Bernie Tormé – ‘Final Fling’ (Self Release)

Bernie Tormé – ‘Final Fling’ (Self Release)

As the guitar dive bombs into a familiar sound, I have to be honest I had a lump in my throat but as soon as ‘Wild West’ unleashed its histrionics on my ears, I quickly decided that it was a great way to celebrate an iconic and much-loved exponent of the six-string and what better way to celebrate a life loved than in his natural environment – on stage banging out great Rock n Roll at high volume. Bernie Tormé was a Rock n Rolla from the moment he stepped out right up to his untimely departure on the eve of his 67th Birthday.

Tormé chose to let his music do the talking and naming his final tour – ‘Final Fling’ seems hauntingly prophetic now. The shows each night proved time and again that the Irishman had lost none of his joy of playing live, every night was the same in that he gave his all and it was always  – loud, brash, energetic, and did I say loud? and honest.

What you had live was the definition of power trio and after the decision not to record any of the shows, the band regretted not doing so – so loaded the gear into a live room and set up one more time to run through a set of classics numbers, spanning Tormé’s career. Featuring classics from across his solo career, as well as nods to his days in Ozzy Osbourne’s band and Gillan, ‘Final Fling’ captures the essence of what made Bernie Tormé so special.

The set list is of such a high pedigree with barnstorming takes on classics like ‘No Easy Way’ from his Gillan era as well as a few excellent Ozzy takes on ‘Mr Crowley’ and especially ‘Crazy Train’ complete with some dazzling guitar wizardry from those fingers. But if I was to pick a favourite over all the covers and tips of the hat to his past I’d go for the stunning ‘Star’ but the band is on fire on ‘Can’t Beat Rock n Roll’ and the Gillan era Elvis track ‘Trouble’ and this take of ‘New Orleans’ which always lit up a Gillan set. To be fair Tormé’s CV is quite exceptional from Ozzy and Gillan through his solo work or having Phil Lewis do some of his best work with Bernie or his time spend with Dee Snider through his solo material and the quite exceptional GMT line up Torme certainly saw it, bought the t-shirt and quite possibly played on the record.

Blow off some cobwebs on your speakers by blasting out this ‘Final Fling’ its exactly how a live recording should sound and having no audience is as it should be so Rest In Peace Mr Tormé and make sure there’s a Marshall stack and plenty of speakers up there for when you need to plug in and play on. Turn this bad boy up and let it rip!

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Author: Dom Daley

Sabbath – ‘SABOTAGE ESCAPE ROOM’

Sabbath – ‘SABOTAGE ESCAPE ROOM’

BLACK SABBATH CHALLENGE FANS WITH NEWLY CREATED ONLINE ‘SABOTAGE ESCAPE ROOM’

 

SABOTAGE: SUPER DELUXE EDITION

4-CD, 4-LP + 7-INCH  AVAILABLE NOW VIA BMG 

BMG pay tribute to Black Sabbath – with the release  of a collection that includes a newly remastered version of the band’s sixth studio album ‘Sabotage’ along with a complete live show recorded during the band’s 1975 tour.

SABOTAGE: SUPER DELUXE EDITION is available as a 4-CD set and a 4-LP set that includes the same music on 180-gram vinyl plus a bonus 7-inch with the single edit for “Am I Going Insane (Radio)” and “Hole In The Sky” on the flipside, with artwork replicating the very rare Japanese release of the single. Both the 4-CD and 4-LP versions are available now: Here

The newly remastered version of the original album is also available via digital download and streaming services. Click Here to listen to the newly remastered version of Am I Going Insane (Radio).

To commemorate this incredible release, BMG has partnered with Bewilder Box Ltd., creators of award-winning physical and digital escape room adventures and specialists in IP based puzzle gaming, to create an interactive online environment every Sabbath fan will love, the Sabotage: Escape Room

 

Enter the mysterious mirror world of Black Sabbath’s ‘Sabotage’ in this this mini online escape room game where your mission is to recover a copy of the coveted Sabotage: Super Deluxe Edition! Travel back in time to the 1970s and make your way through 15 minutes of mind-boggling Sabbath-themed puzzles, where only those with sharpest of wits and heaviest riffs will succeed.
Plug in your Gibson SG, turn your brain up to 11 and see if you’ve got what it takes to be The Prince of Smartness in the Sabotage: Deluxe Edition Escape Room.

Details to note :

·                It’s a single player browser game

·                Takes approx. 15 minutes to play

·                Filled with Sabbath themed challenges

·                Fans can preview album tracks and find secrets in the artwork

·                Mobile/tablet compatible but full computer/laptop recommended for best experience

·                Share your time on social channels using #SabbotageEscapeRoom

PLAY FOR FREE Here

 

 

Black Sabbath – ‘Sabotage’ (BMG)

Black Sabbath – ‘Sabotage’ (BMG)

Right, let’s start with what a box set should consist of.  Personally, I want something that’s going to wow me and have me waiting for the post in anticipation of its arrival.  Sure there are some that try to be innovative like the Keith Richards box sets with the elasticated straps and pouches but it’s called a box set for a reason and when they cost a pretty penny I want it housed in a sturdy box that will last.

 

I want it to look like a box, open like a box and contain extras like a nice book from the time period may be a replica laminate or some badges that type of thing and to be fair BMG deliver on the box set front and what you see is attention to detail and a quality finish for your hard-earned.  From the mini replica CD slipcases that house the disc in Japanese disco bags is a nice touch as is the tour poster but to give credit where its due is the book that’s packed with loving detail and really informative labour of love a real credit to the Sabbath catalogue and a box set well worth owning.

 

Originally released in 1975 (when Sabbath was worse for wear from certain substances and off the pitch wranglings so to speak), the album is so-called because the band felt the recording process was being sabotaged by their former manager Patrick Meehan. The band fired him as they felt they were being tucked up, and he sued them in turn, with lawyers serving writs to the band in the studio. The tales from all four in the band are well known, and the enclosed book expands on those stories.

The book contains very in-depth liner notes, and rare pictures, live shots and rare editions of the album. I think really helps when you can see the passion put into the release.

Then there are 4 CDs in card sleeves and the first is the original album, with its famous cover showing the band facing the same way in the mirror’s reflection. The original concept to signify sabotage was itself sabotaged (ie the black costumes not appearing before a rushed photo shoot) and it was too late to the change the idea, Bill Ward wearing his wife’s red leggings still makes me giggle as to how it makes him look and with it being on the album sleeve he must have been off his trolly.

The opening track Hole In The Sky is classic Sabbath, it’s a great riff, raw and heavy (something influenced by the tension in the studio caused by the legal issues). followed by the juxtaposed ‘Don’t Start’, an acoustic instrumental showcasing Iommi but something of an interlude for me and my love of instrumentals. Heavyweight ‘Symptom Of The Universe’ both in riff and quality of songwriting its classic Sabbath.

‘Megalomania’, is something of a marathon clocking in at 9 minutes. really is of its time as it ebbs and flows from piano with a progy touch, weird harmonies but always with one eye on that Sabbathcrunch and heaviness.

Having a 4 minute instrumental is also a bit dated and certainly of its time.  single is Am I Going Insane (Radio) is another swerve as it turns up the amps again before closing out on ‘The Writ’ again another lengthy number.

Possibly not as commercially accessible with some of the band’s other albums it is worthy of the expansion and maybe time will be kind to this album and people will indulge in the whole package and gaze upon this album with fresh eyes and of course ears.

Discs 2 and 3 are a live show from the 1975 ‘Sabotage’ tour of North American tour, previously unreleased in its entirety. It does have a bit of a high-quality bootleg feel to it having some of; ‘Volume 4’ tracks left in is great to hear alongside classic Sabbath tunes.

Modern rock fans might need to get their heads around having two jams that do go on a bit (13 minutes in fact)   guitar and drum solos intact and present respectively.

With no more bonus material or studio tunes that hit the cutting room floor available it only leaves disc 4 which is a replica of a Japanese single of ‘Am I Going Insane’ (Radio) / ‘Hole In The Sky’.

History is written of one of the least popular Sabbath original line up albums but with this loving upgrade it’s something that can stand shoulder to shoulder with previous lavish box sets from the Sabbath catalogue. Excellent packaging that really does justify its price tag. Hopefully, BMG will continue making the Sabbath Boxsets and seeing as there are only two more albums to cover of the original line up it would be a shame to stop now.

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Author: Dom Daley

Black Sabbath – ‘Sabotage’ – A Super Deluxe Edition

Black Sabbath – ‘Sabotage’ – A Super Deluxe Edition

BLACK SABBATH EXPANDS SABOTAGE

 

Super Deluxe Edition Of The Band’s Sixth Album Features Newly Remastered Original Plus A Complete Live Show Recorded During 1975 Tour

 

Both 4-CD And 4-LP + 7-Inch Versions Will Be Available From BMG On June 11

 

pre-order link here

Black Sabbath was embroiled in a protracted legal battle with its former manager in 1975 when the band started recording its sixth studio album, Sabotage. The group felt sabotaged at every turn – hence the album’s title – but that feeling helped fuel the intensity of the new music they were making. In spite of the distractions, the band created one of the most dynamic – and underappreciated – albums of its legendary career.

BMG pays tribute to the patron saints of heavy metal with a collection that includes a newly remastered version of the original album along with a complete live show recorded during the band’s 1975 tour. SABOTAGE: SUPER DELUXE EDITION will be available on June 11 as a 4-CD set and a 4-LP set that includes the same music on 180-gram vinyl plus a bonus 7-inch with the single edit for “Am I Going Insane (Radio)” and “Hole In The Sky” on the flipside, with artwork replicating the very rare Japanese release of the single. Both the 4-CD and 4-LP versions are available for pre-order now: Pre Orders

The newly remastered version of the original album will be available via digital download and streaming services on the same day. Click Here to listen to the newly remastered version of Am I Going Insane (Radio), available today digitally.

Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward recorded Sabotage in London and Brussels and co-produced the album with Mike Butcher. The eight songs were released first in the U.S. in July 1975, and then in the U.K. that September. Certified gold in America and Silver in the UK, Sabotage earned positive reviews for hard-hitting tracks like “Hole In The Sky” and “Symptom Of The Universe,” as well as more experimental music like “Supertzar,” which featured harp, Mellotron, and the English Chamber Choir.

SABOTAGE: SUPER DELUXE EDITION introduces 16 live tracks (13 of which are previously unreleased) that were recorded in 1975 during the quartet’s U.S. tour for the album. The performances include songs that span the group’s career, from the title track to its 1970 debut Black Sabbath to “Spiral Architect” and “Sabbra Cadabra” from its previous album, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973). Sabotage is represented as well with live takes of “Hole In The Sky” and “Megalomania.”

The music is accompanied by in-depth liner notes that tell the story of the album through quotes from band members and the music media along with rare photos and press clippings from the era. Also included in the package is a 1975 Madison Square Garden replica concert book and Sabotage 1975 Tour colour poster.

Photo of Sabbath by Sam Emerson

Pop Culture Schlock at RPM – Why Have Cotton When You Can Have Silk… Scarves The world of music memorabilia collecting can be a colourful one

Pop Culture Schlock at RPM – Why Have Cotton When You Can Have Silk… Scarves The world of music memorabilia collecting can be a colourful one

Whether your shelves are adorned with polystyrene cups that bewigged demons have slurped fake blood from; guitar-string-worn plectrums flung into the crowd by a legendary axe-meister, the spotlights bouncing off the gold facsimile signature making the auditorium look like the contents of the Pulp Fiction briefcase; or a pair of stage-worn spandex trousers impregnated with frontman DNA and brown stains from the M&M’s on the rider (you hope), your collection can excite with all the colours of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow.

 

My collection? From the red Amen armbands that have become decidedly dodgy in a relatively short space of time, to the burnt orange of the sequined scarf that Michael Monroe threw off a stage many moons ago, the rock ‘n’ roll section of the Pop Culture Schlock archive positively pops with colour. Nothing, though, not even the brightly-coloured pieces of A4 paper that were stapled together to make The Wild Family’s short-lived fanzine (so colourful of word that even absolutely-not-narcissistic [heavens, no] headline bands were forced to remove them from stages of their quite full club shows), can compete with the cornucopia of colour that emanates from my dozen-strong collection of silk scarves.

 

The opportunity to lose one’s self in the bright, kaleidoscopic world of otherness that is the band-related silk scarf menagerie o’ mayhem is one that I’m assuming all readers of this site indulge in very frequently, but I can’t help but think that this tasselled-corner of the music memorabilia vaults is oft-forgotten. I’ve tried to keep the silk scarves a-flying on my Pop Culture Schlock (now in its fourth year) accounts across social media (available via every good Internet service provider, and some bad ones) but, to be perfectly honest, they are really friggin’ difficult to photograph. Do you just have the scarf unfurled, long and thin like a blue whale’s penis, or wrap it around your manly shoulders for a proper scarf-wearing selfie? I’ve never really found the best way to snap these scarves individually, so have neglected to give them the nostalgic moments that they so obviously deserve. But that, my friends, ends today.

 

“What exactly are these silk scarves of which you write so eloquently?” I hear a lone voice ask. Well, the band-related silk scarf was a screen-printed piece of merchandise that went the way of the Dodo and the guitar-shaped pin badge. Often considered tat (how very dare they?!) of a kind found in a novelty-item-riddled precinct store or seaside shop (like that Hyper Value at Barry Island selling all the unofficial Gavin and Stacey gear), the silk scarf was once a staple of the merchandise stand/table at concerts. Chris Phillips, weasel-like fourth member of the Uber Rock Radio Show (remember that? Another once-great offshoot of a music-related thing now considered tat), provided me, when I was desperate for further confirmation of a silk scarf/merch stand sighting, with a timely reminder (via his Mods and Rockers show on BGfm) of a silk scarf purchase when he attended his first ever gig – Gillan at Ebbw Vale Leisure Centre in November 1982. So impressed was Chris with his shiny, tasselled piece of iconic Gillan memorabilia that he got the support band, Liverpudlian boogie rockers, Spider, to autograph his brand new purchase.

 

In Biro. Though it could take the Biro’ed scribble of a Spider man with ease, the silk scarf was eventually robbed of all drawing pins and replaced on the merch boards with those silk-screened woollen scarves that were always an uneasy pairing for me. Yes, the material made them a much more sensible scarf to wear than their silken brethren, but the unnatural folds courtesy of the printing made for many an uncomfortable conversation with a main squeeze: “Yes, it does look like a love bite, but it was the left horn of the Abominog on my Heep scarf rubbing my neck… honest!” No, the silk scarf was where it was at, as proved by the accompanying photographs; taken, it has to be noted, with great difficulty and sacrifice.

 

Yes, the Nik Kershaw scarf pictured does look like it suffered the same affliction as the aforementioned spandex trousers, but imagine it glowing like the Golden Fleece in the draughty corridor of an arts centre. Sure, the hyper contrasted visages of the members of Duran Duran were basic, but yellow tassels on a pink scarf with purple stitching? Pop perfection. Yes, John Taylor looked more like Paul Young; yes, the bleed-through on the Culture Club scarf made Boy George look like a part-masked wrestler; but taking a piece of your rock and pop idols home with you, whether from the concert hall or the in-shops? Priceless. An Ozzy scarf in Prince of Darkness black with silver tassels? A Twisted Sister scarf with not just red, but also black tassels? A Reading Festival 1986 scarf complete with not just the Lords of the New Church logo, but also that of Rough Cutt? Manna from music merchandise Heaven.

 

Imagine, if you will, a Rewind Festival or a show by a reunited Eighties pop-rock act, where the paying punters don’t dress in de rigueur hair rocker wig (complete with inflatable guitar) or Day-Glo legwarmers and crop top adorned with the legend “80’s” always spelt with the apostrophe in the wrong fucking place, but dress in their normal clothes, yet with a vintage silk scarf around their person; the faces of Kajagoogoo wincing at the price of a pint. That, I’m sure you will agree, would make the world a better place. And I know I’m not alone in my love of the silk scarf for, I am told, the editor of this very site owns a still-in-package Hanoi Rocks silk scarf, given to him by a former member of The Cult/The Four Horsemen/Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction… but I’m not one to drop names.

 

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Black Sabbath – Vinyl Deluxe Edition of their iconic album ‘Paranoid’

Black Sabbath – Vinyl Deluxe Edition of their iconic album ‘Paranoid’

BLACK SABBATH CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR ICONIC ALBUM ‘PARANOID’

VINYL DELUXE EDITION OUT OCTOBER 9th VIA BMG

Five-LP Collection Includes Original Album Plus Rare Quad Mix

Along With The Vinyl Debut Of Two 1970 Concerts

 

Also Available As A 4CD Set

 

PRE-ORDER THE ‘PARANOID: SUPER DELUXE EDITION’ HERE

Widely regarded as innovators of the musical genre which came to be known as Heavy Metal, legendary Birmingham-bred Black Sabbath celebrate the 50th anniversary in 2020 of their multi-million selling album Paranoid with a 5-LP/4CD edition released on October 9th, featuring the vinyl debut of two 1970 concerts.

PARANOID:  SUPER DELUXE EDITION includes the original album, in addition to a rare 1974 Quad Mix of the album folded down to stereo, plus two concerts from 1970, from Montreux and Brussels, that are pressed on vinyl for the first time. The five-LP set comes with a hardbound book with extensive liner notes featuring interviews with all four band members, rare photos, and memorabilia, a poster, as well as a replica of the tour book sold during the Paranoid tour.

After the success of the band’s self-titled debut in early 1970, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward returned that fall with Paranoid. The record became the band’s first album to top the U.K. charts and has sold more than 4 million copies in the U.S. alone. Today, songs like “War Pigs,” “Planet Caravan,” “Iron Man,” and of course, “Paranoid,” continue to inspire a new generation of musicians around the world.

PARANOID: SUPER DELUXE EDITION first two LPs feature the original album plus a Quadraphonic Mix of the album. Originally released on vinyl and 8-track cartridge in 1974, but subsequently long out of print, the Quad Mix has now been made available as a fold-down to stereo mix on vinyl for this set.

The collection’s final three LPs mark the official vinyl debut of two 1970 live performances. The first was recorded on August 31 in Montreux, Switzerland shortly before the release of Paranoid. It captures the band, already a tight musical unit, thundering through new songs like “Hand Of Doom” and “Iron Man” while mixing in “N.I.B.” and “Behind The Wall Of Sleep” from their debut album. The second concert was recorded a few months later in Brussels during the band’s performance for Belgian television. Unofficial versions of this classic show have circulated in the past, but they’ve never sounded this good.

Pre-order the ‘Paranoid: Super Deluxe Edition’ HERE:

 

POP CULTURE SCHLOCK at RPM: Exhibit B – Rock On! Annual 1980

POP CULTURE SCHLOCK at RPM: Exhibit B – Rock On! Annual 1980

What’s that musty smell? Ah yes, it’s emanating from the veritable feast of vintage collectables housed in the Pop Culture Schlock archive. For your delectation today I take you back to the Christmas of 1979; a seminal decade of music about to come to an end and give way to the dawn of a more brash, more brazen ten year period…

 

If you were a good, music-loving boy or girl in 1979 and had a.) done well in school, and; b.) not scratched your big brother’s vinyl, then there was a good chance that you’d find the Rock On! Annual 1980 nestled under the Christmas tree in your modest living room.

 

“The Rock What Annual?” I hear you exclaim, and you shouldn’t be embarrassed at your lack of knowledge on this subject because, truth be told, Rock On! magazine was a short-lived, oft-forgotten publication… if you’d ever heard of it at all.

 

Rock On! magazine debuted with an issue cover-dated May 1978. Debbie Harry featured on its cover and the mag – costing a whole 25p – promised a healthy mix of punk, new wave, heavy metal, and prog rock. It kept its promise too as, over the course of seven eclectic issues, Rock On! dished out features and photo spreads on a dizzying cadre of top musical combos; from Status Quo to Sham 69, The Clash to KISS, Rush to The Rezillos. Meat Loaf graced a cover, Ozzy, too, until Issue 7, with Jimmy Pursey as its cover star, and cover-dated November 1978, when Rock On! disappeared from newsagent shelves. The editorial in that final issue wrote of the outrage of cutting off such a desirable publication in its prime but, if anything, Rock On! was a victim of its own blurring of genre lines: readers seemingly wanting specialist publications dedicated to singular strands of the rock ‘n’ roll world rather than this ambitious crossover style.

 

That final editorial, though, did offer some hope for the future; stating that it was the last Rock On! “in its present form”. Fast forward to around a year later and, in the Autumn of 1979, the true final piece of the Rock On! jigsaw arrived in shops and catalogues to complete the punk ‘n’ prog rocking picture.

With a scorching hot live photo of Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott on the cover, Rock On! Annual 1980 (price – £2.00) may well have been jostling for attention on the shelves alongside big-hitting television and film spin-off annuals, but it certainly looked the most badass. It was, the cover screamed, packed with pictures, facts, and quizzes on your favourite rock bands. It did not disappoint.

 

The heady mix of photo spreads and more in-depth features on select bands really did make Rock On! stand out from its competitors, and this annual amps that angle right up to eleven. The first photo spread was a “Tribute to Vocal Power!!!” (yes, with three exclamation marks) and featured cool live action shots of Joe Strummer, Johnny Rotten, Cherie Currie, Pete Townsend, Willy DeVille, Graham Parker, Joan Jett, and Mick Jagger. A good start, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Next up, a photo diary detailing a “hard band” going “soft” as The Stranglers met their devoted fans, followed by a quartet of stinging live shots of “the band the critics love to hate”, Status Quo. Rock On!’s attitude to those Quo critics could be “summed up in two fingers” readers were informed.

 

With barely a pause for breath, a six-page A-Z of Heavy Metal feature detailed the prime acts in the genre, from AC/DC to, erm, Wishbone Ash. A-W, then. A few curious names in this run-down, too: Prism, Quartz, and Mahogany Rush rubbing shoulders with the expected likes of Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and, a firm favourite on the turntable at RPM HQ, Uriah Heep. A “Heads Down Heavy Metal Quiz” followed: a select question being “On Your Feet Or On Your Knees was a double live album for which heavy metal superstars?”

 

A Ten Years of Genesis feature followed, the first in a series of in-depth essays by John Tobler. His similar two-page spread on the history of Queen followed, as did those dedicated to Thin Lizzy, Blue Öyster Cult, Rush, and KISS. The latter, subtitled “Kings of Shock Rock”, wrote of “the forty foot columns of fire that emit from Gene Simmons’ mouth” and, c’mon, if you were eight years old at Xmas 1979 you had every excuse for then falling head over platform heels in love with the idea of the hottest band in the world.

There was a Rock On! reggae report, a fashion guide of sorts where the Quo’s Rick Parfitt spoke of his love of jeans and Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers of his love of raincoats (!), a Hi-Fi buying guide, a feature on sound engineers, a top DJ article covering John Peel and Anne Nightingale, plus one-page specials on Peter Gabriel and Ken Hensley of the Heep.

 

A photo spread of Ian Dury swimming (just your seven shots) padded out the pages, but not before an impressive photo set of live Black Sabbath shots appeared, a Star Cars article featuring Steve Jones, Meat Loaf, Midge Ure, and, ominously, Cozy Powell, a “Cult Heroes” feature detailing the likes of Iggy Pop, Nils Lofgren, Todd Rundgren, Tom Petty, and Bruce Spingsteen, and a “Sex ‘n’ Girls ‘n’ Rock ‘n’ Roll” spread featuring Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, Siouxsie Sioux, Linda Ronstadt, Annie Golden, Poly Styrene, Stevie Nicks, and Rachel Sweet.

 

A “That Was The Year That Was” feature dedicated to 1978 was an obvious leftover from the previous year’s magazine and makes for entertaining if a little sombre reading amongst the other genuinely funny articles. Rock On! was a cool magazine, with its tongue firmly in its cheek and its love of a broad range of music at the forefront of any thinking. Your Uber Rocks, your RPMs are all subconscious descendants of Rock On! magazine.

No annual is complete, however, without a pull-out poster section (even if no kid ever dared pull a poster out of an annual!), and Rock On! Annual 1980 does not disappoint in that department. There are pin-ups of the aforementioned Pursey, Rezillos, Dury, Harry, Clash, and Lynott, plus Bob Geldof, Paul Weller, Freddie Mercury, David Lee Roth, Jon Anderson, Elvis Costello, Paul Stanley, and the Buzzcocks. Great photos too.

 

The Rock On! Annual 1980 may well be an uncommon piece in the average music memorabilia collection, but it is certainly a worthy one. Copies turn up on the secondary market relatively cheaply and, yeah, you should pick one up if you get the chance. The Rock On! staff were most certainly music journalist mavericks, and we’ve all tried to go there, right? Search for this precious, rockin’ tome… or you might never know how Rick Parfitt’s aunt ironed his double denim.

 

Thanks for reading, and for the feedback on my first column on the debut Alice Cooper comic. I’ll be back next month with something suitably archaic that the rock ‘n’ roll world tried to forget. Search for Pop Culture Schlock 365 on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook