#1227: Steele Away the Night

RECORD STORE TALES #1227: Steele Away the Night

The roots of anxiety run deep.  Some things from childhood, I can remember vividly.  I have strong memories of some of the unhappy moments, frozen in time.  When I say “unhappy”, it’s important to stress that these stories might not seem like a big deal to you, but they obviously impacted me in ways that still have repercussions today.

I can pinpoint the year to 1980.  It might have been March break.  Lego was a favourite hobby.  Lego Technic, or what we called “Technical Lego”, was hot and new.  I had a couple sets, including the 1978 go-cart (set 854), a 1979 bulldozer (set 856) and a really cool motor (1979 – set 8858) that were challenging and interesting to a kid (and now adults too).  The holy grail was the 853 car chassis, which came with a similar motor, rack-and-pinion steering, adjustable seats, and the biggest tires that Lego made.  It was completely customizable and a challenge to assemble with little kid hands.  I never had one.  I did get to play with one, once.  This is that story.  But it’s not going to go how you think.

My mom begins the tale.  When you’re a kid, sometimes your “friends” are just your parents’ friends’ kids.  My mom tells me that one of these friends of theirs thought it would be a great idea for me to have a sleepover with her kid.  Mark Steele was his name.  I didn’t know him.  I had probably met him at one of those random things that parents did together sometimes, but I didn’t know him at all.  I was invited to do a sleepover, and I think is was for two nights.  My mom tells me that one of the other kids in the parent-circle went over for sleepovers and had a great time.

I have strong memories about the rest.

Adults always thought I was “shy”.  I guess that is true, but the truth is even back then, I had severe anxiety.  I did not feel comfortable around people I did not know.  I felt very comfortable around close family and friends, but very few people outside that circle.  My dad had this one childhood friend who moved out west and became a scientist.  I took a real shine to him.  Very few others were that fortunate with me.  I did not know these people and I was being sent away for two nights.  Rather than be a fun time that I was looking forward to, it was something that I had to make it through, so that I could go back to my own home and bed.

I was treated with nothing but hospitality, but I simply was never the sleepover type.  I had it pretty good at home.  I had all the Star Wars toys that a kid could want.  I had a sister that I adored, to play with every day.  I had parents that made food that I liked and let us watch whatever we wanted on TV.  I had my best friend Bob, only ever two doors down.  Why would I want to go anywhere else?

Mark was a very friendly and welcoming kid.  His bedroom had a giant poster of a hockey player on the closet door – it was cut in half in such a way that you could opens the doors.  It might have been Wayne Gretzky, but that would not have helped me at all.  I knew nothing about hockey, and had no interest in it.  I liked Star Wars.  Even though every effort was made to make me feel at home, I felt so homesick.

For lunch, Kraft dinner was served.  I have always been a picky eater, and very much so a Kraft dinner purist.  I loved Kraft Dinner.   Nobody made better Kraft Dinner than my mom.  I do today it the way she did it back then.  Lots of milks, extra runny sauce.  No hot sauce, no pepper, just the KD out of the box with nothing added.  Well, wouldn’t you know it.  I was being served Kraft Dinner…with hot dogs mixed in.  I don’t know what I said, but I know I was vocal in my dislike of the concept of Kraft Dinner with hot dogs.  I tried to eat it, and it was probably more psychological than not, but I did not like it.  I still don’t.

For entertainment, we all went out to see the film The Black Stallion.  I remember them trying to pump me up over this movie.  “You’re going to love it!”  I have never cared about horses, and I need not tell you, I did not enjoy The Black Stallion.  My mom loves the film, but I distinctly remember thinking, “This isn’t a kid’s movie, this is a grown-up movie that kids can watch with their parents.”  I liked Star Wars!  I had no idea who Mickey Rooney was, or why he was a big deal.  I didn’t understand the movie.  The horse didn’t seem particularly likeable and I had no idea why the kid in the movie wanted to ride the horse.  Like, who cares?  That was my attitude as a nine year old.

Sleeping was difficult for me in a strange bed in another kid’s room.  As a person with music deep in his soul, and in an age before personal tape players, I liked to hum myself to sleep.  Usually a John Williams soundtrack piece.  I couldn’t do that if I wasn’t alone.  I really had to…not be myself…if I slept over at someone else’s house.

The one thing I do remember, and is definitely a happy memory, is that Mark owned the 853 car chassis.  I got to play with it.  I got to handle it and experience it for myself.  I remember thinking that, visually, it wasn’t very striking.  It was just a red bare-bones chassis. Yes it was everything you stared it in the little Lego catalogue photos, except up close in real life.  At the time, the 853 car chassis was the most desired of all the technical Lego sets.  It had the motor with four pistons that moved as you pushed it over the carpet.  It had loads of big technical pieces, a ton of gears, and was massive in hand.

As hard as they tried, the only thing I really remember enjoying that weekend was the Lego.  The lesson here is that Lego is just plain good for your mental health.

Sunday Chuckle: Caption This – Livin’ On A Spare

CAPTION THIS!

This bowling ball was spotted at Victoria lanes in Kitchener, Ontario.  It was well worn and clearly played a lot of rounds!  We figure it was probably donated to the lane recently, as it wasn’t there in the previous weeks.

REVIEW: Iron Maiden tribute Food For Thought – Now That’s What I Call ‘Kin Music / What Are We Doing This For? (2003)

A supplement to Dec 12’s bonus episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden

FOOD FOR THOUGHT – Now That’s What I Call ‘Kin Music / What Are We Doing This For? (2003)

Thanks to Harrison the Mad Metal Man, the world knows about this incredible and unorthodox Iron Maiden tribute album.  Hunt for it and hunt well, for you will want this in your collection far more than the Encomiums and Nativities In Black out there.  Food For Thought (a spoof of Piece of Mind) get it far better than any corporate version could.  Through its 19 tracks, Food For Thought visit every single Maiden album (to date), and even some non-album material.  The tracks are performed in a variety of styles, often imitating the trademark styles of major artists like Deep Purple, Motorhead, AC/DC, and…Kate Bush.  It’s not all metal, but it’s almost all brilliant.  This is a unique and effective tribute album, infinitely listenable and thoroughly enjoyable.  Let’s break it down from first track to last.

1. “Be Quick Or Be Dead”

Not as breakneck.  More of a groove.  Opens with a distorted transistor radio sounding guitar part; very alterna-90s.  There is a second guiltar part in the beginning that sounds inspired by Bruce’s solo Skunkworks album.  The wah-wah pedal in the riff is a nice addition.  The female lead vocals are a change of pace, but the oodles of guitar solos are really tasty.  The chorus is more layered with both male and female vocals.  It’s heresy, but I like this version of the song better than Iron Maiden’s.

2. “Twilight Zone”

Let’s take Maiden to Funk Town!  Unbelievably, this works really well as a horn-inflected funk song.  Like a funkier version of Sledgehammer!  I’ve AI Maiden funk stuff before, but believe us when we say that the human-made kind is way way better.  Don’t listen to AI; listen to this!  Once again, Food For Thought have created a version of an Iron Maiden song that rivals the original.  The horns here are very Bosstones.

3.  “22 Acacia Avenue”

We’ve gone to Funk Town, so now let’s hit the lounge.  Yes, it’s a lounge version of this ode to the oldest profession in the world!   It is largely acoustics and fretless bass, by special guest Chris Dale of Skunkworks!  Though it opens with male vocals, during the “Charlotte” section the song transforms into a full blown Kate Bush homage.  An absolutely genius interpretation and re-imagining.  In many ways, these Food For Thought cover are almost like originals.  This actual arrangement has little to do with Iron Maiden’s!  The piano parts are really completely original.

4.  “Angel and the Gambler”

Our first foray into the Blaze era, which this album does frequently.  This folksy acoustic version is only 2:14 long.  It is either a duet, or mixed with double tracked vocals.  The original should probably have been about this length!  The delicately picked guitars are like a country picnic.  Such a strange re-imagining, but imminently catchy…with a lot less repetition.  There’s even a country hoedown at the end.

5. “Mercenary”

One of the best tracks on the album.  This lesser known track from Brave New World is performed as a Bee Gees homage via “Stayin’ Alive”.  Has to be heard to be believed.  The falsetto vocals aren’t bad, but the funk Disco beats are gonna get your butt shakin’.  The lyrics are a complete contrast to the dancey vibes of the music!  A short one though, as soon we’re off to war…

6. “The Trooper”

Electric violin, with growly metal lead vocals.  Musically it’s reminiscent Canadian fiddler Ashley MacIsaac.  The heavy growl vocals ground it in metal.   There is a even a violin solo to go with what sounds like a fuzzy bass solo.  Toward the middle, it goes into a section possibly inspired by Maiden’s “Mother Russia”.

7. “Fortunes of War”

Blaze era track number two with this dark classic, re-interpreted as an industrial/electronica track, with programmed drums and music, and distorted lead vocals.  The digital beat is bizarrely catchy, and this track can easily become a favourite.  The inspiration might be early Ministry.

8. “Blood on the World’s Hands”

That’s two Blaze tracks from The X Factor, in a row!  They could not be any more different from each other.  “Blood on the World’s Hands” is jazzy, with piano a’plenty and tasty jazz guitars.  This one swings fast and bold.  The scat vocals and drum break are a total delight!

9. “Stranger In A Strange Land”

Back to Somewhere In Time with a song that doesn’t get enough attention.  Here’s some attention for ya!  The mood of the lyrics is captured in this somber, acoustic version with violin as the feature instrument.  The words are based on the lost Franklin Expedition, marooned somewhere in the Arctic ocean far from civilization.  The fabulous guitar solo is pretty much note-for-note to Adrian Smith’s original.  Maiden fans far and wide are likely to enjoy this one, one of the less quirky songs on the album, though still a departure.

10. “Flash of the Blade”

Powerslave time, with a Celtic jig and a violin.  The violin handles the main riff, which is performed with hammer-ons when played on guitar.  Here is the swipe of the bow.  The layered violins also re-create Maiden’s guitar harmonies.  The drum part is a perfect homage to Nicko’s signature original.   This magnificent metal masterpiece translates well to a new genre that we’ll call violin metal!  Unlike many of the other songs on the album, the lead vocal part is true to Bruce’s original.

11. “Wildest Dreams”

Is that Lemmy?  The newest song on the album, from Dance of Death, is clearly done in the style of Motorhead.  Everything about it screams “Lemmy”, from the distorted bass to the accelerated tempo.  And this was already a fast song to begin with!  Now it is breakneck.  An album highlight.

12.  “Futureal”

Best song on the album?  What if Bon Scott replaced Blaze Bayley in Iron Maiden?  This version of “Futureal” from Virtual XI poses that question.   Both the lead and backing vocals could be mistaken for Bon Scott era AC/DC.  The solo sounds like Angus.  There is even an added lyric referencing “Dirty Deeds”!  Honest, it is worth buying the album just for this version, which is so much fun that you’ll play it on repeat.  The tempo and vibe are based on “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)”.  You might even trick your friends into thinking it’s unreleased AC/DC track.  Give it a try!

13. “Nomad”

Very System of a Down/Serj Tankien in the vocals.  Very jokey.  Feels like a polka.  Not an album highlight, but brief.

14. “Sanctuary”

Also brief is this “Speed King” inspired version of the classic Maiden single.  Right to the tempo, distorted organ and the solos, it’s very Deep Purple.  “Speed King” is a great song to base a Maiden cover on; I’m sure they would approve.  If Purple wrote “Sanctuary” in 1970, this is what it would sound like.  The only difference is that this singer doesn’t scream, but he really shouldn’t since is a Paul Di’Anno song, not Bruce.

15. “Innocent Exile”

Another foray into electronica.  The programmed beats and music are accompanied by female lead vocals.  Not bad, because it’s a great Maiden song, but again not an album highlight.

16. “Public Enema Number One”

No Prayer for the Dying is represented here by this lovely acoustic ballad, with mournful vocals, accordion and a fretless bass solo.  Though it is a total contrast to the original, perhaps it captures the mood of the lyrics better than Maiden did it.

17. “Heaven Can Wait”

A wake-up call here as we’re bombarded with upbeat 80s New Wave.  Is the inspiration here the Talking Heads?  Regardless it’s tremendous fun and much shorter than Maiden’s original.

18. “Burning Ambition”

A B-side and a surprising choice at that!  This forgotten Maiden song works better as performed by Food For Thought, as an acoustic folksy version, with mandolin.  It’s all very Rod Stewart circa “Maggie Mae”.  If only it had Rod’s rasp.  This track is a lot of fun, especially if you love Iron Maiden deep cuts.

19. “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”

Food For Thought chose to close the album with what is normally a Side Two opener, “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”.  It works brilliantly in this position.  Unlike some of the abbreviated tracks on this album, “Seventh Son” is the full length, well over 10 minutes.  It begins very “No Quarter” (Led Zeppelin) to begin, with that John Paul Jones keyboard sound.  It gets heavy after the middle section, which could top the Maiden original.  The way they use the original music, but play it on different instruments, it fascinating to hear.  A track like this is tricky to re-arrange, but here it is!

Find this album.  Get it in your collection, and enjoy it over and over again.

5/5 stars

 

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: The Greatest Iron Maiden Tribute Album You Never Heard – Food For Thought

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: The Greatest Iron Maiden Tribute Album You Never Heard – Food For Thought

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #130

This is an episode that we have been looking forward to since the very start of this series.  Tribute albums wouldn’t usually figure into our Iron Maiden story, but this is one that we felt so strongly about that there wasn’t even a question.  Check out Sweden’s Food For Thought, who did the best Iron Maiden tribute you’ve never heard.

With 19 tracks spanning the debut album all the way to Dance of Death, Now That’s What I Call ‘Kin Music / What Are We Doing This For? (2003) is the coolest tribute album you’re likely to hear.  Each track is performed in a unique style, from metal to folk to electronica, often in the style of known artists.  Therefore if you would like to hear “Sanctuary” done in the style of Deep Purple’s “Speed King”, you will hear it on this album.  What if Lemmy was in Iron Maiden?  Or Bon Scott?  All those questions will be answered tonight.

Harrison and Mike break down the album’s 19 tracks, including deep cuts, hits and a B-side. We also play song clips to illustrate our points.  It might not be an easy album to find, but our goal is to get your shopping for Food For Thought at the episode’s conclusion.

We hope you enjoy this episode and ultimately the album!  Tune into the premiere as we always like to interact in the comments.

 

Friday December 12 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T., 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

Recap: Interview With “Shandi” Bassist HARPER

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

Episode 129:  Interview with “Shandi” Bassist Harper

Last night I had the pleasure of interviewing bassist Harper on the subject of Kiss and more. Topics covered:

  1. Guitar tech for Paul on the Dynasty tour
  2. Rehearsing Shandi with Paul and Anton Fig, and recording it with Vini Poncia for the album
  3. Working with Peter Criss on his Out of Control solo band that never toured
  4. Loaning Ace the 12 string guitar he played on Fractured Too
  5. Missing the Space Ace
  6. Loaning the Shandi Thunderbird bass out to a legendary metal bassist who used it on his band’s landmark 1984 album (I love this story)!
  7. Working for LucasArts in the 1990s on a Star Wars video game for the N64
  8. Michael Bolton and his band
  9. An Oscar Award!?
  10. And so much more!

Please enjoy the show! I’ll try to get Harper back for any followup questions.

 

KISS: Best Song Off Each Studio Album on Rock Show Critique [VIDEO]

Hot off the heels of our Whitesnake ranking, Joey Suto invited me back on his channel to talk about my favourite band of all time:  KISS.

This time, Joey and I looked at every single studio album, and every single non-album “bonus track”, and picked ONE song from each.  We didn’t ignore the solo albums, either!  No, we dove in deep this time!  From 1974’s Kiss to 2012’s Monster, we picked one song from each.  Then we looked at Alive II, Killers, Smashes, Detroit Rock City, We’re A Happy Family, KISS 50 and all the box sets and other assorted compilations to choose one and only one “bonus track” from all of them.  This is one of the most comprehensive KISS list shows you’re gonna find on YouTube!

I powered through some bruised ribs to do this show in one shot, no edits!

Check it out below and drop a comment!

 

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Interview With “Shandi” Bassist HARPER – Wednesday live show!

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Episode

Episode 129:  Interview with “Shandi” Bassist Harper

Grab A Stack of Rock is proud to announce a special mid-week LIVE episode:  Please join Mike as he speaks to Tom Harper, professionally known as Harper, the guy who played bass on the Kiss hit “Shandi”!   And not only that, but Harper later spent time at LucasArts, helping create some of the greatest video games of all time, including Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire.  Believe us when we say that some of the stories that Harper has are not widely known, and could break the internet.

For example, did you know that the Thunderbird bass guitar that he played on “Shandi” was later loaned out to a legendary metal bassist, who played it on every song of his band’s landmark 1984 metal classic?  We’ll tell you who tonight.

Harper spent time in Peter Criss’ solo band, was friends with Ace Frehley, played with Michael Bolton, and of course played the bassline you know and love from a Kiss classic.  He has also recorded his own solo covers.  There is plenty to talk about tonight, from bass to video games.  Some of these things may blow your minds!

Since this is a special live episode, if you join us in the chat you can ask your own questions of Harper.  We already have some special guest questions to run.  Please don’t miss us tonight, this is going to be a good one!

 

 

Wednesday December 10 at 6:00 PM EST, 7:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

VHS Archives #158: David Lee Roth – “She’s My Machine” – 1994 – Fox’s Wild Adventures in Paradise: The Rock and Roll Luau

A treasure unearthed, thank Fox!  Over three decades ago, David Lee Roth mimed his brand new single to an indifferent world.  Out with his new 1994 album, Your Filthy Little Mouth, a short-haired Dave put on the smiles for an audience that would have cheered for a beer fart. With his new band including guitarist Terry Kilgore, Roth unveiled his new direction: back to the roots. Again.  The event was “Fox’s Wild Adventures in Paradise: The Rock and Roll Luau”, but I was unable to find out much about this show.  My own memory tells me it was early in 1994.

Information below is provided by drummer Ron Wikso:

Yeah, that video was from the Hard Rock in Honolulu, HI and we did that show not long after I joined the band, sometime in either late January or early February of 1994, but I don’t know what date it aired…probably not long after we did it. And yes, that’s Terry Kilgore on guitar there, Jamie Hunting on bass, as well as Brett Tuggle on keyboards and vocals along with Dave and me. They cut off the ending and also made a weird cut in the middle but that’s showbiz! 🤣

Paulie Shore and Pamela Anderson were hosts.  Incredible flashback to that weird mid-90s period where everybody was pretending to get serious when they were really getting wasted!

🅻🅸🆅🅴 The Sound That Haunts You: A Beginner’s Companion to Fleetwood Mac with Tim Durling

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Episode

Episode 128:  The Sound That Haunts You: A Beginner’s Companion to Fleetwood Mac with Tim Durling

 

Remember last month when we said Tim Durling has been busy?  Hot on the heels of his Night Ranger book, Tim is out with a brand new Fleetwood Mac companion!  With photos and text on every Fleetwood Mac studio album, this book is essential to fans new and old who want to read about Mick and the gang, and their incredible discography going all the way back to the Peter Green years.

Harrison “The Mad Metal Man” Kopp hosts tonight as we welcome Tim back onto the show.  You can buy the book here, or at your local Amazon.

We have guest questions lined up, and Tim will have the answers!  Don’t miss this one live, as we love to interact in the comments.  We always have fun lined up, and fun will be had!

Friday December 5 at 7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

#1226: The Wayne’s World Drumsticks

RECORD STORE TALES #1226: The Wayne’s World Drumsticks

They weren’t my drum sticks, but like many things that belonged to my sister, I claimed them as “ours” not “hers”.  It was she that got Wayne’s World on VHS.  The tape came with a free pair of Wayne’s World drumsticks.  They were cheap and warped (a common issue), but they were not meant to be played.  They were intended to be a collectible for fans of Wayne Campbell and his drumming friend, Garth Algar.

Wayne’s World was a worldwide phenomenon when it was released to cinemas in early 1992.  I myself went to see it twice in the space of 24 hours.  When it was released on VHS just in time for Christmas, it was everywhere.  You could buy it at the grocery store if you wanted to.  Mike Myers and Dana Carvey’s loveable metalhead characters had become cultural icons in a very short span of time, with “Not!” and “Yeah, right!” becoming immediately popular punchlines in youth culture.  Myers has a knack for that kind of impact.  He did it again in the late 90’s with Austin Powers and “Oh, behave!”

Drums were always an instrument I was fascinated by.  I would sit on the edge of my bed and play air-drums to my favourite songs.  When Kathryn acquired the VHS tape/drum stick bundle for Christmas, I upped my air drum game.

I set up some pillows on my bed and practised smacking them with my…her sticks.  It looked and sounded stupid, but it was physically fun to do!

Switching gears a moment, when final exams rolled around, I spent a lot of time studying.  It is a tedious task, but I had a proven method.  I would comb through my class notebooks, and make a set of point-form notes on all the key subjects and sub-subjects.  Then I would reduce those notes to a list of keywords.  I would then memorize the list of keywords.  It was very mechanical but it worked.  If I could remember that list of keywords, I could trigger the memory of what I wrote in my point-form notes, and retain enough of the facts and figures to  pass the exam.

Memorising a list of words and phrases is a tedious, mechanical task.  It lent itself well to rhythm.  So, eventually I would get to the point where I would be in my room reciting this memorized list, pounding out the words to the beat of the Wayne’s World drum sticks.  Pillows on the bed, notes scattered about, and me saying seemingly random words like, “Max rebellion”, “Francs”, “Rhine/Rhone”, and other phrases designed to trigger a memory of a series of historical events.  Pounding out the words with the drum sticks hitting the pillows in little thuds.  Eventually I drove all those words into my head, in order!

That’s the true story of how a pair of warped Wayne’s World drumsticks that weren’t even mine helped me pass my Ancient History classes.