Sunday, May 29, 2011

Spinal Tap: Smell The Glove

Spinal Tap: Smell The Glove

The single greatest and most influential disc that doesn't even exist. I guess it really is the movie that the memories are attached to, but Smell the Glove is essential to the 'plot' of 'This Is Spinal Tap.' Much like Led Zeppelin IV, there is very little I can say about 'This Is Spinal Tap' that hasn't been said before. So all I can do is share with you how Spinal Tap has fit into my life.

I first heard about Spinal Tap in 1984 on MTV. I didn't really grasp the concept because at first they (being MTV) seemed to be treating Tap as if they were a real band and there was a real tour and this was a 'real' movie. This may not be totally accurate because I was 13 at the time and may not be remembering things correctly. As most people know, This Is Spinal Tap bombed at the box office, but became an underground sensation due to cable tv and video rentals. It eventually spawned a series of pseudo-sequels in the form of other fake documentaries done on subjects ranking from dog shows, folk music, and amateur theater.

I first saw This Is Spinal Tap in 1988 or 1989 with my friend Aaron. I don't remember whose idea it was to get it, but whoever suggested it was a genius. So that means it was probably him. I remember loving the movie from the get go, even when it seemed to make no sense at all. The next time this movie came up when when I went to go see Joe Satriani for the first in 1990. I went with my friend Aaron and my former guitar teacher Chris. It was one of the things we all had in common, we had all seen This Is Spinal Tap and could recite the ridiculous dialoge off the top of our heads. I also watched this movie a couple times when I lived with my parents and they did not understand it.

Once I was at Ball State and starting really forging lifelong friendships, Spinal Tap mania totally exploded. All of my good friends, fellow musicians, loved Spinal Tap. Watching, reciting, eating, breathing and living all things Spinal Tap was considered a normal part of college life. How any of us become productive members of society is beyond my comprehension at age 40. I remember getting a genuine piece of Marshall promo material with Christopher Guest dressed up as Nigel pimping the Marshall JCM 900 amps, which had a gain knob that went to 20. It had the caption "Now it goes 20. That's 11 louder innit?" I ended up giving this poster to my good friend Joe. I hope he still has it, and has explained its significance to his many offspring.

The next time Spinal Tap came up significantly was in 2004 once directly, and once indirectly. It came up directly because my mother asked me about it. This blew my mind. I asked her why the sudden interest in Tap? It turns out a critic on NPR said some thing good things about it on the radio and this piqued her interest. We watched it and she liked it. The question now is why did she like it in 2004 but not 15 years before? Spinal Tap really was 20 years ahead of its time. By the mid 1990s the media was saturated with celebrities  and washed out celebrities spouting off ill informed and asinine opinions about any subject you wanted to know, and if you think about it that's what 2/3rds of Spinal Tap is: washed out rockers spouting mindless opinions. Spinal Tap came up indirectly in 2004 when my then girlfriend came to visit me with the stack of pseudo-sequels to Spinal Tap. That was a clear sign that my days as a bachelor were numbered.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

New Wave of British Heavy Metal '79 Revisited

New Wave of British Heavy Metal '79 Revisted

I consider 1991 to be a red letter year in my life. If I found out that I was caught in a time
loop that repeated this infinitely, like Groundhog Day, I'd be a happy camper. I had friends
like I had never had before and never had since. I had time to practice guitar and ride my
bike. I had long hair. I had classes that challenged me but weren't impossible. I went to more concerts that year that I can remember. I was still working fast food, but I was a shift manager so I finally was not just a lowly crew member. My sister was a student at IU and I went to the Little 500 that year. Well... I just partied with her friends the whole time. I even broke my left elbow in 1991 and I still view this as a red letter year. That should tell you how good of a time I was having that year. This disc set is 1991 to me.

On to the disc at hand. This disc was a compliation project done by Lars Ulrich in 1989. In  1989 Lars & Metallica still had a lot of street credibility as metal musicians and still had a real connection to the underground metal scene that had influenced them. This disc was a tribute to those bands, and a couple other bands that went from being unknowns to being household names. (Iron Maiden & Def Leppard) How obscure are the rest of the bands on this? Ever hear of Sweet Savage, Sledgehammer, Angel Witch or Vardis? Didn't think so.

One thing about this disc has been a running gag with me and my friend 'Matt the K' for 20 years now: The Cover. Featured on the cover is the drummer for a band called Samson. (which once had Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden as a lead screamer) This guy's stage name is  Thunderstick. He's like a member of Slipknot that existed 15 years before the band actually did. 'Matt the K' and I for years would make jokes about him working at McDonalds, being a rent a gimp, providing security services or being a secret consultant working behind the scenes of the global music business. Through the wonders of MySpace, I actually got a hold of the real life Thunderstick and traded several emails with him. He seems like a great guy who has had a great time living his dual life in character as Thunderstick and out of character in his regular life.

The other thing that really strikes me about this disc is that it is a perfect illustration
about how time flows differently when you are younger. Lars made this compliation when he was 26 years old and was nostalgic about the music he loved at age 16. At 36 I think it's safe to say he wasn't as nostalgic about the music he loved at age 26. I'm sure the 20 years that have passed since this was released flew by for him much,much faster than the 10 years between 1979 and 1989. At least that's the way it's been for me.

Does this disc set hold up? Mostly yes. Lars made some good choices and really let us hear the music that has his teenage memories are attached to. If you want to know what Lars was jamming to in 1979, this is the disc set for you.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Iron Maiden: Piece of Mind


This album is the latter part of the summer of 1990 in a nutshell. I think I bought this a few days before I went away to college and those last few days were pretty memorable. I was working at a grocery store just a few blocks from home at the time saving up money for my first semester at Ball State University. I actually made a few friends at the grocery store. We were all pretty young; ages 16 - 18. On a couple of occasions we went to a water slide park north of town, all piled into my dad's station wagon. Good times. I remember meeting up at one of the cashier's house one night to play Euchre. It was good, on the level times. But a few other things were going on too. This wasn't just a male only party. One of my high school buds... we'll call him 'Chris' and one of the cashiers... we'll call her 'Jane' were bagging more than just groceries, so to speak. 'Chris' was a good looking guy with a lot of charm with the ladies. He was (and still is) the kind of person who could tell you the most ridiculous thing in the world and you couldn't really tell if he believed it or not. 'Jane' wasn't bad looking but was not drop dead gorgeous either. She somewhere in the middle area that makes a girl approachable and I think she was 21 too. She had a boyfriend who was probably a schmuck but he was about half the size of Chris so it wasn't a concern of his if he got caught.

Anyways, 'Jane' had a least one good female friend at the grocery store named 'Veronica' who was 23 or 24 but looked  all of 17 years old. She was blonde and pretty and very sweet. She was involved with someone but I don't think it was too serious. I also think she had 2 kids too. So what happened was 'Chris', 'Jane', 'Veronica' and I all went to the state fair together. It wasn't a 'date-date' or 'double date' but it was definitely one of my first date like experiences. It was actually a really good time. She even held my hand a few times, which really blew my mind. Hey, any female contact was good female contact, especially when they looked like her. But the really funny part, that really sticks with me is that at about midnight, 'Veronica' suggested we go to a night club. I'm thinking... 'you realize I'm only 19, right?' "Don't worry about it, they know me there and they don't check ID's this late at night," was her response. Well, she was right. It was my first real experience at a night club with no ID. I remember the place was packed and being totally self conscious. I didn't dare go to the bar an order a beer, so Veronica went ahead and got me one! At this same bar was someone else my age, from my graduating class. Her name was 'Lucy' (yeah I'm changing all these names) We actually had a pretty good conversation, which we probably never did in high school. She was really pretty, and still is to this day. Turns out that she, like me, felt like she was never accepted in school. That blew my mind. I thought she was popular party girl, but that may have all been an illusion. She was there with some other guy who I knew and had good relations with, even though I barely knew him. But for the longest time, I remembered talking with 'Lucy' that night, thinking how I really didn't know her but we had so much in common. I'm sure no one else really remembers the events of that night. It was all just fun, but it has always stuck with me. In some ways I divide my life between 'pre college', 'college' and 'post college' and this night really represented the last night of my 'pre college' life.

There's nothing in the post about the music so far, but Piece of Mind is always connected to that night, those places, and those people even if time has slipped away. The bridge between my pre college life and my college life is the place mentally that Piece of Mind occupies. Musically, it still holds up 100% even if 'Quest for Fire' is not a great song. This was Iron Maiden at a creative peak during metal's glory years. Up the Irons!

Mr. Big

Mr. Big

This disc epotomizes how music is more than just background noise or entertainment. Music has the power to make connections, forge friendships and change lives. The year was 1989. I had a 'freshly minted' high school diploma, a fast food job with Little Caeser's Pizza, dreams of rock stardom and the well thought out plan of going to college part time at IUPUI. I labored under the delusion that a social scene existed at IUPUI. (it's a commuter school in downtown Indianapolis)  I soon found out I wasn't going to make any real friends there. Most people didn't want to know your name and a large percentage of the student body was late 20's to early 30's in age. So I made friends where I could and kept up with some of my friends from high school who were still around. I had a couple failed relationships too. In retrospect they were nothing I should have really got too concerned about, but I didn't see things that way at 18. But back to how Mr. Big fits into this.

This was a really anticipated album for me. Their guitarist Paul Gilbert was somewhat of an idol of mine. In December of 1989, Mr. Big played a show in Indianapolis and had a record signing/meet and greet session at a local record store. Not only did I have a chance to see them live I would have a chance to meet them as well. This was the second time that I got to meet one of my musical heros and get a couple autographs. Meeting Mr. Big turned out to be a total blast. They were cordial and easy going with no ego at all.

But how does Mr. Big hold up musically? This disc is a solid B+ performance. Top notch chops mixed with pretty good songwriting. Nothing ground breaking and a only 1 power ballad. It's aged pretty well and doesn't sound ridiculously dated, but it is a little dated nonetheless. The touches of humor found throughout were a good idea. These guys really don't take themselves all that seriously and it shows in the music, unlike a lot of the hairbands.
But that's only half of this story.

In front of me in line was a guy about my age who was also a huge rock/metal fan. We got to talking and basically had the same interests and tastes. He mentioned to me that he went to Ball State University and wrote for their student newspaper. I had never met him and he had never met me before. It was much like what Fight Club called "a single serving friendship". This is where it gets hazy to me now after 21.5 years. I was not happy living at home and going to IUPUI. I wanted to transfer out after the first year but wasn't sure where to go. I'm starting to think now that that this guy influenced me to go to the same school he did. Shortly thereafter, I turned in the paper work to transfer to Ball State. Months passed. I was accepted... I moved in... a few days later. I ran into my single serving friend! Turns out we lived in the same building. Turns out we became more than just 'single serving friends'. He was one of my best buds for at least 3 years while I was at Ball State. We went to other concerts including Judas Priest, AC/DC, and Black Sabbath.

As years passed we drifted but still kept in touch. We still have many mutual friends in Indiana, St Louis and other places. He is now a well respected music/movie critic and a part time play director. You can hear him deliver Public Radio Goodness on WFYI radio in Indianapolis, IN

You can find me right here on this blog and you can find him here: http://www.wfyi.org/radio/localPrograms/radioBluesHouseParty.asp

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Fates Warning: No Exit

Year released 1988
Year purchased 1988

Time for some old school underground progressive metal! I first heard of Fates Warning while in high school from a guy who I would categorize as 'Least Likely to be into underground metal'. I remember him saying he thought they were great but had to be the most anti-life band ever. A few months later on MTV's Headbanger's Ball. The video for Silent Cries (No Exit) came on. It. Blew. My. Mind. Great riffs, great dynamics/textures, great guitar solos, great Halford-esque screams. I had to get this on cassette as soon as possible. The whole album blew me away. Side 2 (remember album sides?) was one 20 minute composition: The Ivory Gate of Dreams. This was exactly what I needed; A band that was equal parts Rush and Judas Priest. It is straight forward metal perfectly mixed with progressive rock and even some thrash influence. To me this was the metal of the future and in some ways I was proven right. (Dream Theater anyone?)

I bought this album near the beginning of my senior year and high school and it really fit me perfectly. By this time I was 100% metal head, I was become proficient on guitar and after 11 years of school finally felt like I had achieved some level of peer acceptance in school. I still didn't fit in, but I think I was respected at this point and had an identity. (metal fanatic, guitar fanatic, future rock star. 2 of those 3 are still true today)

One thing that sticks with me about this disc is how our perceptions of our 'rock stars' are completely distorted. I was 17 when I bought this and if you had asked me 'How old is lead singer Ray Alder and where is he from?' I would have said 'probably 25 or 30', because all rock stars were between those ages, and he's an American because he looked like an American. The real answer is Ray was 19 and Mexican. Also it's pretty comedic to think of Fates Warning as being rock stars. They probably all had day jobs in 1988. It was also common to think that anyone not famous in the US was famous in Europe, therefore they were still rich and famous, just not in the US.

One other piece of personal trivia attached to this album. I've bought it 3 times in my life. Twice on cassette, once on CD. If I lost or broke my CD version and lost all mp3s files of this disc, I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

Does this disc have an 'anti-life' view? I would say no. It is possibly the most pessimistic disc that I own but it's not anti-life. This disc has helped get me through and understand times of my life that seemed unwinnable, when it seemd there was truly 'No Exit'. I realize now that 'all we do and we dream is NOT doomed to drown in a hopeless stream'. But when it seemed that way, it was reassuring to know that someone else had felt that way. Some really tough years for me were 1993, 1998 and 2001. Having this disc around helped me navigate tough times and brought me back to 1988 which was a pretty good year for me.

Does this disc hold up today? The guitar tones are a little thin but musically this disc is a true gem from beginning to end. Still worth the time/money.
More on this band in the future...

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin IV a/k/a Runes or Zoso
There's very little that can be said about this disc that hasn't been said before. Led Zeppelin seems to be the band that ended 60's rock and are quite possibly the first band to really become timeless. What about the Beatles or the Rolling Stones you say? In my opinion, they are the quintessential bands of the 1960s and that does not take anything away from what they accomplished, but their music is not timeless. As soon as I hear either one I immediately think '1960 something'. But Led Zeppelin doesn't sound ahead of their time but more 'out of time'. It's more like Led Zeppelin doesn't fit into any decade at all, which is why they still have huge appeal to this day.
I'm going to discuss this disc song by song and various memories associated with each one, since some of these memories span multiple decades.
Black Dog: Years ago I hung out in a little guitar shop in Speedway Indiana called Don Lynn's music. They had a bass guitar teacher whose face I can vividly recall but his name escapes me. He said he had a student who wanted to learn this song so he stayed up all night learning it, because they bass line is really tough. The student was shocked to hear this because, he picked the song because he figured the teacher couldn't learn it.
Rock 'n Roll: Senior Convocation 1989, I played this song live with 4 friends Mike, Chris, Aaron, and Kevin. This was my one moment as a star in school. Whatever labels students had put on me were gone, for one night. Kids cheered me and wanted to hear me cut loose on my guitar for one night. I also remember taping this song off the radio as part of series of mix tapes that I made for myself back in 1986 or so. I'm sure the quality was terrible but I loved this song and wanted a copy of it. Bands constantly cover it, but really very few do it justice because they leave out 2 key elements: the piano line and the hidden guitar part.
Battle of Evermore: I had the disc at least 15 years before I really understood what was going on in it. Dense layers of mandolin and background vocals by Sandy Denny.
Stairway To Heaven: Wayne's World "No Stairway" sign. Nuff said. Again, what can I say about this song that hasn't been said before.
Misty Mountain Hop & 4 Sticks: I was wrong. I have no significant memories associated with these two songs! They're still great though.
Going to California: A guy I used to work with moved to California for a short period of time and quoted this song to me. I knew exactly what he was talking about and had a good laugh. From what I understand, he didn't stay out in California too long.
When the Levee Breaks: In 2004 I worked with an aspiring professional drummer named Steve to create a drum machine part for one of my original tunes. We took the transcribed drum parts from a book of sheet music and programmed into a drum machine program. We made a few alterations/improvements and went with it. It was a song called Smoke and Embers which I've played in a couple different bands. Steve was a guy I met at an open stage back in Indiana at a little bar called the Hideaway on Hilltop. I played that open stage for almost 2 years until the bar decided to stop hosting it. Those were great times....

Aerosmith's Greatest Hits

I first saw/heard Aerosmith on MTV. Believe it or not, it wasn't RUN DMC's Walk this Way, it was Lightning Strikes Again off of the now forgotten 'Rock in A Hard Place' disc, which must was released when I was a sixth grader in 1982. I probably saw the video twice and it went in one ear and out the other. My next exposure to Aerosmith was RUN DMC's Walk this Way. Still. Not. Impressed. Seeing all the white males in my high school acting like rap was part of their culture didn't help either. They were just a bunch teenagers hopping on a fad best I could tell and that irked me then.

Fast forward about a year and a half. I was in high school band and our band had an annual car wash to raise money for an annual trip. Someone brought a boom box and handful of cassettes, I couldn't tell you what any of those cassettes were but one of them was Aerosmith's Greatest Hits. After hearing AGHs, I soon was realized that many random songs that I liked on the radio were actually Aerosmith. (Sweet Emotion, Dream On, Back In The Saddle Again) I had one of my friends make me a copy of AGHs on cassette and I really got into Aerosmith. I bought as much Aerosmith after that as I could afford and became entranced with Get Your Wings, Toys in The Attic, Done With Mirrors, Rocks and their then latest and greatest, Permanent Vacation.

In 1987 I spent a whopping $12.00 or so and saw Aerosmith live with special guests Dokken. (more on these guys later) After the show, the guys I was with and I were approached by an EMT guy who showed us a scrap of paper signed by future American Idol judge/Generic Celebrity Steve Tyler. He didn't care at all about Aerosmith so he was looking to get a couple bucks for it. I paid him $2 or $3 and still have this small scrap of paper. I've seen Steve Tyler's signature in various media and it does match. I've told various people the real story about how I got it and have told other people that I met Steve Tyler too.

I don't even own this on CD. I have no need to. I've bought all the studio albums that these songs came from within months of getting my cassette copy. Back in the day, dubbed tapes often led to purchases of original albums, t-shirts, and concert tickets. I really quit being a die hard Aerosmith fan in 1989, once they made the transition from being 'rock stars' to being 'generic celebrities'. The old stuff is the best, as cliche as it is to say so.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Rush: Power Windows


Artist: Rush
Album: Power Windows
Year released/purchased: 1985

This was the first album by Rush I ever bought and was the soundtrack to the second semester of my freshman year in high school. I bought it partially based on a budding fandom that existed in me after seeing videos for "Tom Sawyer", "Red Barchetta", "Subdivisions", "Distant Early Warning" and "Vital Signs" on MTV. But what really got me to buy the album was the song Big Money. I saw the video on MTV and heard it on WFBQ and I was hooked.

I couldn't judge Power Windows in comparison to any other Rush disc, because I had never heard any other Rush discs. Many Rush fans today look at the Signals/Grace Under Pressure/Power Windows/Hold You Fire era as being weaker than what came before it mostly because Rush was willing to experiment with synths and electronic drums. I liked the dense arrangements, keyboards and overdubs in Power Windows, even if the Rush 'purists' of the day didn't. Like I said, I didn't go into Power Windows with any expectations. I judged it on its own merits and music. Power Windows also became my gateway drug into Rush addiction. Shortly thereafter, my cousin Patrick made me copies of Moving Pictures, Signals, Fly By Night, Hemispheres, Caress of Steel and Farewell to Kings off of his vinyl copies. Rush addiction soon built a friendship with a very talented young drummer in my high school band named Aaron who was also a Rush fanatic. (More on this guy later.)

Does Power Windows still hold up? It's definitely not in my top 5 favorite Rush discs. I didn't 'rush out' and buy it on CD once I owned a CD player either. There are other Rush discs that hold far more appeal to me. It's definitely not a timeless disc either; it screams 'mid 1980s' from the get go, and not always in a good way. Some records become known as classics, and Power Windows isn't a classic. It's just a good snapshot of what Rush was interested in musically in 1985 and how their interests were transformed into new music. I would say it deserves a good solid 'B' grade though. Nothing that transcends time but still worth a listen.




Sunday, May 22, 2011

Dio: The Last in Line

Artist: Dio
Album: The Last in Line
Year released: 1984 Purchased by me in 1985 on cassette and in the mid 1990s on CD
This was probably the first true heavy metal album I had ever purchased. I bought it because I had heard the title track on the radio and saw the video once on MTV. I originally purchased it through the RCA Music club. I had my own membership at 13, which was against the rules. (OOOOPS!!!!) I paid for my purchases with allowance, lawn mowing money, left over lunch money, paper route money... etc etc. if I could get my hands on some money, if it wasn't spent on video games, at that age it was spent on music. I also got a Ronnie James Dio poster that I hung on my bedroom wall, which caused as much controversy as the "leg lamp in the front room window in A Christmas Story".
Musically and lyrically this disc blew my 13 year old mind. I really had no idea just how great Ronnie James Dio was or how important to heavy metal he was, but I knew these songs were awesome. I still think that way today. I remember playing this tape for anyone who would listen. Most people didn't get it or were shocked that I was into Dio. I was (is) a preacher's kid and all! I remember shocking some of my schools resident metal heads by talking authoritatively on this disc.
This disc has held up pretty well over the years. This is the "real" Dio lineup to me. Vivian Campbell, Claude Schnell, Jimmy Bain, Vinnie Appice and Ronnie James Dio. No other lineup has ever been to fire on all cylinders the way the orginal did. I've managed to meet some of my musical heroes over the years and Ronnie was a true professional and gentleman. The guy paid his dues musically and always had humble gratitude towards his fans, even if he didn't suffer the fools of the music business gladly. His voice may be silenced now, but the discs will spin in my player (and reside on my hard drive) for many years to come

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Triumph: Allied Forces



Artist: Triumph
Album: Allied Forces
Year released: 1981 Purchased by me 1983 on cassette and in 1991 or 1992 on CD.
There is a lot of emotional and personal historic ground related to this album. In 1982, MTV was picked up by my local cable company and Triumph was in regular rotation those days. The first video of theirs that caught my eyes/ears was “Say Goodbye”. The video is pretty dated looking, like 99% of all videos 2 years after their initial release date, but does feature Rik Emmett playing a double neck guitar. Chances are very good Rik did this in homage to one of his heroes, Jimmy Page.  I always wanted a T-Shirt with the album cover on it. If ever I saw someone in public wearing one my eyes would bug out and I would think there was nothing cooler.
This disc really brings me back to my pre-teen years. It’s all about being young wild and free. In 1982 I was going into the 6th grade at Wheeler Elementary in Speedway, Indiana. My musical seeds were really planted by this disc. I imagined that in an alternate universe *I* wrote and played these songs, not Triumph. I don’t think I had made the connection that I could possibly play guitar myself and write songs at that age. So I did the next best thing and started visualizing myself in a fictitious band in a fake universe that played songs that existed in this real world.
Allied Forces also was a huge bonding agent between me and my cousin Patrick who is the same age as me. We were both huge Rush and Triumph fans in our younger days. His tastes and musical direction has changed but mine has stayed pretty constant over the decades.  Triumph was never really a ‘hip’ band amongst my peer group growing up, so having a fellow Triumph fan in my cousin Patrick was beyond cool to me.
The good times playing Atari 2600 friends or my cousins is what this disc is about to me. Which brings up an important question: How does it hold up musically? I’d say in this decade pretty well. Other than a couple of outdated slang expressions, (“Hey mama, say what you wanna” in Fool For You Love comes to mind) it holds up pretty well. It features a timeless “Gibson through Marshall sound”, although I suspect a lot of the guitar parts were played with Framus Akkerman or Dean guitar. All of the drums are acoustic drums with no machines or samples and the bass playing is solid. There are also hints of early guitar synth and a Hammond B3 as well, but both are used sparingly.

One last aside about this disc. I remember getting on cassette as a prize from my employer, the Indianapolis Star, for selling a couple new newspaper subscriptions.