Credit a reader named Damien with the great save. If he hadn’t emailed me about Queen’s album, “The Miracle,” it would have been omitted from the tour of 80s rock and metal history, which might be a hanging offense. I forgot what a great album this is and why I put them down as one of the great metal influences. I refer to a post way back in 80smetalman antiquity: https://80smetalman.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/other-great-metal-influences-part-5-queen/
“The Miracle” was recorded as the band was coming out of personal struggles with members of the band. Freddie Mercury was coming to terms with HIV and Brian May had recently been divorced and some British tabloid rags like the heavy metal hating newspaper, “The Sun,” was hounding him about his new relationship with then British soap star, Anita Dobson. Being able to put those things behind them and come out with a great album is a sure tribute to how great Queen is.
What Queen does so successfully on “The Miracle” is combined their unique 70s more hard rock sound with the trends of the 80s, although the album is far from synth pop in any way. The first two tracks set the tone for things as the opener is what the title suggests, a party, done more in the 80s style but you know it’s Queen from the get go. The second track, “Khashoggi’s Ship,” is belter of a rocker.
Five of the next six tracks were all released as singles, which I now remember. The odd one out being “Rain Must Fall,” which itself is a pretty good track. While all of the singles have been coming back to memory, I know how Quantum leapers must feel, the ones which stick out for me are “I Want it All” and “Breakthru,” although I do love Brian’s shredding on the title track. “I Want It All” takes me back to my teen days in the 70s and I get to reminisce about those times. “Breakthru” has a Don Henley “Boys of Summer” feel to it and it’s also a very good melodic rocker. Saying that, the harmonizing, which has flashes of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” was a great way to begin the track.
The hidden gem of the album doesn’t reveal itself until the penultimate track of the album. Brian and John Deacon accompany each other so well on guitar and bass on this song. 80smetalman getting on his soap box alert: There is no argument that the worst thing to happen to Queen was Freddie’s tragic passing but the second worst thing was the departure of John Deacon. Queen should have begged and pleaded with him to stay because John, as proven on hidden gem,” My Baby Does Me,” is a phenomenal bass player. Of course, everybody knew that from “Another One Bites the Dust.” That song came out when I was in the service and when one of my African American brothers in arms heard it, he commented, “That white boy can really play the bass.” The hidden gem proves that John hasn’t received the tributes as a bassist due him, so I’m paying him those tributes now. Having exhausted myself from my little soapbox speech, I can only say that “Was It All Worth It” is a brilliant closer.
Track Listing:
Party
Khashoggi’s Ship
The Miracle
I Want It All
The Invisible Man
Breakthru
Rain Must Fall
Scandal
My Baby Does Me
Was it All Worth It
Queen
Freddie Mercury- lead vocals, keyboards, piano
Brian May- guitars, keyboards, backing vocals, co-lead vocal on tracks 1 and 4
John Deacon- bass, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Roger Taylor- drums, percussion, backing vocals, keyboards, guitar and co-lead vocals on track 5
Condemn me to hell if I had missed out on such a great album! Even more kudos should be given to Queen to put out such a fantastic album like “The Miracle” after going through adversity.
Next post: This week, I’ll be marrying off my last child as my daughter, Rowena, is getting married. I’ll bore you with all the details and photos, especially of me giving the bride away. I hope you’ll all join me in wishing Rowena and her fiance Eline a happy day.
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
Here’s my weird mind’s ability to notice the not so strange things. Both Aerosmith and Alice Cooper had similar career paths. Both were rock legends in the 1970s, I had albums from both of them. Then by the end of the decade and into the early 1980s, they had fallen victims to the excesses of the music industry. Aerosmith were making albums to pay off their dealers and Alice Cooper describes the same era as his ‘drunk period.’ Then in the late period of the decade, both released albums which let the world know they hadn’t gone away, which was followed by a more solid album. However, it was 1989 where both Alice and Aerosmith had the albums which brought them the adulation they had missed for over a decade. I’ve already posted Aerosmith’s “Pump” album but Alice’s breakthrough album was “Trash.”
Naturally, a breakout album usually needs a great single to propel it. In the case of “Trash,” that came in the form of “Poison,” which was Alice’s highest charting single since 1977’s “You and Me.” I must have this single on at three least rock compilation albums and those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head while I sit here typing this. But make no mistake, “Poison” is a great song and I love everything about it.
Avoiding the temptation to make a boring statement about albums being more than one song, I can say for sure that the rest of “Trash” doesn’t disappoint. The hard rocking “Spark in the Dark” carries on the momentum from the big single and that’s followed by the more melodic offering, “House of Fire,” which was also released as a single. It didn’t have the chart success of “Poison” but it’s a cool tune anyway.
Next comes the hidden gem, “Why Trust You.” This is a fast tempo burning rocker and Alice’s vocals are in no doubt here. However, full credit should also be given to guitarist “John McCurry” as he really shreds on it. Afterwards, Alice ends the first side of the album with a cool power ballad “Only My Heart Talkin.'” I say cool but to be honest, Alice has done better ballads like “Only Women Bleed,” “I’ll Never Cry” and “How Are You Gonna See Me Now.” Alice voice sounded much better on those classics and John ‘s guitar solo could have been a tad longer but it’s still enjoyable.
Another single released from the album, “Bed of Nails,” had better chart success than “House of Fire.” Well, it begins with a horror movie like intro, which made Alice a legend back in the 1970s. This is a good throw back to those days and then some good hard rock comes in but being melodic enough to gain some appeal from the more fickle listeners. Now, I’m going to utter blasphemy but I think I like this one better than “Poison,” though that could be down to the fact that I don’t hear it as often as “Poison.”
A good guitar solo brings in the very amusingly titled track, “This Maniac’s In Love With You.” Alice always has to have one song whose lyrics shouldn’t be taken seriously and this one is it. Then the lyrics don’t matter when you get some great guitar shredding. Guy Mann-Dude from the Dudes of Wrath plays guitar on this track, which might explain things. A huge number of guests appear on the title track, including two members of Aerosmith, which reminds me, Steve Tyler sings on the power ballad. If it wasn’t for all these musicians contributing their expertise, then this track might have been more filler. Instead, it kicks a bit of ass.
Jon Bon Jovi and Ritchie Sambora help Alice out on the penultimate track, “Hell is Living Without You.” Don’t panic, this song sounds nothing like any tracks from the “New Jersey” album. If anything, this is more classic 70s Alice with the horror movie feel to it. There’s also some great power chords on the songs and I think it’s Ritchie but whether it’s him or John, that person lays down a cool guitar solo. Furthermore, the track could have made a good closer, maybe even more so than the actual closer, “I’m Your Gun.” It’s okay as a closer but it could have fitted anywhere else on the album.
Track Listing:
Poison
Spark in the Dark
House of Fire
Why Trust You
Only My Heart Talkin’
Bed of Nails
This Maniac’s In Love With You
Trash
Hell is Living Without You
I’m Your Gun
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper- vocals
John McCurry- guitar
Hugh McDonald- bass
Alan St. Jon- keyboards
Bobby Chouinard- drums
Additional Musicians:
Vocals:
Steve Tyler- track 5, Jon Bon Jovi- track 8, Kip Winger- track 10
Guitars:
Joe Perry- track 3, Ritchie Sambora and Steve Lukather- track 9, Kane Roberts- track 6, Guy Mann-Dude- tracks 2,4,7, Mark Frazier and Jack Johnson- track 8
Tom Hamilton- bass- track 8
Joey Kramer- drums- track 8
Paul Chiten- keyboards
With “Trash,” Alice Cooper had returned to reclaim his crown in the music world.
Next post: Queen- The Miracle
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
“Hot in the Shade” is a testimony to how fickle music fans can be. KISS’s previous album, “Crazy Nights,” was a huge commercial success, especially outside of the US. However, when I posted about the album, I wasn’t the only one who said that it wasn’t their best album, in fact, far from it. Queue “Hot in the Shade.” This album didn’t have near the success as its predecessor but I like the album much more. Tell me, am I alone in this thought?
My reason as to why I like “Hot in the Shade” more is down to the fact that on this album, KISS stopped chasing trends and went more back to their roots. Plus, Gene Simmons was more involved in the song writing this time around, maybe that had something to do with it. Actually, no maybe as I usually like Gene’s songs more. He has song writing credits on eight of the fifteen songs. Saying that, Paul must of paid attention to someone as he ditched the extensive use of keyboards and with the help of the likes of Desmond Child and Holly Knight, wrote some rockers. “Hide Your Heart” is a good example of this. Furthermore, he co-wrote “Forever” with one Michael Bolton and that turned out to be their highest charting single since “Beth.”
Going back to Gene, my one complaint is that he didn’t collaborate more with guitarist Bruce Kullick because once again, one of the two songs they wrote together is the hidden gem. While Bruce gets to show the world he should not be ignored as a guitarist on many of the tracks, it is on “Prisoner of Love” where he shines the best. Then again, Paul must have noticed something here because while Bruce might not have been in on the song writing for “Read My Body,” Paul lets Bruce off the lead to hammer outs some cool metal chords and a blistering guitar solo, making it the second hidden gem. In fact, the intro to this track reminds me a little of my favourite KISS song of all time, “I Love It Loud.”
One change-up to be noted on “Hot in the Shade” is that for the first time since joining the band in 1980, Eric Carr is given an original song to sing lead on. I do remember his singing one song when I saw KISS live in 1985 but for the life of me, I can’t remember what song it was. Probably a Peter Criss original and no, it wasn’t “Beth.” What I did remember was that Eric had an okay singing voice, good enough to have been given more lead vocal duties on previous albums but it’s good to hear that he has one here. “Little Caesar” is a good song.
For the second half of the album, you get a trade off between Paul and Gene songs, at least until you get to the penultimate track where Eric Carr sings. It is these songs where KISS just powers ahead. Paul and Gene sing well and provide a good solid rhythm section with Eric and Bruce does some great shredding. Like I said in my Tesla post, hour long albums are great for cruising down the motorway on as opposed to writing about. So, if you have it, the next time you make a long trip, pop it in the stereo.
Track Listing:
Rise to It
Betrayed
Hide Your Heart
Prisoner of Love
Read My Body
Love’s a Slap in the Face
Forever
Silver Spoon
Cadillac Dreams
King of Hearts
The Street Giveth and the Street Taketh Away
You Love Me to Hate You
Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
Little Caesar
Bomerang
KISS
Paul Stanley- rhythm guitar, lead and backing vocals, slide guitar on “Rise to It”
Gene Simmons- bass, lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar on “Cadillac Dreams”
Eric Carr- drums, percussion, backing vocals, lead vocal and bass on “Little Caesar”
Bruce Kullick- lead guitar, backing vocals
Additional Musicians:
Paul Ashley- keyboards
Sisters of No Mercy- backing vocals on “Silver Spoon”
Pat Regan- sax on “Cadillac Dreams”
All Cadillac Brass- horns on “Cadillac Dreams”
Kevin Valentine- drums on “You Love Me to Hate You” and “King of Hearts”
Tommy Thayer- electroacoustic guitar on “Betrayed” and “The Street Giveth and The Street Taketh Away
Like I’ve written, “Hot in the Shade” might not have been as commercially successful as “Crazy Nights” but to me it’s definitely the better album. It was good to hear that KISS went back more to basic metal with this one.
Next post: Alice Cooper- Trash
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainaw@hotmail.com
Let me begin the post by inserting another tired cliche but since I began writing 80smetalman more than 13 years ago, I have learned a few things about myself. My latest self discovery from listening to Tesla’s second album, “The Great Radio Controversy,” is that while listening to hour long albums with more than 12 songs is great for driving down the motorway or chilling after an exasperating day but not as fun when you got to write about them. The problem with “The Great Radio Controversy” is that there are so many good songs on this one-hour album that it has taken me longer than usual to give it the fair attention it truly deserved.
Listening to the album again, I’ve learned a few things about Tesla. Back when I reviewed their debut album, “Mechanical Resonance,” I was heavily influenced by my sister Dawn’s review that it was corporate produced metal. Maybe it was but I came to the conclusion that it didn’t matter. So, coming to this album, if it was a corporate produced album, then the corporations got something write because it really kicks ass! It’s the album I forgotten about for a long time but when I played it again recently, realized how magnificent the album truly was.
Dawn stands by her claim that Tesla weren’t the most original metal band in the world and I can see where she’s coming from. It doesn’t overflow with originality, instead, it takes what has gone before and done those things very well. I love how the bass line opens the album on the first track, “Hang Tough” and that’s just the beginning. I won’t go through every song because I don’t think I can do all 13 songs justice. I will say that three singles were released from the album, “Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out),” “The Way It Is” and the power ballad, “Love Song.” Each of these songs did pretty well in the singles market and got their share of airplay on MTV. So, the album was both brilliant and successful.
As always, it’s the deeper cuts which define an album for me and the hidden gem comes in on the fourth track, “Be A Man.” This is definitely a Southern Rock influenced type song with lots of Lynyrd Skynyrd or Outlaws type of swagger. On “Mechanical Resonance,” I sang the praises of guitar duo of Tommy Skeoch and Frank Hannon and that praise should be doubled on “The Great Radio Controversy.” They continue to be a formidable duo, especially on the middle section of the album which is the strongest part. Another song from this part of the album which is standout is the slightly blues influenced “Did It For the Money.” The change ups throughout the song definitely keep the listener interested.
Don’t get me wrong, the album doesn’t go downhill in any way towards the end. If anything, “The Way It Is” signals a change in direction of sorts. In fact, if I didn’t have the track listing in front of me and was listening to the album blind, I might have assumed that the song was the closer. It definitely has that feel to it. The melodic thumping makes me want to hold a cigarette lighter in the air. However, it’s not the end as there are some pretty good songs after. Another thing I can say about “The Way It Is” is that Tesla does here what they did on the debut, lure you into thinking it’s a power ballad before belting you with some power chords and some amazing guitar work. Then again, you could call “Love Song” a genuine power ballad and it’s a beauty. The remaining songs just follow on from their making me want to slap myself for ignoring the album for so long.
Track Listing:
Hang Tough
Lady Luck
Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out)
Be a Man
Lazy Days, Crazy Nights
Did It For the Money
Yesterdaze Gone
Makin’ Magic
The Way It Is
Flight to Nowhere
Love Song
Paradise
Party’s Over
Tesla
Jeff Keith- vocals
Tommy Skeoch- guitar, backing vocals
Frank Hannon- guitar, piano, synthesizer, organ
Brain Wheat- bass, backing vocals
Troy Luccketta- drums
One of the ideas for post 1990 posts was a list of American artists who never really cracked the UK and vice versa. They’d be two separate posts but never mind. What “The Great Radio Controversy” has done is add Tesla to that list of American artists because if I hadn’t been in the UK in 1989, I would have eaten this album up.
Next post: It looks like another hour long 15 track album but hey ho. KISS- Hot in the Shade
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
I must point out an apologize for a mistake in my last post with Whitesnake’s “Slip of the Tongue” album. I stated that “Fool For Your Loving” was a Rainbow song and this was not the case. For years, my weird mind was convinced that I heard it on Rainbow’s “Anthology” album and I guess I was imagining it. Rainbow never recorded that song but for some reason, I thought they had during the Graham Bonnett era. I was wrong.
I have always prided myself on being historically accurate and even though this is only my second mistake in the 13 years I’ve been writing 80smetalman, the last one was in 2016, there is no excuse. However, I have noticed one thing. Having a look back through the annals of history, I didn’t not post about any Rainbow albums from the Graham Bonnett era. That to me is a bigger disgrace than getting a song wrong. Therefore, once I have completed the tour of 1989, I will go back and visit those albums.
Whoever wrote to Kerrang back in 1987 saying that Whitesnake’s next album would come out in 1991 was off by two years. “Slip of the Tongue” came out in late 1989 and except for some drama over guitarists, the lineup was unchanged. On the subject of guitarists, first Vivian Campbell was dismissed from the band. The official reason was musical differences between him and Coverdale although there was an unofficial reason that Viv’s wife and Dave’s girlfriend didn’t get along. This brings my weird mind to a sidetrack. Wasn’t Campbell dismissed from Dio because Ronnie James didn’t like his then girlfriend? In any case, Vivian Campbell was gone.
Adrian Vandenberg, who was the other guitarist in the “1987” touring band wrote the songs along with David for “Slip of the Tongue.” Unfortunately for Adrian, he sustained a painful hand injury which prevented him from playing guitar on the album. Therefore, guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, was brought in to play on the album. For some, this was a controversial decision but for me, as I listen to the album, I don’t find Steve doing any of his little trademark guitar tricks like he did when he was playing for David Lee Roth. He just gets down to business here and plays some really cool guitar solos. The first stand out one is on the second track, “Cheap and Nasty,” which, along with the opener title cut brings in the album right.
Having the 1994 Whitesnake’s “Greatest Hits” album, I know that four of the tracks from “Slip of the Tongue” appear on it. True, like with the predecessor, this album had singles which re-established the band as the heavy metal kings of the radio waves. The first of these is a cover of Rainbow’s “Fool For Your Loving” which is done well but I don’t think it’s further exploration in an “Original vs. Cover” post as this version and Rainbow’s are pretty similar. Next track, “Now You’re Gone” is Whitesnake’s attempt to recreate the commercial success of “Here I Go Again.” It’s power ballady in places but also goes more hard rocker in others and it’s a good song. I can hear why they picked this one as a single. Ditto for “The Deeper the Love.”
For me, when an album has a lot of well known singles, I look for the deep cuts to make my decision as to how good the album actually is. My quest was fulfilled in the middle of the album where I discovered not one but two hidden gems, “Kitten’s Got Claws” and “Wings of the Storm.” These two tracks remind me that Whitesnake hadn’t forgotten the heavy metal faithful who helped them get to where they were. Both songs are great hard rocking tracks but while the former is great, I prefer the latter because Mr. Vai really shreds on it.
“Judgment Day” is a bit of a paradox in the sense that it doesn’t appear to have been released as a single but it does appear on the “Greatest Hits” album. It’s definitely not a ballad, in fact it rocks quite a lot, although not as much as the hidden gems but it’s a good track. Maybe it was placed on the “Greatest Hits” album to remind people that Whitesnake were more than just power ballads.
One song I’m rather surprised didn’t get released as a single is the closer, “Sailing Ships.” This song was my first contact with anything from the “Slip of the Tongue” album as it featured on a free compilation cassette given out when I attended Donnington in 1990. Whitesnake go more progressive metal/power ballad here. It’s beautifully done, Dave’s voice is spot on and the rest of the band are following on all cylinders. Hell, I’m breaking tradition and saying that this album has three hidden gems.
Track Listing:
Slip of the Tongue
Cheap and Nasty
Fool For Your Loving
Now You’re Gone
Kitten’s Got Claws
Wings of the Storm
The Deeper the Love
Judgment Day
Slow Poke Music
Sailing Ships
Whitesnake 1989
David Coverdale- lead vocals
Steve Vai- guitar
Rudy Sarzo- bass
Tommy Aldridge- drums
Adrian Vandenberg- guitar writing and arrangements
Additional Musicians:
Don Airey- keyboards
David Rosenthal- keyboards
Claude Gaudette- keyboards
Glenn Hughes- backing vocals
Tommy Funderburk- backing vocals
Richard Page- backing vocals
“Slip of the Tongue” brought Whitesnake back to the limelight two years before someone predicted. While the album was slammed by a few critics, I see, actually hear nothing wrong with this album. It did spawn some noted singles but the hidden gems make it for me.
Next post: Tesla- The Great Radio Controversy
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
When I posted Bad News’s self-titled debut album and saw that they had another album called “Bootleg,” I was excited and put it on my list for 1989. I never listened to it until very recently and when I did, I got a small surprise. “Bootleg” isn’t so much a music album but an album of outtakes with the band arguing and making all sorts of funny and rude comments.
It starts out with rhythm guitarist, Den Dennis playing his idea for a new song called “Bad Dreams” with the band telling him to stop singing and then stop playing guitar. After that, the band has their AGM, where they discuss the new album. Den suggests they call the album, “Satan Ate My Nob” but bassist Colin says they can’t use it because it’s anti-Christian and violates the Trades Description Act. He then suggests they call it “Paranoid’s Greatest Hits” but the others point out that its already a title for a Black Sabbath album.
The album carries on with much hilarious banter between the band and I can’t help laughing my ass off as I listen to it. I do like the use of double entendre and they do get locked in the toilet. There is some music towards the end we get a sample of “Heavy Metal Farmer,” which is quite good and then at the end, you get the outtakes from “Cashing in On Christmas” from the previous album. Like I said, it’s all done with great hilarity.
Track Listing:
Bad Dreams
A.G.M.
Double Entendre
Locked In
Aids
O Levels
Wedding
Heavy Metal Farmer
Making of Masturbike
Cashing in On Christmas
Bad News
Vim Fuego- vocals, lead guitar
Den Dennis- rhythm guitar
Colin Grigson- bass
Spider Webb- drums
I thought it would be prudent to present the entire album.
This was a good break in the action. “Bootleg” is a hilarious album, no matter if you’re into metal or not. It will have you laughing your ass off.
Next post: Whitesnake- Slip of the Tongue
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
If you picked up a copy of Kerrang anytime in the late 1980s, you would probably have seen a poster of Lisa Dominique inside its pages. She was a poster girl for the magazine back then and most males could most likely agree why. That leads to the obvious question as to whether she could sing. I discovered the answer to that question in 1986, when I saw her perform at a benefit for under 18’s drug abuse in London. She was part of an ‘all star’ band which featured a guitarist named Marino, on bass was a guy who was in a storyline in the British soap opera “East Enders” at the time, though I don’t know who played drums. Anyway, they played some excellent blues based rock and Lisa proved to me that night that she was a good singer. On a side note, after the show, Lisa brushed past me and that kind of cemented a good night.
My discovery of Lisa’s debut album, “Rock ‘N’ Roll Lady” came about in 1989, when I found the title track on a compilation album I’ll be visiting later on in our tour. The title track opens the album in a good old rocking way, which sucks you in straight away. If this was the intended single from the album, I’m a little surprised it failed to chart, at least in the UK. Saying that, the party continues with the party anthem, “All Fall Down.” It’s a great pick me up song after you’ve been knocked down, the music behind it adds to that feeling and Marino shows he can shred a bit here.
Great Marino riffs open “The Gamble” and Lisa’s vocals couldn’t be more natural when she joins in. This one is more head banger where you flash the horns and bang your head. Following on is the power ballad, “Somebody Special.” Unlike Ann Wilson, Lisa doesn’t scream the chorus, although no one can do that quite like Ann. Instead, she tones the vocals down and although she does a good job on the song, her bluesy style vocals suit it fine and Marino rips a cool guitar solo, it’s not one to break into my Top 30 power ballads.
One might be inclined to think that a song called “Holding On to Your Love” might be another power ballad but it’s a good steady rocker. Lisa’s vocals are much more suited to this style and she delivers. If that one wasn’t rocking enough, then wait till you hear “Time Bomb.” This song alone is why the album can be called metal. I love the droning guitar supporting Lisa’s vocals and the steady rhythm provided by Ian Spicer and P.J. The rocking level continues to rise on “Jealous Heart.” Again, some cool guitar work at the beginning, which provides the foundation for Lisa to come in. Now, some might hear that she doesn’t hit the high notes like some of her contemporaries but believe me, she doesn’t need to.
“Slow Down” goes into punk territory. While it’s not fast and furious, it’s one which is suitable for a mosh pit and I’ll praise Marino’s guitar skills one more time. The final two tracks are both covers. First up is Briar’s “One Foot Back in Your Door” and the closer is an old blues number, “Trouble,” which was once covered by Ian Gillan. Lisa does well on both, especially on the closer because it’s more suited to her blues based vocals.
Track Listing:
Rock ‘N’ Roll Lady
All Fall Down
The Gamble
Somebody Special
Holding On To Your Love
Time Bomb
Jealous Heart
Slow Down
One Foot Back In Your Door
Trouble
Lisa Dominique
Lisa Dominique- vocals, percussion
Marino- guitar
Ian Spicer- bass
P.J.- drums
Reading the history, it appears that “All Fall Down” might have been the single from the album and it was a good choice. Still, the question, which I’ve must have asked 1,000 times already: Why didn’t Lisa Dominique become a house hold name? At least in the metal world. I know a lot of British metalheads knew of her but she would have gone down well in North America as well.
Next post: Bad News- Bootleg
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
Ronnie James Dio was doing a marvellous job as master of ceremonies for the New Year’s Eve festival but now he had to prepare for his own band’s performance. Therefore, after introducing Metal-Head, which consistied of Mike Howe on vocals, Jeff LaBar on guitar, Lemmy on bass and Joey Jordison on drums, he left to get ready. Fortunately, Elvis was more than happy to step in temporarily.
Bright spotlights shone down on the King as he walked to the centre of the stage. “Are we having a good time?” he asked the audience. The response was a raucous cheer. He continued, “Now, with Cozy Powell on drums, Jon Lord on keyboards, Jimmy Bain on bass, Criss Oliva on guitar and Ronnie James Dio on vocals, I’m delighted to give you, Deep Black Rainbow!”
Red lights slowly illuminated the front of the stage. As they rolled back, a mediaeval setting began to reveal itself. Two black knights holding two-handed swords stood as sentinels at either side of the stage. The lights continued to roll back further spotlighting Jon Lord’s keyboards and Cozy Powell’s drum kit before finally showing a painted castle at the very back of the stage. A foreboding thumping beat came over the intercom whetting the audience’s collective appetite.
Suddenly, riffs of a familiar song crackled through the air and in a flash, Ronnie James Dio appeared at front centre stage with Criss Oliva on his left and Jimmy Bain to his right. Jon and Cozy were in their respective places. Like all the bands who had played before them, the members of Deep Black Rainbow all looked las they did in their prime. Ronnie and Jimmy looked as if they had just recorded the “Holy Diver” album. Likewise, Jon looked like he did when Deep Purple made “Machine Head” and Cozy could have been in Rainbow in the late 1970s. The second Ronnie put his lips to the mic and let out the first words, the crowd went wild. The fervor carried on as he continued to sing:
“You got desire, so let it out.
You got the power, stand up and shout”
The instant Ronnie sang “shout,” floodlights lit up the stage and cast its beams out into the audience. A few might have had some apprehension when it came to the guitar solo as to how Criss Oliva would handle it. They weren’t disappointed. He didn’t stray from the original solo while at the same time, putting in his own style. It carried the song to the final chorus when Ronnie pointed the microphone out to the crowd who screamed back in unison, “Shout!” One song in and the band had the audience eating out of their hands.
The crowd had not time to catch their breath as Ronnie started singing:
“I’m a wheel, I’m a wheel
I can roll I can feel
But you can’t stop me turning.”
Ronnie’s voice and power chords brought the crowd back to life and when the time came, they roared back, “The man on the silver mountain.” The song illustrated how tight this band was as they were wowed by the Rainbow classic.
At the conclusion, Ronnie finally addressed the audience. “”How are we? Are we rocking out tonight?” I feel particularly priviledged to be on stage with these guys. It’s like old times with Jimmy and Cozy and I’m glad Criss and Jon were able to join us. Speaking of Jon, I think he should start the next song.”
Jon Lord needed no further encouragement as he immediately went to work dazzling the crowd with his keyboard wizardry. The audience showed their appreciation and then the rest of the band joined in treating everyone to “Black Knight.” That was followed by another Rainbow classic, “Tarot Woman” with Jon still doing on the keyboards what he did so well in the mortal realm.
“Thank you, thank you,” Ronnie showing his appreciation on behalf of the band. “This is a song Jimmy and I did when we were in our own band, it’s called ‘The Last in Line!”
Multicoloured lights flickered as Criss Oliva began on the guitar. Ronnie came in with:
“We’re a ship without a storm
The cold inside the warm
Light inside the darkness that it needs, yeah
We’re the laugh without the tear
Cold without the fear
We are coming,”
The entire stage lit up as he sang, “Home!” Once again, it sent the crowd into an hysterical frenzy. Criss’s power chords and Jon’s keyboards were supported by the rhythm section of Jimmy and Cozy and reminded all as to what a great song they were playing. Ronnie’s vocals spearheaded the fabulous song and when it came to its too soon conclusion, Ronnie sang, “We’re the last in, we’re the last in..” and then pointed his microphone out to the audience who screamed back, “Line!” He put the final stamp on the song with a very melodic, “We’re the last in line.”
Waiting for the thunderous cheers to die down a little. Ronnie addressed the audience. “As you know, I worked with Jimmy and Cozy while we were alive on Earth and I know Jon from when my first band, Elf, toured with Deep Purple, but none of us have ever worked with Criss here before and we are very fortunate that he agreed to join us. So, our next song is from the band you all know Criss from, Savatage, and the song is, ‘Hall of the Moutain King.’”
Criss responded by playing the opening notes with a renewed gusto and when the rest of the band joined in, it sounded just like it was meant to. Ronnie’s vocals when he sang the title sounded beautifully melodic. Furthermore, Criss’s guitar solo had everyone screaming in appreciation. At the very end, Ronnie put his own stamp on it when his unique voice sang out, “Madness reigns, in the hall of the mountain king!” before Cozy concluded with a spectacular drum roll.
Four members of the band abruptly walked off the stage leaving Criss on his own. He needcd no prompting as to what to do as the guitarist immediately began playing his guitar and overawing the crowd with his six string magic. Criss frantically moved his fingers up and down the neck of the instrument, pausing now and then so the audience could roar their approval. Those four minutes in the spotlight seemed like mere seconds as before anyone realised, the rest of the band came back ready to continue.
“Criss Oliva on the guitar!” Ronnie declared. His guitarist responded with some light acoustic notes. No one could be sure if the audience was expecting it but they still showed their delight at “Temple of the King.” The dimmed lighting and spotlight on Ronnie illustrated the somber mood of the song. When it finished, the next chords Criss struck set the entire venue into near madness as the next song just happened to be “Children of the Sea.”
After the final “look out” at the conclusion of the epic Black Sabbath number, Ronnie again had to wait for the crowd to finish voicing their approval. When it died down enough, Ronnie gave a cheerful, “thank you” before announcing, “This next song is a new one, written by all of us and you’re hearing it for the first time. It’s called ‘Decieve the Devil!’”
The intro was a subtle guitar backed up by the organ. Ronnie began singing in a ballad mode to this slow accompaniment. Suddenly, a power chord was struck along with a note from the bass and a brisk drum roll from Cozy and things suddenly began to speed up three tempos. The harder rock got the audience clapping along as Ronnie shifted his vocal style. For those listening closely, “Deceive the Devil” could have been the offspring between “The Last in Line” and the Savatage monster, “This is the Time,” but no one really cared, they just enjoyed the song. Two verses and chorus sung, Criss stepped into the spotlight and cranked out yet another killer guitar solo.
When one could have thought the song was winding down to its end, the stage suddenly came to life. The two knights on either side of the stage moved about ten feet into the middle. Lasers shot back and forth across the stage with small explosions when they hit. The warring knights caused such a spectacle that the audience hardly knew the song ended as the battle continued on for a few minutes more, delighting all. When the battle ceased, the two knights returned to their posts at the sides of the stage with the crowd still shouting their delight and American fans breaking out their cigarette lighters.
Four members of the band exited the stage leaving Jon Lord alone at his keyboards. Several spotlights shone down on him as he demonstrated his keyboard wizardry and those in the stands demonstrated their delight. Jon produced sounds that had many who were watching and listening scratching their heads wondering how he did it. However, it wasn’t just the sounds he was making which captivated the audience. Bright lights shot out of the keyboards and a florescent display on the back wall treated all to a marvellous light show. It was a wonder that Jon’s solo only lasted four minutes.
“Jon Lord on keyboards!” Ronnie called out when the rest of the band returned. Jon continued on his keyboard, but now he was playing more familiar notes. Jimmy joined in on bass and guitar and drums followed on and before anyone realized, Ronnie was singing “Woman From Tokyo.” When that Deep Purple classic ended, it was Cozy’s turn to show what he could do on the drums. He needed no encouragement as he hammered away on the skins with some amazing drum rolls. After wowing the crowd for five minutes, Jimmy came back on stage and joined him playing bass along with Cozy’s drumming. Again, the audience showed their appreciation.
When Ronnie, Criss and Jon joined the other two on stage, they unleashed their second original. “Fear in the City” was a slow, bluesy number done in a stoner rock style, much reminiscent of the band Ronnie was in before he left the mortal world, Heaven and Hell. Nevertheless, the audience ate it up, Criss’s blistering guitar solo might have helped.
“The next song describes of all us,” Ronnie declared. “We are all rock and roll children!” While the audience screamed their approval, the band launched into the song. The energy was felt all around. At the chorus, Ronnie again pointed his mic out to the crowd who shouted back, “Rock and roll children!”
Ronnie melodically responded, “Alone again.” He pointed the microphone back out the the crowd who again shouted back, “Rock and roll children!” To which he sang back, “Without a friend, but they got rock and roll.”
The back and forth happened again when the second chorus came around and then again after the guitar and keyboards solos, went back and forth with the audience until the song’s conclusion. However, Ronnie didn’t give the audience any time to recover, “Here’s an old one, ‘Rainbow in the Dark.’”
They didn’t need a breather as the audience bellowed their appreciation for the Dio classic. When it finished to raucous cheers, Ronnie addressed the crowd. “We might not be in the mortal plane any longer but rock and roll lives on! So, help us go out on a high, long live rock and roll!”
Both band and auidence were so full of energy there was no indication both had been fully engrossed in the show for an hour and a quarter. The Rainbow classic got the place jumping and Ronnie got the fans to sing along one more time. He would sing, “Long live,” and the audience screamed back “Rock and roll!” If the sing along, the light show and the efforts of the band wasn’t enough, Deep Black Rainbow had one more trick up their sleeves. Right after Criss’s guitar solo and while Ronnie repeatedly sang the title of the song, a mechanical dragon, much like the one from Dio’s “Sacred Heart” tour rose up from behind the drums and greeted the crowd, blowing smoke from its nose. Furthermore, it appeared to acknowledge everyone sitting in the audience. It remained with the band and even took the final bows with them before they left the stage.
There was absolutely no way the audience was going to let Deep Black Rainbow get away that easily. In one loud voice, everyone roared and screamed for the band’s return. This went on until throats began to get sore and even that didn’t stop many. It was only then the band triumphantly returned to the stage.
“You all rock!” Ronnie saluted as his bandmates got to their instruments. A few familiar keyboard notes from Jon and the band was all in. Then, Dio, beckoned to the side of the stage. “Come on!” he motioned. Then Elvis appeared, waved to the crowd, and grabbed a microphone. Chuck Berry returned to the stage, duck-walking to center stage as the crowd screamed in approval. Criss Oliva followed, plugging in his electric guitar so familiar from the Gutter Ballet album cover. He was followed by Randy Rhoads who plugged into another stack of amps. The final guitarist, Tee Bone Man himself, had the honour of standing between the two legendary axemen. His face was humble and his eyes were made of joy.
Eric Carr and Clive Burr emerged, carrying tambourines and shakers. Brian Connolly and Kelly Groucutt were behind them with microphones in their hands. Cliff Burton just had a beer, while the two Charlies weren’t quite sure how they fit in, but were just glad to be there. Paul MacLeod had returned, and simply grinned at all the rock majesty from the side of the stage.
A few familiar keyboard notes from Jon and the band was all in. The crowd roared as Ronnie sang, “Nobody’s gonna take my car, I’m gonna race it to the ground,” and when the appointed time came, the audience sang back, “I’m a highway star!”
Keyboard solo followed guitar solo behind floodlights which shone down on the audience. Each time the line would come up, the crowd continued to shout back, “I’m a highway star!” to the very end.
Nothing moved as Jon continued on the keyboards which played more notes which seemed very strangely familiar. With baited breath, everyone listened in anticipation for the guitar to kick in and then every head bobbed in unison to the rhythm and joined Ronnie in singing, “Holy diver, you been down to long in the midnight sea, what’s becoming of me?” Heads continued to bob and the crowd sang along even more as the Dio classic entirely lit the place up.
“We have time for one more,” Ronnie announced. The familiar guitar riffs of an all time classic sent all into mass hysterical frenzy. Criss and Ronnie led the procession as everyone joined in the party that was “Smoke On the Water.” An amazing light show accompanied the iconic hit and if Ritchie Blackmore had been there, he would have taken out a court injunction against Criss forbidding him to play it again, as he totally nailed the guitar solo. Jon followed on with one more amazing keyboard solo and then a brief drum solo from Cozy. Charlie Parker’s saxophone joined in for “Smoke”, while everyone sang along to the indelible chorus. The end came too soon as the audience screamed their heads off and cigarette lighters lit up the seating area. Ronnie graciously thanked everyone for coming and enjoying the show and being so wonderful. All of Deep Black Rainbow came together, took their final bows and exited the stage.
All of Deep Black Rainbow came together, took their final bows and a few heavenly hugs. The band glimmered bright, and faded away in a giant cascade of stars. Tee Bone remained alone on stage. Speechless, the man stood before them for an achingly long silence.
“Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, friends from near and far…I don’t know what to say!” He paused, unsure how to finish. Ultimately, he went with his guts. “People…let’s see the Kiss Avatars top that! You just witnessed the greatest rock show of all time! Let’s hear it!” The crowd screamed in eternal gratitude, for there would never be a show like this one. “Now let’s count, because it’s almost midnight!” A massive clock was projected on a screen behind him.
“10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…wooo!” screamed the rapturous attendees.
“Happy New Year!” screamed Tee Bone at the top of his lungs. “Welcome to 2024!”
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80smetalman Note: For those of you who have read “Rock and Roll Children,” you may be wondering why the concerts in the story weren’t so intense as this one. After all, one critic slated the book calling the concert account ‘bare bones stuff.’ The answer is quite simple, when I wrote “Rock and Roll Children” I attended all but three of the concerts mentioned in the story and went strictly from memory from concerts I had seen 25 years prior. Furthermore, unlike Hollywood, I wanted historical accuracy. Therefore, everything that happened in those concerts, I actually witnessed. For the NYE, concert above, I had no such restrictions and therefore let my imagination go wild. I would like to thank Mike and everyone else for allowing me to contribute to this great story.
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