Explore every episode of the podcast Music from a Lifetime

"By the time Deep Purple came around to this tour, they had locked into their new style, one which they had been slowly morphing into even before Blackmore had left the band. They were no longer spring chickens, but they knew what their fans wanted to see. Ian Gillan had become the cool version of himself, Roger Glover continued to groove away on his bass guitar, Ian Paice could still play his way around his drumkit, Jon Lord didn’t almost tip his Hammond organ over anymore, but he was still playing it as hard as ever. And new boy Steve Morse showcased his wares without the over-the-top flair and pomposity that Blackmore had, but with a smile and a laugh and a whole lot of skill and talent. The overt energy and antics may have gone, but this band still knew how to give it all on stage to give the songs they played the majesty that they deserved".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Total Abandon: Australia ‘99” by Deep Purple, the band’s hundredth live album released 25 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘they should have recorded this album at the Selina’s secret gig’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"The best songs here are the ones where the momentum is recovered, and all three members are heavily involved in the songs. “Poison” is terrific, with the bounce in the music acting as a propellant to the track. “Stone Dead Forever” is one of the band’s giant classics, with great lyrics and vocals from Lemmy that then has his bass guitar dominate the back end of the track, with great support from the drums and guitar. It's a fan favourite, and has every right to be so. “All the Aces” follows the same route, driven by Phil Taylor’s energetic drumming and Lemmy’s majestic bass sound thumping along while he bellows out the vocals, and Fast Eddie Clarke’s sensational guitaring, topping it off with a traditionally excellent solo in the middle of the song. The riff has a familiar sound to it, as it complements the way the best Motörhead songs flow along".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Bomber” by Motörhead, the band’s 3rd studio album released 45 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘you think you see me in the glass, you think you hear me, you better listen fast’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"On “6:00”, James LaBrie opens the album and comes in hard and positive with his vocals from the outset, setting the album off on a great note, with John Petrucci’s crawling guitar riff and Kevin Moore’s seamless keyboards linking everything throughout. “Caught in a Web” carries on with the heavier tones, dominated by LaBrie’s awesome vocal track and Petrucci’s heavy riff, with positive lyrics about deciding to live life the way you want to, and not feel as though you are trapped in the titled web. “Innocence Faded” follows and draws on similar themes from the opening track. “6.00” has lyrics written by Moore, while “Innocence Faded” is written by Petrucci, and those themes, of a relationship beginning to deteriorate from two different perspectives, is closer to home than anyone knew at the time. Lines such as “Beginnings get complicated the farther we progress, opinions are complicated, immune to openness” speak for themselves".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Awake” by Dream Theater, the band’s 3rd studio album released 30 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘echoes that deafen the mind will bury my voice in their wake’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"However, in the late 1980's and early 1990's there was stream of movies that, as a young male is his teenage years and early 20's, were so bad they were good, and also had good artists doing the music, which in turn encouraged you to go out and buy the soundtrack, as well as the film on VHS.

“Shocker” was one of those movies and soundtracks. The concept and story of the film is fairly typical of the B-grade horror films that were coming out around this era. Released in 1989, the story centres on serial killer Horace Pinker, played by future X-Files alumni Mitch Pileggi who would play Assistant Director Walter Skinner. In this film, Pinker has killed over thirty people, including most of the foster family and the girlfriend of the main protagonist Johnathan Parker, who we eventually learn in Pinker’s biological son. Parker has formed a psychic connection with Pinker, and he is able to help his police detective father in capturing Pinker who is sentenced to death. Pinker has however made a deal with the devil, which allows to him be converted to pure energy on his execution, and thus be able to possess other people to escape where he is and also continue his murder spree. And now not only do the good guys have to work out that Pinker can do this, but how to stop him".

On this episode we are going to talk about the original motion picture soundtrack to the movie “Shocker” containing contributions from artists such as Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop and The Dudes of Wrath, released 35 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘we will have the power’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"For the follow up to that album, the band decided to record in Japan with Nick Launay staying on as producer. Their record company apparently pushed for the band to record a more commercial single so that they could push for better opportunities in the US, something about which drummer Rob Hirst was quoted as saying “this is the album, take it or leave it”. The opportunity was there for the band to continue with their bold statements, and this was certainly the case for the album cover, designed by Japanese artist Tsunehisa Kimura, which depicts Sydney Harbour after a hypothetical nuclear strike. It is a stark image, and one that stood out in the record racks in the music stores. The end result was an album that again pushed the band’s boundaries, and also became their first number one album in Australia, and also charted in the US. And thus came the album that was appropriately named “Red Sails in the Sunset”."

On this episode we are going to talk about “Red Sails in the Sunset” by Midnight Oil, the band’s 5th studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘no end to the hostility, now they wanna be somewhere else’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"“We Want Moore!” contains ten tracks, recorded at four different concerts from around the world in 1984. The venues included Detroit, Tokyo, Glasgow and Hammersmith, and the songs are spread over four different Gary Moore albums, including their most recent one at the time, “Victims of the Future”, along with “Corridors of Power” and “Back on the Streets” and “G-Force”. All of the songs live versions here are superb, and are completely faithful to the studio versions. And not only is Gary’s guitar as brilliant to listen to as always, but his vocals are also sublime. And that’s one of the things that is sometimes looked over when it comes to Gary Moore’s career, the fact that his vocals are so terrific. It seems strange that on certain albums, in particular the “Run for Cover” album, that he utilised different vocalists on some tracks.

He is also joined on this live album by the talented and versality Neil Carter, who would be a mainstay in his band through his hard rock career in particular. As a musician who would switch from keyboards to rhythm guitar and back when necessary during liv shows, as well as lending his excellent vocals to back up Moore’s own singing, Carter was a major contributor to Gary Moore’s live show and albums, and he is excellent here in every role. Craig Gruber, who was best known for being in Elf and playing on the first Rainbow album, contributes bass guitar here and is also excellent, while the incomparable Ian Paice is on drums"

On this episode we are going to talk about “We Want Moore!” by Gary Moore, the band’s 3rd live album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘murder in the skies came without a warning’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"The other thing that had occurred during this time of course was the elevation of grunge music to the top of the charts, and the influence that that had had on other heavy metal and thrash metal bands throughout the world. Bands had changed their sound to incorporate the new wave, or to completely embrace it, with mixed results. Other bands had literally disappeared into the ether as a result of this change in the music world. Slayer, with Bostaph appearing on his first Slayer album, and with such a long time between releases, came out and provided their response to everything that had occurred in that time frame… by producing an album that sounded exactly like you would expect a Slayer album to sound. Aggressive. Topical. Heavy"

On this episode we are going to talk about “Divine Intervention” by Slayer, the band’s 6th studio album released 30 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘straight flesh lace adorns your neck, spilling your blood all over my flesh’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"From the outset this appears to be a continuation of what was served up for us on “Hear in the Now Frontier”. There is a healthy dose of a revamped or upgraded grunge sound rumbling throughout the album, but without the true inspiration that came from that scene a decade earlier. And given that Queensrÿche the band hails from Seattle you can understand how that has eventually developed into the music that they have created here. For the first half of the album, everything is of a mid-to-slow tempo, lacking any real fire or attitude. There are no scorching guitar solos, there are no breakout drum rolls, there is no real stretching of the vocal cords. There are touches of Pearl Jam, Sonic Youth and Soundgarden through the opening tracks like "Falling Down" and "Sacred Ground", along with repeated chorus lines that fail to ignite any passion or determination to sing along because the songs are so structured and similar all the way through that it is difficult to get enthused by it. Even without DeGarmo at the helm, the songwriting here sticks to the direction taken by the previous album".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Q2K” by Queensryche, the band’s 7th studio album released 25 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘I ain't no Romeo, I'm just the man for you’ on Music from a Lifetime.

Welcome to Music from a Lifetime, and our next episode of 12-18-21-30-40-NOW! The idea of the format is not unique, and I have borrowed aspects of other shows that have done a similar thing over the years. So for those that find a similarity to other shows or programs remember… not stealing, borrowing… and putting my own spin on the concept. This concept started 18 months ago on another of my podcasts, Thoughts from the Metal Cavern. And what I will be doing is adding new episodes here on this podcast. What I’m hoping to do is do a series of interviews, a different person each episode. And on each episode we are not only going to revisit different times of their lives, but also talk about music, and just what bands and songs were influencing their lives at that time of their lives. And the times of their lives will be the same. 12 years of age. 18 years of age. 21 years of age. All three considered ‘milestones’ when growing up. And then we will fast forward to 30 years of age, 40 years of age… and then to the present day. The hope is to mix interesting tales of life from different people, and to mix in the soundtrack of their lives to make what should become award winning podcast episodes. At least, if the host can find the right stories. What you will hear today was the second episode I recorded of this idea, from back in January 2023. So I hope you enjoy it, and that you excuse the bumps along the way, as I was still feeling my way through the concept. And with that in mind, let’s get stuck in, to today's episode of 12-18-21-30-40-NOW! right here on Music from a Lifetime

"The production and recording of the album was a chaotic hot mess, and on the face of it, it is truly amazing that the album was made at all. Dokken himself wanted to use Michael Wagener again, who had produced the first album, but George Lynch was so dissatisfied with the way that album sounded he fought against it, and Pilson and Brown took his side. Instead, the record company brought in Tom Werman, most noted for Motley Crue’s “Shout at the Devil” album. One wonders if that experience helped him for this job, because his troubles were about to begin. Due in no small amount to the copious amounts of cocaine and alcohol in the studio, relationships between engineers and band members alike were at fever pitch.

So difficult was Werman’s job, and so poor was the relationship between Dokken and Lynch, that he came up with a schedule to separate the parties at all times. Lynch, along with Brown and Pilson, would record during the day, while Dokken would come in and record on his own at night. It’s interesting that this arrangement, the fact that Lynch and Pilson never saw each other during the recording process, carried on for the entirety of their time together in the band, not just this album".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Tooth and Nail” by Dokken, the band’s 2nd studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘I believed your deadly lies’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"Judas Priest’s albums to this point were for the most part excellent and there are plenty of terrific songs on them. Many of them appear on this album. And it is not until you hear them here that you understand just how good those songs are, because they are all improved immeasurably on stage. They are played at a faster tempo, they are louder, and the guitars of Tipton and Downing are superb, flailing their licks and solos in strident support. The rhythm of Ian Hill’s bass is deep and booming and Les Binks’ drums ring through perfectly. Mixed with the screaming vocals of Halford and you have an atmosphere that brings every angle of these songs to a more positive end.

The first side of this album to me is perfect, indeed the equal of any other opening side of a live album ever produced. Opening with the brilliance of “Exciter”, Halford reigns in the crowd with his call of “fall to your knees and repent if you please!” while the duelling guitars of Tipton and Downing excel. This is followed by an amazing version of “Running Wild” which for me is almost the highlight of the album, as it really brings this song to life. The studio version on “Killing Machine” is terrific, but it is this live album that makes it the kind of going-out-and-party anthem that should be sung at the top of your voice as you walk between pubs on a Friday night"

On this episode we are going to talk about “Unleashed in the East” by Judas Priest, the band’s debut live album released 45 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘I move as fast as I can, I like to get around’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"It was during this period of Kisstory that Simmons had almost checked out from the band. He was pursuing an acting career, with small roles funnelling into a lead villain role in the Tom Selleck film “Runaway”. His relationships with band and members were said to be at an all-time low, and Stanley was more or less left to run the ship himself. In his book “Face the Music”, Stanley wrote "Gene had basically disappeared by that point. I felt abandoned when it came time to make Animalize. After informing me without any warning or discussion that he wouldn't be around for the album, Gene went into a studio and crapped out some demos as fast as he could. Then he was off to do a movie. He left me with a pile of mostly unusable junk."

With Stanley now left with the responsibility of songwriting, production and direction of the new album, as well as coming up with the TITLE of the album, the band, or at least pieces of them, moved to the studio to create what would become their 12th studio album titled “Animalize”".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Animalize” by Kiss, the band’s 12th studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘you feel my heat takin' you higher, burn with me, heaven's on fire’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"This formation of the band then went into the studio and began the process of writing and recording for their follow up to “Ceremony”. There had been an upward rise in the success of The Cult’s album’s since their debut, but whether or not this led to any pressure in the process is open to question. The return of Bob Rock, who had been the producer for “Sonic Temple” but was tied up with Metallica when the band was recording “Ceremony” which was instead produced by Richie Zito, brought about confidence that this album would again reach the heights that the ban and its fans were looking for. The album is often referred to as the ‘black sheep’ album due to the image on the front cover. Ian Astbury in interviews after the album had been released was quoted as saying that the lyrics he wrote contribute to a ‘very personal and very revealing’ selection of songs about subjects ranging from his sexual abuse at the age of 15, his directionless youth in Glasgow in the late 1970’s, and his deep feelings about the death of Nigel Preston. All of this adds up to an album that pushed the boundaries of what the band had done before, and which became their self-titled sixth release".

On this episode we are going to talk about “The Cult” by The Cult, the band’s 6th studio album released 30 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘The things you say are not ok, I'm not the prodigal son, I'm not the chosen one’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"Two months later, Astbury teamed up with a guitarist by the name of Billy Duffy. Duffy had played in bands such as the Nosebleeds (along with Morrissey, later of the Smiths), Lonesome No More and then Theatre of Hate. Also recruited were bassist Jamie Stewart and drummer Ray Mondo, both from the post-punk band, Ritual. They called themselves Death Cult, a short trip from that first band name, touring mainland Europe and releasing the “Death Cult” self-titled EP. Nigel Preston replaced Mondo on drums, and further touring continued. In January 1984, prior to appearing on a music TV program, the band decided to change their name to simply “The Cult”, believing it would create broader appeal.

The band had been writing prolifically since they had come together and had many songs ready for their eventual journey into the studio in April 1984 to record their debut album".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Dreamtime” by The Cult, the band’s debut studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘all the children kiss the sun before they sing their last song’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"“The Warning” signalled the first full album release from Queensrÿche, following the release of their EP the previous year. That EP had been full of the kind of material that heavy metal fans look for, and its short sharp burst had fans keyed up to see what would come from the band on their fledgling debut opus.

It is obvious early on that while the EP had been packed full of the kinds of riffs and solos that set the mouth-watering, “The Warning” does not go down that same metal path, though my thoughts do tend to be different from many of the so-called experts. To me this is a much more progressive kind of album than straight out heavy metal, and yet many out there think exactly the opposite. And yet I believe there is a greater variety of tunes here, with the band not afraid to put in parts that are much softer and quieter than a traditional metal band would do. And while there are some great riffs and solos here, they don't really match that initial fury of what was produced on that four-track starter. Now that is not to suggest this album therefore doesn't cut it. In fact, there are some great songs here, but some come here looking for more songs that could be directly attributed to those first songs than what we find here on this album".

On this episode we are going to talk about “The Warning” by Queensrÿche, the band’s debut studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘most of this is memory now, I've gone too far to turn back now’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"For those who have not heard Mercyful Fate before, it tends to be the vocals of the amazing King Diamond that becomes the most difficult part of the music to comprehend, or sometimes even get past. And to get past it is an amazingly rewarding experience. One of the best pieces of advice I have heard in regard to listening to Mercyful Fate is that you have to just ‘go with it’. Don’t just immediately cast it side because the vocals scare you off. I said the same thing on the episode dedicated to the album “Melissa”. Over time the vocals will fit, you just have to ‘go with it’. Because the music itself is more than enough to make you a fan of this band and especially this album. Believe me, King Diamond and his vocal style will soon be a favourite for you. His singing on this album is a huge jump forward from the debut album as well, he isn’t just throwing those high pitched squeals and screams in at a random place because he can, they are more structured within each song on “Don’t Break the Oath”".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Don’t Break the Oath” by Mercyful Fate, the band’s 2nd studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘when the black Book appeared the Lights were dim, but the Face in the Book was in Daylight’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"With the departure of Atkins, Downing and Hill went out and recruited two new members, drummer John Hinch and his lead singer from his band, Rob Halford, who was also the brother of Hill’s then girlfriend. The band then played gigs all through 1973, and in 1974 made their first tour of Europe, all still without a record contract. On their return to England in April of 1974, they signed a deal with Gull Records, and began preparations to record their debut album. It was at this time that the band decided to fill out the group with a second guitarist, and so recruited Glenn Tipton to join the band. However, as this came at the time when the songwriting had been completed, his contributions to this album were minimal, and would become more important down the track.

And so, after five years, one dissolution, one rebirth, countless changes in personnel and a long apprenticeship on the gigging tour, Judas Priest finally had their chance to show what they had to offer on vinyl, with the album that became their debut opus, “Rocka Rolla”".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Rocka Rolla” by Judas Priest, the band’s debut studio album released 50 years ago this week, on today’s episode where we ask ‘where would you be without music, you would be nowhere at all’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"This has been a very long winded explanation of my discovery of this album, but I feel it is important, because of the momentous occasion that it was. It was my first Iron Maiden album, and first experience of both the band and heavy metal as a genre. Is it a simple and accurate statement to say that my life changed that day forever? Probably, but a more accurate one was that over the proceeding eight weeks of the summer holidays of 1985/86 my whole world changed. The album grew with me at different stages, the rollicking opening of “Aces High” and the intangible opera of “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” the first to cast me under their spell. Then came that middle solo sequence of the title track, one that is still so amazing to the present day. The urgent charging of both “2 Minutes to Midnight” and “Flash of the Blade”, driving relentlessly forward. The utter bombasticness of “Back in the Village”, and the amazing instrumental influences of “Losfer Words”. And finally, the sheer underrated brilliance of “The Duellists”, once again through that middle solo section with the three guitarists and the drummer putting together an amazingly connected interlude. Each piece of that puzzle came to me in different times, and eventually combined to become the whole, the album that is “Powerslave”".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Powerslave” by Iron Maiden, the band’s 5th studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘the reasons for the carnage cut their meat and lick the gravy’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"The title “Risk” apparently came about from a quote by Lars Ulrich, either in a magazine article or a TV interview, where he claimed that Mustaine and Megadeth had to take more risks with their music if they wanted to achieve the kind of success that Metallica had. Well thanks very much for that Lars, way to stuff up TWO bands for the price of one.

With the disastrous direction (in my own opinion) Metallica had taken on their last two studio albums “Load” and “Reload”, the announcement of a new Megadeth album had been a welcome relief. It was a great feeling to know that I could expect more of the same from this band, that no matter how bad things were getting, there was no way Megadeth could record an album as uninteresting and boring as “Reload”. Wrong. Dave Mustaine was apparently quoted as saying “If anyone else’s name was on the cover of this album, it would have sold millions”. Also wrong"

On this episode we are going to talk about “Risk” by Megadeth, the band’s 8th studio album released 25 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘I'm running in quicksand, something's haunting me’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"As a result of this, the management cancelled Motley Crue’s tour of Europe in 1988. In fact, they held what was basically an intervention to tell the band this news, and that they would have to change their ways if they were going to change the course of their lives. Following this, all four members of the band entered drug rehabilitation in order to kick their habits and move forward as a band.

Once they all came out having completed their time, Motley Crue faced a clear vision of the immediate future, certainly clearer of mind. And the writing and recording of their new album to follow up “Girls Girls Girls” became their main prerogative. Along with clear minds, the band also brought in Bob Rock to produce the album. Rock of course was currently on an upward trajectory having been involved in engineering the recent blockbuster albums by Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, and in producing the albums by Blue Murder and The Cult. He made two decisions when it came to recording this album that were to be direct factors on its success. Firstly, the band relocated to a studio in Vancouver in Canada, in order to get the band away from the influences that were obvious in their hometown. Secondly, each of the members performances on the album were recorded individually without the other members in the studio. This came about firstly to reduce the infighting that was a regular occurrence with the band in the studio, but also in order to focus on each individual’s performance and allow them to do so without the usual distractions".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Dr. Feelgood” by Motley Crue, the band’s 5th studio album released 35 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘I used to call her Cindy, she changed her name to Sin’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"The middle of the album doesn’t quite maintain this energy, with songs that change from the successful style of the opening, and probably overstay their welcome by being both too long and less engaging. “Malaria” is five and a half minutes of drum machine like rhythm and chanting of the song title in a long drawn out fashion that incites boredom rather than status quo. This is followed by the one real song on the album that disappoints. And – yep, you guessed it – it's the ballad. And you can’t miss it, because the title of the track is “The Ballad of Jayne”. And yes, it was released as a single, and yes it became the highest charting single by the band, number 33 on the US charts. And the video was all over MTV. But you know, is that the purpose it serves? And is that worth it for the record company and band management? Take that song off the album (and when I recorded this album to cassette back in the day I did) and this album is INFINITELY better. OK, they perform it well, and some out there may like it. Good luck to you if you do."

On this episode we are going to talk about “Cocked & Loaded” by L.A. Guns, the band’s 2nd studio album released 35 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘it’s never enough just to hold you, it’s never enough just to please you’ on Music from a Lifetime.

To cover for not being able to tour in 1976 the band released the concert film “The Song Remains the Same” along with the live album to accompany it, but the reception was lukewarm at best. A 1977 tour of the US saw big crowds in attendance, but it was then cut short by the news of the death of Plant's five-year-old son due to a stomach virus. It put the band on an indefinite hiatus.

It wasn’t until another 15 months had passed that the band reconvened and began to write and record their next album, and even that was made difficult through events. The album was named to describe its struggles after the death of Plant's son and the taxation exile the band took from the UK which resulted in the band being unable to tour on British soil for more than two years, and trying to get back into the public mind was therefore like "trying to get in through the 'out' door." And thus became the start of Led Zeppelin’s determined course to lift its profile once again, one that ultimately came to signal the end of more things than was expected.

On this episode we are going to talk about “In Through the Out Door” by Led Zeppelin, the band’s 8th and final studio album released 45 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘you swore that you never would leave me baby, whatever happened to you?’ on Music from a Lifetime.

Hi there, and welcome to Music from a Lifetime, and our next episode of 12-18-21-30-40-NOW!

These are the episodes of this podcast where our guest is interviewed about specific ages of their life and what was happening at that time. We also discuss how music is involved in those different stages of their life, and what songs remind them most of that time of their life. The ages that we discuss on each episode are 12 years of age, 18 years of age, 21 years of age, 30 years of age, 40 years of age, and then the present day. And thus comes the title of the episodes. “12-18-21-30-40-NOW!”

The hope is to mix interesting tales of life from different people, and to mix in the soundtrack of their lives to make what should become award winning podcast episodes.

Thanks for tuning in to today’s episode of “12-18-21-30-40-NOW!”, right here on Music from a Lifetime.

"“Anytime” is the full-blown radio attention seeking missile directly written in order to find a way to crack the commercial market. It’s a rock ballad, in the mould of Kiss and Whitesnake looking to gain as much radio airplay as possible, and no it isn’t horrible, but it is certainly skip worthy. Michael Schenker had flirted with this direction since he joined with Robin in their partnership, and this was what they were hoping for, a hard rock-based album with enough moments for Schenker to show he could still shred when he wanted to, but with an agenda to find that marketplace breakthrough with a song like this. Individual tastes will dictate how much you enjoy it. Add this alongside “This is My Heart”, the third single released from the album, is a more hard rock version of a similar style, but Robin’s vocals hold the soft rock ballad style even while Schenker tries to riff hard during the middle of the track. There’s a little each way when it comes to this song, trying to please both sides of the argument".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Save Yourself” by the McAuley Schenker Group, the band’s 2nd studio album released 35 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘we shout the truth, metal's here to claim the day’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"Debut albums can sometimes be difficult, especially when it comes to ‘discussions’ between the band and the record company. Initially the band wanted to have the album named “Winged Assassins”, something that some fans still refer to it as today and was printed on the spine of original release vinyl albums in Europe. Beyond this, the real controversy prior to the album coming out was the song “Animal (F**k Like a Beast)”. This song was due to appear on the album as the lead off track, and as the first single from the album. However, there were a lot of problems getting that off the ground. Under enormous pressure from groups such as the infamous PMRC, and the threat that the album would not be made available for sale in the big US department store, which was a huge thing in those days, Capitol Records withdrew the song from the album and refused to release it as a single. It did get a release in the UK through Music for Nations, and, surprisingly enough, was hugely sought after as an import in the US. Eventually in 1998 when the back catalogue was remastered, “Animal” was returned to the album as the opening track. However, for us traditionalists, in our minds it does not appear on the debut album."

On this episode we are going to talk about “W.A.S.P.” by W.A.S.P., the band’s debut studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘all night, you damn the hurt and pain, and drink the devils rain, it's screaming out your name’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"From this position so far away from those days themselves, it seems incomprehensible that Paul Di’Anno, who had been the popular and enigmatic lead singer of the biggest band of the NWoBHM era, could possibly be out of work for very long. No matter what the reasons for his dismissal had been, here was a frontman that any band out there must have been considering as a perfect fit for their sound. Or, on the other hand, if Paul himself decided that he wanted to build a band himself, surely there had to be musicians and record companies falling over themselves to become involved with him. It seems impossible to think that he could be away from the music scene for very long".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Di’Anno” by Di’Anno, the band’s debut studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘she's a heart user, no time for losers’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"Opinions vary on every subject – Flynn's voice is really bland and annoying, or is the perfect mixture of rage and spiritual. The songs are a mixture of mid-paced progression with groove parts and too clean parts, or have perfectly encapsulated the rise of the groove riff of Pantera and incorporated it into this next level performance. There is a recurring stop-and-go technique on the guitars that sounds unflowing and horrible, or is a great combination of the heavier riff and thrash overtones that blend with the grunge characteristics still being felt in the world. The songs are too long and boring with vocals that are not angry at all but just weak, or the songs draw on the world as Rob Flynn sees it and are a battement of the truth into the lyrics. This pretty much sums up the arguments for and against this album in particular over the years when it has come up in conversation with various groups of people that I have met through music relationships. Whatever you may wish to try and define this album as - groove metal, grunge metal, thrash metal... or perhaps just metal? - this is the grade variant that comes across when listening to the album".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Burn My Eyes” by Machine Head, the band’s debut studio album released 30 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘I'll never live in the past, let freedom ring with a shotgun blast’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"To a certain extent, that IS what Testament do on this album, but to suggest they were trying to follow Metallica’s lead can’t be concluded. For a start, guitarist Alex Skolnick himself was not just a thrash metal guitarist, having also been one of a long line of amazing guitarists that had their start under the tutelage of Joe Satriani. There is little doubt that the songs that Alex was beginning to write by this stage of the band’s career were ones where he was looking to inject more of his technical proficiency on his instruments into the songs, rather than just being called done of the ‘fastest’ guitarists in the world. So his influence, let alone any other of the writers in the band, saw him looking to expand their pure thrash roots into a band that had songs that may not be as fast as they had played before, but sounded brilliant through their skills involved. As well as this, having now toured extensively over the course of the previous two years, the band had begun to have more worldly views, seen things that peaked their interest, and gave them ideas on what to write songs on that differed from what they had written on the first two albums. And look, there are enough similarities here for someone to point out and suggest the similarities here are too close not to be deliberate. But while it would be easy to say ‘Testament was following Metallica’, it is perhaps more accurate to suggest that by this third album, the band had matured and wanted to expand its horizons, an evolutionary path that other bands had already followed for the same reasons. Or, maybe I’m just looking for reasons not to state the obvious. As always, everyone is entitled to their opinion".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Practice What You Preach” by Testament, the band’s 3rd studio album released 35 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘the promises you make, your mind goes blank, and then you lose control’ of Music from a Lifetime.

Welcome to today's bonus episode, titled The Danzig Retrospective.

Along with my erstwhile companion Steve, a lifelong Danzig fan, today's episode will discuss all 12 of Danzig's studio albums, and we will give our personal rankings from 12 to 1, with light hearted conversation and the love of music along the way.

So if you've ever wondered just what Danzig the band is like, or are a fan just waiting to shout at the speakers 'you're rankings are WRONG!" Then why not listen in to today's episode that has a little twist of cain about it, on Music from a Lifetime.

"On your first listen to the album, the change in direction of the band from their earlier albums is distinctly noticeable. There is far less of the fantasy in the lyrics and far more about... well... the pursuits of young men. And the overall style of the songs trends to the more commercial sound of American radio than soaring heavy metal anthems. And it is true that the Blackmore/Dio partnership did have songs that moved in that kind of direction - “Snake Charmer”, “Do You Close Your Eyes” and “L.A. Connection” for instance – they were few and far between.

But once you have heard the entirety of “Down to Earth”, you can hear exactly why Dio moved on from the band, and what Blackmore was hoping to produce as his overall direction for the band to take. And then you have the titles of the majority of the songs on this album, and it doesn’t take too much imagination to guess just what market Blackmore and his band were targeting. “All Night Long”, “No Time to Lose”, “Makin’ Love”, “Since You Been Gone”, “Love’s No Friend”, “Danger Zone”. There’s a bit of difference from these songs to titles such as “Stargazer”, “Tarot Woman”, “A Light in the Black”, “Gates of Babylon”, “Kill the King”, “Man on the Silver Mountain”. So yes, a big change in output, and a big change in direction lyrically and musically".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Down to Earth” by Rainbow, the band’s 4th studio album released 45 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘you ain't got a lot to say, judging by the things you do’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"On the back of this success, there was never any doubt that the band’s management and record company were going to insist that they get back into the studio as soon as possible and record a follow up album at their earliest possible convenience. Number 1 albums don’t come along too often, and when they do, you want to follow it up with another one. However, as has been shown countless times over the last half century or more, following up a successful or critically acclaimed album is just not the easiest thing in the world to do, and it does require the right approach. In the case of Quiet Riot, the question probably had to be asked - with so much to live up to after the phenomenal success of that previous album, and yet given the good vibes that followed it, you should be able to expect some good stuff from the follow-up... right?"

On this episode we are going to talk about “Condition Critical” by Quiet Riot, the band’s 4th studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s ‘we're all crazy now’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"Shifting onto Side 2 of the album, and the goodness just keeps on coming. Opening up with the brilliant "Trapped Under Ice", the speed returns in true style and hammers along with glee. The hugely underrated "Escape" follows. It seems to be a song that has slipped through the cracks of Metallica folklore, and I for one have never really understood that. Hetfield's vocals in particular are great in this song. Perhaps part of the reason for this song's undervalue is that it is followed by "Creeping Death", certainly one of Metallica's most favoured. Forty years later it is still as good as it was back in the day. A gem.

The closing song on the album is the second of the two songs that helped Metallica pull away from the crowd. The instrumental "The Call of Ktulu" is an amazing song, combining every great aspect of the Metallica legacy. It too combines those clean guitars with the thrash and heavy metal throughout different stages of the song, telling its own tales even without lyrics to do so. The building crescendo to finish the album is majestic, and puts an exclamation mark on what is a classic album"

On this episode we are going to talk about “Ride the Lightning” by Metallica, the band’s 2nd studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s ‘guilty as charged, but dammit it ain’t right’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"Rather than push hard to make these albums successful – you know, like a record company’s JOB is – they instead decided to push the band’s management to firstly replace lead singer Bon Scott (yep, that would have been a great move), and eventually pushed them to change their producers. The problem with that of course is that the band’s producers for all of their albums had been Harry Vanda and George Young – yep, Malcolm and Angus’s older brother George. Now that seems like a story that wasn’t going to end well. Atlantic’s representative flew to Sydney, and told George that for the record company to continue to invest in AC/DC, he would need to accede to their wishes, something he grudgingly agreed to. Atlantic then brought in Eddie Kramer, who had produced albums for Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Kiss, and was no doubt someone they thought could produce an album to their liking. The problem was, Kramer and the band did not gel, and it eventually came out that Malcolm and Angus were sending demos of the sessions back to George in Australia, who was obviously critiquing them harshly".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC, the band’s 6th studio album released 45 years ago this week, on today’s ‘it’s criminal, there ought to be a law’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"Then you have the Alice songs that continue this drive but draw upon more recent ideals as well. “This Maniac’s in Love with You” draws on the fun and menacing side of Alice from the previous two albums, more a statement of Alice’s proclamation of love and the warning of that in the same breath. Then you have the closing track “I’m Your Gun”, the double-entendre laden song that became a hallmark of some of his most popular tracks from the late 1980’s albums. Middle class songs that play the role of advancing the album beyond the big tracks. And the title track “Trash” finds itself in this category as well, a fun filled upbeat song with Jon Bon Jovi joining in along the way.

Filling in the gaps between all these are other top shelf songs. “Spark in the Dark” gets the album moving after the opening track, a typically crafted Desmond Child song with Alice playing his alter ago to perfection throughout. “House of Fire” utilises Cooper’s anthemic style again, with chorused backing vocals helping him along, along with Joe Perry’s excellent solo slot on guitar. And “Why Trust You” is arguably my favourite track on the album. It moves at the best tempo, it has Alice at his moody best, and it sounds light and fun even when lyrically he is spitting venom. Modern Alice at his very best".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Trash” by Alice Cooper, his 11th solo studio album released 35 years ago this week, on today’s ‘don't matter what you say, no matter what you do, as long as it is me and you’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"This has all of the right attributes to be a terrific heavy metal album but does tend to come across as a bit lighter than it should. It is caught somewhere between wanting to be an out-and-out heavy metal album, or one that is heavy but still accessible to the commercial market. Certainly, the production makes it feel this way, which is supported by comments made by John Bush and Joey Vera a few years ago. Vera commented in 2006 with fullinbloom music that “At the end of the record we were very unhappy with the production, the mix, the way we worked and who we worked with. And the producer and manager let us spend over $300,000 on our first record. To this day we are still in debt for that one”

This is fairly obvious in most of the songs, that you reach a point where you really expect it to delve into a heavy riff or riffs, but it continues along at a far more subtle lineage. This only hampers the album for those that are looking for more grunt that is available. No doubt at the time it was released, the fans would have expected something more akin to the debut albums of Metallica and Exodus for example, the bands they had been their peers in that scene at the time".

On this episode we are going to talk about “March of the Saint” by Armored Saint, the band’s debut studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘we shout the truth, metal's here to claim the day’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"It is interesting that this album became the band’s highest charting album in the US, which to me was more through the general build of the three very good albums before it. It feels as though that peaked here with “In Rock We Trust”, and that people bought the album because of the albums that preceded it. Because to me, this album does not rate above those.

The positives here is that Dave Meniketti’s vocals are terrific on this album. I have always enjoyed his voice and the way he sings his songs, and that is no different here. And the core group all sound good as well. But the songs... well, they just don’t cut it overall. To me this isn’t a bad album as such, it’s just an average album. And more than that, in places it is just dull. This album, and the band overall, is trapped in an era where hard rock had transitioned to becoming glam metal for the attention and grandiose spectacle that was necessary to gain an audience, and where the new wave of heavy metal was moving at full throttle towards thrash metal, and this doesn’t touch either of those elements. Are there good songs? Yeeeeeessss. Are there more unremarkable songs? Yes. It’s interesting that they skewed more towards the glam rock side with their 1987 album “Contagious”, which perhaps was the right step but a little too late".

On this episode we are going to talk about “In Rock We Trust” by Y&T, the band’s 6th studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s ‘time has made you just a memory’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"The arrival of Stryper on the music scene in the early 1980’s is an interesting story of returning to one’s faith and building a band around those beliefs in an industry that on the surface appeared to have little of that about it. The band itself began under the name Roxx Regime in 1983, the double x in Roxx showcasing the era of the band and the direction their music was going to take.

On formation the band looked to be a straight-out glam metal band, with brothers Michael and Robert Sweet the core. A number of soon-to-be-famous guitar players, including Doug Aldrich and C.C. de Ville, all had short stints in the band before the arrival of Oz Fox who became a permanent member of the group. At around this time they began to write songs that reflected the band members Christian beliefs, and this was the direction they followed from that point onwards".

On this episode we are going to talk about “The Yellow and Black Attack” by Stryper, the band’s debut studio EP album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s ‘that's why I wrote this song, to sing to pushin' fools’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

Hi there, and welcome to Music from a Lifetime, where today we road test a new segment on this podcast, one that I hope takes off and grows legs of its own. The idea of the format is not unique, and I have borrowed aspects of other shows that have done a similar thing over the years. So for those that find a similarity to other shows or programs remember… not stealing, borrowing… and putting my own spin on the concept.

This concept started 18 months ago on another of my podcasts, Thoughts from the Metal Cavern. And what I will be doing is adding new episodes here on this podcast.

What I’m hoping to do is do a series of interviews, a different person each episode. And on each episode we are not only going to revisit different times of their lives, but also talk about music, and just what bands and songs were influencing their lives at that time of their lives.

And the times of their lives will be the same. 12 years of age. 18 years of age. 21 years of age. All three considered ‘milestones’ when growing up. And then we will fast forward to 30 years of age, 40 years of age… and then to the present day.

The hope is to mix interesting tales of life from different people, and to mix in the soundtrack of their lives to make what should become award winning podcast episodes. At least, if the host can find the right stories.

So that is what you are in for today, the first of what could be many of no more of the segment I’ve called “12-18-21-30-40-NOW!”.

What you will hear today was the first episode I recorded of this idea, from back in January 2023. So I hope you enjoy it, and that you excuse the bumps along the way, as I’m still feeling my way through the concept.

And with that in mind, let’s get stuck in, to today's episode of 12-18-21-30-40-NOW! right here on Music from a Lifetime

"In 1994 came the film “Airheads”, starring Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi and Adam Sandler, along with other terrific actors and some musical cameos as well. It tells the tale of a band who are trying to get signed for a record contract but can’t seem to crack the system, and so in trying to get their latest single some airplay they accidently find they have taken over the radio station hostage, and as they say in the classics, ‘hilarity ensues’. I still love the film, I still laugh in all the right places, and the fact that the lead actor is now an Academy Award winner is even more fitting.

With movies like this, the soundtrack is important in setting the scene and the mood throughout, and having watched the film and enjoyed the music, I decided to go out and buy the soundtrack to the album, based mainly on the song that plays over the opening titles, and the song that acts as the single that the band in question are trying to get airplay for in the movie. And as with all soundtracks to movies like this, you should expect to get some cream and some crud".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Airheads” the original soundtrack album of the movie of the same name, released 30 years ago this week, on today’s ‘born to raise hell’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"Flash forward four years, and after another two seminal albums, Iron Maiden are again on a break after their “Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour”. This time around it is Adrian who is looking to fill in his time, although on this occasion it is to write and record an album outside of the Iron Maiden scope. In recruiting members for what would become Adrian Smith and Project, shortened to A.S.a.P, he decided to go with the core of those who had been a part of those session four years earlier – Andy Barnett and Dave Colwell on guitars and support vocals. Robin Clayton came on board to play bass, while another former member of Urchin, Richard Young, took on the keyboards. Adrian had wanted Nicko to retain his place as drummer of the band, but as he was in the process of getting married, he was unavailable to join up. Instead, Adrian found a willing ally in Zak Starkey, son of another reasonably famous drummer from another band, Richard Starkey. Adrian himself, along with playing guitar, also became lead vocalist of the project. And so was born he side project and the album that became “Silver and Gold”"

On this episode we are going to talk about “Silver and Gold” by A.S.a.P, (Adrian Smith and Project), the band’s only studio album released 35 years ago this week, on today’s ‘destiny was calling me, I would never be the same’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"The crafting of the album and the story required a great deal of planning, and indeed in the long run Alice utilised several different producers for different parts of the album and story, in order to get the kind of sonic atmosphere and theatrical environment that he felt was required to make this album work.

This led to Alice using Andy Wallace for the bookended tracks that open and close the show and the album, “Sideshow” and “Cleansed by Fire”. Much like a stage musical, these tracks take on the role of introducing the story, and then finishing off the tale, and Wallace’s style was perfect for this. He was also involved in the two tracks in which Chris Cornell contributed vocals, the beautiful ballad-esque “Stolen Prayer” and the more bombastic “Unholy War”, written solely by Cornell himself. Cornell’s backing vocals in “Stolen Prayer” are perfectly attuned to the track and worth the journey of this album alone.

Then there was the contributions of producer Don Fleming who handled the ‘street-tough’ sound required for the tracks that followed the opening of the album, “Nothing’s Free”, “Lost in America” and “Bad Place Alone”, which needed a particular aural vocal style to fill its place within the concept, and it is performed beautifully by Alice here".

On this episode we are going to talk about “The Last Temptation” by Alice Cooper, the band’s 6th studio album released 30 years ago this week, on today’s ‘she doesn't have a prayer and I'm no worse for wear’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"Given my love for the early albums of this bands – nay, not love, obsession – you would expect that I was waiting expectantly on my local record stores doorstep waiting for the door to open on the day that this was released. Well, you would be well mistaken. Because after the release of “Chameleon”, I gave up on Helloween ever recovering, and promptly dismissed them from my mind. Then the terrible years of 1994 and 1995 took two years from my life, and it wasn’t until late in 1996 that I actually returned to my favourite record store, Utopia Records, with a life in balance and money in my account ready to spend on some new albums. On this particular day, and with no knowledge of what had happened to Helloween over the preceding three years, I discovered that in my time away, they had released TWO new studio albums, and also a double live album. With my bad memories of what had been produced on their previous two albums now having dissipated far enough back into the mist of time, I bought all three immediately, and climbed back onto the train with my other purchases for the short trip back to home, anxious to listen to all of the albums I had found. So it wasn’t until 2.5 years AFTER this album was released that I actually heard it for the first time. And it blew me away".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Master of the Rings” by Helloween, the band’s 6th studio album released 30 years ago this week, on today’s ‘yes I am, I am a perfect gentleman’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"With a new worldwide record deal secured following this release, the rejuvenated four piece went about the task of writing and recording their first album with wholly new material since 1990’s “Detonator” album. After a break of nine years, and with the music industry having been through a great deal of upheaval over that period of time, it was always going to be interesting to hear just what the band would come up with for what could essentially be regarded as their comeback album. To throw more confusion into the mix, the band decided that the album title would be “Ratt”, which while being the band’s name, was also the name of their first EP back in 1984. The dual naming was not to be the only confusion part of the new album when it finally reached the shop shelves".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Ratt” by Ratt, the band’s 7th studio album released 25 years ago this week, on today’s ‘she doesn't have a prayer and I'm no worse for wear’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"Back in Year 11 in high school, about six months after my friend group went from having a couple of people who had listened to heavy metal music before, to our entire cavalry being on board, we had an exchange student from the US turn up for a few months. Fortunately for us, Steve arrived bearing cassettes of his favourite bands and albums. Amongst them we were first introduced to bands such as Night Ranger and Ratt. And also the band Dio through the two cassettes he brought with him, “Holy Diver” and “The Last in Line”. And after we had ALL gotten copies of these albums on cassettes of our own, the joy and obsession with the band Dio began. For me, at least. And it is a love that has continued to grow over the almost 40 years since, and an obsession that has never died.

I can’t tell you how much I listened to this cassette, over and over again. It was a time in my life that I had so much going on in regard to school and sport, and the amount of music that was flooding my existence as a result of discovering heavy metal was immense. It was overload. Maiden, Metallica, Ozzy, Sabbath, Megadeth, Purple. And yet Dio still kept up with all of them, constantly on rotation in the car once I had my drivers licence, or at home in my bedroom on my portable tape deck. This and “Holy Diver” just kept being played. And I never got sick of them. I knew every note, every word, every nuance of this album, singing along on the invisible microphone, playing guitar alongside Vivian on my cricket bat. Man I loved this album. Wait... what I mean is... man, I LOVE this album".

On this episode we are going to talk about “The Last in Line” by Dio, the band’s 2nd studio album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s ‘two eyes from the east, it’s the angel or the beast’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

Today marks three years since I started recording this podcast, and so I thought that for this episode I would take the opportunity to share some thoughts with everyone about what goes on in my head when I think about it.

It's my fireside chat, from me to you, to answer some of the questions I have had over the years that hopefully will be of some interest. I talk about how I came to start recording this podcast, the history behind it and the motivation. I talk about how it is structured and the fun I have in doing it. You can also hear about plans for the future... if the podcast lasts that long.

It's not an essential episode, just me talking for 45 minutes. If that doesn't suit, ignore and move on. If it does, I hope it provides some interest.

Thanks for tuning in, and here we go again, on Music from a Lifetime.

"This album was taken from recordings over two consecutive nights at the Edinburgh Playhouse in Scotland in November 1988. The seven songs featured here cover the three full studio albums that Helloween had released to this point. And each of them are perfectly brilliant versions of the songs, with the band and its members all firing on all cylinders. Each brought the right attitude and sense of occasion to each song. The sense of fun in the lyrics of "Dr Stein" and "Rise and Fall" come through perfectly in this live setting, with lead vocalist Michael Kiske playing the perfect role. "A Little Time" and "Future World" sound just as good as their studio versions, powerful and forthright in the rhythm section of drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg and bass guitarist Marcus Grosskopf, setting the platform for the star guitarists in Michael Weikath and Kai Hansen to lay down their riffs and solo pieces. The soaring melodic tones of both guitars and Kiske’s vocals during "We Got the Right" send chills down the spine, which is repeated in the closing "How Many Tears", with Kiske wringing every last piece of angst and passion out of the song. It is an amazing version of this already brilliant song, and a version that perhaps has never been bettered. Just brilliant. And of course there is “I Want Out”, the forever fan favourite that again is a perfect rendition here on this live album".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Live in the UK” by Helloween, the band’s debut live album released 35 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘how many tears flow away to become a sea of fears’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"Back in my all-too-short university days, where I absolutely did not do enough work to come close to passing certain subjects, and during which I was not in the happiest mood of my life, the Michael Schenke Group was one of those artists that I grabbed onto hard, and who got me through a lot of dark days during that 18 month period. I first had three songs from this album taped onto the end of a cassette that my heavy metal music dealer had made for me of another album, the title of which has faded into the mists of time. But I remember those songs well, and how much I enjoyed them. I then happened upon this album at my favourite second hand store, Illawarra Books and Records, in that first year of uni, and it kept me company at home and in the car for a year afterwards. It is basically a best of album of the band, but performed live, and I loved every song on it. This, alongside “Built to Destroy” and “Assault Attack” were my constant companions during that era". On this episode we are going to talk about “Rock Will Never Die” by the Michael Schenker Group, the band’s 2nd live album released 40 years ago this week, on today’s ‘time after time, you can see him’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"The band sounds great. Tom Naumann and Stefan Leibing on guitars do a great job and have some excellent moments when soloing. The rhythm of drummer Klaus Sperling and band leader Matt Sinner on bass is solid throughout and provide the platform, but for me it is perhaps just a bit too regimented for my liking. The double kick drums keep an even tempo throughout, which is probably just missing a bit of excitement to help lift some songs out of the average. Trying to blend those high range vocals into the music being written is a tough task at any level. And this is where this just falls down a bit as well. Ralf Scheepers tends to sit back in a more comfortable vocal range than he has for some time throughout most of the album. As a result, it does give the songs a flatter feel musically, because we know what he is capable of. Perhaps in trying to keep his vocals in a safe zone with the songs he has cut out one of his best attributes". On this episode we are going to talk about “Jaws of Death” by the Primal Fear, the band’s 2nd studio album released 25 years ago this week, on today’s ‘what is this my final moment, is it real or fantasy?’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"By 1968, they discovered that the name Nazz was being used by Todd Rundgren, and along with believing that they needed a gimmick to increase the power and marketability of their music, they decided they needed another change. An urban legend suggested that the name the band came up with to change to, Alice Cooper, had come via a seance with a Ouija board. Furnier many years later in an interview suggested this was false. Instead, he said, "What if we sounded like we were somebody's aunt?" It was kind of like the all-American, sweet little old lady name. And I wasn't Alice Cooper. I was just the singer in the band Alice Cooper, like Manfred Mann. Pretty soon everybody called me Alice, they just assumed that the singer's name was Alice. So, at that point, I legally changed my name to Alice Cooper. It was a total outrage at the time. Now it's a household name"." On this episode we are going to talk about “Pretties for You” by the Alice Cooper Band, the band’s debut studio album released 55 years ago this week, on today’s ‘look upstanding with your head held high’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.

"A follow up with 1997’s “Shadowlife” saw the band move towards an alternate rock sound that appeared to not be as enjoyable to the band's fanbase, and had seen the tensions between Dokken and Lynch continue to escalate once again. Lynch’s behaviour had already seen the band dropped by their label due to him leaving a live radio broadcast moments before the band was supposed to play, and having pushed the band into the new musical direction he was quoted in an interview as saying "This is the perfect record. This is gonna be the end of Dokken, and that is what I wanted to accomplish”.

Suffice to say, Lynch was fired by the rest of the band after a long dispute, though he then tried to sue the band when they went on tour with a guitar replacement in Europe’s John Norum, an action that failed in court. After the tour, Norum was forced to leave due to other commitments, and so the band brought in former Winger and future Whitesnake guitarist Reb Beach as his replacement. Beach suited the band as he had been a prominent guitarist in the same 80’s era where Dokken had thrived, and so the foursome went into the studio to create their new album, aptly titled “Erase the Slate”."

On this episode we are going to talk about “Erase the Slate” by Dokken, the band’s 7th studio album released 25 years ago this week, on today’s ‘two eyes from the east, it’s the angel or the beast’ episode of Music from a Lifetime.