REVIEW: Loudness – “Slap In the Face” (1991 Japanese CD single)

LOUDNESS – “Slap In the Face” (1991 Warner Japan CD single)

Not long after Loudness released their second and last album with American singer Mike Vescera, a final four-song EP was released in Japan.  Featuring a new song (albeit in an edit version) called “Slap in the Face” with three recent live recordings, the EP was good value for the fans.  Unfortunately it was not enough to keep Vescera in the band, and he soon wound up doing some pretty good music with Yngwie J. Malmsteen.  Loudness continued on with former E-Z-O singer Masaki Yamada, but that is another story.  This one is about Mike’s final release with Loudness.

The edit version of “Slap in the Face” is 4:53.  Although it says nowhere inside, the full length version is 5:14 and can be found on the 1991 Japanese 2 CD compilation, Loudest.  (It was also added as an extra studio track to a later release, 2009’s Live Loudest at the Bodukan.  Both edit and full-length versions are included as bonus tracks on the 2021 deluxe box set reissue of On the Prowl.)

This track absolutely stomps!  It does not sound like something that came out in 1991.  More like 1993.  It was ahead of its time in terms of where metal was going.  It chunks, it rips, it shreds and it thrashes.  The only anomaly is the powerful vocalizin’ of Mike Vescera, who had the kind of high pitched tone that worked well with Malmsteen.  Not that it doesn’t kick ass here, just that style of singing was soon to be out of style…  But what a song!  A Loudness highlight, hands down.  Cut-throat and non-stop, “Slap in the Face” should have been called “Kick in the Teeth”!

The three live tracks that round out the EP are all from the Budokan show that was released in 2009, and were all originally on the 1991 studio album On the Prowl.  “Down ‘N’ Dirty” is very clean and polished.  You could mistake it for a studio cut.  This mid-tempo rocker has some wicked soloing from lead guitarist Akira Takasaki, but really this is hair metal from a band that usually went heavier.

“Playin’ Games” is way heavier.  This is the kind of tempo we’re used to from Loudness.  The goofy title doesn’t relay its deadly intent:  this song is a killer.  Drummer Munetaka Higuchi has a lethal albeit brief drum solo at the end, just enough to crush your head.  The guy was a beast on drums!  Rest in peace Higuchi.

The last track is “Find A Way”, technically a remake of “To Be Demon” from Loudness’ 1981 debut album The Birthday Eve.  This ballady metal track goes from bluesy to progressive to hair metal and back to progressive.  It’s mid-tempo brilliance, and perhaps something that a band like the Scorpions could have done in the early 80s.  Indeed, Klaus would sound brilliant singing it. There’s nothing simple about “Find A Way”!

Though all these songs can now be found elsewhere as is often the case these days, in 1991 this was great value and a fine send-off to Mike Vescera.  The following year, Loudness would come crushing back…but only in Japan.

4/5 stars

 

 

 

VIDEO: Mike Plays Another Game of Pac-Man Plus

Pac-Man Plus was a little-known 1982 sequel to the original 1980 Pac-Man arcade game.  The game play and mazes are the same, but much more difficult.  Ghosts are faster, less predictable, and more aggressive.  Eating a power up gives you less time to go after the ghosts, and sometimes turns them invisible.  The maze can even turn invisible for a short period of time.  This is a nerve-wracking game, but oh so very fun.

Here’s me playing Pac-Man Plus this past summer. It’s quick and you get an idea for the challenges that await you if you attempt to play this arcade non-classic!

Van Halen, books, rarities, soundtracks and new things! Mike, Harrison, John, Rob, & Tim present Stacks of Rock!

Three years ago, we lost Edward Van Halen, and we are still mourning him today.

Fortunately, on this same day comes the new Van Halen – Hagar years remastered box set.  John T. Snow has a copy and showed it on the show.  I also brought out all my Van Halen CD rarities.  My cassettes and vinyl were seen on prior shows of Grab A Stack of Rock and LeBrain Train respectively.

John also presented a recent singles box set by Ace Frehley, A Candlebox box (ha-ha),  some Rock Candy Night Ranger reissues, and the new Darkness Permission to Land set!

Harrison the Mad Metal Man showed us a Maiden / Blaze Bayley bootleg CD, some books, some Deep Purple, and…José Feliciano!?  Breaking new ground on Grab A Stack of Rock!

Rob (Visions in Sound) had some interesting soundtracks from theme parks, and an obscure Humphrey Bogart film.  He also had a stunning 2 CD reissue of John Williams’ Superman score.

The mighty Tim Durling (Unspooled: An Adventure in 8 Tracks) had some picture sleeve 7″ singles that were quite lovely.  He also had some books to show, and some Ritchie Blackmore-related CDs that he says are for an upcoming project he’s working on.  Hmmm…

A super fun show.  Be sure to tune in next week when we do our Top 5 Songs About Monsters!  See ya!

 

CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks and more! “Snow & Tell” with John Snow, Rob Daniels and Tim Durling

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

Episode 37:  Snow & Tell with Mike, Harrison, Rob, John & Tim!

A full house tonight for some show & tell…or “Snow & Tell” as we like to call it when John T. Snow is in the house!  We also have Tim Durling (Unspooled: An Adventure in 8 Tracks) and Robert Daniels (Visions in Sound) joining us for what should be a fun hour.  What will we see?

  • New arrivals?  Check
  • Physical music?  Check
  • Head shaving stunts?  No!

As usual we will have an Ask Harrison question, lots of stories, and lots of laughs.  Join us live so you can take part.

 

LIVE Friday Oct 6 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

#1088: More Encore! Arkells Acquired

RECORD STORE TALES #1088: More Encore! Arkells Acquired

My Arkells obsession has not abated.  Since my birthday bonanza, at which I acquired Blink Once and Campfire Chords, I had not been able to buy any more Arkells.  Amazon doesn’t seem to carry much on CD these days, and when they do, the prices can be prohibitive.  I did pick up a CD copy of High Noon to eliminate those pops on my well-played vinyl, and a new review is incoming, but that was it.

I like writing a Record Store Tale with glad tidings.  Encore Records in Kitchener has delivered once again.

I’ve known Chris at Encore for about 20 years.  He has an excellent album under the band name Sexdwarf, which I got during the pandemic when I started ordering from Encore through the mail.  I don’t order as frequently these days, and I only get down there about once a year.  I’m allergic to parking downtown, and also public transit.  However, the ION train stops right at Encore, and Jen and I need to get me out of the house more this winter.  So, more Encore!  But back to Chris.

We talk infrequently, but I was asking him about getting the new Beaches and the new Arkells on CD.  (The Beaches is a problem – you can only get the CD from their website or shows, and shipping is more than the CD itself.  This baffles me because “Blame Brett” is a huge hit.)  Chris remembered, and let me know when he got the Arkells in.  In fact he had both Laundry Pile (2023) and Rally Cry (2018) on CD.  Rally Cry wasn’t even on their website.

I want to take it slow with this band.  Buying too much at once is overwhelming.  I feel like I haven’t properly absorbed Blink Once yet, though Campfire Chords is basically an unplugged “greatest hits” album.  However, I am ready to shuffle Laundry Pile and Rally Cry into the mix.  From what I have heard so far, Laundry Pile is softer and more acoustic.

Both albums are just 10 tracks, which I like.  That’s a nice comfortable number of songs for one sitting.

Now I just need two Arkells albums, CD preferred.  I need their 2008 debut Jackson Square, and last year’s Blink Twice.  I’m not sure what to expect.  The Arkells were much more of a rock band back in the Jackson Square days, and pivotal member Tony Carrone (keyboards) had yet to join the band.  That’s not a knock against the original keyboardist Dan Griffin, but more a comment on how much Carrone has contributed over many albums.  From what I have heard, Blink Twice is the most pop Arkells album to date, with lots of guest appearances from artists I have never heard of.  I am wary, but I’ve come too far to turn back now.  (I also need some singles, EPs, and compilations, but my albums collection is nearing completion.)

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is this.  It’s very simple.

Thank you Chris at Encore Records in Kitchener, for your help.  Jen was having lunch across the street from Encore this afternoon, and she was able to scoop up Rally Cry and Laundry Pile with ease, and at great prices.  All while using our ION train and supporting local businesses.

Encore has never let me down.  Whether it be Chris, Mark, Al, or, rest in peace Christine, they’ve never let me down.

Well, only once.

Way back in the summer of ’99, I bought a Japanese CD of Joe Satriani’s The Extremist, and Mark put a domestic disc in the Japanese case.

But he also hand-delivered a Metallica box set to my house, so we don’t care about such things!

I look forward to visiting Encore this winter, using that handy train to get downtown with no fuss or muss.  Maybe they’ll have Blink Twice or Jackson Square in stock.  Who knows what I will find?  Their selection of used CDs always offers a surprise or two, sometimes even a new release.  Encore will keep the music rocking and rolling for us this winter.

 

 

 

#1087: View From the Front

RECORD STORE TALES #1087: View From the Front

Although our back porch at the cottage is arguably nicer and more comfortable, the front has its advantages.  What it lacks in privacy, it makes up for in a huge front awning that has protected me from in in every storm, and even broadcast Grab A Stack of Rock in the rain.  It has the best view, with the bright blue of Lake Huron peeking through the trees, right in my eyeline, no matter what I’m doing.

But I’ve always had a preference for the front, even at home when I was a kid.  Despite the privacy of the back, I was usually playing in the front.  I always wished I had a bedroom with a front window.  The back didn’t give me much to look at when I stared out the window.  Which I did a lot.

Was I trying to see, or be seen?

Like my dad, I always have this sense of…keeping watch?  If I hear a loud motor coming down the road, I usually look.   We used to make fun of my dad for this, but I have become my dad.

I have a sense that I’m partly keeping an eye out, but am I also intentionally making myself visible?

Back then in my youth, I’d be playing Lego in the front yard.  Then, G.I. Joe and Star Wars.  The grass and twigs were great for fort building.

Later, it would be ghetto blasters, guitars and music.  A lot it would happen on the front patio.

I’m a shy guy by nature and I prefer to let neighbors walk by as I focus on whatever I happen to be focusing on.  Sometimes writing, sometimes listening, sometimes just watching cartoons.  I like to play the music at a decent volume, and yes, you can usually hear it from the road.  (Sorry.)  So why do I draw this attention to myself?

I think there’s a part of me who still thinks, “Hey look at me, listening to 80s Styx on the front porch like a bad ass,” even at age 51.

I don’t know what to think about that.

 

#1086: Seven Tales for Seven Photos

RECORD STORE TALES #1086: Seven Tales for Seven Photos

Instead of one new Record Store Tale, today I present seven mini-stories!  With photo accompaniment.

#1087 A:  Canadian Redneck

Found this guy on my Facebook one morning.  No idea who he is.  Looks kind of familiar.  “Hey ya’ll!” he said, apparently on his vacation.  “Take a vacation from yourselves once in a while!” he said.  Should I be taking advice from this guy?  Something tells me no, but something also tells me yes….

I’ll give this guy credit for one thing, whoever he is:  great hair.  That’s a classic style he’s sporting there.

#1087 B:  A Couple Turkeys

Fall has arrived and it’s turkey season.  I snapped this selfie up at The Beef Way, north of Kincardine Ontario.

Regular readers here know we take food very seriously.  We had some bad luck earlier at a Kitchener store called Robert’s Boxed Meats.  I am here to tell you that we will never shop at Robert’s Boxed Meats ever again.  Twice he sold us spoiled beef, and the last time was an expensive tomahawk steak.

The Beef Way sold us three freshly butchered tomahawks this summer, not to mention some T-bones, porterhouses and ribeyes.  He also sold us the best bacon I’ve ever had in my life, some amazing “fry-pies”, and condiments & jams.  It is a shame the Beef Way is so far from home, but we won’t be wasting any more dollars at Robert’s Boxed Meats.  Which is a shame, since Robert’s is the only place within 100 kilometers that sells A5 Waygu steaks.  Just not worth the risk.  Don’t be a turkey; don’t buy from Robert’s.  One pack of spoiled meat is an isolated incident.  Two is a problem.  You have been warned.

#1087 C:  Jen is Joining Tee Bone Man!

Harrison has created a prototype Jen figure for the Adventures of Tee Bone Man!  But this is not her final form, and we have her own Jen In Space spinoff planned.  I have purchased a number of different hair pieces and hats for Jen as she ventures into space on board the Galaxy Explorer.

You will just have to keep reading Tee Bone Man to see how she fits into the story.  Though she has been mentioned in the past, a few people asked me “Why is Jen not in the Tee Bone Man stories?”  The truth is there isn’t a good reason, aside from the fact that we don’t write together very well.  We never have.  We tried to write our own Trailer Park Boys fan fiction when we first met, and we immediately realized we do not collaborate well with the written word.  At all.  We’re better off creatively with me writing and her knitting!

However, this winter we’re going to start integrating her character into the story — wish us luck!

#1087 D:  If It’s Too Loud Then You’re Too Old

The porch is my happy place.  Music sounds better out there in the great green open!  And I play it loud.  It’s easy to forget how easily sounds carry at the lake.  You’d think the trees would act as a sound baffle, preventing the music from carrying.  You’d be wrong!

Maybe it’s the lack of city background noise, but if I am cranking it really loud, you can hear the tunes almost all the way down at the beach.  At normal volume, passers by can hear it from the road.

And they know I’m playing music way cooler than they are!

A few weeks ago, a couple kids were biking down the road with some kind of speaker on their bikes.  They were blasting “Kickstart My Heart” by Motley Crue.

“GOOD SONG!” said one kid to the other.

I just laughed, and remembered being told to turn that song down when I was their age, about 34 years ago!

 

1087 E:  Green Lamborghini

Driving home from the cottage on October 1, I snapped a photo at a stoplight.  I know, I know.  You’re not supposed to handle your phone at any time in a car, even a stoplight.  But I could not resist this beauty.  Two kids crossing the road filmed this car as it sat low to the ground, ready to rip.

He did not “rip” though; he drove the speed limit the whole way, even on Highway 8, which surprised us.

It was a pleasant drive home, with only one guy zipping in and out of passing cars, and it wasn’t this guy.  It was some guy whose car sounded like a weedwhacker when he gunned it.  Lambo Man just kept going the speed limit.

Good going, Lambo Man!

1087 F:  A Penny For Your Thoughts

I just found these coins in my music room:  one of each major denomination of Canadian coinage.

#1087 G:  The Face of Terror

Ah, childhood photos.  Always good for a laugh…or pure horror!

My parents took me to meet “celebrities” a couple times.  Once was David Prowse, dressed as Darth Vader.   He even signed his autograph as “Darth Vader”.  That terrified me…but just look at Bert and Ernie here!

I may be smiling, but I was terrified and did not want to be there.  Bert was tickling me.  I was not amused!  I wanted the hell out of there!

Somewhere out there is a guy who used to dress as Bert and tickle kids to get them to smile.

Parents, never do this to your kids!  They will only post the photo to shame you down the road!

 

 

 

Worst Haul Ever! Mike Unboxes 3 More Marvel Lego Minifig Wave 2 Boxes, And Gets a Dud! [Video]

I think I’m at the point now where I’m going to get a majority of doubles, before I get what I want.

What a disappointing haul this time!

New arrivals & rarities on Grab A Stack of Rock as Harrison and Jex go LeBrainless!

A wonderful show was had, as Harrison & Jex showed off some new and rare arrivals in their personal collections!

With some interesting scores from Twisted Sister, Paul Di’Anno, Alice Cooper, Concrete Blonde, Slade, and a batch of DVDs, this was a fun show for me to watch from the audience!  I was jealous about some interesting 2-disc compilations that were shown by Judas Priest and Alice Cooper.

At the end of the show, I came on to show off the new Aerosmith Greatest Hits 50th anniversary set from Japan – a 6 CD collection with three discs of rare and exclusive live material.  I offered my honest opinion based on road testing the collection on our recent trip to the lake.

Thanks for watching and hope to see you again next week!