Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Long Drop Goodbye by The story of Hear 'n Aid, the heavy metal Band Aid. : [Jimmy and Vivian] noticed the lack of people from our genre of music in all of this and felt they’d like to pursue it. (guitarist, Dio) : We didn’t write the lyric – we said we’d get Ronnie involved. Ronnie didn’t want to know about it. He thought it was a distraction, because at the time we were doing the Dio record Sacred Heart. We left it a couple of weeks, and Ronnie obviously conferred with Wendy about it. She thought it was a better idea than he did, so he came back and said: “Okay, let’s do this.” Wendy Dio : Actually I think he just came round to feeling that the kids in Africa needed some help. Vivian Campbell : We had the music a hundred per cent complete, we just needed a lyric. Wendy Dio : Sure, they brought their idea to Ronnie… but Ronnie was definitely involved in writing the music as well as the lyric. Vivian Campbell : [Ronnie] would be insulted if you even suggested a lyric or a word or a title. He wanted complete autonomy. We knew it would be a lot easier to get it off the ground with Ronnie’s name and not just me and Jimmy. Wendy Dio : Hear ’n Aid had to be a non-profit organisation… We had to set up a board of directors, fourteen people, and all decisions had to be made by the board. My role was getting the licensing. The musicians were fantastic, they’ll always give their right arm and leg for charity, but then you have to get permissions from their managers and record companies. That was a nightmare. It dragged on for months after the track was completed. Ronnie James Dio : There were a lot of Fred Bloggses who wanted to get involved, but the project needed heavyweights to sell it. Vivian Campbell : I remember calling Jon Bon Jovi… I had to make like fourteen calls to get him on the phone. At one point I called his mother. And in the end we didn’t get Jon to do it. Ronnie James Dio : He probably had to brush his teeth that day. Wendy Dio : I think Rob Halford of was the first to say yes… Then Queensrÿ che, … came aboard pretty quick. And they were all on their best behaviour – even . The great, the good and the rest give it their best shot to fight famine in Africa. Ronnie James Dio : There were people who wouldn’t contribute… their talent to help feed a poor, starving kid. Ted Nugent : I care deeply about people in Africa. I’m a black man from Detroit. Listen to my playing. There’s no white boys there. Wendy Dio : [The Hear ’n Aid single] Stars took about two weeks. The first session was at Sound City in LA, where we did the basic backing track. (guitarist, Twisted Sister): We were all sent a demo of the song’s backing track and melody. I got mine about a week before the session. We each had twelve bars for our solos. Wendy Dio : Then we moved into A&M Studios, where they’d recorded We Are The World , and on the first day we did vocals. Eddie Ojeda : I was hanging out with Nikki Sixx. He gave me a lift to the studio. It was a lot of fun hanging out with everybody. We all stayed at the same hotel in Hollyweird… We all went to the same places every night, which was a strip joint first, and then on to the Rainbow. Eric Bloom (Blue Ö yster Cult) : I arrived from New York without having heard any of the music. Arrived at the hotel and heard a copy of the track, went down to the studio… there’s everyone from the dawn of man in the heavy rock area. Rob Halford : I imagine most of the fans assumed we all knew each other… we didn’t at all. In fact for the first few hours, I think most of us were looking at ​each other the way we got portrayed in rock magazines… Once we’d let our guards drop a bit the feeling was just tremendous…to sit down and talk with people I’ve always admired. Wendy Dio : Ronnie decided who would do what and when, and they pretty much did as they were told. They started around noon and kept going until everybody was tired. Blackie Lawless (W.A.S.P.) : I think everyone was very intimidated being there on that night. You could feel that sort of tension in the room as the night wore on. Chris [Holmes, W.A.S.P. guitarist] and I got there about 6pm and we didn’t start to shoot the video until about 9pm. Needless to say as the cameras started to roll most everyone was slightly inebriated. For us there were a lot of guys in that room that we had grown up listening to and idolised, so that certainly led to some tension. Being in the presence of that ‘rock royalty’ was very scary. As the years have gone by I’ve found out that they were all feeling the same thing. Wendy Dio : The atmosphere in the studio was just magic. That’s what Ronnie would say if he was here now. As well as cramming all those artists in there, we had a video crew, Tasco Video, about six or eight people, there all the time. They did a great job and never got in the way. Geoff Tate (Queensrÿ che) : I walked into the performance room and there was a mic stand… “Here you go, here’s the lyrics for the song, the headphones are set up for you.” So I’m standing there, by myself, looking through the glass to the control room, and Ronnie is in there with about twenty other people, all of these legendary performers. Ted Nugent and Rob Halford, and the guys from Blue Ö yster Cult, and all of these different artists that I really respect, and they’re all watching me perform… I was very nervous, but Ronnie helped calm me down and coached me through the song, so it turned out okay. Ronnie James Dio : I thought the chorus was going to be a definite problem so I just had Kevin [DuBrow, singer] take care of things. I used a bit of psychology, you see? I took the biggest bad boy of the lot and asked him to keep things in order. He then had a degree of responsibility given to him by someone he respects, and he was great. It worked! Wendy Dio : Once the vocals were sorted, we spent about another day-and-a-half getting the down. Vivian Campbell: You put a bunch of eighties guitarists in the same room and, of course, there’s going to be competition for bragging rights. They were even arguing about who had the biggest hair. Ted Nugent : I did not notice that. You’re not gonna find a more aggressive guy on the planet than me, and I mean that. I’m an alpha male, I have abundant confidence, but in a situation like that I would defer to Ronnie and the guys who visualised it. But as I was watching these guys playing their guitar solos, I was thinking: “Fuck, I could outdo that shit!” They played good, but they didn’t have any honest-to-God Motown black motherfucker on there, and I should have been. I was like, you gotta be kiddin’ me! Eddie Ojeda : I remember Ted Nugent saying: “If you let me play guitar on the track them kids won’t be hungry no more.” They put my solo in between and Neil Schon, who were both playing incredibly fast, and I thought it worked kinda cool. Mark Stein (organist, Vanilla Fudge) : I recall standing next to Yngwie while he was playing his incredible guitar, and later Neal Schon, listening to his soulful playing as well. Both totally opposite in style but both great. Vivian Campbell : When I had to do my guitar part, I was so fried and burned out – it was the last thing I was prepared to do. I was a hundred per cent in organisational mode… Mr Congeniality all day. Really, the whole scene was very Spinal Tap. It was almost beyond parody. Ronnie James Dio : The guys from Spinal Tap had Yngwie in stitches, and they were making jokes about him. Somebody asked: “How do you spell Yngwie?” And one of them went: “A-S-S-H-O-…” Vivian Campbell : I’ve never done coke in my life, but this was LA in the 1980s… Wendy Dio : I didn’t see any drugs at all. Ronnie didn’t do drugs except maybe a little bit of pot occasionally. People knew he wasn’t into drugs, so even if they did drugs they wouldn’t do anything like that around him. Ted Nugent : There was a big group photograph taken, and there was a bunch of legendary players there, but I didn’t notice any vying for position. I’m right at the back. I just waited for someone to tell me where I should go and that’s where I went. Wendy Dio : Getting all of the permissions delayed the single into the start of 1986. Vivian Campbell: I think we lost a little impact because of that. Wendy Dio : After it got released, some people criticised the song because the lyric said: ‘We are stars’. People took that to mean rich rock stars. But what Ronnie was saying was that we are all, everybody, stars. It says we are all stars of the universe, we can all make a difference. Vivian Campbell : The message in Ronnie’s lyrics was that we are all stars. Everyone is equal, therefore no one should be hungry. (vocalist, ): Unfortunately, all that stuff that everybody did didn’t do a damn bit of good for the people in Africa. Most of the food sat on the docks rotting because of their government. Ted Nugent : I’ve been going to Africa on hunting expeditions since 1978, and I guarantee that everybody at Hear ’n Aid combined didn’t feed as many Africans as I’ve done. I’ve shot dozens of big-game animals with my bow and arrow, and all of the meat goes to the villagers. I estimate I’ve brought over a million dollars, with the hunters I’ve booked, into Africa, and all that money finds its way into conservation programmes and directly into the villages where we hunt. Wendy Dio : It’s a never-ending battle. I was in Casablanca a few weeks ago staying in a five-star hotel, but right across the street people were living in, like, mud huts. And I couldn’t handle it. There’s no middle class, you go straight from filthy rich to incredibly poor, and the rich don’t want to give to the poor. They’re very happy in their luxurious homes. Vivian Campbell : The bottom line was the money we raised. We did it for the right reasons, but it also proved that even in the decadent eighties there was a positive side to rock’n’roll people. Well, as long as there was free cocaine, some people could be goaded into anything. What happened next? Sales of the Stars single, a subsequent album and other merchandising items enabled Hear ‘n Aid to raise a reported $1m in its first year, and Wendy Dio estimates that more than $3m was eventually brought in. Aware that much Band Aid money had gone astray because of government corruption, the Hear ‘n Aid profits were used to buy and send agricultural machinery. In 2004, Stars was voted the Number One moment in VH1 TV special Most Metal Moments. This feature originally appeared in Classic Rock 193 . Full Hear ‘N Aid Line-up. Lead Vocals Eric Bloom (Blue Öyster Cult) Ronnie James Dio (Dio) Don (Dokken) Kevin DuBrow (Quiet Riot) Rob Halford (Judas Priest) Dave Meniketti (Y&T) Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt) Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche) Backing Vocals () Dave Alford (Rough Cutt) (Vanilla Fudge/King Kobra) (Dio) Jimmy Bain (Dio) Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot) (Dokken) Vivian Campbell (Dio) (Quiet Riot) (Rough Cutt) Buck Dharma (Blue Öyster Cult) (Night Ranger) () Chris Hager (Rough Cutt) Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.) Blackie Lawless (W.A.S.P.) (Dokken) Yngwie Malmsteen Mick Mars (Mötley Crüe) Michael McKean (David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap) Vince Neil (Mötley Crüe) Ted Nugent Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister) (Dokken) (Quiet Riot) Claude Schnell (Dio) Neal Schon (Journey) Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap) Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge) Matt Thorr (Rough Cutt) Lead Guitar Solos Vivian Campbell (Dio) Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot) Buck Dharma (Blue Öyster Cult) Brad Gillis (Night Ranger) Craig Goldy (Giuffria) George Lynch (Dokken) Yngwie Malmsteen Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister) Neal Schon (Journey) Rhythm Guitar Melody Lines () (Iron Maiden) Bass Jimmy Bain (Dio) Drums Vinny Appice (Dio) Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot) 18 Legendary Rock Stars Who Died in 2016. It’s no exaggeration to say that the Grim Reaper has been working overtime in the last 12 months. The death of Lemmy last December ensured that 2015 ended on a bum note, but if anyone thought things could only get better in 2016, they were sadly mistaken. The year had barely even started when it was announced that had passed away from liver cancer in his adopted home of New York. The subsequent outpouring of grief stemmed as much from the shock of his death as from anything else. Like so many rock stars before him, Bowie appeared to be immortal. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. Inevitably, some of the rock stars we lost in 2016 were in the twilight of their years. Sir George Martin, who helped pioneer the sound of modern music via his work with The Beatles, was 90 when he died in March. Singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen was 82 and Suicide singer/original punk provocateur Alan Vega was 78. In Memoriam: 16 Rock Legends We Lost In 2016. 2016 is nearly over, and not a moment too soon. In a year that can easily be described as one of the most bruising, divisive, hurt filled years in recent memory, we’ve seen tremendous bravery in the face of unspeakable tragedy, social change on levels we never thought possible – even Guns N’ Roses managed to make it through an entire tour without self destructing . However, it’s impossible to look back on the year without also acknowledging the void left behind by the deaths of some of rock’s most beloved and influential figures, whose voices we’ll only ever hear again through the musical legacies they left behind. We didn’t just lose legends, we lost icons . Visionaries who came to rock and wound up paving the way instead, shaping the world around them into something far more beautiful and far kinder than it was when they arrived. From David Bowie to Greg Lake , c heck out our tribute to some of the greatest musicians the world has ever seen, and may they all rest in peace. 1. Greg Lake | Emerson, Lake & Palmer. 2016 is winding down to its last days, and not a moment too soon; it’s claimed the lives of some of rock’s best and brightest, most recently Greg Lake of prog rock giants Emerson, Lake & Palmer after what his bandmate Carl Palmer calls a “long and stubborn” battle with cancer. The English , guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer sailed into rock and roll legend as a member of giants King Crimson and later, Emerson, Lake & Palmer before embarking on a successful solo career in 1975 that began with “I Believe In Father Christmas”. Lake died in London on 7 December 2016 at the age of 69. 2. Henry McCullough. An accomplished solo artist and studio session musician, McCullough is best known for his work with Spooky Tooth and Sweeney’s Men, but it’s his work with Joe Cocker’s Grease Band and later, Paul McCartney’s Wings that shines most brightly as we remember Henry and the music career that spanned over 5 decades. Henry McCullough’s June 14, 2016 death is attributed to poor health stemming from a 2012 heart attack, and prompted industry legends and colleagues like Paul McCartney to take to social media to express both their profound sorrow and gratitude at having worked with such a fiercely talented human being. 3. Leon Russell. Born Claude Russell Bridges in 1942 , Leon rose to fame as an accomplished pianist, guitarist, songwriter and bandleader, eventually crafting his own hits after years of playing countless recording sessions. With over 31 albums under his belt (roughly around 430 songs), Leon’s legacy is that of a fiercely respected “musician’s musician” – one whose magic touched the lives of not just the audiences that turned out in droves to see his performances, but the who’s who list of musicians who worked with him over the course of a lengthy career that began at the age of 14 in the nightclub circuit of Tulsa, Oklahoma. 4. Paul Kantner. We’d only just begun to process the losses of David Bowie and Glenn Frey when word came on January 28, 2016 that we’d lost Paul Kantner to multiple organ failure stemming from a massive heart attack at the age of 74. Known for captaining Jefferson Airplane through various successor incarnations of Jefferson Starship, Kantner had the longest continuous membership with the band and at times, was the only founding member still in the band from the original Jefferson Airplane lineup. 5. Signe Toly Anderson. As further proof of just how cruel 2016 has been, we lost former Jefferson Airplane singer Signe Toly Anderson on January 28, 2016 – the same day we lost her bandmate, Paul Kantner. The 74-year-old singer spent several years following her October, 1966 exit from Jefferson Airplane singing with a ten-piece band, Carl Smith and the Natural Gas Company and in later years made special appearances with the KBC Band and Jefferson Starship before succumbing to the effects of COPD at her home in Beaverton, Oregon. 6. Glenn Frey. Glenn Frey was one of those men who was so larger than life, so fiercely determined in all that he did that it was impossible to imagine death taking him – but sadly it did on January 18th, the result of “complications from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Acute Ulcerative Colitis and Pneumonia.” The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and late Eagle won six Grammy Awards, and five American Music Awards during his decades long career in music and at the time of his death boasted a whopping 24 Top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. If that’s not a legacy you can hang your hat on, I’m not sure what is! 7. Leonard Haze. This fall, we said goodbye to Leonard Haze, original drummer for Bay Area rockers Y&T . Despite his mounting battle with COPD – a battle that ultimately claimed his life on September 11th – Haze’s tenacity saw him behind the kit and playing with his band HAZEXPERIENCE, and joined Y&T on stage at the Fillmore in in both 2015 and 2016. 8. David Bowie. Few singers and songwriters possess that certain spark of magic that was within visionary music legend David Bowie . Whether he was performing on a daytime talk show or before a crowd of over 100,000 people at 1985’s Live Aid, Bowie was unmatched; a master showman, each chance to entertain was a chance to spread something wonderful to an audience who, plagued with the rigors of day to day life, greatly needed that spark of something magical to make the journey worth it. That magic left the world when on January 10th, Bowie succumbed to his private battle with liver cancer just two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar . 9. Sir George Martin. Affectionately known as the “Fifth Beatle, ” Sir George Martin was as part of rock and roll history as the record smashing band he produced , writing the string and horn (and even some vocal) arrangements for almost all of The Beatles’ songs. With a highly trained ear and an innate sense of knowing when he’d come upon greatness, Martin died in his sleep at the age of 90 on March 8, 2016; his former “bandmate” Paul McCartney eulogized his old friend and producer the following day with, “If anyone earned the title of the fifth Beatle, it was George. From the day that he gave The Beatles our first recording contract, to the last time I saw him, he was the most generous, intelligent and musical person I’ve ever had the pleasure to know.” 10. Prince. On April 21st, the world was rocked by news of the death of music legend Prince, found dead at his Paisley Park estate at the age of 57. For fans, Prince’s death came as a tragedy as one of music’s best and brightest was called home – yet another in a seemingly endless stream of legends leaving us too soon. For the music world, however, Prince’s death marked the end of an era for those who were lucky enough to call him a friend and for those in the rock community who hail the singer-songwriter-musician as a genius whose talent inspired them to pursue their passions. 11. Keith Emerson. Progressive rock fans everywhere mourned the March 11, 2016 passing of Emerson, Lake & Palmer co-founder Keith Emerson, found dead at 71 in his Santa Monica home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown’s Bodies, The T-Bones, The V.I.P.’s, P.P. Arnold’s backing band The Nice, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP), one of the early supergroups, Emerson first found success with The Nice in the late 1960s before going on to become a founding member of ELP in 1970. 12. Jimmy Bain. Best known for playing bass guitar in Rainbow and Dio, rock legend Jimmy Bain also worked with frontman , co-writing on his solo albums. A central figure in Dio, Bain co-wrote “”, “” and two additional songs which appear on their 1983 released first album, Holy Diver . On January 23, Jimmy was due to perform on ’s “Hysteria on the High Seas” cruise with his group the following day but tragically died in his cabin, the victim of a heated battle with pneumonia and then-undiagnosed lung cancer. 13. Dale Griffin. Famously known as a founding member of 70s English rock band Mott , Dale “Buffin” Griffin died in his sleep on 17 January 2016 at the age of 67 after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s. Mott the Hoope manager Peter Purnell confirmed Griffin’s death to the BBC, adding that the drummer was “one of the nicest, friendly and talented men I have ever known.” Tragically and coincidentally, Griffin’s death came just one week after the passing of David Bowie, who penned and produced ’s biggest hit, “.” 14. Leonard Cohen. A prolific musician whose body of work explored every topic from religion and politics to isolation, sexuality, and personal relationships, Leonard Cohen knew how to get to the heart of the human condition in a way that both broke your heart and restored your faith in humanity’s potential to someday get it right. The Quebec native passed away on November 7th – just weeks after releasing his 14th and final studio album You Want It Darker with the help of his son, Adam. 15. Rick Parfitt. 2016 couldn’t resist a few more jabs before it fades into obscurity, claiming the life of legendary guitarist Rick Parfitt of English boogie rockers Status Quo on Christmas Eve. Parfitt, whose musical journey began at the age of 11 and saw the singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist rise to fame as one of rock’s most celebrated and fiercely respected musicians, died on 24 December in southern Spain from sepsis, after being admitted the previous day, following an infection of a pre-existing shoulder injury. 16. George Michael. On Christmas morning, we awoke to the tragic news that 2016 claimed the life of pop icon George Michael, found dead of unknown causes at the age of 53. With over 100 million records sold worldwide and holding the title of one of the best selling British acts of all time, Michael’s influence transcends music as friends, fans, and industry colleagues remember a fiercely talented man with a heart bigger than his body and whose ability to shapeshift with the times saw him successfully transition from 1/2 of 80’s pop duo Wham! to a solo artist whose debut album, Faith , reached diamond certification, setting the tone for a fiercely impressive solo career. TOP 10 Rock Albums of 2016. 2016 was the year of the comebacks – some of them great, some of them not so great, but if we look at the big picture, this year definitely rocked pretty hard. Right from the very beginning, David Bowie ’s “Blackstar” signaled the arrival of a strong rock&roll year. We lost David just a couple of days later, but we are beyond grateful for his last gift to us. January awarded us with Megadeth ’s “Dystopia” and ’s “The Astonishing” . After that, all hell broke loose – Elton John released “Wonderful Crazy Night” , Last In Line debuted with “Heavy Crown” and Iggy Pop came back with a new studio album – “Post Pop Depression” . The spring brought a lot of color and joy with the much anticipated releases of Cheap Trick with “Bang, Zoom, Crazy… Hello” , Sixx:A.M. ‘s “Prayers for the Damned: Vol. 1” , Cyndi Lauper ’s “Detour” , Eric Clapton ’s “I Still Do” and many more. The summer of 2016 was hotter than ever thanks to Paul Simon , Roxette , Neil Young , Jeff Beck , , Heart and Steven Tyler . The last four months of 2016 were, in my opinion, the strongest in terms of rock releases. After 16 years, Kansas came back on the horizon with “” . Along with them, Bruce Springsteen , , Barry Gibb , Leonard Cohen , Glenn Hughes , Bon Jovi , Sting , Simple Minds and of course, with “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct” , left quite the impression with their new albums. December gave us The Rolling Stone ’s “Blue & Lonesome” –they surely know how to wrap things up with style. Coming up with a “Top 10 Rock Albums of 2016” can be quite the formidable task. So many interesting things happened on the music scene this year and I think all of the above mentioned artists deserve a round of applause and our deep appreciation. Of course, the beauty of music is that it has something for everyone and this year there were plenty of releases with which I managed to establish a deep connection. The following 10 albums stood out to me for one reason or another and I truly believe they are among the greatest rock jewels 2016 spawned. I would like to say that this is a personal selection, driven by my taste in music. In case you haven’t listened to those albums yet, I strongly recommend you to do so! Here we go! 1. Kansas – The Prelude Implicit. The album that tops my list of favorite 2016 releases is Kansas ’ long awaited comeback – “The Prelude Implicit”. Even before the album was officially out in September, I somehow sensed that I will fall in love with it. The elevating, colorful mixture of progressive and hard rock, along with the refreshing vocals of new singer Ronnie Platt created the perfect rock experience for me. David Ragsdale’s heated violin playing was the final element that sealed the deal. “The Prelude Implicit” is absolutely stunning – from the charming opening rocker “With this Heart” to the spectacular instrumental “Section 60” , the whole album just keeps on throwing one strong punch after another. “Camouflage” became my absolute favorite song from “The Prelude Implicit” and I am still waiting for a music video, actually. “Camouflage” , along with “Crowded Isolation” and the exciting hard rocker “Rhythm in the Spirit ” are some of the highlights of the album. I can’t recommend this enough. My Copy of “The Prelude Implicit” 2. Glenn Hughes – Resonate. Number 2 on my list is Glenn Hughes ’ powerful hard rock dynamite, titled “Resonate” . No words can describe the dangerous, electrifying and absolutely mind-blowing aura of the record. Glenn is one of a kind legend and this jaw-dropping album only solidifies his position as one of the best rockers out there. “Resonate” is no joke, it’s the ultimate galvanizing rock experience of 2016! Glenn hits hard right from the beginning with the aggressive “Heavy” and moves on to “My Town”, “Let It Shine” and “God of Money” – all explosive, guitar-driven tornadoes. “When I Fall” demonstrates the gentle side of the rock monster. Overall, if you want to get drunk on pure hard rock, this is the album for you. Glenn is still here, still relevant and still releasing incredible material. The youngsters need to take notes – “Resonate” is a great example of how real hard rock should sound like. 3. Eric Clapton – I Still Do. Legendary guitar hero Eric Clapton released his twenty-third solo album in May 2016 and as a long-time fan of him I just couldn’t be happier! For “I Still Do” , the king of blues recorded original songs, as well as cover versions of classics by artists such as Robert Johnson and Bob Dylan . Positively laidback, the album definitely grabs your attention with its bluesy easy-going and breezy aura that creates the perfect mood. The songs are rather homogeneous and once again perfectly aligned with Eric Clapton ’s standards and practices of reviving and exploring old ways and meanings of music. The original composition “Spiral” is one of the highlights of the record, on which Clapton demonstrates how well he can improvise with a guitar and how effortlessly he can create something so fanciful and memorable. Robert Johnson’s “Stones in My Passway” and JJ Cale’s “ Somebody’s Knocking” showcase Clapton ’s confidence when it comes to the blues. The genuine “I Still Do” reflects Eric ’s current self- assured spirit – he wants to do music his own way and he couldn’t care less what everyone things about it. The album just goes beyond class – it’s everything I dreamed of. Me With My Copy of “I Still Do” 4. Last In Line – Heavy Crown. Former members of DIO – drummer Vinny Appice , bassist Jimmy Bain , guitarist Vivian Campbell , and keyboardist Claude Schnell , along with vocalist Andrew Freeman formed Last In Line in 2012, with their name, of course, coming from DIO ’s 1984 album. Kicking off things as a mere tribute band, reminding fans of the glory days of DIO and explicitly focusing on the classic albums “Holy Diver” , “” , and “Sacred Heart” , the guys quickly stirred things up the excitement among the fans. It wasn’t long before they decided that it’s time they pave their own way with original compositions. “Heavy Crown” was released in February 2016 and it instantly captivated the audience, including myself. I am a huge fan of Vivian (because of Def Leppard , of course), so I was impatiently waiting to see how he will lead Last In Line into triumph, which he absolutely did with this unbelievably good old-school hard rock blast, titled “Heavy Crown” . “Starmaker” and “Devil In Me” are the instant attention-grabbers with their fiery tempos and of course, the soaring chants of Andrew , who is absolutely killing it on this record. “Burn This House Down” , “I Am Revolution” and “Blame It On Me” are a couple of others energizing metal explosions, completely overpowering every one of our senses. “Heavy Crown” follows the strong spirit of DIO but at the same time, goes beyond that, quite successfully if I may say. Moreover, this album gives us one more chance to experience the talents of Jimmy Bain , which in itself is a reason enough to put the record in my top 5. 5. The Rolling Stones – Blue & Lonesome. Since I love the blues so much, including The Rolling Stones ’ “Blue & Lonesome” on my list would come as no surprise. The rock&roll Gods came back with a phenomenal collection of spirited covers, bringing us back to the golden days of blues. “Blue & Lonesome” is Rolling Stones ’ first album to feature exclusively cover songs. Among the twelve blues jewels, we get to listen to interpretations of forgotten but classic tracks by Howlin’ Wolf , Willie Dixon , Buddy Johnson , Memphis Slim and other legendary bluesmen. Recorded within just a few days, with no preparation whatsoever, “Blue & Lonesome” is the perfect example of how The Rolling Stones can effortlessly craft some serious magic out of nowhere and still sound as confident as ever. Mick Jagger is absolutely killing it on songs like “Just Your Fool” ( Buddy Johnson ), “Little Rain” ( Ewart G. Abner Jr. and Jimmy Reed ), “All of Your Love” ( Magic Sam ) and the atmospheric title track “Blue & Lonesome” ( Memphis Slim ) – raw, brave and soulful, his vocal delivery is obviously reflecting his high level of satisfaction with this album. I am mind blown by the terrific guitar work of Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood and the drum beats of Charlie Watts . Also, my idol – Eric Clapton also appears on “Everybody Knows About My Good Thing” and “I Can’t Quit You Baby” . “Blue & Lonesome” offers a galvanizing blues experience and I definitely recommend it. 6. Cheap Trick – Bang, Zoom, Crazy… Hello. In 2016, Cheap Trick were inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame , but that definitely didn’t mean they were done with rocking and rolling – on the contrary, their golden days are far from over. Their “Bang, Zoom, Crazy… Hello” simply proved that those guys have a lot more energy, talent and joy to spread to the world. Uplifting, spirited, charming and highly entertaining – the record was the perfect spring rock sonata. Cheap Trick are still rocking pretty hard and we can clearly see it in songs like “Heart on the Line” , “When I Wake Up Tomorrow” , “Blood Red Lips” and “Do You Believe Me?” . The band’s first release for the country giants Big Machine Records is also the first album without the presence of long-time drummer Bun E. Carlos . Nevertheless, this modern-day rock extravaganza is everything but boring. Guitarist Rick Nielsen is doing a superb job; I am absolutely in love with the catchy riffs on “Bang, Zoom, Crazy… Hello” . A well-deserving comeback by Cheap Trick , I recommend you guys to take a listen or two! 7. David Bowie – Blackstar. David Bowie ’s last album – “Blackstar” was released just a few days before we lost him. I still can’t believe this beautiful human being is not with us anymore, it was such a tragic loss for everyone. I am beyond grateful for “Blackstar” – the last chance to say goodbye and experience his magical voice and one of a kind musicianship. The value of the album lies in its aggressive experimentalism which for many people may be a bit difficult to absorb, but as a long-time fan of progressive/art rock, the anxiety of “Blackstar” perfectly matched my tastes. The twenty-fifth album of Bowie , produced by long-time collaborator and a friend, Tony Visconti , presents seven intriguing, devilish even compositions, each reminiscent of Bowie ’s ‘70s glory days but still compiling tons of new and exciting elements. Songs like “Girl Loves Me” , “Lazarus” and “I Can’t Give Everything Away” are fuelled with pure drum’n’bas wickedness. David ’s moody groans are the foundation of “Blackstar” . It’s so inspiring to hear him perform so bewitching given what his condition was at that time. Saxophonist Donny McCaslin is also bringing so much to the table. You will never ever hear anything like “Blackstar” again and for that it deserves to be listened and appreciated. 8. Heart – . “I Jump” was my absolute favorite song of summer 2016! I couldn’t have my day going without listening to this glorious tune by the Wilson sisters. As a matter of fact, this song itself is one big part of the reason why this album is even in my top 10. On “Beautiful Broken” , sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson are simply offering an intriguing selection of seven re-imagined and re-recorded cherry picks from their early career, along with a few new exciting additions to their catalogue. will always be one of my favorite female vocalists of all time and this record definitely proves that she still got it! Some highly appealing things are happening on this record, including the guest appearance of Metallica’s James Hetfield , whose roaring vocals work quite well with Ann ’s soulful and clear singing. The heavy orchestral “I Jump” possesses that vibe, which is not surprising at all – the girls are often crediting Led Zeppelin as their biggest musical influence. “Two” and “Heaven” are a couple of other high points from “Beautiful Broken” . Many of the fans out there, including myself, are quite sentimental and prefer the original classics, however “Beautiful Broken” definitely deserves a chance – if not for the old-new songs, than for the three gorgeous new additions to their music library. Also, Ann ’s voice is a reason enough to have this record! 9. Metallica – Hardwired To Self-Destruct. The mighty metal Gods survived through the long gap, after which the majority of rock acts would’ve been totally obliterated by the constantly changing music scene, and rose from the ashes with a smashing new heavy metal storm, titled “Hardwired…to Self-Destruct” . The expectations were high but they did deliver something quite satisfying so let’s give a round of applause to singer-guitarist James Hetfield and drummer who co-wrote almost the entire set of throat-grabbing tunes. “Hardwired…to Self-Destruct ” is an epic double monster album, spitting 12 fiery tracks which run for almost 80 minutes! At first I thought that the record could be easy to inhale but once I heard the entire set, I realized that probably they should’ve just stopped after CD1 (which by the way is the reason why this album is in my top 10). “Dream No More” quickly became a personal favorite; I am enjoying this dark and highly-intense tune every time I play it. Some other memorable moments from “Hardwired…to Self-Destruct ” include the opening track “Hardwired” and of course the surprisingly splendid tribute to Lemmy Kilmister , “Murder One” . Metallica build up quite the excitement among fans, including me, so it’s natural to completely lose your mind over this album. 10. Jeff Beck – Loud Hailer. This summer, Jeff Beck surprised us with a brilliant 11 th album, which completely blew me away. I must say, I was sceptical at first, but the album just grew on me with every listen. “Loud Hailer” is not your typical Jeff Beck record – it’s a completely different kind of monster. Then again, it would be foolish to expect him to do the same thing over and over again, so I am applauding him for this revolutionary work on “Loud Hailer” . Two immensely talented female musicians – vocalist Rosie Bones and guitarist Carmen Vandenberg are the reason why there’s so much color and intrigue on this record. Bones sings about apathy, greed, politics, media and a number of other issues, destroying our society. That’s one of the reason why it appealed to me that much. “Live in The Dark” is the highlight of “Loud Hailer” , at least to me. I am falling in love with the thrilling vocals and time-stopping rhythms over and over again every time I play it. The haunting instrumental “Pull It” is feeding my soul with so much power. “Shrine” wraps things up with a similar folk-blues vibe, which sends you to another dimension. “Loud Hailer” melts me with ever listen. I can’t recommend it enough. Category : LATEST NEWS. CINDERELLA MEMBERS ERIC BRITTINGHAM AND JEFF LABAR FORM CHEAP THRILL. Cinderella bassist Eric Brittingham and guitarist Jeff LaBar along with vocalist/guitarist Brandon Gibbs (formerly of The Gibbs Brothers) and drummer Troy Patrick Farrell (White Lion, Gilby Clarke) in a new band called Cheap Thrill. Cheap Thrill brings you a sound flavored with Cinderella tunes such as Nobody’s Fool , Heartbreak Station and Hello Or Goodbye from LaBar’s soon-to-be-released CD, along with the newest song from Brandon’s solo record, This Town , which is currently featured on ESPN 2 for the NHRA season. This show is littered with popular covers and stadium rock songs. When Cinderella isn’t touring, Gibbs and Brittingham have always found themselves working together off and on over the last five years. With the recent addition of LaBar, the Nashville-based group CHEAP THRILL made its debut on the cruise in March 2013, with two more rock and roll cruises immediately following. Brittingham and LaBar are pumped about Cheap Thrill and the opportunity to work together again and alongside Gibbs. “Being able to transition from a three-piece acoustic show to a full band keeps the project fun and versatile,” says Brittingham. “It’s all about the music,” adds Gibbs. “We have finetuned a product that will appeal to audiences of all ages.” PORTNOY SHEEHAN MACALPINE SHERINIAN TO RELEASE “LIVE IN TOKYO” ON SEPTEMBER 3RD. On September 3rd, 2013, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release Live In Tokyo by Portnoy Sheehan Macalpine Sherinian on DVD, Blu-ray, 2CD and digital audio and video formats. Live In Tokyo was filmed/recorded on November 14th, 2012 at Zepp Tokyo. This 95-minute concert is the first release of material from the supergroup, and it showcases a wide range of instrumental performances from each of the members’ careers and collaborations (moved up from a later paragraph). Wider fanbases of Dream Theater, Mr. Big and Black Country Communion will definitely stand up and take notice. Drummer (Dream Theater, ), bassist (Talas, , Mr. Big), guitarist Tony MacAlpine and keyboardist (Black Country Communion, Dream Theater) brought their collective strengths to Japan this past fall. The result was a 16-track deep cornucopia of the members’ individual highlights. The group unleashed a fierce storm of sonic musicianship on songs such as Shy Boy from Sheehan’s band Talas, MacAlpine’s The Stranger , Sherinian’s Apocalypse 1470 B.C. and Dream Theater’s A Change Of Seasons: The Crimson Sunrise . The DVD and Blu-ray also offer an exclusive peek at this production with a behind-the-scenes featurette. Live In Tokyo track listing: 1. A Change Of Seasons: I The Crimson Sunrise (Dream Theater song) 2. Acid Rain (Liquid Tension Experiment song) 3. The Stranger (Tony MacAlpine song) 4. Stratus (Billy Cobham song) 5. Atlantis, Part 1: Apocalypse 1470 B.C. (Derek Sherinian song) 6. Tony MacAlpine Guitar Solo 7. Been Here Before (Derek Sherinian song) 8. Birds of Prey (Billy’s Boogie) / Billy Sheehan solo 09. The Farandole (Talas song) 10. The Pump (Jeff Beck song) 11. Mike Portnoy Drum Intro 12. Nightmare Cinema (Derek Sherinian song) 13. Hell’s Kitchen (Dream Theater song) 14. Derek Sherinian Keyboard Solo 15. Lines In The Sand (Dream Theater song) (abridged) 16. Shy Boy (Talas song) (Billy Sheehan on lead vocals) TO RELEASE “SAMMY AND FRIENDS” ON SEPTEMBER 24TH. On the eve of his fourth decade in rock and roll, Grammy Award-winning Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Sammy Hagar has teamed with a seminal array of his legendary rock and country artist friends and bandmates, past and present, for his first-ever rock collaborations album, Sammy Hagar And Friends . The release will see Hagar joining forces with award-winning artists, including Kid Rock, Nancy Wilson (Heart), Ronnie Dunn (Brooks & Dunn), Michael Anthony (, ), Neal Schon (Journey), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chickenfoot) and Joe Satriani (Solo artist, Chickenfoot) , and (Montrose), THE Wabos and more on an epic collection of 10 new songs and unexpected covers. Produced by Hagar and Grammy-winning engineer/producer John Cuniberti, Sammy Hagar And Friends will be released by on September 24th in North America and September 27th in Europe (September 29th in the U.K.). From new originals like Knockdown Dragout with Kid Rock, Bad On Fords And Chevrolets with Ronnie Dunn, All We Need Is An Island with Nancy Wilson, Going Down with Neal Schon, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith, and Father Sun , a duet with his son Aaron Hagar — to reimagined covers of classics like Bob Seger’s Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man and Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus — Hagar has masterfully assembled an album that delves into rock, country, blues and pop. Sammy Hagar And Friends is Hagar’s first solo album since 2008. Full details, including a complete artist list, cover art, track listing and presale information will be announced shortly. The release of Sammy Hagar And Friends will follow on the heels of his Four Decades of Rock summer tour which begins July 26th in Tucson and wraps September 7th in his hometown of San Francisco. The 14-city tour celebrates Hagar’s arsenal of hits from his career-spanning success as a solo artist, songwriter and frontman for Van Halen, Montrose and Chickenfoot. The tour, which features Hagar and his band, The Wabos, will also see influential bandmates from his career, including Michael Anthony, Denny Carmassi, Bill Church and more joining him on select dates. Hagar and his lineup of guest stars will take fans on a hit-filled retrospective from the Red Rocker’s prolific career. Fans can also expect some surprise “friends” to join Hagar on stage for a sneak peek of tracks from the new album. NINE THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT EDDIE TRUNK. EDDIE TRUNK GETS GRILLED: ROB HALFORD OR BRUCE DICKINSON? BRITISH METAL OR U.S METAL? KISS IN THE 80’s OR THE 90’s? Joe Daly of The Weeklings spoke to our very own Eddie Trunk. Portions of the interview appear below. Q: Musicians, even the metal guys, can be colorful personalities to manage sometimes. Looking back over the past eleven seasons [of ], are there any interviews or situations that you wish you might have handled differently? ET: The one interview that I wish I had back was the Axl Rose interview, when we went to Miami and interviewed him. I only say that because people who don’t know the backstory behind that interview don’t realize all that went into getting it. It was a lot. It was waiting around, literally, for fifteen hours for that interview. And we never knew if we were ever going to get it. There was no promise made to us that we were going to get an interview, so we were prepared to some degree, but we weren’t prepared to wait until five in the morning to do an interview, and that’s exactly what it ended up being. We got to the arena at three o’clock the day before, and we walked out of the arena at around eight a.m. the next day. We got our interview, but as important as it was to have been the first—and all respect to Jimmy Kimmel, who I know got one—we were first to have gotten an interview with Axl on TV in God knows how long. Q: I remember running into you in L.A. a few weeks after that and you still looked exhausted. ET: We really put a lot into that and it took a hell of a long time to get it. To that end, by the time Axl came out and the interview happened, we were so sleep deprived, we were literally dozing off before he walked in. We had flights to catch. We thought we were going to do the interview at eight, get back to our rooms around eleven, sleep, wake up, get on the plane and go. We literally went from the venue to the airport, got on a plane and came home without sleeping. So I’m not making excuses, but when you’re standing around that long in limbo, you have a completely different mindset going into that interview. You’re like, “OK, let’s get some time with this guy, and then we’ve gotta go.” There are much tougher questions that I could have asked. I think that the bigger part of that whole thing is that people just wanted to see the guy and hear him speak, because he’s so reclusive. The whole thing was a weird thing. He didn’t know he was supposed to do an interview. His manager, he claims, didn’t tell him. We were there forever, so really it was a whole gray area going into it. Again, the most important thing was that we got it; people saw it, people heard it, most people liked it. That was the goal, to get him on the show, but we could have certainly done more with it if things had been different. Q: It’s a surreal piece of television. His answers probably revealed more about himself than he intended. ET: Listen, you have to realize, too, that you get a guy like that sitting there, you’ve waited all that time… You know that he can be volatile and you want to walk a tightrope because the last thing you want to do is, having sat there for fifteen hours with your crew, the first question out of your mouth is, “Dude, what’s wrong with you, man? Slash is the best! Are you crazy?” Which people, I think, expect. I think there are certain elements that think the first question should be, “Put the original band back together!” How do you think that’s going to fly? Then the guy takes his microphone off and thirty seconds into it he walks out, and we’ve just spent fifteen hours for that. There’s got to be some tact. You’ve got to do what you can do to get into stuff without cutting the red wire and having somebody go crazy. So that’s a balancing act and I think that under the conditions, we all did a great job. Could it have been better? Yeah. So that’s one that I’d love to have back under different conditions. Q: Still, don’t you think that the circumstances surrounding the interview created a level of suspense and unpredictability that you might not have achieved in a studio? ET: What people don’t know also about that whole thing was that because we didn’t know if we were ever going to get an interview with him, before he even walked in, we interviewed everybody in Guns N’ Roses, including crew members, and we also interviewed everybody in Buckcherry, who were opening that show. The reason we did that was because if Axl didn’t come out, we still needed to put an hour of TV on, so we were just going to cut it and it was going to become the Quest for Axl show, where we never really get him, but we talk to everybody around him. And then, when he shows up at the very end, just when we were ready to call it a day, all of that stuff was cut out, and left out. I get a lot of people asking me about (current Guns N’ Roses guitarist) DJ Ashba sitting there in the Axl interview and not saying anything. That’s because Axl wanted him sitting there, and all respect to DJ, who’s a friend, but if you have Axl Rose for the first time on TV in twenty years, you’re not going to talk to DJ Ashba. And DJ knew that. But we had interviewed DJ before, and again, that stuff ended up online, so that’s kind of one of these surreal moments that I could probably write a book about that episode alone. So to give a very long answer to your question, if I could go back and do a different kind of interview, I would probably go back and go for that. Q: Switching gears a bit, it’s now time for you to take ten hard ones. Q: I’m going to give you ten either/or questions and I’d like you to choose one and briefly explain why you made that choice. Rob Halford or Bruce Dickinson? ET: Halford because he’s the metal god, simple as that. He came before Bruce, so maybe there wouldn’t have been a Bruce without a Halford, so I’ve got to go with Rob. Q: British Metal or US Metal? ET: Ugh… Gotta go British because to me, is where heavy metal started, and they’re from England. Q: Scorpions or Anvil? ET: Scorpions. All respect to Anvil, but Scorpions have a much, much bigger catalog of songs. Q: Here’s a movie question: Almost Famous or Rock Star ? ET: Almost Famous . I just think that it’s a better story and I think that from what I’ve heard, the original intent of Rock Star was originally to be based on the Judas Priest story, but it got turned a bit sideways, so I just think that Almost Famous was better done. Q: KISS in the 80s or KISS in the 90s? ET: I have to say 90s because in the 90s is when they reunited with the original band. Q: In that same vein, metal today or metal ten years ago? ET: I’m going to say metal now, because I think it’s further along, I think it’s grown and today, on the day that we’re talking, it was just announced that Black Sabbath have the number one album in America. So that’s pretty remarkable in 2013, so we’ve gotta go with now. Q: Front row or backstage? ET: Hmmm…Well, it depends what I’m looking to do! (laughing) If I’m looking to hang out, then backstage, but if I’m looking to see the show, front row. But I’ll tell you what, and here’s the secret that a lot of people don’t know about front row—front row is often a really bad seat. For the front row, the sound is usually really bad most of the time because you’re too close to the PA, where it’s almost behind you and you’re not hearing it right. Also, it’s hard to take in the whole show if the band has screens or production that you can’t see properly. So front row is not everything it’s cracked up to be, if you’ve ever been lucky enough to sit there. You’re better off being about fifteen rows back to really take in a full show. ET: Oh wow… Hmmm… (long pause) From an interviewer’s perspective, radio. Yeah, because I have so much more time. I love doing interviews and getting the stories from these bands. I love sitting for an hour straight and talking to an artist, and you simply can’t do that on television. From an impact standpoint, and a notoriety standpoint, without question television. But from a standpoint of doing interviews and getting into it with artists, radio. Plus radio is so much more immediate. Something I do on my radio show tomorrow night will be heard everywhere five seconds after I do it. TV, what I do there isn’t going to be seen or heard for a month after it’s done. Q: Sylvester Stallone or Bruce Willis? ET: Stallone. Because I like Rocky and Rambo a lot more than Die Hard …I should have said Willis because Willis is from New Jersey, but I’ve still got to go with Stallone. Q: [Finally], Sabbath or Zeppelin? Oh wow… Alright, I’m going to go with Zeppelin. Wow. Yeah, I’m gonna go with Zeppelin, and here’s the simple answer—there wouldn’t have been a Sabbath without a Zeppelin. And they’ve said that themselves, and I’ve just read a recent interview with Sabbath for their new album and they were asked, “What were you listening to that shaped the band?” and one of the bands they mentioned was Zeppelin. You’ve got to pay respect to the elders. Both of their music holds up incredibly well, both bands have so much dynamic in their sound. The big difference of course is that Zeppelin has always been one band; Sabbath, are we talking Dio? Are we talking Ian Gillan? Are we talking Tony Martin? You can go on and on? If you’re just talking about the Ozzy years, it’s a different thing too, but I just always defer to the bands that came before and that laid the foundation when questions like that come up, and that’s Zeppelin before Sabbath.