The Eternal Idol with Ray Gillen

I decided to play Santa today. Diopriest (who has a great channel, check him out on YT) requested that I post these to my blog. I haven't posted any links lately, so I was happy to oblige.

Here is the first link. This link is for "Version 1" of the Ray Gillen Eternal Idol Demos. These are the same as what I have posted in my YouTube channel.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1RMLH8HZ

Now here is the other treat...

A couple weeks ago, a guy named "Gutlit" on DIME (www.dimeadozen.org) posted some choice selections from his collection. He posted another version of the Ray Gillen Eternal Idol Demos. This version is the best that I've ever heard. It's different than the first version in that the songs have ALL the guitar solos, whereas the other version doesn't, but these sound so crisp. They are supposedly from the master tape and it certainly sounds that way. They almost sound like a finished product, and they are arguably better than the actual album. It's a bold claim, but damn these sound amazing. Here's the link for those:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XX4FPH81

These are posted as .flac files. If you convert them to .mp3, make sure you do so ONLY for your own personal use. Don't repost any .mp3 copies of these to any websites. Anyone is more than welcome to post the .flac files though, or repost these links. If you're looking for a good way to convert .flac to .wav to burn to CD...try dBpoweramp. It's fantastic. It's also free.

I wanted to do something funny for April Fools Day, but I'm worried if I post a video claiming to have a rare song, and I instead show Rick Astley singing "Never gonna give you up", I'd probably upset a lot of people. Instead, I'm going to post another rare Lynott track, and NOT play a joke on everyone. I also want to make another Sabbath post or two sometime this weekend. No promises, but I'll do my best.

All the best everyone.

Ryan

Yay for funny hate mail!

Hey everyone!

Lately this blog has taken on a negative tone. When I started this blog, it was NOT my goal to bore you all with my trivial issues and confrontations with morons. I'm going to change it up a bit starting now.

I received this PM over at YouTube today. It greatly amused me.

rocklegendthinlizzy - Mad Mike and your blog

Ryan

I've read your blog entry regarding Rock Legend where you quote from the Trust forum. The guy in question is MichaelM aka Madmike aka MentalM. The guy is nuts an absolute headcase, well known in Lizzy circles and banned from every Thin Lizzy site there's ever been. Holding that idiot up as some kind of example was the best thing I've read in a long time. I guess you were trying yet again to provoke a reaction but I guess we were to busy laughing. With that rant you shot yourself right in the foot and lumped yourself in with probably thee most ridiculous character ever, nice work ;-)

Anyway if you want to touch base with him then do a Google on MichaelM his blog page comes up tops. I'm sure you'll get along fine I can take the shit you write because that's exactly what it is, shit. False accusations are whole different bag though and that pisses me off so I guess you got your reaction and a couple of minutes of my time which is what you appear to crave. You've been left well alone for the simple reason that you're not worth the trouble and it's my intention to keep it that way. I'm a patient man and will explore all avenues to try to understand what peoples issues are, I thought after the last time we'd reached an understanding obviously I was wrong. Thankfully this time your lack of judgement has come home to roost and the jokes on you.

adios nick

Well wasn't that poignant? RL must be bored so they've decided to throw a couple jabs again to see if I'm willing to engage them once again. Hell, why not. Nothing like a good feud to get people to pick sides. Thanks Nick [Sharp]. I didn't ask for a response from you, just from Michael M, which by the way, I've already talked to. I'm not sure what makes him so mental, as he came across well to me, both via email and in his message at the Trust. I would say he came across "logically", logic being something you're not really into.

BTW, I didn't know you were the official spokesperson/propaganda minister for RockLegend, Nick. Read up on Joseph Goebbels, he would make a good role-model for you. Hell, Phil Osborne can be Hitler and Frank Healy can be Heinrich Himmler. How's that sound? Did I miss anyone? Let me know, and I can assign roles to anyone else that wants one. I'm sure I can think of about 10-15 high ranking Nazis off the top of my head, being a history buff and all, that would fit perfectly for any one interested over at RL. I shouldn't need to know anymore than that, because really there's only about that many in your cult anyway.

Well, I guess the game IS afoot...

"Johnny comes marching home again...hurrah...hurrah..."

Just a line from a new favorite song of mine...


Oh, and for Diopriest...I'll get links to BOTH sets of Ray Gillen demos up here by Wednesday of next week at the latest. Possibly sooner.

Interesting discussion for Lizzy/Lynott fans

EDIT: I deleted the entire discussion. I've just decided I'm not going to put up with anything like this anymore. I'm starting to think I was a little hasty with my judgment anyway; that the people I initially thought were responsible for this actually aren't and that IT IS in fact RL back up to their old tactics. You'd think they learn...

Well, I guess if they want to continue their hate-campaign against me and other people who don't subscribe to their brand of Lizzy-fascism, then I guess the game is afoot.

Happy St. Pat's!

Don't drink too much...

Be sure to check out the new Lizzy-related video on my YouTube channel.

Oh RockLegend...what are you doing...

I hadn't made my way over to RockLegend (http://www.thin-lizzy.info/) in awhile, but today I was winding down after work and wanted to check out their news page. I was aware of their stance on "Still Dangerous", which is one I actually agree with. I suspect that they have taken some flack for it based on what I saw on a cached page that once appeared on the forums at Roisin Dubh Trust. I don't even have an account at the Trust, and to be honest, I try to avoid forums because it seems like I get too sucked into them and the "politics" that seem to surround them. Very rarely have I encountered any type of forum where there wasn't some sort of bias or favoritism contained within. Keep in mind that I don't have anything against forums or people that use them, but I have trouble "towing the party line" because I have in my head a set of standards that I follow regardless of what's popular. Eventually something I think is right contradicts these "politics" that run a particular forum, and that leads to problems.

The post at The Trust is made by a guy I don't even know. If he sees this, I would like him to come forward and introduce himself via email or at YouTube. Maybe he has and I just haven't put two and two together. I get messages all the time, and I try and keep up but sometimes I read one, meaning full well to get back to it later and sometimes I just don't. So if this happened, I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional.

I just copied parts of two of the posts. The thread no longer exists. Obviously there was some other points of contention that aren't really revelent to the subject at hand, and I removed those. I left in the parts about "Still Dangerous" and my other main point, which I will make in a minute.

Youknowwho Junior Member
Posts: 9Joined: Nov 2007 Reputation: 0
RE: Rock legend forum boycott

"I was just pointing out your shortcomings,and Your lack of judgement by cottling RL. Blacksabfan on youtube has done more for Lizzy getting the word out than the pirate crue at The Masonic Temple of RL. You should have took my advice.. "They make good points"??? The point is they have no say or everwill regarding releases;just there own bootlegs..And you know they'll always complain no matter what.You are responsible for endorsing a boycott of the new release.You live with it!So long Che', good day.............MichaelM"

and this one...

"I KNOW myself and at LEAST 6 other people have been turned on an open flame at RL ...I believe you were one once.But I'm not bitter about that;it's just the fact that their "Debate" is by invitation only. You have to have more than one view to have a debate..They had to put out a news flash to get the word out. Leave the door open I say, You do..Thank you Roddie.I respect that. There was no debate here, any outsiders/non RL and NEW people(most importantly) are just seeing negative with the "News" To me the only "News" is that it's being released."

I smiled a little bit when I read this. Not so much because I got name-dropped, but because that there are finally people catching on to what I've been saying for 6 months now. This should further prove my point...it's the entrance page to the forums at Rock Legend:

"The Rock Legend Forum is a meeting place for people with a passion for the life and music of Philip Lynott and his band Thin Lizzy

It is a friendly and good-humoured International Community

Now in our seventh year we have inevitably attracted malcontents who would like you to believe otherwise [I'd be a malcontent...]

Our biggest critics are those whose behaviour has been intolerable [Go back to my early January posts and read my experience with RL, and then you make the decision about whose behavior is intolerable.]

We ask that you do not deliberately agitate and that you avoid personal attacks [I still LOL at this, considering RL's main gang has not only personally attacked me on their own site, but have come to Guitars101, DIME, and YouTube, and attacked me there, because I use the same name everywhere and refuse to use aliases...unlike some of them.]

Automated registration via the forum is no longer available. To register please email rocklegend@thin-lizzy.info with a modicum of information about yourself and a desired username. We will set up your account and email you a password. Registration is entirely manual so please do not expect an instant response.

Disclaimer: The Forum is a place for individuals to express their views. Any views expressed are solely those of the the individuals who post them and do not necessarily reflect those of the domain name owners or administrators of the web site Thin Lizzy - A Rock Legend

So this is what it has come to? RockLegend's entry now comes by invite only. The guy at the Trust had it right. How the hell can you have a discussion worth a damn if you can only have one viewpoint? I suppose "malcontents" are people that disagree with trivial matters and say the "wrong" things. Or in my case, you post a song or two they don't want posted, despite the fact they don't own them, and get bitched at for weeks on end until I had enough sense to just leave.

I'm not like this. Yes, I do ban people and argue with people. I've removed comments before. Do I play favorites...perhaps...I know I'm hard on a lot of anti-Dio/pro-Ozzy fans, but that's only because I'm trying to right 25+ years of misconception and inaccuracy. But do I go as far as to pre-judge people before they even subscribe to my YouTube account? Hell no. Do I request a person's life story to be able to view my videos? Of course not. Have I banned a person simply because they disagreed. No. I've only barred people that pick fights, type run-on sentences, and senselessly argue with me. RockLegend is trying to spin it so it appears that they've had to do it this way because of malcontents....because of people like me...and like some others I know. That's horseshit. They are doing it because they want complete control of who gets into their "debate". I remember telling some of the RLers that they ran the place like a dictatorship (and I probably called them nazis) and it was comments like these that got me booted out. Well, it sure as hell doesn't look like a democracy...even more so now.

I don't know if RL actually wanted people to boycott "Still Dangerous". I'm not going to really get into that. I went out and bought it, despite knowing its "problems". It's not a bad album at all; just not one that I had expected or hoped for, and I hope next time around, these issues will be considered (and I have a feeling they will be.)

I guess my only wish is that RL would step back and start blaming themselves for their issues instead of pointing fingers at anyone that has even had a qualm with them. The way they have treated people in the past is what has forced them to become isolated. They claim that they are independent and critical and that's why they are unpopular. No it's not. I'll just say it plain: You're unpopular because you treat people like shit. I'm very independent and critical too, and I haven't had to go to the same extremes. It's amazing how far a little niceness and generousity can go.

I'm sure I'll get a few emails from some for this rant. I don't really give a shit.

Well, looks like I found the first nominee for the 2009 "FAIL" awards...

I had a funny thought no more than 30 seconds ago. I was thinking that throughout the year, I should keep tabs on all the stupid people that attempt to argue with me on my own videos, pick the stupidest five people, and have a poll at the end of the year on the winner, voted on by the people here. I don't know what prize this lucky person would win, but I can figure that out later. I might need more than 6 people to participate too, but I'm sure readers would be interested to give me their two cents without singing up.

The first nominee for this dubious contest goes to the YouTube user: "expiredgoose".

This is the video his poignant comments appear on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryeZQg9i5Tg

Even more amazingly, some other idiot also commented on this video two months ago, calling me stupid because he thought I was claiming that it was Rob Halford singing. Obviously he couldn't make the distinction between HALFORD and HARTFORD...which is the location of the concert. Then he plays it off later, as if it was I who made the error. Dumbass. I would of made him a nominee too, but I didn't have this idea until now, so he can't enter this contest. Lucky devil...

I feel I should post his comments, and then give my analysis of them. I don't feel I did an adequate job over at YouTube, because they only allow 500 characters. This is the exact reason I created a blog...when I go after someone, I look to completely demoralize them and make them wish they never had bothered to bash their heads on the keyboard and send me their incoherent bullshit in the first place.

First comment:
expiredgoose (1 day ago)

this is fucking brutal
dio drove black sabbath into the ground
his voice is fucking horrible out of key not a fucking note is proper
hes an idiot

I made no edits to this. Why mess with brilliance? This comment, while annoying, isn't quite enough to make me flip out (as evidenced by the response I gave him). He has an opinion, even though it's horribly written and that last little jab at Dio makes it seem childish. I'm not sure how he thinks Dio drove Sabbath into the ground, as "Heaven and Hell" was a comeback album and pretty much kicked Black Sabbath in the balls and made them respectable again. His comments about Dio's performance are actually fair...he didn't sing NIB well on this occasion. Fine. However, I don't recall Ozzy singing perfectly every time out either...or at all in the last 5-7 years. But it's ok to slam Dio, because he's Dio. He's not Ozzy.

Comment #2:
expiredgoose (19 hours ago)

ozzy was the best voice in rock and roll when he was in black sabbath,black sabbath from 1968-1979 was black sabbath,they invented the key they play in they werent some filling in bullshit that just fucks the song,ronnie james doi wasnt a part of the band he was a peice of duct tape over a hole in the wall

Okay...I'm calling bullshit here. The first thing that starts to irritate me, is that he starts throwing out dates like I somehow don't know the history of Black Sabbath. Yes, I'm fully aware Ozzy was in the band from 1969-1979. Keep in mind they were still "Earth" until August '69. So, he's technically wrong already, but that's nit-picking. There's much more stuff to pick on here. Like that brilliant line about Sabbath "inventing the key they play in". WTF??? You can't 'invent' a musical key you douche. I think he's talking about tuning down, but Sabbath didn't even do this until 1971. I also don't understand how he decided that Ozzy was the "best voice in rock and roll". What standard is he using to determine that? Everyone with a brain knows he's not the best technically. As a showman...well, I seem to recall Ozzy not being too wild until the mid 70s. I think Alice Cooper was a hell of a better showman, and I'm sure there's others as well.

The thing that gets me the most is something I mentioned in a previous post. How come these pro-Ozzy fans type like a bunch of broken-handed 5 year olds? If you're going to argue with me, it might help your cause if you at least LOOKED intelligent by writing sentences and spelling words right. Just some advice. If I wrote something like that and gave it to my boss, my ass would be fired. That's a real world application for those who will say "it's the internet, so who cares?". Great.

Comment #3:
expiredgoose (7 hours ago)

ronnie james dio is sac-religious to black sabbath,his voice sounds like kittens being raped and after ozzy left the band fell apart tony is the only one that didnt leave the band after ozzy left,bill and geezer soon followed ozzy because of drug problems and MUSICAL DIFFENCES meaning they didnt like dios style which i dont think you can find any pure sabbath fan that did.... your blasphemy to the sabbs is gross and you say you may be a sabbath fan,but your rootin for the wrong sabbath,1968-1979

Where the fuck do I even begin with this? Thinking back, I wished I had just asked him "How do you know what kittens being raped sounds like?", and left it at that, but the crux of his message is so mindblowingly stupid that I would of felt unsatisfied. Again, his history is a little off. I find it funny how he highlights 'musical diffences' and says 'they didn't like dios style' and uses that as an excuse as to why Dio-led Sabbath sucks. Well maybe you haven't heard you dolt, but that exact lineup is releasing a new album on April 28. So much for 'musical diffences'. Not to mention "Dehumanizer"...

I also like how this jackass feels he's speaking for all of Sabbath fandom when he thinks that "no pure Sabbath fan" liked Dio's style. I know a lot of Sabbath fans that not only like it, but they prefer it. Joe Siegler (www.black-sabbath.com) himself admits to discovering Sabbath through "Mob Rules"...not the classic lineup. I'm glad you're around though to speak for the people 'expiredgoose'. What the fuck would they do without your infinite wisdom?

The thing that pisses me off the most is when my allegiance to the band is questioned. Who the fuck does this asshole think he is saying I'm not a true Sabbath fan, or that I'm "rootin for the wrong Sabbath". It's fine to have preferences; I do and I know other people do as well, but this is the fact: There is ONE Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath has Tony Iommi in it. Any record that says Black Sabbath, released by Mr. Iommi, is a Black Sabbath record. You don't have to like it, and you don't need to buy it or listen to it, but that doesn't change the facts. If this jackass wants to lie to himself and think they aren't Sabbath records, then fine, but don't sit there and tell me I'm wrong. I'm not into revisionist history and I'm not into Ozzy fanboys trying to spin it to make Ozzy look like a God and everyone else ever associated with Sabbath look like crap. I make a conscious effort to promote all eras of the band's work on my YouTube page, because it's all part of history. Yes, people prefer certain singers and musicians and that's fine as long as you're respectful and intelligent about it. That type of debate makes everyone better off. "expiredgoose" and his bullshit doesn't. He's just another Ozzy fanboy who has none NOTHING other than bitch and whine and argue with other Sabbath fans who don't kiss Ozzy's ass. Maybe when this asshole shares as much of his music collection and time as I have, then maybe he can talk about how I'm supposedly committing 'blasphemy'. Until then, he can simply shut the fuck up.

Congrats on your nomination 'expiredgoose'.

Not Dangerous. Sorry.

Hello again,

First off, as requested by a few of you, I have posted a link to download the FULL master recording of Black Sabbath's Milwaukee Riot 1980. The files are in .flac, so I ask if you convert the files to mp3, that you NOT repost them in that format. You are, however, welcome to repost the original .flacs, and if you choose to burn them to disc, convert the .flac files into .wav files to get the best quality CD you can. I know a lot of you know this already, but some don't. You can also play .flac files using Foobar2000, which is just an amazing .flac player. If it was a pile of shit, I wouldn't even bring it up, but it's totally worth downloading if you want to be able to play .flac files.

Link: www.megaupload.com/?d=5CRCIVOD

The crux of this post though is to discuss the newly released Thin Lizzy: "Still Dangerous" CD. As many of you already know, Scott Gorham was pretty much in charge of this project, and pretty much screwed it up. I love Scott Gorham has a guitar player, but I'm beginning to think he took too many drugs back in the 70s and early 80s. His interviews often go against already established facts (for example he said he joined Lizzy in 1973, which he didn't), and he's also suggested that the new Gorham/Sykes Lizzy outfit (if you can even call it Lizzy) may record NEW material. I hope not.

Anyway, for the record, I'm glad Lizzy's remaining members and management have decided to release some of the stuff they have located in the vaults of the record companies. My problem is with how they are going about doing it. 'Still Dangerous' is a 10 track abomination. Here's why:

1) It's not a single complete show.

My impression initally was that 'Still Dangerous' would be an official release of one of the two Philadelphia '77 gigs that took place on October 20 and 21, 1977 at the Tower Theatre. The first of the two is featured on Wolfgang's Vault, in it's entirety. I actually used audacity to record the sound off of it and edited out all the little clicks and trimmed the intro down just enough to get it to fit on one 80 min disc. That 80 min show is probably the best representation of Thin Lizzy that there is. It's better than Live and Dangerous by a mile. If not this, then I hoped it would be the mostly unreleased 21st of October show. However, the consumer won't be getting either one. They are getting essentially a compilation of the two shows, and only 10 tracks (12 on the import release). It's not the full show, and it's not from one show. That's strike one.

2) They changed the running order of the original set!

This is an even worse crime than #1. One of the things Phil Lynott did best, as mentioned by Brian Robertson, John Sykes, and even Gorham himself in interviews, was that Phil Lynott knew how to put a set list together. There's a good 150 bootlegs out there that further prove this point. Why in the hell did Gorham decide to change the order of the songs? What is he trying to achieve here? He's already destroyed the show by omitting songs, and now he wants to completely ruin it by changing the order? Pull your head out of your ass Scott!

3) They actually had the audacity to EDIT tracks!

Looking for that awesome Sax solo by John Earle in "Dancing In the Moonlight"? Don't expect to hear it. It's not fucking there. How about that ridiculously awesome drum solo by Brian Downey in Bad Reputation (one of the "bonus tracks")? Not there either. Want to hear the song 'Johnny'? You won't...it's not even included in the 12 tracks. How about Emerald? Only if you purchase the bonus tracks. Do you see my point? It's a fucking cash grab. I've always encouraged and hoped that more of this material would be released for the fans, but what's the point when you do so in a way that doesn't even justify how good the material actually is. Personally, rather than buy this disc, everyone should go rip a copy of the Philly show at Wolfgang's Vault. It's 1000 times better and that's a much more real representation of Lizzy at their peak than what Mr. Gorham decided to put together on his break from touring.

Here's my advice to Mr. Gorham:

Next time, forget about the mulitiple cash grabs, forget about changing it up--take the show, remaster the sound, make an awesome booklet, and just release it. Let the music dictate the sale. If you did it this way, I guarantee it would be bigger than "Live and Dangerous". There are shows out there that are BETTER than "Live and Dangerous"...and those were 100% real. Not overdubbed in a studio. It can be done. However, you might only have one more chance to get it right, and some people aren't even that generous. Get the new generations of Lizzy fans started the right way. Not with "Still Dangerous", but that's anything but "right".