Happy birthday to Jonathan Cain of JOURNEY, as we celebrate his discography today with Tim Durling on this very special episode of Grab A Stack of Rock! We look back at the entire discography of the legendary rock band, all the lineup changes, all the big songs, and a bunch of deep cuts as well. On six different formats, I show you the entire catalogue, with help from Tim to fill three holes in the official collection. (There’s still one or two essential things I need to get, but you’ll have to watch the video to find out.)
Tim Durling is what I would call a “Journey expert”. He knows the facts and the sales numbers and the singles, and he was essential in this video coming to be. Not just the live albums I’m still missing, but also the knowledge and personal history. I was late getting into the band, in the late 1990s. Tim had 10 years on me. Thank you Tim for helping me make this video!
Together we presented CDs, cassettes, vinyl, 8-tracks, Blu-rays and DVDs of all the essential Journey. We looked at imports from Japan, Europe, the US, and Mexico as well as different pressings with different bonus tracks. A wide variety of Journey CD editions are here for you to examine.
Thank you Tim and thank you Journey for the music!
Discography included:
Journey (1975)
Look Into the Future (1976)
Next (1977)
Infinity (1978)
Evolution (1979)
In The Beginning (1979)
Departure (1980)
Dream, After Dream (1980)
Captured (1981)
Escape (1981)
Frontiers (1983 and 2023 40th Anniversary editions)
Raised on Radio (1986)
Greatest Hits (1988)
Time3 (1992 boxed set)
Trial By Fire (1996)
Greatest Hits Live (1998)
Arrival (2000-2001)
The Essential Journey (2001)
Red 13 (2002)
Generations (2005)
Live In Houston 1981: The Escape Tour (2005)
Turn the Page (Live Bootleg w/ Jeff Scott Soto (2006)
The band that once took 15 years to release a new album hasn’t been doing too shabby of late with new releases. “Perhaps” we should say new/old releases (see what I did there?) because all four of the new songs released by Guns N’ Roses since Chinese Democracy have been re-worked outtakes from that era. Since Duff McKagan and Slash have returned to Guns, we’ve had four new tracks: “ABSUЯD” & “Hard Skool” were released on a previous single, and now we have “Perhaps” and “The General” to go with them.
The “G” side of this new single contains “Perhaps”, which is immediately reminiscent of Use Your Illusion era Guns, via the prominent piano line. Of any song released since, “Perhaps” sounds the most like a song that would have come out on a new GN’R album in 1995. Slash’s guitar solo sounds perfectly vintage, but it’s Dizzy Reed on piano, whose flourishes recall “November Rain”, that brings it all back to the glory days. “Perhaps” wouldn’t have been a big hit in the 90s, but it certainly would have been a solid album cut.
On the “R” side is “The General”, a song we’ve heard whispers about from those in Axl’s inner circle. This track is the most disappointing, without any notable hooks. It sounds more of the Chinese Democracy era, and is purely B-side material. It has a haunting quality that might come from Axl’s love of Alice Cooper, but it’s anything but memorable and the technical flourishes don’t do it any favours, except to obscure the lack of catchy melody or riff.
One good song, one throwaway. That makes the score pretty clear.
BRUCE DICKINSON – “Afterglow of Ragnarok” (2023 BMG 7″ single)
In 2024 we will be graced by a new Bruce Dickinson platter, his first solo album since Tyranny of Souls in 2005. He’s back with Roy Z, and a forthcoming concept album called The Mandrake Project. This single is billed as a “prequel”. It comes with a beautiful, full colour comic book insert, installed in the middle of the gatefold. The story will be fully revealed next year, but this is a project that Bruce has been working on a long long time…
Witness: The B-side “If Eternity Should Fail”, a demo version of a song that Iron Maiden re-recorded on The Book of Souls. It’s not the first time Maiden have lifted a song from Bruce’s solo compositions! He remarks in the liner notes that the song is radically re-imagined on the final Mandrake Project album, but that the keyboards on this demo actually made it to the Maiden version! Bruce on keys, Roy Z on bass and guitar. It’s really not that different at all! The drums are most noticeable. Presumably this is a drum machine. Roy’s bass work is pretty cool too. It introduces the character of Necropolis, who will feature on the album.
The A-side, “Afterglow of Ragnarok”, is promising. Drums thunder, in cavernous hugeness. Downtuned guitars provide a metallic gutpunch, with a riff that is as solid as any in Bruce and Roy’s impressive history. The chorus is another demonstration of power and melody. A Bruce classic, this will be.
Looking forward to The Mandrake Project, we are. Bruce’s solo work has often rivalled Maiden in quality, not to set expectations too high. This single is a positive omen.
Last time I reviewed Morning Report, I mentioned that the first two songs, “Drake’s Dad” and “Private School” were my least favourites. Ironically Morning Report became my favourite Arkells album despite this. When I re-bought it on a vinyl reissue, I was surprised but pleased to see that the running order had been altered! Now, a new single called “Knocking At the Door” was track #2, with “Private School” moving on to #3. This really changes things and makes the album a much more consistent listen from the start.
Y’see, I’ve discovered that I don’t particularly like when the Arkells get too much into modern mainstream pop. Despite its powerful soul chorus, “Drake’s Dad” falls into this category for me. It really does have a great chorus, a powerful soul/gospel chant of “I just wanna hold you, so high!” that raises the roof. It also has a lush arrangement with strings and samples.
“Knocking At the Door” has modern elements too, but my attention is drawn to the blast of the horn section, and the impressive and aggressive drumming from Tim Oxford. The track is just a banger. The chorus is as powerful as the Arkells get. Never a dull moment in this song. Listen to the horns and drums, trust me! Like “Drake’s Dad”, this one also features soul/gospel vocals.
The forgettable drinking anthem “Private School” has a fun hook of “Ah, fuck off, don’t say I’d do the same!” Silly fun. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, and soon makes way for the incredible ballad “My Heart’s Always Yours”. This suave pop rock heart-tugger just hits all the feels. Max Kerman has a way with words and I’m certain that the ladies love him for it. Though keyboards are the prominent hook-delivering instrument, the pure passion and panache of this song just elevates it to the clouds. As you’ll see later on, it doesn’t need the keyboards. A brilliant song, made indelible in the brain and heart!
Things get even better on “Savannah”, the fast acoustic-based song with killer lyrics. “She was named after, she was named after her dad’s favourite city. I was named after, I was named after the fact…” How does Max come up with this stuff?! He paints a picture of characters, often female, drifting in and out of his life. He tells their stories, often depicting musty old apartments, messy beds, and empty refrigerators. Musically, “Savannah” is even better than lyrically. It’s powerful and it has a trumpet solo, so what more could you want? The chorus is probably the most immediate one on the album.
Then…get ready for chills, for it is time for “Passenger Seat”, the most haunting song on the album and easily one of the most chill-inducing I’ve ever heard. Then the chorus comes, with Max in a high falsetto, accompanied by sparse piano and keyboard effects. “Driving on the highway home, this time alone, doesn’t mean the same without you. I turn on the radio, to somethin’ slow, just to let it fuck with my mood…but songs don’t sound the same without you in the passenger seat.” Who can’t relate to that? (People without driver’s licenses I suppose.)
Brightness returns on “Making Due”, like the light peaking through the blinds after a long night. The music is pure uplifting magic, and the lyrics cut clean through. A sunny guitar hook opens the track, and then Max delivers some of his best melodies and words to date. That falsetto really nails the hooks home. Favourite lines: “I thought we made a deal, you were crossin’ your fingers!” Or “Got a pulse, but there’s a few beats missin’.”
Acoustics come to the fore on “Round and Round”, a folksy number (at first) that serves to bridge two very upbeat pop songs. The band comes in partway and it becomes a little more late Beatles-y in a weird way. Horns come blastin’ through, then synth, and it grows into something else entirely: something birthed in the early 80s, but also talking about MuchMusic’s Electric Circus TV show circa 1999. An interesting track that is more than meets the ear.
“Hung Up” is impossible not to dance to. “The gatekeepers are keepin’ me out, let me in! Who made you the president, well fucker?” The horns also return, along with the synth, creating a modern pop rock classic. And I just love Max Kerman’s trio of “Well fucker?” at the end of the song. (Also listen carefully for a reference to “Fake Money” from the prior album High Noon.) No folks, he may be no Axl Rose, but Max Kerman is not afraid of dropping F-bombs right and left. Fortunately I’m easily entertained and I find his use of the word (usually) effective and not overdone.
A beauty called “Come Back Home” is a quieter, slow ballad, with a thrumming bassline that provides a dreamy foundation, like a pillow. “All would be forgiven if you’d come back home,” begs Max. “‘Cause I just wanna be yours again.” Filled with regret, Max is looking for reconciliation. Morning Report could in fact be a concept album about shattered relationships and our reactions to them. “And I thought about all the ways I could hurt you, to even the score of feelin’ deserted.”
The upbeat moods return on “A Little Rain (A Song for Pete)”. Max has indicated he’s probably an atheist in past lyrics, but here he says “I stumbled in St. Peter’s Cathedral, there I was. I never tried religion but man, I’ll try anything once.” I can’t tell if this song is about someone name Pete, or if Max is singing as if he’s having conversations with St. Pete himself. It means whatever you want it to! This incredibly catchy tune has a fun, bouncy beat and a suitable synth riff to go with it. Drummer Tim Oxford is definitely an underrated percussionist who doesn’t play it simple and always has catchy fills.
A slower but powerful song called “And Then Some” is next to last. This romantic dreamer is so good! “And I love every inch of you, and then some and then some.” Beautiful song and I can’t help but think of Tom Cochrane on the chorus. Something about Max’s delivery sounds like the Red Rider frontman.
Strangely, after all this power, all these hooks, and thick arrangements, the final song is very different from anything else. Quiet, understated and short, “Hangs the Moon” is like a coda. The arrangement is very bare, and Max’s voice is the main feature. The Arkells occasionally choose interesting, unconventional closing songs, and this is one. It works, but it’s not among my favourite songs on the album, and besides, it’s only the closer on the original 12 track album. We still have three more to go, all acoustic versions of previous songs.
“My Heart’s Always Yours” has a completely different feel as a piano and vocal arrangement. Guitar and percussion come in later. The vocal melody is identical, but the mood hits differently. It’s more sombre, though still mesmerising. For the softer arrangement, Max resorts to falsetto for some of the power-vocal moments. The wonderful “And Then Some” sounds more like the album version, though stripped back to basics. It’s still every bit as beautiful as the record, with a few little surprises. The best of the bonus tracks. The last bonus track is an unplugged version “Knocking At the Door”. This version sounds akin to an earlier album like Michigan Left. Similar vibe. There’s a cool bit at the end where the band sings together that just demonstrates their talent and soul. Great tune, cool bonus. All these bonus tracks serve to enhance an already excellent album.
To go with the new tracks, the gatefold double LP set comes with new cover art. It’s similar, but has a woman’s face sketched instead of a man’s. I love when different editions get similar, but different art! I didn’t even notice at first.
Morning Report is an album that I have listened to intensely for the last couple months, and has made a permanent impression on my soul. With Max’s lyrics tattooed on my heart, I’m already terribly biased towards love. The improved track list here corrects any flaws with the earlier version and renders it obsolete.
RECORD STORE TALES #1076: Weekend Listening At Home
When I have time and the inclination at home, I like to go through dusty corners of the CD collection and finally get them ripped to PC. I take my hard drives with me everywhere, so my music collection is always portable. This weekend I took some deep dives, and sampled the sweet exotic fruits of the E section, a sampling of K’s and L’s, and some new arrivals too.
First of all, the newer stuff.
I’m going to have to re-review Morning Report by the Arkells again! Turns out, I made a mistake in my original review. I said that the deluxe edition had three bonus tracks, but I was wrong. I didn’t realize that there was another bonus track inserted as track #2, between “Drake’s Dad” and “Private School”. This makes all the difference in the world to the sequencing. Now we get “Knocking At The Door”, a new single, as the new track #2. Since “Drake’s Dad” and “Private School” were my two least favourite songs, having something of much higher quality between them really helps the flow.
I always buy something after doing a show on Grant’s Rock Warehouse. This time, it was the Stone Gods. I’ve acquired the single for “Burn the Witch”, which comes with two awesome non-album songs: “Breakdown”, and “Heartburn”! “Breakdown” is exactly like Thin Lizzy, to a tee, except with Richie Edwards on lead vocals. “Breakdown” is of equally high quality, a light and humorous tune about Pepto-Bismol and Gaviscon. Expect a review at some point in the future.
Finally, I sampled some April Wine, from Over 60 Minutes With…All the Rockers. People ask me “Why do you not own any April Wine?” I said “I never grew up with April Wine, my friends didn’t like them, so I never bothered.” Well Tim Durling said I need April Wine. I will evaluate this at a later date, but I have some April Wine now.
The next batch of discs was from the last part of the E section, five discs that had escaped ripping to the PC all these years. It could be 20 years or more since I have last played some of these. Earth, Wind & Fire, nothing need be said here, that’s essential. I was surprised at the quality of Elf, as boogie-woogie isn’t usually my thing. The Rik Emmett CD is cool because it has 2001 live versions of some of his old Triumph classics. Episode Six runs the gamut from quaint to psychedelic. “UFO” is one cool such song, a spoken word bit over drums, that reads from UFO sighting reports. But that’s Ian Gillan and Roger Glover on the front cover, yes indeed! Finally, the Eric Singer Project (ESP) was the weak link in this batch. Just a bland covers album to me.
Next, over to the K section. I noticed that none of my Kula Shaker music was on PC, and I have a lot of Kula Shaker. That’s the entire collection below, in fact.
Look! The 2 CD edition of debut album K with a cool remix of “Tattva”. Two CDs of “Govinda” singles with B-sides and remixes. “Grateful When You’re Dead/Jerry Was There” CD single with two non-album tracks. The highlight of me of these was “The Leek”, a quiz show style radio appearance by bassist Alonza Bevan. (A distant cousin of Roger Glover, in fact.) Really funny stuff. To me, anyway! Two CDs of “Hush”, the Joe South cover (also covered by Deep Purple Mk I) with lots more non-album tracks. Then we have the Summer Sun EP, which has four of the previous B-sides and two songs I didn’t have elsewhere. The second album, Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts spawned a CD single called “Sound of Drums”, both of which are here. More non-album tracks on that as well.
Well, it turns out, I still love Kula Shaker! Like, a lot. That Britpop sound, mixed with 60s psychedelia and far Eastern influences just tickles my fancy. There were a couple tracks I really loved, but none more than “108 Battles of the Mind” from the second album. What a cool, manic track that definitely benefited from the Austin Powers era.
One thing about Kula Shaker that needs to be addressed: the stellar musicianship. These guys can jam! Special notice to drummer Paul Winterhart who is absolute monster. Incredible band. Once I start re-absorbing these songs back into my memory, I may have to catch up with what they’ve been up to since 1999, where my collection ends.
Continuing through K, and into L, the listening continued on Sunday morning.
Kyuss is a band that I don’t think was summed up well by compilation. I will have to dig further. I have their split EP with Queens of the Stone Age, which has “Fatso Forgotso” on it, but I think Kyuss were an album band. The two Kulick albums are excellent. Corabi is on Transformer, which is signed! I didn’t know I had a signed copy! The James LaBrie solo disc also sounds great from what I sampled! Very Dream Theater, in a good way. Some heavy, some soft. Then we have Life Sex & Death, also called LSD. Their gimmick was their lead singer “Stanley” who was supposedly homeless (but wasn’t). This 1992 album is one that needs more exploration. What I heard was heavy, gritty and riffy while retaining some melody. To be further examined in the future.
As far as I got on the weekend, this just scratches the surface. Look at all this stuff that is still sealed in my collection. Time or inclination just haven’t lined up with the proper mood yet. Some are newer arrivals, like Metheny, Hollywood Vampires and Eric Carr. Others have been sitting around for years. The Kiss compilation may as well stay sealed for collector’s purposes, but The Boxed Life by Rollins…that could have been waiting a decade on these shelves. The Garth Hudsons have been here since 2020. The Etta James and Beatles since 2018. They were in Jen’s mom’s collection.
Wish me luck as I continue to delve into these unheard corners of my collection. What would you be playing first if you stumbled onto these discs?
“The show must go on.” That’s the saying, right? That’s what the most supportive wife in the world said to me tonight when I was debating whether to cancel Grab A Stack of Rock this week. Another seizure, another fall, thank God no broken jaw. We’ll have to fill you in on the details later.
An exhausted Mike (physically, emotionally, and mentally) relied on his co-host and guest, Harrison and Mr. Books, for carrying the weight. Jex Russell also stopped by with some rarities.
We looked at:
Rare bootleg CDs
Rare DVD
All my Maiden vinyl with stories to go with
Maiden beer, Maiden menu
Books
And some tangents.
A great show all things considered, and now I need to go take care of Jen. See you next week if all goes well.
Next week, the summer tour of 2023 rolls on with Nurse Kat and the Arkells!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 24: Grab A Stack of Iron Maiden
Harrison thought it was time to look at Iron Maiden again. After all, Iron Maiden was the subject of two of our most successful shows in the past. Enough time has passed that people will want to see our Maiden collections again. I’ve dug up all my vinyl, and I have plenty of action figures from Super Seven to show off, as well as other assorted Eddies!
Joining Harrison and I tonight will be Mr. Books from the KMA. It has been ages since he’s been on the show, so please give a warm welcome back to Mr. Books!
As always, we will start the show with “Ask Harrison” and some unboxings. Hope you can join us!
SPECIAL TIME!
Friday June 16 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy on YouTube or onFacebook!
Next week, the summer tour of 2023 rolls on with Nurse Kat and the Arkells!
When I reviewed this album six years ago, I rated it 4.5/5 stars. For whatever reason, I’ve been playing this a lot over the last two weeks. Like a lot lot. Today I’d give it a solid 5/5. High Noon by the Arkells has reached that upper echelon of albums that somehow, someway, have become so important to me that losing this album would be like losing an arm. It’s in my soul now. It’s part of me. That’s not easy to do, especially for newer music.
I love the spirit. The defiance. The anger! “Oh you’re just a boy, a little banker boy, everything’s a game and everyone’s your toy…” A pretty scathing indictment of the wealthy who prey on the vulnerable, a practice which singer Max Kerman refers to as “Fake Money”. It’s so upbeat that you don’t pick up on the anger until you actually listen to the words. But when you do? Hooboy! Though the song sounds like a celebration, the lyrics cut like razors.
Then there’s the very-80’s “Come To Light”, a brilliant rock song with a Bowie beat. There’s a tension built from synth and drums. Then the piano delivers those hooks! Kerman’s vocals are as impassioned as ever (“Impassioned” being his middle name, according to some reports). Virtually every song could be a single, and this one was the first of four. Another simply superior upbeat celebration follows, called “Cynical Bastards”. You have to love that title! Once again the keys are the dominant hook-deliverer, though the chorus itself is pretty damn awesome. Even the lyrics are catchy! “If the 80s were tough, the 90s were mean!”
Another serious favourite is track #4: “11:11”. You ever heard about that superstition that you’re supposed to make a wish when the clock shows 11:11? A slower, more contemplative song, this beauty is all about meeting a sweetie at a bar. “You made a wish at 11:11, I held your hips at 12:34,” goes the fabulous chorus. “There was a kiss just waiting to happen, a cab was waiting just outside the door.” A slower but still bright number called “Never Thought That This Would Happen” is one of most poetic yet colloquial songs about a one-nighter that I’ve ever heard. “And I never thought that this would happen, and you got all weird after the weekend. Sometimes you make out with an old friend, and I’m rounding first and I’m sliding into second…” It’s also the only song on the album that exceeds four minutes.
Sometimes I wonder if these girls that Kerman is singing about know the songs are about them.
“Dirty Blonde” is another very 80s upbeat rocker, very much like 80s Elton John, but harder. Just as many hooks though! “What Are You Holding On To?” has a completely different vibe, happy and danceable. This is followed by the uber-catchy “Hey Kids!” and the single “Leather Jacket”. “Leather Jacket” is one that strikes home lyrically in many ways. “You call me up from a pay phone, I say hang tight I can drive you home.” Been there done that! But my favourite line? “You call me up from a pay phone, and I said, ‘Who the fuck uses a pay phone?'” Regardless, “Leather Jacket” is instantaneous, flawless and passionate.
Just two more songs remain in this journey. “Crawling Through the Window” slows things down to a strong digital pulse, with dark chords backing it. Brilliant lyrics here describing a shitty old apartment. “There were carpets in the bathroom, man, what the fuck’s a vacuum?” Again it sounds like there’s a real story here. Finally the dance rock of “Systematic” ends the album on a surprising, but no less catchy note.
Mastering engineer – Harry Hess! By all means, get this album. Get it. Play it. Play it again. Fall in love. I did.
SAVATAGE – Poets and Madman (2001, 2022 glow in the dark vinyl reissue)
Let us start with this vinyl reissue, before we look at the album proper. Savatage have done a lovely job of reissuing their catalogue on vinyl, with colours galore, epic packaging, and occasional bonus tracks. This reissue includes one such track on a bonus 7″ record. Awesome.
The album comes packaged in a beefy gatefold sleeve, loaded with pictures and graphics. It’s a double album, plus the bonus single. It also includes a massive booklet with loads of text, an interview, photos and lyrics. This reissue was done right. It is always a pleasure when you have something to read along to while you listen. The two 12″ records glow in the dark, a fun effect when you feel like turning your lights off and listening in pitch black (which will probably be never). Unfortunately the records have high surface noise. The bonus 7″ is a clear tie-dyed or splatter design, and sounds excellent.
The bonus track on the single is an extended version of one of the better album cuts, “Awaken”. It is almost a full minute longer, with the extra meat at the end of the track. Almost a full minute of extra guitar gymnastics for you to sink your teeth into. There is music on only one side of the 7″, with the other side blank.
A totally worthwhile vinyl reissue, while we wait for the arrival of new Savatage in 2024.
Since the death of Criss Oliva, Savatage had become a much more operatic beast, culminating in the formation of Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Here, there are many changes afoot. Guitarist Al Pitrelli departed for Megadeth, although some of his work is herein. Co-lead vocalist Zach Stevens is also gone, having formed the excellent Circle II Circle. This leaves The Mountain King himself, Jon Oliva, to handle all lead vocals for the first time since 1991’s Streets: A Rock Opera. (A new co-lead vocalist named Damond Jineva was hired for the tour.)
This is another dramatic rock opera, and as soon as the needle hits wax, you hear Oliva’s piano flourishes dominate the opening song, “Stay With Me Awhile”. Much like “Streets”, this song is simply an intro to the story which is about to unfold. This time, Oliva and producer Paul O’Neill weave a tale about an abandoned insane asylum and the ghosts within its walls. On a whole it is a much less satisfying concept than some previous Sava-operas, but it backs up the music just fine. And to be honest, that’s why we’re here — the music.
From heavy rockers like “There In The Silence” (backed by a fat synth riff) to slow dramatic ballads like “Back To A Reason”, this is a well-rounded Sava-disc. It is comparable to previous in quality and direction to rock operas such as The Wake of Magellan or Dead Winter Dead, just without Zach.
As with the aforementioned rock operas, there is always a centerpiece on the album. There had to be a counterpoint-vocal-laden masterwork to make your jaw drop in awe and hit that “reverse” button to hear it all again. This time it is a 10 minute epic called “Morphine Child”. With Zach gone, Oliva sings with multiple backing vocalists but the song is no weaker for it. I’ll confess that even though I usually listen to albums from front to back, I usually play “Morphine Child” three times in a row. It’s that incredible.
Other standouts include the single “Commissar” which is loaded with guitar flash, keyboards and riffage. It also features Trans-Siberian-style backing vocals. “I Seek Power” sounds like classic Savatage circa Gutter Ballet. “Awaken” is another number that brings to mind that mid-period Savatage sound. If some fans thought they had strayed way too far into rock opera, then songs like “Awaken” will appeal to their tastes. I still like hearing Jon screaming a chorus.
I was underwhelmed a bit by the acoustic “Rumor”, but the song does take off fully electric after a few minutes. Then there’s “Surrender” which feels like an outtake from Streets, but I didn’t find it as memorable. So there are a couple duds, who cares?
Poets and Madmen is an excellent album, and it fares well against the other rock operas that Savatage has done. Streets will always be the pinnacle, but Poets and Madmen can hold its own against The Wake of Magellan, and it easily out-does Dead Winter Dead.
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