Yep, it’s Alice again. Not that that’s a bad thing. I’ve been on a huge Alice Cooper kick recently and it’s not looking like it’s going to be slowing down soon. So here a great tune from Love it to Death.
Top 3 Renditions
1- The Studio Version
I love how expressive Alice gets in this version and the underlying piano is one of those great little accentuations you find across Alice Cooper songs.
2- Brutally Live
Brutally Live rocked up a couple of older tunes, and it was great to hear “Caught in a Dream” on a live album, since it dodged an inclusion on The Alice CooperShow and A Fistful of Alice.
3- Live From The Astroturf
Older Alice’s singing on this tune is surprisingly less raw than it was originally, but I still think this version has its merits.
Yes I was busy last week. But that’s fine because I’m allowed to take a week off now. Anyway, though this song comes from one of those one-song-bands for me, but that doesn’t impact how much I like it.
The Top 3 Renditions
1- Live, 1998
It’s probably also the video allowing me to see how happy they look performing, but I think love the liveliness to the singing in this one, and I think it works fine without Mama Cass (yes, sacrilegious I know).
2- The Studio Version
This is the version I first heard and I still like it very much. Dramatic, with a touch of hauntingness to it.
3- Live, sometime back in the day
Nothing really special about this one. Just a good vintage live rendition. A shame about the slight audio sync issues in the video though.
One of my favourite songs from my favourite Alice Cooper album. I’d love to see this one played live again.
Top 3 Renditions
1- The Studio Version
I love when album openers have a simple atmospheric intro to lead in, and when the song roars to life it makes the wait worth it. I like the subdued sound to the chorus harmony, and Alice is brilliant lyrically as always.
2- Live 2004
It’s far more rocked up that the original. The variety is nice but the original is my preference.
3- Live 1981
Alice’s “weird era” extended to his live performances too, as he channels “You’re a Movie” here. Far from terrible but still not my go to version. The synth that occasionally pops up is neat though.
This week’s song of the week isn’t a megamix by the Australian band, but rather a sing by The Sweet. And a rather good one at that.
Top 3 Renditions
1- Live at the Marquee
Unfortunately, while the main section of Live at the Marquee is available on YouTube, the two bonus tracks added to the 2013 reissue are not. And that’s a shame because it’s a great rendition. It’s slowed slightly, as it fills a bit of a groove, and Paul Mario Day nails the vocals.
2- The Studio Version
One of the band’s more rock and roll oriented tunes, this style is my preferred output by the band. When they weren’t conforming to record label-mandated pop leanings, the band were putting out some great rock.
3- Live at the Capitol
McNulty’s got range and power aplenty, and his unhinged style of singing is great fun. While this isn’t always the rendition I’m reaching for first, I always enjoy it when I hear it.
The Best Cover
Joan Jett
A very hard-rocking take, I think it suits the song really well. Joan Jett’s belts out the tune brilliantly, and the guitars sound awesome under her vocals on the chorus.
We’re doing something a little different this week. I’ve made quite a few images for the Grab a Stack of Rock show, but we haven’t really had the time to feature all of them in the show intro or title cards (as of yet- February 2023). So I’m going to give a little air time to the unused ones here. But it was actually a surprise to see just how few hadn’t appeared yet.
The 5 Images
A homage to Oingo Boingo’s debut album, this one would have likely been the image for this week’s reissue label show had the reunion of the Trek crew not happened.
I did a couple of lightsaber duel homages (this one being the firs) because they’re fun to do. This one also poked a little bit of fun at our sometimes opposing views.
My artist’s impression of part of Rock Heaven from Tee Bone Man Chapter 8
Another Boingo homage, this time for their first live album, Boingo Alive.
I can’t remember how I first heard this song, but I’ve loved it since that day.
Top 3 Renditions
1- This somewhat live rendition from 1975
I really love the higher and more exciting notes he goes for on the chorus once the song picks up. Just not sure of how live that horn section is.
2- The Studio Version
Though there is something to be said for the more reined in singing here. Plus that organ and horn section is killer.
3- Live, 2017 (with Alice Cooper)
Older Authur sounds exactly that, but his theatrics are still ever present. And the Alice Cooper band (including Alice himself) backing him is amazing.
The Best Cover
Ozzy Osbourne
I actually really like this cover. The guitars beef the song up and give it a different sound that I quite like, actually.
I haven’t really listened to much of The Scorpions, but this song sticks out to me (along with “Another Piece of Meat”) as a hell of a tune.
Top 3 Renditions
1- The Studio Version
That’s a wicked hook. The echo effect on the ‘here I am’ really adds a lot to the song.
2- World Wide Live
Pretty darn good. A cynic like me will always be sceptical about the liveness of those backing vocals but this rendition kills regardless. Excellent guitar work under the vocals.
3- Live, 1990
The chorus is slightly underpowered but the song still smokes.
It’s time to scale things back from the weekly reviews, unfortunately. I started the site back in March of 2020 to give me something to do during the COVID lockdown, to keep my writing skills sharp and to introduce people to great music. However, now I have a job that takes up a lot of my time. For those of you who are familiar with Tee Bone Man, you’ll know I have more than a few creative outlets vying for my attention.
This is not a complete stop though. The regularly scheduled review will just be a little less regular. I’ll still try and maintain some semblance of routine and I’ll keep song of the week at the weekly slot. We had a good run though. Almost three whole years of straight weekly posting.
So thank you all for reading. Here’s to a long future for the site, whatever regularity the posts take.
There are a lot of Billy Joel songs I like and it’s always hard to pick a favourite, but this one is always in contention.
Top 3 Renditions
1- Live From Long Island
There’s not much in it between the renditions, but this one just feels the most alive and electrifying to me.
2- The Studio Version
I like the GNR “Civil War”-esque whistle intro, and I love the rocked up bounce of the main event.
3- Live, 1977
Sometimes a live version just won’t speak to you as much as another does, even though it’s a fine rendition. This is one of those. It might just be because I heard the Long Island version first, but that’s always my go to.
Yes I know it’s late, but I was preoccupied with cranking out Lego art. Sue me (please don’t). But in any case, better late then never, eh?
And so we find ourselves once again at the end of another year. This one was quite eventful with several returning favourites to go with the new ventures. We’ll take it from the start with The Adventures Of Tee Bone Man (a creative writing collaboration with mikeladano.com and others) with our own fictional universe. By the good fortune of being the writer of the second chapter, all of the chapters since that first one have featured Lego artwork from yours truly. It’s been so much fun to do and I hope you like it as much as I do. And I hope you’re not tired of it because there’s plenty more coming.
I also became a more permanent fixture of the Lebrain live-streaming scene. Through the newly-minted Grab A Stack Of Rock I have become the Alex Huard to Mike’s Brent Jensen. I just have to hope I don’t run out of things to show.
As for the things that continued on, Mix CD Monthly steamed ahead with itself, branching out into DVDs and VHSs. Though it nears the end of its run I have enjoyed it immensely. ELO Week had its third and final run, as I’ve run out of interesting things to talk about. Rather than continue on with boring drudgery I decided to end it on a high. Now I just need to find something to replace it for the last week of July.
In brighter news, Oztoberfest made its first return, and this one was better than the first. While I spent last year’s focusing on awesome albums I knew, this time I decided to go for unknowns, and almost every one was a winner. I’m totally chuffed with Oztoberfest this year and I’m really looking forward to next year’s.
And now comes the lists. We’ll start with the classics- my favourite reviews and my favourite albums I’ve looked at this year.
Of course, this one kind of had an advantage over the others. It was by far the most enjoyable of all my reviews I’ve done, even if it’s hard to interpret what I’m trying to say in some instances. The written word version of this review is one of my favourite reviews I’ve ever written though, so it balances out.
Even though 2Loud2OldMusic correctly surmised that the line “Any band would be happy if this was their best album, but for Iron Maiden it’s just their first album” would suffice as a review (as did I), I think the extra words were fine and succinct enough in themselves.
I like the title idiosyncrasy (along with the fact that I did in fact get the expensive version six months later) and made some interesting musings on the song selections. And I assure you we will be looking at the 42-disc box set version at some point next year.
And now for my favourite albums I’ve reviewed this year. Not all of these will be from 2022, but they will be albums I looked at this year and think are worth your time.
The Mad Metal Man: Reviews and Rambles 