This non-album Tenacious D track ranked highly on Friday night’s Nigel Tufnel Top Ten lists! From the HBO TV series it’s “Cosmic Shame”, one of their early tracks that has yet to see an audio release. This underground deep cut is about quitting your day job and dedicating your life to your art!
It’s not just a funny song and good acoustic song, but also inspirational. Check out this comment from Will on YouTube: “I just quit my day job today…this has helped. It’s hard, not gonna lie, but I am getting back to what I do best. Composing and performing piano music. Thank you Tenacious D for helping my soul through this hard time.” That’s cool.
The MVP tonight was Kevin from Canadian Grooves for going superdeeeeeep with his Tenacious D picks! “I am not worthy!” said Meat. Indeed Kevin did dig deep into the obscure for his excellent list. Between the three of us, you will find a terrific balance of deep cuts and mainstream hits. All of which, you should check out!
Thank you boys for a great show tonight! If all goes according to plan I’ll be going live again next Friday for another Show & Tell episode!
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike & Friends
Episode 110 – Nigel Tufnel Top Ten-acious D Tracks
This is just a “tribute”! Well, no, not really. But it will be great fun regardless. Thank Uncle Meat, as he arranged this week’s episode and guest himself. Tonight, Meat and Kevin from Canadian Grooves are joining me to talk about the notoriously tenacious comedy-rock duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass. The greatest band in the world? Perhaps — which is why we’re doing Top 11 lists of this band’s greatest songs.
The duo met in 1986 and started playing gigs 1994, with their name a reference to the basketball term “tenacious defence”. Their demo led to the short lived TV series, befriending Dave Grohl, and eventually their debut album in 2001. It’s been pure legend since!
Sourcing tunes from their four albums, many singles, HBO TV show and more, you can count of lots of laughs tonight. As usual, you’ll want to catch this live!
Thank you T-Bone and Deke for an awesome Friday night on the LeBrain Train! Tonight’s episode was the brainchild of Deke and it was long overdue. T-Bone, an original member of Thunder Bay’s own Current River, has plenty of great stories which we only scratched the surface of in this almost three-hour chat!
Topics discussed and their locations in the stream:
T-Bone Tales– scattered throughout.
Shaun of the Dead challenge – 0:33:20. The zombie apocalypse has come and you are unarmed. All you have to save yourself from the horde is your record collection. Choose five records from your collection to throw at the zombies to save yourself. Harder than it sounds! This segment includes a highly disputed meltdown over Tenacious D’s debut.
A special Def Leppard box set unwrapping and story from someone involved with the making of it – 1:27:25
An hour-long track by track discussion of David Lee Roth’s Skyscraper LP – 1:50:00
Truly, some of the most fun I’ve had on a Friday night. Good stories, good times, good beverages. Good friends. Spend your Friday nights with us, or catch us on Youtube after the fact. Give the videos a share if you think your friends would like watching too. It’s all about community and thanks for being a part of it. Special appreciation to Harrison the Mad Metal Man for hilarious commentary. I shall dub thee: Hilarrison.
I don’t know how this is supposed to work. Do you have to watch an animated series in order to “get” Post-Apocalypto? I’m not doing that. I’m listening to an album; I’m reviewing an album.
21 tracks, half an hour. Most of the tracks run a minute and a half. So what’s the concept? Humanity has destroyed the Earth in a nuclear holocaust. Tenacious D survived, though their songwriting abilities did not. Richard Branson, Elon Musk and Yo-Yo Ma have been saved, and now live on a space station. Kyle Gass wasn’t good enough to make the cut and now has a two-headed dog named Hope to keep him company. Unfortunately the KKK seems to have taken over security on what’s left of Earth.
Post-Apocalypto is part uninspired sketches, part uninspired songs. Some are decent, or half-decent, like “Take Us Into Space” and “Woman Time”. Most are too soft, light and forgettable, and the sketches are tired. Jack Black’s “Arnold” accent isn’t bad, but the joke wears out.
Bottom line: as stated by Uncle Meat, “18 minutes of music isn’t an album.” Iron Tom adds, “Although I’ll listen to some tunes individually, I don’t see myself listening to it again as an entire album.”
Anybody who has spent 10 seconds glancing at this site knows one thing: I love Japanese imports!
Every music collector has his or her own priorities. Today, many fans prioritise vinyl, be it original pressings, reissues or both. Some like elaborate packaging; the bigger and bolder the better! My needs are pretty simple. I want all the songs, and I’ll buy however many physical editions it takes to get them all. That means that, over the years, I have purchased hundreds of Japanese CDs. They almost always have bonus tracks, and some of those bonus tracks never see the light of day again on any other releases. Those are the best kind!
There are two great sources for Japanese imports.
CD Japan, my main store for new releases. I have Whitesnake incoming!
Discogs.
It is Discogs that is responsible for today’s content. If you’re a music collector unfamiliar with Discogs, you need to change that right away.
A few weeks ago, one of my favourite lesser known metal bands called Leatherwolf was celebrating the 30th anniversary of their third album, 1989’s Street Ready. (Probably their best album, but that’s unimportant.) Someone on social media was showing off their most prized Leatherwolf collectible: A Japanese import CD of Street Ready, with a bonus track unreleased anywhere else! Out of print for almost 30 years, that’s a rarity if I ever saw one. Plus it has that feature that is like catnip to me: an unreleased bonus track. In this case, it was a track called “Alone in the Night”, and I wanted it. It’s rare that I go 30 years without even knowing about a song.
After a few weeks of researching, I decided to pull the trigger. A Discogs seller had a copy in excellent condition for about $50, which I realized was about the cheapest it gets in the condition I want. Its only flaw was a missing obi strip (the little piece of paper along the spine) which you sometimes have to accept you’ll never get. The main thing was that bonus track. I was happy with the seller’s 100% rating so I put it in my cart.
That’s when Discogs showed its evil side.
A message popped up, telling me that just in case I wanted to combine shipping, this seller had 81 other items from my wishlist.
81 items. All Japanese CDs.
Click.
I spent the next few minutes frantically adding items to my cart, deleting them, adding them again, and then finally deciding on dollar amount I was willing to splurge. I even gave it another few days to clear my head before I clicked “buy”. This is what I ended up with.
LEATHERWOLF – Street Ready. Bonus track: “Alone in the Night”.
Now some lucky soul can be gifted my original US compact disc, because this is my new treasure. I loved this album as a teenager, and I still like it today. There is some well written metal here, and now I have 11 tracks instead of 10. I still can’t believe I didn’t know about “Alone in the Night” all this time. If I knew that back in 1989, this CD would have been on my holy grail list long ago.
I screwed up. I already had a UK single for “Hip Today”; one of those “part one of a two disc set sold separately” deals. However, for whatever reason, I never ripped it to my computer. I never even played it! When I did a quick search, I couldn’t find “Kid Ego” in my files so I assumed I needed it. I do not, but that’s OK. This CD was only $11 because the seller listed it with no obi strip. Turns out the obi strip is tucked inside, so that’s a win.
TENACIOUS D – The Pick of Destiny. Bonus tracks “Kong”, “Training Medley”.
Two extra songs to be found here. This album had more bonus tracks elsewhere, on non-physical (download only) versions. Now I have all the physical tracks, at least. “Training Medley” was already in the collection on a CD single for “P.O.D.”, but “Kong” was completely unknown until now. Even our resident Tenacious D expert, Uncle Meat, has never heard it before. (For the record, the other two bonus tracks are “Rock Your Socks” from the iTunes pre-order, and “It’s Late” which you can download if you buy the vinyl. Vinyl wishlisted.) Tenacious D collectables are usually very expensive. Their single “Jazz” (which I am missing) goes for roughly $100. I paid $26 for The Pick of Destiny.
QUIET RIOT – Alive and Well. Bonus track: “The Wait”.
20 years ago, the classic Metal Health lineup of Quiet Riot reunited for a new album. Alive and Well was a mix of new songs and re-recordings, but they could have just released a 10 song CD instead, had they included “The Wait”. It’s puzzling how songs are chosen to be obscure bonus tracks on rare editions. “The Wait” is a ballad, very much like old Quiet Riot, and a frickin’ great one too. Had it been included, Alive and Well could have been a well balanced 10 song album, and “The Wait” might have been the best one. At one point Amazon were asking $100 for this CD. I was delighted to score it for just $22. Perhaps it was cheap because it was listed as missing the obi strip. It’s there and looks great! Now my Quiet Riot collection is one song closer to being complete.
THE SWORD – Apocryphon. Bonus tracks: the same five from the deluxe edition, plus “Hammer of Heaven”.
This album has been frustrating for me. There are two versions, one with 10 tracks and one with 15. Because there’s no track listing on the back cover, I’ve never taken a chance on it. I didn’t want to bring it home only to find it’s the 10 track version. I’ve wanted this album ever since “Cloak of Feathers” made it to number 15 on the 2017 Sausagefest countdown. The only thing better than a confirmed 15 track edition? A CD with 16 tracks! Japan received “Hammer of Heaven”, which was a standalone single in 2012. It’s a boogie as heavy as plutonium! This would be its only CD release! Obi is intact, for just $25. (I’m still going to want the single for “Hammer of Heaven” since it had a live B-side of “Ebethron” not included here.)
Not a bad little spending spree. Most of these Japanese imports were pretty affordable. It seems like I spent a lot of money for just a handful of songs, but such is the quest.
Before we get going on our final list (which is a good one I assure you), I’d like to say a few words about irony.
Every year before we went to a new on-site voting system, Tom would rant and rave about getting our Sausagefest lists in. “PAY YOUR ROCK AND ROLL TAXES”, went the mantra. He’d make posts and memes about it. Hell, I’ve posted some of his memes!
So the irony is, Tom the Taxman was last with his 2018 list for me this year. That’s all. Tom, the guy always wanting the lists in early…was last with his list.
In his defence he said, “Whoa…there was no timeline or due date…as far as I’m concerned I have until the 31st at 11:59.” He then goes on to throw Uncle Meat under the bus! “Meat stole most of mine, he didn’t even have a list two weeks ago…”
That almost sounds like “the dog ate my homework!” More irony? Tom’s a teacher!
Onto the mighty list!
TOP 16 OF 2018
16. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity
Late comer…just got it yesterday…might be higher on the list after a few more spins…Nothing like this…Devo on coke…and other shenanigans.
15. Tenacious D – Post-Apocalypto
Let down? Yes….But if I can hear J.B. belt out , “I’m the Daddy Ding Dong” I’m in!
13. Fu Manchu – Clone of the Universe
A return to form…Wished I liked the Alex Lifeson track more, but it’s a meandering mess…
12. Yes – Fly From Here (Return Flight)
Originally recorded in 2011, this version has Trevor Horn on lead vocals and a couple more bells and whistles. With Horn at the helm it features the lineup that produced 1980’s grossly under-rated Drama album. Any fan of that masterpiece will find much to like here. (But probably not Steve Howe’s vocal debut “Don’t Take No For An Answer” which would work much better as a B-side, or better yet a No-side.)
11. Brant Bjork – Mankind Woman
Is there a cooler dude alive? Probably not. He was a driving force in both Fu Manchu and the mighty Kyuss for fuck sake…This slice of classic heavy rock is direct yet it does have flavours of blues, jazz and even bit of funk that spices it up. Solid rawk!
10. Ghost – Prequelle
Love the sax…hate their homage to Asia, “Dance Macabre”…Overall, Satanic ear honey…which they’ve done better before.
9. Magpie Salute – High Water I
Is it the Black Crowes? Not really…But it comes from the same rock’n’roll, Americana and southern blues spring…And it has Marc fucking Ford on it…looking forward to High Water II this year.
8. Adam’s House Cat – Town Burned Down
One of the odder releases this year…since it was recorded over 20 years ago. The little rock ‘n’ roll acorn that would grow into the mighty oak that is the Drive-By Truckers. Not just a curio however, but great, gritty American rock (with smatterings of early R.E.M.).
7. Necromancers – Blood & Wine
Sophomore slump? Only if you compare it to their phenomenal debut (my #1 last year). A heavy dose of guitar riffage from Satan’s apothecary.
6. John Prine – Tree of Forgiveness
My favourite songwriter. Darkly comic with a heart of pure gold. Writes about the essence of a situation, and sings them in a way that you know it’s the truth. I love this man.
5. The Sword – Used Future
Played the shit outta this…Love how they’re stretching out with their sound and finding ways out of the metal box…but still retaining the noodly rock greatness that keeps them heavy.
4. Voivod – The Wake
I just knew this sucker was going to be good…their last few have been great (Target Earth a gem)…but I didn’t think it was going to be this good. Thrash, punk, prog, jazz…King Crimson at there most pissed off and ragged…You know you’re listening to a Voivod album and that these francophone fucks are still giving a shit! I love the variance of the tempos and textures of the songs that allow the riffs to burrow deep.
3. Clutch – Book Of Bad Decisions
God damn! These guys cannot make a shitty album. Heavy groove merchants with wickedly fun and fucked-up lyrics that always put a smile on my face as I belt them out. This album would make this list for the strutting horn-driven “In Walks Barbarella” alone… Making heavy metal fun and in-the-pocket funky…
2. Orange Goblin – The Wolf Bites Back
These guys should be huge. Their diverse influences are expanding their heavy metal pallet, and it is all so fucking cool. Orange Fucking Goblin baby!
1. Crazy Bull – The Past Is Today
Thanks to Classic Rock’s July free CD I was turned on to this album of southern fried heavy riff rock at it’s groovy gritty best. Skynyrd, Hatchet and more than a few nods to Brits Wishbone Ash. Sumptuous riffs, and leads and solos that put a smile on your face….
Thanks to Tom for his awesome list. I’m placing an Amazon order for Tenacious D and Voivod right now!
Man of few words, but many lists: Uncle Meat presents his top movies, albums, and disappointments of 2018!
TOP 10 MOVIES
1. Bohemian Rhapsody
2. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
3. Mandy
4. A Futile and Stupid Gesture
5. Avengers: Infinity War
6. BlacKKKlansman
7. A Star is Born
8. Solo
9. Ant-Man and the Wasp
10. Black Panther
* LeBrain’s comment: I’m pleased to see the MCU and Coens make strong showings here, but Solo surprises me.
TOP 10 ALBUMS
1. The Wake – Voivod
2. Used Future – The Sword
3. The Tree of Forgiveness – John Prine
4. The Sciences – Sleep
5. Town Burned Down – Adam’s House Cat
6. The Wolf Bites Back – Orange Goblin
7. Mankind Woman – Brant Bjork
8. Our Raw Heart – YOB
9. Spaceman – Ace Frehley
10. Triumphant Hearts – Jason Becker
DISAPPOINTMENTS OF 2018
1. Tenacious D – Post Apocalyptico (Both the animated show and album)
2. Kiss completely playing to tracks live
3. Troy Tulowitzki
4. LeBrain’s Porn Debut
Hey folks!It’s The Best Fucking Collaboration Week Ever, Pt. 2! Just like last time,Mike andAaron will be doing simultaneous daily reviews of albums these two intrepid music reporters have sent to each other. Buckle up, buttercups, it’s gonna be a blast!
RACHEL FULLER presents: In The Attic with Pete Townsend & friends (2009 Eel Pie 2 CD/1 DVD set)
A long time ago, Aaron found this triple disc set at Giant Tiger, for the ridiculously low price of $1.00! Not being a foolish man, Aaron bought three of them. One for me, one for the Heavy Metal OverloRd, and one for himself!
Pete Townsend and Rachel Fuller are life partners and musical collaborators. She hosted a web show called In the Attic that featured performers from all over the musical spectrum. The Pete Townsend & Friends installment was gifted to me by buddy Aaron! What he did not know is this: I’m only a casual Townsend fan (not a collector), but by buying me this, he added some more Tenacious D to my collection of that band!
The DVD contains most (but not all) of the same material as CD, but also a lot more. For example Tenacious D’s “Tribute” is only on the DVD. Jack Black was suffering from strep throat that night, and they had to lower the song an octave. For a guy with a sore throat, he still sings pretty great…and even more demonic and evil! Their “Tommy Medley” is damn impressive, but it’s really too bad that Jack wasn’t in full voice. Kyle Gass apologized to Pete for this jokey, uber-fast medley, but I don’t think the apology was necessary, since Pete yelled for an encore!
Joe Purdy was unfamiliar to me before, a folk musician with a large discography. When he invites his dad Dad onstage, and Pete Townsend fixes his mic stand, there is a brief “we’re not worthy” moment that must have been mind-blowing. The pair does an original song called “Daisy” (great bluegrass) before Joe performs a couple more: “Let My Love Open the Door” and “Talk About Suffering”, both with Pete. “Let My Love Open the Door” is the familiar Townsend classic, and delightful in its tender acoustic guise.
Rachel Fuller then performs her original song “Sir Walter Raleigh”, an f-bomb laden piano ballad! A song is cut here from the DVD, another Fuller original called “I Can Fly”, on CD 1. This pretty song is a nice contrast. British solo artist Alexi Murdoch is next with two songs, both originals: “Dream About Flying” and “Orange Sky”. His impressive bluesy picking creates a dark folk sound on these songs. “Orange Sky” is performed with Pete and Rachel which I would imagine reduces most people to jelly. Imagine having Pete Townsend and his significant other playing on a song YOU wrote….
Most folks should be familiar with Ben Harper who takes the stage next with cellos and violins! “Please Bleed” is incredible. With Pete, he does his hit “Diamonds on the Inside”, still great today. Finally, and still with Pete, they do “I’m One” from Quadrophenia together. I imagine this is something you would stroke off a bucket list. “I want this to last a really long time!” says Ben mid-song.
The final guest of the evening is Pete himself, with four acoustic songs. “The Real Me” takes on a funky vibe, but brilliant as always. “Acid Queen”, “Drowned” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” complete this Who set. Even just solo on an acoustic guitar, this set is incredible. Townsend’s presence and expertise soak through every note.
That’s the end of that night’s show, but not the end of the DVD. The release is split in two sections – “The Hotel Cafe” and “Joe’s Pub”. The “Joe’s Pub” section has plenty more big name stars. This came from a traveling version of Fuller’s show, shadowing the Who at their festival gigs. In New York, they did a show at Joe’s Pub, and the first guest was a starstruck Amos Lee. His two songs are “What’s Been Going On” and “Freedom” (CD only), with special accompaniment by Pete himself. “What’s Been Going On” is an incredible moment of folk power and feeling. “Freedom” celebrates with a big soulful chorus. These are great songs.
Rachel Fuller played two songs at Joe’s Pub: “Jigsaw” (CD only) and “Cigarettes and Housework” (what, you mean you and Pete can’t afford a maid to do the housework?). “Jigsaw” is bright and pretty with lyrical references to some certain Who songs! Fuller’s remarkable voice is the main feature on the sparse “Cigarettes and Housework”.
Of all people, Jimmy Fallon is next. “Carwash for Peace” reveals that he actually has a pretty good singing voice. It’s a silly but fun sing-along. “Let’s have a car wash for peace, there’s trouble in the Middle East,” he sings. If we do this, there’ll be no more wars, or dirty cars! It’s hard to argue with that logic. “President’s Day” is a folksy send-up on the subject of getting totally wasted on President’s Day, because hey, it’s a day off. “Beer and a shot with my man Dick Cheney!” Hey, it was 2007, still the Bush years.
Rachael Yamagata takes the stage with Pete Townsend and Kevin Salem for “Paper Doll”, a sultry original acoustic number with some amazing soulful singing. There’s a nice moment on the DVD when Rachael smiles, looking at Pete playing her song, a real “pinch me” experience I’m sure. Her other song, “Be Be My Love” (CD only) has a similar chord progression as Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There For You”. This is her first song on her first album and I’m sure any similarity is coincidental. Then it’s Townsend’s turn to go it alone, with “Acid Queen” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (both CD only).
The final guest on this set is Mr. Lou Reed. “White Light/White Heat” with Pete is a moment so gravitous* that news reports suggest a new black hole formed over New York that night! “Pale Blue Eyes”, with accompaniment by Pete on the chorus, is delicate and weighty at once.
For a mere buck, I would postulate that In the Attic with Pete Townsend & friends has to have the most bang-per-dollar value of any purchase made for my collection. This is great stuff for music fans of all tastes.
“I’m letting them pick what songs they wanna do in the way they wanna do it.” Wendy Dio
VARIOUS ARTISTS: Ronnie James Dio – THIS IS YOUR LIFE (2014 tribute CD)
No preable from me: we all know how great Dio was. Let’s get to the tracks.
Anthrax kick off the festivities with a slamming “Neon Nights”. The storming opener couldn’t have been in a better slot. Not only is Charlie Benate heavy as shit, but the guitar solos are mental. Joe Belladonna handles the powerful vocal ably. Rob Caggiano is still in the lineup indicating this isn’t brand new. I suspect it was recorded at the same time as last year’s Anthems EP.
The guys that never get respect, Tenacious D, tackle the difficult second slot. No worries there; they chose “The Last In Line” which Jack Black sings with no difficulty. Uncle Meat has said it before: Jack Black is one of the best singers he’s seen live. “The Last In Line” proves his pipes, although some may not like his exaggerated, humorous vocal enunciation. Kyle Gass plays a cute recorder solo in lieu of guitar, but there’s not enough K.G. on this track. Brooks Wackerman kicks the drums in the ass.
And speaking of drums, Mike Portnoy is next with Adrenaline Mob. They demolish “Mob Rules”, although singer Russell Allen is certainly no Dio. He is completely overshadowed by Portnoy and the shredding of Mike Orlando.
Corey Taylor, Satchel (Russ Parish) and friends chose “Rainbow In the Dark” as their tribute to Ronnie. This has always been such a fan favourite, and a personal one as well. It is difficult to imagine anyone but Ronnie singing it. While Corey Taylor is not at all like Ronnie James Dio, you can tell he loves this song. It bleeds out of his performance. He does it in his own rasp, and it works.
The incredible Lzzy Hale and Halestorm are up next with another Dio classic, “Straight Through the Heart”. There is no denying the talents of Lzzy Hale, but her powerful pipes are almost too much. Perhaps she overpowers the song, rather than simply fueling it. Halestorm fans will love it, but I think Lzzy maybe should have reeled it in a bit. Or, maybe I just need to get used to it. “Straight From the Heart” does sound better after a few listens.
Biff Byford (Saxon) joins Motorhead on lead vocals for Rainbow’s “Starstruck”. There’s a bit of that Motor-slam in it, but if I didn’t know who it was, I never would have guessed Motorhead. You can hear Lemmy on backing vocals, but weirdly, he’s not credited on bass. Nobody is, but you can hear the bass clearly and it sounds like Lem.
I’m a little sick of the Scorpions doing ballads, but I admit that “Temple of the King” (another Rainbow classic) is stunningly good. One might almost mistake it for a Scorpions original. It has that regal Scorpions bombast to is, but Matthias Jabs’ lead work is just sublime. He’s an underrated player, absolutely. You can tell he’s a Blackmore fan.
An oldie from 1999, Doro’s cover of “Egypt (The Chains are On)” is excellent. It’s cool to hear female singers like Doro and Lzzy Hale sing Dio. Doro’s impressive pipes have always been astounding. Her version of “Egypt” is a little over the top compared to Dio’s, but that’s cool by me.
Killswitch Engage…hmm. “Holy Diver” starts great, super heavy, with some perfectly acceptable, melodic vocals. Then it all goes down the toilet at the bridge. That’s when it turns into hardcore shouting and blast beats…sorry, not on this song, thanks. I can listen to that stuff in moderation, but don’t sully “Holy Diver” with it. Fortunately the guitar solos are great, sounding like an Iron Maiden outtake from Powerslave. Shame about the growling and shouting. Skip.
“Catch the Rainbow” is a great song, and Craig Goldy plays guitar on this cover. He’s ex-Dio himself, and he’s backed by his former Dio-mates Rudy Sarzo, Scott Warren and Simon Wright. (Hey, that’s also 1/3 of Tateryche!) Glenn Hughes sings, but this song sounds out of his scope. His bluesy slant doesn’t work for me. Sorry Glenn, you’re still awesome!
I find it strange that two more ex-Dio members (Jimmy Bain and Rowan Robertson) chose to cover Black Sabbath. But who cares! They covered “I”, perhaps the greatest song from Dehumanizer (1992)! On drums is Brian Tichy, with Oni Logan (Lynch Mob, Dio Disciples) singing. It’s a perfectly authentic version and I love it. It’s absolutely thunderous, and I love Jimmy Bain’s bass sound. Always have. Of all the vocalists on This Is Your Life, it is Oni Logan that comes closest to nailing Dio’s vibe. Considering he’s in Dio Diciples, I shouldn’t have been surprised. I didn’t expect it though, based on what I knew of Logan from Lynch Mob. He fits “I” like a glove!
I was disappointed in Rob Halford’s version of “Man On the Silver Mountain”. It’s true that Halford did replace Dio in Black Sabbath for two shows in 1992. However, having owned a bootleg video of that show since that time, I knew that Halford’s and Dio’s styles didn’t really mesh. This is no different; I don’t think his voice works with the song and it unfortunately shows off the places where Rob’s voice has weakened. What is cool though is that the band (all ex-Dio: Doug Aldrich, Vinnie Appice, Jeff Pilson and Scott Warren) take it to a swampy bluesy Whitesnake-y place for the intro. You can definitely hear Pilson covering the high notes in the chorus.
Finally we arrive at the mighty Metallica. Snicker if you like. If Metallica do one thing really well, it’s covers. If they do two right, it’s covers and medleys. The “Ronnie Rising Medley” is entirely made up of parts of Rainbow songs. “A Light In the Black” bleeds into “Tarot Woman,” where the vocals begin. It’s safe to say if you don’t like Metallica, you won’t like this. If the opposite is true, I think you’re in for a treat. Metallica do these classics in their own style, just as they have in the past when covering Maiden, or Mercyful Fate, or Thin Lizzy. Simply add Lars’ thuds, James’ growl, and some standard Metalli-licks, and you’ve got a medley that is enjoyable through its near-10 minute run time. Having said that, the weak point is definitely “Stargazer”, which is gutted of all its majesty. They do much better with “Kill the King” which is fucking perfect. They include the entire song in their medley!
Fittingly, the album ends on a ballad: Dio’s own somber “This Is Your Life”, performed by the man himself in 1996. I did not like the Angry Machines album, but if there was one song I would have picked as a highlight it would be “This Is Your Life”. Performed only by Dio and Scott Warren on piano, it is unlike anything else in Dio’s canon. The lyrics speak of mortality:
This is your life This is your time What if the flame Won’t last forever?
This is your here This is your now Let it be magical
What a way to end a great album. As much as you can “miss” a person you have never met, I do miss Ronnie James Dio. In many ways he’s been my friend for 30 years.
4.5/5 stars
As a nice added touch, the liner notes include photos of just about every performer on this CD with Ronnie!
Of note: the Japanese edition has a bonus track by Dio Diciples: “Stand Up and Shout.” It also has Stryper’s version of “Heaven and Hell” from their 2011 album The Covering, which I reviewed here.
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