Take the Country By Storm: Alice Cooper's Billion Dollar Babies is 40

 

Alice Cooper

Billion Dollar Babies

1973

Rating: **** 1/2

            By 1973, Alice Cooper were one of the biggest rock bands in the world. The band’s sixth studio album, Billion Dollar Babies, would do something their five previous albums didn’t do: it would chart at #1, proving that the man and the band were a force to be reckoned with.

            Alice Cooper were formed in 1968. The band consisted of singer Alice Cooper (born Vincent Furnier), guitarists Michael Bruce and Glenn Buxton, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith. Frank Zappa signed the band to his label, Straight Records. The band’s first two albums, Pretties For You and Easy Action, were albums that didn’t really showcase the Alice Cooper that would become a leading force in shock rock and the theatrics in rock n roll. The band’s third album, Love It To Death, was a hit in the charts when released in 1971 thanks to the success of the single “I’m Eighteen”. The band followed this with Killer and School’s Out. The band’s albums were all produced by Bob Ezrin, who Cooper today calls the band’s George Martin. Recording for Billion Dollar Babies began August 1972 and ended January 1973.

            The album fittingly opens with “Hello Hooray”. It almost serves as a greeting to the listener who just started up the album. Although Cooper has never thought of himself as a great singer, his vocals are pretty good on this track. “Raped and Freezin’” is a hilarious Stonesy-rocker about a hitchhiker’s encounter with a “broad down from Santa Fe”. There’s some great guitar work from both Bruce and Buxton and it’s just a great song in general. The thing most people don’t realize about Cooper is that the guy has a wicked sense of humor and at times, he will use it in his songs. “Raped and Freezin’” is a perfect example of this.

            While “Elected” is one of the hit singles from this album, it actually started life as an earlier song from the band’s career. On the band’s debut album, Pretties for You, there is a track called “Reflected”. For Billion Dollar Babies, the band reworked the track and changed it to “Elected”. The song benefits from Ezrin’s usual use of horn and string sections and the the lyrics are clever: “I’ve never lied to you/I’ve always been cool/I wanna be elected/I gotta get the vote/And I’ve told you about school/I wanna be elected”. The song was released as a single in 1972, fittingly during the election season. The self titled track is another highlight off the album as it features Donovan on vocals with Alice during the chorus while “Unfinished Sweet” is a humorous tale about the fear of going to see the dentist.

            “No More Mr. Nice Guy” starts off the second side of the album. The song is the big hit single off the album and it has since then become a staple for classic rock radio stations. According to Cooper, the song was based off the reactions Cooper was getting from his mother’s church group. Cooper came from a Christian family and his parents had to defend their son for his choice in career. “Generation Landslide” is lyrically the best song off the album. It’s quite impressive that song like this could come from the guys in Alice Cooper. “Sick Things” is creepy while “Mary Ann” is a departure from everything else on the album as it is a ballad. The album ends with the truly chilling “I Love the Dead”.

            When release in February 1973, Billion Dollar Babies was both a critical and commercial success. The album reached #1 thanks to the hit singles “Elected” and “No More Mr. Nice Guy”. The band went on tour to support the album, which at that point the band were at the peak of their career. Towards the end of 1973, the band released the follow up Muscle of Love. Compared to Billion Dollar Babies, Muscle of Love was a disappointment to both fans and critics. By 1974, there were tensions within the band. By this time, Cooper had legally changed his name to Alice Cooper.

The band broke up in 1974. Cooper continued to use the Alice Cooper name and started his career as a solo artist, with the release of 1975’s Welcome to My Nightmare. Cooper’s solo career was successful for the most part but Cooper had battles with his alcoholism to the point where he was out of the limelight for most of the 1980’s. Cooper made a huge comeback with the release of 1989’s Trash, thanks to the hit single “Poison”. Since then, Cooper has been constantly touring and releasing new music. Cooper is now a born-again Christian, an avid golfer, and has been the host of his own syndicated radio show since 2004. Cooper has reunited with his former band mates in the original Alice Cooper band from time-to-time (sans Glenn Buxton, who died in 1997).

40 years later, Billion Dollar Babies can be seen as a classic album from a great band. All of the songs are great and it still sounds great to this very day.

The World's Forgotten Boy: The Stooges' Raw Power at 40

 

The Stooges

Raw Power

1973

Rating: **** 1/2

It was 1973. Glam rock was at its peak and punk rock was just starting. On February 7, the Stooges released their third studio album Raw Power. The album, produced by David Bowie, was a flop in the charts and the band split soon after. Now four decades after its release, Raw Power is seen as one of the greatest punk rock albums of all time as well as one of the most influential album of all time. Thanks to its underground following, Raw Power has stood the test of time and remains a classic album.

           

            The Stooges were formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1969. The original line-up consisted of singer Iggy Pop, bassist Dave Alexander, guitarist Ron Asheton, and his brother drummer Scott Asheton. The band were signed to Elektra Records and released their self-titled debut album, produced by John Cale, in 1969. Their sophomore effort, Fun House, was released the following year. By the early 1970’s, the Stooges were at the end of their rope. After being rejected by Elektra for their excessive drug use, the band had hit rock bottom. The band also suffered from changes in their line-up. Alexander was fired after being too drunk to perform at one gig (he would later die in 1975). After the band was dropped from Elektra, their future was in question.

            In 1971, David Bowie came to the rescue. Bowie, an avid fan of the Stooges, wanted to help Iggy form a new band. Bowie flew out both Iggy and guitarist James Williamson, who had joined the Stooges in 1970. The two auditioned several musicians for a new band but Pop eventually decided to have the Asheton brothers join, the only difference being that Ron was now demoted to bassist. With the band set and a record deal with Columbia Records, the Stooges were back and began work on what would become Raw Power.

            “Search and Destroy” is not only a great way to open the album but it’s just a great punk rock song in general. It’s a simple little punk rocker with some great guitar work by Williamson. The lyrics could be best described as punk poetry. I mean, how can you not love lyrics like this: “I’m a street walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm/I’m the runaway son of the nuclear A-bomb.” It’s just a great track with great lyrics. “Gimme Danger” and “I Need Somebody” were supposedly both written as the “ballads” for the album. The band’s manager kept bugging the band about it and this is how close they got to making a ballad. “Gimme Danger” is a dark chilling track while “I Need Somebody” is a good-ole’ rock n roller.

If there is any hint of glam rock on this album, it can be heard in “Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell” though it is a bit heavy to be considered glam rock. Williamson plays some aggressive riffs while Iggy’s rough voice suites the song just fine. “Penetration” is a psychedelic punk track of sorts with a hypnotizing riff from Williamson while the self-titled track is just a great rocker. “Can you feel it?” asks Iggy towards the end of the track. “Shake Appeal” sounds something like you would hear on the early Beatles albums (in fact if you listen to the Iggy remix, there is an added count of “1-2-3-4”). The album closes with the brutal “Death Trip”, which has more furious guitar work from Williamson.

When Raw Power was released in 1973, the album was a commercial flop. Much like the Stooges’ first two albums, it barley charted and Columbia soon dropped the band. The band managed to go on until 1974 when the band split (their last performance can be heard on the live album Metallic K.O., along with the sounds of beer bottles being pelted at the band). Pop would go on to have a successful solo career with the release of albums such as The Idiot and Lust for Life. Towards the early 1980s, Pop’s career had hit rock bottom to the point when he couldn’t afford to make anymore albums. This changed after Bowie covered “China Girl”, a song Bowie and Pop wrote for The Idiot. Bowie’s version became a hit and the money started coming in. With this, Pop was able to make more albums.

In 2003, the Stooges reunited with Pop and the Asheton brothers at the helm. Also joining the band was bassist Mike Watt and Fun House saxophonist Steve McKay. This reunited version of the band released The Weirdness in 2007. In 2009, Ron Asheton died from a heart attack. He was replaced by Williamson, who had been out of the music business for years.  

At the time of its release, Pop was not happy with the way the album was mixed. Bowie produced the final product, which Pop found to be very tame. Despite Pop’s dislike for the mix, the album achieved cult status amongst musicians such as Kurt Cobain and various others. When Raw Power was released on CD for the first time towards the end of the 1980s, the results weren’t all that great (much like other albums that were released on CD for the first time).

In 1997, Columbia Records told Pop that they would be re-releasing and remixing Raw Power whether he decided to be involved or not. Pop decided to be involved with the remixing of the album, as he was unhappy with Bowie’s original mix. The result: Pop’s remix of Raw Power was (and still is) one of the loudest albums ever released. The remix was met with mixed reviews. The negative reviews complained that the remix was too loud and lacked the heart of the original mix. Positive reviews praised the remix for being more aggressive compared to Bowie’s tame approach. Pop’s remix of Raw Power now falls into the category of what is known as the so-called “loudness war”, in which albums are mixed too loud and suffer from massive clipping.  

Soon enough, Bowie’s mix of the album went out of print. People such as Ron Asheton and James Williamson spoke out for their dislike of the remix, saying the original mix is much better. David Bowie himself prefers his mix and credits it to what would later become punk rock. In 2010, Bowie’s mix of the album was finally reissued and remastered.

Raw Power is seen by many as one of the greatest albums of all time. It was an album that heavily influenced countless bands and serves as a blueprint for what was to become punk rock. 40 years later, Raw Power still holds up. 

Former Wings guitarist Henry McCullough- suffering from brain damage, benefit concert set

Back in November 2012, former Wings and Joe Cocker guitarist Henry McCullough was rushed to the hospital after having a heart attack. An update on McCullough's condition was announced earlier last week by former Wings drummer Denny Seiwell, who said McCullough will not be making a full recovery. According to Seiwell, McCullough now has severe brain damage and it's unlikely he'll be making a full recovery.

McCullough is now being moved back home to Ballywonderland, where he will continue to receive treatment. A benefit concert has been set for March. The concert, "Salute to Henry", will be held in Dublin at Victor Street. Proceeds will go toward McCullough's care.

It's very sad to see Henry go through all of this. Henry is a very talented guitar player and I feel really bad for his family for having to go through this. My prayers go out to Henry and his family. Perhaps something good can come out of this show.

David Bowie to release new studio album in March

While David Bowie might be turning 66 today, the singer/songwriter has much bigger news than this. It has been announced today that Bowie will release a new studio album. The album, The Next Day, will be Bowie's 24th studio album and his first since 2003's Reality. The album is scheduled for release in March. Here are the release dates

Australia- March 8
Everywhere except US- March 11
US- March 12

There will be two editions of the album released: a standard 14-track one and a deluxe edition with three bonus tracks. The tracking list for the album is as follows.

1. The Next Day
2. Dirty Boys
3. The Stars (Are Out Tonight)
4. Love Is Lost
5. Where Are We Now?
6. Valentine's Day
7. If You Can See Me
8. I'd Rather Be High
9. Boss of Me
10. Dancing Out in Space
11. How Does the Grass Grow?
12. (You Will) Set the World On Fire
13. You Feel So Lonely You Could Die
14. Heat

The bonus tracks are...

15. So She
16. I'll Take You There
17. Plan

As a Bowie fan, I'm pretty excited to hear some new material from him. In all honesty, the "newest" album of his I own is Outside so I'll have to brush up on his last few albums though I doubt they'll sound anything like the new album. If you know Bowie, you know that the guy is a chameleon: he can do just about anything.

Another thing to note is that "Where Are We Now?" is up on iTunes as a single. You can watch the music video on YouTube and/or Vimeo. Personally, I think the song is just okay. I don't know what the rest of the album is going to be like but they could have chosen a better song. Still, it's great to hear and see David after all these years.

2012: Year in Review

Well, 2012 has come to a close. Personally, I’m quite surprised by how things have come out this year. It looks like I got more music compared to last year. Like previous years, I will sum up each album I got in one paragraph. This will also include albums I got a bit later and did not review when they came out.  The albums will also be split into two categories: new albums and archival/live albums.

New albums

  

Ringo Starr

Ringo 2012

Rating: ***

            Not much is expected from Ringo Starr when it comes to his studio albums. Ringo 2012 is an example of this. The album is average at best but it’s still a fun album to listen to. Ringo decided to re-record “Wings” and “Step Lightly”, both of which are nice renditions. My favorite song might be “Wonderful” but everything else is just alright.

  

Paul McCartney

Kisses on the Bottom

Rating: *** ½

            It sounded great at first: two former Beatles would release new studio albums this year. In all honesty, Kisses on the Bottom is nice album but it isn’t the Paul McCartney we are used to. Still, Paul wanted to make an album like this for a long time: an American songbook. “My Valentine”, which is one of the two original songs on the album, is probably my favorite. Overall, it isn’t a bad album at all but I would want the next McCartney album to be a Paul McCartney album.

 

Van Halen

A Different Kind of Truth

Rating: ****

            Van Halen are back! I’m not kidding. They really are. A Different Kind of Truth is the band’s first album in 14 years as well as their first album with singer David Lee Roth since 1984. It really is a return to the old-school Van Halen sound. With songs like “Blood and Fire”, “She’s the Woman”, “Bullethead”, and “Stay Frosty”, you’ve got yourself a very Van Halen sounding album. Even with original bassist Michael Anthony absent, Van Halen still rocks!

 

Ian Anderson

Thick As A Brick 2

Rating: *** ½

            With the 40^th anniversary of Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick this year, Ian Anderson decided to the released a “sequel” of some sort but as a solo album. The sequel explores the possibilities of what might’ve happened to Gerald Bostock, the boy who wrote the controversial long poem all those years ago. While an interesting idea, I’m really not a fan of sequels to classic albums. Considering what it’s up against, Thick as a Brick 2 can be considered one of the best sequels to a concept album.  

  

Accept

Stalingrad

Rating: ****

            Much to the surprise of some people, Accept reunited in 2009 with former TT Quick singer Mark Tornillo taking over for original singer Udo Dirkschider. The 2010 reunion album, Blood of the Nations, won both critics and fans over. Almost two years later, Accept released the follow-up Stalingrad. In all honesty, I didn’t listen to Blood of the Nations until two years after it was released. Blood of the Nations is a great album and Stalingrad is a pretty worthy follow up. Songs such as the self-titled track, “Shadow Soldiers”, and “Flash to Bang Time” are all heavy duty material. Still, I prefer Blood of the Nations but Stalingrad is a very good album.  

 

Rush

Clockwork Angels

Rating: ****

            In their four decades of being together, Rush are not a stranger to doing the conceptual song. However, Rush haven’t ever released a full-blown conceptual album…until now. Clockwork Angels, the band’s 19^th studio album, is a remarkable piece of work. I’m just surprised at how much thought went into this one album. The album follows the concept of the voyages of a man living in a steampunk world. Songs like “Headlong Flight” and “The Wreckers” are up there with Rush’s best songs. “Seven Cities of Gold” is another personal favorite of mine. Overall, Rush have really impressed me with Clockwork Angels.

 

Bob Dylan

Tempest

Rating: ****

FAVORITE ALBUM OF THE YEAR

            I have to say that I do like a good surprise. Bob Dylan has done just this with his 35^th studio album, Tempest. I wasn’t crazy about his last studio effort, Together Through Life. It was painful to listen to because of Dylan’s shot voice (and because of this, I didn’t bother getting his Christmas album released later that year in 2009). On Tempest, Dylan’s voice has not changed. So what makes this album better? I would have to say it’s the songs. “Duquesne Whistle” is a dark but somehow warm approach to Dylan’s music. The entire album is like a modern day version of Blood on the Tracks, in my opinion. I do enjoy the 14 minute long self-titled track, which tells the story of the sinking of the Titanic. “Roll on John” is a heartfelt tribute to John Lennon while “Pay in Blood” is personally my favorite song off the album. At 71 year old, Bob Dylan is still a pretty cool guy.

  

Ian Hunter

When I’m President

Rating: ****

            Ian Hunter returns with a simple little rock n roll album. Hunter’s solo career is a bit overlooked compared to his time in Mott the Hoople. When I’m President sees Hunter still at it and it’s just really good. There’s the boogey-fueled “Comfortable”, the brilliantly written self-titled track, and the hip shaker “What For”. I like this album.

  

Steve Harris

British Lion

Rating: ***

            Much to the surprise of many people, Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris decided to release a solo album. The result is one of the most confusing albums I’ve ever listened to. Sure, this isn’t Iron Maiden. This is a Steve Harris solo album and his first too. So that allows him to do whatever he wants since it isn’t Iron Maiden. The problem is Harris’ choice in lead singer, Richard Taylor. Taylor has a good voice but it isn’t ballsy enough to tackle the heavier tracks. It’s just a really strange album but still, it isn’t bad at all.

 

John Cale

Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood

Rating: ****

            John Cale decided to release an album this year, his first in seven years. Cale is one of those musicians who will try anything at least once (and you can expect that from a former member of the Velvet Underground). Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood sees Cale experimenting with electronic music and even dabbling in Autotune a bit too. Compared to the other albums in Cale’s solo career, Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood does stick out. I really enjoy songs like “Face to the Sky” and the brilliantly written “December Rain”. Cale even works with Danger Mouse on “I Wanna Talk 2 U”. Overall, Shifty Adventures is a good album.

  

Kiss

Monster

Rating: ****

            Four decades after their creation, Kiss have unleashed a monster of an album with Monster. The album heavy, hard-hitting rock n roll and it does tend to sound like their music back during the peak of their career. “Hell or Halleluiah”, “Freak”, “Long Way Down” and “The Devil Is Me” are all great. Even without the original line-up, Kiss still knows how to make a kick ass album.

  

Neil Young

Psychedelic Pill

Rating: ****

            Neil Young and Crazy Horse released two albums this year. The second of them, Psychedelic Pill, is a sort of “blast from the past” sounding album. Young’s voice hasn’t really aged and the band sound great. The album certainly lives up to the title: it really is psychedelic. “Driftin’ Back”, “Ramada Inn”, and “Walk Like a Giant” are very long jams from Young and Crazy Horse, which does sort of get boring after a while. The self-titled track is pretty good as well. Overall, Psychedelic Pill is worth checking out.

  

Aerosmith

Music From Another Dimension

Rating: ***

            As their first album of original material in 11 years, Aerosmith had a lot to make up for: pop-oriented albums, Steven Tyler’s stint on American Idol, and the feud between Tyler and Joe Perry. Even with original producer Jack Douglas’ presence, Music From Another Dimension isn’t the comeback album fans were expecting. Sure there are some good rockers like “Lover Alot”, “Legendary Child”, and “Street Jesus”.

2012 Albums Ranked

1. Bob Dylan- Tempest

2. Van Halen- A Different Kind of Truth

3. Rush- Clockwork Angels

4. Kiss- Monster

5. John Cale- Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood

6. Ian Hunter- When I'm President

7. Neil Young- Psychedelic Pill

8. Accept- Stalingrad

9. Ian Anderson- Thick As A Brick 2

10. Paul McCartney- Kisses on the Bottom

11. Aerosmith- Music From Another Dimension

12. Steve Harris- British Lion

13. Ringo Starr- Ringo 2012 

Archival/Reissue/Live albums

The Rolling Stones

           

Google Play have released five more albums in the Rolling Stones bootleg series. Those albums are:

Hampton Coliseum (Live, 1981)- ****

L.A. Friday (Live, 1975)- **** ½

Tokyo Dome (Live, 1990)- ****

Light the Fuse (Live, 2005)- ****

Roundhay Park (Live, 1982)- ****

            All of these releases are very good and it’s a great way to celebrate the band’s 50^th anniversary. Of those five released this year, L.A. Friday is my favorite. All of the other ones are great as well. Still the best in the series was the one released last year, The Brussels Affair, but these albums follow it up just fine.

  

Captain Beefheart

Bat Chain Puller

Rating: ****

FAVORITE ARCHIVAL RELEASE OF THE YEAR

            After years and years of being bootlegged, Captain Beefheart’s original 1976 Bat Chain Puller album has finally seen the light of day. Kept in the vaults by Frank Zappa’s estate, Gail Zappa was nice enough to release the long-awaited album. Listening to different renditions of songs such as “Bat Chain Puller”, “Harry Irene”, and “The Human Totem Pole” is just amazing. I really like the “new” songs too. My favorite song here is “Odd Jobs”, which is just a wonderful combination of spoken word poetry and rock music.

  

Quiet Riot

Live at the US Festival 1983

Rating: ****

            Quiet Riot’s performance at the US Festival in 1983 was finally released this year in a CD/DVD combo pack. The band plays an electrifying 40 minute set to a crowd of 500,000. The video has been brilliantly restored and remastered as well.

  

Janis Joplin

The Pearl Sessions

Rating: ****

            While this might be seen as a cash-grab of sorts, The Pearl Sessions is actually a pretty good release from the Janis Joplin estate. While this does come with the original Pearl album, the real treat is the second disc which has outtakes and all kinds of goodies. Listening to the second disc, the listener might feel as if they are in the studio with Joplin.

 

George Harrison

Early Takes- Volume 1

Rating: ****

            While really unnecessary, Early Takes is a surprisingly good release that ties in with the DVD release of the Martin Scorsese directed documentary on George Harrison. Hearing these songs stripped down is amazing.

  

Paul McCartney (and Linda McCartney)

Ram

Rating (original album): **** ½

Rating (bonus disc): ****

            The McCartney Archive Collection continues with the reissue of the 1971 classic Ram. The original album sounds wonderful and the remastering is really top notch. The bonus disc is an improvement over some of the other bonus discs that have come with the three previous entries in the collection as we get song brand new songs. My personal favorite: “A Love For You”.

 

Joey Ramone

Ya Know?

Rating: ****

            Much to the surprise of some people, Joey Ramone did have enough material recorded to make another posthumous solo album. Ramone, who died in 2001, had been working on his first solo album Don’t Worry About Me at the time of his death. That album would be released in 2002. So a decade has passed and it turns out Ramone had more material recorded. I would give this a low four-star rating but the material on here isn’t bad at all. “Rock N Roll Is the Answer” is probably the strongest cut on here. The other tracks are pretty good.

 

Led Zeppelin

Celebration Day

Rating: **** or **** ½

FAVORITE LIVE RELEASE OF THE YEAR

            Nearly five years later, Led Zeppelin have finally released their reunion concert from 2007 at London’s O2 Arena. Even after being apart for so long, the band are still able to play these classic songs. At times, the band does sound a bit sluggish but as the concert progresses the band gets better. Even at his age, Robert Plant can still sing the material. The surviving members (Plant, Page, and Jones) are also with Jason Bonham, who takes the place of his late father for this one-off performance.

In Memoriam

Bob Weston- guitarist for Fleetwood Mac

Mark Reale- guitarist for and founding member of Riot

Michael Kramer- bassist for the MC5

Davy Jones- singer for the Monkees

Ronnie Montrose- guitarist for Montrose, Edgar Winter Group, Gamma

Levon Helm- drummer for the Band

Robin Gibb- member of the Bee Gees

Bob Welch- guitarist for Fleetwood Mac

Jon Lord- original keyboardist for Deep Purple

Ed Cassidy- drummer for Spirit

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Class of 2013

The 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees have been announced today. Six of the 15 acts nominated got in and I've got to be honest: this years list isn't all that great. In fact, it's disappointing. I'll go through each act and give my thoughts.


Rush- The Canadian prog rockers easily topped the fan ballot and are now inducted in the Hall. Formed around 1968, Rush have had their share of critics slamming them. However, their rabid fan base has kept the band going. Bassist/singer Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart have been together since 1974, one of the longest lasting line-ups in any rock band.

Heart- Heart are the other big name that were inducted. Fronted by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, Heart were one of the most successful rock bands of the 1970's. The band's popularity got a sudden boost towards the end of the 1980's and have been going ever since.

Randy Newman- Singer/songwriter Randy Newman is finally in. Newman said he didn't think he'd be alive when he got in but luckily he is.

Albert King- Who?

Donna Summer- Whatever. She was going to be inducted once she died.

Public Enemy- SERIOUSLY? What the hell? Didn't you get the memo, Rock Hall? NO MORE HIP HOP!


So that's all the inductees for 2013. I know that the Hall is trying to be diverse in their choices but the fact that Deep Purple and Joan Jett were nominated and didn't get inducted is just stupidity. From what I remember the fan ballot was...

Rush
Deep Purple
Joan Jett
Heart
Albert King
Donna Summer

See if it were the fans and only the fans, you'd have four legit ROCK acts and two other people.

I'm going to go ahead and list everybody who isn't in...

Deep Purple
Thin Lizzy
New York Dolls
Captain Beefheart
T. Rex
MC5
Lou Reed
Judas Priest
Iron Maiden
Jethro Tull
Yes
Warren Zevon
Motorhead
Kiss
Dio

Spirit drummer Ed Cassidy dies

Ed Cassidy

May 4, 1923- December 6, 2012

Ed Cassidy, drummer for the psychedelic rock band Spirit, has died. He was 89 years old. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Cassidy started his musical career in 1937 as a jazz drummer. He drummed for many jazz artists prior to forming Spirit in 1967 with his stepson Randy California. Spirit also consisted of singer Jay Ferguson, bassist Mark Andes, and keyboardist John Locke. Spirit released four albums between 1968 to 1971 before everyone but Cassidy and Locke left the band. Spirit would go on until 1973 and after this, Spirit would reunite with California and Cassidy at the helm. This continued until 1997 when California died after drowning in the ocean in a successful attempt at saving his son in a riptide. Locke died in 2006. 

I'm sad to hear of Ed's passing (aka Mr. Skin). Spirit are such an underrated band. The man lived a long life and he was a terrific drummer. 

RIP Mr. Skin.