Tag Archives: W.A.S.P.

Mar 30 2008

Metal Mixtape – 3/30/08

As sick as I have been, I went to bed relatively early thanks to a combination of NyQuil, Chinese food, and the kids falling asleep early. Of course, early to bed means early to rise and I was up promptly at 8am! So much for sleeping in. I got up and sat in front of the CDs and started spinning different songs…..

Whitesnake – ‘Slide It In’ (1984): Everyone forgets that Whitesnake made albums before 1987! SLIDE IT IN is a great album and the title track still gets airplay on the local Rock station.

Motley Crue – ‘Too Young To Fall In Love’ (1983): I remember the video for this song, the guys fighting a gang of ninja-types in a ragtag “Chinatown” setting. It was cool back then and the song is still one of my favorites.

Fastway – ‘Say What You Will’ (1983): Saw the tail end of the video on VH-1 Classic the other day. I remember the hype on this when the band was in the studio, Fastway was supposed to set the world on fire! I always liked Dave King’s vocals.

W.A.S.P. – ‘L.O.V.E. Machine’ (1984): I pulled out the first W.A.S.P. album so I could play the whole thing later but I needed a teaser track to get back into the band. I’m still not happy with the two NEON GOD albums and I haven’t listened to DOMINATOR yet so I’m hoping some old school will get me going.

Helix – ‘Rock You’ (1984): “Gimme an R…..” This is an anthem if I ever heard it. I miss fun Hard Rock like this.

Judas Priest – ‘Locked In’ (1986): I always like the TURBO album because I worshipped at the altar of Priest in the ’80s. There are some good songs and some bad but I always thought ‘Locked In’ was the best song off the album. It was the first single too even though most people think it was ‘Turbo Lover’, which went higher on the charts.

Rainbow – ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ (1979): DOWN TO EARTH is my favorite Rainbow record because of Graham Bonnett’s awesome voice. This is a catchy single that is so unlike where Rainbow was with Dio. To this day I have to remind myself that this is a Rainbow song.

Impellitteri – ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ (1988): I had to compare this version to the original and I still prefer the original. Graham Bonnett is at the mic here too, probably the reason for it’s inclusion, but I just never dug Chris Impellitteri’s guitar heroics.

Dream Theater – ‘Pull Me Under’ (1992): Hard to believe that this came out in ’92 and it’s still Dream Theater’s highest charting tune. This band has consistently put out high quality records and is still signed to a major label (Elektra). Heard this the other day on the radio, this was a big tune here in Rhode Island back in the day.

Y&T – ‘Don’t Stop Runnin’ (1984): I’ve been on a Y&T buying spree lately and I saw this video the other night on VH-1 Classic. I hadn’t heard the song in years but I still knew all the words.

Sammy Hagar – ‘Mas Tequila’ (1999): Sammy always puts out fun tunes and this one is no exception. BTW, the Cabo Wabo Tequila is damn good! If I was off today, I’d have a drink or two!

Sammy Hagar – ‘Both Sides Now’ (1997): I got in the mood for more Sammy after ‘Mas Tequila’ so I went to the MARCHING TO MARS album for this single. “Both Sides now’ got a ton of airplay here in RI and this would have been a great Van Halen song.

Mar 18 2008

CD Scavenger Hunt – Catching up edition

It’s been over a month since I posted an update on what I’ve picked up for music. I’m happy to say that I’ve been picking up some solid used gems and some great new releases between the record shops, Ebay, and band websites. Of course, I’m adding new discs quicker than I can listen and I have more on the way!

Band Websites

Don Dokken - Solitary (2008)Don Dokken – Solitary (2008) – $25: I’m not going to lie, I’m a big time Dokken fan and I also like Don’s solo album UP FROM THE ASHES (1990). I read a quick note online that Don was selling his new solo record exclusively on tour and at his website…..for a limited time. The download was $10 so I figured the actual disc would be around $15. I was wrong! $20 plus $5 shipping all through Don’s website & Paypal.

Ebay

Wasp - Dominator (2007)W.A.S.P. – Dominator (2007) – $11: I finally picked this album up after much debate. I’ve been listening to W.A.S.P. since the debut back in ’84 but the last two albums (Neon God Pts. 1 & 2) didn’t really excite me. Actually, I thought they were horrible. The price was right on the auction and the $11 I spent includes the shipping charge. The problem? It’s a Russian pressing. I’ll make it quick on Russian pressings: they are official releases for sale in that area only, they are usually sold cheaper due to the country’s economics and many Ebay dealers buy up the Russian pressings and sell them for double profit on Ebay. The Russian subsidiary was listed in the auction but I didn’t realize it until the auction ended. Everything looks good and the CD sounds fine but I would prefer to stay away from these pressings as they are bootlegged often and easily.

Akira Kajiyama & Joe Lynn Turner - Fire Without Flame (2006)Akira Kajiyama & Joe Lynn Turner – Fire Without Flame (2006) – $7: Joe Lynn Turner always gets involved in excellent projects and taking over the vocals for a collaboration with Japanese guitarist Akira Kajiyama was a no brainer. They had worked with each other previously on many JLT solo projects. This was rated really high on many Best of 2006 lists and it’s Joe Lynn Turner, one of the best Rock singers ever. The price was a true bargain at $7 from the same seller that I got the W.A.S.P. CD from, problem is it was another Russian pressing. Same situation as the other auction, buyer beware, but the CD seems perfectly fine.

Sunstorm - s/t (2006)Sunstorm (featuring Joe Lynn Turner) – s/t (2006) – $11: One of the top Melodic Rock albums of 2006 featuring “Mr. Smooth” himself on lead vocals, Joe Lynn Turner. I’m in a JLT zone right now because I can’t get enough of his last solo record, SECOND HAND LIFE (2007), and Rainbow. This album has been on my Want List for a couple years and I finally found a copy at a decent price. The problem? Another Russian pressing. Again, my fault because the subsidiary label was listed in the auction…..but it was hard to find.

Lillian Axe - Fields Of Yesterday (1999)Lillian Axe – Fields Of Yesterday (1999) – $8.50: I picked this up because I needed to finish off my Lillian Axe collection. This is the original 1999 pressing, it has been reissued recently by the same label, Z Records, with a couple of bonus tracks. I went for the original release because I read that the reissue is also remastered, I wanted to hear it like I should have in ’99. The price was also half what I could find the reissue for.

Heavy Load - Death Or Glory (1982)Heavy Load – Death Or Glory (1982) – $17.75: This is one of those rarities I had to have. Heavy Load is from Sweden and plays an early ’80s style of Power Metal that is very good. The vinyl usually goes for big money and the CDs are hard to come by. I happened to get this Japanese pressing from a seller in the U.S. and I was the only bidder! The last time I saw a Heavy Load disc was back around ’98 in a record store import section for $30.

Night Sun - Mournin’ (1972)Night Sun – Mournin’ (1972) – $33.75: This is a rare piece of early ’70s forgotten Metal. I’ve been getting into a lot of early to mid ’70s obscure Metal and Night Sun has been on my list for a long time. This is the lost CD and I still haven’t found it. Hopefully it will turn up at some point but I’ve checked the house, garage, cars and trash…..nothing.

Record Convention

Star Star - The Love Drag Years (1992)Star Star – The Love Drag Years (1992) – $6: I went to my firs record/music convention last month and I was hoping to pick up some obscure Metal. Unfortunately there wasn’t much to choose from but I did find this Sleaze/Glam/Punk album by Star Star. Brand new sealed for $9, I offered $5, compromised at $6.

Newbury Comics

Airtime - Liberty Manifesto (2008)Airtime – Liberty Manifesto (2007) – $18: Rik Emmett decided to Rock out once again and has released this new project with Mike Shotton (Von Groove). Unfortunately, the Triumph reunion details have kept this release under the radar but I heard the previews and it’s solid Melodic Hard Rock. Paid a little bit more at the store than online but I wanted it right away.

Nightwish - Dark Passion Play (2007)Nightwish – Dark Passion Play (2007) – $15: Nightwish have always been one of those bands that I always wanted to check out but I never really gave them the time. I dig female fronted bands like Tristania, Lacuna Coil, Lana Lane, The Gathering, Benedictum and Epica so I figured that I should try some Nightwish now that they have a new singer. I re-listened to WISHMASTER (2000) the other day and I remembered why I keep wanting to dive deeper into the band’s discography.

Lou Gramm - Ready Or Not (1987)Lou Gramm – Ready Or Not (1987) – $5 used: I dig me some Foreigner and I like AOR so this Lou Gramm solo album was a nice find for five bucks. The single ‘Midnight Blue’ is worth the fiver alone! I hadn’t seen this album in a long time and, all of a sudden, there were about 6 copies in the used bin. If you can get by the lighter fare from latter day Foreigner, then you can appreciate Lou Gramm solo.

Raging Slab - s/t (1989)Raging Slab – s/t (1989) – $6 used: I saw this collecting dust in the used bin and I wasn’t sure I had it. I remember having the cassette way back when but I wasn’t sure if I had replaced it on CD. Called the wife from the record store and had her check upstairs in the music room. Nope, not there! I hadn’t heard ‘Don’t Dog Me’ in a long time and I like Southern Hard Rock. Kind of the same situation as Lou Gramm: old disc, good price, good single.

Fair Warning - Live And More (1998)Fair Warning – Live And More (1998) – $7 used: I got into Fair Warning in 2000 when they released FOUR but I haven’t really paid much attention since. FOUR is a good Melodic Rock album but it’s a little lite, maybe that’s why I haven’t explored more Fair Warning albums. This one was cheap for a 2 disc set and I figured it was a good way to check out some of the back catalog.

Scorpions - Animal Magnetism (1980)Scorpions – Animal Magnetism (1980) – $7 used: Finally! After waiting and waiting, I finally found ANIMAL MAGNETISM at a price I was willing to pay. $7 isn’t bad at all for a classic record and an original pressing. This also takes another off my WANTED list. The only problem with this album is that I’ll have to skip ‘The Zoo’ even though it’s a classic tune, it just gets overplayed so much!

Quiet Riot - The Randy Rhoads Years (1993)Quiet Riot – The Randy Rhoads Years (1993) – $6 used: I already have QUIET RIOT I (1977) and QUIET RIOT II (1978) so I’ve got the pre-METAL HEALTH era covered. This album has a few unreleased tracks and some remastered songs from the first two albums so it’s essential to completing the band’s discography. This is the only missing piece to my QR puzzle and I got it for a really great price.

Epica - The Divine Conspiracy (2007)Epica – The Divine Conspiracy (2007) – $7 used: Like I mentioned before, I like female fronted bands like Lacuna Coil, Lana Lane, and Nightwish so picking up Epica’s latest album for a mere seven bucks was an easy purchase. I was actually going to pick this up brand new for $15 but I happened to notice that the used Metal section being re-stocked at the same time…..and there was the used copy! Someone had just traded it in!

U.D.O. - Mastercutor (2007)U.D.O. – Mastercutor (2007) – $7 used: I’ve always been a huge Accept/U.D.O. fan and I have almost every release by both bands, there’s a couple that have eluded me. Anyway, I wanted the European limited edition with the two extra songs but I never found it. The limited edition is on Ebay for $25 but I’ve been putting it off. I couldn’t pass up the U.S. release at such a great price and I finally get to enjoy an album that has been out almost a year.

Fight - K5 The War Of Words DemosFight K5 - The War Of Words Demos – $14: I’ve been putting this CD off for a while, mostly because I had missed the initial sale price of $9.99 when it first came out. I kept my eye on this disc over the last few weeks and it actually came down in price from $16.99! I figured I wouldn’t find it for less and I was sick of waiting. The original Fight release was brilliant, any doubts I had about Rob Halford continuing Metal life after leaving Judas Priest were erased.

Tarja - My Winter Storm (2008)Tarja – My Winter Storm (CD + DVD) (2008) – $15: I’m not sure why I wanted this album so badly but I did. Same thing with the latest Nightwish, I think it was just time to give in and try this music out. I’d read a lot of reviews and they were all very good, I heard some online samples and liked what I heard so the decision to buy was made. A couple of weeks before the U.S. release, I saw this album at the store as an import for $30…..I passed. When it was released officially in the States, I compared the European import to the U.S. version: there was no difference at all. Both were an oversized digipak, both has the CD and DVD, both had the same tracklisting. Not sure what was so special about the Euro version 2 weeks prior but I was glad to get this at a more reasonable price.

Oct 15 2007

WANTED: W.A.S.P. – Dying For The World (2002)

WANTED

 

WASP - Dying For The World (2002)

W.A.S.P. – Dying For The World (2002)

W.A.S.P.’s DYING FOR THE WORLD has been one of those albums that I always look at when I’m shopping for CDs but I usually put back in the rack. W.A.S.P. has been a favorite of mine since the very beginning in 1984, a couple of my favorite records is the s/t debut in ’84 and 1985′s THE LAST COMMAND. Unfortunately, recent albums have soured me on the band and the main man, Blackie Lawless.

I was impressed with STILL NOT BLACK ENOUGH (1995) that really should have been a Blackie solo record. I was on board for the darker KILL, FUCK,  DIE (1997) and the excellent live album DOUBLE LIVE ASSASSINS (1998) but it was the “return to the classic W.A.S.P. sound” on HELLDORADO (1999) that started my declining interest in the band. HELLDORADO was bad. It was full of late ’80s Metal clichés and patterns that made it seem like a bad rip-off of the first three records.  After HELLDORADO, I kept an eye on Lawless and company, I even saw them in concert, but I approached new material with apprehension.

I have every W.A.S.P. album up to this one but for some reason I never pull the trigger. The price is usually right, somewhere around $7.99 – $9.99 used, and it’s readily available in the stores, on Ebay, and online stores. One of the other reasons I usually pass is that I mix this album up with 2001′s UNHOLY TERROR. I own that CD but, for some strange reason, I always think I own DYING and need UNHOLY. I’ve added this to my ever-growing list of CDs I need/want, maybe I will pick it up soon.