classic rock

REVIEW: Judas Priest featuring Ozzy Osbourne – “War Pigs (Charity Version)” (2025)

JUDAS PRIEST featuring OZZY OSBOURNE – “War Pigs (Charity Version)” (2025 Sony)

In one of the most amazing collaborations in all of metal history (no hyperbole), Judas Priest teamed up with Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne for a cover of the Sab’s “War Pigs”.  In another amazing circumstance, the track wasn’t left to the digital download ether.  No; it was even given a CD release, albeit an expensive one when shipping is factored in.  The best part is that a all profits that the label would have received were donated to the Glenn Tipton Parkinson’s Foundation, and Cure Parkinson’s.   Glenn Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2008, while Ozzy was diagnosed in 2020.  This would be one of the last things Osbourne would ever do in music.

The cover art (credited to Mark Wilkinson) features the six musicians compiled together from separate photos:  Scott Travis (drums), Ian Hill (bass), Rob Halford (vocals), Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Glenn Tipton (guitars) and Richie Faulkner (guitars).  Priest’s live guitarist, producer Andy Sneap, handled the studio duties and additional guitar for a seven-man lineup.  Trivia buffs would love to know that both Ozzy and Rob Halford have performed as lead singer of Black Sabbath, so Rob is no stranger to this classic.

The first concern upon pushing play was, “How will Judas Priest, a single guitar band, do an old Black Sabbath tune?”  Would the styles mesh?

Yes they would.  Gloriously so.

From the opening chords, it was clear that Priest know how to meld the two metal worlds.  The guitar sounds singular, monolithic, like Iommi, before one comes careening in as if from “Sinner”, merging the two worlds.  The track generally goes this way:  true to the Sabbath sound, with occasional guitar chemistry that only Judas Priest can conjure.  The solo work is Priest, but vintage Priest, not modern-day shred.  Also noteworthy is drummer Scott Travis, who tries his best to inhabit that Sabbath world, especially on the cymbals.  He does a few double bass flipouts, but keeps them sparing and appropriate to the song.

As for the vocals, Ozzy sounds more at home, but the two trade off just as you imagine old pals would.  Ozzy takes the first line; Rob growls the second.  It’s a cool contrast:  the Prince of Darkness and the Metal God, together at last.  The two pair up on some key chill-inducing lines.

Let us be glad that this pairing happened.  It existed, and we have a CD of it.  Magnificent.  Rest in peace, Ozz.

4.5/5 stars

 

 

REVIEW: Alice Cooper – Welcome To My Nightmare Live at The Forum, Los Angeles 6/17/75 (2025)

ALICE COOPER – Welcome To My Nightmare Live at The Forum, Los Angeles 6/17/75 (2025 Rhino)

For the first time ever, Alice Cooper was on tour without the Alice Cooper Band.  Dennis, Michael, Neal and Glen were set adrift.  Supporting his first solo album, Alice brought with him Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter on guitars, Prakash John on bass, Whitey Glen on drums and Jozef Chirowski on keyboards.  A more dramatic show was presented, including almost the entire new album.  (Only “The Awakening” was never played.)  So focused on the new album was this set that a smaller ratio of old Cooper classics were included.

At this point, only a few years into his career, Alice was already introduced as “legendary”.  He opens with an ominous and “Welcome to My Nightmare” and the crowd begins screaming as soon as he enters.  Alice’s voice is a little off from the start, but the band behind him has every beat covered.  Compared to his previous group, this one truly sounds like a “backing band”, with the star up front and group of pros behind him taking care of business.  That’s not a criticism, just an observation, and the soloing on “Welcome to My Nightmare” prove how great they are.  It’s a very different sounding group from what we heard before.

Not playing the Nightmare album sequentially, “Years Ago” recurs throughout the early songs played.  Old songs framed by “Years Ago”?  Quite clever.  Here, the first verse leads into “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, a very slick version though Alice sounds hoarse.  Even still, he powers through the chorus and falsetto.  If anything, he is less able to deliver some of the melodic hooks accurately.  Back to “Years Ago”, we get the second verse before “Billion Dollar Babies”, which is the strongest performance so far.  The extra keyboards and guitars are more than welcome, beefing up Alice’s stage sound and adding a side of virtuoso musicianship.  On its third appearance, “Years Ago” consists of a creepy keyboard solo, extended from the album version.  This time, the crashing guitars of “I’m Eighteen” shake us from the nightmare.  Though he’s vocally great here, Alice does mess up a line and goes in for a re-do.  That’s what makes a real live performance so beautiful.  The lead soloists weave tapestries of tasty hooks as the song goes on.

The fourth and final “Years Ago” delivers the “I’m a little boy…” verse, and it’s a bit weird sounding live with that “Steeeeven, Steven come home!” part included.  A transitional segue consisting of some of the music from “Black Widow” and a lot of original riffing too leads into “Some Folks”.  This is done instrumentally with the twin lead guitars playing the first chorus, until Alice himself enters the fray.  His vocal is undeniable rough here, except when doing the falsetto.  Fortunately it’s a great song and a brilliant performance by the band.

“Cold Ethyl” rocks a little more straightforward than the last few minutes of music.  Cooper delivers the creepy vibe here; a pretty solid version.    A brief musical interlude sets up the opening chords to “Only Women Bleed”.  The keyboard provide the strings, and the delicate picking of Hunter and Wagner is spot on.  Alice is strong here.  He seems to struggle vocally when he sings in that “rough” raspy evil voice, but not so much when singing clean or falsetto.

There is a fade out before “Devil’s Food” and “The Black Widow”, but this duo is a show highlight.  Prakash John gets a bass solo moment between the two, as does everyone else, as it’s ten minutes of music before “Black Widow” begins.  As to that, Vincent Price’s part plays on tape and you know what is coming next.  “Black Widow” lacks the certain special haunting quality of the album version, but this one makes up for it in drum and guitar power.  This is much more a heavy metal exercise in Arachnology.  The only thing that could follow such a song is “Steven”, which is excellent except for some startling screaming during the song that is a big loud when it comes!  Your neighbors will wonder what the hell is going on at your house!

“Welcome to My Nightmare” is reprised, as the show ends appropriately with a trio of “Escape”, “School’s Out” and “Department of Youth”.  “Escape” is a show highlight, the irresistible riff blasting hard (and we get plenty of too).  Alice is pretty solid here too.  “Department of Youth” is an extended outro with loads of playing by the band (and band intros).  It sounds absolutely huge!

This album is really a treasure for Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner fans.  There is so much guitar, all over the entire show.  Jozef Chirowski is really outstanding on keyboards.  This is a player’s Alice Cooper album.  Vocal issues aside, the only issue I had was with the drum sound.  A little flat and thuddy.  This is a 50 year old recording and we admire it for its authenticity.

3.25/5 stars

RE-REVIEW: Eric Carr – Unfinished Business (2011/2025 RSD)

The KISS RE-REVIEW SERIES Part 42 Redux:  Eric Carr solo #2 (Reissued).

ERIC CARR – Unfinished Business (Originally 2011, 2025 Culture Factory)

Beloved drummer Eric Carr has two posthumous “solo albums”:  Rockology and Unfinished Business.  Both contain previously unreleased songs written and performed by Carr, some of which are polished up and finished properly, some of which are basic demos.  2000’s Rockology compilation contained a treasure trove of unheard goodies for the fans, but since there is always more to sell, another batch of tracks were unearthed to mark the 20th anniversary of Eric’s passing.  This time they called it Unfinished Business, and this time you can tell that there wasn’t much left in the vaults to release.   Yet, somehow, the Carr estate found even more tracks to release.  In 2023 a “remastered” version of Rockology was released for Record Store Day.  It included five more tracks, including very harsh demos from 1967, and 1974.  It also included a few alternate versions of previously released tracks, of limited value.  Then in 2025, and hopefully for the last time, five more tracks were coughed up on a similar reissue of Unfinished Business.  It is now an hour and 14 minutes long, so buckle up for a bumpy ride.

Getting the cosmestics out of the way first, Culture Factory do a fantastic job with these reissues.  The CDs are designed to look like vinyl.  Rockology was reissued on a black CD, and Unfinished Business is a lovely blue.  While the last album was designed to resemble the Kiss solo albums, this one looks like Creatures of the Night.  The style and obi strips for these reissues mean they also match each other.  Inside is a two-page booklet with very small print, and a sleeve for the CD, featuring two Kiss-era photos of Eric:  One from Creatures and one from Animalize.

There are a few Eric interviews and audio clips included, and the album opens appropriately with Eric introducing himself.  The first song is an updated version of “Just Can’t Wait” from Rockology.  Like a classic early 80s Bon Jovi song, it had slick hooks and hit potential.  This fine demo was just crying out for a lead vocal to finish it off.  This was completed by Ted Poley of Danger Danger.  Though the backing track lacks the fidelity of a proper Kiss recording, the song has taken shape as the shoulda-coulda-been hit that it is.  Eric would have been proud and very happy to hear it as a finished song, even though it sounds like you’re playing an old cassette.

The unfinished “Troubles Inside You” is a demo with regular Kiss collaborator and Beatlemania member Mitch Weissman.  It was recorded at Gene Simmons’ house, but the old cassette must have deteriorated pretty badly.  The music is barely audible, though hints of a good song shine through.  It clearly needed work, particularly on the chorus.  Weissman is on lead vocals, and Eric programmed the drum machine.  It sounds like a Creatures outtake, but this demo is truly chore to listen to.

There are a couple Kiss songs here for the diehard fans.  “No One’s Messin’ With You” is accompanied by an audio clip of Eric explaining that he insisted on singing a song this time.  Yes, that means this is yet another demo of what would become “Little Caesar” from Hot in the Shade (Another called “Ain’t That Peculiar” was released on the 2001 Kiss Box Set.)  This is an almost completely different set of lyrics, although it does have the “Hey Little Caesar” chorus.  In chronological terms, this version probably falls between the other two, with lyrics still a work in progress and a different verse melody.

Disappointingly, some songs here are not recorded by Eric Carr.  “Carr Jam 1991” and “All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose” are not demos.  They are remakes by Zo2 drummer Joey Cassata as a tribute.  Sonically both sound great, but why do we need these?  For “Carr Jam”, we already have a Kiss version which has Eric Carr on drums and Bruce Kulick on guitar.  This one has a guitarist named Benny Doro playing all the electric instruments.  Giving Cassata credit, he plays homage to the Fox’s drum hooks and style very admirably.  “All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose” with Paulie Z on vocals, belongs on a tribute album.  Not an album billed as an Eric Carr CD.

“Carr Jam” is followed by an interview about Eric’s audition, but it is followed by one of the very worst tracks in terms of quality.  This is “Shandi”, from Eric’s Kiss audition tape, with brand new acoustic backing music.  Unfortunately, Eric’s shaky voice (or a warbly tape) makes this totally unlistenable.  We have to assume it’s the tape, because nobody would dream of sending this to Kiss as an audition.

Two more Kiss outtakes include the legendary “Dial L For Love” and “Elephant Man”.  These were written for Crazy Nights and Revenge, respectively.  Neither were finished by Carr.  “Dial L For Love” has the bones of a good song with a unique 80s riff, including harmonics.  Eric only managed to finish the lyrics for “Elephant Man”, but here it is given music and life by a group of musicians including the late A.J. Pero of Twisted Sister, and ex-Europe guitarist Kee Marcello.  Singer Bob Gilmartin did a great job of it, turning “Elephant Man” into a cross between ballad and rocker, and something Kiss actually could have done on Revenge. “Elephant Man” does not feature Eric, only the lyrics he wrote, but it actually turned out pretty good.  We’ll allow this one, even though Eric isn’t on it, because there was no better way for us to hear his lyrics.

Eric’s Kiss bandmate, Mark St. John, found the cassette tape for “Midnight Stranger”.  It is another unfinished riff.  Mark was slated to overdub brand new solos for this instrumental, but he too passed before he could finish.  This is the original cassette demo.  The riff sounds like a brother to “Carr Jam”.  They are definitely related.  One has to assume that Eric gave this tape to Mark at some time during the making of Animalize.  Obviously, neither Mark nor Eric would be allowed to write on the album, so this is an interesting oddity.

Rockology featured a good Eric original called “Eyes of Love”, which Bruce Kulick finished by adding his guitar.  This version has Eric’s lead vocals backed by a new recording by Benny Doro and drummer John Humphrey.  Obviously, the Kulick version is the go-to.  This version doesn’t add much in terms of value to the fan.  It’s an artificially created “new” version, to flesh out an already dubious CD release.

“Through the Years” features some Eric Carr drum solos edited together, and dedicated to Bill Aucoin (who also features in an audio clip).  The drum solos themselves will sound familiar, as many ended up in “Carr Jam” and Kiss concerts live.

Finally there is a 1967 recording by Eric’s first band The Cellarmen, with Eric on lead vocals.  At the time of the original release for Unfinished Business, this was considered something really rare and special, but it turns out they had more that they were hanging on to.  Now, we get two more Cellarmen tracks:  1967’s Beatles-y “I Cry At Night” and 1968’s “I Found You (One I Adore)”.  These tracks sound pretty decent considering their age.  An official release like this is certainly welcome for these old tapes.  The late 1960s are alive again when you push play.

Several of the remaining bonus tracks are quite long.  Into the 1970s, we have a lengthy jam of “Down By The River”, performed by Salt and Pepper, recorded in 1974.  According to the CD, that is Eric on lead vocals and drums.  It sounds like when Deep Purple Mk I used to do slow psychedelic cover versions, complete with slamming drums.  Not a great cover, but certainly of interest to Eric fans.

“Get Down” is an overlong disco demo by Creation, dating to 1974.  This one is complete with a horn section, sax solos, and organ.  The surviving tape quality limits its listenability.  It’s interesting not only to hear Eric play the disco beats (quite awesomely), but also to hear him sing this soulful style.

Rewinding to 1972, Salt and Pepper also covered “Black Magic Woman”, this time keeping it to about five minutes.  Eric’s drumming on this is absolutely thunderous.  Though it is hard to shake the Deep Purple Mk I vibes, comparing Eric to Ian Paice on this is not out of the question.

The final track, a cover of “Listen to the Music”, dates back to 1977 and is recorded by Mother Nature Father Time.  This is a nice pop rock song with twangy country guitars.  Eric’s vocals are present but a bit muffled, making it hard to fully enjoy the tracks.  It is a pretty impressive version of the song, with ample accompaniment.

Never mind that the five bonus tracks from Rockology and the five from Unfinished Business could have been released as a single standalone disc, a third Eric Carr album perhaps.  That’s what should have been been done, for the fans who are tired of endless reissues.  Let us hope that more tracks don’t mysteriously turn up on a third go-round of reissues.

2/5 stars

 

 

RE-REVIEW: Poison – Open Up and Say… Ahh! (1988, 2018 180 gram coloured vinyl reissue)

Our review of the deluxe CD edition of this album can be found here.

POISON – Open Up and Say… Ahh! (1988, 2018 Capitol 180 gram coloured vinyl reissue)

There are some bands I find myself constantly having to defend my enjoyment of.  Poison is definitely up there in the top five, if not #1.   They’re not incredible musicians (Richie Kotzen and Blues Saraceno notwithstanding).  They put out some junk.  But they also did at least three legitimately great hard rock albums, and Open Up and Say… Ahh! is one of them.  Poison had good producers behind their best albums.  Bruce Fairbairn, Richie Zito, and in this case, Tom Werman, who had plenty of experience getting great records out of mediocre musicians (and great ones too).

This 180 gram vinyl reissue, on red vinyl and spinning at 45 rpm, still sounds great.  This was a good sounding album 1988 and this record spins well.  The drum sound is a little synthetic sounding, but that was a common issue in the 80s.  Rikki Rocket got a better snare sound later on in the 1990s.  CC’s guitar is like an over-the-top Ace Frehley.  Harsh with more of that 80s transistor amp sound, but actually not that bad on this album.  Frehley was probably the model.  Werman got a solid performance out of Bret Michaels, and layers the choruses with ample backing vocals, but just enough for sweetener.

The album was loaded with mostly good songs.  Opening with the terrific riffing of “Love on the Rocks”, Poison started with a rocker, as if to prove a point.   “She goes down slow, like a shot ‘o gin…” and 14 year old me had no idea what Bret was really signing about, so you have to give the lyricist credit for that.  “You wanna taste my love, why don’t ya swallow this.”  Well, maybe I did get the picture after all.  Swallow This was the original album title, but cooler heads prevailed.  It was later used as the title for Poison’s premature double-live.

Smash hit and first single “Nothin’ But A Good Time” is in the second position, exactly where it belongs, hitting it home immediately.  The riff always struck me as something inspired by Kiss (“Deuce), but later on Kiss ripped off this song for one of their own (“Never Enough”).  Although it’s bubblegum hard rock fun, there’s nothing wimpy about “Nothin’ But A Good Time”.  “Back to the Rocking Horse” is a good track, a sort of Poison deep cut, as is the harmonica-laden “Good Love”.  The first side ends with the darker “Tearin’ Down the Walls”.  Songs like this show that Poison were more than the sum of the public’s perception.  CC’s guitar solos speak.  The lyrics may be shallow (coming home from the road for a good romp in bed), but there’s something about the music that is more than meets the ear.

Opening side two, “Look But You Can’t Touch” has a completely different vibe.  A vicious CC riff kicks it off.  We’ll ignore Bret’s ill-advised lyrics about plying an unwilling young woman with drink.  Not cool, Bret!  (I didn’t think so back in 1988 and I don’t think so now, so don’t come at me.)   Great song otherwise, thanks to CC’s killer riff.  As if to make up for the previous song, Poison got a bit serious on “Fallen Angel”.  In the music video, a predatory manager played by actor Anthony James takes advantage of young girls heading to Hollywood looking for stardom.  It’s a re-enactment of the lyrics:  “She stepped off the bus out into the city streets, just a small town girl with her whole life packed in a suitcase by her feet.”  Things gradually go bad, and Bret’s words serve as a warning.  The song itself remains in the top Poison tracks of all time.  It has it all:  great riff, terrific chorus, strong verses, and another in a series of memorable CC guitar solos.  He didn’t break new ground as a lead soloist, but like many that receive far more praise than he does, CD composes his solos.  The one in “Fallen Angel” is like a mini-song inside a song.

“Every Rose Has Its Thorn” was respected in its time for being a bit further out in the acoustic direction than many bands were comfortable.  “Too country!” said some.  Bret was right on the money with this song, as time has shown.  It didn’t take long (only three years) to become something of a pop culture phenomenon, being quoted in the second Bill & Ted film.  You’ve heard it a million times, but it still stands as a good, well written and well performed ballad, with another great little CC solo.

The cover of “Your Mama Don’t Dance” was cute, and we’ve all heard it a million times now.  It’s fun but at this point we don’t need to discuss it.  We close on “Bad to be Good”, which actually focuses on Bobby Dall’s bass line as the main backbone of the song.  Not to be ignored, listen to CC’s opening guitar licks.  This is a fine song, but not an album cornerstone.  Just a way to take the album out on a dark, sassy note.

One thing we always appreciated about Open Up And Say… Ahh! back in the 80s was that it came with ample photos on the lyric sheet.  Though the cover was always garish and ugly, Poison gave you value when you bought their records.

4/5 stars

 

 

Tim’s Vinyl Confessions Ep. 756: Thin Lizzy (CDs)

It has been 40 years since we lost Phil Lynott.  To mark the occasion, Tim Durling recruited myself and John the Music Nut to meticulously document our Thin Lizzy CD collections on video, once and for all.  While I clearly had the biggest collection (and size does indeed matter), I still need three box sets to “complete” my Lizzy CD collection.

Please join Tim, John and myself as we go through every album one by one, and discuss the history of Thin Lizzy from the beginning right to the John Sykes and Ricky Warwick eras of the band.  We have physical CDs to marks several post-Lynott lineups, and loads of compilations and box sets too.  A truly comprehensive episode, and probably the best single-episode overview on the Lizzy discography that you’ll find on YouTube.  Enjoy!

REVIEW: Paul Stanley – You Can’t Escape His KISS – Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera (1999 Bootleg CD)

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA – Toronto Cast Recording featuring Paul Stanley (1999 Phantom Music bootleg CD You Can’t Escape His KISS)

Seeing Paul Stanley perform as the titular Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera was an experience I’ll never forget.  It was fall, 1999.  I remember hearing an ad on the radio on the way to work that the show was being extended due to popular demand – six more weeks!  I remember jumping around at the Beat Goes On (Cambridge location) chanting “SIX MORE WEEKS!  SIX MORE WEEKS!”  I knew I wasn’t going to miss Paul as the Phantom.  There were a lot of leather jackets in the audience.  A few Kiss shirts.  Not the usual Pantages crowd, but that’s what Paul did for Phantom of the Opera.  He crossed barriers with it.  A little later on, I was gifted a genuine Paul Stanley autograph from DJ Donnie D, who bumped into Paul on the streets of Toronto.  I had a program, an autograph, and the live experience.  All I needed was a CD of the show.

“They’d be stupid not to release a CD version of Phantom with Paul,” I reasoned.  The London and Canadian cast CD releases were bestsellers for us, despite their prices.  A Paul Stanley release would cross over to the rock crowd.  An official CD never came, but fortunately somebody in the audience was recording one of of those shows, and bootlegged it.  The date is unlisted, the CD says “Made in Japan” while the sleeve says “Printed in USA”.  (The number on the CD, 27/110/99 does not refer to a date as the ended on Oct 31 1999.)  This CD bootleg was gifted all the way from Australia, by the Mad Metal Man Harrison Kopp, who knew I had been seeking it a long time.  From Canada to Australia and back to Canada again.

A single CD release with unrelated bonus tracks, this disc focuses on the musical numbers that involved Paul and skips the rest.  This is probably sufficient for Kiss fans.

Being an audience recording, quality is all subjective.  There is some tape warble, which may or may not hinder your enjoyment.  There are people coughing in the audience; the usual sonic flaws.  You can clearly hear that Melissa Dye, Paul’s co-star playing Christine, is a professional while Paul is not.  He often resorts to a “rock frontman” voice to exclaim certain lines.  However, Paul also does an admirable job.  His tenor voice was no longer at its peak in 1999.  He was still up to the task, insofar as a rock star goes.  A tenor like Paul would never have made it to the starring role without his name marquee value.  That doesn’t actually matter when you consider that Paul helmed this show from May to October, to positive reviews.  Of course, there is more to it than just singing.  There is also the acting; the stage performance in costume and makeup.  You don’t get to see that here, but I can assure that Paul knew something about performing to music on stage in costume and makeup.  He brought the same bombast to the physical role as he did the vocal part.

The most memorable musical moments on this CD are the “Phantom of the Opera” and “Music of the Night”, which most people will be familiar with.  Paul’s performance on both is a knockout.  This bootleg recording serves as a reminder that Paul might have been an unorthodox Phantom, but he was still capable, and did the job well…even if you can hear the Kiss frontman in him, from time to time.

The track list on the back of the CD is incorrect.  There are 25 tracks total, provided below.  The bonus material includes four of the 1989 Paul Stanley solo demos:  “When 2 Hearts Collide”, “Don’t Let Go”, “Best Man For You” and the familiar “Time Traveler”.   These are followed by a 1978 interview in seven parts.  An odd potpouri of bonus material to be sure, but such is the liberty of bootleg recordings.

“When 2 Hearts Collide” belies the late 80s recording date with its ballady keyboard direction.  It sounds like a Journey ballad, but it wouldn’t have done Kiss much good back then, when fans were tiring of ballads.  Good chorus and would probably benefit from a quality official release so we can really appreciate Paul’s singing.  “Don’t Let Go” is another ballad, but more in that “power ballad” mold, with a blaring chorus.  Just like every band was doing in 1989.  It could have been a hit, or it could have been forgotten.  Either way, Paul should do his own “Vault” release and get this stuff out there in better quality.  “Best Man For You” is, you guessed it, a ballad.  It sounds like something related to “Reason to Believe” from Crazy Nights.  Fortunately, the last and best song “Time Traveler” did get an official release on the Kiss Box Set.  This one actually rocks!  In that late 80s way, with a drum machine thudding away where you wish it was Eric Carr.  The tape sounds slightly sped up from the official release.  (It happens when it’s tape-based bootlegs.)

Finally the 1978 Paul interviews aren’t too action-packed.  They lack the question portions of the recordings.  The subject is Paul’s 1978 solo album, and what Paul was looking to accomplish.  (Sing more, apparently!)   He was also hoping to appeal to all Kiss fans, and new fans too.  He also hopes that none of the four solo albums would disappoint the fans.  That didn’t happen, but then there is some praise for the late great Bob Kulick and the other players on the record.  He also prophesizes that one day, Kiss will become an institution.  Was he right?  In total, it’s 8 and a half minutes of interview.

A worthwhile purchase if you can find a copy.  There isn’t much in terms of 1999 Phantom recordings out there, and this might be the best of them.

3/5 stars, balancing collectability and sound quality.  Still a must for Paul fans.

 

1. Overture
2. Angel Of Music / The Mirror / Phantom of the Opera
3. Music of the Night
4. I Remember / Stranger Than You Dreamt It
5. The Phantom’s Instructions
6. The Phantom Threats
7. The Phantom Attacks
8. All I Ask Of You
9. Masquerade
10. Wandering Child
11. Let My Opera Begin
12. The Point of No Return / All I Ask Of You
13. Down Once More
14. Finale
15. Paul Stanley – When 2 Hearts Collide
16. Paul Stanley – Don’t Let Go
17. Paul Stanley – Best Man For You
18. Paul Stanley – Time Traveler
19. Paul Stanley Interview 1978 Pt. 1
20. Paul Stanley Interview 1978 Pt. 2
21. Paul Stanley Interview 1978 Pt. 3
22. Paul Stanley Interview 1978 Pt. 4
23. Paul Stanley Interview 1978 Pt. 5
24. Paul Stanley Interview 1978 Pt. 6
25. Paul Stanley Interview 1978 Pt. 7

Tim’s Vinyl Confessions Ep. 736: Ace Frehley (CDs)

Like ships passing in the night, once again I cannot seem to hook up with Logan Collins at the same time and place!  Logan and I did, however, contribute to this fantastic episode of Tim’s Vinyl Confessions.

With the loss of Ace Frehley fresh in our minds, the three of us go through our Ace Frehley CD collections.  There are certain items in my collection you may not have seen before, such as a promo single for “Do Ya”.  We engaged in deep discussion on each album, the key tracks, and the specific versions we have on display.  Most of us, we miss the Ace and spend most of our time just talking about how great he was.

Check out this episode of Tim’s Vinyl Confessions, which will premiere later today.

Tim’s Vinyl Confessions Ep. 687: Night Ranger Deep Dive #12 (High Road)

Please join Tim Durling and myself for this deep dive into Night Ranger’s fabulous 2014 album, High Road.  This is a really special CD to me, with some great tracks including the title song, “I’m Coming Home” and “Don’t Live Here Anymore.  Jack Blade, Brad Gillis, Kelly Keagy, Joel Hoekstra and Eric Levy really made a special album with this, and a pinnacle of the reunion era if you asked me.

Tim is doing this series of deep dives to celebrate his new book, Sing Me Away: The Night Ranger Album Review.  You can get it on your local Amazon and check out an analysis of every Night Ranger album from a panel of experts.  Including me!

Check out this episode of Tim’s Vinyl Confessions, which will premiere later today.

#1194: You got exactly two words of that right.

RECORD STORE TALES #1194: You got exactly two words of that right.

I have a soft spot for Ian Gillan and Roger Glover’s Accidentally on Purpose.  The Deep Purple Pair had a writing partnership dating all the way back to the 1960s and a band called Episode Six.  Before Ian was fired from Deep Purple in 1988, he and Roger emerged from the sessions for The House of Blue Light with an excess of stifled creativity.  These lighter, more summery tuned formed the basis for their only duo album.  I found it on cassette in the mid-90s, right when I was seriously collecting Deep Purple for the first time.

It’s not rock.  There are some songs that do rock a bit, but it’s more like fun pop with roots in rock and prog.  There’s saxophone, and loads of programming.  Very 1980s.  It took a couple listens to adjust to this distinctly non-Purple album, but once certain songs like the floaty “Clouds and Rain” and the funky “Evil Eye” started to hit, they stuck.  Programming aside, you’ll hear some cool instrumentation and musicianship on this album.  Eventually, I grew to like it.  As soon as I found out the CD reissue had three bonus tracks that were not on the cassette, I upgraded, as I often do.

The bonus tracks included a song that would have worked on a corny 80s Beach Boys album, called “Cayman Island”.  It also had a sax-heavy cover of “Purple People Eater” which is the definition of guilty pleasure.

Shortly after I bought the CD, a used copy came into stock at the Beat Goes On.  It always happened that way.  If you bought something new, you’d see a used copy a matter of weeks later.  It was eerily inevitable.  Of course, when that used copy came in, I threw it into the rotation for store play one afternoon.

A guy walked up to the counter, intrigued by the music.

“What’s this that we’re listening to right now?” he asked.

I was thrilled to have someone ask!

“This is a side project by Ian Gillan and Roger Glover from Deep Purple,” I answered with inner glee, but also some trepidation as I’d personally prefer to keep listening to it!

He responded, “Roger Waters from Pink Floyd?“

What…?  No!  No!  You got just two words of that right: “Roger” and “from”!

He sulked away upon learning it was not Floydian music.  No sale that day!

Album of the year? REVIEW: Harem Scarem – Chasing Euphoria (2025 2 CD/DVD)

HAREM SCAREM – Chasing Euphoria (2025 Frontiers 2 CD/DVD)

In 2025 we have seen spectacular new releases from The Darkness and Ghost, but have Harem Scarem topped them all?  Chasing Euphoria could be the album of the year.

Harry Hess (vocals), Pete Lesperance (guitar/bass), Darren Smith (backing & lead vocals), and Creighton Doane (drums) have created a magnificent hard rock masterpiece in Chasing Euphoria, an album that sounds like a brother record to Mood Swings.  A record we’ve been waiting for, for a long time.  The logo and cover art match the Mood Swings era.

While it is a disappointment that Darren doesn’t play any drums on the album, you can’t really tell.  (Bassist Mike Vassos is pictured in the booklet but does not appear on the album, while drummer Creighton Doane plays drums on every song but isn’t depicted inside.)  Joining the band are ex-Honeymoon Suite keyboardist Ray Coburn, and Coney Hatch bassist Andy Curran (on “Better Than the Devil You Know”).  The ten new songs here are among the best written by this band.  The Japanese release includes four bonus acoustic renderings, plus a DVD with two music videos and an exclusive “Making Of” video.  The album was, as usual, self produced by Harry and Pete.

One of Harem Scarem’s trademark sounds is the blend of Harry Hess’ vocals, layered in with Darren and the band.  The opening title track is thick with that sound on the impactful chorus.  Like classic Harem, this one boasts dark but still uplifting melodies with powerful hard rock.  Importantly, Pete’s guitar tone is right in the pocket of what we loved about him back in 1993.  His solo here could have fit on Mood Swings without a blink.

The upbeat “Better Than the Devil You Know” is a brighter song, with softer verses and a regal chorus.  It brings warm feelings and nostalgia of happy days.  Pete’s solo on this song is lyrical and dexterous.  “Better the devil you know, than you angel you see,” advises Harry Hess.

Chunkier riffing characterizes the speedy “Slow Down”, but what I really like about it is the way Pete goes from rhythm guitar to tricky fills, seamlessly.  This rocker is an album highlight, on a record filled with nothing but.  The chorus is surprising when it hits, and catchy as the flu.  Pete’s solo is an album highlight.

Darren Smith makes his only lead vocal on “Gotta Keep Your Head Up”, a mid-tempo groove with impact.  Darren’s voice is a bit raspier than Harry’s, but they blend so well on the choruses.  This is one of those inspirational rock songs about not giving up or backing down.  The subtle backing keyboards really add texture.  Another winner.

The first ballad of the album is “World On Fire”, which would be the side one closer in a vinyl world.  This is a sentimental song very much like early Harem Scarem, possibly fitting best into the Voice of Reason era (1995).  In a near-perfect album, this song ranks near the bottom, which isn’t really a bad thing on an album like this.  The layers of backing vocals plus Pete’s solo adds some meat to the bones.

“In A Bad Way” returns the chunky Pete rhythm guitar to the forefront.  The roaring chorus of “I’m in need of your love in a bad way,” is the song highlight.  Pete’s solo is a little different, and a lot cool.

Softer is “Reliving History”, but it’s not a ballad.  Even when Harem Scarem write a song that is a little more laid back, they manage to inject it with power.  This is a Leppard-like song circa Adrenalize.

The heaviest song is “A Falling Knife”, a fast rocker with Harry giving it all vocally, sometimes breaking into a hoarse rasp, but without ever losing control.  This is probably the only song that has a late-90s Harem Scarem vibe.  It could fit on albums like Karma Cleansing or Big Bang Theory as well as this one.  The lush backing vocals are a Harem Scarem trademark and the backing organ thickens the soup.

“Understand It All” dials the heaviness back a tad, and compensates with great verses and an absolutely killer chorus, dense with those Harem Scarem vocals.  Pete’s guitars balance the rhythm parts with catchy fills in a tasty way, and his solo is killer as ever.

It’s all over before you know it.  “Wasted Years” is the highspeed closer, an album highlight and an absolute smoker.  It has the tension and the melodic power that classic Harem Scarem has always embodied.  One of the best tracks, in an album with nothing but “best tracks”.

It’s all over before you know it, but Harem Scarem always give the Japanese releases a little extra.  This release comes with four stripped back acoustic versions:  “Better Than the Devil You Know”, “Slow Burn”, “In A Bad Way” and “Reliving History”.  It has been said that if you want to know if you wrote a good song, play it acoustically and see.  All these songs pass the acoustic test, though the album versions will remain the mainstays.  These acoustic tracks are a nice coda.  They give you a little extra, without compromising quality by including filler songs.  It’s like a comedown after a wild ride, though Pete’s acoustic solos sure have spark.

The Japanese album also includes a brief DVD with videos for “Chasing Euphoria” and “Better The Devil You Know”.  In an interesting twist, Darren Smith mimes the drums in these videos, even though Creighton Doane played them.  Mike Vassos does appear on bass in these videos.  There is also a “Making Of” feature that you will probably watch once.  It’s nice to get these bonuses, but how often will you pop in this DVD?  Rarely, because you need a multi-region player to see it.

Harem Scarem have made a lot of great albums over the years, that have been forgotten and swept under the carpet.  This one deserves a better fate than that.

5/5 stars.  Best album by Harem Scarem in a long time.