Vintage Vinyl & More Under the Christmas Tree

Merry Christmas (or your choice of denominational festivity) to my readers!

'Tis the season of giving, and the gifts of music were abundant. I gave some music and I received some music. And music-related books were also under the Christmas tree.

Yesterday morning, I cashed in an online record store gift card as I ordered Highway to Hell by AC/DC. A blast from the past that'll shake the foundations with its newly-remastered sound - on vinyl. Looking forward to that.

Some vintage records I grabbed on Discogs: Partridge Family, Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and Monkees

A couple of cool biographies in book form found their way to me, too. Both are autobiographies; the first is Confess, by Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford, and the second is Monsters of River and Rock: My Life as Iron Maiden's Compulsive Angler, by guitarist Adrian Smith. Confess is a completely candid life story by the legendary metal vocalist. I immediately jumped into that book, and have made a healthy dent in it. Smith's book is an oddity, to be sure, but I'm game... it's his story of life as an avid sport fisherman... while conducting his career with heavy metal icons Iron Maiden. Should be entertaining.

With some early arrival gift cash, I ordered and received a handful of gently used vintage albums. Two of these I've ticked off my very short "record wish list". Here they all are:

Partridge Family, Up to Date, from 1971... I have a soft spot for this TV show-inspired pop band. I now have their first three - best-  albums. Loads of catchy, timeless bubblegum music.

Linda Ronstadt, Heart Like a Wheel, 1974... considered perhaps her best, sort of soft country-rock. She mostly covers others' songs, but her beautiful voice makes them all her own.

Monkees, The Birds, The Bees, and The Monkees, 1968... what can I say? My pop-rock music fixation all began with the Monkees. This album completes my early "classic" Monkees LP set.

Eagles, On the Border, 1974... the same year some Eagles backed up Ronstadt on her album, they cut their own seminal record, including hits like Already Gone and Best of My Love. Primo!

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I did mention this in a previous post, but an early Christmas gift to myself was the new Kylie Minogue album Disco. I pre-ordered this months ago, and my initial sceptical thoughts on the advance single were dashed when I finally heard the whole thing. On vinyl, Disco really soars... it's got that old-school 70's dance-floor-style sound and vibe, with a healthy dash of Kylie's own brand of modern "disco". All very fun and buoyant and expertly crafted. Can you tell I kinda like this album?

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Then there was that 12-record haul I scored when an acquaintance offered me a bunch of stuff he didn't want in his collection any more. You can see my comments on those here.

Oh, and last but not least... well, this had nothing to do with Christmas, but it arrived just in time: I won a cool music and record-related t-shirt in an online contest. It was a prize giveaway for  Channel33RPM on Youtube (a very cool music and vinyl channel - check it out!), and I was one of the two winners out of hundreds of entries. Yay! I got my pick of the channel's merchandise tees, so I chose one that reflected both my love of a certain music genre and my record collecting past-time. Here's a pic:

Happy holidays, music fans!

A Good Christmas Haul to All

 Well, we are now into the week of Christmas. The final countdown. All my shopping and mailing is done. Since any family I'd normally see is far away, and with the health restrictions all over the place, I won't get to see them. Not nice, but at least I have some new music to help me bide my time over the holidays.

A co-worker recently gave me a stack of records that he no longer wanted. Miraculously, there are actually several very cool ones in the bunch. Only one stinker, and maybe one or two others I'll give away. But a nice surprise getting all this vinyl when I finally have the time to try it all out. A few are reissues of oldies, while the rest are early (possibly first) issues.

The first album I checked out was March of the Saint, by Armoured Saint. This 80's traditional/power metal band sort of flew under my personal radar back in the day. I'd heard of them, but never got to know their music. Anyway, this debut album is pretty solid, if a bit "soft" and slick. There's no crunch or bite to the music, but there are some fun riffs and rhythms, and the guitar tone is pretty cool. Pretty safe as far as metal goes, but not bad by any stretch.

Next, I spun Pyramid, by Alan Parsons Project. I wasn't familiar with this album, though a few tunes were on a CD compilation I have (but rarely listened to). So nearly all new to my ears. Pretty good proggish pop/rock, with only one stinker in the bunch. I enjoyed the record for the most part, not loving it, but it could grow on me more. Not on the same level as Eye in the Sky or I Robot, but just fine.

Then last night I snuck in Side A of AC/DC's 1985 release, Fly On the Wall. On first glance, I thought this would be a giveaway, but after looking closer at the track listing, then actually listening to some of it, I've changed my mind. This is a solid rocker. And in my opinion, it's got a bit more meat on it than previous album, Flick of the Switch, which try as I might, I just can't get into. Stronger songs, I'd say.

There's another AC/DC record, Let There Be Rock, which I owned on cassette tape back in the 80's. While there are a few classic tracks, this album never grabbed me big-time. But I'll give it a chance... who knows, maybe hearing LTBR after all these years, I'll like it more.

Also in the new stack of oldies, there's Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden. This is a reissue, so fingers crossed it sounds all right. I recall a year or two ago, I checked out a reissue on Youtube and did NOT like the remix... elements of songs didn't sound quite right, not like the original recording I was familiar with. Anyway, when I get to it, I'll see how it rates. The album is certainly a favourite (possibly my very favourite) Maiden album.

Another 80's classic here is Eliminator, by ZZ Top. I loved this back in the day, owning it on tape and playing it to death during that MTV era. But as time wore on, and I discovered the magic of the bluesier, grittier 70's ZZ music, I took a stronger shining to that and let the slick 80's drum-and-synth-driven ZZ tunes fall by the wayside. But I'll still give it a spin and see how I feel about it nowadays. Though I've owned it on CD for decades, I may have only ever revisited it once or twice, and not in many, many years.

Getting away from rock'n'roll, there are three folk albums by my hometown boy, good ol' Gordon Lightfoot. There are his first two releases, Lightfoot! and The Way I Feel, from '66 and '67 respectively, both looking like original pressings by the jacket designs. There's a live album, Sunday Concert, from '69, also an original pressing. I haven't looked at their condition yet, so fingers crossed they are clean enough to enjoy. I do like Gord's music, as I've got his legendary Summertime Dream on vinyl, and a career overview on CD.

The few records I'm not sure about are: The Elvis Medley, a weird 1982 compilation with a six-song medley of hits (which we normally only get in concert and on concert recordings), followed by a respectable string of full tracks... all well-known songs by The King. It might be good, for all I know. The medley section was, apparently, previously unreleased. I already have two other Elvis comps on vinyl, and a few more on CD, so the bar is high already. But I'm a fan, so we'll see.

Then there's the Roy Orbison Collection. I've never been much of a fan of his stuff. I mean, I think I've only ever heard a few of his songs... you know, the ones that we all know, like Oh, Pretty Woman and Only the Lonely. But this isn't the sort of thing I'll play much, or at all. If I want Pretty Woman, I'll listen to my Van Halen cover.

The record I know I'll toss is Killer on the Rampage by Eddy Grant. Electric Avenue is the only Grant song I could name, and I sure don't care about that. Just not my thing at all. That may become a frisbee off my 10th floor balcony.

So, quite the variety of music there, eh? I get a steady fill of Christmas music (and not a very good playlist, by the way) at my workplace, so when I get home after my shift these days, the last thing I want is more holiday-oriented music. But... if the mood strikes me, like perhaps on Christmas day, I do have a handful of CDs of festive tunes. The Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack is my favourite, so that would be my go-to. Also on deck in that regard are my Kylie Minogue Christmas CD, and Liona Boyd's "A Guitar For Christmas" on vinyl, which contains elegant instrumental versions on classical guitar, all very nice. Between my new metal, rock, and folk - and a small smattering of festive stuff - I think I'm covered for the week of Christmas. 

Happy holidays, everyone!

My Favourite Songs - Part VI

 It's been a while, but I think it's time to revisit my favourite songs. Today I'll talk a bit about some tunes that span the decades, one each from the 1970's, the 80's, the 90's, and the 2010's. From lighter fare to heavy bangers.

First up is You Make Loving Fun, by Fleetwood Mac (more of my thoughts on them here). This is just one of the many timeless classics from the Rumours album way back in 1977. I might have been a year or two late to the game, but as a young teen just dipping his toe into the rock music waters, I did realize this album was pretty special even as I first played it. It's not a concept album by any stretch, and yet something seems amiss if one listens to just a bit of it... you really need to play all the tracks in their proper sequence to get the full picture. Even if you were unaware of the all the band drama going on during the recording of Rumours, the tension and emotion between the musicians came through in the music, heightening the experience. So to skip a song is to miss an important beat in the process of creating the album.

The song You Make Loving Fun, right from its opening bass and keyboard gurgles, sounds like pure 70's gold. Christine McVie's warm, smooth vocals set her songs apart from those featuring Stevie Nicks. McVie's approach is easier on my ears, more inviting and maybe even more wistful. The tasty guitar licks lay back early on, but once Lindsey Buckingham takes his first solo break, it's a treat. Tasteful, restrained and melodic, with the odd wailing note for emphasis. The overall vibe of the song is just a little sad, though the lyrics are indeed happy. Probably a by-product of the relationship woes reflected in the recording studio. It would be a mistake to call this "soft rock", though at a glance, it might seem to be. There is that tension, and then a sense of release in the choruses, and even more so in the final bars, when Buckingham's guitar sings a bit brighter, as do all the vocals. A highly satisfying song that truly takes me back in time.

Now... fast-forward ten years to 1987. American heavy metal band Savatage released their fourth album, Hall of the Mountain King, to much fanfare. These guys, through their boundary-breaking musical forays, were highly influential on several metal subgenres at the time. There were elements of power metal, thrash, speed metal, progressive, death metal and symphonic metal.

I first noticed Savatage in their Hall of the Mountain King music video, which I caught on Canada's MuchMusic TV station. All the medieval fantasy imagery grabbed me, but it was that powerful, heavy chugging riff that completely pulled me in. Between Criss Oliva's searing guitar leads and his brother Jon's soaring vocals (extending into Geddy Lee territory at times), this classic metal sound never goes out of style. The background chanting counters Jon Oliva's impressive vocal range... from raspy snarls to dramatic emoting to chilling shrieks. This guy is right up there with Judas Priest's Rob Halford, as far I'm concerned. He covers the gamut skillfuly and with the gusto of a Shakespearean actor.

Around the 2-minute mark, the song begins a breakdown that builds and builds in complexity. Layers of guitar parts fold themselves into the mix until the shattering solo break. Then that massive wall of rhythm falls back into place for the final verse, where Jon chews the scenery even more hungrily. Love it! How a little band from Florida so successfully nailed the Scandinavian fantasy metal image is beyond me... but they did it.

Then we'll skip over the Atlantic to actual Scandinavian shores... Sweden, specifically... for the next one: He Is, by the band Ghost. You can read more about them here. The song is from the 2015 album Meliora, which absolutely blew my socks off when I first heard it. And I never tired of it. You know how sometimes when you love a song or album right from the get-go, but then it doesn't really have staying power, and you lose interest after a while? Not the case here. The talent with these guys is undeniable, whether you like 'em or not.

Ghost can be tough to categorize since their sounds over the years have ranged from heavy metal, hard rock, and progressive rock to doom metal, pop and arena rock. Their influences can be heard indirectly through their songcraft if not their sound. They capture the essence of classic rockers like Blue Oyster Cult, Kiss, Sabbath, and Priest... with varying degrees of heaviness. Some tunes sound downright evil... scary, even. Then others are so uplifting - heavenly - that it's hard to believe this is the same band who cranks out slabs of metal on other songs.

He Is is Ghost's shining example of the latter. I will quote myself here (from the linked page above):

... my favourite song on the album, He Is, which is an ode to the Prince of Darkness. Its music is incredibly uplifting, like something you'd hear in a church... with the plucked acoustic guitar, the huge and soaring keyboard-organ backdrop, the choral quality of the lead and backing vocals. The lyrics never veer toward the cartoonish or gruesome like other black metal-type artists write. Instead, it's tasteful and intelligent, and you kinda want to jump on this bandwagon, as manufactured as it is. It's a beautiful piece of music, if you can put aside any reservations about the lyrical themes.

It's a pretty, expertly designed song that defies genre. Is it pop, rock, or something far more insidious? That guitar solo sings like something by Kiss back in their heyday. Then that outro solo... whoa! Short, punchy and melodic... it's almost maddening, it's all so perfectly orchestrated.

You've heard the legend about old-time blues guitarist Robert Johnson selling his soul to the Devil at the crossroads? Well, I kind of wonder about Ghost, too.

Moving on now to something far heavier, Them Bones, by 90's "grunge" gods Alice In Chains. I actually hate that this band was lumped in with the grunge movement. They are metal, no doubt about it. Not a hint of Nirvana or Mudhoney there. But they came onto the Seattle scene during that wave of new music, so they were accepted as part of that pack.

Them Bones is from the Dirt album which was released in 1992. I was deep into thrash at the time, buried in Metallica and Megadeth albums. Alice in Chains was sort of new to me. I'd probably seen music videos from their 1990 debut album on TV, and while cool, they didn't grab me immediately. But when I first heard songs from Dirt, though, I was suitably impressed. Massive, crushing riffs and chords. Layne Staley's pained vocal screams and cries. On every song.

Alice In Chains somehow brought amazing vocal harmonies to the metal onslaught. Let's thank guitarist Jerry Cantrell for his contribution to the singing end of things. Not just backup, Jerry actually pitched in more than most realize at the microphone. He and Staley complemented each other with their different-sounding voices, adding colour and layers to their brand of heavy metal.

And we hear all that on Them Bones. The heavy, straight-forward drum beat lays the solid foundation with the thudding bass reinforcing and propelling the song. Cantrell's guitar tone is one-of-a-kind, made more so by his unmistakable style of playing. His soloing sound and techique are his alone, more melodic and soulful than shredding. The doomy vibe that pervades all of Alice's music is driven by the guitar and Staley's almost droning incantation of the normally cheerless lyrics. While Them Bones may not be as textured or tonally varied as some other AIC songs, this is perhaps the supreme headbanger of their catalogue. For me, anway.

Dig in.

Bigger, Better Sound... For Free!

I have always been way behind the pack in terms of my household electronic technology. Like by ten or more years. Scoff if you will, but I stand by the idiom "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Or upgrade it. My home audio system is a prime example. Here's a quick history of my set-up:

I currently have a Sony turntable, a Sony CD carousel player, a Technics receiver, and a pair of JBL bookshelf speakers. All from the 1990's. These components were built to last, and that's why I swear by them.

I came by the turntable just a few years ago, a freebie from a friend who didn't want his old one any more. The CD player and receiver were also second-hand, though in very nice condition. They came along at just the right time, maybe close to ten years ago, when both my 80's Realistic receiver and 90's Sony CD player were crapping out on me. I bought the speakers brand new on sale for little over a hundred bucks, and they are still in my set-up. Very nice sound and some power for when I want it, considering their modest size.

So my current line-up cost me almost nothing. 

Even though I've never been a gear-head, I at least used to keep somewhat abreast of the technology that was out there. I'm even less attentive to that stuff nowadays. As long as my equipment operates and continues to sound good, then I'm happy to run it 'til the day it dies.

Within the past year, I have decided that the sound coming out of my speakers could be better. But I didn't necessarily think I needed new speakers. I watched Youtuber Steve Guttenberg's Audiophiliac channel for tips on improving the sound of my system. Guttenberg has an extensive background in audio, having tested loads of gear, written reviews for numerous publications, and worked for a recording company. Steve not only made home audio less intimidating but downright friendly and possibly even easy, with the right approach. 

Since I have little to no money for experimenting within the audiophile realm, Guttenberg's suggestions on speaker placement intrigued me. In my search for optimal sound from my little JBLs, I moved my speakers around, pulled them away from the wall, closer to me, raised them up on "stands" (makeshift stands, that is - old, unused smaller speakers), and placed them further apart. As I toyed with placement, I began to appreciate how this science could save me money and keep me (more than) satisfied with my current system.

Given room limitations, there came a point where I knew this was about as far as I'd take the tooling around. I'm not in any position to revamp my listening space, a small rental apartment living room, in order to achieve top-of-the-line results. No, in fact, thanks to years of living with very modest music systems, I have become comfortable with less than top-of-the-line sound. But don't get me wrong, once I hit upon a nice sweet spot with my new speaker placement, it was like night and day. I actually now want to listen through my speakers again. I'd been clamping on my luxurious Sennheiser open-back headphones more often than not so I could enjoy my music far more than I was with the speakers.

Those Sennheisers do indeed sound beautiful in their "private listening experience" way, but it is also nice to let my system breathe in my living space now and then. Let that electrical signal, magnet, and coil do their magic so that the cone pumps sound waves into the air, filling my cozy room with my choice of music. I'm pretty jazzed about the new, improved quality of sound I'm getting out of my rather old-school gear.

Highs are higher, bass is fuller, the sound stage feels larger and more "present"... the musical instruments in the recording more solidly have their place in the stereo separation. The snare drum and other percussion feel more crisp and "in the room". Sounds that pan between channels are far more dramatic, and the sort of ghosted sounds that appear outside the range of the speakers are startlingly real and impressive. That's just a start... and I can barely find the correct words to describe what's going on in my listening room after the speaker re-placement.

I predict that maybe in a year, I will look at getting a new turntable, something that'll make my records really sing. For now, my old used number will continue to do the trick. It's perfectly fine for me now. I've been able to amass a reasonably-sized little collection of records over the past few years, and now that my wish list is rather tiny, maybe I can start thinking about investing in a new audio component. But no hurry. 

In fact, at this moment, I am considering getting rid of a piece of furniture that is rarely used and is sort of in the way. And that would open up my listening space further. Then I could perhaps move things around where I never thought they'd fit before, thereby opening up my living room and allowing my speakers to really shine like they were meant to. Some real speaker stands might figure into the picture at some point, too.

But for now, all I can say is that with a little patience and ingenuity, I have found a way to make my old records and CDs sound like they never have before. From Diana Krall to Megadeth, and from The Monkees to Kylie Minogue, everything is sounding better than ever. For now.

Disco... Old and New

My recent purchase of Kylie Minogue's new retro-style Disco album (on vinyl) has got me thinking about that original era of sexy excess. Not that I was old enough to be part of that scene, but I did buy the odd record as a young music fan.

As I listened to Minogue's new album, I often felt she had nailed the sound and vibe of the classic 70's disco songs. What helped most was the inclusion of real instruments, like guitar, bass and drums (on a few tracks; elsewhere, programmed drums worked quite well). Keyboard synths replicated the lush symphony strings that were a key ingredient in 70's disco. And of course, the songwriting was on the money... super catchy and fun, and lyrically, these tracks would have fit right in among 70's radio hits.

I was never a huge fan of the genre, but I did enjoy some Bee Gee's and K.C. and the Sunshine Band back then. So I do have some frame of reference. 

Plus a couple of years ago, I added a handful of vintage 1970s K-Tel hits compilation records to my collection. K-Tel records always jump out at you with those brightly-coloured dynamic designs on the album jackets. Through these albums, I was able to become more familiar with dance-oriented tunes from that era. A lot of them sounded familiar to me, though I likely hadn't heard them in decades. Then again, popular songs from back then are heard a lot in today's TV ads and shows, and in movies.

K-Tel compilations were a fun mix of rock, pop, disco, soul and funk... whatever was top of the charts back in the 70's and into the 80's. And there was definitely crossover of the genres so that it was sometimes hard to pigeon-hole a song as a particular style. The disco designation could sometimes apply to a soul, funk, or occasionally even a pop-rock song.

Here's a sampling of the of the old-school disco/dance-oriented songs on my vintage vinyl K-Tel LPs:

K.C. and the Sunshine Band - That's the Way (I Like It), Shake Your Booty, etc

Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing

Bee Gees - Nights on Broadway

Earth, Wind & Fire - Getaway

Ohio Players - Who'd She Coo?

The Emotions - Best of My Love

The Sylvers - Hot Line

Yvonne Elliman - If I Can't Have You

Patricia Dahlquist - Keep Our Love Alive

The biggest surprise out of that bunch is the last one, by Patricia Dahlquist. Never heard her name before, but that song is SO familiar to me. A very ABBA-esque sound to it. I really like it.

Besides those K-Tel albums, I have ABBA's two greatest hits records (volumes 1 and 2) from the 70's. Oh, and a couple of my original Bee Gees 45 rpm singles from my youth, Night Fever and Stayin' Alive. Plus I have ABBA's greatest hits and a Bee Gees greatest hits on CD, both acquired in recent years.

So put on those white dancing shoes and hit the tiles, man.

Six-String Heroes... Some of My Favourite Guitarists

Oops, I missed my scheduled post last week. Forgive my lapse.

But on with business... today, I thought I'd talk a bit about some of my favourite guitarists. The recent passing of Grandmaster Edward Van Halen made me pause and consider other fine and legendary players who made their mark on the world, and especially on me.

Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top bending a string all the way from Austin to San Antone

I don't believe I thought in terms of guitar heroes when I was new to music as a young lad. I was buying and listening to Beatles, Monkees, and KISS in my formative years of music appreciation. Maybe a bit later on, I came to realize that guys like George Harrison and Michael Nesmith had some tasty chops, but their chops were somewhat understated and were tailored precisely to serve the songs. Not electrifying, stunning axe attacks. Ace Frehley of KISS sort of moved in that direction, but I was still young back then, and simply listened to the song... not breaking it down and zeroing in on individual instruments like the guitar. I mean, guitar heroics aside, KISS were pretty solid songwriters in their own right. Consider the status of songs like Rock and Roll All Nite, Strutter, Beth, and Detroit Rock City. Yep.

I'd say it was around the time when I was examining the songs of Rush so I could muddle up some semblance of them on my first guitar that I began to consider the notion of a guitar hero. I had already noodled a bit with Deep Purple and Zeppelin, but not with such single-mindedness. It was Alex Lifeson's techniques, styles, and sounds that caught my attention in a brand new way. Not only were Rush songs fun and interesting to play, but they were both a bit challenging and yet within my grasp as a novice player. So it didn't take me long to at least work out riffs and chords of several of Rush's earlier songs, and as I progressed, I tackled some later tunes. I recognized my limits and stayed within them, hunkering down and woodshedding to the likes of Fly By Night, In the End, Anthem, Bastille Day, chunks of 2112, Xanadu, La Villa Strangiato, and whatever I could manage from Moving Pictures.

So Lifeson inspired me and drove me to develop enough as a player to eventually look just as closely at other guitarists. Back in the day, I really liked Rik Emmett of another Canadian hard rock trio, Triumph, but maybe not so much nowadays. Yes, he's very accomplished, but just not my cup of tea now. I used to like hammering out some of their earliest tunes on my cheapie acoustic. Same with Jimmy Page; his Led Zeppelin riffs were fascinating to me early on, so I jammed to a bunch of those. But I never felt the need to delve very far into the Zep catalogue other than to just listen and enjoy.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... as much as I loved Eddie Van Halen's guitar genius, even as a teenager, I knew I had no clue how to tackle that stuff. For one thing, back then, I hadn't any idea about drop tuning, so forget about figuring out chords that sounded right. And with no natural gift or formal training, it was a bust for me. I just listened and loved the music. So Ed was and still is (RIP) a favourite... wait, let's be clear: my absolute favourite... guitarist. His otherworldly wailing and shredding sent chills down my spine, and his  rhythm work was pretty stellar, too. Not just a guitar god, but also a primo songwriter. Jump, Hot For Teacher, Mean Street, Panama, Atomic Punk. Jeez, all classics, and just the tip of the iceberg.

Alex Lifeson of Rush leaning into a searing prog-rock solo

Along the way, I also learned to love the playing of Steve Howe of progressive rock giants Yes. That music was a whole other world, a whole other level of musicianship. Howe could play anything. His guitar-work on Yes albums ranged in style from folk to classical to rock to jazz, and everything in between. Yes was truly an art rock band, and Howe was the man to fill the slot on six-string. The Fragile album displays his, and his bandmates', virtuosity on their respective instruments in a very structured and formal way, but then Relayer is just a vast monumental jazz-prog-rock fusion that blows the mind. Whew, it's exhausting even thinking about that stuff.

Moving in a different direction, there was the master of the metal riff, the Grandfather of Metal, Tony Iommi. His work with Black Sabbath set the standard for everything that would come after. His influence is heard everywhere in metal, and even outside the genre. Iommi's unique sound and style came about after he lost some fingertips in an accident. He improvised replacement tips for his hands, and eventually had specially-designed tips made for him to perform with. And thus his distinctive sound was born. Tony played a special role in my guitar-playing development. I didn't learn a lot of Sabbath songs, but getting stuff like Iron Man and Paranoid into my repertoire fed my hunger for moody, heavy riff-based music.

Matthias Jabbs of Scorpions always impressed me with his supersonic soloing, such melody and shredding all wrapped up in a Germanic metal package. I've always felt the same way about Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest... a heavy yet lyrical style of guitar playing that always spoke to me. He was part of the Priest one-two-punch on the axe; along with KK Downing, the two of them tore up the world with the first truly metal twin guitar attack.

While I've long been a fan of Dave Mustaine's fretwork, it's been his long line of second guitarist recruits that have wowed me time and again. Marty Friedman, who served in the Megadeth regime during the 90's, was technically brilliant, but also brought creative talents to the table that served the band well during what I would call their heyday. The album Rust in Piece is a prime example of that perfection. Then jump to recent years, and Megadeth now boasts the guitar mastery of Kiko Loureiro, who absolutely kicks things into the stratosphere when he takes a solo. 

For decades, I have been a fan of Kim Mitchell's creative output. I've kinda lost touch in later years, but from Mitchell's early work with Max Webster and his solo career up into the late 90's, I've always found something amazing going on with this Canadian-born musician. His homegrown sense of style and humour gave added flavour to his expressive guitar playing. Kim could shred and rock with the best of them, and yet he could write and play memorable radio-friendly songs that lit up any party. Well-rounded and lovable in his wacky way.

I could go on forever, but instead I'll wrap up by making mention of good ol' Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. Talk about tasty guitar playing. His often rootsy yet always zesty blues-rock is never a bore. From rockers like La Grange to the slow jam of Blue Jean Blues, Gibbons possesses a sound, style and feel that really gets into your bones and makes you move. I'm less a fan of the electronic-drums sound of the 80's ZZ music, yet Billy always fit his down-home licks and strums into the mix. But it is that classic 70's ZZ Top that really tears it up for me. Jesus Just Left Chicago, Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers, Heard it on the X, Tush... such a vast catalogue of guitar-based blues gems.

Am I That Dad in "Dad Rock"?

 "Dad Rock". I hate that label for a sort of subgenre of what people now call "Classic Rock" (I hate that one, too). Classic Rock, as people think of it today, was simply the music that came before them. And it was all the music that I grew up with, from The Beatles and Pink Floyd to Rush and Van Halen, and everything in between... and even a bit beyond. Hell, even 90's grunge has now been lumped into the Classic Rock category, just because enough time has elapsed to make it really, really old. Bah!

And another thing...

While Classic Rock (I'll quit saying that now, since I hate it so much) is music that oldsters, men and women alike, enjoy, Dad Rock is more specific to what a guy, at least the stereotypical male, of a certain age listens to. It's a generalization that may have some truth to it, or a lot, but still, I don't like being pigeon-holed into a particular demographic just because of the music I listen to. 

But this is life. As uncomfortable as I am with this new-ish music category, I will accept that there is some truth to its definition: 

Dad-rock (n.): 1. music played by dads; 2. music made by old white dudes that somehow always ends up on the car stereo and/or being played on the hi-fi at various school friends' houses. 

- as written by Tom Hawking at Flavorwire.com

The first part, about it being music played by dads, is accurate enough. Some moms may like it, but the majority of listeners seem to be guys. So that and the second part of the definition make this music sound like something to be avoided. That it's bad. But hold on a minute...

If youngsters today (even "kids" well into their 20's) gave artists like Pink Floyd, Eagles, Steely Dan, and Led Zeppelin a real chance, I'd bet dollars to donuts that they'd find something they like. And whether they like it all or not, I'm sure most would recognize that these were/are very talented musicians. So Dad Rock needn't be equated with something awful - or uncool - that the kids must roll their eyes at and hate. And if it's a matter of coolness, then consider that the music of the 60's and 70's wasn't made based on what was cool or not; there was a level of confidence in the musicians so that they didn't care if they fit in with what was trendy. An admirable and freeing thing for a creative person. Unlike the way most music these days is made.

Sure, there may be some "bad" stuff in there, just like there's bad in every genre and era of music. Of course, it's all subjective, so what one person thinks is bad may be loved by someone else. Hey, even I and others my age kind of smirk when certain April Wine, Kiss, and Loverboy songs play on the radio. We dads know it's sort of corny or goofy, yet we may have a soft spot for some of it for old time's sake. Nostalgia plays a big role in this. The music takes us back to our youthful glory days.

And I may be overthinking this, but does the term Dad Rock imply that we dads are stuck in the past, only listening to the oldies? If so, then it is very wrong... about me, anyway. I love music of many genres and eras, some even from the past few years. And if Dad Rock also means boring, there might be a grain of truth to that for some dads, but I don't listen to boring music. I gravitate toward exciting stuff like Voivod and Megadeth, or the more modern hard rock of Ghost.

Dad Rock as a label isn't outright offensive, but it seems dismissive, like don't even waste your time on this stuff. And that's not a fair and open-minded approach at all. If you want your kids to learn to appreciate new things, expose them to it a bit at a time, not overkill, which would only turn them off right away.

So if I'm going to be that dad in Dad Rock, then I'll accept the charge. Yes, I do like Cream, Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons Project, Yes, Black Sabbath, ZZ Top, AC/DC and the other artists mentioned above, to varying degrees. Other big Dad Rock artists Bruce Springsteen and Eric Clapton (solo) not so much for me, maybe a bit of Dire Straits, Neil Young, Van Morrison, and Billy Joel (but not too much).

If liking Dad Rock simply means you're old enough to be a dad, then so be it. I am a dad, and damned proud of it. The term may mildly deride music nerds who have entered middle age, but if the shoe fits, I'll wear it. I still buy physical media, especially records (gasp!) and CDs to feed my inner (and outer) rock fan.

Now you kids, get off my lawn, and while you're at it, go listen to some CCR and Thin Lizzy!

A Moment of Silence, Please.... The Passing of a Movie Legend: Sir Sean Connery

Man, what else can 2020 throw at us? I've just barely gotten my mind back in order after the untimely death of Eddie Van Halen... then this morning, I learned the news that Sir Sean Connery has passed away. I kind of - almost - felt like I'd lost a family member. I mean, the first James Bond movies I ever saw starred Connery. I might have been in my tween years or thereabouts, and I think it was the American ABC TV network that often ran James Bond movies on Sunday nights. I caught more than a few that way in my younger days.

So Connery was the man. He was Bond. Even after seeing all the other Bond actors over the years, I still feel it all comes back to Sir Sean. Not just because he was the first, establishing the template against which the others would be compared. While each subsequent Bond actor brought something different to the role, I think Connery exemplified the classic Cold War spy in his tough yet charming way. Not the moody, realistic type of spy, like Richard Burton in The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. James Bond was escapist fare, sometimes veering into dark realism, but essentially a superhero type of character who endured a lot of battering at the hands of supervillains and came out the other end intact, ready to take on another death-defying mission.

Sean Connery was Bond in the films that kicked off the long-running adventure series, thereby becoming the man who first showed us the dangerous and often exotic life of a fictional cinematic spy. The gadgets, the snazzy cars, the beautiful women, vodka martinis, and a whole lotta busting bad guys' chops.

I've seen Connery in a bunch of non-Bond movies over the years and was always pleased with his performances on some level. He definitely had more talent than the 007 films required of him. Two pre-Bond movies I saw him  in were Darby O'Gill and the Little People, and The Frightened City. Sean had yet to hit his stride, so these didn't make much of an impression. He starred in Marnie, The Hill, The Man Who Would be King, and The Anderson Tapes during his run in the Bond flicks, all cool in their own ways. Post-Bond appearances brought a lot more to the table. Zardoz was a weird fantasy mess that left me cold, but his role in Robin and Marian was impeccable... a dramatic turn well worth watching. 

In the 80's, I enjoyed his starring gig in the sci-fi adventure Outland, plus his brief yet cool bit in Time Bandits. He was also in Highlander, The Name of the Rose, and won an Oscar for his work in The Untouchables. The Hunt for Red October and The Russia House brought Connery back into the world of spy thrillers; both were highly successful, extending the man's cred into yet another decade. Those are just the highlights of the many of his movies I've seen.

Connery's face is seen daily around my home. He's pictured in the Bond movie posters, framed Bond movie soundtrack records, and the movie stills on my walls. Look a little closer and you'll also see all the books and CDs and DVDs and more on my shelves. In fact, the only franchise I still like to collect from is that of Bond. I'll always have reminders of the great Scottish actor who was immortalized in the famous 007 role.

A long way from his humble beginnings, when as a teen he worked physical labour jobs to help support his family during WWII. After a stint in the British navy, Connery began lifting weights and placed third in the Mr. Universe contest. Not a bad way to work his way into acting and eventually the finely tailored shoes of MI6 operative James Bond.

Farewell, Sir Sean. You shall be missed.

Celebrate Halloween Safely with Horror Movies and Junk Food

This is it, folks... Halloween! The day we've been working toward all this month, or all this year, for some of us. This won't be a Halloween like any other, at least where I live. The pandemic conditions make it rather sketchy for door-to-door trick-or-treating, so local city government has said "no" to that sort of social outing. Same with parties, unless it's just family or the immediate "social bubble" indoors or in the backyard. Whatever. I'm in an apartment and don't have to worry about kids (mine is all grown up). So I just watch horror movies and eat junk food. Like always.

On a healthy note, check out these boxes of oranges at my nearby produce store... they're bloody good!

Here are the movies I've watched this month - Part 2 (pop back a couple of posts for Part 1) - in anticipation of All Hallows' Eve:

The Babysitter: Killer Queen - quite violent and amusing, exceeded my expectations

Prevenge - meh, give it a miss

Scream Blacula Scream - a 70's exploitation classic, quite cool

Savaged - a better than decent revenge tale... gory and "fun"

Storm Warning - not worth the trouble, blech

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant - a nice surprise... pretty fun and funny

Necromancy - booooring, slept through part of it

The Reptile - Hammer studios strike again with a neat little monster tale with a twist

The Plague of the Zombies - another Hammer flick, one of the few zombie movies I like

The Devil Rides Out - Chris Lee battles a satanic cult... does it get any better than that?

Bad Moon - a nifty little hidden gem of a werewolf tale

Christine - the 80's supernatural car classic based on the Stephen King story... cool

Silver Bullet - an even cooler 80's King adaptation. Hey, more werewolves! Love it...

Under the Skin - a modern favourite of mine.... creepy, atmospheric horror/sci-fi with Scarlett J as an alien predator roaming the streets of Glasgow, Scotland

AND TONIGHT?

I'll probably end up watching The Creature Walks Among Us, the second sequel to The Creature From the Black Lagoon. This quirky twist on the monster tale has become a fave of mine. Chips and peanut butter cups and beer await!

Happy Halloween!

New and Vintage Vinyl and CDs

I haven't bought much music in batches lately. It's mainly just been one thing at a time, and at intervals. So there hasn't been much call for an update on that front for a while. But now that I've added a handful of new/old albums to my collection, this would be a good time to catch you up on my latest musical acquisitions.

Lionel and the gang pictured on the back cover of Commodores (1977)

A couple of months back, I dared to add the new Katy Perry album, Smile, to my CD shelf. I debated about getting this on vinyl, but considering the fact that I prefer to listen to this sort of music in the background, and straight through without any flipping from side A to side B, I decided on the CD format. Plus I wasn't crazy about paying over 30 bucks for the vinyl. But it's a cool and fun album, one of her best recordings, I'd say. If you like that sort of thing.

I also snagged two Zebra albums, their debut and their sophomore effort No Tellin' Lies. The former is on CD, mainly because it was easier on the wallet, and the latter on vinyl, because it was a very reasonable price. Both are great proggy hard rock, the debut the stronger album, but the second is pretty darned good too. Very happy with those.

Then more recently, after the passing of guitar legend Eddie Van Halen, I revisited my Halen albums - which are the David Lee Roth-era ones only. Then I got to wondering if there was ANY Sammy Hagar-era Halen that I liked at all. Decades ago, I had the first two Sammy-Halen albums, but grew bored of them in a short time. Gone. But I had limited exposure to the later Van Hagar, so I popped on Youtube and test drove those. The only one that I can say I really like is For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. In fact, I really like it. It's much heavier rock with extremely little piano on it - a bit of a return to their roots. Here, Eddie is once again pushing that guitar like he really means it. Some very cool metallic riffs and chord progressions. Yet my one criticism is that the album lacks true hooks, melodies that stick your head. You know, the way early Van Halen did. But it's still a solid recording, enjoyable enough that I bought it... finally.

One day while some random Kylie Minogue tunes played on Youtube, I noted one in particular that I knew but didn't think I had in my studio album-complete collection. So I did a little research and discovered it only appeared as a bonus track on Ultimate Kylie, a 2004 compilation of studio songs plus non-album tracks and remixes. Got it! Very happy I found that, and at a nice low price.

Just this past week, after revisiting the Commodores' self-titled 1977 album on Youtube (I first found and enjoyed it months ago), I made the leap and bought it on vinyl at Amazon. This is a 2017 reissue that sounds terrific. First rate funk-soul. My first album of that genre in my record collection. I do have a handful of Motown/funk/soul/R&B CDs, but they're another story. Anyway, this album is first-rate top to bottom, from the totally popping opening track Squeeze the Fruit to the genre gem Brick House to the final song - the smooth and seductive 70's radio hit Easy (you all know it).

So, from a dry spell to a gradual accumulation of cool new sounds. This'll keep me busy for a while. Keep on spinning, music fans.

Halloween Equals Horror Movies Galore!

Howdy, horror hounds... and you curious non-hounds!

Even though I kind of did a premature horror movie marathon in September, I got a second wind and have been pushing through a fair number of unsavory seasonal films lately. Most have been good, or fairly good, few really good, and only the very odd let-down. So a pretty reasonable rate of return on my hours spent in front of the tube. I caught most of these on Netflix, Shudder, Youtube, and Roku channels.

"Now that's my kind of witch", thinks little Billy Barty, in The Undead.

So if you're looking for scary movie ideas for this month, take notes, kids!

I began October with the classic The Masque of the Red Death, the 1960's Vincent Price gem that drips with period piece horror. Then I popped over to some demented 80's Lovecraftian chills with The Beyond. Strap yourself in for that one... it's a mind-melter. On to a supremely silly stoner-horror-comedy called Stan Helsing. Maybe I should have skipped that one, but it had its tiny moments. It's a sendup of the old and not-so-old monster movies. You could do better, though. Like Young Frankenstein.

Candyman: Day of the Dead was the second sequel of that mini-franchise, and I expected far less than I got. It's a fairly satisfying urban horror with a rich backstory that unfolds further and further with each film. And a unique and cool "villain".

In a lighter vein, there's Vampires vs The Bronx, a fun family-friendly flick on Netflix. Modern urban youth take on the creatures invading their neighbourhood. A sort of 80's-Stephen King vibe there. The Undead, from 1957, is a Roger Corman film that was better than I expected... in a hypnotic trance, a woman is sent back to the time of her witch counterpart/ancestor's execution. Low budget but kinda cool.

Ghostland surprised me with its modern home invasion story with a Texas Chainsaw vibe. Then on a slow night, I thought I'd revisit an old favourite... not horror exactly, but with a supernatural theme... The Ninth Gate, a super good eerie mystery starring Johnny Depp as a chain-smoking book detective. I highly recommend it.

The Wretched is about teenagers working at the harbour of a coastal town during summer break. Things get a bit weird and scary-ish, and while it's not amazing stuff, it's a fun watch. You could do worse. The Assent, on the other hand (on Netflix), was a real let-down. It seemed to promise some Linda Blair exorcism headtwisting and hose vomit, but never delivered. The movie kicked off well enough but sort of lost steam and fizzled out for me. Not very satisfying.

I'll certainly do more genre movies before the month is over, not to mention the obligatory Halloween eve horror classic (or two). This is it for now. If you want to see my September film choices, pop over to my Letterboxd movie viewing diary. 

If you have any suggestions for more great flicks for October chills, leave them in the Comments section below. Thanks for reading, and be sure to turn out the lights for your next spooky movie night.

Quick Analysis: Eddie Van Halen's Legacy

What a week. Late Tuesday afternoon, I got the news of Eddie Van Halen passing away that morning. That evening, I played my Halen records and saluted the dearly departed with a couple of beers. Been thinking about Eddie all week, listening to his music and to the tributes to him online.

I've never gone very long without spinning a VH record, but the listening has been more frequent and intense lately. There will always be a touch of sadness when I (and everyone else) listen to their albums from now on.

But try to cheer up and celebrate the fun and genius of Eddie. To help out, here's a great old live video of Dance the Night Away:

I find it really hard to pin down what my favourite Van Halen album is... for a long time it was 1984, which spawned all those radio-friendly hits. But then I flipped back in time to their first album, which introduced to the world in '78 these four young lads with such talent and attitude. In recent years, I've gravitated toward Fair Warning (1981) more than anything else, its raw, edgy sound a bit of a departure. But then this past week, prompted by the sad news, I re-discovered the brilliance of their debut record. It's just all SO great.

There was even a long spell when I listened to Van Halen II repeatedly. There were the lighter, catchy tunes like Beautiful Girls and Dance the Night Away, but there were also the searing rockers like Somebody Get Me a Doctor, Bottoms Up!, and Outta Love Again. And then there were the slighter heavier, moodier ones... You're No Good and D.O.A. That darker tone led nicely into the band's third release, Women and Children First, which was a blistering recording of the Halens at their heavy metal peak - absolute guitar mayhem and Roth shrieking on tracks such as Fools, Romeo Delight, and Loss of Control. Not to mention the classic party anthems Everybody Wants Some and Take Your Whiskey Home. And much more.

It's a tough call between Van Halen I and Fair Warning, their rawest and most innovative albums. Eddie, on both discs, pushed boundaries and brought new guitar sounds and techniques to the world. Let's call it a tie for now.

It's far easier for me to nail down my favourite Van Halen songs, even though there are so many excellent ones in their catalogue. Meanstreet (off the Fair Warning album) immediately comes to mind... my absolute fave, and has been for years. But not far behind are Jump, Everybody Wants Some, Beautiful Girls, You Really Got Me, Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love, and Unchained - all so good it would be a task to rank them. And so many more.

You can see my comments in a bit more detail about a couple of those in My Favourite Songs series of posts:

Meanstreet

Beautiful Girls

There's also my very first blog post about Van Halen here, if you haven't seen it yet.

Carry on...

R.I.P. Eddie

 

We Lost a True Rock Icon: Eddie Van Halen

 Of all the great musicians that have passed away in recent years, or even in my whole life, the loss of Eddie Van Halen this past Tuesday (October 6th) has had the greatest impact on me. Eddie has long been considered by the world as one of the best - if not the best guitarist of all time. In my mind, he was the very best. Yes, props to Clapton, Page, and Hendrix, but for me, Eddie took the best of all those players and developed his own unique style and sound, surpassing them all. Some might argue, but that's how I feel about Ed.

My record LPs and CDs of all the David Lee Roth-era Van Halen

albums. That includes the 2012 "reunion" studio album.

The Beatles prompted me to pick up the guitar at about age 12-13, I strangled that splintered acoustic for a few years, Rush influenced my musical tastes further and helped me learn the instrument far better, then it was Van Halen that inspired me to work hard and stick with it. I still remember reading an early 80's issue of Cream magazine dedicated exclusively to Van Halen, learning about Eddie's incredible work ethic, how he spent hours a day woodshedding. It was his inborn talent, his dedication to guitar, and the sheer amount of practice that brought him up to a level beyond all others.

My own guitar playing never went beyond average, but I had a lot of fun within my limits. Because I didn't seem to have a lot of natural talent or any formal training at all (self-taught, with the help of a few books and some pointers by a skilled guitarist friend), it wasn't exactly in the stars that I'd go very far at all. But that never affected my enjoyment of the instrument. I played daily from the late 70's through much of the 80's, improving mostly as a rhythm guitarist. Though Van Halen's music was far beyond my capability on guitar, it did inspire me to practise a lot.

My little collection of Van Halen shirts, all cool enough that

they are all in constant rotation.

Into the 90's, I found musically like-minded friends who wanted to jam, and that's when I discovered that special "high" when you click with others as you play songs you all love. It was often just me and a drummer, but sometimes another guitarist or bassist would join the fray, and we would bash out our garage versions of our favourite tunes. I was always baffled by my inability to figure out Van Halen songs... it was only in more recent years that I learned that Eddie tuned his guitar down a half step. No wonder! I was completely ignorant of this alternate tuning stuff for all those years. The only Halen tune I could play some semblance of was Ain't Talkin' Bout Love, which I slaved over (without tablature for reference, either), and had some fun with.

So Eddie was important to me almost from the beginning of my guitar self-instruction. He was already an impressive newbie to the world of rock music, so much so that I was recording Van Halen songs off the radio onto tapes for re-listening. That might have been up to about 1980, when I finally bought my first Van Halen record, their third release, Women and Children First. In hindsight, I wish my first VH purchase had been their monumental debut album, but Women and Children wasn't a bad choice either. That disc was their heaviest recording ever, probably, laying down the band's most molten metal ever. What came before and after never came quite that close to true metal, though the first album certainly had its moments.

A vintage 80's Halen pin - classy and metallic, that I've hung onto all these years

Van Halen, even though in my mind is classified as hard rock, had a huge influence on the heavy metal genre. Between the wild showmanship, the loud aggressive sound, the screaming vocals, and the extreme guitar pyrotechnics, these were all key ingredients of what metal was all about. The big difference was that Van Halen had a strong pop sensibility, crafting the catchiest melodies this side of the Atlantic (and the other side, too, I'd say).

Even though Eddie was a virtuoso guitarist, he was also a gifted songwriter. He had a flair for melodic, hummable songs and even guitar solos. No wonder this once-dubbed "dangerous" band eventually became American darlings of the Top 40 with hit after hit song.

I really wish Eddie had written his own memoirs, but I made do with 

the still-entertaining and revealing autobio by David Lee Roth. The 

highly-regarded Greg Renoff band bio of their early days is essential

for Halen fans.

I must admit I am soley a fan of the first six Halen albums, the David Lee Roth era. No Van-Hagar for me. So as far as my six album knowledge extended, Eddie performed feats of speed, dexterity, ingenuity, sound and melody on record after record. I know a bit of his later work with the Hagar line-up, but not enough to really comment.

Try to imagine a world without Eddie Van Halen. What would have happened in the music scene during the 1980's? I can't even picture what would have played out without Eddie's influence. Hard rock, glam metal (aka hair metal/pop metal), heavy metal in general... would these genres have progressed or even existed without Ed's pioneering techniques? Ratt and Motley Crue and the whole L.A. Sunset Strip scene would likely never have happened. The legendary and infamous Guns'n'Roses, though stylistically different, rose from that same scene... would they have come about if not for the VH influence? Guitar wizards like Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen cite Eddie as an influence in their formative years. Any guitarist, pro, amateur or hobbyist, would have something positive to say about Eddie's talent and impact on music.

My "uniform"

From Eddie's famous "brown sound" - raw and pure, which was the result of tearing up and rebuilding his Strat guitars, to his mastery of two-handed finger-tapping on the fretboard, he carved out a place of his own in the world of guitar. Entirely unique. As mentioned, the Halen style was responsible for a glut of glam metal and hard rock imitators in the 80's, many uninspired and short-lived, while a few found a foothold and became (modest) stars in their own right.

While other favourite bands over the years have lost some of their appeal, Van Halen has been a constant for me. There's no denying the fire and staying power of their music, and that is largely due to the massive appeal of Eddie's instrumental prowess and his innate songwriting talent. From early metallic hits to the last two Roth-era albums of "hard pop" radio sensations, Ed and his bandmates grew and expanded their repertoire to include music for the masses. So there was something for both headbangers and pop fans. Dancing in the streets... 

RIP Eddie, you will be missed.

One Record, One Movie, One Book

 The other day I saw a Youtube video where an interviewer asked his guest to name one record, one movie, and one book that he'd recommend to others. Titles that were meaningful enough to the guest that he'd share them with others. That got me thinking of my own choices... which was not at all easy.

But just now I thought I could narrow that down to a genre, specifically the horror genre, since this is October - the month of Halloween, after all. And that makes selection a bit easier.

Creepy, chilling, and disturbing entertainment is pretty common in my home. I have shelves full of horror movies and books, and scary movie soundtracks, and dark, moody, sometimes frightful albums by music artists.

My choices here may not necessarily be my absolute favourites in each medium, but will be more significant and representative of the genre in a slightly more objective way, and maybe more accessible for newcomers. Some are titles that I feel aren't known, or appreciated, widely enough. I believe these records, movies, and books (I include a few honorable mentions for the extra inquisitive) are important enough that I'd like more people to experience them.

First off, one record:

Black Sabbath - their debut album, the original supernatural, doomy heavy metal record. Most people, fans that is, say their preference is Paranoid or Master of Reality, which boast Sabbath's best-known songs. But I feel the first album is under-appreciated. It established an atmosphere that never appeared again in Sab's music. A hazy murk enfolds the listener in a nightmare-like grip as the blues-metal fusion lays out a bleak landscape, unsettling vocals and lyrics adding to the sinister gloom... and the two "suites" paint pictures of even deeper disquiet. Essential to the "horror" music listener.

Honorable Mentions:

Bram Stoker's Dracula, movie soundtrack

Carpathian Forest - Black Shining Leather

Danzig - How the Gods Kill

Ghost - Opus Eponymous

--

One Movie:

The Uninvited (1944) - an early classic, classy and haunting... mystery and romance add spice to this ghost story with depth and detail. Due to its age, the film may put off younger (and maybe some older) viewers today with its old-fashioned depictions of that time, not to mention the old-school acting style and outdated social norms. Yet that is part of the charm of the picture, along with its subtle method of story-telling. As a ghost story, this is top-notch, among the best in cinematic history, starring some of the finest actors of Hollywood's Golden Age. 

Honorable Mentions:

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

The Shining (1980)

--

One Book:

The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova. I've read this twice, and each time I am  thrown into a dream-like state as I turn the pages of this hunt across Europe for the "real" Dracula. History and geography play a big role in this creepy adventure thriller. Detailed and rather epic in its scope, considering the travel across the continent and in its deep investigative procedural process. The chilling parts would best be read in daylight, unless the reader welcomes a sleepless night.

Honorable Mentions:

Summer of Night, by Dan Simmons

Conjure Wife, by Fritz Leiber

The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Revert

The Demonologist, by Andrew Pyper

Random Music Discoveries

Today's a mixed bag. No big topic, just a smattering of updates on what I've been doing musically lately. 

A couple of weeks ago I finished up the new book by Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine, Rust In Peace: The Inside Story of the Masterpiece. When I very recently heard of the book's release, I knew I just had to read it. After all, Rust In Peace is one of my favourite albums of all time, a thrash classic that still resonates within the metal community, both in the industry and with the fans. Megadeth's progressive thrash style always appealed to me, but even moreso after that 1990 album dropped. A total mind-melter. The book is a vast series of interview bytes, quoting the musicians, their friends, family, and music business associates. So it's a breezy read, quite revealing and candid. Cool.

Around that same time, my CD copy of Katy Perry's new album Smile arrived in my mailbox. I had already previewed all the songs online, so I knew this was a sure thing. I have an unusual take on this album: overall, I think Smile is the most consistently good recording Perry has released. Even on Teenage Dream and Prism, discs I really like, there is at least one track I hate or don't care much for. But on Smile, not a single bad song, nothing I'd ever want to skip over. Lots of light, fun tunes. Yet the enjoyment factor is so even from track to track, it's really tough to name a favourite, at least right now. Maybe over time. So there don't seem to be songs that really jump out as super strong "hits", at least to me. If you're a Katy fan, you can't go wrong with Smile.

I motored through the Cobra Kai karate-action show on Netflix not long ago. And what a blast from the past, especially in the music department. Some great 80's tunes in the soundtrack, including Ratt's Lay It Down, which kicked off one episode, and really set the stage for the show. It was also cool and funny to see the Cobra teacher Johnny wearing his vintage band t-shirts, especially that Zebra one. Now I had only ever heard of Zebra, reading a tiny bit about them in music magazines in the 80's, but my area's rock radio station never ever played songs by Zebra. So I never had a clue about them. So... I looked 'em up on Youtube and checked out a handful of their songs (not much on there). Well, what a pleasant surprise! I wish I'd gotten into Zebra back in the the day because their music is a blend of some of my all-time favourite bands, Yes and Rush, with a hint of Triumph (and maybe Zeppelin) in there. Excellent hard rock - sometimes progressive, so I am now awaiting their first album on mail order. Can't wait to give that some heavy listening. Headphone listening.

In the listening room, I've been digging through both records and CDs for something to take my mind off the COVID-19 situation. When I wanted a kick in the pants, I put on Voivod's last record (on vinyl), The Wake. Quebecois prog-thrash-metal that did the job. And then I re-discovered my long-neglected jazz CDs by Diana Krall, starting with All For You, the Nat King Cole Trio tribute that kicked off my love of her music. Perfect low-key, classy stuff for winding down in the late evening.

I've had some ABBA melodies stuck in my head lately, so I think I'll put on either one or both of their 70's greatest hits records (got both) this weekend. "Can you hear the drums, Fernando?"

Bad Album Covers

Bad album covers are a fact of life. There are the stunning music recordings that are wrapped in amazing, legendary artwork and design, like Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road, Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin, British Steel, Master of Puppets, and so on. But how about the crappy album covers out there?

So bad that it's good? This was among my first records when I was a teen,

so I've learned to live with it in a weirdly affectionate way all these years

Regardless of the quality of the music itself, good or bad or whatever, there are some weak and weird examples of album art that I'd like to talk about. I'm going to try and steer away from the universally agreed upon bad album covers (like those by the band Riot, Millie Jackson's Back to the S**t, Manowar's Anthology) and instead browse my own CD and record shelves, and maybe add the odd other thing not in my collection.

I want to start off with an album by one of my all-time favourite bands, Rush. The offender is their twelfth album, released in 1987, Hold Your Fire. Here's an example of a pretty weak album, musically, that also boasts a super lame album cover. It is the most dull album art in all of Rush's large discography. Three small red balls floating against a plain red background. The Rush "logo" font is boring, as is the font of the title of the album. Okay, it may be a bit of an in-joke that only uber-fans (like me, maybe) who know that Rush had a thing about red in some of their song titles and lyrics (Red Lenses, Red Barchetta) back in the 80's. And maybe the three balls represent the three members of the band. Could be, but it's really uninteresting to look at, if not cryptic beyond belief. If anything, the inner photo of the guy juggling fireballs would have been a better choice for cover art.

Borrrrrrriiiiinnng....

So what were they thinking when they okayed this underwhelming image for the front of Hold Your Fire? Long-time Rush visual artist and graphic designer Hugh Syme created this... so what went wrong here? Syme's many other cover art contributions for Rush are considered classics. Anyway, this one is a head-scratcher. It's visually boring and bewildering.

Next up... Pet Sounds, by the Beach Boys. Yeah, we've all seen this one before, and perhaps it's on some "bad album cover" lists, but I've always wondered about the decision to go with such a strange band photo on the cover. Band photos generally aren't a good idea for album covers, as they either look too posed, or awkward, or will become dated very easily when fashions change.

Stoooooopid...

But feeding a bunch of goats? Really? The title Pet Sounds makes me think of dogs, cats, birds, fish, domestic household animals like that. At least if the band were playing with dogs and cats, it might have felt a bit more appropriate, but definitely not goats. Come on.

I own a very odd-looking version of Beethoven's 9th symphony that I'll bet very few people have ever seen. I even had a tough time tracking down this exact issue online. The musical performance itself is fine, an enjoyable interpretation, if not my favourite, of the immortal classical piece. But the front cover... again, what were they thinking? It's a black and white photo of a massive crowd of young men (I think it's all guys - hard to distinguish since they all have long-ish hair) in the rain, and it looks like it's from a UK soccer match or Woodstock or something. What has this got to do with Beethoven and his 9th symphony? Nothing I can see. A weird and stupid choice for album cover right?

What the... ?

Okay, so now to finish off with something different. As you read the first paragraph above, your eye was likely drawn to the bizarre and colourful album cover pictured below it. Yeah, that's the one... with the four wacky characters comprising Max Webster. High Class in Borrowed Shoes was an early-ish music purchase when I was a teenager - on vinyl record, so I got the full effect of the large photo of the off-kilter band dressed in embarrassing garb. Max Webster's music won me over from day one, when I saw them perform at my high school (back when bands did that; thank the lord I got to experience that). The concert was an eye-opener... when these guys hit the stage in what looked like women's pyjamas and nightgowns, I was taken aback. But the music was heavy and rockin', and the singer had a fun, if strange, patter between songs.

On to the High Class album cover. Yes, it's a group shot, but if they were wearing business suits (think Dressed to Kill, by Kiss), it wouldn't be such a big deal. Some might call the cover ugly,  ridiculous, or just plain bad. But man, those billowy red pants, the zig-zag patterned women's crop-top, the purple short-shorts, the floral (I think) decorated women's stockings. I won't even mention the use of make-up or the high-heels. Those were kind of de rigueur in the 1970's for adventurous rock bands. Then there's the judo uniform and the "dandy" tuxedo get-up. Quite the menagerie. A bit shocking to see today, and it wasn't exactly commonplace back in my little hometown in the late 70's.

Yet, as weird - or bad - as it looks, it's so out there, so avant-garde, that it's kinda cool. And I like it for what it is. That was the band, and that "dated" snapshot put their stamp of far-out progressive hard rock on the music scene. They certainly stood out against the landscape of jeans-and-T-shirt rock musicians of the era. So there.

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To read about my favourite album covers, check out this post here.