Album Review: David Bowie -'A Reality Tour' (Live Album)

David Bowie
‘A Reality Tour’ Album Review
4.5 Stars (**** 1/2)
By Anthony Kuzminski
{Buy the album here}
{Buy the iTunes version with bonus tracks here}

• Read my live review of the tour here
• Read the Space Oddity reissue review here

Pablo Picasso spent the better part of seventy years producing art. Over this time, he pushed the boundaries of what we defined as art and in the process altered the course of painting and sculpting in ways no one could have anticipated. Whether it was his Blue Period or some of his later sculptures, most were revolutionary and it took years and in some cases decades to see how ahead of time he was. The same could be said of David Bowie in the realm of music. Shifting styles and genres may have initially appeared as a gimmick but ultimately six decades on, it’s proven to be Bowie’s masterstroke. Painters and sculptors will occasionally gather their works and put them on display for all to see and relish in. These exhibits help bring a life’s work into context as you see different shades of their talent on display and when viewed as a whole, you sometimes see a larger body of work. Musicians have concert tours, but in truth, few execute shows that allow the listener and attendee a widescreen viewing of their life’s work. When David Bowie embarked on his Reality tour in the fall of 2003, whether it was known at the time or not, he had the most accomplished set of musicians of his career in tow and when the tour ended nine months later, it proved to be not just his most revealing and accomplished, but one that even the legendary tours that proceeded it couldn’t surpass. Finding a way to fuse his eclectic catalog of songs into one conjoined family is no easy feat. Each of his concert tours, while enthralling, in the past had a hard time finding a way to pair his more commercial offerings with his art-school music; until the Reality tour. Earlier this year A Reality Tour made its debut digitally and on CD for the first time. Originally released as a DVD in the fall of 2004, A Reality Tour finds Bowie and his meticulous and magical band at the peak of their powers. The album containing thirty-three songs (thirty-five at the iTunes store) is the best and most potent live document the uninhibited artist has ever released. Never before has Bowie sounded so confident and at ease with his delivery, arrangements and his legacy. The greatest accomplishment of the 2003-2004 tour was the effortlessness Bowie seemed to have with pairing his classics with his lesser known fare. If he were Picasso, he would have found a way to display all of his work in a story like fashion where nothing seemed out of place whether it was a misunderstood painting or a sculpture that verged on pornography. A Reality Tour is a document every live act could learn from as Bowie glided between the esoteric, the exotic and the downright euphoric with ease and simultaneously leaving every attendee with a smile on their face.

I had always steered away from seeing Bowie in concert because I was afraid I’d walk away aggravated not seeing the hits. Ironically, the reverse ensued when I was privileged enough to observe two shows that winter and spring of 2004; I sought after more than the hits but wanted to analyze Heathen, Reality, 1. Outside and Earthling. The coupling of songs and stylized sequencing was mouth gapingly tremendous. Artists struggle with set lists because concert tickets no longer top out at $20. It’s an investment and as a result, fear drives most acts to rely on the hits, however, this doesn’t matter to David Bowie. Instead of concentrating on only the crowd pleasers, he administered a way to disclose stories from within all eras of his career and the position of certain songs (notably on “I’m Afraid of Americans” and “’Heroes’” back to back) validate distinctive themes throughout a recording history that goes back forty years.

The customary opener for the shows was the rearranged battle call of “Rebel, Rebel”; Earl Slick’s switchblade guitar riff tears open the concert hall in a way few other songs could. The cover of “Cactus” (of the Pixies) is searing with an ever too brief snippet of T.Rex’s “Bang a Gong”. Smacked in between “Fashion” and “Sister Midnight”, it oozes splendor and doesn’t feel like a song that is beneath the immortal songs on either side of it. “Sister Midnight”, from Iggy Pop’s The Idiot made a welcome return to the set. Produced and co-written by Bowie in 1977 it’s a tune that probably owes more to Bowie than to Pop. Recorded at the same time he was creating Low and ’Heroes’, it’s a steely deep cut. “Afraid” (from Heathen) is a turbulent paranoia rocker that feels as if it could have come from Scary Monsters while “All The Young Dudes” is an arm-waving sing-a-long anthem that unites and was created for this specific purpose. Bowie meticulously paced these songs so they fit together like a family of bandits, each with their own distinctive personality but together they stand as one. Previous Bowie tours had leaned too heavily on one or the other, but here he sculpts them to be something downright marvelous.

The pairing of 1977’s “Be My Wife” and 2003’s “The Loneliest Guy” is a stroke of genius. The former a telescoping yet beseeching rocker and the latter is a meditative and prosaic solemn ballad. The first time I heard “The Loneliest Guy”, the performance was so ghostly yet spine-chilling I assumed it was a deep cut from one of his masterpieces. I was stunned to realize it was from his latest and most recent record, Reality (for which an argument can be made as a modern work of genius along with Heathen). Watching him complete the song in Milwaukee in the spring of 2004 was an unparalleled moment. As he sung that last verse, he turned away and cleared his eyes. I was close enough to see it wasn’t just lint and I couldn’t help but be caught up in the moment. The band didn’t overpower the song but complimented it allowing Bowie’s lyrics and vocals to enter into a spiritual atmosphere. The devotion of Bowie’s voice here stands one of the paramount performances I’ve seen or heard by any performer, anywhere. “Hallo Spaceboy" and “Sunday” were sandwiched in-between such luminous classics as “The Man Who Sold the World”, “Under Pressure” (featuring some rapturous vocals from bassist Gail Ann Dorsey whose bass lines steered the course) and “Life On Mars” further exemplifying the depth of one of the greatest catalogs of the rock n’ roll era.

As the album unfolds, your memory is jogged with gems like “Fantastic Voyage”, “Changes”, “Ashes To Ashes”, “China Girl” (a bonus track) and a radical reworking of “Loving the Alien” from his 1984 record, Tonight. “New Killer Star” and “Reality” keep the voltage high early in the show while the boyish glee in his delivery of “Changes” and “Never Get Old” is downright blissful; these two songs written thirty years apart but seem to be twin songs from different mothers. “Breaking Glass” from the iconic 1977 record Low is done justice by the band in a resolute arrangement. The more novel fare from Heathen and Reality finds the band weaving their powers together in an unyielding fashion underscored on the jazzy “Bring Me the Disco King”, the seductive “Slip Away” (Dorsey’s bass once again navigates the way) and the industrial resplendent “Heathen (The Rays)”. The album was recorded over two nights in Dublin in November 2003 where a total of thirty five different and unique songs were performed over these shows. If you buy the album at iTunes, you will get all of them and the CD issue has thirty three (due to CD space). Despite being recorded decades apart and by several different musicians and producers, Bowie’s touring band solidify the material to feel as if it came from the same era. This is a rare feat in the world of concert performances. Bowie’s backing band wasn’t just a gathering of well rehearsed musicians but ones with incalculable aptitude. They provide these songs shades and colors that in some instances surpass their studio counterparts.

The Reality tour was like a family tree of Bowie’s discography. You watch and listen in wonder as the material felt so seamless you assumed they were all from the same generation and not spanning a few dozen albums and five difference decades. As a performer, Bowie found a way to liberate his expansive cannon like an unrivaled lover. He doesn’t just believe in kinky off-the-wall sex or merely intercourse, but provides a wide ranging encounter with the ultimate goal of assuring all partners get their rocks off in some form or fashion. Some acts nail you with hit after hit, which is neither audacious nor in the long run always gratifying. But Bowie understands how to entice an audience, tease them, play with them, make them beg for more and in the end, delivers a euphoric release that is unparalleled culminating with a trilogy of Ziggy Stardust songs (“Five Years”, “Hang On To Yourself” and “Ziggy Stardust”) If Bowie never steps on stage ever again, it will be our loss, but he can rest in comfort knowing that he left the stage at the peak of his powers leaving the crowd pining for an encore…that may or may not ever come.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter

Album Review: ‘Space Oddity’ 40th Anniversary Special Edition

David Bowie
Album Review: ‘Space Oddity’ 40th Anniversary Special Edition
By Anthony Kuzminski

Illustrious music careers usually tread down a few rutted jarring roads before they find their groove and their eventual voice. Most acts often discount these early paths by referring to them as “baby pictures”, however, it’s only when one peeps to the past that you distinguish early glimpses of the genius that ultimately bloomed later in at proves to be their genesis story. Until recently, the only proper David Bowie studio album I didn’t own was Space Oddity. I always viewed it as a patchy record, one best known for the first brilliant single of Bowie’s career, “Space Oddity”. However, with time and significant care, the recent 40th Anniversary two-disc reissue puts a spin on the record one couldn’t have previously imagined. It’s a rare illustration where the bonus disc helps enrich the regular album by revealing glints of greatness.

It’s well documented that Bowie went through many guises, labels and acts before walking down the path as a solo artist. His first “official” record after several failed groups and singles was released in 1967 under the title of David Bowie through a division (Deram) of Decca Records. Now, to add to this confusion, Space Oddity as we know it today wasn’t christened as an album title until its 1972 re-issue. In the UK it was originally entitled David Bowie (confusing, right?) and in the US was given the most unfortunate title of Man of Words/Man of Music. Despite the success of “Space Oddity”, the album didn’t make much of an impact, until it was reissued in 1972 in the wake of Ziggy Stardust mania. Only then did it become known for more than its lead single. Space Oddity was produced by Tony Visconti, who had already worked with Bowie on his 1967 self-titled debut. He would go on to work with Bowie on a dozen different albums spanning more than thirty years. His finesse in the studio lifts the songs to another level and this was where the fruitful relationship was born. The only song Visconti didn’t work on was amazingly, “Space Oddity”. Visconti didn’t feel it had anything else to do with the rest of the album and it doesn’t. The remaining nine songs are a varied group of psychedelic folk-rock ballads showing shades of Bob Dylan, the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel. Since then it’s the starting point for Bowie’s career however, I don’t think the album has ever received its due, until now. Some may wonder if an album like Space Oddity warrants a special release with a whole disc of extras. After sitting with this new release and listening to it, I can say without question this is an exceptional release that not only augments the original album but makes it superior in every possible way. Art often is misunderstood and the great artists of our time often need to be discussed and debated before their brilliance is brought to light; David Bowie is no different. I would never just hand someone a stack of David Bowie records and expect them to “get him” with a few initial listens. I probably would have to hand over a few books as well. One of the highlights of this extraordinary reissue is the extensive booklet and liner notes included within. A history of the record is given with first person accounts, recording dates and a chronological sequence from when Bowie saw Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey to the album’s final mix and release. All of these extra bits of information flesh out the story make the songs thrive and in the end, you walk away with an overpoweringly distinctive view of the original album. The 40th Anniversary edition proves that Space Oddity was more than a mishmash of songs with one great single, but rather as a crucial and rousing collection of songs. The albums that followed Space Oddity were The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory and then finally The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and from there it was one legendary release after another for three decades. However, to fully grasp and comprehend the genius of David Bowie, Space Oddity is ground zero.

“Space Oddity” was released just in time for the first moon landing that summer and when the album appeared in stores that November, the steam had run out and it vanished without notice until it was re-released in 1972 as Bowie’s star began to rise. As a result, many of these songs (especially found on the second disc) never received their due. “Janine” is a perfectly poised pop number (and the live cut from the BBC on the bonus disc exceeds the original). “Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed”, presumably written about a ex-girlfriend who didn’t think Bowie was graceful enough for her, it features a brash guitar riff and some sensational harmonica fills that fuel the lyrical rage forward. On this latest remaster, it includes “Don’t Sit Down” at the end of the track, rather than as a separate track on the 1990 Ryko reissue and again on the 1999 remaster. It doesn’t appear on the sleeve, but make no mistake; this tongue-in-cheek jam is included here. “Letter To Hermione” has shades of Simon & Garfunkel as Bowie strums an acoustic pleading with and trying to win back a former love. Disillusionment is on full display on the nearly ten minute “Cygnet Committee”. The reaching and elating vocal towards the end is one of Bowie’s greatest amidst an arrangement that is notable for its complexity and proving that “Space Oddity” wasn’t the only moment of brilliance. Musically it doesn’t shift tempo so much as follow the lead of Bowie’s disenchantment with reality. This very easily could have been an anthem in a different time and space. Bowie would execute some of the same feelings of striving for a better life with “All the Young Dudes” a few years later, but “Cygnet Committee” is a treasure deserving further exploration. The sing-a-long anthem “Memory of A Free Festival” closes the album. The seven-minute track builds slowly before an all encompassing exorcism of voices encompass the song much like “Hey Jude”. The second disc includes three further versions, all of which prove to be essential. Two are cut down for a single release (which feature the first time Mick Ronson would appear on a Bowie recording) and there is an alternate mix that runs over nine-minutes. For another artist, “Memory of A Free Festival” would be a lifelong finale for their concerts, but in Bowie’s it’s merely a remarkable footnote. There is a sense of straightforward romanticism on the record, that wouldn’t be as obvious on future records as it took a back seat to self discovery.

The second disc is more than mere filler and ultimately proves to be an indispensable companion piece to the regular album. Some of it has been released before on the 1990 Ryko edition, the 1989 Sounds + Vision box set and on the Bowie At the Beeb live album from his BBC sessions. However, placed together with rehearsals, stereo mixes, rare B-sides, alternate mixes and even a foreign language version of “Space Oddity” with Italian lyrics that don’t resemble the original in any way, it is one of those rare bonus discs that helps bring the main album into clearer focus. The acoustic “Space Oddity” demo is madly mesmerizing to see how well Bowie had imagined the song with just an acoustic guitar and nominal instrumentation. A live cut of “Janine” is more persuasive with a dynamic performance whereas “Let Me Sleep Beside You” is another earnest love song that based on this performance it should have made the final cut of Space Oddity, it provides a perfect bridge between his earlier work and his more experimental fare which came to fruition on Space Oddity. “Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud” has three versions spread out across the two discs. The album version finds a sweeping orchestra giving it a grandiose aspect (something producer Tony Visconti considered his greatest accomplishment on the record). But the rare B-side (previously issued on the Sound + Vision box set), reveals the songs true colors. I take preference in the acoustic driven B-side that allows the story come to life. The alternate album mix is exhilarating as well with a more embellished orchestra higher in the mix towards the midsections and ending of the song. “London, Bye, Ta-Ta” is here on two separate stereo mixes. Considered a follow-up single in the early 1970’s, the song remained shelved until the 1990’s but putting it here, you can sense the direction Bowie was heading towards with each composition he continued to write and record. “The Prettiest Star” was chosen in early 1970 as the follow-up single to “Space Oddity”. Written with Bowie’s first wife in mind (Angela), the song has an earthy nostalgic feel with an ever so simplistic guitar riff, played by Marc Bolan. The song was later re-recorded for 1973’s Aladdin Sane, but there is unabashed romanticism in this crude sounding cut and it serves as a appendix to the Space Oddity story. This song alone warrants purchasing this edition.

The 40th Anniversary reissue of Space Oddity covers all of the bases with everything one could imagine in terms of extras. But what most people don’t realize is that the whole package elevates the legacy of Space Oddity as more than a cutout bin record with one great song, but the new special edition will provide this record not just another life, but another chance to be studied. One can only hope every act would give as much attention and care to all of their records. We’ve given access into Bowie’s bedroom and mind as he slowly transformed and began his wild, eccentric and musical journey that lasts to this day. The bonus material forces the listener to look back and not just reawaken these songs, but illustrate that like the first steps on the moon in 1969, Bowie’s first steps into greatness were equally captivating and historically important to the world of music.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter

One Year Ago Today...Britney Spears

There's no way to really explain to someone what a Britney Spears concert is like unless you were there in the flesh to witness the absurdity of it all. I wrote about it when I saw her one year ago tonight. It was one of the most stimulating yet simultaneously insulting displays of music (if you can call it that) ever seen. I was rather proud of my review, so if you're curious as to my impressions, go here.

"You Always Saw the Best In Me"...The Rolling Stones-"Following the River"

Heart Songs: The Rolling Stones-“Following the River”
By Anthony Kuzminski

I love pop music, but most of it doesn’t have teeth. It may jolt your senses you like a pixy stick but when it’s over, the come down from the high still leaves you just as bewildered as you were before. I listen to happy-go-lucky pop songs daily and like a greasy burger, it can be the medication for a bad day, but will it continue to untangle and uncover itself to you listen after listen? When you see an artist sing or perform, you want to believe they’re experiencing pain, loss and are subscribing to the same channel of the blues you are. Without this connection, careers fall to the wayside. Look at Mariah Carey, someone who has continually made hit after hit for two decades and numerous labels, but can she even fill a theater despite selling over 100-million records? No, and the reason why is people don’t see themselves in her slutty-wannabe attire. To make a true and lasting connection, your audience must bond with you and believe your pain is their pain, even when it comes from the most unlikely of sources.

The Rolling Stones have always been about menace. These weren’t guys you tried to emulate as much as we all secretly wished we did, the truth is if any of them were walking down the street, we probably would have run the other way. However, one of the enduring components to their on-going success is their ability to branch out and fashion music that’s based on more than Chuck Berry riffs. Despite writing some of the most misogynistic songs ever put on tape (“Under My Thumb” “Star Star”), they also have a side filled with tenderness and heartrending abandon. There’s something outright enlightening about a swaying ballad by the Rolling Stones that only they can pull off. Whether it is the insistent “Time Is On My Side” or the loss of love in “Angie” or the weight of “Beast of Burden”, they slash through sincerity like no one else and the cynic becomes a believer. Known for their cockiness and their “don’t f**k with us” attitude, they’re often viewed as villainous criminals’ more than earnest lovers, yet when they let the bravado loss and let go, that’s when the real fireworks are lit.

One of the unreleased songs on the upcoming deluxe edition of Exile On Main Street is a soulful ballad entitled “Following the River” which is awash in shrewd soul showcasing female backing vocals (recently added by Lisa Fischer and Cindy Mizelle) and a gut wrenching vocal from Jagger. The rhythm section of Charlie Watts on drums and Bill Wyman on bass anchors the song while the acoustic warmth of Keith Richards and Mick Jagger (who adds some guitar) is downright resplendent with Nicky Hopkin’s piano adding a specific color shade to the song that’s an integral part of its DNA without being overshadowing to gentle beauty of the rest of the song. The song is about coming to terms with a relationship that is set for ruin, despite a longing for their touch. Jagger sings the line of “I don’t think there’s much future there for me and you” with such utter believability you are in disbelief. Known for his overconfidence, this song finds him beseeching for someone beyond his reach. He sings it with desperation as if his life depended on it, where there’s no prescription for the pain other than to sing and purge your problems away. Jagger doesn’t play this by the books, but reaches and pulls the pain from within in a performance that reaches for the heavens hoping he can pull salvation from the sky.

There is a pining in all of the performances. We associate the Stones with swaggering cockiness where nothing can be thrown at them and brought down, but here, they reveal gloomy ache. Make no mistake, I’m disciple of all eras of the Rolling Stones and believe all have something vital and imperative to enhance their overall legacy, yet there is a depth and richness to these unearthed Exile tracks proving once again that between 1968 and 1972, in the realm of creativity and potency, they were untouchable. It’s not so much that their latter material wasn’t high-quality, it’s just that over the course of four albums and four years (1968-1972), they set the bar so high that virtually no one in nearly forty years has been able to touch and with songs like “Following the River” finally being unearthed, it leads credence to the fact that no one will ever reach that level of creativity again.

Buy the deluxe edition here.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter

Press Release: John Mellencamp's Box Set 'On The Rural Route 7609' To Be Released on June 15, 2010

• Read My Album Guide To John Mellencamp here
• All related John Mellencamp articles can be read here

On The Rural Route 7609 is a four CD set that chronicles, in a most unique way, the arc of John Mellencamp’s career, with a focus on his songwriting.  Universal Music Enterprises has set June 15th as the release date for the collection through its Mercury imprint. The package, unlike typical box sets that tend to slavishly offer a chronological presentation of hits and near-hits, is programmed as if each of the discs were a freestanding album. The 54 tracks included in the collection are presented, in essence, as four albums with songs juxtaposed in a manner that offers the listener the experience of hearing them in a context that sheds new light on the themes and artistry that have made Mellencamp’s music so cherished by so many over the course of four decades.

While On The Rural Route 7609 offers a wealth of well-known material, a significant number of the tracks included are less familiar but equally compelling, especially in terms of providing an in-depth picture of Mellencamp's spectrum of creativity.  The concept behind the four “albums” of the collection is to give long-term Mellencamp fans and newer listeners alike, a more complete and insightful view of the artist's role as a writer and artist whose catalog of songs and recordings resound with substance and nuance. 

The songs selected reflect the artist’s pop idol origins through his ascent to the ranks of America’s most respected and socially active writers and performers.   On The Rural Route 7609 offers 17 tracks previously unreleased on any John Mellencamp CD including guest readings of Mellencamp’s lyrics by Academy Award® winning actress Joanne Woodward and best selling author/educator Dr. Cornel West.  The discs are packaged within a 72-page book that includes an exhaustive essay and comprehensive track-by-track annotation by award-winning writer Anthony DeCurtis. His marathon interviews with Mellencamp were conducted in Bloomington, IN where DeCurtis, coincidentally, earned his PhD in American literature at Indiana University. Mellencamp tells the story behind each of the songs included in the set and there's a scholarly introductory essay by DeCurtis as well.  The package, a truly lavish assemblage, includes rare and evocative photos printed on heavy stock that make On The Rural Route 7609 a distinctive set of albums, in the sense that albums -- as originally conceived in earlier times -- are cohesive collections of music.

While such Mellencamp hits including “Rain On The Scarecrow,” “Jack and Diane,”  “Jackie Brown,” “Pink Houses,” “Your Life Is Now,”  “Our Country” are presented, less familiar songs as well as demos for “Cherry Bomb,” “Authority Song” and other recordings serve to chronicle the maturation of Mellencamp as both an artist and songwriter over the years.  As quoted by DeCurtis in the 4500 word introductory essay included in the package, he explains, “We tried to make it like a process of discovery, that perhaps somebody could listen to this set and discover these songs.” Material from early works through his most recently released album, Life Death Love and Freedom which Time Magazine called his "best in a decade" and Rolling Stone ranked #5 in its listing of 50 best albums of the year, gives the listener an opportunity to consider more than 30 years of Mellencamp's output in a musically coherent manner.

The title of the package is reflective of Mellencamp’s continuing role as a troubadour who conveys the hopes, heartbreak and realities of the heartland – that part of the country that politicians are wont to call “the real America,” a divisive jab that is at odds with Mellencamp’s true themes. Per DeCurtis, “..the set takes its title from a scarifying murder ballad on Freedom’s Road,  ‘Rural Route.’" 

Mellencamp explained to DeCurtis  “I started making records in ’76, and the most recent track on the collection was done in ‘09. So Rural Route 7609; it’s like an address. I thought it sounded cool.” 

Adds DeCurtis, “It does. But, more important, for anyone interested in finding the real John Mellencamp, this is where he’s been, and where he lives.” On The Rural Route 7609 is a musical journey that sheds new light on an American musician who, as both a songwriter and social activist, has never rested on his laurels or past accomplishments.

On The Rural Route 7609 tracklisting:

* indicates track selection has never before been released on a John Mellencamp CD

More detailed information here: http://www.mellencamp.com/?module=news&news_item_id=553

Disc 1

1. Longest Days

2. Grandma’s Theme

3. Rural Route

4. Jackie Brown

5. Rain On The Scarecrow

6. * Jim Crow with Cornell West 

7. Jim Crow

8. Big Daddy Of Them All

9. Deep Blue Heart

10. Forgiveness

11. Don’t Need This Body

12. * Jenny At 16 

13. * Jack And Diane (writing demo) 

14. Jack And Diane

Disc 2

1. * The Real Life with Joanne Woodward 

2. Ghost Towns Along The Highway

3. The Full Catastrophe

4. * Authority Song (writing demo) 

5. Troubled Land

6. To Washington

7. * Our Country (alternate version) 

8. Country Gentlemen

9. Freedom’s Road

10. * Mr. Bellows (remix) 

11. Rodeo Clown

12. Love And Happiness

13. Pink Houses

Disc 3

1. If I Die Sudden (live)

2. Someday

3. Between A Laugh And A Tear

4. * Void In My Heart (acoustic version recorded at Chess Studios)

5. Death Letter

6. * Sugar Marie (acoustic) 

7. Theo And Weird Henry

8. When Jesus Left Birmingham

9. * L.U.V. (remix) 

10. Thank You

11. Women Seem

12. * The World Don’t Bother Me None 

13. * Cherry Bomb (writing demo) 

14. * Someday The Rain Will Fall 

15. A Ride Back Home

Disc 4

1. My Aeroplane

2. * Colored Lights 

3. Just Like You

4. Young Without Lovers

5. * To M.G. (Wherever She May Be) (acoustic) 

6. Sweet Evening Breeze

7. What If I Came Knocking

8. Country Fair

9. * Peaceful World (writing demo) 

10. Your Life Is Now

11. For The Children

12. * Rural Route (acoustic) 

http://www.mellencamp.com/

Press Release: MELODIC ROCK FEST 2 HITS CHICAGO APRIL 30-MAY 2

On the outskirts of Chicago this weekend, MelodicRockFest will happen. Andrew McNeice is a music lover and has the preeminent site for melodic rock music news and reviews. His dedication to music and the artists who create it is unparalleled. He's a good guy and has flown in from Australia to have a music festival this weekend in Elgin, IL. It's the only Chicago area appaearances of Trixter, Winger, Danger Danger and Y&T.

If you are in or around Chicago, this is a good event to attend. I believe some of the funds will allow Andrew to continue to site full time. Look at the calibur of acts who have chosen to give their time and talents to his site and his show.

All show and price information is available here.

Friday April 30 / Saturday May 1 / Sunday May 2

The Roadhouse
200 Prairie St. Elgin, Illinois 60120, USA

I received the set times today, will post them here.
MRF2 – SET TIMES

Friday –

Goodbye Thrill – 6.00 – 6.40 (40)
Rock Sugar – 6.50 – 7.10 (20)
Rob Lamothe – 7.20 – 8.00 (40)
Alias – 8.15 – 8.45 (30)
Mecca – 9.00 – 10.00 (60)

Saturday –

Farcry – 12.30 – 1.10 (40)
Talon – 1.30 – 2.20 (50)
Rock Sugar – 2.40 – 3.30 (50)
Terry Brock – 4.00 – 5.00 (60)
Eden’s Curse – 5.25 – 6.40 (75)
Pride Of Lions – 7.15 – 8.35 (80)
Danger Danger – 8.55 – 10.15 (80)
Y&T – 10.45 – 12.15 (90)

Sunday –

Strikeforce – 12.30 – 1.15 (45)
Bombay Black – 1.35 – 2.20 (45)
7th Heaven – 2.40 – 3.30 (50)
Crown Of Thorns – 3.50 – 4.40 (50)
Voices Of RR – 5.00 – 6.00 (60)
Jimi Jamison – 6.00 – 6.50 (50)
Ted Poley Band – 7.20 – 8.30 (70)
Trixter – 8.50 – 10.10 (80)
Winger – 10.45 – 12.15 (90)


The full press release is below...

PRESS RELEASE: MELODIC ROCK FEST 2 HITS CHICAGO APRIL 30-MAY 2

FEATURES HEADLINE SETS FROM Y&T, WINGER, DANGER DANGER AND TRIXTER AT ELGIN'S ROADHOUSE VENUE

SUPPORT FROM PRIDE OF LIONS, EDEN'S CURSE, CROWN OF THORNS, TERRY BROCK, JIMI JAMISON, TED POLEY & ROCK SUGAR


Some of the biggest and best names in Melodic Rock will once again gather for the biggest party of the year when MELODICROCKFEST 2 comes to Chicago for the weekend of April 30 - May 2. Heading to the newly opened ROADHOUSE venue in the Chicago suburb of Elgin, MelodicRockFest 2 is the second major concert event organized by the popular hard rock website MelodicRock.com. MelodicRock.com's first show in October 2007 was held in South Bend and featured an audience made up of fans from 8 countries and 34 US states. And now its Chicago's turn!

Spread over two full days (Saturday May 1 and Sunday May 2); with an additional VIP ticket holder night on Friday April 30; the event will feature 20 bands and additional special guests in a display of classic melodic and hard rock music.


SATURDAY MAY 1 �

Saturday's show will be headlined by San Francisco hard rock legends Y&T. The band will be taking a break from the studio, preparing the release of their new studio album due mid-year to rock Chicago.

DANGER DANGER is one of the most popular hard rock acts to come out of the late 80s and in 2009 the band delivered one of the genre's best new albums. They'll be playing all their biggest hits and some new tracks too.

PRIDE OF LIONS needs no introduction � featuring Chicago's favourite rock legend Jim Peterik (ex-Survivor, Ideas Of March, World Stage) and vocalist Toby Hitchcock, plus members of the World Stage band, Pride Of Lions will appear for one of their rare live appearances.

EDEN'S CURSE features members from 4 different countries, but they will converge on the USA for the very first time to perform the best tracks from two acclaimed albums and maybe even preview the upcoming third opus. And they'll record and film the set for a DVD release!

TERRY BROCK has been in the business for 20 years and is the current lead vocalist for much loved AOR act Giant and classic rock band Le Roux. But Terry has a solo career also and in his feature set, he will cover all the favourites and perhaps a surprise or two. His backing band will be popular New York melodic rockers Valentine.

ROCK SUGAR might just be one of the most talked about bands of the weekend. Their unique take on twisting songs into each other, or 'mashing them' together will have everyone talking. Fast becoming a YouTube sensation with their Metallica/Journey mash-up, these guys are going to rock the house.

US rockers TALON are another band bubbling under and will debut their new vocalist and film a live DVD at the same time.

Opening the day is FARCRY � a band with the attitude of any stadium act of the 80s.


SUNDAY MAY 2 �

Headlining Day 2 of MelodicRockFest is multi-platinum rockers WINGER. Famed for their musical prowess and fresh off a European tour, the band are supporting the release of their latest hard rock masterpiece Karma.

For the first time in 14 years, acclaimed NJ rockers TRIXTER will return to the mid-west to perform a true greatest hits set as they continue the tour that commemorates the 20th Anniversary of their debut album.

Pulling double duty for the show is Danger Danger frontman TED POLEY. Ted will do his own set, concentrating on some D2 rarities and solo material, plus tunes from his Poley/Rivera release. Ted will be joined by guitarist Vic Rivera and band.

JIMI JAMISON (ex-Survivor) returns from a guest appearance that brought the house down at MRF1 to perform a solo set of new solo tracks and some much loved Survivor classics. Who knows what guests might join him on stage.

VOICES OF ROCK RADIO are just that. Kevin Chalfant (The Storm, Two Fires) and Derek St. Holmes (Ted Nugent) and the Two Fires Band perform their best known hits before inviting former Survivor vocalist Jimi Jamison to join the fun.

CROWN OF THORNS, featuring Jean Beauvoir and Tommy Lafferty will play a rare US soil live show in support of their latest studio album and a catalogue of much loved tunes that go back to the Paul Stanley (Kiss) produced debut album.

No Chicago based show would be complete without local legends 7TH HEAVEN � the hardest working band in the Midwest and recently featured on American Idol.

Opening up Day 2 is melodic hard rockers BOMBAY BLACK, a heavy duty live act that will get the day off to a thunderous start.


FRIDAY APRIL 30 �

The Friday VIP Meet & Greet night is open to VIP ticket holders and will feature some acoustic performances from more melodic rock stars. Headlining the night will be a rare special 30 minute set from ALIAS, featuring vocalist Freddy Curci and guitarist Steve DeMarchi.

Chicagoland rockers MECCA made an immediate impact with their debut album in 2000, but has never played live � until now. This will be a very special set not to be missed.

ROB LAMOTHE is a Canadian star and frontman for the critically acclaimed Riverdogs. This time he brings an acoustic set like no other which will feature solo material and Riverdogs classics.

ROCK SUGAR couldn't help but get involved again and will warm up for Saturday with some acoustic tracks.

And joining us again from MRF1 is US melodic rock band GOODBYE THRILL, who might just ignore the acoustic night premise to deliver some rocking tunes. A number of the weekend guests will be on hand to meet and greet fans and sign autographs and share a drink or two.


Tickets for this very special only event are on sale now. Purchase tickets online at the festival website: www.melodicrockfest.com or call Revolution Tickets for credit card phone sales on 312-675-8025.

SELECT YOUTUBE LINKS:

Y&T www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVnKhB3pt4A
Danger Danger www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUNB07R8z5I
Pride Of Lions www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQQoRC5f3A8
Eden's Curse www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qt3MdV1HGM
Rock Sugar www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKeA3-n27t8
Winger www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jPsU4DkjSs
Trixter www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_KiO9SgEWc
Jimi Jamison www.youtube.com/watch?v=suYuuGBLsKQ
Voices Of Rock Radio www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzk950FmSXo
Crown Of Thorns www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUVQ-fcVVe8
Alias www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmha53sjb-I

antiMusic Album Review & Reflection: David Bowie ‘Space Oddity’ 40th Anniversary Special Edition

I just finished a in-depth review of the wondrous two disc package of the latest David Bowie reissue series, Space Oddity {Buy the album here}.

I'll get it up here on the blog in the coming week, but in the meantime it can be read over at antiMusic here.

Here's a snippet:

The 40th Anniversary reissue of Space Oddity covers all of the bases with everything one could imagine in terms of extras. But what most people don't realize is that the whole package elevates the legacy of Space Oddity as more than a cutout bin record with one great song, but the new special edition will provide this record not just another life, but another chance to be studied.Some may wonder if an album like Space Oddity warrants a special release with a whole disc of extras. After sitting with this new release and listening to it, I can say without question this is an exceptional release that not only augments the original album but makes it superior in every possible way. Art often is misunderstood and the great artists of our time often need to be discussed and debated before their brilliance is brought to light; David Bowie is no different.

Read the rest of it here

"Becoming Human" Excerpt #1

"This process of searching for truth demands an openness; it demands an evolution of thought, for individuals and entire societies, as the whole world changes and we discover new intimations of what is. There are unchanging principles, such as the call to be people of love and not of hate, which govern our lives. We need to integrate our experiences into these principles and let these principles be enlightened by our experience. Such an evolution in thought can mean searching and grasping in the dark, sometimes in anguish, rethinking answers, formulating them in new words and new ways. Philosophy, anthropology, theology, and those sciences that tell us what it means to be human can be dangerous if they are considered ideologies that dictate reality; instead, they need to be understood as the means by which we humbly listen to and marvel at reality. We must not try to return to the past, but instead launch out into the future - to understand each other and what it means to be human, to understand what is happening in the world - in order to become more fully human and to work for peace and unity. It is only as we begin to integrate such a sense of reality more fully into our being, as we thirst for that which gives meaning to our lives, that we discover the fundamental meaning of loneliness: a cry, often a painful cry of anguish, for more respect and love of others, to be even more enfolded in truth, held in God. Such a cry could bring a new wholeness to humanity.

Jean Vanier in Becoming Human

Concert Review: John Mayer-Chicago, IL @ United Center 4/10/2010

John Mayer: Wisdom and Warfare
Chicago, IL- United Center
April 10, 2010
By Anthony Kuzminski
{Photo Credit}

Six songs into John Mayer’s concert in Chicago, “Assassin” a track from his latest release Battle Studies, began leisurely and was the only song of the fifteen-song set in which Mayer used a hand held microphone as his guitar went unused at first as it hung off his back. Despite the stage’s dizzying array of lights and video screens, the song appeared to lose most of the sold-out crowd despite an impassioned vocal performance. Just as many were about to make headway to the exits for a bathroom break, Mayer pulled his guitar front and center and performed a mouth gaping guitar solo that was spellbinding. As the song wound down, Mayer picked up one of drummer Steve Jordan’s drum sticks and tapped his guitar strings with the stick amplifying a wholly unique sonic texture that reverberated throughout the arena. Watching “Assassins” taught me a valuable lesson about John Mayer; never ever count him out until the final note has been wrung out of his guitar. He’s like Barry Sanders, former running back for the Detroit Lions. A defense could block Sanders twenty straight times, but when he eventually breaks free, he will run for nearly one-hundred yards. Mayer may take chances that appear self-seeking but in the end, he continually manages to pull you in with either the minimalism of the song being performed or the sheer awesomeness of his musical capacity.

Capping the first leg of his tour in support of his fourth studio record, Battle Studies(forty-seven dates in all), John Mayer and his band performed for well over two-hours at the United Center breaking curfew and delivering a show no one will soon forget. A large curtain inaugurated the show, draped on all three sides of the stage, pulled back to reveal a brooding John Mayer carefully strumming his six-string and tenderly invigorating his whammy bar for the desired effect on the evening’s opener, “Heartbreak Warfare”. The distinctive echo his chords proved to be audacious as you wouldn’t expect the mid-tempo number to absorb the crowd the same way a full tilt rocker would. Alas, John Mayer has an inexplicable gift to fuse his pop leanings with his veneration of the blues. While a virtuosic talent with his guitar, he never allows his skills to diminish the material and only flexes his talent if it suits the song. “Warfare” flourished as an opener and was understated but persuasive enough to make you take notice. Mayer balanced his set list with delicate care, without ever falling into the typical traps that hinder arena shows. The sing-a-longs didn’t feel forced (“No Such Thing”) and the deeper album cuts (“Good Love Is On The Way”) made you want to revisit the respective albums they came from. Even the vast stage didn’t feel intrusive. A large screen encompassed the back of the stage while the aforementioned drape that covered the stage at the beginning of the show and encores was really the only prop. However, the stage had enough of a personality to be welcoming to those in the upper regions while being intimate enough so it suited the songs and never drew attention away from them. Despite the concert taking place in an arena, Mayer and his band performed with straightforwardness almost as if they were in a basement jamming for their own pleasure. The steadiness with which the band delivers the material is a lesson in musicianship. The performance wasn’t the least bit icy but gripped you and the euphoric rise of the music was felt not just by the crowd, but the musicians as well.

On “Vultures”, drummer and band leader Steve Jordan flexed his prowess with his vibrant drumming which helped ascend the music to the rafters. He demonstrated to an even greater extent the enormity of his talent on a jam that led into “Waiting on the World To Change”. Jordan’s solo was anything but exasperating as he managed to sound like a marching band with only his two hands, two sticks and his feet. Opener Michael Franti joined the band onstage for the latter and introduced Steve Jordan as “the Michael Jordan of the drums”, an assessment that was spot on. The smartest thing Mayer ever did for his career was hiring Jordan as not just his drummer but his co-producer. Jordan is an instinctual musician whose talents always make a direct effect with whomever he is working with. I watched him on the same stage a few years ago inject Eric Clapton with some much needed oomph into songs that while classics, had grown stale. With Jordan attacking them they sounded brand new and innovative once again. Jordan takes Mayer and his songs into unchartered terrain providing them extra muscle to make reviving and soulful in ways that could turn a cynics head.

Mayer has picked his touring band the same way a distinguished actor associates himself with great directors. Consisting of five musicians and two backing vocalists, they exemplify greatness. It’s one thing to deliver note-for-note song recreations and it’s another to breathe life into the material, which is what they did. Following Mayer’s cues and the band brings an edge to his material one couldn’t have foreseen. Anyone can listen to someone recreate what is on the record, but to show your audience a different side of the song is something that will ingrain and endear the performance to them for all time. “Bigger Than My Body” features sci-fi meets cotton candy guitar riff while the chorus is sweet enough to riddle your teeth with cavities while “Perfectly Lonely” featured some marvelous guitar work from Mayer that was anything but ostentatious. The song features enough sheen to intrigue the casual listener yet brawn proves to be an integral ingredient that allows it to standout from standard pop fare. Few acts can bring to life the ancestry of R&B, soul and Chess Records without losing the masses in the process, but Mayer and his band finds a way to reshape and balance all of these components.

“Half of My Heart” opened with some lines from Bob Dylan’s “Just Like A Woman” and ended with a rousing rendering of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”, both of which stayed true to the beat and music of “Half of My Heart”. It’s one thing to do a cover in concert and something else entirely to incorporate these classic successful into your own repertoire, with distinctive flavoring. This was further evidenced by a subtle rendering of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’”. Mayer is a genuine fan of music and whenever he pays homage to another act, you sense the love and admiration he has for the music and as a result, so does everyone else. Despite everything that is written about Mayer, he is a musician first and foremost. “Stop This Train” was done by Mayer solo and alone. As he gently plucked his acoustic guitar and serenaded the crowd, I watched the audience. From those on the floor to the upper regions of the arena, everyone was entranced. He segued into the Simon and Garfunkel classic “Homeward Bound” towards the end and when he finished, there wasn’t anyone in their seats. John Mayer’s career to this point is nothing short of astounding. Make no mistake, the early pop hits and his good looks helped him in the door, but without the songs to back him up, he wouldn’t have a career that continues to take him to new heights. His music is more suited for coffee shops and tiny blues clubs, but due to some force of nature, he was able to sell-out seventeen-thousand seats and still finds a way to crisscross between multiple genres of music while staying true to his own vision.

Despite his charming demeanor, good looks and virtuosic talents that seduce your aural impulses, John Mayer is a wise musician whose music recurrently dodges shame and continues to progress in ways no one deemed possible. This is always to sign of a lasting artist of great significance. As he was about to perform “Why Georgia”, the final song in the main set, he address and thanked the Chicago crowd and reminisced about his beginnings in Chicago when he played Schubas, the Metro and the House of Blues in a charismatic manner, but it was something else that seized my attention and reverence. He told the crowd, “It’s not what I’ve found, but what I am seeking that has brought you all here”. As long as he continues to grow and make distinguished music, everyone in attendance will be there with him as he continues his philosophical journey where music will light the way.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door ,can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be found on Twitter

Tom Petty Quote On The Record Industry

From this source.

Interviewer: The music business is in a slump these days. What's your analysis of the problem?

Tom Petty: There are no record people left in the record business; now it's some guy who used to be with the leased-car department and got a promotion. Or maybe he was an accountant and now he's a record-company president. And he hires more accountants and leased-car men. They just don't know what's good or bad. Records don't sell now because they aren't any good.Those businessmen forget that with today's economy, a kid has maybe nine or ten albums at home--albums he paid for, unlike critics and reviewers. And the kid is rooting for the album to be good; it's his money on the turntable. But today's albums have maybe two or three tracks you can stomach and the rest is awful. You know there was no thought put into the remaining seven cuts. When you deliver an album, it should be something that will endure. I like to think that today our first album is still worth the bread.I read the other day that video games are taking 15 billion dollars directly out of the record business. As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather put seven dollars' worth of quarters into a Pac-Man machine than into some dip-shit album.

Screen Door Comment: The brilliance of this quote by Petty? It's from 1981...29 years ago.

http://www.playboy.com/magazine/20q_archive/tom-petty-02.html

Live Review: Alice In Chains-Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom 3/20/2010

My friend Tom recently caught the newly reformed Alice In Chains at the Aragon Ballroom here in Chicago a few weeks back. He has detailed a beautiful and meticulous review over at his blog, None But My Own. For my money, AIC did the impossible, they created a record that captures the spirit of the band at their prime, all without their lead vocalist. It's for this reason it made my top ten albums of 2009. For those of you who are wondering if these guys can manage to execute AIC without Layne Staley, read on. I wish I could have been there, but as usual, Tom nailed the review and reading it will make you feel like you were there.

Here's a snippet:

Usually the headline act in a major city who are riding high on the successful comeback trail Alice has been on, need only to “show up,” right? After all, the tickets all 4,500+ of them had been purchased many months in advance and what, at this point do they have to prove? Apparently the “what do you have to prove” memo wasn’t passed on to Alice In Chains and this was crystal clear the moment the house lights went out.

Read the full review here.

Links You Should Read: Tuesday 4/13/2010

Here's a rundown of humor, music and movies news and reviews...

• An Honest Facebook Political Argument...click here and see, this is priceless.

• OZZY OSBOURNE - Blizzard Of Ozz: Diary Of A Madman Tour 1982 DVD Due In June. But wait, it is not from when Randy Rhodes was alive unfortunately. Read on

• Paul McCartney may be 67 but he still plays nearly 3 hours every night. Read his latest tour reports here.

• Kevin Smith slams "nasty" critics. I haven't seen Smith's latest flick, and with that being said, I'm not sure I would have liked it either. I'll find out when it comes out on DVD, but he makes some interesting points in an article that can be read here.

• Uma Thurman's Motherhood (which is better than you would think) drums up no business in the UK

• Fritz Lang's complete restored Metropolis will be coming to the US via theaters and DVD this spring and fall.

• I recently discovered a really great music blog, largehearted boy, check it out now. It covers a listing of free mp3's, reviews and everything else you could imagine.

• The Cure's 1989 masterwork Disintegration gets a 3cd reissue this spirng, read all the details and specs here.

• X Japan, a melodic Japanese band will make their US debut this year at Lollapalooza. Check out their live show here.

• Last but not least, The Donnas are releasing a compilation of their career and they have put out a video encompassing their entire career to the music of "Get Off". Check it out below.

Butch Walker Debuts New Noir Video for "Pretty Melody"

I've never hidden my love and admiration for Butch Walker but when I see clips like this one for "Pretty Melody" off his latest record, my admiration goes deeper. I can't embed the clip just yet so make sure you click here or here...or here...OK, I think I've given enough links for you to check it out.

Read all related Butch Walker reviews here.

Bon Jovi To Add 3 US Dates in New Jersey, Toronto and Chicago

Bon Jovi will be adding three dates to their world tour this July. This includes a fourth show at the new Meadowlands stadium, another in Toronto and a second show in Chicago.

It appears there will be a pre-sale this Friday with an official onsale this Saturday and nest Monday. Kid Rock will open all of the newly announced shows (to give you better bang for your buck).

Check back here for further announcements.

Bon Jovi w/ Kid Rock (4th show)
New Meadowlands Stadium East Rutherford, NJ
Fri July 9, 2010 (show has not yet been added to TicketMaster)
Presale Starts: Fri April 9 at 10am
Buy tickets here

Bon Jovi w/ Kid Rock (2nd show)
Rogers Centre Toronto, ON
Wed, Jul 21, 2010 (show has not yet been added to TicketMaster)
Presale Starts: Fri April 9 at 10am
Buy Tickets here

Bon Jovi w/ Kid Rock (2nd show)
Soldier Field Chicago, IL
Saturday 7/31
Presale Starts: Wed April 7 at 10am
* Tickets as cheap as $22.
Buy tickets here

Book Review: 'Anvil!: The Story of Anvil'

Anvil!: The Story of Anvil
Book Review
By Anthony Kuzminski
Buy the book here

• Read my full-length review of the film here


• Read my review of Anvil's 13th album This Is Thirteen here


• Read my DVD review of 'Anvil! The Story of Anvil' here


• My interview/review from January of their live show is on antiMusic here

One year ago, the highly renowned but triumph challenged metal band Anvil was experiencing a resurrection. Their movie, Anvil!: The Story of Anvil received unanimously overwhelming positive reviews, celebrities were coming out of the woodwork to support and name check the band and the film, which was playing to sold out screenings across the country. Not bad for a band whom a year earlier would have only been able to perform at their neighborhood bars. The film was such a engrossing and emotional tour de force, that it was impossible to not be swept away by the charm, charisma and underdog feeling of Robb Reiner and Lips Kudlow. Since the film debuted, it’s been seen widely on VH-1, it found an audience on DVD, Anvil re-released their best album in over two decades, This Is Thirteen and are now on a worldwide tour playing to sold-out crowds everywhere. What a difference a revealing film can make. If all of the above isn’t enough, then I have good news for you, there’s a book too! Titled after the film of the same name, Anvil!: The Story of Anvil, the book could very well be a large appendix for the film. Slash gives a nice and complimentary foreword to the book, but the real action occurs in Robb and Lips reflections on not just Anvil, but their entire lives. If you think you don’t need to read it because the film covers most of Anvil’s history, then you will be pleasantly surprised when you find out that the 320-page book charters new territory and pull so much from Robb and Lips that I couldn’t help but be pulled into their world even further. You not only discover how they grew up and came to cross paths, but we learn the intricate details of Anvil’s early years and the recording and tours for their first few albums, failed relationships, drug dependence and other challenges I wouldn’t dare of delving into here. While the DVD commentary covers some of this info, it’s merely a footnote compared to the vividness of the book.

When I interviewed Anvil a few months back, drummer Robb Reiner informed me that the interviews done for the publication of the book were a “healing process” and I could tell by the look he gave me in his eyes. As I read the book, I was completely absorbed, even more so than the film in many aspects. Whereas the film made me want to support and writer about Anvil, the book made me want to discover their music. Of the 320-pages, I would say that approximately 300 of them cover material not in the film, the bonus scenes or the commentary. It was almost as if the book provided a sequel to their story. Ultimately, the book doesn’t just compliment the film, but provides an encyclopedic narration of Anvil which is more than informative but provides the same heartrending wallop. We learn much about their original guitarist and bass player, Ian Dickson and Dave “Squirrely” Allison. The entire book is an oral history given from the perspective or Robb and Lips, but if you think they go easy on themselves, you would be mistaken. Looking back, they see clearly where the train went off course, where opportunities were blown and where their egos destroyed certain relationships. There is the distressing story of how the band chose Aerosmith manager David Krebs to manage them over Jonny Zazula (who represented Metallica, Anthrax, etc.). It was a critical turning point for the band and how it unfolds is more than just heartbreaking, but a life lesson everyone can learn from. Then there was a showcase performance in New York where the band made the horrendous decision to let their bass player, Squirrely, take over lead vocals and debut more appealing less heavy music. There are reflections of their Metal Blade records (Strength of Steel) and every other thing imaginable they endured during their lean years. Hindsight in 20/20, alas the band makes the best of every situation and you continue to be in awe of their willingness to keep Anvil together and continue to create music even though every obstacle imaginable seemed to tell them otherwise.

While the raunchy stories make for fun reading, it’s the personal relationships discussed in the book that make it consequential. Both Lips and Robb dig deep into their families past and leave no stone unturned. Something that no interviewer has really captured was the band’s reunion with Sacha Gervasi. We’ve all been given an edited cliff notes version of their relationship, but the book goes so much deeper. We learn the dire straits one of the Anvil members was in (I will not spoil it) and how the film, renewed interest in the band and well…faith and friendship managed to pull the band out of obscurity and into everyone’s heart. Anvil!: The Story of Anvil is more than a great film, but a great book as well. I can’t recommend it highly enough. If you hold no interest in metal or even music, you should still seek it out because I can’t see how anyone could not be moved by the triumph over tragedy that is the story of Anvil.

Highly recommended.


Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.