By 1990, Jeff Scott Soto was basically a journeyman as a singer. He would take any job as long as he could sing. He went from Panther, to Yngwie, to Kuni, to Kryst the Conqueror and now we have the band Eyes. Jeff wasn’t the original lead singer, that belonged to James Christian who left the band to go join this little band named House of Lords…probably a smart move on his part as House of Lords did way better than Eyes. Which is a shame because this album is a lost classic of the late 80’s Hard Rock sound. Think Bon Jovi, Danger Danger, Firehouse and any other band from that time period.
The biggest problem this album had was only timing and the fact there were 100’s of bands out there that were all the same. These guys had the sound as they had the rock anthems, they had the ballads and oh my god…they had the hair!! They weren’t on a major label which probably got them lost in the shuffle. They were on Curb Records which back in those days was not a rock label. Without the major label push, they fell to the wayside and were overlooked by most…heck, I didn’t discover them until sometime after the 2000’s began.
The band consisted of Jeff Scott Soto on vocals, Steven Dougherty on guitar, Aldy Damian on drums and Jimmy O’Shea on bass. From what I can find, it looks like Jimmy only played bass on two of the songs as the rest were played by a name I told you to remember from an earlier review…Marcel Jacobs. Marcel didn’t join the band as he was busy with another band at the time which we will discuss very soon. The album came out some time in 1990 as a specific date can’t be found on the web anywhere for its actually release. And as I said, it didn’t go anywhere but as you are about to find out, it still kick some major ass!!
The song for this month’s The Original vs. The Cover is “Big Yellow Taxi” written by Joni Mitchell. The song is off her 1970 album ‘Ladies of the Canyon’. The song saw moderate success at the time going to #14 in her home country of Canada, but only #67 on the Billboard Charts. But in 1974, she released a live version of the song and it went to #24 on Billboard. We will focus on the studio song for this comparison. There have been many covers including a popular one from Amy Grant back in 1994, but I am going to put it up against the cover I know better which is Counting Crows’ version featuring Vanessa Carlton. The song was from their album in 2003 called ‘Hard Candy’. The song for them went to #42 on the Top 100, but did much better on the other charts going to #5 on Adult Top 40 and #2 on Top Adult Alternative Songs.
The song was inspired by a trip Joni had made to Hawaii. She arrived in Hawaii and took a cab to the hotel. I am assuming it was night, as when she woke the next morning, she threw open the curtains and saw such a beautiful view until she looked down and saw a massive parking lot. It was her political statement to the world about how we pave over everything that is beautiful. She even goes further talking about farmers and the use of the poisonous DDT chemical which is killing everyone.
She even puts a little humor in it as she jokes about the fact we take the trees and put them in museums and pay $1.50 to see them which was based on the Foster Botanical Gardens in Hawaii that she visited. There is even another line that a taxi took her old man away which either means he left her and drove away in a taxi or he was arrested as Metro Toronto Police cops cars were yellow at that time. I believe she is from Toronto so that makes sense as well. Enough of the backstory to the song, lets talk about each artist’s version.
JONI MITCHELL:
Joni’s version is more acoustic and folksy as that is who she is. The song is only an acoustic guitar and some percussion and I think that is all I hear. Her majestic vocals are all you really need anyway. Her voice sounds almost childlike in its tone, but is so smooth and beautiful. The background vocals add more depth to the overall sound. It is a soft, yet upbeat sounding song despite the fact it is a song talking about such sad imagery. I love at the end where she goes real deep with vocals and then laughs. It shows a lot of humor and I think adds to the beauty of the song.
COUNTING CROWS (Feat. VANESSA CARLTON):
Counting Crows version plugs the band in and adds more drums, a great bass groove and some good old electric guitar. Vanessa Carlton is on backing vocals duties with a lot of “ooh bop bops” which actually is a nice touch. Adam Duritz vocals are strong and his tone is really cool as well. He lacks a little of the humor that Joni had which I think makes the song slightly less impactful. The Crows version adds a little vocal break at the end where Adam sings in a little scat like way with Vanessa adding more backing vocals with some great fills. It is still a really great version of the song.
VERDICT:
It isn’t really a tough choice. I do really like the Counting Crows version a lot as it was the first time I really remember hearing the song. But Joni’s version is the best, hands down. Joni’s smooth, childlike, innocent vocals are just so hard to beat. The acoustic version gives it a more poignant vibe and I really loved the little bit of humor she threw in to the song which I think helped bring home the point how ridiculous we are paving over our world and taking away everything that is beautiful about it. I see it everyday where I live as the farms that are near us are disappearing and all the trees are getting cut down to build, yet another, subdivision. Just what we need.
I am really interested in hearing what everyone else thinks of these two songs. Let me know which version you like the best and why. Feel free to leave a comment and talk about the song and tell me how right or wrong I am on this one. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.
LYRICS:
“Big Yellow Taxi”
They paved paradise Put up a parking lot With a pink hotel, a boutique And a swinging hot spot
Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone? They paved paradise Put up a parking lot
They took all the trees Put ’em in a tree museum Then they charged the people A dollar and a half just to see ’em
Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone? They paved paradise Put up a parking lot
Hey, farmer, farmer Put away that DDT now Give me spots on my apples But leave me the birds and the bees Please!
Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone? They paved paradise Put up a parking lot
Late last night I heard the screen door slam And a big yellow taxi took away my old man
Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone? They paved paradise Put up a parking lot
I said Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone? They paved paradise Put up a parking lot
They paved paradise Put up a parking lot They paved paradise Put up a parking lot
Alright…You Picked It! And this one wasn’t really that close. They took an early lead and never looked back. The winner this month is The Strokes with their album ‘This Is It” which was one I had never heard before. I usually pick older classic albums for that slot, but thought I try and bring something more recent like in the last 20 years and it won. Here are the results.
The Strokes – ‘Is This It’ – 9 votes
Royal Blood – ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ – 5 votes
Blue Oyster Cult – ‘Fire of Unknown Origin – 4 votes
Drive-By Truckers – ‘Decoration Day’ – 3 votes
Skillet – ‘Dominion – Sadly, with ZERO votes (poor Skillet, no one wants to hear them)
Thanks to all for participating. The March choices will be up on Saturday!
THE STROKES – ‘IS THIS IT’:
The Strokes debut album came out on July 30, 2001 and I basically ignored it. It wasn’t hard enough from what I heard and I didn’t care for the over all sound so they were pushed to side and I never bothered with them. Here we are 20 years later and I thought I’d throw them on the You Pick It! Series and if they won, I’d finally give them a fair shake. Well, they won so I guess I have to live up to my end of the bargain. I spent all week listening to the album over and over and over and did my opinion change? Let’s find out…
For My Sunday Song #286 is the song “One Love” by the Jeff Scott Soto band called W.E.T. What is W.E.T.? Well, it is comprised of Robert Sall of the band Work of Art, Erik Martensson of the band Eclispse and Jeff Scott Soto from the band Talisman. Take the first initial of each band and you have W.E.T. It also has 2 other members Magnus Henriksson and Robban Back. All are on the label Frontiers Records who brought the super group together. The song is off the debut album from 2009 album simply called ‘W.E.T.’. What many were afraid would be a one album deal has turned in to four album and a live album album. A legit band.
The song “One Love” was written by Erik Martensson and Vivien Searcy and is simply about that one true love. Despite all the temptations out on the road, he knows he will never find someone like her and that she is his rock. Here love is what sustains him and she is that miracle sent form heaven. It is really sweet.
The song itself is a power ballad and a pretty great modern version of one. It opens with keyboards from Erik who also handles all rhythm guitar duties. The lead guitar and solo are from Magnus and it fits the song so well. The drums are from Robban and for some reason Mr. Sail is not on the lead for this one. Musically, it is pure melodic rock gold. However, the highlight are those smooth vocals from Jeff. He really delivers and emotional, heartfelt song that matches the lyrics. You can hear from these high notes the man has some pipes and can sing about anything. If this was released in the 80’s, this ballad would’ve been top of the charts. It is infectious, catchy and simply beautiful. Man, if Jeff would’ve stayed in Journey and they released an album, this is what it would sound like.
Styrper caught a lot of flack back in the day for their look. The big freaking hair, the yellow and black leather, the throwing Bibles from the stage. Yes, they were a Christian band in the Heavy Metal world. Funny thing is a lot of people didn’t know they were Christian and just enjoyed the songs. Heck, their look and sound fit right in on the MTV Generation as this song was one of the stations most requested songs. The thing is, Stryper were sincere in their Christian beliefs and spreading the word, but that didn’t stop the likes of Jerry Falwell calling them “A Wolf in Sheep’s clothing”. That is kinda harsh.
The band’s fifth single off their smash album ‘To Hell With the Devil’ was “Honestly” which was written by Michael Sweet. It was released in 1987 and went all the way to #23 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band’s only song to ever break the Top 40 Charts. As a result, the band saw massive success and the album reached Platinum Status. The B-Side was the song “Sing-ALong Song” also written by Sweet. My copy of the 7″ Single is the standard U.S. version so nothing special other than it is in pretty great shape for over 30 years old.
Happy Friday…you made it another week…AMAZING!! As your reward we have a long list of new releases for you this week. I hope there is something in there that is music to your ears. I have a handful I want to check and I will mark those in Blue. Let me know what you want to hear this week or let me know if I missed anything even though I have over 50, it is bound to happen. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators – 4 – (Snakepit Records / Gibson Records / BMG): Slash and Myles together again…is it possible to have burnout on these two?? I am not sure I am there yet, but getting close. However, I will check this one out as I like Slash and I like Myles…so really a no brainer.
Eddie Vedder – Earthling – (Republic Records): Eddie Vedder is back with another solo album. That is enough for me. I’ll check it out as I’m always interested to hear what he brings that is different than Pearl Jam.
The next single from the Permanent Vacation album we will discuss is the third single from the album, “Angel”. Again, we have another Promotional copy of the single which means “Angel” is the only song on each side. The song was written by Steven Tyler and Desmond Child and is one of the band’s biggest hits up to that time going all the way to #3 on the Billboard Charts.
Tyler feels this song was a big sell-out for the band he hated for Record Executive, John Kalodner, for forcing outside writers in to the band. Tyler felt the ballad made him look like he lost all his street cred. However, I am sure his bank account would disagree. And if you look at the next couple Aerosmith albums, there a few more ballads in the mix. It helped revitalize their career so it wasn’t all bad.
We have another Bonus Edition to the Cheap Trick Collection Series. Since it is “The Collection” Series, we are going through stuff in my collection obviously. This next piece I found at Noble Records in Mathews, NC ( look him up) and is something I problem wouldn’t normally buy, but it was inexpensive and sealed and a promo so I had to. And yes, it is still sealed as I don’t want to open it as it is the album track with no other edits or songs so I am good leaving it as is.
The Single came out in October of 1988 and since it was October, I guess they went with the Halloween theme. Well, that and the fact is the song has “Ghost” in the name. As you can see from the CD below, there are Black Cats and Pumpkins pictured on the disc. Pretty cool marketing trick. As you can also see, there is no booklet or cover to the disc. As a result, the cover picture on the post is actually from the 7″ Single release. This is a promo as noted on the back with “Demonstration – Not For Sale” clearly labeled.
“Ghost Town” was written by Rick and the great Diane Warren which gives us a connection to the Aerosmith Series we are doing (although we aren’t to that part in the Aerosmith Series). Diane Warren was brought in to co-write and song doctor songs with the band who were very upset at this idea and they let it be known they were. The song was written though back in 1981 by Rick, but it had gone relatively unfinished. Diane helped him finish it. The song did hit the Top 40 landing at #33 but it wasn’t as successful as the two previous singles.
On July 30, 2002, Def Leppard released their album ‘X’. Which is either “X” or “Ten” depending on what you want to call it. It was the band’s 8th Studio album, but 10th album released to date. It saw the band take a lighter side to their rock and had some people calling it “The Love Album”. It went to #11 on the charts and spawned 3 singles, but failed to ever garner Gold or Platinum status.
The Tour started in June of 2002 and went until November 2003 where the band performed 163 shows which is quite impressive for an album that didn’t do that well. It was the last really BIG tour the band has ever done. Since that time, the longest a tour has lasted was around 100 shows. My Tour Book is from the 2003 leg of the Tour
Since this was 2003, it was not a good year for me to see shows since my wife and I had our first child that year. There was no way I was getting out to see a show as the schedule was too hectic. I hate I missed it, but I survived. Since I have no ticket stub to show you this time around, let’s get right to the book.
You are probably wondering why I am reviewing two albums at once. I know, it is strange. Well, here is the thing. We are reviewing Kryst the Conqueror’s E.P. – ‘Deliver Us From Evil’, however, I don’t have that version of the album. I have the more recent release which is called ‘Soldiers of Light: The Complete Recordings’. This contains the E.P. ‘Deliver Us From Evil’ as well as all the songs from that recording session.
But first, let’s back up a little. Kryst the Conqueror (pronounced Christ) is a project from former members of the band The Misfits. It consists of Jerry Only (known as Mo the Great in The Misfits and as Mocavious Kryst for this band) and his brother Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein. The idea of the band was take fantasy and sci-fi imagery and mix it with religious themes and in this case Jesus was now a Conqueror and was going to deliver us from evil. Yikes!
The E.P. Cover
The band never officially had a lead singer. Jeff Scott Soto was brought in to record the songs to get a feel for the songs and how they would sound, but he was never intended to be the lead singer. In fact, on the E.P. he is not even credited. The lead singer is listed as Kryst the Conqueror. In fact, with all the songs he recorded, only 5 were ever released and that was the original 5 Song E.P. ‘Deliver Us From Evil’. From what I can gather, it was released as a fan club package to the Misfits Fan Club to make sure Jerry was keeping in touch with the fans. But the project never really had any staying power or amounted to anything much. I guess that isn’t totally true, although they never performed live, the band did stay together (at least Jerry & Doyle) until around 1995 when they reached an agreement with Glenn Danzig to reignite the Misfits and then they started touring under that name taking some of these songs and turning them in to Misfit songs.
Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators – 4 – (Snakepit Records / Gibson Records / BMG): Slash and Myles together again…is it possible to have burnout on these two?? I am not sure I am there yet, but getting close. However, I will check this one out as I like Slash and I like Myles…so really a no brainer.
Eddie Vedder – Earthling – (Republic Records): Eddie Vedder is back with another solo album. That is enough for me. I’ll check it out as I’m always interested to hear what he brings that is different than Pearl Jam.
2 Loud 2 Old Music 