Blast from the Past Time

Anyone remember this one? The band…Grim Reaper. The song…Rock You to Hell. My friend had this cassette and for a while we played this song over and over again. And that was my own history with the band. It started and ended in the year 1987. One song. One video. One year. 1987.

However, earlier this week I found myself humming this tune. I have no idea why other than it was buried somewhere deep inside my subconscious and it decided to make a sudden plunge forward into the land of the living. My brain tells me to hum it and later that evening I was in front of Youtube listening to the song and watching the video. Then my own natural curiosity forced me to fire up Google to discover more about the band named after the Angel of Death.

I now know more about them than I ever did. They actually formed in the late 70’s/early 80’s and began recording. They released three albums, and their third and final recording, Rock You to Hell, contains the title track that has submersed out of nowhere in my head. In more recent years the band has got back together and has played some live shows.

So there you have it, a very brief history of a band from a very casual fan who knows very little about them. I’d be curious to hear from anymore who remembers them or knows more about them then I do! Have a good one!!

Before Slash, there was Nash...the Slash

Nash the Slash of the Canadian band, FM

Well I decided to keep the blasts from the pasts going for at least another week. I have no idea why this 80’s pop band came into my mind this week but for some reason I found myself sitting down one evening watching their videos on YouTube.

FM are a Canadian band who formed in the late 70’s, but saw most of their success in the 80’s. I am not sure how much success they had outside of their native country, I never really followed them closely. By the time they were getting some airplay in Canada I was submersed deeply into the hair bands of the day. But they had the unmistakable 80’s pop sound with those catchy tunes that could get stuck in your head and stay there for days.

But perhaps the most unique thing about this band was one of their members, Nash the Slash. Nash is also a solo performer and has a bit of a cult type following mainly around his home province of Ontario. His is a multi-insturmentalist and his own style of music is quite different than what you would hear FM performing. Wikipedia describes it best as a blend of new wave/new age/punk rock and I would also throw in progressive maybe. But what is also very unique about Nash the Slash is his appearance. He always appears in videos and live totally wrapped up as if some sort of mummy. Check out the video I have included below to see what I mean. Back in the 80’s I never questioned why he dressed this way, I just assumed it was some sort of gimmick. I checked the Internet do a bit or research on Nash the Slash and here is what I found out.

Aparently during a performance in the late 70's he walked on stage covered in these badages as a sign of awareness of the Three Mile Island Diaster and what could happen to you. In short, the bandages became his trademark and they stuck...haha...bad pun!

Nash has also composed for film and continues to tour and record. FM has also performed in the last few years, although to my knowledge Nash was part of the latest version the band.

Check out the video below for some classic foot tapping, 80's sounding pop music and try not to chuckle at the mummified Nash the Slash rocking out. Have a great labor day weekend!

Honeymoon Suite

Honeymoon Suite's latest release, Clifton Hill

It seems that is has become an unofficial tradition for me lately to end off the week with a blast from the past. I have not really set out to do that, but it seems that every week something has been reminding me of a video, a song, or a band from back in my teen years. I heard on the radio a couple of days ago that Canadian rockers Honeymoon Suite were playing close by this weekend.

For those unfamiliar, Honeymoon Suite are a melodic rock band from Niagara Falls, Canada. Back in the 80’s they achieved some great levels of success in Canada, but failed to capture a large audience elsewhere. It’s a shame too because they really had some great rock songs. I wonder that if because rock bands dominated the airwaves at the time if there were some that never achieved larger levels of success than they may have. No disrespect to Nickelback or to compare them to Honeymoon Suite, but take them for example just because they are also Canadian. If they were sent back in time to compete with all the other hard rock acts of the 80’s would they have been as successful? Maybe they would, maybe it would have been easier since rock was quick to be sent out on the airwaves at the time. Just some passing thoughts. What do you think?

Honeymoon Suite continues to tour and recently released their 7th album, Clifton Hill. I remember seeing them perform back in the height of their popularity and I wouldn’t mind checking them out tonight in a club type setting. But I have my babysitters confirmed for tomorrow night’s John Prine show, so I will have to sit this one out.

Below is a song that they recorded for the Lethal Weapon soundtrack in 1987. I thought this one may have been a bigger hit than it was being it was part of a blockbuster movie. I don’t think the song, also titled Lethal Weapon, got much airplay throughout the movie and it was only heard during the film’s closing credits. Someone correct me if I am wrong on that one.

Enjoy your weekend, summer is getting short!

How about a taste of Chickenfoot?

I finally want to write a few words about the self-titled debut release of rock’s newest supergroup, Chickenfoot. I have been playing this one off and on for a few weeks and although I am not sure if I have listened to it thoroughly enough to give a detailed description and review, here are a few thoughts and impressions.

If you are unfamiliar, this band is comprised of vocalist Sammy Hagar of solo and Van Halen fame, base player Michael Anthony also of Van Halen, drummer Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and guitar legend Joe Satriani. An interesting mix of individuals, but all from solid hard rock backgrounds so it should be no great surprise what the this record sounds like.

This is a strong listen from start to finish with elements of all the musicians’ backgrounds shining through at times. It’s hard and at times bluesy rock with great guitar riffs from Satriani leading the way. You can also here Anthony’s district background vocals that were evident on many a great Van Halen track over the years. The comparison to Van Halen will be inevitable and at times it is similar. There are tracks that sound like they could come from a Van Halen album during Hagar’s tenure from the band. But over all it’s not a Van Halen sounding record and Chickenfoot offers their own style made up of the four talented individuals in this band.

One thing I have taken away from this album so far is a re-appreciation for Joe Satriani. As I listen to this CD, Satriani’s stamp is notably there. It wasn’t long after I started playing this one that I got the urge to blow the dust of Satriani’s 1987 release, Surfing with the Alien. It’s been years since I listened to this and after giving it a spin I think I have more appreciation for it now than I did in ‘87. It is an innovative and fun record and Satriani is truly a master of his craft.

I hope to give Chickenfoot a few more good listens. Some of the of my favorite tracks so far are the bluesy but fun Soap on a Roap, the slower Learning to Fall, another hard hitting track with a bluesy riff Turning Left and a very fun song titled Sexy Little Thing.

I’ll end off with a blast from the past as I have been having fun doing lately. Below is the audio of Joe Satriani’s Surfing with the Alien. Have a great weekend!!

Some Great Rock Docs Lately

Opening today in some theatres is the awesome looking documentary It Might Get Loud featuring Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White, and the love of their craft, the guitar. I can’t wait to see these three unique talents come together in this film. I have watched the trailer for it several times, but I unfortunately won’t be one those taking it in over the next few days. If anyone out there does I would love to hear your thoughts. Can’t wait to see this movie!



Speaking of music related documentaries; here are a couple of others I am anticipating as well. I still haven’t got around to watching Flight 666, the movie that documents Iron Maiden’s ambitious Somewhere Back in Time tour in 2008. Bruce Dickenson, the multi-talented vocalist, is a licensed pilot and flew the band from destination to destination on this stretch. I really must go out and purchase this one because Iron Maiden is one of my all time favorite acts and I can’t believe I haven’t seen this already.


Anvil! The Story of Anvil trailer

Another fantastic looking film is Anvil! The Story of Anvil. This Canadian band often gets credit for influencing many well known metal acts such as Metallica and Anthrax. However, Anvil themselves never managed to achieve levels of success even comparable to many of the metal acts to come out of their generation. Despite of this they have stayed together and continued to tour and record and follow their dreams for over 20 years. The movie has received a tremendous amount of critical acclaim, even from one of the most well known documentary film makers in recent years, Michael Moore. The movie is billed as a story of human spirit, endurance and following your dreams. Check out the trailer above if you haven't heard of this. It really looks like a fantastic story and of these three wonderful looking documentaries, it is the one I am looking forward to the most.

If anyone has seen either of these movies let me know. As soon as I see either of them I will no doubt be discussing them here. In honor of Anvil, I’ll end the week with a blast from the past. Back in the 80’s the video below did get some air play on Muchmusic in Canada. It’s a typical 80’s music video, quite entertaining. Come to think of it, I think I am going to try and get my hands on Anvil’s newest release and have a listen too.

Have a great weekend. I’ll be continuing to spin Chickenfoot’s debut recording over the next couple of days and hopefully finally get a posting up on it next week. Cheers!!

A Couple Blasts from the Past

I thought I would end off the week with a couple obscure blasts from the past. I’d be curious to hear is anyone heard of or remembers either of these. First up, some classic sounding 80's metal in the form of Canada's Killer Dwarfs. This band achieved some moderate levels of success, but never reached the heights of a lot of the metal bands back in the day when this type of music dominated. A quick Youtube search and you will find live footage of this band performing in the new millennium. They sound great and the singer (Russ Dwarf) still does the hand stands as he does here. I love his over emphasized facial expressions as he is trapped inside the crate in this video.



Our second selection is classic 80's sounding pop music. I used to have three 80's pop songs that would get forever stuck in my head. They were Nick Kershaw's Wouldn't it be Good, John Waite's Missing You and this one, the lesser known of the three from another Canadian, Jim Foster. It was years after the 80's had long since passed us by when for no apparent reason this song, X-Ray Eyes, would re-surface in my memory and I could spend all day humming the chorus. What made it so frustrating is I had no memory of who sang this song and could find no one who could even remember the tune, let along the singer. Thankfully because of the evolution of the Internet, I solved this mystery. It felt like some sort of ritual or exorcism that puts a restless soul at peace. I don't think the song ever popped up in my head again. A Google search on Jim Foster will also reveal what he has been up to since the 80’s; he is still active in the music business. Like the video above, I love his exaggerated facial expressions. Classic 80's. Enjoy!

X-ray Eyes / Jim Foster

Anyone remember this one?

Alright, one more before the weekend starts. Last week this time I was heading off to my 20 year high school reunion. In honor of that event, the song in the video below was our grad theme song. Sounds very cheesy now, but I am so gald we went with it!! It is also a tribute to the late front man of Quiet Riot, Kevin Dubrow.