My Musical Evolution – Page 17 – Mapping Influences Over Time

My Musical Evolution – Part 253 Roach Days Revisited Parties & Penguin Point

The Roach Motel was three houses away from Penguin Point. I must have eaten there every day for at least a year. Big Wally, Fries and Root Beer $3.15. That was the big box of fries mind you. There were a couple of hot girls that worked there as well. You know a girl is hot when she can make that brown and orange polyester Penguin Point uniform look good.

Our parties were getting bigger and people started to park in the Penguin Point parking lot. Penguin Point wasn’t too happy about that and were having cars towed.

Aric and I approached the manager who in the movie version would have been played by Don Knotts. We liked Penguin Point and we didn’t like our guests’ cars getting towed away so we needed to figure something out. Penguin Point wasn’t doing a lot of business and that big lot was empty most of the time anyway. We had another party coming up and we worked out a deal where our party guests could use the lot on the condition that they had to go into Penguin Point and buy something. We told the girls that we invited about that and we even put it in our newsletter. We had a newsletter calledThe Roach File.I should have gone into marketing.

The day after the party, we went to Penguin Point for lunch and to see how things went. They had a record day and the manager was very excited about us having another party. We always gave them advanced notice so they could staff appropriately and the manager would give us stacks of coupons to hand out. I firmly believed that Aric and I carried that store duringThe Roach Years.A few months after we moved, that location closed. Too sad really. I’d like a Big Wally and a root beer.

ABC – When Smoky Sings

Miami Sound Machine – Rhythm Is Gonna Get You

Kim Wilde – You Keep Me Hangin’ On

Bananarama – Venus

Baltimora -Tarzan Boy

‘Til Tuesday – Voices Carry

The Bangles – Manic Monday You can hear Prince’s prints all over this one

My Musical Evolution – Part 252 The Metal Years Behind The Iron Curtain

I can’t remember where I first saw Iron Maiden Behind The Iron Curtain .Was it MTV or one of the documentaries on Night Flight. I really don’t have any idea and not interested enough to try to find out.

What I do know is that I was really into Iron Maiden and Powerslave was getting them noticed. At some point in The Roach Motel Days, I was able to record both Behind The Iron Curtain and Live After Death on my old Betamax.

Behind The Iron Curtain follows Iron Maiden as they take The World Slavery Tour into Poland, Hungary, Czechoslavakia and Yugoslavia. You have to remind yourself that this was still 4 years before the wall came down and the Soviet stuff was all still in place. I would really be interested to see what these people and places are like today.

There are some interesting moments throughout the video. I find the offstage stuff to be the most interesting. To hear Dickinson talking to a guy in the club who says he likes to play heavy metal on his synthesizers to which Dickinson says “You can’t play heavy metal on synthesizers.

Fortunately for me, this documentary is included on the Live After Death DVD. Fortunatley for you, it is also on Youtube. Check it out

My Musical Evolution – Part 251 Roach Days Revisited The Young Ones

If you have been folowing along since elemntary school you’ll recall that I accidentally discovered Monty Python’s Flying Circus somewhere around the 3rd grade. I have been a fan of British humor ever since. During The Roach Motel Days, MTV did something brilliant! They started airing a British comedy series called The Young Ones. It was about for university students sharing housing and the calamity that ensues.

It was a good fit for MTV because it was irreverent comedy that spoke to the early twenty-somethngs. The show often featured a musical element. It was a perfect fit for me because it was witty, unpredictable, outlandish and British.

It was not uncommon for the seemingly normal events to take bizarre turns. For example in a game of Hide And Seek, hiding in the wardrobe leads to Narnia. There was a good deal of slapstick violence but British humor hasalways been strong on dialogue. We watched the show. Taped the show and watched them over and over. I was shocked when I bought the entire series on DVD a few years back and discovered that there were in fact only 12 episodes. There seemed to be so many more.

The Young Ones introduced us to some music that we not have heard otherwise.
The Young Ones Theme

Motörhead – The Ace Of Spades

Madness – Our House

The Damned – Video Nasty

9 Below Zero – Eleven Plus 11

Amazulu – Moonlight Romance

Ken Bishop’s Nice Twelve – Subterranean Homesick Blues

Madness – House Of Fun

I thought I’d throw the Cliff Richard Original in here just for the curious.

My Musical Evolution – Part 250 The Metal Years Master! Master!

Metallica’s latest hit stores and Aric picked it up. Master Of Puppets delivered more of the chunka-chunka speed metal we had come to love about their two prior releases. You can detect that their skills and equipment had become more refined and budgets and experience grew.

I’ve been listening to it this morning and even though it is very good and comes with its own set of memory jarring riffs, I still have to say that Kell ‘Em All is still my favorite. In the nearly 30 years since my first Metallica experience, I have routinely turned to Kill ‘Em All for speed metal fixes. That being said, the song Master Of Puppets is really taking me back. What a great piece.

Back in The Roach Motel Days, Aric and I used to think of the song Master Of Puppets as Metallica’s Public Service Announcement regarding the dangers of addiction to cocaine and heroin. While we’re talking about the song Master Of Puppets, I’d like to get Angus Young’s attention. The bridge in this song is a soothing melodic piece that would go a long way in curing battle fatigue. It only last a little bit beofre the ruthless chunka-chunka bits resume but something as simple as this might help AC/DC concert goers to survive the onslaught. Just think about it.

Metallica reminds me of Bach in their composition. They often seem to follow a formula of fours. Do that Chunka Chunka Chunk Chunk riff four times then do the Chunkity Chunk- hunkity Chunk riff four times then Chunk Chunk Chunka Chunk four times followed by blazing solo Chunk Chunkity Chunk Chunkity four times then repeat until the song is 7 minutes long.

This album seems to have a lot more acousticly melodic quiet bits. It is almost like they got my AC/DC battle fatigue memo.

Battery

Master Of Puppets Remember! Just say “No”

The Thing That Should Not Be

Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

I found this video while making this post. Am I the only one that thinks speed metal guitar girls are hot?

My Musical Evolution – Part 249 Roach Days Revisited Night Flight Rock & Rule

Another musical influence is often overlooked. USA network used to run a 5 hour show on Friday and Saturday nights. It was kind of like a mix tape for my demographic. It featured music videos, cartoon, weird movies, interviews and concert footage and other stuff that I found appealing.

Sometimes it made great backdrop viewing. It was on but not something you were actively watching. Other times, like during Iron Maiden Interviews, it was front and center. A mix of humor, music and bizarreness meant that we were a perfect match. Here is another lost series that I’d buy on DVD

One evening, the show aired a segment about an animated post apocalyptical musical called Rock & Rule. Anthropomorphic animals trying to get a record deal and an aging recording artist turned producer trying to take over the world might not seem like Oscar material but the music was good. I wish they would have produced an official movie soundtrack album. Fortunately I had recorded this stuff on my Betamax and was able to extract the audio for use in other venues.

Debbie Harry – Angel’s Song

Lou Reed – My Name Is Mok

Cheap Trick – Born To Raise Hell

Earth Wind & Fire – Dance, Dance, Dance

Iggy Pop – Pain & Suffering

Send Love Through

My Musical Evolution – Part 248 Roach Days Revisited Material Girl

I don’t think it was possible to be in the 10 to 40 age bracket in 1985 and not have at least heard of Madonna. Her second album Like A Virginhad been out for over a year and MTV might as well have been MadonnaTV.

I already praised her for being the Boy Toy ambassador in an earlier post. Now I want to discuss how much I liked ther music. Was I leading a double life? A split personality. I mean the post just prior to this was about how much I liked Metallica and here I am in all actuality liking Madonna even more. Is that typical?

Like A Virgin may have been a stupid title but it is packed to the top with 9 songs that I really like. Listening to it right now, a couple things come to mind one is that music is such an emtional thing. It doesn’t have to be technically masterful to become beloved. Material Girl is simplistic and not something that would rate high on some grandiose scale of musical proficiency but damn it is a good song. Like the rest of this album, I cannot help but be transported back to The Roach Days of 1985.

The other thing that comes to mind is that at this time in Madonna’s career, she was still just a pop star that had not yet transcended to that Artist status. At this time, she was just a girl that was on a freash new whirlwind of celebrity and was more interested in entertaining than expressing her suddenly important opinions about the world. I’ve always hated when anybody who becomes famous for starring in a TV show, movie, plays sport, or has a hit record suddenly becomes an expert on political landscapes and feels that they must express that opinion in whatever forum in which they appear.

Like A Virgin is still just about pop music. It is silly and just plain good dance music. These songs were always popular on the party mix tapes. Over And Over became one of my favorites. Can’t say why. Who knows why the heart wants what it wants?

Material Girl

Like A Virgin

Over And Over

Dress You Up

I just have to say one more time what a great album. I really miss this Madonna.

My Musical Evolution – Part 247 The Metal Years Ride The Lightning

I had to jump right into Ride The Lightning because it came at nearly the same time as Kill ‘Em All. Chuck had introduced us to Metallica and we were into it. Although it wasn’t quite as good as Kill ‘Em All, it was still Metallica and that was good enough for me.

I remember seeing the scowling band pictures on the back of the albums and in magiznes. They were trying t0o hard to look angry or menacing. I felt that it was a ridiculous thing to do. I was used to Iron Maiden’s backstage demeanor which was more humorous. Just because you play heavy metal doesn’t mean you have to be pissed off all the time.

Ride The Lightning opens up in a rather Goodbye To Romance way. The Intro to Fight Fire With Fire realy does sound like something from Ozzy or Black Sabbath. For Whom The Bell Tolls, starts off with that huge gothic church bell sound similar to the the one found on AC/DC’s Hells Bells. Just so you know, when I hear that bell sound I always think of For Whom The Bell Tolls while those around me most often think AC/DC.

For Whom The Bell Tolls was the first Metallica song that I played on bass. Being one of their slower songs, it seemed most likely to be acheivable. Fade To Black would give Metallica a great opportunity to releive their audience of battle fatigue. AC/DC could learn something here.

Fight Fire With Fire

For Whom The Bell Tolls

Fade To Black

Trapped Under Ice

The Call Of Ktulu

My Musical Evolution – Part 246 The Metal Years Bass Solo Take One

One day Chuck came over to the Roach Motel. He was pretty excited about a band he had been listening to. You gotta check these guys out! He put a cassette into the deck and I hear somebody say “Bass solo take one.” it was Metallica’s (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth from Kill ‘Em All. It was metal, but a different kind of metal. It seemed to take the speed of Iron Maiden and make it faster. It took the industrial quality of Accept and make it more mechanized.

Needless to say, we were blown away and instant Metallica fans. We went shopping right away. Aric bought Kill ‘Em All I bought Ride The Lightning. Which was all they had out at the time. Master Of Puppets was still a few months away.

Kill ’em All was such a great album. It still is my favorite. I seem to like each successive release just s little less. Kill ’em All still sounds new to me. I was just listening to it and Hetfield sounds like a kid. His voice sounds really young. That was thirty years ago. It is a weird notion that bands like Metallica have been around for 30 years. In the warped time perspective of my mind, only bands like The Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Pink Floyd and Aerosmith have been around that long.

I couldn’t believe how fast it sounded at first. The songs were all over 5 minutes long and had these long instrumental bridges and filled with chunka-chunka guitar parts. Like Iron Maiden, the subject matter was not about girls and parties but fire, war and legends.

My first favorite was Jump In The Fire but that was soon eclipsed by Seek & Destroy. That is such a great song. Of course Anesthesia still takes me back to that moment of discovery with such clarity even after all these years.

The Four Horsemen

Jump In The Fire

(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth

Seek & Destroy

I know that many would disagree with me that this is indeed the best Metallica album of all time but to me it is the core.

My Musical Evolution – Part 245 Roach Days Revisited How I Met Your Mother

Back To The Future Another thing happened in late 1985. I met the woman that would become my wife nearly 4 years later. I was working as a waiter in a Pizza Hut when it happened. Her parents had only 7 or 8 kids a that time and they would come in occasionally. I don’t remember any specific episodes with the entire family but I do recall the day when our friendship started.

It was a Saturday afternoon when Mary and Pauline came into Pizza Hut. I can even tell you the table at which they were seated. I served them and flirted, like you do. At the conclusion of their dining experience, her twin sister Pauline left me her [their] phone number written on a napkin.

Of course I called on them. Do you think for one second I wouldn’t call a pair of beautiful blonde twins! As it turns out, they were 17 year old Catholic girls. Was I setting myself up for another Rise & Fall? What is it with me and young parochial school girls? Is it that little kilt and button down shirt?

I think that they were interested in me but kind of afraid too. What happened was a couple of years of not so much dating as just hanging out and going to the movies. It was always all four of us. Aric, the girls and I. It was purely platonic and I think that made it so refreshing. We didn’t have to do anything but enjoy the movies and the after discussions. There was no pressure, no expectations. OK maybe the occasional twins fantasy but for the most part, just home cooked fun.

This went on for two full years. We’d go to the movies, then drive around and do a movie review show where we’d discuss in depth the film we’d seen and even propose alternate endings or point out story flaws. Then we took them home. No hand holding or attempts to acquire even a single kiss. I loved that in a Norman Rockwell sort of way. I think it is really interesting that at no point during that time did I ever guess that we would not only advance our relationship beyond the movies, I never would have believed that we’d eventually get married.

Looking back at the movies years, it was a great friendship that became a great foundation for a great romance that became a great foundation for a great marriage. I’m not just saying because this is her birthday.

Miami Sound Machine – Bad Boy

Janet Jackson – Nasty – My name ain’t “Bitch” it’s Janet. Miss Jackson if you’re nasty!

Michael Jackson – Bad

Georgia Satellites – Keep Your Hands To Yourself

Kenny Loggins – Danger Zone

Bonnie Tyler – Holding Out For A Hero

My Musical Evolution – Part 244 The Metal Years For Those About To Rock

I’ve seen AC/DC in concert more times than any other band and I really don’t care for them much. OK, OK that might be a little exaggerated. I like AC/DC well enough but the reason that I’ve seen them in concert sooo many times is because during The Metal Years, they always had great acts opening for them. I was always going to see the opening band then just hanging around for AC/DC.

I think that I mentioned Dave Wilder singing Dirty Deeds in German class back in The Academy Days. Yes that was my very first connection to AC/DC although I didn’t hear their version until around this time. I’ve got a stack of my old concert ticket stubs around here somewhere I think. I should try to find them and count up the number of times I’ve been to an AC/DC concert. It is too bad I don’t like them more.

One characteristic of the AC/DC concert is that they draw a surly drunken bunch. Every AC/DC concert I’ve been too had at least one big fight breakout at some point. We saw them down at Market Square Arena in Indinapolis one time and between the opening act and AC/DC, we were walking around the upper deck just checking everything out when a roar from the floor erupted. We looked down to see the crowd back away from a focal point, making a big circle around two guys duking it out. Market Suqare is gone now but you can imagine the distance from way up top to down to the floor and even over the din of the crowd we could hear the sound of knuckles meeting face. Typical.

In most concerts I attended, it was always a shame when it came to an end. With AC/DC, I alwasy felt that they went on a bit too long. The problem with AC/DC is that most if not all of their songs follow the same formula and thus are played with the same brutal intensity. What they don’t have but desperately need is a power ballad. Something slow and soothing and different to give the audience a break. Movie directors call it battle fatigue. Watch some films that have long intense battles and you’ll find that they find ways to cut away to something else for a few minutes to relieve the viewer. Check out the assault on Minas Tirith in Return Of The King. Peter Jackson gives us a couple breaks during that lengthy seige. AC/DC doesn’t. Many of their fans love them for that reason. I need the break.

A couple years ago Aric, Scott and I were watching the AC/DC Live At Donington DVD and about 2/3 of the way through we all felt that we had enough. A soulful power ballad around the halfway mark would have made all the difference. Where is their Home Sweet Home?

That is why I’ve grouped AC/DC like this. I’m not a reall big fan but if you can extract and listen to just a few songs at a time, they really do have a pile of good ones. My friend Scott has long been a big fan of AC/DC. Aric was moderately. Between the two of them, I’ve had access to the bulk of their discography.

You Shook Me All Night Long