Duane Eddy, the twangy, Grammy-winning rock guitarist who had Top 10 instrumental hits including “Rebel Rouser” and “Forty Miles of Bad Road” and scored with a version of Henry Mancini’s “Peter Gunn,” died Wednesday of cancer at a hospital in Franklin, Tn, his wife Deed Abbate told The Associated Press. He had turned 86 last week.
Eddy, who influenced generations of guitar legends including George Harrison, John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen, Ritchie Blackmore, Mark Knopfler and The Ventures’ Don Wilson, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
Born on April 26, 1938, in Corning, NY, Eddy began playing guitar at age 5. He moved at 13 with his family to Arizona, where he met local DJ Lee Hazlewood, and the two would share a long, fruitful association. Eddy first recorded with Jimmy Delbridge as Duane & Jimmy in 1955, and his debut single as a solo act to dent the charts came three years...
Eddy, who influenced generations of guitar legends including George Harrison, John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen, Ritchie Blackmore, Mark Knopfler and The Ventures’ Don Wilson, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
Born on April 26, 1938, in Corning, NY, Eddy began playing guitar at age 5. He moved at 13 with his family to Arizona, where he met local DJ Lee Hazlewood, and the two would share a long, fruitful association. Eddy first recorded with Jimmy Delbridge as Duane & Jimmy in 1955, and his debut single as a solo act to dent the charts came three years...
- 5/1/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Rolling Stone‘s interview series King for a Day features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and singers who had the difficult job of fronting major rock bands after the departure of an iconic vocalist. Some of them stayed in their bands for years, while others lasted just a few months. In the end, however, they all found out that replacement singers can themselves be replaced. This edition features former Rainbow and Deep Purple singer Joe Lynn Turner.
Ronnie James Dio and Ian Gillan are two of the most...
Ronnie James Dio and Ian Gillan are two of the most...
- 4/22/2023
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Huey “Piano” Smith, the R&b pianist and composer whose 1950s hits “Don’t You Just Know It” and “Rockin’ Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu” added New Orleans spice to the early rock and roll recipe, died Feb. 13 at his home in Baton Rouge. He was 89.
His death was announced by his Acquelyn Donsereaux. A cause was not specified.
A New Orleans native who launched his career as a session pianist while still in his teens, eventually working with Little Richard, Lloyd Price and Smiley Lewis (“I Hear You Knocking”), Smith formed his band Huey “Piano” Smith and the Clowns in 1957 and soon had a hit with “Rockin’ Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu,” a song the would return to the charts in cover versions over the decades.
The following year brought another hit, “Don’t You Just Know It,” a catchy song featuring a call-and-response chorus of nonsense words and shouted outbursts.
His death was announced by his Acquelyn Donsereaux. A cause was not specified.
A New Orleans native who launched his career as a session pianist while still in his teens, eventually working with Little Richard, Lloyd Price and Smiley Lewis (“I Hear You Knocking”), Smith formed his band Huey “Piano” Smith and the Clowns in 1957 and soon had a hit with “Rockin’ Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu,” a song the would return to the charts in cover versions over the decades.
The following year brought another hit, “Don’t You Just Know It,” a catchy song featuring a call-and-response chorus of nonsense words and shouted outbursts.
- 2/21/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The rainbow flag, created by artist Gilbert Baker, was first flown as a symbol of queer liberation at a San Francisco parade in 1978. Pink Floyd released their eighth studio album, The Dark Side of the Moon, five years before, in 1973 — with cover art depicting light refracted through a prism to produce a rainbow. The late designer Storm Thorgerson intended it as a tribute to the band’s famous light shows.
And now, in 2023, as the legendary group marks the 50th anniversary of their most enduring touchstone, a few ill-informed individuals...
And now, in 2023, as the legendary group marks the 50th anniversary of their most enduring touchstone, a few ill-informed individuals...
- 1/20/2023
- by Miles Klee
- Rollingstone.com
Jeff Beck played his first gigs on a guitar he built himself, plugging in with local bands in the London suburbs from age 13, before honing his craft at Wimbledon School of Art, studying the artistry of rock and roll and rhythm and blues. Beck mixed the virtuosity and speed Les Paul displayed on radio broadcasts, and the heaviness of even the most melodic Gene Vincent records into his own sound. Beck transformed The Yardbirds from blues purists to proto psychedelia pioneers before inventing hard rock on The Jeff Beck Group’s 1968 Truth album. A new Jeff Beck Group came out with Rough and Ready, infusing fluid jazz phrasings onto R&b ensemble rhythms.
It’s been said Pink Floyd considered asking Beck to join after Syd Barrett left. Beck turned down an invitation to replace Brian Jones in the Rolling Stones for a project with Vanilla Fudge bassist and vocalist Tim Bogert,...
It’s been said Pink Floyd considered asking Beck to join after Syd Barrett left. Beck turned down an invitation to replace Brian Jones in the Rolling Stones for a project with Vanilla Fudge bassist and vocalist Tim Bogert,...
- 1/12/2023
- by Mike Cecchini
- Den of Geek
In music’s metal subculture, the late singer Ronnie James Dio may still count as the genre’s most widely beloved figure, which makes him ripe for a documentary. He was almost completely uncontroversial, which doesn’t necessarily bode as well for such a treatment. The dude who popularized the so-called “devil horns” hand gesture was no demon. He just played one on MTV, or at least enjoyed dragging out the sinister imagery, even if in in real life he came off as a friendly upstate New York guy who’d made it big with a penchant for vaguely mystic imagery and a mountain-king-sized voice that could fill the biggest halls.
“Dio: Dreamers Never Die,” the latest in a series of effective, mostly unpretentious rock docs produced by BMG, doesn’t present its subject as a particularly tortured or even complicated guy. It may be the most drugless documentary ever...
“Dio: Dreamers Never Die,” the latest in a series of effective, mostly unpretentious rock docs produced by BMG, doesn’t present its subject as a particularly tortured or even complicated guy. It may be the most drugless documentary ever...
- 3/24/2022
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on music’s A list. This edition features bassist Bob Daisley.
Ozzy Osbourne has worked with many bass players throughout the course of his long solo career, but he undeniably did his best work with Bob Daisley.
Ozzy Osbourne has worked with many bass players throughout the course of his long solo career, but he undeniably did his best work with Bob Daisley.
- 8/4/2021
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Ronnie James Dio’s autobiography, Rainbow in the Dark, will finally be published posthumously July 27th via Permuted Press.
Dio, who died in 2010 after a battle with gastric cancer, began working on the book several years before his death. To finish the book, the musician’s widow and manager, Wendy Dio, worked with rock journalist and Mick Wall to flesh out unfinished sections. Wendy also shared her own observations on various events covered in the book.
Per a release, Rainbow in the Dark traces the whole of Dio’s life...
Dio, who died in 2010 after a battle with gastric cancer, began working on the book several years before his death. To finish the book, the musician’s widow and manager, Wendy Dio, worked with rock journalist and Mick Wall to flesh out unfinished sections. Wendy also shared her own observations on various events covered in the book.
Per a release, Rainbow in the Dark traces the whole of Dio’s life...
- 6/21/2021
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Leslie West, the towering guitarist who created the hard-rock milestone “Mississippi Queen” with his band Mountain, died Wednesday morning. West’s brother, Larry West Weinstein, confirmed the musician’s death to Rolling Stone. He was 75. The cause of death was cardiac arrest. On Monday, West was rushed to a hospital after suffering cardiac arrest at his home near Daytona, Florida, where he never regained consciousness.
Released in 1970 on Mountain’s debut album, Climbing!, “Mississippi Queen” was two and a half minutes of boisterous bliss built around West’s burly yowl...
Released in 1970 on Mountain’s debut album, Climbing!, “Mississippi Queen” was two and a half minutes of boisterous bliss built around West’s burly yowl...
- 12/23/2020
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
The late Eddie Van Halen — the subject of a special new Rolling Stone tribute package, including a digital cover story — and his bandmates have been at the center of multiple episodes of our Rolling Stone Music Now podcast in recent years. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:
Most recently, we played a never-before-heard interview with Eddie, accompanied by a conversation with Greg Renoff, author of the deeply researched early-years biography Van Halen Rising, and tributes from Tom Morello, Steve Vai, and Kiss’ Gene Simmons.
Renoff dug into Eddie’s influences,...
Most recently, we played a never-before-heard interview with Eddie, accompanied by a conversation with Greg Renoff, author of the deeply researched early-years biography Van Halen Rising, and tributes from Tom Morello, Steve Vai, and Kiss’ Gene Simmons.
Renoff dug into Eddie’s influences,...
- 10/31/2020
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
During the past few years, William Shatner has tackled everything from progressive rock and country to classic rock and even Christmas songs on his eclectic spoken-word/music albums for Cleopatra Records. But when the label approached him with the idea of a blues record, he was slightly taken aback.
“A white guy from Montreal knows nothing of the blues,” says the 89 year-old actor. “Montreal is a very musical city and I would hear the blues not knowing, necessarily, that it was the blues. But I was very young and didn...
“A white guy from Montreal knows nothing of the blues,” says the 89 year-old actor. “Montreal is a very musical city and I would hear the blues not knowing, necessarily, that it was the blues. But I was very young and didn...
- 9/23/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
William Shatner has tackled everything from prog rock to country to Christmas music during his long career as a recording artist, and on his upcoming LP he’s broadening out yet again into the blues.
Titled simply The Blues, the album (due October 2nd) features guest spots from Brad Paisley (“Sweet Home Chicago”), Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (“Smokestack Lightnin'”), Steve Cropper (“Route 66”) and Pat Travers (“I Put a Spell on You”). Wednesday, Shatner is out with “The Thrill Is Gone,” featuring Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore on guitar and his wife,...
Titled simply The Blues, the album (due October 2nd) features guest spots from Brad Paisley (“Sweet Home Chicago”), Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (“Smokestack Lightnin'”), Steve Cropper (“Route 66”) and Pat Travers (“I Put a Spell on You”). Wednesday, Shatner is out with “The Thrill Is Gone,” featuring Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore on guitar and his wife,...
- 8/26/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Deep Purple’s 21st studio album Whoosh! comes with dire warnings and dry wit, all propelled by one of the tightest still-working bands playing today. The record was produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin, who helped Pink Floyd build The Wall, taught Tim Curry to Read My Lips, and brought suspense to the Alice Cooper discography. For their third collaboration, Ezrin invited Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Steve Morse, and Don Airey back to Nashville, where Deep Purple recorded 2013’s Now What?! and 2017’s inFinite.
The first single off the album, “Nothing At All,” is a cautionary observance on what people have done to the planet we’re renting short-term. The second single, “Man Alive,” casts a worried glimpse into the future. The single “Throw My Bones” takes on time and space. The music videos for each of the songs feature a Spaceman sitting in for the band.
Whoosh!
The first single off the album, “Nothing At All,” is a cautionary observance on what people have done to the planet we’re renting short-term. The second single, “Man Alive,” casts a worried glimpse into the future. The single “Throw My Bones” takes on time and space. The music videos for each of the songs feature a Spaceman sitting in for the band.
Whoosh!
- 8/7/2020
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Deep Purple is one of the most influential rock bands of all time. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they completed the “unholy trinity” of 1970s British hard rock sound. The group will release their 21st studio album Whoosh! on June 12. The album reunites the band with legendary producer Bob Ezrin, who worked with the iconic band’s last two albums.
Whoosh! comes four years after Deep Purple’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Steve Morse, and Don Airey “putting the Deep back in Purple.” They wrote and recorded Whoosh! in Nashville on an invitation from Ezrin, renowned for producing definitive albums for Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, and Tim Curry. The first album they collaborated on was So What?! (2013), which hit Number 1 in five European countries, as hit the Top 10 in over 15 countries worldwide. The second, inFinite (2017), broke chart...
Whoosh! comes four years after Deep Purple’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Steve Morse, and Don Airey “putting the Deep back in Purple.” They wrote and recorded Whoosh! in Nashville on an invitation from Ezrin, renowned for producing definitive albums for Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, and Tim Curry. The first album they collaborated on was So What?! (2013), which hit Number 1 in five European countries, as hit the Top 10 in over 15 countries worldwide. The second, inFinite (2017), broke chart...
- 3/18/2020
- by Chris Longo
- Den of Geek
Black Sabbath’s songs have been covered many different ways — by soul singers, jazz combos and even a fast-food-themed parody band. But it still must have been a surprise for Tony Iommi and onetime Sabbath singer Ian Gillan (best known as the frontman for Deep Purple) when the Armenian ensemble the Naregatsi Orchestra presented them with a cover of the Technical Ecstasy deep cut “She’s Gone” at a special concert in Yerevan today. The ensemble, dressed in traditional garb, played the song on traditional instruments including the dulcimer-like qanun,...
- 6/5/2019
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
When an earthquake decimated parts of Armenia and killing between 25,000 to 50,000 people in 1988, the world was in shock. The Ussr earmarked the equivalent of billions of dollars to help rebuild, the U.S. sent medical aid and search dogs, and people from all over Europe came to help. Perhaps the most surprising fundraising effort, though, came from a who’s who of rock and metal legends calling themselves Rock Aid Armenia. The supergroup, which featured Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Queen’s Brian May and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi,...
- 6/5/2019
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Queen’s Brian May praised pop-metal heroes Def Leppard, and recalled the time frontman Joe Elliott literally saved his life, during a gushing speech inducting the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
May has been a longtime friend and fan of the band, joining Def Leppard onstage numerous times. They famously collaborated on a performance of “Now I’m Here” at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness in 1992. In 2006, May and Def Leppard covered T. Rex’s “20th Century Boy” at Vh1’s Rock Honors...
May has been a longtime friend and fan of the band, joining Def Leppard onstage numerous times. They famously collaborated on a performance of “Now I’m Here” at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness in 1992. In 2006, May and Def Leppard covered T. Rex’s “20th Century Boy” at Vh1’s Rock Honors...
- 3/30/2019
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
A bevy of the late heavy-metal icon Ronnie James Dio‘s clothing and belongings will be auctioned at New York’s Hard Rock Cafe this fall. Items include his fantastical stage attire, a sticker-covered wardrobe road case, a painting by Barry Jackson that was used as the cover of Dio’s The Last in Line LP and a white Charvel guitar, among others. The sale, administered by Julien’s Auctions, will take place in person and online on September 14th and 15th.
Items in the auction, dubbed “Property From the Estate of Ronnie James Dio,...
Items in the auction, dubbed “Property From the Estate of Ronnie James Dio,...
- 7/19/2018
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Friday night’s Rock and Roll started amid controversy. Members of the bands being inducted, like Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple) and Peter Cetera (Chicago) blatantly skipped the Brooklyn Barclays Center event while N.W.A, despite a memorable acceptance speech, decided not to perform. Furthermore, the inclusion of Steve Miller Band over genre-changing acts like Sonic Youth and The Pixies were skipped over, many […]
The post Steve Miller Slams Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame At Induction Ceremony appeared first on uInterview.
The post Steve Miller Slams Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame At Induction Ceremony appeared first on uInterview.
- 4/10/2016
- by Jenny C Lu
- Uinterview
Bass guitarist Jimmy Bain, who performed with rock bands Dio and Rainbow, died at the age of 68 on Monday. Dio And Rainbow Bassist Jimmy Bain Dies Born James Stewart Bain in 1947, Bain first started to play with the band Harlot in early 1974. He was then asked to join guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and […]
The post Jimmy Bain, Bass Guitarist For Dio And Rainbow, Dies At 68 appeared first on uInterview.
The post Jimmy Bain, Bass Guitarist For Dio And Rainbow, Dies At 68 appeared first on uInterview.
- 1/26/2016
- by Ryan Kappy
- Uinterview
If you haven’t watched the trailer to Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut called Lost River, correct that now. While early buzz has been mixed, I’m excited to see the film. I think it is also cool that Johnny Jewel scored the film, considering he was going to be the original composer for Refn’s Drive (See Symmetry: Themes for an Imaginary Film where some of Jewel’s ideas and possibly leftout compositions lay). Lost River looks dreamy, hypnotic and a nightmare of Americana.
From the Press Release
Performer/producer/visual artist and composer Johnny Jewel scores Warner Bros.’ thriller Lost River, opening in theaters April 10, 2015.
Directed and written by Ryan Gosling, Lost River is a dark fairy tale about love, family and the fight for survival in the face of danger starring Christina Hendricks, Eva Mendes, and Ben Mendelsohn. The multi-talented Jewel provides a grainy analog synth score...
From the Press Release
Performer/producer/visual artist and composer Johnny Jewel scores Warner Bros.’ thriller Lost River, opening in theaters April 10, 2015.
Directed and written by Ryan Gosling, Lost River is a dark fairy tale about love, family and the fight for survival in the face of danger starring Christina Hendricks, Eva Mendes, and Ben Mendelsohn. The multi-talented Jewel provides a grainy analog synth score...
- 3/31/2015
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
Performer/producer/visual artist and composer Johnny Jewel scores Warner Bros.’ thriller Lost River, opening in theaters April 10, 2015.
Directed and written by Ryan Gosling, Lost River is a dark fairy tale about love, family and the fight for survival in the face of danger starring Christina Hendricks, Eva Mendes, and Ben Mendelsohn. The multi-talented Jewel provides a grainy analog synth score that is both emotive and haunting, setting the tone for film’s dreamlike setting.
The Lost River soundtrack is available March 30th, 2015 on Jewel’s Italians Do It Better record label and will feature original tracks from the Chromatics, Desire, and Glass Candy.
In the virtually abandoned city of Lost River, a single mother of two (Hendricks) is led into a macabre underworld in her quest to save her childhood home and hold her family together.
Gosling had approached Johnny Jewel to score his directorial debut “Lost River” while...
Directed and written by Ryan Gosling, Lost River is a dark fairy tale about love, family and the fight for survival in the face of danger starring Christina Hendricks, Eva Mendes, and Ben Mendelsohn. The multi-talented Jewel provides a grainy analog synth score that is both emotive and haunting, setting the tone for film’s dreamlike setting.
The Lost River soundtrack is available March 30th, 2015 on Jewel’s Italians Do It Better record label and will feature original tracks from the Chromatics, Desire, and Glass Candy.
In the virtually abandoned city of Lost River, a single mother of two (Hendricks) is led into a macabre underworld in her quest to save her childhood home and hold her family together.
Gosling had approached Johnny Jewel to score his directorial debut “Lost River” while...
- 3/31/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
We might have mentioned it, but The Voice UK begins this Saturday and we're very excited indeed. We've actually had a sneak peek at some of the blind auditions, too, and now we're bringing you some cheeky spoilers about what you can expect this weekend...
We've got info on who the acts are and what they'll be singing - although don't worry, we won't tell you if they get any of those chairs spinning in excitement. But if you want to know more about what's coming up, then read on for pictures and gossip...
The Voice UK: Emma Willis tones down the tears for new series
The Voice UK's Rita Ora: 'I flirt with acts to break the ice'
Letitia George - 24, Coventry
Song: 'Stay with Me' - Sam Smith
What you need to know: Letitia auditioned for the West End production of The Lion King two...
We've got info on who the acts are and what they'll be singing - although don't worry, we won't tell you if they get any of those chairs spinning in excitement. But if you want to know more about what's coming up, then read on for pictures and gossip...
The Voice UK: Emma Willis tones down the tears for new series
The Voice UK's Rita Ora: 'I flirt with acts to break the ice'
Letitia George - 24, Coventry
Song: 'Stay with Me' - Sam Smith
What you need to know: Letitia auditioned for the West End production of The Lion King two...
- 1/6/2015
- Digital Spy
Saif Ali Khan returns to the big screen this Thanksgiving Thursday, November 28, in the Us and then the 29th the world over, in the much-talked-about new film Bullett Raja. Directed by last year’s National Award winner Tigmanshu Dhulia (Paan Singh Tomar), the film co-stars Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Shergill, Gulshan Grover, Chunky Pandey and mixes action, comedy, and romance into a full-on entertainer with some of the hottest music of the year.
Talkind about the film and especially his character, Saif said, “It’s a thriller about somebody who is quite an intelligent guy. He’s from a well-to-do Brahmin family so it’s very surprising that he ends up in this line of mafia work. But there is no other option for him.”
Adding, “It’s the rise of a gangster but his personality is larger than life and Tigmanshu has made it a point to make it lovable and entertaining.
Talkind about the film and especially his character, Saif said, “It’s a thriller about somebody who is quite an intelligent guy. He’s from a well-to-do Brahmin family so it’s very surprising that he ends up in this line of mafia work. But there is no other option for him.”
Adding, “It’s the rise of a gangster but his personality is larger than life and Tigmanshu has made it a point to make it lovable and entertaining.
- 11/28/2013
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Grunge, old-school rap and pyro-infused '70s rock are well represented in the latest list of nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Nirvana, Kiss, N.W.A. and solo artists Peter Gabriel, LL Cool J, Linda Ronstadt and Cat Stevens are among the 16 nominees for 2014, Cleveland's Rock Hall announced Wednesday. They are joined as nominees by Hall and Oates, the Replacements, Deep Purple, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Link Wray, the Meters, Chic, Yes and the Zombies. Grunge rock kings Nirvana made it onto the ballot in their first year of eligibility. Nominees for the rock honor...
- 10/16/2013
- by Andrea Billups
- PEOPLE.com
-- Three years after his death, Ronnie James Dio remains one of heavy metal's most popular and enduring vocalists, and the stream of posthumous album releases shows no signs of slowing.
Three albums and two videos have been released in recent weeks, spanning his career from the frontman for Rainbow in the 1970s through his successful solo career.
"Rainbow Live In Munich 1977" (Eagle Rock) features a full concert from Rainbow at its best. Led by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, the band rips into the incendiary concert opener "Kill The King," then settles into an extended groove on "Mistreated," which features intricate and delicate interplay between Blackmore's Fender Strat and Dio's voice. "Catch The Rainbow" showcases Dio's multi-octave range, quiet and tender here, and raw and rising there.
"Finding The Sacred Heart: Live in Philly 1986" (Eagle Rock) finds Dio, his post-Black Sabbath solo band, at the height of its popularity. The...
Three albums and two videos have been released in recent weeks, spanning his career from the frontman for Rainbow in the 1970s through his successful solo career.
"Rainbow Live In Munich 1977" (Eagle Rock) features a full concert from Rainbow at its best. Led by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, the band rips into the incendiary concert opener "Kill The King," then settles into an extended groove on "Mistreated," which features intricate and delicate interplay between Blackmore's Fender Strat and Dio's voice. "Catch The Rainbow" showcases Dio's multi-octave range, quiet and tender here, and raw and rising there.
"Finding The Sacred Heart: Live in Philly 1986" (Eagle Rock) finds Dio, his post-Black Sabbath solo band, at the height of its popularity. The...
- 6/11/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Writers often worry about the dangers of outside influence, but what about the non-literary inspirations they are far more comfortable admitting to? Andrew O'Hagan talks to six novelists about their passion for a second artform
The divine counsels decided, once upon a time, that influence is bad and that too much agency is the enemy of invention. Harold Bloom can't be blamed for that: he certainly pointed to the danse macabre of influence and anxiety, but to him the association was perfectly creative. Elsewhere, writers have always been blamed for being too much like other writers, or too much like themselves, and even now, in the crisis of late postmodernism, we find it hard to believe that writers might live happily in a state of influence and cross-reference. Yet anybody who knows anything about writers knows that they love their sweet influences.
What I've noticed, though, is that the influences...
The divine counsels decided, once upon a time, that influence is bad and that too much agency is the enemy of invention. Harold Bloom can't be blamed for that: he certainly pointed to the danse macabre of influence and anxiety, but to him the association was perfectly creative. Elsewhere, writers have always been blamed for being too much like other writers, or too much like themselves, and even now, in the crisis of late postmodernism, we find it hard to believe that writers might live happily in a state of influence and cross-reference. Yet anybody who knows anything about writers knows that they love their sweet influences.
What I've noticed, though, is that the influences...
- 4/27/2013
- by Andrew O'Hagan, Lavinia Greenlaw, John Lanchester, Alan Warner, Sarah Hall, Colm Tóibín
- The Guardian - Film News
December is a month that increasingly sees few releases of new albums, so the closer this list gets to the present day, the fewer albums of importance there are to discuss, and most of those are hip-hop albums.
1967
Traffic: Mr. Fantasy Aka Heaven Is in Your Mind (Island)
Shortly after Steve Winwood quit the Spencer Davis Group (of which he was the lead singer and organist), he formed Traffic with some guys he'd jammed with at a club in Birmingham: guitarist/vocalist Dave Mason, saxophonist/flutist Chris Wood, and drummer/lyricist Jim Capaldi. After a couple of hit singles, they convened at a country cottage and put together the debut album by Traffic, titled Mr. Fantasy in their native country. By the time it was released, Mason had already quit.
The English and American editions were rather different. Not only did the U.S. LP (on United Artists) have...
1967
Traffic: Mr. Fantasy Aka Heaven Is in Your Mind (Island)
Shortly after Steve Winwood quit the Spencer Davis Group (of which he was the lead singer and organist), he formed Traffic with some guys he'd jammed with at a club in Birmingham: guitarist/vocalist Dave Mason, saxophonist/flutist Chris Wood, and drummer/lyricist Jim Capaldi. After a couple of hit singles, they convened at a country cottage and put together the debut album by Traffic, titled Mr. Fantasy in their native country. By the time it was released, Mason had already quit.
The English and American editions were rather different. Not only did the U.S. LP (on United Artists) have...
- 12/19/2012
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
If first-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees Deep Purple end up being inducted, don't expect former guitarist Ritchie Blackmore to show up for the ceremony. "Personally, I couldn't care less," Blackmore told Billboard during a recent interview. "I would never go. I'm not really a fan of that stuff. Considering some of the people that are in the Hall of Fame, I'm not sure if it's a good idea, so I don't care one way or the other, actually." Blackmore, who played guitar in Deep Purple's classic "Mark II" line-up (among other incarnations), departed the group in 1975 before...
- 10/12/2012
- by HitFix Staff
- Hitfix
With new album Oceania, frontman takes aim at the 'pomposity' of the music industry.
By James Montgomery
Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan and Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood
Photo: Getty Images
The Smashing Pumpkins will return next Tuesday with Oceania, their first proper album in nearly five years, but Pumpkins mastermind Billy Corgan is already making his presence known with a series of eye-opening interviews — including one where he claims to have "killed" the band's backward-looking fans and a new chat in which he takes shots at the music industry and one of its most sacred cows: Radiohead.
In an interview with Antiquiet, Corgan let it be known that he's grown tired of a lot of things, chief among them an industry-wide "pomposity," which values the contributions of newer artists over those that plied their trade in past decades, and then he provides an example of said pomposity to back up his...
By James Montgomery
Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan and Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood
Photo: Getty Images
The Smashing Pumpkins will return next Tuesday with Oceania, their first proper album in nearly five years, but Pumpkins mastermind Billy Corgan is already making his presence known with a series of eye-opening interviews — including one where he claims to have "killed" the band's backward-looking fans and a new chat in which he takes shots at the music industry and one of its most sacred cows: Radiohead.
In an interview with Antiquiet, Corgan let it be known that he's grown tired of a lot of things, chief among them an industry-wide "pomposity," which values the contributions of newer artists over those that plied their trade in past decades, and then he provides an example of said pomposity to back up his...
- 6/13/2012
- MTV Music News
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan might be at his most entertaining when he's starting little fires in the music press, but new comments by the 45-year-old musician might make some Radiohead fans pretty pissed off. (Sorry, we couldn't resist.)
In an interview with NME, Corgan, whose own ego is legendary even in the realm of rock stardom, took aim at Radiohead and their guitarist Jonny Greenwood.
"I'll piss on fucking Radiohead, because of all this pomposity," Corgan said, referring to a culture that reveres the blues-inflected rock of Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore less than Radiohead's esoteric, electronic approach.
Greenwood, who plays a variety of instruments and is also a composer, is commonly called one of the greatest guitarists of his generation, and was 48th on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Blackmore was 50th and Corgan, well, he didn't make the list.
This ranking clearly...
In an interview with NME, Corgan, whose own ego is legendary even in the realm of rock stardom, took aim at Radiohead and their guitarist Jonny Greenwood.
"I'll piss on fucking Radiohead, because of all this pomposity," Corgan said, referring to a culture that reveres the blues-inflected rock of Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore less than Radiohead's esoteric, electronic approach.
Greenwood, who plays a variety of instruments and is also a composer, is commonly called one of the greatest guitarists of his generation, and was 48th on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Blackmore was 50th and Corgan, well, he didn't make the list.
This ranking clearly...
- 6/12/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
William Shatner first burst onto the "music" scene in 1968 with his legendary spoken-word album, The Transformed Man, which interspersed pop songs with readings from Shakespeare befitting his mock-dramatic persona. The album would justifiably go on to earn a reputation as a hilarious novelty item. And now, for whatever reason, the eighty-year-old Shatner has released his fourth studio album, a space-themed rock album called Seeking Major Tom, which butchers twenty classic songs via Shatner's Lou Reed-esque talk-singing. The album is redeemed, though, by appearances from musicians like Peter Frampton, Sheryl Crow, Bootsy Collins, Johnny Winter, and Ritchie Blackmore. Just uploaded today, Shatner's video for Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (which must have Freddie Mercury's bones rolling) features a young couple contemplating the stars Wayne's World-style, when suddenly a starry CGI Shatner-face appears in the sky, singing along with a trippy ensemble including fish, [...]...
- 10/19/2011
- Nerve
Today commemorates the first anniversary since the death of metal legend Ronnie James Dio.
Diminutive in stature, mighty in voice, Dio was infectiously passionate about his music and his fans. Born Ronald James Padovano in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1942 he spent the late-’50s and ’60s playing in a number of touring bands, changing his name to Dio in 1961. He worked with some of the very best metal musicians and was constantly in demand.
It was in the early ’70s and his work with the band Elf that bought his special voice to the attention of ex-Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore when he was setting up a new band. Rainbow was Blackmore’s project, but his lead singer and co-writer quickly became the talking point. Together they released some great albums, including the stunning Rising and Long Live Rock 'n' Roll [...]...
Diminutive in stature, mighty in voice, Dio was infectiously passionate about his music and his fans. Born Ronald James Padovano in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1942 he spent the late-’50s and ’60s playing in a number of touring bands, changing his name to Dio in 1961. He worked with some of the very best metal musicians and was constantly in demand.
It was in the early ’70s and his work with the band Elf that bought his special voice to the attention of ex-Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore when he was setting up a new band. Rainbow was Blackmore’s project, but his lead singer and co-writer quickly became the talking point. Together they released some great albums, including the stunning Rising and Long Live Rock 'n' Roll [...]...
- 5/16/2011
- by Obi-Dan
- Geeks of Doom
Captain Kirk is headed back to space.
William Shatner, the Emmy winning TV icon, announced the track listing and details for his new space-inspired cover album, Searching For Major Tom. The album will feature a large number of heavy metal covers, as well as songs by U2, Frank Sinatra, Queen and Pink Floyd.
Shatner has had a storied music career, producing confusing, parodied yet somehow enlightening song covers and original bits over the past 40+ years. His first album, The Transformed Man, raised eyebrows with its bizarre covers, which, in what would become his trademark style, boasted dramatic readings of lyrics over music. HIs best known track was a recording of Sonny & Cher's "Mr. Tambourine Man." Check out Urlesque's ranking of his ten best cover songs here.
Shatner announced the album via Twitter back in February.
Here's the track list:
Space Trucking Originally By Deep Purple - Deep Purple Drummer...
William Shatner, the Emmy winning TV icon, announced the track listing and details for his new space-inspired cover album, Searching For Major Tom. The album will feature a large number of heavy metal covers, as well as songs by U2, Frank Sinatra, Queen and Pink Floyd.
Shatner has had a storied music career, producing confusing, parodied yet somehow enlightening song covers and original bits over the past 40+ years. His first album, The Transformed Man, raised eyebrows with its bizarre covers, which, in what would become his trademark style, boasted dramatic readings of lyrics over music. HIs best known track was a recording of Sonny & Cher's "Mr. Tambourine Man." Check out Urlesque's ranking of his ten best cover songs here.
Shatner announced the album via Twitter back in February.
Here's the track list:
Space Trucking Originally By Deep Purple - Deep Purple Drummer...
- 4/13/2011
- by Jordan Zakarin
- Huffington Post
There's just a few days left of Amazon's celebration of heavy metal with their 50 $5 Metal Albums sale. For only $5 each in MP3 format, there are some insanely good must-have metal albums up for sale through the end of March, like Metallica's ...And Justice For All, Judas Priest's Screaming For Vengeance, Black Sabbath's Heaven And Hell, Quiet Riot's Metal Health, and many more, including some really great "Best Of" compilations.
I picked out a few here below, but be sure to check out the main sale page to see all the albums available now for only $5 each.
Metallica ...And Justice For All
Danzig Danzig
Judas Priest Screaming For Vengeance
A Perfect Circle Thirteenth Step
Pantera The Best Of Pantera
Van Halen Van Halen - Best Of Volume 1
Megadeth Megadeth - Greatest Hits: Back To The Start
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell
Cinderella Night Songs
Rainbow...
I picked out a few here below, but be sure to check out the main sale page to see all the albums available now for only $5 each.
Metallica ...And Justice For All
Danzig Danzig
Judas Priest Screaming For Vengeance
A Perfect Circle Thirteenth Step
Pantera The Best Of Pantera
Van Halen Van Halen - Best Of Volume 1
Megadeth Megadeth - Greatest Hits: Back To The Start
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell
Cinderella Night Songs
Rainbow...
- 3/30/2011
- by Empress Eve
- Geeks of Doom
William Shatner will be presented with the honorary Headbanger Award at the upcoming 2011 Revolver Golden Gods Award Show in Los Angeles.
The odd accolade, which Shatner will pick up in person at the ceremony on 20 April, is handed out annually by editors at Revolver magazine and is given to someone who has "made their name outside of the metal world but still embodies its spirit".
Later this year, Shatner will release a new album, Seeking Major Tom (Cleopatra), which features collaborations with hard-rock royalty, including Ritchie Blackmore and Ian Paice of Deep Purple, and Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society and Mike Inez of Alice in Chains, who join the Star Trek icon for a cover of Black Sabbath's Iron Man.
Thrilled Shatner says, "Short of receiving an Emmy for my superb voice, the Honorary Headbanger Award is the next best thing."...
The odd accolade, which Shatner will pick up in person at the ceremony on 20 April, is handed out annually by editors at Revolver magazine and is given to someone who has "made their name outside of the metal world but still embodies its spirit".
Later this year, Shatner will release a new album, Seeking Major Tom (Cleopatra), which features collaborations with hard-rock royalty, including Ritchie Blackmore and Ian Paice of Deep Purple, and Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society and Mike Inez of Alice in Chains, who join the Star Trek icon for a cover of Black Sabbath's Iron Man.
Thrilled Shatner says, "Short of receiving an Emmy for my superb voice, the Honorary Headbanger Award is the next best thing."...
- 3/28/2011
- WENN
British rocker Ritchie Blackmore has become a dad again at 65 - the musician has welcomed a daughter with his singer/songwriter wife, Candice Night. The former Deep Purple guitarist and Rainbow frontman welcomed Autumn Esmerelda with 39-year-old Night on May 27, reports Blabbermouth.net.
The couple, which married in 2008, currently perform together as folk rock duo Blackmore's Night. And Blackmore, whose real name is Richard Hugh Blackmore, claims the happy couple's the new addition is already serving as "inspiration" for the band's new CD, "Autumn Sky", set for release later this year.
Autumn is Blackmore's second child - he also has a son with his first wife, Margrit Volkmar, who was born in 1964.
The couple, which married in 2008, currently perform together as folk rock duo Blackmore's Night. And Blackmore, whose real name is Richard Hugh Blackmore, claims the happy couple's the new addition is already serving as "inspiration" for the band's new CD, "Autumn Sky", set for release later this year.
Autumn is Blackmore's second child - he also has a son with his first wife, Margrit Volkmar, who was born in 1964.
- 7/27/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
In an old Lester Bangs piece (not that there have been any new Lester Bangs pieces since the early 80s, but you get my drift) that I can't find in either of the late critics' anthologies, Bangs recounts, with considerable bemusement, an observation made by Deep Purple organist Jon Lord during an early-70s interview with the future rock dinosaurs. "What's wrong with being a journeyman?" asked Lord, without any apparent irony. That Lord posed this question after the fizzling of such ambitious experiments as In Rock and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's subsequent riff-monster redefinition of the group of course speaks to Lord's own personal disappointments but suggests a certain nobility involved with the concept of soldiering on. Of course, to Bangs, settling for being a journeyman was capitulating to mediocrity. Bangs was an all-or-nothing, go-for-broke character. During his own struggles with alcoholism, he marveled as what he saw as...
- 6/30/2010
- MUBI
'He will forever be imitated but he will never be duplicated,' Zombie says of metal icon.
By Ryan J. Downey
Ronnie James Dio
Photo: Sanctuary Records
Rob Zombie, Killswitch Engage, Mastodon and Fear Factory have released statements to MTV News as the heavy metal community continues to mourn the loss of Ronnie James Dio. The legendary and iconic vocalist passed away after a battle with stomach cancer early Sunday morning. He was 67.
"It is a very sad day for the world of metal when an artist as unique and special as Ronnie James Dio leaves us," Zombie said in an e-mail to MTV News. "He will forever be imitated but he will never be duplicated."
In 2006, Killswitch Engage offered up a loving imitation of their own, unleashing a cover of Dio's "Holy Diver," which became a staple of their live sets. A medieval-themed music video for their version, which...
By Ryan J. Downey
Ronnie James Dio
Photo: Sanctuary Records
Rob Zombie, Killswitch Engage, Mastodon and Fear Factory have released statements to MTV News as the heavy metal community continues to mourn the loss of Ronnie James Dio. The legendary and iconic vocalist passed away after a battle with stomach cancer early Sunday morning. He was 67.
"It is a very sad day for the world of metal when an artist as unique and special as Ronnie James Dio leaves us," Zombie said in an e-mail to MTV News. "He will forever be imitated but he will never be duplicated."
In 2006, Killswitch Engage offered up a loving imitation of their own, unleashing a cover of Dio's "Holy Diver," which became a staple of their live sets. A medieval-themed music video for their version, which...
- 5/18/2010
- MTV Music News
Some are calling it the end of an era. Others are flicking their Bics toward the heavens, as they remember a heavy metal legend. Ronnie James Dio, best known for replacing Ozzy Osbourne as lead singer of Black Sabbath back in 1980, has died. Dio's wife and manager Wendy broke the news of her husband's death on Sunday, and reported that Dio had been suffering from stomach cancer since last November. Dio just recently completed his seventh round of chemotherapy and in spite of the medical setback, was hopeful that he could resume working even though he was forced to cancel his summer tour. "Wendy, my doctors, and I have worked so hard to make it happen for all of you, the ones we care so much about, that this setback could be devastating, but we will not let it be," he said. "With your continued love and support, we ... will carry on and thrive.
- 5/17/2010
- by jmaurer@corp.popstar.com (Jennifer Maurer)
- PopStar
Some are calling it the end of an era. Others are flicking their Bics toward the heavens, as they remember a heavy metal legend. Ronnie James Dio, best known for replacing Ozzy Osbourne as lead singer of Black Sabbath back in 1980, has died. Dio's wife and manager Wendy broke the news of her husband's death on Sunday, and reported that Dio had been suffering from stomach cancer since last November. Dio just recently completed his seventh round of chemotherapy and in spite of the medical setback, was hopeful that he could resume working even though he was forced to cancel his summer tour. "Wendy, my doctors, and I have worked so hard to make it happen for all of you, the ones we care so much about, that this setback could be devastating, but we will not let it be," he said. "With your continued love and support, we ... will carry on and thrive.
- 5/17/2010
- by jmaurer@corp.popstar.com (Jennifer Maurer)
- PopStar
Ronnie James Dio, the lead singer for Black Sabbath and Rainbow, has died following his battle with stomach cancer. He was 67.
See other celebrities who have died this year
"Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away," wife and manager Wendy Dio wrote in a statement on the heavy metal star's official site. "Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. ... Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever."
Dio, who revealed he was suffering from stomach cancer last year, became the first lead singer of heavy metal band Rainbow, which was formed by Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. After recording three albums with the group, Dio left the...
See other celebrities who have died this year
"Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away," wife and manager Wendy Dio wrote in a statement on the heavy metal star's official site. "Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. ... Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever."
Dio, who revealed he was suffering from stomach cancer last year, became the first lead singer of heavy metal band Rainbow, which was formed by Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. After recording three albums with the group, Dio left the...
- 5/17/2010
- by Gina DiNunno
- TVGuide - Breaking News
Members of Metallica, Slipknot, Slayer, Anthrax, more mourn the vocalist, who died Sunday.
By Ryan J. Downey
Ronnie James Dio
Photo: Steve Thorne/ Getty Images
Friends, disciples and fans throughout the heavy metal community are remembering the late Ronnie James Dio as not only one of the best but one of the kindest vocalists in history. The singer for Black Sabbath, Rainbow and of course, Dio, succumbed to cancer on Sunday at age 67.
"The world has lost a real talent and a genuinely great man," Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor said in an e-mail to MTV News. "Words cannot describe my sadness and music will never be the same without his voice and honesty. He will always be an icon to heavy metal and hard rock. On behalf of all of the fans and the singers inspired by his life, we will miss you, Ronnie."
"Few people have...
By Ryan J. Downey
Ronnie James Dio
Photo: Steve Thorne/ Getty Images
Friends, disciples and fans throughout the heavy metal community are remembering the late Ronnie James Dio as not only one of the best but one of the kindest vocalists in history. The singer for Black Sabbath, Rainbow and of course, Dio, succumbed to cancer on Sunday at age 67.
"The world has lost a real talent and a genuinely great man," Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor said in an e-mail to MTV News. "Words cannot describe my sadness and music will never be the same without his voice and honesty. He will always be an icon to heavy metal and hard rock. On behalf of all of the fans and the singers inspired by his life, we will miss you, Ronnie."
"Few people have...
- 5/17/2010
- MTV Music News
Former bandmates in Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Dio remember singer, who died Sunday.
By MTV News staff
Ronnie James Dio
Photo: Steve Thorne/ Getty Images
In the hours after legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio's death on Sunday, the Blabbermouth website has been filled with comments from musicians paying tribute to the vocalist, who fronted Rainbow, Black Sabbath and, of course, Dio during his long and influential career.
Among the many noteworthy comments were ones from his former bandmates. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who left Deep Purple in 1975 to form Rainbow with Dio, was characteristically terse in his statement: "Ronnie had a unique and wonderful voice. He will be sadly missed in the rock and roll world."
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi — who worked with Dio three separate times over the years, twice in Black Sabbath and most recently with Heaven and Hell — said:
"Yesterday, 16th May, my dear, dear...
By MTV News staff
Ronnie James Dio
Photo: Steve Thorne/ Getty Images
In the hours after legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio's death on Sunday, the Blabbermouth website has been filled with comments from musicians paying tribute to the vocalist, who fronted Rainbow, Black Sabbath and, of course, Dio during his long and influential career.
Among the many noteworthy comments were ones from his former bandmates. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who left Deep Purple in 1975 to form Rainbow with Dio, was characteristically terse in his statement: "Ronnie had a unique and wonderful voice. He will be sadly missed in the rock and roll world."
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi — who worked with Dio three separate times over the years, twice in Black Sabbath and most recently with Heaven and Hell — said:
"Yesterday, 16th May, my dear, dear...
- 5/17/2010
- MTV Music News
Legendary metal singer succumbed to cancer on Sunday.
By Ryan J. Downey
Ronnie James Dio
Photo: Sanctuary Records
Ronnie James Dio, one of heavy metal's all-time greatest singers and a five-decade rock veteran, died early Sunday morning, according to a statement posted on his website by his wife and longtime manager, Wendy Dio. The singer, known for his work with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell and his own band, Dio, died less than a year after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. He was 67.
"Today my heart is broken. Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m.," Wendy Dio's statement reads. "Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away.
"Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss.
By Ryan J. Downey
Ronnie James Dio
Photo: Sanctuary Records
Ronnie James Dio, one of heavy metal's all-time greatest singers and a five-decade rock veteran, died early Sunday morning, according to a statement posted on his website by his wife and longtime manager, Wendy Dio. The singer, known for his work with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell and his own band, Dio, died less than a year after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. He was 67.
"Today my heart is broken. Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m.," Wendy Dio's statement reads. "Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away.
"Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss.
- 5/16/2010
- MTV Music News
My high school years were not spent dissecting frogs, or making out with Debbie Fongiulagazzo in the bleachers, or agonizing over calculus homework. They were spent fighting. Not fist-fighting, but loud and brutal arguments with a bunch of girlfriend-less guys over who was the better drummer, John Bonham or Neil Peart. "Your mother wears combat boots" was not a reason for a beatdown. "Ritchie Blackmore sucks," on the other hand, could get your ass-kicked by certain guys on Nostrand Avenue with one eyebrow and a less than stellar vocabulary. Thinking back to a few years earlier, I could remember sitting in my friend's bedroom, barely 13, listening to "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John, and for a reason I really didn't understand then, Olivia Newton-John's "Let Me Be There" album. I loved Elton, but my friend loved Elton And Olivia....
- 5/18/2009
- by Sal Nunziato
- Huffington Post
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