A star studded concert put on by a great multitude of famous talent to pay tribute to the music of pop legend David Bowie now has a new sad purpose. Instead of just paying tribute to the music, it is now paying tribute to the memory of the man himself, as Bowie passed away just last night from liver cancer after fighting it for 18 months.
According to Ultimate Classic Rock the concert which is to be titled The Music of David Bowie at Carnegie Hall will feature performances from The Roots, Cyndi Lauper, Jakob Dylan, Bettye LaVette, Ann Wilson of Heart and Perry Farrell, with more performers and “surprise guests” yet to be announced. In addition to that, Bowie's long time producer and friend Tony Visconti will be around helping to coordinate the house band.
The news of the concert and ticket sales were made known to the public just as the news of Bowie's passing was announced. The website for the show posted a message in response to the event saying the show will “become a poignant honor of his music by his friends, peers and fans.”
Seems like this will be quite the shindig. It's kind of ironic that things happened the way they did, but I think this will be a great opportunity for many people who have been greatly impacted by David Bowie and his music to show just how much of a difference he made to them as artists and for fans to hear Bowie music live once more.
Ziggy Stardust is now one with the cosmos, as his alter-ego David Bowie has just passed away at the age of 69. Bowie had apparently been battling cancer for the past year and a half. He is said to have died peacefully in his sleep according to his representatives.
"David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a
courageous 18 month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in
this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their
time of grief."
Bowie had just turned 69 on the 8th of this month and had also just released a brand new album titled Blackstar. Over his 40+ year career he had released 28 albums.
I am honestly devastated with this terrible loss. David Bowie in my opinion is one of the absolute greatest song writers and performers to ever live. His lyrics were always prolific and his musical style was always eclectic and evolving. You never would hear him make the same record twice. He never tried to capitalize on former glory because one of the best things about him was that he was always pushing forward. No matter where he went as a musician or performer his fans would faithfully follow and be enthralled with what he released. Whatever persona he took on next was always radically different and enigmatically profound.
Sadly he stopped performing back in 2002. Definitely a shame because now there is a whole generation of David Bowie fans that have never seen him before and will never get the chance to (myself included). However, I am grateful that we have a 40+ year legacy to look back on. We have TONS of wonderful records, films, TV shows, etc. that he was involved in.
That said, I think I'm going to declare this David Bowie Week on the blog. A man of this magnitude kind of deserves it. It's a terrible loss to all genres of popular music. Feel free to share any thoughts you have relating to David Bowie below.
Over the multiple decades that Deep Purple have been eligible, they have until this year always gotten snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for entry into their ranks for candidates who quite frankly were far less deserving of the honor. However, despite the fact that Deep Purple finally got in this year, certain members from the band's many line-ups are not to be inducted.
One member in particular is original Deep Purple bass player Nick Simper. Simper played on the band's first three albums. However, he seems to be taking it quite well. In an interview with Classic Rock Magazine, Simper says:
The first I knew about the Hall of Fame induction was when I read about it and fans were complaining that I wasn’t being inducted. Maybe I am being naïve, but I always thought that if a band gets into the Hall of Fame then all members, past and present, are part of it. Obviously not.
Yes, it is a little strange that I am only only one from Marks I, II and III being left out, but I shan’t lose any sleep over this. It’s not as if I need to be given this award to know what we did in Deep Purple made an impact. And I’m sure it wasn’t a decision that came from the band.”
Simper says he has remained on good terms with many of the members of the band over the years, being particularly close to original keyboardist Jon Lord up until his death back in 2012 and also sending and receiving a good word from drummer Ian Paice from time to time.
Quite frankly I agree that Simper got the shaft. If you at any point were a member of a band that gets inducted into the Rock Hall, you should be included in that induction. It's kind of a slap in the face otherwise. Then again, the RRHOF always has been about politics and a bunch of stuffy old men who wouldn't know the true meaning of rock n' roll if it jumped up and punched them in the face. Honestly, it should NOT have taken this long for Deep Purple to get in. They are one of the most important bands in the development in hard rock and heavy metal. Without them there would be no Metallica, no Iron Maiden, no Queen, etc. Oh well. At least Simper knows what kind of contribution he made and I guess that's all that matters.
In 1967, one of the most groundbreaking and influential debut albums of all time came out: The Doors, by The Doors. The LA based group would forever change the way many people viewed rock n' roll by including longer jams, deeper lyrics, and an overall sense of wonder and adventure throughout the entire LP. The Doors became the central focal point in the shift from pop rock to psychedelic rock in the late 60's.
The Doors has a rather psychedelic bluesy/jazzy sound to it, though it has many straight up rock n' roll over tones as well. There are so many layers to the songs both on a musical as well as a lyrical level. The musicianship from the musicians is top notch and Jim Morrison's lyrics have so many profound double meanings that your head will spin. The Doors features quite a few of the band's hits, such as Light My Fire, Break on Through, The Crystal Ship, The End, and more.
Light My Fire is a prime example of how The Doors would absolutely jam it out. There are lengthy instrumental sections that feature solos trading off between keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger while drummer John Densmore absolutely pounds away at the drums while keeping a rather jazzy rhythm going. It makes you want to dance around in circles around a camp fire or something. Given the name of the song, that isn't a big surprise right?
The Crystal Ship is one of my absolute FAVORITE Doors songs of all time. It is the epitome of psychedelic rock. It has an absolutely dreamy soundscape. Morrison does a fantastic job of drawing you in with his smooth bourbon-like vocals while painting a word picture in your head. When this tune plays you feel as though you are gently falling into a warm soft pit of darkness. While that sounds kind of scary, it's actually quite comforting and safe. It's like a security blanket in a way.
The Doors is an absolutely essential album. Whether you're into prolific lyrics or guys who really know how to jam away at their instruments, there is something in here for you. It is definitely where I would recommend beginning if you are looking to check the band out. Plus, it's not like you can go a day without hearing a lot of the songs on it on any classic rock radio station anyway. You can't escape The Doors and it's an absolutely wonderful thing.
The Doors, by The Doors receives 4 out of 5 stars.
Track List:
1. Break On Through
2. Soul Kitchen
3. The Crystal Ship
4. Twentieth Century Fox
5. Alabama Song
6. Light My Fire
7. Back Door Man
8. I Looked At You
9. End of the Night
10. Take It As It Comes
11. The End
Now that Slash has not only buried the hatchet with his former band mate Axl Rose but also returned to Guns N' Roses he feels life could not be any better.
In a recent interview with Classic Rock Magazine, the guitarist goes into detail on stuff like his horror movie work, his solo band, and the return to GN'R, saying:
“Not being burned out from the night before helps. Since I’m not
spending all my time at the pub or chasing dealers, I spend all my time
writing and working. I do all kinds of shit and I think it’s become more exciting as I
get older. The passion and desire to do it is really strong. I find it
to be tons of fun.”
Guns N' Roses is set to play its first show with Slash since 1993 this April at the Coachella festival in California this April. So far the only confirmed people in the line-up are Slash, Rose, and bassist Duff McKagan. No word yet on if Izzy Stradlin', Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke, or Steven Adler will be part of the band's activities.
I'm glad for Slash that he is able to in a healthy way make things come full circle in his life. As things once began, so too shall they end I suppose. Not that Slash's career is over by any stretch of the imagination of course. I personally hope this renewed energy makes for some kick-ass new songs from the band in the not too distant future.
The biggest rock n' roll reunion of all time is confirmed: For the first time in over 20 years members of the original line-up of Guns N' Roses including Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan will be playing together.
The first show will be happening at this year's Coachella Festival in Indio, California on April 16th and 23rd. This will be the first time that Rose and Slash have performed together on stage since the Buenos Aires concert in 1993. McKagan on the other hand has performed with the newer line-up of the band over the years for a few shows here and there.
Rumours of these shows have been circulating for a while now, but they were confirmed when just yesterday the above image was posted on the official Guns N' Roses, Slash, and Duff McKagan social media pages.
My inner-17 year old is flipping the hell out right now. This is the one reunion people thought would NEVER happen. The bitter feud between Slash and Rose was stuff of legendary proportions. People thought for years that if the two were to even be in the same building as each other all hell would break loose. I guess some times all it really takes is time to heal a broken relationship. Personally, I'm happy beyond all belief that this has happened within my lifetime. Now so many people who never got the chance to see the original band will get to. I just hope that Rose whips himself and his voice into shape before the shows so that they don't fall flat.
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. Nightrain, by Guns N' Roses
Since the old Guns N' Roses are getting back together (at least Slash, Axl, and Duff) I feel it's only appropriate to celebrate by cranking the tune with one of the absolute greatest guitar riffs they ever came up with. This song crashes and burns in all the best way with its crunchiness, attitude, and ripping and running guitar solos from the Cat in the Hat.To be honest, Nightrain really is all about the guitar and it's pretty rad.
2. Merry Go Round, by Motley Crue
80's hair metal staple Motley Crue had their absolute final concert this past New Year's Eve in Los Angeles. The band is now officially retired once and for all (unless all four members sign a contract saying they want to reform). To celebrate the 35 year legacy the band left behind I think it's appropriate to take a look at some of the awesome stuff they did besides the radio hits. Personally, I dig Merry Go Round because it seems a lot more 70's glam rock based than the more crunchy heavy metal they were known for. It's quite melodic and gets you wrapped up in the moment.
3. I Ain't No Nice Guy (After All), by Motorhead
It is with great sadness that we mourn the recent and far too soon loss of Motorhead founder and front man Lemmy Kilmister. The man in his day wrote tons upon tons of ripping and running punk/metal tunes that tore it up. However, I am also choosing to remember him for some of his softer, more heartfelt moments as well. I Ain't No Nice Guy is a (mostly) softer ballad that features guest vocals from Ozzy Osbourne and a guitar solo from Slash. Honestly, it's a pretty badass song despite the fact it isn't a rocker.
4. Touch Too Much, by AC/DC
This is one of those under rated Bon Scott era tunes from AC/DC. You can tell that hard rock was already going in a bigger, more melodic direction by 1979 when the Highway to Hell album came out. The chorus in Touch Too Much is definitely a prime example of that; featuring big chords, big melodic backing vocals, and an infectious hook. Quite frankly, I think the only reason this wasn't a bigger hit back then was because of just how sexual the lyrics were.
5. Fairies Wear Boots, by Black Sabbath
Now the title of this song would throw most conventional mainstream people off (though quite frankly I think it's AWESOME), but if you're willing to explore Fairies Wear Boots anywayyou're in for a pleasant surprise. It is an absolutely wonderful swingy band jam. It does have solid structure and vocals, but honestly it's really about the guys on instruments jamming it out and having a good time. It's definitely a great choice on their part for a closing track to the Paranoid album.
