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

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Black Country Communion: "Afterglow" Song By Song Breakdown


Here's a breakdown of the album's contents in the words of Glenn Hughes:

"Big Train": "It's very quirky and British-sounding. Jason Bonham is an incredible timekeeper. I love the way he provides the engine room on that song."


"This Is Your Time": "Let's give Jason Bonham a little more love. He writes his songs on an iPhone whilst driving his car, which is completely nuts. It really helps the groove factor. He emailed me some footage of him playing this song. He wrote the music and I wrote the lyrics. It has a huge chorus, too. Jason is not just a brilliant drummer — he's a great songwriter."


"Midnight Sun": "I had my wallet stolen in a Starbucks and arrived late at the studio. When I got there, the guys were fooling around with a song that sounds quite a lot like THE WHO, thanks to those Rabbit Bundrick-style keyboards. I picked up my bass and joined in. It's quite a romp; there's a definite vibe of Moon and Entwistle."


"Confessor": "The first album had 'No Time', which was slow and groovy. I wrote 'Confessor' that way too, but when Jason heard it he insisted upon playing it — in his own words — like his dad would have done. We're a democratic band and I went along with that. When he turbo-d it up it really came to life."


"Cry Freedom": "I sang this one alone originally until Kevin pointed out that the album didn't have a song with split vocals. Joe and I sing well together. I've never had a problem sharing a microphone with other great singers. We really let rip off one another on this one, which has a ZZ Top/Humble Pie kind of a vibe."


"Afterglow": "[At more than six minutes long] it's an epic song. I was adamant that this album should have a proper title instead of a number. I played it to the band right at the end of sessions - purposely so. When they heard it on acoustic guitar, everybody agreed that it should name the album."


"Dandelion": "I wrote it slower than we recorded it; maybe I had too much coffee that day. Had we done it that way then maybe it would have sounded a bit dirge-like. Jason sets the tempos - he's got a really good ear for the way that a song should sound."


"The Circle": "It's one of my favorites on this record. It gives me the chance to use my 'breathier' voice. Kevin asked me to sing it an octave higher than I intended, and it worked. The high voice in the chorus is not my falsetto, it's my upper register natural voice. I'm singing about being powerless; being in a dreamlike state. People have spoken about my voice and bass playing for so many years, I hope that this time they notice my lyrics because I'm very proud of them."


"Common Man": "That's another of the songs that came from Jason. When he sang me its melody acapella, I could hear myself singing it. It could have been a song from Deep Purple's 'Stormbringer' album; he wrote it for my voice."


"The Giver": "When you listen to the end of the song, if people are trying to figure out what key it's in, I'm playing a capo [a device that raises the pitch of notes] on the fifth fret. When I wrote it, I deliberately held back from completing it because it needed Joe's input. Kevin helped as well."


"Crawl": "Some people may know that this song was going to be on 'BCC2' but we held it over because there simply wasn't enough room. To me, it fits this album a lot better. It's a really aggressive song - it's dangerous and angry. I love it. It's a great way to finish the record."


Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Led Zeppelin: "Trampled Under Foot: The Power And Excess Of Led Zeppelin"; New Book Coming In September



Faber has set a September 6 release date for the "Trampled Under Foot: The Power And Excess Of Led Zeppelin" book by British music critic Barney Hoskyns.

The 624-page book is described as follows: "A unique look at the history, adventures, myths and realities of this most legendary and powerful of bands, it is a labor of love based on hours of first-hand and original interviews. What emerges is a compelling portrait of the four musicians themselves, as well as a fresh insight into the close-knit entourage that protected them, from Peter Grant to Richard Cole to Ahmet Ertegun, giant figures from the long-vanished world of 1970s rock. Featuring many rare and never-before-seen photographs, it is also the first book on Led Zeppelin to cover such recent events as their triumphant 2007 O2 Arena gig and Robert Plant's Grammy-winning resurgence of recent years." 


In a recent interview with Metro.co.uk, Hoskyns stated about "Trampled Under Foot", "Most [existing Led Zeppelin books] recycle tales of groupies and mudsharks and chucking TV sets out of windows. For me, this is terribly boring. I wanted to demystify the band but, at the same time, I uncovered stuff that's even more shocking. Zeppelin were the biggest band on Earth in the 1970s and were a law unto themselves. They drove through red lights in limousines, there were many brutish incidents of physical violence. Any mess was cleaned up very efficiently."


He added, "[I interviewed] nearly 200 people [for the book] and I had earlier interviews with [Jimmy] Page, Robert Plant and [John Paul Jones] in the bank. The sheer number of interviews persuaded me to repurpose it as an oral history, without an overarching narrator."

"Led Zeppelin was unobtainable and unattainable and we very seldom talked about it. Basically, the myth propagated itself." Robert Plant to the author, May 2003

For the better part of a decade, Led Zeppelin was the greatest group on the planet, eclipsing records set by Elvis and the Beatles. Artistically and financially, they were the apex of the genus Hard Rock in all its glory.

Barney Hoskyns meticulously tracked down everyone involved with the band during its early years, at the height of its power, and during its dramatic decline. This is the inside story of what went on behind the music, lifting the lid on the parties, the fights, and the unmitigated, unapologetic bad behaviour of rock gods at the pinnacle of world stardom. 

Aerosmith: Deluxe Details On "Music From Another Dimension"


On November 6, Aerosmith - Steven Tyler (vocals), Joe Perry(guitar), Brad Whitford (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass) and Joey Kramer(drums) - will release "Music From Another Dimension" on Columbia Records. It marks the band's 15th studio album and their first studio collection of all-new material in 11 years. The album was recorded in Los Angeles and at the band's studio in Massachusetts; it was produced byJack Douglas, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, with the exception of three tracks produced by Tyler and Marti Frederiksen.

A deluxe version of "Music From Another Dimension" will include:

* Four live performance videos: "Rats In The Cellar", "Train Kept A Rollin'", "Oh Yeah" and "Same Old Song and Dance"

* Exclusive interviews with the members of Aerosmith bandmembers

* Three exclusive new bonus tracks: "Up On A Mountain", "Oasis" and"Sunny Side of Love"

The "Music From Another Dimension" track listing is as follows:

01. Luv XXX
02. Oh Yeah
03. Beautiful
04. Tell Me
05. Out Go The Lights
06. Legendary Child
07. What Could Have Been Love
08. Street Jesus
09. Can't Stop Loving You
10. Lover A Lot
11. We All Fall Down
12. Freedom Fighter
13. Closer
14. Something
15. Another Last Goodbye





On July 7, Premier Guitar's Jason Shadrick was on location at Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he caught up with Brad Whitford during the band's "The Global Warming Tour". In the 26-minute segment below, we get to see Whitford's collection of touring gear that includes guitars, amps, and effects from Fender,Gibson, Echopark, Marshall, Bogner, 3 Monkeys, Pigtronix, TC Electronic, Eventide and more.





On July 7, Premier Guitar's Jason Shadrick was on location at Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he caught up with Trace Foster, the guitar tech for Joe Perry, during the band's"The Global Warming Tour". In the 29-minute segment below, we get to see Perry's collection of touring gear. 

Perry recently signed a deal to write his autobiography, likely to be released in fall 2013.


Saturday, August 25, 2012

Black Sabbath: Entire Lollapalooza Performance Posted Online



Fan-filmed video footage of Black Sabbath`s entire Lollapalooza performance can be seen below.
Black Sabbath`s Lollapalooza setlist was as follows:

01. Black Sabbath
02. The Wizard
03. Beyond The Wall Of Sleep
04. N.I.B.
05. Into The Void
06. Under The Sun
07. Snow Blind
08. War Pigs
09. Electric Funeral
10. Sweet Leaf
11. Symptom Of The Universe / Drum Solo
12. Iron Man
13. Fairies Wear Boots
14. Dirty Women
15. Children Of The Grave

Encore

16. Paranoid


Thursday, August 23, 2012

Aerosmith: Two New Songs Streaming; "Lover Alot" + "What Could Have Been Love"



Aerosmith will release their new album - the first in 11 years - titled «Music From Another Dimension», on November 6th. Two new tracks - «Lover A Lot» and «What Could Have Been Love» - have been leaked and can be heard below.
«Music From Another Dimension» was produced by Jack Douglas, who worked on such classic Aerosmith albums as 1974's «Get Your Wings», 1975's «Toys In The Attic», and 1976's «Rocks». 


Friday, August 17, 2012

Motörhead: "The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 2: Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else"; Video Trailers, Cover Art, Track List Posted


Motörhead will release "The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 2: Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else" in Germany on September 21, three days later in the rest of Europe and October 9 in North America via UDR/EMI. The follow-up to 2011's "The Wörld Is Ours – Vol 1: Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else" will feature the band's 2011 Wacken Open Air headline appearance as well as highlights from Sonisphere (United Kingdom) and Rock In Rio(Brazil) shows. 

"The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 2: Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else" will be available as a digipack (DVD plus two CDs), double-CD, double-vinyl (Wacken Open Air show), Blu-ray and direct-to-consumer version featuring 2 CDs, a DVD/Blu-ray and a special booklet. 

"The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 2: Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else" track listing: 

Wacken Open Air - August 8, 2011 in Wacken, Germany

* Iron Fist 
* Stay Clean 
* Get Back In Line 
* Metropolis 
* Over The Top 
* Rock Out 
* One Night Stand 
* The Thousand Names of God 
* I Know How to Die 
* The Chase Is Better Than the Catch 
* In the Name of Tragedy 
* Just 'Cos You Got The Power 
* Going To Brazil 
* Killed By Death 
* Bomber
* Ace Of Spades 
* Overkill

Sonisphere - July 10, 2011 at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire:

* Iron Fist 
* I Know How To Die 
* In The Name Of Tragedy
* Killed By Death 
* Ace Of Spades
* Overkill

Rock In Rio - September 25, 2011 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil:

* Stay Clean
* Over The Top
* The Chase Is Better Than The Catch
* Going To Brazil
* Killed By Death

Bonus material: festival impression Wacken Open Air





Thursday, August 9, 2012

Van Halen: "Song To Soul"; Japanese TV Special Posted Online


A one-hour Japanese TV special on Van Halen, which was broadcast on Tuesday (August 7), can now be seen in four parts below.

BS-TBS's "Song To Soul" is a series of unique music documentary programs dedicated to songs and the artists who perform them. In each episode, the producers look at an iconic track from the past through the retrospective view of the composers, artists and performers.

The Van Halen "Song To Soul" special, focusing entirely on the single"Jump" from the band's smash hit album "1984", features brand-new interviews with David Lee Roth and Eddie and Alex Van Halen, filmed just two weeks ago at Dave's house. Also interviewed for the program were Van Halen producer Ted Templeman, Guitar World editor-in-chief Brad Tolinski and Margo Nahas, the creator of the "1984" album cover.

"Jump" introduced Van Halen to the 1980s pop audience and its success helped the band cross over from hard-rock icons to pop-rock superstars. 


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Peter Criss Special Guest At New Jersey KISS Expo In September



The New Jersey KISS Expo has announced the addition of founding KISS member Peter Criss as a special guest. Special “One-on-One With the Catman” meet-and-greet packages are available.

The expo will take place September 8 at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison, N.J.

For more information, click here.

Iron Maiden Checks In From Canada In New Video Report ; Adrian Smith Talks Guitars (Video)


Iron Maiden have posted a six-minute video report from the Canadian leg of their "Maiden England" tour. You can watch it below.

Guitar Center TV has uploaded video footage of Adrian Smith talking about his roots, relationship with Jackson and his Jackson Adrian Smith Signature SDX guitar (lower video).

Lynch Mob: X Fest Modesto August 4 Footage Posted


29 minutes of fan-filmed video footage of Lynch Mob's August 4 performance at X Fest in Modesto, California can be seen below.

The band performed the following tracks:

01. River Of Love
02. She"S So Evil But She's Mine
03. Hell Child
04. Into The Fire
05. All I Want
06. Mr. Scary
07. Sweet Sister Mercy
08. Wicked Sensation

Lynch Mob's lineup for the show was as follows:

Oni Logan - Vocals
George Lynch - Guitar
Robbie Crane - Bass
Chris Collier - Drums


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Deep Purple: "The 40th Anniversary Edition of Machine Head"; Out On October 8



Deep Purple and EMI announce that "The 40th Anniversary Edition of Machine Head" is to be released on October 8. This five discs special edition will be accompanied with fully illustrated 60 page hardback booklet, housed in a luxury box. Contents Include:

*CD1: "Machine Head" Original Album 2012 Remaster
*CD2: 1997 Remix By DP's Bassist Roger Glover
*CD3: Original Album Quad Sq Stereo (2012 Remaster)
*CD4: "In Concert '72" - 2012 Mix (Recorded Live At Paris Theatre, London 9th March 1972)
*DVD: 2012 High Resolution Remaster & Surround Mix
Booklet features:

*Detailed essays from original bassist Roger Glover and Mojo magazine editor Phil Alexander 

*Quotations from Deep Purple fans Mikael Akerfelt, Luke Morley, Sebastian Vettel, Eddie Jordan, Brian Tatler, Janick Gers andPeter Hook.

*An interview with famed photographer Didi Zill, whose photos of the legendary recording sessions in Switzerland illustrate the booklet.


Watch the full Classic Albums feature on "Machine Head" here.

This brief documentary piece below features Jon Lord, Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice and Roger Glover gives an overall summary of the events surrounding the recording of "Machine Head" in December 1971 following the Casino fire of 4th December. Enjoy!


KIX: "Live In Baltimore"; New DVD/CD Coming In September; Trailer Posted


KIX fans are in for a treat as Frontiers Records announce the signing of the US heavy rockers to the label. The return of the Maryland band will materialize with the worldwide release of the band’s first ever live DVD and CD release entitled "Live In Baltimore" on September 21st in Europe and September 25th in North America. 

Since the band’s return to the national stage in 2008 with appearances at two of the biggest rock festivals in the US, Rocklahoma in Pryor, Oklahoma and Rock the Bayou in Houston, TX , Kix has amassed a large number of successful live shows all across the USA, with regular appearances at festivals, casinos and biker rallys, culminating with headlining the hugely successful M3 Festival in Columbia, MD two years in a row. The new live CD / DVD is packed with fan favorites and a choice catalog of great hard rock Kix songs recorded live in Baltimore, MD.

As the demand from the fans for new Kix music has never subsided and in fact has only increased over the last few years, band members have decided that they can no longer ignore the overtures from the fans and are writing new Kix songs for a new album due out on Frontiers Records in 2013.

Singer Steve Whiteman stated "This is a great thing for us and we hope it’s a great thing for Kix fans all around the world. We are so thrilled to finally be able to give the fans what they have been asking for, a live DVD and new Kix music in 2013! We have been hard at work getting new material together that we think will stand shoulder to shoulder with any previous Kix record. It’s a really exciting time!"

The Kix lineup includes original members Steve Whiteman, Jimmy Chalfant, Ronnie Younkins and Brian Forsythe with Mark Schenker on bass.

"Live in Baltimore" will be released in a CD/DVD configuration with the following tracklisting :

CD:
'No Ring Around Rosie'
'Atomic Bombs'
'Lie Like A Rug'
'Don’t Close Your Eyes'
'Girl Money'
'Cold Blood'
'Cold Shower'
'She Dropped Me The Bomb'
'Blow My Fuse'
'Kix Are For Kids'
'Midnite Dynamite'
'Yeah, Yeah, Yeah'


DVD:
'No Ring Around Rosie'
'Atomic Bombs'
'Lie Like A Rug'
'Sex'
'The Itch'
'Don’t Close Your Eyes'
'Hot Wire'
'Same Jane'
'Girl Money'
- Ronnie “10/10” solo -
'Cold Blood'
- Jimmy “Chocolate” solo -
'Cold Shower'
'She Dropped Me The Bomb'
'Blow My Fuse'
'Kix Are For Kids'
'Midnite Dynamite'
'For Shame'
- Brian “Damage” solo -
'Yeah, Yeah, Yeah' 


Digital Edition (audio only):
'No Ring Around Rosie'
'Atomic Bombs'
'Lie Like A Rug'
'Sex' *
'The Itch' *
'Don’t Close Your Eyes'
'Hot Wire' *
'Girl Money'
'Cold Blood'
'Cold Shower'
'She Dropped Me The Bomb'
'Blow My Fuse'
'Kix Are For Kids'
'Midnite Dynamite'
'For Shame' *
'Yeah, Yeah, Yeah'
* bonus tracks 


Check out the DVD trailer below. "Cold Shower" can be exclusively listened in streaming on the Frontiers Records web radio station here.

 

Judas Priest: "Gut Feeling Tells Me We'll See Something Next Year," Says Rob Halford



Frontman Rob Halford tells Billboard.com that the group, which recently wrapped its Epitaph World Tour, is "ramping things up to get back into full writing and recording mode" back in England. He and guitarist Glenn Tipton have "a tremendous amount of material in the vaults already, and they expect new guitarist Richie Faulkner, who replaced co-founder KK Downing in 2011, to make a contribution as well.
 
"As we were proceeding on this world tour he was taking this little mini-studio into his dressing room and we could hear him riffing away," Halford recalls. "It's going to be really thrilling moment to get together in a new writing dimension, Glenn and myself and Richie, putting all of these ideas together. We'll see what we can do over the next couple of months, look at everything, lay it all out and then start the hard work of picking out the best material."

Halford adds that his "gut feeling tells me we'll see something next year" but doesn't want to commit to a firm timetable. "I'm of the attitude it'll be ready when it's ready," he explains. "I don't think we're going to slack off. We're determined to do a lot of work and be just as dedicated as we've always been and take a lot of care and attention with all the songs. We're not going to just bang this one out, so to speak."

Read the full interview here.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Black Sabbath: Lollapalooza 2012; Videos Posted, Setlist



Black Sabbath live at this years Lollapalooza festival in Chicago. Watch great fan filmed footage from the show below.

Hopes are high that the band will be more active in 2013: they’ve been working on a new studio album with producer Rick Rubin and may tour.  All of their plans are reliant on Tony Iommi’s health: in January, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma, and spent much of this year undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Setlist:


Black Sabbath
The Wizard
Behind the Wall of Sleep
N.I.B.
Into the Void
Under the Sun
Snowblind
War Pigs
Electric Funeral
Sweet Leaf
Symptom of the Universe
(instrumental)
Drum Solo
Iron Man
Fairies Wear Boots
Dirty Women
Children of the Grave
Encore:
Paranoid



ZZ Top: "La Futura" Out On September 11; Cover Artwork, Track List Revealed




The nine-year wait for a new ZZ Top album ends next month. 


They’ve set September 11 as launch day for "La Futura", their 15th studio disc and the follow-up to 2003′s "Mescalero". "La Futura" is produced by Rick Rubin.
Guitarist Billy Gibbons says: “We thought long and hard about what this album should be. We wanted to recall the directness of our early stuff, but not turn our backs on contemporary technology. The result of this melding of the past and the present is La Futura.”
"La Futura" tracklisting:


1. I Gotsta Get Paid
2. Chartreuse
3. Consumption
4. Over You
5. Heartache in Blue
6. I Dont Wanna Lose Lose You
7. Flyin High
8. Its Too Easy Manana
9. Big Shiny Nine
10. Have a Little Mercy