The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano
Episode 41
It had to happen eventually: the return of Harrison the Mad Metal Man, and our first Iron Maiden list show! It’s the Iron Maiden Deep Cuts this time, a subject sure to generate tons of discussion. Of course, B-sides are fair game, as are Blaze Bayley cuts!
No spoilers but I can tell you that Harrison is being very stringent about what certifies as a “deep cut”. However, this is a “no disqualifications” episode, so nobody will be getting killed by Eddie tonight.
Iron Maiden’s gonna get ya no matter how far.
The Nigel Tufnel Top Ten lists (concept by Uncle Meat) are always a pleasurable diversion, especially when we keep track of the stats! To that end, Geoff from 1001albumsin10years will be back tonight to bring us more graphs! We also hope that the Meat Man himself will be joining the fun with his hard-laboured list.
We have not had Harrison on the show since May, when we counted down the Nigel Tufnel Top Ten Judas Priest albums.* Because of the time difference between Canada and Australia, Harrison and I did the last show in the morning here. He also had an awesome moustache. This time we’re doing it at the usual 7:00 PM E.S.T. (He can be the one to get up early this time.) Will the moustache remain?
* The last time Harrison was on also happened to the first show broadcast from the cottage. A very special show for me because of both location and guest.
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano
Episode 40
This special 40th episode of the LeBrain Train is brought to you by T-Bone! That’s right folks — after months of isolation in the wilds of Lake Superior, finally we have the one and only T-Bone from Thunder Bay joining us this week. Deke and I will be talking rock with a true original. On the docket this week:
An advent beer calendar “de-canning”
An in-depth discussion on David Lee Roth’s Skyscraper LP
A mental musical exercise based on Shaun of the Dead
…and lots more
T-Bone has contributed to list shows in the past but this is his first real live experience on the LeBrain Train. T-Bone’s past submissions to the show were all Nigel Tufnel Top Ten lists and you can check out his rock pedigree in the following shows:
This no-disqualification episode was brought to you by Coffee!
First of all — Thank you to all the participants this time out, including Kevin (Buried on Mars) and Deke (Arena Rock). While these two gentleman did appear, they did not do the traditional Nigel Tufnel Top Ten lists and so they are not among the songs below. To access their “bonus tracks” you are going to have to watch the video!
Second — The MVP this week was Sarca Sim from Caught Me Gaming. Not to belittle the effort that anyone put into their lists (as you’ll see), but Sarca utilized an additional caveat: her list was 100% CanCon. A difficult, impressive and rewarding feat.
Third — You can decide for yourself if anyone deserved to be disqualified this week. Have Stavesacre or Wesley Willis ever had a legitimate hit? Is Toto a one hit wonder band? You decide.
Finally — Really, everyone was MVP this week. It was a marathon session. The feedback I have received so far has been excellent.
“I was howling for a lot of it. Michelle kept saying ‘what are you laughing about'” – Chris S
“It was like watching an SNL skit” – also Chris S
“Max is a one hit wonder on this stream lol” – also Chris S
“Love it!!!!!!!!” –My mom
Any songs that were repeated are highlighted below. There are not many. Enjoy these tracks!
Mike – LeBrain
11. Blue Cheer – “Summertime Blues”
10. Spacehog – “In the Meantime”
9. Kik Tracee – “You’re So Strange”
8. Wesley Willis – “Alanis Morissette”
7. Marvelous 3 – “Freak of the Week”
6. Tal Bachman – “She’s So High”
5. The Kings – “This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ to Glide”
4. Blotto – “Metal Head”
3. sandbox. – “Curious”
2. E-Z-O – “Flashback Heart Attack”
1. Loudness – “Crazy Night”
11. Alien Ant Farm – “Smooth Criminal”
10. Arlo Guthrie – “City of New Orleans”
9. Frank Stallone – “Far From Over”
8. Prelude – “After the Gold Rush”
7. J Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers – “Last Kiss”
6. The Crazy World of Arthur Brown – “Fire”
5. Zager and Evans – “In the Year 2525”
4. Paul Hardcastle – “Nineteen”
3. Information Society – “What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)”
2. Yello – “Oh Yeah”
1. MECO – “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band”
11. Red Rider – “Lunatic Fringe”
10. Modern English – “I Melt With You”
9. Dexy’s Midnight Runners – “Come On Eileen”
8. Aldo Nova – “Fantasy”
7. Frankie Goes to Hollywood – “Relax”
6. Cutting Crew – “(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight”
5. Kix – “Don’t Close Your Eyes”
4. Saigon Kick – “Love is on the Way”
3. The Darkness – “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”
2. Gnarls Barkley – “Crazy”
1. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”
Eric – Uncle Meat
11. Bobby Pickett – “Monster Mash”
10. Nick Gilder – “Hot Child in the City”
9. Neneh Cherry – “Buffalo Stance”
8. Deee-Lite – “Groove is in the Heart”
7. Ace – “How Long Has This Been Going On”
6. Haircut 100 – “Love Plus One”
5. Tracy Bonham – “Mother Mother”
4. Donnie Iris – “Ah Leah”
3. Modern English – “I Melt With You”
2. Martha and the Muffins – “Echo Beach”
1. Gnarls Barkley – “Crazy”
Max the Axe – kind of a big deal
11. Donnie Iris – “Ah Leah”
10. Toto – “Hold the Line”
9. Atlanta Rhythm Section – “Imaginary Love”
8. Holly McNarland – “Elmo”
7. Moist – “Push”
6. Youth Gone Mad – “Crime Rate ’88”
5. Stavesacre – “Shiv”
4. Demon – “Liar”
3. The Trojan Ponies – “Deny”
2. Cheech and Chong – “Earache My Eye”
1. Eddie Murphy – “Party All the Time”
11. Alta Moda – “Julian”
10. Cats Can Fly – “Flippin to the A Side”
9. The Kings – “This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ to Glide”
8. Eight Seconds – “Kiss You (When It’s Dangerous)”
7. Idle Eyes – “Tokyo Rose”
6. Len – “Steal My Sunshine”
5. Neo A4 – “Say This To Me”
4. Daniel Lanois – “Lotta Love to Give”
3. John Bottomley – “You Lose and You Gain”
2. Maestro Fresh Wes – “Let Your Backbone Slide”
1. The Northern Lights – “Tears Are Not Enough”
The theme for this week’s Nigel Tufnel Top Ten list was One Hit Wonders! This was a special “no disqualifications” matchup so anything went. Are Toto a one hit wonder band? Max the Axe thought so even if the majority disagreed.
Superdekes (Thunder Bay Arena Rock) & Vinnie Vincent (KISS)
I wrote down all the songs chosen, so when given some time I’ll post all the lists for you to examine in more detail. But after an almost three hour show, I need to go get something to eat.
Added bonus: A quick look at the new Thin Lizzy 6 CD rarities box set called Rock Legends.
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano
Episode 39
It’s One Hit Wonders this week! We’re keeping the definitions loosey-goosey, but still diving into those songs that never had a followup hit. This week’s topic was brought to you by Max the Axe, although I believe Holen suggested it some months ago as well. Either way, there has been demand for a show about One Hit Wonders. So here ya go!
One reason you don’t want to miss this one: A record NINE participants will be appearing!
As usual there will be a special unboxing for the early birds who show up before 7:00 pm. Otherwise, check out the One Hit Wonders All-Star Special on the LeBrain Train, Friday November 27.
A million thank-you’s to Brent Jensen, the author of No Sleep’Til Sudbury, Leftover People: A Journey Through Post-Rock & Roll America and All My Favourite People Are Broken. Chatting music is what we love to do here, and it was a privilege to speak with someone so saturated with musical knowledge, stories and connections. When you watch this show, I hope you feel the kinship that we music diehards share.
Obscure format junkies: Check out 0:24:10 of the video for info on a format Sony were working on called “The Cube”. It would have been a six-sided format around the time of the compact disc.
You can buy Brent’s books at Amazon, and you can check out his podcasts at nosleeptilsudbury.libsyn.com. (I’ll be checking out the Sandy Horne from the Spoons episode ASAP!) If you’d like some merch, contact him directly and he’ll hook you up. Details at the end of our video.
A million more thanks to Superdekes for setting this episode up. My brother from Thunder Bay should be known as “Superfan” after his meticulous homework and attention to detail!
There will be no sleep tonight as I hit the web looking for all these tunes! From Saxon, to Kick Axe, to Maiden (with and without Blaze), to Priest (with and without Ripper), please enjoy the music that makes our skin vibrate.
For those who missed it, here is the 11 minutes that Youtube missed, but Facebook had. Unboxings: Jeff Scott Soto, John Norum, The Black Crowes, Frank Zappa, Def Leppard.
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano
Episode 38
Music writer Brent Jensen is the author of No Sleep’Til Sudbury, Leftover People: A Journey Through Post-Rock & Roll America and All My Favourite People Are Broken. He also hosts the excellent No Sleep ‘Til Sudbury podcast, which, believe me, is a a rabbit hole with (currently) 184 episodes. Brent does a lot more than just talk about music. He digs deep into the history, the stories and most importantly the people. It is going to be an honour and privilege to talk music and pick the brain of Brent Jensen on tonight’s show.
Tonight’s guest host Superdekes has challenged me to come up with five songs that “makes my skin vibrate”. After several days of brainstorming, changes and second-guesses, I think I have done just that. It might get heavy!
It truly is an honour to have Brent on our little show. I mean, this is a guy who has interviewed Ron MacLean at least four times. Can you say “we’re not worthy”?! Either way, tonight is going to be awesome. Get ready to dig deep into tunes that make your skin vibrate.
Tune in tonight at 7:00 PM E.S.T.!
Bonus for early birds: Regular viewers know that I usually go live before the show officially starts at 7:00 — usually around 6:40 PM. This is so I can do some unboxings and new music reveals before the guests arrive. Tonight I’ll be unboxing a parcel from CD Japan and showing off my latest purchases from Encore Records!
Thank you to Sarah and Kevin (Caught Me Gaming and Buried On Mars respectively) for co-hosting, and for some amazing Nigel Tufnel Top Ten Led Zeppelin songs lists! Thank you to Aaron (Keeps Me Alive) and Uncle Meat (no affiliation) for adding your lists to the mix. We heard about some brilliant songs tonight with some personal touches of what makes them so special.
But the hero of the night is Graph Wizard Geoff from 1001albumsin10years! Thanks to him, we can call some clear winners or losers in this race!
Or can we? You’ll just have to watch to find out!
If you don’t feel like watching the whole thing, you can just check out Geoff’s cool graphs below!
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano
Episode 37
In case you didn’t know, Sarah and Kevin (Caught Me Gaming and Buried On Mars respectively) just finished a massive Led Zeppelin review series. Separately, they reviewed each Zeppelin album, from Zep I right to Coda. They did a fantastic job of it, so with that completed, I had to have them on. We’re going to do the Nigel Tufnel Top Ten Led Zeppelinsongs, with a few bonus guest lists in the hopper as well.
“But Mike!” you say. “I have a hard time keeping up with all those lists, and remembering how many times certain songs or albums were picked.”
You’re right; I have a hard time keeping track too. So this time, finally, we’re bringing in Geoff from 1001albumsin10years. Geoff is the graph master. You give him any subject you can think of, and he’ll come back with some kind of graph. If anyone can keep track of our Zep stats, it’s him. I feel the countdown will be in good hands with Geoff.
He came; he talked; he rocked! Frank Loffredo of Thunder Bay’s legendary Crocks N Rolls joined the LeBrain Train to tell story, after story, after story. Drawing from a broad palette of musical love, Frank talks punk, reggae, jazz, Canadian music, and everything in between. How do you nurture a music scene in an isolated town like Thunder Bay? Listen and find out.
As I often do, I began the show with a special unboxing. If you want to see that, you can start the stream from the beginning. If you just want to watch the interview with Frank, then start the stream at the 0:07:00 mark.
Thanks everyone for watching and asking your questions, and thanks to Frank for giving us two hours of your time!
mikeladano.com 