Aerosmith – ‘Live! Bootleg’ (1978) – Album Review (The Aerosmith Collection Series)

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The band had been recording / touring and recording / touring non-stop for years now and it was taking its toll. The drug use was rampant as Tyler and Perry became known as the “Toxic Twins” if that gives you any indication of the toxicity of their drug use and relationship. The record company and management felt the band needed a break so they decided to put out a live album. I believe the record company wanted a clean, studio overdubbed album like every other band was doing at the time, but the band wanted it to sound real and raw.

Luckily for us, the band won out and we got a rough and raw record that was more representative of how the band really sounds live. They even took it a step further and made the album cover look cheap and dirty like a real bootleg album would look. You have coffee rings on the back cover and everything looks stamped and very unprofessional. One great thing about bootlegs are they are usually riddle with mistakes so the band purposely left the song “Draw the Line” off the setlist although it is really after the song “Mother Popcorn”. They were meticulous to make it look like a real bootleg. And to go even further with the bootleg theme, they recorded a couple songs on to a cassette and used that version so you get a slight hiss like a cassette usually has. I love the authenticity they were shooting for on this record.

The band pieced together songs from numerous shows over 1977 and 1978. They also threw in 2 songs from a radio broadcast from 1973 and those songs are obvious as they don’t sound anything like the other tracks and it does disrupt the live feel they established over the rest of the album, but we will get to that later. The album includes the same ol’ crew of Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer but that would soon come to an end…more on that with the next review.

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‘Stories to Tell: A Memoir” by Richard Marx – Book Review

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I have read a lot of books about bands and rock stars and I am a little tired of the sex, drugs and Rock & Roll aspect of the whole thing. It is the same old, same old. I like to read the fun stories that are interesting, smart and I enjoy the stories behind the songs or even the artists writing style and what motivates them. If you are the same way, then this book is what you need to read. Richard Marx brings us a book about his life and believe it or not, he had a great childhood, loving parents, he doesn’t do drugs and never had the wild sex-filled tours and you know what, that is okay because what he gives us are intelligent stories, tons of humor and a lot of behind the scenes looks at the numerous stars he has worked with and songs he has written.

Before I get to that, let us look at the book itself. The copy I purchased was a bundle. It came with an autographed copy of the book as you can see below. I also paired it with a greatest hits CD which is 1 CD full of his hits and another full of demos, rare tracks and a collection of songs he wrote for other people, but this time with him singing and not the artist he wrote it for…really cool. Oh yeah, and the CD came with a signed booklet as well. Really cool stuff…okay, back to the review.

Richard took the down time with Covid to bring us a detailed telling of his life in music…not his personal life. We do get some of it, but mostly it is about the music. Richard is real private about his family but does give us glimpses, however, this is about the rock star. And let me tell you he has worked with some mega stars and is friends with some as well. We learn how he got started in the business by being a background singer for numerous people but got his break with Lionel Richie. He also works with Kenny Rogers and writes a song for him that gave him his first #1 song in country music. But that is the only tip of the iceberg.

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ZZ Top – “Rough Boy” – 12″ Single

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The same time I found the Bon Jovi Single from last week’s post, I found a UK Pressing on a 12″ Single for the song “Rough Boy” from ZZ Top. The song is off their 1985 album, ‘Afterburner’, and was the album’s third single. It went to #5 in the Album Rock Tracks chart and #22 on the Top 40. The UK single went to #23 on their charts.

The UK pressing is a 45 RPM single on 12″ Vinyl and contained a second A side song called “Delirious” off ‘Afterburner’ as well. Both versions are the LP version and not a special mix that I can tell. The B-Side, however, is a special version. It is for the song, “Legs”, off the ‘Eliminator’ album and is called the “Metal Mix”.

There is another UK Version of this single that comes with a poster, sadly, this is not that version. But I am okay with it as it is still a cool find for me and I love getting UK versions of releases.

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Katy Perry – The Albums Ranked Worst to First

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I know, I know…if you read this blog regularly you know this is completely out of left field for the site. Katy Perry actually has a special place in my heart. Her first three Katy Perry albums were when my kids were really little. They loved her and would act out the songs almost daily and we have some great videos capturing those special moments. And when we were in the car, they would sing at the top of their lungs when her songs came out. As a result, when I hear those songs today, it takes me back to those amazingly fun times with my kids. She has been able to imprint a memory with her songs and that is hard to do. My oldest is away and at college and I have to say I miss her terribly. So to keep her in my thoughts, I figured why not rank all Katy’s albums from worst to first.

You might not know that Katy Perry came out with her first album back in 2001 when she was Katy Hudson and a Christian singer, then she became a sugary, sweet pop princess and for awhile she ruled the airwaves. Now she’s a judge on American Idol and she still puts out albums, but the massive fame and craziness has slowed down a little (at least on the radio). Like her or not, she was the driving force in the industry and what she did, people noticed and paid attention.

We are only going to go through her studio albums, no live albums or E.P.’s or any compilations (which I am not sure she has one yet). So sit back, relax and I hope you enjoy and maybe learn something new.

THE WORST: Katy Hudson (2001):

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My Sunday Song – “One Passenger” by Rick Springfield

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For My Sunday Song #272, we are discussing “One Passenger” by Rick Springfield off his 2008 album ‘Venus in Overdrive”. The album peaked at #28 on the Billboard Charts, but the song was never a single. It is however, a favorite of mine on the album. Thanks to ‘Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance’, I was really in to his music again and was excited when this came out. Although not quite as good as ‘SDAA’, it was still an exceptional album and this song helped.

What I love about the song is that is sort of a conversation with God…or whatever your definition of God is. Through the lyrics he is showing his disillusionment with life in general and asking God as to why? Why are we here and what is the meaning of all that we go through. When you listen to it, you feel his loneliness in the world, his regret, his heartache and understand why he is questioning his existence. It is quite lovely and heartbreaking at the same time when you sit and listen.

Musically, it seems pretty simple. It is not a rocker, but does pick up the pace during the chorus. It is a pop song through and through with a driving beat and there is a nice bass groove that keeps the song moving. Rick sings it in a very calm demeanor which I think hints at a tremendous sadness without sounding too morose. There is a dichotomy in the music which is a little more upbeat then the lyrics would make you believe and I always find that mix very intriguing and probably why I’m drawn to it.

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POSITIVITY AND INSPIRATION: DAN FILA ON THE LEBRAIN TRAIN

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This was a fully loaded episode folks!  Thanks to Mike Ladano for having me and thanks to special guest Dan Fila…and surprise guest Shawn Minden!

Here are some of the facts/stories/news/scoops ahead:

  • Hooking up with Sven Gali
  • The lowdown on a brand new Sven album
  • New songs coming with the assistance of Mr. Andy Curran [SCOOP!]
  • Maybe even a leaked song title
  • Playing some Maiden and Priest…soon!
  • Dan’s craft, educating, and being a positive influence
  • Dan’s influences and seeing them live
  • Practice practice practice
  • Varga
  • Working with David Bendeth
  • Hypodust
  • An endorsement with Pearl Drums
  • Anvil
  • and of course Neil Peart

Dan, thanks so much for sharing your time and stories.  Hope to talk again soon!

Friday New Releases – November 5, 2021

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  • 51yv4yWl25L._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Abba – Voyage – (Universal Music / 1221 AB / Polar Music): If you thought things were bad with the pandemic, they are, but you know the world is doomed when we actually get a new Abba album. Who had that on their Pandemic Bingo Card??? After 40 years, our prayers have been answered or is it our nightmares came true…not sure which. Still, who doesn’t want to hear the new Abba album. I’ll give it a spin…why not!!! Things can’t get worse, can they?????
  • 81ksIKEj15L._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Crazy Lixx – Street Lethal – (Frontiers Records): Sweden is the hottest Glam Rock country in the world. They have given us hundreds, if not thousands, of Glam Rock bands over the years and one of the really cool ones. Always worth a listen!!
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The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike & John – Episode 86 – Dan Fila

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In the early 90s, there were a number of great bands from southern Ontario that rattled Mike’s speakers pretty hard.  Two of those bands were Sven Gali and Varga, who had their videos on rotation both on MuchMusic and in his personal VHS collection as well.  Today, one man occupies the drum stool for both bands, and that man is Dan! 

Please join Mike Ladano and Me, John Snow. tonight as we welcome Dan Fila to the show. We’ll be quizzing him on both bands as well his another industrial rock project called Hypodust.  We’ll be talking drums.  We’ll be taking questions.  This is no “Prototype”, this is as real as “Now”! 

Join us live tonight! Friday November 5, 7:00 PM E.S.T. on Facebook: MikeLeBrain and YouTube: Mike LeBrain.

Cheap Trick – ‘Found All The Parts E.P.’ (1980) – Album Review (The Cheap Trick Collection Series)

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The 70’s were a huge decade for Cheap Trick. In just three short years, we were blessed with four studio albums and one of the greatest live albums of all time with ‘Cheap Trick at Budokan’. Not a bad run. Now we are in to the 80’s and this album was sort of a way to end the 70’s with a nice little bonus. The four-song E.P. was released on 10″ Vinyl and was part of Epic Records series called Nu-Disk, but that series was rather short-lived and I don’t know if I’ve found another album from that series.

If I remember correctly, it was believed that some of the songs on here were from a Cheap Trick album that was canned and never released, especially when more songs from this time frame were released as bonus tracks on other releases/compilations down the road. I believe there were 7 other tracks with all but 1 being released. However, I don’t think that was ever confirmed or denied. Most likely, they were working on an album and decided to shift gears in to a new direction which then became the album ‘All Shook Up’ which we will get to next time.

The album was released on June 2, 1980 and contained four tracks. Side 1 were both live songs (cough, cough, sort of) and side 2 were brand new studio tracks (thus the rumors mentioned above). I don’t see any chart information on them so not sure how well the E.P. did, but doesn’t matter to me as I love finding this kind of stuff.

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Stone Temple Pilots – ‘Tiny Music…Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop’ (25th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) – Album Review

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The band’s third album saw a dramatic change in their music. Gone was the grunge and rock sound of their first two albums and in its place was a more experimental sound that was a mix of glam and psychedelic, but still rooted in the STP vibe. The band rented a mansion in Santa Barbara, California where they holed up with producer Brendan O’Brien and on March 26, 1996, ‘Tiny Music…Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop’ was born. And there is nothing “tiny” about it. It is huge in sound and in packaging. The album went all the way to #4 on the Billboard charts and spawned 3 #1 songs on the Mainstream Rock Charts. I would say it was fairly successful selling over 2 million copies in the U.S. alone.

And here we are 25 years later celebrating the album with a Super Deluxe Edition done in the same style as the first two albums ‘Core’ and ‘Purple’ which you can check out their Super Deluxe Editions by clicking on their album name. I have to say, they are great sets to have and I can’t wait for ‘No. 4’ as I hear there is some great stuff unreleased for that album.

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