Old Enough to Forget

I had seen this album many times and thought it looked absolutely awesome. I loved those old Warren magazines. I had a lot of copies of Creepy , Eerie and The Rook . No, I didn't have copies of  Vampirella  - but I would discreetly read it at the store when no one was looking.  Roger's sleeve was designed by Hipgnosis, the legendary design team from the UK, and it looked like something that could have come straight out of one of those magazines. I knew someone who had a copy and, as I was a big Queen fan, I asked about it. I was told it was nothing like Queen. So I passed. After all, this was Roger, the guy who got the B-side to "Bohemian Rhapsody" to sing about his car. Never my favourite song, but dagnabbit, through sheer force of will Roger earned my respect. Still, the prospect of hearing an entire album seemed to be a bit much. Everything changed in the summer of '84 after I heard "Man on Fire" - suddenly Mister Taylor was on my radar. Generally my ...

The other day the bins at Redrum Records coughed up not one, but two Boz Scaggs albums: his 1976 multi-platinum Silk Degrees and its 1977 platinum follow-up Down Two Then Left . There are times I'll pair albums like this, but today I just don't have it in me. Although I wouldn't be surprised if I end up doing a two-fer anyway. At the moment I don't see it ... I just want to get through this one. Silk Degrees celebrated its 50th birthday this past February and is considered in many circles an undeniable classic. Oh, if you're waiting for me to drop the term Yacht Rock you'll be waiting a while. Personally, I cannot stand the label, as frankly it's lazy and dismissive. "Oh look, someone used a complicated arrangement and a grownup guitar chord - this must be Yacht Rock." You can't see me, but I'm sitting at my keyboard giving that sentence The Johnny Cash Salute. Over the years I have become well aware of the involvement of Jeff Porcaro, D...

I recall hearing “I’m The Answer” on the radio by Simon back in 1983. The couple of times I heard it, it was always followed by a comment about Pete singing backing vocals, or Pete produced it, or Simon was Pete's little brother. It was a minor hit, or a near miss depending on how you look at it. I sort of liked it and I almost bought the record because it had a cool-looking cover. Simon was staring into the camera and pouting (his hair dresser gets a credit in the liner notes). He was either covered in grease or coal, depending on what kind of backstory you've invented to take up the obligatory 1,000 words the picture is supposed to conjure up. Coal or grease, the remarkable thing about the cover is the pristine white shirt. How did he keep the shirt clean? Sweet Sound was indeed produced by Simon’s elder brother, Pete, who had fifteen years on him. One could be forgiven for thinking this was nepotism at its worst. Except it wasn’t ... not really, though I’m sure it didn’t hur...

All I really knew about Dave Mason was that he’d been a member of Traffic, rode that association into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Class of 2004), and had a hit in ’77 with “We Just Disagree” - a song I liked, and still like. News about Dave's death showed up on various sites back in April, and honestly, I realized I’d had him confused for years. Never having been much of a Traffic fan - beyond the songs I’d heard on the radio - and only really knowing that one hit, Dave Mason was mostly just a name to me. Somewhere along the way I’d gotten my internal wires crossed and convinced myself he was Graham Parker ... and to make things worse, I’d somehow also thought Graham Parker was actually Gram Parsons. I'd like to say this is an example of The Mandela Effect, but honestly, it’s just kind of par for how my brain works. Over the years, I've been able to craft and populate whole histories based on a simple misconception that, over time, becomes a foundational support to an o...

Your Mama Won't Like Me was released in 1975 and was her third album in three years, as well as the follow-up to '74s Quatro. Yes, I know most of that sentence is clunky, but it says what I wanted it to say. Once again she partnered with Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, who produced the album and wrote three of the songs. The balance of the material was written by Suzi and Len Tuckey, except for the cover of "Fever," initially made famous by Peggy Lee and since covered by everyone from Elvis to Madonna. Suzi's band was still anchored by Suzi on bass and Len Tuckey on guitar. Dave Neal was on drums, and Alastair McKenzie was on keys. This was the same lineup as 1974's Quatro . It's strange they weren't credited on the cover ... I guess we were supposed to recognize them from their pictures. Speaking of credits, the album didn't have a lot of them, but they included Chris Mercer (tenor sax), Mick Eve (tenor sax), Steve Gregory (tenor sax), Bud Beadle (b...

Since finding Teaze Live in Japan a few years ago, I had been on the lookout for this one. Not that it was hard to find once I made up my mind that this was coming home - I just wasn't convinced I needed to add it to my collection. Part of the issue was the live album. Yes, it was enjoyable, and it was definitely one of those albums I had been curious about since my teen years ... but it was also sort of uneven, and the songs just weren't that memorable, which I still find strange because I really do like the album, and I was listening to it again the other day. One Night Stands , though, just looked cool, and it had the benefit of having Myles Goodwyn's name stamped on the back cover. April Wine was one of those bands that always had a song on the radio growing up, but during my formative years between 1978 and 1981 the band was on a tear: First Glance , Harder ... Faster , and The Nature of the Beast . Right in the middle of their commercial peak, Teaze were touring with...

Back in January I wrote about The Northern Pikes' excellent album Forest of Love . It was an album I bought because I thought it might be interesting (I also found it cheap which was a plus), and I was intrigued by Kevin Kane's inclusion in the line-up. I suppose if I were a proper fan I wouldn't have been so surprised at how good it was. Time to Time came out in 2023 and featured the same lineup: Jay Semko, Bryan Potvin, Don Schmid, and Kevin Kane. I went to the band's site, looked through the merch store, and saw that their latest album Time to Time was available as an autographed limited edition. In one of those "Go on, take my money" moments, I sent a message through the site and, in short order, found myself trading notes with Don  Schmid . Within literally a few days, a package arrived at my door with the record. Turns out Don lives practically down the road from me, which kind of cracked me up. Time to Time had been waiting to be played for a few mon...

Most of this was written in real time as I listened to the record for the first time. I have, of course, gone back in time to edit and add more after the fact. Why not? At the moment I'm about two tracks in. I just dropped the needle and sat down. The first track, "Intro," is exactly that. It was a cool, sort of techno-influenced piece that segues into "Forever," which was pretty good. Having the song end with a tape effect is a nod to a past that doesn't exist. I suppose if you can replicate it digitally, why not? "Like I Used to Be" is pretty cool. The song features what I have to assume are Matt and Kim trading vocals back and forth. The song is a mid-tempo alternative electronic piece with a lot of '80s-flavoured programmed percussion. I like it. Very retro ... or is this called Lo-Fi? "I'd Rather" Oh, here we go. A nice fat thuddy beat. At the risk of exposing my limited range in defining or understanding genres, I suspect th...

When I found Boys Brigade , it seemed familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It didn’t matter. The immediate drawing card was seeing Geddy Lee’s name on the back as producer. The band was on Anthem Records, and honestly, even before hearing anything, I was assuming it was going to be good. Good it was. So good, and it was also a memory jogger too. “Melody” got modest play back in ’83, and it was a delightfully quirky song that was everything cool about the early ’80s. Oddly, whenever I hear the song, it feels a bit like Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers’ “Here Comes My Girl” - they really sound nothing alike, there’s just something about the atmosphere and delivery that makes me think of Petty - and I’m being sort of petty even comparing them. Heck, if I’m going to go all in, I may as well say that Boys Don’t Cry’s “I Wanna Be a Cowboy” sounds like they heard “Melody.” Whatever, none of this jibber jabber takes away from the song - it’s one of the highlights on the record (there a...

Once again I doth findeth myself on the receiving end of an earful of baffling wonderment and wtf-ishness. For the purists who grew up with ELP, I realize this album was released overseas in the fall of 1971, but over here it was 1972, and if you were here in North America then it was 1972 for you too. As far as I'm concerned, this is a 1972 release, as that’s what was stamped on the centre of the record. Here we have a live album that astounds with the sheer scope of what this trio was trying to accomplish. Recorded live at Newcastle City Hall on 26 March 1971, the little hall's capacity for an all-standing audience is apparently around 2,600 people. I suspect they played to a full house. With only two albums under their belt, their self-titled debut and Tarkus, proposing a live album only a year or so after arriving on the scene was pretty ballsy. What they wanted to record was their arrangement of Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky’s piano pieces, which he penned to describe...

A few years ago I wrote about Emotions in Motion and relayed a story about “The Stroke” and my friend Gord that I’m going to repeat here for those who missed it the first time. This is as good a place as any to start, so here we go. One of my more shameful recollections involves my buddy Gord (I always blame Gord for shit like this), who was in town visiting. We decided to hang out at the Dairy Queen. We were goofing around and generally acting like teenage idiots when in walked David Mainse, the guy who used to be on 100 Huntley Street here in Canada. Of course, there was a jukebox in the Dairy Queen, and while poor Mister Mainse sat there eating his lunch, we played “The Stroke” over, and over, and over. Please note the restraint I’ve shown in avoiding a needless masturbation joke ... it was hard. Yeah, not a proud moment, but at the time we thought we were hilarious. Yes, I know I missed my chance to work in a Dilly Bar reference, but I can’t think of everything. More to the poin...

“And now for something completely different.” Okay, maybe not completely different, but a bit out of my wheelhouse. I managed to get out to Redrum Records a while back, and the dollar bin was good to me. Goodness mercy me, this was some fun. I’m not generally a big country guy, but I do have a soft spot for Texas Swing, and boy howdy, Asleep at the Wheel delivered the goods. The album charges out of the chute with the title track, a rollicking instrumental bordering on countrified big band  - hence the swing label - and from there I was treated to a bevy of songs that were just so good. The band was literally a big band, boasting eleven members in the credits: not one but two fiddle players, along with mandolin, accordion, clarinet, sax, upright bass, pedal steel, and three guitars. Big band, big fun. I really liked how the album opened both sides with instrumentals. Side one kicks off with the jazz swing of “The Wheel,” which set the tone beautifully, while side two opens with a t...

Permanent Record (Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) came out in 1988. This was the first time I saw Keanu Reeves in a movie (where else would I have seen him?), and I thought he was awesome. I thought the movie was awesome. I thought the soundtrack was awesome. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the movie. The last time was in the early ’90s when I was chaperoning a Youth Group sleepover. One of the kids actually brought it to watch. I didn’t object. I thought it was still pretty good. Some of the lustre was missing, but it was still good. I’ve had the CD on my shelf since it came out and, despite what you are about to read, THIS IS AN AWESOME soundtrack. I don't know why I wanted this on vinyl, other than I wanted this on vinyl. Still, once I get a bee in my bonnet and all that it becomes a thing ... and as you can see, I managed to find a really nice copy. I did notice my disc had more credits which I suppose was par for the course. By the late '80s album...