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)
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 onYouTube or onFacebook!
Last time I reviewed Morning Report, I mentioned that the first two songs, “Drake’s Dad” and “Private School” were my least favourites. Ironically Morning Report became my favourite Arkells album despite this. When I re-bought it on a vinyl reissue, I was surprised but pleased to see that the running order had been altered! Now, a new single called “Knocking At the Door” was track #2, with “Private School” moving on to #3. This really changes things and makes the album a much more consistent listen from the start.
Y’see, I’ve discovered that I don’t particularly like when the Arkells get too much into modern mainstream pop. Despite its powerful soul chorus, “Drake’s Dad” falls into this category for me. It really does have a great chorus, a powerful soul/gospel chant of “I just wanna hold you, so high!” that raises the roof. It also has a lush arrangement with strings and samples.
“Knocking At the Door” has modern elements too, but my attention is drawn to the blast of the horn section, and the impressive and aggressive drumming from Tim Oxford. The track is just a banger. The chorus is as powerful as the Arkells get. Never a dull moment in this song. Listen to the horns and drums, trust me! Like “Drake’s Dad”, this one also features soul/gospel vocals.
The forgettable drinking anthem “Private School” has a fun hook of “Ah, fuck off, don’t say I’d do the same!” Silly fun. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, and soon makes way for the incredible ballad “My Heart’s Always Yours”. This suave pop rock heart-tugger just hits all the feels. Max Kerman has a way with words and I’m certain that the ladies love him for it. Though keyboards are the prominent hook-delivering instrument, the pure passion and panache of this song just elevates it to the clouds. As you’ll see later on, it doesn’t need the keyboards. A brilliant song, made indelible in the brain and heart!
Things get even better on “Savannah”, the fast acoustic-based song with killer lyrics. “She was named after, she was named after her dad’s favourite city. I was named after, I was named after the fact…” How does Max come up with this stuff?! He paints a picture of characters, often female, drifting in and out of his life. He tells their stories, often depicting musty old apartments, messy beds, and empty refrigerators. Musically, “Savannah” is even better than lyrically. It’s powerful and it has a trumpet solo, so what more could you want? The chorus is probably the most immediate one on the album.
Then…get ready for chills, for it is time for “Passenger Seat”, the most haunting song on the album and easily one of the most chill-inducing I’ve ever heard. Then the chorus comes, with Max in a high falsetto, accompanied by sparse piano and keyboard effects. “Driving on the highway home, this time alone, doesn’t mean the same without you. I turn on the radio, to somethin’ slow, just to let it fuck with my mood…but songs don’t sound the same without you in the passenger seat.” Who can’t relate to that? (People without driver’s licenses I suppose.)
Brightness returns on “Making Due”, like the light peaking through the blinds after a long night. The music is pure uplifting magic, and the lyrics cut clean through. A sunny guitar hook opens the track, and then Max delivers some of his best melodies and words to date. That falsetto really nails the hooks home. Favourite lines: “I thought we made a deal, you were crossin’ your fingers!” Or “Got a pulse, but there’s a few beats missin’.”
Acoustics come to the fore on “Round and Round”, a folksy number (at first) that serves to bridge two very upbeat pop songs. The band comes in partway and it becomes a little more late Beatles-y in a weird way. Horns come blastin’ through, then synth, and it grows into something else entirely: something birthed in the early 80s, but also talking about MuchMusic’s Electric Circus TV show circa 1999. An interesting track that is more than meets the ear.
“Hung Up” is impossible not to dance to. “The gatekeepers are keepin’ me out, let me in! Who made you the president, well fucker?” The horns also return, along with the synth, creating a modern pop rock classic. And I just love Max Kerman’s trio of “Well fucker?” at the end of the song. (Also listen carefully for a reference to “Fake Money” from the prior album High Noon.) No folks, he may be no Axl Rose, but Max Kerman is not afraid of dropping F-bombs right and left. Fortunately I’m easily entertained and I find his use of the word (usually) effective and not overdone.
A beauty called “Come Back Home” is a quieter, slow ballad, with a thrumming bassline that provides a dreamy foundation, like a pillow. “All would be forgiven if you’d come back home,” begs Max. “‘Cause I just wanna be yours again.” Filled with regret, Max is looking for reconciliation. Morning Report could in fact be a concept album about shattered relationships and our reactions to them. “And I thought about all the ways I could hurt you, to even the score of feelin’ deserted.”
The upbeat moods return on “A Little Rain (A Song for Pete)”. Max has indicated he’s probably an atheist in past lyrics, but here he says “I stumbled in St. Peter’s Cathedral, there I was. I never tried religion but man, I’ll try anything once.” I can’t tell if this song is about someone name Pete, or if Max is singing as if he’s having conversations with St. Pete himself. It means whatever you want it to! This incredibly catchy tune has a fun, bouncy beat and a suitable synth riff to go with it. Drummer Tim Oxford is definitely an underrated percussionist who doesn’t play it simple and always has catchy fills.
A slower but powerful song called “And Then Some” is next to last. This romantic dreamer is so good! “And I love every inch of you, and then some and then some.” Beautiful song and I can’t help but think of Tom Cochrane on the chorus. Something about Max’s delivery sounds like the Red Rider frontman.
Strangely, after all this power, all these hooks, and thick arrangements, the final song is very different from anything else. Quiet, understated and short, “Hangs the Moon” is like a coda. The arrangement is very bare, and Max’s voice is the main feature. The Arkells occasionally choose interesting, unconventional closing songs, and this is one. It works, but it’s not among my favourite songs on the album, and besides, it’s only the closer on the original 12 track album. We still have three more to go, all acoustic versions of previous songs.
“My Heart’s Always Yours” has a completely different feel as a piano and vocal arrangement. Guitar and percussion come in later. The vocal melody is identical, but the mood hits differently. It’s more sombre, though still mesmerising. For the softer arrangement, Max resorts to falsetto for some of the power-vocal moments. The wonderful “And Then Some” sounds more like the album version, though stripped back to basics. It’s still every bit as beautiful as the record, with a few little surprises. The best of the bonus tracks. The last bonus track is an unplugged version “Knocking At the Door”. This version sounds akin to an earlier album like Michigan Left. Similar vibe. There’s a cool bit at the end where the band sings together that just demonstrates their talent and soul. Great tune, cool bonus. All these bonus tracks serve to enhance an already excellent album.
To go with the new tracks, the gatefold double LP set comes with new cover art. It’s similar, but has a woman’s face sketched instead of a man’s. I love when different editions get similar, but different art! I didn’t even notice at first.
Morning Report is an album that I have listened to intensely for the last couple months, and has made a permanent impression on my soul. With Max’s lyrics tattooed on my heart, I’m already terribly biased towards love. The improved track list here corrects any flaws with the earlier version and renders it obsolete.
The Cult were big in highschool. “Fire Woman” debuted in the spring of ’89. It was an instant hit. Their momentum continued through the fall with “Edie (Ciao Baby)” and into the following year with “Sweet Soul Sister”. There was no stopping The Cult! With a new unknown drummer named Matt Sorum, The Cult toured the world and cleared up any remaining confusion that this was indeed a rock band.
The only Cult confusion that remained might have been with my friend Danesh.
Ian Astbury
I discovered that we both liked The Cult. I recall his amusement at the lyrics for “New York City” off Sonic Temple. In particular he thought the aggrandizement “Hell’s Kitchen is a DMZ” was pretty funny. It might have had something to do with the annual school trip to New York, that we didn’t attend but a friend of ours did. Their bus was broken into and they had their stuff stolen. Not particularly funny in and of itself, but I think we were amused because of who it happened to: The legendary Brett Bowerman of Brett-Lore fame. Indeed, in our highschool comic strip, the Geography teacher Mr. Robinson went to New York City to find a missing Brett! This was inspired by us assuming Brett would get lost in New York and left behind. In our sketches, Ian Astbury himself made a cameo. This happened in a chapter titled “Brett Lore III: Brett Takes Manhattan”. In one panel, we find the Ayatollah Khomeini, a dead cat, and Skid Row (presumably because I didn’t know the difference between New York and New Jersey). The Cult’s logo was scrawled on a wall, but scratched out. Hell’s Kitchen is a DMZ after all!
Note that Elvis visited New York in 1989, apparently. I also like that you can actually identify each Skid Row member by appearance alone.
Adding to the comedy, I recall that Brett purchased a samurai sword in New York. I don’t remember if it was among the stolen possessions. I think it probably was.
Back to the Cult. Danesh was getting into rock music and wasn’t as well educated in the fine art of electric guitar as I was. I think it’s very possible that he accidentally bought Disintegration by The Cure, confusing them with The Cult. I do know that Danesh was terribly embarrassed about owning that Cure CD. Compact discs were a new thing, and he owned up to having The Cure when we were listing some of the CDs that were in our collections. I asked if he owned any discs that had “bonus tracks”. The Cure did — two in fact. That’s when he told me about it. But he refused to tell me how he got it. I had the Cure/Cult mixup theory, but he never confirmed nor denied. To this day, 30 years later, I still don’t know!
Danesh really hated that Cure album. When my family had a garage sale in 1991, he handed me the Cure CD to get rid of. The garage sale was his only hope. I put a sticker on there that said “BONUS TRACKS” and priced it at $12. That was about half as much as you’d pay new. But too much for garage salers. I dropped it to $10 but no go.
Danesh was heartbroken when I returned the disc to him the following Monday.
“I would have been fine with a lower price if you called to tell me it wasn’t selling.”
Well, shit. Sorry man.
I did feel bad. I would have preferred selling it for him too. But he still wouldn’t tell me why he owned it! Was it a gift? Did he like one song and then hate the rest? Did he freak out when he saw what they looked like? I remember his reaction the first time he saw a photo of Night Songs-era Cinderella. It wasn’t positive! The only album he owned was Heartbreak Station. He didn’t know about Cinderella’s glam past and he wouldn’t let it go!
But these are just guesses. For whatever reasons, Danesh would never tell me why he owned Disintegration by The Cure, nor would he tell me why he was ashamed of it.
As a final explanation, I’m going to go with the Cure/Cult mixup and consider this case closed. An understandable mistake like that can be easily forgiven.
I was very enthusiastic for this album when it came out in 2011: four copies purchased (to get all the bonus tracks) and a 5/5 star rating. I can hear what I loved about it so much, even if the feelings are faded today. That’s what makes these “Just Listening” writings interesting!
The original Nightmare is still a favourite and always will be. Factors that appealed to me about the sequel album are the musical and lyrical callbacks. These recurring cues unite both albums quite successfully despite the decades that passed. Musical sequels can be a dicey affair (Mindcrime 2, anyone?) but Alice Cooper and Bob Ezrin managed to do the near-impossible.
The standard album runs 52 minutes, and that’s just a tad long. Although there are no obvious duds to cut, the original Nightmare was more effective because it was more concise. (You want a longer experience? Adding in all the bonus tracks more than doubles the album’s length!) Regardless of the digital age that most of us inhabit, there is something to be said for the length of a standard LP. It just happens to jive with the natural attention spans of the human mind. The new Nightmare crams 14 tracks into that 52 minutes, and it plays out as a lot to absorb. Especially after giving the album a rest for a few years.
Another way in which the second Nightmare is inferior to the first is the overall tone. Nightmare 2 is far more humorous. A couple tracks (“Ghouls Gone Wild” and “Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever”) are there for the laughs. That’s fine — Alice Cooper does humour in music better than 99% of those who try. The original Nightmare had its fun, but the tone of the album was far darker, especially with songs like “Steven” and “Only Women Bleed”. You’re going to have a preference one way or the other too. I prefer the darker original Nightmare to the more comedic sequel.
These are all very fine hairs to split. I still like the album, a lot. I believe it to be Alice’s best from the last two decades. There’s very little wrong with it. I just don’t think it matches the first as much as I once did.
WHITESNAKE – Flesh & Blood (2019 Cynjas Japanese import CD)
So you got the new Whitesnake. Think you got all the songs just because you got the deluxe version on CD or iTunes? Naw! Think again! Once again, it’s Japan with the hardest to find bonus tracks.
To be fair, it’s a give and take. While Japan often gets their own exclusive songs, they also miss out on others. In North America, we got a deluxe edition with “Can’t Do Right For Doing Wrong”, “If I Can’t Have You”, and three remixes of album tracks. The Japanese CD has none of those, but instead has its own exclusive remix.
The ballad “After All” is surely one of the highlights on Flesh & Blood. As a simple, fairly unadorned acoustic love song, it’s right in the wheelhouse of more recent “unzipped” ‘Snake. Well, the Japanese bonus remix is even more stripped down. The “Unzipped” mix is the same recording, just with less stuff in the mix — no electric guitars, no keyboards. An insignificant difference? Absolutely. But with an acoustic song this fucking good, you may enjoy the purity of the unembellished version. Up to you really, but if you’re the kind of collector that needs “all the tracks”, then you do need this, don’t you?
“I don’t care about bonus tracks,” you say. “Just tell me if the album is any good!”
Flesh & Blood is being described by enthusiastic fans as “the best album since Slip of the Tongue. They are probably correct in that declaration. It’s stunningly good: diverse, well written and well played. It draws from a broader palette of sound than many of the past albums, and even dips back into the 1970s on “Can’t Do Right For Doing Wrong” (which isn’t on the Japanese CD). There are no songs to skip through, and while not all are equally strong, none suck. It has a high ratio of songs that could become future classics, like “Gonna Be Alright”, “Good To See You Again”, and “Sands of Time”. So yes, to answer your questions, it’s a bloody good album no matter what version you can afford.
The domestic CD is the best buy for its songs-per-dollar value (18 tracks on the deluxe), over the Japanese (14 tracks). Rating this purely as an album with its bonus track, it’s still a solid:
Anybody who has spent 10 seconds glancing at this site knows one thing: I love Japanese imports!
Every music collector has his or her own priorities. Today, many fans prioritise vinyl, be it original pressings, reissues or both. Some like elaborate packaging; the bigger and bolder the better! My needs are pretty simple. I want all the songs, and I’ll buy however many physical editions it takes to get them all. That means that, over the years, I have purchased hundreds of Japanese CDs. They almost always have bonus tracks, and some of those bonus tracks never see the light of day again on any other releases. Those are the best kind!
There are two great sources for Japanese imports.
CD Japan, my main store for new releases. I have Whitesnake incoming!
Discogs.
It is Discogs that is responsible for today’s content. If you’re a music collector unfamiliar with Discogs, you need to change that right away.
A few weeks ago, one of my favourite lesser known metal bands called Leatherwolf was celebrating the 30th anniversary of their third album, 1989’s Street Ready. (Probably their best album, but that’s unimportant.) Someone on social media was showing off their most prized Leatherwolf collectible: A Japanese import CD of Street Ready, with a bonus track unreleased anywhere else! Out of print for almost 30 years, that’s a rarity if I ever saw one. Plus it has that feature that is like catnip to me: an unreleased bonus track. In this case, it was a track called “Alone in the Night”, and I wanted it. It’s rare that I go 30 years without even knowing about a song.
After a few weeks of researching, I decided to pull the trigger. A Discogs seller had a copy in excellent condition for about $50, which I realized was about the cheapest it gets in the condition I want. Its only flaw was a missing obi strip (the little piece of paper along the spine) which you sometimes have to accept you’ll never get. The main thing was that bonus track. I was happy with the seller’s 100% rating so I put it in my cart.
That’s when Discogs showed its evil side.
A message popped up, telling me that just in case I wanted to combine shipping, this seller had 81 other items from my wishlist.
81 items. All Japanese CDs.
Click.
I spent the next few minutes frantically adding items to my cart, deleting them, adding them again, and then finally deciding on dollar amount I was willing to splurge. I even gave it another few days to clear my head before I clicked “buy”. This is what I ended up with.
LEATHERWOLF – Street Ready. Bonus track: “Alone in the Night”.
Now some lucky soul can be gifted my original US compact disc, because this is my new treasure. I loved this album as a teenager, and I still like it today. There is some well written metal here, and now I have 11 tracks instead of 10. I still can’t believe I didn’t know about “Alone in the Night” all this time. If I knew that back in 1989, this CD would have been on my holy grail list long ago.
I screwed up. I already had a UK single for “Hip Today”; one of those “part one of a two disc set sold separately” deals. However, for whatever reason, I never ripped it to my computer. I never even played it! When I did a quick search, I couldn’t find “Kid Ego” in my files so I assumed I needed it. I do not, but that’s OK. This CD was only $11 because the seller listed it with no obi strip. Turns out the obi strip is tucked inside, so that’s a win.
TENACIOUS D – The Pick of Destiny. Bonus tracks “Kong”, “Training Medley”.
Two extra songs to be found here. This album had more bonus tracks elsewhere, on non-physical (download only) versions. Now I have all the physical tracks, at least. “Training Medley” was already in the collection on a CD single for “P.O.D.”, but “Kong” was completely unknown until now. Even our resident Tenacious D expert, Uncle Meat, has never heard it before. (For the record, the other two bonus tracks are “Rock Your Socks” from the iTunes pre-order, and “It’s Late” which you can download if you buy the vinyl. Vinyl wishlisted.) Tenacious D collectables are usually very expensive. Their single “Jazz” (which I am missing) goes for roughly $100. I paid $26 for The Pick of Destiny.
QUIET RIOT – Alive and Well. Bonus track: “The Wait”.
20 years ago, the classic Metal Health lineup of Quiet Riot reunited for a new album. Alive and Well was a mix of new songs and re-recordings, but they could have just released a 10 song CD instead, had they included “The Wait”. It’s puzzling how songs are chosen to be obscure bonus tracks on rare editions. “The Wait” is a ballad, very much like old Quiet Riot, and a frickin’ great one too. Had it been included, Alive and Well could have been a well balanced 10 song album, and “The Wait” might have been the best one. At one point Amazon were asking $100 for this CD. I was delighted to score it for just $22. Perhaps it was cheap because it was listed as missing the obi strip. It’s there and looks great! Now my Quiet Riot collection is one song closer to being complete.
THE SWORD – Apocryphon. Bonus tracks: the same five from the deluxe edition, plus “Hammer of Heaven”.
This album has been frustrating for me. There are two versions, one with 10 tracks and one with 15. Because there’s no track listing on the back cover, I’ve never taken a chance on it. I didn’t want to bring it home only to find it’s the 10 track version. I’ve wanted this album ever since “Cloak of Feathers” made it to number 15 on the 2017 Sausagefest countdown. The only thing better than a confirmed 15 track edition? A CD with 16 tracks! Japan received “Hammer of Heaven”, which was a standalone single in 2012. It’s a boogie as heavy as plutonium! This would be its only CD release! Obi is intact, for just $25. (I’m still going to want the single for “Hammer of Heaven” since it had a live B-side of “Ebethron” not included here.)
Not a bad little spending spree. Most of these Japanese imports were pretty affordable. It seems like I spent a lot of money for just a handful of songs, but such is the quest.
QUEENSRŸCHE – The Verdict(2019 Century Media 2 CD “Masterpiece Edition”)
The Todd La Torre era of Queensryche is now three albums deep. There’s no more mucking around. When drummer Scott Rockenfield went on personal leave, they didn’t let that stop them from writing and recording The Verdict. La Torre, a capable drummer in his own right, took on the challenge quite seamlessly.
So what’s the verdict on The Verdict?
The first Todd album (2013’s Queensrÿche) was safe and too brief. The second (2015’s Condition Hüman) was a lot to digest. The Verdict may have struck a better balance. They’re still exploring their own brand of metal, bringing in a few new sounds without departing from their core direction. They sound more comfortable in their own shoes. Don’t expect a progression into new musical territory. That’s not what The Verdict is. It’s a full-force metal album with nuance, complexity, and plenty of guitar harmonies. That’s what Queensryche do now. The writing is sharpened, and the songs sound assembled with care.
The album requires a few listens to sink in. The immediate standout here is a track called “Light-Years”, a song written by bassist Eddie Jackson who seems to come up with amazing songs out of the blue. Regal, riff-laden metal with bravery and hooks. This song should surely go down as a future Ryche classic. (Jackson also wrote “Propaganda Fashion” and co-wrote a bunch of others.) Another impressive song is the ballady “Dark Reverie” contributed by Parker Lundgren. Todd really kicks it in the ass with his outstanding vocals. The longest track “Bent” is dark and epic. The only real weakness on this album is a lack of diversity, which they seem to be trying to avoid lest they end up with another Dedicated to Chaos.
The balance is clear. The complexity of Condition Hüman is tempered by sharper hooks and melodies on The Verdict. They’ve cranked out a lot of music over the last six years and they’re sounding more confident today. Speaking of “a lot of music”, the consumer has choose between the standard single 10 track CD or the double “Masterpiece Edition” with rarities and new recordings.
For many fans, this will be their first chance to own the songs “46° North”, “Mercury Rising”, and “Espiritu Muerto”. To get those, you had to buy the (previously reviewed) vinyl box set version of Condition Hüman. Fans will also be thrilled by the four live songs from 2013’s Queensrÿche. One of them, “Eyes of a Stranger”, could only be found on the (previously reviewed) Japanese version. These, of course, all feature Scott Rockenfield on drums, his only appearances in this set.
The percussion on the two new recordings is handled by touring drummer Casey Grillo. If he ends up a permanent member one day, nobody can say, but these are his very first recordings with Queensryche. They are acoustic versions of “I Dream in Infrared” (from Rage for Order) and “Open Road” from (Queensrÿche). Both are quite excellent. It would be cool to get more of these acoustic renderings. (Geoff Tate did four on his Queensryche’s Frequency Unknown album.)
The “Masterpiece Edition” (9000 copies) comes packed in a nice big box similar to the one from 2013’s Queensrÿche. Additional goodies inside include an iron-on patch, a Verdict fridge magnet, and bottle opener. Now your kitchen can finally be complete. Just extra fluff, really — buy it for the songs.
As we gear up for this year’s release of the next Queensryche album The Verdict, let’s look back at a different edition of their last album Condition Hüman. For our original 2015 review of Condition Hüman, click here!
QUEENSRŸCHE – Condition Hüman (2015 Century Media 2 LP, + 7″ single coloured vinyl box set)
It is almost customary now. When a band comes out with a new album, there has to be a crazy deluxe edition with vinyl and CD. The best of these editions are the ones that include exclusive music. In the end, all the posters and booklets in the world add up to only paper. Exclusive music is the thing of real value.
Queensryche did well with their Condition Hüman deluxe. It was available in a variety of colours. This one is yellow, number 659/1000. There’s a cool turntable mat inside, and a double sided poster. For music, the album is split onto two coloured 180 gram vinyl records, including the Japanese bonus track “Espiritu Muerto” on Side D. (The D-side is also etched with the Queensryche logo in the empty space.) For your convenience, the entire album including Japanese bonus track is duplicated on the CD inside. Then for the diehards comes the true exclusive: two more songs on a 7″ single, not on any other version of the album. This is the real reward for spending the extra money on the deluxe.
“Espiritu Muerto” chugs heavily along, punishing the skulls of unbelievers. On the 7″ record, the two exclusive songs are fairly non-descript. “46° North” is B-side-ish, like a leftover written for Empire but dropped in favour of something more commercial. “Mercury Rising” is on the other side, with a vaguely psychedelic metal vibe and science fiction lyrics.
Condition Hüman itself is a strong metallic album, though with hindsight perhaps too “metal” for its own good. There was a time, not so long ago, when fans would have begged and pleaded with Queensryche to write just one new song in the vein of Condition Hüman. Now that we have two albums solidly back in the metal genre, it would be nice to hear real diversity in Queensryche again.
That said, Condition Hüman is a damn fine album for what it is. The Queensryche of today, fronted by Todd La Torre, has been determined to retain trademark elements from Queensryche’s 80s heyday. That includes strong riffs, dual harmony solos, and screamin’ vocals. These are all delivered with gravy on top.
The vinyl experience of Condition Hüman is actually superior to that of CD. It was always a long album, with the standard edition being 53 minutes of pretty relentless stomping. On vinyl, you’re forced to pause and flip the record three times before even getting to the single. These brief respites allow you to breath and absorb. What I’ve absorbed is that Condition Hüman is still a damn fine collection of songs, if a bit too single-minded. One gets the impression from this album that, though good, Queensryche can still do better.
4/5 stars
LP-A1 Arrow Of Time
LP-A2 Guardian
LP-A3 Hellfire
LP-A4 Toxic Remedy
QUEEN – The Game (Originally 1980, 1991 & 2011 Hollywood recorded reissues)
When Queen released their devastating debut album Queen in 1973, the liner notes proudly stated “And nobody played synthesizer”. A mere seven years later, Queen introduced the electronic instrument to their sound on 1980’s The Game. This did not in any way hinder the album from becoming a massive success, nor weaken the Queen sound. The synth was just another colour in the Queen pallette. It would be fair to argue that The Game contains no clunkers, no songs that should have been discarded.
All you have to do is fall in love. Everybody play The Game.
The Game eventually spawned five brilliant singles: “Play the Game”, “Another One Bites the Dust”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, “Need Your Loving Tonight” and the grandiose “Save Me”. Anybody who has some decent Queen “hits” albums should know at least four of those songs. But that’s not all, of course. Funky bass and sharp danceable beats make “Dragon Attack” one not to miss. The production of Mack and bass of the incredible and underrated John Deacon really cut through. Rock albums that sound as good as The Game do not come around often, and “Dragon Attack” must be considered a prime example of why The Game is tops. On album, it’s followed by Queen’s best known funk jam “Another One Bites the Dust”. Dancefloor overload, baby!
Speaking of John Deacon, not only did he write “Another One Bites the Dust”, but also “Need Your Loving Tonight” which is good and hard rock and roll. It could have been a Paul Stanley track. As far as “rock and roll” goes, “Crazy Little Thing Called Long” is definitive. The walking bassline and black leather jacket vibe are perfect.
The Game‘s second side has the deep tracks. “Rock It (Prime Jive)” combines the synths with a scorching Roger Taylor hard rocker. This cut is well worth getting acquainted with. You’ll want some “Prime Jive”! Then there’s the track I vaguely remember hearing on a radio as a kid, “Don’t Try Suicide”. Good advice, and a strange and snappy little bopper to singalong to. “Don’t try suicide, you’re just going to hate it,” was the line I found strangely amusing as a child. “Isn’t that obvious?” a nine or ten year old me wondered.
Then there’s a song I first became acquainted with via Guns N’ Roses. Axl, an unabashed Queen fan, used to do a bit of “Sail Away Sweet Sister” on piano in concert. In my mind, it doesn’t matter how you first heard a song, as long as you eventually hear it. The Queen original is a somber ballad sung by Brian May and featuring stunningly beautiful guitar work. Another winning combo that sounds a bit Kiss-like is the rhythmic “Coming Soon”. Don’t be surprised that Taylor penned it.
That is a tight ten songs, half of which were singles. A damn perfect album. Of course today there are expanded experiences to choose from.
When this album was reissued in 1991 by Hollywood records for their Queen “Twenty-Year Reign” series, they added a remix of “Dragon Attack”, now deleted. Adding unnecessary loops, samples and raps brings nothing to the song. Only collectors need seek this out. Instead, you should search for the 2011 double CD remastered edition. This one adds five bonus tracks. “Save Me” and “Dragon Attack” are live, and the liner notes state that “Save Me” from 1981 could be the “ultimate” rendition of that song. (It certainly is impressive.) Then there is a first take of “Sail Away Sweet Sister” before all the words were in place. The most fascinating demo is a spontaneous recording of what would later become “It’s a Beautiful Day”, finished for 1995’s Made in Heaven, the final Queen album. History buffs will be delighted to discover a B-side written by Roger Taylor called “A Human Body”. This unusual song is about the doomed Scott expedition to the South Pole in 1912.
They were talking in whispers, In bear skins and fur, Captain Scott and his heroes-to-be, To have laboured so long, To have made it this far, Ooh it’s been such a long ride, Ooh you know it’s been a long way, For a human…human…human, For a human body you see.
Indeed, Robert Falcon Scott was considered a hero of the British Empire, though he was beaten to the pole by Roald Amundsen of Norway and died on the way home. Scott’s story is a tragedy of human error, ego, Imperialism, and the sheer deadly ability of the south pole to render a man lifeless in minutes. Taylor’s quirky track does not convey this, and so it remains an odd curiosity.
However you get The Game, you will be delighted by the core 10 tracks. The 2011 bonus CD is highly recommended. All hail John Deacon, the boss of the bass.
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