sing a long

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Years before there was “nu-metal” there was this. “Left Hand Path” is the debut studio album by Swedish death metal band Entombed, released on June 4, 1990.

My “introduction” to this style of music came a few years later when an older kid in our neighborhood let me borrow his copy of “World Downfall” by Terrorizer. My parents, especially my Mom, hated this type of music. Even Metallica and Slayer were preferable. So naturally, I loved it.

True story: My friend also loaned me a CD of “Eaten Back to Life” by Cannibal Corpse. I kept this one hidden and was careful not to play it when my parents were around. Still, my Mom found it and threw it in the trash. I had to buy my friend a new CD.

According to Wikipedia, the title of the album refers to the “Left-Hand Path” belief system. Guitarist Alex Hellid found the term in Anton LaVey's book The Satanic Bible. The more melodic, ambient section that comes in at 3:54 of the title track is a cover of the theme from the 1979 horror film Phantasm.

The album is known for defining the style of Swedish death metal by being the first studio album to use the "buzzsaw" guitar tone. The tone was created by heavily detuned electric guitars used with a maxed out Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal Pedal and the DS-1 Distortion pedal into a Peavey amp. The originator of this guitar tone was Nihilist guitarist Leif "Leffe" Cuzner.

"Drowned" was featured in the 2009 video game Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned on the radio station Liberty City Hardcore.

You learn something new every day…

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“Stormbringer” was from Deep Purple’s 1974 album of the same name. This is the live version from “Made in Europe” (1975). One of my favorite bands from the past.

One of the most striking things was the picture of the tornado used on the cover. We get a lot of them in the mid-west United States. Have seen quite a few since I’ve lived in Indiana. Always wondered if this was “real” or not. Turns out it is. It was taken from an early photo of a tornado that struck Jasper, Minnesota, July 8, 1927 (photo courtesy NOAA).

Ritchie Blackmore (guitar) and Ian Paice (no his drums aren’t set up backwards, he’s left handed) especially stand out to me. David Coverdale handles vocals in this line-up. Jon Lord on keyboards, And Glenn Hughes on bass.

“Stormbringer coming. Time to die.” Yep. Sounds like something I would’ve listened to…

(The color picture is from the vinyl re-master of 2009. )

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Fuck yeah!!! Fifty years ago. I don’t know about you, but to me this is the real beginning of what we now call “Heavy Metal.” I’m not sure the term was even used back then. Don’t know what they called it? It’s more extreme than “Hard Rock” or “Acid Rock.” De-tuned and distorted guitar and bass (Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler ). Evil lyrical themes. Unbelievably heavy drumming (Bill Ward ). Love the old “Slingerland” Jazz kit. They used to be made in Chicago, IL. Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa played them. He beats the shit out of it. I’m surprised it didn’t break into pieces. Eventually he would add another bass drum. What else was like this at that time?

Here’s what Wikipedia had to say:

The original title of "War Pigs" was "Walpurgis", dealing with the witches' sabbath. "Walpurgis is sort of like Christmas for Satanists. And to me, war was the big Satan", said bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler. "It wasn’t about politics or government or anything. It was Evil itself. So I was saying 'generals gathered in the masses / just like witches at black masses' to make an analogy. But when we brought it to the record company, they thought 'Walpurgis' sounded too Satanic. And that's when we turned it into 'War Pigs'.

I know the lines “cast the priest into the fire” and “watch them eating dead rats innards” are not in the version from “Paranoid.” So this was even too much for their record company I guess. Today Ozzy is 71 and still going. Although I have read he suffers from Parkinson’s. I have seen them at an “Ozzfest” in the mid 2000’s. They had an air raid siren like on the record. It was loud as hell. I’m glad I got to see them. If I ever were to meet any of them all I could say would be “Thanks.”

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Alice Cooper was born Vincent Furnier in 1948 in Detroit, Michigan. “Billion Dollar Babies” was released in 1973. I was going to post “Eighteen” which is perhaps better known but it was the heavier sound, in particular, the drumming of Neal Smith and bass of Dennis Dunaway as well as the dual guitars of Glenn Buxton and Michael Bruce that convinced me to post this song instead.

One of the coolest sounding drum intros ever. Always wondered how he came up with that. A friend who knows much more about music than I do, told me that “machine gun” effect is actually the bass. He’s picking very rapidly as he slides down the neck. Whatever, it sounds awesome.

Alice Cooper was years ahead of pretty much everything. Experimenting with elaborate stage shows and “theatrical” production. “Extreme” hard rock (especially for it’s time). Sexual lyrics and themes. Mock executions. Snakes. And of course the name “Alice.”

From all I’ve read, the 60’s and 70’s was an era when anyone gay, lesbian, or transgender had to live “closeted” lives much of the time. Doing research for this post I discovered that “Alice” is considered by many today to be one of the first LGBTQ Ally’s. Here is an “excerpt” of an interview with him from 1974:

SPEC: Would you admit it if you were homosexual?
Alice: Of course, and I wouldn’t just admit it, as if it were something you’re supposed to conceal. I’d just be it. I’d be natural about it, and I don’t see where it would be very much different for me, except I’d be making it with men instead of women.

SPEC: Aren’t you even just a little bit bisexual?
Alice: You mean do I mostly like girls, but do I like boys sometimes? No, I only like girls, but if I could have chosen my own sexuality, I think I might have chosen to be bisexual.

SPEC: Do you really mean that?
Alice: Sure—I think in the future everyone will be bisexual. And everything would be so much simpler then—you’d just make love with anyone you liked, and it wouldn’t matter what sex they were, and maybe it also wouldn’t matter what color they were, or what age, or anything, except that you liked them.

The album cover was a green “snakeskin” wallet with pictures of the band as well as a “Billion Dollar” bill folded inside. This one happens to be signed by Alice himself. Pretty cool. You don’t get that with Spotify…

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Watching “The Matrix” the other night brought me here.

The song in the movie was “Du Hast” from the album Sehnsucht (“Desire” or “Longingness”). Released in August 1997, this was another one I had to explain the album cover to my mom…

You could get the album with a 6 different covers, each featuring a picture of a band member. This was the most popular and the one I had. Below are the six covers. Which one did you have?

A slightly “different” sound than what I normally listened to, Rammstein were popular with people my age and still play today. Wikipedia classifies them as “Industrial Metal.” It was also good music to workout to.

Not without controversy, many of their songs had sexual themes. However most people I knew couldn’t understand it because it was in German. So I never got in trouble. Till Lindemann their lead singer, was a Junior swimming champion, setting records, and was picked for the 1980 German Olympic team but unfortunately suffered an injury.

Of course in the United States they are remembered by many fans for the following performance:

“During Rammstein's US tour with Korn in 1998, Lindemann and his bandmate Christian "Flake" Lorenz were arrested in Worcester, Massachusetts for lewd conduct performed during their song "Bück Dich" ("Bend Over"), which consisted of Lindemann using a liquid squirting dildo and simulating anal sex on Lorenz. Both Lindemann and Lorenz were released the following day after bail was met. This incident did not stop Lindemann from performing in the same manner for future shows outside the United States, particularly in Australia when they performed at the 2011 Big Day Out, but the United States performances of this song were changed into a sadomasochistic theme that did not feature dildos, although this was not the case for all remaining US shows on the tour. For example, on 18 June 1999, "Bück Dich" was performed in the same manner at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon.”

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Before there was Hayley. Before there was Miley. Before there was Taylor. There was:

Amy

Easily my #1 “celebrity crush” at the time. No contest. Of course I owned this CD! You should add her to my list of the most beautiful women I have seen in real life. That list would include of course Hayley and Taylor. Never would’ve guessed… That, and she’s an amazing singer as well. Went to see them with my “ex” back around this time. Probably contributed to the breakup of our marriage.

Interestingly, the last time I heard Evanescence was on the iHeart Radio Paramore Channel. I tell people that I REFUSE to get drawn into any Amy/Hayley comparisons. I’ve seen people in heated arguments about who is better. That’s one of the many reasons why I hate “social media” so much. Can’t you like them both?

(Screaming out a marriage proposal to Amy and trying to climb on stage in front of my “ex” probably didn’t help matters… You DO know I’m just kidding, right?)

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Need some music from the 60’s for my date with Diane McBain this weekend. This was released in May 1967 according to Wikipedia. So yes we could have listened to it (bet she’d just love “Slipknot” ) Lots of good music back then. Wonder what the 60’s were actually like? I’ve always thought I’d like the music, cars, and women.

Interesting to read the comments. Quite a few are about “Coronavirus.” Why? As typical of YouTube, most strike me as “posers” likely born after 2000. Wonder how many who claim they were alive back then really were? One said he had seen Hendrix when he was 13 and claimed he and his friends “smoked ganja” at the concert. Jimi died in 1970. This guy would be in his 60’s today. Maybe. But I don’t think so… The way he talked for one. Didn't sound like a "60 year old."

This album is one that I “inherited” from my Mom’s older sister who REALLY WAS around back then (she is about Diane’s age). But nothing to play it on… Very worn. Must have been listened to a lot.

If only it could talk.