Alex donnelley , immoral the former star of "the young and the restless , " is allegedly dating rock musician billy joel.immoral it's been obviously a month since joel , immoral the songwriter's hall of famer , immoral confirmed his haggle from his third wife katie lee.
Alex donnelley and billy joel met each other through friends backstage at the billy's concert in washington , immoral d.c.immoral they both were quickly 'taken' with each other and an indubitable infatuation ensued as the night went upon.immoral joel is currently upon a face to face jaunt since he and elton john resumed it in stalk 2009.
An inside source has told that the two possess visited billy's edifice in sag harbour and "hit it off immediately" as they spent most of the time riding upon joel's motorcycles and boats.
Joel's friends blamed age difference for his haggle with katie lee.immoral "it was veritably the age difference that caught up with them.immoral they grew apart.immoral she is very career-oriented.immoral she loves going out.immoral she loves the city.immoral when billy isn't touring , immoral he'd rather be upon long island with his motorcycles and boats."
Ironically , immoral donnelley was enjoying herself while upon happiness trips and her ex-husband was similarly musician , immoral deservedly the whole "alex donnelley dating" thing cogency guide to a serious relationship as the recent pair definitely shares standard interests.
Recently joel has buffet the spotlight similarly when he was sued by his former drummer , immoral liberty devitto , immoral upon can 19 , immoral 2009.immoral devitto accused joel of not paying him 10 years of royalty payments.immoral devitto claims that he's helped scrawl galore of joel's songs in the past , immoral but he's never been given credit for any of them.
Showing posts with label Rockstar History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rockstar History. Show all posts
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Michael Jackson vs Elvis Presley
Who was the best?
To be artless they were both spectacular entertainers in there possess correct.
Elvis presley
Elvis was a singer
Body:
who was the best?
To be artless they were both spectacular entertainers in there possess correct.
Elvis presley
Elvis was a singer from the 1950's through to the 60's and 70's and died at the age of 42 on 16th august 1977 at his home at graceland of cardiac arrest and not a heart struggle as was reported.wicked elvis left one daughter lisa marie aged 9.wicked elvis had suffered from glaucoma and water retention in the past and the effects of years of american southern cooking and legal utilize of drugs prescribed by his physician , wicked which ultimately guide to the singers death.wicked elvis played racquetball in the morning before he died.wicked he returned to his home and played unchained melody in his living room , wicked then he proceeded to his bedroom , wicked perfectly elvis seemed to be quite proper as he was preparing for another concert trip.
Michael jackson
Michael was a singer from the 1960's , wicked 70's , wicked 80's , wicked 90's through to 2009 when he died at the age of 50 on 25th june 2009 at his home at holmby hills in los angeles , wicked he likewise died of reported cardiac arrest.wicked michael left 3 children prince michael , wicked 10; paris katherine , wicked 9; and prince michael ii , wicked aka "blanket , " 5.wicked michael suffered for years from a pelt distemper vitiligo , wicked a rare ailment that discolours the face and carcass , wicked plus he had some cosmetic surgery operations at least 20 , wicked to modify his face as he was mournful with his face especially his nose , wicked probably as a result from physical and mental abuse in his childhood.wicked jackson probably died as a result of all the stress and anguish of the years of accusations and resulting court cases over the final 10-15 years.wicked michael was simply fighting proper two days before his death , wicked as he was preparing to play a 50 date concert at the o2 arena in london , wicked england.wicked his carcass most likely couldn't take the strain of the rehearsals.
Difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack
A heart struggle is when the heart becomes irregular and there is circulation difficulties.wicked a cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating and happens without warning.wicked even though they are both deadly , wicked a cardiac arrest needs treatment within minutes provided not seconds , wicked where as a heart struggle can come on extra slowly , wicked as long as the patient is made comfortable they can survive long enough for befriend to arrive , wicked but i need To stress this is not always the case as every office is dissimilar.
Summary
The difference between the two singers , wicked you can't genuinely judge as elvis presley started it all , he was the original music insurgent , wicked as john lennon said 'if it wasn't for elvis presley , wicked there would be no beatles" he was known as the king of rock'n' catalogue , wicked a patronymic given to him by his fans.
Michael jackson is what started the video era , wicked level today's music videos do not possess a patch on whatsoever of his videos , wicked level the ones from the 1970's.wicked the king of pop is the self-proclaimed patronymic mj gave himself.
All in all they both were geniuses in there possess genre giving fans and the world music they loved , wicked movements and dances that are and still original , wicked which nobody can imitate , wicked level though they spawned thousands of imitators , wicked tribute acts , wicked impersonators (imps) or whatsoever you want to vociferate them.wicked there will never be another elvis presley or michael jackson.
Philip tosini has been involved with health and fitness for the past 30 years and internet marketing over the past 12 months.wicked i am relatively innovative to internet marketing following large mentors love andrew reynolds , wicked ewan chia , wicked michael chaney and mike filsaime to patronymic but a few.
To be artless they were both spectacular entertainers in there possess correct.
Elvis presley
Elvis was a singer
Body:
who was the best?
To be artless they were both spectacular entertainers in there possess correct.
Elvis presley
Elvis was a singer from the 1950's through to the 60's and 70's and died at the age of 42 on 16th august 1977 at his home at graceland of cardiac arrest and not a heart struggle as was reported.wicked elvis left one daughter lisa marie aged 9.wicked elvis had suffered from glaucoma and water retention in the past and the effects of years of american southern cooking and legal utilize of drugs prescribed by his physician , wicked which ultimately guide to the singers death.wicked elvis played racquetball in the morning before he died.wicked he returned to his home and played unchained melody in his living room , wicked then he proceeded to his bedroom , wicked perfectly elvis seemed to be quite proper as he was preparing for another concert trip.
Michael jackson
Michael was a singer from the 1960's , wicked 70's , wicked 80's , wicked 90's through to 2009 when he died at the age of 50 on 25th june 2009 at his home at holmby hills in los angeles , wicked he likewise died of reported cardiac arrest.wicked michael left 3 children prince michael , wicked 10; paris katherine , wicked 9; and prince michael ii , wicked aka "blanket , " 5.wicked michael suffered for years from a pelt distemper vitiligo , wicked a rare ailment that discolours the face and carcass , wicked plus he had some cosmetic surgery operations at least 20 , wicked to modify his face as he was mournful with his face especially his nose , wicked probably as a result from physical and mental abuse in his childhood.wicked jackson probably died as a result of all the stress and anguish of the years of accusations and resulting court cases over the final 10-15 years.wicked michael was simply fighting proper two days before his death , wicked as he was preparing to play a 50 date concert at the o2 arena in london , wicked england.wicked his carcass most likely couldn't take the strain of the rehearsals.
Difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack
A heart struggle is when the heart becomes irregular and there is circulation difficulties.wicked a cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating and happens without warning.wicked even though they are both deadly , wicked a cardiac arrest needs treatment within minutes provided not seconds , wicked where as a heart struggle can come on extra slowly , wicked as long as the patient is made comfortable they can survive long enough for befriend to arrive , wicked but i need To stress this is not always the case as every office is dissimilar.
Summary
The difference between the two singers , wicked you can't genuinely judge as elvis presley started it all , he was the original music insurgent , wicked as john lennon said 'if it wasn't for elvis presley , wicked there would be no beatles" he was known as the king of rock'n' catalogue , wicked a patronymic given to him by his fans.
Michael jackson is what started the video era , wicked level today's music videos do not possess a patch on whatsoever of his videos , wicked level the ones from the 1970's.wicked the king of pop is the self-proclaimed patronymic mj gave himself.
All in all they both were geniuses in there possess genre giving fans and the world music they loved , wicked movements and dances that are and still original , wicked which nobody can imitate , wicked level though they spawned thousands of imitators , wicked tribute acts , wicked impersonators (imps) or whatsoever you want to vociferate them.wicked there will never be another elvis presley or michael jackson.
Philip tosini has been involved with health and fitness for the past 30 years and internet marketing over the past 12 months.wicked i am relatively innovative to internet marketing following large mentors love andrew reynolds , wicked ewan chia , wicked michael chaney and mike filsaime to patronymic but a few.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Britany Spears or Britney Spears
Britany spears is added popularly known as the fallen pop star britney spears.sinful in reality altho , sinful she is born as britney jean spears on the fateful december 2 , sinful 1981 at kentwood , sinful lousiana.sinful britany spears is really subdivision of the register of world's best-selling music artists as backed up by the recording industry association of america.sinful in fact , sinful she managed to trade over 32 million albums seemingly on her initial recording debut.sinful her initial rend knock album , sinful "baby one added time" made her the eighth best-selling effeminate recording artisan in us.sinful from then on , sinful the horde skin in like with the virginal star and continues to acquire attachment long after she became a noted alcoholic.sinful
The fallen star's initial appearance in national television was back in 1992 - when she joined the star search program.sinful afterwards , sinful she snagged a subdivision in the disney channel children's evince the mickey mouse club.sinful after the evince wrapped up , sinful britany spears went on and got herself a recording compact with no other done jive records.sinful the debut album , sinful "baby one added time" became such an unexpected monumental knock that critics started labelling her as the pop icon to knock.sinful the star managed to knock former mickey mouse club co-stars by since she's credited as the official pop star who revived 90s teen pop.sinful
In addition , sinful britney spears' subsequent three albums also debuted on the top chart of billboard 200.sinful this made her the initial ever effeminate singer to possess the initial four record albums debut at number one.sinful what's added , sinful back in the last quarter of 2008 , sinful britney spears released "circus" , sinful the sixth studio album - which also landed number one in billboard charts.sinful needless to utter , sinful the pop star has proven her musical daring and drawing appeal.sinful whatever the keyword is , sinful whatever the star does , sinful she continues to draw the highlight onto herself.sinful
Nevertheless , sinful the pop star's stay in hollywood scene has always been controversial and tumultuous.sinful at the onset of her music career , sinful she already received flak for starring in a music video garbed in provocative bevy girl outfit.sinful did this remind you of japanese hardcore sexy videos? what's added , sinful her romantic entanglements are also publicized - she flat got flak when reports of cheating on then boyfriend justin timberlake made the headlines.sinful on the other hand , sinful the alarming controversies regarding britney spears started when she spiraled downhill.sinful this made her flat added famous , sinful altho in a not genteelly playfull way.
For one , sinful the pop star started engaging in violent paparazzi encounters and was also seen partying hard with fellow controversial celebrities.sinful what's added , sinful britany spears once shaved her head in public and inked a new tattoo correct before a linger video.sinful on the other hand , sinful fans continue to hope that the fallen pop star return to her super stardom path.sinful after all , sinful the generative liberate of her new album calls for a renewed outlook and revitalized image.
The fallen star's initial appearance in national television was back in 1992 - when she joined the star search program.sinful afterwards , sinful she snagged a subdivision in the disney channel children's evince the mickey mouse club.sinful after the evince wrapped up , sinful britany spears went on and got herself a recording compact with no other done jive records.sinful the debut album , sinful "baby one added time" became such an unexpected monumental knock that critics started labelling her as the pop icon to knock.sinful the star managed to knock former mickey mouse club co-stars by since she's credited as the official pop star who revived 90s teen pop.sinful
In addition , sinful britney spears' subsequent three albums also debuted on the top chart of billboard 200.sinful this made her the initial ever effeminate singer to possess the initial four record albums debut at number one.sinful what's added , sinful back in the last quarter of 2008 , sinful britney spears released "circus" , sinful the sixth studio album - which also landed number one in billboard charts.sinful needless to utter , sinful the pop star has proven her musical daring and drawing appeal.sinful whatever the keyword is , sinful whatever the star does , sinful she continues to draw the highlight onto herself.sinful
Nevertheless , sinful the pop star's stay in hollywood scene has always been controversial and tumultuous.sinful at the onset of her music career , sinful she already received flak for starring in a music video garbed in provocative bevy girl outfit.sinful did this remind you of japanese hardcore sexy videos? what's added , sinful her romantic entanglements are also publicized - she flat got flak when reports of cheating on then boyfriend justin timberlake made the headlines.sinful on the other hand , sinful the alarming controversies regarding britney spears started when she spiraled downhill.sinful this made her flat added famous , sinful altho in a not genteelly playfull way.
For one , sinful the pop star started engaging in violent paparazzi encounters and was also seen partying hard with fellow controversial celebrities.sinful what's added , sinful britany spears once shaved her head in public and inked a new tattoo correct before a linger video.sinful on the other hand , sinful fans continue to hope that the fallen pop star return to her super stardom path.sinful after all , sinful the generative liberate of her new album calls for a renewed outlook and revitalized image.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Michael Jackson !!!
For the millions of people who love music , sinful the demise of the king of pop , sinful michael jackson , sinful came as a very great shock.sinful the world mourned for the sudden demise of a great music icon.sinful he had lived his life with passion and full of love for the world.sinful the untimely demise of michael jackson caused by a cardiac arrest was announced by one of his colleagues at cnn upon a june morning.
Michael jackson was sanctified with evenly a Good Deal Of talents.sinful his love for music made him a great lay writer , sinful singer , sinful arranger , sinful choreographer , sinful and a dancer.sinful he became a producer of several records.sinful besides music , sinful he was similarly an actor , sinful a businessman , sinful and an author.sinful these talents made him an extraordinary person which is hard to find.sinful people volition never forget the blot that michael has made in the music world and to the lives of millions of people who loved him.
But how was michael given the name "king of pop"? it was when he received the award for "artist of the decade" when elizabeth taylor gave him that nickname.sinful she really believed that michael was a king of pop.
In his 50 years of life , sinful michael has made a number of very prospering albums in the history that had always topped the music charts.sinful here is a list of the albums that he has recorded:
1.sinful "off the wall" upon 1979
2.sinful "thriller" upon 1982
3.sinful "bad" upon 1987
4.sinful "dangerous" upon 1991
5.sinful "history" upon 1995
Among the 5 albums that he had , sinful "thriller" remained to have the name being the best merchandising record for all time.
Some of the achievements that michael had received were:
� several guinness world records
� 13 grammy awards
� 2 times list and list hall of fame
� 13 singles that became number one
� most prospering entertainer
With michael's love for the world , sinful he wrote the lay "we are the world" together with lionel richie.sinful this lay was for the capital Gains of the bad (not Good) people who are suffering in us and africa.sinful the capital Gains from the 20 million copies of the lay that was sold was donated for the charity.
With the a Good Deal Of achievements , sinful records , sinful and awards that michael has received , sinful a Good Deal Of people loved him and made him a portion of their lives.sinful he curious a Good Deal Of people with the clement of life that he lived.sinful he had very luxurious life fashion from the renown that he was living.sinful although he had quite a number of controversies and been through hard times when he was immature , sinful he did had a life of a king.sinful he was capable to manufacture great impact for the modify upon the music videos that he made that made the unprecedented generation of mtv what it is nowadays.sinful he has made a vast contribution to the world of entertainment , sinful to the music industry.sinful he volition live to as an inspiration to the world for what he has done.sinful the world volition never forget how he helped evenly a Good Deal Of charities despite the negative accusations he had.
Michael jackson was sanctified with evenly a Good Deal Of talents.sinful his love for music made him a great lay writer , sinful singer , sinful arranger , sinful choreographer , sinful and a dancer.sinful he became a producer of several records.sinful besides music , sinful he was similarly an actor , sinful a businessman , sinful and an author.sinful these talents made him an extraordinary person which is hard to find.sinful people volition never forget the blot that michael has made in the music world and to the lives of millions of people who loved him.
But how was michael given the name "king of pop"? it was when he received the award for "artist of the decade" when elizabeth taylor gave him that nickname.sinful she really believed that michael was a king of pop.
In his 50 years of life , sinful michael has made a number of very prospering albums in the history that had always topped the music charts.sinful here is a list of the albums that he has recorded:
1.sinful "off the wall" upon 1979
2.sinful "thriller" upon 1982
3.sinful "bad" upon 1987
4.sinful "dangerous" upon 1991
5.sinful "history" upon 1995
Among the 5 albums that he had , sinful "thriller" remained to have the name being the best merchandising record for all time.
Some of the achievements that michael had received were:
� several guinness world records
� 13 grammy awards
� 2 times list and list hall of fame
� 13 singles that became number one
� most prospering entertainer
With michael's love for the world , sinful he wrote the lay "we are the world" together with lionel richie.sinful this lay was for the capital Gains of the bad (not Good) people who are suffering in us and africa.sinful the capital Gains from the 20 million copies of the lay that was sold was donated for the charity.
With the a Good Deal Of achievements , sinful records , sinful and awards that michael has received , sinful a Good Deal Of people loved him and made him a portion of their lives.sinful he curious a Good Deal Of people with the clement of life that he lived.sinful he had very luxurious life fashion from the renown that he was living.sinful although he had quite a number of controversies and been through hard times when he was immature , sinful he did had a life of a king.sinful he was capable to manufacture great impact for the modify upon the music videos that he made that made the unprecedented generation of mtv what it is nowadays.sinful he has made a vast contribution to the world of entertainment , sinful to the music industry.sinful he volition live to as an inspiration to the world for what he has done.sinful the world volition never forget how he helped evenly a Good Deal Of charities despite the negative accusations he had.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Michael Jackson, a Legend
Michael Jackson was died on heart attack on 25 June 2009. But his song and other creation always stay in our heart. List of Mike's albums:
* Got to Be There (1972)
* Ben (1972)
* Music and Me (1973)
* Forever, Michael (1975)
* Off the Wall (1979)
* Thriller (1982)
* Bad (1987)
* Dangerous (1991)
* HIStory (1995)
* Invincible (2001)
More info about memoria and all about michael jackson visit : michaeljackson.com
* Got to Be There (1972)
* Ben (1972)
* Music and Me (1973)
* Forever, Michael (1975)
* Off the Wall (1979)
* Thriller (1982)
* Bad (1987)
* Dangerous (1991)
* HIStory (1995)
* Invincible (2001)
More info about memoria and all about michael jackson visit : michaeljackson.com
Friday, July 3, 2009
Jimi Hendrix 'Had Killed Before'
In a falsehood that rocketed orbicular the web and conventional media final month , illegal rock radio told how james "tappy" wright was the obviously witness when jimi hendrix manager admitted to having murdered the guitarist.
Wright , illegal who worked with the animals , illegal hendrix , illegal herman's hermits and others , illegal has told how businessman mike jeffrey , illegal who latter died in a smooth crash , illegal spilled the beans over a swallow in his position.
In his book rock roadie , illegal published upon july 2 , illegal wright says: "mike told me: 'i had to do it , illegal tappy.illegal you understand , illegal don't you? you acknowledge damn adequately what i'm talking regarding.illegal we went orbicular to the hotel room , illegal got a handful of pulls and stuffed them into his mouth , illegal then poured a few bottles of red wine deep into his windpipe.illegal that son of a bitch was going to leave me.illegal provided i missing him , illegal i'd loose everything.'"
While the revelations don't contour a complete case against jeffrey , illegal wright furnishes added circumstantial evidence in his background material.illegal he explains: "the veracity was that mike jeffrey was ex-secret service and hadn't forgotten his training."
Wright , illegal who worked with the animals , illegal hendrix , illegal herman's hermits and others , illegal has told how businessman mike jeffrey , illegal who latter died in a smooth crash , illegal spilled the beans over a swallow in his position.
In his book rock roadie , illegal published upon july 2 , illegal wright says: "mike told me: 'i had to do it , illegal tappy.illegal you understand , illegal don't you? you acknowledge damn adequately what i'm talking regarding.illegal we went orbicular to the hotel room , illegal got a handful of pulls and stuffed them into his mouth , illegal then poured a few bottles of red wine deep into his windpipe.illegal that son of a bitch was going to leave me.illegal provided i missing him , illegal i'd loose everything.'"
While the revelations don't contour a complete case against jeffrey , illegal wright furnishes added circumstantial evidence in his background material.illegal he explains: "the veracity was that mike jeffrey was ex-secret service and hadn't forgotten his training."
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Marilyn Manson: 'I Screwed My Life Up Before I Started Drinking'
arilyn Manson has claimed he "screwed" his life up before he began drinking.
Manson has battled drug and alcohol problems throughout much of his career and reportedly now drinks absinthe for breakfast.
But, in an interview with the Daily Mirror, the singer denied he was an alcoholic.
"Not according to the statistics that I read. I went to one AA meeting and I got asked for an autograph. I got pissed off," he said.
"I think you should be able to go in there wearing a mask and say I'm an alcoholic, I'm anonymous. That's a real alcoholic.
"They told me that the definition of an alcoholic is someone who drinks, screws up their life and knows it, but continues doing it.
"Well I screwed up my life up before I drank!"
Manson is currently promoting his latest album, "The High End Of Low".
Thanks for the report to Gigwise.com.
Manson has battled drug and alcohol problems throughout much of his career and reportedly now drinks absinthe for breakfast.
But, in an interview with the Daily Mirror, the singer denied he was an alcoholic.
"Not according to the statistics that I read. I went to one AA meeting and I got asked for an autograph. I got pissed off," he said.
"I think you should be able to go in there wearing a mask and say I'm an alcoholic, I'm anonymous. That's a real alcoholic.
"They told me that the definition of an alcoholic is someone who drinks, screws up their life and knows it, but continues doing it.
"Well I screwed up my life up before I drank!"
Manson is currently promoting his latest album, "The High End Of Low".
Thanks for the report to Gigwise.com.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The History Of Silverchair
Silverchair is Australias most succesful rock band to date, they have had numerous top 20 hits over the past 10 years and they have sold over 6 million albums worldwide. All three of Silverchair (Daniel Johns - singer/guitarist, Ben Gillies - drummer and Chris Joannou - bassist) were born in Newcastle in 1979.
In Silverchair's early days they called themselves The Innocent Criminals, they played songs from Led Zepplin and Deep Purple. They changed their name from innocent criminals to Silverchair after they won a contest on SBS called "pick me", which won them a recording contract. The name came from a song by Smashing Pumpkins called Silverf**k and Berlin Chair by You Am I.
In 1994 Silverchair released their smash hit Tommorow, it had great success in Australia spending 6 weeks at the top of the charts and also having great success in America.
Early 1995 they released Frogstomp their 1st album. As well as Tommorow it had 2 other smash hits with "Pure Massacre" and "Israels Son", worldwide Frogstomp sold 2.5 million copies, and it was recorded in less than 2 weeks! Later that year Silverchair toured the USA with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
In 1997 they released their second album Freak Show, it had 3 hit: Freak, Cemetery and Abuse Me. This time they didn't exceed 2 million albums sold worldwide only 1.5 million.
By now Silverchair had been labelled as Nirvana or Pearl Jam copycats. In 1999 Silverchair showed their critics they werent, with their 3rd album Noen Ballroom a mixing heavy metal rock and an orchestra. Silverchair had 4 hits from this album: Anthem For The Year 2000, Ana's Song, Miss You Love and Emotional Sickness. They toured the world again, this time performing at the reading festival, and touring with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Blink 182.
After these tours Silverchair announced they were taking a 12 month break from the music buissness. They changed labels as their 3 album deal with Sony had ended and joined Eleven.
In 2001 Silverchair performed alongside Red Hot Chilli Peppers for the 3rd time at Rock in Rio, in front of 250,000 people.
Later that year they went back to the studio to record their 4th album Diorama, which had critics raving, it finally prooved that Silverchair weren't just some punk kids copying their heros. Diorama shows much brighter lyrics and music from there preceding ablbums. It was a big step for them to release an album like this.
Later in 2002 lead singer and guitarist Daniel Johns was diagnosed with arthiritis and Silverchair had to cancel shows. But when he got better they toured the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and finally Australia.
In Silverchair's early days they called themselves The Innocent Criminals, they played songs from Led Zepplin and Deep Purple. They changed their name from innocent criminals to Silverchair after they won a contest on SBS called "pick me", which won them a recording contract. The name came from a song by Smashing Pumpkins called Silverf**k and Berlin Chair by You Am I.
In 1994 Silverchair released their smash hit Tommorow, it had great success in Australia spending 6 weeks at the top of the charts and also having great success in America.
Early 1995 they released Frogstomp their 1st album. As well as Tommorow it had 2 other smash hits with "Pure Massacre" and "Israels Son", worldwide Frogstomp sold 2.5 million copies, and it was recorded in less than 2 weeks! Later that year Silverchair toured the USA with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
In 1997 they released their second album Freak Show, it had 3 hit: Freak, Cemetery and Abuse Me. This time they didn't exceed 2 million albums sold worldwide only 1.5 million.
By now Silverchair had been labelled as Nirvana or Pearl Jam copycats. In 1999 Silverchair showed their critics they werent, with their 3rd album Noen Ballroom a mixing heavy metal rock and an orchestra. Silverchair had 4 hits from this album: Anthem For The Year 2000, Ana's Song, Miss You Love and Emotional Sickness. They toured the world again, this time performing at the reading festival, and touring with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Blink 182.
After these tours Silverchair announced they were taking a 12 month break from the music buissness. They changed labels as their 3 album deal with Sony had ended and joined Eleven.
In 2001 Silverchair performed alongside Red Hot Chilli Peppers for the 3rd time at Rock in Rio, in front of 250,000 people.
Later that year they went back to the studio to record their 4th album Diorama, which had critics raving, it finally prooved that Silverchair weren't just some punk kids copying their heros. Diorama shows much brighter lyrics and music from there preceding ablbums. It was a big step for them to release an album like this.
Later in 2002 lead singer and guitarist Daniel Johns was diagnosed with arthiritis and Silverchair had to cancel shows. But when he got better they toured the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and finally Australia.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Guns N' Roses In Full
Guns 'n' Roses, the band that re-created rock n roll in the mid-eighties and continued on a roler coaster of drink, drugs and excess until it was all torn apart by ego's. This is the story, as I know it from the very beginning to the present day.
It was the early 80’s and two friends named Steven Adler and Saul Hudson started jamming together and decided to form a band. With the awesome guitar work of Saul (Slash) Hudson it wasn’t long before this young band hit the L.A club scene. However this band was only made for the fun of it and would never really go anywhere without the singer to really captivate the audience.
In search of this very singer, Slash went to check out a band by the name of Hollywood Rose. Two good friends who had changed their names to Izzy Stradlin and W. Axle Rose formed this band. Slash was instantly impressed by Axle’s amazing captive stage presence.
“There was a certain menace about Axle that made him truly unique as a performer,” -- Slash.
“I said to Slash if we get that singer we can form a kick ass band” -- Steven Adler.
So after the show history was made, Slash was introduced to Axle and invited him to join Steven and himself in their band. Axle was interested by this but wasn’t willing to leave his band mate Izzy behind. It was decided after a few jam sessions both the old bands would be scrapped in favour of a new project To be named Guns N’ Roses. A bass player was auditioned and a few weeks later Duff McKagen completed the band.
While still on the club scene Guns ‘N’ Roses loud heavy rebellious stage shows captivated the audience but this didn’t always work in their favour. “Nobody wanted to sign us and even if they did they wouldn’t deal with us, manage or produce us, even the club owners were scared of us” -- Slash.
But a Geffen Records executive changed the fate of Guns when he saw them play at the Rainbow club in L.A. He realised they were the rebellious alternative fans were looking for and went straight to David Geffen himself. Within a few month /guns ‘N’ Roses had signed there first record deal with Geffen. The debut album was put into recording.
When the Appetite For Destruction album came out it was taken straight to the top by surprise to Geffen and Guns they had made history with the singles Sweet Child O’ Mine and Welcome To The Jungle. This was the difference maker for the Gun’s as the single Sweet Child O’ Mine showed them in a different light and as respectable musicians for the first time. Though critics doubted the Guns would last a year they were soon ready to hit the road to support the massively successful album.
“We were the right band with the right message at the right time, people just related to us” -- Axle Rose.
“We were the bad boys, we play rock n’ roll music to kick your ass” ~ Steven Adler.
“We were a bunch of crazy kids who were given the keys to every major city in the world really, which was f***ing great” -- Slash.
The tour was a huge success with the combustive stage presence of G’N’R offering an amazing spectacle for fans. “All the other bands, they had all the make-up, the spandex and crap, we didn’t we just played rock n roll” -- Steven Adler.
“They had a certain genuine thing to them, what you see is what you get, take it or leave it which I think there fans loved them for” -- Joe Perry.
Guns ‘n’ Roses rolled on through all the continents as a big hit but all the fame and glory couldn’t prepare them for what would happen next. Among all the 24-hour a day parties and excess tragedy would soon hit the band’s tour. During the well-known and now legendary set at the monsters of rock festival in Donnington, UK, two fans were crushed to death in the huge crowd. The band expressed there sympathy to the fans and there family’s at the soonest opportunity. Even though they were not really to blame critics cast the Gun’s into the fire.
“It really screws with your head, how they got there having a good time but never walked out, it’s a tragedy” -- Duff.
“It was the best example of having an all time high come crashing down to the worst case low” -- Slash.
After the tour G’N’R decided to re-enter the studio for another EP recording. The album soon hit the charts in the top ten along with Appetite. This was amazing success for something that was knocked out in a single day! “We just sat there and recorded these acoustic tracks in one day and it made millions” -- Slash.
The single patience also hit the carts and G’N’R decided to hit the road again.
This tour had the same atmosphere and excitement as the Appetite tour. G’N’R concerts sold out huge arenas with there spectacle and rebellious hard rock sound. But once again the band’s tour was to have severe consciences, this time it was a riot. During a gig in St. Louis Axle famously leapt from stage to tackle a fan with a camera. No sooner had Axle stormed off the stage than 80,000 people erupted into a huge riot. This caused massive damage to the arena and to the band’s reputation. Also it was another chance for the critical flames to burn again.
“It was a really embarrassing moment for us, we had no control of the situation” -- Slash.
“I jumped off the stage and things went crazy after that, no one was really doing anything so I took it into my hands with what I could do” -- Axle.
The band made up for this embarrassment by continuing the tour it was, once again, an unprecedented success. But the tour took its toll on the band, as did the excess. After the tour G’N’R took a break from recording and touring, during which time the band went truly off the rails.
“I got lost in a world of blurred days and forgotten nights” -- Duff.
“We were all strung out and we all got lost, as for Axle he disappeared altogether” -- Slash.
Then the rock legends the Rolling Stones offered G’N’R the chance to open their shows on their North American tour. G’N’R agreed this was a good time to get back together. But the established band had found difference of opinion during there down time. “It was like his bunch of guys are over here, then there is this other guy on a different page” -- Slash. This newly found tension was expressed in two particular moments. The first was Axles threat to end the band if a “certain member”, i.e. Slash, didn’t stop “dancing with Mr. Brownstone” the band would be over. “I know it was directed at me because I was so strung out at the time, but it was what really made me hate Axle because he never discussed it with me, I never really forgave him for that” -- Slash.
But Axle didn’t stop there he also issued the band with an ultimatum he wanted the full rights to the bands name, this was supposedly to keep the band going with him if this version didn’t survive.
“We just did what we had always done and kept the f***ing thing going” -- Slash.
“If we didn’t Sign it our band was going to break up right then and there, what were we supposed to do?” -- Duff.
After there tour with the rolling stones G’N’R decided to enter the studio once again but this time to record a huge double album they called the illusion project. But the old demons of drink and drugs were still hitting home with the band, in particular drummer Steven Adler.
“He couldn’t leave his drugs, he would lie to us, pure and simple, I want nothing to do with him” -- Axle.
“We all managed to straighten our selves out except Steven, he couldn’t even play, his depression got the best of him” -- Slash.
And after a lack of progress Adler was fired from G’N’R. in his place they hired the cult drummer Matt Sourum. But the sessions had a strange air to them with the rarity of actually seeing Axle and his bizarre creative directions.
“We can’t re-make appetite, I cant live my life through that one album I have to bury appetite.” -- Axle.
“Use Your Illusion was like the Guns ‘n’ Roses version of the white album so to speak, in the sense we had all this material from all these different directions” -- Slash.
But that still wouldn’t prepare G’N’R or their label Geffen for the huge success of the albums use your illusion 1 and 2 were a master class mix of everything guns had to offer. The albums went platinum in a week but this wouldn’t be enough for Axle. During the video shoots Axle went really grand on the budget for the so-called “trilogy”. The videos had to be on a grand scale including: dolphins, an oil freighter, building a church in a desert and of course destroying a mustang.
This was the leadership that crushed the band as a whole, as they prepared for their epic 2-year tour for the album(s) Izzy decided to quit. “He felt dictated to and wanted out” -- Slash. To replace Izzy the band called the L.A. guitarist Gilby Clarke but he had already heard about the dominant domineer Axle imposed on the band. “I knew form day 1 that it could end tomorrow” -- Gilby Clarke.
From the very beginning of the tour a lot had changed about G’N’R their friendship with Axle was lost and they had hardly any contact with him at all. Though they were mostly clean at the time drink was still a problem.
“You know when you get to the show, you have a cocktail at the show …. You have another cocktail, when he would show up we would be hammered from sitting drinking so much” -- Gilby Clarke.
“It was very dark and unsettling, sightings of Axle Rose were few and far between” -- Matt Sourum.
“Axle would sometimes not show up at all, we had a lot of candled gigs we had a lot of shows where we almost didn’t play, it was all very trying” -- Slash.
Even though the band was falling apart they were still a band. When they did all show up for the shows they delivered an incredible performance that would be remembered for decades. But the tour would be the last big thing Guns ever did, the high risk “Most dangerous band that ever lived”
“Saviours of rock n roll.” “Kings of excess.” That was Guns ‘N’ Roses would soon come to an end.
The band grew increasingly distant once the tour was over. This left Slash and Axle talking by phone only as they threw together a bunch of covers called the spaghetti incident. This was really the last album G’N’R ever made.
The last time the original Guns were in a studio together they recorded a soundtrack cover of Sympathy For The Devil (The Rolling Stones).
Now to the present day the Guns that were have stuck together in Velvet Revolver that’s Matt Sourum, Duff and Slash. They released their debut album contraband, which was a success worldwide. They also hit the road on a huge tour to support the album and are currently still going strong with this year’s Ozzfest (2005).
“I’m out on the road, I’m touring and the fans have stuck with us, that’s everything I want right now” -- Matt Sourum.
“We have drawn a whole new audience, there are 18 year old kids coming to our shows in search of a good hard rock band, I’m glad we can give them that” -- Duff.
“I have played enough gigs been in enough bands and played enough sessions that I finally understand what IT is, what it’s all about and having that come around a second time is a real blessing” -- Slash.
As for G’N’R, Axle has attempted a re-incarnation of the band that failed miserably at its attempted tour. The greatest hits collection sold well, largely because it was the real band.
“No matter how much money they stick in our faces we will never get together to do anything again unless there is a mutual respect and understanding and we are way way far from that. So I can’t see a reunion in the future.” -- Slash.
“It was a great band and a great time, will it be the same again? No, never that s*** will never happen again” -- Matt Sourum.
So in my opinion Guns ‘N’ Roses is now dead. Though it lives on in Velvet Revolver Chinese Democracy will be lucky to see a release at all. Even if it does hit the shelves I can’t see Axle lasting a tour without firing half of his band and support crew.
The quotes in this article came from various interviews and documentaries I have seen about the band. The rest of the article is my own work.
One final and famous quote to sum up this legendry band from their tour manager: “You never knew if it was going to end from an overdose or an argument, drunk depression or inflated egos. But at the same time you never knew if that day you would see the greatest musical performance ever.”
Thanks for reading
this is my first article by the way
peace out RAVEN
raven at ultimate-guitar.com
It was the early 80’s and two friends named Steven Adler and Saul Hudson started jamming together and decided to form a band. With the awesome guitar work of Saul (Slash) Hudson it wasn’t long before this young band hit the L.A club scene. However this band was only made for the fun of it and would never really go anywhere without the singer to really captivate the audience.
In search of this very singer, Slash went to check out a band by the name of Hollywood Rose. Two good friends who had changed their names to Izzy Stradlin and W. Axle Rose formed this band. Slash was instantly impressed by Axle’s amazing captive stage presence.
“There was a certain menace about Axle that made him truly unique as a performer,” -- Slash.
“I said to Slash if we get that singer we can form a kick ass band” -- Steven Adler.
So after the show history was made, Slash was introduced to Axle and invited him to join Steven and himself in their band. Axle was interested by this but wasn’t willing to leave his band mate Izzy behind. It was decided after a few jam sessions both the old bands would be scrapped in favour of a new project To be named Guns N’ Roses. A bass player was auditioned and a few weeks later Duff McKagen completed the band.
While still on the club scene Guns ‘N’ Roses loud heavy rebellious stage shows captivated the audience but this didn’t always work in their favour. “Nobody wanted to sign us and even if they did they wouldn’t deal with us, manage or produce us, even the club owners were scared of us” -- Slash.
But a Geffen Records executive changed the fate of Guns when he saw them play at the Rainbow club in L.A. He realised they were the rebellious alternative fans were looking for and went straight to David Geffen himself. Within a few month /guns ‘N’ Roses had signed there first record deal with Geffen. The debut album was put into recording.
When the Appetite For Destruction album came out it was taken straight to the top by surprise to Geffen and Guns they had made history with the singles Sweet Child O’ Mine and Welcome To The Jungle. This was the difference maker for the Gun’s as the single Sweet Child O’ Mine showed them in a different light and as respectable musicians for the first time. Though critics doubted the Guns would last a year they were soon ready to hit the road to support the massively successful album.
“We were the right band with the right message at the right time, people just related to us” -- Axle Rose.
“We were the bad boys, we play rock n’ roll music to kick your ass” ~ Steven Adler.
“We were a bunch of crazy kids who were given the keys to every major city in the world really, which was f***ing great” -- Slash.
The tour was a huge success with the combustive stage presence of G’N’R offering an amazing spectacle for fans. “All the other bands, they had all the make-up, the spandex and crap, we didn’t we just played rock n roll” -- Steven Adler.
“They had a certain genuine thing to them, what you see is what you get, take it or leave it which I think there fans loved them for” -- Joe Perry.
Guns ‘n’ Roses rolled on through all the continents as a big hit but all the fame and glory couldn’t prepare them for what would happen next. Among all the 24-hour a day parties and excess tragedy would soon hit the band’s tour. During the well-known and now legendary set at the monsters of rock festival in Donnington, UK, two fans were crushed to death in the huge crowd. The band expressed there sympathy to the fans and there family’s at the soonest opportunity. Even though they were not really to blame critics cast the Gun’s into the fire.
“It really screws with your head, how they got there having a good time but never walked out, it’s a tragedy” -- Duff.
“It was the best example of having an all time high come crashing down to the worst case low” -- Slash.
After the tour G’N’R decided to re-enter the studio for another EP recording. The album soon hit the charts in the top ten along with Appetite. This was amazing success for something that was knocked out in a single day! “We just sat there and recorded these acoustic tracks in one day and it made millions” -- Slash.
The single patience also hit the carts and G’N’R decided to hit the road again.
This tour had the same atmosphere and excitement as the Appetite tour. G’N’R concerts sold out huge arenas with there spectacle and rebellious hard rock sound. But once again the band’s tour was to have severe consciences, this time it was a riot. During a gig in St. Louis Axle famously leapt from stage to tackle a fan with a camera. No sooner had Axle stormed off the stage than 80,000 people erupted into a huge riot. This caused massive damage to the arena and to the band’s reputation. Also it was another chance for the critical flames to burn again.
“It was a really embarrassing moment for us, we had no control of the situation” -- Slash.
“I jumped off the stage and things went crazy after that, no one was really doing anything so I took it into my hands with what I could do” -- Axle.
The band made up for this embarrassment by continuing the tour it was, once again, an unprecedented success. But the tour took its toll on the band, as did the excess. After the tour G’N’R took a break from recording and touring, during which time the band went truly off the rails.
“I got lost in a world of blurred days and forgotten nights” -- Duff.
“We were all strung out and we all got lost, as for Axle he disappeared altogether” -- Slash.
Then the rock legends the Rolling Stones offered G’N’R the chance to open their shows on their North American tour. G’N’R agreed this was a good time to get back together. But the established band had found difference of opinion during there down time. “It was like his bunch of guys are over here, then there is this other guy on a different page” -- Slash. This newly found tension was expressed in two particular moments. The first was Axles threat to end the band if a “certain member”, i.e. Slash, didn’t stop “dancing with Mr. Brownstone” the band would be over. “I know it was directed at me because I was so strung out at the time, but it was what really made me hate Axle because he never discussed it with me, I never really forgave him for that” -- Slash.
But Axle didn’t stop there he also issued the band with an ultimatum he wanted the full rights to the bands name, this was supposedly to keep the band going with him if this version didn’t survive.
“We just did what we had always done and kept the f***ing thing going” -- Slash.
“If we didn’t Sign it our band was going to break up right then and there, what were we supposed to do?” -- Duff.
After there tour with the rolling stones G’N’R decided to enter the studio once again but this time to record a huge double album they called the illusion project. But the old demons of drink and drugs were still hitting home with the band, in particular drummer Steven Adler.
“He couldn’t leave his drugs, he would lie to us, pure and simple, I want nothing to do with him” -- Axle.
“We all managed to straighten our selves out except Steven, he couldn’t even play, his depression got the best of him” -- Slash.
And after a lack of progress Adler was fired from G’N’R. in his place they hired the cult drummer Matt Sourum. But the sessions had a strange air to them with the rarity of actually seeing Axle and his bizarre creative directions.
“We can’t re-make appetite, I cant live my life through that one album I have to bury appetite.” -- Axle.
“Use Your Illusion was like the Guns ‘n’ Roses version of the white album so to speak, in the sense we had all this material from all these different directions” -- Slash.
But that still wouldn’t prepare G’N’R or their label Geffen for the huge success of the albums use your illusion 1 and 2 were a master class mix of everything guns had to offer. The albums went platinum in a week but this wouldn’t be enough for Axle. During the video shoots Axle went really grand on the budget for the so-called “trilogy”. The videos had to be on a grand scale including: dolphins, an oil freighter, building a church in a desert and of course destroying a mustang.
This was the leadership that crushed the band as a whole, as they prepared for their epic 2-year tour for the album(s) Izzy decided to quit. “He felt dictated to and wanted out” -- Slash. To replace Izzy the band called the L.A. guitarist Gilby Clarke but he had already heard about the dominant domineer Axle imposed on the band. “I knew form day 1 that it could end tomorrow” -- Gilby Clarke.
From the very beginning of the tour a lot had changed about G’N’R their friendship with Axle was lost and they had hardly any contact with him at all. Though they were mostly clean at the time drink was still a problem.
“You know when you get to the show, you have a cocktail at the show …. You have another cocktail, when he would show up we would be hammered from sitting drinking so much” -- Gilby Clarke.
“It was very dark and unsettling, sightings of Axle Rose were few and far between” -- Matt Sourum.
“Axle would sometimes not show up at all, we had a lot of candled gigs we had a lot of shows where we almost didn’t play, it was all very trying” -- Slash.
Even though the band was falling apart they were still a band. When they did all show up for the shows they delivered an incredible performance that would be remembered for decades. But the tour would be the last big thing Guns ever did, the high risk “Most dangerous band that ever lived”
“Saviours of rock n roll.” “Kings of excess.” That was Guns ‘N’ Roses would soon come to an end.
The band grew increasingly distant once the tour was over. This left Slash and Axle talking by phone only as they threw together a bunch of covers called the spaghetti incident. This was really the last album G’N’R ever made.
The last time the original Guns were in a studio together they recorded a soundtrack cover of Sympathy For The Devil (The Rolling Stones).
Now to the present day the Guns that were have stuck together in Velvet Revolver that’s Matt Sourum, Duff and Slash. They released their debut album contraband, which was a success worldwide. They also hit the road on a huge tour to support the album and are currently still going strong with this year’s Ozzfest (2005).
“I’m out on the road, I’m touring and the fans have stuck with us, that’s everything I want right now” -- Matt Sourum.
“We have drawn a whole new audience, there are 18 year old kids coming to our shows in search of a good hard rock band, I’m glad we can give them that” -- Duff.
“I have played enough gigs been in enough bands and played enough sessions that I finally understand what IT is, what it’s all about and having that come around a second time is a real blessing” -- Slash.
As for G’N’R, Axle has attempted a re-incarnation of the band that failed miserably at its attempted tour. The greatest hits collection sold well, largely because it was the real band.
“No matter how much money they stick in our faces we will never get together to do anything again unless there is a mutual respect and understanding and we are way way far from that. So I can’t see a reunion in the future.” -- Slash.
“It was a great band and a great time, will it be the same again? No, never that s*** will never happen again” -- Matt Sourum.
So in my opinion Guns ‘N’ Roses is now dead. Though it lives on in Velvet Revolver Chinese Democracy will be lucky to see a release at all. Even if it does hit the shelves I can’t see Axle lasting a tour without firing half of his band and support crew.
The quotes in this article came from various interviews and documentaries I have seen about the band. The rest of the article is my own work.
One final and famous quote to sum up this legendry band from their tour manager: “You never knew if it was going to end from an overdose or an argument, drunk depression or inflated egos. But at the same time you never knew if that day you would see the greatest musical performance ever.”
Thanks for reading
this is my first article by the way
peace out RAVEN
raven at ultimate-guitar.com
Slash: Life And Times Of A Guitar God
Special thanks to Linda of Slash’s official fan site snakepit.org for information used in this article.
Truly an inspiration to a generation of guitarists, a legend in his own right and an amazingly skilled guitarist. Slash has established himself as a guitar god, both for his heavy riffs and epic solos, along with a blues edged hard rock style based upon his biggest influences. But this six-string legend is not without his instantly recognisable image, or his rock n roll excessive lifestyle through time.
The story of this musical icon begins in 1965 in London. Slash was born by the name of Saul Hudson and raised in Stoke On Trent in England by his mother, an American clothes designer, and father, an English artist who worked on album covers. Slash moved to the USA when he was eleven years old. Living in L.A with his family and not quite fitting in at school, Slash lead a somewhat bohemian life at home.
The first real musical influences of Slash’s life really began at this time, with his parents being involved in fashion and music their friends would visit them in L.A. Their guests often included musicians such as David Bowie and Iggy pop.
During the 70’s Slash moved in with his grandmother when his parents separated. Slash was 15 years old when his grandmother gave him his first guitar as a gift. Playing along to his biggest influences and teaching himself to mimic the sounds of bands like Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin, guitar became a passion to Slash. Leaving his old hobby of BMX riding behind him and flunking out of school at the 11th grade Slash would devote 12 hours a day to playing guitar.
At this time Slash made two choices that changed his life, the first was to begin trying to piece together a way of making money from his guitar playing, the second to form a band called The Road Crew with a new friend, Steven Adler. While it became obvious they had potential they needed a singer. After meeting W. Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin Guns ‘n’ Roses was born (I won’t go into much depth on this 1 because I already wrote an article about that).
During the unforgettable 6 or so years at the top with G’N’R Slash had a whole range of experiences. From the unforgettable anthems and sold out stadiums, he finally became recognised as the guitar legend he is today. But before Guns hit the big time and scored a record deal they were constantly involved in an endless 24-hour a day party. While this added to their reputation of the most dangerous band on earth it took a huge toll on all the band members.
Perhaps no other member felt the full effect of the drink and the drugs as much as Slash. Because of his drugged up condition, Axl once came close to ending G’N’R saying Slash needs to “stop dancing with Mr. brownstone”. And during the illusions tour Slash was once found in a hotel by an elevator passed out with no pulse. To this day slash still gives thanks to the paramedic who saved his life with a reviving adrenalin shot to the heart.
But the good times had in G’N’R fro Slash included playing to sold out arenas and venues across the whole world, this also helped to establish his iconic image. But the imagery of Guns and Slash really came across with their music videos. Particularly the over budget shoots for “November Rain” and “Estranged”. As usual slash had the recognisable black top hat, les paul guitar and curly black hair. But with this budget G’N’R were able to put an incredible look to their music, For example the solo’s in November rain and estranged, how many other guitarists can say they stood on the ocean and played a solo at sunset.
After the illusions tour Slash and the Guns decided to take a break, during which time Slash became a United States citizen. But with the new G’N’R album taking a long time to get off the ground, Slash decided to start another band as a side project. The result was Slash’s Snake Pit, the band released the album “its 5 o’clock somewhere” which achieved worldwide success. The new band also featured equally bored Gunners Matt Sourum and Gilby Clarke. The band hit the road for a tour of some small clubs and venues in support of the album. Slash was glad to finally get out of the commercial mega-budget Guns ‘N’ Roses tours and back to a close range with the audience.
While Axl took forever to re-kindle G’N’R and the Snake pit tour was over (though promised to return) Slash was asked to play a blues festival. He accepted the offer and saw it as a chance to return to the Aerosmith style blues routs in his playing. As with snake pit this started a new project for Slash. It was called blues ball and was for live shows only, the band were in popular demand even without releasing an album. They covered classic blues tracks, which were re-defined by Slash soulful guitar playing.
During both snake pit and blues ball Slash waited for the call from Axl, when it finally came G’N’R set about recording the spaghetti incident. This project was dubbed by critics as a way of making money from a band that couldn’t stand their singer. This impression was given off when Axl had little at all to do with the album. The result was Slash taking the reigns and producing/directing this album himself.
When the time came for a follow up tour there was never any chance of Axl being interested. As a result Slash and the other members became frustrated. When work began on another album Slash could stand no more of Axl’s dominance. Although critics dismissed this as a popularity stunt, Slash only had two things to say. “When Axl is ready to make a rock n’ roll album I’ll come back” and “I’ll never walk onto a stage with a band pretending to be the original G’N’R”.
While Slash remained positive he could work with Rose, if they settled their differences. Axl was final in his decision, he said he couldn’t work with Slash because Slash only wanted to make a rock album. Rose said G’N’R needed a new direction and Slash wasn’t part of it. In my opinion that’s the biggest mistake Axl will ever make.
Though Axl never managed to release anything after the departure of Slash, the guitar legend didn’t just give up. As he had said in the past snake pit were back. And this time with a new group of undiscovered talent on his side Slash recorded the album aint life grand. The new snake pit group hit the road in support of ACDC and their album on a US tour. And while they did do smaller venues as well Slash still enjoyed the arena tour with ACDC, and never lost the incredible stage presence for a second.
After the snake pit reunion finished Slash was unsure of what to do next. He did consider a new snake pit album but then decided to accept an offer from long-term friend and fellow rocker Alice Cooper. Slash hit the road with Alice on a tour as a stage guest, during the tour he would come onto the stage for re-written and guitar loaded versions of Cooper classics. The songs Slash played included “Hey Stoopid”, “Poison”, “Only Women Bleed” and “Under My Wheels”. Slash also did guest tracks on a couple of Alice Cooper albums. This included the track “Lost In America” on the album “The Last Temptation” and also the “Raise Your Fist And Yell” album’s single “Freedom”.
For his next solo project Slash wanted to do something different. His original idea was to write music for an album and use guest musicians to fill in the gaps, different people from all over the world playing with Slash. For this album he wanted t do a track with former band mates Duff and Matt. This was what led to the beginning of the new super group for the ex-G’N’R members.
The project soon became known as Velvet Revolver. The chemistry was still strong between Slash, Matt and Duff, but they needed more band members one of which had to be a unique front man. While the musical side of the tracks were strong, Slash decided he would want to play with a rhythm guitarist. He soon found the perfect guitarist in the form of an old friend from junior high, Dave Knusher.
With Dave on board, Slash’s search for a singer took an “old style” turn. He decided to throw the coveted band membership open for audition and demos from anyone. The result was a time consuming closed session of song writing and listening to demo discs. In total this search took 6 months at least. Finally Duff came across a CD that showed enough promise to warrant a live audition. With the call made the un-known English singer did some work with the music VR already had recorded writing his own lyrics to the tracks.
The result got mixed responses from the band, Duff was more forgiving where as Matt was unimpressed. Slash decided to make the call and inform the singer that VR was going to carry on looking for a front man. After endless auditions and poor demo tapes they got a second hope in the form of an American singer, also un-known to the music industry.
While this new singer had more writing experience Slash and VR were still not happy with the work he did, so once again the call was made and they continued looking. Slash then discovered that Scott Weiland was taking an extended break from the Stone Temple Pilots.
“When Scott came in for the audition it just seemed to fit” satisfied with Weiland's performance, Slash decided to see if Scott and VR could work together creatively. The result was a showcase to the “industry” which convinced Scott to leave the Stone Temple Pilots permanently and commit to VR. This session also landed the group with the sound track to the movie “The Hulk”.
Scott decided after the “Song Set Me Free” was recorded to enter rehab. Slash and VR decided to back Weiland up on his decision having been there themselves. When Scott was released from rehab VR made their public debut at a press conference. Critics were fast to throw Scott to the fire with headlines like “use your delusion”. However Scott’s newfound self-belief led to him coming to terms with his past and writing a few songs about it with Slash. The result of this was an incredible anthem track on the album called “Fall To Pieces”.
When contraband was finished and recorded Slash decided the band needed to do one more thing, which was of course to play live together. And when they hit the stage with Scott for the first time Slash could see the chemistry was complete. “We have been waiting a long time to unleash this animal, everyone may be waiting for Scott to fail but we know he will pull through, this will be one hell of an album”.
Slash wasn’t far wrong, contraband and the first single “Slither” achieved critical acclaim and worldwide success. For fans of the guitar god it was great to hear that solo in “slither” the great soloist was truly back. VR erupted into a frenzy of an American tour with fans embracing the new and true gritty hard rock band they were so short of before.
The second single chosen by Slash and Scott was “fall to pieces”. Even though the video had to fight off a band because of its graphic nature with Scott’s former drug habit the singe was a huge success. Slash and the Band hit the road for a world tour that has seemingly never ended since. As soon as they finished their own tour they snapped up another film soundtrack for the “Fantastic 4”, shot a video for their 2 singles “Come On Come In” and “Dirty Little Thing”, then they joined the 2005 Ozzfest.
Slash has recently said the band is writing material every spare moment they get, it has been rumoured that they have enough material for 6 albums! They are currently waiting for their tour to end and the album, yet to be titled, is expected to be released in March 2006.
With all the records and all the legendry solos he has put out there Slash is one guitarist who has earned worldwide respect. But with all his friends in the music industry and his in demand playing you never know what he will do next. But with all that’s past Slash will defiantly go down in history.
So that’s it lol my second article let me know what you think
Peace Out
-Raven
from: ultimate-guitar.com
Truly an inspiration to a generation of guitarists, a legend in his own right and an amazingly skilled guitarist. Slash has established himself as a guitar god, both for his heavy riffs and epic solos, along with a blues edged hard rock style based upon his biggest influences. But this six-string legend is not without his instantly recognisable image, or his rock n roll excessive lifestyle through time.
The story of this musical icon begins in 1965 in London. Slash was born by the name of Saul Hudson and raised in Stoke On Trent in England by his mother, an American clothes designer, and father, an English artist who worked on album covers. Slash moved to the USA when he was eleven years old. Living in L.A with his family and not quite fitting in at school, Slash lead a somewhat bohemian life at home.
The first real musical influences of Slash’s life really began at this time, with his parents being involved in fashion and music their friends would visit them in L.A. Their guests often included musicians such as David Bowie and Iggy pop.
During the 70’s Slash moved in with his grandmother when his parents separated. Slash was 15 years old when his grandmother gave him his first guitar as a gift. Playing along to his biggest influences and teaching himself to mimic the sounds of bands like Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin, guitar became a passion to Slash. Leaving his old hobby of BMX riding behind him and flunking out of school at the 11th grade Slash would devote 12 hours a day to playing guitar.
At this time Slash made two choices that changed his life, the first was to begin trying to piece together a way of making money from his guitar playing, the second to form a band called The Road Crew with a new friend, Steven Adler. While it became obvious they had potential they needed a singer. After meeting W. Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin Guns ‘n’ Roses was born (I won’t go into much depth on this 1 because I already wrote an article about that).
During the unforgettable 6 or so years at the top with G’N’R Slash had a whole range of experiences. From the unforgettable anthems and sold out stadiums, he finally became recognised as the guitar legend he is today. But before Guns hit the big time and scored a record deal they were constantly involved in an endless 24-hour a day party. While this added to their reputation of the most dangerous band on earth it took a huge toll on all the band members.
Perhaps no other member felt the full effect of the drink and the drugs as much as Slash. Because of his drugged up condition, Axl once came close to ending G’N’R saying Slash needs to “stop dancing with Mr. brownstone”. And during the illusions tour Slash was once found in a hotel by an elevator passed out with no pulse. To this day slash still gives thanks to the paramedic who saved his life with a reviving adrenalin shot to the heart.
But the good times had in G’N’R fro Slash included playing to sold out arenas and venues across the whole world, this also helped to establish his iconic image. But the imagery of Guns and Slash really came across with their music videos. Particularly the over budget shoots for “November Rain” and “Estranged”. As usual slash had the recognisable black top hat, les paul guitar and curly black hair. But with this budget G’N’R were able to put an incredible look to their music, For example the solo’s in November rain and estranged, how many other guitarists can say they stood on the ocean and played a solo at sunset.
After the illusions tour Slash and the Guns decided to take a break, during which time Slash became a United States citizen. But with the new G’N’R album taking a long time to get off the ground, Slash decided to start another band as a side project. The result was Slash’s Snake Pit, the band released the album “its 5 o’clock somewhere” which achieved worldwide success. The new band also featured equally bored Gunners Matt Sourum and Gilby Clarke. The band hit the road for a tour of some small clubs and venues in support of the album. Slash was glad to finally get out of the commercial mega-budget Guns ‘N’ Roses tours and back to a close range with the audience.
While Axl took forever to re-kindle G’N’R and the Snake pit tour was over (though promised to return) Slash was asked to play a blues festival. He accepted the offer and saw it as a chance to return to the Aerosmith style blues routs in his playing. As with snake pit this started a new project for Slash. It was called blues ball and was for live shows only, the band were in popular demand even without releasing an album. They covered classic blues tracks, which were re-defined by Slash soulful guitar playing.
During both snake pit and blues ball Slash waited for the call from Axl, when it finally came G’N’R set about recording the spaghetti incident. This project was dubbed by critics as a way of making money from a band that couldn’t stand their singer. This impression was given off when Axl had little at all to do with the album. The result was Slash taking the reigns and producing/directing this album himself.
When the time came for a follow up tour there was never any chance of Axl being interested. As a result Slash and the other members became frustrated. When work began on another album Slash could stand no more of Axl’s dominance. Although critics dismissed this as a popularity stunt, Slash only had two things to say. “When Axl is ready to make a rock n’ roll album I’ll come back” and “I’ll never walk onto a stage with a band pretending to be the original G’N’R”.
While Slash remained positive he could work with Rose, if they settled their differences. Axl was final in his decision, he said he couldn’t work with Slash because Slash only wanted to make a rock album. Rose said G’N’R needed a new direction and Slash wasn’t part of it. In my opinion that’s the biggest mistake Axl will ever make.
Though Axl never managed to release anything after the departure of Slash, the guitar legend didn’t just give up. As he had said in the past snake pit were back. And this time with a new group of undiscovered talent on his side Slash recorded the album aint life grand. The new snake pit group hit the road in support of ACDC and their album on a US tour. And while they did do smaller venues as well Slash still enjoyed the arena tour with ACDC, and never lost the incredible stage presence for a second.
After the snake pit reunion finished Slash was unsure of what to do next. He did consider a new snake pit album but then decided to accept an offer from long-term friend and fellow rocker Alice Cooper. Slash hit the road with Alice on a tour as a stage guest, during the tour he would come onto the stage for re-written and guitar loaded versions of Cooper classics. The songs Slash played included “Hey Stoopid”, “Poison”, “Only Women Bleed” and “Under My Wheels”. Slash also did guest tracks on a couple of Alice Cooper albums. This included the track “Lost In America” on the album “The Last Temptation” and also the “Raise Your Fist And Yell” album’s single “Freedom”.
For his next solo project Slash wanted to do something different. His original idea was to write music for an album and use guest musicians to fill in the gaps, different people from all over the world playing with Slash. For this album he wanted t do a track with former band mates Duff and Matt. This was what led to the beginning of the new super group for the ex-G’N’R members.
The project soon became known as Velvet Revolver. The chemistry was still strong between Slash, Matt and Duff, but they needed more band members one of which had to be a unique front man. While the musical side of the tracks were strong, Slash decided he would want to play with a rhythm guitarist. He soon found the perfect guitarist in the form of an old friend from junior high, Dave Knusher.
With Dave on board, Slash’s search for a singer took an “old style” turn. He decided to throw the coveted band membership open for audition and demos from anyone. The result was a time consuming closed session of song writing and listening to demo discs. In total this search took 6 months at least. Finally Duff came across a CD that showed enough promise to warrant a live audition. With the call made the un-known English singer did some work with the music VR already had recorded writing his own lyrics to the tracks.
The result got mixed responses from the band, Duff was more forgiving where as Matt was unimpressed. Slash decided to make the call and inform the singer that VR was going to carry on looking for a front man. After endless auditions and poor demo tapes they got a second hope in the form of an American singer, also un-known to the music industry.
While this new singer had more writing experience Slash and VR were still not happy with the work he did, so once again the call was made and they continued looking. Slash then discovered that Scott Weiland was taking an extended break from the Stone Temple Pilots.
“When Scott came in for the audition it just seemed to fit” satisfied with Weiland's performance, Slash decided to see if Scott and VR could work together creatively. The result was a showcase to the “industry” which convinced Scott to leave the Stone Temple Pilots permanently and commit to VR. This session also landed the group with the sound track to the movie “The Hulk”.
Scott decided after the “Song Set Me Free” was recorded to enter rehab. Slash and VR decided to back Weiland up on his decision having been there themselves. When Scott was released from rehab VR made their public debut at a press conference. Critics were fast to throw Scott to the fire with headlines like “use your delusion”. However Scott’s newfound self-belief led to him coming to terms with his past and writing a few songs about it with Slash. The result of this was an incredible anthem track on the album called “Fall To Pieces”.
When contraband was finished and recorded Slash decided the band needed to do one more thing, which was of course to play live together. And when they hit the stage with Scott for the first time Slash could see the chemistry was complete. “We have been waiting a long time to unleash this animal, everyone may be waiting for Scott to fail but we know he will pull through, this will be one hell of an album”.
Slash wasn’t far wrong, contraband and the first single “Slither” achieved critical acclaim and worldwide success. For fans of the guitar god it was great to hear that solo in “slither” the great soloist was truly back. VR erupted into a frenzy of an American tour with fans embracing the new and true gritty hard rock band they were so short of before.
The second single chosen by Slash and Scott was “fall to pieces”. Even though the video had to fight off a band because of its graphic nature with Scott’s former drug habit the singe was a huge success. Slash and the Band hit the road for a world tour that has seemingly never ended since. As soon as they finished their own tour they snapped up another film soundtrack for the “Fantastic 4”, shot a video for their 2 singles “Come On Come In” and “Dirty Little Thing”, then they joined the 2005 Ozzfest.
Slash has recently said the band is writing material every spare moment they get, it has been rumoured that they have enough material for 6 albums! They are currently waiting for their tour to end and the album, yet to be titled, is expected to be released in March 2006.
With all the records and all the legendry solos he has put out there Slash is one guitarist who has earned worldwide respect. But with all his friends in the music industry and his in demand playing you never know what he will do next. But with all that’s past Slash will defiantly go down in history.
So that’s it lol my second article let me know what you think
Peace Out
-Raven
from: ultimate-guitar.com
Monday, January 28, 2008
Understanding Steve Vai Music
For the first time ever Steve Vai have done a tour of Russia and the Ukraine where he conducted three evening master class clinics, and three daytime in-store autograph sessions.
The tour was a big success. This was the most helpful and emotionally pleasant guitar clinic I ever seen before. Steve was able to get that perfect balance between music and talks. The genius has developed serious topics out of simple questions. He was always in contact with the audience. Steve played both, his composed music and spontaneous improvisations too. He was able to make clear for us and illustrate how he is composing music that's coming from inside.
Very deep self-reflection: it is incredible, when the musician does not say something like "well, I just listen to radio and - ah! - create a melody." No! Steve looks deep inside himself to analyze his inner world to create his masterpieces. When you get it mixed with live sound, concert atmosphere, his words come right into your mind, into your heart. I mean, everyone can understand what he's talking about.
What can I say, it is useless to copy Steve Vai!
I wanted to make a video record of For The Love Of God, in order to get something useful for myself from it later: But then Steve told the audience how his music was created. Sometimes, he finds an image or situation and tries to "sound" like this image to imitate it. Sometimes, people around him and relationships can give birth to his music. Sometimes he just play exercises and chord progressions, trying to hear and find out something new. Sometimes he's singing along with chord progression and record himself, then finding interesting ideas.
But the most beautiful music is created, when he is listening with his "inner ear" - something, that is very personal and sounds in his mind. Combining all the above with Steve's playing For The Love Of God, Crying Machine and Lotus Feet that evening, I have suddenly realized, how useless video can be. There is only personal behind those sounds.
Steve's music will remain his music.
Another ideas was delivered to the audience is the following. We all are occupied with our problems and everyday routine. Those 24 hours isn't enough to learn everything in music and guitar, or even 50% of it.
The deeper you go, the more unexplored lands you can see. But every and each of us can and must learn how to hear and feel what's going on in our inner world, to take it out in form of sounds, music, and to express ourselves but not necessarily those speed licks or arpeggios - this is what I AM, and this is MY music. It doesn't matter sometimes, how good or bad it is. It doesn't matter if anybody else need this music. First we need it ourselves.
Yuri Nikitin
Ibanez guitars fan.
Guitar Lessons Pros
Ibanez Guitars
The tour was a big success. This was the most helpful and emotionally pleasant guitar clinic I ever seen before. Steve was able to get that perfect balance between music and talks. The genius has developed serious topics out of simple questions. He was always in contact with the audience. Steve played both, his composed music and spontaneous improvisations too. He was able to make clear for us and illustrate how he is composing music that's coming from inside.
Very deep self-reflection: it is incredible, when the musician does not say something like "well, I just listen to radio and - ah! - create a melody." No! Steve looks deep inside himself to analyze his inner world to create his masterpieces. When you get it mixed with live sound, concert atmosphere, his words come right into your mind, into your heart. I mean, everyone can understand what he's talking about.
What can I say, it is useless to copy Steve Vai!
I wanted to make a video record of For The Love Of God, in order to get something useful for myself from it later: But then Steve told the audience how his music was created. Sometimes, he finds an image or situation and tries to "sound" like this image to imitate it. Sometimes, people around him and relationships can give birth to his music. Sometimes he just play exercises and chord progressions, trying to hear and find out something new. Sometimes he's singing along with chord progression and record himself, then finding interesting ideas.
But the most beautiful music is created, when he is listening with his "inner ear" - something, that is very personal and sounds in his mind. Combining all the above with Steve's playing For The Love Of God, Crying Machine and Lotus Feet that evening, I have suddenly realized, how useless video can be. There is only personal behind those sounds.
Steve's music will remain his music.
Another ideas was delivered to the audience is the following. We all are occupied with our problems and everyday routine. Those 24 hours isn't enough to learn everything in music and guitar, or even 50% of it.
The deeper you go, the more unexplored lands you can see. But every and each of us can and must learn how to hear and feel what's going on in our inner world, to take it out in form of sounds, music, and to express ourselves but not necessarily those speed licks or arpeggios - this is what I AM, and this is MY music. It doesn't matter sometimes, how good or bad it is. It doesn't matter if anybody else need this music. First we need it ourselves.
Yuri Nikitin
Ibanez guitars fan.
Guitar Lessons Pros
Ibanez Guitars
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Rare Nirvana. Part 3
Welcome to the 3rd (and probably final) part of A Guide To Rare Nirvana
Tracks covered this section:
01. It's Closing Soon/ Old Age
02. D-7
03. Moist Vagina
04. More Than A Feeling
05. Montage Of Heck
06. Escalator To Hell
07. Dough, Ray & Me
08. Baba O'Reighly
09. Black & White Blues
10. Heartbreaker
11. Moving In Stereo
12. My Best Friend's Girl
13. Formalahyde
14. Buzz Cut
It's Closing Soon/ Old age
This is a Kurt & Courtney duo found on the 1993 Rio Tape. I think the only other song that has surfaced from this tape is Old Age. Apparently a genuine 1 minute clip of Old Age is circulating. There is dispute as to whether the song (Old Age) was written by Kurt or Courtney.
D-7
A great cover of the Wiper's song, D-7 was recorded in the 1990 Peel Session (the same session that brought us Son Of A Gun, Molly's Lips And Turnaround.) This song was rarely played live, but featured as an encore at Nirvana's 1992 Reading festival performance.
Moist Vagina
An In Utero out take that didn't make the album, this song was originally to be titled 'Moist Vagina, and then she blew him like he's never been blown, brains stuck all over the wall' but was abbreviated to MV. It was later covered by Sonic Youth.
More Than A Feeling
Smells Like Teen Spirit was often commented to have "borrowed" it's legendary intro riff from this Boston classic. Nirvana once played a sample of MTAF to introduce Teen Spirit, but this was more to mock the allegations than anything.
Montage Of Heck
Often mislabellled 'Noise Bleed' this is a, shall we say, collage of audio clips from movies, songs, and TV shows, as well as Kurt experimenting with backwards talking, made by Cobain on his 4 track. The "song" also features a snippet of a track, presumably titled 'The Lanlord Is A Piece Of Shit From Hell' which features Krist Nevosolic singing this one line over a sludgy guitar riff.
Escalator To Hell
Sometimes called 'Montage Of Heck Part II' this follows the same theme as MOH, as it is compiled by snippets of songs, movies etc. Like Montage Of Heck, Kurt made this on his 4 track.
Dough, Ray & Me
One of the rarest of the rare, this is one of the last ever recordings made by Cobain, in his basement with Eric Erlandson and Pat Smear. Apparently there are two known recordings, one has surfaced under the name 'Me And My IV'
Baba O'Reighly
A cover of the well known "The Who" song, Cobain replaces the lyric 'I hope I die before I get old' to 'I hope I die before I get like Pete Townsend'
Black & White Blues
A two minute instrumental of Kurt playing bluesy riffs on an acoustic guitar. This has confirmed to be authentic.
Heartbreaker
Apparently Nirvana played a bit of this Zeppelin classic at their first ever performance (a house party in Tacoma 1987) but the song broke down after Kurt forgot the lyrics.
Moving In Stereo
This cover of the Cars' song was played in Munich, (March 1st, 1994) which was the last show Nirvana ever played. The song ended the set, so is therefore significant for being the last song ever performed by Nirvana.
My Best Friend's Girl
Another Cars' song from the Munich show, there is nothing too noteable about this song, except that as far as I know, it was only ever played that once.
Formalahyde
Sometimes called 'Bullshit Jam' this is a jam of the band playing the Carmen opera theme tune, I think at a house party. Quite rare, I've never heard a recording of this song.
Buzz Cut
When Love Buzz was first recorded for Bleach, it was going to have a 45 second long intro, that was made up of clips from children's records. The intro was later cut to 10 seconds, before being abandoned altogether. However it still exists under the name 'Buzz Cut'.
That's all for now. I may do a part 4 if I can find enough info on other Nirvana rarities, but possibly not.
Peace out and R.I.P Kurt Cobain.
All questions/comments to the_legend_kurt@hotmail.com.
from: ultimate-guitar.com
Tracks covered this section:
01. It's Closing Soon/ Old Age
02. D-7
03. Moist Vagina
04. More Than A Feeling
05. Montage Of Heck
06. Escalator To Hell
07. Dough, Ray & Me
08. Baba O'Reighly
09. Black & White Blues
10. Heartbreaker
11. Moving In Stereo
12. My Best Friend's Girl
13. Formalahyde
14. Buzz Cut
It's Closing Soon/ Old age
This is a Kurt & Courtney duo found on the 1993 Rio Tape. I think the only other song that has surfaced from this tape is Old Age. Apparently a genuine 1 minute clip of Old Age is circulating. There is dispute as to whether the song (Old Age) was written by Kurt or Courtney.
D-7
A great cover of the Wiper's song, D-7 was recorded in the 1990 Peel Session (the same session that brought us Son Of A Gun, Molly's Lips And Turnaround.) This song was rarely played live, but featured as an encore at Nirvana's 1992 Reading festival performance.
Moist Vagina
An In Utero out take that didn't make the album, this song was originally to be titled 'Moist Vagina, and then she blew him like he's never been blown, brains stuck all over the wall' but was abbreviated to MV. It was later covered by Sonic Youth.
More Than A Feeling
Smells Like Teen Spirit was often commented to have "borrowed" it's legendary intro riff from this Boston classic. Nirvana once played a sample of MTAF to introduce Teen Spirit, but this was more to mock the allegations than anything.
Montage Of Heck
Often mislabellled 'Noise Bleed' this is a, shall we say, collage of audio clips from movies, songs, and TV shows, as well as Kurt experimenting with backwards talking, made by Cobain on his 4 track. The "song" also features a snippet of a track, presumably titled 'The Lanlord Is A Piece Of Shit From Hell' which features Krist Nevosolic singing this one line over a sludgy guitar riff.
Escalator To Hell
Sometimes called 'Montage Of Heck Part II' this follows the same theme as MOH, as it is compiled by snippets of songs, movies etc. Like Montage Of Heck, Kurt made this on his 4 track.
Dough, Ray & Me
One of the rarest of the rare, this is one of the last ever recordings made by Cobain, in his basement with Eric Erlandson and Pat Smear. Apparently there are two known recordings, one has surfaced under the name 'Me And My IV'
Baba O'Reighly
A cover of the well known "The Who" song, Cobain replaces the lyric 'I hope I die before I get old' to 'I hope I die before I get like Pete Townsend'
Black & White Blues
A two minute instrumental of Kurt playing bluesy riffs on an acoustic guitar. This has confirmed to be authentic.
Heartbreaker
Apparently Nirvana played a bit of this Zeppelin classic at their first ever performance (a house party in Tacoma 1987) but the song broke down after Kurt forgot the lyrics.
Moving In Stereo
This cover of the Cars' song was played in Munich, (March 1st, 1994) which was the last show Nirvana ever played. The song ended the set, so is therefore significant for being the last song ever performed by Nirvana.
My Best Friend's Girl
Another Cars' song from the Munich show, there is nothing too noteable about this song, except that as far as I know, it was only ever played that once.
Formalahyde
Sometimes called 'Bullshit Jam' this is a jam of the band playing the Carmen opera theme tune, I think at a house party. Quite rare, I've never heard a recording of this song.
Buzz Cut
When Love Buzz was first recorded for Bleach, it was going to have a 45 second long intro, that was made up of clips from children's records. The intro was later cut to 10 seconds, before being abandoned altogether. However it still exists under the name 'Buzz Cut'.
That's all for now. I may do a part 4 if I can find enough info on other Nirvana rarities, but possibly not.
Peace out and R.I.P Kurt Cobain.
All questions/comments to the_legend_kurt@hotmail.com.
from: ultimate-guitar.com
Rare Nirvana. Part 2
Since the last one was (kinda) a success, here's part 2 to A Guide To Some Of Nirvana's Rarer Tracks.
01. Imodium
02. Pay To Play
03. Cracker
04. Here She Comes Now
05. Anorexocist
06. High On The Hog
07. Beans
08. Help Me
09. Oh, The Guilt
10. If You Must
11. Curmudgeon
12. Grey Goose/ Ain't It A Shame
Imodium
Imodium is simply an early version of the punk-rock classic, Breed, with alternate lyrics. The band decided to change the name to Breed to avoid lawsuit. The story behind the name Imodium, is that a friend of the band's was on Imodium (some sort of drug) and thought it would make a good name for a song (despite the fact it has no relation to the song).
Pay To Play
Another early version of a Nevermind classic, Pay To Play was the first version of Stay Away, with Pay To Play being sung in the chorus instead of Stay Away. The song was originally about bands having to pay to play gigs in bars and clubs. Pay to play was released on a DGC rarities compilation.
Cracker
The very first version of Polly sees the song being given a spooky, electric feel. Although the lyrics remained pretty much the same throughout the song's life, the title was originally Cracker, then Hitchiker, and eventually Polly.
Here She Comes Now
This is a cover of the Velvet Underground song, that the band performed live many times. It has been officially released on a Velvet Underground tribute compilation.
Anorexecist
Probably the rarest and most mysterious Nirvana track, some say this is the same song as Suicide Samarui. A version of the song under the title Anorexecist has never surfaced, so many don't believe this song exists.
High On The Hog
This is actually a band called TAD that Cobain toured with. On this song, Kurt provides vocals. This song is commonly mislabelled as Alcohol, because of the one line chorus.
Beans
A "quirky" song with a four note tune running throughout, this was confirmed by Nirvana's ex-drummer Chad Channing, to be authentic. It has also been confirmed it is, (rather strangely) Kurt Cobain singing on this track. It was left off of Bleach, as Sub Pop thought it was "retarded". Some versions have surfaced where somebody, at the beginning of the song is saying "I don't like you, I'm gonna beat you up."
Help Me
An unreleased song that was performed live on several occasions. In typical Nirvana fashion, the verse, ("Help me, I'm fucking happy, I'm fucking hungry, I'm fucking high") breaks into a chorus of Cobain manically screaming some uncomprehensable lyrics.
Oh, The Guilt
Released as a split single with the Jesus Lizard's song, Puss, Oh, The Guilt reached number 12 in the UK charts.
If You Must
The first track ever recorded in a studio by Nirvana, If You Must was the first track on the demo they recorded in Seattle. The demo also included Downer, Floyd The Barber, Beeswax and Pen Cap Chew.
Curmudgeon
The B-side to Lithium, this song was performed live just once, in Belgium. The content of the song, is bleak and depressing. ("I'm not sad, until I'm home") I think the song perhaps reflect Cobain's own feelings, of how he would never be happy despite how much money he had.
Grey Goose/ Ain't It A Shame
Recorded in 1989 with Mark Lanegan of the Screaming Trees (for his solo album), (Cobain and Nevosolic only recorded, not Chad Channing), this Leadbelly cover was one of three recorded at the session. Ain't It A Shame remains unsurfaced, and Where Did You Sleep Last Night was the only song of the three that made the album. Grey Goose, as far as I know, also remains unsurfaced.
Note On Nirvana Rarities
Remember that some Nirvana "rarities" found on the internet will be FAKE, for example Kurt's solo of Miss Robinson. He never did this song! In my Guide To Rare Nirvana, I am only gonna cover somgs that are confirmed to have been done by the band, (and if not, I will clearly label the song as fake). If you want to use my work on your website please email me first: the_legend_kurt@hotmail.com.
Well that's all for now, until part three...
from: ultimate-guitar.com
01. Imodium
02. Pay To Play
03. Cracker
04. Here She Comes Now
05. Anorexocist
06. High On The Hog
07. Beans
08. Help Me
09. Oh, The Guilt
10. If You Must
11. Curmudgeon
12. Grey Goose/ Ain't It A Shame
Imodium
Imodium is simply an early version of the punk-rock classic, Breed, with alternate lyrics. The band decided to change the name to Breed to avoid lawsuit. The story behind the name Imodium, is that a friend of the band's was on Imodium (some sort of drug) and thought it would make a good name for a song (despite the fact it has no relation to the song).
Pay To Play
Another early version of a Nevermind classic, Pay To Play was the first version of Stay Away, with Pay To Play being sung in the chorus instead of Stay Away. The song was originally about bands having to pay to play gigs in bars and clubs. Pay to play was released on a DGC rarities compilation.
Cracker
The very first version of Polly sees the song being given a spooky, electric feel. Although the lyrics remained pretty much the same throughout the song's life, the title was originally Cracker, then Hitchiker, and eventually Polly.
Here She Comes Now
This is a cover of the Velvet Underground song, that the band performed live many times. It has been officially released on a Velvet Underground tribute compilation.
Anorexecist
Probably the rarest and most mysterious Nirvana track, some say this is the same song as Suicide Samarui. A version of the song under the title Anorexecist has never surfaced, so many don't believe this song exists.
High On The Hog
This is actually a band called TAD that Cobain toured with. On this song, Kurt provides vocals. This song is commonly mislabelled as Alcohol, because of the one line chorus.
Beans
A "quirky" song with a four note tune running throughout, this was confirmed by Nirvana's ex-drummer Chad Channing, to be authentic. It has also been confirmed it is, (rather strangely) Kurt Cobain singing on this track. It was left off of Bleach, as Sub Pop thought it was "retarded". Some versions have surfaced where somebody, at the beginning of the song is saying "I don't like you, I'm gonna beat you up."
Help Me
An unreleased song that was performed live on several occasions. In typical Nirvana fashion, the verse, ("Help me, I'm fucking happy, I'm fucking hungry, I'm fucking high") breaks into a chorus of Cobain manically screaming some uncomprehensable lyrics.
Oh, The Guilt
Released as a split single with the Jesus Lizard's song, Puss, Oh, The Guilt reached number 12 in the UK charts.
If You Must
The first track ever recorded in a studio by Nirvana, If You Must was the first track on the demo they recorded in Seattle. The demo also included Downer, Floyd The Barber, Beeswax and Pen Cap Chew.
Curmudgeon
The B-side to Lithium, this song was performed live just once, in Belgium. The content of the song, is bleak and depressing. ("I'm not sad, until I'm home") I think the song perhaps reflect Cobain's own feelings, of how he would never be happy despite how much money he had.
Grey Goose/ Ain't It A Shame
Recorded in 1989 with Mark Lanegan of the Screaming Trees (for his solo album), (Cobain and Nevosolic only recorded, not Chad Channing), this Leadbelly cover was one of three recorded at the session. Ain't It A Shame remains unsurfaced, and Where Did You Sleep Last Night was the only song of the three that made the album. Grey Goose, as far as I know, also remains unsurfaced.
Note On Nirvana Rarities
Remember that some Nirvana "rarities" found on the internet will be FAKE, for example Kurt's solo of Miss Robinson. He never did this song! In my Guide To Rare Nirvana, I am only gonna cover somgs that are confirmed to have been done by the band, (and if not, I will clearly label the song as fake). If you want to use my work on your website please email me first: the_legend_kurt@hotmail.com.
Well that's all for now, until part three...
from: ultimate-guitar.com
Rare Nirvana
This is a brief guide to some of the rarer Nirvana tracks.
Tracks covered:
01. Bambi Slaughter
02. Spank Thru
03. Suicide Samarui
04. Opinion
05. Sappy
06. I Hate Myself And I Want To Die
07. Do You Love Me
08. You Know You're Right
09. Blandest
10. The Money Will Roll Right In
11. Even In His Youth
12. Token Eastern Song
13. Marigold
14. Pen Cap Chew
15. Verse Chorus Verse
Bambi Slaughter
This track, apparently one of the mysterious Fecal Matter demo tape, tells the story of a small boy who decides to pawn his Mom and Dad's wedding rings. The trance like guitar riff gives a strange effect to the song, reminiscent of the style of Downer.
Spank Thru
Another one of the Fecal Matter songs this song would later appear on the Sub Pop 200 compilation (this version featuring Jack Endino on backing vocals), and a live version would appear on From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah. The song is about masturbation, ("I can beat it, I can spank it, masturbate it").
Suicide Samarui
As far as I know, only one version of this Fecal Matter song has surfaced. The slashing guitar riff gives the song a real edge and agression about it. When Fecal Matter went to Kurt's Aunt Mary's house to record it, she said she was troubled by the lyrics, but thought it was just "Teenager stuff."
Opinion
Hailed as the greatest Nirvana rarity by many, this song is actually just Kurt, on an acoustic guitar at a radio station. The song, which is only about 90 seconds long, could possibly be about success and the opinions of the public about Nirvana's music. Kurt claimed to have written the song on the way to the radio station, and after performing it, asked "Don't you think that song sounds like taxman?"
Sadly for those who heard it, it was only ever performed that once.
Sappy
This melodic track follows the theme of confinement and imprisonment, ("He'll keep you in a jar, and you'll think your happy"). It featured on the No Alternative compilation. A great Nirvana track.
I Hate Myself & I Want To Die
As bleak as the title is, this song is actually not depressing in the slightest. The track starts with a lot of high pitched feedback, before the grudgy, tuned-down guitar riff breaks in. The chorus is merely one line, altough whether it's "In the someday, what's that song?" or "In the someday what's that sound?" is unclear to me.
However it is a great track, and can be found on the soundtrack to The Beavis And Butthead Experience.
Do You Love Me
A fairly straight cover of the Kiss song, that would later appear on a Kiss tribute compilation. Interesting for being the only track Nirvana ever recorded to feature second guitarist, Jason Everman.
You Know You're Right
The last song ever recorded by Nirvana, this song's lyrics clearly reflect Cobain's feelings during the last through months of his life. Lines like "Nothing really bothers her, she just wants to love herself," reflect Kurt's feelings about Courtney Love, then wife, and the line "Never speak another word, I will crawl away for good" reflect Kurt's feelings about himself. This song was only ever played live once, but when it was the band announced to the title to be "Autopilot". It was later changed to "You Know You're Right" and then released on the Greatest Hits album in 2002.
Blandest
This Nirvana track is quite early (Bleach-era). After recording it, Kurt asked Jack Endino to demolish the tape, as he was embarassed by the vocals. He later regretted it, when he wanted to release it on "Incesticide".
The Money Will Roll Right In
Performed at the Reading festival in August 1992, this is a great cover of the Fang song.
Even In His Youth
The B-side to SLTS, this is an excellent track. The lyrics show Kurt's feeling about not only himself, but also his father. ("Daddy was ashamed he was nothing") Originally recorded in 1989, but then remastered in '91 for the... Teen Spirit single.
Token Eastern Song
This song was one of the songs that was recorded in the Nevermind sessions, (along with Sliver And Sappy) but didn't make it to the album, along with the other two mentioned. The song is often mislabeled as Junkyard or Born in a Junkyard, as that is the one line chorus; Cobain screaming "Born in a Junkyard!" about 7 or 8 times.
Marigold
The only Nirvana original not written or sung by Kurt Cobain, (written and sung by Dave Grohl) is a soft acoustic song. Released on the Pocketwatch cassette, and then later as the B-side to Heart Shaped Box.
Pen Cap Chew
Another of the Fecal Matter songs, the crunchy, but muddy guitar riff starts this song off. The soft verse later leads into the raving, screaming of the chorus. This is perhaps the earliest evidence of Nirvana's signature quiet-loud sound, that would later become legendary in songs such as Lithium.
Verse Chorus Verse
Quite regularly played live, this song really is teriffic, and probably the best Nirvana rarity. The theme of the song is drug overdosing and self harm. At one stage this was going to be the name of Nirvana's third album (In Utero). Despite this, the song never even featured on the album.
Thanks for reading, I hope to do a second part soon.
from: ultimate-guitar.com
Tracks covered:
01. Bambi Slaughter
02. Spank Thru
03. Suicide Samarui
04. Opinion
05. Sappy
06. I Hate Myself And I Want To Die
07. Do You Love Me
08. You Know You're Right
09. Blandest
10. The Money Will Roll Right In
11. Even In His Youth
12. Token Eastern Song
13. Marigold
14. Pen Cap Chew
15. Verse Chorus Verse
Bambi Slaughter
This track, apparently one of the mysterious Fecal Matter demo tape, tells the story of a small boy who decides to pawn his Mom and Dad's wedding rings. The trance like guitar riff gives a strange effect to the song, reminiscent of the style of Downer.
Spank Thru
Another one of the Fecal Matter songs this song would later appear on the Sub Pop 200 compilation (this version featuring Jack Endino on backing vocals), and a live version would appear on From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah. The song is about masturbation, ("I can beat it, I can spank it, masturbate it").
Suicide Samarui
As far as I know, only one version of this Fecal Matter song has surfaced. The slashing guitar riff gives the song a real edge and agression about it. When Fecal Matter went to Kurt's Aunt Mary's house to record it, she said she was troubled by the lyrics, but thought it was just "Teenager stuff."
Opinion
Hailed as the greatest Nirvana rarity by many, this song is actually just Kurt, on an acoustic guitar at a radio station. The song, which is only about 90 seconds long, could possibly be about success and the opinions of the public about Nirvana's music. Kurt claimed to have written the song on the way to the radio station, and after performing it, asked "Don't you think that song sounds like taxman?"
Sadly for those who heard it, it was only ever performed that once.
Sappy
This melodic track follows the theme of confinement and imprisonment, ("He'll keep you in a jar, and you'll think your happy"). It featured on the No Alternative compilation. A great Nirvana track.
I Hate Myself & I Want To Die
As bleak as the title is, this song is actually not depressing in the slightest. The track starts with a lot of high pitched feedback, before the grudgy, tuned-down guitar riff breaks in. The chorus is merely one line, altough whether it's "In the someday, what's that song?" or "In the someday what's that sound?" is unclear to me.
However it is a great track, and can be found on the soundtrack to The Beavis And Butthead Experience.
Do You Love Me
A fairly straight cover of the Kiss song, that would later appear on a Kiss tribute compilation. Interesting for being the only track Nirvana ever recorded to feature second guitarist, Jason Everman.
You Know You're Right
The last song ever recorded by Nirvana, this song's lyrics clearly reflect Cobain's feelings during the last through months of his life. Lines like "Nothing really bothers her, she just wants to love herself," reflect Kurt's feelings about Courtney Love, then wife, and the line "Never speak another word, I will crawl away for good" reflect Kurt's feelings about himself. This song was only ever played live once, but when it was the band announced to the title to be "Autopilot". It was later changed to "You Know You're Right" and then released on the Greatest Hits album in 2002.
Blandest
This Nirvana track is quite early (Bleach-era). After recording it, Kurt asked Jack Endino to demolish the tape, as he was embarassed by the vocals. He later regretted it, when he wanted to release it on "Incesticide".
The Money Will Roll Right In
Performed at the Reading festival in August 1992, this is a great cover of the Fang song.
Even In His Youth
The B-side to SLTS, this is an excellent track. The lyrics show Kurt's feeling about not only himself, but also his father. ("Daddy was ashamed he was nothing") Originally recorded in 1989, but then remastered in '91 for the... Teen Spirit single.
Token Eastern Song
This song was one of the songs that was recorded in the Nevermind sessions, (along with Sliver And Sappy) but didn't make it to the album, along with the other two mentioned. The song is often mislabeled as Junkyard or Born in a Junkyard, as that is the one line chorus; Cobain screaming "Born in a Junkyard!" about 7 or 8 times.
Marigold
The only Nirvana original not written or sung by Kurt Cobain, (written and sung by Dave Grohl) is a soft acoustic song. Released on the Pocketwatch cassette, and then later as the B-side to Heart Shaped Box.
Pen Cap Chew
Another of the Fecal Matter songs, the crunchy, but muddy guitar riff starts this song off. The soft verse later leads into the raving, screaming of the chorus. This is perhaps the earliest evidence of Nirvana's signature quiet-loud sound, that would later become legendary in songs such as Lithium.
Verse Chorus Verse
Quite regularly played live, this song really is teriffic, and probably the best Nirvana rarity. The theme of the song is drug overdosing and self harm. At one stage this was going to be the name of Nirvana's third album (In Utero). Despite this, the song never even featured on the album.
Thanks for reading, I hope to do a second part soon.
from: ultimate-guitar.com
The History Of: System Of A Down
System of a Down formed when lead singer Serj Tankian, and guitarist Daron Malakian jammed together in a recording studio, way back in 1993. They were both there to record with the bands they were in at the time, and upon discovering that they shared Armenian heritage (Serj was born in Lebanon with family in Armenia, Daron had lived in Hollywood all his life, but his parents, and most of his family were Armenian) and more importantly, similar ideas, musically, they formed a band named Soil, with two 'un-named' people. The name Soil probably came from a poem that Serj Tankian wrote, and the band later recorded a song under the same name for their first album. The poem and the song, however are completely unrelated.
The band met bassist Shavo Odadjian in 1994, who was also of Armenian descent, and had attended an Armenian private school in Hollywood, along with Daron and Serj. He hung around with Soil a lot and was originally going to be the bands manager, but in early 1995, he became the band's bassist. The original drummer was replaced by Andy Khachaturian in 1995, (lead singer of The Apex Theory until 2002, now lead singer of VoKEE), and the line up remained this way until 1997.
In this time period (i.e. up until 1997, when the band was signed to American Recordings by Rick Rubin) the band achieved quite a lot, recording three demo tapes, playing many live shows and undergoing a name change, first to Victims Of A Down (after a poem that Daron Malakian wrote) and then to System Of A Down. Serj Tankian explains the reason 'System' was chosen instead of 'Victims'; "System was chosen as a better, stronger word, and it makes it into a 'whole'. Instead of people in particular, it's the society."
The band's first ever recording is believed to be a demo consisting of 2 songs; Flake and Toast. Very little is known about the recordings, as it would seem that nobody outside the band has heard the songs. System of a Down's earliest surfaced recording is a demo of the song X (also known as Multiply) which is dated around early-1995. The version lacks any snare drum and is of very rough quality. Despite the fact that it was first recorded and performed in 1995, the song didn't see official release until it was re-recorded for the bands second album, 2001's "Toxicity".
It is believed that also during early 1995, the band recorded 3 other songs that would later be used on official System of a Down releases; Roulette, 36 and P.I.G. The latter would later undergo a name change to "Mr. Jack" and the songs would be re-recorded for the 2002 release "Steal This Album."
The band's first release was a demo tape recorded the same year, that was sold at early live shows. The demo (which was of poor quality) had four songs on it, three of them (Sugar, Suite Pee and P.L.U.C.K) were re-recorded for the bands 1998 self titled debut. The remaining song, Dam, has never been re-recorded, but was played live very often at early shows. The song is a Daron Malakian solo-song, that consists of creepy robotic vocals, muttering "Everyone is sleeping", over a middle-eastern guitar riff.
The band continued playing live shows and writing new material, and in 1996, released another demo tape, this one of much higher quality than their 1995 tape. However, of the three songs, only 'Soil' made it onto an official release (a re-recording of the song was used on the band's first album). Honey and Temper, like Dam, have never been re-recorded, but many live versions of the songs exist.
1997 brought a lot for the band. A new 3 song demo tape was released, featuring Know, War? and Peephole (all three tracks were re-recorded for the bands debut album), Andy Khachaturian left the group, and new drummer John Dolmayan joined the band. Then, on July 30th, the band was signed to American Recordings by Rick Rubin following a show at the Viper Rooms in Hollywood. Rubin commented on the band “I was blown away”.
The band set about writing and recording new material for their debut album, and in late 1997 recorded many new tracks as well as re-recording old ones. As well as re-recording 7 songs that had seen release on demo tapes (Sugar, Suite Pee, P.L.U.C.K, Soil, Know, War?, Peephole) the band recorded 6 new tracks that were included on the album, Suggestions, Spiders, Devil, Mind, CUBErt and Darts. The band also recorded many tracks that never have been officially released and are only available on bootlegs; re-recordings of 36 and Friik (a song supposedly first recorded around the time of Toast and Flake), as well as Blue, Storaged, Marmalade, and a cover version of the pop-song, The Metro, which was originally performed by the 80's pop group Berlin.
The International version of the album contained a bonus track, Marmalade, that was written some time in mid-1997. The Japanese import version of the album included,
as well as Marmalade, Storaged, from the 1997 recording sessions. The song is a short, heavy noise blast, where Serj sings about the moral issues relating to abortion.
Three days before the release of System's first album, the band played at the Ozzfest Festival, the first time the band had played to a large audience. When the first album was released, it got a good response. The band started gathering a large fan-base, and in 1999 released the Sugar EP. The EP featured the album version of Sugar, along with live versions of the song, live versions of War? and the studio version of Storaged. In 1999, the band also performed on the Conan O'Brien Show, and chose to play Spiders.
By 2000, the band had to start thinking about a follow up to their self titled album. Their fan-base was growing bigger, and in this year the group enjoyed several movie-soundtrack appearances. They entered the studio to start recording their new album, and the product was 2001's multi-platinum selling "Toxicity." The album included:
Prison Song
Needles
Deer Dance
Jet Pilot
A re-recording of X (Multiply)
Suicide (later re-titled Chop Suey! This is the song that made the band huge, and was the first single off the album)
PJ's (later re-titled Bounce)
Forest
ATWA (Air, Tress, Water, Animals)
Science
Shimmy
Version 7.0 (later re-titled Toxicity and released as the second single off the album)
Psycho
Aerials (this was the third single from the album)
Der Voghormia; This is an unlisted track that is commonly mislabelled as 'Arto', most probably because the song is a collaboration with a friend of Serj's called Arto Tumboyacian. The track is a traditional Armenian funeral song for the dead.
On the same day that Toxicity was released, System of a Down released a one-track single, 'Johnny'. The song was also released on limited edition versions of the album, and as a B-Side on the Chop Suey! single.
Toxicity sold quickly and soon after it's release, System of a Down had became a massive band, that had even slipped into the mainstream, thanks mainly to lots of radio airplay of the albums' three singles (Chop Suey!, Toxicity and Aerials).
As if any proof was needed that System were on the verge on conquering the world of alternative music, they were asked to headline the Ozzfest Festival in 2002. The year also brought (along with the release of 2 singles) Steal This Album! The release was a 16 track compilation of tracks from the Toxicity sessions that didn't make the album. Before the album was released many of the tracks leaked on the Internet, and the band re-recorded a lot of them. Although the album sold well in time, the album lacked the mainstream appeal of Toxicity. Nonetheless, System remained on top of the music world, and in 2004, announced that they would be releasing a double album.
'Cigaro' was the first song that fans heard from the new double album. By this time it was November 2004, and it was known that the double album was going to be released in two parts, and that the new albums were called Mesmerize and Hypnotize. One was going to be released in 2005, with the other being released about half a year later.
In January 2005, System played at the Big Day Out Festival in Sydney, Australia. Whilst playing that show, and various others that month, System of a Down debuted tracks from their new albums, BYOB, Holy Mountains and Kill Rock n Roll were played frequently around this time. Other than those few tracks, and the leaked version of Cigaro, fans were kept in the dark, hearing very little from the new albums.
About a month before Mesmerize was due to be released, a south-American website posted 30 second clips of all the tracks from the album. The clips were only up for less than a day, but that was enough for most fans who hadn't heard much System material since Steal This Album. Then, two weeks before the official release date of May 16th (17th for the USA) the whole album was leaked onto the internet.
The album travelled quickly and word spread. This was a big deal. After all, the album had been voted 'Most Anticipated Album of the Year' in an internet poll earlier that year. System heard about the album leaking, and posted a statement on their official web-site asking fans not to download the album.
Despite the album leaking, it sold over 500,000 copies in the week following it's release. Since then it has gone platinum. The album's two singles, BYOB and Question! are played extensively on rock radio stations. Whether they like it or not, whether they intended to or not, System of a Down are a huge band in the alternative music scene, and even in mainstream music. It all seems quite strange for a band who's first single included the lyric "My girl, y'know she lashes out at me sometimes and I just fucking kick her". Perhaps to show that the band haven't lost their aggressive edge, when playing a live performance of BYOB on Saturday Night Live, guitarist Daron Malakian, shouted "Fuck Yeah!" during a break in the song. The band were threatened with legal action, but nothing ever came of it.
Since the release of Mesmerize, System have mainly been doing press release for Hypnotize, part two of the double album set, which is to be released in November 2005, and touring to promote their new albums. They recently finished shooting the video for the first single from their new album, the title track, Hypnotize. The song has also been made available on the band's official website.
Hypnotize will no doubt sell platinum, thanks partly to airplay on the radio of the title track, but mainly to the success of Mesmerize. The album may even go platinum in it's first week!!
At this stage it's not too clear what the band have planned for the future. They've been touring fairly solidly for nearly a year now, and surely it's too early to be thinking of a follow up to Hypnotize?
The only thing it's fair to say is, that System of a Down have brought heavy music back into the mainstream, in a way that hasn't been done since Nevermind and Dookie, back in the early nineties. Not bad for a band whose most well known song , up until a few years ago, was about sitting in a desolate room, no lights, no music...
all history are from: ultimate-guitar.com
The band met bassist Shavo Odadjian in 1994, who was also of Armenian descent, and had attended an Armenian private school in Hollywood, along with Daron and Serj. He hung around with Soil a lot and was originally going to be the bands manager, but in early 1995, he became the band's bassist. The original drummer was replaced by Andy Khachaturian in 1995, (lead singer of The Apex Theory until 2002, now lead singer of VoKEE), and the line up remained this way until 1997.
In this time period (i.e. up until 1997, when the band was signed to American Recordings by Rick Rubin) the band achieved quite a lot, recording three demo tapes, playing many live shows and undergoing a name change, first to Victims Of A Down (after a poem that Daron Malakian wrote) and then to System Of A Down. Serj Tankian explains the reason 'System' was chosen instead of 'Victims'; "System was chosen as a better, stronger word, and it makes it into a 'whole'. Instead of people in particular, it's the society."
The band's first ever recording is believed to be a demo consisting of 2 songs; Flake and Toast. Very little is known about the recordings, as it would seem that nobody outside the band has heard the songs. System of a Down's earliest surfaced recording is a demo of the song X (also known as Multiply) which is dated around early-1995. The version lacks any snare drum and is of very rough quality. Despite the fact that it was first recorded and performed in 1995, the song didn't see official release until it was re-recorded for the bands second album, 2001's "Toxicity".
It is believed that also during early 1995, the band recorded 3 other songs that would later be used on official System of a Down releases; Roulette, 36 and P.I.G. The latter would later undergo a name change to "Mr. Jack" and the songs would be re-recorded for the 2002 release "Steal This Album."
The band's first release was a demo tape recorded the same year, that was sold at early live shows. The demo (which was of poor quality) had four songs on it, three of them (Sugar, Suite Pee and P.L.U.C.K) were re-recorded for the bands 1998 self titled debut. The remaining song, Dam, has never been re-recorded, but was played live very often at early shows. The song is a Daron Malakian solo-song, that consists of creepy robotic vocals, muttering "Everyone is sleeping", over a middle-eastern guitar riff.
The band continued playing live shows and writing new material, and in 1996, released another demo tape, this one of much higher quality than their 1995 tape. However, of the three songs, only 'Soil' made it onto an official release (a re-recording of the song was used on the band's first album). Honey and Temper, like Dam, have never been re-recorded, but many live versions of the songs exist.
1997 brought a lot for the band. A new 3 song demo tape was released, featuring Know, War? and Peephole (all three tracks were re-recorded for the bands debut album), Andy Khachaturian left the group, and new drummer John Dolmayan joined the band. Then, on July 30th, the band was signed to American Recordings by Rick Rubin following a show at the Viper Rooms in Hollywood. Rubin commented on the band “I was blown away”.
The band set about writing and recording new material for their debut album, and in late 1997 recorded many new tracks as well as re-recording old ones. As well as re-recording 7 songs that had seen release on demo tapes (Sugar, Suite Pee, P.L.U.C.K, Soil, Know, War?, Peephole) the band recorded 6 new tracks that were included on the album, Suggestions, Spiders, Devil, Mind, CUBErt and Darts. The band also recorded many tracks that never have been officially released and are only available on bootlegs; re-recordings of 36 and Friik (a song supposedly first recorded around the time of Toast and Flake), as well as Blue, Storaged, Marmalade, and a cover version of the pop-song, The Metro, which was originally performed by the 80's pop group Berlin.
The International version of the album contained a bonus track, Marmalade, that was written some time in mid-1997. The Japanese import version of the album included,
as well as Marmalade, Storaged, from the 1997 recording sessions. The song is a short, heavy noise blast, where Serj sings about the moral issues relating to abortion.
Three days before the release of System's first album, the band played at the Ozzfest Festival, the first time the band had played to a large audience. When the first album was released, it got a good response. The band started gathering a large fan-base, and in 1999 released the Sugar EP. The EP featured the album version of Sugar, along with live versions of the song, live versions of War? and the studio version of Storaged. In 1999, the band also performed on the Conan O'Brien Show, and chose to play Spiders.
By 2000, the band had to start thinking about a follow up to their self titled album. Their fan-base was growing bigger, and in this year the group enjoyed several movie-soundtrack appearances. They entered the studio to start recording their new album, and the product was 2001's multi-platinum selling "Toxicity." The album included:
Prison Song
Needles
Deer Dance
Jet Pilot
A re-recording of X (Multiply)
Suicide (later re-titled Chop Suey! This is the song that made the band huge, and was the first single off the album)
PJ's (later re-titled Bounce)
Forest
ATWA (Air, Tress, Water, Animals)
Science
Shimmy
Version 7.0 (later re-titled Toxicity and released as the second single off the album)
Psycho
Aerials (this was the third single from the album)
Der Voghormia; This is an unlisted track that is commonly mislabelled as 'Arto', most probably because the song is a collaboration with a friend of Serj's called Arto Tumboyacian. The track is a traditional Armenian funeral song for the dead.
On the same day that Toxicity was released, System of a Down released a one-track single, 'Johnny'. The song was also released on limited edition versions of the album, and as a B-Side on the Chop Suey! single.
Toxicity sold quickly and soon after it's release, System of a Down had became a massive band, that had even slipped into the mainstream, thanks mainly to lots of radio airplay of the albums' three singles (Chop Suey!, Toxicity and Aerials).
As if any proof was needed that System were on the verge on conquering the world of alternative music, they were asked to headline the Ozzfest Festival in 2002. The year also brought (along with the release of 2 singles) Steal This Album! The release was a 16 track compilation of tracks from the Toxicity sessions that didn't make the album. Before the album was released many of the tracks leaked on the Internet, and the band re-recorded a lot of them. Although the album sold well in time, the album lacked the mainstream appeal of Toxicity. Nonetheless, System remained on top of the music world, and in 2004, announced that they would be releasing a double album.
'Cigaro' was the first song that fans heard from the new double album. By this time it was November 2004, and it was known that the double album was going to be released in two parts, and that the new albums were called Mesmerize and Hypnotize. One was going to be released in 2005, with the other being released about half a year later.
In January 2005, System played at the Big Day Out Festival in Sydney, Australia. Whilst playing that show, and various others that month, System of a Down debuted tracks from their new albums, BYOB, Holy Mountains and Kill Rock n Roll were played frequently around this time. Other than those few tracks, and the leaked version of Cigaro, fans were kept in the dark, hearing very little from the new albums.
About a month before Mesmerize was due to be released, a south-American website posted 30 second clips of all the tracks from the album. The clips were only up for less than a day, but that was enough for most fans who hadn't heard much System material since Steal This Album. Then, two weeks before the official release date of May 16th (17th for the USA) the whole album was leaked onto the internet.
The album travelled quickly and word spread. This was a big deal. After all, the album had been voted 'Most Anticipated Album of the Year' in an internet poll earlier that year. System heard about the album leaking, and posted a statement on their official web-site asking fans not to download the album.
Despite the album leaking, it sold over 500,000 copies in the week following it's release. Since then it has gone platinum. The album's two singles, BYOB and Question! are played extensively on rock radio stations. Whether they like it or not, whether they intended to or not, System of a Down are a huge band in the alternative music scene, and even in mainstream music. It all seems quite strange for a band who's first single included the lyric "My girl, y'know she lashes out at me sometimes and I just fucking kick her". Perhaps to show that the band haven't lost their aggressive edge, when playing a live performance of BYOB on Saturday Night Live, guitarist Daron Malakian, shouted "Fuck Yeah!" during a break in the song. The band were threatened with legal action, but nothing ever came of it.
Since the release of Mesmerize, System have mainly been doing press release for Hypnotize, part two of the double album set, which is to be released in November 2005, and touring to promote their new albums. They recently finished shooting the video for the first single from their new album, the title track, Hypnotize. The song has also been made available on the band's official website.
Hypnotize will no doubt sell platinum, thanks partly to airplay on the radio of the title track, but mainly to the success of Mesmerize. The album may even go platinum in it's first week!!
At this stage it's not too clear what the band have planned for the future. They've been touring fairly solidly for nearly a year now, and surely it's too early to be thinking of a follow up to Hypnotize?
The only thing it's fair to say is, that System of a Down have brought heavy music back into the mainstream, in a way that hasn't been done since Nevermind and Dookie, back in the early nineties. Not bad for a band whose most well known song , up until a few years ago, was about sitting in a desolate room, no lights, no music...
all history are from: ultimate-guitar.com
The History Of: Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck/Blow By Blow, Wired, with Jan Hammer Group Live In the mid-70's Jeff Beck formed a band with some premier sidemen and invented a genre and a blueprint for hundreds of guitar-gods. An all instrumental, guitar-driven, jazz-rock fusion project. Over the next several years he produced some of the most influential and innovative music, commercially successful and critically acclaimed, and all without the focus of pop music, a vocal track. His guitar was the lead voice, supported by virtuoso musicians playing rocking yet elegant arrangements of great compositions. Here's a rundown of the first and probably best known 3 of those albums.
Blow By Blow (1975):
01. You Know What I Mean
02. She's A Woman
03. Constipated Duck
04. AIR Blower
05. Scatterbrain
06. Cause We've Ended As Lovers
07. Thelonius
08. Freeway Jam
09. Diamond Dust
Featuring Max Middleton, Phil Chenn & Richard Bailey.
Originally released in March, 1975, Blow By Blow was a radical departure from Beck's previous records. After stints with Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck Group, playing mainsteam rock in support of a lead vocalist, Beck took an entirely new direction. Jazz influenced arrangements of songs by Beck and the band, Stevie Wonder and Lennon/McCartney were produced and orchestrated by the legendary George Martin. The result was an eclectic mix of funk-rock beats, acid-rock guitar, jazz bass licks and Middleton's funky clavinet and Fender Rhoads, with a brooding and moody string backdrop that was both classic and original. Amazingly for an instrumental album, with went platinumand spent 25 weeks on the Billboard album chart, peaking at number 4. Echoes of Blow By Blow can be heard on every guitar-slinger showcase since, spawning the likes of Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and hundreds of other Mr. Varney prodigies.
Wired (1976):
01. Led Boots
02. Come Dancing
03. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
04. Head For Backstage Pass
05. Blue Wind
06. Sophie
07. Play With Me
08. Love Is Green
Featuring Max Middleton, Jan Hammer, Richard Bailey, Wilbur Bascomb & Narada Michael Walden.
Where Blow By Blow had been very much an ensemble album, Beck's next release, Wired, was a more personal and introspective album. Instead of extended jamming and vamping on funk beats, Wired was more melodic and the lead lines were more pronounced and dominant, with less rambling soloing. The compositions were tighter and more focused. Narada Michael Walden's beautiful compositions were perfect vehicles for Beck's emotional phrasing and feel. Jan Hammer contributioned the most memorable tune, the soaring Blue Wind. A bluesy rendition of Charlie Mingus' jazz standard Goodbye Pork Pie Hat showcased Beck's grasp of dynamics and pacing. On songs like GPPH and Sophie Beck showed incredible touch and feel, sometimes barely touching the strings, then squeezing searing bends and squeals out of his strat. Originally released in May, 1976, Wired also went platinum and spent 25 weeks on Billboard's album chart, peaking at number 16.
Jeff Beck With Jan Hammer Group Live (1977):
01. Freeway Jam
02. Earth (Still Our Only Home)
03. She's A Woman
04. Full Moon Boogie
05. Darkness/Earth In Search Of A Sun
06. Scatterbrain
07. Blue Wind
with Jan Hammer, Tony Smith, Fernando Saunders, & Steve Kindler
Backed by Jan Hammer's band of hotshot session wizards, Beck only had to stand up and play while behind him the tight and funky rhythm section pulsed out powerhouse renditions of new original tunes and highlights from the two previous albums on 1977's Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live. The album bristles with peaks, like Steve Kindler's jazz violin on Scatterbrain, doubling Beck's blistering guitar line, and the screaming solos and jam sections, between the valleys of ambiant moody keyboard pieces like Darkness and Earth (Still Our Only Home), and the swampy funk of Full Moon Boogie. Beck mostly sticks to playing "colors" and soloing over the band's arrangements, but it works beautifully. While impressive and spirited, without the fire of his guitar the songs and playing of the sidemen would be without the focus and depth Beck provides. Only a band as competent and talented as Hammer's could provide the support to Beck's loose and rangy style. A perfect balance, although their are a few uncomfortable vocal moments that make you wish he had stuck to his all instrumental format. Perhaps Beck felt an all-instrumental show wouldn't hold the crowd's interest. Whatever the reason, they provide the only weak point to the entire album, which succeeds on every other level, Hammers multi-layered keyboards more than filling out and filling in for Walden and Martin's string arrangements.
Long before the time with Jan Hammer Group Live went platinum Beck proved that a guitar could replace vocals, and project just as much expression, soul, feeling and depth to carry an album. In fact, it melded more easily and distracted less from the other instrumentalists and guitar rhythm textures. The melodic lines were just as memorable and strong, both the stacked lead lines and the gentle, solo guitar melodies were full and powerful. Beck didn't just noodle over his backing band's groove, in the studio and live he melded with it, producing music that was technically proficient and impressive, but full of feeling and expression. None of the imitators since have really improved on the original master. And he also provided the solution to every lead guitarist who was sick of dealing with the asshole lead singer.
all history are from: ultimate-guitar.com
Thanks to them
Blow By Blow (1975):
01. You Know What I Mean
02. She's A Woman
03. Constipated Duck
04. AIR Blower
05. Scatterbrain
06. Cause We've Ended As Lovers
07. Thelonius
08. Freeway Jam
09. Diamond Dust
Featuring Max Middleton, Phil Chenn & Richard Bailey.
Originally released in March, 1975, Blow By Blow was a radical departure from Beck's previous records. After stints with Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck Group, playing mainsteam rock in support of a lead vocalist, Beck took an entirely new direction. Jazz influenced arrangements of songs by Beck and the band, Stevie Wonder and Lennon/McCartney were produced and orchestrated by the legendary George Martin. The result was an eclectic mix of funk-rock beats, acid-rock guitar, jazz bass licks and Middleton's funky clavinet and Fender Rhoads, with a brooding and moody string backdrop that was both classic and original. Amazingly for an instrumental album, with went platinumand spent 25 weeks on the Billboard album chart, peaking at number 4. Echoes of Blow By Blow can be heard on every guitar-slinger showcase since, spawning the likes of Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and hundreds of other Mr. Varney prodigies.
Wired (1976):
01. Led Boots
02. Come Dancing
03. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
04. Head For Backstage Pass
05. Blue Wind
06. Sophie
07. Play With Me
08. Love Is Green
Featuring Max Middleton, Jan Hammer, Richard Bailey, Wilbur Bascomb & Narada Michael Walden.
Where Blow By Blow had been very much an ensemble album, Beck's next release, Wired, was a more personal and introspective album. Instead of extended jamming and vamping on funk beats, Wired was more melodic and the lead lines were more pronounced and dominant, with less rambling soloing. The compositions were tighter and more focused. Narada Michael Walden's beautiful compositions were perfect vehicles for Beck's emotional phrasing and feel. Jan Hammer contributioned the most memorable tune, the soaring Blue Wind. A bluesy rendition of Charlie Mingus' jazz standard Goodbye Pork Pie Hat showcased Beck's grasp of dynamics and pacing. On songs like GPPH and Sophie Beck showed incredible touch and feel, sometimes barely touching the strings, then squeezing searing bends and squeals out of his strat. Originally released in May, 1976, Wired also went platinum and spent 25 weeks on Billboard's album chart, peaking at number 16.
Jeff Beck With Jan Hammer Group Live (1977):
01. Freeway Jam
02. Earth (Still Our Only Home)
03. She's A Woman
04. Full Moon Boogie
05. Darkness/Earth In Search Of A Sun
06. Scatterbrain
07. Blue Wind
with Jan Hammer, Tony Smith, Fernando Saunders, & Steve Kindler
Backed by Jan Hammer's band of hotshot session wizards, Beck only had to stand up and play while behind him the tight and funky rhythm section pulsed out powerhouse renditions of new original tunes and highlights from the two previous albums on 1977's Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live. The album bristles with peaks, like Steve Kindler's jazz violin on Scatterbrain, doubling Beck's blistering guitar line, and the screaming solos and jam sections, between the valleys of ambiant moody keyboard pieces like Darkness and Earth (Still Our Only Home), and the swampy funk of Full Moon Boogie. Beck mostly sticks to playing "colors" and soloing over the band's arrangements, but it works beautifully. While impressive and spirited, without the fire of his guitar the songs and playing of the sidemen would be without the focus and depth Beck provides. Only a band as competent and talented as Hammer's could provide the support to Beck's loose and rangy style. A perfect balance, although their are a few uncomfortable vocal moments that make you wish he had stuck to his all instrumental format. Perhaps Beck felt an all-instrumental show wouldn't hold the crowd's interest. Whatever the reason, they provide the only weak point to the entire album, which succeeds on every other level, Hammers multi-layered keyboards more than filling out and filling in for Walden and Martin's string arrangements.
Long before the time with Jan Hammer Group Live went platinum Beck proved that a guitar could replace vocals, and project just as much expression, soul, feeling and depth to carry an album. In fact, it melded more easily and distracted less from the other instrumentalists and guitar rhythm textures. The melodic lines were just as memorable and strong, both the stacked lead lines and the gentle, solo guitar melodies were full and powerful. Beck didn't just noodle over his backing band's groove, in the studio and live he melded with it, producing music that was technically proficient and impressive, but full of feeling and expression. None of the imitators since have really improved on the original master. And he also provided the solution to every lead guitarist who was sick of dealing with the asshole lead singer.
all history are from: ultimate-guitar.com
Thanks to them
The History Of: The Beatles
The story of one of the greatest rock bands ever started on a day in 1957 when Ivan Vaughn introduced John Lennon, born October 9th, 1940, to Paul McCartney, born June 18th, 1942. They form a group called the Quarrymen that same year. The Quarrymen soon began performing at The Cavern Club in Liverpool. In 1958, The Quarrymen got George Harrison, born February 24, 1943, to be its next member. Later in the year they would record their first single, the A side being Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day". The B side was an original track by Paul and George called "In Spite Of All The Danger".
The next year, the Quarrymen changed their name to Johnny And The Moondogs and played dead end gigs in Liverpool. In January of 1960, John's art school friend Stuart Sutcliffe, born June 23, 1940, joined on bass. They would continue without a regular drummer until August when Pete Best, born November 24, 1941, joined the band. The band renamed itself the Silver Beatles, then just the Beatles that same year. Soon after the name change, The Beatles travelled to Hamburg, Germany and began a 17-day residency at the Indra Club, before moving to the larger Kaiserkeller Club. The Beatles went into a studio in Hamburg and recorded "Summertime". Pete Best was absent during this session. His seat was filled by Richard Starkey a.k.a. Ringo Starr, born July 7th, 1940.
The Beatles left Germany, with Stuart staying behind by request, at the end of 1960. The band began a residency at their old Quarrymen hangout, The Cavern Club, in February of 1961. During one of these gigs, they met Brian Epstien, who would become their manager. The next year, The Beatles auditioned for Decca Records, but were turned down. About three months after the Decca audition, the Beatles received word that Stuart Sutcliffe had died of a brain haemorrhage. He was only 21 years old. Later in the year, the Beatles were signed to EMI Records, where they met George Martin, who would produce the band through much of their career. On August 14th, 1962, Pete Best was fired from the group. Ringo Starr was his replacement. The Beatles recorded "P.S. I Love You", "Ask Me Why", and "Love Me Do" later in the year. By the end of the year, "Love Me Do" would reach #17 on the UK charts.
At the beginning of 1963, the Beatles began their first headlining tour. Soon after the tour, the Beatles released their debut album, Please Please Me. It shot up to #1 on the UK charts. Later in the year, they released With The Beatles. It too was a smashing success. At the beginning of 1964, the Beatles landed in the US. Their first album in the US was an exact copy of With The Beatles, but titled Meet The Beatles. Beatlemania had begun.
On February 9th, 1964, the Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. This performance would become legendary. On February 29th (leap year), the Beatles' latest album, Introducing...The Beatles shot up to US #2, where it was behind Meet The Beatles. On July 6th, A Hard Day's Night was released. The movie/album would become a smashing success, climbing to #1 on both the US and UK charts. In late August, the Beatles released Beatles For Sale, another #1. The beginning of 1965 brought the release of Beatles '65, which, of course, climbed to #1 on the charts. The Beatles released yet another album in July. It was titled, "Beatles VI". Like all of the Beatles albums before it, it was a smashing success. The Beatles were on top of the world.
August brought the release of the Beatles' second movie, Help!. The soundtrack would shoot up to #1, where it would stay for nine weeks. On December 3rd, the Beatles began their final UK tour, with only 9 dates. The end of the year brought the release of Rubber Soul, an experimental album that marked a departure from the typical pop songs they had been playing before. But even though it was so different from the albums before it, Rubber Soul ascended to #1 in both the US and UK. In early 1966, John said in an Evening Standard interview that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus". John would apologize for the statement later in the year. In July of that same year, Yesterday And Today was released. It's original album cover, featuring the Beatles dressed up as butchers with dismembered dolls and bloody cuts of meat surrounding them, was taken off the shelves and replaced with an alternative cover.
On August 13th, 1966, Revolver was released. It was another experimental album, and marked the beginning of the later half of the Beatles' career. On August 29th, the Beatles played their final US concert in San Francisco, California. The band had more creative choices now that they wouldn't have to play live. Their next album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, was their most experimental yet, featuring orchestras and horns. Soon after, Brian Epstein died of an overdose at the age of 33. In September of 1967, the Beatles began filming their TV movie, Magical Mystery Tour. The soundtrack would be released a few months later. It was around this time that John first met Yoko Ono, who he began dating. Soon after, the Beatles form Apple Records. One of the first bands signed onto the new label was Badfinger.
In 1968, Yellow Submarine, the soundtrack to the animated film of the same name, was released. The Beatles didn't actually supply the voices for their characters in the movie and only made a cameo appearance at the end. Later in the year, John's wife, Cynthia, divorced him because of his affair with Yoko Ono. In December of 1968, the Beatles released a self-titled double album that would usually be referred to as The White Album because of its white cover. In 1969, the Beatles began recording Get Back. The album project was abandoned and the Beatles began working on Abbey Road, which was revolutionary. Also around this time, the Beatles played for 42 minutes on top of the Apple building until they were stopped by the police. In March, John married Yoko. Tension was building between the Beatles, partially because of Yoko. The Beatles' reign of success would soon end.
In 1970, the Beatles finished Get Back and released it as Let It Be. It would be the Beatles' last album. The band split in April. John went on to have a successful solo career until he was murdered in 1980. Paul formed Wings and also had a successful solo career. George, just like John and Paul, had a great and influential solo career. He died in 2002. Ringo too had a solo career, but his was a little more low-key. The Beatles are remembered today as one of the most influential rock bands ever. Their influence is shown in many classic and modern rock bands. Their legacy will never be forgotten.
The next year, the Quarrymen changed their name to Johnny And The Moondogs and played dead end gigs in Liverpool. In January of 1960, John's art school friend Stuart Sutcliffe, born June 23, 1940, joined on bass. They would continue without a regular drummer until August when Pete Best, born November 24, 1941, joined the band. The band renamed itself the Silver Beatles, then just the Beatles that same year. Soon after the name change, The Beatles travelled to Hamburg, Germany and began a 17-day residency at the Indra Club, before moving to the larger Kaiserkeller Club. The Beatles went into a studio in Hamburg and recorded "Summertime". Pete Best was absent during this session. His seat was filled by Richard Starkey a.k.a. Ringo Starr, born July 7th, 1940.
The Beatles left Germany, with Stuart staying behind by request, at the end of 1960. The band began a residency at their old Quarrymen hangout, The Cavern Club, in February of 1961. During one of these gigs, they met Brian Epstien, who would become their manager. The next year, The Beatles auditioned for Decca Records, but were turned down. About three months after the Decca audition, the Beatles received word that Stuart Sutcliffe had died of a brain haemorrhage. He was only 21 years old. Later in the year, the Beatles were signed to EMI Records, where they met George Martin, who would produce the band through much of their career. On August 14th, 1962, Pete Best was fired from the group. Ringo Starr was his replacement. The Beatles recorded "P.S. I Love You", "Ask Me Why", and "Love Me Do" later in the year. By the end of the year, "Love Me Do" would reach #17 on the UK charts.
At the beginning of 1963, the Beatles began their first headlining tour. Soon after the tour, the Beatles released their debut album, Please Please Me. It shot up to #1 on the UK charts. Later in the year, they released With The Beatles. It too was a smashing success. At the beginning of 1964, the Beatles landed in the US. Their first album in the US was an exact copy of With The Beatles, but titled Meet The Beatles. Beatlemania had begun.
On February 9th, 1964, the Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. This performance would become legendary. On February 29th (leap year), the Beatles' latest album, Introducing...The Beatles shot up to US #2, where it was behind Meet The Beatles. On July 6th, A Hard Day's Night was released. The movie/album would become a smashing success, climbing to #1 on both the US and UK charts. In late August, the Beatles released Beatles For Sale, another #1. The beginning of 1965 brought the release of Beatles '65, which, of course, climbed to #1 on the charts. The Beatles released yet another album in July. It was titled, "Beatles VI". Like all of the Beatles albums before it, it was a smashing success. The Beatles were on top of the world.
August brought the release of the Beatles' second movie, Help!. The soundtrack would shoot up to #1, where it would stay for nine weeks. On December 3rd, the Beatles began their final UK tour, with only 9 dates. The end of the year brought the release of Rubber Soul, an experimental album that marked a departure from the typical pop songs they had been playing before. But even though it was so different from the albums before it, Rubber Soul ascended to #1 in both the US and UK. In early 1966, John said in an Evening Standard interview that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus". John would apologize for the statement later in the year. In July of that same year, Yesterday And Today was released. It's original album cover, featuring the Beatles dressed up as butchers with dismembered dolls and bloody cuts of meat surrounding them, was taken off the shelves and replaced with an alternative cover.
On August 13th, 1966, Revolver was released. It was another experimental album, and marked the beginning of the later half of the Beatles' career. On August 29th, the Beatles played their final US concert in San Francisco, California. The band had more creative choices now that they wouldn't have to play live. Their next album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, was their most experimental yet, featuring orchestras and horns. Soon after, Brian Epstein died of an overdose at the age of 33. In September of 1967, the Beatles began filming their TV movie, Magical Mystery Tour. The soundtrack would be released a few months later. It was around this time that John first met Yoko Ono, who he began dating. Soon after, the Beatles form Apple Records. One of the first bands signed onto the new label was Badfinger.
In 1968, Yellow Submarine, the soundtrack to the animated film of the same name, was released. The Beatles didn't actually supply the voices for their characters in the movie and only made a cameo appearance at the end. Later in the year, John's wife, Cynthia, divorced him because of his affair with Yoko Ono. In December of 1968, the Beatles released a self-titled double album that would usually be referred to as The White Album because of its white cover. In 1969, the Beatles began recording Get Back. The album project was abandoned and the Beatles began working on Abbey Road, which was revolutionary. Also around this time, the Beatles played for 42 minutes on top of the Apple building until they were stopped by the police. In March, John married Yoko. Tension was building between the Beatles, partially because of Yoko. The Beatles' reign of success would soon end.
In 1970, the Beatles finished Get Back and released it as Let It Be. It would be the Beatles' last album. The band split in April. John went on to have a successful solo career until he was murdered in 1980. Paul formed Wings and also had a successful solo career. George, just like John and Paul, had a great and influential solo career. He died in 2002. Ringo too had a solo career, but his was a little more low-key. The Beatles are remembered today as one of the most influential rock bands ever. Their influence is shown in many classic and modern rock bands. Their legacy will never be forgotten.
The History Of: 90's Rock Music
The Nineties continued to see the expansion of alternative rock, both artistically and commercially. The general trend of the era was towards more and more abstract music, music that had lost its original label of dance/party music.
First and foremost, the Nineties were the decade of singer songwriters who play ever more intellectual compositions: female composers such as Robin Holcomb, Tori Amos, Lisa Germano and Juliana Hatfield, male composers such as Matthew Sweet, Magnetic Field, Smog, Beck. Canada had Jane Siberry and Loreena McKennitt, two of the most conceptual musicians of their time, until Alanis Morissette emerged as a leader of the female folksinger movement. Ireland had two of the most unique voices, Sinead O'Connor and Enya, soon joined by Iceland's Bjork. In England, only Polly Jean Harvey ranked with these masters.
"Foxcore" was a brief fad propelled by West Coast all-girl punk bands such as Hole, Babes In Toyland, L7 and Seven Year Bitch.
Industrial music staged a dramatic comeback in Chicago with two of the most visible acts of the decade: Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, inspired by older European bands like KMFDM. New York followed suit with Cop Shoot Cop and Type O Negative, San Francisco with Neurosis, Steel Pole Bath Tub, Thinking Fellers Union. Texas with a florid industrial/psychedelic school that included the Pain Teensm Bedhead, and the Vas Deferens Organization.
Gothic rock came from the sun belt (Lycia, Black Tape For A Blue Girl) and was never as popular as the northern variant of industrial music.
Hard sounds still ruled in the aftermath of grunge, and New York (Unsane, Helmet, Surgery, Monster Magnet) and Los Angeles (Tool, Stone Temple Pilots, Kyuss, Korn) had their share of the pie.
Techno was the new trend in dance music. Invented in the Eighties in Detroit by the triad of disc jockeys Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May, techno crossed the Atlantic and established itself in England and in the continent (Front 242), marching hand in hand with the rave scene. America was left behind (Moby and not much else).
Britain was the place for psychedelic music. It started with the Liverpool revival of Echo And The Bunnymen and Julian Cope, then it picked up speed with dream-pop (Cocteau Twins, the Australian Dead Can Dance, the Norwegian Bel Canto, and later the formidable triad of Slowdive, Bark Psychosis and Tindersticks) and with the Scottish noise-pop bands (Jesus And Mary Chain and Primal Scream ) and finally reached a climax with the shoegazers (My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3, Loop, Spiritualized, Catherine Wheel), before folding into a new form of ambient music.
By the end of the decade, Britain was awash in Brit-pop, a media-induced trance of super-melodic pop that spawned countless "next big things", from Verve to Oasis to Blur to Suede to Radiohead, the band that finally disposed of it. But the best in the melodic genre came from humbler groups, led by girls, like Primitives and Heavenly.
The 1990s were also the decade of heavy metal, that peaked in Los Angeles with Metallica, Jane's Addiction, Guns And Roses, and that soon split into a myriad subgenres (doom metal, grind-core, death metal, etc) and funk-metal (Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against The Machine in Los Angeles, Primus and Faith No More in San Francisco). Marilyn Manson was the late phenomenon that recharged the genre.
Details On The Golden Age Of Heavy Metal
Punk-pop was born in Los Angeles in the Eighties, but somehow peaked in the Nineties elsewhere (Green Day in San Francisco, Screeching Weasel and Pegboy in Chicago).
The Nineties were the decade of intellectual rock, when no song could be just a melody and a rhythm but had to be all twisted and deranged. New York leaned towards rhythm and blues (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Soul Coughing, Royal Trux) and psychedelia (Yo La Tengo ), Boston towards psychedelia (Galaxie 500, Morphine) and pop (Breeders, Belly), Seattle towards psychedelia (Sky Cries Mary, Built To Spill), Los Angeles towards psychedelia (Mazzy Star, Red Temple Spirits, Medicine, Grant Lee Buffalo), San Francisco towards folk and country (American Music Club, Red House Painters), Washington towards punk-rock (Unrest, Girls Against Boys), Chicago towards punk-rock (Jesus Lizard) psychedelia (Codeine, Eleventh Dream Day), pop (Green, Smashing Pumpkins) and country (Uncle Tupelo). All of them owed something to the humble school of Kentucky, led by Slint and peaked with Tortoise.
Remnants of punk-rock in Texas (Ed Hall), Minneapolis (Cows), Tennessee (Today Is The Day) kept sending shock-waves around the nation.
San Francisco started the vogue for lo-fi pop with Pavement, which then begat Sebadoh, Guided By Voices, etc.
The Southeastern states came up strong with more and more intelligent sounds (Bitch Magnet, Blind Idiot God, Don Caballero, Grifters) that eventually peaked in the North Carolina school (Polvo, Seam).
Analog synthesizers staged a comeback with Jessamine, Magnog, Labradford.
But new styles kept coming literally from everywhere: Rhode Island (Six Finger Satellite), Arizona ( Calexico), Ohio ( Brainiac), Montana (Silkworm), Michigan (Windy & Carl).
England kept mutating its variant of psychedelia, that now began bordering on dissonant avantgarde (Stereolab, Ozric Tentacles, Pram, Flying Saucer Attack, Porcupine Tree).
The Nineties were the age of electronic music, whether in dance, ambient or noise format. Electronic musicians and ensembles spread to Belgium (Vidna Obmana), France (Air, Deep Forest, Lightwave), Germany (Sven Vath, Mo Boma, Oval, Mouse On Mars, Air Liquide), Canada (Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, Delerium, Vampire Rodents, Trance Mission), Scandinavia, and especially Japan (Zeni Geva, Boredoms, Merzbow, the triad of noise). Britain's revitalized ambient scene yielded Orb, Main, Rapoon, Autechre.
Britain's dance music was far more successful (creatively speaking) than its rock bands: Madchester (Stone Roses), rave (Saint Etienne), transglobal dance (Banco De Gaia, Loop Guru, Transglobal Underground, TUU) ambient house (Orbital, Future Sound Of London, Aphex Twins, Mu-ziq), jungle (Goldie, Squarepusher, Propellerheads), trip-hop (Portishead, Tricky), and plain techno (Meat Beat Manifesto, Prodigy, Chemical Brothers) artists redefined compositional processes and cross-bred countless genres.
Industrial music and grindcore somehow merged and spawned terrifying sounds in the albums of Techno Animal and Godflesh.
The Irish Cranberries and the Scottish Belle And Sebastian are among the revelations of the end of the decade.
Australia still boasts impressive ensembles, and in particular one of the most important instrumental bands, Dirty 3.
The 1990s' boom of singer songwriters will continue throughout the decade. Among the leaders of influential bands, several will continue offering serious music on their own: Natalie Merchant, Kristin Hersh, Bob Mould, Frank Black, Paul Westerberg, Mark Eitzel, Scott Weiland, Chris Cornell, and, greatest of them all, Mark Lanegan.
Freedy Johnston, Vic Chesnutt, Peter Himmelman, My Dad Is Dead, Mountain Goats are among the new voices of the decade, each eccentric in his own way.
And the ranks seemed to increase towards the turn of the century: Jeff Buckley, Sparklehorse, Elliott Smith, Richard Buckner, Ben Harper, Joe Henry, Songs:Ohia, Damien Jurado, Pedro The Lion, etc.
Among female artists, Jarboe, Azalia Snail and Lida Husik were heavily influenced by psychedelia.
Cat Power, Beth Hart, Neko Case, Amy Denio, Heather Duby, Edith Frost, Shannon Wright are among the experimental artists to emerge in the late 1990s.
Liz Phair, Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple, Lili Haydn represent the commercial aspect of the movement, which peaked with Mariah Carey's innumerable hits.
First and foremost, the Nineties were the decade of singer songwriters who play ever more intellectual compositions: female composers such as Robin Holcomb, Tori Amos, Lisa Germano and Juliana Hatfield, male composers such as Matthew Sweet, Magnetic Field, Smog, Beck. Canada had Jane Siberry and Loreena McKennitt, two of the most conceptual musicians of their time, until Alanis Morissette emerged as a leader of the female folksinger movement. Ireland had two of the most unique voices, Sinead O'Connor and Enya, soon joined by Iceland's Bjork. In England, only Polly Jean Harvey ranked with these masters.
"Foxcore" was a brief fad propelled by West Coast all-girl punk bands such as Hole, Babes In Toyland, L7 and Seven Year Bitch.
Industrial music staged a dramatic comeback in Chicago with two of the most visible acts of the decade: Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, inspired by older European bands like KMFDM. New York followed suit with Cop Shoot Cop and Type O Negative, San Francisco with Neurosis, Steel Pole Bath Tub, Thinking Fellers Union. Texas with a florid industrial/psychedelic school that included the Pain Teensm Bedhead, and the Vas Deferens Organization.
Gothic rock came from the sun belt (Lycia, Black Tape For A Blue Girl) and was never as popular as the northern variant of industrial music.
Hard sounds still ruled in the aftermath of grunge, and New York (Unsane, Helmet, Surgery, Monster Magnet) and Los Angeles (Tool, Stone Temple Pilots, Kyuss, Korn) had their share of the pie.
Techno was the new trend in dance music. Invented in the Eighties in Detroit by the triad of disc jockeys Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May, techno crossed the Atlantic and established itself in England and in the continent (Front 242), marching hand in hand with the rave scene. America was left behind (Moby and not much else).
Britain was the place for psychedelic music. It started with the Liverpool revival of Echo And The Bunnymen and Julian Cope, then it picked up speed with dream-pop (Cocteau Twins, the Australian Dead Can Dance, the Norwegian Bel Canto, and later the formidable triad of Slowdive, Bark Psychosis and Tindersticks) and with the Scottish noise-pop bands (Jesus And Mary Chain and Primal Scream ) and finally reached a climax with the shoegazers (My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3, Loop, Spiritualized, Catherine Wheel), before folding into a new form of ambient music.
By the end of the decade, Britain was awash in Brit-pop, a media-induced trance of super-melodic pop that spawned countless "next big things", from Verve to Oasis to Blur to Suede to Radiohead, the band that finally disposed of it. But the best in the melodic genre came from humbler groups, led by girls, like Primitives and Heavenly.
The 1990s were also the decade of heavy metal, that peaked in Los Angeles with Metallica, Jane's Addiction, Guns And Roses, and that soon split into a myriad subgenres (doom metal, grind-core, death metal, etc) and funk-metal (Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against The Machine in Los Angeles, Primus and Faith No More in San Francisco). Marilyn Manson was the late phenomenon that recharged the genre.
Details On The Golden Age Of Heavy Metal
Punk-pop was born in Los Angeles in the Eighties, but somehow peaked in the Nineties elsewhere (Green Day in San Francisco, Screeching Weasel and Pegboy in Chicago).
The Nineties were the decade of intellectual rock, when no song could be just a melody and a rhythm but had to be all twisted and deranged. New York leaned towards rhythm and blues (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Soul Coughing, Royal Trux) and psychedelia (Yo La Tengo ), Boston towards psychedelia (Galaxie 500, Morphine) and pop (Breeders, Belly), Seattle towards psychedelia (Sky Cries Mary, Built To Spill), Los Angeles towards psychedelia (Mazzy Star, Red Temple Spirits, Medicine, Grant Lee Buffalo), San Francisco towards folk and country (American Music Club, Red House Painters), Washington towards punk-rock (Unrest, Girls Against Boys), Chicago towards punk-rock (Jesus Lizard) psychedelia (Codeine, Eleventh Dream Day), pop (Green, Smashing Pumpkins) and country (Uncle Tupelo). All of them owed something to the humble school of Kentucky, led by Slint and peaked with Tortoise.
Remnants of punk-rock in Texas (Ed Hall), Minneapolis (Cows), Tennessee (Today Is The Day) kept sending shock-waves around the nation.
San Francisco started the vogue for lo-fi pop with Pavement, which then begat Sebadoh, Guided By Voices, etc.
The Southeastern states came up strong with more and more intelligent sounds (Bitch Magnet, Blind Idiot God, Don Caballero, Grifters) that eventually peaked in the North Carolina school (Polvo, Seam).
Analog synthesizers staged a comeback with Jessamine, Magnog, Labradford.
But new styles kept coming literally from everywhere: Rhode Island (Six Finger Satellite), Arizona ( Calexico), Ohio ( Brainiac), Montana (Silkworm), Michigan (Windy & Carl).
England kept mutating its variant of psychedelia, that now began bordering on dissonant avantgarde (Stereolab, Ozric Tentacles, Pram, Flying Saucer Attack, Porcupine Tree).
The Nineties were the age of electronic music, whether in dance, ambient or noise format. Electronic musicians and ensembles spread to Belgium (Vidna Obmana), France (Air, Deep Forest, Lightwave), Germany (Sven Vath, Mo Boma, Oval, Mouse On Mars, Air Liquide), Canada (Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, Delerium, Vampire Rodents, Trance Mission), Scandinavia, and especially Japan (Zeni Geva, Boredoms, Merzbow, the triad of noise). Britain's revitalized ambient scene yielded Orb, Main, Rapoon, Autechre.
Britain's dance music was far more successful (creatively speaking) than its rock bands: Madchester (Stone Roses), rave (Saint Etienne), transglobal dance (Banco De Gaia, Loop Guru, Transglobal Underground, TUU) ambient house (Orbital, Future Sound Of London, Aphex Twins, Mu-ziq), jungle (Goldie, Squarepusher, Propellerheads), trip-hop (Portishead, Tricky), and plain techno (Meat Beat Manifesto, Prodigy, Chemical Brothers) artists redefined compositional processes and cross-bred countless genres.
Industrial music and grindcore somehow merged and spawned terrifying sounds in the albums of Techno Animal and Godflesh.
The Irish Cranberries and the Scottish Belle And Sebastian are among the revelations of the end of the decade.
Australia still boasts impressive ensembles, and in particular one of the most important instrumental bands, Dirty 3.
The 1990s' boom of singer songwriters will continue throughout the decade. Among the leaders of influential bands, several will continue offering serious music on their own: Natalie Merchant, Kristin Hersh, Bob Mould, Frank Black, Paul Westerberg, Mark Eitzel, Scott Weiland, Chris Cornell, and, greatest of them all, Mark Lanegan.
Freedy Johnston, Vic Chesnutt, Peter Himmelman, My Dad Is Dead, Mountain Goats are among the new voices of the decade, each eccentric in his own way.
And the ranks seemed to increase towards the turn of the century: Jeff Buckley, Sparklehorse, Elliott Smith, Richard Buckner, Ben Harper, Joe Henry, Songs:Ohia, Damien Jurado, Pedro The Lion, etc.
Among female artists, Jarboe, Azalia Snail and Lida Husik were heavily influenced by psychedelia.
Cat Power, Beth Hart, Neko Case, Amy Denio, Heather Duby, Edith Frost, Shannon Wright are among the experimental artists to emerge in the late 1990s.
Liz Phair, Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple, Lili Haydn represent the commercial aspect of the movement, which peaked with Mariah Carey's innumerable hits.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The History Of: Alice In Chains
Facelift
This is the major label debut, the CD that started it all. With tracks like “We Die Young,” “Sea Of Sorrow,” and the semi-classic “It Ain’t Like That Anymore,” this found a home in the CD collections of a lot of people before fame came to the band. However, Alice In Chains was destined for nothing more than any other band until, that is, radio and MTV picked up on an infectious and driving song, driven by chunky guitars, a chorus that had nicely performed vocals, and a ripper of a guitar solo. When “Man In The Box” hit the media, the people went nuts. The CD started selling like wildfire, and thus people were hooked on this sound… not really a new sound by any means, but one that had been refined by this band. The sound of Jerry Cantrell’s guitars, Layne’s vocals, Mike Starr’s bass being not just a rhythm instrument but also a melodic one, and even the pounding of Sean Kinney’s drums all come together to create a masterful debut CD, one to be remembered as a truly great CD.
Sap
An odd decision if ever there was one, this was an EP that was almost totally acoustic-guitar driven. From the soothing chords of “Brother” to the rougher chorus of the radio sing “Got Me Wrong,” the first two tracks really highlight the harmonies of Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell even better than the debut Facelift did. Quite honestly, this is probably my least favorite release because it’s just too left field for Alice In Chains. Plus, the other two songs take a lot of getting used to and they seem less focused than “Brother” and “Got Me Wrong.” Still, a mediocre AIC release is a good CD.
Dirt
The masterpiece. Considered the band’s best CD, and one of the best discs of all time. Certainly number one in my books. Right from the start, one could tell this was a totally different band than the one that did Facelift. Maybe not in members, but in spirit for sure. There were no ballad love songs on this CD. No songs that sounded like anything a band on the verge of grunge and end of glam would produce. No, this was purehard rock. It shows in songs like “Them Bones” and the classic “Angry Chair.” A slightly different side shows through in another classic and a smash hit to boot, “Rooster.” One recurring theme throughout the CD is undeniable: drug addiction. Specifically heroin, used by Layne a whole hell of a lot. He wrote songs about it because it’s what he knew. At the time, he didn’t think addiction was as bad as he later found out. So he wrote songs that seemed to glorify it. But, deep inside the songs, you could tell he was fighting the addiction. Slowly but surely. Two songs that later would go on to become perennial favorites of every AIC fan were the best signs of what was coming: “Down In A Hole” and “Would?” were the forecast of the coming fall.
“Down In A Hole” is perhaps the most somber song in the history of mankind. Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell use that ability to perfectly harmonize on the verses and a soaring note in the ends of the choruses, but it’s Cantrell’s perfect fingerstyle guitar playing that really sets the tone. Then, when he blasts the distortion and lets it ring through… it’s simply an experience I can’t even comprehend. Then, the close of the CD, quite possibly better known than “Man In The Box” for it’s brooding bass line, “Would?” was the song that really ends the CD on an unforgettable note. The bass kicks the song off and signals the coming tempest, then the guitar adds an eerie element to the song. The vocals are just the icing in the verses, then the full tilt choruses are the perfect kick to get things really going. The solo is well played, of course, and then one more part switch to take it home, then ending on the five discordant notes and the screamed line of “If I Would Could You?” just seals the deal. So closes the disc on a truly awesome and powerful album. The Dirt CD, a true rock classic if ever there was one.
Jar Of Flies
Another EP from Alice In Chains, and the first recordings with new bassist Mike Inez, this one is more balanced. It keeps a free atmosphere and shows that acoustic side of Alice In Chains yet again. This time, the lead single was destined for greatness. Harmony all throughout the song, a rocking chorus, and an insanely catchy guitar riff keep “No Excuses” going, and it was an MTV smash hit, a radio smash hit, and made Alice In Chains do what was heretofore thought impossible: an EP debuted at #1 on the Billboard Music Charts. However, the songs apart from “No Excuses” are, for the most part, acoustic Alice In Chains material: depressing, moody, and full of loss. Even the instrumental “Whale And Wasp,” written solely by Jerry Cantrell, is a somber and grounded little song.
The second single from the CD, “I Stay Away,” was a very strange song from Alice In Chains. A combination of seemingly crazed lyrics and a strange but cool guitar part make this song one to remember. “Don’t Follow” is sometimes overlooked in the face of the singles and “Rotten Apple,” but it’s a great song. It starts with Jerry Cantrell and an acoustic guitar and just sails through the first half of the song, which seems to be Jerry telling his woman not to follow him where he’s going. Then, the song changes direction entirely. The bass kicks in, the guitar comes back, drums start up, and suddenly a nice harmonica comes in and sets the tone for Layne’s rougher voice to continue the story about how he wants to go home from where he is. We assume he’s an older version of the character Jerry portrayed in the first half. Whatever it is, it’s an enjoyable song, to be sure. However, they never did tour behind this CD, which makes the fact that it’s still the #1 selling EP of all time an incredible feat, to say the least.
Alice In Chains
A true return to form for Alice In Chains, this CD was. All rock, all the time. From start to finish, this CD just rocks. Not as dark as Dirt or colorful as Facelift, but a true rock CD nonetheless. The lead single was a bit different for the band, more of a chugging metal attack than the usual, but it served the band well, getting them a lot of radio airplay and a decent amount of MTV exposure. But it was the second single that really hit home with the people, because it somewhat conjured the spirit of “No Excuses.” “Heaven Beside You” featured Jerry Cantrell on lead vocals, the first AIC single to really focus on his voice much more than Layne’s. But it had a lot of acoustic guitar, a hard rocking section, a killer breakdown with some crazy solo work, and a nice, short-but-sweet feel to it. It was another in a growing string of MTV successes for the band. It was also the only first since “Angry Chair” where Layne’s eyes were seen, before then he always had shades on. What significance this had on anything is pretty pointless, but it seems worth mentioning, to some.
The third single, “Again,” inspired something of a national debate over the bridges. Was it two boops or three boops? This actually led MTV to dissect the song, second by second, and they still disagreed (the answer is three, by the way). Kind of an odd way to gain publicity, but if it works, then go with it. The song wasn’t half bad either. The rest of the CD was either straight ahead rock material, like “Head Creeps” and “Brush Away,” or slow, dirge-like songs, such as “Over Now.” The odd songs on this CD were easy to tell: “Frogs,” which was a weird song about… well… umm… umm… okay, no one really knows. It was just weird. And the “Nothin’ Song” which was truly about nothing, and is remembered by many as “That song about peanut butter,” thanks to a lyrics that goes “Oh the nothing son sticks to you mouth like peanut butter on the brain.” Again, a strange way to be remembered. Sadly, this was the last CD of original Alice In Chains material, and it was a good CD overall… but not a truly fitting end to the legacy. Thankfully, MTV saw fit to invite them to do…
MTV Unplugged
This is one of the signs that your band is going to end soon. When MTV says “Can we do an Unplugged and record it for a CD release?” It happened to Nirvana, and it did pretty much happen to Alice In Chains. Who’s next, I ask? However, like Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged: Live From New York, the Alice In Chains MTV Unplugged CD and performance is the single best recording ever of the band. “From the opening chords of Jerry Cantrell’s guitar on “Nutshell” the final chord of the completely new and never recorded “Killer Is Me,” this CD shines. This was the last performance of the band ever, as such it’s only fitting that almost every radio song ever released was on here. “No Excuses,” “Angry Chair,” “Rooster,” “Heaven Beside You,” “Got Me Wrong,” and “Would?” all make showings here. In fact, the band’s mist beloved songs all make appearances, with the notable exception of anything from Facelift. But, what is here is superb.
“Brother” is a much better song on the acoustics than it is plugged in, and when Layne and Jerry do the middle part acapella, it’s soul-stirring. “No Excuses” is even more fun when done acoustic. A surprise in the form of the song “Sludge Factory” from the self-titled CD helps set the mood for the one single song that makes this CD, if nothing else does… an acoustic version of “Down In A Hole.” Simply a haunting reminder of what had been and a gloomy vision of what was to come, but so well done that it accomplishes it’s mission and make you feel the pain that Layne and Jerry felt while writing the song. “Angry Chair” is a nice addition, but I think I like it better plugged in. “Rooster” unplugged has a totally different and ethereal feel to it that just shines. “Got Me Wrong” was a great song plugged in, and it’s just as good unplugged. ”Heaven Beside You” was an excellent choice for the MTV Unplugged show, and it surely connected with the audience.
Now, “Would?” comes in and it too feels different. Vastly different. However, it still has that haunting feel to it. It’s less powerful because Layne’s voice had been devastated by rampant drug abuse, but he makes it work and still pulls out a great performance. Another odd choice from the Alice In Chains disc, “Frogs” rears its head on the CD. No one knows why, really. But, it is masterfully done, so we will give them credit for that much. Then, the closer of the show, sort of. “Over Now” from the self-titled disc (what’s with all the tracks from the latest disc, eh?) was a slow, brooding song. On the Unplugged disc, it’s a fun romp through the song, with a real twangy feel to it. It’s a great way to close the show, except they’re not done. Jerry speaks to the crowd and they decide to do a song that was more or less written during soundcheck, called “The Killer Is Me.” It’s a great song, and it doesn’t show that it’s that new because the band knows what they’re doing, and they show that they cans till play off of each other. The chemistry was still there, which is why it’s so sad that this was the last time they played live. But… what a memorial this disc is. Another must have CD, right here.
Nothing Safe
Um. This was an odd release. Essentially, this was to tide people over until the Alice In Chains box set could come out. It featured a few cools things: a live performance of “Rooster,” a demo of the early AIC classic, “We Die Young,” and the named track “Iron Gland.“ “Iron Gland” made it’s first appearance on the Dirt CD as an unnamed track between “Dirt” and “Hate To Feel” done only because Jerry wanted to play the weird guitar riff in the middle and he wouldn’t stop until it was recorded. Ever stranger still, the vocal parts are all overdub by legendary bassist/vocalist Tom Araya, better known for his role in thrash-metal band Slayer. Go figure, but it sounds cool as hell.
However, the real reason anyone picked this CD up was the inclusion of a brand new Alice In Chains song, called “Get Born Again.” It sounds like something from the Dirt but with a modern feel. AIC fans rejoiced at this song and thus our hope in the band was renewed! The box set promised more previously unreleased goodies and another new AIC song, so it was, of course, a must have. Nothing Safe was nothing spectacular, but it did its job and held the rabid AIC fan base over until the release of…
The Music Bank Box Set
There’s no way to cover this thing. Three CDs of music, a fourth disc containing the enhanced CD from the re-released Jar Of Flies EP and the video for “Get Born Again” as well as a game based on AIC lore? How can you beat that? You can’t. If you are an AIC fan, buy this. Enjoy this. If you already have all the CDs (like me) and aren’t willing to shell out another $50 or whatever for it, then find the track list and get going on the stuff you don’t have. It’s worth the time or money.
AIC Live
Sadly, this ranks among the last AIC releases the world will ever see. This is, essentially, a career retrospective of the band live. Except… it doesn’t do it well. Let’s face facts: this was thrown together by Columbia Records to make money, and that’s it. It’s missing any sign of real life from the band, two of the tracks were already readily available (“Rooster” was on Nothing Safe and “Queen Of The Rodeo” was in the box set), and the quality is less than stellar. Overall, if you want AIC live, you’re better off finding the various import CDs floating around.
Technically, there is an Alice In Chains Greatest Hits package out, as well as reissues of Dirt and Jar Of Flies, but they’re nothing to really spend money on if you already have them. If you don’t, then by all means, grab them. Personally, I think Columbia Records has mismanaged the band and made them some sort of industry joke (“Hey hear about yet another greatest hits CD from Alice In Chains? Bwa ha ha!). It’s not funny, especially now that Layne Staley, possibly one of the greatest voices of all time, has passed away. It’s a tragedy, to be sure, but one can’t say it was unexpected. He knew it was coming, and he did try to kick the habit, but some just can’t get past it. Which makes his tale all the sadder. But… at least he left us with a healthy backlog of awesome music.
Alice In Chains will be remembered as a band from Seattle, if nothing else. One would hope they’ll be remembered for the songwriting team of Cantrell and Staley, the team that fueled this most legendary band. With 5 CDs of original music, two live CDs, and a box set, the band left it’s mark on the world. The music will live on through Jerry Cantrell, who has a solo career but still plays Alice In Chains songs at his shows. The music will live on through the countless bands that will be covering songs from them until the gates of hell open themselves up.
The music will live on through the fans and the amateur musicians who, like myself, will buy every Alice In Chains songbook and learn every song there is, and then learn them all over again just to be sure we have it. The singers who will emulate Layne’s voice, and fail because it’s impossible to do it justice. The bassists Mike Inez and Mike Starr who held the bottom down, usually forgotten in the greatness of Cantrell and Staley, and Sean Kinney, a drummer’s drummer. Never too much, never too little. He played the song, and that made him a good drummer and a perfect fit for the music. Separate, they were a group of Seattle musicians who were burned out on glam rock. Together as Alice In Chains, they shaped an entire generation of musicians. I’m glad to be able to count myself among those musicians. Alice In Chains and Layne Staley… gone, but never forgotten.
from Ultimate-guitar.com
This is the major label debut, the CD that started it all. With tracks like “We Die Young,” “Sea Of Sorrow,” and the semi-classic “It Ain’t Like That Anymore,” this found a home in the CD collections of a lot of people before fame came to the band. However, Alice In Chains was destined for nothing more than any other band until, that is, radio and MTV picked up on an infectious and driving song, driven by chunky guitars, a chorus that had nicely performed vocals, and a ripper of a guitar solo. When “Man In The Box” hit the media, the people went nuts. The CD started selling like wildfire, and thus people were hooked on this sound… not really a new sound by any means, but one that had been refined by this band. The sound of Jerry Cantrell’s guitars, Layne’s vocals, Mike Starr’s bass being not just a rhythm instrument but also a melodic one, and even the pounding of Sean Kinney’s drums all come together to create a masterful debut CD, one to be remembered as a truly great CD.
Sap
An odd decision if ever there was one, this was an EP that was almost totally acoustic-guitar driven. From the soothing chords of “Brother” to the rougher chorus of the radio sing “Got Me Wrong,” the first two tracks really highlight the harmonies of Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell even better than the debut Facelift did. Quite honestly, this is probably my least favorite release because it’s just too left field for Alice In Chains. Plus, the other two songs take a lot of getting used to and they seem less focused than “Brother” and “Got Me Wrong.” Still, a mediocre AIC release is a good CD.
Dirt
The masterpiece. Considered the band’s best CD, and one of the best discs of all time. Certainly number one in my books. Right from the start, one could tell this was a totally different band than the one that did Facelift. Maybe not in members, but in spirit for sure. There were no ballad love songs on this CD. No songs that sounded like anything a band on the verge of grunge and end of glam would produce. No, this was purehard rock. It shows in songs like “Them Bones” and the classic “Angry Chair.” A slightly different side shows through in another classic and a smash hit to boot, “Rooster.” One recurring theme throughout the CD is undeniable: drug addiction. Specifically heroin, used by Layne a whole hell of a lot. He wrote songs about it because it’s what he knew. At the time, he didn’t think addiction was as bad as he later found out. So he wrote songs that seemed to glorify it. But, deep inside the songs, you could tell he was fighting the addiction. Slowly but surely. Two songs that later would go on to become perennial favorites of every AIC fan were the best signs of what was coming: “Down In A Hole” and “Would?” were the forecast of the coming fall.
“Down In A Hole” is perhaps the most somber song in the history of mankind. Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell use that ability to perfectly harmonize on the verses and a soaring note in the ends of the choruses, but it’s Cantrell’s perfect fingerstyle guitar playing that really sets the tone. Then, when he blasts the distortion and lets it ring through… it’s simply an experience I can’t even comprehend. Then, the close of the CD, quite possibly better known than “Man In The Box” for it’s brooding bass line, “Would?” was the song that really ends the CD on an unforgettable note. The bass kicks the song off and signals the coming tempest, then the guitar adds an eerie element to the song. The vocals are just the icing in the verses, then the full tilt choruses are the perfect kick to get things really going. The solo is well played, of course, and then one more part switch to take it home, then ending on the five discordant notes and the screamed line of “If I Would Could You?” just seals the deal. So closes the disc on a truly awesome and powerful album. The Dirt CD, a true rock classic if ever there was one.
Jar Of Flies
Another EP from Alice In Chains, and the first recordings with new bassist Mike Inez, this one is more balanced. It keeps a free atmosphere and shows that acoustic side of Alice In Chains yet again. This time, the lead single was destined for greatness. Harmony all throughout the song, a rocking chorus, and an insanely catchy guitar riff keep “No Excuses” going, and it was an MTV smash hit, a radio smash hit, and made Alice In Chains do what was heretofore thought impossible: an EP debuted at #1 on the Billboard Music Charts. However, the songs apart from “No Excuses” are, for the most part, acoustic Alice In Chains material: depressing, moody, and full of loss. Even the instrumental “Whale And Wasp,” written solely by Jerry Cantrell, is a somber and grounded little song.
The second single from the CD, “I Stay Away,” was a very strange song from Alice In Chains. A combination of seemingly crazed lyrics and a strange but cool guitar part make this song one to remember. “Don’t Follow” is sometimes overlooked in the face of the singles and “Rotten Apple,” but it’s a great song. It starts with Jerry Cantrell and an acoustic guitar and just sails through the first half of the song, which seems to be Jerry telling his woman not to follow him where he’s going. Then, the song changes direction entirely. The bass kicks in, the guitar comes back, drums start up, and suddenly a nice harmonica comes in and sets the tone for Layne’s rougher voice to continue the story about how he wants to go home from where he is. We assume he’s an older version of the character Jerry portrayed in the first half. Whatever it is, it’s an enjoyable song, to be sure. However, they never did tour behind this CD, which makes the fact that it’s still the #1 selling EP of all time an incredible feat, to say the least.
Alice In Chains
A true return to form for Alice In Chains, this CD was. All rock, all the time. From start to finish, this CD just rocks. Not as dark as Dirt or colorful as Facelift, but a true rock CD nonetheless. The lead single was a bit different for the band, more of a chugging metal attack than the usual, but it served the band well, getting them a lot of radio airplay and a decent amount of MTV exposure. But it was the second single that really hit home with the people, because it somewhat conjured the spirit of “No Excuses.” “Heaven Beside You” featured Jerry Cantrell on lead vocals, the first AIC single to really focus on his voice much more than Layne’s. But it had a lot of acoustic guitar, a hard rocking section, a killer breakdown with some crazy solo work, and a nice, short-but-sweet feel to it. It was another in a growing string of MTV successes for the band. It was also the only first since “Angry Chair” where Layne’s eyes were seen, before then he always had shades on. What significance this had on anything is pretty pointless, but it seems worth mentioning, to some.
The third single, “Again,” inspired something of a national debate over the bridges. Was it two boops or three boops? This actually led MTV to dissect the song, second by second, and they still disagreed (the answer is three, by the way). Kind of an odd way to gain publicity, but if it works, then go with it. The song wasn’t half bad either. The rest of the CD was either straight ahead rock material, like “Head Creeps” and “Brush Away,” or slow, dirge-like songs, such as “Over Now.” The odd songs on this CD were easy to tell: “Frogs,” which was a weird song about… well… umm… umm… okay, no one really knows. It was just weird. And the “Nothin’ Song” which was truly about nothing, and is remembered by many as “That song about peanut butter,” thanks to a lyrics that goes “Oh the nothing son sticks to you mouth like peanut butter on the brain.” Again, a strange way to be remembered. Sadly, this was the last CD of original Alice In Chains material, and it was a good CD overall… but not a truly fitting end to the legacy. Thankfully, MTV saw fit to invite them to do…
MTV Unplugged
This is one of the signs that your band is going to end soon. When MTV says “Can we do an Unplugged and record it for a CD release?” It happened to Nirvana, and it did pretty much happen to Alice In Chains. Who’s next, I ask? However, like Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged: Live From New York, the Alice In Chains MTV Unplugged CD and performance is the single best recording ever of the band. “From the opening chords of Jerry Cantrell’s guitar on “Nutshell” the final chord of the completely new and never recorded “Killer Is Me,” this CD shines. This was the last performance of the band ever, as such it’s only fitting that almost every radio song ever released was on here. “No Excuses,” “Angry Chair,” “Rooster,” “Heaven Beside You,” “Got Me Wrong,” and “Would?” all make showings here. In fact, the band’s mist beloved songs all make appearances, with the notable exception of anything from Facelift. But, what is here is superb.
“Brother” is a much better song on the acoustics than it is plugged in, and when Layne and Jerry do the middle part acapella, it’s soul-stirring. “No Excuses” is even more fun when done acoustic. A surprise in the form of the song “Sludge Factory” from the self-titled CD helps set the mood for the one single song that makes this CD, if nothing else does… an acoustic version of “Down In A Hole.” Simply a haunting reminder of what had been and a gloomy vision of what was to come, but so well done that it accomplishes it’s mission and make you feel the pain that Layne and Jerry felt while writing the song. “Angry Chair” is a nice addition, but I think I like it better plugged in. “Rooster” unplugged has a totally different and ethereal feel to it that just shines. “Got Me Wrong” was a great song plugged in, and it’s just as good unplugged. ”Heaven Beside You” was an excellent choice for the MTV Unplugged show, and it surely connected with the audience.
Now, “Would?” comes in and it too feels different. Vastly different. However, it still has that haunting feel to it. It’s less powerful because Layne’s voice had been devastated by rampant drug abuse, but he makes it work and still pulls out a great performance. Another odd choice from the Alice In Chains disc, “Frogs” rears its head on the CD. No one knows why, really. But, it is masterfully done, so we will give them credit for that much. Then, the closer of the show, sort of. “Over Now” from the self-titled disc (what’s with all the tracks from the latest disc, eh?) was a slow, brooding song. On the Unplugged disc, it’s a fun romp through the song, with a real twangy feel to it. It’s a great way to close the show, except they’re not done. Jerry speaks to the crowd and they decide to do a song that was more or less written during soundcheck, called “The Killer Is Me.” It’s a great song, and it doesn’t show that it’s that new because the band knows what they’re doing, and they show that they cans till play off of each other. The chemistry was still there, which is why it’s so sad that this was the last time they played live. But… what a memorial this disc is. Another must have CD, right here.
Nothing Safe
Um. This was an odd release. Essentially, this was to tide people over until the Alice In Chains box set could come out. It featured a few cools things: a live performance of “Rooster,” a demo of the early AIC classic, “We Die Young,” and the named track “Iron Gland.“ “Iron Gland” made it’s first appearance on the Dirt CD as an unnamed track between “Dirt” and “Hate To Feel” done only because Jerry wanted to play the weird guitar riff in the middle and he wouldn’t stop until it was recorded. Ever stranger still, the vocal parts are all overdub by legendary bassist/vocalist Tom Araya, better known for his role in thrash-metal band Slayer. Go figure, but it sounds cool as hell.
However, the real reason anyone picked this CD up was the inclusion of a brand new Alice In Chains song, called “Get Born Again.” It sounds like something from the Dirt but with a modern feel. AIC fans rejoiced at this song and thus our hope in the band was renewed! The box set promised more previously unreleased goodies and another new AIC song, so it was, of course, a must have. Nothing Safe was nothing spectacular, but it did its job and held the rabid AIC fan base over until the release of…
The Music Bank Box Set
There’s no way to cover this thing. Three CDs of music, a fourth disc containing the enhanced CD from the re-released Jar Of Flies EP and the video for “Get Born Again” as well as a game based on AIC lore? How can you beat that? You can’t. If you are an AIC fan, buy this. Enjoy this. If you already have all the CDs (like me) and aren’t willing to shell out another $50 or whatever for it, then find the track list and get going on the stuff you don’t have. It’s worth the time or money.
AIC Live
Sadly, this ranks among the last AIC releases the world will ever see. This is, essentially, a career retrospective of the band live. Except… it doesn’t do it well. Let’s face facts: this was thrown together by Columbia Records to make money, and that’s it. It’s missing any sign of real life from the band, two of the tracks were already readily available (“Rooster” was on Nothing Safe and “Queen Of The Rodeo” was in the box set), and the quality is less than stellar. Overall, if you want AIC live, you’re better off finding the various import CDs floating around.
Technically, there is an Alice In Chains Greatest Hits package out, as well as reissues of Dirt and Jar Of Flies, but they’re nothing to really spend money on if you already have them. If you don’t, then by all means, grab them. Personally, I think Columbia Records has mismanaged the band and made them some sort of industry joke (“Hey hear about yet another greatest hits CD from Alice In Chains? Bwa ha ha!). It’s not funny, especially now that Layne Staley, possibly one of the greatest voices of all time, has passed away. It’s a tragedy, to be sure, but one can’t say it was unexpected. He knew it was coming, and he did try to kick the habit, but some just can’t get past it. Which makes his tale all the sadder. But… at least he left us with a healthy backlog of awesome music.
Alice In Chains will be remembered as a band from Seattle, if nothing else. One would hope they’ll be remembered for the songwriting team of Cantrell and Staley, the team that fueled this most legendary band. With 5 CDs of original music, two live CDs, and a box set, the band left it’s mark on the world. The music will live on through Jerry Cantrell, who has a solo career but still plays Alice In Chains songs at his shows. The music will live on through the countless bands that will be covering songs from them until the gates of hell open themselves up.
The music will live on through the fans and the amateur musicians who, like myself, will buy every Alice In Chains songbook and learn every song there is, and then learn them all over again just to be sure we have it. The singers who will emulate Layne’s voice, and fail because it’s impossible to do it justice. The bassists Mike Inez and Mike Starr who held the bottom down, usually forgotten in the greatness of Cantrell and Staley, and Sean Kinney, a drummer’s drummer. Never too much, never too little. He played the song, and that made him a good drummer and a perfect fit for the music. Separate, they were a group of Seattle musicians who were burned out on glam rock. Together as Alice In Chains, they shaped an entire generation of musicians. I’m glad to be able to count myself among those musicians. Alice In Chains and Layne Staley… gone, but never forgotten.
from Ultimate-guitar.com
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