GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man Episode 84: Lost Videos & Shorts – A Grab A Stack of Rock Special Friday Presentation!
While not a live episode, this special presentation was put together by yours truly, with me as your host through these forgotten and lost videos from years gone by. I have been making videos for 36 years now, and this collection of mini-episodes run from 2013 to the present day. These videos were made primarily for this blog, but also for other channels, my old show the LeBrain Train, and Grab A Stack of Rock. Some of these individual clips would require lots of determined scrolling and searching to find otherwise, so I thought it would be nice to take a viewing of some favourites of mine, and add in some that are now new and exclusive. It is certainly amusing to watch my look change, from bearded to clean and back to bearded and clean again.
New, previously unseen, and “lost” topics covered in this special episode: Rare rock and metal CDs sent from friends, rare books and rock magazines, rock band branded playing cards, a discussion on iTunes, video reviews of rare CDs, a updated check-in at the HMV/Toys R Us store, my collection of M.E.A.T Magazines, and the very first video I made in 1989. But that’s not all – stick around for Easter eggs.
I hope you can check it out tonight for this very special episode of Grab A Stack of Rock, assembled with care for your enjoyment.
Friday January 3 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or onFacebook!
DREAM THEATER – “Hollow Years” (1997 Warner Music Germany)
I always found something about 1997’s Falling Into Infinity to be underwhelming. Yes, we had the stunning Doug Pinnick cameo in “Lines in the Sand” and a wickedly heavy “Burning My Soul”, but the album didn’t have the same impact or longevity as Awake or Scenes From a Memory. It wasn’t for lack of effort. They recruited Desmond Child and Kevin Shirley, and released singles. The album never broke the top 50 in Canada and received mixed reviews. A later-released demo version of the album revealed what the band would done if not influenced by Shirley and Child. One of those demos was first released on the 1997 “Hollow Years” single.
First track on this single is a 4:15 edit of “Hollow Years”, with more than a minute and a half edited out. The shame is that it didn’t become an instant hit. With the Spanish guitar melody and subtle keyboard accents, it could have and should have done better for the band. There is a very pretty piano melody after the chorus by Derek Sherinian, in his last of two outings with Dream Theater. Yet it’s still Dream Theater, not some ballad band. John Myung’s fretless bass sets it apart, and Mike Portnoy is always Mike Portnoy no matter the style of music. The premature fade on the edit version, however, is extremely annoying. Even if you don’t already know the song, it sounds like a premature fade. The ending is so good; a song highlight! The full length version, uncut and as intended, is really the only version to listen to.
“You Or Me” is a version of “You Not Me” from the album, before Desmond Child helped them tweak it. It opens with the sound of a radio changing stations, and then a cool synth rhythm. John Petrucci’s riff soon kicks in, and it’s clear Dream Theater were trying new things that might be perceived as more appealing. Ultimately, the version that ended up on the album is probably the better of the two. It’s definitely catchier.
The final track is “The Way It Used To Be”, a long non-album song with a Marillion-like guitar melody. It could have been lifted directly from Seasons End. Petrucci is the star on this one, as he also employs cool harmonics. Definitely a cool and valuable bonus track. If it wasn’t almost eight minutes long with plenty of musical prowess, it might have been a worthy hard rock hit on its own.
Great little CD single, but those edit versions are never as cool as they are collectible.
Now that Ratt has ceased to exist as a band, we seem to be getting better and better reissues. There was that Atlantic Albums CD set that came out recently with cool bonus tracks, and a forthcoming LP reissue with that set with an additional recently-discovered unreleased track. Too bad Stephen Pearcy didn’t dig that one up in time to issue on 2024’s Rarities album, a nine track compilation of unreleased versions spanning 1982 to 1989. These include the classic lineup of Peacy, Robbin Crosby, Warren DeMartini, Bobby Blotzer and Juan Crocier. There is also one previously unheard song written by Pearcy and Crosby to add some extra value.
We open with a 1983 version of “Tell the World” from the 1984 Ratt EP. It is a less polished version of the same, complete with shouted backing vocals and echo effects. The most notable differences are the prominent busy Blotzer drum fills. This is followed by a 1982 rehearsal tape of the hit-to-be, “Round and Round”. Of course the sound quality is what should expect for a 1982 rehearsal tape. It’s garage quality and probably recorded by a boom box in a really loud room. That said, it’s still a fun listen since the band is so tight and the song was years away from the charts. It’s actually unfinished; about 90% there.
Do you know how many songs Ratt have about wanting something? We already have “I Want A Woman” and “I Want To Love You Tonight”, which might be why “I Want It All” didn’t make an album. “I Want It All” is an undated demo from the 80s that was later finished up with new bassist Robbie Crane on 1997’s Collage. This older version is rougher but otherwise the same arrangement. It’s a little different for Ratt, opening with acoustic guitars. It’s a good sassy mid-tempo Ratt track that would have fit on any number of albums post-Out of the Cellar.
The next batch of tunes are live. “In Your Direction” from Cellar is from 1987, as is “Round and Round”, “Body Talk” and “Drive Me Crazy”, though “Body Talk” is also noted as being live in Germany. “In Your Direction” is bootleggy, most likely an audience recording. “Round and Round” is clearer but a little by rote. You can hear Juan’s backing vocals clearly, and Stephen even drops an F-bomb that would have been edited out had it been released in the 80s.
“Body Talk” and “Drive Me Crazy are a pair from Dancing Undercover. The intensity of “Body Talk” is impressive, though some of it gets washed out in the thrashy tempo. The greatest sin, however, is the premature fadeout during the guitar solo. There is no such fade on “Drive Me Crazy” which fares well live. The backing vocals are a bit ragged, but it all holds together in a stampeding Ratt romp.
Back to a 1985, “Wanted Man” from Cellar is the last of the live songs. The bass drum is a bit thuddy, and nothing’s particularly clear (especially Robbin), but the performance is spot on. Listen, we all like buying bootlegs, don’t we? You should have no issue with the sound quality so long as you understand in advance, none of these recordings were intended for release.
The final song is the previously unheard “Love on the Rocks” from 1989, which did not make the Detonator record. Written by Stephen and Robbin, it’s a pretty damn solid Ratt song and one of the best sounding tracks on the album. The chorus is decent and a properly produced version would have been polished-up album worthy. As it is, it’s a good B-side or bonus track.
While not essential, this Ratt compilation is a solid addition to any collection. It’s for the fan that has everything but wants a little (back for) more. But that cover artwork? Surely they could have done better than that.
RECORD STORE TALES #1114: Music Groups / Party Poopers
They say it’s not about size, but I do have a pretty big music collection. I guesstimate at around 6000 CDs at present. Because my goal in collecting music is to acquire physical copies of “all the official tracks” by the bands I like, I do have a lot of rare discs in my collection. Primarily, Japanese imports with bonus tracks. I don’t go out of my way to buy multiple copies on multiple formats (though I still do) and I don’t shell out big bucks for anything if I already have all the tunes. I don’t buy cassette reissues, I don’t worry about vinyl variants. I just want a physical copy of “all the official tracks”, be they remixes, live, or whatever.
Because I have so many rare CDs, twice in 2022, Tim Durling asked me to guest on his show Tim’s Vinyl Confessions. We did two episodes on rare CDs (#351 and #390). I showed off a number of my imports, but because my music is so scattered around the house (a whole other story), I missed a few. Some I didn’t even think of. I mean, I could have grabbed every Japanese import in my house, but instead I grabbed a few dozen of the closest ones with obi strip intact. They just look cooler that way.
Fast forward a year to summer of 2023. While relaxing one Saturday afternoon at the cottage, I was ambushed by Tim and John the Music Nut, as they tried to coerce me into buying some Y&T CDs. Their methods worked, and I ordered Black Tiger, UnEarthed Vol. 1, and the DVD On With the Show. However, Tim was flabbergasted when the subject of “Go For the Throat” came up. “You need the 2006 reissue of In Rock We Trust,” cautioned Tim, “because, aside from the Hear N’ Aid CD, it’s the only place you can get that track on CD.”
“I have Hear N’ Aid on CD,” I responded.
“WHAT?” Tim was absolutely floored, flabbergasted, and perhaps a little betrayed that I had never brought this fact up before.
Hear N’ Aid, of course, was a project produced by Ronnie James Dio in 1986 to raise funds for famine relief in Africa. It was released on cassette and LP, with a 7″ and 12″ single too. There was a documentary on VHS, and sources report there was even a very rare CD single in Japan (found on a Japanese music auction site). In 1986, there was no compact disc release.
This changed in 1994 when a limited Japanese CD was released overseas. It was deleted again shortly after.
“Mike…that has to be one of the rarest CDs you own! Why didn’t you show it off on my show when we did rare CDs?”
The Music Nut concurred that it was very hard to find on CD. It didn’t occur to me. I acquired it for about $15 many years before, from “Gum Chewin’ Conrad”, a customer of mine at the Record Store who always sold Japanese imports (no obi, unfortunately). I also had a cassette (in a Thunder Bay landfill now) and vinyl, but the CD was the only thing they cared about. A few days later I posted about it on Facebook, and Reed Little from the Contrarians immediately jumped into the comments, remarking on my rare treasure.
There must be some issue with record labels and estates, considering the artists involved. The Hendrix estate is already a tangled affair, and there was a Jimi song on the album (“Can You See Me”). The album also contains rare live Kiss, Scorpions, Accept, Dio, Rush and Motorhead. The song “Stars” recorded by the supergroup Hear N’ Aid, had members of Motley Crue, Dokken, Journey, Dio, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, Blue Oyster Cult, Queensryche, Night Ranger, W.A.S.P., Y&T, and solo artists such as Ted Nugent and Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Even Spinal Tap were involved. You can imagine, this must be why Wendy Dio has struggled so long trying to reissue the album.
In recent months, I began dipping my toes into the murky world of Facebook discussion groups. The best, by far, is Jamie Laszlo’s Let’s Get Physical. I enjoy the Rock Candy Magazine group. I also joined a couple Facebook CD collector groups. The experience was, to say the least, mixed.
I discovered one property that I will declare as an axiom: there is always a party pooper in any Facebook music discussion group.
Disclaimer: When I collect, I don’t care so much about value. I care how much I spend for music I want, but not resale value. I am also not an audiophile and tend not to get along well with diehard audiophiles.
I decided to post my Hear N’ Aid CD in the Rock Candy music group and see what the reaction was. My caption was “Some folks say this is the rarest CD that I own,” which is 100% true. Folks do say that.
There were over 500 reactions, and only two negative comments. Negative comments, sadly, are as constant as the north star.
“It’s not that rare,” said the first Negative Nancy. “There are copies on Discogs right now for as low as $50, and there are 17 copies available.”
Thanks. Go buy one, then.
The other Negative Nancy wasn’t happy with the sound quality on the CD. He complained there’s a low hum throughout the disc. He showed me some kind of graph. I told him I was very happy with my disc, and I enjoyed listening to the music and never noticed a hum. He told me I never really listened.
I get it, everybody wants to say their two cents. Most people were very cool and posted pictures from their own collections. From about 500 reactions, there were about 10 to 15 people who owned the album on CD. Most had vinyl, cassette, the single, or a VHS tape.
I left one CD collector group immediately, when all the comments were either focused on value or sound quality. I stayed in another group, despite two weird comments.
“Crappy pic…more disc, less face next time,” said one guy who couldn’t read the title and never heard of the zoom feature.
“This CD is mastered from the LP,” said another guy who had no evidence for his claim. “Wendy Dio doesn’t own the masters and the reissue will also be taken from vinyl,” he insisted.
Weird folks in some of those music groups, I’ll tell you. The audiophiles reminded me of dealing with those types in my Record Store days. Guys who could hear things I never could, and get angry because I couldn’t. Music collectors are by and large an amicable group of nerds, but there’s always one or two ready to rain on your parade.
DUDES – The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1987 MCA)
Every collector is different. My time is a valuable commodity, so when I buy movie soundtracks made up of mixed songs, I generally only play the songs by the bands I like, and I may never hear the rest of of the album. So it came to be, I have never played the Dudes soundtrack, despite owning it almost 30 years. I don’t know the premise of the movie either. All I know is the old Keel music video for “Rock ‘N’ Roll Outlaw” featured some of the movie footage, starring Jon Cryer, Flea, and Mary Catherine Stewart. It was clearly a comedy. Back then, they didn’t tell you what movie or album a video was from, so I never knew the movie was called Dudes until I saw the CD physically.
I bought this disc at the Record Store in 1997 mostly for Keel, W.A.S.P. and Steve Vai. One look at the cover and I said “This is that movie with the Keel song! I recognize those two guys!” And so it was.
The Keel video commences with a stern warning from a police officer: “You know, maybe this wouldn’t have happened if you looked like normal folks.” He scolds a hilariously punky-looking Jon Cryer. We know what kind of movie this is without seeing it. (Lee Ving of Fear is also in the film.)
“Rock ‘N’ Roll Outlaw”, produced by Kevin Beamish, is the opening track. It’s loaded with attitude and a cool riff, backed by electric slide guitar. “All I need is a rock and roll band, and somewhere new to play!” howls Ron Keel, a distinct singer that never achieved the level of success he was due. There’s a dual solo, with Marc Ferrari comedically using a pistol as a slide in the music video. “Rock ‘N’ Roll Outlaw” is one of Keel’s top tunes, and it wasn’t on their album. The drums are recorded a little clanky, but otherwise this tune is top-notch road rock.
I have never listened to the Vandals, as far as I know, in my life until this moment. “Urban Struggle” begins with a mock Indian war beat, and a mutation of The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly theme. It’s a joke song with cowboy-themed lyrics in a mock accent, and then going into a punk western style, and words about mechanical bulls. Not a song I’ll be coming back to.
“Show No Mercy” by W.A.S.P. (produced by Mike Varney) is more my speed. A non-album track, it hearkens back to early W.A.S.P. The lineup pictured inside was the current W.A.S.P., including Johnny Rod and Steve Riley. The actual track is from an earlier lineup with Tony Richards and Randy Piper. As such, it sounds exactly like the first album, and having more tunes with that sound is never a bad thing. It is a smoker, and Chris Holmes’ familiar guitar sound is welcome in my ears. This song easily could have been on the album, if not used as a single.
Simon Steele & The Claw don’t seem to have released much music over the years. Shame. “Vengeance Is Mine” is a traditional metal gallop. The vocals are decent, usually occupying a low John Bush-like growl, but occasionally releasing into a scream. There’s an awkward key change midway through, but the pace remains relentless throughout.
Megadeth’s jokey cover of “These Boots Are Made For Walkin'” was on their first album as “These Boots”, but this version is slightly longer. Produced by Paul Lani, it is a different recording from the album version by Dave Mustaine and Karat Faye. It remains as entertaining as ever. It may as well be an original if not for the lyrics. You’d never think it was “These Boots” if it was purely instrumental.
A complete change of pace is the pop rocker “Time Forgot You” by Legal Weapon. Apparently they were primarily a punk band, but this is a really cool mainstream 80s rock track that could have been a big hit on radio if circumstances allowed. Singer Kat Arthurs is a breath of fresh air after the grit of Mustaine! This is the hidden gem of the album, with a strong bassline and catchy, well-recorded stabs of shimmering rhythm guitar.
“Jesus Came Driving Along” by Swedish band The Leather Nun is like a gothic punk rock hybrid. The vocals are recorded low in the mix and odd sounds are rampant, but it’s pretty cool. It has a beat you can drive to, which might be the intent.
I was never a big Jane’s Addiction fan, but “Mountain Song” is a brilliant piece of swirly-whirly rock brilliance. A big Jane’s fan told me at the time that he never heard this particular version of “Mountain Song” before, produced by the band themselves. He considered it a rarity. The riff to “Mountain Song” seems like it has been ripped off so many times over the years since. There’s a Zeppelin-esque massiveness to it, but with a tribal beat, an 80s haze, and a howling Perry Farrell. Utter musical magnificence.
Punk band The Little Kings have a very cool song here called “The Lost Highway”. The exaggerated warbling mannerisms of the singer recall Elvis a bit, as the band chop out a greasy rockabilly sound behind him. It’s hard hitting and unique. It goes breakneck for a moment, and then back into a rockabilly groove.
A short instrumental from the movie score, “Dudes Showdown” has twangy guitar, and tense synth backing. It certainly sets a scene. It sounds like a setup for a climax.
The final song is almost a coda. It’s Steve Vai’s rare rendition of “Amazing Grace”, which he has since released as part of his Secret Jewel Box collection. At the time however, it was one of those scattered one-off rarities. Vai goes surprisingly delicate here, with heavy, dreamy guitar effects and a very experimental arrangement of the traditional music. Steve used to say, “Sorry, I can’t help myself!” and here’s an example. He couldn’t help doing something completely different.
And that’s the album! Not bad actually, with only the Vandals track being the one I’d skip today.
The band that once took 15 years to release a new album hasn’t been doing too shabby of late with new releases. “Perhaps” we should say new/old releases (see what I did there?) because all four of the new songs released by Guns N’ Roses since Chinese Democracy have been re-worked outtakes from that era. Since Duff McKagan and Slash have returned to Guns, we’ve had four new tracks: “ABSUЯD” & “Hard Skool” were released on a previous single, and now we have “Perhaps” and “The General” to go with them.
The “G” side of this new single contains “Perhaps”, which is immediately reminiscent of Use Your Illusion era Guns, via the prominent piano line. Of any song released since, “Perhaps” sounds the most like a song that would have come out on a new GN’R album in 1995. Slash’s guitar solo sounds perfectly vintage, but it’s Dizzy Reed on piano, whose flourishes recall “November Rain”, that brings it all back to the glory days. “Perhaps” wouldn’t have been a big hit in the 90s, but it certainly would have been a solid album cut.
On the “R” side is “The General”, a song we’ve heard whispers about from those in Axl’s inner circle. This track is the most disappointing, without any notable hooks. It sounds more of the Chinese Democracy era, and is purely B-side material. It has a haunting quality that might come from Axl’s love of Alice Cooper, but it’s anything but memorable and the technical flourishes don’t do it any favours, except to obscure the lack of catchy melody or riff.
One good song, one throwaway. That makes the score pretty clear.
LOUDNESS – “Slap In the Face” (1991 Warner Japan CD single)
Not long after Loudness released their second and last album with American singer Mike Vescera, a final four-song EP was released in Japan. Featuring a new song (albeit in an edit version) called “Slap in the Face” with three recent live recordings, the EP was good value for the fans. Unfortunately it was not enough to keep Vescera in the band, and he soon wound up doing some pretty good music with Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Loudness continued on with former E-Z-O singer Masaki Yamada, but that is another story. This one is about Mike’s final release with Loudness.
The edit version of “Slap in the Face” is 4:53. Although it says nowhere inside, the full length version is 5:14 and can be found on the 1991 Japanese 2 CD compilation, Loudest. (It was also added as an extra studio track to a later release, 2009’s Live Loudest at the Bodukan. Both edit and full-length versions are included as bonus tracks on the 2021 deluxe box set reissue of On the Prowl.)
This track absolutely stomps! It does not sound like something that came out in 1991. More like 1993. It was ahead of its time in terms of where metal was going. It chunks, it rips, it shreds and it thrashes. The only anomaly is the powerful vocalizin’ of Mike Vescera, who had the kind of high pitched tone that worked well with Malmsteen. Not that it doesn’t kick ass here, just that style of singing was soon to be out of style… But what a song! A Loudness highlight, hands down. Cut-throat and non-stop, “Slap in the Face” should have been called “Kick in the Teeth”!
The three live tracks that round out the EP are all from the Budokan show that was released in 2009, and were all originally on the 1991 studio album On the Prowl. “Down ‘N’ Dirty” is very clean and polished. You could mistake it for a studio cut. This mid-tempo rocker has some wicked soloing from lead guitarist Akira Takasaki, but really this is hair metal from a band that usually went heavier.
“Playin’ Games” is way heavier. This is the kind of tempo we’re used to from Loudness. The goofy title doesn’t relay its deadly intent: this song is a killer. Drummer Munetaka Higuchi has a lethal albeit brief drum solo at the end, just enough to crush your head. The guy was a beast on drums! Rest in peace Higuchi.
The last track is “Find A Way”, technically a remake of “To Be Demon” from Loudness’ 1981 debut album The Birthday Eve. This ballady metal track goes from bluesy to progressive to hair metal and back to progressive. It’s mid-tempo brilliance, and perhaps something that a band like the Scorpions could have done in the early 80s. Indeed, Klaus would sound brilliant singing it. There’s nothing simple about “Find A Way”!
Though all these songs can now be found elsewhere as is often the case these days, in 1991 this was great value and a fine send-off to Mike Vescera. The following year, Loudness would come crushing back…but only in Japan.
This week’s show was so crazy, you could call it Unspooled! As a last minute arrival, the 2nd edition of Tim Durling’s excellent book Unspooled: An Adventure in 8-tracks has come! It is available on Amazon right now, so don’t miss it this time out. This excellent story about a guy who collects and catalogues music is a must-have for its warm nostalgia, fact-based lists, and beautiful page art. We unboxed this book at the top of the show and I encourage you all to check it out.
As for our lists: tonight we looked at a number of bonus tracks that should have been on the albums! B-sides, import or format exclusives, and other assorted sources comprised our selections of bonus tracks. And mighty they were! Our panel tonight:
Yours truly on bass.
Harrison Kopp on drums.
Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation on lead guitar.
Jex Russell on lead vocals.
With that lineup, we came up with some wicked lists and I encourage you to watch the whole show. Some artists made multiple appearances, although no actual songs did. Most, but not all, were in the hard rock realm.
Great responses in the comments, thanks to all who watched and participated!
My picks:
Van Halen – “Crossing Over” (Balance 1995)
Marillion – “The Release” (Seasons End 1989)
Ratt – “Scattered” (Infestation 2010)
KISS – “Got To Choose” (MTV Unplugged 1996)
Van Halen – “That’s Why I Love You” (3, 1998)
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 32: What Bonus Track Should Have Been On the Album?
Our first episode since August 11! Thanks for your patience, and I hope tonight’s show rocks your socks off!
One of the reasons we haven’t done a show since August 11 was the fault of one of tonight’s guests. Please welcome Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation to the show for the first time! Last week, we were busy recording his excellent episode on Coverdale-Page. (The week before that was simply a weekend off at the cottage.) This week he’s returning the favour, and we’re so happy to have him on for the first time! Two Canadians vs. two Australians!
Harrison the Mad Metal Man suggested this topic. Knowing my love of bonus tracks and B-sides, he asked What Bonus Tracks Should Have Been on the Album? A great question that I have often pondered in my own reviews. It’s a Cinco de Listo Top Five list, and it was a real struggle to make my five picks count.
Also joining us tonight will be Jex Russell from Jex’s Vinyl World, who kindly set aside parental duties to take part.
Bonus tracks from singles and imports will all be on the table for tonight. Which ones would really have enhanced the albums? Let’s find out.
LIVE Friday Sept 1 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy onYouTube or onFacebook!
“Mr. Lebrain is back, and this time he brought a ton of his Japanese import CDs. Or should I say, he grabbed a stack of rock! We once again go through our rare, out of print, imported, and otherwise hard to find discs. A follow to our first episode on the subject which can be seen here.”
mikeladano.com 