’s voice is well suited to it, and this “Champion” is fully enjoyable.
We begin to draw to a close on the Scorpions early dark ballad, “When the Smoke is Going Down”. It’s another song that Crean is capable of bending to his will. Brilliant vocal on this one, especially considering that Klaus Meine has to be a top-five metal singer. Coming down from that climax, the final denoument is surprisingly authentic to the original: the Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”. This is one of those mountainous peaks that only fools dare to climb. Yet Crean’s winning streak continues unabated. The sonics are so close to the Stones, and everything sounds completely natural. How the hell do you replicate Charlie Watts’ drums on “Gimme Shelter”? Dunno, but it sounds really good!
All this said, you’re still skeptical, right? Covering “A Criminal Mind” and “Gimme Shelter”? A healthy dose of skepticism is warranted when reading a glowing review of a covers album. To me, covers are worth listening to when you enjoy the spin that another artist puts on the song. In this case it’s Jim’s voice, a classic hard rock voice that I like a lot. So I’m cool with hearing “A Criminal Mind”, because I like the way Jim sings.
Consider this. We’re 10 months into a worldwide pandemic and gigs have dried up. Some artists, like Jim Crean, are recording and releasing music, and we should be supporting that. He gives you good value for the money. This copy came signed, with a custom Jim Crean guitar pick and signed photo. Not to mention some quality covers of great songs off the beaten track. The Book of Cryptids Volume II comes with cool artwork of various cryptozoological specimens including a kraken, Bigfoot, some sirens and an alien. You can buy this package direct from the artist, so you know the money goes to the right people. Check it out — guaranteed a few of these tracks will put a smile on your face.
There have been a lot of anniversaries lately. On January 4, I celebrated (but not did not post about) 15 years of freedom from the Record Store. (Why beat a dead horse?) But today I choked up a bit when I saw the photo.
I say it was the happiest day of my life. It was the day I brought Jen home from the hospital after finishing her cancer surgery. The photo says it all. Look at that face. The glow. Just looking at her, reminds me of how worried I was. How much I missed her. How happy I was to be able to drive her home that day.
It was not a pleasant time when she was in hospital. It was a harsh winter. The drive to London and back was hell. I wasn’t eating. Finishing an apple was an ordeal. Meanwhile poor Jen was dealing with that nauseating hospital food. She started a game called “Guess the Grossness” where she would post pictures of her meals and people had to guess what they were. She was so strong at that time.
Little did we know that her mom, who was supporting us through all this, had less than nine months left to live. I can tell a secret now. The night that Jen had her surgery, her mom collapsed at the hospital. She hit the ground and bruised her face. She brushed it off and complained about a loose rug, and refused to be seen. Deep inside, I knew that she was hiding something. She didn’t tell us. I’ll never hold that against her — she did what she thought was right to support Jen, and I truly don’t know if we could have handled more stress at that time. So she quietly fought her own battle as Jen was dealing with hers. But that’s what happened. On the night my wife was recovering from her surgery, my beloved mother-in-law was dying of cancer that we didn’t even know about. But I could not have made it through all this without her support.
I dedicate this writing to Jen’s mom, who was with us side-by-side through it all, until she was unable to be. She was just as happy to have Jen home as I was. The picture says it all — the face of an angel aglow with life.
The final episode of the Pepsi Power Hour aired at the end of the summer of 1991. The man with the sad honour of signing off was veteran Michael Williams. Off and on, Williams hosted the Power Hour since 1986 if not earlier. It was filmed at a welding shop in Calgary, Alberta. Because metal? (Bad, bad idea! Audio engineers, your thoughts on this setting?)
Williams played Metallica’s “One”, and “Hunger Strike” by Temple of the Dog. The shape of things to come.
The episode also features an interview with a new band called The Scream, featuring an up-and-comer named John Corabi. A couple years later, and Corabi would be the new singer in Motley Crue.
The very last band ever played on the Pepsi Power Hour was Van Halen. It was a big interview by Kim Clarke Champniss regarding the new album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. The very last song ever played was “Runaround”.
The Power Hour was supplanted by the inferior Power 30. It was a significant change. I rarely missed a Power Hour. The Power 30 was rarely worth catching. However, look for the ad for a promising new Saturday show called Start Me Up – three hours of rock!
YouTube has forced me to butcher this video to get it up, so there are no music videos. The Van Halen interview is mutilated. There are some ads and all the talking. It’s history!
Speaking of history: 100 VHS Archives! And counting! I started posting these in 2019 and I still have plenty of files left to upload, and a few more tapes to play. I’ve been taking it easy lately because the software is user-unfriendly and my VCR is making odd noises. But we’re not done. Not by a long shot.
Use Your Illusion wasn’t even out yet, but Guns N’ Roses were two solid weeks into a tour chock full of new and old music. MuchMusic’s Dan Gallagher talked with Duff McKagan and new member Matt Sorum before their show on June 7 in Toronto. Was there an album really coming?
MuchMusic was into adding strange visual effects to their videos in the early 90s. That choppy visual is not mine. That is from the source broadcast.
Axl Rose had hurt his ankle and was giving the injury a stretch, riding around backstage on a bike. Stay tuned to the end! I hope that was gum.
Topics discussed:
“Popping the question” with Matt Sorum.
The broad appeal of Guns N’ Roses.
Unexpectedly playing “November Rain” for the first time in a year in front of 20,000 people.
Unfortunately by 1992, when Blackie returned with new album The Crimson Idol, MuchMusic cancelled the Pepsi Power Hour and replaced it with the half-hour Power 30. No more hour-long in-depth shows with an artist like Blackie. This shorter talk is from midday in the summer of ’92.
Erica and Blackie joke around, but still get serious. They maintain their excellent rapport from the prior encounter. Topics discussed:
Spinal Tap’s three concerts in a single day, and Blackie’s cameo in the VHS release.
The concept behind new CD The Crimson Idol.
Pete Townsend.
The price for anyone who wants to make it in the music biz.
New video “The Idol”.
Once again well done to Erica Ehm who did the best with the limited time at hand.
A huge thanks again to Martin Popoff for gracing our little show with his presence and knowledge on Friday night. One of the topics discussed was his ranking of all the Accept albums with Pete Pardo on Sea of Tranquillity. It’s an episode we all enjoyed, even though we haven’t heard all the Accept albums ourselves.
This fine episode is below for your edification. Please enjoy Sea of Tranquility – Ranking the Studio Albums: Accept (w/Martin Popoff)
Thank you Martin Popoff for a thunderous rock and roll chat on a locked-in Friday night! Confronted by three Top Five Popoff lists, Martin threw it down! From his books to his Youtube shows, we tried to cover a bit of everything. Thank you Martin for giving us an hour of your Friday night. If you haven’t read one of his terrific tomes yet, check out what’s available at martinpopoff.com. Money well spent!
We decided to take a three-pronged approach to the discussion by focusing on three Top Five lists:
Deke – Top Five Martin Popoff Books
Mike – Top Five albums I bought because of a 10/10 review in Riff Kills Man
Eric – Top Five Martin Popoff YouTube appearances
From there the discussion flowed like a gin & tonic.
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano
Episode 46 – A Chat With Martin Popoff
Join SuperDekes, Uncle Meat and myself TONIGHT as we talk to the guy who, frankly, got me writing reviews in the first place! It was Riff Kills Man that inspired me, a book that I’ve been re-reading this week only to find new revelations. I love when I feel validated by a review in one of Martin’s 90-odd books.
Martin’s extensive bibliography (he is the Isaac Asimov of Heavy Metal) includes definitive tomes on Accept, Rainbow, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and just about every other band with legendary status. As my re-reading this week has shown me, Martin has a way of describing music that just resonates. It’s a talent that I have long envied.
Please spread the word, and welcome Martin Popoff to the LeBrain Train tonight!
mikeladano.com 