The Contrarians

40 Years of Spinal Tap: The Music with Marco D’Auria, Dan Chartrand and Uncle Meat

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 72:  40 Years of Spinal Tap: The Music with Marco D’Auria, Dan Chartrand and Uncle Meat

Tonight we’re gonna rock ya, tonight!

Formed as the Thamesmen in 1964, Nigel Tufnel and David St. Hubbins scored a hit with the single “Gimmie Some Money” / “Cups and Cakes”. The band soon employed bassist Derek Smalls. After a name change to Spinal Tap, the band wandered through progressive rock, jazz fusion, funk, reggae, hard rock, and heavy metal.  In 1984 they became a household name with the release of the documentary film by Marty DiBergi, called This Is Spinal Tap.  It is hard to believe it has been 40 years since that film brought Tap to the silver screen.

Tonight, Contrarians Marco D’Auria and new face Dan Chartrand will join Uncle Meat and I, as we Tap into the history of this great band’s music.

From rock and roll (“Gimme Some Money”) to hippie flower power (“Listen to What the Flower People Say”, “Rainy Day Sun”) to heavy metal (“Stonehenge”), few bands have struggled to find a direction like Spinal Tap has.  Now with DiBergi back on board, the band are primed to release a new documentary film on their more recent exploits.  Our panel tonight will try to avoid talking about the drama (puppet shows, air force bases, girlfriends) and focus on the music.  And what music it is!  Nigel Tufnel is one of the most critically acclaimed guitar players in the world, not just for volume but also for pioneering the art of double his guitar solos with voice.  David St. Hubbins is such a legendary lead singer, that Ronnie James Dio wouldn’t allow him to sing lead on Hear N’ Aid’s “Stars” for fear of breaking the board.  And Derek Smalls?  His solo album Smalls Change proves he’s not a one-trick moustached pony.

Join us tonight, and Tap into the music of Spinal Tap.

 

Friday September 27 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

Rock Daydream Nation: Deep Purple – Desert Island Steve Morse Albums

This is a show I was made for! Spoiler alert: Regular readers already know my favourite Steve Morse era Deep Purple album.  I was already trying to kickstart a Purple collection when he joined the band in 1995.  His addition made me a completist – had to get every album.  And, within a few years of his joining, I achieved and maintained that.  Morse’s additional made me a superfan.  I just love when a band has a significant lineup change that actually works.  Deep Purple was transformed into something a little different, but just as good.  Just new flavours in the soup.  A new freedom to experiment and stretch out.  It wouldn’t have worked if the band couldn’t write new songs with the new axeman, but their chemistry flourished over seven studio original studio albums.

Now that Steve is gone from the band, and they are carrying on with another new ingredient in Simon McBride, it is a perfect time to look back upon the Morse era.  Joining myself and Peter Kerr on Rock Daydream Nation is “Music Swami” Pete Jones.  Together, we passionately discuss three favourite albums, and the key tracks that you need to check out for yourself.  We don’t just shower praise, but we break down and analyze.

Here’s what Mr. Kerr has to say:

Rock Daydream Nation is joined by Peter Jones (The Contrarians) and Mike Ladano (Grab a Stack of Rock) to choose their desert island Deep Purple album featuring Steve Morse….Are any of these albums better than Deep Purple Ritchie Blackmore?
Check out the show!

Contrarians Chat: NICKNAMED ALBUM COVERS! (Wednesday Live Stream)

Grant Arthur, Jamie Laszlo, Peter Kerr, Tim Durling and myself all gathered together to discuss this fun topic last night:  Albums with common “nickname” titles!  For example:  The Beatles (the White Album), Metallica (the Black Album), and Weezer (lotsa coloured albums)!  There are plenty on our lists, and I’m especially proud of one of my coloured picks.

This was my first ever panel discussion with the Contrarians, and about three years overdue.  Thank you Grant for inviting me!

There will be no episode of Grab A Stack of Rock this weekend, but we’ll be back next week!

 

We have a winner – Powerslave vs. Defenders of the Faith (Maiden vs. Priest)

It was a marathon, but it was never dull!  With Pete Jones on board, we completely dissected every track on these two 40 year old albums:

  • Judas Priest – Defenders of the Faith – 13 January 1984 – peaked at #18 in the US and went platinum.  Produced by Tom Allom, his fifth with Priest.
  • Iron Maiden – Powerslave – 3 Sept 1984 – peaked at #21 in the US and went platinum.  Produced by Martin Birch, his fourth with Maiden.

Harrison Kopp arrived at the end of the show and between he, Peter and myself, we chose a winner.  It was a 2-1 vote.

Lyrically and musically we broke down each track to the individual parts.  We shone light and appreciation on all the players, for what they contributed to each of these epic metal masterpieces.  At the end of the day, it was clear that though both bands are often lumped together, these two albums are completely different.  They have different moods, different directions, and different lyrical themes.  Both are important albums to 80s metal, and to the respective band catalogues.

Subject matter broken down in detail:

  • The bass, drum, and guitar parts to each song.
  • Lyrical themes to each song and album.
  • The B-sides and bonus tracks.
  • The true and hilarious story behind Mission From ‘Arry.
  • Connections between Becket and Iron Maiden.
  • Personal stories and impact of these records.
  • Live performances and songs that have never been played live.

You will also be treated to a live performance of “Freewheel Burning” by Mike!

They call Peter the Professor and for good reason.  He came prepared with tour information and intimate knowledge of the construction of these songs.

Though it pained me to have to pick a winner, we did!

We hope you enjoyed the show, and a big thank-you to Peter for contributing two hours of your Friday night!  Of course, always nice to see Harrison.

This is likely the last evening show of the summer of 2024.  Afternoon shows occur at 3:00 PM on Fridays, when I have an available co-host.  Thanks for watching, and stay tuned…

The next show is an interview with author Angie Moon, regarding her debut music/true time book, Crime of the Century, June 21 on Grab A Stack of Rock!

The Battle of ’84: Iron Maiden – Powerslave vs. Judas Priest – Defenders of the Faith

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 62: The Battle of ’84: Iron Maiden – Powerslave vs. Judas Priest – Defenders of the Faith

It is finally time:  the Battle of ’84 has arrived!  40 years ago, two metal monsters released crucial albums:

  • Judas Priest – Defenders of the Faith – 13 January 1984 – peaked at #18 in the US and went platinum.
  • Iron Maiden – Powerslave – 3 Sept 1984 – peaked at #21 in the US and went platinum.

But which album, track for track, is better?

Tonight, Peter Jones and I will attempt to answer that question.  After appearing once with Pete on a favourite episode of Rock Daydream Nation, he finally joins Grab A Stack of Rock.  Peter is a musician, who understands the vocabulary of drums and will explain it all tonight.  (Check out his latest Contrarians episode with Martin Popoff!)  Will the drumming colour his impressions of these two landmark albums of the 80s?  We shall see tonight.

We shall dissect each and every track, including the bonus tracks & B-sides.  Who shall reign?  Find out tonight…live!

 

 

Friday June 7 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

This is likely the last evening show of the summer of 2024.  Afternoon shows occur at 3:00 PM on Fridays, when I have an available co-host.  Thanks for watching, and stay tuned…

The next show is an interview with author Angie Moon, regarding her debut music/true time book, Crime of the Century, June 21 on Grab A Stack of Rock!

Rock Daydream Nation: Decline of Western Civilization – Metal Rock Documentary or a Hoax?

Documentary, or mockumentary?

It was truly an honour to be invited back onto Rock Daydream Nation to discuss to infamous “documentary” film The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years directed by Penelope Spheeris.  This deep discussion went right to the hotspot scenes we still talk about today:  Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.), Ozzy, and a parade of airheads wanting to be rock stars.

It’s not a flattering look at the Hollywood metal scene in 1987-88.  The cavalcade of cartoon characters rolled out largely range from jerkoffs to misogynist douchebags.  Our panel takes the position that Spheeris set up most scenes to portray the genre and its artists in a negative light.  We discuss the portrayal of women in the film and hard rock, as well as the alleged staging of controversial scenes.

The panel:  a seasoned septuplet of rock experts comprised of:

Kudos to Reed Little for gleaning the value of rarely-revealed financial data, of being a hard rock band on the road in the 80s, from the film.  Brilliant observations and research here from Reed.  We also asked questions such as:  where were Guns N’ Roses?  What happened to Odin?  Is Ozzy unable to pour a glass of OJ for himself, and what’s with the raw bacon?  Each panel member brought something from their own unique perspectives to the discussion.

Special attention was paid to the Chris Holmes pool scene.  Is it exploitation?  A cry for help?  Partially or completely staged?  What was the impact upon W.A.S.P.’s career from that point onwards?  We had W.A.S.P. expert John Clauser on hand to give that issue a close look.  Peter Kerr pointed out that the pool scene haunts Chris to this day, as it inevitably comes up in every interview he does.  I talk about the impact of seeing the first rock star that I ever liked sitting in that pool, and how it affected me.

We looked back upon our first impressions of the film back in the day, our feelings in 2024, and memorable scenes.  From Poison, London, Aerosmith and Faster Pussycat, there’s a lot of hair to wade through.   Please give this show a watch – we are all very proud of it.

Rock Daydream Nation: Rock Court: In defence of Vinnie Vincent Invasion

One of the “super-secret” tapings I was involved with is finally ready for your viewing pleasure!

In this courtroom drama, I played the role of the prosecution, with Peter Kerr as the defense.  Judging was the honourable Reed Little (The Contrarians), who had to choose whether or not he was going to buy Vinnie Vincent Invasion, based on our testimony.

I have not seen the final episode myself, but I look forward to watching how I did with a couple weeks distance!  This show was a lot of fun, and I’ll be back on Rock Daydream Nation again this fall, defending a band I love!  (Or at least, an era I love from a band I like!)

VIDEO: The Contrarians Showcase – Mike LeBrain

Thank you Marco from the Contrarians for this honour.  I really loved doing this interview, and I really appreciate the chance to talk about myself and the things I love the most.  I got to tell some of my favourite stories, and plug Grab a Stack of Rock with the Mad Metal Man.  I also did a horrific Australian accent.  Please enjoy!

And Marco…thanks again, this meant the world to me.

Raise Your Fist and Yell for these Alice Cooper Deep Cuts

Thank you to Marco from the Contrarians for your awesome contributions to this week’s discussion: Alice Cooper Deep Cuts!  And thanks as always to co-host Harrison the Mad Metal Man!  Harrison really came out of the box with some obscure but still notable songs that you need to check out.  The thing about Alice Cooper is…he’s so prolific, and even on the albums you might not like as much, there are always a standout song or two.  I was surprised to find so much love for certain songs (“Roses On White Lace”, “Aspirin Damage”, “Make That Money (Scrooge’s Song)”, “Fresh Blood” and more).  Alice’s albums were well represented on these lists, with only a handful going unmentioned.  Even so, our runners-up lists covered the shadowy corners of the discography.

More thanks:  Holen & Buried On Mars with two more lists of great songs that need to be heard and appreciated more often.

If you watched this episode live, I appreciate you too!  Another great Friday night for the books!