The Scrounger's Report

Aug. 21, 1999

Mauling at the Mall

Headed out to the newly rebuilt local mall to see if the
new Sam Goody was worth half a shit. Overall it was so-so,
and like most mall stores, they maul you with their prices,
so I wasn't about to buy any full-priced material, but I
did go diving in the bargain bin.

First: is anyone familiar with the band "Mortal Sin" out
of Australia? They had 3 copies of a CD by them, but they
were full price, so I didn't want to gamble. What kind of
metal is this (I'm assuming it's metal; they have that "look")?

Anyhow, on to the bargain bin stuff. All of these cost less
than $3 each, and even though one was bazookabarf, overall
it was a good day:

1. Forced Entry - As Above, So Below. 1991. Relativity Records.
   It was still sealed in its longbox, so I gambled based on
   the artwork. *sigh*. WHY did certain groups insist on
   shouting their vocals? This one was a dud.

2. Rob and Fab - Rob and Fab. 1993. JEG Records.
   They had 4 copies still sealed in longboxes. For $2.50 I
   said "sure, why not?"...the infamous "Milli Vanilli"
   brothers; if nothing else it's a piece of music history.

3. Cry of Love - Brother. 1993. Columbia.
   Haven't listened yet; looks like good hard rock.

4. Cherry St. - Squeeze It Dry. 1993. JRS Records.
   Sleaze glam, with the lead singer sounding a LOT like
   the lead singer from Britny Fox. Is this the same band
   that put out the album "Monroe"? That was a horrendous
   pile of grunge! This is not.

5. Maestro Alex Gregory - Paganini's Last Stand. 1992.
   Priority Records.
   This one is REAL interesting! Guitar interpretations
   of a lot of classical themes on this one. Vocals on
   3 tracks by Mark Boals.

and lastly,

6. Robin Beck - Trouble or Nothin. 1989. Mercury Records.
   Wow! For 99 cents this is a GEM! Produced by Desmond
   Child, this is a heavier version of Pat Benatar kinda
   stuff. Of course the ubiquitous "Hide Your Heart"
   and "Save Up All Your Tears" are present here. Some
   of the other song titles sound familiar too, but
   I haven't listened yet to see if they indeed are
   the songs I think they are ("Hold Back the Night",
   "Tears in the Rain").

For a grand total of about $15, it was a good day!

-Dan