I didn’t want to post ANYTHING about this subject until confirmed by the band. Now AC/DC have confirmed that Malcolm Young (61) is suffering from dementia. Dementia is a horrible illness, without a cure, and all we can really do is pray (if you so choose) and support the Young family.
AC/DC is continuing on with Uncle Mal and Ang’s nephew Stevie Young, who previously filled in for Mal on the 1988 Blow Up Your Video tour. The new album, Rock or Bust, is out December 1.
Yesterday, you read all about why I own this (and many others). Will I still like it today? Let’s find out.
AVRIL LAVIGNE – Under My Skin (2004 Arista)
Let’s get on with it. The version of Under My Skin that I have comprises 13 songs, so let’s put the headphones on. “Take Me Away” opens strongly with sparse, polished guitars and keyboards. It sounds like Evanescence, actually. It was written by Avril and her guitarist Evan Taubenfeld. At this point, Avril wasn’t singing with any annoying contrivances in her voice. She was just blasting away (most likely in autotune). Given that this song is very produced and plasticized, it’s still a good song. So far we’re 1/1.
“Together” is a bit too melodramatic for Mike 2014, but damn, I still love that fucking chorus. I’m singing along with my fist in the air. Shit! 2/2.
One of several hit singles was the ballady “Don’t Tell Me”. This one makes me want to vomit in my mouth a little bit. I’m uncomfortable with this kind of teenybop rock now. But that fucking chorus hits and…ahh fuck! Still, the chorus can’t save the song, it’s shite. 2/3.
Avril returns to her so-called punk roots with “He Wasn’t”. Phil X on guitar here, but he doesn’t get to solo (a damn shame). As much as I want to hate the song, I can’t. It seems pretty sincere, and it ain’t bad. It’s snarky but not annoyingly so. 3/4 now. “How Does It Feel” is a ballad, not a bad one either. The instrumental production on this one (by Raine Maida) is excellent, although the vocals still sound autotuned. Phil X again on guitar. The score is now 4/5.
I’m a total sucker for the single “My Happy Ending”. Butch Walker wrote a pretty cool song, and the chorus is one of those Avril bellows that she is known for. The lyrics, like most of ’em, are about some dude. I can’t really sing along to “He was everything, everything that I wanted,” sincerely, you know? Still, the score is now 5/6. And it’s going to go up to 6/7, because I remember liking the song “Nobody’s Home” a lot. I’m not sure what the lyrics are exactly about, but Avril sounds like she’s trying to get serious, so that’s better than words about some dude. Ben Moody from Evanescence itself co-wrote this one, so you can guess who it naturally reminds me of. Still, I’ll maintain that 6/7 because the chorus is still great.
“Forgotten” starts out crap. You sure can tell this one was written by Chantal Kreviazuk as that is who it sounds like. The track doesn’t improve on the chorus. Pass. The board reads 6/8. A good song called “Who Knows” is up next, and even though it wasn’t one of the single, I think it’s one of the best songs. This one kind of sounds like a pop metal anthem, you could imagine a band like Warrant having a song like this. It has mellow acoustic verses with a shout-y fun singalong chorus. 7/9 now! “Fall To Pieces”, written with Raine Maida sounds like an Our Lady Peace outtake. A pretty good outtake, with a great bridge. Good enough for 8/10.
I have always liked “Freak Out”. It’s just fun. This one too sounds like a Raine Maida construction, but it is not. It’s written by Butch Walker and Avril’s drummer Matt Brann. It’s easier to listen to than most Our Lady Pea(ee-yai-ee-aye-ee)ce, so the score is now 9/11. As my buddy Craig might say, it’s looking like it’s time to hand in my Man Card.
Maybe not! “Slipped Away” is utter shite that I cannot listen to. It sounds like Chantal…guess who wrote it? The chorus is not too bad, but this song is crap. Can’t take it. If I could deduct 2 points, I would. 9/12. It’s down to the “bonus track” now. “I Always Get What I Want” originally came from a UK edition, but I bought this CD from my nearest Walmart. There’s something on the fine print about Sony BMG Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd, so maybe that’s something to do with it. “I Always Get What I Want” is another “punky” Avril, but like “Slipped Away”, it too is crap. Sounds like Avril’s trying to be her heroes, Green Day. No thank you.
The final score for Avril Lavigne’s Under My Skin is 9/13. Did I like it as much now as I did in 2004? Not quite. It might have been that I liked a couple more of those sappy songs. However, I’ve already said far too much here. I’m going to cut my losses and get out now.
3.5/5 stars
Welcome to the first of my new continuing series; the “Post-Record Store Tales” I’ve been talking about. Here are the RECORD STORE TALES MkII: Getting More Tale. Featuring my Simon Pegg action figure as the new “Mini-LeBrain”! Title suggested by Aaron!
To quote David St. Hubbins, “Hope you like our new direction!”
RECORD STORE TALES Mk II: Getting More Tale
#321: That Crush on Avril
One of those lingering points left after the conclusion of Record Store Tales was this: my unexplained, unusually large Avril Lavigne CD collection. This is that tale.
When Avril’s first album arrived in 2002, I was encouraged to listen to it by a new hire at the Record Store. “I hear that this album has some of the best pop songwriting that has come out in years,” he said. “From a technical point of view. I read that the album is just mathematically perfect, from a songwriting perspective. Mind if we listen to it?”
“Sure,” I said. “Throw it on.” I scanned the credits. Each song was co-written by big name mega-writers with more gold records than I have socks. There were big name producers on every song, and some familiar names from my metal collection: Josh Freese might be best known as the drummer in the Vandals (among many others) but I first heard his name in regards to Guns N’ Roses who he was with for a short time. Another guy, Alessandro Elena, was the drummer in Bruce Dickinson’s Skunkworks. (He’s the subject of their song, “I’m In a Band with an Italian Drummer.”)
I know that the album was mostly pre-fab, but I didn’t mind it. Since I was limited in what I could usually listen to in-store, and Avril was fairly safe, I played it a lot. I always recommended it to customers who were looking for new music for their kids, who thought Britney was getting too skanky. As a bonus, punk kids seemed to hate her. Eventually I bought a copy myself.
I probably annoyed the shit out of my co-workers.
Avril released her heavier second album (Under My Skin) in 2004, and this is where my crush really began. Avril had a new image and a new sound. I don’t like thinking about that crush anymore; I have been mocked enough. Hell, Craig Fee mocked me for it on the air just this past Wednesday! It is true that I had a crush on Avril. The new grown-up Avril had gothed out and turned up on the cover of Maxim. Maxim agreed with me, just look at that headline!
Today, the thoughts of “Chavril”, that unholy union between Avril and Horse-man, makes me feel ill. It’s like finding out your ex-girlfriend is now seeing that jock in school you just fucking hated. We recently heard that Chavril was splitting. If so, I say good for her!
So anyway, the second album: It had more names from my metal shelves. In addition to Josh Freese, the legendary Kenny Aranoff and the astounding Brooks Wackerman played drums. Phil X of Bon Jovi and Triumph was on axe. Finally the Canadian duo of Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida were playing and co-writing on most songs too. This is accompanied by an overall darker and harder approach.
I liked the album a lot in 2004. Will I like it in 2014? Let’s find out tomorrow, for a full review.
To be continued…
DESPICABLE ME Fart Blaster (Illumination Entertainment)
5/5 stars from LeBrain
7/5 stars from Martin LePage
This is an exciting time for fans of live music in Kitchener-Waterloo. Part of this excitement is NUMUS (New Music Now) which is embarking on its 30th season of adventurous, artistic music performances. From their own website, “NUMUS showcases established and emerging talent from across Canada and the globe in Waterloo’s world-class venues. Diverse musical genres, traditional and experimental instruments and scored and improvised elements come together to create unique concert going experiences that capture the fluidity and relevance of contemporary music.”
To go with this 30th anniversary, NUMUS has selected a new Artistic Director, whom I have managed to secure an interview with. Kathryn Ladano is very busy these days, but fortunately I had an inside track to getting hold of her. This is what she had to say about NUMUS, new music, and the 30th year.
1. Let’s start with a basic question, since the majority of my readers are not from Canada – what exactly is NUMUS?
NUMUS is a presenter and producer of cutting edge contemporary music concerts in the community of Kitchener-Waterloo. By contemporary music, I primarily mean music by living composers within the Western art music tradition, however, we do move beyond that as well. For example, this season we are also featuring freely improvised music, music that blurs the line between composition and improvisation, and this Sunday we’re featuring Korean improviser-percussionist and vocalist Dong-Won Kim with guests.
2. You have said that NUMUS has “has put Kitchener-Waterloo on the new music map”. Can you describe what “new music” means to you personally?
To me, new music simply means compositions from the Western art music tradition written within the past 50 years or so. While many consider new music to be anything written after 1900, I consider it to be newer than that. This is music that needs to be better supported by the public. It’s different, and can be challenging for your average listener, which is why symphony orchestras for example have a hard time moving forward and getting their audiences to readily accept this type of music being programmed. The alternative, however, is music that is literally hundreds of years old, and while that music is great, there is also great music being made here and now. This is the music I’m interested in listening to, performing, producing, and presenting.
3. This year is NUMUS’ 30th, but your first as artistic director. What pressure does that add, if any?
NUMUS has an impressive list of past Artistic Directors (Peter Hatch, Glenn Buhr, Jesse Stewart, Jeremy Bell, and Anne-Marie Donovan), and it is intimating to be following in the footsteps of those individuals. I personally find that more intimidating than properly celebrating our 30th year. Plans are in place to celebrate this milestone though, and these include bringing back each of the previous Artistic Directors to curate a unique program throughout 2015. I will also be curating a celebratory program, and I think all of these concerts strongly reflect the strengths and artistic personalities of each of NUMUS’ Artistic Directors.
4. You have said that you would like to reach out to a younger audience. What do you think will attract young people to the shows?
This year, NUMUS has officially added a side series to its programming called The MIX Music Series. Tickets for this series are about half the price of our main series tickets, and the series itself focuses on improvisatory music and emerging artists. I am hopeful that this series will really resonate with younger audiences as many of the artist we present in the series will be very recent post-secondary graduates just starting to embark on their careers. There are also very few places where young audiences can regularly support emerging artists outside of educational institutions. I feel that the MIX Series has the most potential for growing our younger audience base and getting these people out to experience high quality, affordable live music.
5. Affordable is a plus. But what appeal will NUMUS offer to open-minded rock fans and musicians in the KW area?
Any open-minded music lover will find something attractive in NUMUS’ 2014-2015 program offerings, whether it be multi-media concerts that celebrate music and film, a world-class percussion quartet, a concert of improvised vingnettes with guitar and electronics, or a concert featuring a new instrument called the reactable (a digital sampler with a tangible user interface on an illuminated tabletop) that also features video projections and recordings from the Voyager golden records.
6. Wow, is that cool! That’s definitely something I’m interested in hearing. Now, you have stressed that you believe in support for young artists. What support did you receive when you were starting out?
It was difficult when I started out, and I really had to be very proactive and create a lot of my own opportunities. I was at a huge disadvantage in that I played a relatively unpopular instrument (the bass clarinet) without a lot of traditional job opportunities, and I also wanted to focus on new music and free improvisation. I had a lot of support from the educational institutions I attended, and I also received a couple of grants early in my career which allowed me to study with Lori Freedman in Montreal, and also do my first mini-tour, performing new music pieces I studied in grad school. Both of these opportunities led to new connections and helped me to advance.
7. Lastly, can you please share your spice cookie recipe?
Yes!
Spice Cookies:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg, beaten
4 tbsp. molasses
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
extra sugar for dipping
Welcome to the end of Week of EPs! We checked out some famed and obscure EPs all week:
MONDAY: Aerosmith – The Other Side (1990)
TUESDAY: Wolfsbane – All Hell’s Breaking Loose Down at Little Kathy Wilson’s Place! (1990)
WEDNESDAY: AC/DC – ’74 Jailbreak (1984)
THURSDAY: Marillion (as “Remixomatosis”) – You’re Gone (2005)
JOURNEY – Red 13 (2002 Journey Music)
I chose an obscure, semi-forgotten release to end the Week of EPs. Time seems to move slowly in Journey-land. Their first track released with “new” singer Steve Augeri was in 1998, and the album Arrival was released in 2000. (2001 in America.) Generations wouldn’t come out until mid-2005. There was a lot of upheaval at the time for classic rock bands like Journey who were lacking key original members. No longer on a major label, Journey tried releasing a self-produced EP on their website in 2002. It came and went without a lot of people even noticing. Fans who knew what was going on were interested in what Journey might sound like now, free of the constrictions of a record company.
I don’t know where the title Red 13 comes from, but if you add up studio albums including the soundtrack Dream After Dream, Red 13 would be the band’s 13th studio release.
The fact that there’s an intro (simply called “Red 13”) tells you that Journey are at least stretching their wings a bit. It’s an interesting intro, with programmed techno beats, new-agey prog keyboards, and noisy, exotic Schon licks. Even though I loathe these kinds of beats, I am at least excited by the sound of Journey experimenting with their sound again. This intro takes us directly into a song called “State of Grace” which expands on the exotic vibe. It’s one of the heaviest things recorded by Journey to date. Augeri lacks the vocal superpowers of Steve Perry, but he fills the role acceptably well. “State of Grace” combines anthemic Journey with experimental, guitar-dominated hard rock. It is a successful mix. Red 13 is off to a promising start.
The track simply titled “The Time” is a Zeppelin-esque slow groove, with nary a keyboard to be found. Instead, Schon and Jonathan Cain lay on the rhythm guitars, complimenting what the other player is doing. While something like “The Time” is an admirable achievement to a listener such as myself, I don’t think average Joe Six-pack Journey Fan will appreciate what the band are doing here. They might consider it a “piss break” song. Meanwhile I’m hanging on waiting to see what Schon’s going to do for a solo. (Answer: he does what Schon does!) I’ll also single out drummer Deen Castronovo as an MVP on this song. I’ve always been candid about my preference for Steve Smith in Journey, but this song is a different kind of Journey and Deen’s frenetic fills are more than ample.
The third song “Walking Away from the Edge” was co-written by, of all people, Geoff Tate. This is a solemn piano-based ballad. It resembles some of the things the band did in the past with Steve Perry. Unfortunately it’s not as memorable as, say, “Send Her My Love”. It does boast a powerful chorus but at 6:17, the song is a little too long. It fades abruptly, and then the final song is “I Can Breathe”. This one is little more than a standard sounding Journey rocker. It is not particular special unfortunately, until close to a 3-minute mark when a horn section kicks in. They should have had the horns there from the start!
Red 13 is not a bad EP, but the production is sub-par, as can happen when bands self-produce. However, had a producer been there in the studio the songs would undoubtedly turned out differently so that’s the trade off. The worst thing about it is the band photo, which just looks cheap and bad. What is that on your face, Neal? Dirt?
3/5 stars
Welcome back to the Week of EPs! Each day this week, I’ll be checking out a variety of EP releases, both famed and obscure.
MONDAY: Aerosmith – The Other Side (1990)
TUESDAY: Wolfsbane – All Hell’s Breaking Loose Down at Little Kathy Wilson’s Place! (1990)
WEDNESDAY: AC/DC – ’74 Jailbreak (1984)
REMIXOMATOSIS – You’re Gone (Promotional 2005 Intact records)
Eager to cross over to new fans, in 2004 Marillion released an album called Remixomatosis. It was a 2 CD set of fan remixes of tracks from 2001’s Anoraknophobia. Hogarth-era Marillion have not been remix-shy, having done something like this on 1998’s Tales From the Engine Room EP. Aware that chances of being played in the clubs were slim, the following year Marillion released a promo EP of three more remixes under the band name Remixomatosis. The name Marillion appears nowhere on the sleeve.
99% of the time, I really dislike remixes, especially when songs are danced up. I bought this for the collection, but let’s give it a spin. “You’re Gone”, originally from Marbles, sounded very little like the “Debonair Dub Mix” on this EP. All I can hear from the original track is Hogarth’s vocals. Maybe some keyboards, but who knows because the dominant part of the song is an annoyingly repetitive synth & beat. This goes on for an agonizing 7:55. This is not a song I would listen to for enjoyment.
The “Plasma Dub Mix” of “Between You and Me” is almost twice as long as the “Marillion Vs. Plasma” version on the Remixomastosis CD. This track adds a new bass line consisting of four notes that repeat over and over and over and over and over. Then a little bit of Hogarth’s vocal is dubbed over synthesizer lines. There have been better remixes of this song, notably the Mark Kelly remix from the “Between You and Me” CD single. After a couple minutes, the remixer Robert de Fresnes throws in some acoustic guitar from the original song, which really only makes me want to hear the original song. If you like repetitive music made by computers, go for it.
The closing track is the best (and shortest) one, the “Into the Fire Mix” of the superb “Don’t Hurt Yourself” from Marbles. As arguably the best song on Marbles, it is a difficult track to ruin. The remixer Cameron Lasswell wisely leaves Steve Hogarth’s vocal intact. The vocal hooks on this song have always been fetching. They are now cloaked in spacey synths, which I prefer to dumb repetitive synths. It sounds like a song by Lights, perhaps, or one of her soundalikes.
I can’t rate this EP very high. This is a collectible, pure and simple.
2/5 stars
Welcome back to the Week of EPs! Each day this week, I’ll be checking out a variety of EP releases, both famed and obscure.
MONDAY: Aerosmith – The Other Side (1990)
TUESDAY: Wolfsbane – All Hell’s Breaking Loose Down at Little Kathy Wilson’s Place! (1990)
AC/DC – ’74 Jailbreak (1984 Epic)
As most AC/DC fans are aware, their Australian and American discographies differed greatly in tracklists and cover art. Australia also got one more record (T.N.T.) than we did. This amounted to a number of Bon Scott tracks that were left off the original American releases. It made sense to eventually release them, so in 1984, five tracks were released on the tenth anniversary EP, ’74 Jailbreak. Of note, none of these songs are actually from 1974.
The track “Jailbreak” itself didn’t become a hit until this compilation was released. It was originally on 1976’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap in Australia. It definitely sounds from that era, and it’s long been one of my favourites. I found that little riff irresistible, then and now. I love Bon Scott’s storytelling lyrics, still cool today. “Big man lying on the ground, with a hole in his body where his life had been.” And c’mon, you have to love the music video, or you have no sense of fun in your rock!
The next four tracks were all from High Voltage, another favourite album of mine. “You Ain’t Got a Hold on Me” is one of those slinky Bon Scott rockers. I like the spare riff and Angus’ bluesy playing. Uptempo “Show Business” is a wry dig on the business side of rock and roll. “You’re smoking butts, they smoke cigars.” Angus’ playing here is especially tasty as he takes his Gibson SG for a ride. Then “Soul Stripper” takes it to a dirty place. AC/DC return to that slinky territory they used to do so well with Bon. “Soul Stripper” is a highlight among highlights, with those quieter bass-driven verses. “Pulled out a knife and flashed it before me, stuck it in and turned it around.”
A cover of “Baby, Please Don’t Go” closes the EP on a frenetic extended jam. Bon shrieks as if in agony. The band blast away as only one of the greatest pure rock and roll bands can. This is rock and roll 101, your teachers are in class, so pay attention to Mr. Young and Mr. Young!
None of the songs on ’74 Jailbreak are outtake quality. I never fully understood who decided what songs were to be left off American releases and why. Some of these songs were singles in Australia! As mentioned, these are only some of the songs unreleased on American albums. There were more and they too were pretty damn good. They are “Stick Around” and “Love Song” from High Voltage, “R.I.P. (Rock in Peace)” from Dirty Deeds, “Crabsody in Blue” from Let There Be Rock, and “Cold Hearted Man” from Powerage. All these songs can be had on the Backtracks box set today.
5/5 stars
Welcome back to the Week of EPs! Each day this week, I’ll be checking out a variety of EP releases, both famed and obscure.
MONDAY: Aerosmith – The Other Side (1990)
WOLFSBANE – All Hell’s Breaking Loose Down at Little Kathy Wilson’s Place! (1990 Def American)
I only own one Wolfsbane release on CD, and it’s this EP. I remember that their Rubin-produced debut Live Fast, Die Fast didn’t sound as good as a Rubin production should. This follow-up EP was produced by someone named Brenden O’Brian, who is presumably a different producer than the famed Bredan O’Brien. Whoever it is, there’s little wrong with the production here. It has guts and clarity. The drums could use some more oomph.
The opening track “Steel” is one that I remember from Blaze Bayley’s live album. Hearing it again, it’s fucking awesome! “Tough as steel!” repeats the chorus which is appropriate for this razor sharp attack. The guitars by Jase Edwards are choppy and aggressive, and they really sell the song. I like when the rhythm guitar drops out during the solo, and all you have is bass and drums — just like it would be live.
“Paint the Town Red” is good time hard rock. It still has a toughness to it, because of the basic guitar-based production. There’s a radio-ready chorus and plenty of rocking melody, so if you had to pick one song as a potential hit, it’s “Paint the Town Red”. Then it’s on to the ridiculously over the top “Loco”. This time the guitars are almost a parody of shredding, so insane are they. I can’t say I’m overly fond of “Loco”, but it sure does rip.
In 1990, you had to have an accessible song with acoustic guitars on your CD. “Hey Babe” is that song. Blaze’s flat vocals lend it some character, but otherwise it’s a pretty standard sounding 1990 rock ballad. The dry guitars are very tasteful, the highlight of the track. “Totally Nude” is a pretty dumb title, but it’s actually a pretty good hard rocker. As the guitars blaze up and down the fretboard, song works its way into your head.
“Kathy Wilson” is a little bit of a mini-epic. Based on the classic film Invaders From Mars, it’s a little corny but absolutely cool at the same time. Blaze acts out some of the movie lines in spoken-word segments, but wails away on the choruses. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that this is an impressive little track. It’s a little more complex than the standard rockers, but has the same blitzkrieg drive.
Consider picking up All Hell’s Breaking Loose Down at Little Kathy Wilson’s Place! at a reasonable price for a nice brief addition to your metal and Iron Maiden collections.
3.5/5 stars
Welcome to the Week of EPs! No sooner do I finish the Record Stores Tales before I’m off on yet another series! Each day this week, I’ll be checking out a variety of EP releases, both famed and obscure. Let’s start with a major band: Aerosmith.
AEROSMITH – The Other Side (1990 Geffen EP)
The first time I bought this, it was on cassette in a mall in Calgary, Alberta in August of 1990. I also bought Judas Priest’s Hero Hero at the same store, also on cassette. A completist even then, there was no way I was leaving without The Other Side. Of all my finds on that trip, this one I had never seen before. I later replaced it on CD while working at the Record Store.
The Pump CD is a great album, probably my favourite. The two songs from Pump that are on this single are “My Girl” and “The Other Side”, neither of which are really as great as the rest of Pump. That’s in my opinion; “The Other Side” was a popular hit. Notably, “The Other Side” lacks its intro, “Dulcimer Stomp” which may make it interesting for some.
The CD also has two useless remixes of “The Other Side”. The “Matt Dike ‘Honky Tonk’ Version” is just as offensive as the “Club Mix”. Maybe the Matt Dike version is slightly less offensive, but the added backing vocals and dance vibe is just crap. Neither mix adds anything of value to the song, but they are dragged out to 5:09 (Matt Dike mix) and an agonizing 7:04 (Club mix).
The main track that I bought the disc for was “Theme from ‘Wayne’s World'”. I actually had no idea what Wayne’s World was, although my cousin Geoff apparently did. Back then, I wondered what the hell this was. There were no liner notes to help either. This track is a mere 1:29, and it’s a straight up recording of the Saturday Night Live performance by Aerosmith of that song. I didn’t give a shit, I love it now. Perfect filler for the end of a mix CD!
Since this CD consists of two album tracks, two pointless remixes and a 1:29 song, you must be sure not to pay too much for it. As a kid I rarely played it, and the same can be said of the adult version of me.
2/5 stars
mikeladano.com 