GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 47: Too Much Music?
A must-watch for fans of Harem Scarem, Marillion, Deep Purple/Whitesnake, and the CD format!
Trying something different tonight. Regular viewers know the original concept of the show (courtesy of Uncle Meat) was to just “grab a stack of rock” and talk about it. Strangely enough, we never really just grabbed a random stack of discs from my collection to go through them. So that’s what I did this time! Instead of going live, I recorded this episode ahead of time. It took 45 minutes to go through a stack and a half of neglected CDs from my collection. It’s my first solo show in a couple years.
What may shock and appall you is how many discs from these stacks are unplayed and unopened. Too much music? I believe this episode makes a case for that.
I also unboxed a surprise care package from Marco D’Auria (The Contrarians) and what a cool surprise it was.
Tune in tonight at 7:00 PM at the regular places!
Friday January 12 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!
ARKELLS – Apple Music Home Session (2022 iTunes EP)
The Arkells have a number of download-only live EPs on iTunes. The most recent one is 2022’s Apple Music Home Session which boasts three tunes: Two from their Blink Twice album, and one exclusive cover. And damn, you won’t believe what they covered!
The EP opens with a laid back, horn-laden “Reckoning” from Blink Twice. The horns on this song are the real candy. Rolling low and punching high, Arkells usage of horns is very effective. And the chorus kick! “Blink twice! There’s gonna be a reckoning!” croons Max Kerman on this irresistible hit. Drummer Tim Oxford thunders out a smooth groove punctuated by his unusual kick drum pattern. This is how pop rock should be – musically inventive with impressive playing. This is how the Arkells do it.
Track two is “Past Life” performed just by the Arkells, and not with the Cold War Kids as on the Blink Twice album. It’s a little tougher in this guise, with a lot more texture, dynamics and unexpected instrumentation. Mike DeAngelis’ guitar break is tasty as hell and Max Kerman handles all the lead vocals himself. This could end up being your preferred version of the song.
The big surprise is the cover: “Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)” by ABBA! Max doesn’t swap genders for the lyrics, just as it should be! The horn section delivers a good chunk of the melodies, but Anthony Carone perfectly duplicates the main keyboard hook. Meanwhile, bassist Nick Dika lays down the funk in a flawless groove. Dika gets a cool groovin’ spotlight moment just before the understated sax solo. That leaves Kerman to deliver the indelible chorus, which he unflinchingly succeeds at. Let’s face it, ABBA were extraordinary songwriters and “Gimme Gimme Gimme” is one of their all-time best. The Arkells version is an undisputed triumph.
5/5 stars
Reckoning (4:22)
Past Life (3:55)
Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) (4:06) Arkells, the Beaches & July Talk
Blink Once was a surprising pleasure. Given how far the Arkells have sailed through the seas of rock, pop and blues, they seemed to be content circling ’round various genres of pop now. Experimenting with hip-hop vibes, soulful backing vocals, dance beats and loops, the Arkells still managed to keep catchy guitar hooks as part of the mix thanks to Mike DeAngelis. The bass thump of Nick Dika is still there, while Tim Oxford refuses to play anything simple on the drums. Max Kerman’s lyrics still bite, but Anthony Carone’s keyboards now make up a large share of the hooks. It’s still rock, but definitely far removed from their first track on their first album. Blink Twice is largely composed of short songs, none reaching four minutes, and over half featuring guest performers from the world of pop.
Blink Twice opens seamlessly, exactly where Blink Once left off: “Last Night I Heard ‘Em Sing” closed the former, a brief snippet of the latter’s opener “Reckoning”.
“Blink twice!” announces Max. “There’s gonna be a reckoning!”
Strings, horns and thick backing vocals adorn this soulful rock song. An instant classic. Though far more vague than past political songs, it’s clear that Max is taking shots at the upper crust. “It’s a drop drop in the bucket for you, becomes a knock knock on your ocean view.”
Though Max warns of a reckoning, track two brings this back home to more personal topics. “Past Life” is a duet with Nathan Willett of California’s Cold War Kids, a band I’ve never heard of before. The two work well together with distinctly different voices and styles, singing the same melody. Mike DeAngelis provides a nice thick guitar hook that the song orbits, but this is upper echelon pop rock. One lyric that sticks out is when Nathan sings “Feel like Bob Dylan’s son, always in the shadows.” Elsewhere, Max proclaims “I’m a little Wallflower, singing ‘One Headlight’.” Jakob Dylan did deserve stardom, but the line “I’ve gotta find my own way to write a song,” seems misplaced. The Arkells sound like they’ve mastered that already.
“Take Back Everything” has an older-school Arkells sound. This brings us back to the Morning Report days, perhaps the band’s finest hour. It’s important to listen to all the instruments and hear what each member of the band brings to the table. From day one, the bass has provided interesting textures and it’s still doing that here, while Mike DeAngelis explores his fretboard for new melodic compliments.
Hip-hop rears its head a lil’, on “Human Being”, a duet with Canadian electronica star Lights. Her vocals are sublime, but the chorus of “I’m just a fuckin’ human being,” doesn’t quite hit the spot. The song has its moments, including a catchy keyboard melody by Anthony Carone. It’s a shorty, over in just 2:34. We know the Arkells love Drake and that whole genre, but if I am going to have rap in my musical diet, “Human Being” isn’t so bad.
For duets, the high point of this album is the ballad “Teenage Tears” featuring Tegan and Sara. Not a duo I have heard before, but of course every Canadian knows who Tegan and Sara are. The twins sing as one here on a delicate ballad that boils tension and exhaustion together into a nourishing audio broth. Too much metaphor? Well you describe it, then. All I can tell you is that “Teenage Tears” is a classic; it hits you fast and doesn’t let go. You feel its familiar warmth immediately. It’s a “greatest hit” if you ever wanna compile one. The haunting music video is filmed in an empty mall, which certainly reminds of the pandemic days.
“Miracle” marks the midpoint of the album and the last song on side one. It blends the bluesy bent of their early albums with modern production. There’s guitar crunch but also the loopy melodic plinky bits that are popular in music today. Pretty good song, but it ends abruptly, and is surrounded by superior material.
“Nowhere to Go” crashes the party, opening side two with an upbeat pop rocker like the Arkells are prone to do. Wesley Schultz is the singer from the Lumineers dueting with Max, and their voices just add a little texture and variety to a song that otherwise might have got lost in the shuffle of similar bangers. However, the sax solo by Jake Clemons is a jumper! Nephew of Clarence, and member of the E-Street Band today, you know what you are in for. Just hit the “back” button a little bit and play that sax solo one more time! It has the exact same energy as classic Springsteen.
The biggest left turn is “Dance With You”, a pure disco song with lots of guests. American pop duo Aly and AJ provide the backing vocals. Surprisingly, the song is bilingual: half in French! Max sings in both English and French, while Québecois crooner Cœur de Pirate (Béatrice Martin) provides a breathy French counterpart. Her vocals stand out for being so different. By all means, give it a listen. The Arkells have never been afraid of taking a step too far, and for some this may be it, while others may joyfully embrace every beat. La plus grande surprise s’agit de “Dance With You”, une chanson disco pure avec de nombreux invités. Le duo pop américain Aly et AJ assurent les chœurs. Étonnamment, la chanson est bilingue: la moitié est en français! Max chante en anglais et en français, tandis que la crooner Québecoise Cœur de Pirate (Béatrice Martin) fournit un homologue français époustouflant. Sa voix se distingue par sa différence. Bien sûr, écoutez-le. Les Arkells n’ont jamais eu peur d’aller trop loin, et pour certains c’est peut-être le cas, tandis que d’autres peuvent embrasser avec joie chaque battement.*
There is even a dance remix called “Danser avec toi” available on an iTunes single, with more lyrics in French and more instrumental grooves.
“Running Scared” is another ballad, but completely different from “Teenage Tears”. Laid back sax and an easy tempo render a song for the night time. It’s immediately followed by an upbeat pop rocker: “Something’s Gotta Give” featuring Joel Plasket. As we race towards the close, this catchy singalong serves as one last blast-off before we face the end. “Blink once!” announces Joel. “Then I black out! Blink twice, ’til we cash out.” It’s just a party tune. But something’s gotta give…
“Lost my guitar, lost my keys, lost my favourite pair of jeans…” The finale “Floating Like” is about all those things that bring us down…but then that upbeat soul chorus hits and it’s like, “who cares!” There’s a cool “These Eyes” kind of vibe coming from the piano, but the chorus is pure soul. Sunshine and breezy days in the form of song. “Now I’m feeling weightless, like I’m gonna make it!” says Max. This is a song to help get you there.
Blink Twice is another triumph. Completing the Blink duology with an album full of duets seemed uneven considering the first album only had one. Instead, both albums do sound cohesive when played together, but the duets on Blink Twice seem to allow the album to build towards something. Towards a conclusion. A hopeful conclusion. After the pandemic weighed so heavily on us all, music was (and still is) a reflection on what we endured. Blink Once and Twice might be played together as a soundtrack from those days. While both albums are strong, diverse, pop-centric and experimental, Blink Twice is the climax.
“Blink Once is about resilience. It’s about grieving with loss and fall outs and finding your way back. The making of the album began before the pandemic, but the material seems to hit harder after everything we’ve been through over the past 18 months. These songs are about finding comfort in your family, community and music.”– Arkells
ARKELLS – Blink Once (2021 Universal)
Blink Once is the album on which you can definitively say the Arkells transitioned from a rock band to a pop band. Historically this is the kind of move that earned my wrath, but I’m a lot more chill about it now. Opening your ears to new kinds of music can’t hurt you, and you may in fact find that you like what your eardrums are beating into you. When you already love the singer, the drummer, and the other musicians, it’s a lot easier to make that leap.
And Max Kerman is one hell of a singer.
Rather than review in track order, I thought I’d start with what I think is the best song and the clear highlight of Blink Once. The single “All Roads” is stunning. Just have a look at its music video, shot by drone over a local landmark: the Devil’s Punchbowl in Hamilton Ontario. The band members all make appearances as the drone flies overhead and then zooms down for their closeups. It’s a remarkable video fitting a very special song. (I forgive Max Kerman for being in his shorts-and-gym-socks phase.)
You couldn’t name a price, You couldn’t buy me off, Don’t need to read my mind, There’s only one thing that I want, All roads will lead me to back you.
Don’t let the opening bloops and blips of programmed music fool you. Once the guitars kick in, the song takes off just like the drone in the video. Soaring through the clouds on muscular wings of melody, “All Roads” is nothing short of a masterpiece. “All Roads” sounds like a #1 pop hit from 1988, with the production values of today. Those “huh!” backing vocals are absolutely from the 80s. It’s cinematic, as if it came from one of the great romance movies of the decade. This song is huge and impossible to forget.
Incidentally, I like the production on the lead vocals. It’s as if you can hear the room that Max is singing in, instead of being uber-bright and clean.
Fortunately, the album is stacked with memorable material. The opener “Liberation” boasts catchy verses over programmed beats and synths, but then breaks into a chorus that sounds Caribbean in original. After this, a massive drum beat maintains a tenuous link with rock music.
One of the big singles was “You Can Get It” with American Doc-boot-stompin’ singer and rapper K.Flay (Kristine Flaherty). She has an interesting breathy style, but this is the song that requires the biggest listener adjustment. The horn section helps, as does the entertaining “Wheel of Fortune” music video. Really, it’s all about the horn section. Live, I’m sure that “I don’t give a fuck, tell me what you want, you can get it!” part is fun to sing along to. On album, it’s all the horns!
One of my complaints about the prior album Rally Cry was that didn’t have any truly sad tear jerkers, emotional songs that just make you break down. Blink Once returns to that territory with “Strong”. This is a song I can relate to — staying strong for members of your family. “Here’s the rules: stay strong for me, and I’ll stay strong for you.” Most poignantly, as I remember the summer of 2018 (that summer that never was): “Summer is here but it’s sleeping away, why would we want to miss a good day?” Chills, tears, you name it: they’re all here.
A short acoustic interlude of “Liberation” called “Little Moments” makes you wish for a full-on acoustic version. This transitions to a necessary party song called “One Thing I Know”. A good time piano bopper with samples and loops, like many Arkells songs, the chorus is as big as the sky is wide. A more beat-driven song called “Truce” follows, with slinky horns again delivering the hooks. The lyrics are as relatable as always: “We both say that we fucked up, can we call a truce?”
One of the more interesting songs is “Nobody Gets Me Like You Do”, which seems to relate lyrically to other songs. The line “I’ll follow you down any road” recalls “All roads will lead be back to you”. The words “But you’d tell me straight if I fucked up,” bring us back to the previous song. Most importantly, it’s another melodic summer champion, gliding on mighty wings of pop music. The saxophone solo is right out of 1985. You can almost visualise the sunglasses, colourful tee-shirts under white suits, and deck shoes (no socks). Another album highlight.
“Swing Swing Swing” is one of the only album mis-steps. It starts with what sounds like studio outtake chatter: “OK I wanna try to do one of these kinds of songs where people are like, happy and dancing, but everyone’s like really fuckin’ sad when they listen to the lyrics.” That they accomplished, with the line “a long winter learning how to be alone again” giving you an idea. Musically it’s another horn-driven R&B style pop song, but not one of their best. The awkward reference to the Beatles’ “Let It Be” seems forced in an attempt to seem cool.
Fortunately, “No Regrets” puts the album back on track. A dance beat is accompanied by synth and, yes indeed, more unforgettable Arkells melodies. The chorus is huge, and just enough to remind you that this album has some great pop songs on it. Brilliant disco-like strings add to the whole and bring it up to another level.
“Years In the Making” was previously heard on 2020’s Campfire Chords, the acoustic “lockdown” album. Here is it fully dressed with horns and programming. The acoustic version might the superior one for purists but there is little wrong with the Blink Once recording. The choice is yours.
Another brief interlude called “What the Feeling Was Like” talks of hardships, but the closing song “Arm In Arm” is all about overcoming them. “Not gonna lie I’ve been fucked up. Not gonna lie it’s been a long year,” sings Max. And indeed, 2020 was a little fucked up, and it was a numbingly long year. The music is bright, with those necessary “woah-oh-oh” Arkells backing vocals. It feels like triumph.
That’s not the actual closer: An outro sample of a string section from “Reckoning” alludes to the next album, when Max says “Blink Twice…” Truly, it’s a two-album set, but we’ll get there next time.
If you’re into iTunes, check out a completely different version of “All Roads” called the “Night Drive” version. They even made a music video for it. It’s not a remix, but a completely different recording. A completely different mood. It doesn’t have the impact of the original, but it is a very cool supplemental.
Blink Once seems split between three directions: Extremely upbeat happy pop songs, kinda corny and semi-successful R&B forays, and a really sad ballad. At times it feels like these directions don’t mesh. It was a weird time. We needed upbeat music like this at that time. We were all dealing with a lot of shit. This is an album to pick you up on a bad day. Mostly, anyway.
Welcome to Arkells Week! We will be completing the Arkells Album Review Series this week, and diving into one of their EPs! Four days, four reviews, for you! By all means, not a complete series yet – Arkells have expensive EPs I am still in need of and am hunting for.
ARKELLS – Jackson Square (2008 Dine Alone)
Confirmed: The Arkells were already brilliant from starter’s gun. Their remarkable debut album Jackson Square (they had an EP before this under the name Charlemagne, that has since been partly reissued as the Arkells Deadlines EP) displays a formidable band with a strong handle on writing great songs.
Jackson Square (the name of a neighbourhood they used to frequent in Hamilton) opens with the slamming “Deadlines”. First it’s Nick Dika’s bass rumbling through, then Tim Oxford goes hard-hitting on a drum into. Singer Max Kerman’s lyrics are his first in a career-long attack on the guys in the suits. “They’re sitting up in the board room, and you sit like a fly on the wall. You can hear the man in the suit say we don’t have time to stall. We got deadlines to meet.” Musically it’s one of the Arkells heaviest tracks and the bass is just omnipresent.
Immediately things lighten up with “Pullin’ Punches”. A fast punky beat is crossed with a pleasant guitar melody. There’s a reference to Kingston, Ontario, home of the Tragically Hip. Again, drummer Tim Oxford gets singled out for his inventive beat. Max Kerman even references Elton John’s “Your Song” in lyric and melody, in a clever way. See if you catch it.
The big single was called “Oh, The Boss Is Coming!” A heavy blues rocker about getting busy on the job, it was also the Arkells first of many comedic music videos. For using the office safety video tape to record one of their jams, the band are called into the boss’ office! They are tasked with creating a new safety in the workplace video by Monday morning! Mostly, it’s fun to observe just how young they were! Musically, this track recalls the Zeppelins of yore. Nick’s bassline certainly recalls some of John Paul Jones’ of the past.
Arguably the Arkells’ best song in these early days was the Beatles-Meets-Arkells bop of “Ballad of Hugo Chavez”. The piano line by Dan Griffin recalls some late era 60s hits, while the “hey hey hey” refrain is pure Arkells. Though not mixed prominently enough in the song, there’s also the Arkells first horn section to enjoy. This laid-back classic is a singalong favourite.
Things get fast again on “Tragic Flaw”, a punchy little number. A melodic chorus keeps it in Arkells-land, but musically there’s a lot of cool stuff going on here with the bass, drums and keyboards. Guitarist Mike DeAngelis always holds down the fort with catchy little guitar lines, which he does here on the outro. “Tragic Flaw” flows straight into “No Champagne Socialist”, a harmonica-inflected slow burner. Again the bass and drums really dominate the mix, but the harmonica work gives it a bit of a Black Crowes vibe.
A soft ballad called “Abigail” boasts a really strong chorus, while the verses simmer under the soothing throb of bass. A stunner of a song from the early days that perhaps foreshadowed some of the powerful, dramatic songs the band would later write. Then it’s time for an anthemic blast called “Heart of the City”. A prototype for later Arkells powerhouses, the chorus is an absolute banger. A great song for singing along to, pounding your fists, in the house or in the car. (Especially the car.)
The ballad “I’m Not the Sun” has a lovely, but sad sound. It has one of Mike DeAngelis’ biggest and best guitar solos, recalling the tone of Neil Young. This powerful song is a slow burner, but burn it does. This suddenly transitions into “The Choir”, which has a completely different feel. It bubbles under, but has a heft to it. These early songs all have a lot of weight, even the lighter “John Lennon”. “I’m John Lennon in ’67,” goes the chorus, and you just can’t help but bop your head along.
A final song, “Blueprint”, turns up the tempo and brings back the horns. This is a blast of a song, pedal to the floor and off to the races. Those “hey hey hey” refrains firmly cement it as an Arkells song, but what a way to close an album!
Two observations about this album in general. A couple songs aside such as “Oh, the Boss is Coming!”, Max doesn’t really belt it the way he later would. As a singer he was still finding his voice and perhaps didn’t have the confidence he would later display. Second, the production on this album is very powerful but basic. Later Arkells albums would have many more layers of vocals, keyboards and effects. That’s not a strike against Jackson Square; just an observation. There’s a sonic power to this album that the others don’t have.
4/5 stars
There is a double vinyl reissue of this album with a live EP that is still on my wantlist. The Charlemagne EP is a holy grail item.
Billy Gibbons described the sixth ZZ Top album Tejas as “transitional”. Modern technology was creeping its way into the recording studio, but ZZ Top were still as bluesy and greasy as ever. Their palette was becoming more colourful, if anything. Not just the browns of desert landscape and beer bottles, but a broadening spectrum of shades.
Opening with fan favourite slow groove “It’s Only Love”, we are off to a stunning start. The high twang of the guitars contrast with the low thump of Dusty Hill’s bass, but it is the chorus most of us remember best. Frank Beard’s drums clank along creatively, and the band are cooking. Vocals are shared between Billy and Dusty. Three quarters in, the song shifts into something a little more tense, with a brilliant harmonica solo.
Things sound a little more familiar on the bouncing “Arrested For Driving While Blind”, a solid blue boogie. Listen to Frank shuffle while Billy effortless rips out one of his patented smokers. The grooves turn gently relentless on “El Diablo”, a nocturnal desert tale, with adventurous chord changes and rolling guitar work. Once again Dusty Hill creates a backdrop of low thunder. This ain’t blues, but a sci-fi hybrid. Likewise, “Snappy Kakkie” is not at all standard, nor is it a bizarre Frank Zappa workout. Yet it has certain adventurous and challenging elements that lend it a foot in many worlds. At the end of the day, that hook of “Say hey Snappy Kakkie!” keeps you coming back. The pace picks up on “Enjoy and Get It On”. This track is a serious deep cut; a nice little greasy blues blitz at the end of side one.
“Ten Dollar Man”, with Dusty on vocals, is a ripper. As Frank Beard deftly taps out the beats, Dusty and Billy get down to the business of cooking. A menacing track with plenty of head-bopping potential. Then you better solder your head on straight, for “Pan Am Highway Blues” rips! ZZ Top are never content to just play the blues. They have to throw a few tricks in the bag, and they do, but this song is focused more on the highway and the gas pedal. Billy takes advantage of the studio tech to overlay a few nice slide guitar lines.
Dusty takes the mic on “Avalon Hideaway” which features some tasty, pounding Frank Beard fills. The lead solo by Billy might be the best part, but the slightly funky vibe really makes it a mover. Beard is a busy drummer without sounding busy. “She’s a Heartbreaker” is a classic pop/country/rock/Top tune. The croonin’ melody of the chorus is a classic that will go down as one of ZZ’s best in their vast catalogue. “She’s a heartbreaker, she’s a love taker, but she can break a heart and take all the love she needs…” There’s a hint of violin just to nail that hoedown vibe. As far as Top tunes go, this one’s a masterpiece of musical fusion.
Tejas closes on a brilliant instrumental, “Asleep In the Desert”, which allows Billy to play both electric and acoustic, slow and easy, as the sun sets over the oasis and the sounds of the night begin to emerge…
Many ZZ Top albums can be considered among their best in the catalogue. In 1976, there was concern that ZZ Top was going too far country. Obviously in hindsight, that wasn’t the case, and we can appreciate Tejas for what it was. Because none of its songs were included on 1977’s Best Of ZZ Top, Tejas abounds in great deep cuts. It’s not the kind of album you buy and get all the hits you remember. It’s something far better. It’s an album you buy and learn a bunch of brilliant songs you might not have heard before. It’s a must.
4.5/5 stars
The 8-track release shuffles the track order, but no songs are split between tracks, which is always nice. “El Diablo” coming in second changes the vibe of the listen a bit.
The very first Y&T book is out! Down For the Count: The Y&T Album Review is the name, and Tim Durling is the author. Tim was kind enough to join Jex, John and I on a Friday night to talk about it. Mr. Durling’s humble nature and musical knowledge was on full display as we discussed:
How the book came together, and why it has a discussion-style format.
Assembling the panel.
Y&T’s lack of big-time success. The why’s, the wherefore’s, and the what-might-have-beens.
Fans in waiting: turning new people on to Y&T.
Contacting Hugh Syme.
Working with Sean Kelly.
The importance of artwork, a good logo, and music videos.
The Y&T discography.
Please support the music community and check out the book if you can! We are all very proud of Down For the Count, and you might just discover a new favourite band. That’s all we really hope for in the end.
Thanks again to Tim, John and Jex for a great show. Tune in next week for a pre-recorded solo show called Too Much Music.
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 46: Down For the Count with Tim Durling and Friends
The very first Y&T book is out! Down For the Count: The Y&T Album Review is the name of the book, and you can get yours on Amazon right now.
Joining us this week is series regular, and now author of two books, Tim Durling! Why Y&T? Why a book about this band, and their discography? It is true that Y&T never made the impact that they seemed destined for. We’ll discuss this and much more: the nuts and bolts of publishing a rock book and assembling the cast of characters who helped along the way.
Speaking of characters, co-hosting this week will be book contributors John T. Snow and Jex Russell. How did they get involved, and what was their part to play? How did Tim get Sean Kelly and Hugh Syme to contribute? Find out tonight, and by all means pick up this excellent book today.
LIVE Friday January 5 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 9:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!
RECORD STORE TALES #1104: We Don’t Need No, No No No, Parental Guidance Here
In our house, we always had the utmost support. It didn’t matter if my parents liked the music. Like it or not, they provided it in spades.
My dad fully enabled my early John Williams addiction. I had a good collection of Star Wars and Indiana Jones music. The only way for me to listen to them was on the big family stereo in the living room. My parents had a good pair of headphones, so noise wasn’t an issue. There I would lay, my Star Wars toys scattered about, as I read the liner notes to The Empire Strikes Back, LP spinning at 33 1/3 rpm on the turntable behind me.
Nothing lasts forever but the certainty of change, and in 1984 change was afoot. Star Wars could not last forever without films to sustain it, and the Kenner action figures were scraping the bottom of the barrel for Ewoks, and other creatures with mere seconds of screen time. It was, for all intents and purposes for this child, over.
My exposure to music up to that point had been pretty mainstream. There was an earlier dalliance with AC/DC’s “Big Balls” and some “Mr. Roboto” by Styx earlier, but otherwise I only knew John Williams and whatever MuchMusic was playing those days. Billy Ocean’s “Loverboy” was a big one. (The rock connection there was production by Robert John “Mutt” Lange.) I had Michael Jackson and Culture Club cassettes, but neither were played beyond the big singles. I loathed slow songs. I spotted John Fogerty’s “The Old Man Down the Road” and thought it was pretty cool. My biggest dip into heavy metal to date was Quiet Riot, but that day in 1984 changed the course of my life.
Suddenly the vacuum was filled by Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, W.A.S.P., Motley Crue, Helix, Lee Aaron, Triumph, and Kiss. Especially Kiss.
So what did my parents do? They bought me some of my first music cassettes. Powerslave, Walkin’ the Razor’s Edge, Asylum, Condition Critical, and all those seminal albums that shaped my first year as a real music fanatic. Just as I was obsessed with Star Wars and collecting, now I had a new focus and I was on it like a laser. My earliest purchases in the field of rock music were magazines: Faces, and Hit Parader. I had a Faces Kiss special, catching me up on all the essential facts into 1985. (Interestingly, the Faces special talked of the next studio album, which was to be followed by Alive III, they said.) I taped all the music videos off the Pepsi Power Hour like a maniac, soaking up everything I could that wasn’t too scary. (Venom were scary. So was Motorhead.)
My parents relinquished control of the VCR to me during the Pepsi Power Hour broadcast time. 5:00 PM, one day a week and then later on, two days a week. This was seemingly set in stone. The basement gradually became a music den for me, and Bob Schipper would join me as often as possible as we watched all the latest music I had captured on magnetic tape. Bob would offer his opinions, pro and con. We didn’t always agree. He loved Skid Row, and I was more into Badlands. He was early on to D-A-D, but didn’t really get what I loved about Savatage.
Whatever demons and dragons were on the covers of the albums I wanted, my parents would buy them for me. Whether Ozzy was dressed as a priest on the sleeve, or if a guy in a metal mask was being held in a psych ward, they bought the albums. They never said no. They never blinked at titles such as Live After Death or Screaming For Vengeance. I remember my mom once asked me if it was true that AC/DC stood for “Anti-Christ/Devil-Child”. I kind of laughed. She let it go. I think my mom knew how silly all those stories about “satanism in music” really were. It always seemed so far-fetched, and far removed from the songs I was enjoying in the basement with Bob.
His parents were pretty much the same, except he was older and had to buy his own tapes. They didn’t mind the shirtless Vince Neil poster on his wall. Me, I just wondered if he really had a crossbow launcher on his right gauntlet.
A lot of these rock stars looked like wrestlers or apocalyptic warriors from Mad Max. All these influences poured together in a potpourri of hard rock and heavy metal bands, marketed through the TV and magazines that I was consuming, to appeal to my age group. I was the target demographic, and it was working. There’s nothing particularly “evil” about that. That’s the world of capitalism that I was born into, and that record label executives hitched their wagons to. I suppose my mom had probably endured something similar when she was a young Beatles and Elvis fan. Her younger brother, my Uncle Don Don, had Led Zeppelin records. I was just listening to the next generation of rock down the line.
My parents’ support reached its zenith in 2021, when they bought me the Judas Priest box set, 50 Heavy Metal Years of Music. Easily the biggest music gift I ever received, it just proved how far they’d go to enable my musical habits. They don’t understand it, but they support it. That’s a pretty amazing thing, isn’t it?
It can now be said: 80sMetalMan was so into this story, that he wrote six pages! This would not work in the context of Tee Bone Man’s chapter with all the writers involved. We needed a story with reasonably equal sections from each writer.
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