A.A. RockBlog

A while back, it occured to me that there is quite a bit of repetition in American radio nowadays - especially when it comes to classic hits/rock radio stations. This all started when I noticed that my local classic rock station (won't say which one for geo privacy reasons) began what seemed to me like "reorganizing." It felt like they were dropping lots of 60s and 70s material, in favor of a 1975-95 focus. Before very long I was hearing things from bands like Soundgarden, NIrvana, and Metalica on there which was never the case before (perhaps rarely before 2015ish). I'd noticed that the likes of Yes (I made a fabulous review of Fragile in my last posting in case you haven't read it), ELP, Pink Floyd, AND EVEN GENESIS AND JETHRO TULL had become extinct on the airwaves faster than dinosaurs 65 million years ago. (Although when it's my "lucky day," I do happen to hear a pop hit from Genesis and something from Tull here and there). Karn Evil 9  (1st I

It's been a long while since I've blogged so I thought I'd do it again. In this blog post I will actually talk about an entire album for a change, and the word is...Yes! Particularly, I'm going to discuss Yes ' 1971 record Fragile , one of my personal favorites which showcases the band at their finest. If you haven't listened to it, what are you waiting for?!?! First let's briefly talk about what all went down in the years leading up to Fragile . Bass player Chris Squire formed a short-lived band called Mabel's Toy Shop in late 1967, which by 1968 had begun evolving into what we now know to be Yes. After a somewhat succesful self-titled debut in 1969, Peter Banks (guitar) left and was replaced by Steve Howe (who is still in the band to this day). The line-up of Anderson-Bruford-Howe-Kaye-Squire cut two more albums, Time and a Word  (1970) and The Yes Album  (1971) which many consider their "rising" album as it showcases their progressive ro

This is not really considered a ROCK song by any means, but it is still, at least in my opinion, a very important song from the 1964-1990 era of music. This synthesizer-heavy song was originally performed by the Eurythmics - a British band formed in 1980. Their 1981 debut In The Garden  was not very successful, but their next record, 1983's Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)  really laid the foundation for them. The album's title track, the second side opener, is often considered by fans and critics alike to be their "signature song." Complete with lyrics for your entertainment... According to Anniel Lennox, David Stewart discovered that da-da-da-da-ta-ta-da-ta-ta-da-ta-ta riff when he backmasked another riff. It was a purely accidental discovery, but it's no surprise that out of that accident, that a hit was born. Lyric-wise the song does not have much to it. However, even in the short-lived lyrics, there is a message. The song does not even follow a verse-c

October 2  was a very sad day for America. First, the nation's biggest shooting on record at the Route 91 Country Fest in Vegas in which 58 people were killed. Second, and more related to rock, October 2 was the day that Tom Petty died at age 66 the result of cardiac arrest. As such, this blog post will be dedicated to him. He was born Thomas Early Petty on October 20, 1950 in Gainsville, Fla. Petty's first group was called Mudcrutch and consisted of future Heartbreakers Mike Campbell (lead guitar) and Benmont Tench (keyboards). The group continued until 1975 when the threesome relocated to L.A. It was here that Tom Petty founded the Heartbreakers and added Stanley Lynch (drums) and Ron Blair (bass guitar). The quintet's self-title debut album came out the following year with its lead single, Breakdown . The single was most successful in the UK but did not get much rotation in the US instead American radio opted to play Anything That's Rock'n'Roll . The othe

There are very few bands in the world with members from multiple nations. In fact, there are a few whose members were a mixture of Brits and Americans. One prime example of such a band was Foreigner. Established by Spooky Tooth alumn Mick Jones (not to be confused with The Clash guitarist of the same name). It all started in the mid 70s when Mick Jones (guitar) joined forces with King Crimson guitarist/keyboardist Ian McDonald. The two met in New York City and saught to form a band. The pair quickly recruited their neighbor, drummer Dennis Elliot as well as keyboardist Al Greenwood and bass player Ed Gagliardi. The band initially went under the name of Trigger  and were searching for a lead singer. It wasn't until Mick Jones heard a song by a band called Black Sheep. Right away, Jones noticed the voice of the lead singer belonged to none other than Louis Grammatico (aka Lou Gramm) and invited him down to NYC to meet his soon-to-be bandmates. (By the way Gramm, at the time, was