FAITH NO MORE – “Everything’s Ruined” (1992 Slash, 2 discs sold separately)
A short while ago I reviewed the landmark Faith No More album, Angel Dust. This is one of four singles (that I know of, anyway) lifted from that album. It’s a great tune, and if I may quote my own review, I said “I’m sure it was chosen [as a single] because it is a solid mix of aggressive rapping with a memorable soul-influenced chorus. While it doesn’t sound like it would have been on The Real Thing, it’s about as close as Angel Dust gets.” The chorus is definitely a winner, and this is a Faith No More song more likely to appeal to non-fans.
There are live B-sides a’plenty, all recorded in September 1992. Disc 1 (sold separately but containing room for disc 2) has “Edge of the World”, from The Real Thing, and the bizarre “R.V.”, from Angel Dust. “Edge of the World” is where Faith No More have the audience sing along, to Patton yelling “Fuck me harder!” The trailer-trash-talk of “R.V.” sounds a little too laid back live, something’s missing. I’m sure it would be much better with the full visuals of a Mike Patton performance.
Disc 2 has a couple more newbies: “MidLife Crisis” and “Land of Sunshine” live. These two performances stand out. Patton’s even more unhinged on the live versions. “MidLife Crisis” in particular is an exceptional version. Regardless, officially released live Faith No More is rare indeed. Collectors would be advised to put these two singles fairly high on their priority lists.
I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb if I call this the best song on Slave to the Grind. The closing song on a damn fine metal album, “Wasted Time” is awesome. It’s in “power ballad” territory, but it’s much darker than Skid Row’s prior hit ballad, “I Remember You”. Sebastian Bach turns in the best vocal performance of his life on this one. Sebastian co-wrote the song, about the damages of addiction.
Both the 7″ and the 12″ singles come with the previously unreleased live bonus track, “Get the Fuck Out”. (The other bonus tracks on the 12″ are “Holidays in the Sun” and “Psycho Love” which are both available elsewhere.) “Get the Fuck Out”, recorded at fuckin’ Wembley fer Christ’s sakes, features a long Sebastian intro that is probably more interesting than the song itself! Apparently, Skid Row were given a letter that stated specifically that Skid Row were not to play “Get the Fuck Out”. So what do they do?
Sebastian: “It says here, they’re gonna stop the show, because they don’t like the word ‘fuck’! And you’re not allowed to hear it!” Baz then leads the crowd in a chant of “get the fuck out!” before Skid Row drive into the song. As fans know, it’s a short firecracker punk rock song, and Baz is in top voice.
TWISTED SISTER – “We’re Not Gonna Take It” (1984 Atlantic single)
I’ll skip the formalities, and I won’t be discussing the single A-side. What is understood need not be discussed. On the off chance that you spent your youth in Antarctica, here’s the very clever and original music video (later ripped off by Michael Jackson for his own “Black or White”).
The B-sides are three of Twisted’s all time best, recorded live, and unreleased on CD to date. All three are classics from YouCan’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll: “The Kids are Back”, “We’re Gonna Make It”, and the album’s title track. These were recorded live in Poughkeepsie, New York. Although it seems odd, Dee’s usual spoken opening, “We are Twisted fuckin’ Sister” skipped the expletive. I’m not sure if it’s edited out or not, for the release of this single.
As far as a single side of Twisted onslaught goes, I don’t know if you could have selected three better songs. The performances are typical live Sister; fast and reckless. In other words, perfect. The live tracks were co-produced by bassist Mark “The Animal” Mendoza so you know that the band at least had their hands in the mix, too.
Another cool fact: neither “The Kids are Back” nor “We’re Gonna Make It” are on the Live at the Marquee CD, minimizing overlap with that later release. They were recorded within the same time frame, so the band is in similar ferocious shape to that great live album.
In Part 117, we talked about promo CDs: How to identify them, what they were, what they’re worth. A short while ago, Statham and I were having a conversation about promo discs. The conversation began in regards to one of my treasured rarities, a King’s X promo CD for their 1994 single, “Pillow”, from the Dogman CD.
Even though eBay (supposedly) have strict policies against selling promo discs, I just found one as I was writing this, identical to mine, on sale for $46.99 USD. It even says “Promo Copy – Not For Sale” in clear writing on the back cover, in the eBay photo! Somebody at eBay is asleep at the wheel.
I got mine for free, a decade ago!
This one found its way into our warehouse, probably via a liquidation. The warehouse manager knew we couldn’t sell it, not with that big inscription on the back, so he gave it to me, knowing I was a huge fan. As I explained to Statham:
LeBrain: We weren’t legally allowed to sell promos, at least ones that were obviously identifiable as promos, in the store. We’d been caught once when one hit the shelves .Even if I bought this CD from you for $5, I technically couldn’t sell it in store. We could have asked $20 for it easily, because of the unreleased tracks. Those weren’t on anything else.
Statham: So even on the dark days, the ones you HATED about being there, there were then moments like your getting this CD that made it OK again!
LeBrain:Yes! Although I had to keep them secret…Our warehouse manager would slide them my way, on the condition that I don’t tell. Don’t know what they would have done with them otherwise, besides throw them out. That would have been a shame. [I think the statute of limitations has expired on my promise not to tell!] We paid money for these promos though, we got nothing for free. Everything we sold was purchased from somebody else, be it a wholesaler or an individual.
Statham:Right, but all of that is pre-killed by the writing all over the promos prohibiting their sale. So there never was a [legal] leg to stand on, with those. But nobody ever reads those warnings anymore. The Interpol warning at the start of a DVD? Just something else to skip. Part of the scenery. Surely we can ignore that, right?
LeBrain: Yeah exactly. Every other store in town had promos on their shelves too. And they weren’t as discerning as we were, they’d sell anything. [But] you’re right, we didn’t have a leg to stand on. I guess in the long run it meant that I could get stuff like this for free.
Statham: Even as recently as last year, I bought a promo single from there [LeBrain’s old workplace]. So apparently things still slip through the cracks!
LeBrain:I’m sure they do. After all, it was over 10 years ago that we received a warning about selling promos. I don’t know who tattled on us, but it always struck me as unfair. We PAID for those promos. We got NOTHING for free! And I would never buy or sell a promo in the store that didn’t have something worthwhile on it, like bonus tracks of some kind. It had to have some kind of value.
And so it goes. I have a lot of promo discs from those days, stuff that you technically couldn’t buy in stores, stuff that guys at record shows routinely ask $20 for. eBay prices? Double that. Some of them are worthless, one track promo singles with no cover and no real value. Others have exclusive live tracks, like this King’s X single we’re about to discuss.
KING’S X – “Pillow” (promotional CD single, 1994 WEA)
“Pillow” was released as a single in mid-1994, and promptly went nowhere. That’s too bad, as it’s a great song, heavy and slow, fitting right in with the grunge movement that was still dominating the charts. King’s X trademark harmony vocals by Ty Tabor can be heard during the chorus, under Doug Pinnick’s soulful lead. Doug’s 8-string bass chimes while drummer Jerry Gaskill sets the groove. This track, one of the standouts from the Dogman album, simply crushes.
The two B-sides are live, recorded in Dallas on May 8, 1994. “Shoes” is another great Dogman track. What is especially cool is how great King’s X harmonies sound live! This track proves they have the goods, but the Texas crowd is more than happy to take over the vocal chores. They clearly knew the new songs backwards and forwards.
The second B-side is the complex “We Were Born To Be Loved” from the landmark Faith Hope Love album. “I like a crowd that makes a lot of noise,” says Doug, before the band tear into the intricate rhythms and harmonies involved with this rocker. It’s another Doug lead vocal, with Ty and Jerry on the harmonies. Knowing how great King’s X are, I’m sure this truly is live — no backing tapes or overdubs.
There’s not much in the way of artwork; just a sticker on the front of the case and a pretty plain white back cover. Stickers don’t age too well, as the gooey sticky stuff starts to seep through the paper. Plus if you crack that front cover, you’re screwed.
Since this single was released, both these recordings have seen the light of day on an album, called Live & Live Some More, from 2007. While that sort of destroys the collector’s value for a single such as this, it doesn’t change the fact that these songs are awesome!
This was one of the first, if not the first, discs I bought with my staff discount at the record store!
PSYCHO CIRCUS – Scarred (Anthem 1993)
20 years ago, Psycho Circus were one of the bands hyped as the “next big thing” out of Canada. They originated in Mississauga, Ontario, just west of Toronto. They signed with SRO management (Rush, Van Halen, King’s X, Extreme) and producer Terry Brown (also Rush) and released a trendy but still unique goth-rap-funk-metal album called Scarred. They also released a music video for the excellent “Pulsate”.
These guys were hanging out with old dudes way before Our Lady Peace.
The problem with Psycho Circus is their split personality. On one hand (roughly half the album) they inhabit this cool, dark land I call Diet Faith No More. Singer Vince Franchi has the lungs and range to emulate Patton’s style on The Real Thing. Their cool use of keyboards also reminds me of that band, but without the dementia. On the other hand, there’s a goofy rap-funk side, which does not appeal to me in the least. I think funk metal got stale very quickly, and the juvenile lyrics render the rapping limp. “Acid Monkey Junk”, a song about the testing of cosmetics on animals, is painful at time. “Monkeys in the ocean and fishes in the trees?”
A M.E.A.T Magazine interview by Karen Bliss, from 1993, reveals that the band had already dropped even more irritating material from their live set. They name a discarded song called “Picky Purple People” as being particularly notable for its silliness. Glad I didn’t have to hear that one.
I prefer the Diet Faith No More side of the band: hard, melodic and dark songs like “Thru the Backbone” (which also features rapping in a non-annoying way). “Pulsate” is easily the best song on the album, demonstrating Franchi’s impressive vocal range and power. I’m also fond of the angry “I Know”, the haunting “Leave Me Alone”, and the closer “Goodbye”. The rest of the album is unfortunately skip-worthy and occasionally irritating to me.
There was also a CD single made for “I Know” featuring an exclusive “Psylicone Mix”. Although I don’t enjoy the remix as much as the album version, it’s notable for being remixed by Brown and the band, not some outsider. I happened upon this single within my first year at the record store, and it surely must be one of the rarest discs I have.
OZZY OSBOURNE – “Flying High Again” (2011 Record Store Day exclusive)
Here’s something of an underappreciated item. Everybody knows that Ozzy and Sharon re-recorded the drums and bass on Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman back in 2002. In retrospect this was a shrewd move despite the fan backlash. In Lucas-esque fashion, it enabled them to restore the original versions for much-hyped reissues in 2011. To usher in these new/old releases, Record Store Day shoppers were able to buy a replica original “Flying High Again” single.
Both the reissue and the original 1981 single featured the B-side, “I Don’t Know”, recorded live at an unspecified gig. Like Diary of a Madman itself, this B-side had its bass and drums re-recorded in 2002. It is difficult to hear the differences, but listen to the bass tracks right around the 2:10 minute mark. Where Bob Daisley plays lots of interesting harmonics, the re-recorded version has Rob Trujillo hitting the lows. The bass parts are very different.
The credits on the 2002 edition of Diary indicate all tracks, “live” one included, were remixed with new bass and drums.
When Diary was reissued in 2011, it did not include this B-side, but instead an entire (different) concert on a bonus CD. Therefore the original version of the “I Don’t Know” B-side remains a vinyl exclusive. Cool. I am not sure why this was not advertised on the single sleeve or in the media. In fact, I’ve owned this single for two years without putting 2 + 2 together. The “Flying High Again” vinyl single is the only place you can get the original, untampered “I Don’t Know” live B-side!
For that reason alone:
5/5 stars
But is this worth $12 as per the price tag? That’s one thing that bugs me about these singles today. I understand that manufacturing costs have changed and it’s a niche item, but still! $12 for one song. One song, because they were going to sell us all “Flying High Again” itself on the Diary reissue, as advertised on the front.
BILL WARD – “Straws” (mp3: October 9, 2002 CD: October 11, 2003)
A true rarity indeed, this is one that I wished I owned a physical copy of. Sadly I do not. Only 2200 were made. 1200 were sent out to the heads of state all over the globe, including George W. Bush. The other 1000 copies were sold at billward.com, and are so rare now that Discogs doesn’t even have a listing for it. Each copy was signed and numbered with the proceeds going to your choice of five charities. For all the details, check out Joe Siegler’s excellent article at black-sabbath.com.
Jesus Murphy! George W. Bush owns a Sabbath related CD that I don’t??
I’ve had to make due with a mere mp3, also purchased directly from Bill’s site. The charity I chose was the National Veterans Foundation. Now, even the mp3 is unavailable for purchase, making this a true rarity today. We can hope that Bill’s Beyond Aston solo album will one day be released, as over 10 years have passed since this single from it was released!
Previously on LeBrain’s Record Store Tales & Reviews, we took a look at Bill’s excellent debut, Ward One: Along the Way. “Straws” is reminiscent of that and his second solo album, When the Bough Breaks. Like much of his solo work, it is complex and passionate. Understated but powerful. It begins jittery but soon evolves into an anthem of sorts with some very heavy Bonham-esque drums performed by Ronnie Ciago. On this track, like When the Bough Breaks, Bill does not play drums. He is only singing on Beyond Aston. He did, however, write all 17 tracks slated for that album himself.
“The Dark Half Hour” (2005)
According to Joe Siegler’s information, Beyond Aston has been completed but shelved. I hope this is not a permanent situation. The only other track released was called “The Dark Half Hour (web mix)”. It was made available for free in 2005 and is still available for free. It too has the stomping Zeppelin drums, but is much heavier than “Straws”. This is Sabbath-level heaviness. It has some solid riffing and some amazing buzzy noisy solos on instruments I can barely identify! This is one heavy track, saturated with distortion. Since this is “not the final version” I would expect the sound to be cleaned up for CD. I kind of like it overdriven and noisy though.
If these two tracks are any indication, Beyond Aston is going to be an incredible album, if it is ever released.
DEEP PURPLE – “All the Time in the World” (2013 Edel single)
I tried to order this single from the Deep Purple Appreciation Society. I was order #31. But then Edel only hooked them up with 10 copies! I had to order this from Amazon instead, paying $23 plus shipping. I’m not happy about that, but it’s Deep Purple and I am a completist with this band.
I’m really fond of “All the Time in the World”. It reminds me of the laid back Purple from Bananas. The classy keys from Don Airey seal the deal for me, but how about that Steve Morse solo? Fantastic! Thankfully, the sonic qualities of compact disc bring out all the richness of Bob Ezrin’s production, lacking in the crappy Youtube videos available. It might not sound like the Deep Purple of 1970, but that was a long time ago now. It does sound like a rock band staying classy well into their silver years. I don’t hear any compromise nor contrivances here. This is a both a radio remix and an edit, so expect the album version to differ.
“Hell to Pay” is a more traditional Deep Purple hard rocker, but with a shout-along chorus. You don’t hear shout-alongs too often in Deep Purple, as strange as that may seem, so this is new territory in a sense! The highlights of this song are the solos by Steve and Don. I had to play it again to bask in its awesomeness. There are echos of “Highway Star” at times.
You’ll notice Ezrin gets a writing credit on each track (as does each Purple member). This is indicative of both the collaborative nature of Deep Purple, and Ezrin’s usual musical input.
There are two live tracks, but I unfortunately already have these! They are “Perfect Strangers” and “Rapture of the Deep” from the London Hard Rock Cafe in 2005. They were previously released (and previously reviewed) with the special edition of Rapture of the Deep. This is disappointing, I was hoping for unreleased live versions. Regardless, they’re great versions, particular “Rapture” which is perhaps better than the album version.
Part 5 of 5 in my series of Def Leppard Slang reviews! I do listen to feedback and this series basically came from Heavy Metal Overload wanting to know more details about what these singles had. Ultimately I choose to write about what I want to listen to at that moment, but if you have any requests don’t be shy and leave a comment!
DEF LEPPARD – “Breathe A Sigh” (2 part Mercury CD single)
Regardless of its perceived lack of success, Slang did spawn four singles. The fourth and final single was 1996’s “Breathe A Sigh”. I remember seeing this at HMV Toronto with T-Rev back in 1997. I looked at the singles, which were not cheap (around $15 each). I analyzed the track lists and said, “All the bonus tracks are live. I’ll come back for this another time.”
It took me 15 years to finally get these! What I failed to take into account was how cool the selection of live tracks is. Pyromania‘s “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” is up first on disc 1, less screechy than the beloved original but still on fire. “Deliver Me” from the Slang album is next, which remains its only release as a live performance. It’s a very 90’s sounding song, soft/heavy/soft/heavy. The tremendously fun “Slang” itself is last, a song that has been revived for their Viva! Hysteria & More show in Las Vegas.
The second CD (available separately of course) had three more live tracks. I believe I am well on record as holding the High N’ Dry album in very high esteem! “Another Hit & Run” from that album is one of Leppard’s all time best heavy tracks, and it’s always welcome in the setlist as far as I’m concerned. What’s amazing is that the Def Leppard that recorded High N’ Dry had two completely different guitar players and a drummer that had both arms. They still own it when they play it, and it smokes. Joe’s voice is noticeably lower. Two Slang singles finish off the CD: the ballad “All I Want Is Everything” and the rhythmic “Work It Out”. Both songs are hit quality, although the energy level is noticeably lower here than the old classics.
I wonder if one of the big issues with Slang was that its darker sound didn’t translate well in concert. With the exception of “Slang” itself, I wouldn’t describe these live versions as joyful affairs.
As for the song, “Breath A Sigh” itself? At this point it was easily the softest song that Def Leppard had ever done. They would later go even softer on the dreadful X album. I enjoy its tasty R&B flavourings. It was a cool choice as a single even if it didn’t go mega.
OZZY OZBOURNE – iTunes Festival 2010 (iTunes exclusive EP)
Jesus Murphy! How much live product does Ozzy need? Remember back in the 80’s when he used to moan and moan about record companies who wanted to release live stuff with his hits and Sabbath tunes? Well, for a guy who complained about it, he sure didn’t break the cycle.
This is Ozzy’s third live EP (after Live E.P. and Just Say Ozzy). For those keeping score, Ozzy also has four full length or double live albums, a live bonus disc to the Diary of a Madman album, and several live bonus tracks. But who’s keeping track? I guess it’s kind of cool that this EP was released three days after it was recorded on July 3, 2010…if you were there…or even knew it was happening…I guess.
Anyway this live EP was cool at least because it was the first live product available with Ozzy’s new guitar wizard Gus G. The band was rounded out by Blasko (bass), Tommy Clufetos (drums) and Adam Wakeman (keys). Hmm, didn’t two of those guys also play on the last Black Sabbath tour?
It’s entertaining enough, but any Ozzy live product in the last 20 years has felt like “just another live album” to me. Even with the new lineup on this one, I can’t feel too excited. At least I got one song that I didn’t have any live versions of: the new “Let Me Hear You Scream”. Oh, wait, hold on — another live version was on the Scream tour edition that was released a few months later! Jesus! This iTunes version sound like it has loads of taped backing vocals. Too bad.
“Mr. Crowley” is next, a fine version, nothing wrong with it, after all these years nothing can compete with the version on Randy Rhoads Tribute. Gus G plays the solo pretty much perfectly, but something’s missing. Maybe it’s that the song is tuned down for Ozzy’s voice. Ozzy reminds us that he wants to see “some fuckin’ hands”. Another Blizzard of Ozz track follows, “I Don’t Know”. Gus G gets to do some more original shredding here, as he puts his own spin on an Ozzy classic. This guy will be a guitarist to watch, as he grows.
“Suicide Solution” is the third of three tracks from Blizzard. I think it’s a shame that Ozzy keeps playing the oldies while leaving more recent songs behind him. On this EP, only “Let Me Hear You Scream” is newer than 1991. I for one would probably poop if I got to hear something like “Perry Mason” or “Trap Door”. At least Gus G breaks the world landspeed record with his solo.
One song I never liked, ever, is “I Don’t Want to Change the World” from No More Tears. This is the fifth version I own now. It’s just…I dunno…I hate the chorus. It’s too pop for Ozzy. It’s like Bon Ozzy, or something. Ozz Jovi.
My favourite track is last: “War Pigs”. Even though “War Pigs” is on pretty much every Ozzy live album ever made, this version is one of the most fun! I just love when Ozzy tells the audience this:
“Clap your fuckin’ hands, come on you fuckin’ assholes!”
That is just hilarious! I always laugh. When I put this song on mix discs, I always label it “War Pigs (‘You fuckin’ assholes’ version)”.
OZZY OZBOURNE – “How?” (2010 iTunes single)
The last thing I want to talk about is Ozzy’s studio version of John Lennon’s “How?”. This is also an iTunes exclusive, released in October 2010, shortly after the EP. It was released on what would have been Lennon’s 70th birthday, with the proceeds going to Amnesty International.
Causes and good intentions aside, I think this version is just as crappy as anything on Ozzy’s dreadful Under Cover CD. This is just…dull, boring, and not good. I don’t know who played on it or produced it because there are no credits. (Physical product! This is why I care!)
mikeladano.com 