REVIEW: Max the Axe – “Randy” Live at the Boathouse – VinylArt.co custom picture disc

There are plenty of services online for cutting your own music to vinyl these days.Β  The one that caught my eye was VinylArt.co, based out of Wales.Β  This company will cut picture discs with your chosen artwork and (legal) music to four sizes:Β  5″, 7″, 10″ and 12″.Β  How well does it work?Β  Read on to find out.

MAX THE AXE – “Randy” (Live at the Boathouse) (VinylArt.co custom picture disc)

“How many times can you say Randy?”

The first thing I need to note is that I didn’t choose a song to put on vinyl for its fidelity.Β  The prime factor behind me spending my money wasn’t to test the product for review, it was to make something that I wanted for myself.Β  It had to be something that you can’t get physically — I wanted to create my own physical product for something that only exists digitally.Β  In 2018, I recorded a song by Max the Axe when they played the Boathouse, and a few people commented that they liked the video.Β  I think the live version of “Randy” they played that night was outstanding.Β  It had bite and presence.Β  Singer Eric “Uncle Meat” Litwiller really gives his all in this version, particularly on the chorus.Β  I decided to turn that version, recorded on my phone, into an “official bootleg” live record.Β  Sound quality wasn’t even a concern in that regard.

VinyArt.co seem to market these records as keepsakes more than a way to play music.Β  For example, you have two packaging options:Β  a coloured paper sleeve, or a frame.Β  You don’t buy frames for records you plan on playing.Β  I planned on playing my Max the Axe “Randy” bootleg.Β  I wanted it to sound decent.Β  Does it?

Actually yeah.Β  It sounds OK for a picture disc.Β  There is surface noise that you can hear during the fades.Β  As you can see from the waveform image below, you also lose volume with a picture disc.Β  By nature it is not going to sound as clean as the original mp3 file that it was made from.Β  However VinylArt “master” the track as part of the process, and it does sound full and beefy enough for my needs.

Unaltered vinyl at top, original mp3 at bottom

It’s a very easy process.Β  All you have to do is upload a photo, and a track that you own (or one from their library).Β  Then you choose the record size.Β  Β The smaller the cheaper, but also the less music that will fit.Β  A 5″ record can only handle up to four minutes, so I had to go with the standard 7″ single.Β  The records are one-sided with a smooth white finish on the B-side.Β  With shipping to Canada, the whole thing cost me $55 CAD and took just over a week.Β  They track the whole process for you, from photo printing to audio mastering to record cutting.

Keep in mind picture discs do not typically offer the same quality as pure black vinyl, but this is something I wanted for myself as a keepsake.Β  The bass is nice and fat and the vocals clear as a bell.Β  Except for the fade-in and fade-out, which are noisy, it sounds like a vinyl record should.Β  About what I expected.

Now Max the Axe can boast that he has been bootlegged to vinyl, and a decent one at that.Β  I can claim to own the only copy in existence, a limited edition of one!Β  The rarest record in my collection.

VinylArt.co aren’t going to make your music sound better than the source material, but it will sound like vinyl.Β  Your music, on a playable picture disc!Β  I plan on ordering something from them again, so if repeating a sale is a way to judge a company, then VinylArt gets the passing grade.Β  And so does Max the Axe!

4/5 stars

REVIEW: Poison – “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” (1988 3″ CD single)

POISON – “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” (1988 Capitol 3″ CD single)

This is a beautiful item that I’m happy to have in my collection.Β  3″ CD singles were uncommon, but you’ve probably seen one before.Β  What is less common is the clamshell 3″ case that this Poison single came in.Β  A lot of 3″ singles came in regular 5″ cases, or a cardboard sleeve.Β  Clamshells are rare.Β  This one, called a “Gem Pak” (patent pending) was specifically made to house a “CD3”, another outdated term.Β  It’s made of white plastic and the artwork is in the form of a sticker which covers the front, back and spine of the case.Β  The Gem Pak’s flaw (patent pending!) is that it does not hold the disc in securely.Β  It wants to pop out.Β  Take care when handling one of these that the disc doesn’t fall out when you open it.

I’m a defender of “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”.Β  I loved it as a kid.Β  I remember some people saying it might be “too country”, which is wasn’t.Β  It’s just an acoustic ballad but a well written one and deserving of its success, if not its notoriety.Β  It tended to spawn a generation of soundalikes, a fuzzy swarm of late 80s acousti-balladry that ultimately only served to take bands like Poison down, while ushering in the grunge era.Β  “Every Rose” broke down walls for Poison, but the backlash was inevitable.Β  When Bill & Ted quoted it to get into heaven in 1991, it was already all over.Β  I can hear all that history when I listen to this single.Β  It’s an excellent song, and even C.C.’s solo, as inarticulate as it is, still fits like an electrically heated glove.

The B-side “Livin’ for the Minute” shows off the heavier side of Poison.Β  Fans might forget that Poison liked to really spit one out every now and then.Β  C.C.’s solo is bonkers on this one, but perfectly suited to the frantic tune.Β  Bret really cuts loose too.Β  Poison actually have some pretty cool B-sides.

These tracks are both available on the remastered Open Up and Say…Ahh!! CD, but you gotta snap this one up if you find it in the wild.

3.5/5 stars

REVIEW: Metallica – “Mama Said” (1996 CD singles one and two)

Part Two of a two-part “Mama Said” review

METALLICA – β€œMama Said” (1996 Vertigo CD singles parts one and two)

In order to get all the songs, you had to buy three separate singles.Β  You needed the 7″ vinyl (reviewed yesterday) and two CD singles.Β  The total payoff was seven B-sides:Β  five live, one demo, one single edit.Β  The 7″ picture disc included “Ain’t My Bitch” live from Irvine Meadows in ’96, and the rest are on the two CDs each sold separately.

The first single ignites the live feast with “King Nothing”, which finds Metallica in an informal mood before kicking into the track.Β  Though “King Nothing” was eventually released on its own as the fourth single from Load, it was never really one of the best songs from that album.Β  It slams heavy enough and would have been fun to mosh to.Β  They go old school on “Whiplash” which has that energy you want out of live Metallica.Β  The old fans boo the new fans, but everybody gets what they want.Β  Lars is sloppy as fuck; what do you expect?Β  When Metallica play stuff like “Whiplash” live it’s not about precision, it’s about energy and this version delivers.

The first CD ends with just a single edit of “Mama Said”, a good ballad with a country twang that some fans might have found unpalatable.Β  It’s shorter by 40 seconds, starting immediately with James’ lead vocal.Β  15 seconds chopped at the start and 20 more at the end.Β  Do Metallica fans need single edits?Β  No; Metallica was always resistant to compromises like that.Β  Paul DeCarli was given the job of the edit, presumably being told to get it safely under five minutes for radio.

“Mama Said” album version (top) and single edit (bottom) waveforms

The second CD in the set wastes no time going for the throat.Β  It’s “So What”, the infamously vulgar Anti-Nowhere League cover that was a B-side for Metallica once upon a time before.Β  It was so notorious that it became a live favourite unto itself, often turning up in the encores.Β  That’s followed by “Creeping Death”, an epic way to cap off the live tracks.Β  That mountainously heavy rock just never lets up until it gives way to another massive one.

The last and most interesting track among the B-sides is the original “Mama Said” demo recorded solely by James and Lars in Ulrich’s basement.Β  Electric guitar at first instead of acoustic, but beautiful.Β  The purity of this version, unadorned as it may be, is the reason to seek it out.Β  The twangy guitar part is in place, as are the lyrics (not always the case with James’ songs).Β  Metallica could easily release an album of their demo versions, but they haven’t so you gotta get the singles.

Seek these out.

4/5 stars

REVIEW: Metallica – “Mama Said” (1996 7″ picture disc single)

Part One of a two-part “Mama Said” review

METALLICA – “Mama Said” (1996 Vertigo picture disc 7″ single)

I can admit that my first Metallica album was Load.Β  I concede that they were more Rocktallica than Metallica on that album, but the fact of the matter is that for the genre, Rocktallica was good!Β  A lot of hard rock and heavy metal albums in the mid-90s were not good.Β  Β Metallica introduced themselves to me with an album that was what I wanted, when I wanted it.Β Β “Mama Said” was the third single from Load, a an acoustic ballad, and with an exclusive live B-side on the vinyl that wasn’t on the CD singles (to be reviewed next).

The 7″ single contains the album version, not the shorter single edit.Β  James Hetfield wasn’t afraid of getting personal in his lyrics anymore, and “Mama Said” is about his late mother.Β  It’s audible that he is getting something deeply important off his chest.Β  The music is notable for its distinct country twang.Β  Trash Metallica all you like, but this sounds great.Β  The thing about Metallica is that they usually (not always) do whatever it is they set out to do, and do it well.

That said, a 7″ picture disc is not the best way to hear Metallica play an acoustic ballad.Β  It can’t deliver the clarity and dynamics that a CD can.Β  The B-side, “Ain’t My Bitch” recorded live in California on August 4 1996, is a louder song and can get away with the format a little better.

James gets the crowd to shout “We don’t give a shit!” a couple times before they break into the song.Β  “Ain’t My Bitch” remains a fun little blast precisely about not giving a shit.Β  “Outta my way, outta my day!”Β  It might not be “Creeping Death” you can’t deny it’s fun to just bang along.Β  “Mama Said” might have been James dealing with deep shit, but “Ain’t My Bitch” says “just forget it and let go”.Β  Kirk Hammett’s solo on this one is mega fun, and it’s always a bonus to get Jason’s Newsted’s backing growls.Β  An underappreciated ex-Metallica member.

Including the tracks released over the two additional CD singles, “Ain’t My Bitch” is the seventh of seven total B-sides to “Mama Said”.Β  All the live ones are from the same show in Irvine Meadows.Β  If you gotta get ’em all, then “Mama Said” you need this picture single too!Β  Shame about the audio quality.

3/5 stars

Part Two tomorrow.

This Sunday Chuckle is brought to you by Samuel L. Jackson

I just think it’s cool that I have two Samuel L. Jackson figures in the same scale from the same toy company and from two of my favourite franchises.

The two figures are Marvel Legends’ Nick Fury (from Captain Marvel) and Star Wars The Black Series Mace Windu (Episode II and III).Β  They use this new digital facial scanning technology to get the faces eerily accurate.Β  Which do you think looks most like Jackson himself?

 

 

Eddie Van Halen Tribute – LeBrain Train Live Stream with Guests Galore

The Cradle Did Rock!Β  We had a great time talking Eddie Van Halen, memories and music.Β  If you miss Eddie as much as we do, then watch this live stream.Β  We digest the loss of the Edward the Great, share stories and learn new things.Β Β Thanks to Aaron/ Mr. Books, Kevin / Buried on Mars, John / 2 loud 2 old music, Eric / Uncle Meat, and Tyler / Dravonous for joining the panel tonight.

I started the stream with some pre-show unboxings, which you can check out if you watch the whole stream from the very start.Β  If you only want to see the Van Halen discussion, then start at 0:20:00.

Thanks again everyone for watching and participating!

A Tribute to Eddie Van Halen on the Friday LeBrain Train

The LeBrain Train – 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano
Episode 31

Shitty week, huh?Β  That’s why I’m here — to help you deal with the bad stuff, and leave feeling better at the end.Β  This week we are here to grieve, to mourn, and also to pay tribute to the greatest guitar player who ever lived:Β  Edward Van Halen.

We’re forgoing the list format, and just talking about what Eddie and his music meant to us personally.Β  Expect the usual suspects on the panel, and please post your comments so we can see what you have to say about King Edward.Β  Together we’ll process this horrible loss, and by the end we’ll feel a little better.Β  Van Halen meant a lot to me.Β  They were one of the first bands I ever liked.Β  We’ll talk about that and lots more.

For best results, view on YouTube.Β  Facebook is notoriously stoppy-starty.Β  For those who tune in early (before the official 7:00 PM start), there will be three unboxings to enjoy.

7:00 PM E.S.T.Β  Facebook:Β  MikeLeBrainΒ Β YouTube:Β  Mike LeBrain

REVIEW: AC/DC – “Shot in the Dark” (2020)

AC/DC – “Shot in the Dark” (2020 Sony single)

Be honest with me.Β  Until recently, did you really expect a new AC/DC album in 2020?Β  The notoriously private band were spotted at a studio in Vancouver a while ago, but aside from that it’s been total radio silence.

Until now.Β  Power Up!

Brian “Beano” Johnson found himself the recipient of brand new, high-tech in-ear monitors enabling him to sing live once again.Β  Phil Rudd put his past behind him.Β  This was enough to get Cliff Williams back on board.Β  Angus Young had been sorting through dozens of riffs written by Malcolm.Β  With nephew Stevie Young still in the fold to play those riffs, AC/DC were a band once more.

2020’s Power Up (orΒ PWRϟUP) will be the first AC/DC album since the death of both George and Malcolm Young.

“Shot in the Dark” is the first single, available now on iTunes when you pre-order the album.Β  “Shot in the dark, beats a walk in the park.”Β  I highly doubt that it was a walk in the park, but the thing about AC/DC is that they make everything better.Β  (This week’s episode of the LeBrain Train was supposed to be about AC/DC bringing us exactly what we needed in 2020.Β  It has obviously been postponed so we can talk about Eddie Van Halen instead.)Β  If Black Sabbath’s “Rock and Roll Doctor” was a real person, there is little question that they would have prescribed us some AC/DC in 2020.Β  We needed this.Β  Like an Aspirin when your head is achin’, we needed a “Shot” of AC/DC.Β  Something bright and shiny to look forward to.

What AC/DC do, only they can do right.Β Β There’s nothing even remotely unique about “Shot in the Dark”.Β  It’s AC/DC.Β  It is what it is and does what it does, and it’s pretty simple.Β  All you need is a beat, a catchy guitar lick, and a belting singer.Β  “Shot in the Dark” has all that.Β  The things that do jump out this time are Angus’ solo — slidey goodness — and the sheer joie de vivre of it all.Β  Brian is sounding great.Β  Some have noted that AC/DC sounds more like the genuine article when Phil Rudd is on drums.Β  His thrift and pocket groove are peanut butter and jelly.

Rating a new AC/DC song is kind of pointless.Β  They always come out with something good, albeit familiar, for a first single.Β  1990’s “Thunderstruck” was an exception.Β  Β It’s been this way since 1995’s “Hard As a Rock”.Β  AC/DC drop a new single, and it’s always the same.Β  Good and familiar.Β  Same thing here.Β  Ratings are meaningless so we’ll call it a perfect score just because we should all be happy as fuck that AC/DC are back.

5/5 stars

REVIEW: Van Halen – Live Without a Net (1987 VHS)

VAN HALEN – Live Without a Net (1987 Warner Reprise VHS/DVD)

I set the VCR to record.Β  MuchMusic were showing the full concert:Β  Van Halen, Live Without a Net!Β  Though they beeped the naughty words, I had to make sure I didn’t miss this special.Β  I’d never heard Van Halen doing Roth tunes with Hagar before!Β  Folks, there was a lot of beeping.

Live Without a Net is undoubtedly goofy, and that is part of its charm.Β  It’s kind of annoying every time Sammy proclaims that they are in “New Halen” instead of New Haven, but I guess he had to.Β  I still don’t understand why Sammy painted that lady’s shoes red.Β  The fact that a roadie had red spray paint on standby was kind of cool though.Β  The band were obviously wasted, but put on a completely epic show nonetheless.Β  It was light on the Roth stuff that Sammy didn’t want to do, like “Jump”, but they also played virtually all of their new album 5150.

The new stuff was heavier on keyboards and for many of the songs, Eddie was playing the keys while Sammy actually played the solos.Β  Unusual for this band; absolutely.Β  Sammy’s solo in “Love Walks In” ain’t half bad.Β  While I enjoyed this change of pace, Bob Schipper did not.Β  “A guy like Eddie Van Halen shouldn’t be stuck on keyboards,” he said.Β  I’ll be honest here.Β  I prefer Eddie playing keyboards live, even if it means Sammy’s on lead guitar.

The friendship between Sammy and Eddie here is obvious.Β  The chemistry is clear.Β  The tension that used to fuel Van Halen is gone here, and in it’s place is simple male comradery.Β  It’s audible in the music, and Eddie can’t stop grinning…except when he’s busy dragging on that cigarette!

With the new tunes dominating the set, there were only two Roth-era numbers.Β  “Panama” was the only big Roth hit, with “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” representing the first LP.Β  Balancing the Roth songs are two Hagar solo tunes, “There’s Only One Way to Rock” and “I Can’t Drive 55”.Β  These are great and you won’t find too many live versions that are better.Β  There were also the usual guitar, drum and bass solos, but Michael Anthony’s is mostly tuneless.Β  A Zeppelin cover, “Rock and Roll”, closes the set.

As kids, Bob and I didn’t care about the Zeppelin song.Β  What we watched the video for was Eddie himself.Β  When it was time for his solo, we studied it.Β  There was no way we could have understood what he was doing on a musical level, but we watched his actual technique.Β  We wondered if he ever burned his hand on that cigarette dangling from the headstock.Β  Eddie’s solo was like opening a science textbook for the first time.Β  Except this was a textbook that looked and sounded absolutely badass!

This always should have been a live album.Β  Edited, of course.Β  You don’t need the shoe painting episode to fully enjoy Van Halen Live Without a Net.*

4/5 stars

 

* The painting of the shoes happened during “Best of Both Worlds” and was edited out when released as a single B-side.

 

Rest in Peace to the greatest guitar player of all time: Edward Van Halen (1955-2020)

In 1962, Jan Van Halen and his family moved from the Netherlands to the United States.Β  Young Edward Lodewijk Van Halen was only seven years old when he switched continents.Β  By his side, as always, was his older brother Alex.Β  The Van Halens were a musical family.Β  Jan played clarinet.Β  Soon Eddie started playing the drums, while Alex picked up the guitar.Β  It was not meant to be.Β  The Rock Gods intervened and the two switched instruments.Β  History had to be made.

In 1972, the Van Halen brothers formed their first band.Β  People were starting to pay attention to this young guitar prodigy who was doing things most players hadn’t thought of yet.Β  Though he wasn’t the first, he popularized tapping, whammy bar dives, and all sorts of harmonics.Β  Unlike the average shredder, Eddie made it musical.Β  Insanely musical.Β  While his techniques were space age, his riffs and melodies were grounded in rock and roll.

There is no need to go over all the players he influenced (thousands? millions?) or the riffs he wrote.Β  There is no other guitar player with the influence of Eddie Van Halen.Β  Was he the greatest of all time?

Yes.

And his most well known guitar solo wasn’t even on his own song!

Even his keyboard playing was genius!

There will never be another Van Halen.Β  No player before or since will have the ingenuity and influence he did.Β  From modifying his own guitars and amps to achieve the perfect β€œbrown sound”, to brutalizing the strings with a drill, he was an innovator.Β  He was the most important of all the guitar innovators. And he sheepishly grinned through the whole thing as if to say, “Who, me? I did that?”

His infectious grin made all the kids love Eddie Van Halen

Cancer doesn’t care about influence or music, or even the love of millions of adoring fans.Β  Eddie fought for years.Β  His battle was a quiet one and we did not know the extent of his illness, though the rumour mills always swirled.Β  Certainly though his output dwindled (only one studio album in over 20 years), interest in him never waned.Β  An Eddie sighting at a recent Tool concert was big news.

Van Halen captained his eponymous band through two successful eras and one less so.Β  Through cancer, hip replacements, and divorce, Eddie plowed on.Β  A massive reunion with lead singer David Lee Roth made people forget the missteps and focused the spotlight on his incendiary playing once more.

Though there are only 12 studio albums in 42 years, Van Halen’s discography stands like a monolith.Β  A massive red, black and white striped monolith with EVH in bold letters at the top.Β  Gone at age 65, Eddie Van Halen will never be forgotten.Β  His name will stand with Paganini, Beethoven and Bach.Β  With Hendrix, Rhodes, and Robert Johnson.Β  Legendary.Β  Immortal.Β  Beyond their own time.

As the celebrity memorials inevitably (and sadly) roll in, we will be reminded of one thing:Β  There will only ever be one Eddie Van Halen.

Rest in peace.

 

 

COMPLETE VAN HALEN REVIEW SERIES:

VAN HALEN – ZeroΒ (1977 Gene Simmons demo bootleg)
VAN HALEN – Van HalenΒ (1978 Warner)
VAN HALEN – Van Halen IIΒ (1979 Warner)
VAN HALEN – Women and Children FirstΒ (1980 Warner)
VAN HALEN – Fair WarningΒ (1981 Warner)
VAN HALEN – Diver DownΒ (1982 Warner)
VAN HALEN – 1984Β (1984 Warner)
VAN HALEN – 5150Β (1986 Warner Bros.)
VAN HALEN – OU812Β (1988 Warner)
VAN HALEN – For Unlawful Carnal KnowledgeΒ (1991)
VAN HALEN – LIVE: Right here, right now.Β (1993 Warner Bros, plus β€œJump” live single)
VAN HALEN – BalanceΒ (1995 Warner – Japanese version included)
VAN HALEN – BalanceΒ (1995)Β Review by Derek Kortepeter
VAN HALEN – Best Of Volume IΒ (1996 Warner)
VAN HALEN – 3Β (Collectors’ tin 1998)
VAN HALEN – The Best of Both WorldsΒ (2005 Warner)
VAN HALEN – A Different Kind of TruthΒ (2012)
VAN HALEN – Tokyo Dome Live in ConcertΒ (2015)
VAN HALEN – Tokyo Dome Live in ConcertΒ (2015)Β Review by Tommy Morais

+

VAN HALEN – β€œBest of Both Worlds” (1986 Warner 7β€³ single)
VAN HALEN – Selections from LIVE: Right here, right now.Β (1993 Warner promo EP)
VAN HALEN – β€œCan’t Get This Stuff No More” / β€œMe Wise Magic” (1996 Warner promo singles)
VAN HALEN – β€œCan’t Stop Loving You” (Parts 1 & 2, inc. collector’s tin)
VAN HALEN – β€œRight Now” (1992 cassette single, Warner)
VAN HALEN – Video Hits Volume IΒ (1998 DVD)
VAN HALEN vs. JOHN LENNON – β€œImagine A Jump” mashup by β€œMighty Mike”
RECORD STORE TALES Part 186: Β The Van Halen Tin
GETTING MORE TALE #657: Operation: Van Halen (Derek’s Story)