THE BLACK CROWES – Wiser For The Time(2013 4 LP box set, Silver Arrow/Megaforce Records)
I enjoy when bands do releases that are exclusive to certain formats. In 2013 the Crowes put out this mammoth live album/box set, and let me tell you it’s gorgeous. All it lacks is a booklet with pictures or liner notes. I am otherwise completely thrilled with this release. I’ve been on a Crowes kick these last few weeks, being drawn to the feel and impeccable musicianship of the band. Wiser For The Time is largely acoustic, featuring mellow songs and arrangements spanning their entire career. It also has plenty of electric rock, funk and blues. It boasts 26 tracks and a running time of over 2 1/2 hours. There was also a bonus 27th song given away for free last year, “Under A Mountain” taken from the same series of five New York concerts that comprise the album.
The Black Crowes pulled out all the stops. From familiar hits such as “Jealous Again” to non-album obscurities like the scorching “Exit”, Wiser For The Time is treat after treat. “Exit” in particular was a delicacy for me. I had never heard the song before and was taken aback by its heavy groove. And this is a song that has never been released on an album!? Well, until now. Even familiar songs like “No Speak No Slave” have new exciting moments, making the album a fresh listening experience. Other songs like “Only Halfway to Everywhere” are extended to the 10 minute mark.
Covers? Of the Crowes always surprise with interesting covers choices. Here the biggest joy may be “Hot Burrito #1” and “Hot Burrito #2,” in sequence, by the Flying Burrito Brothers. That’s pretty hard core. There were plenty of unfamiliar songs to me on Wiser For The Time. Whether they are covers or Crowes obscurities I don’t know. Regardless, I enjoy a good live album with unfamiliar material on it. Who wants the same songs all the time?
Personal highlight: “The Garden Gate” is my favourite song from 2009’s sprawling 2-LP Before the Frost…Until the Freeze. I’m pleased that it made the album. It’s every bit as good here as it was on Before the Frost.
But whether it’s the funky “Make Glad” or the extended jamming that makes up the end of “Tied Up and Swallowed”, there is not a dull moment on Wiser For The Time. I solidly enjoyed the whole album. I hope I can find the time to do so frequently in the future, but let’s be honest. In our rat-race lives, few of us have the time to really spend time with an album anymore, particularly a 4 LP live box set. And this isn’t a cheap set. Sunrise had it for about $81, but Amazon were asking $73 with free shipping. For those who can’t justify paying that much, iTunes have it too. But these are beautiful 180 gram records, and iTunes can’t sell you the warmth that you will hear on a turntable. Think wisely before buying.
It was 11 am. Sales were slow so far on this first post-summer morning. I was feeling fantastic after a perfect night’s sleep. I only had one customer in the store. He was a somewhat odd fellow, late 30’s, liked to look stuff up in the computer, write it down, and then not buy it. Different strokes for different folks, I say. All the bosses were in the back office, as is typical. I was listening to Jethro Tull, Elvis Costello, and Max Webster. Nothing later than 1981, of course.
In walks our main character to this story. He’s a tall fellow, very tall, but even now I can’t quite put his face into focus. I can’t even clearly recall if he had a beard or not. I do remember his height, because he towered over me when I stood next to him. In his hands was a copy of Shaggy’s Hot Shot-Remixed album.
To get the proper effect, please read all of his dialogue in a Jamaican accent, a forceful Jamaican accent. He was holding the Shaggy CD in his hands, and I saw our price tag on it.
“Yo, I bought this one but…it’s not the right one. Can I get somethin’ else?”
“Sure, just take a look around if you want. Do you have the receipt?”
His eyes got wide, he smiled a huge toothy “just ate the cat” smile, and then said, “Ahh man, I think I lost it somewhere.”
The price tag looked quite worn, it could have been purchased some time ago. We had our exchange policy: 7 days (+ an unspoken 7 more days just to avoid hassles). We also needed a receipt for all exchanges except in special cases. All of this was clearly stated on the store signage as well as the lost receipt.
“Ahh, see, we need to have the receipt for all exchanges. Sorry man…”
“Ahh come on man! You remember me buying this thing don’t you?”
“Actually, no, I don’t, not really, without a receipt…”
“Ahh come on man I just want to switch it!”
Prior to this I was on the sales floor. I walked behind the counter, and said, “Without a receipt, I can’t do that. The best I could do would be to buy it back from you.” I motioned for him to hand me the CD.
“Huh?” He handed me the CD. I opened the jewel case and examined the condition of the disc.
“I could buy it back from you used.”
Shaggy was quite scratched indeed. I chose not to say anything about it, since he’d claim he bought it like that. They always say that whether they did or didn’t, so my saying anything about it wouldn’t help. However, to buy it back in that condition normally we would give less, to cover the cost of having the CD buffed back to a new finish. I chose not to do that either, since I was being a hard ass on the rules I’d cut him a break on the condition.
“I can give you four dollars for this.”
“What?” Eyes go wide again. “I just want to switch it man, I’m the customer!”
“I know, but as I said, I can’t do that for you. What I can do is give you four dollars for that CD, but that’s the best I can do.”
“You know what, I’m the customer, and [accent gets too thick for me to continue]…”
Then, he took the CD in his hands, jewel case and all, and crushed it. Pieces went flying everywhere. He stomped to the door, where he stood in the doorway and yelled “I am the customer!”
Out he went. There was this moment of awkward silence. Then, the man at the lookup computer (who I’d forgotten all about) chimed in.
“So, let me get this straight. You were going to give him $4 for that CD. Then he crushed it. Now he can’t get anything for it. How did that guy think that was a good idea?”
AC/DC – Stiff Upper Lip (Bonus CD edition, 2000 Warner)
So much music, so little time! I reviewed the AC/DC album Stiff Upper Lip months and months ago. Previously, I only owned the single disc version of Stiff Upper Lip. I knew of the 2 CD Australian version, but I didn’t own it. I thought and assumed all those bonus tracks were included on the massive AC/DC Backtracks box set. It has pretty much everything else. However I was wrong, and I promptly bought a copy of the 2 CD version from Discogs, with plans to review it shortly after I reviewed Stiff Upper Lip itself. That was in July. Like I said, so much music, so little time!
Backtracks is missing two songs from the bonus CD: “Back In Black”, live from Madrid, is exclusive to this set. So is the 11 minute “Let There Be Rock”. (Meanwhile, Backtracks had plenty more songs from the Madrid show that are not on this bonus CD. Those songs are “Dog Eat Dog”, “Hail Caesar”, and “You Shook Me All Night Long”.
Confusing, huh? That’s why I’m here. To help the fans and collectors out there.
The Stiff Upper Lip bonus CD has a mix of live tracks, videos, and one rare studio recording:
“Cyberspace” (Non LP Track)
“Back in Black (Live – Plaza De Toros, Madrid, 1996)”
“Hard as a Rock (Live – Plaza De Toros, Madrid, 1996)”
“Ballbreaker (Live – Plaza De Toros, Madrid, 1996)”
“Whole Lotta Rosie (Live – Plaza De Toros, Madrid, 1996)”
“Let There Be Rock (Live – Plaza De Toros, Madrid, 1996)”
“Stiff Upper Lip” (Music video)
“Safe in New York City” (Music video)
“Satellite Blues” (Music video)
I don’t care so much about music videos on a CD. Since the early 2000’s, bands tend to include a bonus DVD with their albums instead of videos on an enhanced CD. Plus we have Youtube now, most music videos are available online 24/7 on demand.
Skipping the videos, the most interesting track here is “Cyberspace” which was also a B-side to the “Safe in New York City” single. I hate songs about the internet (see: “Virtuality” by Rush) but thankfully “Cyberspace” kicks real ass. Sonically it’s the same as the rest of Stiff Upper Lip: hard, loud, stripped back. It’s also fast and memorable, making it one of the most interesting Stiff Upper Lip songs. Highly recommended to fans of this album.
Then you get the five live songs, originally from the 1996 concert in Madrid that was released on DVD as No Bull. I always prefer an audio format to a video one. I’ll tell you that the “new” songs from Ballbreaker were awesome live! In particular the title track, but “Hard as a Rock” is relentless and classic sounding. Meanwhile you can’t say anything bad about “Back in Black” or “Rosie”. You could argue that you didn’t need more live versions; I’d argue just to not buy this CD.
Finally “Let There Be Rock” is present in full-on extended live version. Angus wails away like a man possessed, a man in a trance, a man at one with the rock! With the rest of AC/DC behind him, you couldn’t ask for a more solid backing band, which makes the whole thing work.
As a companion piece to the whole Stiff Upper Lip album, I give the bonus CD:
Welcome to a new feature at mikeladano.com! A spin-off from the popular WTF Search Terms, I now present to you WTF Comments. These are real unpublished comments that were left for me, for whatever reasons.
First, we have “Tony Tony” (leaving me to wonder where Toni and Toné were) from Obregon, Mexico. Tony Tony apparently did not like my comments about the 1998 movie turd Godzilla:
tony tony aahh1985@xxxxxxx.com: ad that’s because you all haters are A BUNCH OF FAGS COMPLAINING… HAHAHA what an asshole hehehe… the movie was great… and the soundtrack kicked your asses out…
Thanks Tony. That doesn’t really need any additional commentary from me.
Then we have Max, from Russia. In the past I’ve been clear that I will not share my music. Max asked me to email him a copy of my “Get Your Hands Off My Woman…Again” mp3 single, by The Darkness. As is my general policy, I deleted the comment. A few days later, Max returned with this one:
max fedjudas@xxxx.xx: I got this version, checkmate!
I didn’t realize it was a competition, but good on you.
This comment was sent to me on Facebook. This person posted a comment using a word in a negative connotation that I personally dislike: “retarded”. I replied that it was now 2013 and saying that word in that context is no longer cool. If it ever really was cool. Several people agreed with me, but then I got a private message from this person, Mike F. Private presumably because he didn’t want to be publicly scolded by somebody else for using the word again. This is what he needed to get off his chest:
Mike F*****: Retarded is retarded… Remember the meaning of it? Stupid… Dumb… Ya know… Retarded. 2013 and all its political correctness can kiss my fuckin asshole!
Dear Mike: Welcome to my “block” list! Population: you.
Finally, we have the 164 comments that made up what I called the Neue Regel Saga. I don’t blame you if you do not have the appetite to wade through that nonsense, but here it is, staggering in its absurdity. The first time I had to close comments down!
Thankfully these flavourful comments are few here. If you enjoyed this, and if I receive any more comments that make me “WTF?” then I promise to post them in the future!
FRANK ZAPPA – Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar (1981, 2012 Universal/Zappa remaster)
This is the first time I’ve ever seriously tried to write a Frank Zappa review; a daunting task indeed. I rely heavily on the excellent booklet inside the 2012 Universal/Zappa Record reissue of Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar. For example, an advertisement for the album tells me that it was originally issued (in 1981) as three mail order records. You could buy them at once or separately, and they were individually titled Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar, Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar Some More, and Return of The Son of Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar. Then they were later re-released as a 3 LP box set.
I also like how the spines of this series of remasters are all numbered, so you can easily file them in chronological order. That’s how I file my albums (alphabetically by artist, then chronologically by album). These three records were 31, 32, 33. For shits and giggles, I separated the tracks from this 2 CD release into the original 3 LP running order. My logic was, this gave the listener (me) a more “original” listening experience, as I took coffee breaks between “records” to collect my thoughts.
The whole Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar set is a collection of instrumental guitar solos. Many of these are taken from live performances of other songs, but presented on their own, sometimes with humorous dialogue sprinkled in between. All solos are by Frank, although giants such as Steve Vai and Warren Cuccurullo are behind him on rhythm guitar. Frank’s playing is diverse (it better be if your album is an hour and three-quarters long) and interesting at all times. I’m not a guitar head, I can’t sit here and tell you, “Oh right now he’s playing the such-and-such mode in the key of whatever.” I can just tell you when my jaw hits the floor (frequently).
Rhythmically, “five-five-FIVE” (the opener) is one of my favourite tracks. The internets tell me that the time signature is a repeated sequence of 5/8 + 5/8 + 5/4. On top of that are some exotic and mindblowing Zappa tones. I was hooked on the first time. The next one, “Hog Heaven” is slower, a respite. Zappa remains the architect of electric guitar sounds you just don’t get to hear every day. I also love the aptly named “Variations on the Carlos Santana Secret Chord Progression” which does indeed have a vaguely Santana vibe.
Other highlights included “Ship Ahoy” which I’m not even sure how to describe so I won’t. “Pink Napkins” is a jazzy jam session with Eddie Jobson on keyboards that hits just the right notes. The 10 minute closer “Canard Du Jour” is remarkably by being sparse, without wasting precious playing time by being boring. It is aided and abetted by Jean-Luc Ponty on violin, a treat indeed.
I think I’ve said enough. I paid nine freakin’ bucks (Sunrise) for almost two hours of Frank Zappa playing guitar. How is that not one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made?
Working in a retail environment with the public exposes one to a variety of interesting smells. 90% of customers didn’t have a particular smell to them. They were pretty inoffensive. However, about 10% of customers did have distinct odors. Here are the Top Five things that customers in my store smelled like:
4% – Weed
If I had to break it down, I would say the majority of customers that smelled like marijuana were shopping in the rap section. The red bleary eyes were also a giveaway, but some of these kids just reeked of pot! Didn’t matter if it was 10am and they were selling their CDs to buy another dime bag, or if it was 7pm and they were looking for fast food money. They were omnipresent.
3% – Booze
I’m only hoping that the customers who had booze stench on their breath were not driving. (At the end, I worked on the “wrong side of town,” many of my customers could not drive anyway.) Never mind the fact that some people would be coming in piss drunk at noon on a Wednesday.
1% – B.O.
The dreaded body odor stink afflicted men and women alike. The only thing they had in common: customers with B.O. were always oblivious to it themselves, even though my eyes were watering. Many times these guys were construction workers on break, but not always!
1% – Really strong perfume or cologne
I had a few customers who were used car salesmen. Apart from impeccably trimmed moustaches, they often wore too much Drakkar Noir. There were also plenty of women that smelled so strong you couldn’t breathe.
1% – Bad breath
Halitosis isn’t fun. Some of the people who knocked me out with their breath looked like their teeth weren’t doing so well either, particularly at the stores located on the wrong side of the tracks!
Smash Hits…Unplugged!, the first ever acoustic release by Helix, was certainly a release that deserved more attention. While Helix have continued to make albums (and good ones, too), many of them have been ignored by the media in general. While an album such as The Power of Rock and Roll kicked as much ass as Walkin’ the Razor’s Edge, it went largely unheard. Smash Hits…Uplugged! was a more accessible version of Helix, but it still failed to garner the attention it deserved. I do hear “That Day Is Gonna Come” from this album on the radio from time to time, but this album is too good not to be heard by masses.
This, to me, was the real “classic Helix lineup” reunion album. Unlike Vagabond Bones, you can actually hear Brent and Daryl singing. Daryl Gray in particular contributes a lot to this album, including singing, bass, guitars, and more exotic instruments such as bodhran. All five Helix members participated, including Kaleb Duck with his first Helix album. Old friends such as Sean Kelly and Cheryl Lescom also dropped in.
Every song on this album was a hit somewhere or another, and every song on this album had the potential to be a hit once again. Vollmer sang his butt off as always. Some of these arrangements are startlingly original. Particularly “Gimme Gimme Good Lovin”, which shines with great harmony vocals and mandolin courtesy of former guitar slinger Brent Doerner. This excellent, energetic version is followed by a great single-worthy take of “The Kids Are All Shakin”. The ballads are also well done, in particular the shoulda-woulda-coulda-been hit “That Day Is Gonna Come” and their cover of “Dream On”.
It is a new cover version that really blew me away. Vollmer sings his very best on “Touch of Magic” originally by the late great James Leroy. This long forgotten song is a wonderful tribute to Leroy, an under-appreciated Canadian singer and songwriter from the 1970’s. His original version of “Touch of Magic” was a #6 charting single. While I can’t say that Helix have topped or equaled him, it is a nice tribute and let’s leave it at that.
Really in total honesty, every version here is great — I can’t say much more than that. I found some arrangements, such as “Rock You”, to be pretty standard, while others to be more adventurous especially in instrumentation. A sprinkle of fiddle here, some 12-string there, and you get a rich unplugged album much more interesting than most major bands’.
Pick up Smash Hits…Unplugged! by Helix. Not only do you know all these songs already, but you’re supporting a band that really deserves it.
This album is significant to me for one reason only: It was the first CD bought for me by my lovely wife, Mrs. LeBrain. She knew I liked Kiss and she knew I didn’t have this album. It was a total surprise! It was also a total disappointment.
Paul’s 1978 solo album is a milestone for me, it’s one of those albums I can put on any time, any where, anyhow, and I always love it. When Paul wrote (quoted in the “Kiss: Behind The Mask” book) “Let’s just say it needs a sequel right about now,” I was so excited. Yet I forgot, the word “sequel” has many different connotations.
Unfortunately, Live To Win is a sequel in the sense that it’s inferior to the original in every way. The production is plastic, modern synthetic, and boring. The songwriting is good in parts, but there are three ballads here. Paul’s first solo album had nine songs and one ballad. Here, there are ten songs and three ballads. You can work out the math on your own. The playing is bland and generic. John5 plays guitar a bit, and he’s always great, and Bruce Kulick plays bass (why bass?) on a few songs. Everybody else is just a studio cat, guys who are paid big bucks to make people like Avril sound good. Good players, but there’s no personality on this album. Not like when Bob Kulick ripped Paul’s first solo album to shreds.
There are two good songs. They are “Wake Up Screaming” and “Where Angels Dare”. “Wake Up Screaming” starts off with some terrible drum machines. (Yes, not a misprint. There is far too much ProTools and programming on Live To Win.) It’s generic sounding, until Paul’s melody and vocal elevates the song to a whole different level. Still, it’s not aggressive enough for a song called “Wake Up Screaming”. Raw production would have turned this into a classic. The other good song is “Where Angels Dare”. It’s another great song with Paul’s riff, vocal, and melody taking it where it should be. A highlight.
“Live To Win” is also decent, it has a good chorus, but the riff and verses are boring. “Bulletproof” sounds like a Hot in the Shade outtake. “Lift” should have been on Carnival Of Souls, it has that grungy sound. The rest of the album is just plain boring, especially the ballads. Among the ballads there’s nothing here that can hold a candle to the dynamics of “Hold Me, Touch Me” even though they are every bit as schlocky.
Paul, I’m disappointed. For a guy who had the idea to go back to basics and record the Kiss album Sonic Boom on analog tape, this just doesn’t even sound like it came from the same person. Maybe if your first solo album wasn’t so good, so classic, then I wouldn’t have expected so much. Yet, Paul, you are a rock god. There’s no denying it even to non-fans. You are an icon, and you are responsible for a dozen or more of the best songs in rock history. There’s no denying it! For you to put this out, I can only conclude you were out of touch with your fans and rock in general. Or, worse, you were trying desperately for a hit.
Following the demise of Whitesnake and the failure of Zeppelin to mount a 1991 tour in support of their first box set, it was almost inevitable what happened next. It was something that many Zeppelin fans feared. Lead Snake David Coverdale, who was once derided as “David Coverversion” by Robert Plant, joined Plant’s erstwhile bandmate Jimmy Page in a new supergroup. Geffen’s John Kalodner (John Kalodner) helped facilitate this move which should have generated sales over 10 million units. Unfortunately another thing also happened in 1991: grunge.
The shame of it is that Coverdale-Page is a stunning rock album. For years it haunted my bargain bins, simply because of the hard rock stigma that permeated the 1990’s. Many fans refused to listen to it, others simply chose to mock superficial elements of it, such as Coverdale’s man-shrieks. The fact that Page was looking and sounding great should be enough to warrant multiple listens by any serious rock fan. He hadn’t released any new material since 1988’s Outrider. As for Coverdale, it was a chance to get back to his bluesy rock roots, something he expressed a desire to do shortly after Whitesnake’s dissolution.
The studio band weren’t hacks either. Ricky Phillips had played bass with Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain in Bad English, and he’s been in Styx for ages now. Drummer Denny Carmassi was in Montrose (that’s him on the cover of the classic 1973 self-titled record) among many stellar bands, and he later did a stint in Whitesnake itself. Coverdale and Page co-produced the album with veteran Mike Fraser.
Finally, the most important elements were also in place: the songs. 11 songs, most in the 5-6 minute range, make up Coverdale-Page. Those expecting or even hoping for a Zeppelin album were bound to be disappointed. Despite the “Coverversion” nickname, Cov the Gov is his own person and persona. Singing over Pagey’s classic Zeppish riffs does not a Zeppelin make. Rather, Page and Coverdale comingle over their common ground, and naturally there are elements that have a Whitesnake aura. To expect otherwise would be folly.
“Shake My Tree” was the perfect opener. Pagey’s tricky little licks have that familiar sound, immediately. Then the great lothario Cov the Gov starts howlin’…the stage was set within the first minute of the album. The closest comparison I can think of would be “Slow An’ Easy” in terms of overall vibe. Just replace Moody’ slide guitar with Jimmy’s intricate chicken pickin’. David’s lyrics were as naughty as ever. It must have burned Robert Plant’s ass to have to sing it when he reunited with Jimmy later on himself. He seemed to be freestyling it quite a bit with David’s lyrics, barely sticking to the words at all!
“Waiting On You” would have been a radio-ready single. It has that kind of smoking hard rock riff, a killer of a chorus, and great vocals. Coverdale’s no poet, but I dig his words. “Ever since I started drinkin’, my ship’s been slowly sinkin’, so tell me what a man’s supposed to do.” Well, let me tell you David. 1) Drinking and boating is against the law, just like drinking and driving. 2) Put on your goddamn life vest!
I hesitate to call “Take Me A Little While” a ballad. I mean, it is a ballad, but it’s also a pretty good bluesy workout for David. It’s a little classier than the average “power ballad”, because hey…it’s Jimmy Page. It doesn’t sound like other ballads by other bands, because not too many bands have Jimmy Page. His playing and writing are unlike anyone else’s, he is one of the most recognizable musicians in rock and roll.
“Pride And Joy” was the first single, and what a single it was. It starts off swampy and acoustic, before Jimmy’s big Les Paul announces its presence with some big chords. Then David’s back in lothario-land, seducing “daddy’s little princess, Momma’s pride and joy.” Despite the lyrics, the song’s still a stunner. “Over Now” is also cool; a thinly veiled attack on Tawny Kitaen.
You told me of your innocence, An’ I believed it all, But your best friend is your vanity, And the mirror on the wall.
It doesn’t get any nicer from there, but musically this is one of the most Zeppelin-ish songs. While you can’t compare it to any specific song in the Zeppelin oeuvre, but it’s there in that slow relentless drum beat, the orchestration, and Pagey’s unorthodox guitar.
The closest thing to filler on Coverdale-Page is “Feeling Hot”. It’s not outstanding, but it does show off the faster side of Jimmy’s playing. It’s akin to “Wearing and Tearing” but with naughtier lyrics. Once again it is Jimmy’s playing that I’m tuned in to. That continues with “Easy Does It” which begins acoustically. Like most acoustic moments on the album (and like Zeppelin), Jimmy’s guitar is recorded in layers, giving it real heft. This all changes halfway through the song, when Jimmy’s Les Paul once again takes center stage. Then it transforms into a bluesy prowl.
Possibly the most commercial song is “Take A Look At Yourself”. Not a bad song, but definitely the most “pop rock”. It’s probably closest to a Whitesnake song such as “The Deeper The Love”. Had the year been 1990 or even 1991, “Take A Look At Yourself” would have been a top charting single everywhere. David seems to have cheered up with new found love here. However the heartbreak is not over. “Don’t Leave Me This Way” is about as earnest as it gets. At 8 minutes, it’s also the most ambitious song. It’s the centerpiece of the album. It sounds at once like it’s the most sincere song, showcasing some of Jimmy Page’s best post-Zeppelin guitar work. As for David, he’s never sung better.
“Absolution Blues” begins similarly to “In The Evening”. Fading in are layers of atmospheric guitars as only Jimmy plays them. These give way to the fastest, heaviest song on the album. It’s also one of my favourites. You you can hear the elements of Jimmy and David separately, but working together. The song goes through numerous changes before returning to that riff. If you thought Jimmy Page had already written every great riff in Led Zeppelin, think again. It’s “Black Dog” sped up to ludicrous speed.
Album closer “Whisper A Prayer For the Dying” is as cheerful and uplifting as the title alludes. It’s has an epic quality and length like “Don’t Leave Me This Way”, but this time the lyrics are less personal and more topical. David laments the innocent casualties of modern warfare, and refers to politicians as “bodyguards of lies”. While certainly not profound, it’s refreshing to hear Coverdale change the bloody subject away from the female of the species every now and again. Profound or not, I’m certain that it was heartfelt, and musically it kicks ass. It’s also a perfect album closer for a dark and brooding record like this. So there.
Hugh Syme (Rush) did the artwork. Say what you will about the bland cover itself, but I like the way he used the “merge” sign much like the “object” was in the artwork for Presence. And like many Zeppelin albums, there are no pictures of the artists anywhere.
The year 1993 was not a kind one to singers of Coverdale’s ilk. Most of his competition had been replaced by Chris Cornell, Eddie Vedder, and Kurt Cobain. One way or the other, the Coverdale-Page tour was not doing enough business and the plug was pulled. David has since mentioned that he and Page had more songs, enough to get started on a second album. He’s also expressed a desire to release those songs on some kind of deluxe edition reissue. I hope that happens. I’d buy Coverdale-Page again. It would only be the third time.
Personal highlight: “The Garden Gate” is my favourite song from 2009’s sprawling 2-LP Before the Frost…Until the Freeze. I’m pleased that it made the album. It’s every bit as good here as it was on Before the Frost.
mikeladano.com