Category: Rock

Van Halen – ‘Zero Demos’ (Bootleg – 1976/2022) – Album Review

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic8 Comments

Whenever I got to Repo Records, especially on Record Store Day, I tend to find Bootlegs while waiting in line. I think he does it on purpose knowing I’m a sucker for those things (not true as he doesn’t know me from Adam). The last few trips have been very successful and this last trip was no exception. This time I found another Van Halen Bootleg and this one was called ‘Zero Demos’ and it is a collection of the demos produced by Gene Simmons way back in 1976. I have always wanted to hear and have those demos and now I do.

You probably have already heard the story of Gene Simmons involvement in Van Halen so I won’t go in to too much detail. Gene saw them play and fell in love with them. He took them under his demonic wing and took the band in to the studio and they recorded a 10 song demo tape that Gene shopped around to try and get them a deal. He was unable to and his demands with Kiss were huge, so he ripped up the contract and let them find their own way which they did and the rest is history. During this time, Gene had Eddie and Alex help with some demos for Kiss including “Got Love for Sale”, “Christine Sixteen” and “Tunnel of Love” which were long in demand and I have copies thanks to Gene Simmons’ The Vault!!

This bootleg is fairly new as it came out in 2022 from Yellow Dog Records. I like how the front cover is a reproduction of the debut album cover with the ‘Zero Demos’ at the top. The back has a bunch of live shots of the band. And with a lot of bootlegs, there are mistakes and the only one I really see is the “House of Pain” demo is listed as “House In Pain”…close enough I guess. The vinyl is a red/yellow splatter and looks beautiful. The label is easy with the word Zero and Side A or B. Can’t much simpler than that without just putting a blank label on it. What do I have to say about the music? Well, we will see in a minute, but the sound is fantastic for demos from 1976 that have probably been transferred from tape to tape to tape over the years. 

Continue reading “Van Halen – ‘Zero Demos’ (Bootleg – 1976/2022) – Album Review” →

The Collection: Episode 3 – Ace Frehley

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic4 Comments

With Ace Frehley’s new album 10,000 Volts now out, I thought a perfect time to go through my entire Ace Frehley collection (excluding Kiss of course). We will go through the vinyl, the CDs, the Cassettes and the 7″ Singles.

At the end, I will give you my thoughts on the new album. Is it as good as everyone is saying? Is it as good as the ’78 Kiss solo album? You will have to watch it to find out. The show is live now, click below and give it a whirl. And don’t forget to click “Like” and “Subscribe”. While you are at it, drop us a comment as well.

Thanks for watching!!

Here is all the vinyl…

Bon Jovi – ‘This Left Feels right Live’ (2004) – DVD Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic40 Comments

In 2003, Bon Jovi was going to do a little acoustic side project, but that turned in to ‘This Left Feels Right’ which was released on November 4,2003. To commemorate that album, they did two shows in Atlantic City, New Jersey on November 14 and 15, 2003. The DVD, ‘This Left Feels Right Live’ was the result of those two shows. The DVD was released on February 9, 2004. Now, if you read my review of the CD, you will see I wasn’t very fond of that, but this is a little of a different animal. This is live. Live shows, I don’t mind when a band changes a song up as it is fun to see their different interpretations of their own songs. That for me is the perfect time for re-imagined songs. Not a full studio album of them.

The small crowd in attendance was ready for anything Bon Jovi and the women were ready for anything from Jon Bon Jovi as they were screaming a lot. The show was also broadcast on the web as they were filming so some people saw the show before the DVD release. I was not one of them. You knew this was going to be different from the first song as it was “Love for Sale” from ‘New Jersey’ and I loved hearing that one live. What a great way to start things off. Then they go in to the classic, “You Give Love a Bad Name” and I will admit I did not like this one much as Jon kept saying “Bad” over and over in a stupid way that annoyed me.

With “Wanted Dead or Alive”, Jon changed his mic for a radio voice type vocal and the band rocked out a little on it and I actually enjoyed this one enough. With “Livin’ on a Prayer”, they went all acoustic and it was perfectly fine in this new version. Not much different then a regular acoustic version of the song. Richie’s backing vocals are what helps make this song great and he did not disappoint at all here. Speaking of acoustic, they turn “It’s My Life” in to an acoustic masterpiece. They turned the rock anthem on its ear and slowed it down and gave it a whole new feel that really made the song shine in a different light even though it took a dark turn. 

Continue reading “Bon Jovi – ‘This Left Feels right Live’ (2004) – DVD Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)” →

My Sunday Song – “To Hell And Back” by Sabaton

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic16 Comments

For My Sunday Song #402, Harrison’s next pick is from the power metal band Sabaton. The song is “To Hell And Back” off their 2014 album ‘Heroes’. The song was the first single off the album and has become one of the band’s most popular songs. It was written by lead singer Joakim Broden and bassist Par Sundstrom. The band thought he was nuts to do this song, so Joakim took and used it as inspiration to make this song great. Joakim has stated he is most proud of this song.

“To Hell and Back is about Audie Murphy who was the most decorated soldier in the U.S. from World War II. The song is about his battle with PTSD after the war and inspired by his own poem called “The Crosses Grow on Anzio” from Audie’s book ‘To Hell And Back’. Some of the lyrics even quote the poem. It is a great story about his struggles after witnessing all his friends and fellow soldiers that were killed during battle.

The song is done as a cross between heavy metal meets spaghetti western a la Ennio Morricone style per Joakim. The song has a folksy feel to it and has a lot of keyboards that sort of sound like flutes. It breathes a fresh life in to the song. Joakim’s vocals are great, no screaming, but at times very chant like. There is a great guitar solo included albeit a little too short. The song is catchy and there is a familiarity to it that will get you singing along after just one listen. I have never listened to Sabaton and was surprised by how much I enjoyed this song.

Continue reading “My Sunday Song – “To Hell And Back” by Sabaton” →

Friday New Releases – March 1, 2024

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic27 Comments

It is March! How can it already be March? I feel like I don’t remember what happened in January and February. I know there wasn’t a ton of music I was interested in and this month doesn’t start out much better for me. I’ll check out Bruce Dickinson, I guess, and that is probably it for me. What do you see in this list that you want to hear? Let me know and let us know if we missed a release as we can’t catch them all. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great weekend.

  • Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project – (Duellist Holdings / BMG Rights Mgmt)
  •  The Who – Live at Shea Stadium 1982 – (Mercury Studios)
  •   Ministry – Hopiumforthemasses – (Nucleaer Blast)
Continue reading “Friday New Releases – March 1, 2024” →

Def Leppard – ‘Live in Mountain View: August 17, 1988’ – Bootleg DVD (The Def Leppard Collection Series)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic72 Comments

With Bootlegs, you never know what you are going to get and that is especially true with concert DVDs. In my search for anything Def Leppard, I came across this live DVD of Def Leppard from their ‘Hysteria Tour’. The show was recorded on August 17, 1988 at the Shoreline Amphitheater just outside of Mountain View, California. The show was recorded using either a still shot of the video screen or the actual footage used for the venue video screens themselves. And the video quality is supposed to be great, along with the sound.

The show itself is the typical ‘Hysteria Tour’ show you would expect from the guys. By this time they were already basically ignoring anything from ‘On Through the Night’ and ‘High & Dry’ except for one song. The set list consisted of only one track from ‘High & Dry’, it included 7 from ‘Pyromania’ and 6 from ‘Hysteria’. No covers, nothing. 14 tracks and a little over an hour and a half long in length.

Earlier, I said the picture quality was supposed to be great, but that was not the case for this copy I have on DVD. I am sure this recorded off a copy of a VHS tape that was recorded of a copy of another VHS tape and another VHS tape and so on and so on. The quality at times is unwatchable especially when the stage is dark. If the stage is all lit up, the picture looks decent considering this is VHS technology on a DVD. However, the sound is spot on through out. Clear and you can hear everybody. This would’ve been better as a CD only concert bootleg in my opinion.

When you compare this set list to their famous live release, ‘In the Round, In Your Face’, it is an identical set list with one exception. In the encore you get an extra song with the band doing “Love Bites”. Otherwise, everything is pretty identical. The other show was recorded 5 months earlier in February 1988. 

Continue reading “Def Leppard – ‘Live in Mountain View: August 17, 1988’ – Bootleg DVD (The Def Leppard Collection Series)” →

The Collection: Episode 2 – February 2024 Wrap-Up

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic18 Comments

We are doing something different this time around and going to do the wrap-up in video form. So, if you want to see everything and hear a little more discussion on the items, go check out the video. It will air tonight at 7pm on Youtube.

You’ll get some of the usual suspects like Kiss, Aerosmith, Needtobreathe, AC/DC and so much more. And I think I hit almost every format this month with vinyl, CD, Cassettes and even an 8-Track. No reel-to-reels though so not every format.

Ok, I won’t leave you empty handed in…here is everything in one shot…almost everything as the big box of Needtobreathe collectibles I bought we covered in Episode 1 so didn’t want to repeat anything…

Please check out the shot at 7pm tonight, Tuesday, February 27, 2024. Thanks for stopping by!!

Bon Jovi – “Keep the Faith” (1992) – CD Maxi Single (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic46 Comments

The lead single off the album of the same name was “Keep the Faith’. It was released on October 7, 1992 almost a full month prior the album release. The song went straight to #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and all the way to #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 giving the band another Top 40 hit. It had major success around the world going Top 10 in over 9 countries including the UK which is where you would find the single we are showing off today. This is one of two CD singles released in the UK for this song. I don’t have the other one, so I will need to work on that one day.

“Keep the Faith” is a very inspiring song about faith and holding on throughout any troubles or adversities that come your way. Be strong and push your way through it and have a little faith that you will make it out the other side. The song for me is about hope and inner strength and why it is a personal favorite of mine.

The single, “Keep the Faith”, opens with a killer bass line then Tico’s drum beat settles in a blistering groove. The song is uplifting and almost happy without being cheesy. It drives forward like a marching army and I think actually outdoes the opening track on the album for inspiration. The guitar solo on this one sees Richie slay with those fingers as they fly over the frets. One of his best on the album. There is a funky groove throughout from Hugh McDonald and we get aggressive vocals from Jon which gives us a solid rocker of a song. Jon actually speaks a portion of the vocals which adds to the impact of the song and I think gives it a little something extra special. The song on this single is the album version and not a radio edit.

Continue reading “Bon Jovi – “Keep the Faith” (1992) – CD Maxi Single (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)” →

My Sunday Song – “A Night To Remember” By Slade

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic14 Comments

For My Sunday Song #401, we are starting another 10 picks and this time the choices are coming from our Aussie friend, Harrison Kopp. Harrison has been a friend of the site for years and he co-hosts Grab a Stack of Rock along with Michael Ladano who picked the last 10 songs. We kick off this set with the song “A Night to Remember” by the band Slade. The song is from their 1981 album ‘Till Deaf Do Us Part’ and it was not a single which is a shame as it totally kicks ass…wait, I’m spoiling everything. Oh well, you can read on if you’d like.

Like most rock & roll songs, this is pure sexual innuendo. It is about sex and a night that they will both remember as they explore each other’s bodies and go at hard all night. Lines like “Oh, I know, if you’re ready for me, my hot rod’s ready to burn” and “I’ve bin savin’ my skin machine for you” are both pretty self-explanatory. If you can’t read between those lines, well, I’m afraid you’ll probably never have sex. Sorry, but it’s true.

The opening is bombastic and explosive. The energy is electrifying and you can feel the sexual tension about to explode. Noddy’s vocals are superb and if you want to know who sounds like him, easily Kevin Dubrow from Quiet Riot (hmm…those two have a history together I believe). The guitars are a fast, the drums are deadly and the bass is laying down a groove. You hope the sex doesn’t go as fast as the tempo or she is going to be sorely disappointed. I love the keyboards at the end as they don’t show prominently anywhere else in the song but here and it adds a new texture to it like maybe they are done with their night and this is them relaxing, smoking a cigarette afterwards.

Continue reading “My Sunday Song – “A Night To Remember” By Slade” →

A LEBRAINLESS PANEL WITH NEW ARRIVALS, JAZZ, HARD ROCK AND METAL ON GRAB A STACK OF ROCK

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic6 Comments

Join me tonight while I guest on Grab a Stack of Rock…see below…

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

Episode 52:  Jex, Aaron, John and Metal Roger!

First order of business:  Get well soon, Harrison!  The Mad Metal Man is unable to co-host tonight’s episode, so filling in for him will be Jex Russell.

I don’t know precisely what the guys will be showing off, but new arrivals are guaranteed!  We will see Kiss, Metallica, Billy Idol, The Who, Chuck Berry and a whole whack of fresh jazz from Mr. Books.

The panel tonight:

  • Hosted by: Jex Russell from Jex’s Vinyl World
  • Jazz provided by Aaron “Mr. Books” of the KMA
  • John T. Snow from The Collection on the hard rock side of things
  • And Metal Roger on comedy relief and heavy metal

Historically speaking, this is the first ever episode of Grab A Stack of Rock with Mike and the Mad Metal Man, without Mike or the Mad Metal Man.  But fear not, Mike will be back on Monday with Tim Durling for a very special Journey episode for Jon Cain’s birthday!

Friday Feb 23 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 9:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube, or Twitter!!  (Facebook has been problematic of late.)