Books That Rock! Grab A Stack of Books with Mike and Jex

What a show!  Thanks for watching!  Jex and I had a blast going through a selection of my favourite rock (and a couple other) books.  What a variety of books too!  Many genres of music, and a few outside the musical box.  Jex’s books are currently in storage, so what we did instead was watch a Youtube video from his channel CineBrosSupreme.  In 2016, Jex went through his music book collection, and we screened that and commented on it as well.  (Jex has not aged since 2016, and a few viewers mentioned this!)

Tim Durling’s new 2nd edition of Unspooled is available now at Amazon.

It was amazing to me how many of these authors I know personally.  I am such a lucky guy.

My pick for Book You Need Immediately:  Frank Zappa’s Real Frank Zappa Book.

Off the top of the show, we unboxed two classic 80s metal/hard rock albums.  We also took a question from Tim, to Jex.

 

Mike’s books covered (Author or Band):

  • Brian Vollmer / Helix
  • Dale Sherman / Kiss, Alice Cooper
  • Mick Wall / Iron Maiden
  • The Beatles
  • Neil Peart
  • Stephen Adler / Guns N’ Roses
  • Nikki Sixx
  • Motley Crue
  • Aaron Lebold
  • Robert Lawson / Cheap Trick, Nazareth
  • Michael D. LeFevre
  • Brent Jenson
  • Martin Popoff / Black Sabbath, Scorpions, Van Halen
  • Dr. Kathryn Ladano
  • Tim Durling
  • Les Stroud (Survivorman)
  • Robert S. Vuckovich / Kiss and Philosphy
  • Spinal Tap
  • Ian Gillan / Deep Purple
  • Frank Zappa
  • Sean Kelly
  • Jon Collins / Marillion
  • Alice Cooper
  • Aerosmith
  • David Lee Roth

Thank you Jex, and thank you to everyone who watched!

Jex and Mike Grab Stacks of Rock Books from the Front Porch, this afternoon at 3:30 PM EST!

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Jexciter

Episode 33:  Reading on the Porch!

“Back to school, back to school, to prove to Dad I’m not a fool…”

As the kids come home from their first week back in class, Jex and I will be back on the porch for the first time in a month!  There’s nothing better than talking music from the front porch of the cottage on a Friday afternoon.  To go with the “back to school” theme, I’ve packed a number of my best music books.  They only scratch the surface, but there are a bunch here that you may never have seen before.

As for Jex?  You never know what the mighty Jex Rambo is packin’ up his sleeve(less).

It’s always a great time so don’t miss out.

 

LIVE Friday Sept 8 at 3:30 P.M. E.S.T. / 4:30 P.M. Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

#1083: The Helicopter Video (The Great Record Album Collection)

RECORD STORE TALES #1083: The Helicopter Video (The Great Record Album Collection)

1983/84.

Music videos were just starting to happen when I was a kid. There wasn’t a MuchMusic yet, but there were a few ways to catch music videos on your Canadian TV sets. One was Toronto Rocks out of channel 7, City TV. Another was a show called The Great Record Album Collection, which we saw out of WNED TV in Buffalo NY.  Channel 29!

I don’t remember much of this show. I recall seeing Quiet Riot, but there was one video I saw twice that I cannot identify.

If you can help me find out the name of the band and song, it would be a great help.

Here’s what I can recall:

I remember seeing a music video with a three-piece band.  We have to assume it was a new wave band based on the year.  It was not the Police.  In the video, I recall there was a helicopter.  It had red in it.  I think it was a remote control model ‘copter, and at the end of the song, the ‘copter crashed and/or blew up.  That’s all I can remember.  The band was playing on a black stage as I remember, intercut with occasional shots of this helicopter.

I was transitioning from childhood into adolescence.  It was important to like music, and not just John Williams symphonies.  I thought “These guys are cool.  I like them.”  But I only saw them twice and never again.

Ideas?  Post a YouTube link to a video in the comments.

REVIEW: Rod Stewart – The Definitive Rod Stewart (2008)

ROD STEWART – The Definitive Rod Stewart (2008 Warner)

Compilations, eh?  You get one, and it’s great, but…it doesn’t have all the songs that you like, does it?  In this case, I was craving some Rod (now now!) and I really wanted to hear one from my youth:  “Infatuation”!  I was craving that hook!  “Oh no, not again!  It hurts so good, I don’t understand!”  Jeff Beck:  lead guitar!  I searched my library and I was missing that track.  What to do about it?

Rod Stewart has numerous compilations to choose from, going back to 1973’s Sing It Again Rod.  (That one’s interesting for the inclusion of “Pinball Wizard” from the London Sympony version of Tommy.)  You could go any number of ways.  1989’s Downtown Train had “Infatuation” on it, as well as “People Get Ready”.

I could have sought out the original album it was on, Camouflage, but I don’t recall liking the album much.  I decided instead to augment my collection with another 2 CD compilation:  2008’s Definitive.  It’s extremely similar to the 2001 set, The Story So Far, but with a slightly better track list.  This time we get “Passion”, “Infatuation”, “My Heart Can’t Tell You No”, and “Stay With Me” (The Faces) among the rest of the 70s, 80s, and 90s hits.  We lose “Don’t Come Around Here” which is a good thing.  Unfortunately we also lose the Stones cover “Ruby Tuesday” and “All For Love” with Sting and Bryan Adams.  There’s no such thing as a perfect compilation.  You’re always going to have to get a couple, and even then, you’re still missing the amazing Robbie Robertson cover, “Broken Arrow”.

This set goes all the way up to MTV Unplugged.   Rod made great music after that, but a lot of the albums were his American Songbooks of standards, that not everybody needs.  The cool thing is, there’s also a bonus track from 1998.  “Two Shades of Blue” is an outtake from his excellent rock album, When We Were the New Boys (the one with the Oasis cover “Cigarettes and Alcohol”).  This ballad might not have been necessary on that record, but it’s actually quite good if a bit generic.  Interestingly it features a sample from a Russian opera, so it’s not exactly ordinary either.  The actual cool thing is that it is a Rod sole-written original, not a cover or something written for him.  Rod’s a great songwriter when he wants to do it!

This album won’t tick all of your Rod Stewart boxes, but it’ll cover most.

4/5 stars

Mike Unboxes Marvel Lego Minifig Wave 2 Blind Pack [Video]

Let’s just say I didn’t end up with an A-lister!

Note to those who used the “baggie feel” method to identify figures: Lego just changed your game.

Grab A Stack of Bonus Tracks that Should Have Been on the Album! – Mike, Jex, Harrison & special guest Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation

This week’s show was so crazy, you could call it Unspooled!  As a last minute arrival, the 2nd edition of Tim Durling’s excellent book Unspooled: An Adventure in 8-tracks has come!  It is available on Amazon right now, so don’t miss it this time out.  This excellent story about a guy who collects and catalogues music is a must-have for its warm nostalgia, fact-based lists, and beautiful page art.  We unboxed this book at the top of the show and I encourage you all to check it out.

As for our lists:  tonight we looked at a number of bonus tracks that should have been on the albums!  B-sides, import or format exclusives, and other assorted sources comprised our selections of bonus tracks.  And mighty they were!  Our panel tonight:

  • Yours truly on bass.
  • Harrison Kopp on drums.
  • Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation on lead guitar.
  • Jex Russell on lead vocals.

With that lineup, we came up with some wicked lists and I encourage you to watch the whole show.  Some artists made multiple appearances, although no actual songs did.  Most, but not all, were in the hard rock realm.

Great responses in the comments, thanks to all who watched and participated!

My picks:

Van Halen – “Crossing Over” (Balance 1995)
Marillion – “The Release” (Seasons End 1989)
Ratt – “Scattered” (Infestation 2010)
KISS – “Got To Choose” (MTV Unplugged 1996)
Van Halen – “That’s Why I Love You” (3, 1998)

 

What Bonus Track Should Have Been On the Album? Grab A Stack of Rock – Mike, Jex, Harrison & special guest Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation

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

Episode 32:  What Bonus Track Should Have Been On the Album?

Our first episode since August 11!  Thanks for your patience, and I hope tonight’s show rocks your socks off!

One of the reasons we haven’t done a show since August 11 was the fault of one of tonight’s guests.  Please welcome Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation to the show for the first time!  Last week, we were busy recording his excellent episode on Coverdale-Page.  (The week before that was simply a weekend off at the cottage.)  This week he’s returning the favour, and we’re so happy to have him on for the first time!  Two Canadians vs. two Australians!

Harrison the Mad Metal Man suggested this topic.  Knowing my love of bonus tracks and B-sides, he asked What Bonus Tracks Should Have Been on the Album?  A great question that I have often pondered in my own reviews.  It’s a Cinco de Listo Top Five list, and it was a real struggle to make my five picks count.

Also joining us tonight will be Jex Russell from Jex’s Vinyl World, who kindly set aside parental duties to take part.

Bonus tracks from singles and imports will all be on the table for tonight.  Which ones would really have enhanced the albums?  Let’s find out.

 

LIVE Friday Sept 1 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

 

#1082: Happy 15th Anniversary to US!

I’ve often said that the best day of my life was August 31, 2008.

While that was a truly awesome day, was it actually the best?

I think every day since has been pretty special.  The fact that I found my one and only, and grown deeper in love since, is a pretty cool thing.  We’ve survived everything thrown at us so far.  Death, illness, and all manners of stress have not taken us down. Broken bones, bruised faces, and bad bad days.  There were mornings I felt like I could not go on.  She picked me up, and we just kept going.

When we met, all was hunky dory.  Well, not quite…I was miserable in my dead-end job at the Record Store, but we had no health challenges to speak of.  We were dating (sort of) long distance, with her in Brampton and me in Kitchener.  I picked her up in Brampton on a lot of Friday nights.  She took the train home on Monday mornings.  For three years!  We made it work.  Our families got along.  Four months after we met, and with her support, I finally quit that terrible job.  I have not regretted it for one moment.  I have said it before, but I don’t know if I would have had the confidence to quit if not for Jen.

We knew it was just a matter of time before we had to make it official.  We got engaged.  With six months to go before the wedding, I started noticing signs that something was wrong.  Jen and I loved played Nintendo Wii, and she was very competitive.  So was I!  When I noticed her spacing out during one of her favourite games, and having no memory of the previous few minutes, I knew it was time to call the doctor.  Jen, being the stubborn girl that I love, didn’t want to go, so I called her mom and dad.  She was diagnosed with epilepsy, which is what I had suspected.

So say this illness has changed our lives would be an understatement.  It would be safe to say that epilepsy has impacted every single aspect of our lives.

It’s only made us stronger, smarter, and more devoted.  Maybe we can’t go on movie dates like other couples, and sometimes the days get terribly stressful.  But here we are.  As committed as we were in that church, on that day in 2008.

I love my Jen.  Here’s to us!