classic rock

REVIEW: Y&T – Ultimate Collection (2001)

Y&T – Ultimate Collection (Universal)

When Tim Durling, author of Down For the Count: The Y&T Album Review, found out I didn’t own any Y&T, he sought to rectify the situation.  As a passionate and knowledgeable fan, he knew that I wanted to start with a good compilation that covered all the songs I liked, and as many albums as possible.  The Ultimate Collection was the CD he vouched for, and he did not steer me wrong.  This is an amazing compilation.

The disc opens with four songs from Earthshaker, their first album as Y&T after two records as Yesterday & Today.  “Dirty Girl” is an unusual if brilliant opener.  It’s both slow and heavy, with a couple genius guitar solos, one different from the other, and each telling a story.  This track plods in the best possible way, with a cool signature riff and a stomping beat.  The chunky “Hurricane” and an epic “Rescue Me” follow, but “I Believe In You” is a real standout from Earthshaker.  This is a powerful metal ballad, like something the Scopions used to score hits with.  Dave Meniketti has expert control of his voice, with a vibrato to die for.

A clutch of songs from Black Tiger (produced by Max Norman) follows.  The title track from that album fades in from ominous jungle sounds (because tigers usually live in the jungle).  “Cat eyes!  She draws you in!”  Dave is singing about a different kind of jungle here.  The black tiger he’s singing about is of the feminine variety, and Dave wants you to heed his warning.  “She’s playing for keeps, so you better get away!”  Just a smoking metal track with stinging guitars.  “Open Fire” is just as heavy, if a bit faster.  These two songs boast hooks, both on guitar and vocals.  Y&T are experts at this high-velocity rock, but “Forever” could fool you into thinking it’s another ballad…until it storms off, bordering on thrash metal.  “Forever” definitely competes with the kind of heavy rock bands that were starting to make a name for themselves in the early 80s.  Leonard Haze pushes it over the top with his adrenalized drumming.

Chris Tsangarides took over production duties on Mean Streak.  We only get two heavy hitters, including the title track “Mean Streach”.  (That’s a joke – listen to the chorus.)  “Midnight In Tokyo” is the other, and by contrast, this song isn’t as simple or straight ahead.  Complex, jazzy verses collide with melodically heavy choruses.  Phil Kennemore must be credited for some really incredible, gallopy and melodic bass playing.

In Rock We Trust was produced by Tom Allom of Judas Priest fame.  We only get one track from this record, the big hit “Don’t Stop Runnin'”.   This one is especially notable for the backing vocals.  The band probably don’t get enough credit for that, and the thick and sweet chorus is all band.   Though I did see this music video on Toronto Rocks and the Pepsi Power Hour once or twice, it should have been a lot bigger.  This band had a number of circumstances against then, as discussed in Tim Durling’s book, available on Amazon.

The next couple studio albums were produced by Kevin Beamish.  Some may love, and some may hate, the direction this band evolved on Down for the Count and Contagious.  If the songs chosen here are any indication, the band were going for a more radio-oriented mid-80s mainstream sound.  They still managed to pack punch into the songs, but “Summertime Girls” and “Contagious” are notable more streamlined and polished.  The melodies and backing vocals take more prominent positions, and keyboards enter the fray.  I think these tracks are great.  They are among my childhood favourites.  I love the backwards-recorded drum parts on “Summertime Girls”.

A live track from Open Fire provides some much-needed music from the first Yesterday & Today album, which was on London Records and unavailable for this compilation.  Wicked riff from Joey Alves on “25 Hours A Day”!  Note the backing vocals once again.  Whether they were polished in the studio, it doesn’t matter.  The band can sing.  This fun rock groove has a little more power than the studio version.  Nice bass solo from Phil!

The end, temporarily, was 1990’s album Ten produced by Mike Stone.  The ballad “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” turned me off back in the day.  It was too soft for the direction I was headed.  Judas Priest was dropping “Painkiller” while Y&T released a ballad.  It just wasn’t what I wanted.  I should have given Ten a chance.  I love this song now.  Though the lineup had changed, and Journey’s Steve Smith was playing drums in the studio, it still sounds like Y&T.  Those melodies and backing vocals!  That “touch by touch, little by little!” hook just knocks me out, not to mention Meniketti’s voice and delivery.

Y&T came back in 1995, retaining Stef Burns and Jimmy DeGrasso from the last incarnation.  Musically Incorrect was the name of the album, and “I’m Lost” is an absolute smoker!  You’d think it came from one of the earlier albums…because it does.  It was originally on Struck Down and re-recorded here.  It’s one of the fastest songs on the compilation, and the raw 9o’s production gives it a vintage sound.  It’s challenging stuff.  DeGrasso absolutely smokes on the drums.  No wonder he ended up in Megadeth a bit later on.  The same lineup remained on Endangered Species in 1997.  A heavy ballad called “God Only Knows” represents that album.  It’s passionate metal, with the kind of wrought-iron arrangement you expect from a power ballad.  Absolutely killer lead solo work.

The final track takes us back to the beginning.  A live version of “Beautiful Dreamer” from 1991 is originally from the debut Yesterday & Today.  Again, it’s a little more complex, but still boasting the kind of melodies, riffs and singing that we expect from Y&T.  That is, high quality heavy rock.

This is easily the best first-purchase Y&T you can make.  It’s a great sampling of as much music as you can reasonably expect.  Solid listen front to back, and then back to front.  Liner notes are by the late Gerri Miller of Metal Edge magazine.

5/5 stars

 

 

 

REVIEW: Tuff – What Comes Around Goes Around (1991)

TUFF – What Comes Around Goes Around (1991 Atlantic)

This is going to be a little different for my style of review.  I’m not going in deep, researching the players, the singles, the writers and the releases.  This time I’m just listening to the songs and spitting out my words.  You’ll see why.

I do like that Tuff has one member who looks like a Ramone (or Nikki Sixx), one guy who looks like he’s in Britny Fox, and a miniature Bret Michaels in the band.

Will someone please tell us what a “Ruck A Pit Bridge”?  The song is pretty good.  It’s generic and could be Warrant, but they wrote a decent song with decent playing here.  The singer lacks any kind of identity.  You could plug any singer into this…until the funk section, which horribly dates the song to 1991.  Literally every band was trying this rap/rock/funk hybrid.

I groaned at the title “The All New Generation”.  Really?  And cowbell too.  It’s their version of “Rocket” by Def Leppard lyrically, name-dropping names and even little bits of songs (“Girls Girls Girls”).  They even quote the “Oh my God!” line from Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher”.  This is really bad.  Musically it’s fine, but the shout-rock chorus is probably overdone.  Best thing about this band seems to be the guitar player.  I guess someone needed a song about 80s hair metal bands, Van Halen and Aerosmith, but I didn’t.  It didn’t help the rock situation at the time, just made it sound more like a joke, especially since they’re also toasting Bon Jovi, Skid Row and GN’R in an era when  they were not yet legends.

Time for a ballad!  Break out the acoustic guitars!  “I Hate Kissing You Good-Bye” is the Mr. Skid Big Extreme ballad of the album.  If you combined those bands, put them in a blender, you’d get “Kissing You Good-Bye”.  It actually sounds a little bit like Sven Gali from the Great White North, but with more maple syrup on top.  The singer has a decent rasp but that’s about all he has going for him.  And when he name-drops “American Pie”, I barfed a little.

“Lonely Lucy” has one of those riffs we’ve heard a million times.  It sounds like cookie-cutter music.  Nothing here of any quality.  Echoey, vacuous cock-twirling.

Side one closer “Ain’t Worth A Dime” reminds me that this album is way overpriced online.  Seriously though, I enjoyed the drums.  The drum part is cool.  The song itself is no good and a big part of that is that the singer is so bland.  At least the guitarist shreds.

On side two, we finally get a good song!  “So Many Seasons” is similar to “Edge of Broken Heart” by Bon Jovi, a mid-tempo rock ballad.  It loses what makes it special as soon as the singer opens his mouth, but at least Tuff wrote a good song here.  It’s a little too similar to Bon Jovi, but we’ll let it slide because hey, we should be a little kind here.  Good song.  Good choruses.  A keeper!  Would love to hear another band cover it!

“Forever Yours” had a good riff to it.  Sounds a bit Skid Row, a little familiar, but then the kiddie-chorus comes in, and it’s so corny.  Tuff fans will accuse me of listening with my Rush T-shirt, but there’s something just too sickly sweet about this chorus, especially the overdubbed keys and backing vocals.

Time for another acoustic ballad, and “Wake Me Up” sounds like faux-country, with contrived piano overdubs for extra that panache.  They mentioned Aerosmith earlier.  Well, this is their attempt to write an Aero-ballad, but without the skillz of Tyler, Perry, or their assorted song doctors.  There’s also hints of Skid Row, Ozzy, and others who hit the charts with ballads.  OK song, but absolutely nothing unique or special about it.  Sweet sweet love, loneliness, promises, and being unable to change yesterday.  Heard it all before.

“Spit Like This” is OK.  Lots of guitar pyrotechnics, but not enough song.  It tries to incorporate light/hard dynamics, but it’s uncompelling.

“Good Guys Wear Black” is an ample closer, with the singer acting all tough.  A few years later, Bon Jovi would write a song called “Good Guys Don’t Always Wear White”, but it would be a stretch to say Jon ripped off Tuff.  This is a completely different song.  Very Skid Row, with Motley Crue “shout” vocals.

OK album.  Just OK.  Too many “HUAH’s!” in the vocals.

2/5 stars

Fun fact:  Bassist Todd Chase is the brother of Badlands’ Greg Chaisson.  He left after this debut.

 

 

 

A1 Ruck A Pit Bridge 3:44
A2 The All New Generation 3:38
A3 I Hate Kissing You Good-Bye 4:19
A4 Lonely Lucy 3:04
A5 Ain’t Worth A Dime 3:07
B1 So Many Seasons 4:12
B2 Forever Yours 3:04
B3 Wake Me Up 4:17
B4 Spit Like This 3:37
B5 Good Guys Wear Black 4:17

Rock Daydream Nation: The Rise and Fall of Hair Metal – Tuff’s Debut Album Reviewed!

Hot on the heels of the fallout from our Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years critique, I was invited back on Peter Kerr’s Rock Daydream Nation along with John Clauser and Steve Deluxe, to review the debut album by Tuff.  I’d never heard What Comes Around Goes Around before, so it was a little “tuff” for me to get up to speed with the other guys.  I listened to the album intensely for a week, and then we recorded this show.  It is a show of which I am extremely proud.

The goal here was to be fair and honest.  I think we were.  I will tell you one thing:  one of our panel members went in with a negative perspective, but had it changed after playing the album today.  I highly recommend you check out this excellent episode.    Even if you don’t like the band Tuff, or the hair metal genre in general, what we have here is a thoughtful and sometimes hilarious discussion about music that, for a little while at least, was one of the most popular genres in the world.

This is what Peter has to say about the show.

Rock Daydream Nation featuring John Clauser (My Music Corner), Michael Ladano (Grab a Stack of Rock) and Steve Deluxe (Rock and Metal Invasion) talk about Hair Metal in the 90s and specifically the Tuff debut album What Comes Around Goes Around (1991)…

For those who like it saltier, stay tuned for my written review which goes up tomorrow.  It’s a little spicy.

REVIEW: Deep Purple – “Portable Door” (2024 single from new album =1)

DEEP PURPLE – “Portable Door” (2024 EARmusic)

Deep Purple’s first new album with Simon McBride on guitar will be out July 19.  Called =1 (“equals one”), it is largely a mystery what the album will sound like.  Many predicted a return to “hard rock” after the last three more progressive albums.  The first single “Portable Door” is not all that different from the Steve Morse era.  Don Airey’s organ really dominates the solo section, as it should be.  Simon’s guitar work is sublime but not showcased as some had hoped.  He has this one cool lick in the riff that is really electrifying, but we want more Simon!

Ian Gillan? Reliable as ever, his voice has worn in like suede. He can still sing the hooks.  Haters call him “over and done” – fans don’t care. Ian Paice is the backbone, always smooth, always identifiable, infallible. With Ian Paice on drums, Deep Purple will always sound like Deep Purple. His work here is busier than the we’ve become used to…which is just fine!

How does “Portable Door” stack up against recent Purple singles?  It doesn’t have that instant “wham!” of “Vincent Price”, and it doesn’t have the hooks of “Johnny’s Band”.  It’s a strong, workmanlike latter day Deep Purple single that will grow with increasing listens.

Let’s just hope for more Simon next time.

4/5 stars

REVIEW: Glass Tiger – Diamond Sun (1988)

GLASS TIGER – Diamond Sun (1988 Capitol Records)

Produced by mainstay Jim Vallance and recorded at Le Studio with Paul Northfield, Glass Tiger’s Diamond Sun is generally considered the best of their studio albums. What you may not know is that the Canadian pop band’s second album also really rocks.  Diamond Sun was their last album featuring the co-writing skills of drummer Michael Hanson, and his absence would be felt in the future.  For 1988, Glass Tiger were running on a high, and hit after hit.

The band had the courage to open the album with a soft one, the title track.  This was the second of five singles, and a powerful ballad it is.  The keyboard chimes work in tandem with drums, samples and singer Alan Frew’s impassioned vocals.  The lyrics circle around the still-topical subject of colonialism.  “When they came to this land, we gave our friendship, gave them our hands.”  The music has the appropriate feel, but listen carefully and enjoy the lyrical bass work of Wayne Parker, who has often gone unnoticed in this band.  Check that false ending!

“Far Away From Here”, the second song, is single worthy in itself but remains a nice deeper cut.  This time the guitar work of Al Connelly rises at the start, setting up an awesome mid-tempo rocker.  The chorus is among one of Glass Tiger’s best, accented by catchy acoustic guitar bits hanging lower in the mix.  Connelly’s riff is very much akin to 80s Rush, but encased within a simpler, more direct kind of song.  Alan Frew’s voice has a smooth, deep kind of power.

Personal favourite “I’m Still Searching” is a fast electro-acoustic rocker.  This song lit our VCR on fire back in 1988 when it was released as the first single/video.  Nobody expected such an upbeat rocker from the Newmarket quintet!  It’s an immediate singalong with a campfire quality, despite the electric shimmer of guitar, and organ by Sam Reid.  Once again Al Connelly has come up with some cool, catchy guitar parts.

“A Lifetime of Moments” is a lesser known ballad, well-rounded with keyboards and guitars as the main features.  The lyrics are about a lost love and rebounding, and Frew sells it.  This song is unique because of the sax solo, something simply not utilised enough in ballads or rockers!

The best of the deep cuts is the awesome side one closer, “It’s Love U Feel”, which is right out of the 80s Rush playbook.  From the echoing guitar jingle to the bouncing basswork, this song easily could have been a hit for Rush on Power Windows.  A duet with Lisa Dalbello on the chorus, this song kicks hard.  How this isn’t one of the Tiger’s biggest hits is unknown.  Perhaps it was just too advanced for an 80s pop video audience.  This sounds more like the kind of thing that would have been big on rock radio.  It is one of Glass Tiger’s greatest songs, featuring some stinging, smoking guitar work.  It could be Keith Scott from Bryan Adams’ band, as he is credited with additional guitar on the album, along with Michael Hanson.

Side two opens with two more singles.  “My Song” was a big hit with a Celtic feel, performed with the legendary Chieftains themselves.  They were recorded separately in Ireland, with Sam Neil producing their session.  Tin whistle dominates, with bodhrán, fiddles and other instruments lower in the mix.  For anyone with a taste for Celtic pop rock (think Marillion “80 Days”), this will hit the spot.  A huge hit in Canada because of its unforgettable, timeless chorus.  They tried to repeat this trick with Rod Stewart on the next album, with less success.

The most powerful song on the album is, paradoxically, the softest.  The piano ballad “(Watching) Worlds Crumble” absolutely explodes on the chorus, while the verses feature Alan Frew singing in a soft falsetto.  The music video, recorded live on stage, was the first not to feature Michael Hanson.  He left the band mid-tour to be replaced by Randall Coryell from Tom Cochrane’s band.  It was one of those sad instances of the new guy never becoming “official”.  Glass Tiger remained, on paper at least, a four-piece after the departure of Hanson.  “(Watching) Worlds Crumble” is one of the few without his writing.  It was written by Frew, Reid and Vallance, and features another really nicely written Connelly guitar solo.  The drums are absolutely epic too.

Back to a rocker, “Send Your Love” has an upbeat stuttery guitar part and a slamming chorus.  Another winning deep cut.  The warm ballad “Suffer in Silence” and another sax solo take us out to the closer, “This Island Earth”.   Diamond Sun ends in epic fashion, with this slow burning number and a social message.  Again, Rush comes to mind, with a slight progressive sound and keyboards.  In the end it’s Alan Frew who sells it.

Diamond Sun sold 200,000 copies in Canada, an astronomical amount for this country.  It is an album with broad appeal, spanning a variety of styles but all somehow sounding like Glass Tiger.  It’s a cohesive album with no weak tracks, and only highlights to be found.

5/5 stars

REVIEW: Faster Pussycat – Faster Pussycat (1987)

FASTER PUSSYCAT – Faster Pussycat (1987 Warner)

Here is a band that I ignored for decades.  When the music video for “Don’t Change That Song” came on ye olde Pepsi Power Hour on MuchMusic, it was just a step beyond how far I wanted to go.  I had made allowances and let Poison into my life, but Faster Pussycat seemed less goofy and more sleazy.  The gender-bending was there with Taime Downe’s makeup and nail polish, and the truth is I could not tell if Brent Muscat was a man or a woman.  I figured if the Bangles had a member named Michael that was a girl, then who’s to say this Brent person couldn’t also be a girl?  Greg Steele looked cool with the 5 o’clock shadow and headband wrapped with care, but very early on, I decided that Faster Pussycat were not for me.  It was a confusing time to be a young teenager discovering rock music.

Produced by Ric Browde, who also recorded Poison’s debut, Faster Pussycat’s debut is a rock-em sock-em ride through the gutters of California, with smiles all around.  It’s as if Aerosmith got a one-way ticket to Hollywood, bought some punk records, and went all-in on the debauchery.

Indeed, Aerosmith are the easiest comparison, especially vocally.  Taime Downe sounds like he’s fronting an outtake from Done With Mirrors on “Don’t Change That Song”, nailing every squeal and shriek just as Steven Tyler might.  Second track “Bathroom Wall” takes this further.  Faster Pussycat lack the manual dexterity of Perry and Whitford, and so we get a punked up version of the ‘Smith without the schooled knowledge of boogie and blues or clever wordplay.  This is Aerosmith: The Next Generation, after the punk wave had its impact and imparted a sense of who-gives-a-fuck.  And every note is tastier for it, like hard rock candy sharp enough to cut your teeth.

Third track in, and we hit our first serious deep cut:  “No Room For Emotion”.   It’s a slower groove that drawls seductively across the chords of classic rock and roll.  The Stones are the prime influence here, with just a hint of early Bon Scott-era AC/DC.

We all know Taime Downe ran the Cathouse club with Riki Rachtman, and so it seems natural that “Cathouse” is one of the better tracks.  High speed piano hammers away behind a breakneck rock and roll riff.  Taime takes the Tyler-esque screaming to its natural extremes on this track, which reads like an advertisement for the club.

Perhaps the first misstep is “Babylon”, seemingly a re-write of “You Gotta Fight For Your Right to Party” by the Beastie Boys.  It’s definitely in the same pocket.  There’s an annoying “pussy-pussycat” sample and an undeniably similarity of vibe.  Though it’s a bit of a classic for the band, it sounds a bit like they’re trying too hard.

In a classic case of packing all the hits on side one, side two must stand on the strength of deeper cuts.  “Smash Alley” is a tough little number, with cliche lyrics about gutters and back streets.  As for deep cuts, “Shooting You Down” might be the biggest one to be found.  An indelible chorus is matched with a simple riff and plenty of sneer from Taime Down.  It’s a brilliantly catchy deep cut and probably should have been considered for a single.

“City Has No Heart” continues with a series of somewhat soundalike music, though this one has soulful backing vocals atop a punky tune.  A good tune with a solid chorus, though at this point the Faster Pussycat sound starts to wear on the ears a bit.  You start to crave something a little different on side two, just as side one had “No Room For Emotion”.  There is no such change of pace on side two, and so we close out with “Ship Rolls In” and “Bottle In Front of Me” which rock us to the end.  “Ship Rolls In” has a Sex Pistols vibe on the chorus.  Then they go back to the Aero-vibe on closer “Bottle In Front Of Me”.  It leans into the funky sound of Aerosmith, circa Rock In A Hard Place, quite successfully.  It’s definitely a memorable closer, going full-on by the guitar solo.  Taime Downe shreds every last vocal chord, pushing it to the limit.  You’ll either love it or hate it, but if you love that screamin’ Steven Tyler on songs such as “Draw the Line”, then you’ll appreciate the lengths to which Downe pushes it.

The production of the album is of its time.  The snare drum sounds plastic and there’s a flat, two-dimensional vibe.  You can’t expect too much from an album released in 1987, folks.  People were listening to music on different devices and had different preferences back then.  Still, there are worse sounding records from this era and Faster Pussycat is worth of repeat listens.  Just take an Advil if a headache sets in by the end of side two.

3.75/5 stars


REVIEW: Judas Priest – Invincible Shield (2024 Deluxe with bonus tracks)

JUDAS PRIEST – Invincible Shield (2024 Epic Deluxe with bonus tracks)

I don’t usually write “first impressions” reviews, because I like the albums to have time to sink in, and to consider my opinions.

I’ll break some rules this time.

Invincible Shield tops Firepower and could be the best Priest album since Defenders.  Or maybe even before that…

The highlights are many and the riffs are strong.  Rob’s voice has not changed in 20 years and he is still of the same power and range as Angel as Retribution.  As one goes deeper in, the songs continue to gain strength.  “Invincible Shield” didn’t really jump out at first, but does now with a very Maiden-y outro.  “Devil In Disguise” is another early highlight.  “Crown of Horns”, “Escape From Reality”, “As God is My Witness” are instantly likeable, with hooks aplenty and the odd adventurous lick or detour.  Richie Faulkner has been a godsend to this band, injecting them with new songwriting life, metallic riffs and speedy leads.  Meanwhile, you can hear Glenn Tipton too, illness be damned!  He trades off with Faulkner just as is Priest’s trademark.  The classical guitar solo on “Giants In the Sky” is something completely new for this band and a surprising delight.

Invincible Shield has most of the longer material stacked to the top of the album, with the short songs going on side two.  Even with 14 songs, the album is only just over an hour with bonus tracks, not overstaying its welcome, and inviting to repeated listens.  There’s no point in getting a version of this album without the bonus tracks.  You’d be missing out.  You can get them at Target, Sunrise, or Amazon in Canada.  They are “Fight Of Your Life”, “Vicious Circle” and “The Lodger”.  “Fight Of Your Life” might be the most necessary song of the album, as it really hearkens back to the early 70s albums like Sin After Sin.  It could be the deep cut of the record.

Lyrics have always been a shaky point in Priest history, and there are some cringey ones on Invincible Shield, but I doubt they will impede anyone’s enjoyment of this album.  It has summer written all over it, as we await the coming of the sun and the highway months.

Production by Andy Sneap sounds great to these ears, with Ian Hill’s bass rich and deep, and Scott Travis’ drums livelier than ever.  There are flashes back to the 70s and 80s, and some of Priest’s highest peaks of the past.

Martin Popoff may be right, but I’m not going as far as he did.  Still…

Album of the year.

5/5 stars

REVIEW: Journey – Departure (1980, Remastered CD & 8-track) – Happy birthday Neal Schon!

JOURNEY – Departure (1980 CBS 8-track, Remastered 2010 Sony CD)
CD from the set 3 Original Album Classics

Changes were afoot in Journey, and alluded to on Departure.  Aside from the Japan-only soundtrack Dream, After Dream, this was the last stand for Gregg Rolie.  While he would also appear one more time on the Captured live album, he was not there for the new studio track included.  For all intents and purposes, Departure is his “last album”, to use an inaccurate but easy term.  For the man who once was Journey’s only lead singer, Departure only has one of Rolie’s lead vocals, and only two co-writes.  (In the discography, Departure directly followed 1979’s compilation of early material, In the Beginning, featuring early material and a large number of Rolie vocals.)

With Steve Perry leading the charge, Departure commences with the party anthem “Any Way You Want It”.  Those who don’t know it, know it.  It has been featured in the Simpsons, twice!  A rare honour, and mega-exposure, for good reason.  Perry’s impeccably arranged chorus is irresistible.  Rolie’s organ is the perfect accompaniment to keep in the realm of classic rock and roll.  Of course Schon’s solo is also tasty as heck, but this song is know for its party-hardy chorus.  For those who like to dig deeper, Ross Valory’s pulsing bassline goes underappreciated today, and Steve Smith’s smooth cymbal work is often taken for granted.

A surprising twist is taken on track two, the laid back blues pulse of “Walk Like A Lady”.  Sounds like Smith is playing with brushes, and Neal really plays it classy.  Then, a jab of organ and the players are off to indulge themselves.  “Oooh yeah!” shouts Perry, as if enjoying the jamming himself.  Soulful harmony vocals by the band really take this out on an authentic note.

Third song, third musical direction:  power balladeering!  Rolie sings a duet with Perry backing him on “Someday Soon”, a melancholy but punchy ballad.  Though it was not a single, perhaps it should have been.  There’s a cool, unique angelic vocal section near the end that nicely complements Steve Smith’s drum fills.

“People and Places” is like an exercise in creative vocal arrangements, if not showing off.  Neal Schon sings lead with Steve Perry on this complex track.  It’s more like the Dream, After Dream material than a lot of Departure.  If only the modern Journey were unafraid to create more unique music like this.  It still has room for a powerful melody and some warming cascades of guitar.  This song moves directly into “Precious Time”, which has a vibe like the still-in-the-future track “Liberty”.  Lyrically it foreshadows the “Line of Fire” on side two, and also has Rolie on harmonica.  It turns into a more typical Journey rocker by the midpoint.  Lots of tasty Schon guitars to be savoured here.

Unusually for an album of 1980, Departure had 12 tracks:  five on the first side, and seven on the second.  This is where we’d flip.

The big concert rocker “Where Were You” kicks off the back end of Departure.  This one pounds the pavement with beats, riffs and boppin’ piano.  It too could have been a single, though it did open their concerts on tour.  Then, a completely different mood drops:  “I’m Cryin'” hits like a cold wave of grief, though not without its musical thrills.  Soon it’s over and the rockin’ “Line Of Fire” brings the party back.  There’s no better way to describe it than a fast, good time rock and roll song.  “So don’t go sayin’ Steve is a liar!” warns Perry to some young lady who done him wrong.  “Bye bye bye Susie, so long girl!”  (He sure got over what was bothering him on “I’m Cryin'” pretty fast.)  Take note of Schon’s technical solo work here.

“Departure” / “Good Morning Girl” is softly progressive, with strings and light guitar, and little else.  This is over quickly, and then it’s the ballad “Stay Awile”, one of the sweetest songs Steve Perry or Journey have ever done.  Once again, listen to the bass and drums for a different perspective.  Perhaps the only thing better than Perry’s lead vocals are when he does it live.

Fortunately, Journey had the wisdom to end the album on a rocker:  “Homemade Love”.  Some of Perry’s worst words accompany some of his most acrobatic singing.  Still, at least it’s a good jam to go out on, with some fretboard burning fingerwork by Neal.

Interesting, the 8-track tape might have what would be called a bonus track here:  a reprise of “Line of Fire”.  It’s here mostly for timing reasons; there are no songs split between tracks anywhere on this album.  So, 8-track buyers got an uninterrupted listen, plus a reprise of “Line of Fire”.  Information is scarce, but it would be fun to hear the tape this way,

On remastered CD, we got some slightly more interesting bonus tracks than 8-track offered.  “Natural Thing” is a bluesy B-side, which was later released as the B-side to “Don’t Stop Believin'”.  Chronologically though, it is from this era and is as strong as any similar material on the album.  Funny how some tracks don’t make the cut when others do.  If you were told this was a standalone single, you wouldn’t have a reason to doubt it.  The CD also includes “Little Girl” from Dream, After Dream which is a difficult album to find and Rolie’s studio farewell.  It is a string-laden power ballad, very progressive, and far darker than anything on Departure.

Departure features an unusually rougher sound than other Journey albums.  The production seems unpolished despite the complexities of some tracks, with the vocals sometimes occupying a strange space that’s not quite in front of the music.  Still, a classic album is a classic album and there are so few flaws with Departure that it’s easy to dismiss them all.

5/5 stars

REVIEW: Slaughter – Stick It Live (1991 EP)

SLAUGHTER – Stick It Live (Chrysalis EP, 1991)

Slaughter were hot on the heels of their self-titled debut with a quickie live EP.  They were on the road so long, they still touring while the EP came and went on the front racks of the record stores!  The band were on fire in 1990 and 91, and Stick It Live was necessary to satisfy demand for more Slaughter.  However…

I absolutely hate listening to a live album when you can hear two or three tracks simultaneously of the lead singer.  Here, you can hear several Mark Slaughters singing together at once. Come on, Slaughter. We’re not stupid. And the thing is, from seeing them live opening for Cinderella, I know they don’t need the overdubs. The review that I wrote for my school paper at the time said, “Mark Slaughter has proved that his high-pitched wail is not studio trickery.” Well, you can’t tell that by this live EP!

Take the opening track, “Burning Bridges”. At several points you can hear several Marks singing at once. Why was this done? Did the live recordings suck?  Was it because the record company forced it?  Or because it was the fashion at the time?  I dunno. A live album (or EP) is an historical document, so too many bands feel they have to make them “perfect”. When in reality, perfect should have been as-is.  Documentary style.  My favourite live albums are often bootleg quality.

“Eye To Eye” follows “Burning Bridges”, opening with some stupid Crue-esque spoken word bit about an “ancient book of wisdom” and other unrelated nonsense. It’s a shame because “Eye To Eye” was one of their best songs. Once the song gets going, it’s fine, but you can still hear two or three Marks on the pre-chorus.  From there it’s into rote versions of the two big singles, “Fly to the Angels” and “Up All Night”.  The set ends with a high octane “Loaded Gun”, their album closer as well.  One issue to the overall listening experience is that the songs fade in and out, which may or may not be to your taste.

One fascinating note:  Mark goes out of his way to tell the audience that “Fly to the Angels” was not about suicide because “it sucks”!  Judas Priest were fighting for the musical lives in their infamous “suicide trial”, and Ozzy Osbourne was dealing with similar accusations of promoting suicide to the young and vulnerable.  An interesting artefact of 1990-91.

2/5 stars. A pretty fine live set otherwise spoiled by the dreaded studio trickery.

THREE-VIEW: Eric Carr – Rockology (2000/2023 RSD reissue)

ERIC CARR – Rockology (2000 EMI/2023 Culture Factory RSD CD release)

This release provoked a bit of controversy early in 2023.  Vinyl fans and collectors were pleased that Eric Carr’s collection of unfinished tracks, Rockology, was being reissued on LP.  They were doubly elated by the retro-1970s cover art that fit in with the original 1978 Kiss solo albums.  It even came with a poster to match the original four solo albums, and the CD was printed on a disc replicating a vinyl look.  The packaging, with obi-strip and brilliant black and orange coloration, looks sharp.  They even threw on five extra bonus tracks that weren’t on the 2000 release or 2011’s Unfinished Business.

Unfortunately, much like 2011’s Unfinished Business, the bonus tracks are hardly-listenable throwaways and castoffs that were never meant for public consumption.  What’s more, like all RSD releases, the LP and CD copies were so poorly distributed that fans were soon paying ridiculous amounts of cash on the second-hand market.  Music should be accessible and affordable to everyone, but this reissue was hardly worth it for what amounts to fancy packaging and five ragged unreleased tracks.

We’ll start this review by discussing the five bonus tracks.

Part One – the five bonus tracks

First up is a “long demo” of “Tiara”, a ballad from the original Rockology.  The original track was 4:28 and this “long” version is 23 seconds longer, but it is a completely different demo version.  It is much rougher and laden with occasional noise.  The lyrics are incomplete, as Eric improvises “do-do-do” vocals over  the instrumental opening.  Bruce Kulick provides overdubbed lead guitars, but sadly it sounds like a poor quality cassette.  This is the kind of thing we got too much of on the Unfinished Business CD.

Another “alternate demo” is next, of “Can You Feel It”, a song that Eric hoped Bryan Adams would cover.  Like “Tiara”, this demo is earlier and much rougher.  Similarly incomplete lyrics over a drum machine.  The liner notes claim it’s Eric Carr playing drums, but it’s obviously a drum machine.  Shoddy liner notes.

An “accapella” version of “Eyes of Love” is just a rough multitrack vocal take with no backing music.  It’s not the exact same vocal take used on the other demo version.  It is of limited enjoyment.  It doesn’t sound like there’s a pop guard on the microphone, therefore, lots of noise.

Finally, something we’ve really never heard before:  A 1967 version of the Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”.  This is a very rough sounding tape with lots of noise, but due to its age, we’ll allow.  It’s a fairly faithful take of the Beatles classic, with Eric on lead vocals and drums.  It features his band The Cellarmen and is the earliest Eric Carr recording yet to be released.  A difficult listen, but at least something of value.  You’d think they could have used AI noise reduction to get rid of that crackling sound.

The last of the five bonus tracks is a 1974 original called “Stranger” by his band Creation.  Eric is on drums alone this time, with bandmates John Henderson and Sarita Squires (also the songwriters) singing lead.  It is a decent soul-rock song and one of the better sounding recordings.  Though the drums are not the main feature of the song, and buried back in the mix, you can hear Eric’s personality shine through his fills.

Part Two – the original album (review posted 2018/06/19)

The late Kiss drummer Eric Carr was frustrated towards the end.  He was writing good material, but it was always being rejected by Paul and Gene.  In the press, Eric would tow the company line and explain that everybody else had such good songs, that there was no room for his.  In his heart, he was hurt and felt shunned.

Eric Carr wasn’t just a drummer.  He could sing lead, and he could write.  Kiss’ single “All Hell’s Breaking Loose” was an Eric idea.  He co-wrote “Don’t Leave Me Lonely” with Bryan Adams.  Although his writing credits on Kiss albums were sparse, he had plenty of material in the can.  2000’s Rockology is a series of those demos, some in a near-finished state and some left incomplete.  Much of this material was intended for a cartoon Eric was working on called The Rockheads.  10 years later, Bruce Kulick finished recording some guitar parts and mixed it for release.  He also wrote liner notes explaining the origins and Eric’s intentions for each track.

Eric didn’t have a particularly commercial voice, falling somewhere south of a Gene Simmons growl.  There’s no reason why Gene couldn’t have sung “Eyes of Love” from 1989, which has more balls than a lot of Hot in the Shade.  This demo has Eric on drums and bass, and Bruce Kulick on guitar with a solo overdubbed in 1999.  It doesn’t sound like a finished Kiss song, but it could have been tightened up to become one.  Same with the ballad “Everybody’s Waiting”.  It sounds custom written for Paul Stanley.  But it was 1989, and nothing was going to displace “Forever” from the album, nor should it have.

Many of the demos have no words.  “Heavy Metal Baby” features Eric scatting out a loose melody.  This heavy and chunky riff would have been perfect for the later Revenge album, had Eric lived.  In a strange twist, several of the best songs are instrumentals.  The hidden gem on this CD is the unfinished “Just Can’t Wait”.  It could have given Journey and Bon Jovi a run for their money.   Eric, Bruce and Adam Mitchell wrote it for Crazy Nights, and you can almost hear a killer chorus just waiting to leap out at you.  This potential hit could have been the best song on Crazy Nights, had it been finished.

“Mad Dog” has nothing to do with the Anvil song of the same name.  The chorus is there but the verses are a work in progress.  This hard rocker from 1987 was probably too heavy for what Kiss were doing, though it would have added some much needed groove.  “You Make Me Crazy” is in a similar state of completion and boasts a tap-tastic solo by Bruce.  Apparently this demo was originally called “Van Halen” and you can hear why.  Two versions of a song called “Nightmare” exist, including a really rough one without drums.  This incomplete song could have really been something special.  It has a dramatic feel and different moods, and was probably too sophisticated for Kiss, though any number of 80s rock bands would have been lucky to have such good material.

The last batch of tracks show off the Rockheads material.  Whether Eric’s cartoon idea ever would have happened or not, the advent of bobble-heads and Pops would have made marketing easy.   The songs are virtually complete though the drums are programmed.  “Too Cool For School” is a little cartoony, which is the point, right?  For keyboard ballads, “Tiara” showed promise.  It’s not the equal of “Reason to Live” but it demonstrates a side to Eric unheard before.  Next, Bruce says that they always wanted Bryan Adams to cover “Can You Feel It”.  It would have fit Adams like a nice jean jacket.  Not that Adams really needed the help, it would have been awesome on Waking Up the Neighbors.  The set closes with “Nasty Boys”, nothing exceptional.  It sounds like a song called “Nasty Boys” would sound…or anything by 80s Kiss really.

Part Three – the packaging and remastering

The selling point for the majority of fans for this reissue was the packaging.  The original cover featured Eric in 1989 or 1990, obviously without makeup.  The new version is designed to look like an Eraldo Caragati portrait matching the first four Kiss solo albums.  It does, after a fashion.  It doesn’t have the depth or realism of a Caragati, but it matches.  The aura colour is orange.  Inside, there is a poster that similar recalls the original four from 1978.

The liner notes from the original CD release are missing.  This is unfortunate.  As such you don’t get the stories or context or knowledge from Bruce Kulick about the background of these songs.  Instead you get a CD that looks like a record.  This is pressed in black plastic, and has actual ridges on the face side that look like record grooves.  The play of the CD is inhibited in no way by this.

The remastering is much louder.  It does sound like somebody messed with the tapes.  “Eyes of Love” sounds like it has more echo on the drums compared to the original.  Is this due to more echo being applied, or more being audible due to the raised volume?  Possibly just a listener-induced effect, but it does sound different.

If you want but don’t have Rockology yet, seek out the reissue.  If you’re dying to make a display of the five lookalike solo albums, get the reissue.  If you don’t feel like listening to rough demos with tape crackle bonus tracks, run away like a fox.

 

Original score: 3/5 stars

Reissue value:  1/5 stars

Original mikeladano.com review:  2014/04/24