Black Sabbath Keyboardist Geoff Nicholls Dies at 68

Most people when they think of Black Sabbath think of them as a guitar driven band and would never really associate keyboards with their sound. In most cases they have the right idea, but what some people might not know is that in 1979 they actually did get a keyboardist Geoff Nicholls who stuck with them through various line-up changes until 2004 when Ozzy Osbourne brought in the keyboardist from his solo band Adam Wakeman. Sadly however, Nicholls passed away on the 28th due to lung cancer.

Many messages about Nicholls have been pouring in over the past few days to mourn his death and remember and celebrate his life including from most of the original line-up of Black Sabbath.

Guitarist Tony Iommi made the longest statement about Nicholls on his Facebook, saying:

“I’m so saddened to hear the loss of one of my dearest and closest friends Geoff Nicholls. He’s been suffering for a while now with lung cancer and he lost his battle this morning. Geoff and I have always been very close and he has been a real true friend to me and supported me all the way for nearly 40 years. I will miss him dearly and he will live in my heart until we meet again. Rest In Peace my dear friend.”

Bassist Geezer Butler made a Facebook post expressing his thoughts, saying:

"Very sad to hear of old friend and Sabbath keyboard player Geoff Nicholls passing. RIP Geoff."

Even the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne took a moment to pay his respects through a tweet, saying:

"Geoff Nicholls was a great friend of mine for a long time. He will be greatly missed. I'm very saddened at the news."

It is definitely a sad occasion for metal fans. Nicholls did some of the coolest keyboard work I've ever heard, especially in songs like: Die Young, E5150, Stonehenge, The Dark, Sphinx (The Guardian), etc. He was definitely a skilled and quite frankly under rated and valued musician. Personally I think he should have been a more visible/official member considering how much he contributed during his time in the band. Regardless, I hope he rests in peace and that his friends and loved ones manage to find their own peace.

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #103

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. Ain't Gonna Cry No More, by Whitesnake

This has always been one of my favorite Whitesnake tunes. It's the perfect blend of acoustic and hard rock. Jon Lord's synthesizer solos in this one are pretty cool too. They fit in pretty seamlessly to the song. David Coverdale sings so soulfully, passionately, and honestly in this one. Every last lyric is one you can tell is something he genuinely feels down to his core. You don't hear a whole lot of music like this any more, sadly.

2. Lady, by David Coverdale

This is one of those songs where the moment it comes on it's impossible for me to not have at least the faintest trace of a smile and dance a little bit no matter how blue I'm feeling. It is rather upbeat and has driving around in summer time written all over it. That slide guitar melody is one of the nicest sounds to ever bless my ears. Soothes my soul and puts a smile in my heart for sure. The horn section especially adds a nice bit of sunshine.

3. Love Child, by Deep Purple

I really think the Tommy Bolin era material from Deep Purple is some of the most under rated rock n' roll to ever come out of the 70's. The band really did some of its best work despite the fact that some of them were having problems with drugs and there was a great deal of internal strife within the band (especially due to original guitarist Ritchie Blackmore having left the band recently). This tune in particular kicks a WICKED sexy groove. It was originally meant to be reggae, but they turned it into hard rock. I think the end result is quite nice.

4. Waiting on You, by Coverdale - Page

I find it a crime that the collaboration between David Coverdale and Jimmy Page didn't take off more. The songs on the one album they did together were pretty damn good. They do sound a little too much like Led Zeppelin at certain points, but at the same time it's still a neat throwback. I think it was probably the wrong point in time when they did this collab. This tune has some good slide playing from Page. Kind of matches the old school Whitesnake vibe, but with Page's own stamp on it and with a little more production and balls.

5.  Behind the Smile, by Roger Glover featuring David Coverdale

This tune is kind of odd, but this is one of the coolest outside of Deep Purple projects David Coverdale ever participated in. The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast was a concept album by at the time ex-Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover based on a children's book of the same name. Glover got many performers to contribute to this album including Coverdale even though he joined the band after Glover was fired. The end result is rather mysterious and intriguing. The vocals here have a real smooth whiskey type flavor to them.

 

Cool People Did Lego Recreation of David Bowie and Mick Jagger's Cover of "Dancing in the Street" Video

There has been a great deal of negativity going around in the world lately, and for good reason. However, I figure in light of that maybe it's time to take a break from it all for just a moment by showing you guys something I found that I thought was pretty darn cool. Remember back in 1985 when Mick Jagger and David Bowie teamed up to do a cover of Dancing in the Street? Well someone took that awesome video and did a shot for shot recreation of it entirely with stop motion video in Lego.

Turned up by the good folks over at Dangerous Minds, the video was created over the course of about three years by stop motion animator and Vimeo user William Osborne. It's arguably better than the original video, though personally I think the original gets a lot of unnecessary hate. To me it seems like one of those things where people only hate it because someone made it a trend - like with Nickelback.

Overall the video is very well done. You can tell that Osborne put a lot of time and effort into it. It matches up perfectly with the original video and the song. Personally I'm glad we've come to an age where Lego is cool for adults too and also stop motion stuff can be done with it. Personally I think stop motion animation needs to become more commonplace again, but that's a different discussion. Anyway, you can check out the Osborne remake here. Let me know what you think.

Throwback Thursday: The Temperance Movement, by The Temperance Movement

Writer's Moment:

In the true spirit of rock n' roll, I'm breaking the rules today; at least the ones I set for myself anyway. Normally on the Throwback Thursday posts what qualifies an album to be written up is that it has to be at least 10 years old. However, I'm going to break that rule today (and might every once in a blue moon in the future) because I thought enough of this album to give it a review despite the fact it's only four years old.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program.

A lot of people these days say that rock n' roll is dead *cough cough Gene Simmons cough*. These people feel there is no great up and coming talent to carry the torch when the very last of the great original rock stars pass on to the great gig in the sky. I on the other hand beg to differ. All you have to do is actually dig in and look for it in places besides commercial radio. That said, a prime example of a band that has a real fire and passion in their souls is The Temperance Movement, an English bluesy hard rock band who in 2013 put out one hell of a debut album that was also called The Temperance Movement.

The Temperance Movement has almost everything anyone could ever want in a hard rock album: tasty riffs, bluesy soul, raw integrity, and above all else a down to Earth good time with songs that still have a respectable level of honesty to them. There is this driving, lighthearted energy to all of the songs that I honestly haven't felt in a long time, except maybe from Rival Sons and even then it's still a different kind of vibe. Some songs are pedal to the metal, some bouncy, some party vibing, and some that are slowed down ballads. Either way, they put their all into every last track.

Take It Back is the tune that really drew me to The Temperance Movement in the first place. From the moment the track comes on until that last chord gets struck it feels like you're partying with the band on stage at a concert. That powerful soulful grit on Phil Campbell's voice really gives the tune the edge it needs. It's already a loud and proud rock n' roll tune, but some times you need that extra special something to make a song really stand out the way it should.

Know For Sure like many of the tunes on The Temperance Movement really reminds me of early Whitesnake. It's definitely got some bounce to the rhythm and the slide guitar is really reminiscent of Micky Moody's playing in some ways. However, they definitely take this kind of music and do their own thing with it. This is one you can get up and dance to or just sit back and groove with as you bob your head back and forth. The solos are a lot of fun to listen to as well. They don't try to just sound like stereotypical classic rock solos. It's some sexy slide playing where at some moments both guitarists harmonize with one another. It's a beautiful thing.

The Temperance Movement is definitely the kind of rock n' roll record that we need to see more of from more bands these days. It's a lot of fun from start to finish. The only thing that I personally feel holds it back a bit is there are just a couple too many soft slow songs. I don't have anything against them, but when there are too many it kind of messes with the flow and vibe of a rock n' roll record. Otherwise from start to finish this album is chocked full of a bunch of great songs that could be new classics if they actually got proper airplay.

The Temperance Movement, by The Temperance Movement receives 4 out of 5 stars.

Track List: 

1. Only Friend
2. Ain't No Friend
3. Pride
4. Be Lucky
5. Midnight Black
6. Chinese Lanterns
7. Know For Sure
8. Morning Riders
9. Lovers and Fighters
10. Take It Back
11. Smouldering
12. Serenity

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Temperance-Movement/dp/B00Q3UBE38/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485505467&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Temperance+Movement

Allman Brothers Drummer Butch Trucks Dies at 69

While 2017 doesn't quite have the body count that 2016 had by this point, we have already lost yet another great. The legendary talented Allman Brothers drummer and founding member Butch Trucks has sadly passed away at the age of 69 on January 24th in West Palm Beach, FL from what are currently causes unknown.

While some details are yet to be found out and/or made available to the general public, the band's public relations firm put out an official statement on Trucks's passing, saying:

“Butch Trucks, a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, tragically died the night of January 24 in West Palm Beach, Florida. His wife, four children, four grandchildren and all of the Allman Brothers Band, their families and Road Crew survive Butch. 

The Trucks and Allman Brothers Band families request all of Butch’s friends and fans to please respect our privacy at this time of sadness for our loss. Butch will play on in our hearts forever.”

It's definitely a shame that such a talented powerhouse of a drummer has gone so soon. One of the first things I ever remember about hearing the Allman Brothers is my dad putting in their Live at the Fillmore album and hearing Trucks just hammer and pound away, but keeping things lighter where needed in that glorious extended jam of Whippin' Post. You don't hear a whole lot of drummers who can use dynamics like that, nor do the kinds of patterns Trucks did. He will be sorely missed for certain.

Iron Maiden Announce Summer North American Tour

Need some more Iron Maiden in your life and looking for one of the most awesome metal shows you could go to this summer? Well my friend, you are ever so much in luck as Iron Maiden has just recently announced the dates for the North American tour they will be embarking on this summer to continue promotion for their most recent release The Book of Souls. The dates and venues are listed below.

The tour will be kicking off June 3 in Virginia and going all the way until July 21st in New York with numerous stops in between. Opening band will be Ghost (which I've heard good things about). Tickets go on sale this coming Friday (the 27th), though the Fan Club pre-sale tickets are available now.

This is definitely a show worth seeing. From what I've heard it's one of their biggest shows yet. I saw them about five years ago in Chicago when they were promoting Maiden England. I was in the pit with my buddy and it was AWESOME. Elaborate stage set ups, tons of costumes for Bruce Dickinson, and a gigantic Eddie stomping around at certain points. I imagine by this point everything has only gotten better.

Summer 2017 Iron Maiden North America Tour Dates:

JUN 03 BRISTOW, VA JIFFY LUBE LIVE
JUN 04 PHILADELPHIA, PA WELLS FARGO CENTER
JUN 07 NEWARK, NJ PRUDENTIAL CENTER
JUN 09 CHARLOTTE, NC PNC MUSIC PAVILION
JUN 11 TAMPA, FL AMALIE ARENA
JUN 13 NASHVILLE, TN BRIDGESTONE ARENA
JUN 15 CHICAGO, IL HOLLYWOOD CASINO AMPHITHEATER
JUN 16 MINNEAPOLIS, MN XCEL ENERGY CENTER
JUN 19 OKLAHOMA CITY, OK CHESAPEAKE ARENA
JUN 21 HOUSTON, TX TOYOTA CENTER
JUN 23 DALLAS, TX AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER
JUN 24 SAN ANTONIO, TX AT&T CENTER
JUN 27 ALBUQUERQUE, NM ISLETA AMPHITHEATER
JUN 28 PHOENIX, AZ TALKING STICK RESORT ARENA
JUL 01 SAN BERNARDINO, CA SAN MANUEL AMPHITHEATER*
JUL 03 LAS VEGAS, NV T-MOBILE ARENA
JUL 05 OAKLAND, CA ORACLE ARENA
JUL 07 SALT LAKE CITY, UT USANA AMPHITHEATER
JUL 09 LINCOLN, NE PINNACLE BANK ARENA
JUL 11 KANSAS CITY, MO SPRINT CENTER
JUL 12 ST LOUIS, MO HOLLYWOOD CASINO AMPHITHEATER
JUL 15 TORONTO, CANADA BUDWEISER STAGE
JUL 16 QUEBEC CITY, CANADA VIDEOTRON CENTRE
JUL 19 MANSFIELD, MA XFINITY CENTER
JUL 21 BROOKLYN, NY BARCLAYS CENTER

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #102

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. I'm Down, by Beck Song Reader featuring Jack White

A few years back, folk legend Beck instead of putting out a new album wrote a bunch of new songs and released them as sheet music for other people to perform. Personally I find that to be pretty neat and innovative, but it's no surprise considering Beck is known for doing all kinds of stuff like this all the time. Anyway, this country blues type tune is done ever so delightfully well by Jack White and his solo band. The vocal harmonies hit you in all the right ways and it has a laid back enough groove that you can either dance or relax to it.

2. Battle of Evermore, by Led Zeppelin

As if there weren't enough reasons to love Led Zeppelin already, this song is pretty much about The Lord of the Rings. This wasn't the first time that Zeppelin referenced J.R.R. Tolkien's classic trilogy in their music, but certainly the most potent. It has a heavy world/folk music vibe to it while still keeping the focus very much on the fact that this is still rock n' roll despite the fact there are mandolins and other odd instruments playing. Definitely a must listen for fantasy genre fans.

3. Creep, by Postmodern Jukebox

This is one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs I have ever had my ears blessed with in my entire life and is honestly one of the few occasions where the cover far outshines the original. As I have mentioned before, Postmodern Jukebox takes newer hit songs that we're all familiar with and turns them into various forms of jazz. The way this comes together is so perfect. The singing is just so soulful and powerful, making the lyrics and the message they convey that much more potent.

4. The Decisive Battle (Final Fantasy VI Boss theme), by Daniel Tidwell

Letting my nerd side out to play again, I couldn't not put this tune in the playlist this week. This is a heavy metal version of the boss battle music in one of my absolute favorite video games of all time: the RPG Final Fantasy VI. Even if you're not into video games or at least haven't played this one in particular, it's a pretty awesome solid track and this arrangement of it makes it that much more kick-ass and fun to crank up and jam to.

5. Giant Robot, by Giant Robot (Buckethead)

Who knew that the theme song from a 60's Japanese kids show could be turned into something so badass and cool? Buckethead has never been shy about expressing his fandom of odd and nerdy things, including the show Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot. In the early 90's he turned the song into one of the biggest, most stomping metal tunes of all time. It definitely carries a great deal more emotional weight to it than it ever had before, although the interlude of the song is an extended funky jam. Still comes together quite nicely, though.