Today's Day in Rock
Original Guns N' Roses Members Record New Song
(hennemusic) Duff McKagan has revealed that he and his former original Guns N' Roses bandmate Izzy Stradlin hooked up to record a new song in the studio last month.
McKagan first shared word that he was recording on his 51st birthday on February 5 with Stradlin and his longtime drummer Taz Bentley, tweeting "Spent the first part of my birthday with @tazbentley and Izzy...rocking!"
Now, McKagan shares more details in a new interview with Argentina's Vorterix. "[Izzy and I] recorded a song that day," says the bassist. "We were talking on the phone, and he said, 'Let's go record a song.' And we used Josh [Homme] from Queens of the Stone Age's studio; it was open.
"So we just went it - Izzy and I and Taz - and just had a blast. We recorded a song. I have it. It just got mixed. It's a super kick-ass song. And we just had fun, and we'll probably do it some more."
"We've always kind of done [stuff like that], but usually on his records," McKagan continues. "This was just like this open thing. And I had a riff, and he had an idea, and we recorded it in half a day." Read more and see a photo here.
Blink-182's Travis Barker Not Angry At 'Childish' Tom DeLonge
(TeamRock Radio) Travis Barker insists he is not angry with Blink-182's estranged frontman Tom DeLonge - but he feels the singer's actions are "childish." DeLonge walked away from the band in January, leading his former colleagues to bring in Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba for the Musink festival on March 22. They last week confirmed Skiba would also play with them on March 20 in San Diego.
Barker tells Yahoo: "I'm in no way, shape, or form mad at him. If anything, I just wish he would own up to not wanting to be in the band and go do his other stuff.
"There's a sympathy card he's pulling right now. And that doesn't even really piss me off, it's just kind of childish. But if years down the line it makes sense, I'll never say never."
The drummer says he changed his attitude to such situations after surviving the 2008 plane crash that killed four others. Read more here.
Scott Weiland Previews Two More Songs From Forthcoming Album
(hennemusic) Scott Weiland And The Wildabouts are sharing a preview of "Way She Moves" and "Hotel Rio", two tracks from their forthcoming debut album, "Blaster."
Due March 31, the 12-track set was produced by Rick Parker (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) and recorded at Weiland's Lavish Studios and the Sandbox in Los Angeles.
The band have previously debuted the video for "Modzilla" from the package, as well as previewed "White Lightning" and "Circles." Joining Weiland in The Wildabouts are guitarist Jeremy Brown, bassist Tommy Black and drummer Danny Thompson.
Robert Plant Announces Tour Dates With Pixies and JD McPherson
Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant has announced that he will be hitting the road this summer for a North American tour with his current band the Sensational Space Shifters.
The tour will be kicking off on May 24th with an appearance at the Sasquatch! Festival in George, WA and will be concluding on June 17th in Philadelphia, PA at the Mann Center.
The tour will feature headline shows and festival appearances and five of the headline shows will feature support from the Pixies and four of the shows will be supported by JD McPherson four.
The Pixies will be opening the shows in Toronto, ONT on June 7th, Rochester Hills, MI on June 9th, Chicago, IL on June 10th, Raleigh, NC on June 15th and the final show in Philadelphia.
JD McPherson will be the opening act in Salt Lake City, UT on May 27th, Las Vegas on May 28th, Santa Barbara on May 31st and in Los Angeles on June 2nd.
Plant and his band are launching the tour in support of their latest studio album, "lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar." See the tour dates here.
Jack Bruce Sunshine of Your Love Tribute Concert Announced
Organizers have announced details for the Jack Bruce tribute and benefit concert 'Sunshine of Your Love' which will be taking place on October 24th at The Roundhouse in London.
A number of artists have been confirmed for the event which will pay tribute to the late Cream icon including his Cream bandmate Ginger Baker, Joss Stone, Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera, Jethro Tull legend Ian Anderson, Living Colour's Vernon Reid, Level 42's Mark King, Liam Bailey, Fiona Bevan and Jack Bruce's Big Blues Band
The event's musical director Nitin Sawhney had the following to say, "Jack Bruce was one of my biggest heroes when I was growing up - a consummate musician, composer and all round rock genius with a killer voice and one of the most creative and versatile musical minds of his generation.
"Being asked to musically direct this show celebrating his life and work is a great honour and privilege and I look forward to working with an amazing line up of contemporary artists and rock legends."
Organizers also announced that the event will benefit one of Bruce's favorite charities, East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH).
The Offspring's Smash Producer Thom Wilson Dies
Thom Wilson, who produced The Offspring's first three albums including their multi-platinum album "Smash," died on February 8th, according to Epitaph Records.
A cause of death has not been revealed. In addition to the six-times platinum "Smash," Wilson also produced albums for T.S.O.L., Bouncing Souls, Iggy Pop, Dead Kennedys, The Aquabats, D.I., The Vandals, and more.
Epitaph CEO and Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz had the following to say in a statement, "In '82 when I was just getting started Thom Wilson was a guy all the bands in the scene looked up to.
"He was the pro in our midst who loved punk and was willing to take kids under his wing to help them sound great. His work with TSOL and The Adolescents set the bar for everything that came after, including The Offspring's multi-platinum LP Smash, which was the best-selling independent release of all time. Thom was a friend, a teacher, and a great producer. He'll be missed."
Skinless Classic Lineup Releasing New Album
Skinless have announced that they will be releasing their new album, "Only The Ruthless Remain", the group's first new studio effort in almost a decade, in June.
The album follows 2006's "Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead" and will be released in various formats including digitally, CD and vinyl LP on June 2nd in North America, June 1st in the UK and the various countries in the EU and May 29th in Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg), Finland, and Germany.
"Only The Ruthless Remain" was produced by Tom Case by the classic lineup of the band: vocalist Sherwood Webber, guitarist Noah Carpenter, bassist Joe Keyser, drummer Bob Beaulac, as well as guitarist Dave Matthews.
The group has also announced appearances at this year's Maryland Deathfest on May 21st and the 2015 Hellfest in France on June 21st, with additional lives dates to be announced soon.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Announce Live Release
(Classic Rock) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are to release a DVD of their 2014 show in Paris. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Live In Paris is issued on May 4th in the UK and May 12th in North America.
It was recorded at the Theatre Trianon on February 24, 2014, during BRMC's sold-out tour of Europe. As well as the concert DVD, the package will also include the documentary film 33.3% by Yana Amur and a 2CD audio version of the set. It will also be available in a DVD/2LP vinyl version.
Frontman Robert Levon Been says: "It was a little over a year ago while sitting in the back of a passenger van outside Tokyo, all of us covered in sweat and half-cocked grins trying to catch our breath after having just walked off stage, I remember someone uttering the idea that we might actually really want to think about filming one of these shows before it's all over.
"I guess my first reaction was that we could all use a very long hot shower much more than another live DVD at that exact moment. My second was that it might be a shame if we reached the end of that tour without capturing any of the beauty and even brutality of it. But a lot of the music we create is not only where we exist, but also where we escape to." Read more here.
Judas Priest's Rob Halford Uncovers Novel He Wrote In The 1970s
Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford reveals in a new interview that he recently uncovered a novel that he wrote in the 1970s called "Library of Tears."
Halford explained finding it and gives some background on the story to Classic Rock Revisited. "Until recently, I was searching my house in the UK to try to find it, and I actually found it. I found the actual book, the manuscript I put together.
"I wrote it out longhand and then I typed it. I haven't re-read it yet--I read the first few pages. It's very childlike, but I'm just pleased that I was able to find it. I don't know if anything will come of it. I am just relieved that having thought it was completely lost, I now have it.
"It's a pretty cool story. It's about this evil kind of guy who steals people's emotions by capturing their tears. He has this library and instead of books he has these little glass vials of humanity. He has a room full of these things and it is called The Library of Tears. I've now discovered it, and who knows what will happen to it. I am not sure."
KISS Producer Discusses Band's Controversial Grunge Album
KISS producer Toby Wright was a special guest for a two part special from Decibel Geek podcast where he discussed the band's controversial final album from the unmasked period "Carnival of Souls".
The album was recorded as a follow-up to the band's acclaimed 1992 album "Revenge", featuring the same lineup of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer but the album was shelved when the original lineup of the group reunited. It was later officially released in late 1997 after it was leaked.
The show sent over these excerpts from the interview: Recommended by producer Bob Ezrin, Wright remembers his initial meeting with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, which took place at A&M Studios: "They kinda put it in my ear why I was there. They wanted to follow a little hip trend going on at the time called Grunge music. The bottom line was, like all artists, they wanted to sell records. Y'know, they want to be on top of the pile. Gene has a big competitive personality so he's all about being on the top of the pile and whatever it takes to get there."
Then-guitarist Bruce Kulick was a large creative force during the making of the album. Wright shares his memories of Kulick's importance as well as a directive from him during pre-production meetings about how to get the most out of Simmons and Stanley for this very different album for KISS. "Bruce and I got really close during that whole record because he played most of the record. Without Bruce, this record wouldn't exist, ever. During those initial "nobody's around" conversations, I got inspiration from Bruce and instructions from Bruce that were like "You are gonna have to push the f*** out of these guys (Simmons & Stanley). Don't be afraid."
Other advice came from Ezrin who had worked with KISS on their previous album Revenge, "Bob's told me some stories about Gene. He's like "Watch out. One f***ing smell of weakness and he'll be all over you." I'll always remember that comment. So, I was like "Okay. I'm never gonna show any fear whatsoever that I'm in a room with one of my heroes. He'll never know that." He'll take advantage; big time. He'll smell fear in your eyes, it's over for you as far as having any kind of control over a situation; especially in a producer situation where I'm in the studio co-producing with he and Paul (Stanley) and it's the three of us "making decisions." Who has the last say? Depends on what the issue is. If it's something sonically, it's usually me. If it's something musical, it's usually them. It just depends on how the conversation was going and who was the bolder lion that day (laughs)."
Wright was tapped to produce Carnival of Souls, in part, due to his previous work with Alice in Chains. In this 2 part special, Wright details how he pushed the members of the band to attempt harmony vocal takes that mirrored the Seattle quartet's and how it, ultimately, would fall short in comparison, "It's just an effect that I use, harmony vocals. I hear all the harmonies in my head like Layne (Staley) did. I do that on a lot of records I produce…..Layne and Jerry (Cantrell), they had something special with it because they used notes that people don't use, typically speaking. …Layne and Jerry, they just did it. That was a part of their art just like Van Gogh picking up a f***ing paintbrush. That was their sound. With Gene and Paul, that's stuff that's songwriter-forced. There's more movement in what Layne and Jerry would've done instead of these guys (Simmons & Stanley).
While loved by a core group of KISS fans, the album overall was not embraced by the KISS Army stylistically. Wright remembers, "To be brought into a situation where I'm trying to make someone sound unlike themselves is difficult. I would have rather had this KISS album be entirely them and just do what you do; because that's what you do. I think a larger number of their fans would have embraced it instead of fighting about "that sucks" or "that's good."
While in production, the band were very excited about the prospects of this change in sound and, according Wright, putting a lot of eggs into the Grunge basket, "I was already slated to produce the next one …..It was in my contract. If this one had shipped platinum, I was to produce the next KISS album."
As many now know, everything came to a halt one day in the studio when Simmons and Stanley called a meeting with Wright and the rest of the band to make an announcement that would have a major impact on the album as well as two of the band members, "We were about done with the record. Gene got the call. Somebody offered him 100 million to put back on the makeup with all the original members. And that announcement in that room; holy sh*t….We all knew right as the words came out of his mouth that we were done…."Paul didn't really look around much. Gene, he was Paul Revere. He was the messenger that should've gotten shot (laughs)."
Carnival of Souls would soon thereafter leak on the internet and become a widely distributed bootleg album, with KISS fans snatching it up online as well as at KISS conventions. Rumors swirled that a member of the band may have been responsible for leaking the album. In this 2 part discussion Wright reflects, "I do remember getting questioned, big time. Who knows who did it? I have great ideas on who did it. If it was a band member, I'd just say it was for his personal gain and I'm sure he made a lot of f***ing money."
The album would finally get a proper release in October of 1997 when it was issued by Mercury Records with very little fanfare. Wright remembers the experience being very bittersweet, "I was thinking that I'm working on another multiplatinum album, and it should've been, and then all of a sudden they shelve it. 2 years later, now they're releasing it and didn't put any marketing push behind it and it's like "Why did you bother?""
Slipknot Clown Says Mask Has Been Trying To Kill Him
(TeamRock Radio) Slipknot percussionist Shawn 'Clown' Crahan admits he's never been happy wearing his mask on stage. And he's explained why the band have never recorded a cover version, or invited guests to appear on their albums.
Asked if he ever gets irritated by his headgear, Clown says in a Live Nation Q&A: "Every night for the last 20 years. It has always been trying to kill me." He prefers the one worn by bandmate Chris Fehn, explaining: "I made it with my wife."
Slipknot haven't yet put their latest masks on sale, but he says that will happen after a gallery exhibition once their current tour is complete. On the subject of covers, Clown says: "We've kicked the idea around - but always pride ourselves on original music."
See what he said about special guests here.
36 Crazyfists Release 'Swing the Noose' Video
36 Crazyfists have released a new music video for the track "Swing the Noose", which is the latest single from the band's most recent studio album "Time and Trauma."
The band premiered the new Swing the Noose" video, which was directed by Kevin Custer, yesterday via Vevo's Metal Mondays. Watch the new video here.
The group has also announced a new string of North American headline tour dates which will take place this May and will feature support from Toothgrinder in addition to Sleepwave who will perform on select dates.
The tour will be kicking off on May 9th in Lansing, MI at The Loft and will conclude on May 26th in Salt Lake City, UT at In The Venue. See the tour dates here.
Comeback Kid Release 'Losing Sleep', Announce RSD Release
Comeback Kid has released a new music video for the song 'Losing Sleep' and they have announced their plans for a special release for this year's Record Store Day.
'Losing Sleep' comes from the band's latest album "Die Knowing" and the video features footage from live appearances across the globe as well as studio footage with guest vocalist Poli Correia of Devil In Me. Watch the video here.
Comeback Kid frontman Andrew Neufeld had this to say about the new video, "This video is a compilation of the last two years of our life and 'Losing Sleep' is one of the hardest hitting songs we've ever wrote."
The band has revealed that they will be releasing a 10 inch colored vinyl entitled "Rain City Sessions +1" for this year's Record Store Day on April 18th.
"Rain City Sessions +1" will include a studio cover of Nirvana's 'Territorial Pissings' and six previously unreleased live tracks.
Original Lynyrd Skynyrd Celebrated In The Studio
Syndicated radio show In The Studio: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands celebrates the original Lynyrd Skynyrd with a two-part special that includes interviews with Gary Rossington, Ed King, Johnny Van Zant, and archival comments from the late Allen Collins, Billy Powell, and Leon Wilkeson. The show sent over these details:
In an early '70s soft rock musical scene, Lynyrd Skynyrd was a welcome dose of rowdy. The Lynyrd Skynyrd legend was made with the six albums they released between 1973 and 1977: Pronounced , Second Helping, Nuthin' Fancy, Gimme Back My Bullets, the live One More from the Road ,and Street Survivors all chronicled a band with humble roots slugging it out (literally in some cases) to get to the top.
But there's more to the story. There is the hilarious story by Gary Rossington of the formation of the band on a Jacksonville Florida baseball diamond; the hiring of Ed King after extracting him in a backstage fight from a rival bar band; the discovery that their roadie (soon to be band member) Billy Powell was a classically trained pianist; numerous brawls on both sides of the Atlantic; the notorious 1975 "Torture Tour"; multiple defections by original members; and like a Greek tragedy, the tragic plane crash that would put an abrupt stop to one of the most influential Southern Rock outfits of all time.
Ironically, the story doesn't end there. In part two, Gary Rossington and Ed King's revelation is Ronnie Van Zant's stated desire to stop performing with the band prior to the plane crash; and Van Zant's youngest brother Johnny describes filling his brother's shoes in 1987 in the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd's rebirth.
Check out part one here and part two here.
The Church Announce New Studio Album
(Prog) Australian neo-psychedelic veterans The Church have confirmed their 21st album, Further/Deeper, will be released on June 8 in the UK. The launch comes after a European tour including two British dates - at London's Islington Academy on June 4 and Brighton's Haunt on June 5.
The 12-track title was boiled down from an eight-day writing session that resulted in a crop of 26 songs. Vocalist-bassist Steve Kilbey says: "The magic started on day one.
"Someone strummed a chord and we were off. We wrote and recorded like demons - it was inspiring to feel every member using all his resources in the service of this record."
It's The Church's first album with former Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug. Read more here.
Idlewild Recruit Robocop Star Jay Baruchel For New Video
(TeamRock Radio) Idlewild have called on actor and longtime fan of the band Jay Baruchel to star in the video for their next single. The Robocop, This Is The End and How To Train Your Dragon star will appear in the promo for Every Little Means Trust, which is out on April 27 via Empty Words.
After discovering the Canadian was a fan, the band invited him to Scotland to film for their first music video in more than eight years. Baruchel says: "Idlewild have been the soundtrack of my life since I first heard them in Bristol when I was 19. I was lucky enough to be near the radio when You Held The World In Your Arms came on and it was epic and anthemic and that was it.
"It was like hearing a favourite band that I'd somehow never heard before. At turns, violent and melancholy and crystalline and triumphant. I very quickly fell down the rabbit hole of melody, intention, and poetry that is Idlewild's art." Read more here.
Bad Company Reveal Alternative 'Whiskey Bottle'
(Radio.com) Most Bad Company fans are familiar with "Whiskey Bottle." For the uninitiated, it's a song that never made it to an album, but was the b-side to "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" from their second album, 1975's Straight Shooter, which came out 40 years ago next month.
However, a different tempo often changes a song's vibe completely and that's definitely the case here. The recently unearthed version, which we are proudly premiering here, has a more Stonesy swagger to it. If the take that originally appeared on the flip side to "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" felt like closing time at the pub, this one is more like the first one you hear when you step in the door for a long night and many pints of bitter.
This version was recorded at Island Studios in Basing Street by Richard Digby Smith; the rest of the album sessions were recorded by Ron Nevison (the band self-produced the album). According to our friends at Rhino Records (who administer the Bad Co. catalog), it was marked as a master, but unused until now.
"Whiskey Bottle" will be included on the deluxe reissue of Straight Shooter, which will be reissued April 7 as a Deluxe Edition, along with the band's 1974 self titled debut. Both will include a full disc of bonus tracks; Straight Shooter will include both versions of "Whiskey Bottle."
Check out the alternate take of the song here.
Steel Panther, Lita Ford and Fozzy Added To KISS Kruize V
(hennemusic) Steel Panther, Lita Ford and Fozzy are the first acts revealed to join KISS for Kiss Kruize V this fall. The annual trek will sail from Miami to Jamaica between October 30 - November 3, 2015 aboard the Norwegian Pearl.
The cruise will see KISS perform their breakthrough album, 1975's "Alive!", in its entirety during the indoor show. "HELL YES we're going on @TheKISSKruise!!!," tweeted Steel Panther. "Is it October yet??"
Fozzy also shared their excited via Twitter, "PEEPLE!!! Another dream comes true...we will be sailing with the #KISSNAVY on The KISS Kruise V!!!" Read more here.
Teen Rock Band Unlocking The Truth Want To End $1.8 Million Sony Deal
(Classic Rock) Teen trio Unlocking The Truth are taking legal steps to break free from their $1.8 million record deal with Sony. The Brooklyn band last year signed the impressive deal after a video of their performing in New York's Times Square went viral.
Malcolm Brickhouse, 13, Jarad Dawkins, 12, and Alex Atkins, 13, were handed a six-album contract that meant they would be advanced $60,000 for their debut record. If that sold more than 250,000 copies, they were to be handed $350,000 for its follow-up.
On the back of the deal, Unlocking The Truth played shows all over the US, appeared at festivals and opened for Guns n' Roses. But they are now seeking to end the agreement without having released any material, according to Billboard. Read more here.
Wilko Johnson Was Reluctant To Hear Life-Saving Advice
(Classic Rock) The man who saved Wilko Johnson's life nearly couldn't pass on his urgent message to the musician because bouncers wouldn't let him backstage. And even once he'd made his way through, the former Dr Feelgood guitarist told him he didn't want to listen.
But the efforts of photographer and doctor Charlie Chan paid off, and Johnson last year underwent a pioneering procedure that cured him of terminal cancer.
The story is told in upcoming documentary The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson, created by Julien Temple, who also made Feelgood movie Oil City Confidential.
Temple tells Fox: "He was living vividly in the moment. He accepted his fate in a very inspiring way and kept on playing. He didn't want to poison his last 10 months.
"After about 18 months a photographer in the pit at one of his concerts, who had a medical background, said, 'This guy's got too much energy - what's going on?'
"It's a typical rock'n'roll thing. He tried to get backstage and couldn't. He was blocked, but forced his way thought and said, 'Wilko, you've got to listen.' Wilko was saying, 'No, I've accepted everything. I'm beyond worrying about this.' The guy had to really insist." Read more here.
Deep Purple's Ian Paice To Give Free Lessons
(Classic Rock) Deep Purple's Ian Paice is to give free drum lessons this weekend as part of National Learn to Play Day in the UK. The drummer will be teaching at DrumWright drum store in Woodley, Berkshire, on Saturday from noon.
As well as Paice's lessons for more experienced drummers, the store will also be giving introductory tips to new drummers between 10am and 5pm as part of the event.
All sessions are open to anyone, with no need to book. Paice promises to give advice on his favorite techniques, including the one-handed drum roll for which he is renowned. Read more here.
Sweet Billy Pilgrim's New Album Title Inspired By JFK Assassination
(Prog) Sweet Billy Pilgrim will release fourth album Motorcade Amnesiace on May 25 via Kscope, they've confirmed. And the title was inspired by the assassination of US president John F Kennedy in 1963.
Frontman Tim Elsenburg says: "When it came to making the record, all the songs started to form around the struggle against the cynical heart. I wanted to find a symbolic moment in our history, where it felt a little like innocence was lost and something ugly and hopeless started to creep in.
"I thought of JFK - as we followed that motorcade through the streets of Dallas, in post gunshot-shock, maybe we forgot how to hope for something better, just a little." Read more here.
Public Service Broadcasting's 'Go!' Gets Remixed
(Prog) Public Service Broadcasting have released a stream of their single Go! as remixed by Errors. The variant version is described as a "spectral disco" take on the track from second album The Race For Space.
The Race For Space, which follows 2013 debut Inform - Educate - Entertain, was released last month via Test Card Recordings. A video for the original version of Go! was also launched last month.
Mastermind J Willgoose Esq said of the album: "I find it a particularly sad indictment of our species that arguably our greatest technological and spiritual achievement - leaving our own planet and walking on another celestial body - is viewed by the more cynical as a colossal waste of money or, worse, as the greatest hoax ever perpetuated." Check out the remix here.
InMe Giving Away Song From Forthcoming Album Trilogy
(TeamRock Radio) InMe have made a track from their upcoming trilogy of albums available as a free download. The song "Trauma: Door Slam Crescendo" can be streamed and downloaded via Soundcloud.
The track was taken from their forthcoming trio of concept albums, The Trilogy: Dawn, for which the band are set to released via a Pledgemusic campaign on April 3rd.
The trilogy will be the Essex outfit's first new material since 2014 EP The Destinations. Their last album was 2012's The Pride. InMe will tour the UK in May, with support from The Dirty Youth. See the tour dates and stream or download the song here.
Also Eden and Silhouette Team Up For Spring Tour
(Prog) Also Eden have confirmed a May mini-tour of the UK alongside Silhouette. The trek is entitled Wings Unfurled, reflecting Also Eden's recent demo release Altitude and Silhouette's single Wings To Fly.
The British and Dutch outfits will play Winchester, Bolton, Glasgow and Bristol, after having shared stages together in the Netherlands in 2009 and 2012.
The shows, which include both bands' Scottish debuts, will be Also Eden's last with drummer Lee Nicholas, who will bow out following a three-year stint with the band, during which he appeared on their albums Think Of The Children! and [Redacted].
Also Eden say: "Lee's near-flawless work and awful jokes will be much missed." See the dates here.
Jeff Beck's 'Blow By Blow' Album Turns 40
(Gibson) What does a rock guitar god do when he's reached the pantheon? The answer for Jeff Beck was "play jazz," and he trumpeted it with his classic album Blow By Blow, which was released 40 years ago, on March 29, 1975.
The album remains a fusion classic, although Beck managed to blend more than jazz and rock, with Blow By Blow's reggae-infused take on the Beatles "She's a Woman," the funky "Constipated Duck" and his tribute to Roy Buchanan in the epic blues excursion "'Cause We've Ended As Lovers."
By 1974, when Blow By Blow was recorded at London's AIR Studios, Beck had already been a member of the Yardbirds and made two classic blues-rock albums with his Jeff Beck Group: 1968's Truth, featuring Rod Stewart on vocals, and 1972's The Jeff Beck Group. While recording the latter in Memphis, Beck wandered into a guitar shop and found a 1954 Gibson Les Paul that had been built as a Gold Top with a trapeze tailpiece, but had been modded with replacement tuners, bigger frets and humbuckers, and refinished in an oxblood shade.
That Les Paul became one of Beck's primary stage instruments from 1972 to 1977. And it played an important role in The Jeff Beck Group, which featured Beck's ferocious version of Don Nix's "Going Down," as well as Beck, Bogert & Appice, the debut album by the short-lived super group that also included bassist and singer Tim Bogert of the Vanilla Fudge and über drummer Carmine Appice. The guitar also appears in the portrait of Beck on the front cover of Blow by Blow and provides the gorgeous tones on 1977's Jeff Beck With the Jan Hammer Group Live. The Gibson Custom Shop immortalized this singular guitar in 2009 as the Jeff Beck 1954 Les Paul Oxblood.
Clearly Beck used a variety of guitars to record Blow By Blow, given the album's wide array of six-string tones perfectly captured by Beatles producer George Martin. And Beck was a perfectionist while crafting the tracks, often returning to re-cut solos and add overdubs to tunes that seemed completed. One legendary tale involves Beck phone up Martin a few months after the sessions to tell him he'd like to recut a solo, and Martin replying, "Sorry, Jeff, but the record is in the shops."
Beck assembled a crack band for the album, holding over the Jeff Beck Group's keyboardist Max Middleton and recruiting the rhythm section of bassist Phil Chen and drummer Richard Bailey. Despite Beck's fastidious desire to craft an epic creative statement, they created the tune "Air Blower" out of a jam in the studio, earning a four-way credit for the tune. Stevie Wonder joined on clavinet for "Thelonious," a tribute to the jazz great Thelonius Monk written by Wonder for his wife at the time, singer Syreeta Wright. Read more here.
The World According to Kid Rock
(Gibson) Kid Rock is getting ready to hit the road this summer with another installment of his $20 ticket tour. As the name suggests, tickets will be only $20, and better yet - the beer is only $4. Rock released his latest album First Kiss back in February, with the catchy title track receiving plenty of radio airplay. Let's take a look at what this rapper turned country rocker also known as Bob Ritchie has had to say about his music and fans over the years!
Rock spoke to the New York Times about the inspiration behind the title track from his new album First Kiss, a song romanticizing those adolescent years when the world was still at your feet:
"I'm always complaining about where rock music has gone, with this new metal feel. You can hear the kick and the snare and everything shaved perfectly. But that classic feel of good blues-based rock and roll - we dig for inspiration by listening to music, and then we go, 'Let's write one.' We know how to write songs. I've been doing this long enough."
Kid Rock is a huge fan of Hank Williams Jr., and over the years the two have become great friends. Here ' s what Williams had to say about Rock in an interview with MLive:
"Well, Bobby and I are really close. He and his family are just like family to me. It all started years ago when my manager Merle Kilgore got a call about Bobby coming to one of our shows. When we met on the bus, I was shocked at how many songs of mine that he knew. Then we ended up doing a 'CMT Crossroads' special and our friendship became stronger and stronger. We now both own several hundred acres across the road from each other in Alabama, and we both have places down in Florida."
With his $20 ticket tour Kid Rock has proved that you don ' t have to charge outrageous ticket prices in order to make a profit. In an interview with Fox News Rock explains how it is that he ' s still able to make money without charging the promoter up front:
"The first part is I don't take a guarantee… I said no, I'll set my own ticket prices, I won't take anything upfront. I said but I want to be rewarded for getting people in there. So when they do buy the beer and the popcorn and the hotdogs and the parking and my tickets and the T-shirts, we put that in a big pot and we'll split it up… All the fans have to do is know that they're getting a great deal." Read more here.
Singled Out: Moonspell's Extinct
Today Fernando Ribeiro from Moonspell tells us about some of the tracks from their brand new studio album, "Extinct", which was released today in North America by Napalm Records. Here is the story:
It's a terrible thing to choose a single when you come from the gothic metal genre as we do. Some of the singles around do not just represent the album and they lead people to jump to conclusions. It's like the avante garde expedition crew you send in few numbers to face a much larger army.
We really do prefer people to get into all songs off the album, as we treat them as finely individually for them to stand out in themselves but naturally they belong to a certain groove. Like if you just stopped to watch a beautiful little bay at a river and forte to go down the stream. It's that contrast that makes it work.
So we do release a couple of songs before the whole album hits the street. This time around we got a first premiere on Portuguese national radio with the song "The Last Of Us" and we were met with a good response when it leaked on-line. It's a straight goth-rock song, catchy and dark.
Then we released the title track "Extinct." It is a more powerful tune, with heavy guitar metal riffing and a strong chorus that breaks it into a more melodic thing which sounds great to us, that contrast. Our fans really digged that one, always a killer feeling.
Finally, we will release the album-opener "Breathe (Until We Are No More)" which really sums up the album in a way, it's a song with many moods and we added a Turkish orchestra section into it which really made the song bigger and more exuberant.
All in all, I do have a problem in putting out a single and people spoiling it as a favorite child or scald it as a bastard. Fortunately our fans are album people and so are we. After all if the album is good enough it's like listening to a longer single. That can make it special for all.
