Monday, September 21, 2009

Classic Album Cover Art- Guns N' Roses The Spagetti Incident

Anyone hungry for some pasta? The Spaghetti Incident? is the fifth album by hard rock band Guns N' Roses. The album was very unique for the band and consists entirely of cover versions, mostly of punk and glam rock songs of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The title is in reference to a food-fight between Axl Rose and Steven Adler, obviously involving spaghetti. Much was made of this food fight during Adler's resolution lawsuit with the band; and Adler's attorney referred to it as the Spaghetti Incident. It is suggested that the attorney's choice of name for the incident was a reference to the David Bowie movie, The Linguini Incident.

Many of the tracks were recorded with original Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin during the Use Your Illusion I and II sessions. Those tracks were previously intended to be included in a combined Use Your Illusion album, consisting of three (or possibly even four) discs, instead of the two separate discs they ended up being.


Notes:

In 1992, the band prepared to release the leftover cover tracks as an EP, with then-Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke replacing Stradlin's guitar tracks. They later decided on making the album a full release and recorded several more tracks for it.

Then-Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan sings on many of the album's tracks and Hanoi Rocks frontman (and Axl Rose's idol) Michael Monroe appears on "Ain't It Fun" as a guest vocalist.

The album was released shortly after the conclusion of the Use Your Illusion World Tour which had lasted since early 1991. The vinyl copy of the album was released in clear plastic orange, and the CD was released with colour designs and markings, which would later be changed (in the 1997 reissue) to simply a plain silver coloured CD.

Despite protests from Rose's bandmates, an unadvertised cover of Charles Manson's song "Look at Your Game, Girl" was included on the album at his request. The CD release gave no track number to the song - it could only be found by listening through the dead air left after the last documented track on the album. In early 2000, Rose said that he would remove "Look at Your Game, Girl" from re-issues of the album, citing that critics and popular media misinterpreted his interest in Manson and that a misunderstanding public no longer deserved to hear it. However, the song is still present on the album, and in recent re-issues, "Look at Your Game, Girl" has been added as a separate, 13th track.

In the first week of sales "The Spaghetti Incident?" sold roughly 190,000 copies and debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200, selling way less than their other releases, the album has failed to match the success of any other Guns N' Roses album, it did not increase the popularity with in the band, most reviews of the album were rated average saying the covers are just of mostly punk songs that really aren't that good.

To date, it is the last full-length studio album released by Guns N' Roses.

Rock/Pop Tidbits

Rod Stewart was always known as a ladies man. But his girlfriend Britt Ekland had a very stern warning for the loose lover: “If you screw another woman while you’re with me, I’ll chop your balls off.” We can only presume that the overly friendly Rod was on his best behavior while with Ekland.

It was rough going in the beginning for Axl Rose. In fact, in 1985, Axl and his band mates rented a small apartment in Los Angles. To cook dinner, the resourceful rockers had to set fire to a set of drum sticks and proceeded to roast hamburgers over the improvised flames.

Before joining the Monkees, Davy Jones was both a stage actor and a racehorse jockey.

Joey Dee, who had a US number one hit in January, 1962 with "Peppermint Twist" was surrounded by future recording stars at various stages of his life. He attended Passaic Highschool in New Jersey at the same time as the Shirelles. A female trio that was part of his act at the Peppermint Lounge went on to become The Ronettes. When he opened his own club, his backup band included Felix Cavaliere, Gene Cornish, and Eddie Brigati, who would form the Young Rascals. After Joey sold the club and went on the road, his guitar player was Jimi Hendrix.

After his short fifteen minutes of fame, former Partridge family actor Danny Bonaduce landed a gig as a DJ. So he had the call letters and the name of the station tattooed on his rear end. His thinking? He was under the impression that it would help him keep his job- it didn’t work.

In 1961 Ricky Nelson's father, Ozzie Nelson, filmed a video for the hit "Travelin Man,” featuring pictures of places mentioned in the song. This film is often called the world's first rock video. This is disputed however by Jay Perry Richardson, the son of J.P. Richardson, better known as The Big Bopper, claiming that his father made a video in 1958 for "Chantilly Lace" and actually coined the term 'music video' in 1959.



Wango tango! When a female reporter inquired why ted Nugent didn’t wear tuxedos on his album covers, his reply was, “Why did you decide not to douche yourself with molten lava?”

When Vernon Presley re-married on July 3rd, 1960, Elvis did not attend the ceremony.

Elton John wrote his US number one hit, "Philadelphia Freedom" after watching Billie Jean King play a tennis match with her World Tennis League team, the Philadelphia Freedoms.

It was in 1972 when John Denver dropped some acid and drove around on a motorcycle. Then he penned the hit song, “Rocky Mountain High.” Denver explained: “What a far out experience that was.”

Denver also thought that saying “far out” was really, well for the lack of a better term, far out. “The first time I appeared as guest host of the Tonight Show, I must have said ‘far out’ fifty times. I would say ‘far out’ without even thinking, it was like a nervous tic…” Far out.

After John Denver saw a Rolling Stones concert in Long Beach, California, the soft rock troubadour confessed, “I didn’t get Mick Jagger or his onstage gyrations. It just didn’t compute to me.” Maybe he needed more of that ‘Rocky Mountain’ high to appreciate it.

In 1951, when Brenda Lee was only 6 years old, she auditioned for a local Atlanta television show called TV Ranch. An hour and a half after singing "Hey, Good Lookin'" for the producer, she appeared on the program.

Apparently Madonna’s pet Chihuahua “Chiquita” was suffering a bout of doggy depression over the attention that was given to Madonna’s new baby, Lourdes. So the ‘material girl’ sent the sad pooch to a canine shrink. I guess the $7,500 choker from Tiffany’s just wasn’t enough to cheer up the little yapper.

Before Michael Jackson made love to his wife Debbie Rowe, the gloved one would dress up as Peter Pan and dance around the room. Another time he wore a horse’s head and galloped around on a broom stick. “It made him feel romantic,” explained Debbie. Uh, okay…and why doesn’t that surprise anyone?

The Queen song, “Radio Gaga” was actually inspired by band member Roger Taylor’s son who had heard a song on the radio and called it “Radio Ka-Ka.”

When the record producer for the Spice Girls hired a voice and singing coach to train the girls, his first impression: “My God, there’s a lot of work to be done here!”

In the early fifties, Neil Sedaka teamed up with some high school friends to form a vocal group. They had a local hit in New York, but then parted ways. The group later went on to record as The Tokens and in 1962, scored a Billboard number one smash with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain got very close early on in their relationship. “We bonded over pharmaceuticals,” detailed Love. “I had Vicodin extra-strength…and he had hycomine cough syrup.”

In a Vanity Fair interview in 1992, Love said “If there ever is a time that a person should be on drugs, it’s when they’re pregnant, because it sucks.”

At a Pink Floyd concert in 1980 for the concept album “The Wall,” fireworks ignited the stage curtains. Pieces of burning fabric rained down on the audience, who cheered mightily; they thought it was part of the show.

This Date In Music History-September 21

Birthdays:

Singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen (1934)

Dickey Lee (1943)

Versatile session guitarist Jesse Ed Davis (1944)

Don Felder - Eagles (1947)

Phil "Filthy Animal" Taylor - Motorhead (1954)

Faith Hill (1967)

Timmy T (1967)

Tyler Stewart - Barenaked Ladies (1967)

Jon Brooks - Charlatans (1968)

Trugoy the Dove (real name David Jude Jolicoeur) - De La Soul (1968)

Liam Gallagher - Oasis (1972)

David Silveria - KoRn (1972)


They Are Missed:

In 1987, jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius died from injuries sustained in a fight. Pastorius was trying to enter the Midnight Bottle Club in Wilton Manors, Florida, (where he'd been banned), and became involved in a fight with a bouncer, Pastorius fell into a coma and was put on life support. In 2006, Pastorius was voted "The Greatest Bass Player Who Has Ever Lived" by readers in Bass Guitar magazine. Was a member of Weather Report and worked with various acts including Joni Mitchell and Herbie Hancock

Founding Bad Company bassist Raymond "Boz" Burrell died at his home in Spain in 2006 . He was 60 years old. Prior to the formation of Bad Company, Burrell was briefly a member of Prog-Rock pioneers King Crimson.


History:

The Platters' first million seller, "Only You," entered the pop charts in 1955 (#24). The song hits #1 on the R&B chart. It became the first record to sell more than a million copies in France.

In 1957, Scotty Moore and Bill Black quit as Elvis Presley's backup musicians in a salary dispute (Bill eventually forms Bill Black's Combo).

Bobby Vinton started a three week run at #1 on the US charts in 1963 with "Blue Velvet." The single became a hit in the UK 27 years later when it reached #2.

Jimmy Hendrix changed the spelling of his name to "Jimi" in 1966 during a trans-Atlantic flight to London.

Deep Purple made #4 on the charts in 1968 with their debut single "Hush."

Jeannie C Riley went to #1 on the charts in 1968 with "Harper Valley PTA." Jeannie won a Grammy for the best female country singer of 68.

Jimi Hendrix released his masterful reworking of Bob Dylan`s "All Along The Watchtower" in 1968. It`s Jimi`s biggest pop hit going up to #12.



BTO's stuttering single "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" was released in 1974.

Guitarist Ariel Bender left Mott the Hoople in 1974 and was replaced by former David Bowie guitarist, Mick Ronson.

Barry White went to #1 on the charts in 1974 with "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Baby," his first and only solo chart topper.

Also in 1974, Carl Douglas was at #1 on the US singles chart (also #1 in the UK) with "Kung Fu Fighting." The song was recorded in 10 minutes, had started out as a B-side and went on to sell over 10 million copies.

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter joined the Doobie Brothers in 1974.

In 1980, during a North American tour, Bob Marley collapsed while jogging in New York's Central Park. After hospital tests he was diagnosed as having cancer. Marley played his last ever concert two nights later at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Also in 1980 - Elton John signed a long-term exclusive, worldwide recording contract with Geffen Records, the new label that recently signed Donna Summer. This marked the first time his records will be released on the same label around the world.

Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" was #1 in 1985 for the first of three weeks. Inspired by a shopping trip to a NYC appliance store, group leader Mark Knopfler composed the lyrics based on the critical lines he overheard a guy spew while watching display TVs all tuned to MTV. Coincidentally, the song was aided by an animated video that lands on MTV’s heavy rotation.

In 1986, the National Inquirer Magazine featured a picture of Michael Jackson in an oxygen chamber with a story claiming that Jackson had a bizarre plan to live until he was 150 years old.

In 1989, the Bangles issued a press statement confirming that the group were splitting. They reformed in 2000.

Color Me Bad scored their first #1 single with "I Adore Mi Amor."

Nirvana's album, "In Utero" was released in 1993.

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. in 2001, the commercial-free “America: A Tribute To Heroes” was broadcast. Bruce Springsteen opened the show that featured U2, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Sting, Billy Joel and Sheryl Crow. $150 million was pledged to help victims.

In 2003, Hilary Duff was at #1 on the US album chart with "Metamorphosis."

In 2004, singer Cat Stevens ("Wild World"), who changed his name to Yusuf Islam after becoming a Muslim, was denied entry into the United States after his name was found on an anti-terrorist watch list. Stevens denies links to the terror group Hamas.

In 2007, the Rolling Stones top Forbes' list of the top-earning musicians. From June, ’06 to June, ’07 the group earned nearly $88 million.