VHS

REVIEW: Blotto – Metalhead – Video 45 (VHS)

BLOTTO – Metalhead – Video 45 (1983 Sony)

This review is a slight cheat.  Because I pledged never to open my VHS copy of Blotto’s Metalhead Video 45 (Nigel Tufnel told me “It can’t be played, ever”), I’ve chosen to just review the videos from the Blotto YouTube channel.  I’m entrusting the band that the VHS experience would just be a little more VHS-y.

This videocassette was a gift from guitarist Bowtie Blotto, a truly good guy completely unlike his evil “Dr. Bow” character.  All the guys are great, so be forewarned, this review is also coming from the perspective of someone completely sold on the Blotto concept, music, humour, and band.  This is not an objective review.  For this site, that’s simply impossible.  We’ll try our best OK?  That’s all we can promise.

Let’s get you up to speed first, just so we’re all on the same page.

Blotto is a rock band from Albany NY who garnered early MTV video hits with “Metalhead” and “I Wanna Be A Lifeguard”.  They inject a dose of comedy into their songs and performances.  Not too much, not too little:  the Goldilocks zone, just right.  It’s a fine line, right?  A fine line between clever and stupid, as Nigel Tufnel also told me once.  It is a tightrope, and Blotto managed to balance it without tilting too hard to either side.  They rock, and they laugh.  Or perhaps they laugh, and they rock.  Either way, the music video format was ideally suited to the band.  It enabled them to really get the comedic side across.

We open with the legendary “Metalhead” (5:32), as featured on the Metal For Breakfast compilation LP, and Blotto’s Combo Akimbo album.  The scene is set:  Blotto, the band are in rehearsal, but missing a member!  Where is lead singer, Sarge?  Absent.  “Suddenly there’s an endless void where I used to keep my brain,” sings the headband and studs-wearing Sarge as he wanders the back alleys of Albany.  The band rock on, awaiting the arrival of their singer, each one sporting a unique look.  Guitarist Broadway has the rock star hair and stature.  Cheese on bass rocks the bald head, looking like he was recruited from a London punk band.  Bowtie, of course, rocks the bowtie and glasses.  In the 1980s, I can remember being offended that a “bald punk guy” and a “nerd guy” were playing a heavy metal song, but I was also 12.  Meanwhile, drummer Lee Harvey’s flowing locks give him that casual but seasoned pro drummer look.

Suddenly the garage door opens, and the tardy Sarge finally shows up to the shocked looks on Blotto’s faces, as Sarge bangs his head against a beam.

“Ah, ah, ah, I’m turning into a heavy metalhead!”

Sarge has a serious case of it, hanging with bikers and getting skull tattoos.  “Some home-grown for the ride back home, Van Halen on the 8-track!” declares Sarge.

Blotto break into an instrumental solo section, while Buck Dharma from Blue Oyster Cult wails on the solo (while watching the video from his home, it seems)!

Will Sarge survive his transition into a heavy metalhead?  This legendary video still works today, because that “metal head” persona is now like a cultural icon of the 80s.  With a well produced and perfectly edited video, Blotto encapsulated so much of that “metal head” stereotype in one hilarious video.  Stay tuned for the extended ending, and a one-in-a-million shot with a motorcycle helmet.

Also from Combo Akimbo is the more upbeat “I Quit” (2:13).  Lead vocals this time are handled by Broadway.  Blotto are now stuck working in an office, still rocking, but also drowning in paperwork.

“You can’t fire me!  I QUIT!” shouts Broadway at his boss, while the rest of the band echo his sentiments.  It does seem like a pretty seedy office and not a fun place to work.  It also appears that Lee Harvey has taken a second job on a paper route, but he’s not enjoying that either.  Eventually everyone quits leaving just Bowtie alone in the office!  Meanwhile, drummer for hire Lee Harvey finds another job, holding a ladder.  Is he playing drums with four sticks?

The third and final video is from the 1979 EP, Hello, My Name Is Blotto, What’s Yours?  “I Wanna Be A Lifeguard” (3:55) was one of the first videos aired on Day One of MTV, so it’s important for that reason.  This fun surf rock song was begging for a music video.  Featuring Chevrolet Blotto on keyboards, and a pre-bald Cheese, Blotto are now working in a shopping mall.  It doesn’t appear to be a fun job.  “I just want an ocean and some sunscreen lotion,” sings Sarge.

Blotto get their wish, and appear on a beach in swimming gear.  What the viewer doesn’t know is that the video was filmed in late winter (look at the bare trees) and the band were absolutely freezing on the beach!

This song is loaded with clever surf rock hooks and a killer drum part by Lee Harvey.  Not just that “wipeout” beat that opens it, but the drums through the whole song are relentless and well composed.

That’s the thing about Blotto that, perhaps, some people missed.  These guys could play, every one of them.  Listen to Cheese’s bassline on “Lifeguard”.  It literally swims along with the song.  And his tone!  Bassists would kill for his sound:  clear and loud with depth and attack, but not dominating.  Lyrically and musically, “Lifeguard” is quite canny beneath the wavy surface.  You have to understand music to pull off songs like this, because jokes alone can’t carry a song.  Blotto had a rare combination of instrumental savvy, and witty nudge-nudge lyrics.  How many songs can you name that specifically reference listening to Van Halen on an 8-track deck in the car?  Perhaps some can relate.  And who can’t relate to wanting to be a lifeguard?  “Hardly any clothes, sand between my toes!”  Sounds alright to me.

At roughly 12 minutes’ length, the Video 45 format never really caught on.  When you think back to the 1980s, with extended play features, you could record up to 8 hours onto a videotape, though not in the best quality.  I think people expected more content when buying a VHS tape in the 80s, and the “video EP” concept went under.  That’s just speculation, but videos this short were very rare at retail.

To be objective and look from a more critical angle, I think “Metalhead” and “Lifeguard” work best as videos.  “I Quit” is less fun because it’s set in an office.  “Metalhead” and “Lifeguard” have more band performance shots as well.  “Metalhead” is clearly the most polished of the videos, and probably the most gag-loaded.  All three are fine examples of the kinds of things a creative band could do with a modest budget in the early days of video.  “Lifeguard” existed before MTV did, so you really have to give Blotto credit for being on the cutting edge of music video.

4/5 stars

#1226: The Wayne’s World Drumsticks

RECORD STORE TALES #1226: The Wayne’s World Drumsticks

They weren’t my drum sticks, but like many things that belonged to my sister, I claimed them as “ours” not “hers”.  It was she that got Wayne’s World on VHS.  The tape came with a free pair of Wayne’s World drumsticks.  They were cheap and warped (a common issue), but they were not meant to be played.  They were intended to be a collectible for fans of Wayne Campbell and his drumming friend, Garth Algar.

Wayne’s World was a worldwide phenomenon when it was released to cinemas in early 1992.  I myself went to see it twice in the space of 24 hours.  When it was released on VHS just in time for Christmas, it was everywhere.  You could buy it at the grocery store if you wanted to.  Mike Myers and Dana Carvey’s loveable metalhead characters had become cultural icons in a very short span of time, with “Not!” and “Yeah, right!” becoming immediately popular punchlines in youth culture.  Myers has a knack for that kind of impact.  He did it again in the late 90’s with Austin Powers and “Oh, behave!”

Drums were always an instrument I was fascinated by.  I would sit on the edge of my bed and play air-drums to my favourite songs.  When Kathryn acquired the VHS tape/drum stick bundle for Christmas, I upped my air drum game.

I set up some pillows on my bed and practised smacking them with my…her sticks.  It looked and sounded stupid, but it was physically fun to do!

Switching gears a moment, when final exams rolled around, I spent a lot of time studying.  It is a tedious task, but I had a proven method.  I would comb through my class notebooks, and make a set of point-form notes on all the key subjects and sub-subjects.  Then I would reduce those notes to a list of keywords.  I would then memorize the list of keywords.  It was very mechanical but it worked.  If I could remember that list of keywords, I could trigger the memory of what I wrote in my point-form notes, and retain enough of the facts and figures to  pass the exam.

Memorising a list of words and phrases is a tedious, mechanical task.  It lent itself well to rhythm.  So, eventually I would get to the point where I would be in my room reciting this memorized list, pounding out the words to the beat of the Wayne’s World drum sticks.  Pillows on the bed, notes scattered about, and me saying seemingly random words like, “Max rebellion”, “Francs”, “Rhine/Rhone”, and other phrases designed to trigger a memory of a series of historical events.  Pounding out the words with the drum sticks hitting the pillows in little thuds.  Eventually I drove all those words into my head, in order!

That’s the true story of how a pair of warped Wayne’s World drumsticks that weren’t even mine helped me pass my Ancient History classes.

🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 17: Raising Hell – Bruce’s “Final” Show

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 17: Raising Hell – Bruce’s “Final” Show

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #108

Scream for me, YouTube! For the “Final” time, Bruce Dickinson takes the stage with Iron Maiden, at Pinewood Studios in the UK.  It was a big pay-per-view worldwide TV broadcast.  Recorded 28 Aug 1993, the Air Raid Siren bid farewell after 11 years in Iron Maiden.

Released on VHS on 5 September 1994, the Raising Hell show is controversial for one main reason:  Simon Drake.  A “horror magician” that was invited not to open the show, but to perform alongside and during the show, Drake’s “magic” was a unique addition to Iron Maiden.  Drake had his own segments on a side stage, but also interacted with the band on “From Here to Eternity” and other segments.

Even watching the show without Drake’s segments, it’s an odd one for Iron Maiden.  A smaller stage inside a studio is an unusual place to see an Iron Maiden concert.  Still, history unfolded that night, and Harrison and I are here to tell you all about it.  And show you, too:  we will run a selection of the Simon Drake bits for you to…enjoy?

Tonight’s episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden ends the reign of Bruce, as we soon embark on the era of Blaze.  Tune in tonight and join the comments!

 

Friday July 11 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

Harrison Be Thy Name: 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 13: Maiden England post-show summary

Clash of the Titans!  Mike and Harrison disagree sharply on one song on Maiden England ’88 and you’ll see it happen in this live episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden from Friday night.

In this celebratory episode, we dissect this double CD song by song, including all the encores.  We discuss, and show off, different releases.  We talk about the mix, the video, the cover art, and all the usual details.  We also allow Slash from Guns N’ Roses a minute of showtime to talk about touring with Iron Maiden.  His answer angered some Maiden fans on YouTube.

The lively comments section allowed us some back and forth, and a looseness that we don’t get with the pre-recorded episodes.  For that reason and more, this was a very fun episode!  Check it out if you missed it.

See you in two weeks, for No Prayer for the Dying with Reed Little.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

 

 

 

 

 

 

SHOW NOTES:

 

Recorded 27–28 November 1988 Live at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham

Released 8 November 1989 (VHS) 1994 (CD/VHS)

Length 95:00 (video, approx.) 74:27 (audio) 100:30 (2 CD reissue)
Label PMI / EMI
Director Steve Harris
Producer Martin Birch

1. “Moonchild”

Recorded intro is from album.  New track up for #1 and a great opener it is.  Bruce’s voice is absolutely stunning here, as he goes slightly off album format and lets it rip without rasp.  Baby crying represents birth of the seventh son and is new audio.

2. “The Evil That Men Do”

New track up for #2 and Bruce still powering through, and not an easy song to power through.

3. “The Prisoner”

Back to Beast for #3, and the audience is all there for it, punctuating the riff with “YEAHS”!  Adrian sounds great on backing vocals – integral to the live version.

4. “Still Life”  (single B-side)

Finally a live version of Still Life!  It is everything you want it to be, if you are a Piece of Mind fan.  Heavy parts are faster and heavier, Bruce’s vocals are more off the hook.  He messes up the second last line:  “Coming all the time, now we rest in peace!”  Should be “Always after me”.

5. “Die with Your Boots On”

Solid workmanlike version.  Bruce has a little more fun with varying the vocal line than on Live After Death.

6. “Infinite Dreams” (single A-side)

Wisely alternating new and old material.

7. “Killers” (single B-side)

“Gimme some bad dreams, this one!”  One of the best live versions of Killers on CD.  Absolutely vicious and perfect for following Infinite Dreams.

8. “Can I Play with Madness” (VHS only)

Backing vocals are flatter live (Steve?) but this is the first live version released of this now-classic single.  Bruce throws in lots of extra “yeah yeah yeah-hah” lines.  Set tends to focus on newer songs for the next batch.

9. “Heaven Can Wait”

A song for those who might be worried about their ultimate disposition up there or down below!  Top notch live version of this now-overplayed song.  It was fresher back then.  Faster; drags less especially in the woah oh oh section.  (I also like “That’s it – end of the song!” at the end.)

10. “Wasted Years”

And finally a live version of Wasted Years!  First real time Bruce struggles with the song, but it still sounds brilliant.  It’s a challenging song of course.  Minor differences in Adrian’s solo too.

1. “The Clairvoyant”

This single sounds great live; tad faster.  This is not the live version from the previous single A-side.

2. “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”

Without any introduction, we go forth into the concert epic.  Replacing Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the song proves its mettle in filling that role.  Perhaps superior to the album more?  More drive, Bruce more off the chain?

3. “The Number of the Beast”

Back to the classics not much to say here.

4. “Hallowed Be Thy Name”  (VHS only)

Vocally awesome – Bruce holds that one note nice and long.  Equal to the Live After Death version?  Vocally Bruce is weaker, but singing it more “straight” without weird accents.  Davey’s solo – bonkers!  Adrian’s – composed intensity!  Pick scrapes galore!

5. “Iron Maiden”

“Yeah let it rip!”  Oldies to the end, with plenty of Di’Anno era rock.  This operatic version of Iron Maiden is fast and fun.

6. “Run to the Hills”  (2013 CD)

Abrupt sonic shift; you can hear  that these are the “bonus tracks”.  The obligatory Run to the Hills is here and there’s not much more to say.

7. “Running Free” (2013 CD)

Great version here.  Pay special attention to Nicko’s drum fills, which are animated and plentiful.  Bruce says this is the biggest indoor crowd they have played to in England.  Bruce does tell them that they are recording a video.  No big long “I’m Running Free, yeah!” section – just a couple times.

8. “Sanctuary” (2013 CD)

A smashing closer!  Steve’s bass is perfect in the – prominent enough to hear his upper neck melodies but not dominant.  Bruce does a short “Yeaaaaah” thing, but not as annoying as before.  Lets the crowd do it.

🅻🅸🆅🅴 50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 13: Maiden England

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 13:  Maiden England

A special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 episode

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #103

50 Years of Iron Maiden arrives at the cottage for the first time!  Like we have for past live albums such as Live At Hammersmith and Live After Death, Harrison and I will be doing this episode for Maiden England as a live broadcast.  Much like Live At Hammersmith, this album often falls under the radar.  It was recorded for a home video release, directed by Steve Harris.  Unusually, this home video spawned one single, “Infinite Dreams” live.   A live album was an afterthought and was not even released as one until Bruce Dickinson was out of the band in 1994, and even that CD was missing two songs from the VHS for time reasons.  It was finally reissused as a full show in 2013; an expanded 2 CD set with the encores restored.

The band were recorded on the Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour, over two nights in Birmingham, playing a number of new songs from the album.  They also resurrected a couple from Somewhere In Time, and Piece of Mind, that were a delight to hear.  Reaching back to the Di’Anno years, they provided a pleasing setlist full of fresh songs and refreshing oldies.  Harrison and I will break it down for you, and hopefully entice you to give it a listen.

For physical media, we have a CD copy of the “Infinite Dreams” single from the First Ten Years box set, the 2013 double CD reissue, and the 1994 CD/VHS combo pack.

Please drop in and say hello for this special live analysis and appraisal!

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Friday May 23 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube and Facebook.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

RST #1183/VHS Archives #154: 2 Minutes on a Wednesday at Work in the late-90s

RECORD STORE TALES #1183: 2 Minutes on a Wednesday at Work in the late-90s

 

In the 90s, the Beat Goes On were advised by the police to install a video security system.  Though it was rarely helpful, they suggested it could be used to catch CD thieves who came in to us to sell their stolen goods.  The one time I know it was used in court, the tape was too fuzzy to identify the thief.

Can you identify me?

We had seven security tapes:  One for each day of the week.  We’d rotate them.  Every few years they would wear out, and you’d have to replace them.  That’s how I got this tape.  It was a freebie that the boss didn’t need anymore.  Truth be told, half the time, we didn’t even bother to record.  Each tape was only good for eight hours, so we could not record the entire day anyway.  We’d usually insert the tape at around 1:00 PM so we could record the night shift.  This was supposedly done to record during the “most dangerous” hours.  I gave the camera the middle finger a few times, but nobody saw those tapes, I suppose.

One of our old employees told me he liked to take the security tapes home and get high watching them.  I ended up keeping only this one.  Unfortunately, I chose a very boring Wednesday tape with nothing interesting going on.  If you’d like to see for yourself, have a look at the quick video below for a day in the life at the Beat Goes On.  Glad I kept it for one reason only: this physical location no longer exists and is now part of a parking lot.  History!  This is the only existing video documentation of my old store of which I am aware.

Friday Preview! A Massive Music Haul!

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!

#1110: Happy Winter Memories Vol. 3 – Rocking the Basement

RECORD STORE TALES #1110: Happy Winter Memories Vol. 3 – Rocking the Basement

To an unsporty Canadian kid, growing up in a cold climate had its disadvantages.  I didn’t give a fuck about hockey (to coin a phrase from Gord Downie), and nobody likes to shovel.  The only good thing about fall and winter to me were Christmas and the return of my TV shows, like the Transformers and GI Joe.  Otherwise, it was like hibernation.  There were a lot of things I wanted to do and could only do outdoors, so I passed the time inside with my music and shows.

In a sense, winter was the best time for my friendship with Bob Schipper to flourish.  In the summer we’d be outside a lot, riding bikes or hitting balls.  Or, just getting into trouble as we often did.  During the colder months, we spent more time being creative.

A typical Mike & Bob winter Saturday morning would go as follows:

Around 10 AM, Bob would pop by my place.  Our creative Saturday mornings would usually happen at my house.  Bob’s parents were more strict than mine, and we could listen to music in the basement.  The basement was the best place because that is where the big TV with the VCR was.  That was where MuchMusic lived.  My VHS collection would grow video by video, week by week.  The Pepsi Power hour ran twice a week (“Molten” Mondays, and Thursdays) and I would collect music, clip by clip, on my VHS collection.  It would be my responsibility to show him what was new in music.

We did not always agree!

Savatage struck me from the moment I saw “Hall of the Mountain King”.  It was the riff, the singer, and of course the little guy running through the caves looking for the king’s treasure.  I had to record it.  I thought Bob would really be into this song.  It had a lot of what we both liked:  nice, heavy melody metal with a screamin’ singer.  Disappointingly, he was not as impressed as I was.  He thought the video was less than great, and the singer not as impressive as I hyped him.

On the other hand, one viewing of “We Came to Rock” by Brighton Rock had him hooked immediately.  In this case, singer Gerald McGhee really did blow him away.  That scream at the end of “We Came to Rock” made his jaw actually drop.

If music videos were not on the menu that morning, I would bring my “ghetto blaster” downstairs and we would play whatever newest tape one of us had acquired.  If it was a good one, we’d dub each other a copy.

Then, out came the paper and we would get down to creating.  We were very much into drawing military vehicles, cars, and muscle-type men with warrior’s garb and jagged guitars.  Our self-portraits were always masked, muscled, and flexing.

We would fantasise about being on stage.  We’d picture the drum riser, and why not have it elevate?  We would both be singers and guitar players, sharing lead duties from song to song.  It had to be democratic.  We came up with cool melodies and song titles.  Mostly though, we sang our lyrics to other peoples’ songs.  Of course, I can’t repeat the lyrics to anyone.

The two of us had enough creativity to power the world for decades.  If only we had the technology to do the things we really wanted to do!

Still, it was in that basement during the coldest of months that Bob and I amassed binders full of drawings and cassette tapes full of our goof-offs.  I kept everything I could.  Of course, some things couldn’t last forever, such as the cardboard guitars or silly sketches.  As unofficial archivist, I kept a lot.  I have almost all my VHS tapes with those special music videos.  When I play them, the memories return.  These things matter to me.  They show a snapshot of the best childhood anyone could have.

VIDEO: Jex Unboxes a Stack of Rock!

Collectors: aren’t we something?  Sometimes we end up with duplicates because we can’t remember what we ordered, or own already! I promised Jex a parcel several months ago, and I finally gathered enough excess music to fill a box.

Jex was kind enough to film an unboxing video, seen below.  I sent him some review copies, some CDs from my collection that I owned in duplicate, a sticker and a special surprise from the analog age!  Now get writin’ Jex, you have work to do!

SPOILER:  Great bubble wrap popping in this video.  So satisfying.

What out of this box would you have been most excited for?  Let me know in the comments.  I think I know Harrison’s answer already.

And don’t miss Jex with Harrison and new guest PLA tomorrow on Grab A Stack of Rock!

#1003: Animalize Live Uncensored

RECORDS STORE TALES #1003:  Animalize Live Uncensored

36 summers ago, I taped Kiss Animalize Live Uncensored off next door neighbor George.  I recorded the video (which he recorded from a rental) onto a VHS, and the audio onto a 90 minute blank cassette.  For that summer, Animalize Live was my Kiss live experience.  I only had Alive on vinyl, which wasn’t portable.  I didn’t have Alive II yet.  My cassette copy of Animalize Live was constantly in my ears all summer.

I knew every word of every Paul rap.

“Detroit let me tell ya something just between you and me.  That baby had the longest fuckin’ tongue I ever seen in my life!”

“Paul, what are you doing with a pistol down your pants?”

“Eric may look like a baby, but he’s built like a man.”

Paul did a striptease, and the guys hung the panties that they were thrown by girls in the crowd from their microphone stands.  The concert dripped of raw sex and I was like a kid in shock.  I had never seen anything like this before.  I didn’t even know if I wanted to!  But there it was in full glory, Paul Stanley telling stories about his “Love Gun” and me sitting there watching it multiple times a week.  The summer I had mono.  I couldn’t do much else.  I watched a lot of videos and a lot of them were Kiss.

Listening today, I remember every note of every solo.  Paul went first with a guitar solo.  Bruce Kulick, the new kid, was standing in for Mark St. John and didn’t even get an introduction or solo.  Eric’s drum solo was second, and Gene’s bass solo last.  I liked the bass solo.  It actually seemed more musical than the other two.  Its simplicity is one thing…but I was humming the bass solo hours later.

I still know every vocal divergence each song takes in this live incarnation.  Like old muscle memory.  And you know what?  There’s something to be said about 80s Kiss.  They were playing things faster and Eric Carr added his own unique elements to Kiss, as did Bruce.  On some songs the speed works.  I was just thinking that if they came out playing “Creatures of the Night” this fast today in 2022, people would lose their minds.

On my Walkman, I went for cottage adventures with this concert in my ears.  It was the worst recording possible; a cassette copy of a VHS copy of a VHS copy, in mono.  Bootleggy as hell.  But there I sat in the grass, as Paul Stanley told us of the women who wanted to “mother” Eric Carr.  And I had no idea what, specifically, “mothering” Eric Carr meant.  I knew it meant sexy times of some kind, but…nope, right over my head.

Animalize Live Uncensored was my Alive III from a time when we didn’t think we’d get an Alive III.  Or at least, I didn’t.  It was several albums and several years before we did get one, and Eric was gone by then.  I liked it.  I still do.