Oh, I get it! David Bowie – Aladdin Sane

April 1, 2015April 2, 2015 / ds barrett / 5 Comments

Ziggy invades America, less a space alien and more a genuine rock star. While it is easy for most of us to see the classic The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars as the peak of a string of amazing records, it was Aladdin Sane that solidified his rock god status and was the real beginning to his conquest of the States.

So now it has been 42 years since its release, and I’m searching through the various vinyl editions that can be had, when I come across these pieces of magical wax.

Here I was thinking that a 180 gram re-master would be the best thing I can get, but… what the hell is the story with this little gem.

You see, I got it new at a very nice price which to me meant it was a 2013 version, but it has bonus material from the 2003 30^th anniversary set. Well, it seems that it has sailed over from Japan and is a promo copy for 2013 that is not dated. According to Discogs, the only two coloured vinyl disc version of Aladdin Sane to see official release came from Japan on an “undetermined date.” What is weird about it, is that for such a cool limited imported promo pack, the price on e-bay has remained relatively low. In fact, there seems to be a few such Bowie albums on the market that fill a similar niche. If your a Bowie fan that wants stuff on vinyl, check it out.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/David-Bowie-The-Rise-and-Fall-of-Ziggy-Stardust-2XLP-COLOR-VINYL-W-2-INSERTS-/251898411747?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3aa650bae3

For A Couple Hours They Were The World’s Greatest Band! Urge Overkill – Saturation

March 31, 2015 / ds barrett / 1 Comment

It’s funny the tricks that your mind creates for some screwed up database of how you remember things. As I drive on the 401 there is a man-made lake that you can see as you drive by the Niagara Escarpment, I think it is named Lake Kelso. Hundreds of times I driven by this spot in all seasons, weather, and times of day and every time I smile. The opening chords to “Sister Havana” play in my head and I picture an old Volvo with a tape deck that has wires hanging out, stretching toward a CD player that rests on a pillow on the floor. My roommate Kevin is hyped by this band and is telling me the finer details of their former indie label existence. I’m enjoying the song and nodding a lot as I look through the CD booklet. One song becomes another and by the time we hit downtown Toronto and the final notes of “Heaven 90210” ring out, I’m a fan. I know that when I get home I’ll be picking up this record and telling everyone who will listen, Saturation is a GREAT ALBUM!

Later that night as Urge Overkill took the stage things were a little different than usual. It being 1993, most bands were dressed down in ripped jeans and whatever t-shirt was handy at the moment. These guys were in flashy suits with big gold chains that had carried the UO medallion around their necks. As the show kicked in, the maybe 400 people present were treated to a freakin’ rock spectacle of epic proportion. For the next couple hours this band was convincing this audience that they, Urge Overkill – Nash Kato, Edward (King) Roeser and Blackie Onassis were the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band on the planet. They swaggered, they posed, and they had a great album that was being performed in glorious fashion. Walking out of Lee’s after the show I was a ‘HUGE FAN’ and absolutely convinced they would be massive.

Critics loved them, other rock stars couldn’t heap enough praise on them, and they were in every alternative magazine of the time being ‘rock stars’. But that was pretty much the height of it all. They just didn’t catch on. The next album, Exit The Dragon, didn’t capture audiences imagination the way Saturation had and they broke up.

So here it is more than twenty years later, and I want to honour that day, that time, when for a couple hours Urge Overkill was the world’s greatest band. So I want this:

Problem is the price and the condition. A good clean copy with a mint cover is around $100 once you add shipping. Oh well, maybe Geffen will do a re-release on vinyl… that would be cool! Still I want this album in my collection. I want this beautiful piece of orange vinyl playing at 33rpm as it takes me back to memories of Lake Kelso and Lee’s Palace.

Where Have You Been All Of My Life? The Dirtbombs – Ultraglide In Black

March 30, 2015April 28, 2015 / ds barrett / 1 Comment

Something about ‘garage rock’ makes it so timeless. Maybe it’s the fuzzed out guitars or the berserker energy with which the six-string is played, but it certainly rocks the house when done right.

Perhaps that’s why I got so excited the first time I heard the Dirtbombs. They had even more than I could’ve imagined going for them. Backing the vocals and guitar ‘riffage’ of Mick Collins is a band that boasts dual bass guitar and dual drums and every song they power through is uniquely their own, even when they pull off a great cover.

Which is exactly what Ultraglide In Black is, a covers album (with one original). Every bit as powerful as anything the White Stripes have done, Ultraglide in Black looks back at some classic R&B and soul and channels it through the ghost of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and MC5.

If you take a song like Stevie Wonder’s “Livin’ For The City” which thematically deals with systemic racism, the original comes off musically with a gospel and hopeful air. Under Collins, the Dirtbombs version is anger and seething. It strips away the hope and with the help of both a sinister sounding bass and guitar the songs conclusions ‘of just enough’ sounds angry and futile.

In fact, this album is Collins interpretation of ‘Black America’ through the songs of the artists he grew up with. You get Sly Stone’s “Underdog”, Curtis Mayfield’s “Kung Fu”, Phil Lynott’s “Ode to a Black Man” and Marvin Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up,” blasting out the speakers with this tremendous power that Mick Collins finds for every damn song on the record.

As you finish Ultraglide In Black, you find yourself wondering why this album has sat under the radar for most people. It isn’t just a great record worth of songs, it is a classic record that should be in everyones collection.

You can get it here.

Remember that time Bart crashed into Meg or The White Stripes – Elephant

March 28, 2015 / ds barrett / 1 Comment

With Record Store Day 2015 fast approaching I thought I’d go back to one of my favourite RSD releases, The White Stripes – Elephant.

While the White Stripes put out a lot of great material during their career, nothing opened up quite the way Elephant did with “Seven Nation Army.” It thundered to the point of making you rock whether you wanted to or not. It was a hair swinging, face slappin’ opening statement. Things only got cooler when you saw them chasing The Simpsons around to the driving fury that was “Hardest Button to Button”, and yet like Led Zeppelin before them, they could slow it down on a dime with a slow blues or acoustic number that had you grab for your headphones to hear the nuances and emotional depth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs5vHRn1zDU

This limited edition version was released for RSD 2013, as a tenth anniversary celebration and to draw attention to the fact that Jack White was the ambassador for Record Store Day that year.

Album one was a black and red split piece of vinyl while record two was white.

Another little weird thing was that sides were given letter designations except for the front of the white vinyl which was marked “Side 3”, rather than “C”.

The album was re-mastered directly from the original analog tapes making the vinyl a true representation of what White wanted people to hear.

Discogs now has this album listed for $75.28 while e-bay stores are asking in the $50.00 range.

Of course the only thing that really matters is, that this album is awesome and that it is gives you the urge to keep turning the volume up. If you can find a vinyl copy – I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Chasing Yesterday

March 27, 2015 / ds barrett / 2 Comments

One doesn’t order a record off the Noel Gallagher menu and expect to be served a pretentious fine dining experience that includes things you can barely pronounce. Instead, Gallagher is a well seasoned steak served with a bed of rice and veggies you can get at your local supermarket; and in this age of ‘pop’ bullshit where the radio plays only songs that are written by committee, a good old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll record is welcome.

Gallagher’s greatest gift has always been a recognizable hook backed with hummable lyrics and melody that could have been lifted from the Fab Four in ’65. Since Oasis bid adieu, NGHFB’s sound has been a little beefier than the previous band and comes without the let down of huge expectations. You get the feeling that Gallagher is enjoying himself again without the baggage that came with his former band and the sibling tension that rode with it. If he isn’t, he certainly is exorcizing the past. Like the Beatles post break-up, there seems to be messages littered throughout Chasing Dreams to the glorious past. Along with the obvious album title, songs “The Dying Of The Light”, “While The Song Remains The Same” and “You Know We Can’t Go Back” all play to the theme of times gone by, while other songs go back to Gallagher’s bread winning formula of songs for life affirmation.

As formula as one might accuse him of being, no one quite does it as well as Noel Gallagher. When he rocks out on “In The Heat Of The Moment”, “The Mexican” and “The Ballad Of The Mighty I” you can’t help but smile. Sure, like the song said, “you can’t go back”, but that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate what you have in the here and now.

If you pick this up on vinyl it also comes with a CD. Enjoy!

Are You Kidding Me? A Working Lego Turntable! – I Really Want This!

March 26, 2015 / ds barrett / 4 Comments

Anyone having read this blog knows that I love Lego and I LOVE vinyl. Well, holy rotating crap Batman!… some beautiful genius in South Korea has combined them to create this gorgeous working turntable.

So, I’m looking at my Facebook page and this video pops up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFSXsOpm2MY

Now, having watched the youtube video, it does sound like crap, but youtube has a whole bunch of working turntables built with lego… they also sound like crap.

The one from the video uses parts from an audiotechnica with Lego, and puts the sound out through speakers that are also built from Lego. I would be curious to hear it with real speakers. In fact, I would be curious to see a turntable built with Lego and really great parts from an old turntable that could be run through a stereo. To date it seems that the ‘master builders’ have been using Lego motors instead of the ones housed in a real record player. So, it might be a great project for someone to try using the Lego for buttons, switches and housing while getting the internals to work with genuine turntable parts. Having no electronics aptitude, it isn’t a good project for me, but someone could probably do a good job.

AND – when they do – I want one!

With a Lego instruction booklet so that I can put it together and feel like an eight year old genius who just built a turntable out of lego… first play would go to the White Stripes.

Here is the original article that got me dreaming about this.

D’oh – I waited too long! Or Simpsons House almost gone – Kwik-E-Mart almost here!

March 26, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

I had an awesome birthday last year. Small gathering of family, good conversation, and people who know me well enough to pick the most awesome of gifts… it was a great day!

My wife and kids got me this:

How cool is that eh!

It took almost ten hours to build which I did over several sittings and it now has a place where it is prominently displayed so that the world can see just how much of a geek I truly am. For any of you thinking about it, the original price tag is a hefty one, and the re-sale value is through the roof.

First thing to know is that the Lego store still has them priced at $229.99 Canadian. Unfortunately they also have marked it as ‘Hard To Find’ which means that it will soon slip into the Sold Out category.

Resellers on e-bay are already listing new & unopened sets at over $300.00 American. It is crazy, but once the set sells out some people will be willing to pay that price or more. Depending on how you see this (toy vs. collectible) it really isn’t surprising. The show has hit 25 years while still remaining popular, and the Lego set has 2523 pieces and is detailed from the garage right down to the ‘property of Ned Flanders’ barbecue. The original set was sold with six minifigures, while 16 others were sold separately in individual packages. Some kids at my sons birthday parties were getting up close and personal with the minifigures, even reading the little things that characters had in their hands.

In Fact, even the minifigures are going at crazy prices for the complete set of 16. The lowest price I spoted on kijiji was $90.00 while most people were asking well over a hundred. If you like them, but don’t want to pay those prices, a new set of Simpsons minifigs will be going on sale May 1.

Of course that is also the day that Lego releases the Kwik -E- Mart.

Direct from the Lego store it is also priced at $229.99, has 2179 pieces and includes minifigures of Homer, Marge, Bart, Apu, Chief Wiggum and Snake. It looks very cool.

Now, how many days until July?

Which Bleach is Bleach? Nirvana –Bleach

March 25, 2015 / ds barrett / 1 Comment

I wonder if any album ever recorded for so little has returned so much?

If the myth is true, those “500 American dollars” have generated a whole frickin’ industry around one record.

Since it first hit the market in 1989, Bleach has gone on to sell 1.7 million copies and is Sub Pop Records biggest seller to date. So how much vinyl is out there?

Well, according to discogs, at least 60 vinyl versions have hit the streets worldwide since ’89. It is super easy to find a new copy at any time. However, recently some pretty cool editions have hit the North American market. Sub Pop released a Deluxe 180 gram double white vinyl gate fold edition back in 2009 that includes a live performance from 1990. Going through chat rooms, it seems that a few of these had complaints about skipping. Personally speaking, my own copy sounds fantastic, so I would just keep the receipts if you’re interested in pursuing one. Discogs has it listed at $34.10 and e-bay vendors are trying to get $100.00. Which is funny because it can be had brand spanking new for about $30.00 at Amazon and local retailers.

The other edition that has started selling for outrageous amounts of money is the most recent release that was put out in limited fashion by Newbury Comics just last year. Two editions of the re-mastered Bleach, one is a clear white splatter while the other is a maroon black splatter, were released in quantities of 750 each and hand numbered. Again, it sounds absolutely fantastic, but the re-sale market is crazy for these. Discogs has the clear/white selling for 61.43 and the maroon/black at 74.98. E-bay on the other hand is asking $100 for one or $150 for both.

Of course, if you are off your rocker nuts with money to burn… the coloured vinyl (specifically the aqua) released by Sub Pop in 1992 can and does sell for over $500 a pop.

Other colours can be had for less… which is kind of a relative term when you spend hundreds on a single collectible record.

OH MY GOSH… a review of something new! Modest Mouse – Strangers To Ourselves

March 24, 2015 / ds barrett / 1 Comment

Let’s face it, Modest Mouse is never going to get any better and cooler than they were a few years ago when Johnny Marr joined up for an album and tour, and every album subsequently will be judged against the success of We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. Sure early albums like The Moon & Antarctica were great records that built their reputation, but both the commercial and critical success of We Were Dead… makes it the career highlight.

Perhaps that’s why we see an 8 year wait between records, although, it really doesn’t seem like that long ago, but I digress…

Modest Mouse has always balanced themselves on a thread between ambitious and eccentric. At their best they have this quirky genius thing going on and the other side of the coin is this pretentious arty bullshit that isn’t nearly as smart as they seem to think it is.

So, which side of the line did the coin land on?

Thankfully, they landed face side up with Issac Brock finding that sweet spot between trippy stories and letting his top notch band find the grove to emotional resonance. Yes it is quirky and full of quick turns and humour, but it also has musical lift that keeps things moving.

Take their first single “Lampshades on Fire”, one could easily look at it as more of the same from Modest Mouse, a simple next step from their previous offerings. However, this first look at the new record is more like a statement that grounds the band. It pulls a funky grove and lyrical twist without things drifting off into a world of self-absorption. The rest of the record takes shape around that idea. Brock & co. Never allow things to get out of hand which I found to be a bit of a deterrent on earlier records.

Anyway, the vinyl advance order came with a 7” of “Lampshades on Fire” as well the 180 gram double vinyl of Strangers to Ourselves. It was worth the purchase price and should get plenty of time on the turntable over the next few months.

That’s Right – STAN FRICKIN’ LEE my friends! – I Really Want This!

March 23, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

Ask either of my boys (7 &11) who the coolest person living on this planet is, and the answer might surprise you. It isn’t an athlete, movie star, or world leader… although he does go by the moniker of “King Of Cameos” in movies, but has never been the star – Yep, that’s right – Stan Frickin’ Lee – the creator of almost every character Marvel hold near and profitably dear to its corporate Disney heart.

My kids are Marvel fans in a big way. Comics, video games, television and movies, and their favorite part of all of these are when they spot Stan doing one of his “EPIC” cameos. Each of us can debate the most hilarious or heroic moment Stan has had.

(Here, Pick Your Own)

Anyway, after my older son Rowan and I had finished our nightly comic book read, he asked about Fan-Expo Toronto. Of course, when my younger overheard, ran over to say he was going as well. All this before I had even said a word about the when and where. So now my wife and I are looking at a family day out to Fan-Expo with the hopes of getting something cool and collectable for the family. I mean, sure these guys, including Stan, sign their own headshots, but let’s face it, that wouldn’t be as cool as

THIS

http://www.sportsposterwarehouse.com/detail_AP-COM-909__999__amazingfantasy15ap.html

SIGNED

Ok maybe this

http://www.sportsposterwarehouse.com/detail_AP-COM-903__999.html

SIGNED

Or this,

http://www.sportsposterwarehouse.com/detail_AP-COM-919__999__theavengers1ap.html

BUT…

Regardless, the whole family is wondering which wall will become the Stan Lee shrine. Funny thing is, of all the cool collectable things I would like – this one is probably not only the most realistic, but far more about the family in general.

barrettbites

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