A.A. RockBlog

After a four-year break, Bon Jovi is set to issue their 15th album, Bon Jovi: 2020 . This is their first album since 2016's This House is Not for Sale . Recorded since last year: Bon Jovi had been recording the album since March of last year. As it is, only one single, Unbroken  has been released among twenty-three songs recorded. While the album is near complete, its release from May is being pushed back until November. As well, the promotional tour has also been cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the band said that the album will be released closer to when they will be able to tour again. It's nearly all politics One thing that is intriguing about this album, folks is that it is socially conscious. All the songs on the album have been written about certain themes. As an example, the lead single, Unbroken , is an ode to soldiers suffering from PTSD while Story of my Life  is a mere-autobiography about John Bon Jovi's family. Lower the Flag  is an intere

Coming off our recent brief discussion on yacht rock , I thought I'd share a few tidbits about a popular Bay area band since the 70s. The Doobies are in line for an induction in the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame this year (have been eligible) since 1995, and because of that, I felt it would be great to write a post on a few tidbits about them. They're not a "family." This is a big one folks, but many assume just because of bands like the Isley Brothers, the Doobie Brothers must also be a musical family; however, the contrary is true. The real truth is that a friend recommended the name "Doobie Brothers" to Tom Johnston - a "doobie" being a naruijuana cigarette. And speaking of which, Patrick Simmons has said that the name "Doobie Brothers," was only meant to be a temporary name until they came up with something better, but as we all know, they never did... They're from San Jose. That's right. Most Bay Area bands o

One of the most recent emerging rock subgenres that have come up go by the name of "yacht rock." While not all yacht rock songs are straightforward "rock" many do have rock elements to them - in particular soft rock. It was only short-lived Yacht rock was most popular from the mid 1970s to about the early-mid 1980s. As stated in the opneing paragraphy, yacht rock is characterized by soft rock and is also sometimes referred to as adult-oriented rock. Yacht rock started dying down in the early 80s, but it did pave the way to other, albeit non-rock, genres such as quiet storm and adult contemporary. Who are some of the popular artists? The Doobie Brothers: After Tom Johnston's health failed in 1975, Michael McDonald joined. Starting with their 1976 LP Takin' it to The Streets , the band developed a blue-eyed soul/yacht rock sound curteousy of McDonald. All this peaked with their 1978 album Minute by Minute , featuring the title track and What a Fool Be

As explored numerously in this blog, rock took lots of themes in the 60s and 70s from school to politics. However, there was a band from the mid 60s to the early 70s with a varied variety of lyrical themes. Creedence The Bay Area band formed in 1965 with the Fogerty brothers (John and Tom) and their good friends Stu Cook and Doug Clifford. Their heyday was arguably 1968 to 1970 when the band wrote and recorded many of their well-known hits. What made Creedence interesting is that a listener would hardly believe they were from the Bay Area as their sound featured more a swamp/southern Rock sound. Two interesting songs in particular: Well many of their themes were straightforward, Creedence did have two particular songs, both with "Rain" in the title, that each took different themes. Who'll Stop The Rain From their 1970 album, Cosmo's Factory , this folk rocky track has been long debated. While many saw the song being politically heavy, Mr. Fogerty has be

In a year of big 70s (not just talking about the decade but age), today is the 70th birthday of many an underrated rock musician. Peter Frampton He was born Peter Kenneth Frampton and grew up with influences such as Cliff Richard, Buddy Holly, and the Beatles. He attended Bromley Techinical School with schoolmate David Bowie and at twelve he formed his first band The Ravens. In 1969, Steve Marriott left the Small Faces for Humble Pie and Frampton joined him. Humble Pie had notable hits 30 Days in The Whole , and I Don't Need no Doctor . Ridin' Solo Frampton went solo in 1971. His debut was 1972's Wind of Change with Billy Preston and Ringo Starr. Frampton also backed other artists such as Harry Nilson. In late 1972, he was brought into Grand Funk Railroad, but due to getting underway with his project, Frampton's Camel, Frampton rejected the offer and Craig Frost came on instead. Breakout! Even though Frampton's first few records sold poorly, he made

The 1980s were a decade of new wave, dance, ballads, and even hair bands; however, a while before the decade came one of the most prominent hard rock bands next to KISS or Aerosmith. Van Halen From the early 1970s existed a massive heavy metal band that began literally as a power trio until Diamond Dave joined in 1977. Here, for your reading pleasure, are ten little things you didn't know about Van Halen 1. They Were Originally Called Genesis Yup! The Van Halen brothers formed a band called Genesis that played a mix of acoustic and electric rock. After Mike Anthony joined, they were forced to change their name because, as we know, there was ANOTHER Genesis. Their intermin name was Mammoth. 2. Their name means "get it." Translators list "van" meaning as from and "halen" meaning enterance, but the combined meaning of Van Halen is "get it." 3. The name was David Lee Roth's idea. Playing with the Van Halen brothers, Roth like

As we all already know, COVID-19 has provoked massive distancing measures to be taken in order t cut the risk and flatten the curve. Meanwhile this Saturday was another version of a virtual concert What is it? The "One World: Together at Home," while not being a benefit concert, was put together for a way for fans to enjoy music from their favorite artists as the COVID-19 pandemic has halted the touring schedule of many. The "concert" is filmed in living room(s) of each artist or band member. Who Were the Performers? There are one too many performers to list here immediately, but the big names were: Lady Gaga, The Rolling Stones, Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, and Taylor Swift - among others. The show was sponsored by Global Citizen - a non-profit organization, and broadcast on major TV networks as well as YouTube. How Is The Perfromance Structured? Take a look at  this performance of The Rolling Stones performing "You Can't Always Get What You Want.&q

As COVID-19 rages on, and social distancing is being observed, yet another important annual event has been postponed - the 2020 Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. What is it? This ceremony is an annual event held in the spring where five or six acts are inducted. This year's event was originally scheduled for May 3, 2020, but has been pushed back to later in the year. As it is, the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame has not specified when the event will take place, but folks it will most likely be in the fall. How do they get in? To qualify for the Hall of Fame, the artists' debut album must have been issued at least twenty-five years prior to the year's induction ceremony. For example, an act eligible for the 2020 Induct must have released its debut in 1995 or sooner. Who Are This Year's Nominees Anyway? The Doobie Brothers Even though their 1971 self-titled debut was really nothing to be proud of, the Doobes since pulled of a decade with

After writing a blog post on one of the most prominent alternative rock bands of the former nation, I now deliever the story of a pop sensation that rose to prominence in the mid to late 1980s. That imposing figure above is that of notorious pop musician Sasha Loshich - Losha. Born in Banja Luka, he is one of the most recognizable musicians of the popular music scene in the former Yugoslavia. He is known for his many movie score compositions, featuring collaborations with many stars, but it was in 1983 that he started something more prominent as far as rock goes... Plavi Orkestar  Before Plavi Orkestar, there was Shevin Orkestra (The Lark Orchestra). The band featured future Plavi Orekstar (Blue Orchestra) drummer Admir Cheramida (referred to in the band and among fans as "Chera II," while his younger brother is referred to as "Chera I)." The following year, they changed their name to Plavi Orkesar upon discovering that there was another, simillarly named band

Even though alternative rock was very rare in the former Yugoslavia, there was (and still is) a prominent band that achieved massive national success and attention since the early 1980s. The short story of Senad Hadzimusic and SCH First of all folks, the name "SCH" is derived from schizophrenia . A mental disorder centered around relapsing psychosis episodes such as hallucinations. The brainchild of the band (pictured below) was Sarajevo virtuoso Senad "Teno" Hadzimusich. They're still going sttrong Since their inception, SCH have recorded twelve albums and worked with a rotating ensamble of musicians. Their early lineup included Teno, sventeen-year old Rida Attarashany as drummer, and twenty-year old Petar "Pero" Erak as bass player. SCH have also played a wide range of styles. Their first years were influenced by King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Captain Beetheart, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and Brian Eno. By the time it came to record the

After writing a post, the other day,  on the 45th anniversary of Aeromsith's breakthrough LP , comes another breakthrough milestone.  Sir Elton John , known then as Reginald Kenneth Dwight, issued his self-titled breakthrough LP fifty years ago today. The foundation of EJ's Sound The album set the stage for what would be the sound on EJ's albums throughout the 70s and into the early 80s (i.e. prior to To Low For Zero ). It is also known for being one of the first showing the songwriting power of Bernie Taupin. Taupin met Elton John in 1967 after the two answered an ad to write songs for popular soul singers of the day. The late 60s were spent writing songs for Liberty Records artists. Taupin composed lyrics while Elton John, who was not a talented lyricist, came up with the music. Apart from a time between 1977 and 1980, the duo collaborated on more than thirty albums. Another prominent figure in Elton John's music was producer Gus Dudgeon. Their first collabor