Nick Walsh

#1078: Content Lost

RECORD STORE TALES #1078: Content Lost

It is inevitable, even in this digital age, that things get lost!  I’ve been writing about music since the early 1990s, with my first music reviews posted in 1994.  All of that stuff is gone now.  My earliest reviews were unpublished, just saved onto a disc or printed out and given to friends.  Those discs are long gone now, 5 – 1/4″ floppy discs that went corrupt, and later on 3 – 1/2″ floppies that met the same fate.

The very first review I posted was of the first three songs from Motley Crue’s self-titled album in 1994.  It was posted March 15 1994, the day of release, with a full album review that followed.  These were posted on a local computer bulletin board called the Wanderer’s Rest, run by a guy named Sheldon Parkes.  Incredible that I still remember his name 30 years later, but there are minimal records left.  The Wanderer’s Rest had a problem with its users, who tended to be antisemetic.  I bailed out, and posted Black Sabbath reviews on another board, called Arrakis.  It was run was a local home-schooled kid name Doug Pretorius.  Naturally, all those reviews are lost now.  Amazing how I can remember these guys’ names.  I met Doug once or twice for a few minutes, and never met Sheldon at all.  It would have been interesting to see how bad those old reviews were!  I know my Motley review has not changed in praise or enthusiasm.  I liked it just as much upon release as I do now.  I followed it with a review of Quaternary.  I remember praising the industrial flavours of some of the tracks, and the aggressive lyrics.

In the early 2000s, I began posting my reviews, rants and lists on a website called IAM, under the name Purpendicular.  Unfortunately all those reviews were lost when I deleted my account in 2004.  I don’t remember much of what I posted, but I worked on the content and I know there was some good stuff that I would have re-posted here, if I still had it.

In early 2006, I met and interviewed ex-Helix guitarist Brent Doerner.  That interview is still intact, rescued from a Maxell XLII 110 cassette.  Another tape was not so lucky.  A year or so following this, I talked to Brent’s live band, including guitarist Shane Schedler, now-retired drummer Brian Doerner (then doing double duty in Saga), and the late Ralph “Chick” Schumilas on rhythm guitar.  I lost the tape, and the interview was never transcribed.  I felt like shit.  I remember I wore a suit to the interview, which Brian asked me to take off as it made him uncomfortable!

I can only remember one quote from the whole interview.

Me:  “So Brian, I heard that you were singing lead vocals on ‘Billy Oxygen’ on the last Helix tour, is that true?”

Brian:  “Yah, so??”

I then went on to praise the song, and told him how happy I was that Helix were playing it live again.  That is unfortunately all I can remember.  Maybe I’ll find that tape one day, though I have tried mightily.  I could swear it was on a red TDK.

Even in the digital age, things get lost if you don’t own control of your context.

I recently lost two great interviews that I did with some incredible rock stars, because they were not on my channel, and that channel doesn’t seem to exist anymore.  On September 23, 2021 I interviewed Greg Fraser of Brighton Rock and Storm Force.  Andy Curran and Sean Kelly both dropped by for an episode that you could have called “This Is Your Life Greg Fraser”.  The Storm Force guitarist dropped tons of knowledge and great stories.  What a loss!  If I had known it would disappear, I would have downloaded it for my own records.  The other lost interview was with Slik Toxik’s Nick Walsh, which I called a “bucket list” interview.  This one happened on November 17, 2021 and included great stories about Nick sending his audition tapes to Ratt and Jimmy Page.  All lost forever now.

If I ever do another interview for a channel that is not mine, I will download it, and re-upload it to my own YouTube channel as an unlisted video.  That way, it’ll always be available, even if it’s not publicly available.  I will still be able to watch it and use it for research.

So, as we mourn the loss of content both great and insignificant, we look to the future and saving these things properly.  Loss prevention tactics for the digital age.

 

 

 

REVIEW: Metal On Ice – Various artists (2013)

NEW…ish RELEASE!

METAL ON ICE – Tunes from Canada’s Hard Rock and Heavy Metal heroes (2013 Warner Canada)

Good Sir Aaron purchased this for me at his local establishment for the low, low price of $5.  In Aaron’s review, he stated, “This is the best $5 I’ve spent on spec in ages. Bar none.”  That’s mighty tribute from a guy like Aaron, who buys a lot of CDs on spec.

What is Metal On Ice?  The talented guitarist Sean Kelly (Crash Kelly, Four By Fate, The #1 Classical Guitar Album) put together a book of rock tales from Canada’s best of the 80’s:  Helix, Anvil, Coney Hatch, Killer Dwarfs, Kick Axe and more.  To go with it, he also produced this EP.  Metal On Ice, the CD, consists of remakes of Canadian heavy metal classics.  For all but one song, he has the original singers from the bands singing lead vocals.  For the one that he doesn’t, (Kick Axe’s “On the Road to Rock”) he has Nick Walsh from Slik Toxik.  Then to top it all off, he and Walsh wrote a new song called “Metal On Ice” featuring vocals from almost everybody.

Many of these songs are radio staples.  “Heavy Metal Love” is one of those Helix classics that has endured.  Written by Brian Vollmer and the late Paul Hackman, I think it’s one of Helix’s best tunes, period.  Vollmer’s pipes speak for themselves.  Sean Kelly was in Helix, on bass, for a few months before Brian reunited the classic lineup.  Playing bass on this version however is Helix bassist Daryl Gray.  It’s a pretty authentic remake.

METAL ON ICEI found “Metal Queen” by Lee Aaron to be the most impressive track.  I cannot believe Lee’s voice, powerful as ever!  With the new production and guitars by Sean Kelly, “Metal Queen” has actually been improved.  It’s still an old-school metal chugger, but you can actually hear the lyrics now!  What is important is that Kelly has not changed the songs very much at all.  His impressively tasteful playing is enough to make each one shine just a little more.  Each solo is 100% appropriate to the classic songs.

A great example of this is the Headpins’ “Don’t It Make Ya Feel” featuring Darby Mills.  He has captured the vibe of the original guitar tone, and the song is very authentic.  Similarly, Nick Walsh does not deviate too much from George Criston’s lead vocals from “On the Road to Rock”.  When Walsh screams the high notes, it’s perfect.   Carl Dixon sings lead on Coney Hatch’s classic “Hey Operator”.  Dixon nearly died in a car accident not too long ago; it’s great to hear his voice as strong as ever.  How do these Canadian singers stay perpetually young sounding?  Is it our cold, frosty air?

Russ Dwarf returns to remake the Killer Dwarfs favourite, “Keep the Spirit Alive”.  This has always been my favourite Killer Dwarfs song, right from the very beginning.  It’s absolutely wonderful to hear a well produced updated version.  I admit that when I first got this CD, I went back and played “Keep the Spirit Alive” four or five times in a row.

Finally, there is the new original song “Metal on Ice”.  This ode to the road features lead vocals from Dixon, Vollmer, Mills, Walsh and Aaron.  I love the lyrics: “Hello Kelowna, goodbye Kenora, but we do it all tomorrow in Thunder Bay,” for example.  It is these kinds of Canadian towns that has kept the rock alive through trends and changing winds.  Walsh proudly proclaims that even though they may never make it to the top, they’re never going to stop.

A great sentiment on which to end a great CD.

4.5/5 stars