#1192: Close Encounter of the Stinky Kind!

RECORD STORE TALES #1192:  Close Encounter of the Stinky Kind!

It has been the Spring of Unseasonal Cold!  Unable to catch a break this year, Jen and I have spent most of our cottage time indoors with the heat cranked.  What a change from years past.  The water levels are low, and we have not seen much wildlife.  Well, except for a recent close encounter.

We left for the lake on Thursday night, to the soundtrack of Frehley’s Comet.  Friday was a day off, and it was spent cooking exotic meat on the barbecue (more on that in a bit).  It was also spent flying my new drone.  A step up from the Potensic, I now have in my arsenal a Ruko U11MINI 4k.  Unfortunately, due to the wind and cold, I only had one flight with it.  You can see from the video footage that the camera is far superior.  The images and videos are clearer, and level with the horizon.  I will be posting a full review soon, and more videos, as I work with the drone and gain more experience.

We ran out propane on Friday night, just after my lamb chops were cooked to a perfect medium rare.  The last gasps of flame puffed to an end as the lamb was finished.  Of course, with two big beautiful steaks on deck for Saturday night, we had to get more propane.  Friday was the day for exotic meat – scallops, moose sausage, and lamb chops.  Each one of them turned out perfect.  My scallops had an abundance of butter to soak up, seasoned with garlic oil and chunks.  The moose sausage was strong but not game-y, and the lamb of course was the highlight.  I did those with butter, garlic, oregano and fresh parsley.  But Saturday was steak day, the “big” day.  We had a porterhouse and a ribeye to grill!  Propane would be purchased on Saturday morning.

I woke Jen up around 7:00 AM.  Nobody likes hitting the Kincardine McGas bar during the breakfast rush, so we aimed to be there before that.  I started warming up the family truckster, Jen got in, and I noticed that I left a Tim’s coffee cup in the car.  I grabbed it and quickly ran over to my fireplace to toss it out.  It was a cool but beautiful morning, still dim as we waited for the sun to penetrate the clouds.

Just as I approached the fireplace from behind, preparing my aim to launch my cup, I saw movement!

Black and white movement!

I skidded to a halt and aborted the launch of my coffee cup.  It landed meters away from the target — which was a blessed thing!  Inside the fireplace, nosing around looking for scraps, was a large black and white skunk.  I shrieked like a baby and ran.  “There’s a skunk in there!!” I shouted to Jen who had no idea why I was running.

I was literally a second away from being sprayed.  If I had not halted when I did, that coffee cup would have launched right into the fireplace, hitting and startling the skunk, and thus ruining my weekend and probably the week after.

Close call!  They say close only counts in horseshoes?  It also counts when barely missing a skunk at 7:00 AM!

 

 

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode: Run For Your Lives setlist analysis

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode

Run For Your Lives setlist analysis

A few months ago, Harrison and I sat down and did our wishlists and speculation on the 2025 Run For Your Lives tour.  With the first two shows in Budapest completed, Harrison and I reconvened to discuss the actual setlists in this special bonus episode.

Yes, there will be two episodes of 50 Years of Iron Maiden this week!  We will also be back this Friday to talk about the one album they ignored on this tour…

With an eye towards a deep analysis, Harrison and I went through the entire set track by track.  Harrison touches on the performances and Bruce’s voice, while I focused more on my satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the songs selected, based on the parameters set out by the band themselves.  Of course, we also have to address the “new guy”, Simon Dawson, which we do!  And what about poor Janick?  Find out….

This episode is live now, June 4 at midnight, so check it out.

Airing Wednesday June 4 at 12:00 A.M. E.S.T.    Enjoy on YouTube.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

 

VIDEO: Tim’s Vinyl Confessions Ep. 664: Kiss Off the Soundboard (San Antonio 12/3/85 review)

Check out this brand new episode of Tim’s Vinyl Confessions featuring yours truly in the guest seat!

Kiss have released a brand-new Off the Soundboard album, the very first live release from the 1985 Asylum tour.  The lineup this time featured Stanley, Simmons, Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr.  The setlist also features the first ever live version of “Uh! All Night” to be released officially!

The crappy thing is, the album was only available on vinyl, and is currently only sold with a crappy T-shirt bundle.  Japan, however, took matters in their own hands and released a CD.

Tim and I take a deep dive into the set, the solos, the stage raps and much more.  Check out the show!

 

 

 

VIDEO: The Alan Niven Interview: Sound N’ Fury on The Collection

I was absolutely thrilled to be invited by John Snow of 2Loud2Old Music to co-host this incredible interview with former Great White and Guns N’ Roses manager Alan Niven!

Mr. Niven needs no introduction, but it case you do need one, how about this:  Appetite for Destruction!  Once Bitten!  Twice Shy!  This is the guy who made Guns N’ Roses into superstars, and gave Great White their big second chance.  You can read all about it in his forthcoming book Sound N’ Fury, out June 24 wherever fine books are sold.

In this hourlong interview, John and I take Mr. Niven on a trip through his past in America, Sweden, England and more.  He regales us with stories of rock and roll, raw talent, and having Axl Rose thrown in the back of a police cruiser just to ensure he makes it to the gig.  We also discuss writing and storytelling, of which he is the expert.

Do not miss this epic interview with Alan Niven, on The Collection, tonight at 7:00 PM EST!

Show Notes (not all questions were asked):

“Nobody died on my watch” is the most powerful quote.

First of all, you are a great storyteller and writer.  I had to look a few words up to see what they meant!  Why did you choose to open the book with a Shakespeare quote?

I like how you opened the book with a corker of a GNR story, and kind of ended the book with your younger days.  You mentioned this book reads like an album plays, and that is accurate.

I’m currently doing a series on Iron Maiden.  You talk about Rod Smallwood a bit in this book.  He sounds like a great guy.

Brilliant story there about Michael Bay, but what was best about it was the way you told it.  The reveal was great.

The fight to keep Appetite alive… you obviously believed in that record, but did you ever question yourself?

I gather this is a small batch of stories…will there be more books?

One thing that surprised me, in my own naivete, is how physical you have to be to be a manager of a rock band.  You have to be willing to go toe to toe with Slash and tell him to behave.  You had to pull Jack’s pants up more than once.

Who would you want playing you in the movie of your life?

 

50 Years of Iron Maiden: Yes, we will be talking about the setlist…

Happy Friday everyone!  As mentioned on last week’s episode, Harrison and I are taking this week off.  Instead of an episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden tonight, we are re-running the debut MarriedandHeels episode, in solidarity with our friend and former co-host who needs some support today.

The topic everyone is talking about is the new Iron Maiden Run For Your Lives tour setlist.  Harrison and I are itching to talk about it with you, and we will.  Soon, we’ll be recording a bonus episode to talk about this new set.

I hope everyone else is doing well this week, and we’ll see you soon once again on 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

See below for our fun and frivolous “setlist speculation” episode from a few months ago.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

 

 

 

#1191: Top Five Cool Things You May Not Know About Alan Niven

RECORD STORE TALES #1191: Top Five Cool Things You May Not Know About Alan Niven

A couple weeks ago, I was asked by John Snow of 2Loud2OldMusic to co-host a big big interview he was offered.

“How would you like to interview Alan Niven with me?” he asked.  John hadn’t done a solo interview before, and wouldn’t have minded a backup.

“Alan Niven?  The Alan Niven?  Yes!”  How could I say no?  The guy who managed Guns N’ Roses during their peak?  The guy who co-wrote some amazing Great White songs, drawing out their best qualities?  The guy who has a new book coming out called Sound N’ Fury?  Of course!

While nervous, reading Alan’s book left us with loads and loads of questions to ask him.  Without spoiling the interview, which will debut next week on The Collection on YouTube, here are the Top Five Cool Things You May Not Know About Alan Niven that I discovered in this interview process.

5. He had the “stones” to demand $1,000,000 from Mick Jagger, for Guns to open for the Rolling Stones on four dates at the Hollywood Bowl.  Guns were originally offered half that.

4. He had to physically pull up Jack Russell’s pants, more than once, to keep him from being arrested.

3. He is well read and well spoken.  He opens Sound N’ Fury with a quote from Macbeth.

2. There is an absolutely brilliant story about a music video director that later became a mega-smash-hit movie director, and the way Niven unfolded the story and dropped the name was pure epic storytelling.  Read the book to get the name.

1. “Nobody died on my watch.”  Indeed, of all the self-destructive personalities in the bands he managed, nobody died under his guidance.  That is indeed an accomplishment, and to me, the most powerful quote in the book.

Pick up Sound N’ Fury by Alan Niven, wherever fine books are sold.

 

The Contrarians Live: Album Covers You Can Smell

SCRATCH AND SNIFF!

This will likely be the last Contrarians show for me for a few weeks, as we have some house renovations coming that will make recording and streaming difficult.

From the mind of Martin!  Album Covers Your Can Smell?  Can we act like adults tonight?  Let’s hope there’s no Herbie Mann this time.

THE CONTRARIANS – Album Covers You Can Smell! – Wednesday May 28 –  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!
  25. Album Covers You Can Hear
  26. Album Covers You Can Smell

#1190: Return of the Sooners

SOONER [Noun]: “Sooners” is how my dad refers to the people who show up to go to the beach for the day.  I wondered what “Sooners” meant so I looked it up.  He must have got it from one of his cowboy movies.  Sooner:  “a person settling on land in the early West before its official opening to settlement in order to gain the prior claim allowed by law to the first settler after official opening.”

RECORD STORE TALES #1190:  Return of the Sooners

I like to do something new every time I go to the lake, if possible.  This time, I didn’t have anything planned.  I had two shows to do, but otherwise I wanted to enjoy my time and the surroundings without too much goal-setting.

This time, however, plans took a turn of their own.  Allow me to explain.

John Snow invited me to co-host an interview with a big, big name.  That interview was scheduled for Thursday afternoon, the 22nd of May.  I had planned to go to the cottage on Friday afternoon.  However, the big interview got re-scheduled at the last minute, to Monday the 26th.  Frustrated, I decided to cheer myself up by going to the lake on Thursday night instead, and working from there on Friday morning.  Something unthinkable just five years ago.

The wifi is better at the lake and I have more space.  We left town Thursday night and I dutifully worked a cold, rainy Friday morning from the cottage.  I wanted to work from the porch, but the cold and rain made this impossible.  It is rarely so cold in May, but here we are.  We have not had one nice weekend at the lake yet this season!

Even so, working from the lake was awesome:  making my bacon mere inches away from my laptop, or being able to step outside and enjoy the (cold) fresh air!  But best of all, when the day was over we didn’t have to drive anywhere.  We were already there!  The bonus time spent at the lake was a game changer.

Friday afternoon was booked off.  We went into town to buy some treats, and came back to a Friday afternoon all our own.  There was nobody around.  Not one cottage on our stretch was occupied that weekend.  The peace and quiet was unusual!  The last time up, I was worried that the guy across the road was going to blow leaves all through my Friday show.  This time there was nobody across the street.

Mid-afternoon, sitting in my armchair, I saw a car across the road.  I saw him stop, look out the door, and pull into the neighbour’s driveway.

“Ah crap,” I murmured to myself.  “Looks like we won’t be alone after all this weekend.”

A few moments later, I noticed five people standing and sitting around our bench at the beach.

“That wouldn’t be the neighbours,” I said to myself.  “They have their own property on the beach.  They have never used ours.  Who are these people?”

I allowed them a few minutes to take pictures or do whatever they were doing, but they didn’t move on.

Sooners.  Goddamn sooners!  They were back after a long absence.  I hadn’t seen any sooners in two years.  I decided to make sure they knew they were on private property, and using my bench!

I put on my hoodie and walked down to the beach.  I saw them turn and watch me approach.  Five guys.  They looked like students to me.

I nodded as I approached my bench.  I was curt with them.

“Hey, just going to use my bench.  This is my property.”  I paused.  “See ya.”

They began moving on, but back through the neighbour’s property.

“You can’t go that way,” I alerted them.  “That’s private property.  You have to use the public walkway.”  I pointed to it, a few feet to their left.

“Do you know where there is parking around here?” one of them asked.

“There isn’t any.  This is a private road.  You have to go park up the side road.”

I watched them leave.  After a while, I walked up to the side road to see where they parked.  They were nowhere to be found.  They had left the subdivision completely.  I guess I scared them off.

In the Battle of the Sooners in 2025, the score is now 1-0 for me!

Because of the cold and rain, we didn’t get a lot of outdoors stuff done to report on.  However, the weekend was not over, and we did get some drone time and some photos taken, so there will be more to come.

 

 

 

 

 

Rock Daydream Nation: Why I Prefer 80s Rush – Signals & Hold Your Fire

Join Peter Kerr and myself, two self-confessed fans of 80s Rush, as we discuss Signals and Hold Your Fire.  This fun and insightful episode of Rock Daydream Nation shines an admiring light upon two albums that bookend an era of keyboard-oriented Rush records.

This era of Rush has sometimes been criticized for highlighting synth and keyboards over riffs.  While there is always some truth to this, does that mean a decline in quality?  Not necessarily.  It might just mean bands are becoming interested in different kinds of rock music.

Peter and I pick a number of songs to highlight, and play music clips to illustrate our examples.  Check out the show!

Harrison Be Thy Name: 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 13: Maiden England post-show summary

Clash of the Titans!  Mike and Harrison disagree sharply on one song on Maiden England ’88 and you’ll see it happen in this live episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden from Friday night.

In this celebratory episode, we dissect this double CD song by song, including all the encores.  We discuss, and show off, different releases.  We talk about the mix, the video, the cover art, and all the usual details.  We also allow Slash from Guns N’ Roses a minute of showtime to talk about touring with Iron Maiden.  His answer angered some Maiden fans on YouTube.

The lively comments section allowed us some back and forth, and a looseness that we don’t get with the pre-recorded episodes.  For that reason and more, this was a very fun episode!  Check it out if you missed it.

See you in two weeks, for No Prayer for the Dying with Reed Little.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

 

 

 

 

 

 

SHOW NOTES:

 

Recorded 27–28 November 1988 Live at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham

Released 8 November 1989 (VHS) 1994 (CD/VHS)

Length 95:00 (video, approx.) 74:27 (audio) 100:30 (2 CD reissue)
Label PMI / EMI
Director Steve Harris
Producer Martin Birch

1. “Moonchild”

Recorded intro is from album.  New track up for #1 and a great opener it is.  Bruce’s voice is absolutely stunning here, as he goes slightly off album format and lets it rip without rasp.  Baby crying represents birth of the seventh son and is new audio.

2. “The Evil That Men Do”

New track up for #2 and Bruce still powering through, and not an easy song to power through.

3. “The Prisoner”

Back to Beast for #3, and the audience is all there for it, punctuating the riff with “YEAHS”!  Adrian sounds great on backing vocals – integral to the live version.

4. “Still Life”  (single B-side)

Finally a live version of Still Life!  It is everything you want it to be, if you are a Piece of Mind fan.  Heavy parts are faster and heavier, Bruce’s vocals are more off the hook.  He messes up the second last line:  “Coming all the time, now we rest in peace!”  Should be “Always after me”.

5. “Die with Your Boots On”

Solid workmanlike version.  Bruce has a little more fun with varying the vocal line than on Live After Death.

6. “Infinite Dreams” (single A-side)

Wisely alternating new and old material.

7. “Killers” (single B-side)

“Gimme some bad dreams, this one!”  One of the best live versions of Killers on CD.  Absolutely vicious and perfect for following Infinite Dreams.

8. “Can I Play with Madness” (VHS only)

Backing vocals are flatter live (Steve?) but this is the first live version released of this now-classic single.  Bruce throws in lots of extra “yeah yeah yeah-hah” lines.  Set tends to focus on newer songs for the next batch.

9. “Heaven Can Wait”

A song for those who might be worried about their ultimate disposition up there or down below!  Top notch live version of this now-overplayed song.  It was fresher back then.  Faster; drags less especially in the woah oh oh section.  (I also like “That’s it – end of the song!” at the end.)

10. “Wasted Years”

And finally a live version of Wasted Years!  First real time Bruce struggles with the song, but it still sounds brilliant.  It’s a challenging song of course.  Minor differences in Adrian’s solo too.

1. “The Clairvoyant”

This single sounds great live; tad faster.  This is not the live version from the previous single A-side.

2. “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”

Without any introduction, we go forth into the concert epic.  Replacing Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the song proves its mettle in filling that role.  Perhaps superior to the album more?  More drive, Bruce more off the chain?

3. “The Number of the Beast”

Back to the classics not much to say here.

4. “Hallowed Be Thy Name”  (VHS only)

Vocally awesome – Bruce holds that one note nice and long.  Equal to the Live After Death version?  Vocally Bruce is weaker, but singing it more “straight” without weird accents.  Davey’s solo – bonkers!  Adrian’s – composed intensity!  Pick scrapes galore!

5. “Iron Maiden”

“Yeah let it rip!”  Oldies to the end, with plenty of Di’Anno era rock.  This operatic version of Iron Maiden is fast and fun.

6. “Run to the Hills”  (2013 CD)

Abrupt sonic shift; you can hear  that these are the “bonus tracks”.  The obligatory Run to the Hills is here and there’s not much more to say.

7. “Running Free” (2013 CD)

Great version here.  Pay special attention to Nicko’s drum fills, which are animated and plentiful.  Bruce says this is the biggest indoor crowd they have played to in England.  Bruce does tell them that they are recording a video.  No big long “I’m Running Free, yeah!” section – just a couple times.

8. “Sanctuary” (2013 CD)

A smashing closer!  Steve’s bass is perfect in the – prominent enough to hear his upper neck melodies but not dominant.  Bruce does a short “Yeaaaaah” thing, but not as annoying as before.  Lets the crowd do it.