music

#486: Dream Music

Welcome to another theme week at mikeladano.com. This week: Getting MORE Getting More Tale. Instead of reviews, we have lined up five days of music stories in the Getting More Tale series. Hope you enjoy.

Have you ever heard music in your dreams?

Steve Vai has. When he was a young musician, he experimented with lucid dreaming. When you’re in a lucid dream, you can control your own actions. Vai’s lucid dreams were very sexual, and musical. Eventually his album Passion & Warfare emerged from these experiences. The opening track “Liberty” is directly inspired by one of his dreams where he was standing saluting a flag (“a different kind of flag,” said Steve). His song “Liberty” was meant to approximate what he heard in the dream, but what he was able to write versus what he actually heard in his head were very different. He was unable to capture the fullness and grandeur of his dream.

Terence Trent D’Arby too has heard music in his dreams. In his case, Marvin Gaye approached him in a dream, and asked if he’d be interested in a song Gaye had written. Perhaps as an expression of his own ego, D’Arby answered, “If I like it.” He must have, because D’Arby recorded the song as “To Know Someone Deeply is to Know Someone Softly” on 1989’s Neither Fish Nor Flesh. Much like Vai, D’Arby found it impossible to translate the beauty of his dream music accurately into the real world.

As for me? I’m no musician; I wish I was. Maybe if I was, I could do something with the music constantly cruising around in my unconscious LeBrain!*

I don’t know why it is, but music does exist in dreams, and vividly so. Bringing that music into the auditory realm is so damn hard no matter how hard you try to remember. I like to write songs – little riffs and melodies that fit together into ditties that I can hum, but not really perform on an instrument. Some of the music I have heard in my dreams would have been the best songs in the world, had they been real!

It’s impossible to describe anything specifically, except to say the music I heard in my dreams was heavy, symphonic, grand and complex. If I wanted to, I could focus in on any specific part. I could dive into the strings and hear the individual parts. I could even manipulate the music once immersed. As if I was playing the guitar myself, I could make the guitar solo go any way I wanted it to. I could control the music like I was a conductor. The only thing I couldn’t do was remember it when I woke up.

I’d wake up, and even though I could remember dreaming of an amazing piece of music, I couldn’t get it out of my head and onto tape or paper. I could hum a melody or two, but nothing more. The grandness and power was all gone. Who knows if the melody I was humming was even anything like what I heard. Either way, the melodies I would hum after would be tiny snippets, special in no way at all.

It’s a rare, bizarre, beautiful, frustrating experience. Has this ever happened to you?

*Thanks to Mr. Books for perfecting that sentence for me.

#485: Cry for the Indians

GETTING MORE TALE #485: Cry for the Indians

We rarely get political here at LeBrain’s Record Store Tales and Reviews. We try to keep the discussions light. The topics are mostly focused on music, tech, retail and work place stories. With that in mind, here’s a good work place tale from 2006.

Without getting into the nitty gritty details, back in 2006, a group of Six Nations on a reserve near Caledonia held an armed standoff over Aboriginal land claims. In question was a 40 hectare parcel of land that was being prepared for development into subdivisions. They occupied a large patch of land and wouldn’t budge, stating that historically they never gave up this land. There is a very complex history as to the ownership of land in Caledonia, going back to 1784. The police arrested occupiers, and in return the Six Nations set up roadblocks. This went on for weeks, highlighted by violence and anger on both sides. Local radio covered all the news, which made national headlines. It was an ugly scene all around, but also a very serious issue that remains unresolved today (the last blockade happened in 2014).

During the months this was going down in 2006, I was working in a small data entry office with two ladies a little older than myself. The radio was tuned to the local news. During an update on the situation, one of the two ladies blurted out, quite offensively, “Why don’t those Indians just pack up and go home and stop causing trouble? I’m sick of them! I don’t even understand what they want!” She ranted for a bit and then things went quiet. The other lady didn’t answer, so I chimed in.

“They’re arguing for their rights to use their traditional lands,” I explained.

“What land?!” she answered incredulously.

“In Caledonia, but really this was all their land,” I informed her. “When the Europeans like us came to this country, we pushed them off their land and took it for ourselves. Now all they have left are these little crummy reservations. But they were here first.”

Her response was something I’ll never forget:

“What?! I never heard of that!”

Come again? Did you somehow miss grades 1 through 12? Canada often prides itself in our great education system. There’s proof right there that it certainly has its flaws. Highschool is free, people! I had to explain this to a lady who was old enough to know where all the white people in North America came from. I had to convince her this was real history and not a “theory”. She didn’t have to like these facts, but how can you go through life without even knowing them?

And that is the story of one of the most ignorant comments I’ve ever heard inside or outside the work place. In the words of Anthrax:

We all see black and white,
When it comes to someone else’s fight,
No one ever gets involved,
Apathy can never solve.

Forced out – brave and mighty,
Stolen land – they can’t fight it,
Hold on – to pride and tradition,
Even though they know how much their lives are really missin’,
We’re dissin’ them.
On reservations,
A hopeless situation.

Cry for the Indians,
Die for the Indians,
Cry for the Indians,
Cry, cry, cry for the Indians.

Respect is something that you earn,
Our Indian brothers’ getting burned,
Original American,
Turned into second class citizen.

Love the land and fellow man,
Peace is what we strive to have,
Some folks have none of this,
Hatred and prejudice.

Territory – It’s just the body of the nation,
The people that inhabit it make its configuration.
Prejudice – Something we all can do without,
Cause a flag of many colors is what this land’s all about.

#482: Modified Listening Experiences

GETTING MORE TALE #482: Modified Listening Experiences

With modern music technology and software, it has never been easier to not only take your music anywhere, but now you can even modify the albums you buy. Using some simple tricks you can change aspects of the tracklist to make the album suit you. You have probably done this yourself. Many do regularly, by shuffling the track order. Let’s go a little deeper than that.

The first time I experienced the concept of modifying an album’s tracklist, I was just a kid. It was 1985, and I was recording the first W.A.S.P. cassette off my next door neighbour George (R.I.P.), from tape to tape.

“If you don’t like the song ‘Sleeping in the Fire’,” he said, “You can just push pause on this tape recorder. Then un-pause it when the song is over. Your copy won’t have ‘Sleeping in the Fire’ if that’s how you like it.”

Even then, I couldn’t imagine a reason to copy an entire album sans one song. I kept the tape running and never hit pause, but George’s advice kept tumbling around in my brain, for years. Over time I began experimenting with tracklist modification. Never to remove songs, mind you, always to add or improve.

Here are some examples of modified track lists in my library.

1. Adding bonus tracks

Single B-sides just kind of float around in most collections. Due to their short running time, I don’t often spin CD singles. On a PC hard drive they tend to get lost while full albums get more play. To give some of these B-sides a little more air time, in many cases I have chosen to add the songs as “bonus tracks”, at the end of the associated album. This works best when it’s just one or two tracks. More than that can extend an album listening experience too long.

Sometimes, different versions of albums will have unique bonus tracks. Perhaps there’s one on the vinyl version that is on nothing else. Japanese editions, deluxe versions, European editions, iTunes editions…there are usually lots of bonus tracks out there, but always on different versions of the disc. Why not take them all, and make your own “super deluxe edition” with all the bonus tracks in one spot? Listening to an album modified in this way can be a bit longer than the usual, but ultimately it’s rewarding to hear the entire body of work in one smooth sitting. My MP3 player is loaded with my complete version of Alice Cooper’s Welcome 2 My Nightmare, and it’s just 10 minutes shy of two hours long!

In extreme cases, there are so many bonus tracks out there that you may need to consider creating an entire “bonus disc” folder to house them all.

2. Removing gaps

The 1990’s were such a quaint time. Remember “hidden bonus tracks”? At the end of the album, instead of stopping, the CD would continue to play several minutes of silence. Then you would be surprised by a hidden unlisted song! A notable example is “Look at Your Game, Girl”, the infamous Charles Manson cover that Axl hid away at the end of The Spaghetti Incident. There was only a 10 second gap on that CD; still annoying but other albums had much longer pauses before the hidden track.

I use Audacity to remove the long gaps, or to isolate the hidden song to a track all its own. As much as I enjoy a “pure” listening experience the way the artist intended, these long gaps are pretty easy to sacrifice.

3. Restoring an intended song order

Rock and roll is full of stories about bands who couldn’t get their way when an album was released. W.A.S.P. for example wanted their song “Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)” to open their self titled album. Now you can add it there yourself! (W.A.S.P. also added the song to the start of the remastered version of the album.) You can even use Audacity to adjust the volume levels, so that everything matches.

A better example is Extreme’s III Sides to Every Story. The piano ballad “Don’t Leave Me Alone” was only on the cassette version of the album. The CD couldn’t contain all the songs without making it a double, so that one had to be left off. Now you can re-add it yourself, right where it belongs at the end of “side two” and before the big side three suite. Now you can hear the whole album as Extreme intended, seamlessly.

Pardon the pun, but I took an even more “extreme” approach to their second album, Pornograffitti. The instrumental track “Fight of the Wounded Bumblebee” was written as a longer piece with a slow bluesy coda. This second half was recorded solo by Nuno Bettencourt as “Bumble Bee (Crash Landing)” for a guitar compilation. Using Audacity, I combined both tracks to restore the song to its original full structure. This is about as close as we will ever get to hearing the tracks as written. I dropped the new longer track into the album tracklisting and voila! Still seamless, but now with a new darker mood before “He-Man Woman Hater”.

Indeed, the possibilities are limitless. Steve Harris often complained that the Iron Maiden album No Prayer for the Dying should have had live crowd noise mixed in, like a live album. Now you can do that yourself. With a deft touch, you can even edit songs down yourself or extend them by looping sections.

With the advent of the computer as a listening device, the sky is now the limit. How would you modify your listening experiences?

#481: Hang It Up

GETTING MORE TALE #481: Hang It Up

Rock fans are a fickle bunch, aren’t we? We will openly praise our rock heroes, placing them upon mighty pedestals. We will proclaim that our love for said bands trumps anyone else’s; we are truer fans than the average wannabe. Then at the drop of a hat, when our bands take an action we don’t approve of, we suddenly become the authority on what that band actually should have done. We’re the experts after all, right?

Most commonly, we are quick to judge when a band has passed its prime. We have all done it. “They need to hang it up and call it a day, go out with some dignity,” we proclaim, pretending that we actually have a clue of what goes on in their creative or financial headspaces.

Why do we think we know what’s best? Certainly, we are opinionated on what we like and what we don’t. Let’s say a certain band “jumps the shark” a little bit, to use the TV vernacular. For example, Aerosmith. A lot of fans, this one included, feel that Aerosmith’s best days are long behind them. As fans, we don’t want to see the band continue to sink further into a crapslide of mediocrity. Mediocrity, that is, defined by us.

Certainly, Aerosmith have no problems selling out arenas even after several patchy discs and gigs. Go and see them live and you will meet fans who have seen them dozens of times in their lives. They have a blast doing so, and they don’t care if Tyler can’t jump around like he used to. What makes one group of fans (the ones that cry “hang it up!”) right, but the others who will gladly go see them live again tomorrow, wrong?

Nothing. It’s all personal taste. You may fall on one side of fence with Aerosmith, but another side with the Stones, or the Who. Look, I love Kiss. I always have. I loved when they were great, and I loved when they were shit. Now that the original members are down to just Gene and Paul, and Paul’s struggling with his voice, do I think they should hang it up? Absolutely not. I still look forward to whatever Paul, Gene, Eric and Tommy have cooking next. But I don’t necessarily feel that way about Aerosmith, or even AC/DC.

I saw Gordon Lightfoot perform about 10 years ago. His voice is reduced to a quiet whisper now. Years take their toll, but Gordon and his band still played a set of unforgettable music. Was it a harsh reminder of the years gone by? Sure, but I can say I’ve seen Gordon Lightfoot now, an experience I wouldn’t trade in for a cash refund, no way.

To compare an artist to their younger selves is almost universally unfair. I can’t run the 100 meter dash like I used to. Ian Gillan can’t hit the high screams like 1969 either. That’s OK. Ageing is a part of life. It is also a part of music, even rock and roll. Rock music used to be about celebrating youth, but today it is a far more diverse field than it was in the golden years.

On the other hand, take a group like AC/DC. For all intents and purposes, they were still going very strong with the classic five members until very recently. Then Malcolm got sick – irreversibly so. Phil Rudd had his problems and was let go. Now Brian Johnson is gone and Axl Rose is in. At what point does a band become a parody of itself? More importantly, who gets to decide that? I’d prefer if AC/DC were able to continue with Brian; I don’t want to adjust to an AC/DC with yet another new singer. But I don’t get a say, do I?

But we do get to vote on this, in one way: the capitalist way. We vote democratically with our dollars. People who don’t want to see Axl Rose fronting AC/DC are offered full refunds, and by taking the refund, a fan can voice his or her displeasure. If the tour continues beyond these dates, we will still be able to vote with our wallets. There is no deception here. Surely anyone in the market for AC/DC tickets knows what’s going on now.

Speaking personally, I would go see Axl/DC. Who knows how long this aggregation will last? It’s a possible chance to see history in the making. Even if they suck absolutely (doubtful), I would still be able to say “I saw that. I was there.” So, given the chance, even if I don’t like the idea of Axl fronting AC/DC, I would still use my money to vote “yay”. Even just out of curiosity, it would be worth it.

The single instance that I feel is universally appropriate for a band to retire is the sad day they find themselves without any original members. Take Quiet Riot for example. Nobody currently in the band played on the first two Quiet Riot albums. Two of the members who did are now dead, and there is no connection at all to the earliest recordings of the group. In cases such as this, what separates a band from a mere tribute? Call it what it is, in my view.

Who do you think should hang it up? And if they do, how long before the reunion tour? Time will tell!

#480: Where Are We Now?

GETTING MORE TALE #480: Where Are We Now?

It’s been over 10 years since leaving the old Record Store. Feeling nostalgic, my thoughts go back to the folks I once worked with. The early days there were such an incredible time. I called it the dream job, and for a music-mad guy in his 20’s, it was! It was an experience I will always cherish forever, and that’s one of many reasons that Record Store Tales exist. Even so, I don’t think I have really captured the joy of those early years, especially 1994-1996. It truly is joy when you voluntarily came in early every day just to check out new inventory, which I used to do regularly. Since that time, quite a few of my old compatriots have moved on. Where are we now?

LeBrain: Here I am! I’ve been working a desk job in the manufacturing industry for the last seven years. The lovely thing about my job is that I get to listen to the radio all day, every day. I have found 107.5 DaveRocks to be very conducive to getting work done, and being rocked while doing it. The encouragement from various folks at the station inspired me to get my Record Store Tales finished and published, and that’s why you’re reading this now!

T-Rev: Now living in Sarnia Ontario with his beautiful wife and three kids. Still rocking and rolling, still addicted to that rush and still collecting tunes. Still texting me with rare finds (last was a rare Judas Priest 12” picture disc) and on the hunt for rarities. Trips across the border into the US have yielded him many finds over the years. Just a few weeks ago, T-Rev texted me for help. “Can you help Colin go through five or six boxes of records and let him know if there’s anything good in there?” Colin lives in Kitchener so it was far easier for him to show the LPs to me than T-Rev. In all, I found about 50 that he should hang on to…and my mother in law bought a half-dozen for herself! I also snagged an insert from Alice Cooper’s Muscle of Love LP, which my copy was missing. Thanks for hooking that up, T-Rev!

Iron Tom Sharpe: Tom, co-founder of the legendary Sausagefest, sold his Record Store location and became a teacher. He has brought the rock to a whole new generation of fans. They have now formed rock groups and even their own Jr. Sausagefest parties. Of everyone involved with the Record Store back then, it is Tom who today does the most to bring good music to the kids. What a legend! He has managed to do what I strive to do myself, which is pass on the glorious rock and roll to the next generation.

Joe Big Nose: Recently left the Record Store chain for a better opportunity. No longer stinking up its washrooms with giant aromatic shits. Big Nose had a long stay there – surely one of the longest. There are probably stains with his name on them.

Uncle Meat: Wandering the universe, playing baseball and Space Truckin’. (Seriously, I know he is hard at work tabulating the votes for Sausagefest 2016’s official countdown.)

EDIT/update: Uncle Meat has finished the 2016 countdown! It is, in his words, “truly a kaleidoscope of finesse, filth and fury.” Looking forward to it.

Wiseman: Location and status unknown. Last seen very very wasted at Sausagefest XII.

And finally, the Owner: Still there, 25 years this August! Talk about givin’ ‘er! Never give up, never surrender! You have to admire the tenacity and sacrifices made. I would like to celebrate and say cheers with him. Rock on!

#476: Won’t Get Fooled Again

GETTING MORE TALE #476: Won’t Get Fooled Again
(the long-awaited sequel to Record Store Tales Part 225: Bait & Switch)

“I knew immediately there was a problem. In his hands was a used copy of Puff Daddy’s brand new smash hit album, No Way Out. It had one of our Bargain Bin stickers on it, priced at $5.99. However the album was a fairly new release, and any used copies we had were always priced at $11.99. I’d never put one of them in my Bargain Bin, ever at this point. You just didn’t throw a new release into a sale bin. As Puffy said, ‘It’s all about the Benjamins.'” — from Record Store Tales Part 225: Bait & Switch

We had a deceptively simple inventory system at the Record Store. Each used CD case was empty. Every one of them was tagged with the price, and a number that would tell me the location of the actual compact disc behind the counter. This system benefited both our point of sale computer, which updated our inventory live in real time, and it was also a security bonus. With compact discs safely stored behind the counter, thieves knew they would get nothing by stealing a case. We made it obvious, by posting large ALL CASES ARE EMPTY signs. The bastards had to get creative when ripping us off.

In the Record Store Tale above, a scam artist got away with it. I wasn’t going to let him, but the owner didn’t stand up to the guy, called it a misunderstanding and let the guy have a discount. The scammer switched price tags, without realizing that the number code on the tags lead to a specific disc. When boss gave the guy a discount, it made me feel about two feet tall. I never let that happen again.

My new strategy was quite simple and it worked every time. When the first guy ripped us off, my big mistake was explaining to him that somebody switched price tags. That got him on the defensive and he had already prepared his argument regarding bait and switch laws. I got smart after that, by playing dumb.

The most memorable occasion involved a douchebag in his mid-20’s, and a rap title. I cannot remember today what the rap title was, but the CD itself was very brightly coloured and easy to spot. Buddy came up to the counter with a CD case, and the price tag looked tampered with. They never quite looked the same once peeled off and re-applied, and years behind the counter taught me that. Sure enough, the number on the price tag led to me the wrong compact disc. I checked out the locations of the discs in the computer and confirmed the guy had switched a tag. He wanted an $11.99 CD for $7.99, but it wasn’t going to happen on my watch. I pretended to look for the disc, but I had actually already grabbed it and put it aside. The price tag that he swapped it with, the $7.99 CD, was alphabetically right next to the other one. It was obvious he just grabbed two nearby and switched prices. I was taking time figuring this out though, so I had to tell him why.

“I’m sorry man but I’m having a really hard time finding this CD,” I explained. “Each price tag has a number on it that tells me where the disc should be, but it’s not in this spot. I’ll keep looking.”

As earlier explained, the compact disc I was supposedly looking for was a bright one, easy to spot. What I didn’t count on was this dude has already seen it behind the counter in its location. But what he didn’t count on was that I had since yanked it and hidden it out of sight! From the right vantage point, you could have spotted it, but it was gone now.

“Are you sure?” the scammer asked. “I think it’s right over there,” and he pointed me in the general direction. I put on a good act of looking, flipping through every disc but his. “I’m sure I saw it right there.”

“Can you show me?” I asked, knowing it wasn’t there. I don’t know if he figured out my game or not. He probably had. But there was nothing he could do about it. “Is this it?” I pulled out a disc with random artwork on it. “No, but I saw it right there, in that spot that is empty now.” Yeah, he caught me.

“I’m really sorry but it’s not there. I’ll keep looking. Why don’t you give me your name and phone number? I’ll call when I find it. I’m sure it’ll turn up.”

“Naw, man.”

Small triumph, but, still a triumph.

#474: Vertigo Records in Ottawa Ontario

Last weekend, Aaron went record shopping in Toronto while I did the same in Ottawa. Check out his post too, and see what we scored!

GETTING MORE TALE #474: Vertigo Records in Ottawa Ontario

Something very special happened on March 24, 1956. On that day, Clifford Michael Woodhouse married young Jean, the light of his life, and they began a large and loving family. Clifford, known as Mike, was a radar operator in the CF (Canadian Forces). As such he and his family lived in many parts of the world at many times. According to his son Richard, who also served in the CF: “During the height of the Cold War he was a Radar operator, working on what was known as the Pine Line, where he monitored and collected information on the movement and position of threats to the Canadian Forces and to Canadian sovereignty.” He was also involved in classified projects, but I can’t talk about that, or he’ll have to shoot me.

Sgt. Woodhouse ultimately settled in Ottawa after stops in France and Gander, Newfoundland. He retired in Ottawa where he and Jean still live today. I am lucky to have married his beautiful grand-daughter Jennifer.

A 60th wedding anniversary is a big deal. Did you know that couples who are citizens of the British empire (including Canadians) can receive a letter from Queen Elizabeth II for their 60th anniversary? The diamond Woodhouse anniversary celebration (held on Sunday the 20th) was not an event we were likely to miss, so Jen and I climbed aboard a train and headed east to our nation’s capital.

We stayed in the Novotel (good experience; recommended) which was a block or two away from a store called Vertigo Records. Brilliant. First excursion solved! We’ll get there eventually (I promise), but lemme tell you, I’ve never been in a Hummer limo before. Jen’s cousin Missy arranged this beast of a vehicle, 18 feet in length, and just a pleasure to ride in. (So screw the environment I guess; I rode in a Hummer limo and enjoyed it!) There were 14 of us inside that Hummer, including Mike and Jean, two of their kids, three of their grand-kids, and FIVE of their SIX great-grandchildren! How incredible is that? Even more met us at the Keg Manor; a large and incredible group of people.

During the celebration, the lucky couple were presented a number of precious documents in honour of their achievement. The letter from the Queen was perhaps even overshadowed by a personal letter from the Right Honourable Steven Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada. Family member Chris acquired this by writing to the office of Mr. Harper, who was kind enough to send a signed letter in response. There was also a letter from David Johnston, Governor General of Canada and direct representative of the Queen in this country.

Jennifer has a great family in Ottawa and I can’t wait to return to the city, in warmer weather. It was bitter cold that weekend, windy and unpleasant to walk in for a long period of time. As such we didn’t go far in distance from our hotel. I did find this interesting place that I might have to check out next time.* It was situated beside a couple tattoo shops. Hey, it says it’s FREE, right?

Vertigo Records (193 Rideau St, (613)-241-1011) is an inviting and cool store selling new and used CDs, vinyl and even cassettes. They had a copy of Metallica’s tape-only No Life ‘Til Leather, sealed for $25. Even cooler, they had a signed Motorhead drum head (not for sale). We arrived shortly after they opened and there were already customers browsing. They had a lot of stock and they were putting out plenty of new stuff as I was there. There were a number that struck my eye.

Should I have bought Goblin Cock?

One of the first discs I noticed was Yngwie Malmsteen’s Live in Leningrad, which I have wanted for a long time but never had. Vertigo had a good variety of tunes in rotation over the speakers, including some Motley Crue. Maybe that’s what inspired me to pick up the double Live – Entertainment or Death. I’ve seen a lot of copies of it in the past in just wrecked condition, so not remembering if I owned it or not, I picked this one up. I did own it already. So this one goes into the Aaron pile.** In the new arrivals bin, I saw Robert Pollard/Doug Gillard’s Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department. I wasn’t certain if he owned it or not, so for only $6.99 it was better safe than sorry. He does have it, so I’ll keep it. He tells me I won’t be disappointed with it anyway, because Gillard is a guitar hero of his and I should be in for a treat.

Speaking of Aaron, he has some Deep Purple castaways coming his way. When I saw these lovely Japanese reissues in mint, complete condition for only $14.99 each, it was all but a no-brainer to pick them up. There are Russian forgeries on the market, but these are the genuine article from Japan. I’m very pleased to add these to my collection and pass down my old copies to the next generation of Purple fanatics.*** And lo! More Japanese treasures were to be found! Complete with obi strip was some rare Rage Against the Machine. I have a brief story about this CD, that was too short to make it into Record Store Tales*^ but fine for an anecdote here.

One of the few guys that actually worked at the old Record Store before me was this guy Dave. There was the owner, his brother, two guys named Craig and Dave, and then me. A bit later on, Dave went to Japan but kept in touch via snail mail (back then, we just called it “mail”). I will never forget that he sent us a letter to the store, almost taunting us with rare CDs that he found in Japan. He mailed us the obi strips for Nirvana’s Hormoaning and a Rage Against Machine CD called Live & Rare. “Ever seen these before?” read part of the letter. Hormoaning yes, Rage no. I never saw it again either, until Vertigo Records. $12.99, obi strip intact. Dave doesn’t even have his own obi strip anymore!

Moving on, some classic rock finds were hard to turn down. Cream Gold ($8.99 for 2 CDs!) and Jethro Tull’s Living With the Past ($6.99) came home with me to Kitchener. I have the Tull DVD of the same name, and it’s excellent. And Cream? This is my first Cream purchase. This is something I’m glad to have fixed in my collection.

I love me some Fu Manchu, but I missed We Must Obey the first time out. Brant Bjork’s Punk Rock Guilt also slipped past me. Not this time! $7.99 each.

Finally, I could not safely bring home a lot of vinyl on the train, so I didn’t go nuts on it. I saw some cool stuff, believe me, and I was considering getting some Kiss solo album reissues. I bought one 45, which was “The Devil Stole the Beat from the Lord” by the Hellacopters, taken from their Kiss-like LP Grande Rock. The single contains two non-album B-sides: “Holiday Cramps” and “Be Not Content”. The devil-dragster cover art probably made Rob Zombie cry tears of jealousy.

The guy behind the counter gave me the 45 for free. “Because you’re buying so much,” he said. What a pleasant surprise. That was awesome. I guess he didn’t know who I was*^^ and that I like to do this whenever I can! We had a brief chat while he carefully put the discs and inserts in the cases. We marveled at the folks out there who actually throw away CD packaging. Why would anybody do such a thing? I will truly never understand.

It was such a pleasure being in Ottawa that weekend, windy cold weather aside. We will definitely return, and stay longer so as to check out some of the other record stores in town. Vertigo Records is a must, a highly recommended store that I would rank as highly as my favourite Toronto record stores.

5/5 stars.

And thank you to C. Michael Woodhouse for your hospitality and for everything you have done for this country.

Mike “LeBrain” Ladano

*I’m kidding! I’m kidding!

**I have a lot of stuff here that I should really mail out to the friends I promised I would mail them out to.

***Hopefully Aaron and his kids.

*^Have you been reading Record Store Tales? If not, please click here.

*^^I’ve always wanted to say to somebody, “Do you know who I am?” and then whip out my mikeladano.com cards as if I’m actually somebody.

#457: Making the Best Buy (Or, making lemonade from lemons)

GETTING MORE TALE #457: Making the Best Buy
(Or, making lemonade from lemons)

In Getting More Tale #326, we lamented that the once-mighty retail chain Best Buy isn’t what it used to be. This time, we’ll take a look back at the store’s history.

Who doesn’t love those fact-filled Uncle John’s books and calendars? Here’s the entry for December 2 2015. Before reading this I had no idea, nor did I really care how Best Buy started. Uncle John changed my tune:

Scan from the Uncle John’s 2015 desk calendar.

Back at the Record Store days in the early 2000’s, the Boss was bracing for a new Best Buy store to open nearby. He figured that we’d probably feel some short term pain, but in the long term the store should draw more customers to the area and we’d benefit from their presence. He also strongly encouraged us not to shop there, a big US chain edging into our turf.

I tried to avoid shopping there at first, but the convenience was too much to resist. When I needed printer ink, computer supplies, or a new movie release, they were right there, and they usually had everything I came in for. That made it hard to avoid. I still tried to shop locally — I remember making special trips to Steve’s TV in Frederick Mall to buy the Star Wars trilogy on DVD. Between big items like TV sets, and small ones like candy, I know I have easily spent thousands of dollars at our local Best Buy stores. They also had hard to find items, such as the rare ZZ Top box set that came in a little box shaped like a barbecue shack (Chrome, Smoke & BBQ). The guilt felt for shopping a big US conglomerate was tempered by the savings and convenience.

That was then. As mentioned in chapter #326, Best Buy took a serious dump a few years ago. Still, a few weeks back, I had the chance to stop by one with my friend and sometimes contributor, Thussy. We had an hour to kill before a work dinner, so we popped into Best Buy, prepared to spend money if they had something we wanted. We spent an hour in the store, but no dollars.

The one thing I would have bought would have been the new Adele CD, 25, for my mom. (Yes, it’s for my mom.) I know Best Buy pretty much cut audio CDs from their stores completely, but hey, it’s Adele. Worth a try, right? Even my grocery store has the new Adele. Best Buy did not have the new Adele. I wasn’t really surprised.

We were tempted by some of their blu-ray deals. We saw a reissue of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which I have already bought thrice, no more no less, over the years: VHS, DVD, and special edition DVD. This new version was a blu-ray, with the same features as the DVD, but a neat little castle set and plastic animals to catapult over it. Very tempting indeed. But both of us said no. We survived their $7.99 cheapie blu-ray bin without spending a penny. The only thing that was almost a serious temptation was that new remote controlled Star Wars Sphero BB-8 toy. It was $180, and it is definitely a neat little toy. But what the hell was I going to do with it? With a big record shopping excursion in Toronto on my horizon, the $180 would be better saved.

It was a pleasant trip to Best Buy, and we marvelled at all the new televisions and gadgets. We were asked by one pleasant employee if we needed any help, and only once, which is exactly how you want it.

Best Buy, what happened to you? Obviously, their story didn’t end with opening 1000 superstores. They continued to grow, by acquiring other electronics and music retail chains, such as Sam Goody. Their presence in Canada was felt in 2001, when they bought out our own, similar chain: Future Shop. That’s when they began horning in on our territory, and freaking out the Boss. They continued to expand and acquire, and their services such as the Geek Squad became household names. It seems this is where Best Buy and I parted ways, as they focused more and more on electronics, and less on the media that I often came in for. They bought mobile phone stores and services, and became the first non-Apple distributor of the iPhone in 2008. Phones, game consoles and tech support took over the spaces once designated for music. Meanwhile online, Best Buy’s on-demand movies, improved web sales services, and quick delivery began to dominate. I bought my laptop online, and it was at my door to me a few days later in the post. Around 2010 however their sales began to dip, but Best Buy shed some weight in order to continue to survive.

It just hasn’t happened with much of my help.

This year, Best Buy’s Canadian acquisition Future Shop bit the dust. I hadn’t done much shopping there lately either, for the same reasons as above. The two stores were all but identical, and sometimes existed side by side! It was no wonder they shut their doors. Others re-opened under the Best Buy banner, but it was a major hit for the company.

I think Best Buy will continue to exist, but as online ordering and home delivery becomes the norm, I think the stores will be able to shrink in size and survive. Large items like televisions might remain in-store for customers to try out, or to pick up after ordering online. Small items like movies might be phased out altogether, since Amazon’s own home delivery is the king of convenience.

I will continue to watch Best Buy, and sure, I’ll be cheering from the sidelines. I would very much like to buy something cool at a great price from them again, some day.

#454: VIDEO – Mike and Aaron Go to Toronto Again…Again!

“Are you filming right now?”

GETTING MORE TALE #454: Mike and Aaron Go to Toronto Again…Again! The Video!

Thanks to Aaron for the musical soundtrack, and thanks to the stores for the many music discs!

Full detailed purchases can be found here, and here.

#452: Mike and Aaron Go to Toronto Again…Again!

GETTING MORE TALE #452: Mike and Aaron Go to Toronto Again…Again!

WE HAVE RETURNED, SIRE, WITH PLUNDERED TREASURE FROM THE TOWN.

Toronto was, in a word, perfect.

We have done this every year for four years now, Aaron and I, always in the fall. We go to the heart of Toronto and plunder its best music. Then, we return to our homes, and listen in glee while making evil laughing sounds and clutching our treasure in our greedy hands. This was the latest in the year that we had gone (November 28), but miraculously the skies parted that morning and we were not rained upon nor snowed. It was once again, just perfect.

Aaron’s complete post on this trip can be found by clicking here!

We were accompanied like last year by Aaron’s dad Wayne, who just wanted to walk around and see if there were any curiosities that struck his eye. After parting ways, Aaron and I made our way to Stop #1: BMV.

I found three treasures there, all of which I am very happy and excited aboot:

1. STYX – Equinox, $5.99 CD used. I’m still trying to grow a Styx collection so this great album was a find. Review is already written; to be published.
2. QUEEN – Queen – 2 CD remaster, $9.99 used. SCORE! Just reviewed the 1991 issue of this album recently. Can’t wait to dig into the bonus EP!
3. OASIS – Definitely Maybe – 3 CD remaster, $14.99 used. SCORE! Erk, wait! The discs were not inside! BMV will be sending me the discs shortly, but dang! Nice find. This is to be kept alongside my 2 CD edition featuring the live album, Oasis Live.
4. MARTIN POPOFF – The Big Book of Haἳr Metal, $14.99, originally $33. Lotsa text, loadsa pics, let’s go!

Music heard in store: Judas Priest – “Metal Meltdown”, “Ram It Down”, “Victim of Changes”. Pretty amazing shit to hear in a book store.

Total spent: $45.96.

BMV Books
471 Bloor St W
(416) 967-5757

Stop #2: Pauper’s Pub (39 Bloor Street West). This is a lunch time tradition. Aaron had the veggie burger (with avocado and salsa) and fries, I had the Canadian (cheese and bacon) burger with a garden salad. I would put this lunch in my top five burgers of all time, easily. It was that good.

We hoofed it back to the point at which we started, the parking lot right next to Stop #3: Kops. The Cult serenaded us with “Fire Woman”. Lots of goodness found here:

1. HENRY ROLLINS – The Boxed Life 2 CD (sealed!), 2 for $5.
2. ROLLINS BAND – Come In And Burn (sealed!), 2 for $5.
3. TRIUMPH – Edge of Excess, 2 for $5.
4. STEVE EARLE – A Special Collection, 1989 promo greatest hits CD with 17 tracks! 2 for $5.
5. RAINBOW – “Can’t Let You Go”, 12″ single, $7.99. Features two live tracks unavailable on album including Joe Lynn Turner singing “All Night Long”. Can’t wait to spin this.

Total spent: $17.99.

Kops Records
229 Queen St W
(416) 593-8523

Final Stop: Sonic Boom.

We always do well here and this was no exception. I told Aaron that I was hoping to buy some deluxe editions, and considering I’d already scored Queen and Oasis, I thought I had been doing well. I had forgotten that Faith No More had some deluxes out. I remembered this when I saw the vinyl reissues at Kops, so I was sure to look for the CDs at Sonic Boom.

Treasures plundered:

1. BEN FOLDS – Ben Folds Live, $2.99 used.
2. BRANT BJORK and the LOW DESERT PUNK BAND – Black Power Flower, 2 bonus tracks, $14.99.
3. FAITH NO MORE – The Real Thing deluxe, $22.99.
4. FAITH NO MORE – Angel Dust deluxe, $22.99.

I have a really extensive collection of Faith No More singles and EPs. I had most of the bonus material already on physical copies, but with a few notable exceptions. Now I got ’em: “As the Worm Turns” with Patton singing, and some of the live tracks such as Sheffield 1990 and Munich 1992.

Total spent: $63.96.

Sonic Boom
215 Spadina Ave
(416) 532-0334

Final Stop ¹⁄_2. Moonbean. Aaron had to grab some seriously impressive coffee. It’s the tradition! Moonbean can be found at 30 Andrew St. (1-866-595-0327), or online at moonbeancoffee.com.

But wait! That’s not all!

Aaron’s Box of Generosity:

As is his modus operandi, Aaron surprised me with some serious treasures.

1. EXTREME – “Tragic Comic” digipack CD single, featuring “When I’m President” live, which I didn’t have before!
2. KILLER DWARFS – Method to the Madness CD, out of print! I have all their studio albums now.
3. NIACIN – Live in Tokyo DVD, featuring Billy Sheehan on bass. This outta be a mindblow!
3. WILLIAM SHATNER – Shatner Rules, book. I’ve read a few of Bill’s books before and they’re fun.
4. WAYNE JOHNSON – The Colony of Unrequited Dreams. Know nothing about it, but I love Canadian settings in fiction.
5. MICHAEL ONDAATJE – Coming Through Slaughter. “My favourite book” – Steve Earle. ‘Nuff said.
6. HENRY ROLLINS – Fanatic! Vol 1, 2 and 3. An early Christmas has come. Rollins meticulously tracks every song he played on his radio show, with notes. Lots of metal and punk and more.
7. Rock the Cradle Lullabies – Dreamin’ with DEF LEPPARD. Might actually be good since Phil and Viv play on the CD! (Collectible regardless.)
8. Hot Wheels diecast starship USS Enterprise NCC-1701 (reboot version, in package). I love it!
9. A KISS backpack! To put all my goodies in!

Aaron can be found at keepsmealive.wordpress.com.

In Conclusion.

Aaron made three trips to Toronto in 2015, I now have made two (for record shopping). You might think we tapped that city out. Hell no! See you next year, Toronto!

Total spent: $127.91 (before tax).

Total items (not including Aaron’s generosity): 14.

Average cost per record: $10.94. Consider all those deluxe editions I bought, that is not bad at all!

Coming Soon: the annual video documentary of the trip!

	salemcustoms on DVD/CD RE-REVIEW: Iron Maiden…
	80smetalman on DVD/CD RE-REVIEW: Iron Maiden…
	salemcustoms on 🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN e…
	mikeladano on RE-REVIEW: Eric Carr – U…
	2loud2oldmusic on RE-REVIEW: Eric Carr – U…

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