DISTRO berasal dari singkatan distribution store. Berfungsi menerima titipan dari berbagai merek dari clothing company lokal yang memproduksi sendiri produknya.
Dikarenakan belum mempunyai tempat pemasaran sendiri atau ingin memperluas pemasarannya, clothing company ini akrab disebut dengan distro. Bila ditanya siapa pelopor berdirinya clothing company dan distro di Bandung? Pasti sulit mencari jawaban yang pasti karena semua berawal dari usaha kecil dengan gaya promosi dari mulut ke mulut.
Adapun clothing company adalah produsen yang memproduksi sendiri semua produk mereka dengan label sendiri pula. Sebuah clothing bisa memiliki toko sendiri atau hanya sekadar menitipkan produk mereka ke distro. Kehadiran sejumlah distro dapat dibilang sudah menjadi sebuah fenomena. Hal ini membuat para pelaku distro tidak lagi dipandang sebelah mata, dan juga sudah menjadi sebuah industri, bukan lagi sebuah usaha kecil-kecilan.
Salah satu penyebab kehadiran distro adalah krisis moneter yang melanda Indonesia pada beberapa waktu lalu. Kondisi tersebut mengakibatkan harga produk sandang, pangan, dan papan melangit. Khusus untuk produk sandang atau pakaian, memicu banyak anak muda untuk menyediakan produk ready to wear dengan harga yang terjangkau dan kualitas yang cukup baik.
Selain itu, distro menawarkan desain baru dan umumnya tidak memproduksi dalam jumlah massal. Karena itu, konsumen tidak perlu khawatir produk distro yang dibelinya pasaran. Hal pertama yang harus dimiliki ketika hendak membuat sebuah distro adalah semangat dan idealisme yang tinggi untuk menjalankan bisnis independen ini.
Karena berbeda dengan bisnis umum lainnya, bisnis clothing/distro membutuhkan idealisme tersendiri agar clothing/distro tersebut bisa memiliki visi dan karakter yang jelas. Selain itu usaha ini memiliki semangat kemandirian dan militansi yang tinggi untuk menjalankan bisnis independen ini.
21 February 2009
20 February 2009
wine
wine
Penghasil wine tidak hanya monopoli Prancis, Australia kini konon menajdi produsen wine terbesar di dunia saat ini. Bahkan, setiap bulan berbagai merek baru hadir ke pasaran. Bagaimana cara menikmati Australian wine?
Minuman anggur atau wine selama ini dikenal dari Prancis. Paling tidak, di negeri Menara Eiffel itulah yang mempunyai tradisi pembuatan wine yang lama, meski secara tradisional sudah dimulai di Romawi sejak 6000 sebelum Masehi.
Padahal di luar Prancis banyak negara pendatang yang juga menghasilkan wine, yang kadang kualitasnya tidak kalah baiknya. Sebut saja Australia, Afrika Selatan, Amerika Latin bahkan Aljajair. Australia adalah salah satunya, bahkan konon volumenya saat ini terbesar di dunia. Produksi wine Australia saat ini mencapai 806 juta liter per tahun.
Di beberapa dataran tinggi yang berudara dingin di Australia tidak terhitung lagi jumlah vineyard (perkebunan anggur) dan winery (industri wine) saat ini. Mulai dari wilayah Queensland, Victoria, hingga Australian Capital Territory (ACT Canberra). Data terakhir mencatat 1.197 winery yang ada di Australia.
Seperti pada umumnya wine terbagi menjadi tiga jenis, merah, putih dan rose. Ada juga sparkling wine yang masih termasuk varian wine atau yang di Perancis dikenal sebagai Champagne, sesuai dengan nama daerah penghasilnya, yang mengalami proses fermentasi dua kali. Rasaanya lebih ringan, biasa dipakai untuk pesta, termasuk di arena F1, yang bunyinya "pop" kalau botolnya dibuka.
Dari tiga jenis di atas wine masih terbagi lagi, berdasarkan tahun panen, jenis varietas, bahkan mereknya yang mencapai ribuan. Prancis sering mengklaim diri sebagai penghasil wine terbaik di dunia. Hal itu didasarkan pada tanah dan iklim yang spesifik di negara itu. Bahkan yang disebut terroir, yang merupakan gabungan antara struktur dan kandungan tanah tempat tumbuhnya pohon anggur, serta cuaca yang mempengaruhi wilayah tersebut sangat unik, yang tidak bisa didapat di negara lain.
Mitos ataukah fakta memang masih terjadi perdebatan. Tapi yang jelas, wine dari berbagai jenis varietas anggur apa saja tidak melulu adanya di Perancis saja. Di Australia, misalnya, kita dengan mudaah mendapatkan berbagai jenis wine, mulai dari Chardonnay, Semillon, Shiraz, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Sauvignon, hingga Merlot.
Pada industri tradisional, proses pembuatan wine masih dilakukan secara manual dan tradisional. Resep pembuatannya pun diwariskan secara turun temurun. Kini, ketika industtri wine sudah modern, peranan teknologi sangat penting, tapi tetap saja peranan Cellar Master (ahli awine) sangat menentukan bagi taster minuman yang diproduksi. Menjadi satu kesatuan yang tidak bisa dipisah-pisahkan antara jenis anggur, proses fermentasi, pencampuran, penyimpanan, hingga pengemasannya. "Seni membuat wine adalah menyatukan antara art dan science," kata Stuart Gregor, pengarang buku 'Don't Buy Wine Without Me, terbitan Australia tahun 2002.
Wine, bagi orang Australia sama dengan orang Eropa, agaknya sudah menjadi minuman sehari-hari. Paling tidak setiap makan malam tersedia segelas wine di meja, belum termasuk jika ada pesta yang pasti tersedia lebih banyak wine. Harganya pun relatif murah jika dibandingkan dengan harga makanan, meski tidak jarang untuk merek wine tertentu yang usianya tua dijual super mahal. Charles Heidsieck 1970 Royal, misalnya harganya mencapai 800 dolar Australia (1 dolar sekitar Rp 5.500).
Data menunjukkan konsumsi wine orang Australia mencapai 389 juta liter per tahun. Tidak semuanya bisa dipenuhi dari produksi dalam negeri, karena data perdagangan menunjukkan impor wine ke Australia mencapai 20 juta liter senilai 114 juta dolar Australia per tahun. Kendati demikian, negara ini juga mengekspor wine ke negara lain dengan volume yang tidak kecil, sekitar 288 juta liter atau setara 1.352 juta dolar Australia.
Para penggemar wine biasanya membentuk society tersendiri. Bahkan ada klub-klub yang mempunyai jadwaal tertentu menikmati wine. Termasuk secara berkala ke beberapa winery membuat acara wine testing, salah satu klub yang terkenal adalah Cool Climate Wine Club (situsnya enquires@coolclimatewine.com).
Dari pergaulan itulah anggota mendapat pengetahuan lebih banyak tentang wine. Misalnya, bagaimana menikmati wine yang benar, serta membedakannya antara yang satu dengan yang lain.
Para pemula biasanya tidak bisa mengenali antara Sauvignon Blanc dengan Chardonnay. Meski sama-sama putih, masing-masing mempunyai aroma yang unik. Yang pertama lebih light dan fresh, dengan aroma buah tropis. Sementara Chardonnay meski ke freshly baked breaad. Memang agak subjektif, dan para sommelier (pemulia wine) mempunyai opini yang berbeda untuk setiap jenis untuk masing-masing merek wine.
Di Australia setiap minggu ada saja merek baru yang muncul di pasaran. Mirip dengan di Perancis, ada lembaga-lembaga tertentu yang memberi penilaian terhadap sejumlah merek wine yang ada di pasaran. Belum termasuk beberapa publikasi, diantaranya Winnestate, yang menjadi panduan untuk penggemar wine di Australia dan New Zealand.
Penghasil wine tidak hanya monopoli Prancis, Australia kini konon menajdi produsen wine terbesar di dunia saat ini. Bahkan, setiap bulan berbagai merek baru hadir ke pasaran. Bagaimana cara menikmati Australian wine?
Minuman anggur atau wine selama ini dikenal dari Prancis. Paling tidak, di negeri Menara Eiffel itulah yang mempunyai tradisi pembuatan wine yang lama, meski secara tradisional sudah dimulai di Romawi sejak 6000 sebelum Masehi.
Padahal di luar Prancis banyak negara pendatang yang juga menghasilkan wine, yang kadang kualitasnya tidak kalah baiknya. Sebut saja Australia, Afrika Selatan, Amerika Latin bahkan Aljajair. Australia adalah salah satunya, bahkan konon volumenya saat ini terbesar di dunia. Produksi wine Australia saat ini mencapai 806 juta liter per tahun.
Di beberapa dataran tinggi yang berudara dingin di Australia tidak terhitung lagi jumlah vineyard (perkebunan anggur) dan winery (industri wine) saat ini. Mulai dari wilayah Queensland, Victoria, hingga Australian Capital Territory (ACT Canberra). Data terakhir mencatat 1.197 winery yang ada di Australia.
Seperti pada umumnya wine terbagi menjadi tiga jenis, merah, putih dan rose. Ada juga sparkling wine yang masih termasuk varian wine atau yang di Perancis dikenal sebagai Champagne, sesuai dengan nama daerah penghasilnya, yang mengalami proses fermentasi dua kali. Rasaanya lebih ringan, biasa dipakai untuk pesta, termasuk di arena F1, yang bunyinya "pop" kalau botolnya dibuka.
Dari tiga jenis di atas wine masih terbagi lagi, berdasarkan tahun panen, jenis varietas, bahkan mereknya yang mencapai ribuan. Prancis sering mengklaim diri sebagai penghasil wine terbaik di dunia. Hal itu didasarkan pada tanah dan iklim yang spesifik di negara itu. Bahkan yang disebut terroir, yang merupakan gabungan antara struktur dan kandungan tanah tempat tumbuhnya pohon anggur, serta cuaca yang mempengaruhi wilayah tersebut sangat unik, yang tidak bisa didapat di negara lain.
Mitos ataukah fakta memang masih terjadi perdebatan. Tapi yang jelas, wine dari berbagai jenis varietas anggur apa saja tidak melulu adanya di Perancis saja. Di Australia, misalnya, kita dengan mudaah mendapatkan berbagai jenis wine, mulai dari Chardonnay, Semillon, Shiraz, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Sauvignon, hingga Merlot.
Pada industri tradisional, proses pembuatan wine masih dilakukan secara manual dan tradisional. Resep pembuatannya pun diwariskan secara turun temurun. Kini, ketika industtri wine sudah modern, peranan teknologi sangat penting, tapi tetap saja peranan Cellar Master (ahli awine) sangat menentukan bagi taster minuman yang diproduksi. Menjadi satu kesatuan yang tidak bisa dipisah-pisahkan antara jenis anggur, proses fermentasi, pencampuran, penyimpanan, hingga pengemasannya. "Seni membuat wine adalah menyatukan antara art dan science," kata Stuart Gregor, pengarang buku 'Don't Buy Wine Without Me, terbitan Australia tahun 2002.
Wine, bagi orang Australia sama dengan orang Eropa, agaknya sudah menjadi minuman sehari-hari. Paling tidak setiap makan malam tersedia segelas wine di meja, belum termasuk jika ada pesta yang pasti tersedia lebih banyak wine. Harganya pun relatif murah jika dibandingkan dengan harga makanan, meski tidak jarang untuk merek wine tertentu yang usianya tua dijual super mahal. Charles Heidsieck 1970 Royal, misalnya harganya mencapai 800 dolar Australia (1 dolar sekitar Rp 5.500).
Data menunjukkan konsumsi wine orang Australia mencapai 389 juta liter per tahun. Tidak semuanya bisa dipenuhi dari produksi dalam negeri, karena data perdagangan menunjukkan impor wine ke Australia mencapai 20 juta liter senilai 114 juta dolar Australia per tahun. Kendati demikian, negara ini juga mengekspor wine ke negara lain dengan volume yang tidak kecil, sekitar 288 juta liter atau setara 1.352 juta dolar Australia.
Para penggemar wine biasanya membentuk society tersendiri. Bahkan ada klub-klub yang mempunyai jadwaal tertentu menikmati wine. Termasuk secara berkala ke beberapa winery membuat acara wine testing, salah satu klub yang terkenal adalah Cool Climate Wine Club (situsnya enquires@coolclimatewine.com).
Dari pergaulan itulah anggota mendapat pengetahuan lebih banyak tentang wine. Misalnya, bagaimana menikmati wine yang benar, serta membedakannya antara yang satu dengan yang lain.
Para pemula biasanya tidak bisa mengenali antara Sauvignon Blanc dengan Chardonnay. Meski sama-sama putih, masing-masing mempunyai aroma yang unik. Yang pertama lebih light dan fresh, dengan aroma buah tropis. Sementara Chardonnay meski ke freshly baked breaad. Memang agak subjektif, dan para sommelier (pemulia wine) mempunyai opini yang berbeda untuk setiap jenis untuk masing-masing merek wine.
Di Australia setiap minggu ada saja merek baru yang muncul di pasaran. Mirip dengan di Perancis, ada lembaga-lembaga tertentu yang memberi penilaian terhadap sejumlah merek wine yang ada di pasaran. Belum termasuk beberapa publikasi, diantaranya Winnestate, yang menjadi panduan untuk penggemar wine di Australia dan New Zealand.
11 February 2009
The Adicts
THE LONGEST SERVING PUNK BAND WITH ORIGINAL LINE UP!
The Adicts began life as the Afterbirth & The Pinz, in their hometown of Ipswich back in late 1975.. They scored many Indie Chart hits in the Eighties, and are unbelievably still together, and still making great music, with the same line-up – Keith ‘Monkey’ Warren, vocals; Mel Ellis, bass; Pete Dee Davison, guitar; and Michael ‘Kid Dee’ Davison, drums - to this day.Newer members are John Scruff Ellis (Mel’s brother) guitar & Dan Gratziani on violin.
“I think we all started for different reasons,” recalls Monkey, of their distant origins. “Pete and Kid moved to Ipswich from Sunderland were already playing on their own, using pillows for drums in the front room. Mel had just failed the audition for Nick Kershaw’s band (too tall apparently) and I was a punk without a cause. Exactly what year that was may vary depending on who you talk to. Some say ’75, some say ‘76. I think I have a flyer from March ’76, but before that we had played our first show in a scout hut in Aldburgh, Suffolk - not exactly top of the list for all time top punk venues! We strung a rope across the room to keep the ‘crowd’ back and had a motor bike for a lighting rig. As far as our musical education goes, I think Pete took music at school, and Kid just liked to hit things. I don’t know where Mel got his ‘talent’ from but it seems to run in the family. I still can’t play anything.”
They soon changed their name to The Adicts and became known for their distinctive Clockwork Orange ‘Droog’ image, which, along with their urgent, uptempo music and light-hearted lyrics, helped set them very much apart from the rest of the genre.
“We became The Adicts because The Pinz was such a shit name,” deadpans Kid. “At the early gigs we just used to wear punk clothes, but never anything bought, like those posers who went down to Kings Road. After a while though, black came in and it all became boring, so we started to dress in white to be different, and ‘Clockwork Orange’ had been a major influence on us, though not for the violence, more the teenage angst…”
“The ‘Clockie’ thing didn’t really evolve until about 78/79 ‘Songs Of Praise’ came out in 1981,” reckons Monkey. “And the image is an amalgam of many things. It may have been a conscious effort to set ourselves against the somewhat unimaginative appearance of early ‘80s punk bands or just a perception that looking a certain way might be interesting and entertaining.
We got some stick from some of the self-appointed ‘real’ punk bands for not being punk enough, or whatever, but I don’t remember anyone really making an issue of the image… other than saying I must be a poof!”
But before the aforementioned ‘Songs Of Praise’ debut album, the band spent several years gigging and building up a strong local following. They even managed, after their very first London show, at The Brecknock, to secure an – albeit basic, to say the least – deal with Dining Out Records, who released the ‘Lunch With The Adicts’ EP in 1979. It was a scintillating, cock-sure debut, surprisingly well executed for an opening gambit, and featured four songs, two of which remain constants in the band’s live set even today: the pounding mid-tempo ‘Easy Way Out’ and the irresistible ‘Straight Jacket’.
“We wrote songs about unemployment, disillusionment, and all that happy stuff, but that was really a conformity with the non-conformists,” remembers Monkey, of their early searchings for that little something a bit different. “We just did what punk bands did until we developed our own style and voice. It was, and is, all about the band as a concept, not just the music, but the look, the attitude, the essence of the Adicts, that is not found anywhere else.
“I remember the early days as a time of discovery, adventure, and intellectual and artistic awakening. Punk Rock encouraged people from small towns all over the UK to think differently and to take a different path. My mum wasn’t too pleased when I quit my job and came home with purple hair, but it was a personal revolution. I may have been a fashion victim, but I was also a liberated mind ready for anything. The gigs were also a strange mix of freedom and fear. Punks from different towns united together at shows and vented while the band was on. But as soon as you stepped outside and went your separate ways, you had to watch your back for lads looking for a weirdo to kick in.”
“I was a rather violent youth and spent half the time scrapping with the neighbours or at a footbal match,” admits Pete. “The gigs were a mixture of curiosity, fun and hate for most of the punters; ducking ashtrays or pint glasses was a new skill we soon learned. I once played whilst having darts thrown at me; one stuck in my guitar and another in my leg! Now, that’s not nice, is it?
“All in all though, it was the most fun anyone could have… because we weren’t part-time punks; we were true to the cause. We looked forward to the weekend; we would travel miles to see a gig… for instance, I remember we went to see Eater in Clacton… two car loads of us… and that’s ALL who showed up for the gig too! Well, us and a hand full of local Hell’s Angels - even that turned into a brawl! There was nowhere that was safe, but the excitement to see Eater overruled everything… and we won the battle as well!”
Within a year, The Adicts unveiled their first long-player, ‘Songs Of Praise’, through Dwed Wrecords, their ‘own label’ but essentially a division of Fall Out. It took all the unique ingredients that had made the ‘Lunch With…’ EP so memorable, and refined and developed them, producing several of the band’s greatest moments. Quite contrary to the relentless thrash that was becoming so popular at the time, The Adicts dared to incorporate cheeky melodies and overtly pop overtones into their sound. ‘Tango’ even sounds like early Antz…
“There might be a bit of the Antz in there. In fact I have recently been sectioned under the mental health act,” laughs Monkey, before commenting on other possible influences, “I don’t think there were any other bands around Ipswich that were inspirational, except perhaps the shitty pop covers bands that we definitely didn’t want to be like. Once we got into the band I didn’t listen to that much other music; what we were doing was enough for me. It wasn’t until several years later that I caught up and realized that Pete and Kid had nicked bits off everyone from Lou Reed to Lulu…!
“‘Songs of Praise’ is my favorite release, not just for the music, but for the way that we did it all ourselves. I can still remember being in the back of the van just after we had picked up the first pressing and the LP sleeves. I think we were all getting off on the fumes from the glue. I took the first record and put it in the first sleeve and we all cheered as I held it up. I wish I knew what happened to that one!”
Arguably the best song on the album, and certainly the most anthemic, ‘Viva La Revolution’, was chosen as a single. Ably backed by ‘Numbers’ and a non-LP track - the superbly-titled ‘(My Baby Got Run Over By A) Steamroller’ - it spent over three months in the Indie Charts, cementing The Adicts’s rapidly-growing reputation as one of the most innovative and popular bands of punk’s new wave.
November 1982 saw the release of their sophomore album, ‘The Sound Of Music’, for Razor Records. It was preceded by two weeks with a single, the ludicrously infectious ‘Chinese Takeaway’. Both releases were classic Adicts, bubbling over with their own unique wacky energy, and it was hardly surprising when they took the charts by storm. ‘Chinese Takeaway’, backed by the brilliant ‘Too Young’ and a cover of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, spent four months in the Indies, peaking at No. 7, whilst the album managed no. 2, only being kept from the coveted top spot by Toyah’s ‘Warrior Rock’. It even dented the Top 100 of the National Charts, no mean feat right before Christmas!
More chart success followed when the anthemic ‘Bad Boy’ single was released in May 1983, so it was hardly surprising when the major labels started sniffing around the band, and that summer The Adicts signed to the Warner Bros. offshoot, Sire...It was the start of troubled times for the band, as both they and their label struggled to find a commercial compromise somewhere between easy listening radio hits and deviously daring punk rock.
Incredibly, they appeared on the kids’ TV show, ‘Cheggers Plays Pop’, albeit as The Fun Adicts, so as not to blatantly offend any parents who were tuning in. Less than a year later they were known as ADX, for the disappointing ‘Tokyo’ single, produced by ex-Vapors frontman, Dave Fenton. By their own admission, it is the band’s least favourite of their own releases (“It was a much better song than the production made it out to be,” quips Monkey). Thankfully it was backed by (as well as the rather bizarre - but quite fun – ‘ADX Medley’) ‘The Odd Couple’, a speedy track that reassured their diehard punk fans that the band still had some fire in their bellies.
Kid plays down the reasons for the name changes as, “because we couldn’t spell! And one was for TV - they thought The Adicts sounded too naughty, haha! But the ADX was just because we couldn’t spell!”
Monkey: “That was bit of a dodgy period for us. There was some perception that ‘Adicts’ had
5
negative connotations for radio and TV. We had signed to Sire who where going to make us big, and we were taken in by it. They did nothing for us and we were left to pick up the pieces…”
“We were controlled at this time by record labels and we were too slow to pick up on it,” sighs Pete. “And we were so out of our heads back then it’s all such a blur. I remember some dictator from Sire records wanted us to sack Monkey ‘cos he couldn’t sing… but of course we instead gave them shit for being a bunch of c*nts. We kept the Monkey at the cost of fame and fortune!”
The Adicts bounced back spectacularly well with the excellent ‘Smart Alex’ album.
As well as their hit single, ‘Bad Boy’, and a remixed (but still rubbish) version of ‘Tokyo’, the album features a whole host of styles and themes, all indelibly stamped with The Adicts’ own quirky identity. From the sultry singalong of ‘California’, via the stomping, almost-rockabilly ‘Crazy’, to the lilting, Fifties-ish ‘Runaway’, no one could ever accuse ‘Smart Alex’ of being generic, and it remains one of their most endearing and adventurous albums. The punters were obviously pleased to see the band back on form, too, as it sold well and spent over a month in the Indie charts, peaking at a very respectable number seven.
But yet more turmoil was just around the corner. Parting ways with Razor, The Adicts expanded to a five piece, with the addition of keyboardist James Harding. They released the ‘Bar Room Bop’ 12” on their own Dwed Records (again through Fallout), and then in 1986, they ended up recording their next album in Germany, a country where they had – and still have – great success touring. ‘Fifth Overture’, was initially released by German label, Gama, before being picked up for the UK by Fallout a year later, albeit with a different sleeve, but it was a poorly promoted, relatively weak effort from the band, that indulged in far too much New Wave pomposity for its own good, and it sank virtually without trace.
“Even then, we always regarded ourselves as a punk band,” insists Monkey. “I had big arguments with Geordie, our manager at the time, when he put ‘New Wave’ on the posters. I also had a big argument about selling out when the price to get in went up from 35p to 45p! I don't think we have ever had conscious aspirations or agendas. We get together, the songs come out. If we like it we’re happy.”
6
“Yes, of course we were, and we still are, a punk band,” agrees Pete. “The music may be interpreted through the many different styles we have, but at the end of the day, we are a Punk band… aren’t we?!”
Arguments over genre specifics didn’t stop the band from enjoying tremendous live success though, and they toured all over the world, even releasing a live album (recorded in front of their loyal German audience), ‘Rockers Into Orbit’, in 1988.
“Kid got drunk and disappeared, or passed out, all over Asia, America, and Europe,” he continues, recalling some of their other on-the-road antics. “We’ve got lost, robbed, ripped off, attacked and arrested… well, I got arrested at least! We’ve puked, pissed, slept, shagged, and shat together all over the world. We’ve been treated like kings and accused of being queens… well, I have!
After constantly touring for years they took a break for a couple years to lick their wounds and nurse their creative muses back to full power. They returned, 1992 with ‘27’for US label Cleopatra.
A much harder and more satisfying album than ‘Fifth Overture’, it was picked up for Europe a year later by Anagram, who allowed the band to incorporate an interactive Adicts board game into the sleeve art, which had participants doing everything the band themselves enjoyed doing whilst on tour, from rolling spliffs to eating vindaloo.
“Whilst on the road our humour got sicker and sicker,” explains Kid. “So we came up with the board game in the back of the van to help take away all those long boring hours spent traveling.”
‘27’ was a good return to form. The speedy opener ‘Angel’ reassures you immediately that you’re back in classic Adicts territory, and the rousing singalong ‘F@ck It Up’ just proves that you don’t have to play fast to sound anarchic. The album even features a belated sequel to ‘(My Baby Got Run Over By A) Steamroller’ in the shape of ‘7:27’, which sees a train to Liverpool Street taking the place of the original destructive automaton!
It was to be another ten long years before The Adicts deemed the time right to enter another recording studio. They went into Earles Studio in Ventura, California during 2002, where they wrote, rehearsed and recorded all nineteen cuts of their most recent album, ‘Rise And Shine’, there and then. Basically relying upon the unique chemistry they’ve developed over their long, eventful history to help shape some of their strongest and most diverse songs to date. They licensed the album from their own Dee Dee Records to Captain Oi as part of an extensive plan to reissue the majority of the band’s back catalogue.
“We’ve never been afraid to experiment or to play just what we feel,” reckons Kid of the new album. “The new stuff is still fast, fun and furious, but there are still a few songs that will completely blow your head off because they’re so different! And we have got Pete in the studio who is a genius. Overall we are still a good team…”
For a while “We all went off and did normal things to see if we liked it. Some of us liked it better than others. Kid had kids, Mel had letters to deliver, Pete had other bands to produce… and I sat forlornly in my room, putting on my make-up and waiting for the phone to ring!
“Our message, such as it is, has always been, have fun,” he continues, attempting to define the secret of their longevity. “That’s timeless and appeals to everyone. If your songs are about the political state of the country, or a victim of police brutality in the ‘80s, then the agenda that you established for yourself becomes obsolete. You become an anachronism…
“To be honest, I never thought our music would be remembered in years to come. I used to be happy if someone remembered a song straight after we played it. Actually I used to be even happier if we remembered the song while we played it!
“The only thing I would have done differently,” he says, in typical deadpan Adicts fashion, when asked whether or not he has any regrets, “Is to have been in a different band, with different people, and with different songs. Oh, and no make-up. Other than that it’s been perfect!
But I do love the new album Rollercoaster. Its got it all. It sums up what we are about.
~ The Adicts.
The Adicts began life as the Afterbirth & The Pinz, in their hometown of Ipswich back in late 1975.. They scored many Indie Chart hits in the Eighties, and are unbelievably still together, and still making great music, with the same line-up – Keith ‘Monkey’ Warren, vocals; Mel Ellis, bass; Pete Dee Davison, guitar; and Michael ‘Kid Dee’ Davison, drums - to this day.Newer members are John Scruff Ellis (Mel’s brother) guitar & Dan Gratziani on violin.
“I think we all started for different reasons,” recalls Monkey, of their distant origins. “Pete and Kid moved to Ipswich from Sunderland were already playing on their own, using pillows for drums in the front room. Mel had just failed the audition for Nick Kershaw’s band (too tall apparently) and I was a punk without a cause. Exactly what year that was may vary depending on who you talk to. Some say ’75, some say ‘76. I think I have a flyer from March ’76, but before that we had played our first show in a scout hut in Aldburgh, Suffolk - not exactly top of the list for all time top punk venues! We strung a rope across the room to keep the ‘crowd’ back and had a motor bike for a lighting rig. As far as our musical education goes, I think Pete took music at school, and Kid just liked to hit things. I don’t know where Mel got his ‘talent’ from but it seems to run in the family. I still can’t play anything.”
They soon changed their name to The Adicts and became known for their distinctive Clockwork Orange ‘Droog’ image, which, along with their urgent, uptempo music and light-hearted lyrics, helped set them very much apart from the rest of the genre.
“We became The Adicts because The Pinz was such a shit name,” deadpans Kid. “At the early gigs we just used to wear punk clothes, but never anything bought, like those posers who went down to Kings Road. After a while though, black came in and it all became boring, so we started to dress in white to be different, and ‘Clockwork Orange’ had been a major influence on us, though not for the violence, more the teenage angst…”
“The ‘Clockie’ thing didn’t really evolve until about 78/79 ‘Songs Of Praise’ came out in 1981,” reckons Monkey. “And the image is an amalgam of many things. It may have been a conscious effort to set ourselves against the somewhat unimaginative appearance of early ‘80s punk bands or just a perception that looking a certain way might be interesting and entertaining.
We got some stick from some of the self-appointed ‘real’ punk bands for not being punk enough, or whatever, but I don’t remember anyone really making an issue of the image… other than saying I must be a poof!”
But before the aforementioned ‘Songs Of Praise’ debut album, the band spent several years gigging and building up a strong local following. They even managed, after their very first London show, at The Brecknock, to secure an – albeit basic, to say the least – deal with Dining Out Records, who released the ‘Lunch With The Adicts’ EP in 1979. It was a scintillating, cock-sure debut, surprisingly well executed for an opening gambit, and featured four songs, two of which remain constants in the band’s live set even today: the pounding mid-tempo ‘Easy Way Out’ and the irresistible ‘Straight Jacket’.
“We wrote songs about unemployment, disillusionment, and all that happy stuff, but that was really a conformity with the non-conformists,” remembers Monkey, of their early searchings for that little something a bit different. “We just did what punk bands did until we developed our own style and voice. It was, and is, all about the band as a concept, not just the music, but the look, the attitude, the essence of the Adicts, that is not found anywhere else.
“I remember the early days as a time of discovery, adventure, and intellectual and artistic awakening. Punk Rock encouraged people from small towns all over the UK to think differently and to take a different path. My mum wasn’t too pleased when I quit my job and came home with purple hair, but it was a personal revolution. I may have been a fashion victim, but I was also a liberated mind ready for anything. The gigs were also a strange mix of freedom and fear. Punks from different towns united together at shows and vented while the band was on. But as soon as you stepped outside and went your separate ways, you had to watch your back for lads looking for a weirdo to kick in.”
“I was a rather violent youth and spent half the time scrapping with the neighbours or at a footbal match,” admits Pete. “The gigs were a mixture of curiosity, fun and hate for most of the punters; ducking ashtrays or pint glasses was a new skill we soon learned. I once played whilst having darts thrown at me; one stuck in my guitar and another in my leg! Now, that’s not nice, is it?
“All in all though, it was the most fun anyone could have… because we weren’t part-time punks; we were true to the cause. We looked forward to the weekend; we would travel miles to see a gig… for instance, I remember we went to see Eater in Clacton… two car loads of us… and that’s ALL who showed up for the gig too! Well, us and a hand full of local Hell’s Angels - even that turned into a brawl! There was nowhere that was safe, but the excitement to see Eater overruled everything… and we won the battle as well!”
Within a year, The Adicts unveiled their first long-player, ‘Songs Of Praise’, through Dwed Wrecords, their ‘own label’ but essentially a division of Fall Out. It took all the unique ingredients that had made the ‘Lunch With…’ EP so memorable, and refined and developed them, producing several of the band’s greatest moments. Quite contrary to the relentless thrash that was becoming so popular at the time, The Adicts dared to incorporate cheeky melodies and overtly pop overtones into their sound. ‘Tango’ even sounds like early Antz…
“There might be a bit of the Antz in there. In fact I have recently been sectioned under the mental health act,” laughs Monkey, before commenting on other possible influences, “I don’t think there were any other bands around Ipswich that were inspirational, except perhaps the shitty pop covers bands that we definitely didn’t want to be like. Once we got into the band I didn’t listen to that much other music; what we were doing was enough for me. It wasn’t until several years later that I caught up and realized that Pete and Kid had nicked bits off everyone from Lou Reed to Lulu…!
“‘Songs of Praise’ is my favorite release, not just for the music, but for the way that we did it all ourselves. I can still remember being in the back of the van just after we had picked up the first pressing and the LP sleeves. I think we were all getting off on the fumes from the glue. I took the first record and put it in the first sleeve and we all cheered as I held it up. I wish I knew what happened to that one!”
Arguably the best song on the album, and certainly the most anthemic, ‘Viva La Revolution’, was chosen as a single. Ably backed by ‘Numbers’ and a non-LP track - the superbly-titled ‘(My Baby Got Run Over By A) Steamroller’ - it spent over three months in the Indie Charts, cementing The Adicts’s rapidly-growing reputation as one of the most innovative and popular bands of punk’s new wave.
November 1982 saw the release of their sophomore album, ‘The Sound Of Music’, for Razor Records. It was preceded by two weeks with a single, the ludicrously infectious ‘Chinese Takeaway’. Both releases were classic Adicts, bubbling over with their own unique wacky energy, and it was hardly surprising when they took the charts by storm. ‘Chinese Takeaway’, backed by the brilliant ‘Too Young’ and a cover of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, spent four months in the Indies, peaking at No. 7, whilst the album managed no. 2, only being kept from the coveted top spot by Toyah’s ‘Warrior Rock’. It even dented the Top 100 of the National Charts, no mean feat right before Christmas!
More chart success followed when the anthemic ‘Bad Boy’ single was released in May 1983, so it was hardly surprising when the major labels started sniffing around the band, and that summer The Adicts signed to the Warner Bros. offshoot, Sire...It was the start of troubled times for the band, as both they and their label struggled to find a commercial compromise somewhere between easy listening radio hits and deviously daring punk rock.
Incredibly, they appeared on the kids’ TV show, ‘Cheggers Plays Pop’, albeit as The Fun Adicts, so as not to blatantly offend any parents who were tuning in. Less than a year later they were known as ADX, for the disappointing ‘Tokyo’ single, produced by ex-Vapors frontman, Dave Fenton. By their own admission, it is the band’s least favourite of their own releases (“It was a much better song than the production made it out to be,” quips Monkey). Thankfully it was backed by (as well as the rather bizarre - but quite fun – ‘ADX Medley’) ‘The Odd Couple’, a speedy track that reassured their diehard punk fans that the band still had some fire in their bellies.
Kid plays down the reasons for the name changes as, “because we couldn’t spell! And one was for TV - they thought The Adicts sounded too naughty, haha! But the ADX was just because we couldn’t spell!”
Monkey: “That was bit of a dodgy period for us. There was some perception that ‘Adicts’ had
5
negative connotations for radio and TV. We had signed to Sire who where going to make us big, and we were taken in by it. They did nothing for us and we were left to pick up the pieces…”
“We were controlled at this time by record labels and we were too slow to pick up on it,” sighs Pete. “And we were so out of our heads back then it’s all such a blur. I remember some dictator from Sire records wanted us to sack Monkey ‘cos he couldn’t sing… but of course we instead gave them shit for being a bunch of c*nts. We kept the Monkey at the cost of fame and fortune!”
The Adicts bounced back spectacularly well with the excellent ‘Smart Alex’ album.
As well as their hit single, ‘Bad Boy’, and a remixed (but still rubbish) version of ‘Tokyo’, the album features a whole host of styles and themes, all indelibly stamped with The Adicts’ own quirky identity. From the sultry singalong of ‘California’, via the stomping, almost-rockabilly ‘Crazy’, to the lilting, Fifties-ish ‘Runaway’, no one could ever accuse ‘Smart Alex’ of being generic, and it remains one of their most endearing and adventurous albums. The punters were obviously pleased to see the band back on form, too, as it sold well and spent over a month in the Indie charts, peaking at a very respectable number seven.
But yet more turmoil was just around the corner. Parting ways with Razor, The Adicts expanded to a five piece, with the addition of keyboardist James Harding. They released the ‘Bar Room Bop’ 12” on their own Dwed Records (again through Fallout), and then in 1986, they ended up recording their next album in Germany, a country where they had – and still have – great success touring. ‘Fifth Overture’, was initially released by German label, Gama, before being picked up for the UK by Fallout a year later, albeit with a different sleeve, but it was a poorly promoted, relatively weak effort from the band, that indulged in far too much New Wave pomposity for its own good, and it sank virtually without trace.
“Even then, we always regarded ourselves as a punk band,” insists Monkey. “I had big arguments with Geordie, our manager at the time, when he put ‘New Wave’ on the posters. I also had a big argument about selling out when the price to get in went up from 35p to 45p! I don't think we have ever had conscious aspirations or agendas. We get together, the songs come out. If we like it we’re happy.”
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“Yes, of course we were, and we still are, a punk band,” agrees Pete. “The music may be interpreted through the many different styles we have, but at the end of the day, we are a Punk band… aren’t we?!”
Arguments over genre specifics didn’t stop the band from enjoying tremendous live success though, and they toured all over the world, even releasing a live album (recorded in front of their loyal German audience), ‘Rockers Into Orbit’, in 1988.
“Kid got drunk and disappeared, or passed out, all over Asia, America, and Europe,” he continues, recalling some of their other on-the-road antics. “We’ve got lost, robbed, ripped off, attacked and arrested… well, I got arrested at least! We’ve puked, pissed, slept, shagged, and shat together all over the world. We’ve been treated like kings and accused of being queens… well, I have!
After constantly touring for years they took a break for a couple years to lick their wounds and nurse their creative muses back to full power. They returned, 1992 with ‘27’for US label Cleopatra.
A much harder and more satisfying album than ‘Fifth Overture’, it was picked up for Europe a year later by Anagram, who allowed the band to incorporate an interactive Adicts board game into the sleeve art, which had participants doing everything the band themselves enjoyed doing whilst on tour, from rolling spliffs to eating vindaloo.
“Whilst on the road our humour got sicker and sicker,” explains Kid. “So we came up with the board game in the back of the van to help take away all those long boring hours spent traveling.”
‘27’ was a good return to form. The speedy opener ‘Angel’ reassures you immediately that you’re back in classic Adicts territory, and the rousing singalong ‘F@ck It Up’ just proves that you don’t have to play fast to sound anarchic. The album even features a belated sequel to ‘(My Baby Got Run Over By A) Steamroller’ in the shape of ‘7:27’, which sees a train to Liverpool Street taking the place of the original destructive automaton!
It was to be another ten long years before The Adicts deemed the time right to enter another recording studio. They went into Earles Studio in Ventura, California during 2002, where they wrote, rehearsed and recorded all nineteen cuts of their most recent album, ‘Rise And Shine’, there and then. Basically relying upon the unique chemistry they’ve developed over their long, eventful history to help shape some of their strongest and most diverse songs to date. They licensed the album from their own Dee Dee Records to Captain Oi as part of an extensive plan to reissue the majority of the band’s back catalogue.
“We’ve never been afraid to experiment or to play just what we feel,” reckons Kid of the new album. “The new stuff is still fast, fun and furious, but there are still a few songs that will completely blow your head off because they’re so different! And we have got Pete in the studio who is a genius. Overall we are still a good team…”
For a while “We all went off and did normal things to see if we liked it. Some of us liked it better than others. Kid had kids, Mel had letters to deliver, Pete had other bands to produce… and I sat forlornly in my room, putting on my make-up and waiting for the phone to ring!
“Our message, such as it is, has always been, have fun,” he continues, attempting to define the secret of their longevity. “That’s timeless and appeals to everyone. If your songs are about the political state of the country, or a victim of police brutality in the ‘80s, then the agenda that you established for yourself becomes obsolete. You become an anachronism…
“To be honest, I never thought our music would be remembered in years to come. I used to be happy if someone remembered a song straight after we played it. Actually I used to be even happier if we remembered the song while we played it!
“The only thing I would have done differently,” he says, in typical deadpan Adicts fashion, when asked whether or not he has any regrets, “Is to have been in a different band, with different people, and with different songs. Oh, and no make-up. Other than that it’s been perfect!
But I do love the new album Rollercoaster. Its got it all. It sums up what we are about.
~ The Adicts.
10 February 2009
The BUSINESS
The BUSINESS
were formed towards the end of the seventies in UK with a line-up consisting of Micky Fitz-Steve Kent-Martin Smith and Nick Cunningham. Their first apperance on vinyl came in 1981 on the VU Records compilation 'Sudden Surge Of Sound' with the track 'Out in the cold'. The album also featured the UK SUBS and Laura Logic, formerly X-RAY SPEX. The Business track did not fare too well with the music press and one critic described it as "an angry bastard version of Status Quo". The group next turned up on the 'Carry On Oi!' LP which featured two songs by them.
A month later they released their debut single 'Harry may' which reached the top ten in Sounds independant chart, and is now quite hard to find. The original line-up split soon after it's telease and the last track they recorded was 'Step Into christmas' for the 'Bollocks to Christmas' EP(Dec.'81). Also released in December was the '1980-81 Official Bootleg' on Syndicate Records. This mixed live and demo recordings from the first incarnation of the band.
Micky Fitz wasted no time in re-forming the band with the help of Steve Whale, Mark Brennan, Graham Ball(ex-Conflict) and John Fisher(later to join Combat 84). The band only survived long enough to play one gig and Ball and Fisher left. Kev Boyce was drafted in to fill the vacant drum-stool and recorded an EP 'Smash The discos' with the band in March '82. The single spent six weeks in the indie chart peaking at number one spot by Pigbag's quarter of a million selling 'Papa's got a brand new Pigbag'. Before the release of the band's delayed first album, they appeared on two compilations in 1982. 'Total Noise' EP featured a studio version of 'Loud proud and punk' and the secret Records 'Oi Oi that's yer lot' LP inclued 'Real Enemy'. The business debut album 'Suburban Rebels' was finally released in May 1983 and reached number 37 in the national charts.
The LP was produced by Micky Geggus of the COCKNEY REJECTS, but was not technically their true first album. The original first album was produced by Ron Rouman(the band's manager) but The Business were not happy with the mix, so they decided to remix themselves. However, when they went to do this they found the tapes had mysteriously disappeared. So they borrowed £2,000 from Secret and re-recorded the album. The tapes finally came to light when Secret licensed the song 'Blind Justice' to Cherry Red for use in the 'UK/DK' video and sound-track LP(released 1983).
Apparently Secret had sent, by mistake the Geggus mixes instead of the Rouman LP. The original Rouman produced album finally surfaced on the 'Back to Back Vol.2' double LP on wonderful World records in 1985. The album was titled 'Smash The discos'(later re-issued on Link) and iclued covers of Crass's 'Do they owe us a living' and Sham 69 'Tell us the truth''. The band was unable to record during most of 1984 due to legal hassles with Secret and trouble with their management. However, in september they returned again with a new LP 'Loud Proud and punk- Live' and a new drummer Micky Fairbairn. The album went down well with the music press and gained a five star review in Sounds.
1985 proved to be a productive year with the new line-up releasing their first 12" 'Get Out Of My House' ; two double LP's 'Back To Back-Vol.1' and the already mentioned volume 2; and the controversial 'Drinking and driving' . The latter was released on 7" and 12", the 12" containing a cover of SHAM 69's 'Harry up Harry'. The single did not impress the public, especially Professor Brian Pritchard of Action on Drinking and driving. He was quoted in the national press as saying: "The record is absolutely criminal, the group should be prosecuted for aiding and abetting manslaughter"(!!)
An album followed in December '85 entitled 'Saturday's heroes' which inclued 'Drinking and Driving' and another 'offensive' song - the title track 'Saturday's heroes'. The song was a tongue-in-cheek tribute to football hooliganism, but again was treated seriously and with contempt. Record wise, apart from songs on various compilations, The business were not heard of again until the release of 'Do a runner' in February '88(a brilliant song reminiscent of COCK SPARRER). Dojo Records kept the band's name alive prior to this by releasing a compilation LP in june '86. 'Singalongabusiness' contained singles A and B-sides, plus various odds and sods. The 12" 'Do a runner' was issued on Link records(which was formed by Business bass player Mark Brennan in '87).
An LP 'Welcome to the real world' followed quickly in May '88. As well as containing original Business songs it also contained versions of songs originally written for Prole and The Blackout(bands which Business members had been previously involved in). In October '88 a four-track EP was given away with the first issue of 'Beat Of The Street' magazine. The inclued song was a live version of 'Do a runner' recorded at the Lisieux Festival in Normandy-France and which was to be the band's last ever gig.
On Saturday April 2nd 1988, The Business played their final English gig at the Astoria in london. A crowd of 1500 attented and the event was recorded by Link and issued as the 'Live and Loud' LP. The band split up shortly after the aforementioned French Festival...
COCK SPARRER
It started off like any other show ("Argy Bargy")…you see, the thing about Sparrer is that they're not just a band. The four original members (Steve Bruce - drums, Mick Beaufoy - guitar, Steve Burgess - bass and Colin Mcfaull - vocals) together with their tour manager, Will Murray, have known each other since the age of eleven. They were born and raised in London's East End, growing up in an atmosphere of football and rock music. For most of their lives, they've been mates.
They all attended the same school and, in 1972, swapped homework for rehearsals in order to form a group, playing Small Faces songs and not much else. They were later joined by Garrie Lammin, the first of several rhythm guitarists. Garrie had a lot going for him: he owned a Marshall stack, had a spikey haircut and was Burge's cousin. Thanks to Terry Murphy, who ran the Bridgehouse pub in Canning Town (East London's coolest rock venue), the boys were never short of somewhere to play, even if it was only a wet Monday night with an audience of just Terry and his bar staff.
Sparrer began to write their own songs. They were based on the life they led and the characters they met while supporting West Ham Football Club every Saturday afternoon. The sound that evolved was more raw than the prevailing heavy rock favoured by their contemporaries and soon attracted a regular following. The gigs at the Bridgehouse were now being supplemented by support slots at The Marquee in London's West End (thanks to Archie, The Marquee's dodgy jock doorman).
Malcolm McLaren came to see the band rehearse in a room over The Roding pub in East Ham with a view to taking them under his wing and turning them into the 'next big thing' (sound familiar ?). Bondage trousers and safety pins met Doctor Martins and jungle greens. It was not to be. Malcolm invited the boys to play with the newly formed Sex Pistols at a strip club in Soho but his inability to buy them a beer did not go down well and the association ended there (if only…Oh well, who gives a shit ?)
Shortly afterwards the music scene was changed forever with the release of 'Anarchy In The UK'. Suddenly record companies were rushing to find anyone who didn't sound like the 'dinosaur' rockers that had now become so 'un-trendy' and Cock Sparrer signed their lives away to Decca Records (along with 'Slaughter And The Dogs' from Manchester). Fame and fortune were just around the corner.
Decca sent the boys to their West Hampstead studio to record a single (the same studio once used by the Stones). They were assigned the company's best producer, Nick Tauber (whose other clients included Thin Lizzy) and, while everybody from the head of A&R to the studio engineer were trying to work out what to do with a 'punk' group who refused to dye their hair green or stick safety pins through their ears, Sparrer kept themselves busy trying to work out how many microphones they could nick and sell without them being missed.
A support slot on the Small Faces UK tour was negotiated and the first single, 'Runnin' Riot', was released in July 1977. It reached the lower end of the British chart but did nothing to dampen the band's growing mistrust of record companies, managers and P.R. companies ('Take 'em All'). By the time the second single was released ('We Love You'/'Chip On My Shoulder' - 12 inch and 7 inch - November 1977), the boys were rejecting every promotional idea they were asked to consider (which was why the 'We Love You' picture sleeve was blank) and were booking their own tour from Decca's offices.
They all lived in a house in Dagenham, Essex. When not gigging, they spent the time in the kitchen playing football, drinking in the local pub or praying for Will to win enough money on the horses to pay the rent. They had 'acquired' boxes and boxes of both their singles which they used for rifle practice in the back garden (they're sick when they now see them being offered for huge amounts of money in record collector magazines).
This period was the inspiration for many songs ('Working', 'Last Train To Dagenham') often written as they travelled to gigs in the back of a red ex-Post Office van driven by their trusty roadie, 'The Head' (another old school friend). The band's most loyal supporters were a bunch of East End lads known as 'The Poplar Boys', who turned up at every gig.
With the emergence of punk, Sparrer naively believed their music had found a natural home. Not so. Their aggressive anthems born out of a dangerous mixture of East End life and football matches were not welcomed by the West London art school dropouts who dominated the British music press. These critics were desperately trying to turn punk into 'new wave' in order to give it a respectability that would justify their interest. 'Serious' punk musicians quickly emerged. The Pistols disintegrated and so, with somewhat less fuss, did Sparrer. Garrie left to become an actor and the others booked themselves on a Freddie Laker flight to America, paid for by selling off their P.A. (which wasn't actually theirs to sell).
They didn't split up. They just didn't play for a while.
The next couple of years saw the boys with no great desire to get back on the road. The only real highlight was Trevor Brooking's magnificent diving header which secured West Ham's defeat of Arsenal in the 1980 F.A. Cup Final.
But the need for some good, honest street rock would not go away. Writer and T.V. personality Garry Bushell realised this and decided to compile an album of what had become known as 'OI' music. It included Sparrer's 'Sunday Stripper'. Suddenly, the group was back in demand.
During a chance phone call by one of the boys to an old friend, now a top record company executive, a new song, 'England Belongs To Me', was mentioned. The lads were offered a deal on the strength of the title alone. In fact, the original title was 'London Belongs To Me' but it "didn't seem to scan right" and actually it wasn't even completely written at the time of the phone call. The album 'Shock Troops' followed, recorded at The White House studio in Chelsea.
Sparrer finally had the freedom to record the sort of things they really wanted to. They vented their frustration with the punk scene ('Where Are They Now ?'), their distrust of most things political ('Watch Your Back'), their hatred of terrorism ('Secret Army'), their disillusionment with the police ('Riot Squad') and their disregard for conventionality ('Out On An Island'), a song which proved they were more than just another punk band.
After the album was completed, Mickey decided he'd had enough for a while. He never lost touch with the band and still turned up for an occasional special gig, such as Bushell's Birthday Bash, the 'Live and Loud' recording and two dates at the 'Gibus Club' in Paris, France. A new rhythm guitarist, Brazilian Chris Skepis was recruited. As with Garrie Lammin, Chris had a lot going for him: he owned a copy of the complete music to the Clash's first album and his dad was a millionaire. Shug O'Neill was chosen as temporary lead guitarist because a drink was arranged in a Soho pub and he actually turned up. Although Micky played most of the rhythm and all of the lead guitars on the album, both the new boys somehow managed to get their pictures on the 'Shock Troops' cover.
Cock Sparrer played several gigs around this time, including a sell out at the 100 Club in Oxford Street, with Chris and Shug. The new recruits also featured on another album, 'Runnin' Riot In '84'. Numerous live and compilation discs were subsequently released but no more live work was undertaken. Chris returned to Brazil and Shug left to form his own band.
The boys, as ever, remained close mates. Steve Bruce was running a music pub in Bethnal Green ('The Stick Of Rock') and was often asked if Sparrer would ever play again. Mickey was up for it and, after a great deal of money changed hands, they agreed to play 'The Astoria' in Charing Cross Road with new rhythm guitarist Daryl Smith. The lads' fondest memory of the day is rehearsing in 'The Stick Of Rock' on the afternoon of the gig to around 100 people. They were not prepared, however, for the size of the crowd that turned up that night. These people had travelled from all over Europe and they knew the words to every song. The group had constantly been told that they had played a crucial part in the whole 'OI' thing. Here was the proof.
With the albums 'Guilty As Charged' and 'Two Monkeys', Cock Sparrer returned to what they do best: writing anthems for everyday life (courtesy of Burge) and playing live. Whenever they perform, it's a party, from the mass singalongs accompanying almost every song to the tradition of a member of the audience disrobing during 'Sunday Stripper'. That's how they like it.
Cock Sparrer were, are and always will be:
Colin McFaull - vocals, Steve Burgess - bass guitar, Steve Bruce - drums, Mickey Beaufoy - guitars, Will Murray - road manager
Five blokes in a pub, five mates having a laugh, … more than just a band.
Plus new boy Daryl Smith (he's only been with the band since 1992)
the CASSUALTIES
the CASSUALTIES
Fall 1990. The streets of NYC are a bleak and barren wasteland for the few punx left to roam the streets in search of a scene that has long since disappeared. Long after it’s glory days in the early 1980s, the global punk scene by 1990 had all but died. In it’s place had sprung the benign sounds of grunge, east bay pop and metal crossover played by long haired college poets, crusty squatters and other hippie miscreants. While the rest of the world seemed content enough to rot in the mire of stale post-metal and college puke, a small scene of spiky haired drunk punx in NYC set out on a mission to return punk rock to it’s glorious roots. The Casualties were born!
Casualties Time Line:
1990: Jorge-vocals, Colin-vocals, Mark-bass, Yureesh-drums, Hank-guitar
First demo is recorded. Rachel from the Rivits fills in on second vocals for a few months while Colin is away at school.
1991: Jorge-vocals, Colin-vocals, Mark-bass, Yureesh-drums, Fred-guitar
Hank leaves the band, replaced by Fred on guitar. Their first studio recording "Political Sin" is recorded for the "Benefit for Beer" compilation. Fred goes away to school and is replaced temporarily by Scott from C Squat. Scott leaves when Fred returns from school and joins the band full time. Hank comes back to join the band for a few shows then leaves the band for good. The debut "40 Ounce Casualty" ep is recorded in the Fall of '91. Steve distraught fills in on second guitar for a short time.
1992: Jorge-vocals, Colin-vocals, Mark-bass, Yureesh-drums, Fred-guitar
Constant local gigging begins to earn the Casualties a huge local following in NYC and a reputation around the world...
1993: Jorge-vocals, Colin-vocals, Mike-bass, Yureesh-drums, Jake-guitar
Fred and Mark leave the band and within a week are replaced by Jake and Mike.
1994: Jorge-vocals, Mike-bass, Shawn-drums, Jake-guitar
"For the Punx" and "10 years too late" are recorded for the "Pogo Attack" compilation. The four-song "Drinking is our Way of Life" ep is recorded but not released until it appears on the Casualties "early years 1990-1995" CD in 1999. Colin and Yureesh leave the band, Shawn joins on drums.
1995: Jorge-vocals, Mike-bass, Meggers-drums, Jake-guitar
The "Fuckin' Way of Life" ep is recorded. Shawn leaves the band, replaced by Meggers from the Rivits on drums
1996: Jorge-vocals, Mike-bass, Meggers-drums, Jake-guitar
The Casualties are the first American band to appear at the legendary "Holidays in the Sun" Festival in London.
1997: Jorge-vocals, Mike-bass, Meggers-drums, Jake-guitar
The Casualties reach a new level of popularity with their new line-up, the release of their debut "For the Punx" album and their first American tour with the Varukers.
1998: Jorge-vocals, Jon-bass, Meggers-drums, Jake-guitar
Mike leaves the band, replaced by Jon from the Krays on bass. Their 2nd album "Underground Army" is released. Jon leaves the band during the "Underground Army" European tour. Dave Punk Core fills in on bass from late '98 to Spring '99.
1999: Jorge-vocals, Rick-bass, Meggers-drums, Jake-guitar
Dave leaves the band, Rick from the Manix is recruited on bass. The Casualties embark on their third successful world tour. The "Early Years 1990-1995" album, a compilation of rare early recordings is released.
2000: Jorge-vocals, Rick-bass, Meggers-drums, Jake-guitar
The Casualties reach yet another peak in popularity with their fourth World tour beginning in March in Europe and ending in August in the USA and with the release of their "Who's in Control?" ep and their third album "Stay Out of Order".
2001: Jorge-vocals, Rick-bass, Meggers-drums, Jake-guitar
11 years on and stronger than ever, the Casualties release their fourth studio album "Die Hards" to rave reviews. Another full US tour, including two weeks on the Vans Warped Tour and ending up the Summer tour at the first American Holidays in the Sun tour amongst legends such as the Exploited, GBH, Cockney Rejects, Slaughter & the Dogs & more. The story continues.......!
Discography:
1991: "Political Sin" appears on "A Benefit for Beer" compilation 7" on Swill Records (Public Nuisance's label)
Other bands who appear on the record are Public Nuisance, the Deviators and Jesus Chrust. Two different covers (approximately 1000 of each) exist.
1992: The four track "40 Ounce Casualty" ep is self released by the band. Two different full color covers are made (approximately 100 of each), one by Jorge and Colin, the other by Mark and Yureesh. For the other 800 copies, black and white covers featuring the now-infamous artwork by Yureesh are made by Jake upon joining the band. Approximately 100 copies were pressed on pink vinyl.
1994: "For the Punx" and "25 years too late" appear on the "Pogo Attack" compilation LP on Pogo Stick Records.
Other bands who appear on the record are Blanks '77, the Pist, Distraught, Banner of Hope, Mankind, Wretched Ones, Dysfunctional Youth, the Bristles and the Vomit Punx. Later re-issued on CD by Nasty Vinyl in Germany.
1995: "A Fuckin' Way of Life" ep is released on Eyeball Records. Approximately 2000 copies pressed.
1997: "For the Punx" the debut LP/CD is released on Tribal War Records. Appoximately 200 test pressing "record release party" LP's are made for the record release party show. Appoximately 2000 copies were pressed on red vinyl and approximately 2000 on blue vinyl.
1998: "Underground Army" the 2nd full length LP/CD is released on Tribal War Records.
1999: "Underground Army" is re-issued on Punk Core Records. 2000 copies were pressed on blue splatter vinyl and included a full color record jacket, full color inner sleeve and free poster. "The Early Years 1990-1995" LP/CD is released on Punk Core. 2000 copies are pressed, 500 on green splatter vinyl with full color record jacket, full color inner sleeve and free poster.
"The Early Years 1990-1995" is released, which includes all tracks recorded within the first five years of the band's existence, with several unreleased tracks including the previously unreleased "Drinking is our Way of Life" ep and original 1990 demo.
2000: "Who's in Control?", the bands first new ep in five years is released on Punk Core. 1000 copies were pressed on black vinyl, 1000 on purple splatter. CD version included four bonus tracks recorded live at the Gas Station in NYC in 1995 including one previously unreleased song "ammunition". "Stay Out of Order", the Casualties third full length LP/CD is released on Punk Core.
"Stay Out of Order", the band's third full-length studio album is released on Punk Core. CD contains live video tracks from the band's performance at the Whisky A Go Go show from 1999, as well as a hidden bonus track, a cover of the Exploited's "dead cities". 2000 LP's were pressed, the first two hundred on red vinyl, 800 on yellow vinyl and 1000 on black vinyl.
"For The Punx", the band's debut album is re-pressed on Punk Core
2001: "Die Hards" is released on Side 1 Dummy records. Thought by many to be their best album in years, the band's fourth studio album is released to rave reviews. Limited green vinyl and red vinyl are pressed.
08 February 2009
Ramones
RAMONES
Ramones (L-R, Johnny, Tommy, Joey, Dee Dee) on the cover of their self-titled debut album (1976).
Asal Forest Hills, Queens, New York, USA
Tahun aktif 1974 – 1996
Jenis musik Punk Rock
Perusahaan rekaman musik Sire Records (US and UK, 1976-1992)
Radioactive Records (US, 1992-1996)
Chrysalis Records (UK, 1992-1996)
Mantan anggota Joey Ramone
Johnny Ramone
Dee Dee Ramone
Tommy Ramone
Marky Ramone
Richie Ramone
Elvis Ramone
C.J. Ramone
Ramones adalah kelompok musik rock dari Amerika Serikat yang biasanya dianggap sebagai kelompok punk rock pertama. Walaupun mereka tidak pernah mencapai kesuksesan seperti the Clash atau the Sex Pistols, mereka tetap memiliki pengaruh besar dalam perkembangan musik ini. Setelah didirikan di Forest Hills, Queens, New York pada 1974, mereka akhirnya bubar 22 tahun kemudian di 1996. Tiga anggota asli mereka, Joey, Johnny dan Dee Dee Ramone, meninggal beberapa tahun setelah band ini bubar.
Anggota asli:
* Joey Ramone (19 Mei 1951–15 April 2001) (nama asli Jeffry Ross Hyman) (vocals) (1974–1996)
* Johnny Ramone (8 Oktober 1948–15 September 2004) (nama asli John Cummings) (guitar) (1974–1996)
* Dee Dee Ramone (18 September 1952–5 Juni 2002) (nama asli Douglas Glenn Colvin) (bass guitar) (1974–1989)
* Tommy Ramone (29 Januari 1952) (nama asli Tamás Erdélyi) (drums) (1974–1978)
Anggota lainnya:
* Marky Ramone (15 Juli 1956) (nama asli Marc Bell) (menggantikan Tommy dan kemudian Elvis pada drums) (1978–1983, 1987–1996)
* Richie Ramone (11 Agustus 1957) (nama asli Richard Reinhardt) (menggantikan Marky pada drums) (1983–1987)
* Elvis Ramone (24 November 1955) (nama asli Clem Burke) (menggantikan Richie pada drums untuk dua pertunjukan) (1987)
* C.J. Ramone (8 Oktober 1965) (nama asli Christopher James Ward) (menggantikan Dee Dee pada bass) (1989–1996)
CAVALERA
CAVALERA
Biography for
Max Cavalera More at IMDbPro »
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Date of Birth
4 August 1969, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Birth Name
Massimiliano Antonio Cavalera
Mini Biography
Max Cavalera was born in Belo Horizonte to a Brazillian mother and his father was an Italian ambassador. Along with his brother Igor Cavalera he formed the death metal band Sepultura. The band was very popular and released several albums, with "Roots" and "Chaos A.D" both receiving critical praise. He also worked with Fudge Tunnel lead singer Alex Newport forming a side project known as "Nailbomb", with one of their tracks used for the Gus Van Sant film, _To Die for (1995)_ (that song being "Wasting Away"). There was somewhat of a shuffel near 1995, and Max Cavalera left Sepultura to form "Soulfly". Again he was the lead vocalist and played guitar, and with the new band released two albums, "Soulfly" and "Primitive".
This year (2002) sees Cavalera's band release a third album in June. Max Cavalera also provided the more deeper screams for Dwayne Johnson's (WWE's "The Rock") Scorpion King character in The Mummy Returns (2001).
IMDb Mini Biography By:
Spouse
Gloria Cavalera
Trivia
Brother of Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera.
Is the uncredited yelling voice of the Scorpion King (The Rock) in The Mummy Returns (2001)
The name Soulfly came from a Deftones song.
Biography for
Max Cavalera More at IMDbPro »
advertisement
Date of Birth
4 August 1969, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Birth Name
Massimiliano Antonio Cavalera
Mini Biography
Max Cavalera was born in Belo Horizonte to a Brazillian mother and his father was an Italian ambassador. Along with his brother Igor Cavalera he formed the death metal band Sepultura. The band was very popular and released several albums, with "Roots" and "Chaos A.D" both receiving critical praise. He also worked with Fudge Tunnel lead singer Alex Newport forming a side project known as "Nailbomb", with one of their tracks used for the Gus Van Sant film, _To Die for (1995)_ (that song being "Wasting Away"). There was somewhat of a shuffel near 1995, and Max Cavalera left Sepultura to form "Soulfly". Again he was the lead vocalist and played guitar, and with the new band released two albums, "Soulfly" and "Primitive".
This year (2002) sees Cavalera's band release a third album in June. Max Cavalera also provided the more deeper screams for Dwayne Johnson's (WWE's "The Rock") Scorpion King character in The Mummy Returns (2001).
IMDb Mini Biography By:
Spouse
Gloria Cavalera
Trivia
Brother of Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera.
Is the uncredited yelling voice of the Scorpion King (The Rock) in The Mummy Returns (2001)
The name Soulfly came from a Deftones song.
avenged sevenvold
Inception (1999-2004)
Orignal Avenged Sevenfold Lineup: From left to right; Justin Sane, M.Shadows, The Rev, and Zacky Vengeance
The band was formed in 1999 in Huntington Beach, California with original members M Shadows, Zacky Vengeance, The Rev. and Matt Wendt. In the bands first few years they released demo in 1999 & 2000, entitled 1999 Demo & 2000 Demo. These demo's that the band made were to be used to help them get signed to a record label, so says M. Shadows, on the All Excess DVD. Before the band was signed to a label, they released a third Demo, entitled, Waking The Fallen Demo, which contained another version of their song, Second Heartbeat, which would appear on their second album, Waking The Fallen. Avenged Sevenfold's first album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, was recorded when the band members were just eighteen years old and in high school. It was originally released on their first label, Good Life Recordings in 2001. After lead guitarist Synyster Gates joined the band, the introductory track "To End The Rapture" was re-recorded with the removal of the piano track. The album was subsequently re-released on Hopeless Records in 2002. Having settled on their fourth bassist (Johnny Christ), a follow-up album, entitled Waking the Fallen was released on the same label in 2003. Shortly after its release, Avenged Sevenfold was signed to Warner Bros. Records.
City of Evil (2005–2007)
City of Evil, the band's third album, was released on June 7, 2005. Propelled by the success of the first single "Bat Country" and its accompanying music video, the album sold well and became Avenged Sevenfold's first gold record. City of Evil strayed away from the band's previous metalcore sound and M. Shadows chose to abandon the screaming vocals from the first two albums. Although Shadows acknowledges that he sustained throat and vocal cord damage after Waking the Fallen and later required surgery to help correct the problem, he states that the change in vocal style was not a result of this issue. In their DVD All Excess, Mudrock, producer of Avenged's second and third albums, said prior to Waking the Fallen, Shadows had stated that he wanted a CD with half-screaming, then one with no screaming, which was achieved in City of Evil. Shadows maintains that he's since been able to scream even better than before the surgery and training with vocal coach Ron Anderson.[1]
Avenged Sevenfold (2007)
Avenged Sevenfold's mainstream success got them an invitation to 2006's Ozzfest tour on the main stage, alongside other well known hard rock and heavy metal acts DragonForce, Lacuna Coil, Hatebreed, Disturbed, and System of a Down. That same year they also completed a worldwide tour, including the US, England, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. After canceling Fall and Winter 2006 tour dates, the band announced that they were planning their fourth studio album, a self-titled album. M. Shadows has stated that it would not be a City of Evil Part 2 or Waking the Fallen Part 2, but he says it will attract fans of both original albums while still being a surprise.[2] They played their first tour dates of 2007 on an Asian tour with stops in Indonesia, Singapore, and Japan. To "tide fans over" until the release of the new album, Avenged Sevenfold released their first DVD, All Excess, on July 17, 2007. All Excess debuted as the #1 DVD in the USA which included a documentary and live footage dating back to 1999 along with music videos and the making of the Seize the Day music video.
Before the self titled album was released, two tribute albums, that were composed by various artists as Instrumental cover albums were released. On October 9, 2007, the cover albums entitled, Strung Out on Avenged Sevenfold: Bat Wings and Broken Strings, and Strung Out on Avenged Sevenfold: The String Tribute were released to the public by Vitamin Records & Copycat Records. The self titled album was then released out on October 30, 2007 to early success, debuting at #4 on the Billboard 200 with approximately 94,000 copies sold.[3] Two singles, "Critical Acclaim" and "Almost Easy" along with its music video, were released prior to the album. An animated video was made for "A Little Piece of Heaven" and was going to be included on the MVI, but due to the song's subject matter (i.e. Necrophilia), Warner Brothers released it to registered MVI users over the internet in December 2007. The third single, "Afterlife" and its video was released in January 2008. Avenged Sevenfold has confirmed that their fourth single is the country rock style song "Dear God".
Recent (2008-)
They recently headlined the Taste of Chaos tour with Atreyu, Bullet for My Valentine, Blessthefall and Idiot Pilot.[4]
Guitarist Zacky Vengeance confirmed in an interview that the band had recently entered the studio to record two new cover songs from metal giants Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath.
On July 16 (Issue 1219), Kerrang! released a free CD, Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden as a tribute album to heavy metal band, Iron Maiden. It features Avenged Sevenfold covering the song "Flash of the Blade". "Maiden are by far the best live band in the world and their music is timeless," quoted by vocalist M Shadows. "This also gives us a chance to expose this great song to some of our younger fans who maybe aren't as familiar with Iron Maiden." [5]
Avenged Sevenfold was awarded "Album of the Year" at the Kerrang! Awards. M. Shadows said this to the fans:
"Receiving such an honor in the United Kingdom means so much to us because England has become like a second home. This summer has been the best of our career. We've seen so many of you in so many countries and you've all touched us. We're so proud of how much love our fans in the US have always shown us. And now it means the world to us to know how many of you around the globe have been touched by our music. Thanks you from the bottom of our hearts."[cite this quote]
During a recent festival performance in Leeds & Reading, UK, of which was sold out, the band were forced to shorten the Leeds performance and canceled the Reading performance altogether due to M. Shadows being told by his doctors in Los Angeles and the UK to rest his voice due to vocal strain.[6] A few days later, the band was forced to announce the cancellation of the remaining September shows, with the tour set to resume again on October 15.[7]
Avenged Sevenfold's most recent release, Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough, a two-disc B-sides CD and live DVD, was released on September 16, 2008.
The Dear God video is now available for purchasing on iTunes, it was released on 28th October, 2008.
On January 12, 2009, Metal Hammer.com announced that Avenged Sevenfold would be covering the song, "Paranoid" By Black Sabbath, as part of a compilation album that will be released by Warner Bros. Records. The compilation album is entitled, A Revolution in Sound. The band originally wanted to cover, Strubb (A Dub) By Mr. Bungle, however was not able to once given a list of songs they could cover by Warner Bros.
On January 17, 2009, in an interview with Avenged Sevenfold, Metal Hammer.com was told by M. Shadows that the band will begin to write a follow up album to Avenged Sevenfold within the upcoming months. The band is also linked to with a slot on this summer's Gigantour. A Revolution In Sound will be available to download and purchase on February 16, 2009, with the track, "Paranoid".
On February 6, 2009, according to Metal Hammer.com announced that Lick Library has announced that they will be releasing a Guitar Tutorial DVD, which include the five tracks, Afterlife, Almost Easy, Bat Country, Beast and the Harlot, and Trashed And Scattered, breaking down the guitar solos and riffs in each song.
Musical characteristics
Band name and lyrical content
The band's name is a reference to the Book of Genesis in the Bible - specifically Genesis 4:24, where Cain is sentenced to life in exile for murdering his brother. God marked him so that none would kill him on account of his sin; the man who dared to kill Cain would suffer "vengeance seven times over" (KJV)[8]. The abbreviation for Avenged Sevenfold came from Zacky Vengeance as A7X. The title of Avenged Sevenfold's song "Chapter Four" refers to the fourth chapter of Genesis, in which the story of Cain and Abel takes place. The song's subject also appears to be this story. "Beast and the Harlot", yet another song derived from the Bible, comes from the book of Revelation only it is written in the first person and refers to the punishment of Babylon the Great, world empire and seat of false religion. The album "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet" also derives its name from the book of Revelations, specifically referencing chapter 11 and the sounding of the last (seventh) trumpet, signifying the end of the world. Another biblical reference occurs in the song "The Wicked End". In this song, several times it is said "dust the apple off, savor each bite, and deep inside you know Adam was right." making reference to Eve eating the forbidden fruit. Although the band's title and members' stage names make references to religion, Shadows stated in an interview that they are not a religious band. "Anyone that reads the lyrics and really knew anything about us, they would know we're not promoting either," he said. "That's one thing about this band that I love is that we never really shove any kind of, like, political or religious beliefs on people. We just, the music's there to entertain and maybe thought-provoking on both sides, but we don't try to, like, really shove anything down anyone's throat. There's too many bands that do that nowadays, I think."[9] The band has a few songs that are somewhat political in nature like "Critical Acclaim", "Gunslinger" and "Blinded In Chains". The song "Betrayed" off of their album "City of Evil" was written about "Dimebag" Darrel's, of Pantera and Damageplan, death.
The Deathbat
The band sports a logo known as the "Deathbat". It was originally designed by an artistic high school friend of Avenged Sevenfold, Micah Montague, as seen on the bands first DVD, All Excess, though Cameron Rackam has done many more pieces for the band's albums. The Deathbat has appeared on all of the band album covers including their new CD/DVD Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough and is on the inner part of the cover with City of Evil being the exception. It is also on covers of a number of singles such as "Bat Country", "Almost Easy" and "Critical Acclaim."
Genre
In general, Avenged Sevenfold is classified as an important and influential band in the New Wave of American Heavy Metal (NWOAHM)[10]. Their material ranges across many genres - including several crossover genres - often leaving the concept of genres altogether (especially in their most recent albums). For example, Avenged Sevenfold's debut Sounding the Seventh Trumpet consisted almost entirely of metalcore sound[11], however consisted of several deviations to this genre, most notably in "Streets" which adopts a punk style, and "Warmness on the Soul," which consists of mainly piano, and could be considered soft rock. On Waking The Fallen, the band displayed a much more refined and fluent metalcore album that was able to harness the rawness of the first album, and add more mature and intricate musical elements. On City of Evil, Avenged Sevenfold's third album, the band has chosen to abandon the metalcore genre, developing a more punk metal/thrash style, very much like bands such as Bullet for My Valentine and Trivium. Also, the drumming on both these albums is played in a more thrash-influenced alternative metal style, similar to that of Slipknot. Avenged Sevenfold's self-titled album, again, consists of several deviations to less consistent genres and styles from the album's main hard rock and heavy metal songs, most notably in "Dear God", which adopts a country style, and "A Little Piece of Heaven", which includes elements of Broadway show tunes, using primarily brass instruments and stringed orchestra to take over most of the role of the lead and rhythm guitar. The band has changed considerably since its first album, which was characterized as a heavy band with the screams, growls, and lyrics one can expect from the metalcore genre, to being more of a fusion between punk rock, hard rock, and heavy metal.
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are a British heavy metal band originally composed of Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass), Bill Ward (drums).
Black Sabbath started in Birmingham, England in the late 60s under the name Earth.. Initially a blues band. Black Sabbath became one of the definitive classic heavy metal bands, to be ranked alongside Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Judas Priest.
With a competent rhythm section and the extraordinary antics of Osbourne the band enjoyed success with their British metal of brutal riffs right from their first album, the eponymous Black Sabbath (1970). Their second album Paranoid (1970) made them a success in America. Both the albums's tunes and covers marked the band as influenced by the occult and 'black' magic.
They released a further three albums, Master of Reality (1971), Vol. 4 (1972) and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973) before management problems and the label change from Vertigo to WWA ruined the bands schedules in 1973. The next album Sabotage was not released until 1975 and the follow-up to that, Technical Ecstasy (1976) was the last Ozzy-Era album in the heavy Sabbath style.
In 1978 the band released Never Say Die and rumours that Osbourne was to leave the band were proved true in 1979 (Osbourne formed Blizzard of Ozz, swiftly renamed to Ozzy Osbourne Band). He was replaced by Ronnie James Dio but it was the end of an era.
Black Sabbath's first album with Dio, Heaven and Hell, did much to bring back the Sabbath spirit of heavy metal. However, after the departure of Bill Ward, with the Mob Rules album, they started to lose their touch, effectively fading into generic heavy metal oblivion for the most part.
That is, until the reunion of all the original Sabbath members in 1998.
The band rarely received any critical praise ("blundering bozos" was one description) and Osbourne vocal talent can be safely labelled as exuberant but non-existent. Their musical talent and ingenuity are however irrefutable. They served as a pioneer in the heavy metal field, and many heavy metal bands cite Sabbath as their inspiration, including such famous and successful groups as Iron Maiden and Metallica.
Many of the incidents and characters in the spoof rock documentary This is Spinal Tap are based on Black Sabbath.
Personnel:
* Tony Iommi - guitar
* Ozzy Osbourne - vocals
* Geezer Butler - bass
* Bill Ward - drums
* Geoff Nichols - keyboards
* Rick Wakeman - keyboards (guest musician)
* Dave Walker - vocals (never recorded)
* Don Airey - keyboards (guest musician)
* Ronnie James Dio - vocals
* Vinny Appice - drums
* Ian Gillan - vocals
* Bev Bevan - drums
* Dave Donato - vocals (never recorded)
* Jeff Fenholt - vocals (never officially released)
* Glenn Hughes - vocals
* Ray Gillen - vocals (recorded "Eternal Idol," vocals redone by Tony Martin)
* Dave Spitz - bass
* Eric Singer - drums
* Jo Burt - bass (never recorded)
* Terry Chimes - drums (never recorded)
* Gordon Copley - bass
* Tony Martin - vocals
* Bob Daisley - bass
* Eric Singer - drums
* Laurence Cottle - bass
* Cozy Powell - drums
* Rob Halford - vocals (never recorded)
* Neil Murray - bass
* Bobby Rondinelli - drums
Discography:
* 1970 Black Sabbath (Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward)
* 1970 Paranoid (Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward)
* 1971 Master of Reality (Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward)
* 1972 Vol. 4 (Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward)
* 1973 Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward)
* 1975 Sabotage (Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward)
* 1976 We Sold Our Souls For Rock & Roll (Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward)
* 1976 Technical Ecstasy (Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward)
* 1978 Never Say Die (Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward)
* 1980 Heaven and Hell (Iommi, Dio, Butler, Ward)
* 1981 Mob Rules (Iommi, Dio, Butler, Ward)
* 1982 Live Evil (live - Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward)
* 1983 Born Again (Iommi, Gillan, Butler, Ward, Nicholls)
* 1986 Seventh Star (Iommi, Hughes, Spitz, Singer, Nicholls, Copley)
* 1987 The Eternal Idol (Iommi, Martin, Spitz, Daisley, Singer, Bevan, Nicholls)
* 1989 Headless Cross (Iommi, Martin, Cottle, Powell, Nicholls)
* 1990 Tyr (Iommi, Martin, Murray, Powell, Nicholls)
* 1992 Dehumanizer (Iommi, Dio, Butler, Appice, Nicholls)
* 1994 Cross Purposes (Iommi, Martin, Butler, Rondinelli, Nicholls)
* 1995 Cross Purposes Live (live - Iommi, Martin, Butler, Rondinelli, Nicholls)
* 1995 Forbidden (Iommi, Martin, Murray, Powell, Nicholls)
* 1996 Under Wheels of Confusion: 1970-1987 (4-disc compilation)
* 1996 The Sabbath Stones (compilation of later works)
* 1998 Reunion (live - Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward)
* 2002 Past Lives (live - Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward)
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
While the incident with the bat would continue to haunt Ozzy throughout his career and can be legitimately called an accident, the infamous dove incident was definitely not accidental. It seems it was a publicity stunt planned by Sharon and Ozzy. Ozzy had just signed with a new record label, CBS, and he and Sharon were being introduced to the head executives of the company in Los Angeles. CBS was not overly interested in Ozzy, having just signed Ozzy - chickenAdam Ant, and to them he was just another album. In an attempt to gain their attention, and publicity, it was arranged that Ozzy would enter the office and then throw two doves into the air. It is unclear if the rest was intended or simply a spur of the moment decision on Ozzy's part, but instead of two doves flying into the air, Ozzy took one out of his pocket and bit the head off of it. Ozzy admits to being drunk at the time of the incident, but regardless of what the initial plan was, the end result was plenty of publicity, and most of it not at all pleasant. The man who was already referred to as the Mad Man was now condemned and attacked by more people and groups than he would ever had imagined.
I'm ninety-nine and nine-tenths sure it was alive, but now I can't say for sure. I remember I was leaning forward and thinking, "How cute," and suddenly he bites its head off. There was blood on the floor. I think he ate the head; he started spitting some feathers out. I was in shock. It's hard to remember too much after that, to tell you the truth. It was horrible. - An eyewitness of the dove incident.
"I swear on my kid's life I never said 'get the fucking gun'" ...Ozzy on the song Suicide Solution
Suicide Solution, from Blizzard of Ozz, was written after Bon Scott of AC/DC died, having been drinking heavily one winter night and passing out in his car. Scott died of hypothermia. Thought the songs title could be misleading, the song itself was meant to talk about alcohol as being a deadly liquid (solution meaning mixture) but the word solution was immediately seen as meaning 'an answer'. The lyrics of this much debated song are here.
In October 1984, a nineteen-year-old teenager named John M. shot himself in the head, while listening to Ozzy Osbourne's "Suicide Solution". When the coroner entered the room, he found the headphones still on John's head. This would be one of the tragedies that caused Ozzy immeasurable grief.
In 1986, Ozzy had just gotten off a plane at LAX airport when people began asking him about the "lawsuits". Ozzy knew nothing about any lawsuit but the details quickly emerged. Three lawsuits had been launched against Ozzy, claiming that his lyrics had caused youths to commit suicide. The family of John hired attorney Thomas Anderson in a lawsuit against Ozzy. Mr. Anderson claimed on the "Don't Blame Me" Ozzy video, that the song contained
tones known as 'hemisync' and would cause a person to be unable to resist what was being said in the song.
The Institute for Bio-Acoustics Research, Inc. (IBAR) was hired to evaluate the song. They claim to have found subliminal lyrics that weren't included in the lyrics sheet. These subliminal lyrics were sung at one and one-half times the normal rate of speech and are not recognized by a first time listener. The IBAR institute claimed the subliminal lyrics, "are audible enough that their meaning and true intent becomes clear after being listened to over and over again." The subliminal lyrics in question were "Why try, why try? Get the gun and try it! Shoot, Shoot, Shoot", followed by a hideous laughter.
Further analysis by IBAR revealed the hemisync tones, which result from a patented process that uses sound waves to influence an individual's mental state. The tones have been found to increase the rate at which the human brain assimilates and processes information. IBAR claimed these tones made John vulnerable to the suggestive lyrics which Ozzy sang.
Ozzy's lawyer claimed that this was nonsense and relied upon the First Amendment of the Constitution to argue that Ozzy could write about anything he wanted. Three people had now taken their lives, and in each case it was Ozzy's 'Suicide Solution' song which was the focus as the cause of the deaths. Mr. Anderson claimed that the words, "shoot shoot, get the gun, get the gun" were audible in the song. There is an effect which can be heard on the song, that could be interpreted as that if one tried hard enough. The sounds were just Ozzy messing around with the soundboard.
Throughout the world this problem would only occur in America. People would be forced to look at the family life instead of the actual music. Blaming the music is an understandable reaction when a tragedy that is otherwise unexplainable occurs, but once the lyrics are examined, it is clear that one would have to put their own interpratation on the song in order to see anything remotely close to promoting suicide within it. In all cases, Ozzy was found not at fault and has sworn that this was never the true meaning behind the song. Heavy metal often seems to be a scape goat in which to blame teenagers problems such as drug abuse on. Yet teenagers who may listen to punk, jazz, or blues music may also suffer from substance abuse or commit suicide.
"Rock Sparks Stabbing", Canadian Press Association:
Halifax, Canada, 9/26/84
"...according to the Canadian Press Wire Service, the effect of heavy metal rock music so influenced a young Canadian named James Jollimore, that '...on New Year's Eve -1983, he went out and stabbed someone. A friend of the defendant testified that Jollimore, 20, who is charged with the first-degree murder of a 44 year old woman and her two sons, felt like stabbing people when he heard music such as Ozzy Osbourne's 'Bark at the Moon'. 'Jimmy said that every time he listened to the song he felt strange inside,' the friend told the court. 'He said when he heard it on New Year's Eve he went out and stabbed someone.'"
The song, Bark at the Moon,was also blamed of affecting listeners in negative ways. A religious group even went so far as to hold a record burning ceremony to protest the evil of rock and roll. "One of the albums we're going to be burning tonight is Ozzy Osbourne's Speak of the Devil", said a priest at the ceremony when being interviewed.
No matter how much Ozzy defended himself or was found not to be at fault, his reputation of being the Mad Man of rock, and various incidents throughout his career that support that reputation, he would be haunted and accused of evoking irrational behavior in teens. Again, this issue has only caused problems in North America, where many stilll view his music as satanic and evil. The lyrics themselves have never supported this view, but people are able to interpret music in any way they choose, a problem that Rock and Roll was faced with in it's early days.
KISS
KISS
Following the demise of Wicked Lester, Kiss were formed in 1972 by Paul Stanley (b. Paul Eisen, 20 January 1950, Queens, New York, USA; rhythm guitar, vocals) and Gene Simmons (b. Chaim Witz, 25 August 1949, Haifa, Israel; bass, vocals), who went on to recruit Peter Criss (b. Peter Crisscoula, 27 December 1947, Brooklyn, New York, USA; drums, vocals) and Ace Frehley (b. Paul Frehley, 22 April 1951, Bronx, New York, USA; lead guitar, vocals). At their second show at the Hotel Diplomat, Manhattan, in 1973, Flipside producer Bill Aucoin offered the band a management contract, and within two weeks they were signed to Neil Bogart's recently established Casablanca Records. In just over a year, Kiss had released their first three albums with a modicum of success.
In the summer of 1975 their fortunes changed with the release of Alive! , which spawned their first US hit single, with the reissued live version of 'Rock And Roll All Nite' climbing to number 12 in November. The appeal of Kiss has always been based on their live shows: the garish greasepaint make-up, outrageous costumes and pyrotechnic stage effects, along with their hard-rocking anthems, combined to create what was billed as 'The Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Show On Earth'. Their live reputation engendered a dramatic upsurge in record sales, and Alive became their first certified platinum album in the USA. Destroyer proved just as successful, and also gave them their first US Top 10 single, earning Peter Criss a major songwriting award for the uncharacteristic ballad, 'Beth'.
Subsequent releases, Rock And Roll Over , Love Gun and Alive II , each certified platinum, confirmed the arrival of Kiss as major recording artists. By 1977 Kiss had topped the prestigious Gallup poll as the most popular act in the USA. They had become a marketing dream: Kiss merchandise included make-up kits, masks, board games, and pinball machines. Marvel Comics produced two super-hero cartoon books, and a full-length science-fiction film, Kiss Meet The Phantom Of The Park, was even produced. The ranks of their fan club, the Kiss Army, had swollen to a six-figure number.
In September 1978 all four group members released solo albums on the same day, a feat never before envisaged, let alone matched. At the time, this represented the biggest shipment of albums from one 'unit' to record stores in the history of recorded music. The albums enjoyed varying degrees of success; Ace Frehley's record came out on top and included the US Top 20 hit single, 'New York Groove'. Gene Simmons, whose album featured an impressive line-up of guests including Cher , Donna Summer , Bob Seger and Janis Ian , had a hit single in the UK with 'Radioactive', which reached number 41 in 1978. After the release of Dynasty in 1979, which featured the worldwide hit single, 'I Was Made For Lovin' You', cracks appeared in the ranks.
Peter Criss left to be replaced by session player Anton Fig, who had previously appeared on Frehley's solo album. Fig played drums on the 1980 release Unmasked until a permanent replacement was found in the form of New Yorker Eric Carr (b. 12 July 1950, d. 24 November 1991), who made his first appearance during the world tour of 1980. A fuller introduction came on Music From The Elder , an album that represented a radical departure from traditional Kiss music and included several ballads, an orchestra and a choir. It was a brave attempt to break new ground but failed to capture the imagination of the record-buying public. Frehley, increasingly disenchanted with the musical direction of the band, finally left in December 1982. The two albums prior to his departure had featured outside musicians.
Bruce Kulick, who had contributed to the studio side of Alive II and played on Stanley's solo album, supplied the lead work to the four previously unreleased tracks on the Killers compilation of 1982, and Vincent Cusano (later to become Vinnie Vincent ) was responsible for lead guitar on the 1982 release, Creatures Of The Night . By 1983 the popularity of the band was waning and drastic measures were called for. The legendary make-up that had concealed their true identities for almost 10 years was removed on MTV in the USA. Vinnie Vincent made his first official appearance on Lick It Up , an album that provided Kiss with their first Top 10 hit in the UK. The resurgence of the band continued with Animalize .
Vincent had been replaced by Mark St. John (b. Mark Norton), a seasoned session player and guitar tutor. His association with the band was short-lived, however, as he was struck down by Reiters Syndrome. Bruce Kulick was enlisted as a temporary replacement on the 1984 European Tour, and subsequently became a permanent member when it became apparent that St. John would not be able to continue as a band member. Further commercial success was achieved with Asylum and Crazy Nights , the latter featuring their biggestUK hit single, 'Crazy Crazy Nights', which peaked at number 4 in October 1987 and was soon followed by another Top 40 hit single, 'Reason To Live'.
Hot In The Shade succeeded their third compilation album, Smashes, Thrashes And Hits , and included another US hit single, 'Forever', which reached number 8 in February 1990. Work on a new Kiss album with producer Bob Ezrin was delayed following Eric Carr's illness due to complications from cancer. He died on 24 November 1991, in New York, at the age of 41. Despite this setback, Kiss contributed a hit cover version of Argent 's classic 'God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II' (UK number 4, January 1992) to the soundtrack of the film Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey, and brought in replacement drummer Eric Singer (ex- Black Sabbath ; Badlands ). The album Revenge also provided them with their highest charting US album (number 4), and their first Top 10 release since Dynasty reached number 9 in 1979.
The Kiss My Ass tribute album was released in 1994, with contributions from Lenny Kravitz , Stevie Wonder , Garth Brooks , Lemonheads , Faith No More , Dinosaur Jr, Rage Against The Machine and others. The interest in Kiss My Ass led to a historic reunion for MTV Unplugged . A stable unit with Bruce Kulick (guitar) and Eric Singer (drums), together with Simmons and Stanley, appeared to be on the cards, but Frehley and Criss returned for a reunion tour. So successful was the tour that Kulick and Singer were naturally somewhat annoyed and both quit. Their irritation was further exacerbated by the fact that a new studio album, Carnival Of Souls , featured both of them. In 1997 Vincent sued the band, alleging that they owed him royalties.
A year later Psycho Circus marked the return of the original line-up to the studio, and became the group's highest charting US album when it debuted at number 3 in October. With a history spanning three decades, Kiss' impact on the consciousness of a generation of music fans, particularly in the USA, remains enormous.
Jimmy Hendrix: Godfather of Elctric-Guitar
Jimmy Hendrix: Godfather of Elctric-Guitar
Seperti yang ada di judul, Jimmy Hendrix adalah gitaris paling legendaris dalam sejarah dunia musik.Dia mendapat kehormatan ringgi dari Semua orang yang melihat atau pernah berkerjasama denganya ,Corak permainan gitar Jimmy lebih condong kearah blues, dan rock and roll.
Tidak seperti anak kebanyakan, masa kecil Jimmy bisa dibilang suram, bayangkan sang ibu meninggalkanya pada saat Jimmy berusia 15 tahun.Ayahnya, yang mantan militer, merupakan oran yang keras dalam mendidik putranya, dia juga menginginkan jimmy untuk mengikui jejaknya ke jenjang militer. Karena alasan tersebut, begitu Jimmy DO dari SMA, doi langsung cabut ke Airbone Division of the U.S. Army. Meski berada di lingkungan militer, ketertarikan jimmy pada dunia musik (khususnya gitar) lebih besar. Di suatu latihan, Jimmy terkena cedera yang menjatuhkan vonis bahwa dia nggak bisa berada di militer, ini justru membuatnya girang -meskipun sang ayah sangat menentangnya dan bahkan Jimmy nggak boleh pulang rumah saat itu.
Tak patah arang, Jimmy bersama teman satu angkatanya di militer, Billt Cox mulai manggung dari satu klab ke klab lain. Jimmy segera bertandang ke New York dan mencoba peruntungan disana,bermain di beberapa klab,dan bertemu dengan tokoh idolanya, Bob Dylan. Tuhan ternyata adil, di bandnya "Jimmy James" dan "The blue Flames" jimmy mulai sukses , pada saat mereka manggung di sebuah kafe yang bernama"Cafe Wha?" kebetulan aksi panggung Jimmy diamati Londa Keith, kekasih dari Keith Richards.
Linda meminta kekasihnya agar melihat penampilan Jimmy dan diapun tertarik! Jimmy langsung disodori kontrak dan keliling eropa bersama Keith Richards.Sampai di Inggris, taji Jimmy mulai terlihat.Gigataris populer Inggris saat itu,Eric Clapton dan Pete Townshed sampai berkata"He thought his career was over after seeing Hendrix play the guitar".
Selesai Eropa, Jimmy mulai fokus di U.S. dan tampil di Monterey Pop Fest disitu dia menampilkan permainan yang belum pernah dilihat orang sebelumnya. Selesai tampil di Monterey, Jimmy seperti menjadi seorang Superstar dan tampil di festifal-festifal besar.
Jimmy meninggal pada 18 september 1970, meski telah tiada, distorsi dan gaya penampilan dari Jimmy akn tetap dikenang selamanya.....
07 February 2009
AXL rose
AXL rose
William Bruce Rose was born on February 6, 1962, in Lafayette, IN, and suffered sexual abuse from his biological father and physical abuse from his eventual stepfather at an early age (Rose changed his name to William Bailey after his mother remarried). Rose was also an outcast in school, where he was picked on for being "different," but found solace in singing with his school and church vocal choir and eventually rock music.
His rough teenage years were eased a bit when he befriended a Keith Richards-worshipping chap by the name of Jeff Isbell, who shared Rose's interest in music. Isbell left Indiana for the streets of Los Angeles in the early '80s with hopes of forming a rock band, and Rose followed shortly thereafter, changing his name to W. Axl Rose (while Isbell soon adopted the name Izzy Stradlin).
The L.A. rock music scene at the time was split done the center between rough and ready punk rock and hair spray-soaked glam rock/heavy metal, and Rose wanted to form an outfit that borrowed equally from each genre. Stradlin and Rose plowed through several outfits that went nowhere (Hollywood Rose being one), before hooking up with fellow streetwise rockers Slash (guitar, real name Saul Hudson), Duff McKagan (bass), and Steven Adler (drums). After slugging it out on the Sunset Strip and honing their act, the newly christened Guns N' Roses signed a recording contract with Geffen Records after issuing an independent live EP (1986's Live Like a Suicide). Their full-length debut, Appetite for Destruction' was released a year later and at first the public didn't know what to make of the album or of the band. Slowly but surely, rock's fickle audience came around and by the summer of 1988, Guns N' Roses was fast becoming one of the world's top rock bands (on the strength of such hit singles/MTV-saturated videos as "Welcome to the Jungle," "Sweet Child O' Mine," and "Paradise City").
But with fame came death-defying drug and alcohol abuse amongst all five bandmembers (as well as last-minute tour/concert cancellations) -- it appeared as though the more successful they became, the more problems arose. To fill the void for a new G N' R album, Geffen put out the 8-track stop-gap EP, G N' R Lies, in late 1988, amidst widespread rumors of an impending band breakup. The album was another big seller (on the strength of the hit acoustic ballad "Patience") but Axl Rose came under immense fire and criticism for the song "One in a Million," in which Rose had derogatory comments for gays, blacks, and immigrants. Undeterred, Rose and co. regrouped and worked on their much-anticipated true follow-up to Appetite, which seemed to always miss its numerous projected release dates. Adler was sacked during the recording, while 1991 finally saw the release of the two-part sophomore effort Use Your Illusion. Both discs were massive hits, but the band appeared to have reinvented themselves as a bombastic and indulgent rock act, often recalling the music that their punk rock idols attempted to destroy in the mid-'70s. A mammoth two-year tour followed (with Stradlin leaving the band mid-tour) in which G N' R found themselves losing their validity as a streetwise rock act in the face of the stripped down grunge movement (which included such acts as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden,etc.).
It only made Rose seem more out of touch from reality when he would hold the band up from going onstage, resulting in ridiculous multi-hour delays. His public image took a few more shots when several concerts were marred by audience riots caused by Rose's notorious hijinks and when he tried to pick a fight with Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain backstage at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards for disparaging (yet quite on the mark) remarks Cobain made about Rose in the press. When the tour finally ground to a halt in 1993, G N' R issued a lukewarm-received collection of covers, The Spaghetti Incident, and took a well-deserved rest. But after numerous aborted writing/recording sessions for their third proper studio album, the remaining other two original members (Slash and McKagan) either quit the band or were dismissed by Rose. Rose had been granted full ownership of the name Guns N' Roses, so he slowly formed a whole new band around him.
With rumors running rampant that he had become a bloated, bald, and drug-addled hermit (due to the fact that he did not grant a single interview between 1994-1999, staying completely out of the spotlight), Axl Rose continued to work on G N' R's next release himself. 1999 saw G N' R's first new song released in nearly eight years -- the industrial rocker "Oh My God" from the End of Days soundtrack, as well as a live compilation of old-school G N' R tracks (Live Era: '87-'93), yet both came and went without much fanfare. But all that changed when Rose and his new cohorts (which included ex-Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck, mask-wearing solo guitarist Buckethead, ex-Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, ex-Primus drummer Brian Mantia, plus longtime G N' R keyboardist Dizzy Reed) played their first live shows together in early 2001, receiving unanimously favorable reviews. With a world tour booked and album nearing completion (reportedly to be titled Chinese Democracy), the G N' R/Axl Rose-hype machine appeared to be building up to a feverish pitch once again. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, generally known as Eddie Van Halen, (born January 26, 1955) is a classically-trained virtuoso pianist and founding member of the Hard Rock band Van Halen, which would now be considered classic rock. He was born in Nijmegen, Netherlands and moved with his family to Pasadena, California in 1962.
Eddie started classical piano training, and won many talent shows as a child. In an ironic twist of fate, Eddie's brother Alex Van Halen started taking guitar lessons and Eddie bought a drum kit. While Eddie was delivering newspapers to pay for his drum kit, Alex would play it. Alex eventually became much better than Eddie. They soon decided to switch instruments permanently.
In 1974 the brothers along with David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony became known as Van Halen. They were signed to Warner Brothers in 1977 and released their self titled debut album on February 8, 1978. Multiplatinum sales and world tours followed. Van Halen's prodigious ability, coupled with his home-brewed arsenal of unusual and unique techniques and unparalleled rhythmic sensibility influenced a generation of guitarists. Unfettered by formality, Van Halen's "if it sounds good, Is Good " mantra and graceful melodicism propelled him to guitar god status. He is especially known for a technique that he popularised: finger tapping.
Van Halen also played a pivotal role in getting R&B videos played on then rock-dominated MTV. He was called in to lay down a guitar track for the song Beat It from Michael Jackson's breakthrough 1982 album, "Thriller". The combination of Quincy Jones' production and Eddie's guitar work broke new ground, and ushered in yet another musical trend.
Van Halen has done soundtrack work for movies such as Back To The Future and Wild Life , and has recorded with Brian May, Jeff Porcaro, and Thomas Dolby. He built his trademark red and white striped "Frankenstein" guitar (Originally black and white) by hand, using an imperfect body and neck picked up at a discount. He created and promoted a new signature guitar made by Peavey Guitars in the 1990s. He left Peavey guitars in 2004, and started working with Charvel guitars instead. They introduced a signature guitar based on Eddie's original "Frankenstrat".
The 1990s proved to be a rough time for Van Halen. He lost his mother to cancer, was treated for toungue/mouth cancer himself, had hip surgery done to correct years of abuse fueled by alcohol, and his band went through their third lead singer.
2004 marks a new arrival of Van Halen, with Sammy Hagar back as lead singer and a highly anticipated summer tour awaiting.
Van Halen married actress Valerie Bertinelli in 1981, whom he separated from in 2001.
Van Halen has one son, Wolfgang William Van Halen , born March 16, 1991. He was named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and nicknamed "Wolfie". Wolfie has played at some of his father's concerts in their 2004 reunion tour with Sammy Hagar. Eddie named his line of signature Peavey Guitars after his son, and is also sponsored by Peavey Electronics to use their 5150 Amplifiers, which he had a part in designing.
Eddie Van Halen has introduced his new line of guitars with guitar maker Charvel in 2004, a modeled Frankenstat after his first and original guitar that he used to record Van Halen 1 with. There are 3 different types, the Black & White strat, the Yellow & Black strat, and the Red, White, & Black strat.
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