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.

My TV Show Collection... In A Nutshell

 I thought I was finished with "My <Home Video> Collection... In a Nutshell" series, but it dawned on me the other day that I could include a little something about the TV shows on my shelves. I don't own a massive number of shows but there's a smattering of the stuff that I like best, or have fond nostalgic feelings for, or just found super cheap (or free) and couldn't pass up.

How can you resist a little Jeannie?

Ever since I was able to turn on the TV set all by myself as a young 'un (maybe around 4 years old?), I have been a fan of all sorts of shows on the boob-tube (as we used to call it... probably inappropriate today? The alternative was "the idiot box"). I started out watching Sesame Street, of course, then expanded my horizons to include 60's superhero cartoons like Spiderman and Mighty Mouse. The Munsters, Get Smart, Gilligan's Island followed... then later All in the Family, M.A.S.H., blah blah blah. I won't list everything I ever watched, but you get the idea. Same sort of thing most people of my generation watched, at least across North America at the time.

When I bought my first home videos of favourite TV shows, they were nostalgic oldies. The Monkees, The Twilight Zone, H.R. Pufnstuf, and so on. Some remained, some were culled from the collection. As time passed, I became more selective about what I added to my little set of shows. Absolute favourites like 30 Rock and Curb Your Enthusiasm were essential. But nowadays, with money a bit tight, and just about everything available online, I'd rather save my bucks and not extend this collection much more. It's got to be super special to me to warrant a purchase.

I just realized that what I have on my TV video shelves is nearly all comedy. I guess that says something about me: I need cheering up. There is a fair mix of old classics and modern hits in my collection. A reasonable representation of my life watching TV.

I've owned stuff that I tired of, never watched, and felt wasn't worth hanging onto, but at the moment, I'm pretty happy with what's in my TV category of home vids. My current line-up is:

30 Rock (favourite all-time TV show; smart, irreverant comedy... got the whole series)

Big Bang Theory (not a huge fan, but fun and very re-watchable... got many but not all seasons)

Curb Your Enthusiasm (definitely a fave, & ol' Larry may have another season in him. Got ALL seasons)

Gilligan's Island (goofy fun, and only have it 'cos I found a DVD of early episodes - free!)

Gilmore Girls (the entire 2000's series, but not the new Netflix season. Quality dramedy)

I Dream of Jeannie (first two seasons of this classic 60's comedy... silly and fun, that's all)

Kung Fu (the 70's David Carradine hit show, just season one... nostalgic but I rarely watch it)

Lonesome Dove (4 TV mini-series & 2 regular series... top-notch westerns based on my fave books)

The Monkees (a fave oldie, but pretty silly to watch now... still love those tunes. Just a few episodes)

The Odd Couple (a fave 70's comedy, super cheap set of random episodes, so why not?)

PeeWee's Playhouse (late 80's kids show that transcended other fare... hilarious! Random eps)

Ren & Stimpy (wacky animation gold, got every episode including the "banned" rarities)

The Saint (before he became Bond, Roger Moore played a similar character here... set of random eps)

Samurai Jack (best animated show I've ever seen; very cinematic, dramatic, beautiful. All seasons)

Spaced (a cool UK sort of version of Big Bang, though edgier. All two seasons)

Star Trek (the entire 60's series, of course. My go-to when in a sci-fi/Spock mood...)

Teddy Ruxpin (can't watch it, but I actually worked on the show, so having a few episodes around seemed appropriate)

Twilight Zone (original 60's show, still love it, two sets of random classic episodes. Rod rules!)

Labour Day Weekend - No Work, Just Music

Labour Day is a funny thing. I never really understood its origins or just how far-reaching this holiday was around the world. Until today, when I looked it up.

Labour Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Yay? Its origins were in the labour union movement, which advocated for the 8-hour workday, with 8 hours of recreation and 8 hours of rest. In a perfect world, right? But for many of us, these magic numbers aren't far off. And we've got ourselves a day off.

The odd thing is that Labour Day is celebrated at different times of the year in different countries. Generally, it is on May 1st, or on the Monday closest to it. In some places, like Australia, the date is varies throughout the country, occurring in either March, April or May. And in other parts of the world, the day falls anywhere between September and November.

In my fair nation of Canada (and in the U.S.), Labour Day falls on the first Monday of September, the last weekend of summer, just before the new school year begins. And it's weird because after all those years of growing up, being conditioned to the long weekend before school thing, now, even as a long-employed adult, I still get a funny feeling at this time, as though I'm going back to school. Heh. Not a chance.

So.... all that to say that today's topic is songs about work. A number of tunes immediately came to mind, then I had to dig a bit. These are just a few of them, too... there must be many more out there. So while we are NOT working on this long weekend (some of us), why not listen to some songs about work? Enjoy!

Working Man, by Rush (THE classic work song off Rush's first album - heavy!)

Working for the Weekend, by Loverboy (We've all sung along with this one, right?)

Keep on Working, by Pete Townshend (little known, but I know it from Pete's 3rd solo album)

Working in a Coal Mine, by Devo (love it!)

Takin' Care of Business, by Bachman-Turner Overdrive (bar-room mainstay - pure gold)

Take This Job and Shove It, by Johnny Paycheck (the song and the name say it all)

Workin' For a Livin', Huey Lewis and the News (ah, the 80's)

Blue Collar Man, Styx (works well with Working Man as a double-header)

Working Class Hero, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

9 to 5, Dolly Parton

Manic Monday, The Bangles (oh yeah....)

Heigh Ho, The Seven Dwarfs (from the Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, duh)

A Hard Day's Night, The Beatles ("... been working like a dog...")

Money For Nothing, Dire Straits

Working on the Highway, Bruce Springsteen

We Work the Black Seam, Sting

Slave to the Grind, Skid Row

Whistle While You Work, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Get a Haircut, George Thorogood and the Destroyers

Peace of Mind, Boston

Killing is My Business... and Business is Good!, by Megadeth (hey, it's a living...)