This is Def Leppard’s first 7″ single in 30 years – since “Action” in 1994!
I’m bored of Def Leppard’s glam throwback songs. I know that seems hypocritical, given that many of their biggest hits (“Pour Some Sugar On Me”) are basically that. “Just Like 73″ is their latest single, a standalone without an album, issued on various coloured 7” singles this year. While we applaud Leppard for releasing new music on a physical format, the song is not one of their greatest to date.
The coolest aspect of “Just Like 73” is the surprising guitar solo by Tom Morello. Rage Against the Machine and Def Leppard were diametrically opposed in 1993, but I suppose back in ’73, those guys were listening to a lot of the same records. On the B-side is a version without Mr. Morello, which is valuable to the collector, but the song is lesser without him.
Sometimes Def Leppard seem bent upon recreating their past, and not always hitting that mark. “Just Like 73” pushes those big “Hey!” vocals that are so commonly associated with Leppard. It has the Gary Glitter kind of beats that they are so fond of. Really, the only thing new here for Def Leppard is that Morello squonk all over the A-side. That’s a great mix and they should collaborate further.
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike, Aaron KMA and Tim Durling
Special Edition Episode: An 8 Track Holy Grail & More
This video is years in the making. More than just an “unboxing” video, this is a fun and informative episode that documents one man’s journey to collect his favourite bands on obsolete formats, and another man’s ability to find them.
About four years ago, Aaron provided Tim with a rare 8-track tape that he needed for his collection. Another one of Aaron’s tapes went to Martin Popoff. But there was one tape that Tim needed to “complete” a specific collection. And this summer, Aaron found that one too. He just has a knack for it, and it seems appropriate that it was Aaron who found this last tape. There’s a story that goes with it, and three tapes that went to me as well!
“Complete” is in quotes, because this video is far more than just an unboxing video. This is a philosophical (and fun) discussion about 8-track tapes, collecting, and genuine Australian bubble wrap. We discuss breaks in the middle of tracks, altered track listings, and for good measure, a little bit about vintage Star Wars toys. We also speculate on one tape that may still be out there, but remains unknown.
This episode is in two parts. It begins with Aaron and I unboxing three beautiful 8-track tapes, and a number of birthday gifts. Also inside that box was Tim’s tape, which I mailed immediately to New Brunswick. The video cuts and picks up with Tim, ready to open his treasure in front of the cameras.
Here we have a simple and straightforward one hour bonus DVD. No bonus features other than subtitles, so let’s dive in and watch Deep Purple hit the road! This documentary, unlike past ones, is not about the making of the =1 album. This is about Deep Purple on tour, and is more like a fly on the wall look at the band in their environment. We seem them relax, practice, drink and work.
We begin with Steve Morse, and his sad necessity to step down from Deep Purple after 28 years in the band. Roger Glover explains that Steve came in at a time (1995) when Deep Purple needed to reinvent themselves, which is what they did. Then, we transition to Deep Purple live on stage with Simon McBride, and “No Need to Shout” from the bonus live 10″ records included in this box set. Don Airey calls it a “fresh start”, and Ian Paice contemplates on how a new member creates new energy in the Purples. Roger praises Simon’s “cool” personality. The important thing, with any new Deep Purple member, is to musically just be themselves. Don jokes that Simon “brought the average age of the band down to 74.”
Time to hit the road. Ian Gillan talks about the routine, and the tour begins (to the tune of “Hush”). Hotels, breakfasts, limousines…and security tips from Gillan! It takes about three hours to set up the stage and start checking the PA. Drums are tuned and cymbals are attached to the kit. The guitar tech talks about the adjustment from Steve Morse to Simon McBride, and a different brand of guitars. We also get a good look at Don Airey’s keyboard rig. In a cute touch, Don keeps a bobblehead of his old boss, Ozzy Osbourne, on his keys. Finally the band turns up and sound checks. Don Airey tells Ian Paice a funny story about Gary Moore messing with his keys. The band have a quiet, very English sense of humour, but they are often seen laughing and kidding around.
During soundcheck, we get to hear Purple working on a new song: “Old-Fangled Thing”, which ended up on =1. Airey says he really enjoys soundchecks because it gives them a chance to play things like bossa novas, and entertain the crew. We move on to the 02 arena with Blue Oyster Cult opening, and other gigs with Jefferson Starship, who Purple seem to get along with famously.
There is a hilarious bit in Don Airey’s keyboard solo. He takes a wooden shim, and sticks it in the keys to hold them down. As a single note plays. A waiter with a glass and bottle emerges. Don pours himself a glass of wine as he takes a brief break. It’s all so very quaint and gentlemanly funny. Don’s son is actually the band’s stage manager, and it has allowed him to see more of his dad than he ever would at home.
The documentary then jumps to another day, and the 10 minute wait before showtime. Backstage, Roger Glover takes a crack at Ritchie Blackmore’s violent aversion to cameras. Ian Paice jokes about the palpable tension in the air, as the band continue to joke around and laugh, whiling away the last minutes before stage time. Paicey picks up a pair of bananas, plays a drum roll, complains the bananas are not properly balanced, and tosses them aside. That’s the wildest party moment in the Deep Purple dressing room.
Finally the waiting is over. The whole day revolves around the 90 minutes on stage, remarks Gillan. The band take the stage while Holst’s “Mars: Bringer of War” assaults the crowd in preparation. “Highway Star” (which, incidentally, is not included on the live records in the box) rolls out the thunder, and Simon McBride brings his own style to it. The documentary runs through a few live clips to give you a taste of the set, including the beautiful ballad “Nothing At All”.
When Deep Purple hits Berlin, Ian Paice has the idea to play a bit of “Let the Good Times Roll”. A young horn section is brought in, and it sounds great to everyone. We are treated to a clip of a soundcheck of “Hush” with the horns.
Show over, it’s off to the hotel, get a tea, and into bed with a book for Ian Gillan. Paicey prefers a glass of wine after a show, “because I’m allowed”.
Though it’s never overtly stated, one can’t help but notice the contrast in this documentary to the war stories of old. We remember the tales of on-stage and backstage blowups, food trays thrown about…but not any more. Now Deep Purple is five older gents who love playing together and don’t seem to mind each other’s company too much. That’s nice to see. And it’s still entertaining enough for an hour.
As a bonus DVD in a box set, this one’s easily a 5/5.
The box also came with art prints, a lanyard, guitar picks, a nice T-shirt and more, all seen in this unboxing video below.
DEEP PURPLE – =1 Live Album – 10″ Vinyl (2024 Edel)
When you buy a Deep Purple super deluxe, you get a new live album on three 10″ records every time. These records are each 45 RPM. This wonderful Deep Purple tradition carries on with this important release, the first live album with Simon McBride to be released. Let’s have a listen to all six sides.
Record 1 was recorded in Milan 2022, the same gig that yielded the B-sides for the “Pictures of You” single (“When A Blind Man Cries” and “Uncommon Man”), though they are not included here. This record opens with Machine Head‘s “Pictures of Home”, and Ian Paice beginning the proceedings with his usual drum intro. Don Airey’s organ dominates the mix, but Simon can be heard doing justice to the original arrangement. His tasty solo is his own unique composition, combining bluesy playing with shred in a way unheard before in Deep Purple. Blackmore fans who found Steve Morse to be just too different may prefer Simon McBride.
From 2020’s Whoosh! album comes “No Need to Shout”, one of the more straightforward tracks. It has a solid “Stormbringer”-like groove, but consider that Deep Purple remain unafraid to play new songs on tour every time. Simon and Don sneak in these quick licks that add season to the sauce. The chemistry with McBride is immediately undeniable.
A set highlight is the powerful ballad “Nothing At All”, probably the best song from Whoosh! Originally this song had a trademark Steve Morse guitar lick, but Simon acquits himself very well in this tricky part. It’s not identical, but the right notes are played, if in a very slightly different style. This beautiful song is harder live, with Ian Paice really smoking those drums, and Don Airey hitting his keys with more vigor.
The first record closes with another Machine Head classic, the undeniable “Lazy”, which we have so many live versions of. I have at least 34 live versions of “Lazy”, with more residing on live albums I have yet to rip to my PC. This version is the first available with Simon, and the word to use is “refreshing”. After 52 years, it is nice to have a version with another lead soloist, bringing his own powerful, melodic twist. Ian Gillan’s vocal is a little laid-back, but this version is a delight! When Ian starts playing the harmonica, it changes into something more akin to a country jam.
Record 2 was recorded in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2022. “Strange Kind of Woman” keeps us in classic territory. Somehow I get the feeling that Airey’s organ isn’t growly enough. Of course Gillan struggles with the high notes, but that’s old news and nobody should really care anymore. Simon’s solo is, once again, a fresh twist. Then they dig back even further with “Hush” from Shades of Deep Purple. Nothing different here, just the same classic groove and a killer organ solo, followed by a playful tradeoff between Simon and Don.
Side two only has newer material, beginning with “7 and 7 Is” (by Love) from the covers album Turning To Crime. Including “Hush”, that’s two covers in a row. It is cool that they were playing Turning To Crime material live, but this is skippable for most people (except Ian Paice fans who will dig the busy drum parts). More enjoyable is “Throw My Bones” from Whoosh! Don’s synth on this track is especially fun, and Simon makes it a bit heavier in the guitars. “Time For Bedlam” from InFinite closes this side. Ian Gillan struggles with the difficult vocals, which makes it harder to enjoy, though the guitar melodies are just sublime. This is a very technical track. Roger Glover holds everything together on bass while the feature players stretch out.
We are back to Milan on the third disc. Record 3 opens with the biggest surprise: “Anya” from 1993’s The Cattle Grazes Battle Rages On. It is no secret that making the album was an unpleasant experience for the band, especially Ian Gillan, but it is really cool to see them reaching back to the early 90s. This is the first version available with Don or Simon. Just as “Anya” is the only representation of the 1990s (a decade with four Deep Purple studio albums), “Perfect Strangers” is the only track from the 80s, as it often is. This is a solid workmanlike version.
The final side closes, of course, with “Smoke on the Water” and “Black Night”, leaving us without a version of “Highway Star” with Simon. This is a real shame; we hope one will come on future inevitable live albums. Ian Paice sounds great on these, and Simon’s solo on “Black Night” is bonkers, the same way that Blackers used to be bonkers.
This is a great little late-period live album. With a band and a back catalogue this extensive, it is natural that they can’t always fit in songs from Purpendicular, Now What, or In Rock. Newer material is more valuable in a live release such as this. Still…would have been nice to get “Highway Star”.
RECORD STORE TALES #1151: An Egg of a Day: End of August Scores
I have a coworker whose parents recently passed. This is always sad, but the time came for my coworker to purge her mom’s music collection. Periodically when this happens, people come to me to ask my opinion. Essentially, she wanted to know: “is there anything here that I shouldn’t take to the local Beat Goes On because it might be worth more?” She didn’t think much of her chances, but wanted to be sure.
“Sure, I’ll pop over and have a look,” I said. “I can’t promise you anything but I can at least have a look.”
That was good enough for her.
“I bet I find a bunch of Lawrence Welk!” I joked to Tim Durling and Jex Russell. You know the kind of record collection I mean.
Indeed, I did find Lawrence Welk in the very first box of vinyl. I had a laugh and kept digging. To everyone’s surprise, I found things that might indeed have been valuable, and they had no idea how it got into that collection.
First of all, she had a really nice stack of 78s. Big Crosby was the first one I saw. I have no idea on value of 78s, but this were stored well and all seemed in good condition. It might have been my first time handling a stack of 78’s like that. They are thicker than an LP, and much heavier. They require a special stylus as well as a turntable that can go up to 78. I used to have that equipment. She even had a cylinder, whether Edison or a competing brand, that was out for professional appraisal. So, this collection I was looking at had these formats:
LPs
45s
78s
Cassettes
8-tracks
CDs
and one cylinder
Pretty wild scope. The genres were all over the place, from easy listening and country (the usual suspects) to disco, jazz, oldies, and even progressive rock and heavy metal, as you’ll see. This, I did not expect.
Then I spied an album called Egg. Something about it jumped out at me. I flipped it around and there were black and white photos of long haired guys jamming. That struck me as out of place in this collection, so I set it aside. Somebody looked it up, and it can sell for easily over $100. Everyone seemed really impressed by my ability to sniff this out. I am no expert, folks. Not at all. But it looked out of place, which is why I took a second glance. It turns out Egg were an English progressive rock band, and the album was released in 1970. Very surprising, but they felt that this one find justified me coming over and looking at their records, so I was happy.
Original price: $6.99
I found some things I wanted for myself and made an offer. I left with the following titles:
Guns N’ Roses – “You Could Be Mine” 1991 Geffen cassette single. I own it on CD, but never on cassette. Why not? In this day and age of owning everything on every format, why not?
The Best Of ZZ Top 1977 Wea Music cassette. A staple, but one that I somehow have never owned before on any format. Stone cold classic compilation.
John Williams and the Boston Pops – Pops In Space 1980, Philips, made in Holland. This contains music from some of Williams science fiction classics: Superman, The Empire Strikes Back (which was brand new in 1980), Star Wars, and Close Encounters. I haven’t seen this one before.
Oscar Peterson – The Trio – Live from Chicago 1961 Verve/1986 Polygram CD. My second Oscar Peterson score this summer. You rarely find Oscar in the wild, and never this one.
Johnny Cash – His Greatest Hits, Volume II1971 Columbia 8-track. This was the Cash album I grew up with in the car with my dad, albeit on cassette. This cartridge is in great shape, and resides in a bright red shell. This is my first red shell 8-track tape.
When I called my dad to tell him of my musical scores, he was surprised at the 8-track. While he clearly remembers that Cash album, he asked me “Do you have anything that plays an 8-track?” This is a common question that we collectors get. No I do not. I don’t have a way to play a Minidisc, a DAT, or a DCC either but I would love to have some in my collection. My collecting desires are no longer strictly just to have music to play. Now I collect music I can’t even play too! Just to have a piece of history.
After we completely examined the collection and left some advice, I departed with my treasures. Since we were in the neighbourhood, I decided to visit the old Toys R Us/HMV store. There, I finally decided to pick up Iron Maiden’s Powerslave on vinyl, edging me closer to completing the 1980s collection. Now, all I should need are the first two Di’Anno albums (I think). Powerslave was $36 and hard to pull the trigger on, since I can distinctly remember a time when Sam the Record Man was swinning in new copies for $6.99 each, and that sticks with you. I finally have it now.
A successful Saturday. Time to listen to some music!
Here it is: One of the biggest rock album events of the summer! We have the Deep Purple =1 Super Deluxe Box Set in hand, and we go through all its contents. Have a watch.
Collecting Arkells odds & ends on physical formats is an expensive prospect. This cool 10″ EP features the Hamilton band, along with Nova Scotia’s Joel Plaskett and Toronto’s Zaki Ibrahim. The three artists cover Canadian songs on this EP, from artists both famed and obscure. It is a beautiful transparent blue EP, with a basic cover design. The names of the featured artists are on the front, with the names of the artsists covered on the back. The tracklist and credits are inside, on a coloured insert. More on that in a minute.
Here is a breakdown of the tracks.
ARKELLS – “I’m Not Afraid”
Mississauga’s Owen Pallett has a career going back over two decades, previously under the name Final Fantasy. They play violin and other instruments. Here’ the Arkells cover of a tune called “I’m Not Afraid”, a powerful tune taking full advantage of their instrumental prowess. Augmented by a sax section, the song opens with a synthesizer drone, and then a pulsing bassline over it. It starts off tense and sparse, and takes a little while to launch as the arrangement slowly builds. It explodes 90 seconds in, with singer Max Kerman breaking into a falsetto on the chorus. The sax-soaked tune really flies at this point, propelled by drummer Tim Oxford, the engine of the Arkells. The best word to describe this song is simple – it really cooks.
JOEL PLASKETT – “Bittersweet Memories”
Calgary’s Leslie Feist is better known on the world stage simply as Feist. Joel Plaskett chose “Bittersweet Memories” to cover. Plaskett plays everything but the Rhodes keys (by Erin Costelo). Like Kerman before, he breaks into falsetto at times, but this gentle ballad has a steady beat and a vintage 70s easy listening vibe. It’s an excellent song, with lyrics that paint a picture. Here’s the main thing: Feist really knows how to write a song, and Joel’s no slouch on everything he plays!
ZAKI IBRAHIM – “Show Me the Place”
The final artist to get the cover treatment is the legendary Leonard Cohen. Zaki Ibrahim chose a song of recent vintage, “Show Me the Place” from 2012’s Old Ideas. There’s a very low-key and soulful arrangement featuring piano, synth, drum programs and cello. Though all of this forms a cloudy-yet-vivid atmosphere, it is Ibrahim’s vocals that really make it shine. Her layered vocals on the chorus sound are stirring and foreboding. It’s an incredible vocal performance in totality, featuring both restraint and expression. This is easily an EP highlight.
Here’s the amusing thing about this EP. There is obvious care put into both the music and the detailed sleeve notes, but they got the track listing wrong. They switched the Arkells and Plaskett tracks. In reality, Arkells are on side A, and Plaskett and Ibrahim are on side B. The sleeve notes are repeated on both sides of the insert, French and English, and both are wrong. It makes sense for the Arkells track to occupy an entire side by itself, since it is the longest at 5:19. Funny how these mistakes get made. The actual label on the record is correct.
A very enjoyable EP, with tracks that should be cherished by fans of all three artists.
I love admitting to my past musical sins. Perhaps others will learn from my mistakes.
I was in grade 11, a mere 16 years old, when the music video for “Youth Gone Wild” hit the airwaves. Skid Row were the latest thing, a band promoted by Jon Bon Jovi himself, from his home state of New Jersey. We didn’t know yet that the lead singer, Sebastian Bach, identified as a Canadian. He grew up in Peterborough Ontario, just on the other side of Toronto. In fact, I didn’t know that I already had something of Bach in my music video collection. I had a brief clip of him, with teased up hair, in a prior band called Madame X. This band was led by Maxine Petrucci, sister of Roxy Petrucci from Vixen. They featured a young Sebastian Bach and Mark “Bam Bam” McConnell whom Bach would play with in VO5. I wasn’t into any of those bands. I was pretty hard-headed about what I liked and disliked.
In Spring 1989, I first encountered “Youth Gone Wild” on the Pepsi Power Hour. It could have been Michael Williams hosting, but whoever it was, they hyped up this new band called Skid Row. I liked getting in on new bands from the ground floor. Made them easier to collect when you started at the start. At that point, I wasn’t even sure how many albums Judas Priest actually had. I was intrigued enough to hit “record” on my VCR as the music video began. I caught the opening “Ba-boom!” of drums, and sat back to watch.
While I wasn’t blown away, I kept recording. The key was the singer. If the singer sucked, I’d usually hit “stop” and rewind back to where I was. The singer passed the test: he didn’t suck. I kept recording.
After about a minute, I pressed the “stop” button, and lamented that this new band wasn’t for me. What happened? What did Skid Row do to turn me off so quickly?
I can admit this. I’ve always been open about the fact that I was very image-driven as a teenager. We all were! With the exception of maybe George Balazs, all the neighborhood kids were into image to some degree or another. I was probably driven by image more than the average kid, consuming magazines and music videos by the metric tonne. So, what exactly was wrong with Skid Row?
I’ll tell ya, folks. It was serious.
The bass player had a chain going from his nose to his ear.
I just could not. I couldn’t put a poster on my wall with some band that had a bass player with a chain that went from his nose to his ear! No way, no f’n way.
I pressed rewind, and prepared to record the next video over Skid Row.
That summer, the glorious, legendary summer of ’89, I went with Warrant. I bought their debut album sight-unseen, based on a blurb in the Columbia House catalogue. Warrant were the selection of the month. “What the hell,” I thought, and checked the box to order it immediately.
Meanwhile, Bob Schipper and the girl I liked, named Tammy, were really into Skid Row. They knew all about my issues with the nose chain. They got under my skin about it a bit, but I wouldn’t bend on Skid Row.
“18 and Life” was the next single, a dark power ballad that was easy for me to ignore. “I Remember You” was harder to pass on. It was the perfect acoustic ballad for 1989. You had the nostalgic lyrics, which Bob and I both connected with. Somehow, we knew that 1989 was the absolute pinnacle. We knew this would be the summer to beat! Bon Jovi and Def Leppard were still on the charts. Aerosmith and Motley Crue had new singles out with albums incoming. We walked around singing “Summer of ’69” by Bryan Adams, except we changed the words to “Summer of ’89”. We just knew. “Got my first real six string…” we sang. And we both had our own fairly new guitars that we could barely play.
“I Remember You” was a massive hit, and still I resisted.
“Because of the nose chain?” Bob Schipper questioned me.
Absolutely because of the nose chain!
I stood firm for two years. Bob Schipper went to college, and Tammy was long distance and not meant to last. I felt a bit like an island by the time 1991 rolled around. I felt alone. My best friend was gone, I had no girlfriend, and most of my school friends went their own ways. I was a loner like I’d never been in my life before. Music was my companion, and my beloved rock magazines were my library.
That’s how Skid Row eventually got me. Sebastian Bach had a good friend in Drew Masters, who published the excellent M.E.A.T Magazine out of Toronto. Drew’s praise for the forthcoming second Skid Row album, Slave to the Grind, was unrelenting. He caught my ear. I was looking for heavier music in my life, not satisfied with Priest’s Painkiller as one of the heaviest albums I owned. I wanted more rock, and I wanted it heavy.
The other thing that got me was the collector’s itch. When I found out that Slave to the Grind was released in two versions with different exclusive songs, I was triggered. I had to have both.
“I’ll make a tape, and put both songs on my version!” It was a pretty cool idea.
Costco had Slave to the Grind in stock. They had the full-on version with “Get the Fuck Out”, the song that was excluded from the more store-friendly version. Columbia House stocked the tame version, which had a completely different song called “Beggars Day”. I bought the CD from Costco, the vinyl from Columbia House, and suddenly I was the only guy in town who had the full set. I made my cassette with joy, recreating the Skid Row logo on the spine, and writing the song titles in with red ink.
“Get the Fuck Out” was track 6, side one. “Beggars Day” was track 7, side one. I still have them in that order in my mp3 files today.
Sure, there was an audible change in sound when the tape source went from CD to vinyl, but I couldn’t afford two CD copies. Little did I know how cool it would be later on to have an original vinyl copy of Slave to the Grind.
I loved the album. I loved all three of the ballads. The production was sharp. There were excellent deep cuts: “The Threat”, “Livin’ on a Chain Gang”, and “Riot Act” were all as great as any of the singles. Furthermore, the singer had taken it to new heights of intensity and excellence.
I let Skid Row into my heart that day. It was a good decision. Skid Row accompanied me through times good and bad, lonely and angry. They were my companion through it all, and they’re still pretty good. It was meant to be!
RECORD STORE TALES #1130: If I Had A Million Dollars? A Top Five List
If I had a million dollars Well, I’d buy you a fur coat But not a real fur coat, that’s cruel And if I had a million dollars If I had a million dollars Well, I’d buy you an exotic pet Yep, like a llama or an emu
Fur coats? Exotic pets? No thank you! If I had a million dollars, I’ll tell ya exactly what I’d buy!
1. AV Designhaus Derenville VPM 2010-1
There goes half my money in one shot ($650,000)! What do I get for my money? A belt-driven turntable on a Corian chassis, that rests on four feet that are supported and balanced through an air suspension system. Has an ethernet connection, and a HD-TV camera that monitors the diamond stylus. Why? To watch it on a high resolution monitor and make necessary adjustments. It would probably take two engineers to set up and test; I certainly couldn’t do it myself! I doubt there is much you could do to improve the sound of a vinyl record that this turntable doesn’t already have packed in.
2. Vintage 1982 Nakamichi Dragon 3 Head Autoreverse Cassette Recorder
This one will cost me another $10,000 Canadian, but some consider it the Rolls Royce of tape decks. If you ever wanted to make a tape sound almost as good as a CD, this is the way to do it. It requires tuning, maintenance, and knowledge. But money is no object in this exercise, so why not? Dare I say why not? It’s a sleek, beautiful looking beast of 80s esthetics. Just look at all those buttons and LEDs! Might be more work than it’s worth, but the sound you can get from a high-quality blank tape and this machine are better than what my ears can discern anyway.
3. PS Audio FR30 speakers
$40,000 for the pair. Then I’d need the amplifiers and Paul McGowan himself to set it all up. I’d also need to move into a bigger house. They require a large, neutral listening space. Which I’d like to have anyway! By all accounts, these speakers (when set up correctly) provide a very real sounding experience, as if you’re in the room with the musicians. The low end is supposedly amazing, aided by eight passive radiators. Plus, don’t they just look gorgeous?
4. Iron Maiden – Best of the Beast vinyl(1996)
Needed for just a handful of tracks! A live version of “Revelations”, and technically the Soundhouse Tapes EP. In the condition I want it, it’ll cost me upwards of $1000. Wish I bought it for $300 new when I had the chance back in 1997. It’ll sound as good as CD, over my new AV Designhaus Derenville VPM turntable and PS Audio speakers!
5. Marantz SA-10
May as well grab a new CD transport while I’m at it! This Super Audio player boasts a high-end DAC, and will play files from FLAC to MP3 via a USB stick. It won’t connect easily with your iPhone, which means nothing to me anyway. I’ve always wanted a Super Audio player, so why not go with the best? This will set me back about a grand, and I’ll probably never use most of its features. But that’s what dreaming is all about!
There you go. 500 words on what I could do with a spare million bucks just kicking around. What would you buy? Keep it fun – this is a fantasy exercise, so no need for serious answers. Drop your comment below!
ALICE COOPER – Breadcrumbs (2024 earMUSIC, expanded reissue of 2019 Edel EP)
Wait a second…”Breadcrumbs“? I thought the full title was The Breadcrumbs EP? It was, but with the addition of two bonus tracks, it appears that Breadcrumbs has been upgraded to an album, with a modified title and altered cover art. Interestingly now the artwork highlights the production of Bob Ezrin.
Back in 2019, Alice Cooper wanted to do a Detroit garage rock record and pay homage to his roots. The Breadcrumbs EP was originally six tracks of stripped down goodness on 10″ vinyl and limited to 20,000 copies. (I own #48!) Now on CD, it is expanded to include the 2020 standalone Covid-era single “Don’t Give Up“, and a live track from 2022.
For the first six tracks (the original EP), Alice is backed by the MC5’s Wayne Kramer, bassist Paul Randolph, Grand Funk’s Railroad Mark Farner, and Detroit Wheel Johnny “Bee” Badanjek. A remake of Alice Cooper’s “Detroit City” (from The Eyes of Alice Cooper) is an appropriate starting point:
Me and Iggy were giggin’ with Ziggy and kickin’ with the MC5, Ted and Seger were burnin’ with fever, and let the Silver Bullets fly, The Kid was in his crib, Shady wore a bib, and the posse wasn’t even alive.
That’s some rock and roll poetry right there. Not one of Alice’s finest songs but worthy of a second chance. Then “Go Man Go” is a new original composition co-written by Wayne Kramer. It’s punk rock Alice, as authentic as the bands he’s paying tribute to. Bob Seger’s “East Side Story” is anchored a steady groove, right out of Hendrix’s version of “Gloria”. A really funky “Your Mama Won’t Like Me” (Suzi Quatro) is the centrepiece of the EP. Horns blastin’, Alice hasn’t been this funky since his dance-oriented Alice Cooper Goes to Hell in 1976. “Devil With a Blue Dress On” (Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels) is the soulful side that Alice occasionally shows. It’s merged with “Chains of Love” (J.J. Barnes) which pulls everything back to rock. Finally “Sister Anne” by the MC5 puts the snot on the nose and the grime in the rock. Kramer’s simply awesome riff is perfectly complemented by Cooper.
The world suddenly changed in March of 2020. By May, Alice had made his statement on Covid-19: “Don’t Give Up”! It’s the most direct, most topical, and the least “Alice” song of the bunch. Why? Because this time he’s not telling stories, or covering a rock classic. This time he’s addressing the listening directly and talking about current events. Wisely, he just stuck to the feelings.
“Yeah, I know you’re struggling right now. We all are, in different ways. It’s like a new world that we don’t even know. It’s hard to sleep, even harder to dream. But look, you got seven billion brothers and sisters all in the same boat! So don’t panic. Life has a way of surviving and going on and on. We’re not fragile and we sure don’t break easy.”
Since it was 2020, the single was recorded in home studios and eventually released on vinyl, with a different version appearing on the Detroit Stories album. This is the first CD release of the original 2020 version. Musically you could call “Don’t Give Up” a power ballad. It has a very 80’s guitar figure, with Alice speaking his message over it. The chorus is more modern, with Alice singing as plaintively as he can. It was never a remarkable track, but it was an important one in its time.
2020’s live version of “Go Man Go” features his live band, including Hurricane Nita Strauss on lead guitar. This is a short blast of live track, and well recorded, at Hellfest 2020. Probably just because of the live vibe, it’s a more enjoyable listen.
Nobody likes getting double-dipped and having to buy the same thing twice. However, we’re used to getting fleeced by now. It’s easy to ignore.
DEF LEPPARD – “Just Like 73” (7″ Mercury single)
mikeladano.com 