Peter Kerr was back with a vengeance, and some great songs! Representing Rock Daydream Nation, Peter listed off a whole lot of great songs from the year 1984, ranging from rock to metal to pop rock. He also listed the greatest movies he saw from that year, with a handful of video games and TV shows. I couldn’t resist mentioning a toyline/cartoon/comic book that transformed our young lives that year.
We had awesome guest lists from the Mad Metal Man (who is sick and could not attend) and Uncle Meat. In the comments, Pete Jones, Henry Wright, Johnny Metal, Ash Geisler, and others listed off some great tunes. Ash had about 30! I tried to put all the comments on the screen.
There were some albums and artists to kept coming up over and over again. Whitesnake, Metallica, Mercyful Fate, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and many more were well represented on this show.
This was a wonderful hour-plus and I hope you enjoy watching it on Youtube if you missed it live!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man Episode 67: Top 10 Rock Songs from the year 1984 with Peter Kerr
We are back! Following three weeks of chilling at the cottage, Grab A Stack of Rock returns with a roar, and a familiar face!
Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation suggested this topic for his return to the show. 1984 was the year I got into rock music. That coincided with MuchMusic’s premier in Canada. All of a sudden, there were all these videos! Kiss, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Helix…and I was there with my VCR, recording everything. For me personally, this will be a list of nostalgia…but not entirely. After all, it was Peter who got me into Prince in 2023. It was Tim Durling and John the Music Nut who got me buying Y&T albums recently. It remains to be see what will make my final list, because 1984 was a completely epic year for rock music.
This is a show I was made for! Spoiler alert: Regular readers already know my favourite Steve Morse era Deep Purple album. I was already trying to kickstart a Purple collection when he joined the band in 1995. His addition made me a completist – had to get every album. And, within a few years of his joining, I achieved and maintained that. Morse’s additional made me a superfan. I just love when a band has a significant lineup change that actually works. Deep Purple was transformed into something a little different, but just as good. Just new flavours in the soup. A new freedom to experiment and stretch out. It wouldn’t have worked if the band couldn’t write new songs with the new axeman, but their chemistry flourished over seven studio original studio albums.
Now that Steve is gone from the band, and they are carrying on with another new ingredient in Simon McBride, it is a perfect time to look back upon the Morse era. Joining myself and Peter Kerr on Rock Daydream Nation is “Music Swami” Pete Jones. Together, we passionately discuss three favourite albums, and the key tracks that you need to check out for yourself. We don’t just shower praise, but we break down and analyze.
Here’s what Mr. Kerr has to say:
Rock Daydream Nation is joined by Peter Jones (The Contrarians) and Mike Ladano (Grab a Stack of Rock) to choose their desert island Deep Purple album featuring Steve Morse….Are any of these albums better than Deep Purple Ritchie Blackmore? Check out the show!
Grant Arthur, Jamie Laszlo, Peter Kerr, Tim Durling and myself all gathered together to discuss this fun topic last night: Albums with common “nickname” titles! For example: The Beatles (the White Album), Metallica (the Black Album), and Weezer (lotsa coloured albums)! There are plenty on our lists, and I’m especially proud of one of my coloured picks.
This was my first ever panel discussion with the Contrarians, and about three years overdue. Thank you Grant for inviting me!
There will be no episode of Grab A Stack of Rock this weekend, but we’ll be back next week!
I need to remember for fortunate I am. Some time in 2023, I was approached by an Australian man named Peter Kerr to do a show on the Vinnie Vincent Invasion for his channel, Rock Daydream Nation. He had seen me around on social media, and we hit it off immediately. Meeting Peter has led to some of the best shows I’ve done, including a couple on Grab A Stack of Rock. This week on Rock Daydream Nation, Peter and I went back to one of our core deep love bands: the Purples. Deep Purple Mk III in fact, and the sometimes maligned Stormbringer LP.
As per the deep dive format, we begin with first impressions. Mine begin with a cheap cassette copy bought at Encore Records in Kitchener Ontario. We then go track by track through the whole album, side A and side B. By the time we offer our final thoughts, it is plenty obvious that we love Stormbringer. Blackmore may have disliked the funk, but we like when he plays funky. We touch on Rainbow, Whitesnake and much more.
We drive into some Deep Purple history here, so grab a coffee and enjoy this deep dive!
This’ll get the trolls out! Nothing gets the Motley fans in a tizzy more than critiquing a favourite album, or praising a later one with the wrong lead singer. Our rock heroes are not infallible, and Theater of Pain might be the best example of this. After two screamin’ and bangin’ hard rock/heavy metal albums, Motley made a slight change of image & sound, and left us in a Theater of Pain….
Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation assembled a killer crew for this topic. With Joe B., John Clauser, Steve Deluxe, Melissa Nee and myself, we talk memories, impressions then and now, and most importantly, the songs. We discuss every elephant in the room, from the tragic car crash that ended a life, addictions, and direction (or lack thereof). This tumultuous period of Motley history is full of drama, superstardom, great music videos, and tragedy.
I’m excited to watch this show that I was proud to be a small part of. Theater of Pain is one of my favourite musical topics, and I think we fairly covered all the bases here, and them some. How do you feel about Theater of Pain?
It has been a hell of a week. There’s an untold story here; one that I have elected not to tell. Let’s just say I’m out a lot of money, and other setbacks have caused me to take a step back from social media for a few days. Just too much going on for me to deal with in a calm and cool manner. Better to retreat into the shadows a bit.
As always, the Show Must Go On, and so I was determined to do my best on Friday May 17’s Arkells special on Grab A Stack of Rock. It was the first show I’d done without a co-host (just a special guest) in a long while. I felt unprepared despite a whole week of listening. Things came together at the last minute, and all I needed was the new Arkells album, Disco Loadout Volume One, for the show to go right. I planned to spend the afternoon listening to the CD and hoped to open up the autographed clear splatter vinyl live on the show.
The thing about going live is that it’s a double-edged sword. The plus is you get the rush of live viewer feedback, and that sparks the show to be so much more exciting. The negative is that when things go wrong, there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s live for you.
My record was supposed to arrive on May 15. It didn’t. May 16 came and went. Surely, it would be in my mailbox by May 17, the release date. It had to be.
I arrived home from work early on Friday. I raced with my heart pounding to the mailbox. “It’ll be in there,” I reasoned to myself. “Why wouldn’t it be? It has to be.”
It wasn’t.
Furious, I went right to my computer and called up the tracking.
“Good news!” said Canada Post. “Your parcel was delivered to your locked condo mailbox on May 16!”
Umm, no it wasn’t! I picked up the phone. I searched for a phone number. Do you know how hard it is to call Canada Post on the phone and get a human being on the phone? I was completely unsuccessful.
I went ’round and ’round on phone menus for half an hour. I called my local post office, only to go to voicemail after an agonisingly long wait. I swore up and down, and let out a primal yell that would have frightened the upstairs neighbour, had he been home.
I called Encore Records, and fortunately they had CD copies of the album in stock. I ran downtown, grabbed the album from them (and a few other discs as well). I was greeted there by old pal Chris, and I want to thank Encore for saving the day. Once home, I immediately played the album once-and-a-half times, and began my show prep. (I also picked up three other discs – a 4 CD Faster Pussycast set, the new Beatles single “Now and Then“, and the new Ace Frehley 10,000 Volts.)
I wouldn’t be able to open the signed splatter vinyl live on the show, but I filed a report with Canada Post. It was all I could do. There were no other options available. Showing a CD copy wouldn’t be as exciting, but at least I had it in hand and could read the credits while listening.
The show went incredibly well; far better than I expected. This was due to special guest Nurse Kat and her enthusiasm, and to some excellent notes from D’Arcy Briggs. I’m really happy and proud of the show we did together. I’d never attempted to do a show on a new album, on the day of release before. We were treading new ground in multiple ways, and while it almost didn’t work, it ended up being one of the best shows to date. The passion for the music came through.
Two days later, there was a knock on the door. A tall gentleman from down the hall had a parcel for me. It had been delivered to his unit.
How this happened, I’ll never understand but someone at Canada Post wrote the number “103” on the parcel. Even though my correct unit number was written clearly on the parcel where the address was, this scribbled “103” put my parcel in the tall man’s mailbox. Fortunately he is one of the good ones, and not all of them are. Just this week, an upstairs neighbour had an expensive Amazon parcel opened and stolen. It’s not a good feeling to have mail thieves in our building, but I have been victim twice before. I’m glad this wasn’t the third time.
Even though I didn’t get to unbox it live, Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation was kind enough to join me for a quick look at a beautiful record. It looks as great as it sounds.
And so the week of stress comes to a happy ending. The other bit of good news is that the social media hiatus was a good idea. I went on a writing bender like never before. Expect loads of reviews this spring and summer.
Thank you to the guy down the hall, to Peter Kerr, to D’Arcy Briggs, and to Nurse Kat for turning this potential disaster story into one of triumph!
Hot on the heels of the fallout from our Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years critique, I was invited back on Peter Kerr’s Rock Daydream Nation along with John Clauser and Steve Deluxe, to review the debut album by Tuff. I’d never heard What Comes Around Goes Around before, so it was a little “tuff” for me to get up to speed with the other guys. I listened to the album intensely for a week, and then we recorded this show. It is a show of which I am extremely proud.
The goal here was to be fair and honest. I think we were. I will tell you one thing: one of our panel members went in with a negative perspective, but had it changed after playing the album today. I highly recommend you check out this excellent episode. Even if you don’t like the band Tuff, or the hair metal genre in general, what we have here is a thoughtful and sometimes hilarious discussion about music that, for a little while at least, was one of the most popular genres in the world.
This is what Peter has to say about the show.
Rock Daydream Nation featuring John Clauser (My Music Corner), Michael Ladano (Grab a Stack of Rock) and Steve Deluxe (Rock and Metal Invasion) talk about Hair Metal in the 90s and specifically the Tuff debut album What Comes Around Goes Around (1991)…
For those who like it saltier, stay tuned for my written review which goes up tomorrow. It’s a little spicy.
Record Store Day is already said and done in Australia, and Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation has returned with reports, and bounty.
Peter presents to us some exclusive Thin Lizzy, Motorhead, and some acts that are a little more regional to his neck of the woods. I show off a bit of my favourites from past years. We also discuss the value and collectability of RSD releases in general. Give it a watch!
If anyone wants to do me a solid, I’m looking for:
RECORD STORE TALES #1112: Comfort Albums (ft. Peter Kerr)
Pulling into the driveway, you breath a sigh of relief after a long day at the grind. Walking in the front door, removing your shoes, you begin to feel human once again. Nobody is home and the place is yours. After a stressful day like today, no more TV or news would help you relax. You set about preparing dinner, and select some new albums to listen to. More recent music, relatively speaking Comfort albums. Albums that feel like an old slipper, that remind you of a past era. Familiar sounding music that just isn’t made this way anymore. What do you choose?
I have a few records that fit this bill for me. The latest is Invincible Shield by Judas Priest. It is remarkable that this band have had such highs and lows, but still manage to put out a career-high record 50 years after their debut. There are throwbacks a-plenty, of very high quality. Some riffs or choruses bring you back to the 80s and Defenders of the Faith. Several sound of the Painkiller era, particularly because of Scott Travis’ double bass. Others pulls back to the 70s and Hell Bent for Leather. Though the modern production and vocals of Rob Halford keep the album in the present, it otherwise sounds akin to the records I love so much from my youth. They are of the same blood.
It takes a lot for new music to get my blood pumping the way my old favourites do. When I play Invincible Shield, I’m 15 or 16 years old again, excited for this new album and rooting for my heavy metal heroes on a job well done. It’s a comfort album. The warm air of nostalgia blows through my window as another amazing outro guitar solo fades into silence. I half expect to have to get up and flip the tape soon, so far back am I taken.
Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation, who suggested this topic, had his own example.
“Black Ice,” he said. “AC/DC did not put an album out for eight years. “I bought it, and played the first track ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Train’. It was like a comfort album…big smile on the face!”
Indeed, I remember hearing that song on the radio myself and just being happy to hear a new song that sounded like AC/DC. Perhaps once upon a time, new AC/DC music was just expected regularly, like your tax bills. Then there came a time when we had to cherish a new AC/DC album. Black Ice was the first one where I felt like, “Let’s savour this one this time.”
Another album that had that comforting effect, but not because it’s by a heritage band, is 2022’s Impera by Ghost. Now here is a band that loves throwbacks, but are not content to stick to any particular style or direction. Listening to the Ghost discography was like rapidly traveling forward in time, until Impera seemingly brought us to the year 1987.
Impera is one of my favourite albums to play on my way home from work. With the sun sometimes right in my eyeline and impatient drivers zooming from lane to lane, the commute home is best assuaged by good music that helps me decompress. “Spillways”, “Watcher in the Sky” and “Griftwood” are the three that specifically warm me like a favourite blanket on a cold day. They simply don’t make music like this very often anymore. Oh sure, lots of bands try to do that “80s thing” but few can really trick your brain into thinking you went back in time. Ghost do it, and they do it frequently. Not just Impera, but also on Prequelle with songs like “Danse Macabre”. The single “Kiss the Go-Goat” sounds like something from 1970 and might have a similar effect on someone from that era.
You feel the strain leave your body as you tap your feet to the song. Comfort music often gets you to move. I can’t help but play air guitar or air drums to real comfort music. That’s just good, healthy activity! I’m speaking about a certain age group here, but as it gets continually more effortful to get up and rock a bit, music like this becomes more and and more precious.
Here I am, as my back aches and my right shoulder reminds me it’s healing from injury, and I’m playing vigorous air guitar to the lively “Fight of Your Life” by Judas Priest. I cannot throw shapes like I did in my bedroom at age 15, but I do OK, and it feels alright. Until my elbow says “no more” and my knees falter!
The music feels good. You can use any number of words: nostalgic, warm, energising, recapturing…there is something unique about a true comfort album that just makes you say “Thank God this exists. I needed this, to make me feel this way. Thank you for the music!”
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