Stand Up And Shout!!!...

Traditionally reserved for the end of the blog is our new releases...but this new release, out on Tuesday April 1st, is something special and I thought I would take a moment to bring it to your attention...

Ronald James Padavona, known to the world as Elf/Rainbow/Black Sabbath/Dio/Heaven & Hell lead vocalist Ronnie James Dio, was one of the greatest influences in the rock/metal world.  Known by his colleagues for his humanity, compassion, intelligence and wit, he became through all of his musical endeavors one of the premier vocalists in the world.  

In November of 2009, Dio was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and sadly succumbed to it in May of 2010.  The music world and the world at large lost a great front man, and a great human being.  When USA For Africa did "We Are The World", Dio provided the lyrics and vocals with his band mates Jimmy Bain and Vivian Campbell's music and put together "Hear 'n Aid", a heavy metal famine relief effort for Africa that raised just over 1 million dollars.  The single they released was "Stars"...

Dio and his wife Wendy were also great supporters of the Children Of The Night project whose goal was to help get runaways off the streets of Los Angeles and into mainstream society.  In 1991 RJD was awarded with the Dave Pritchard Memorial Award for his contributions to this cause.  

Which brings us to why we are featuring "This Is Your Life: A Tribute To Ronnie James Dio" this week.  For all of the good that Dio did with his music and with his humanitarian efforts, it did not stop with his passing.  The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund was set up in his honor and has to date collected over 600,000 for cancer research.  Monies raised have been committed to the T.J. Martell Foundation For Cancer, Aids and Leukemia Research and the gastric cancer research unit of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Dio was treated for his stomach cancer the last six months of his life.  Should you feel moved to donate and support this great cause you can find the link here: Dio Cancer Fund ...

All of this culminates with the new release "This Is Your Life: A Tribute To Ronnie James Dio"... Friends, colleagues and band mates got together to pay tribute to Dio and proceeds from the sale of the album will go to the Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund.  It's an all star cast from the hard rock/heavy metal community performing classics from Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio's solo work.  

The track list is as follows [and there is something for everyone!...]

1. Neon Nights - Anthrax [Previously Unreleased]

 

2. The Last In Line - Tenacious D [Previously Unreleased]

3. The Mob Rules - Adrenaline Mob

4. Rainbow In The Dark - Corey Taylor, Ray Mayorga, Satchel, Christian Martucci and Jason Christopher [Previously Unreleased]

5. Straight Through The Heart - Halestorm [Previously Unreleased]

6. Starstruck - Motorhead with Biff Byford [Previously Unreleased]

7. The Temple Of The King - Scorpions [Previously Unreleased]

8. Egypt [The Chains Are On] - Doro

9. Holy Diver - Killswitch Engage

10. Catch The Rainbow - Glenn Hughes, Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo & Scott Warren [Previously Unreleased]

11. I - Oni Logan, Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson & Brian Tichy [Previously Unreleased]

12. Man On The Silver Mountain - Rob Halford, Vinny Appice, Doug Aldrich, Jeff Pilson & Scott Warren [Previously Unreleased]

13. Ronnie Rising Medley [Featuring A Light In The Black/Tarot Woman/ Stargazer/Kill The King] - Metallica [Previously Unreleased]

14. This Is Your Life - Ronnie James Dio

A great record for a great cause... Pick this one up and not only find some great music, but also contribute to the fight against cancer... Stand Up And Shout!!...

Also tying into the release of "This Is Your Life" is the tour of the Dio Disciples, a band consisting of former members of Dio's band as well as musical colleagues paying tribute to Dio's tenure with Rainbow, Sabbath and Dio solo.  I had the pleasure of catching this band at the State Theater in St. Pete on Friday night [March 28th], right before they embarked on the "Monsters Of Rock" cruise out of Miami... 

Currently managed by Dio's wife Wendy, the band rotates some members and presently consists of vocalists Oni Logan [Lynch Mob] and Mark Boals [Yngwie/Ring Of Fire], guitarist Craig Goldy [Rough Cutt/Giuffria/Dio], bassist Bjorn Englen [Yngwie/Tony MacAlpine], drummer Simon Wright [AC/DC/Dio/Geoff Tate's Queensryche] and keyboard player Scott Warren [Warrant/Keel/Dio/Heaven & Hell].  

The performance at the State Theater was outstanding.  The mix sounded great and the only minor complaint I would have is that the sound guy had the house mix up too loud to the point where it was distorting a little, but overall it was a great show.  Oni Logan and Mark Boals did a great job with the material and this band really did pay a fitting tribute to the amazing Ronnie James Dio.   The set list covered Rainbow, Sabbath and Dio but did not include Heaven & Hell [not yet anyway]... Craig Goldy gets kudos for successfully mirroring Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, Vivian Campbell and Doug Aldrich... The set list was as follows:

1. Holy Diver [Dio]

2. Killing The Dragon [Dio]

3. I [Black Sabbath]

4. Egypt [The Chains Are On] [Dio]

5. The Gates Of Babylon [Rainbow]

6. The Last In Line [Dio]

7. Stand Up And Shout [Dio]

8. Tarot Woman/All The Fools Sailed Away [Rainbow/Dio]

9. Neon Nights [Black Sabbath]

10. Catch The Rainbow/Kill The King [Rainbow]

11. Long Live Rock 'N Roll/Man On The Silver Mountain/Heaven & Hell [Rainbow/Rainbow/Black Sabbath]

Encores:

12. Rainbow In The Dark [Dio]

13. We Rock [Dio]

A great band paying tribute to a great man... Catch these guys on tour if you find them in your area!...

And Now...For This Week's Sonic Flashback...

Def Leppard - Adrenalize

Released March 31, 1992

Joe Elliott - Vocals

Phil Collen - All Guitars except Acoustic Guitar on "Tonight"

Rick Savage - Bass, Acoustic Guitar on "Tonight"

Rick Allen - Drums

Considered the runt of the litter in the trilogy with "Pyromania" and "Hysteria", Adrenalize was released under difficult musical and personal circumstances in the Spring of 1992...  Grunge had taken effect and while most melodic hard rock bands had gotten lost in the wave Def Leppard had the staying power to hit it head on and still hit #1 in both America and Great Britain.  Also in the mix was the passing of guitarist Steve "Steamin'" Clark, who succumbed to a mix of alcohol and pain killers on January 8, 1991.  The band dedicated the record to his memory.  

Not adverse to tragedy, the band soldiered on, remaining as a four piece and without the direct help of their mentor and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who was busy with Bryan Adams' record.  Lange would get executive producer credit, but his input was via telephone and demos sent to him.  Mike Shipley [R.I.P], who was an engineer for Lange,  was brought on board to produce the record and the overall sound is right in line with it's predecessors, and is often criticized as being too close in sound to "Hysteria".  But if it ain't broke...don't fix it...

With almost every song co-written by Clark, guitarist Phil Collen was tasked with playing both guitar parts and played Clark's style on his pieces.  Unless you were a die hard fan, and you didn't know Clark has passed, you wouldn't know he wasn't on the record.  Adrenalize came in at 10 songs, 9 of which were new [Track 10 - "Tear It Down" was actually a b-side of the single for "Women" from Hysteria, and was re-recorded for the record...], and the record is leaner, but still in my humble opinion an excellent record all around...

Flying in the face of the new grunge movement "Adrenalize" sold 3 million copies out of the box and went on to sell a total of 7 million records.  Def Leppard would try to incorporate some of the grunge sound on their next record "Slang" [a favorite of mine...], but that's a whole other story... 

Def Leppard would replace Clark with Dio/Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell, who would appear in all the promotional videos for the album except "Let's Get Rocked" and has continued with the band since.  The album was released as a Deluxe Edition with b-sides and live recordings. Overall a great record and a respectable addition to the Def Leppard canon, and definitely stands up to it's two older brothers and the rest of the catalog...

New Releases - Coming Soon To A Medium Near You!!...

Lacuna Coil - Broken Crown Halo

Following up their outstanding "Dark Adrenaline" Lacuna Coil are back with "Broken Crown Halo", and the band are ready to take their success to the next level.  Dark and brooding, the band states this record is about not looking at everything that's good...but everything that's real, and how it plays out in a modern world.  Symphonic hard rock with a nod to the cinematic... [Century Media] [Out 4/1]

Steel Panther - All You Can Eat

Steel Panther are a modern day version of Spinal Tap... Played tongue in cheek and they let you know they're in on the joke... They send up the hair metal scene with comedic effect... The twist however...is that these guys are outstanding musicians able to mimic any band's style and really have the chops to impress.  With songs like "You're Beautiful When You Don't Talk" and "Gangbang At The Old Folks Home"...this record will certainly rock you out and bring a smile at the same time... [Universal Republic Records] [Out 4/1]

The Alan Parsons Project - The Complete Albums Collection

Covering from 1976's "Tales Of Mystery & Imagination" through '87's "Gaudi" this box set also includes "The Sicilian Defence", delivered to the record label the same time as "Eve" to fulfill contractual obligations, but not released until this box set... A great collection of progressive rock with pop leanings... [Arista Records] [Out 4/1]

Sonata Arctica - Pariah's Child

Finnish power metal vets Sonata Arctica release the follow up to 2012's "Stones Grow Her Name" and bows toward more of the classic sound from this band and bringing back more of that power metal element...and wolves... [Nuclear Blast America Records] [Out 4/1]

Deep Purple - Cal Jam 74

Finally a good recording of this historic concert... Released a few times with mixed results, Eagle Rock Entertainment gives you the complete show with excellent sound as is usual for this label... And the classics "Burn", "Smoke On The Water" and "Space Truckin'" are all present here... A great slice of history... [Eagle Rock Entertainment] [Out 4/1]

And Now...For This Weeks Gratuitous 80's Video...

Thanks For Coming Along For The Ride...

J.

Johnny Bravo... He Fit The Suit...Or Did He?...

 

Some time ago I re-posted a video on Facebook from progressive/art rock band ELP... And herein lies the apparent controversy... It wasn't Emerson, Lake & Palmer...It was Emerson, Lake & Powell.  The album in and of itself is a very good slice of post prog/arena rock that a lot of the original progressive bands became in the 80's.  My old friend Bob pointed out that the only reason Cozy Powell [R.I.P.] was chosen was because he had the "P" last name.  In the same vein as Johnny Bravo fitting the suit.  If you missed the reference to the episode of the Brady Bunch...much of this isn't going to make sense anyway...but in a nutshell...when you lose someone in a band do you replace them with a clone or new blood in an effort to maintain success?...

Was Cozy Powell selected because of the "P" in his name or was he chosen because he was a world class drummer with The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow and Whitesnake?... I'd like to think given the talented players that Keith Emerson and Greg Lake are, they chose him on that merit, and the fact that his last name fit was really not a factor... but the truth is... I don't know what the thinking was when they decided to reform and Carl Palmer was busy with Asia, but reports indicate it was because Palmer was a friend of Emerson's, and other drummers who tried out didn't work out or couldn't commit.  Which brings us to the next question... when a band loses a critical member, do they replace him with a clone who can sing or play the parts without shaking too many things up, or do they switch gears and change direction?... [And our Flashback this week is definitely a band that changed direction...] Let's focus on some of the bands that changed for the better...

A good example of a band that changed direction in the vocal department is Kansas...Steve Walsh left after the Audio Visions album and tour in 1980 and they replaced him with John Elefante, who for all intents and purposes could sing Walsh's parts, but gave the band a different sound.  They released two albums, "Vinyl Confessions" and "Drastic Measures" and had hits with "Play The Game Tonight" and "Fight Fire With Fire" respectively from those albums.  Walsh would rejoin for the '86 comeback "Power"...

Yes is a band that is known for it's line-up changes [One bassist, 4 singers, 6 keyboard players, 2 drummers and 4 guitarists...]. One of those is the exit of Rick Wakeman and Jon Anderson after the "Tormato" album.  Buggles Geoff Downes [keyboards] and Trevor Horn [vocals] were brought in to replace them and the resulting "Drama" album was met with mixed reviews, smaller ticket sales, and the band eventually calling it a day for a bit... Now, when the band came together with guitarist Trevor Rabin and formed Cinema, it was only a matter of time before vocalist Jon Anderson was back in the fold, and Cinema became yet another incarnation of Yes, now with Trevor Rabin "technically" replacing Steve Howe.  Each incarnation yielded different results [I'm a huge fan of the "Drama" album, but I'm in the minority...].  The resulting record with Rabin "90125" went multi-platinum and gave them their first #1 single with "Owner Of A Lonely Heart"...so...sometimes change is good.  

Another band that overcame diversity upon losing a prominent band member is Black Sabbath... After firing vocalist Ozzy Osbourne the band contacted Rainbow/Elf vocalist Ronnie James Dio [R.I.P] and his time with the band [3 albums] truly proved that you can bounce back after a dramatic change.  Dio obviously wasn't Ozzy, but he had carved a niche as a powerhouse vocalist and songwriter who was exactly what Sabbath needed for their return.  For someone to expect "Never Say Die" or even "Paranoid" to sound like "Heaven & Hell" or "Mob Rules" they would be sorely mistaken, as the band had grown and evolved with Dio in the fold.  This is the case of where Dio's contribution revived the band, and without this era I don't think they would have continued as they did.  Everything of course would come full circle as Ozzy would reunite with Sabbath for their Grammy winning "13" album in 2013...

Deep Purple's MK II line-up was their most successful, so replacing vocalist Ian Gillan could have proved very challenging...instead of trying to replace him with a clone, they hired two vocalists to fill the spot...One in the form of future Whitesnake leader David Coverdale, and the other in bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes.  Coverdale and Hughes brought a more bluesy and soulful approach to the vocals, and the MK III line-up proved successful with the albums "Burn", and "Stormbringer"...the Mark IV line-up kept the vocalists but replaced guitarist Ritchie Blackmore with Tommy Bolin [R.I.P.] for "Come Taste The Band"... 

And probably one of the greatest changes in rock history is the replacement of AC/DC's vocalist, Bon Scott [R.I.P.]... Scott died after a night of drinking and the band wasn't sure if they were going to continue.  They recruited former Geordie singer Brian Johnson and returned in 1980 with their masterpiece "Back In Black".  Johnson was definitely not a Scott clone and the record for obvious reasons made superstars out of this band.  And they continue with plans for a new record and world tour in the coming years...

So...there is no formula for maintaining success...because if there was you would see less bands crash and burn after a member change or a change in direction.  Music fans are fickle, and what works for one may not work for the other... And while some bands recruit clones to maintain their momentum a la "Johnny Bravo"... others strike out into new places and take those bands to new heights... As a fan of music...I'm just going to open my ears and listen...because if I judge the music before I hear it...I might miss something...and so could you...

And Now...For This Week's Sonic Flashback...

Van Halen - 5150

Alex Van Halen - Drums, Percussion
Edward Van Halen - Guitars, Background Vocals
Michael Anthony - Bass, Background Vocals
Sammy Hagar - Lead & Background Vocals

In what was a very publicized and acrimonious split... David Lee Roth and Van Halen went their separate ways after the "1984" tour, and the next chapter of the Van Halen began with a new singer, a new sound, and their first #1 album...

Anticipation and expectations ran high in the Spring of 1986... would Van Halen bounce back from their split with Roth, or would the album be DOA and the Van Halen legacy ruined?... Well...depending on who you talk to...adding Sammy Hagar may have both added and detracted from the band's legacy...but you can't argue with the album's success.  "5150" [named after Eddie's home studio and the California police code for a mentally disturbed person...], released March 24, 1986, would polarize the fan base and critics and yet also set the stage for Van Halen second act selling over 6 million copies...

Arguments were made that the record relied too heavily on keyboards, and that Eddie had abandoned his axe, but the one thing that Eddie Van Halen wanted respect for, was for being a musician, not just a guitar hero.  The keyboards of course were mainly introduced on the "1984" record and this record would then be the logical extension.  The most significant change was the style of vocals on the album.  Hagar's vocals are more melodic and counterpointed the music more where Roth's tended to follow the guitar line, and Roth doesn't have Hagar's range [and for the record...I'm not in either camp as to which is better, as I see each singer as someone who brought something great to this group... Hell...I can probably find something nice to say about Van Halen III with Gary Cherone...].  Michael Anthony even had to take his vocals up an octave to harmonize...

I remember hearing the first single "Why Can't This Be Love" [on either 99.1 WPLR out of New Haven...or 1-95 out of Brookfield...I can't remember...] and thinking that it was a really good song.  Hagar sounded great [I followed his career since "Standing Hampton"] and the guitars were still there, albeit textured more.  Reactions from friends varied from excellent to sell out to "Van Hagar" sucks...but I really liked the record.  Truth be told I was never the huge Van Halen fan.  I owned the catalog up to that point and knew the songs, but wasn't a die hard so the change didn't really make a huge difference  to me.  

I believe that had the band continued, that they wouldn't have had the impact that "5150" did with Hagar.  In David Lee Roth's book "Crazy From The Heat" he stated that he worked on some early versions of the songs with the band, but I can't for the life of me believe that the songs would have sounded anywhere near as good with his voice...To me it just wouldn't work.  Flash forward to now and Van Halen released "A Different Kind Of Truth" with Roth in 2012, this time without longtime bassist Michael Anthony, who was replaced by Eddie's son, Wolfgang...so I guess conflict is inevitable in this band...as is change...

The band followed up "5150" with "OU812" [their tongue in cheek album name culled as a response to David Lee Roth's "Eat 'Em & Smile"] and all together had 4 great albums with Hagar.  Regardless of what side of the fence you are on, "5150" continued the success already in place and took them to the next level... Would it have been any different if Roth stayed in the fold... I know where I would bet...but we will never know...

Better Late Than Never...Part Deux...

Stone Sour - House Of Gold & Bones Part I

Avenged Sevenfold - Hail To The King

Two great records...one from 2012 and one from 2013... If you are a fan of "Octane" on Sirius FM [Or your local "Rock" station...] you are very familiar with these two... AX7 even debuted at #1 on Billboard...  So...why the delay... Well... I have no really good reason other than that I was probably busy with other things and was ok with hearing the tracks on the radio... What changed that?... My 16 year old son... who is heavily into these bands [and Black Veil Brides as well as Slipknot] who added them to a list of music he was looking for.  

I remember what it was like at that age trying to buy everything that came out that I liked and not being able to keep up... so I like to help him out and make sure he's got what he's looking for..  [as well as the Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Megadeth and Rush catalogs which he was already given...] So in picking them up I found myself really getting into them.  Stone Sour's is Part 1 of a concept album...but the tracks stand out individually...[and I'll pick up Part 2 to get the second half of it... Avenged Sevenfold is a throwback to good old Heavy Metal a la Metallica and GNR... I don't mind that there are sonic references to other works, I'm just happy the band gives it a good shot... The songs are heavy and the solos are excellent... 

So... in essence...I'm old... but I'm ok with it... Having two sons [my youngest is 12], I get a different taste of what's playing out there... and they get inundated with classic heavy metal to broaden their horizons... I think that's a pretty good deal...

New Releases...Coming To A Format Near You!!!...

Pantera - Far Beyond Driven - 20th Anniversary Edition

It's been 20 years since "Strength Beyond Strength" came crashing through the speakers and "Far Beyond Driven" landed at #1 on the charts... This edition is expanded to two discs with a complete remaster of the original material, as well as a second disc with their performance at the Monsters Of Rock Festival in Donnington from 1994... [Rhino Records] [Out 3/24]

Pretty Maids - Louder Than Ever

German metal band Pretty Maids release "Louder Than Ever" with 8 re-recorded tracks and 4 new ones... The package also includes a retrospective DVD with archival footage, interviews and live footage from their "Motherland" tour... [Frontiers Records] [Out 3/24]

L.R.S - Down To The Core

L.R.S. is the trio of vocalist Tommy LaVerdi [21 Guns], guitarist Josh Ramos [The Storm/Hardline] and drummer Michael Shotton [Von Groove/Airtime].  Melodic hard rock and and the return of one of the best singers of the genre... [Frontiers Records] [Out 3/24]

Asia - Gravitas

Since reuniting with the original line-up for 2008's "Phoenix", Asia have continued to create solid melodic rock with touches of their progressive pasts.  This new release finds Steve Howe out of the fold and is replaced by Sam Coulson... [Frontiers Records] [Out 3/25]

KXM - KXM

KXM is Ray Luzier [Korn], Dug Pinnick [King's X] and George Lynch [Dokken/Lynch Mob] and actually came out two weeks ago and I missed adding it to the blog... Some collaborations rehash the past, this record embraces all three men involved and comes together with the intent to create something new...and succeeds... Reviews are excellent and this is one hard rock gem that you will not want to miss... [Rat Pak Records]

And Now...For This Week's Gratuitious Hair-Metal Video...

Thanks For Coming Along For The Ride...

J.