“There was one customer in Cambridge who hated selling to me, he always asked where “the regular guy” was. He asked my name and I told him it was Sanchez. When T-Rev came back, we had a laugh over the employee named “Sanchez” who was apparently low-balling this customer for his dance CDs.” –Record Store Tales #526: Location, Location, Location
The year 2000 wasn’t a particularly happy year at the Record Store for me. My good buddy T-Rev, who normally managed our Cambridge location, was also a talented guy with a hammer and saw. The boss sent him off to the GTA to build one of our new stores. This left his location unmanaged for several weeks that summer. Because I had a car, I was often the go-to guy to fill in for others. This meant pulling double duty, managing two stores at the same time. Sometimes I’d be working the morning in Kitchener, and the evening in Cambridge. I remember the boss promised to make it “worth my while” but never did.
Another manager had to do two stores at once, and thought I shouldn’t be complaining about my lot in life. My answer: “You do you!” I’ll complain if I like. It took them weeks/month to pay my mileage, so yes, I’ll complain.
Each location had its own quirks. Some stores had customers that were more into dance, others had customers that liked classic rock. Cambridge appealed to the lowest common denominator. We had just as many customers asking where the strip club was, as were looking for classical music. (An exaggeration, but a funny one.) Cambridge also had regulars who were used to dealing with T-Rev, aka “the regular guy”.
Here’s how it went one night in Cambridge.
Dude walks in with a box of crappy dance music. “Hey, is the regular guy in?”
“No, I’ll take a look at those for you,” I’d respond, although I really didn’t want to have a look at them.
“The regular guy usually gives me a good price,” came the answer.
“Well, we have a pricing scheme that helps us give you consistent pricing, so I’ll take care of that for you.”
“OK…” was the reluctant response.
I’d go through the CDs, which were often scratched and/or outdated, mixed in with a few things of higher value. I’d sort through. Put them in piles of things that were scratched vs. in good shape. Check to see if we had too many copies already. Check the scratched ones to see if they could be fixed. Price them accordingly. Call the guy back to the counter to show him what I found.
This particular guy wasn’t happy, of course, and was sure that the “regular guy” would have done better. (I would make sure I called “the regular guy” and tell him what I offered so this guy wouldn’t be doing any better when he returned.)
He passed on the offer. “When is the regular guy back?” he asked. I told him two weeks or whatever the answer was. He then asked my name, because of course he would complain.
“Sanchez,” I answered. It was my standard answer for when an asshole asked my name. I looked nothing like a Sanchez. I was as pale as a sheet of paper. I also had tried to bleach my hair, which came out kinda orange. Sure enough, this guy returned to the store and complained about “Sanchez, with the orange hair,” who low-balled him on his dance CDs.
I had already discussed this guy with T-Rev, and so when he came back, he didn’t really offer much differently than I had. But because he was the “regular guy” and not “Sanchez”, the guy took the money and we got the CDs. We had to do twice the amount of work to get them, since T-Rev had to repeat everything I did, but we were fairly consistent.
T-Rev called me. “Hey Mike! I just had a guy in here complaining about somebody named ‘Sanchez’ that lowballed him for his dance mixes? Said he had orange hair?” We had a good laugh about that.
I didn’t have to use the name Sanchez often, but I did use it!
David Coverdale has been remix-happy of late. Nothing wrong with that, I just have a hard time overcoming my passion for original versions of songs that I spent time living and loving for many years. Obviously I can’t have too much issue with it if I keep throwing money at him. Thank you Encore Records for holding this pricey item for me. $60 for 2 CDs and a Blu-ray disc. Details in the scans below, along with images of my other related Whitesnake discs.
Enjoy the video below, taking a gander at all the different colours of Whitesnake!
“Oh-oh-oh!” sings Max Kerman in his most anthemic of choruses. “When your head gets dizzy and you can’t get right. Oh-oh-oh! But you push on through, don’t be denied.” This single from Rally Cry is an obvious highlight.
Kerman has always stood up for the little guy, in the face of banks and landlords. “First of the month gets you stressed out, and moving trucks bring you right back.” That’s what “Hand Me Downs” is. You get the impression that these characters in these songs are amalgams of people that Max knew. Most importantly, even more than the lyrics, is the power of the music. “Hand Me Downs” is one of the Arkells most immediate, most catchy, most powerful songs to date. And that’s saying a lot. If there was a quintessential “trademark” Arkells song, “Hand Me Downs” would be among them.
This 2019 digital single came with three versions. The album version, a live version, and a duet with English punk-folk rocker Frank Turner. The Turner version is an entirely new recording, not just a remix. A little more acoustic, a little less ornate, a little more live. Very much up Frank’s alley. It’s a little jarring to hear his accent on an Arkells song, but it’s a quick adjustment. Turner grabs the verses by the balls and makes them his. He mixes well with Max on the chorus. A brilliant version, and perhaps should have been released as a single in its own right.
The third and final version is an acoustic take from Clubhouse Austin (you can see a photo of Max on their website), and it’s perfectly recorded. Very little noise, very clean. Small rooms often make for the best live recordings. Their vocals are absolutely perfect. Arkells have proven time and again how talented they are in the studio, but it is live that counts the most. “Hand Me Downs” live is flawless, yet not: those vocal quirks that only come from a live performance, and only serve to sweeten the song, are everpresent.
“Hand Me Downs” makes for a brilliant three-song single. It is still available for purchase.
In a nutshell: Ryan Gavalier has created some eerie music! With Halloween now behind us, this sure does remind me of the spooky season! Deftly programming his synths and drum machines, Ryan has composed some very cinematic soundscapes, perfect for those chilling nights when you could swear you heard a sound just outside the window.
You can catch Ryan on his Instagram page, Gavalier Productions. He is a passionate musician with a talent for the electronic.
THE DARKNESS – Permission To Land… Again (2023 Box Set)
Once (and perhaps still) considered one of the biggest jokes in rock*, The Darkness have proven ’em wrong, for it was 20 years ago they dropped this bomb on the world called Permission to Land. Regardless of the ups and downs, the band continues on today with a documentary film in the works. Of course, the obligatory box set was also necessary. Permission to Land… Again collects nearly everything from the era and packs it up for you in a 5 disc set perfect for home consumption. And it’s affordable, too.
CD 1 commences with the original 2003 album, a monolith of Queen and AC/DC’s bastard children, brought to life in spandex and bandanas. The album itself spawned four singles:
“Get Your Hands Off My Woman”, the expletive-laden favourite that still delights today as a fast head banger.
“Growing On Me”, perfectly in the pocket, a melodic hard right classic with just enough bite.
“I Believe In A Thing Called Love”, iridescent and unforgettable as ever, a classic in every sense.
“Love In Only A Feeling”, bombastic and beautiful guitar chords crashing on this prototype for the trademark Darkness ballad. Steve Tyler wishes he could write ’em like this today.
That leaves six killer album tracks, none of which are filler. Opener “Black Shuck” is a monster (literally), rocking heavy and beating the doors down despite your best efforts. “Givin’ Up” should have been a single, but the language, tisk tisk! Foreshadowing Justin Hawkin’s drug issues, this song is literally about “stickin’ that fuckin’ shit” up his nose. Yes it’s surprisingly delightful, and perhaps the most immediately catchy one on the album. “Stuck In A Rut” is different, blasting fast and loud, with Justin singing at max voice. Back to lighter, catchy territory, “Friday Night” is a certain fan-favourite. It easily could have been another single, as Justin literally reads off his weekly schedule. “Monday, cycling, Tuesday, gymnastics, dancing on a Friday night.” Bopping piano accents will keep feet moving. Moving on to “Love On the Rocks With No Ice” (great title), the slow heavy grind smacks you in the head and reminds you this is a rock and roll band. Despite that, the album closes on a lovely ballad “Holding My Own” which also really could have been a single.
CD 1 is beefed out with six extra songs, all demos, of tracks that didn’t make the album and tracks that did. Speaking of which, they are rough but so similar to the final versions. Some have bits that were later trimmed out or de-emphasized, like keyboard overdubs and intros. “Black Shuck”, though without the hard-hitting production, might be better in some ways than the album version, with more twists and vocals. There is also a demo of “Out of My Hands”, a fine album B-side.
The best inclusions on this disc, however, are the surprises: demos that didn’t make Permission to Land! “Live ‘Til I Die” went unreleased until 2019’s Easter Is Cancelled, but this version has Eddie Graham on drums. This version is very, very different. Much more AC/DC and dare I say, much catchier and better. There’a also an early demo of “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us”, which was finally released on 2012’s reunion album Hot Cakes. This one is much more similar to the glossier final product.
CD 2 is a treasure trove of goodies! Every studio B-side from the album, some non-album singles, some “clean” versions that we wouldn’t purposely seek out to buy; they are all here. (The live B-sides are included with their respective shows, but we’ll get to those.) This is comprehensive as heck.
The three tracks from the very rare 2002 EP I Believe In A Thing Called Love are included: the title track, “Love on the Rocks With No Ice” and “Love Is Only A Feeling”. The recordings themselves are the same as the final album versions, but the mixes are not. These earlier mixes have slight, but audible differences and can be characterised as a bit less finished. The bass may be more pronounced on some places, and backing vocals in another.
Like some British bands before them, such as Oasis, The Darkness seemed to put just as much effort into their B-sides, often making them album (or single) worthy on their own. The complete studio B-sides here are:
“The Best Of Me”, a crankin’ rocker with a southern vibe.
The aforementioned “Out of My Hands”, a lighter song with a Def Leppard vibe on the guitars. Could have been a hit in its own right. Brilliant chorus.
Concert favourite “Makin’ Out”, which has more of that AC/DC vibe that the Darkness really mined in their early days. A fan favourite for a reason.
“Physical Sex”, another riffy number with an outrageously high chorus.
The ballad “How Dare You Call This Love?” which also could have been on the album, had it been longer. The actual album had two already. A fun song though, with some lovely Lizzy-ish guitar harmonies.
“The best instrumental that AC/DC never recorded”, according to Tim Durling, is “Bareback”, one of the Darkness’ best B-sides ever…if not their best. Thankfully, this song was not just relegated to the dusky corners of the “Growing On Me” single, but received some live workouts too. More on that later.
A song about building a house, “Planning Permission”, is a bit goofy lyrically (mixing cement!), but it gets goofier still as you’ll see. Fortunately it’s a catchy, upbeat Darkness number that has all their trademark guitar and vocal accoutrements.
“Curse of the Tolland Man” is the goofiest of them all, a ghost story, and a song that gets trashed in the liner notes as awful muck, but is defended by Justin and Dan Hawkins as a favourite. The jury remains out, but they are all correct about it.
“I Love You 5 Times” is another ballad, but by this time we’re technically heading outside album territory. Forgettable, but for the strings and Justin’s silly “m-m-m-meees” stuttery vocals. It was actually the B-side to a standalone Christmas single, “Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)”, an excellent song in its own right.
This box set is so comprehensive that it even includes the two singles that were not from it.
“Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)“…don’t Google what “bell end” means in British slang. Let’s just say Justin had his tongue in cheek! Great rocker, very Lizzy, and an absolutely Darkness classic. Produced by Bob Ezrin! This track was included on some European editions of the album as a bonus.
Then we have the rarest of them all, and finally available physically for us to buy: 2004’s “Get Your Hands Off My Woman…Again“. Though it does have Frankie Poullain on bass, this song is more a part of the story for the second album, One Way Ticket. The band were experimenting with producer Roy Thomas Baker and this remake was sold digitally. It is here in both “clean” and “explicit” versions. A cleaner, sharper incarnation of the song, for better or worse! The liner notes finally explain the mystery of the added piano part: It was inspired by Ben Folds’ cover of the song, which they thought was an improvement!
CDs 3 and 4 contain three live gigs, and the balance of the B-sides from this era. “Gimme a D! Gimme an Arkness!”
The 2003 set at Knebworth is brilliant. Opening with “Growing On Me”, the band has a bizarre and comedic stage presence, but the song kicks! They are a tight band, and a beat is not missed. They play two B-sides, a manic “The Best of Me” (for dancing, says Justin) and the classic “Makin’ Out”. “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” from the Knebworth concert was previously issued on a German version of the Christmas single. I like when Justin asks the audience which version of “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” they’d like to hear, clean or dirty?
On the same disc is a set from the Astoria in 2003. Opening with a raging “Bareback”, this set is even better than the Knebworth one. What a start! Instrumentals can make a pretty killer opener! From there it’s “Black Shuck”, and a live version of “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” that was previously issued as a B-side to a rare DVD single for “Love Is Only A Feeling”. It’s notable for the strange “me-me-me” singalong thing Justin does at the end. Another thing they do in this set is something called “Buffet”, a pretty cool riff, from a part in the show that is explained in the booklet.
Best of all: The action-packed Astoria and Knebworth shows are both included on DVD inside. Watch Dan play all the guitars so Justin can do the splits! The DVD also includes all the music videos, outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage from their music videos. There’s a cute bit in the EPK (electronic press kit) explaining why Justin always asked the audience to see their thumbs. The editing on the Astoria show is absurdly fast!
CD 4 is a full-length show from 2004 at Wembley recorded on Dan’s birthday, and the last show on the tour. It’s especially cool, because the band were already road-testing new songs from One Way Ticket. Opener “Grief Hammer” was a new song that would become a B-side in 2005. It has a stuttery riff with elements of that AC/DC vibe, but the band were clearly moving beyond that pigeonhole. It takes balls to open a set at Wembley with a new song that nobody had heard before. From there they visit more familiar territory with the favourite “Givin’ Up”. A manic “Stuck In A Rut” blasts out immediately afterwards.
Other B-sides played at Wembley include the fan favourite “Makin’ Out”, “Physical Set” and that “Buffet” again! Future classics “Dinner Lady Arms” and “Seemed Like A Good Idea at the Time” are rolled out alongside the hits. “Dinner Lady Arms” is a tad harder than the soft-Leppard style of the later version, though the chorus still soars into the stratosphere. “Seemed Like Such A Good Idea at the Time” is presented without introduction, and Justin on piano with a more spare arrangement than the elaborate album version to come. This is more power ballad, and less experiment in extravagance.
As the 17 song set rolls through classics and hits, it’s clear this disc could be a standalone live album if the band choose to release it as such. Great banter, and the band were obviously having a blast on stage. At the end, there are two more surprises. One is an abbreviated cover of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid, performed solo by Justin on piano. Finally, they close the show with a bombastic “Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)”, which works brilliantly in the end slot. There is no feigning joy and surprise here. All the delight is pure and genuine.
The final ingredient you need in a box set such as this is a kickass booklet with loads of reading. Look no further, as Dan and Justin exhaustively tell the story from session to session and song to song. The stories will keep you in stitches as the band shed light on things you never knew before. Eddie Graham was the most “normal” one of the bunch, but they have survived it all, and the Darkness keep going!
We live in the age of box sets. The Darkness have risen to the occasion with, dare I say it, the perfect version of Permission To Land. Will they pull this trick again in the future with One Way Ticket? They should, because they have demonstrated an understanding of what makes a great box set. In short:
Complete collection of B-sides, even from formats as obscure as DVD single.
The rare demos and EP versions we’ve been wanting.
Non-album singles.
Even those clean versions that we normally wouldn’t try too hard to collect.
Live concerts.
Extensive liner notes.
DVD with added value and live shows.
Reasonable pricing and packaging.
5/5 stars
* One evening in 2003, I was listening to the Darkness with my girlfriend in my living room, late at night, heavily intoxicated. I suddenly jumped and said “I get it! These guys are not a joke at all! They are dead serious about what they are doing! Listen! Just listen!” It was an epiphany and I was right.
BONUS! Check out Tim and I discussing this box set and more!
In a sense, Rally Cry is the last Arkells album that was made conventionally. Campfire Chords, Blink Once, and Blink Twice were all recorded during the pandemic. Laundry Pile was unplanned. Rally Cry is the last one recorded during quote-unquote “normal times”. It is 10 songs, 36 minutes, and clearly focused on pop rock with a soul/R&B influence.
This album is loaded with Arkells-style anthems, and leads off with one: “Hand Me Downs”. Their working-class social consciousness creeps into the lyrics, but most people won’t be paying attention when the chorus hits: “Woah-oh-oh!” shouts singer Max Kerman in a fashion he almost could have patented. “Ain’t no shame in some hand-me-downs!” Yet the words are some that any can relate to. “First of the month gets you stressed out, and moving trucks bring you right back.” Musically, this is not that different from the prior album Morning Report, though perhaps more direct.
“American Screams” juxtaposes irresistible dance music with a shot at organized religion. “You got your good book all wrong. You wanna do God’s work, it’s gonna be hard work.” The big thick dance beat though! The thing about Arkells music is that the it is so strong, the lyrics can be ignored if you so choose. It’s way more rewarding to look into what they’re saying. Unfortunately, this single is just three minutes long!
“Relentless” hearkens back to the bands’ youths. Ambitiously, it contains a sample “Sixolele Babe” by South African artist Chicco. The sample is not obvious at all, and somehow fits right in with this pop rock anthem. How do they find these records? Musically illiterate, the Arkells are not.
Moving on momentarily to a more straightforward Arkells sound, “Only For A Moment” is softer, and driven by beats and piano. A good time party tune, but with interesting things going on rhythmically. The lyrics are not too heavy, though the theme is letting your stresses and anxieties go, if only for a moment. Then a U2-like guitar lick chimes forth, while Max sings a melody that Bono could have written (but didn’t). It’s hard not to compare to the Irish quartet; even certain inflections in the voice.
Flip the side of the record, and you are back in the disco with the big single “People’s Champ”. It’s political, but not specifically so. It’s just about a candidate who’s no good: “You’ve got no vision for the long run, you’ve got no sense of history.” And then the chorus, “I’m looking for the people’s champ, and it ain’t you!” And then in the same song: “All my girls say woah-oh! All my dudes go, woah-oh!” So, it’s a rally cry, but it’s also a hell of a good time. And why not? Do you have to be dead serious musically when your lyrics are cutting slices out of the elite? Why not let that bass drum hit! Why not let that bass thump! Tim Oxford and Nick Dika oblige on both counts, while a horn section blasts in your ears.
“Eyes on the Prize” could have been a single too. This is more R&B than rock and roll, with loads of soulful backing vocals. This one sounds autobiographical. “I was repeating conversations with a chip on my shoulder, replaying the scene over and over.” But there’s those upbeat horns and lush backing vocals! Halfway through the song, Max takes us to church. Just like a preacher, he goes off on his tangent. “And the man behind the counter turned up the radio, one of those old AM/FM boomboxes, the kind with the cassettes.” Yes, he really sings that, with the soul backing vocals making it seem like the most important scene you’ve ever heard. Though at its heart, “Eyes on the Prize” is a hit-worth Arkells anthem, it’s chock full of diverse musical ideas, expertly executed. Genius songwriting and performance.
If you’re looking for a perfect summer soundtrack, check out the bass-driven “Saturday Night”. Again, Max’s lyrics are interesting and fun. “You and me talking about conspiracy theories, you said ‘I don’t give a fuck about a man on the moon.'” Again the punchy horns deliver the 80s, like a song right out of the summer of ’85. It sure feels the way I remember. The party comes to a stop on the darker “Company Man”, as the messages return to the forefront. Yet the music goes full 1970s, with rolling drums, bangin’ piano and horns blasting.
Album closer “Don’t Be A Stranger” is catchy, with a big drum beat like an old Beatles song. It ends the album on something of a somber note, but also a hopeful one. There’s a quaint keyboard part that gives it that throwback vibe.
Rally Cry, though musically and lyrically ambitious, does lack the emotional impact of Morning Report and some of the other preceding albums. It is a trade-off. The Arkells are somehow both streamlined, and expanded. The melodic construction of the songs are more emphasized than ever before, but beneath that lie layers of musical experimentation, mostly in the direction of Motown. As such, we don’t get heart-rending slow-burners like “Passenger Seat” from the prior album. The guitar riffs aren’t on the forefront. A good album it is, though perhaps by being so accessible, it loses that challenge that sometimes keeps an album in your deck for decades.
I get chills listening to this song. Knowing now the story, about how John’s voice on this old tape was just too buried behind piano to work with, and how technology made it usable again…it is incredible. John Lennon sounds fresh, front and center, as if the vocals were recorded yesterday, even though they were taped in 1977.
It’s also incredible that Yoko Ono handed these tapes off to the surviving Beatles for them to finish. She didn’t have to do that. She could have kept them, and put them out as unfinished solo songs.
George’s slide guitar parts were written in 1995 when the Beatles last tried to tackle this song. Paul and Ringo finished it with drums, bass, acoustic guitars, and strings. Paul felt the strings were very “Beatles”.
The string players had no idea what they were working on. Secrecy was a priority. They were just told they were playing on something for Paul McCartney, but not the Beatles. Can you imagine how the players would have reacted to that?
To me, this sounds like an old Beatles song from the Abbey Road or Let It Be era, that I had somehow forgotten about. It sounds somber – sad, and mournful. It also reminds us of “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love” from the Anthology albums, which underwent similar reworking all those years ago. It is the last Beatles song, and so it should be.
To me it is just incredible that we have one more Beatles song to enjoy.
“Now and Then” will be out on an expanded edition of the Blue album. A necessary purchase for fans who want to relive the days when we was fab. I just wish the artwork for the single wasn’t so drab!
mikeladano.com 