Sylvain Sylvain dead at 69

 Sylvain Mizrahi
February 14, 1951 - January 14, 2021

Note: I'm aware this happened almost a month ago. I'm just posting it because I got lazy. RIP Syl.

Sylvain Sylvain, guitarist for punk pioneers the New York Dolls, passed away on January 14th. The news was confirmed by his Facebook page- saying the guitarist had been battling cancer for two and a half years. Sylvain had posted a GoFundMe in April 2019 to help raise money for his treatment. 

Born in Cairo, Egypt, Sylvain and his family would soon move to the United States. Sylvain's family would live in Buffalo, New York before moving to Rego Park in Queens. At some point in the 1960s while in middle school, Sylvain met drummer Billy Murcia. Together, they ran a clothing company called Truth and Soul during their teenage years.  By 1971, the New York Dolls were formed- featuring Sylvain, Murica, singer David Johansen, guitarist Johnny Thunders and bassist Arthur Kane. The band got their  name from a doll repair shop that was near where Sylvain and Murica used to work. While a long serving member, Sylvain didn't join the band until months after their first gig on Christmas Day of 1971- with Sylvain replacing guitarist Rick Rivets. 

Despite the sudden death of Murica in 1972, the band soldiered on with new drummer Jerry Nolan. Signed to Mercury Records, the band would release two albums- their self-titled debut (1973) and Too Much Too Soon. Thunders and Nolan would leave the band in 1975 while the band managed to go on until 1977- with most of the members pursuing solo careers. For Sylvain, he would continue to work in music- releasing albums during the 1980s and 1990s. In 2004, he would reunite with Johansen and Kane for the Meltdown Festival- which was headlined by Morrissey that year. Despite Kane's death almost a week later, Johansen and Sylvain would continue with the reunited band until 2011- releasing three more studio albums. In 2018, Sylvain published an autobiography- along with playing several gigs in Japan as the Dolls. 

With Sylvain's passing, he is the fifth member of the New York Dolls to pass away. The others being...

Billy Murica in 1972 
Johnny Thunders in 1991
Jerry Nolan in 1992
Arthur Kane in 2004

With this, David Johansen is the lone surviving member of the band's classic line up. 

2020: Year in Review

Let’s be honest: 2020 hasn’t been a great year. From the chaos of the pandemic to the stress of the election, this hasn’t been an easy time. Still, there were a few artists that released new music. I know I’ve been less and less active on this blog but I just don’t have the inspiration that I used to. However, one tradition that I would like to keep going is the Year in Review.

This is an article of my takes on the music from 2020 that I’ve purchased.

New albums

X
Alphabetland
Rating: **** 

FAVORITE ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

            More than 25 years since the release of Hey Zeus, LA punk rockers X surprised everyone by releasing a new studio album. The album, Alphabetland, was dropped back in April 2020- almost 40 years to the day the band released their 1980 debut Los Angeles. While not a groundbreaking album, Alphabetland is a fun batch of tunes in the spirit of the band’s first four albums. In just 24 minutes, X present a little bit of everything: you got all-out punk rockers, rockabilly-tinged tunes and ska flavored ditties. Some fans might gripe about the album not being entirely originally- given the re-recordings of “Delta 88 Nightmare” and “Cyrano deBerger’s Back.” Even if not entirely original, Alphabetland is an all around good effort from a veteran artist.

Highlights: Water and Wine, I Gotta Fever, Goodbye Year Goodbye, Free

 

Bob Dylan
Rough and Rowdy Ways
Rating: **** 

            Now entering the sixth decade of his career, Bob Dylan released his first album of original tunes since 2012’s Tempest. While Dylan’s 79-year-old voice may not please everyone, the man still has a lot to say. The ten songs on Rough and Rowdy Ways are songs that see Dylan questioning his morality- along with singing songs of remorse and heartbreak. Musically, Dylan sounds like he’s picking up where he left on Tempest- although you will find some rock n roll numbers and a few bluesy tunes. While a solid album, Rough and Rowdy Ways is a bit longer than it should be- with the 17 minute “Murder Most Fowl” being the misstep on the album. While many have been praising the Kennedy assassination themed epic, the song has one too many name drops. Despite its weaknesses, Rough and Rowdy Ways is still worth a listen.

For a more in-depth review on this album, read my review on Pop Culture Beast. 

Highlights: False Prophets, I Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You, Goodbye Jimmy Reed, My Own Version of You

Fee Waybill
Fee Waybill Rides Again
Rating: *** ½ 

            More than 20 years since his last solo album, Tubes frontman Fee Waybill surprised everyone by releasing a brand new studio album. While a new album, some of the songs were apparently recorded a few years earlier. Although Waybill worked with friends such as Richard Marx on this album, Rides Again is just okay. The songs are catchy and Waybill’s voice sound great. The only thing working against this album is that it isn’t entirely memorable. I’ve only heard the album a few times and I’m struggling to remember the names of the songs. While not entirely memorable, Rides Again isn’t bad at all.

Highlights: Faker, Don’t Want to Pull the Trigger, Man of the World

 

The Residents
Meat, Metal and Bone
Rating: **** 

            When it comes to the Residents’ work after the 1970s, their output is either hit or miss. In the case of Meat, Metal and Bone, I’d say this is a good album. I’ll admit that I haven’t listened to all of the group’s discography but compared to the other albums I’ve heard, this is a really solid effort from the group. As per usual with Residents albums, this follows a concept- performing the songs of Alvin Snow, aka the Dyin’ Dog. Part of the experience in listening to this album is reading the liner notes included- which tells the story of the (more-than-likely fictional) blues singer. This is a very inspired effort from the group and it gets better on repeated listens.

For a more in-depth review on this album, read my review on Pop Culture Beast. 

Highlights: DIE! DIE! DIE!, River Runs Dry, Momma Don’t Go, Midnight Man

 

AC/DC
Power Up
Rating: **** 

            Despite the drama surround the band in 2016, AC/DC returned this year with a brand new studio album- with singer Brian Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd back in the band. Dedicated to the late Malcolm Young, Power Up is a surprisingly decent album. Throughout the album, the band are in fine form playing an array of catchy rockers. Musically, the band are firing on all cylinders- which is impressive considering how older these guys are. This is probably the band’s most consistent since 2008’s Black Ice- albeit with a shorter runtime. With the Brian Johnson era albums after Back in Black, it’s a bit of a bumpy road through their discography. With Power Up, this is a thoroughly consistent effort. If this ends up being their last one, Power Up would be a perfect end to their career.

Highlights: Realize, Shot in the Dark, Through the Mist of Time, Systems Down

 

Paul McCartney
McCartney III
Rating: **** 

            Paul McCartney had no plans in releasing new album in 2020. Once the lockdown came around, McCartney went to work on a new studio album. As the title would suggest, McCartney III is the third in a trilogy of albums, with the other two installments coming out in 1970 and 1980. Staying true to the first two albums, McCartney III sees the former Beatle playing every instrument- giving the album a more intimate feel and vibe. Musically, the album does have some of the acoustic and experimental elements found on the first two album. However more than anything, it sounds like a follow up to 2018’s Egypt Station in terms of the production and overall sound. While not an instant classic, McCartney III is still an all-around solid album.

 

Highlights: Find My Way, Pretty Boys, The Kiss of Venus, When Winter Comes

 

 

Ranking

1.     X- Alphabetland

2.     Paul McCartney- McCartney III

3.     AC/DC- Power Up

4.     Bob Dylan- Rough and Rowdy Ways

5.     The Residents- Metal, Meat and Bone

6.     Fee Waybill- Fee Waybill Rides Again

 

Archival Releases

Neil Young
Homegrown
Rating: **** 

Shelved for over 40 years, Homegrown was supposed to be Neil Young’s follow-up to the immensely successful Harvest. However due to the depressing nature of the songs, Young shelved the album. Now in 2020, Homegrown has finally been released. As an album, it’s pretty solid. However, it’s hard to fully immerse myself into this album. Had Homegrown been released back in the day, perhaps it would’ve been considered one of Young’s best albums. Though if it was released then, would Young’s other great work have ever happened? Still, I do like the album. As to if I listen to it many years from now- I don’t know.

 

Paul McCartney
Flaming Pie
Album Rating: ****
Bonus disc: ***

           

            After a two-year delay, the Paul McCartney Archive Collection continued this year with Paul’s 1997 effort Flaming Pie. Usually considered to be one of McCartney’s best later efforts, the album has a rock/pop-indie thing going on here. From beginning to end, this is strong abum- featuring songs such as “The Song We Were Singing,” “The World Tonight,” “Calico Skies,” the title track and “Little Willow”- with the last being a touching tribute to Maureen Starkey. For an album made in the late 1990s, this remaster surprisingly sounds better than the original CD. Looking in Audacity at the files, the original CD was much louder. With the new remaster, it sounds warmer. As for the bonus disc, you can skip it.

           

Jimmy McCulloch
White Line 
Rating: **** 

            An indie label reissued the long out-of-print White Line tapes from Wings guitarist Jimmy McCulloch. Formed in the late 1970s, White Line was a band formed by McCulloch with his brother Jack and bassist/singer Dave Clark. The band would only release one single but had about a dozen of demo tracks recorded- which finally saw the light of day in 1994. By surprise, this collection was reissued and it’s good to see this back in print. While most of the songs are incomplete, this is a solid collection of tunes. Highlights include “Call My Name” the McCulloch sung “Too Many Miles” is an absolute killer.

 

Listed below are my reviews for other archival releases- all coming from Pop Culture Beast. To read them, simply click on the text that’ll lead you to the reviews.

Peter Green- The Name of the Game
Harry Nilsson's The Point Blu Ray- FAVORITE ARCHIVAL RELEASE
Sir Lord Baltimore- Complete Albums
Trapeze- Trapeze/Medusa/You Are The Music We're Just The Band
The Residents- Cube E Box
Culpeper’s Orchard- The Polydor Years
Billion Dollar Babies- Battle Axe
Iron Butterfly- Unconscious Power: 1967-71
The Stooges- From KO to Chaos

Movies

Zappa
Rating: ****

Directed by Alex Winter (Bill and Ted), Zappa is a career-spanning documentary about the brilliant Frank Zappa. Using archival footage and new interviews from Zappa's peers, Zappa is able to paint a picture of one of the most unique musicians of the 20th century. While a good movie, it isn't without it's flaws: several parts of Zappa's career are missing while some fans might be disappointed that his actual music is barely discussed. If anything, this is a documentary about Frank Zappa as a person. As such, it does its job. 

In Memoriam
Neil Peart- drummer for Rush
Bill Rieflin- drummer for REM and King Crimson
Lou Kouvaris- guitarist for Riot
Florian Schneider- member of Kraftwerk
Little Richard- rock n roll musician
Astrid Kirchher- photographer/artist, fiancé of Stuart Sutcliffe
Bob Kulick- session musician for Kiss
Peter Green- guitarist of Fleetwood Mac
Pete Way- bassist of UFO
Frankie Banali- drummer of Quiet Riot
Lee Kerslake- drummer of Uriah Heep and Ozzy Osbourne
Eddie Van Halen- guitarist for Van Halen
Ken Hensley- keyboardist of Uriah Heep
Dieter Horns- bassist of Lucifer’s Friend
Leslie West- guitarist/singer of Mountain

Lucifer's Friend bassist Dieter Horns dead at 74

 Dieter Horns
February 28, 1946 - December 19, 2020

Dieter Horns, bassist and co-founding member of German hard rockers Lucifer's Friend, passed away Saturday morning. His death was announced by the band's Facebook page- with singer John Lawton saying Horns will be remembered for his "musicianship, songwriting and the respect of other musicians." No cause of death has was announced. 

Horns was on the co-founding members of Lucifer's Friend, who originally formed in 1968 as Electric Food. Along with Horns was singer George Mayros, guitarist Peter Hesslein, drummer Joachim "Addie" Reitenbach and keyboardist Peter Hecht. After two albums, Mayros left the band and was replaced by English singer John Lawton. The band would then change their name to Asterix before finally changing their name to Lucifer's Friend. For most of the early 1970s, Lucifer's Friend were part of the German rock- aka Krautrock- scene. The band would achieve success throughout most of Europe and elsewhere except the United States- where they never toured. The band are perhaps best known for their song "Ride the Sky"- a trailblazing heavy psych rocker. While mostly associated with heavy psych and progressive rock, the band would change it up with every album released. In their time together, the band would go through several line-up changes- with the most notable being singer John Lawton departure. Lawton joined Uriah Heep, replacing original singer David Byron. Lucifer's Friend would continue with singer Mike Starrs, which drove the band to a more AOR sound. Lawton rejoined in 1981 but the band would soon cease activity in 1982. 

Lucifer's Friend would reform briefly in 1994 under the name Lucifer's Friend II. Due to inner tensions between the band members at the time, Horns was not in the band during this time- with Lawton and Hesslein being the only original members. Nearly 20 years later in 2014, Lucifer's Friend reunited with Horns, Lawton and Hesslein as the returning original members. Given Reitenbach's death in the early 2010's and Hecht lack of interest, the band recruited drummer Stephen Eggart and keyboardist Jogi Wichmann to replace them. Prior to Horns' passing, Lucifer's Friend had released two albums- Too Late to Hate (2016) and Black Moon (2019). 

According to the Facebook post, Horns is survived by his longtime partner Hannelore. 

Hearing about Mr. Horns' passing is sad. I interviewed Lucifer's Friend via email in 2016. While email interviews aren't the best, these guys were friendly and it was great to learn a little more about a band that aren't all that famous. 

My thoughts go out to Mr. Horn's family and friends at this point in time. 

To read my interview with Lucifer's Friend from 2016, click here.

Eddie Van Halen dead at 65

 Edward Van Halen
January 26, 1955 - October 6, 2020

(Note: I'm aware that this post is very late but as mentioned before, I haven't been using this blog as much. I'll keep it going though so I thought I'd write something about the late Mr. Van Halen- with part fact and part personal thoughts)

Eddie Van Halen, guitarist and co-founding member of rock icons Van Halen, died on October 6 after a long battle with cancer. Van Halen was 65. The news was confirmed by his son and Van Halen bassist Wolfgang "Wolfie" Van Halen. According to multiple reports, Van Halen was surrounded by his wife Jamie and son Wolfgang- along with a visit from Van Halen's ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli, who is Wolfgang's mother. Formed in California during the 1970s, Van Halen would go on to become one of the most popular rock bands of all time. While originally formed by Eddie and his brother drummer Alex Van Halen, the band would soon find their classic line up after bassist Michael Anthony and singer David Lee Roth joined. After playing as the house band at the Whisky-A-Go-Go for a while, Kiss bassist Gene Simmons helped the band record a demo- which got the band signed to Warner Brothers Records. From 1978 to 1984, the band would release six studio albums- featuring classics such as "Runnin' With the Devil," "Dance the Night Away," "Unchained" and the Billboard #1 hit single "Jump." 

After Roth's departure in 1985, the band continued with former Montrose lead singer Sammy Hagar. With Hagar, the band's success continued with hits such as "Dreams," "When Its Love" and "Right Now." After a failed reunion with Roth in the mid 1990s, the band tried out Extreme frontman Gary Cherone as their new singer. Unlike Roth and Hagar, Cherone wasn't as lucky: his lone album with the band, 1998's Van Halen III, was a critical and commercial failure. After Cherone left in 1999, the band would remain on hiatus until 2004 when the band reunited with Hagar. This resulted in a disastrous tour from 2004-05- as Eddie's substance abuse was slowing him down. After a stint in rehab, the band reunited once more in 2007 with Roth back and Eddie's then 16-year-old son Wolfgang replacing Michael Anthony. The band's last album was 2012's A Different Kind of Truth, which was not only the band's first album since Van Halen III but the first to feature Roth since 1984. The band would continue to perform and tour until 2015. No official announcement was made about Van Halen being together or not. In 2019, word had gotten out that Eddie's health was declining- with David Lee Roth even chiming in. However, Eddie would resurface on social media not too long afterwards. In reality, Eddie was in a battle with cancer- which he was first diagnosed with in 2000 in the form of tongue cancer. Eddie recovered but over the last two decades, Eddie's cancer would return. 

So what can I say about Eddie Van Halen that hasn't already been said? In the weeks following his passing, almost everyone in the music business has commented on Eddie's influence. I was lucky enough to see Van Halen twice- once in 2004 with Sammy and again in 2007 with David. I can't help but admit that my love for the band kind of dwindled after Michael Anthony was fired. It just pissed me off that we were SO CLOSE to having the classic line up reunite but Eddie had to have Wolfie in the band. With Wolfie being only a few month older than me, it's easy to see why I'd be upset: there was a kid in one of my favorite bands! However, that's all in the past. Looking back, I'm happy that Eddie got to have his son join Van Halen. Wolfie has grown to become a fine musician himself and I'm sure  he'll treasure those times sharing the stage with his dad. Van Halen are one of my favorite bands of all time and Eddie was the driving force in the band. The guy was a master at the guitar and his contributions to the hard rock genre are tremendous. I got into the band in 2003 or so when I was in fifth grade- just as I was discovering dozens and dozens of rock bands. Their videos were on VH1 Classic often and soon enough, I was slowly collecting their music- or at least whatever I could get a hold of. It's a bummer to hear about Eddie's passing but the guy left a lot of music behind. With that, we should be grateful. 

RIP, Eddie. 

Frankie Banali dead at 68

 Frankie Banali
November 14, 1951 - August 20, 2020

Frankie Banali, longtime drummer for Quiet Riot, died last night after an eighteen month battle with pancreatic cancer. Banali is said to have passed at around 7 pm- with his wife Regina and his daughter Ashley by his side. Banali was diagnosed in April 2019 but didn't reveal this until October of last year. 

Born in Queens, New York, Banali was inspired to play the drums after seeing the Beatles perform on Ed Sullivan. Prior to Quiet Riot, Banali had been in several different bands- including Steppenwolf. In the 1980s, Banali would meet singer Kevin DuBrow- who was the singer for LA rockers Quiet Riot. At that point in time, Quiet Riot had split after guitarist Randy Rhoads had left the band to join Ozzy Osbourne's solo band. From 1980 to 1982, DuBrow had his own namesake band- which featured a revolving door of musician, with some being from Quiet Riot. By 1982 prior to Rhoads' untimely passing- he had given DuBrow the blessing in using the Quiet Riot name again. At the time the band changed their name, the band consisted of DuBrow, Banali, guitarist Carlos Cavazon and bassist Chuck Wright. While the band were eventually signed to Pasha Record, Wright had left the band. Wright would be replaced by former Quiet Riot bassist Rudy Sarzo, who had just come off his tour with Ozzy Osbourne- a gig that Rhoads had helped Sarzo get. After the shock of Rhoads' death, Sarzo felt back at home with the new Quiet Riot. With that, he was in the band. In March 1983, Quiet Riot would release Metal Health- an album that featured hit singles such as the title track and "Cum On Feel the Noize"- with the latter being a cover of a song originally by glam rockers Slade. Just a few months later, Metal Health reached #1 in the Billboard charts- becoming the first metal album to do so. 

Sadly, the band's popularity started to decline after the release of 1984's Condition Critical. Sarzo would leave shortly after while DuBrow was fired in 1987 after 1986's flop QR III. Cavazo and Banali tried once more with new singer Paul Shortino for 1988's QR, which sold poorly. After a brief tour in Japan, Quiet Riot were no more. After the band's split, Banali would join shock rockers W.A.S.P. In 1989, the band released their fourth album The Headless Children- which was a turning point in W.A.S.P.'s career given the album's subject matters of politics and society. Banali would also play as a session musician for many recordings- including Billy Idol's hit "Mony Mony." In 1993, Banali renewed his friendship with Kevin DuBrow and rejoined the reunited Quiet Riot just in time for the band's comeback album Terrified. The classic Metal Health line up would reunite in 1997 and would last until 2003. The band would reunite the following hear- with DuBrow and Banali at the helm. The band would continue to tour until November 2007. Shortly after Thanksgiving of that year, DuBrow was found dead in his house- with the cause of death later being revealed to have been from a cocaine overdose. In early 2008, Frankie Banali announced the Quiet Riot were no more. 

In 2010, Banali decided to reform Quiet Riot- bring back the surviving members of the band's last touring line-up- which included Banali, Chuck Wright and guitarist Alex Grossi. For the next ten years, this reunited version of Quiet Riot would tour all over the world with an almost revolving door of lead singers: Mark Huff (2010-11), Scott Vodkun (2012-13), Jizzy Pearl (2013-16, 2019-present), Sean Niccols (2017) and James Durbin (2017-19). The band's revival from 2010-12 was documented for the 2014 documentary feature Well Now You're Here There's No Way Back- which premiered on Showtime the following year. The band released new material in 2014 with Pearl on the half studio-half live effort 10.  For full-length studio albums, the band would release two with Durbin on lead vocals- Road Rage (2017) and Hollywood Cowboys (2019). Prior to the latter's release, Durbin left the band- with Jizzy Pearl rejoining the band in his place. For several shows in 2019, many were surprised to not see Banali present. In October 2019, Banali revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. Despite his diagnosis, Banali performed with Quiet Riot whenever possible. 

In his life, Banali was married twice. In 1994, he married his first wife Karen. The couple would have a daughter, Ashley, on February 17, 1997. Nearly a year and a half after Kevin DuBrow's passing, Karen Banali died on April 14, 2009 from heart failure at the age of 40. As documented in Well Now You're Here, Banali devoted himself to raising Ashley as a single parent. On November 11, 2015, Banali would marry Regina Russell- who directed and produced Well Now You're Here.  

According to Mrs. Banali, further details on Frankie's funeral and the fate of Quiet Riot will all be revealed at some point in the future. 

Banali is the fourth member of Quiet Riot to have passed away. He is pre-deceased by guitarist Randy Rhoads (1956-1982), Terrified era bassist Kenny Hillery (1965-1996) and singer Kevin DuBrow (1955-2007)

So it's been a while

Hey there, readers! Or whoever looks at this blog anymore. I don't know. I still get hits for this thing.

As you might've noticed, I haven't been posting a lot on this blog in recent years. Prior to my obit on Peter Green, I had only posted here once about Neil Peart. There's several reasons why I'm not posting here as much as I used to but I'm still writing. So let's break this down into several parts.


1. Lack of material- in the early years of my blog, I was posting things here like crazy- keeping you all informed about what was going on in the music world. I also used this for ways to promote myself as a writer. As the years have gone by, I've gotten a little lazier or feel that I've posted about my favorite albums and musicians oh so many times. I gave up on anniversary articles because I wasn't getting the hits and because of the amount of work it required. So without those, the blog has become a place for me to review new things and post about when musicians pass away.

2. My other writing job- I've been a volunteer writer for Pop Culture Beast since 2017 after discovering the Rock Solid podcast (hosted by Pat Francis) after Survivor contestant David Wright appeared on an episode. With PCB, I'm able to get thing from the record label to review. Ideally, I'd like to have my reviews posted here too but I'm always afraid to post one article in two places- as WordPress might pick up on it being plagiarism. I figured maybe I could review new things on PCB and come back here to share my thoughts on what's going on in the music world. However, I just never get around to it or feel that once someone posts it somewhere- it isn't worth it.

3. My podcast- since September of last year, I been hard at work with Albums Uncovered, a revamp of my pre-recorded college radio show in which I discussed classic albums celebrating anniversaries. I've really been enjoying it but it's a lot of work.

So that's the easiest way I can explain why I don't post here as much. Though let me get this straight: I'll keep posting stuff here. Perhaps every few months, I can share the links to my posts on PCB or episodes of AU.  I  also want to keep doing the Year in Review write ups as well.

While most of this post has been me rambling about stuff, I just want anyone who happens to stop by here and wonder why the decrease in activity- this is why.

For now, I'll lend you all a few links to things I've written so far this year related to music- along with the URL to AU.

Articles
Melody Makers Movie/App Review
Harry Nilsson's The Point Blu Ray Review
Peter Green- The End of the Game Reissue Review
Sir Lord Baltimore- The Complete Studio Recordings Review
X- First Four Albums on Vinyl Review
Bob Dylan- Rough and Rowdy Ways Album Review
The Residents- Metal, Meat and Bone Album Review

Albums Uncovered Libsyn Website

Peter Green dead at 73

Peter Allen Greenbaum

October 29, 1946 - July 25, 2020

Peter Green, guitarist and co-founding member of Fleetwood Mac, died yesterday at the age of 73. A statement released yesterday says that Green passed away peacefully in his sleep. 

Born in a Jewish family in Peckham, London, England, Green started playing guitar professional by the age of 15. After playing in and out of bands throughout the 1960s, he landed a spot in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers- replacing Eric Clapton in October 1965. By 1967, Green left to form his own blues band- with Bluesbreaker bandmate drummer Mick Fleetwood joining him. Along with guitarist Jeremy Spencer and bassist John McVie, Fleetwood Mac were formed- with Green taking the name from the band's rhythm section of Fleetwood and McVie (although at the time of their formation, McVie wasn't ready to join just yet- technically making bassist Bob Brunning the original bassist). 

Shortly after the release of their debut album, the band brought in a third guitarist Danny Kirwan. As a five piece band with three guitarists, Fleetwood Mac stood out amongst their peers. As a musician, Green would write several of the band's early hits such as "Oh Well," "Albatross", "The Green Manalishi" and "Black Magic Woman"- with those last two later being covered by Judas Priest and Santana respectively. However, Green would leave the band in May 1970. In March of that year, the band were on tour in Europe. While in Munich, it's been said that Green attended a party at a commune- where he took LSD. Many see this point as Green's decline in mental health. Soon after leaving the band, Green would released an instrumental debut album The End of the Game in 1970.  In the years after leaving Fleetwood Mac, Green found himself in psychiatric hospitals. There was also an incident where Green held his accountant David Simmons at gunpoint.  In the late 1970s, Green was diagnosed with schizophrenia and underwent electroconvulsive therapy. 

In 1979, Green went back recording- starting with In The Skies. In the late 1990s, Green would form the Peter Green Splinter Group- with some help from musicians Nigel Watson and Cozy Powell. The band would perform and record from 1997 to 2004. For the rest of his life, Green kept a low profile while also agreeing to the occasional interview. 

In his life, Green was married once to Jane Samuels from 1978 to 1979. They would have one daughter, Rosebud- who was born in 1978. 

Neil Peart dead at 67

Neil Ellwood Peart

September 12, 1952 - January 7, 2020

Neil Peart, drummer for Canadian power trio Rush, passed away earlier this week on Tuesday. The news was confirmed by spokesman Elliot Mintz- who is also known for his association with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. According to Mintz, Peart died after a private three and a half year battle with brain cancer. Peart was 67. 

Peart was born in Hamilton, Ontario to Glen and Betty Peart. He was the first of four children- with Peart's siblings being Danny, Judy and Nancy. At a young age, Peart had an interest in music. When Peart was 13, his parents bought him a pair of drumsticks- with Peart's parents promising their son a drum kit if he was still practicing after one year. By age 14, Peart had earned his first drum kit. Peart struggled in finding any success in his first few years as a drummer. At 18, he moved to London for a year and a half but with no luck. In 1974, Peart was asked by a friend of his to audition for a band called Rush. Their original drummer, John Rutsey, had just left the band and they were looking for a replacement. Peart auditioned for future bandmates bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson. In the end, Lee and Lifeson decided to hire Peart- officially joining the band on July 29, 1974. For the next four decades, this line-up would stick together. In Rush, Peart contributed his top-notch drumming skills to complicated pieces such as "2112," "Tom Sawyer," and "YYZ" just to name a few. Peart also served as a lyricist for the band, with his influences coming from the work of philosopher/author Ayn Rand and science fiction. 

While Rush's classic line up would stay together until 2015, there was brief hiatus between 1997 to 2001. In 1997 shortly after the band's Test For Echo tour had concluded in August 1997, Peart's 19-year-old daughter Selena was killed in a single-car accident. Just ten months later in June 1998, Peart's common-law wife Jackie Taylor succumbed to her battle with cancer. Given his tragedy, Peart took a sabbatical and traveled around America for a long time- which was documented in his book Ghost Rider: Travel on the Healing Road. By 2002, Rush were back with their next album Vapor Trails. The band would continue to tour until 2015 when the band quietly retired. 

Peart is survived by his wife of 19 years Carrie Nuttall and their daughter Olivia (born 2009). 

Top 30 Favorite Albums of the 2010s

This is a simple post just to bump this year's total number of blog posts to 10.

With this being the end of a decade, I decided to rank my favorite album in the 2010s. I used the website Topsters2 to make the picture. Enjoy.

1. David Bowie- Blackstar
2. Bob Dylan- Tempest
3. David Bowie- The Next Day
4. Iggy Pop- Post Pop Depression
5. Judas Priest- Firepower
6. Accept- Blood of the Nations
7. Uriah Heep- Into the Wild
8. Van Halen- A Different Kind of Truth
9. Rush- Clockwork Angels
10. Paul McCartney- New
11. Judas Priest- Redeemer of Souls
12. Riot- Immortal Soul
13. Uriah Heep- Living the Dream
14. Iron Maiden- The Book of Souls
15. Black Star Riders- All Hell Breaks Loose
16. Alice Cooper- Welcome 2 My Nightmare
17. Riot V- Unleash the Fire
18. Kiss- Monster
19. Accept- Blind Rage
20. Riot V- Armor of Light
21. Scorpion Child- Scorpion Child
22. Black Star Riders- The Killer Instinct
23. Scorpion Child- Acid Roulette
24. The Who- WHO
25. Slash- Slash
26. Black Star Riders- Heavy Fire
27. W.A.S.P.- Golgotha
28. Black Star Riders- Another State of Grace
29. Lucifer's Friend- Black Moon
30. Paul McCartney- Egypt Station

2019: Year In Review

2019 Year in Review

Even though my blog is now ten years old, I haven’t been posting here as much as I used to. I’m posting more on Pop Culture Beast, which I like. I’ve been kind of busy this year, I guess. However, I love posting my Year in Review articles and here’s the next one. Overall, this was an okay year for new releases.

NEW ALBUMS

  

Lucifer’s Friend

Black Moon

Rating: ****

            Now four years since reuniting, German hard rockers Lucifer’s Friend released Black Moon this year. Serving as the follow up to 2016’s Too Late to Hate, Black Moon is a superior album in both production and variety of songs. While Too Late to Hate wasn’t a bad album, it wasn’t a perfect album. With their second reunion album, the band came up with a new batch of tunes- going through their variety of styles during their original incarnation. With that, Black Moon makes for an enjoyable nostalgic trip.

Highlights: Call the Captain, Black Moon, Freedom, Palace of Fools, Black Moon

  

Hollywood Vampires

Rise

Rating: ***

            Following up their self-titled debut album from 2015, supergroup Hollywood Vampires released their sophomore effort. Whereas their debut was almost all cover tunes, Rise is a mostly all originals. While the debut was an album filled will faithful renditions of classic rock tunes, at least there was a concept and theme for it. With Rise, the tunes aren’t bad but they aren’t very memorable. While I respect what Alice, Joe and Johnny are doing- this was mediocre at best.

Highlights: Who’s Laughing Now, Rise, People Who Died

  

Black Star Riders

Another State of Grace

Rating: ****

            Serving as the follow up to 2017’s Heavy Fire, Another State of Grace is yet another killer album from Black Star Riders. The Thin Lizzy spin off band have made yet another great album- jam packed will ten new hard rockers. This album is a little more similar to The Killer Instinct in that the band seems to be drifting away from the Lizzy sound. Musically, it sounds like a Lizzy album but there’s some diversity here with the instruments used and lyrical content.

Highlights: Tonight the Moonlight, Another State of Grace, In the Shadow of the War Machine, Poisoned Heart

 

Iggy Pop

Free

Rating: *** ½

            While nowhere near as good as 2016’s Post Pop Depression, Iggy Pop’s latest album sees him experimenting with jazz. Pop’s voice sounds great and suites the music extremely well. Still, it isn’t a perfect album as it does fizzle out towards the end. While I personally prefer Post Pop Depression, I can appreciate Free for not being a retread of it.

Highlights: James Bond, Sonali, Glow in the Dark

 

Ringo Starr

What’s My Name?

Rating: ***

            With each of Ringo’s album, he follows a very simple formula. While not a bad album, What’s My Name is no different than Ringo’s previous albums in the last ten or twenty years. Still, you got to give the men kudos for still making music all these years later.

Highlights: Grow Old With Me

 

The Who

WHO

Rating: ****

FAVORITE ALBUM OF THE YEAR

            13 years after the somewhat underwhelming Endless Wire, the Who released a brand new studio album. The album, simply titled WHO, is a surprisingly consistent batch of songs. While Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are the only members left in the band, the two veteran rockers still deliver a great album- which range from hard rockers to ballads. As with modern day albums, the production is too loud. Still, this is an all-around good album from the Who.

Highlights: All of this Music, Ball and Chain, Detour, Break the News, I Don’t Wanna Get Wise

RANK

1.     The Who- WHO

2.     Black Star Riders- Another State of Grace

3.     Lucifer’s Friend- Black Moon

4.     Iggy Pop- Free

5.     Hollywood Vampires- Rise

6.     Ringo Starr- What’s My Name?

REISSUES

The Residents

pREServed Edition Series

The Residents continued their pREServed Edition Series this year with a plethora of new entries. Below are the releases that came out and the hyperlinks will lead you to my reviews on Pop Culture Beast.

Eskimo and The Commercial Album

The Mole Box

Eskimo Deconstructed (not part of the series)

God in Three Persons

Not Available and A Nickel If Your Dick’s This Big (WB Album/BS)

Iggy Pop

Zombie Birdhouse

Rating: ****

            Iggy’s long out-of-print 1982 effort was finally given a reissue on CD for the first time since 2003. After being dropped by Arista Records, Iggy was given one last chance on Chris Stein’s Animal Records Label. The album did nothing and Iggy wouldn’t record again until 1986. As a result, Zombie Birdhouse is a forgotten album. Now this isn’t The Idiot or Lust For Life. Nevertheless, this is a neat batch of tunes and an underrated album.

Highlights: Run Like a Villain, Life of Work, The Villagers, Bulldozer, The Horse Song

The Beatles

Abbey Road

Original Album rating: *****

Remix rating: ***

Session tracks: ****

            Following up the White Album box set from last year, Abbey Road was next to be reissued. While my all time favortie album by any artist, the super deluxe edition of this album is okay at best. The new remix offers nothing new and doesn’t sound too different from the original mix. The bonus discs of studio outtakes save the set from being a bust, along with the informative hardback book.

Mick Ronson

Only After Dark: The MainMan Years

Rating (for all albums): ****

For my review on this set, click here.

LIVE

Riot

The Official Bootleg Box Set Vol. 3

Rating: ****

For my review on this set, click here.

RIP

Peter Tork- bassist for the Monkees

Scott Walker- singer/songwriter

Paul Raymond- keyboardist for UFO

Roky Erickson- singer/songwriter (13^th Floor Elevators)

Philomena Lynott- mother of Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott

Eddie Money- singer

Ric Ocasek- guitarist/singer for the Cars

Ginger Baker- drummer for Cream

Neil Innes- comedian/musician (Rutles)

Ginger Baker dead at 80

Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker

August 19, 1939 - October 6, 2019

Drummer Ginger Baker, best known as one third of Cream, died today. The news comes one week after Baker's family announced that the drummer was "critically ill" in the hospital. While it was reported that Baker was "hold his own" days later, Baker eventually passed away. Baker was 80 years old. 

Born in Lewisham, South London, Baker earned his nickname Ginger given the red color of his hair. While athletic as a child, Baker took up drumming when he was 15 years old- taking lessons from British jazz drummer Phil Seamen. By 1963, he was a member of the Graham Bond Organisation- an R&B/jazz/rock band.  The bassist for GBO was Jack Bruce. In 1966, Baker and Bruce left the band- joining up with former Yardbirds guitarist Eric Clapton. Together, the three musicians formed Cream- with the name referring to the fact that they were the "cream of the crop." In their two years together, Cream would released four albums- Fresh Cream (1966), Disraeli Gears (1967), Wheels of Fire (1968) and Goodbye (1969). The band would have hits with songs such as "I Feel Free," "Sunshine of Your Love," "Strange Brew" and "White Room." While the band would split in 1968, the trio would reunite in 1993 for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction and in May 2005 for a series of four shows at the Royal Albert Hall. This was followed by three gigs at the Madison Square Garden in October of that year. 

Following Cream, Baker was involved in various different projects. In 1969, he and Clapton joined up with Traffic's Steve Winwood and Family's Ric Grech. This became the short lived supergroup Blind Faith, who released only one album in August 1969. In the early 1970s, Baker formed another short lived band- Ginger Baker's Air Force. During the early1970s, Baker stayed away from rock music. Instead, Baker experimented with jazz fusion and Afrobeat. From 1971-73,  Baker spent time is Africa- which is documented in the Tony Palmer directed movie Ginger Baker in Africa. He would also collaborate with Nigerian musician Fela Kuti during this time. 

By the mid 1970s, Baker returned to rock music- join brothers Adrian and Paul Gurvitz- best known for their work with short lived bands such as Gun and Three Man Army. With Baker, the Baker Gurvitz Army was formed. From 1974 to 1976, the band release three albums- with the band splitting after their manager died in a plane crash. In the early 1980s, Baker was briefly a member in space rock legends Hawkwind. 

While respected as a musician, Baker was notorious for his temper- which is shown in the 2012 documentary Beware of Mr. Baker. In recent years, Baker's health declined. In 2013, he was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease- coming from his years of smoking. In 2016, it was announced that Baker was recovering from open heart surgery. In his life, Baker was married four times. He is survived by three children- two daughters, Nettie and Leda (born  1960 and 1968) and a son, Kofi (born 1969).  

In Memoriam: Eddie Money (1949-2019) and Ric Ocasek (1944/9-2019)

This weekend has seen the passing of two classic rock icons. I've decided to put them here in one blog post.

Edward Joseph Mahoney (aka Eddie Money)

March 21, 1949 - September 13, 2019

Singer Eddie Money died on Friday morning at his house in Los Angeles, California. As for the cause of death, Money is said to have died from complications of a recent heart valve replacement. Just several weeks ago, it had been announced that Money was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. Money is said to have received the diagnosis in the fall of 2018, which was shown in an episode of Money's reality show Real Money on AXS TV the night before he passed. Money was 70 years old. 

Born Edward Mahoney, Money found success during the late 1970s and most of the 1980s. His self titled debut, released in 1977, featured the hit singles "Two Tickets to Paradise" and "Baby Hold On." With the launch of MTV in the early 1980s, Money's music videos for hits such as "Shakin'," "I Think I'm In Love" and "Take Me Home Tonight" were in constant rotation. For years, Money struggled with drug and alcohol addictions. In 2001, Money is said to have joined a 12-steps-program. By 2003, he was clean and sober. However, Money was a long-time smoker- which likely contributed to his cancer diagnosis. 

Money was married to Laurie Harris. The two wed in 1989 and would have five children- Zachary, Jessica, Joseph, Desmond and Julian. In recent years, Money had Jessica, Desmond and Julian members of his touring band. Just last year, the Money family started their own reality show Real Money. At this point in time, the show is currently in its second season. AXS TV have announced that they will continue to air the remaining two episodes in the season for the rest of September. 

Richard Theodore Otcasek

March 23, 1944/1949 - September 15, 2019

Musician Ric Ocasek, best known as the singer/rhythm guitarist for the Cars, was found dead in his home in New York City. NYPD officers are said to have responded to a 911 call at around 3 pm ET for an unconscious and unresponsive male. Ocasek was pronounced dead at the scene. At this time, the cause of death is unknown. Ocasek was 70, although other reports are claiming he was 75. 

Ocasek was one fifth of new wave rockers the Cars. Formed originally in Boston in 1976, the band consisted of Ocasek, guitarist Elliot Easton, bassist Benjamin Orr, drummer David Robinson and keyboardist Gregg Hawkes. The band's 1978 self-titled debut album catapulted the band to stardom- featuring hits such as "Just What I Needed," "Good Times Roll," and "You're All I've Got Tonight." In 1980s, the band's popularity increased with the launch of MTV. With this, the band scored several hits such as "Let's Go," "Shake It Up," "Drive" and "You Might Think" just to name a few. The band would release six studio albums before they split in 1987. Despite Orr's death in 2000, the band reunited in 2010- which resulted in the reunion album Move Like This in 2011. Along with his career with the Cars, Ocasek had a fairly successful solo career. In 1986, he scored a solo hit with "Emotions in Motion." In 2018, the Cars were inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame- marking the last time the band would perform together. 

In his life, Ocasek was married three times. He was married briefly to his first wife during the 1960s. He married his second wife, Suzanne, in 1971. In 1989, Ocasek married for a third time to model Paulia Porizkova- a woman he had first met on the set of the music video for the Cars' "Drive" in 1984. They were married until 2018- when Porizkova announced that they had separated.  Ocasek had six sons- two with each of his wives: Christopher (b. 1964), Adam (b. 1970), Eron (b. 1973), Derek (b. 1981), Jonathan (b. 1993) and Oliver (b. 1999).  

Philomena Lynott dead at 88

Philomena Lynott

October 22, 1930 - June 12, 2019

Philomena Lynott, mother of Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, died this morning after a long battle with cancer. In late 2017, Ms. Lynott announced that she was deciding to not receive any further treatment for her illness. She was 88 years old. 

Born in the Crumlin district of Dublin, Ms. Lynott was the fourth of nine children. Leaving school at 13, she soon went to work in a senior home before becoming a nurse. Sometime in 1949, she began a relationship with a man named Cecil Parris. Soon enough, Ms. Lynott became pregnant. When most of her peers were having abortions, Ms. Lynott chose to keep her baby. On August 20th, 1949, she gave birth to her son Philip Parris Lynott. Raising Phil, Ms. Lynott faced prejudice given Phil was mixed race- with his father being black. With it becoming increasingly difficult to raise her son, Ms. Lynott left Phil in the care of her parents. However, Ms. Lynott would give birth to two more children- a girl and a boy. Although she put them up for adoption, she remained in contact with them. The knowledge of Phil's sibling was unknown to the public until 2011 in a revised edition of her autobiography My Boy. Though they only saw each other every now and then, mother and son would remain close. 

Starting in 1964, Ms. Lynott was in a relationship with Dennis Keeley. Together, the two took over as managers of the Clifton Grange Hotel in Whalley Range, Manchester. For the next 14 years, the hotel became well known- especially after Phil's success with Thin Lizzy. For every gig the band had in the area in the 1970s, Ms. Lynott would accommodate her son's band.  Aside from Thin Lizzy, the hotel would be occupied with the show business trade. Ms. Lynott also holds the distinction of being the only hotel manager that would accommodate the Sex Pistol during their 1976 tour. 

On January 4, 1986, Ms. Lynott faced the devastating loss of Phil- who died after years of drug abuse. Prior to this, Ms. Lynott was unaware of her son's addictions. Despite the passing of her son, Ms. Lynott stayed strong and carried on keeping her son's memory alive. In 1995, she published an autobiography, My Boy- a book documenting her life with Phil. For years, she attended the annual tribute show for her son- Vibe for Philo. She also had a bronze statue constructed of Phil in 2005, which has since then become a popular spot in Dublin for fans to make their pilgrimages. 

Tributes have been pouring out on social media, including from the official Thin Lizzy social media pages. On Thin Lizzy's Facebook account, a statement from guitarist Scott Gorham was posted:

"It is with great sadness that we learned today that Philip's mom, Philomena Lynott, has passed away. She was always a great supporter of Thin Lizzy from the early days, throughout the band's existence and beyond. She always did her best to keep Phil's flame alive over the years, opening up her home to thousands of fans from around the world who paid her a visit. RIP Phyllis- we'll miss you."

Roky Erickson dead at 71

Roger "Roky" Kynard Erickson

July 7, 1947 - May 31, 2019

Texan singer/songwriter Roky Erickson, guitarist of the 13th Floor Elevators, died today at the age of 71. The news was confirmed by Austin360, who reported that the news of Erickson's death broke on social media. Erickson's brother Sumner said in a statement "The world has lost a huge light an incredible soul. Wasn't the easiest life, but he's free of all that now."

Born in Austin, Texas, Erickson began playing music when he was very young. Starting piano at age 5 and guitar at age 10, Erickson had already established his career path. Erickson dropped out of Travis High School in 1965 after refusing to cut his hair to fit the school's dress code. Despite this, Erickson would soon form his own band- the 13th Floor Elevators with musician Tommy Hall. Signed to International Records, the band released their debut The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators in October 1966. The band released two more studio albums- Easter Everywhere in 1967 and Bull of the Woods  in 1969- the latter of which Erickson is said to have barely played on. Tensions within the band and management lead to group's split in 1968. 

After the split of the Elevators, the next few years of Erickson's life were rough. After speaking gibberish during a 1968 concert, Erickson was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He was went to a psychiatric hospital in Houston, where he was involuntarily given shock therapy. An arrest for drug possession the following year, which he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Erickson was sent to Austin State Hospital and then Rusk State Hospital- where he received more shock therapy after attempted escapes. When Erickson was released in 1972, he went back to making music- forming several different bands. By 1979, he had formed Roky Erickson and the Aliens. Compared to the psychedelia of the Elevators, Erickson's new music was more hard rock based- with an obsession for horror movie creatures and UFOs. Former Creedence Clearwater Revival bassist Stu Cook would end up producing Erickson's first solo effort The Evil One, which was released in 1981. 

Demos and outtakes of Erickson's music would continue to be released on small labels throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 2005, he was the subject of You're Gonna Miss Me,  a documentary about his life and battle with schizophrenia. During the film of the movie (c. 2001), Erickson's younger brother Sumner gained legal custody of him. With Sumner's help, Erickson went through different treatments and eventually after the movie's release- Erickson was performing again. His last album was 2010's True Love Cast Out All Evil. In 2015, Erickson reunited for a one-off gig with the 13th Floor Elevators- which included former members Tommy Hall, John Ike Walton and Ronnie Leatherman, along with guitarist Fred Mitchim and Roky's son Jegar. 

At this point in time, no further details have been revealed about Erickson's passing.