KISS – Alive 35: Live at Credit Union Centre, Saskatoon SK, Nov 10 2009(Concert Online)
I would buy any “instant live” type CD by Kiss — that’s a given. The sheer quantity available means I will never own a complete collection of them. What I chose to do was buy a handful, selectively. I was most interested in Canadian shows, and of course concerts where new songs from Sonic Boom were performed.
Kiss’ concert in Saskatoon on November 10 2009 fit the bill perfectly.* Something about Paul Stanley shouting, “SASKATOON!” The new songs performed that night were “Modern Day Delilah” and “Say Yeah”, both personal favourites. As a bonus to me, there’s also a version of “Shock Me” with Tommy Thayer singing. Some Kiss fans have taken exception to Tommy singing this song in addition to wearing Ace’s costume. I’m not going to get into that. All I will say on the matter is that I would rather hear “Shock Me” live than not.
The concert opens with four 1974 Kiss classics in a row: “Deuce”, “Strutter”, “Let Me Go Rock ‘N’ Roll” and “Hotter Than Hell”. “Let Me Go” seems to fall apart, giving the show a raucous flavour. It doesn’t get any more retro than that. That’s four of my favourite Kiss songs in a row; four songs I never tire of. Paul’s voice is sore, cracking in several places. The job still gets done with the backing vocals of Eric Singer, Gene Simmons and Tommy Thayer. Eric definitely pulls a lot of weight vocally. As much as I wanted to hear new songs, “Say Yeah” suffers a bit vocally.
Highlight: Undoubtedly, a 16 minute version of “100,000 Years”. Eric Singer does his drum thing, and then Paul and Tommy both pick up their guitars and do a call-and-response jam, throwing in a few Zeppelin licks. You don’t think of Kiss as the kind of band that executes 16 minute extended jams, but it works in a primitive, primordial way.
Paul Stanley’s stage raps are absolutely classic. Paul knows Canada. He knows that all he has to do is say “Montreal” and he gets the crowd going. Just before “Rock all Roll all Nite”, Paul informs the crowd that Shannon Tweed is in the house! The fellow Canadian is greeted warmly by the people of Saskatoon. However my favourite rap is this:
“There’s so much trouble in the world. If you came here tonight to hear some band tell you how to end global warming…if you came here tonight to hear some band tell you how to end world hunger…you are in the wrooong place tonight! I’ll tell you something, we all came here tonight to escape from the world! Tomorrow morning when we get up it’ll be just as screwed up as it is today. We might as well have a little fun! And you know if somebody says to you…’You outta be a little more socially conscious, you outta be doing what you can to help save the world.’ You say to them, ‘Listen to me. Tonight’s my night off and I wanna Rock and Roll all Nite and party every day!'”
Hard to argue with that, Paul!
4/5 stars
*I still want a CD from a European show where they performed “I’m An Animal”, however.
At the conclusion of Record Store Tales, I told the story of how I earned the nickname LeBrain. It’s a fairly common question. It all came down to a contest on the Craig Fee Show (on 107.5 Dave FM) called the 4 O’Clock 4-Play…which I dominated. I was the undisputed champion. I had more wins under my belt than anyone, including two wins on the very first song. I also sent Craig numerous 4-Plays of my own creation, some of which still haven’t been used yet. I thought it would be fun to post one or two that I especially liked. Here’s my favourite.
The challenge is to figure out the common thread that ties all four songs together. I had to choose songs that Dave FM would be willing to play. This one isn’t overly difficult (although I may have thrown a curveball in there), but I did enjoy constructing it. So put yourselves in the shoes of a listener, and trying to figure out the theme one song at a time. Also keep in mind that Craig would not tell you what song he is about to play. A casual listener could easily mistake the Freddie Mercury track for Queen, or the David Lee Roth song for Van Halen. This could potentially affect your guess. But the theme could be anything: lyrical, musical, background trivia, artist…and I liked to come up with unique themes.
Play the tracks in order as a listener would, and make a guess in the comments section!
1. Iron Maiden – “Flight of Icarus”
2. Nirvana – “Lithium”
3. Freddie Mercury – “Mr. Bad Guy”
4. David Lee Roth – “Just Like Paradise”
I’ll post the answer right here later today, so check back. Good luck! Take a swing at the piñata and post a guess!
W.A.S.P. – The Headless Children (1998 Sanctuary remaster, originally 1989)
When this album came out in ’89, my friends gave me a hard time for buying it. “You still listening to W.A.S.P.? Don’t they suck?” Then later on that summer, the ballad “Forever Free” was released as a single, and suddenly everybody wanted to tape my W.A.S.P. album! Funny how that worked out.
This is W.A.S.P.’s best. As far as the early stuff goes, It’s their meanest, heaviest, most aggressive and honest record. It’s the last before Chris Holmes split (for the first time anyway) and it has Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot) on drums. This is it. If you’re going to own one W.A.S.P. album, it has to be this one. The first single “The Real Me” (a Townshend-approved Who cover) was misleading, as the album is much heavier than that. The title track, “Thunderhead”, and especially “The Heretic” all kick some serious metallic ass. Double-bass, fast riffs, eerie Sabbathy organ, it’s all here.
Blackie outdid himself on this one, even his concept album opus The Crimson Idol couldn’t top it. Lyrically this is (mostly) more serious territory, tackling subjects such as hard drugs, Reagan, and the decline of western civilization. Occasionally they lapse back into joke material (“Mean Man”) but soon it’s back to serious rocking.
Blackie was inspired to get serious by his old song, “B.A.D.” from the first album. A fan had come up to Blackie and said that song had helped her kick drugs. It was the line, “It’s the bloody fix you do” that inspired her to quit. Blackie realized, “Here we did this thing without even trying. What could we do if we tried?”
Hence, songs like “Thunderhead”. Even the excellent ballad “Forever Free” has some serious spirit to it, an ode to someone who is no longer with us. Regardless of the lyrics, music is the most important thing, and The Headless Children is W.A.S.P.’s strongest collection of music to date. It was all there: heavy metal with solid riffs and influences dating back to the roots. Mood wise, we are firmly in the blackest of Sabbath territory on many songs.
The bonus material is interesting on the remastered edition. “Locomotive Breath” is a W.A.S.P.-ified version of a Jethro Tull classic, much simpler but heavy as lead. Other tracks are outtakes, and some musical and lyrical bits would be re-used on Crimson Idol. See if you can spot them. The closing track “Blind In Texas” (a live B-side) is unfortunately a useless version with some drunk dude being invited to sing the chorus. A waste of plastic. Fortunately the rest of the album proper makes up for it.
ORANGE GOBLIN – Back From the Abyss (2014 Candlelight)
When the mighty Orange Goblin started their musical journey, they really were more of your typical “Stoner Rock” fare. Now to be fair, the word “typical” there refers to the overall sound and style of their music. Right from their 1997 debut album, Frequencies From Planet Ten, it became apparent that if Orange Goblin was to be labelled “Stoner Rock”, then they were rightfully placed on the top shelf with the elite bands of that genre. With their 2012 release, A Eulogy For The Damned, Orange Goblin dabbled sparingly with other forms of heavy rock. The title track being the best example of that, which I feel is one of the best pieces of hard rock ever released. But still, the album as a whole really was one big heavy metal punch to the head. Orange Goblin’s latest musical journey is more like a series of methodical jabs, as if the 12 songs were 12 different rounds of a barbaric boxing match, each round finding a different way of attacking your senses. The aforementioned title track from Eulogy of the Damned showed me that Orange Goblin were capable of becoming something very different than just a “Stoner Rock” band. Back From the Abyss sees the transformation completed. After a couple listens I truly believe that when Orange Goblin’s career is assessed in retrospect, Goblin’s latest album will go down as their quintessential release.
The title of Orange Goblin’s 8th release refers to the gruelling two-year long tour that followed the release of Eulogy of the Damned. It was on this tour that I had the privilege to see them live in London, Ontario last year. They were outstanding live. It was literally a fucking metal party. The band seemed to enjoy the festivities as much as the crowd did. Vocalist Ben Ward towered over the crowd like Conan and had his fellow barbarians eating out of his huge palm. It should be noted as well, that as intimidating as Ben Ward is on stage, he was completely the opposite upon meeting him after the show. He was a true gentleman and his overall coolness was very impressive. Taking the experience of their first full North American tour to the studio produces Back From The Abyss. I personally was praying to the Metal Gods that Orange Goblin’s next album would continue to explore more musically diverse ways of punching you in the fucking head. This album delivers much more than that. This could very well be Orange Goblin’s finest hour.
“SABBATH HEX” – The album starts off as it should with reckless Goblin abandon. According to Ben Ward the song title came from an idea he once had to put a curse on anyone who doesn’t like Black Sabbath. This is a great chugging riffy opener. Starting from track one you start to realize Ben Ward is becoming more than just a growler.
“UBERMENSCH” – Get in the car with Orange Goblin. Fasten your seatbelts as they hit the gas pedal and tear it up. That pretty much describes this second track. Great riff during the verses are reminiscent of early QOTSA. Riff is king.
“THE DEVIL’S WHIP” – This song was released weeks ago, and a lot has been written already about this being a blatant Motorhead memorial. That is exactly what it is. I find the track reminds me of the song “Iron Fist”, but I am sure every Motorhead fan would be reminded of a different track themselves. From the beginning “Alright!” cue, this song is indeed a Kilmister-worthy tribute that speeds along at a break-neck pace.
“DEMON’S BLUES” – One of the greatest things about this album for me are the many different vocal approaches. While most of this song sees Ben Ward barking out the blues in his special way, “Demon’s Blues” begins with spoken word that has a very doom metal feel. I really like the melody-first approach on this song (which is even more apparent on the chorus), and it seems to foreshadow what is to come.
“HEAVY LIES THE CROWN” – It is official now. Orange Goblin has progressed from being a great heavy rock band to being true songwriters. This track is fucking awesome. I love the lyrics, the great guitar work and the anthemic vocals. In a recent interview, Ben Ward compared the ending chanting vocals to early Manowar and I can totally hear that. For me, the last couple minutes of this track sounds like if Thin Lizzy had written the Game of Thrones theme song. Best piece of music so far on the album.
“INTO THE ARMS OF MORPHEUS” – Well, I did say “so far”. “Into the Arms of Morpheus” starts off with a very “NIB”-like isolated bass line. As this song marches on, Goblin launches into the molten blues they do so very well. I love the ending of this song. This might be the best guitar work I have ever heard from guitarist Joe Hoare. It is becoming apparent that Orange Goblin are really challenging themselves as songwriters now. And that theme continues with the next track as well.
“MYTHICAL KNIVES” – This pirate-themed track shows Ben Ward experimenting even more with his vocal approach. More doom-esque tones and even parts that sound more like Gregorian monk chanting than rock vocals. “Mythical Knives” = Melodic Power. Nuff said.
“BLOODZILLA” – Orange Goblin warns you of what you are in store for as Ben Ward screams “Go!” And as “Bloodzilla” began, there I was, heavily cutting in tribute to the wondrous metal before me. I found myself wishing someone was with me while I was listening to this. This will be an instant live staple. I love the ending riff of this song, which repeats over and over again, and brought to mind for me a kind of heavy metal version of the ending to “Layla” by Derek and the Dominoes.
“THE ABYSS” – At times this track veers more towards Alice in Chains rather than the Sabbath-based approach that usually dominates their material. Rearing its not so ugly head again is the doom metal sound I mentioned earlier. In general, I am not a fan of the style of doom metal. However I find that the sprinklings of doom throughout this album are simply a great compliment to the songs. Once again another terrific Orange Goblin instant classic.
“TITAN” – The first of two instrumentals on the album, “Titan” may actually be my favorite piece of music on Back From The Abyss. Very reminiscent of Iron Maiden, as well as shades of Thin Lizzy once again. Even more surprising is that parts of this song actually remind me of Dream Theater or Queensryche. Just another example of Orange Goblin having a lot more up their tattooed sleeve than we thought they did.
“BLOOD OF THEM” – With lyrics inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, and even more diversity in the vocal approach, “Blood of Them” comes across as an extremely heavy track both lyrically and sonically. Love the spoken word at the beginning of the song. Simply another great track on this album.
“THE SHADOW OVER INNSMOUTH” – The second instrumental on Back From The Abyss ends the album in style. I found that this track reminds of “The Zoo” by the Scorpions, but with many more riffs and some off-beats. Just a great guitar-based track which again proves that melody is becoming king to Orange Goblin. In an interview, Ben Ward stated that they are thinking of using this track is their intro when playing live. That would be a great choice.
In closing, Back From The Abyss impressively proves that Orange Goblin are not just a band writing heavy songs anymore. Orange Goblin are songwriters that happen to play heavy rock and roll. What category do you put Orange Goblin in now? Who knows and who cares. All you need to know is that this album is Top Shelf Rock. Based on my previous experience seeing this band live, I can only imagine how good these songs will be to see live. If you get the chance to see Orange Goblin live, you must do so.
Holy shit, AC/DC’s back. When we all heard about Malcolm’s health problems, I thought that was it. I really didn’t expect them to carry on with Stevie Young — but here he is, on AC/DC’s great new single “Play Ball”.
Judging by “Play Ball”, not much has changed in AC/DC land. The flavour is still distinctly AC/DC: upbeat, great mid-tempo groove and solid riff. And I swear you can hear some different fingers on the strings. Listen carefully. Yet regardless of losing arguably the most important member of AC/DC, it sounds like nobody else. Brian’s still growling, his voice pretty much unchanged since the Ballbreaker album in ’95. Musically, I’m thinking in territory similar to 2000’s Stiff Upper Lip. I’ve heard the song six times as of this writing (three on the radio, three on my PC). It’s nothing that will go down in AC/DC history as one of their greatest singles, but I can’t say anything bad about it either.
4/5 stars
Rock Or Busttracklisting:
01. Rock Or Bust
02. Play Ball
03. Rock The Blues Away
04. Miss Adventure
05. Dogs Of War
06. Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder
07. Hard Times
08. Baptism By Fire
09. Rock The House
10. Sweet Candy
11. Emission Control
SKID ROW – Forty Seasons: The Best of Skid Row (1998 Atlantic Japan)
US cover
The Japanese fans always seem to get the coolest stuff. Look at this package: shiny silver, instead of the boring grey of the American release. Digipack with foil stickers! Bonus track! So much cooler than the standard release here. Hell, the Japanese title is even spelled F-o-r-t-y, where the American version has the briefer 40. Why? Not sure. Either way I’m glad to have this version, which fell in my hands thanks to customer Conrad in the late 90’s. He sold it to me with stickers intact and still sealed; all that is missing is the obi strip.
Whether you own Forty Seasons or 40 Seasons, the party starts with “Youth Gone Wild”. Any commemoration of the Sebastian Bach years should open with that track. Although “Youth Gone Wild” is Bach’s signature track today (along with “I Remember You”), he actually wrote neither. Some fans would be surprised how little Bach has written in Skid Row, and indeed he only has two writing credits on this greatest hits disc. What Bach brings to the party is his spirit, attitude, and incredible voice. When Skid Row came out in ’89, Bach was almost instantaneously a 21 year old superstar. He had the ego to deliver the rock star vibe in concert and in print, and he certainly had the vocal chops. This is why Bach has remained a thorn in Skid Row’s side today, 15 years since hiring Johnny Solinger to replace him.
Track two is a little too soon for a mellow song in my opinion, but “18 and Life” works in this slot due to its dark vibe and powerful choruses. The singles “Piece of Me” and “I Remember You” are the other representations from album #1, although I definitely could have done without “Piece of Me”. Skid Row have written much better heavy rockers since. “I Remember You” is a song I still haven’t really tired of, thanks to Bach’s timeless performance. Every time Baz sang this tune in Toronto, the place went insane, as Bach always sang it for his old stomping grounds. Rachel Bolan and Snake Sabo may have written the song, but when I think of “I Remember You”, I think of Toronto.
Skid Row’s second album Slave to the Grind blew away the first. I’m glad “The Threat” was included. It may not have been a single, but it was one of the outstanding album cuts. Equally solid was the bass groove of “Psycho Love”, which is relentless. Skid Row really turned up the octane on that second album. I think both tracks outshine the single “Monkey Business”, but nothing can overpowerful the thrash metal of “Slave to the Grind” itself. When it was released, I couldn’t believe how full-on Skid Row had become. This is a high water mark of heaviosity.
“Quicksand Jesus” represents one of the three slow tunes on Slave; I would have selected “Wasted Time”. “Quicksand Jesus” is an outstanding song, and so is the other slow tune not included here, “In A Darkened Room”. “Wasted Time” is so clearly above and beyond either of those two, that I can’t understand why it’s not on this CD. It has something special to it, like “I Remember You” did.
So the first half of the CD covers the first two Skid Row records with all the big hits. The second half covers the rest, plus rare and unreleased stuff. I love the third Skid Row record, Subhuman Race. I consider it a great metal record in the context of the mid 1990’s. For some reason, none of the Subhuman songs included here are the album versions. I know the band fought with Bob Rock over the production on that album, and maybe that is why. “Into Another”, which might be considered a slower song, is remixed making a little lusher. The single “My Enemy” is also remixed, perhaps to tame down the St. Anger-esque drums. My favourite Skid Row ballad, “Breakin’ Down” is remixed as well, but you have to know the song really well like I do to notice by ear alone. (Listen to the guitar accents.) Overall it’s more polished and finished, which is fine, because the album version was actually more or less just the demo version. Lyrically the song is a message from Sabo to Bach, about their failing relationship. Bach reportedly received the demo, sang to it, and that’s what was put on the record.
The excellent banger “Frozen” is presented in demo form, which is interesting but inferior to the excellent, slamming album version. Finally, “Beat Yourself Blind” (Bach’s favourite song from Subhuman Race) is live. What an awesome tune live. This is from the Japanese Subhuman Beings on Tour EP. As great as the stuttery album version is, the live one is more fluid. I’ve heard Rachel Bolan say the Subhuman album “sucked”. I don’t understand how he can say that, and I think the five songs here prove my point.
The album closes with a pair of treats: unreleased songs! “Forever” from the first album’s sessions is better than many of the songs on that record! Who chooses these songs? Perhaps it was a bit too derivative of other popular 80’s bands, but Sebastian makes it sound like nobody else but Skid Row. This not only should have been on the album, but could have been a hit single. Then there’s “Fire in the Hole”, a great little slammer that didn’t make the second album. This time I agree. That second album is incredible and “Fire in the Hole” isn’t up to those high standards. It’s definitely better than many bands’ album tracks, but not Skid Row.
Last of all, the lucky Japanese got the Ramones cover “Psycho Therapy” from the B-Sides Ourselves EP (1992). This is the only inclusion from that EP, and it’s a gooder. Rachel sang lead (with Taime Downe of Faster Pussycat backing him). We all know Rachel’s a punk guy, and I think that’s the side of Skid Row that clashed with Bach’s metal tendencies. Just my theory.
You’ve heard ofEpic Meal Time? They should call me Epic Review Time. Here’s a couple hours of music, text and video distilled down and covered in detail. This is a double-sized review for the price of one. Dive in and engorge!
RUSH – Snakes & Arrows (2007 Warner Music Interactive DVD album)
Rush’s Snakes & Arrows album was considered a progression from the previous record, Vapor Trails. The pummeling of Vapor Trails has been tempered with light and shade, bringing a more balanced Rush. It was also mixed in 5.1 for a special “Music Video Interactive” DVD by Richard Chycki and Alex Lifeson, who oversee most of Rush’s 5.1 mixes. I haven’t listened to any version of Snakes & Arrows for many moons, so this is a review from fresh ears.
First though, there is a 40+ minute documentary video called “The Game of Snakes & Arrows” so we can learn a bit about how the album came to be. Geddy Lee says that their priority for choosing a recording studio was that they wanted the best drum sound imaginable. They chose an old mansion out in the Adironacks. 47 individual microphones were used to record the entire drum kit. Neil Peart says that the isolation of the studio led to the three guys reconnecting as musicians and friends like the old days at Le Studio. According to Alex Lifeson, the plan for writing this time was to take it easy, working on the writing part only part time. Later on, more time was spent on just rehearsing and playing the new songs, which transformed them along them way. The documentary contains snippets of some intricate Lifeson acoustic 12-string, in the studio, where Alex makes it look easy.
Producer Nick Raskulinecz was not a passive participant; indeed there was give and take with the band in order to make the best out of each song. It was a process that worked well according to Alex. I enjoyed hearing Alex explain the suspended F chord in “Far Cry” — there’s a story behind it. There is some great footage of Geddy playing Mellotron on “Good News First” too. I also love a fly on the wall scene of Geddy jamming a bass lick on his brand-new-out-of-the-box Jaco Pastorius bass. The lick sounded good and Geddy says, “We’ll jam to it later. We’ll get the Big Guy on drums.” Chills up my spine. Raskulinecz asks, “Would it be bad if we had two instrumentals on the record?” Geddy immediately responds, “No, it’ll be a first.” Peart shows up and they start to jam, and when Alex arrives it only takes him a day to come up with his guitar part to the Grammy-nominated Rush bass-drum jam called “Malignant Narcissism”. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am. This is how the big boys play.
Although this doc is only 40 minutes in length it’s well worth having. This is great stuff. Neil Peart crafting drum parts in front of our very eyes is a treat that few other DVDs deliver. Seeing Geddy applauding his bandmate shouting, “He’s killing it, woo!” is glorious.
As if all this isn’t enough, there is a many-paged (I lost count) essay by Peart called “The Game of Snakes & Arrows: Prize Every Time”. My favourite detail is what producer Nick Raskulinecz was nicknamed: “Boujze”, based on the sound he’d make when trying to convey to Peart a drum fill suggestion. “Bappitty-bap-bap-booooujze!”
The DVD photo gallery is a total joke: FIVE pictures. At least the package comes with an expanded booklet with lots of Hugh Syme’s surreal artwork. Since the photo gallery on the DVD was just shite photies, I’ll give you some shots from the documentary that are loads better.
So, let’s get on with the album then. Pushing play —
Delicacy and aggression describe album opener (and first single) “Far Cry”. The acoustics of Lifeson are easily overwhelmed by the pummeling band. “Far Cry” boasts one of those powerful 90’s-style Rush riffs that groove rather than exercise the brain. Immediately I am overwhelmed by a dense 5.1 riff. I do not know how many guitars I am hearing, but Alex has unique parts coming in from all sides, including an acoustic on the left that I never noticed before. I have loved “Far Cry” since its triumphant release in 2007; it is just as powerful and engaging today. New appreciation for Lifeson will be had on this mix.
“Armor & Sword” was a standout then and now, just as “Far Cry” before. The song has always shimmered, but more so in 5.1. This track has much more of Alex’s acoustic guitars, and more texture. It has a regal 80’s Rush-like quality without the keyboards. In fact there are no keyboards on Snakes & Arrows, only the Mellotron. The 5.1 mix becomes a little dense at times, and the layers of guitars oppressive, but it is indeed a massive song. Then, you can audibly hear the Mellotron on “Workin’ Them Angels”, a phrase taken from one of Peart’s books. It is a brighter song than either of the first two, and I like the reference to the “moving picture”. “Workin’ Them Angels” is an album highlight, particularly the mandolin near the end.
Somber moods inhabit “The Larger Bowl”, with Alex’s acoustics again giving it mood and texture. The hippy-ish chorus sounds like the 1960’s to me, and with the acoustics it paints a picture in my mind. This is a very good song, but Alex’s well composed guitar solo is the focal point for me. His tone is very different on the solo, very warm. It’s an excellent song. “Spindrift” is less overwhelming to me. There is nothing wrong with it; it is simply less enchanting than its predecessors since they set the bar quite high. The song was, however, performed on the Snakes & Arrows tour and kicks of CD 2 of the album Snakes & Arrows Live and there is no denying it is powerful.
“The Main Monkey Business” is the first instrumental, again featuring Geddy on Mellotron. The main melodic element to this song feels familiar to me — it reminds me of one of Ace Frehley’s “Fractured” instrumentals in terms of melody. In terms of playing and structure, it is nothing like Frehley. The 5.1 mix here is nicely balanced. I’m getting plenty of distinct acoustic parts, with Geddy and Neil front and center. The chiming guitars behind me envelope the listener in warmth. Then, suddenly during a solo guitar section, the mix retreats almost all way to stereo before returning again on all 5.1. Things bounce back and forth between intensely heavy and intensely heady. This is a masterpiece of instrumental craft.
“We can only go the way the wind blows,” claims Peart on the next song. “The Way the Wind Blows” has two distinct sections:one heavy and one with layered acoustics. I prefer the acoustic section and I’m not too much into the heavy parts which sounds a bit same-y to 90’s Rush stuff. Then, “Hope” is a short Lifeson acoustic showcase. This might be the point at which some Rush fans started to doze a bit. Admittedly Snakes & Arrows is the most acoustic-based Rush album I can think of. I just don’t think that’s a bad thing. Not when you have Alex Lifeson in your band. “Hope” leads into “Faithless”, a strong Rush composition. There seems to be some sort continuity of theme here, or perhaps it is all in my head? First Neil says we can only go the way the wind blows. Then we go from “Hope”, to a discussion of faith. On “Faithless”, Neil says that like the willow, he will quietly resist. Seems like a total 180 from going where the wind blows to me, and I don’t care if it’s not intentional because I think it’s cool. On the guitar end, Alex plays a cool bluesy solo, once again classing up the song several notches. What a player.
The song that doesn’t work for me is “Bravest Face”. I find the verses annoying. “Good News First” is better, returning us to the regal Rush territory I prefer. Alex’s magnificent chords are enhanced by the Mellotron. Weak verses are compensated for here by other elements. It sounds like an incomplete song to me, but better than “Bravest Face”. The aforementioned “Malignant Narcissism” is a mind-tornado as opposed to a mind-blow. But it’s actually a distraction; you’re about to be blown away by the sheer power of closer “We Hold On”. Rush closers usually just bowl me over, and “We Hold On” is one of those. Fucking awesome. This time, Alex concentrates on the electric guitar and comes up with numerous unique and enhancing licks. This is a complete Rush triumph. Neil is absolutely relentless. It leaves the album on an exhausted, satisfied note.
And a good thing, too — I was starting to worry as the song quality was dipping towards the end there. I’m happy Rush redeemed it with a stunner like “We Hold On”.
As most AC/DC fans are aware, their Australian and American discographies differed greatly in tracklists and cover art. Australia also got one more record (T.N.T.) than we did. This amounted to a number of Bon Scott tracks that were left off the original American releases. It made sense to eventually release them, so in 1984, five tracks were released on the tenth anniversary EP, ’74 Jailbreak. Of note, none of these songs are actually from 1974.
The track “Jailbreak” itself didn’t become a hit until this compilation was released. It was originally on 1976’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap in Australia. It definitely sounds from that era, and it’s long been one of my favourites. I found that little riff irresistible, then and now. I love Bon Scott’s storytelling lyrics, still cool today. “Big man lying on the ground, with a hole in his body where his life had been.” And c’mon, you have to love the music video, or you have no sense of fun in your rock!
The next four tracks were all from High Voltage, another favourite album of mine. “You Ain’t Got a Hold on Me” is one of those slinky Bon Scott rockers. I like the spare riff and Angus’ bluesy playing. Uptempo “Show Business” is a wry dig on the business side of rock and roll. “You’re smoking butts, they smoke cigars.” Angus’ playing here is especially tasty as he takes his Gibson SG for a ride. Then “Soul Stripper” takes it to a dirty place. AC/DC return to that slinky territory they used to do so well with Bon. “Soul Stripper” is a highlight among highlights, with those quieter bass-driven verses. “Pulled out a knife and flashed it before me, stuck it in and turned it around.”
A cover of “Baby, Please Don’t Go” closes the EP on a frenetic extended jam. Bon shrieks as if in agony. The band blast away as only one of the greatest pure rock and roll bands can. This is rock and roll 101, your teachers are in class, so pay attention to Mr. Young and Mr. Young!
None of the songs on ’74 Jailbreak are outtake quality. I never fully understood who decided what songs were to be left off American releases and why. Some of these songs were singles in Australia! As mentioned, these are only some of the songs unreleased on American albums. There were more and they too were pretty damn good. They are “Stick Around” and “Love Song” from High Voltage, “R.I.P. (Rock in Peace)” from Dirty Deeds, “Crabsody in Blue” from Let There Be Rock, and “Cold Hearted Man” from Powerage. All these songs can be had on the Backtracks box set today.
Welcome back to theWeek of EPs! Each day this week, I’ll be checking out a variety of EP releases, both famed and obscure.
MONDAY:Aerosmith – The Other Side (1990) WOLFSBANE – All Hell’s Breaking Loose Down at Little Kathy Wilson’s Place! (1990 Def American)
I only own one Wolfsbane release on CD, and it’s this EP. I remember that their Rubin-produced debut Live Fast, Die Fast didn’t sound as good as a Rubin production should. This follow-up EP was produced by someone named Brenden O’Brian, who is presumably a different producer than the famed Bredan O’Brien. Whoever it is, there’s little wrong with the production here. It has guts and clarity. The drums could use some more oomph.
The opening track “Steel” is one that I remember from Blaze Bayley’s live album. Hearing it again, it’s fucking awesome! “Tough as steel!” repeats the chorus which is appropriate for this razor sharp attack. The guitars by Jase Edwards are choppy and aggressive, and they really sell the song. I like when the rhythm guitar drops out during the solo, and all you have is bass and drums — just like it would be live.
“Paint the Town Red” is good time hard rock. It still has a toughness to it, because of the basic guitar-based production. There’s a radio-ready chorus and plenty of rocking melody, so if you had to pick one song as a potential hit, it’s “Paint the Town Red”. Then it’s on to the ridiculously over the top “Loco”. This time the guitars are almost a parody of shredding, so insane are they. I can’t say I’m overly fond of “Loco”, but it sure does rip.
In 1990, you had to have an accessible song with acoustic guitars on your CD. “Hey Babe” is that song. Blaze’s flat vocals lend it some character, but otherwise it’s a pretty standard sounding 1990 rock ballad. The dry guitars are very tasteful, the highlight of the track. “Totally Nude” is a pretty dumb title, but it’s actually a pretty good hard rocker. As the guitars blaze up and down the fretboard, song works its way into your head.
“Kathy Wilson” is a little bit of a mini-epic. Based on the classic film Invaders From Mars, it’s a little corny but absolutely cool at the same time. Blaze acts out some of the movie lines in spoken-word segments, but wails away on the choruses. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that this is an impressive little track. It’s a little more complex than the standard rockers, but has the same blitzkrieg drive.
Consider picking up All Hell’s Breaking Loose Down at Little Kathy Wilson’s Place! at a reasonable price for a nice brief addition to your metal and Iron Maiden collections.
KISS – Alive 35: Live at Credit Union Centre, Saskatoon SK, Nov 10 2009 (Concert Online)
The concert opens with four 1974 Kiss classics in a row: “Deuce”, “Strutter”, “Let Me Go Rock ‘N’ Roll” and “Hotter Than Hell”. “Let Me Go” seems to fall apart, giving the show a raucous flavour. It doesn’t get any more retro than that. That’s four of my favourite Kiss songs in a row; four songs I never tire of. Paul’s voice is sore, cracking in several places. The job still gets done with the backing vocals of Eric Singer, Gene Simmons and Tommy Thayer. Eric definitely pulls a lot of weight vocally. As much as I wanted to hear new songs, “Say Yeah” suffers a bit vocally.
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