It's been around 13 years since the last time we got a new original record out of rock n' roll icons The Rolling Stones. The last one was 2005's A Bigger Bang. In 2016 they released an album of blues covers Blue & Lonesome. Now though, the band is reportedly working on a brand new album.
The news broke when in an interview with the Wall Street Journal guitarist Keith Richards spilled the beans, saying:
“I’m going to sound like Trump — ‘It will happen; don’t worry about it’ — but it’s in the early stages. We have some stuff down, which is very interesting. It’s more difficult for us to write together the further apart we are, but it also has its benefits in that we come back to it from a different angle.”
I'm not expecting much out of this record if in fact it does ever come out, but that said I'm sure it won't be anything to scoff at either. The Stones will do what the Stones will do and I'm sure there will be at least a couple of decent tracks. Maybe more if we're really lucky.
For years now Jason Bonham, son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham has been celebrating the music his father's band made with his band Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience. They draw thousands of people every year. However, things have taken an odd turn as Bonham has been forced to change the name of the band by Led Zeppelin themselves.
In a recent interview with KSHE 95, Bonham talks about what happened and his response to it, saying:
“I was like, ‘Um, okay, but I need to keep the logo, JBLZE,’. One, I have the tag on my car, and two, I have a huge backdrop that I paid for last year. For me it’s about the music. So the name of it — I just wanted to keep the logo. So I said, ‘I got it. Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening.’ I don’t know what they have planned, but I said, ‘Okay, I will clear the way so they can do what they wish.’”
I really am wondering why Zeppelin would make Bonham change the name of the band but allow him to keep the name 'Led Zeppelin' in it. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. That said, I am curious as to whether or not it has anything to do with the band's big 50th anniversary coming up and there being some sort of big special surprise involved. I guess we'll find out in due 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. Breadfan, by Budgie That's right. Metallica didn't write this song. Their version is a cover. Shocker. Now that that's out of the way, Budgie in my opinion is one of the most under rated metal bands of the 70's. Burke Shelley's vocal style isn't for everyone, but it still goes pretty damn well with the kind of music they made. This tune in particular is the one that people who do know them remember them most for. Definitely worth checking out.
2. Can't Deny, by Brothers Moving You would think from the sound these guys have that they're from the inner city in America, but actually they're from Denmark. Their studio recordings are pretty good, but watching them play live (through video at least) is a LOT more fun and entertaining. Especially when they are playing on a street corner in New York or something. Regardless, the vocal harmonies, gritty jazzy vocals, and the pure raw essence of it all is enough to get and keep anyone's attention.
3. All Dead All Dead, by Queen Not the most well known track from the iconic New of the World album, but it definitely has that signature and flare of Queen. Guitarist Brian May does some of the vocals here and of course he slays it. May often did lead vocals on a handful of the band's songs. He might not be Freddie Mercury, but May's voice is just as unique and memorable in its own way. He is incredibly pleasant to listen to and a great song writer.
4. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, by Wham! Yes, I put a Wham! song. It's catchy, fun, and upbeat. I put a lot of different kinds of tunes in these posts, but often times they aren't always the happiest. That said, George Michael was one hell of a talented vocalist, song writer, and performer no matter what your opinion of him is. The guy really had something and it's a shame that he died in his early 50's only little over a year or so ago. We'll never see another like him.
5. Rag and Bone, by The White Stripes Ok, ok. Back to the drum smashing, amp cranking, string snapping rock n' roll stuff. This is a rather interesting tune from the White Stripes' final album Icky Thump that rather than having straight up lyrics and melodies, it's more like Jack and Meg White are bums who are trying to harass you at your door into giving them whatever random junk you have so they can sell or do something with it all while set to a really thumping rock n' roll tune. If nothing else it's a different way of doing things.
It's hard to believe that this year makes half a century since Led Zeppelin put out their debut album and changed the course of rock n' roll forever while also paving the way for heavy metal to follow it. Now, singer Robert Plant is saying there might just be a celebration of sorts.
In a recent interview with The Current Plant talks about the photo book coming up, the live album, and more, saying:
“We're planning to get together and talk about it. Basically, it's very difficult to find stuff that still is unheard. … And the great thing about Led Zeppelin was that we didn't chronicle ourselves. We just kind of went from town to town and sang songs and played guitars and stuff. And then went about our lives.
I wish that we had more stuff to look at, but there will be a book of photographs and stuff. But some of it will be particularly interesting, I think. Beyond that, musically, there's bits and pieces lying around, but not an album or anything like that. But there will be a celebration, I'm sure, somewhere. A cork will pop!”
I seriously doubt that there will be any kind of reunion show, tour, or new album but you never know. After all, if Guns N' Roses can get (mostly) back together then virtually anything is possible. In the mean time we can still enjoy the five decades' worth of stuff they have given us.
By 1979 Australian hard rock kings AC/DC had come to make quite a big name for themselves in the world of music. They had scored multiple hits and built up quite the reputation. Still, they had yet to REALLY break through into the mainstream commercial market. That's when producer John "Mutt" Lange came into the picture. With his knowledge of studio production and AC/DC's ability to rock put together they made the hallmark classic that is Highway to Hell.
Since Lange's background was in pop, people were afraid that he would take away the band's balls, making them sound over-produced and poppy. This could not be any further from what happened. Highway to Hell sounds better produced than its predecessors, but only in ways that give it more punch and clarity. It essentially brought the sound of AC/DC live into a studio setting, making it the band's best selling record until its successor Back in Black.
"Touch Too Much" in my opinion one of the absolute best tracks on the album. It never became a heavily played radio classic, but maybe that is part of what makes it so special. It has this this popping guitar riff that makes it sound unlike anything else by AC/DC, yet at the same time it still sounds entirely like them. The chorus is HUGE and the vocal harmonies are astronomical. It definitely helped set the blue print for 80's metal.
"Highway to Hell". What can I say about it that hasn't been said about it already? It's a classic and a song that people who don't even know AC/DC that well can sing all of the words to from memory. That intro riff is iconic and will forever immortalize the band for all of the ages yet to come. It might be over played, but as I've said about other songs in the past it is over played for a reason and it certainly deserves it.
Highway to Hell really was the climax of the Bon Scott era of AC/DC. It's just a shame that he died not long after the wrap-up of the tour for it in 1980. They probably could have done some great stuff yet. That said, Back in Black took them to a whole other level yet. Regardless, this album is crucial for any fan of AC/DC or rock n' roll in general to have. If you don't have it already, stop wasting your time here and go buy it right now.
Highway to Hell, by AC/DC receives 4 out of 5 stars. Track List:
1. Highway to Hell
2. Girls Got Rhythm
3. Walk All Over You
4. Touch Too Much
5. Beating Around the Bush
6. Shot Down in Flames
7. Get It Hot
8. If You Want Blood (You've Got It)
9. Love Hungry Man
10. Night Prowler
One drummer who gets a lot of flack for his playing style/ability is Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. He has become sort of a running joke in the metal community for his lack of skill and his tool-like personality. In a new interview he apparently does not seem to care.
When asked about how he feels about his style of drumming when interviewed by the Polar Music Prize, Ulrich says:
"I've never been very interested in ability. 'Oh, wow! This guy is so great!' Yeah, he's so great, but it doesn't mean that he can make it swing, or it doesn't mean that he can make it work within a group or a collective."
What's always the most interesting to me about drumming is how do you fit the drums into what else is going on? How does it work [with] accents and special hits and kind of things that make it more rhythmic or more dynamic or just add a kind of a physicality to it?
I've looked at drums as more of a group instrument. I've never been very interested in playing drums by myself — you know, sitting down in a basement, practicing drum solos for hours at a time, that's not my thing."
It's no surprise that Lars feels this way or at least expresses this. When your back is against the wall for being the butt of so many jokes you have to find some way to talk your way into a position where you don't look as bad. That said, I still don't blame people for making said jokes.
Fleetwood Mac in recent years seems to have become one of those bands that will fall off the radar for a while and then out of nowhere pop back up for another tour. Usually this is not the way the majority of the band wants to do things, but singer Stevie Nicks limits her availability to the band deliberately.
In a recent interview with TeamRock, Nicks discusses her reasoning for making her time with Fleetwood Mac so sparse, saying:
“A big band like Fleetwood Mac needs to get out of the spotlight, so that’s what we’ve done. We should always be off the road for three years, because when we come back it’s an event. I think that’s very important. There’s a lot of famous bands and a lot of important people out, and you’re going to make a choice of which ticket to buy, and if you haven’t seen one of them for three years or more then that’s going to be at the top of the list. It feels more special.
And being away from each other for three years is good. It really sets you up for a good time because everything’s new and everybody’s got new stories and everybody’s been doing crazy, different things, so when you walk into rehearsal that first day everyone’s really happy to see each other. If we toured every other year it wouldn’t be like that.”
In some ways I kind of understand where Nicks is coming from on all of this. It makes sense that she would want to keep things interesting and fresh, though at the same time I still get a bit of that diva vibe off of her. Then again, I suppose that has always been a huge part of what makes Stevie Nicks Stevie Nicks.
