#1059: Dear D

RECORD STORE TALES #1059: Dear D

 

Nine years ago, after the explosive finale of Record Store Tales where I revealed why I quit for the very first time, the fallout was pretty epic.  I had to end two friendships over it.  One of them sent me an email about it all, that I never read until today.  I was searching through my old email address, looking for unpublished Record Store Tales that I could use for something.  Boy did I find one.

The sender said that I wasn’t allowed to use his email for story content, so I’ll paraphrase.

This former Record Store employee seemed to be primarily upset about the fact that I wasn’t cool with the Record Store demanding that I keep my personal cell phone on 24/7.  I spoke to a lawyer; they can’t do that.  It’s funny how upset these guys were about that.  “Oh, your boss that you hated always kept her cell phone on 24/7.”  Yeah.  Because it was her work phone.  She didn’t pay for it.  She had to keep it on.  It was for work.  My phone was for getting lost on road trips into the GTA.  Came in handy a lot for that.

This sender also engaged in some one-upmanship.  “Oh if you think you had it bad, you should see what I see in my current field of work.”

Never was a competition, dude.  Although he seemed to like to make it one in a lot of his past comments.

“Oh wow, you had an alarm company call you at night?  I had one call me three times in one night.”

That kind of thing.  Competitive.

He loses all credibility by referring to Spoogecakes’ legendary hateful comment as as “constructive feedback”.  You be the judge.  Seriously?  Biased much?  No grip on reality?  If I had been the one to send that “feedback”, you’d be singing a different tune, Bub.

My nine-year belated response:

 

Hi D!  Long time no chat.  It appears that nine years ago, you sent me this email that I never read.  I stumbled upon it just now.

I can’t help but notice that both you and your buddy ignored the fact that my cell phone was my own personal phone, nothing to do with the Store, paid for by me, for my own personal use.  As you know, an employer can’t suddenly demand that you keep a personal cell phone on 24/7.  If I did not tell anyone that I had a cell phone, nobody could have called it, and nothing could have been done about it.  It would have been my personal secret.  The manager of our biggest store, Joe, did not have a cell phone at all, as you well know.  Why was that OK for him, but I had to leave my personal phone on 24/7?

You know all this because you’re an expert on such matters.  You didn’t have to consult a lawyer on such things, like I did.

It’s funny that both of you ignored that unethical behaviour from our old boss.  Wouldn’t have anything to do with her being your friend, would it?  She was at your wedding, as I recall.  Both you and your buddy’s weddings, in fact.  You wouldn’t have a bias here, would you?

Hope you’re well,

Mike

“Write a letter, you’ll feel better”

REVIEW: Gordon Lightfoot – Summertime Dream (1976)

GORDON LIGHTFOOT – Summertime Dream (1976 Reprise)

Immediately after Gord’s Gold provided Lightfoot fans with a collection of old and re-recorded hits, Gord made another one:  “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald“.  This mighty song dominated the radiowaves for years over all over the Great White North, arguably granting Lightfoot his most memorable song in his history.  His earlier material from Gord’s Gold and before might be considered the pinnacle of his album-making career, but Summertime Dream isn’t too shabby.

Opening with the musically upbeat “Race Among the Ruins”, but lyrically there is warning here.  “If you plan to face tomorrow, do it soon.”  Don’t let time pass you by.

The nautical disaster song “Edmund Fitzgerald” is second, a mostly historically accurate accounting (within reason) of a great lakes shipwreck.  The great lakes shipwreck.  The stinging guitar lick repeats while the harrowing lyrics induce chills.  Guitarist Terry Clements performed that unmistakable, haunting guitar part, the one that little Canadian kids were dying to learn how to play in their youths.  Did they have any idea they were recording such a timeless song when they were laying down the tracks?  Every feeling, every emotion, every creak of steel and wood can be absorbed through the grooves.  The way Lightfoot paints a picture with words, you feel as if were there. Gene Martynec, who played synth on Lou Reed’s Berlin album, provided light keyboard accents here. You’d miss them if they were gone.

A tender ballad, “I’m Not Supposed to Care”, gently caresses the soul with its light backdrop of pedal steel guitar.  Then, edgier electric guitars back up “I’d Do It Again”, a laid back groove with a country foundation and a rock veneer.  “Never Too Close” also shines with shimmery guitar melodies and a stunning chorus.  Then the somber “Protocol” is a war ballad ranging from days past to the Vietnam War.  “The House You Live In” showcases more pedal steel tones with a warm tune and laid back tempo.  The single “Summertime Dream” is upbeat and bright, recalling hot happy youthful days.  “Spanish Moss” is another lovely song, painting pictures of landscapes we’d like to see. Finally, “Too Many Clues In This Room” closes the album on a dark note, with lyrics aluding to both space and sea exploration.

Not Gordon’s most captivating album, but one without any skips, and one absolute monster of a song.

3.5/5 stars

Rest In Peace, Gordon Lightfoot (1939-2023)

When I saw Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. live for the first and only time about 15 years ago, I thought he was a goner!  He looked so thin and frail, and when he tripped over a cord onstage I feared, “Well, that’s it.”  The air went completely out of the room.  Fortunately and obviously it wasn’t the end, but it was also obvious that Lightfoot had been battling health issues.  His voice was thin and whispery; very different from those booming old 1960s folk records.

Gordon Lightfoot and I bonded over “Edmund Fitzgerald” like many others did.  The nautical theme struck a chord, and of course that guitar riff was unforgettable.

Even more than that unmistakable voice, Lightfoot might be better recognized for his songwriting.  “Early Morning Rain”, “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and “If You Could Read My Mind” are prime examples of perfect songwriting.  Elvis, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan all knew it.  That’s why they covered his songs.

Gordon Lightfoot will forever remain not just one of my favourite Canadian artists, but one of my favourite singers, period.  His lyrics will forever remain poems with dusty, buried layers of story that some of us will never even notice.  He educated me. Without Lightfoot I would have been ignorant of the name gichi-gumi, and possibly much of Canada’s history.  His records will be played infinitely.  He will live forever.

Rest in peace, Gordon Lightfoot.

Youtubin’: Davey 504 CRUSHES Watch Mojo’s “Top Ten Hardest Bass Riffs”

Weaksauce, Watch Mojo!  Weaksauce!  Never trust non-music people to come up with decent music lists.  Is that gatekeeping?  Damn right – and Davey 504 is the gatekeeper.  There were a couple songs that he considered worthy of the list…and many he just made mincemeat of.

Watch and learn.

 

Cottage Weekend! April 28-30 2023 at Lorne Beach

Not a lot to tell this weekend.  No speeding tickets (four cop cars though!) and no glasses burned in fires.  It was a quiet, simple weekend and the video tells the whole story.  Enjoy this rainy weekend at the lake.

Surprise! RSD and Japanese Import Magic with Harrison, Kevin, Rob Daniels, John T. Snow & Jen!

First cottage show is done for the record books!

Two surprise guests made this nice extra special:  John T. Snow of 2Loud2OldMusic, and my wife Jen!  Together with Harrison, Kevin and Rob, we looked at:

  • THE WEIRDEST CD WE HAVE EVER SEEN
  • Very rare Eric Carr and Van Halen RSD discs
  • Tons of blues!
  • Japanese imports!
  • Rare soundtracks!
  • Grab A Stack of Rock merch!
  • Van Halen bootlegs!
  • And as usual, we had “Ask Harrison” with Tee Bone Erickson and @marriedandheels.

Thanks for watching everyone!

It’s Friday Night, and Grab A Stack of Rock is Back with Harrison, Kevin, and Rob Daniels!

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK…with Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 18:  New Arrivals (and some books)

It’s finally that time.  First cottage show of the year!  We have been looking forward to this since November.

This week, we plan on looking at some new musical arrivals with Harrison, Rob Daniels and Kevin “Canadian Grooves” Simister.  I’ll have some books to go over, and of course, we have “Ask Harrison” with a question from the California Girl.

Notes:  This being the first cottage show of the season, please allow for —

  • Wifi/power issues
  • Weather/potential indoor show
  • Murphy’s Law

But the show must go on, and we hope it will!  Please allow for any difficulties that a cottage show in April may cause, especially the first one.  Who knows if the internet will work in the weather we are expecting.  If all goes well, see you then!

Friday Apr 28 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

 

#1058: I Love It Loud

RECORD STORE TALES #1058: I Love It Loud

Lately, after Grab A Stack of Rock on Friday nights, my wife and I have enjoyed watching old 80s music videos.  I’m not sure the program she watches – I’m not a TV guy – but they always have a lot of old videos that I remember from childhood, along with a bunch that I don’t.  Conversation ensues for a few solid hours, and it’s often the highlight of my week.

“Tears Are Falling” by Kiss is one video that runs semi-regularly.  I explained to my wife that I was 13 years old when that video came out, just discovering girls, and hot for the one in the Kiss video.  Then on will come an old Scorpions video, or Motley, or Priest, or Ozzy.  I’d laugh at all these images I used to take so seriously, and think were so cool!  But the songs…they still rock!

Skid Row, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi…all these definitive bands for my teen years.

On comes “I Can’t Drive 55” by Sammy Hagar and I’m splitting my sides, laughing in memories.  There is one specific shot.  The courtroom scene.  The judge is stamping “REVOKED” on Sammy’s driver’s license, in a big close up shot.  All you can see is two fingers on the stamp, it’s so close up.  My friend Allen Runstetler thought the two fingers looked like a bum.

“Is he stamping his license with his ass?”

Gotta laugh.  Wouldn’t put it past an 80s music video to do that, but it was just a hand!

They play a lot of Kix videos on Friday nights.  I was never a big Kix fan.  They actually play a lot of bands that I never got into, especially from 1990-91-92.  I was getting tired of hard rock and seeking heavier sounds like Testament.  Danger Danger and the like?  Just couldn’t get into ’em.  I wanted bands with stellar musicianship and less-silly lyrics by then.  A lot of the music I listened to wasn’t exactly respected in musicians’ circles, but could still play circles around the competition.  Winger had Reb Beach and Rod Morgenstein.  Mr. Big had Paul Gilbert and Common Knowledge.  Even Poison joined the upper echelon in 1993 with a stellar album featuring Richie Kotzen on guitar.  I wanted music that at least had a little bit of integrity.  I wasn’t hearing that so much in Danger Danger.

As the music videos come and go, I feel like I’m in highschool again.  Especially when they play “Sleeping My Day Away” by D-A-D!

“Oh my God Jen!  I was sitting in Bob Schipper’s basement when this video played on the Power Hour for the first time!” I marveled.  “Bob was obsessed with the two-string bass that they had!”  And together we’d rock out.  In 1989 with Bob, and in 2023 with Jen.  Fists still pumping.

When Jen and I first met, she didn’t know any of these songs.  She didn’t think she’d even like many of these songs.  Now she knows most of ’em by heart.  I’d like to consider that a job well done.  I’ll talk, and talk, and tell my stories, and for some reason, she loves it!  I’ll take that as a life win.

The Adventures of Tee Bone Man: Status Acoustic – The Really Big Deal (by Harrison Kopp)

THE ADVENTURES OF TEE BONE MAN Chapter 15:  Status Acoustic – The Really Big Deal

An empty hollowness filled Deke’s Palace. Ever since losing his guitar in battle against the Black Night (see Chapter 9 – Ed.), Tee Bone felt like a part of him was missing. And getting a replacement wasn’t as easy as you might think. You couldn’t just buy any old guitar and expect it to stand up to the power of Tee Bone’s playing. No sir, you needed something more robust. You needed to fortify it, or else it would likely crumble to pieces when Tee Bone tried to use it for anything more than a light strum.

Because, you see, when Tee Bone and Deke fell into that vat of radioactive Scotch, the liquid also infused the guitar with the power. But that Scotch was seemingly all gone- evaporated in the fire or soaked into the ground (which would explain the peculiar vegetation around the Palace). Though Tee Bone had a replacement guitar lined up, the search for Scotch was becoming a wild tribble chase.

Tee Bone was starting to get depressed, and had taken to moping around the palace with a bottle of regular scotch in hand. Once or twice he had tried submerging a guitar in the stuff to see if it would work, but that only made him sadder because of all the wasted Scotch.

But today things were about to change. A notification popped up on Deke’s computer: a message from The Brainiac.

“Hey Tee, I think we’ve got a lead on some radioactive Scotch. The Brainiac says he knows the one guy in the world who might still have a bottle of the stuff.”

Tee Bone instantly perked up.

“You know, I just remembered I needed to pick something up in Toronto too,” he grinned.

“I bet you did,” Deke replied with a smile. “I’ll let The Brainiac know we’re coming.”

A few days later, Deke and Tee Bone were in this strange land where albums released earlier than everywhere else. Or so that’s what they had been led to believe. Following The Brainiac’s directions they reached a small, weathered building. In peeling paint was the name Trillion Dollar Treats.

“This is the place”, Deke said, putting his phone back in his pocket.

They walked inside and were instantly confronted by shelf upon shelf of all manner of strange items, most of which they had never seen before in their lives. Some things were easy to identify, such as a jar of whiskey and a vintage Les Paul guitar, but others were completely undecipherable.

“What’s a belljar?”, Deke asked.

“Not what we’re after”, Tee Bone said, hurrying him along.

Emerging from the aisle, they sighted The Brainiac by the counter.

“Tee! Deke! Glad you could make it. It’s great to see you,” he called out.

“Totally. It’s been too long.” Tee Bone said, “You wouldn’t believe what we’ve got up to since that night in Thunder Bay.”

“I’m sure it’ll be a hell of a story,” the Brainiac smiled.

“You bet. We even got all the way out to Australia,” Deke chimed in.

“Oh it would be like hell there,” the Brainiac replied thinking of summer.

“Actually, hell’s a bit different. You see…”

But before Tee Bone could continue the front door swung open and a long haired man with a leather jacket and pants visibly scuffed from all the rock star slides strode in.

“This would be the man,” the Brainiac said. “Gentlemen, meet Max the Axe.”

Max greeted the trio.

“Hey guys, always happy to see some more potential customers. I take it these are the guys you told me about Mike?”

“Yep,” the Brainiac replied. “This is Deke and Tee Bone.”

Max shook our heroes’ hands and then put his arms around their shoulders.

“Say, you guys wouldn’t be interested in some authentic space marine blasters would ya?”

“Max,” the Brainiac chided before Tee Bone could ask him exactly where he got such items from. “You know why they’re here.”

“Right, right”, he said, walking to behind the counter and dumping a bag of assorted items out. “But first, you wouldn’t be able to tell what any of this is would you?”

The Braniac studied the items.

“Well that was a THX-1138 targeting computer, but the screen’s broken so it’s not much use.”

“Can you fix it?” Max asked.

“I can replace the screen but not with anything military grade enough to justify the price you’d ask.”

Max glumly tossed the piece of machinery to the Brainiac.

“All yours then.”

Deke was in heaven.

“Your collection is very impressive. I know a guy who’d like to get his hands on a lot of this stuff,” he said, with a wink to Tee Bone.

“Oh you mean Satan?” Max replied. “Yeah, he and I have had some altercations in the past. Needless to say he doesn’t come around here no more.”

“Really?” Tee Bone said, quite impressed and genuinely interested. “How did you manage to come to that arrangement?”

Max pulled a heavy guitar out from behind the counter and laid it down with a thud. It had a large blade on each end of the body.

“Ah,” Tee Bone said, noticing the parademon heads mounted on the wall above them.

“Now Mike tells me you were after a bottle of radioactive Scotch. Hypothetically, if I happened to have one, what would you use it for?”

Tee Bone and Deke looked at one another.

“We need to get Tee Bone his super-powered guitar back,” Deke said after a pause.

“Just checking it’s you,” Max said, unlocking a mystical safe behind the counter.

Soon Max had the bottle in his hand and was carefully handing it to Tee Bone.

“How did you come by this?” Tee Bone whispered, his eyes wide.

“I bought it at one of William W. Roderick Stewart III’s garage sales. This stuff’s like liquid gold, you know?”

Tee Bone took a step back in awe. Deke rubbed his temples in frustration. Of course Stewart would just sell the most valuable liquid in the world at a garage sale.

“How much for it” Tee Bone asked, his voice hollow.

Max smiled.

“Any friend of the Brainiac is a friend of me. I know who you guys are. You can have it free of charge on one condition- I’m going on an expedition to South America next month to recover some ancient artefacts, so I’ll need you guys to keep an eye on the shop during your patrols.”

“Done. Thank you,” Tee Bone replied instantly.

“The Brainiac will be running the store while I’m gone,” Max continued “so if you need to get a message to me about anything, just let him know and he’ll pass it on.”

“Will do,” Deke nodded.

“And feel free to drop in anytime,” the Brainiac added.

“You can count on it,” Tee Bone replied as the heroes exited the building.

“Hey, you guys wouldn’t be interested in a tape deck as well, would you?” Max yelled after them.

Back in the palace, Tee Bone had just finished soaking the guitar in the radioactive Scotch. Tenderly picking it up, he weighed it in his hands.

“How is it?” Deke asked.

Tee Bone struck a power chord that surged through the room. Every little piece of dust around was picked up and neatly guided itself into the trash can at the end of the room.

“It’s perfect!” he said.

 

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

Chapter Zero:  Tee Bone Man – Origins (by LeBrain)

Chapter One: A Friend in Need (by LeBrain)

Chapter Two: Hell Freezes Over (by Harrison Kopp)

Chapter Three: Hell Ain’t A Bad Place to Be (by LeBrain)

Chapter Four: Tee Bone Man and the Rink of…Doom? (by Aaron KMA)

Chapter Five: The Super Duper Vault (by John T. Snow)

Chapter Six: Tee Bone Man Goes to Camp (by LeBrain)

Chapter Seven:  The Revenge of Common Knowledge (by LeBrain)

Chapter Eight:  Tee Bone & Deke’s Time Travelling Adventure (by 80sMetalMan)

Chapter Nine:  Castle Communications (by Harrison Kopp)

Chapter Ten:  The Case of the Lost Iron Maiden Socks (by LeBrain)

Chapter Eleven:  A Tee Bone Man Christmas (by all five of us)

Chapter Twelve:  Lost In Space (by John T. Snow)

Chapter Thirteen:  Clip Show (by LeBrain)

Chapter Fourteen:  Tee Bone Man and Superdekes Discover the Tao (An Intermission) (By Aaron KMA)

Chapter Fifteen: Status Acoustic – The Really Big Deal (by Harrison Kopp)

Chapter Sixteen:  A Crazy Crazy Night (parts 1, 2 and 3) (by Harrison Kopp) Coming this spring

Chapter Seventeen:  Tee Bone Man vs. Edie Van Heelin’ (by LeBrain & California Girl) Coming this summer – conclusion to Phase One

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

Chapter Eighteen:  Shinzon – Origins (By LeBrain)

 

THE WRITER’S ROOM

The Writer’s Room: Chapter One

The Writer’s Room:  It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like a Tee Bone Man Christmas

The Writer’s Room:  Welcome to the Writer’s Room!

 

 

THE ADVENTURES OF EDIE VAN HEELIN’

The Adventures of Edie Van Heelin’:  Edie vs. Tommy Lee in the Bouncy Castle of Doom! (By LeBrain)

The Adventures of Edie Van Heelin’:  Edie and the Quest for the Lost Lego (By LeBrain with Harrison Kopp)

The Adventures of Edie Van Heelin’:  Edie Van Heelin’s Canadian Vacation (By LeBrain)

The Adventures of Edie Van Heelin’:  Edie Van Heelin’s Canadian Vacation Part 2 (By LeBrain & California Girl)

The Adventures of Edie Van Heelin’:  Edie Meets the Wolf (by LeBrain)