Happy New Year

I first saw Matt Mays live in December 2004 at Dolan's Pub. My brother, who was working at The Fox at the time, invited me to attend the fundraising event. I had no idea who Matt Mays was at the time, and I don't remember who else performed that night, but over the years I've jumped at every chance to see Matt Mays live: 2005 and 2008 at the SUB Ballroom with Sam Roberts, the CFB Gagetown 50th Anniversary show with the Trews in 2008, the FredRock Festival in 2009 and 2012, and awesome acoustic performances at the Capital Complex in 2011 and the Tide & Boar in Moncton last December.

I'm excited to be bringing in 2015 at the Casino in Moncton with my wife as Matt Mays opens for Big Wreck, who put on a blistering show at FredRock in 2013. I saw Ian Thornley perform at UNB with the Trews back in 2004, and he absolutely blew me away - mixing in Big Wreck songs with his new solo material and tossing in interludes of classic rock songs like Another Brick in the Wall and Won't Get Fooled Again, I was amazed at how talented he was, and I wasn't surprised at all to learn he was askd to join Velvet Revolver years later. Thornley refused when the band requested he put down his guitar and handle vocal duties only.

Thanks to the folks at 105 FM The Fox for the tickets for tonight's show. Should be a dandy.

1980

Top 10 Hard Rock / Heavy Metal LPs in My Collection

Hard rock faced an uncertain future as the 1970's came to a close. Ronnie James Dio had left Rainbow, Ozzy Osbourne was ousted from Black Sabbath, and Kiss was experimenting with the sounds of disco. And before the 1980's were even two months old, AC/DC would lose its front man to the excesses of the rock 'n roll lifestyle. But when all was said and done, 1980 was one of the finest years for hard rock releases. Here are my favorite hard rock / heavy metal albums from 1980 that are in my LP collection:

10. Van Halen - Women and Children First (March 26, 1980)

Van Halen delivers another blistering performance but doesn't quite match up to the standard set on Van Halen I and Van Halen II.

9. Scorpions - Animal Magnetism (March 31, 1980)

German rockers pack a punch here but the album falls short of its predecessor Lovedrive and its successor Blackout.

8. Rose Tattoo - Rose Tattoo (October 1980)

Released in 1978 in the band's homeland of Australia, Rose Tattoo's debut album contains blistering blues with heavy doses of slide guitar.

7. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden (April 14, 1980)
Iron Maiden's classic debut album featuring original lead singer Paul Di'Anno. Just a sign of great things to come from the band.

6. Def Leppard - On Through the Night (March 14, 1980)

Before selling millions of copies with Pyromania and Hysteria, Def Leppard were New Wave of British Heavy Metal pioneers. The band never rocked quite as hard as they did here on their debut disc.

5. Judas Priest - British Steel (April 14, 1980)

Classic Priest album features shorter and more commercial-sounding metal than previous releases, which helped the band reach mainstream success.

4. Black Sabbath - Heaven & Hell (April 25, 1980)

Ronnie James Dio joined forces with Tony Iommi, originally with the idea of forming a new band, but after rehearsing with the other members of Sabbath, Dio was hired as Ozzy's permanent replacement in the band.

3. Motorhead - Ace of Spades (November 8, 1980)

Lemmy and company pound out a metal masterpiece.

2. AC/DC - Back in Black (July 25, 1980)

Bon Scott's alcohol-related death in February of 1980 didn't stop the band from producing one of the best selling albums of all time with new lead singer Brian Johnson.

1. Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz (UK - September 20, 1980, North America - March 27, 1981)

After being fired from Black Sabbath, Ozzy was nearly broke and in a downward spiral of whiskey and cocaine. But after teaming up with former Quiet Riot guitarist Randy Rhodes, the Prince of Darkness released one of the best metal albums of all time.

The Tragically Hip - Up to Here

On opening day of Second Spin's Fredericton store last month, I picked up a U.S. promotional copy of The Tragically Hip's first full-length LP Up to Here. 

The Hip's first full-length release turned 25 years old earlier this week (September 5, 1989), which also happened to be my first day of high school. Where has the time gone? You couldn't hear the Hip on radio in Fredericton back in 1989--The Fox wouldn't launch for another 10+ years. All four singles ( "Blow at High Dough" "New Orleans Is Sinking" "Boots or Hearts" and "38 Years Old") are still in regular rotation on many Canadian rock stations, although many stopped playing New Orleans Is Sinking for a period of time back in 2005 due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Much has changed in the music business since the fall of 1989. Grunge was starting to simmer in the Northwest and would explode into the mainstream within a couple of years. Cassette tapes were the most popular format in 1989, but CDs were just starting to gain popularity and would become the preferred purchase for music consumers by 1990.

I was strictly listening to hard rock and hair metal back in '89, but this album really struck a cord with me and broadened my musical horizons. Happy Birthday to a true Canadian classic album.

Glam Rock, Part 1

Uncle Rob of 105 The Fox featured Sweet's Desolation Boulevard (1974) as his Wax Wednesday LP yesterday, and after seeing his post, I pulled out my copy of the album and put it on the turntable.

Many listeners to FM radio will recognize Ballroom Blitz and Fox on the Run, but the album contains a number of other really strong tunes, including The 6 Teens, Set Me Free, and A.C.D.C. Sweet were a major influence on Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx, which is apparent when you listen to the opening line of the album's side two opening track Sweet F.A.: 

"Well it's Friday night, I need a fight..."

After spinning Desolation Boulevard, I needed some more glitter and glam, so next up was Slade's Sladest (1973). Managed by former Animals' bassist and Jimi Hendrix manager Chas Chandler, Slade were a major influence on many hair metal bands of the 80's, even though the band's success in North America was nowhere near what it was in Europe during the early to mid-70's (the band had 17 consecutive top twenty hits and 6 number ones).

Although Quiet Riot were a top draw at L.A. clubs in the late 70's, the band never achieved any mainstream success until their 1983 cover of Slade's Cum on Feel the Noize, a song the band was dead set against covering when they recorded Metal Health (1983). Lead singer Kevin DuBrow would later admit he tried singing the song as poorly as possible to avoid having it on the record. The track eventually became the first heavy metal song to reach the top 5 of the Billboard 100 chart and propelled Metal Health to the #1 spot on the Billboard album chart. The success of Noize spurred the band to cover another Slade song Mama Weer All Crazee Now on their follow-up LP Condition Critical (1984).

Second Spin Records - Fredericton

Much of the vinyl I have picked up over the years has come from Moncton - Spin It, Live Wire, or my friend Matt.

Up until today, Fredericton has only had one record store, and as a vinyl collector for the past 4 years, it is sad to say I have only purchased 2 albums from Backstreet Records. I have walked up their stairs many times, filled with the anticipation of finding that hidden gem, but each time I have walked away disappointed.

Second Spin Records is based out of Saint John, but today they opened a second store for vinyl lovers in the capital city. Located in the old Mazzucas storefront, Second Spin Records has a reputation for carrying a lot of metal and punk records, and from the moment I walked into the store at 10 a.m. this morning (I was the first one in the door), I was not disappointed.

First, I grabbed an original pressing of Megadeth - Rust in Peace (1990), which was displayed on the far wall. I then started flipping through some of the used records and found a US promo copy of The Tragically Hip - Up to Here (1989). My next pull was an awesome copy of The Clash - London Calling (1980). Very happy at this point, I was even happier when noticed 4 or 5 rows of used metal and punk records that I missed on the way in. I added Slayer - South of Heaven (1988) and Judas Priest - Stained Class (1978) to finish off my purchase.

The store was elbow to elbow the entire time I was there, and as I stood in line, I noticed that the 6 or 7 people in front of me did not just have 1 or 2 albums: most of them had between 8 and 12 records. Fredericton has had the demand for an outlet like Second Spin Records for some time now, and if the boys keep it stocked with quality albums at decent prices (like they did for their grand opening), they will be a fixture in the downtown area of Fredericton. Great work gentlemen. You will see a lot of me in the coming months.