For the first time on vinyl, Motley Crue released ‘Supersonic And Demonic Relics’ for the 2024 Record Store Day. And since this was the first time on vinyl, I had to grab a copy. There were only 2,500 copies available, so I guess I am lucky to have grabbed one of them. I am sure they will release this album on vinyl eventually, but hopefully this will be the only picture disc. Now, with the track record of RSD albums, I’m not holding my breath.
The album originally came out on June 29, 1999 and Wikipedia says this is the band’s fourth compilation, but I don’t know what their three are before it as I only know of Decade of Decadance 81-91 in 1991 and the Greatest Hits in 1998. Yes, this is compilation but it not a greatest hits album. Instead it is a collection of tracks from soundtracks, songs that were new on a greatest hits album, remixes and even a handful of unreleased tracks. I really like these type of releases even if the songs aren’t always great. I’ll take this over a greatest hits record any day. My only complaint about this RSD release is the quality of the pictures on the cover and even the choice for the vinyl pictures. The cover looks grainy and not very professionally done. And the side of the vinyl with the picture of the speakers from the album cover are a little dull and not very crisp. I know, I’m picky.
We are now on the 2nd album from Man Raze and still no new Def Leppard studio album. This time Phil Collen, Simon Laffy and Paul Cook bring us more of their eclectic style of music. This one is even in the title as we get some punk, some funk (very little) and a lot of rock. You get two Girls and one Sex Pistol which adds up to even more fun. The album is a chance for the boys to pay homage to their musical influences and so we get a variety of sounds and songs all fit into a fantastic package.
When this came out on back in 2011, I was all over it. I really loved the debut and expected I would this one as well. I have the standard U.S. edition, but Japan got one too on January 26, 2012 and of course it had a bonus track. One day I’ll get that one.
The opening riff of the opening track grabs hold and sucks you in. “Over My Dead Body” is a cranking rocker that is catchy as hell and will leave the song eating away at your brain like an ear worm. A song that could’ve easily been a Def Leppard song as it is so melodic and full of great harmonies plus a tight, killer guitar solo. Man Raze opens the album with a bang.
“I C U in Everything” is up next and instantly things sound different especially in Phil’s vocal delivery. A lot of effects are put on them and he sings much deeper and darker. I love the bass work on this one as it gives it a nice groove. It is another rocker, but a completely different style then the previous song. They are keeping it interesting. The vocals I didn’t like at first, but are growing on me with each listen and Phil does another great little solo.
Whitesnake was touring Japan in the Spring of 1980 in support of the band’s 1979 album ‘Love Hunter’. This was only a month prior to the release of their new album ‘Ready ‘an Willing’ and surprisingly they didn’t test out any of those songs yet so close to the album release. So, we are getting some really old school songs and Deep Purple cuts here and I am thrilled about that myself. The show on April 12, 1980 at Aichi-Ken Kinro Kaikan in Nagoya, Japan was a live broadcast on FM radio. This is the entire show which is awesome. The band is David Coverdale (obviously), Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden on guitars, Neil Murray on bass, Ian Paice on drums and the great Jon Lord on keyboards.
This bootleg was released recently back in 2023 like the last one we discussed from Whitesnake. I love getting a newer version of such an old show. I love old school Snake so this was a no-brainer for me. This is a 2 LP set and both are on a beautiful white vinyl. It is a beautiful set and the sound quality is off a soundboard with some roughness on the mix the first couple songs, but all-in-all in it fantastic sounding for what it is.
LP 1:
The show opens with “Come On” which is from the ‘Snakebite’ E.P. from 1978. Written by David Coverdale and Bernie Marsden and right away you can hear how big the guitar sound is. The song is a pure rock song with a great groove and a blistering solo. A great opener and I love the fact that David has two Deep Purple references in the song…“Soldier of Fortune” and “Gypsy”. They go in to “You ‘N Me” from ‘Lovehunter’, and this is normally a real bluesy track with some slide guitar, but here it feels more straight-up rock & roll. The guitars are a little weak in the mix these first two tracks, but you can still hear them and know they are the main focus behind David of course. You can hear the organ, barely, as Jon Lord is going to town, wish it was higher in the mix as I love Jon Lord and as soon as I wish that, the organs get louder and bam, Lord is killing it. Much better live then studio version for this one.
Then it is a couple of down & dirty blues tracks with “Walking in the Shadow of the Blues” and “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City”. The first from ‘Lovehunter” and the latter from ‘Snakebite’. Both are dang brilliant and just listen to the rip roaring guitars and organ again. David is fine form and sounds awesome. Two of their best songs played with one of the best line-ups Whitesnake has seen!! What more do you need? I’ll tell you…nothing. And finally we end Side A with one of three solos on the album. This one is Micky Moody’s and well…you know what you are going to get so sit back and enjoy! Micky does a really cool slide-guitar solo and it is brilliant.
Flipping over to Side B, it starts out with the title track, “Lovehunter”, and it is full of David’s sexually inappropriate lyrics and even in today’s #MeToo movement, I don’t give a shit. His lyrics still rock even if his vocals are a little rough on this one. Not quite hitting the notes.. The song has the that blues tone and some serious slide guitar by Micky Moody accompanied by Neil Murray’s bass line and it is fantastic as he lays down the coolest groove. Along with Moody’s slide guitar you get a twin solo with both Moody and Marsden. It is that duo that really brings this one home.
The we get double treat of Deep Purple tracks with “Mistreated” and “Soldier of Fortune” brought together for a musical enjoyment. In 1980, smart move to still play off that Deep Purple connection. “Mistreated” is down and dirty with a slow nasty groove and things slow down even more with some great guitar picking that turns in to a beast of a solo and back to “Mistreated”. And then music stops and David sings a little “Soldier of Fortune” and it is a little too quiet and hard to hear (and it doesn’t help my neighbor is mowing his lawn!) Let’s just say with “Mistreated” portion was pretty killer.
LP 2:
The second LP kicks off with one of my favorite parts and that is a Jon Lord solo. I generally don’t care too much for keyboard solos, but this is Jon Lord. So, hell to the yeah for this one. The man is a legend and a master. He even mixes a little 2001 Space Odyssey in to his solo. The solo then turns in to the instrumental track “Belgian’s Tom Hat Trick” from the ‘Trouble’ album. The band jumps in and it is an all out master class of greatness. The song has a great melody and a real blast to hear, especially live. If I’m not mistaken, there are at least 3 solos racing through this song.
And since everyone has had a chance to shine, it is now Ian Paice’s turn for a solo on the drums. It plays beautifully out of “Belgian” without missing a beat. Ian goes to town on those drums and doesn’t hold back. And after the barrage of beats, we slip back in to “Belgian” where they all slam it home. After some Ian Paice chants, we go in to the final song on Side C with the Deep Purple track, “Might Just Take Your Life” after David goes “Here’s a song for ya!”…which we know he rarely says before a song (cough, cough – dripping with sarcasm). The band plays it well, but I do miss having Glenn Hughes on the song. They hand over the vocals to Bernie Marsden and he does a great job actually. But I still miss Glenn.
Flipping over to Side D, they kick it off with “Lie Down” and it is time for some sleazy cock rock as the song is really only about one thing. I love the honky tonk boogie of the keys from Lord. Speaking of Lord, he rails through a solo that is crazy. Another track where someone else sings a little and Bernie is back on the mic. Aside from a Lord solo, Micky Moody he gets a killer solo as well. This was definitely a band and not David focused which is great to see. A fun, upbeat track that has no artistic value, but who cares…have some fun. They then go in to “Take Me With You” and this is where David introduces the band and they each do a little notes. This drags the song down for me, but you know, he needs to do it. But when the song comes back in, it completely rocks out.
Then it was time for “Rock Me Baby” which is an old blues song. It has been covered by Muddy Waters and B.B. King. This is part of the encore and it is pretty rock & roll, although there are some blues elements to their performance like the slide guitar and the groove. The Micky Moody solo is the coolest part of the song for sure. Then we end the night with a little ‘Northwinds’ with “Breakdown” and mixed with some “Whitesnake Boogie”. A high energy, bluesy rock ending to a show that showcases the talent that is early Whitesnake. The band sounds like they are having fun and that is a good thing.
And there you have it. A great 1980’s Whitesnake show. I love the early years of Whitesnake about as much as the later years. You know what, I guess I like all the years. The sound quality is really good for what it is, which is a bootleg. A soundboard recording with some minor sound issues, mostly with sound levels. What I loved about this is how much it is the boys jamming and all the solos. There is nothing but talent in this band and it is showcased throughout. A great show so grab it if you ever see it. My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars. It is the band as raw as they are with not fixes…I like that. This is how the show sounded and is as it should be.
We are in a time in Def Leppard’s career where there is a 7 year break between studio albums. To help fill that gap, the boys in the band kept busy. We’ve seen the Phil Collen side project Man Raze and now we have Joe Elliott’s side project called Down ‘N’N Outz. And during this stretch we don’t get only one album from each, we will actually see two albums from each before the next Leppard studio album. Hey, if I can’t have Def Leppard, I’ll take this stuff just as well.
The Down ‘N’ Outz were formed thanks to Mott the Hoople. Mott the Hoople was doing a reunion show, well a week’s worth of reunion shows. They asked Joe to be a part of it. One thing led to another and with the help of drummer Phil Martini, Ronnie Garrity from Raw Glory, and Paul Guerin, Guy Griffin, and Keith Weir from The Quireboys, the Down ‘N’ Outz were born. They performed as the opening act. The twist was they would be playing songs by bands or artists associated with Mott the Hoople, but not actually Mott the Hoople songs. They even recorded a show and released it on DVD, which I need to one day obtain.
After the gig, the band were having so much fun, they actually recorded an album. There is a 10 song edition that was released first on June 23, 2010 as part of an edition of Classic Rock Magazine (I want that one!!), but the final album actually had 13 songs, one of which was an original by the band. If you liked Joe & Phil’s band the Cybernauts, then this will be right up your alley. On July 13, 2010, their debut album ‘My ReGeneration’ was released. Don’t think it ever charted, but who cares. If you are fan of Mott the Hoople and all their side projects, a fan of Def Leppard or a fan of the Quireboys, then you need this. Let’s get to it! Wait…FYI…the band even started their own brand of beer…thus the bottle cap in the album pictures below.
The opening track is the classic “Golden Opportunity” which is an Ian Hunter cover from his album ‘Overnight Angels’. What is cool about this one is when it starts up you hear a needle dropping and some static like this was vinyl, but my version is a CD. A cool little trick. The band sticks to the essence of the song (and all the songs), but they can’t help put their own little flair on it. When the song is as cool and iconic as this one, how could they screw it up. The musicianship is stellar and Joe sounds awesome! The energy is electric and you can feel the excitement they have for playing this music. A great opening track.
Next up is “Storm” which is a Mott cover (Not a Mott the Hoople cover – just Mott). This one is from the album ‘Shouting and Pointing’. It fades in from the opening track and the tempo is fast. The riffs are cool, the keyboards are slamming as are the drums. Another fun, high energy track that keeps the party going. I have to say I wasn’t overly familiar with this one which I think helps my enjoyment as it feels new to me. The band is swinging and again I can’t get over their playing…these guys are really good.
Then it is time for another Ian Hunter song and this one is the title track to his album “Overnight Angels”. Man, I love this song and the Boyz bring down the house with this one. The gentle guitar riff opening with the heavy bass and drums are a slick contrast. Joe’s vocal delivery is slow and deliberate, well paced. The grit of his vocals adds so much to the song. I think this album so far has been a headphone album as there is so much going on musically and it all sounds like a smorgasbord of tastiness.
Okay, I’ve realized something…the Ian songs I know. The Mott songs I don’t. This next one was new to me as well. It is the song “Career (No Such Thing as Rock ‘n Roll)” from the ‘Shouting and Pointing’ album. It opens with a biting piano with some keyboards that sound like horns. It has this grand, epic tone. Joe’s vocals are more reserved to match the music. It is really beautiful in its presentation. I might need to be checking out these Mott albums. I have Mott the Hoople stuff, but no Mott.
It is time for “Cleveland Rocks”…oops sorry that is The Drew Carey Show theme song. This is actually “England Rocks” the Ian Hunter song that the Drew theme song is based. It is a rambunctious rocker that celebrates the England Rock & Roll scene. A fun singalong song.
It is back to Mott and this time we get the title track to the album that has two other songs here and that is “Shouting And Pointing”. The piano keys are fast and furious on this one. Then it gets dark and powerful. Joe’s attitude is matched in the music. I like the changes and different directions in the song as it keeps it interesting. Another really cool track and man, this Mott band must be something.
We stay with Mott, but now we are on to his ‘Drive Now’ album and the first song is “By Tonight”. This one feels different, a more guitar heavy song less piano/keyboards. While it still sounds good, it doesn’t feel as glam as the prior songs. I was really digging the piano on these songs. But the guitar work on here is stellar so I don’t want to take away from that at all. Overall, I’m not as in to this one, but it is still a really good track.
“Apologies” is up next from ‘Drive Now’ as well and this one is only 1 minute long. It is acoustic with just a guitar and Joe’s vocals. Joe sounds really cool, the guitar is smooth and a nice change of pace. Something completely different. I like it.
Ian Hunter is back with his song “Who Do You Love”. Leppard covered this one for “Yeah! II”. It is a high energy song and the piano is back in full force. They do a good job with this one, but it is not one of my favorites. It wasn’t on the Lep album either.
This time around we get a British Lion song called “One More Chance to Run” off their self-titled album. The Down ‘N’ Outz tackle this one with some major gusto. The guitars are lethal on this one, the heaviness of the opening riff, the crisp, biting notes of other notes. The energy is up to 10 and they dominate the song.
Back to an Ian song with “3000 Miles From Home” which is another acoustic song with the guitars and Joe on vocals. There is a gentleness to it and a sadness. It is a great song, but a little too one-dimensional with the same riff throughout the song.
“Good Times” is up next and this is a cover of The Easybeats classic done by Mott. It is a high energy, rocking track and a total blast…But…it isn’t as good as the Jimmy Barnes and INXS song as their version is the standard a I hold all other versions too. Joe is great and the music is awesome, but you can’t touch Michael Hutchense and Jimmy together. Sorry Joe. Still, I wouldn’t skip this one if it came on.
The final track is an original from the band. It is “The Flipside of the Shameless Whelk”. It feels incomplete, mostly instrumental and doesn’t seem to have any direction. It feels like an outro or something the band was jamming and threw in for good measure. You hear parts of other songs in it to. It is pretty much nonsense for me.
Track Listing:
Golden Opportunity – Keeper
Storm – Keeper
Overnight Angels – Keeper
Career (No Such Thing As Rock ‘n’ Roll) – Keeper
England Rocks – Keeper
Shouting and Pointing – Keeper
By Tonight – Keeper(1/2 Point)
Apologize – Keeper
Who Do You Love – Keeper(1/2 Point)
One More Chance to Run – Keeper
3000 Miles From Here – Keeper(1/2 Point)
Good Times – Keeper(1/2 Point)
The Flipside of the Shameless Whelk – Delete
The Track Score is 10 out of 13 Tracks or 77%. Let me tell you the production on this is incredible as all the instruments and effects are crystal clear and so full and vibrant. It is a party in your ears. Do all the songs work? No, but the majority of them are pure enjoyment and although not normally a covers band fan, I really dig this one. I am sure most of it is Joe as I love me some Leppard, but the musicianship on here is what really made this so much fun. They seem to really love what they were doing and appreciate these songs. It isn’t perfect, but it is worth a listen if you are a fan of anything Mott the Hoople adjacent. My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars.
CMT (Country Music Television) had a great show called CMT Crossroads. The show would bring together two famous acts, one being a country artist and the other either Rock, Pop or whatever they felt would work together. One of those episodes that aired on November 7, 2008 brought together and a young rising country star named Taylor Swift and a band she grew up listening to thanks to her parents, Def Leppard. A dream come true for her and a strange match-up for me. But it was Leppard so I watched. And when the DVD was released, I bought it.
The DVD came out on June 16, 2009 and was exclusive to Wal-Mart stores here in the States. The DVD contained the entire show that was broadcast as well as some bonus material. That bonus material was three bonus songs that were performed and not aired. You also get a bunch of interviews. In total, you get 75 minutes of Country Rock Crossover. Honestly, I wish there was a CD for the show, I’d like that in the collection. Now, was the show good? Let’s find out.
The show kicks off with “Photograph” from Def Leppard and a good one to start as it is one of their most famous songs. Phil Collen breaks out that famous riff while fully dressed and still some hair; and Taylor sings the first verse. Dang, she is so young here. She has a great voice, but she can’t muster the power needed for this song but she can hit some of those notes Joe can’t. Joe Elliott takes on the second version and that is they way this song should be sung. They share the choruses. The band is all the Lep folks and even Taylor’s band so we get two drummers and numerous guitarists and bass players. I even see a keyboard player in the background there. The bands sound awesome and they do play the song to perfection. Who knew it would actually work so well.
Kiss and their label are know for releasing a ton of greatest hits compilations as you have seen over the last few months from what I’ve posted. And we’ve barely scratched the surface. I have another one for you and this one is was released on August 27, 2002. It is called ‘The Very Best of Kiss’ and you get 21 songs. There is nothing new, unreleased or anything special about these songs. They are all taken from the albums they represent with the exception of “Detroit Rock City” which is the edited version but it is from ‘Double Platinum’ and has been released before. Basically, there is really no reason to buy this one.
It is not well representative of their whole career as we only get 3 songs from the 80’s and 1 from the 90’s and that is it. We also only get 1 song from the solo albums and that is Ace’s “New York Groove”. The 70’s heyday is what is mostly represented here and if you want that era, get the ‘Gold’ compilation we mentioned awhile back as it is splendid. You do get a lot of band members represented as we have songs with Gene Simmons, Paul Stanely, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Eric Carr, Vinnie Vincent, Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer. No Mark St. John nor Tommy Thayer though. The album did chart at #52 on the Billboard 200 album chart and it did go Gold in the U.S., but otherwise nothing special. And with that, let’s get in to the music.s
The album kicks off with the song “Strutter” from the debut album. The song was written by both Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons and over the years, this would be a rare experience as they would wind up writing songs by themselves. The music of the song was based off an old Gene song called “Stanley the Parrot” which was recorded even before there was a Wicked Lester.
A few years back I did a complete collection series on the Scorpions. I figured it was time to show all the vinyl off on The Collection. We will break it up in to two parts with the first being from the debut album, ‘Lonesome Crow’, all the up to ‘Blackout’ with every thing I have in between which we covered last week. For Part 2, this week we will cover ‘Love at First Sting’ up to their latest ‘Rock Believer’. This will cover from 1984 all the way up to their most recent released in 2022. This will have the classic line-up of Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Mathias Jabs, Francis Buchholz and Herman Rarebell. There will be new members on bass and drums down the road including Mikkey Dee from Motorhead on drums. We will talk covers, music and sound…all the good and bad an inbetween.
So go check it out as it will be live tonight right now, October 14, 2024 at 8pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.
On June 11, 2021, Def Leppard finally released The Collection, Vol. 3. It had been 2 years since the released of Vol. 2 in part probably due to Covid-19. By 2021, things were slowly starting to get back to normal. This was a crucial collection because these albums were not available on vinyl prior to this. So, it is is a must have set for you vinyl collectors. Ok, not really because they are available now individually…well…except for the bonus material. We’ve talked through the B-Sides, Yeah! II and now it is time for the final bonus album in The Collection, Vol. 3…Yeah! Live.
‘Yeah! Live’ is a compilation of 8 live cover songs the band have done over the years. They are B-Sides or recorded from tribute shows they have done and now they are all in one spot. I feel like they have to have more then this, but maybe not. What is cool is Side B as it has Brian May on most of the tracks. I guess he is the 6th member of the band now.. It is not a vast chunk of songs, but it is all quality here not quantity. What is cool is there is a couple recordings on here from the 80’s so we get Steve Clark on a couple tracks. But the rest of the guys are here too with Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell.
SIDE A:
The B-Side to the song “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” is a live version of the Alice Cooper classic, “Elected”. It was recorded in July 1987 at Tilburg, Netherlands on the ‘Hysteria’ Tour. The crowd was really in to this show as they are screaming loud. Joe attacks the vocals with that Alice Cooper style, with grit and attitude. I wonder if the crowd noise is pumped in as they repeat some of their chants throughout. Anyway, the band rocks it out and does a fair job at this one. All I know is when it came out and I picked it up with this song as the B-Side I was happy to have something I didn’t have in my collection at the time. I’ll take new stuff any day.
This week we stay in the 90’s and we go with another Glam Metal / Hair Band but this album was a huge change on their image and messaging. It is Stryper’s ‘Against the Law’. It saw the band shed their Christian image from losing the Yellow and Black to dropping the Christian, God fearing lyrics. They don’t go all devil worshipping, the songs are still positive, just different. It was released August 21, 1990 and had three singles, but overall did not perform to where it should have. I think it is their best, even if Michael Sweet ranks it as the worst Stryper album. We will find out if this is worth your time or not so join me as I walk through the album song by song.
So go check it out as it is live now on October 10, 2024 at Noon. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.
Out on my constant vinyl digging adventures, I found a couple Whitesnake bootlegs at the same store. They weren’t old bootlegs, rather they were released recently in 2023 out of Europe. The shows, however, are not recent. First one up is one called Washington State Wipeout and is a 2 LP set that comes in a nice gatefold with a picture of the band included. The vinyl that comes with the set are a beautiful clear color and they look stunning as you will see in one of the pictures below. It was a brand new set, unopened…well at least until I got my hands on it obviously. Now, it is open and has been played!
The 2 LPs carry a different a show for each. On LP 1, we get the Spokane Washington show that was on July 24, 1984. This would’ve been after the release of their 1984 album, ‘Slide it In’, which came out on January 30, 1984. The show was at the Spokane Coliseum and had the line-up of David Coverdale, John Sykes, Richard Bailey (no Jon Lord), Neil Murray and Cozy Powell. A stellar line-up, just wish Lord was still playing. They opened for Dio so not a long setlist and it is all captured here on LP 1. The recording was an FM Radio Broadcast.
On LP 2, we get a show that was recorded on March 1, 1984 and was another FM Radio Broadcast. It was recorded at the Apollo Theater in Glasgow, Scotland where they were the headliner with Great White opening. The full show is 16 tracks so we don’t get the whole show, but we do get 5 tracks at least. If you want the full show, pick up the Slide It In Super Deluxe Edition as Whitesnake issued it officially in that box set. I believe this show would include Jon Lord as he left the band in April. Correct me if I’m wrong.
2 Loud 2 Old Music 