classic rock

CONCERT REVIEW: Glass Tiger – Private Concert: Greystone Racquet Club Waterloo, Ontario July 13, 2023 by Dr. Kathryn Ladano

GLASS TIGER – Private Concert: Greystone Racquet Club Waterloo, Ontario July 13, 2023

Photos and review by Dr. Kathryn Ladano

About a month ago, I saw a social media post on Glass Tiger’s Instagram page that was announcing a very special private, acoustic concert, with only 50 tickets available to the public. I immediately thought, “well that sure is cool, but I’m sure it won’t be happening anywhere near me”. To my surprise, that event was happening in Waterloo, 15 minutes from my home. The ticket price was steep – $199 plus tax for one ticket. However, I knew that this was a once in a lifetime experience to see the band that was my absolute favourite growing up. I hesitated at the price for about 2 minutes and then reserved a ticket to ensure I got one before they sold out. I only bought one because I didn’t think I’d be able to convince anyone to pay that price. So, I opted to go to the show alone. This would be my third time seeing Glass Tiger live. The first time was when they opened for Roxette in 2012 at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto. The second time was five days before this concert – at the Kincardine Scottish Festival (a very large, outdoor event with thousands of people in attendance). I’d like to say that I saw them in their heyday in the 80’s and early 90’s, but I was a child living at home then, and my mom wouldn’t let me go!

I received an email two days before show advising us that for general admission ticket holders (me), the doors would open at 6:30pm, we could enjoy a cash bar and free appetizers, and the show would start at 8:30pm. The email mentioned there were also VIP tickets, and those people got to come earlier, receive several free drinks, and were able to access a private reception after the concert. I honestly have no idea how one could get those tickets. They were not advertised on any posting I saw. Because I was going alone and had no one to talk to, I decided to leave my house around 7:30pm, arriving around 7:45pm. As soon as I got there, I bought a beer (Waterloo Amber) and then claimed my spot at the very front of the stage right in the centre. To my surprise no one had staked out their spots to the concert! Everyone else was socializing and hanging out farther away from the stage. I’m sure I looked like a bit of an idiot, standing in front of the stage all by myself for so long. However, I wanted the best possible experience, and I didn’t want a little bit of social discomfort to ruin that. People could think whatever they wanted!

To my surprise, Glass Tiger emerged and came on stage at 8:15pm (not the 8:30pm that we were told). The entire band had to walk right beside and in front of me to get on stage. I was inches away from all of them! Glass Tiger still has three original members that perform in all of the live shows: singer Alan Frew, keyboardist Sam Reid, and guitarist Al Connelly. Their bassist, Wayne Parker, is still a member of the band but he no longer performs live with them due to his wife contracting Lyme disease several years ago. He’s opted to stay at home and care for her, which he can’t do when he’s on the road with the band. Alan Frew has a really great recurring Insagram live show called “Frew the Looking Glass”, where he talks to fans and often has special guests. I tuned in when Wayne was the special guest two years ago, which is where I learned all about this. Glass Tiger now has a different bassist when they perform live. Last week, at the Kincardine Scottish Festival, Tom Lewis filled that role. Last night though, because it was an acoustic show, they had a second acoustic guitar player and I unfortunately do not remember his name. The band was also joined by back-up singer Carmela Long and long-time drummer Chris McNeill.

Every other time I’ve seen Glass Tiger live I’ve been nowhere near the front – always pretty far away from the stage. This concert was the exact opposite. At various points in the show, I was able to make eye contact with every member of the band and I was always met with a big smile (probably because I had a huge smile on my face the entire night). Right from the start of the show, Alan Frew informed us that he was sick, and I noticed that he was sipping tea (rather than beer) during the show. Despite this, you couldn’t tell by hearing his voice. Where you could tell was in his energy – he was definitely lower energy than the previous week. However, it was clear that he still wanted to put on a great show, and he did. The show began with the relatively new song, “Fire it Up”, which absolutely fired up the audience. They played 13 songs in total for the main set, and then two more songs in their encore. The show lasted about an hour and a half in total. I could see the setlist from where I was watching the show, so I was never surprised about what was coming next. For some reason though, they switched up the last song and the second last song. On the setlist, the final song was supposed to be “Animal Heart”, but they went with “Thin Red Line” instead (which ultimately, I think was a better choice). The setlist (as played in the concert) was as follows:

  1.             “Fire it Up
  2.             “You’re What I Look For”
  3.             “I’m Still Searching”
  4.             “My Town” (Alan Frew told us Rod Stewart was invited to sing, but just hadn’t shown up to the venue yet!)
  5.             “This is Your Life”
  6.             “Healing Hands” (from Alan Frew’s first solo album)
  7.             “Right Here Right Now” (a cover of the Jesus Jones hit)
  8.             “My Song”
  9.             “Someday”
  10.             “Diamond Sun”
  11.             “I Will Be There”
  12.             “Animal Heart”
  13.             “Thin Red Line”

Encore:

  1.             “Heroes” (cover of the David Bowie song)
  2.             “Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone”

 

The setlist was almost identical to the one I heard in Kincardine. There were only two differences: Instead of “Healing Hands” and “This is Your Life”, they played “Rhythm of Your Love” and “Ecstasy”.

While most of the audience was pretty dressed up, I opted to wear my Glass Tiger t-shirt that my mom got me for Christmas in 1988. For some reason, she got me an XXXL shirt – and I’m still swimming in it. The shirt (pictured) is from the album/song “Diamond Sun” and includes the song lyrics, “Love Gives Live” (which in the song is followed by the words, “and life is love”). When the band started playing Diamond Sun, and those lyrics came up, keyboardist Sam Reid looked at Alan Frew and pointed at my t-shirt. Alan then knowingly nodded his head. At another point in the song, Alan Frew also pointed to my shirt when singing those lyrics. The song has a new memory associated with it for me, and I’ll never forget that! Much to my surprise, I only saw one other person wearing a Glass Tiger shirt that night, and it was a significantly newer one. There were literally people of all ages at the show. The youngest was a child – maybe around 10 years old (I have a very hard time knowing what age children are, so I could be way off on that). There were also several seniors there – and many of them were right out front dancing beside me!

When the concert ended, I stuck around for a while on the off chance that I could get an autograph (I brought my CD copy of the “Thin Red Line” special edition, released in 2012). Because there was a VIP ticket option, the staff were clearly trying to ensure that only the people with those tickets had access to the band. I thought I’d wait anyway, just to see. To my surprise, guitarist Al Connelly came out by himself to grab some of his gear on the stage. A security guard was standing right in front of the stage, so I asked him if it would be okay if I asked Al for an autograph. He said absolutely, as long as I didn’t go onto the stage myself. I got Al’s attention and he said he’d come right back to sign my CD because his hands were full. True to his word, Al grabbed a beer and then came right back to where I was waiting and signed my album. Shortly after that, the security crew were telling us “regular” ticket holders that we had to move out of the space to make room for the VIP reception. I figured I would have no other opportunities to get more signatures, so I left the concert.

All in all, a fantastic show. It was a night I’ll never forget and I’m glad that I went ahead and got a ticket even with the higher price tag. While there were some songs I would have loved to hear live and didn’t (such as “Watching World’s Crumble”, “Far Away From Here”, “After the Dance”, and “Stand or Fall”), I still immensely enjoyed the experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat if such an opportunity ever came up again (and I’d have to figure out how to get a VIP ticket!). It was just announced that Glass Tiger will be inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame – the crowd gave them a lot of cheers to recognize that accomplishment.

5/5 stars

REVIEW: Deep Purple – Bombay Calling – Live in ’95 (2022 CD/DVD reissue)

DEEP PURPLE – Bombay Calling – Live in ’95  (2022 – Edel CD/DVD reissue)

Years ago, I begged for a CD issue of Deep Purple’s live DVD Bombay Calling.  You could download the audio on iTunes and burn your own double live, which I did, but that just doesn’t do it for a physical product collector.   I’ve made my case for physical product here over the years many, many times.  Unfortunately, this physical release was pooched by Edel by excluding one song.  Like similar CD bootlegs of this 1995 concert, the new Edel CD is missing the opening track “Fireball”!  It’s still there on DVD, and it was always there on the iTunes edition, but it’s missing from CD 1.  That’s a real shame since it’s a good version of “Fireball” and it’s the damn opener!  (The original DVD of Bombay Calling was issued in 2000.  iTunes got it in 2003.)

When originally released on iTunes, this was promoted as an “official bootleg”.  Now it seems to be marketed as some kind of deluxe live album, limited and numbered to 10,000 CD/DVD sets.  The hype sticker calls it “the best rock show ever staged in India.”

This concert was recorded on April 18 1995, which eagle-eyed fans will realize is well before the Purpendicular album.  Bombay Calling was recorded not long after “the banjo player took a hike” and Purple ultimately carried on with Steve Morse for the next few decades.  Joe Satriani stepped in for a short while, but it was Dixie Dregs guitar maestro Morse that took the Man in Black’s place permanently.  This concert was recorded at the very start of Morse’s tenure, and features a few songs they would drop from the set a year or two later.  It also features a brand new tune they were working on called “Perpendicular Waltz”, later spelled “The Purpendicular Waltz” on the album.  The lineup was fresh, feeling each other out, but full of energy and the excitement of a band creatively reborn, both in the studio and on stage.

There is one earlier concert available from this period, which is Purple Sunshine in Ft. Lauderdale Florida, exactly two weeks prior.  That one is truly is an official bootleg, taken from audience sources and released on the 12 CD box set Collector’s Edition: The Bootleg Series 1984-2000.  The setlists are slightly different.  When they hit India for this concert, a new song called “Ken the Mechanic” (retitled “Ted the Mechanic”) was dropped, as was “Anyone’s Daughter”.  They were replaced by long time favourites “Maybe I’m a Leo” and “Space Truckin’” from Machine Head.

Special treats for the ears on Bombay Calling include Steve Morse’s incendiary soloing on “Anya” (which would be dropped from the set in 1996).  His feature solo leading into “Lazy” is also excellent, and of course very different from what Ritchie used to do.  Jon Lord’s keyboard solo is among the best I’ve heard, and even features a segue into “Soldier of Fortune” from Stormbringer.  The solo segments that Deep Purple did often allowed them to play snippets from songs from the David Coverdale period of the band, and this one was unexpected and brilliant.

Highlights:  “Fireball” (boo for excluding from the CD), “The Battle Rages On”, and “Anya”.

I love a good, raw live performance captured on tape, and Deep Purple don’t muck around.  This is special, coming from that transitional period when Steve Morse was just getting his feet wet.  Considering how different he is from Ritchie Blackmore, this smooth switcheroo is quite remarkable.

3/5 stars (subtracting half a star from iTunes edition, for losing a song)

 

REVIEW: Keel – The Right to Rock (Remaster/bonus track)

KEEL – The Right to Rock (1985, 2000 Metal Mayhem Music/bonus track)

From the Gene Simmons Song Factory, heeeeere’s Keel!

Let’s talk about the bonus track first.  Anybody could tell you that “Easier Said Than Done” was a Simmons song, just from one listen.  Surely enough, scan the liner notes, and it’s Gene and Mitch Weissman, whom fans know from 1984’s Animalize album.  Like many Gene Simmons productions, The Right to Rock bears his name on a few writing credits.  “Easier Said Than Done” is right down mid-80s Kiss alley.  What about the remix?  Structurally, it is unchanged.  The drums sound different, and on a whole the track sounds a little brighter.

That’s it for extras.  The booket is only a single fold-out, with no lyrics.  It has a note from Ron Keel, indicating that this is the first CD issue of the album outside Japan.

(The rest of this review was previously published in 2015)

 

The rest of the non-Simmons songs are basically reworkings of tracks from Keel’s first album Lay Down the Law. That album, like Ron Keel’s debut with Steeler (featuring one Yngwie J. Malmsteen) were on Shrapnel. For the A&M Records debut, they pulled out the big guns. They got Gene Simmons in all his wig-ness, and put out a very corny but tremendously fun music video.

It is “America 1989”, and rock and roll is outlawed. “Those who are apprehended suffer severe consequences.” Can our young teenage Keel lookalike get away from the rock police? Quiet Riot did something similar with their “The Wild and the Young” video a year later. It’s corny fun.

The song too is corny fun. I guess it’s a classic now. It has that stock heavy metal riff that you need: something Motley Crue or the Scorpions would be comfortable with. It has that rebellious rock theme that was so prominent in the 80’s. It has a shout-along chorus. “You got it! The Right to Rock!” Hey, I grew up in a Catholic school. I know what this is about. “Don’t let anyone tell you how to live your life!” I had a teacher call me out on the first day of school for wearing a Judas Priest T-shirt. I could relate to this song in a big way when I was 13.

It should be noted that Gene Simmons, as a producer, is not known for his sonics. The Right to Rock sounds pretty good for the period, but the drums ring shallow and weak. There’s not much presence for the bass guitar, and the backing vocals are the typical rock mush. That’s what you get with Gene behind the console.

“Back to the City” has a good Priest-like chug to it. I think Keel were going for something middle of the road with their music, like Priest-meets-Scorps-meets-Crue-meets-Kiss. If so, this hit the mark. Ron’s vocals are overwrought but that’s his style. If you don’t like that kind of vocal, you won’t like Keel.

Kinda stinky is “Let’s Spend the Night Together”. You know, I still gotta give the guys credit. They have made this into a pretty fine pop metal song. If you didn’t know the song, you’d assume it’s an original, in the pop metal genre. So from that perspective, I think it’s kinda cool. Stinky and cool — like good gorgonzola.

“Easier Said Than Done” was written by Simmons/Weissman, the same team responsible for much of the Animalize album. The lyrics even reference “Russian Roulette”, a song title Gene had been toying with for years. (A song called “Russian Roulette” was finally released on Sonic Boom.) So, guess who “Easier Said Than Done” sounds like? That’s right — it is a dead ringer for Simmons-style Kiss. And it’s actually a pretty good song. The problem is Ron’s Gene impression. I can’t help but chuckle at his dead-on Gene vocals. I dare you to refrain from a giggle yourself. Same deal with “So Many Girls, So Little Time”. Kiss fans will recognize that’s a line recycled from the Kiss song “Burn Bitch Burn”.

Onto side two, “Electric Love” is a Keel original, but you immediately notice that the song isn’t as immediate as the two previous Simmons tunes. “Speed Demon”, another original, sounds exactly as the title implies. Quality-wise, it’s only at “Priest outtake” level (Defenders of the Faith era). Then it’s back to Simmons outtakes, with “Get Down”, the weakest of the Simmons songs by a long shot. “You’re the Victim (I’m the Crime)” is a Gene-like title, but this too is a Keel tune. It’s in the same vein as “Speed Demon”, and the same level of quality.

It’s fun to revisit The Right To Rock periodically…but sparingly.

3/5 stars

REVIEW: Talas – If We Only Knew Then What We Know Now… (1998 Japanese/bonus track)

TALAS – If We Only Knew Then What We Know Now… (1998 Warner Music Japan)

The Japanese edition of this Talas live album is something to behold.  It comes with lots of extras:

  • Beefy cardboard slipcase to house the jewel case beneath, plus…
  • A beautiful bonus 22 page photo booklet,
  • Japanese lyric sheet,
  • Two bonus tracks!

The first bonus track is just a shorty, a message from Billy Sheehan.  He briefly explains the history of the band, as much as one can in 34 seconds anyway.  The second bonus track is more interesting and valuable.  It is a vintage studio track called “Doin’ It Right”.  Very pop, but also paradoxically pounding.  It’s not available anywhere else, and it’s not bad at all!  It recalls other early poppy rock tunes by metal bands, such as Quiet Riot and Kick Axe’s obscurities.  One of those Japanese bonus tracks that is worth shelling out for.  But that’s just Common Knowledge!

(The rest of this review was previously publish in 2016)

The Talas story did not end with the breakup of the band.  Of course not; bands both famous and obscure like to reunite for nostalgia shows.  Talas did that in 1997 with the original power trio lineup:  Billy Sheehan on bass, Paul Varga on drums, and Dave Constantino on electric guitar.  With classic material (from the first two Talas albums) and a few unreleased songs, they memorialized their reunion with a brand new live CD.  Billy even pulled his old platform boots out of the closet for this one.

As usual the set opens with “Sink Your Teeth Into That” and an enthusiastic home town crowd.  Talas only sounded better with age.  The original voices are there and just as strong as they were in 1982.  It actually sounds like everyone has improved over the years.  A speedy “High Speed on Ice” is in the second spot ensuring no loss of momentum.  Material from the first self-titled Talas album is included too (unlike the last live album Live Speed on Ice).  “Expert on Me” is very pop in construction, but clearly not as great as the songs from album #2, Sink Your Teeth Into That.  Speaking of which, the slow rumbler “Never See Me Cry” is brilliantly adapted to the stage.

“Power to Break Away” is one of the previously unrecorded songs, and it kicks it just as hot as anything from Sink Your Teeth Into That.  It’s taut with hooks and the prerequisite bass workouts.  “Tell Me True” is the second unreleased song, a slow non-descript dirge ballad that takes a while to get going.

Imagine Billy Sheehan plowing his bass right through a funky Led Zeppelin riff.  That’s “Thick Head”, an awesome track from Talas (1979).  “You” has a cool vibe, almost like an unheard Aerosmith demo from the Done With Mirrors era.  A few other tunes from the first Talas (“Most People”, “Any Other Day” and “See Saw”) are adequately entertaining.  Back to Sink Your Teeth Into That, “King of the World” is still one of the best Talas tunes, overshadowed by only a few like “Shy Boy”.  Here, “Shy Boy” is preceded by a Paul Varga drum solo.  The sheer velocity of “Shy Boy” itself makes me wonder how Varga did it.  It’s just pedal to the metal, blurring the lines and smoking the minds.

Nothing like a good cover to help draw a live album to a close.  Talas did two:  “21st Century Schizoid Man” and “Battle Scar”.  The King Crimson cover is a daring one to attempt.  They somehow manage to strip it down and pull it off with integrity.  As for “Battle Scar”?  Total surprise there!  Max Webster were just across the border from Buffalo, and Billy Sheehan nearly joined Max at one point late in their career.  Introduced by a Billy Sheehan bass solo, this Max/Rush cover is the set closer.  As a final addition, “Battle Scar” surely makes this one hell of an album for the history books.

Since this is a more recent release on a well known label (Metal Blade), it turns out that If We Knew Then What We Know Now is an easy CD to find in the shops.  Fortunately this is a good first Talas album to add to any collection.

4/5 battle scars

 

 

REVIEW: KISS – Off The Soundboard – Poughkeepsie NY 11.26.1984

 – Off the Soundboard – Poughkeepsie NY 11.26.1984 (2023 Universal)

Are you getting sick of reading all the same complaints about the new Kiss Off the Soundboard CD from Poughkeepsie NY 1984, the fifth in this series?

Me too!

If you can’t appreciate the historical value of a Mark St. John show with Kiss, then I can’t help you.

If you didn’t know Kiss played these songs at lightspeed in the 1980s, then you never saw Animalize Live Uncensored.

And if you don’t know what an official bootleg is, then this CD is not for you anyway.

Actually, the only thing I’m really sick of is typing “Poughkeepsie”!

There are Kiss bootlegs with Mark floating around out there.  I can’t vouch for the audio quality on those.  This, I can tell you, is soundboard quality, which in my opinion is the best way to hear a live album.  Unpolished, the way it was that night on the board.  I love hearing the band make mistakes.  I have no problem with the fact you can barely hear the bass on some tracks, and too much on others.  The vocals are clear and each member is distinct in their singing.  Whether you think Paul is too “erratic” or not, that’s personal taste.

The setlist is similar to Animalize Live.  You won’t hear any Animalize deep cuts that were not on that video.  Two songs are incomplete (“Young and Wasted” and “Rock and Roll all Nite”) due to tape issues but are included for their historical significance.  No issues here.  In fact, “Rock and Roll all Nite” might be better this way…it often drags on too long at the end of a show!

The jazz-influenced Mark definitely added his own style and twists to the solos, even simple ones like “Detroit Rock City”.  There, he inserted an extra note or two to make it his.  Mark was a shredder, and that was the direction Kiss wanted to go in at that time.  It was the 80s.  Bands had to have shredders if they wanted the kids to take them seriously.  Mark wasn’t even Kiss’ first shredder, but he was certainly unique.  There’s a lot of whammy bar, and some pretty wicked licks on songs like “Fits Like a Glove”.  Now, before you get too excited, the “Guitar Solo” listed on the back cover is Paul Stanley’s familiar solo that he was playing during that era.

Mark aside, Eric Carr is a star on this album.  He was a busier drummer than Peter Criss and he goes to town on songs like “Cold Gin” and “Under the Gun”.  Fox fans will not want to miss this CD in their collection.  Peak Eric.  His drum solo will be familiar, yet will also most likely sound better than any version you currently own.  Unfortunately he stops singing on part of “Young and Wasted”, which is one of the partial songs anyway, so no big deal.  We have him singing that on Animalize Live.

Paul Stanley’s performance is pure rock and roll, and especially expressive on “I Still Love You”, but many have complained about the F-bombs dropped during his intro to “Love Gun”.  Hey…check out the Animalize Live version for something naughtier than an F-bomb!

If you’re Kiss collector, this is ending up in your library regardless.  Choose your format and go wild like the animals.

3.5/5 stars for the quality

3.5/5 stars as a “Kiss show”

5/5 stars for historical value and significance to the Kiss army

Neurotic Outsiders on Grant’s Rock Warehaus TONIGHT!

Tonight I will be LIVE on Grant’s Rock Warehaus to discuss a forgotten 90s supergroup: the Neurotic Outsiders!

The 90s were a weird time.  For all intents and purposes, one of the biggest bands in the world was gone:  Guns N’ Roses.  We had to settle for solo albums from Duff, Slash, Gilby and Izzy.

Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan teamed up with Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols, and John Taylor from Duran Duran, to form the punky supergroup Neurotic Outsiders.  They made one album.  One and done!  But what an album it was.  We’ll be discussing all this and more tonight on Grant’s Rock Warehaus!

7:00 PM EST

REVIEW: Ace Frehley – Origins Vol. 2 (2020)

ACE FREHLEY – Origins Vol. 2 (2020)

Three cheers for Matt Starr!  Ace Frehley’s drummer is the “starr” of the show on 11 of the 12 tracks on Origins Vol. 2.  This is evident immediately on the Zeppelin cover “Good Times Bad Times”.  There are plenty of guests on this album, but doing justice to John Bonham ain’t easy.  Starr nails it!  Fortunately the Ace Man himself is also able to tribute Jimmy Page ably on his solo.

In fact the weakest part of the album are the vocals.  As Ace ages, his voice has gotten lower.  Some of these songs are in a lower key than usual to accommodate.  It’s also, quite frankly, difficult to get excited about a second album of covers.  A lot of the same bands are covered, including the aforementioned Zeppelin, Kiss, Cream, Stones, Kinks, and Jimi Hendrix.

It’s an OK covers album.  It’s nice to get so much Ace-sounding rock.  Frehley makes Mountain sound like his own originals, as he does “Kicks” by Paul Revere and the Raiders.  He’s a bit heavy-handed on “We Gotta Get Out of this Place”.  But “Space Truckin'”?  Not necessary, or even wanted.  “Space-Ace truckin’!” he sings and it’s borderline cringe.  “Hey where’s Jendell?”  While it’s good to put your own twist on a song, dropping your own name in doesn’t cut it.  And Ace is no Ian Gillan.  (Ian Gillan is also no Ian Gillan, but that’s beside the point.)

Among the guests, John 5 rips solos on “I’m Down” (Beatles) and the thumpin’ “Politician” (Stones).  He executes both modern and traditional rock and roll guitar solos, but goes wild for the “I’m Down” outro, on which he shreds.  Lita Ford also appears, but not on guitar.  She sings on “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”.  While there’s no denying that’s a classic song that influenced Ace, how many people have covered “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”?  Lita’s voice has barely changed since the 80s and she is easily the charismatic highlight of this overplayed tune, and a highlight of the album as a whole.  One guy whose voice has changed a bit is Robin Zander of Cheap Trick, who sings on “30 Days in the Hole”.  He can still do it with power and range, but you can hear the years.  Speaking of voices, Ace doesn’t sing on the Kiss cover “She” but the vocals are split three ways among the backing musicians, and they capture a reasonable facsimile of that vintage Paul/Gene layered vibe.

The most interesting guest of the lot could be one of Ace’s replacements in Kiss, Mr. Bruce Kulick himself.  Of course, over the years Bruce and Ace have jammed a few times, and it’s sheer delight to hear them together.  Bruce has, arguably, the best guitar solo on the whole album, with “Manic Depression”.  The guy is greased lightning, extra greasy!  It’s warming to see Ace and Bruce put egos aside and just play some music.  Any time, guys, any time.

Giving credit to Ace for one more thing, “Lola” does sound like his kind of tune.  His vocal shortcomings are obvious here but don’t really get in the way.  Whether you like that song or not, Ace has a quirky side that “Lola” fits, just as sweet as Coca-Cola.

Bonus:  the album comes with nice liner notes by Kiss scribe Julian Gill.

Let’s hope Ace has the covers out of his system for now.  Another original album, hell even a live album would be cool, but no more covers Ace, please!

3/5 stars

REVIEW: Vince Neil – “You’re Invited (But Your Friend Can’t Come)” (1992 single)

VINCE NEIL – “You’re Invited (But Your Friend Can’t Come)” (1992 Hollywood single)

“Woahow!”

In 1992, post-split, Vince Neil was out of the gates fast with a killer new single, while we had to wait two more years for Motley Crue to make their move.  It certainly seemed that Neil was winning the Crue vs. Vince competition, especially when his Exposed album with Steve Stevens was released in 1993.  We had no inkling that the Crue were brewing something equally strong with John Corabi, but for the time being at least, Vince Neil was the winner of the round.

Vince didn’t have his solo band yet, so the players you hear on “You’re Invited (But Your Friend Can’t Come)” might come as a surprise.  It’s 3/4 of Damn Yankees:  Tommy Shaw, Jack Blades, and Michael Cartellone.  The track was written by Neil, Shaw and Blades.  Automatically, we know to expect some quality.  This track was recorded for the movie Encino Man (or California Man) starring Paulie Shore and Brendan Fraser.  The soundtrack version (4:27) and a single edit (3:53) are both included here.

“One, two, here we go!”  The tune is a smoker, sharp and with wicked production.  The cocky lyrics perfectly match the upbeat riff, certainly one of the best Shaw/Blades riffs yet composed.  The single/soundtrack version is in fact superior to the final album cut that came a year later, even though that one included Steve Stevens with a seriously cool solo.  This guitar solo ain’t half bad either, of course!  Tommy Shaw is no slouch and it sounds like he’s having fun just losing his mind on guitar.  There’s even more of that nutso finger tapping on the album version vs. the single edit, especially in the bananas intro.

If you like guitar, then you will definitely love one of the B-sides:  a commercial Steve Vai instrumental called “Get The Hell Out of Here”.  Opening with a flurry of notes, the song goes into a riff with some cool call-and-answer lead guitars.  Definitely one of Steve’s more song-like structures, something like Satch is wont to do.  Catchy, straight ahead, with plenty of thrills.  Incredible harmonics!  A great middle ground for those who love lead guitar but find Steve’s regular solo work a little too bookish.

The last song to go over is by a band called T-Ride, who put out one album in 1992.  Joe Satriani called them “the future of metal”, but we’re all allowed to be wrong from time to time.  Their tune here is called “Luxury Cruiser” which was also on their self-titled album.  It’s hard rock for the 90s, and the singer can really wail when he wants to.  It verges on progressive, due to its careening from one different part and tempo to another.  Very technical, but not an amazing song.

Great single to have for the Vai and Vince tracks.  Vai later released his on a compilation of soundtrack music, but otherwise this is a great purchase to fill some gaps in your collection.

4/5 stars

 

REVIEW: Deep Purple – “Woman From Tokyo” (Japanese CD single)

DEEP PURPLE – “Woman From Tokyo” (Originally 1973, 1998 Warner Japan CD reissue)

The 2:56 single edit of Deep Purple’s “Woman From Tokyo” is somewhat of a rarity on CD.  It’s not on the Singles A’s and B’s.  You could get it on a Japanese box set called Purple Chronicle.

The original song was almost six minutes, so half of the tune was chopped out for single release.  The intro is mangled.  The middle section is missing, and cut in such an amateurish way.  The guitar solo is missing.  Rule of thumb:  never cut the friggin’ guitar solo from a Deep Purple song, of all bands!  This is a butcher job of a single edit.  Probably why it never made the cut to Singles A’s and B’s.

The B-side “Super Trouper” is also 2:56, but unedited.  That’s just how the song goes, one of Purple’s shortest.  No, it’s not an Abba cover, but both songs were named after Super Trouper stage lights.  Some of Ian Gillan’s lyrics can be interpreted to be about his impending departure from Deep Purple. “I wanna be like I was before, but this time I’m gonna know the score.” A lot of looking in the rear view mirror in this song. A lot of past-tense.

Because of the butcher job on the “Woman From Tokyo” edit, the B-side here outshines the A-side.  The single at least has lyrics.  For collectors and analysts only!

1/5 stars

REVIEW: Def Leppard – “Helen Wheels” from The Art of McCartney (2014)

Part Forty-Six of the Def Leppard Review Series

DEF LEPPARD – “Helen Wheels” and
JOE ELLIOTT – “Hi Hi Hi” from The Art of McCartney (2014 Arctic Poppy)

The Art of McCartney has to be one of the most anticipated yes lesser known tribute albums of the last two decades.  Anticipated because it promised new cover tunes by Kiss, Rick and Robin from Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, Sammy Hagar, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Heart, Willie Nelson Paul Rodgers, and so many more.  For this review series we’ll be looking at two tracks:  one by Def Leppard, and one by Joe Elliott.

Paul McCartney needs no introduction.  If he does, then I ask you to read about a band called “The Beatles” before you read anything else here!

Produced by Ronan McHugh and Def Leppard, “Helen Wheels” is unmistakable Def Leppard.  The opening drum pattern certainly recalls Rick Allen’s work on “Rocket”.  Then it careens into pure pop rock delight!  This Wings single was released in 1974 and later included on some versions of Band on the Run.  Driving, fun, and while different from Def Leppard’s core sound, it’s ideal for them to cover.  The boys in the band aren’t bad singers y’know.

Joe’s solo cover is “Hi Hi Hi”, a standalone Wings single from 1972.  This is far more raw than the Leppard track.  Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums!  Joe’s vocals were recorded at his home studio while the backing tracks were recorded in Los Angeles and London.  Quite a production, but that’s the modern way of doing things.    One thing about Joe’s vocal:  he absolutely goes for it!  It’s like rough and ready Joe from 1980 has returned, but with the skill and experience of an older singer.  This is just a piano-boppin’ rock and roller.

Bravo to Joe and Def Leppard for coming up with some inspired covers.  Certainly more inspired than most of the Yeah! covers album.

4/5 stars

Previous:  

    1. The Early Years Disc One – On Through the Night 
    2. The Early Years Disc Two – High N’ Dry
    3. The Early Years Disc Three – When The Walls Came Tumbling Down: Live at the New Theater Oxford – 1980
    4. The Early Years Disc Four – Too Many Jitterbugs – EP, singles & unreleased
    5. The Early Years Disc 5 – Raw – Early BBC Recordings 
    6. The Early Years 79-81 (Summary)
    7. Pyromania
    8. Pyromania Live – L.A. Forum, 11 September 1983
    9. Hysteria
    10. Soundtrack From the Video Historia – Record Store Tales
    11. In The Round In Your Face DVD
    12. “Let’s Get Rocked” – The Wait for Adrenalize – Record Store Tales
    13. Adrenalize
    14. Live at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
    15. Retro-Active
    16. Visualize
    17. Vault: Def Leppard’s Greatest Hits / Limited Edition Live CD
    18. Video Archive
    19. “Slang” CD single
    20. Slang
    21. I Got A Bad Feeling About This: Euphoria – Record Store Tales
    22. Euphoria
    23. Rarities 2
    24. Rarities 3
    25. Rarities 4
    26. Cybernauts – Live
    27. Cybernauts – The Further Adventures of the Cybernauts (bonus disc)
    28. X
    29. Best Of (UK)
    30. Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection
    31. Yeah!
    32. Yeah! Bonus CD With Backstage Interviews
    33. Yeah…Nah!  (Record Store Tales)
    34. Songs From the Sparkle Lounge
    35. “C’Mon C’Mon” (picture disc)
    36. Taylor Swift & Def Leppard – CMT Crossroads (DVD)
    37. B.Sides
    38. Yeah! II
    39. Yeah! Live
    40. Mirror Ball: Live & More (Japan bonus track)
    41. iTunes Re-recordings
    42. Viva! Hysteria (CD 1 & DVD)
    43. Viva! Hysteria (CD 2 & bonus features)
    44. Viva! Hysteria (Japanese bonus track)
    45. Slang (2014 deluxe edition bonus tracks)

Next:

47. Def Leppard (Deluxe and Japanese versions)