Kiss to release Monster- January 2012

* I don't care if this is old. It's sort of new to me.

Kiss will be releasing their next studio album. The album, Monster, will be released sometime in January 2012. This marks Kiss' 20th studio album and their first release since 2009's Sonic Boom. The band have been working hard on it, with guitarist Paul Stanley producing the album. Kiss are also planning a world tour for 2012-2013 to support the new album. This new album is said to have a cover much like the band's 1976 classic Destroyer. Much like Sonic Boom, the band are back to basics with an all out hard rocking album though guitarist Tommy Thayer has been quoted to saying it'll be slightly heavier than Sonic Boom.

Steel Panther to release Balls Out on October 11

Parody glam rockers Steel Panther will be releasing their next studio album. The new album, Balls Out, will be released on October 11. Balls Out is Steel Panther's second album, their first being 2009's Feel the Steel. The band originally formed in 2000 as Danger Kitty but quickly changed their name to Metal Shop, then Metal Skool. In 2008, the band changed their name to Steel Panther. The band have been playing shows here and there. Their live setlist consists of original songs and hard rock classics. The tracking list for Balls Out is as follows...

1. In The Future
2. Supersonic Sex Machine
3. Just Like Tiger Woods
4. 17 Girls In A Row
5. If You Really, Really Love Me
6. It Won't Suck Itself
7. Tomorrow Night
8. Why Can't You Trust Me
9. That's What Girls Are For
10. Gold-Digging Whore
11. I Like Drugs
12. Critter
13. Let Me Cum In
14. Weenie Ride

I'm excited to hear this new album. Steel Panther are a very good band and they are too funny. This should be good!

Riot's Immortal Soul set for release October-November

New York hard rockers Riot finished work on their new studio album a couple of weeks ago. It was recently announced that the new album will be release soon. The album, Immortal Soul, will be released on October 28 in Germany, October 31 elsewhere in Europe, and early November in the US. The band will be touring as "special guests" for Hammerfall, with Amaranthe for a tour in Europe. Riot aren't very popular in the US but they've been together since 1977 when guitarist Mark Reale formed the band. The band's most successful album would have to be 1981's Fire Down Under. The current line-up of Riot marks the reunion of the Thundersteel era line-up: Reale, singer Tony Moore, guitarist Mike Flyntz, bassist Don Van Stavern, and drummer Bobby Jarzombek. Immortal Soul will be the first album with this line-up since 1990's The Priviledge of Power. Immortal Soul is also the band's first album since 2006's Army of One and Riot's 14th studio album.

I'm excited for the release of this new album. It hurts me that the new album won't be out until November, not to mention an unknown date. I'd also like to see Riot come over and play in the US. I first heard of Riot after seeing the videos for "Restless Breed" and "Bloodstreets" played on VH1 Classic. I was aware of them for years but didn't get Fire Down Under until the end of 2009. I've been hooked since.

Start Me Up: The Rolling Stones' Tattoo You is 30

 

The Rolling Stones

Tattoo You

1981

Rating: ****

The 1980’s would be an interesting decade for the Rolling Stones. In 1981, the band would release what many think is one of the band’s best albums. That album, Tattoo You, was released on August 24, 1981. What some people don’t know about Tattoo You was that the songs were not all new songs but instead outtakes revamped. Still, Tattoo You is a milestone in the long career of the Rolling Stones.

            By 1981, the Rolling Stones were Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood (who joined in 1975). A year earlier, the band had released Emotional Rescue. While the album did fairly well in sales, reviews weren’t all positive. When it came time to make the next album, the band thought about resurrecting rejected songs from previous albums. Aside from two or  three songs, every song on Tattoo You was a rejected song. However, the band overdubbed all the songs. These songs were from the albums Goats Head Soup, Black And Blue, Some Girls, and Emotional Rescue. The oldest songs off the album are “Waiting on a Friend” and “Tops”, which were recorded for Goats Head Soup during its 1972-1973 sessions.

             “Start Me Up” fittingly opens the album up. This song has gone on to become one of the band’s most popular songs. The opening guitar lick is very much like “Brown Sugar” and “Jumping Jack Flash”: you know what song it is before it even starts. The song was originally recorded for 1976’s Black and Blue. The band originally recorded it as a rock song but then decided to make it a reggae-type song. For the album, the band chose Take 2 which was the rock version. The band did the right thing: it’s a great song and it’s very catchy.  “Hang Fire” is a bit of an underrated track. It’s the shortest song off the album, clocking in at two minutes. It was to be on 1978’s Some Girls. The lyrics are said to be about England’s economic decline. It’s a great, fast paced rock song that the band should think about playing live again. “Slave” is a down n dirty funk-rock track. The chorus of “Don’t wanna be a slave” is really cool. Pete Townshend is said to be on the song singing backup vocals. The song would’ve been on Black And Blue and you can hear that. The LP version has the track runs at 4:59 but CD versions have the song running at 6:34 instead. Keith takes over lead vocals for “Little T&A”, a simple little rocker. The guitar tone makes it sound like a rockabilly track but done “Stones style”. While Keith doesn’t have the best voice, it suits song still. Things get bluesy on “Black Limousine”. The song is credited as a Jagger/Richards/Wood composition. According to Ronnie, he fought hard for his a co-writing credit. It’s easy to see why: Woody carries the song with his slide guitar-like playing, which he says was based off a guitarist named Hop Wilson. “Neighbours” is an uptight rocker with a back story to it. The song is about Keith and girlfriend/soon-to-be-wife Patti’s pun ins with neighbors in their New York City apartment. When Mick had heard that the couple had been evicted, he decided to write a song about it.

            Side two starts off with the wonderful “Worried About You”. It’s a ballad of sorts with Mick singing falsetto. The song was recorded during the making of Black and Blue in 1975. Billy Preston is on electric piano and Wayne Perkins is playing the impressive guitar solo. The song, believe it or not, was performed for the first time before it was even on a Rolling Stones album. The band played it on March 4-5, 1977 in Canada. It remains a favorite amongst hardcore fans. “Tops” is a very moody soul/R&B based song that was originally recorded in 1972 for Goats Head Soup. This means that Mick Taylor plays on guitar not credited (which Taylor wasn’t too happy about). “Heaven” is a beautiful and spacey track. Sources said that only Mick, Bill, and Charlie are on the song. It’s pretty impressive that this song was made with just three guys playing. Mick is playing guitar and Bill is playing synthesizer. For “No Use In Crying”, the mood is still down beat but beautiful at the same time. The song was recorded in 1979 and then touched up in 1981 for this album. The last song on the album is probably my personal favorite: “Waiting On a Friend”. The song was recorded in Jamaica in 1972 for Goats Head Soup (and yes, Mick Taylor is playing on this song as well). With the band recording it in Jamaica, it’s obvious they were inspired by their surroundings as the song has a very reggae feel and sound to it. Sonny Rollins is playing the saxophone and producer Jimmy Miller is on percussion. I like that the song is about a man who doesn’t want to be with a woman but just a good friend. It’s just a great way to end the album.

            Critics and fans alike praised Tattoo You for being a great album by the band and almost a return to form. The album stayed at #1 for nine weeks in the US while it was at #2 in the UK. Tattoo You catapulted the Rolling Stones into the 1980’s and interest in the band was renewed. Today, the album is still seen as one of their best. Mick Jagger is quoted to saying that Tattoo You is an “excellent” album. For me, Tattoo You ranks at #92 in my list of favorite albums. I think I like Some Girls a bit better but there’s no doubt that Tattoo You is a great album. 

Pick Up My Guitar And Play: The Who's Who's Next is 40

 

The Who

Who's Next

1971

Rating: *****

1971 was a great year for rock music. One of the greatest albums released that year was an album from the British rock band, the Who. Their fifth studio album, Who’s Next, was released on August 14, 1971. 40 years later, the album is still popular as are the Who. Some music critics think that Who’s Next is the band’s best album. I would agree with this, as it is one of my all time favorite albums. It charts at #4 in my list. With that being said, Who’s Next deserves a song-by-song review to commemorate its fortieth anniversary.

            By the end of the 1960’s, the Who were one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Their fourth album, Tommy, has become their most successful album at that point. Tommy gained it’s fame as a conceptual album as it told the story of a pinball wizard named Tommy who becomes deaf, dumb, and blind. In that year of 1969, the Who played at many major festivals including Woodstock. In 1970, the band released their first live album Live at Leeds. The six track live album was taken from a raw and rocking performance at Leeds University on February 14, 1970. During this time, the band was at work on their next project. Guitarist Pete Townshend had written another concept album/rock opera entitled Lifehouse. Much like Tommy, Lifehouse would’ve been a double album. The music and the album’s plot were beyond ambitious, maybe too much. Lifehouse was to tell a story taking place in the future. The pollution of the world is so bad that people are forced to wear life suits. However, teenagers flock over to a rock concert called Lifehouse. Mary, the daughter of a farmer, runs off to travel with Lifehouse, which becomes its own society. A man (named Bobby, at least in the drafts) controlling the Lifehouse takes the personal data from the participants and converts them into music (if this is going over your head, I don’t blame you!).Townshend envisioned for there to be a movie of Lifehouse as well as he already had a script written (that and Tommy had been sent to Universal Pictures). The songs, however, needed to be rehearsed. The plan was for the movie to have a real Who concert woven in. The Who performed a series of shows at the Young Vic Theatre.

The band’s manager, Kit Lambert, asked the band to come over to New York to record songs at the Record Plant. The band recorded some material there at the Record Plant, which had sophisticated technology that was needed for the album to work. However, there were problems. Townshend and the band later discovered that Lambert had been doing smack during this time. This led to a falling out between Townshend and Lambert. Also, Universal didn’t understand the script for Lifehouse. However, it was suggested that the band scrap the project but do something with the songs from it. The failure of Lifehouse put Townshend on the verge of a suicidal breakdown. In March 1971, the band got in touch with producer Glyn Johns. The band liked Johns and Johns offered to produce a new album for them using some of the material from the abandoned Lifehouse project. In March 1971, the Who entered Olympic Studios in London. They finished in May 1971.

Song by Song review

1.      “Baba O’Riley”- Who’s Next opens up with this classic Who track. Over the years, “Baba O’Riley” has become a live favorite amongst fans. Pete plays the opening keyboard line. Originally, the song was going to be a 30 minute epic! Obviously, that was scraped. The song itself is about the younger generation in the world. In Lifehouse, this song would’ve been used to describe the teenagers who went to see the Lifehouse show. The end lyrics of “They’re all wasted” do not refer to drugs. According to Pete in the Classic Albums episode on this album, he says the song was about waste in life and opportunity. Roger Daltrey sings the song but Pete sings the middle eighth: “Don’t cry/Don’t raise your eyes/It’s only teenage wasteland”. For this lyric alone, many casual music fans will refer to this song as “Teenage Wasteland”. Believe it or not, Pete did write a separate song called “Teenage Wasteland” for Lifehouse but it’s not on the album here. The title of “Baba O’Riley” might be somewhat of a tribute to Meher Baba, Pete’s mentor. Much like the Maharishi Yogi, Baba was a spiritual man. He had passed away in 1969 and if you look at Pete’s solo work, he was very inspired by him. Pete mentioned before that he wanted to put the “life information” of Meher Baba into music form. At the end of the song, the violin part is played by David Arbus. The violin bit is thought to be a small tribute to Meher Baba. Truly, “Baba O’Riley” is not just a great Who song but it’s also a great song that could define classic rock or arena rock.

2.      “Bargain”- “Bargain” is another Who classic. About ten years ago, the song was used in a car commercial. It’s kind of funny that the song has been used for things such as this because the fact is it has nothing to do with buying something on that’s on sale. According to Pete Townshend, the song is about his devotion to Meher Baba and basically religion. “I’d gladly lose me to find you” sing Roger in the song. Basically, the lyrics are saying this one person is willing to lose everything to be with God. The lyric that Pete sings in the middle “One and one don’t make two/One and one make one” might sum it up right there. Pete best described the song in this quote here: “This song is simply about 'losing' one's ego as a devotee of Meher Baba. I constantly try to lose myself, and find him. I'm not very successful I'm afraid, but this song expresses how much of a bargain it would be to lose everything in order to be one with God.” According to notes from the 1995 CD reissue booklet, Pete is playing a vintage Gretsch that was given to him as a gift from Joe Walsh. “Bargain” would’ve also been in Lifehouse.

3.      “Love Ain’t For Keeping”- The band goes unplugged for this track as the acoustic guitars are out. “Love Ain’t For Keeping” was originally written as a rocker (a country rocker perhaps. Listen to an alternate version on the remastered Odds and Sods album). Also, it was going to be sung by Pete. Instead, this simply beautiful song with Roger on vocals. Roger’s vocals are really great on this song. The guitar work here is pretty good as well. When performed live, the band stuck with it being an electric number.

4.      “My Wife”- Of the nine songs on the album, “My Wife” is the only song that wasn’t written by Pete Townshend. Instead this song is written and sung by bassist John Entwistle. Also of the nine songs on the album, “My Wife” wasn’t supposed to be in Lifehouse at all. According to Entwistle in the Classic Albums episode, he said that “My Wife” had been left over from a solo album he made (possibly his first solo album Smash Your Head Against The Wall). Entwistle had written songs before for the Who at that time. Songs such as “Boris the Spider” and “Cousin Kevin” were written by Entwistle. In those songs, you can tell Entwistle had a wacky sense of humor. For “My Wife”, he was at it again. The song is about a man in a drunk tank, who simply went out to a bar in the first place. The man’s wife, however, thinks he’s off seeing another woman. The man is now thinking how he’ll save himself from his wife and the things he’ll need. Those things include a tank, a black belt Judo expert with a machine gun, and other sorts of things. The listener must be thinking that his woman must be a bitch! Is she really that bad? One Who site claims that John wrote the song after having a fight with his own wife. He took their dogs for a walk and wrote the song in his head during the walk. John’s wife was fine about the song. In fact, she offered to come on stage for the song wielding a rolling pin (it didn’t happen). Entwistle is also playing horns on this song! Roger Daltrey does get to sing for a bit at the end with the lyric, “She’s coming!” Obviously, “My Wife” is one the Who’s best songs and one of the best song off the album. It became a live favorite as well.

5.      “The Song Is Over”- This ballad of sorts was originally going to be the last song in Lifehouse, as the police invade the Lifehouse and everyone is forced out. Roger and Pete share lead vocals on this song. Pete sings all the parts except the chorus, which Roger sings. The song is supposed to be sad but hopeful as well. It’s sad that the show is over but the person in the song will sing their song no matter what. Nicky Hopkins plays piano on this one and he’s just great. Hopkins was best known for being a session musician, playing for artists such as the Who, the Rolling Stones, and the ex-Beatles.  The end of the song includes lines from “Pure and Easy”, a song that would’ve been on Lifehouse as well. According to Townshend, “Pure and Easy” was to be the key song in Lifehouse and he regretted it for being omitted from Who’s Next. At least it made it into this song (though “Pure and Easy” was later released on Odd and Sods and as a bonus track on the 1995 reissue of Who’s Next).

6.      “Getting In Tune”- Nicky Hopkins is once again on keyboards for this power ballad of sorts. The song here is basically about music itself. The lyrics that Pete wrote here are just beautiful and Roger sings them with such passion. Particularly, it’s at the chorus of “Right in on you” that gives the song it’s harmonious feel. The song would’ve been in Lifehouse as well. When the band rehearsed at the Young Vic, the working title for this song was “I’m In Tune”. The Who hasn’t played this song very much in concert. It was in their setlist for a while before the band decided to drop it.

7.      “Going Mobile”- This little upbeat rocker is an interesting one to put on the album. For one thing, Pete is singing the entire song. Also, it’s got a really great sound to it. It’s not too much different from the rest of the album but “Going Mobile” is a great song. In Lifehouse, the song would’ve been in there toward the beginning. It’s about the teenagers or people going to the Lifehouse concert According to Townshend, the song is about a “lust for life” and just getting out. In Lifehouse, the youngsters were being told to stay where they were. Obviously, that wasn’t happening.  “Going Mobile” is very much an overlooked song in the Who’s career.

8.      “Behind Blue Eyes”- “Behind Blue Eyes” is not only one of the best known songs off the album but it’s one of the Who’s best songs ever. It is an angry ballad, if there was ever such a thing. Pete Townshend supposedly wrote this out of anger and frustration. According to one source, Townshend had written it on June 9, 1970 after a Who concert. He had been tempted by a groupie apparently. “Behind Blue Eyes” starts off as a depressing acoustic ballad before kicking in as rocker towards the end. In Lifehouse, this would’ve been the song for the villain in the story, Jumbo. In the Classic Albums episode, both Roger and Pete said that they could relate to it. For Roger, it’s about anger. For Pete, it’s a repression of love.

9.      “Won’t Get Fooled Again”- Who’s Next might have one of the best album closers of all time. This eight minute epic is a classic rock radio staple and also one of the Who’s best songs. In Lifehouse, this song would’ve been sung by Bobby as he doesn’t want Jumbo to become a spiritual seeker like him. The song was written by Pete supposedly after hearing about a political commune near Eel Pie Island. For Pete, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is a plea and not a defined statement.  The song is easy to recognize from that opening synth line, which then bursts into a rocker. There’s also some great playing on this song from Pete, John, and Keith. Pete is strumming away, John is plucking the bass strings, and Keith could’ve been destroying his drum set. Roger, however, gives us what might be the single greatest scream in rock n roll. “Meet the new boss” sings Daltrey. “Same as the old boss”. “Won’t Get Fooled Again” certainly ends this great album with a huge bang.

Before the album was released, the album needed a cover. There was an original idea of using naked obese women for the design but when the pictures were used by someone else, the idea was scraped. The front cover for the album was taken on May 8, 1971 somewhere in Easington Colliery, England. Near a mining area, there was a tall concrete structure. According to the booklet for the 1995 reissue, John and Keith had been talking about Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the movie, there’s a scene where there’s a black monolith. The band liked the location and with photographer Ethan Russell, the band shot the cover right there. There’s the old myth that the band took a leak on the structure. It has been said that Pete came up with the idea for them to urinate on it (possibly an attack at Kubrick for disagreeing to film Tommy?). According to Ethan Russell, none of the band were able to urinate on it. Instead, they used rainwater from an empty film canister for the effect. Some may wonder whether the Who’s Next monolith is still there. A video posted on YouTube in 2009 shows that it’s still there. However, the area may’ve been cleared not long afterwards.   

Who’s Next was released on August 14, 1971. The album was a huge success, charting at #4 in the US and at #1 in the UK. Years after its release, Who’s Next has been listed by rock magazines and critics as one of the greatest albums ever made by anybody. With the success of Who’s Next, the band were able to continue their career as the Who.

Although the band’s next album, Quadrophenia, was a conceptual album, Pete Townshend still tried to resurrect the Lifehouse project. As it would turn out, the songs that would’ve been used in Lifehouse have showed up on other Who albums and compilations. In 2000, Townshend finally resurrected to Lifehouse project with a box set called The Lifehouse Chronicles.

For me, Who’s Next is my fourth favorite album of all time (and I do have this list on Microsoft Word. I’ll say that the top 20-25 are pretty much in cement). I got this album not too long after John Entwistle passed away in 2002. I think by that time, I was still trying to learn how to let the album play and not flip through the songs. I was ten years old, give me a break! I really like this album because for me, it defines the Who. All the songs are pure classic rock. It’s just one of those albums you can play over and over again and it’s still as great as the first time you heard it.  Without a doubt, it’s the best album the Who ever made.

Warrant's Jani Lane dead at 47

Jani Lane (born John Kennedy Oswald)

February 1, 1964- August 11, 2011

According to TMZ and now various other news reports, former Warrant lead singer Jani Lane was found dead in a LA hotel last night. He was 47 years old. Lane was pronounced dead by Fire Department personnel, who had responded to a call before 5:30 pm. The cause of death, at this time, is unknown. Lane is survived by a wife and four children (although Lane had been married three times). 

Lane will probably be best known as the singer of hard rock band Warrant, who hit the big time in the late 1980's. Lane was actually the band's second lead singer but he would become the main songwriter in the band. Warrant's debut album, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, was released in 1989. The album was a success thanks to hits like "Down Boys" and the power ballad "Heaven". The band were at their peak when they released their second album, Cherry Pie, in 1990. The album, as well as the tongue-in-check self titled track, were smash hits. Lane briefly left in 1993 but returned the following year. By that time, the band's popularity began to tone down. Still, Lane was in Warrant until 2004. He rejoined again in 2008 for an attempt to reunite the "classic" line-up but he was later dismissed before the year ended. 

Before his death, Lane appeared in an episode of That Metal Show which will air sometime in October for the show's eighth season. 

I'll be honest: I wasn't particularly a Warrant fan. I liked a couple of their songs and I do think they are a good band. Jani had a great voice and he wrote some great songs. It's a big loss in the rock world and 47 is just too young.

RIP Jani.   

Flower Travellin' Band singer Joe Yamanaka dies at 64

Joe Yamanaka

September 2, 1946- August 7, 2011

Japanese rock singer, Joe Yamanaka, passed away yesterday after a battle with lung cancer. Yamanaka was 64 years old. Yamanaka was best known as the lead singer for psychedelic hard rock band, Flower Travellin' Band. While not entirely popular, the band has somewhat of a cult following. The band's best known album would probably be 1971's Satori. The album wasn't released in the US until 2003. Rolling Stone's David Fricke is quoted to saying that Satori is his "favorite Japanese rock album of all time". The band had reunited in 2007 and released an album. The band planed to tour in 2010 but news of Yamanaka's cancer put everything to a halt.

I just ordered myself a copy of Satori. I read about these guys and they sound really cool. It's a shame that Joe has passed away and that most music magazines probably won't bother mentioning. Even when I Google his name, there's barely any news. Shame. There should be. 

RIP Joe.