Month: July 2024

Def Leppard – ‘Tokyo 1999: The Japanese Broadcast 2 CD Set’ (Bootleg – 2022) – Album Review (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

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Def Leppard toured extensively for their latest album, ‘Euphoria’, which came out June 8, 1999. That tour brought them to Japan where they played 8 shows, three of which were at Tokyo’s famed Kokusai Forum where this disc was recorded. It is said that this was the October 1st show. However, the bootleggers have it wrong. The band only played “Wasted” on the October 2nd show which was actually recorded in full and broadcast on the radio and it was actually filmed to be shown on TV as well. Why we don’t have an official release of this show from the band is strange. We do have a few songs that from this show that were released on The Collection, Volume 2 Box Set on the Rarities 3 LP from that set.

As with most bootlegs, this CD has one glaring mistake. Look at the picture below and see if you can spot it. And no, it isn’t the fact the picture is with some of the members of Journey. Nope. It is the fact that the picture has the late, great Steve Clark in it who died back in 1991 a full 8 years prior to this release. He isn’t even on this release so shouldn’t have a picture. The bootleggers, however, seem to get all the song titles right and even the spelling. That is pretty rare! Now, that is all I have on this release so let’s get to the show which is the full set list with 22 songs and almost 2 hours worth of music spread over 2 CDs…it is awesome. And one cool thing is they play at least one song from every Leppard album released to date. Good job boys…good job!

The album opens with “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” which is played at 100 mph as the band seems to be in a hurry to get through it. The band sounds fantastic though, guitars are crisp, drums are powerful and Joe sounds terrific. Always a great opener. And they don’t slow things down as they rip through the Sweet cover of “Action” and I do love Lep’s version of this one. They made it their own. A high energy romp that keeps the pace at breakneck speed. They go in to the first new song and play “Demolition Man” and talk about fast…holy crap I think they sped it up the tempo even more. It is bam bam, next song, bam bam, next song…you get the idea. The new song fits well into the vibe of the live setting. I dig it.

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The Collection: Ep. 22 – Aldo Nova

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This week on the Collection we are going back to an artist that I discovered when I was still in Middle School. A time when my siblings were no longer influencing my musical taste, but I was finding them out on my own. Aldo Nova was one of the first artist that I discovered and have been a life long fan ever since I heard the rip roaring riff of ‘Fantasy’. From 1982 all the way up to today, we will go through my vinyl, my CDs as well as my only cassette and only 7″ single I have in my Aldo Nova Collection.

So go check it out as it will be live tonight right now, July 15, 2024 at 8pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

Bon Jovi – ‘Live E.P.’ – 10″ Picture Disc (Record Store Day 2013) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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Back in 2013, Bon Jovi jumped on board the Record Store Day Bandwagon. On April 20, 2013, we get the first of 2 Live E.P. Picture Discs from the band. The first one is called simply ‘Live’ and is a 10″, 33 1/3 RPM, Picture Disc. It contains four live tracks, all previously released in some form or fashion.

The opening track, “Livin’ On A Prayer” was recorded at Madison Square Garden on either July 14/15 of 2008 and was released on the video ‘Live at Madison Square Garden’ in 2009. The song starts off with Jon singing “Livin’ on a Prayer a cappella and the crowd finishes it the chorus. The full band joins in and they show why they are a great live band. 

The second track is a personal favorite, “Blood on Blood” and this one was recorded at the Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey around May 2010. The song was released on the live album (and video) ‘Inside Out’. It feels untouched as you can here the little wobbles and cracks in Jon’s voice like a good live show should have. The song might not have the same grit live as it does on the studio version, but they do put their all in to it.

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Billy Idol – “Shock To The System” (1993) – Promo CD w/ Floppy Disk (The Billy Idol Series)

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Billy Idol became fascinated with technology and the cyberpunk movement of the early 90’s.  He saw how the advancement could be used to make music and in fact, ‘Cyberpunk’ was one of the first albums to use ProTools for almost the entire recording of the album. He felt the use of the computers allowed him to do things faster and he felt it gave the whole feel of a garage band.  I don’t know about that last part, but it was the very early stages of how albums and music would be recorded down the road. ‘Cyberpunk’ is the result of all these technological advances and it was an album way ahead of the times. How far ahead?

Well, when he released the single for “Shock to the System” he sent out the promo copies that contained a 3 1/2″ Floppy Disk.  MP3’s eat your heart out.  The disc housed pictures, bios and all the things you now see issued in todays electronic press kits (EPK).  He was also was one of the first albums to actually have an email address in the booklet that came with the album (don’t try it, it though as it no longer works). I finally found a pristine copy of the Promo and now I have the 3 1/2″ Floppy Disk as well. This is now one of the coolest pieces in my collection.

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Friday New Releases – July 12, 2024

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Happy Friday!! And why is it happy? Well, it is New Release Friday that is why. We have a bunch of new albums for you this week. I am interested in the Van Halen and the Mr. Big release. My kids are excited about the Megan Moroney and Cigarettes After Sex new albums. Hopefully there is something in here for you. Let me know what you want to hear or what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.

  • Mr. Big – Ten – (Frontiers Records)
  • Megan Moroney – Am I Okay? – (Sony Music)
  • Hardy – Quit!! – (Big Loud Rock / Mercury Records / Republic Records / UMG)
  • Cigarettes After Sex – X’s – (Spanish Prayers / Partisan Records)
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Def Leppard – ‘Rarities 3’ (2019) – Album Review (the Def Leppard Collection Series)

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On June 21, 2019, Def Leppard released the second set in their four volume The Collection box set. There is a CD and a vinyl version of the set and my set is the vinyl version. It is 10 LPs and contains the albums, ‘Adrenalize’, ‘Retro Active’, ‘Slang’ and ‘Euphoria’. It also contains 2 Rarities collections called Volume 2 and Volume 3. Since we have already discussed the albums in this set, it is time to start with the rare tracks now and first up we did ‘Rarities Two’ of the set last week so I hope you enjoyed that one. This week, it is another 2 LP release and it is called ‘Rarities 3’. It also contains some rare tracks and rare live performances and like ‘Volume 2’, the songs are from the years surrounding these four albums.

LP 1:

The first track is an alternate version of “When Love & Hate Collide” from ‘Vault’. This version is a stripped down version with only a piano and the string arrangement from Michael Kamen that was used on the original version. This one is a really beautiful piece as that orchestration is perfect. Joe’s vocals are so emotive and you can really feel those lyrics. Great version, might be my favorite.

Next up is the B-Side to the original “When Love & Hate Collide”. The song, “Can’t Keep Away From the Flame” was written by Joe Elliott & Phil Collen and is another wonderful acoustic track. The sound harkens back to that 70’s rock sound that influenced the band so much. Could you compare it to Zeppelin, I don’t know…maybe…they do in the liner notes. Whatever you want to say it sounds like, all I know is it sounds awesome.

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The Collection: Ep. 21 – The Whitesnake Box Sets

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This week we are going to go through all my Whitesnake CD Box Sets. We look at each box and talk about what is all included…the good and the bad…and everything in between! Plus I ask an important question that I would like to here your thoughts. Let’s do it!!

So go check it out as it will be live tonight right now, July 1, 2024 at 8pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

Bon Jovi – ‘What About Now’ (2013) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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We are now to the band’s twelfth studio album and the last one to feature original guitarists, Richie Sambora. The album came out on March 8, 2013 in Australia and March 12, 2013 in the U.S. where it was the third straight Bon Jovi album to go #1, fifth overall. The album has gone on to sell over 200,000 copies in the U.S., but their biggest success is still overseas where the album has sold over 1.5 million copies. Crazy numbers to me for a band that was well past their prime…at least that is my opinion…I guess a lot of people might disagree with those numbers.

The band at this point is unchanged with Jon Bon Jovi, Tico Torres, David Bryan and Richie Sambora, but don’t forget Hugh McDonald on bass who hasn’t yet been promoted to full fledged member which I find strange. But that changes eventually. And sadly, at the helm is still John Shanks who has turned the band in to a predictable, paint-by-numbers band that has lost all creativity and imagination. There is no painting outside the lines on this album. You’ve heard it all before. They have turned into a band that tries to be positive and encouraging in their lyrics in a world that is much darker. It feels forced and is presented in a way that might seem bright and fun, but it is boring and a wonderful cure for insomnia. Am I being too harsh? We will see…

“Because We Can” opens with some gang vocals spouting positive affirmations that is bouncy, bright and full of sunshine. And about as exciting as a root canal. And sadly, it is one of the better songs on the album. It is fun, catchy and has a great hook…but holy crap how many times do we need the same song that has been on every album of this millennium but with different titles…hello, “It’s My Life”, “Have a Nice Day”, “Undivided”…should I go on…I think not. This was the first single and it made it to the Adult Top 40 and not the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40, so you know the band is now full on AOR. That speaks volumes.

The next track, “I’m With You”, does contain a killer guitar solo, but that is about it. There is a weird effect on Jon’s vocals that I don’t particularly care for. The song isn’t a ballad and yet not heavy enough to be a rocker, despite that solo. It drones on and on and doesn’t do much for me at all. I want to like it, but can’t.

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My Sunday Song – “We Are The Young” by Paul Laine

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We are to the final My Sunday Song of the 10 Song set on Paul Laine. We are also to the Final My Sunday Song as I am putting it on hold for a little while. I’ve done 420 of these on Sundays in a row, that is quite a lot. Time to do reviews that are backing up because of the Bon Jovi and Def Leppard Series taking up so much time.

For My Sunday Song #420, we get to the final Paul Laine song and we go back to his 1990 debut album ‘Stick It In Your Ear’. The song to end his series is “We Are the Young” which was not a single here in the U.S, but I think it was in Canada where it broke the Top 40 briefly. Why it wasn’t in the States, I have not idea, but it was one of many on this album that could’ve been a single here. The song was written by Paul Laine and produced by the late, great Bruce Fairbairn…that should be enough right there to make you pay attention.

The song is about being young where everything is new and fresh and the world is at your fingertips. You can be whatever you want to be if you go out and grab it as you are wild, young and free. Don’t let anyone hold you back and fight for whatever you want to be. In the story, someone is holding him back and feeling him with lies, but he sees the truth and is ready to break free. So, don’t let anyone hold you back, go out there and take the world on with both hands and make your life you own.

The song opens with dual guitars, one with a cool crunchy guitar riff and the other a little melody, both speed a long at 100 mph. It is a brilliant rock anthem and I could see this blasted at concerts with full audience participation. The guitar break on this is extensive and the solo is just an onslaught of frenzied fingers flying on the frets. The song has some progressive rock undertones as the style changes up a little, but the essence of the song is contained. And that scream Paul does in the middle of that break…holy crap! It is awesome. It is guitar heavy, rock perfection and Paul gives it his all and sounds like the rock god he dreamed to be on that outro a la Robert Plant. This is what it sounds like when you are young and hungry to succeed.

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Friday New Releases – July 5, 2024

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I hope everyone in the States had a wonderful July 4th celebrating our great country. I know I did. But there is a problem with July 4th!! Because that Holiday fell the day before New Release Friday, a lot of artists shied away from releasing albums this week. I mean everyone is probably on Holiday for the whole weekend so it makes a lot of sense. Still though, we have a handful for you so I hope you can find something. You should be happy if you like metal as there is a lot of it. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

  • Kissin’ Dynamite – Back with a Bang – (Napalm Records)
  • REO Speedwagon – Live at Rockpalast 1979 – (Made in Germany Music)
  • Billy Currington – #1’s: Volume 1 – (UMG Nashville)
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