Once upon a time Black Sabbath were the most vital metal band around, but not in 1995. The 80’s and early 90’s were much rougher, with a rotating lineup of singers, drummers, and bass players. Only original member Tony Iommi and longtime keyboardist Geoff Nicholls weathered the storm consistently.
Bill Ward and Geezer Butler were both playing in Black Sabbath again in late 1994, but by 1995 both had bailed (for the umpteenth time) again. That left Iommi with Nicholls and singer Tony Martin not knowing what was going to happen next. There were rumours in the press that Ice T (yes, Ice T) would be soon joining Sabbath.
That didn’t happen (thank God!) and the lineup here is nothing but pure heavy metal pedigree. It is also a reunion of the 1989-1991 Tyr band. Neil Murray and Cozy Powell were back on bass and drums. This would be Murray’s second and Powell’s third Sabbath album. Murray and Powell, of course, also did time together in Whitesnake, forming a rock solid rhythm section that only great chemistry can produce.
So what happened? What went wrong? Why does Forbidden suck so bad?
The reasons are threefold. One, the album was rushed out amid much confusion within the band. Rumours of Ozzy’s return abounded and Martin didn’t know if he was in or out. Morale sucked. Second, the record company insisted on a more “current” sound. Thus, the album was produced by Body Count’s Ernie C, and I guess that is the connection to Ice T, who guest raps on the opening track. Third, I think the album was recorded in roughly a week and doesn’t really sound finished. Rather, it sounds like a demo sonically and song-wise, with all the filler songs that don’t normally make it to a released album.
Powell, normally a thunderous drummer, is reduced here to a dry hollow whollop thanks to Ernie C’s crummy production. It’s too bad because Cozy is playing some serious awesome drums that you can’t hear properly. The entire album suffers, the vocals sound raw and rushed, and the songs smack of second rate tunage. Granted, everybody knows that Iommi has bags and bags of tapes full of riffs, and some of these riffs are great. However, a riff cannot make a song, and without decent vocal hooks, this Sabbath album is as flat as they come.
It is truly a shame that Tony Martin had to go out with this as his final Sabbath album, after years of loyalty and being dumped twice! I saw them on this tour, and they were great. Shame they were supporting a terrible album.
Highlights:
“Can’t Get Close Enough” is close indeed to being a great song, but not quite. It has a great mellow intro and then this incredible distorted riff kicks in, but the vocal track is slightly underwhelming.
“Kiss of Death” is the closing epic, and best song on the album. Cozy’s drum rolls are like the thunder of Valhalla by the time you get to the choruses and outro. The song reaks of anger and betrayal. “Nothing you can do will hurt me, I am indestructible,” sings Martin over a slow, powerful riff. Wonder if he knew the writing was on the wall as far as his tenure in the band went.
And that’s it. “Rusty Angels” and “Forbidden” have great riffs but are otherwise not noteworthy. “I Won’t Cry For You” had potential as a ballad, but is inferior in every way to similar songs like “Feels Good To Me”, for example. This album is so dead, so lifeless, not even the grim reaper on the cover can be bothered to stand up.
I know some critisized the cover of this album as being too cartoony, but once you open it up and get the full picture, it is much better. The reaper is sitting next to a tomb, and out from the tomb are the ghosts of all five Sabbath members, Ice T, Ernie C, and lots of ghouls and goblins, done in MAD Magazine type charicatures. It’s a rare fun cover from a band that usually takes its doomy image far too seriously.
Shame that the album isn’t as fun. In the 15 years (and counting) since I bought it, I can usually count on it as a sleeping aid. It’s just that boring.
1/5 stars
OF NOTE: Japanese version had a bonus track, a short 2 minute song called “Loser Gets It All”. It is, sadly, the best track on the album. The good news is that you can get it on a compilation album called The Sabbath Stones if you can’t find the Japanese version.
Side one
1. “The Illusion of Power”
2. “Get a Grip”
3. “Can’t Get Close Enough”
4. “Shaking Off the Chains”
5. “I Won’t Cry for You”
Side two
6. “Guilty as Hell”
7. “Sick and Tired”
8. “Rusty Angels”
9. “Forbidden”
10. “Kiss of Death”
It is hard to believe that this monumental album, a piece of rock history, was only issued on CD in Japan! Finding a domestic LP or cassette isn’t hard (I’ve owned it on all three formats including CD) so hunt your record shops. I know Wendy Dio has a CD/DVD reissue lined up, hopefully including the full album, single edit, and the video and interviews. If you’re reading this Wendy…
At the time, all funds went to starving people in Africa, hence the name Hear N’ Aid. The inspiration was something fairly obvious: No heavy metal people outside of Geddy Lee was involved in the numerous famine relief projects of the time! (Geddy sang a lead on the excellent “Tears Are Not Enough” (1985) by Northern Lights, but nobody metal could be seen in “Do They Know It’s Christmas” or “We Are the World”.)
“Oh, you knoooow that we’ll be there!”
Showing the world that heavy metal bands and fans aren’t a bunch of assholes, Jimmy Bain and Vivian Campbell of Dio came up with the concept for Hear N’ Aid.
The main track, “Stars”, by Hear N’ Aid is a tour-de-force. Written by Bain, Campbell and Dio, this is essentially an epic extended track with a soft intro and heavy verses, and tons of guests. They assembled virtually every major metal singer who was willing and available to take part. That means you will hear Quiet Riot singers Kevin DuBrow and Paul Shortino (still with Ruff Cutt at the time) singing together for the first and only time in history! Rob Halford, Don Dokken, Eric Bloom, Geoff Tate, Dave Meniketti, and Dio himself all take lead vocal slots too.
When the guitar solo kicks in, prepared to be blown away. With Iron Maiden guitarists Dave Murray and Adrian Smith playing backing harmonies, you will hear the monstrous talents of George Lynch, Yngwie Malmsteen, Vivian Campbell, Craig Goldy, Neal Schon, Buck Dharma, Carloz Cavazo, Brad Gillis and Eddie Ojeda all taking a few bars. No charity track had ever attempted to assemble not just singers, but guitar players, on one track before.
All this is backed by drummers, bassists and keyboard players from Dio and Quiet Riot. There are more backing singers than I can name, but most notably, Derek Smalls and David St. Hubbins from Spinal Tap. Of course.
The rest of the album is filled out by songs donated by bands who couldn’t take part in the song, but still wanted to help the starvation situation in Africa. Therefore you will get a live “Heaven’s On Fire” from Kiss, from their Animalize Live Uncensored home video. This is the only place that the audio track was released on. There is an unreleased live “Distant Early Warning” by Rush, and rare ones by Scorpions and Accept as well.
Tracklist:
1.Hear ‘n Aid – “Stars”
2.Accept – “Up to the Limit” (live)
3.Motörhead – “On the Road” (live)
4.Rush – “Distant Early Warning” (live)
5.Kiss – “Heaven’s on Fire” (live)
6.Jimi Hendrix – “Can You See Me”
7.Dio – “Hungry for Heaven” (live)
8.Y&T – “Go for the Throat”
9.Scorpions – “The Zoo” (live)
Bruce’s studio band from the last album, Balls To Picasso, had a regular gig to get back to (Tribe of Gypies) and Bruce formed a new young band he called Skunkworks: Alex Dickson (guitar), Chris Dale (bass), and Alessandro Elena (drums). Dickson’s since turned up on Robbie Williams albums. (I know because I bought one.)
Why Skunkworks? Well, you know Bruce and his love of aviation. Skunk Works is the top secret project that brought to life the Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird among other advanced aircraft.
Skunkworks, the album, was a new direction once again. Just as Balls To Picasso was very different from Maiden, Skunkworks was another hard left turn. It polarized fans: Some praised Bruce for doing something new and different again, others were puzzled and disappointed.
And some were just pissed that he’d cut his hair.
With most songs of the 13 clocking in between 3 and 4 minutes (none exceeding 5), Bruce and Alex had written a set of tight songs. Bruce was clearly in tune with what was happening with music in the 1990’s as most songs have that alterna-90’s vibe mixed with a heady prog-rock tendency. The sound of the album is dry and in your face.
The problem for me is most of the songs are just not memorable. The single “Back From the Edge” (which we’ll talk about later) is great, a rocket trip to the moon in a very sleek vehicle. Also great is the metallic and angry (but lyrically obtuse) “Solar Confinement”. These songs I like a lot. Most of the lyrics have a sci-fi bent that Bruce would revisit on later solo albums, which is also fine by me.
I don’t mind the epic closer “Strange Death In Paradise”, nor the chrome choruses of “Inside the Machine”. I like the velocity of “Innerspace”. But a day after listening to it, I couldn’t tell you how it went.
I love the Floydian artwork that unified the album with its singles. Compared to later Bruce albums, the artwork doesn’t stand out as much, but as a whole with all the singles it works great.
As I mentioned, fans are really polarized on this album. There has to be something here that I’m missing. I do like the B-sides, which were mostly fantastic! Some were heavy, some melodic, some acoustic. All worth having.
“Back From the Edge” CD1 contained:
“Rescue Day”
“God’s Not Coming Back”
“Armchair Hero”
“Back From the Edge” CD2 contained:
“R 101”
“Re-Entry”
“Americans Are Behind” (one of Bruce’s trademark joke songs)
And the “Back From the Edge” 7″ picture disc contained:
“I’m In A Band With An Italian Drummer” (another joke song based on Alessandro Elena)
SKUNKWORKS – Live(1996 Japanese EP)
There would also be a cool live EP, billed under the name Skunkworks, and just titled Live. This was only made available in Japan, and I paid $30 for a copy at HMV 333 Yonge St. Now, this and all the B-sides are available on a deluxe edition of the album. Then, I spent a lot of money to get all the songs, but the end result is a bunch of cool looking discs with united artwork.
The Live EP had four tracks, three from Skunkworks: “Inertia”, “Faith”, and “Innerspace”. It was capped off by a Maiden cover, “The Prisoner”, something Bruce was only beginning to do as a solo artist. As a cover it highlights the differences in bands.
For the album Skunkworks:
2.75/5 stars
For the EP Skunkworks Live:
3/5 stars
Perhaps Bruce felt a tugging in his heart for heavy metal, or perhaps the fans were too vocal in their rejection of Skunkworks. Whatever the case may be, Bruce decided to abandon the band Skunkworks. He turned to his friend Roy Z, from Tribe of Gypsies and co-writer of Balls To Picasso.
“I want to make a heavy metal album,” said Bruce. “Do you have any metal riffs?”
As it turned out, Mr. Z had plenty. The Balls To Picasso lineup was back. And that wasn’t the only reunion in the works.
1996 was my first year of managing my own store. In the very first weeks of business, in came this little gem, Japanese import, never seen it before.
The band featured Iron Maiden’s former guitarist, Dennis Stratton. Dennis of course played on the first immortal Maiden platter and a few B-sides too. The album featured one great single, “Die For Love”, which had one of the cheesiest music videos of all time. Band must rescue blonde damsel in distress from horny-looking mad scientist.
It’s actually a really cool song, very commercial but solid and I’d been hunting for it for years. Yet another treasure that fell into my lap. Japanese import, $20 used, but with my discount more like $15.
Still, I ended up passing on it. I only really liked the one song, and I had other stuff to buy that week including the new Scorpions and King’s X. So, I made a judgement call and threw it on the shelves. I put a sticker on it that said “Dennis Stratton ex-Iron Maiden” and it sold in a couple weeks. It was after it sold that I regretted my decision! I didn’t realize how rare the disc was, and I underestimated how much I liked that one song!
Thankfully it’s since been reissued. Still, wouldn’t it have been nice to have that Japanese import? Yeah.
You lucky, lucky boys and girls. Not only do you get TWO KISS MONSTER reviews for the price of one today, but you are getting a guest review from the scholarly Tommy Morais! This guy is one of the most fanatic rock fans I know, and one of the top rated reviewers on Amazon.ca.
And then, after Tommy’s review, I present to you part 52 of my own series of Kiss reviews! FYI, neither of us had read the others’ review when we did this. Anything they have in common is coincidental!
TOMMY’S TAKE
Out of all the guest shots Mike “LeBrain” Ladano has had, it seems he knew the contributors for years and they wrote great personal stories. Well, I’ve always been the black sheep at anything I did and this is no exception. I’ve only known Mike since 2010 and we’ve never met in person. However, I know that Mike is one of the most enthusiast fan and a hardcore collector there is and his passion for the website’s content is genuine and largely impressive. Sure I have all the studio and live albums from all my favorite bands, books, magazine, flags etc. but Mike takes it one step further and owns stuff I could only dream to own and afford, his collection is like no other as you’ve probably seen here. I first came to know LeBrain when he read some of my Amazon reviews and e-mailed me about them. He was kind enough to let me know he liked some of my reviewing work, particularly the one I did for Ratt’s Infestation album (2010). I soon discovered we both shared a love for many of the same bands and we’ve been talking Rock N’ Roll since then: albums, musicians, gossips, upcoming releases what we’d like to see etc. Best of all, Mike knows his music and you cannot understate his love for music and those bands that personally, have kept me going and rockin’. What follows is both Mike’s and my review of the new KISS album, Monster. But just before here’s to your host, all his dedication and the time and effort he puts into this website which I admire and visit daily. Cheers!
KISS – Monster (2012)
I think it’s safe to say that even though they’ve truly upset and angered some fans (to the point of leaving the KISS army) Paul and Gene still command a vast KISS army around the world. With Sonic Boom, KISS was back and it was a nice return after 11 years of complete studio silence and lack of a new album. SB was mostly well received as a return to form and a great KISS album. Then there are fans who didn’t buy the album because it’s not KISS and it’s disrespectful to Ace and Peter who were the originals to have Tommy and Eric wear their makeup. I understand both sides completely and agree with both, but I liked Sonic Boom for what it was and three years later it’s follow up (and 20th studio!) album, Monster is I have to say, better. While I was glad that there was a new KISS album and I enjoyed it, SB sounded a little too 80’s rooted at times. However, Monster is heavier, doesn’t feel like 80’s KISS and its edgy and aggressive and did I say heavy? The guitars are turned up LOUD and the drum is almighty, the sound that comes from it is massive, anthemic and fist pumping Hard Rock formula pushing far into Metal territory and as a fan, that’s good. It helps that there are no ballads either. At this point it shouldn’t be about “Fake KISS” and so on like there was a lot of talk on the Sonic Boom Amazon page, the music should stand on its own. Buying the new KISS album was always like an event, an obligation in some way whether it was Love Gun or Dynasty or Crazy Nights and now, Monster.
Opening track and first single “Hell or Hallelujah is in your face heavy, and I was surprised at how fast it sounded. To me it sounds like something from Love Gun in ’77 like “I Stole Your Love” meets the speed of “Gimme More” from Lick It Up or perhaps another fast 80’s KISS tune. It works really well, it’s anthemic, it’s pure KISS and Paul sings it like he’s on fire and the backing vocals just get it done. “Wall of Sound” is Gene being the real demon Gene Simmons again. He’s menacing and attitude comes throughout, it’s one of the best songs on Monster. “Freak” is a track that I love if not just for the lyrics, they’re representative of KISS in a way and Paul does nicely here, it’s catchy and hits it home. “Back To The Stone Age”, now this is what I’m talking about! The sound is massive, heavy and Gene’s voice, he’s got that angry demon voice we all love. The lyrics are cool and very Gene, there’s even a neat little breakdown and it’s one of the best songs here absolutely. “Shout Mercy” is undeniably catchy and has that classic, quintessential chorus that made their classic songs memorable and radio staples, and the “whoohoos” back vocals add to the catchiness, you’ll see.”All For The Love Of Rock And Roll” is one that I quite like, it’s slower paced and less aggressive and Eric Singer does a wonderful job on the vocals (“All For The Glory” was one of my favorite songs on SB).On an album where pretty much the songs are heavy it’s nice to have something to balance it out, and while not a ballad this song does just that. I could almost see it as a single on radio. “Eat Your Heart Out” starts out with just the band singing and nothing else, those harmonies sound great and you know it’s going to be a cool track. It kicks in and doesn’t let you down, another strong one. “Outta This World” is sung by Tommy Thayer and it fits the Spaceman persona nicely, I much prefer this one to the song he had on Sonic Boom, it’s a good rockin’ track I was impressed by Tommy and he comes off as more of his own this time around. “Take Me Down Below” has obviously sexual innuendo and the reason this one is special is because Gene and Paul share lead. Gene has his story that’s reminiscent of “She’s So European” from the 1980 Unmasked album (talks about a lady, standing there, champagne, perfume, now she’s standing next to me, very Simmons) and Paul comes up with something and then the chorus and it works nicely I wish they did this more often. The only song that didn’t really do it for me was “Last Chance” but while it’s not awful I think the album might have ended stronger without it. I haven’t gone through every song or every little detail but I think you get the idea of my appreciation.
I was initially worried about the album being delayed as usually that’s never a good sign, but the album is excellent and those fears were unfounded it turns out. They’ve been at it for 40 years now (almost) and it doesn’t show, they have that drive and that passion in the sound. I think it shows more of their influences too, in one song I detected a really Zeppelin-ish part and so on which I think was great.
Gene really surprised me on Monster with his lyrics, voice and attitude he really contributed amazing stuff time around that exceeds what he did on the previous album, I think his songs may just be the best ones here. It’s not a retro album, its KISS being KISS and kicking it up a notch and sounding tighter and heavier and it works extremely well. Sonic Boom grew on me, Monster I loved immediately (SB had that extra re-recorded KISS Klassics CD and live DVD but Monster stands proudly on its 12 songs people).
To me Sonic Boom wasn’t a five stars KISS album, while very good it didn’t take it to the next level which is exactly what Monster does. Is it the perfect KISS record? Look at this point it’s better than I could have anticipated, exceeds the last one which was really good and it stands on its own, plus they’re heavier this time around and it’s the record they needed to follow up SB with. To me it’s full marks on this one, Monster really is a Monster and it impressed me! Nicely done and I don’t say just because I’m a die-hard fan with everything they’ve made. Initially the band talked about having another painting as the album cover much like Destroyer or Love Gun and that didn’t happen, a slight let down. Now I’d just love to see KISS play a big chunk of this album in a LIVE setting, they sound made for the stage and I can only imagine how well it would work.
5/5.
I’ll leave you alone and let you read what you came here to read and what we’ve all been anticipating, LeBrain’s review of KISS’ new album, Monster. I’ve been anxious as to what Mike thinks and we haven’t even discussed it yet, I’m anxious to read it myself. Enjoy!
LEBRAIN’S TAKE
CHECK OUT MY QUICKIE VIDEO ON THE 3D COVER ART!
KISS – Monster (2012 3D lenticular cover, iTunes editions)
Right from that opening guitar salvo there’s no question: it’s Kiss. And Kiss have made a remarkable album. Not only is Monster a logical follow-up (and up-ratchet) to Sonic Boom, but it shows that Kiss are not afraid of growth. Monster succeeds in sounding like new Kiss, where Sonic Boom succeeded in sounding like old Kiss. Nothing wrong with that, I like Sonic Boom. But I already bought that album once.
Immediately you will notice that Monster is heavier, both song-wise and production wise. It sounds as if Kiss are attempting to scale Mount Zep. Songs like “Wall of Sound”, “The Devil Is Me” and “Back to the Stone Age” are all classic Gene attitude, totally up his alley and he kicks them in the ass. Listen to his bass kickin’ it on “The Devil Is Me”! Actually I want to draw special attention to Gene as a bass player on this album. Producer Paul Stanley wisely chose to place emphasis on Gene’s bass, and meanwhile Gene decided to throw in some of the tastiest bass-licks from his bag o’ tricks. Nobody will ever compare Gene Simmons to Geddy Lee, but there is absolutely no question that Gene’s bass playing is perfect for these songs.
Meanwhile, there’s Paul: yes, his voice is really rough in spots, but he works around it successfully. Eric Singer and Gene Simmons can be heard backing him on a song like “Freak” (another great tune) creating that classic Kiss sounding harmony. The combination of all four Kiss singers helps conceal Paul’s roughness. And besides, every once in a while he goes for the high notes, and using them sparingly makes you appreciate them more. The first single, “Hell Or Hallelujah”, demonstrates how Paul still manages to kick ass in the studio within the confines of his voice.
At first the only song I wasn’t digging was “Eat Your Heart Out”. It threw me, right from the a cappella harmony that opens the song. Now, I’m digging it. From Gene’s signature slinky bass to Eric’s cowbell and Paul’s sly backing vocals, I love this song. It’s an upbeat party tune like you want from Kiss.
“Outta This World”, written solely by Tommy Thayer, is his vocal showcase. It’s another great song, not too different from his previous “When Lightning Strikes”. It’s a great example of Tommy’s songwriting prowess. Clearly, this is the right guy right now for Kiss.
Not to be outdone, Eric Singer’s lead vocal, “All For the Love of Rock and Roll” (written by Paul) is my current favourite song. It’s probably the most “rock & roll” sounding of all these new Kiss songs. It has a certain guitar jangle that would have been at home on some of the first 6 Kiss albums. Think “Mr. Speed”. Eric has always been a great singer and I don’t understand why Kiss didn’t take advantage of this, by having him sing lead on albums back in the 1990’s.
Gene and Paul trade vocals on “Take Me Down Below”, but even better is “Last Chance” which closes the album. At first, by the opening bass, I’m thinking “Plaster Caster”; but then the riff kicks in. When Pauls sings the chorus, Gene’s infectious “Ahh, ahh ahh’s” under it seal the deal. This is a great tune. Hope it makes the live set.
Best Buy and iTunes have a bonus track: “Right Here Right Now”. The beginning is like Kiss meets AC/DC! Then it slides into an old-school Kiss singalong rocker. Awesome tune, shame some people won’t get a chance to hear it.
MVP: Gene Simmons. Not only did he contribute some great songs, but his bass kicks this whole album in the nuts. Not to mention he’s singing a lot more backing vocals, which just makes it sound more like Kiss!
Most improved: Tommy Thayer. To quote the Heavy Metal OverloRd himself, Tommy is throwing in fewer “second-hand-Ace-isms”. I agree heartily! He sounds less like Ace, and more like Tommy. Just listen to his solo on “Wall of Sound”. Ace wouldn’t have played something like that. Which is fine — Kiss don’t have to keep trying to sound like 1977 anymore. They should (and did) try to make an album that sounds like one that these four guys — Gene, Paul, Eric and Tommy — would make in 2012. And that’s just groovy.
5/5 stars
OF NOTE: I have not yet located the Japanese edition. Oh, but I will. Bonus track: “King of the Night Time World” live.
DAVID LEE ROTH – Your Filthy Little Mouth (1994 Warner Japanese edition)
I’ll admit it, I like this album a lot, and I have since it came out in ’94. It was, however, a total flop. I will never forget the summer of 1994. Working in a record store for the first time, there was a lonely stack of Your Filthy Little Mouth discs sitting right next to an equally tall stack of Motley Crue self-titled CDs. I don’t think I sold one that entire summer, though not for lack of storeplay. It was the times, and if this album had been released in 1989, I’m sure it would have been a smash hit across multiple radio formats.
By this time, David no longer had a “real” band. Long gone were the days of Vai and Sheehan, and even poor Jason Becker was now gone, struck with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Dave started writing and playing with guitarist Terry Kilgore, and utilized a lot of studio cats on these sessions. Kilgore’s playing — bluesy, stratty and tubey — was lightyears away from the futuristic sounds coming from Planet Vai.
The album skirts multiple genres, which earned Dave equal amounts of praise and derision. We all knew Dave had lots of different T-shirts in his drawer. “She’s My Machine” is a groove rocker, mid-paced and sexy with Dave doing his best Van Halen impression. Other songs, such as “Big Train” explored the fast and speedy side of Dave’s boogie rock. Deeper in, “Cheatin’ Heart Cafe” (an excellent duet with Travis Tritt) and “Hey You Never Know” hang on the outskirts of Nashville quite successfully.
Meanwhile on side two, you get the eclectic reggae and urban sounds of “No Big ‘Ting” and “You’re Breathin’ It”, neither of which work and weaken an otherwise strong collection of songs. “Your Filthy Little Mouth”, the title track, quickens the pace back to where we started. It is a strong rocker with some of Dave’s patented fun and cool lyricism. The album ends on a slower note — Willie Nelson’s “Night Life” (previously covered by Thin Lizzy) and a track called “Sunburn” which recalls “Coconut Grove” from the first EP.
A stupid and terribly unnecessary remix of “You’re Breathin’ It” is a bonus track, and the final song — unless you own the Japanese version (I found mine at a record show in Guelph Ontario), which tacked on a cool blues called “Mississippi Power”. “Mississippi Power” was also available on the “She’s My Machine” 7″ single (which I also bought at a record show in London Ontario many years before that). The Japanese version also had a sticker. Wheee!
Lyrically, Dave was at the top of his game, spinning fun and witty lyrics like never before or since in his entire career. Only Dave could sing, “I got a steel-wheeled radial prophylactic for you, and I ain’t afraid to use it now.” All over the album, you will find double and triple entendre as well as Dave’s personal philophy of life. Are you a passenger, or an engineer? “Whatever gets you to the end of the line”. “Take the traveller and the tourist — the essential difference is, the traveller don’t know where he’s going, and the tourist don’t know where he is!”
When the album flopped, Dave disappeared for a few years and went to Vegas. By 1998 he had snapped up John5 (from Rob Halford’s 2wo), and put together the awesome DLR Band which could rival Van Halen in chops and aggression. Your Filthy Little Mouth stands as an interesting detour on Dave’s road of life.
4/5 stars. Only a couple stinkers (and one useless remix).
Not really part of my series of Iron Maiden reviews.
There are a few Iron Maiden musical items that I’ll probably never own. I know I won’t own all the singles, but that’s OK — The First Ten Years set, and the first 10 albums with bonus discs takes care of those songs. There are rarer things to be discussed. As I pause between Live After Death and Somewhere In Time in my review series, this is a good time to talk about a couple items.
IRON MAIDEN – Live!! +one (EP, 1980 Japan, 1984 Greece reissue)
This four song EP was released in Japan shortly after the “Women In Uniform” single came out. It contains two songs from that single: the title track, and the live version of “Phantom of the Opera” from the Marquee.
It also contains two live songs not available anywhere else: “Sanctuary” and “Drifter” from the same Marquee show. They’re awesome of course, if you’ve heard the early live Di’Anno stuff that I talked about in my Maiden reviews, then you can imagine these are just as good. Di’Anno does his “yo, yo yo yo” thing on “Drifter”.
I have seen them go for around $100 on eBay. This is definitely on my current “Holy Grail” list.
4/5 stars
IRON MAIDEN – Best of the Beast (1996 four-LP box set)
For this, I’m going to take a moment and slide into a Record Store Tale because this is one of those moments that I wish I could change!
RECORD STORE TALES PART 123: Missing Maidens!
Trevor and I frequented record shows several times a year. On one such excursion, we were in a Dr. Disc store. It was in Hamilton, Ontario. That same visit, the same Dr. Disc store even had Chikara, a rare Japanese Kiss compilation, on CD. But I passed on that, and I passed on the vinyl edition of Best of the Beast, too….
You know those high shelves where they put the expensive items? And you have to ask someone to get it down for you? And they’d go to the back room and get a step ladder? That’s where Best of the Beast was.
Back then, information about such sets wasn’t readily available. I didn’t know it existed until I saw it. If I did, I would have known that the vinyl version had an exclusive live cut of “Revelations”… not the live version from Live After Death! This wasn’t immediately obvious from the back cover. It is only today that I know this!
The vinyl version had plenty more music as well, including album cuts such as “Where Eagles Dare” and “The Prisoner”. It also had the only official re-release of The Soundhouse Tapes ever, since the original 5000. I had that bootleg copy of The Soundhouse Tapes and More so I deemed this to be a less essential purchase. Especially for the $200 that Dr. Disc was asking. But it was sealed, mint, brand new.
I recently saw one in questionable shape on eBay for $240. Some joker on Amazon is asking $900 for sealed copies right now.
So, right now, odds do not seem to be in my favour of lightning striking twice. I don’t know if I will ever have another chance to own this at a decent price in good condition. Alas. I wish I could turn back time!
RECORD STORE TALES Part 14: Record Shows, Parties, and Quiet Riot
Guys from record stores do know how to party. The only true allnighters I ever pulled happened during the years at the record store. Everything else I called an allnighter, I actually slept for a couple hours.
But trust me folks…guys from record stores play the best music when they party. One night in London (Ontario) we stayed up for what seemed like forever, playing the dumbest fucking drinking games. My drink was Captain Morgan’s (spiced) and Coke. However we were playing this stupid fucking card game. I think it was called Kings in the Corner or something? Each card was a rule? 2 of anything meant you take two drinks, 3, meant you take 3 drinks, etc. And then on some cards, like 6, you’d GIVE 6 drinks to someone else. And a joker meant you took a shot of Wild Turkey. Here’s the photo of my first shot of Wild Turkey from that very night.
r-l: Me, Tom, Meat
Like I said, we knew how to party. From that night forward, when I got loaded, my nickname became “Jim”. And as I took a shot, they’d say, “Here comes Jim!!” Anyway, who gives a crap about that? There’s loads of people who partied harder. We party better.
The best stimulant imaginable is music, and I heard some of the best music ever at those parties. The first time I ever heard Kyuss was at the party at Tom’s place in London. He didn’t start with Kyuss, though. He started with some bootleg Black Sabbath video from 1970. It was taped in some…well, it probably was a highschool cafeteria. That’s what it looked like. It was awesome. It was easily in the top five times I ever truly had my mind blown.
During “Black Sabbath” itself, Ozzy got this crazed look in his eye! You could see it! Then he just started going mad on stage, thrashing about, that leather jacket of his flailing about him. Ozzy’s said before he has another person inside him when he gets crazy, someone they call “Him”. Maybe what they captured on tape that night was an appearance by “Him”? Who knows?
The cool thing though is another of my top five mind-blows of all time happened that night too. Kyuss. I made a nice bed on the floor out of pillows and blankets and stuff, and I passed out in front of the stereo. I woke up a short time later, as some of the guys were heading out (walking) to catch last call at the local pop shop. I just kind of laid there listening to the music…I was falling in and out of consciousness to this heavy, drony music. It was awesome. I didn’t know who it was.
I was told the following morning that it was Kyuss. Tom told me he left the Kyuss / Queens of the Stone Age split EP in the player. From that I pieced together that the song I must have heard was “Fatso Forgotso”. I still remember how it rolled over me like a wave that night.
We had to be up fairly early the next morning, as we were hitting a record show in London. If you don’t know what a record show is, I’ll take a moment to explain. If you do, skip the next paragraph
A record show is usually held in a large room like a conference room in a hotel, for example. Dozens of vendors gathered their best, their overpriced, their rare, and their shelf warmers for you to pick through and haggle over. They are a record store dude’s dream, and his VISA card’s nightmare.
Just to give you a taste, here’s some of my best finds.
At the show in question, I actually found the first two Japanese Quiet Riot albums with Randy Rhoads.
Elsewhere, I found a great book about Alice Cooper called Billion Dollar Baby that we’ll talk about another time. I later found out it was worth many times what I paid.
LP of Faith No More’s incredible Angel Dust album which came with an exclusive remix of “MidLife Crisis”.
Oh, this isn’t a find, but we did see Greg Goddovitz (Goddo) at one. He was wearing socks and sandals.
We had a greasy breakfast (sausage, eggs, toast, OJ) and headed out. I remember it was freezing. Then you get to the hotel, pay your admission (usually somewhere in the neighborhood of $8 or so) and go in. And then you’d be sweating your parka off in this crowded room full of long-hairs, skullets, and mohawks. Guy to girl ratio: About 4-1.
Anyway, as I mentioned, I found these two Quiet Riot albums with Randy Rhoads. I want to post a more detailed blog about this later on, because I truthfully don’t know if I bought a bootleg or a promo. As far as I know there has never been a CD release of these two albums. Yet, that doesn’t exclude that Sony might have pressed some sample copies as a prototype before deciding not to proceed. Or perhaps they were threatened to be sued, who knows? Metal Health was released on Pasha/Columbia which later was absorbed by Sony. My CDs are marked as Sony promos. Everything about the CDs screams “official” except that I am certain they didn’t officially release a CD anywhere at any time.
Regardless, they sound great and I paid what was then a fair price for a bootleg, which would have been $30 for a new, mint bootleg. I would have been willing to pay up to $35 for a good sounding bootleg and they would always let you sample it anyway. So I consider this one of my best scores. I’ve never run across any other copies, bootleg or otherwise, since then. It was meant to be.
We drove back to Kitchener tired as hell but it was worth it. I’m sure there are people out there who don’t understand how you could pay $30 for a bootleg CD when you can just download it for free. And I’m sure someone else could explain it to you better than I can, because I don’t really have a good reason why it’s worth it.
Except I fucking love music, and when you fucking love music, especially when it’s one of the first bands you ever liked, that’s what you do.
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