DVD

🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 28: Death on the Road

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 28: Death on the Road

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode with guest Jex Russell

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #135

Scream for me, YouTube!  We’re back with our first live Maiden episode of 2026.  We try and do the live albums as live episodes, since we love that live show experience so much.  With us this time is a lucky owner of the Death on the Road DVD, Mr. Jex Russell!  We first saw his copy of the DVD back in June 26 on a special episode on our Maiden collections.  That set being such a rarity, we had to get Jex back on board when it was time to talk about it.

The early 2000s were an incredibly busy time for Iron Maiden, and for the first time ever we had two consecutive live albums after two consecutive studio albums.  This leads to natural comparisons with Rock In Rio, which also received CD and DVD releases.

Tonight we go all-in for the live album, breaking it down track by track.  Harrison and Jex will have their DVD copies on hand to detail us on its contents.  All three of us will be live to answer your questions and comments as we go!  Don’t miss this special live episode!

 

Friday January 23 at  7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

 

 

REVIEW: Iron Maiden – The Early Days (2004 DVD)

IRON MAIDEN – The History of Iron Maiden Part 1: The Early Days (2004 EMI DVD)

Staying on the cutting edge, Iron Maiden released one of the best and most value-packed videos of anyone’s career with The History of Iron Maiden Part 1: The Early Days.  We won’t get too much into how they never really properly followed it.  We’ll just praise it for what it is:  A must-buy DVD for your Iron Maiden collection, and your education.

The DVD is divided into several sections, with the main feature The Early Days winding up on Disc Two.  That’s where we’ll start.

 

 

Disc Two

The Early Days

Released to DVD on, The Early Days is a 90 minute feature directed by Matthew Amos.  Impressively and most importantly, they gathered together as many past members as were willing and able.  Many of them have never seen interviewed before:  Doug Sampson, Rob “Rebel” Matthews, Dave Sullivan, Terry Rance, Bob Sawyer, Terry Wapram, Paul Di’Anno, Dennis Stratton, and Clive Burr.  This in addition to Steve Harris, Bruce Dickinson, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Nicko McBrain.  We gain some insight into the formation of Steve’s early band Gypsy’s Kiss.  What Steve really needed was a band where he could lead.   Gypsy’s Kiss broke up after a mere five gigs, due to the usual “musical differences”.  Iron Maiden formed, and gained fans via word of mouth.  There is the claim that original singer Paul Mario Day didn’t have a great stage presence, according to original drummer Ron “Rebel” Matthews.  Looking for a showman, they went with Wilcock who was highly influenced by Kiss.  He had this sword gimmick with fake blood coming from his mouth.  Musically, Dave Murray was the turning point, but Dennis Wilcock convinced Steve to fire the whole band.  Steve and Wilcock formed a new Iron Maiden, with Thunderstick on drums.  You know!  The guy with the leather mask, best known from Samson.  He blew a gig (on drugs) and was fired.  Maiden tried a keyboard player instead of a second guitarist, until Wilcock suddenly left the band.  Doug Sampson from one of Steve’s first bands, Smiler, joined in.  Dave Murray came back, and they found Paul Di’Anno.  This would prove to be the foundation of Iron Maiden.  They toiled with a four-man lineup, as they tried out guitarists.  Paul Todd, Tony Parsons, and “Mad Mac” all their moments, but don’t last.  Parsons, at least, was recorded on a number of tracks now released on Eddie’s Archive.  Speaking of whom, Eddie is finally created (as a smoke-breathing head), and Maiden had a mascot.  The Soundhouse Tapes were recorded, and handed to DJ Neal Kaye.  This led to a live gig at the Soundhouse and things began to snowball.

Future manager Rod Smallwood got hold of the tape.  Somehow he managed to sign Iron Maiden to a three record deal, which was an incredible guarantee for Iron Maiden.  Doug Sampson unfortunately was not healthy enough to enjoy the spoils.  He would not be able to tour, and had to be replaced.  The talented Dennis Stratton came aboard on guitar and backing vocals, bringing drummer Clive Burr with him.  The lineup that recorded the EMI debut was set.

The band were not happy with original producer Will Malone, who was disengaged and uninterested.  Artist Derek Riggs was found, and Eddie was brought to life.  Iron Maiden performed live on Top of the Pops, the first band to actually play live since the Who in the 1970s. Touring with Kiss, Maiden took note of their stage and performance.  It is acknowledged that Kiss were their model when they chose to get more theatrical on future tours.  Unfortunately for Stratton, Dennis was let go at the end of the Kiss tour.  Regardless of his talent, they were not cut from the same cloth.   They knew Adrian Smith from his band Urchin (“Roller” is shown).  Martin Birch (Deep Purple) is recruited to produce the more satisfying second album, and they band embark on their first world tour.

The beloved Paul Di’Anno began to falter.  Even Paul acknowledges that Maiden did the right thing by getting Bruce Bruce from Samson.  Bruce electrified the band, in the studio and on stage.  He enabled them to push it further.  On stage, he was an acrobat.  This caused some friction with the bass player, who was quite used to standing next to the singer on center stage.  Now, there was a madman running about, colliding with Steve Harris at center stage as they battled for position.  It only made the band that much better live.

It’s clearly a tough gig.  Clive Burr was not doing well.  The drummer was given three months to sort himself out but he couldn’t.  Lacking time, the band had to move on.  Nicko McBrain was known from the band Trust, and was the natural guy to take over.  Food For Thought was considered for the next album title, but we all know it became Piece of Mind.

Cut to Maiden live at Dortmund.  To be continued.

 

Disc One

Live at The Rainbow (originally released on VHS on 11 May 1981) – 30 minutes

Recorded 21 December 1980

The video quality on Live at the Rainbow is incredible – feels more like late 80s than early 80s quality!  However it was recorded and remastered for DVD, they did a smashing job here.  This lineup features a short-haired Adrian Smith on guitar, and has a stage set with the first album Eddie as the backdrop.  Paul Di’Anno is rocking mega spikes on his arms and belt, as was the look at the time.

The set begins with a cracking good version of “Wrathchild”.  Then Paul introduces the “Title track from the second album!”, but the lyrics are the early version from before the words were finalized.  “Killers” features an incredible top-speed Clive Burr.  There are great closeup of Davey playing the descending harmonics.  The lights go dim, and the band are in darkness for the quiet opening of “Remember Tomorrow”.  The lights really go nuts on heavy parts.  Steve moves to the front for the instrumental “Transylvania” as he becomes the focus on stage.  The epic “Phantom of the Opera” follows.  Clive shows the world why he was so beloved in Iron Maiden.  He’s absolutely hammering here.  This could be the greatest version of the song ever released.  The set closes with “Iron Maiden”.  Davey starts with a whammy dive, before going into the main lick.  Paul has jacket on.  You can tell there was some editing here, as Paul had no shirt on the previous song, and now he has his jacket.  It’s a treat to see Dave and Adrian play those harmonies and leads though.

Beast Over Hammersmith (full audio available on Eddie’s Archive, video previously unreleased) – 45 minutes

Recorded 20 March 1982

They claim the full show is unwatchable.  They say they had to do a lot of work just to restore the nine songs on this DVD.  Regardless, this show including Bruce is great to watch because of the contrast.  Now the band were on the big stage.  Now they had a stage show.  Now they had Bruce.

There is an opening montage of the crowd entering the venue, lots of jean jackets and patches, to the tune of “Murders in the Rue Morgue”.  Bruce enters like a whirlwind!  The lighting rig is cool – like a “V” of lights on stage below Clive.  “Run to the Hills” is early in the set and now it’s refreshing to go back to 1982 and hear Young Bruce singing it at full lungs.  Bruce is noticeably a far more visual frontman than Paul was.  Only one studded arm though!  “Children of the Damned” is next, as the lights dim a bit and Bruce stands center stage.  No running about, this time.

“The Number of the Beast” sees the crowd fairly calm during the opening, since it is a new song and they don’t know the opening yet.  Davey headbangs through the whole thing!  Annoyingly, the camera avoids Adrian during his part of the guitar solo.  During “22 Acacia Avenue”, Bruce reveals that Adrian had some bruised or broken ribs!  Though musically brilliant, this is where the band lost their way.  Charlotte appears on stage in the flesh, dancing next to Adrian, raising her legs, and moving to center stage in front of Bruce.  It’s a rare miss for Iron Maiden as it takes the focus away from the band.

Bruce introduces the “B-side of our current single!”, and it’s the rarely played “Total Eclipse”.  Bruce’s vocal is far more expressive than the studio version.  This time the camera focuses on the appropriate guitar players during the split solo, thankfully.  Bruce then removes his leather jacket for the melodic masterpiece “The Prisoner”  For “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, he most dramatic song of the set, Bruce stands on the “V” steps by the drums.  Then, he comes down later to rile up the crowd as the song gets faster and harder.  Finally, it’s “Iron Maiden” and Bruce explains to the crowd what the torture device does.  The band really explode onstage for this fast blaster!

Live In Dortmund – Rock and Pop Festival (previously unreleased) – 45 minutes

Recorded 18 Dec 1983, broadcast only once

Maiden headlined over Ozzy, Scorpions, Def Leppard, Priest and Michael Schenker if you can believe it.  Maiden over Ozzy.  For this Piece of Mind era show including Nicko McBrain, we only have the surviving broadcast tapes.  “Iron Maiden” was also played, but cut from broadcast due to an Eddie “lobotomy” with tissues and ribbons counting as “excessive violence”.  The recording of that song is now lost.

Bruce had what we’ll call his “caveman look” with a shirt like something Fred would wear on the Flintstones, paired with some leather trousers.  We open with “Sanctuary” and a very animated Nicko on the cymbals, when he stands for the cheer break.  Bruce’s vocal delivery is a tad too operatic for this song.  Davey’s solo is gravy.  Onto “The Trooper”!  Bruce waves the union Jack, with smoke all over the stage.  The guitars are a bit thin sounding on this recording.  One cool moment is when Steve runs up drum riser and plays face to face with Nicko.  Steve is a real band leader, interacting with all the members on stage.  It is during “Revelations” that Bruce plays a Les Paul during the guitar harmonies.  Plays, or “plays”, it was rarely seen and here it is documented.  (It is this version that is included on the Best of the Beast vinyl LP limited edition.  His vocal here is powerful and far more expressive than the album.  It is a brilliant, full sounding version, loaded with energy.  There is however an annoying close-up on the stage Eddie (behind Nicko) during instrumental mid-section that keeps repeating.

“Scream for me, Dortmund!  The Flight of Icarus!”  The bass sounds heavier on this version.  Bruce nails the chorus.  No backing vocals audible as on Live After Death.  An absolutely killer rendition.  Back to “22 Acacia Avenue”, there is no dancing girl this time, Maiden having learned their lessons.  The audience is a sea of hands.  A great live version, with Bruce adding extra flair.

Now that they are familiar with the song, the audience speaks along to “The Number of the Beast” and its opening narration.  A grim reaper, concealed in smoke, appears on stage.  The band leaves, and then returns for the encore “Run to the Hills” and final song of the included set.  The chorus sounds different this time, lower perhaps.  Maybe it is because Steve’s backing vocals being so high in the mix?  At the end, Bruce destroys a drum kit!

 

Disc Two

There is plenty more to be seen and heard on disc two of this set, besides just The Early Days documentary.  There is a whole other 45 minute unreleased set of music from the band’s own archive, and lots of TV stuff included as well.  Here is a detailed breakdown of everything else on Disc Two.

20th Century Box – 21 minutes

Recorded & broadcast 1981

This television special is primarily framed in terms of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (here called a “revival”), and the musical culture of the time with Punk also reigning high.  There is rare black and white footage from the Marquee club, including “Phantom of the Opera”, “Drifter” and “Iron Maiden”.  There are interviews with Steve and Paul (in a comics shop!), Neal Kaye, Geoff Barton, famed air guitarist Rob Loonhouse (age 23), and many fans.  Produced for television, everything is slick and pro-shot.  A valuable time capsule.

Live at the Ruskin (previously unreleased) – 45 minutes

Recorded 14 April 1980

As of this DVD, Live at the Ruskin is the oldest known video of Iron Maiden live.  It is single camera of surprising quality, probably filmed by road tech Vic Vella.  The Ruskin was kind of a home base to Iron Maiden, and so the introduction goes:  “Welcome, your very own Iron Maiden!”  Paul is very talkative, as if presiding over a party with friends.  Heck, his own mum is in the house!  And so is guitarist Dennis Stratton, not yet sacked, and very much showing his value in this video.

“This is a song you should all know by now, it’s our next single.” And know it they do.  “Sanctuary” lights the place up.  The young band appears crowded on that small stage.  Dennis’ Les Paul solo is speedy magnificence.  Davey takes the second solo, with wah wah pedal.  Paul Di’Anno is very growly, and the “chuggy” section at the end is longer.  The video gets blurry a bit on “Wrathchild”, but it’s awesome to hear a version with Dennis’ solos.  The sweat is visible on Di’Anno’s face during “Prowler”.  Again, it is amazing to hear a live version with Dennis, as his tone was not the same as Davey’s or Adrian’s.  He also sings ample backing vocals, and his voice is different from Adrian’s.

A touch slower version of “Remember Tomorrow” follows, and then Clive leads the clapping on “Running Free”.  Vocally this is one of the best versions available, and that’s partly due to Dennis’ audible backing vocals.  Dennis and Davey perfectly in sync on guitar harmonies.  Outstanding version.  The instrumental “Transylviania” also features a lot of Dennis.  He does the first solo, and the main guitar lick of the song.

Time for band intros, as Paul removes his shirt.  Then it’s onto “Another Life”, the only official live version with Dennis ever released.  Steve’s bass is dominant, with a lot of high notes.  This is back when Maiden still had drum solos.  “Clive Burr on drums!” The audio goes out for a second, it’s not your DVD.

“Phantom of the Opera” features Steve and Dennis on backing vocals, in a very version.  Amusingly , you can spy lots of beer cans visible behind Davey on his amp.  Then we end the recording with “Charlotte the Harlot”.  Paul explains that it’s a song about a whorehouse, a brothel!  He can’t say more, as his mum is in the house!  There is a meandering intro, but Iron Maiden were not an arena act yet.  Another powerful version!

Top of the Pops

Two tracks here:  “Women in Uniform” (22/02/1980) with Adrian on guitar.  Actually live!  This is the only official live version of “Women in Uniform”, ever.  The drums sound shit, and you can hardly hear the guitars.  It’s not like Top of the Pops knew how to broadcast a live rock band.  The second track is “Running Free” (13/11/1980) which sounds better.  Paul is wearing the striped shirt under leather jacket.

Rock and Pop ZTV

Only one track here, from a German broadcast in 1980.  It’s a mimed “Running Free” with Adrian on guitar.

Five Promo Videos

You’ve seen ’em on TV, on Visions of the Beast, and now here too:  “Women In Uniform”, “Run to the Hills”, “The Number of the Beast”, “The Trooper” and “Flight of Icarus”, all original versions.  It doesn’t matter what people think today; back in the 80s these were some of the coolest music videos ever!  “Flight of Icarus” even had footage from inside the recording studio, which was not common for a lot of metal bands.

Steve’s Diary & Scrapbook, On The Road

Click and flick through the scans!  Interesting stuff about seeing Genesis at the Hammersmith, and the Stones at Knebworth.  There’s even some band bookkeeping:   getting paid 5 pounds for expenses, 10 pounds for a gig at Cart and Horses.  The biggest payout you see in these receipts was 25 pounds.  Steve even documents his bass amp payment installments.  Some major Maiden history is recorded:  the day Dennis Wilcock auditions to replace Paul Day (“Mon the 20th”).  Steve’s thoughts: “Now the hard part is to tell Paul…”  Paul Mario Day did 26 gigs in total, and understood when Steve broke the bad news.  The scrapbook has gig ads back to 1976.  One gig has them second to Samson (at the Music Machine, in Camden).  The section titled “On the Road” contains photo galleries going all the way back to 1973, Smiler, and the first Iron Maiden lineup.  There are pictures of Vic Vella, Rob Loonhouse, and many more.   This goes up to 1983, and includes tour programs, tour dates (back to 1979), shirts, backstage passes and assorted art.  All very fascinating stuff, but limited by the DVD format.  Today you’d do this on a website.

There is also an album and singles discography, with art.  Again this is something that works better on a website today.

And that’s an exhaustive review on an essential Maiden DVD.  There is even a beefy booklet with liner notes to read.  Maiden even toured for the DVD, playing only songs from the “Early Days”.  Now that’s how you do a release.  If only we had a live album from that tour!  Deluxe edition, lads?

4.5/5 stars

 

 

 

 

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 27: The Early Days DVD

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 27:  The History of Iron Maiden Part 1:  The Early Days

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #133

Buckle up, for tonight is one of the most detailed episodes of 50 Years of Iron Maiden to date!  In 2004, Iron Maiden went out on tour, but not to promote a new album.  This time (and for the first time!) they were out to promote a video:  The History of Iron Maiden Part 1: The Early Days, on DVD.  Tonight, we break down the entire contents of the DVD release (including the special features you probably never watched!) and the tour to boot.  Yes, this is an episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden as essential as any!

The DVD itself centers on The Early Days, a 90 minute documentary on Maiden history from 1975 to 1983 (the “early days”).  It includes interviews with Maiden members you’ve probably never met before, such as Ron “Rebel” Matthews, Terry Rance, Doug Sampson and many more.  The history of the band is run down with great care, ending in Dortmund in Germany on the World Piece Tour.

There are four concerts, in various states of completion:  Live at the Ruskin (1980), Live at the Rainbow (1981), Beast Over Hammersmith (1982) and Live in Dortmund (1983).  Even though we have discussed some of these tracks in previous episodes (including a full episode on the CD version of Hammersmith), we will go through every single track in exhausting detail.  Then there are the Top of the Pops and other TV shows to cover!  Then, Mike will take you through all the interesting details in the bonus features, such as Steve’s diary and scrapbook.  Find out exactly how Steve fired original singer Paul Mario Day, and when!

When this all said and done, Harrison will guide us through the Eddie Rips Up the World Tour, including the setlists and an incident involving Sharon Osbourne.  You might have heard about that one!  It happened on this tour.

Don’t miss the premiere of this episode, as we always like to interact in the comments!  Up the Irons!

Friday January 9 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T., 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube.

BONUS:  Tomorrow, January 10, Mike will post his written review of this DVD, never before seen, right here on this site.  This review, at almost 3000 words, is for those who prefer to read!  Mike never wrote a review of this release back in 2013 when he did his Maiden review series.  This is brand new and will not be exactly the same as what we will present in the video.  Enjoy both!

 

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

 

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 25: Visions of the Beast featuring Bob Cesca from Camp Chaos

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 25:  Visions of the Beast featuring Bob Cesca from Camp Chaos

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #124

Back in 1999/2000, a little video called “Napster Bad!” went viral.  You know it, you shared it, you loved it.  Well, not Harrison because he was not born yet.  Bob Cesca (founder of Camp Chaos) created that video and many others, including official music videos for bands such as Motley Crue, Yes, and…Iron Maiden!

Bob is a talented jack of many trades, and also a massive Rush fan.  In this effortless interview, Bob tells us everything you wanted to know about him and Iron Maiden.  2003’s Visions of the Beast double DVD was a massive collection, and Camp Chaos did six music videos for it.  These videos mixed animation with the original familiar music video footage.  We break them all down in detail, including how to access the Easter Eggs.  How was he contacted by the Maiden camp?  How much input did Iron Maiden have on his creative process?  Why did he choose certain Eddies and settings, and how did he decide what to edit out of the originals to make way for animation?  It is a fascinating trip back in time, as current events impacted some of the videos, even though the songs themselves were oldies.  Hey…are there 10 ME-109s out of the sun…or not?

Bob also answered all our non-Maiden questions, such as why James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich have no noses in “Napster Bad”?

After Bob had answered all our questions, Harrison and Mike took a deep dive on the rest of the contents of the DVD set.  If you owned Visions of the Beast back in the day, own it now, or not yet…you will want to pop it in after this episode.

Please welcome Mr. Bob Cesca to Grab A Stack of Rock, and 50 Years of Iron Maiden!  Join us at the premiere in the comments tonight – we love interacting with you!

A big thanks to Tim Durling for introducing us to Bob!

Friday November 7 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

DVD REVIEW: George Lucas In Love (1999)

GEORGE LUCAS IN LOVE (1999 MediaTrip)

Directed by Joe Nussbaum

This short, which pays homage to Star Wars creator George Lucas in the style of Shakespeare In Love, is a funny, creative little film that any old-school Star Wars fan will enjoy. A fictional account of how Lucas came up with his epic saga simply by taking inspiration from life around him, it is loaded with references both subtle and obvious. Much better than “spoof movies” today, George Lucas In Love, in a mere 9 minutes, is loaded with more laughs than the entire Scary Movie franchise. The Flanneled One himself is a fan.

It is 1967, and young George Lucas has writer’s block. He just can’t seem to finish his movie about space farming. Instead he decides to “write what he knows”, and we all know what happened after that.  Stay tuned for the not-so-surprise ending.

The DVD is padded out with some other unfunny shorts, Evil Hill, ll, Film Club, and Swing Blade. Don’t waste your time. There is also an audio commentary and some behind-the-scenes features.

Keeping the run time in mind, pick this up at a reasonable price if you can — which may be hard as it is out of print.

4/5 stars

🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 17: Raising Hell – Bruce’s “Final” Show

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 17: Raising Hell – Bruce’s “Final” Show

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #108

Scream for me, YouTube! For the “Final” time, Bruce Dickinson takes the stage with Iron Maiden, at Pinewood Studios in the UK.  It was a big pay-per-view worldwide TV broadcast.  Recorded 28 Aug 1993, the Air Raid Siren bid farewell after 11 years in Iron Maiden.

Released on VHS on 5 September 1994, the Raising Hell show is controversial for one main reason:  Simon Drake.  A “horror magician” that was invited not to open the show, but to perform alongside and during the show, Drake’s “magic” was a unique addition to Iron Maiden.  Drake had his own segments on a side stage, but also interacted with the band on “From Here to Eternity” and other segments.

Even watching the show without Drake’s segments, it’s an odd one for Iron Maiden.  A smaller stage inside a studio is an unusual place to see an Iron Maiden concert.  Still, history unfolded that night, and Harrison and I are here to tell you all about it.  And show you, too:  we will run a selection of the Simon Drake bits for you to…enjoy?

Tonight’s episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden ends the reign of Bruce, as we soon embark on the era of Blaze.  Tune in tonight and join the comments!

 

Friday July 11 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

RE-REVIEW: Van Halen – A Different Kind of Truth (2012 CD/DVD set)

VAN HALEN – A Different Kind of Truth (2012 Universal CD/DVD set)

When this album was released in 2012, we all wanted Van Halen to win.  Eddie had been through some tough times, but he finally did what the fans demanded:  get back together with David Lee Roth, and record a new album.  Sure, we all lamented that Michael Anthony was gone, but it was new bassist Wolfgang Van Halen that made it happen.  Without Wolf, there would be no final Van Halen album.  Just VHIII, and we know how most of you feel about that.

Working with new producer John Shanks in neutral territory, Van Halen managed to crank out a new album in just three years, starting with jams in 2009.

Wolf knew that Van Halen had to get back to a “classic” sound for their first new album with DLR since 1984.  In addition to new music, Wolf dug back into Van Halen’s archive of unreleased material, and picked seven songs that rework and re-write.  Roth called it a “collaboration with the past”, which is a good way of putting it.  No, it does not sound exactly like old Van Halen; that would be impossible.  It does, however sound like Van Halen with Roth.

Opener “Tattoo” was the first single and weakest track.  It’s also the only one with audible keyboards (by Dave), though just for texture.  Roth said the multi-layered chorus was inspired by artists such as Rhianna, but that chorus is actually the annoying part of the song.  Eddie’s fills and Dave’s verses are fine and entertaining, as is Wolfie’s fuzzy bass.  The chorus is the weak link, perhaps even worse than the lyrics:  lines such as “tramp stamp tat” and “mousewife to momshell”.  I like tattoos as much as the next guy, but I’ll never use the word “momshell” except when discussing this album.

The real banger is the second single, “She’s the Woman”, a pretty close approximation of the original Van Halen song (pre-debut album).  Wolfie’s playing is monstrous, with a catchy circular bassline that proved the kid had the talent to be in this band.  His dad must have loved jamming with him.  Ed’s solo really brings us back to classic Van Halen, while Alex’s drums have that sound that we all missed.  I hate to say it, but this rendition is probably superior to the original lineup’s version.

“You And Your Blues” has that choppy Eddie guitar we love, and those “ahh, ahh” backing vocals that scream Van Halen, even without Mike.  Dave’s lower voice works well on the verses, though he is stretched out on the high notes in the chorus.  A great Van Halen album-quality song.    (If you’re fortunate enough to have a CD/DVD combo set, you’ll be treated to a cool acoustic version of “You And Your Blues” with loads of storytelling from Roth.)

“China Town” has some of the best shredding on album.  From Wolfie’s crazy capo bass to the lightning fast tempo, all four members of Van Halen are on fire.  If any song can be said to take the classic sound and launch it into orbit, it’s “China Town”, and Wolf is the star.  The bass is not overly high in the mix, but when you listen to it and isolate it in your head, you realize that this guy has brought a new side to Van Halen:  bass shred.  Additionally, it’s a great song in every way.

Going back to 1984 and an instrumental section called “Ripley”, “Blood and Fire” was reworked in 2000 for an aborted reunion with Roth.  Interestingly “Blood and Fire” actually sounds more like Hagar era Van Halen.  It does contain one of Dave’s favourite concert phrases:  “Well look at the all of the people here tonight!”  If this track had been on 5150, it would have fit like a glove, though it would have been one of the more rocking tunes.  Edward himself is the star on this one, as he rips, shreds, and tears as if it really was 1984 again.

“Bullethead” sounds new, and also goes back to the 2000 sessions.  Van Halen speed and Dave “charasma” are held together by the rhythm section of Al and Wolf.  It contains the lyric “Got a different kind of truth”, from which the album takes its title.  Ed’s effect-laden solo is no less cool, though nobody will list “Bullethead” in their top 20 Van Halen songs.  A cool album track it is, but that’s all.

One of the coolest tunes would have to be “As Is”.  Opening with some Alex drum intensity, it breaks into a slow heavy riff, before finally accelerating into a powerhouse Van Halen smokeshow.  That running riff sounds so classic, you could swear they injected Ed with youth serum.  He sounds like a man reborn, both in terms of shred but also in fun.  Ed gets to play with many different sounds and tempos on “As Is”, while Dave also gets to enjoy himself with singing and that spoken word stuff he does so well.  Most of this is done very fast.

This sounds like a natural side break.  “Honeybabysweetiedoll” (another 2000 track) comes across like a side two opener.  Ed is experimenting with new sounds, like he used to, and you’ve never heard Ed sound or play like this before.  He goes for a middle-eastern vibe, but with the kind of intensity that other bands do not have the mettle to muster.  Dave’s lyrics about soccer moms don’t quite hit the spot where the music is concerned, but nobody’s listening to this song for the lyrics.  It’s the guitar that makes the biggest impact here.  You can imagine the Ed diehard fans just pounding their fists in celebration when they heard what Ed was up to, before they tried to figure out how he got that sound.

“The Trouble With Never” might be the only track that doesn’t seem like it goes anywhere.  You also miss Michael Anthony the most on backing vocals here.  It’s just a song.  Not a great one, not a bad one…but with one hell of a cool bassline.

“Outta Space” originated in the mid-70’s as “Let’s Get Rockin'”.  The riff is classic even though it never made an album before.  Dave sings in his highest voice, which is actually cool after a lot of lower pitched songs.  As you’d expect for a song originally called “Let’s Get Rockin'”, it smokes from start to finish, top speed and loaded with cool Eddie licks.  It’s fun to hear the rhythm guitar drop out during his solo, just as it used to in 1978.  Ed wasn’t fond of that sound, but it certainly evokes an era and a vibe.  It’s like a warm sweater.  Maybe Ed would appreciate that sometimes the absence of a guitar can also speak.

Dave plays acoustic guitar on the fun “Stay Frosty”, an old song that certainly recalls “Ice Cream Man” in every way.  There’s one lyric that Dave liked to point out:  “If you wanna be a monk, you gotta cook a lot of rice.”  Hey, it’s not untrue.  Let me put it this way:  If you imagined a sequel to “Ice Cream Man”, it’s “Stay Frosty”.  Not quite as good, but hits all the same beats that you want to hear.

“Big River” sounds like an older song.  It has a cool curly guitar opening, before laying into this awesome guitar/bass groove.  More a groove than a riff.  Dave’s lyrics and singing are top notch on this song.  Classic Van Halen. The surprise is that halfway through the song, for the solo section, it transforms into a completely different groove.  This section has some of Eddie’s best playing too.  It reverts back to the original riff for the last third of the song.  All the while Wolfie is playing the most incredible bass fills, but never stepping on his dad’s toes.  Think about that for a second.  In the mix, you have the greatest guitar player in the world playing over this awesome riff, but the bass player still manages to throw a whole bunch of cool fills in there, without getting in the way.  That’s a band, and that’s family, and that’s talent.  If this song had been on an album like Fair Warning, people would still remember it today.

The closing song “Beat’s Workin'” starts with a cascade of Alex Van Halen drums, gone gonzo.  It then breaks into a fun riff and a good time album-ender.  A song called “Beats Workin'” should sound like a celebration.  I get a bit of a Max Webster vibe, though heavier, along with a hint of Aerosmith.  Once again the rhythm guitar drops out when Eddie goes solo, but then Wolf gets a moment in the spotlight too.  His fuzz bass tone is very much unlike Michael Anthony’s.  There’s a moment here when he and Alex are just playing while Ed does his thing, and it feels beautiful, especially now, knowing the family will never be reunited.  But let’s not get too somber.  It’s a party, after all.

The bonus DVD also includes acoustic versions of “Panama” and “Beautiful Girls”.  They are alright.  Valuable to have in your collection.  You might not go back to listen to them very often.  Another reason to own this physically is the lyric sheet, with cool sketches for each song.  This is a Dave touch.

Final thoughts:

  1. The album cover, though a cool picture of a train, just doesn’t feel like classic Van Halen.  Then again, what does?  They’ve had so many different kinds of covers.
  2. The production on this album slams.
  3. Though Eddie is the star, and we’re all listening to every note he plays, it doesn’t sound like an EVH solo album like VHIII did.  It sounds like a real band album.
  4. John Shanks and David Lee Roth did the best they could with what remains of Dave’s voice, and did a fine job of it by doing more of that speak-sing thing.
  5. The flow on this album is excellent.  There is hardly any filler, and every song works in its given slot, especially the closing trio of “Stay Frosty”, “Big River” and “Beats Workin'”.

4.5/5 stars

COMPLETE VAN HALEN REVIEW SERIES:

VAN HALEN – Zero (1977 Gene Simmons demo bootleg)
VAN HALEN – Van Halen (1978 Warner)
VAN HALEN – Van Halen II (1979 Warner)
VAN HALEN – Women and Children First (1980 Warner)
VAN HALEN – Fair Warning (1981 Warner)
VAN HALEN – Diver Down (1982 Warner)
VAN HALEN – 1984 (1984 Warner)
VAN HALEN – 5150 (1986 Warner Bros.)
VAN HALEN – OU812 (1988 Warner)
VAN HALEN – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991)
VAN HALEN – LIVE: Right here, right now. (1993 Warner Bros, plus “Jump” live single)
VAN HALEN – Balance (1995 Warner – Japanese version included)
VAN HALEN – Balance (1995) Review by Derek Kortepeter
VAN HALEN – Best Of Volume I (1996 Warner)
VAN HALEN – 3 (Collectors’ tin 1998)
VAN HALEN – The Best of Both Worlds (2005 Warner)
VAN HALEN – A Different Kind of Truth (2012)
VAN HALEN – Tokyo Dome Live in Concert (2015)
VAN HALEN – Tokyo Dome Live in Concert (2015) Review by Tommy Morais

+

VAN HALEN – Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo (1975 radio broadcast
VAN HALEN – “Best of Both Worlds” (1986 Warner 7″ single)
VAN HALEN – Live Without a Net (1987 VHS/DVD)
VAN HALEN – Selections from LIVE: Right here, right now. (1993 Warner promo EP)
VAN HALEN – “Can’t Get This Stuff No More” / “Me Wise Magic” (1996 Warner promo singles)
VAN HALEN – “Can’t Stop Loving You” (Parts 1 & 2, inc. collector’s tin)
VAN HALEN – “Right Now” (1992 cassette single, Warner)
VAN HALEN – Video Hits Volume I (1998 DVD)
VAN HALEN vs. JOHN LENNON – “Imagine A Jump” mashup by “Mighty Mike”

RECORD STORE TALES Part 186:  The Van Halen Tin
GETTING MORE TALE #657: Operation: Van Halen (Derek’s Story)

REVIEW: Deep Purple – =1 Access All Areas (2024) [Part Three- The DVD]

Part Three of a Three Part Series

Part 1:  =1 (the album)
Part 2:  =1 (the live album)
Part 3: =1 Access All Areas (DVD)

 

DEEP PURPLE – =1 Access All Areas (2024 Edel DVD)

Here we have a simple and straightforward one hour bonus DVD.  No bonus features other than subtitles, so let’s dive in and watch Deep Purple hit the road!  This documentary, unlike past ones, is not about the making of the =1 album.  This is about Deep Purple on tour, and is more like a fly on the wall look at the band in their environment.  We seem them relax, practice, drink and work.

We begin with Steve Morse, and his sad necessity to step down from Deep Purple after 28 years in the band.  Roger Glover explains that Steve came in at a time (1995) when Deep Purple needed to reinvent themselves, which is what they did.  Then, we transition to Deep Purple live on stage with Simon McBride, and “No Need to Shout” from the bonus live 10″ records included in this box set.  Don Airey calls it a “fresh start”, and Ian Paice contemplates on how a new member creates new energy in the Purples.  Roger praises Simon’s “cool” personality.  The important thing, with any new Deep Purple member, is to musically just be themselves.  Don jokes that Simon “brought the average age of the band down to 74.”

Time to hit the road.  Ian Gillan talks about the routine, and the tour begins (to the tune of “Hush”).  Hotels, breakfasts, limousines…and security tips from Gillan!  It takes about three hours to set up the stage and start checking the PA.  Drums are tuned and cymbals are attached to the kit.  The guitar tech talks about the adjustment from Steve Morse to Simon McBride, and a different brand of guitars.  We also get a good look at Don Airey’s keyboard rig.  In a cute touch, Don keeps a bobblehead of his old boss, Ozzy Osbourne, on his keys.  Finally the band turns up and sound checks.  Don Airey tells Ian Paice a funny story about Gary Moore messing with his keys.  The band have a quiet, very English sense of humour, but they are often seen laughing and kidding around.

During soundcheck, we get to hear Purple working on a new song:  “Old-Fangled Thing”, which ended up on =1.  Airey says he really enjoys soundchecks because it gives them a chance to play things like bossa novas, and entertain the crew.  We move on to the 02 arena with Blue Oyster Cult opening, and other gigs with Jefferson Starship, who Purple seem to get along with famously.

There is a hilarious bit in Don Airey’s keyboard solo.  He takes a wooden shim, and sticks it in the keys to hold them down.  As a single note plays.  A waiter with a glass and bottle emerges.  Don pours himself a glass of wine as he takes a brief break.  It’s all so very quaint and gentlemanly funny.  Don’s son is actually the band’s stage manager, and it has allowed him to see more of his dad than he ever would at home.

The documentary then jumps to another day, and the 10 minute wait before showtime.  Backstage, Roger Glover takes a crack at Ritchie Blackmore’s violent aversion to cameras.  Ian Paice jokes about the palpable tension in the air, as the band continue to joke around and laugh, whiling away the last minutes before stage time.  Paicey picks up a pair of bananas, plays a drum roll, complains the bananas are not properly balanced, and tosses them aside.  That’s the wildest party moment in the Deep Purple dressing room.

Finally the waiting is over.  The whole day revolves around the 90 minutes on stage, remarks Gillan.  The band take the stage while Holst’s “Mars: Bringer of War” assaults the crowd in preparation.  “Highway Star” (which, incidentally, is not included on the live records in the box) rolls out the thunder, and Simon McBride brings his own style to it.  The documentary runs through a few live clips to give you a taste of the set, including the beautiful ballad “Nothing At All”.

When Deep Purple hits Berlin, Ian Paice has the idea to play a bit of “Let the Good Times Roll”.  A young horn section is brought in, and it sounds great to everyone.  We are treated to a clip of a soundcheck of “Hush” with the horns.

Show over, it’s off to the hotel, get a tea, and into bed with a book for Ian Gillan.  Paicey prefers a glass of wine after a show, “because I’m allowed”.

Though it’s never overtly stated, one can’t help but notice the contrast in this documentary to the war stories of old.   We remember the tales of on-stage and backstage blowups, food trays thrown about…but not any more.  Now Deep Purple is five older gents who love playing together and don’t seem to mind each other’s company too much.  That’s nice to see.  And it’s still entertaining enough for an hour.

As a bonus DVD in a box set, this one’s easily a 5/5.

The box also came with art prints, a lanyard, guitar picks, a nice T-shirt and more, all seen in this unboxing video below.

Our Journey Collections, on Six Formats (With Tim Durling) – Happy Birthday Jon Cain! – Grab A Stack of Rock Special Edition!

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and Tim Durling

Special Edition Episode:  Our JOURNEY Collections

 

Happy birthday to Jonathan Cain of JOURNEY, as we celebrate his discography today with Tim Durling on this very special episode of Grab A Stack of Rock!  We look back at the entire discography of the legendary rock band, all the lineup changes, all the big songs, and a bunch of deep cuts as well.  On six different formats, I show you the entire catalogue, with help from Tim to fill three holes in the official collection.  (There’s still one or two essential things I need to get, but you’ll have to watch the video to find out.)

Tim Durling is what I would call a “Journey expert”.  He knows the facts and the sales numbers and the singles, and he was essential in this video coming to be.  Not just the live albums I’m still missing, but also the knowledge and personal history.  I was late getting into the band, in the late 1990s.  Tim had 10 years on me.  Thank you Tim for helping me make this video!

Together we presented CDs, cassettes, vinyl, 8-tracks, Blu-rays and DVDs of all the essential Journey.  We looked at imports from Japan, Europe, the US, and Mexico as well as different pressings with different bonus tracks.  A wide variety of Journey CD editions are here for you to examine.

Thank you Tim and thank you Journey for the music!

 

Discography included:

  • Journey (1975)
  • Look Into the Future (1976)
  • Next (1977)
  • Infinity (1978)
  • Evolution (1979)
  • In The Beginning (1979)
  • Departure (1980)
  • Dream, After Dream (1980)
  • Captured (1981)
  • Escape (1981)
  • Frontiers (1983 and 2023 40th Anniversary editions)
  • Raised on Radio (1986)
  • Greatest Hits (1988)
  • Time3 (1992 boxed set)
  • Trial By Fire (1996)
  • Greatest Hits Live (1998)
  • Arrival (2000-2001)
  • The Essential Journey (2001)
  • Red 13 (2002)
  • Generations (2005)
  • Live In Houston 1981: The Escape Tour (2005)
  • Turn the Page (Live Bootleg w/ Jeff Scott Soto (2006)
  • Revelation (2008)
  • Live in Manilla (2009)
  • Eclipse (2011)
  • Greatest Hits 2 (2011)
  • Escape & Frontiers Live In Japan (2019)
  • Freedom (2022)
  • Live In Concert Lollapalooza (2022)
  • Alive In America (2022 booteg)
  • Neal Schon’s Journey Through Time (2023)

A Boatload of Music DVDs with Harrison Kopp and John T. Snow on Grab A Stack of Rock

What a marathon!  With the help of  John T. Snow (2loud2oldmusic) and the Mad Metal Man, we blasted through three music DVD collections in just under two hours.  The lion’s share was mine – guilty as charged — but John and Harrison also brought it.

This show is especially for fans of:

  • Metallica
  • Alice Cooper
  • KISS
  • Def Leppard
  • Bon Jovi
  • ELO
  • Deep Purple, Rainbow, Dio
  • Black Sabbath
  • Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson, Blaze & Paul Di’Anno
  • Judas Priest
  • Guns N’ Roses
  • AC/DC
  • Def Leppard
  • Marillion
  • Bootlegs
  • and rare Australian versions of releases

There were quite a few bargains to be had on the part of the Snowman and Harrison.   Both of them had some pretty cool acquisitions at low, low prices.  I love when price tags are still on DVDs.

We also had a very special announcement from John Snow:  Stay tuned for the debut of his new show, The Collection, starting in February!

Added bonus:  Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation submitted his Top Five Music DVDs, some of which happened to tickle Harrison’s fancy.

On a personal note, I’m saddened that I got rid of so many music DVDs over the years.  I know I had Blue Rodeo, Dream Theater, and Harem Scarem.  It’s unfortunate but the fact is that space is a commodity, and money matters, so sometimes things got sold.   However, they can always be re-aquired.

Thanks for watching and dropping the comments!  See you next week.

Next week:  Feb 2 – an interview with Marco D’Auria! Co-hosted by Jex Russell, we’re talking MYSTIQUE: Standing on the Firing Line!

Feb 9 – our 50th show! – Doctor Kathryn returns with Jex Russell and her cassette collection from the 1980s!