classic rock

#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.

PHOTOS: KISS – Off The Soundboard – CD version Japan exclusive – Asylum Tour San Antonio TX 12-3-1985

Fresh in today’s mail, it is the latest KISS Off the Soundboard CD, Asylum Tour 1985, in Texas!

“But Mike,” you query.  “I thought that was a vinyl exclusive, and I thought it sold out too.”

True, it was a stupid coloured 3 LP set, exclusive to the KISS store, and now sold out except in bundles with a shirt.

The Japanese record company said いいえ and issued it on CD anyway.  They did a smashing job of it!  Some fans received a free sticker; I did not.  Inside the cardboard gatefold sleeve was a mini KISS poster, and 2 CDs, each one within its own plastic sleeve within its own printed paper sleeve.  The design for this album was a little different from the previous five in that this time there is a picture on the outer cover.

The CD sounds great, and it’s classic fastfastfast 80s Kiss with the unforgettable Eric Carr on drums.  That’s why you only see CD 2 in this photo.  CD 1 is in the deck!  This could have been released officially in 1985.

 

REVIEW: Rush – Rush 50 (2025)

RUSH – Rush 50 (2025 Mercury)

Don’t try to do any math and figure why Rush 50 is out in 2025 instead of 2024.  What matters is:  Rush 50 is out.  It is stunning, both sonically and visually.  The box art by Hugh Syme fits right in that Rush mold, akin to Chronicles.  That’s to say nothing of the hardcover book inside, which we will discuss later on.  The design is excellent.  In the back, the CDs peek out of thee sleeve like golden coins.  It’s just a really cool looking, and sounding, box set.  The remastering here is terrific.  Geddy’s bass is wonderfully separate from the guitars, and you can really hear the details as you remember them.  Brilliant job here.

Rush 50‘s four discs follow roughly chronologically.  They include a generous number of live tracks, which is not at all to the detriment of this set.  Some of the live tracks come from other box sets, from live albums, and some are rare or unreleased versions.  “Garden Road” is one long desired by Rush fans, though “Fancy Dancer” is conspicuous by its absence.  (Don’t assume this is the last collection that Rush will release.)

In the days of downloading via Bittorrent, I found crappy vinyl rips of Rush’s first single “Not Fade Away” / “I Can’t Fight It”.  I burned them to a CD, and lamented that this would likely be the only “physical” copy of the single that I would ever own.  15 or 20 years later, this new anthology-style box set Rush 50 includes the single as the first two tracks on disc one.  To finally have these songs, officially, physically, and sounding so full and rich compared that that old CDr, it scratches that itch that I have as a collector.  If I could afford that first single, I’d have it already.  This will do even better, because it’s clean and digitally perfect.  It’s also quaint.  The almost psychedelic echo on “Not Fade Away” is a detail I didn’t remember.

Similarly, about 15 years ago Rush released the “Vault Edition” of the track “Working Man” for a limited time on iTunes.  I burned that to a CD too.  Now it is here physically, along with another “Vault Edition” of “The Trees” that I was unaware of.  Now we have both on CD.  Itch scratched once again.

Wisely, Rush made sure some of the biggest hits that people want are studio versions:  “Closer to the Heart”, “Tom Sawyer”, and “Subdivisions” for example.  Joe Average, who just wants a cool box set instead of all the albums, often ends up complaining when bands out live versions instead of studio versions of the songs they really wanted.  (Trust me, I worked at the Beat Goes On for 12 years.)  The other thing is, the live versions they did select are superb.  Let me tell you, the Bonham-esque drums on the jammy “Before and After (live)” sound absolutely massive.  It’s certainly appropriate for a band of this reputation to include so many live versions.  Most of disc two is live.

With equal wisdom, Rush ended this box set with the last songs plays at the their last ever concert.  Going back to the very beginning, Rush end the anthology with those final live takes of “What You’re Doing/Working Man”, with just a smidgen of “Garden Road”.  It’s an emotional way to end the journey, and this box set is indeed a journey.  That’s the wonderful thing about anthology style sets.

 

The remarkable Hugh Syme worked overtime to produce the art for the hardcover book.  Yes, not only do you get words and photos, but also brand new double-page artwork for most of the songs on Rush 50.  It is the kind of box set that will give you enjoyment every time you listen to it, because you can crack open that book and just study.  My study has barely begun; I have not really been able to look at each and every piece of art yet.  Rest assured though, Hugh Syme provides all the justification for the price of this set, with the book alone.  If this were a hardcover sold in a store on its own, it would probably be at least $60 bucks as a book.

A massive career like Rush’s deserves a massive box set.  You won’t believe it until you hold it in hand.  This thing is monolithic; a purchase that will not be regretted.

5/5 stars

REVIEW: Rose Tattoo – Rose Tattoo

ROSE TATTOO – Rose Tattoo (1978 Albert Productions/1990 Repetoire Records “Limited Edition” CD reissue)

It is amazing how in North America, you can spend half a lifetime listening to music without ever running into an album by Rose Tattoo, Australia’s “Angry” exports.  Legendary back home, but over here most of us just know them from “Nice Boys” by Guns N’ Roses.  Some may also remember “Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaw” by Keel.  Both covers of Rose Tattoo tracks from their eponymous 1978 debut.

Led by the diminutive Angry Anderson, Rose Tattoo were produced by Harry Vanda and George Young, the same duo that helmed those early AC/DC classics among others.  AC/DC comparisons are easy, but Rose Tattoo had two things going for them that other bands did not:  1) dominant slide guitar on every track, and 2) Angry Anderson himself.  Don’t underestimate what you see.  This guy has gritty power that elevates each song, and blows away the most famous cover version you’ve heard.  Furthermore, the lyrics should be mentioned as different from what many bands were doing at the time: Gritty social observational lyrics, featuring  real life stories of the streets (too wild to be true), with colourful characters such a drug dealers and tough guys.

Opening with the slide guitars of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaw”, we can accuse another band who clearly ripped off Rose Tattoo in their early days, that being the Four Horsemen.  If their “Tired Wings” didn’t take inspiration from this song, then I’ll be damned.  The steady beat of Rose Tattoo is the perfect backing for drive this tough boastful rocker.  Besides that beat and slide guitar, Angry Anderson’s voice is the magical ingredient.  It sounds perpetually pushed to the edge, with a delightful squeak highlighting the emphatic parts.  The powerhouse voice of Anderson automatically blows away Keel’s cover.  Sorry Ron.

Guns N’ Roses came close to capturing the frenetic energy of “Nice Boys”, but not even Axl can bottle the energy of Angry Anderson.  Now playing at a punk-like tempo, but with frantic slide guitar punctuation, “Nice Boys” easily kills the famed GN’R cover version.  Hearing it, one gets the sense of “ah, this is what they were trying to do.”

One of the most menacing songs is “The Butcher and Fast Eddy”, slowing things down to that nocturnal crawl that AC/DC mastered with Bon Scott.  Much as Scott filled his lyrics with true stories and colourful characters, Anderson tells a tale here like a novelist.  “Across the river lived Fast Eddy, he was known to be treacherous, very mean. Even Eddy’s sweet young sister out on the streets, just a girl, barely fifteen.”  Is Anderson the Bob Dylan of the dirty streets?  He keeps the story going for six and a half spellbinding minutes, with the band mostly just playing the backing music, with a few picks scraped for noisy blasts.  Angry Anderson’s voice and delivery carries it.

A stomping beat slams through one of the catchiest songs, “One of the Boys”.  It’s an unsubtle ode to being a tough guy with a bunch of tough guys to back you up.  Yet Angry’s words offer more than just boasting.  OK sure, there’s boasting.  “What you need is mates, staunch and true, hold out your back they’re gonna see you through.  I don’t look for trouble but I won’t hide, I’ll jump on you if you don’t step aside.”  There are also hints of deeper themes, such a loyalty.

Now at top speed, “Remedy” brings the punk rock tempos with a single heavy riff and killer hooks.  The message here is simple:  gimme rock and roll.  It’s good for you.  It’s healthy.  Turn it up and blast it, and at this tempo you’ll probably be headbanging too.  Top notch party rock on the edge of punk.

“Bad Boy for Love” uses the slide to bring a sleezy vibe to a slower groove.  In this song, the main character got drunk, ripped up the town, and is now just being released from prison.  Then, he went to go see his girl, whom he finds with another man.  He kills them both and ends up back in the slammer.  This is followed by a jailbreak and “a thousand guns” pursuing him.  Not original, but delivered with bona fide sounding cred.

Keepings things to a breakneck pace, “T.V.” might get you pulled over for a speeding ticket.  Angry’s voice is pushed to the limit again, and the slide guitar is as relentless as the tempo.

The one surprising song is the acoustic “Stuck On You”, featuring the line “like a rose tattoo”.  The slide is now applied to various acoustic stringed instruments, and though it’s clearly the same band, the approach is very different.  A more traditional blues direction does not temper Angry’s voice, still pushing it on the choruses and verses alike.  Sometimes the lyrics verge on the absurd.  “I had a fish named Sam, he lived in bowl.  I heated up the water, so he wouldn’t get cold.”  The lead character seems like a possible stage five loser, but it’s all open to interpretation.  Either way, a great song with memorable words and a delivery impossible to duplicate.

Back to the punk-like rock, “Tramp” tells a more familiar story.  It’s over and done real fast, and then we’re onto the epic closer “Astra Wally”.  Rose Tattoo do best when they tell these kinds of stories.  Astra Wally was a real cool cat, but he sounds like trouble to me.  A drug dealer who samples his own wares, perhaps.  “He don’t get shot, he go by O.D.”  The slide guitar is once again in the spotlight, always fast and always tasty.  That’s founding member Peter Wells on slide.  Then we have Mick Cocks on lead and rhythm, Geordie Leach on bass and Dallas Royale on drums.  When they get down and just lay down grooves like this, you can listen to them all day.  “Astra Wally” is indeed a “super fun thing” as the lyrics state.

That’s a 5/5 star album right there.  But we’re not through yet, because in 1990 this album was reissued with eight bonus tracks.

Up first are a batch of studio tracks.  A B-side called “Never Too Loud” backed the “No Secrets” single in 1984.  Regardless of the time difference, it does sound like it roughly fits in.  It’s less frantic and tighter, with a slightly cleaner sound.  Slightly.  It’s still not anywhere near the polished rock starting to come out of North America at the time, and it maintains the slide and steady beat.

“I Had You First” is from 1981’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll King”.  The punk vibe is first and foremost here, but the chorus is still a blast.

From 1982, “Fightin’ Sons” comes from the “It’s Gonna Work Itself Out” single, and it’s another vibe altogether.  It has a bit of an early 70s vibe with a blues base.  This is about going to war to fight for your country, but it’s more than that.  It offers its own perspective; its own angle on the experience, gleaned from friends.  The lyrics are more interesting than the music, perhaps.

The final studio track is “Snow Queen”.  This one lies somewhere in the middle, a reliable rocker with an undeniable AC/DC beat.  It’s the voice and slide that differentiate it.  It’s low on hooks, but it bangs pretty hard.

The final four tracks are all live ones from an unspecified source.  “Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaw” and “Bad Boy for Love” feature Angry pushing it even further than on album.  What a singer and what a pair of lungs.  “Bad Boy for Love” is considerably longer than the album version, with loads more solos.  “Rock ‘n’ Roll is King” and “Suicide City” are later tracks.  An obvious single, “Rock ‘n’ Roll is King” is catchy through and through, with Angry still singing at top volume.  Yet it’s all hooks.  Finally, “Suicide City” is probably the most over the top song of them all, total punk rock frenzy.

In short:  If you like rock and roll, get the album, and in particular this reissue.

5/5 stars

 

REVIEW: Judas Priest – Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed and Remastered)

For my original Rocka Rolla (1974) review, click here.

JUDAS PRIEST – Rocka Rolla (1974 Gull, 2024 Exciter Records Remixed and Remastered)

How did he do it?!  Somehow, by some digital miracle of the master tape gods, producer Tom Allom has remixed Rocka Rolla, and transformed it from one of my least favourite Priest albums of all time, to one of my favourites.

Generally I can’t get into the remixed versions of albums.  Even if the remix is objectively a better release, such as Rush’s Vapor Trails or Marillion’s Radiat10n, I always find myself coming back to the flawed originals.

Not this time.

For context, Tom Allom didn’t originally produce Rocka Rolla, and this is not the first remix of it.  Rodger Bain produced, but his name appears smaller than Allom’s on the new back cover.  The Rocka Rolla (full album) remix that appeared on Hero, Hero (1981) was helmed by Bain, less effectively.  Tom Allom is best known for producing the run of Judas Priest albums from Unleashed in the East (1979) to Ram It Down (1988).  What he has done with Rocka Rolla is somehow give it a makeover to sound more like a real 1970’s Priest album.  Sonically, it now has thickness.  There’s a real beefiness to the mix, but not in the sense that you immediate say “oh yeah, this is different.”  It just sounds like the album always sounded that way, and you just got your stereo system upgraded.

The track listing is unchanged.  “One For the Road” still opens with a groove, but now that groove hits different.  You can better appreciate the guitar fills at the end, and the songs goes well past its old fade-out.  This is a trick that remixed album should do more often.

“Rocka Rolla” remains a metal delight, but there is new shimmer to Rob’s vocals and the song chugs with more edge.  It’s all very objective and subtle, but once again Tom Allom took a Priest classic and made it sound like it was always this weighty.

The “Winter” suite is the most altered of any of the tracks.  Notably, Allom chose to separate the tracks from the suite format, and leave them as individual songs.

John Hinch’s drums sound crushingly Bonham-like on “Winter” itself, and the backing riff far more weighty.  The biggest change is that it no longer fades into KK’s guitar showcase “Deep Freeze”.  You can hear more of KK at the end, with some experimental playing that was inaudible before.  The track fades out past its previous point, and “Winter Retreat” stands on its own as a song.  In the 70s, Priest were experimenting with acoustics and psychedelic sounds from time to time.  “Winter Retreat” can now join those songs as something that sonically fits in better.  Finally, “Cheater” always was its own song really, and now it’s just heavier.  Rob’s harmonica is more prominent, which of course recalls the heaviness of Black Sabbath.

Moving on to side two, “Never Satisfied” finally has the punch it always felt like it had inside:  A little more echo on this this vocal line, a lot more weight behind the drums, more texture on the guitars, and a few things made audible for the first time.   We now have the definitive version of this song.  With the impressive soloing mixed in just right, this becomes a long, jammy Priest thumper as it always should have been.  If Rocka Rolla sounded like this when I was a kid, I would have got it immediately.

“Run of the Mill” takes time to build as it always has.  It has a long instrumental section, with some mindblowing guitar playing, and now it’s all finally hitting right.  The bass isn’t just sitting there.  It’s picking you up and taking you along with the groove.  The keyboards in the background are more ominous.  Everything about this is just so much better than the original.

Perhaps the only song that still bores, for the first half anyway, “Dying to Meet You” is similarly upgraded but benefits less from the treatment.  That is until it picks up midway in the “Hero, Hero” section.  This part of the song still cooks, but has a different, more spare feel.  Finally, the light instrumental “Caviar and Meths” really benefits from the remix treatment.  The drums, once again, really add atmosphere to it.

As an added attention to detail, the front cover of Rocka Rolla is now as three dimension as the music.  The water drops are now tactile.  You can feel the bumps with your fingers.  A perfect topper.

What did Tom Allom do with these master tapes?  Did he conjure some kind of heavy metal spell and make a two dimensional album sound big and beefy?  Only Allom knows, but now I do believe in magic.

4.5/5 stars

REVIEW: Deep Purple – “Lazy Sod” (2024 CD single)

“Recently, a young journalist asked me how many songs I had written in my life. I replied that the last time my assistant counted, twenty years ago, it was over 500. I felt quite accomplished until she pointed out Dolly Parton’s 5,000 songs, calling me a lazy sod.” – Ian Gillan

DEEP PURPLE – “Lazy Sod” (2024 Ear Music)

Since Deep Purple’s =1 album was my #1 album of 2024, it should be no surprise that I love the single “Lazy Sod”.  It exemplifies what Simon McBride brings to Deep Purple on this new album.  His smooth playing is loaded with feel and perhaps he adds just a tad more hooky riffiness into the band.  “Lazy Sod” is a fantastic track, a shorty at 3:40, even loaded with solos by Simon and Don Airey.  No fat, just like those old Deep Purple Machine Head firecrackers from the early 70s.

Back when we reviewed the =1 box set, we speculated why a live version of “Highway Star” with Simon McBride wasn’t included.  Same with “Lazy”.  Here they are.  “Highway Star” (Milan, October 17 2022) is pretty damn energetic and features the Simon stuff that we were waiting for.  His sound might be likened as somewhere between Steve Morse and Ritchie Blackmore, but what he brings to the table fits perfectly, without copying either.

“Lazy” (Sofia, May 23 2022) is the lengthy one, at 8:33.  Don Airey opens it with some meandering organ soloing, before playing some more familiar notes.  Then it’s Simon’s turn, sending out a delightfully original solo for “Lazy”.  He throws it back to Don like a game of ball, and Don slays it some more.  “Fun” doesn’t begin to sum it up.  There are old Deep Purple versions of “Lazy” where it does not sound like they are having fun.  This does, for Don and Simon in particular.  The rest of the band have to be able to feed off that.  Ian Gillan doesn’t enter the picture for over five minutes.  He turns in a performance more like a lounge singer, but with some screams towards the end.

Another great single from the Purples.  Thanks for keeping the format alive.  It’s limited to 2000 copies but hopefully that’s enough for the collectors who want it.

4/5 stars

 

REVIEW: Dennis DeYoung – Back to the World (1986)

DENNIS DeYOUNG – Back to the World (1986 A&M, 2013 BGO reissue)

Though his solo debut Desert Moon was a moderate hit, Dennis DeYoung took no time off and was back with a second album two years later.  Still using Tom Dziallo on guitar, Dennis also added C.J. Vanston on keyboards.  With Dennis being an acclaimed keyboardist himself, was this too much of the instrument?  Once again, DeYoung wrote everything himself, with no cover tunes this time.

Opening the album is the theme from The Karate Kid II, “This Is the Time”.  Fortunately the song is a lot better than the film.  With emphasis on saxophone and keyboards, this is a pleasant, anthemic light rock theme.  With some exposure, it could have been a minor hit, but fortune was not with Dennis this time.  The track only made it to #93, while the album peaked at #108.

“Warning Shot” has a bombastic Styx-like opening, though with less emphasis on guitar.  Dennis’ singing here is top notch, employing a lovely falsetto when necessary.  When the chorus hits, it feels like this is the Dennis we have been waiting for.  A spectacular guitar solo brings it into a classic rock realm, but really “Warning Shot” is all chorus.  A host of backing singers join in and the song launches into the stratosphere.  It should have been a single.

The biggest hit, the ballad “Call Me”, was the single, which hit #5 on the Adult Contemporary charts, where no Styx fans were likely to hear it.  It has some nice saxophone textures, but it’s unremarkable and will always live in the shadow of Dennis’ better known ballads.  It’s just too light.  “Unanswered Prayers” is better, with some lyrical guitar work in the intro and solo.  This slow number feels like a nice one for a slow dance, but the album needs a jolt of energy and this isn’t it.

Opening side two, “Black Wall” is darker and harder edged.  It’s a slow burner with focus returning to the guitar.  It is not exactly the energy injection we need, but at least it is a change of direction.  The “Black Wall” in the title refers to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, in Washington D.C.  The powerful music is suitably dramatic and deliberate, with the soulful backing vocalists dominating the chorus.

A bluesy harmonica solo introduces “Southbound Ryan”…but the electronic tom tom drums just jar you when they come in.  Fortunately once that’s out of the way, we’re onto one of the best tracks on the album and the shot of energy we so desperately needed.  A smoking horn section blasts forth, and the tempo is finally hot!  That horn section is like the jelly in a PB&J!  So sweet, so good, just the perfect punch for a song that deserved it.

Fortunately, the tempos and horns remain on the next song, “I’ll Get Lucky”.  We’re definitely in the 80s now, with more keyboards and programming at the forefront.  Notably, C.J. Vanston contributed a rocking instrumental section in the middle.  The song is a bit jerky, going from dense sections to sparse ones, and it feels bumpy compared to the prior one.  Would it have been better had Dennis just played it simple instead of trying to get so clever with the production?  Once again, Dennis produced the album himself.

The final song, “Person to Person” has a Styx-like vocal and might have worked on one of the later albums.  It’s a little too savvy for a pop record, which is a good thing.  Had Styx done it, hopefully it would have less synth and corny toms, but it was 1986 and that was the sound to have.  At least Dennis closed the album on an uptempo note, and a song with a memorable chorus.

Had Dennis employed an outside producer, perhaps his first two studio albums would be more even.  Back to the World and Desert Moon share this problem.  Both albums sag in spots, and despite some awesome songs throughout, there are not enough of them.

3/5 stars

 

REVIEW: Dennis DeYoung – Desert Moon (1984)

DENNIS DeYOUNG – Desert Moon (1984 A&M, 2013 BGO reissue)

Alas for me in ’83, Styx were coming very close to an end.  Tommy Shaw didn’t want to sing songs about robots (or something) but what it really came down to was Dennis DeYoung’s vision vs. his.  Dennis was the theatrical one, and Tommy was the rocker.  That’s putting it in simplistic terms, but by the end of the tour, Tommy was out.  The other three members of Styx wanted to replace him and carry on, but Dennis was not interested.  In 1984, Styx issued their live album Caught in the Act, and said goodbye.  Less than six months later, Dennis DeYoung was out of the gates with his debut solo album.

Desert Moon demonstrated that Dennis was full of new ideas.  He wrote seven of the eight songs, with a Hendrix cover in the mix, and no co-writers.  Not that Dennis needed co-writers before, but he did often share credits on early Styx tracks with his bandmates.  Guitars on Desert Moon were handled by Tom Dziallo, who also programmed drums when necessary.  Dennis takes care of all keyboard duties, augmented by saxophone on some tracks.

I can distinctly remember watching MuchMusic in 1984, when a new Dennis DeYoung video came on, called “Desert Moon”.   It was a top 10 hit, and a ballad.  I was quite clear in my youth that I did not like Styx for their ballads.  I dismissed Dennis as a solo artist immediately.  I am sure he was broken-hearted that a 12 year old Canadian kid didn’t like his new direction.

I should not have dismissed Dennis so easily.  If I had bought his new album, I would have loved the opening rocker “Don’t Wait For Heroes”.  It could have been a Styx song, the upbeat triumphant kind of single that they were known for pre-“Roboto”.  Styx fans might have considered it a return to form for the singer.  While not as guitar-heavy as the two-guitar band, it does rock, with the drums (by Tom Radtke) in particular driving the song.  The melodies evoke “Don’t Let It End (Reprise)” on Kilroy Was Here, but with more edge.  The end refrain of “get up, get up, get up!” should indeed make you get up.

Guitars come to the forefront on “Please”, with a riff and a chug.  Then on the pre-chorus, Dennis lets the keyboards come out.  “Please” is a duet with Rosemary Butler, a singer with dozens of albums on her resumé.  A tasty guitar solo continues to keep things accessible to Styx fans, but the duet is really impressive.  Butler goes head to head with DeYoung, and blows him away by the end with some incredible high notes.

New wave sounds inflect “Boys Will Be Boys”, which Dennis delivers with spoken-word verses.  The fast beats and bouncing synth recall Devo and bands of a similar nature, not to mention that Alice Cooper ’80 sound.  There is also a clear 1950s influence on the chorus, with that “dip dip dip dip dow!”  The production recalls “Music Time” from the final Styx record Caught in the Act.

You don’t know that you’re listening to a Hendrix cover at first.  It sounds more like a slowed down “Peter Gunn”, but then Dennis sings those lines.  “You don’t care for me, I don’t care about that…”  Only then do you realize you are grooving to “Fire”.  Unlike every other cover of it, Dennis all but rewrites it as a slow rock groove.  While “Fire” is not an album highlight (think about that a moment), it is one of the most interesting versions you’ll ever hear.  It takes guts to reimagine a song like “Fire”, and it takes talent to pull it off so well.

The aforementioned title track “Desert Moon” opens side two.  It was the top ten ballad, and it’s easy to hear why.  It’s a slow, romantic sounding song with a resounding nostalgic chorus about summer nights, innocence and dreams.  The formula worked.  In the liner notes of the BGO edition CD release, Dennis credits the arrangement which emphasizes his voice, and therefore the lyrics.  The guitar solo is also a thing of beauty, with one sustained note that just sings.  A magnificent solo.

Dennis digs into his classic rock and broadway roots for “Suspicious”.  It’s a DeYoung trademark, but in light of exceptional material preceding it, it tends to go unremembered.  It might be a case of too much synth.  “Gravity” uses such electronics as well, but in more upbeat setting.  “I wanna climb Mt. Everest, and find my Shangri-La,” sings Dennis.  The fast New Wave beats during the chorus are fun but the song struggles to find an identity, and the listener has trouble hanging on.

Desert Moon ends on “Dear Darling (I’ll Be There)”, a final ballad, and just not enough to recover the album from a dip in memorability at the end.  It’s simply too much saccharine at the end of the day.  Another upbeat track should have ended the album, though at least there is a fine sax solo to dig into.

Dennis suffered an injury while making a music video and never got to tour Desert Moon properly.  Would it have made a difference?  Unlikely.  While Dennis was more than capable of delivering a good album on his own, left to his own devices, it didn’t have the consistency we were used to with Styx.  Perhaps a co-producer would have made a difference, since Dennis produced this album by himself.  The performances are all excellent, particularly lead vocals, but there needed to be more spark within some of the songs.

3/5 stars

THREE-VIEW: Ratt – Out of the Cellar (1984, 2024 40th Anniversary edition)

RATT – Out of the Cellar (1984 Atlantic, 2024 40th Anniversary edition)

Shame, shame, shame on Ratt.

In 2020 they released a beautiful Atlantic Years box set, featuring bonus tracks including one for Out of the Cellar.  In 2024, they coughed up Ratt Rarities, with a bunch of unreleased Ratt tracks.  And now, mere months later, we are given another reissue of Out of the Cellar, this one featuring lenticular cover art and one more unreleased Ratt song.  This song could have been released on a 7″ single on its own, but if you want that, you have to buy the vinyl album all over again.  If you want the unreleased song on CD, you have to buy Out of the Cellar one more time.  I believe this is my fourth or fifth copy of Out of the Cellar now.  This is just exploitative of the fans.  Pearcy must need another swimming pool.

Is the one song worth re-buying the album again?  Fortunately the answer is yes.  “Reach For the Sky” is a 1983 Cellar demo written by Stephen Pearcy, Robbin Crosby, and Marq Torien of Bulletboys.  It sounds remarkably finished.  The guitar harmonies feel very latter-day Thin Lizzy, upon which the guys build a pretty cool song.  Though not as slick as Cellar, it sounds fully produced and ready to release.  Amazing that songs like this can remain buried for 40 years, and was never resurrected for an album even though the title was used in 1988 for the album Reach For the Sky.  While this one song didn’t warrant an entire album re-release, at least we got it.

The album itself remains solid four decades after the fact.  Opening with cowboy themed “Wanted Man”, the five Ratt Rodents were off to a compelling start.  The disorienting sound of backwards drums heralds in “Wanted Man” is an inventive way to make their introduction.  A simple, slow, chomping riff is menacing enough, while Stephen Pearcy growls though various Western metaphors.  “By the road, you will hang, it’s your neck from this Ratt gang.”  The capable harmonies of the band and especially Juan Crocier help nail the melodies that Pearcy alone can’t.  Nice solo work.  A great track worthy of a multiplatinum album.

“You’re In Trouble” is a little different.  Juan’s clunky bass still sounds a bit out of place, though the choruses rule.  But “Round and Round”?  Still a total sleaze rock triumph.  A keen sense of melody, rhythm and vibe mixed together with a sweaty Stephen Pearcy.  Brilliant solo work from Warren DeMartini, and perfectly layered harmonies under the production of Beau Hill.  Every element punches, from the simple but memorable riff and those echoey choruses.  Dated to the period, but tasty for all ages.

A nice choppy guitar bodes well on “In Your Direction”, a slinky number that serves Stephen’s style well.  Decent song, but with only one trick.  “She Wants Money” is more fun, a fast upbeat blast on a familiar theme, with Robbin “King” Crosby on lead guitar.  It’s hard not to headbang along with the melodic fun of “She Wants Money”.  That ended side one on the original record.

The second side opens “Lack of Communication”, a biting track just missing one key ingredient:  a real chorus.  The saw-like riff smokes, the verses are great, but it never resolves into a definitive hook.  It’s basically just the riff with some words over it.  “Lack of communication, back off!”

“Back For More” is a little disjointed but salvages it with a killer chorus.  Screamin’ Pearcy and the rodent choir give it the final polish.  Brilliant solo work here by Warren.  Then, one of the best non-singles is the blazing fast “The Morning After”.  It has a bit of a Quiet Riot vibe.  Juan’s bass is furious while Pearcy sings it for melody.  “I’m Insane” is mindless fun; just bad boy rock with the popular “I’m crazy” theme that their pal Ozzy was milking for millions.  Finally the album closes on “Scene of the Crime” which has a neat guitar hook that unfortunately is all but unrelated to the rest of the song.  Some cool melodies with the patented Ratt harmonies here.  Still, solid enough song that if they had been looking for another single, it could have been “Scene of the Crime”.

This reissue doesn’t have any additional packaging or liner notes besides the new lenticular cover.  The lenticular art  is nice, but it’s not solidly anchored to the packaging.  It feels like a symbol for the half-arsed nature of this reissue.

3.5/5 stars