I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb if I call this the best song on Slave to the Grind. Â The closing song on a damn fine metal album, “Wasted Time” is awesome. Â It’s in “power ballad” territory, but it’s much darker than Skid Row’s prior hit ballad, “I Remember You”. Â Sebastian Bach turns in the best vocal performance of his life on this one. Â Sebastian co-wrote the song, about the damages of addiction.
Both the 7″ and the 12″ singles come with the previously unreleased live bonus track, “Get the Fuck Out”. Â (The other bonus tracks on the 12″ are “Holidays in the Sun” and “Psycho Love” which are both available elsewhere.) Â “Get the Fuck Out”, recorded at fuckin’ Wembley fer Christ’s sakes, features a long Sebastian intro that is probably more interesting than the song itself! Â Apparently, Skid Row were given a letter that stated specifically that Skid Row were not to play “Get the Fuck Out”. Â So what do they do?
Sebastian: Â “It says here, they’re gonna stop the show, because they don’t like the word ‘fuck’! Â And you’re not allowed to hear it!” Â Baz then leads the crowd in a chant of “get the fuck out!” before Skid Row drive into the song. Â As fans know, it’s a short firecracker punk rock song, and Baz is in top voice.
There’s not much music on this one, it’s more a photo review this time. Â Enjoy!
QUIET RIOTÂ – “Slick Black Cadillac Live” 1983 Kerrang Flexidisc
The reason I have this (scored from Discogs!), aside from it just looking cool, is that it’s hilarious!  The version of “Slick Black Cadillac” is the same great version that was later released on the remastered edition of Metal Health.  However…it has recorded messages from the band members as well!  These messages are directed to the UK readers of Kerrang! (who gave away this flexi-disc), and are dubbed directly over the song.
After Kevin DuBrow mentions the upcoming December gigs they’ll be playing, each member gets to say a word. Â Rudy in particular strikes my funny bone. Â “Hi, this is Rudy Sarzo, and I play the bass!” Â He’s just so…excited! Â As for Kevin? Â “When I see you I wanna hear you scream ’til your throats bleed!”
Flexi-discs are obviously fragile and are only good to play a handful of times. Â They have a bit more background noise than normal 45’s, but have the bonus of looking cooler than the average 45! Â This one is single sided, and came taped inside an issue of Kerrang! Â Not all flexi’s are clear like this one, so I consider this a fun conversation piece.
I’ll be the first to admit that I rarely listen to new bands anymore, even though 20 years ago I was on top of every new band coming out, good or bad. Â It was a pleasure to hear a strong album like Mourning Phoebe. Â Then I found out that the band Evilyn Strange aren’t newcomers, although Mourning Phoebe is the first release under that name. Â When they first started releasing hard rock as Double Eclipse, it was the height of Brit Pop, grunge, and all that. Â Thankfully times have turned since then.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect based on the artwork. Â What I ended up getting was a pretty solid mix of hard rock, heavy metal, grunge, pop rock, and other assorted loud music. Â The first song “The Ballad of Evilyn Strange” is a perfect example. Â The verses have an Alice In Chains drone-y vibe to them, while underneath I hear a guitar hook reminiscent of “Tower’s Calling” by Europe. Â With that already in the mix, the choruses blast out in singalong fashion.
There’s a lot of great playing here, particularly the guitar playing. Â The solos sound like a great mix of shred and composition. I also hear a lot of that 80’s LA metal sound that I like. Â It’s mixed up with more progressive moments, piano breaks and plenty of hooks.
I found the album to drag a tad towards the beginning. Â “Your Eyes Give You Away” and “Everything”, while both great songs, are a bit slow for me at the start of an album. Â To say they’re ballads would be selling them short though, they’re more dramatic songs with heavy moments as well. Â “Everything” picks up at the end, and goes into something almost like Poets and Madmen-era Savatage for a minute!
There’s an epic quality to many of the songs, and others just rock out. “Just A Little” is a good example of a solid hard rock song that delivers hooks directly and immediately. “Love Finds You” also rocks solidly with a slippery slide guitar. I’m a sucker for the slide. Good song, great chorus.
The only other thing I would criticize is the drum sound. I’m not a big fan of it, but the truth is you get used to it and it doesn’t detract from the songs. Songwriting is more important than a snare drum sound.
Evilyn Strange are an English/Swedish band consisting of twins Phillip and Al Strange (vocals & bass, drums & keys respectively) and guitarist Mikael Johannesson. Lemme tell you, Johannesson smokes! I don’t know his exact influences, but I think I can hear a bit of Dio-era Vivian Campbell. Either way, he absolutely cuts it.
Finally, I think the cover art is cool and eye-catching, and I like that they included a guitar pick in the CD. To me it’s a touch like this that keeps physical product interesting in the face of downloading.
Here is a book that I heartily endorse — for beginners. Â I bought my best bud Peter a copy of this for his birthday a couple years ago. Â For a guy like Peter, a general survey book like this is perfect. Â It’s boiled down to the essentials, by a guy that many trust: Â Eddie Trunk.
I normally don’t go for this kind of book, because what can Eddie Trunk tell me about Judas Priest in three pages that Martin Popoff didn’t in his excellent book, Heavy Metal Painkillers? Â So this book is for the people that just want the facts, ma’am. Â Anybody who’s listened to Eddie Trunk’s show on Sirius XM knows that this guy is the real deal — he knows his stuff, he knows the bands personally, and he doesn’t pander. He has a genuine love for the music, all of it. His personal touch helps make his radio show that much more enjoyable. Same with this book.
After Rob Halford’s forward, Eddie presents his essential hard rock and heavy metal bands, in alphabetical order. AC/DC, Aerosmith, and all the way down the line. You may take exception to some of the bands that he skips over (I read on a message board that Quiet Riot were ticked that they’re not in here) but I think by and large he hit the nail on the head. The bands that he does include…well, it’s hard to argue against them, and you only get so much page space, right? And this is a gorgeous book. Full colour photos, every page. Beautiful. Lots from Eddie’s personal collection, you’ll see a very young Eddie Trunk meeting the bands as a kid!
In addition, Eddie gives you a discography for each band (not perfect, there are a couple errors here, as in inevitable in a book like this). He also lists the members of the bands, and the most important ex-members and sidemen. So when you get to Queen (and yeah, you may argue that Queen is not a hard rock band) you’ll see the four original members, and Paul Rodgers listed beneath them. Finally, Eddie gives you his list of his ideal mix CD for each band. Go ahead and make your own, and see if you agree!
As a gift to Peter who likes the music but doesn’t know the details, he gleaned plenty from this book. Â Before reading it, he only knew of one Billy Squier song. Eddie Trunk got him up to speed. Thanks Eddie!
5/5 stars
For a guy like me, and quite possibly you as well:
2.5/5 stars
Added note: Â I know there is a Part II as well, but I have not checked it out.
So, for iPhone users, I present to you my own original idea of an alternate use for an old cassette case! Â We all have a ton of these things sitting around!
Today, I was listening to some old-school Dio, and I had a thought. Â A sudden thought that I wanted to explore:
“My taste in music was 100% solidified by that month in 1986 that I had mono!”
Yeah! Â I think it’s true! Â I was sick at home for a month (at least) too tired to do anything except record videos on the Pepsi Power Hour! Â I was inundated with a steady intake of incredible songs, in many cases for the first time. Â And because I still have the old VHS tapes, I know exactly what’s on them. Â This brief but intense period of my life was rocked by this soundtrack, over and over again:
Spinal Tap – “Hell Hole”, the theme song that my sister and I dedicated to our old Catholic grade school!
These songs were first impressed upon me during that period, the visuals always cool and intriguing to me. Â Especially Lee Aaron. Â Ahem. Â Anyway. Â I watched these videos over and over again. Â I recorded the audio (in mono) (…hah, I made a pun!) to a cassette so I could listen to them on my Walkman. Â This came in handy at the cottage. Â We didn’t have a VCR or cable there, so the only way to bring my songs was to tape them from the TV.
That one intense period of being stuck at home with nothing but heavy metal heroes might have made me the LeBrain I am today. Â I’m glad something good came out of it! Â I couldn’t even go swimming that entire summer!
JETHRO TULLÂ – A / Slipstream (2004 Chrysalis CD/DVD, originally 1980)
Unlike most Jethro Tull remasters, A did not contain any bonus tracks. Â Rather, it includes the only official DVD release of Slipstream, an old Tull live/music video VHS release.
Cole’s Notes version of the history: Â A began life as an Ian Anderson solo album, featuring new Tull bassist Dave Pegg and ex-Roxy Music multi-instrumentalist Eddie Jobson. Â Jobson brought along his drummer friend Mark Craney, and then finally Ian asked his Tull bandmate Martin Barre to come in and play on a couple tracks. Â Somehow, this turned into Martin playing on the entire album.
Anderson says that the record label, who were pushing for A to be released under the Jethro Tull banner, suddenly announced that Craney and Jobson were replacing current Tull members Barriemore Barlow, John Evan, and David Palmer. Â This and other factors led to that exact lineup change, but with Jobson listed as a “special guest”.
Regardless of the office politics, A is a solid albeit very different and 80’s sounding Jethro Tull album. Â I’m not a huge fan of the opener “Crossfire”, but I think that “Flyingdale Flyer” is a great combination of progressive rock Tull with the modern tweaks. Â “Working Joe, Working Joe” is OK, but I’m not a fan of that funky synthy bass line. Â I love the spacey sci-fi intro to “Black Sunday”, a precursor of sorts to “The Final Countdown”. Then it changes to something a little more challenging with the flute leading the charge. Â At 6:39 and with multiple sections and tempos, this is easily the most epic track.
The digital pulse of “Batteries Not Included” is pretty cool, but it’s not really an outstanding track. Â “Uniform” rolls along solidly. Â “4.W.D (Low Ratio)” is a guilty pleasure. Â “The Pine Marten’s Jig” sounds as the title implies, but perhaps just a little more complex than the average jig! Â The closing song is the dramatic “And Further On”. Its mood is appropriate for a closer, and I dig that cascading piano.
Incidentally, this is one of those CDs that were “Copy Controlled”. Â Boy, did that piss people off. Â Some people said you had to take a black magic marker to the outer edge of the disc in order to copy them. Â I never felt the urge to try this trick, and it doesn’t matter because the obsolete software does nothing to inhibit ripping today.
And that’s the album. Â The DVDÂ Slipstream opens with a homeless-looking Anderson (sleeping under a Thick As A Brick newspaper) being chased by the balloons from The Prisoner. Â He then stumbles into a Jethro Tull concert, not a security person in sight! Â When has this happened to you?
Tull then open with a hard rocking “Black Sunday”.  Martin Barre and Ian Anderson are really the only guys that look like they’re in the same band!  The excellent “Dun Ringill” is presented music video style.  It’s like Anderson playing over the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey, when Bowman’s in the pod.  “Flyingdale Flyer” is better, with Tull as some sort of band of interstellar explorers.  Anderson’s facial expressions make this one irresistible.  The next song is once again live, and it is the classic “Songs From the Wood”.  Jobson’s got his hands full with two keyboards!  This is paired with “Heavy Horses” sounding unfortunately cumbersome due to the domination by those same keyboards.
“Sweet Dream”, one of my all time favourite Tull songs, ever, cannot be tamed by the keyboards.  They are there, but the song is powerful nonetheless, as it should be.  In this clip, Anderson plays both the homeless ragged man, and…a vampire!  I actually like this clip a lot.  My favourite clip is “Too Old  To Rock ‘N’ Roll”, the entire band dressed as old men.  This is the album version of the song.
Next is the lovely “Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day”. Â On this track, which is live, Eddie Jobson plays a neat electric mandolin. Â “Aqualung” is pummeling, Mark Craney keeping busy while also hitting hard. Â The set closes with “Locomotive Breath” which starts completely awful, as a new-wave-funk-prog song of some kind, before finally picking up steam as it should. Â The flute solo is as brilliant as ever, and I’ll never get tired of watching Martin Barre shake his skullet wildly.
Rush and The Tragically Hip 2013 postage stamps – Canadian Recording Artists series
Package of 10, $6.30.
I went down to the post office to pick up my latest CD treasure from Discogs, when I noticed these beauties:  the new 2013 Rush, and Tragically Hip postage stamps!  Had to have ’em.  The budget didn’t allow for the Guess Who set (apparently their best seller).  I’ve never heard of Beau Dommage, but apparently they are “considered the Beatles of Quebec and French music” (Canada Newswire).
I love the little details. Â The “Stereo 1” on the Hip package. Â The “Side A” and Anthem Records serial number on the Rush. Â It’s the little things like these touches that make these stamps fun to keep in package, safe in my collection!
For your viewing pleasure, please enjoy these cool postage stamps. Â I’ll try to pick up The Guess Who next week.
TRAILER PARK BOYS – The Movie (2006 Alliance Atlantis)
Directed by Mike Clattenburg
The story goes that Ivan Reitman, who produced Trailer Park Boys: The Movie (aka “The Big Dirty”), wanted to do a movie that would re-introduce the characters and target them to a new audience.  He preferred the flavour of the earlier seasons and steered the movie in that direction.  This is sort of a good and bad thing.
The movie is out of continuity with the TV series, unfortunately. Â There are characters and events in the movie that would never be referenced in the series. Â Lahey loses the roof of his car in both the movie and the TV series, but in different ways. Â You’ll notice Trinity is played by a different actress (Lydia Lawson-Baird), and her character is slightly different in tone as well.
Remember those movie trailers where the Boys are auditioning actors to play themselves? I think it’s best to think of this movie in that context: It’s the Boys playing themselves, in a movie based on themselves. Â Even though we’re talking about fictional characters in a mockumentary movie.
The plot: Â Ricky and Julian go to jail (again) and are about to be released (again). No fair! cries Ricky, who wants to play in the jail hockey tournament against the prison guards, captained by Donny. Â The rivalry between Ricky (a goalie) and Donny (Gerry Dee) result in a few classic exchanges:
Ricky – “Suck it, Donny.”
Donny – “You suck it. Â More.”
Ricky – “What kind of comeback was that? Â I said ‘suck it’ and you just added ‘more’ to it.”
Donny – “Because it’s more, you suck it more.”
Out of jail, Rick goes home to Sunnyvale trailer park, only to find that things have changed. Lucy’s got a new job. Â “An awesome new job,” according to Sarah. Â “She workin’ at Horton’s again?” asks Ricky. Â Nope, it’s not a coffee shop, it’s a “gentlemen’s club”. Â This “gentlemen’s club” is owned by Sonny (Hugh Dillon, of the Headstones), and he’s banging Lucy.
Julian, also out of jail, has an idea to get rich “without getting caught”: Do small crimes. Â Steal change! Â Ricky, on the other hand, has met a lot of really “smart” guys in jail, and they all say “the big dirty” is the way to go: one big crime, and you’re retired. The two ideas are combined and a plan is set in motion. Will Ricky still be able to play in the hockey tournament?
In addition to new characters like Sonny and Donny, look for cameos by Alex Lifeson (Rush) and Gordon Downie (The Tragically Hip). The soundtrack kicks ass, featuring Helix, April Wine, and lots of The Tragically Hip. Â I always think of this movie now when I hear the songs “Bobcaygeon” and “38 Years Old”. Â Hell, Julian even goes to see a movie called “The Dark Canuck” in the film.
I really enjoyed Trailer Park Boys: The Movie even if it’s not quite pure Trailer Park Boys. It sort of attempts to recapture what worked in the early seasons (you can tell by casting Trinity as a younger girl) and by and large, it works. Sonny works as a replacement antagonist, a role that Cyrus often filled on the show. Â All your favourite regulars such as Philadelphia Collins, Jacob Collins, and Officer George Green are here. Lahey is suitably drunk, and Randy as shirtless as ever.
This actually works pretty well as a way for newcomers to get into the show. It distills what worked best in the earlier years, into a two-hour package that stays funny and doesn’t wear out its welcome. Bonus features include the music video for “I Fought The Law” (featuring Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson!), and lots of alternate takes.
Say what you will about ZZ Top’s foray into 80’s music. Â Using sequencers and compression on the drums wasn’t everybody’s cup ‘o java, but it sure made ZZ Top millionaires. Â I like this album. Reverend Billy Gibbons’ guitar tone was so sweet on this album. It’s so smooth and creamy, I just love the tone. This might be my favourite album of his, purely for guitar tone. Just listen to that sweet picking on the album version of “Legs”. Man, how does he get that sound?
The original album has been lovingly remastered, with the original album version of “Legs” restored. However, fear not, the single version is still here as a bonus track. Other bonus tracks include live versions, the most exciting of which is a fiery “I Got The Six”. And hey, if you don’t like the techno sounds of the album, the live tunes give you an idea of what they’re like stripped down to the bone…like a juicy rack of ribs, meat falling right off. Â It’s cool how Frank Beard is just as metronomic on the live versions. He’s not a flamboyant drummer, but he’s definitely solid. Just like the Beatles wouldn’t have sounded the same without Ringo, or the Stones without Charlie, Frank is essential to that whole ZZ “Je ne sais quoi?”
I like the whole album, with only a few songs I call filler, such as “Thug”. I always enjoy hearing “Sharp Dressed Man”. I don’t know how all these years later I’m not sick of it, but I’m not. “TV Dinners” always makes me smile. Really, will these guys write about anything?
“I Need You Tonight” is one of those smooth ZZ Top blues. Â It’s slick, but unquestionably still blues. Â “If I Could Only Flag Her Down” is another blues based standout. Â This one’s a bit more of a boogie. Â Finally, “Bad Girl” (sung by Dusty Hill) is pure rock and roll.
The DVD is cool. Â You get the original music videos and some live TV performances. Â If you’re a ZZ Top fan (and for your own happiness, I hope that you are) I think you will enjoy the video stuff. Liner notes are also ample.
5/5 stars. Â It’s never too late to pick it up!
Click the pic of the Ford to see yesterday’s gallery of the Monogram ZZ Top Eliminator model kit!
mikeladano.com 