A.A. RockBlog

In a year with several milestone birthdays, one of the most significant today, and this year, is that of Slow hand aka Eric Clapton. Born in the Ripley area of Surry England seventy-five years ago today, Clapton has grown to become one of the most popular and signficant musicians in the history of popular music. A man of many bands Clapton has been a member of many prominent bands such as John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers, Blind Faith, Cream, and Derek & the Dominos. Clapton launched to superstardom in Cream, which he formed in 1965. Creams four albums Fresh Cream (1966), Disreali Gears (1967), Wheels on Fire  (1968), and Goodbye  (1969) were massive hits featuring songs such as I Feel Free, Sunshine of Your Love, White Room, Crossroads , and Badge , which also features George Harrison playing rhythm guitar. Clapton, as well as Baker of Cream fame, has also been a member of Blind Faith with Steve Winwood - making the hit Presence of the Lord . Going solo for a moment Cla

Ex-Pink Floyd member Roger Waters has announced a postponement of his This is Not a Drill North American tour. The tour was originally to take place across 31 US cities starting on July 8 in Pittsburg and concluding on October 3 in Dallas. Why? Coronavirus Last week in an interview, Waters said, and I quote, “The bad news is: I’ve had to postpone my tour until next year. Bummer, but if it saves one life, it’s worth it,” Waters said in a statement. “The good news is, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled on March 25, 2020, that Trump’s Dakota Access Pipeline Executive order was ILLEGAL and demands an [Environmental Impact Statement]. This is a huge victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes. Power to the People!!!” On a side note, Waters has always been involved in politics and unlike the most of the material he wrote with Floyd, his solo material deals with a variety of political issues. How about The Wall? If you've been reading my blog thus far, you know that last

During the 80s, hip-hop rose to predominance as a new art of expression. Most hip hop songs from the golden age and gangsta eras involved "storytelling," usually about a struggle. But as the 80s turned to the 90s, hip-hop began to draw influences from 70s and 80s funk. This was most appearant in samples as well as even quotes. Before G-Funk, there was P-Funk Ever listen to What's my Name? by Snoop Dogg? How about Ain't no Future in Your Frontin' by MC Breed or Gettin' It by Too Short among others? What you may (or may not) have noticed is that all of those songs contain samples by one or more songs by Parliament-Funkeladic. Who were they anyway? In the mid 50s, teenage George Clinton started a doo-wop, barbershop group known as The Parliements after the brand-name cigarettes. The group would entertain waiting customers at the barbershop. By the late 1960s, Clinton's career solidified and he relocated his operations to Detroit to focus on his two

Many bands have changed lineups for many reasons - too many to list in a posting. But what happens when one of the members replaced is actually a singer? Is that good or bad? There are many things to think about when/if replacing your lead vocalist. The thing to remember is that most singers (usually) leave due to personal reasons. For instance Journey's Steve Perry left due to a knee injury while Peter Gabriel of Genesis fame and even Roger Hodgson of Supertramp fame left in order to launch a solo career. On the other hand some are simply fired as was the case with Ozzy in Black Sabbath. The new singer may (or may not) be able to sing the songs the same This is perhaps the biggest heartbreak when it comes to replacing a singer. Many have said that Steve Augeri and Amel Pineda sound a lot like Steve Perry, but other singers are not quite that capable. Try to imagine Axl Rose singing Thunderstruck . It also should be noted that in bands with two or more lead singers, each o

Birthdays in rock are very spectacular nowadays with aging rockstars, but today has been 70 years since a prominent Bosnian and former Yugoslav musician, songwritter, and composer was born. Goran Bregovich is 70 He was born in Sarajevo on March 22, 1950 to a mix of Croat and Serb parents. At ten, due largely to his father's drinking habits, Bregovich's parents divorced, with Bregovich living with his mother. His mother eventually purchased him a violin and enrolled him into school where, in his second year of study, he was expelled due to lack of talent and commitment. Bregovich was then taught by one of his good friends until his early teens when his mother bought him a guitar. Bregovich wanted to enroll in a fine arts high school, but his aunt convinced his mother against the idea as she believed there were many homosexuals there. As a compensation, his mother allowed him to grow his hair long - something that was out of the ordinary with young boys in the old countr

With  the Rolling Stones , and many other acts, postponing their tours due to the Coronavirus outbreak, a new means of enjoying your favorite acts has recently emerged - virtual reality concerts. What's it all about? In recent years, VR hardware has become readily available. I don't need to list all the options, but there are many. In fact, for the 2017-18 holiday season, Axe unvealed a package with VR goggles supplied with a 2-pack of deoderant. Quantities were limited, but it was only the beginning of a new, forthcoming world. Today, VR is used for many facets - most noteably gaming and streaming, but VR travel is also becoming popular. Take a read at  this article on Wired.com . In short, it summerizes the many benefits of VR shows. In 2016, LiveNation teamed up with Citi to deliver select shows through VR, and many more came in the following years. There are plenty of benefits to this live VR shows folks. In reality, all it takes is an Oculus. They're free:

Just after a wrote, a few weeks ago, about  the Stones continuing their tour in 2020 , comes word of The Stones indefinitely postponing the rest of their North American leg of their No Filter tour. It's not the first time... The Stones were set to start the North American leg of their No Filter tour in June of last year. However, a problem with Mick Jagger's heart required him to have a heart valve replacement and get rest. This led to them rescheduling the tour dates - not even playing at the New Orleans Heritage and Jazz Festival where they are (tentatively) scheduled to play in early May of this year, but with the dates after the event cancelled, I wouldn't be surprised if they miss a second year in a row of not performing in New Orleans. What was the plan? The Stones were set to perform a second set of tour dates in North America. The shows would run from May 8 in San Diego, to July 9 in Atlanta. As it is, all those shows are being postponed indefinitely unti

Biopics have become very popular in recent years, but perhaps one of the most thrilling as of late is one I had the pleasure to recently watch on-demand; a biopic about a very famous piano star (and I'm not talking the "Piano MAN)." Elton John Rocketman With no intention of ruining the surprise, this biopic follows Sir Elton John from his childhood, through to his meeting with Bernie Taupin and their long-time collaboration. The biopic (nearly) accurately portray his childhood, but there are a lot of things, in my opinion, that are missing. It's not chrnological This for me has got to be the biggest disappointment of the biopic. As you'll see later on, the discography is the biggest curveball of the film. Incomplete The movie may have shown EJ's rendtion of Pete Townshend's Tommy , but to me the biggest disappointment was the absense of all the activity with John Lennon. There are no featured performances - nothing! This has got to be a MASSIV

Billy Joel has released a number of hits from the mid 70s to about the mid 80s, but his most concentrated time period came between about 1977 and 1983. During this period he released one of his more spectacular works yet. And it's still a msterpiece to me. Glass Houses , Joel's seventh LP was a massive success from this day four decades ago when it showed up on the market. The LP landed five singles, the third of which, It's Still Rock and Roll to Me , was his first reach #1 on the Bilboard Hot 100. The album was also issued with an alternate cover showing Joel's face looking through a broken glass hole. This was the artwork also used on some CD editions. How about the album charts? From a weekly perspective, the album was number 1 in the US, Canada, and even Iceland! The album was in the top 10 in six countries, and top 20 in France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The end-of-year results were even more astounding. Glass Houses managed the top 10 in Austra

The Yugoslav rock scene, largly centered around the Sarajevo School of Pop and Rock, was large from the 60s into the 80s. However, the 90s completely changed the game. The destabelizing political situation, and the wars that followed, led to many popular bands undergoing hitatus, yet some still continued to release albums. How it all unfolded Previously, Yugoslavia consisted of seven republics: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Serbia. Croatia was first to break apart in 1991, which led to Bosnia and Herzegovina make that decision in January of 1992, which eventually led to the already strong war in Croatia spreading south. The Seige of Sarajevo, in particular, was the largest, and longest-lasting segie on a capital city in political history. What happened to the music? While some bands were able to issue albums in the early 90s (1992 at the latest), many went on a long hiatus after that and some former members even relocated to ot

Different types of rock were all the rage in the late 1970s and early 1980s; however, what some of the artists (particularly Brits) became known for at the time, was incorporating disco beats into their music. All this occured starting around 1976, through to about 1980. Paul McCartney & Wings Silly Love Songs This disco-overtoned hit from their 1976 album Wings at The Speed of Sound , is known for its driving bass sound and abundant horn section. It became a number 1 hit in Ireland, the US, and Canada, while reaching number 2 in the UK, and being a top 10 hit in several other countries. The track was written in response to critics arguing that Macca writes "silly love songs." Rolling Stones Miss You Issued as a single from their 1978 LP Some Girls , Miss You is another attempt at a disco number. The song is noted for its repeated riff and dancey tempo. It was a top 10 hit in eight countries, and a number 1 hit in Canada. Rod Stewart Do Ya Think I'm Sexy

Many bands have been sucessful in their careers but one of the most longest-lasting bands, Fleetwod Mac, have stood the test of time. Existing for over fifty years, the band has sold 120 million records worldwide. They are practically "two" bands Fleetwood Mac's career was split in two parts. The first part, a cult bluesy following with founder Peter Green saw them playing blues and even traces of prog rock. The second part, the more commercial part, saw the band reaching a larger audience and is the era that the band today is most commonly associated with. Though named after Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, McVie was not an original member John McVie did not play on their first gigs or on their first song recorded, Old Grey Mare . The bass player then was Bob Brunning as McVie was in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. After the Bluesbreakers changed direction, however, McVie joined and Brunning left the next day. Christine "Perfect" McVie is also respons

Just a few weeks ago, I made a blog post about  Genesis potentially reuniting . Well, lo and behold, the word is out that a farewell tour has been planned for late 2020. It's Been a Long Time Coming Genesis performed their last show in 2007, and since then, rumors of a reunion had been circling. Their future was further uncertain in 2011 when Phil Collins announced his retirement from the music business and performed a farewell tour through 2011-12. However, in 2015, Collins announced an end to his retirement, which led to more reunion speculations and a possible appearance at the Desert Trip in Indio, Calif. Collins, however, stated in his 2016 autobiography that he retired from Genesis in 2007. The Sighting On January 23, 2020, the three core members of Genesis: Collins, guitarist/bassist Mike Rutherford, and keyboardist Tony Banks, were spotted in the stands at a basketball game in New York's Madison Square Garden. Since then the band were very hush-hush about their