legends of rocks

wolfmother

2008-05-04T21:43:00.001-07:00

In a complex designed with the glazed, somnambulatory gambling patron in mind, it’s hard to tell things apart. The eye swirls at the epileptic lighting within the gut of Harrah’s Casino. In fact, after we ran through the revolving door at the main casino entrance, my friend Derek was almost fatally drawn in by the rapturously patriotic bright lights outside of Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill.

By contrast, our destination, the VooDoo Lounge is a cool blue affair adjacent to TKILTBG (as we came to affectionately call it) and, as it turns out, the place adheres rigidly to published concert start times.

Wolfmother had already taken the stage and launched into their prime radio hit “Mother” when we came in. I forget what a good song it is, a pounding-mallet-type hymn to femininity at its most elemental (“Yep, you’re a woman… you’ve got a vagina and all that junk,” per Derek).

Singer Andrew Stockdale has a cosmic yowl that makes the band all the more reminiscent of Uriah Heep. Sure, the motifs are hackneyed and tropish as a punchbowl billowing with dry ice – steaming cauldrons and repeated invocations of “The Mind’s Eye” stick out. But the Heep pulled the same contrivances, and pulled them off well. And Wolfmother pins the rock anachronisms more than musically – Stockdale regularly applauded himself and made what seemed a genuine effort to engage the crowd. The band’s also extraordinarily good at the woeful Wolfmammy ballads – celestial, string-my-tears-‘cross-the-firmament ballads that long to dream a non-extant ladylove into flesh.

snipal tap

2008-05-04T21:42:00.001-07:00

This is just off the wire: Spinal Tap will reunite for a concert on global warming in July. As the group is not known for social awareness, this is something of a surprise. Nigel Tufnel is quoted as saying about global warming “I thought it was just because I was wearing too much clothing, if I just took my jacket off it would be cooler.” No word on who the drummer will be for this concert or what the odds of survival for that band member will be.

Since the band’s breakup, Nigel has been raising miniature horses, though he has been having difficulty finding miniature jockeys to ride them. David has become a hip-hop producer and runs a colonic clinic on the side. Derek has been in rehab for addiction to the Internet.

van halen

2008-05-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

According to published reports:

Van Halen will announce a 50-date American reunion tour with original singer David Lee Roth during a news conference in Hollywood next week, sources said.

The arena trek will begin in early October.

Roth, who split from the rock group in the mid-1980s in hopes of solo stardom, will reunite with co-founders Eddie Van Halen on guitar and brother Alex Van Halen on drums. Eddie’s teenage son Wolfgang will sub for Michael Anthony on bass.

A proposed summer amphitheater tour by the group never got off the ground, with Eddie Van Halen entering a rehabilitation facility for undisclosed reasons in March.

In the months since, the guitarist has been seen publicly looking healthy and fit.

Van Halen last toured in 2004, with Roth’s replacement, vocalist Sammy Hagar, grossing nearly $40 million, according to Billboard Boxscore.

I’m bettin’ that either

a) the tour will be cancelled before it even gets started after rehearsals; or

b) the tour will be cancelled after only a handful of dates.

I just don’t see it happening. Between the huge egos of Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth as well as the huge grudges each of them carry plus the well-publicized anger issues of Eddie Van Halen, it’s going to end badly once the fighting begins.

dick dale

2008-05-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

Supporting Dick Dale @ Patronaat

We are proud to announce that we will be supporting “King of the Surf Guitar” dick daleduring the only Dutch show on his upcoming European tour; Friday November 9th @patronaat / Haarlem.

We are looking forward to sharing the stage with the legendary Godfather of Surf.

ozzy osbourne

2008-05-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

Concert Review: Ozzy Osbourne MTS Centre, Winnipeg

November 5th, 2007 by Evan

Halloween came early for heavy metal fans at MTS Centre last night, where monster rockers Rob Zombie and Ozzy Osbourne delivered a demonicdouble-bill of campy thrills and macabre chills. The co-headliners proved a perfect match for the pre-Hallow’s Eve weekend, whipping a crowd of 11,500 into a frightful frenzy with their riff-heavy head-bangers and devilish hard rock.Emerging from the mouth of a sharp-toothed beastie sitting under the drum kit, Zombie immediately kicked things into high gear by barking out the throat-shredding lyrics of American Witch while flanked by a three-piece band and two fetching burlesque dancers. Zombie’s stage set-up is a veritable freak-show of terror-inducing trappings, among them the requisite pyro blasts and sweeping strobelights, but also a giant robo-alien and massive video monitors broadcasting old Bettie Page clips and snuff-inspired footage from his own films.

Osbourne, meanwhile, may not have the same manic energy as Zombie, but give the guy a break — he’s almost 60. Blistering versions of I Don’t Wanna Stop and Crazy Train left us confident his portion of the show would also prove to be more treat than trick.

2008-05-04T21:29:00.000-07:00

Where have you gone, Matthew Sweet? The man who reinvented pop rock in the '90s with the release of his opus, Girlfriend, and its hard-rocking follow-up, Altered Beast, just seemed to disappear from the music landscape, only to pop up in some of the wildest places, including as a member of Austin Powers' rock band, Ming Tea, and as a member of the singer-songwriter supergroup The Thorns.

kansas

2008-05-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

The first Kansas band is formed when Phil Ehart of White Clover and Kerry Livgren of Saratoga decide to form a new band. This new band consists of members drawn from both Saratoga and White Clover. The first Kansas band featured Phil Ehart on drums, Kerry Livgren on guitar, Larry Baker on guitar and saxophone, Don Montre on keyboards and flute, Dan Wright on keyboards and guitar, Dave Hope on bass, and Lynn Meredith and Greg Allen singing lead vocals.

allman brother

2008-05-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

NYC Album Art?: The Allman Brothers, Live at Fillmore East

In the past we've told you about New York album art from The Doors, Bob Dylan, The Ramones and more. You can read the past posts here, and now we move on to The Allman Brothers Band: Live at Fillmore East.

The album was recorded at a show in 1971, the year the venue shut its doors. With the cover art shot by Jim Marshall, it looks like the photo shoot took place in the back alley of the fillmore (there are even guided tours in New York which visit the spot). While many have suspected that, and that The Allman Brothers Band are the only band to have a photo of the venue on the cover of an album (which would be fitting since the Allmans played so many shows there they were often referred to as "Bill Graham's House Band"), it's not true. In actuality, the album cover shots were taken at the bands headquarters in Macon, Georgia. Marshall explains here.

About the venue: Bill Graham opened it as a counterpart to the Fillmore West in 1968, a venue known also as "The Church of Rock and Roll". The New York establishment was in the East Village at 105 2nd Avenue (map).

Currently the former entrance lobby is a branch of Emigrant Savings Bank, which includes photos of the venue. The rest of the space is an apartment complex. There's a tribute on the street pole at the corner still, mosaics make up logos of bands and music note. Here's an old torn photo of what the scene looked liked outside of the venue before the last shows.

The Murderdolls

2008-04-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

The Murderdolls could just be the band that saves the rock scene. Looking at the current crop of Puddle Of Mudd and Staind it's hard to imagine a time pre Nirvana, but with the Murderdolls they bring back all the rock & roll excess of times gone by. Add glam rock, guitar solo's, Friday 13th, which feature in equal parts, and not forgetting the fact that Slipknot's Joey Jordison has swapped the sticks for a guitar it makes for a exciting proposition.

We caught up with frontman Wednesday to find how himself and Joey forged an alliance between The Rejects and Frankenstein Drag Queens to form the Murderdolls. After two months on the road the band are getting used to the fact that they've not only attracted a cult following of Murderdolls obsessive's, but are set to scare the mainstream when they support Papa Roach later this year.

Q: It's one of the most complicated family trees in rock & roll history, but could you summarize for our readers how the Murderdolls came to being?
A: In the shortest story I can explain cos' it's such a long story. Joey had a band called the Rejects that he had about 95/ 96 as well as being involved in Slipknot. But the Rejects used to play around Iowa and then of course Slipknot went on, got signed and became huge and we didn't have time to do the band. But any time Joey had time off, he would come home and the Rejects would do shows. It was basically just Joey and this singer guy called Dizzy, actually some of the guys from Slipknot would play shows like Corey, but they would just get people together and play these songs they had.

In 2000, Joey had some time off, went into the Studio, played all the music with a singer and recorded 14 songs. He also met Tripp who is in Static X, but who at the time was in a band called Dope. And it's weird because the ideas been around for ages, but as far as being physically a band between Slipknot's and Static X schedules they came in and did 2 live shows in the same day - one in the afternoon and then another in the evening.

A year later I get brought into the picture and Joey had heard the band I'd been in, Frankenstein Drag Queens, and he really liked our music cos it was really similar to what he'd been doing with the Rejects. Were on the same wave length, like the same music and the same movies, but I came into the Rejects as a bass player. I went up there, recorded some songs and Joey was like I really like your voice - I wanna get rid of this guy I've been with for 6 years. And from that point we basically started on the record. Once the album was done we found Eric and Ben. Eric was in a Static X video playing a vampire, so he knew Tripp. And then Eric said I know a drummer guy, which was Ben, and they kind of came in as a team.

We'd never played together as a band until a week before we went on tour. So we had to learn all the material and go out on a tour of the States. Most bands will be together for years and years and we were like I hope we can play these songs as well as the album. Now when I listen to the album, it's like we play it so much together now.

Q: So as you said then. The album came together from Joey's "Reject" songs and your "Frankenstein Drag Queens" songs. Is it working as band now?
A: The story always focus' about the rejects, but a lot of the material came from my band. And we just put them all together and Joey had the name The Murderdolls wrote down in a notebook for a couple of years. We just stuck with it even though we knew it would give us a load of ***, cos you can't say "Murder" - it's bad - so we've come across some shit for that already. It's like were not going to carry a band called the Murderdolls!!!!

Q: You guys grew up in a time where Rock bands made an effort rather than just walking on stage like they'd got out of bed. Where did it start for you?
A: For me when I started really getting into music I always say the original Alice Cooper Band. I say the band cos even though Alice always got the main attention, the albums that that band did they were such a brilliant band. But of course I wasn't alive when those album came out so I had to read about them and hear about them.

So when I started to get into music I saw "Were Not Going To Take It MTV" from Twisted Sister and Motley Crew's "Looks Could Kill" video and for some reason I was always attracted to the bands that had an image. Like when I see AC/DC it was like they look like guys that work on cars in a garage.

Kiss, Alice Cooper, Motley Crew. In my mind when I think of rock bands that's the image that comes in mind. So with us, that's why it's so important. So that when we walk on stage we don't look like that guy walking on the street over there. It's really important for us to look like were from outer space because the way bands look today if they fell of stage you really couldn't separate the band members from the audience.

Q: And the sound as well is from a more traditional rock perspective isn't it?
A: We have guitar solo's in our songs and nobody does that anymore. It's popular not to have them, but in my mind when I write a song that's the structure of it I write. People compare us a lot to the 80s and I guess it is. But the 80s are just a copy of the 70s and the 70s are just a copy of the 60s - it's just a big cycle thing.

We took what we liked from that music, we put our own stamp on it and we think we squeezed all the cheese out of it. Put a little more aggression onto it and put a more darker image on it.

Q: Have you got a Murderdolls Cult going yet?
A: Yeah, it's weird that the red and black thing has really taken off. We knew that we weren't a top 20 radio band and our mind was made up with the fact that we were going to start a band the way we wanted to start it. We thought we could form this small army and build it up and up and from our first American Shows to this tour it's all sold out.

For me to walk out on stage and see hundred's of kids with Slipknot T-shirts on, which I think is completely opposite to what we play, and for them to walk away and think that is the greatest show I have ever seen. If they can accept Slipknot and accept what we do it's really opening minds. People keep saying is this a real band? Is this a side project? Were busting our *** and you'll definitely see more albums and I think after you see the show tonight you'll see that the kids are digging it too much just to be some stupid side project. Like when I think of side projects I think of the guy out of Limp Bizkit who did that Big Stupid Face side project and Fieldy from Korn - but with this there's something special.

And now we've just got the Papa Roach tour as well, so were going in front of kids who are buying the Top 40 popular music. Were going in front of kids who are probably terrified of us and were gonna turn them over.

Q: It's a real package tour for the UK- the Murderdolls and Anti Product. Tell us a little about Anti Product?
A: Well, I don't know whether you guys knew this or not. But our bass player, Ben, his father died over the weekend. So he flew home for the funeral and he's coming back tomorrow and the lead singer of Anti Product is playing bass with us for tonight. Because if not we'd have to cancel sold out shows and it would be a nightmare.

Anti Product are weird and that's what cool about it. We didn't want to bring a Nu-Metal band or anything like that. They're like a punk rock Abba. It's cool watching them come out at night because the audience doesn't know what to make of them - they give them a little *** at first, but they win them over by the end of the show.

Both bands are totally opposite of what's popular right now in music. We didn't want a band that was Limp Bizkit or Linkin Park so we just got two weird bands.

Stone Sour

2008-04-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

It may appear Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor's biggest problem would be comparisons to his other band - masked nu-metallers Slipknot. The truth is the vocalist is more concerned with the band's connection to an alcoholic concoction.

"It's a very unfortunate drink - whiskey, sour and orange juice and it's quite gross - it's never on our rider," Taylor says. "We look at it like the Metallica syndrome. At the end of the day Metallica doesn't mean anything as a word but as a band and a body of music it means everything. That's the way we look at it, we define it by the music we make."

Thankfully an early attempt by the band at a clever promotion backfired.

"The second show we ever did we had this stupid idea to basically set up a deal at the bar for dollar Stone Sour shots," he says. "We all did one before the show and we almost puked. It was like, 'Wow, this was really not a good idea.' Of course they only sold five at the end of the gig and all five were to the people in the band. It was a lesson learned - we try and get as far away from that connotation as possible."

Slipknot is Taylor's better known musical venture but Stone Sour was his first. He and guitarist Jim Root formed the group in 1992 before both left in '97 to don evil masks and join the Slipknot camp. In 2002 the pair, looking for a new musical outlet, resurrected Stone Sour.

"I wanted to do something different and Slipknot was so different to anything I'd ever done," Taylor says. "But there was a sense of diversity that kind of got weeded out when we did the first two [Slipknot] albums. I think that's why I started looking around for something different, right around the Iowa album. Luckily, Stone Sour was here. Now I've got both."

The second album, Come What(ever) May, was released last year. The five-piece have a starkly different sound to the angst-ridden metal laid down by Slipknot. Still delving into heavy rock, Stone Sour have lighter melodic moments with Taylor using his full vocal range.

Despite a hectic work schedule, Taylor and Root appear content to let the two projects run side by side.

"You lose a lot of sleep; you're not always that healthy but at the end of the day it's worth it," he says. "My whole thing in this business is legacy; the money can come and go, the fans are great but at the end of the day if you don't leave something behind that's worth s--- then why even do it? I hope that's what I'm doing. "

Led Zeppelin

2008-04-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

Led Zeppelin announced this week that they will play a benefit show for record man Ahmet Ertegun. Yep, you heard it here last.

The Grimleys - 70's & 80's Glam Rock Tribute Band

2008-04-21T05:05:00.000-07:00

Simply the best fun band in the world, presenting hits from the 70s and 80s with the look and feel of the glam rock greats. With comedy impressions and an all round fun feel, this band are guaranteed to get any venues' crowd up and dancing all night.

2008-04-21T04:59:00.000-07:00

We shall let it be known... Hugely successful pop-punk band Blink 182 has gone on an indefinite hiatus. After mysteriously missing a tsunami relief benefit, the trio's record label issued a statement announcing the sudden 'intermission.' This standing has left Blink fans 'round the country wondering. Could this be the end? Personally, I love the San Diego based band. Their hysterically catchy tunes "All the Small Things" and "What's My Age Again" have always been all-time favorites. I just feel that this group has got a great deal of character & talent and I would hate to never hear from them again.

Sex Pistols to reunite to mark 30th anniversary of iconic album

2008-04-21T04:57:00.000-07:00

The Sex Pistols have followed in the footsteps of Led Zeppelin and will reform for a one-off gig.

The performance will mark the 30th anniversary of their album Never Mind The B******s.

Announcing their comeback, frontman John Lydon - also known as Johnny Rotten - said: "Maybe it's because we're all Londoners, but there would be no Sex Pistols without dear old London town."

The group split in 1978 but reformed in 1996 and last performed together in 2003.

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They're back: The punk band are set to reunite in November

All four members - Lydon, Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock - will perform at the November gig.

Lydon said: "From London Bridge to the Rose and Crown, all of Britain is welcome so come on down."

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Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols was released in 1977 amid great controversy and is now regarded as a landmark in British music history.

It featured the singles God Save The Queen, Anarchy In The UK and Pretty Vacant. The album is being re-released to coincide with the anniversary.

The punk band will play London's Brixton Academy on November 8. Tickets cost £37.50 and go on sale at 9am on Friday.

[Punk rock] Ramones - Rock 'n' Roll Radio (1980.)

2008-04-21T04:48:00.000-07:00

Grupa Ramones se često spominje kao prva punk rock grupa. Naime, grupa je nastala već 1974. u New Yorku. Njihova je karijera trajala dvadeset i dvije godine, a tokom cijele karijere su neprestano nastupali na turnejama, tako da su uspjeli doći do impresivne brojke od 2.263 održanih koncerata. 1996. godine, nakon nastupa na festivalu Lollapalooza, krenuli su na manju klupsku turneju, nakon koje su se razišli. U razdoblju od osam godina nakon raspada grupe, preminula su njezina tri osnivača; pjevač Jeffry Ross Hyman a.k.a Joey Ramone (2001.), basist Douglas Glenn Colvin a.k.a Dee Dee Ramone (2002.) i gitarist John Cummings a.k.a Johnny Ramone (2004.). Njih trojica činila su originalnu postavu (Joey je bio pjevač i bubnjar), a nekoliko mjeseci nakon nastanka pridružuje im se bubnjar Tamás Erdélyi a.k.a Tommy Ramone. Tommy odlazi iz grupe 1978., a zamjenjuje ga Mark Bell (Marky Ramone), koji pak grupu napušta 1983. te im se ponovno pridružuje 1987. Za vrijeme njegovog odsustva bubnjeve je svirao Richard Reinhardt (Richie Ramone), a na dva koncerta 12987. s Ramonesima je nastupao i Clem Burke, bubnjar grupa Blondie, pod umjetničkim imenom Elvis Ramone. Osim te parade bubnjara, u grupi se dogodila još jedna promjena, 1989. kada je bend napustio basist Dee Dee Ramone, a zamijenio ga je Christopher James Ward (C.J. Ramone), koji je s bendom nastupao do raspada 1996. godine.
Ramonesima se ne može osporiti utjecaj na punk i alternativnu rock scenu, no njihov je značaj u velikoj mjeri ostao u sjeni njihovih suvremenika, grupa The Clash i Sex Pistols. Unatoč svojoj dugoj i intenzivnoj karijeri, Ramonesi nisu postigli veći komercijalni uspjeh. Njihov jedini album koji je prodan u zlatnoj nakladi u SAD-u je kompilacijski album "Ramones Mania". No, njihova vrijednost neprestano raste još od 1980-ih te se danas uvrštavaju na većinu "all-time greatest" lista, a njihovi hitovi zadržavaju stalnu razinu popularnosti.

Pjesma "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" ili jednostavnije samo "Rock 'n' Roll Radio" je drugi singl s njihovog petog albuma "End of the Century" iz 1980. godine. Ta pjesma, a i cijeli album označili su velike promjene u njihovoj glazbi, djelomično zbog želje za većim komercijalnim uspjehom, a djelomično i zbog novog producenta s kojim su radili na tom albumu, Phila Spectora. Većina njihovih prijašnjih pjesama bazirala se na tri akorda i pamtljivoj melodiji, a "Rock 'n' Roll Radio" je, za razliku od tih pjesama, puno kompleksnija. Bazira se na pop zvuku iz 1950-ih tj. na pjesmama uz koje su članovi benda odrastali. Uz standardni zvuk gitare, basa i bubnja, u ovoj se pjesmi koriste i piano, truba i saksofon.
[ovdje možete pročitati nešto više o nekim njihovim pjesmama iz ranije faze tj. iz razdoblja nekomercijalnog punka, te ih poslušati]
Kao i u većini pjesama iz 50-ih, saksofon je glavni instrument, a ne gitara. Uglavnom, Ramonesi su krenuli ka komercijalizaciji napuštajući karakteristični "sirovi" punk zvuk, no unatoč tome ovo je postala jedna od njihovih danas najpoznatijih pjesama (uz još komercijalniju "Pet Sematary" na primjer). No, njezin uspjeh se temelji i na činjenici da je u live nastupima, zbog velike količine korištenih instrumenata, to sve izbačeno i svedeno na osnovne instrumente, a vodeći instrument je bas gitara, umjesto saksofona.
Pjesma "Rock 'n' Roll Radio" iznosi filozofiju grupe o tome zašto su osnovali bend. Naime, oni smatraju da se rock and roll treba vratiti svojim korijenima, te što prije napustiti pravce poput psihodeličnog rocka sa kraja 1960-ih ili pop rocka sa početka 1970-ih.

Stihovi pjesme poslužili su i za naziv cijelog albuma ("It's the end, the end of the seventies/It's the end, the end of the century.") te također za naziv dokumentarca o Ramonesima iz 2003. godine ("End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones").

the killers

2008-04-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

Can’t wait till tomorrow? Well thats okay, AOL Music has a full album stream of Sams Town.

Click to listen to all of Sam’s Town on AOL Music

Also, I just saw this album over at Arjan Writes. Which do you like better, the goat and model, or The Killers on top of the world in an extremely rockstar like fashion.

queen of the stone age

2008-03-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

On the phone in a New York City hotel room, Homme said he didn't know what he wanted to say when he started the record. For the first two months the band was in the studio, the members didn't tell the record label.

"The best thing is to have the chance to fail," Homme said, without worrying about anybody else listening.

"We took the opportunity to try falling and crawling on our hands and knees and looked for something cool to play," he said.

The result was the realization that his generation was "trippy" and "Era Vulgaris" is an album injected with 11 infectious songs that sound more '70s-influenced than the band's previous work.

"It's like the happy flu," he joked. "Or the happy Ebola virus."

He said making the album in the trial-and-error manner required constant assessment.

"But we made it through the rain, as Barry Manilow said," Homme quipped.

Lyrics are always hardest for him when writing, he said, but he was fortunate to have a particularly fruitful weekend while making the album.

"The rock god smiled down on me from Fresno," he said.

Fresno? What about Bakersfield?

He said the rock god could be there too, because it's another place nobody would look for the divine spirit.

The band, known for collaborating with a mix of artists from Billy Gibbons, of ZZ Top, to former Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, teamed up with Julian Casablancas, lead singer of The Strokes, for the single "Sick Sick Sick," as well as Trent Reznor for the title track that didn't make the album.

He said the band has certain criteria needs for collaborations. First, they have to have respect for the person as an artist and a writer, and second, "people would find it strange."

Homme said that the fans range from finding it totally bizarre to being angry about it.

"They are the best fans around. They don't want us to jeopardize (the band)," he said.

So far, he hasn't heard much of what the fans think about the new material. Recently on tour in Europe, he said fans were "really stoked," but quickly pointed out that anyone who wasn't into the new stuff probably wouldn't stick around to talk about it.

"I want people to like the music. I want our kids to like it. I don't like to let people down," he said.

In the meantime, Homme has been going back to the Coachella Valley plenty to visit his parents with his 1-year-old daughter in tow.

"Tell Riverside I said, 'Hey! What's up?' They're on the way to my people," Homme said.

He had a message for his "people" of the Coachella Valley, too.

"Then tell them, 'Hey! Call me!' " he said brightly. "Or no."

motorhead

2008-03-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

�HISTORY

If there is one musician who has succeeded in transporting the zeitgeist of the founder days of rock �n� roll to the year 2004, it�s got to be Mot�rhead�s frontman, Lemmy. He lives his philosophy uncompromisingly, his whisky-soaked skin featuring the unambiguous tattoo that sums up his life like no other motto: �Born to lose � live to win�.

In 1975, after being kicked out of Hawkwind - for �taking the wrong drugs�, according to Lemmy! - Lemmy founded Bastard, the forerunner of the band that was soon to be renamed Mot�rhead.�

�Technically, the first Mot�rhead line-up was as bad as can be,� Lemmy admits these days. �With Phil Taylor and Fast Eddie Clarke, it would have been impossible to play the tracks that we deliver just like that today.� Musically and commercially, Mot�rhead had some tough years ahead of them and only survived because Lemmy refused to surrender his ideas and his role as undisputed Mot�rhead boss. But in the early Eighties, the musicians � and, subsequently, the albums began to improve, and the band landed their first classic with the title track of the Ace Of Spades album in 1980, followed by another milestone release in rock history: No Sleep Till Hammersmith, a thunderous album that presented the band in their element � live on stage. In autumn 1982, guitarist Eddie Clarke left and was replaced by ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson, but following the release of �Another Perfect Day� one year later, Robertson quit and was replaced by Phil Campbell and Michael Burston, a.k.a. W�rzel.

The early Nineties saw the Mot�rhead flagship go into a serious spin: the band had signed their first major deal and, at the request of their new record company, tried to move from their familiar unbridled power rock towards more radio compatible material. Their 1991 release March �r Die (featuring Guns�n�Roses guitarist Slash and Ozzy Osbourne as guests) was a complete flop with the press.

This was when drummer Mikkey Dee joined. Lemmy emigrated to Los Angeles and had to face the displeasure of his fellow countrymen. �Lemmy Goes to Hollywood�, the British press chided, but Lemmy couldn�t have cared less. �I don�t give a damn what people say,� he raged. �Why should I stay in England? I lived there for almost 44 years and what was the result? I almost starved as a musician. I hadn�t been in the States two years before we got our first Grammy nomination.�

In the mid-Nineties, guitarist W�rzel left the group once the recordings for the Sacrifice album had been completed. The remaining band members - Lemmy, drummer Mikkey Dee and guitarist Phil Campbell - didn�t waste any time mourning W�rzel�s departure, returning to business as usual to the delight of their fans and continuing as a trio. �Phil wanted to make the most of this opportunity and play everything by himself, so Mikkey and I said okay, he can have his chance on tour. It was great, everything worked out really well.� The press agreed and attested the threesome that they had revitalised the band�s classic three-man tradition.

Their boundless energy is ever-present to this day, and after a succession of increasingly successful album releases in recent years such as We Are Motorhead and Hammered, Mot�rhead stepped on the gas once again to deliver last year�s astonishingly brilliant Inferno album, an album that found itself firmly planted in many publications� and critic�s end-of-year top twentys. Their 25^th Anniversary show at Brixton brought tears to grown men�s eyes as they saw the band�s once-familiar live showpiece The Bomber emerge from the roof and a host of guests perform with the band�and their 2005 THIRTIETH Anniversary show at Hammersmith is guaranteed to be even MORE spectacular!

wolf

2008-03-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

Former Statue Records recording artist Robert A. Wolf is an award winning keyboardist/composer who has written, produced, and performed every instrument on his albums. Sanctuary is an album project concieved and recorded while Robert was in L.A. in 1993, doing other instrumental film projects there. following up the same format as 'Sanctuary', Robert's new album 'Paradox' released(1999). It contains new music written and performed in 1994-1998. all of which is instrumental, and has been compared to Jan Hammer, Vangelis, and Danny Elfman. however nobody can really pinpiont what Robert's style actually is, it has a sound & style all it's own.

History---

Born in Southern Illinois in 1961, robert always used to make funny sounds out of used radio parts until he purchased his first synthesizer in 1975.(yes it was a Korg) attended Wabash Valley College in illinois in 1979-81 where he was a dj on WVJC radio. played with local bands and attended Belmont Music school in Nashville, and Full Sail recording workshop in Orlando. playing keyboards in rock bands thru the 1980's robert won a local radio station songwriting contest 2 years in a row, the first win as a solo act. toured with the Evansville in based band “Moonrocker” in 1984 in the midwest and Florida sharing the bill with such acts as “The Grass Roots” and “Head East”. in 1986 joined Evansville based band “Side Effex” and played many midwest clubs. Most notably Side Effex played the old Funky's downtown Evansville frequently in the mid 1980's.

Robert moved to L.A. in 1987 and joined L.A. based band “Tremor” and played most every club in hollywood. going solo in the early 1990's and experimenting with progressive instrumentals and film scoring Robert first worked in front of the cameras and can be seen in the films, Another you, Ricochet, and Wayne's World.

In 1993 Robert got behind the scenes and wrote the score for his first film 'The Tell Tale Heart', for A.I.A. Productions of Los Angeles.the score later won second place at the world fest film awards in 1993. Robert took the instrumentals he was toying with and put together his first album 'Sanctuary' which sold over 2000 copies in Asia in 1994. Robert moved operations back to Indiana to produce many more progressive instrumentals including 'Paradox' the 1999 release with 10 great new progressive instrumentals. Robert also had a radio show on WJPS- fm Evansville from 1997-2001.

See the trailer -- The Last Man Trailer

Currently Robert works out of his Evansville home studio in which in 2007 he wrote the score for the post apocalyptic motion picture 'Mary Shelley's The Last Man'. in 2008 he will be working again with Tucson based A.I.A. Productions on the score for the horror film 'The Domain'. Meanwhile Robert is working on another instrumental album 'Krakatoa' and also writing the score for the A.I.A. short film Just Another Box

sepultura

2008-03-30T06:27:00.000-07:00

Every now and then and interview comes along that you just can't decline. For me that interview was with Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser. As a long-time Sepultura fan I was looking forward to talking to Andreas on the phone about many different issues surrounding the band. Unfortunately due to time commitments on both our parts we had to conduct this interview via email. Andreas has been keeping very busy over the last year working on the latest Sepultura album 'Dante XXI', Andreas also found the time to record some tunes for longtime friend Dino Cazares' band Asesino and even made an appearance on the Roadrunner United album which was a huge success around the world. Since the release of Sepultura's latest album 'Dante XXI' the band have been on an up and down roller coaster, receiving praise by critics around the world, Sepultura hit the road in support of the album but unfortunately drummer Igor Cavalera announced to fans that he wasn't going to do the European tour as he wanted to spend more time with family. Only 24 hours after I conducted this interview with Andreas, Igor announced that he was leaving Sepultura so I never got a chance to ask Andreas his thoughts on Igor's decision, but I did talk with Andreas about touring Australia, the latest killer Sepultura album 'Dante XXI', Working on the Roadrunner United project, his work with Asesino and much more. Time to get back to our 'Roots' with the one and only Andreas Kisser

First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time out to answer the following questions for all of our readers. As a long-time Sepultura fan I am over the moon to have the opportunity to ask you the following questions mate.

Hi Cameron, no problems

The latest album 'Dante XXI' is everything I have come to love and expect with Sepultura, congratulations on a fantastic job. Looking back at the album now a couple of months on are there anything's you would have changed?

Not at all, I'm very happy with the final result and live the songs are working great.

I was really impressed with this album, I believe it showcases some of the best work you guys have done in years, did you guys approach this album in a different way to some of the albums you have done in the past?

No, I mean all the albums are different, but with this one, it was totally influenced by the book from Dante. It was something different for us, it felt more like doing a soundtrack for a movie.

For years you guys have been putting out fantastic albums from 'Beneath The Remains' to 'Arise' and of course the latest 'Dante XXI'. How do you constantly come up with new fresh sounding material without falling into the trap a lot of other bands do by repeating themselves?

By looking forward, not backwards. We are always trying something new, and the most important thing is that we love what we do.

What equipment did you use on the album?

On Dante I used Fender strat guitars with double humbucking and floyd rose tremolo bar. Mesa boogie amps, many different pedals, cold beer [Laughs].

Andreas, in a few words, tell us the first thing that comes to mind when I mention the following tracks from 'Dante XXI'

Repeating the Horror Stupidity of the human being, not learning with our errors
Crown and Mitter End of purgatory, still fast but with a feeling of relief
Buried Words It's a great song to play live, simple and direct.
Dark Wood of Error Fast and evil, it's the beginning of hell…

Let's talk about your most recent video 'Convicted in Life' there was some amazing make-up effects used in the video which I really enjoyed. Take us through a day on the set of a Sepultura video shoot?

It was only a day to shoot for the band and the rest was done by computers in post production.

For those who haven't seen the video, tell us the story behind it?

It deals with the first part of the trilogy and shows the worst of hell. We wanted to show the shit we make here on earth and to be more responsible on our acts, think a little more about the consequences of what we do…respect!

During the eighties I can remember seeing so many different hard rock and metal videos on our televisions but these days they are few and far between, Being in a rock/metal band these days do you feel it is still important to spend so much money making film clips that don't get anywhere near the airplay they deserve?

It's always important to express your art it doesn't matter where and how, if you do something good it will survive.

Andres I'd like to talk about life on the road; What's the most ridiculous thing you have ever asked for on a tour rider?

We have never asked for anything stupid, we only ask for the things we really need.

You guys recently completed a very successful European tour, how did the fans react to the new songs?

It was a great tour, one of the best the fans really reacted very well on the new songs.

The first time I got to witness Sepultura live was back in 1994 on the Chaos A.D. tour, a show I still regard as one of the greatest I have seen to date. You guys have done many tours over the years. Is there one tour that stands out above the rest for you?

We did so many tours and shows it's hard to choose one, but that tour it was very good.

You have played Australia on a number of occasions, what memories do you have from your visits here?

I love Australia, it's a beautiful country with great people, we always had great gigs in Australia. Too bad it's so far but we have great friends there…

It's been a few years since your last visit, are there any plans in the works for an Australian tour?

Hopefully by the end of the year we will be back there.

With a catalogue that spans over twenty years, how do you come up with the perfect set-list, you are always going to have fans that will want to hear early songs & the occasional obscure tracks and every band at least two or three new songs are thrown into a set. How do you juggle the set to make everyone happy including yourselves?

We play what we like, it depends on the tour, and it really depends on how long we get to play our set. We have to take many things into consideration when we work on the set.

Do you do anything specific to warm up and prepare for a show?

I drink cold beer and the rest comes later [Laughs].

You have performed with many talented artists over the years. Has these experiences helped to develop the techniques that you are using today?

Of course! I love to play with different musicians from different styles, it's a great school.

Over the years you have shared the stage with so many fantastic bands such as Sacred Reich, Pantera and most recently In Flames just to name a few. Who have you enjoyed touring with the most & can you share a funny story from the tour?

They were all great, we learn a lot playing with them, but the best for me was the tour we did with Ozzy Osbourne in 92 with the reunion of Black Sabbath at the end of the tour.

Being a huge soccer fan no doubt you will be glued to the TV over the next few weeks watching the world cup, Australia are to take on Brazil, any predictions?

Well the game already happened and to be honest I expected a lot more from Brazil, but we won, and that's the important thing. I think Australia still have a great chance to qualify, they are playing great so far.

Andreas, being in one of the most influential metal bands of our time, who were you surprised to learn was a fan of the band?

Dave Grohl from Nirvana / Foo Fighters, back in 92 he was using a hat with our tribal "S", we were very happy to see that.

What's the craziest rumour you had ever heard about yourself and or the band?

That I was dead once, that was terrible news for my family, but everything was fine after a phone call.

Being a member of such a successful band I would imagine you get asked some pretty weird questions from time to time. What's the strangest question you have ever been asked?

Oh I don't remember, there have been a few.

Over the last twelve months or so there has been a lot of speculation that Max would be returning to Sepultura and or there would be some kind of reunion tour planned. Can you set the record straight for us! Have there been any talks/meetings taking place where this has been discussed?

Well, I don't talk with Max. I haven't spoken with Max since he left the band back in 96. No reunion right now.

Did it ever cross your mind that when you joined Sepultura way back when that all these years later you guys would still be going and influencing kids all over the world?

No, not at all, I always had my dreams and we've conquered so much more than I ever imagined.

If you woke up and decided to stop playing music tomorrow, what would you be doing?

I'll Be Dead!

I believe you are doing some work with Dino Cazares' band Asesino? How did you become involved with this project and what can you tell us about your involvement?

I have known Dino for a long time and we met up again last year on the Roadrunner party. Dino invited me to be a part of the new Asesino album and so I went to Los Angeles to record some solos and extra guitars noises, it was great, really brutal and heavy.

I would like to ask you about the Roadrunner United project. Working with so many iconic musicians must have been a blast.

Yes it was fantastic, it was a lot of work and I saw some people that I hadn't seen for a long time, it was a blast. Besides the amount of musician's participating everything went smooth.

Can you see yourself working on something like that again in the future and maybe taking it a step further doing a full scale tour?

Yes, no doubt! It was a great heavy metal circus, hopefully they put something like that together.

The Roadrunner album is a great example of some of the amazing talent the metal industry has produced, showcasing both old and new artists. In your honest opinion what do you think about the direction that hard rock & heavy metal music has taken over the last few years?

This style of music can be mixed with so many different styles and that's why is still here!

After all these years in the business and tremendous success what goals have you set for yourself these days?

I have a solo album that I'm working right now and hopefully it will be ready to release next year. It's a very different music to what I do in Sepultura and it will be a new challenge in my career.

No doubt you guys have a mountain of unreleased tracks covers and demos, are there any plans in the works to release a box set anytime soon?

Oh I don't know! We've had two different labels in our history and that's kind of difficult to deal with, but let's see what happens in the future.

I am a huge fan of many of the songs you guys have covered over the years, 'Symptom Of The Universe' to my personal favorite 'Orgasmatron'. Is there a song you have always wanted to cover but just haven't gotten around to doing?

There are many bands that I love, and so many songs I never tried to do versions of. We have done a lot of covers already, from hardcore to metal to reggae, anything is possible.

Of all the albums you have played on in the past, which is your favourite to listen to, is it even possible to narrow it down to just one?

No, all of them are very important to me as a player and as a person.

I know that some of you guys are into very different styles of music to what you play listening to U2, Johnny Cash & The Highwaymen among others. Tell us something about the other guys in the band that we may not know!

We like everything, music is music to us.

Which record/song would define Andres Kisser to a complete stranger?

I think Roots is the album I did a lot of different stuff, from heavy sounds and riffs to acoustic experiences as solo and with the Brazilian Indian tribe.

There has been so many highlights in your career, what would you say have been your greatest achievements to date?

To still be here talking about Sepultura, alive and well.

Mate, what advice would you give to up and coming rock/metal bands?

Play what you like and fuck the rest, play it loud!

Andreas thank you so much again for your time today, there is so much more I would love to speak to you about but I know you guys are very busy. Hopefully we will see you back in Australia very soon. Do you have any last words for our readers?

Thank you all, I wish we could talk on the phone because to write the answers is a pain [laughs]. Hopefully we will be in Australia soon Thanks for everything.

© Cameron Edney Aug 2006
Not to be re-printed in any form with written permission.

Grab your copy of Sepultura's latest album 'Dante XXI' where all killer metal albums are sold.

The Peddlars

2008-03-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

'The Peddlars', based in Somerset, England keep to the original arrangements, drawing on their own varied experience and styles, faithfully recreating the music of the British clubs in the 60's.

The Peddlars are:

Barry Ireland (vocals) - Barry has been singing in bands since touring Germany in the 60's and has wanted to play this music since spending time with the original band in the early 70's.

James Windsor (drums) - James was brought into the group to lower the average age! He has played various styles including jazz, big band and pub rock. James enjoys the challenge that Peddlers music offers a drummer.

Mike Froom (organ) - Mike hauled his first Hammond around the West Country with Barry in the 70's and has now convinced the band to move to a B3! This provides a sound essential to the roots of the music.

Bob Collett (bass) - Coming fresh to The Peddlars Bob, having played in various ventures such as punk, avant garde,at festivals and around his home town of Oxford took to it like a fish to beer.

With a broadly based mix of tastes and styles, The Peddlars bring
a music that appeals to all ages at all levels.

For more information or bookings contact Mike Froom on 01460 65751
or Bob Collett on 01460 221593

Click here to find some low bitrate sound clips of the Peddlars in action!

The Peddlar's (trubute) band, have a gig at The Green Dragon, Combe st. Nicholas, nr. Chard Somerset, on Fri 6th. Jan 06.

aerosmith

2008-03-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

1964
- Steven Tyler forms his first "serious" band, Thee Strangeurs, in Sunapee NH. Tyler would later change the band's name to Chain Reaction, writing songs with their keyboard player, Don Solomon (with whom he co-wrote "Woman of the World"). The band also covers Beatles, Stones, Animals and Yardbirds

12/23/2001 Barry Shapiro left a message in the guestbook here at Rock This Way, correcting some wrong info previously posted here:
Though Tyler was originally A drummer, he did NOT play drums for either the Strangeurs or the Chain Reaction, unlike reported elsewhere. How did he know this? Barry was the drummer for both "Thee Strangeurs" and the "Chain Reaction" from 1965 through 1967 when the group disbanded shortly after he left the group. Their recording of 'WHEN I NEEDED YOU' is the original recording and it is on the box set "PANDORA'S BOX".... Shapiro is playing the drums on that recording. Though the group changed personnel over the three years, the core (Steve, Don Solomon (keyboards), Peter Stahl (lead guitar and/or bass) and himself (drums)) maintained.

Once Barry Shapiro joined the group in 1965 their first performance was opening for the BYRDS at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York.

1966
- At the age of 18, Steven Tyler enters the studio for the first time with his band Chain Reaction. They record two singles:

"The Sun / When I Needed You" (Date) and
"You Should Have Been Here Yesterday / Ever Lovin' Man" (Verve)

- Meanwhile, Perry and Hamilton form a combo, "Pipe Dream" in Sunapee, NH which by 1969 had become the blues-based, free-form "Jam Band"

1967-68
- March - Chain Reaction opens 4 shows for the Yardbirds One Yardbirds set, at New York's Anderson Theater, is recorded and released as the controversial "Live Yardbirds"

- October - NYC - Tyler, still with Chain Reaction, guests in the studio on backup vocals with The Left Banke, who had a hit with "Walk Away Rene"

"He was hungry and a good singer, so I put him on there"

- Tom Finn - Bass Player, The Left Banke

1969
- Chain Reaction play occasional high profile gigs, opening for The Beach Boys (Iona College,) and the last lineup of Yardbirds with Jimmy Page (Staples High School in Connecticut)

- Chain Reaction and the Jam Band both play gigs at Sunapee, NH's "The Barn". Tyler witnesses the Jam Band playing Fleetwood Mac's "Rattlesnake Shake"

- "They did this song so well that I knew if I could get together with these guys, we could pull the same feeling off with some songs I wrote, so I got together with them...I loved Joe's style". He always played out of tune and real sloppy and I just loved it."

- Steven Tyler interview Circus Magazine 6/75

- Aerosmith's most vital and (often) most overlooked element was synthesized in this union. The Jam Band's wild, unadulterated improv-ability was successfully merged with Chain Reaction's tight, disciplined control to produce the furious but steady blast we know as Aerosmith

1970
- Aerosmith is well received at their first public appearance, playing at Nipmuc Regional High School in Mendon, MA in the late fall

- The newly named Aerosmith play gigs outside of Boston University's Student Union building recognizing that getting close to their fans is the key to success. Sharing an apartment at 1325 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, the band defines itself in the best possible conditions for a young rock n' roll band to do so

"There were six of us in the group, some of us were living in the kitchen, eating brown rice and Cambell's soup. Those days, you know, when a quart of beer was heaven. It was hard times and it was really good. During lunch we would set up all our equipment outside of BU, in the main square and just started wailing. That's basically how we got billed. We never got much publicity in the magazines and newspapers."

- Steven Tyler interview Circus Magazine 6/75

1971
- Guitarist Ray Tabano leaves the band to return years later as a member of the crew, then Director of Marketing during which time he launched the first Aerosmith fan club and worked on developing their merchandise

- Tabano is replaced by Brad Whitford who cut his eye-teeth in rock n' roll at age 16, playing with Teapot Dome, Earth, Inc. and Cymbals of Resistance

- At this point the band is earning about $300 a night and dodging eviction notices and stealing food from supermarkets to survive. Still an unsigned local band, they compete for local press with others like J. Geils and The Modern Lovers

- The band's formative years are not without that most needed element in any successful rock band's history - sheer luck. They had worked damn hard and the payoff was on it's way

- John O'Toole lets Aerosmith practice free of charge in the Fenway Theater. He takes a liking to the band and brings in his friend Frank Connoly, the first person of some commercial significance to have more than a passing hunch about the bands potential -

"Frank was the first guy who knew, he was the one who said we were on to something"

- Brad Whitford

1972
- Steven Tallarico changes his name to Steven Tyler

- Summer - Aerosmith lands a $125,000 deal with Columbia, following a show an New York's Max's Kansas City, when Clive Davis saw them play. The song "No Suprize" chronicals this event

- The band enters Intermedia Sound studios to record Aerosmith their classic self titled debut LP, produced by Adrian Barber. The album was recorded and mixed in just 2 weeks

1973
- January - The first album, Aerosmith, is released on Columbia Records.

- The band begins touring in support of the first album, opening for the likes of Mott the Hoople, The Kinks, Hawkwind and Mahavishnu Orchestra

- The first LP sells faster than any other album in Boston at the time and gets an outstanding review from Creem Magazine, while going largely unnoticed by other mainstream media

- June - "Dream On" / "Somebody" released as a single. "Dream On" gets #1 song of the year at 2 popular Boston radio stations (WVBF - Framingham, and WBCN - Boston)

1974
- March - The band finish recording Get Your Wings at the Record Plant in New York and release the first single, - Same Old Song And Dance / "Pandora's Box" is released

- Circus Magazine gives Get Your Wings the first mention as one of the year's "Ace Albums"

- Circus Magazine runs an article on Aerosmith

- April - Letter to the Editors of Circus Magazine -

"Let's have more on a fantastic group called Aerosmith. They are very well-known in Boston and New York. Their hit single "Dream On" is the number one song of the year on two popular FM stations. They were also recently on tour with Mott the Hoople, and they put on an incredible show! Lead singer Steven Tyler really knows how to please the audience, and I hope in coming issues I'll hear more about them.

-Ann Marie Foley, Waltham, MA

- September - "Train Kept a Rollin' / "Spaced" (a leftover from their days performing as Chain Reaction) is released as a single

total chaos

2008-03-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

17 YEARS OF CHAOS LP/CD
(PRISON122-1/2)
Release Date: 18.08.2006 (GER) / 21.08.2005 (EU)

Almost 17 years ago (Sept.-Oct. 1989) in Pomona Valley, CA was the birth of TOTAL CHAOS . Created out of the desperate need to save a dying genre of punk rock- during a time that the market was saturated with a more commercial “new style”. Along the side of a dedicated few other bands who believed in the dying genre and all that it represented- to them it was not only music- but a forum- to convey important political and social views. One of those allies was Jay Lee from “Resist and Exist” who with “Total Chaos” started organizations such as-UVP(United Valley Punks), OCP(Orange County Peace Punks) and AGC (Alternative Gathering Collective)- holding social events like- “Food Not Bombs”- giving support to the “Big Mountain Indian Reservation” and helping to open the “Los Angeles Anarchist Center”. The idea of social responsibility to both bands was a significant thing- from
organizing peace punk picnics- to protesting against the Gulf War- their music had meaning and stood for something.

In 1991 TOTAL CHAOS recorded their first demo- which led to their first 7 inch in July of 92’
“Nightmares”. In March of 93’ they put out their first full length album “Were the Punks”- to promote the record they did shows around California- during that time word of the album reached Mexico City- leading to an offer to do a full Mexico tour with a band called the “Yaps”. With mostly sold out
shows-the tour was deemed a success. Between sold out shows in the U.S. and Mexico- interest hit lead guitarist of “Bad Religion” and the owner of the biggest punk label in the world “Epitaph Records” Bret Gurewitz. Leading to the signing of the band in Sept. 93’, a quote from Rob Chaos regarding the signing to the label, “I felt signing to the label was a huge opportunity to save my genre- to allow the style to reach the masses and help those that were like me to be heard.” By Jan. of 94’ TOTAL CHAOS was in the studio recording “Pledge of Defiance” still to this day being the hardest most political controversial album ever put out by “Epitaph” Records- to date.TOTAL CHAOS did 2 full U.S. tours- one of them being with the “Mighty Mighty Bosstones” with riots in some cities and states- clearly showing the impact of the message and the power of the response by the fans. Returning from tour- the band went back into the studio- now with a new lead guitar player-Shawn Smash- leading to a masterful collaboration- ending with the creation of “Patriotic Shock”. They hit the road in June of 95’ with the legendary “Battalion of Saints” in many shows- because of TOTAL CHAOS’s- strong anti- racist material and social political message- made the tour not easy- with national racists organizations showing up at every show, many death threats, even the album being banned in Japan- regardless of all the opposition, they did not falter and the message was still being expressed.

In the summer of that year the band does their first European tour- which was bigger than anyone expected- with sold out gigs all across Europe- ending up at the legendary “Chaos Days” in Hanover, Germany. Not schedule to play (the police would not allow it) but lucky because of a folk rock
festival (The Harvest Festival) that was playing in a local park- where swarms of punks met to later attend the “Chaos Days”- discovered the bands arrival and literally threaten the promoter- with violence and destruction of property if the band was not allowed to play (amazing fans)- so they played- with one of the band members (Shawn Smash) a half blooded German-fluent in the language- spoke to his fellow country men- stating “Lets Riot” as the intro to the legendary song “Riot City”- unfortunately
the riot cops showed up right after the song and the literal “Chaos Days” begun (the show made national headline news throughout the world). Shortly after returning to the states “Gearbox” left the band- being replaced with “Suzy Home Wrecker”- the band decided and after 3 hardcore albums they would choose a more classical style of 70’s punk rock- leading to the creation of “Anthems form the Alleyway”. Again to promote- the band headed out for a full U.S. and European tour- shows were completely sold out. By 97’ the contract with Epitaph was up and negotiation for resigning due,- while recording new demos for the new album- the owner of Epitaph- Bret Gruewitz disappeared for 6 months and reappeared in drug rehab. Leaving the band in limbo and with a new president of the label Andy - which who the band did not see eye to eye with- lead them to leaving the label in late 98’- with a legacy of selling more than 200,000 records- unmatched by any in their genre, to date. In early 99’ they agreed to put out 2 limited edition albums (In God We Kill and The Early Years) with “Cleopatra” Records and hit the road for promotion with “Blanks 77”. After the tour was completed in 2000- they did their first Japanese tour and right after went into the studio to record “Punk Invasion” produced by multi-platinum producer Jim Faraci.

TOTAL CHAOS put out the album on their own formerly named label “Reject Records”- the
band hit the road for several tours in Europe and the U.S., later to be invited to play the “Warped Tour” in 2002. After the “Warped” tour- the original drummer “Gearbox” returned to the band. By the beginning of 2003 Rob Chaos started to do promotions and bookings for other bands such as “The
Lower Class Brats” “Funeral Dress” “Blanks 77”, “Mike Blanks and the Stads” and many more. In Fall 2003 Rob Chaos went into partnership with Ezzat Soliman owner of the “Showcase Theatre” and Showcase Productions”- birthing a new label “SOS Records”. Because of his strong street credibility- Rob Chaos has been able to procure legendary bands for the label such as The
Exploited and Conflict- a quote from Wattie of Exploited after returning to the states after 12 years to do a full U.S. with TOTAL CHAOS, “the only reasoning why I came back was because of Rob Chaos”- a huge compliment from a man and a band that Rob grew up listening to and respects highly. In Nov. of 2003 TOTAL CHAOS went back into the studio with a new bassist- Charlie former guitarist of political hardcore band “Lifes Halt” - during a crucial time in the United States history- and this is clearly reflected in the bands music- there are strong battle cries all over the album which emerge
so intensely- it is not matched by any. The album is entitled “Freedom Kills” – again with strong promotion- TOTAL CHAOS has just completed sold out shows with the most legendary bands of all the punk rock genres- from the Adicts to Exploited ( nationally televised riots in Canada- due to
border rejection of both bands) to Conflict- setting them apart and displaying their caliber and quality. In this new era the message is stronger than ever before- there is a sense of urgency coming from the band- regarding social and political reform- it oozes from their music and is undeniable to any that listen. After 15 years TOTAL CHAOS has grown as a band and has seen many come and go- but they have always kept their original ideals of what their genre of music is all about- which hasn’t been proven to be easy- during a time of mirages and deceit. Regardless of what you believe, whether you are pop punk, street punk, hardcore, straight edge, political punk, goth punk, skate punk, crust punk, metal punk, straight punk rock (the list goes on and on)- TOTAL CHAOS’s style of music can unify them all- bringing them back to one scene and that is PUNK ROCK!!!!

LINE UP:

Rob Chaos - Vox
Gearbox - Drums
Shawn Smash - Lead Guitar
Foffle - Guitar/Bass
DeDe - Bass

Black Sabbath

2008-03-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

HEAVEN AND HELL — the band featuring BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler, singer Ronnie James Dio, and drummer Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO) — and JUDAS PRIEST are rumored to joining forces for a summer tour. It should be noted, however, that this information has not yet been corrobated by an official source and should be considered a rumor only at this point.

Artisan News Service recently posted a short video interview with Vinny Appice in which he confirmed that the songwriting sessions for the new album from HEAVEN AND HELL will begin in April.

"We're doing another HEAVEN AND HELL, we're going to do a CD album, so we're going to start writing in April-May and I also have a little thing going on with my original band DERRINGER, the first band I played with in 1976," he said. "We're doing a little reunion tour. We got all these great offers and we thought we'd do it. So, it'll be a busy year."

Vinny even went on to say that the initial songwriting with HEAVEN AND HELL is going smooth as well.

"It was cool," he said. "Actually it's been over a year now. I went over there, to England in November and we got together and did three songs and it was great. After like five minutes it was like nothing, we were never apart after that, you know. It just went smooth as silk."

So what's it like playing with the legendary guitarist Tony Iommi on one side and the legendary bassist Geezer Butler on the other side?

"Those guys are, like, I mean it doesn't get much heavier than playing with Tony and Geezer," he said. "Tony on this side and Geezer on this side, it's just a wall of sound. And then you got Dio, who manages to sing over all that, it's just totally incredible. I'm in heaven...and hell."

HEAVEN AND HELL played the final show of its U.S. tour with ALICE COOPER and QUEENSRŸCHE on October 6, 2007 at the Verizon Wireless in Irvine, California. Before the encore, Indie 103.1's Full Metal Jackie presented the band with gold plaques on stage to honor U.S. sales in excess of 25,000 copies of the group's "Live at Radio City Music Hall" DVD. Vocalist Ronnie James Dio thanked the fans for their support, then dedicated the encore song ("Neon Knights") to veteran KNAC DJ Tawn Mastrey, who died in early October of liver failure brought on by hepatitis C.

marilyn manson

2008-03-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

Outrageous US rocker Marilyn Manson is touring Australia and will perform for one exclusive show at the Festival Hall in Melbourne.

Born Brian Hugh Warner in January 5, 1969, he adopted his stage name from Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson and formed the band Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids in 1989 before shortening the name to how we know it today in 1992.

Marilyn Manson's albums and EP's include:

Portrait of an American Family
Smells Like Children
Antichrist Superstar
Remix & Repent
Mechanical Animals
The Last Tour on Earth
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
The Golden Age of Grotesque
Lest We Forget
Eat Me, Drink Me

Tickets to see Marilyn Manson are on sale now.

jimi hendrix

2008-03-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Hendrix is considered one of the greatest and most influential guitarists in rock music history.[1] After initial success in England, he achieved worldwide fame following his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. Later, Hendrix headlined the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival.

Jimi Hendrix helped pioneer the technique of guitar feedback with overdriven amplifiers, incorporating into his music what was previously an undesirable sound. He built upon the innovations and influences of blues stylists such as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Albert King, and T-Bone Walker, and derived style from rhythm and blues and soul guitarists Curtis Mayfield, Steve Cropper, and Cornell Dupree, as well as from traditional jazz. Part of Hendrix’s flamboyant stage persona may have been inspired by rock pioneer Little Richard, with whom he toured as part of Richard’s back-up band, “The Upsetters.” Hendrix is also widely thought to be influenced by Pete Townshend of The Who, who performed in London when Hendrix started his career there in 1966. Carlos Santana has also suggested that Hendrix’s music may have been influenced by his Native American heritage.[2]

Hendrix strove to combine what he called “earth”, a blues, jazz, or funk driven rhythm accompaniment, with “space”, the high-pitched psychedelic sounds created by his guitar improvisations. As a record producer, Hendrix also broke new ground in using the recording studio as an extension of his musical ideas; he was one of the first to experiment with stereophonic and phasing effects during recording.

Hendrix was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (at 6627 Hollywood Blvd.) was dedicated in 1994. In 2006, his debut album, Are You Experienced, was inducted into the United States National Recording Preservation Board’s National Recording Registry. Rolling Stone named Hendrix number 1 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2003.[3]

Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942, in Seattle, Washington, U.S.. He was originally named Johnny Allen Hendrix, but later re-named James Marshall Hendrix. Hendrix’s parents (James “Al” Hendrix and Lucille Jeter) divorced when he was nine years old, and in 1958 his mother died. He went to live with his Cherokee grandmother because of his unstable household. At age 15, he received his first guitar, an electric to replace the broom stick he would strum like one.[4] Learning quickly, he played in many local bands, playing as far away as Vancouver.[4] Hendrix did not graduate from high school. Hendrix later claimed that he was expelled for holding hands with his white girlfriend, but when questioned later, his principal insisted that it was due to poor grades and frequent absences.

Hendrix got into trouble with the law twice for riding in a stolen car. He was given a choice between spending two years in prison or joining the army. Hendrix chose the latter and enlisted on May 31, 1961. After completing boot camp, he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division and stationed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. His commanding officers considered him to be a sub-par soldier: he slept while on duty, had little regard for regulations, required constant supervision, and showed no skill as a marksman. For these reasons, his commanding officers submitted a request that Hendrix be discharged from the military after he had served only one year.[5]

After his release, Hendrix and army friend Billy Cox moved to nearby Clarksville, Tennessee, where they formed a band called “The King Kasuals”. Playing in low-paying gigs at obscure venues, the band eventually moved to Nashville. Playing and sometimes living in the clubs along Jefferson Street, the traditional heart of Nashville’s black community and home to a lively rhythm and blues scene, offered a bare sort of existence.[6] In November 1962, Hendrix participated in his first studio session, where his wild but still undeveloped playing found him cut from the soundboard.

For the next three years, Hendrix made a precarious living on the Chitlin Circuit, performing in black-oriented venues throughout the South with both the King Kasuals and in backing bands for various soul, R&B, and blues musicians, including Chuck Jackson, Slim Harpo, Tommy Tucker, Sam Cooke, and Jackie Wilson. The Chitlin Circuit was an important phase of Jimi’s career, since the refinement of his style and blues roots occurred there. His work garnered him little fame or profit, and the extremes of racism and poverty that he endured left an indelible mark on his memories of this era.

Frustrated by his experiences in the South, Hendrix decided to try his luck in New York City. Jimi was always inspired by a saying he once heard from his grandmother: “I want to need to have you. First I have to need to want you.” In January 1964, he moved to Harlem, where he quickly befriended Lithofayne “Fayne” Pridgeon (who later became his girlfriend) and the Allen twins, Arthur and Albert (now known as Taharqa and Tunde-Ra Aleem). The Allen twins quickly became loyal friends who kept Hendrix out of trouble in New York. The twins also performed as backup singers (under the name Ghetto Fighters) on some of his recordings, most notably the funk anthem “Freedom”. Pridgeon, a beautiful Harlem native with connections throughout the area’s music scene, provided Hendrix with shelter, support, and encouragement during the poorest and most desperate years of his life. In February 1964, Hendrix won first prize in the Apollo Theater amateur contest. The win was encouraging, but in general he found breaking into the New York scene difficult.

In 1965, guitar pioneer and producer Les Paul watched Hendrix audition for a nightclub gig in Greenwich Village, NYC, and was awestruck by his performance. An errand forced Les Paul to leave the club before he had the chance to speak with Hendrix. When he returned later to contact and sign Hendrix, Les Paul found that the club owner had turned Hendrix down for being too loud and crazy and that Hendrix had disappeared.[citation needed] That year, Hendrix earned a spot as the new guitarist for the Isley Brothers‘ band and joined their national tour, which included the southern Chitlin’ circuit. Hendrix played his first successful studio session on the two-part Isley Brothers hit “Testify”. In Nashville, he left the Isleys to tour with Gorgeous George Odell. In Atlanta, he earned a spot in the backing band of Little Richard, The Upsetters. Although Hendrix idolized Richard, he clashed frequently with the star over tardiness, wardrobe, and, above all, Hendrix’s flashy stage antics. For a short while, Hendrix quit and toured with Ike and Tina Turner, but was quickly fired for playing wild guitar solos and returned to Little Richard’s band. Months later, he was banished from The Upsetters after missing the tour bus in Washington, D.C.. Around this time he refined his flamboyant guitar stage style, much of which was influenced by Johnny “Guitar” Watson.

In 1965, Hendrix joined a New York-based band, Curtis Knight and the Squires, after meeting Knight in the lobby of a seedy midtown hotel where both men were living at the time. Hendrix then toured for two months with Joey Dee and the Starliters before rejoining the Squires in New York. On October 15, 1965, Hendrix signed a three-year recording contract with entrepreneur Ed Chalpin, receiving $1 and 1% royalty on records with Curtis Knight. While the relationship with Chalpin was short-lived, his contract remained in force, which caused considerable problems for Hendrix later on in his career. The legal dispute was eventually settled. During a brief excursion to Vancouver in 1965, it was reported that Hendrix played in Motown band Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers with Taylor and Tommy Chong (of Cheech and Chong fame). Chong, however, disputes this ever happened and that any such appearance is a product of Taylor’s imagination”.[7]

In 1966, Hendrix formed his own band, Jimmy James and The Blue Flames, composed of various friends he would casually meet at Manny’s Music Shop, including a 15-year old runaway from California named Randy Wolfe. Since there were two musicians named “Randy” in the group, Hendrix dubbed Wolfe “Randy California” and the other “Randy Texas”. Randy California would later co-found the band Spirit with Ed Cassidy.

Hendrix and his new band quickly gained local attention and played throughout New York City, but their primary spot was a residency at the Cafe Wha? on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village. During this period, Hendrix met and worked with singer-guitarist Ellen McIlwaine and guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, who was an employee at Manny’s. Hendrix also met Frank Zappa during this time, who is credited as having introduced Hendrix to the newly-invented wah-wah.

Early in 1966 at the Cheetah Club on West 21st Street, Linda Keith, the girlfriend of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, befriended Hendrix and recommended him to Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham and producer Seymour Stein. Neither man took a liking to Hendrix’s music, however, and they both passed. She then referred him to Chas Chandler, who was ending his tenure as bassist in The Animals and looking for talent to manage and produce. Chandler was enamored with the song “Hey Joe” and was convinced that he could create a hit single by remaking it into a rock song.

Impressed with Hendrix’s version, Chandler brought him to London and signed him to a management and production contract with himself and ex-Animals manager Michael Jeffery. Chandler then helped Hendrix form a new band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, with guitarist-turned-bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, both British musicians. Shortly before the Experience was formed, Chandler introduced Hendrix to Pete Townshend and to Eric Clapton, who had only recently formed Cream. At Chandler’s request, Cream let Hendrix join them on stage for a gig. Hendrix and Clapton remained friends up until Hendrix’s death.

UK success

After a number of European club appearances, word of Hendrix spread through the London music community. His showmanship and virtuosity made instant fans of reigning guitar heroes Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, as well as members of The Beatles and The Who, whose managers signed Hendrix to The Who’s record label, Track Records.

Hendrix’s first single was a cover of “Hey Joe“, crafted after folk-singer Tim Rose’s slower revision of the song and adapted to Hendrix’s emerging style. Backing the first single was Jimi’s first songwriting effort, “Stone Free“. Further success came with “Purple Haze” and “The Wind Cries Mary“. The three singles were all UK Top 10 hits. Onstage, Hendrix was also making a huge impression with fiery renditions of the B.B. King hit “Rock Me Baby” and an ultra-fast revision of Howlin Wolf’s blues classic, “Killing Floor“.

bob marley

2008-03-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

Last week, I drove some of Tim's students to... I don't even know what. But that's not important.

On the way back, there were three students in the van I was driving. One student was on the phone. He was the only person talking in the van. His side of the conversation went kind of like this:

"Four months or four years? Months or years? How long is he going to be in prison? Yeah, I know... How long is he going to be in prison. Four months? Oh, that's not bad for what he did. OK, that's all I wanted to know. Talk to you later."

It's true, I did. On Mass. Street. I was going to meet Kyle Cohlmia at Papa Keno's for lunch, and the guitarist for CCR happened (Grady) to be outside a guitar store (imagine that). After some hesitation, I said, "Hey, you guys are playing tonight, right?" I already knew the answer to that question, as I had a ticket to the show, and I was standing across the street from The Granada's huge marquee that featured the name "Cross Canadian Ragweed."

But, he humored me and said yes, they were playing, shook my hand, etc. I told him (and the bassist and manager, who were with him) I was from Stillwater, and I was really glad they came. It was a cordial conversation, but Grady seemed distracted. Then I told him I was in a music video they filmed in Stillwater. Grady said, "Oh yeah, the one filmed at the spider dome..."

Then I said, "Yeah, actually, I'm one of the guys who dropped my pants..."

Grady's demeanor completely changed. He smiled, and started laughing boisterously. He kept saying, "That is awesome." Grady high-fived me, and Jeremy (the bassist) and the other guy shook my hand. Jeremy did an imitation of the audition. They all kept laughing and telling me how cool they thought that was. In fact, Grady was still laughing when I left.

Apparently, writing a thesis is a big project. I'll probably be in the office more this semester than the previous three semesters combined... and that office has no windows, poor circulation, and fluorescent lighting. This semester is a tricky one... it's slowly and subtly killing my will to live. God bless all of you office-dwelling folk... you are hardier men and women than myself.

And, so, I ask: is it a coincidence that 2/3 of the graduate students in the department are currently ill? I think we all know the answer to that question.

For those of you who were worried... yes, I did do the Baylor bear scratch at last night's KU/Baylor game. And so did my friend Thomas.

Due to other responsibilities I had, I missed much of the OSU/UT game. I tried to catch the highlights on Sportscenter later that night. And you know what I got? About a minute and a half of Cowboy basketball--four college games reviewed in all--and a lot of NASCAR. Y'know, if you like NASCAR, fine. But racing is not a sport. Here are some definitions of "sport" from dictionary.com: "Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively," "An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively," "an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition." Driving is not physical exertion! Hence, NASCAR shouldn't be on Sportscenter, taking up valuable basketball air time.

I read an article in The Pitch, a free Kansas City newspaper, a few days ago. Apparently Sprint (along with MCI and AT&T) are aiding the government in its FOIA crap. (Note: Sprint is the focus in the article because they are based in KC). It seems Sprint is just granting the government "access to their systems without warrants or court orders" and "cooperating on the basis of oral requests from senior government officials." Perhaps it's my background as a journalist, but I feel the FOIA is perhaps the worst thing the Bush Administration has accomplished. And Sprint is an accomplice. Certainly, Sprint would make it to my list of boycotts... if not for the fact that the only person I talk to every day on the phone has Sprint service... I am weak...

The thesis beard is moving along. So's the thesis. I turned in a proposal to my committee today, and now it is time to schedule oral exams.

I need some advice. I just saw the eye doctor in Stillwater, and he told me about precision corneal molding, a type of non-surgical vision correction. Apparently, you sleep with these hard contacts, and it changes the shape of your eye so that when you wake up, you don't need anything to correct your vision. It's only temporary, but if you wear the contacts every night or every other night, you'll be fine. Cost-wise, one pair of lenses would cost me about the same as three-years' worth of daily disposable contact lenses; however, the hard lenses could last up to five years. This is very tempting... I would love to be able to see without the use of contacts. What do you guys think?

This weekend is surely going to be a momentous occasion. It's going to go like this: visit Dan/Emily's sorority formal in Dallas/my mom's birthday (early)/become Nathan's temporary legal guardian/Valentine's Day (early)/KU@OSU/etc.

Here is what I propose to you, however, loyal Swingin' the Blues readers! Emily and I will be driving north on I-35 from Dallas on Saturday. I'm toying with the idea of perhaps eating some kind of a meal in the OKC area. I don't know what time the event would occur... maybe between 11 a.m.-1 p.m. But I would like to see if anyone in the vicinity would be interested.

Happy Bob Marley Day! If Marley were still alive, he would turn 61 today. To celebrate, I'm going to listen to nothing but Bob Marley music today (starting right now).

queen

2008-03-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

Queen was a British rock band of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Their biggest hit was Bohemian Rhapsody, first released in 1975, and promoted by one of the earliest successful music videos.

The beginnings of Queen can be traced to 1968, when Brian May and Roger Taylor formed Smile, a psychedelic trio, at Imperial College, London, where they were both students. After their bassist lead singer's departure in spring 1970, they formed a new band - Queen - with Freddie Mercury as lead vocalist in April 1970. In 1971 John Deacon as bassist joined. Queen never actually disbanded, although their last album (not including compilations) was released in 1995, four years after Freddie Mercury's death from AIDS. The band is still active from time to time, making 'Queen+' projects with various singers.
In the 1970s Queen enforced a strict no-synthesizer policy, as evidenced by the famous "No Synthesizers were used on this Album" sleevenote included on their early LPs. The first album to feature a synthesizer was The Game, although the change in policy came about during the earlier recording of the music for the movie Flash Gordon which was released as an album after The Game.

They lost many fans with the Hot Space album, which used Funk and Dance music rather than the Glam or Hard Rock of earlier albums. Despite this, the song Under Pressure, co-written and sung together with David Bowie, was an enormous world-wide hit.

They also embarked upon many successful tours, and were one of the first bands to play in stadiums, with memorable shows held at Wembley Stadium in England, and Brazil.

The Wembley concert, part of a UK tour in 1986, attracted 150,000 people over two nights. A memorable and prophetic moment occurred when Freddie Mercury told the audience: "There's been a lot of rumors lately about a certain band called Queen... the rumors are that we're gonna split up. What do you think?" Audience: "No!". Freddie: "Forget those rumors, we're gonna stay together till we fucking well die, I'm sure!".

bon jovi

2008-03-26T21:39:00.001-07:00

Remember when BEA's Friday night entertainment was supposed to feature Bon Jovi and Amy Grant at Town Hall? Yeah, we don't either, but the concert was cancelled when Bon Jovi's book, originally slated for publication by Flying Dolphin Press this fall, was postponed (and the Rock Bottom Remainders took on the headliner role at a different venue altogether, Webster Hall.) And as of today, reports Contactmusic.com, the deal is completely off the table because things were getting way too personal. "One of those big publishers [sic] gave us a million dollars recently to write a book about our experiences but we just gave the money right back because it's no one's business," is the explanation offered by the band's frontman, Jon Bon Jovi. "They wanted the cliched story about being a rock star and I'm not going to tell them. It doesn't mean it didn't happen, it just means isn't there anything more important to talk about."

Publishers Marketplace further reports that Flying Dolphin Press published Suzanne Herz added in the official announcement "Despite the valiant efforts of all parties, we were unable to come to agreement on its direction and timing but we wish Bon Jovi the best of luck."

scorpions

2008-03-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

Since 1972, the Scorpions have been creating their own style of Heavy Metal/Hard Rock with great success. Over the last 35 years, the band has been to the heights of success in any ever-changing musical landscape. There have been changes to the overall Scorpions sound to continue to stay fresh but the band has always retained the basis of their sound: the twin guitar attack (Schenker & Jabs) and the superb vocals of Klaus Meine. After almost a decade of experimentation with their sound, the Scorpions released UNBREAKABLE in 2004, an album that returned the band to their classic sound. After this solid return to form, the German quintet has released the concept laden HUMANITY HOUR 1 to continue their journey.

HUMANITY HOUR 1 is a concept album about the future fall of mankind by our own actions. In an age where the world is more aware of our mortality and the changing environment, this album is amuch a reflection of our current times as it is a prophecy of possible consequences to come.

Right from the beginning, ‘Hour 1′ kicks the album into high gear with a pulsating drums from James Kottak and buzzsaw guitars from Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs. It’s a little modern, Scorpions circa 2007, but it sounds like it could fit on SAVAGE AMUSEMENT (1988) or even FACE THE HEAT (1993). ‘Hour 1′ sets the tone for the album and proves that Klaus Meine hasn’t lost a step vocally.

‘The Game Of Life’ is more of the same modern feel combined with classic Scorpions. I like the subdued guitar throughout the song until the chorus kicks in and the guitars come alive. That subdued guitar during the verses lets Meine be the focus and you immeadiately can hear how strong his voice still is after so many years. This is a song tailor made for the live setting.

The Scorpions are kings of the mid-tempo song and ‘We Were Born To Fly’ fits nicely within this realm of expertise. An updated sound and soaring guitars really drive this song. I get a sad feeling when I hear this song even though the message is of hope. The music is emotional and shows definite quality.

Add piano and orchestration to the guitar base and ‘The Future Never Dies’ becomes a classic Scorpions ballad that could have easily fit on PURE INSTINCT (1996) or UNBREAKABLE (2004). The band experimented with this type of sound on the two live albums: MOMENT OF GLORY (2000) & ACOUSTICA (2001). Their experience with these extra sounds makes this song a standout.

‘You’re Lovin’ Me To Death’ is a harder mid-tempo track that is fully guitar laden and the bass driven. I like the fact that Powel Maciwoda’s bass is a little more prominent in the mix here because it adds structure to the main riff. This is a good song but I feel like I’ve heard it already.

Did Zakk Wylde join the Scorpions? I only ask because the main riff and guitar “squeal” in ‘321′ is very Black Label Society/Wylde-era Ozzy. I’m not complaining because ‘321′ is one of my favorites on this record and I could see this song getting major airplay now AND back in the band’s ’80s heyday. A melodic riff rocker that you just know translates well in concert.

Ballad #2 comes in with ‘Love Will Keep Us Alive’ and it is another winner. Vocally, Klaus is at his peak, a fine performance. I’m a sucker for acoustic guitar and it is done very well alongside the electric. It’s a beautiful piece that could easily be put up against other Scorpions ballads like ‘Send Me An Angel’ or ‘Always Somewhere’. Another strong song, another favorite.

‘We Will Rise Again’ is another slow, mid-tempo number that is very balladesque until it picks up in the chorus. Very heavy yet melodic…..a theme throughout the album. I like the guitar solo: it’s melodic and driving but it doesn’t overpower the song.

‘Your Last Song’ opens with a nice guitar intro and pushes into another mid-tempo piece with an acoustic base. This song borders on being ballad #3 and reminds me of the songs on Def Leppard’s 2002 album, X. It’s a melodic update on the signature Scorpions sound, how this song isn’t getting airplay is crime, this should easily be a single. Another favorite.

The guitar intro to ‘Love Is War’ signals another mid-tempo/ballad. Again, an acoustic base and subdued electric guitar until the chorus picks up a bit. After so many slower songs, many listeners might be sick of the style. However, the Scorpions do this better than anyone and they have another strong track that has power in the chorus but retains the melody. The solo is top notch and you can’t help but pick up the catchy chorus, another potential single.

Alternative and almost Nu-Metal stylings are present in ‘The Cross’. The song is faster than the last few and there is a little of that Zakk Wylde type of guitar (I can hear that “squeal” again). I could do without Billy Corgan’s (Smashing Pumpkins) mid-song vocals, I think Klaus could do it better. Corgan is a good fit as a backing vocalist on this song but he is just unnecessary here on lead. This is another strong song but I’m not feeling it as much as I should, most likely because Corgan is associated with it and I can’t stand him, his band, or his style of music.

The first single and video off the album is ‘Humanity’ and it is immeadiately a Scorpions classic. It’s mid-tempo and picks up just before the chorus. I really enjoy the guitars and vocals here and I could envision this coming from any album after 1984. I also think the orchestration or keyboards add a lush sound that expands the song, making it sound really good. The guitar solo follows the basic melody and is done beautifully.

‘Cold’ is the bonus track for the official U.S. release (available only at Best Buy) and it is driven by a pulsating bass and drum sound. The guitars cut out for the vocal and slowly come in to layer the song. It’s another modern take on the classic Scorpions song. It doesn’t seem to fit the overall concept and feel of the album overall but it is a solid add-on. Sounds like a song that should have been on the previous album, UNBREAKABLE (2004).

Bottom Line:
This is a great album ny a legendary band, probably the biggest surprise of 2007. HUMANITY HOUR 1 blends current modern trends and the classic Scorpions Hard Rock sound to create an album rich with emotion and melody. There is talk from members of the band that this could possibly be the band’s last studio album and I think that would be a terrible mistake. After experimenting thoughout the late ’90s and early ’00s, the Scorpions have released one of the strongest records of their career, making them as important as ever to the Heavy Metal/Hard Rock scene.

Favorites here: the whole album, although ‘You’re Lovin’ Me To Death’, ‘Cold’, and ‘The Cross’ are the ones I’m not too keen on. These three are strong songs but I’m just not feeling them, maybe they will grow on me. This album definitely leaps into my Top Albums of 2007.

nirvana

2008-03-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Nirvana will always have a special place in my heart. To me, this was my generation's Beatles. They totally rewrote the rules and standards of what rock and alternative music was and could be. Kurt Cobain was my generation's John Lennon and his death affected as many people as Lennon's did in the 1980's. It is especially poignant in that I actually got to see this band live a mere six months before his death. They were tight and put on a helluva show. That will be one memory I will always cherish.

I remember when "Smells Like Teen Spirit" first got airplay on MTV (you know, back when it WAS music television). I am proud to say that during that point in my life I really got into some acts way before the bandwagoners and hangers-on. When Alice in Chains had their first single "Man in the Box" , I bought the record before anyone else I knew. When Living Colour dropped "Cult of Personality", I bought that record before they hit the mainstream.

I did the same with Nirvana.

I must have played that CD till the metal began to peel. My fondest memory of that time was introducing Nirvana to my man The Coach one night. Three sheets to the wind but with the clarity of a Rhodes Scholar, Coach said to me, "Those are some great fucking lyrics". An albino...a mosquito...my libido. Fucking brilliant".

the police

2008-03-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest rock bands of our time have reunited! The Police, the three-piece British rock-band, known for great music in the 80’s is back. Their punk-rock-reggae-new wave music created some of the most remarkable music in rock history. This legendary band with their unique sound and songs like, Message in a bottle, Don’t Stand So Close To Me, and Every Breath You Take took them all the way to the Music Hall of Fame.

Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland rocked the stage as the Police at the 2007 Grammy’s on February 11, 2007, marking the 30th anniversary of the hit song, Roxanne. The next day, the Police announced their reunion tour, their first tour many years. The Police tour will be hitting the road worldwide starting summer 2007, and tickets are sure to be extremely hard to get when tickets go on sale.

Are you ready to see this amazing band perform one more time? This is sure to be the tour of the year! To get information on tickets and a tour schedule, try going to Ticketmaster, or go to Best Buy, which is the official sponsor of the police Reunion Tour. If you have trouble finding tickets there, try going to TickCo.com.

So get ready to sing your heart out with Sting and the boys when they hit the big stage in your area in the Police Reunion tour. Get your tickets, (get two tickets at least so that your not so lonely,) don’t worry about standing so close to someone, and don’t feel stupid about singing Doo Doo Doo, ah Daa Daa Daa, because everyone else will be rockin’ hard with you. Have fun!

Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Demos

2008-03-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

Oh, Peter Gabrie-era Genesis. Just the thought makes me wish I had been born earlier. It's a shame that he's too much of a sacred cow (no insult intended) to stoop to tour with them on this reunion thing they got going. I have read his reasons and can totally understand, but nonetheless it prevented me from buying a ticket. They would have had at least $200-$300 of my money if he had come for the ride. I really have no use for the Phil Collins hits or to hear him sing Gabriel's songs. Not knocking anyone's music tastes - just showing off my idiotic reasoning for this. Enough of that, these demos are from my favorite Genesis album of all. Such epic proportions and depth of emotion that must have launched them miles ahead of their peers upon it's initial release. Can't pick any one favorite from the whole but hearing the songs in embryonic form and even instrumental takes is a pleasure to my old ears. Hope one or two of you kiddies enjoy it to.

The enclosed pics of the inserts will show the track listings for all of you - my hands are tired from typing all night.

lynyrd skynyrd

2008-03-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

Two summers ago I went to
Milwaukee’s famous Summerfest and after my experience there, I have vowed never to return. I happened to go to Summerfest on a night full of washed up rock bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Steppenwolf and mediocre blues bands like Los Lonely Boys.

Before I even got to the Summerfest grounds, I knew that the night would probably disappoint just by seeing the line-up. But still, I thought it might be cool to see the surviving members of Lynyrd Skynrd.

As my friends and I approached the stage where Skynyrd was playing, we could tell it wouldn’t be easy to get a good view. The surrounding area was packed with thousands of middle aged intoxicated
Wisconsin country folk standing on top of picnic tables. My group attempted to weave our way through the crowd to get past the picnic tables so we could see the stage. About two rows of picnic tables before we could get a good view, a few rough biker looking guys threatened to beat us up if we got in their way. Fearing for our lives, we left the crowd and listened to Skynyrd from a distance. After 4 songs, they hadn’t played any of their hits. No “Tuesday’s Gone” “
Sweet Home Alabama” “Ooh That Smell” “Simple Man” or “The Ballad of Curtis Lowe.” I didn’t want to wait through an hour of bad Skynyrd songs to hear them possibly finish with “Freebird.”

Off to the next stage. We stopped to Steppenwolf for a very brief period, but after an excessive amount of keytar playing, we decided to leave. Seriously, who plays a keytar and thinks it makes you look cool?

Our final destination was Los Lonely Boys. Now the music from Los Lonely Boys wasn’t terrible, but their over-the-top religious praising just got annoying. After each song, the lead singer and bassist would say, “Thank you Milwaukee, and thank you God for blessing us,” or, “I just want to take a moment to thank God for the blessings he gave our family to play music.” As if God only blessed Los Lonely Boys to be good musicians because they have big cross stickers on their guitars and wear big cross necklaces, and not other bands. It was ridiculous.

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pantera

2008-03-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

The Heavy-Metal Texas USA-based outfit Pantera, Spanish for 'Panther', started out as a local club cover-band in 1981, consisting of vocalist Lee Glaze, guitarist Darrell 'Diamond' Abbott, bassist Rex 'Rocker' Brown and drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott.

Two years later the foursome released their debut album "Metal Magic" which was supported with their first national tour alongside Dokken and Quiet Riot.
"Projects In The Jungle" followed in 1984 and a year later was released "I Am The Night", the last album on which Glaze appeared.
The remaining members spent the next years looking for a new vocalist, finally in 1988 Pantera returned to action with Philip Anselmo on vocals and released their fourth album, "Power Metal".
Two years later, the band, emerged with a radical change in direction releasing the Atco Records debut "Cowboys From Hell", the record was supported by tour dates in America and Europe.
The band's audience continued to grow and their sixth effort, "Vulgar Display Of Power", crashed into the top 50 of The Billboard 200 Albums chart, by the time this record sold in excess of 2 million copies in U.S. alone.
After the founder member Diamond Darrell decided to change his name to Dimebag Darrell, the group released the next album, "Far Beyond Driven", which arrived in the spring of 1994 and shot to #1 on The Billboard Top 200 chart, the record was also well received in the U.K. where climbed into the top 3 of the National Albums chart; its single, the cover of Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan", reached the #21 on Active Rock chart.
1996's "The Great Southern Trendkill" was another commercial success, the album hit #4 on Billboard's Top 200 list and made top 20 in Britain.
In the following years the group released two live albums and frontman Anselmo started his own projects.
Pantera returned in the top 40 of Active Rock chart in the second half of 1999 when released, as a single, the cover of Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever", a song taken from the soundtrack of the movie "Detroit Rock City".
In March of 2000 the group re-emerged with a new studio effort entitled "Reinventing The Steel" which reached the #4 slot on The Billboard Top 200 chart, it included the Mainstream Rock top 30 hit "Revolution Is My Name".

At the start of 2003 the Abbott brothers announced their new project, New Found Power, that was later re-christened Damageplan.

On 9 December tragedy struck the band; just before Damageplan took the stage at a club in Columbus, Ohio a young man shot Dimebag Darrell with a handgun a number of times at close range; three other people were killed including the band's head of security.

2008-03-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

The Scorpions might not strike anyone as an overly applauded and worshiped band, yet they've unmistakably left their mark on the rock world. They may even fall into the category of Bands People Love to Hate; but they too deserve recognition in their own way.

The original band formed out of Hanover, Germany in 1965; yet it was not until a little less than 10 years later, in 1974 when they finally made it onto the charts and the worldwide music scene. By the 1980's they had been through over a dozen different band members and charted several hits on the UK charts, with the oddball falling through and rocking North America. None of their early hits ever gained enough momentum for worldwide success; and at the time they were primarily a metal hair band. It was during the time between 1979 to up the early 90's where the Scorpions had their major hits. At the same time metal rock was changing to incorporate slower, flowing and melodic piece's like Stairway to Heaven, Civil War and everything Ive ever heard outta Meatloaf - these new forms of music were identified as 'power ballads'. The Scorpion's major hits were mostly power ballads, like the video featured below. You might not recognize the video, the title or the faces in this band, but I guarantee you all know this song.

This is 'Wind of Change' by the Scorpions:

Although most of their hit's where power ballads it was hard rocking anthem's which the Scorpions where best known for. After all their metal-head Euro roots is what brought them fame in the first place.

And this without farther adieu thus is the 1984 hit single 'Rock You Like a Hurricane'.

Throughout their carrier the band made over 22 albums with 5 hit singles in North America. Unlike many other metal hair bands of the 80s the Scorpions actually continued to make music until present day. Between 1990 and today they've made 9 albums, the most recent being a 2007 release. Two of those albums where live cuts - one of which being an all acoustic disc.

jackson 5

2008-03-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

Jackson 5

The Jackson Five comprised five brothers, Jackie Jackson (b. Sigmund Esco Jackson, 4 May 1951, Gary, Indiana, USA), Tito Jackson (b. Toriano Adaryll Jackson, 15 October 1953, Gary, Indiana, USA), Jermaine Jackson (b. Jermaine LaJuane Jackson, 11 December 1954, Gary, Indiana, USA), Marlon Jackson (b. 12 March 1957, Gary, Indiana, USA) and Michael Jackson (b. 29 August 1958, Gary, Indiana, USA).

Raised in Gary, Indiana, USA, by their father Joe, a blues guitarist, they began playing local clubs in 1962, with youthful prodigy Michael as lead vocalist. Combining dance routines influenced by the Temptations with music inspired by James Brown, they first recorded for the Indiana-based Steeltown label before auditioning for Motown Records in 1968. Bobby Taylor recommended the group to Motown, although the company gave Diana Ross public credit for their discovery. A team of Motown writers known as the Corporation composed a series of songs for the group's early releases, all accentuating their youthful enthusiasm and vocal interplay. Their debut single for Motown, "I Want You Back", became the fastest-selling record in the company's history in 1969, and three of their next five singles also topped the American chart.

my chemical romance

2008-03-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

Based in New Jersey, My Chemical Romance is an alternative pop/rock and punk-pop band that has been compared to Thursday and, to a lesser degree, Cursive. Their name was inspired by author Irvine Welsh (of "Trainspotting" fame), and while many of their songs are loud, fast, hyper, and aggressive, My Chemical Romance's work also tends to be melodic and pop-minded.

My Chemical Romance got started in the early 2000s, when lead singer Gerard Way and drummer Matt Pelissier decided to try writing some songs together. The first tune that Way and Pelissier (who had been friends since high school) came up with was called "Skylines and Turnstiles" (a post-9/11 song written after Way witnessed the Twin Towers fall while working at his animation job in New York City). Way and Pelissier both felt good about the song, and Way asked guitarist Ray Toro if he would be interested in working with them. My Chemical Romance's five-man lineup was complete when Way, Pelissier, and Toro joined forces with bassist Mikey Way (Gerard Way's brother) and guitarist Frank Iero. With that lineup in place, the band started playing all around the Northeast Corridor and made plans to begin working on its first album.

In 2002, Eyeball Records (the New York-based indie that Thursday had recorded for) released My Chemical Romance's debut album, "I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love." The album was often compared to Thursday -- a comparison that, for various reasons, was inevitable and unavoidable. Both bands were from New Jersey, both had recorded for Eyeball, and both combined punk-pop's musical aggression with introspective, confessional lyrics. Plus, "I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love" was produced by Geoff Rickly, Thursday's lead singer. Add all of those things up, and there was no way that My Chemical Romance was going to escape Thursday comparisons. But Thursday isn't their only influence. Reviewers have cited The Smiths, Morrissey, The Cure, and The Misfits as influences. And Way has even cited British heavy metal icons Iron Maiden as an influence.

Lyrically, "I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love" is as dark as it is introspective and cathartic. Way has been quoted as saying that the band's lyrics were a great way for him to deal with the problems he had been going through (which included severe depression and a serious illness in his family). The 2002 release included Way and Pelissier's first song, "Skylines and Turnstiles," and many of the album's other song titles were equally intriguing, including "Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us," "Drowning Lessons," "Headfirst for Halos," "Our Lady of Sorrows," and "Vampires Will Never Hurt You." In 2003, My Chemical Romance signed with Reprise/Warner Bros. and released "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" one year later. Proving to be widely popular, the album boasted several successful singles on commercial radio and MTV, including "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)," "Helena," and "The Ghost of You."

Amid their growing popularity, Pelissier departed from the band in mid-2004, and he was replaced on drums by Bob Bryar. Relentless touring further increased their fanatical fan following. The band headlined dates with Alkaline Trio, scored an opening slot for Green Day, and shared bills with Story of the Year, Taking Back Sunday, and The Used, among many others. As My Chemical Romance prepared to enter the studio for their third album, they issued "Life on the Murder Scene" in March 2006. The CD and double-DVD package documented almost everything MCR did over recent years. The CD contained demos and live cuts of songs, and the two DVDs showcased life on the road, live footage, music videos, and lots more.

metallica

2008-03-23T21:29:00.001-07:00

They had 10 albums that sold more than 90 million copies over their 26 year long career; then they came up with one of the crappiest album ever – St. Anger. If that album pissed you off as much as me, this piece of news will definitely make you love them all over again – Metallica will be one of the featured bands in Electronic Arts and Harmonix’s upcoming game – Rock Band. At E3 2007 today, Harmonix announced that Rock Band will include 'Enter Sandman' amongst the songs you can rock out on; they even mentioned that almost all of Metallica hits will be available somewhere after the game releases, through the PlayStation Network! Here's what Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO of Harmonix, had to say:

"Metallica is one of the best loved bands in the world and their albums redefined hard rock and metal. Its one of the bands we had to bring to the Rock Band experience.

Rock Band will allow gamers to jam with the guys through their long, successful career, from young, raw talent to mega stars, playing the hard-rocking sounds that the band is known for.

halloween band

2008-03-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

A website where not much will happen until the release of the first demo: Attempto.

sex pistol

2008-03-23T21:11:00.000-07:00

Arriving a little late again.

This delay was not urged through by the HTMPL Productions to cause you alarm, stress or even heart burn. The HTMPL office is a place of order and discipline. We have are habits. We have our rites.
However, we felt like you needed some good hours to digest the arrival of our latest collected efforts.

Off we go for a one and a half month descent into the shadow world of things that may not always be what they seem to be. The world of fakes and old-fashioned WWII propaganda. As we’re such nice fellows you will also get a bonus single at the end of this that has nothing to do with the themes but it’ll be something that’s so rare, it has never been re-released nor will it ever be, it will put at tear of joy in the eye of the collectors of this secretive band (and now you have all the clues you need).

It might not come as any surprise that we’re old punks here at the office, dating back to the heydays of the late 1970s. We might not look it any longer but our hearts still beats to the rhythm of 'Sheena Is A Punkrocker'. To us there’s not a punkband out there that ever could hold a candle to the Ramones or Sex Pistols. Well, the Ramones was really the greatest popband ever – sod the Beatles. As for the Pistols they were the ultimate punkband. But we won’t bore you with repeating their story yet another time. As we went through the archives there turned up the odd fake Pistol song now and then so we just gathered them up to take a closer look at what this really was.

The Sex Pistols had a sound man named Dave Goodman (who recently died by the way). After the band had called it quits a legal fury around the rights to the recordings aroused, tying up the band with their manager in court for years on end. As the legal difficulties went on Dave stepped into the vacuum. Releasing and repackaging what seemed like a never ending run of shoddy bootlegs with lousy sound, there’s at least fifty of these around. As if this wasn’t enough he sometimes sneaked in a track that claimed to be a never before released original by the Sex Pistols.

The first of these recordings would also turn out to be the best: Land of Hope & Glory (1984). Packaged to look like the real thing, but actually reading the ex pistols, it’s not that bad. The fellow on vocals is David Spiers from the Sinix, along with another band member on guitar. All recorded sometime around 1980. The next track turned up a year later on Live Worlwide (1985). 'Anarchy in the UK' with a piano, but this is not quite a fake, although its definitely not the Pistols, its actually Public Image Ltd doing their cabaret version live on 'The Tube' in 1983. Supposedly Dave just taped it off the telly and stuck it in there. Then there’s the more obvious sounding fakes like 'Schools Are Prison' (Pirates of Destiny, 1988) and Revolution in the Classroom ('We Have Cum For Your Children', 1988). The same year the double-LP 'The Swindle Continues' turned up with yet another bunch of faked tunes: 'Judging Minds', 'Dancing on the Dole' and an acoustic version of 'Anarchy in the UK', that’s not even a half-assed effort to imitate, likewise goes for the title track. Here’s also a medley called 'Sex on 45' which, once again, features the Sinix with Dave on bass. In later years former Pistols bass player Glen Matlock has admitted that he was involved in at least some of the above recordings. Needing the cash and blaming drunkenness. And that’s pretty much it. Worth mentioning otherwise, so that you don’t make the mistake of buying it, is the 'Live At Chelmsford Top Security Prison' with faked overdubs and even a faked riot (this one has been released without the faked additions, as 'Live At Chelmsford Prison'). Then there was one last album: 'The Sexless Pistols – Deny' (1992) which features some of the songs below and then some. But it’s not really pretending to be the Sex Pistols, so we leave it at that.

the beatles

2008-03-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

This is a private records collection of The Beatles. The owner of this collection is sure that this site will provide lots of useful information for people interested in collecting of Beatles vinyl. Information - is the main purpose of the site, however some things will be released her for sale. All rights reserved. Copying and the publication of materials from this this site it is possible from the sanction of the owner of the collection only. The collection will be always updated.

deep purple

2008-03-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

Deep Purple is the name of a British rock group, and is also the name of a song composed by Peter De Rose, from which the band borrowed its name. They are one of the first and most famous hard rock bands. They are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though have never considered themselves a heavy metal band.

Pre-History

The band Episode Six released several singles in the UK during the mid-sixties. It featured Ian Gillan on vocals, Graham Dimmock on guitar, Roger Glover on bass, Tony Lander on guitar, Sheila Carter on keyboards, and Harvey Shields on the drums. Despite extensive touring, they never had their big break.

In 1967, a band called The Flowerpot Men and their Garden was formed, formerly known as The Ivy League. It was concentrated on a trio of singers. The new name was clearly derived from the children's show The Flowerpot Men, with the obvious psychedelic-era puns on flower power and "pot". The band's most popular song was "Let's Go To San Francisco." Some listeners assumed that the song was a parody of Scott McKenzie's "If You're Going to San Francisco," but the band has denied this. It featured Tony Burrows, Neil Landon, Robin Shaw, and Pete Nelson on vocals, Ged Peck on guitar, Nick Simper on bass, Jon Lord on organ, and Carlo Little on drums. Jon Lord had formerly played in The Artwoods, Nick Simper had been with Screaming Lord Sutch's The Savages, where he also played with guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.

The Dawn of Purple

In 1967, former Searchers drummer Chris Curtis contacted London businessman Tony Edwards in the hope that he would manage a new group he was putting together. Curtis’ idea was that the members of the group would get on and off a musical roundabout, and suitably impressed, Edwards agreed to finance the venture with a couple of business partners, John Coletta and Ron Hire (Hire-Edwards-Coletta – HEC Enterprises).

Curtis then set about building up the group, to be known as Roundabout. His first encounter was with Hammond organ player Jon Lord, then he persuaded session guitarist Ritchie Blackmore to return from Hamburg, Germany, to audition for the new group. Curtis himself, however, soon dropped out, but HEC Enterprises, as well as Lord and Blackmore, were keen that the project should continue, so firstly bassist Nick Simper, then finally vocalist Rod Evans and drummer Ian Paice (both of whom were from the group The Maze), were recruited. After their first few gigs on a brief tour of Denmark in the spring of 1968, the band agreed on a new name suggested by Ritchie – Deep Purple.

In October 1968, the group had tremendous success in the US (but not the UK) with a cover of Joe South's "Hush," taken from their debut album Shades of Deep Purple, and they were duly booked to support Cream on their Goodbye tour. However they were soon kicked off the tour, allegedly because they were upstaging the headlining act! In 1969, two more albums followed: The Book of Taliesyn and Deep Purple, the latter of which contained a symphony orchestra on some tracks. After these three albums and extensive touring in the States, Rod Evans and Nick Simper were unsummarily sacked, and replaced by vocalist Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover both ex-Episode Six. This would create the quintessential Deep Purple "Mark 2" lineup. Initially, this version of the band released a single probably influenced by the then-popular stage musical "Hair", a cover of a Greenaway-Cook tune titled "Hallelujah", which flopped, and then the Concerto for Group and Orchestra, a three-part movement written by Lord and performed at the Royal Albert Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Arnold. Together with Five Bridges by The Nice, it was one of the first collaborations between a rock band and an orchestra, although at the time, certain members of Purple were less than happy at the group being tagged as "a group who played with orchestras" when actually what they had in mind was to develop the band into a much tighter, hard-rocking style.

Top of the World

Shortly after the orchestral release, the band began a hectic touring and recording schedule that was to see little respite for the next three years. Their first LP release, in mid-1970, went straight for the jugular in with "Deep Purple in Rock" and a UK Top Ten single followed with "Black Night". A second album, "Fireball", was issued in 1971, and the band also scored another chart hit with "Strange Kind Of Woman". Together with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Purple were laying the groundwork for what is now called heavy metal music, although at the time, the phrase was still to be coined.

During 1972, Deep Purple continued to tour and record at a rate that would be rare thirty years on, releasing Machine Head, an album that was due to be recorded at a casino in Montreux, using the Rolling Stones mobile recording truck, but after an arson attack during a Frank Zappa gig at the very same casino was actually recorded at a nearby hotel - this incident famously inspiring the writing of "Smoke on the Water". This album was followed a few months later by a live release, Made in Japan mostly recorded at two gigs in Osaka, which is today still one of rock music's most popular live concert recordings, although at the time, it was perhaps seen as less important when only two band members turned up to mix it!

The classic Purple Mk 2 line-up continued to work and record into 1973, releasing the album Who Do We Think We Are (1973), featuring the hit single Woman from Tokyo, but tensions within the band were more noticeable than ever. The bad feeling culminated in Ian Gillan quitting the band after another European tour, and Roger Glover being pushed out with him. Their replacements were an unknown singer from the North of England, David Coverdale, and bassist Glenn Hughes, formerly of Trapeze. This new line-up continued into 1974 with the heavy blues/rock album Burn, another highly successful release. Hughes and Coverdale added a funky R&B/soul element to the band's music, a sound that was even more apparent on the 1974 release Stormbringer. Blackmore was not happy with the results, and as a result left the band in 1975 to form his own band Rainbow.

With Blackmore's departure, Deep Purple was left to fill one of the biggest vacancies in rock music. The gap was filled by American Tommy Bolin who had established himself with acts such as Zephyr, James Gang and Billy Cobham, with whom Bolin made his mark on the jazz fusion Spectrum album. On the face of it Bolin was just what the doctor ordered. However the subsequent album, 1975's Come Taste the Band, for all its quality, proved unpopular with die-hard fans and didn't attract any new ones, especially since it departed radically from the expected Deep Purple sound. Bolin himself turned out not to be ready for the daunting job of filling Blackmore's shoes, suffering hostility from some crowds while turning in erratic performances varying from the scintillating to the mundane. Bolin also had a drug habit, heroin, which made matters all the worse. After a particularly traumatic tour to promote Come Taste the Band, the band broke up. Later Tommy Bolin died of a heroin overdose in Miami whilst on tour supporting Jeff Beck.

Subsequently, most of the past members of Deep Purple would go on to have considerable success in a number of other bands including Rainbow, Whitesnake and Gillan, while there were a number of promoter-led attempts to get the band to reform, especially with the revival of the hard rock market in the late 70s/early 80s.

The Reunions

In 1980, Rod Evans, along with a group of unknown musicians, toured under the banner of Deep Purple. As the only original member, and one little known to most fans, this band was instantly derided by press and fans as a fraud. The lineup performed concerts in Mexico and the USA before legal action was taken to deny them the use of the name. In retrospect, however tenuous the connection this band had to the name "Deep Purple", at least it kept the name alive and in the media, albeit briefly.

However, in April 1984, eight years after the demise of Deep Purple, a full-scale (and legal) reunion happened. It was announced on BBC radio's The Friday Rock Show that the "classic" early 70s line-up of Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord, and Paice was reforming and recording new material. The band signed a deal with Polydor in Europe and Mercury in North America. The album Perfect Strangers was released in October 1984 and the tour followed, starting in New Zealand and winding its way across the world into Europe by the following summer. It was a tremendous success. The UK homecoming proved mixed as they elected to play just a single festival show at Knebworth (with main support from The Scorpions). The weather was famously bad but 80,000 turned up anyway.

The line-up recorded and toured The House of Blue Light in 1987 though to lower sales, a live album Nobody's Perfect (1988) was culled from several shows on this tour. While in the UK a new version of "Hush" was released to mark 20 years of the band. In 1989, Ian Gillan was fired from the band, as his relations with Blackmore soured. His replacement was former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner. This line up recorded just one album, Slaves & Masters (1990), and toured in support of it. Despite the renewed excellence of the band during this period, many fans were not pleased with Turner, preferring Gillan.

With the tour done, Turner was forced to go as Lord, Paice, Glover, and the record company wanted Gillan back in the fold. Blackmore relented and the classic line-up recorded The Battle Rages On in 1993. During an artistically successful European tour during the fall of 1993, tensions between Gillan and Blackmore came to a head yet again. Blackmore walked out in November 1993, never to return and leaving the band in a fix. Joe Satriani was drafted in, so the live dates (in Japan) in December could be completed. Satriani stayed on for a European Summer tour in 1994, Satriani was never asked to stay permanently although he had wished it. The band unanimously chose Dixie Dregs guitarist Steve Morse to become Blackmore's permanent successor.

Revival

Steve Morse’s arrival thoroughly revitalised the band as he is cited one the best and most accomplished modern guitarists. In 1996 the band released the critically acclaimed Purpendicular, which brimmed with confidence and ideas. Deep Purple enjoyed success throughout the rest of the 1990s, releasing Abandon in 1998, and touring with renewed relish, playing a setlist which was probably more adventurous and eclectic than ever before. In 1999, Jon Lord, with the help of a fan who was also a musicologist and composer, painstakingly recreated the Concerto for Group and Orchestra, and it was once again performed at the Royal Albert Hall in September 1999, this time with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paul Mann. The concert also featured songs from each member’s solo careers, as well as a short Deep Purple set, and the occasion was commemorated on the 2000 album In Concert with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Much of the next few years was spent on the road via constant touring. The group continued forward until 2002, when venerable founding member Jon Lord (who, along with Ian Paice, was the only member to be in all incarnations of the band) announced his amicable retirement from the band to pursue personal projects (especially orchestral work). Rock keyboard veteran Don Airey (Rainbow/Whitesnake, etc.), who had helped Purple out when Lord was injured in 2001, joined the band. In 2003, Deep Purple released their first studio album in five years, the highly praised (but controversially titled) Bananas, and began touring in support of the album immediately. In October of 2005, the band's 37th year, Purple released Rapture of the Deep, which, although recorded in just a few weeks, proved to be the most progressive and adventurous album for many years, and it is being followed by yet another extensive world tour.

Deep Purple and Heavy Metal

Despite their association with the sub-genre, Deep Purple have never been a heavy metal band, though many later heavy metal bands cite their influence. The group has frequently changed styles and line-ups over the years, but has always included virtuoso players in its ranks and placed a high priority on musicianship. Some incarnations of Deep Purple have brought aspects of jazz and classical influences to a rock context due to their frequent use of their songs as vehicles for extended and sophisticated solos.

Today, Deep Purple steadfastly carries on in the studio and around the globe as one of history's most prolific, longest-lived, and hardest touring rock 'n roll bands.

Personnel and discography

The various line-ups in the history of Deep Purple are referred to by fans and the band themselves by "Mark" numbers (abbreviated as Mk I, Mk II, etc.) The "gap" in the numbering, Mk VI, refers to the series of concerts performed with Joe Satriani on guitar, when Ritchie Blackmore quit the band halfway through the tour in 1994. This is the only lineup for which no official recordings have yet been released.

Studio Albums

kiss

2008-03-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

Will you make us laugh or cry with your take on the Formula One sensation's meeting with the glam-rock granddads?

March 14, 2008 12:50 PM

Photograph: Australian Grand Prix / Getty

Caption submissions please for this photograph of Lewis Hamilton meeting Kiss in Melbourne yesterday, and looking a tiny bit scared.

As well he might. A helpful fact, courtesy of my colleague Janine Gibson: the band Kiss formed in 1973, while Hamilton was not born until 1985. That is to say: the band had been doing this for over a decade before Hamilton was even conceived.

(No bonus points will be awarded for references to Kiss song titles, because nobody knows any Kiss songs.)

the ramones

2008-03-22T01:02:00.000-07:00

I was too young to have been here in NYC. I was actually 5 years old. My parents were getting a divorce at the time, and I was blissfully unaware of pretty much everything except the idea of getting my ass into kindergarten, which was exciting. The summer of 1976, while America listened to FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE! (and my mother, recently single, was listening to Neil Diamond in her VW Bug), there was an explosion on Bowrey and 3rd that was heard all the way in London. That explosion was the release of RAMONES, one of the most important albums in the history of rock and roll.

Having just seen End of The Century, Michael Gramaglia and Jim Fields' outstanding documentary about the history of The Ramones, I feel nostalgic for a time that, for me anyway, never existed. It was a time in New York City when discovery was possible, when records changed people's lives and sparked global revolutions. As the epicenter of a movement, NYC in 1975-77 still mystifies me. CBGB's was a temple of creativity and the mythology of the bands that played there still sends shivers of envy down my spine. The idea that you could see Television with 12 people on a Tuesday night, and see The Ramones later in the week? Undiscovered geniuses playing and competing week in and week out? Blondie. Talking Heads. It is frightening. How do a place and time converge to create a movement?

End of The Century recognizes the unique serendipity of this moment in history and goes in depth to outline the beginning of The Ramones, the state of the city and the music scene, and the tone of the times. America in 1976 is almost impossible for me to imagine. It was just after Watergate, the oil crisis, the end of Viet Nam-- all of these national crises converging to shape the national identity. Certainly, the country must have been going through an existential collapse. Who the fuck are we? In the midst of this American confusion came the bi-centennial. whew. GREAT timing. (Of course, on July 4, 1976, the Ramones were performing in London, sparking the punk movement. Fitting that our greatest band of the moment was out of country during the patriotic sales-a-thon.) The film pretty much ignores the national context, but these issues (and the great post-1960's suburban flight) are seen clearly in the New York City shown in the film.

If I can summarize: white flight, poverty, crime, drugs, scum. This is the New York of 1976 as the film presents it. The films of the time speak to it as well... Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, The French Connection , hell even the exterior shots in 1981's My Dinner With Andre freak me out! Was the city that grim? Having lived here since 1997, I can only speculate as to what that New York was like. In our post-Rudy/post-9-11 NYC, there certainly IS something romantic about the mean streets of 1976. It's not that I miss crime, or that the 'edge' of danger and urban alienation is a romantic notion for me. I like feeling relatively safe. Crime and drug addiction suck. No, it's more that, as Gramaglia and Fields detail in the film, the city was emptied out, became less saturated, more open to possibility. One of the great tragedies of the hipster revolution that youth culture in the city has undergone, in my eyes, is that trendiness/music/art has co-opted punk rock to the point where nothing feels punk rock anymore. Maybe it was simply a moment in time, or maybe it is an aesthetic that could be recaptured (I believe in the latter), but NYC today feels sterile by comparison.

One of the great tragedies in rock and roll, and in what I will call the New York City hipster aesthetic in general, is the total misunderstanding of irony that has come to define the arts in our time. Trucker hats and faux poverty, 1970's candy stores, Tv show revivals, 1980's cover songs-- it's all bullshit nostalgia covered up in cleverness. "I don't REALLY care about these things," the pose says. "It would be ridiculous to actually BE a trucker! I am in a state of constant regret that I am no longer 11 years old! I love the 80's! Don't we sound just like Joy Division/T Rex/Gang Of Four?" What's missing from this irony is the fact that there is nothing ironic about a kid who grew up listening to his older sister's copy of Thriller becoming an adult and covering P.Y.T., even if he wears an old Izod with corduroys and drinks Pabst (ha ha ha. yawn.)

There was nothing at all ironic in the intent of The Ramones. They played music they knew how to play, they weren't great on their instruments, were unprofessional on stage, and they meant all of it. Their sound was not an ironic take on what had come before, but a sincere appreciation filtered through an artistic sensibility. The enforced Ramones uniform of black leather jackets and shaggy hair ended up being nothing more than a conservative statement against change, not an intentionally funny piss take on The Wild Bunch. If you would have asked Johnny Ramone to wear a trucker hat, he would have punched the shit-eating grin off of your face.

If you look at 1977, the year punk broke, I can guarantee you there were no investment bankers racing down from the Upper East Side to CBGB's in a cab with their girlfriends and posse in tow to catch a Ramones show. Those people were all trying to get into Studio 54! Today, while clubs continue to draw the B&T crowd, I still find it shocking that the clear path that all rock and roll bands take in the city on their rise to hipster heaven is paved with such a broad-based audience.

Mercury Lounge-->Bowrey Ballroom-->Irving Plaza--> Hammerstein/Roseland-->Beacon-->Radio City Music Hall (hello Strokes!)

Same people, different room. It has become a formula. On top of that, I feel that local scenes have died down as well. Instead, the creative class gets out of town as soon as possible and moves to New York or L.A. in hopes of becoming famous. We have Austin, TX and some other creative enclaves out there, but it has become harder and harder to innovate no matter where you are.

By the time I was 13 years old, I was buying the punk rock records of 1984, and I had missed so much. Fate had smiled on Minneapolis and Athens, GA, granting these towns some of the best bands of the decade. Seattle would rise in ten years or so. But in '84 I was listening to The Ramones... The sonic blast of Johnny Ramone's guitar and Joey's 1960's-style surf rock crooning had already been contextualized by The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Hüsker Dü, The Replacements, Black Flag, Bad Brains, Minor Threat and The Cramps. Timing had prevented me from experiencing The Ramones as the revolutionary band they truly were. End Of the Century was a great experience in that it gave me a beautiful and complete picture of what I had missed and allowed me to long for something I never had. I don't know where we are headed, but I am hoping for an real voice to rise again and carry me toward bliss. And like The Ramones, I want them to mean it.

rolling stone

2008-03-22T00:52:00.000-07:00

Act: Rolling Stones Tribute Band

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts lookalikes play all of the big songs. Their attention to detail and theatrical presence give people the feeling that they are actually seeing and hearing the Rolling Stones.

guns n roses

2008-03-22T00:43:00.000-07:00

Bas asked me to sing on his new record, "Angel Down," and I agreed and came down to his studio where he played me the tracks. I really liked the title/opening track, "Angel Down," but I didn't feel that it would be right to be on that one, although, of course, it would've been cool because it's a great rip-your-head-off track!!

Since this session was rather a more fun atmosphere, the tracks I sang on kind of showed themselves and were also done out of curiosity on the part of Bas, myself, and his producer, Roy Z, just to see if my involvement brought something that worked for the tracks.

Bas really wanted me on "Bitchslap," and I got to try my own ideas on it. We're not saying much about the second track, as it may be taken a bit further, and when Bas played the third track, "Stuck Inside," he suggested a kind of call-and-answer part. They allowed me the freedom to write my own words and melodies, and although it's only a couple of lines, it really felt great. The song has such a mean riff, and Bas' guys were so supportive in so many ways on tour and fun to hang with, that it was great to be a part of something of theirs and I think it really came out strong.

For me, the three songs together are a good package. They are all different, with different approaches and styles from each other and from material I have on the upcoming Guns N’ Roses record. For me, the timing couldn’t be better and I’m quite surprised to be on one song, let alone three!!!

Bas really knew where he saw my involvement on his album and had different options in mind. He knew what seemed obvious, what would be fun, what would work for his album and what he felt I would like. I really liked the energy of the tracks and since I'm rarely asked to do anything I'd actually enjoy or be glad to be a part of, I'm more than grateful for the opportunity and hope the fans get a kick out of it as well.

white lion

2008-03-22T00:28:00.000-07:00

Frontiers Records has announced the signing of WHITE LION for the band's first studio album in 16 years, entitled "Return of the Pride". The CD was produced by MIKE TRAMP and Claus Langeskov during 2007 in both Australia and Copenhagen and is scheduled for release on March 14.

According to singer MIKE TRAMP, the album title could be interpreted in two ways. "In a musical sense, we have taken a step back in time rather than a step forward in time," he says. "Over the course of this album, lyrically and musically many concepts and themes have been explored. Maybe 'Return of the Pride' means something entirely different."

WHITE LION will hit the road again in the summer of 2008. "We are not interested in fixing what isn't broke," says Mike. "Our mission is simple: to bring the classic sound of WHITE LION to the people that still live for that music." Mike adds that the band's new album will be "classic rock in its truest form and a representation of the musical influences that have attached themselves over time."