MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: TEENAGE HEAD - TORNADO

The heroes of Hamilton continue as a primal force in Canadian rock 'n' roll, nearing their fifth decade. There's even more excitement these days, with the group's music getting tasty reissues, led by 2017's Fun Comes Fast career best-of. Now the runt of the litter, 1983's mini-LP Tornado gets new life, and a serious upgrading.

The disc is now more than triple the original size, bulked up to 21 tracks instead of the original six. This accomplished by doing a full remix of the cuts, and giving us both the old and new versions. Plus the group was able to locate nine band demos for the set, those same six plus another three in contention. The remixes were a smart idea. Some of the '80's sheen is gone, while vocals, guitar and overall thump is increased, making them tougher. This was supposed to be the record to break them in the U.S., so some nods to commercial sounds were made in the production. While the remix can't change all of that, it does improve them.

These are good songs, and they fit in with the group's punkish party/early rock'n'roll style, particularly the fun, danceable "Tornado" and "Blood Boogie," even with the gloss. That's even more apparent from the demos, which were fully-crafted and show that the group knew what they were after. Better still, the three cuts that didn't make the album are prime as well, and make this collection stronger than the original. Perhaps they left their version of The Beach Boys' "Drive-In" off to avoid comparisons to The Ramones in their cover choices, but they do a bang-up job. That shows their true early r'n'r roots better than anything.

Extra kudos for the packaging, which features great liner notes, explaining the situation the band were in at the time. This was originally released as by Teenage Heads, the name changed as part of a new U.S. deal, to appease DJ's in small American towns. It was also those U.S. brains that demanded this be a mini-LP as well, thinking that would help break the band in the States. The irony was that a regime change in the U.S. saw the group dropped before they even got released there. The memorabilia is great as well, and vinyl may be the best way to go, in a delightful two-tone green.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: MONKEY HOUSE - FRIDAY

Another gem from the talented Toronto jazz-soul outfit, lead by keyboardist/singer/composer Don Breithaupt, the group's fifth. His love of Steely Dan is no secret (mine either) and he continues to move that group's precision-with-swing sound along nicely, with catchy words and melodies, every tune impressive. Smooth but with lots of guts and glory, it hits the exact right mix of clever and skillful.

This set's a little more soulful than the previous Monkey House releases, so in Dan terms, more Gaucho than Aja. Breithaupt shows his writing chops on "I'll Drive, You Chill," a story-song about a woman who owns a pet-friendly pharmacy but steps out on her husband for a wild ride. "When The Mudmen Come" features a survivalist with a panic room who hears and knows what we don't, ready for the inevitable worst-case scenario: "You stand there just smiling, you should be stockpiling." For every line that makes you smile, there's a solo or part that tickles your musical brain as well.

Dan fans will appreciated guest soloists Drew Zingg on guitar, from the '90's era Steely band, and trumpeter Michael Leonhart, another longtime collaborator of Becker and Fagan. Also, there's a sly nod in the lyrics, "So there's money in your pocket, but you can't buy a thrill." The best guest award goes to Manhattan Transfer, who do their trademark thing in "The Jazz Life." But the Monkey House band is topnotch on its own, handling this hybrid sound that's such a joy when done right.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: CORB LUND - COVER YOUR TRACKS

The Hurtin' Albertan tries on other people's cowboy boots for a change. Lund's picked eight cuts that mean something to him, his favourites from over the years, or songs he's done in concert. Some are big surprises, and most of them from the pop side of things rather than country, cowboy or outlaw.

The most fun comes on a cover of the old hit "Cover Of The Rolling Stone," helped out by his pal Hayes Carll. This one's a natural for Lund's easy-going side, and in fact he does a better job than the original Dr. Hook version, which always felt a bit corny. Lund and Carll are just having fun. Same goes for his take on "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me," it's fun but a little too close to Billy Joel's version, I'd like to hear it with some oomph.

Lund goes the other way on the most surprising cut, AC/DC's "Ride On," which he turns into a country-ish number. If that's not enough of a shock, it also features guest vocals from none other than Ian Tyson, Lund's mentor. It works great, with a twangy loud guitar a nod to the original. Covers always work best when they successfully re-imagined. No such luck with "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," which I'll argue really sounds better from a woman, or at least Nancy Sinatra. Still, strong marks for this mini-LP, a welcome side-step while we wait for Lund's next move.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: JACKSON BROWNE - RUNNING ON EMPTY

Browne's single best album doesn't get the sales love these days that his peers such as The Eagles, with Hotel California, enjoy, and the hefty boost to his bank account. Maybe this reissue on vinyl will bring back some love.

It's certainly deserved. This was a concept album like no other, a group of songs about being on the road, performed on the road, not just on stage but in the bus and hotel rooms too. Since those were the settings for the songs, there is an extra poignancy as Browne sings about the feelings he, the band and the crew share, as well as the problems, humour and heartache.

The title cut may be Browne's very best song, as his band helped him move from his sad balladry to hockey rink rock. These were expert L.A. players (David Lindley, Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel, etc.) on the loose in middle America, a writer at the height of his creative powers, lots of time to jam, too much time to play, and more money than brains. The cocaine and groupie stories might have humour up front, but Browne lets the listener know this definitely isn't going to turn out well; all they can hope for is survival and a few lessons learned.

Every cut here is a gem, including Kortchmar's ode to truckers, "Shaky Town," the hilarious story of the cuckolded roadie, "Rosie," and Rev. Gary Davis's ode to marching powder, "Cocaine," complete with new couplets from enthusiasts Browne and Glenn Frey. And there's no better tribute to the crew than "The Load-Out," played as the walk-out music at a million concerts since. Browne oversaw the remastering of this new edition, which remarkably has always had brilliant sound for a live album, thanks of course to the terrific band.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE SPECIALS - ENCORE

The almost-always in flux Specials surprisingly continue, now dwindled down to three original members: Terry Hall on vocals, Lynval Golding on guitar and vocals, and bass player Horace Panter. They've done lots of touring in these reunion years, but little recording. It's the first studio album since 2001 to bear the name. It turns out they had some pretty good ideas saved up.

Wisely the band sticks to what got them recognized way back in the ska revival of the late '70's, political lyrics with fun music. Race is still just as volatile a topic, and most of the tracks revolve around that, from this still multi-racial group. "B.L.M." is Golding's story, telling of the racism his father faced in England when he emigrated, and that the same happened to him over the decades both in the U.K. and U.S. The message, finally is Black Lives Matter. Hall weighs in with some smart covers, such as The Equals' "Black Skin Blue-Eyed Boys," and takes on the craziness of guns on :Blam Blam Fever," first done by The Valentines in 1967, now updated with some contemporary statistics from the States.  I also love that Hall and Golding brought back their old Fun Boy Three cut "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum)," in these Brexit/Boris times.

To sweeten the pot, there's a bonus disc included, a life concert of the current band, featuring several of the old faves, such as "Monkey Man," "A Message To You, Rudy," and "Too Much, Too Young." They still pack a live punch, and the band certainly has more to offer, even down to three.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE SHANGS - GOLDEN HITS OF THE SHANGS

What the heck is it with Hamilton and the enduring legacy of that ultimate cult-cool band Simply Saucer? That hybrid alt-rock/psych/punk combo was formed in the '70's and rediscovered decades later, leading to an ongoing reformation and status as a global influence. Now, an original co-founding member is seeing the same thing happen to his 90's project, The Shangs, who are back and beautiful with this, the group's first in over 20 years.

David Byers brought the pop side to the original Saucer, and when The Shangs got going in the '90's, he and cohorts Ed and Pat O'Neill showed a deep love of '60's sultry studio work, especially from girl groups and lounge sounds. Two CD's came out then, and now this sees Byers continuing those influences, with a batch of new songs, some found recordings past and a revisit to a couple of others. The O'Neill brothers are featured on the tracks, as well as the new generation Saucer folks, including original co-founder Edgar Breau,  still leading the Saucer. But this is not like that group's energetic output. The Shangs remain pop, fun at times, psych and mellow at others. From the moody opener "Adore" to the trippy cover of Norma Tanega's obscure 1966 single "A Street That Rhymes At 6 AM," this is a fascinating journey filled with delightful sounds and deep mysteries.

Byers is just as fascinated with dark Hollywood as he is with girl groups, and several of the songs are about sad tales of bit players. "Whatever Happened To Carol Wayne" is about the Tonight Show regular (the Matinee Lady) who drowned in mysterious circumstances, and "Claudine" is a tribute to the actress/singer Claudine Longet, who famously shot and killed her boyfriend, Olympic skier Spider Sabich.

At times, such as the cover of the Goffin/King number "Just A Little Boy," The Shangs recall the later studio meanderings of Brian Wilson, with a low-fi charm. Elsewhere, that same demo-like quality recalls the fuzzy warbles of XTC's Andy Partridge, unpolished gems better left alone than overworked. This is absolutely a headphones album, even one to drift off to sleep with, or at least another consciousness. Thanks for keeping it going, Mr. Byers.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: MELANIE PETERSON - WHAT YOU'RE SELLING

Here's a note to singer-songwriters based in Toronto: It's hot there in the summer. Come east, the weather's lovely and the ocean is magic this time of year. That's exactly what Melanie Peterson has figured out, as she makes her East Coast debut 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11, at the Petite Riviere Vineyards at Crousetown, N.S. That's on the South Shore, near Bridgewater, and a great afternoon drive from Halifax. That sounds like a perfect introduction for Peterson to the charms of the area.

Peterson is actually from Saskatchewan originally, now making Toronto her headquarters. She's put out a couple of albums and a couple of EP's the last few years, featuring a couple of directions for her sound. Her most recent, What You're Selling, features three songwriter tunes in her acoustic folk style. Before that, her EP Two has larger, pop productions, which is what she plans for her next full album. I'm kind of torn between both styles, although the layered vocals and strings on the pop EP shine.

For her Sunday show, it's Melanie and her bass player, so I'll concentrate on the folk EP. On this less-adorned material, her voice stars, high-pitched and warm, charming and very appealing. She makes you want to lean in and soak up her stories, especially in "Lillian," the young girl from the troubled side of town, who needed a friend. She can do heartbreak too, but with strength. "What you're selling, I no longer buy," she advises the lying guy who she's giving the boot.

The long and short of it is, if you're looking for a great day Sunday in Nova Scotia, hop in the car, hit the Vineyard, and enjoy. If you're not close, check out Melanie Peterson online soon.