Dio Documentary Best Christmas Gift Of All

I saw the Dio documentary “Dreamers Never Die” yesterday and it was very good. It certainly felt like a bonus Christmas present of sorts. In many ways it really captures the general spirit and the monumental importance of music that millions of people have experienced in a way that I can totally identify with. I have been that believer, that dreamer, for over 50 years (discovered Deep Purple in 1971, and this opened the floodgates right there for me). And of course Ronnie James Dio has been there in the spotlight ever since he made it big as a member of Rainbow in 1975. His career started way before that though, back in the 1950s. This documentary captures this long journey well and even though it is impossible to talk about every album and every twist in the tale, the gist of it is all there. I enjoyed it very much and I hope that it will eventually see release as a DVD (with bonus material) in 2023.

(My Christmas tree shot, Dio documentary image inserted)

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Changes

Getting the old Deep Purple Family collection in order has resulted in me moving a lot of stuff around in recent weeks. This is one hell of a project. Slowly getting there though. As for the collection of binders this should be completed for sure in 2023 and I am creating a space with easy access to sitting down and checking stuff out. Doing this started the whole process off, but at least I have it all figured out. Moving a lot of furniture around is hard work though.

(Work in progress)

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Toy Trains And Old School Football

Checked out a couple of magazines, and they were both good in their own ways. Modelljärnvägsmagasinet (translates to Model Railway Magazine) is a Swedish title that deals with toy trains and landscaping. I can see why people enjoy this hobby. The pictures of the landscapes that they build is just fantastic to view. This is issue 51 (December 2022). Backpass on the other hand is a retro magazine out of the UK and I decided to have a look at issue 82 (love the cover). This takes me back to my youth, when football was exciting to me, and I really appreciate a magazine about the old days. Good stuff.

(My shot of said publications)

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Berezina (Book 2)

Second book (of three) in the “Berezina” series (Cinebook, 2022) has arrived and it is brilliant. Napoleon in Russia 1812, everything is going wrong. The winter is approaching and there is nothing but bad news. Supplies and food is running short. It finally dawns on the French Emperor that Russia could be the end of all of his dreams and that his very existence is at great risk. Comics has rarely been better. This is master class stuff.

(My shot of said book)

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Tex Willer 700

It is always nice to get the latest Tex Willer book from Norway on import, and I have to say that the title is stronger than ever. Making it to issue 700 is impressive, but it is a darned good comic so I am not surprised.

(My shot of issue 700, cover art by Claudio Villa)

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Balls Out

Added the 2011 Steel Panther album “Balls Out” to the old collection. This is a 2022 pressing on Double Vinyl with a nice gatefold cover from the Music On Vinyl label. I always liked this cover. It was obviously made to look like it had been pressed in about 1984-1987 and in all honesty it would not have been out of place back in the day. Such was the times. But today, oh boy, this must drive the woke crowd mad on so many levels. And that is the charm of Steel Panther. It is a joke band and everybody knows it. But they can also write songs that sound like they belonged back in the day, and their thing is to take everything right to that edge of real comedy/danger. They are still around and they seem to be doing well, so it has worked out for them by the looks of it. Looking at the song titles of this album, it is all quite hilarious. Stuff like “17 Girls In A Row”, “Just Like Tiger Woods”, “I Like Drugs” and “Weenie Ride” gives you a good idea of where this is going. At the end of the day this is just a bit of harmless fun, but the real secret of why this is so funny in 2022 obviously has to to with the times that we live in. It actually takes some balls to release this in 2022. Owning a Steel Panther album is an act of rebellion now. A rock´n´roll statement about freedom. The world would be a sad place if this was forbidden. In reality it just might happen. Some day.

(My shot of said album)

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Sweden Rock Magazine 12 2022

Another excellent issue of Sweden Rock Magazine (12 2022). Good in depth interview about the Black Sabbath album “Heaven And Hell” with Tony Iommi. Also, good articles with Tarja, Nazareth, Kiss, Def Leppard etc. I also like the album ads in publications such as this, gives you a chance to check out new stuff online. These labels also support magazines at a time when they need it. This magazine will probably survive for a long time, as they are connected to the Sweden Rock Festival operation as well. But we have seen how lockdowns can hurt any business and we are not out of the woods yet (largely because of mainstream media not doing their job). Then there is the rising costs of paper and electricity, real threats in this country right now for the magazine trade. The time to support magazines is now. Without them, the music industry will be in shatters.

(My shot of said issue of Sweden Rock Magazine, original Sabbath cover art by Lynn Curlee)

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70s Rockdown Three CD Compilation

This is a really good three CD collection of rock hits from the 1970s. Perfect for the car, or the barbeque. I like the whole deal, including the very nice artwork. Rick Wakeman gives it the thumbs up too inside. I bought a few as Christmas presents and kept one for myself. Artists include: Queen, Kiss, Elton John, Wings, Blue Öyster Cult, BTO, City Boy, Deep Purple, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Thin Lizzy, ZZ Top, Heart, Slade, Fleetwood Mac, Santana, Uriah Heep and many others. 60 songs in all, by as many artists. Released on the Xploded label in 2020.

(My shot of said compilation)

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Continued Support For Babymetal

Babymetal thanked fans today on their official platforms for 1,000,000 views on YouTube for the recent video “Monochrome”. Plenty of reaction videos as usual and loads of true appreciation for this song. Personally, I view it as one of their strongest in a long time. The next video should pop up in January. The upcoming studio album “The Other One” is expected to be released in the last week of March. Sabaton tour after that, then we will see. Incidentally, “Gimme Chocolate!!” has just notched up over 170,000,000 views on YouTube. How about that?

(My shot of Babymetal in Stockholm, Babymetal Thank You image from official platforms)

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Witness For The Prosecution

Watched the classic 1957 movie “Witness For The Prosecution” tonight and boy was it good. I do recall having seen this before. Excellent cast, it is pretty hard to beat Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich after all, and the drama (originally penned by Agatha Christie) is just top notch all the way. Truly enjoyed this, I can feel an urge to watch more Christie stuff for sure.

(My shot of the Swedish DVD, lovely shot of Marlene Dietrich on the front)

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