Fans Against Fake Bands » Music from the 90′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

Asia

videeoo — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:30:55 +0000

Ratings Asia: 5 Stars Asia featuring John Payne: 2 Stars

As of 2008, there are two distinct groups using the Asia name: a recently formed reunion of the band’s original line-up performing as “Asia”, and “Asia Featuring John Payne” as a continuation of the pre-2006 Asia lineup, featuring three of its members. Asia Geoff Downes and the other three original members (Wetton, Palmer, and Howe) convened a group meeting in England in early 2006 in anticipation of formally reforming for work that year. And after a slew of rumours, they announced that this original line-up of Asia were planning a CD, DVD and world tour to celebrate the band’s 25th anniversary. The band appeared in October 2006 on U.S. cable channel VH-1 Classic and began a world tour largely focused on the U.S. The band secured ownership of the Asia name and toured under the description of the Four Original Members of Asia. The setlist featured most of the first album as well as a couple of songs from the second, along with one selection each from Yes, ELP, King Crimson and the Buggles to acknowledge the history of each member of the band. In a 2006 interview guitarist Steve Howe states that “This is the real Asia. There have been other incarnations of the band, but this is the one that the public truly embraced”. Asia featuring John Payne Payne, Govan and Schellen continued working together after Downes’ departure for the aforementioned reunion. This included continuing work on what had been planned as the next Asia album, Architect of Time. They began to work under the name GPS with Ryo Okumoto of Spock’s Beard on keys. Their debut release, Window to the Soul (2006), included material developed for Architect of Time. In May 2007, Payne, Govan and Schellen announced the new band name, “Asia Featuring John Payne”, adding Erik Norlander on keys. The name had been contractually agreed between Payne, Downes, Wetton, Howe and Palmer on the 9th of May 2006. The first release under this name at the end of 2007 was a live recording of the late 2005 Asia line-up of Downes, Payne, Govan and Schellen, entitled Extended Versions in the US and Scandinavia in the UK. In June 2008, the band has announced the release of an EP entitled “Military Man” with a royalties being donated to the USO. The band is also planning to release a completed Architect of Time , with all songs written by Payne and Norlander. The band are touring in 2009 under the Asia Featuring John Payne name, and currently playing festivals and small venues, performing songs from the entire history of Asia, including “Heat of the Moment”. Govan left the band in 2009. Meanwhile, Payne, Govan, and Schellen are also continuing work as GPS, while Schellen is also recording with Circa. Source and more information: Wikipedia

B-52s

videeoo — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 13:27:29 +0000

Rating 4.5 Stars On October 12, 1985, guitarist Wilson died at age 32, from health complications related to AIDS, following completion of their album Bouncing off the Satellites. Devastated, the band went into seclusion and did not tour to promote the album, feeling that it would be impossible to continue without Wilson. During the two-year hiatus that followed Wilson’s death, Strickland (drummer) switched to the position of guitarist, and the band regrouped. In 1989, they released Cosmic Thing, their long-anticipated mainstream breakthrough. The B-52s formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. In their heyday, their music was marked by the female harmonies of Cindy Wilson (vocals) and Kate Pierson (organ, vocals), Ricky Wilson’s (guitar) surf-style guitar, Keith Strickland’s (drummer) “go-go beat” drumming, and the generally spoken word or sprechgesang male vocal counterpoint of Fred Schneider (cowbell, vocals). The resulting unique “guy vs. gals” vocals, sometimes used in call and response style (as in their songs “Private Idaho” and “Good Stuff”), are a trademark of the band. Presenting as a positive, enthusiastic, slightly wacky party band, the B-52s have focused on songs telling tall tales (“Rock Lobster”, “Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland”), glorifying wild youth (“Love Shack”, “Deadbeat Club”), or celebrating wild romance (“Strobe Light”, “Hot Pants Explosion”), all set to a danceable New Wave beat. The band’s name comes from a particular beehive hairdo resembling the nose cone of the aircraft of the same name. During their early years, wigs of that style were often worn by the band’s female singers Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson. The correct name for the band had long been “The B-52′s”, but in 2008 they dropped the apostrophe, with their official website and Funplex album and single covers reading “The B-52s”. Sourse and more information: Wikipedia

Beastie Boys

videeoo — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 20:08:57 +0000

Rating 5 Stars Beastie Boys are one of the longest lived hip-hop acts worldwide and continue to enjoy commercial and critical success in 2009, more than 25 years after the release of their debut album. On September 27, 2007, the Beastie Boys were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2009, the Beastie Boys released digitally remastered deluxe editions of their albums Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head’, Ill Communication and Hello Nasty. Beastie Boys is an American hip hop group from New York City. The Beastie Boys comprises Michael “Mike D” Diamond, Adam “MCA” Yauch, and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz. Since around the time of the Hello Nasty album, the DJ for the group has been Michael “Mix Master Mike” Schwartz, who was first featured in the song “Three MCs and One DJ”. Beastie Boys began as a hardcore punk group in 1979, appeared on the compilation cassette New York Thrash with Riot Fight and Beastie, and released their debut EP in 1982. After achieving moderate local success with the 1983 release of experimental hip-hop 12″ Cooky Puss, the Beastie Boys switched to hip-hop in 1984 and a string of successful 12″ singles followed culminating with their debut album Licensed to Ill (1986) which enjoyed international critical acclaim and commercial success. The Beastie Boys are well-known for its eclecticism, jocular and flippant attitude toward interviews and interviewers, obscure cultural references and kitschy lyrics, and for performing in outlandish matching suits. 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

Eminem

videeoo — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:15:58 +0000

Solo Act – No rating Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), better known by his stage name Eminem, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem quickly gained popularity in 1999 with his major-label debut album The Slim Shady LP, which won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The following album, The Marshall Mathers LP, became the fastest-selling hip hop album in history. It brought Eminem increased popularity, including his own record label, Shady Records, and brought his group project D12 to mainstream recognition. Eminem has won a total of 9 Grammy Awards. The Marshall Mathers LP and his third album, The Eminem Show also won Grammy Awards, making Eminem the first artist to win Best Rap Album for three consecutive LP’s. In 2002, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Lose Yourself” from the film 8 Mile, in which he also played the lead. “Lose Yourself” would go on to become the longest running #1 hip-hop single. Eminem then went on hiatus after touring in 2005. He released his first album since 2004′s Encore, titled Relapse, on May 15, 2009. Eminem is the best-selling artist of the decade, and has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide to date, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. Eminem is also ranked as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine. He was also named the Best Rapper Ever by Vibe Magazine. Including his work with D12, Eminem has achieved eight #1 albums on the Billboard Top 200 and 12 number one singles worldwide. In December, 2009 Eminem was named the Artist of the Decade by Billboard Magazine. Eminem is the best selling rapper of all time. According to Billboard, Eminem has two of his albums among the top 5 highest selling albums of the decade. Source and more information: Wikipedia

Fleetwood Mac

videeoo — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:10:27 +0000

Fleetwood Mac

Rating 4 Stars While most bands undergo a number of changes over the course of their career, few groups experienced such radical stylistic changes as Fleetwood Mac. Initially conceived as a hard-edged British blues combo in the late ’60s, the band gradually evolved into a polished pop-rock act over the course of a decade. Throughout all of their incarnations, the only consistent members of Fleetwood Mac were drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie — the rhythm section who provided the band with its name. The roots of Fleetwood Mac lie in John Mayall’s legendary British blues outfit, the Bluesbreakers. John McVie (bass) was one of the charter members of the Bluesbreakers, joining the group in 1963. In 1966 Peter Green replaced Eric Clapton and a year later, Mick Fleetwood (drums) joined. Inspired by the success of Cream, the Yardbirds and Jimi Hendrix, the trio decided to break away from Mayall in 1967. At their debut at the British Jazz and Blues Festival in August, Bob Brunning was playing bass in the group, since McVie was still under contract to Mayall. He joined the band a few weeks after their debut; by that time, slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer had joined the band. Fleetwood Mac soon signed with Blue Horizon, releasing their eponymous debut the following year. Fleetwood Mac was an enormous hit in the UK, spending over a year in the Top 10. Despite its British success, the album was virtually ignored in America. During 1968, the band added guitarist Danny Kirwan. The following year, they recorded “Fleetwood Mac” in Chicago with a variety of bluesmen, including Willie Dixon and Otis Spann. The set was released later that year, after the band had left Blue Horizon for a one-album deal with Immediate Records; in the US, they signed with Reprise/Warner Bros. and by 1970, Warner began releasing the band’s British records as well. Fleetwood Mac released “English Rose” and “Then Play On” during 1969, which both indicated that the band members were expanding their music, moving away from their blues-purists roots. That year, Green’s “Man of the World” and “Oh Well” were number two hits. Though his music was providing the backbone of the group, Peter Green was growing increasingly disturbed, due to his large ingestion of hallucinogenic drugs. After announcing that he was planning to give all of his earnings away, Green suddenly left the band in the spring of 1970. He released two solo albums over the course of the ’70s, but he rarely performed after leaving Fleetwood Mac. The band replaced him with Christine Perfect, a vocalist/pianist who had earned a small but loyal following in the UK by singing with Spencer Davis and the Chicken Shack. She had already performed unaccredited on “Then Play On”. Contractual difficulties prevented her from becoming a full-fledged member of Fleetwood Mac until 1971; by that time she had married John McVie. Christine McVie didn’t appear on 1970′s “Kiln House”, the first album the band recorded without Peter Green. For that album, Jeremy Spencer dominated the band’s musical direction, but he had also been undergoing mental problems due to heavy drug use. During the band’s American tour in early 1971, Spencer disappeared; it was later discovered that he left the band to join the religious cult, the Children of God. Fleetwood Mac had already been trying to determine the direction of their music, but Spencer’s departure sent the band into disarray. Christine McVie and Danny Kirwan began to move the band towards mainstream rock on 1971′s “Future Games”, but new guitarist Bob Welch exerted a heavy influence on 1972′s “Bare Trees”. Kirwan was fired after Bare Trees and was replaced by guitarists Bob Weston and Dave Walker, who appeared on 1973′s “Penguin”. Walker left after that album, and Weston departed after making its follow-up, “Mystery to Me” (1973). In 1974, the group’s manager Clifford Davis formed a bogus Fleetwood Mac, and had the band tour the US. The real Fleetwood Mac filed and won a lawsuit against the impostors, who, after losing, began performing under the name Stretch — but the lawsuit kept the real band off the road for most of the year. In the interim, they released “Heroes Are Hard To Find”. Late in 1974, Fleetwood Mac moved to California, with hopes of re-starting their career. Welch left the band shortly after the move to form a group called Paris. Early in 1975, Fleetwood and McVie were auditioning engineers for the band’s new album when they heard “Buckingham-Nicks”, an album recorded by the soft-rock duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The duo was asked to join the group and their addition revived the band’s musical and commercial fortunes. Not only did the pair write songs, but they brought the distinctive talents the band had been lacking. Buckingham was skilled pop craftsman, capable of arranging a commercial song while keeping it musically adventurous. Nicks had a husky voice and a sexy, hippie gypsy stage persona which gave the band a charismatic frontwoman. The new line-up of Fleetwood Mac released their eponymous debut in 1975 and it slowly became a huge hit, reaching number one in 1976 on the strength of the singles “Over My Head,” “Rhiannon,” and “Say You Love Me.” The album would eventually sell over five million copies in the US alone. While Fleetwood Mac had finally attained their long-desired commercial success, the band was fraying apart behind the scenes. The McVies divorced in 1976, and Buckingham and Nicks’ romance ended shortly afterward. The internal tensions formed the basis for the songs on their next album, “Rumours”. Released in the spring of 1977, “Rumours” became a blockbuster success, topping the American and British charts and generating the Top 10 singles “Go Your Own Way,” “Dreams,” “Don’t Stop,” and “You Make Loving Fun.” It would eventually sell over 17 million copies in the US alone, making it the second biggest-selling album of all-time. Fleetwood Mac supported the album with an exhaustive, lucrative tour and then retired to the studio to record their follow-up to Rumours. A wildly experimental double-album conceived largely by Buckingham, “Tusk” (1979) didn’t duplicate the enormous success of Rumours, yet it did go multi-platinum and featured the Top 10 singles “Sara” and “Tusk.” In 1980, they released the double-album, “Live”. Following the Tusk tour, Fleetwood, Buckingham, and Nicks all recorded solo albums. Of the solo projects, Stevie Nicks’ “Bella Donna” (1981) was the most successful, peaking at number one and featuring the hit singles “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” “Leather and Lace”( with the Eagles’ Don Henley) and “Edge of Seventeen.” Buckingham’s “Law and Order” (1981) was a moderate success, spawning the Top 10 “Trouble.” Fleetwood, for his part, made a world music album called “The Visitor”. Fleetwood Mac reconvened in 1982 for “Mirage”. More conventional and accessible than Tusk, Mirage reached number one and featured the hit singles “Hold Me” and “Gypsy.” After Mirage, Buckingham, Nicks and Christine McVie all worked on solo albums. The hiatus was due to a variety of reasons. Each member had their own manager, Nicks was becoming the group’s breakaway star, Buckingham was obsessive in the studio and each member was suffering from various substance addictions. Nicks was able to maintain her popularity, with “The Wild Heart” (1983) and “Rock A Little” (1985) both reaching the Top 15. Christine McVie also had a Top 10 hit with “Got A Hold On Me” in 1984. Buckingham received the strongest reviews of all, but his 1984 album “Go Insane” failed to generate a hit single. Fleetwood Mac reunited to record a new album in 1985. Buckingham, who had grown increasingly frustrated with the musical limitations of the band, decided to make it his last project with the band. When the resulting album, “Tango In The Night”, was finally released in 1987, it was greeted with mixed reviews but strong sales, reaching the Top 10 and generating the Top 20 hits “Little Lies,” “Seven Wonders” and “Everywhere.” Buckingham decided to leave Fleetwood Mac after completing Tango in the Night, and the group replaced him with guitarists Billy Burnette and Rick Vito. The new line-up of the band recorded their first album, “Behind the Mask”, in 1990. It became the band’s first album since 1975 to not go gold. Following its supporting tour, Nicks and Christine McVie announced they would continue to record with the group, but not tour. Vito left the band in 1991, and the group released the box set “25 Years — The Chain” the following year. The classic Fleetwood Mac line-up of Fleetwood, the McVies, Buckingham and Nicks reunited to play President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in early 1993, but the concert did not lead to a full-fledged reunion. Later that year, Nicks left the band and was replaced by Bekka Bramlett and Dave Mason; Christine McVie left the group shortly afterward. The new line-up of Fleetwood Mac began touring in 1994, releasing “Time” the following year to little attention. While the new version of Fleetwood Mac wasn’t commercially successful, neither were the solo careers of Buckingham, Nicks and McVie, prompting speculation of a full-fledged reunion in 1997. The live album “Shrine 69″ was released in 1999. The Fleetwood Mac saga continued with the Reprise Records release of “The Dance”, a new Fleetwood Mac album that gives fresh meaning to the term “long-awaited.” Recorded live for an MTV special, “The Dance” highlights new renditions of 13 Mac classics, from “Dreams” to “Rhiannon,” “Don’t Stop” to “Tusk” as well as the such key tracks as “The Chain” and “Silver Springs.” Proving the Mac magic is as potent as ever, The Dance, produced by Lindsey Buckingham and Elliot Schiener, also featured four new songs, including the Christine McVie composition “Temporary One,” “Sweet Girl” by Stevie Nicks and two new Buckingham tracks, “Bleed To Love Her” and “My Little Demon.” Catapulting straight from the studio to the stage, Fleetwood Mac embarked on an extensive U.S. tour fall, bringing the Mac magic to audiences coast to coast. “My only condition for coming back together was that we could have some fun,” said Christine. “The rehearsals proved that we could, and that we were tighter and better than we’d ever been. It was tremendously gratifying.” “I think a lot of the creativity we were feeling had come from the healing we’d all experienced,” says Stevie Nicks. “We were friends who had been away for a long time and this reunion was not just musical, it was personal.” Questions of repertoire were resolved almost before they came up. “Naturally we did the material we were familiar with,” explains John. “It was like our fingers were just flying to the notes. We worked up some new arrangements, but we also wanted to try out some fresh stuff. Luckily, we had no shortage of new material to try.” Christine: “Each one of us brought in a new song and hearing them played by this particular combination of musicians is like no other experience I know. We understand each other, where to go and how to get there, even before it’s spoken.” What was also left almost unspoken was the fact that, from various paths both personal and professional, Fleetwood Mac had at last found themselves together again. “Of course there’s a business aspect to all this,” says Mick, “but anyone who’s been around this process can tell you that it really is the music that’s brought us back.” “I care about these people,” is how Lindsey puts it. “And I enjoy being around them, now more than ever. Fleetwood Mac is a complicated scheme, a careful balancing act and when we get it right, there’s nothing quite like it.” “Even after we decided to formalize what we’d been doing as ‘a reunion,’” adds John, “there was still an attitude of taking things one day at a time. Today is wonderful. Tomorrow will take care of itself.” What tomorrow may bring for Fleetwood Mac is anyone’s guess. But, with the release of The Dance, the accompanying MTV special and a tour, the prospects were positively brilliant. The band, (minus Christine McVie) played at a farewell party for President Clinton on the south lawn of the White House, on January 6, 2001. The group played “Don’t Stop” (Thinking About Tomorrow), the theme of Clinton’s campaigns. Said Lindsey Buckingham, “We were there to usher in his administration, and it was an emotional experience to help see it off”. Buckingham said that McVie has moved back to her native England and therefore did not attend. “This is all very exciting, but at the same time very familiar,” mused Stevie Nicks. “When we get together something amazing happens. It takes on a life of its own.” In September, 2004 Christine McVie released her first solo album in nearly 20 years. “In The Meantime” was recorded at a studio at her home in Kent England, along with her nephew Dan Perfect, former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Billy Burnette and drummer Steve Ferrone of the Average White Band. The remaining four members of Fleetwoon Mac continued to tour without her. Source 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

Guns N’ Roses

videeoo — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:03:18 +0000

Rating: 2 Stars Front-man Axl Rose has become a source of both controversy and criticism since the other founding members left the group. His constant elusiveness, such as the fact that he has not held a press conference since 1994, has led to several stories claiming he is suffering from bipolar disorder. Music critics have blamed Rose for the break-up of the original group, have criticized him for continuing the band after the original members had departed and have questioned the constant change in band members. They also cite his neurotic behavior and sense of perfectionism as a cause of personal conflict and the long delays between albums. Guns N’ Roses signed with a major label within eight months of their inception and topped national sales charts weeks after garnering late hours airplay on MTV. Appetite for Destruction is the highest-selling debut album of all time. Their peers in the music industry often spoke highly of the band: Ozzy Osbourne called Guns N’ Roses “the next Rolling Stones.” In 2002, Q magazine named Guns N’ Roses in their list of the “50 Bands To See Before You Die”. Also, the television network VH1 ranked Guns N’ Roses ninth in its “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock” special, and also ranked 11th on “Top 50 bands”. Appetite for Destruction appeared in the Rolling Stone Magazine special issue “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Guns N’ Roses #92 on their list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. “Welcome To The Jungle” had also been voted “Best Rock Song”. The band has not been free of criticism. The flagrant alcohol and drug abuse by some members of the group, and Axl’s fondness of Charles Manson T-shirts, were used by the media to portray Guns N’ Roses as a poor example and negative influence on their young fans. The long periods of time that the band took to release albums were also a source of heavy criticism (the band’s second album, GN’R Lies, was actually an EP and an old EP packaged together, and one of the songs was an acoustic cover of one from the band’s debut album, it took from 1987 to 1991 to come up with a proper follow up to Appetite for Destruction, and it took over 15 years to release Chinese Democracy). Source and more information: Wikipedia

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