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?
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