REVIEW: Hurricane – Take What You Want (1985 EP, 1989 reissue with bonus tracks)

HURRICANE – Take What You Want (1985 Enigma EP, 1989 reissue with bonus tracks)

Hurricane attracted my attention initially because I was a Quiet Riot fan.  I considered Hurricane to be a “brother” band to Quiet Riot.  Bassist Tony Cavazo’s brother Carlos was in Quiet Riot.  Guitarist Robert Sarzo also had a brother, in Rudy.  I loved that Carlos played bass, and Robert played guitar.  I just knew that they chose those instruments so they could have jammed with their brothers, on guitar and bass respectively.

Perhaps Hurricane are best known as a band that launched its members into higher orbits.  Robert Sarzo has been a member of Geoff Tate’s Queensryche.  Drummer Jay Schellen is in Yes.  Singer Kelly Hansen is with Foreigner.  Big names!

Their debut EP was not a bad start.  It boasted one single/video that impressed me as a kid, but we’ll get there.  The original EP opened with “Take Me In Your Arms”, a tough little rock crooner with a great chorus.  Right from the get-go, it’s the singer that impresses.  The production buried him a bit too far back in the mix.  It may be a case of “too many cooks”, as Kevin Beamish, Mike Clink and Hurricane all get co-production credits, with Bob Ezrin in an executive role!  The swampy backing vocals don’t really help, but fortunately Hansen was more than capable of driving a chorus home.  It was also obvious that Jay Schellen was going to go places.  His drumming here is far from simplistic, standard rock cliches.

The second track gives Tony and Jay a chance to jam a bit before Robert comes in with some squealing guitar.  “The Girls Are Out Tonight” is not especially remarkable, but like the preceding song, it has a great little chorus to go with some pretty poor lyrics.  “Laughin’ and talkin’ about the boys, with whom you want to be seen.”  You don’t see the word “whom” in rock lyrics very often, I’ll concede.  The MVPs on this track are Tony Cavazo with a rollicking bassline, and Robert Sarzo with some great 80s excess on guitar.

The title track “Take What You Want” goes third, with an ominous little riff to open it.  There’s a vibe here somewhere between Journey and Kiss.  Hansen impresses thoroughly with those pipes!  The mood of the song isn’t consistent however, going for a more cliched rock vibe on the verses, while the chorus just smokes.  Almost a great song, but not quite.

Hurricane’s eponymous track was the single/video back in the day, and immediately impressed with the riff.  Traditional metal with a hint of exotic, “Hurricane” was my favourite song for two weeks straight.  “You’re like a hurricane comin’, you don’t forgive!”  Get pumped up and rock this tune on repeat.  It’s great.

“It’s Only Heaven” features Robert Sarzo and Tony Cavazo making really cool, atmospheric sounds with their instruments.  Then Schellen comes in with a classic drum beat, followed by Kelly Hansen.  This ballad could have been a Scorpions song, perhaps.  Vocally it’s very different from the Scorps, but Klaus can sing anything he wants.  Though slow, this ballad could have gone down in history like similar songs by Dokken…except for a really bad key change almost six minutes into the song.  Otherwise, it’s pretty epic and spectacular.  Somebody should have chopped the last minute and a half of it though.

Back to the hard rockin’, “Hot and Heavy” was the closing song on the original EP.  It gets the job done.  It’s fast, rippin’ with shout along hooks, and ready to tear it down.  Robert Sarzo illuminates the sky with guitar pyrotechnics.  Good little tune.  Nothing remarkable of course, but adequate for the task.  The whole EP is above average, because of the skill of the players and some occasional production goodness.  It’s just a nose above the rest of the bands that didn’t quite have the same level of musicianship.

Old CD copies came with a bonus track, “La Luna”, a beautiful classical guitar piece by Sarzo.  There is some really clever backwards guitar mixed in with the forwards.  It’s almost like next level Randy Rhoads.  The entire band got credited for writing, which means the band had an agreement to split writing credits.

This CD reissue has three bonus tracks, all from the next album Over the Edge.  The first is a single version of “Over the Edge” itself.  This hard rocker opens and closes with cool acoustic guitars, which caught my ear back in the day.  I loved this tune.  The production is still a bit wanting, but you can hear the talent shine through.  Schellen’s got a great groove going, and Kelly was so underappreciated as a singer back in the day.

“I’m On To You” was another great single from that album.  This is just an edit version.  This “super stormin’ hook edit” opens straight away with the chorus, which may or may not be to your taste.  “Na na na na na na, I’m on to you!” croons Kelly Hansen.  You’ll love it or hate it.  Finally, the CD ends with “Baby Snakes” (not a Zappa cover)…and finally it’s an instrumental version, without the phone call stuff!  That part of the song was amusing for a few minutes, but hindered re-plays.  This instrumental version remedies that!

Hurricane could have gone further than they did.  Unfortunately for them, Robert Sarzo departed after Over the Edge, replaced by a guy named Doug Aldridge that you might know from some other bands.  They started using outside writers, and that’s rarely a good sign.   They have since reunited, but never with this original lineup again.  An album and an EP was all we got.  At least they were both decent.

3/5 stars for the original EP
3.5/5 stars with bonus tracks

Grab A Stack of Rock talks to Tim Durling about his new Kansas book Let It Be Your Guide: The Kansas Album Review

Huge thank you to Jex Russell and Tim Durling for spending Friday afternoon with us chatting about Kansas!  Tim’s third book, Let It Be Your Guide: The Kansas Album Review, is out now Like his previous two books, you can get this one now on your local Amazon.

Kansas are progressive rock legends, but did they ever get the respect they deserved?  They are still making music today, and good music too.  This book, and this interview, reflect a love of Kansas that perhaps isn’t seen enough in media (mainstream and social) these days.  Tim hopes to change that.  His appreciation for the music is sincere.  As for Jex and I, we could only sit back and learn.

We had one surprise lined up for Tim, a Grab A Stack of Rock first.  In a surprise appearance, TVC bandmate and book cover artist Matt Phillips explains what went into the artwork, and other important details about publishing a book like this.  Indeed, there are photos of articles from Tim’s personal collection inside, all laid out beautifully with great care.  Thank you Matt for sending in this great video.  If you want to know about some of the Easter eggs on the book art, watch this video.

Congratulations Tim on this third book, and please support him by picking up a copy on Amazon.  Jex and I will be back from the cottage soon for another Grab A Stack of Rock.  Thanks everybody for your viewer questions and comments!

SHOW NOTES

“A FAN’S EAR-VIEW OF WHAT MAKES KANSAS’ MUSIC SO SPECIAL” – Jeff Wagner

Tim, what took you so long to write a third book?  Y&T was 7 months ago.

Tell us your point of entry into Kansas.  (I do not remember ever seeing Kansas on MuchMusic)

One might argue that you were born to write this book, given your channel “Tim’s Vinyl Confessions”.

During a debate of greatest “Song 1 Side 1” in history among the lead characters in the movie High Fidelity, Jack Black’s character criticizes one of John Cusack’s character’s proposals as “too obvious, like ‘Point of Know Return'”.

Let’s assume you’re talking to Kansas megafans watching this show, who have every album already. Why should they buy this book?

The band is known for clever wordplay in titles, such as “Point of Know Return” and “Leftoverture”. Did you sneak any clever wordplay into this book that you can tell us about?

Let Tim Be Your Guide: Grab A Stack of Rock talks to Tim Durling about his new Kansas book!

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 64: Let It Be Your Guide: The Kansas Album Review with Tim Durling

Masquerading as a man without a reason, Tim Durling is a wayward son no more!  Now with his third book on the shelves, it’s time to talk to Tim about his latest tome:  Let It Be Your Guide: The Kansas Album Review.  Like his previous two books, you can get this one now on your local Amazon.

Cohost Jex Russell and I will be chatting with Tim this afternoon about all the usual stuff:  the genesis of the idea, recruiting the coterie of “Wheatheads” (including Jex and I, among other members of the community) and the brilliant cover artwork by Matt Phillips.  We also have a very special surprise for Tim, plus lots of physical product to show.  This time, I’ve got an 8-track!

Today’s show will be a free-flowing chat, and it will be live, so you too will be able to ask Tim your Kansas questions!  Let Tim be your guide.

From Amazon:

THE MUSIC IS ALL FOR YOU.

LET IT BE YOUR GUIDE: The Kansas Album Review is an in-depth look at America’s premier progressive rock band, and celebrates 50 YEARS OF KANSAS!

Led by the songwriting and multi-instrumental genius of Kerry Livgren, the pristine pipes of Steve Walsh, and the cutting violin of Robby Steinhardt, Kansas emerged from their Topeka home base with their 1974 debut album, to take on the world… and win! Initially met with confusion from music buyers, Kansas eventually captured the hearts of listeners far and wide. Kansas has proven that a band writing—and playing—music their way can succeed, and flourish:

  • 7 Billboard Top 40 singles
  • 7 Billboard Hot 100 hits
  • 5 Gold albums
  • A 4X Platinum album
  • A 4,000,000-selling album
  • A 3,000,000-selling greatest hits
  • A Platinum live album

After 50 years, Kansas continues to produce vital, new music, and brings their songs to audiences night after night.

Let It Be Your Guide gathers together a coterie of “Wheatheads” to wax thoughtfully on the deepcatalogue this band possesses. Each of the band’s 15 studio albums are explored thoroughly, with space also given to their many live albums, and compilations.

BOOK FEATURES:

  • An interview with Kansas cover artist Denise De la Cerda, who painted the artwork for The Prelude Implicit (2016), The Absence of Presence (2020) and the Kansas’ 50th Anniversary Poster!
  • Foreword by Jeff Wagner, who was the Product Manager at InsideOut music when they signed Kansas in 2014!
  • Insightful contributions from no less than 30 Kansas Super Fans!
  • Over 250 pages and many B&W photos from Tim Durling’s personal collection, including 8-tracks, records, cassettes, CDs, tickets and more!

Join us for the talk, and support Tim by buying the book at the Amazon link above!

Friday July 5 at 4:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 5:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

 

 

BONUS:  Tim’s Guide to the Kansas Compilations!

VIDEO: Floating Like! Over the glassy waters of Lorne Beach (Lake Huron)

I finally had the courage to take the drone over the water. The sky was cloudy and the sunset invisible, but the blue-green waters shine brightly in this video. It’s really special and my best drone video to date.

Music: “Floating Like” by the Arkells, from the album Blink Twice.

My Music Corner: Temporary Replacement Singers

This week, I was honoured to be on John Clauser’s My Music Corner one more time, to discuss Temporary Replacement Singers in the 1990s.  We tackled four singers and four bands.  My choice:  “Corabi Crue”, aka “Motley ’94”, perhaps the most underrated of them all.  We talked the genesis, highlights, lowlights, and how it all ended.  I’ll let John tell the story from here:

Anthrax‬ ‪Iron Maiden‬, Motley Crue, and Judas Priest ‬ all went through a period from the 90s into the 2000s where either the original singer (or more known singer) left the band, and they were temporarily replaced. What became of the music made during the era for each band?

On this, I moderate a discussion between Mike Ladano, Peter Jones, Jake Not From State Farm, and my co-captain John The Music Nut as we look into each band.

 

#1137: A Little South of Sanity: What I’ve Been Up To…In Photos

RECORD STORE TALES #1137: A Little South of Sanity: What I’ve Been Up To…In Photos

Madness reigned.

As you may be aware from the last cottage video, disaster struck when we returned home on June 23.  My old shelves, which I’ve had over 40 years, finally fell apart, and a few hundred of my precious CDs hit the ground.  Some were damaged, some just have broken cases.  This was a pretty traumatic experience for a collector.  After considering quitting the hobby for good (more grief than it’s worth?), and wasting time and money with a carpenter, I decided to rip my music room apart and see what I could do.

I moved everything around to make space, and then got to work.  I chose a couple bookshelves on Amazon.  They’re not ideal for CDs, but the music is off the floor now.  Shelves are better than floors, even if the discs are in stacks and not rows.  The two shelves I chose can hold 350 lbs each.  More than enough.  They arrived on Saturday.  In the time it took to listen to all of Aerosmith’s double live A Little South of Sanity, Jen and I had the shelves built.

A Little South of Sanity more than describes the week I had, mental health-wise.  I told people I was done with physical music, and therefore the show and site would be ending.  I’d move on to drone videos.  I really was ready to sell it all.  Looking at my damaged Metallica Live Sh*t box set, which was mint when I bought it in 1997, was heartbreaking.

The new bookshelves were so surprisingly easy to put together (even we could do it!), that I ordered a third to replace an old ugly wooden unit.  Then, I began sorting.  I’m maybe halfway through putting everything back in alphabetical order.  The discs used to be scattered through three rooms.  Now I’ve got it down to two!  In the end, there will be two CD towers, three of these new bookcases, and a few shelves for box sets.

It’s a work in progress.  On Sunday, I spent six hours filing.  It felt amazing to see my entire Iron Maiden collection in one place again (excluding box sets and abnormal sized boxes).  Soon, all my Deep Purple, Marillion, Aerosmith and Kiss will join them.  It’s a long process hindered by a shortage of space, but it’s coming together.

By Saturday, my mental health was good enough that Jen and I went out to the Farmer’s Market for the first time together since her dad was alive.  We stocked up on schnitzel, sweets and cheese curds, but the main reason we went was actually quite epic, and relevant.  We met, in person, the incredible Nurse Kat.  She is the first Grab A Stack of Rock guest that I didn’t know previously, that I have now met in person.  And she too had great success, finding lilies to replace the ones eaten by a rabbit.  In happy coincidence, both she and Jen were decked out in AC/DC gear.  So it was success all around!

I will say with cautious optimism that this summer is looking up.  Wish me luck and hope that nothing got permanently destroyed in my music avalanche of 2024!

 

 

 

#1136: Prophets of Disaster

RECORD STORE TALES #1136: Prophets of Disaster

A teaser for the 30th Anniversary story & video of my hiring at The Beat Goes On

From day one at the Record Store, there were always the doomsayers.  The people who expected us to go under any day now.  The prophets of disaster, who say the ship is lost.  It was almost like they wanted us to fail.

“How’s business?” people would ask.  My boss taught us to always answer this question simply.  “When people ask you how business is going, just answer ‘good’.  Don’t tell them you’re having a great day, or a slow day, or offer any details of any kind, OK?  Just say ‘business is good’.  That’s all.”  This was very shrewd.  If someone sniffed out that there was a lot of cash in the register, you could have just made your store a target for a break-in.  And, of course, you never wanted to give the impression that business was slow, even if the store was empty.  “Always look busy,” the boss told us.  “Don’t let the customers see you leaning and chatting behind the counter.  Always be filing, organising, cleaning.”

When I first started working alone in late 1994, at Stanley Park Mall, I encountered my first doomsayer.

“So, I heard you’re closing soon,” said the man as I rang in his cassette purchase.

I took a moment, and answered simple, “Not that I know of.”

“I heard this place is going to be a shoe store,” he responded.  I shook my head no.

Of course I told my boss about this encounter.  I didn’t think we were in danger, but I did think he should know what people were saying.

He shook his head.  “Mike, people have been saying that since the week I opened.  They said we wouldn’t last a month.  Then they said we wouldn’t last a year.  That was three years ago.  See, this is why I told you never to say anything other than ‘business is good’.”  Smart man.  The thing about it that bothered me is these people sometimes seemed to be taking pleasure in telling me we were going out of business.  Like, what did we ever do to you?  Lowball you on a CD you sold to us?  How about supporting your local business?

I bet those guys loved going to Future Shop to buy their music.  They always had plenty of Skynyrd, cheap.

It kept happening, when I moved to manage my own store in the Canadian Tire plaza in 1996.

“I hear you guys will be closing soon,” said one guy.

Deciding to play with him, I answered, “No, we close at 9:00.  Lotsa time.”

“No, I mean I hear you guys will be going out of business soon.”

“We just opened three months ago,” I answered, smiling politely.

“Lotsa luck,” said the guy as he left, buying nothing.

That store is still open today, in a new unit at the same plaza.

At one point, there was a rumour going around that one of the unpopular employee’s dads was going to buy us out.  A few people were spooked by that.  I considered for a moment, but told them, “I’ve seen the old beater that he drives.  He drives her to and from work.  He doesn’t look like he’s swimming in excess cash.”

This July will be 30 years since I started working at that store in Stanley Park Mall.  While we weren’t exactly winning the lottery at that location, we definitely did well enough for the owner to expand to the many locations he has today.  He could not have done that if the original store was not a success.  Thanks to a lot of hard work (including two years of dedication at that location from me), he thrived and grew.  No matter what the naysayers claimed they heard.

I really don’t get it.  We’re supposed to be supporting local.  Why did some people seem to want us to fail?  Did they find a cassette tape cheaper at Zellers?  Was it personal?  I’ll never know.

REVIEW: Queen – “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” Ruined By Rick Rubin EP (1991)

QUEEN – “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” Ruined By Rick Rubin EP (1991 Hollywood Basic)

Mercifully, it’s short.  But did they know they were making a piece of shit?  “Ruined by Rick Rubin”.  “Mix Engineer Under Protest: Brendan O’Brien”.  “Engineering and Additional Bad Ideas:  Jason Corsano”.  Those are the actual credits.  They had to know these remixes were awful.  Connecting the dots, this remix EP must have been the brainchild of Hollywood records.

Rubin claims that “We Will Rock You” was a perfect record already, so he thought “I can’t improve upon it, I may as well throw the whole kitchen sink at it,” more or less.  This was a single that went along with the 1991 reissue of News of the World, which included the first remix here as a bonus track.  Not much of a bonus, really!

“We Will Rock You” begins with the sound of a scratchy record, then the handclaps, before everything goes bonkers.  A droning sound is accompanied by drum loops.  This goes on for a while, with the original track playing underneath, guitar solo and all.  Then it explodes with additional drums by the Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith (credited here for “bombastic skin attack”.  Flea is on additional bass (credited as “supercharged bass from hell”).  Records scratch, people shout “yeah” (or “blah” or something), until it is mercifully all over after an agonizing five minutes.  One of the worst remixes in music history.

It gets worse.  An instrumental remix follows.  This is just the loops and scratches, and whatever samples thrown in.  There are things that sound like horns, and more of that droning sound.

The next track ruined by remixes is “We Are the Champions”.  This version is blasphemous.  A rapper chants, “Aint it funky!” between Freddie’s lines.  The pointless loops and additional bullshit are present and accounted for.  The choruses are relatively intact, but forget about the verses.  Did “We Are the Champions” need drum loops and reggae dubbed in?  Unlistenable.

Back to “We Will Rock You” with the “Big Beat A Capella”.  This means the vocal track from the song, without the handclaps, but stupid drums (and even steel drums) looped over.  Steel drums on “We Will Rock You”.

Finally, there is the “Zulu Scratch A Capella” remix of “We Will Rock You” and I don’t even wanna bother.  It’s mostly just the vocal track with minor manipulations and a few scratches.  The only good thing about it is its brevity.

This remix EP is for collectors only.  If you’re a Queen completist, or a Red Hot Chili Peppers diehard who has to have every note that Flea farted out, go for it.  Everyone involved should be embarrassed about this flaming turd, and judging by the credits, I think they are.

0/5 stars

#1135: The Triumph and the Tragedy – Cottage Weekend June 20-23

“I am inevitable.” – Thanos.  Also my CD shelves.

I couldn’t wait to get my drone in the air when I got to the cottage.  We made it up in good time, all to the soundtrack of the Beaches.  I managed to pick up their first two EPs in Toronto with Aaron the week prior (paying through the teeth).  With very little traffic to deal with, we ran through The Beaches, Heights, and Blame My Ex before arrival.  Then it was time to fly!

We only had two good days for flying, Thursday and Friday.  It started to get rainy on Saturday which made it the proverbial “indoor day“.  Still, we celebrated our three day weekend with great food and excitement.  It was a brilliant weekend for nature sightings.  We spotted plenty of the usual chipmunks and squirrels, but we were treated to a rafter of wild turkeys, who lingered long enough to be filmed.  There was even a curious seagull who swooped in to check out my drone.  We also spotted our unafraid fox, Eric, who strolled directly past us twice without fear or hurry.  I was unable to get my camera out either time, which is a shame.  He was mere feet away.

My Amazon delivery this time was a new landing pad for my drone.  I discovered that landing in the grass was difficult, so the landing pad gives me a flat square anywhere I go.  Amazon showed up during my interview with author Angie Moon on Grab A Stack of Rock, which was funny to me.  Until recently, if you wanted something like that you’d have to wait until you got home to the city.  Now, Amazon can be there next day.  Unbelievable!  For most of my young life there, we didn’t have phones or cable TV.  Now we have wi-fi and Amazon delivering priority parcels in the afternoon.  I cannot say that I mind.  One thing that I used to miss during my teenage cottage weekends was access to my friends and record stores.  Now they’re all there at a touch of a button.

The drone footage was exceptional, and made up the bulk of the video for the trip.  And why not?  It’s my new toy and I love it.  It’s so easy and intuitive to use.   It has given me more options for being creative.  I simply could not wait to get home and start editing my new video.

And that’s when disaster struck.

What happened?  Watch the video….

Music credits:

  1. “You’re All Heart” by The Candidates
  2. “Annie Waits” by Ben Folds
  3. “Cash Money” by The Candidates
  4. “Leave You Now” by Gypsy Jayne
  5. “Blind” by Dr. Kathryn Ladano

 

Tim Durling’s Guide to Kansas Compilations – Grab A Stack of Rock with Mike & Jex

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike, Jex & Tim

Special Edition Episode: Tim Durling’s Guide to Kansas Compilations

Folks, we have a great live episode of Grab A Stack of Rock coming up this Friday.  Yes, today’s mini-episode is essentially a teaser to another episode, but it’s is also a great standalone in its own right.  Thank you Tim Durling for sharing some of your collection with us today.

For this instalment, Tim Durling, author of the new book Let It Be Your Guide – The Kansas Album Review (buy in the link), guides us through the essential Kansas compilations if you are new to the band.  Starting with the original 1984 best-of and its variants, we go through the decades to the present day.  Compilations vary in size and scope.  From single discs, to doubles and even a triple, Tim has a Kansas recommendation for every appetite.  Perhaps you’re just looking for the classic era up to 1984.  Or, maybe you need representation for the Steve Morse years of the late 1980s for your Kansas listening.  If you’re really going for it, you may as well pick one that covers the whole career.

Check out what Tim has on offer to get your Kansas collection started.  And, of course, check out Friday’s show when we go into the book in detail!

Friday July 5 at 4:00 PM EST / 5:00 PM Atlantic

Teaser