It is no secret that recently former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant has publicly expressed his lack of desire to do anything regarding his former band. Though he has been asked again and again about it, he has stuck to his guns on the issue. Recently however, Plant has done this in a way that really takes the cake: He turned down a £500 million offer to do 35 concert dates from Virgin tycoon Richard Branson.
If you think that such an offer is obscene, just wait till you hear how he did it. In front of a group of flabbergasted promoters, he tore up the contract into shreds. I can only imagine that all of their jaws must have gone through the floor and then some. Plant's share of the money that former band mates Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones had already agreed to would have been £190 million before taxes. That would certainly be enough to have you, your kids, and even your grand kids set for life.
According to the Daily Mirror, Plant says that his reasoning for his actions are because it "wasn’t the right thing to do". That being said, it is more than likely that these concerts will not be going forward despite the fact that the other two remaining founding members had singed on to do them. Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant just wouldn't be Robert Plant after all.
I can't say I blame Plant for his decision. He keeps saying over and over again to the press that he doesn't want to go backward because it wouldn't do much for him as an artist. In his own way he is trying to remain relevant in the fact that he keeps going forward artistically and doing what he wants to do rather than just sticking in one part of his career as so many of his peers have seemed to do over the years.
Queen has been putting out some of the best rock n' roll since the early 70's. They have had hit after hit after hit and become a world renowned sensation even to this day. You can turn on any classic rock/oldies station and you're guaranteed to hear quite a few of their songs. However, aside from the all the success those songs gave them, there are a great deal of mostly unknown treasures in their vault. Believe it or not, many of their early songs are hard rock and borderline heavy metal unlike the pop numbers that brought them commercial success. Below are 5 of what I feel are some of their best relatively unknown songs (in no particular order).
1. Ogre Battle
Good god is Ogre Battle from the album Queen II one of the heaviest songs I have ever heard from Queen. The high harmonized vocals that bring the song in are insane, but then the guitar riff that follows is unlike anything you would expect from a band that put out songs like Radio Gaga, The Invisible Man, I'm Going Slightly Mad, etc. It's thick, heavy, fast, and builds up to even more operatic vocals. The song isn't structured like a pop song at all. In fact, during this time period Queen was more prog rock than pop; though much of what they did was very melodic (especially in this song). That being said, Ogre Battle is worth at least one listen. It's loud, it's heavy, and still very much Queen.
2. Seven Seas of Rhye
There are two version of this song, but the one on Queen II is the version that is brought to full fruition and chocked full of Queen glory. This is a song about a fantasy world that singer Freddie Mercury and his sister played pretend in together when they were children. The fast piano riff is the focal point of the song, but guitarist Brian May does some absolutely fantastic harmonized guitar work as well. It is a very upbeat and driven song that almost has a bit of a galloping rhythm to it.Even today Queen does still play at least part of this song in their concerts with Adam Lambert on vocals.
3. Stone Cold Crazy
This song from the album Sheer Heart Attack has been covered by countless heavy metal bands including Metallica. To me it sounds like the very beginnings of thrash metal. Many bands since then have used similar riff patterns to make their songs. Unlike most Queen songs (even early ones), rather than focusing on being melodic, this song is rock for the sake of rock. Oddly enough however, the verses almost sound like swing in a way. May absolutely goes to town in this song and you can tell he is really into what he is doing. Heavy riffs, thunderous drums, fast solos.... What more can you ask for?
4. Liar
This song from the album Queen in a way is almost very reminiscent of their influence from bands like The Who and Led Zeppelin. There just seems to be that groove and vibe that those groups would give off in the intro and bridges. The first verse feels like it has almost a church music kind of vibe with the primary instrument being organ underneath Mercury's vocals. This song is an even better example of Queen's prog rock roots than Ogre Battle however because it has even less of a pop rock structure. In a way it's almost like a suite. It moves from part to part and many of them are distinctly different in musical style from one another. However, there is a very much loud hard rock vibe to almost the entire thing. It is quite creative and in my opinion one of the crown jewels of Queen's first album.
5. Flick of the Wrist
Another track from Sheer Heart Attack, it shows the beginnings of Queen's more operatic style that would be developed further in their fourth album A Night at the Opera.In a way, one could say that you can hear the beginnings of Bohemian Rhapsody in this track. There is a very prevalent nuance of classical music in the vocal melodies, though much of the song is still very much rock n' roll. What separates this track from Bohemian Rhapsody however is that the aforementioned song is very much an opera while this still has very definite pop song structure.
What are some of your favorite Queen songs that don't really get much in the way of any airplay on the radio? Feel free to comment them below!
In 1978, a band from Pasadena, California appeared on the mainstream rock scene that would change how people make rock and metal forever and would inspire an entire generation of shredders. This was a band known as Van Halen. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen's guitar techniques (primarily his tapping) while not entirely original at the time were still brought to a whole other level by him. At that time no one had ever heard anything quite like it and were quite rightfully stunned by his astounding chops.
On February 10, 1978 Van Halen put out their self-titled debut album Van Halen. Though its initial reception was quite negative, it quickly shot up to number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. After all, since when do critics ever know a thing? It contains many of the band's most notable tracks, such as: Runnin' With the Devil, Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, Eruption, and their cover of You Really Got Me, by The Kinks amongst others. Although many of their hit singles would come later on, this is the one album that Van Halen fans always gravitate toward.
Eruption is the one track that blew people's minds more than anything else from Van Halen. It's only a couple of minutes long and just guitar with a bit of drums for accentuation, but it is one of the single most iconic guitar pieces in history. No one had ever heard anything like it. My dad told me that when he first heard it he thought it was just a synthesizer because a guitar couldn't possibly make those kinds of sounds. It is some of the quickest most melodic tapping anyone has ever done. Many shredders of the 80's and beyond would come to use this song as a learning piece to get their start from.
Runnin' With the Devil is a fun song to crank at top volume. The odd synth-like sound at the beginning was actually horns were of the band’s cars mounted in a box and
powered by two car batteries with a foot switch. Their producer Ted
Templeman lowed the horns down before adding them to the track. The track itself is very bass heavy. After the car horn intro, bassist Michael Anthony comes in with this fat bass line that sounds almost like Godzilla is stomping through a city. The guitar riffs sound nearly heavy metal-like in nature, but still have a very prevalent pop rock kind of vibe to the overall tone. It features some of Eddie's more melodic solos in between certain parts of the song.
Van Halen really does not have a single bad track on it. Even the songs that are not Van Halen's big hits still have catchy vocal hooks and blistering guitar solos. It is one of those albums that can be appreciated by both musicians and non-musicians alike because it features something for everybody at some point or another. In a way, Van Halen is the definition of energetic and youthfulness. Just by putting this album on you can feel like you're back in high school with your car windows rolled down, the stereo cranked, and blasting down the highway.
Van Halen, by Van Halen receives 5 out of 5 stars.
Track List:
1. Runnin' With the Devil
2. Eruption
3. You Really Got Me
4. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
5. I'm the One
6. Jamie's Cryin'
7. Atomic Punk
8. Feel Your Love Tonight
9. Little Dreamer
10. Ice Cream Man
11. On Fire
It would seem that drummer Phil Rudd of AC/DC has recently been caught in some dirty deeds of his own. Drugs, threats, and murder.
According to The Guardian, Rudd's home was raided the morning of October 30th on the north island of New Zealand and was ordered to appear in court after having been charged with possession of cannabis and methamphetamines, threatening to kill, and procuring murder.
Rudd chose not to apply for his name to be suppressed from the press. As terms of his bail, he is not to have contact with anyone related to the case of him procuring murder and he must stay in Tauranga, New Zealand.
Currently Rudd is not talking to anyone in the press, according to the New Zealand Herald. Apparently Rudd has also been absent recently for much of AC/DC's promotional material for their upcoming album Rock or Bust, which will be released on the 28th of this month. Many of the members had been covering up for him. Singer Brian Johnsonsaid to the public it was a "family emergency".
It's really sad when someone takes the rock n' roll life style too far like this. I can only imagine that this incident will really put a wrench in the works of AC/DC putting out their new album. Then again, this wouldn't be the first time they have replaced Rudd and carried on anyway. I really wonder what was going through Rudd's head when he was in the process of doing all of this. These are some serious charges. When you try to go out and get dirty deeds done dirt cheap for real you WILL fall flat on your face and you WILL pay the price, regardless of whether or not you are in one of the biggest bands in the world.
Rhythm Magazine recently released a list of the top 10 drum intros in rock and metal. Number one was Hot For Teacher, by Van Halen. There are some pretty respectable tunes in the list, but I can't say I entirely agree with it altogether. I can think of some songs that deserve spots waaaay more than some of the ones in this list. Before I make my list, below is the results of the poll the magazine took to form their list:
1. Hot for Teacher, by Van Halen 2. The Spirit of Radio, by Rush 3. You Could Be Mine, by Guns N’ Roses
4. Rock and Roll, by Led Zeppelin 5. A Song for the Dead, by Queens of the Stone Age 6. When the Levee Breaks, by Led Zeppelin 7. Painkiller, by Judas Priest 8. Smells Like Teen Spirit, by Nirvana 9. My Hero, by Foo Fighters 10. Where Eagles Dare, by Iron Maiden
My 10 Greatest Ever Drum Intros:
1. Stargazer, by Rainbow. Drummer: Cozy Powell
2. Over the Mountain, by Ozzy Osbourne. Drummer: Lee Kerslake
3. Painkiller, by Judas Priest. Drummer: Scott Travis
4. Rock and Roll, by Led Zeppelin. Drummer: John Bonham
5. Mr. Brownstone, by Guns N' Roses. Drummer: Steven Adler
6. Hot For Teacher, by Van Halen. Drummer: Alex Van Halen
7. Pictures of Home, by Deep Purple. Drummer: Ian Paice
8. Strutter, by Kiss. Drummer: Peter Criss
9. Welcome to the Family, by Avenged Sevenfold. Drummer: Mike Portnoy
10. Open My Eyes, by Rival Sons. Drummer: Michael Miley
I do have my reasons for putting my list in the order it's in. I feel that some songs while more flashy and proficient haven't quite reached the iconic status as some of the ones listed above them. However, this is all just my personal opinion. That being said, feel free to disagree with me and post some of your favorite drum intros!
Thrash metal pioneer band Megadeth has been notorious amongst their fans for having many musicians come and go through their ranks since the band's inception back in 1983. That being said, three of its former members: lead guitarist Chris Poland, drummer Nick Menza, and bassist James Lomenzo have joined forces for a new project.
Lomenzo and Menza started working together earlier this year on a Metallica tribute, but have now added Poland to their ranks. Menza's website says:
“Chris, best known for his work on Megadeth’s first two albums, has
been confirmed as lead axeman for the as-yet unnamed project. Poland already has six heavy original songs in the can that we can start working on.”
The three of them have never worked together before in any incarnations of Megadeth, but are still excited to do so now. They plan to release an EP early next year.
This sounds like it will be pretty exciting. Chris Poland was Megadeth's original lead guitarist and I have to say his work is pretty phenomenal. I can understand front man Dave Mustaine wanting to branch out a bit, but he was a perfect fit for the band (though I will admit Marty Friedman in the early 90's was an excellent choice as well). Hopefully they put out some tasty new metal tracks for us all to enjoy.
Within the past year former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan has been seen touring with his old band for the first time in about two decades; filling in for official bassist Tommy Stintson while he has had other obligations to attend to. These mini-reunions while temporary have definitely done well for the old fans of the band.
During an interview on the Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show McKagan has stated that he has certainly had a good time playing the shows with his former band mate (singer Axl Rose). McKagan was asked if he would consider ever recording with the current line-up of Guns N' Roses to which he responded:
“I never say never to anything, actually, these days. I’ve kind of learned, you never know what’s around the corner. All that aside, I’m just glad he and I were able to get together and talk about some stuff and then laugh about a lot of other s— that happened.”
This definitely wouldn't be the first time a former GN'R band member has reunited with Rose to record. Former rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin is rumored to have also written and recorded a song titled Down By the Ocean which has yet to be released.
Either way, it would be great for Duff to bring back some of that element of punk that the original line-up had. It might end up making some of the new Guns N' Roses music sound closer to the material that the old fans have been accustomed to.
