NOTE: Because of the three Top 15 on the 15th posts today, there will be no posting for Wednesday. A directory to all the Top 15 on the 15th posts can be found here. Browse them all!
Getting More Tale #433.9 presents: A worldwide online event! THE TOP 15 ON THE 15th – Guest shot by Iron Tom Sharpe
Latest to throw his hat into the Top 15 on the 15th ring is Iron Tom Sharpe, Meaford’s Greatest Athlete. One of the most knowledgeable rock fans in the country, Iron Tom is a national treasure. He is a former Record Store owner, and one of the Jedi masters who instructed me.
His message to me upon completion of his list: “Fuck that was tough…and I know I left off some big ones…I just know it…Ah fuck, The D! Max!”
There may be no Tenacious D, and there may be no Max Webster. But here is one kick-ass #Top15onthe15th.
15. The Sword – Warp Riders
14. Metallica – Master of Puppets
13. Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers
12. Frank Zappa – Bongo Fury
11. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
10.Kyuss – Sky Valley
9. Van Halen – Fair Warning
8. Willie Nelson – Phases and Stages
7. Yes – Close to the Edge
6. Iron Maiden – Powerslave
5. Fu Manchu – The Action Is Go
4. Steve Earle – I Feel Alright
3. Marillion – Misplaced Childhood
2. Queen – Queen II
1. Rush – Moving Pictures
Almost made it:
Orange Goblin – Time Traveling Blues
Crosby Stills & Nash – CSN
Pink Floyd – Animals
Motorhead – Another Perfect Day
Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell
And finally…an extra bonus. Iron Tom’s Top 5 Live!
Oh, how I loathe lists! Readers seem to love “Top Whatever” lists; different kinds, but I sure do hate making them.
However, I don’t like doing things in half-measures either. So for this, the Top 15 on the 15th, I’ve gone one step beyond. Not only do you get my Top 15 on the 15th, but also a list of the Top 15 tracks to listen to from these 15 amazing albums.
As of today, here are my Top 15. These will change periodically, probably tomorrow, and again the day after. See why I hate lists? In the end I decided that I wanted to fairly represent some of my favourite artists. But enough whining from me — let’s rock. Spin these little bastards for a good time!
15. Judas Priest – Hell Bent for Leather (Killing Machine)
14. Max Webster – A Million Vacations
13. Queen – News of the World
12. Alice Cooper – School’s Out
11. The Beatles – The Beatles (The White Album)
10.Thin Lizzy – Johnny the Fox
9. Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy
8. Johnny Cash – At San Quentin
7.Faith No More – Angel Dust
6. Rush – Moving Pictures
5.Van Halen – 1984
Let’s stop here for a moment. The thing about my top albums list is, the top four never change. Four of these five albums have been in my top five for a long as I can remember making lists for. The order may change, but that top four have been my top four, forever. They are indelibly heat-stamped onto my grey matter. These are as much a part of me as my left arm!
4.Iron Maiden – Piece of Mind
3. Kiss – Hotter Than Hell
2.Deep Purple – Fireball
1.Black Sabbath – Born Again
Right there are 15 incredible collections of music, both studio and live. But let’s not fool ourselves. Nobody is going to listen to all 15 of those albums just because some guy on the internet who goes by the name of “LeBrain” said so. I have chosen to distill these 15 amazing records down into 15 key tracks. I’m sure nobody needs an introduction to the big hits, so here are tracks you may not have heard. If you have ever cared about rock music, then you need to listen to these Top 15 Songs from the Top 15 Albums, on the 15th!
1. Rush – “Vital Signs”
2. Black Sabbath – “Disturbing the Priest”
3. Queen – “It’s Late”
4. Iron Maiden – “Where Eagles Dare”
5. The Beatles – “Dear Prudence”
6. Johnny Cash – “San Quentin”
“If any of the guards are still speakin’ to me, can I get a glass of water?”
7. Led Zeppelin – “The Ocean”
8. Thin Lizzy – “Massacre”
9. Alice Cooper – “Gutter Cat vs. the Jets”
10. Deep Purple – “Fools”
11. Iron Maiden – “Revelations”
12. Judas Priest – “The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)”
13. Alice Cooper – “My Stars”
14. Queen – “Spread Your Wings”
15. Deep Purple – “No No No”
Astute readers will realize that one singer appears on two albums. Ian Gillan was fronting Black Sabbath in ’83 for Born Again, and of course is best known as Deep Purple’s lead howler. Does this double appearance make Ian Gillan the greatest rock vocalist of all time? No. But the greatest does appear, with Queen on News of the World – Freddie Mercury!
IRON MAIDEN – The Book of Souls(2015 Parlophone, collector’s book edition)
I have a new hero. His name is Bruce Dickinson.
Bruce has not only beaten cancer back to that dark hole from which it came, but he takes command on Iron Maiden’s new opus The Book of Souls.
Even though he only has writing credits on four of the 11 tracks here, his impact is massive. With lungs of iron, Bruce propels everything. For the first time (possibly) ever, I feel that the most important band member is not leader Steve Harris, but the singer himself.
Right from the opener “If Eternity Should Fail”, Bruce is center stage. He wrote this complex number himself. It boasts one of Maiden’s most memorable choruses yet, and musical twists and turns that return us to Powerslave. Meanwhile, there is a hook that reminds me of Bruce’s solo song “The Ghost of Cain”, from Accident of Birth.
We took a good look at the lead single, “Speed of Light” a couple weeks back. Maiden often write a fast, heavy blazer to go with a new album, and that’s “Speed of Light”. Even though it is the single, it is far from the strongest song. Written by Bruce and Adrian Smith, it is certainly a good Iron Maiden track, but in comparison to the monuments of metal that surround it, “Speed of Light” feels like a brief diversion from the epic metal moments at hand. Adrian’s solo, however, is delicious.
“The Great Unknown” (Smith/Harris) opens softly, but even so there is a menacing tone to Bruce’s voice and the underlying instruments. With a slow, thrusting riff, “The Great Unknown” soon lurches forth, a killer metal march for the ages. Bruce pushes his voice to the very limits, giving it all and then some. As with many of the songs on The Books of Souls, I hear hints and echoes of past Maiden epics. This is not a lack of originality, more like a signature — familiar but always different. “The Great Unknown” ends on the soft note with which it began.
What is an Iron Maiden album without a Steve Harris bass intro? He and producer Kevin Shirley captured a wonderful bass sound on this album. “The Red and the Black”, another epic, is the only Harris solo writing credit. It has a riff that takes me all the way back to Killers, but then it is gone, and it’s onto another riff…and another…and another. At 13 minutes in length, this is one of those trademark Harris songs. Time changes galore, loaded with hooks. You can draw parallels to many epics from the past, but to do so takes away from this one. “The Red and the Black” is a proud achievement, a passionate metal song as only Iron Maiden can really do. Adrian Smith handles one of the guitar solos with a huge splash of wah-wah, and that is simply a thing of beauty. In sum, if you took a little bit of everything that makes Iron Maiden great and unique, then all those ingredients are in “The Red and the Black”. Bass outro, and that’s that.
A semi-shorty (5:52) is in the next slot, a fast riffer called “When the River Runs Deep” written by Steve and Adrian. This one is hard to compare to any past Maiden tracks, as it occupies a space all its own. Adrian Smith sometimes brings in riffs that sound like something other than Iron Maiden, and I think that’s “When the River Runs Deep”. Adrian takes another wah-wah solo, but not to be outdone is Janick Gers who throws down an edgy solo of his own. As far as Iron Maiden goes, this song is guitar solo nirvana.
A 10 minute epic always makes a good closer when you’re Iron Maiden, so the title track “The Book of Souls” (Gers/Harris) is last for disc one. Gentle acoustic guitars and keyboards emulating pipes tell us that this is previously uncharted territory. Then “The Book of Souls” trudges forth, with a beat not unlike “Mother Russia” from No Prayer for the Dying. There’s far more to the song than that, however. Soaring lead vocals (Bruce only seems stronger!) just ice the cake. All three Maiden guitarists shine on this, but Janick and Adrian have some solos that just play off each other so well. You want those trademark Maiden guitar melodies? How about galloping riffs? Nicko McBrain killing it on the drums? Maiden deliver, in top notch style, everything and then some more.
Bruce and Adrian co-wrote “Death or Glory”, opening side two with frenetic drums and riffing. Going for the throat, The Book of Souls has more fast riffs per minute than any Maiden album in decades. In five brief minutes, you are blasted against the wall, bounced off the floor, and nailed to the ceiling. Don’t hurt your neck from all the headbanging. This time, the guitar spotlight is on Dave Murray for an intense, dramatic solo.
“Shadows of the Valley” (Gers/Harris) sounds a lot like “Wasted Years” at first, but only briefly. If anything, “Shadows of the Valley” recalls Dance of Death-era Iron Maiden. Although this song is not as powerful or memorable as others on the album, it does contain some seriously incredible instrumental moments.
One of the most heartfelt and powerful songs on the album is the shortest. “Tears of a Clown” is a thoughtful moment about Robin Williams. The poignant lyrics are to the point:
All alone in a crowded room, He tries to force a smile, The smile it beamed or so it seemed, But never reached the eyes, disguise, Masquerading as the funny man do they despise.
I found this to be one of the compelling songs. Of all the bands to commemorate Robin Williams, I did not expect it to be Iron Maiden. But they did it in such a way that it completely fits.
Dave Murray and Steve Harris might not have known that Bruce already has a solo song called “Man of Sorrows”, but it doesn’t matter much since Maiden’s song is called “The Man of Sorrows”. Musically this sounds much like X Factor-era Maiden. Bruce takes it to a higher level than that. Dave himself has a nice slow bluesy solo at the end that is just pure gravy.
The biggest surprise, the biggest song, and the biggest challenge has to be “Empire of the Clouds”. Written solely by Bruce and coming in at almost 20 minutes, it is unprecedented in the Maiden canon. Never before have the credits “Bruce Dickinson – vocals, piano” been written inside one of their albums. For the first time ever, the piano is a part of Iron Maiden’s makeup. Maiden have used orchestras before, and the strings return as well. “Empire of the Clouds” is a peak accomplishment, something that they (and Bruce) can proudly proclaim, “we did that”. The piano is a natural fit, in the way it is used to make an epic song even more dramatic. Aviation has been one of Bruce’s favourite lyrical subjects for a long time, but “Empire of the Clouds” might be his first song about airships. You can trust him to instill it with all the drama and heaviness that you expect from Iron Maiden.
Even though 92 minutes have elapsed, The Book of Souls does not particularly feel longer than A Matter of Life and Death or The Final Frontier. Like those two previous records, The Book of Souls is going to have to be digested long-term, returned to again and again to fully absorb and appreciate. This is an album in the true sense: best appreciated in sequence, as a single work. There’s an intermission in the middle for you to change CDs and take a break, but I recommend diving right back in once again.
With Bruce’s very serious health scare, and the increasing age of the band, there is always the chance that this could be the last Iron Maiden album. Of course, some said that about The Final Frontier as well. It seems that ever since Brave New World in 2000, Iron Maiden have set to top the previous album each time. The cumulative effect of that is that they had a hell of a lot to live up to on The Book of Souls.
Mission accomplished.
5/5 stars
Disc 1
1. If Eternity Should Fail (Dickinson) 8:28
2. Speed Of Light (Smith/ Dickinson) 5:01
3. The Great Unknown (Smith/ Harris) 6:37
4. The Red And The Black (Harris) 13:33
5. When The River Runs Deep (Smith/ Harris) 5:52
6. The Book Of Souls (Gers/ Harris) 10:27
Disc 2
7. Death Or Glory (Smith/ Dickinson) 5:13
8. Shadows Of The Valley (Gers/ Harris) 7:32
9. Tears Of A Clown (Smith/ Harris) 4:59
10. The Man Of Sorrows (Murray/ Harris) 6:28
11. Empire Of The Clouds (Dickinson) 18:01
For the official KeepsMeAlive review by Aaron,click here!
RECORD STORE TALES MkII: Getting More Tale #426: The History of the Holy Grail
I don’t know when I started referring to this list as my “Holy Grail” items, but the idea is simple. I wanted to create a wishlist of musical items that would be my ultimate, most sought after records and CDs. For example, there is a rare Iron Maiden EP calledLive!! +one. It was released in Japan in 1980, and featured two exclusive recordings still unavailable anywhere else: “Sanctuary” and “Drifter” from the Marquee show. In 2014, I found a copy in Mississauga. Should I have bought it? It was $100. It was not in the budget that time. Will I ever see it again?
Those are the kinds of things I’m referring to as Holy Grails. The kinds of things that you see only ever one or twice in your time as a fan. When you find a Holy Grail item, how much are you willing to pay? I paid $300 for a copy of the rare live album marillionrochester on eBay. I don’t think I’ll ever do that again though. That was a once in a lifetime buy. (Only 2000 copies of it were ever made, which were sent directly to fans who donated to their 1997 American tour fund. It will never be reissued.)
In the digital age, curating a Holy Grail list has never been easier. My solution today is simple. I have entrusted my Holy Grail list to Aaron over at the KeepsMeAlive site. There, he has created (and continues to update) several bloggers’ personal lists as the Master Grail Search List. Using this list from our smartphones, we have hunted for items for others, too. The increased range provided by the Master Grail Search List has resulted in a couple scores.
While searching one of my hard drives, I discovered what is probably the very first Grail list I ever made, and it is over 10 years old now. Apparently I wasn’t calling it a Grail list yet (like I said, I don’t know when we started using that term), but below is my 2005 “Ultimate All-Time Want List”. I have since found a number of these…but have also added many more to my list! Check out the list, with added notes from today in [red].
Date: 2005/06/11
ULTIMATE ALL-TIME WANT LIST
To be modified and added to periodically.
In no particular order:
KISS – Chikara (CD or LP)
[I should have bought this whenI had the chance in ’96 at Dr. Disc in Hamilton! I blew it.]
marillion – Web Christmas 1998 CD
marillion – Web Christmas 1999 CD
[Still missing these two. I’ve downloaded them from their official site, which is nice, but not as nice as an original CD.]
Metallica – The 5 1/2 Year Anniversary Box Set LP
[Saw this one at Flying Monkey Music in Waterloo in 1997, priced around $120. I should have bought it. Scott, ourHeavy Metal Overlord has a copy, but he is also apparently immune to my Jedi mind tricks.]
Tommy Shaw – Girls With Guns CD
[Hahaha, what!? I don’t remember wanting this!]
[I mean, sure, I’ll take it, I like that one song…it’s a great music video too, all one continuous shot with no edits…but the CD is certainly not a Holy Grail item anymore!]
KISS – Alive III (Japanese CD)
[No longer needed, since the release of Kiss’ comprehensiveAlive! 1975-2000 box set!]
Iron Maiden – “Wasting Love” (CD single)
Iron Maiden – “Hallowed Be Thy Name” (CD single)
Motley Crue – Generation Swine (limited edition Japanese with bonus track “Song To Slit Your Wrist By”)
[FOUND,FOUND, andFOUND! All of these came from eBay. None were cheap, but I had a budget threshold for each under which I was willing to pay.]
ZZ Top – Chrome Smoke & BBQ (limited edition CD box set)
[FOUND, quite easily, and very soon after I made this original list. I just went down to Best Buy and bought it. Hey, sometimes it’s the simple way.]
KISS – Instant Live CDs (ALL of them)
[Threehave been FOUND! I would still love “all” of them, but I’m not made of money!]
I’m actually surprised to see so many items crossed off this decade-old list! Surprised, and pleased. I know how much I wanted some of these items, such as those Iron Maiden CD singles. That Motley Crue import also dogged me for years.
The internet helped me gain access to many of these. It has also broadened my realization of what lay in the nooks and crannies of a band’s discography. When I made this list 10 years ago, I didn’t even know about Maiden’s Live!! +one EP. I didn’t know that the same band’s Best of the Beast 6 LP box set had one exclusive bonus track (“Revelations” live) that was tucked away unnoticed. As I have crossed items off my list, two more sprang forth in their place!
IRON MAIDEN – “Speed of Light” (2015 BMG single/T-shirt bundle – Best Buy exclusive)
“Only at Best Buy“ — the words chill me to the bones.
I don’t know what the deal is with Best Buy exclusives in Canada. When Tenacious D’s movie Pick of Destiny came out, I found the Best Buy edition no problem, just up the street. Bonus disc and all, easy peasy. Didn’t even know such a thing existed until I found it at Best Buy.
Only a few years later, it became impossible to find Best Buy exclusives at Best Buy. Using Tenacious D as the example again, the Best Buy edition of Rize of the Fenix has two bonus tracks. I had to buy it on eBay, so you know it was an inflated price. Same thing with the last Black Sabbath album. Best Buy had a bonus track called “Naïveté in Black” which happened to be one of the best songs. Had to buy it on eBay. Paid too much.
A few weeks ago, Best Buy announced they were getting an exclusive on the new Iron Maiden single “Speed of Light” from the forthcoming double album The Book of Souls. It came with a T-shirt. But I wanted the single just as much. That’s where Stone from Metal Odyssey came in!
First of all, I’m gonna tell you to follow Stone in some way, shape, or form. (WordPress/Twitter) He read my plight regarding Best Buy items here and took pity. I called my closest Best Buy — all CDs have been removed from their inventory. So Stone bought two copies and sent me one, asking nothing in return. (I will return the favour — just name it man!) To say I appreciate this gesture is am understatement, which is why I’m being more long winded than usual for a one track CD single!
“Speed of Light”, written by the duo of Dickinson/Smith, is true to Iron Maiden, and it sounds fucking brilliant. We know all about the new double album, with plenty of long bombers. “Speed of Light” is just a hair over five minutes, a very concise song for any Maiden album. When Adrian and Bruce write together, you can count on a catchy riff and hooks. “Speed of Light” delivers, and Bruce’s singing is just as powerful as ever, cancer be damned. His voice is virtually unchanged since Brave New World, 15 years ago. The air raid siren is intact. And this album will be the fifth with this Maiden lineup, the longest lived in its history. Impressive.
Most impressive.
A highlight of “Speed of Light” has to be Adrian’s solo. The three Maiden guitarists (Janick Gers and Dave Murray being the other two) all have their own distinct styles, which is a major boon to a band like Maiden. Adrian is the one who thoughtfully composes his solos, and then lets them rip. This one is brief but has his stamp all over it.
Sometimes Maiden take on a 70’s vibe. “The Angel and the Gambler” is one such moment, but I think “Speed of Light” also has one foot in the 70’s. Just a hint, an insinuation, at the beginning. Otherwise, “Speed of Light” is purely a modern Maiden metal moment. It would have fit comfortably on The Final Frontier, although I would caution against inferring the sound of the new album from just one single. It is probably one of the more straightforward moments on The Books of Souls, but we’ll find out for sure on September 4.
One last comment: fuck you, cancer! You just got beat by Bruce Dickinson!
RECORD STORE TALES MkII: Getting More Tale #394: Between the Buttons
Kitchener, early 1985. A 12 year old little Mike is at Stanley Park Mall with friends Bob and George, and a little bit of allowance money. There was a crappy little rock shop in the mall that sold T-shirts, posters and buttons. It was on a corner of one of the corridors, right down the hall where I would later work at the Record Store myself. For a little while back then, my favourite band was W.A.S.P. They were soon usurped by Iron Maiden and ultimately Kiss. At the time of this particular visit, it was still W.A.S.P., and my favourite W.A.S.P. was Chris Holmes.
I had enough money for one rock button – my first. The one of Chris caught my eye. He looked cool and theatening in the picture holding his blood-streaked guitar. Bob approved. “If you get that one,” he reasoned, “you’d be the only guy in Kitchener to have that button on his jacket.” I don’t know how he knew so precisely that I would be the only person in Kitchener to have it, but it made sense. The shelves were full of other bands: Motley Crue, Van Halen, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Rush, and Black Sabbath. You didn’t see as many W.A.S.P., and you didn’t see any with just Chris Holmes.
“I’ll take this one,” I shyly said as I made my purchase, but I was happy. Which button would be next?
Over the months, I added more to my collection. Two more W.A.S.P. buttons, an Iron Maiden, and a Kick Axe Vices were next. The funny thing about that one is, of all the buttons here, the only band I don’t own an album from is Kick Axe. I love their song “On the Road to Rock” but to this day, I still do not own Vices! I still don’t have any Kick Axe!
My sister got into the action and bought one of David Lee Roth (she liked “California Girls” and “Just A Gigolo”) and one of Maiden’s Steve Harris. (When Roth left Van Halen I believe we covered his face with a ZZ Top Eliminator sticker!)
Bob and I focused on Iron Maiden from there in, although I seem to remember also having a Judas Priest button that is now lost. We would trade them until we had all the Eddies we could find. Eddies were the best, much better than buttons with just the band on them. We were specifically looking for the Eddies. The most common seemed to be the mummy Powerslave Eddie. They were everywhere. The best one, to us, was the “Aces High” Eddie. We each had one.
Once in highschool, Bob did something I wish he didn’t. He ripped all the pins out of the back of his buttons, so that he could better tape them up in his locker for display. Every last one, wrecked. Bob had a habit of modifying things, only to destroy them. He hacked a piece of out his guitar to make it look more jagged, but it weakened the tone. The paint job he gave it wasn’t much better! He also wrecked his amplifier by sewing a huge Iron Maiden Powerslave patch onto the front.
I on the other hand am glad I hung onto this stuff and kept them intact. They bring back so many memories. I can remember that conversation about the Chris Holmes button at that store. I remember being with those guys at that exact spot and buying that button for those reasons. I think that location might be vacant now. I don’t know because I haven’t been to Stanley Park Mall in a long time. The place has almost completely died, except for a bank and a grocery store.
When we kept items like these buttons as kids, I probably said something ridiculous like “One day this will be worth something, so I’d better keep it.” What I didn’t appreciate is that these buttons are worth something now. They trigger memories, and that is something money can’t buy.
R.I.P. George.
The rest of these buttons came much later and there’s not much to say about them. The I Mother Earth Blue Green Orange and Yoda buttons were both store promos. The Samuel Jackson Snakes on a Plane button was made by me, at a summer barbecue for Jen’s old work in Brampton. That movie had just come out and I had an Entertainment Weekly magazine in the car. We entertained some of the younger kids by giving them good pictures to make buttons with on their button maker, and I made Samuel for myself! There were two Jamaican ladies there who loved it. Those two really liked Samuel, if you know what I mean!
The Walter Sobchek (John Goodman) and “Geddy” buttons were made for me by friends. The rest were gifts.
The Helix Power of Rock and Roll button was given to me by Brian Vollmer himself at thePower of Rock and Roll CD release party! The cool thing about it is that it is dated specifically to that gig, August 19 2007.
RECORD STORE TALES MkII: Getting More Tale #367: Greatest Hits 2 A sequel to#364: Greatest Hits
The last time we talked about greatest hits albums, I listed seven reasons that die-hard fans usually shun them. Readers came up with some of their own, and also arguments to defend greatest hits albums. I usually advise fans to buy key studio albums rather than compilations, depending on the person. Yet I still own a few hundred greatest hits albums. There have to be good reasons.
And what about you? How many do you own? What are your favourites? Why did you buy them? I asked myself those three questions too. #1. I don’t know. #2. There are many, but Double Platinum and Killers by Kiss are up there. #3. Let’s talk about that in depth…I broke it down into seven points:
1. There are some artists that I barely know. Neil Diamond or Kenny Rogers, for example. There might be a handful of songs I like, but not enough that I have heard to take the plunge and buy an actual album. Or, I know it’s an artist that I don’t want many albums from. I have a feeling that I only want one or two CDs, so one of them is usually a greatest hits. I collect a lot of music, but I can’t collect everybody. Sometimes I’ve done the research to know that I need one or two CDs and nothing more.
2. Exclusive tracks are often dangled as bait. But sometimes greatest hits albums are stuffed with exclusive radio edits and remixes that aren’t obviously credited. Kiss’ Double Platinum is one such album. Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits had a number of special edits of songs. Collectors like myself often look for such versions. They make for an enjoyable way to hear a familiar song with a slightly different slant.
3. Artwork. Younger folks might not understand why this matters, but I come from the age of physical product. With some bands, you don’t want just the music. You want all the album covers too; they are sometimes as important as any other aspect of the music. Iron Maiden is the first, obvious example. I own several Iron Maiden greatest hits discs simply because I wanted to own all the Eddies. There is a certain satisfaction in viewing them all lined up in order.
4. Historical importance. Some greatest hits albums are just historically important. Best of Van Halen Volume I for example – even if I didn’t buy it for the two new songs, I would have wanted it for the significant role it played in breaking up Van Hagar! You might want to own Their Greatest Hits by the Eagles for the fact it’s the top selling hits album of all time.
5. Sometimes, I actually do listen to greatest hits! Sure, not often by comparison. But if I’m in the car with the Mrs., she might prefer a Deep Purple greatest hits set to a 5 disc version of Made in Japan. I own ‘em, so if they’re good I may as well play ‘em. Also, If I’m going somewhere and I only have an hour or so to listen to music, a greatest hits album often scratches whatever itch I have.
6. Gateway music. My entrance into the world of Thin Lizzy was one CD (Dedication: The Very Best of).
That point is the most important one. Using a greatest hits album to delve further in the discography is such an excellent experience. My first two Deep Purple’s were greatest hits. Now my Purple collection is of a prodigious size. I don’t even know how many I have. 100 maybe? More? And it keeps growing!
My first Floyd? Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd. My first Rush? Chronicles. First ZZ Top? Greatest Hits. See where I’m going with this? These are bands that, today, I am still collecting. I still buy whatever’s coming out. Which brings me to my last point.
7. Personal history. I’ve developed a relationship with some of those greatest hits albums over the years, even if they have been superseded by better ones. Something about the familiarity, I suppose. But even though all my first greatest hits albums were on cassette, I still went and bought CD copies of them all. In some cases, vinyl too!
What are your favourites? Does it bother you to own multiple copies of the same songs? If your favourite band came out with a greatest hits album tomorrow, would you consider buying it? Let me know!
RECORD STORE TALES MkII: Getting More Tale #348: More Journals — SAUSAGEFEST 2007 Reportings
If you’ve been reading along, then you know I kept a journal back in the Record Store days, from which Record Store Tales was partially culled. The journals didn’t end there, and I’m still sifting through them looking for gold. This entry might not be gold per se, but there may be some nuggets. There are also some good rock n’ roll memories! This was my second ever Sausagefest. And it sounds like it was interesting at least.
“What happens in the valley, stays in the valley”, but here are some Sausagefest memories for the record books. It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times….
BEST OF TIMES:
Helix made the list. Twice! At #100 was “Wish I Could Be There” and smokin it up at #13 was “Billy Oxygen”! Scott and I air-guitared like mental.
More Maiden and Lizzy than I could shake a sausage at.
Mmmm, lamb.
Swimming.
“Mandarin Dumpshoot”.
WORST OF TIMES:
It is my own fault. Jen asked me to open up the tent she loaned me and to practice putting it together. I, however, did not. I said, “There will be like 20 guys there. We’ll figure it out.” However, you can’t assemble a tent without the tent posts, and those I was lacking. Sure, I could blame Jen, but it’s my own fault for not checking. So I slept in my car. Second year in a row. It wasn’t so bad until the morning when I was crippled by a wicked leg cramp.
No portapotty. I took a shit in the river. I had little choice.
On the Saturday, I ate too much sausage (maybe a little undercooked, that last one), and vomited all over a scarecrow.
It was an amazing rock n’ roll party and I can’t wait for 2008. Since I’m getting married in August of ’08, this will be my BACHELORSAUSAGEFEST!
RECORD STORE TALES Mk II: Getting More Tale #344: Childhood Recording Sessions
When we were kids in the 1980’s, pre-internet, pre-downloading, the only avenue we had to share music with each other was taping. If a friend had an album you wanted, you could try to record it. For example my next door neighbor George had all the Kiss albums, on LP. All he was missing was The Elder. What Kiss albums I didn’t own myself (which was most of them) I gradually taped one by one from George. I’d write down the song titles and make a cassette cover. When George wrote down the songs, I couldn’t always read them. When he did get The Elder in ’86, he made a copy for me. For a little while, I thought Kiss had a song on it called “Escape from the Ish”.
One Sunday afternoon in ’85 I went over to his place with a 60 minute tape, intending to record Unmasked. George dusted off the LP, dropped the needle and hit “record”. At the same time, he also decided to play bass along to the whole album. Somehow, his bass bled through to the tape recorder.
I didn’t find an original copy of Unmasked for two more years. Until that time, all I had to listen to was my taped copy, complete with George’s bass “overdubbed” on top of Gene’s! If I think back and remember really hard, I can still hear in my mind how George kept playing through the song fade outs!
Other recording sessions were far more elaborate. When George acquired Kiss’ Animalize Live Uncensored on VHS tape, he brought it over along with his own VCR, so we could dub a copy, VCR to VCR. On other occasions I would bring our VCR over to my best friend Bob’s place, and record there. My parents hated it when I disconnected the VCR! My dad always seemed to fear we’d never get it hooked up properly again! Or that we’d lose the controller, or worse, break it. But then, if we were recording at my house, my dad would always walk in and mock the bands. “What’s wrong with that man?” my dad said of Bruce Dickinson. “He keeps on screaming as if he’s in terrible pain!”
Copying music improved greatly in the 1990’s. The durability of the blank tapes improved, and dubbing from CD was infinitely better than recording tape to tape. Because of the improvements in quality, the cassettes we dubbed in the 90’s are still playable. Still, there is no comparison in sound to a CD. Finally in 2001, I purchased my first CD burner, enabling me to create the best possible sounding copies of music.
None of those improvements in technology, nor the advent of the CD-R, swayed me from owning an original CD or LP. I may have had a burned copy of the Sultans of Ping F.C., but there’s nothing better than an original. Somebody could send me a CD rip of some amazing rare bonus tracks by bands I like, which is great…but not as great as owning the original.
Why?
I don’t really know. Certainly I have plenty of friends from every age group who are content not to own any CDs. They don’t need to own it in order to listen on an iPod. That’s not good enough for me. I want the whole experience. I want the cover art (on paper, not a computer screen), I want the liner notes. I want to file the new CD on my shelves in the right order, and then gaze upon my collection of a given artist. I like to handle the artwork, the CD, and take a hard squint at the pictures. It’s hard to explain. I can justify it by saying CD just sounds better than an mp3. And as good as CD gets, sometimes vinyl can sound even better.
Even though I don’t need them anymore, I miss the old days of the Sunday recording sessions. I miss the social aspects of friends gathering in somebody’s basement or living room to share and discuss and enjoy music (all of which I later bought, anyway). I miss that feeling of heading home with some new music to listen to, right out of a friend’s collection. But I don’t miss having only enough money to buy blank tapes, instead of originals. I’m much happier now with my collection of well loved physical, original music.
It took Blaze Bayley a couple years to bounce back with a new band and album, and given the fan reception to his work with Iron Maiden, I was skeptical. I didn’t shell out for the Japanese, but I did grab the domestic CD as soon as a copy arrived in our stores. I was pleasantly surprised, as Blaze’s debut solo release Silicon Messiah is a very heavy and memorable disc.
The weakness for some will be Blaze’s voice. You either like it or you don’t. Outside of the context of Iron Maiden, his deep vocals work better. The opening track “Ghost in the Machine” for example is a de-tuned chugger the likes of which Maiden wouldn’t do. Blaze’s vocals work better with this kind of low, growly metal. Fortunately there is still enough melody (on the killer chorus) and riffage to keep heads banging. And no wonder: the CD is produced by metal master Andy Sneap, who laid waste to several excellent Accept albums recently. Blaze wrote the music with his new eponymous band: Steve Wray and John Slater (guitars), Jeff Singer (drums), and Rob Naylor (bass). The band is somewhat faceless, aside from Blaze himself there’s nothing identifiable about the band.
If there is a weakness to Silicon Messiah, it’s that there is a certain sameness to the songs. It’s a bit homogeneous: grinding, de-tuned riffs, melodic choruses and solos, with powerful but low vocals. Fortunately Blaze has written some surprisingly decent lyrics to go with the songs, with several seeming to fit together into some kind of cyberpunk concept.
Highlights:
“Silicon Messiah”, perhaps the most Maiden-like track.
“Born as a Stranger”, also Maiden-like (think “Be Quick or Be Dead”); speedy goodness.
“The Brave”, another fast one that kicks all the asses in the room. “Fortune favours the brave” indeed.
“Identity” which boasts lots of tasty guitar bits along with loud and quiet parts.
“The Launch” which is essentially “Man of the Edge” by Iron Maiden re-written (but with a better chorus).
“Stare at the Sun”, your typical Maiden-inspired epic closer.
Blaze Bayley, his band and Andy Sneap created a pretty decent metal album here. It’s perfectly listenable throughout, if a bit anonymous sounding. Fans of Blaze will dig it.
15. The Sword – Warp Riders
14. Metallica – Master of Puppets
13. Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers
12. Frank Zappa – Bongo Fury
11. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
10. Kyuss – Sky Valley
9. Van Halen – Fair Warning
8. Willie Nelson – Phases and Stages
7. Yes – Close to the Edge
6. Iron Maiden – Powerslave
5. Fu Manchu – The Action Is Go
4. Steve Earle – I Feel Alright
3. Marillion – Misplaced Childhood
2. Queen – Queen II
1. Rush – Moving Pictures
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