RECORD STORE TALES MkII: Getting More Tale #364: Greatest Hits
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, greatest hits records have been around for as long as rock and roll has. Elvis’ Golden Records, one of the most famous early greatest hits albums from 1958, has sold over 6 million copies. Some believe it to be the very first greatest hits album, ever. Elvis only had four albums out at that point, one of them a Christmas record. It was a selection of Elvis’ single A’s and B’s, and its success meant that it would be followed by many sequels. (Interestingly, five hits on it were composed by the duo of Lieber and Stoller!)
A couple decades later, the Eagles released their best selling album of all time. Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) has sold over 42 million copies to date, and is the third highest selling album in history. Not long after, Aerosmith released their first Greatest Hits, a collection of single edits and radio versions of their best songs, and one non-album track (“Come Together”, from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band soundtrack). It has sold over 11 million copies.
These releases, and many more, have made greatest hits discs a lucrative cash cow for record labels. On it on it goes; you’re not a success until you’ve released your first greatest hits disc. Some bands have always resisted releasing collections of pre-existing music, others have not put such value in their integrity. Hits albums are usually looked at with disdain by the die-hards and “purists”, but make an easy gateway purchase for people not (yet) interested in the discography.
Why do die-hard fans look down on hits albums so much?
1. A more recent practice from the 1980’s and 1990’s was to include two or three new songs, forcing fans to buy old songs over again just to get the new ones. It’s such a common practice now that it’s expected, but we still resent it.
2. Live versions. Even if we choose to buy or listen to a greatest hits album, a lot of the time the familiar original versions are replaced with inferior live ones. Casual music listeners don’t usually seek live versions, and die hard fans usually already have the live albums. It just serves to make the listening experience less than it should be.
3. While it is certainly not a rule, for the kind of music we listen to, a studio album is often a self contained work, not just a collection of songs. There is usually a direction and purpose for the songs. Listening to songs out of their intended context doesn’t always work, but nine times out of ten, they are best appreciated on the original album.
4. Who else but a die-hard fan would be a better self-proclaimed expert to criticize the song selections on a “greatest hits”?
5. Artistic non-involvement. Few hits albums have any input from the artists themselves. Without the artist contributing, a greatest hits becomes just another product assembled by record company suits, most of the time.
6. Cash grab. Many greatest hits album stink of the whiff of “record company cash-grab”, usually at opportune times.
7. Snob attitude. “Don’t buy the greatest hits! Just buy all the albums!”
GUNS N’ ROSES – New York, New York (Live at the Ritz 1988 – FM Radio Broadcast, Gossip)
‘Twas Scott who alerted me to the release of this classic Guns N’ Roses concert on CD. A few tracks from the gig are missing, most notably “Shadow of Your Love”, but most of what I remember seeing on MuchMusic back in the 80’s is intact. Although I do not recall seeing “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” on the TV version, I used to love this concert. I watched it over and over. I had seen it over half a dozen times before I even bought Appetite for Destruction. I dubbed an audio version to cassette, before my buddy T-Rev recorded the entire show for me later on. I used to know these versions better than the originals. It’s a pleasure to finally have them on CD.
Remember the sound of the guitars being picked up in the darkness before Duff’s opening bassline to “It’s So Easy”? I don’t think I’d seen a band on TV before who seemed so…dangerous. The sound of Duff singing the backing vocals are another element I distinctly remember. Axl could get pretty mobile on stage, and his vocals often fell apart mid-sentence, while Duff held it all together. He was Guns’ secret weapon, Duff McKagan. Up next in the spotlight is Slash with those chugging, scraping guitars on “Mr. Brownstone”. Axl then delivers his first classic monologue of the evening:
“I don’t know what by chance the television audience will see…what anyone will see…but what we’ll see tonight…is that we wanna dedicate this song to the people who try to hold you back! The people that tell you how to live! People that tell you how to dress! People that tell you how to talk! People that tell you what you can say and what you can’t say. I personally don’t need that! Those are the kind of people that been getting me down. They make me feel like somebody…somebody out there….is ‘Out Ta Get Me’!”
Funny story about this song. I had a highschool buddy named Anand who was the first kid I knew in our class to get Appetite. Anand had strict parents. One day he was down in the basement studying, rocking out to Appetite. His little brother strolled in during his homework, and kept coming around to bug him. He hung around long enough to learn the words to some songs, and returned upstairs to his parents singing, “They’re out to get me! I’m fucking innocent!” Anand got grounded.
Needless to say the chorus to this amazing song was beeped when I first saw it on TV. I loved it anyway. That Izzy Stradlin riff kicks it classic-style, while Duff once again holds down the backing vocals. Slash is shambolic, losing control several times but always pulling it back together, cig in mouth the whole time. I love this one big sour chord he hits at 2:25 into the song. If I remember he almost fell at that moment in the show; the audience were pulling at his guitar, but all you can hear is this big awful chord. Then it happens again at 3:00! And again at 3:10! The whole solo is a fucking disaster, and that must have been fun for the people in the front row. Guns N’ Roses were so in the face of the crowd that there was constant physical contact. That’s a fucking concert.
“Sweet Child” comes early in the set, and obviously it’s not nearly as sweet as the album version, and Axl’s hoarse. Still, Axl hoarse in 1988 is something very different from 2014, and it sounds great to these ears. “My Michelle” is credited on the back cover as written by Rose and “Stardlin”, making obvious that this is not an official release. I hope Izzy Stardlin gets paid his due royalties. The band get more and more reckless/loose/inebriated as the concert goes on. Again it’s McKagan who seems to be holding it together and cheerleading from behind.
A very intense version of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” follows which I am less familiar with because it didn’t make the TV version I had seen. Axl dedicates this to a friend named Todd who had “danced a little bit too hard with Mr. Brownstone”. Needless to say, it’s very cool hearing this song played by the classic five piece lineup. With Steven Adler on drums, it’s more to the point. The arrangement is slightly different than what you know from the Use Your Illusion I album, but it still has the slow singalong part that later evolved into the “reggae” section that they were known to play live later on. Axl was a charismatic frontman and this was his moment to show off his power over an audience.
His next introduction was another memorable one:
“About five or six years ago I hitchhiked here, and ended up stuck out…in the middle of this place. Climbed up out of the freeway, and this little old black man comes up to me and my friend with our backpacks and about ten bucks between us…and he goes, ‘You know where you are?! You in the jungle, baby! You’re gonna die!’ That’s a true story, that ain’t no lie. So ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, rats!”
This was the only tune of theirs that I knew really well back in early ’88. It is played tight, possibly the only song of the night that is. There’s magic in hearing this lineup play this song, their song. And speaking of them, I always enjoy Axl’s band introductions: Mr. Duff “Rose” McKagan on bass guitar. Mr. Steven “Popcorn” Adler on the drums. Mr. Izzy Stradlin on the white guitar. Axl says he and Izzy have been together for 13 years. He saves the most recognizable member for last:
“And last, but definitely not least…in a world that he did not create, but he will go through it as if it was his own making…half man, half beast…I’m not sure what it is, but whatever it is, it’s weird and it’s pissed off and it calls itself Slash.”
Slash then introduces a song about “a walk in the park”, called “Nightrain”. Of the songs they played that night I thought “Nightrain” was a little less than great. It always seems to be the one I wait to finish. Then, Slash opens “Paradise City” with a little surf rock guitar before the classic opening lick. This is the song where things got a little out of control for W. Axl Rose. Doing his trademark slinky snake dance, he got a little too close to the crowd and was pulled in. The band kept on playing and Slash took an extended solo, but you can see Axl trying to climb out. Security finally pulled him up, and then you can see Axl getting his bearings and checking himself over. His shirt and several pieces of jewelry were ripped off, but as soon as Axl sees that he is OK, he resumes snake dancing and finishes the song! Slash’s solo during Axl’s “down time” remains a show highlight, as does Axl’s quick recovery!
For encores you get Aerosmith’s “Mama Kin” (dedicated to Steven Tyler) and “Rocket Queen”. The former is fast and tight, and the latter is epic and ominous. It is a natural closer, especially with Slash’s extended soloing. Axl delivers the closing in full-on ragged scream mode, as it should be.
I’m very glad to have this time capsule of a concert in my CD collection. Highly recommended.
Today’s subect: Continuing our Nickelback discussion, Tyler and I turn to a controversial comparison: Do Nickelback and Monster Truck sound the same? Listen to what we have to say, and leave your thoughts in the comments. Enjoy.
*NOTE: I got the name of the Fu Manchu song and album wrong. It’s “Saturn III” from The Action Is Go.
Welcome to theWeek of EPs! No sooner do I finish the Record Stores Tales before I’m off on yet another series! Each day this week, I’ll be checking out a variety of EP releases, both famed and obscure. Let’s start with a major band: Aerosmith.
AEROSMITH – The Other Side (1990 Geffen EP)
The first time I bought this, it was on cassette in a mall in Calgary, Alberta in August of 1990. I also bought Judas Priest’s Hero Hero at the same store, also on cassette. A completist even then, there was no way I was leaving without The Other Side. Of all my finds on that trip, this one I had never seen before. I later replaced it on CD while working at the Record Store.
The Pump CD is a great album, probably my favourite. The two songs from Pump that are on this single are “My Girl” and “The Other Side”, neither of which are really as great as the rest of Pump. That’s in my opinion; “The Other Side” was a popular hit. Notably, “The Other Side” lacks its intro, “Dulcimer Stomp” which may make it interesting for some.
The CD also has two useless remixes of “The Other Side”. The “Matt Dike ‘Honky Tonk’ Version” is just as offensive as the “Club Mix”. Maybe the Matt Dike version is slightly less offensive, but the added backing vocals and dance vibe is just crap. Neither mix adds anything of value to the song, but they are dragged out to 5:09 (Matt Dike mix) and an agonizing 7:04 (Club mix).
The main track that I bought the disc for was “Theme from ‘Wayne’s World'”. I actually had no idea what Wayne’s World was, although my cousin Geoff apparently did. Back then, I wondered what the hell this was. There were no liner notes to help either. This track is a mere 1:29, and it’s a straight up recording of the Saturday Night Live performance by Aerosmith of that song. I didn’t give a shit, I love it now. Perfect filler for the end of a mix CD!
Since this CD consists of two album tracks, two pointless remixes and a 1:29 song, you must be sure not to pay too much for it. As a kid I rarely played it, and the same can be said of the adult version of me.
It’s the regular feature where I reveal weird search terms that somehow led people here. These are the WTF Search Terms!
WTF Search Terms XIX: Heavy Porn Metal edition
There seem to be two clear majorities in search terms categories that I get here: Heavy metal and porn. Here are 10 new ones for your perusal. (For the last WTF installment, A Mixture of Elements edition, click here.)
10. geoff tate ruined queensryche (No argument from me.)
9.porn right motley crue shout at the devil (2 hits.)
8.blaze bayley implant crane (I have no idea what this guy’s looking for.)
7.rock shemale heavy metal ass pics
6. joe perry journey (Wrong band.)
5.why was bobby dall arrested in your mama dont dancs video (You know, I have wondered this ever since that video came out. I have no idea. Anybody?)
3.sebastian bach model trains (I love that Trailer Park Boys have turned this into a common urban myth that has come up in my search terms repeatedly!)
2.how much is my 1993 aerosmith get a grip cd worth(50 cents, big spender!)
1.why does peter criss have a huge bass drum (Maybe you’re thinking of Tommy Lee?)
T-Rev, Wes, Doug and I had a great time at the Toronto Musical Collectibles Record & CD Sale 2014. Trevor came home with some kind of Asian import of Foo Fighters’ In Your Honor with at least a dozen bonus tracks. He also scored a cool silver Grand Funk LP with a round cover. Wes stocked up on Tom Petty vinyl.
My treasures are below. Let’s start with the Japanese imports! Yes, the same vendor was there. I probably cleared out his best stuff last year, but he still had some good ones left for me.
Japanese imports purchased:
Ozzy Osbourne – Under Cover($25 with obi strip intact) I am well on record as not being a fan of this album. But it’s one of only two Ozzy albums that I didn’t own. Finding a Japanese version made it easy to justify for my collection. The bonus track is “Changes” with Kelly Osbourne, but I had that already on the Prince of Darkness box set. This comes with a region 2 DVD.
Europe – Start From the Dark (sealed, $20) I already had this album as a bonus CD within Europe’s Live From the Dark DVD set. The Japanese get two live tracks from Sweden Rock 2004: “Seven Doors Hotel” and “Wings Of Tomorrow”.
White Wolf – Endangered Species (sealed, $20) Last year I bought Standing Alone on vinyl, this year I got Endangered Species! I always liked that song “She.” There are no bonus tracks on it but it’s so hard to find this on CD at all, let alone Japanese.
Paul Gilbert – Get Out of My Yard (sealed, $20) I’ve long been a fan of Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big), and he’s a cult hero in Japan. I know his solo stuff is pretty out there. Although I have tracks of his on guitar compilations, this is the first solo album of his that I have found.
Aerosmith – “Pink” (sealed CD single, $15) In Record Store Tales Part 42, I made fun of the “Barefoot DJ” because he was looking for this Aerosmith dud. Regardless, I’m probably most excited about this CD. If there’s one thing rarer than Japanese CDs, it might be Japanese CD singles. They’re produced in even more limited number. I won’t get all the B-sides for “Pink” on this CD single, but it has plenty of tracks that I believe are exclusive to this disc.
Aerosmith – “Amazing” (CD single, $5 with obi strip intact) I had a domestic copy of this CD with the exact same tracks, just in a different order. I wasn’t sure if I had it or not when I bought it, but for $5 I figured it’s still a win-win situation. It’s in mint condition and I paid a fair price for it.
Other CDs purchased:
Anthrax – We’ve Come For You All (sealed German import, $10) I’ve always wanted this album, and I always promised myself I’d get it if I found an import with bonus tracks for a good price. I have done that now.
Deep Purple – Smoke On My Mega-mix ($5) This is a bootleg. I bought this from the same guy who sold me the Aerosmith “Amazing” single. Years and years ago, there was a Deep Purple compilation LP called Anthology. If you bought that and four other singles, you could mail away for a “Smoke On My Mega-mix” exclusive single. This bootleg has that track, and a whole bunch of other rarities. One such track is Deep Purple Mk V’s “Fire, Ice & Dynamite” which is only on a DVD called New, Live & Rare.
Iron Maiden – Revenge Is Living In the Past (bootleg from A Matter of Life and Death tour, $40) This is a beautifully packaged triple-gatefold live bootleg. One of the few recent tours that Maiden have not released a live album from was A Matter of Life and Death. On that tour, they played the whole album live, and now I have it. It’s really nicely packaged and I’m looking forward to listening to it soon.
One funny story: At record shows, you always find vendors who “know it all”. T-Rev found a CD copy of Kim Mitchell’s self-titled solo EP for $5, but it was burned. Trevor asked, “Do you have the original CD of this? Because if you do, I will buy it.” The vendor swore up and down that no such CD exists. Trevor said, “Yes it does, my buddy has it.” He’s right, because I am that buddy. Here are pictures of my copy of that EP; Amazon are asking over $100 for it, since it went out of print. Photographic proof that it exists below (Wounded Bird CD edition):
Here’s a list of the next bunch of shows. Attendance is pending funds:
London, April 18 2014 (Centennial Hall, 550 Wellington St.)
Cambridge, April 27 2014 (Holiday Inn, 200 Holiday Inn Dr.)
Woodstock, (Nostalgia Show & Sale), May 25 2014 (Woodstock Fairgrounds, 875 Nellis St.)
Ancaster, (Nostalgia Show & Sale), June 22 2014 (Ancaster Fairgrounds, 630 Trinity Rd.)
Mississauga, October 19 2014 (Capitol Cenvention Centre, 6435 Dixie Rd.)
London, October 26 2014 (Centennial Hall, 550 Wellington St.)
All four of us had a blast. In the car, Wes commented, “I don’t think I’ve ever had musical conversations like this before!” Then, I found something out. Last year, Wes gave me a copy of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” He did this on condition that I rip and email him the tracks. I did that as soon as I got home, only I sent them via Trevor, since I didn’t have Wes’ email.
Wes said he never got them. “I emailed the tracks like a year ago,” I replied. I explained that Trevor instructed to just send them to him, and he’d forward them along. That never happened. Wes said, “All this time I thought it was Ladano’s fault, turns out it’s my friend right here!” and points at Trevor.
This is turning into an annual event. We might make it semi-annual by checking out the October show. I’ll be sure to be you posted!
AEROSMITH – Devil’s Got A New Disguise – The Very Best of Aerosmith (2006 Sony BMG)
Aren’t contracts a bitch? Aerosmith thinks so too. Eager to complete their contract with Sony, but sidelined by Tom Hamilton’s throat cancer, the band chose to release yet another greatest hits album. This being their third since the release of their last original studio album, Just Push Play.
Devil’s Got A New Disguise is nice in one respect. It’s one of only a few compilations that covers the “old days”, the 80’s, and the 90’s. It also contains a number of single versions that aren’t on the studio albums. There have been so many Aero-collections, however, that I’ve lost track of where else you can get these single versions.
From the early days, only five songs are included, from three albums. It’s a shame that somebody thought this was a good idea. Where’s “Same Old Song and Dance”? Then the Run DMC hit collaboration “Walk This Way” is up, in its familiar single edit. The Geffen years follow, which were chock full of hit after hit after hit. I am so, so sick of the Geffen years from sheer overplay, although “Angel” is conspicuous by its absence. (It is on the UK version of Devil’s Got A New Disguise, which had five different songs.)
The rarities here include single edits and remixes. “What It Takes” (one of the songs I’m not sick of) is present in edited and remixed form, the same version you probably heard on the radio. “Crazy” and “Livin’ On the Edge” are also single edits, and a “pop mix” of “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” is included. Whoopee! I really don’t know if I had these already or not, to be honest. I have a lot of Aero-singles.
The bait to buy this is two new songs: “Sedona Sunrise”, and “Devil’s Got a New Disguise”. Both are actually songs that were written 15 years prior for Pump, and reworked several times, so you can’t even accuse Aerosmith of writing new songs. Since “Devil’s Got A New Disguise” (formerly known as “Susie Q”) failed to make Pump, Get A Grip, Nine Lives, Just Push Play, or any of the hits albums featuring two news songs previous to this one (Big Ones and O, Yeah!), then you know it can’t be very good. And it’s not. The modern production on it is shit. “Sedona Sunrise”, a soft one, is a bit better.
For your money, a better Aerosmith compilation with the exact same span of coverage but with two CDs of music is O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits. It too had its own duo of new songs, more classics and double the playing time.
BLACK SABBATH – Live…Gathered In Their Masses (2013 CD/DVD/Blu-ray box set)
Any time a classic rock band releases new music and goes back on tour, there has to be a live album to go with it these days. Actually, to be more accurate in the current age it’s more likely to be some kind of CD/DVD combo pack. This deluxe of Live…Gathered In Their Masses contains 1 CD, 1 Blu-ray, and 2 DVDs.
The visual program opens with a collage of pre-gig ritiual. The band arrive, and get ready in their own dressing rooms, the cameras offering a brief intimate glimpse. Before too long, the air raid sirens of “War Pigs” brings us to the stage. The Blu-ray looks absolutely gorgeous. Every line on every face is visible, every grain on Tony’s Gibson SG, and the stage is gorgeously lit. It’s a beautiful disc to watch in 1080p. I couldn’t help myself; I sat there playing air drums, and putting my hands in the air when Ozzy commanded. It was fun!
Ozzy hops about, but most exciting visually is unofficial member Tommy Clufetos. I wonder if it’s intentional, but he definitely resembles a young Bill Ward circa 1976 (as long as he keeps his shirt on). And Tony? He smiles, a lot. You would too if you’ve been through what he has I imagine! Ozzy’s already dumped a bucket of water over his head before they get to the second song, a sludgy “Into the Void”. I think the temptation is often to play this song a little faster live, but this version is very much in pace with the deliberately slow original.
My cell phone ring tone these days is that riff from “Loner”, one of the best songs from 13. Unfortunately, the fact that this is a new song means Ozzy’s rivited to one place on stage, concentrating on the words, glancing at the floor. Even so, Ozzy remains a mesmerizing presence. Another bucket of water, and Ozzy’s the cheeleading frontman again. The bonus interview on the disc, by the way, reveals why Ozzy really douses himself in water! (You probably don’t want to know.) “Snowblind” then erupts, Ozzy hitting the high notes with cracking but real voice! (That’s the part that counts.) Tony’s extended guitar solo is a stunner in itself.
The rain and tolling bells of “Black Sabbath” sound great on blu-ray, though I was hoping to hear more stuff going on behind me in the 5.1 mix. “Black Sabbath” is the standard workout, no surprises here. Likewise, “N.I.B.” is very much the traditional Sabbath version, even down to each note of Tony’s solo. Ozzy somehow manages to still be menacing behind the mic. “Methademic” is one of the new songs again, but oddly it’s a only bonus track on the deluxe versions of 13. This is a song that resembles Dio-era Sabbath and would have sounded at home on Dehumanizer or The Devil You Know. With Ozzy behind the mic, it’s still classic Sabbath. I think it’s a great number, only weakened live by Ozzy struggling through the wordy lyrics.
Oz doesn’t seem to have trouble with the old favourite “Fairies Wear Boots”. His wail of “Allllllright now!” looms, and out comes the water again! “Symptom Of the Universe” then stomps on the stage. This is the song that Clufetos can really sink his chops in. He’s obviously not Bill Ward, but I like his interpretation of Bill’s parts. They’re as close to the mark as any other Sabbath drummer’s parts, if not more. Tommy gets an extended drum solo too, during “Symptom”, not bad for an unofficial member! Mrs. LeBrain called the solo “Sweet!”
A drum solo naturally suits “Iron Man” to segue into. “Iron Man” is wooden, Clufetos unable to cop Bill Ward’s loose feel. It’s still “Iron Man”, a song Black Sabbath have probably played live at every show since ’72, but it’s not definitive. Only when the song gets up to speed does it become the beast it should be. Another new song, the deliberately vintage sounding “End of the Beginning” takes over, but it’s not the song I would have chosen to play at this point of the set. Not only is it too similar to “Black Sabbath” but it slows the set down too much so close to the end. It does pick up, but I feel it would have worked better closer to the start of the show.
Ozzy then teases out that they will only play one more song, unless the crowd goes “extra crazy”. This “final” song is the storming “Children of the Grave.” The audience bounces like a wave in sync with the classic tune, led by an energized Ozzy. I detected some clever editing here to make it appear that Ozzy is jumping around more than he actually is, but that’s video. One pretty thing about this song is the appearance of Tony’s old cream Gibson SG, paint cracked and chipping. Blu-ray allows you to see every scratch in the paint.
The crowd goes “extra crazy” and then Ozzy says they’ll play one more song. It’s “God Is Dead?”, the excellent first single from 13. Clufetos nails the stuttering drum roll, but Ozzy’s back to reading lyrics off the floor, which is distracting. But does anyone actually believe it is the last song; that they won’t play “Paranoid”? Of course they play it, and the riff from “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” too. It’s the quintessential closer, ending the concert as a party, not a session of pure doom! Clufetos and Ozzy are quite animated on “Paranoid”, and of course Ozzy reminds the crowd that they are “number one”! I just wish Tommy would pull up his pants. Fuck, I wish I could fit into that size!
The DVD and Blu-ray versions contain three bonus tracks. “Under the Sun” is a nice one to pull out of the hat. Ozzy handles the difficult vocals without issue. How does he do it? You can hear his voice cracking from time to time; it sounds live. “Dirty Women” is a personal favourite of mine. This is an interesting version. It’s the one that Spotify have as their own exclusive bonus track to 13. I already had an audio copy of this bonus track, but Blu-ray is cool, too. It’s a damn great rendition of a lost classic from Technical Ecstasy. “Electric Funeral” is the big surprise, a song I don’t think I’ve ever heard played live. Ozzy really struggles with the words on “Electric Funeral” but it’s a treat.
Elsewhere on the disc, there are more bonus features. I have to say the Blu-ray menu is an annoying, repeating tolling bell. Leaving the menu running unattended for more than 60 seconds is an excersize in testing your patience. In the bonus features, the Sabbath interview is typically low key. You know what to expect: a difficult to understand Ozzy, and a soft spoken Tony, with occasional comments from Geezer. There’s not too much here in the way of revelations. Vegetable juice and food have replaced vodka and a line before the show, although Geezer still drinks wine. How scandalous! I don’t know who the interviewer is, but he’s very good at getting the band involved and in good humour.
Lastly there’s a feature called “Show Day”. This is a behind the scenes look at the goings-on in the 24 hours before the show in Melbourne. I love it!
Ozzy: “You know what I was looking at, the old re-runs of the Twilight Zone.”
Geezer:“You told me that about 40 times.”
Ozzy: “Sorry. Trying to make conversation.”
Tony: (Laughs.)
Even Joe Perry and Steven Tyler show up backstage. I enjoy watching Joe and Tony chatting…what a meeting of guitar greats in one room.
The packaging for this box set is loaded with goodies. I always enjoy some complimentary guitar picks. There’s one here from Tony, and one from Geezer. There’s also a replica concert ticket, setlist, and a small poster. Nothing to get too excited about, but when you buy an expensive box set it’s nice to get these added touches as a bonus. There’s also two DVDs included with the same content as Blu-ray. That’s extraneous to me, I may never play them, so they’re sealed. I don’t have a problem with that, but I do wish they didn’t edit the CD version of the concert down to fit on one CD. I’m pleased that the CD version contains all the new songs, but for the price of this set relative to the cheap cost of a CD, I don’t know why they couldn’t just make it a 2 CD set. That part is disappointing. When I buy a deluxe edition, I want the whole thing on CD.
That niggle aside, Black Sabbath Live…Gathered In Their Masses is worth:
AEROSMITH – Permanent Vacation (1987 Geffen, Japanese import)
Ahh, the much-ballyhooed Permanent Vacation! Granted, it was a step up from previous two studio albums (Done With Mirrors and Rock in a Hard Place) but it’s nothing compared to Toys or even Draw The Line. This is the birth or the new pop Aerosmith, the Aerosmith guided by David Geffen and John Kalodner. This is the new Jim Vallance and Bruce Fairbairn Aerosmith. On the whole, it’s not bad and it sure was a big hit in the late 80’s. But let’s be fair — if Aerosmith had come out with Rocks in 1987, would it have gotten airplay? Of course not – Rocks was far removed from what was happening in 1987. This was Aerosmith in survival mode, employing outside writers, the biggest producers, and going for broke. If we’d known back then that Aerosmith would never be able to return to their old school ass-kicking rock and roll (aside from the awesome Pump of course), I think we would have been a lot less excited.
“Heart’s Done Time”, the opener, ain’t bad. In fact it’s one of the best tunes, Joey’s traps reminding us that this was still Aerosmith. The song has some rock to it, while remaining accessible. The next track, “Magic Touch” is more of the same: strong chorus, fairly hard rocking guitars and drums. I prefer both songs to the well-known hits. Then it’s “Rag Doll”. Damn, I’m so sick of that song. I never liked it even when it was new. I think it’s filler. I’m glad for them that it was a huge hit, but I never felt the need to put it on a mix tape.
This is followed by some filler, “Simoriah”, one of the many tunes on this album that were never played live (Joe Perry’s big beef with the album is that half of it wasn’t played live). “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” is probably the most overplayed singles of Aero-history. I know it’s a huge hit, but come on…the Aero of old never would have written this. However it’s the kind of Aerosmith song that people today know, therefore, people want to have it. Shame it’s not “Coney Island Whitefish Boy”….
“St. John” – more filler! “Hangman’s Jury” is good though, a nice bluesy swampy acoustic number. This is the kind of thing from Aerosmith’s roots and it comes off as the most sincere. This is followed by “Girl Keeps Coming Apart”, a song which, aside from some killer playing by the boys in the backline, is skip-worthy. The song keeps falling apart! Up next is the last of the singles, “Angel”, a song which I actually like a lot. I like the lush production; I love the choruses, the verses, and the guitar solo. I think this song is still pretty excellent.
The title track is next, a catchy number with no outside writers, and co-written by Brad Whitford. This is proof that Aerosmith are at their best when they are just five guys writing and playing together. There’s some embellishment with jungle noises and tropical sounds, but the song is a winner. Another winner is the Beatles cover “I’m Down”, but I don’t know why they needed to pad an already long album with a cover. Still, totally listenable. The final track is a lame instrumental called “The Movie”. Honestly, most Aerosmith instrumentals are boring. They’re just not that kind of band. This ends the album on a decidedly dull note.
I give the band credit for sobering up, and working hard on this album. Fairbairn (rest in peace) was known as a bit of a taskmaster, he made his bands work hard, and I’m sure Kalodner did too. I think that they were so intent on a charting hit that they lost sight of the roots of Aerosmith. Songs like “No Surprize” or “Nobody’s Fault” sound like a completely different group of guys than the band on Permanent Vacation. As a result, I rarely play this album today. After all, when I can’t turn on the radio without hearing “Dude” and “Rag Doll”, why would I want to?
AEROSMITH – “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” (1987 Geffen 12″ single)
There was an old Canadian magazine called Music Express that was…well, it was OK. Back in 1987 they did a spread on the new Aerosmith (Permanent Vacation), including a really cool caricature of Steven Tyler that I cut out and kept. This Aerosmith article contained what I now consider to be a myth, although one that led me on a wild goose chase for years.
Music Express
The magazine claimed that one of the new Aerosmith B-sides was a song called “Once is Enough”, a collaboration with Willie Nelson. Not only did I believe this to be true, but it was seemingly confirmed by an old customer of mine who insisted she had this Willie Nelson tune. Now I’ve finally acquired the “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” 12″ single with “Once is Enough”, and there is absolutely no indication that Nelson had anything to do with it. I wonder if the confused writer thought that John Kalodner in the music video for “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” was Willie Nelson? That’s as much insight as I can offer on this strange myth.
As it turns out, “Once is Enough” is an outstanding song, and no wonder: It was written by Richie Supa, who also wrote three of my personal Aero-faves: “Chip Away the Stone”, “Lightning Strikes”, and “Amazing”. Supa has a certain magic in his melodies, rooted in old time rock n’ roll. When Aerosmith record a Supa song, the results are seldom disappointing (“Pink” being the only letdown I can think of). It does have a country twang to it, particularly the intro, but otherwise this is a rock n’ roller.
Although “Once is Enough” is instantly likeable and arguably an unknown classic, it was never released on any of the numerous Geffen Aerosmith compilations. I think it’s stronger than much of the material on Permanent Vacation itself. I can only assume it did not make the album because it’s too different from the songs that did. In fact it probably would have fit better on Pump, which also had some twang on the hit “What It Takes”. The country vocal harmonies are really sweet, and Joe Perry lays on some awesome slide. When it takes off into full-on rocker mode, it’s irresistible. Why a great tune like this remains so hard to get more than 25 years after its release, I don’t know.
The rest of the songs on the single are Permanent Vacation album tracks: “Dude”, “Simoriah” and “The Movie”. I’ll be honest, I never thought much of “Dude”. It was originally titled “Cruisin’ For A Lady”, but obviously the new words (supposedly inspired by Motley Crue) have become a Tyler landmark. So, good on them. It’s been used in numerous movies and is a radio staple today. With that Bruce Fairbairn horn section in there, I just thought it was too pop. No matter how I feel about this commercial rock song, Joe Perry’s solo smokes.
Both “Simoriah” and “The Movie” are filler as far as I’m concerned. For its merits, Permanent Vacation had a bit too much filler on it. I’m more of a Pump guy myself. As filler goes, “Simoriah” has a speedy groove going for it, but it’s not an outstanding song. “The Movie” is just an atmospheric instrumental. I’ve never felt that Aerosmith compose the most interesting instrumentals in the world.
Just 3/5 stars for this one…but 5/5 stars for “Once is Enough”!
One last thing: I also have a CD single for “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” completely different from this. It was obviously a later release, since one of the B-sides was “Love In An Elevator” live. “Once is Enough” was not on that CD single.
A drum solo naturally suits “Iron Man” to segue into. “Iron Man” is wooden, Clufetos unable to cop Bill Ward’s loose feel. It’s still “Iron Man”, a song Black Sabbath have probably played live at every show since ’72, but it’s not definitive. Only when the song gets up to speed does it become the beast it should be. Another new song, the deliberately vintage sounding “End of the Beginning” takes over, but it’s not the song I would have chosen to play at this point of the set. Not only is it too similar to “Black Sabbath” but it slows the set down too much so close to the end. It does pick up, but I feel it would have worked better closer to the start of the show.
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