Tag: Mike McCready

Ace Frehley – The 21st Century Singles Collection: 2009-2020 – Box Set Review

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MNRK Records has been going a little overboard with the Ace Frehley collection in releasing so many different color variants of his vinyl that it borderlines on the ridiculous. How many copies do you really need. Me…one!! But they have a done a couple cool things with The Space Cassette Collection and now a Singles Collection. These are at least different formats and not the same vinyl with a different color or cover. I finally picked up the Singles Collection, but only because of a massive price drop. The set was way overpriced at $125 which I think is nuts for what you get. I saw someone post on Facebook that there was a huge sale on it and so I went and snatched a copy. The price had dropped to only $40 and now it is worth the price for what you get.

There are seven 7″ Singles all with picture sleeves and colored vinyl. You get at least one single from each album starting with his 2009 comeback album ‘Anomaly’ and going all the way up to his most recent album, the 2020 covers album, ‘Origins, Vol. 2’. Most of the albums get only one single, but ‘Origins, Vol. 1’ and ‘Spaceman’ get two singles. And I think those are two of the better albums so it makes sense to me.

We won’t go in to detail of each song, but we will post pictures of everything you are getting so you have an idea of what you are really getting in the box set in case you want to buy it. You also get a digital download card of the songs and I won’t post that picture because that is my card and I don’t want anyone using it before I do. I hope you enjoy the walk through the set.

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My Sunday Song – “Hunger Strike” by Temple of the Dog

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For My Sunday Song #335, we are tackling “Hunger Strike” by Temple of the Dog. The song was off their debut and only album, 1991’s Temple of the Dog. It was the first single and reached #4 on the US Mainstream Rock Chart. A song that was written by Chris Cornell and he thought it was only filler for the album and suddenly became their biggest hit. We could write a whole story on the band, but we will stick with just the song.

The band was Chris Cornell, Jeff Ament, Steve Gossard, Mike McCready and Matt Cameron. They got together to honor their friend Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone who died a year earlier. Chris pulled this song out and Mike McCready thought it was a beautiful song. The song is about the inequalities amongst people. How some people get everything they want and it is handed to them on a silver platter while others scrap by, barely able to make ends meet or can’t make ends meet. He feels that the rich are stealing from the others that don’t have. He understands he is in that position where he can do something and wants to do a hunger strike until everyone has equality. He will become Robin Hood and steal that bread from the rich to help the poor. It is a great sentiment, but one that sadly has never been fixed as it is even more of a problem today.

Eddie Vedder joins Chris on vocals but that wasn’t the plan. Eddie was in the studio helping with backing vocals when he saw Chris struggling on the really low notes and with balls of steel, got up out of his chair went up to the mic and started singing. Chris thought it was gutsy and brilliant because it worked on so many levels are their voices play so well off each other and for me is the highlight of the song. I also love the guitar parts as there is this particular twang around the choruses that sounds so cool. The drumming is great, the rhythm section is fantastic and this is one of my favorite songs of Chris’ and of the 90’s. Brilliant track!

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Pearl Jam – MTV Unplugged (Record Store Day Exclusive) – Album Review

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For Record Store Day Black Friday 2019, I got up bright and early to go stand in line for some Exclusive vinyls and most notably was for Matt Nathanson’s 2007 album ‘Some Mad Hope’.  This was the first time that record was to be released on vinyl.  Another exclusive I wanted was Pearl Jam’s MTV Unplugged appearance from 1992 finally being released on vinyl.  And I’ll be honest, this is the FIRST Pearl Jam album I have actually bought on vinyl…I know, crazy right!!  But what a way to start.

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The album was recorded in 1992 right after the end of the Tour for their debut album ‘Ten’ and a set list that covers that album quite nicely, you are treated to one mesmerizing and very special performance.  When I watched this back in the day, I realized than that the guys were pretty freaking great.  I was not a Grunge fan at all as I come from the 80’s and the whole 80’s Rock scene. Grunge was blasphemy.  But there was something about this show that resonated and when I saw it was coming out on vinyl,  it was a no-brainer.

The packaging is a beautiful gatefold for only 1 LP which I always love to see.

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Ace Frehley – “Bronx Boy” – 12″ Single

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Back in April 2018, Ace Frehley released his first single from his upcoming (yet unannounced) album.  The day was actually April 27th which was Ace’s birthday…do you think they planned that??  This the first new track since his 2014 album ‘Space Invaders’.  He did have a new album back in 2016, but it was a cover’s album so nothing new there.

The reception of the new music was so great, that a special limited edition 12″ Single has now been released (3 months later).  They had no intentions of releasing a physical copy of the song, but the people spoke and Ace & the record company listened and BAM!!  Physical product.

I was able to pick up one of these Limited Numbered Edition 12″ Singles with the White/Black Marble vinyl.  And they weren’t kidding about being numbered.  I am #3701 out of #4000, I believe.

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The new song “Bronx Boy” is a heavy guitar driven track…what else would you expect, it is Ace “freakin’ Frehley.  There is a raw, grittiness to the song that harkens back to his early days growing up in the Bronx, New York.  The song opens with a quick, nasty guitar riff and jumps right into the vocals describing Ace’s life as a “street kid” and his “street life”.  The vocals are rough and classic Ace which is what is great about the song.  Plus, the guitar solo is what we know and love from the Spaceman and he doesn’t disappoint.

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