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)
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!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 48: Music DVD Showcase
A long-overdue gander at our music DVD collections, tonight we will examine live DVDs, compilations, documentaries and more. Kiss, Def Leppard, Metallica, Motley Crue, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Marillion, and much much more.
Frankly I don’t watch music DVDs very often, so there will be things in my collection I am just rediscovering!
Joining me tonight will be John T. Snow of 2loud2oldmusic, and my trusty co-host the Mad Metal Man. I cannot wait to see what these two music collectors have to show. My collection is quite large, even though I stopped buying music DVDs a while ago. We might not get to them all – a sequel show may be in order!
We have a special Top 5 list from Peter Kerr, and a really cool announcement to boot!
Hope to see you tonight in the comments section!
Friday January 26 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube,Twitter, or on Facebook!
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!
THE DARKNESS – Permission To Land… Again (2023 Box Set)
Once (and perhaps still) considered one of the biggest jokes in rock*, The Darkness have proven ’em wrong, for it was 20 years ago they dropped this bomb on the world called Permission to Land. Regardless of the ups and downs, the band continues on today with a documentary film in the works. Of course, the obligatory box set was also necessary. Permission to Land… Again collects nearly everything from the era and packs it up for you in a 5 disc set perfect for home consumption. And it’s affordable, too.
CD 1 commences with the original 2003 album, a monolith of Queen and AC/DC’s bastard children, brought to life in spandex and bandanas. The album itself spawned four singles:
“Get Your Hands Off My Woman”, the expletive-laden favourite that still delights today as a fast head banger.
“Growing On Me”, perfectly in the pocket, a melodic hard right classic with just enough bite.
“I Believe In A Thing Called Love”, iridescent and unforgettable as ever, a classic in every sense.
“Love In Only A Feeling”, bombastic and beautiful guitar chords crashing on this prototype for the trademark Darkness ballad. Steve Tyler wishes he could write ’em like this today.
That leaves six killer album tracks, none of which are filler. Opener “Black Shuck” is a monster (literally), rocking heavy and beating the doors down despite your best efforts. “Givin’ Up” should have been a single, but the language, tisk tisk! Foreshadowing Justin Hawkin’s drug issues, this song is literally about “stickin’ that fuckin’ shit” up his nose. Yes it’s surprisingly delightful, and perhaps the most immediately catchy one on the album. “Stuck In A Rut” is different, blasting fast and loud, with Justin singing at max voice. Back to lighter, catchy territory, “Friday Night” is a certain fan-favourite. It easily could have been another single, as Justin literally reads off his weekly schedule. “Monday, cycling, Tuesday, gymnastics, dancing on a Friday night.” Bopping piano accents will keep feet moving. Moving on to “Love On the Rocks With No Ice” (great title), the slow heavy grind smacks you in the head and reminds you this is a rock and roll band. Despite that, the album closes on a lovely ballad “Holding My Own” which also really could have been a single.
CD 1 is beefed out with six extra songs, all demos, of tracks that didn’t make the album and tracks that did. Speaking of which, they are rough but so similar to the final versions. Some have bits that were later trimmed out or de-emphasized, like keyboard overdubs and intros. “Black Shuck”, though without the hard-hitting production, might be better in some ways than the album version, with more twists and vocals. There is also a demo of “Out of My Hands”, a fine album B-side.
The best inclusions on this disc, however, are the surprises: demos that didn’t make Permission to Land! “Live ‘Til I Die” went unreleased until 2019’s Easter Is Cancelled, but this version has Eddie Graham on drums. This version is very, very different. Much more AC/DC and dare I say, much catchier and better. There’a also an early demo of “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us”, which was finally released on 2012’s reunion album Hot Cakes. This one is much more similar to the glossier final product.
CD 2 is a treasure trove of goodies! Every studio B-side from the album, some non-album singles, some “clean” versions that we wouldn’t purposely seek out to buy; they are all here. (The live B-sides are included with their respective shows, but we’ll get to those.) This is comprehensive as heck.
The three tracks from the very rare 2002 EP I Believe In A Thing Called Love are included: the title track, “Love on the Rocks With No Ice” and “Love Is Only A Feeling”. The recordings themselves are the same as the final album versions, but the mixes are not. These earlier mixes have slight, but audible differences and can be characterised as a bit less finished. The bass may be more pronounced on some places, and backing vocals in another.
Like some British bands before them, such as Oasis, The Darkness seemed to put just as much effort into their B-sides, often making them album (or single) worthy on their own. The complete studio B-sides here are:
“The Best Of Me”, a crankin’ rocker with a southern vibe.
The aforementioned “Out of My Hands”, a lighter song with a Def Leppard vibe on the guitars. Could have been a hit in its own right. Brilliant chorus.
Concert favourite “Makin’ Out”, which has more of that AC/DC vibe that the Darkness really mined in their early days. A fan favourite for a reason.
“Physical Sex”, another riffy number with an outrageously high chorus.
The ballad “How Dare You Call This Love?” which also could have been on the album, had it been longer. The actual album had two already. A fun song though, with some lovely Lizzy-ish guitar harmonies.
“The best instrumental that AC/DC never recorded”, according to Tim Durling, is “Bareback”, one of the Darkness’ best B-sides ever…if not their best. Thankfully, this song was not just relegated to the dusky corners of the “Growing On Me” single, but received some live workouts too. More on that later.
A song about building a house, “Planning Permission”, is a bit goofy lyrically (mixing cement!), but it gets goofier still as you’ll see. Fortunately it’s a catchy, upbeat Darkness number that has all their trademark guitar and vocal accoutrements.
“Curse of the Tolland Man” is the goofiest of them all, a ghost story, and a song that gets trashed in the liner notes as awful muck, but is defended by Justin and Dan Hawkins as a favourite. The jury remains out, but they are all correct about it.
“I Love You 5 Times” is another ballad, but by this time we’re technically heading outside album territory. Forgettable, but for the strings and Justin’s silly “m-m-m-meees” stuttery vocals. It was actually the B-side to a standalone Christmas single, “Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)”, an excellent song in its own right.
This box set is so comprehensive that it even includes the two singles that were not from it.
“Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)“…don’t Google what “bell end” means in British slang. Let’s just say Justin had his tongue in cheek! Great rocker, very Lizzy, and an absolutely Darkness classic. Produced by Bob Ezrin! This track was included on some European editions of the album as a bonus.
Then we have the rarest of them all, and finally available physically for us to buy: 2004’s “Get Your Hands Off My Woman…Again“. Though it does have Frankie Poullain on bass, this song is more a part of the story for the second album, One Way Ticket. The band were experimenting with producer Roy Thomas Baker and this remake was sold digitally. It is here in both “clean” and “explicit” versions. A cleaner, sharper incarnation of the song, for better or worse! The liner notes finally explain the mystery of the added piano part: It was inspired by Ben Folds’ cover of the song, which they thought was an improvement!
CDs 3 and 4 contain three live gigs, and the balance of the B-sides from this era. “Gimme a D! Gimme an Arkness!”
The 2003 set at Knebworth is brilliant. Opening with “Growing On Me”, the band has a bizarre and comedic stage presence, but the song kicks! They are a tight band, and a beat is not missed. They play two B-sides, a manic “The Best of Me” (for dancing, says Justin) and the classic “Makin’ Out”. “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” from the Knebworth concert was previously issued on a German version of the Christmas single. I like when Justin asks the audience which version of “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” they’d like to hear, clean or dirty?
On the same disc is a set from the Astoria in 2003. Opening with a raging “Bareback”, this set is even better than the Knebworth one. What a start! Instrumentals can make a pretty killer opener! From there it’s “Black Shuck”, and a live version of “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” that was previously issued as a B-side to a rare DVD single for “Love Is Only A Feeling”. It’s notable for the strange “me-me-me” singalong thing Justin does at the end. Another thing they do in this set is something called “Buffet”, a pretty cool riff, from a part in the show that is explained in the booklet.
Best of all: The action-packed Astoria and Knebworth shows are both included on DVD inside. Watch Dan play all the guitars so Justin can do the splits! The DVD also includes all the music videos, outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage from their music videos. There’s a cute bit in the EPK (electronic press kit) explaining why Justin always asked the audience to see their thumbs. The editing on the Astoria show is absurdly fast!
CD 4 is a full-length show from 2004 at Wembley recorded on Dan’s birthday, and the last show on the tour. It’s especially cool, because the band were already road-testing new songs from One Way Ticket. Opener “Grief Hammer” was a new song that would become a B-side in 2005. It has a stuttery riff with elements of that AC/DC vibe, but the band were clearly moving beyond that pigeonhole. It takes balls to open a set at Wembley with a new song that nobody had heard before. From there they visit more familiar territory with the favourite “Givin’ Up”. A manic “Stuck In A Rut” blasts out immediately afterwards.
Other B-sides played at Wembley include the fan favourite “Makin’ Out”, “Physical Set” and that “Buffet” again! Future classics “Dinner Lady Arms” and “Seemed Like A Good Idea at the Time” are rolled out alongside the hits. “Dinner Lady Arms” is a tad harder than the soft-Leppard style of the later version, though the chorus still soars into the stratosphere. “Seemed Like Such A Good Idea at the Time” is presented without introduction, and Justin on piano with a more spare arrangement than the elaborate album version to come. This is more power ballad, and less experiment in extravagance.
As the 17 song set rolls through classics and hits, it’s clear this disc could be a standalone live album if the band choose to release it as such. Great banter, and the band were obviously having a blast on stage. At the end, there are two more surprises. One is an abbreviated cover of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid, performed solo by Justin on piano. Finally, they close the show with a bombastic “Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)”, which works brilliantly in the end slot. There is no feigning joy and surprise here. All the delight is pure and genuine.
The final ingredient you need in a box set such as this is a kickass booklet with loads of reading. Look no further, as Dan and Justin exhaustively tell the story from session to session and song to song. The stories will keep you in stitches as the band shed light on things you never knew before. Eddie Graham was the most “normal” one of the bunch, but they have survived it all, and the Darkness keep going!
We live in the age of box sets. The Darkness have risen to the occasion with, dare I say it, the perfect version of Permission To Land. Will they pull this trick again in the future with One Way Ticket? They should, because they have demonstrated an understanding of what makes a great box set. In short:
Complete collection of B-sides, even from formats as obscure as DVD single.
The rare demos and EP versions we’ve been wanting.
Non-album singles.
Even those clean versions that we normally wouldn’t try too hard to collect.
Live concerts.
Extensive liner notes.
DVD with added value and live shows.
Reasonable pricing and packaging.
5/5 stars
* One evening in 2003, I was listening to the Darkness with my girlfriend in my living room, late at night, heavily intoxicated. I suddenly jumped and said “I get it! These guys are not a joke at all! They are dead serious about what they are doing! Listen! Just listen!” It was an epiphany and I was right.
BONUS! Check out Tim and I discussing this box set and more!
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 thePurpendicular 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)
What do Alien, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Flash Gordon, Masters of the Universe, The Terminator, and Blade Runner all have in common? They all bear the imprint of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s attempt to make a film version of Frank Herbert’s Dune in the mid-70s. 2001: A Space Odyssey was the definitive space movie, and Star Wars was just a gleam in Lucas’ eye. Dune, considered by many to be unfilmable, was perfect for Jodorowsky. The Chillean-French director was considered a madman, albeit one with a sky-high imagination. Of Dune, he sought to give the audience a druggy trip without the drugs. But he also sought to make so much more – “a prophet”, he described it. Something that would change the consciousness of the audience, and the future of movies. Free the imagination, the mind, the soul. He saw it as something much bigger than making a film, and so he assembled a team of “spiritual warriors” to join him in making his vision real.
His warriors included the Swiss genius H.R. Giger, known for his biomechanical style. Comic artists Chris Foss and Jean “Mœbius” Giraud were on board. (Ian Gillan fans will recognize Foss’ style from the cover of his Clear Air Turbulence album.) Special effects genius Dan O’Bannon sold all his possessions and moved to France to work with the team. Pink Floyd and Magma were assigned to do music for specific planetary settings. Mick Jagger, Orson Welles, Salvador Dali, David Carradine and Udo Kier signed on, with Welles to play the grotesque Baron Harkonnen. Jodorowsky convinced him by offering to hire his favourite French chef for his catering. As the key character of Paul Atreides, the messiah of Dune, who could he cast but his own son Brontis? The boy went through gruelling physical and mental training for the role.
The team assembled what is now known as the Dune book, an incredibly detailed shot-by-shot storyboard, several inches thick, and filled with images that found full motion and sound later on in the aforementioned films. Giger’s designs are especially recognizable, including one that foreshadows his famous Alien Xenomorph.
Jodorowsky used Herbert’s Dune as the basis for his own, but began to drastically change the storyline. Some of his original ideas were brilliant, but his ending is completely baffling. In an “I am Spartacus!” moment, Paul dies, which does not happen in the book. Suddenly his consciousness transfers to the people of planet Arrakis, who all proclaim to be Paul. The planet comes back to life, with green jungles and blue oceans appearing. Arrakis then breaks orbit, and shoots through space to share its new joined consciousness with the universe. Heady stuff perhaps, but a sharp change in direction to Herbert’s more serious science fiction style. Jodorowsky believed in his story, with an unbelievable passion. He is visibly angered at what comes next.
When movie executives told him that the film had to come in at 90 minutes, it was the beginning of the end. No, he said. Eight hours, or 20 hours, he would make the movie he needed to make! Studio executives don’t like hearing such things, and fearing budget overruns, cancelled the Jodorowsky version of Dune. His team scattered, with many such as Giger, O’Bannon and Foss meeting soon again on Ridley Scott’s Alien. The Dune project was handed to David Lynch, who Jodorowsky believed was the only other person who could have realized the movie the right way. It filled him with feelings of dread that soon turned to glee when he saw just how bad Lynch’s Dune turned out. Yet he knew, it had to be the movie executives who ruined it.
This is the story of Jodorowsky’s Dune, a documentary film by Frank Pavich. You will be stunned by the images that this team created, and by Alejandro’s deep passion for making his art. This is your own chance to see what might have been. Blu-ray recommended.
Dedication (noun): The character trait of being so devoted to a project that you will watch the Taylor Swift & Def Leppard DVD one more time, even though you reviewed it once before and swore you’d never watch it again.
TAYLOR SWIFT & DEF LEPPARD – CMT Crossroads (2009 Walmart exclusive DVD)
You can blame Rick Allen’s brother for this DVD. How did pop country songstress Taylor Swift and Def Leppard hook up? Taylor was on tour with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill whose tour manager was Rick Allen’s brother. You might recognize McGraw from the song “Nine Lives” on Leppard’s last album Songs From the Sparkle Lounge. Swift expressed interest in doing an episode of CMT Crossroads with Leppard and eventually they made it happen. Lucky us.
The DVD starts immediately, no big long intro, with “Photograph”. In a democratic way of doing things, it’s a Def Leppard song to open, but Taylor Swift getting the first lines. Her smooth voice doesn’t sound right with Screamin’ Joe’s vocal lines, and takes some getting used to with these songs. You can’t really hear her fiddle player or acoustic guitarists on “Photograph” but they sure are having fun.
The concert is intercut with interviews that help bring the context to this odd collaboration. Taylor was born two years after Hysteria, but was exposed to Leppard’s music from birth. She had been wanting to do a show with Leppard for some time so she made it happen. It’s also fun watching her learn British slang.
Taylor’s “Picture To Burn” is…well, it’s a song about some guy who drives a pickup truck, it seems. No matter how much they try to convince us that Leppard and Swift are not all that different, they sure are. “Love Story” is more like a Leppard ballad and isn’t so hard to swallow. Finally we get to “Hysteria” which works remarkably well as a duet. Taylor’s vocals add rather than subtract. You can actually hear certain parts of her massive backing back on this as well, plinking here and fiddling there.
A blues jam about Taylor’s boy trouble is amusing. “Teardrops On My Guitar” is a nice song, a little more understated and quiet. Stage choreography seems important with so many band members on stage, and they all seem to have their places and times. Leppard’s ballad “When Love and Hate Collide” is one song that is the most transformed by the collaboration. It sounds at home in both worlds. Taylor reveals she’s long had an obsession with this hit. It’s very fun to see Joe give her the last line of the song too.
Taylor’s “Should’ve Said No” is upbeat and twangy. A little bit rock and roll, something a little more familiar. There’s a great march-like arrangement towards the ending, and then the drums start thumping and you know what that means. “Pour Some Sugar On Me” has never sounded like this before. Fiddles and double drums…it actually sounds pretty good. And that’s the closing song of what is a fun but definitely jarring set of hits.
The three bonus tracks are “Our Song” (written in 9th grade for Taylor’s highschool talent show), “Love” (new Leppard song), and “Two Steps Behind”. These Taylor songs really take some effort to digest when you’re a Leppard fan, until Joe starts singing at least. Giving her credit, Taylor sure knows how to command an audience, but it’s irritating to see Vivian ripping up the fretboard, but being unable to hear him in the mix. More interesting is “Love”, the only choice from Songs From the Sparkle Lounge. It really benefits from all the extra backing singers and musicians, becoming something really big and huge. The final bonus track “Two Steps Behind” has eight guitar players and a nice intro from Joe explaining how the song was written electrically in 1989 to become a hit acoustically later in 1993.
To Def Leppard fans at least, some of the best content might be contained in the bonus interviews. It’s clear Leppard had a new but genuine appreciation for Taylor Swift and how her songs are constructed. They discuss all the things they have in common with Taylor, such as age. Rick Allen turned 16 opening for AC/DC and Taylor of course released her first hit album at 16. Allen reveals his parents were supportive of him leaving highschool in order to tour with Def Leppard, but made him get a tutor. They understood that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Both artists discuss what it’s like to be pigeonholed into a genre be it “country” or “heavy metal”. But the coolest thing is the foreshadowing of Leppard’s new album Diamond Star Halos. “You know who else is a huge Def Leppard fan? Alison Krauss,” reveals Taylor. And in 2022 she too collaborated with Def Leppard.
In addition to the interviews, there’s a press conference with Joe, Phil and Taylor where they discuss their history with each others’ music. They are obviously having fun with their collaboration, even if you are not. One of the things Joe says is that they would love to work with Taylor in the studio any time anywhere. Rather than ask why this hasn’t happened any time in the last 13 years, let’s just be glad it hasn’t. This is a difficult DVD for the Leppard fan to finish in one sitting so let’s just be glad that’s all there is.
If you liked Grindhouse (you know, Planet Terror + Death Proof and assorted trailers) or Machete, then this Canadian-born movie, Hobo With A Shotgun, should also be on your radar. The original Hobo With a Shotgun trailer, pre-Rutger Hauer’s involvement, originally screened with Grindhouse in Canada.
If you happen to notice a few of your friends from the Trailer Park Boys (Ricky AKA Robb Wells, as well as Sam Tarasco and others) that’s because it was filmed in Nova Scotia. And if you’re wondering why co-star Molly Dunsworth looks so familiar, there’s a good reason. She is the daughter of John Dunsworth (Jim Lahey) and sister of Sarah E. Dunsworth (Sarah). There’s lots of Trailer Park lineage in this movie.
However, that is where the comparisons end. When the Hobo (with no name!) shows up in Hope Town (renamed Scum Town) he immediately notices something amiss: Gangs and prostitutes running wild. Then he bears witness to Logan’s (Robb Wells) brutal death by the hands of his own brother and nephews (by decapitation no less) and realizes that this town truly is scum town.
What follows is a bloody cartoon-violent spectacle that really has no socially redeeming value, other than evil is evil and must be punished. The town is run by The Drake and his two nephews, Slick and Ivan, who make rape and murder a part of daily life. Torching a school bus full of kids just to keep the town in line is nothing to these guys. Although a certain hobo might have something to say about it….
This hobo doesn’t want to be a part of the violence. All he wants is $50 to buy a lawnmower and start his own business. After earning the $50 (in a exploitive Bum Fights style video) he has a change of heart, thanks to prostitute Abby (Dunsworth). A shotgun is also $50, and he’s just the right man to clean up this town.
You will see intestines, blood, gore, and plenty of sharp objects. This hobo takes no prisoners — but neither do his foes! Can the hobo clean up this town? He will be up against his match when The Plague (a mysterious supernatural armored duo) show up to do him in….
Not a particularly good film, but one that will find an audience with those who know how to appreciate it. The acting in Hobo With A Shotgun is amateur and over the top, but Rutger Hauer keeps it grizzled and serious, turning in ironically one of his better performances. If there ever was a grizzled action star ready for a comeback, it was actually Rutger Hauer all along.
Hobo With A Shotgun on DVD is loaded (pun intended) with extras including two audio commentaries and an alternate ending that might be superior to the real one. You also get the original trailer (with Mike Jackson also of Trailer Park Boys) that started it all. A pretty easy purchase to complete your Grindhouse collection.
DEF LEPPARD – Video Archive (1995, 2001 Mercury DVD)
Only two years since their last home video, Def Leppard went back in for round three. There were not many new video clips waiting to be released, just the four from Retro-Active and Vault, plus an alternate version. Mostly, this Video Archive focused on live material.
Def Leppard’s big hometown gig in Sheffield was something they were very proud of, and so it appears here and on the previous album’s Vault double disc edition Well, some of it anyway. Nine songs were on Vault; you can watch eight of those on video here. (The ninth, “Photograph” is available on Visualize.) The whole show has never been released (22 songs total) but this small handful can be had. The hometown gig had 40,000 people going nuts for Leppard, something Joe mentions in the opening interview.
No shirts for Phil right from the first song, “Let’s Get Rocked”. The editing in this concert relies on minimal gimmicks, but the choppy slo-mo bits probably were not necessary. It also seems like the songs aren’t in order, because at the outdoor gig it gets dark and then light again.
On CD, “Armageddon It” comes second. Here, it’s “Foolin'”. I like when the camera switches to Phil when Joe sings “take your fill”. Take your “Phil”? Solid version of “Foolin'” and nice to see it with Vivian picking away for the first time on video. “Rocket” features a cool light show, but what’s cool here is seeing Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell taking turns soloing. Getting the chance to appreciate the differences between the two. It’s definitely fun seeing Viv do the ol’ two-handed tapping like it was the 80s again. Then Joe goes into “Whole Lotta Love”, before “Rocket” resumes its course.
The acoustic B-side “Two Steps Behind” is introduced as being from their next album Retro-Active. The crowd already knows it. The atmosphere goes from campfire singalong to party mode in seconds flat as “Armageddon It” begins. Vivian does an admirable job of Steve Clark’s original solo – and then Joe Elliott jumps down to crowd level!
The familiar drum beat to “Pour Some Sugar On Me” is greated with the appropriate “hey! hey! heys!” necessary to start the song. Viv is really having fun on this one, running and sliding across the stage. “Rock of Ages” is a natural song to follow it with. Rick “Sav” Savage doubles on bass and keys. Some good shots here of Rick Allen doing his thing on his specialised drum kit. Finally, “Love Bites” closes this portion of the program dramatically. Fantastically fitting solo work by Viv, and Sav on keys one more time.
The next section of the DVD focuses on the music videos released since “Visualize”, beginning with their latest hit “When Love & Hate Collide”. It’s here in two forms, but the straight performance is better than the “Epic 8 minute version”, which is bogged down by boring story and dialogue. The simple, stripped version of the video suits the 90s even though it doesn’t really fit the string-adorned track. “Two Steps Behind” was a cool grainy clip, featuring a string section this time! The backwards-walking footage is fascinating and trippy. Next is the rarely seen “Action” filmed on tour. Joe’s sportin’ a goatee this time. Toto, I don’t think we’re in the 80s anymore! Also rarely seen, “Miss You In A Heartbeat”. It’s the version with piano & band, and Joe’s tinklin’ the ivories, goatee still intact. It’s like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, as each band member is playing in beautiful mansion settings.
The highlight of the video is the final section: Def Leppard unplugged at the Wapantake Club back in Sheffield, 1995. In the interview footage, Phil says that he enjoys the acoustic setting because it proves that Def Leppard’s famous backing vocals are indeed live. Meanwhile, Rick Allen appreciates the challenge of using an acoustic drum kit again. But what’s really special is that the last time Def Leppard played the Wapantake, it was 1978. Their triumphant return in 1995 is really cool and really should be released in CD form. Fortunately it was filmed!
Once again, it’s “Two Steps Behind” but without a screaming crowd. It’s just Def Leppard in a very packed but respectfully quiet room. “Armageddon It” is bouncy, and the audience responds. This take is one of the best versions of “Armageddon It” out there; just fun and perfectly performed in the right setting. Then the new song: “When Love & Hate Collide” was made available in live form right here mere weeks after its single release. The acoustic setting works, but novelty aside, Def Leppard have better ballads. “Animal” and “Sugar” bring the party atmosphere back to the Wapantake. “Animal” works great acoustically, and “Sugar” takes on a different form. Phil makes a good point about the backing vocals. It’s great to hear them live and bare like this because they’re stellar!
Even though Joe said that was the last song, he lied because for the first time, and “for a laugh”, it’s “Ziggy Stardust”! Joe says it’s the first time they ever played it live as a band in front of a crowd, so that’s special. It’s also a brilliant version which doesn’t hurt. Leppard nailed it with pure love.
But wait, there’s more! The closing interviews discuss the new album Slang: “Up to date”, “stuck in the 90s”, “different direction”, “complete different turn”, “experimental” are a selection of words used…but then there’s a preview. Live at the Wapantake, and only for a few seconds, is the new song “All I Want Is Everything”. One chorus and that’s all we get, though the folks at the gig that night heard the whole song. The viewing audience at home only got a taste. Not enough to judge by. Not enough to get a feeling of what Def Leppard meant when they used words like “experimental”.
We’d find out soon enough.
The end credit music is an instrumental version of “When Love & Hate Collide” with only piano and strings and no band. Now that would be something cool to include in a future box set.
Perhaps a tad prematurely, immediately after Adrenalize had given all it had in terms of singles, Def Leppard released the spiritual sequel to 1989’s home video Historia. That thorough collection of videos was composed of music from four albums, while Visualize only covered one (and a bit). As such, this time they added interviews and interesting TV clips to fill out the run time.
Since Historia closed on “Love Bites”, it’s only fitting that Visualize opens with the next video, “Rocket”. As far as cool 80s videos go, “Rocket” was a success. It was even an educational slideshow of all Def Leppard’s musical heroes! It’s also very very 80s, with lots of TV sets hanging about.
Then Visualize takes a different track. The next big event in the lives of Def Leppard was a sad one: the passing of Steve Clark. He is commemorated with TV clips, interviews and an excellent all-Steve video for “Switch 625”. Joe Elliott laments that all Steve had in his life was a guitar and a bottle, but at least he left something worthwhile behind — the music.
Interview tracks are interspersed between music videos. Rick Allen discusses his drum kit and how he uses his left leg to do what he used to with his arm. Then there’s a surprising video of a live Ben E. King TV performance, featuring his new backing band, Def Leppard. “Stand By Me” is not the complete clip but enough to show you that Leppard could do it! Rick Savage plays a strange 80s synth bass guitar, and Steve Clark was still with them. Another partial clip, “Jean Genie” with Joe, Ronnie Wood and the Hothouse Flowers, is cool but just a snippet. Same with an acoustic version of “Ziggy Stardust”. Shame they couldn’t use the full tracks. The origin of the track “From the Inside” is discussed with a short clip as well.
“Let’s Get Rocked” is opened by an amusing interview with Sav about filming in front of a blue screen. Indeed, “Let’s Get Rocked” was a pioneering video, if terribly dated. It’s also their only video as a four-piece band without Steve. The next interviews address this — the hiring of Vivian Campbell. His big debut was the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in early 1992. His music video debut with the band was on the mediocre “Make Love Like A Man”. Its gimmick was a big screen behind the band; pretty standard stuff. The rarely seen “I Wanna Touch U” follows, with Leppard once again live in the round! The fake crowd screams are distracting but the video is cool, if not triumphant.
The big ballad “Have You Ever Wanted Someone So Bad” has a gothic look, but oh so 90s in style. The picture-in-picture (some colour, some black and white) look was overdone. A small batch of interviews from the period are followed by “Tonight”, an excellent understated ballad. The conceptual side of these videos was getting progressively foggy, but when they’re on the screen in start black and white, the band look cool. “Heaven Is” was another rarely seen clip, and perhaps it’s better that way. As always, the band stuff looks great but the conceptual shots are just bizarre. Ditto “Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)”. Dunno what’s up with the naked people or Cliff Burnstein playing baseball with a window. A true shame, as this semi-ballad is a Def Leppard masterpiece of a song, simply top drawer. It deserved better. When the video came out, I was so disappointed. “What have they done?” We deserved better.
“Two Steps Behind”, “Love Bites” and “Photograph” are live, from a hometown gig in Sheffield. More of the show would be made available on a 1995 home video release called Video Archive.
Finally, the future: Joe says there’s a long long way to go, not realizing he just wrote a future Def Leppard hit song title! Collectively, they were excited to write together. Rick Savage says it’s “Phase 2”, and Joe Elliott employs another Star Trek analogy about exploring. There was plenty of creative energy in the band and it’s obvious. But don’t hit “eject”! Stay tuned for the post-credit scene! An important message from Joe.
Visualize was one of those sequels that just came too soon. Interview material is valuable and desirable, but Historia played more like a visual album. It was a better entertainment experience. Visualize is choppier. It wouldn’t matter so much if all the songs were complete, but the TV performances are just teases of complete tracks. Unfortunate.
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