Ghost - Monstrance Clock

Ladies and Gentlemen, Ghouls and Ghosts, welcome to the last one of the Spader Ess ramblings about bands and artists that i used to look up to, but somewhat lost interest in. There have been a few installments which have ended on quite a good note, and some that have not. And as this is the last one, I thought we might do a little special today and let the future be the judge of how this one ends.

As I get older, it seems like it’s harder and harder to spark the feeling of unconditional fandom. There is huge amounts of great music out there, and even if I from time to time get goosebumps from newly discovered music, the fact is that the plunge into utter fan worship is getting more and more sparse.But it still happens from time to time, even if it’s not with the same fire and total submission anymore.

One of the latest band that have sparked my interest a little extra is the Swedish occult band by the name of Ghost. Much of their appeal to me, besides the great music, is that they are giving me a bunch of extras. As I see it, there are at least three dimensions to what they bring to the table of the magic that grasps me.
First we have the music, the music always comes first. Papa and the ghouls have so far given me a steady mix of nostalgic hints to bands that i love, such as Blue Öyster Cult and Mercyful Fate among others. For me, that might be good enough, but the band just keep giving.

Secondly, they also add the dimension of mystery. They pick up the baton that, for example Kiss, dropped when unmasking themselves and moving from just being the kings of merch to the moguls of greed. And even if there are some quite good guesses out there of whom dwells behind the masks, I’m just content in not knowing for sure. For now, that’s just how I want it. And the mystery don’t stop there, you also have the lurking darkness, within the occult theme, that is shrouded in easy listening rock.

And as a third, but not least dimension, the intelligence of it all. Both in the lyrics and the message, and in the packaging as a whole.Normally i tend to go for the music and artists that plays from the heart. Here we have a band that is quite calculated. A band on a mission, and a mission that are mostly obscured to us listeners. Are they driven of some kind of conviction, or is it only shroud thinking and profit, or a mix? To be honest, I don’t know, but one thing I know for sure, is that it’s truly masterminded and they put a whole lot of hard work in it to entertain us (spiced with a hint of good fortune).

And that goes a long way in my book, whether it’s about the music, the mystery of it all, or the smartness of the concept. Where, and how long, this ride will take us I don’t know, but as long as they keep doing what they do, with the same amount of finesse, I will be along for the ride. If not for anything else than to see where it goes. The answer lies in the future.
Heck, they have already made me buy vinyl albums again, even after I sold the old vinyl collection and put my record player in storage. I will leave you with a video from Ghost, and bid you farewell for now. And as sure as this isn’t the first thing I have written about Ghost, it won’t be the last. You are always welcome to my own blog, Spader Ess, if you can stand the Swedish language or cope with Google translations, where I dwell with my mate Polarn’ Per. Or if you beg or bribe us hard enough we might consider translating. :-)


With this I bid you all adieu, it has been a blast and a big thanx to Stones and Thetania for giving me this opportunity.

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Van Halen - Unchained

Meine Damen und Herren, Spader's here again and this is the next to last entry in my odyssey
of rock bands that used to matter to me more than they do nowadays, or something like that anyway.

The first time I heard Van Halen, was down in the basement room of my friend Basse’s. As usual, it was a party and out of the speakers came this eruptive guitar piece called “Eruption” closely followed by “You Really Got Me”. Touchdown! Man those songs hit me hard. This was also a time when we started working out in the small homebuilt gym that Basse had in his basement too, and those two songs, in that particular order became the opening tracks of all my training cassettes for quite a long time.

The albums with David Lee Roth made a huge impact, from the first album up to 1984 it was all dandy and good and it peaked when I got to see them at the Monsters Of Rock tour at Råsunda in 1984, together with Mötley Crue and Ac/Dc. Imagine the shock when the word got out later on (about a week after the show) that David was leaving the band.
And his replacement is announced, Sammy Hagar, who was and is another artist that I have liked quite a bit both before, during and after his years with Van Halen. But somehow a bit of the magic was gone and it was enough to bring the band down from their pedestal.

I think it was a bunch of coinciding things that occurred to make that. The persona of Diamond Dave gone and a new, more modern sound. The fact that I liked Sammy and that the kept on churning out decent hits should have been a success factor for my continuously obsession of the band. But it wasn’t. I kept liking them, I kept buying the records (or at least the following two).
When they released Van Halen III, my interest in the band was completely gone and so was the band itself more or less.

Then in 2012 the story of Van Halen took yet another turn, as David Lee Roth was back behind mike and they released their latest album “A Different Kind Of Truth”.  This could have been a full reunion album, but somehow Alex van Halen rather had his son playing the bass than Michael Anthony.
So, how did this affect my declining interest of the band?
Not a bit. For the magic to return, this would have had to be a killer album without an of the BS that have surrounded the band lately. And it simply wasn’t. Even if it’s not a terrible album I think I have only listened to two or three times. I think it’s down to that I rather cherish my old memories of Van Halen, simple as that.



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Iron Maiden - Killers

Hello Sir’s and ladies! Spader is back again, hope that you aren't getting too tired of my ramblings yet. Hang in there we are getting nearer the end for my hostile takeover of Stones and Thetanias great hangout.

Last time I was talking about the Swedish legend Magnus Uggla, and that it only took 4 of his records of his earlier material to forge a lifelong bond. That tale had a quite happy ending, as I still like him and even if his newer material isn’t as rooted in me, I still like some of it, just not as much as his earlier stuff.
Todays target isn’t as lucky. And this is a somewhat more intricately woven story even if it’s a quite short one. This one spans only over two albums with one band, and it’s not the band itself that are up for an inquiry. To be more specific, Its the singer. And to be more specific, It’s the original front man of Iron Maiden, Paul Dianno.

Paul started out making two amazing and true breakthrough records with legendary Iron Maiden.
First out the self titled Iron Maiden in 1980, and the amazing album Killers in 1981, where he was quite guilty, together with the rest of the band, to be a huge part of creating the framework for the rising NWOBHM genre.

Both these albums was in my world killer releases that really struck a chord in my heart. It was new, it was fresh, it was edgy and full of energy. And most of all, the songs where just great. The albums had a nice mix of what would come to be the trademark sound of Iron Maiden and a punky rough feeling. The punky feeling came much from just Paul Diannos way of singing and voice together with the unpolished production. This together with the wonderful cover art from Derek Riggs, man what a trip.

In 1980 they made it to Swedish soil for the first time as the opening act for Kiss. Unfortunately I wasn’t there to witness the show myself, but a friend was there. Always been a little jealous about that.
So far, so good.

Then there was this little thing of Pauls Alcohol and drug abuse, that finally forced him out of the band. As far as I know he made his final appearance with the band in 1981 at a gig in Lund, Sweden.
Bruce Dickinson stepped in as singer for Iron Maiden, and the band and Paul parted ways. the rest is history. At least for Iron Maiden that is, for Paul it was mostly downhill from that point, as far as I’m concerned. Even after loads of other bands and solo efforts, he has never been able to get close to becoming someone to look up to.

And to me he has in the later years more or less taken on the role as a close minded buffoon and bigot. I have had the chance to see him live once in 2008 at Rockweekend Festival in Kilafors, Sweden. Or, to be honest, I watched about a quarter of his set before I went to the beer tent instead, and that small amount of time was more or less true agony.
I still hold Iron Maidens two early albums as masterpieces, but when it comes to Paul Dianno, the journey for us took an abrupt halt there, as I switched tracks and continued to follow the Bruce Dickinson fronted Iron Maiden instead. A choice of path that I have never regretted.



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Magnus Uggla - Jag Skiter

Gather round good people, because Spader Ess is here to tell you about times in his youth when he was influenced by a man called Magnus Uggla. (Don’t you just love people who talk of themselves in third person? :-))

The Swedish artist that goes by the name of Magnus Uggla was a great part of the music that paved the base of my musical foundation. And I can tell you right away, that he still holds a big place in my heart. Playing one of his older albums always works for me, and it’s sure to put a smile of nostalgia on my face.

Mr. Uggla started his career, which has been more or less a very solid one throughout the years, in 1975 with the album "Om Bobo Viking" (About Bobo Viking), followed the year after with "Livets Teater" (Theater of Life). Those two albums didn’t leave any bigger marks on the Swedish music scene at the time. And it wasn’t until 1977, when he released the album with the short and smooth title, "Va ska man ta livet av sig för när man ändå inte får höra snacket efteråt" (Why should you kill yourself when you still can’t hear what is said afterward), that he made his big breakthrough. This was the first album that I heard with him, and it was instant love. It had a nice touch of tongue in cheek and vibe of youth rebellion and poppy punk.
Magnus also was a strange mix of over class gone wild, as he is from a noble family and had a very rowdy persona. And with a record that was a masterpiece in capturing what we (me and my friends) at least thought to be the essence of being a young adult, what’s not to like about that.

The upcoming years he gave us some incredible records in the same spirit. "Vittring" (Scent), "Den ljusnande Framtid är Vår" (The brightening future is ours) and not to forget the live album "Godkänd Pirat, Live!" (Approved Pirate, Live!) Not that many albums, I know.

After this he drifted away towards a more traditional Pop music, often spiced with witty lyrics.
But from that point, I must confess, that even if Magnus has been a really productive artist (he has made over ten albums since then) and witty singer, the spark was lost for me. I still do like him as an artist, and I like some of his newer stuff too, even the two oldest records is very fond to me today, but it doesn’t come close to the feelings he aroused in my teenage heart with those four albums I mentioned earlier.

Magnus Uggla - Jag Skiter


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Kiss - Love Gun

Greetings, music lovers! Spader Ess here again.
The third installment in my series, to ease the workload of Stones And Thetania for short while, so they can concentrate on making the rock roll, is upon us. So brace yourselves.

The subtitle to the series might be “Kill your darlings” as it focuses on bands that I have had strong bonds to throughout the years, but that have been fading from my devotion over time or in some cases, ceased to exist altogether. But as in life in general, things are almost never as simple, so off course there are exceptions. Which brings me to the band up for measurement today.  
Kiss.
Which also gives me the opportunity to write about Stones himself. More on that further on.

Kiss has been, and to some extent, always will be a huge part of my rock n roll heart. No doubt about that. But there is no denial that the journey has met some bumps along the road. But, let us begin at the beginning.
Kiss started out as one of the main reasons to why I started my “Rocket Ride” down hard rock.road. From the first time I heard “Rock N Roll All Night” it was instant love, some would even say it was bordering to fanaticism. I literally wallpapered my room with posters of the band. I listened to their music constantly, and as a huge part of my friends was in the same state as me, we more or less lived in Kiss-mania.

I will spare you of listing all the Kiss albums that I like, because there is more of them than the ones I don’t like.
From the first record, "Kiss" from 1974 until "Lick It Up" from 1983, they more or less lived up to my “Great Expectations”. Ten years, with fifteen studio albums and two classic live albums and one amazing compilation (yes, I’m only counting "Double Platinum" as you only need one compilation).
Actually within this time frame there were only a few quirks in our relationship.

• "Creatures Of The Night" might not have been as solid as many of the earlier albums.
• "The Elder" took some time to accept, both the music and the look. Even if still don´t love the record, I don’t hate it either.
• The unmasking. The act, not the album. Of course I understand why, but some of the magic went away. (the uncertainty factor might be a part of why I nowadays love Ghost)
• Vinnie Vincent! Nough said!

Other than that, smooth sailing so far. And after that we enter a longer time frame which is a very much less impressive, both when it comes to making albums and what is actually put on them. Mostly crap, with some exceptions of a good song here and there. This time of darkness lasted until 2009, when "Sonic Boom" came and reinstalled my faith in the band. The faith even deepened with their latest album "Monster" hit the record stores. They were back!
There is a few things though that makes it impossible for them to regain the fandom of earlier days.

• The band itself. Are they an original or should they be seen as a tribute band of themselves?
• The Greed. As they have gone from the masters of Merch to the Monsters of tacky merch… Hello Kitty Kiss? Not all Lotto commercials in the world can justify that one.
• Gene Simmons. Once the coolest reptile on earth. But sometimes he gets a little too fond of himself. And I know it is physical hard, but sometimes he should try to hold his tongue.

Other from that, I still love the band, or at least the parts that I used to love, just not as unconditional.
The observant reader asks himself at this point
-Where does Stones fit into all this? Simple as this. The first time I meet Stones in real life, was at a Kiss concert at Friends Arena. Last time they visited us here in Sweden he helped me and my kids, with attending the concert. So, now he is a part of (whether he likes it or not) another of my fond memories of Kiss.
Thanx Stones!

Kiss - Love Gun from Friends Arena.



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Scorpions - The Zoo

Hi again, Spader Ess is back. This time I will direct my spotlight towards Germany, and to be more precise, Scorpions. Another band that have been a big inspiration to me, just to fade away into indifference.

The band formally formed in 1965, and their music has ranged from hard rock, to heavy metal, to meeehhh.
With their first album, "Lonesome Crow" from 1972, the band launch itself towards a great career, that in my world lasted until somewhere around 1988 when Scorpions released their album, "Savage Amusement", which in my opinion was the start of crap and decades of sleazy ballad goo.

Don’t get me wrong, theres nothing wrong with a good ballad at times (heck, quite a few ballads are some of my favorite songs of all time) and Scorpions had already released a bunch of great ballads like “In Trance” and “Holiday”. But now the band more or less became synonym with languorous ballads, both new and old, that made sugar seem bitter and harsh. It’s not a coincident that Scorpions have been included in most “Power Ballad” projects that has seen the day of light as they have done quite a few. Maybe only matched by Nazareth. Thinking of it, Nazareth has done about the same journey for me too. They started out about the same time. Great early records that made it into the mid eighties before loosing my attention. Both bands released groundbreaking Live albums, "Tokyo Tapes" with Scorpions and "‘Snaz" for Nazareth. But, they have so much better music in their repertoire.

Another characteristic thing about Scorpions, that in my mind went from fab to fad, is the repeatedly use of sexist lyrics. As a young teenager it was quite amusing, but after a while it got kind of tiresome and unimaginative. This put together made, that after "Savage Amusement", I have more or less missed out on the later records. With exception for the “Wind of Change” like songs that is constantly played on all Classic rock radio stations.

But, let us leave the backside of the later years and focus on the good parts. Scorpions have made some great music throughout the years. Many legendary musicians has passed the band, and they seem to be quite nice people. Not to mention the fact that they have put German rock on the map. They were one of the first hard rock acts to make it big in Japan and they also gave the Flying V guitar a face (or two).

So, I leave you with one of their many highlights. “The Zoo”



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Motörhead - (We Are) The Road Crew

Hi Everyone! Spader Ess here.
As Stones and Thetania are of to the front lines of live music, paving the way for the people on stage and making sure that the machinery we all love as Rock N Roll runs smoothly, I thought it would be a good time for a hostile takeover. No, just kidding, for a few days I will try to do my best to see to that they get the working atmosphere they need to provide us with the live experiences we love. And as it is my daughters favorite artist that is been taken care of, I will try to do my best to help out here.

I will try to take on this great honor, by providing you with a series of articles about bands that used to mean a lot to me, but maybe not that much anymore. There will be varieties of course, both in length and content. Some stories might be more definite than others, and some might have a happier ending than others. Just bare with me and we’ll see where it goes.

For anyone that has read my own blog, the first band might come as a surprise. Motörhead.
As they are considered as somewhat of household gods by me, they might seem a little misplaced when it comes to a series with a theme like the famous line from Rolling Stones (no pun intended) “Because I used to love you, but it’s all over now” (I know it should be her instead of you but that doesn't fit the theme).

So, Motörhead it is,
As many people in my age, that gravitated towards Hard Rock and Heavy Metal in the early eighties, Motörhead was a big part of that journey. For me it was instant love from the first chord when I first heard "Ace Of Spades". And what a crew that delivered the goods, a trio of sheer destructive madness that steamrolled their way into a young rockers heart. Fronted by what should become the godfather of rock n roll, Lemmy. Who could not love that!
The record had already been released, as I think that the first time I heard it was just a short while before "Iron Fist" was released. Which meant that the “Ace” album was going quite warm on the turntable, not a single bad track on that one if you ask me. And suddenly you were smashed with an iron fist in the mouth, positively speaking. Maybe not as strong as the previous album, but good enough.
And imagine the happiness when realizing that this is album number five, which means that there are three more earlier albums to discover. And a live album! Cheer bliss!

"Motörhead", "Overkill", "Bomber" and "No Sleep til’ Hammersmith" was on heavy rotation after that.
The replacement of “Fast” Eddie Clark with Brian “Robbo” Robertson from Thin Lizzy came as quite a shock, and at first I was a bit doubtful, both about how he would fit in with Lemmy and “Filthy” Phil Taylor, and the fact that I wanted him to stay put with my other heroes in Thin Lizzy. The result though, "Another Perfect Day", was on the other hand a quite good record, with a few songs that is more or less Motörhead standards nowadays.

After that, my first dip with the band started. "Orgasmatron" came, and now the band was a four piece, What! Disturbing news for a young rocker that likes his rock steady as a rock.
Don’t shake my foundation please! Rock It! (can anyone spell Overkill with the rock word?) :-)
The record was quite decent anyhow, but somehow, it didn’t stick with me. The next album "Rock N Roll", more or less passed without me noticing it at all.
A Long break between albums and then came "1916", which I actually liked. But then I entered the big hiatus. Don’t know why really, but it was probably due to the fact that I was somehow burned out when it came to Motörhead and the fact that Grunge entered my life with big steps.
The intermission was luckily not forever, and the older material never got out of style, but it remained until 2004, when they released the "Inferno" album that struck new life into the old love story. And I’m quite glad to say, that from that on it has remained, much due to what I consider a new spark of life in the band, which has from "Inferno" and on, brought us some of the bands best albums since the classic first five.

The records that was released in the hiatus never entered my radar, and the only thing I registered during this time was the fact that the band got a Swedish drummer in Mikkey Dee. But since then I have revisited them and much to my joy I can now see that there was some decent songs churned out on those records too. Which leads me to the conclusion that, after listening to the new album, "Aftershock", I can assure you, the love affair with Motörhead is right back on track.

And with this, I’ll leave you for this time, with a song from the most classic Motörhead album there is, and of course it’s also a tribute to Stones and Thetania.
Motörhead - “(We Are) The Road Crew”



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