Master Of Puppets turns 31 today + RTL concert 32 years to the day (aka: my mini metallica overload - you've been warned.)

This just in from the "holy shit I'm old" department.

My original Metallica "Master Of Puppets" cassette

Couple of Metallica anniversaries today:

1. Attended Metallica/Armored Saint concert 32 years ago today [Mar 03, 1985].
2. Metallica released "Master of Puppets" 31 years ago today [Mar 03, 1986].

I saw Metallica perform at a local club in Albuquerque, NM 32 years ago today at a local dance club/bar called Graham Central Station (complete with the multicolored dance floor straight out of 1977's Saturday Night Fever) and one year prior to "Master of Puppets" being released upon the masses.  Who knew that a musical juggernaut the size of the moon would be hurled at us in a years time down the road.  But before I go there, I have to reflect on this "Ride The Lightning" concert event of a lifetime.

My ticket stub from Metallica/Armored Saint - Albuquerque, NM  03-03-85

Prior to the concert (same day), Metallica did an in-store appearance at a local record store (Sound Warehouse) and the place was MOBBED.  The parking lot was.....well...a human parking lot. As spacious as Sound Warehouse was, it wasn't large enough for this crowd. And we're talking 1985, Metallica was not on the radio, not on MTV, and yet they had an underground following that was growing larger by the minute (maybe every half minute). 

After waiting in line for two hours, I walked up to a small platform (maybe three steps) where James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Cliff Fuckin' Burton were seated.  I had my "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning" albums with me.  Walked up to James, nervously shook his hand, handed him both albums to sign and told him how much I loved the music.  He flashed that shit eating grin, thanked me for being a fan, signed the albums; scratched out "lightning" on RTL album cover with his black Sharpie and wrote "bar tab" over it. Next....haha.  Lars and Kirk were in their own world, but both signed the albums.  Then there was Cliff.  I was more nervous about meeting him than I was James. Cliff was kicking back on the end, talking to a few girls, smiling, laughing, just enjoying it all.  Then I walk up and he's super cool. We did the "bro handshake" [sideways, cupped palms] and talked about Kill 'Em All, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Misfits for a minute. He signed my stuff, stood up and gave me a "bro hug". Patted me on the back and sat back down to greet the next person (who happened to be my brother - who was still chatting away with Kirk and holding up the line....haha....people were pissed - but fuck 'em all). 

Concert time. Line was ridiculous to get in, but once in it looked so damn empty.  There were more people at the damn in-store than there were at the show - WTF?! Ticket's were $6.75....that's it!  If I had to guess, I'd say there were maybe 100 people at the concert - 150 tops.  Armored Saint opened (they were touring behind their debut "March of the Saint") and blew the power out after playing for 10 minutes.  Vocalist John Bush informed the crowd they were going to kick our asses harder once the power was restored - and they did. They played as though they were the headliners.  Love that band to this day.

Metallica hit the stage and it's complete anarchy on the floor. Mosh pits in full force. One big one, then two smaller ones. I was up front for the first two songs with my brother, then got the hell outta dodge.  Plus, I was recording the show (shhhhhh.....) on my micro cassette recorder and there was no way I was going to lose that.  The show was far beyond my expectations. I was blown away by the power, strength, and energy radiating from the stage. The guys played with extreme conviction proving their musical abilities not only to shred, but to kick everyone's collective ass. Of the hundreds of shows I've attended, that concert remains at the top of my all-time favorite list.  And I'll post photos of the signed albums once I dig them out of the archives (I've been digging through it lately anyway). They're both on the Megaforce label (prior to signing with Elektra Records and being re-released).

The setlist from the '85 gig:

  

+++++++++++++++++++++++I N T E R M I S S I O N+++++++++++++++++++++++

*******ACT II - Master Of Puppets is released*******

I was still on my 'Ride The Lightning' high in '86, I wasn't prepared for 'Tallica's next aural assault (I said 'aural').  "Master Of Puppets" split things wide open and set the music/album bar so damn high for every Thrash/Metal band in the world to try and match.  This band didn't make videos (yet) to cater to the MTV minions. They didn't wear spandex, tease their hair, or wear makeup. They wore their street clothes, drank from the bottle, killed it onstage, and flat out delivered the goods.

For a band with ZERO radio/MTV airplay, they did pretty damn good reaching the masses and building a global fan base.  The seeds were already planted with 'Kill 'Em All' and 'Ride', but 'Master of Puppets' and opening for Ozzy on the "Ultimate Sin" tour set things in motion....then it snowballed into something more massive.  

I was home sick the day 'Master Of Puppets' was released.  My brother picked up a cassette copy for me (see above photo - it's the original one he purchased - still have it) and left on my front doorstep. I had no idea he did that until later in the afternoon when I opened the front door to get the mail.  Forgot about the mail, picked up the cassette and made a bee line to my room.  Popped it into my stereo and it was life changing for this teenager.

"Battery" opened with a majestic acoustic guitar, then segued into ripping riffs in a matter of seconds. Then "Master Of Puppets" set a precedence not many songs can compete with to this day.  I probably listened to this song six times straight before moving onto the next track.  Those were the best 8 minutes and 36 seconds ever. 'Master Of Puppets' is my generation's "Stairway To Heaven". It's as simple as that. And how could this album continue to get better?  Then "The Thing That Should Not Be" kicked in.....just so colossal.  I couldn't get over the absolute heaviness of this song. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" was next. It was the perfect balance of chaos, serenity, and melody.  I was then decimated by not one, but two devastating tracks ("Disposable Heroes" & "Leper Messiah") which had contained so many time changes and chugging riffs, I thought, "Who else can play like this?"  Pffft...no one. Then the almighty Cliff Burton laid his greatness upon us with "Orion".  Not that '(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth' wasn't already phenomenal, but 'Orion' is just gargantuan.  It gave me goosebumps when I first heard it and has the same effect on me to this day (as I'm sure it does for so many others).  The final track, "Damage, Inc." closes this masterpiece going a jillion miles an hour...

"Fuck it all and fucking no regrets
Never happy ending on these dark sets
All's fair for Damage Inc. you see

Step a little closer if you please...."

GAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

Metallica then toured with Ozzy on the 'Ultimate Sin' tour.  I caught their show in May '86 and the place went totally off-the-hook during their set. Holy shit.  Biggest mosh pit ever. Judging by the number of people who attended this concert, most were there to see Metallica because more than half cleared out after their set ended.  True story.

Also, for many, 'Master' signaled the end of an era after Cliff died. Who knows how things would've turned out musically had Cliff lived.  There's no telling.  But he put his stamp on this and helped make it what it is and will always remain; a masterpiece.

Photos of my original MOP cassette [purchased Mar 03, 1986]:

The rust from the screws that hold the cassette together are visible on the inlay card.

And one of these days I'll crack this open.

Aerosmith “Get Your Wings” turns 43 today (aka: sheer ignorance parts I-III)

Today marks the 43rd anniversary of Aerosmith's “Get Your Wings” [Released Mar 01, 1974]. An album I didn’t even know about until 1979.

[Rush sharing in on the celebration too since their self-titled debut was also released on this day in 1974. Had to - I'm a Rush geek.]

I knew Aerosmith from what I heard on the radio (“Dream On”, “Sweet Emotion”, “Last Child”, “Walk This Way” and “Draw The Line”) and nothing else because KISS was still my universe and no other band existed to me. I didn’t get into this band until after I moved from New Jersey to New Mexico. The local Rock radio station (94 Rock) in Albuquerque would play “Train Kept A Rollin” almost every hour on the hour. And I could never understand why a live version of the song ALWAYS followed the studio version.

I also thought it was cool how they mentioned "Albuquerque" in the song (“Well, we made a stop in Albuquerque“). And I had NO CLUE that was always part of the song. I had NO CLUE Tiny Bradshaw existed. And finally, NO CLUE the Yardbirds had covered this one either. Yes, I was a clueless dude for a bit. Regardless, I was 100% into this live version and had to have it. I was on a mission. I would call the radio station to request only the “live version”. I was either met with the dial tone soon after or, “Yeah..haha…yeah...sure...we can try and do that for ya kid”. I was never told the studio and live version of “Train” was one track (vinyl: side two - track two).

Hang on, it gets better.

After I placed my request, I grabbed a blank cassette (an old no-name cassette that had been recorded over countless times. So thin from wear that I could see through it. I had scotch tape over the top missing tabs so I could record, labels removed and replaced with masking tape....so much preparation.  As usual, I popped the trusty cassette into my Radio Shack tape recorder, placed it next to my portable radio’s speaker and waited for the song to play.

And as Murphy’s Law would have it, when you sit and wait for a song to play, it’s not gonna happen until you give up after two hours, get up and walk away for 10 seconds only to come back and hear it playing. I always requested songs and just pressed 'record' until the tape ran out. Then flipped it over until I had the songs I wanted. I finally captured “Train Kept A Rollin” and edited it myself keeping only the live version and adding it to an “already in progress” mixed tape (which also included “Iron Man”, “The Zoo”, “Lights Out”, “Boys Are Back In Town”, and “Cat Scratch Fever”).

Sheer Ignorance Part I:
After a few weeks I figured it was time to own “Get Your Wings” because if the other songs on the album were just as good as “Train” then I’d be in heaven. I went to the local record store and found “Get Your Wings” on vinyl, 8-Track and cassette, but none of them included the live version. Couldn’t find it anywhere! Again, had someone told me (hello 94 Rock DJ) it was on the album then I wouldn’t have been so ignorant.

Sheer Ignorance Part II:
I walk up to the record store counter with the album in hand and ask the guy where I can find the live version of “Train Kept A Rollin”. He asks me, “Are you looking for the Tiny Bradshaw, The Yardbirds or the Aerosmith version?” Wait…what?? I thought it was an Aerosmith song. So I hesitated a little bit because I had no idea there were other versions and told him, “Aerosmith”. He told me it was on “Get Your Wings”. I grabbed a copy, looked at the back cover again and didn’t see it listed.

Sheer Ignorance Part III:
I make my way back to the counter with record in hand and tell him (again) that I want the live version of “Train”. He points to the record. I tell him it only has the studio version. <pause> Yeah, he laughed and made sure to grab a few of the other guys who worked there to get in on it at my expense. When I sheepishly asked what was so funny, they grabbed a copy from behind the counter and put it on the turntable…side two, track two. I stood there listening to the studio version and made my case again telling them I didn’t want that version. More laughing ensued. Just as the song ended, I could hear the live audience swell and the live version of “Train” blaring out of the store’s sound system. What the…?? I asked the guys, “It’s recorded like that on the record?” All of them still laughing. <insert sound of pain when Lucy pulls the football away from Charlie Brown as he runs in to kick it and falls flat on his ass>

Needless to say, I tried to ignore the embarrassment, plunked down the money and bought the album. Once they calmed down, they told me it was cool that I even knew who Aerosmith still was at all. I had no idea what they meant at that time because I didn’t keep up on the music magazines (Hit Parader, Circus, Creem, and Rolling Stone – didn’t enter my life until 1980 – that’s another story). But I was so damn happy to have found this (my holy grail) and a better sounding copy of “Train” over my cassette version. I went on to appreciate the rest of the album as well (“Same Old Song and Dance”, “Seasons of Wither”, Lord of the Thighs” and “Pandora’s Box”). Every time I think of this album it will always remind me of “Train Kept A Rollin” and my journey in finding the live version.

Aerosmith - Train Kept A Rollin' [aka" Side 2 Track 2]

Tiny Bradshaw - Train Kept A Rollin' (1951)

The Yardbirds - Train Kept A Rollin' (1966)

Rush’s “Moving Pictures” is 36 today

Rush’s eighth studio album, “Moving Pictures” was released 36 years ago today (Feb 12, 1981). I know many fans consider “2112” to be THE ONE, but this is the album that made me an certified Rush freak. Not that “2112”, “Hemispheres” or “Permanent Waves” sucked or anything, because I love those albums quite a bit.  But every song here just flowed perfectly.

The “Moving Pictures” tour would be the first time seeing Rush perform live – Albuquerque, NM / Tingley Coliseum 04/05/81 (support band: Golden Earring - they had a popular tune called "Twilight Zone") – I was in 8th grade. I cannot describe how I felt standing there watching this band just blow my mind. I knew every song off MP since I had listened to it constantly. I couldn’t believe every note was delivered by just three guys. I didn’t know how they’d pull it off in concert and figured (in my 14 yr old mind) they would have an extra musician on tour.  Yeeeaahnnnooo. Fourth guy? What, was I high?  My 14 year old mind was on overload.

This album would go on to become a standard in my household as the years went on.  Eventually affecting my daughter enough to get used to hearing it every October.  And for whatever reason, Rush is seasonal for me.  I’m prone to listening to them more often between Oct-Feb than any other time of the year.  Don’t ask.....I have a number of bands like that. Weird, I know.  That's me.

Having seen Rush live so many times since 1981 has been nothing short of amazing. And for Rush to go one further by performing the entire Moving Pictures album in its entirety on the 2010 Time Machine Tour was a dream come true.  Best part - they kicked off the tour here in my hometown; Albuquerque, NM on 6/29/10. Even more special to me because it would be the first time my daughter would see Rush. Best part…..she WANTED to go.

I own five copies of MP:

• vinyl (original)
• cassette (original)
• CD
• Remastered CD
• CD/Blu-ray

I'll have to dig those out and post some photos.

Feeling like a geezer once again.  Happy 36th anniversary to a classic album.

“In our theaters and bookstore shelves/That those who know what’s best for us / Must rise and save us from ourselves”  Rush – “Witch Hunt”

Van Halen’s debut turns 39 years ago today

Holy shit!  I can’t believe “Eruption” is 39 years old!

Having been recruited into the KISS Army in the mid 70s at a young age, I was sure no one could play as well as Ace Frehley (gimme a break, I was eleven). 

When Van Halen released their self-titled debut album on this exact day (Feb 10, 1978), who the hell knew this would be such a game changer? Eruption anyone? 

VH played so many backyard keg parties, BBQs, high school gigs, clubs, and convention centers, and the world was finally let in on a HUGE secret. His name was Eddie Van Halen. And their debut album went on to sell over 10 million copies. Plain insanity.

After almost 40 years, it still stands the test of time. And who knew Gene Simmons would be responsible for getting their demos recorded and in front of Warner Bros Records. If I knew that when I was a kid my small brain would've exploded. Including Gene trying to get Eddie to join KISS at one time. 

Let there be light, sound, and Edward Van Halen.

Van Halen
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
Selland Arena - Fresno, CA
January 28, 1978

KISS Destroyer Turns 40 or How I Turn Into A Music Fanatic

KISS 'Destroyer' Turn 40 Years Old Today

Well, as goes many of my blogs, we have another milestone to celebrate. And this one is a doozie.

Like many others who have laid claim that KISS Destroyer is the album that got them into the band or Hard Rock music (or both); I was most certainly the latter.  KISS changed my life forever with this one.

KISS released their landmark album Destroyer 40 years ago today (March 15, 1976).  Of course there's always going to be a number of people who say it's their least favorite or the worst album etc.  But the majority will side with this one being their masterpiece; the uber-KISS album to own if you're going to own one KISS album. When people ask me my favorite KISS album I tell them it's a toss up between Destroyer and KISS Alive. And I've read the horror stories about Alive and Alive II not being so very "live".  But I digress because I love both of those albums and big part of my youth (or my "yute" as actor Joe Pesci would say).  And I could care less what was recorded in a studio and what was passed off as an actual 'live' performance. Just take my allowance, please!

Jumping in the way-back machine here, Destroyer is one of the first pieces of vinyl I purchased with my own money (the first one being The Monkees Greatest Hits).  Yes, haha...funny, but I loved that album.  AND I was eight years old. But I redeemed myself for missing the KISS boat earlier and the third album I bought was KISS Alive. Anyway, moving on......

In the Spring of '76 our family moved to Livingston, NJ. Not the epicenter of rock 'n roll, but as long as I could get New York City radio stations on my radio, then I was happy.  I was into whatever was on the radio (light Rock - Chicago, Fleetwood Mac etc.).

Not one piece of furniture was moved into the house yet and my sister was already beating up on a neighborhood boy a few houses up the street from us.  The guy she was pouncing on (Brian) was Don's brother; Don being the kid who turned me onto Destroyer, thus turning me into a KISS/Rock music fanatic.  And I mean fanatic.

After Brian's Mom came to the house to not welcome us to the neighborhood, but to find out why her son was forced to eat dirt and getting beat upon (aka; ass handed to him), she had brought her son Don along.  He was my age and awkward like me, so we actually bonded immediately.  Not to say his brother didn't give me shit every time he saw me at his house.  The paybacks to my sister beating his ass was by way of a punch to my back, arms, charlie-horse, headlock, ultimate wedgies.....it was never ending. But Don and I figured out how to keep his brother out of the room while we were in there.

Play-by-play of how it all went down for me:

Don:  Have you heard the new song "Detroit Rock City"?
Me: Huh?
Don: You know, the song by KISS.
Me: Who?
Don: <blank stare>
Me: <blinking>
Don: You've never heard of KISS?
Me: I've heard of kissing.
Don:  NO! The band KISS. With the makeup and costumes!
Me: <still blinking> <staring off and getting ready to make a run for it>

Don then places a vinyl record onto this massive stereo system, drops the needle and I hear the opening sequence of "Detroit Rock City" which is a radio announcer talking about a head-on collision car accident.  Then a person is heard jingling keys, opening a car door, starting the engine, revving up the engine, jamming his radio, speeding away while singing KISS' own tune "Rock N Roll All Night".  The car revs off.......

The guitar kicks in.....Da na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na....drums BOOM!! BOOM! More guitar: Da na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na......drums BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! Then Paul sings:

"I feel uptight on a Saturday night
Nine o' clock, the radio's the only light
I hear my song and it pulls me through
Comes on strong, tells me what I got to do
I got to

Get up
Everybody's gonna move their feet
Get down
Everybody's gonna leave their seat
You gotta lose your mind in Detroit Rock City...."

My eyes widened. I sat their motionless and felt a little out of body experience going on at that moment. I was deep in thought, "What......what....what is this?  How come I never heard it before today? Why have I never heard of KISS?"  Once I snapped out of it, I asked, no I told Don to lift the needle and play that song again.  But this time we sat on the bed and sang along to the lyrics printed on the album sleeve. I sat there staring at the KISS logo too. It was just coolest logo I ever saw in my short life.

When I heard the car accident portion of the song I didn't put two and two together and thought the accident was another car.  Forgive my ignorance, I was a pup.  And it took me a few weeks to figure out the song was about a guy who died on his way to a rock concert (hence the foreshadowing of the song's intro). But the parts of the song that hooked me was the guitar (no doubt about it - fell in love with the guitar because of this one song) and the chorus "Get Up/Everybody's gonna move their feet/Get down/Everybody's gonna leave their seat".

After listening/singing along to "Detroit Rock City" ten times or so, we started to read about the KISS Army and we had to join.  Don went off to find a few bucks, a couple envelopes and stamps.  When he left the room, I went over to the record player and saw the Destroyer album cover for the first time. And the first time I ever set eyes on the band.  The makeup....the costumes.....I kinda freaked out.  Maybe even pee'd a little. I was looking at a devil band (no fault of my own, I was brought up in a Catholic family).  I couldn't look away from the cover.  I never saw anything like it.

When Don came back to the room he saw me standing there with the album cover in my hand with my mouth wide open.  He asked me what was wrong.  Said I looked like I saw a ghost.  I was speechless. Between "Detroit Rock City" and the album cover, I didn't know what hit me.  Mind you, at this point I hadn't listened to any other song on Destroyer except for DRC. When Don asked me if I wanted to listen to the rest of the album I was like, "THERE'S MORE????"

We listened to the rest of the album and...............the rest is KISStory.  I was hooked from that point on.  Once I bought my own copy of Destroyer I listened to it for months on end.  I learned all the lyrics, air guitars, and air drums.  The broom and tennis racket were my new instruments, the basement was my stage and the mirror, my audience.  My parents had a phenomenal stereo in the basement and it was louder than my little suitcase style record player.  So when Mom and Dad were at work I would blast KISS on the stereo.  If they only knew back then.  Yeah, my ass would've been sore and grounded for months. Good thing I learned some ninja skills early on.

From there I moved on to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple (yes, late to those too...I know), then Van Halen in '77. I was the only ten year old in my class at the time who even knew who Van Halen was, but that's for another blog.

SIDEBAR:  If you're a fan of Destroyer and want to read an in depth account of the making of it, do yourself a favor and pick up James Campion's book "Shout It Out Loud: The Story of Kiss's Destroyer and the Making of an American Icon". (Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shout-Out-Loud-Destroyer-American/dp/1617136182/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458100515&sr=8-1&keywords=kiss+destroyer+book).

One of my favorite Destroyer tracks "Flaming Youth".

Metallica's 'Master of Puppets' Turns 30 Today - WTF?

This just in from the "holy shit I'm getting old department":

"It was THIRTY years ago today

Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play...."

OK, maybe not.  But thirty years ago today Metallica unleashed their juggernaut 'Master of Puppets' upon the masses. I was in awe of this album when it was released.  Thirty years later, it still floors me and it punishes so many other albums out there.  Granted, 'Master' isn't a traditional Thrash album like their debut 'Kill 'Em All', but the band had definitely gained a lot of confidence between it's predecessor 'Ride The Lightning' and this one.

I saw Metallica perform at a local dance club in Albuquerque, NM (Graham Central Station - Armored Saint serving as support band) on this exact date and one measly year prior to MOP being released.  Who the hell knew they had something so fuckin' gigantic brewing in the studio?  I was still on my 'Ride The Lightning' high in '85.  I wasn't prepared for 'Tallica's next aural assault.  And neither was the rest of the world.  Especially when they would tour with Ozzy on the Ultimate Sin tour.  I caught a show in May '86 and the place went totally fanatic over a band they hardly knew. I definitely witnessed greatness that evening.  I was there to see Metallica.  No disrespect to Ozzy and the band, but I probably would've skipped this show if Metallica weren't opening. Just sayin'.

Metallica split things wide open with 'Master' and showed the world the sheer power of 'underground music'. This band didn't make videos (yet) to cater the MTV minions. They didn't wear spandex, tease their hair or wear makeup. They wore their street clothes, drank from the bottle, killed it onstage and delivered the goods.  This was, quite possibly, the first Metal album to be taken seriously.  MOP turned many heads.  Fans, music critics, magazines, and bands/musicians took notice of the beast coming from San Francisco's Bay Area. 

For a band with ZERO radio or airplay, they did pretty damn good reaching the masses and building a Godzilla-sized fan base.  Metallica's performances were getting noticed and talked about every day between tape traders and music fans.  The seeds were already planted with 'Kill 'Em All' and 'Ride', but 'Master of Puppets' and the Ozzy tour exposure really set things in motion and then it caught fuckin' fire and went global.  

How does one chose their favorite 'Master of Puppets' track?  Still impossible for me to this day.  This is 54 minutes and 46 seconds of greatness:

• Battery
• Master of Puppets
• The Thing That Should Not Be
• Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
• Disposable Heroes
• Leper Messiah
• Orion
• Damage, Inc.

On the day 'Master of Puppets' was released, I purchased two on vinyl and one on cassette.  Listened to the album everyday when I was home (still own the vinyl - one on Music For Nations label and the other on Elektra).  But I listened to the cassette more often on my Walkman (yup, old guy right here) and wore it out.  Bought another one, wore it out and so on. And I still have the original copy I purchased for my archives.  

I got lost in this album.  "Battery" opened with majestic acoustic guitar playing, then ripped heads off in a matter of seconds. Then the namesake "Master of Puppets" set precedence. This was our (Metal fans) "Stairway To Heaven". How could this album continue to get better?  Then "The Thing That Should Not Be" kicked in and was so colossal.  I couldn't get over the heaviness of this song alone.  Then amazed by the slow moving "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" until it swelled and became a different animal all together.  I was then decimated by not one, but two devastating tracks ("Disposable Heroes" & "Leper Messiah") which had contained so many time changes and chugging riffs, I thought I had died and gone to Metal heaven...seriously. Who played like this?  Then the almighty Cliff Burton laid his greatness upon us with "Orion".  Not that his "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth" from 'Kill 'Em All' wasn't already phenomenal enough with a metal spiked cherry on top, but 'Orion' was just sooooooo fucking epic.  It gave me goosebumps when I first heard it and has the same effect on me all these years later.  Then "Damage, Inc." closes this masterpiece out going a million miles an hour.......

"Fuck it all and fucking no regrets
Never happy ending on these dark sets
All's fair for Damage Inc. you see

Step a little closer if you please...."

GAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! 

To me and many others, 'Master' signaled the end of an era after Cliff Burton was killed in a bus accident while on tour in Sweden in the Fall of '86. Who knows how things would've turned out musically had Cliff lived.  I will stop there because the magic captured in this album would never again be repeated or duplicated.

Metallica will always be my Rolling Stones.  I grew up with this band since 1981 and will always remain a loyal fan.  But there's always that something, that "what if" that will linger on forever.

They were the best of their time.

<cue 'Orion'>

<fade to black>

Aerosmith “Get Your Wings” celebrates 40 today (aka: side two, track two / aka: ignorance is bliss / aka: my holy grail)

Aerosmith shares a 40 year anniversary with Rush today (see Rush self titled debut turns 40) since March 1st marks the release of 1974’s “Get Your Wings”. An album I didn’t even know about until 1979 (it was the 70’s, I was young and only knew “Dream On” at that point because it was an FM radio staple).

I knew Aerosmith from what I heard on radio (“Dream On”, “Sweet Emotion”, “Last Child”, “Walk This Way” and “Draw The Line”) and nothing else because KISS was still my universe and no other band existed to me. I didn’t get into this band until 1979 when I moved from New Jersey to New Mexico. The local Rock radio station (94 Rock) in Albuquerque would play “Train Kept A Rollin” almost every hour on the hour. And I could never understand why a live version of the song ALWAYS followed the studio version. I also couldn’t believe they mentioned Albuquerque in the song (“Well, we made a stop in Albuquerque“). And I had no clue the song was released five years prior. Yes, I was a clueless dude for a bit. Regardless, I was 100% into the live version and had to have it. I would call the radio station to request only the “live version”. I was either met with the dial tone soon after or, “Yeah..haha…yeah…we can try and do that for ya kid”. I was never informed the studio and live version of “Train” was one track (side two track two, I still remember). Hang on, it gets better.

After I placed my request, I grabbed a blank cassette (an old no-name cassette that had been recorded over countless times and so thin from wear one could probably see through it, scotch tape over the missing tabs, labels removed and replaced with masking tape), popped it into my Radio Shack tape recorder, placed it next to my portable radio’s speaker and waited for the song to play. And as Murphy’s Law would have it, when you sit and wait for a song to play, it’s not gonna happen until you give up after two hours, get up and walk away for 10 seconds only to come back and hear it playing. I went through cassette tapes like a baby goes through diapers by always requesting songs and just hitting record until the tape runs out, then flipping it over until I had the songs I wanted. I finally captured “Train Kept A Rollin” and edited it myself keeping only the live version and adding it to an “already in progress” mixed tape (which had “Iron Man”, “The Zoo”, “Lights Out”, “Boys Are Back In Town” and “Cat Scratch Fever” on Side A).

After a few weeks I figured it was time to own “Get Your Wings” because if the other songs on the album were just as good as “Train” then I’d be in heaven. I went to the local record store and found “Get Your Wings” on vinyl, 8-Track and cassette, but none of them included the live version. Couldn’t find it anywhere! Again, had someone told me (hello 94 Rock DJ) it was on the album then I wouldn’t have been so ignorant. Make that ‘Ignorant Part I’. And none of my new friends were into Rock music at this point.

Enter ‘Ignorant Part II’. I walk up to the record store counter with the album in hand and ask the guy where I can find the live version of “Train Kept A Rollin”. He asks me, “Are you looking for the Tiny Bradshaw, The Yardbirds or the Aerosmith version?” Wait…what?? I thought it was an Aerosmith song. So I hesitated a little bit because I had no idea there were other versions and told him, “Aerosmith”. He told me it was on “Get Your Wings”. I grabbed a copy, looked at the back cover again and didn’t see it listed.

And ‘Ignorant Part III’ I make my way back to the counter with record in hand and tell him (again) that I want the live version of “Train”. He points to the record. I tell him it only has the studio version. <pause> Yeah, he laughed and made sure to grab a few of the other guys who worked there to get in on it at my expense. When I sheepishly asked what was so funny, they grabbed a copy from behind the counter and put it on the turntable…side two, track two. I stood there listening to the studio version and made my case again telling them I didn’t want that version. More laughing ensued. Just as the song ended, I could hear the live audience swell and the live version of “Train” blaring out of the store’s sound system. What the…?? I asked the guys, “It’s recorded like that on the record?” All of them still laughing. <insert Charlie Brown sound of pain when Lucy pulls the football away as he runs in to kick it>

Needless to say, I tried to ignore the embarrassment, plunked down the $12 and bought the album. Once they calmed down, they told me it was cool that I even knew who Aerosmith still was. I had no idea what they meant at that time because I didn’t keep up on the music magazines (Hit Parader, Circus, Creem – didn’t enter my life until 1980 – that’s another story). But I was so damn happy to have found this (my holy grail) and a better sounding copy of “Train” over my cassette version. I went on to appreciate the rest of the album as well (“Same Old Song and Dance”, “Seasons of Wither”, Lord of the Thighs” and “Pandora’s Box”). Every time I think of this album it will always remind me of “Train Kept A Rollin” and my small journey to find the live version.

And if you’ve never heard the Tiny Bradshaw (recorded in 1951) or Yardbird version (1968), go look for them on YouTube. You’ll be surprised.

I give you my holy grail (side two track two):

Rush self-titled debut turns 40 today

Rush released their debut album 40 years ago today. It’s the only album to feature drummer John Rutsey (who was replaced by Neil Peart before ‘Fly by Night’ was released a year later).

While songs such as “In the Mood” and “Finding My Way” have appeared in Rush live set lists on occasion, most of the eight songs fall to the wayside (minus the die-hard fans) and with the exception of “Working Man,” THE song that served as the introduction to Rush.

Thank you Donna Halper (the WMMS Cleveland disc jockey/music director as mentioned in the Rush movie “Beyond the Lighted Stage”) who received a copy of “Working Man” and took notice of the length of the song (true story). She mentioned she was usually looking for long “bathroom songs” that her DJs could throw on when nature called. At seven minutes plus, “Working Man” was ideal and its blue collar theme fit the town like a glove. Then it all began…..

Here we are, forty years later and the Rush machine continues to move on and their legions of fans grow in numbers. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year and still remain relavent. They don’t rely on touring as a “greatest hits” band, but release albums that are extremely imaginitive and contain substance (see “Snakes & Arrows” and “Clockwork Angels”).

Late last year I had read this album would be reissued this year to celebrate the 40 year milestone and the members of Rush are “very involved” in the process of putting the package together.

**UPDATE** To mark the band’s 40-year recording career, on April 15, 2013, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) will celebrate with the vinyl reissue of the original Moon Records (pre-Mercury) release of Rush, as part of Universal’s reDISCovered vinyl series.
http://www.rush.com/rush-reissue-1974-self-titled-moon-records-debut-on-vinyl-to-mark-40-year-recording-career/

“It seems to me I could live my life / A lot better than I think I am / I guess that’s why they call me / The working man”  Rush “Working Man” (self-titled debut album 1974).