Rock'n'Roll'n'Read

I recently revisited book one in the Elric of Melniboné series by prolific fantasy author Michael Moorcock. I first read the adventures of the albino wizard king back in the early 80's, while struggling through high school. In fact, I remember spending more than one evening reading an Elric book instead of doing homework. Hey, I still graduated!

A few years later, I stumbled upon a record in my friend's collection: 1980's Cultosaurus Erectus by rockin' Long Island, New York band Blue Oyster Cult. The lead track, entitled Black Blade, contained lyrics that caught my attention; this was the story of Elric and his supernatural sword Stormbringer! With lyrics penned by originator Moorcock himself and the extremely cool riffs and atmospherics of BOC, the song sings as loudly as Stormbringer as it extinguishes lives and captures souls. Fun stuff!

The connection between music and literature wasn't lost on me until this moment, either. Earlier on, I noticed the Led Zeppelin link to Tolkien's Middle Earth books. Many of Zep's songs are either explicitly or implicitly about Hobbit adventures: Misty Mountain Hop, Over the Hills and Far Away, The Battle of Evermore, and Ramble On.

Then there was fantasy/sci-fi geek Neil Peart of Rush, who wrote many albums worth of imaginative songs. Peart, an avid reader, was often inspired by literary works as he conjured up lyrics for songs such as: Anthem and 2112 (both based on work by author Ayn Rand); Xanadu (Samuel Taylor Coleridge's epic poem); Cygnus X-1 (Cervantes' Don Quixote); Red Barchetta (A Nice Morning Drive, by Richard Foster); Limelight (Shakespeare's As You Like It); Losing It (For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway); Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer, sort of); and last but not least, The Necromancer and Rivendell (J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings).

Speaking of Tolkien (again), we certainly can't forget The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins, by the one and only Leonard Nimoy (Spock on Star Trek). I urge you one and all to check it out on YouTube (look for the video with Nimoy in Spock haircut, accompanied by 60's pixie chicks). A true curiosity. 

Heavy metal gods Iron Maiden have made a living out of borrowing concepts from writers and poets for their pummeling music. Some of their best-known epics based on written works are: Children of the Damned (ideas originated by author John Wyndham); The Trooper (based on a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson); To Tame a Land (James Herbert's Dune); Rime of the Ancient Mariner (lifted from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's epic poem); Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (a novel by Alan Sillitoe); Stranger in a Strange Land (a book by author Robert Heinlein); Lord of the Flies (William Golding); and Brave New World (Aldous Huxley). And those are just the tip of the iceberg for these bookworm rockers. 

Starship Trooper is both a song and a novel, the former by progressive rockers Yes and the latter by sci-fi novelist Robert Heinlein. 

And David Bowie's Space Oddity was a product of his viewing of the Stanley Kubrick film classic 2001: A Space Odyssey... as if that needed explaining. 

Bassist and singer for Motorhead, Lemmy Kilminster wrote the song Bomber with the war novel of the same name by Len Deighton in mind. I can respect that since I'm a Deighton fan... and Lemmy ain't so bad, either. 

Cream's rock classic Tales of Brave Ulysses was based on Homer's epic poem The Odyssey. I read the translated book a couple of years ago, so I can say that is heavy, heady stuff, both the poem and the Cream song. 

Then there is Metallica, who cloaked several of their early songs in the cryptic doom and mystique of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. The most obvious examples are Call of Ktulu and The Thing That Should Not Be. And let's not forget their thundering adaptation of Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls. 

I know I'm just scraping the surface where it comes to music meeting literature. It would be an immense task to find every literary reference in music. So I just skimmed through my music collection and pulled down albums that I immediately knew contained interpretations of the published word. I'm sure... well, I hope... music fans the world over have been impelled by such imaginative songs to search out and read the books that influenced their favourite musicians.

Home Decor for the Film Fanatic

I remember as far back as my early teens (tweens?) I developed a fascination for movie memorabilia, especially wall art. I had several posters on my walls back then, the themes of which changed with my moods and advancing age. Hockey images were replaced by movie posters once I'd been seriously bitten by the film bug. Only a few of those survived the years, two of which I gave away, and one is still in my collection - though it's out of rotation at the moment. And that is my original 1977 Hildebrandt Star Wars poster. My daughter, a music fan, appreciated my old Beatles poster when I handed it to her one day. 

I still hate the fact that a couple of my old posters from the 70's went missing. A Close Encounters of the Third Kind original is one that I still pine over occasionally. Another fave that I cannot locate anywhere - even online to re-purchase (it's hard to even recall details so I can plug in meaningful search words) - was a Star Trek (the 60's TV series) painting reproduction that I ordered from Starlog Magazine back then, too. My parents swear they didn't throw out anything I left behind without consulting me first. Hmm. 

There was a spell when my walls were covered with nothing but Rush posters, with dozens more in storage. My Rush mania compelled me to purchase over thirty, maybe close to forty, posters of the band over the years. But there came a point where I decided I didn't really want this sort of thing on my walls anymore, and there was the fact that most of the pics would never even go on display. Just sitting there, taking up space. So I sold off the lot of them one day. Cold turkey. I sometimes regret that... but not too much.

Then I shifted my focus back to the movie category, not in a huge way, but just very gradually picking up some favourites. I now have a different Star Wars poster up, nicely framed, and a sharp Casablanca dry-mounted on wood. A couple of variations of James Bond Goldfinger posters grace my walls. And a large, colourful Lost In Translation is in full view in my bedroom. Being a big Bond fan, I've also got framed album covers of some of the earliest of the 60's movie soundtrack records. And as mentioned in another post, there's a framed set of Universal classic monsters postage stamps in my front hall. Oh, and a reproduction of a Pinnochio lobby card is tucked in a corner of the living room. The remainder of that lobby card set is tucked safely away.

There is also the stuff in storage, more Star Wars (a giant Return of the Jedi, to name one), more Bond (like Thunderball full size, and a handful of smaller dry-mounted reproductions), and old horror classics such as Dracula and Frankenstein (modern prints, of course), which sometimes come out of the closet for Halloween. Plus a nice big Apocalypse Now - which I like to put up for at least a while each year. I'm sure there are others, but these are the meat of my collection.

An apartment doesn't offer much wall space for movie art, but I have made the most of available surfaces, and have learned to rotate some posters for variety throughout the year. And some favourites stay put for years. Like Star Wars (pictured above).

Van Roth or Van Hagar?

For me, the question of "Van Roth or Van Hagar?" is easy. It's Roth all the way. I've long been a Van Halen fan, but I must - absolutely must - have David Lee Roth singing, or I'm outta here. The band released six stellar albums from '78 to '84, all with the incomparable Roth on vocals. And it's not like Diamond Dave was a great singer. No, he was competent enough, maybe even a bit sloppy in concert. But it was his presence, his showmanship. He was the perfect frontman for the world's greatest party rockers. And with a little help from his bandmates (guitarist Eddie was lead vocals before Dave came along; and bassist Michael Anthony actually possessed a strong set of pipes), the vocals were just fine for VH's brand of hard rock. 

The Van Halen brothers were so fortunate to have tripped over Dave back in the day. His over-the-top personality and charisma and wacky ways with a wardrobe helped put VH on the map. Clad in striped spandex to furry boots, and from glitter vests to bell bottom pants, Roth brought the circus to town... and he was the ringmaster. The master of ceremonies, so to speak. The voice of the band, and even of rock'n'roll - for a time. He brought a touch of Broadway and even disco to the hard rock camp. 

Hey Dave, Cyndi Lauper

called.....

The rowdy, good-time attitude of Van Halen and their music ushered in an era of decadence - an updated version of the "wine, women, and song" credo. The 80's L.A. Sunset Strip and its glam metal spawn borrowed heavily from Van Halen, including Roth's outlandish outfits. Of course, the imitators upped the ante with garish make-up and hairstyles and even wilder stage costumes. Their music could not compete with Van Halen's so they had to try harder in every other department. 

David Lee Roth's physicality was also part of the show. Part gymnast and part martial artist, Roth kicked and spun and leaped as his mates hammered their drums and guitars. Bassist Anthony and primo guitarist Eddie Van Halen followed Roth's lead and developed their own stage moves, many of which became guitar hero standards. Just watch videos of any other rock band of the 80's and tell me you don't see Eddie's trademark poses in play. 

Now.... Sammy Hagar. Hmm. Naturally, I was crestfallen when I learned that Roth was out of Van Halen after their 1984 album. I only knew a little about Hagar thus far.... probably just his I Can't Drive 55 song, and maybe a few others. Pretty good, I guess, but not terribly memorable. I was panicky about the possible demise of the band VH, so when I heard they would carry on with a new vocalist, I was filled with hope. 

When in 1986 5150 hit store shelves, and then my tape deck, I was fairly pleased with the Hagar/VH combo. It was fresh and familiar all at the same time. Hagar's voice seemed to fit in all right. But that initial enthusiasm eventually wore off. The vibe wasn't quite right. Hagar always sounded like he was forcing it, trying too hard. Van Halen's next offering, OU812, was the first and final nail in the coffin. How could the kings of rock fall so low? OU812 was terrible!

OU812 held a little interest at the outset, but at least a couple of things became apparent. The opening track lacked the Van Halen punch that every album deserved. Largely lightweight and tame, this album pitter-pattered like a rabbit in the pantry. And Hagar became very, very annoying. He simply sang too much. The ballads became tortuous with Sammy at the helm. Me no like. Whether it was Hagar's doing or not, Van Halen's sound was taking a turn for the worse. 

Sure, Eddie could still noodle like a demon, but the songwriting was weaker on OU812. There were spots of guitar brilliance, but the overall package - of each song, and of the album - was clearly a step down for the band. And Hagar's annoying whine really got on my nerves. Finish What Ya Started reminded me a little of the silly ditties on '82's Diver Down album, but at least Diamond Dave would have treated the song with more fun and flavour. 

It wasn't long until I decided that OU812 could no longer reside in my home. I sold it to some unlucky slob. Now my Van Halen collection, small as it was, became a bit purer. Oh, and 5150 eventually went out the door, too. The band's approach had changed just enough with the arrival of Hagar that I could not bear to associate 5150 and OU812  with the Van Halen name. 

Years later, when I heard For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge on a friend's CD, I discovered that at least Eddie had resumed some of his heavier edge on guitar and in songwriting. I noted some high points on that album and gave a little more credit to the band. But Hagar still bugged me. 

I've heard that 1995's Balance was a good one, but Hagar's presence scared me off. I've listened to bits of songs, but I can't get past the lead vocals. Meh. It's too bad, because I do hear some interesting things on guitar there. 

When I learned that Roth would return to the fold to record some new material for Best Of - Volume I in '96, I was overjoyed. I snapped that up without even having heard it yet. The remastered early hits packed even more crunch and wallop, but it was the two brand new VH tracks that I desired most. Those songs may not have been among the best Van Halen ever wrote, but the fact that Dave was back on the mic made up for any deficiencies. In fact, I quite like the songs; nothing fancy, but not at all bad, either. I could picture Roth strutting around in some ridiculous get-up, hollering for a big ol' party.

Get the f**k out! Ex-Extreme mic man Cherone (appears on 

Van Halen III) looks like Michael Bolton's little brother. Yeesh.

I totally missed 1998's Van Halen III. I can't explain that.... other than I must have been so immersed in Miles Davis and BT at the time to even notice that blip on the radar. Gary Cherone of the somewhat embarrassing band Extreme came aboard as lead vocalist for VH III. Maybe that was all I needed to hear. But my curiosity may prompt me to check out the album someday, just to see how it rates with the Hagar messes I'd heard thus far. 

Then fourteen long years passed. The announcement of a new Roth/Van Halen album had me twitching like a mental patient. When A Different Kind of Truth hit the store shelves in 2012, I was there in a flash. I had already warmed up for the album by watching the lead single Tattoo video online... over and over again. I liked what I was seeing and hearing. Van Halen had returned to form. Pretty much. The album is a hash of very early unreleased VH material and new tracks. If the songwriting is a bit uneven, then VH makes up for it with an aggressive and energetic performance. Many songs are good, and some are just okay, but the deciding factor for me is good ol' Diamond Dave. I think ADKOT qualifies as a comeback. 

And as for that ages old debate of Roth vs Hagar (as VH singer),  I once heard it summed up best that "Roth was a showman and a frontman, while Hagar was a singer and a musician". Simply stated, easily understood, and impossible to argue. Hagar just wasn't frontman material.... a singer, yes, but not a colourful driving force like Roth, nor a strong enough personality to lead such a legendarily rowdy band. 'Nuff said.

Meddling with Metal

Even though my interest in music was born out of the harmless pop of the 60's, things began to get hairy when I learned about heavier, darker music in the 70's. Stuff like KISS (to begin with), then Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Scorpions, AC/DC, and a bit of Deep Purple (who never made a big impression upon me). All of those bands, except Purple, became favourites for many years to come. In fact, I still revisit their music on a semi-regular basis. A bit less metallic but equally excellent was the progressive music of Rush, in whom I developed an all-consuming passion. All the while, though, the influence of metal ran deep.

I had some vinyl records of Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Angel, and AC/DC in my very first music collection. My goal in life at the time was to have the house to myself (in other words, for my parents to vacate the premises) so that I could crank up my favourite music on my cheap little stereo. After upgrading my audio system in 1980, I accumulated recordings of Priest, Scorps, Accept, Anvil, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Dio, Def Leppard, and Ozzy's solo albums, not to mention hard rockers like Blue Oyster Cult, Ted Nugent, Aerosmith, Nazareth, Cheap Trick, Max Webster, Triumph, Van Halen, and Boston. 

Sabbath's Heaven and Hell was among the best metal albums in my record collection back in the early 80's. It still stands as one of my "desert island" albums, and even its title track would be among my top metal songs of all time.

Dio with Sabbath created some of my favourite

metal music of all time

The metal scene began to expand exponentially as the 80's got rolling. The heavy pioneers like Sab and Priest continued to chug along in one form or another, but the new breed carrying the torch (mainly the New Wave of British Heavy Metal) faced a lot of competition from other genres that were dominating the music scene. Punk and New Wave and dance and their cross-over styles were everywhere. Metal was slowly but surely working its way toward greater acceptance (the mainstream) but it wasn't quite there yet. Van Halen imitators were beginning to sprout up in the U.S., most notably along L.A.'s Sunset Strip. Among the glittery glam metal crowd were Ratt, Poison, Motley Crue, Quiet Riot, and Twisted Sister. I wasn't too crazy about that stuff, Ratt being the only act that I did latch onto for a while (their song Lay It Down will forever be one of my favourite guitar songs). 

About mid-decade, guys like Guns'n'Roses, Joe Satriani, Savatage, Metallica, and Megadeth fell onto my radar. The metallic content in my bloodstream was highest during the 80's thanks to a profusion of great loud music. My attendance at rock concerts was also at an all-time high then, as I was taking in the live shows of many of my favourite artists. I lost a bit of hearing along the way, but hey, this is the way it goes for headbangers. 

Sliding out of the 80's and into the 90's, bands like Metallica and Megadeth reached even greater heights in the music biz. This was a double-edged sword, though. We saw both bands falter.... the money, the fame, the business side, creative and personal issues... these were all to blame at one time or another. But before all that transpired, we the fans enjoyed some years of massive metal albums. Bands like Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Testament, and Dream Theater were among my faves at the time. Though Slayer, Sodom, Sepultura, and Pantera were huge then - and much earlier in the cases of Slayer and Sodom - I simply wasn't exposed to much of their music and never got into them then. But with Slayer, it wasn't long ago that a friend let me listen to their whole catalogue and I must admit that I was really pumped about much of it. And I did find something to like about Sodom's music, as well as the very dark and disturbing Carpathian Forest. 

I remember buying this Angel record sight unseen, based only

on the look of the band and their logo... I thought they might

sound something like Kiss. And yes, they did. But more forgettable.

Alice in Chains produced one of the coolest and heaviest songs of the 90's with Them Bones. Not only did I love that song and the album Dirt to death back then, I still get a hankering for it now and then. The dropped tuning, devastating riffs, and what actually sound like great vocal harmonies made Dirt a hallmark album for the era.

My interest in modern metal is, quite frankly, very limited nowadays. So much that's out there now sounds either like complete noise to me or like a re-tread of something that's already been done much better by somebody else. 

It was only through a patiently pushy friend that I discovered and now quite love the Swedish band Opeth. Opeth embraces every little thing I love about music... great musicianship, stunning vocals, and highly creative and listenable songwriting. Opeth strikes the perfect balance between heavy and melody, and that stark contrast contributes to the often spine-chilling beauty of the music. The progressive approach, blending genres like metal, folk, blues, classical, and jazz, allows Opeth to do what Rush once did - perhaps even better. The song Reverie/Harlequin Forest is an epic musical feast that I'd recommend to any newcomers to Opeth's work. 

So.... though I no long follow the modern metal scene, at least I'm listening to one of the best of today's scene. And I still dig into the history of the genre when I haul out masterpieces like Sad Wings of Destiny and Master of Reality. 

Opeth - the present and future of metal

(photo credit: Sebastiaan Petiet / LFLMagazine.nl)