In regards to this YouTube short, @MatChew75 posted the strange run-on sentences below, and then deleted his comment (after sobering up?) a few hours later.
It’s hard to read, so I understand if you just comment “Sir, this is a Wendy’s” and just move on.
RECORD STORE TALES #1170: The Smaller the Better – Christmas 2024
2024 was one of our smallest Christmas gatherings, both in budget and in population, but it was certainly one of my happiest.
Sometimes everything just feels right, and this year’s Christmas Eve was held back at the old family home once again. It was the first Christmas Eve there in over a decade, but that’s my happy place at Christmas. A place I can feel comfortable. After all, it was my home for 29 years. I settled in with my dad and watched Superman the Movie while Jen made cookies. We awaited the arrival of my mom, Dr. Kathryn, and a few dogs.
Jen knit custom gifts for the dogs (shawls, mittens and hats). She also knit custom shawls for the ladies, and toques for the men. I love mine.
As an introvert, I do well in small groups. Dinner was the traditional beef fondue (or chicken or schnitzel), with bonus vegan options. I brought over some special flavoured salts and hot sauces to sample.
We did that Christmas “white elephant” game, or whatever you want to call it. The “$10 gift game” is another name for it. Initially, I won this cool set of chocolate “coffee bombs”. I made it very clear how happy I was with it, and that I intended to make myself a coffee as soon as I got home. I spotted one with little marshmallows and relished the idea of it. Then my mom went next and stole it. I stole it back when I had the chance, and then she stole it again at first opportunity. The funny coda to this story is that after Jen and I got home, we put on a “Best of Saturday Night Live” show and there was a sketch featuring the exact same game. One character was complaining that it was a mean-spirited game, because he had received the perfect gift for himself, and someone stole it. I called my mom to laugh about that. The story doesn’t end there.
Christmas day featured some sleeping in and some Marvel What If? on Disney+. SPOILER this episode featured a Kiss song as an integral part of the story, and even had a line of dialogue from Howard the Duck explaining that the song was written by Kiss in 1979.
I won the $25 Amazon gift card at the “Christmas pickle” game. I wasn’t even going to participate, but after seeing Jen and Dr. Kathryn getting nowhere, I entered the fray. I quickly boxed Dr. Kathryn into a corner, where she was unable to see the front of the tree, where my mom had announced the pickle to be. Once spotted, I used the pickle to order the new Van Halen For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge box set. It’ll be here Saturday.
There were some really cool items in my grab bag this Christmas.
I had hoped someone would get me Brothers by Alex Van Halen, and Dr. Kathryn came to the rescue there. It’s a beautiful looking book, and emotional too from what I have read while skipping through.
Bubbles from the Trailer Park Boys has a new album out with standards new and old: Longhauler: The Best of Bubbles and the Shitrockers. If you need to ask, don’t. I was surprised that the album was produced and engineered by Eddie Kramer!
Queen’s A Night at the Odeon (1975) is another album that came highly recommended. I wishlisted it and it magically appeared in my stocking thanks to my parents. It looks like a winner.
Finally, some anniversary editions from Jen: Judas Priest’s Rocka Rolla, and Twisted Sister’s Stay Hungry. Rocka Rolla is probably the best album remix I have heard in my life. Tom Allom pretty much just made the album sound like itself, but beefier. As if you had always heard it distant and muffled, and now you can hear it fully for the first time. As if you just got a new stereo and are hearing this music properly for the first time. As for Twisted, I find it funny that I already own the 30th anniversary edition, with a very different set of bonus music.
Of interest: this is probably the 3rd time I have received Rocka Rolla for Christmas. It is my 2nd for Stay Hungry at Christmas time.
As usual, I received some treats and games, including two more editions of Uno to play at the cottage this summer. My mom got me some Trailer Park Boys pickle flavoured chips, and who knew that such a thing existed?
As for my mom, she used to do this thing when we were kids, where she would take a larger box of candy and split it up into smaller gifts that could fit into stockings. She did that for me this year…with her chocolate coffee bombs that she got the night before. She gave me one of each flavour, since I had called about the Saturday Night Live sketch. Thanks mom. You win this time.
Hope everyone had as merry a Christmas as we did!
Buy Red On Black: The Listener’s Guide to Sammy Hagar at this link.
A big thank-you to my co-host Jex Russell and special guest Tim Durling for this informative, fun and funny look at the career of Sammy Hagar. The show was also about this new book that Tim has out about the Red Rocker.
OK, sure, the show went off the rails from time to time, but there were plenty of highlights:
Enjoy the show!
Show notes:
How do you go about asking Greg Renoff to write a forward. Just “Hey Greg…”?
Thanks for the shout out about the “late tax”.
Do you think Roth still listens to Montrose?
Have you ever heard “Sammy Hagar Weekend” by Thelonious Monster?
Regarding the “contractual obligation album”, there was a lot of information here that I was not aware of before, such as that note inside 5150 that says “Sammy’s solo albums can be found on Geffen records.” When you first notice that?
Capital Special Markets – were these only serviced to certain kinds of stores?
THE QUIZ:
Who engineered Chickenfoot III? – Mike Fraser
What is the name of the alien race that Sammy believes abducted him, and inspired many of his lyrics? – The Nine
Did the Sam & Dave actually happen, or was it just a Mandela Effect?
“One of the best shows I have EVER been a part of!” – Mike
“It’s definitely a top shelf RDN show for sure!” – Peter
The pleasure is always mine when I get to be a part of Rock Daydream Nation. I absolutely love Peter’s show; it challenges us and it entertains you. This was a relatively easy show for me. All I had to do was listen to Van Halen all week, and pick my favourite and least favourite songs from the Roth albums. That’s it! Beats workin’!
Tim Durling joined us for this amazing showcase of tunes, with some surprises. What was clear is this: least favourites are all but irrelevant. They’re all favourites to different degrees! I learned that I tend to gravitate to the more melodic side of Van Halen. Meanwhile, Peter was able to glean some meaning behind some of Roth’s lyrics.
Top shelf RDN is right. Top Jimmy would be proud.
RECORD STORE TALES #1159: A Mighty Wind & A Million Vacations
As fall starts to take hold, I need to be mindful. Mindful of dark thoughts and feelings. And so, on Friday night when we departed for the lake, I focused. The music must be bright, for it will be dark out soon. We must keep the spirits up, for it is that time of year again. By this time in 2022, I was already suffering from my seasonal disorder. In 2024, I’m doing OK so far.
In preparation for Friday night’s episode of Grab A Stack of Rock (the first indoor show at the lake in a year), we played the soundtrack to A Mighty Wind in the car. It has us singing and smiling along. We followed that with Max Webster’s A Million Vacations. The drive up was relatively uneventful. We were almost killed at the St. Jacobs roundabout by a white minivan who turned left from the right lane, but hey, it’s all good. I hit the brakes in time enough for the guy behind us not to rear-end my car. Thanks a lot of for the sudden jump in stress, but we made it alive in one piece. Along the way we spotted a cute cat in the bushes. We even arrived by 7:00 pm, which meant I had an hour to prepare for the 8:00 pm show, including some daylight time. The show went off without a hitch. Non-stop laughs, love and deep analysis. Just how I like it.
Saturday was a beautiful day, but we have different priorities in the fall compared to summer. Instead of going out and buying the best meat and veggies, we have to start using up what’s left in the freezer. I tried some experiments, but nothing was particularly successful. We ate some frozen steaks that had been sitting around all year, but they were tough and lined with gristle. I tried cooking some leftover corn in a pan with some onions and mushrooms, but the overall flavours didn’t mix well. I was left with something that tasted like shepherd’s pie, which was not what I was aiming for. The sweetness of the corn didn’t mix with the funkiness of mushrooms. After a summer of so many food experiment successes, it was alright to have one failure in 2024.
Saturday night, a mighty wind began to blow. We didn’t have too many storms in 2024, so this was more than welcome. Strangely, it remained warm outside. The rain came in spurts. We never got properly drenched. We just remained inside and enjoyed it.
We didn’t get as much done this weekend as we hoped. We always plan for more than we have time to do, but we didn’t let any time go waste. We made some great meals, had a nice fire outside, took the drone up, and Jen got to watch all her sports games.
On the way home, I began to feel that sadness creep in. I fought it off with Van Halen and David Lee Roth: 5150, and Skyscraper. 5150 did not do the trick. Skyscraper did. With Dave as the cheerleader and nostalgia in the music, Roth kept my spirits upbeat. It was the magical mixture.
Once home, I ordered an amazing deep dish pizza from a local place called Franklin’s. It was my first deep dish pizza, with the cheese running so gooey and the sauce so tangy. It wasn’t super deep, so next time I want to try something even bigger. Either way, bucket list item checked off the list.
Was this our last trip to the lake in 2024? We don’t know, but what I do know is that we did it right this time.
VAN HALEN – A Different Kind of Truth (2012 Universal CD/DVD set)
When this album was released in 2012, we all wanted Van Halen to win. Eddie had been through some tough times, but he finally did what the fans demanded: get back together with David Lee Roth, and record a new album. Sure, we all lamented that Michael Anthony was gone, but it was new bassist Wolfgang Van Halen that made it happen. Without Wolf, there would be no final Van Halen album. Just VHIII, and we know how most of you feel about that.
Working with new producer John Shanks in neutral territory, Van Halen managed to crank out a new album in just three years, starting with jams in 2009.
Wolf knew that Van Halen had to get back to a “classic” sound for their first new album with DLR since 1984. In addition to new music, Wolf dug back into Van Halen’s archive of unreleased material, and picked seven songs that rework and re-write. Roth called it a “collaboration with the past”, which is a good way of putting it. No, it does not sound exactly like old Van Halen; that would be impossible. It does, however sound like Van Halen with Roth.
Opener “Tattoo” was the first single and weakest track. It’s also the only one with audible keyboards (by Dave), though just for texture. Roth said the multi-layered chorus was inspired by artists such as Rhianna, but that chorus is actually the annoying part of the song. Eddie’s fills and Dave’s verses are fine and entertaining, as is Wolfie’s fuzzy bass. The chorus is the weak link, perhaps even worse than the lyrics: lines such as “tramp stamp tat” and “mousewife to momshell”. I like tattoos as much as the next guy, but I’ll never use the word “momshell” except when discussing this album.
The real banger is the second single, “She’s the Woman”, a pretty close approximation of the original Van Halen song (pre-debut album). Wolfie’s playing is monstrous, with a catchy circular bassline that proved the kid had the talent to be in this band. His dad must have loved jamming with him. Ed’s solo really brings us back to classic Van Halen, while Alex’s drums have that sound that we all missed. I hate to say it, but this rendition is probably superior to the original lineup’s version.
“You And Your Blues” has that choppy Eddie guitar we love, and those “ahh, ahh” backing vocals that scream Van Halen, even without Mike. Dave’s lower voice works well on the verses, though he is stretched out on the high notes in the chorus. A great Van Halen album-quality song. (If you’re fortunate enough to have a CD/DVD combo set, you’ll be treated to a cool acoustic version of “You And Your Blues” with loads of storytelling from Roth.)
“China Town” has some of the best shredding on album. From Wolfie’s crazy capo bass to the lightning fast tempo, all four members of Van Halen are on fire. If any song can be said to take the classic sound and launch it into orbit, it’s “China Town”, and Wolf is the star. The bass is not overly high in the mix, but when you listen to it and isolate it in your head, you realize that this guy has brought a new side to Van Halen: bass shred. Additionally, it’s a great song in every way.
Going back to 1984 and an instrumental section called “Ripley”, “Blood and Fire” was reworked in 2000 for an aborted reunion with Roth. Interestingly “Blood and Fire” actually sounds more like Hagar era Van Halen. It does contain one of Dave’s favourite concert phrases: “Well look at the all of the people here tonight!” If this track had been on 5150, it would have fit like a glove, though it would have been one of the more rocking tunes. Edward himself is the star on this one, as he rips, shreds, and tears as if it really was 1984 again.
“Bullethead” sounds new, and also goes back to the 2000 sessions. Van Halen speed and Dave “charasma” are held together by the rhythm section of Al and Wolf. It contains the lyric “Got a different kind of truth”, from which the album takes its title. Ed’s effect-laden solo is no less cool, though nobody will list “Bullethead” in their top 20 Van Halen songs. A cool album track it is, but that’s all.
One of the coolest tunes would have to be “As Is”. Opening with some Alex drum intensity, it breaks into a slow heavy riff, before finally accelerating into a powerhouse Van Halen smokeshow. That running riff sounds so classic, you could swear they injected Ed with youth serum. He sounds like a man reborn, both in terms of shred but also in fun. Ed gets to play with many different sounds and tempos on “As Is”, while Dave also gets to enjoy himself with singing and that spoken word stuff he does so well. Most of this is done very fast.
This sounds like a natural side break. “Honeybabysweetiedoll” (another 2000 track) comes across like a side two opener. Ed is experimenting with new sounds, like he used to, and you’ve never heard Ed sound or play like this before. He goes for a middle-eastern vibe, but with the kind of intensity that other bands do not have the mettle to muster. Dave’s lyrics about soccer moms don’t quite hit the spot where the music is concerned, but nobody’s listening to this song for the lyrics. It’s the guitar that makes the biggest impact here. You can imagine the Ed diehard fans just pounding their fists in celebration when they heard what Ed was up to, before they tried to figure out how he got that sound.
“The Trouble With Never” might be the only track that doesn’t seem like it goes anywhere. You also miss Michael Anthony the most on backing vocals here. It’s just a song. Not a great one, not a bad one…but with one hell of a cool bassline.
“Outta Space” originated in the mid-70’s as “Let’s Get Rockin'”. The riff is classic even though it never made an album before. Dave sings in his highest voice, which is actually cool after a lot of lower pitched songs. As you’d expect for a song originally called “Let’s Get Rockin'”, it smokes from start to finish, top speed and loaded with cool Eddie licks. It’s fun to hear the rhythm guitar drop out during his solo, just as it used to in 1978. Ed wasn’t fond of that sound, but it certainly evokes an era and a vibe. It’s like a warm sweater. Maybe Ed would appreciate that sometimes the absence of a guitar can also speak.
Dave plays acoustic guitar on the fun “Stay Frosty”, an old song that certainly recalls “Ice Cream Man” in every way. There’s one lyric that Dave liked to point out: “If you wanna be a monk, you gotta cook a lot of rice.” Hey, it’s not untrue. Let me put it this way: If you imagined a sequel to “Ice Cream Man”, it’s “Stay Frosty”. Not quite as good, but hits all the same beats that you want to hear.
“Big River” sounds like an older song. It has a cool curly guitar opening, before laying into this awesome guitar/bass groove. More a groove than a riff. Dave’s lyrics and singing are top notch on this song. Classic Van Halen. The surprise is that halfway through the song, for the solo section, it transforms into a completely different groove. This section has some of Eddie’s best playing too. It reverts back to the original riff for the last third of the song. All the while Wolfie is playing the most incredible bass fills, but never stepping on his dad’s toes. Think about that for a second. In the mix, you have the greatest guitar player in the world playing over this awesome riff, but the bass player still manages to throw a whole bunch of cool fills in there, without getting in the way. That’s a band, and that’s family, and that’s talent. If this song had been on an album like Fair Warning, people would still remember it today.
The closing song “Beat’s Workin'” starts with a cascade of Alex Van Halen drums, gone gonzo. It then breaks into a fun riff and a good time album-ender. A song called “Beats Workin'” should sound like a celebration. I get a bit of a Max Webster vibe, though heavier, along with a hint of Aerosmith. Once again the rhythm guitar drops out when Eddie goes solo, but then Wolf gets a moment in the spotlight too. His fuzz bass tone is very much unlike Michael Anthony’s. There’s a moment here when he and Alex are just playing while Ed does his thing, and it feels beautiful, especially now, knowing the family will never be reunited. But let’s not get too somber. It’s a party, after all.
The bonus DVD also includes acoustic versions of “Panama” and “Beautiful Girls”. They are alright. Valuable to have in your collection. You might not go back to listen to them very often. Another reason to own this physically is the lyric sheet, with cool sketches for each song. This is a Dave touch.
Final thoughts:
4.5/5 stars
COMPLETE VAN HALEN REVIEW SERIES:
VAN HALEN – Zero (1977 Gene Simmons demo bootleg)
VAN HALEN – Van Halen (1978 Warner)
VAN HALEN – Van Halen II (1979 Warner)
VAN HALEN – Women and Children First (1980 Warner)
VAN HALEN – Fair Warning (1981 Warner)
VAN HALEN – Diver Down (1982 Warner)
VAN HALEN – 1984 (1984 Warner)
VAN HALEN – 5150 (1986 Warner Bros.)
VAN HALEN – OU812 (1988 Warner)
VAN HALEN – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991)
VAN HALEN – LIVE: Right here, right now. (1993 Warner Bros, plus “Jump” live single)
VAN HALEN – Balance (1995 Warner – Japanese version included)
VAN HALEN – Balance (1995) Review by Derek Kortepeter
VAN HALEN – Best Of Volume I (1996 Warner)
VAN HALEN – 3 (Collectors’ tin 1998)
VAN HALEN – The Best of Both Worlds (2005 Warner)
VAN HALEN – A Different Kind of Truth (2012)
VAN HALEN – Tokyo Dome Live in Concert (2015)
VAN HALEN – Tokyo Dome Live in Concert (2015) Review by Tommy Morais
+
VAN HALEN – Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo (1975 radio broadcast
VAN HALEN – “Best of Both Worlds” (1986 Warner 7″ single)
VAN HALEN – Live Without a Net (1987 VHS/DVD)
VAN HALEN – Selections from LIVE: Right here, right now. (1993 Warner promo EP)
VAN HALEN – “Can’t Get This Stuff No More” / “Me Wise Magic” (1996 Warner promo singles)
VAN HALEN – “Can’t Stop Loving You” (Parts 1 & 2, inc. collector’s tin)
VAN HALEN – “Right Now” (1992 cassette single, Warner)
VAN HALEN – Video Hits Volume I (1998 DVD)
VAN HALEN vs. JOHN LENNON – “Imagine A Jump” mashup by “Mighty Mike”
RECORD STORE TALES Part 186: The Van Halen Tin
GETTING MORE TALE #657: Operation: Van Halen (Derek’s Story)
Previous Reading:
Record Store Tales #600: The Vault
Disk 1 Review
Disk 2 Review
Disk 3 Review
For those keeping score at home, this CD contains tracks 46-60 in the Vault box set.
GENE SIMMONS – The Vault – Disk 4 (2018 Rhino)
“Plaster Caster” is one of the most memorable songs from Love Gun. This Simmons demo features the Demon on all instruments, including drums! Since he’s not a drummer, he played the kick and snare in one pass and and everything else in a second take. He seems to take great relish in explaining the story of the real “plaster caster” in the liner notes, but there’s no need for it here. Just listen to this interesting demo and hear Gene’s reasonable attempts at guitar solos. Not bad for just one guy. Love Gun ended up one of the classic Kiss albums that folks bicker about this song or that song being the weakest. You often see “Plaster Caster” on some of those “weakest” lists. Lyrically, sure but this song is indeed a master blaster. 4/5
Dynasty‘s “X-Ray Eyes” is another demo with Gene playing everything. It’s a lot more rock and roll than the final album version with is creepier and more atmospheric. This is more vintage early Alice Cooper. Fascinating again to hear how songs evolve. Also important to note the really good guitar solo work here, all done by Simmons. Here is a song that eventually made it onto a Kiss album, with Gene writing and recording everything on the demo itself. And people will still tell you he has no musical talent. 4/5
Another Dynasty track, “Charisma” is way heavier than the final. Gene plays everything but drums (and doesn’t tell us who plays drums). Gene says that “Charisma” is based around the chords of the old 1973 Wicked Lester song “Simple Type”. I’d never have guessed that if he didn’t tell us. This version of “Charisma” is more metal. It has a metallic chug, a metal guitar solo, and a heavier beat. Imagine if Kiss had gone with a different producer and overall direction on Dynasty! They were already evolving into a heavier band. 5/5
“Rockin’ In the USA” has a more Beach Boys vibe than the final Alive II version. Gene seems to relish explaining that Bob Kulick played lead guitar on the final version because Ace didn’t show up. “He could explain to you why,” says Gene with snark, though claiming he doesn’t want to “beat a dead horse”. OK then. He says this is him playing everything on this demo. He even did the very surf-y backing falsettos. It’s OK enough but it needed to be heavier as on the album. I will say this: the demo delivers some of the lyrics more clearly, and I was finally able to understand some of the lines for the first time. 3/5
“Radioactive” is a demo for a great little number that wound up on Gene’s solo album. Probably a superior demo to the final overproduced version that made it onto the album. The backing vocals here are way more rock and roll, and infectious. Sonic defects built into the demo concept aside, a lot of these tracks are actually better than the final versions, and may become my preferred listening experience in the future. 4.5/5
“See You In Your Dreams” is the Rock and Roll Over song that was later re-recorded on Simmons’ solo album. This demo includes Katey Sagal and other female backing singers, lending the demo a real Motown kind of feel. You can now understand why Gene wanted to re-record the song since Kiss turned it into a punked-up rocker without that Motown influence at all. 3/5
“Man of 1,000 Faces” is one of Gene’s most dramatic rockers on his solo album. There are two versions here. “Man of 1,000 Faces #1” is a heavier, stompier rocker. There is no hint whatsoever of the orchestration you’d later get. As a quaint little rocker, it’s not that bad. In the end, the majestic orchestral song is unique, and it’s hard to believe that it started like this. 3/5
“Man of 1,000 Faces #2” is a demo with Ace Frehley and J.R. Smalling, who played on quite a few Kiss demos including some of Paul’s such as “God of Thunder” and “Detroit Rock City”. Gene throws shade at Peter Criss for not being available for these demo sessions. This version is largely the same as the previous but with the Space Ace throwing in some leads. 3/5
“Calling Dr. Love” has Gene on most instruments except drums (uncredited). As we all know, the title was inspired by the Three Stooges. As you’ll learn from the liner notes, song titles are very important to Gene’s writing process. He says that this version is “re-created” by Kiss on the album and that is pretty close. The lyrics are not entire the same, but vocally and arrangement-wise, this is a finished song. 4/5
Those who have been collecting Kiss box sets and deluxe editions all these years know that “Bad Bad Lovin'” was an early version of “Dr. Love” before the right title struck. This demo should be familiar. It’s good, but the other demo version is where it needed to go. Gene says this is with Ace and J.R. Smalling. 3/5
“Almost Human” is a demo that Gene says Kiss captured definitively. This version is pretty close, with the high harmony guitars, all played by Gene. Some of Ace’s final fills are copied from this demo. This version could be even slower than the album take, and it really needed Ace’s touch. 3/5
“Burning Up With Fever #1” features Gene on all instruments, and is much rougher than “#2” on the prior CD. This is a pretty good skeleton of the song. It’s just more rock and roll than what we got on Gene’s solo album. It just goes to show you how the same song can go through many metamorphoses. 3/5
Katey Sagal and the Group With No Name (actual name!) are back on “True Confessions #1”, a rough demo of a song that wound up Gene’s solo album. The “#2” demo on the previous CD is the one to go with. This is interesting as are all the demos, but the good listening experience is the “#2” which had a better vocal by Gene. This one verges too much into the monster voice with an echo effect. 2.5
“Goin’ Blind/Little Lady” is a song I have waited years to hear. I always wanted to know why Gene sang that line in the Unplugged version, “Little lady from the land beneath the sea.” Then I remembered, “Goin’ Blind” used to be called “Little Lady”. I have been wanting to hear this demo since 1996. This demo dates back to Wicked Lester and has Gene with Brooke Ostrander. It is vastly different. A weird organ backs Gene up, and the chorus is a little different, though the guitar hook is intact. It is such an odd experience to hear this song, one of my favourite songs of all time, in this form. Hearing the quaint backing vocals, the very rough guitar solo, and just a very different direction overall…and then confessing that the early version just wasn’t very good. The final version may be a 5/5, but it took some doing (and heavy-ing up) to get there. Let’s be fair here. This is like Gene trying to re-write The Book of Taliesyn by Deep Purple, without Blackmore, Lord, or Paice. 2/5
“Larger Than Life” was re-recorded for Kiss Alive II and is one of the better songs of a batch that some fans find sub-standard. Others wish there were more songs in that direction. Gene’s demo has him playing everything but drums (uncredited). The final version is better, being heavier with a catchier bassline. This demo is more nocturnal and creepy. To use an analogy, since we all know what Gene is referring to here when he says “larger than life”…bear with me here. The final Kiss version is like Gene hitting you in the face with it, while here on the demo he’s just waving it around. I’m sorry. I do apologise. Back to this demo, it’s cool to hear Gene overdubbed on the backing vocals, but the final version needed Peter Criss and Bob Kulick to get where it had to be. 2.5/5
Finally we get to “It’s My Life”, an ancient Kiss song (Simmons/Stanley) that was released by Wendy O. Williams before Kiss finally re-recorded it and threw it on their Box Set. This has been a song that fans wanted for many years, though now you can get it on the Creatures of the Night box set. But how is it a Simmons/Stanley composition? Gene and Paul were not writing together very much at that time. Gene stole the chords from a Paul Stanley song called “Every Little Bit Of My Heart” that was rejected for The Elder! Paul didn’t like what Gene did with it. “It’s My Life” always should have been a Kiss song. It’s great that Gene released this version. It’s hard to tell who is playing the lead solo, but it’s great! 5/5
Average score by song: 3.43/5 stars
Disk 4 Track length and songwriters (from Wikipedia)
1. Plaster Caster (3:39) Simmons
2. X-Ray Eyes (3:44) Simmons
3. Charisma (3:18) Simmons / Marks
4. Rockin’ in the USA (2:57) Simmons
5. Radioactive (3:08) Simmons
6. See You in Your Dreams Tonight (2:20) Simmons
7. Man of 1000 Faces #1 (3:09) Simmons
8. Man of 1000 Faces #2 (3:32) Simmons
9. Calling Dr. Love (2:56) Simmons
10. Bad Bad Lovin’ (3:09) Simmons
11. Almost Human (3:26) Simmons
12. Burning Up With Fever #1 (3:08) Simmons
13. True Confessions #1 (3:34) Simmons
14. Goin’ Blind/Little Lady (3:06) Simmons / Coronel
15. Larger Than Life (4:06) Simmons
16. It’s My Life (3:51) Simmons / Stanley
Previous Reading:
Record Store Tales #600: The Vault
Disk 1 Review
Disk 2 Review
Three discs in, and now we hit the holy grail of Kiss rarities, finally available in the Vault.
GENE SIMMONS – The Vault – Disk 3 (2018 Rhino)
In 1977, Kiss were in California and Gene Simmons went into the studio with Eddie and Alex Van Halen to record three new demos. Van Halen were once his proteges of course, and were eager to help. The Van Halen demo of “Christine Sixteen” has a noticeably different vibe on the drums, and Eddie’s solo was the template by which Ace Frehley’s was recorded. There is also a bridge that was later dropped on the final Kiss version. The outro Eddie guitars are overdubbed in a way unlike anything he’d do with Van Halen. 5/5
“Tunnel of Love” has the early embryo of the things Van Halen would later be known for. The technique is all there, but not the tone. These demos are as rough sounding as they come, and there was no effort put into getting Eddie a good guitar sound. But there he is, shredding his way into Kisstory. Alex is also immediately identifiable. Unfortunately, the lacking element here is in the liner notes. Gene spends more time talking about schmoozing than he does the song. He does relay the story of signing Van Halen and tearing up the contract, again! “Tunnel of Love” eventually made it onto Gene’s solo album, but the Van Halen demo is cooler. 5/5
“Got Love For Sale” almost starts like a Van Halen original. Gene’s heavy-handed approach on the bass is a contrast that the VH vibe. Still, this little three piece could have made for an interesting side gig. Of course, Eddie’s solo is the highlight, whammying and doing his thang. Shame his tone is so thin on these demos. It is amazing that these songs spent decades locked in the vault (literally), and we never got to hear them until this box set came out. Pretty cool. 4.5/5
Onto the 1980s and the Crazy Nights era. Bruce Kulick wrote “Hell Or High Water” with Gene, and this demo shows the song was a little tougher sounding in its demo form. Guitars were just a tad more prominent. The song is otherwise more or less intact. Sounds like Eric Carr on drums, but the liner notes rarely say for sure. Gene describes the direction as “meandering”, but with hindsight, a good song is a good song. 4/5
Gene prefers the Revenge era. “Domino” is the demo recorded with Silent Rage. Gene describes it with comparisons to ZZ Top, and you can hear that influence in the verses. The arrangement wasn’t final here, but the idea was a keeper. There are some cool differences, such as the “Kisses like the kiss of death!” line repeating three times at the end. I think Gene has performed it live that way before. 4/5
“Mad Dog” should be familiar to Kiss collectors. The demo was also included in Kiss’ Box Set. The main riff was later used in “Flaming Youth” on Destroyer, a better song. Ace Frehley on guitars, J.R. Smalling on drums. This raises an interesting question. How many of the songs in this box set should be considered Gene Simmons demos, and how many should be considered Kiss? This demo has appeared under both names now. Some songs in this box set have more Kiss members on them than some Kiss songs. It’s a fine line. 3.5/5
“Only You” is a box set highlight. This pre-Elder version has the lyrics that Doro Pesche would one day record in her cover. This is the best version of “Only You” there is. It is completely different after the first few verses, turning into a bopping groove with a piano lick anchoring it! This is the version Kiss should have recorded, though perhaps for Kiss Killers. In the liner notes, Gene explains that this was based on an earlier song called “Eskimo Sun” that we will eventually get to. Gene says the chords were built from an appreciation for George Harrison. Sounds like Ace Frehley on guitar, though Gene suggests in the liner notes that he recorded it without other members of Kiss. He goes out of his way to say that they rarely accepted his requests to play on his demos. There are sour grapes throughout the liner notes, which is unfortunate. Great song. 5/5
“True Confessions #2” has Katey Sagal among the backup singers. Some of these early demos have elements to them that should have carried over to the final versions. Gene’s more natural singing on this is one such example. It’s better this way than with the “monster” voice. The truth of the matter is Gene’s not a bad singer, OK? The monster voice is a bit much sometimes, and “True Confessions” proves it. Gene’s just more expressive and sounds more like a lead singer than a character with his natural voice. And that says it all. In the end, character was chosen over authenticity. 4/5
“Childhood’s End” is a very rough recording of the song that later ended up on Carnival of Souls. Though the title was lifted from Arthur C. Clarke’s groundbreaking novel, the lyrics are about a friend who committed suicide. This idea was also used in “Legends Never Die” from Disk 1. This particular version of “Childhood’s End” is unfinished and not nearly as compelling. It does include a breakdown that is not in the final version, but sounds similar to “Outromental”. This song needed a lot of work, and this demo is also really hard on the ears. 2.5/5
“Burning Up With Fever #2” is another demo with Ace and J.R. Smalling. It later ended up on Gene’s solo album. This version rocks harder with less funk. The funkiness of Gene’s solo album was sometimes a little off-putting, so this demo may be more your speed. 3.5/5
“Good Girl Gone Bad” later ended up on Crazy Nights, but this early version has Bruce Kulick and what sounds like a drum machine. It’s harder edged. Though the final song is one of the better tunes on the album, this earlier arrangement shows it could have been a more Kiss-like rocker. When they talk about compromises made to make Crazy Nights more commercial, this demo shows what was cut. Guitars! Shame the demo is so rough sonically, but keep in mind, nobody was saving these for eventual release on a box set. 3.5/5
“Trial By Fire” was one of Gene’s songs from the Asylum era, therefore this is one of the earliest things he recorded with Bruce Kulick. This was always one of Gene’s better songs from an era when he wasn’t writing a lot of great songs. This one has a different chorus of “Live fast, die young!” This wasn’t on an old bootleg tape I used to have of Gene’s Asylum demos. I would think this song was actually called “Live Fast Die Young” at this stage of composition. 3.5/5
A little more bass-heavy is the similar demo for “Secretly Cruel”, the other really good song that Gene did for Asylum. This one did need a little more work in the guitar hook department, which it did eventually get. Decent demo inclusion, though in this case the album version is the good one. 3/5
“Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em Yeah”, also known and “Rock and Rolls Royce” is a demo idea written around Destroyer, and eventually released on Rock and Roll Over. It’s different from the 3:02 demo on the Destroyer box set. It’s unclear who is playing on this demo, but there’s an early guitar solo and full drums. 3.5/5
“Am I Losing My Mind” is another stab at the song that would become “Only You”. This demo is more “new wave” sounding, with programmed drums that sound somewhat dance-y. Then it goes into a completely different chorus that is kind of funky, and doesn’t particularly match. It is fascinating to hear how these songs evolve. And we’re not finished yet, because there are more branches on this musical tree to come later on in this box set. 3/5
Average score for this CD: A respectable 3.83/5
Disk 3 Track length and songwriters (from Wikipedia)
1. Christine Sixteen (VH Bros. Demo) (2:39) Simmons
2. Tunnel of Love (VH Bros. Demo) (3:32) Simmons
3. Got Love for Sale (VH Bros. Demo) (3:10) Simmons
4. Hell or High Water (Demo) (3:08) Simmons / Kulick
5. Domino (Demo) (3:46) Simmons
6. Mad Dog (Demo) (2:27) Simmons
7. Only You (Demo) (4:35) Simmons
8. True Confessions #2 (3:33) Simmons
9. Childhood’s End (Demo) (3:30) Simmons / Kulick / Thayer
10. Burning Up With Fever #2 (3:06) Simmons
11. Good Girl Gone Bad (Demo) (4:04) Simmons / Sigerson
12. Trial by Fire (Demo) (3:31) Simmons / Kulick
13. Secretly Cruel (Demo) (3:46) Simmons
14. Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em Yeah (Demo) (2:18) Simmons
15. Am I Losing My Mind (2:52) Simmons
#1099: “Can you play it a little louder?” – An Uncle Paul Story
(aka “Big Bad Bill Is Sweet William Now”)
In the late 80s, I was starting to fill in my Van Halen collection thanks to the generosity of family, and the Columbia House Music Club. Diver Down turned out to be a favourite because of the cover songs: this was an album that parents and family would let me play in the car, because they knew the songs and they were not too too heavy!
Any time I found a Van Halen song that I thought the older generation would swing to, I would proclaim: “I found another one!”
“Why is the band called Van Halen when the singer is named David Lee Roth?” my mom asked.
“Because there are two Van Halens in the band and only one Lee Roth,” I answered simply.
“Van Halen? Sounds like some kind of tropical disease,” deadpanned my dad once upon a time.
But my family and especially my uncle liked enough of the songs:
They really, really liked “Big Bad Bill”. Especially the sweet, smooth clarinet melodies of Jan Van Halen. The tone! So full. I don’t think they ever heard the clarinet played with the speed of Jan Van Halen before. Diver Down was my pathway to having my music played in the car stereo. Uncle really liked the upbeat sounds of these Van Halen covers. Everybody seemed to like Roth. I couldn’t get them into Hagar, even with ballads like “Give To Live”. Uncle wasn’t into ballads. (I should have tried “I Can’t Drive 55”.) He always wanted something with a good tempo. I have more stories about this, but today’s is about the mighty VH.
“Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)” was the one song everyone universally agreed on. It was so different from anything in the mainstream. It had a vintage country shuffle born from the 1920s, and of course that clarinet. David Lee Roth hammed up the vocals, at his Vaudeville best, and Uncle Paul ate it up. And then he said the magic words: “Can you play it a little louder?” The one phrase that no adult ever uttered: “Can you play it a little louder?” Uncle Paul was the only one.
What kid wouldn’t dive for the volume knob when an adult asked them to?
“If it’s too loud, you’re too old,” goes the saying. Uncle Paul was never too old.
We loved Uncle Paul. It was he that bridged the two generations. He was an adult, but he was welcome to hang with the kids. He was part of both groups. Not very families has a member who fills that role. We did — and I am so happy we had that. Our childhoods were so much richer for it.
Miss you Uncle Paul.
From Wikipedia:
“Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)” is a song with music by Milton Ager and lyrics by Jack Yellen, written in 1924. The song became a vocal hit for Margaret Young accompanied by Rube Bloom, and an instrumental hit for the Don Clark Orchestra.
The song has also been recorded by Ernest Hare (1924), Billy Murray (1924), Clementine Smith (1924), Emmett Miller (1929), Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra (1940), Peggy Lee (1962), Merle Haggard (1973), Ry Cooder (1978), Leon Redbone (1978), Van Halen (1982) and others[4] and has been a popular song in barbershop quartet and chorus competitions.
The lyrics describe a man “in the town of Louisville…” who was once a fearsome and rough character known for getting into fights, who, after getting married, becomes a peaceable person who devotes his time to domestic activities such as washing dishes and mopping the floor. He was “Stronger than Samson I declare, til the brown skinned woman, bobbed his hair.”
And the cradle DID rock, for tonight, four rock music fans revealed their Top Five Van Halen bangers. ‘Twas brilliant to see. Harrison Kopp was in classic Kontrarian mode as you will see with his list. The first disqualification in the history of the show! Harrison redeemed himself later, and his #1 pick was one I was onside with.
The new guy PLA brought with him a love of music that goes back to the teen years. Jex’s good friend was a blast on the show, and he is welcome back any time. The wonderful thing here is that years ago, Jex had the foresight to record PLA’s reaction to the Van Halen banger “Get Up” on video. We ran that video tonight, and it really captured the spirit of what a Van Halen banger does.
We dug deep with deep cuts and hits. We showed off rare CDs, vinyl, and even a cassette. I presented my dream Best Of All Worlds setlist. We discussed the tour, pros and cons, and our panel was mostly pro. The comments were divided. Peter Kerr was anti-tour, while Chris P was very pro.
Van Halen praise, love, and appreciation were in plentiful supply on this episode. Take a glimpse at our collections and please enjoy our lists. There were a number of duplicate songs, and some brilliant picks. If you are interested in Van Halen but don’t know where to start…grab a coffee and listen to us blather on all night about a band we really love.
See ya next week.
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