A.A. RockBlog

  In the rock world, we tend to overlook the punk and post-punk genres, as well as prog rock, and other older forms of rock. Today, Scotish guitarist Malcolm Ross has turned 60, and while his career was not of much significance as were the careers of other punkers and post-punkers, he should nevertheless be honored. Josef K Ross' first ensamble was called Josef K. The band released a stringle of singles, but only one album, 1981's The Only Fun in Town , through Postcard Records, which was not much of a hit. Josef K fell aprt in 1982. From Josef K to Orange Juice In 1982, Edwyn Colins asked Ross to join Collins in his new band, Orange Juice. The post-punkers made names for themselves with several LPs in the early to mid 1980s. Ross was responsible for writing and playing on 1982's Tear it Up , and 1984's Texa Fever . Still rather big Orange Juice splitting did not stop Ross. He continued to back his former bandmates from Josef K and Orange Juice, especially Edwyn Collins

In the realm of popular music, most bands have made themselves known, by playing in clubs and small venues, and eventually getting a record deal and making hits - that's the traditional way. But what happens when a few guys reform after losing a frontman, and then begin to take over the world? Well, that's exactly the birth of...New Order! Before New Order, there was Joy Division In 1977, Ian Curtis and Bernard Summer formed Joy Division. They had a massive hit with Love Will Tear us Apart  from their 1979 debut, Unknown Pleasures . Having completed their second LP, Closer , to be releaed in the summer of 1980, the band were gearing up for their first ever tour on the other side of the pond; however, singer Ian Curtis felt a budding depression following his epilepsey attack and marriage problems with his wife, who was not in the inner circle with the band. Curtis finally hung himself on May 18. 1980 - a day before the flight.  And lo and behold, today marks forty years since gu

Over the weekend, another rock legend has left us. Peter Green of John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers and Fleetwood Mac fame has lost his life this Saturday - he was 73 years old. Guitar's greatest Born Peter Allan Greenbaum on October 29, 1946 in East London's Bethnal Green, Peter Green began playing guitar at an early age after his brother, Michael, showed him the basics. At 15, Green began playing profesionally, serenading dock workers, and joined Bobby Dennis and the Dominos as bassist/backup singer. Green and Clapton Collide Green then was called in by John Mayall, of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, to stand in for rising star Eric Clapton for four gigs. This ulimately led to Clapton hooking up with Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce to start Cream, making Green a full-time Bluesbreaker, and an important figure in the so-called "second epoch" of British blues. Fleetwood Mac is Born Peter Green hooked up with Mick Fleetwood during 1967 to start Fleetwood Mac. The "Fl

AC/DC have long been one of the pioneers of heavy metal, and in the early 1980s, their popularity soared to levels unseen. Tragedy quickly became triumph with the release of their seventh album, Back in Black , exactly 40 years ago today. Bon Scott's death On the evening of February 18, 1980, Scott went out drinking with some friends at a London bar. The following morning he was found unresponsive and so was rushed to a local hospital. Shortly after being brought in for an exam, staff at the hospital officially pronounced him dead as a result of alchoholic poisoning.  Since then the remaining quartet of AC/DC: the founding Young brothers (Angus and the late Malcolm), bass player Cliff Williams, and drummer Phil Rudd began auditioning for a new singer. Per advice of Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who was responsible for producing their 1979 breakthrough Highway to Hell , the band recruited Brian Johnston - formerly of the British glam rock band Geordie. Highway to Hell, their b

 The COVID-19 Pandemic has canceled or postponed many shows, and Gensis' The Last Domino Tour  is no exception. A Christmas Special The original plan for the tour was late 2020 (around Christmas time). The three core members of Genesis, drummer/singer Phil Collins, bass player/guitarist Mike Rutherford, and backing vocalist/keyboardist Tony Banks were spotted at a baseketball game in Madison Square Gardens in late January of 2020. Reunion speculations have been around since 2015 when Phil Collins, (pictured below) came out of retirement. During Collins' 2018 Not Dead Yet  tour, Mike Rutherford also made a special appearance to perform, with Collins, Genesis' 1978 hit Follow You, Follow Me , which ultimately broke them out in the US. In January of 2020, the band members said they were only their for a mutual friends' wedding reception; however, in March, Collins announced the forthcoming tour. Nic on drums Due to Phil Collins' arthritis, his son, Nic, will be taking

  When people think of the birth of alternative rock, they usually think of the punk and post-punk movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s; however, there is usually more to something than one perceives. Some bands were more popular than others In the late 70s/early 80s, bands such as The Clash, The Pretenders, The Ramones, and even The Cure are considered to have laid down the foundation of what we now know as alternative rock, but there is also a little known Milwaukee band that rose to prominence in the early to mid 80s.  They took several years to get going What is now known as The Violent Femmes started in 1980 when the paths of twenty year-old Brian Ritchie, and 26-year old drummer Victor DeLorenzo. Realizing their common ground, they hooked up with seventeen year-old singer Gordon Gano, and started rehearsing. By 1981, they were playing at local pubs and bars, as well as on street corners. In late 1981, it just so happened that the band were playing acoustic covers outside th

  Many rock bands that formed in the 60s and 70s, continued their careers into the 80s, and even well into the 90s and beyond. One such band, Santana, happened to come back swinging in 1999 with their 18th album,  Supernatural . With the album's new-old sound, relateable lyrics, and guest appearances - Supernatural  helped expose a much younger fanbase to Santana's work. In fact, it's what got me into Santana. All about The Features What's most noteable is that over half the tracks on the album have featured vocals. Ranging from old-timers such as Eric Clapton, even to new artists such as Everlast and Dave Mathews, and even Lauryn Hill, the album has something for everyone.  Adressing Popular Themes Another positive of the album is the fact that most of the tracks address then very popular themes, such as of love, security, and struggles. The album's lead single, Smooth , featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 fame, is regarded as a Latin love song. The second single,

 There are many "traditional" rock bands that have existed through the years, but none have been more sucessful with throwing together jazzy brass sounds with traditional rock than Chicago (apart from, perhaps their rivals, Blood, Sweat, & Tears). For this Friday read, here are some interesting Chicago facts you may (or may not) have known. They were called Chicago Transit Authority The name is derived from the mass-transit agency that serves the Chicagoland, and so was the name of their 1969 debut LP. Some time after, fear of a lawsuit prompted the band to delete the "Transit Authority" part of their name and stick to simply "Chicago." Interestingly enough, today there is a tribute band to them called the California Transit Authority - pretty apt as the band relocated to Los Angeles by the 70s. They (almost) played Woodstock In early 1968, Chicago was offered to play Woodstock, but not having released an album yet, and not having much material, promot

With the pandemic putting show venues in jeopardy, many are looking for alternates to enjoyment including virtual concerts. But there is another kind Drive in concerts have started becoming the norm this summer. Most often happening at malls or other open air shopping centers, drive in concerts work a lot like the drive-in movies of old. People pull in with their cars and get to hear the performer. This form of show comes with many benefits. Most importantly, it allows concertgoers to remain socially distant . Masks are required when outside the car, and ushers guide concertgoers to a designated parking spot.  Drive-in shows are a relatively new concept being worked on and to date, there have not been any significant shows. I will definitely blog in the future on such events. Another benefit is that these shows are MUCH clearer than traditional concerts. Some organizers even allow users to tune into their FM radio to a specific frequency to hear the concert from the confort of their ow

 One of the most overlooked components of rock to date are the strings. While some bands have used strings on the side, others have even had a dedicated string section - or at least usage of a Melotron, for the strings, which leads to the genre of Symphonic Rock. The Moody Blues Though they bega as an RnB band playing poppy rock, their 1967 album, Days of Future Past  shows a significant change. Incorporating strings and woodwinds, the album paved the way to several more albums in the future. The Moodies hit their peak in 1972 with Seventh Sojurm , before going synth-pop for the 80s, but have since made a return to their signature, symphonic sound. Electric Light Orchestra Another band from Birmingham, ELO are notorious for including strings in many of their songs. In fact, their name came from the combination of "electric rock," with a light orchestra. Their logo even resembles that of General Electric.  ELO first broke through with their cover of Chuck Berry's Roll Over

 There have been many bands that have split over the past decade, or are embarking on farewell tours. However, the most shocking of all these breakups has got to be R.E.M. A massive surprise Being an unusual band, with a sound centered on Peter Buck's jangling guitars, and Michael Stipe's usually unclear vocals, R.E.M. rose to fame and prominence by the late 1980s thanks to their 1987 album Document . Their peak came with 1991's Out of Time , and 1992's Automatic For The People  - the former including their signature hit, Losing my Religion . Years in the making R.E.M. had been discussing breaking up for several years before they officially did. The fuel for the fire was created with lackbuster reception of their 2004 album, Around the Sun . It was on September 21, 2011, that the band announced, on their site, that they were "calling it a day as a band." Aside from the lackbuster album performance, shakeups at Warner Bros. Records were given as another possibl

Today is a very special day in the rock world. For it is today, that former Beatle, Ringo Starr, has turned 80! Take a look at the photo below taken from last year - doesn't quite look like he's 80, does he? He's had a busy life Born Richard Starkey in Liverpool, in 1958, he formed the band Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. The band was short lived, for in 1962, Ringo Starr received an invitation from John Lennon to replace drummer Pete Best. With Starr on board, the long-lasting lineup of The Beatles was born. With The Beatles Starr is often responsible for co-writing many of their songs and has even lent his singing voice to several of them such as Honey Don't , Yellow Submarine , With a Little Help From my Friends , Octopus' Garden , and Don't Pass me By . Other than a period in June 1964 when Starr was ill, and August and September 1968, when he temporarily left, Starr played drums on nearly all Beatles' songs. On those he didn't play, McCartney also do

 Charlie Daniels has died at 84 years old as a result of a hemohragic stroke at a Nashville hospital. Daniels was known for blending bluegress and country with popular Southern rock. He had a long career. Born in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1936, Daniels grew up listening to rhythm-and-blues and gospel music through two Nashville area AM stations. In 1954, he assisted Elvis Prestley with writing the song It Hurts Me . Since then he has worked with numerous artists including backing Bob Dylan on three of his late 60s/early 70s records, and the Youngbloods.  By 1973, Daniels hit the top 10 with the song Uneasy Rider  from his third LP, Honey in The Rock  (1973).  The Volunteer Jam In 1975, after playing guitar and fiddle and singing backing vocals on the Marshall Tucker Band's first few albums, Daniels organized the first ever Volunteer Jam. The annual festival took place for the next 20 years - except for a gap in the 80s. These Volunteer Jams saw notorious artists such as Outlaws

 In the 1970s, Pink Floyd have been one of the most notorious leaders of the prog rock scene blending experimentals and electronics along the way. During this time, they have released some of their most successful works.  But one of the "outliers" in this period has got to be their 1977 LP, Animals . Recorded for the majority of 1976 at their Britania Row studio, the album was very organized and experimental in nature. What makes it special? As with 1975's Wish You Were Here , 1977's Animals  includes a song to "bookend" the album, Pigs on the Wing . The majority of the LP was written by Roger Waters who even sang on most of it - except for the first half of Dogs  where David Gilmour sings. The image below shows the album's cover. Designed by Floyd long-timer, Storm Thorgerson, and conceived by Roger Waters, the cover depicts an inflated flying pig between chimneys above the Battersea Power Station. This makes a reference to the doubting statement "

 The Yoguslav wars that ensued in the early 90s, put many popular artists' careers on pause. While some of them resurged in popularity shortly thereafter, many others have had a hard time living up to their success of the past.  So, how did it all change? Most noteably, the biggest changes to have occured were at the record companies. Based in Zagreb, Jugoton, one of the major labels that issued at least 75% of the music made pre-war, and even issued LPs by the likes of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd through licenses, evolved into Croatia Records in 1991. Below is a picture of their logo. Other record labels, such as Sarajevo's Diskoton, simply fell apart as early as 1992. Still, as old stars died, new ones were born, such as City Records that replaced another notorious release leader of the day, PGP RTG of Belgrade.  What about the bands? Many of the most popular bands of the day sadly either fell apart, or went on a hiatus. Most noteably, Goran Bregovich-led Bijelo Dugme ("