After a year and a half long search, Stone Temple Pilots have finally found a new singer to fill the shoes of late iconic front man Scott Weiland. Not only that, but the band is now working on new music with the new vocalist as well.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, bassist Robert DeLeo goes into minor detail about the new singer as well as the music, saying:
“We’ve been working with someone – I don’t want to name names yet – and we’re making music. I don’t know if he’s well-known or unknown; I don’t look at him as ‘well-known.’ But we’re writing music and we’re hopefully looking at finishing a record and putting it out soon.”
Stone Temple Pilots had been on the search for a new singer since they parted ways with Weiland in 2011 (who died in 2015 of a drug overdose) and the attempted push forward with late Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington in 2013 coming to an end for Bennington to focus on his main band.
That said, I know I'm looking forward to finding out who the new singer is and what the new stuff will sound like as well as how he will interpret the old material as well. There is no replacing someone like Scott Weiland, but if AC/DC can come back and be bigger and better than ever after a similar incident, then I don't see why STP can't do the same.
In 2004 the enigmatic creepy guitar black belt Buckethead teamed up with Pinchface, the drummer from his first band Deli Creeps as well as keyboardist Travis Dickerson to record some new music after the sessions for the album they were all a part of Brain Circus by their band Cornbugs. The result was Buckethead's 12th album, a rather interesting jazz fusion record by the name of Population Override.
Population Override like the vast majority of Buckethead's works is entirely instrumental. The songs while having recognizable segments that identify them as the songs they are for the most part are just long, drawn out jam sessions with only minimal overdubbing. For the most part this album sounds pretty organic and flows, which makes sense because the theme they had in mind was to pay tribute to the great jazz fusion vinyl albums of the 60's and 70's.
Earth Heals Herself features some rather tasty interplay between Buckethead and Dickerson. Even though this is labeled as a Buckethead album, Dickerson is not afraid to make himself a noticeable presence in the music. However, it's done in such a way to where the guitar and keys intertwine in all the best ways. Some times Big B will take center stage with hot licks and some nice key backing and some times he'll step back and let Dickerson lay down something really smooth and nice. This tune absolutely moves and grooves, but at the same time keeps a chill atmosphere.
Too Many Humans has to be one of if not THE absolute best songs on the entire album. It's laid back and chill, and has some incredibly powerful emotion pulsing the entire way through it. It perfectly reflects the feelings I understand all too well of there some times being moments where there are just too many people in proximity to you and it just gets to you. It has a rather cool and some times sad vibe to it, but as I said it perfectly reflects the intended emotion of the song.
Population Override is one of Buckethead's more unique albums in that while it isn't one of his soft more melodic albums, it isn't one of his hard driving ones either. He kind of lays off the fireworks on the fret board but shows that he has some dazzling blues/jazz chops that can keep up if not surpass any of the greats. The marriage between that and Dickerson's keyboard playing is an absolute treat for the ears. If you're looking for something that you can get lost in the groove of, this is the album for you.
Population Override, by Buckethead receives 3.75 out of 5 stars. Track List:
1. Unrestrained Growth
2. Too Many Humans
3. Population Override
4. Humans Vanish
5. Cruel Reality of Nature
6. A Day Will Come
7. Earth Heals Herself
8. Clones
9. Super Human
10. ...
Recently master guitarist Joe Satriani announced that he would be putting out a brand new solo album on January 12th of the coming year titled What Happens Next. In order to give us a taste of what the album will sound like, Satch has released the first single, a song called Energy which can be listened to here.
This is a pretty solid track. I don't know if I would consider it a long lasting classic by any stretch of the imagination, but it's straight up hard rocking bluesy soul music done in a way that only Joe Satriani can. His signature guitar sound is plastered all across the song while he has one hell of a dirty gritty rhythm section backing him up.
Not only is the release of What Happens Next exciting news to begin with, but the album also features Deep Purple and Black Country Communion singer/bassist Glenn Hughes on bass and Red Hot Chili Peppers and Chickenfoot band mate Chad Smith on the drums. If the rest of the album is anything like this, it's definitely going to be a fun, wild ride.
Former Whitesnake guitarist Adrian Vandenberg, who played with the band from 1986 to 1990, 1994, and 1997 is back with a vengeance and is better than ever. He has a new single out with his current band Vandenberg's Moonkings titled Tightrope.
Tightrope is the first single from Moonkings' upcoming sophomore album MK II. It is currently set to be released on November 3rd and is already available for pre-order where available. This will be their first release since their self-titled debut album in 2014.
Tightrope along with the first Moonkings album is a refreshing change of pace for Vandenberg. It sounds absolutely nothing like the stuff he did with Whitesnake. It's more hard rock and Jimi Hendrix inspired than anything heavy metal. This tune in particular has a really nice mid-tempo groove to it that you can move your head to. The vocal harmonies are quite pleasant too. I wouldn't say the song is anything remarkable, new, or groundbreaking, but if you're looking for a good song to rock out to for a few minutes then you've come to the right place.
5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:
1. Loving Cup, by The Rolling Stones featuring Jack White (live) Jack White and the Rolling Stones jamming together is like bread and butter. They just go together perfectly. Both have their roots deep within the blues and that common thread definitely shines through as they put on one of the most energetic and jovial performances I have ever been able to witness. This rendition of Loving Cup definitely brings the song to a whole other level than it already was at to begin with.
2. Dazed and Confused, by Led Zeppelin (live) This is Led Zeppelin at their peak, if you ask me. They were still young, hungry, and unafraid to be wild, unchained, and different. When they first came on the scene in 1969 they took blues music and blasted it into the stratosphere. No one else had ever played with this kind of intensity before. This particular performance of Dazed and Confused shows them going absolutely wild with the song and just jamming the hell out of it. It's an experience to witness, that's for sure.
3. Burn, by Deep Purple (live) Speaking of playing with intensity, this performance from Deep Purple at the California Jam in 1974 showed the world just how much balls, passion, prowess, and power their newly debuted Mark III line-up had. This performance just has so much fire and energy to it. You can tell they were firing on all cylinders and proving that this new incarnation of the band could blow away anything that they had done previously. I'd say they succeeded.
4. Pressure and Time, by Rival Sons (live) Rival Sons are definitely still making a name for themselves in the world of rock n' roll, but they have already come a long way. This is probably one of my favorite performances of their iconic track Pressure and Time (at least in terms of performances I wasn't personally present for) because you can see that they want to show everyone that they have what it takes to stand up and play with the big boys who have been at it for 30-40 years or more.
5. One Way Street, by Aerosmith (live) This performance is from 1999. I think they were playing a New Years Eve party in Japan. Regardless, I love this performance because even though by that point they were the over commercialized ballad band that we know them to be today they weren't afraid to play the older, bluesier, less well known stuff as well. Plus, it's cool to hear Steven Tyler using his old vocal style 26 years after this song was originally released.
One of David Bowie's most beloved tracks just got a very special treatment on the 40th anniversary of its release. Electronic rock/pop band Depeche Mode just did their own version of the song (which can be listened to in the video above).
The cover was recorded not just for the song's birthday, but also because it's been a staple in Depeche Mode's current live shows due to the song striking a heavy chord with singer David Gahan since his teen years and Bowie's death last year taking a heavy toll on him.
Many purists might disagree with me, but honestly I think the cover is brilliant. It's faithful to the vibe of the original while also going off in its own direction and doing something new. You can feel the love and passion for this song pulsing through every last note. It's not my usual shindig in terms of genre, but I'll still definitely recommend listening through it at least once and experiencing a different spin on an old favorite.
When it comes to musical genres, many have rather ambiguous beginnings. It's almost impossible to track things down to a definite starting point. This however is not the case for heavy metal. Though a few may argue against it, most of us will acknowledge that heavy metal was born on February 13th 1970 when a virtually unknown band from Birmingham, England called Black Sabbath came out with the darkest and heaviest album released up to that point in time: Black Sabbath.
Black Sabbath was unlike anything anyone had ever heard in 1970. These guys were louder and heavier than Led Zeppelin and had dark lyrical themes relating to Satan, wizards, H.P. Lovecraft references, and more. It takes that blues based hard rock and brings it to a whole different level. When the music wasn't crashing and pounding it had this sinister tone to it. Overall the album has this eerie, yet intriguing presence that makes you want to keep on listening.
Black Sabbath, the title track of the album starts things off and boy does it set the tone for what the band is about. It starts off with sounds of ominous thunderstorms that are then interrupted by the band stomping in with that iconic Devil's Triad based riff that repeats throughout the song in the most foreboding and frightening way. Ozzy Osbourne definitely did a splendid job of instilling even more hand trembling fear with his sinister vocal tone and horrifying screams. I remember being maybe 16 or 17 listening to this by myself in my room in the dark for the very first time and being nearly scared shitless. Needless to say, it made me want to listen on.
Warning in my opinion is one of the best Sabbath tracks of all time, but somehow it always gets overlooked and unspoken of. It's a cover of a song by The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation that gets extended into a ten and a half minute blues rock jam that takes many twists and turns. It definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time because it's so intense and you don't know which way it's going to turn next. The instrumentalists in the band really strut their stuff as individuals and as a cohesive unit here. This song is actually where I learned a lot of my guitar chops.
Black Sabbath is THE essential heavy metal album. It's where I would start anyone who wanted to get into Black Sabbath or heavy metal in general. This is where an entire genre and subsequent sub-genres have their roots. Without it, the world as a whole would be a very different place. That said, I can't think of a single track on it that I don't love to death. I think you'll understand why. For a real experience with it, play it while wandering a forest in mid-Autumn in the early evening. It will really be something else.
Black Sabbath, by Black Sabbath receives 5 out of 5 stars. Track List:
1. Black Sabbath
2. The Wizard
3. Behind the Wall of Sleep
4. N.I.B.
5. Evil Woman
6. Sleeping Village
7. Warning
I've heard of some wild stuff happening to rock stars over the years, but this is definitely something else for sure. Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins recently opened up about being slapped in the face by England's Prince Harry.
In an interview with BBC Breakfast (via NME) Hawkins talks about his meeting with the prince, saying:
“At first you meet him and [you think] ‘It’s Prince Harry. Wow, I’ve seen you on a lot of magazines in America.’ Then you start talking and having a real talk.
On getting slapped by English royalty, Hawkins says:
I was like, ‘Wow, I’m so jetlagged right now’. We were getting ready to walk onstage and I was tired and so jetlagged. And he just goes… [slap]. I was like, ‘What was that?’ It was great, it was funny. I wore the slap with pride. He’s one of the boys. What a boy. It’s like Paul McCartney, once you break through the royalty, or the Beatles thing, you find they just want to hang out with the boys, like we do.”
I'm glad that the slap was all in good nature, though personally I think it would have been more rock n' roll and funny if it had been out of upset. Regardless, I'm glad that the Foos and English royalty seem to get along pretty well. Definitely doesn't hurt to have friends in high places like that, that's for certain.
Ever since Chickenfoot seemed to dissolve a while back, Joe Satriani has jumped right back into his solo career that was usually his main focus to begin with. After releasing his 2015 album Shockwave Supernova, a concept album that tells the story of his on stage alter-ego and the retirement of said entity, he is now about to release a new album. Not just any album, though. This time he has recruited Deep Purple and Black Country Communion bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith to accompany him.
The brand new album will be titled What Comes Next and is set to be released on January 12th of next year.
The announcement was made yesterday (9/18) via Satriani's website. It's on the home page of the site and it also features a short clip of one of the tracks: Energy. So far no commentary has been made on the upcoming album, though Hughes did hint not that long ago that he was working on a new album with another famous musician.
If I was to venture a guess, I'd say the album title comes from Satriani what will be coming next for him as a musician and a performer now that he has laid such a gigantic part of his life to rest. Regardless, it already sounds like a fun album judging from the snippet on the website. It sounds like a blend of signature Satch style with some heavy California groove rock from Hughes and Smith. I hope there are at least some songs with Hughes singing because that would be one hell of a thing to witness. Joe Satriani, "What Happens Next" Track Listing:
1. Energy
2. Catbot
3. Thunder High on the Mountain
4. Cherry Blossoms
5. Righteous
6. Smooth Soul
7. Headrush
8. Looper
9. What Happens Next
10. Super Funky Badass
11. Invisible
12. Forever And Ever
5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:
1. As Tears Go By, by Avenged Sevenfold
I never thought I'd hear Avenged Sevenfold and The Rolling Stones mentioned in the same sentence, but here we are. A7X recently recorded a cover of the song made famous by the Stones and in my opinion they nailed it. It is the furthest thing from heavy metal I've ever heard them do, and yet at the same time I hear it fitting in with some of their older material. It's odd, but it works. Have a listen for yourself and you'll see what I mean.
2. Rock and Roll Victim, by Death
The Hackney brothers back in their original go with Death were really something else. Here were three black brothers from Detroit playing punk rock before punk was even a thing in a time and place when funky Motown music was very much still the big main thing for the majority of folks. They were bold, innovative, and unafraid to stand out and do their own thing. Even if they didn't get the fame they deserved back then, they clearly deserved it.
3. Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo, by Rick Derringer
This is another one of your straightforward commercial radio rock n' roll tunes, but at the same time it has this groove and vibe to it that I can still get behind anyway. Personally I always loved how the falsetto backing vocals in the chorus manage to smoothly transition into a sweet natural harmony between vocalists. It's definitely not easy to make that kind of transition. That aside, it's a fun song and is great to keep a party going.
4. Mississippi Queen, by Mountain
This song is the epitome of loud, passionate, pulse pounding rock n' roll with balls. Everything from the beefy guitar to the bluesy licks, to the thundering drums, to the beastly vocals definitely makes this song a staple in the world of rock. This song inspired countless bands who wanted to sound just as gargantuan and awe inspiring as Mountain did. Can you blame them? Who wouldn't want to make such a big sound when rocking?
5. I Would Love To, by Steve Vai
No matter at what point in his career he has been at, Steve Vai has never been anything but fun and at the same time musically adventurous. This has always been one of my favorite tunes from his classic album Passion and Warfare that I feel is heavily overlooked by most people who listen to Vai. It has some great guitar work, some terrific melodies, seamless flow, and outstanding guitar harmonies. It makes you feel like you're flying.
Ever since Black Sabbath wrapped up their final tour, front man Ozzy Osbourne has been a fairly busy man by jumping back into his dormant solo career. In fact, he even got long time guitarist Zakk Wylde back into the mix. However, fans shouldn't get their hopes up for another album.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Osbourne talks about where he is in his solo career, saying:
“I would like to do another record. But it's wasting money. Nobody's buying. You don't have to sell that many records any more to get a no.1. Depending how many records you've sold. You can have 30 or 40! Nobody buys them.
Live, good rock music is not dead. But I think the record industry is really suffering now. There are only about two fucking record companies left.
When I went to the Grammys a couple of years ago, there'd be artists who'd go from a fucking laptop straight to the charts and release a record.
It's really a sad thing for me. It's just changed so much. I said to Sharon, ‘It's like when vaudeville ended and fucking modern music began. We're the history now.’
And no matter what gimmick – what colour album, vinyl, whatever, the fact of the matter is people don't want it. Why should people buy records when they can download it? You can get anything now online. And at the same time, I don't know how to turn the fucking light on the monitor.”
Personally I get where Ozzy is coming from on this. As much as I crave another album from him and would not like Scream to be his swan song I understand why he wouldn't want to make one. Why spend thousands, if not millions of dollars to make something and tire yourself out and spend even more money promoting it if you're going to lose a bunch of money from it because people feel entitled to get everything online for free? It just wouldn't be a smart decision even though he is incredibly loaded.
Whitesnake is an older band than you might think. Most people associate them with their late 80's hair metal hits, but they actually got started noticeably earlier than that. The band was founded in 1978 when band leader/singer David Coverdale decided that he liked the band he was touring with so much under his own solo act that he wanted to keep them around. Not long after, they had their bluesy, rocking debut album Trouble out to the public.
Trouble couldn't be any further from metal. In the beginning Whitesnake sounded more like a blend of Led Zeppelin and Bad Company, among other things. At the same time, they had their own unique and potent identity which shined through brilliantly on the first album. It's full of rockers, blues ballads, and songs with a bit of swagger to them. It was a strong start for the countless things that would come to follow.
Trouble features one of my absolute favorite Beatles covers ever done: Day Tripper. Where the original was just a straightforward 60's pop rock tune, Whitesnake made it funky and groovy. I know, not adjectives you would normally associate with the band. Still, the cover sounded grand and smooth while also having a rhythm that you could almost associate with reggae. The best part though is the breakdown when they use the talk box.
The title track of the record, Trouble is a classic for certain. In some ways it has some of that slow southern rock feel to it with its melodies, organ, and guitar arpeggios. At the same time though, you can feel that beastly rocking bluesy soul that only the British could manage to create. It's a slow, swaying kind of tune but it will make you want to get your lighter out and hold it in the air while getting lost in the feel of the music.
While Trouble isn't my personal favorite Whitesnake record, I find there is absolutely nothing wrong with it at all. As I said earlier, it's one of the strongest debut records I have ever heard. It's got variety and keeps you guessing while still managing to be a cohesive unit. It's definitely a must have for anyone who is a big fan of British blues rock from the 70's or anyone curious to hear where this band got its start. Can't recommend it enough.
Trouble, by Whitesnake receives 4 out of 5 stars. Track List:
1. Take Me With You
2. Love to Keep You Warm
3. Lie Down (A Modern Love Song)
4. Day Tripper
5. Nighthawk (Vampire Blues)
6. The Time is Right for Love
7. Trouble
8. Belgian Tom's Hat Trick
9. Free Flight
10. Don't Mess With Me
It's kind of hard to think of The Sex Pistols as a band that has been around for four decades, considering how relevant they still are in modern culture due to their angry, raw music and their outrageous characters. To celebrate the 40 year legacy that the band has made, they are releasing a book titled 1977: The Bollocks Diaries next month.
The band released a statement on the book and what will be in it, saying:
“Straight from the mouths of the Sex Pistols and their collaborators, with first-hand stories of secret gigs, recording sessions, fights, record label meltdowns and a media storm like nothing ever seen before, 1977: The Bollocks Diaries is the inside line, told by the people who were there.
Packed with photography and rare items from the Sex Pistols archives – from gig posters and early album art to master tapes and notes from recording sessions – this is the final word on a year like no other.”
I think it will be cool to see all of these astounding punk rock artifacts jam packed all in one book. Without them there would be no punk as we know it. Plus, for anyone who is a huge fan of the Sex Pistols this looks like it will be a must have for their collection. I know I'll definitely be giving it a look.
As if we hadn't flipped the table enough times with some of the wacky mash-ups that have come out recently, the internet has done it yet again and upped the ante even more. Somehow they made Metallica's dark, heavy classic One work flawlessly with Gloria Gaynor's disco anthem I Will Surivive, which has been titled One Will Survive (which can be watched above).
The track, created by YouTuber YepImTheToaster takes the instrument track from Gaynor's 1978 hit and welds it together with the vocal track from Metallica's beloved thrash metal staple. I have no idea how they managed to make this work, let alone even come up with the idea for it in the first place. Somehow, it does though.
While I don't normally give DJ's much credit I actually have to give some where it's due here. This is genuinely creative despite the fact that it's a crime against nature. These two songs should never have come anywhere near each other and yet they blend perfectly into something that I'll admit to wanting to shake what my mama gave me to. Check it out for yourself and you'll see what I mean in short time.
5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:
1. Bones of Saints, by Robert Plant By surprise to some, former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant is putting out a new solo album soon even though he was strongly hinting that his previous one was going to be the final one before he hung up his mic and called it a day. This song isn't too shabby at all. While it doesn't sound very Zeppelin-ish, it still has a bit more of a rock n' roll vibe than a lot of his other more recent stuff. Definitely nothing to complain about at all.
2. Crimson Crown, by Vorbid Want some new thrash metal in your life? Check out this unsigned band Vorbid. They just put out their debut EP and it's pretty damn solid. The guitar work is impeccable and the vocals aren't just growls or whatever other crap like that they do in a lot of modern metal. This actually has at least a little bit of melody to it. It's still pretty rough and brazen, but this in my opinion is the way thrash metal SHOULD sound if you're doing it right.
3. Zetsubo Billy, by Maximum the Hormone If you're willing to listen to something that isn't sung in English for a few minutes, this is another solid metal track from a Japanese band called Maximum the Hormone. Don't let their wild, flamboyant appearance fool you. They're just as heavy and dark as the best of the English speaking bands. I've enjoyed headbanging to their stuff quite a bit and would be more than happy to go see them in concert if they're ever in the U.S.
4. Strange Kind of Woman, by Deep Purple If something bluesy is more your jive, then this staple from Deep Purple should be right up your alley. It's a tragic song of trying hard to win a woman over and then her dying shortly after you do. It's got a lot of solid guitar work from Ritchie Blackmore and the rest of the band grooves away as a solid cohesive unit like Deep Purple always has and always will. It's definitely some real heartfelt music with soul and punch to it.
5. Love Man, by Whitesnake If you're wanting blues that's just a little more laid back and traditional, then I would suggest this tune for you by Whitesnake. If you've been following this blog for a while you'll know that before Whitesnake started putting out MTV hair metal hits, they were a very reputable blues rock band who could hold their own with the likes of Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, and other similar groups. This tune has a really cool shuffle to it with some real swagger. Singer David Coverdale definitely puts a lot of charisma into this performance.
Avenged Sevenfold has been doing all sorts of unexpected and different things lately for the sake of evolving as artists. Their most recent album The Stage was the most experimental and progressive record they have put out to date and most recently they have been putting out a string of videos of them doing cover songs know one would ever expect them to do; the most recent being As Tears Go By (as made famous by The Rolling Stones). The video can be viewed above.
Quite honestly, I like this cover a lot. I never would have predicted that A7X would do such a song, but from what I've heard they have been trying to branch out a bit more lately. When they do covers they don't want to do just metal, and it shows. They pull off this bluesy classic flawlessly. It just goes to show that they are more versatile than people give them credit for.
I'm betting a lot of their fans will be all like "WTF is this crap?! This f***ing SUCKS! Remake City of Evil!". I respect them though for wanting to get out of the box that many of us have stuffed them into over the years. I still want to hear them do primarily the kind of thrilling dark metal that we know and love them for, but I hope they do more stuff like this where they throw something unexpected our way.
In 1971 Deep Purple had cemented themselves as one of the top players in the quickly emerging world of British heavy rock/metal. With their 1970 release In Rock which was the first to feature their iconic Mark II line-up blasting them into the stratosphere, they couldn't wait too long to put out a follow-up to keep the momentum going. The result was a slightly unexpected, more groove and melody oriented record titled Fireball.
Where In Rock was more about the heavy, pulse pounding, string snapping loud ruckus songs, Fireball was a more diverse record. There were still heavy rockers on it, but genres varied from blues, to ballad, to funk, to others beyond even that while still maintaining the signature Deep Purple sound. It was definitely a more well rounded record than their previous releases, even if it didn't feature as many of their well known tunes.
Strange Kind of Woman is probably the best known tune from this album among Deep Purple fans. It's a pretty straight up blues shuffle for the most part, but there are of course some dazzling blues licks played with extreme precision by guitar master Ritchie Blackmore. If you listen to the lyrics though, it's a rather sad story of chasing after a woman, finally winning her over, and then her dying shortly after. Who knew something so tragic could end up making such a groovy song?
Anyone's Daughter in my opinion is one of Deep Purple's greatest hidden gems. It's a ballad in the style of Bob Dylan, but as a full plugged in band they seem to pull it off flawlessly. It's smooth, flowing, melodic, and at the same time rather fun. They even still manage to throw in some guitar and piano solos while still making it easy listening. That to me shows just how much skill Deep Purple really had way back in the day.
I wouldn't consider this the best of Deep Purple's classic material, but it definitely has quite a few songs on it that are worth having on your rotation. It is also a must have for anyone looking to have a complete collection of all of the Deep Purple catalog that is actually worth having (most of what came after Perfect Strangers is ignorable). It's a balanced fulfilling rock n' roll journey from the first track to the end, even with only seven songs on it (bands could get away with that back then).
Fireball, by Deep Purple receives 3.2 out of 5 stars. Track List:
1. Fireball
2. No No No
3. Strange Kind of Woman
4. Anyone's Daughter
5. The Mule
6. Fools
7. No One Came
Former Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant is already gearing up to release another album as a follow-up to 2014's Lullaby... and the Ceaseless Roar. Kind of a surprise considering Plant was making it sound like that was going to be his final album. Instead, on October 13th he will be releasing a brand new album titled Carry Fire and has just released a single for it titled Bones of Saints on Spotify.
Bones of Saints definitely has more of a rock n' roll vibe than anything else he has released recently, though at the same time it still sounds nothing like Led Zeppelin and maintains some of that spacey world music feel that much of his more recent work has had. Regardless, it's always nice to hear Robert Plant's voice paired with an electric guitar.
That said, you can tell his voice has aged over the past few decades, but that makes him no less enjoyable to listen to. At this point in time he probably doesn't want to be screaming his lungs out like he did in 1970 anyway. Bones of Saints is definitely worth checking out at least once. It's got a good feel to it.
Bones of Saints can be listened to on Spotify here.
5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:
1. Weight of Love, by The Black Keys
This song is probably as close to new Pink Floyd as you're going to get these days. It has this chilled, laid back, space age psychedelic kind of vibe to it with a certain level of darkness in the vocal melody and the lyrics that makes you feel like just drifting on out aimlessly into space for eternity. This was one of the songs that got me interested in listening to the more recent Black Keys stuff that came after they were a DIY basement blues rock band.
2. Elected, by Alice Cooper
Given the tense politically charged atmosphere in the world today I figured this is a fairly apt song by one of the most prolific song writers of our time. Many people think Alice Cooper is more about the theatrics than the music, but if you actually pay close attention to his stuff he actually has a lot of relevant things to say about the world we live in and the inner darkness of the human race that engulfs it all.
3. Free Ride, by Edgar Winter Group
If all of that has been a bit of a downer for you though, I've got you covered. This one will definitely perk you right back up. It's a straightforward easy going crank it up kind of rock n' roll song that is fun and easy to get down to. Definitely an essential part of any classic rock play list, whether it's for a party or just your own personal listening. It has that sunshine good times kind of vibe that you don't really hear in a whole lot of rock n' roll any more.
4. Mistreated, by Deep Purple
This song has to be one of the greatest masterpieces Deep Purple ever created. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore put all of his heart and soul into the coming up with the base concept for the song and it shows through his passionate fiery guitar playing. Where things really come alive though is the soulfully gut wrenching pain that you feel through David Coverdale's vocal performance. You can feel and relate to every last drop of heartache that drips through his words. Needless to say, this is a blues song for everyone.
5. All Right Now, by Free
To end things on a high note though, I'll throw ya this classic. If you haven't heard it to death on the radio over the years I'll honestly be surprised. That is, unless you're one of those people with no taste in music and only listen to the pop or modern alternative stations. That said, this song is a lot of fun and really does make you feel all right now. It's some of the best work that Free ever did and to be fair is over played for a reason.
When Bumblefoot left the modern incarnation of Guns N' Roses back in 2014 it took many fans who had been following for a while aback. It wasn't entirely clear as to what the reason for the departure was, but recently the former lead guitarist has opened up on the issue some more.
“I need to be super-creative. I’m not the kind of utility that you hire and he plays and gets paid, and that’s it. It has to grow. After eight years in Guns I looked at it and said, ‘Am I doing what I want to do?’ I felt like anyone could have doing what I was doing at that point, and it didn’t have to be me.
And if I wasn’t happy, and they knew I wasn’t happy, then I should get out and do what I’m supposed to do, and let them do what they were supposed to do. And I knew the reunion was coming, so it was like, ‘Let me get out of the way.’
I was a headcase. I cared so much. I cared too much about it, and I wanted it to be something that I knew it wasn’t ever going to be."
In regards to ever seeing the current line-up play, Bumblefoot says:
"I always describe it like going to your ex-girlfriend’s wedding. I don’t mean any disrespect and I do wish them well, and I’m happy they’re doing do good.
But for me to go and see it would just stir up a lot of stuff. I’m doing my thing, they’re doing their thing and everybody just wishes each other well from afar. I’m real happy for them – they’re on top of the world right now, so good for them.”
Honestly, I'm still glad the reunion happened. While I loved the Chinese Democracy era of Guns N' Roses it never really felt like actual Guns N' Roses to me. That line-up of the band was great in so many ways and I enjoyed watching them perform and put out new stuff, but it's the old line-up with Slash and Duff McKagan that made me fall in love with the band in the first place. As for Bumblefoot, he is one hell of a talented guitarist and I'm glad that he is out there doing what makes him happy. That dude has mad chops on a guitar and everything he does is innovative in some way or another. That said, I'll still be following both GN'R and Bumblefoot.
After the gigantic world tour that Guns N' Roses did to support the Use Your Illusion albums from 1991-1993 they still wanted to put out a follow-up album but at the same time have it be something that was more along the lines of being just for fun rather than a big artistic statement that involved a lot of time, money, and energy. The result: a punk rock covers album titled The Spaghetti Incident? which was released in 1993.
The Spaghetti Incident? takes a lot of classic punk songs from Iggy and the Stooges, Steve Jones, The Misfits, The Damned, The New York Dolls, and other bands and artists that had an influence on the band but then gives them the GN'R treatment in order to pay faithful homage while at the same time doing something entirely new and unique with them. There is definitely a gigantic surge of fresh energy and life pulsing through each and every last song on the album.
Since I Don't Have You was the main single of The Spaghetti Incident? and is a cover of The Skyliners, a 50's vocal pop group. Personally I never would have imagined Guns N' Roses doing a doowop song. That said, though the GN'R version definitely has a heavier and darker vibe to it, it still somehow manages to maintain the same level of charm as the original. Quite frankly I find that astonishing. It's still a good tune to sway and dance to for sure.
Raw Power, a cover of Iggy and the Stooges has to be one of my absolute favorites from this album though because they took a tune that was already a punk classic and somehow managed to put it into further overdrive. They upped the tempo, added more punch into the guitars, and yet still kept that classic piano riff as the center focus of the song aside from the rude, down, dirty, and nasty vocals. Definitely a pedal to the metal, get your blood pumping kind of song.
The Spaghetti Incident? definitely isn't for everyone, but if you like punk rock and are curious about hearing different takes on classic tunes or want to hear what kinds of bands influenced Guns N' Roses then this might be up your alley. Regardless, I still think it is a pretty solid record through and through. I wouldn't by any means recommend this to someone looking to get into GN'R to start off with, but it has its place on the shelf with the rest of the discography.
The Spaghetti Incident?, by Guns N' Roses receives 4 out of 5 stars. Track List:
1. Since I Don't Have You
2. New Rose
3. Down on the Farm
4. Human Being
5. Raw Power
6. Ain't It Fun
7. Buick Makane (Big Dumb Sex)
8. Hair of the Dog
9. Attitude
10. Black Leather
11. You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory
12. I Don't Care About You
13. Look at Your Game, Girl (hidden bonus track)
