Hey, thanks for stopping by to hang out. You're in the right spot for discussions about my favorite pop culture topics. Subjects may include vinyl, '70s sitcoms, cosmic super hero adventures, arena rock, conspiracy theories, thrift stores, '80s horror flicks, VHS culture, all things retro, lovely ladies, and the latest happenings in my world.
So come on down the steps (watch your head), pass through the rec room, and pull up a bean bag...you're hanging in my "bedroom in the basement!" EST. 1979
I just finished listening to another record from the massive St. Paddy's day pile I purchased (try saying that 5x fast), Ace Frehley's second solo release, Frehley's Comet.
When I was in my early 20s I had heard of this record but never heard anything from it until about 5 years ago. I was listening to my all time favorite station for AOR/Hard Rock/Metal, 92.5 WZUU, when they played this next song:
"Into the Night"
Good tune, and very in keeping with the times. It was written by Russ Ballard (ex-Argent, ex-Rainbow), who has written many hits for others, including Three Dog Night, Santana, and America. He also wrote Ace's first solo hit, "New York Groove."
Here's some trivia: Ace's backing band featured Anton Fig, the drummer for the house band on Late Night and Late Show with David Letterman. This album was also released on Johnny Zazula's Megaforce Records, notable for releasing the early Metallica albums. Here's another good song:
"Rock Soldiers"
I love Ace's guitar playing, which is really on display in this last track, an instrumental called "Fractured Too"
If you dig '80s hard rock with a spritz of hair spray, then this is an album worth checking out. Speaking of hair spray, check out the band pic on the back of the record!
Aerosmith
I recently picked up copies of Toys In the Attic and Rocks, released in 1975 and 1976 respectively. Many regard these albums as the apex of the early part of their career, and I would have to agree with them. I haven't heard their first two albums (Aerosmith and Get Your Wings) in full, but from what I have heard it seemed like they were still "getting their sea legs" in terms of finding their sound. By the time Toys and Rocks came out, they were in full form.
Toys In the Attic features such classics as the title track, "Walk This Way," "Big 10 Inch Record," "Sweet Emotion," and "No More No More." Most of these songs were staples on 101 WRIF, a hard rock station out of Detroit I listened to during my formative years as a music lover. They never get old to me, and hearing them transports me back to my basement hang-out in middle school, when I played video games and listened to my dad's ancient 1970s stereo, with the broken turntable and cassette player. "Sweet Emotion" also has the added attraction of reminding me of the intro to one of my all-time favorite flicks, "Dazed and Confused." Rocks is another rockin' record, and features the tunes "Back In the Saddle" and "Last Child," two more songs I used to love when they were played on the WRIF. This album has been a big influence on many people in the hard rock and metal community, with bands like Guns N' Roses and Metallica citing it as influential.
Allmusic, a music review website I find to be an invaluable resource when deciding on albums to buy, gives each of these records 5 stars. Unfortunately their next two albums would not be as well-received, and would be the last ones to feature the original line-up until their mid '80s comeback.
Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project, a duo consisting of Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson (along with various musicians and vocalists) are a band I've liked for a while but had yet to really get into. Until recently I was only familiar with the handful of hit singles they had in the '80s ("Eye In the Sky," "Don't Answer Me," "Time"). On the recommendation of my old co-worker/friend Greg from Kalamazoo, I picked up the I Robot album and liked it a lot. It has a lot of different sounds going on...early electronic, prog, disco, soul, and funk, which keeps definitely keeps it interesting.
The album cover photo features the band members using the escalator tubes in the circular Terminal 1 building of de Gaulle Airport outside Paris.
A concept album loosely built around the idea of robots, the following was written on the cover inlay. It sets the mood for the album:
"I ROBOT...THE STORY OF THE RISE OF THE MACHINE AND THE DECLINE OF
MAN, WHICH PARADOXICALLY COINCIDED WITH HIS DISCOVERY OF THE WHEEL...AND
A WARNING THAT HIS BRIEF DOMINANCE OF THIS PLANET WILL PROBABLY END,
BECAUSE MAN TRIED TO CREATE ROBOT IN HIS OWN IMAGE."
Heavy stuff right?
Here's a few of my fave songs:
"I Wouldn't Wanna Be Like You"
"Breakdown" (feat. Allan Clarke, lead singer of the Hollies, on vocals)
My pal Greg has this to say about the album when he recommended it recently:
Coming
up on the 35th anniversary of the release of this masterpiece. If you
have never given this album a listen, I seriously urge you to.
Especially, on a night when you have a good view of the stars and sky.
Those should be your only distractions, and then all will be known. I am
not accountable for any pleasant out-of-body experiences you most
likely will have, nor the frequent U.F.O. flybys that will occur...
Thanks again Greg, I think I may have to try that next time I listen...
Gulity Pleasure #1 - Bread
Ever since I was in 12th grade I have been a fan of Bread, a soft rock/folk rock band known for their syrupy sweet ballads and other pop confections. Formed in 1969 by a quartet of former session musicians, their reign as masters of the make-out song only lasted 4 years as the band broke up in 1973. Two reunions followed in the late '70s and late '90s, and their total catalog consists of 6 albums (5 of which were released every year from 1969-1972).
Here's a ballad that was in my head today...beautiful stuff. Sweet guitar playing too. Whenever I hear it I'm reminded of the grocery store I worked at in high school. This was classic "music for old ladies to shop to:"
Bread could also rock though. Their lead singer/songwriter/guitarist David Gates was know for the light stuff, while co-singer/guitarist Jimmy Griffin was know for the rockers. Here's an example:
I first heard Bread on one of those commercials from the early '90s that advertised soft rock compilations. The song was called "If," and it featured a cool tremolo/wah-wah effect on the guitar part in the intro. I also remember the character Wayne from the tv show "The Wonder Years" singing it to his girlfriend (fast forward to the 3:50 mark of the video):
I remember my chemistry teacher in 12th grade playing "The Anthology of Bread" album in class one day. That album was their 20 (!) song best-of compilation, and I got to hear for the first time all of their hits on one disc together. I also was able to experience the variety of different songs they played. I remember hearing this next one and thinking that it sounded like it could have been sung by Greg Brady:
Guilty Pleasure #2 - Judy Collins
While not familiar with most of her catalog, pop/folk singer Judy Collins has one song that I just love. I first heard it (surprise surprise) on an episode of "The Wonder Years." The song is called "Both Sides Now," and the lyrics, combined with her lovely voice, just KILL me. Not a good song to play if I'm hammered...I may start blubbering like a newborn.
Another song of hers I dig is a cover of the Beatles song "In My Life." Guess where I first heard it? Yes, once again it was on "The Wonder Years." Most of the time I don't care for covers of Beatles songs. It's hard to top perfection right? There have been a few exceptions to this over the years, like Joe Cocker's covers of "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" and "With a Little Help From My Friends" (which was the theme song to...never mind). Her version of "In My Life" comes darn close to topping the original version. My thanks go out to my doll, the Canadian Belle, for finding this clip the other day and reminding me of how good it is:
Judy is a pretty amazing gal. I guess she would have to be to inspire Stephen Stills to write this amazing song, about their break-up:
Next on Guilty Pleasures: The Carpenters. For real.
I found a clip from last week's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony featuring the closest we're gonna get to a reunion of the "Appetite of Destruction" era Guns 'N Roses. Three original members (Steven Adler, Duff McKagan, and Slash), one later edition to the group (Gilby Clarke subbing for the absent Izzy Stradlin), and Myles Kennedy filling in for rock's biggest dick, Axl Rose. Check it out:
Now THAT is Guns N' Roses, not the hodge podge of scabs Axl has put together with the same name (I like to call them "The Axl Rose Project"). Based on this performance, it sounds like the magic is still there. I would love to hear more.
Today I'm listening to yet another benefit album (I go through certain phases when listening to stuff apparently), "Concerts for the People of Kampuchea." Recorded from a series of 4 concerts in London the last week of the '70s (2 weeks after I was born!), this album, a 2-record set, is leaner than the "No Nukes" album I reviewed the other day. The "No Nukes" album seemed to suffer from a "let's throw everything on here" approach, but the "Kampuchea" album features the cream of the four shows. I think the performers selected were quite a bit stronger also: Paul McCartney & Wings, the Who, the Clash, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, the Pretenders, Queen, and the Specials (not to mention the colossal rock supergroup "Rockestra," featuring members of the aforementioned bands PLUS 3 members of Led Zeppelin).
Side one features four songs by the Who, who are sounding excellent. They had come off a hard year, touring with a new drummer for the first time in their career (Kenney Jones, ex-Small Faces/Faces), after the 1978 death of Keith Moon. They had also been part of a tragedy earlier in the month of December 1979, when several fans were crushed to death at a concert in Cincinnati. Here are the songs they performed: "Baba O'Reilly," "Sister Disco," "Behind Blue Eyes," and "See Me, Feel Me." This was during Pete Townsend's "drunk era" (famously described in the song "Who Are You"). I recall reading an article in some music mag at a book store a few years back about this show and how Pete was drunk out of his mind during the performance the last night of the show. His style is a bit sloppier than I have heard before, but overall the vibe is good. The shows were filmed, and I found footage of the Who playing "Behind Blues Eyes":
Sides 2-3 feature one or a few song by Pretenders, Elvis Costello, Rockpile, Queen, Ian Dury & the Blockheads, and the Specials. All good stuff, and I'm especially partial to the Clash and Queen stuff. The artists featured showcase the variety that British music at the time offered...punk, new wave, and classic rock were all given equal time. Here's a video of the Clash playing "Armagideon Time:"
Side 4 is when it gets really good, with Paul McCartney & Wings taking the stage. Paul helped organize the shows (like his old bandmate George did with the Concert for Bangladesh) and since Wings were at that time one of the biggest bands in the world, they were given a slot close to the end of the last show. Wings performed one Beatles song ("Got to Get You Into My Life"), one song from Paul's first solo album (the rarely performed "Every Night"), and a song which ended up on 1980's "McCartney II" album ("Coming Up"). Here's a clip of Wings doing "Every Night:"
Finally, the grand finale, Rockestra! First appearing on Wings 1979 album "Back to the Egg," this "rock orchestra" featured John Bonham, Billy Bremner, Gary Brooker, Howie Casey, Tony Dorsey, Dave Edmunds, Steve Holly, James Honeyman-Scott, Steve Howard, Kenney Jones, John Paul Jones, Lawrence Juber, Denny Laine, Ronnie Laine, Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney, Robert Plant, Thadeus Richard, Bruce Thomas, and Pete Townsend. David Gilmour, who appeared with Rockestra on the Wings album, couldn't be there since he was busy with Pink Floyd preparing for their tour for "The Wall." This clip shows the mammoth Rockestra performing the "Rockestra Theme" (check out the very intoxicated Pete Townsend):
Overall, I really enjoyed the heck out of this album. The musicians and songs featured were all top shelf, and the atmosphere seemed fun and playful.
After last night's post honoring the life of American Bandstand host Dick Clark, I found myself perusing clips of that show on the website www.slicingupeyeballs.com. The clips they posted showcased the various synth pop and new wave bands who had appeared, and I saw excellent performances by OMD, Berlin, Adam & the Ants, and a handful of others. One clip I watched was simply so awesome I had to put it up here as an addendum to last night's tribute. The band? Public Image Ltd. (featuring the infamous Johnny Rotten, ex-Sex Pistols).
Last time I saw this clip was in high school, and the sheer anarchy of it has always stuck with me. Johnny Rotten, wearing a white suit foreshadowing the style of "Miami Vice," wanders through the audience with abandon. Lip syncing be damned, he begins pulling girls up on stage to dance around the band. The band members barely pretend to play, swap instruments, and look unmoved by their surroundings.
The story goes that Dick Clark had a verbal altercation with one of the members backstage before taping and asked their tour manager "What can I expect from this asshole?" It went a little something like this:
The weekend of St. Patty's day I picked up around 24 records at store called Replay. I found some awesome stuff, and for good prices too. So far out of that pile I have sampled the Go Gos "Vacation," Michael Jackson "Off the Wall," and Journey "Frontiers." Tonight I threw on the platter a triple album benefit concert from September, 1979 titled "No Nukes."
"No Nukes" (from the MUSE Concerts for a Non-Nuclear Future) was culled from a series of shows at Madison Square Garden over the course of five nights which highlighted the dangers of nuclear energy in the wake of the Three Mile Island event. In the same vein as the legendary original benefit show, the Concert for Bangladesh, those involved wanted to draw attention to an important topic of the day. The performers featured were an eclectic bunch, and consisted of a combination of singer-songwriter types (Jackson Brown, James Taylor), soul singers (Gil Scott-Heron, Raydio, Chaka Kahn), and classic rockers (Crosby Stills & Nash, the Doobie Brother, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers).
The songs and artists who comprise this concert album tended to be more on the light rock side. Overall, the album is uneven, with some parts being good and some being not very memorable. Side 6 featured three Crosby Stills & Nash songs, and they were sounding excellent (they had been together roughly 10 years at this point). I managed to find some footage from the show, here in the form of the Doobie Brothers performing their classic call for involvement, "Takin' It to the Streets," featuring the soulful white guy voice of Michael McDonald (joined by James Taylor).
This show was pretty amazing, but I much prefer the Concert for Bangladesh in terms of awesome benefit shows. Out of the 27 tracks featured on this, I would have to say only 12 or so were memorable. Still, the shows drew attention to a popular cause (although I guess they weren't that successful, since we still have nuclear power. And wasn't there some shit that went down in Japan because of that stuff last year? Maybe it's time for another No Nukes show).
Sorry for the recent paucity of posts lately. My free time has been a bit scarce lately, for various reasons. Fear not, I have some cool ideas jotted down and plan on getting to them when the time is available. However, I did feel it incumbent upon myself to post short tributes to America's oldest teenager Dick Clark and singer/drummer Levon Helms, who both passed away this week.
Dick Clark
Dick is best known for being the host of American Bandstand. While he still hosted the show until I was 9 years old, I never saw it as a child. I do remember him being omnipresent in my early years though, hosting the $25,000 Pyramid and TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes, not to mention ABC's New Year's Rockin' Eve. When I was in high school I saw reruns of American Bandstand on VH1. The episodes were plucked from the late '70s and early '80s, and featured either disco dancing or new wave acts lip syncing their latest hits.
I have a few clips to showcase Dick in action with various rock legends, the first of which is a personal favorite as it shows him interviewing the Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd in 1968 after a "performance" (Syd couldn't be bothered to convincingly lip-sync). I love the contrast of the button-downed showmanship of Dick Clark vs. the scruffy, Carnaby street style of the Floyd:
The next clip is from roughly 13 years later, with Dick interviewing the Go Gos. He winds up getting their names confused, perhaps due to being transfixed by their beauty. I of course look for any excuse to
showcase the lovely Jane Wiedlin...I had my hair cut by a girl who
looked just like her recently. Best haircut EVER:
Levon Helm
I first heard a song by the Band on a commercial back in the early '90s...I can't remember what the product was, maybe beer? The commercial featured perhaps their best known song, "The Weight," and to me the harmonies and honky tonk piano sounded as close to what music in the old west must have sounded like as I could imagine. Over the subsequent years I heard more songs by them and became impressed with their talent, especially drummer/singer Levon Helms. To drum and sing at the same time takes some skills, and this guy had them to spare. The Band (along with CCR) ushered in the era of roots rock, which provided a nice counterpoint to the psychedelic experimentation going on elsewhere in music at that time.
This clip is of the swampy, funky, "Up On Cripple Creek," as performed in the concert film "The Last Waltz" in 1976:
Two more go to Rock and Roll Heaven...I'm afraid to ask who's next?
Yes, even Canadian rockers April Wine had a power ballad! This song is the last one I will feature that could be considered a hit, so I will have to plunge a little deeper into their catalog for the rest of this month's entries:
Thanks to another blog I check out regularly, Armagideon Time, I was turned onto some strangeness; '70s hard rock/prog rockers Angel. Discovered by KISS bassist Gene Simmons and signed to their record label Casablanca, they had a look that bordered on the androgynous and a sound, described by a friend of Armagideon blogger Andrew, “like someone ate every '70s band and can’t stop farting.”
As much as I dig on '70s and '80s hard rock/prog rock that borders on the cheesy (*ahem* Asia) I don't know if I can take this seriously.
I decided to make a new feature based off of one of my posts from yesterday, regarding the strange and odd in the world of music and record collecting. The feature will be called "Valley of the Strange," after the chapter from Brett Milano's book Vinyl Junkies. Yesterday's feature on the Shaggs was inspired by their mention in his book, and so is today's. First, a word of warning: you're gonna be BEGGING for more Shaggs after you see what I have cooked up for you in this blog. This will be something you're gonna wish you could forget. I'm of course talking about Little Marcy...
*REE REE REE REE* (Psycho sound effect)
That has to be one of the most horrifying ventriloquist's dummies I have ever laid eyes upon. So what was Little Marcy famous for, besides causing thousands of children to wet themselves out of pure, stupefying, fear? It seems that our little buddy was the star of her own series of Christian records that offered Bible lessons for children. Apparently they sold well enough to be produced from the 1960s all the way to 1982. Here's an example from an extremely rare video appearance by her. Again, be prepared for what may be the most terrifying footage ever seen by human eyes:
Everyone ok? I know at first your soul might have had the urge to flee your body to find a safe haven, but I'm glad you all hung in there to finish reading.
According to Milano's book, there's "tons" of ventriloquist Christian records out there. Yikes. I'm not against the message of course, but could the messenger be something less scary? Like a werewolf or killer robot or something?
Today was a rare day off for me, as I decided to use some vacation time due to how slow my work has been lately. I figured a three-day weekend would be a nice treat, and would give me some time to catch up on my pile of records I hadn't gotten around to listening to yet. Today's record is the 1983 debut from a hard rock/aor/prog rock band hailing from New Orleans called Zebra.
I first heard Zebra on WZUU about three years ago. The song was spacey, dreamy, and had beautiful acoustic guitar playing on it reminiscent of Jimmy Page's style. In fact, the song had a definite Zeppelin sound to it, as the singer's voice had a Robert Plant vibe as well. The song closes out side one of this album and is called "Who's Behind the Door?"
Come to find out they were signed to Atlantic Records in the early '80s, which was also the record label of Led Zeppelin. Perhaps they wanted the possible next Zep in their stable of artists? At any rate, while they do sound kinda like Zep in some ways, I would almost compare them more to Rush. The similarities are there, including them both being power trios and both utilizing synthesizers to create proggy sounds.
The track that kicks off the album, "Tell Me What You Want," is the one other Zebra song I had heard before I purchased this record (and was yet another tune first heard on WZUU - God love that station!). That song is a straight-ahead rocker that features the singer pleading with an unknown lover for just a little communication.
While I've compared this band to both Zep and Rush, some of the songs on it have an almost Beatle-esque sound to them as well. Their love for that legendary band was no secret as they included a tribute to slain ex-Beatle John Lennon on their second album. The Zep comparison will always be the one they get the most though, and they
included a cover of their song "The Ocean" on a 1990 live album.
I came across this slab at Schulers Books and Music in the Eastwood Town center on Lake Lansing Road. Schulers is a small Michigan chain of book stores with three locations in the Grand Rapids area and two locations in the Lansing area. I found out the Eastwood location was the only one in the Lansing area that carries vinyl, so I made a point to check it out. For $4, this is a great addition to my collection and one I plan on listening to again real soon.
On your average weekend morning I usually turn on VH1 Classic after I wake up for background music as I have coffee, go online, etc. They usually have long blocks of old videos, with different themes, and today's was "Totally '80s."After that was over they aired a show called "One Hit Wonders: Prom Edition." To summarize, I was exposed to a great deal of '80s and early '90s songs. A lot of them could be considered by some to be poppy, banal, and overall lacking in artistic quality, but there were three that I really liked despite these possible criticisms.
Here are the videos I saw for songs I liked the most, and would consider "guilty pleasures." In no particular order, here goes...
Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait
I had heard this song many times over the years but never knew who sang it. Apparently they're some husband and wife duo, with the wife having been compared to Madonna in terms of vocals by some. I love that synth-heavy melody, it's one that can get stuck in your head if you're not careful. Oops, there I go again...oh yeah, nice name haha.
Pretty Poison - Catch Me I'm Falling (from the motion picture soundtrack to the film "Hiding Out," starring Jon Cryer)
Wait, so there was a band called "Pretty Poison," around the same time that the hair metal band poison was breaking big? Interesting. I had never heard this song, or heard of the movie it's attached to, but I found myself digging it. For some reason I'm also finding the singer of this very attractive...I will always have a soft spot for the '80s ladies. I kinda wanna see this "Hiding Out" movie, it features Jon Cryer playing a stockbroker who has to pose as a high schooler to hide out from the mob. Sounds like your typical '80s movie plot right?
The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
Another song I had heard numerous times over the years but knew nothing about who sang it, this is a classic example of that era's alternative/indie/dream pop sound. When I hear this I'm reminded of both the Cranberries and the Smiths. Lovely song, lovely singer, this brings back memories of childhood and simpler days gone by.
So these are my latest guilty pleasures as far as music goes...as always, don't judge!
Happy Easter gang! Last night I finished a book, "Vinyl Junkies" by Bret Milano, which came highly recommended to me by a fellow vinyl-zombie, Ben E. (looking forward to that Beach Boys concert with you, John, and Matthew in June!). It was a very good read, and it talked about the many different aspects of collecting vinyl, what motivates someone to collect, the types of records people look for, etc. Some of the guys described in the book have collections numbering in the tens of THOUSANDS!
My favorite chapter was titled "Valley of the Strange," and it discussed all of the quirky records that people like to collect for their novelty or kitsch value. Some collectors enjoy finding the numerous records put out as promos by corporations touting a product (there's mention of a double album devoted to the Brother sewing machine, which the author described as "the commercial equivalent of Tales from Topographic Oceans by Yes"). Others go for the VERY strange, like novelty records featuring Christian ventriloquist's dummies or albums devoted children's education. But the strangest album I read about (and then further researched) was called Philosophy of the World by a band called the Shaggs.
This band consisted of three sisters put together by their father to become a garage rock band in New Hampshire during the 1960s. What they lack in talent they make up for in heart, and none other than the legendary Frank Zappa labeled them as the #3 best band in the world. I think I may have a #3 favorite band now myself...
I just read that this band has been around since 1971! This song is from 1979 (also the year of my birth).
I like the vocals on the intro to this one, they have a real Geddy Lee from Rush sound to them. I love the lyrics...the song's about a guy who goes to Vegas with his girl who's apparently a gambling addict.
She likes to play for double or nothing
She's tellin' all the boy's she's hot
And everybody knows she's ready, yeah
To give it everything that she got, ooh
She's a roller, yeah
A high roller baby, my my, ooh
She's a roller, yeah
A high roller baby, look out, ooh yeah
I remember hearing about the passing of Kurt Cobain on a sunny April day in 1994. I was in 8th grade and had been a Nirvana fan for two and a half years, ever since they gained mainstream attention with their "Nevermind" album in Sept. 1991. This is my favorite Kurt performance, and the song remains as haunting and beautiful as ever.
Here's another clip from a 1992 episode of SNL I still remember watching live, and would have been the first time I ever saw footage of the band. At age 12, they were unlike anything I had ever seen before. I now know how my dad must have felt when he saw the Beatles for the first time...it's the closest moment my generation will have to that bellwether moment in time.
Loudwire has a list of the top 5 live performances by Nirvana...St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit was one of them!
Rest easy Kurt...your daughter has grown up beautiful, your bass player is now into politics, and your drummer is doing pretty well with his new band.
Wow, talk about a blast from the past. Hard to believe it has been almost 20 years since this monumental story was released. I still remember being in 7th grade and on the verge of turning 13...that's right, a TEENAGER, when this story dropped. I have collected comics for over 23 years now, and in my eyes there has never been a more anticipated comic book than Superman (vol. 2) #75. Ever. The buzz, the excitement, the panicked fans trying to get a copy, the media attention...I have never seen anything like that in the world of comics, and don't think I ever will again.
I love the footage of people walking around the con...I went to a couple cons around that time and remember a lot of the folks there looking like the ones in this video. My dad used to drop me off at the door of the Dearborn Civic Center, head to the bar for a few hours, and then pick me up, all the while poking fun at all the "weirdos."
It's cool to see so many of my favorite creators 20 years younger. Roger Stern, that bowtie...yikes! Check out John Byrne at the 3:10 mark, being the legendary curmudgeon. Right after him they interview "Big" Jim Shooter, who is looking pretty yuppie with the slick-backed hair/pony-tail combo. I remember seeing Paul McCartney at the Silverdome in 1993 and a guy with the same haircut was sitting in front of me.
A while back I picked up a copy of the RATT album "Invasion of Your Privacy" for a buck. It was money well-spent.
This meets all the requirements for an '80s album cover. Hot model? Check. Sense of foreboding? Check. Stylized logo? Check.
I first became familiar with this band about 9 years past their prime thanks to those grungy '90s cartoon cut-ups, Beavis and Butthead. Known for knocking all things '80s when it was fashionable to do so, I watched these 'toon goons rip on the RATT video for their song "I Want a Woman," which came out on their fourth album "Reach for the Sky." And for good reason...it was a pretty bad song. Recorded in the twilight days of hair metal, the video pretty much personified every cliche about the genre. It wasn't all bad though, as it showcased a lot of lovely '80s ladies (when each one appeared on the screen Butt-Head would say "...slut.")
For a long time liking hair metal would have been anathema to everything I believed in regarding heavy music, but as I aged I mellowed in this stance, and found myself listening to quite a bit of it about 5 years back. Thanks to my all-time favorite radio station WZUU I discovered RATT had more hits than the ubiquitous "Round and Round" and the aforementioned "I Want a Woman." The first one I remember really digging was from this album, a tune called "Lay It Down." Love that guitar intro! (Warning: a clown appears at the beginning, if you're scared of those dudes beware!)
Here's another good tune from this album:
What can I say? It's good party music! RATT weren't may favorite hair metal band (that would be Dokken), but they put out some fun jams.
This is probably my favorite song by Canadian hard rockers April Wine. It's a straight-ahead rock tune with a chorus containing harmonies that could be described as cosmic, with lyrics to match (journey to the stars/rock and roll guitars!).
Be sure to check out some of the riffs they jam at the end of the song as a tribute to some classic oldies...
To celebrate this fourth month of the year, over the course of the next 30 days I will occasionally post videos by Canadian hard rock band April Wine (have you ever noticed how many hard rock bands from the late '70s-early '80s were Canadian?).
I became familiar with these guys while living in Kalamazoo from 2006-2010, through a radio station out there, 92.5 WZUU. The format of that station is hard rock/heavy metal, with a particular emphasis on AOR classics from the late '70s through the late '80s, along with a smattering of '90s grunge and newer heavy music. I really miss it since I moved to Lansing, as it had more of a variety of songs and bands than your typical "classic rock" station. To me, it seemed like the next generational step of classic rock.
An underrated band, they had some fun and catchy songs. Here's one...
