hard rock

REVIEW: Mr. Big – Ten (2024 Canadian CD version)

MR. BIG – Ten (2024 Frontiers)

Pat Torpey was such an important part of Mr. Big.  Drumming, singing, writing: Pat did it all, and that’s why Mr. Big have found him so difficult to replace.  His death from Parkinson’s disease was shattering to the band.  They carried on with Matt Starr for a while, but they needed someone who could sing.  Enter:  Nick D’Virgilio from Spock’s Beard.  Not just a legendary progressive rock drummer, but also a singer in his own right, Nick was an unexpected but appropriate choice for Mr. Big to record their final (?) album Ten.

Though some fans seem unwilling to allow bands to age and change, Mr. Big has done so without missing a beat.  Sure, Eric Martin doesn’t sound 28 years old anymore (because he’s 63), but there is nothing wrong with his voice here.  Just a little rasp, and a little less range.  He has aged better than most 63 year olds you can name in the rock biz.  He is still top notch, first class, and also a key songwriter here, along with Paul Gilbert and Andre Pessis.  Absent from the credits is Billy Sheehan.  That might explain why this album is less bass-y.  Even so, in 2024 Mr. Big have come up with one of their best albums, up there with Hey Man.

The Gilbert-penned first track “Good Luck Trying” has a definite “Manic Depression” vibe.  It’s a blues-rock classic, authentically rocking as if it came from another decade.  It’s like a time machine, and the Hendrix inspiration is undeniable.  A solid start.

Much like Hey Man and “Take Cover”, the best track is the second one.  “I Am You” will be in your head for days.  There’s a subtle acoustic guitar part, which is something of a recurring feature on this album.  “I Am You” boasts a powerful chorus, but with an anthemic meloncholy vibe.  Too bad a lyric sheet is not included, as this one has cool soul-baring words.  Everything about this song is perfect, from impassioned vocals to mighty chorus.  Sometimes it’s worth buying an album for one song.  This is one of those songs, no hyperbole.  It’s just a little different for this band, but it’s also a total pop rock anthem, and one of best Big songs in years.

We get a Zeppelin vibe on “Right Outta Here”, with bluesy verses and exotic choruses.  Anytime you hear chords that we might refer to as “exotic”, Zeppelin comes to mind.  Expect those Middle Eastern melodies on the guitar, and more acoustic backing.  Nick doesn’t necessarily play like John Bonham, but there are the odd big hits that recall him.

In a fun twist, “Sunday Morning Kinda Girl” contains the lyric “big finish”, the name of their current tour.  This song has a hard rock vibe mixed with 60s melodic sensibility.  Definite Beatles vibes in the melodies, though the song is far harder than the Fab Four.  Their green-tinted sixties minds must have been in tune for this song.  Again, acoustic guitars can be heard in the background, but check out Paul’s very Queen-like guitar solo.

There are a few ballads on Ten.  Ballads have been a thing with Mr. Big since the first album, but obviously “To Be With You” made them far more important.  “Who We Are” is an electric ballad, with a bluesy style.  Not as memorable as some past Big ballads, but a good song regardless.  Great chorus here, and superb drum fills.

“As Good As It Gets” is uptempo acoustic/electric fun.  Like “I Am You”, very different for this band and an easy album highlight.  Once again, the drum work and fills here are stunning.  It’s almost Rush-like.  Paul brings in a very sweet guitar melody, with layers of guitar tracks thickening up the soup.  This song also has one of the few Billy Sheehan bass solos on the album.

The boogie of “What Were You Thinking” has some wicked slide guitar by Paul Gilbert, housed within an uptempo rocker.  Maybe the fastest tune on the album, but it’s not to be compared to old Big like “Addicted to that Rush”.  This is just rock and roll.  The lyrics reference Star Trek with “phasers on stun”, and you just have to love that.  Another possible album highlight.

If there is a weak link, it’s “Courageous”.  It’s a mid-tempo song, but not a ballad.  It has some wonderful guitar, but doesn’t move the Earth.  What does shake the Earth is the opening drum beat on “Up On You”.  A hard rock party rocker, this features the return of the slide!  Just because it’s a hard rock song with slide guitar, there is a slight Motley vibe (circa Dr. Feelgood), but only slight.  Some boogie piano also helps keep things moving, but this is the most 80s rocker on the album.

Closing an album (sort of) with another ballad is daring.  Yet “The Frame” is the softest of them, and a totally appropriate closer.  It’s not “To Be With You”; there is no campfire rock on this album.  There is plenty of music with an emotional weight, and “The Frame” has that and more.  It takes a few listens to sink in, but it’s not really goodbye.  There is a bonus track on all versions of the album.

Some countries got an instrumental track (to be reviewed later), but the bonus track in Canada is different from the one in the US and Japan.  Here we get a blues cover, “8 Days on the Road”.  Easily another album highlight, with someone else (Paul Gilbert?) singing lead on a bluesy drawl.  Brilliant track and playing.  Talk about going out with a bang!  If this really is the end, then “8 Days on the Road” is a brilliant capstone.  It showcases the kind of playing that Mr. Big built their reputation on.

Though Mr. Big albums have been spotty through their career, Ten is among the better records.  It may go down with albums such as Hey Man as a cult classic.

4.5/5 stars

 

Tim’s Vinyl Confessions: Ep. 548: Mr. Big (Ten review) [VIDEO]

Today on Tim’s Vinyl Confessions, we deep dive into the new (final?) Mr. Big album called Ten.  Shockingly, it’s their tenth studio album.  I know, right?  It’s also a few firsts:  the first album with no songwriting from bassist Billy Sheehan, and debut Mr. Big album for new drummer Nick D’Virgilio.  It has been eight long years since their last album, Defying Gravity, which wasn’t bad at all.  Did they top it?  Did they go out on a good note?

My written review will go up tomorrow.

REVIEW: Ratt – Rarities (2024)

RATT – Rarities (2024 Deadline)

Now that Ratt has ceased to exist as a band, we seem to be getting better and better reissues.  There was that Atlantic Albums CD set that came out recently with cool bonus tracks, and a forthcoming LP reissue with that set with an additional recently-discovered unreleased track.  Too bad Stephen Pearcy didn’t dig that one up in time to issue on 2024’s Rarities album, a nine track compilation of unreleased versions spanning 1982 to 1989.  These include the classic lineup of Peacy, Robbin Crosby, Warren DeMartini, Bobby Blotzer and Juan Crocier.  There is also one previously unheard song written by Pearcy and Crosby to add some extra value.

We open with a 1983 version of “Tell the World” from the 1984 Ratt EP.  It is a less polished version of the same, complete with shouted backing vocals and echo effects.  The most notable differences are the prominent busy Blotzer drum fills.  This is followed by a 1982 rehearsal tape of the hit-to-be, “Round and Round”.  Of course the sound quality is what should expect for a 1982 rehearsal tape.  It’s garage quality and probably recorded by a boom box in a really loud room.  That said, it’s still a fun listen since the band is so tight and the song was years away from the charts.  It’s actually unfinished; about 90% there.

Do you know how many songs Ratt have about wanting something?  We already have “I Want A Woman” and “I Want To Love You Tonight”, which might be why “I Want It All” didn’t make an album.  “I Want It All” is an undated demo from the 80s that was later finished up with new bassist Robbie Crane on 1997’s Collage.  This older version is rougher but otherwise the same arrangement.  It’s a little different for Ratt, opening with acoustic guitars.  It’s a good sassy mid-tempo Ratt track that would have fit on any number of albums post-Out of the Cellar.

The next batch of tunes are live.  “In Your Direction” from Cellar is from 1987, as is “Round and Round”, “Body Talk” and “Drive Me Crazy”, though “Body Talk” is also noted as being live in Germany.  “In Your Direction” is bootleggy, most likely an audience recording.  “Round and Round” is clearer but a little by rote.  You can hear Juan’s backing vocals clearly, and Stephen even drops an F-bomb that would have been edited out had it been released in the 80s.

“Body Talk” and “Drive Me Crazy are a pair from Dancing Undercover.  The intensity of “Body Talk” is impressive, though some of it gets washed out in the thrashy tempo.  The greatest sin, however, is the premature fadeout during the guitar solo.  There is no such fade on “Drive Me Crazy” which fares well live.  The backing vocals are a bit ragged, but it all holds together in a stampeding Ratt romp.

Back to a 1985, “Wanted Man” from Cellar is the last of the live songs.  The bass drum is a bit thuddy, and nothing’s particularly clear (especially Robbin), but the performance is spot on.  Listen, we all like buying bootlegs, don’t we?  You should have no issue with the sound quality so long as you understand in advance, none of these recordings were intended for release.

The final song is the previously unheard “Love on the Rocks” from 1989, which did not make the Detonator record.  Written by Stephen and Robbin, it’s a pretty damn solid Ratt song and one of the best sounding tracks on the album.  The chorus is decent and a properly produced version would have been polished-up album worthy.  As it is, it’s a good B-side or bonus track.

While not essential, this Ratt compilation is a solid addition to any collection.  It’s for the fan that has everything but wants a little (back for) more.  But that cover artwork?  Surely they could have done better than that.

3/5 stars

REVIEW: Deep Purple – “Pictures of You” (2024 CD single from new album =1)

DEEP PURPLE – “Pictures of You” (2024 EARmusic)

Deep Purple’s first new album with Simon McBride on guitar will be out July 19.  Called =1 (“equals one”), the music seems to heading into a riffy direction.  The band have just released a new CD single, something of a tradition for them during the Bob Ezrin era in this late part of their career.  This single includes two tracks from the album, including the recently released “Portable Door”, and two live tracks with Simon recorded in 2022.  Let’s have a listen and hear what the Purples have in store.

Track one, “Pictures of You” has a pretty cool and weighty riff.  Backed by Don Airey’s organ, it’s one of Purple’s catchiest riffs in recent years.  The chorus follows the riff melody.  “These pictures of you are too good to be true,” sings Ian Gillan.  Ian’s voice is pushed to its current limits, which is often the thing you hear people moaning about the most, but it’s really no issue.  Simon comes in with a wicked catchy solo, before the whole song detours into a dainty Don Airey piano part with Simon doing volume swells overtop.  Though only 3:50 long, “Pictures of You” packs a lot into a short time.

Without a gap, the band breaks into something completely different, ominous and heavy:  “Portable Door”.  Ian Paice is the backbone, always smooth, always identifiable, infallible. With Ian Paice on drums, Deep Purple will always sound like Deep Purple.  Don Airey’s organ really dominates the solo section, as it should, and Simon’s guitar work is sublime.  As for the tune itself?  Top notch.

The live tracks were recorded October 17 2022 in Milan, Italy.  These tracks will not be on the deluxe box set version of =1, and are exclusive to the single.  First up is the classic blues “When A Blind Man Cries”, and we get to hear Simon do what Simon does.  Perhaps more interesting though, the arrangement includes a new lounge-y into with piano.  “Blind Man” feels slower than usual, but Ian Gillan is in fine voice.  Simon takes center stage on the guitar solo, and it’s so phenomenal that you can hear the audience break into applause at its conclusion.  It’s slow and passionate until he lets rip.  Having Don Airey follow is almost anti-climax.  Welcome to Deep Purple, Simon McBride!

The more recent “Uncommon Man” closes the disc, with a beautiful guitar solo backed by heavenly keyboards.  As one of Purple’s more regal songs, it sounds great on stage.  Roger Glover gets a little bit of the spotlight just before Simon’s solo, but this is a pretty faithful version.  Most importantly, it is good to see that Deep Purple do not drop songs from the latter part of their career out of the setlist.  (There are three other live versions of this song with Steve Morse available on other releases:  Celebrating Jon Lord the Rock Legend, To the Rising Sun in Tokyo, and the Now What?! Live Tapes Vol. 2)

With only 5000 copies worldwide, this is sure to be a collector’s item.

4.5/5 stars

REVIEW: Hurricane – Take What You Want (1985 EP, 1989 reissue with bonus tracks)

HURRICANE – Take What You Want (1985 Enigma EP, 1989 reissue with bonus tracks)

Hurricane attracted my attention initially because I was a Quiet Riot fan.  I considered Hurricane to be a “brother” band to Quiet Riot.  Bassist Tony Cavazo’s brother Carlos was in Quiet Riot.  Guitarist Robert Sarzo also had a brother, in Rudy.  I loved that Carlos played bass, and Robert played guitar.  I just knew that they chose those instruments so they could have jammed with their brothers, on guitar and bass respectively.

Perhaps Hurricane are best known as a band that launched its members into higher orbits.  Robert Sarzo has been a member of Geoff Tate’s Queensryche.  Drummer Jay Schellen is in Yes.  Singer Kelly Hansen is with Foreigner.  Big names!

Their debut EP was not a bad start.  It boasted one single/video that impressed me as a kid, but we’ll get there.  The original EP opened with “Take Me In Your Arms”, a tough little rock crooner with a great chorus.  Right from the get-go, it’s the singer that impresses.  The production buried him a bit too far back in the mix.  It may be a case of “too many cooks”, as Kevin Beamish, Mike Clink and Hurricane all get co-production credits, with Bob Ezrin in an executive role!  The swampy backing vocals don’t really help, but fortunately Hansen was more than capable of driving a chorus home.  It was also obvious that Jay Schellen was going to go places.  His drumming here is far from simplistic, standard rock cliches.

The second track gives Tony and Jay a chance to jam a bit before Robert comes in with some squealing guitar.  “The Girls Are Out Tonight” is not especially remarkable, but like the preceding song, it has a great little chorus to go with some pretty poor lyrics.  “Laughin’ and talkin’ about the boys, with whom you want to be seen.”  You don’t see the word “whom” in rock lyrics very often, I’ll concede.  The MVPs on this track are Tony Cavazo with a rollicking bassline, and Robert Sarzo with some great 80s excess on guitar.

The title track “Take What You Want” goes third, with an ominous little riff to open it.  There’s a vibe here somewhere between Journey and Kiss.  Hansen impresses thoroughly with those pipes!  The mood of the song isn’t consistent however, going for a more cliched rock vibe on the verses, while the chorus just smokes.  Almost a great song, but not quite.

Hurricane’s eponymous track was the single/video back in the day, and immediately impressed with the riff.  Traditional metal with a hint of exotic, “Hurricane” was my favourite song for two weeks straight.  “You’re like a hurricane comin’, you don’t forgive!”  Get pumped up and rock this tune on repeat.  It’s great.

“It’s Only Heaven” features Robert Sarzo and Tony Cavazo making really cool, atmospheric sounds with their instruments.  Then Schellen comes in with a classic drum beat, followed by Kelly Hansen.  This ballad could have been a Scorpions song, perhaps.  Vocally it’s very different from the Scorps, but Klaus can sing anything he wants.  Though slow, this ballad could have gone down in history like similar songs by Dokken…except for a really bad key change almost six minutes into the song.  Otherwise, it’s pretty epic and spectacular.  Somebody should have chopped the last minute and a half of it though.

Back to the hard rockin’, “Hot and Heavy” was the closing song on the original EP.  It gets the job done.  It’s fast, rippin’ with shout along hooks, and ready to tear it down.  Robert Sarzo illuminates the sky with guitar pyrotechnics.  Good little tune.  Nothing remarkable of course, but adequate for the task.  The whole EP is above average, because of the skill of the players and some occasional production goodness.  It’s just a nose above the rest of the bands that didn’t quite have the same level of musicianship.

Old CD copies came with a bonus track, “La Luna”, a beautiful classical guitar piece by Sarzo.  There is some really clever backwards guitar mixed in with the forwards.  It’s almost like next level Randy Rhoads.  The entire band got credited for writing, which means the band had an agreement to split writing credits.

This CD reissue has three bonus tracks, all from the next album Over the Edge.  The first is a single version of “Over the Edge” itself.  This hard rocker opens and closes with cool acoustic guitars, which caught my ear back in the day.  I loved this tune.  The production is still a bit wanting, but you can hear the talent shine through.  Schellen’s got a great groove going, and Kelly was so underappreciated as a singer back in the day.

“I’m On To You” was another great single from that album.  This is just an edit version.  This “super stormin’ hook edit” opens straight away with the chorus, which may or may not be to your taste.  “Na na na na na na, I’m on to you!” croons Kelly Hansen.  You’ll love it or hate it.  Finally, the CD ends with “Baby Snakes” (not a Zappa cover)…and finally it’s an instrumental version, without the phone call stuff!  That part of the song was amusing for a few minutes, but hindered re-plays.  This instrumental version remedies that!

Hurricane could have gone further than they did.  Unfortunately for them, Robert Sarzo departed after Over the Edge, replaced by a guy named Doug Aldridge that you might know from some other bands.  They started using outside writers, and that’s rarely a good sign.   They have since reunited, but never with this original lineup again.  An album and an EP was all we got.  At least they were both decent.

3/5 stars for the original EP
3.5/5 stars with bonus tracks

REVIEW: Brian May – “Too Much Love Will Kill You” (1992 CD single)

BRIAN MAY – “Too Much Love Will Kill You” (1992 EMI/Parlophone CD single)

The first time that most of us heard “Too Much Love Will Kill You” was in 1992, at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert.  Surely one of the biggest and most spectacular such events ever hosted, Queen played a scorching set with guests that night.  One of the highlights was a song that Brian May humbly said was the best he had to offer.  That song was the ballad “Too Much Love Will Kill You”, which Queen recorded but did not release on The Miracle (until 2022).  For that album, the band chose to only include songs written solely by the four core members.  “Too Much Love Will Kill You” was co-written by Brian with Elizabeth Lamers and Frank Musker.   A few months after the concert, May would release his solo version of  the song on his album, Back to the Light, and also as a single.  (There is now a deluxe edition of Back to the Light, containing all the songs from this single.)

“I’m just the pieces of the man I used to be,” croons May after a a delicate intro.  A song about being torn between two lovers, you somehow actually feel sorry for the guy who’s trying to choose between two women.  “Too much love will kill you, just as sure as none at all.”  May’s version is different from Queen’s, with lush orchestration taking up much of the space.  It’s absolutely gorgeous!  Queen’s version was as well, and it may be difficult to choose between versions.  Brian takes a lovely acoustic guitar solo, which is so rarely heard from the master of electric layers of bliss.  His vocals are impassioned, perhaps even more than Freddie’s were.  Though loaded to the gills with strings and accoutrements, it’s a spellbinding version.

Second on the single is a rocker named “I’m Scared”.  If it were a Queen song, it would be one of the harder-edged.  It’s a speedy ride through an amusement part of guitar and drums (by Cozy Powell, with bass by his Black Sabbath and Whitesnake compatriot Neil Murray).  Brian talk-sings for most of it, which works well, especially when he mockingly has trouble getting his words out towards the end.  It’s a performance, and the chorus ain’t bad regardless of the vocal storytelling.  It’s too weird for radio, but could be one of those cool deep cuts.

Track three is the “guitar version” of “Too Much Love With Kill You” which, believe it or not, is an instrumental.  Brian’s electric guitar takes the place of the singer.  It’s a cool and unexpected version.  It’s an incredible, lyrical version.  Brian takes liberties and doesn’t play the vocal melody note for note, but you can make it out just the same.  This could be one of May’s greatest guitar performances, simply because he uses his instrument to speak in a way that very few guitarists can do for four minutes straight.  He changes voices, he adds luscious trills, and it’s an absolute knockout.

The last track is a re-do of lead single “Driven By You”, with Cozy and Neil.  Brian played bass on the album version.  This version is hard and punchy.  The song is a melodic rock classic.  If it had come out a couple years earlier, it could have been a summer hit.  Cozy and Neil were in Brian’s live band, so having them re-do the track for a B-side probably made sense.  It’s really strong, and the bass and drums are both in your face.  Diehard fans will absolutely be able to recognize the legendary rhythm section.  Cozy in particular has a signature sound, and Neil does as well to a lesser degree.

What a great single, combining rarities with hits and a deep cut.  A total score.

5/5 stars

 

REVIEW: Skid Row – The Gang’s All Here (2022)

SKID ROW – The Gang’s All Here (2022 Edel)

I’ve never hid my disappointment that Skid Row have been unable to hang into a lead singer for long since Sebastian Bach’s 1996 ouster.  Johnny Solinger was their best shot at a permanent lead singer, since replaced by a dizzying array of vocalists.  Erik Grönwall, from Swedish Idol and H.E.A.T., was probably the biggest hope.  Sadly, as a cancer survivor, Erik was forced to resign and focus on his health.  The one album he made with Skid Row, The Gang’s All Here, received critical acclaim in 2022 and was called Album of the Year by several outlets.

Erik Grönwall brings the necessary range and power, more so than Solinger.  Unfortunately, both Solinger and Bach had a lot of character in their voices.  Grönwall has a more generic sound, and this robs Skid Row of some of what made them special.  He almost sounds too good, too professional.

A lot of people will disagree and that’s fine.  We’re all entitled to our opinions.

Only two songs here, “Time Bomb” (sort of a punky rewrite of “Piece of Me”) and “The Gang’s All Here”, made it onto the tour setlist.  80% of the album was not played live.  There are shout-along choruses, Kiss-like guitar licks, and Bolan’s bass bounce…but do the songs stick to the brain like albums of yore?  Some do.  The best moments are the ones that recall the past, such as “Resurrected” which has a “Monkey Business” familiarity.  Unfortunately, the trite lyrics are another one of those “we’re back where we belong” kind of songs.

The strongest song is the ballad “October’s Song”, which comes closest to nailing the timeless Skid Row level of quality.  Grönwall’s schooled approach to singing is opposed to Bach’s desperate passion to blow down the biggest of buildings, but that was a long time ago, and Bach is never coming back.  “October’s Song” has some great riffage and should have been made a permanent part of the setlist.  You’ll not find a better song among the new ones.  We’ll say it right here:  this song stands up against the back catalogue, even the intense Slave to the Grind ballads.

Credit due:  Skid Row almost go activist on the environmental message song “World On Fire”.

Much of the album was written with previous singer Z.P. Theart, of Dragonforce.  Core Skid Row members “Snake” Sabo, Scotty Hill, and Rachel Bolan handle the majority of songwriting, retaining Rob Hammersmith on drums.

If you want a new Skid Row album that you can pump your fist to, stomp your feet, or bang your head, then The Gang’s All Here is a must-buy.  If you were hoping for a Skid Row album that you’ll remember for years like Slave to the Grind, Subhuman Race, or even Thickskin, then the jury is still out.  Thickskin had way better songs – there, I said it!

3/5 stars

#1132: Youth Gone Not-So-Wild

RECORD STORE TALES #1132: Youth Gone Not-So-Wild

I love admitting to my past musical sins.  Perhaps others will learn from my mistakes.

I was in grade 11, a mere 16 years old, when the music video for “Youth Gone Wild” hit the airwaves.  Skid Row were the latest thing, a band promoted by Jon Bon Jovi himself, from his home state of New Jersey.  We didn’t know yet that the lead singer, Sebastian Bach, identified as a Canadian.  He grew up in Peterborough Ontario, just on the other side of Toronto.  In fact, I didn’t know that I already had something of Bach in my music video collection.  I had a brief clip of him, with teased up hair, in a prior band called Madame X.  This band was led by Maxine Petrucci, sister of Roxy Petrucci from Vixen.  They featured a young Sebastian Bach and Mark “Bam Bam” McConnell whom Bach would play with in VO5.   I wasn’t into any of those bands.  I was pretty hard-headed about what I liked and disliked.

In Spring 1989, I first encountered “Youth Gone Wild” on the Pepsi Power Hour.  It could have been Michael Williams hosting, but whoever it was, they hyped up this new band called Skid Row.  I liked getting in on new bands from the ground floor.  Made them easier to collect when you started at the start.  At that point, I wasn’t even sure how many albums Judas Priest actually had.  I was intrigued enough to hit “record” on my VCR as the music video began.  I caught the opening “Ba-boom!” of drums, and sat back to watch.

While I wasn’t blown away, I kept recording.  The key was the singer.  If the singer sucked, I’d usually hit “stop” and rewind back to where I was.  The singer passed the test:  he didn’t suck.  I kept recording.

After about a minute, I pressed the “stop” button, and lamented that this new band wasn’t for me.  What happened?  What did Skid Row do to turn me off so quickly?

I can admit this.  I’ve always been open about the fact that I was very image-driven as a teenager.  We all were!  With the exception of maybe George Balazs, all the neighborhood kids were into image to some degree or another.  I was probably driven by image more than the average kid, consuming magazines and music videos by the metric tonne.  So, what exactly was wrong with Skid Row?

I’ll tell ya, folks.  It was serious.

The bass player had a chain going from his nose to his ear.

I just could not.  I couldn’t put a poster on my wall with some band that had a bass player with a chain that went from his nose to his ear!  No way, no f’n way.

I pressed rewind, and prepared to record the next video over Skid Row.

That summer, the glorious, legendary summer of ’89, I went with Warrant.  I bought their debut album sight-unseen, based on a blurb in the Columbia House catalogue.  Warrant were the selection of the month.  “What the hell,” I thought, and checked the box to order it immediately.

Meanwhile, Bob Schipper and the girl I liked, named Tammy, were really into Skid Row.  They knew all about my issues with the nose chain.  They got under my skin about it a bit, but I wouldn’t bend on Skid Row.

“18 and Life” was the next single, a dark power ballad that was easy for me to ignore.  “I Remember You” was harder to pass on.  It was the perfect acoustic ballad for 1989.  You had the nostalgic lyrics, which Bob and I both connected with.  Somehow, we knew that 1989 was the absolute pinnacle.  We knew this would be the summer to beat!  Bon Jovi and Def Leppard were still on the charts.  Aerosmith and Motley Crue had new singles out with albums incoming.  We walked around singing “Summer of ’69” by Bryan Adams, except we changed the words to “Summer of ’89”.  We just knew.  “Got my first real six string…” we sang.  And we both had our own fairly new guitars that we could barely play.

“I Remember You” was a massive hit, and still I resisted.

“Because of the nose chain?” Bob Schipper questioned me.

Absolutely because of the nose chain!

I stood firm for two years.  Bob Schipper went to college, and Tammy was long distance and not meant to last.  I felt a bit like an island by the time 1991 rolled around.  I felt alone.  My best friend was gone, I had no girlfriend, and most of my school friends went their own ways.  I was a loner like I’d never been in my life before.  Music was my companion, and my beloved rock magazines were my library.

That’s how Skid Row eventually got me.  Sebastian Bach had a good friend in Drew Masters, who published the excellent M.E.A.T Magazine out of Toronto.  Drew’s praise for the forthcoming second Skid Row album, Slave to the Grind, was unrelenting.  He caught my ear.  I was looking for heavier music in my life, not satisfied with Priest’s Painkiller as one of the heaviest albums I owned.  I wanted more rock, and I wanted it heavy.

The other thing that got me was the collector’s itch.  When I found out that Slave to the Grind was released in two versions with different exclusive songs, I was triggered.  I had to have both.

“I’ll make a tape, and put both songs on my version!”  It was a pretty cool idea.

Costco had Slave to the Grind in stock.  They had the full-on version with “Get the Fuck Out”, the song that was excluded from the more store-friendly version.  Columbia House stocked the tame version, which had a completely different song called “Beggars Day”.  I bought the CD from Costco, the vinyl from Columbia House, and suddenly I was the only guy in town who had the full set.  I made my cassette with joy, recreating the Skid Row logo on the spine, and writing the song titles in with red ink.

“Get the Fuck Out” was track 6, side one.  “Beggars Day” was track 7, side one.  I still have them in that order in my mp3 files today.

Sure, there was an audible change in sound when the tape source went from CD to vinyl, but I couldn’t afford two CD copies.  Little did I know how cool it would be later on to have an original vinyl copy of Slave to the Grind.

I loved the album.  I loved all three of the ballads.  The production was sharp.  There were excellent deep cuts:  “The Threat”, “Livin’ on a Chain Gang”, and “Riot Act” were all as great as any of the singles.  Furthermore, the singer had taken it to new heights of intensity and excellence.

I let Skid Row into my heart that day.  It was a good decision.  Skid Row accompanied me through times good and bad, lonely and angry.  They were my companion through it all, and they’re still pretty good.  It was meant to be!

REVIEW: Twisted Sister – The Best of the Atlantic Years (2016)

TWISTED SISTER – The Best of the Atlantic Years (2016 Atlantic)

Nobody likes buying the same thing twice, so Twisted Sister have ensured this “greatest hits” album is vastly different from their other stand-by, 1992’s Big Cuts & Nasty Cuts.  That album boasted a side of live B-sides, now collected as Live at the Marquee.  As such, it only had 10 studio tracks, whereas this new compilation has 17 plus a previously unreleased bonus.

The repeated songs are the obvious ones:

  • “I’ll Never Grow Up, Now!”
  • “You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll”
  • “I Am (I’m Me)”
  • “The Kids Are Back”
  • “I Wanna Rock”
  • “We’re Not Gonna Take It”
  • “The Price”

That leaves a whole lotta songs, including a few singles, that you’ll find here but not on Big Hits.  Notably though, that means this compilation doesn’t have “Shoot ‘Em Down”, “Under the Blade”, or “Bad Boys of Rock ‘N’ Roll”.

What makes this compilation a little more special is that the tracks go almost chronologically, and don’t skimp out on songs from Come Out and Play, or Love Is for Suckers.  Founding guitarist Jay Jay French mentioned in the liner notes that Suckers was supposed to be a Snider solo album, but we do get two songs.

Opening with Twisted’s first Atlantic album Under the Blade, we are treated to the 1985 remixes of “What You Don’t Know (Sure Can Hurt You)”, “I’ll Never Grow Up, Now!” and “Sin After Sin”.  It’s a nice one-two-three punch, with “I’ll Never Grow Up, Now!” being a bubble gum punk sandwich, stuck between two heavy metal hard hitters.  It’s actually a nice change of pace, getting the echo-laden remixes this time.

The heavy metal assault continues with what might be my favourite Twisted song of all time:  “You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll”.

“Like a charging bull, it’s a juggernaut,With steam at full, never to be caught,Incarnate power, roaring from the sky,While others cower, rock ain’t gonna die.”

The slow intro, the chugging riff, the pounding drums of the late great A.J. Pero (my favourite member as a kid) and the roar of Dee Snider made this the perfect heavy metal song to entice a young teenager back in the 80s.  “You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll” is part of a trio included from the same-titled album, joined by melodic metal masterpieces “I Am (I’m Me)” and “The Kids Are Back”.  When Twisted went all melodic, they drew upon classic influences, but combined with the heavy guitars, they almost sound like precursors to pop-punk.  In many regards, Twisted Sister were ahead of their time.  It’s a simple recipe:  Guitars chug, bass joins them, drums throw in some catchy fills, and Dee Snider delivers the hooks with the band on backing vocals.  Simple, but difficult to master.

The largest clutch of songs obviously comes from Stay Hungry, with six.  The three big singles are the obvious ones, but also thrown in are the classic deep cuts “Burn In Hell”, “The Beast” and “S.M.F.”  In these songs, you get the heavier side of “Stay Hungry”, minus the title track itself.  People who don’t actually know Twisted Sister might be surprised how heavy Stay Hungry could get once you ventured outside the safe singles.  “Burn in Hell” is an exersize in intensity that deserves every listen you can give it.  Perhaps the oft-forgotten “The Beast” is the most welcome here, as a true red-blooded slow burner metal monster.

Despite the quality of the lesser-heard Stay Hungry songs, one remains the pinnacle of Twisted Sister’s finest moments:  “The Price”.  Twisted probably took guff from the press and the doubters for attempting a ballad, but “The Price” puts the “power” in power ballad.  Notably, A.J.’s drums are far busier and heavier that you expect from the average paltry power ballad.  Dee Snider demonstrates his expert-level versatility here on the high notes, rendering this song very hard to sing note for note today.

This album wastes no opportunity.  Come Out and Play is finally given a fair shake.  The dark ugly duckling of the Twisted discography is represented by the title track, “Leader of the Pack”, “The Fire Still Burns” and the forgotten sing-along “You Want What We Got”.  They didn’t skimp out here, and you get the full length version of “Come Out and Play”, including the Warriors homage of “Twisted Sister, come out and play!”  Pero’s final album, and his drumming on this track is as blazing fast as it got for Twisted Sister.  “Leader of the Pack” is campy fun, but it really had to be included, being an integral part of Twisted’s early history and eventual failure (at least according to Jay Jay in the liner notes).  “The Fire Still Burns” has an intense flame indeed, though did Dieter Dierks’ production do it any favours?  Of note:  “You Want What We Got” is not the album version.  It is longer at 4:21, and contains an outro with Dee Snider talking, and dropping a deleted expletive!  This version is not credited as being unique, and it’s currently unknown where it originated.

Love Is For Suckers is often neglected.  The Beau Hill-produced album was written to be Dee’s solo debut, and included members of other bands from the Hill camp, such as Fiona, Winger and Kix.  Reb Beach played lead guitar, which led to a sudden change in sound, away from the heavy metal of Twisted Sister’s roots, and more towards what was popular at the time:  the subgenre they call “hair metal” today.  Joey “Seven” Franco replaced A.J., and was so nicknamed as he was the band’s seventh drummer.  Franco also followed Dee into his solo band the following year.  “Hot Love” was the single, which should have been a hit, while “Love Is For Suckers” was the only cover the band ever recorded without playing live first.

The final song is the bonus track, “Born to be Wild”, the Steppenwolf cover that they have indeed played live (going back to 1976, but more recently on Live At Wacken: The Reunion).  This new studio version was recorded in 2005 and produced by Mark “The Animal” Mendoza.  It was used prior to this release in a reality TV series called Knievel’s Wild Ride.  It’s tremendous fun, with Twisted Sister ripping into it with their usual reckless abandon.  Mendoza’s bass is delightfully bass, but Dee Snider really lets loose at the end.

This set, being limited to the Atlantic years, gratefully doesn’t include anything from Still Hungry or Twisted Christmas.  That’s fine and dandy; they would unbalance this release.  The Best of the Atlantic Years is the best single Twisted Sister compilation on the market.

5/5 stars

REVIEW: Pretty Maids – Red, Hot and Heavy (1984)

Thank you to Thor Blackmore for this CD!

PRETTY MAIDS – Red, Hot and Heavy (1984 Sony)

I ignored Pretty Maids when I first heard of the band.  “Pretty Maids?  What kind of name is that?”  Shallow kid stuff, but impactful, because now in 2024 this is my first real listen to Pretty Maids with intent.  Red, Hot and Heavy was the debut album for the Danish hard rock band, after a self-titled EP in ’83.  The six-piece band had some moderate success with the album, so let’s have a listen.

Opener “Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi” is actually an excerpt from Carl Orf’s “Carmina Burana”, and is credited as such on the back.  It’s just a few seconds.  The real opener is “Back to Black”, a scorching metal number with tempo and riffs sharpened and at the ready.  The raspy vocals of Ronnie Atkins differentiate the song from the works of other metal groups such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.  The keyboards give a highbrow neo-classical vibe.  It’s heavier and fuller than Dio, but with all the drama and guitar solo shenanigans.

The title track is slower and nastier.  A rallying cry for metal heads, “Red, Hot and Heavy” doesn’t pretend at being anything more than it is.  A slow metal banger, perfect for fist-pounding and shouting along with at the concert hall.  The shout chorus is custom made for the stage.  The duel guitar solo is pretty cool.  A stock metal chugger, but there is a need for a drum-bashing, stompy riff-rocking concoction such as this.

The highbrow keyboards return on “Waitin’ for the Time”, a very European sounding song which builds from a ballady opening to an upbeat pounder.  Sounds a bit like the Swedish band Europe during their Wings of Tomorrow era, with a hint of Def Leppard in the riff.  It’s an excellent song with light and shade, and a complete musical journey without exceeding five minutes.

“Cold Killer” begins with news broadcast dialogue, and then goes in a fast and ominous music unlike the other songs.  The rather clunky lyrics are about the weaponization of space, a hot topic in 1984 with Reagan’s “Star Wars” program in the nightly news.  But…clunky.  “There should have been a paradise, instead there’s a killer out in space.”  We’ll give them credit for trying at least, which is more than could be said for many bands of the 80s.  Musically it’s a terrifically fun ride through sweet guitar riff and solo action.  The keyboards add a progressive vibe, though some might say pretentious.

The anti-war theme flips over onto side two, with “Battle of Pride”.  Again, it’s not poetry, but the lyrical theme was very popular in metal at the time.  Musically it’s a fast Dio-like rocker with the keyboard accents giving it a different flavour.  Ronnie Atkins’ rasp continues to separate Pretty Maids from other bands, but by the time we hit side two, the ear is craving more variety in the voice.

“Night Danger” is a pure blitzkrieg, now more in the wheelhouse of a band like Accept.  These guys are not slouches when it comes to riffs over 80 mph in speed.  The irony is that, even at that speed, the song doesn’t really go anywhere.  It’s speed for its own sake, and that’s actually fine, because it’s plenty fun and doesn’t need to be anything else.

Acoustics join the electric guitars on “A Place in the Night”, one of the most impressive songs on the album.  Mid-tempo melodic rock, and dialing down on the vocal growls, is exactly what the album needed at this point.  The chorus explodes with passion and power at the right moment.  The keyboards add to the mixture by thickening up the melodic accents.  Brilliant deep cut late in the album.

“Queen of Dreams” has an Yngwie vibe again, though Malmsteen wouldn’t put as much emphasis on the other instruments.  The keyboards add a regal synth-trumpet sound over the guitars, but when the drums kick in, there’s no nonsense.  It’s that kind of metal that is obviously influenced by Deep Purple and Blackmore’s Rainbow, but amped up for the 80s.

The surprise is the closer:  a cover of Thin Lizzy’s single “Little Darling”.  Formerly a horn-laden rock classic, Pretty Maids heavy it up a bit and increase the tempo.  Though “Little Darling” will always be a personal favourite, I don’t think Pretty Maids did it any favours.  Their backing vocals are too shrill for the chorus, and without the horns, it loses that something special.  A swing and a miss for Pretty Maids, which is terribly unfortunate.

Red, Hot and Heavy is a strong debut.  Obviously the band grew and expanded their sound, and still continue today.  This is the foundation.

3.5/5 stars