VANDENBERG – Vandenberg (Originally 1982, 2011 Rock Candy remaster)
I must the only person in the world who doesn’t care about the first Vandenberg album.
There’s nothing wrong with it. I can’t say anything too critical about it. A track or two aside, it just fails to click.
Of course the standout is “Burning Heart”, the song that Whitesnake rehearsed but never released on Slip of the Tongue as they should have. This hot ballad would have been a hit for the ‘Snake, had Adrian Vandenberg not got hurt and replaced on album by Steve Vai. It’s a truly remarkable song that, honestly, deserved the Coverdale treatment. (Fortunately, you can get a rough version of the song by Whitesnake.) It was good enough to use as an effective side one closer.
On another highlight, Adrian plays some stunning classical acoustic stuff on “Wait”. It transforms into a slow, cool dark rocker but has the unfortunate chorus of “Wait, wait, wait, ’til the shit hits the fan.”
“Your Love Is In Vain” is fine, B-level hard rock, akin to Helix, or Talas, or any band of that nature. Bert Heerink is a somewhat generic singer who doesn’t help elevate the track higher. Kind of a Derek St. Holmes style singer. “Back On My Feet” sounds like a Quiet Riot B-side, right down to the high notes that the bass occasionally hits. “Ready For You” could have been a Van Halen-like speed rocker but lacks the teeth that superior production can bring. “Too Late” has a cool riff and boogie, also recalling Van Halen. Wicked neoclassical, finger-tappin’ solo work too. “Nothing to Lose” is a decent song, with a good chorus that sounds like Talas. “Lost in a City” and “Out in the Streets” are not memorable at all and the production does them no favours.
Let’s say three keepers:
“Burning Heart”
“Wait”
“Nothing to Lose”
Whitesnake should have re-recorded “Burning Heart” properly on the road, when Adrian returned to the band after his injury. They blew a huge opportunity for a timeless hit by not doing so.
The best thing about this album is the guitar work. The songs are secondary.
GETTING MORE TALE #829: Freestylin’ 6 – A Wasted Candy Script for Chaos
Buy local! That’s the mantra these days. The last time we went “Freestylin’“, I explained that I was going to try and buy as much of my music from Encore Records. Having consumed the four albums I ordered last time, I decided to order four more! Like before, I tried to (mostly) focus on albums I’ve never heard before. At the same time I also wanted to pick up some music that people have been recommending to me.
First into the shopping cart: Love/Hate – Wasted in America. Your Heavy Metal Overlord was pleased that I enjoyed their debut album, Blackout in the Red Room, and so commanded me to acquire their second, Wasted in America. Encore had in stock the Rock Candy reissue with two bonus tracks: “Castles From Sand” and “Soul House Tales”. I trust HMO with my dollars — he has rarely, if ever, steered me wrong.
My second purchase was Nita Strauss’ debut CD Controlled Chaos. If you didn’t know, Nita plays lead guitar with Alice Cooper. This one came highly praised by John over at 2loud2oldmusic. “Nothing short of spectacular,” he said. Funny enough, the last time he inspired me to purchase an album, it was another guitar instrumental: Joe Satriani’s Shapeshifting. I am looking forward to hearing a guitarist that, aside from live performances playing someone else’s songs, I’ve never really had a chance to listen to. If Nita is as much of a beast in the studio as she is live, this oughta be a good album.
Uncle Meat has been telling me to buy some Cars studio albums for ages. All I owned to this point was a Cars anthology called Just What I Needed. Meat specifically recommended Panorama, but Encore had the expanded edition of Candy-O for just $16.99. Maybe I’ll get Panorama next. There is no point in getting the versions without the bonus tracks. This one has a number of alternate versions, one B-side, and one previously unreleased song called “They Won’t See You”.
Because I ordered four CDs the first time I ordered from Encore, I randomly decided that I had to get four again this time. My fourth was a re-buy, but a pretty mega re-buy. The nice thing about this one is that it doesn’t replace the version I already own. Rather, it complements the earlier version. EMI already did a pretty excellent job when they reissued the Marillion catalogue in the 1990s. Each of the first eight albums was stuffed with bonus discs packed with rarities and unreleased material. My new copy of their debut, Script for a Jester’s Tear (4 CDs + 1 Blu-ray) duplicates only one track from the EMI original!
For the 2020 box set version of Script, the entire album is remixed, meaning I will need to hang onto my original. The Market Square Heroes EP is also remixed. The only song duplicated over both versions is “Charting the Single”, but here it is in a fresh 2020 remastering. Discs three and four are an unreleased concert, Live at the Marquee Club. “But I have that already!” you protest. Do you? No. The concert on the Early Stages box set was recorded December 30, 1982. This one was recorded the day before, December 29th! While the setlist is identical, the concert is a completely unreleased one.
Finally the Blu-ray disc has the usual music videos and hi-def audio tracks, but most importantly it also has Script remixed in 5.1 surround. It even includes the entire Recital of the Script live video (81 minutes)! In other words, this version of Script is packed to the gills, yet amazingly without rendering your old copy obsolete.
Guitarist Steph Honde told me that the official Marillion website is sold out and he hasn’t been able to find a copy anywhere. Fortunately the Marillion store says they will have more this week.
Thanks to Mark at Encore Records for keeping the rock rollin’. This has been so important to my mental health. I have always ordered new music to give myself something to look forward to in the mail. The only difference in this new reality is that I sanitize the parcels thoroughly. After too many weeks of no new music, ordering from Encore has been awesome.
Wonder what I’ll order next time? Recommend four CDs to me. If Encore carries them, there’s a possibility I might end up buying your favourite album next.
GETTING MORE TALE #827: Freestylin’ 5 – Brave New World
Oh, how so much has changed in such a short time. The conveniences I once took for granted are now dearly missed. I feel as if I am living in the early chapters of an old undiscovered dystopian fiction novel. Then there is the paranoia I feel when we get such mixed signals from all around. Don’t go out! But this store is offering pickups. Wear a mask! But only if you’re not able to be more than 2 metres away from the next person. Or not. And what kind of masks? It’s a surreal day that ends with a phone call with your mother about what kind of mask she’s wearing these days.
Look at classic science fiction. There are very few that feature gloves as part of regular daily attire that are not dystopias!
Because I feel it’s appropriate, I’m listening to Kilroy Was Here by Styx for inspiration while I write.
“We all need control. I need control. We all need control.”
And to think we were led to believe that the future dystopia would involve robots and rock & roll rebels.
On the other hand, I feel like I’ve been rehearsing for this my whole life. In spite of losing hundreds of books and movies in a recent purge (to be discussed in full in another chapter), I still have dozens unwatched and unread here to enjoy. I was saving them for the proverbial “rainy day”. Who was to know it was going to be three months of rain?
As a classic introvert, I tended to spend most of my time indoors anyway, nose buried in a laptop, headphones on. I never particularly sought busy weekends of going out and being social. I left that to Jen while I did my own thing. She’s managing as well as anyone else. What I really miss are the luxuries. Dropping in at the parents house to steal groceries from their fridge for a visit. Going out for a medium rare steak when you’re craving it. Wandering the aisles at the record store. Even ordering from Amazon.
I am a creature of habit, but with more emphasis on spending locally in social media, a thought occurred to me. Why am I relying on Amazon for music? We have Encore Records here in town, and they have been advertising that they ship. The other day, John at 2loud2oldmusic mentioned that there was a new Joe Satriani coming out. I liked the track he posted, so I checked and Encore had it in stock.
I don’t believe in ordering “just one” of anything so I browsed a bit and quickly filled my cart. I searched for “Coverdale” (hey, you never know if something previously unheard will pop up) and their very smart search engine returned me a hit for all his stuff plus some related albums like Vandenberg. Good ol’ Dekes has long asserted their brilliance so why not? It looked like it’s probably one of those sweet Rock Candy reissues. Love/Hate’s Blackout in the Red Room is an album I’ve wanted for 30 years but never pulled the trigger on until now. It has three bonus tracks thanks to Rock Candy’s fine series of reprints. Finally, King Kobra’s second CD Thrill of a Lifetime made it an even four.
I picked my shipping, hit the Paypal button and later the next day they had my order processed. I’m going to have new music this week! And plenty of it too!
New music helps keep up the illusion that things are still “normal”, while they are actually anything but. You can pretend for a while. I’ll sanitize the parcel when it arrives, a stark foreshadow of what the “new” normal will be like. I’ll wash my hands when I’ve removed and discarded the cellophane. Only then will I allow myself to enjoy the CDs without the reminders.
A wise person recently told me that now is the time to spread kindness. I’m trying to remember that. Part of that includes being kind to yourself. I bought myself some CDs. Don’t be afraid to treat yourself if you can. I know we’re not all in a situation where we are financially able to do that. I’m part of an essential service. As much as I resented that at first, I’m really grateful for it.
As I try to be kind to myself, a dark side of me whispers in my ear. “You’re being careless. Everything you let enter the house is a threat. You already suffer asthma. You’re not paying attention to the statistics. You should be working from home.”
We are all facing our own personal struggles right now. I know a few people who have it bad, real bad, and I can’t do a damn thing to help them except be here to listen. It’s a small gesture, but can be a huge one in some circumstances. Don’t underestimate your own personal value as a human being that can listen.
My hopes are high that we will get through this together. Together, separately. Humans have a remarkable capacity to work together when we want to. I don’t dare put a timeline on this in my mind. I try to take it one day and one week at a time. We have made it through another week, and all we have to do now is keep on keepin’ on.
GETTING MORE TALE #773: Rock Candy + Internet = Kick Axe!
Like many things, it started with a story.
I have liked the music of Kick Axe since I first heard them back in 1984. “On the Road to Rock” was a Power Hour (not yet the Pepsi Power Hour) staple. I knew the video off by heart. A Vices button was among the first handful I owned. I think it was a birthday gift from my best friend Bob. As it turns out, I never got the album, or any Kick Axe for that matter, until now. So how did it turn out that I’m doing this Kick Axe review series?
I. ENCORE
In July, I scored two Kick Axe remastered CDs by Rock Candy records. This occurred at the best Record Store in town, Encore, who had both Vices and Welcome to the Club in stock. I had been looking for these in Toronto (“Taranna”) for years. No luck. The Encore visit was my first time finding them in store. Vices has a bonus track. I always intended to get the Rock Candy version for that reason. Aaron and I found Kick Axe vinyl in Taranna before, but I was holding out. The bonus track made the Rock Candy reissue my preferred version.
II. ROCK CANDY
Another thing about Rock Candy: the liner notes are, shall we say, goddamn essential. Featuring original interviews, untold stories, and assorted documented details, you will absolutely learn something from the liner notes in a Rock Candy CD. One thing I learned before even opening the booklet was that the third Kick Axe album was also available from Rock Candy. Already having the first two, it seemed dumb not to get the third. Especially since the liner notes said that Rock the World was, in some regards, their strongest album. As I read the notes, I recalled they did two songs for The Transformers soundtrack under the name Spectre General. The notes confirmed that Spectre General was Kick Axe, not some side project.
Thanks to Rock Candy, light was shed on early Kick Axe history previously unknown to me. I discovered they had an early 7″ single called “Weekend Ride”, with a singer earlier than George Criston. They also had a live track on a compilation called Playboy Street Rock. When Bob and I were kids, we used to be fascinated by the early history of bands. Like finding out White Lion had an album before Pride, or that Iron Maiden had something called The Soundhouse Tapes before their first album. I wanted to get the early Kick Axe stuff I just found out existed!
III. AMAZON and DISCOGS
If I knew about those early Kick Axe songs as a kid, it would have taken me decades to find them. Today, I had most of them within a week.
Amazon had Rock the World in stock, and it was at the house two days later. Discogs had “Weekend Ride”, The Transformers, and Playboy Street Rock from different sellers. I hesitated on Transformers but pulled the trigger on the other two. I would have preferred a remastered Transformers CD with bonus tracks. They were way too rich for me. I couldn’t get one for much less than $50. Even the reissued vinyl without the bonus tracks was pricey. Ultimately, I settled on an original CD, which was still not cheap.
“Weekend Ride” and Playboy Street Rock arrived within a few days. Wonders of the modern world. What would have taken years before happened in under a week.
IV. KICK AXE
Fortunately, it turns out that I quite like my Kick Axe purchases. So much so, that I was inspired to do a Kick Axe review series.
Kick Axe have a fourth album (Kick Axe IV) from a Criston-less reunion. I’m undecided if I’ll go that far, but in the mean time you can look forward to learning more about Canada’s own metal proponents. I’m delighted to discover a band that could really sing, and play like big leaguers. I hope you’ll enjoy them too.
I’ve been avoiding downtown Kitchener for the last couple years. All that construction (five years’ worth) installing our new light-rail transit system…it’s been hellacious. But that construction is now over, and the LRT train (called the ION) is running every 15 minutes. Only two years behind schedule! And guess where one of the stops is? Right by legendary record store Encore Records. Perfect! No need to worry about parking.
Mrs. LeBrain and I hopped on a bus to the mall, and a few minutes later the train pulled in. Using the free Wi-fi, I live-streamed myself making goofy faces on our new train. The ride was quiet and fast since it only stopped a handful of times. These new trains are lovely! Now that they are finally running, I can see that the headaches will be worth it. Clean and quick – I’d use the ION again. It’s a shame but there are still people who hate the train so much that they would actually like to spend taxpayer money on ripping up the tracks! What a waste that would be. Let’s give this LRT a fair shake.
We disembarked the train at the City Hall stop, only a brief walk from Encore. Not only was this my first ride on the train, but also my first visit to Encore since they moved from their old Queen St. location. The new store, though not wheelchair accessible, seemed bigger and cleaner. Old pal Al “The” King was there, happily still slinging the rock for us patrons.
We chatted a bit. Al really enjoyed working at Encore. There was a guy that I trained at my old Record Store about 15 years ago. He left shortly after to work at Encore, and he’s still there! When you find a place you enjoy working, I guess you stay!
Time to go look at music….
It didn’t take long for me to exceed my budget for the day. First snag was from the new release rack: The Beaches’ excellent new EP The Professional, $9.99. A great recording; it will be getting a few spins this summer. Next: the used CD racks. Plenty of stock as usual. I came looking for old Styx, but there was no used Styx that I needed. Instead I grabbed three Scorpions remasters: World Wide Live (with DVD), Savage Amusement (with DVD), and Animal Magnetism. $20 each.
Whoops! I already owned Animal Magnetism. No big deal; looks like some lucky person will be getting a free copy from me. I really have to keep track of reissues better. This is happening more and more frequently as my collection grows.
I still wanted some more classic Styx. I’ve been playing my Styx albums repeatedly. I needed some more classics to throw in the shuffle, so I moved on to the new CD racks. There I picked up Pieces of Eight and Crystal Ball. $9.99 each. One by one and I’ll get them all.
Continuing through the racks of new stock, I spied two Kick Axe remasters by Rock Candy. I’ve wanted both these albums for a long time: Vices and Welcome to the Club, $22.99 each. I’ve spun through both twice and was impressed with both the music and liner notes. What an underrated singer George Criston is. This sparked more Kick Axe purchases later on Discogs and Amazon. The third album, Rock the World, is coming in the form of another Rock Candy remaster. And thanks to the excellent liner notes inside Vices, I also tracked down some early Kick Axe on Discogs. Debut single “Week-End Ride” / “One More Time” from 1981 is inbound! Also coming, from the same year, is a compilation LP called Playboy Street Rock. Kick Axe have a live track on that called “Reality is the Nightmare”. It’s going to be cool hearing those early songs, which had a different singer.
It’s funny about Kick Axe. One of the first buttons I ever bought for my jacket was Vices. It only took close to 40 years to finally get the album.
Finally we closed the Encore trip with some vinyl. A lovely reissue of Alice Cooper’s Zipper Catches Skin, on clear “black smoke” vinyl. It looks and sounds great, and now I finally have all the Alice Cooper studio albums.
We bid farewell to Al and headed home again on the ION. Now that the train is up and running, I do believe I’ll be making Encore a fairly regular weekend stop.
HELIX – Walkin’ the Razor’s Edge (1984 Capitol, 2009 Rock Candy reissue)
If you’re from Canada, then chances are you already know how to properly respond when somebody requests of you to “Gimme an R!”
You give them a fuckin’ R!
To quote Ricky from Trailer Park Boys, “Helix was a wicked concert. Fuck I sold a lot of dope at that concert. They had good lyrics, like ‘Gimme an R, O, C, K,’ and then the crowd yells ROCK really loud. Now that’s a fuckin’ concert.”
Bob Halligan Jr. wrote it, but Helix made it legendary. In turn, “Rock You” put them on the map. It’s pure arena rock: “Don’t just sit there, come on get up and move!” With a riff, a catchy tune and a shout-along chorus, “Rock You” was custom built for 1984. The Pepsi Power Hour gave it regular play, and the boys toured relentlessly. Helix’s rep as a down n’ dirty hard rocking band was secure. The music video scared away my neighbor, David Dolph, a kid from across the street whose very Catholic parents wouldn’t let him listen to rock music or watch Dr. Who. Instant street cred!
“Rock You” opened Walkin’ the Razor’s Edge (their fourth LP) with a punch. “Young & Wreckless” followed with a kick in the ass. This chugging rocker is all about a good time. Strangely enough, this track somehow frequently ended up on Kiss bootleg CDs. Bootleggers most likely confused it with Kiss’ own “Young and Wasted” from 1983’s Lick it Up. Needless to say, if you find a Kiss bootleg claiming to have an unreleased song on it called “Young & Wreckless”, it’s not Kiss. It’s Helix. And it kicks ass.
“Animal House” is a Helix concert classic, a bar-bustin’ rocker with a sweet slide guitar licks from Brent “The Doctor” Doerner. He and gui-partner-in-crime Paul Hackman formed a formidable and underrated duo. They supplied Helix with a seemingly bottomless well of riffage and tasty guitar hooks. Meanwhile lead howler Brian Vollmer was in peak voice, driving the whole thing home. Next up is “Feel the Fire”, basically a re-write of “Heavy Metal Love” from 1983’s awesome No Rest for the Wicked LP. Though the songs are similar, both kick equal amounts of ass, so we will allow some self-plagiarism. The first side was finished off with a real sledge: “When the Hammer Falls”. It’s a real headbanger in the classic sense, fast and loud.
“Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'” kicked off the second side, a Crazy Elephant cover that became one of Helix’s most notorious music videos. There was a TV version and a uncensored cut with full frontal nudity. One of the girls in the video was an underage Tracy Lords. Whoops! Meanwhile, a 13-year-old me couldn’t take my eyes off the TV! (A classmate of mine called Ian Johnson was known for his tall tales, and took credit for giving Helix the idea for the video!) “Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'” was one of those instantly catchy songs that seemingly everyone dug, and check out Doerner’s killer solo.
The shot with Doctor Doerner kicking the lightbulbs is possibly the coolest of all time.
Helix want to tell you what turns them on in “My Kind of Rock”, but I think it’s the biting riffs. Not a bad tune, but Helix have done better. That’s just filler before the ballad “(Make Me Do) Anything You Want”, a cover of A Foot in Cold Water. Helix’s take is remarkably true to the original. It’s considerably softer than anything else on the album, but that’s the function of a ballad on a rock album. Vollmer’s performance helped make it a Helix favourite that’s still played live in concert. Another track called “Six Strings, Nine Lives” is the only tune that should have been excised. Good chorus, but without a song to go with it. One of the best Helix originals was saved for the closing position: “You Keep Me Rockin'”. Dark and edgy, it’s a heavy and memorable tune to end Helix’s best selling LP.
Walkin’ the Razor’s Edge is a good record, but as is so often the case with the “big hit” albums, it’s not their best. No Rest for the Wicked is the one to seek out for the “all killer, no filler” experience. Razor’s Edge has some essential cuts, but a couple fillers too. If you’re thinking about picking this up, the wisest purchase would be the 2009 reissue by Rock Candy. This remastered disc contains rare photos and liner notes including an interview with Brian Vollmer. It also has three must-have bonus tracks: Live versions of “Young & Wreckless”, “Rock You” and “Animal House” from the uber-rare promo EP Live at the Marquee. Since Helix were (and are) known for their blitzkrieg live shows, these tracks are well worth having on CD.
During a trip to Encore Records in Kitchener, Ontario, I found some pretty cool stuff among their used discs. I used to work with the guy behind the counter, Chris — trained him in fact. We had a chance to catch up and discuss the difficulties of being a collector. Piles and piles of discs, an expanding collection and lack of space for it. Filing systems. How easy it is to get behind in your filing. Good to know there are still kindred spirits out there.
Thanks for the discs Chris, and without further delay…
1. VAN HALEN – In Concert
This double CD is at least partially taken from Live Without A Net, the old Van Halen home video. That’s cool to me — some of those versions, like “Love Walks In”, were the originals that I was first familiar with. It’s weird today hearing Sammy Hagar play guitar solos on Van Halen songs, but that’s how I first heard them. $9 used.
2. HELIX – Wild In The Streets (Rock Candy remaster)
PROS: These hard-to-find (in Canada) Rock Candy reissues have great liner notes and pictures. CONS: It lacks the lyric sheet from my old Capitol Records version. This one was expensive ($14 used) but the great Heavy Metal OverloRd tells me they are well worth it.
3. FISH – “Credo” CD single
Limited edition, #5945. Cool? Yeah, but how many copies did they make of a Fish single? Anyway, this has two non-album cuts, a 7″ remix of the title track and a song called “Poet’s Moon”. “Credo” itself is a great song from Internal Exile. Great cover art by Mark Wilkinson! $6 used.
4. IRON MAIDEN – Virtual XI with limited edition lenticular cover
This was a limited edition (expensive in Canada) that had a 3D cover similar to the current Kiss Monster CD. I tried to get an idea of this in the photos. Look at Eddie’s finger in relation to the boy’s headphones. You can see it’s not in the same place in the two photos. It’s much cooler in person. Now, I know Aaron is probably going to give me shit for buying a Blaze Bayley album — any Blaze Bayley album — twice. But it’s more about the Maiden collection than Blaze. This is one I’d wanted back in the day but completely forgotten about. $10 used.
REPORT CARD
Encore Records, 54 Queen St. South, Kitchener ON, (519) 744-1370
Encore is as good as as any of the stores that Aaron and I reported on in Toronto. Sure, I’m biased in that I did train the guy behind the counter, and it was great having a conversation with somebody who understands my point of view vis-à-vis collecting. But their selection is second-to-none in this town (rock, indi, roots, jazz, blues, vinyl), with fair prices, and excellent quality. Not one blemish on any of the discs that I purchased. As an added note I found a number of Guided By Voices singles for Aaron (some stealthily pictured below) — although he is apparently banned from purchasing them at this time, until he wins the lottery!
mikeladano.com 