Bill Ward: "I'm the Drummer In Sabbath And Quite Capable of Doing the Job"; New Interview Available

Bill Word Photo Credit: Christopher Wagner

Robert Cavuoto of Guitar International recently conducted an interview with Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward. Read an excerpt from the chat below:

Guitar International: There are so many stories about why you are not playing with Sabbath on the  CD as well as with them on tour. Can you set record straight on why you didn't join in with the reunion?

Bill Ward: [laughs] I was offered a contract and I couldn't sign it. As for some of the stories - I would never, ever show up for a commitment that I could not do physically. So that should answer that one. In the statement that I did last year, I was quite clear that I came to the end of the road and promised myself and my family that I would never sign a contract that was not workable. It was one of the toughest decisions that I ever had to make. Because I absolutely and without question wanted to play. I haven't left the band. Everybody thinks I have left the band. I didn't walk out; it wasn't like that at all. I just didn't sign the contact and life took its own course.

Guitar International: Ozzy said he still loves you, and hopes next time around you will be there. Do you think there is any truth to that?

Bill Ward: I have a complete open mind to the idea. All the nicety and placations in the world will mean nothing unless I get the right contract.

Guitar International: I heard that they wanted you to come out to play on a few songs each night.

Bill Ward: I'm the drummer in Black Sabbath so I want to do the entire show. I play all or nothing. Playing partially would kind of be aligning to my demise in Sabbath and minimize me. I'm the drummer in Sabbath and quite capable of doing the job.

Guitar International: What advice would the Bill Ward of today give to the Bill Ward in the early days of Black Sabbath?

Bill Ward: Never, ever, ever, ever give away anything that you signed in a contact. Never sign it off, never sell it! Whatever belongs to you, hold on to it with all your heart and soul because it could be a calamitous situations in the future. That would be the first thing, because that's the most primary thing. But I would also say that you have to stay true to your heart and make a stand and sometimes you have to make a very painful stand. I hated the fact that I'm not on the tour and I couldn't play Birmingham and all the young fans that wanted to see me play. That was absolutely punishing to go through. Tony was sick and I wanted to be with Tony. It was a very hardcore decision to make.

Read the entire interview at Guitar International. Visit the official Bill Ward site here.

AC/DC: "Back In Black" Classic Album Review (Full DVD)

AC/DC: "Back In Black" Classic Album Review (Full DVD)
This documentary is the ultimate review and critical analysis of AC/DC`s most influential and successful album. With the entire album dissected track by track, and with rare footage, band interviews and live performances all under the gaze of our panel of esteemed experts, this could be the most thorough exploration of this extraordinary band.

It includes Comment, Criticism and Insight from engineer for "Back In Black" and "Highway To Hell" sessions, Tony Platt, rock journalist, Total Rock FM DJ and AC/DC expert, Malcolm Dome, AC/DC biographer Paul Stenning, Classic Rock Magazines Jerry Ewing, BBC 6 Music DJ Jane Gazzo, AC/DC author Clinton Walker and much more.

Motörhead: "Aftershock"; Tracklist Revealed

Motörhead have revealed the tracklist for upcoming album "Aftershock".

The 13-song record, their 21st studio outing, is set for release in the autumn, although the date remains to be confirmed. The album is produced by Cameron Webb.

"Aftershock" tracklist

01. Death Machine
02. Heartbreaker
03. Coming Back To You
04. Going To Mexico
05. Courage
06. Queen Of The Damned
07. Lost Woman Blues
08. Crying Shame
09. Paralyzed
10. Dust And Glass
11. Coup De Grace
12. Silence When You Speak To Me
13. Knife

Deep Purple: "Perfect Strangers Live"; DVD Out In October

Deep Purple will release a DVD entitled "Perfect Strangers Live" via Eagle Rock on October 14.

It was shot during the Mark II reunion tour of 1984. The concert in Melbourne, Australia, is the only full-length recording of the band from that time.

Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice had reunited for their Perfect Strangers album, marking the first time the lineup had worked together since 1973. Guitarist Blackmore has said the title track is his favourite Purple song of all time.

Eagle Rock say: “Perfect Strangers Live is a stunning concert with the band in incendiary form. The setlist mixes then new tracks from the Perfect Strangers album with favourites from the early seventies, culminating in the brilliant Smoke On The Water finale. This is without doubt one of the finest Deep Purple concerts ever filmed – and a must-have for their legions of fans.”

Tracklist

01. Highway Star
02. Nobody’s Home
03. Strange Kind Of Woman
04. A Gypsy’s Kiss
05. Perfect Strangers
06. Under The Gun
07. Knocking At Your Back Door
08. Lazy (including Ian Paice drum solo)
09. Child In Time
10. Difficult To Cure
11. Jon Lord Keyboard Solo
12. Space Truckin’ (with Ritchie Blackmore guitar solo)
13. Black Night
14. Speed King
15. Smoke On The Water

KissFAQ To Launch 1978 Solo Album Retrospective July 29

Retrospective to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the 1978 KISS solo albums with all-new interviews, original features, special content, and much more

As KISS celebrate their 40th anniversary in 2013, on July 29 KissFAQ.com will launch Back In The Solo Album Groove: The KISS Albums. 35 Years Later..., an ambitious multi-week retrospective dedicated to arguably the biggest milestone in KISStory: the 1978 KISS solo albums.

"Everybody's grown tremendously with their albums. And the really nice thing about it is that when the albums [are] all done, [and] each of us hears the other, it's really a great way of saying, 'Hey, this is what I'm about. This is the way I've always heard things.' It's like really getting to know somebody even better than you do." -- Paul Stanley, 1978

Read the full story at KissFAQ.

Rainbow: "Black Masquerade"; Rockpalast 1995 DVD Out In August

Eagle Rock has set an August 26 European release date for Rainbow's "Black Masquerade", containing footage of the band's 1995 concert in Dusseldorf, Germany that was originally aired on WDR's (German public TV) series "Rockpalast". Due on Digital Audio, Digital Video, CD and DVD, it's one of the few known recordings of the final RAINBOW lineup, featuring guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, singer Dougie White, bassist Greg Smith, keyboardist Paul Morris, drummer Chuck Burgi and singer Candice Night.

After his departure from Deep Purple in 1993, Blackmore reformed Rainbow with a new lineup and went into the studio to record the acclaimed "Stranger In Us All" album. The band then took to the road for an extensive tour which included this 1995 live concert in Dusseldorf filmed for "Rockpalast". The set features several tracks from the "Stranger In Us All" album alongside classic Rainbow and Deep Purple tracks. The band is in blistering form and Ritchie Blackmore shows just why he is so revered as a guitarist. This previously unreleased show is a great addition to any Rainbow fan's collection.

"Black Masquerade" track listing

01. Introduction
02. Spotlight Kid
03. Too Late For Tears
04. Long Live Rock 'N' Roll/Black Night
05. Hunting Humans
06. Wolf To The Moon/Difficult To Cure
07. Keyboard Solo
08. Still I'm Sad
09. Temple Of The King
10. Black Masquerade
11. Ariel
12. Since You've Been Gone
13. Perfect Strangers
14. Sixteenth Century Greensleeves
15. Hall Of The Mountain King
16. Burn

17. Smoke On The Water

Ace Frehley In The Studio Recording New Music

Ace Frehley is reportedly in the studio making new music for a studio album. Drummer Matt Starr writes on facebook:

"Had a great week in the studio with Ace Frehley and Chris Wyse making some great new music Ace's new record. Stay tuned." 

Chris Wyse (bass/The Cult) also checked in with the following message:

"Had a blast these last few days playing with Ace Frehley and Matt Starr!!! Exciting new record coming from Ace!"

Stay tuned for updates!

Bob Daisley: "For Facts Sake"; Autobiography Out In August; Book Signing In London

Legendary bassist Bob Daisley (Ozzy Osbourne, Rainbow, Uriah Heep, Gary Moore, Black Sabbath) has announced a book signing for his upcoming autobiography, "For Facts Sake".

Says Bob: "I'll be doing a one-off book signing in London while I'm there in August. My ol' pal Lee Kerslake will be there to 'meet and greet' as well. Hope to see many of you there!"

Date: Saturday, August 10th
Time: Between 2 - 4 PM
Place: New Kings Road The Vintage Guitar Emporium, London, SW6 4SG.

About For Facts Sake, Bob states: "Well folks, at long last, my autobiography For Facts Sake is ready to roll. It's taken me over four years to complete. It covers every band and artist that I've ever worked with and has over 460 photos (many of them color) within and throughout the text. I wanted to make it affordable for the many fans that have given their support. I hope that it lives up to your expectations."

Another message from Bob's Webmaster states: "As Bob will now be signing books in the UK on August 10th, if anyone has already ordered a signed copy but would prefer to turn up on the day to meet Bob and Lee, we would happily refund the postage charge and have your book ready to be signed at The Vintage Guitar Emporium. Please email webmaster@bobdaisley.com if you would like us to arrange this for you."

Joe Satriani: "Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir" Coming April 2014

Hailed as the Jimi Hendrix of his generation and "a guitar god" by The New York Times, living legend Joe Satriani has long transcended stylistic boundaries with a sound that raises the bar for the broader genre of instrumental guitar rock. With 15 Grammy Awards nominations and over 10 million albums sold, Satriani's six-string secrets have astounded listeners around the world for nearly 30 years, and BenBella Books is excited to announce the April 2014 release of his first authorized literary project,"Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir".

Told over hours of firsthand, exclusive interviews, the book is co-written by Satriani and award-winning music biographer Jake Brown and takes fans on their first authorized tour of the story behind his climb to worldwide stardom."Strange Beautiful Music" reveals the creative odyssey that was the writing and recording of a storied catalog of legendary classic albums and hits including "Surfing With The Alien", "The Extremist", "Flying In A Blue Dream", "Summer Song", "Satch Boogie", "Always With Me, Always With You", "Crowd Chant" and many more!

Featuring a foreword by Brian May, this memoir is filled with pages and pages of never-before-seen photos as well as exclusive, firsthand interviews with former student and fellow guitar icon Steve Vai, Chickenfoot bandmates Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony,Chad Smith, legendary producers Glyn Johns, the late Andy Johns,AC/DC producer Mike Fraser, and producer John Cunniberti, among others.

Comments Satriani: "I'm excited for my fans, through this musical memoir, to get a deeper look inside my creative process in the studio and the stories behind the songs. We have a great publisher in BenBella and I look forward to the book hitting shelves next year!"

Adds Brown: "Joe Satriani is arguably the Mozart of his generation and the biggest-selling rock instrumental guitarist in SoundScan history. Millions of guitar players around the world have been influenced by the super-human techniques he pioneered behind the six-string, and this is the story behind those songs, from 'Surfing With The Alien' to 'Summer Song' and beyond, through 2013's 'Unstoppable Momentum'. We are grateful for Glenn Yeffeth and everyone on the talented staff at BenBella Books for believing in and giving this book a worldwide publication and look forward to getting this literary journey into fans' hands!"

The hardcover book will hit stores in April 2014, along with an enhanced ebook, and is set for an international release in the summer of 2014.