C.K. LENDT – Kiss and Sell: The Making of a Supergroup (1997 Billboard Books)
Chris Lendt used to be an accountant for Kiss’ management company (from ’76-’88), and according to him, quite close to the band. He spent a lot of time on the road, with the band, keeping track of the money. The story he tells is amusing at times, off-topic at others, but also often critical of his former bosses.
Lendt distills Kiss’ legacy to profit/loss diagrams. At the same time, he tells a lot of stories about excess, touring, and groupies, but not a lot about rock and roll. If you are looking for the nitty gritty details about Kiss and the music, this is not the book for you. For that book, check out Black Diamond by Dale Sherman. If you want one person’s account of the inner workings of the Kiss business, then read on.
Lendt describes parties, extravagent budgets, and stage shows. Where things get really interesting in this book is when things start to go sour for Kiss, right around the time of the Dynasty tour in ’79. He desribes Gene’s plan for “Kiss World”, a traveling amusement park that was to play outside of Kiss’ concerts on that tour. Needless to say it never happened, but it’s not something that’s well covered in other books, at least in this level of detail. He talks about recording budgets, about Ace Frehley building a gajillion dollar home studio that was never used (and later turned into a swimming pool), about wigs (Gene’s), about gurus (Paul’s), and about desperately copying every move Bon Jovi made when they hit it big in ’86, before his company was fired by Kiss in ’88.
He also spends a bit too much time talking about Diana Ross, whom his company was also managing. There are too many pages about investments, stuffy boardroom meetings, profit margins, and budgets. While this book is very insightful, covering many details that nobody else was privy to, it’s not enough about rock and roll. I can’t even tell if Lendt really likes rock and roll. Certainly, he liked working for Kiss in the early years, and the touring, but the later years are marked by constant criticism. (A bit like my own Record Store Tales, I guess.)
Pick up Kiss and Sell cheaply, read it and enjoy it; but please also pick up Dale Sherman’s Black Diamond, and Kiss’ own Behind The Mask. Both books are more about the music, and both books are actually surprisingly critical as well. All three together will be a very well rounded reading of the hottest band in the land.
3/5 stars. More if the author would stick to the topic!
KISS – Alive 35: Live at Credit Union Centre, Saskatoon SK, Nov 10 2009(Concert Online)
I would buy any “instant live” type CD by Kiss — that’s a given. The sheer quantity available means I will never own a complete collection of them. What I chose to do was buy a handful, selectively. I was most interested in Canadian shows, and of course concerts where new songs from Sonic Boom were performed.
Kiss’ concert in Saskatoon on November 10 2009 fit the bill perfectly.* Something about Paul Stanley shouting, “SASKATOON!” The new songs performed that night were “Modern Day Delilah” and “Say Yeah”, both personal favourites. As a bonus to me, there’s also a version of “Shock Me” with Tommy Thayer singing. Some Kiss fans have taken exception to Tommy singing this song in addition to wearing Ace’s costume. I’m not going to get into that. All I will say on the matter is that I would rather hear “Shock Me” live than not.
The concert opens with four 1974 Kiss classics in a row: “Deuce”, “Strutter”, “Let Me Go Rock ‘N’ Roll” and “Hotter Than Hell”. “Let Me Go” seems to fall apart, giving the show a raucous flavour. It doesn’t get any more retro than that. That’s four of my favourite Kiss songs in a row; four songs I never tire of. Paul’s voice is sore, cracking in several places. The job still gets done with the backing vocals of Eric Singer, Gene Simmons and Tommy Thayer. Eric definitely pulls a lot of weight vocally. As much as I wanted to hear new songs, “Say Yeah” suffers a bit vocally.
Highlight: Undoubtedly, a 16 minute version of “100,000 Years”. Eric Singer does his drum thing, and then Paul and Tommy both pick up their guitars and do a call-and-response jam, throwing in a few Zeppelin licks. You don’t think of Kiss as the kind of band that executes 16 minute extended jams, but it works in a primitive, primordial way.
Paul Stanley’s stage raps are absolutely classic. Paul knows Canada. He knows that all he has to do is say “Montreal” and he gets the crowd going. Just before “Rock all Roll all Nite”, Paul informs the crowd that Shannon Tweed is in the house! The fellow Canadian is greeted warmly by the people of Saskatoon. However my favourite rap is this:
“There’s so much trouble in the world. If you came here tonight to hear some band tell you how to end global warming…if you came here tonight to hear some band tell you how to end world hunger…you are in the wrooong place tonight! I’ll tell you something, we all came here tonight to escape from the world! Tomorrow morning when we get up it’ll be just as screwed up as it is today. We might as well have a little fun! And you know if somebody says to you…’You outta be a little more socially conscious, you outta be doing what you can to help save the world.’ You say to them, ‘Listen to me. Tonight’s my night off and I wanna Rock and Roll all Nite and party every day!'”
Hard to argue with that, Paul!
4/5 stars
*I still want a CD from a European show where they performed “I’m An Animal”, however.
I don’t shop in the big corporate record stores that often anymore. Hell, I don’t even really shop in stores anymore! I used to, even at the big stores. When I started working in Cambridge, my buddy Chris and I would go to Future Shop once a week at lunch time to check out the new releases. I would typically buy a new movie and a new CD release at least once a week, sometimes more. I’d stock up on blank CDs, or just impulsively buy a guitar there. It happens!
We would do the circuit around the store. We’d start with the new releases up front, then head to the movie section. I would detour over to CDs while Chris would look at electronics and computer games. We’d meet up at the bargain bin as we left. It’s there that Chris and I acquired two copies of Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield on DVD for $4.99 each. The girl at the front counter was jealous and asked if there were any left! She always knew us as the “Tuesday new release guys”. We sometimes wondered if she thought we were a gay couple since we rarely went in without the other!
Sometime in the last few years, both Future Shop and Best Buy (which are the same company) really started to change. They moved the music and movie section to the very back of the stores, providing more room for cell phones and tablets. It was a sign that things were getting worse for people like myself who enjoy owning physical product. Chris is similar to me. He likes to own “whole collections” of movie or TV series. Some of us are just like that. He always likes to own the ones he really loves. (Such as the Police Academy series. Yes Chris I just outed you.)
So, we stopped going to Future Shop at lunch. In fact we haven’t been in ages. Same went for Best Buy. Strangely enough, a Best Buy soon opened in Cambridge, right next to the Future Shop. Even the new Best Buy store didn’t have much in the way of music and movies, so we just stopped spending our money at lunch time.
I can tell you exactly what CD it was that I purchased the last time I bought one at Best Buy. It was the 2 CD/1 Blu-ray/1 DVD version of Led Zeppelin’s Celebration Day (2012) which was a brand new release. And even a release that monumental was hard to find at Best Buy!
I walked into the store a few days after the initial release. I saw that all they had on the front “new release” display was the DVD combo sets. I went over to the Zeppelin section in music – nothing there. I checked the same in the movies. Nada. Then I found a Zeppelin display at the side of one of the aisles. All they had there was CD and DVD; none of the 2 CD/1 Blu/1 DVD.
I found a customer service person that wasn’t chatting up her co-workers, and asked her where they kept the brand new Zeppelin Blu-rays?
In the back room, apparently! She found one for me and I purchased it, a little confused why a Led Zeppelin new release on the hot newest format would be in their back room.
So I bought the package; the very last CD set I have purchased at Best Buy. Best Buy have really abandoned the physical music releases, and that’s too bad. I used to enjoy buying music and movies at that store due to the prices, two nearby convenient locations, and the fact that I could usually find everything I was looking for. No longer. Sorry Best Buy: you and I are no longer besties!
“Looking for the good life, in between all the clatter Tonight I’m at the Bojar Grill, and they’re serving up only Tennessee water.”
KIM MITCHELL – Kim Mitchell (1982 Anthem)
This is an incredibly difficult review to write. How? How can words do justice to this magnificent 5-song EP of rock perfection? Am I supposed to somehow relay in English how this album makes me, and many other Max Webster fans feel? I don’t think it too crazy to suggest that the self-titled Kim Mitchell EP is the greatest EP our country has produced. As far as rock music goes in general, you will find very few Canadian releases as solidly untouchable as Kim Mitchell. To say this is an intimidating review to attempt is an understatement. There will be some reading this whose knowledge of Kim and Max vastly exceeds mine, and even though I have played this EP hundreds upon hundreds of times, I still need to actually play it again in order to convey to you how excellent it truly is.
Kim Mitchell burned out on Max Webster. There were numerous lineup changes towards the end, and Kim walked out. He was quick to bounce back with some new band members (Peter Fredette, Robert Sinclair Wilson, Paul DeLong) and some new songs. Still with Kim through the breakup was Max Webster lyricist Pye Dubois, the only holdover from that band. (Ex-Max bassist Mike Tilka was also an executive producer, as he was on the Max albums after he left.) Kim settled into a recording studio in Oshawa Ontario (!) with the legendary Jack Richardson.
The guitar blasts of “Kids In Action” are sometimes included on Max Webster hits albums, but it was originally released as the opening track on Kim Mitchell. “I guess we’re just gonna have to be the best bonfire in town,” sings Kim, and I think he succeeded. “We want modern thrills, we want rock n’ roll that kills,” sing the backing band. I think we got it.
“Kids In Action” is the perfect storm of Max’s harder side, with Kim’s newly found-melodic sensibilities. That guitar is hard (though just as finger-lickin’-good) but the choruses have a new harmonic sheen. Peter Fredette provided backing vocals to the record, and Kim fans know how awesome and integral he is to Kim’s solo sound. Meanwhile DeLong can’t resist throwing in some Max-worthy drum fills that shake the cranium. (I read somewhere that David Lee Roth’s band had worked on a cover of “Kids In Action” for Diamond Dave’s first solo album.)
What a killer opener. Yet “Miss Demeanor” may be the best tune on the record. This one has always sort of reminded me of “Beast of Burden” by the Stones, and I often sequenced them together on mix CDs. It’s harder than “Beast of Burden”, but has irresistible “ooh ooh” backing vocals. Everything about this song is perfect from the simple riff to the amazing rhythm section. Kim unexpectedly throws on an acoustic solo, just as terrific as any electric solo would be. The song is also supersaturated with nice little electric guitar licks.
If you title a song “Big Best Summer” then it had better sound like it. Kim’s “Big Best Summer” is as gleeful as you want it to be, with most of the joy coming across in the guitar licks. Once again the rhythm section has it laid down perfect, leaving Kim plenty of space to splash down tons of little guitar bits and pieces. “Sometimes we thought we were the only ones under the sun.” Yeah, I think I’ve had those summers too.
If “Miss Demeanor” wasn’t the best tune on the album, then “Tennessee Water” has to be. This one blows the doors off, with a slippery southern guitar lick and relentless groove that keeps cooking and won’t stop. This is also Pye’s first lyrical mention of the Bojar Grill, that I am aware of. It’s good time rock n’ roll, performed by guys who really know they’re doing. Incredible stuff. I definitely gotta hit up this Bojar Grill.
The slow rock of “Chain of Events” was chosen to close the record. There are a couple slight dissonant chords that keep the song on the experimental side. It also has a strange rhythmic quality, and quirky Pye lyrics. Kim’s guitar solo is bizarre and Zappa-esque. This song would have satisfied any Max fans who worried that some of the other tunes were too straightforward. And that’s the EP.
It’s worth noting that unlike Kim’s later albums, and also unlike Max Webster, this EP has no keyboards. This allows the bass guitar to breath, and leaves Kim plenty of space for guitar fun. As such, this is the toughest Kim solo release by far. As good as Akimbo Alogo was, this is undeniably even better.
STYX – 20th Century Masters: The DVD Collection (2004 Universal)
These 20th Century Masters DVDs were a fun way to pick up key music videos from major bands at a cheap price. Today this role is largely filled by sites such as YouTube. The Styx edition features six of their cheesy best, and Styx did indeed make some cheesy music videos back in the day. There are no frills and no extras, just the vids, so let’s have a look.
Tommy Shaw’s “Blue Collar Man” is a rock staple with cool lyrics. This is a live version, and because of the big KILROY backdrop, I’m assuming this is from the Styx Caught in the Act DVD. I love the 80’s clothes although the haircuts haven’t changed as much as you’d think. The best part of this video is watching the late John Panozzo flailing away on drums, a sight that Styx fans certainly miss.
Thankfully, “Come Sail Away” is not live: it is the cheesy original. A bearded Dennis DeYoung croons and tinkles, hair highlighted by the spotlights. John Panozzo’s afro can be seen bobbing over the drum kit, before Shaw and James Young kick in with the chords. The band dressed in white appear to glow on stage, and it’s a gloriously terrible music video. Things like this have kitsch value to me. “Too Much Time On My Hands” is also the original, and this is just indescribably bad, so I’ll just present you these still photos to show you what I mean. It’s pretty hilarious. Fortunately it’s a good song!
“The Best of Times” is among my favourite Styx songs, in fact I had it played at my wedding reception. Judging by Dennis’ sparkly vest, it’s from the same video shoot as “Too Much Time On My Hands”. It has some of the same camp value, but without the embarrassing “acting” scenes. But damn, isn’t this a great song? Shaw’s “Boat On a River” is also excellent. Tommy plays mandolin, while bassist Chuck Panozzo weilds a big stand-up double bass. DeYoung’s on accordion, mustachioed instead of bearded. The folksy tune has always struck me as very Queen-like.
Finally, “Mr. Roboto” closes the DVD, as it must. Taking scenes from Styx’s short Kilroy Was Here film, it depicts Jonathan Chance (Tommy Shaw) searching for imprisoned rock star Kilroy (Dennis DeYoung). Kilroy is seen attacking a “Roboto” prison guard and thereafter making his escape wearing the mask of the robot. It’s a nifty little sci-fi music video, something I’m a huge sucker for. “Mr. Roboto” is still a great memorable song with a cool little video.
RUSH – Red Stars of the Solar Federation (X-Rekords, Live at Montreal Forum May ’81)
I found this bootleg when I was unceremoniously transferred from one location to another. When I started at the other location, this was among the first CDs that came in that I just had to buy. It’s a Rush bootleg from the legendary Moving Pictures tour. In fact this CD is the audio of the Rush video Exit…Stage Left, which is a different audio from the LP. It sounds like a vinyl rip. Otherwise the sound quality is pretty good. The audience is shrill and very loud. There are also clearly speed/pitch issues with the audio. (This could be corrected in Audacity, but I don’t think I could do it by ear.) This CD is selling for over $70 currently on Discogs. I paid nowhere near that.
Between the songs are interview snippets from the band, same as the video. It features a few tracks that were not on the Exit…Stage Left album: “By-Tor”, “In the Mood”, “In the End”, and “2112” which is unlisted. The rest of the songs are completely different recordings, anyway. I guess that’s why the asking price is $70. They are no less perfect; no less electrifying.
“The Trees” and “Xanadu” take up one massive 17 minute track on the CD, and it’s a monument to perfection of performance and craft. I can barely remember the sequence of all the different parts of Xanadu; I can’t imagine how Rush can play a set full of this stuff with precision and feel all the time! All this while Geddy has to remember complex lyrics about searching for the lost Xanadu.
I love Peart’s slamming drums on “Red Barchetta”, a song I simply never tire of. What is it about Rush songs? They don’t burn out like so many other bands. Not even “Closer to the Heart” has burned out on me yet, and it’s always a pleasure hearing a less familiar version.
On to “By-Tor”: it features a nicely noisy and meandering Alex Lifeson solo, surely a highlight of the entire performance. This segues directly into a truncated “In the End”, also from Fly By Night. This then is butted against “In the Mood” from the first Rush album in an awkward transition. Geddy appears to change the lyrics from “Hey baby” to “Hey Cookie”. Even this song is shortened, and segues into “Grande Finale” from 2112. Alex ends it with some noise-laden blasting on his axe, almost stealing the spotlight from his two bandmates. It’s a perfect storm of musical excellence and heavy rock.
Sonically, Red Stars of the Solar Federation is vastly inferior to the current Exit…Stage Left DVD. Yet I have a geeky love for an oddball CD like this. While I can’t say it’s worth $70, I can say it’s worth:
3.5/5 stars
This CD is top-scratched and pinholed, but plays great
VAN HALEN – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge(1991 Warner Bros.)
What a frustrating experience this album was for me. This was supposed “the one”; the album that would please the DLR fans and finally unite Van Halen fandom. Heavier with only one ballad, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge was to be a statement. Edward Van Halen had said that neither 5150 nor OU812 were ever properly finished to his liking. In both cases, the band were under pressure to get out there and tour (OU812 because of the 1988 Monsters of Rock). F.U.C.K. was to be the album that he finally got to spend time on and properly finish. It was also Eddie’s first album using his new Ernie Ball guitars. I expected my brain to be blown.
And it was, or it was by the first single at least. “Poundcake” lived up to the promise. Sure, lyrically it was…well, pretty stoopid, but musically? Van Halen had some balls back! This motherfucker grooves like a slow train. As far as guitar tricks went, Eddie went all out with harmonics, taps, and…drills? The shimmery guitars were subtly different from Eddie’s classic “brown sound”, but a guitar sound is an ever-evolving quest. On this song, his rhythm guitar tones recall his friend, Brian May. With “Poundcake” as a first single, I couldn’t wait to hear the whole album.
MuchMusic came close to banning this video
I was given the CD (same copy I still have) on my birthday in ’91, by childhood friend Bob. I still remember popping the CD in for the first time that afternoon. Then a few days later it was given to me again (this time on cassette) by my Aunt and Uncle!
Momentum is maintained on the second track, “Judgement Day”, heavier than the first. The riff is anchored by a whammy bar trick, and it’s tasty. I cannot find fault with “Judgement Day”. This is what I wanted and hoped for from the new Van Halen album. The groove is still there, Alex and Mikey gelling in a relentless way. Sonically, both guys are recorded better than ever. The bass and drums on For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge are really something to behold.
Then, things slide. The awful “Spanked” is the worst song on the album, and possible contender for worst Van Hagar song yet. “All you bad bad boys, call her up on the spank line,” sings Sammy with a straight face. The sad thing is, the song would have been a fine instrumental, or basis for something with David Lee Roth. Sammy ruins it with shitty lyrics and a shitty melody. Too bad. “Runaround” is a good song on first and second listen, but you tire of it quickly. It’s bland, as is much of F.U.C.K. The problem with “going heavy” for an album is the risk of losing diversity and texture.
The 7-minute “Pleasure Dome” can barely be called a song. Organized chaos with some lead vocals, yes. But it’s barely a song. There are moments of brilliance contained within (the drums in particular) but it’s not particularly worthy. And this was the side closer.
As crappy as “Spanked” is, “In ‘N’ Out” is virtually a carbon copy. It has some sparkling guitars to go with it, but like “Spanked”, the song sucks. I can’t believe somebody didn’t say, “Guys, let’s cut the album down to 9 tracks like we used to do, and leave those two for B-sides”. “Man On a Mission” isn’t much improved. Just dull rock with dumb lyrics. Totally uninspired. It’s just four guys playing music without much direction other than, “turn it up!”
Things change up a little bit on “The Dream is Over”. This also-ran isn’t a bad tune, though nowhere near single quality for Van Halen. It’s at least a step in the right direction. It feels as if the album was in a slumber, and it has now woken up — the title is apt. And thankfully Sammy isn’t singing about girl parts for a change.
Van Halen didn’t consider “Right Now” to be a ballad, but it’s the only song with a keyboard. It’s a welcome oasis in the desert of monotonous rock. It’s a great song. I don’t think anyone can say that it hasn’t been played to death, so I don’t need to comment further. MTV awards, Pepsi, blah blah blah.
Nice suit.
“316” (named for Wolfy’s birthday 3/16/1991) is an acoustic guitar part that Eddie had been playing live for years. Later, Eddie used to play this piece for Wolfgang while still in the womb. But it’s just a brief 90 second instrumental, a segue into “Top of the World”, also a single. It took a while for me to recognize the riff. In fact, I didn’t pick up on it until I heard this song following “Jump” on the album LIVE: Right here, right now. Only then did I realize: it’s based on the outro riff from “Jump”! So they re-used that oft-forgotten riff and built a new song around it. It’s a good song, very pop rock, but a suitable album closer.
As high as this album charted (US #1), I’m convinced For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge is one of the albums responsible for the death of hard rock in 1991. Sure, a lot of people bought it. But a lot of people also didn’t like it very much. Maybe they were getting tired of the schtick, but I do know I found it really hard to proudly blast this album out of the car.
You’ve heard ofEpic Meal Time? They should call me Epic Review Time. Here’s a couple hours of music, text and video distilled down and covered in detail. This is a double-sized review for the price of one. Dive in and engorge!
RUSH – Snakes & Arrows (2007 Warner Music Interactive DVD album)
Rush’s Snakes & Arrows album was considered a progression from the previous record, Vapor Trails. The pummeling of Vapor Trails has been tempered with light and shade, bringing a more balanced Rush. It was also mixed in 5.1 for a special “Music Video Interactive” DVD by Richard Chycki and Alex Lifeson, who oversee most of Rush’s 5.1 mixes. I haven’t listened to any version of Snakes & Arrows for many moons, so this is a review from fresh ears.
First though, there is a 40+ minute documentary video called “The Game of Snakes & Arrows” so we can learn a bit about how the album came to be. Geddy Lee says that their priority for choosing a recording studio was that they wanted the best drum sound imaginable. They chose an old mansion out in the Adironacks. 47 individual microphones were used to record the entire drum kit. Neil Peart says that the isolation of the studio led to the three guys reconnecting as musicians and friends like the old days at Le Studio. According to Alex Lifeson, the plan for writing this time was to take it easy, working on the writing part only part time. Later on, more time was spent on just rehearsing and playing the new songs, which transformed them along them way. The documentary contains snippets of some intricate Lifeson acoustic 12-string, in the studio, where Alex makes it look easy.
Producer Nick Raskulinecz was not a passive participant; indeed there was give and take with the band in order to make the best out of each song. It was a process that worked well according to Alex. I enjoyed hearing Alex explain the suspended F chord in “Far Cry” — there’s a story behind it. There is some great footage of Geddy playing Mellotron on “Good News First” too. I also love a fly on the wall scene of Geddy jamming a bass lick on his brand-new-out-of-the-box Jaco Pastorius bass. The lick sounded good and Geddy says, “We’ll jam to it later. We’ll get the Big Guy on drums.” Chills up my spine. Raskulinecz asks, “Would it be bad if we had two instrumentals on the record?” Geddy immediately responds, “No, it’ll be a first.” Peart shows up and they start to jam, and when Alex arrives it only takes him a day to come up with his guitar part to the Grammy-nominated Rush bass-drum jam called “Malignant Narcissism”. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am. This is how the big boys play.
Although this doc is only 40 minutes in length it’s well worth having. This is great stuff. Neil Peart crafting drum parts in front of our very eyes is a treat that few other DVDs deliver. Seeing Geddy applauding his bandmate shouting, “He’s killing it, woo!” is glorious.
As if all this isn’t enough, there is a many-paged (I lost count) essay by Peart called “The Game of Snakes & Arrows: Prize Every Time”. My favourite detail is what producer Nick Raskulinecz was nicknamed: “Boujze”, based on the sound he’d make when trying to convey to Peart a drum fill suggestion. “Bappitty-bap-bap-booooujze!”
The DVD photo gallery is a total joke: FIVE pictures. At least the package comes with an expanded booklet with lots of Hugh Syme’s surreal artwork. Since the photo gallery on the DVD was just shite photies, I’ll give you some shots from the documentary that are loads better.
So, let’s get on with the album then. Pushing play —
Delicacy and aggression describe album opener (and first single) “Far Cry”. The acoustics of Lifeson are easily overwhelmed by the pummeling band. “Far Cry” boasts one of those powerful 90’s-style Rush riffs that groove rather than exercise the brain. Immediately I am overwhelmed by a dense 5.1 riff. I do not know how many guitars I am hearing, but Alex has unique parts coming in from all sides, including an acoustic on the left that I never noticed before. I have loved “Far Cry” since its triumphant release in 2007; it is just as powerful and engaging today. New appreciation for Lifeson will be had on this mix.
“Armor & Sword” was a standout then and now, just as “Far Cry” before. The song has always shimmered, but more so in 5.1. This track has much more of Alex’s acoustic guitars, and more texture. It has a regal 80’s Rush-like quality without the keyboards. In fact there are no keyboards on Snakes & Arrows, only the Mellotron. The 5.1 mix becomes a little dense at times, and the layers of guitars oppressive, but it is indeed a massive song. Then, you can audibly hear the Mellotron on “Workin’ Them Angels”, a phrase taken from one of Peart’s books. It is a brighter song than either of the first two, and I like the reference to the “moving picture”. “Workin’ Them Angels” is an album highlight, particularly the mandolin near the end.
Somber moods inhabit “The Larger Bowl”, with Alex’s acoustics again giving it mood and texture. The hippy-ish chorus sounds like the 1960’s to me, and with the acoustics it paints a picture in my mind. This is a very good song, but Alex’s well composed guitar solo is the focal point for me. His tone is very different on the solo, very warm. It’s an excellent song. “Spindrift” is less overwhelming to me. There is nothing wrong with it; it is simply less enchanting than its predecessors since they set the bar quite high. The song was, however, performed on the Snakes & Arrows tour and kicks of CD 2 of the album Snakes & Arrows Live and there is no denying it is powerful.
“The Main Monkey Business” is the first instrumental, again featuring Geddy on Mellotron. The main melodic element to this song feels familiar to me — it reminds me of one of Ace Frehley’s “Fractured” instrumentals in terms of melody. In terms of playing and structure, it is nothing like Frehley. The 5.1 mix here is nicely balanced. I’m getting plenty of distinct acoustic parts, with Geddy and Neil front and center. The chiming guitars behind me envelope the listener in warmth. Then, suddenly during a solo guitar section, the mix retreats almost all way to stereo before returning again on all 5.1. Things bounce back and forth between intensely heavy and intensely heady. This is a masterpiece of instrumental craft.
“We can only go the way the wind blows,” claims Peart on the next song. “The Way the Wind Blows” has two distinct sections:one heavy and one with layered acoustics. I prefer the acoustic section and I’m not too much into the heavy parts which sounds a bit same-y to 90’s Rush stuff. Then, “Hope” is a short Lifeson acoustic showcase. This might be the point at which some Rush fans started to doze a bit. Admittedly Snakes & Arrows is the most acoustic-based Rush album I can think of. I just don’t think that’s a bad thing. Not when you have Alex Lifeson in your band. “Hope” leads into “Faithless”, a strong Rush composition. There seems to be some sort continuity of theme here, or perhaps it is all in my head? First Neil says we can only go the way the wind blows. Then we go from “Hope”, to a discussion of faith. On “Faithless”, Neil says that like the willow, he will quietly resist. Seems like a total 180 from going where the wind blows to me, and I don’t care if it’s not intentional because I think it’s cool. On the guitar end, Alex plays a cool bluesy solo, once again classing up the song several notches. What a player.
The song that doesn’t work for me is “Bravest Face”. I find the verses annoying. “Good News First” is better, returning us to the regal Rush territory I prefer. Alex’s magnificent chords are enhanced by the Mellotron. Weak verses are compensated for here by other elements. It sounds like an incomplete song to me, but better than “Bravest Face”. The aforementioned “Malignant Narcissism” is a mind-tornado as opposed to a mind-blow. But it’s actually a distraction; you’re about to be blown away by the sheer power of closer “We Hold On”. Rush closers usually just bowl me over, and “We Hold On” is one of those. Fucking awesome. This time, Alex concentrates on the electric guitar and comes up with numerous unique and enhancing licks. This is a complete Rush triumph. Neil is absolutely relentless. It leaves the album on an exhausted, satisfied note.
And a good thing, too — I was starting to worry as the song quality was dipping towards the end there. I’m happy Rush redeemed it with a stunner like “We Hold On”.
I chose an obscure, semi-forgotten release to end the Week of EPs. Time seems to move slowly in Journey-land. Their first track released with “new” singer Steve Augeri was in 1998, and the album Arrival was released in 2000. (2001 in America.) Generations wouldn’t come out until mid-2005. There was a lot of upheaval at the time for classic rock bands like Journey who were lacking key original members. No longer on a major label, Journey tried releasing a self-produced EP on their website in 2002. It came and went without a lot of people even noticing. Fans who knew what was going on were interested in what Journey might sound like now, free of the constrictions of a record company.
I don’t know where the title Red 13 comes from, but if you add up studio albums including the soundtrack Dream After Dream, Red 13 would be the band’s 13th studio release.
The fact that there’s an intro (simply called “Red 13”) tells you that Journey are at least stretching their wings a bit. It’s an interesting intro, with programmed techno beats, new-agey prog keyboards, and noisy, exotic Schon licks. Even though I loathe these kinds of beats, I am at least excited by the sound of Journey experimenting with their sound again. This intro takes us directly into a song called “State of Grace” which expands on the exotic vibe. It’s one of the heaviest things recorded by Journey to date. Augeri lacks the vocal superpowers of Steve Perry, but he fills the role acceptably well. “State of Grace” combines anthemic Journey with experimental, guitar-dominated hard rock. It is a successful mix. Red 13 is off to a promising start.
The track simply titled “The Time” is a Zeppelin-esque slow groove, with nary a keyboard to be found. Instead, Schon and Jonathan Cain lay on the rhythm guitars, complimenting what the other player is doing. While something like “The Time” is an admirable achievement to a listener such as myself, I don’t think average Joe Six-pack Journey Fan will appreciate what the band are doing here. They might consider it a “piss break” song. Meanwhile I’m hanging on waiting to see what Schon’s going to do for a solo. (Answer: he does what Schon does!) I’ll also single out drummer Deen Castronovo as an MVP on this song. I’ve always been candid about my preference for Steve Smith in Journey, but this song is a different kind of Journey and Deen’s frenetic fills are more than ample.
The third song “Walking Away from the Edge” was co-written by, of all people, Geoff Tate. This is a solemn piano-based ballad. It resembles some of the things the band did in the past with Steve Perry. Unfortunately it’s not as memorable as, say, “Send Her My Love”. It does boast a powerful chorus but at 6:17, the song is a little too long. It fades abruptly, and then the final song is “I Can Breathe”. This one is little more than a standard sounding Journey rocker. It is not particular special unfortunately, until close to a 3-minute mark when a horn section kicks in. They should have had the horns there from the start!
Red 13 is not a bad EP, but the production is sub-par, as can happen when bands self-produce. However, had a producer been there in the studio the songs would undoubtedly turned out differently so that’s the trade off. The worst thing about it is the band photo, which just looks cheap and bad. What is that on your face, Neal? Dirt?
Welcome to theWeek of EPs! No sooner do I finish the Record Stores Tales before I’m off on yet another series! Each day this week, I’ll be checking out a variety of EP releases, both famed and obscure. Let’s start with a major band: Aerosmith.
AEROSMITH – The Other Side (1990 Geffen EP)
The first time I bought this, it was on cassette in a mall in Calgary, Alberta in August of 1990. I also bought Judas Priest’s Hero Hero at the same store, also on cassette. A completist even then, there was no way I was leaving without The Other Side. Of all my finds on that trip, this one I had never seen before. I later replaced it on CD while working at the Record Store.
The Pump CD is a great album, probably my favourite. The two songs from Pump that are on this single are “My Girl” and “The Other Side”, neither of which are really as great as the rest of Pump. That’s in my opinion; “The Other Side” was a popular hit. Notably, “The Other Side” lacks its intro, “Dulcimer Stomp” which may make it interesting for some.
The CD also has two useless remixes of “The Other Side”. The “Matt Dike ‘Honky Tonk’ Version” is just as offensive as the “Club Mix”. Maybe the Matt Dike version is slightly less offensive, but the added backing vocals and dance vibe is just crap. Neither mix adds anything of value to the song, but they are dragged out to 5:09 (Matt Dike mix) and an agonizing 7:04 (Club mix).
The main track that I bought the disc for was “Theme from ‘Wayne’s World'”. I actually had no idea what Wayne’s World was, although my cousin Geoff apparently did. Back then, I wondered what the hell this was. There were no liner notes to help either. This track is a mere 1:29, and it’s a straight up recording of the Saturday Night Live performance by Aerosmith of that song. I didn’t give a shit, I love it now. Perfect filler for the end of a mix CD!
Since this CD consists of two album tracks, two pointless remixes and a 1:29 song, you must be sure not to pay too much for it. As a kid I rarely played it, and the same can be said of the adult version of me.
C.K. LENDT – Kiss and Sell: The Making of a Supergroup (1997 Billboard Books)
mikeladano.com 