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.

"This album has 15 tracks on it, which is a lot. The most of any Kiss album. One of the longest of any Kiss albums at almost an hour in length. For a band that had spent their career writing catchy songs that sit in that 3.5 to 4.5 minute range, this album is a real extension of that. The song lengths remain the same, the number of songs does not. And the writer combinations on “Hot in the Shade” are like a who’s who of Kiss song writers. Co-writers on songs on this album include the ever-present hit maker Desmond Child, Bob Halligan Jr who had helped write with Judas Priest and many other bands in the past, future Kiss guitarist Tommy Thayer, and former Kiss producer and composer Vini Poncia, along with Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr as well. These writers all swapped and jumped around with Stanley and Simmons to help create the album that this became. And it all became very much split down the middle vocally, with Paul singing lead on seven songs and Gene also singing lead on seven songs, with the other sung by Eric".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Hot in the Shade” by Kiss, the band’s 15th studio album released 35 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘I see the attitude that's in your eyes, I got no reason to apologize’ on Music from a Lifetime.

"I remember my love of Kiss had grown to ample proportions by 1989, mainly on the back of the “Crazy Nights” album, because I remember vividly when this album came out, and the new Kiss album “Hot in the Shade” a few days later. In those days however, there was no way I could consider affording to buy multiple albums at the same time, and so it became a decision as to which album I was going to get. It ended up being the Kiss album, and instead I would look longingly at this album in the racks whenever I was able to check out my local record stores. In the end, it would be almost two years before I got a copy of this album, on my first trip to Bali, where I purchased this (and about fifty other albums) on cassette. The fact that I bought so many other cassettes on that trip made it difficult for them all to get a fair listen, but this album was one of them. For me at that time, it hit the sweet spot. It balanced out the thrash metal I was still very much into with the more commercial bent of the hair and glam metal I was also interested in, along with the growing influence of grunge. And for me that is the real brilliance of this album. It’s a hard rock album that utilises the best aspects of everything Ace emphasised in his previous band and sifted out the chaff to keep what worked for him at this stage of his career. It was released at a really good time for that, and even though I didn’t really discover it until two years later, it mattered not one iota in translation".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Trouble Walkin’” by Ace Frehley, his 2nd solo studio album released 35 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘I was born the son of a card shark. with a deck in my hand’ on 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.

"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.

"“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.

"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.

"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.

"When it came to the writing and recording of the follow up album, the band spent a total of four weeks in the studio, but it was spread out over six months of 1979, picking a week at a time when they had a break from touring. They did this so that they could continue to work and play while they were putting new material together. They also used the profits they had made from their debut album to pay for the recording, sticking to the same small studio and producer as they had for their debut album, in order to keep their record company at arms length, and allow them the freedom to explore whatever avenues they wished to without having pressure applied to them from others. When they did go into the studio, Stewart Copeland was quoted as saying that the band hadn’t even rehearsed the material, they just went in and worked on each track from scratch".

On this episode we are going to talk about “Regatta de Blanc” by The Police, the band’s 2nd studio album released 45 years ago this week, on today’s episode where ‘it’s another lonely day, no one here but me-o’ on Music from a Lifetime.