cds

#1221: $538.00 in Customs?!

RECORD STORE TALES #1221: $538.00 in Customs?!

In September 2023, I received an email from a musician that I will not name.  Below is an edited version of what I received:

Hi!! My name is XXXXX XXXXX, I have a couple of CDs out.   I see that you collect physical media.   If I send you one of each, would you review them for me? XXXXXX XXXX produced and sang back up vocals among other things on the first album.   The second album is acoustic, with XXXXXX XXXXXX playing all acoustic guitars.  I wrote every track on both albums except one song that was XXXXXX‘s… Anyway would love to send you a couple, let me know my brother and have a great day!!

The names that I redacted include a famous musician that I recognized from a fairly big “hair metal” band.  Normally I decline all review requests, because as the sender noticed, I collect physical media and that’s what I review.  For him to offer a couple review copies, I immediately said yes.

I forgot about it for a couple weeks, but eventually received a parcel notification in the mail.  The first things I look at every time a parcel notification arrives are:

  • Pickup date/time (usually next day at 5:00 PM).
  • Customs charges, if any.

My eyes popped when I saw the customs charges.

$538.00!

I had never seen anything so high before.  When I used to order toys in from the United States, I would often get $500 of toys in one box, and the customs would usually be well over $100 for the box.  I’d never seen anything this high before.  What the hell did I order that had $538.00 of customs on it?  I couldn’t think of anything I ordered that would be that expensive.

I called the post office to see if they could tell me who sent the parcel?  That was a headache and a half.  They really did not want to look for the parcel and read me the sender’s name or address.  I was persistent and kept asking.  “All I need to know is who sent me this parcel, because I have no idea what it is or where it came from, and $538.00 is a lot of money.”

They probably have some kind of policy at the post office about revealing information like that over the phone.  However, I was not letting up, and I didn’t want to drive to the post office to look at a parcel that I was very unlikely to pay for.

Finally I was given a first name.  Not a super common version of the first name, so it immediately connected the dots.  It was the guy with the two CDs that he was sending me for review.  Two CDs…for $538.00?  That made no sense.  What the hell did he put for the value of the parcel?  Did he mean to write $20.00, but wrote $2000?  Did he send me 200 CDs instead of two?  I asked how large the parcel was, but Canada Post had already hung up.

I never contacted the guy back, and he never emailed me when his parcel was eventually returned.  I don’t know if he’s still making music or not.  There is at least one other artist (a country singer) with the same name, but I did find his albums on Discogs.  His debut came out in 2009 with a followup in 2021.  Neither are on a label, but the second CD does have a photo of the famous musician from a name band.  Neither album had a selling history.

I wonder what happened to my mystery musician?  I wonder what the customs screwup was?  I’ll never find out now!

 

 

 

 

🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 23: Rock in Rio

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 23: Rock in Rio

Special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 Episode

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #120

It was with great joy that we anticipated Iron Maiden’s first live album since Donington 1992:  Rock In Rio!  A decade had passed, and with it, three new studio albums, all of which are represented in the live set.  The new six-man Iron Maiden lineup was on fire, and little did we know it would become the most stable lineup in the band’s history.  Though they had released live B-sides from the Ed Hunter tour, Rock In Rio was the first full live album with the new lineup, and of course, new songs!  We even got a live DVD out of it.

In Rio, Iron Maiden played to approximately 250,000 people; the second largest crowd of their entire career, only topped by the 350,000 people who saw them in Rio in 1985.  They hit the stage with a setlist generous on new songs, classic hits, and respectful nods to the Blaze era.

Harrison and I will break down the album, produced by Kevin Shirley, track by track in tonight’s special live episode.  Don’t miss this one as we always enjoy interacting with the comments, and we can do this best when we are live.

Much like Iron Maiden, we are best when we are live.  Check it out tonight!

Friday October 10 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 22: Brave New World with Davey Cretin

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 22:  Brave New World

Special Guest:  Davey Cretin from Cretin Classics

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #118

How do you move on from a special interview with former Maiden frontman Blaze Bayley?  By going to the next album, of course!  After the wildly successful Ed Hunter reunion tour, the new six-man Iron Maiden lineup of Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Janick Gers, Adrian Smith and Nicko McBrain were tasked with creating a new Iron Maiden studio album.  With new producer Kevin “Caveman” Shirley at the boards (whom they tested out on “Wrathchild 1999” – see Episode 21), the band had to capture their classic sound with modern production and a new three-guitar configuration.

The band toiled away in the studio as fans speculated.  Finally we were given a preview of the new Maiden sound on the first single “The Wicker Man”.  This was followed by the rapturous release of Brave New World on 29 May 2000.  Together, with the legendary Davey Cretin of Cretin Classics, Harrison and Mike break down the album’s 10 tracks in incredible detail.  You simply will not find a better analysis of this album anywhere else on the internet.

We don’t just dive deep into the album.  As usual, you can expect us to tackle all the live B-sides from “The Wicker Man” and “Out of the Silent Planet”.  We will also look at some very rare CD singles, including the elusive remix of “The Wicker Man” with additional lyrics.  We will also have a good look at the album and singles artwork, and even a special edition DVD of the Wicker Man movie with Edward Woodward and Sir Christopher Lee.

Before we’re done, Harrison will take us through the Brave New World tour, the setlists and the performances.  Expect the level of detail, analysis and pure love that you have come to know from 50 Years of Iron Maiden.  It’s all here as we enter the brave new world of the Maiden reunion era!

 

Friday September 26 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

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BLAZE BAYLEY interview: 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode!

For all things Blaze Bayley, go to BlazeBayley.net.

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN bonus episode:  BLAZE BAYLEY interview

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #117

We cannot imagine a better way to wrap up the Blaze years on 50 Years of Iron Maiden, than chatting with the man himself.  Metal fans worldwide, we present to you Blaze Bayley!

This isn’t just any Blaze interview.  With Harrison and Mike involved, you know we’re going to go deep.  We’re going to respect the man and his entire career, from Wolsbane to Iron Maiden to solo.  A lot of the information we covered won’t be found in mainstream interviews.

In this interview, we cover:

  • Punctuality!
  • Re-recording Wolfsbane as “Live Faster…” and what that means.
  • AI, science fiction, Blade Runner, and technology.
  • “Do, or Do!”
  • A secret, unwritten conceptual storyline to King of Metal, that Blaze reveals here.
  • The Silicon Messiah and the dangers of AI.
  • How “Virus” came be
  • The waist-high snowbanks of Canada.
  • Who the King of Metal really is.
  • The stigma of mental health.
  • Meeting Absolva, and joining forces with the Appletons.
  • And so, so much more.

For us and this series, asking Blaze our favourite questions was the realization of many dreams.  Instead of saying “Do or Die”, Blaze likes to say “Do, or Do”.  This interview was the culmination of us just doing it, for the love of music and the love of Iron Maiden.

Folks, you are in for a treat.  Please welcome Blaze Bayley to Grab A Stack of Rock.

Past episodes:

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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 21: Ed Hunter album & game

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 21:  Ed Hunter

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #115

Maiden were back in a big way.  Though the video game began life with Blaze Bayley on lead vocals, when it was finally released, Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith were both back in the band!  The ironic thing about this was that neither of them were depicted in the game, though Blaze was!

A 3 CD set, Ed Hunter was the first release with Bruce and Adrian back in the band.  A “greatest hits” album and a video game all in one, Ed Hunter was a must-buy for Maiden diehards, especially in the United States where it contained a bonus track:  “Wrathchild 1999 (New Vocal Version with Bruce Dickinson)”.  Standard versions contained 20 tracks split over one-and-a-half discs, with the tracks selected by the fans in an online poll.  We break it down track by track, and compare to the previous “hits” album, Best of the Beast, while also discussing the new track which was also available on a promotional CD single with band art.

As for the game?  The last disc-and-a-half of space featured the game and installation software.  Harrison got his copy working!  He got out a vintage computer and some video capture software, and recorded himself playing and winning the game!  We provide a highlights reel from Harrison’s video, to give you a feel for the gameplay and graphics.  (Epilepsy warnings will appear when appropriate.)

This release also featured a tour.  A big one!  Harrison breaks down the setlist, and what tracks from that tour were released in live versions.

Maiden were back…and so is 50 Years of Iron Maiden!

Friday September 5 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 20: Virtual XI

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 20:  Virtual XI

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #113

2nd show of Friday August 7!  For Music & Mental Health II, click here.

 

The Blaze Bayley era ended as swiftly as it began.  Two studio albums and a handful of singles were all this lineup produced.  Here we appraise the final Iron Maiden album with Blaze at the microphone, the oft-misunderstood Virtual XI.

This episode will prove to be our most controversial to date, especially when it comes to fandom unwilling to accept the new lead singer.  As fans of this dark era of Iron Maiden, we will tell you what was great about this album, while hopefully taking a balanced approach.  Even so, some will not be happy with what we have to say.

Personal memories of Virtual XI are coupled with the facts and figures.  Unlike the X Factor, we do not have 14 original studio tracks to break down this time.  Iron Maiden took a leaner approach to songwriting and recording this time, but the two singles (“Angel and the Gambler”, and “Futureal”) did yield a small treasure trove of live versions, something that the previous singles did not.  As usual we will look at every single B-side, including the edit version of “Angel and the Gambler”.  We will also take a look at the limited edition lenticular cover art, while Harrison will go into detail on the accompanying tour.

Buckle up, metal heads.  Tonight we take no prisoners on 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

Friday August 8 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

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#1202: Jock Jams

RECORD STORE TALES #1202 Jock Jams

At the Beat Goes On, we had a lot of teachers as customers.  Teachers were interesting customers.  They were like sheep, all looking for the same thing.  It was so bizarre the first time I was swamped by teachers all coming in looking for the same CD.  A CD that was out of print, incidentally.  That CD was TSN’s Jock Jams disc.

In the late 90s, teachers were told at a teaching convention that kids learn better to certain kinds of upbeat music.  1995’s Jock Jams was given as an example of the kind of music to play in class.  Teachers were told to get a copy, play it in class while kids worked, and note the improvement in their performance.  Jock Jams!  That is what they were told to buy.  They couldn’t get it at the mall, since it was out of print.  So, they came to us, a used CD outlet.  We were swamped, at every location, by teachers.

“Do you have Jock Jams?” asked the first one.  I didn’t have one in stock, but I called one of our other stores who did have it.

“Can you get them to hold it for me?  I’ll be right there,” said the teacher.  That teacher would be the only one to score Jock Jams on that day.  Shortly thereafter, a second customer came in asked for the exact same CD.  That always raised my eyebrows when it happened.  When multiple people came in asking for the same album on the same day, over and over again, it meant something had happened.  Sometimes it meant an artist won an award.  Other times it meant the artist had died.  This time, much to my surprise, it because of a teacher’s convention, where they were told to buy an out-of-print and out of date CD.

“Do you have Jock Jams?” asked a second customer.

“No,” I answered in surprise. “We just sold our only copy.  Literally just now, a guy came in and got our only copy.”

“When can you get another? I need it for my class. I’m a teacher.”

“Well, we are a used CD store, so we’ll get another copy when it is traded in. I can put you on a wait list,” I answered.

“How long will that take? I need it for September.”

“Impossible to guess,” I replied. “The CD is out of print.  Someone has to have a copy, and trade it in first. I can put you on a waiting list.  Or I could get you Jock Jams 2?” I offered.

“No no,” answered the teacher.  “We were told to get Jock Jams 1.”

“Jock Jams 2 will have similar music, just newer songs that your students will know better than Jock Jams 1,” I mentioned.

“They said to get Jock Jams 1,” replied the teacher with zero initiative.  And so, the customer left their name and number and I put them on a wait list.

Then the next customer came in.

“Do you have Jock Jams?” they asked.

“No, we sold our only copy this morning. Are you a teacher?” I asked.

“Yes, how did you know?”

Because of that teacher convention, we had 20 customers come in that day for Jock Jams, and added seven names to the waiting list. It took years to clear that waiting list.  Notably, a few went for the more recent Jock Jams 2, but most were steadfast.  “We were told to use Jock Jams 1,” they would answer.

“Well I can tell you that you’re not going to get Jock Jams 1 in this town, this semester,” I regrettably informed them.  “Your students won’t even know the songs on Jock Jams 1.”

“We’re supposed to use Jock Jams 1,” they would reply.  OK…lots of luck!

We ended up cranking our prices up on Jock Jams 1 any time they came in stock.  They used to be $8.99.  Now we would ask $19.99.  Supply and demand, and there was very little supply and much demand.  Teachers didn’t want alternatives to Jock Jams. “We were told to get Jock Jams,” they would bleat like sheep.  This went on a couple years, every August.

Every time I see a Jock Jams CD, I think of that damn teacher convention that brainwashed these people into thinking that Jock Jams, and only Jock Jams, would improve their students’ learning.  Only towards the end of the rush would teachers finally break down and buy something else that was similar in style, like a MuchDance album.

I lost a lot of faith in the teachers of the late 1990s during the week of that convention, and the rush on Jock Jams.  No imagination, no flexibility, no originality.  What was the world coming to?

 

 

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 19: Best of the Beast & Virus

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 19: Best of the Beast & Virus

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #111

Iron Maiden’s first official compilation album came at an interesting time.  Many bands release such albums after a massive success, to keep capitalizing upon it and keep the artist on the charts.  In Maiden’s career, the first compilation came during the dark times of the 1990s, when sales were lower and tickets were not flying out the door.  Welcome to Best of the Beast, available in several configurations.  There was a single CD (which we ignore for the purposes of this episode), a beefed up double CD, and a Holy Grail 4 LP set with exclusive extra tracks.

Taking a roughly reverse-chronological approach, Best of the Best contained a new single called “Virus”, unreleased live tracks, and the Soundhouse Tapes reissued.  Harrison and I cover every single track, what might have been missing, and all the B-sides to the “Virus” single.  We also take a deep dive into the artwork for the album, single, and postcards included.  The album itself was a deluxe package with plenty of Eddies to enjoy.

Have you decided that you don’t need Best of the Beast because it is “merely” a compilation?  Harrison and I will convince you otherwise, tonight on 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

Friday August 1 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

Past episodes:

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50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 18: The X Factor

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 18: The X Factor

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #109

For weeks we have been building to this moment.  The Fear of the Dark era ends, and a new singer is required.  After considering Doogie White, who went on to success with Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Iron Maiden chose Wolfbane’s Blaze Bayley as their new lead singer.  While Blaze had a connection opening for Maiden, his selection was a surprise to some.  A power baritone, Blaze was not an operatic singer like Bruce Dickinson.  Nor was he a complex punky shouter like Paul Di’Anno.  What would the new Iron Maiden sound like?  We tackle that subject and much more on tonight’s epic episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

This is the longest episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden to date!  Why?  Because we have so much to discuss:

  • 14 original studio songs including three Japanese bonus tracks (B-sides elsewhere)
  • Two cover songs (B-sides:  The Who and UFO)
  • The cover art by Hugh Syme (two versions)
  • A deep analysis of the lyrical themes
  • Our personal stories and connections with The X Factor
  • Facts and trivia
  • The tour and setlist
  • The Blaze Bayley interview tracks (B-sides) of which we have five segments to play for you

As usual you can expect us to be comprehensive, and we do not disappoint in this episode.

We hope you can make the premiere tonight where I always try to interact in the comment section!  Up the irons, and into the unknown!

 

Friday July 18 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

* I wanna shoot myself for saying the “STATE” of Quebec instead of “PROVINCE” in this episode. UGH. What a mis-speak. So embarassing!

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🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 17: Raising Hell – Bruce’s “Final” Show

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 17: Raising Hell – Bruce’s “Final” Show

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #108

Scream for me, YouTube! For the “Final” time, Bruce Dickinson takes the stage with Iron Maiden, at Pinewood Studios in the UK.  It was a big pay-per-view worldwide TV broadcast.  Recorded 28 Aug 1993, the Air Raid Siren bid farewell after 11 years in Iron Maiden.

Released on VHS on 5 September 1994, the Raising Hell show is controversial for one main reason:  Simon Drake.  A “horror magician” that was invited not to open the show, but to perform alongside and during the show, Drake’s “magic” was a unique addition to Iron Maiden.  Drake had his own segments on a side stage, but also interacted with the band on “From Here to Eternity” and other segments.

Even watching the show without Drake’s segments, it’s an odd one for Iron Maiden.  A smaller stage inside a studio is an unusual place to see an Iron Maiden concert.  Still, history unfolded that night, and Harrison and I are here to tell you all about it.  And show you, too:  we will run a selection of the Simon Drake bits for you to…enjoy?

Tonight’s episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden ends the reign of Bruce, as we soon embark on the era of Blaze.  Tune in tonight and join the comments!

 

Friday July 11 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

Past episodes:

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