Music, videos, trivia, stories, books, gigs and news. Here you´ll find stuff on the great bands from the 70s and 80s!

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Night Ranger: New Video Interview With Brad Gillis And Joel Hoekstra

Gus Griesinger of Backstageaxxess.com recently conducted an interview with guitarists Brad Gillis and Joel Hoekstra of Night Ranger. You can now watch the 15 minute chat below.



They talked about their latest release “Somewhere in California,” the bands current tour with Journey and Foreigner, Joel’s side project with the Broadway show “Rock of Ages,” and Brad’s history with Ozzy Osbourne. So sit back and pretend you are “Somewhere in California” if you are not already there - and enjoy a very candid conversation with Brad and Joel of Night Ranger.



"Arena Heavy Metal"; Classic BBC Documentary (1989); Complete Feature

The classic BBC "Arena - Heavy Metal" documentary from 1989. First 30 seconds missing. Some classic metal stuff in here and i hope you enjoy it. 




The classic BBC “Arena - Heavy Metal” Documentary on the History of Heavy Metal from 1989, originally shown on BBC Two as part of their “Heavy Metal Heaven” Night.

Interviews: Tom Araya, Geezer Butler, Bruce Dickinson, Malcolm Dome, Steve Harris, Ozzy Osbourne, Jimmy Page, Axl Rose, David Lee Roth,  Lars Ulrich and more.

Live Footage: Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Jimi Hendrix (R.I.P.), Jimmy Page, KISS, Led Zeppelin, Megadeth, Metallica, Motörhead, Napalm Death, Slayer, Steppenwolf and more.



Headcat: "Rockline" Appereance Streaming

Headcat's Lemmy (Motörhead) and Slim Jim Phantom (The Stray Cats) were featured on US syndicated radio show, Rockline, this past Monday, August 29th. A replay of the show is now available at this location. 

Headcat which also features Danny B. Harvey (Rockcats), released their new album, "Walk The Walk...Talk The Talk", in early July through Niji Entertainment Group. 






Aerosmith: Working On 'Raw, Nasty, Tough Rock' Album For May 2012 Release

Aerosmith entered guitarist Joe Perry's home studio (The Boneyard) in suburban Boston and the Pandora's Box (the band's main studio) in early July with producer Jack Douglas to begin recording its long-awaited 14th studio album. The CD will be Aerosmith 's first set of original material since 2001's "Just Push Play" and first studio offering since 2004's covers CD, "Honkin' On Bobo".

In a brand new online posting, Douglas stated about 
Aerosmith 's new CD, "The new album should be out around May 2012. I know that's a long wait, but after the South American tour and Japan in October, November and December, we will just get back to work on it in mid-January."

He added, "For those who are asking, this album will be raw, nasty, tough rock with a good deal of the old 
Aerosmith 'tongue in cheek.'"

In a videotaped message that was released via 
Aerosmith 's official web site, bassist Tom Hamilton stated about re-teaming with Douglas, "For those of you who don't know who Jack is, he's the guy who we worked with, producing our best albums of the '70s - 'Get Your Wings','Toys In The Attic' and 'Rocks'. And it's really gonna be cool, because there's no one that knows more about the soul of this band and the creative part of this band [than] Jack. We worked with him on [2004's covers CD] 'Honkin' On Bobo', but that wasn't all original material - most of that was not original material. This time it's gonna be all-new Aerosmith songs."

He continued, "When people say, 'What was it like to work with Jack back then?' all I can say is we just laughed the whole time; there was always laughter going on, and fun, but at the same time really digging deep to get performances that were even better than we thought we could do."

The plan to resume work on a new disc follows the completion of singerSteven Tyler's first season as a judge on "American Idol". The band, minus Perry, did get together for a week earlier this year in Los Angeles to work on new material.
Aerosmith and Tyler almost went their separate ways in late 2009, but reunited and toured last year. However, Tyler then stunned his bandmates by taking the "Idol" job, which pushed back work on the already-delayed new record.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Vote For the Top 5 KISS Studio Albums

In anticipation of the new album, "Monster (2012) - vote for the top 5 KISS studio albums in this multiple choice poll!


KISS have released great albums since 1973, many of which are true classics! Some like the original line up, some like the Eric Carr era, and some like the new stuff. 


KISS has always been a kick ass live act. But do they deliver the goods in the studio? It´s for you to decide. Which 5 of the 19 listed below is your favorite? Take the vote - and have fun!

September Poll: Top 5 KISS Studio Albums
KISS
Hotter Than Hell
Dressed to Kill
Destroyer
Rock And Roll Over
Love Gun
Dynasty
Unmasked
Music From The Elder
Creatures of the Night
Lick It Up
Animalize
Asylum
Crazy Nights
Hot in the Shade
Revenge
Carnival of Souls
Psycho Circus
Sonic Boom

  
pollcode.com free polls 

KISS: "Rock And Roll Over" Turns 35; New "PODKisst" Podcast Available

"Rock And Roll Over" is an album referred to by some fans as a “perfect” KISS record. It was an attempt by KISS to harness their live power on a studio release. It’s 10 tracks of pure, unadulterated KISS. It’s “Rock and Roll Over,” and it’s 35 years old!


To celebrate the birthday of this KISS Army favorite, PODKisst are bringing you over 3 hours (!) of roundtable discussion, vintage interviews, track-by-track commentary, and live rarities! Join Ken, Gary, Joe Casey, and some of their PodKISSt pals for a larger-than-life installment of 
PodKISSt, guaranteed to make you feel “AH-AH, AH-AH, YEAH!”: Part 1






Join us as we dive into side 2 of this KISStoric record, with more of the commentary and rare KISS audio you wanna hear: Part 2


Our celebration of 35 years of “Rock and Roll Over” continues with a trip back to the mid-1970′s, as we re-construct the story of this beloved record using rare, vintage interview clips and fantastic live tracks: Part 3


Also catch our celebration here at Heavy Rock - The Playlist´ on this location!

Magnum: "Evolution"; Cover Art Work Unveiled; Track Listing

British melodic hard rock group Magnum are set to release their new album entitled "Evolution", in Europe November 14th, Germany November 11th, and US/Canada at the end of November via Steamhammer/SPV.
"Evolution" contains eight songs from their previous comeback albums which were partially re-recorded and fully re-mixed, two from "The Visitation" album and two totally new recorded songs. 



"Evolution" track listing

01. That Holy Touch
Re-recorded drums, bass, guitar and some vocals (remixed)
Originally on "Breath Of Life”

02. Just Like January
Re-recorded drums, bass and guitar (remixed)
Originally on "Breath Of Life”

03. Brand New Morning
Re-recorded bass, guitar and some vocals (remixed)
Originally on "Brand New Morning"

04. Immigrant Son
Re-recorded bass and guitar (remixed)
Originally on "Brand New Morning"

05. When We Were Younger
Re-recorded drums, bass, guitar and some vocals (remixed)
Originally on "Princess Alice & The Broken Arrow"

06. Out Of The Shadows
Re-recorded drums, bass, guitar (remixed)
Originally on "Princess Alice & The Broken Arrow"

07. All My Bridges
Re-recorded bass and drums (remixed)
Originally on "Into The Valley Of The Moonking"

08. Blood On Your Barbed Wire Thorns
Re-recorded bass (remixed)
Originally on "Into The Valley Of The Moonking"

09. The Visitation
Taken from "The Visitation"

10. Wild Angels
Taken from "The Visitation"

11. The Fall
New recording

12. Do You Know Who You Are?
New recording


Magnum will be playing the following live dates:

November
30 – Bilston, UK – The Robin 2

December
1 – Cambridge, UK - Junction
2 – Prestatyn, UK – Hard Rock Hell V

BraveWords.com caught up with keyboardist Mark Stanway about their last studio album, "The Visitation". Check out the entire chat at this location.

For more info visit the band’s website

Chickenfoot: New Video For "Big Foot" Released

"Big Foot", the new video from Chickenfoot can be seen below.

Chickenfoot has made it official: veteran drummer Kenny Aronoff will sit behind the kit on the road while Chad Smith tours with his main band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith handed off the sticks to Aronoff in a YouTube video, but emphasized that the change is only temporary by saying, "Listen, I'm living out back. Things are rough; I've got bills to pay. I've got to go to work. I've got my day job to go to. But only for a little bit - I'll be back. In the meantime a great buddy of mine, Kenny Aronoff, is going to come play the drums. He's going to tear it up. He's awesome: you're going to have a great time, so make sure you go out and see the FOOT."

Aronoff replies in the clip, "Chad, I'm going to kick ass for
Chickenfoot , man. I'm going to do a kick-ass job for you and the band."

Singer Sammy Hagar told The Pulse Of Radio that the band tried out several drummers before realizing Aronoff was the man for the job. "We said, 'Chad, come on now, who are we gonna try?' We tried these great guys and they just - the chemistry wasn't there. No fire. And he said, 'Kenny, man!' And so... he was great. He really solid, man. And he's got fire. And he's goofy, he's quirky, so."

Van Halen: Where Is The New Album?

Just where is the Van Halen album at, and when might fans get any indication that the new record is finally coming? That's the question constantly being asked by the band's frustrated fanbase. Time is running out for a 2011 release announcement.

When one looks at the efforts underway in the Chickenfoot camp, it's easy to see who has the better grasp of media in the 21st century. Sammy Hagar and co are already all over Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and their own websites with video teasers, personal appearances and interviews. But still nothing from Van Halen, who commenced recording of the album back in 2010 with producer Ross Hogarth, apart from David Lee Roth telling us to coming to "Get Ready" (hopefully not to get ready for more disappearing tour dates, as happened in Australia).

The latest news from the VH-camp suggests the continued "mixing" process, which is reported to have been going on for some time now, could involve additional vocals being recorded by David Lee Roth for inclusion on the album. The mixing process often includes the addition of extra parts and replacement of others.

: "As for the album being shelved goes, it's not true. However, I will say that the delay lies within the vocals. That seems to be the main roadblock. Eddie is just not satisfied with the vocals that have been recorded and re-recorded which has caused a lot of frustration with both the Van Halen and Roth Camps alike. It's also my understanding that Shanks involvement ended up being very minimal compared to what the press made it out to be."

While this is just one source and won't ever be commented on by anyone officially...it does make sense, in explaining why at the start of September 2011 we still haven't heard one note of the new music.

I've heard further comments about US tour dates for the first 3 months of 2012, so it seems planning for the tour remains on track. There is a rumored January date for Van Halen in Indonesia, but that is anything but confirmed at this stage. Stay tuned as always...

Monday, August 29, 2011

Deep Purple: "Live At Montreux 2011"; DVD And 2CD Due Out In November


Filmed on the closing night of this year’s Montreux Festival on July 16th, this concert features Deep Purple playing their classic hits with the accompaniment of a full symphony orchestra conducted by Stephen “BK” Bentley-Klein.
It's the third reunion show from the festival, and is issued to tie-in with the band's UK and European shows. Formats so far are DVD and Bluray (with bonus interviews) and 2xCD set. All can be preordered at the DPAS Online store.

Official description:

Deep Purple are issuing another in what is becoming a regular series of Montreux DVDs again this year. 19 tracks plus a bonus in-depth interview with the band. Their 2011 slot with the Orchestra is scheduled for November 2011. If the pattern of previous titles is replicated, more formats are likely to follow. They have. Blu-Ray and 2CD sets now listed and can be pre-ordered.





Set list:
1) Orchestral Intro 
2) Highway Star 
3) Hard Loving Man  
4) Maybe I’m a Leo  
5) Strage Kind Of Woman   
6) Rapture Of The Deep   
7) Woman From Tokyo   
8) Contact Lost   
9) When A Blind Man Cries   
10) The Well Dressed Guitar   
11) Knocking At Your Back Door   
12) Lazy   
13) No One Came   
14) Don Airey Solo   
15) Perfect Strangers   
16) Space Truckin’   
17) Smoke On The Water   
18) Hush   
19) Black Night

Saturday, August 27, 2011

New Book From Deep Purple And Rainbow Tour Manager; "A Hart Life"

July 1971: Colin Hart, a Geordie lad from South Shields was on his first tour of America as roadie for Matthew’s Southern Comfort. The group was part of a three band bill with The Faces and Deep Purple. Following the tour he joined Deep Purple’s road crew. Ian Gillan just knew Colin had to join the Purple entourage after seeing him pour a pint of beer over Rod Stewart! Forty years on and Wymer Publishing is pleased to announce "A Hart Life", Colin Hart’s life story as both Deep Purple and Rainbow’s tour manager.

Hart devoted over thirty years of his life to these great rock musicians. This is his story and indeed theirs. A tale of excess in terms of greed, petulance, anger and devotion. It is counter balanced by extremes of pure talent, showmanship and, of course musicianship. He was the constant 'man in the middle' through all of the break ups, make-ups and revolving door line-up changes. Joining them at twenty-four years old and leaving thirty years later, he was there every step of their rock 'n' roll way. A story of two of the most innovative, often copied, rock bands; seen through the eyes, ears and emotions of their 'mother hen' (as Jon Lord described him).

He was their minder, chauffeur, carer, provider, protector, father confessor & confidant. In truth he is the only one who can tell this tale of both bands as he was the only one there on the road throughout the life of, not one, but both gigantic bands. Hart endured a roller coaster ride, working for Purple, during the band’s most successful period. He was there when The casino burnt down in Montreux, and witnessed "Smoke On The Water" being born; the legendary concerts in Japan; the break-up of the Gillan/Glover line-up; the auditions that saw David Coverdale join the band, and the huge CalJam concert in front of 400,000.

When Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple in early 1975 and formed Rainbow, Colin went with him and continued as Rainbow’s tour manager through the ever-revolving line-ups. He was invariably the man who had to break the news to many of the hopefuls that auditioned for the band: “We’ll get back to you” being the stock reply! Once again Colin was in the thick of it during Rainbow’s 9 year tenure; The classic Rainbow "Rising" period, “the best line-up” in his eyes; the dramas during the making of "Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll"; the departure of kingpin Ronnie James Dio; the Graham Bonnet era, culminating in the first Monsters Of Rock Festival at Donington; and the successful commercial period with frontman Joe Lynn Turner.

In 1984 when Blackmore disbanded Rainbow for the Deep Purple reunion, Colin naturally resumed his role with these rock giants as they embarked on a world tour that included the hugely successful 1985 U.S leg - the second biggest grossing U.S tour that year after Bruce Springsteen. A déjà vu situation occurred as Colin was in the middle of yet more band break-ups as first, Gillan departed,Turner joined, Gillan, returned and Blackmore departed while Steve Morse emerged to take the band into the new millennium, although for Colin his thirty years on the road with two of the biggest bands in rock history came to an end in 2001.
 
"A Hart Life" is written with life-long friend Dick Allix, former drummer with sixties band Vanity Fare.Hart tells the story of his life from humble beginnings in South Shields, to setting up home in California with Rainbow, and eventually settling in Florida, where he still lives today: Of touring the world several times over with two of Britain’s greatest bands Deep Purple and Rainbow; a story that also crosses paths with Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Def Leppard, The Scorpions and Iron Maiden to mention just a few! A truly fascinating insight into the world of rock ‘n’ roll from the other side of the stage. Includes forewords by Deep Purple andRainbow bassist Roger Glover & Hart’s nephew Paul Mann, who conducted the London Symphony Orchestra alongside Deep Purple at the 1999 "Concerto For Group & Orchestra" shows.

Eric Carr: New CD Out This Fall

Attention KISS fans!


A new Eric Carr CD will be coming out this fall featuring 18 tracks. The CD will feature also guest performers like AJ Pero, Twisted Sister, Seether, Z02, Europe, and Bruce Kulick. It will be availably digitally and in Best Buy and Walmart.

Some new merchandise will come out as well: drumsticks, and a full make-up lithograph.

Aerosmith: Steven Tyler Writing Lyrics (Video)

Video footage of Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler in the studio, writing lyrics for a new song, can be seen below.



In a videotaped message that was released via Aerosmith's official web site, bassist Tom Hamilton stated about re-teaming with Douglas, "For those of you who don't know who Jack is, he's the guy who we worked with, producing our best albums of the '70s - 'Get Your Wings', 'Toys In The Attic' and 'Rocks'. And it's really gonna be cool, because there's no one that knows more about the soul of this band and the creative part of this band [than] Jack. We worked with him on 'Honkin' On Bobo', but that wasn't all original material - most of that was not original material. This time it's gonna be all-new Aerosmith songs."

He continued, "When people say, 'What was it like to work with Jack back then?' all I can say is we just laughed the whole time; there was always laughter going on, and fun, but at the same time really digging deep to get performances that were even better than we thought we could do."




Anvil: New 23 Min. Video Interview With "Lips"

Metal Gods TV recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow of Canadian heavy metal legends Anvil. You can now watch the 23 minute chat below.

The End Records will celebrate 
Anvil's career with "Monument Of Metal: The Very Best Of Anvil", a 19-track career retrospective that will earn "must-own" and "must-hear" status for fans both fans new and old.

Due on September 27th, this set collects choice cuts from
 Anvil's career and the track listing was hand-selected by the members of Anvil and spans their three-decade career. It is designed to show you why the aforementioned likes of Guns 'n Roses, Metallica, MotörheadAnthrax, Slayer and more have praised Anvil as pioneers and way pavers in the heavy metal world. It's a retrospective spanning the band's entire iconic career and a comprehensive heavy metal history lesson captured on record.



Friday, August 26, 2011

Anthrax: Samples From Entire "Worship Music" Available

Audio samples of all the songs that will appear on "Worship Music", the band's first new Anthrax album in eight years and first with vocalist Joey Belladonna since 1990, can be streamed at JPC.de

The Omega Order is offering an exclusive pre-order bundle for "Worship Music", featuring the new CD; "Fistful Of Metal" triple 10-inch picture discs; and an Anthtrax LP slipmat (only available in this bundle).

"Worship Music" track listing:

01. Worship (intro)
02. Earth On Hell
03. The Devil You Know
04. Fight 'Em Til You Can't
05. I'm Alive
06. Hymn 1
07. In The End
08. The Giant
09. Hymn 2
10. Judas Priest
11. Crawl
12. The Constant
13. Revolution Screams

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Mötley Crüe: Pays Tribute To Fans With New Video To "Kickstart My Heart"

Iconic rock group Mötley Crüe wrapped one of summer's biggest rock tours as headliners and honorees for the Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF) live on Sunset Boulevard this past Saturday night (August 20). The show, a combination of classic hit songs, massive pyro and fireworks displays, state-of-the-art sound and visual effects - including "The 360" drum coaster, with electronic music sensation deadmau5 joining Tommy Lee for a ride - rocked over 15,000 fans. It marked the largest crowd ever for the SSMF.

Hot off the heels of a spectacular summer tour, 
Mötley Crüe is giving back to their fans with a newly shot live video to "Kickstart My Heart", one of the band's biggest hits. The video, shot by videographer Bobby Hewitt, chronicles life on the road for the iconic rockers, and proves that after 30 years, the group's music and lyrics have withstood the test of time. Mötley Crüe remain one of the most explosive and innovative live bands in existence.

Mötley Crüe issued the following statement to fans: "We documented the whole tour, top to bottom (the good, the bad and the ugly) and as we were looking through all the amazing footage, we thought how cool it would be to cut together a "best of visual" for the fans who made this tour happen. This one is just for the fans, from us."

Check out the clip below.


Queen: "Days of Our Lives"; Complete 122 Min. Documentary Posted Online

Documentary broadcast not long ago by the BBC. Priceless indeed, tells the story of the band from scratch till Freddie Mercury's death and yet goes on with the made in heaven album. The whole documentary in only one part. Enjoy!

In 1971, four university students got together to form a band. Since then, that certain band called Queen have released 26 albums and sold over 300 million records worldwide. The popularity of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon is stronger than ever. Their story is a remarkable one, a narrative that covers early struggles, huge obstacles, success, arguments, breakups, triumph, tragedy and an enduring legacy – all against a backdrop of brilliant music and stunning live performances from every corner of the globe.

In this film, for the first time, it is the band that tells their story. Guiding us through an extensive archive full of hitherto unseen footage, the documentary reveals how four strong-minded individuals, all capable of writing massive hit songs, worked together so successfully for four decades.

Queen never did anything by halves – meaning their highs were massive, but their lows catastrophic. It is a compelling story told with intelligence, wit, plenty of humor and painful honesty.

But the band quickly learned that if reaching the top is tough, staying there is the biggest challenge of all. With a loss of focus in the studio, the decline in popularity in North America, increasing internal tension and a desire to pursue solo projects, it seemed as if the band had had its day.

Then came the performance from Mercury at Live Aid, and their record breaking Magic tour in 1986. Queen were propelled back amongst the very best. Rejuvenated, the world was once again at their feet, but then tragedy struck and threatened to tear the band apart. Featuring musical performances, previously unseen and rare footage, and intimate interviews.


Rush: "Changing Hemispheres"; New Book; 4-DVD Set Out In September

Abstract Sounds Books has set a September 26th U.K. release date for Rush's "Changing Hemispheres", a 116-page hardcover book and four-DVD set.

Play.com describes the release as follows: "This is the true story of Rush from humble Canadian beginnings through to international super stardom. Featuring a masterful and comprehensive text packed with great photographs of the band this unique production also includes four documentary DVDs packed with candid audio interviews with the band members compared and contrasted with the views of a leading team of music journalists, insiders and musicologists. This uncensored and independent title has not been viewed or approved by the band or its management and is completely free to tell the unvarnished story of Rush as it really happened. The contents of this amazing book and DVD combination are completely essential reading and viewing for Rush fans everywhere."

"Changing Hemispheres" will only play on European Region 2 or multi-region DVD players.

It is not presently clear if the set will receive a North American release.

Alice Cooper: "Welcome 2 My Nightmare: The Radio Show" Available

Alice Cooper has released a special long-form radio show, "Welcome 2 My Nightmare: The Radio Show", to preview and discuss songs from his upcoming new album of that same name. You can stream the whole thing right now and right here, courtesy of Media Mechanics and Ultimate Classic Rock. 

Over the course of about an hour, Alice talks to host Gary Moore about the inspiration behind the new album, which arrives on September 13th  and as serves the sequel to the singer’s 1975 classic "Welcome to My Nightmare" record.

Seven songs from the upcoming "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" LP are played during the show, as well as older beloved Cooper tracks such as ‘I’m Eighteen’ and the title track from the original "Nightmare" album. Alice discusses his recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and how it led to him reuniting with the original Alice Cooper band to record songs for the new "Nightmare."
 Listen to the full radio show on this location.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Uriah Heep: Outside The (Mick) Box; New Interview

Gibson.com recently conducted an interview with Uriah Heep founder Mick Box:

Uriah Heep are one of those lucky bands who are always on the road, always able to play somewhere, and always able to bring it for the fans. While many bands were hit with a case of “what the heck do we do now?” when album sales started to take a downturn post-download-culture, Uriah Heep were able to just keep on doing what they were doing: play 150 gigs a year, put out the occasional brilliant album, then do it all again.

How did "Live in Armenia" come about?

We were invited to go over there, and we were quite surprised, but we took it with open arms. What a fantastic country! The people are all lovely, and we had an opportunity to record it out there. We did, took it back to England, looked at it and thought, “This isn’t too bad! Maybe we could release it!” And we did! It was as simple as that, really!

What was it like to play there?

Well, we’ve played in 53 countries – 54 when we go to Venezuela later this year. But it was just fantastic. You don’t realize how much your music has affected people in other countries until you actually get there. And you realize that even in communist regimes, our music still managed to get out there. You play a song like “July Morning” and you see people in the audience crying because they thought they’d never, ever get the chance to see it live. It’s an incredible feeling.

What’s the strangest place you’ve heard your music being played?

Well, we’ve always been rock and roll pioneers in that regard. We were the first band to play Russia in December 1987. Went over to Moscow and played to 150,000 people, which was incredible. Then South Korea, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia before it became the Czech Republic and Slovakia. From the outset of the band, our motto was, “If the people can’t come to the music, we’ll take the music to them.” So we invested a lot of time going to these territories. And now that those regimes are tucked away and the world is a more open place, we find how much impact we’ve had there.

And it helps that you guys have always established yourselves as a live band, a working band. I’m sure that's really helped you now that CD sales are heading further and further down.

I’ve always had the attitude that a working band is a happy band. I think that stands true, and there’s nobody who works harder than Uriah Heep, to be honest, because we’re out there constantly. We do 150 shows every year, more like 200 this year. I think that’s your first love, even before you go into the studio. You cut your teeth on live work. And you’re absolutely correct: there’s no more money now to be made with the dissolving of record companies and that side of the industry. And now you’ve got the download thing happening – it’s depleted any income in that regard. Luckily for Uriah Heep we had that strong fanbase around the globe, so it didn’t really affect us. The downside though is that now everybody’s doing it!

Do you play much from your most recent studio album, "Into the Wild", live?

We play about four songs: “I’m Ready,” which we open with, then “Money Talks,” “Out of My Head” and “Into the Wild.” They fit into the rock side and keep everything lively. “I’m Ready” is such a positive song lyrically and everything else that I think everyone’s relating to that now.

The album has a very live sound.

I never do more than a double track of anything, because I think that with any more, the ear can’t decide what to follow. It’s more powerful that way. The more you put on, the weaker it gets, in my eyes. And I do record straight through an amp. I’ll do a pass on the take we keep and then I’ll pick up another guitar to give it a slightly different tone, do a pass with that and that’s how they stay. The important thing in our recording process is that we do it as a band. We don’t piece it together or anything. We go in, set up and play. You’ve got to be on top of your game when you do that because there’s no safety net. It gives you an edge, and I kind of like that.

“I’m Ready” is a good example. There’s a kind of groove to that song that you can’t really get when you overdub.

Absolutely! And I think that comes through a lot in our music as late. And that’s what you like about the old ’70s albums. They all did it like that. They didn’t do it any other way. I think that’s where that feeling comes through. The other thing is, we had an inspirational producer in Mike Paxman, because when we got a take we liked with previous producers, they’d then go and put it on Pro Tools and try to put everything in line. Mike’s viewpoint is, if it sounds good now and we’re excited by it now, it’ll always be that way. That was refreshing to me. The other good thing about him as well is that he doesn’t sit in the control room saying, “Do another take.” He’s in the studio with us bouncing off the walls with excitement!

That’s the way it should be. That’s why it’s called a “record!”

Yeah! In search of perfection sometimes, people iron out what made it special in the first place!

What’s your approach to live improvisation?

The song “Look at Yourself” every night is a bit of a blow. We just take that wherever we go. There are points that we can pull out and move to, but it’s just a free-for-all and it’s good fun. People get used to hearing things how they’re used to hearing him – the solos and stuff like that – but there are points in the show where we just let loose a little bit, and that’s great, because everyone gets that feeling of freedom. And it goes down an absolute storm. And those are the moments that get the standing ovations.