June has seen some big releases a few that I am really enjoying and might end up in my Top 10 list of records for the year. This week has a ton of releases, although nothing I’m running out and buying just yet (if at all). There are a few I will stream such as the new Ayron Jones record as his last was pretty dang great. If this one is, I might be buying this one. There is also a Candlebox live album and a new Jason Mraz. If you are in to them, there is a new Portugal, The Man album and so much more. Check them out and let me know what you want to hear. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great weekend!
Ayron Jones – Chronicles of the Kid – (Big Machine Records / John Varvatos Records)
Candlebox – Live at the Neptune Theatre – (Pavement Music)
I have done a few of these already on the Best & Worst songs from every Judas Priest, Cheap Trick and Whitesnake albums. I really enjoyed doing those so I thought I would continue that process and this time we would go through every Kiss studio album (including the 4 solo albums) and see what is the best song and the worst one off each album as well. Kiss has 24 studio albums to go through so sit back, grab a drink and take it all in. Now, let’s preface this with the fact that these are my choices and not necessarily yours as we can have different opinions. My worst song could be your favorite and this is okay. We all like different things or this would be a very dull world. I hope you enjoy the list!! And we will go chronological if you were wondering.
‘KISS’ (1974)
THE BEST SONG – “BLACK DIAMOND”: On an album with so many ‘classic’ Kiss tunes, it was hard to pick. The album ends with one of the band’s best songs, “Black Diamond”. The song was written by Paul and he does sing on it, but is mostly sung by Peter. The songs starts off with a 12-string acoustic guitar and Paul sings the opening line and when he screams “Hit It!”, the song turns in to a blistering rock song with Peter taking over vocals. The song was written about New York and those ladies working on the street that they would fantasize about. Peter’s gravelly vocals gave the song such a powerful edge and he put so much heart and soul in to those vocals. Towards the end of the song, there is a brief musical interlude with Ace tearing it up on guitar and Peter laying down some fills all accompanied by that nasty bass riff from Gene before Peter lays down a final barrage of drum fills and then the song slowly, distortedly comes winding down to an end. It is dark and foreboding and so metal.
THE WORST SONG – “KISSIN’ TIME”: The worst is a cover of the Bobby Rydell Song “Kissin’ Time” which was written by Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe. It was recorded two months after the release and added a couple months after that to the album. The band was not happy about this at all, but they were pressured into recording it. Paul, Gene and Peter all sang on the song and it is just a shit song. It has that whole 50’s, early 60’s style and is not a wrong song. It is easy to hear that they didn’t want to be there singing this crap and that is why I want the original version so I don’t have to hear that song anymore.
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 this is the first one we will talk about. It is a soundboard recording from April 3, 1978 and recorded at the Pogo’s Night Club and Discotheque in Wichita, Kansas. The show was Pogo’s Catch a Rising Star which was a showcase for up and coming bands in the the 70’s. Van Halen had just released their debut album so you can’t get much more up and coming than that.
This show is David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony, Alex Van Halen and the late, great Eddie Van Halen and man were they young and hungry and this show definitely showcases that hunger. They play almost everything from the debut (minus two songs) and even a cover to end the show. David Lee Roth is in fine form as his banter with the crowd is worth the price of admission alone, but since you get Eddie’s guitar mastery it is icing on the top of the cake. I’m getting excited just talking about. Let’s crank this mutha and get in to the music. The label on the vinyl is pretty cool Some Steampunk guy standing there like he is introducing you to new the rising stars of Van Halen.
Jeff Scott Soto keeps cranking out the music whether solo or one of his many projects. This time around we are on Jeff’s 7th Solo album and it as with almost all his solo albums, it is on Frontiers Records. This time around he brought in a staple at Frontiers, Alessandro Del Vecchio, to produce, arrange, mix and master the album. He also helped with the songwriting and instrumentation as well. Wait, is this a Jeff solo album or an Alessandro album with Jeff singing? No, don’t worry, it is a Jeff solo album and that voice is on full display. And if you were around when this came out, you were excited because you were in the midst of the Covid pandemic and happy to get any album as so many bands were constantly delaying their albums in hopes the pandemic would end soon. But not Jeff. He was releasing albums and this one came out on November 6th, 2020.
The rest of the band on this album aside from Jeff and Alessandro was Fabrizio Sgattoni on guitar and damn he can play. Good friend Edu Cominato on drums who is also in Jeff’s band Soto so you know this musicians are top notch. And to make this album even more appealing, there is a bonus disc of Jeff’s digital only release (up to this point) Loud & Live in Milan 2019 which we reviewed last week.
The album opens with a solid rocker called “Someone to Love” and it blasts out of the gate with Soto’s soaring vocals in overdrive. The guitar playing by Frabrizio is to notch and with the accompanying rhythm section that drives the song home, you get a brilliant opener. The song slides in to “Mystified” with Edu slaying the drums and giving us a driving beat throughout. Jeff again sounds great and while the song is another rocker, it is a little forgettable and doesn’t quite go where you think it is. Aside from another killer little guitar solo, the overall song left me a little wanting more as there was no big payoff with the chorus or anything really.
You made it through another week and you should celebrate by getting yourself some new music. Luckily for you, I have a list of a lot of new releases that come out today and there are some goodies in here. There a few I’ll listen to this week as I will see if I still don’t like Queens of the Stone Age by listening to their new one. I think I’ll enjoy Joel Hoekstra’s 13 new album even if Jeff Scott Soto isn’t doing main vocals…and lastly, probably blow through the Finger Eleven’s Greatest Hits album and of course The Alarm’s new one as well. Let me know what you want to hear this week or what we may have missed so everyone can know. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!
Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman… – (Matador Records)
Joel Hoekstra’s 13 – Crash of Life (Feat. Girish Pradhan) – (Frontiers Records)
Kiss has been killing it with live releases and the ‘Off the Soundboard’ Series. It was a brilliant idea for them to take control of their live shows and rather than not make any money with all the bootlegs out there, but to release their own bootleg versions of these shows. This is the 5th one I believe and might be one of the cooler ones they’ve done. It was recorded in Poughkeepsie, NY on November 28, 1984 at the Mid-Hudson Civic Arena. Wait, this is their 5th one, which means there are still 2 I haven’t reviewed yet. I need to get on that. Well, back to this. What makes this one so special? It is because the guitarists on the album is Mark St. John. The band at the time also had original members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley as well as Peter Criss’ replacement Eric Carr on drums. Now, by this time, Eric is considered a regular and not the new guy anymore. And one of the nicest guys ever.
Mark was hired after they let Vinnie Vincent go because they didn’t feel he deserved the contract that Vinnie thought he deserved and thank goodness they didn’t. Mark recorded the guitars on the ‘Animalize’ album and immediately let the world know this was not the same old Kiss. And with these Kiss songs played live, Mark adds his own flair and isn’t out there to copy anybodies parts. Nope, not at all. This show is Mark doing it his way.
Sadly, Mark had developed reactive arthritis which caused his hands and arms to swell making playing very difficult. He went out on tour with the band and the band also brought along Bruce Kulick to be the back-up guitarist if Mark couldn’t play. It turned out that Mark was only able to play on 3 of the Kiss shows and this was one of them. That’s right, they actually have the recording of one of the shows with Mark and that is what makes this set so cool. I already have a bootleg from this tour, but my show has Bruce on it. I also saw this tour and that show had Bruce in it. That is why I think this set is so freaking cool. Great job Kiss!!
For the 2022 Insiders Club, Needtobreathe changed things up. They were no longer going to release a physical product and only do the Digital Songs only. I stopped being a member right then and there as I want a physical product. Well, I think the backlash was swift and loud as a few months in to the year, that all changed. They decided that there will be a new tier level in the Insiders Club, more expensive of course, but a physical product would be given. This time around instead of only a CD, you will get an autographed vinyl copy as well. They still have the digital songs, which are different then the ones on here. The new CD and Vinyl are now a Best of The Insiders giving us the 10 best songs from the 8 years of The Insiders CD series started. The 1st Edition came in March 2023 almost a year after the announcement, but the band was smart as they went ahead and worked on the 2023 Edition at the same time they were working on the 2022 Edition. We received this vinyl in April 2023. We reviewed the 1st Edition last week so now it is time to review the 2nd Edition.
This time around, we only get 9 songs but you have to remember they are trying to fit them on easily on a vinyl with only a set amount of time, so I’m okay with only 9 songs. We did get the CD again which is unsigned bunch of other goodies including a calendar, some magnets of the band members and even a small notebook and a turntable mat. Lots of cool stuff, but nothing more cool than the autographed copy of the vinyl. Like the first one, this is a very limited quantity as it was exclusive to the Insiders Club VIP group which is more expensive so you figure there are fewer people. Let us get to the music, shall we…
Every year, I believe, Frontiers Records holds a festival with their artists getting up and playing a set. It was the Frontiers Rock Festival VI. It is a brilliant idea because they can take those sets and release albums or bonus material and it is all recorded at the same time so costs are cheaper. And fans are treated to a really great line-up and a great show each and every time. This particular Jeff Scott Soto was recorded at the 2019 show in Milan.
Fast forward to March 2020 and COVID hits. The world basically shuts down. No albums are getting a physical release, no touring is happening…nothing is happening. Frontiers does a brilliant move while waiting for the whole COVID thing to end, they decide to release a Jeff Scott Soto show digitally. And on April 27, 2020, we are greeted with the new album Loud & Live in Milan 2019. That date is signficant because it is the one year anniversary of the show which was April 27, 2019.
I was excited to have something because Amazon wasn’t going to be delivering much of anything as far as physical product, so I got this one. I will admit I was a little disappointed not having a physical product, but by November 6, 2020 that would change. Jeff finished his next solo album, ‘Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)’, and as a bonus disc, we were given this show on DVD, which of course I have. Now, let’s talk about this show since that is why we are here.
Jeff performed only a 10 song, 40 minute set, but what you get is worth every minute of your time. This a Jeff Scott Soto legacy set which is songs from through out his solo career with minor exceptions. The band is quite stellar as well as you get some SOTO regulars with BJ on bass, Edu Cominato on Drums and Leo Mancini on guitar.
Happy Friday! I am so excited as this is the one week I’ve really been waiting for most of the year (or at least since the albums were announced). There are two albums that for me are the ones I’ve look forward to most of all. Paul Laine’s new album his Danger Danger bandmates and that is The Defiants’ new album ‘Drive’. The bands third studio album and have high hopes. The other album I’m excited by is the new Extreme album, simply titled Six. It has been way too long since their last one. Can’t wait to hear Nuno shred!! There are also a bunch of reissues this week and on some big albums from Niall Horan, Janelle Monae, Jason Isbell and so many more…and yes Frontiers Records has a bunch as is very common. Now, let me know what you want to hear or what we may have missed. Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a great and wonderful weekend.
The Defiants – Drive – (Frontiers Records)
Extreme – Six – (earMusic / Edel Music & Entertainment)
If there is one thing I love to find and that is Kiss Bootlegs. I was out on Record Store Day, in line to check out with my RSD vinyl when I looked down and to my left and at the bottom of this shelf were a handful of bootlegs. 2 Van Halen boots and 1 Kiss. Well, all three are mine now and first up we have the Kiss Bootleg, Alive! in Amityville 1973. It was recorded at the Daisy in Amityville, NY on June 16, 1973. It says it is an audience recording, but I’ve read else where it is a soundboard recording, but either way…it is a recording and I have it. The sound quality is actually quite good as it has been remastered and repaired as it says on the back cover.
The really cool thing about this album is that this is about 8 months before the debut album ‘Kiss’ came out in 1974. You can’t get much earlier than this with Kiss recordings. Except maybe the Coventry shows. This is the original line-up of Gene Simons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. The band didn’t form until late January 1973, so we are only 6 months in to the life of this band. A lot of these songs you know as they did get released, but not all of them made to recording stages. Heck, the band hasn’t even been signed yet and Bill Aucoin isn’t even in the picture at this point. Really cool stuff. Let’s check this show out.
SIDE 1:
First up is the song “Nothin’ to Lose” and it sounds like the song from the debut. You have both Gene and Peter and they attack this song with a vicious ferocity. The lyrics don’t match up perfectly and it seems a little scattered as some of the arrangement does differ from the final studio version, but you do recognize it for what it is. The band is killing it as you can feel the energy and excitement in their playing.
The strange thing is that Peter seems to do most of the talking between songs. He does a great job, but it is weird not hearing Paul. Then we get the song “Firehouse” which seems to have Gene and Paul on vocals. The song sounds like you’d expect, but it isn’t quite the same. There is a strange scream before the chorus, and extra long drum part and the guitar solo from Ace sounds nothing like the one from the studio version. They didn’t have a siren so the end is Peter hitting the cymbals to make that sound. But still so cool to hear it played this way.
The next track is one I’ve never heard before, ever. It is called “Life in the Woods” and it is almost 8 minutes of riffing as it is a guitar heavy song. It was originally titled “Want You Beside” and written by Paul. The song has Paul yelling at the crowd to get up and get moving. There are a lot of harmonies at the beginning with Paul and Peter and then the band comes full force in. There is a break in it where they are screaming “Life in the Woods” and honestly I don’t know who is singing it as it doesn’t sound like any of the guys. And Peter seems to take over the vocals at the end and let’s out an F Bomb at the end. It is a strange song and doesn’t sound like they really know what to do with it as it is all over the place. I don’t think the song really works well and within a month or so, they stopped playing this one which is great because it is awful.
The final track on side 1 is the old Wicked Lester song “Simple Type”. This one I have heard before and have the studio version of the track on a bootleg or two. Ace opens this one with a great riff and then they lay down a cool groove while Ace throws out riffs all over the place. The studio song is less than 3 minutes I believe but this goes on for over 7 minutes. You have both Paul and Gene on vocals and I have to admit this doesn’t sound like the “Simple Type” song I remember from other bootlegs. This one is more of a rocker and the guys are letting all hang out on this one. Ace is really tearing things up here. What drags this song for 7 minutes is the cool jam section and I like to see the boys do that. Now, on the vocals so far, it seems like most of the songs have had two different people in each song singing…this would later become, one song, one voice except for may “Rock & Roll All Nite” and very few others. It’s nice to see more of a band focus here.
SIDE 2:
The first song up is “Acrobat” which is a part of two songs one of which would become “Love Theme from Kiss” off the debut and the other is called “Much Too Young” which was a Gene idea that never materialized. Most of the song is an instrumental, but there are some lyrics with the “Much Too Young” part. Mid way through, Peter gets a drum break and then Ace gets to let loose as well. If you have the Kiss Box Set, this recording of “Acrobat” is in there and it is attributed to the August Daisy shows, but there is some disagreement on that front. I don’t know or care which is true.
Next up is the classic song “Deuce” and this will sound familiar. It is basically the album version, but maybe some tweaks to the ending. Come on, you know it isn’t going to match perfectly. Gene is on vocals, liked you’d expect, and he tears it up. It is Gene, all dark and menacing. This feels like the Kiss I know and love.
“100,000 Years” is another off the debut album and you get what you expect here. You get Gene’s opening bass line which is so recognizable and then Paul comes in on vocals. Paul’s vocals are stellar and hits those high notes perfectly. And then throw in Ace’s blistering guitar work and you have a masterpiece. The biggest difference is Paul’s lyrics at the end are completely different and he even tells the woman he’s speaking to in the lyrics to give him head!! Okay, that’s different.
The famous guitar lick kicks in and you know it is time for “Watchin’ You”. Gene’s on vocals and they are a little rough as he’s screaming too loud in to the mic at first, but it gets better. This song sounds like the final version and it is such a killer tune and great to hear live.
The final track we have here is “Let Me Know” which sees Gene and Paul trade off on the vocals. It is a fun song and a little more poppy. It is basically the old song “Sunday Driver” which Paul had written. I really like this song and I love it when those two trade off on vocals. It is something they should’ve done more of through their career.
And there you have it. Another cool piece in Kisstory. I will point out that this bootleg of the show appears to be missing the songs “Black Diamond” and “Strutter” so if I ever find another version of this show and those two songs are on it, I’ll have to grab it. Otherwise, this set is awesome. I really love it. The sound quality is actually phenomenal so whatever they did to clean it up worked beautifully. I can see myself pulling this one out again and again. My Overall Score is a 5.0 out of 5.0 Stars. There is nothing negative I really have to say about this one. Yeah, “Life in the Woods” isn’t a great song, but how cool is it to have a recording of it when the band never actually recorded this song. If you see this one, you need to grab it.
Ayron Jones – Chronicles of the Kid – (Big Machine Records / John Varvatos Records)
Candlebox – Live at the Neptune Theatre – (Pavement Music)
Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman… – (Matador Records)
Joel Hoekstra’s 13 – Crash of Life (Feat. Girish Pradhan) – (Frontiers Records)
The Defiants – Drive – (Frontiers Records)
Extreme – Six – (earMusic / Edel Music & Entertainment)
2 Loud 2 Old Music 