Rage and Audioslave -- best of the "new"?

'afternoon rawkers. Pissy mood, so blog is short.

Related to yesterday's post, two of the best bands in the 90's-00's: Rage Against the Machine & Audioslave.
Would love to know what my Rawkers think about the newer stuff.

Discuss.

Go in peace....


G.O.T.

Rawk vocals -- who's number one?

Mornin' Rawkers! Lovely day on the Oregon coast....

Here's a question that is SURE to generate opinions: Who is the best vocalist in rock history?

I don't care who you think is the best "front man". I want to hear about the best "vocalist" -- the guy or gal who you would think is number one even if they could NEVER be SEEN live. In other words, you'd never see Diamond Dave's kicks and antics with early Van Halen. And the prancing and preening of Mick Jagger would be relegated to the studio only. They have to make the cut solely on the quality of their pipes.

So, with that said, what say you? Here's some of my nominations. See if you agree.

(Note: Each vocalist is listed with their primary gigs, not every group they ever sang/sing with).

ROBERT PLANT, Led Zeppelin.

STEVEN TYLER, Aerosmith.

STEVE PERRY, Journey.

FREDDIE MERCURY, Queen.

PAUL RODGERS, Free, Bad Company.

RONNIE JAMES DIO, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio.

SAMMY HAGAR, Montrose, Solo, Van Halen.

CHRIS CORNELL, Soundgarden, Audioslave.

My picks? Well, i have to admit to struggling mightily with this one. And i gave a listen to a lot of these boys' material trying to decide the most worthy.

In the end, though, i came up with a tie. Steve Perry and Chris Cornell. Surprised? Frankly, so was I. And i offer those picks with apologies to the rest.

But to me, Steve Perry has the most pure rock voice ever -- his range is astounding, and he communicates serious emotion in a way that most cannot. Amazing stuff. Some people may disagree with this, but my view is that rock and roll is primarily about communicating EMOTION. It's an emotive musical medium that is best when it inspires/demands a REACTION. Tell me you can't help but sing along with "Any Want You It" on your satellite radio. And watch the chicks hit the dance floor when a bar band cranks up the piano intro to "Don't Stop Believin'" That's a reaction to an emotional song. And the tenderness of songs like Open Arms or Faithfully always melt even the hard heart of the God of Thunder.

And Chris Cornell? Damn, but the kid has Hall of Fame chops and he's proved a lasting force beyond his Seattle grunge roots. I especially like what he has done with Audioslave. He has the best tools of Robert Plant, Steven Tyler and Sammy projecting from one place. If you haven't given him a serious listen, do so. You won't be sorry (assuming you like your rock a tad on the aggressive, introspective side). I like his voice so much that i could NOT leave him as an also-ran.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

Go in peace....

God of Thunder

Crue good, Poison bad... mmm-kay?

Good morning rawkers!

The other day I posted some views on FaceBook about "Hair Metal" (HM) and critical inclusions in any playlist of the genre. It generated a ton of response, and thought it deserved a bit more clarification and discussion here.

Now, before the rock purists unload on me about how the HM genre totally lacks substance and that my credibility is called into question for even suggesting it might have some merit, let me say this about that: what we like is what we like and it doesn't matter a flying fig if it fits within someone else's box of "good". That's the whole point of this blog to begin with.

That said, this is what HM has going for it -- it's loud, the guitars are often great (but they sometimes suck), the tunes have catchy hooks, often hilarious/great/lousy videos, chicks dig it, and it's just damn entertaining stuff. Oh yeah, and chicks dig it. And THAT, my friends, is why most rockers ever learned a bar chord to begin with. So the genre is legit. Deal with it.

Here's a couple other facts of the genre: Poison sucks. The vocals are terrible, Brett Michael's stage antics are atrocious, CC DeVille is the worst guitar player of all time and they looked like crap -- especially when their drummer put on that stupid policeman's hat. Oh yeah, and CC DeVille IS the worst guitar player of all time. The only thing that could have been worse for these boys was for one of them to start doing a reality show. Oh wait....

Bottom line, the band is completely --- (a word i promised my wife i wouldn't use here).

I know, I know. Poison lovers wonder why I would pick on a band that so many people clearly enjoy (how many albums sold?), that they're a fun party band, that I just need to relax, put a cork in it, etc.. The answer is because it is scientifically provable that they SUCK. Also, see my second paragraph above (about flying figs).

So, after disposing of that which the cat dragged in....

Fact number two: Warrant may have been a close second. Cherry Pie? Gimme a break....

Fact number three: Motley Crue totally kicks ass.

Evidence:

1. Tommy Lee. The dude oozes groove and is flat out one of the rockin'-est drummers on the planet. He is a monster who lays it down, regardless of what kind of music he's playing.

2. Nikki Sixx. While he may not be one of the best bass players in rock, he writes great material. And when he straps on his Thunderbird bass he cuts one of the coolest profiles in rock and roll. He just LOOKS the part, and has the attitude to back it up. This was one bad-ass cool rhythym section.

3. Mick Mars. Shreds the guitar hooks better than most HM players. Awesome guitar tone in a genre not known for killer tone.

4. Vince Neil. Would kick Brett Michaels' ass in a cage match. Forget Home Sweet Home. His voice grows on you. I love his nasty pipes in Dr. Feelgood and Girls, Girls, Girls. When the groove gets greasy, he hits his stride.

5. The Crue just keeps getting better. Dr. Feelgood was light years beyond Shout at the Devil. Most HM bands fail to show that kind of development over the years, assuming they stuck around at all.

So how can a guy who worships Cream, Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and the Beatles like the Crue? Back to paragraph number three....

Another key point about HM -- I'm most definitely NOT talking about heavy rock/metal bands from the 80s that, to me, bolt the category. Examples are Guns n' Roses, Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Ozzy, etc.

And oh yeah, critical inclusions in a HM play list? Crue, LA Guns, Whitesnake, Ratt, White Lion, Skid Row, Great White, Cinderella, Winger (yeah, i went there. Sorry. Kip can sing and Reb Beach can PLAY).

So! Hope this all didn't put a rip in your spandex. Lemme know what you think.

Go in peace....

God of Thunder

'69 -- more than just a fun number....

Starting this blog (which began less than a week ago) has certainly brought into focus for me the rock and roll that really means something to me. And it has forced me to think about "why". As I considered tonight's post, I began to ponder the years that were most significant in terms of rock history -- the releases, the bands and the developments that shaped who I am today musically, both as a listener and as a performer.

Can there be ANY year more important in rock than 1969? Sure, other years had monumental events -- debuts, deaths, breakups -- and surely cases can be made for the import of such years. However, in the mind of THIS blogger, none stands out like the year of Super Bowl III (Jets win over favored Colts).

I was only six years old in '69 and was not yet cognizant of the musical explosions taking place around the world. And little did I know the impact such developments would have on my musical tastes.

So try on my shoes and get a load of the following blockbusters, each of which would easily make a newsworthy year in its own right:

(Note: before you jump my biscuits about what's on the list and what's not, this is NOT a complete historical catelogue. It's just some of the highlights that mean something to ME. No doubt there were developments that mean more to you....)

Led Zeppelin debut albums (Led Zeppelin I & II)
Crosby, Stills & Nash debut album (self-titled)
Bob Marley debut album (Soul Shakedown)
Santana debut album (self-titled)
Yes debut album (self-titled)
The Velvet Underground debut album (self-titled)
Chicago debut album (Chicago Transit Authority)
the Jackson 5 debut album (Diana Ross presents....)
David Bowie debut single (Space Oddity)
Cream's last album (Goodbye)
the Who release "Tommy"
Beatles' Abbey Road released, and perform in public for last time on the roof of London's Apple Records
Woodstock held in Bethel, NY
the Rolling Stones "Altamont" festival at the Altamont Speedway in California
Blind Faith formed
Black Sabbath formed
ZZ Top formed
the Allman Brothers Band formed
Judas Priest formed
the Doobie Brothers formed

This is some pretty heavy weight stuff people. I'm open to dispute if you think you can make a case... but I kinda doubt it can be made. This was a year of spontaneous rock and roll combustion. I mean, just look at the sledgehammers that FORMED in '69, for crying out loud in the dark night!

And by the way, in response to those who think I am so hopelessly mired in the past that I can't see beyond the smoke and the flowers, the God of Thunder is preparing an upcoming post that takes a look at rock and roll 40 years later -- in the year 2009. No pre-judgments. Just an honest look (from my perspective) on the state of rock and roll. Hope you enjoy.

Go in peace....

G.O.T.

The Clash.... punk's best!

Think we won't cover punk rock? Well, don't get your piercings all infected and think again, boys and girls. Not a long post, but a vital one nonetheless.

There aren't too many punk bands that are worth spending time with, according to the G.O.T. However, some of the best of the bunch include (with apologies to sub-genres to which some of these may more appropriately apply):

the Buzzcocks
the Sex Pistols
the Misfits
Black Flag
the Ramones
Siouxsie & the Banshees

But my personal favorite (perhaps because of the fairly melodic accessibility of most of their stuff) is none other than:

the CLASH!

How else does a band earn the title of "The Only Band That Matters" (bestowed by others, btw).

If you want a flavor for how fundamentally cool these kids were, please ignore Rock the Casbah and Should i Stay or Should I Go -- they are great, great songs, but are now overplayed caricatures of themselves that feature way too prominently in fraternity dance party send-ups of the 70s, and are played alongside Free Bird and Rock and Roll All Night.

Instead, give a listen to the tune London Calling (off album of the same name), where Joe Strummer's voice just DRIPS with the angry desperation of youth who can't catch a break. This is powerful stuff, people.

Also the interesting vocalizing of Jimmy Jazz. Won't be appealing to everyone's ears, but it can't be denied that these cats was creative, unique and powerful. This was not just simple three-chord thrashing about with a safety pin in your nipple. This was the real deal.

Hope you agree. And if not, GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!!

G.O.T.

The Yardbirds -- father of the gods

Good morning people. Hope your day rawks!

Over coffee this early, dark morning, I began thinking about bands that created the most lasting musical legacy -- not necessarily from the standpoint of their OWN catelogue of tunes, but from the standpoint of their members' overall impact ON music over the years.

Now, this is kind of a hard distinction. I'm not talking about the brilliance of singular bands or individuals. No one disputes the effect Lennon/McCartney had on the entire known universe. Or the impact of Jimi Hendrix to legions of axe players (I still got my guitar, look out now....). Also not talking about delta blues tragic-hero Robert Johnson's influence that spawned countless blues-based rock bands on both sides of the Atlantic.

What I AM talking about are those bands that brought together such amazing performers as to have established extended FAMILIES of bands that played major roles in rock history in their own right. The creation, the breakup and the line-up shuffling of these bands caused lightning to strike twice, three times, 10 times.... Almost always resulting in historic NEW creations.

So, with that stage set, who do i consider to be the numero uno rock and roll queen bee ?

The Yardbirds. circa 1964-71

Over the years the lads magically attracted the best guitar talent available anywhere on the planet -- Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.

(disclaimer time: I'm a huge Clapton and Beck fan. While i love Page, and consider Led Zeppelin to be one of the three best rock bands of all time, he was not technically in the same class as the other two. Page was a riff monster who could churn out thunderous and brilliant hooks that wrecked your dental work. But a technically sound guitar god he was not....)

Let's take a look at bands that either directly came out of the Yardbirds, or that later featured key players who got an early start with guys in that group. And this list is not at all exhaustive:

CREAM! (Clapton)

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (Clapton)

Blind Faith (Clapton)

Derek and the Dominos (Clapton)

Fleetwood Mac (bassist John McVie played with Clapton in the Bluesbreakers)

Jeff Beck Group

Small Faces (Rod Stewart/Ron Wood, who left Beck to form the Faces)

Rod Stewart (same as above)

Led Zeppelin (Page)

What, are you KIDDING me??? This "seven degrees of separation" exercise does not go so far as to draw additional -- and sometimes faint -- lines between rock big shots (e.g., Bad Company), but it DOES give you a sense of the royalty that descended from this amazing group.

The lineage is simply unparalled. One can listen to playlists for days on end from the various iterations of the Yardbirds' lineups and those that spun from that same hive and never have to suffer less than glittering rock glory. Impressive as hell, to say the least.

Arguments can be made for other "Supergroups" (CSNY, e.g.) but none compare with the Yardbirds, in my view. I'd love to hear it if you can make a case for someone else, however.

The god of thunder is with you always.....

G.O.T.

Jimmy Buffett....uh, sorry folks. Can't get there....

Ok, with the most SINCERE apologies to my favorite okie-not-from-muskogee, JLL, three words: Jimmy Buffett sucks.

Let the stoning begin.....

Best classic rock soundtrack of all time....

Now THIS should provide for some interesting feedback....

Let's have a chat about film. And more specifically, films that feature GREAT slabs of classic rock. We're not talking about movies that happen to have some catchy tunes driving through the boring parts. No, to qualify for this competition the movies MUST include several (more than two) classic rock cuts from 60s, 70s or 80s, and the music must be somewhat central to the movie itself. I know that not everyone will like these parameters, but get over it. Them's the rules.

Because of the above rule, movies like "Spinal Tap" don't qualify. Great rock movie, but not the point of this post. But stuff from even the 80s counts, such as The Wedding Singer.

Likely early favorites, among others:

Forrest Gump
Remember the Titans
The Breakfast Club
Boogie Nights
School of Rock
Dazed and Confused
Hi-Fidelity

Now, i'm going to pick MY favorite and break it down for y'all.

Without question, the best movie featuring "pre-suck" music is......

APOCALYPSE NOW.

The actual classic rock songs in the movie are few -- much of the movie is atmospheric stuff that gives it the feel of being fully stoned. But fundamentally, this song wins hands down simply by having the Doors "The End" and "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix. Those two songs, among the best EVER recorded in rock and roll, qualify the movie's tunes for the winner's circle. The inclusion of Flash Cadillac's "Susi Q" (made famous by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and the Stones' "Satisfaction" is just icing on this blue ribbon cake. And then to have Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" featured prominently....holy heavy metal, batman! The piece deserves an honory place on the rock wall of fame.


But frankly, I was completely sold on the film with the inclusion of "The End".... one of my top five faves of all-time. No way i'm voting against that song.

Other movies have numerically more great tunes, but the sheer perfection in joining film and music vision make this the ONE for the AGES.

I have to admit to having a hard time passing over Forrest Gump. Any disc featuring Wicked Wilson Pickett and Buffalo Springfield (along with the Doors, Aretha, the Four Tops, et al)deserve sclose inspection and consideration.


Also can't pass up a flag salute to School of Rock, which features another one of my top five fave cuts: "Immigrant Song" by the mighty Zeppelin. Nice.....


But for the record, the closest second to Apocalypse for me is Platoon (and i'm not favoring war movies, just to be clear). "White Rabbit", "Tracks of my Tears", "Respect", "Hello, I Love You" and "Dock of the Bay" might seem to outweigh Apocalypse Now's soundtrack. But folks, the sheer musical magnitude of the three key cuts in Coppola's film blow everything else away. I won't criticize anyone who picks Platoon as number one, however. A fair nod indeed....

What say you?

The God of Thunder is with you always....RIP

G.O.T

Do we dare discuss Van Halen so soon??

But since the subject came up yesterday, it makes sense to get this tired and trite topic out of the way. Because one has to know where you stand on the "VH Question".

Therefore, my thoughts:

1. Everyone knows that David Lee Roth currently sucks balls, but he was clearly the superior VH front man.

2. VH with Sammy sounded like the Sammy Hagar band.

3. Eddie Van Halen WAS a great guitar player, but ceased being in the least bit interesting after 1984.

4. Losing Michael Anthony on bass was the death note for one of Rock's all time greatest acts (who is so obnoxious as to name your kid Wolfgang? AND let him play bass in your band!!)

So, with that said, a smattering of amplifications.... (get it..? as in "amplification", like a guitar amplifier? freakin' sweet...:-)

Can someone PLEASE tell me why someone with such amazing, creative talent just simply stopped being relevant and decided to just be a shadow of his promise? Yes Eddie, i mean YOU. I mean, holy crap. The cat could do just about anything with a guitar but then faded away and refused to keep pushing the instrument. Very disappointing. Consequently Ed pales next to such masters as Randy Rhodes and Eric Clapton (Eddie's own idol).

While OU812 and 5150 were interesting albums possessing a few cool moments with Sam, they still sounded more like overproduced Montrose and Sammy solo stuff than VH.

So on the point of Montrose.... simply a great, great rock band. Yeah, Ronnie Montrose got a bit weird later, but the fundamental coolness of the self-titled Montrose album (introducing a young Sammy on the mic) was brilliant when it hit in 1973. That album gave us the Sammy classic "Bad Motor Scooter".

Oh yeah, anyone know the initial band moniker of VH when Alex, Ed, Dave and Mike first hooked up?

Mammoth. And yes, they were....

Anyway, needing to hear other views on the mythic metal masters we USED to call Van Halen .

Gimme what ya got.

The God of Thunder is with you always...... RIP

GOT

Setting the stage....

Let's be clear about some basic parameters at this early stage. Really, it's comments, musings, opinions, ramblings and riffs on all things music prior to 1990, with a special emphasis on rawk and rohl. But with side routes to inspect the gorgeous landscapes and tapastries of Motown, Funk, Jazz, Metal, Pop and other genres of personal interest.

Why 1990? Not sure, really. Other than it marks the end of when a lot of music began to be "less interesting". I reserve the right to narrow dates of interest, or to expand beyond.

And yes, I classify 80's hair metal as interesting....not only for metallic pop sensibility, but because of the spectacle. And no, i don't find Madonna interesting, except when in a coffee table art/photo book. She can dance, she can self-promote, she photographs well, but the girl just...can't... sing. I mean really.... More on that in a special post on another day.

Now, are many of my preferences derivative, banal and otherwise of no interest to many of you? Without a doubt. I'm not so self-absorbed as to think I have better taste than anyone else. (I just have better taste than most....:-)

So walk with me, if you will, down the roads to Heaven and Hell (nod to Dio-Sabbath), and be prepared to be offended and uplifted. Please argue with me.... And take my responses in the good-natured spirit in which i intend them.

The God of Thunder is with you always..... Rest in pieces....

GOT

Opening act

Ok rawk acolytes. Let's get down to business. And Rawk is serious business. Tired of the pretenders and earbenders who have opinions but don't know their subject? Time to sit at the feet of the God of Thunder and learn a thing or two..... And teach me a thing or two. Afterall, blogging is a two-way street and nothing is WORSE than someone who thinks they are right and can't hear criticism or differing points of view.

For example: Poison sucks. Ok, not that great of an example, because it is an emperical, scientifically provable fact. Everyone knows, e.g., that CC DeVille is the poorest example of a kid who wasted too many years playing guitar and learning nothing. Oh well. Nothing lost.... Except for the millions who blew their lunch money on "Look what the cat dragged in...." Yawn.

Anyway, what's the other thing missing in the subject matter? Rawkers who can't spell and don't know grammar. If we're going to comment on rawk and rohl, can't we at least be educated about it? Plato referred to the perfect forms that are a reflection on the cave wall. Let's have this blog reflect that perfection. Plato would be pleased, and would raise the devil horns in salute.

Bless you Ronnie James Dio, for giving us the creation.....

Talk to you soon. The God blesses you all.... Go in pieces.....

GOT