The news of the imminent debut album from the rock supergroup Chickenfoot leaves no room for metal trash talk debate or speculation.
The Chilli Peppers' "Chad Smith" (drums), ex-Van Halen "Sammy Hagar" (vocals, guitar) and newly departed Van Halen "Michael Anthony" (bass), plus the shredding guitar wizard "Joe Satriani" (guitar) = a shit hot Led Zeppelin personified electric rock and roll band. What else could you kill for?
The phone lines are closed, the votes have been counted...
The news of Lux Interior's recent passing is unfortunate, but the great thing is that his contribution to rock music will live on.
The man who first gave us the buzz, buzz, buzz in "Human Fly" was always an oddball, but an enigmatic oddball who was a great entertainer.
A video tape on YouTube documents the time when The Cramps gave a free concert for mental patients at the California State Mental Hospital in Napa, California on June 13, 1978.
"We drove 3,000 miles to play for you people," said Lux to the mental patients.
Continued Lux, "Somebody told me you people were crazy, but I'm not so sure about that."
Only The Cramps would take it to the extreme in a mental institution. It's kind of like when Johnny Cash took his music to Folsom Prison.
It pains me to say it but, I've had enough of Morrissey. He's past his sell-by date. I'm sincerely sorry to have to admit this, but I can only handle so many of his solo albums.
His recent performance on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross TV show was evident that the sun has long stopped shining on his solo works. Once treated and hailed as a god, the Mancunian has been running on empty for the last 5 years. The first few solo albums were okay, but none of his solo work has ever been up to scratch with the songs he co-wrote with the great Johnny Marr of The Smiths.
Morrissey's new album sees him holding a baby. How controversial!
The singer now looks like a middle aged bloke performing in the local pub. On the Jonathan Ross Show he butchered a live version of "This Charming Man" with a band that we on par with a local bar band.
One can't help but compare Morrissey's ill-fated solo works with that of John Lydon, when the latter continued with a bastardised version of PiL. Lydon's Live in Tokyo PiL album saw our opinionated glove-puppet performing with a really dreary rock and roll bar band.
Can't Lydon and Morrissey understand that they were NEVER the only ingredient to their original success?
It's like Mick Jagger going solo without Keith Richards (or vice versa).
How soon is now?
Oh, just about when The Smiths called it a day.
And on that note, here's the magic that made The Smiths that special something in their heyday (Les Miserables). . .
North London, Kentish Town, Friday 13th February 2009. The ticket touts are out in full force trying to buy spare tickets for Magazine's first London concert together since 1980.
Howard Devoto (vocals), Dave Formula (keyboards), Barry Adamson (bass) and John Doyle (drums) - the four original members from Magazine, and new guitarist 'Noko' are back in London to perform their second concert in 29 years (the night before they played a warm up show in Oxford).
The scene is intense; the 2,750 capacity venue is so packed to the gills, people are left standing in the aisles on the second floor. You can feel the tension in the air. A few minutes before the band take to the stage the warm up intermission music consists of Simple Minds' 'I Travel' and David Bowie's 'Low' instrumental 'Speed of Life'.
The moment when Magazine walk on stage, the crowd goes nuts. The applause lasts for 3 minutes. Devoto walks out sporting a white dinner jacket, knee length trousers and slip on running shoes. He looks like a cross between Lex Luthor, Otto Preminger and Humpty Dumpty (I saw this in the nicest sense). His stage persona has mellowed but the drama still prevails. The crowd is in awe, and rightfully so.
The one hour and fifteen minute set is short but to the point and doesn't dissapoint. The song choices are eclectic. The band perform songs from their 1978 debut album 'Real Life'. The hypnotise the audience with 'Definite Gaze', 'The Light Pours Out Of Me', and they work the crowd into a frenzy with 'Shot By Both Sides'.
While the concert continues, you can't help but wonder why Magazine didn't reform sooner. The evocative 'Parade' calms the crowd with a sense of mystery as Devoto sings "It's so hot in here, what are they trying to hatch."
And now that Howard's "out of touch with anger," - anything is possible.
The band continue their aural assault with songs from the 'Secondhand Daylight' album with the infectious full-throttle rendition of 'Rhythm of Cruelty', as song which Devoto pays tribute to the late guitarist John McGeoch, who died in 2004. The concert rolls on with more songs from 'Daylight' including 'I Wanted Your Heart' and the menacing 'Permafrost'.
Surprisingly, the band performed songs from their underrated 1980 album 'The Correct Use Of Soap', kicking off with a frenzied, energetic version of 'Because Your Frightened, then straight into 'Model Worker', 'You Never Knew Me', 'I Want To Burn Again' and the ever-popular 'A Song From Under The Floorboards'.
The band return for their first encore with an ominous version of the Sly and the Family Stone 'Thank You (Faletin Me Be Mice Elf Again)'. A standing ovation ensues, the band leave the stage, and return for a second encore with the Captain Beefhart classic 'I Love You, You Big Dummy'.
Barry Adamson is like the rock of the band with pulsating bass heavy rhythms, while Dave Formula sets the pace and setting with magnificent keyboard textures and melodies. Devoto prances around the stage like he owns it but is oblivious to the trappings of rock and roll cliches.
The concert is a testament to a band that meant more than the sum of their parts. Their contribution to music has been missed by many, and so, as you can well imagine, seeing Magazine perform for the first time in almost 30 years, was an unforgettable experience for all.
The band bow to the enthusiastic crowd.
The lights go down to the sound of Simple Minds' 'Themes For Great Cities'. The crowd empties out on to the street.
Some things come in small packages. Others come wrapped in tin foil. The leftovers are usually somebody else's other problem. But for The Pursuit of Happiness, after their fifth album, they decided to call it quits.
Best known for their first hit single "I'm An Adult Now", the band went on to release some rockin' guitar albums decked out with hookier than now female backing vocals and a lead singer in the long haired Canadian super geek called Moe Berg.
On their third album "Downward Road" they rocked out with the best of 'em with cool tracks like "Cigarette Dangles", and on their fourth album "Off The Bone", their razor sharp wit got the best of them. By the fifth album, like any decent rock band, they imploded.
At the best of times the band sounded like a cross between Cheap Trick, Utopia, Ted Nugent and the Beach Boys, and even Todd Rundgren. Melodic hooks and pop were the order of the day.
Maybe it's time for a comeback?
"She's so young, she's got the answer, she doesn't need to question the world like I do." - 'She's So Young' / TPOH
Word broke earlier this week with the news of the New York Dolls being reunited with legendary record producer and rock star Todd Rundgren.
Rundgen will produce the Dolls' new album in January 2009. This is the first time in 36 years since Rundgren originally produced the New York Dolls eponymous debut album "The New York Dolls" which included the timeless classics "Personality Crisis", "Trash", "Jet Boy" and "Private World".
Rundgren will be reunited with original Dolls founding members, David Johansen (vocals) and Sylvain Sylvain (guitar, vocals).
"We're really excited to be working with Todd again," says David Johansen. " We're hoping to recapture the same magic on the forthcoming album."
The album, which is yet untitled, will be released on the Atco label through Warner Brothers. The Atco label has been specially re-launched. The New York Dolls are one of the first signings to the label.
The Dolls will follow the release of the new album with a world tour in 2009. Meanwhile, Todd Rundgren is currently on a European tour promoting his latest solo album "Arena". Todd plays two more UK gigs later in November, including the Norwich Waterfront (Nov 22) and London Kentish Town Forum (Nov 23).
The forthcoming Dolls album will become another chapter in Rundgren's vast list of prodution credits which include albums for Hall & Oats, Cheap Trick, Meatloaf, The Pursuit of Happiness, the Psychedelic Furs, XTC, Patti Smith Group, Tom Robinson Band, Grand Funk Railroad, Badfinger, and many more.
The Zombies, Britain's legendary psychedelic rock band is set to perform the entirety of their 1968 album ‘Odessey & Oracle’ in the UK for the very last time during April 2009.
The band will play the following four UK concerts – Glasgow ABC (April 21), Bristol Colston Hall (April 23), Manchester Bridgewater Hall (April 24) and London Hammersmith Apollo (April 25).
Tickets for the go on sale from 9am on Thursday 25th September. Ticket Hotline: 08700600 100, www.ticketweb.co.uk.
After receiving rapturous critical acclaim from performing the 40th Anniversary of ‘Odessey & Oracle' over three sold out concerts at the London Shepherd's Bush Empire during March 2008, original Zombies members, Colin Blunstone (vocals), Rod Argent (keyboards, vocals), Chris White (bass, vocals) and Hugh Grundy (drums) will get back together again to perform the album that the NME recently described as "British psychedelia with a kaleidoscopic vision that rivals even The Beatles.”
When the Zombies originally performed the 40th Anniversary concert for Odessey & Oracle at Shepherd Bush Empire earlier this year, the concerts were attended by Britain’s rock elite including Paul Weller, Robert Plant, Robyn Hitchcock, Snow Patrol and Garbage.
