Cygnus and the Sea Monsters - One Night In Chicago 2005 (aka: Rush covers + old 70s children show = small masterpiece and a tear to my eye)

I have professed my love for the band Rush for most my life (late teens actually).  I'm not always onboard with bands performing cover songs of bands I hold in high regard (Rush being the biggest of them all). But there are two CDs which are exceptions to my rule;  Working Man (1996) which includes George Lynch, Jake E. Lee, James Murphy, Billy Sheehan and a slew of others....AND...this live show; Cygnus and the Sea Monsters - "One Night in Chicago".  I purchased the CD/DVD off Portnoy's website eleven years ago.  Time flies - crazy.  Looks like it's still available here: http://www.mikeportnoy.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=25 and Amazon too https://www.amazon.com/One-Night-Chicago-CYGNUS-MONSTERS/dp/B001156MXW

This was recorded and filmed (there is a DVD version and of course it's posted via YouTube - I posted the video below) back in 2005.  It consists of Mike Portnoy (I'm sure you know who he is) on drums, Paul Gilbert (Racer X) on guitar, Sean Malone (Cynic) on bass and Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys, Watchtower, Broken Teeth, Ignition) on vocals.  This hour long set is nothing short of incredible. The band blazes through 2112, Cygnus X-1, Hemispheres, and YYZ as if they were just warming up.  Mike, Paul and Sean are consummate pros and have more talent in the dirt on their fingernails than most people have at all.  The only low-light to this is Jason.  I love the work this guy does in his other bands, but his screeching and almost screaming/screeching until he's breathless did not fit this otherwise killer set.  There's more music than vocals, so another reason why I'm okay with this one.

It's a blast to listen to (and watch) the guys play pretty much note-for-note and not cringing hoping they'll do the songs justice, because they do them all justice and then some. And also capable of throwing in improv portions as well.  In showcase settings such as this (Drum Pad's 20th Anniversary) normally one person has the spotlight.  Even though Mike gets in a drum solo, it's not just the "Mike Portnoy Show".  I've been a fan of Paul's since the first Racer X was released in '86. He can play anything and proves how well versed he is in Rush and the styles of Alex Lifeson.  Same goes for Mike and his adaptation of Neil Peart.  NOBODY can play like Peart, but Mike does a fine job replicating many aspects of the songs. And Sean, who is an accomplished bass player and does an impeccable job nailing the songs.  No keyboards and that's okay because it would've taken away the rawness.

Note: I was pretty ecstatic over the fact Mike incorporated my beloved Sid & Marty Krofft 70s children show "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters".  I've included a video clip of the show's opening song at the very bottom. Ahhh, the 70s.

Cygnus And The Sea Monsters - One Night In Chicago (2005)

Scans of my physical CD:

Sigmund and the Sea Monsters opening song (1973-1975) - posted for good measure.

3 Legged Dogg "Frozen Summer" (aka: not the dog on Alice In Chains's self-titled album or aka: yes, there's an extra "g" in "dog" on purpose)

Not sure how many people are familiar with the band 3 Legged Dogg, but it's an album worthy of more attention than it received.  The band was <deep breath>:  Vinny Appice on drums, the late great Jimmy Bain on bass, ex-Quiet Riot/current Ratt guitarist Carlos Cavazo, ex David Lee Roth/Beau Nasty guitarist Brian Young, and vocalist Chas West (ex-Lynch Mob/Tribe Of Gypsies/Foreigner; currently fronting Resurrection King - which is a great band that includes Craig Goldy and Vinny Appice).  <exhale>

Every musician on here gives it their all.  I bought this when it was released in 2006 because I was a fan of each one of these guys.  I didn't know what to expect and was relieved that the entire album is ass-kicking hard rock and NOT middle of the road or average by any means.  I've never heard Vinny's drums recorded this loud before.  He always pounds the shit out of his kit, but it seems there was more at stake here.  These songs rip and I can never just pinpoint only one song when there are many that highlight this disc. Take you pick, "Give and Take Away" (a radio hit that never came to be - ugh), "Wasted Life", "One Good Reason", and "Long Way Back From Hell" highlight the entire band's tenacity and power.  But again, every song here is very well structured.  The guys came together and created some heavy-groove-melodic oriented tunes.

This group more-or-less fell apart because Vinny was called up by Ronnie James Dio because the Dio Sabbath group was getting back together [NOTE: 3 Legged Dogg debut was released Oct 2006 and Black Sabbath - The Dio Years was released April 2007].  Not a bad reason.

And who knows if this really would've gone anywhere in this shitty musical climate that began to get much worse in the 2000s. And so many musicians (normally well-known) are offered a sizable chunk of money by certain labels to get together and churn out an album hoping to hit paydirt.  Who knows what could've been.

3 Legged Dogg - Frozen Summer (2006) [Full Album]

3 Legged Dogg - Promo Clip (2006)

Saxon "Unleash the Beast" (aka: unleash the denim & leather)

Where were you in '97 when Saxon unleashed the beast? < sung to "Denim and Leather" > Yeah, dorky, but that song popped into my head when I started typing.

Let me preface this by saying I'm a HUGE Saxon fan. Love the classic stuff from the 80s and everything leading up to "Battering Ram" (2015) and their 10th live album "Let Me Feel Your Power" (2016). 1997's "Unleash the Beast" is one of my favorite Saxon releases of all time (behind "Power and the Glory" which is my favorite).  Pretty bold, I know.  Especially since it was the first album without Graham Oliver (guitarist and one of the founding members).

New axe slinger Doug Scarratt was brought into the fold in '96 (his first appearance with the band was 1996's live album "The Eagle Has Landed Prt II") and that classic Saxon sound was nowhere to be found. Graham has his own sound and style which no one can replicate. Yes, a little devil's advocate here, but as I mentioned, this one is second to PATG.

Every song is incredibly melodic, in-sync with the next song, and pretty damn heavy (with the exception of "Absent Friends" - but heavy lyrically) and that's been missing in the Saxon repertoire from Rock The Nations (1986) through Dogs of War (1995).  Of course just my opinion, but I've listened to those albums a lot and they don't pack a punch like any of the tunes on this album.

Doug brought in some much needed ass kicking riffs and solos. Entire album is tops, but choosing some "listen to these now" songs I'd go with "The Thin Red Line, "Circle Of Light", "Cut Out The Disease" (written about Graham Oliver - ouch), "Ministry Of Fools", and the title track. That's half the album right there (Track 1 "Gothic Dreams" is a 90 second intro). The rhythm, back line, solos, Biff well, being Biff.....what's not to like?

I cannot begin to fathom that this album will be 20 years old this year on Oct 14th.  I had a golden opportunity to see Saxon on this tour March 22, 1998 at a local podunk country facility called Midnight Rodeo (full capacity was 1600).  Sold out day before the concert.  I was able to interview Biff and Doug (on camera) for a local public access cable show (cue Wayne's World - "We're not worthy!") which my buddy did once a week; from a studio, not his basement. Dream come true to finally meet the band - especially Biff (hence the signed CD booklet - they also signed my Power and the Glory, Crusader and Wheels of Steel too).

Interview went well. I was a tad nervous sitting next to Biff; a vocalist I've idolized since 1981. And I royally screwed up pronouncing Doug Scarratt's last name (sounds like 'carrot' with an 'S') and I mispronounced it....twice...on camera.  STOP TAPING! And proceeded to bury my face in my hands. Biff put his arm around me, laughed and said it couldn't get any worse from here. HA! Doug laughed as well.  At first he seemed annoyed, but he knew I was nervous and 100% fanboy.  Hell, I tried not to.  I've met a ton of bands in my life and always kept my cool, but Saxon was just one of those legendary bands - idols.

Got through the interview unscathed, took pictures, signed album covers, CD booklets, and off I went to stash the video camera (as in VHS - video tape recorder) so I could be up front for the show.  Of course back then, I bootlegged many concerts I attended with a cool little micro-cassette recorder that I could hide on me.  If the end product was being able to identify each song, then the cassette was a keeper.

The concert was two hours and they played most of Unleashed and of course the anthems that put them on the map: Wheels of Steel, Denim & Leather, Princess of the Night, 20,000 Feet, Dallas 1 PM, Motorcycle Man, Strong Arm of the Law, Power and the Glory and Crusader.  I'm sure I'm missing a few more.  But the guys were on fire and it was awesome to see them in such an intimate setting.  Saxon normally plays to 5,000-20,000 people in stadiums over in Europe.

That night I had the time of my life.  My bootleg recording came out okay too. There was so much shoving, crushing and shit going on up front (as usual), that the recorder mic was covered up too much in my pocket.  I didn't think to check on it because I was having way too much fun.  Normally I checked on the mic position, but not that night.

A moment in time I'll always remember.

Saxon - Munich, GER  May 20, 1998 (bootleg - AUDIO ONLY)

Saber Tiger "Project One" {aka: the heaviest album Keel never made)

Being a fan of Ron Keel (Steeler, Keel, and yes...even Iron Horse) I had to track this CD down. If you're a Keel fan, then this one should be on your list of lists. I guarantee it's the heaviest album he's ever made. 

I was always interested in Japanese metal bands in the 80s. I bought all the #Loudness #EZO #Anthem and #Lazy I could find. But when I read about guitarist Akihito Kinoshita's Saber Tiger with Ron Keel on vocals, Anthem founder Naoto Shibata on bass, and ex-Loudness/EZO Hirotsugu HonmaI on drums, I knew I had to find this one. Thorn in my side for too many years.

So, getting back to it, this is Saber Tiger's major debut Project One released in 1997. Some twenty years ago I had read about this in a metal 'zine, but I was never able to find a copy. Remember, this was back before the internet became the monster it is now. I could never locate the '97 release on Fandango Records, but I was able to locate a copy of the 2003 VAP release from a local store in Japan. 

Make no mistake, this album kicks MAJOR ass. This has the shredding, melodies galore, a huge fat bottom end, and the production is top notch. It's too damn bad this album went completely unnoticed outside Japan because it’s a phenomenal release. 

Saber Tiger - I'll Still Be Loving You (1997)

Angra "Holy Live" EP (aka: it's not the size that matters)

I've always been a fan of live albums. I'm sure owning KISS Alive allowed that to happen. Not all live albums are worth their weight, but there are many I enjoy listening to more frequently than others. Angra's "Holy Live" EP is one of them. 

Fortunately, I jumped onto the Angra boat early on when their debut album Angels Cry was released in 1993. I was writing concert and CD reviews for a local music fanzine and their label had sent me a copy to review (still thankful to this day because I also interviewed guitarist Kiko Loureiro - Megadeth anyone?). 

I'm skipping past Angels Cry, Evil Warning EP (1994), and Holy Land (1996) for now because this little pitbull of a recording has a huge bite. First, it's a short one clocking in at 35 minutes, but it's a pretty powerful snapshot of a band gelling so well. The musicianship is Dream Theater-Rhapsody-Helloween level. Not bad for a young band at the time. And vocalist Andre Matos....kills it live. Why he's not considered one of the top vocalists in the world is beyond my thought capacity. 

I wouldn't go so far to call Angra just power metal, because they're a bit prog too. Every time I listen to this, I crank it up loud and it feels like I'm transported back to this show in Paris in '96. My only complaint is that it's only 35 min and not maybe an hour. But their studio albums made up for that. Plus, Angra released a proper live album much later after a few members left (including Andre - ugh)....but I digress. 

Short, sweet, and to the Brazilian, prog-power metal point.

Angra - Carry On [Live Ludwigsburg 1996]

 

Accept Some Y&T On Sabbath (aka: ASYTS)

Spending early Sunday afternoon with Accept. I was hooked on this band the day I heard "Fast As A Shark" back in he day.  Hollllllleeeeeeee shit! Been a fan ever since.

Accept - Blast From The Past Trailer (2002)

My mid-afternoon viewing pleasure. How can anyone not be a fan of Y&T? Dave Meniketti is such an underrated musician. The guy smokes on guitar (Rock, Blues - you name it) and capable of singing effortlessly (even to this day in 2017). Plus the late, great Phil Kennemore on bass. I'll never be able to watch this one enough. Definitely one of my favorite concert videos. And this CD/DVD was hard to come by as well. Was a thorn in my side for many years. 

Y&T - I Believe In You [Live: One Hot Night 2006]

 

Ended my afternoon with a look back at Black Sabbath's 2013 tour since today's Tony Iommi's birthday. Such a great show, even though Bill Ward wasn't onboard. So many fantastic songs here (aside from the classics). This was a nice little find. I had already pre-ordered the Blu-ray, then found out afterwards there was a CD/Blu-ray version released on the Vertigo label in the UK. Had to have it. The Deluxe Box set included three more songs, interviews and behind-the-scenes. Might have to get that at some point. And I'm looking forward to the package they'll be releasing later this year in regards to their final show (filmed a few weeks ago on Feb 4th). This time I'm waiting before I pre-order anything. 

Black Sabbath - Into The Void [Live 2013]