Thin Lizzy – Are You Ready? DVD – Live 1981

I’ve had the bootleg version of this 1981 Rockpalast show for many years and am glad to see that it’s finally coming out officially.  It’s a great show.  It always made me giggle that the bootleg had Angel of Death listed as “Desaster”.  It made me giggle even more to see that the official version kept the title the same.

If you like Thin Lizzy, this is a must have.  Snowy White on guitars with Gorham.  Lots of cool tracks on here too like Memory Pain(!!!), Got To Give It Up, Hollywood, Desaster and Chinatown.  Can’t wait to get the official version in my hands.  Release date in the USA is November 10, 2009.

1. Are You Ready?
2. Genocide (The Killing Of The Buffalo)
3. Waiting For An Alibi
4. Jailbreak
5. Trouble Boys
6. Don’t Believe A Word
7. Memory Pain
8. Got To Give It Up
9. Chinatown
10. Hollywood (Down On Your Luck)
11. The Cowboy Song
12. The Boys Are Back In Town
13. Suicide
14. Black Rose (Roisin Dubh A Rock Legend)
15. Sugar Blues
16. Baby Drives Me Crazy
17. Rosalie
18. Desaster
19. Emerald

Buy it from your local indie record store or online at DeepDiscount.com.  Great prices and always free shipping.

AT WAR – Infidel – CD Review

It was 1987 when I first met and saw these guys.  I was with Big Bill and Kirshon and I think we were at the keg party on Potter’s Rd seeing Ratchet.  I saw them live shortly thereafter and was just blown away.  Pure American thrash.  They were good friends with another band from that area that I loved, O.T.T., so I got to see and hang out with these guys often.  I believe I may have only seen them live twice, which was a pity since they were local homeboys.

It was pretty exciting for me when Paul sat in with my Motorhead tribute band and sang The Hammer.  What an honor!  It’s really only been in recent years that I really got to know those guys and again, it’s a pity that I don’t live near them these days.  Paul and I have become great pals and I got to hang with him here in Austin quite a bit a few months ago when he came in for a visit.  What a blast!  He’s still a maniac.  I love it.

But I guess I am here to talk about their latest album, Infidel.  All of us have been asking those guys for years when they would get back together and do another album.  We always heard the same thing, “It’s coming.”  Sure, Paul.  It had been coming for 20 years!

But then it happened.  Boom.  At War got on Myspace.  Started posting news about recording an album with the world famous Alex Perialas.  The buzz got going and I was excited that they were really doing it.

So when the record came out, I pulled the rock star card and emailed Paul with “Where’s my copy?”  It was said facetiously as anyone who knows me knows I always buys CDs and even hate being on the guest list for a band.  Those folks aren’t playing for free, ya know?  But Paul sent me one anyway.  It was nice to see my name in the special thanks, albeit undeservedly.

So I put the album on right when it came in.  BOOM!

AT WAR!  Infidel!

Fourteen seconds of noise and then it’s Paul Arnold in your face on the opener Assassins.  Hot damn, this sounds like At War!  I’ve listened to this about 15 times now and there’s not a stinker in the bunch.  If you’ve ever liked At War, then you still will.  This really picks up where they left off 22 years ago, except with better production.

It’s difficult for a band that gets back together to record 15+ plus years after the fact and to be able to retain the level of good metal that they once had.  At War did it with this one.  To be truthful I like this one even better than their previous albums.  I really don’t think I am being biased at all.  This album kills.  It’s At Wars perfect blend of Venom, Motorhead and their own touch of thrash that really always set them a bit apart of other thrash bands of their time.

So…Nice work Paul, Shawn and Dave!  Now bring the show to Austin, you fuckers!

Visit them on Myspace.

Colin Hay – Concert Review – 101409 – Austin, TX

As noted before, I’m a huge Men At Work fan. I found out the day of this show that Colin was playing at the tiny little Cactus Cafe on the campus of UT.  This place is typically a first come, first served so I got there early.  Being the dork that I am, I brought my CD covers (previously signed by Greg Hamm) for the only 3 Men At Work albums.  I used to have some of Colin’s solo CDs but his solo work never did much for me.

I was one of the first few people there and ended up meeting a guy who had also just found out about the show.  Super nice guy, screenwriter.  We talked for quite a while before they let us in and then sat together.  The cactus only holds about 50 people and this show didn’t sell out.  Criminal!!!

Colin got on stage and instantly just started telling stories, very funny stories.  Intermingled with his storytelling he also played some music.  Truthfully I think he may have only played 8 or 9 songs, but it didn’t matter.  His stories were very engaging and absolutely hilarious, even if a bit embellished here and there.

The only Men At Work songs that he played were Down Under, Who Can It Be Now and the closer Overkill.  I admit to getting a little choked up when he played that song.  It’s always been one of those songs from one of those eras, ya know?  I would like to have heard a few others that I think would have done well acoustically, but hey, it’s not my show.

He played practically flawlessly and his voice was still powerful and stayed crisp the whole night.  He’s a solid player on guitar.  I was impressed.

After the show he said he’d come out and do a quick meet and greet.  Of course I stuck around (groupie!).  Only about 10-15 people stuck around to say hi and I just waited at the end of the line.  When he got to me, he looked at my stack of CD covers and I think it was pretty blatant that I wasn’t a fan of his almost 10 albums of solo works.  He asked who had previously signed them  and I told him about the show in Virginia Beach in 1999.  He recalled the show as “Upstairs venue?  Hot as hell?”  He nailed it.  He was very amiable and I just thanked him and told him how much those 3 albums meant to me as a kid and even now as an adult.  He thanked me, shook my hand and looked at my shirt and said, “Black Sabbath, eh?  Good on ya, mate.”  We snapped a quick foto and I shook his hand one mroe time and left.

It was very special for me.  I’d certainly go see him again.  His comedy routine is worth the price alone.  Add in his music and it’s a double bonus night!

Tommy Pons – Artist

Great artist (Dangerous Toys, KISS, etc), fellow resident of Austin, TX and fellow Steelers fan.

Check out his new blog.

And his other site.

Watchtower – Energetic Disassembly (1985)

I remember clearly the first time I saw this on cassette.  It was at the Music Man at Military Circle Mall in Norfolk, VA.  The cover was upside down as compared to how the majority of cassette j-cards were printed.  It always struck me as odd but I always felt it was intentional, especially after listening to this album at least 100 times since I first heard it.  It certainly turned my mind upside down several times.

My friends and I were pretty shocked by this one.  Most of us were into thrash ala Overkill’s Feel the Fire, Anthrax, Testament etc…but this was something different.  Something special even.

The album opens with a frenetic frantic pace with crazy guitar riffs, insane bass lines and hyperactive drumming.  They don’t stop until the end of the album.  Mix all of this with Jason McMaster’s incredible vocals that cut through all of this madness and you have a perfect technical thrash album…perhaps the first truly technical thrash album.  Some may debate that one but for me, this is the first.

While I love every song on this album, my absolute favorites are Tyrants In Distress, Violent Change, Meltdown and Argonne Forest.  The whole band really seems to just be together and well-rehearsed.  Billy White (f. Don Dokken), Doug Keyser and Rick Colaluca just flat out lay it down on this album.  Period.

I still don’t feel that this album gets enough respect although some of the major metal players loved them such as Chuck Schuldiner (RIP) and Dream Theater.  Watchtower set the standard early for technical metal.  Their popularity is Europe still seems to be pretty strong as I believe they’re playing one of the Euro-Metal fests in 2010.  It seems that they are still pretty huge in Greece.

While Control and Resistance was a good follow-up and was partially written by Billy White, a lot changed in their sound.  Ron Jarzombek (Spastic Ink) and Allan Tecchio (Hades, Non-Fiction) do a fine job, but the loss of Jason McMaster and Billy White took them down a slightly different progressive thrash metal path.  Both albums are certainly worth owning, but I have always preferred the debut.

Watchtower is in the studio recording a new album with McMaster on vocals (!!!) and I can’t wait to hear the whole thing.  Hopefully I’ll finally get to see them live.

Living here in Austin, TX now, it is great to see how much that band is loved and respected around here.  It gives me a warm tingly feeling.  It’s also pretty incredible for me to have McMaster in my Motorhead tribute band.  He’s a talented musician all the way around and bring a lot of energy to the band on rhythm guitar and backing vocals.  Certainly one of my musical idols.

If you don’t own Energetic Disassembly and you like thrash, prog-metal, RUSH on steroids, you need to own this one.

Just do it.

“Breakdown, warning – Nuclear nightmare, reality”

Motorhead…MOTORHEAD!

To be truthful, I’m still only a relatively new fan of Motorhead.  I never really checked them out in the 80s and never owned anything by them until the 1916 album, which I love.  I first saw them live in 1993 and really only went to see Mikkey Dee and got to hang out with him quite a bit that day.  It was seemingly a down time for them as the Peppermint Beach Club in Virginia Beach, VA may have been have full.  I’m glad to see that their popularity has gone back up in the last decade or so.

It really wasn’t until the last 10 years that I started digging deep into their repertoire and became a fan, especially of the Fast Eddie/Philthy era.  One of the first ones that I bought was the debut album, Motorhead.

I can see why a lot of the punk crowd digs this album because it really is a punk record IMHO.  I love it and it’s easily in my top 5 Motorhead albums.

Train Kept A-Rollin’ notwithstanding, this album is almost perfect.  I never cared for that song after hearing the Aerosmith version my whole life.  Blech!  But the title track, Lost Johnny, Vibrator, Keep Us On The Road, IRON HORSE/BORN TO LOSE!!!  C’mon!  Those songs are great!

Oddly enough, though, I don’t think this album gets enough credit.  Granted the production isn’t the greatest and it’s not really a heavy album, it shows their roots quite a bit.  When people ask me what I recommend to start them off on a band, generally I tell them to start at the beginning and work their way up and this is especially true with Motorhead.  The transition from this album to Overkill is perfect.  Getting the On Parole version is worthwhile as well.

Alright!

I’m just waiting on a friend…

It’s no secret that my older brother, Robert, was a big influence on my musical development, especially between 1975 and about 1981/82.  One of the bands that he introduced me to is The Rolling Stones.  To date they are still my 2nd favorite band of all time behind Iron Maiden.  He loved the Stones and subsequently so did I.  He played them a lot and they became ingrained into my musical repertoire.  After Wyman left I was done with them, but I love just about every album they did with him save one or 2 in the 80s.

I can remember coming home from school and listening to Tattoo You on vinyl.  Typically mom and dad were at work and who knows where my brothers were.   I seemed to have time to spin records before they all came home.  Very influential and time well spent.  Homework?  Pfffft!

This album was always special to me though.  It’s one of those albums that brings me back to a certain time in my life, actually to 2 different times in my life.  I guess I have a lot of those types of albums and I am glad for it.  Without music I don’t know how I would have ended up.

Tattoo You wasn’t a perfect album for the Stones although it had one of their biggest gits on it…Start Me Up.  Sure it’s a fun tune but not one of their finest moments in my opinion.  I really loved their slower tunes and this one has some great ones on it, pretty much all of side 2.  Worried About You, Tops, Heaven, No Use In Crying and Waiting On A Friend.  Such a smooth album side.

Side one’s highlight for me is Little T&A.  When I was 19 I briefly dated a girl that this song seemed to fit so well.  Typically when we went out I would play it sometime during the evening.  Hang Fire is pretty good too.  Pretty cool cover art as well.  But all in all, side 2 rules this album.

There are many other Stones album that I like better, but this one does have that special place.

“Ain’t no use…”

Tiamat – Wildhoney – CD Review

Tiamat first caught my attention with their debut album Astral Sleep.  It was raw, simple, dark…almost run of the mill death metal.  Typically mid-paced but it didn’t suck by any means.  Daniel and I went tape shopping (yes, I was still buying them in 1991!).  He picked up Solitude Aeturnus’ debut and I picked up the Tiamat.  Great picks by both of us.

I certainly picked up Clouds in 1992 and I believe it was in one of the first 100 CDs I ever owned.  I liked it a lot even though they slowed down a bit more.  It was a little more atmospheric.  Cool album for sure.

But then came 1994.

Wildhoney.

WILDHONEY.

I remember the first time I popped it in.  I was doing some stuff in the house…probably playing TecmoSuperBowl or something.  I just remember that the album felt like it was over soon after it began.  It’s 42 minutes long but it flows.  The way they tied all of the songs in together was simply brilliant.  Wildhoney got even more mellow than Clouds.  They added a certain sense of Pink Floyd to their sound…imagine the song Fearless by Pink Floyd with distortion and better production.  It was awesome.  It still is.  There is not a bad song on it and I think it should be in every metalhead’s collection.

This album gets regular play, at least once a month.  It’s a great one to drive to.  Very smooth.  They use death metal vocals, but not in a cookie monster sort of way.  You can understand everything that Johan sings.

Even though it is very much still in print, I think it needs to be shared.  So here ya go. Listen to it in order.  Many times.

I don’t get high but sometimes I have thought about what it would be like to listen to this one on mushrooms.  Let me know, ok?

Damien Thorne – Sign of the Jackal – CD Review

Damien Thorne hit the scene in 1986 with their debut release Sign of the Jackal on Roadrunner Records.  At that time Roadrunner had decent distribution and their tapes and records were in most stores.  I am pretty sure Big Bill and I were out and about when this one got discovered.  Sometimes it gets hard to remember.  Doesn’t matter.  This was a good discovery.

Damien Thorne fit the category for what I considered speed metal with a hint of NWOBHM in them.  Justin Fates vocals were definitely the high point for me with these guys.  He reminded me a lot of Glen May from Tyrant (LA)…good normal singing voice and great high notes heavily laden with reverb/delay/chorus.  Good times!

Since I was listening to this on cassette for many years, side 2 would be considered my favorite side.  Hell’s Reign, Escape or Die, Siren’s Call and Damien’s Procession (March of the Undead).  Side 1 wasn’t shabby by any means, but the album got better as it went along.

DT had pretty decent riffs and good drumming with some good straightforward double bass stuff in it.  Most of the songs are good mid-paced US metal.

While Damien Thorne weren’t any sort of groundbreaking act, the debut is certainly worth tracking down.  The  CD version was available for a few years but seems to be out of print now.

Tonight was the first time I have spun this in a few years and it really brought back good memories of my high school years (there weren’t many) of hanging out in Churchland with Big Bill, Kirshon, Woodley, JayJay, Frog, RickRick, Nick etc…

Man, looking back it’s a wonder that some of us are still alive.  Well, sadly, some of us aren’t.  It’s interesting to see who ended up where doing what.

Going back and listening to some of these old albums really sets off some stuff in the brain.  It’s a good stroll down memory lane with some music that always takes me back.  I definitely wore out a few cassette copies of Sign of the Jackal.  Riding around in my 66 Nova II 4dr.  While I generally don’t miss those days, there were enough good times intertwined with friends and music that will never be forgotten.  Luckily I talk to friends that remind me of an album or I listen to an album that reminds me of some old friends.

Download it here. Buy it if you can find it.

Motorhead – Concert Review 092009

Motorhead!  I’m always excited when they come to town.  Last night was my 6th time seeing them since 1993.  They never let me down with the live show.

Until last night.

So let’s backtrack and put some story along with this.  If you don’t know this already, I have the Another Perfect Day album cover tattooed on my back…my whole back.  88 hours worth of tattoo work.  No regrets!  I’ve met Lemmy a few times but not since getting my backpiece done.  I was hoping last night would be the night.  Just wanted a picture of him with my tattoo.  Didn’t happen.  No big deal, I can live with that.  Like I said, met him a few times and always a good experience.

So my guitar player, Doug Morrison, (Turbin, Waysted) and the drummer of Reverend Horton Heat have been close friends since the late 70s and with the Rev on this tour, we got the hookup.  Doug and I get there early and have dinner with Paul Simmons (drummer for the Rev) and some of the roadcrew guys from Rev Heat and Motorhead.  The guy sitting next to me was pretty special though.  It was Hobbs!  Hobbs has been with the band for almost 30 years and is mentioned in the song Going to Brazil.  I think he may even be the one who screams on We Are The Roadcrew from No Sleep Till Hammersmith.  Not important.  Hobbs!  Talk about a weathered old British soul.  He was extremely polite in a typical British sort of way yet as foul mouthed as an old Greek sea captain.  He was awesome!  Hobbs!

After dinner we headed backstage.  Nashville Pussy was setting up their gear and there it was…Lemmy’s bass rack.  From a distance I snap a picture and Paul says, “Come on, man.  Step over here and get a real look at them.”  His beautiful Rickenbacker 4004LK and one of his old Rics with the original hand-carved oak leaves.   I got to hold history in my hands!  And I couldn’t believe how high the action was on those.  Seemingly about 3/8″ off of the fretboard.

So after hyperventilating over that a bit, we all just hung out backstage while Nashville Pussy played.  I’ve never been a fan so I had no interest in seeing them.  Paul was telling the Motorhead roadcrew guys about my backpiece and they flipped out over it.  “Lemmy needs to see this!”  Yes sir, I agree!

NP finishes their set and Paul had to get prepared for the Reverend Horton Heat set.  Doug and I stayed backstage a little longer.  Matt Sorum, (GnR, The Cult, Velvet Revolver) came in and said hi.  I mentioned that I had just seen his episode of the Dog Whisperer.  “Did Ace and I look like total idiots?”   No man, you guys were fine, no worries.  Apparently he hadn’t seen it yet.  The dude is a class act even if I never cared for his other bands.

So after that, Doug and I just went out in to the crowd to watch the Rev’s set.  As always, they were tight.  The Rev works the crowd very well.  I opened for them back in like 93 or 94 and he’s still the same old cool laid back guy.

The gig was at Stubb’s in Austin, TX.  It’s an amphitheater type set up.  I’ve never really cared for it all that much.  Too narrow and when it gets packed it’s difficult to get around.  So we hung out towards the back.  Run into several friends, of course.  Ran into my other guitarist, Jason McMaster (Broken Teeth, Watchtower, Dangerous Toys) and he says, “Hey man!  You need to meet an old friend of mine, Craig Behrhorst.”  I said, “From Ruffians?”  Craig said, “How did you know that?”  Sir, I am an 80s metal nerd.  Plain and simple.  Turned out that Doug knew him as well.  I guess Craig’s sister used to hang out with Doug and his friends back in the old Sunset Strip days.  I also ran into Art Villareal and Bob Catlin, both of SA SLayer/Juggernaut fame.  They are both in Martyhead, a Motorhead tribute from San Antonio.  Of course I have a Motorhead tribute here in town called Capricorn USA.   That’s the band with Doug and Jason.

Whatever, you don’t care.  You want to know about the Motorhead show!

Light’s go down and they open with Iron Fist.  Sweet!  I love that song.  But I swear it sounded a little slower than album speed.  Stay Clean was next.  Same thing.  The band was tight.  Sorum held his own pretty well for the whole night but they really seemed lifeless to me.  Everything seemed slow.  To be honest I was bored until mid-set when they played a few tracks from Another Perfect Day.  Matt’s drumming on everything was pretty good.  Who knew the guy could play double bass?  But then, they played Ace of Spades.  Of course everyone knows that songs and the drunks in the crowd and the kids who only know it from Guitar Hero were freaking out.  Matt’s drumming killed it.  His bass drum pattern was all wrong.  It put the song in a weird dynamic.  I recently saw a vid from one of the shows a few weeks ago with him and it was the same thing.  I hate to say it (again), but I was so bored for most of their show.  They were missing a key element to their modern sound…MIKKEY DEE.

Mikkey’s a phenomenal drummer.  I’ve known it since I first heard King Diamond’s Abigail and got to experience his playing live on the Them tour.  Mikkey was the main reason why I ever went to see Motorhead the very first time in 1993.  I wasn’t into them at all at that point and oddly enough I don’t like but a handful of songs from his era.  But the live show with him is intense.  If you’ve seen him play, you get it.  He’s a monster.  And with Motorhead, he certainly tightened them up.  They were always fast, vicious.  “We may not be the best band in the world, but we’re certainly the fastest” Lemmy said years and years ago on their famous No Sleep TIll Hammersmith album.

Last night they weren’t fast.  There was just no electricity.  Sometimes I think I am just getting old and crotchety.  I do tend to get hyper-critical when it comes to live shows, but I’ve always been that way.  I can never just sit back and enjoy it, I always have to dissect it.  Oh well.  My problem, not yours, eh?

The setlist was pretty good overall, it was just the feel and the pace of the songs that got to me.  Most people I know loved it and I am glad they had a good time.  I did too, actually.  I got to see some people I hadn’t seen in a while and got to meet a few new folks.

Setlist:

Iron Fist
Stay Clean
Be My Baby
Rock Out
Metropolis
Over the Top
One Night Stand
I Got Mine
The Thousand Names of God
Another Perfect Day
In the Name of Tragedy
Just ‘Cos You Got the Power
Going to Brazil
Killed by Death
Bomber
Whorehouse Blues
Ace of Spades
Overkill

Sure Lem’s in his 60s now and not everyone can do it like they used to. No matter the performance from last night, I’ll always go see them.  It’s Motorhead!

He said something last night that I heard him say the previous 2 times I saw them, “Don’t forget us.”

That line saddens me.

After all, who ever could?