A.A. RockBlog

2020 has seen its share of "forties" in the rock world. Today is just one of many. For it is on this day, that one of Queens greatest albums first hit stores What makes it special? To many, The Game  is something of transition album. The tracks are a bit more poppy with faster tempos. Seeking to redefine their sound, the band dumped long-timer Roy Thomas Baker (responsible for producing some of their well-known records of the mid 70s), and worked with Reinhold Mack, known mononymously as Mack, at Giorgio Moroder's Musicland studio in Munich.  It Was A Hit The album itself yielded four singles (five in the US and Japan). The album's lead single, Crazy LIttle Thing Called Love , issued ahead of the record, actually features Mercury playing acoustic guitar folks! In fact, with guitarist Brian May late to the session, the band decided to record as a power trio. Drummer Roger Taylor sang backing vocals and May added backing vocals and a few electric guitar licks and even a

  Five years ago today, we had to say goodbye to one of the most respected bass players since Paul McCartney - Chris Squire.  His long life Born Christopher Russell Edward Squire on March 4, 1948, Squire began singing in the church choir at six years of age. It was only ten years later that he made music his calling thanks to the rise of the Beatles. A year later, Squire got his first bass guitar thanks to an employee discount at the music shop he was employed at. In 1966, Squire and future Yes guitarist Peter Banks were in a band called The Syn. Several months later this became Mabel Greer's Toy Shop featuring Squire, Banks, guitarist/vocalist Clive Bayley and percussionist Bob Hagger. It was there and then that Squire made friends with La Chasse bar own in London's central area, Jack Barrie. Barrie invited his good friend, vocalist Jon Anderson to see Mabel Greer's Toy Shop. After the show, Anderson and Squire met backstage and upon discovering their love of harmonies, wh

  The Rolling Stones were one of the leaders of the British Invasion in the 60s, and one of the longest-lasting ones beyond that. In 1973, they issued their 11th British LP, Goat's Head Soup  (13th in the US). One of their most memorable tracks closes the first side of the LP. Angie Before anything, let me just personally say that this is the song that actually turned me on to The Rolling Stones many years ago. The song is notorious for a melancholic repeating chord progression of Am-E-D-G-C throughout the verses, which I think really set the tone given that the theme is that of a lost love or romance. Pictured below are two regular Stones session musicians from the era, Nicky Hopkins who contributed the piano throughout the song, and Nicky Harrison, responsible for string arrangements on the album.   Hopkins has also played with John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band. It's not about a particular Angie Richards, who is the main one responsible for writing the song, has stated that

 As many baby boomers and even Gen X-ers know, there have been many artists that have been around for many years such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Queen, Yes, Aerosmith, U2, and numerous others.  However, as the 80s became the 90s, it begs the question - just how sustainable have all these acts been going into the 21st Century? To begin, let's take a look at some sales figures compared to older albums. U2 Undoubtedly being a late bloomer, U2 have been around for well over four decades now, but it has been EXACTLY 40 years since they dropped their debut album, Boy . It was only after 1983, when they ditched Jimmy Iovine and hooked up with Roxy Music's Brian Eno and his partner, Daniel Lanois, for 1984's The Unforgettable Fire , that they achieved worldwide fame - not to mention with 1987's The Joshua Tree  and 1988's Rattle & Hum .  The turn of the decade, curiously enough, did not stop the boys from Dublin from making a name for themselves. They started the d

 It's a fact - there appears to be more "pop," then rock nowadays on classic rock radio. When it comes to the format and its collection of subgenres, there are just some songs that gain way too much attention than others. Journey Don't Stop Believin' This has got to be one of their most played songs. From their seventh LP, Escape , it's become their signature song and one of their often mistitled ones. Despite being a popular track used in a variety of settings, it really gets waaaaaaaaaaaayyy to much attention on your local classic rock station (and several others, too). My recommendation - play more of their "rockier" hits such as Lovin' Touchin Squeezin,' Feelin' That Way/Anytime, Patiently , Who's Cryin' Now , or better yet some hits from the Gregg Rolie era. Pink Floyd Another Brick in The Wall Pt. 2 This disco-ey anti-corporal-punishment Floyd track has remained one of the band's most well-known hits since  DSOTM . The p

 Blues has been one of the most influential music styles in the US dating back to the 20s and 30s. In the 60s and 70s, blues rock - adapting old blues standards into rock, has become popular.  In 1969, out of Houston came a popular power trio known for a combination of blues, Southern rock, and boogie. Ranging from blues numbers, the power trio went to a more pop style by the late 70s and even into the 80s.  As such, here are few little known tidbits about ZZ Top. They have (never?) had a lineup change For the past five decades, ZZ Top have consisted of guitarist/vocalist Billy Gibbons, bass player/vocalist Dusty Hill, and drummer Frank Beard. Though some might consider Greg Lainer from their Moving Sidewalks days to be a member, the band have not had a lineup change under the ZZ Top name. They even retained the same manager, Bill Ham, until his 2006 retirement. Their name is an ode to BB King Billy Gibbons was a big fan of B.B. King. As such, he originally coined the name "ZZ Kin

 Folk Rock is often one of the most overlooked subgenres of rock. Many think of Neil Young or Bob Dylan at the thought of folk rock, but there was a one-hitter, female folk rock artist who made the charts in 1967. Bobbie Gentry's Ode to Billy Joe Out of Houston, Mississippi came a young woman named Bobbie Gentry. In July 1967 she released her debut single, Ode to Billy Joe , which became a top hit within the first three weeks of issue, and even a massive international success. A Word About The Song The lyrics are told from a first-person "I," perspective. The song tells the story of a local boy, Billy Joe McAllister, known to a Mississippi Delta family who jumped of the Tallahatchie Bridge. While most of the family is unmoved, the narrator's brother is intrigued and the narrator herself loses her appetite. Towards the end of the song, a year had gone by; the narrator's brother got married and moved out. Her father died of a virus and the mother is now depressed. I

The Beatles were one of the world's greatest bands and have earned titles such as "The Lads Who Shook The World," "The Fab Four," and others. They have forever changed the sound of rock as we know it introducting effects such as fedback (a la I Feel Fine ), using tape loops on songs such as I Am The Walrus , and even being one of the first adapters of the melotron as heard on Strawberry Fields Forever . But The Beatles have also made a name for themselves for something completely unrelated to their sound. An urban legend known today as "Paul is Dead." The legend began circulating around 1966 and had continued for most of the rest of their career. How did it get started? While fans created this urban legend since the mid 60s, it officially came to light in the fall of 1969 (about six months prior to their break-up). A report was issued that claimed that McCartney died in November of  1966 after his car ran off road due to icy conditions and was