Meanwhile, Back In 1989 - No Dogs Allowed

EMI seemed to love lime green because they sure used the color a lot in their late 80s ads.

Thanks to Reddit, I saw this awesome 1989 ad promoting Cats In Boots. The album title can't be beat at Kicked & Klawed but the cut line of "no dogs allowed" takes the cake here.

Cats In Boots - Kicked & Klawed Ad 1989
byu/HWY6SIX6 inhairmetal

'Something To Believe In' - Memorial Day

A solemn Memorial Day nod to my fellow Americans. In addition to being a holiday to remember those we have lost while serving in the military, it is also the unofficial start of summer and thus concert season. Be careful today - especially if you are hitting the roads and going on vacation.

Bret Michaels Announces Facebook Live Event

June 16 is Father's Day and also the premiere date for the new A&E rock biography series featuring Bret Michaels. To celebrate, Bret will hold a Facebook live event and answer questions - so if you are interested, starting following his Facebook page now. You will likely need to submit questions in advance.

Book Review: ‘Major Dudes: A Steely Dan Companion’

Major Dudes: A Steely Dan Companion, edited by Barney Hoskyns (2018, Abrams Press).

Major Dudes is a compilation of old interviews of Steely Dan duo Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, sometimes alone but usually together. There are also old Steely Dan album reviews and live show reviews (not that there were many of those!) and a look at the secretive duo’s solo releases.

This is a book for diehard Dan heads – not your casual listener. There’s repetition because the source material is from a variety of writers – so they all pretty much have to do their setup explaining how Fagen and Becker met at Bard College, etc. Still, there are nuggets of information in each little piece for the reader to pick through and digest.

The best thing about Steely Dan for me is their cryptic song lyrics. Fagen and Becker were jazz and literature nerds and used obscure references in their tracks. There are double entendres, rhymes and riddles and so many subversive drug references that the censors missed back in the day. The appreciation of the complex musical arrangements and jazz backstory of many tracks is a great fountain of knowledge here as is also the use of so many session players to make their wonderful 70s albums. I always knew that Steely Dan were perfectionists in the studio and used only the best musicians money could buy – but I didn’t know the fade out of “Babylon Sisters” (Gaucho, 1980) alone took 55 takes.

I deeply enjoyed every mention of guitarist Larry Carlton throughout the book. He is one of my favorite guitar guys and so much more than a sideman. He has laid down some of the best solos of all time, including Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne" (from my favorite Dan album, The Royal Scam) and “Third World Man” (not to mention turns with Christopher Cross, Michael Jackson and even the Hill Street Blues theme).

So, do you need to read Major Dudes? If you don’t get the title reference, probably not. If you are a Steely Dan obsessive, you probably already have – but if you are a Dan head and journalism geek like me, this book is right up your alley. It’s an easy read and entertaining too.

Obscure Metal: Ded Engine

Want some obscure 80s metal? Well here you go! I give to you... Ded Engine! The band released its self-titled debut in 1985.

According to the band's website (a historical record basically), Ded Engine was in Metal Edge and Circus magazines. There's even an article from the Nashville Metro Times on the site which is pretty cool to see. 

Ded Engine released a second album called Hold A Grudge in 1987. Have a listen:

Want to go back in time to the late-80s and watch a young band perform? Here's footage of Ded Engine playing live in Lansing, Michigan. George Lorimer, drummer for Ded Engine, posted the clip to YouTube with the comment:

"My band 'Ded Engine' from 1989 performing the song 'Rabid' live from the Lansing Civic Center in Lansing Michigan! This video was filmed and assembled in 1989 by amateur filmmaker 'Doc' Holloway, and I've recently unearthed it from the 'Book of the Ded' archives and posted it here! Live Ded Engine footage is extremely rare (I should know, being the drummer and all) - enjoy!"

Sebastian Bach, 'Freedom' -- New Video

Let's talk about the Sebastian Bach video for "Freedom." The song is on his new album Child Within the Man. The song is killer and the video is both awesome and hilarious. Yes, Eddie Trunk makes an appearance and he really does a great job.

For Bach, the video looks a little at the macabre side of things and it is one of the best rock clips I've seen in awhile. This was not a cheap video. Bach is killing it these days so good for him and lucky for us.

Steel Panther Announce Even More Tour Dates

Steel Panther might be the hardest working guys in rock these days because it seems like they are always on tour. The band just added more On The Prowl tour dates - for late summer. If you have never seen them live, what are you waiting for? They play everywhere!