In Memoriam - Malcolm and David

What a week... the loss of two major artists has left the music world reeling. First, Malcolm Young of AC/DC succumbed to dementia. Young's contribution to hard rock is recognized by every musician and fan of heavy music. He was among the best rhythm guitarists in the game, laying down a foundation of perfection for brother Angus to solo over in the raucous music by the Aussie band. Over forty years of rockin'. 

I've long felt that the Highway to Hell album best showcases the grooviest rhythms and tightest guitar-work... that practically funky hard rock/metal rhythm guitar always made that album stand out among AC/DC's huge catalogue. The boys went far heavier on the follow-up Back in Black and thereafter, yet Highway remains my favourite with its urgent, nasty, and driving rock'n'roll delivery. Girls Got Rhythm is the best of the set, in my opinion. But great overall album, no doubt about it. And slightly later songs like You Shook Me All Night Long and Let's Get It Up sure demonstrate Malcolm's ability on the axe.

At the other end of the musical spectrum: David Cassidy of pop/rock fame also passed away this week. As a youngster, I first saw Cassidy on TV's The Partridge Family. It was this show that first got me thinking about learning to play an instrument... this was years before I saw the Beatles movies on TV, and seeing the Partridge kids playing drums and guitar got me to thinking "I could do that!" It wasn't until decades later that I returned to that Partridge music, though, but at least by then I could properly appreciate the craftsmanship in the Cassidy/Partridge Family songs. 

Cassidy was an actor, singer, songwriter, and overall musician... and a 70's teen idol (not something he was terribly comfortable with). He first reached the masses, of course, during those Partridge Family years, from 1970-1974, but the show's syndication and Cassidy's successful music career (his solo recordings outside of the Partridge Family) boosted and extended his popularity. He performed (and wrote) a ton of hit songs, and I'm actually hard pressed to name a favourite, but some I like a lot are Rainmaker, Ain't No Sunshine (a cover), I Woke Up in Love This Morning, and I Can Feel Your Heartbeat. 

The Listening Booth & Latest Music Buys

I've been listening to a lot of different music lately. It's always fun to discover on Youtube an old concert video or two, then play those for an evening of entertainment. Last night, for instance, I first popped on some Blue Oyster Cult live shows from the early 80's. By choosing that point in time, I was able to enjoy not only the 70's oldies (like Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll) but also 80's gems such as Burnin' For You and Veteran of the Psychic Wars. 

After the BOC, I drifted over to some old (around '83) Judas Priest shows. I've got Priest on the brain these days now that I've got my ticket (a great seat, I believe) to see the band on their upcoming tour. So courtesy of the Youtube folks, I took in a vintage concert featuring amazing performances of classic Priest: among my faves were Freewheel Burning and Victim of Changes... I sure hope Priest will play those onstage next March.

Still in a Brit-metal state of mind, I moved over to an Iron Maiden show... some very early footage featuring newcomer Bruce Dickinson on the microphone. Bruce was adequate... what am I saying... his air raid siren vocals blew the roof off the venue. His voice is the very definition of powerful, among the best in the metal biz, keeping company with greats Ronnie James Dio (R.I.P.) and Priest's Rob Halford. You get the idea.

Over the past couple of months, I've picked up some recordings, both on CD and vinyl. Ever since I was bitten by the vinyl bug, it feels a bit weird to buy CDs. But CDs are often easier to find, and the prices can be more tolerable. Then again, I've found several records that were cheaper than their smaller, shinier counterparts.

Click Play to hear a bit of one of my latest vinyl purchases

- lo-fi video and audio for this purpose, but you get the idea

Here are some of my recent acquisitions... all except the BOC are used albums on vinyl, though in very good (or better) condition:

Early last month, I picked up Foreigner's first (self-titled) album, from 1977... really good, with some slightly heavier and almost progressive-sounding songs along with the big radio hits Cold As Ice and Feels Like the First Time. I had never heard this album in its entirety before, so it was a really pleasant surprise to hear such a solid set of songs, from front to back.

Alan Parsons Project released Eye in the Sky in 1982... a seminal progressive rock/pop album that I've always admired but never got around to buying. A greatest hits CD and I, Robot were my main exposure to Parsons for the longest time. Nice to finally have this on vinyl. An attractive album cover, too, in an Egyptian glyph sort of way.

The Cars' first album from 1978 is jam-packed with hits, and even the "filler", the deeper cuts, are catchy and fun... Moving in Stereo among my favourites. I think I owned this album on cassette tape, along with Heartbeat City, way back in the mid-80's. I seem to recall playing those in constant rotation on long bus trips.

After a line-up re-shuffle (legendary Grace Slick departed) in '78, Jefferson Starship put out a tasty entree of rock'n'roll, Freedom at Point Zero. With little to go on - just the hit song Jane, which I heard on TV on WKRP in Cincinnati - I snapped up this album back when it was first released and immediately dug into the really cool, little known rockers on there. Worth a mention are Rock Music and Girl With the Hungry Eyes. So great to have this one back in the collection.

Canadian rocker David Wilcox brought us Out of the Woods in 1980, displaying his offbeat sense of musicality and humour... it's loads of fun, energetic party music. Hot, Hot Papa and That Hypnotizin' Boogie are among the standouts here. Wilcox can really tear it up when he wants to, though he often achieves success through simplicity in his tunes. 

I saw David Wilcox live in the mid-80's

- what a blast! Check his album Out of the Woods.

Tom Petty's Damn the Torpedoes album of 1979 is a classic of the era, and is perhaps his best album, or it's at least right up there with Full Moon Fever. Right now, I'd say Torpedoes is the better one, what with its fresh stew of stellar songwriting, and hits all over the place. Like massive hits Refugee and Even the Losers.

My brand new (not used!) re-issue of Agents of Fortune by Blue Oyster Cult arrived in the mail this week. Don't Fear the Reaper is the best-known track off this classic album, but I have to say that there are a number of amazing rockers on here that I'd never heard before. Though I've always loved the BOC that I heard on the radio, on my hits CD, and their bizarrely titled Cultosaurus Erectus, I never went beyond that to discover more of their music. Agents of Fortune is a winner, though, and I know I'll be spinning it often, and then investigating their deep catalogue further. 

In addition to the records, I got a few of those CD thingies... out of necessity. Certain albums on vinyl command high prices, even used copies, so the shiny little discs are a last resort. I picked up, not for the first time, Def Leppard's classic Pyromania... on the cheap. I owned this on tape back in the 80's and then CD after that... and then in a fit of housecleaning, I gave it away. Yeah, I do that sometimes. But now it's back in the collection, Photograph and Rock of Ages still among my favourites. 

And more Leppard came my way: for the first time, I listened to their debut album On Through the Night and their sophomore effort High'n'Dry. I was so impressed, especially with High'n'Dry, that I grabbed those for some heavy listening. While OTTN showed us a rough'n'ready rock band with some chops, the album lacked the kick and polish of what was to come. And that second album truly fired on all jets, burning right out of the gate with my fave track Let It Go, then proceeded with a remarkable number of (little known?) gems, including impressive instrumental Switch 625 and On Through the Night (was this song intended for the first album - with the same title?). All very cool.

Next up: a nicely-priced box set of ALL of the Max Webster albums on CD (I couldn't justify the expenditure on the vinyl set), plus a neat little bootleg, AND (do the thrills never end?) finally, Kim Mitchell's first solo release ever - his self-titled mini-album from '82, never released on CD before and out of print on tape and LP since the 80's. I made do with a taped copy from a friend's record for years, then when that bit the biscuit, I went without for ages... when the internet age brought me in touch with a kind soul out there who shared his digital-from-vinyl version. Thank you again, bud!

As a long-time Max Webster and Kim Mitchell fan, I was elated when I learned about this box set. I pre-ordered it and counted the days until its release date. 

This set of Max albums is remastered for pristine sound and is packaged in nifty CD-sized reproductions of the original record sleeves. All in a unique box bearing wacky cartoon art of the Max band. I'm enjoying the studio albums all over again, and that Live Magnetic Air is something else... great sound for a live recording (again, I had this on tape from a record way back when, but it's long gone). 

I think I'm gonna take a breather for a while, at least until Christmas or thereabouts. Maybe Santa will drop a vinyl re-issue in my stocking this year..... um, like maybe Dark Side of the Moon, or the first Black Sabbath album?

Where No One Has Gone Before

I'm in a bit of a Trek daze these days... the new series Star Trek: Discovery has rekindled my love of Gene Roddenberry's futuristic outer space creation. This new show bears some striking resemblances to the original 60's TV phenomenon. Not in every department, and sometimes only in a subtle call-back, but still... something here resonates with the old Trekkie (Trekker?) in me. The music of the opening credits of the show rings with familiar old Trek motifs... that sends a tingle down my spine every time I hear it. Discovery's phaser weapons and the communicators are fashioned much like the original show's technology. The sound effects on the Discovery's bridge seem lifted directly from that of the Enterprise on the 60's program. The tone of Discovery reminds me a lot of old Trek, too. Hey, it all works for me.

Click Play to see and hear my fun little Star Trek communicator

When I was a kid during the 70's, I was all about Trek. The show was in heavy syndication, so I could catch an episode after school Monday to Friday. I bought a lot of Star Trek-related stuff, too, like a toy phaser with lights and sounds, a tricorder with sound effects, model kits of the Enterprise, the shuttlecraft Galileo, and a phaser and communicator. Through mail-order from Hollywood, I purchased a whole wack of Trek goodies: embroidered uniform insignias, still photos, film clips, magazines and fanzines, and probably more that escapes my memory at the moment. In print, I got the ST Concordance, the ST Puzzle Manual, the Star Fleet Technical Manual, and the ST Blueprints. I also bought a pile of the Alan Dean Foster paperback adaptations from the animated TV episodes. Not to mention a trade paperback compilation of a bunch of the ST comic books and a few other softcover ST-related books. All of these items were from the 1970's, so I'm sure they'd have some serious value to collectors. Some of these things are long gone, sold off to a more serious ST fanatic, but I'm hanging onto my surviving memorabilia forever.

Though I never fully latched onto Next Generation or any of the other spin-offs, I find Discovery refreshing in an old-school way. Maybe Next Gen isn't so far off that Discovery flavour after all, and deserves a second look, especially since it's so readily available on Netflix. Maybe I'll buy into it now that I'm in the right frame of mind. And I feel the urge to re-visit some of the old adventures of Kirk, Bones, and Spock. 

I just got myself a 2018 poster calendar that celebrates artists' renditions of Star Trek, mostly the original series, but also a few Next Generation. Most of the images are worthy of framing, and I will when the time comes. I'm looking forward to hanging and enjoying this very sharp poster calendar. Take a look here at Amazon.

Warp speed ahead, Mr. Sulu...

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For more about Star Trek on my blog, do a site search or check out these links:

50 Years of Star Trek
I Grok Spock
The Final Frontier

Enjoy!

Flashback to Heavy Metal in 1980

1980 was a banner year for heavy metal music. As the 70's waned, critics predicted the demise of the genre, perhaps with cause. Heavy music was showing signs of flagging, or at least was perceived that way. KISS did a disco song, and both Zeppelin and Alice Cooper played with synthesizers. Signs of the apocalypse? Not on your life.

Music was hit with some tragedies that year: John Bonham died and Led Zeppelin called it quits. Bon Scott died and AC/DC had to make a quick decision on their own mortality. But both events acted as catalysts to the strengthening and uprising of the existing and upcoming artists.

A lot of metal bands released records in '80, but I was, and still am, not very familiar with some of those artists... like Saxon, Diamond Head, and Angel Witch, just to name a few. I will, however, talk about bands that I did follow or discover in that crucial year.

I guess it only makes sense that I begin with a little chat about the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, which had been building in the late 70's, then came to the world's attention in the early 80's. The beginnings of the movement made a splash in 1980, with exciting new music by Ozzy, Motorhead, Maiden, Priest, and Leppard cruising into the public consciousness. Of course, Ozzy was no stranger to fame and fortune with Black Sabbath, but this was the year he struck out on his solo career. And Judas Priest, while practically veterans of the biz, sort of rode into a new phase of success with the young crop of musicians being exported from Britain.

Whether international stars like Maiden and Def Leppard or underground acts like Diamond Head and Venom, this wave of emerging artists signaled important change in the metal genre. More heavy bands than ever were achieving world-wide success, and America's MTV played no small role in extending their global presence. Of course, MTV also contributed to the diluting of the music. You know, formulaic songwriting and posturing for "live concert" music videos. For a while, the network was the perfect medium to bring bands young and old to the world. The convenience of television helped bands without a lot of financial backing to whip up cheap-and-cheerful music videos and... instant success! Sometimes that success was fleeting, but in some cases, artists were launched on long and fruitful careers thanks to the platform.

1980 saw the rebirth of some bands, the debuts of others, greater exposure of emerging artists, and a healthy kick in the denims (or leathers) for the metal genre in general. It's also interesting that so many established acts re-tooled their sound for the next decade. Here is a handful that I think represent the best of the bunch:

Ozzy Osbourne: temporarily de-toxed, he recruited guitar wonderkid Randy Rhoads and released his solo debut, which was to become a metal classic, Blizzard of Ozz. 'Nuff said.

Judas Priest: though they'd paid their dues for a decade, they found a greater audience through their new stripped-down (and more accessible) sound on British Steel, the album which firmly established them as Metal Gods. 

Motorhead: with their fourth album, Ace of Spades, the boys took their gritty, nasty songwriting to another level, achieving radio airplay even across the pond in my little Canadian hometown. Bravo, Lemmy, Phil, and Eddie!

Iron Maiden: that album cover alone secured them a place high in the pantheon of metal gods. Their debut album sort of led the charge of the NWOBHM, even if others preceded them. This record took fans by the throats, eliciting a mighty roar, a declaration that a new young breed was taking over the kingdom.

Black Sabbath: like Priest,Sabbath were the old-timers (and pioneers) of the metal musical form, but it was in '80 that massive change brought about renewed interest. Out with Ozzy and in with diminutive Ronnie James Dio, the man with a giant-sized vocal presence. Dio inspired axeman Iommi to up his game, and with that, the Heaven and Hell album became a masterpiece of metal. Among my fave albums of all time.

AC/DC: until this year, I felt these rowdy Aussies were more hard rock than metal, but once behatted Brian Johnson took over the mic from deceased Bon Scott, the band seemed to breathe even greater fire into their increasingly metallic songs. The end effect is a heavy, crunching collection of instant classics, still in heavy rotation the world over. Again, these guys already had a solid track record, but Back in Black took them to the very top. Good job!

Scorpions: not quite of the NWOBHM, these German metalheads were reaching toward their peak years in '80. Already comfortable in the genre, the Scorps were refining their sound, aiming for greater exposure and more commercial success. With Animal Magnetism, they delivered a strong set of metallic standards, edging ever closer to the international fame they'd find just a couple of years later. 

Def Leppard: the Leps' debut album On Through the Night introduced a hungry young band of rockers with a knack for hooks. They'd yet to write their string of big radio hits, but here we get a taste of their energetic hard rock. Produced by Tom Allom (who worked with Judas Priest), this album signals a promising band on the rise. Leppard would shine more fully on their next record, with maestro Mutt Lange at the helm. Truly a NWOBHM band. 

Van Halen: after two successful albums augmented by beefed up cover songs, the boys took a turn into darker, heavier territory on Women and Children First. Some truly metallic moments here. Dave, Ed, Al, and Mike all in fine form as they knock out a set comprised entirely of their own songs. Eddie's prowess on guitar is accentuated by relentless ferocity here. The first VH album I ever bought, this one has a lot of sentimental meaning to me. 


A few side-notes: 

Rush's Permanent Waves album, though hardly metal, does contain some heavy songs and moments... all still very progressive, though the band begins to carefully craft shorter, more accessible music for the masses. With integrity, as always. 

KISS took off their make-up and monster duds for their Unmasked album this year. A bit of a Phantom of the Opera shock there. But this turning point in KISS' career proved profitable (yay, Gene!) in most quarters. Though Unmasked fared poorly in the U.S., it was well received elsewhere the world over. Still, an important event in KISS and rock history. Or is it?

Alice Cooper took a major risk on Flush the Fashion in 1980. The record was a drastic departure from Cooper's lean hard rock sound of the past decade. Here we got some synth experiments, some sort of dance-y or New Wave-y tunes... and yet I find it a fascinating if curious recording. Flush was actually more successful than Coop's previous few albums, an odd but welcome kickstart to a career flagging due to substance abuse issues.