She’s back with another guest shot! Enjoy this two-fer Tale.
RECORD STORE TALES Mk II: Getting More Tale #347: Hortons
LeBRAIN’S TAKE:
Here’s one thing I never understood, either in the Record Store days or today: People who are obsessed with Tim Hortons coffee. I’m married to one and I still don’t get it.
I worked with people who never showed up at a shift without their double double in hand. I worked with others who had to do a daily Tim’s run. I served customers who left their empty cups on our shelves, or at the front counter. That was always a favourite of mine, and it’s not unique. I’ve shopped at many stores, finding the brown empty cups sitting there on shelves. Somebody else’s problem, right?
I fail to understand the obsession. Jen has to have one (large decaf with three cream and one sweetener) every single day. There was an old urban myth (an untrue one) that Tim’s put nicotine in their coffee to keep you hooked. The only reason that myth has such long life is that Horton’s Addiction (HA) is so prevalent in Canadian society.
Now that Burger King, an American company, has bought out Tim’s, I fear for our friends south of the border.
I see a future littered with brown cups. I envision our American friends unwittingly becoming addicted to Hortons’ secret brew. I picture, somewhere in the US, a record store manager not unlike my younger self, pulling empty brown cups from their shelves as I once did.
Just say no to Tim’s. Make your own coffee at home. Hell, just drink water! Don’t fall into the trap of Horton’s Addiction, an affliction for which there is no known cure.
MRS. LeBRAIN’S REBUTTAL
50 years ago, one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history decided to expand his horizons, and open a coffee & doughnut [his spelling] empire. That man’s name was Tim Horton, and he made a damn good cup of coffee.
One thing that is very special about “Timmie’s” (as we call it) is its consistency. Your coffee in Kitchener Ontario will come out exactly the same as your coffee in Kitchener BC.
Every coffee drinker has their ideal cup of coffee, and sometimes it takes years to find that combination of cream and sugar that is right for you. When you do find it, Tim Hortons has dispensing equipment designed to maintain that perfect coffee for you, no matter what size you order it or where you order it from. (The only exception to this rule is Splenda sweetener which is dispensed by hand from packets.) Rival chains such as Starbucks make the customer add their cream and sugar themselves, creating human inconsistencies.
I love the texture of the cream; the feeling inside takes me to a special place. It also doesn’t hurt that they use 18% cream, a treat in itself.
Contrary to the way LeBrain makes it appear, I really do like all kinds of coffee. My Keurig machine is well used in the LeBrain household, but Tim Hortons is the champion, and whenever possible that brown cup will be in my happy hands.
Even LeBrain himself knows that if he ever does something to get him in shit, a five minute trip to the drive-through can fix the situation!
The two greatest things on this planet are hockey and coffee. There was a man who brought those two worlds together, and his name was Tim Horton.
MARILLION – Christmas 2002 – Santa and his Elvis (2002 Racket Records Christmas CD, free to Racket Club members – webfree 05)
This is the fifth of 11 Christmas CDs that Marillion released free to fanclub members. I have physical copies of nine, and legal downloads of the others I am missing (the first two). I thought the 2002 installment, Santa and his Elvis, would be make for an enjoyable review.
The intro “Christmas Message” seems to be delivered by an intoxicated band, recording in October! Laughing and doing voices, the members deliver their own personal Christmas messages to fans, if you can make out what they’re saying. For fans only! Then of course the band do an Elvis classic, “Lonely This Christmas”. Although it’s not too polished (it was recorded live in the studio) it does have some pretty cool performance moments. Hogarth’s singing is like butter but Steve Rothery’s guitar is delicious. Then, as a surprise, they do it again as a Pistols-esque punk version. Very cool.
Some recent live tracks round out of the album. From 2001 in Manchester is “Fruit of the Wild Rose” representing the then-new Anoraknophobia. This laid-back steamy number is extra slinky live. At almost eight minutes, it’s the longest track here. Surprisingly, this transforms into a heavy version of “Cannibal Surf Babe” and the two songs become one. Merry Christmas, indeed.
Then it’s off to a 2002 radio broadcast, with the two lead tracks from their new single: “Between You and Me”, and “Map of the World”. These tracks exemplify the new sound Marillion were going for at the time. They are concise, powerful pop rock songs featuring light experimentation with loops. I recall they were listening to a lot of Massive Attack and Radiohead at the time, among other artists, and usually this kind of modernization doesn’t work. Marillion pulled it off. They managed to combine the more melodic rock sounds of Holidays in Eden with a modern ethic without sounding too contrived. As much as I prefer the progressive, darker side of Marillion, they do write really great pop rock from time to time. It’s not like they sold out; there’s enough good playing here to satiate the old fans. These are the singles, after all. “Map of the World” is a particularly lush, excellent song.
The radio broadcast continues with an older track from Radiation, “The Answering Machine”. This is a song that exists in two separate live guises equally well: acoustic and electric. The original album version was electric, and that’s the version played here. I’ve become so used to the acoustic version that hearing an electric one is music to my ears. This dense rocker smokes in this version, a bit faster than usual. Then finally a duo from Afraid of Sunlight: the title track, and its epic closer “King”. “Afraid of Sunlight” fits well with the set, because it too benefited from drum loops back in ’95. It remains as powerful and classic as ever, though Steve Hogarth’s voice is raspy and hoarse in spots. As for “King”, it sounds intimate, bare and incredible as ever.
OZZY OSBOURNE – Best of Ozz (1989 CBS Japan exclusive)
Japanese releases are such interesting things. Sometimes they are chock full of bonus tracks and additional goodies, and sometimes they are not. This CD is one that is not.
Even though this album came out after No Rest for the Wicked (1988), this Best Of Ozz includes no songs from that album or with guitarist Zakk Wylde. The songs are drawn from the first four Ozzy studio albums only, and the CD contains only 10 tracks. You have to shrug your shoulders at some of the song selections. “Secret Loser” and “Centre of Eternity” are on this, but not “Suicide Solution” or “I Don’t Know”.
Those two aside, however, this ain’t a bad but brief run through the land of Ozz. “Crazy Train”: check. “Bark at the Moon”: check. “Mr. Crowley”: check. “Shot in the Dark”: check. They get some bonus points for deeper cuts such as “Diary of a Madman”, “Over the Mountain” and “Goodbye to Romance”. I’m also glad “The Ulimate Sin” was included, as that song has sort of been erased from Ozzy’s canon since then, in a manner of speaking. He doesn’t like reissuing any songs from that album.
Interestingly, each track alternates guitar players: Randy, Jake, Randy, Jake, through the whole album. The result is an uneven listen. I don’t know why they did that.
The tracks are most likely the original CD masters. There are no liner notes indicating they had been remastered and I think it would be highly unlikely. Since there is nothing exclusive to be had on Best of Ozz, and since it is limited to just 10 tracks and lacks Zakk Wylde, this CD is nothing more than a collectible to me. I don’t remember what I paid for it, but I bought it from T-Rev’s store. I probably paid about $16.99 or so. The CD itself is scratched a little bit, but not bad enough to skip or play defectively. Most appealing to me, the original obi strip was intact, and there’s a lyric sheet with Japanese writing and amusing sketches. Bizarrely, some of these sketches are of Zakk Wylde, even though he’s not on the album.
I’ve listened to Best of Ozz exactly twice: when I purchased it, and when I reviewed it.
Being a pack rat has its advantages. It means I have loads of fun little pieces of memorabilia to share. Enjoy these scans of some seasonal Sven Gali mailings! First is the 1992 Christmas postcard they sent out, signed by all five members. Including drummer Gregg Gerson (Billy Idol) who left the band not long afterwards. A cool set of autographs to have, and they’re real. And let’s not forget it also has the lyrics to a naughty Sven Gali version of “The 12 Days of Christmas”!
The second item is from 1993, and it’s their fan newsletter. Kinda neat. The Sven Gali logo on this is not one I’ve seen before. It was never used on an album. Cool little keepsakes!
Originally, I got this for my birthday in 1987. This is the first of a two-day OZZY DOUBLE SHOT!
OZZY OSBOURNE – Randy Rhoads Tribute (1987, 2002 Sony remastered edition)
It took years for Ozzy to be emotionally ready to release this live album, recorded for intentional release in 1982. When Randy died, it was quickly shelved and replaced by Speak of the Devil, an album consisting entirely of live Black Sabbath covers. When Tribute was released in ’87, it was my first real exposure to the talent of Randy Rhoads. I think Tribute still stands as the very best testament to Randy.
Finally restored to CD was the concert opening featuring a recording of “O Fortuna” from Orff’s Carmina Burana. This essential part of the concert was edited off the 1995 remastered edition, a CD which I advise everyone to stay away from. If you have it, get rid of it and replace it with this one.
“I Don’t Know” is a dynamite opener. Ozzy’s vocal sounds heavily processed and thickened up in the mix. Whatever tampering is done with it, I don’t know (pun intended). What I do know is that Randy Rhoads’ live guitar is so much more than it was in the studio. Unleashed, Randy makes every lick that much more different from the last, unafraid to throw every trick in his very large book out for you to hear. His live sound seemed thicker, but it’s his playing that steals the show, as it should. It’s looser live, Randy pulling off wild sounds midstream at all times. He was obviously someone who had clear ideas about what he wanted to play along with the ability to execute them.
The single/video from this live album was “Crazy Train”, featuring Ozzy’s new 1987 hair cut. The album version is longer but no less definitive. Not only is Randy’s playing at its peak, but I like drummer Tommy Aldridge’s busier fills. In my mind, the live version of “Crazy Train” kills the original.
“Believer” is a bit of a slow point in the show. That’s Rudy Sarzo, Randy’s old Quiet Riot bandmate, on that bass intro. Future Deep Purple keyboardist Don Airey is also present, providing the haunting opening to the classic “Mr. Crowley”. What an astounding version, too. Once again, I’d call this one pretty close to definitive. Lifting the clouds away, the set goes to the party anthem “Flying High Again”. Revealing my naivete at the time, I had no idea what Ozzy was talking about when he said, “It’s a number entitled ‘Flying High’ so keep on smokin’ them joints!” I truly did not know what a joint was, or what “flying high” referred to. I assumed the song was about feeling good, and I suppose that it is. My friends and I didn’t know, and I think that’s the great thing about rock lyrics.
When I was really young, I didn’t like ballads or slow songs that much, but Ozzy was one of the exceptions. “Revelation (Mother Earth)” might be somber but it is also powerful, and with Randy Rhoads on guitar, you can never get to be too soft! Going back to Black Sabbath, Ozzy was always an anti-war crusader. “Mother Earth” seems to be a continuation of that theme. I always found it funny that during the 80’s, Ozzy was always being accused of devil worship by people who had no clue. Meanwhile, Ozzy’s singing about nuclear disarmament.
Two long-bombers in a row follow: complete with drum solo, it’s “Steal Away (The Night)” followed by an extended “Suicide Solution” with Randy’s solo. The “Steal Away” drum solo is still classic to me, but it’s “Suicide Solution” that no serious rock fan should be without.
The setlist detours to Sabbath covers next: a trio of “Iron Man”, “Children of the Grave”, and “Paranoid”. The two Ozzy guitarists who handle Sabbath best are Zakk and Randy. Randy doesn’t play by the rules at all. He throws in licks and tricks that were not on the Sabbath originals in any way, but somehow it all works. Randy was just untouchable in that way. Everything he played was classy and perfect.
Two older recordings conclude the live portion of this album: “Goodbye to Romance” and “No Bone Movies”, recorded earlier with Bob Daisley on bass and Lee Kerslake on drums. I don’t see that in the credits anywhere, nor do I remember seeing it on the original CD’s credits. “SHARON!” I will say that “Goodbye to Romance” blows the original away in my books.
The album closes with an alternate studio version of the acoustic Randy piece “Dee”, named for his mother Delores Rhoads. This version includes outtakes of mistakes and Randy speaking, and it’s a haunting way to end the album. Especially when Randy says, “Let’s hear that,” takes off his guitar and headphones, and goes into the control room, ending the track. It feels interrupted, like Randy’s life.
In the liner notes, Ozzy himself states that “What you are about to hear are the only live recordings of Randy and I,” but that was clearly incorrect, since there was already the Mr. Crowley EP, and later on, a whole other live album included with the deluxe Diary of a Madman. The booklet also includes an insightful letter from Mrs. Rhoads to the fans. Rest in peace, Randy.
This review goes out to Jonathan who asked me about a year ago for more Jethro Tull reviews! Here you go buddy, and Merry Christmas!
IAN ANDERSON & JETHRO TULL – “Ring Out Solstice Bells” (2004 R and M)
Although Ian Anderson had played seasonal music many times before, The Jethro Tull Christmas Album in 2003 was the band’s first full-blown Christmas disc. The following year, Anderson released an independent single from it called “Ring Out Solstice Bells”, with proceeds set to help a wild cat benefit that he supports. The track “Ring Out Solstice Bells” is an Anderson original, jaunty and gleeful. Jethro Tull’s signature enchanted acoustic sound is well suited to seasonal music, and the vibe is captured on a great original song that doesn’t annoy like other seasonal tunes often do.
The traditional “God Rest Ye Gentlemen” is a live version from 2004. It’s worth noting that even though Tull’s Christmas Album was reissued and expanded to include a live CD called Christmas at St. Bride’s 2008, these B-sides are from 2004. They are still exclusive only to this single. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” was arranged by Ian to be a jazzy and playful upbeat jam, virtually impossible to hate. It even goes menacingly electric before the ending. Then, from Aqualung is the brief “Slipstream”, also live from 2004. It is backed by lush keys.
The packaging for “Ring Out Solstice Bells” is pretty basic, just a single panel digipack. I do like the little touch of the inside cover doubling as a Christmas card. If you so wish, you could give this CD to a friend for Christmas, by inscribing their name under “To”, and your own where it says “From Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull and.” Of course no collector would do such a thing.
RECORD STORE TALES MkII: Getting More Tale #346: NO SOLICITORS!
Yesterday and today, if there’s one thing that drives me nuts, it’s people trying to sell us something. You know the feeling: You answer the phone, not looking or not recognizing the number, only to be asked if you want to hire a shady “duct cleaning” service that has a loose grasp of the English language.
Here are some of the methods we have used and things we have said to dissuade duct cleaning companies from calling us:
1. “Have you met Jesus?” – works every single time. 2. “Oh I’m sorry, we don’t own any ducks.” – gets them a little confused. 3. Speak back to them in French only. “Où est la poutine?” 4. I also enjoy asking them to help me solve the Tedious Tiresome Trivia question on 105.7 Dave FM.
Or, just hang up. That works too. The method you choose may depend on how irritated you are.
Reminding them that you are on the “Do Not Call” registry won’t help you. Many of these scam artists are calling from overseas, according to the CBC.
At the Record Store, we had to put up one of those “NO SOLICITORS” signs but I don’t know why since every solicitor ignored it. Never once in my time at the store did I see someone come in trying to sell me shit, look at the sign, turn around and leave. Never once. Are you surprised?
People around student age would occasionally pop in with boxes full of junk, and a big smile on their faces. They’d usually come in pairs. “Have we got some deals for you here!” they would say open entering, or something like that. They didn’t much like it when I would ignore their sales pitch and try to sell them some CDs instead. “I have a better deal for you,” I might have said. “New Cher album for $12. Do you believe in life after love? I’m the only one in this store who’s going to do any selling to anyone.”
I witnessed one guy wielding his box of junk playing chicken with an automobile in our parking lot, trying to get him to stop. He stood in the middle of his lane with his box, and moved to the right and left so the car couldn’t swerve around him. Then he went up to the driver’s window with his box. Needless to say, the driver bought nothing from that idiot.
From boxes of junk, to golf memberships, to Jehova’s Witness fliers, I have had just about everything shoved in my face at the Record Store. It was irritating, but not nearly so much as the daily phone calls from duct cleaners.
What is your favourite method for dealing with solicitors? Share in the comments.
MARILLION – A Very Barry Christmas (2001 Racket Records Christmas CD, free to Racket Club members – webfree 04)
From 1998 to 2008, Marillion released annual Christmas CDs exclusively to members of their fan club, for free. Each one was different from the previous, but you could count on some cool unreleased music every year. Of the 11 Marillion Christmas CDs, I have physical copies of nine, and legal downloads of the others that I am missing (the first two).
Today in 2014, Marillion have released a new “best of” compilation CD of their Christmas tracks called A Collection of Recycled Gifts. This CD also features new material, but it will be most fans’ first chance to hear some of these songs. I thought that would make an excellent occasion to review a selection of the most interesting volumes of the past Marillion Christmas CDs.
I decided to start with 2001’s A Very Barry Christmas. “Barry” was their mascot during the Anoraknophobia period. This was their fourth Christmas CD, and the second I received. The content on this installment includes Christmas music, specially recorded acoustic versions, and unreleased remixes. (The reason I’m not reviewing the third Christmas album, the first one that I owned, A Piss-up in a Brewery, is this. It was later reissued as a regular live non-seasonal DVD that I can review any time. And I will, because it’s great and that one remains my favourite of these Marillion Christmas releases.)
The album commences with “I Saw Three Ships”, a studio recording of the traditional carol. Of Marillion’s Christmas music, this is my favourite song. When it opens you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a vintage outtake from Clutching at Straws or Seasons End. In fact there is even an echo of “Easter” in some of the instrumental melodies. They also segue into “O Come All Ye Faithful”, keeping things delicate but electric. “I Saw Three Ships” is, in my opinion, an undiscovered gem of the Marillion back catalogue. Then, even though it’s not listed as a separate track, Marillion’s annual Christmas message is included at the end of the song. This time only Mark and H showed up. They describe “I Saw Three Ships” as a Christmas carol hybrid, and I agree with that description.
Then, onto the presents!
The first batch of songs are taken from a 2001 acoustic session at Marillion’s home base, the Racket Club. Every tune is a brand new song from Anoraknophobia, giving fans an early opportunity to hear acoustic renditions of the new material. “This is the 21st Century” is reduced to piano and voice (presumably both by Steve Hogarth). It works well in this setting, even though the album track is long and complex. “Between You and Me” is complete with the whole band, including keyboards and drums, rendering a catchy sorta-unplugged version of their new single. “Map of the World”, co-headliner of that same single, is the stronger of the two songs, but not necessarily in this setting. I think “Map of the World” works best with all the bombast and vocal glory of the studio version. It needs to be let loose, like the character in the song who wants to see the whole world. “Separated Out” was originally the heaviest song on Anoraknophobia. It’s certainly an interesting choice to do acoustically, but I like the way it builds. It’s actually quite cool.
“Number One” is an interesting selection, because it was first unveiled on 2000’s Christmas album, the aforementioned A Piss-up in a Brewery as a preview of Marillion’s new music. The studio version was later included only on the limited deluxe edition of Anoraknophobia, so it’s a bit of a hard song to come by. The cello part is captured nice and beefy, and this ode to artificial pop singers is flawless. The thing about Hogarth’s lyrics is, he’s not really bitching and complaining. Indeed, he compares the precision of a #1 pop performance to that of a figure skater aiming to hit a 9.5. What he does is use his words to get you thinking about the subject, and I like that.
The album closes with three remixes. From the difficult to appreciate marillion.com comes the jazzy dubby trip-hop of “House”. This interesting remix by Marc Mitchell spends a couple minutes just focusing on the muted trumpet, which is never a bad idea. This is a 12 minute remix and it runs the gamut, but it certainly proves that Marillion can and do anything they want musically. Also from marillion.com is “Go!” remixed by somebody called Size 9 Cooperative. It has been robbed of its lightly throbbing pulse; it has sadly flatlined and been reanimated as a dance-bot. This is, quite honestly, terrible. If I was doing a joke remix of a song in order to make fun of remix cliches, this is how it would sound. This is one Christmas present you’ll wish you could return to the store, only to find you weren’t given a receipt. An instrumental mix of “This is the 21st Century” is more my speed. This is the album version stripped of lead vocal and laid bare. I enjoy this kind of track because you can really hear the interplay of the instruments. With Marillion, that is never really boring. This is a full-length track by the way, all 11 minutes of the song. Treated instrumentally, it has a nice ambient quality that would work well on an album such as Pink Floyd’s recent Endless River.
GUNS N’ ROSES – New York, New York (Live at the Ritz 1988 – FM Radio Broadcast, Gossip)
‘Twas Scott who alerted me to the release of this classic Guns N’ Roses concert on CD. A few tracks from the gig are missing, most notably “Shadow of Your Love”, but most of what I remember seeing on MuchMusic back in the 80’s is intact. Although I do not recall seeing “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” on the TV version, I used to love this concert. I watched it over and over. I had seen it over half a dozen times before I even bought Appetite for Destruction. I dubbed an audio version to cassette, before my buddy T-Rev recorded the entire show for me later on. I used to know these versions better than the originals. It’s a pleasure to finally have them on CD.
Remember the sound of the guitars being picked up in the darkness before Duff’s opening bassline to “It’s So Easy”? I don’t think I’d seen a band on TV before who seemed so…dangerous. The sound of Duff singing the backing vocals are another element I distinctly remember. Axl could get pretty mobile on stage, and his vocals often fell apart mid-sentence, while Duff held it all together. He was Guns’ secret weapon, Duff McKagan. Up next in the spotlight is Slash with those chugging, scraping guitars on “Mr. Brownstone”. Axl then delivers his first classic monologue of the evening:
“I don’t know what by chance the television audience will see…what anyone will see…but what we’ll see tonight…is that we wanna dedicate this song to the people who try to hold you back! The people that tell you how to live! People that tell you how to dress! People that tell you how to talk! People that tell you what you can say and what you can’t say. I personally don’t need that! Those are the kind of people that been getting me down. They make me feel like somebody…somebody out there….is ‘Out Ta Get Me’!”
Funny story about this song. I had a highschool buddy named Anand who was the first kid I knew in our class to get Appetite. Anand had strict parents. One day he was down in the basement studying, rocking out to Appetite. His little brother strolled in during his homework, and kept coming around to bug him. He hung around long enough to learn the words to some songs, and returned upstairs to his parents singing, “They’re out to get me! I’m fucking innocent!” Anand got grounded.
Needless to say the chorus to this amazing song was beeped when I first saw it on TV. I loved it anyway. That Izzy Stradlin riff kicks it classic-style, while Duff once again holds down the backing vocals. Slash is shambolic, losing control several times but always pulling it back together, cig in mouth the whole time. I love this one big sour chord he hits at 2:25 into the song. If I remember he almost fell at that moment in the show; the audience were pulling at his guitar, but all you can hear is this big awful chord. Then it happens again at 3:00! And again at 3:10! The whole solo is a fucking disaster, and that must have been fun for the people in the front row. Guns N’ Roses were so in the face of the crowd that there was constant physical contact. That’s a fucking concert.
“Sweet Child” comes early in the set, and obviously it’s not nearly as sweet as the album version, and Axl’s hoarse. Still, Axl hoarse in 1988 is something very different from 2014, and it sounds great to these ears. “My Michelle” is credited on the back cover as written by Rose and “Stardlin”, making obvious that this is not an official release. I hope Izzy Stardlin gets paid his due royalties. The band get more and more reckless/loose/inebriated as the concert goes on. Again it’s McKagan who seems to be holding it together and cheerleading from behind.
A very intense version of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” follows which I am less familiar with because it didn’t make the TV version I had seen. Axl dedicates this to a friend named Todd who had “danced a little bit too hard with Mr. Brownstone”. Needless to say, it’s very cool hearing this song played by the classic five piece lineup. With Steven Adler on drums, it’s more to the point. The arrangement is slightly different than what you know from the Use Your Illusion I album, but it still has the slow singalong part that later evolved into the “reggae” section that they were known to play live later on. Axl was a charismatic frontman and this was his moment to show off his power over an audience.
His next introduction was another memorable one:
“About five or six years ago I hitchhiked here, and ended up stuck out…in the middle of this place. Climbed up out of the freeway, and this little old black man comes up to me and my friend with our backpacks and about ten bucks between us…and he goes, ‘You know where you are?! You in the jungle, baby! You’re gonna die!’ That’s a true story, that ain’t no lie. So ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, rats!”
This was the only tune of theirs that I knew really well back in early ’88. It is played tight, possibly the only song of the night that is. There’s magic in hearing this lineup play this song, their song. And speaking of them, I always enjoy Axl’s band introductions: Mr. Duff “Rose” McKagan on bass guitar. Mr. Steven “Popcorn” Adler on the drums. Mr. Izzy Stradlin on the white guitar. Axl says he and Izzy have been together for 13 years. He saves the most recognizable member for last:
“And last, but definitely not least…in a world that he did not create, but he will go through it as if it was his own making…half man, half beast…I’m not sure what it is, but whatever it is, it’s weird and it’s pissed off and it calls itself Slash.”
Slash then introduces a song about “a walk in the park”, called “Nightrain”. Of the songs they played that night I thought “Nightrain” was a little less than great. It always seems to be the one I wait to finish. Then, Slash opens “Paradise City” with a little surf rock guitar before the classic opening lick. This is the song where things got a little out of control for W. Axl Rose. Doing his trademark slinky snake dance, he got a little too close to the crowd and was pulled in. The band kept on playing and Slash took an extended solo, but you can see Axl trying to climb out. Security finally pulled him up, and then you can see Axl getting his bearings and checking himself over. His shirt and several pieces of jewelry were ripped off, but as soon as Axl sees that he is OK, he resumes snake dancing and finishes the song! Slash’s solo during Axl’s “down time” remains a show highlight, as does Axl’s quick recovery!
For encores you get Aerosmith’s “Mama Kin” (dedicated to Steven Tyler) and “Rocket Queen”. The former is fast and tight, and the latter is epic and ominous. It is a natural closer, especially with Slash’s extended soloing. Axl delivers the closing in full-on ragged scream mode, as it should be.
I’m very glad to have this time capsule of a concert in my CD collection. Highly recommended.
LeBRAIN’S TAKE:
MRS. LeBRAIN’S REBUTTAL
mikeladano.com 