Once more I had the pleasure of doing a show with D’Arcy Briggs from the YouTube channel @darcyska. A few days ago, D’Arcy asked me if I’d be up to record on a topic of my choosing. My first thought was “movie soundtracks”.
D’Arcy prepared a series of questions for me and off we went! Topics include:
First loves in soundtracks and childhood memories.
Top Five Soundtrack list.
An underrated soundtrack (for Jex Russell).
What makes a good score?
Listening to curated song soundtracks.
Fictional movie band soundtracks.
A recent TV series’ soundtracks.
Has streaming changed how we listen to soundtracks?
Discovering bands via soundtracks, and gatekeeping by the old fans.
While we were at it, we took a good look at some physical CDs, soundtracks from my collection and D’Arcy’s too.
JOHN WILLIAMS – BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA – Pops In Space(1980 Phillips)
January, 1980. John Williams succeeds Arthur Fiedler as the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. Fiedler passed in July of 1979. Williams had received 14 Academy Awards nominations, 8 Grammies, and had conducted over 50 movie scores. Later that year, Phillips released Williams’ first recording with the Pops: a selection of his science fiction “greatest hits” so to speak. The audible differences between these and the original cinematic recordings are minor, but there for the diehard fan to enjoy. If not, the casual fan will be able to hear some of the best bits from Williams’ beloved scores to date. The Empire Strikes Back was a new release, and three cuts were recorded for this release.
1978’s Superman: The Movie truly made us believe that a man could fly, kids and adults alike. The Superman main theme is one of Williams’ greatest refrains in his long storied career. Triumphant, strong, and bright, it glows with the power of our yellow sun. You can envision Christopher Reeve (the greatest Superman) smiling and waving as he casually swooped across the silver screen. Williams’ music embodied Superman, and the optimistic spirit that the film represented. It bears similarities to other familiar themes, such as Indiana Jones, which was in production. It is a Williams “trademark” theme if you will; instantly identifiable and unmistakable. It has highs, lows and an incredible outro. This is followed by Lois Lane’s love theme, which we liked even as impatient kids who hated romance in our superhero movies. Some of Superman’s theme has a soft reprise here, but the piece is its own.
The brand new Empire Strikes Back is represented by three classic pieces: the action packed “Asteroid Field”, Yoda’s jaunty theme, and of course, “The Imperial March”, already on its way to becoming a thumbprint anthem for scum and villainy. There is not much to add here, because words are not sufficient to describe the sheer momentum of “The Asteroid Field”! Or the joyful playfulness of “Yoda’s Theme”. Or the symphonic metal majesty of “The Imperial March”, as we watch those monolithic, grey Star Destroyers cruising menacingly through space.
More Star Wars on side two, with the film Star Wars (not yet known as A New Hope – that happened in April 1981). The two themes included are the main title theme, and Leia’s theme. I noticed the most difference on the main title – the third note of the opening “bah bah bah…” part is held just a little longer. As for Leia’s theme, it is softer of course, but the violin strain is so memorable. So plaintive, yet beautiful. It grows in power towards the lush end, which is magnificent. Perfect for our princess in distress, though her reputation for kicking butt was starting to form!
The final piece included is a “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” suite, including the extended ending, added to the special edition. This 10 minute suite is a rollercoaster, as we recall scenes of awe and wonder. A bit of “When You Wish Upon A Star” plays, some piano tinkles, and we are swept away with Roy Neary on that starship, whether we wanted to see the inside or not.
As a “greatest hits” of Williams early science fiction music, Pops In Space is a treat to play. A concise treat, representing a small slice of Williams’ work, yet that little slice has some of his most indelible music.
If anything, fans of physical media need to get this album on any format, just for the cool cover art. The orchestra can be seen playing on a floating platform…in the vacuum of space! Far out.
This weekend on Grant’s Rock Warehaus, we tackled a band that needs and deserves more attention: Canada’s Kick Axe!
“Nobody’s talking about Kick Axe!” said Grant. We aim to change that with this show. Please give it a watch! What are your favourite Kick Axe songs?
This show almost didn’t happen. I wanted an expert on Kick Axe, so I asked Derek Williamson of Thunder Bay Ontario, who saw Kick Axe live back in the day and also interviewed the guitarist Larry Gillstrom. He stonewalled me three times, so we decided to do it without him.
Show notes are below, if you want the Cole’s Notes version, but you’ll have to watch the video to get our album rankings.
Formed 1976, Regina Saskatchewan as “Hobbit”.
Original lineup:
Victor Langen, bass, vocals
Gary Langen, drums
Larry Gilstrom, guitar
Ray Harvey added on guitar.
Moved to Vancouver BC, Gary Langen leaves band replaced by Brian Gillstrom, Charles McNary hired as vocalist.
1981 – Playboy Street Rock – live track called “Reality is the Nightmare”.
1981 – Weekend Ride / One More Time (Harvey on vocals).
Produced by Bill Henderson and Brian Too Loud McLeod of Chilliwack.
Wrote “Heavy Metal Shuffle” which opened Vices later on. Attempted to record an album but never released it.
McNary replaced by George Criston, who brought in power, range and soul as well as a unique sound.
1984 – Signed to CBS in Canada, approached Spencer Proffer to produce because they wanted the same sound as Metal Health by Quiet Riot. Proffer liked the band personally and thought highly of their musicianship. Album Vices released on Pasha in the US.
Recorded existing material (2 songs re-written with Proffer) in Hollywood at S.I.R. 30 Days in the Hole – a cover, like Cum On Feel the Noize, but not intended to be a hit, just a showcase for their talents. Released on the soundtrack to Up the Creek.
Ran into Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler – supposedly approached Criston to replace Ian Gillan in Black Sabbath. Proffer was working with both bands.
Vices is their best album. Proffer intended it to be a concept album about vices. Not a bad song. Bangin’ backing vocals. Music video for On the Road to Rock made major impact in Canada, with the comedic video attracting attention. The Vices mascot was one of my first “rock buttons”.
Vices did not perform to expectations, but Kick Axe wrote three songs for the next Black Sabbath album: “Wild in the Streets”, “Hunger”, and “Piece of the Rock”, later recorded by W.A.S.P. and King Kobra. Kick Axe did not want to lose Criston to Sabbath. “Piece of the Rock” is one of the rarest Kick Axe tracks, only released on a 2005 issue of Rock the World.
1985 – Second album – Pasha wants band more streamlined for radio. Brought in Pasha staffer Randy Bishop to help on lyrics. Co-wrote 5 songs and co-produced Welcome to the Club. Some of the heaviness is blunted, in favour of better song structure and melodies. Recorded at Metalworks in Toronto. Cover art by Hugh Syme, which the band never understood the meaning of.
Band brought in cover of Joe Cocker’s version of “With A Little Help From My Friends”. Rik Emmett, Lee Aaron, Andy Curran, Alfie Zappacosta and more on backing vocals. Very cool music video made of the recording session.
Pretty solid album, though not as banging throughout as the original. The cover tune is completely different, but really excellent.
The band and Proffer blame lack of sales on parent label Epic. No support. Toured with Autograph, Krokus, Night Ranger, Helix and Triumph.
1986 – Ray Harvey returns home to deal with family matters. Joins Rock & Hyde as touring guitarist (Bob Rock & Paul Hyde).
The Transformers soundtrack released. Hunger, and Nothing’s Gonna Stand In Our Way released as Spectre General. All done by Proffer, without knowledge of the band. Due to pseudonym used, no benefit to band happened.
Still signed to CBS in Canada. Next album picked up by Roadrunner in US.
Rock the World (initially “Fuck the World”) recorded as four piece. Self-produced primarily by Larry due to lack of funds provided by CBS. Recorded at Right Trak in Vancouver. Also forced to mix the album themselves. The cover tune this time is The Chain by Fleetwood Mac.
Band breaks up – sherrifs seize equipment due to unpaid debts. Later immortalized in the song Rocking Daze on Kick Axe IV.
2002 – Kick Axe reunite with Gary Langen returning, this time on lead vocals. George Criston remains active in country and more soulful music. Has expressed no interest in returning to rock. Has not participated with reissues. Has worked as a guitar tech for Sarah McLachlan, Dido, Avril Lavigne, and k.d. lang.
2004 – Kick Axe IV self produced. Best song Rockin Daze written by Brian Gillstrom. Decent album but not memorable long-term except for Rockin Daze. Gary Langen has a style of voice reminiscent of Phil Naro.
2008 – Gary Langen leaves band, replaced by Daniel Nargang.
2023 – Run to the Thunder, first new song in decades, to be followed by new album.
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.
‘Twas a warm and cozy gathering of film-addicted friends, reminiscing upon favourites in the year 2023. With Jason Drury joining from the UK, Harrison from Australia, and Mike & Rob in Canada, it was a a truly intercontinental show.
We took a look at some new musical arrivals (signed Blaze Bayley, Rock Candy Ronnie James Dio, some sweet soundtracks on CD) and some books as well.
Though we always try to promote the physical media on Grab A Stack of Rock, the thoughtful conversation was what made this episode special. Specifically, we went down the Doctor Who rabbit hole and touched on what is happening with the show today. We also praised Ray Stevenson in Ahsoka, and lambasted a few of the Marvel products out today. Saved from the hot seat was Loki Season 2, which Jason and I both thought was a high water mark for the franchise.
Controversially, Jason weighed in on UK fish & chips vs. their Canadian counterparts.
Happy new year my friends, we’ll see you in 2024. Next week: Down For the Count, with Tim Durling and Jex Russell.
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 45: Return of the Drury
Tonight, film and soundtrack expert Jason Drury is back on the show from five time zones away! All the way in Ramsgate UK, Jason will be burning the midnight oil with Robert Daniels, Jex Russell and Harrison Kopp tonight.
Tonight we will just be catching up with friends, talking everything that we enjoyed in 2023. (I will be saving my Top Five albums list for January 1.) It’s a casual show and those are often the best kind.
Please join us tonight and welcome Jason back on the show!
LIVE Friday Dec 29 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or on Twitter!
THE MAX REBO BAND – “Jedi Rocks” (1997 BMG CD single)
This is, in my humble fan opinion, one of the worst pieces of music ever included in a Star Wars movie, if not the very worst.
The 1997 Star Wars special editions are derided for many reason, but one that is not talked about nearly enough is the replacement of certain pieces of music. In this case, “Lapti Nek” from the 1983 cut of Return of the Jedi was removed. Why? Because George Lucas loves to tinker. He wasn’t happy that the singer in the band, Sy Snootles, didn’t have enough articulation and so thought to himself, “What could I do with a new song and a computer?” The unfortunate results are called “Jedi Rocks”, by Jerry Hey.
The original song, “Lapti Nek”, plays in Jabba’s palace just before he feeds Oola the slave girl to his pet Rancor monster. In universe, it is performed by the Max Rebo band, originally a trio featuring keyboardist Max, singer Sy and flautist Droopy McCool. The band is expanded in the special edition to include more singers, including a really annoying big-mouthed Yuzzum named…uhg…Joh Yowza. You can just tell that certain parts of the song were designed to show off what computers could make Yowza’s mouth do in the scene in question.
This is shit. At least “Lapti Nek” sounded a little alien. “Jedi Rocks” sounds like generic blues rock written by a highschool music teacher for his class to perform at the spring pageant. And it sounds completely terrestrial, aside from the silly cartoonish vocals. You can identify an Earthly harmonica, drum kit, organ, saxophones, guitars and bass. That should never be the case when you’re talking about an alien band from a galaxy far, far away. More than half the track is bland jamming that could have been on any soundtrack from virtually any Earth-bound movie with a bar and a band in it.
The only reason to buy this single, since you’ll never listen to it, is the clear picture disc. The CD single released for The Empire Strikes Back was a shaped Vader-head disc, but they realized this were not good for the insides of your CD transport, which prefers a perfectly balanced disc. Hence, they switched to clear picture discs that look shaped but are not.
The office Bully and I had to work together frequently. I’ve worked for a lot of managers over the years, but she was the worst, even worse than the guy who stressed me into a nervous breakdown. He didn’t mean to do it; he was just a shitty manager. Office Bully on the other hand was malicious, as I have described in the past. She was not capable of separating her personal life from her job, and because I was friends with her ex-fiance, I got the shitty end of the stick every time. I felt like there was a constant tug of war over me. I had a target on my back, as others noticed. “She doesn’t treat anyone else like she treats you,” said one colleague.
I will never forget one morning working together in the store in the late 1990s. She decided to test me. Test my knowledge. Of her. Of her taste in music.
Usually the staff picked the tunes for the day. I asked her what she wanted to listen to while I went to collect music for the day’s store play.
“Pick something I like,” she said. Jesus Christ. Pick something she would like? What the hell did she like? I knew she was testing me. Testing me on how much I knew about what she liked to listen to. How much I’d been paying attention. She liked to play these games. We weren’t supposed to be friends; I just wanted to do whatever I had to do to be treated like a human being in the workplace.
I knew she liked Bjork, the Band, soul music, and…I drew a blank. Frankly it was none of my business what the hell she liked. Not part of my job.
I decided to hedge my bet. We had a five CD changer, and instead of picking two CDs for me and three for her, I picked five for her and hoped I got some right. Based on the fact that she liked old soul music, I thought I’d try more oldies. American Graffiti soundtrack? Maybe there was something on there that she liked? It looked pretty good. I put the five discs that I picked into the changer and hit “play”, crossing my fingers and toes that I got it right.
A few songs went by without comment. So far so good. Then came an American Graffiti track into the shuffle. That’s when she spoke up.
“You picked this, for ME?” she interrogated.
“No, I picked it for me,” I lied. Dodged a bullet. Barely. I lived to work another day.
The Bully’s friends will say something predictable, like “That doesn’t sound like she was testing you, that sounds like she just wanted you to pick the music for the day.” I would respond, “You weren’t there.” I heard the tone of voice. I knew the game being played. It would have been obvious had anyone else been there. “You picked this, for ME?” That was the tell.
But I got away with it and to this day I really could not give a shit what kind of music she liked. She certainly didn’t respect my tastes — once she told me only one person at my store (the one she was friends with) had good taste in music.
Why would you ask someone with poor taste in music to pick your CDs for you? She was playing games as usual, as always.
ZZ TOP – Raw – ‘That Little Ol’ Band From Texas’ Original Soundtrack (2022 BMG)
In 2019, ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill was still alive, and filmmaker Sam Dunn brought us the critically acclaimed documentary That Little Ol’ Band from Texas. The film was cherished for a number of reasons, not least of which was the music, old and new. A big part of the film was seeing the modern-day ZZ Top jamming away on their classics. And it was clear they lost nothing.
With Dusty gone, it’s appropriate to release his final recordings as the soundtrack to the documentary. As the title boldly states, this is ZZ Top raw, playing live in the studio, as only they could. 12 tracks; nothing beyond Eliminator. Every song a classic.
Going back to the first album, “Brown Sugar” opens with some amp hiss and seriously bluesly licks from Billy Gibbons. Raw yes, but also crisp and clear with plenty of bottom end. These are not simple re-recordings, nor are they vastly different re-imaginings. They are just 12 tracks of ZZ Top playing hard and heavy, backed with modern equipment and techniques. The groove flows right through the speakers like jelly. Sonically the tracks are heavier simply because of the modern equipment, though they are still…you guessed it…raw! Dusty’s bass on “Just Got Paid”…oh man. Track after track of familiar rock will hit your ears, satisfying your need for that dirty greasy blues that ZZ Top peddle in. Jamming solos, rolling bass and luscious blues licks await within.
As far as surprises go, there are not many, but it is fun to hear “Legs” done in this raw settling. The sequencers are there but back in the mix. It’s much more rocking. Interesting to hear no backing guitars when Billy is soloing. “Gimme All Your Lovin'” benefits similarly from the raw treatment. No sequencers here, just guitars, drums and bass. No loss either. A slow jam version of “Thunderbird” is another treat. Finally, it’s a blast to hear Frank Beard playing hard on the surf rock of “Tube Snake Boogie”.
From rockers, to blues rockers and just plain ol’ blues, this album contains a nice cross section of songs from 1971 to 1983. Arguably, the essential years. While not essential itself, ZZ Top Raw should make your purchase list. It’s an excellent set of recordings, of some of the best ZZ Top songs, with modern fidelity and of course, the last of Dusty Hill. You loved it when you saw ZZ Top jamming these tunes in the film. Now you can own the soundtrack. So get on it!
4/5 stars
Thanks to John T. Snow for kindly gifting this copy!
GHOST – “Hunter’s Moon” (2022 Loma Vista 7″ single)
The new Ghost album Impera is almost upon us! (March 11.) The group’s sound has changed from album to album, progressing from a gothic metal band with a foot in the past, to something more perversely pop. Their last album 2018’s Prequelle, pushed further in that direction, with at least one song (“Danse Macabre”) sounding like a keyboard-drenched rock single from back in ’86. So who knows what we will get this time out?
The single “Hunter’s Moon” from the film Halloween Kills might be a clue. The single version does not appear in the film, but a much more elaborate mix runs during the end credits. Presumably, the single version will be on Impera as well.
The beat is strong, and the melody is prominent. The chorus is a little more old-school Ghost, so perhaps the album will be a hybrid of styles. There’s a cool guitar line and the usual idiosyncratic Tobias Forge vocals. It sounds like latter-day Ghost with a little of the early thump, and one particularly Sabbathy guitar bend. Plenty pop, plenty gothic. Good song though not up there with “Rats” or “Danse Macabre”.
According to Max the Axe: “All the neat metal tricks save it from being a simple pop song, and transcends it to hook-laden heavy rock. Lots of breaks and dynamics.”
On the B-side is the Halloween Kills main title theme by John Carpenter. It’s a variation on the familiar, iconic Halloween piano theme, bare with synth and choir. A very nice add-on to this cool single.
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