My written review of the Darkness’ new album Dreams On Toast will take some time, as there are 29 tracks to discuss. 29 tracks?! Why yes, including the five studio bonus tracks, six live ones, and eight acoustic demos. Nevermind that it’s one of the best new releases of 2025. These things take time!
Don’t worry though. Tim Durling has you covered. On Tim’s Vinyl Confessions, they already reviewed the album, and now I’m here to tell you about the bonus tracks. Let’s rip through ’em all like something that’s hot on your tail. Check this video for all the bonus track details for Dreams On Toast!
Who better to talk about extra songs than Mr. Bonus Tracks himself, namely Mike Ladano of @GrabAStackofRocK! We attempt to sort through the various paths and travels one must make to procure all of the Darkness goodness of 2025. Or something like that.
A record-setting Grab A Stack of Rock Good Friday afternoon was had yesterday afternoon! With co-hosts Johnny Metal and Ash Geisler (awake at 4:00 AM just to do this show!), we had views exceeding the legendary 2023 Good Friday show that featured, as Jex’s mom put it, “a good view”.
Unfortunately Jex Russell was heading out of town for his Easter weekend, and was unable to attend (though Johnny Metal had him on a shirt). Ash showed off some cool Australian finds, from pop punk to harder edged tunes. Johnny Metal’s new arrivals included the complete CD catalogue of Dr. Kathryn Ladano, so we spent a little time talking about brain injuries and the album Anatomy of the Recovering Brain. Of course, Johnny Metal also brought plenty of metal, including one LP that tied into 50 Years of Iron Maiden.
As for me, I had three main things to focus on:
A brand new record sent to me by Dan Chartrand, from OfftheCharts…and some bonus music, of his own band Dead Culture Society!
A batch of new music that arrived this week. My thoughts on Epitaph by April 16th, Dreams On Toast by the Darkness, and Rock N Roll Party Tonite by Mystique.
An absolutely epic purchase of rock CDs from old friend Len Labelle. More to come on this in a future video showcasing even more CDs from the bulk purchase.
If you liked this episode, then join us next week for our 100th. We’re going to have a party!
Good Fridays Past:
Good Friday Afternoon April 7 2023: @MarriedandHeels and Jex Russell began the tradition for a special episode celebrating California music, Easter manicures, and shiny silver boots! Our first Good Friday afternoon episode, we did it at this time slot to enable @MarriedandHeels to join us from California. It was a fun afternoon, and look how shiny those boots are!
Good Friday Afternoon March 29 2024: Top 5 Albums From Our Birth Years with Jex Russell and Uncle Meat. This was a special episode! Jex and I wanted to continue the Good Friday tradition, but this was a special reunion for Meat and I, who had not done a show together in a year and a half. Jex surprised me – and my surprise is in the thumbnail image! A blessed good show!
NEXT WEEK: OUR 100TH EPISODE! A LIVE MIX TAPE WITH JEX, HARRISON AND JOHNNY METAL!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man Episode 99: Good Friday Afternoon – New Music Mania with Ash Geisler and Johnny Metal
A Good Friday tradition: For the third time, Grab A Stack of Rock goes LIVE this afternoon with special guests and special music! We have a ton of new music here to discuss at Grab A Stack of Rock HQ. You’ve heard all about the new Darkness album Dreams On Toast? Well now it’s my turn. I have SEVEN COPIES (six physical and one digital) to get all the tracks, and I will be discussing my impressions. I also have the new Rock N Roll Party Tonite EP by Mystique, and some vinyl from Dan Chartrand from OfftheCharts to unbox! What could be inside? You’ll be electrified. Time permitting, I may also show off my massive haul from a forthcoming video on a big, BIG purchase.
We’ll see how much we can get through, because joining me will be Ash Geisler and Johnny Metal, with their own new musical scores to show off. What could be new in southern Australia and the state of Alabama? We’ll find out this afternoon!
The Good Friday afternoon episode is a tradition now in its third year (see below). Sadly, Jex Russell could not be with us this time, but Ash and Johnny should be up to the task, even if the time zones make it tricky. Remember, this episode is LIVE so join us for the fun and let us know in the comments that you’re with us! See you this afternoon to Grab LOTS of Stacks of Rock!
Friday April 18 at 3:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 4:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.
Good Fridays Past:
Good Friday Afternoon April 7 2023: @MarriedandHeels and Jex Russell began the tradition for a special episode celebrating California music, Easter manicures, and shiny silver boots! Our first Good Friday afternoon episode, we did it at this time slot to enable @MarriedandHeels to join us from California. It was a fun afternoon, and look how shiny those boots are!
Good Friday Afternoon March 29 2024: Top 5 Albums From Our Birth Years with Jex Russell and Uncle Meat. This was a special episode! Jex and I wanted to continue the Good Friday tradition, but this was a special reunion for Meat and I, who had not done a show together in a year and a half. Jex surprised me – and my surprise is in the thumbnail image! A blessed good show!
NEXT WEEK: OUR 100TH EPISODE! A LIVE MIX TAPE WITH JEX, HARRISON AND JOHNNY METAL!
I came home from work last Friday to find not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE parcels containing new music! Of course, if you unbox something these days, you have to do it on camera. All of this music will receive a closer look on our annual Good Friday Afternoon Show on Grab A Stack of Rock, tomorrow! However, nothing can top the first look at a musical surprise!
Catch my reaction as I look at:
Six versions of the Darkness’ Dreams On Toast album, which will be discussed in more detail on Friday.
A brand new EP of previously unreleased music by Mystique!
Killer metal from the UK.
A surprise gift of a Japanese import.
A very special gift from Blotto!
All here in this spontaneous and magical unboxing video! Tune in tomorrow for our Good Friday show and a deep dive into all this new music, and much more!
THE DARKNESS – Permission To Land… Again (2023 Box Set)
Once (and perhaps still) considered one of the biggest jokes in rock*, The Darkness have proven ’em wrong, for it was 20 years ago they dropped this bomb on the world called Permission to Land. Regardless of the ups and downs, the band continues on today with a documentary film in the works. Of course, the obligatory box set was also necessary. Permission to Land… Again collects nearly everything from the era and packs it up for you in a 5 disc set perfect for home consumption. And it’s affordable, too.
CD 1 commences with the original 2003 album, a monolith of Queen and AC/DC’s bastard children, brought to life in spandex and bandanas. The album itself spawned four singles:
“Get Your Hands Off My Woman”, the expletive-laden favourite that still delights today as a fast head banger.
“Growing On Me”, perfectly in the pocket, a melodic hard right classic with just enough bite.
“I Believe In A Thing Called Love”, iridescent and unforgettable as ever, a classic in every sense.
“Love In Only A Feeling”, bombastic and beautiful guitar chords crashing on this prototype for the trademark Darkness ballad. Steve Tyler wishes he could write ’em like this today.
That leaves six killer album tracks, none of which are filler. Opener “Black Shuck” is a monster (literally), rocking heavy and beating the doors down despite your best efforts. “Givin’ Up” should have been a single, but the language, tisk tisk! Foreshadowing Justin Hawkin’s drug issues, this song is literally about “stickin’ that fuckin’ shit” up his nose. Yes it’s surprisingly delightful, and perhaps the most immediately catchy one on the album. “Stuck In A Rut” is different, blasting fast and loud, with Justin singing at max voice. Back to lighter, catchy territory, “Friday Night” is a certain fan-favourite. It easily could have been another single, as Justin literally reads off his weekly schedule. “Monday, cycling, Tuesday, gymnastics, dancing on a Friday night.” Bopping piano accents will keep feet moving. Moving on to “Love On the Rocks With No Ice” (great title), the slow heavy grind smacks you in the head and reminds you this is a rock and roll band. Despite that, the album closes on a lovely ballad “Holding My Own” which also really could have been a single.
CD 1 is beefed out with six extra songs, all demos, of tracks that didn’t make the album and tracks that did. Speaking of which, they are rough but so similar to the final versions. Some have bits that were later trimmed out or de-emphasized, like keyboard overdubs and intros. “Black Shuck”, though without the hard-hitting production, might be better in some ways than the album version, with more twists and vocals. There is also a demo of “Out of My Hands”, a fine album B-side.
The best inclusions on this disc, however, are the surprises: demos that didn’t make Permission to Land! “Live ‘Til I Die” went unreleased until 2019’s Easter Is Cancelled, but this version has Eddie Graham on drums. This version is very, very different. Much more AC/DC and dare I say, much catchier and better. There’a also an early demo of “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us”, which was finally released on 2012’s reunion album Hot Cakes. This one is much more similar to the glossier final product.
CD 2 is a treasure trove of goodies! Every studio B-side from the album, some non-album singles, some “clean” versions that we wouldn’t purposely seek out to buy; they are all here. (The live B-sides are included with their respective shows, but we’ll get to those.) This is comprehensive as heck.
The three tracks from the very rare 2002 EP I Believe In A Thing Called Love are included: the title track, “Love on the Rocks With No Ice” and “Love Is Only A Feeling”. The recordings themselves are the same as the final album versions, but the mixes are not. These earlier mixes have slight, but audible differences and can be characterised as a bit less finished. The bass may be more pronounced on some places, and backing vocals in another.
Like some British bands before them, such as Oasis, The Darkness seemed to put just as much effort into their B-sides, often making them album (or single) worthy on their own. The complete studio B-sides here are:
“The Best Of Me”, a crankin’ rocker with a southern vibe.
The aforementioned “Out of My Hands”, a lighter song with a Def Leppard vibe on the guitars. Could have been a hit in its own right. Brilliant chorus.
Concert favourite “Makin’ Out”, which has more of that AC/DC vibe that the Darkness really mined in their early days. A fan favourite for a reason.
“Physical Sex”, another riffy number with an outrageously high chorus.
The ballad “How Dare You Call This Love?” which also could have been on the album, had it been longer. The actual album had two already. A fun song though, with some lovely Lizzy-ish guitar harmonies.
“The best instrumental that AC/DC never recorded”, according to Tim Durling, is “Bareback”, one of the Darkness’ best B-sides ever…if not their best. Thankfully, this song was not just relegated to the dusky corners of the “Growing On Me” single, but received some live workouts too. More on that later.
A song about building a house, “Planning Permission”, is a bit goofy lyrically (mixing cement!), but it gets goofier still as you’ll see. Fortunately it’s a catchy, upbeat Darkness number that has all their trademark guitar and vocal accoutrements.
“Curse of the Tolland Man” is the goofiest of them all, a ghost story, and a song that gets trashed in the liner notes as awful muck, but is defended by Justin and Dan Hawkins as a favourite. The jury remains out, but they are all correct about it.
“I Love You 5 Times” is another ballad, but by this time we’re technically heading outside album territory. Forgettable, but for the strings and Justin’s silly “m-m-m-meees” stuttery vocals. It was actually the B-side to a standalone Christmas single, “Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)”, an excellent song in its own right.
This box set is so comprehensive that it even includes the two singles that were not from it.
“Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)“…don’t Google what “bell end” means in British slang. Let’s just say Justin had his tongue in cheek! Great rocker, very Lizzy, and an absolutely Darkness classic. Produced by Bob Ezrin! This track was included on some European editions of the album as a bonus.
Then we have the rarest of them all, and finally available physically for us to buy: 2004’s “Get Your Hands Off My Woman…Again“. Though it does have Frankie Poullain on bass, this song is more a part of the story for the second album, One Way Ticket. The band were experimenting with producer Roy Thomas Baker and this remake was sold digitally. It is here in both “clean” and “explicit” versions. A cleaner, sharper incarnation of the song, for better or worse! The liner notes finally explain the mystery of the added piano part: It was inspired by Ben Folds’ cover of the song, which they thought was an improvement!
CDs 3 and 4 contain three live gigs, and the balance of the B-sides from this era. “Gimme a D! Gimme an Arkness!”
The 2003 set at Knebworth is brilliant. Opening with “Growing On Me”, the band has a bizarre and comedic stage presence, but the song kicks! They are a tight band, and a beat is not missed. They play two B-sides, a manic “The Best of Me” (for dancing, says Justin) and the classic “Makin’ Out”. “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” from the Knebworth concert was previously issued on a German version of the Christmas single. I like when Justin asks the audience which version of “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” they’d like to hear, clean or dirty?
On the same disc is a set from the Astoria in 2003. Opening with a raging “Bareback”, this set is even better than the Knebworth one. What a start! Instrumentals can make a pretty killer opener! From there it’s “Black Shuck”, and a live version of “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” that was previously issued as a B-side to a rare DVD single for “Love Is Only A Feeling”. It’s notable for the strange “me-me-me” singalong thing Justin does at the end. Another thing they do in this set is something called “Buffet”, a pretty cool riff, from a part in the show that is explained in the booklet.
Best of all: The action-packed Astoria and Knebworth shows are both included on DVD inside. Watch Dan play all the guitars so Justin can do the splits! The DVD also includes all the music videos, outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage from their music videos. There’s a cute bit in the EPK (electronic press kit) explaining why Justin always asked the audience to see their thumbs. The editing on the Astoria show is absurdly fast!
CD 4 is a full-length show from 2004 at Wembley recorded on Dan’s birthday, and the last show on the tour. It’s especially cool, because the band were already road-testing new songs from One Way Ticket. Opener “Grief Hammer” was a new song that would become a B-side in 2005. It has a stuttery riff with elements of that AC/DC vibe, but the band were clearly moving beyond that pigeonhole. It takes balls to open a set at Wembley with a new song that nobody had heard before. From there they visit more familiar territory with the favourite “Givin’ Up”. A manic “Stuck In A Rut” blasts out immediately afterwards.
Other B-sides played at Wembley include the fan favourite “Makin’ Out”, “Physical Set” and that “Buffet” again! Future classics “Dinner Lady Arms” and “Seemed Like A Good Idea at the Time” are rolled out alongside the hits. “Dinner Lady Arms” is a tad harder than the soft-Leppard style of the later version, though the chorus still soars into the stratosphere. “Seemed Like Such A Good Idea at the Time” is presented without introduction, and Justin on piano with a more spare arrangement than the elaborate album version to come. This is more power ballad, and less experiment in extravagance.
As the 17 song set rolls through classics and hits, it’s clear this disc could be a standalone live album if the band choose to release it as such. Great banter, and the band were obviously having a blast on stage. At the end, there are two more surprises. One is an abbreviated cover of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid, performed solo by Justin on piano. Finally, they close the show with a bombastic “Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)”, which works brilliantly in the end slot. There is no feigning joy and surprise here. All the delight is pure and genuine.
The final ingredient you need in a box set such as this is a kickass booklet with loads of reading. Look no further, as Dan and Justin exhaustively tell the story from session to session and song to song. The stories will keep you in stitches as the band shed light on things you never knew before. Eddie Graham was the most “normal” one of the bunch, but they have survived it all, and the Darkness keep going!
We live in the age of box sets. The Darkness have risen to the occasion with, dare I say it, the perfect version of Permission To Land. Will they pull this trick again in the future with One Way Ticket? They should, because they have demonstrated an understanding of what makes a great box set. In short:
Complete collection of B-sides, even from formats as obscure as DVD single.
The rare demos and EP versions we’ve been wanting.
Non-album singles.
Even those clean versions that we normally wouldn’t try too hard to collect.
Live concerts.
Extensive liner notes.
DVD with added value and live shows.
Reasonable pricing and packaging.
5/5 stars
* One evening in 2003, I was listening to the Darkness with my girlfriend in my living room, late at night, heavily intoxicated. I suddenly jumped and said “I get it! These guys are not a joke at all! They are dead serious about what they are doing! Listen! Just listen!” It was an epiphany and I was right.
BONUS! Check out Tim and I discussing this box set and more!
“One does not simply walk into Encore. The back door is guarded by more than just books. There is music there that does not sleep, and the big speakers are ever playing. It is a rich treasure trove, riddled with finds, and vinyl and accessories; the very air you breathe is bathed in music!”
RECORD STORE TALES #1089: The Introvert Goes Out! (To Encore!)
I have so much music in the house, still sealed, unplayed, that you could argue I never need to go to a record store again.
Some of that sealed music came from Encore, during the pandemic, by mail order. I have two unopened John Norum Rock Candy remasters.
The reality of it is, I’m in an introvert who prefers staying home and ordering online, so I have to be in the right mood to go out, even record shopping. However, one of my mental health goals this winter is to get out more, and Encore Records is an obvious easy choice. Thanksgiving Sunday was cold, wet and winter-like, so we bundled up and drove to a deserted downtown Kitchener. Encore’s rear parking lot was empty.
Jen found the stairs challenging, but front or back, Encore has stairs. The challenge was met and we were greeted by old friend Al King, still slinging vinyl in downtown Kitchener, over three decades after I bought my early scores from him at Sam the Record Man.
There were plenty of new releases to decide upon, but I immediately chose the new Darkness Permission To Land…Again 20th anniversary box set. 20 years? Can it be? It has been 20 years since those bastards at the Record Store killed my soul. The Darkness was one of the few bands that got me through that era of my life. We talked about this with Al a bit. There was a bit of a one-sided rivalry with Encore and the Record Store at which I used to work, back in the early 2000s. One of our employees (that I trained on buying) left us and went to them. My understanding is that a phone call was made, a tale that they still tell today….
Anyway, the Darkness 4 CD / 1 DVD box set has all the bonus tracks, demos, B-sides, single edits, and three live gigs (on two live CDs). Very thorough. It also has all the music videos, and even the 2004 remake “Get Your Hands Off My Woman…Again” which really falls into the One Way Ticket era better.
Even when I worked at the Store, there was always more at Encore that I wanted to buy. They just got better stuff. Prove me wrong. I began to browse…
Even though this was a quick impromptu visit to pick up a new release or two, I ended up spending $200.
On the new release rack: King Kobra – We Are Warriors! Check out this lineup: Carmine Appice and Johnny Rod, original members of the band, on drums and bass. Paul Shortino of Quiet Riot and Rough Cutt on lead vocals, and still sounding strong! Carlos Cavazo of Quiet Riot and Ratt on guitar! Rowan Robertson of Dio on guitar! That’s a lineup with some pedigree folks. The album sounds good. It rocks hard and it’s heavy. The best song is the “bonus track” called “Side By Side”. Just classic all around.
Also on the Encore front rack was the new Coney Hatch, Postcards From Germany. Amazon fails again: I cancelled my “pre-order” (now weeks late) right in front of Al and bought a copy from him instead. It will be cool to hear their first new studio tracks since the Four album all those years back. Not to mention there are songs on this live album that were not played at the El Mocambo for that prior live release.
One does not simply walk into Encore. The back door is guarded by more than just books. There is music there that does not sleep, and the big speakers are ever playing. It is a rich treasure trove, riddled with finds, and vinyl and accessories; the very air you breathe is bathed in music! Al was playing some Gentle Giant that really ticked my fancy. That is a band I will need to investigate further down the road. I found the musicianship challenging and strangely appealing.
I didn’t buy anything on vinyl, though Encore had a good chunk of the Kiss studio albums that I still need to add to my vinyl collection. Vinyl is so expensive these days. $36 for albums I used to buy for $10. Especially considering I’m not going to play the record very often, and I already have the music many times over. However, when I want them, Animalize, Asylum, Rock and Roll Over and the self-titled debut are all awaiting me. There were also quite a few in the Arkells vinyl section that called my name.
The used CDs offered many temptations. I could have filled up on Saga. Frank Zappa beckoned me over, but I started in the A section and made my first questionable buy. Why, after 25 years, am I finally buying Aerosmith’s Geffen-centric live album A Little South of Sanity? Because I can’t justify spending $150 on the Japanese Greatest Hits with three exclusive live discs, and not patch up these glaring holes in my live Aerosmith collection. I’ve played A Little South of Sanity a number of times at the Store when it was new, and I know I don’t like it. Too many backing tapes. You can hear two or three Tylers singing together at once. Jen hears it too. I’ll probably play this once for review, and never again. Collecting!!
In the “G” section, I decided to finally start my Glass Tiger collection. I wanted Diamond Sun on vinyl initially, but when CDs are right there for eight bucks, you can’t say no. Diamond Sun is a wonderful album, I discovered, with a couple serious deep cuts such as the epic “It’s Love U Feel”. Impressive musicianship, and a tad on the progressive side at times, even though this is ultimately a pop rock band. I also picked up the compilation CD Then Now Next. This includes a variety of single versions, unreleased songs and new stuff including a Beatles cover!
Over in Journey, I found the remastered version of Steve Perry’s 1994 solo album For the Love of Strange Medicine. All these years, I’ve never played this album. I’m sure it’ll be mellow, even though he has members of Winger and Hardline in his band. In the liner notes, Perry is very bitter about his treatment by record label executives. The remaster has five bonus tracks (some of which were on Greatest Hits + 5 Unreleased), two of which are exclusives.
I also snagged a CD that I thought I needed, that I didn’t, that I will gift to a friend.
The winter season is often commenced by Thanksgiving. I would consider this a good start. We plan to see more of Encore this season. I look forward to it, in fact, which is not something I usually say about going out in the winter time.
Moderation, though. Moderation. Need to absorb all this new music, which will take time! Until next time…
Three years ago, we lost Edward Van Halen, and we are still mourning him today.
Fortunately, on this same day comes the new Van Halen – Hagar years remastered box set. John T. Snow has a copy and showed it on the show. I also brought out all my Van Halen CD rarities. My cassettes and vinyl were seen on prior shows of Grab A Stack of Rock and LeBrain Train respectively.
John also presented a recent singles box set by Ace Frehley, A Candlebox box (ha-ha), some Rock Candy Night Ranger reissues, and the new Darkness Permission to Land set!
Harrison the Mad Metal Man showed us a Maiden / Blaze Bayley bootleg CD, some books, some Deep Purple, and…José Feliciano!? Breaking new ground on Grab A Stack of Rock!
Rob (Visions in Sound) had some interesting soundtracks from theme parks, and an obscure Humphrey Bogart film. He also had a stunning 2 CD reissue of John Williams’ Superman score.
The mighty Tim Durling (Unspooled: An Adventure in 8 Tracks) had some picture sleeve 7″ singles that were quite lovely. He also had some books to show, and some Ritchie Blackmore-related CDs that he says are for an upcoming project he’s working on. Hmmm…
A super fun show. Be sure to tune in next week when we do our Top 5 Songs About Monsters! See ya!
This was a lot of fun. If you missed it, you can catch up below. Grant and I discussed Hot Leg and the Stone Gods – the two bands that emerged from the Darkness split in 2005-2006. Grant had a favourite of the two, as did I. Can you guess who picked what?
A month ago, Grant Arthur and I spent an hour talking about the Darkness. In another month, we’ll talk about Hot Leg, Stone Gods and British Whale!
One of the songs/videos that came up in our chat was their epic rocking “Last Of Our Kind”, certainly one of the best songs in their repertoire. What a striking video, and their first with drummer Rufus Tiger Taylor. Emily Dolan Davies played on the record and in the first video for “Open Fire” but left to be replaced by Taylor. He found his own way to stand out visually, as you’ll see.
It’s unusual but not unheard of for bands to recruit their fans as extras. But nobody did it like the Darkness. This video is a hoot, and there’s one somewhat bulky man in a Darkness shirt who hams it up and steals the show.
I have a a couple favourite parts in this video:
0:38 – Mystical Frankie 1:13 – Spinny spinny! 1:34 – 1:38 – “Then there were none”
The whole video is brilliant and we really need to give a shout out to Justin Hawkins for his dancing. The man can move. He can sing, he can play, and he can move! If he wasn’t so damned ugly they’d be the biggest band in the world.
mikeladano.com 
