Thursday, January 22, 2009

Classic Rock Videos

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Suzie Q

Top 20 Most Outrageous Heavy Metal Album Covers

Last week we looked at Gigwise.com's list of best & worst album covers for 2008. Switching gears a bit, let's look at www.spike.com's look at The Top 20 Most Outrageous Heavy Metal Album Covers. Actually, I think some of these are classic album covers, I love heavy metal covers! We will look at five a day, sometimes that's all a person can handle. Longtime readers of the blog will certainly recognize some of these classic album covers.

Heavy metal bands have always relied on their album covers. Most metal bands wouldn’t have been half as popular if it wasn’t for their ridiculously awesome album art. But how did it go so wrong? When did bands start thinking it was okay to take their shirts off and pose as medieval warriors? Let's explore #5-#1 on the list:



5. Twisted Sister: Stay Hungry













4. Poison: Look What the Cat Dragged In














3. Manowar: Anthology













2. W.A.S.P: Animal (F*ck Like a Beast)














1. Cannibal Corpse: Wretched Spawn










Now, I have a some of my own, these are classic heavy metal covers: Anybody care to add to the list?

Angel Witch














Burning Point















Disturbed














Violence

Music News & Notes

Reba Studio LP

Reba McEntire has returned to the studio to record her first solo album in over five years.

McEntire explained, "It’s not like I ever consciously decided to wait so long between studio albums. We just had these great opportunities along the way-to put out another Greatest Hits, plus the TV show was going on and then we did the Duets project. Before I knew it, six years had gone by."

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Saxophonist Newman Dies

Saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman passed away Tuesday from pancreatic cancer at the age of 75.

Newman not only recorded his own albums and played with a number of jazz greats, but also worked with Dr. John, Aretha Franklin, Aaron Neville and the Ray Charles Band among others.

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Neil Young News

Neil Young's The Archives Volume 1, 1963-1972 has been postponed once again until later in the year. He will be releasing the album Fork in the Road on March 31, but early reactions to the new songs have not been positive.


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Haggard Feeling Better

Merle Haggard has told People magazine that he's feeling better everyday and wants to get back to the studio and on the road. "I'm doing real well, a little better every day.....I'm going into the studio to see how my voice sounds.

"Most of the reports were like, 'He's got six months to live!' There was never any indication of that. I lost the upper lobe of my right lung where there was a tumor suspended like a fruit on a tree. But there was no chemo. I feel like I've extended my life. I'm in better shape than when I went in."

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Faces Reunion News

The U.K. paper The Sun reports that the reformed Faces have already recorded their first album in over thirty years. Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Kenney Jones, Ian McLagan and an unnamed bass player supposedly were inspired after a trip together to Costa Rica, Bermuda and Miami.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror tempers that a bit by saying that Stewart and Wood are done writing the songs for the album, which they completed in three days on that vacation. The Mirror also "confirms" that Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be the bass player.

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Falling For Obama

It's been reported that James Taylor was taken to the hospital and received fifty stitches after falling at a rehearsal for the Barack Obama concert last Sunday. A spokesperson for the singer said that he fell, cutting his forehead on a guitar, which would explain why he wore the hat and sunglasses when he performed.

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New Bowie Music

David Bowie announced that he was working on new music via a Twitter message. "Cheers from a snowy Berlin! Working on some new material!" Bowie has made three other albums in the German city (Low, Heroes, Lodger).

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Springsteen says music can influence society


Bruce Springsteen would like to think that music played a small part in helping Barack Obama become president.

Springsteen performed during the weekend inaugural festivities, and was a big Obama booster during the campaign.

He tells Rolling Stone magazine he doesn't think rockers have a whole lot of influence, but can create a vision of the world as it should be.

Bob Dylan's classic album "Highway 61 Revisited" did it for him, and Springsteen says he hopes that in some way, his music may have had the same effect.

Springsteen says the world he envisioned for years in his songs was realized when Obama was elected. Says the 59-year-old singer: "It's not just something I dreamed up. It can exist."

Rock & Roll Tidbits

Before Glen Campbell had a successful solo career, he was a studio musician who played lead guitar on The Beach Boys' "Dance, Dance, Dance" and Frank Sinatra's "Strangers In The Night".

David Rose, who led his orchestra to Billboard's number one position with "The Stripper" in July, 1962, was a prolific composer of television theme songs in the 1950s. At one point, there were 22 TV shows on the air using his music. He later went on to win Emmy Awards for the theme for "Bonanza", and "An Evening With Fred Astaire", as well as writing music for "Little House On The Prarie" and "Highway To Heaven".

Mr. Aker Bilk, who took "Stranger On The Shore" to Billboard's number one spot in May, 1962, learned to play the clarinet while he was in prison. He had been sentenced to three months in jail after falling asleep while on guard duty for the British Army in Egypt.

Elvis Presley was number 1 in record sales in the US in the 1950s. In the 1960s he was number 2 and in the 70s he was number 13.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were always on the look-out for interesting titles to write a song around. They did just that when a tired Ringo uttered "God, it's been a hard days night" and again when a chauffer told Paul, "I'm very busy at the moment. I've been working eight days a week."

Ellas Bates was still in grammar school when classmates started calling him "Bo Diddley". He says he doesn't know why. A bo diddley is actually a one-string, African guitar.

Songwriters Felice and Boudleaux Bryant wrote "All I Have To Do Is Dream" in 15 minutes, but the tune would reach the US charts in four straight decades. The Everly Brothers took it to number one in 1958, Richard Chamberlain's version went to number 14 in 1963, Glen Campbell and Bobby Gentry reached number 27 with it in 1970, and Andy Gibb and Victoria Principal peaked at number 51 in 1981.

Dan Whitney, the comedian known as "Larry The Cable Guy" has been influenced by show business all his life. His father used to played guitar with the Everly Brothers.

Herman's Hermits recorded "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter" as an album filler, never intending it for release as a single. After an American DJ started giving it airplay, MGM issued it as a 45 and it became the group's third Billboard number one hit in a row.

The first time that Del Shannon and his keyboard player, Max Crook, ever played "Runaway" on stage, Crook improvised the organ solo as he went along. When it came time to record the song and in all future performances, he never changed a single note.

John Fred and his Playboy Band hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in January, 1968 with "Judy In Disguise". At one time, John's father, Fred Gourrier was a professional baseball player.

Before Pete Townshend of the Who began working on the rock opera “Tommy,” he had planned to write an opera about a big white rabbit that ruled the world.

After The Tokens achieved a number one record with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in 1961, follow up recordings failed to sell. The group however continued to perform and sang back up vocals for Connie Francis, Del Shannon and Bob Dylan, as well as recording commercials for Pan Am, Ban Deodorant, Wendys and Sunkist.

In the 1960s, during the height of Beatlemania, there were about 90 records released every week in the UK. Only 2 or 3 ever made the charts.

The Shirelles 1962, US Top 10 hit, "Baby, It's You" was actually recorded with only Shirley Alston Reeves' voice over the instrumental demo. The other members of the group don't appear on the record at all, as the original backup vocals, provided by male singers, were left in place.

It took Elvis Presley 31 takes of "Hound Dog" to get the final version that we hear today. In 1988, the song was named the most played record of all time on American juke boxes.

'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go' by Wham! was inspired by a note that group member Andrew Ridgeley left lying in his bedroom.

Paul Evans, who sang the US Top Ten hits "Seven Little Girls" and "Happy-Go-Lucky Me", wrote the music for Bobby Vinton's hit, "Roses Are Red" in 3 minutes, just after seeing Al Byron's lyrics for the first time. After Vinton recorded it, the song went to #1 in the US and sold over 4 million copies.

Poor Ringo. In 1989, after becoming clean and sober, Starr sued to stop the release of an album that he had recorded during his drinking days, claiming he sounded too drunk. The court agreed and the album was never released.

Tommy James and the Shondells' "It's Only Love" album cover was the first professional photo shoot by Paul McCartney's wife, Linda Eastman.

Robert Todd Storz is credited with being the father of the Top 40 radio format. In the early 1950s, he noticed that people would play the same juke box selections over and over, and gradually converted his stable of radio stations from playing dramas and variety shows to an all-hits format. He dubbed the result "Top 40". Storz also pioneered the practice of surveying record stores to determine which singles were the most popular each week. Ironically, he died of a stroke in 1964, in his 40th year.

John Hall, co-founder of the Rock band Orleans, was elected to US Congress in November, 2006, representing New York's 19th congressional district. That's him you hear doing the slick guitar work on "Still The One" and "Dance With Me".

Before they formed The Lovin' Spoonful, John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky were in a group called The Mugwumps, whose other members included Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty, who would rise to fame in The Mamas and The Papas.

Vinyl Collective Update

Here is the latest from my friend in vinyl, Virgil Dickerson. Head on over to the store and pick up some great collectibles!

http://stores.channeladvisor.com/vinylhome


Got in some great records including one that most of you should pick up, the Frank Turner/Jonah Matranga split 12?. We had a bunch of these ages ago and lost touch with the label that put it out. The 2 songs from Frank are great (1 is a cover) and I know some of you are into collecting his records. We got in 30, but those should move fast. We also got in some Loved Ones, Common Rider, Bouncing Souls, Dwarves, Mr T Experience, and more.

A WILHELM SCREAM “Career Suicide” LP blue vinyl
AS FRIENDS RUST “S/T” 8?
AUGUST BURNS RED “Messengers” LP white vinyl
BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE “Strictly Mixed And Mashed” dbl LP orange/yellow vinyl
BOUNCING SOULS “Maniacal Laughter” LP
BOUNCING SOULS/ ZERO ZERO “Tales of Doomed Romance” 7?
BRAID “Lucky To Be Alive” dbl LP grey vinyl
CHAMBERLAIN/ OLD PIKE split dbl 7?
COMMON RIDER “Last Wave Rocker” LP
DWARVES “Salt Lake City Go! /Kaotica 7?
DWARVES “That’s Rock n Roll” 7?
HEWHOCORRUPTS “Microeconomics” 7? yellow vinyl w/ pie chart
IN PIECES “Learning To Accept Silence” LP picture disc
J CHURCH/ THE PLUNGERS split 7?
JENA BERLIN “This Is Yours as Much as It Is Mine” 7? red vinyl
JONAH MATRANGA/ FRANK TURNER split LP gold vinyl
KEELHAUL “Subject To Change” LP yellow marble vinyl
LIMBECK “Hi, Everything’s Great” LP white vinyl
LOVED ONES “S/T” 10? clear w/ black and red splatter vinyl
MR. T EXPERIENCE “Love Is Dead” LP blue marble vinyl
MR. T EXPERIENCE “Making Things with Light” LP
SAMIAM “Don’t Break Me” LP 10? white vinyl
THE BRONX “Bats” LP
THE MIDDLE CLASS “Out of Vogue” 7?
THIS WILL DESTROY YOU “S/T” dbl LP 1 green 1 black vinyl
VIOLATION “Devoured” LP white vinyl
ANTI FLAG “A New Kind of Army” LP
ANTI FLAG “For Blood and Empire” picture disc LP
ANTI FLAG “Mobilize” LP
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE “Narrow Stairs” 180 gram LP
MAE SHI “Terrorbird” LP
MATES OF STATE “Re-arrange Us” LP
MEWITHOUTYOU “Brother, Sister” LP white vinyl
PINBACK “Blue Screen Life” dbl LP black vinyl
RA RA RIOT “The Rhumb Line” LP orange vinyl

This Date In Music History-January 22

Birthdays:

Malcolm Mclaren, manager of the Sex Pistols and solo artist (1947)

Steve Perry- Journey (1953)

DJ Jazzy Jeff (1965)

Steven Adler- Guns N' Roses (1965)

Teddy Gentry- Alabama (1952)

Meat Loaf (1946)


They Are Missed:

Born in 1931, Sam Cooke, US soul singer (died December 11, 1964).

Addie Harris, vocals, The Shirelles was born in 1940 (died June 10, 1982).

Steel guitarist Jimmy Day, who was in such demand in Nashville that he became known as "Mr. Country Soul," died in 1999 (age 65).

Born on this day in 1962 the late, Michael Hutchence of INXS.


History:

In 1968, the Beatles' business venture Apple Corps. opened its first London headquarters.

In 1991, twenty-three years after it was released in America, the LP "Elvis' Gold Records" was made available in China on cassette only.

In 1966, the Beach Boys went into the studio to record 'Wouldn't It Be Nice', which would be the opening track on their forthcoming album 'Pet Sounds.'

In 1967, the Monkees performed live for the very first time at The Cow Palace, San Francisco to a sell-out crowd.

In 2001, Santana started a three-week run at #1 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart with "Supernatural.” The album spent a total of nine weeks at the top during this year.

Don McLean's album 'American Pie' started a seven-week run at #1 in the US album chart in 1972.

Wings went to #1 on the US album chart in 1977 with 'Wings Over America', Paul McCartney's sixth US #1 after The Beatles.

In 1959, Buddy Holly was in the recording studio for the last time. He laid down tracks for "Slippin' and Slidin'", "Wait 'Til the Sun Shines Nellie", "Love Is Strange", "Dearest" and "Smokey Joe's Café". Alone with an acoustic guitar and tape recorder in his New York City apartment, he would make his last recordings, including "Peggy Sue Got Married", "Crying, Waiting, Hoping", "That's What They Say", "What To Do", "Learning The Game" and "That Makes It Tough". The recordings would be overdubbed posthumously and released by Coral Records.

Frank Sinatra's daughter Nancy entered the Hot 100 in 1966 for the second time with what will be her biggest hit, "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'". The song would later go to #1 for one week and spend three and a half months on the chart.

In 1973, a band called Climax had the #3 song in the US with "Precious And Few.” The group's lead singer, Sonny Geraci, was the former vocalist of The Outsiders, who scored a US chart topper in January, 1966 with "Time Won't Let Me".

Peter Green, who had earlier left Fleetwood Mac, was institutionalized in 1977 after firing a pistol in the general direction of a delivery boy who was attempting to deliver a $30,000 royalty check. Green had renounced Rock and Roll in 1970 and didn't want the money. He later worked as a hospital porter and a gravedigger, but came back in 1979 to record "In the Skies,” which did manage some moderate success.

Gene Chandler made his TV debut on "American Bandstand" in 1962.

The Drifters recorded "On Broadway" in 1963.

Elvis Presley recorded "Bossa Nova Baby" in 1963.

L.L. Cool J's album "Mama Said Knock You Out" was certified platinum by the RIAA in 1991.

In 1980, this week's US Top 5 singles: #5, Rupert Holmes, 'Escape, (The Pina Colada Song)', #4, Smokey Robinson, 'Crusin', #3, Kenny Rogers, 'Coward Of The County', #2, Captain and Tennille, 'Do That To Me One More Time', and #1, Michael Jackson, 'Rock With You.'

The Beatles appeared on three UK radio programs in 1963. First The Beatles recorded a session for the show Pop Inn at the BBC Paris studio, they then went to the Playhouse Theatre also in London, to tape a radio appearance on Saturday Club, recording five songs. Then the Beatles went back to the BBC Paris studio to record an appearance on The Talent Spot recording ‘Please Please Me’, ‘Ask Me Why’ and ‘Some Other Guy’ before a live audience.