RECORD STORE TALES Part 168: The Constipated Ritchie Blackmore
The date: Before Christmas 2005 (my final Christmas at the store)
The place: My store
The characters: Myself, and “Box Set Man”
I had this one great customer, and dammit, I cannot remember his name. We called him “Box Set Man” because he bought and sold a lot of box sets. In fact, I have a Japanese Deep Purple Purple Chronicle 25th anniversary box set from his collection, complete with obi strip.
Box Set Man also collected rock photographs, original photographs from private collections, unpublished anywhere. He bought them at record shows, by networking (he was once a concert promoter) and from eBay. He would trade photos in his collection for more desirable ones as well.
Just before Christmas 2005, Box Set Man came in with a gift for me. He handed me a plain yellow envelope. Inscribed on the envelope was this:
Merry Xmas Mike
This photo is from a private collection from Germany “Blackmore”.
Inside the envelope was an original Ritchie Blackmore photo.
Ritchie is obviously digging deep into a guitar solo in this photo. Stratocaster raised, eyes closed, Ritchie is givin’ it all he’s got. But the overall effect is one of Ritchie looking like he has to go to the bathroom.
Christmas 2005 was my final Christmas at the store, but Box Set Man didn’t know that. I don’t remember why, but head office had asked me to keep my departure under wraps. The announcement wasn’t made until my final day at the store (Jan 4, 2006) and as it turns out, that was the day I told Box Set Man as well.
So, without further delay, I present to you this original photograph that I have dubbed “The Constipated Ritchie Blackmore”!
NOTE: After posting this, my former co-worker Pat reminded me that Box Set Man’s name was Dan!
I’m a pack rat. I keep everything. I just dug up this vintage concert review. I wrote this the day after the concert, so memories were fresh! I’ve made some minor cleanups, but otherwise this is completely as-is, warts-and-all, somewhat embarrassing and a bit too long winded. For what it’s worth, enjoy! You might never find a more detailed write-up of the Promised Land tour!
QUEENSRYCHE / TYPE O NEGATIVE – Toronto Ontario, July 27, 1995, Molson Amphitheatre
(written by Mike Ladano, on July 28 1995, never published)
On July 27 1995, Queensryche, possibly the only great progressive rock band that is still progressing, conquered the Molson Amphitheatre in triumph. The road has been long and hard for these boys, they put out their first vinyl in 1983. Despite all the changes in rock today, Queensryche came out and put on one high-tech wonder of a show that rocked and stimulated.
The band opened with the taped intro of “9:28 am”, the opening track of the Promised Land CD. Their stage was bare, except for two platforms, a keyboard and a drum kit. The drum kit was encased in plexiglass, which seemed unusual at the time. [I know now that this was to keep the drums from bleeding into other microphones on stage.] One could pick out dozens of lasers, lights and effects just waiting to be used. Behind the stage were two monstrous projection screens, much like the band used on the Empire tour.
After the intro, Chris DeGarmo, Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson and Scott Rockenfield roared onto the stage with “I Am I” which was accompanied by a video of Geoff Tate wandering though a desert encountering all sorts of strange mirages based on the lies of the American Dream. Then the Tatemeister himself appeared on stage, wearing suit and tie, and being hounded by a half dozen journalists harassing him all over the stage. It was, of course, all part of the show.
The band segued from there straight into “Damaged”, just as they do on record. The press ripped off Tate’s suit, leaving him in a pair of bicycle shorts. The band continued to rage through this song, complete with distorted vocal effects from the album.
The band took a breather there, playing their acoustic hit single “Bridge”, a “Cats In the Cradle” story about Chris DeGarmo’s father. Again, this came with constant bombardment of images on the backing screens. It was extremely difficult to stay focused on any one thing on stage, however, Geoff Tate is a very animated frontman; moving and contorting about, acting out his words, while he and the video screens fight for attention.
From here, the band took a trip down memory lane that I’ll not soon forget. Upon entering, I said I wanted to hear old obscure Queensryche. I wanted to hear “Neue Regel” and “NM 156”. The band went right into those songs, as well as “Screaming In Digital” from Rage For Order. For these songs (which used distorted computerized vocals before Trent Reznor had even envisioned such a thing), Tate sang like a computer or a Dalek from Dr. Who. Then, when a burst of power was needed, the distortion would come off, and Tate would rip his lungs out with vocals from hell.
Geoff Tate’s voice was stronger here than the way I remembered it from the video footage of the Empire tour, which was nice to see. He did falter, especially on those incredible highs, but this was also refreshing: It meant he was not relying on backing tapes. The entire band played well, never straying too far from their recorded album parts, but just enough for there to be an audible difference.
“My Global Mind”, a song about the information superhighway and the artificial ties it makes between nations, contained some disturbing film footage: Saddam Hussein, and children starving in Africa.
I always said Scott Rockenfield was Queensryche’s version of Rush’s Neil Peart, and last night he proved this. With his hair shorn, and receding hairline revealed, he now not only sounds like Peart but looks like Peart! Encased behind the plexiglass, he played with precision and power, even more so than on the album. Chris DeGarmo had also cut his hair short(er) which was disappointing. He used to have Godlike hair!
The band kicked into overdrive, playing tunes from the landmark Operation: Mindcrime album. Their heaviest material came on even heavier live, with more power in the bass, drums and vocals. From that album, they played in sequence: “I Remember Now” (a taped intro with the same cartoon video footage that they used on the last tour), “Anarchy-X”, “Revolution Calling”, “Operation: Mindcrime”, “Spreading the Disease” (Geoff Tate sticks microphone in his pants and makes interesting movements), “The Mission”, and to close off the Mindcrime portion, “Eyes of a Stranger”. For this conceptual section, Tate came out dressed as the album’s protagonist Nikki, in leather pants and jacket, shedding the shorts.
“Empire”, which came across as brutally heavy live, was accompanied by the drug-dealing video footage from their MTV video, but with added stuff as well, which made it more fun to watch.
Queensryche played the entire Promised Land album from start to finish [but not in sequence] which came as a surprise to everyone. What came as even more of a surprise was how well this densely layered recording came off, live.
The title track, “Promised Land”, was most interesting. As a film played of Tate and his family buying a home (and of course not being able to afford it), the roadies ripped apart the stage and set up something else in darkness. Then, the lights came on. On stage was now a bar, a few tables with a ton of patrons (roadies and the drummer [Johnny Kelly] from Type O Negative), and a tiny little stage off to the side, where a second drum kit now sat.
The band walked through the bar dressed in matching suits, just like any lounge act. They played some piano-based barroom jazz number until, now assembled on that tiny postage stamp sized stage, they rumbled into “Promised Land”. Tate sat at the bar, wearing pink shirt and beige pants (matching his get-up from the video footage), singing this song of disillusion. This was also the first live appearance of his saxophone. Just like on the album, he would play sax breaks in between verses.
Although this is one of the most serious songs you would ever want to hear, this was the last show of the tour, and it was time for the road crew to cut loose with some comedy. One of the bar patrons slow-danced center stage with a blow-up doll through the entire 8 minute song!
The videos came back on as the bar set was torn down, and again replaced with the plastic-encased drum kit. The band rumbled into “Disconnected”, with more saxophone.
Before “Out of Mind”, Tate began with a speech about people who might be viewed as different. “You…your hair’s not the right length. And your hair’s just…not the right colour. What would you do if one day, those men in white coats came knocking on your door?”
From behind, a butt-ugly roadie dressed as a nurse in a yellow wig put Tate into a wheelchair. (Normally, an actress plays the nurse, but like I said, this was closing night!) Tate sang the song from the chair, using a mirror as a prop. He would sing into the mirror while a hidden camera filmed his reflection, and projected it onto the big screens.
The band closed their set with a predictable final tune. Of course, it had to be “Silent Lucidity”. For this song, five large transparent curtains came down on stage, concealing the drums and Chris DeGarmo. Suddenly, laser projectors came on, and presented amazing dream-like images onto those curtains, giving the illusion that they were suspended in air.
The crowd, as expected, went absolutely bonkers for this song, singing along to every word. Bowing, Queensryche left the stage in triumph….
…And returned with their early classic, “Take Hold Of the Flame” from their very first full-length album, The Warning. Of course, this went over amazingly. There were some diehard fans in this audience who knew the words to even the most obscure music that Queensryche could throw at them.
Queensryche ended their encore with perhaps the greatest song they have ever written: “Someone Else?” Chris DeGarmo played piano, Michael Wilton played some quiet backing guitar, and Scott Rockenfield added some cymbals. It was hard not to be blown away by Tate’s extremely emotional voice during this piece. If anything, Tate is even more emotional live than on record.
And that was the end, the band finally leaving in triumph, for real this time.
According to some in the audience, Queensryche’s stage show topped Pink Floyd. Believe it. This was, by far, the greatest rock show I have ever seen. I can’t imagine anyone, even Queensryche themselves, topping this. This was not heavy metal: This was theatre, and it was so fucking refreshing to see in this back-to-basics era of grunge blockheads like Pearl Jam and Nirvana.
All hail the mighty Queen of the Reich.
We missed the first few tracks from openers Type O Negative, but we could hear them just fine while eating. They opened with “Blood and Fire” from their new album, Bloody Kisses. We caught them halfway into the second tune, the incredible “Christian Woman”. They then played an older tune about suicide [title long forgotten]. Said vocalist Peter Steele: “This is a song about suicide, which we fully recommend. I know when I get old and my body is no longer useful to society, I am going to throw myself off a building, and hopefully land on someone I hate.” Gotta love them Type O Guys. [Sadly, Peter Steele never had the chance to get old.]
They played only two more songs, “Too Late: Frozen” and of course “Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)”. Speaking of scary, these guys were not all that pleasant to look at. Josh Silver, the keyboard player, has got to be the ugliest son of a bitch on the face of the Earth. Peter Steele looks like he sleeps in a coffin. Musically however, these guys were better live than on album. On record, they come across somewhat wimpy. Live, they are heavier and more energized.
What can you say about a guy who’s already had two lineup changes before his new “Queensryche” has even played a single gig? As usual, I’ll let Geoff say it all…
GEOFF TATE – GT EPK (2012)
EPK: “Electronic Press Kit”, something an artist releases to the media to promote themselves. See above.
Although this has been out for months, it was only recently that Uncle Meat brought it to my attention. While he was over recording our most recent video, he said to me, “LeBrain, you have to see the Tate video. This thing is ridiculous.”
So I watched. And I laughed.
Cheesey? Check.
“Oh yeah. I love my job.”
Pretentious? Check.
“I guess I’m an experience junkie.”
Trying to look cool? Check.
“I usually take a couple of motorcycles on tour with me…ride between cities.”
Stuff nobody cares about? Check.
“Oh there’s my beautiful wife, Susan.”
Nothing in here about spitting at drummers, getting in fights, or carrying bladed weapons though! Do you want to see something really funny? Skip ahead in the video to 2:38.
“Oh, wait, watch this.”
And then he does this lame “jump”. I mean, if he was David Lee Roth and did that cool spiral kick thing, that would something worth waiting and watching for. Not…whatever that was at 2:38.
Don’t take it from me though! Here’s some quotes from my esteemed Sausagefest colleagues.
Grant: “Got about three minutes in before vomiting all over my keyboard. The ‘Two Girls One Cup’ of personal biographies.”
Scottie: “WTF was that…”
Iron Tom Sharpe: “Imagine what that cock seepage would be like if he was still good (and relevant) and they hadn’t sucked for the last 15 years…Nothing is sadder than seeing your heroes as they really are…”
Dave: “He was always a cheeseball. The guys around him simply obscured that.”
Meat: “Music’s latest train wreck. So awful you just can’t look away.”
And make no mistake, Meat wrote every word. No messing around from me. Enjoy!
PET SOUNDS– THE BEACH BOYS (1966)
When The Beatles released Rubber Soul in 1965, Brian Wilson heard something that inspired him to try and make his own masterpiece. The result was Pet Sounds, which saw The Beach Boys discard their typical surf-inspired ditties and create an album that will always be a classic. I remember when I first heard this album I was completely blown away that it was a 1966 album. The overall sound of it is so full and rich, and it’s funny how everyone thinks The Beatles main influence for Sgt. Peppers was drug-related, and I am sure it was, but that classic would never have been without this classic album first. Do yourself a favour and re-discover The Beach Boys by checking this out.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE (1998)
There are a lot of people that think that the QOTSA album Rated R, is the band’s first release. In all reality it is their third release if you count the Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age EP. However, it is a shame that this album has been somewhat overlooked. I think it is by far their best album. To gauge just how much I got into this album could never be measured. For years, I stated that this album was my favorite album ever with distortion. Now trust me I realize the exaggeration in that statement (I have since relented) but it doesn’t take away how brilliant I believe this album truly is. This is a true collection of groovy rock songs, so much so that QOTSA could have titled this album exactly that. I have not been a fan of the last few QOTSA albums, and frankly I wish they could harness this approach once again. Check out the included track “Avon”. An absolute air-drumming seminar at its finest!!
ROXY & ELSEWHERE – FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS (1974)
One of the albums previously on this list, Joe Jackson’s Big World, was a live album containing new material. Considering the content of this particular album, that format was never more impressive or more challenging than Zappa’s album Roxy & Elsewhere. From beginning to end, it’s hard to believe the complexity of what was happening onstage during these recordings. From the colourful vocals of Napoleon Murphy Brock, to the guitar-fueled madness of Zappa himself, this is my personal favorite of all of Zappa’s recordings. Songs like “Pygmy Twilite” and “Village of the Sun” are absolute genius. The concert film of these recordings is STILL in limbo for whatever reason. Included is a clip of the song “Montana”, recorded during these sessions but not included on the album itself.
SCENES FROM A MEMORY-METROPOLIS 2 – DREAM THEATER (1999)
I simply couldn’t do a list like this without including Dream Theater. I like heavy music and I like progressive music. This band combines those two qualities perhaps better than any band ever has, and on this album its done to perfection. This is your classic “concept album” and tells an interesting story that needs to be experienced. But the true experience of this album is that it is a piece of song-writing and musical brilliance. If you have seen Rush’s biopic Beyond The Lighted Stage, you might recognize the now-familiar voice of long-time Rush producer Terry Brown (who also produced the vocals on this album). The album sees John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy at their monster best and requires many listens to truly appreciate. I am not a “Rolling Stone” magazine guy myself, but it does say something that in 2012 they named this album as the Number One all-time progressive album, beating out Rush’s 2112and Yes’s Close to The Edge.
THE ACTION IS GO – FU MANCHU (1997)
This album starts off with a bang, it also ends with a bang and actually this album is just one big resounding rhythmic bang. After a few good, but not great albums (in my opinion), new drummer Brant Bjork was brought into Fu Manchu. This would result in one of the greatest “Stoner-Rock” albums of all time. This is literally the perfect driving album. Sometimes you find yourself emulating driving just sitting and listening to it. You can hear a huge Sabbath influence on this album, at least in the sound of the instruments and the driving low end. Sometimes the vocals can leave a bit to be desired, but it is not really singing in the first place. Almost sounds like a dude talkin’ to himself, which adds to the coolness of this album. One of my favorite albums of the 1990’s indeed.
WELCOME TO SKY VALLEY – KYUSS (1994)
Somewhere around early 1995, I walked into a Sunrise Records where Tom (Tom has been mentioned many times in Mike’s blogs) was working. At this point Tom and I only really knew each other from local concerts we would run into each other at. The second I walked in he begged me to check out this Kyuss album on the listening station. I remember the look on his face when I didn’t instantly “get it”. Years later I had to bow to him and thank him for trying to open my eyes earlier. No one knows how to set a mood quite like Kyuss. The last album listed was Brant Bjork’s first album with Fu Manchu. This album is the last Kyuss album featuring Brant Bjork on drums. No coincidence here. This man knows how to wash songs with a subtle intensity. Check out the song “Demon Cleaner” sometime, with Josh Homme singing and see how Queens of the Stone Age were born. This album has been listed as a major influence for many of the heavy metal greats of the day.
WHALE MUSIC – THE RHEOSTATICS (1994)
The Rheostatics are definitely one of my favorite bands of all time, and the artist I have seen live the most in my life. Any band that calls their first album Greatest Hits obviously has a good sense of humour. There really is no album that quite captures “Canadiana” quite like Whale Music. Not to be confused with the later-released official soundtrack of the same name, this album ranges from the sweet to the insane. Take the song “Queer” for example. “Well the screen door is still broken, since you kicked your Kodiaks through it” and “I scored a hat trick on the team that called you a fuckin’ queer”, are lyrics that paint a Canadian portrait of everyday life. I love this album and frequently re-visit it only to find it gets better with age. Notable appearances on this album are Neil Peart on a song called “Guns” and The Barenaked Ladies (credited as The Scarborough Naked Youth Choir). Included here is the amazing opening track. Check it out eh ….
WHITE PEPPER – WEEN (2000)
Simply put, this is my favorite “Pop” album of all time. I am not a Ween fan per se. I cannot say I have actually connected strongly with any of their other albums. But when this album was introduced to me, it grabbed a hold of me and it will never let go. First of all, the sound on this album is absolutely wonderful. Second of all, the melodies on this album (with sprinkles of Ween weirdness of course) are something very reminiscent of The Beatles. I have always tagged this album as their “Beatles tribute”, and it was pointed out to me by a friend that “The White Album? Sgt. Peppers? White Pepper?”. Now I have not read that in fact that is what the name truly means, but I think that is a very good guess. I have played this album for a few musician friends of mine and the result is pretty much the same across the board. White Pepper simply “hooks” you in, it is that simple. Check out the Trey Parker and Matt Stone directed video for “Even If You Don’t” included here.
UNCHAINED – JOHNNY CASH (1996)
I was working at the “Record Store Chain” Ladano blogs about when I was first introduced to this album. It was instantly a revelation of what I do actually like about Country Music, and was the reason I became a fan of the older-style albums of the genre. Not enough can be said about the genius of Rick Rubin. The man who changed the careers of Slayer, The Beastie Boys and the Red Hot Chili Peppers got a hold of Johnny Cash and re-introduced him as the icon he always was. Hiring Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers as the backing band for the second American Recordings Johnny Cash release was a stroke of brilliance. The opening track “Rowboat” sees Cash cover a Beck song and make it his own. “Sea of Heartbreak” is a melodic ass-kicker. Everyone by now knows of the genius cover of Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage”, so good in fact that for a long period of time Chris Cornell refused to play it live stating “It’s not our song anymore. It’s Johnny’s now”. No album of this genre has ever sounded bigger, if not any genre. A must have album.
VS. – PEARL JAM (1993)
This album had to be included on this list. I understand that everyone looks at Pearl Jam’s first album as this massive crowning achievement, but frankly I didn’t get it then and I really still don’t. Their second album I think is the best album of their career and probably my favorite “Grunge” album ever. Every song on this album is a classic to me and it does seem weird to call an album that was a Number One album on Billboard for five weeks straight “underrated”. But I truly do feel this album gets overlooked and that’s a shame. I find Ten to be kind of boring and redundant to be honest. This album is still fresh to me. I hope when it’s all said and done that this album is what truly defines them.
Music fans love lists. Maybe it’s the Ten Best Bass Lines of the 1990’s or a list of the songs you wish you lost your virginity to. I have always been a lists guy as the whole Sausagefest Top 100 thing would attest to. So here is yet another list. The albums listed below are not my favorite albums of all time, even though many of my favorites are included. The point of this list is to possibly introduce to, or maybe even remind, this blog’s readers of 30 albums that I think need to be heard. Maybe an album that in my opinion was under-appreciated. Perhaps even an album that inspired me in some way. Anyways, here are 30 albums that Uncle Meat wants you to visit … or re-visit. They are in alphabetical by album title. Enjoy
A EULOGY FOR THE DAMNED – ORANGE GOBLIN (2012)
I could have easily listed several other Orange Goblin albums here, but their latest album is an absolutely killer album. Almost fusing some Black Crowes into their brand of Metal, these British stoner-rockers put out maybe the best Metal album of 2012. And considering that there are only 3 albums on this whole list that were released before the year 2000, it feels good to actually get some new content in here. The album ends with the title track, which almost plays out like its own Rock N’ Roll Western. The band finally tours Canada for the first time coming up in spring of 2013. As the late Billy Red Lyons used to say, “Don’t ya dare miss it!”
ACT III – DEATH ANGEL (1990)
Death Angel’s first two albums are pretty sloppy, sound-wise and in song structure. Some very heavy moments, but at times it just sounds annoying. On their third release, Max Norman (Megadeth) got his hands on them and it resulted in a polished sound and the best album of their career. Gone were the high-pitched shrieks of singer Mark Osegueda that littered their first two records. It really does seem that the band simply matured. One of the best Metal albums of the 90’s indeed. Definitely among the most progressive metal albums I can think of. A must-have album for every true Metal fan.
ARGUS – WISHBONE ASH (1972)
It is fair to say that Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy would never have the musical identity they have, if it wasn’t for Wishbone Ash. Innovators in twin- lead guitar harmonization, this band never really got its due. Interestingly enough, the sound engineer on this record is none other than Martin Birch. Coincidence? Meat thinks not. I remember this album sitting in front of my Dad’s stereo for years when I was very young, and then seeing Star Wars and thinking that Darth Vader looked a lot like the guy on the cover of Argus. Check this album out and discover a part of where it all came from. When you listen to the beginning of the song-clip included here, “Throw Down the Sword”, think “To Live is to Die” by Metallica. Sounds like Lars and the boys were paying attention as well.
ARGYBARGY – SQUEEZE (1980)
Think The Beatles meets The Clash. The first two songs on this album are both stellar pop moments. The melodies are McArtney-esque, and that is truly saying something. “Pulling Mussels From a Shell” is pure song-writing genius. “Another Nail in my Heart” is one of my favorite songs of all time. Check out the incredible guitar solo in this song. Funny enough, like the 2 previous albums listed, this was the band’s third album. Maybe a trend is happening here.
BIG WORLD – JOE JACKSON (1986)
For Joe Jackson’s 8th release, he decided to go all out. An original studio album, recorded live in front of a New York City audience who were told to be silent throughout. Capturing the excitement and spontaneity of a live performance, in which absolutely no post-recording mixing or overdubbing was done, this record is ambitious as it sounds. It is all here. You get Jazz, Pop, Punk and everything in between. Jackson possesses one of the classic all-time voices. When this double-album was released, it contained three sides of music, leaving the fourth side blank. A landmark recording.
BLUE – JONI MITCHELL (1971)
This album came in at Number 30 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums of All-Time chart, the highest placing for any female artist. So why is this album on this list? Honestly because I still believe this album is truly under-appreciated. Too many people do not realize how great this album is. Simply, some of the best lyrics of all time are here. If this album was any more personal it would contain a video of Joni Mitchell going to the bathroom. Listen to this front to back when you want to feel like someone understands your pain. A truly cathartic experience, when she played this album originally to Kris Kristofferson he was reported to respond, “Joni… You really should keep some of that to yourself”. I am glad she didn’t take heed of his advice.
DOGMAN – KING’S X (1994)
It seems as soon as Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam/STP/Black Crowes) got his hands on King’s X, the band’s sound fattened up. Thick, lush and pounding would be a good overall description of the sound on this album. The songs are great too. I saw King’s X at the legendary El Mocambo in Toronto and was standing literally beside Dimebag Darrell and the rest of Pantera. While I love almost every song on this album, the title track is an absolute killer. When the first Woodstock concert in 25 years began, it was King’s X who took the stage to kick it all off. Check out this live performance from the old Jon Stewart show from back in the day and crank it. One of my favorite youtube videos ever.
DUKE ELLINGTON & JOHN COLTRANE – DUKE ELLINGTON & JOHN COLTRANE (1962)
This might be my favorite jazz album of all time. Duke was 63 and Trane was 36 when this album was recorded. With a running time of 35:05 this album is short and oh so very sweet. Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood” starts this album off and it never lets up. “Big Nick” is just a wonderfully happy shuffle. True story: I once got so fed up with Metal that I became a Jazzatarian for a few months, listening to nothing but old school Jazz. I started with John Coltrane and went from there. I never did find a jazz artist after him that I enjoy more.
EL CORAZON – STEVE EARLE (1997)
Simply put, this album is easily in my Top 3 albums of all time, of any genre. True storytelling at its finest, El Corazon is a complete masterpiece. It seems that sobriety allowed Steve Earle to realize how great of a songwriter he really is and on this album he branches out and removes any constraints of style. Of all the 30 records included on this list, this is the one I am not asking you to check out, but I am TELLING you to check out. Comparing the laid-back intensity of “Christmas in Washington” to the sheer power of “Here I Am” truly makes you appreciate the diversity of this record. Steve Earle is THE man. A lifetime Bro-mance going on here.
HEAD HUNTERS – HERBIE HANCOCK (1973)
Quite possibly the greatest jazz fusion record ever recorded. This record is a funk buffet. Only 4 songs and all of them are great. The YouTube clip here of “Watermelon Man” is the shortest song on the album, and is as original as it is velvety-smooth. I find it hard not to do some sort of jig when this I hear this song. “Chameleon”, “Sly” and “Vein Melter”complete one of the most influential jazz albums of all time. Half of this album made 2012’s SausageFest countdown. I suspect the other half will not be far behind.
Next in line of my reviews from Record Store Excursion 2012! Check out the video below if you missed it. This one bought at HMV Yonge, as sort of a consolation prize, since they no longer sell Japanese imports (for shame!). Bought at 2 for $25.
MIKE AND AARON GO TO TORONTO
JETHRO TULL – Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die! (1976, 2002 remaster)
I’m far from a Tull expert; more a layman. I know what I like though, I like the complexity of Tull, I love Martin Barre’s guitar, and Ian Anderson’s virtuoso flute. I’ve always liked the title track from this album, “Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die”, so it made sense to get the album proper.
It’s another concept album by the Tull, but I’m not too clear on the story details. It seems to be about an aging rock star, which is funny considering that when Ian wrote it, he was a young man by comparison! The concept album lends itself to recurring musical motifs, such as the melody from the title track popping up on “Quizz Kid”.
Like many Tull albums from the mid-70’s, there’s plenty of acoustics to go around accompanied by lovely flute passages and complex drum patterns. There’s also some horns and orchestration courtesy of David Palmer (not yet a full member of the band).
Personal highlights:
“Salamander”, a folksy number with intricate acoustics.
The harmonica riffing of “Taxi Grab”, reminiscent of an earlier bluesier Jethro Tull. The guitar soloing (both electric and acoustic) is also divine.
“Big Dipper”, a playful yet complex number with plenty of flute and a fun chorus.
The masterpiece title track (obviously), lush with ochestration.
“Pied Piper”, one of the most obviously catchy songs on the whole album, albeit still complex with multiple parts and section.
The final track of the album, a slow but dramatic grandiose number called “The Chequered Flag (Dead or Alive)”.
As usual, Ian provides liner notes, and dedicates the album to late bassist John Glascock, who died way too young of a heart defect.
There are two bonus tracks included, fully realized songs called “A Small Cigar” and “Strip Cartoon”.
This one goes out to Rich from KamerTunesBlog, a great, informed site that you should check out.
I got the other two Sectors for Christmas, but this is an older review.
RUSH – Sector 2 (2011 box set, 5 CD + 1 DVD)
Damn you Rush. Damn you!
If it wasn’t for the fact that I liked their past 5.1 mixes so much, I wouldn’t have bought each of these albums again in this box set. And the fact that only one album (A Farewell To Kings) has been mixed in 5.1 really grinds my gears. Because you know more is coming. 2112, recently released as a part of Sector 1, in normal stereo, is now coming again in 5.1. It’s obvious Rush are going to continue to issue 5.1 mixes of their albums, in seemingly random order, which will probably make these box sets completely redundant in the future.
Rich Chycki did the 5.1 mix once again, and once again, it’s a pleasure to listen to. In particular I found “Cygnus X-1” to really benefit from the treatment. The swirly opening section made me feel as if I too was aboard the Rocinante, wheeling through the galaxies. The album sounds three dimensional, clear, shimmery. I’m very happy with the 5.1 mix.
Farewell is included on a standard stereo remastered CD, and also in stereo on the DVD. I have read online that there are flaws with the stereo mix of this DVD but I’ve never played it. I’m not that much of an audiophile that I would really care to, when I already have a CD.
The other CD’s included in the set, aside from A Farewell To Kings, are:
Hemispheres
Permanent Waves
Moving Pictures
Exit…Stage Left
…all of which I have now bought more than once. In Moving Pictures‘ case, three times now, since they just issued that as a deluxe edition with a 5.1 surround blu-ray last year! (Reviewed here.) Bastards.
I’m not going to review each individual album in this set. That comprehensive task would require separate blog entries of their own. They’re all great, of course. Some (Moving Pictures) more so than others (Hemispheres) in my own personal opinion. And of course, within this box set you will get such classics as “Closer To The Heart”, “The Trees”, “The Spirit of Radio”, “Freewill”, “YYZ”, “Limelight”, and “Vital Signs”. In addition there are plenty of brilliant album tracks like “La Villa Strangiato” and “Natural Science”.
The box itself is attractive enough, and if you’re sucked into buying all three, then they all fit together on your shelf as one handsome library. But you already own some of these albums, if not all, don’t you? The bait is that 5.1 mix of Farewell. And it pisses me off that Rush would treat their fans in that way. Why not just remaster and re-release these albums on their own and in a box set?
The individual album packaging is nice enough too, mini record sleeve reproductions, with a nice booklet with lyrics and liner notes for the whole shebang, all taken from the albums. As far as the booklet goes, there’s no exclusive essays or other content that is new to me.
And as for the new remastering? I can’t tell the difference between this and the 1997 remasters. I can’t. Sorry. I’m sure an audiophile would call me an idiot for saying so.
I probably won’t buy Sectors 1 and 3, not unless the prices drop dramatically. I was able to re-gift my original Rush remasters off to other people, which is one way of dealing with the duplicates, but I’m not going to be getting rid of my deluxe Moving Pictures, since it has the blu-ray and a David Fricke essay. So I’ve got two copies of that, and people who collect 5.1 mixes and have Sector 1 will end up with two copies of 2112. Nice eh?
Good day, eh? This will be the last post before Christmas! LeBrain’s Blog will be taking a rare break for Christmas. We’ll be back soon, so don’t worry eh?
I would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and happy holiday whether you celebrate it or not, but most importantly a safe holiday. Be careful on those roads.
And now for Christmas, I leave you with a very special review. Enjoy!
BOB & DOUG McKENZIE – Great White North (1981)
Cooooo, loo coo coo, coo coo coo coo!
Merry Christmas, eh? All Canadians (aka, “Hosers” for my international readers) celebrate Christmas every year with the classic tune, “Twelve Days of Christmas” by our national treasures, Bob & Doug McKenzie. A sample lyric?
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
5 GOLDEN TOQUES!,
4 pounds of back bacon,
3 french toast,
2 turtlenecks,
and a beer, in a tree.
Twisted Sister, eat your hearts out. This is the best version (ever!) of this Christmas classic. All Hosers should know the words off by heart, just as well as they know “Oh Canada”.
This Christmas classic can be found on Bob & Doug’s album, Great White North. A spin-off from their successful SCTV segment, Kanadian Korner, it wasn’t long before somebody at Anthem records thought the boys should make an album, eh? Basically half an hour of rambling about back bacon, smokes, donuts and beer, it’s not much of an album. Bummer. It doesn’t sound like it was scripted. It’s hard to stay tuned in for the entire length, although it did somehow go to #1 in Canada. Much of the album is taken up by welcoming to the listener to different segments, and the boys fighting over what in fact they should be talking about.
One of the funnier segments is regarding “Elron McKenzie” and his church. The sermon that day was about not killing bugs. The sermon was a big success, even though people had to drive through 8 feet of snow, eh.
Disappointing was “Black Hole” which features a backwards message. Using the magic of Audacity, I did play the segment backwards. I was hoping for something a little more mindblowing, like a recipe for the perfect donut or back bacon sandwich, but no such luck.
All of this is offset not only by the Christmas tune, but perhaps one of the greatest songs in Canadian history: “Take Off”.
“Take Off” features lead vocals by Geddy Lee, of Canada’s Rush. Geddy did the single for the princely sum of ten bucks. This song is not only a must for all Hosers, but all Rush fans worldwide. The incredible lead vocal may blow your speakers. As Geddy himself says on the track, “I’m a professional, eh?”
Part 41 of my series of Iron Maiden reviews! This time, we’ll talk about the Kerrang! exclusive tribute album Maiden Heaven, and a cover tune that didn’t make it onto the B-sides for A Matter of Life and Death.
This will be the last Maiden review of this series before Christmas. After the holiday we’ll reconvene so be sure to check back!
TRIBUTE TO IRON MAIDEN – Maiden Heaven (2008)
A little bit out of continuity, I wanted to get this release out of the way before we get into the next Maiden studio album. Maiden Heaven was a Kerrang! exclusive tribute album, probably out of print. I received this from my bud Dan Slessor who writes for the mag. It was especially interesting to me for the exclusive Metallica and Dream Theater tracks! Thus far, neither of these tracks have been reissued on releases by either band!
“Remember Tomorrow” by Metallica is friggin’ amazing. It sounds exactly as you would expect, retaining the hard/soft vibe of the original, but with Kirk’s slippery soloing and Lars’ machine gun snare fills. James nails the vocal with his trademark growl. I would consider this among the very best covers that Metallica have recorded. As James says, “Yeeeahh-yah!” Unfortunately, there are no producer credits.
Dream Theater had the guts to cover “To Tame A Land”, one of my personal favourite tracks from Piece of Mind. Dream Theater have been nothing but courageous their entire career, so it is only suitable that they would tackle one of the lesser-appreciated Maiden epics, and one of the rhythmically most challenging. Mike Portnoy was still the drummer at this time. It’s interesting to hear the song performed with keyboards since the original was so sparse and dry (reflecting the planet Dune itself). But the keyboards lend a more exotic middle-eastern flavour. It is also interesting hearing anyone but Steve Harris playing the bass line since it is such an integral part of the song. Nothing against James Myung, the man is an absolute master of his instrument, but any time anybody covers Maiden, the bass always sticks out like a sore thumb because nobody sounds like Steve. James LaBrie has no problem tackling the challenging vocal, high notes and all.
Other bands that appear on the disc include Coheed and Cambria (“The Trooper”), Avenged Sevenfold (“Flash of the Blade”…woo!), Trivium (“Iron Maiden”) and Machine Head (“Hallowed Be Thy Name”). Most of the rest of the bands I have never heard of, but I also liked this soft acoustic n’ keys version of “Brave New World” by a band called Ghostline. One that I definitely hated was “Run To The Hills” by some band called Sign. It’s just…weird. Unique, but just wrong.
Overall, an interesting listen but I really only need it for Metallica and Dream Theater.
3/5 stars
And second, from the brand new Deep Purple tribute album…
IRON MAIDEN – “Space Truckin'” from the Deep Purple tribute album Re-Machined (2012)
Sonically, it is very raw, sounding live off the floor. Some fans were underwhelmed by the track. I think it’s obvious that Bruce is thrilled to be covering his idol, Ian Gillan. He throws in lots of those little Gillan idiosyncrasies. “Eee-hoo-hoo!” While I think Maiden did a fine job on the track (especially considering they don’t have a keyboard player), this is not one of the great Maiden covers. It’s no “I’ve Got The Fire” or “Massacre”. It’s still a total treat to hear Maiden gleefully ripping through this classic. If this was actually live in front of an audience, I think it would have been better received.
mikeladano.com 
