Fans Against Fake Bands » Music from the 70′s

AC/DC

videeoo — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:51:34 +0000

Rating 4.5 Stars AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, High Voltage, in 1975. Membership remained stable until bassist Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams in 1977 for the album Powerage. The band recorded their highly successful album Highway to Hell in 1979. Lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on 19 February 1980, after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. The group briefly considered disbanding, but soon ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was selected to replace Scott. Later that year, the band released their best-selling album, Back in Black. The band’s next album, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, was their first album to reach number one in the United States. AC/DC declined in popularity soon after drummer Phil Rudd was fired in 1983 and was replaced by future Dio drummer Simon Wright, though the band resurged in the early 1990s with the release of The Razor’s Edge. Phil Rudd returned in 1994 (after Chris Slade, whom was with the band from 1990-1994, was asked to leave in favour of him) and contributed to the band’s 1995 album Ballbreaker. Stiff Upper Lip was released in 2000 and was well received by critics. Since then, the band has stayed the same with the 1980-1983 lineup. The band’s most recent album, Black Ice, was released on 20 October 2008. It was their biggest hit on the charts since “For Those About to Rock, reaching #1 on all the charts eventually. As of 2008, AC/DC have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide including 71 million albums in the United States. Back in Black has sold an estimated 45 million units worldwide, making it the highest-selling album by any band and the 2nd highest-selling album in history, behind Thriller by Michael Jackson. The album has sold 22 million in the US alone, where it is the fifth-highest-selling album. AC/DC ranked fourth on VH1′s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock” and was named the seventh “Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time” by MTV. In 2004, the band was ranked number 72 in the Rolling Stone list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. Source and more information: Wikipedia

Allman Brothers

videeoo — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:40:48 +0000

No Rating, this band does not tour The story of the Allman Brothers Band is one of triumph, tragedy, redemption, dissolution, and a new redemption. Over nearly 30 years, they’ve gone from being America’s single most influential band to a has-been group trading on past glories, to reach the 21st century as one of the most respected rock acts of their era. For the first half of the 1970s, the Allman Brothers Band was the most influential rock group in America, redefining rock music and its boundaries. The band’s mix of blues, country, jazz, and even classical influences, and their powerful, extended on-stage jamming altered the standards of concert performance — other groups were known for their on-stage jamming, but when the Allman Brothers stretched a song out for 30 or 40 minutes, at their best they were exciting, never self-indulgent. They gave it all a distinctly Southern voice and, in the process, opened the way for a wave of ’70s rock acts from south of the Mason-Dixon Line, including the Marshall Tucker Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Blackfoot, whose music, at least initially, celebrated their roots. And for a time, almost single-handedly, they also made Capricorn Records into a major independent label. The group was founded in 1969 by Duane Allman (b. Nov. 20, 1946-d. Oct. 29, 1971) on guitar; Gregg Allman (b. Dec. 8, 1947) on vocals and organ; Forrest Richard (“Dickey”) Betts (b. Dec. 12, 1943) on guitar; Berry Oakley (b. Apr. 4, 1948-d. Nov. 12, 1972) on bass; and Claude Hudson (“Butch”) Trucks (b. May 11, 1947) and Jaimoe (Johnny Lee Johnson) Johanson (b. July 8, 1944) on drums. Duane and Gregg Allman loved soul and R&B, although they listened to their share of rock & roll, especially as it sounded coming out of England in the mid-’60s. Their first group was a local Daytona Beach garage band called the Escorts, who sounded a lot like the early Beatles and Rolling Stones; they later became the Allman Joys and plunged into Cream-style British blues, and then the Hour Glass, a more soul-oriented outfit. The group landed a contract with Liberty Records with help from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but the company wasted the opportunity on a pair of over-produced albums that failed to capture the Hour Glass’ sound. The group split up after Liberty rejected a proposed third LP steeped in blues and R&B. Duane Allman began working as a session guitarist at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL, and it was there, appearing on records by Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, John Hammond, and King Curtis, among others, that he made his reputation. In 1969, at the coaxing of ex-Otis Redding manager Phil Walden, Allman gave up session work and began putting together a new band — Jaimoe came aboard, and then Allman’s longtime friend Butch Trucks and another Allman friend, Berry Oakley, joined, along with Dickey Betts, with whom Oakley was playing in a group called Second Coming. A marathon jam session ensued, at the end of which Allman had his band, except for a singer — that came later, when his brother Gregg agreed to join. They were duly signed to Walden’s new Capricorn label. The band didn’t record their first album until after they’d worked their sound out on the road, playing heavily around Florida and Georgia. The self-titled debut album was a solid blues-rock album and one of the better showcases for guitar pyrotechnics in a year with more than its share, amid albums by Cream, Blind Faith, the Jeff Beck Group, and Led Zeppelin. It didn’t sell 50,000 copies on its initial release, but The Allman Brothers Band impressed everyone who heard it and nearly everyone who reviewed it. Coming out at the end of the 1960s, it could have passed for a follow-up to the kind of blues-rock coming out of England from acts like Cream, except that it had a sharper edge — the Allmans were American and Southern, and their understanding of blues (not to mention elements of jazz, mostly courtesy of Jaimoe) was as natural as breathing. The album also introduced one of the band’s most popular concert numbers, “Whipping Post.” Their debut album attracted good reviews and a cult following with its mix of assured dual lead guitars by Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, soulful singing by Gregg Allman, and a rhythm section that was nearly as busy as the lead instruments, between Oakley’s rock-hard bass and the dual drumming of Trucks and Johanson. Their second album, 1970′s Idlewild South, recorded at Capricorn’s studios in Macon, GA, was produced by Tom Dowd, who had previously recorded Cream. This was a magical combination — Dowd was completely attuned to the group’s sound and goals, and Idlewild South broadened that sound, adding a softer acoustic texture to their music and introducing Betts as a composer (including the original studio version of “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” an instrumental tribute to Miles Davis that would become a highlight of their shows, in many different forms, for the next 30 years). It also had a Gregg Allman number, “Midnight Rider,” which became one of the band’s more widely covered originals and the composer’s signature tune. By this time, the band’s concerts were becoming legendary for the extraordinarily complex yet coherent interplay between the two guitarists and Gregg Allman’s keyboards, sometimes in jams of 40 minutes or more to a single song without wasting a note. And unlike the art rock bands of the era, they weren’t interested in impressing anyone with how they played scales, how many different tunings they knew, or which classical riffs they could quote. Rather, the Allmans incorporated the techniques and structures of jazz and classical into their playing. In March of 1971, the band played a series of shows at the Fillmore East that were recorded for posterity and subsequently transformed into their third album, At Fillmore East. This double LP, issued in July of 1971, became an instant classic, rivaling the previous blues-rock touchstone cut at the Fillmore, Cream’s Wheels of Fire. Duane Allman and his band were suddenly the new heroes to millions of mostly older teenage fans. Although it never cracked the Top Ten, At Fillmore East was certified as a gold record on October 15, 1971. Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident 14 days later. The band had been midway through work on its next album, Eat a Peach, which they completed as a five-piece, with Dickey Betts playing all of the lead and slide guitar parts. Their second double album in a row became another instant classic, and their first album to reach the Top Ten, peaking at number five. Despite having completed Eat a Peach, the group was intact in name only. Rather than try to replace Duane Allman as a guitarist, they contrived to add a second solo instrument in the form of a piano, played by Chuck Leavell. The group had already begun work on a long-delayed follow-up to Eat a Peach, when Oakley was killed in a motorcycle accident only a few blocks from Allman’s accident site. Lamar Williams (b. Jan. 15, 1949-d. Jan. 25, 1983) was recruited on bass, and the new lineup continued the group’s concert activities, as well as eventually finishing the band’s next album, Brothers and Sisters. which was released on August 1, 1973. During the extended gap in releases following Eat a Peach, Atco reissued The Allman Brothers Band and Idlewild South together as the double LP Beginnings, which charted higher than either individual release. Brothers and Sisters marked the beginning of a new era. The album had a more easygoing and freewheeling sound, less bluesy and more country-ish. This was partly a result of Capricorn losing the services of Tom Dowd, who had produced their three previous albums. Additionally, Dickey Betts’ full emergence as a songwriter and singer as well as the group’s only guitarist, playing all of the lead and slide parts, altered the balance of the group’s sound, pushing forth his distinct interest in country-rock. Betts also became the reluctant de facto leader of the band during this period, not from a desire for control as much as because he was the only one with the comparative stability and creative input to take on the responsibility. The record occupied the number one spot for six weeks, spurred by the number two single “Ramblin’ Man,” and became their most well-known album. It was an odd reversal of the usual order of success for a rock band — usually, it was the release of an album that drew the crowds to concerts, but in this case, the months of touring the band had done paved the way for the album. The fact that it kept getting pushed back only heightened the fans’ interest. Ironically, Brothers and Sisters was a less challenging record than the group’s earlier releases, with a relatively laid-back sound, relaxed compared to the groundbreaking work on the group’s previous four albums. But all of this hardly mattered; based on the reputation they’d established with their first four albums, and the crowd-pleasing nature of “Ramblin’ Man” and the Dickey Betts-composed instrumental “Jessica,” the group was playing larger halls and bigger crowds than ever. An entire range of Southern rock acts had started to make serious inroads into the charts in the wake of the Allman Brothers. Labels such as MCA and even Island Records began looking for this same audience, signing acts like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blackfoot, respectively, among others. For the first time since the mid-’50s, the heyday of the rockabilly era, a major part of the country was listening to rock & roll with a distinctly Southern twang. The band began showing cracks in 1974, as Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts both began solo careers, recording albums separately from the group. Allman married Cher (twice), an event that set him up in a Hollywood-based lifestyle that created a schism with the rest of the band. They might have survived all of this, but for the increasing strain of the members’ other personal habits — drugs and alcohol had always been a significant part of the lives of each of the members, except perhaps for Jaimoe, but as the strain and exhaustion of touring continued, coupled with the need to produce new music, these indulgences began to get out of control, and Betts’ leadership of the group created a further strain for him. The band’s difficulties were showcased by their next album, the highly uneven Win, Lose or Draw, which lacked the intensity and sharpness of their prior work. The whole band wasn’t present for some of the album, and Gregg Allman’s involvement with Cher, coupled with his serious drug problems, prevented him from participating with the rest of the group — his vocals were added separately, on the other side of the country. The band finally came apart in 1976 when Allman found himself in the midst of a federal drug case against a supplier and agreed to testify against a friend and band employee. Leavell, Johanson, and Williams split to form Sea Level, which became a moderately successful band, cutting four albums for Capricorn over the next four years, while Betts pursued a solo career. All of them vowed never to work with Gregg Allman again. Amid this split, Capricorn Records, reaching ever deeper into its vaults for anything that could generate income, issued two collections, a double-LP live collection called Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas, showcasing the Brothers and Sisters-era band at various concerts, and a double-LP best-of package, And the Road Goes On Forever. Wipe the Windows was a modest seller, appearing as it did when the group’s sales had already fallen off, and it was compared unfavorably with the legendary work on At Fillmore East. The studio compilation passed with barely a ripple, however, because most fans already had the stuff on the original albums. They were all back together by 1978, however, and over the next four years the group issued a somewhat uneven series of albums. Enlightened Rogues (1979) somewhat redeemed their reputations — produced by Tom Dowd, who had always managed to get the very best work out of the group, it had more energy than any record they’d issued in at least six years. It also restored the two-guitar lineup, courtesy of Dan Toler (from Dickey Betts’ solo band), who was brought in when Chuck Leavell (along with Lamar Williams) refused to return to the Allmans. By that time, however, the Allmans were fighting against time and musical trends. Disco, punk, and power pop had pretty much stolen a march on the arena acts epitomized by the Allmans; whatever interest they attracted was a matter of nostalgia for their earlier releases. The group was in danger of becoming arena rock’s third big oldies act (after the Moody Blues and Paul McCartney’s Wings). Additionally, their business affairs were in a shambles, owing to the bankruptcy of Capricorn Records in late 1979. When the fallout from the Capricorn collapse settled, PolyGram Records, the company’s biggest creditor, took over the label’s library, and the Allman Brothers were cut loose from their contract. Their signing to Arista enabled the group to resume recording. What they released, however, was safe, unambitious, routinely commercial pop/rock, closer in spirit to the Doobie Brothers than their own classic work, and a shadow of that work, without any of the invention and daring upon which they’d built their reputations. The group’s fortunes hit a further downturn when Jaimoe was fired, breaking up one of the best rhythm sections in rock. For most of the 1980s, the group was on hiatus, while the individual members sorted out their personal and professional situations. During those years, only Dickey Betts seemed to be in a position to do much with his music, and most of that wasn’t selling. In 1989, the band was reactivated again, partly owing to PolyGram’s decision to issue the four-CD box set retrospective Dreams. That set, coupled with the reissue of their entire Capricorn catalog on compact disc in the years leading up to the box’s release, reminded millions of older listeners of the band’s greatness, and introduced the group to millions of people too young to have been around for Watkins Glen, much less the Fillmore shows. They reunited and also restored the band’s original double-lead-guitar configuration, adding Warren Haynes on lead guitar alongside Dickey Betts, with Allen Woody playing bass; Chuck Leavell was gone, however, having agreed to join the Rolling Stones on tour as their resident keyboard player, and Lamar Williams had succumbed to cancer in 1983. The new lineup reinvigorated the band, which signed with Epic Records and surprised everyone with their first release, Seven Turns. Issued in 1990, it got some of the best reviews and healthiest sales they’d had in more than a decade. Their subsequent studio albums failed to attract as much enthusiasm, and their two live albums, An Evening With the Allman Brothers Band and 2nd Set, released in 1992 and 1995, respectively, were steady but not massive sellers. Much of this isn’t the fault of the material so much as a natural result of the passage of time, which has left the Allmans competing with two decades’ worth of successors and rivals. The group has stayed together since 1989, overcoming continuing health and drug problems, which have occasionally battered their efforts at new music. They remain a top concert attraction 25-plus years after their last historically important album, easily drawing more than 20,000 fans at a time to outdoor venues, or booking 2,000-seat theaters for three weeks at a time. Their back catalog, especially the first five albums, remain consistent sellers on compact disc and recently returned to the reconstituted Capricorn label (still a home for Southern rockers, including the latter-day Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as reissues of Elmore James and other classic bluesmen), under a 1997 licensing agreement that has resulted in their third round of digital remastering. Apart from their Arista releases, the Allman Brothers Band has remained remarkably consistent, altering their music only gradually over 30 years. They sound more country than they did in their early days, and they’re a bit more varied in the vocal department, but they have still been soaring at their concerts and on most of their records over the last ten-plus years. Source: Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Bay City Rollers

videeoo — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:24:30 +0000

Not Touring, no rating The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop/rock band of the 1970s. Their youthful, clean-cut image, distinctive styling featuring tartan-trimmed outfits, and cheery, sing-along pop hits helped the group become among the most popular musical acts of their time. For a relatively brief but fervent period (nicknamed “Rollermania”), they were worldwide teen idols. The group’s line-up featured numerous changes over the years, but the classic line-up during its heyday included guitarists Eric Faulkner and Stuart Wood, singer Les McKeown, bassist Alan Longmuir, and drummer Derek Longmuir. Since the band’s quick rise to, and subsequent fall from fame, the members have endured numerous and varied struggles regarding royalty payments, substance abuse, and personal legal problems. During the 1980s and 1990s, there were various short-lived revivals featuring some of the original members. The classic quintet played Japan in 1982, and again in ’83 with guest spots from both Mitchell and McGlynn. A slapdash reunion album of sorts, Breakout, came out in Japan in 1985, performed primarily by McKeown and McGlynn with minor contributions from Faulkner, Wood, and Mitchell. In 1990 Stuart Wood and Alan Longmuir joined with Faulkner to tour under the BCR name, and issued several CDs of re-recordings of the old Roller tunes. These recordings still turn up frequently on iTunes and in CD bins. The classic lineup (minus Derek) performed a one-off show at a New Year’s Eve 1999 concert in Scotland. In the 2000s, interest was rekindled in Britain by various television documentaries about the group and a new TV-advertised compilation of greatest hits, Very Best of the Bay City Rollers, which entered the UK charts on release in 2004 at #11. Currently, Mitchell, Faulkner and McKeown each regularly tour playing Rollers hits. Due to legal issues over which performers may use the band name, McKeown’s group uses the name: Les McKeown’s Legendary Bay City Rollers. At present there is no official Bay City Rollers. A recent Channel 4 documentary, Who Got The Rollers’ Millions?, explored the speculation about what happened to the supposed financial fortune the group generated in their career, with accusations that it was defrauded from the group by their management and record company. There are claims that the group sold 100-300 million records and generated the equivalent of five billion pounds in revenue, with the band members themselves earning very little. According to BBC they sold 70 million records. However, even this figure has been disputed by several sources, not least their former record company. In March 2007, six former members of the group (Faure plus the “classic line-up”) announced a lawsuit against Arista Records in hopes of claiming what they describe as “tens of millions of dollars” of unpaid royalties. Nobby Clark has threatened to sue the other band members if their lawsuit is successful, stating that he was the creative force behind the band’s success, despite the fact that he left the group in 1973 before the bulk of their fame and fortune began. Source and more information: Wikipedia

Blood, Sweat & Tears

videeoo — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:07:53 +0000

Rating 3 Stars We give them an extra star because they raise a lot of money for charity Blood, Sweat & Tears has been through numerous line-up changes, see below Blood, Sweat & Tears continues its heavy touring schedule throughout the world with its current line-up of members, some of whom have been with the band previously during the past two decades. The band has gone through to many member line-up changes to cover in this brief article. Under the direction of Larry Dorr and founding member Bobby Colomby, the band has enjoyed something of a resurgence. Blood, Sweat & Tears donates money through its “Elsie Monica Colomby” music scholarship fund to deserving schools and students who need help in prolonging their musical education, such as the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The year 2007 witnessed the band’s first world tour in a decade. Since late 2005, the band often does shows backing up former Three Dog Night singer Chuck Negron, where the group will play its own set and then another set that includes Chuck’s Three Dog Night hits. 2008 brings with it the anticipated return of founding member Steve Katz. The year is also the 40th touring anniversary, and surprise alumni are expected to be joining the band throughout the year. All of the band’s albums, with the exception of Brand New Day, are currently available on compact disc. BS&T’s first four albums were reissued by Sony Records in remastered editions (typically with bonus material), except for its third album, which has been reissued by Mobile Fidelity. The later Columbia albums have been reissued by Wounded Bird Records, and Rhino Records has reissued Nuclear Blues. Brand New Day was issued on CD in Russia in 2002, although the disc may not have received authorization from copyright holders. Current Line-up

Steve Katz :guitar,harmonica, vocals Rob Paparozzi : vocals, harmonica Dave Gellis : guitar Glenn McClelland : keyboards Gary Foote : bass

Andrea Valentini : drums Teddy Mulet : trumpet

Steve Jankowski : trumpet

Jens Wendelboe : trombone

Tom Timko : sax

Former Band Members Al Kooper : keyboards, vocals (1967-1968) Randy Brecker : trumpet, flugelhorn (1967-1968) Jerry Weiss : trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals (1967-1968) Fred Lipsius : alto sax, keyboards (1967-1972) Dick Halligan : keyboards, trombone, horns, flute, backing vocals (1967-1972) Steve Katz : guitar, harmonica, lute, mandolin, vocals (1967-1973, 2008-) Jim Fielder : bass, guitar, backing vocals (1967-1974) Bobby Colomby : drums, percussion, backing vocals (1967-1977) David Clayton-Thomas : vocals, guitar (1968-1972, 1974-1981, 1984-2004) Lew Soloff : trumpet, flugelhorn (1968-1974) Chuck Winfield : trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals (1968-1973) Jerry Hyman : trombones, recorder (1968-1970) Dave Bargeron : trombone, tuba, horns, bass, backing vocals (1970-1978) Bobby Doyle : vocals, piano (1972) Joe Henderson : tenor sax (1972) Lou Marini Jr. : tenor & soprano sax, flute (1972-1974) Larry Willis : keyboards (1972-1978) Georg Wadenius : guitar, vocals (1972-1975) Jerry Fisher : vocals (1972-1974) Tom Malone : trombone, trumpet, flugelhorn, alto sax, bass (1973-1974) Jerry LaCroix : vocals, alto sax, flute, harmonica (1974) Ron McClure : bass (1974-1975, 1976) Tony Klatka : trumpet, horns (1974-1978) Bill Tillman : alto sax, flute, clarinet, backing vocals (1974-1977) Luther Kent : vocals (1974-1976) Joe Giorgianni : trumpet, flugelhorn (1974-1975) Jaco Pastorius : bass (1975-1976) Steve Khan : guitar (1975) Mike Stern : guitar (1975-1977) Keith Jones : bass (1976) Danny Trifan : bass (1976-1977) Forrest Buchtell : trumpet (1975-1977) Don Alias : percussion (1975-1976) Roy McCurdy : drums (1976-1977) Jeff Richman : guitar (1976 fill in for Stern) Randy Bernsen : guitar (1977) Barry Finnerty : guitar (1977-1978) Neil Stubenhaus : bass (1977-1978) Gregory Herbert : saxophone (1977-1978) Michael Lawrence ; trumpet (1977) Chris Albert : trumpet (1977-1978) Bobby Economou : drums (1977-1978, 1979-1981, 1994-1995) Kenny Marco : guitar (1979) David Piltch : bass (1979-1980) Joe Sealy : keyboards (1979) Bruce Cassidy : trumpet, flugelhorn (1979-1980) Earl Seymour : sax, flute (1979-1981) Steve Kennedy : sax, flute (1979) Sally Chappis : drums (1979) Harvey Kogan : sax, flute (1979) Jack Scarangella : drums (1979) Vernon Dorge : sax, flute (1979-1981) Robert Piltch : guitar (1979-1980) Richard Martinez : keyboards (1979-1980) Wayne Pedzwater : bass (1980-1981) Peter Harris : guitar (1980-1981) Lou Pomanti : keyboards (1980-1981) Mic Gillette : trumpet (1980-1981) James Kidwell : guitar (1984-1985) Jeff Andrews : bass (1984-1985) Taras Kovayl : keyboards (1984-1985) Tim Ouimette : trumpet, horns (1984-1985) Mario Cruz : sax, flute (1984-1985) Ricky Sebastian : drums (1984-1985) Steve Guttman : trumpet (1985-2004) Dave Gellis : guitar (1985-1990, 1996, 1998 fill in, 2005) Ray Peterson : bass (1985-1986) Scott Kreitzer : sax, flute (1985-1986) Teddy Mulet : trombone (1985-1986), trumpet (2005- ) Barry Danielian : trumpet (1985-1986) Richard Sussman : keyboards (1985-1987) Randy Andos : trombone (1986) Tom Timko : sax, flute (1986-1987, 1995, 1998-2001, 2005-2008) Tom DeFaria : drums (1985-1986) John Conte : bass (1986-1987) Steve Conte : guitar (1986 fill in) Jeff Gellis : bass (1987-1990) Dave Panichi : trombone (1987-1988, 1997-1998) Glenn McClelland : keyboards (1987-1993, 1998, 2005- ) David Riekenberg : sax, flute (1987- 1990, 1995-1998) Jerry Sokolov : trumpet (1987-1994) Graham Hawthorne : drums (1987-1988, 1989-1991) Van Romaine : drums (1988-1989) Neil Capolongo : drums (1991-1993) Peter Abbott : drums (fill in early 90s) Charley Gordon : trombone (1987-1994, 2001) Wayne Schuster : sax, flute (1990-1991) Larry DeBari : guitar, vocals (1990-1997) Gary Foote : bass (1990-1994, 1996-2004, 2005- ) Chuck Fisher : sax, flute (1991) Jack Bashcow : sax, flute (1992) Tim Ries : sax, flute (1992-1993, 1993-1995) Charlie Cole : sax, flute (1993) Matt King keyboards (1994-1998) Mike Mancini : keyboards (fill in 80s/90s) Franck Amsallem keyboards (fill in mid 90s) Henry Hey : keyboards (fill in mid 90s) Ted Kooshian keyboards (fill in mid 90s) Cliff Korman keyboards (fill in mid 90s) Mike DuClos bass : (1994-1996) Jonathan Peretz : drums (1995-1997) Craig Johnson : trumpet (1994-1998) Matt Milmerstadt drums : (1995 , 1998) Tom Guarna : guitar (1997-1998) Jon Owens : trumpet (1998-2000) Chuck Pillow : sax, flute (fill in 1998) Brian Delaney : drums (1998, 2001) Dave Stahl : trumpet (fill in 1995-1998) Winston Byrd : trumpet (fill in 1998) Dave Pietro : sax, flute (fill in 1998) Dale Kirkland : trombone (1995-1996, 1998, 1999-2001, 2002-2006 Pat Hallaran : trombone (1998-1999) James Fox : guitar (1998-2000) Dan Zank : keyboards (1998-2000) Zach Danziger : drums (1998-2001) Joe Mosello : trumpet (2000-2002) Phil Magallanes : keyboards (2000-2001) Andrea Valentini : drums (2001- ) Darcy Hepner : sax, flute (1999 fill in, 2001-2004) John Samorian : keyboards (2001-2003) Nick Marchione : trumpet (2002-2004) Eric Cortright : keyboards (2003-2004) Leo Huppert: bass (2004) Steve Jankowski: trumpet (2005- ) Rob Paparozzi: vocals, harmonica (2005- ) Scottie Wallace: vocals (alternating with Rob P. 2005-2006) Thomas Conner : vocals (fill in 2006 & 2007) Jens Wendelboe: trombone (2006- ) Chris Tedesco : trumpet (fill in for Mulet 2006-2007) Brian Steel : trumpet (fill in for Mulet 2008) Bill Churchville : sax (fill in for Timko 2008) Source and more information: Wikipedia

Dr. Hook

videeoo — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:09:59 +0000

Rating 2 Stars Ray (Eye Patch) Sawyer left Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show in 1983 to pursue a solo career, while the band continued to tour successfully for another couple of years, ending with the Dr. Hook’s One and Only Farewell Tour, with Dennis Locorriere as the sole front man. In 1988 Sawyer went back on the road as “Ray Sawyer of Dr. Hook”, this billing eventually being altered to “Dr. Hook featuring Ray (Eye Patch) Sawyer”. In the early 2000s, Billy Francis began joining Ray to play some shows. Dennis Locorriere, who was the original singer of Sylvis mother, relocated to Nashville and wrote songs for many other artists. In 1989, Dennis Locorriere performed a well received one-man show at Lincoln Center, The Devil and Billy Markham, written by Silverstein. Dennis Locorriere has since released two solo studio albums (Out of the Dark in 2000 and One of the Lucky Ones in 2005), a live CD set in 2004 (Live in Liverpool), a concert DVD (Alone with Dennis Locorriere) and has toured to packed houses in recent years as the Voice of Dr. Hook. In March 2007, Dennis Locorriere (and band) embarked on the Dennis Locorriere Celebrates Dr. Hook Hits and History Tour, to promote the release of the Dr. Hook Hits and History CD/DVD set. This tour was “greatest hits and more” tour, that is, as Dennis Locorriere puts it, “for the fans.” A live DVD of the tour was released in July 2007, and went straight into the official UK music DVD chart at number 10. A new studio album of original material is expected from Dennis Locorriere in late 2007, early 2008. A U.S. single will be released in 2007. John Christian Wolters, who played drums with the band from 1974 to 1984, died on June 16, 1997, of liver cancer. Robert Jance Garfat, who played bass with the band from 1971 to 1984, died on November 6, 2006, in a motorcycle accident. Sourse and more Information: Wikipedia

Grand Funk Raiload

videeoo — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:10:41 +0000

Rating: 2 Stars Two of the three original members remain in this band, but Mark Farner, who wrote and was lead singer for most of the Grand Funk Railroad Hit songs and performed all the famous guitar leads and rhythms, is not in the currant lineup. It would be fine if this “COVER BAND” toured under another name and covered Grand Funk Songs, stating they are former members of Grand Funk. But it’s down right deceiving for the current lineup to call themselves Grand Funk! Mark Farner was convinced by the two other band members to sign his share of the band over in a business transaction, convinced it would help the legal issues of the band, only to be kicked out by the other two band members shortly after. Mark Farner has tried to reunite with the band, but the band continues to tour without him, so the remeining two continue to tour, and deceive Grand Funk Railroad fans. Article by TIME-LIFE Magazine – Grand Funk Railroad started rolling in late 1969 as one of the first bands designed to play stadiums and arenas. Their main attraction was guitarist Mark Farner’s crude, blues-rock attack. His style derived from the guitar heroes of the ’60s. Grand Funk came out of solidly working-class Flint, Michigan, to break ground for a new generation of rockers, and their initial success repelled the older, more bohemian crowd that had dominated recent rock history. They quickly became one of the most popular bands in the nation. Click Here for The History of Grand Funk

Journey

videeoo — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:00:08 +0000

Rating 2.5 Stars The band that tours under the name “Journey” has changed band members more times then Carter has pills… One of these changes included Randy Jackson from the show “American Idol” who played bass in the early eighties. During the Height of Journeys popularity, 1981–1983, Steve Perry was the lead singer, and is responsible for the voice Journey fans loved. In 1998 Steve Perry was fired because he needed time off for hip surgery, and was never asked to rejoin the band despite the fact he is available. Journeys Bio from Wikipedia Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco, California with former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases, but its strongest commercial success came in the late 1970s to the early 1980s. During this period, they had hits with a series of power ballads and rock songs, including “Don’t Stop Believin’”, “Separate Ways”, “Faithfully”, “Any Way You Want It”, “Open Arms”, “Send Her My Love”, “Wheel in the Sky”, “Who’s Crying Now”, “Stone In Love”, “Lovin,’ Touchin,’ Squeezin;’”, and “Lights”. The group enjoyed a successful reunion in the mid-1990s with a major Grammy-nominated hit, “When You Love a Woman.” Throughout Journey’s three decades of existence, their albums have achieved gold status twice, platinum status three times, multi-platinum plateau eight times, and Diamond once. These include seven consecutive multi-platinum albums, stretching from 1978 to 1987. They had 18 Top 40 singles, six of which reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Their signature song, “Don’t Stop Believin’”, is the top-selling catalog track in iTunes history, at more than two million downloads. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Journey has sold 47 million albums in the United States, making them the 28th best selling band. Their worldwide sales have reached over 75 million albums. A USA Today opinion poll in 2005 asked respondents to weigh in on who they thought was the best American rock band in history; Journey came in fifth place. Journey has been eligible for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 2000, but Gregg Rolie is the only current or former member of Journey who has been inducted — as a member of parent band Santana. Steve Perry, the band’s best-known lead vocalist, is eligible for induction as a solo artist as of 2009. History Formation, 1973–1976 The original members of Journey came together in San Francisco in 1973 under the auspices of former Santana manager Herbie Herbert. Originally called the Golden Gate Rhythm Section and intended to serve as a backup group for established Bay Area artists, the band included recent Santana alumni Neal Schon on lead guitar and Gregg Rolie on keyboards and lead vocals. Bassist Ross Valory and Rhythm guitarist George Tickner, both of Frumious Bandersnatch, and drummer Prairie Prince of The Tubes rounded out the group. The band quickly abandoned the original “backup group” concept and developed a distinctive jazz fusion style. After an unsuccessful radio contest to name the group, roadie John Villaneuva suggested the name “Journey.” The band’s first public appearance came at the Winterland Ballroom on New Year’s Eve, 1973. Prairie Prince rejoined The Tubes shortly thereafter, and the band hired British drummer Aynsley Dunbar, who had recently worked with John Lennon and Frank Zappa. On February 5, 1974, the new line-up made their debut at the Great American Music Hall and secured a recording contract with Columbia Records. Journey released their eponymous first album in 1975, and rhythm guitarist Tickner left the band before they cut their second album, Look into the Future (1976). Neither album achieved significant sales, so Schon, Valory, and Dunbar took singing lessons in an attempt to add vocal harmonies to Rolie’s lead. The following year’s Next contained shorter tracks with more vocals, and featured Schon as lead singer on several of the songs. New musical direction, 1977–1980 Journey’s album sales did not improve and Columbia Records requested that they change their musical style and add a frontman, with whom keyboardist Gregg Rolie could share lead vocal duties. The band hired Robert Fleischman and transitioned to a more popular style, akin to that of Foreigner and Boston. Journey went on tour with Fleischman in 1977 and together the new incarnation of the band wrote the hit “Wheel in the Sky.” But fans were lukewarm to the change, and personality differences resulted in Fleischman being fired within the year. In the fall of 1977, Journey hired Steve Perry as their new lead singer. Perry added a clean, tenor sound and the band became a true pop act. Their fourth album, Infinity (1978), reached No. 21 on the album charts and gave the band their first RIAA-certified platinum album plus hit singles out of “Lights” and “Wheel in the Sky”. Drummer Aynsley Dunbar did not get along with singer Steve Perry and did not approve of the new musical direction. He was fired in 1978 and replaced by Berklee-trained jazz drummer Steve Smith. Perry, Schon, Rolie, Smith, and bass player Ross Valory recorded 1979′s Evolution, which gave the band their first Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 single, “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin; and 1980′s Departure, which reached No. 8 on the album charts and included the top-25 hit “Any Way You Want It. Journey’s new-found success brought the band an almost entirely new fan base. During the 1980 Departure world tour, the band recorded a live album, Captured. They also recorded the soundtrack to the film Dream After Dream while in Japan. Exhausted from extensive touring, keyboardist Gregg Rolie now left a successful band for the second time in his career. Keyboardist Stevie “Keys” Roseman was brought in to record the lone studio track for Captured, “The Party’s Over (Hopelessly in Love),” but Rolie recommended pianist Jonathan Cain of The Babysas the permanent replacement. With Cain’s replacement of Rolie’s Hammond B-3 organ with his own synthesizers, the band was poised for a new decade in which they would achieve their greatest musical success. Height of popularity, 1981–1983 Escape album released their eigth and biggest-selling studio album, Escape, in 1981. The album, which has thus far sold nine times platinum, went to number one on the album charts that year, and included three top-ten hits: “Who’s Cryin’ Now”, “Don’t Stop Believin’”, and “Open Arms”. The latter is Journey’s highest-charting single to date, staying at #2 for six consecutive weeks and ranking at on Billboard’s 1982 year-end Hot 100. MTV videotaped one of their two sold-out shows in Houston, Texas on November 6, 1981 in front of over 20,000 fans. Capitalizing on their success, the band recorded radio commercials for Budweiser and sold rights to their likenesses and music for use in two video games: the Journey arcade game by Bally/Midway and Journey Escape by Data Age for the Atari 2600. This success was met with piqued criticism. The 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide gave each of the band’s albums only one star, with Dave Marsh writing that “Journey was a dead end for San Francisco area rock.” Marsh later would anoint Escape as one of the worst number-one albums of all time. Journey’s next album, 1983′s Frontiers, continued their commercial success, reaching No. 2 on the album charts, selling nearly six million copies. The album generated four Top 40 hits, “Separate Ways,” which reached #8, “Faithfully,” which reached #12, “Send Her My Love”, and “After the Fall”, both of which reached #23. By this time Journey had become one of the top touring and recording bands in the world. During the subsequent stadium tour, the band contracted with NFL Films to record a video documentary of their life on the road, Frontiers and Beyond. Scenes from the documentary were shot at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than 80,000 fans in attendance. Break-up, 1984–1994 After the widely successful Frontiers stadium tour, Journey decided to take some time off. Lead singer Steve Perry and guitarist Neal Schon both pursued solo projects between 1982 and 1985. In 1985 the band released two songs previously intended for Frontiers–Only the Young, on the soundtrack to the movie Vision Quest; and Ask the Lonely, on the soundtrack to the movie Two of a Kind. “Only the Young” reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. When Journey finally returned to record their 1986 album Raised on Radio, bass player Ross Valoryand drummer Steve Smith were fired from the band for musical and professional differences. Studio musicians handled the two vacant slots, including future American Idol judge Randy Jackson and established session player Larrie Londin. The album went multiplatinum, selling over two million copies. It also produced four top 20 singles, “Be Good to Yourself”, “I’ll Be Alright Without You”, “Girl Can’t Help It “, and “Suzanne,” both of which reached #17. The tour featured Jackson on bass and Mike Baird on drums, and was videotaped by MTV and made into a documentary, which included interviews with the current band members and concert footage of the Mountain Aire Festival show in Angels Camp, California. But with Perry unable or unwilling to remain actively involved, the band canceled the rest of the tour and went on an extended, indefinite hiatus in 1987. Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain teamed up with Cain’s ex-Babys bandmates John Waite and Ricky Phillips, forming Bad English with drummer Deen Castronovoin 1988. Steve Smith started a jazz band, Vital Information, and teamed up with Ross Valory and Gregg Rolie to create The Storm with singer Kevin Chalfant and guitarist Josh Ramos. In 1988, Columbia records released Journey’s greatest hits album, which remains the band’s best-selling record. According to the RIAA it has sold 15 million copies in the United States to date. It continues to sell 500,000 to 1,000,000 copies per year, and as of December 2008 was the 6th best selling greatest hits package in the United States. In 1991, the band briefly reunited to perform 2 songs; “Faithfully” and “Lights” at the tribute concert for concert promoter Bill Graham. This would later turn out to be the final time Steve Perry would perform live with the band. Reunion, 1995–1997 Between 1987 and 1995, Columbia Records released three Journey compilations. In October 1993, Kevin Chalfant (of The Storm) performed with Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain at a roast for manager Herbie Herbert. After that, Schon, Cain, Valory, Smith and Rolie briefly considered reuniting the band with Chalfant as lead singer. But in 1995, Steve Perry agreed to a reunion on the condition that they seek new management. Herbie Herbert was fired, and Eagles Manager Irving Azoff was retained. In 1995, Perry, Schon, Cain, Valory, and Smith reunited to record Trial by Fire. Released in 1996, the album included the hit single “When You Love a Woman”, which reached #12 on the Billboard charts, ranked at #36 on Billboard’s 1996 year-end Hot 100, and was nominated in 1997 for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The album also produced two top 40 mainstream rock tracks, “Message of Love” reaching #18 and “Can’t Tame the Lion” reaching #33, and one top 40 adult contemporary hit, “If He Should Break Your Heart,” Plans for a subsequent tour ended when Perry injured his hip hiking in Hawaii in the summer of 1997 and could not perform without hip replacement surgery — which he for some time refused to undergo. In 1998, Schonand Cain decided to seek a new lead singer, at which point drummer Steve Smith left the band as well. Lead singer replaced, 1998–2006 Journey in 2002: Steve Augeri, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, Deen Castronovo, and Neal SchonIn 1998, Journey hired drummer Deen Castronovo, Schon’s and Cain’s Bad English bandmate, and drummer for Hardline, to replace Steve Smith after he dropped out because Steve Perry had dropped out. Journey replaced Perry with Steve Augeri, formerly of Tyketto and Tall Stories. That same year, Journey with Steve Augeri and Deen Castronovo recorded a track for the soundtrack to the movie Armageddon called “Remember Me.” The band released their next studio album, Arrival, in Japan in late 2000 and in the United States in 2001. “All the Way” became a minor adult contemporary hit from the album. In 2002, the band released a four-track CD titled “Red 13,” with an album cover design chosen through a fan contest. In 2005 the band was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Steve Perry surprised many attendees by showing up for the event. Also in 2005, Journey embarked on their 30thanniversary tour, and released their twelfthfull-length studio album, Generations, in which each band member performed lead vocals on at least one song. Lead singer replaced again, 2006–present In July 2006, Steve Augeri was dropped from the band while they toured with Def Leppard, with the official statement citing a “chronic throat infection.” Augeri had been suffering from vocal attrition problems since 2003 and Journey had been accused of using pre-recorded lead vocals. The band hired singer Jeff Scott Soto from Talisman to fill in, and Soto officially replaced Augeri as Journey’s lead singer in December 2006. On June 12, 2007, the band announced that Soto was no longer the lead singer, and said that they were looking to move in a new direction. In December 2007, Journey hired Filipino singer Arnel Pineda of the cover band The Zoo after Neal Schon saw him on YouTube singing covers of Journey songs. Journey debuted their new lead singer in February 2008 in Chile, and released the album Revelation that June. Revelation debuted at #5 on the Billboard charts, selling more than 196,000 units in its first two weeks and staying in the top 20 for 6 weeks. Journey also found success on the billboard’s adult contemporary chart where the single “After All These Years” spent over 23 weeks, peaking at number 9. Receipts from that summer’s tour, featuring Heart and Cheap Trick, made Journey one of the top grossing concert tours of the year, bringing in over $35,000,000. And on December 18, 2008, Revelation was certified platinum by RIAA. In 2008 and 2009, Journey recorded concert footage in preparation for a DVD release scheduled for December 2009, and Neal Schon announced that the band was spending 2009 working on a new album due out in 2010 and completing the second leg of the Revelation Tour. Although Pineda was not the first foreign national to become a member of Journey (former drummer Aynsley Dunbar is British) nor even the first non-white (former bass player Randy Jackson is African-American), the transition was difficult for a number of fans who expressed what Marin Independent Journal writer Paul Liberatore called “an undercurrent of racism.” Keyboardist Jonathan Cain responded to such sentiments: “We’ve become a world band. We’re international now. We’re not about one color. Source and more information: Wikipedia

Kansas – The Biginning

videeoo — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:15:21 +0000

There are three versions of Kansas, both the second and third version of Kansas had Hit songs. Kansas now tours with different members of both versions, and this changes from year to year. At the time of this posting, Kansas was missing two key members, Robby Steinhardt and John Elefante. “3 STARS”1970–1973: Early Years

Dave Hope (bass), Phil Ehart (drums, percussion), and Kerry Livgren (guitars, keyboards, synthesizers) formed a progressive rock group named Kansas in 1970 in their hometown of Topeka, Kansas, along with vocalist Lynn Meredith from Manhattan, Kansas, keyboardist Don Montre, keyboardist Dan Wright, and saxophonist Larry Baker.

A year earlier, Meredith, Montre, Wright and Livgren were performing in a band called The Reasons Why. After changing the band’s name to Saratoga, they started playing Livgren’s original material with Scott Kessler playing bass and Zeke Lowe on drums. In 1970, they changed the band’s name again to Kansas and merged with members of a rival Topeka progressive outfit White Clover. This early Kansas group, which lasted until 1971 when Ehart and Hope and some of the others left to reform White Clover, is sometimes referred to as Kansas I.

Ehart was replaced by Zeke Lowe and later Brad Schulz, Hope was replaced by Rod Mikinski on bass, and Baker was replaced by John Bolton on saxophone and flute. (This lineup is sometimes referred to as Kansas II, and 30 years later would re-form under the name Proto-Kaw.) In 1972, after Ehart returned from England (where he’d gone to look for other musicians), he and Hope once again reformed White Clover with Robby Steinhardt (vocals, violin, viola, cello), Steve Walsh (vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, percussion) and Rich Williams (guitars). In 1973 they recruited Livgren from the second Kansas group, which then folded.[1] Eventually, they received a record deal with Don Kirshner’s eponymous label, and decided to adopt the Kansas name. In early 1974 they recorded their first album.

Continue 1974–1979: Rise to National Prominence

To suggest and band, or to submit a correction, clickhere.

KISS

videeoo — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:01:34 +0000

Rating 3.5 Stars Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972. Easily identified by its members’ face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars, and pyrotechnics. Kiss has been awarded 24 gold albums to date. The band has sold over 19 million records in the United States, and their worldwide sales exceeded 100 million albums. The lineup of Paul Stanley (vocals and rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (vocals and bass guitar), Ace Frehley (lead guitar and vocals), and Peter Criss (drums, percussion and vocals) is the most successful and identifiable. With their makeup and costumes, they took on the personae of comic book-style characters: The Demon (Simmons), Starchild (Stanley), Spaceman (Frehley), and Catman (Criss). The band explains that the fans were the ones who ultimately chose their makeup designs. The “Demon” makeup reflected Simmons’s cynicism and dark elements, as well as his love for comic books. Paul Stanley became the “Starchild” because of his tendency to be referred to as the “starry-eyed lover” and “hopeless romantic.” Ace Frehley’s “Spaceman” makeup was a reflection of him wanting to go for a ride in a space ship and supposedly being from another planet. Peter Criss’s “Catman” makeup was in accordance with the belief that Criss had nine lives because of his rough childhood in Brooklyn. Because of creative differences, both Criss and Frehley were out of the group by 1982. The band’s commercial fortunes had also waned considerably by that point. In 1983, Kiss abandoned its makeup and enjoyed a commercial resurgence throughout the rest of the decade. Buoyed by a wave of Kiss nostalgia in the 1990s, the band announced a reunion of the original lineup (with makeup) in 1996. The resulting Kiss Alive/Worldwide/Lost Cities/Reunion Tour was the top-grossing act of 1996 and 1997. Criss and Frehley have since left Kiss again and have been replaced by Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer, respectively. The band continues to perform with makeup, while Stanley and Simmons have remained the only two constant members. Source and more information: Wikipedia

Queen

videeoo — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:34:44 +0000

Rating: 2 Stars Queen consisted of lead singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor. The band became popular with audiences via their hit singles, live performances, originality and showmanship, being voted the greatest British band of all time in a national BBC poll. Their 1985 Live Aid performance was voted the best live rock performance of all time in an industry poll. According to the BBC, Queen have sold more than 300 million albums as of 2010. Queen enjoyed success in the UK in the early to mid-1970s with the albums Queen and Queen II, but it was with the release of Sheer Heart Attack in 1974 and A Night at the Opera the following year that the band gained international success. They have released fifteen studio albums, five live albums and numerous compilation albums. Since Mercury’s death and Deacon’s retirement, May and Taylor have performed infrequently together at special events and programmes as members of other ensembles. Between 2004 to 2009 the duo collaborated with Paul Rodgers under the moniker Queen + Paul Rodgers. Source and more information: Wikipedia