Skid Row - Slave To The Grind

Number 21 ....finally,

Now that the festival season is over I am, as Aerosmith once sang, 'Back In The Saddle' .
Slave To The Grind follows on from their soft rock hit debut where the New Jersey group took on a heavier sound. They had always citied bands like Judas Priest and Anvil as influences in interviews and it seemed like a perfect time now to walk the talk.
Opener and first single 'Monkey Business' was a statement of intent with a mega heavy guitar riff complimented with a banshee shrill from mega mouth frontman Sebastian Bach. The song still had a chant-along-chorus that would still raise fists at concerts like any good Hair Metal anthem.
Skid Row were always about tales of the dissaffected youth and on the title track they sided again with the rebel in all of us. This track had a breakneck speed tempo about it, which must have suprised their pop metal fans at the time.
The album was a real tour de force for the likeable Bach, from the sneering 'The Threat' through to the punky 'Riot Act'. It was on the power ballads that he really did shine. 'Quicksand Jesus' and the emotional 'In A Darkened Room' were perfect examples of this.The songwriting had matured a great deal as well, it had a more group dynamic and I dare anyone not to be moved by 'Wasted Time.'
Video to Wasted Time in HD
However the Punk of the band bassist Rachel Bolan still seemed to be the main songwriter, and he was the main protagonist on my favourite track 'Psycho Love' (still sounds great 20 years on).
The one track I could never get to grips with was 'Mudkicker'. Never liked it, the song seemed to slow the pace and didn't seem coherent with the rest of the album.
Certainly this was a piece of work of its time and there is no doubt that the music landscape of 1991 would have been poorer without it.
Now in 2011 Skid Row still record and tour without Bach (who has his own career to concentrate on). I for one would love to see a reunion but I believe hell would more than likely freeze over before that ever happens!

Why I ♥ This Album

Five times five venues -  that is the amount of occassions that I have had the pleasure of watching the classic line-up of Skid Row. Always entertained and never had a bad show, and the best must have been at the New Docklands Arena (Now called EX-CEL) in November 1991. The show was originaly scheduled to take place at Wembley Arena but during a support slot with Guns n Roses at the stadium they were requested by the local council not to play 'Get The Fuck Out'.  After Sebastian had read out the letter from the council to the audience, they played 'GTFO' and were promptly banned for life. The ban was lifted in 2006 when Seb was support to GnR once more, but this time as a solo artist.
Right back to 91 though, the journey to the arena was fairly smooth from Andover. The DLR transport system in London was still far from perfect back then due to the continuing rebuild of Canary Wharf.
Myself and my friend Paul got there with a bit of time to spare. The line-up for the evening was a Hair Metal wet dream. Love/Hate were opening in support of their recently released 'Wasted In America' and the legendary LA Guns were playing their first London show. Both were superb but everyone was really only there for Skid Row's 'The Youth Gone Wild.
The lights go down, the intro to the song Slave starts and the announcer demands that everyone gets to their feet and welcome 'SKID ROW'. Then all hell breaks loose - flashing lights, twirling hair, tight silver trousers and the hottest flash bomb flames that I have ever felt, and I was standing half way back! The show was breathtaking, a band at the top of their game. A real great night out from the Vanilla Ice chant, Erasure baiting through to the Daily star ass wiping incident and that is even before we take in the music. Love/Hate joined Skid Row to cover 'Train Kept A-rolling' whilst LA guns buggered off back to their hotel.
You Tube Link To The Audio Of Skid Row With Love/Hate
The big adventure however was getting home as the DLR was shut and London Transport had kindly put on two buses an hour for approx 12000 people. As you can guess it was carnage getting home that evening, to tell you the truth. I can't really remember walking through the door the following morning, it is all a little hazy -  like most of my twenties!

Classic Line Up Skid Row

I have found the set list from that evening and posted it below:
Skid Row
London Arena Docklands
22nd November 1991
London, UK

Slave To The Grind
Big Guns
Makin’ A Mess
18 & Life
Piece Of Me
Drum Solo
Sweet Little Sister
Psychotherapy (Ramones Cover)
Snake Guitar Solo
Wasted Time
Psycho Love
Tornado
Mudkicker
Quicksand Jesus
Get The Fuck Out
Monkey Business
Riot Act
The Threat
Train Kept A Rollin ( With Love Hate )
I Remember You
Enter Sandman, Shout At The Devil Snippets
Youth Gone Wild

Faster Pussycat - Faster Pussycat

Number 20!!!

Faster Pussycat - Faster Pussycat

Emerging from the same bars and clubs on Sunset boulevard as Guns N Roses and released just a few weeks after 'Appetite For Destruction' came the self titled debut from LA's Faster Pussycat.
This album was always going to be compared to 'Appetite' and Like GnR, Taime Downe's (Vocalist) gang of vagabonds did cover many of the same subjects, girls, partying, drinking and drugs.
Although it didn't have the big budget production of 'Appetite' the storytelling about the underbelly of Sunset Strip was just as engaging.
It was as if the party bands (Poison, Warrant) had left town with their pop sound and left the pirates behind to fight for LA.
This was the sound of sleeze for the late 1980's, from the dripping attitude of the vocals and the low slung riffs of the twin guitar interplay - the ingredients were were all there.
The songs were strong such as 'Don't Change That Song', 'Smash Alley' and 'Cathouse' (an ode to the infamous club owned by Taime & MTV VJ Riki Rachtman), and worthy of gracing any prime time Aerosmith album.
Faster Pussycat didn't just finish there as 'Bathroom Wall' is just dirty, a heady mix of early Motley Crue and NY Dolls, and my personal favourite 'Babylon'.
Instantly recognisable due to the pussycat intro crashing drums and rousing chants of 'Shut Up' this would've got any party started in the late 80's.
Faster Pussycat could have pushed on to the one of the leading lights of the scene however like many of their contemporaries by the 2nd album they had gone for a more mainstream sound to appeal to the radio pluggers and tried for the commercial breakthrough. The momentum was lost. Shame.
Video For Bathroom Wall

Why I ♥ This Album

Faster Pussycat was released in 1987. That year was a watershed for me, when I had finished my exams,left school,turned 16, fell out of infatuation and got a job.
When I left school I was just an average type of student, mainly due to losing interest in school for the previous two years, doing just enough to get by and staying under the radar.
In Andover, where I lived, at 16 you had four opportunaties when you left school;
1 - College
2 - Apprenticeship
3 - Work for The TSB Trust Company
4 - YTS 
Option 1 - I had asked to go to college ,although I wasn't the most gifted of teenagers, I did seem to have a talent for acting and dancing. The college in Andover had a wonderful course in Theatre arts, but this dream was soon shot down by my mum and step-father who said that they would only support me if I went to college to get a trade - and theatre to them was not a trade!
Later in life I bumped into an old friend who had done the course that year and went onto become a light technication at some top theatres in the West End and is rolling in it!
Option 2 - Many of my school friends took up apprenticeships with the local building firm, Kings. The late 1980's, like the present climate, were hard economic times for some businesses and unfortunatly Kings went under, thus many of the apprenticeships were not finished.
Option 3 - Andover's biggest employer at the time was the TSB trust company and each year they would take on the cream of students at 16. I had an interview with them, which really didn't
go well as I found it hard to be enthused and bouyant about having an office job in a banking firm and I think this must have come across to the interviewer - YAWN!!!!
Option 4 - YTS (Youth Training Scheme) was the only option left open to me, apart from destitution.. The scheme was a government brainwave to employ and train young people, as well as to keep them off the national statistics of unemployment! In the first year the pay was £28.50 per week which would rise to £35 in the 2nd year. At the end of the 2 years
it was believed that you would have had sufficent training and therefore be more attractive in the job market to secure a full time job. The scheme was often highlighted in TV programmes such as Brookside as cheap labour with no prospect of a job at the end of it whatsoever.
It was my brother John who got me an application form to work at the local Burton's menswear shop on the scheme. As a company Burton's took it all very seriously and wanted to train their apprentices for City and Guilds exams. It worked well for me as I was only on the scheme for a few months before I was taken on full time, but it wasn't my dream.

Scene Of My First Proper Job, Andover High Street

I have no regrets about any of the above as I wouldn't have met the people that I have along the way in this journey called life, but looking back I can offer this piece of advice -  no matter how hard it may seem  to ignore
your parents, do so and..... FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS !!!!!

Slayer - Reign In Blood

Number 19

Slayer - Reign In Blood
Metal classic or just noise?
To me this is all classic.... Slayer broke into the mainstream consciousness with this, their third album. Released in 1986 against a backdrop of Reagan's America.
The album was brutal, extreme, controversial and honest. Clocking in at as little of 29 minutes the pace is both breathtaking and relentless.
'Angel Of Death' opens proceedings, this track initially had the moral majority (PMRC) throwing all sorts of accusations at Slayer, ranging from Devil worshippers through to Nazi symphathizers. The lyrical matter was questionable, it tells of the experiments at Auschwitz concentration camp by Nazi physician Josef Mengele, but the music is top draw speed Metal!
The album barely draws breath with most songs under 3 minutes, a real blink and you miss it, the following are not to be missed:
The buzzsaw guitar sound on 'Necrophobic', Tom Araya's (Vocalist) demonic vocal and scream on 'Altar Of Sacrifice' and not forgetting the Dave Lombardo school of thrash metal drumming throughout the disc, especially on 'Jesus Saves'and 'Criminally Insane'.
The outstanding track on the album is saved to last 'Raining Blood'. The track starts with thunder and rain, then the tension builds further with Lombardo's tom toms.
Then possibly one of metal's most recognisable riffs rips through. It was writers Kerry King and Jeff Hannerman's (both guitar) intent to try and make this sound like being stuck in purgatory and waiting to take your revenge on Heaven. It indeed sounds that savage.
Slayer Raining Blood Video From Live Decade
The influenece of this disc has been far reaching throughout the Metal world, without it we would not have seen bands like Pantera and Sepultura breaking into the mainstream.
Others like Carcass and Fear Factory may have never been signed etc...
Also big kudos to producer Rick Rubin for seeing the potential in them and signing Slayer to his predominantly hip hop label 'Def Jam'.
As far as this genre of music goes, Reign In Blood is a masterpiece.

Why I ♥ This Album

A couple of years ago, my wife and I were having an evening meal with friends at Cafe Galatea in Glastonbury high street, The resturant was very busy and the management had put on some entertainment for the customers. The (ahem) singer was playing acoustic guitar and looked a lot like TV presenter Sister Wendy.

At these occasion after a few drinks myself and my friend Tim were discussing which songs we should request and amongst them were Metallica and our mainstay Slayer's Raining Blood.
However desite the amount drunk neither of us had the bottle to shout out any of these, especially after what seemed to be a random person from the resturant got up and sang backing vocals on a screeching version of 'California Dreamin'.
The best laugh of the evening was left to our table. As you may imagine Glastonbury is full of the weird and wonderful people and tonight was no different. However this resturant was shocked by what was said from our table.
Tim was discussing local art galleries with our American friend, Dancing Hands, and as the resturant was very noisy they were speaking quite loudly, during their conversation the resturant went very quiet and it was at this point that Tim exclaimed at the top of his voice 'Do I Know Lucifer?' well you could hear a pin drop... everyone's head turned to our table, necks were craned to see who this satanist was. How did we reacted to this.... We fell about in fits of laughter, my stomach hurt, tears were rolling down my face.
Here we were in the spirit capital of England and people are still shocked by the mention of the L word - which really means the 'dawn of Venus' ...

NB Lucifer does run a beautiful art gallery in Glastonbury 'Portal For The Immortal' in Benedict Street. Worth a visit if you're in town.

Michael Jackson - Thriller

Here we are at 18

Michael Jackson - Thriller
I have never been Michael Jackson's biggest fan, however you have to respect the phenomenal success of 'Thriller'as to sell that many records it would have to be a great album. After the success of his previous effort 'Off The Wall' he must have felt the pressure with the follow up, however with the guidance of Quincy Jones
he showed diversity and a great ear for classic pop and soul.
In the US 7 of the 9 tracks were released as singles and all hit the top 10, a feat that has never been matched from one album. Also the videos broke down MTV's reluctance to show black artists in heavy rotation during peak hours. These are just 2 of the many legacys left from Thriller.
What about the actual songs?
Let's look at the killer trio, firstly 'Billie Jean' a song that nearly didn't make the album (Jones didn't like it at all). From the stark drum beat and the hard R&B bass lines it just makes you want to dance and wiggle. The lyrical story about a stalker was just fascinating and a real sign of the times.
Billie Jean Including The Famous 'Moonwalk'
'Beat It' has a real 'West Side Story' feel to it, the bashing tubes at the start set the tone. It also probably contains the most recognisable guitar solo ever (courtesy of
Eddie Van Halen) and the song was neither disco or rock, just classic.
Last of the trio is the weakest of them but possibly the most famous now due to the 14 minute video - 'Thriller'. Said video is amongst my generation's 'JFK' moments
(Where were you when?), the first showing on UK TV became an event and I know of people that watched in their local village halls at midnight when it was first shown. The song starts
promising enough with the howls and creeking doors but then descends into just a tepid pop/R&B song. It finishes strongly, however, with a spoken outro from 'horror' actor Vincent Price.
Other good songs on the album are the Funkadelic inspired 'Wanna Be Startin' Something' complete with African chanting and the soulful aching 'Human Nature'.
The most dissapointing song on the disc is perhaps the Paul McCartney duet 'The Girl Is Mine'. After the success the duo had with 'Say Say Say' I expect a lot of people were looking forward to another big song. However what came out was a sugary and uninspiring ballad. A letdown.
As this was the lead single from the album many critics had their knives sharpened for the failure of 'Thriller' but now after over 65 million sales worldwide those knives must have been blunted.
Pop music was never bigger than this.

Why I ♥ Album

What would you say to your eleven year old son if he asked you for alochol to take to a party he had been invited to?
Unless you've been on The Jeremy Kyle Show I'd hope you would say no! Well, my mum did say no, but hey ho, I had to ask! I was invited to a party at popular boy Jamie Sheldon's house in Popley.
The rumour at school was that the invites were exclusive and if you were lucky enough to be invited you had to take some alcohol with you.
It was like winning a golden ticket when I was asked to go. So of course I had to (like others that were invited) ask if I could take some beer or any sort of Alcohol! Unlike some of my friends I really didn't have an older sibling that I could turn to and ask. I had two older step-sisters but they would have just taken my money and told my mum (nasty girls!!!).
So what to do?
Mark Farry had told everyone he had 2 bottles of cider and other stories started to be heard about how much drink other people were bringing. So after much pleading and wailing my parents agreed to meet me nearly half way with 'Shandy Bass'. It looked like beer, smelt like it but had as much alcohol in it as mouthwash...(probably less actually!)

Yum Shandy Bass

The day of the party arrived and all excited I clutched my 2 litre bottle of shandy and left for the party with neighbour and school friend Ian Russell. We arrived at Jamie's and knocked on the door. I think it was his mother who answered the door and showed us in. Michael Jackson's Thriller was on the turntable (this was the soundtrack for any party in 1983) and there was a lot of noise. It seemed the party was not as exclusive as I was led to believe, it was heaving. Anyway we were shown into the kitchen to put our drinks
on a table and the sight was unbelievable........ a table full of 2 litre bottles of 'Shandy Bass'!!

Free - Fire And Water

No 17

Free - Fire And Water
A seven track timeless British blues rock album, and one that I discovered only in the last couple of years after much resistance. I had always loved Paul Rodgers' (Free Vocalist in Free) work with a band called Bad Company, but had always been a little reluctant to listen to Free for some reason. Even though it had a taken me a while to listen to this album I was delighted to find that it contains so many strong songs and a bone-fide classic.
'Fire And Water' opens the album with the sort of riff that Pete Townsend would have killed for! Paul Kossoff (Guitar) had a wonderful belief and swagger about his playing, and
it shows on this song - IMMENSE!
Another rocker on this album is 'Mr. Big', an awesome stuttering riff by Kossoff with some great bass lines that almost seem like the Bassist was actually playing lead. The disc does have a number of slower and medium paced tracks the best of which is 'Remember'. Paul Rodgers' voice is drenched in the blues whilst the guitar solo is just sublime.
As for the rest of the songs 'Heavy Load' is a well crafted guitar and piano workout wrapped with a wonderful story led vocal. On 'Oh I Wept' Paul Rodgers certainly proves, without a doubt, he was one of the best vocalist of his generation.
The one song that most people will be familar with closes the album, 'All Right Now'. A song that I never really tire of hearing (despite it's over use for a gum commercial back in the late 1980s). I defy anyone not to play air guitar along with the huge riff to this track. This song did catapult Free to success, but also contributed to the beginning of their downfall.
Free On Top Of The Pops Performing All Right Now
It was during the tour for the follow up record 'Highway', that differences were beginning to show between the main songwriters (Rodgers and Bassist Andy Fraser),coupled with Kossoff's growing heroin dependency.
The band disbanded in 1973. If you do buy one Free album in your life, ensure it's this one!

Why I ♥ This Album

Early 1990s before the internet, if you wanted to know the lyrics to a song you had four options to find them;
1)have the sheet music
2)some lyrics were printed on the inner sleeve of a record cover
3)buy 'Smash Hits' magazine which listed lyrics to the Hit Parade
4)listen to the song over and over again to decipher the lyrics 



Me & Mike From The Bane

 It was whilst, in my brief tenure, as lead vocalist with Durin's Bane that Graham Lenton (Guitar Hero) asked me, one late Friday evening, to learn Free's classic 'All Right Now' in time for the next rehearsal on the Sunday.
No problem, I said. The following day it dawned on me that I didn't know the words and didn't actually own a Free record. As it had no long been re-released it was on the jukebox at my local watering hole 'The Lardicake'. However I was sure that the locals would have grown sick of me pumping the machine full of 50 pence pieces and playing the song over and over and over again. So I had to come up with Plan B.
I suddenly remembered that I had not long gone to London and bought a mystery pack of 7 inch records from Berwick Street. The pack came in a sealed carrier bag and only cost a couple of quid, what would be inside was fairly hit and miss but I recall that there was a version of 'All Right Now' in there.
So off home I went to dig the single out. It is lucky that I do like the song as this version was awful!! I must have listened to it at least 20-25 times, stopping and starting it to write down the lyrics. It seemed to take forever. The second verse was a little hard to follow - "Are you tryin' to put me in shame?, I said, slow, don't go so fast" are the actual words, I found out later.
I don't remember what I wrote down but it certainly wasn't that!
Sunday rolled around and I was all ready to rehearse. After a couple of run throughs, and me just simply destroying the song and ruining it for everyone (I am no Paul Rodgers)
it was decided that Graham would sing the song in the live set. I don't blame my own vocals I blame the version that I had learned it from.
So I blame Pepsi & Shirlie!!!

Pepsi & Shirlie - All Right Now

The Levellers - Zeitgeist

16 already!!

The Levellers - Zeitgeist
The Levellers fourth album, and follow up to the disappointing 'Levellers', was a spralling 13 track angst folk classic.
Opening with the lottery sneering single 'Hope Street' the song showed a departure from the usual thumping fiddle-led sound, and instead with a slide guitar and loose hi-hats.
'The Fear' saw the Brighton band tread on more familar ground with throbbing bass lines and wirling fiddles. Whenever the pace quickens throughout a Levellers' song, their punk influences are more easily seen (The Clash / Crass). This particularly comes across on The Fear, the way Mark Chadwick and Simon Friend trade chords -  it's as if they were Strummer And Jones.
Next up is 'Exodus' a tribute to the New Age rave scene, that brought collectives like Back To The Planet and Spiral Tribe Soundsystem to the fore. The song has a big sing-a-long chorus as well as some experimental touches. However they do not lose sight of their own sound which makes you want to dance in bare feet under the stars near ancient landmarks.
A tender acoustic guitar and what sounds like a Wurlitzer organ open 'Maid Of The River', a beautifully touching ballad that has an almost historical feel.
I think just as tradional folk fans were beginning to get to grips with the disc, they, The Levellers, knock them into submission with a couple of out and out rockers!!
Firstly '4 AM', a song whos lyrical content I believe most of us can relate to; The story of staying up with friends and strangers, drinking smoking and putting the world to rights.
The other rocker of this album is 'Leave This Town', on this track Jon Sevink's fiddle playing is surpassingly good. Class!
The second single 'Fantasy' is the perfect song to play to anyone who hasn't ever heard a Levellers track, nice structure understated playing with all the pieces there in the right place.
The third and final song released as a single was a re-recorded version of 'Just The One' which was extended from the minute and a half version on the album. An ok track but it does feature a hero of mine - the one and only Joe Strummer on piano.
As we near the end of the album, the Levellers tucked away the most experminental track 'PC Keen'. This is a dark and disturbing composition compared with the lightness of the majority of the record. A superfluous social commentary.
The last song on the disc takes us back to the 'Levelling The Land' days, Men-An-Tol is the lost cousin of 'Sell Out'. An atmospheric pagan tale of belonging. Quite a wonder!!
Live Version Of Men-An-Tol
In all With 'Zeitgeist' The Levellers proved once again that they were still angry and very expressive with their charged views, despite their previous success.
A really great album that I was excited to re-visit.

Why I ♥ This Album

Note! Some names may have been changed to protect my innocence!
I still remember the first time we laughed together, we were sat in the smoking area at the local department store where we both worked. Someone had loaned a few women's lifestyle magazines to the smokers and had unwittingly filled out one of those relationship quizzes that you find in those types of magazines. As we were sat there I had tears rolling down my cheeks, my sides ached as we disected all the answers that had been marked.....
I made a mental note to myself that not only was she beautiful she also made me roar with laughter. I wanted to know this girl a little bit more, but would she be willing to get to know this long haired lad from the Delivery Department - after all she was Management!
I made a few enquires about her relationship status and found out that she had recently made herself available after a long term relationship. I expect I punched the air at that moment.
I, myself, was between girlfiends at the time. My intended had gone away for a while and another, who I liked as well, was a little complicated (yay didn't use names afterall).
It took a lot of courage for me to approach this unseemingly out of reach beauty about maybe going for a drink (I am really quite shy, honest). However, in the end I suggested was maybe a picinic in the local park one lunchtime.
I was agast when this stunning woman agreed and a date was set. As all great arranged things, it didn't quite go to plan.. .... we ended up having a meal at our mutual friend Lynwyn's house one evening instead, due to bad weather.
So there we were the three of us!! After good food, laughter and Zeitgeist playing in the background it was time to make my move.
But does she really like me? Or should I go for Lynwyn instead who, afterall, was a known safe bet? I didn't fancy being rejected. My brain was all a buzz...what to do?
The end ................ or was it?????????????
Oh come on! A gentleman never tells. But here's a clue to what happened -  that beautiful woman is now my wife. The Levellers rock!



My Beautiful Wife



David Lee Roth - Skyscraper

Number 15 up next .....

David Lee Roth - Skyscraper
The second solo outing from the Van Halen vocalist was released in 1988, the album featured (like the first) a supergroup of Virtuoso musicians, as well as the ultimate showman Mr Roth.
The album has not really stood the test of time, the production in parts seem a little pedestrian and the songs sound as though they could have had a little more time spent on them.
Guitarist Steve Vai's imprint is, however, weaved everywhere through this collection. His playing is outstanding, as is bassist Billy Sheehan. David's decision to not use long time producer Ted Templeton, and produce it himself with Vai as co-pilot, gave the album a more commercial and varied sound than its predecessor 'Eat 'Em And Smile'. This can certainly be heard on lead track 'Just Like Paradise', a top 10 hit in the States at the time. It is a song that is a fist in the air anthem and a good sing-along albeit a tad sugary.
Just Like Paradise Video
To satisfy Roth's rock fans he brought you 'Hotdog And Shake','Bottom Line' and opener 'Knucklebones'. 'Knucklebones', in particular, is a great song. The vocal production is superb with the way the two different Roth vocals comes through the speakers, one urgent and rocking and the next laidback and relaxed (listen to it through headphones and see if you can hear it).
The album also suffered from having to much of Brett Tuggle's keyboards on it, especially on the last half. Tracks like 'Stand Up' and 'Hina' come off worse because of it.
It wasn't all bad though, the title track is easily the most experimental song here. I wasn't really a fan of it back in 1988 (see below) but listening back to it now, it is the most interesting song that Roth did on any of his solo releases. I think Vai took some of the ideas from here as a template for his own Passion And Warfare release in 1990.
As with any rock hard rock album of the era, you had to have an acoustic ballad on it and 'Skyscraper' was no different. 'Damn Good' was a cut above the other ballad realeases by young pretenders like Warrant and Cinderella. The guitar work is reminiscent of Jimmy Page in his acoustic mode. Nothing was over complicated on the song and that made it sparkle.
The album closed with David Lee Roth becoming more of the lounge lizard persona that he used to great affect on his 'Crazy From The Heat' EP in 1985. 'Two Fools A Minute' is funky and jazzy with horn sections
and doo wop backing vocals. A nice close.

Why I ♥ This Album

November 15th 1988 Wembley Arena. That was the date and the venue for possibly one of the greatest shows that I have EVER seen in my life, David Lee Roth!!!!
I was so looking forward to going to this show for so long, David Lee Roth was a big big musical hero of mine up there with Kiss & Maiden.
I had booked the tickets way back in April via Touchan Travel in the Chantry Centre (Andover) for my girlfriend and me.

Ticket & Programme

In the end her parents wouldn't allow her to go, even though we had arranged to go on a coach to the venue and back! So my constant concert companion Paul came along instead.
The tickets were not the best in the world at first glance, we were about two thirds of the way back from the stage. We were a little dissapointed with that but hey we were there to party!
The support band were a big let down (Zinatra???) I must have been spoiled by the support bands that I had seen previously at Wembley (Loverboy & Kings Of The Sun).
Neverless in a blaze of lights, sound and copious amounts of dry ice the band appeared playing the opening strains of 'Bottom Line' and out pranced the Master of Ceremonies himself, Mr Roth armed only with his microphone and with a 'licence to party' (his words not mine). David reeled off all his on stage banter, that many of his fans have heard time and time before, but it is never tiresome. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand throughout.
The band weren't shabby either. Big cheers were heard for the three necked heart shaped Ibanez that Steve Vai plays on 'Just Like Paradise', worthy of note was Matt Bissonette on bass who had some big shoes to fill with Billy Sheehan having left, before the tour started to form Mr Big.
Anyway back to the show, I missed one song as my um.. bladder couldn't hold on. I heard the opening strains to 'Skyscraper' a song I wasn't particularly fond of at the time and made a run for it. You can tell how good a show is by the lack of queue in the toilets..... no one there!!!
Got back in time to see the last 20 seconds of the song and asked Paul if I missed much. He stated it was the best song of the night so far! The energy was relentless, not a note dropped either.
Steel Drums were rolled on the whole part took part in a instrumental that invoved the usual cut the audence down in half and see which cheers loudest.
The best part of the concert was just around the corner as the band were doing their instrumental showing off, no one noticed David climbing on a rope across the ceiling of the arena. As the opening chords of the Van Halen classic 'Panama' rang out from the stage, Dave dropped on to a tiny stage just behind the sound/lighting desk that was also not far away from our seats... (this is used a lot by bands now in arena shows, but back then it was quite innovative). So noow the question was how would he get back to the stage? Run back? NO!
Why didn't I guess that he would be travelling back to the stage on a surfboard whilst singing the Beach Boys song 'California Girls'!!!! silly me.
After bringing down the house with his encore of 'Jump' I left Wembley in awe at such a showstopping performance.

Back Cover Of Japanese Bootleg