The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano
Episode 43
Nobody “wanted” lockdown to happen in Ontario, but here we are. You don’t have to be alone on Boxing Day, no matter where you are. This Saturday December 26, join the LeBrain Train for a special holiday episode called “Christmas Memories”. Special memories such as:
Waking my dad up with Lego
Getting Luke’s X-Wing
Finding a Millennium Falcon under the tree
Waiting for a train from Stratford in a blizzard
Killing time…
The Atari years
The year I woke everybody up at 1 AM playing GI Joe
The dawn of the Rock N’ Roll era: cassettes, cassettes, cassettes!
Boxing Day with WWF’s Demolition
1989: The first CD player
1990: Led Zeppelin
…and on and on!
There might be guests — or I might just open it up for anyone to join the show. You’ll just have to tune in and see.
It’s OK if you’re upset or just not in the mood. Who is these days? We have been here for each other since the start and the hope is to spread some positive feelings this week.
I’ll be on break for the next couple days. Have a drink or two, and we’ll see you Saturday December 26. Let’s get into the sweet nectar of nostalgia!
The 1990s presented a slew of new bands that, while not hard rock, did rock. Some of them had connections to heavy metal. Catherine Wheel had more than a few. For example, Iron Maiden. Managers Rod Smallwood, Andy Taylor, and Merck Mercuriadis (listed as a member of the band on this album) also handled Iron Maiden. Singer Rob Dickinson has a cousin in that band. For even more rock royalty, Bob Ezrin has a production credit as does Gggarth Richardson. (With credits like those, you won’t be surprised that the album was partially recorded in Canada.)
For my money, I think Adam and Eve is Catherine Wheel’s best album. It’s an argument that can be made, for it is a big dense emotional listening experience that plays out like a concept album. The acoustic intro certainly lends the feel of a complete, framed work. “Let’s get started…let’s get started…”
Blowing in like a cold wind, “Future Boy” quietly continues. Droning guitars blend in as the song builds, and breaks into a beautiful acoustic verse. Sonically layered, droney and feedbacky music, hits you wave after wave. Rob Dickinson’s emphatic vocal melody is the initial hook, but there is so much more going on with “Future Boy”. An utter masterpiece.
Then we suddenly careen into a poppy blast of fun called “Delicious”. Simple in structure, but with hidden hooks in the mix. A guitar blast, a brilliant chorus, and plenty of shimmer. An easy single. A piano interlude (further adding to the conceptual feel of the album) breaks into another single “Broken Nose”. This one slams a little harder. A stream of building music. There’s a quiet break and then it’s back to hammering guitar. There’s also depth — bells, organ, subtle guitar melodies. Another real masterpiece.
Into epic territory. “Phantom of the American Mother” bleeds acoustics, electrics, organs, percussion, and plaintive vocals. “How you gonna feel if Superman and Sonic Youth are fairy tales?” It’s a trip in and of itself, full of deep emotions and musical genius.
On a personal level, “Ma Solituda” is and probably always will be my favourite. There’s a delicate sadness, but with a hopeful shine…and cello. A gentle acoustic strum is paired with a defiantly powerful chorus. It’s a vocal tour-de-force for Rob Dickinson.
“Satellite” has a pop feel, with an upbeat guitar hook. Crashing cymbals, an unbelievable chorus, and loud guitars. “Satellite” was not a single but should have been. The refrain of “When you and I were young,” will ring in your brain for hours afterwards. A slew of guitar solo noise is like frosting on top of a very loud and sweet dessert. The mood turns on “Thunderbird”, a long but undefeated number with its own peaks and valleys of emotion.
Between “Thunderbird” and the next track, “Here Comes the Fat Controller”, the album becomes more of a slow burner. The previous poppy firecrackers gave temporarily given way to some tracks that are more…mountainous. They take time to climb. “Here Comes the Fat Controller” is one such song, but a rewarded exercise. Listen for tinkling piano in the back, adding even more colours to the palette. “Sing, sing,” and enjoy. “How do you feel?”
You can really hear Bob Ezrin’s influence at this part of the album. The music gets muffled as someone gets in a car and closes the door, shades of “Detroit Rock City”. The mood changes again on “Goodbye”, like a lullaby for a hangover. It also feels like that a song that belongs near the conclusion of an album like this one, with its cinematic nature. There’s still “For Dreaming”, the longest song and the climax to a pretty intense album. That still leaves the denoument, which is the soft untitled outro. With minimal accompaniment, Rob Dickinson ends the disc.
I’m gonna phone, Everyone that I’ve known, Through the downs and the ups, And who I suspect have written me off… As an insensitive fuck… And say good luck, and goodbye.
Like a favourite movie, Adam and Eve feels like a story with a beginning, middle and end. With conflict and resolution. With character growth, and avoidance of cliches. With light and shade, nuance and allusion. Roll all that into a rock album and you have a hell of a way to spend an hour.
KIM MITCHELL – The Big Fantasize (2020 El Mocambo Records)
13 years ago Kim Mitchell released Ain’t Life Amazing, his last studio album. He wasn’t exactly quiet in that time — there was his radio show on Q107 in Toronto, but then he had a heart attack! You can’t keep Kim Mitchell down, and his new one The Big Fantasize is a quieter collection of contemplative music. Some of it is rock, some of it is clearly not. And that’s OK. Whether or not he’s rocking, Kim’s songwriting yielded some pretty great material. There are nine new tunes, plus a bonus four live tracks for those who bought the physical product (CD or LP).
The gentle call of a clarinet is the first sound to be heard on the new Kim, a surprise to be sure. “Red Horizon” is a sparse acoustic ballad with clarinet accompaniment, and melody that tugs at the heart. It’s a brave way to open the album but also an honest one. “This is what I do now, so don’t expect ‘Rock and Roll Duty Part 2′” is what this track says as an opener.
That said, “2up2Bdown” has that guitar playing you love Kim for. It rocks but in a new slick way. It would have fit comfortably on an album like 1992’s Aural Fixations, but better than that. It’s a celebration, and if it’s the only track that sounds like “old Kim” then at least it does it well.
“Summer Lovers Autumn Wine” presents quiet electric guitars and pianos dancing in the twilight. Like much of Kim’s music, it paints an audio picture with his guitar. The mood turns bright on the delightful acoustic “Wishes”. Kim’s mastery of melody and expression is apparent. He gets the beat hopping again on “Georgian Bay”, a piano rocker with no guitar, maybe a little bit like the Guess Who? Or maybe that’s just a lazy comparison. It doesn’t matter, it’ll be perfect for your next summer deck party (whenever that is).
“Best I Never Had” might be laid back, but it has a strong dusky blues vibe. Soulful backup singing lends the right feel. “Montgomery” is a highlight song, mixing some skillful acoustic guitar pickin with the most memorable of melodies. Upbeat, but quiet and gentle with trademark Mitchell hooks. The acoustic solo is masterful. More masterful melody takes center stage on “Old Marriage Waltz”, the closer “Time to Stay” really overshadows it. A strong beat behind him, Kim picks away with intent. Great light rocker to end a terrific album, on an upbeat note.
CD and vinyl buyers get the four live bonus tracks: “Lager and Ale”, “Rocklandwonderland”, “Paradise Skies” (Max Webster tune), and “All We Are”. If you needed more rock, here you go. Firey live performances, captured in the studio in front of an audience. “Rocklandwonderland” stands out with a new piano intro and a passionate performance. However nothing can overshadow an epic “All We Are”, 8:13 of awesome.
After such a long wait, and an eventful one at that, it is a good thing to see that Kim Mitchell still has the creative spark to write a great song. These songs are different but just as unforgettable as “Patio Lanterns”.
One of the classic Christmas specials that you never see on TV anymore is Nelvana Animation’s A Cosmic Christmas. Nelvana produced some of the greatest animation of the time, such as Rock and Rule (1983). Nelvana even made the acclaimed Boba Fett animation that introduced the character in 1978 for the Star Wars Holiday Special. Much like that special, A Cosmic Christmas has never been issued on DVD. Yet it truly is a special cartoon that you have probably never seen, until now.
The first time I saw A Cosmic Christmas was probably the winter of 1977. I saw it yearly, until it stopped running. Why is it no longer shown? Possibly due to a brief mention of Jesus and the star of Bethlehem?
Young Peter and his goose Lucy encounter three old wise aliens on Christmas Eve. They’ve come to Earth to investigate the appearance of a rogue star some 2000 years ago. (Nice attention to the speed of light!) Peter tells them that what they have really come to learn about is Christmas: peace, love and caring for others. He tries to show them, but Peter has a bully named Marvin (wearing purple Paul Stanley boots!) who steals his goose. Why did he do it? Because he’s a bad egg? Or just because he is hungry?
“Wait! There is something we do not understand,” says one of the wise aliens studying human culture. “How could someone go hungry, if this is Christmas?”
“Because we were so busy thinking about ourselves. We never thought about other people,” answers one of the townsfolk.
Enjoy the Christmas story that brought tears to my eyes back then, and still does today. A Cosmic Christmas.
Awesome show this week! The 42nd LeBrain Train was another three hour long epic. The theme was “Best Bands You Probably Never Heard Of”. We never settled on a proper wording for it, or a proper system for keeping score. The goal was to introduce you to plenty of artists we think you’d think. And we hope you do! For the first time ever, there was no crossover with the six lists!
Added bonus: At the mid-way point (1:30:00 exactly) a very-caffeinated-me decided to go on an F-bomb laden rant about people who post The Mandalorian spoilers openly on social media without warnings. Please enjoy my rant!
The final score:
Mike: 11 points
Sarah: 14 points
Harrison: 17 points
Rob: 19 points
John: 23 points
Aaron: 88 points
Huge thanks to everyone for hanging out so long! Thanks for watching and see you next week.
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano
Episode 42
This week’s episode is brought to you by the brain behind 2 Loud 2 Old Music — John himself. The man is like a music encyclopedia so it’s only fitting that he came up with this particular Nigel Tufnel Top Ten list. What are your Favourite Artists that Nobody Else Has Heard Of? Tonight’s panel will answer that question 11 times each, and hopefully give you a ton of stuff to listen to over the Christmas holidays.
There will also be a couple guest lists for us to run down. That means you could be getting up to 66 bands to listen to! (Depending on list crossover.) Are you excited? I am!
There will be a show next week, but it will not be on Friday! Friday is Christmas after all. I plan to go live on Boxing Day , Saturday December 26, and talk about Christmas Nostalgia. From getting my first X-Wing fighter to the year I got Zeppelin, I can’t wait to tell you some stories.
For the following week, I am tentatively planning to go live on New Year’s Eve, Thursday December 31. I dunno what time yet…it’s not like I have anything else going on…but it’ll just be a New Year’s party. Mrs. LeBrain is planning to join me and we hope you can too!
MARILLION–Christmas 2020 (2020Racket Records CD single)
For those who love the numbers (hands up, both of you), here are some Marillion 2020 statistics for you:
This is the third Marillion single in 2020, after the “Easter” and “Made Again” home recordings.
This is the sixteenth Marillion Christmas CD. A full list of them can be found at bottom.
This year it’s a simple two-track CD single, instead of a live album, and it’s better that way. Not that a double live CD isn’t a fine way to spend Christmas, but this just feels more…Christmas-y.
Both tracks are produced by Michael Hunter. “All I Want for Christmas is You” features jingle bells, and the full band givin’ ‘er. Nice to hear Marillion just rocking! This is what I want to hear this Christmas — a party. Ian Mosely doesn’t get to pound a simple one out like this much anymore. This is good time Marillion Christmas dance party track — and there are not many of those! They even managed to squeeze in a so-cool Steve Rothery guitar solo without losing the fun.
For the sentimental type, enjoy a lovely “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. Hard to believe Marillion haven’t covered this one yet, but they have now! They do it with piano, keyboards and light accompaniment. It’s done just the way you want to hear it, around the fire after the kids have been tucked in. Listen for Steve Hogarth’s Christmas message at the end.
Two Christmas songs done so perfectly that even a Grinch-like curmudgeon can enjoy them. What else do you want for a free Christmas CD?
Five studio albums, one live and an EP to boot: Definitely enough music to justify your first solo Greatest Hits. For added value, Kim included a bunch of new and unreleased music. With 15 songs and over an hour of music, Kim Mitchell’s Greatest Hits is an easy buy for fans and collectors. For new fans it’s not quite ideal, for reasons we’ll get in to.
Long time fans will remember that Kim’s prior band Max Webster issued a greatest hits called Diamonds Diamonds with two new songs. This album follows suit with two brand new tracks recorded for this set. “No More Walking Away”, co-written by Pye Dubois, is an electric ballad with stunning guitar tones. This is in the same lane as some of Kim’s previous ballads from Rockland or Aural Fixations; very much a “later Kim” sound. Long time fans will love hearing Peter Fredette on backing vocals. The other new song, “Rainbow”, is a straight-on hard rocker. With Andy Curran on lyrical duties, “Rainbow” is just good time Kim rock as you have grown to expect it. It goes without saying that his guitar playing is tremendous. The chorus goes all the way to the clouds. “I’m bringin’ you back your rainbow,” sings Kim and you better believe it.
In addition to the new songs, this time Kim also included two re-recordings. This is unfortunately where first-time buyers are going to be let down. One of Kim’s biggest career hits was undoubtedly 1986’s “Patio Lanterns” from Shakin’ Like a Human Being. This compilation includes a new arrangement, which is actually quite cool. It’s twangy and has lots of guitar play. But that’s not the version that old folks remember from highschool — not even close. The tempo they used to dance to is gone. This version, excellent as it is, unfortunately is only for people who already own the original. The other re-recording is the less sacred “Lager & Ale”, originally from Akimbo Alogo. The vocal line is slightly modified, but this one shouldn’t upset too many people. The Akimbo original remains the best version.
What else is to be found on this disc? We have the opening and closing bits called “Transcendental Soda” and “Hare Soda”, which are simply snippets from the live intro to “Go For Soda”. Nothing too special, but elsewhere you’ll find some cool stuff. “Expedition Sailor” is credited as “The Other Version” which is a remix from the music video, long unavailable to regular folks like us. This fine ballad was a decent hit back in 1989-90 so it’s nice to own that elusive video mix.
That’s it for the special stuff listed on the back, but there are two hidden surprises within. Between “Rainbow” and “All We Are” (the live version from I Am A Wild Party) you will find 30 seconds of a demo. This is a demo for “All We Are”, and the tape could even date back to the Max Webster days since that’s when he wrote the tune. That’s gold. What a cool way to introduce “All We Are”. The other surprise is evident by the track times. Hit single “Rocklandwonderland” is missing the fade out, and runs out to its actual end. It just ends — the guys just stop playing. Really cool unlisted bonuses here.
As for the rest, it’s the hits! All singles (though some only for radio), except for “Lemon Wedge” which was a hit with the fans. Though it doesn’t suit everybody’s needs, Greatest Hits still plays well and scratches some of those big Kim itches.
GETTING MORE TALE #870: You Can Be My Lemon Wedge, and I’ll Be Your Tequila (Part One of a two-part review of Kim Mitchell’s Greatest Hits)
The leaves turned colours, and were starting to decorate the ground. I had been working at the Record Store for over a year. I was well over my first relationship that went south, and was now seemingly hard at work wrecking the second. Everything started lovey-dovey in the summer. The first two months were bliss. It started to sour in September and October. “People are always on their best behaviour at the start,” she used to say in regards to “new love”. Now that things were going bad, was it my fault? It had to be. What was I doing wrong? It was in this emotional environment that Kim Mitchell released his first solo Greatest Hits CD in 1995.
As things started to go south, I anticipated that I’d need some new Kim music to get me through. This compilation had two new songs, one rare remix, two re-recordings, and some surprising bonus music. Decent value for a hits set. “Ooh, it’s a messy breakup,” sang Kim on the new track called “Rainbow”.
The relationship was hitting the rocks and taking on water, and so the arguments were increasing. Making things more uncomfortable, she was hanging out with my ex from the first bad breakup. A lot. I didn’t have a lot of experience, but that was weird, right? They talked a lot. It was obvious to me that she wasn’t happy with the way things were going and I was in no way prepared to deal with this added twist.
In October we went out on our last movie date: Virtuosity, a terrible Denzel Washington sci-fi thriller featuring Russell Crowe as the killer. I didn’t pick it. I haven’t seen it since.
I was the driver that night. Kim Mitchell’s Greatest Hits was in the tape deck. I purchased the CD (and still own that copy) but I recorded everything to tape so my music was always mobile.
I will tell you one thing I remember: she hated the song “Lemon Wedge”. I wasn’t keen on it either, but it was a very popular tune with old school Max Webster fans. It’s different. T-Rev at the Record Store absolutely loved it; it was one of his jams. “Lemon Wedge” is funky, horn-laden and mental. Not at all like “Patio Lanterns”. I was more indifferent to it. I was puzzled that it was included on Greatest Hits at all, instead of one of the songs from Itch that I thought were better. But I don’t skip songs; I play albums all the way through. We’re heading home from this shitty movie and on comes “Lemon Wedge”.
You can be my lemon wedge, And I’ll be your tequila. I just wanna have a dance, And I just wanna feel ya.
“This song is terrible! Why do you listen to this?” I didn’t think it was worth explaining that I don’t skip tracks. That wouldn’t help.
Then, as if on cue, I made a wrong turn in the car. I have a terrible sense of direction and didn’t know my way around town like she did. She was really mad at me now, so I pulled over into a parking lot on Fairway Road. Then I sat there and just took it. This in turn frustrated her even more.
“You never stand up for yourself!” she complained. “Whatever shit people say, you just go with it! You can’t just keep bending over all the time! You need to grow a backbone and start sticking up for yourself!”
I wanted to, but I was afraid of getting dumped again, so I preferred not to argue. Getting dumped was no fun and I was not eager to do it again. But I got her point.
“Well, I like that Kim Mitchell song,” I lied in a half-assed rebuttal. She was not very impressed with my comeback.
My head was spinning. This was supposed to be a movie date. How did it turn into this lecture about me growing a spine? I can relate to the episode of Big Bang Theory where Penny dumps Leonard. “Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it,” he said before she walked out. But that isn’t what she wanted.
“I’m pretty sure it’s already over,” said Leonard with the wisdom that I was lacking.*
It really was curtains; all over except for Kim’s singing. There were a few more arguments, but it was toast after Halloween. I can’t remember what our last argument was about, but she was hanging out with my ex again and wasn’t answering her phone. The ex was in fact the final “Lemon Wedge” that pushed us apart for good. And it’s good that it happened for reasons that are obvious to anyone who is not me in 1995.
Instead of trying to win her back like I did with my last doomed relationship, I moved on decidedly. I deleted my electronic contacts so I wouldn’t be tempted to email her. I selected a variety of rock albums that I tailored to my listening needs. She was into a lot of current music – Dance Mix ’95, the new Smashing Pumpkins, Lisa Loeb. I chose to dive deep into classic British hard rock, the stuff she wasn’t into. Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath. Ozzy had a new album out and so did Iron Maiden. There was plenty of music that didn’t remind me of her.
For a variety of reasons, that relationship took some time to get over. She married the next guy, which is exactly what also happened with the previous ex! I was the guy people go out with before the meet the one they were going to marry. So I did a lot of re-evaluation, both personal and musical. I really wanted to like that “Lemon Wedge” song just because she hated it so much, but I couldn’t force it to happen. You either like “Lemon Wedge” or you don’t. I wish I could say it was my favourite song in the world because of this story. Unfortunately not every story can be about your favourite song. Some are just about the music that was playing at the time.
Full CD review tomorrow.
* Ironically, Kaley Cuoco otherwise known as “Penny” was in that awful Denzel movie as a child actor.
IRON MAIDEN – Nights of the Dead – Legacy of the Beast – Live in Mexico City (2020 Parlophone)
I feel a bit like a jackass reviewing this, because so many people I know caught this tour, or at least one of the recent tours, and I’ve never seen Maiden live. I only have these live albums to go by. But what I like about Iron Maiden is that they take the time to document almost every single tour since the Bruce reunion era began. (Only three tours did not receive a live album.) The Legacy of the Beast tour was in support of a video game, and featured a sort of “legacy” setlist, heavy on the old classics with a small smattering of more recent material. This prevents too much crossover with the prior live album, The Book of Souls – Live Chapter.
Without going track by track, I can tell you that Nights of the Dead was pieced together from three shows in Mexico City, much like Live After Death in Long Beach and Hammersmith. Even so, Bruce’s voice only tends to get stronger as they go further down the setlist. By “Hallowed” and “Run to the Hills”, it sounds like the man is just warming up!
The setlist is a delightful mix of hits, deeper cuts and the odd recent classic. “Where Eagles Dare” from Piece of Mind whips the throng into immediate hysteria. “Revelations” from the same LP has a certain contemplative gravity that it brings to any live album, and hearing it here is sheer nostalgic delight. Two Blaze-era songs return to the set in “Sign of the Cross” and “Clansman”, both lengthy epics. Enhanced by the three-guitar lineup and the Air Raid Siren, can we say these versions challenge the originals for supremacy? Though it wasn’t written for Bruce, “Sign of the Cross” has more dynamics with him at the microphone — he adds a few high notes for embellishment. Not to mention the depth that the third guitar adds to a song that was always a bit thin sounding.
Reunion era Maiden is cut back, leaving only “Wicker Man” and the always welcome “For the Greater Good of God”. Both deserving songs. Stuff like “Wicker Man” (and the earlier “Flight of Icarus”) really pump up the adrenaline levels by keeping it short, sharp and unshackled.
Then you have the stuff that you have to call “the hits”: songs like “Aces High”, “2 Minutes to Midnight”, “Trooper”, “Beast”, “The Evil that Men Do”, “Iron Maiden”, “Fear of the Dark” and “Run to the Hills”. These are the Maiden standards; a serving of essentials that everybody has connected with at some point in their life. Some of them float in and out of setlists, and some always remain.
A word should always be said about the packaging and artwork of any Iron Maiden album. The Mexican-themed Eddie can be found in a couple pieces of art inside and out. Manager Rod Smallwood wrote the included liner notes, explaining that the live album came to be when the world came to a halt due to Covid-19. Yay Covid? Joking aside, Smallwood’s notes are always informative to read while rocking along to the CD. There is even a mini 2021 tour poster (let’s hope!) included, with the Trooper version of Eddie surrounded by iconic imagery from prior Maiden artwork. Icarus, the mushroom cloud from “2 Minutes to Midnight”, a crashed Spitfire…have a look. Finally, a sticker sheet is an added bonus though most of us will be keeping the stickers intact, I reckon.
Perhaps it’s just giddy glee that there’s a new Maiden live album to cap off this year, but Nights of the Dead is so good that I wouldn’t change a thing.
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