July was the month of local record stores. I spent a lot of time at a couple this month, Noble Records and Hardy Boys, both excellent local shops. First, we made a trip to Noble Records and I actually had a good trip for vinyl. Meaning I bought a handful not just one here and one there. I grabbed some I’ve been meaning to add to the collection and Tim Durling is to blame for 3 of them as he’s been talking about them a lot.
And if that wasn’t enough, I was scanning the cassettes and I found a ton of Kiss cassettes, those are hard to come by so I grabbed them even though they weren’t in the best shape. I didn’t care too much about that as I just wanted them in the collection. They needed a new home anyway, so why not…I adopted a bunch…
For My Sunday Song #371, we are starting a new 10 song set and this time the songs were chosen by good pal Deke over at The Distortion Den and SuperDekes. You must check them both out as you’ll get great reviews and a great show he does called The Retro Showdown on Youtube. Deke wanted to challenge me on these songs as he picked All Songs by Canadian Artists (thus the artwork above). Most of these bands I hadn’t heard of so he definitely is making me work for it.
First up is “Shake” by Saints & Sinners. A band formed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada by Sword lead singer Rick Hughes along with Stephane Dufur on guitar, Jesse Bradman on keyboards, Martin Buldoc on bass and Jeff Salem on drums. They only had one album, which was self-titled, and there biggest problem was that they had the 80’s Glam rock sound and this was 1992 which was the death rattle of that genre thanks to grunge.
The album was produced by one of my favorite singers, a Mr. Aldo Nova and Aldo captures the band’s sound perfectly as this an album I would’ve loved back in the day. “Shake” was not released as a single, but it is the lead off song on the album and packs quite a punch. It has that Sleaze rock sound with electrifying guitars, heavy drums and the singer has a grit to him as he screams out those lyrics with a burning intensity. The chorus is huge, almost anthemic in style and a really strong opener as it lights a fire under you and really draws you in. It is a simple song in that it is about going to their show and letting them rock you and make you shake. Love it! I think this is an album that is right up my alley and I think I need to hear the whole thing.
Can you believe it is the end of July already? It is nuts how fast this year has gone. Regardless of how fast it is going, it is never too fast to bring you the Friday New Releases. So, if you are out sitting by the pool like Post Malone is doing, here are some albums for you to blast including the new Post Malone. I might give his a listen and then try Borns new E.P., he’s an interesting chap. But the one I ordered is not a new one. It is the Expanded Edition of the debut album from Billy Idol. Comes with a live show. Cant’ wait. Let us know what you want to hear this week and what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Post Malone – Austin – (Mercury Records / Republic Records / UMG)
Sevendust – Truth Killer – (Napalm Records)
 Borns – Suddenly E.P. – (Beautiful Glamorous Records)
Bon Jovi the touring act was extremely fresh and new as the band hadn’t been together for very long. Even Jon said the band was terrible until their third album when things started to click. While out crate digging years and years ago, I found a Bon Jovi bootleg of a radio broadcast from only 2 months after their debut album, ‘Bon Jovi’, was released. A great snapshot of the young band in all its rawness and newness.
The show takes place on March 17th, 1984 at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland, OH. The show was broadcast on WMMS-FM Radio so of course we get some of the radio DJs on here during the show. The bootleg I have was released in 2015 and 2 LPs (both black) and it was limited to only 500 copies. The cover is pure Bon Jovi with the denim blue jeans with a picture of Jon on the front and the band on the back. I mean, it is Jon’s band don’t forget. The band plays all but “Burning for Love” from the debut and you get a Sly & The Family Stone cover. Let’s get to the music.
The album opens with a Radio DJ introducing the band and they come out slowly with a very long drawn out build which you mostly hear the crowd screaming. Some weird distorted voice says something and then the guitar kicks in and we get the opening to “Breakout”. There is no doubt it is live as it is rough, raw and not very tight. Jon actually sounds pretty decent, still a little unpolished, but he can still hit some high notes that he can’t now. And he should be able to hit them since he is only about 22 or so here. Richie lays down a great solo and things start getting better as the band jams it up a little here.
Being a fan of AC/DC, this purchase was a no brainer. An autobiography of Brian Johnson, yes please! And the book didn’t disappoint, but it also wasn’t what I expected. The book takes place from basically birth up until his getting hired in to AC/DC and the ‘Back in Black’ album, but that is all the AC/DC you get. It stops there. It then does jump up to the time where he had to step away from the band for his hearing issues, but nothing in between as he is saving that for another book. I’ll buy that one too.
Usually, I find the childhood stuff a little tough to get through for most autobiographies, but I can’t say that here. I really enjoyed it. As Brian was born on October 5, 1947 in Dunston, England, you get a fantastic glimpse in to life in Post World War II in England. I know what life was like here in the States, but not so much in England. Is was interesting hearing about how hard things were during that time and it was really fascinating learning about day-to-day life. The book takes you through his school years and all the events that shaped who Brian Johnson, the man, is.
Brian’s humor also shows out nicely in his take on life and the stories are detailed and colorful as only Brian can describe. I loved learning about the housing, the cars and every day life. The Johnson’s were not a rich family, nope, they were quite poor. His mom was from Italy as that is where his dad met her during the war. The family lived with his grandparents for awhile and then finally got a house of their own. It is as miserable as it sounds, but for Brian it was normal and he seems fond of those times.
My introduction to Jeff Scott Soto was thanks to MelodicRock.com and was around 20 years ago. Since then, I’ve followed his whole career from Panther and Yngwie Malmsteen all the way to Talisman, Eyes, Takara & Axel Rudi Pell and even to W.E.T., SOTO and Sons of Apollo. But today, we are focusing on this solo career from his debut solo album ‘Love Parade’ in 1994 and his career with Frontiers Records starting with 2002’s ‘Prism’ up to 2022’s ‘Complicated. An impressive collection of 8 studio albums and one compilation from 2021 called ‘The Duets Collection’ that I am including as he did re-record those songs…my site, my rules.
The one thing I’ve always enjoyed about Jeff is that voice. So powerful and at times so gentle. Whether he is belting out a rocker, doing a little funk, or even a beautiful ballad, you can always count on vocal perfection. And let me tell you, live is just as impressive. So, I present to you my interpretation of what are the best and worst albums. Do note, that even the worst album here is 3 Stars out of 5 Stars…which means there is no real bad album…only albums I like more than others.
Enjoy as we Rank The Solo Albums by Jeff Scott Soto…
For My Sunday Song #370, we are on the final of 10 songs from my daughter Morgan and this choice is my favorite which is why I saved it for last. The song is “Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan and it is off his 2022 album ‘American Heartbreak’. This is a country song, but was a massive crossover hit as it went to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Country charts as well as the Rock & Alternative Songs chart as well. And there is a reason for it as it is quite stunning and beautiful. The song was written by only Zach and in the world of Country music that is rare thing for an artist.
The song is about the end of a relationship. He knows she is gone and won’t miss him as much as he misses her. The “orange” is a sunset and is a metaphor for many things throughout the song. At first he sees hope that she will come back, but later it is an ending as he realizes she is never coming hope and that sun becomes awareness. But most of all the sunset is nostalgia as he remembers the relationship fondly. The song was inspired by a breakup, but mostly it was inspired by a sunset he was watching at a cabin in Wisconsin. That orange color he thought would make a great story and he’s write.
The song is acoustic with Zach sing his heart out and there is so much heartbreak in that voice. A slight grit, but still a smoothness to it that connects to the listener and draws them in to the lyrics and to the music. You get an acoustic guitar, a haunting piano and harmonica that touches your soul. It all feels so simple, but is so so effective and he proves that less is more on this one.
As the Summer heats up so do the releases and this week there are a couple big ones coming out. First it the Barbie Soundtrack…the movie is expected to be huge and the soundtrack as well. I particularly don’t care about it, but a lot of people will. The other is Greta Van Fleet and their new release, ‘Starcatcher’. I hadn’t ordered it yet, but probably will. My daughter said recently that the kids in her age group really like them. Good for them. That is it for me, hopefully there is something for you. Let me know what you want to hear this week or what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher – (Republic Records / UMG Recordings / Lava Music LLC)
Blur – The Ballad of Darren – (Blur / Parlophone Records / Warner Music Group)
By 1982, Jon Bon Jovi re-recorded “Runaway” which he had originally recorded back in 1980 and had shopped it around with no luck. This re-recording he did with what he liked to call The All-Star Revue which consisted of guitarist Tim Pierce, keyboardist Roy Bittan, drummer Frankie LaRocka, and bassist Hugh McDonald (remember this name). The song started getting a little traction and eventually Jon Bongiovi got a record deal and changed his name to Jon Bon Jovi. He was an artist with a deal, but no band. Jon wanted a band and he was going to go with Johnny Electric, but Pamela Maher that suggested he use the name Bon Jovi since a two word name worked so well for Van Halen. No one really liked that idea at first, but eventually Jon came around and Bon Jovi was born.
So, Jon called his old buddy from his old band Atlantic City Expressway, David Bryan Rashbaum, and the ball got rolling. David called his buddy Alec John Such to handle bass and a drummer he knew by the name of Tico Torres. Alec and Tico were formerly in a band together called Phantom’s Opera. They needed a guitarist, so Jon reached out to his friend Dave Sabo (or “Snake”) who played with them for a very short time. He never actually joined the band, but thankfully he would go on to something almost quite as good with a band called Skid Row…maybe you’ve heard of them.
But the band still needed a guitarist. Jon had seen, and was impressed, by a guitarist by the name of Richie Sambora. Richie had played with Joe Cocker and was in a band called Mercy. Hell, Richie even auditioned with Kiss to replace Ace Frehley, but that didn’t go well. Jon asked him to join and now the band was complete. The band had a new manager by the name of Doc McGhee and with his help, they went off to record their debut album.
The name of the album was going to be “Tough Talk”, but that didn’t end up as the title as the record company had other ideas. They felt a self-titled album was certainly the way to go and they wrote the checks so they got their way. The album came out on January 24, 1984 and has been certified platinum. It reached #43 on the album chart so not a bad start for a brand new band. There is even an Aldo Nova connection to this album as he supplied some additional keyboards and guitars as the band hadn’t been complete yet while Jon was in the studio. We will touch on him more later in the series.
There is no better feeling than out vinyl digging and find something unexpected like a bootleg. Make that bootleg Van Halen and make there be two different ones there by Van Halen and that is why I love collecting. Those little surprises and the first one I already reviewed.. It is a soundboard recording from April 3, 1978 and recorded at the Pogo’s Night Club and Discotheque in Wichita, Kansas. The other bootleg I found was Van Halen’s Destruction in Dallas. Recorded on November 18, 1982 at Reunion Arena in Dallas, TX in front of a sold out show of over 19,000 screaming fans. This recording is a soundboard recording, although not a great one. The sound is really low, you can hear everything, but you really have to turn it up and it never gets loud enough for me which does detract from the show a little.
But Michael Anthony, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen due to all out and I am sure the fans had a great time at the show. This was the Diver Down/Hide Your Sheep 1982 Tour. Now, the copy I have of this bootleg is on 2 LPs and both colored. We get a beautiful red one for Sides A/B and a white on for Sides C/D. The track list appears to be accurate from what I’ve seen and the last three songs on Side D are actually demos of songs that have not seen the light of day on any release.
The album opens up with an enthusiastic introduction from the announcer and the band goes in to “Romeo’s Delight” with Eddie’s guitar throwing riffs out like they were candy. Dave “woahing” and screaming as he forgot the fucking words (as he tells the crowd). Someone might be a little hammered already and we are only at the first song. Not a good sign of things to come. Sound quality wise, the sound is a little hollow for the instruments. And I have it cranked and still hard to hear the instruments. Dave is clear, Eddie’s guitar is clear, but the rest not so much. Oh, and the backing vocals are pretty loud too.
Post Malone – Austin – (Mercury Records / Republic Records / UMG)
Sevendust – Truth Killer – (Napalm Records)
 Borns – Suddenly E.P. – (Beautiful Glamorous Records) 
Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher – (Republic Records / UMG Recordings / Lava Music LLC)
Blur – The Ballad of Darren – (Blur / Parlophone Records / Warner Music Group)
Yellowcard – Childhood Eyes E.P. – (Equal Vision Records)
2 Loud 2 Old Music 