Real live CD shopping

After being given a gift card, I headed down to HMV for the first time in about a year. I've been buying my music digitally for a while, so it felt weird to walk into an actual store lined with CDs and DVDs -- especially since I always preferred the now-defunct Sam the Record Man to HMV anyway.

Surprises: First, that HMV seems to be moving away from their ridiculous policy of selling 2 for $25 or 2 for $30 instead of just sticking a reasonable price on each disc. Second, that the discount bin was full of great deals on good music, and not just tired crap that would be overpriced at 5 bucks (though there was a fair bit of Bryan Adams in there). Third, how it makes no sense whatsoever to buy some things in CD form when you compare to the price of buying online. I saw Rubber Factory by the Black Keys, which I can buy at eMusic for about $3, retailing at $22.99. Yeah, I'm going to buy that.

For $60, I walked out with CDs by Devil Driver, The Roots, Soundgarden, Black Label Society, Tom Petty and Velvet Revolver. Not bad.

For the wee metalheads

Here is a very fun gift I received. The Heavy Metal Fun Time Activity Book, by Aye Jay (who is also the force behind the Gangsta Rap Coloring Book).

Activities include heavy metal sudoku (hint: think the number 6), mazes (in one you help Ozzy get to Ozzfest and in the other you help Spinal Tap navigate the backstage area), and, of course, colouring. Colouring GWAR is probably more entertaining than colouring Rob Halford.

Here is a peek inside, at one of the pages:

The back cover bears a quote from the evil dwarf himself, Ronnie James Dio: "At last, an activity [book] for Metal Heads. From Slipknot to Spinal Tap, the brain teasers are all there. Use some magic and the answers are sure to come."

Metal quilts

Yes, you read that right. Quilter Boo Davis creates "evil rock quilts" which you can see over at Quiltsryche.

Here's her description of one of the quilts:

Sweet miracle of Mick Mars! Wouldn't little Les Paul Mars, the offspring of Mötley Crüe's stoic guitarist, have been right at home under this darlingly demonic baby blanket? "Instrumental" features "God bless the children of the beast" silkscreened in Gothic lettering on a variation of a traditional "housetop" design. Be strong, and shout at the devil!

Tip o' the hat to Steve McCullough, who is listening to his old metal collection again.

Sabbatum

Ever wondered what kind of music Tony Iommi might have been writing if he'd been around 700 years ago?

Wonder no more. Rondellus, an Estonian band, have recorded an album of Black Sabbath covers, all done in a medieval style, with Latin lyrics. The album's called Sabbatum.

Here's a sample of "Verres Militares" (aka "War Pigs").

Black Sabbath / Heaven and Hell

I love this story. It has so much that is Spinal Tap to it.

Black Sabbath are touring with Ronnie James Dio as their singer (back together after two previous bitter breakups -- and before going on tour with Ozzy as the singer this summer). But the band can't call itself Black Sabbath, so they're billed as Heaven and Hell.

But Dio's not sure who has ultimate control of the Sabbath name. "I have no idea," says the five-foot-four singer with the colossal voice. "That seems to have been a point of contention for a long time. Who owns the name? Is it Sharon? Is it Ozzy? Is it Tony Iommi (guitarist for both Black Sabbath and Heaven & Hell)? I would think if Tony owned the name, we would be calling ourselves Black Sabbath, so maybe he doesn't."

...

"When they proposed (the band name Heaven & Hell), my initial reaction was, and still is, 'Well they're gonna call us f---in' Black Sabbath anyway, aren't they? You can call as the Boys in the Shed if you want to. It doesn't matter to me."'

Dio, the story says, returned to Sabbath at their lowest point and helped to revitalize the band.

I'm not sure which was their lowest point -- there have been so many. For personal reasons, my nomination has to go to the Tony Martin era. I saw the band with him on vocals in Germany in the late 1980s. The crowd worshipped Tony the guitarist and threw things at Tony the singer.

Best FAQ?

Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society has a great "Did you know?" section on his band's site.

My favourite item:

Did you know...

The reason that Zakk does not like Fred Durst is not because of a personal feud, but just simply because Fred puts out shitty music?