Tim’s Vinyl Confessions

#1092: Grab A Stack of Rock (Recap 4)

RECORD STORE TALES #1092: Grab A Stack of Rock (Recap 4)
A recap of all our shows to date as we gear up for the first anniversary

Recap 1:  Episodes 1-10
Recap 2:  Episodes 11-20
Recap 3:  Episodes 21-30

Show #31, Aug 11 2023, featured another Nigel Tufnel Top Ten list!  Harrison said to me, “I think we need to get Rob Daniels back on.”  Rob said “OK!  How about TV Show Themes?”  With Harrison and Rob, we counted down our Top 11 Themes.  List shows are proven to be popular, but this one was really cool.  Jex Russell sent in his own list to read, and we had minimal crossover.  You’ll be shocked to learn that Star Trek ranked high on my list.  For “Ask Harrison”, we featured the debut of musician Jazz King asking the question!

This was a very busy period, and I had no choice to take some time off the show so I could do some other significant collaborations.

For Tim’s Vinyl Confessions, we premiered a previously-recorded special on Flash Gordon with Jex Russell and Rob Daniels!  For Grant’s Rock Warehaus, I was honoured be Martin Popoff’s replacement on his Helix special, covering the years 1990 to 2003.  I also returned on Peter Kerr’s Rock Daydream Nation for a discussion on Coverdale-Page.  This was my first time working with John Clauser, who figures into the story later on.

Show #32, Sept 1 2023, allowed me to bring on Rock Daydream Nation’s Peter Kerr for the first time.  Also for the first time:  two Australians in one show!  The topic, chosen by Harrison, was What Bonus Tracks Should Have Been on the Album?  A very popular list show, this one also had Jex Russell on board.  Peter shared the link far and wide which helped with the views.  I personally think it’s one of the best lists we’ve ever done.  Lots of love for Black Sabbath here.  We also unboxed the second edition of Tim Durling’s book, Unspooled!  You can get yours on Amazon right now.

Show #33, Sept 8 2023, was another personal favourite.  It took place on the cottage porch on a beautiful afternoon, with Jex Russell!  The subject this time, in honour of Durling’s second edition, was music books!  I hauled up to the lake a huge box of my music books, hardcover and softcover alike, signed and unsigned:  Sean Kelly, Martin Popoff, Michael D. LeFevre, Robert Lawson, Dale Sherman, Neil Peart, Aaron Lebold, and so many more!  Jex didn’t have any of his books on hand, so instead we ran an old video from his YouTube channel CineBrosSupreme featuring his collection.

Show #34, Sept 15 2023, featured a first-timer!  All the way from Ramsgate UK came interviewer and soundtrack specialist Jason Drury!  I’ve been trying to work with Jason on a live show for over three years, but the time zones made that difficult.  Finally, he was back in Canada and we got him on board with his friends Rob Daniels and Erik Woods.  For Erik, it was his first time on the new show as well!  Harrison joined us for a fun discussion about Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and more.  Jason provided his Nigel Tufnel Top Ten Star Wars movies (basically ranking them all in order) to go with the lists that the rest of us did in 2022.  It was wonderful to finally get to chat with Jason in real time. Another very popular show.

At this point, my hair was getting unruly.  I hadn’t cut it since March and it was time.  Therefore, I planned a stunt.  A repeat stunt albeit, but a stunt indeed:  I shaved my head live on the show!

Show #35, Sept 22 2023, came as a surprise to Kevin the Mars Man who was not informed in advance of my shenanigans!  All he knew was that we were doing another list show:  Top Five Bald Artists! Harrison couldn’t attend this afternoon cottage show, but I honoured him by putting Blaze Bayley at the very top of my list. Kevin and Jex also brought awesome lists. Importantly, we spotlighted the courage it takes for an artist to go bald publicly, like Joe Lynn Turner did.

Show #36, Sept 29 2023, was a night off for me!  I relaxed at the cottage while Jex and Harrison went “LeBrainless” again!  Harrison wanted to get the show “back to basics”.  Grabbing and showing off stacks of rock!  I popped on at the very end to show off my Aerosmith Greatest Hits 6 CD set from Japan, which took a healthy critiquing.  Jex and Harrison showed off some Twisted Sister, Paul Di’Anno, Alice Cooper, Concrete Blonde, Slade, Judas Priest and a batch of DVDs.  A lot of interesting items in this stack of rock.

Show #37, October 6 2023, was largely in honour of Eddie Van Halen who we lost three years prior to the day.  John Snow had his new Hagar Years box set on hand.  Tim Durling and Rob Daniels also joined Harrison and I, with rare books, 7″ picture sleeves, rare soundtracks, and…José Feliciano!?  You never know what you will see on Grab A Stack of Rock!

Show #38, Oct 13 2023, was a special one to commemorate Friday the 13th!  Harrison, Rob and I were joined by Peter Kerr for our Top Five Songs about Monsters.  We chose actual classic monsters, and some metaphorical monsters as well.  Jex Russell had a written list, as did John Snow. Greed, addiction, werewolves, space aliens and more! We hope you like our choices. We tried to go outside the box and bring you songs you might not have thought of yourself, though Ozzy and Alice were expected and did appear!

Show #39, Oct 21 2023, was the third LeBrainless episode, at a special time.  Jex had spent the day with Tim Durling at a Record Faire.  Meanwhile, Harrison had recently attended a record show too.  On a Saturday night, with Aaron “Mr. Books” on hand, the pair showed off some of their recent finds.  There was some cool stuff here, on CD, cassette, DVD and vinyl.  I came on at the very end to unbox the new Sven Gali Bombs and Battlescars, and a disc by Toronto’s Evil Elvis!  A fun way to finish off the last cottage weekend of the season

 

…And that’s it for recapping, as we look towards the future.  We have lots planned, and no intention to quit this time.

Our one-year anniversary happens to coincide with Show #40, October 27 2023.  One year before (on the 28th, to be exact) I was feeling the itch to go live once again, and so I messaged Harrison that morning.  “Are you free if we decide to go live tonight?”  We didn’t have a name, a theme song, or a plan.  Grab A Stack of Rock was born.  Despite the highs and lows of 2022-2023, it was a bright spot of our week for the last year.  I can’t wait to see what another year will bring.

We started out as a casual gathering, to show off our music collections.  It’s currently more than that, with lists and special guests once again.  In fact this week we’ll have a new one who has never been on the show before, John Clauser from My Music Corner!  Tim Durling, Peter Kerr, Rob Daniels and Harrison will also be back.

Because it’s one year, we’re doing Top Songs About the Number One.

Thanks for Grabbing a Stack of Rock.  Hope to see you celebrating with us!

 

#1092: Grab A Stack of Rock (Recap 3)

RECORD STORE TALES #1092: Grab A Stack of Rock (Recap 3)
A recap of all our shows to date as we gear up for the first anniversary

Recap 1:  Episodes 1-10
Recap 2:  Episodes 11-20

Show #21, May 26 2023 was chock full of guests!  I had more scores from Max the Axe’s Trillion Dollar Treats to show.  John Snow, Tim Durling, Harrison Kopp, Jex Russell, and Dr. Kathryn (via video) all had new stuff, including brand new releases and rarities. This was a cottage show once again, and plenty fun one at that.

Show #22, June 2, 2023, was one we did for ourselves.  My wife Jen has found Lego to be helpful in her healing, and so we have started to buy Lego again.  With that in mind, Harrison, Rob and Dr. Kathryn came on board to show off Lego and toys.  Jen returned as well, with her Spice Girls Lego set!  Dr. Kathryn revealed the secret to identifying Lego blind minifigure packs, though this is now obsolete due to Lego transitioning to boxes.  This show was tremendous fun despite the limited appeal.

Show #23, June 9, 2023 happened at the cottage!  For that reason, my co-host Jex and I decided to do a special list show.  After many comments and requests, the Nigel Tufnel Top Ten lists were back.  With Rob Daniels sending in a list via email, Jex and I counted down the Top 11 Albums to Play at the Cottage! Jex debuted his new moustache for this episode, giving Harrison a run for his money.  “We’re back, baby!” I announced.  This popular show proved that lists were still a viable way to go forward, and they would be critical for the rest of the year.

Show #24, June 16 2023, almost never happened.  Jen had a bad seizure and face-planted on the sidewalk.  Her entire face was black and blue (and not like the rock band).  “The show must go on,” she insisted, and so it did.  A huge thank-you to Aaron and Harrison for carrying the show that night.  Jex Russell did a brief cameo to show off some rarities, but otherwise the topic was one of our most popular historically:  Iron Maiden!  We looked at rarities, vinyl, bootleg CDs, beer and menus!

Jen needed some time to recover.  Her face was a total mess.  The community came together with support and eventually her beautiful face returned to its normal colour.  No broken bones.

Show #25, June 23 2023, was another very special one with a brand new guest.  I wanted to talk about my new favourite band, the Arkells!  What’s an Arkell?  Watch this show and find out.  Live from the cottage, Aaron and I were joined by megafan Nurse Kat.  She saw the band in four different countries 13 times in just 18 months, and has since added many more concerts to her resume. I provided a Nigel Tufnel Top Ten Arkells tracks list. With Kat’s concert footage and fan photos, this was a night to remember.

Show #26, June 24 2023, was the second show in one weekend!  A morning show at that!  Jex Russell joined me to look at a giant box of cassettes that I found in my parents’ basement.  This turned out to be a popular one with the physical media crowd. Inside that box were a number of store-bought cassettes, and ones that I had recorded with home made cover art.  It was a real trip of discovery, and only one cassette was destroyed in the process.

For laughs, we parodied a former cast member at the start of the show.  All in good fun.  Strippers are people too.

Show #27, June 30 2023, we celebrated Canada Day at the cottage with Jex, one day early.  We chose our Nigel Tufnel Top Ten Canadian bands that are little-known outside of Canada.  This turned out to be the most popular non-heels episode we’ve ever done. It is certainly an episode that I am very proud of. The Spoons, Varga, Teenage Head, National Velvet, the Beaches, Kick Axe, and more. This is a show you definitely want to catch up on if you missed it the first time. I even created a graph for it.

After that much activity, I took another break on July 7, but only to gear up for another busy week!  I had a taping with Tim’s Vinyl Confessions on the 8th, with Rob and Jex.  On July 13, I did a show with Grant Arthur on the Stone Gods and Hot Leg for Grant’s Rock Warehaus.

Show #28, July 14 2023, was a brand new thing for me and something I had been wanting to do a long time.  For the first time ever, Harrison was host as I took the night off for the first “LeBrainless” episode!  Harrison and Jex Russell tacked their Top Five Alice Cooper albums, a well-overdue list show.  They did a great job without me, and it was a joy for me to just watch Grab A Stack of Rock for a change instead of hosting it.

Show #29, July 21 2023, was back at the cottage!  We had Tim Durling, Grant Arthur, and Aaron KMA on hand to celebrate the birthdays of Harrison and Mike.  I showed off my massive birthday hauls and recent arrivals. I also ran a fun slideshow of old birthday party photos from the 70s to the 90s.  This was the first birthday show since 2021, since by this time in 2022 I had quit live streaming.  A wonderful way to have a birthday party with friends far away.  Tim Durling played guitar for us!  We also unsealed the new Grab A Stack of Rock 7″ picture disc by Tee Bone Erickson, from vinylart.co.  Tee Bone’s first ever music on vinyl!

I took Friday July 28th off to do a super-secret taping with Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation.  This ended up to be our “rock court” episode on Vinnie Vincent, with Reed Little as judge.  A very rewarding show that led to more tapings in the coming months!

I wanted to do something special for Show #30, which I called “The Dumbest Thing You Will See on YouTube.”  Why?

Show #30, Aug 4 2023, featured me breaking the seal for the first time on my Metallica Master of Puppets box set, purchased four years earlier and still sealed. This was something I wanted to do on camera, because it’s not every day that some idiot unseals a box set that goes for up to $1600 online.  We also looked at new arrivals in stickers, vinyl, and Alice Cooper deluxe CDs.  Max the Axe attempted to drop in, but was thwarted by technical issues.  We’ll try again one day.  Perhaps the coolest thing about this episode was showing the brand new Paul Shortino cameo for Grab A Stack!

To be continued…

#1092: Grab A Stack of Rock (Recap 2)

RECORD STORE TALES #1092: Grab A Stack of Rock (Recap 2)
A recap of all our shows to date as we gear up for the first anniversary

It has been a heck of a year…but it has been a year already!  Grab A Stack of Rock debuted with no name, on October 28, 2022.  It was an impromptu decision to go live, and fortunately Harrison and Uncle Meat were on board.  This week, we are celebrating one year of Grab A Stack, with a special list show and special guests.  More on that later.

We recapped the first ten shows earlier this year, but let’s look back at everything since!

Coming off the biggest show we ever did, Show #10, which has over 1200 views currently, we decided to get nerdy next!

Show #11, Jan 13 2023, saw Rob Daniels, Tim Durling, and Kevin “Buried On Mars” Simister beamed down with Harrison and I to talk Star Trek!  It was Kevin’s first time with the new format, and he really brought the Trek. Tim and I were both in uniform, and Harrison had some cool MAD Magazines to show. This was a really fun episode to do, even though that uniform isn’t very comfortable!  Soundtracks, books, action figures and much more were shown!

Show #12, Jan 20 2023 was the debut of Dr. Kathryn, and what a debut it was!  This was a Karate Kid / Cobra Kai talk, with Rob Daniels and Harrison Kopp.  Dr. Kathryn blew everyone away with her expertise on the subject, while showing off some cool stuff including a video from actor Sean Kanan.  The stories that night were absolutely incredible.  Any fan of Cobra Kai needs to check out this chat!

Show #13, Jan 27 2023 was a brainchild of Tim Durling:  Reissue record labels!  You know that Tim is a format head, and one of his passions is comparing different printings of albums.  Many record labels make their fortunes on reissues.  Rock Candy, La-La-Land, Sony Legacy, and so on.  We took a good look at some cool things from our collections.  Rob Daniels and Harrison Kopp were on hand once again!

Show #14, Feb 3 2023 was MarriedandHeels episode 2.

I took a couple weeks off, but did some informal mini-episodes (un-numbered) while I rested and recuperated after several weeks without a break.

Feb 11 2023 featuring the debut of Jen on Grab A Stack of Rock!  I wanted to get her more involved within her abilities.  She can’t look at a screen for very long without feeling some effects from it.  In this short episode, we unboxed my Marvel Legends T’Challa (Black Panther) figure, just for fun.  Jen was a natural! This was a test stream to see how it would work with two of us on one computer, and it worked great!

Feb 19 2023 was another fun mini-episode.  I had just received the excellent cassette, Landings, by Grace Scheele.  An instrumental concept cassette (cassette!) about the moon landing, Grace hand-packaged each one in aluminium foil.  I had to unbox it live, and I had to have her on hand when I did it.  Thanks for coming to hang with me, Grace!  People, check out this episode and see what love and care looks like when it goes into a physical product.

Show #15, Feb 24 2023 was monumentally important, for it featured a new guest that would have a huge impact on Grab A Stack of Rock.  This was the foreshadowing of a new era, because Jex Russell (or the “Friendly Frenchman” as I called him back then) came on board for the first time.  Nice to meet ya!  We had John T. Snow back on, for the first time since 2022.  Tim and Harrison also returned for this musical gathering of fans.

Show #16, March 3 2023 was MarriedandHeels episode 3, with Harrison Kopp.

March 10…now, that was a night.  I had my guests lined up.  Jex and Harrison were coming back to do a test stream.  Streamyard added a new feature, allowing guests to stream the show to their own social media.  About 30 minutes before showtime, I barfed.  10 minutes later, I barfed again and cancelled the show!  I barfed seven more times that night and drank about four large things of Gatorade.

Show #16.5, March 24 2023, was not an official episode.  We did the test stream, successfully!  John Snow, Rob Daniels, Jex Russell and MarriedandHeels joined in.  We unboxed some Japanese imports, and we covered Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Kiss, Star Wars, and more.  Most importantly, we successfully streamed to the guys’ Facebook pages for the first time.

March 31 was a week off.  Why?  Because apparently when we went live on March 24, I had Covid!  You certainly could not tell!  Watch that episode and tell me if I look like a guy with Covid.  The following morning, I felt tired and scratchy, so I tested myself.  Yep:  positive!  While I never really got sick (just tired), Jen sure got it bad.  I was negative the following week, and back at work.

Show #17, April 7 2023, was the final MarriedandHeels episode, with Jex Russell.

Though her shows were excellent for views, I didn’t pick up new readers or viewers.  It was a failed experiment, like putting a big round peg in a little square hole.  At least I tried.

I took April 14 off so I could do an excellent discussion on the Neurotic Outsiders, with Grant Arthur, on his show Grant’s Rock Warehouse.  We also opened the cottage that weekend, meaning the first ever front porch shows on Grab A Stack of Rock were about to happen!  Following this, we took April 21 off.

Show #18, April 28 2023 was the cottage show I had been waiting all year to do!  It was another simple one:  new arrivals.  Kevin the Mars Man was back, as was John T. Snow and Harrison Kopp.  Thankfully those guys carried the show, because I was checked out that night.  And everything came to a head the following Friday.

Show #19, May 5 2023, was supposed to be Metallica with Kevin, Tim and Harrison.  I was going to show off my Black box, but the show was cancelled last minute when drama finally exploded into its inevitable conclusion.  The “heels era” was over, and we were about to get serious about music.

Show #19, May 12 2023, was the first of the new era!  New life was breathed into the show on this day.  My planned co-host (see above) crapped out and didn’t show up, but thankfully Jex Russell did!  I also invited Grace Scheele back on, because we did a demo of her cassette!  I had a whole box full of treasures that I picked up from Max the Axe’s garage sale, including a Kenwood tape deck.  Grace’s cassette sounded awesome on it.  Additionally, this was a test of a new time slot:  3:00 PM on Friday afternoons in the summer.  To my utter disbelief, views were high!  The show went on for two whole hours, as I spun classic Max the Axe videos.  It was a fantastic show, and the time slot worked.  I was worried I could not get enough viewers on Friday afternoons.  I was wrong…very gladly wrong!  From this point forward, most cottage shows would be in the afternoon, and Jex would co-host them.  I called it the “no more heels tour of 2023”, and it was off to a hell of a start.  We even had a chipmunk sighting on camera!

May 17, 2023 happened when I received the new Van Halen Right here, right now live album on vinyl.  I had taken the afternoon off work, and I thought, why not go live?  Dare I say why not?  It was a mini-episode unboxing, and it too was a success despite the fact that most of you should have been working!

Show #20, May 19 2023, was another first for the show:  our first star interview!  Spencer “Spenny” Rice of Kenny Vs. Spenny fame agreed to talk wresting, and talk we did!  Co-host Marco D’Auria really rocked this one, with his encyclopedic knowledge of so many eras of wresting.  Spenny may have been the star, but Marco was the star!   All I could do was sit back and enjoy!  Thank you Spencer Rice for doing this, and thank you Marco for killing it.  It was an honour for me to share the screen with you.

 

 

To be continued…

Grant’s Rock Warehaus: Helix – Part Three: Rock It Science w/Tim Durling & Mike Ladano

And finally we come to the present of the Helix saga, currently right up to the “Brother From A Different Mother” single. Thank you Grant for allowing us to bring the world up to speed on Helix. The Trailer Park Boys had a huge impact at this time, and though Helix suffered numerous lineup changes in this period, they also had some triumphant reunions with classic Capitol era members. It also featured some successful collaborations with Sean Kelly among others.

Please enjoy the third and final Helix special on Grant’s Rock Warehaus!

Part two can be found here

GALLERY: Nine 8-tracks from Tim, a Guess Who book from Robert, and a bunch of stickers!

On Friday night, I unboxed some parcels, but didn’t take a super close look at the contents.  Today, we are!

From TeePublic, some stickers supporting some friends:

From author Robert Lawson, a harcopy of his acclaimed Guess Who book Wheatfield Soul:

And from the Durling Foundation, a huge box full of 8-track tapes.  Not a bad haul here!  In order, they are:

 

  1. ZZ Top – Tejas
  2. Kansas – Point of Know Return
  3. Eagles – The Long Run
  4. MECO – Star Wars Galactic Funk (yes, the legendary disco album!)
  5. Journey – Departure
  6. The Cars – The Cars
  7. Alice Cooper – Lace and Whiskey
  8. Bad Company – Bad Company
  9. Foreigner – Head Games

I never thought I would have an 8-track collection, but here we are.

Thank you, friends!

Tim’s Vinyl Confessions: Tim and John the Music Nut get Mike on the Y&T train!

Today Tim’s dropping a special episode of Tim’s Vinyl Confessions:  Getting me into Y&T!  We were joined by John the Music Nut, and they did some gentle arm twisting.  Check out that episode on TVC today.

On my channel, you can watch the unboxing. These are some sweet discs! Have a look for yourself.

Rock Daydream Nation: Coverdale Page – Is this Led Snake?

This is what we were up to Friday night, hence no episode of Grab A Stack of Rock.  Worth it!  I had a great time on Rock Daydream Nation with Peter Kerr, Tim Durling, John Clauser, and Reed Little.

This time we took a fairly deep dive into Coverdale-Page, the 1993 album and project featuring Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and David Coverdale of Whitesnake.  We discussed the history, the rumours, the tour, the performances, and of course the songs.  Was it more Led than Snake, or vice versa?  What were our first impressions when we heard Page and Coverdale were teaming up?  What songs would we choose to spotlight?

We also spent a moment honouring the fallen Bernie Marsden (Whitesnake).  Rest in peace, Bernie.

All this and more.  Hope you like it.

No Show Tonight: Taping with Rock Daydream Nation!

Did you enjoy the Vinnie Vincent Invasion episode we did with Peter Kerr on Rock Daydream Nation?  If so, you’ll be happy that I’m recording with him again tonight!  Yes it’s true…I get around the YouTube like the town bicycle.

I’m thrilled to be joining another Rock Daydream Nation show about another super-secret topic, this time with a serious cast of characters!  Tim Durling, John Clauser, Reed Little and I will be alongside Peter to discuss one of the most talked-about albums of the early 90s.  A personal favourite.  In fact, Deke and I interviewed the co-producer several years ago, on the LeBrain Train.

I’ve narrowed it down for you…now it’s time to guess!

Mike Fraser takes us inside the recording studio on an epic LeBrain Train

Another reason I’m excited is that this is my first official show with John Clauser, who I like very much and have been looking for a chance to work with.  Can’t wait to chat, John!  Check out John Clauser at My Music Corner on Youtube.  This outta be good.

REVIEW: Night Ranger – High Road (2014)

NIGHT RANGER – High Road (2014 Icarus Music)

This is the second of three Night Ranger albums given to me by Tim Durling, and the second I have reviewed “live” with him. It is also the second, and last album to feature Joel Hoekstra on guitar who was soon off to join Whitesnake, where he remains today.

The title track “High Road” opens with some highbrow keyboards and an immediate melody. There’s a nu-country vibe to the chorus, but Jack Blades keeps it in rock territory. Tim Durling says he hears Damn Yankees, and I get that too, but I do hear that twang. “No the **** you don’t,” says Tim. The Gillis guitar solo is absolutely mental, tickling all my fancies. Great song…even if I’m hearing something that isn’t there. Sounds like summer to me.

Per Tim: “Here’s the problem with “new country” – most of it is just 80s rock with a slight twang – therefore, when a band like Night Ranger that legit came from the 80s makes new music, and it’s not super heavy, it could easily slide into that…and I HATE THIS!” Me too buddy, and that’s probably what I’m hearing.

The opening guitar of “Knock Knock Never Stop” recalls “Poundcake”, but this track could have worked on a certain 1983 by a British band from Sheffield…perhaps it already did! That’s the ballpark we’re in. It’s a popular place. Heavier guitars roll in on the groover “Rollin’ On” which sounds like a Morse/Airey-era Deep Purple classic. Not a sound you hear often, so bring it on.

“Don’t Live Here Anymore” is the first slower tune, but it’s got blues in the vocal and passion in the soul. Amazing vocal, just right in the pocket with grit and heart. Perhaps there’s a Whitesnake vibe here. Coverdale could easily “coverversion” this song. Then suddenly it picks up, and we’re in a Rainbow riff, kicking asses and scorching minds. This wouldn’t be a ballad, but an epic — because suddenly here are the angelic Night Ranger harmonies. If that wasn’t enough…it’s solo time! Epic, just epic, in arrangement, performance, production, mix…head to toe epic. The centerpiece.

A fun guitar riff opens “I’m Coming Home”, and I’m getting light progressive vibes overall. This track rocks in an 80s way, but not simple or straightforward. There’s tension, release, and pounding melodies. Midway, Jack throws down a neat bassline, right before a ripping solo tears your head off.

“X Generation” continues the hammering vibes, but in a modern context. It’s the first song that is failing to connect. Nothing bad about it, just didn’t have the same impact as the previous five tunes. Sounds like a number of bands from the Night Ranger era, making it work in the 2000s. Skid Row with Sollinger on lead vocals, perhaps.

“Only For You Only” is a lovely piano ballad with Jack singing, something akin to what some people expect from Night Ranger. These guys can really sing and that’s what sells it. For some steam, check “Hang On”! Slow and grooving with keyboard accents and a chugging bass, this song is boiling hot. Killer tune, delivering the heaviness without having to go full bore. Solos that burn. Awesome sauce.

Then, the spirit of Eddie Van Halen comes to the house on the intro to “St. Bartholomew”, an absolutely scorching song, at Fahrenheit 451. Once again, the vocals make it uniquely Night Ranger. Other bands may attempt songs of this nature, but few have the combination of chops and vocals that Night Ranger has. Unique dual solo here too with Brad and Joel Hoekstra trading licks.

The “standard” track list shows 10 songs, with “Brothers” being an acoustic closer. Definite Shaw-Blades vibes here. Hippies singing in a field, with a guy playing an electric guitar with the sun blazing behind him…that’s what I see. As per Tim, “and anyone stepping within twenty feet of any of them gets a huge contact high.” They were definitely spinning “Hey Jude” before they wrote this ending.

Then we have the two “bonus tracks”, though we don’t know why! They do sound separate from the album because “Brothers” is an ideal closer. “L.A. No Name” is an acoustic workout, with the two guitarists playing a beautiful classical and Spanish influenced number that could have been a textbook workout for expert students! This is not lightweight, not by any stretch.

The last song is bonus track “Mountain Song” which really shows off Jack’s creativity as a writer of basslines. It has an “Eye of the Tiger” vibe, but far heavier and punchier. Tim: “It’s similar to “Halfway to the Sun” from 1988’s overlooked Man in Motion album.”

A solid 4/5 stars. The first “side” is stronger, but there’s nothing to skip.

Grant’s Rock Warehaus: Helix – Part Two: Back for Another Taste w/Tim Durling & Mike Ladano

Here’s one of the super-secret tapings I’ve been talking about! Helix – Part One was the Capitol Years with Martin Popoff and Tim Durling.  I twisted Grant’s arm and talked him into covering the rest of the Helix story.  In Part Two, Tim and I joined Grant to discuss everything Helix from Over 60 Minutes With… to Live in Buffalo.  There’s a lot of story there, from Paul Hackman’s unfortunate death to the lineup changes that followed.  Some great music too:  Back For Another Taste, It’s A Business Doing Pleasure, Half-ALIVE and B-Sides being some of the highlights we discussed.

In Part Three we’ll finish the story, going from Rocking In My Outer Space to “Brother From Another Mother”.  We will also discuss the first two Helix albums in detail since some killer reissues fall in these years.

Gimme an R and check out Grant’s Rock Warehaus!