DEEP PURPLE – Come Taste the Band (35th Anniversary edition, 2010 originally 1975, EMI)
For those keeping score, now every single album from the original run of Deep Purple 1968-1976 has been remastered with some sort of deluxe edition. Come Taste The Band is the final album of this series. Deep Purple imploded shortly after and the band was no more until Perfect Strangers in 1983.
Personally I have always liked Come Taste The Band right from first listen. However, I never heard the album until 1996 so the idea of a great Purple album without Richie Blackmore was not foreign to me. With open ears you can really appreciate what Deep Purple were up to on this powerfully rocking album. It has a solid groove, a much harder sound than Stormbringer and some greasy unconventional guitar playing from Tommy Bolin. Everybody is playing amazingly, even the coked-out Glenn Hughes who just rips it to shreds on “Gettin’ Tighter”, my favourite track. Paicey is awesome on said breakneck track.
Really though there are no losers on Come Taste The Band. Every song is incredible right from the opener of the ferocious “Comin’ Home” to the philosophical “You Keep On Movin'”. Another personal favourite is the sliding groover “Dealer”, a tale of warning from David Coverdale to Glenn Hughes about his habit. Bolin takes his first and only studio Deep Purple lead vocal on the bridge.
As with all previous special editions, the liner notes are excellent, revealing, and loaded with pictures. One fact I didn’t know: The band were going to kick out Hughes if he didn’t kick the coke.
Bonus material is present. The single edit of “You Keep On Movin'” is tacked on to the end of disc one, but this is previously available on such albums as Singles A’s and B’s. The second disc contains the entire album remixed by Kevin Shirley. Shirley is truly a great mixer. It’s hard to discern what he did differently here, except the songs are a bit more punchy. Some now continue on past their original fade points, revealing never before heard playing from the band, right to the end of the song. This was done on previous remasters such as Machine Head and I like this touch a lot.
Two previously unreleased tracks are included. These tracks will be worth the price of purchase alone to Purple collectors. “Same In L.A.” is a nearly complete song with lead vocals and lyrics. If it had been included on the original album, it would easily have been the most pop, it sounds more suited to Stormbringer material. “Bolin Paice Jam” is also unreleased — not even heard before on Days May Come and Days May Go or the limited edition 1420 Beachwood Drive albums. This is a massive, fiery jam capturing the best of both players. Difficult to understand why this was not included on the aforementioned two compilations, but it’s just awesome and I’m glad it’s out.
Once again, Simon Robinson has outdone himself with the final Deep Purple remaster of this series. These albums, while expensive and difficult to obtain (mine took almost two months to ship) are well worth it to the faithful.
In a previous chapter, I mentioned that in 1994, I had created our store’s very first online ads. They were in colour, made in full glorious ANSI, and eye-catching. We even had a flashing logo on screen! I did this for free, because I was so passionate about the store. And it was fun! (Tip: One thing I had to learn was that if you do something for free once, it becomes expected later.)
The reactions were mostly positive. One guy, a 14 year old kid who went by the online handle “Mr. Self Destruct” (I think his real name was Justin), posted a message that was a bit of a wake up call.
“The kind of things I look for,” he said, “like imported Nine Inch Nails and Pop Will Eat Itself singles, you can’t get at a mall store like the one that Mike works at. You can only get those downtown, at the good stores.”
That burned! So I decided to do something about it.
The boss had always told T-Rev and I to order stock that we thought the store needed. We both took this to heart. T-Rev for example made sure we stocked things like the new Guns N’ Roses single (“Sympathy for the Devil”) and several other up and coming titles. Later on, Trevor made sure we stocked all the Oasis singles. I took care of the Nine Inch Nails side.
I ordered in “Sin”, Pretty Hate Machine, “Head Like A Hole”, Fixed, and Broken. Fixed had just been deleted, we missed that one. I ended up buying copies of “Sin” and Pretty Hate Machine for myself (we ordered 3 copies of each). Unfortunately, it wasn’t like having a few of these titles in stock changed the fortunes of our store. They sold all but immediately, but there was no sudden and dramatic jump in numbers. Yet, by summer 1995 we had a much cooler selection. I like to think we made a difference, albeit a small one, to music lovers. We sure did try anyway. It was more about just loving the job and store, and wanting to give 200%.
By that summer, we were even carrying live bootlegs. The boss picked them up in Toronto, and he’d walk in with a box full of 20 or 30. I remember T-Rev and I drooling all over them and the boss warning us that there would be no discount on these puppies! (I didn’t need a discount to want them!)
This period circa 1995-1996, was probably my personal peak at the record store. It was my peak time for happiness, for motivation, input, pride, and satisfaction. It was a time of mutual respect, fellowship, and hard work. I loved every day of it.
Our inventory now had some stuff that you couldn’t get at the cool downtown stores. I still have some of the bootlegs that I bought: bands like Guns N’ Roses (Covering ‘Em) and Nine Inch Nails (Woodstock 94). There were lots more titles (such as the Pearl Jam edition of Covering ‘Em), and our boss would try to get multiple copies of the good ones, like Nine Inch Nails. We even started getting in Japanese imports! I remember when we carried Hormoaning, by Nirvana, it was like $60 with taxes. The one guy who bought it had to trade in most of the rest of his collection to buy it. My buddy Aaron got the other copy.
I spread the word online, and a few of those people became customers. Guess who was among them? Mr. Self Destruct!
FREHLEY’S COMET – Second Sighting (1988 Megaforce Worldwide, 1998 reissue)
Ace was rushed on Second Sighting. I think that might be why it seems a little Tod (Howarth) heavy, song-wise. I recall in an old Hit Parader interview circa 1989, Ace complained that he had to follow a “stupid schedule” on Second Sighting, and the album suffered for it.
Having said that, I like Second Sighting better than Frehley’s Comet. I wondered what the hell Ace was high on when he made that comment about Second Sighting. Indeed, this is my favourite (post-Kiss) Ace CD. Let’s not forget how important context is. It was summer 1988. It was the summer of Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Van Halen…and Ace Frehley! I was a kid in love with the rock.
The lead single was a choice Ace may regret today. Instead of coming out with a rocker, they went with “It’s Over Now”, a ballad sung by Tod! I always thought to myself: “If I was a kid and I didn’t know who Ace Frehley was, would I assume he’s the blond guy singing?” Tod’s singing, playing the keyboards (a huge friggin’ keyboard), and then he breaks into a guitar solo on one of those little Steinberger’s with no head…odd choice for lead video, no? Check out the close up on his two-handed tapping technique. The perfect Howarth hair. The video even seems to be vaguely about him and some chick. I still have to admit that my teenage self loved the song, it might be a ballad but it was a quality ballad with some soloing.
Thankfully, the album itself was lead off with a better track, “Insane”. It’s an Ace helmed good time party rocker. New drummer Jamie Oldaker (Eric Clapton) isn’t as fancy as the unavailable Anton Fig, but he throws in some pretty cool fills. Of course Ace lands the perfect solo, always complimenting the song.
The second track is a melancholy Dokken-esque rock ballad from Tod, “Time Ain’t Runnin’ Out”. It has a pretty significant keyboard part, which some may find obtrusive. Fortunately the guitar parts are great, and Tod’s powerful voice is easy on the ears. It also has a pretty solid chorus.
I don’t know the story behind “Dancin’ With Danger”, but it sure boasts an odd batch of co-writers, including Spencer Proffer, Streetheart, Ace, and Dana Strum from rival band Vinnie Vincent Invasion. The good news: it smokes. It has a ZZ Top-like sequencer part, adding a robotic pulse, but not taking anything else away. The riff is pretty heavy, Ace takes the lead vocal and an absolutely scorching solo.
The first side of the album ended with “Loser in a Fight” which is kind of…meh…eh… It’s OK, it’s heavy at least, but what I like about it is that is a co-lead vocal with both Ace and Tod. It’s that old Kiss trick that I used to like.
Ace enters on side two with some pretty cool guitar effects, leading into “Juvenile Delinquent”. Ace sings to a 16 year old girl and tells her to follow her dreams. It’s a little creepy when Ace sings “You’re looking good these days, believe it girl, I’m not blind.” I tend to just block that part out when I hear it. I think it’s a catchy song with a rock solid guitar base, and other than a couple lines in the song, I dig it.
“Fallen Angel” (not the Poison song that was a hit around the same time) is another Tod ballad. Like “It’s Over Now”, it’s a totally solid song, but this one has some more balls to it. It’s a little pissed-off sounding and the chorus is blazing hot. It is followed by “Separate” which to me sounds like vintage Ace. It’s sparse, the lyrics are basically spoken, and it has an extended guitar solo as the centerpiece. It kind of reminds me of “Don’t Run”, an Ace demo that eventually became “Dark Light” on The Elder.
“New Kind of Lover” is a wicked cool hard rocker about Tod Howarth gettin’ it on with a ghost. Once again, the solo is obviously Tod. Some may find it offensive that Ace didn’t play every single guitar solo on his album, but Frehley’s comet was a band, and Tod’s no slouch. His soloing style is opposite to Ace Frehley, which is one reason to allow him a couple solos. It also lent the album a modern edge.
As is the Ace tradition, the album closes with an “instrumental” (technically). Unlike past albums, it is not a nice pleasant “Fractured”. Instead, this is a blitz of riffage and solos called “The Acorn in Spinning”, which does in fact have words. The lyrics entirely spoken, Ace tells the tale of “this new fighter Bronx,” and a few other seedy characters. As it happens, that summer I was introduced to the Sierra PC game, Championship Boxing. Obsessed as I was with “The Acorn is Spinning”, I named my boxer Acorn and created a whole persona and cast of enemy boxers for him to challenge.
That’s the note I want this review to go out on, a note of personal anecdote, because for me this album is personal. Summer 1988. Ace may have been dissatisfied, but LeBrain 1988 was eager to hear the next one. Little did I know that Frehley’s Comet had to endure some serious lineup changes. But that’s next time. See you then!
Black Sabbath’s Forbidden album has a unique place in the Sabbath canon. It is almost universally condemned by casual and hard core Sabbath fans alike. I am one of the many who did not like Forbidden, and you can read about why right here. It was also the final studio album released under the Black Sabbath name, until now.
Forbidden should have been great. It had the uber-talented Tyr lineup of Tony Iommi, Tony Martin, Cozy Powell, and Neil Murray. Even with all that muscle, it came out as the weakest Sabbath album ever, probably hindered by Ernie C’s limp production. I was eager to get my hands on the “rough mix” of Forbidden, which supposedly sounded a lot better.
This CD, simply titled Forbidden Rough Mix is dubbed from a cassette. That said, it sounds a lot better than any cassette I’ve ever dubbed. It’s bootleg quality, and I’m fine with that. The only unfortunate thing is that it is all instrumental versions. You can hear some of Tony Martin’s vocal bleeding through from somewhere, but it’s not mixed in. Maybe he was singing scratch vocals in the studio for the band to play along with. I know that Forbidden was a time of upheaval in the band, with Martin not knowing if he was in or out at any given time. Ice T was coming in to lay down his own vocal tracks, and nobody would tell Tony if this was for the whole album, one song, part of one song, or what the deal was.
Anyway, if you were hoping for better sounding versions of the Forbidden songs, then this might be as close as you get. Even though it’s the same album, this version sounds somehow faster and heavier. It’s some kind of audio illusion, because the drums are unfettered, and you can hear the cool bass runs. Neil Murray’s bass is much more interesting than it comes across on the original album. Everything sounds more Sabbathy. There’s some stunning guitar work buried in there. This could have been a great album.
Even though it’s just instrumental, the title track “Forbidden” is so much better than the album version. I can listen to Cozy’s drums! There’s a lot more keyboards, as performed by Geoff Nicholls in this mix. Even “The Illusion of Power”, one of the worst songs on the original album, is a cool, traditional sounding Black Sabbath death march on this CD. Throw an eerie sounding Ozzy lead vocal on top of this instrumental track, and you could have had something appropriate for the Volume 4 album.
‘Tis a shame. A bloody shame. There’s been a rumour floating around for years that Tony Iommi is trying to get this album re-released in deluxe edition format. If that’s the case, great but I’m not counting on it.
BRET MICHAELS – Rock My World (2008 VH1 Classic Records)
Every once in a while I have an urge to hear some good time Poison rock. Since Poison don’t really release new music anymore, I thought I’d give Rock My World a try. I haven’t kept up with Bret’s solo career but apparently he has quite a few albums. I saw this at Future Shop for like ten bucks, so why not? And it’s not bad. Bret wrote or co-wrote every track.
Rock My World is a compilation of (mostly) previously released songs. To the layman, that means “best of” album, and like most “best of” albums this one has some new tracks too. I’m just guessing here, but I think this was probably released to promote Rock of Love and expose people to some songs from solo albums that most haven’t heard.
What surprised me was how strong this album is. It’s certainly much stronger than the last original Poison album, Hollyweird (which was gawd-awful), though it’s not as good as Flesh & Blood. As you’d expect, it’s a strong mix of ballads and guitar driven classic rock, with modern production. Lyrics are pretty standard. What surprised me was the pop-punk rock goodness of “Bittersweet”, for me the best song and unlike anything else on the album. I find the lyrics hilarious too. It reminds me of an old Canadian band called Deadline that I used to like. Unfortunately there have been a thousand bands with sounds like this in recent years. The song’s a guilty pleasure.
I’m usually finding that as I get older, I’m not that interested in ballads anymore. Loved ’em when I was a heartbroken youngster, but they don’t mean much to me anymore. Having said that, “Fallen” is a pretty good song. It’s not unique but it’s essentially the kind of song that Poison used to have massive hits with 23 years ago. And even though it’s followed by another ballad called “Raine”, they’re both pretty good songs and it doesn’t bore me to hear them. “Raine” is my favourite of the ballads, it has some balls and guitars to it. “Songs of Life” is also pretty strong, even if it quotes some old Poison song titles in its lyrics.
I can’t say that this album made me hungry to pick up the albums that these songs were sourced from (Freedom of Sound and Songs of Life) but with those albums so difficult to find, I think that justifies this release. I can understand why fans who already own them would be ticked that they had to buy this release to get the new songs, but let’s face it, most people don’t have those albums and are unlikely to find them at their local wax emporium.
And in my case, even if I found them, I probably wouldn’t buy them. There are plenty of albums I don’t have that need my dollars more.
For your reference, the new songs are: “Go That Far”, “Fallen”, “Start Again”. There’s also a new 2008 remix of “It’s My Party”. Whoopee!
Go for it if you like Poison, or classic rock with a good mix of ballads and rockers. Avoid if you hate dudes with headbands on motorcycles.
Last year for Record Store Tales Part 145, I dug up some of T-Rev’s old mix tapes, complete with custom artwork. T-Rev always put such work into his tapes (sequencing and art included, he even numbered them as a series!), so it is a pleasure to give you this gallery of three more of T-Rev’s Tapes!
Rockers love to discuss “mix tapes”, so I invite you to comment on your own personal picks. Led Zeppelin? Metal Tunage? What would you do?
Sometimes, shopping in a music store can be a frustrating experience especially for those who don’t know a lot about music. They might not have a clue what section to find (for example) Linkin Park in. Are they rock? Metal? Alternative? Something else? Somebody who only knows a couple songs might spend a long time walking around aimlessly in a store trying to find Linkin Park.
Sometimes just the simple act of trying to find where Linkin Park is filed alphabetically can be frustrating to the uninitiated. Some people are confused. If Barry Manilow is filed under “M” instead of “B”, why is Linkin Park filed under “L” instead of “P”? This gets even more hard to understand when the band’s name sounds like a person’s name. Max Webster. Pink Floyd. The difficulty is tripled when you’re shopping in a store that has a loose grasp on the alphabet in the first place. Ever shopped at one of the local HMV stores?
Sometimes in order to find something, you might have to get the store employee’s attention. If he or she is busy with customers, please don’t yell across the store. “I can’t find anything in this damn store!” I’ve heard that too many times. Come up to the counter, wait until I’m done giving my full attention to my current customer, and ask. I know some people think they are more important than other customers, but that’s life. Sometimes you have to be patient. And please don’t yell, “Hey, buddy! Little help?”
Here’s a true story: One of my staff members, Matt, was once hailed by a 300 pound Jamaican man with, “YO! WHITE BOY!”
Be clear about what you want to know. For example, a lost customer once had this question for me:
Him: “Who designed your shelves?”
Me, slightly puzzled: “The owner’s dad built them. Why?”
Him: “Well is the owner’s dad dyslexic? Nothing makes any sense! You’ve got B coming after C, everything’s backwards, upside down, I can’t find anything!”
Hey, thanks for the feedback! Here’s how it works – it’s like reading the page of a book! Go across, then down. Across, then down. Across, then down. Then when you’re at the bottom, you go over to the next section! Across, down. Across, down. Across, down. No need to be a dick about it.
For those who get frustrated finding music in a record store, I offer you these three tips:
1.Before you get too frustrated and feel like blowing your lid, ask. Ask in a clear, reasonably polite manner.
2. If all the staff is otherwise busy with customers, wait your turn. Don’t yell, don’t interrupt, don’t get yourself all worked up over a CD.
3.If the store doesn’t have what you’re looking for, don’t tell the staff that they or their store sucks. Some kid making minimum wage doesn’t care what you think.
Following these three simple tips will make your shopping experience that much more efficient, stress-free, and pleasant. You might even want to say “thanks” for the staff’s help. Saying thanks will help ensure a better experience next time you come in.
It is hard to forget that day in the winter of ’92 when I heard Vince Neil had been fired from Motley Crue. Or quit. Whatever. It was disbelief! I was so into their previous albums, Dr. Feelgood and Decade of Decadence with its crushing single, “Primal Scream”. The Crue were at the top of their game! How could this happen?
But it did happen, and when the spring of ’94 finally rolled around, I picked up Motley Crue (self titled, no umlauts). I picked it up at the store that, in only a couple more months, I would be working in myself. I realized after only two listens that Motley Crue had gone from strength to strength. They had produced what was and still is their heaviest album, the most uncompromised, groovingest (is that a word?), serious piece of metal they’d ever done. Sabbath-esque at times, this was one heavy album. John Corabi was in on vocals and (for the first time in this band) rhythm guitar. John added new dimensions to a band that now demanded to be taken seriously.
The problem was, no one did. While I was working at a record store in ’94, I had a lonely stack of Motley Crue discs (sitting right next to a stack of David Lee Roth’s Your Filthy Little Mouth), going unpurchased. If this album had come out in ’94 by anyone else — Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden — it would have been a #1 smash hit and spawned at least 4 hit singles. It didn’t.
Originally just 12 tracks and now expanded to 15, the Motley Crue CD was heralded in by the grooving riff that was “Power To The Music”. A simple song accented by some of the best drum fills ever on a Motley disc (expertly captured by Bob Rock), “Power To The Music” was a rallying cry, something that the fans could relate to. Especially when Corabi shouts, “Don’t tell me to turn it down!” Lyrically this was not all that different from the old Crue. Musically, it followed the path set out by “Primal Scream”. Sound wise, this was a new different Crue, downtuned, with a gritty vocalist with power to spare, more guitars, clearer and louder drums, and sound effects. Just more of everything.
Some backwards guitar introduced “Uncle Jack”, a song about a child molester, with a distorted Corabi screaming, “I wanna rip your god-damn heart out!” This, friends, was the new Crue for a darker and more serious time. Corabi’s gritty, bluesy vocal melodies were anchored by Sixx, Mars and Lee, grooving as they had never done on record before (with additions from Bob Rock). The new Crue was on fire after only two tracks!
The single, “Hooligan’s Holiday” was next. At 5:51, this was an odd choice for a single. It boasted a strong chorus, some unusual (for Crue) guitar drones, and some more amazing sounding drum fills. Rock really outdid himself on the sound of this record. I think it’s the best sounding record that either the Crue or Bob Rock have made.
“Misunderstood” was the first epic piece and the second single. At nearly 7 minutes, it was again hardly a commercial song. It was the first song the band wrote together for the album. It reflected a lot of Zeppelin influences. It starts acoustic and somber, about a “little old man, left alone in desperate times, life’s passed him by.” Then it slows down, there’s some backwards parts, and the heavy riff kicks in. An orchestra backs Motley Crue, and the amazing Glenn Hughes joins Corabi on vocals. Perfection.
From there the Zeppelin influences continue. “Loveshine” could have been on Zeppelin III. I’m not sure how many different acoustic instruments are present, but there are a lot, layered here and there. There are also some odd percussion instruments that I have trouble picking out. This could have been another single, in a perfect world. One of the best songs on the record, “Loveshine” defied expectations by slowing the pace. I didn’t expect there to be any ballads at all.
The pace picked up again with “Poison Apples”, which begins with a tinny transistor radio sound before kicking into gear. The only glam rock song on the album (the chorus contains the line, “We love our Mott The Hoople”), “Poison Apples” is really the only possible mis-step on a great record. It simply sounds too much like the Motley Crue of old, which to me confused the direction of the album. I would like to hear Vince Neil tackle this one someday (when hell freezes over).
Side two of the record began with “Hammered”, one of the earliest pieces of music written. I believe the riff and groove go back to when Vince Neil was still in the band. “Hammered” is one of the most Sabbathy moments on the album. I used to play the outro riff on my guitar all the time. I loved that riff. This is a truly great song.
Another epic followed, this one “Til Death Do Us Part”. An ironic title considering that this was to be the only album with Corabi, it was also once the title track. Very Sabbathy once again, “Til Death Do Us Part” contains a slow droning riff, some clear and crisp cymbal work by Tommy, and some of the heaviest kick drums I’ve ever heard. A classic in any parallel universe.
My two favourite songs followed. “Welcome To The Numb” brings back more Zeppelin influences (think a souped up “Travelling Riverside Blues”), with Mars’ virtuoso slide guitar. The groove here is unbeatable and the guitar work ranks with Mars’ all-time best. Coulda woulda shoulda been a single. I recall Nikki Sixx saying that this song barely made the album, as it had too much of the “old Motley vibe”. I disagree; I think it was modern and cool.
“Smoke The Sky” is the “drug song”. “We love our THC, when it’s time we smoke the sky!”. It borders on thrash metal. Fast, riffy and heavy, this was single #3. The pace is incredible and the song will put you into a sweat. Corabi makes absolutely no bones about the subject matter:
Marko Polo hailed it heaven,
Socrates inhaled it too,
Mr. President, tell the truth!
“Droppin’ Like Flies” brings back the Sabbathy grooves. Another slower riffy monster, it too is not brief at 6:26 with a long guitar oriented outro. It is followed by the final track on the original CD, “Driftaway”, which is another ballad. I think it took a lot of guts to end a CD this heavy with a ballad. This song too, perhaps, could have been performed by the original band. After banging your head for nearly an hour, this track acts as a comedown of sorts. It’s my least favourite song, but it’s not a bad ballad.
The bonus tracks on the reissue include the first B-side, “Hypnotized”. This sounds like a demo to me. It is very heavy, very Sabbathy, and very raw. It has a long, drawn out droning outro. “Babykills” has a funky groove and clavinet. This has a bit of a glam metal sound, and was originally released on the mail-away EP Quaternary (which also contained 4 solo tracks, one from each band member). I am glad it has been returned to its rightful place on the Motley Crue album. Finally the CD ends with “Livin’ In The Know”, from the Japanese version of Quaternary. Not an outstanding track, it is clear that Motley Crue included the best material on the album itself. All killer, no filler — and “Livin’ In The Know” is admittedly filler.
It is very unfortunate that this album did not sell, and the fans couldn’t accept a Crue without Vince. In hindsight, it is great we got Vince back to (eventually) make the decent Saints Of Los Angeles CD. However, with Vince Neil solo at the time with his great Exposed album, and the Crue delivering this masterpiece, I was content for them to stay apart. While grunge had certainly taken over, Motley Crue did sabotage their own chances with some terrible interviews including one on MTV where they expressed indifference to their former lead singer being injured in a surfing accident. They later walked out on the interviewer, and MTV played that clip ad nauseum. Stunts like these, and having swastikas on stage, tanked any chances this album ever had.
Once again I must give special mention to producer Bob Rock, who also played some additional bass and guitar on this CD. He managed to produce a heavy package without overproducing. There is heaviness, there is amp hiss, and yet the clearest crispest drums I’ve ever heard. He captured the downtuned guitars without making them muddy.
Pick up Motley Crue, turn off the lights, and get ready to rock to the heaviest and best album this band has ever made. It is a true classic in any just universe.
I even bought it twice, to get both booklets! (And then again, in the Music to Crash Your Car to: Vol. 2 box set.)
Aaron finds the weirdest stuff! In a recent Box of Goodness that he sent me (including an awesome Thin Lizzy Thunder and Lightning reissue on vinyl) I found this. It’s Def Leppard’s Pyromania(review here) on cassette, but not just any cassette.
The weird extra-thick and bendy clamshell case was the dead giveaway that this was something unusual. A quick look at the sleeve reveals it’s an actual Vertigo release, but also an import from India! Does anyone know if cassettes in India always came in these odd cases? The cassette actually snaps into the case, and is held by two tabs. I’ve never seen anything like it. This version even has an oddly coloured Def Leppard logo, that I’ve never seen on anything else.
Pyromania had a max. retail price of 60 rupees. That’s approximately one US dollar today.
Even though the yellow price tag on the side says $2.99, Aaron got this for the princely sum of one Canadian dollar! And now here’s the gallery of this strange oddity.
FREHLEY’S COMET – Live + 1 (1988 Megaforce Worldwide)
I remember finding this EP in a department store’s music section, and having to choose between this and Brighton Rock. It really wasn’t a difficult choice. I couldn’t have both so I chose Ace Frehley. After all, Ace was my favourite member of Kiss.
“Rip It Out”, printed as “Rip-It-Out” on this EP, opens the set, recorded in Chicago. “You wanted ’em, here they are! Frehley’s Comet!” Hmm, that opening doesn’t sound at all familiar, does it? Ace and the Comet tear through it, and let’s not forget that the drummer who played on the original, Anton Fig, plays on this one too — solo included. I like the way that Tod Howarth sings, backing up Ace. His higher voice lends to a nice harmony, thick and Kiss-like. “Rip It Out” flows right into “Breakout”, another song with a drum solo, and this one extended! “Anton rules, doesn’t he?” asks Ace during the fade out.
Those two songs took up the first side. “Something Moved”, another recent song from Frehley’s Comet, is sung by Tod. It’s an aggressive hard rock song, but Anton lays down a solid beat, while Ace throws out some wild bends. Ace’s Alive II classic, “Rocket Ride”, is the final live song. In this case, I don’t think it’s much compared to the Kiss original. I prefer Kiss’ sloppy rock n’ roll take on it, Ace’s version is too tight for my liking. The solo smokes though.
My favourite song is the new studio track, “Words Are Not Enough”. It’s a slick, commercial hard rocker. All the ingredients are included: A keyboard riff, a killer chorus, and a knock-out extended solo. Given the time period, I always felt this was the biggest “potential” hit Ace could have had. It was bang-on for 1988 and I still like it in 2013.
I wholeheartedly recommend Live + 1 to any respectable Kiss fan, and to any hard rock fans wanting a first taste of the Ace.
As with all previous special editions, the liner notes are excellent, revealing, and loaded with pictures. One fact I didn’t know: The band were going to kick out Hughes if he didn’t kick the coke.
mikeladano.com 