REVIEW: Sammy Hagar – Musical Chairs (1977)

SAMMY HAGAR – Musical Chairs (1977 Capitol)

A second album in 1977 for Sammy Hagar!  Swiftly following his self-titled record, Sammy was back with another collection of originals and covers featuring Bill Church and Alan Fitzgerald.  New to the band this time out were drummer Denny Carmassi, and Gary Pihl on guitar.  With Denny on board, it’s Montrose without Ronnie.

This review is based on my notes for an excellent episode of Tim’s Vinyl Confessions, and so does not follow my usual review format.  By all means, check out his Sammy Hagar book Red On Black for more details.  Let’s take ’em all track by track.

1. “Turn Up the Music” (John Carter, Sammy Hagar 3:35)

One of the Sammy songs I have known for ages, being on a 1989 “special markets” compilation called Turn Up the Music!  Very cool intro guitar lick, one of Sammy’s catchiest solo tracks.  Cool lyrics referencing the working day, and shouting out to past rockers like “Johnny B Goode”.  An ode to music making you feel better, helping you get through the day.  “Heavy metal music, oh that feels alright.”

2. “It’s Gonna Be All Right” (Hagar 4:11)

Laid back with cool synth riff by Fitz, and great punchy horn section.  Catchy and fun.  Youthful.  “We may be young, but we are strong, we can’t be wrong.  We’ve only just begun to be right!”  I remember feeling that way!  The horn section really gives the song a unique flavour for hard rock, and it just blasts!

3. “You Make Me Crazy” (Hagar 2:47)

Lovely little ballad with great keyboards and female backing vocals.  Very mellow in a 70s sense.  I picture a wintry chalet with a fire roaring.  Tommy Bolin vibes, circa “Sweet Burgundy”.  While it doesn’t really fit the Hagar oeuvre (especially on an album featuring the lyric “heavy metal music”), I do like this song.  Maybe it would be called adult contemporary in some circles…but not mine.

4. “Reckless” (Hagar 3:32)

One of Sammy’s heaviest!  Smokes from start to finish.  Guitar/organ riff is killer.  Heavy metal music indeed!  A true head banger.  Primitive Hagar music, with all the punches intact.

5. “Try (Try to Fall in Love)” (Norman Des Rosiers 3:11)

A cover of a sappy piano ballad.  Full of strings and adornments, flutes, and woodwinds, but a bit too mushy.  No rock.  Very lush, and Sammy attempts a nice falsetto, but it’s not a favourite.  And that song title?  It reminds me of “Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You (Tonight)” by Spinal Tap.  Why “Try (Try)”?  Why?  Oh that’s too much now.

6. “Don’t Stop Me Now” (Carter, Hagar 3:12)

Back to form, thankfully!  Nice crunchy simple riff here, and catchy guitar licks.  Punchy, simple and crunchy.  Nice chorus.  Listen for “red” reference – “I’m turnin’ red.”  This one strikes me as Kiss outtake quality.  Think Simmons’ Vault.

7. “Straight from the Hip Kid” (Liar cover – Norman Tager, Paul Travis 3:09)

Funky clavinet is a nice touch; thanks Fitz!  This is a cover tune by Liar, a contemporary 70s band who put out their own version of the track two years earlier.  Hard rocking, but with a slight touch of funk.

8. “Hey Boys” (Hagar 2:50)

OK song.  Light but not particularly memorable.  Chorus feels like it doesn’t fit.  Good keyboard solo work, very atmospheric.  “We’re all playin’ musical chairs, of but a change is gonna come,” lyric comes from this song.  Nice light rock.  Yacht rock?

9. “Someone Out There” (Hagar 3:01)

Enjoy the upbeat rock stylings of this song.  Light background organ is very nice.

10. “Crack in the World” (Hagar 5:11)

Slow rocker.  Goes epic in a soft kind of way, but the chorus doesn’t quite fit, which is a problem plaguing this record.  Good keyboard and guitar solos for what it is.  Kind of ends prematurely.

Not a spectacular album, with only two real serious rockers.  There are a few good light rockers too, but fans expecting the “Heavy Metal” Hagar will be sorely left with something they won’t understand.

3/5 stars

 

 

 

The Contrarians Live: Rock Out With Your Clock Out!

What Time Is It?

A fun topic this week with a lot of variation:  album covers featuring timepieces of any kind!  Though a challenge at first, it became easier once I allowed myself to think outside the box a little bit.  Unfortunately Peter Kerr cannot join us this week, and John Clauser is now on a sabbatical, so it will be a smaller group tonight.

I’ll be ready.  What time is it?  7:00 PM EST!

THE CONTRARIANS – Rock Out With Your Clock Out! – Wednesday April 30 –  7:00 PM EST

 

My Contrarians appearances to date:

  1. Nicknamed Album Covers
  2. Minimalist cover art
  3. Brown album covers
  4. Yellow album covers
  5. Albums with Fire and Explosions
  6. Spaceships! Aliens! Robots!
  7. This Album Cover is Hell!
  8. Toys & Games
  9. Dreaming in Stereo:  Beds & Sleep on album covers
  10. Favourite Bands…WORST Album Covers
  11. They Swapped Covers!
  12. Great Album Covers From Bands We Despise
  13. Top 10 NWOBHM Covers
  14. It’s A Piece of Art!
  15. Compilation Kaos!
  16. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Hipgnosis!
  17. Amped Up!
  18. Packaging Fails
  19. Where’s the Band?
  20. Slippery When Wet
  21. Greetings From New York
  22. Done With Mirrors
  23. Eyes Without A Face
  24. Rock Out With Your Clock Out!

#1185: The Worst Weather, and the Best Weekend! – April 2025 [with Videos]

RECORD STORE TALES #1185: The Worst Weather, and the Best Weekend!
April 2025

We had a busy weekend lined up, but we were prepared for the worst – and the best!  We got a bit of both, but our spirits have never been higher.  Let’s rock this spring 2025!

Preparation is always key.  We left town at 8:30 AM, bound for Toronto.  It was time for Jen’s annual face-to-face with the neurologist, but traffic was light.  Apparently it was quite busy the day before, with Metallica in town playing Thursday for the first of their no-repeat weekend.  That was a stroke of luck, but then we hit a second one just as we arrived.  Our appointment was for 10:00, and the 9:30 had cancelled at the last minute.  That means we got seen early, and we got to the lake early too!

The doctor was happy with Jen’s progress, and is increasing a couple medications that seem to be have a positive effect.  Good appointment, and we were back on the road.

The music to Toronto was Live-Loud-Alive by Loudness, and the music to the cottage was the brand-new Dreams On Toast by the Darkness.  The Darkness album is easily their best since Last Of Our Kind, and will warrant a lengthy review over its 29 combined tracks.

We had a second pleasantly uneventful drive up, arriving in Kincardine at 2:00 PM.  We made our first stop of 2025 at our butcher, the Beefway.  There we picked up two beautiful T-bone steaks, some assorted bacon ends (applewood smoked), and some pickerel, pickles & pies.  In and out in under 10 minutes.

Friday afternoon was a weird one.  It was cold, then it rained, and then got warm and humid.   I took a stroll and found the last patch of snow left on the beach.  I attempted to make a snowball, but the snow was not good for packing.  It was dark all day, and  I set up on the front porch to rock the music.  The first album of the year was Combo Akimbo by Blotto, since the guys have been so cool to me this year.  Always a fun record.  Around “Metal Head”, I decided to try flying my drone.  Just as I got it in the air, it started raining.  No flying on Friday.  The rain did not hamper the 100th episode of Grab A Stack of Rock, which broadcast from the porch as planned.  Even Broadway Blotto came to check out the festivities.

We were indoors for the rest of the weekend, but the pickerel and steaks were sublime.   The sun did finally come out Sunday morning, which enabled me to take the first real flight of 2025.  Nothing fancy, but plenty of beauty.  I think I need to start flying less as a pilot, and more as a cinematographer.  Maybe that will be part of 2025’s goals.  Improve the drone videos with better, smoother shots.  I may have something in the works there.

I always like to do something every year at the lake that I have never done before.  Here are three for this weekend alone:

  1. First time seeing snow at the cottage this late in the season.
  2. First time barbecuing Spam.  (Frying pan is better for Spam.)
  3. Took the drone a teeny bit further this time and got a look down the river.

The music home was, of course, Iron Maiden!  There is no rest for the wicked, nor for 50 Years of Iron Maiden.  Fear of the Dark is next up on the recording schedule.

It was such a packed weekend that I slept for 13 hours on Sunday night.

We’ll be back soon.  The April showers will bring the May flowers.

VIDEO: 100th Episode Outtake – Harrison’s First CD Collection

Thank you for joining us on Friday April 25 for Grab A Stack of Rock’s 100th episode.  We actually had a lot more material backlogged for that episode, which you’ll be seeing here, so like and subscribe for more!

This fun short video features Harrison walking us through his very first CD collection photo.  You can see Young Harrison was already into Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, but why, and how?  Harrison walks us through them all in this fun nostalgia (and metal) filled episode.

 

Off The Charts: So You Wanna Be A Rock Star?

Scream for us, YouTube!  Dan Chartrand and I have reunited for this fun episode about nostalgia and dreams.  So you wanna be a rock star?  We’ll tell you what not to do!

In this incredibly fun episode, Dan will tell you about his rock star ambitions which eventually resulted in three CDs by Dead Culture Society.  He’ll also tell you about “turning down” the bass player job in Quiet Riot, and pissing off Rudy Sarzo to an extreme degree.  (Never make fun of the way Rudy licks his fingers when playing bass.)

I dug up some things from my teen years, dreaming of being a rock star.  I found the original script for my remake of the “Nothing But A Good Time” music video, and some postcards from my partner in crime Bob Schipper.  We talk air bands, buying our first guitars, and the art of swinging them over our shoulders.  Learning to play?  Not important!  Getting the stage moves right was what we focused on.

Please join us for this incredibly fun and occasionally hilarious trip down memory lane, and give Dan a like and subscribe!  We will be back!

Recap: 100th Episode Celebration with John, Jex and the Mad Metal Man

I am humbled.  Though I had planned this episode as a tribute to the co-hosts and guests, I was gladdened to see record views and a lively comments sections from old friends and new ones too.

This episode was a celebration of the people who help bring Grab A Stack of Rock to life.  I was joined by Jex Russell, John Clauser, and the Mad Metal Man himself, Harrison Kopp. Together we too a trip down memory lane, spotlighting highlights from the entire history of the show.

In the comments section, Broadway Blotto himself congratulated us on 100 episodes.  It was quite a surprise and I could not be further humbled, but here I am.  Thank you Broadway for your support.  Your correspondences have been invaluable and the show is only the better for it!

Finally, we showed off some new arrivals in our collections, and did an unboxing.  Because that’s our roots and the kind of stuff we used to do!

Join us next week for the return of 50 Years of Iron Maiden!

List of everyone who has ever joined me on Grab A Stack of Rock to date:

  1. Harrison Kopp
  2. Eric “Uncle Meat” Litwiller
  3. Aaron KMA
  4. Tim Durling
  5. Rob Daniels
  6. John T Snow
  7. Grant Arthur
  8. Brian Richards
  9. MarriedandHeels
  10. Marco D’Auria
  11. Kevin Simister
  12. Dr. Kathryn
  13. Jen Ladano
  14. Grace Scheele
  15. Jex Russell
  16. Spencer “Spenny” Rice
  17. Nurse Kat
  18. Erik Woods
  19. Jason Drury
  20. Pierre-Luc Allard
  21. Peter Kerr
  22. John Clauser
  23. Len Labelle
  24. Reed Little
  25. Metal Roger
  26. John the Music Nut
  27. Mike Slayen
  28. Pete Jones
  29. Todd Evans
  30. James Kalyn
  31. Angie Moon
  32. Ryan Gavalier
  33. Chris Preston
  34. Dan Chartrand
  35. Glen “Archie” Gamble
  36. bicyclelegs
  37. Davey Cretin
  38. Melissa Nee
  39. Sidney Cini
  40. Ashley Geisler
  41. Martin Popoff
  42. Bert Blotto
  43. F Lee Harvey Blotto
  44. Bowtie Blotto
  45. Broadway Blotto
  46. and (briefly) Max the Axe

🅻🅸🆅🅴 100th Episode Celebration!

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

EPISODE 100

With Jex Russell and Johnny Metal

Back at the cottage for the first time in 2025, together we celebrate the 100th episode of Grab A Stack of Rock!  With Harrison Kopp back and better than ever, 2025 has been a landmark year for the show, featuring our big series 50 Years of Iron Maiden.  This episode celebrates every era of the show:  from its “random and chaotic” beginnings, to the “heels era”, and today.  To celebrate with us, we have three of the hardest working co-hosts a guy could ask for:  the Mad Metal Man, Johnny “Homework” Clauser, and Jex Russell himself.  Each of these guys played a critical role in keeping the show going steady since October 2022.

Since day one, Grab A Stack of Rock has been a fun and frivolous celebration of physical media and products.  CDs, DVDs, vinyl and more obscure formats have always been at the forefront, but we have showcased physical collections far and wide since our very first episode.  We struggled to find direction, but had fun getting lost along the way.  And here we are, ready to acknowledge it all!  The current Grab A Stack of Rock show intro is the first version to include every guest and co-host we ever had along the way.  To me, this show has always been just as much about the people, as the music.  Every collection of CDs, LPs and cassettes comes with a multitude of stories, often including great lengths we go to in order to acquire them.  Along the way, we met friends of varying temporal longevity, from brief sparks to deep connections.  It has been a hell of a lot of fun.

On the menu tonight:  Leaning into the “Mix Tape” format a little bit, we will play some clips and outtakes you’ve never seen before.  These include some of the key characters in the story of the show so far, and a sneak preview of a forthcoming episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden.  Of course, I will have something in terms of physical memorabilia that you have never seen before.  We may also have an Amazon delivery to unbox – stay tuned!

Please drop in and say hello!

Friday April 25 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on

List of everyone who has ever joined me on Grab A Stack of Rock to date:

  1. Harrison Kopp
  2. Eric “Uncle Meat” Litwiller
  3. Aaron KMA
  4. Tim Durling
  5. Rob Daniels
  6. John T Snow
  7. Grant Arthur
  8. Brian Richards
  9. MarriedandHeels
  10. Marco D’Auria
  11. Kevin Simister
  12. Dr. Kathryn
  13. Jen Ladano
  14. Grace Scheele
  15. Jex Russell
  16. Spencer “Spenny” Rice
  17. Nurse Kat
  18. Erik Woods
  19. Jason Drury
  20. Pierre-Luc Allard
  21. Peter Kerr
  22. John Clauser
  23. Len Labelle
  24. Reed Little
  25. Metal Roger
  26. John the Music Nut
  27. Mike Slayen
  28. Pete Jones
  29. Todd Evans
  30. James Kalyn
  31. Angie Moon
  32. Ryan Gavalier
  33. Chris Preston
  34. Dan Chartrand
  35. Glen “Archie” Gamble
  36. bicyclelegs
  37. Davey Cretin
  38. Melissa Nee
  39. Sidney Cini
  40. Ashley Geisler
  41. Martin Popoff
  42. Bert Blotto
  43. F Lee Harvey Blotto
  44. Bowtie Blotto
  45. Broadway Blotto
  46. and (briefly) Max the Axe

#1184: The Legendarium of George: Gene Simmonsarillion

Much as Tolkien was reticent to write a sequel to Lord of the Rings (itself, technically a sequel), I was reluctant to talk about the Legendarium of George any further.  I thought I had said as much as was needed about this character and his adventures in 1980s Kitchener Ontario.  Upon further reflection, I realized that the story of George was incomplete, even insofar as public information was concerned.  If a story is private, it’s private, but if it was common knowledge in the neighbourhood, it’s safe to discuss.

RECORD STORE TALES #1184: The Legendarium of George: Gene Simmonsarillion

My sister and I hid in the garage.  We opened up the milkbox/mailbox from the inside, and pried open the mail slot with a stick.  Then, we waited.  And waited.  Some days, nothing would happen.  Others would be like pure gold; like finding the hord of Smaug.

If we were patient enough, the bass playing would begin.

It was easy to identify certain basslines, such as “100,000 Years”.  George would hit the first two notes – “Dm dmmmmmm…”, pause and hit them again just like Gene Simmons did on Kiss Alive!  And then…

“I’M SORRY TO HAVE TAKEN SO LONG, IT MUST HAVE BEEN A BITCH WHILE I WAS GONE…”

George half-yelled, and half-croaked out the lyrics to the song.  My sister and I sat there, laughing out loud but unheard by George.  He was enveloped in song.  If we had X-ray vision, we could have seen him in his room, headband holding his curls in place, wristbands on each arm, and absolutely mangling “100,000 Years”.

George was good entertainment.  He’d boast about how great he was, but we got to hear him loud and clear.

Then, suddenly, his mother would shriek from the kitchen below.

“WILLIAM!  SUPPER’S READY!”*

“I’ll be down when I’m done this song!” he’d yell back.

“WILLIAM!  GET DOWN HERE NOW!”

We never found out why his mother called him “William”.  That wasn’t even his middle name!  But that was the name she screamed when it was supper time, no matter where he was.  Usually he was down the street.  Everyone always knew when it was supper time at George’s house.

His mother was a character too.  One day she came over our house with a bag full of clothes that didn’t fit her or the kids anymore.  Take ’em, she said.  My mother threw this gross bag of clothes in the trash.  A few days later, George’s mom asked for the bag back.  “Oh I’m sorry, I donated it!” lied my mom wisely.  Who gives away a bag of clothes and then asks for it back?  George’s eccentricities were certainly genetic.

I remember some time around 1986 or 87, George was constantly on the shitlist with his parents.  Even if I wasn’t evesdropping, I could always hear them arguing from my bedroom window.  One afternoon I overheard his dad saying he was going to kick George out.  That was the day I wrote my first ever original song.  It was called “George Is Gone”, and it went something like this (to a jazzy rock beat).

“George is gone,
Yeah he’s really really gone,
George is gone,
Yeah he’s really really gone.”

[Repeat]

They never did kick out George, but he was around less and less as we got older.   I ran into him once at the Record Store, shopping with his mom.  That was the last time I ever saw him in person.

George may be gone, but thanks to the Legendarium of George, he’ll never be gone.

*Some recall that his mother yelled “GEORGIE!” when it was supper time.  It was probably both that and “WILLIAM”!

The Contrarians Live: Eyes Without A Face

RESCHEDULED!

A topic from Martin this week:  Album covers featuring eyes, but not the full face!  This was a fun one to do, and I look forward to seeing what the other guys bring tonight.  My list has a lot of obvious picks, but as usual, Tim beat me to some good ones.  It feels like a race to get your list in every week!

Watch tonight and witness!

THE CONTRARIANS – Eyes Without A Face – Wednesday April 23 –  7:00 PM EST

My Contrarians appearances to date:

  1. Nicknamed Album Covers
  2. Minimalist cover art
  3. Brown album covers
  4. Yellow album covers
  5. Albums with Fire and Explosions
  6. Spaceships! Aliens! Robots!
  7. This Album Cover is Hell!
  8. Toys & Games
  9. Dreaming in Stereo:  Beds & Sleep on album covers
  10. Favourite Bands…WORST Album Covers
  11. They Swapped Covers!
  12. Great Album Covers From Bands We Despise
  13. Top 10 NWOBHM Covers
  14. It’s A Piece of Art!
  15. Compilation Kaos!
  16. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Hipgnosis!
  17. Amped Up!
  18. Packaging Fails
  19. Where’s the Band?
  20. Slippery When Wet
  21. Greetings From New York
  22. Done With Mirrors

RST #1183/VHS Archives #154: 2 Minutes on a Wednesday at Work in the late-90s

RECORD STORE TALES #1183: 2 Minutes on a Wednesday at Work in the late-90s

 

In the 90s, the Beat Goes On were advised by the police to install a video security system.  Though it was rarely helpful, they suggested it could be used to catch CD thieves who came in to us to sell their stolen goods.  The one time I know it was used in court, the tape was too fuzzy to identify the thief.

Can you identify me?

We had seven security tapes:  One for each day of the week.  We’d rotate them.  Every few years they would wear out, and you’d have to replace them.  That’s how I got this tape.  It was a freebie that the boss didn’t need anymore.  Truth be told, half the time, we didn’t even bother to record.  Each tape was only good for eight hours, so we could not record the entire day anyway.  We’d usually insert the tape at around 1:00 PM so we could record the night shift.  This was supposedly done to record during the “most dangerous” hours.  I gave the camera the middle finger a few times, but nobody saw those tapes, I suppose.

One of our old employees told me he liked to take the security tapes home and get high watching them.  I ended up keeping only this one.  Unfortunately, I chose a very boring Wednesday tape with nothing interesting going on.  If you’d like to see for yourself, have a look at the quick video below for a day in the life at the Beat Goes On.  Glad I kept it for one reason only: this physical location no longer exists and is now part of a parking lot.  History!  This is the only existing video documentation of my old store of which I am aware.