THE RATASS GAZETTE

Aldo Nova - "Fantasy" - 1982 RANDOM THOUGHTS ... This is a great song, and I still crank it up every time I hear it on the radio. Great riff, excellent  guitar solo, I could listen to this song all day. Aldo Nova's self-titled album is certified double-platinum, while "Fantasy" peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The video is a classic, too. The futuristic intro is about a minute-and-a-half long and it features guns, guitars, helicopters, and lasers. In other  words: It's got it all.  The plot for this video was so far ahead of its time, we may never be able to fully grasp its true meaning with any accuracy. But I'll try to narrate ...  0:01 - It was a dark and stormy night... 0:41 - Aldo Nova arrives via helicopter wearing a leopard-print jumpsuit. My reaction to seeing this for the first time:  ( Head bobbing ) "Yeah, that sounds about right." 1:05 - Abandoned warehouse. Door locked. Key? No. Try the gun bu...

EMF - Unbelievable (Live) - 1991   RANDOM THOUGHTS ... This video is great on so many levels. First of all, EMF's "Unbelievable" was my favorite song for a good solid two years after it was released. Even after all of my friends had moved on to newer, cooler stuff like Kriss Kross and Sir Mix-a-Lot, I was still claiming "Unbelievable" as my number one. (Although I'll admit Kriss Kross's "Jump" challenged it there for a while. Looking back, I probably said the words 'miggity  miggity  miggity  miggity mac daddy' waaay more than any rural Midwestern child ever should have.)  Second of all, these guys rock the house in this performance.  The drum beat kicks ass. The bass player is rocking and so is the bass line he's laying down. I love the loud wah-infused outro guitar solo (3:30) in this song -- which is on my list of Top 5 Outro Guitar Solos , along with Ozzy's "Bark at the Moon" and Pat Benetar's "H...

Tom Cochrane - Life is a Highway - Live on Leno 1992  RANDOM THOUGHTS ... I've always liked this song, and this is a rockin' performance of it on Leno. Way better than his appearance on Letterman , where they played a shortened version of the tune (without some of the harmonica parts and such) and things just seemed off. Here, however, things are tight and they sound fantastic. Mr. Cochrane plays the heck out of that harmonica, too. This is pretty much as good as it gets on a late-night show, he nails it. Awesome performance. ... I really like that Cochrane jogged up and sat down for a little chat after he rocked the house. It's the late-night equivalent of athletes giving interviews immediately after a game, when they're all sweaty and out of breath. Anyway, after some decent banter about Canada ("I spent a lot of time up there during, uh, Vietnam years"), Leno asks him a great question: How did you come up with the idea for this song? It's a ques...

Nirvana - Come As You Are - 1992 RANDOM THOUGHTS ... For me, this song is a time machine. Every time I hear the opening guitar riff, I'm instantly transported to 1992. I'm back in school talking to my friends about this new tape called  Nevermind that we all bought, and how much we all liked it. I'm back in my parents' living room watching this video on MTV with my brothers and saying "Nirvarna Rules" in a Butt-head voice. I'm back in the passenger seat of my mom's car, making her listen to this new tape I just bought, trying to explain to her why I liked it so much (and probably not really succeeding all that much at the time). Sometimes the time warp feels so real it gives me the chills... and I love it. Excellent times. Excellent song.

Poison - Fallen Angel - 1988 RANDOM THOUGHTS ... I love this song. I've been a fan of Poison for 25 years now. I used to watch MTV all the time when this song came out in 1988, and I mean all the time . Yet I had never seen this video until today. How the hell is that even possible? It seems impossible, right? ... I like the little 30-second intro video with the family at the dinner table. Kind of explains the meaning of the song, and tells us what we're about to see. I don't think Poison did a lot of those. Then again, "Talk Dirty to Me" is pretty straight forward. ... I almost didn't recognize Bret Michaels in this vid without his trademark bandana and trademark three girls on each arm. Instead, at times, he's got a red hat that barely fits over hair that's bigger than C.C.'s (not really). It's not a bad look. I wonder when he started going exclusively bandana in public? I'll have to do some research. ... I've said for years tha...

Green Day - Missing You (Live) - 2013   RANDOM THOUGHTS...  "Missing You" is my favorite song on Tre!  and this is an excellent live performance of it at the Rock am Ring festival in Germany on June 9, 2013. They were the headliners on the final day of the music-fest, and judging by this performance (plus other clips I've seen) and their 26-song setlist that day, it sounds like it was an awesome show. Rock am Ring takes place annually at the Nurburgring racetrack, and if I were to reckon, I'd say there's about 30,000-50,000 people in the crowd (just eyeballing it).  ... Top-notch performance by the entire band here, they really sound great live. Billie's voice sounds strong, Mike is spot-on with the bass and back-up vox, and Tre really kills it on the skins. It's great to see they're still out there rocking and playing this excellent music. Best rock band on the planet!  ... One of the reasons I like the Green Day Trilogy so much is because ...

Dio - Rainbow in the Dark (Live) - 1983   Dio - Rainbow in the Dark (Live) RANDOM THOUGHTS...  Awesome live stuff from Dio. The bad-ass on lead guitar is Vivian Campbell, who later played with Whitesnake, and then Def Leppard. He rocks.

Green Day - Prosthetic Head - Live MTV Sonic Italy 1997 RANDOM THOUGHTS  ... Haven't done a Green Day a post in a while (which is inexcusable, I know) so let's feast on this nice juicy live performance of "Prosthetic Head" from their Nimrod world tour. This is one of my favorite tracks off that album. It rocks. Actually, the first time I saw Green Day live (I've seen them four times total) was on that same tour, also in 1997. They sounded great then and they still sound great today. 

Firehouse - Don't Treat Me Bad (Live) RANDOM THOUGHTS ... This is a power-packed performance of a kick-ass rock song. I've always liked this tune. "Don't Treat Me Bad" was the first single off FireHouse's self-titled debut album in 1990. The album went double-platinum by 1994 and hasn't sold a single copy since. (Sigh). Doesn't matter though, this song will always rule. ... And by the way, it's FireHouse. Capital F, capital H, no space. Don't be a loser and refer to them as Fire House or Firehouse. This is a rock band, not a gay bar or a building where they keep fire trucks, so get it straight, dammit. ... Everyone who knows me knows I've always been a big C.J. Snare fan. I think he's a great vocalist, and he sounds fantastic here. He hits the high notes with ease, including the big one at the 2:40 mark. I haven't seen these guys live in concert yet, but they're touring this summer with Slaughter (by the way, that is go...

Artist: Motley Crue   Album: Shout at the Devil Year: 1983  TRACK LISTING... 1. In the Beginning 2. Shout at the Devil  3. Looks That Kill 4. Bastard 5. God Bless the Children of the Beast 6. Helter Skelter 7. Red Hot 8. Too Young to Fall in Love 9. Knock 'Em Dead, Kid  10. Ten Seconds to Love 11. Danger  RANDOM THOUGHTS...  This album rocks pretty much all the way through. "Shout at the Devil", "Looks That Kill", and "Bastard" set the tone right off the bat with big guitar riffs, heavy drums, and screaming vocals: These are kick-ass rock songs. ... I love Mick Mars' guitar tone on this record. He's got that grinding saw-like distortion going on, it's awesome. I don't care what anybody else says, Mick Mars rocks and always has. ... I'm not a big fan of the "Helter Skelter" cover found here. I didn't really like the original Beatles version, either, so there ya go. Tracks 5 and 6 are probably skip-...

A track-by-track look back at Green Day's 2012 release ,  Uno!   UNO! - TRACK LISTING  1.  Nuclear Family - Solid choice to lead off the album, it's an up-tempo rocker that definitely "sounds like Green Day." It's catchy. I like catchy songs. Rating: 7.5*    2.  Stay the Night - This is my favorite song on the album. It reminds me of Kerplunk -era Green Day. Great melody, great chorus. An instant classic. This is one of their best songs off any album. Rating: 9.5  3. Carpe Diem - I have mixed feelings about this song. It's definitely catchy and fun to sing along to, but it's a little slower than I prefer and parts of it remind me of the song, "Suffocate," that appeared on their 2002 release,  Shenanigans . If I'd never heard "Suffocate" it's quite possible my entire perception of "Carpe Diem" would be different. Rating: 7.0    4.  Let Yourself Go - A straight-up rocker, this one gets going fast r...

I can't stand it when rock bands or hard rock bands release a new album with no album name. It's "untitled," they say. Just make something up! And if you can't make something up, just use one of these. They're all perfectly good titles for a rock album, because no one really cares what you call it, as long as you call it something! The Chicken Farm Adventure Whales & Snails Beet Box O'Brien and Murphy Slander the Heard Ironspire Odyssey No Way Station Implosion Reality Wicked Far Neckbreaker Glad I'm Not Here Rover Comes Over No Shit, Sherlock Rain on Your Dumb Parade Frankie Goes to Hell Jart Through the Heart Start at the End Listen, Lenny Double Dare You Soaring Below It Tip: Just use something about outer space.  Perfect for hard rock or "thinking man's" bands. Even if it just  sounds  like it's about space, it'll work... Crystal Clear Darkness 44 Days Without the Sun Milky Way Rock Io Omega L...

Green Day - "Stay the Night" -  Uno! (2012) RANDOM THOUGHTS... Our favorite rock band keeps cranking out awesome tunes. "Stay the Night" is my favorite track off the recently released  Uno! It reminds me of Kerplunk -era Green Day; simple and melodic, and the lyrics are timeless. It's an instant classic, and, in my opinion, ranks right up there with the best songs they've ever recorded. ... The video is good as well. I like these clips where it looks like the band is rehearsing in an empty room, they did it with the " Nuclear Family " video, too. It reminds me that this is what they are at the root of it all: Just some buddies hanging out and writing songs. Keep on rockin', guys!

Taking a look at the classic music video for "Naughty Naughty" by Danger Danger. The song originally appeared as the first track on their self-titled debut album in 1989. Enjoy.   RANDOM THOUGHTS... First off, I love this song. I think it rocks, and you could put it up there with any other arena rock songs of the era. Bon Jovi, Shmon Shmovi... this song is as good as most of Shmon Shmovi's stuff. It's got a great guitar riff, a killer guitar solo, a kick-ass bass line breakdown and all that good shit that I like. The guitar really stands out to me, there's a ton of great guitar fills, whammy bar maneuvers, and whatnot. So yeah, this song has got the goods. And the video is fantastic as well, here are some highlights...   TWIRLIN' - Ok, we're about 55 seconds into the song and the drummer has somehow managed to cram 4 drum stick twirls into the video already. It's quite a torrid pace indeed, but still well short of the all-time mark set by...

This is, bar none, the finest performance of this great rock song you'll find on the web. It's Donnie Iris performing his 1981 hit, "Ah, Leah", and it's a must-watch. Well, what are you waiting for?! Check it out!  Donnie Iris - Ah, Leah RANDOM THOUGHTS ... According to the screen shot at the end of this video, this was aired on WQED (Pittsburgh) in 2002. The band he's playing with are the house band from that local TV station, and let me tell you, these guys (and gal) kick some serious ass in this one! I mean, they knock it out of the park. Every single member of that band are spot-on, technically precise, and provide a note-perfect rendition of this song. The grinding distortion of the guitars and Donnie Iris' amazing vocal performance just sound way better than the original album version . Iris' pipes are definitely still intact, he really nails it here, it's awesome to watch. That must have been an amazing feeling to be there in the TV...

Green Day "Walking Contradiction" and "Going to Pasalacqua"  Live on Saturday Night Special in 1996 RANDOM THOUGHTS... This is probably my favorite Green Day late-night TV performance of all time. It originally aired in 1996 on a short-lived Fox TV show called Saturday Night Special , produced by Roseanne Barr.  Special filled in for MAD TV for six weeks opposite NBC's Saturday Night Live , and Green Day appeared in the sixth and final episode.  It's pretty apparent that the people behind the scenes at the network wanted the band to play "Walking Contradiction," which was their single at the time (from the album Insomniac which was released the previous year).  It's also pretty apparent that Green Day wanted to play something else.  Let's be honest, "Walking Contradiction" is a catchy song with a fun music video , but it's a mid-tempo rocker and probably not the most exciting tune in their catalog to play.  So Green ...

THE "MY SHARONA" GUITAR SOLO - Am I crazy, or is the big guitar solo on "My Sharona" one of the best solos ever recorded? There was a time in my life (not long ago, actually) where I'd watch this video 20 times a day. It's the best live performance of this song I've seen, check it out! The Knack - My Sharona RANDOM THOUGHTS... Of course, the main guitar riff in this song is classic. The octave-jumping bass riff heard in the intro is also doubled by the guitar, and it was written by guitarist Berton Averre. I also think the first guitar break (you could probably call it a solo, Mr. Technically) at the 1:17 mark is really good. Today, however, I want to focus mainly on the full-blown celebration of life that is the big guitar solo... THE GUITAR SOLO (2:35 to 4:06) ... ... I'm almost appalled that this song is not mentioned in Guitar World's Top 100 Guitar Solos list. I mean, what the hell?! I'm sorry, but the "My Sha...

Check out this awesome clip of the Spin Doctors performing "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1992. This was the first single off their 5x Platinum (U.S.) selling Pocket Full of Kryptonite (everyone I know owned a copy) which was released in 1991... Two, three, four!  Spin Doctors - Little Miss Can't Be Wrong - Live in 1992 RANDOM THOUGHTS... Lead guitarist Eric Schenkman plays hot licks throughout the entire tune and makes it look pretty effortless. He's rockin' a killer tone during the verses. Everybody, let's hear it for the neck pickup! (A guitar tech way in the back who's barely paying attention starts clapping...) ...  Shout out to Letterman's bandleader Paul Shaffer on the keys, who provides spot-on back-up vocals during the performance in addition to playing the hell out of that there keyboard and genuinely having a blast. Say what you want about ol' Paulie, but dammit, that guy has fun ou...

Cinderella - Shake Me - 1986 - Here's an excellent song and video from Cinderella. "Shake Me" was the first single off their multi-platinum selling debut album, Night Songs , and it's probably my favorite Cinderella song. Shake it! RANDOM THOUGHTS ... This song has it all: Great guitar riffs, awesome cowbell, and kick-ass vocals. A " foot-stomping rocker " if you will. Cinderella is one of my favorite bands from that era, I saw them live (with Poison, Dokken, and Slaughter on the Power To The People Tour in 2000) and they put on a great  show, doing all of the cool guitar tricks they display here in this video. And of course, Tom Keifer is a great singer, one of my favorite rock and roll voices. It captures the energy, so showing them playing the song live in the video works pretty good here, I think. ... Bands, and people in general, don't talk about "shaking" like they used to. Back in the day, there were songs about "shaking...

Green Day - Christie Road - Live in 2005 - This song originally appeared on Kerplunk in 1992.  Kerplunk was drummer Tre Cool's first recorded music with Green Day, and is arguably a top-3 Green Day album.  Here's a great performance of "Christie Road" live on Fuse Comp'd in 2005 .  Rock! RANDOM THOUGHTS ... This song contains a full metric shit ton of great Tre Cool drum fills.  I actually met Tre Cool after a show at The Rave one time, it was legendary.  My brother and some friends were talking to this shorter guy wearing a leather jacket.  I went over to join them and "shorter guy wearing a leather jacket" is none other than -- yep, you guessed it -- Tre Cool.  His hand was all bandaged up, he said it was from smashing his drum kit at the end of the show, and that's the most rock and roll thing that has ever been said to me.  He actually commented directly to me about the T-shirt I was wearing, which had a print of an original Green Da...