Unboxing and Admiring the new JOURNEY – FRONTIERS 40th Anniversary Vinyl

REVIEW: Arkells – Rally Cry (2018)

ARKELLS – Rally Cry (2018 Universal)

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.

4/5 stars

REVIEW: The Beatles – “Now and Then” (2023 single)

THE BEATLES – “Now and Then” (2023 single)

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!

4/5 stars

Snippison and Brainikin’s Excellent Adventure: Chapter One – A Tee Bone Man Multiverse Story

Snippison and Brainikin’s Excellent Adventure: Chapter One 

A Tee Bone Man Multiverse Story

[RECAP READING:  The Adventures of Tee Bone Man Chapter 21:  Fate of the Brainiac]

“Come on, Padawan!  The day isn’t won yet!  We don’t rest until every last droid is deactivated!” shouted the Jedi master to his apprentice, as they staggered over boulders and bodies on some battlefield on some planet in a galaxy really far from here.

The apprentice hosltered his laser-boomerang and sighed.

“Master, there are hardly any left!  The only ones remaining are service droids and the odd training remote!”  The apprentice, though younger, sported a luscious moustache of a man twice his age.

“Don’t get snippy with me, Snippison!” commanded the Jedi master.  “The Force tells me there are threats here we have not yet seen.  Can’t you feel it too?”

The apprentice closed his eyes and breathed deep.  He felt the calm and peace of the light side wash over him, even on this battlefield.  “No, master Brainikin.  I can’t.  Are you sure your senses aren’t…distracted?”

The Jedi master laughed.  “Me?  Distracted?  You must be referring to that spot of trouble we found on Cato Nemoidia.  Well as you recall, Snippison…”

“Brainikin!  DROP!” shouted the apprentice suddenly.  He leaped into the air, his laser-boomerang suddenly alight.  Within a second, he had decapitated two probe droids that had snuck up between the rocks.  His master sensed the danger, but not the distance.  He was distracted indeed!

Fortunately, Jedi padawan Snippison was a more-than-capable apprentice.  He swiftly perched himself upon a large boulder, crouched down and reached out with the Force sensing…sensing…

From above, suddenly a Vulture Droid swooped, cannons blazing, far faster than Snippison could throw his boomerang.  He leaped.  With utter precision, just as the Vulture droid was about to take him, he was airborne!  He landed upon the droid’s back, decapitating it with his now-ignited laser boomerang.  The droid bleeped something that you might mistake for pain, but was actually circuits burning out, one after another.  The droid careened down, and Snippison jumped to safety, only mussing his otherwise perfectly kept hair ever so slightly.

“Well done, padawan,” exclaimed Brainikin.  “I feel the battleground is safe for now.”

“That’s three,” answered Snippison as he brushed the dust off his armour.

Unlike the majority of the Jedi order, Snippison wore almost full clone armour into battle. The Jedi council had initially heavily disapproved (especially when Snippison added a series of his own blue identifying marks to it) but had relented, due to the nature of his weapon of choice. Using the laser-boomerang often left him exposed to blaster fire without a reliable way to deflect the shots.

He summoned a hairbrush from a hidden pouch and began grooming his mane.  It was intended as a bit of a boastful gesture, but Snippison also knew the importance of hair care.

Brainkin looked down at the ground, and admitted for the first time, he was indeed distracted.

“What is it, master?” asked the apprentice.  “Is it your secret marriage to Princess Jennidala?  I know that attachment is forbidden.”

Brainikin sat upon a boulder.  “No, my friend, though your perceptions are sharp.  I am indeed stymied by my inability to find the perfect anniversary gift.  What do you get a princess who has the greatest husband?” he shrugged.  “But no, my friend.  Sit.  Talk with me.  I am haunted by something far worse than an empty gift box.”

Snippison saw that Master Brainikin was gravely serious.  He chose a boulder across from his, and sat, leaning forward in attentive listening position.  “Tell me,” he encouraged.

“I’ve been having dreams.  Nightmares,” confessed the Master.

He stopped to collect his thoughts.  There was a lot of information here he was going to have to unpack.

“I think…I think I have witnessed my own murder…but not my own.  This is hard to explain, but did your theory instructors ever mention the Multiverse?”

The padawan cast his mind back.  “Once or twice.  The theory that the galaxy we live in is but one in an infinite universe, and that universe is but one in an equally infinite multiverse.  It never made much sense to me.  I was more interested in practical learning.”

The master smiled.  “I know you are, young one.  But hear me out.  What if it were true?  What if this was one universe among countless?  That means there must be an infinite number of you, and me.  Similar, different, a multitude.”

“I don’t know where you are going with this, master,” said the padawan, trying to keep the old Jedi on topic.  “You were speaking of dreams.”

“Yes, yes,” answered the master hastily.  “I was about to get there.  I sought the advice of some of the oldest masters.  Unfortunately Master Snowda was offworld, fighting in the Clone War.  The only master available to ask was Master Maximus Aximus, and he’s…well, he’s Max the Aximus, isn’t he?  A little on the eccentric side.  But what he told me was this.”  The master took a deep breath.  “When we dream at night, we are dreaming of our other selves in another universe, and what I witnessed was my death…at the hands of another you.”

The padawan took a moment to absorb this.  Then he smiled.  Then he laughed!  “Master, you’re pulling my leg!”

Brainkin frowned.  Then he looked angry.  “No!  Snippison!  Listen to me!”

The padawan turned stonefaced.  He wasn’t joking at all.  He said nothing and listened.

“It was you…but not you.  You had the same hair…but no moustache.  Smooth as a…well, you know the saying.  You wielded a boomerang made not of light but of some kind of metal.  I had my lightsaber, but I could not feel the Force.  I was not a Jedi.  Neither were you.  Yet we were the same people.  The world seemed familiar yet different in the details…and you and I were enemies.  You were taunting me, and though I do not understand the meaning of your words, you provoked an emotional response and struck the killing blow.  Master Snowda was there by my side as I died, but he was not Master Snowda.  He was just a man.  And there were others.  It was as clear as a scene from a holo film.  You killed me, Snippison.  Not you, and not me…but still us.  And that scene has lived with me every night for a month.  I have hidden this from you, and I am sorry.  I should have trusted you sooner.”

The younger man took his time absorbing this information.  He did not doubt his master’s beliefs, only the significance.

“Master, I believe you,” he began.  Start with the good news, he thought.  “And I see how traumatic that vision must have been.  You have always been by side, and so here I am, by your side.”  He stood and stepped next to the older Jedi as if to illustrate his sincerity.  “But, you must move beyond these visions.  Master Snowda would tell you to keep your mind on the here and now.  The Force is mysterious and we know not what it tries to tell us, especially in these dark times.  It could have been a Sith vision, as they know you are a key General in this war.  Incapacitating you would be a major goal achieved for them.  We cannot discount the power of the Sith to do this, nor the…the…”  The apprentice took a moment to find the nicest words he could use.  “We cannot take the testimony of Master Aximus as if it came from the sacred Jedi texts.”

Master Brainikin smiled.  “I knew you would say that,” he laughed.  “And I know that is not the strongest part of my story here.  My point is not whether or not you believe in Multiverse theory or not.  My point is the very reality of the vision has shaken me to my core.  Whether it not it was real, it felt so much so, that I can feel the blade of your boomerang even now.”

The younger Jedi thought for some moments.  Finally he simply said the words that needed to be said.  “I understand, my friend.”

The older man stood.  “Let’s get out of here.  We have shore leave coming, and you know I’m spending mine with Jennidala.”

“As you should!” encouraged Snippison, as he summoned a Republic transport with a “mission accomplished” signal.  “And what are you going to get her?” he prodded.

“And now I’m distracted again!  I better check her Amazon.rpb wishlist.  Thanks, padawan.”

“My pleasure!” smiled the younger Jedi, as something caught his eye.  “Our transport is here,” he pointed, as a Republic Gunship’s distinctive outline could be seen coming over the mountains.

“That was fast,” said Brainikin has he checked his pockets to make sure he had all his equipment.  He placed some goggles over his eyes as those Gunships were known to kick up dust, and this planet only seemed to have two things:  boulders, and dust.

“Least they could do is pick us up fast, after making us wait three days for pickup during the liberation of Mon Cal,” ribbed the padawan.

“Mon Cal food!” gagged the master.

The young one smiled to himself.  He knew Brainikin so well.  Having triggered the memories of getting food poisoning from three days of Mon Cal diet, Master Brainikin will be more focused on his upset stomach the whole flight home.  Too much discomfort to worry about inconsequential nightmares, or yet another anniversary gift.

The Gunship landed, kicking up as much dust as predicted.  The side doors were already open.  The two Jedi boarded the craft, took their seats and buckled in.

“I’m a good padawan,” he said to himself under the sound of the engines’ roar.

Master Brainikin puked over the side of the open hatch while Snippison put on some headphones and smiled.

“Mission accomplished!” He shouted to his barfing partner, who responded with a thumbs up.

“This’ll be a fun flight home,” giggled Snippison.

The end.

 

THE ADVENTURES OF TEE BONE MAN:  PHASE ONE – THE SQUIRREL SAGA 

THE ADVENTURES OF TEE BONE MAN:  PHASE TWO – THE MULTIVERSE SAGA

 

 

THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES OF EDIE VAN HEELIN’

THE WRITER’S ROOM

 

REVIEW: Mick Mars – “Loyal to the Lie” (2023) single

MICK MARS – “Loyal to the Lie” (2023) single

Mick Mars is finally out with his first solo track since 1994’s “Bittersuite” and it’s a banger.

Too much of a banger?

In this reviewer’s opinion, the song is recorded for more modern tastes.  Chunky, downtuned guitars and distorted, unremarkable lead vocals (by Jacob Bunton) characterize this fast, heavy smoker.  Everything sounds very processed in a modern way, for punch and impact.  Someone more in tune with this sound would rate it higher.

The best part of the song is, expectedly, the guitar solo, but it’s way too short.

Another reviewer may think differently, but “Loyal to the Lie” lacks a few key ingredients:  a distinctive singer, and memorable hooks.

Mick shouldn’t have to repeat his past with his former band, but a memorable song would have been nice.  Yes, it’s heavy.  But heavy only goes so far.

Mick’s album The Other Side of Mars will be out next year, February 23 2024.

2/5 stars

Lineup:

Mick Mars – guitars/bass
Paul Taylor – keyboards
Jacob Bunton – vocals
Ray Luzier – drums

Happy Halloween! WTF Search Terms – Horrifying Spelling edition – “marrieanheels toopless nake”

Happy Halloween!  On this October 31, what is scarier than poor spelling?  Take a look below and see for yourself!  These are poorly-spelled search terms that somehow led people to this site.  Boo!

Let’s go!

Probably just some big fingers typing on a small screen here – they are obviously looking for Ted Nugent‘s amazing Double Live Gonzo.

Swedish.  The word is spelled Swedish.

  • marrieanheels toopless nake
  • “married and heels” topples
  • marriedandgeels naked

No comment.  I told you that this was happening regularly!   Glad I never had to look at this.

Maxi Priest and Shaggy.  Maxi Priest and Shaggy.  Maxi Priest and Shaggy!  Write it 100 times until you get it right!

  • presinor in paradies song

“Prisoners in Paradise”, you mean?  You will not like my review, that’s for sure.  Don’t click it.

UNOFFICIAL.  UNOFFICIAL!  You can’t blame this one on autocorrect!
That was some scary, scary spelling.  Happy Halloween folks!

#1093: What Are the Earliest Pieces of Music You Remember Loving?

RECORD STORE TALES #1093: What Are the Earliest Pieces of Music You Remember Loving?

We are all shaped by our earliest experiences, whether we admit it or not.  What were the first songs and pieces of music that you remember loving?  Let’s have a look at 10 of mine, from my pre-heavy metal years!

10. The Doctor Who theme.

I grew up with the third and fourth doctors:  Jon Pertwee, and Tom Baker.  In particular I remember the Baker years as the most important to my childhood.  I asked my mom to knit me a long brown scarf like Baker’s Doctor wore.  I also remember sitting in front of the TV and recording the intro music to Doctor Who, so I could rewind and play that tape whenever I wanted to.  The music was all synth, and entirely spooky, cool and catchy.

9. John Williams’ scores.

Star Wars was first.  Empire was second.  Raiders was third.  Those three soundtracks made up the majority of my musical listening for years.  I didn’t own any other records.  Just John Williams.  When you consider the impact that Holst’s The Planets had on Williams, and heavy metal too, it is no wonder that heavy metal music would later speak so clearly to me.

8. Joey Scarbury – “Theme from The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)”

My earliest musical loves all came from TV or cinema.  This was the first non-Williams record I owned, on a 7″ single.  Mike Post co-wrote the song, and he would figure into the career of Van Halen much much later.  “Believe It Or Not” was a pleasant pop song with an irresistible chorus.  The B-side was a ballad called “Little Bit of Us”.  I hated it.  I remember playing the single at 78 RPM to see if it would make the song any better.  It didn’t.

7. Magnum P.I. and The A-Team theme songs.

Here’s Mike Post again, with the theme music to Magnum P.I. starring Tom Selleck.  Funky electric guitar hovered behind a bouncing string section playing the theme.  It was like my John Williams soundtracks had collided with rock instrumentation.  I would sit in bed and hum these themes, singing myself to sleep.  And guess who was behind the A-Team’s music?  Also Mike Post!  Military drums and more symphonic theme greatness.  I was well on my way, wasn’t I?  These two themes were critically important to the whole action TV show genre.

6. Michael Jackson – “Beat It” and “Thriller”

Like every kid in the mid-80s, I loved Michael Jackson.  It would not be an exaggeration to claim that every kid in my grade liked Michael Jackson to a certain degree.  He had a number of hits on the radio, including “Say Say Say” with Paul McCartney, which I was frustrated to find was not on my Thriller cassette.  Of course, I had no idea who Eddie Van Halen was yet, but he was in my head, playing the “Beat It” guitar solo without my knowledge.  Michael’s songs were perfectly written and produced.  His videos were groundbreaking, but I hadn’t seem them yet.  I wasn’t even sure what he looked like at first.  Tabloid photos always showed a gaunt Jackson hiding from the cameras.  Once we saw his videos, I was shocked at how effeminate his speaking voice was, for a guy who sang so powerfully.  Yet, I only played two or three songs on the tape.

5. Culture Club – “Karma Chameleon”

Hot on the heels of Jackson was Boy George.  “Karma Chameleon” was impossible to forget, and I could care less about any of his other hits.  I had the Colour By Numbers cassette and never played it except for one song.  The album cover shocked me!  I thought Culture Club was synonymous with Boy George – a one-man band.  I had no idea there were other members, or what they looked like.  I liked the tune, but this band was not for me.  Eventually I would erase both Jackson and Boy George, and record other things on their tapes.

4. Styx – Kilroy Was Here

“Mr. Roboto” was the song that hooked me, but the album itself was pretty good:  “Cold War”, “High Time”, “Don’t Let It End (Reprise)”, “Heavy Metal Poisoning” and “Double Life” were awesome rock songs!  As before, I had no interest in the ballads.  I played them once or twice, and just skipped them from then on.  Styx were the first band with multiple singers that I liked:  Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, and James Young.  I wonder what influence this would later have on my love of KISS.  Styx were bombastic and huge.  The gatefold album came with lyrics, which I studied as if they were containing deep hidden meaning.

3. AC/DC – “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”

I recorded this song from my best friend Bob, along with “The Mighty Quinn” by Manfred Mann, and if memory serves, “Ooby Dooby” by Roy Orbison.  I might be wrong on that last one, but AC/DC was the one I kept playing over and over, sometimes to irritate people.  I remember distinctly telling people I liked the chorus because the singer sounded like “he had a frog in his throat”.  My classmate Alan Runstedtler said “I like songs with the guy with the frog in his throat!” and so did I.  It was pure comedy and novelty to me, but the guitars lay the groundwork for what would come later.

2. John Fogerty – “The Old Man Down the Road”

MuchMusic had arrived!  I had no idea who Fogerty was, or that he was in a legendary rock band called Creedence Clearwater Revival.  All I knew was that he had a really, really cool music video on TV, and I couldn’t stop watching it.  The upbeat bluesy song with rattling slide guitar seemed cool to me.  I decided that I liked John Forgerty based on that one song.  I was slowly discovering rock music, and the last song on this list was the last one I loved before going full-metal in 1984.

1. Quiet Riot – “Cum On Feel the Noize”

I didn’t know what they looked like.  I didn’t know anything about their prior history, the two Japanese albums, or Randy Rhoads.  All I knew was I had finally found “my thing”.  My sound.  Bombastic, big, loud, catchy, well-written, and perfect.

Without Quiet Riot, I may never have taken my next tenative steps:  Helix, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and W.A.S.P.  All much heavier than Quiet Riot.  Without Styx, I might never got gotten into Quiet Riot.  Without John Williams, I might never had dug into Styx.  Who knows?

I loved Quiet Riot well past their best-before date.  I remember other kids at school making fun of me for calling Quiet Riot my favourite band.  “They’re out!” laughed Ian Johnson.  “Duran Duran are current!”

Fuck Duran Duran.

My journey into metal was natural and organic.  I don’t know if those kids from school even listen to music anymore.  Their loss.

Mike opens up his new KISS shirt from Aaron! [Video]

First off, apologies to Jex Russell and everybody I forgot to thank in this video. Still running on the high from Friday night’s show.  I went from that, to taping a great Tim’s Vinyl Confessions at 6:30 AM Saturday morning, to video making and editing.

For those who watched, the most grievous error I made Friday night was forgetting to open up this KISS shirt that I got from Aaron KMA.

Please enjoy this video I made in gratitude, and the YouTube shorts from Friday night as well.

Mike unboxes Love Gun shirt from Aaron KMA

 

“Sammy Hagar” grills Mike on 5150 (by Tee Bone)

Harrison laughs on a loop 5 times

New Grab A Stack of Rock show intro, featuring Jen, John Clauser, and a laughing Australian

We’re Number One! Thanks to John Clauser, Peter Kerr, Robert Daniels, Tim Durling and Harrison Kopp for an Awesome Anniversary and a Stonker of a Show!

Every once in a while, we do a show that was so much fun, that I literally can’t sleep afterwards.  That was tonight.

Some context.  On October 28 2022, Harrison and I went live to grab some stacks of rock.

Tonight, Harrison and I celebrated the anniversary live with some friends.  Since it was our one year anniversary, the theme was Top Five Songs About the Number One.

  • Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation once again broke new ground with some artists who have never been featured on the show, one in particular.  Quite a few stonkers!  There may or may not have been a “Little” drama, regarding whether or not I bribed Judge Reed when we did our Vinnie Vincent episode.  The jury is out.
  • All the way from Birmingham Alabama, 1st timer John Clauser from My Music Corner gave us a sneak peak at that new 7 Savage W.A.S.P. set with one of his picks.  Johnny definitely brought the metal!  Thank you so much for coming on, John — we will do it again.
  • Robert Daniels from Visions In Sound brought a couple soundtracks, of course, but he was not the only one tonight.  He also picked a “royal” one that I liked a lot.  Thanks Rob for celebrating tonight.
  • Tim Durling from Tim’s Vinyl Confessions had 8 tracks, 7″ vinyl, and Canadian content – the trifecta!  He also gets bonus points for poking Jex Russell in the side with his #1 pick.
  • Harrison the Mad Metal Man represented Australia with the majority of his picks.  He also audibly laughed when I announced my #1 pick, and the proof is on video and I might just have to make a loop of it and play it on repeat.
  • Tee Bone Erickson, our music guru, submitted an “Ask Mike” question at the top of the show, and probably his best video for us yet:  in the guise of “Sammy Hagar”!  Tee Bone also submitted his own unique Top Five list:  Top Five Van Halen songs with “One” in the title, in chronological order!  He also asked Mike to list his Top Three Van Hagar songs, which I did.

Fun fact:  Two of the albums picked tonight had some of us thanked in them:  one thanking me, one thanking Johnny Metal!

Rest in Peace to W.A.S.P. and L.A. Guns drummer Steve Riley.  That was not fun news to break to Johnny Metal today.  We spoke a moment about Steve at the top of the show.

We’re taking a couple weeks off to work on some secretive side projects.  However, we will be back November 17 with a brand new guest.  It will be Jex and PLA here on Grab A Stack of Rock, and there will be dancing!

Thank you for watching, and let’s make this second year as fun as the first…or even top it.  Rock n’ roll!