FROM CAR FITTER TO CO-CREATOR
OF ROCK’S BIGGEST-SELLING ALBUM
FEBRUARY 2010 ISSUE 141 £4.99
BRIAN JOHNSON ON
BACK IN BLACK
141AC
/DC
★
BLA
CK
SA
BB
AT
H
★
BES
TOF
THE
00s
★
VA
N
HALEN
★
JUD
AS
PRIES
T★
ONES
TO
WA
TC
H
IN
2010
★
DEF
LEPP
ARD
FEB RU AR Y 20 10 PR INT ED IN THE UK £4 .99Kiss destroy Anaheim, California, 24 November, 2009.
classicrockmagazine.com 7
➽
ro ss halfinJust another
dreary day at
the office…
Kissfeverkontinues
astherocklegends
wowtheUSandset
theUKboxoffices
alight.Almostliterally.
“Kisshave sold40,000 tickets at 35quid ago in five fuckingdays!”So ran thetext message sent toClassicRockthe otherday by aKiss Armyfanatic. When
classicrockmagazine.com exclusively announced Kiss’s spring UKtour–their first arena showsherein11years –our sitealmost went into meltdown.Likethe flame throwers at theback of thestage, this is onehot ticket.
Kiss’s tour– dubbed‘SonicBoomOver Europe:FromTheBeginningTo The Boom’ – willwillbe afresh,new show specially tailored toEuropeanfans and showcasingthe new SonicBoomalbum.
Bassist/vocalist GeneSimmons, currentlyonthe roadwith thebandin the
US,stated:“Now,more than ever,Kissis a four-wheel-drive monstertruck. Our mission?To rockplanet Earth. To spread the gospelof Sonic Boom.”
Seeourreviewon p112 andthen fallto yourknees and repentif youplease…
“now, more than
ever, kiss is a
four-wheel-drive
monster truck.”
ready
steady
go!
Carbon Fibre is an extremely light-weight and durable material that is often used in the manufacture of aircraft and race car bodies.Carbon housing and carbon diaphragm reduces distortion while recreating clear and powerful sound with deep bass. The HA-M750 & HA-S650 stereo headphones boast stainless steel headbands, sound-insulating memory foam ear pads for extra comfort, and pure copper inner cord, minimising loss of sound quality.
The HA-M750 incorporates twistable housing for one-ear monitoring and a flexible 2m extension cord for easy reach while the HA-S650 offers practicality with a true flat foldable design.
Carbon Black series from JVC
Specification:
HA-M750 : frequency response:6Hz-26,000Hz: Sensitivity:115dB/1mW:Nominal impedance:32Ω : cord length: 1.2 m pure copper cord (3.9ft): 2.0m extension cord: compact foldable design: stainless steel headband:40mm large carbon diaphragm: memory foam ear pads HA-S650 : frequency response:8Hz – 26,000Hz:112dB/1Mw: Nominal impedance: 32Ω: cord length: 1.2 m copper cord (3.9ft): Flat foldable design: stainless steel headband: memory foam ear pads.
Cover story
45
1980: 12 astonishing
months in rock history
ItwastheyearthatgaveusBackInBlack,AceOfSpades, BritishSteel,IronMaiden,HeavenAndHellandcountless more.AcrosseightpagesClassicRocklooksbackattheyear inwhichrock’slandscapechangedforever,featuring interviewswithDefLeppard,JudasPriest,Saxonandmore.
cover story
FEBRUARY 2010 issue 14165
THE BEST
OF THE
DECADE!
2000-2009
Features
48
Black Sabbath
Whatdoesabanddowhentheylosetheirfrontman? Panic,usually.WhenBlackSabbathlostOzzy,instead theybroughtinDioandmadeoneofthegreatestheavy metalalbumsofalltime:HeavenAndHell.56
AC/DC
Oneminute,BrianJohnsonwasrepairingcarsonTyneside, thenexthewasintheBahamasrecordingwhatwould becomethebiggest-sellingrockalbumever:BackInBlack. Funny,life,ain’tit?Win!
£4,000 WORTH OF
LEEMA HI-FI
EQUIPMENT!
p31
ro ber tellis/repf otoIf the cap fits: AC/DC in London in 1980 with new singer Brian Johnson.
CHECK OUT WHOWE’RE BETTING
ON, AND FIND OUT ABOUT THE
BANDS ON YOURCD.
Regulars
18
The Dirt
ELPandZZTopannouncedasheadlinersfornextsummer’s all-newClassicRockHighVoltagefestival.Aerosmith:Tyler sayshe’sin,theotherssayhe’sout.ThelatestonRonnieDio. Festivalsfor2010.SayhellotoLionsandBandOfSkulls; welcomebackLitaFord,REOSpeedwagonandMarillion.
TheWhotoplayatthisyear’sSuperbowl;Reefreunite;
Facesstepupplansfortheirreuniontour…
28
Photo Pass
“PuttingtheleopardintheCorvettewithJaggerendedup beingsodangerous.”PhotographerAlbertWatsononmaking MickJaggerlooklikearightanimal.34
The Story
Behind The Song
The Kinks
RayDaviesonthesongthatcreatedtheblueprintformetal andpunk:AllTheDayAndAllOfTheNight.36
Q&A
Stephen Stills
The’S’inthefolk-rocksupergroupthatwasCrosby,Stills &Nashtalksaboutsurvivingthe60sandenduringthe70s.38
Ever Meet Hendrix?
Meat Loaf
Rock’smostunwieldyraconteuronhangingwithcelebs, starsandthoroughlyundesirablemiscreants.
81
Reviews
NewalbumsfromWhiteWizzard,NeilYoung,Creed,
Cinderella,TomWaits…ReissuesfromMontrose,Mick Ronson,LittleAngels,Rush,PiL,Europe…DVDsfrom
Nirvana,BillyIdol,Manson,MeatLoaf…LivereviewsofHard RockHellIII(W.A.S.P.,Quireboys,MonsterMagnet,Ratt),
Kiss,SlashandFriends,Motörhead,ParlorMob,Yes…
99
Letters
SomebodythinksClassicRockisrippingpeopleoff. SomebodyelsethinksAC/DCarerippingpeopleoff.We don’tjustprintthe“ClassicRockisfab”letters,y’know.130
Heavy Load
Sammy Hagar
TheMontose,VanHalenandChickenfootfrontmanonhis lifeandtimesinabrandnewClassicRockregular. FEBRUARY2010issue 14165
Ones to watch
in 2010
Someone’sgoingtobreakthroughduringthenext12 months.Welookatsomeworthycontendersworthkeeping aneyeon,includingBigelf,Airbourne,AlbertaCross,Black Spiders,DarkHorse,Beholderandmanymore… ro b Mo NK: fUtUre NetW orK pl CSUBSCRiBE!
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION: GETMORE ROCKIN YOUR LIFE FOR 2010.
P86
Ringmasters: could 2010 be the year for LA prog-rockers Bigelf?
classic
albu
m
covers
Royal Mail and the Cruciform are registered trade marks of Royal Mail Group Ltd. Album Cover Advert © Royal Mail Group Ltd 2010. All rights reserved Royal Mail Group Ltd registered in England and Wales, number 4138203. Registered office 100 Victoria Embankment, LONDON EC4Y 0HQ.
Don’t miss out on this extraordinary
set of stamps celebrating some of
the most iconic album covers of
the last 40 years.
These amazing stamps are available as a set
of ten or if you have a favourite why not buy it
as a strip of five. There’s also a range of unique
products designed to complement your music
collection perfectly.
Explore more and buy yours now.
Visit www.royalmail.com/albumcovers
call 0808 1000 555
FREE
MP3s
EVERY DAY!
You’ve already missed:
Don’t missTrack Of TheDay:wechoose songs
fromthe hottest acts inrock, blues, prog and
metal –and letyou havethemwithone click.
Classicrockmagazine.com
News
Get all the latest on
Classic Rock
’s
High Voltage Festival. If you want
to hear about the latest additions
to the bill before anyone else,
then there’s only one place to go:
classicrockmagazine.com
THISMONTHATCLASSICROCK ONLINE
ONLINE NOW!
SIGN UP TO THE
NEWSLETTER
FOR UPDATES!
Getall thelatestfromthesitetoyourinbox
The veteran Uriah Heep guitarist’s weekly diary.
Read all about Mick eating goulash, sorting out
guitar problems, scoffing birthday cake and
bouncing around on a tour bus. Holy cow!
PLUS!
EVERY MONDAY
’APPY DAYS: THE
MICK BOX COLUMN
NEW!
Classic Rock
Album Club
Sample the albums our crack
team of reviewers recommend
and hear them in their entirety
before you part with yer cash.
http://classicrock.telljack.com
FOLLOW CLASSIC ROCK ONLINE AT:
PRIESTESS
HYDROGYN
BIG BIG TRAIN
THE BRAVERY
SMASHING
PUMPKINS
…AND MANY MORE
EVERY FRIDAY:
NEW-RELEASE ROUND-UP
– OUR REACTIONS TO ALL
THE LATEST ALBUMS.
EVERY SUNDAY:
GIG OF THE WEEK – THE
MUST-SEE SHOW THAT’S
HEADING YOUR WAY.
Priestess
Hydrogyn
Big Big Train
Film ©2 009 Steel Curtain Pictures, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
* To claim saving use promotional code ‘LOUD1’. Terms and conditions apply.
1. One Promotional Voucher Code can be redeemed per person. 2. The Promotional Voucher Code
entitles the consumer a £1 discount from It Might Get Loud on DVD or Blu-ray at Play.com. 3. To redeem your Promotional Voucher Code you must enter it on the ‘Pay & Confirm’ screen during the Play.com ‘Checkout’ process. Click the ‘I have a promotional or discount voucher code’ button and enter your code when prompted. 4. All Promotional Voucher Codes are single use only and will expire upon use. 5. Acceptance of your Promotional Voucher Code is deemed acceptance of these terms and conditions. 6. All Promotional Voucher Codes must be redeemed by 00:00 on 14/02/2010. Offer ends on 14th Feb 2010 using LOUD1 as the code.
CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM 15
e made this issue at the end of last
year – the end of the decade – to be
read at the beginning of this one: the
perfect time to look back and take stock.
So this month we take a look back at the
noughties and remember an amazing
12 month period 30 years ago.
1980 was a watershed year for rock music: a year of
tragedy (the deaths of Bon Scott and John Bonham,
the murder of John Lennon, the suicide of Joy
Division’s Ian Curtis) and astonishing rebirth.
A new generation of bands, spurred into action by
the energy and ethics of punk – but who nevertheless
preferred the vocal stylings of Ian Gillan over Johnny
Rotten and the guitar playing of Jimmy Page to that of
Johnny Ramone – exploded on to the scene. A clutch
of classic albums (Back In Black, Iron Maiden, Ace Of
Spades, British Steel, Chinatown…) followed.
Will the first year of the – er, what are we calling this
brave new decade anyway? The tens? The teens? Or
are we just killing time until the Roaring Twenties?
– live up to its 30 year old counterpart? Not a chance.
Some bands might make equally as great rock music,
but it won’t have the same impact it did 30 years ago.
Lost in our own musical worlds, plugged into our
iPods, listening to our personally-tailored playlists,
it’s hard to imagine that anything will ever move us
collectively the same way again…
Scott Rowley,
Editor In Chief
WELCOME
W
This month’s contributors
PAUL ELLIOTT
FormerKerrang! writer Elliott almost single-handedly wrote our extensive cover feature on the best 12 months in heavy metal history, getting new interviews with Brian Johnson, Heaven & Hell/Black Sabbath (get well soon Ronnie!) and Def Leppard. He also contributed the first interview in our new –cough! – serious last page feature, Heavy Load, with Sammy Hagar.
ROBERT ELLIS
One of the great British rock photographers, Robert Ellis began working in the late 60s shooting the Midlands’ folk scene before moving to London and shooting for Melody Maker and NME. His work includes many of the most iconic images of AC/DC, including the little-known shot of Angus and Brian Johnson that graces this month’s front cover.
MALCOLM DOME
Malcolm Dome is a very,very busy man. When he’s not hosting his radio show on TotalRock, writing books or appearing on TV (or in the Crobar), he’s writing features for us or numerous other magazinesand runningtheCR website.This month he’s both revisited 1980 (Iron Maiden, M’head, Scorps and more) and looked forward to 2010 by collaring some new bands.
ON THE COVER Brian Johnson and Angus Young by Robert Ellis
16 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM
NEXT ISSUE ON SALE WEDNESDAY
FEBRUARY 3
We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from well managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. Future Publishing and its paper suppliers have been independently certified in accordance with the rules of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). AmemberoftheAudit BureauofCirculations 70,301 Jan-June2009
Editor In Chief
Scott Rowley
Favourite gig of the 00s:Led Zeppelin, O2 Arena, 2007
Contributing Writers
Max Bell, Tim Batcup, Brett Callwood, Carol Clerk, Johnny Dee, Harry Doherty, Malcolm Dome, Lee Dorrian, Paul Elliott, Jerry Ewing, Mick Farren, Hugh Fielder, Paul Ging, Jon Hotten, Rob Hughes, Neil Jeffries, Rob Kern, Dom Lawson, Jonathan Lewis, Ken McIntyre, Joel McIver, Peter Makowski, Gavin Martin, Alexander Milas, BP Perry, Steven Rosen, Jonathan Selzer, Sleazegrinder, Will Simpson, David Sinclair, Sid Smith, Storm Thorgerson, Ben Fong-Torres, Tommy Udo, Jaan Uhelszki,
Mick Wall, Irvine Welsh, Philip Wilding, Rich Wilson, Steven Wilson, Henry Yates, Catherine Yates
Contributing Photographers
Ami Barwell, Adrian Boot, Dick Barnatt, Zach Cordner, Fin Costello, Henry Diltz, Chris Dreja, Robert Ellis, Kevin Estrada, James Fortune, Jill Furmanovsky, Herb Greene, Bob Gruen, Michael Halsband, Ross Halfin, Mick Hutson, Barry Levine,
John McMurtrie, Gered Mankowitz, Denis O’Regan, Barry Plummer, Ron Pownall, Neal Preston, Michael Putland, David Redfern, Mick Rock, Pennie Smith, Stephen Stickler, Chris Walter, Mark Weiss, Barry Wentzell, Neil Zlozower
SENIORCREATIVETEAM GroupSeniorEditorAubrey Day CreativeDirectorRobinAbbott EditorialDirectorJimDouglas ADVERTISING AdvertisingSalesDirectorMalcolm Stoodley [email protected] 0207 042 4156
AdvertisingSalesDirectorEntertainment Greg Askew
[email protected] 0207 042 4106
BusinessDevelopmentManagerIan A Williamson
[email protected] 0207 042 4102
SeniorSalesExecutive John Biscomb
[email protected] 0207 042 4255
SalesExecutiveClaire Adams
[email protected] 0207 042 4104
ClassifiedSalesExecutive Sushma Sharma
[email protected] 0207 042 4101
DirectorofInserts Nick Weatherall
[email protected] 0207 042 4155 Future360AccountManagerLuke Bilton [email protected] 0207 042 4122 Future360BuyerColin Polis [email protected] 01225 442244 2612 MARKETING
GroupMarketingManager Philippa Newman
ProductManagerMaxine Poole,[email protected] EventsManagerLisa McCabe,[email protected]
CIRCULATION
TradeMarketingManagerSalima Merali, [email protected]
PRINT&PRODUCTION
ProductionCo-ordinator Keely Miller, [email protected] HeadofProductionRichard Mason,[email protected] AdProductionAlaina Henderson,[email protected]
LICENSING
InternationalLicensingDirectorTim Hudson [email protected]
Tel+44(0)1225442244 Fax+44(0)1225732275
FUTUREPUBLISHINGLIMITED
GroupPublisherChrisIngham,[email protected] PublishingDirectorNialFerguson
ChiefOperatingOfficerSimon Wear UKChiefExecutive Robert Price
SUBSCRIPTIONS & BACK ISSUES
PhoneourUKhotlineon08448482852 Subscribeonlineatwww.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
Printed in the UK by William Gibbons. Cover printed by Midway. Distributed by Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 East Poultry Avenue
London EC1A 9PT. Tel: 0207 429 4000
©FuturePublishingLimited2010.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthismagazinemaybeusedorreproducedwithoutthewrittenpermissionofthepublisher.FuturePublishingLimited(companynumber2008885)is registeredinEnglandandWales.TheregisteredofficeofFuturePublishingLimitedisatBeaufordCourt,30MonmouthStreet,BathBA12BW.Allinformationcontainedinthismagazineisforinformationonly(though ifitmakesyoulaugh,cry,orgivesyouastiffy,pal,godblessyou–takeitwhileyoucan)andis,asfarasweareaware,correctatthetimeofgoingtopress.Futurecannotacceptanyresponsibilityforerrorsor inaccuraciesinsuchinformation.Readersareadvisedtocontactmanufacturersandretailersdirectlywithregardtothepriceofproducts/servicesreferredtointhismagazine.Ifyousubmitunsolicitedmaterialtous, youautomaticallygrantFuturealicencetopublishyoursubmissioninwholeorinpartinalleditionsofthemagazine,includinglicensededitionsworldwideandinanyphysicalordigitalformatthroughouttheworld. Anymaterialyousubmitissentatyourriskand,althougheverycareistaken,neitherFuturenoritsemployees,agentsorsubcontractorsshallbeliableforlossordamage. LC 2112 SIR K 66 087 (2SRK 1987) Germany:Z France:WE 666 Can also be played
on mono equipment
Stereo
5150
Classic Rock, Future, 2 Balcombe Street, London NW1 6NW
Tel 020 7042 4000 Fax 020 7042 4329 [email protected] Web classicrockmagazine.com
Cover photography:Robert Ellis Image Manipulation:Steven Wood, James Wootton
Online Editor
Malcolm Dome
Iron Maiden, Hammersmith Apollo, 2005
Group Publisher
Chris Ingham
Led Zeppelin, O2 Arena, 2007
Editor
Siân Llewellyn
Led Zeppelin, O2 Arena, 2007
Editor At Large
Geoff Barton
Thor, Sweden Rock Festival, 2009
Managing Editor
Alex Burrows
Rammstein, Brixton Academy, 2001
Art Editor
Brad Merrett
Metallica, Download 2006
Deputy Art Editor
Mark Gillman
The Wildhearts, London Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 2009
Production Editor
Paul Henderson
Cream, London, Royal Albert Hall, 2005
Reviews Editor
Ian Fortnam
New York Dolls, London Royal Festival Hall ‘04.
News/Live Editor
Dave Ling
Maiden/Queensrÿche/Halford, Madison Square Garden, ’00
Es Es E tatatblililsisihshsedede 191 9999 8
www.smokehead.co.uk
ZZ Top have been confirmed as headliners of the first night of Classic Rock’s very own High Voltage Festival, joining previously announced Sunday night bill-toppers Emerson Lake & Palmer for a weekend of what is set to be top quality entertainment at East London’s Victoria Park on July 24/25.
Riding a wave of contemporary acclaim from their appearance at last summer’s Download and a critically praised British tour, High Voltage marks ZZ Top’s first headlining spot at a UK rock festival in 25 years. And in what is set to be their sole live performance of 2010 – and possibly the last show they will ever play together, the culmination of a spectacular career that has seen the trio sell over 30
million albums worldwide, ELP are reuniting especially for High Voltage. From top to bottom, Classic Rock is promising something very different. Perhaps most significantly, in response to the many complaints from our readers, there is no booking fee for the tickets, which cost £130 for the weekend or £75 for a single day (see panel).
In addition to ELP and ZZ Top, we are pleased to announce Foreigner as one of the acts playing the main stage. Asia, Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash, Focus, Steve Hackett, The Reasoning and Touchstone will be playing the Prog stage, while Black Label Society will headline the Metal Hammer stage, which will also play host to Clutch. For latest updates go to: highvoltagefestival.com The three unique stages are specially curated to cater for all tastes, and the way we like to look at it is this – High Voltage is custom-built by rock fans for rock fans. The facilities will be second to none: great food, proper beer, clean toilets, deluxe hospitality packages, designated hotels, free shuttle transport. Somewhere to take the whole family, in fact. We’ll see you at the bar… DL
ELP and ZZ for High Voltage!
A reunited ELP join the Top to headline CR festival.
18 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM
COPYRIGHT FUTURE PUBLISHING
2009
F
O
R
M
O
RE
NE
WS
: W
WW.
CLASSICROCKM
AGA
ZIN
E.C
O
M
cat no:#xxx cat no:#141INSIDE THE
WORLD OF ROCK
Following the cancellation of
last month’s European tour from Dio, Ronnie James Dio was diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer. The 67-year-old – famous for his work with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and, most recently, Heaven & Hell – has completed his first stage of chemo, with encouraging results.
A statement released by Wendy Dio, the singer’s wife and manager, thanked fans for their incoming messages of support and promised: “After he kills this dragon, Ronnie will be back on stage, where he belongs, doing what he loves best, performing for his fans. Long live rock and roll, long live Ronnie James Dio.”
With guitarist Tony Iommi having undergone surgery on the cartilage of his right thumb, Dio is not the only member of Heaven & Hell in recuperation. Vinny Appice has also had an operation on his right shoulder and is expected to be back behind the drums in five months.
Meanwhile, Dio has received more than 50,000 get well soon messages. Wendy Dio says that the outpouring of affection for Ronnie has “really helped to keep his spirit up”. New messages can be sent care of: Dio Fan Club, Suite 624, 12400 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA, 91604, USA, or by emailing: [email protected]. DL
A photographer is claiming he has
film of Axl Rose punching him in the head. The unnamed snapper alleges the incident took place in December at LA’s LAX airport when Axl arrived with a woman, who got angry with the photographers. The GN’R singer then waded in, throwing punches, before being ushered away by his own security.
An official statement from Rose’s PR says: “Axl Rose was unhurt last evening when he was accosted by an unruly group
of paparazzi at LAX. Mr. Rose, who was about to enter a security checkpoint at
LAX when the altercation took place, was approached by a group of unchecked and unruly photographers who became aggressive with the singer and female members of the travelling group.”
Where this leads remains to be seen…
Dio swears to beat stomach cancer.
Rose gets mad at paparazzi. Again.
Get well soon,
Ronnie…
Axl snaps!
This month The Dirt was compiled byClaire Adams, Max Bell, Malcolm Dome, Lee Dorian, Jerry Ewing, Jon Hotten, Rob Hughes, Dave Ling, Mick Taylor, Henry Yates
CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM 19
Ronnie James Dio: fighting a dragon of another kind.
Keith Emerson gets over-excited. Expect similar behaviour at High Voltage in July.
ELP: REX FEA TURES, AER OS MITH/ AXL: GETTY IMA GES STOP PRESS HIGH VOLTAGE BOOKING FEE
There is no booking fee included in the price for High Voltage but there is what’s termed a ‘transaction fee’. Abbie Marshall of (Classic Rock’s partners in the weekend) promoter Mama Festivals explains: “The transaction fee is the postage and packaging and cost of the wristbands all in one fee, and currently there is no way of getting around this. When you buy tickets for any other festival, they charge you a booking fee and then – on top – a postal and packaging fee. We are charging for the latter but have gotten rid of the booking fee.”
Classic Rock remains committed to the idea of gigs and festivals without ‘hidden costs’ and to producing a festival that is both good value and a great weekend of quality high voltage rock’n’roll.
Rare footage ofSyd Barrettperforming
See Emily Play with
Pink Floyd on Top Of
The Pops in July 1967
has been discovered in the BBC vaults. Now fully restored, it will be shown by the British Film Institute on January 9 as part of its annual Missing Believed Wiped event. Bassist/vocalist Glen Matlock, guitarist/ keyboard player Midge Ure, guitarist Steve New and drummer Rusty Egan are to perform together again as the Rich Kidsduring a ‘one night only’ celebratory benefit concert at London’s Islington Academy on January 7. Queensrÿchehave recruited a cast including burlesque and go-go dancers, drag queens, a juggler, a ballet dancer and a trapeze artist to join them for Queensrÿche Cabaret, a
performance heralded as “the first adults-only rock show”, for two shows in Seattle on February 4 and 5.
AC/DC,Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood, Green Day,Dave Matthews Bandand U2will battle it out for Best Rock Album at the 2010 Grammys. Other nominees at this year’s awards, which takes place on January 31, include Bon Jovi,Bruce Springsteen (pictured),Bob Dylan, Neil Young,Alice In Chains,Judas Priest, Megadethand Silversun Pickups. Guns N’ Roses, who tour Canada in January and February, will play more North American dates between March 10 and April 10.
Thank you
and good night.
Eric Woolfson
March 18, 1945 – December 2, 2009
The unsung hero of the Alan Parsons Project, Eric Woolfson has lost his battle against cancer. He was 64.
Woolfson worked as a session pianist, before a fateful meeting with Alan Parsons during a session at Abbey Road studios. After the formation of APP in 1975, he wrote lyrics and contributed some lead vocals, including to the band’s best-known song, Eye In The Sky. The APP never played live, which contributed to the group’s anonymity, but the 10 albums to which Woolfson
contributed, including I Robot (1977),
Pyramid (’78) and The Turn Of A Friendly Card (’80), sold some 45
million copies.
Eric also wrote material for and managed other artists, and was heavily involved with musical theatre. He was hoping to bring Poe, his musical tribute to science-fiction author Edgar Allan Poe, to British stages this year following a run in Berlin.
He gave his final interview to Classic
Rock Presents Prog for the issue on sale
on January 27.
Jack Rose
February 16, 1971 – December 5, 2009
Also known as Dr Ragtime, 38-year-old Jack Rose has suffered a fatal heart attack. Rose was an experimental guitarist whose work, both a solo artist and with noise-rock band Pelt, fused many styles. “Anything pre-1942, that’s my favourite kind of music: Cajun, country, blues, jazz all that stuff…”
Aaron Schroeder
September 7, 1926 – December 2, 2009
The composer of a string of hits for Elvis Presley, Aaron Schroeder has died, aged 83, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. He wrote 17 songs for Presley, five of which (It’s Now Or Never, A Big Hunk O Love,
Good Luck Charm, I Got Stung and Stuck On You) were No.1 hits in the
US. Schroeder also discovered singer Gene Pitney.
Bruce C Allen
Died December 7, 2009
Bruce C Allen was the lead guitarist with alternative rock band the Suburbs, and a the graphic artist who designed the Twin/Tone Records logo and the cover art for the Replacements’ 1984 album Let It Be. The 54-year-old passed away after being taken off a life-support machine.
As ifClassic Rock’s High Voltage Festival wasn’t exciting enough, in terms of rock next summer has just become hotter still, with Iron Maiden and Rammstein announced as headliners of 2010’s Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth Park on July 30/31 and August 1. Other bands so far confirmed to join Maiden – at their only UK appearance of the year – include Mötley Crüe, Alice Cooper, Iggy & The Stooges, Slayer, Anthrax and The Cult, with many other names to be confirmed. Weekend tickets, priced £132.50 (not including camping camping) are available now, along with various other deals. For the latest details head over to www. sonispherefestivals.com
Meanwhile, Pearl Jam are the first act confirmed for this year’s Hard Rock Calling series of events in London’s Hyde
Park on June 25-27. The 24-hour box office number for Hard Rock Calling shows is 0844 847 2502 and you can find them online at www.hardrockcalling.co. uk. Pearl Jam also play Dublin 02 Arena on June 22 and the Belfast Odyssey Arena the following day.
This year’s Download Festival will take place at its usual home at Donington Park race track from June 12-14, although at press time no acts had been confirmed.
And don’t forget the none-louder Hammerfest, the three-day metal jamboree which is the domain of our sister magazine, Metal Hammer. Taking place on March 11-13 at Pontin’s in Prestatyn, the event’s volume-charged delights for 2010 include Iced Earth, Devildriver, Napalm Death, Katatonia and many, many more. Info at www. hammerfest.co.uk DL
Maiden to headline Sonisphere
Festivals line-up set to make summer 2010 a rock-hot one.
Despite Steven Tyler’s recent on-stage appearance with the Joe Perry Project in New York, after which the singer insisted there was “no validity in the rumour that Aerosmith are breaking up”, the rest of the band – guitarists Perry and Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer – are resigned to finding a replacement. Indeed Perry, who encourages would-be successors to send CDs and/or videos of themselves to the group’s management company, has confirmed that a shortlist of candidates has already been drawn up.
“We are talking to a lot of people,” the guitarist told CNN. “But I found the singer for my band [the JPP] on YouTube, so there’s no reason why Aerosmith couldn’t do the same.”
Unfortunately Lenny Kravitz, one of the people the group targeted, has already turned them down. “As much as I’m flattered that Aerosmith would consider me, Steven Tyler is a family friend, and no
voice could ever take his place,” Kravitz says, adding: “I hope the band stays together. They are classic.”
John Kalodner, the A&R man who helped to mastermind Aerosmith’s Geffen Records rebirth, is not optimistic of the prospects on either side of the rift.
“If you’re asking, is there an Aerosmith without Steven Tyler, my answer is no,” he states. “And if Steven Tyler goes solo, my answer is [also] no.”
But while Whitford agrees that “no one can fill Steven’s shoes”, apparently Tyler has not spoken to the Aerosmith camp since the on-stage jam with Perry, and his bandmates are worried about the rumours of a drug relapse.
“Steven isolates [himself] more and more [from us] all the time,” Kramer told US trade magazine Billboard. “He’s made some not-so-great choices and he’s got some negative influences around him. I love the guy. I just want to see him get some help.” DL
Aerosmith SOS
Tyler replacement sought; rumours of singer’s drug relapse.
20 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM
Aerosmith: Tyler insists he’s in, the rest of the band say he’s out.
RO
SS
String In The Tail has
been confirmed as the title of theScorpions’ 17th studio album. Produced by Mikael ‘Nord’ Andersson and Martin Hansen – the Swedish pair behind The Rasmus – it is expected to be released in the spring. AC/DC, who are consistently rumoured to be playing summer dates in Europe, recently shot a live DVD in Argentina. After months of conjecture,The Who have been confirmed for the half-time entertainment at this year’s Superbowl showdown between Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys on February 7. Meanwhile singer Roger Daltreyis considering writing his autobiography. “It’s probably time,” comments the 65-year-old.
West Country rockers Reef(pictured) who have been out of action since 2003, are back with the original line-up of vocalist Gary Stringer, guitarist Kenwyn House, bassist Jack Bessant and drummer Dominic Greensmith, and have announced a UK tour in April (for dates see p107). The classic line-up of US hard rockers Dokkenrecently shared a stage together for the first time in more than a decade. Guitarist George Lynch and bassist Jeff Pilson joined current singer Don Dokken and drummer Mick Brown at a recent gig in California where they performed a two-song encore of When
Heaven Comes Down
and In My Dreams.
Marillion: looking back to move forward.
After being busy at their Racket Club studio recording a new album, Marillion emerged recently with Less Is More, a shimmering acoustic set of radical reworkings of songs from across the band’s catalogue. Not content to stockpile the strange and beautiful instruments they accrued in the process, they’re taking the show on the road, too.
Classic Rock caught up with a jovial
Steve Hogarth, who joined the band as their vocalist in 1988.
We hear that the new album was guitarist Steve Rothery’s idea. Trust him to take the credit for it! We were in this cycle of write, record, tour, come off the road, write again, record again, and it’s been circular since I joined the band 20 years ago.
The lyrics have been gradually becoming more true and confessional, and so I’ve got to a point now where I feel like to write fiction would be a let-down. At the same time, I have days when I think I’ve said it all. So it’s not writer’s block, it’s more writer’s terror. I was going: “I need a little break.” That presented a dilemma because we don’t have enough money to take a break. So we needed to make a record, and I didn’t feel I had enough to say. And then Steve had this great idea… Ha! But most bands are content to have a strum through their greatest hits. The opportunity to take the songs down to their bones and then move the bones about, that was terrific. We filled the studio with xylophones and auto-harp and God-knows what else. It was a chance to force ourselves outside the comfort zone. How did you choose which songs to re-do?
We were emailing each other. My little
boy has got a toy that plays La Cucaracha, and it’s an infectious rhythm, and I thought maybe we could do Cannibal Surf
Babe in that style. We tried to re-work Fantastic Place in three-four time, and it
sounded really, really moody and soulful for about a verse and a half, and then it began to feel like it had gone on for a week. Anything that didn’t work we threw in the bin.
Hard As Love is almost a rewrite, too.
Did you worry about how Marillion fans might react? The original is angry, almost nasty. That’s why I used to dress up and put the pigtails in to sing it. It was really important that the audience understood it was being sung by a girl, because if you assume it’s sung by a bloke it’s quite a nasty song. I came up with piano chords for the new verse, sad chords, and suddenly the whole song takes on a sort of sadness that it never had.
But no, as soon as you become conscious of what fans or the market want and start to try to fulfil that, then I think you become a parody of yourself. And people seem to like it?
Well, I was buying a pair of trousers in a shop in Germany, and this Dutch guy came up to me and said: “Hello. I’ve come all the way from Holland to see you tonight and just wanted to say hi. I really don’t like your new album. For me, less is definitely not more.” I guess he felt was doing me a favour, putting me straight…
Apart from him we’ve had a great reaction. Loose Ends on Radio Four called us up and asked if we’d come in and do a song. Now, I don’t think we could have got in there at the point of a gun with the electric stuff. JH
Less Is More is out now on EarMusic.
“It was a chance
to force ourselves
outside the
comfort zone.”
Looking for new ideas for an album, the enduring
proggers ended up putting a spin on some old ones.
Marillion
the ghost
When You’re Dead – One Second
1970, Gemini Records
Value: £450+
In 1970, the kind of music on this album from Birmingham-based band The
Ghost was already yesterday’s news. Elements of West Coast-inspired psychedelia reign over the majority of its more rocking tracks, while the rest of the album displays more folk-rock leanings.
Despite its rather dated sound and garage-like production values, When
You’re Dead – One Second has enough
cool moments to make it worthy of investigation. It’s now considered a cult album, that status helped by strong elements of mysticism both visually, with its gothic sleeve imagery, and lyrically, with its central themes of witchcraft and the supernatural.
Crude use of organ adds a trippy edge, especially notable on the more up-beat numbers such as You’re Dead and In
Heaven. Too Late To Cry and the hilariously
infectious Night Of The Warlock, are where things really click here, the former showcasing some great fuzz guitar.
Led by Shirley Kent’s formidable vocals, tracks such as The Storm hint at what might have been, had the band been given time to develop. When vocals and harmonies are shared with organist Terry Guy, it occasionally works, especially on the aforementioned Night
Of The Warlock, plus Too Late To Cry, but it
also suggest that vocals might have been better left solely to Kent. Her two self-penned songs, Time Is My Enemy and
Hearts & Flowers, work particularly well,
despite being somewhat at odds with the rest of the album. LD
Riches from the
rock underground
‘Its central lyrical
themes are withcraft
and the supernatural.’
They are Lions: hear them roar.
Shit or bust. All or nothing. Give up or die trying. It’s the classic
dilemma faced by every club-circuit rocker of a certain age. And when his band derailed in 2005, Matt Drenik became the latest. “Everything was on the table for us,” sighs the 30-year-old singer. “Everything was going our way. Then a couple of the guys flipped out. Some people think they want it more than they do. They start to get it, they freak out, worry about their wives… Well, I don’t have a wife. I’m already in it to win it so I might as well keep going.”
Without missing a beat, Drenik assembled Lions in time to honour his former band’s support slots, and fused his anger over the split into coming up with new material informed more by 90s hard rock than the spectre of ZZ Top that hangs over his native Austin, Texas. “I think if you’re down here, you’re beaten over the head with that stuff, so subconsciously it sinks in,” he considers. “But what was happening when I was a kid was that whole movement of rock bands like Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Mudhoney…”
Long-haired and loose-lipped, Lions seem like a good-time band. “But we definitely do not come from the school of bands like Mötley Crüe,” counters Drenik. “I get super-insulted when
I read their books and I see how degrading they are to women. Although, I mean, we were always crashing on people’s floors, so of course that’d always turn into, ‘Hey, you guys wanna party?’”
Thirty is a funny age in rock. It means that Lions’ work ethic is from the old school – “I grew up with the attitude that you get in the van and do it” – but also that Drenik grudgingly concedes the power of technology. The band’s big break came when a SXSW set led to the inclusion of Metal Heavy
Lady on Guitar Hero III, and they’ve also benefited from the blogosphere.
“I fought it for a long time,” Drenik admits. “I remember when the blog thing started; I didn’t get it. I didn’t get how someone could say a band rules, then a thousand people would go to a show. I always assumed you had to make it into Spin magazine or something. But there’s all kinds of outlets for bands now. And people are hungry for music.”
Hard work, plus raw talent, plus a growing cyberspace buzz have led to Lions’ debut EP, Let No One Fall. Which just might be the last great rock release of the decade. But, make no mistake, you’ll be seeing them on the other side. “This band brings out your fighting spirit,” concludes Drenik. “We’re a blue-collar band, fighting for the losers and the unsung heroes, man. There’s no Plan B for us.” HY
Lions’ new EP Let No One Fall is available now on Maybe Records.
Meet the new ‘little ol’ band from Texas’.
Just don’t expect them to stay that way.
Lions
“Analbumthat really influencedme coming into this bandwas LouderThanLoveby Soundgarden.It just takesmebacktoa time whenIreallyloved music;whenIthought bands really meant something topeople. Chris Cornell is afuckin’ beastonthatalbum. Thebigvocals,the super-riffysongs… it’sjust waycool.”
FOR FANS OF...
“We’re a blue-collar
band, fighting for
the losers and the
unsung heroes.”
Rock’n’Roll
accessories
Sharp
Dressed
Man
Weezer frontmanRivers Cuomo suffered three cracked ribs, “painful internal damage” and a lower-leg injury when the band’s tour bus skidded on ice during a North American tour. All immediate gigs were cancelled. The Faceshave stepped up plans for a reunion tour. “We’ve been waiting and waiting for Rod [Stewart] to say yes; now he’s finally said no. So we’re gonna do it [without him],” keyboard player Ian McLagan tellsBillboard.
Meanwhile, Faces/ Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood was released on bail after being arrested recently on suspicion of assaulting his 20-year-old girlfriend, Ekaterina Ivanova. U2,The Rolling StonesandMuse (pictured) are strongly rumoured to be among the leading attractions of this year’s Glastonbury Festival. David Bowie (seemingly rumoured every year) has ruled himself out of the running. The 40-year-old festival, which takes place on the last weekend of June, is already sold out. Sound & Vision, Cancer Research UK’s annual music heritage event, featuring a rock photography exhibition, auction and live performances, takes place at the legendary Abbey Road studios on February 25th. For those who can’t make it, there will be exclusive music memorabilia available on the Sound & Vision eBay shop from Feb 1. More info at www. soundandvision official.comcom
REO: not resting on their back catalogue.
It’s hard to believe, but REO have now been going for 40 years. They’ve released 15 studio albums, hit the top of the US charts with 1980’s Hi Infidelity, had 14 Top 40 hits over there and three Top 20 singles in the UK. And as 2009 closed they released a Christmas album.
So what can the future hold for vocalist Kevin Cronin, guitarists Dave Amato, bassist Bruce Hall, keyboard player Neal Doughty and drummer Bryan Hitt now? As always, Cronin is upbeat about everything in the Speedwagon camp. He even stoutly
defends the idea of their Christmas release. Ho, ho, ho! Okay, let’s get it out of the way: why did you do a Christmas album?
When we finished up our last album [2007’s
Find Your Own Way Home], it
had been such an enjoyable experience working with producer Joe Vannelli that we started to think of ways of doing something else. Bryan had just become a father, I have young kids and so does Bruce, so it seemed logical for the REO daddies to do a Christmas album. You must be aware that most rock fans are horrified when their favourite bands do this sort of thing. After all these years and success, we’ve earned the right to try different things. As a band, you always want to stretch yourself, and this was a way of challenging who we are. For the first time, I have to sing other people’s songs. And the reaction from the fans has been really positive. It’s not as if we’ve done Rudolph The Red
Nosed Reindeer! And it was fun to do.
What next for REO?
We’re lucky in that we can still tour a lot and always draw very big crowds. But we don’t want to rest on our back catalogue.
I’m always writing new songs. I have a guitar with me on the road, and also a miniature recording studio in my iPhone, so there are always lots of fresh ideas cropping up. Right now I don’t know when we’ll record.
It will soon be the 30th anniversary of the band’s biggest album, Hi Infidelity. Have you planned any celebrations? We are gonna put out a deluxe edition of the album which will include all the demos. Our manager recently came
across these and listening back to them. I’m amazed at how much heavier they are than the final album. In many ways I prefer them. If all goes to plan, we’ll put this out in January 2011, on exactly the same day as it originally came out in 1980.
What about doing a tour showcasing the whole album?
We did a radio special recently doing exactly that. And it was tough. I’d forgotten how vocally intense it all is. I was struggling a little by the end of the broadcast. We hadn’t thought about taking it further, but if I can get into shape then it would be interesting to do some dates playing the whole album in sequence. Deftones used to do Keep On Loving
You live. Are you surprised that a
younger generation of musicians acknowledge REO Speedwagon? I’m very grateful and honoured. That’s the highest accolade you can pay us. Art Alexakis of Everclear, Clint Black, Edwin McCain [US alternative singer-songwriter], they’re all fans of ours. That’s very humbling as well. Who’d have thought these guys liked what we did? MD Not So Silent Night is out now on Sony.
“It’s not as if
we’ve done
Rudolph The Red
Nosed Reindeer!”
A rousing reception awaits the 40th anniversary
shows by this classic, now festivity-fuelled, US band.
REO Speedwagon
Jeffrey West Fallen Angel Range www.brazier-jones.com/ www.jeffery-west.co.uk £295 [1] Jeffrey West’s latest collaboration
with furniture designer Mark Brazier-Jones is the wonderfully named Fallen Angel (and there are definitely a few of those in rock’n’roll) range of boots, belts, cufflinks and more. Perfect for anyone who dances with the Devil, spins records backwards and causes mayhem with every step.
Nicole Farhi www.nicolefarhi.com [2] True to her famous style of
wearable yet classically stylish threads, London- based designer Nicole Farhi’s SS10 collection is looking good. Take the T-shirt pictured, for example. Etch an anchor on your arm (if there isn’t one already), grab a bottle of Sailor Jerry’s, ‘borrow’ Mick Jagger’s yacht and watch the women flock to you like seagulls to a picnic.
Lennon hat
www.bensherman.com £30 [3] Ben Sherman Clothing was born
in 1963 and produces many music-inspired looks. The wool Lennon hat (which we reckon it could also be called the Jonno) comes in grey or navy, and has a leather plectrum detail and a quilted lining.
[2]
[3] [1]
The Manson MB-1 Standard: doesn’t actually pick up Coronation Street.
There are thosewho might argue – and with strong evidence – that Matthew Bellamy of Muse is the leading light in 21st-century rock guitar. Unafraid to explore new sounds, relentless in ambition and a pretty nifty six-stringer to boot, you’d expect the guy to rock with a pretty special guitar.
Noted Exeter-based guitar maker Hugh Manson has been building Bellamy’s instruments for a good few years now so – finally – here’s an official signature model. This is the Manson MB-1 Standard, featuring an alder body, bolt-on, birds-eye maple neck, and purposeful matt-black finish; or, for some extra cash, you can have gloss red sparkle should you so desire.
The futuristic-looking screen behind the bridge is not so that Bellamy can watch a bit of telly during drum solos; in fact it’s an (optional) X-Y MIDI controller, which affords him touch control over external MIDI gear to add to his already mammoth sonic assault. The guitar also uses an infinite sustaining pickup, and has a kill switch for firing machine-gun staccato sounds.
Revelations? Only that it’s a stunning instrument and will leave a £3,299-sized black hole in your wallet.
More info at www.mansons.co.uk, or you can read a full review of the Manson MB-1 Standard in issue 325 of Guitarist magazine. Mick Taylor, editor, Guitarist magazine
If the Manson MB-1 Standard is good
enough for Muse’s Matthew Bellamy…
Muse-ic machine
IAN
DICK SON/REDFERNS
DARE TOBEDIFFERENT
A unique guitar is often something
to be admired – but not always.
Signature versions ofostensibly‘normal’ electric guitars are 10apennythesedays. Much less common isthegenuinely unique guitar in termsofshapeand features. Bellamy’s isoneexample,and three more you might befamiliarwithare Paul Gilbert’s brilliant IbanezFireman, Prince’s iconic Symbol (pictured)and,lest we forget, Dave Hill’sawesomeJohnBirch Super Yob. Just don’t mentionWurzel Mike Gwilliam’s Friesian cow-shapedbass – complete with udders.Shudder.
Pre-orders are being taken forGlenn Hughes’s autobiography, The
Life, Near Death and Rebirth of A Rock Star: Deep Purple & Beyond,
at the singer’s website. Of the book, Hughes says: “I can hardly believe that I survived. I spent a million dollars on cocaine and, when you’ve read this book, you won’t believe it either.”
We can also hardly believe that the book, albeit a limited edition that comes with some bells and whistles that will delight Hughes fans (signed by Glenn; bound with a white satin cover… read the full spec at www. classicrockmagazine. com) will cost you a
whopping £550!
Lita Ford: Is that a gun in your
hand or…. TYLERCLINT
ON
iPod
Roulette
We grab Diamond Head
guitarist Brian Tatler’s
iPod and hit Shuffle…
Lita Fordwas the original queen of noise. Aged just 17 she joined The Runaways as lead guitarist in the mid-70s, and went on to record solo hits in the 80s. Her biggest was 1988’s Close My Eyes
Forever, a duet with Ozzy Osbourne. In the
90s she suddenly retired from the music business and went to live on a remote Caribbean island to raise a family with Jim Gillette, the former singer with LA hair metal band Nitro.
Lita’s first album in nearly 15 years, the Gillette-produced
Wicked Wonderland, is
an erotic collection inspired by their own sex life and penchant for bondage gear.
After so
long away how does it feel to be back?
It really has been surreal in some ways. We did some shows in Germany, Italy, Greece and Spain, then some festivals in the US. It’s a whole different animal. What is the new album about? It’s about family life, our love life, our hate, our pain,
our pleasure. It’s very personal. Jim says it’s
written from the heart. It’s about our wicked wonderland. Would you
recommend bondage as a means to spice up people’s love life? Whatever floats anybody’s boat. I think… let me get Jim to answer that
one. He has a wonderful way of describing all that. [Hands phone to Jim Gillette.]
JG: When we started writing this album, what was coming out was what we do in our bedroom. So we talked about it and said: “Should we even be putting this out there?” We were a little hesitant, but then decided to do it. The idea is that maybe more people will then open up in their relationships. Because we like bondage, it
doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what we think other people should do. People tend to be embarrassed or shy and keep their fantasies to
themselves. I guess the message is talk about what turns you on. [Hands phone back to Lita.]
There’s a biopic of The Runaways due in 2010, with Scout Taylor-Compton playing you. Did the makers of the film approach you about it? It wasn’t something I personally wanted to get involved with. I pretty much left it up to the people doing the film. I’m sure it’ll be a great film, but I can’t say too much about it.
Do you care about the legacy of The Runaways?
There are a lot of difficulties that I’ve had with certain people. Some of them I get along great with, but there are a few people who were not in The Runaways who are causing some problems for me. [Ford has claimed that Joan Jett’s manager offered to buy the rights to her life story for $1,000, a move she’s called “pretty disgusting”.] I dunno, I’d really rather not talk about it. It’s making it ugly for me, when it should be a very fond memory.RH
Lita’s Wicked Wonderland album is available now on Ear Records.
“The album is
about what we do
in our bedroom.
We like bondage.”
Most bondage lovers keep their fetish hidden; the
former teen dream’s new album is all tied up in it.
Lita Ford
Marillion will begin writing for a newstudio album, the band’s 17th, in the spring, singer Steve Hogarth confirmed when he spoke to Classic Rock Presents Prog for the cover story of the new issue. Hogarth also has plans to work with Porcupine Tree keyboard player Richard Barbieri.
Marillion, who recently released the acoustic own-covers album Less Is More, feature on the cover of the latest issue of
Classic Rock Presents Prog, which investigates
the way progressive music has been presented artistically over the years. Roger Dean, Storm Thorgerson, Muse, Jethro Tull, and Curved Air are just some of the artists featured. There are also interviews with Todd Rundgren, Transatlantic, The Pineapple Thief and more, plus your usual feast of reviews and news from the world of prog. Issue 6 goes on sale on January 27. JE
Prog veterans to start work on
a new album in the spring.
Marillion hit 17
BANG!
Babylon
DAVIDGRAY
“I just really got intothe one album, White Ladder.
I think I got the one after but I’ve not
heard anything else by him. This is justa good, fu
n-time song.”
CLICK!
ThatWasJus
t
YourLife
METALLICA
“I’m reallyenjoying listening to this album.It’s full of ener
gy. It’s definitely the bes
t thing since the Black album
, for me.”
CLICK!
HighHopes
PINKFLOYD
“I got intothem around Dark Side OfThe Moon
. I don’t mind who’s in the ban
d, as long as it sounds good
; Gilmour’svoice is bet
ter than Waters’.”
CLICK!
EverythingIn
Its
RightPlace
RADIOHEAD
“I got intoRadioheadaround the time ofThe Bends
. I didn’t really getPablo Hone
y, but I thoughtthis was
great, amazing.”
CLICK!
GoldenYears
DAVIDBOWI
E
“I love David Bowie’s stuff. You knowI used to p
lay guitar in a Bowietribute ban
d? This is just wonderfully strang
e stuff. I admit I’m a bit
more of aman.”Ziggy…
CLICK!
CitizenErased
MUSE
“I supposethere is a fair bit of prog. When I wasa kid
I listened to Sabbath and AC/DC but the older
I’ve got the more Ilisten to stu
ff like this. Muse are
amazing.”
Band Of Skulls: combine their iron fist with a velvet glove.
When he was a teenager, Russell Marsden was almost killed by
rock’n’roll. “Me and a friend borrowed a car and went out for a drive,” the Band Of Skulls frontman recalls of the potentially fateful day. “We had Motörhead’s Ace Of Spades in the cassette player, and we basically started swerving the car to the rhythm, until we lost control and spun off the road into one of those places where old people stop to look at the view. We ended up in a dust-ball in front of them eating their sandwiches and coffee. Whenever I hear that song now I’m transported back to those happy times.”
Fast-forward to 2010, and Marsden’s own band are making music so good that it might make you crash your car. Contrary to the death-metal connotations of the name, Band Of Skulls combine their iron fist with a velvet glove. Their debut album,
Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, is an eclectic collection in which
monolithic, bluesy struts like I Know What I Am dovetail with angel-hair balladry like Honest.
“We’re a loud band, let’s not get that wrong,” Marsden clarifies. “But all the great bands can do the most delicate things as well. We go to extremes.”
Most intense of all is the vocal chemistry between Marsden and bassist Emma Richardson, a partnership whose dead-on
harmonies make it difficult to believe that the band have only existed in this form since 2008.
“People say it’s like watching a tennis match – everyone looks left, then everyone looks right,” he laughs. “And three is a good number of people to have in a band, because a majority can be found, whether the decision is ‘Shall we have lunch now?’ or ‘Shall we take a prog direction?’ If two agree, then the other has to go with it.”
They might still be sharing a hotel room when Classic Rock calls for our interview, but things are moving fast for Band Of Skulls. After slogging briefly on the south-coast toilet circuit, the young band’s career enjoyed two unexpected spikes. The first of those was when
I Know What I Am was picked up by iTunes as a Single Of The
Week, and the second when the Skulls track Friends was featured on the soundtrack to hit vampire movie Twilight: New Moon. “If it’s good enough for [Radiohead mainman] Thom Yorke and Muse,” Marsden considers, “then we can’t really turn our noses up at it.”
Smart move. But it’s clear that Band Of Skulls are far more than just a bunch of careerists.
“Our ambition was always just to make our record as good as it could be,” the Skulls frontman concludes. “Now we have that as a benchmark. We’ve always wanted to be a band with staying power, and I think we have enough ideas and enough songwriters to do that.” HY
Baby Darling Doll Face Honey is out now on You Are Here.
This Southampton trio could go all the
way – if they keep their eyes on the road.
Band Of Skulls
“A recordlikeIn Rainbows[Radiohead] can’t helpbutinfluence bands.Fora bandto havetheir whole career behindthemandstill producesomething that’s challenging and beautiful… it’s impressive.Theyalmost setupgenres ofmusic, thenabandon them, and still manage to berelevant. AndI thinkthat’severy artist’sambition.”
FOR FANS OF...
“We’re a loud band, let’s not
get that wrong. But we do
delicate things as well.”
“T
he original idea for the shooting was to have Mick Jagger driving a Corvette, with the leopard in the passenger seat. The big cat, a wild animal, seemed to suit Jagger, who likes to jump around a lot on stage, of course. However, putting the leopard in the car with him ended up being so dangerous that we had to build a safety partition.So, while we were waiting and to use the time well, I thought ‘Let me try a quick double exposure with the leopard and with Mick.’
“I shot the leopard first and with a china marker drew its eyes and nose on the viewfinder of the camera. Then I rewound the film and photographed Jagger, fitting his eyes and nose over the eyes and nose of the leopard on the viewfinder so they matched. So, it was a straightforward, old-fashioned double exposure shot.
“I didn’t think it would work, and I
almost threw out the film. But of the twelve shots, four of them matched up, and this was the best of the four that worked.”
Taken from Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955–Present by Gail Buckland, published by Knopf. It’s available from all good bookshops, online retailers and direct from www. turnaround-uk.com, priced at £28.99.
“Putting the leopard
in the Corvette with
Jagger ended up being
so dangerous…”
ALBERT WATSON
Throughout his career, scottish-born photographer albert Watson has shot no less than 250 covers forVogue and over 40 forrolling stone. He also created the photography for countless advertising campaigns for the likes of levis, gap, revlon and chanel, and was the official royal Photographer at the wedding of sarah Ferguson and Prince andrew. For more, stop by: www.albertwatson.net By
Location Band
28 classicrockmagazine.com
THE STORY BEHIND THE SHOT
Los Angeles, 2002
Albert Watson
Mick Jagger
A leopar d ma y not chang e its spots but Jagg er does. classicrockmagazine.com 29
30 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM
See more Best of the Decade stuff at classicrockmagazine.com
Anything Goes
AC/DC (2008)
Are You Gonna Be My
Girl?
JET (2005)Asking Around For You
JOE BONAMASSA (2006)
Baby Baby Baby
ENDEVERAFTER (2007)
Been There All The Time
DINOSAUR JR (2007)
Better
GUNS N’ ROSES (2008)
Boots Of Chinese Plastic
THE PRETENDERS (2008)
Bring Me To life
EVANESCENCE (2003)
By The Way
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (2000)
Carolina Drama
THE RACONTEURS (2008)Castanets
ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO (2001)Check My Brain
ALICE IN CHAINS (2009)Chop Suey!
SYSTEM OF A DOWN (2001)Cochise
AUDIOSLAVE (2002)Come To Life
ALTER BRIDGE (2007)Country Girl
PRIMAL SCREAM (2006)Crazy Bitch
BUCKCHERRY (2006)Creepin’ Up On You
STATUS QUO (2002)Danger! High Voltage
ELECTRIC SIX (2003)
Wrong Man
DEEP PURPLE (2005)
Don’t Drink The Water
STONE GODS (2008)
Down With The Sickness
DISTURBED (2000)
Count Of Tuscany
DREAM THEATER (2009)Electric Worry
CLUTCH (2007)Epic Problem
FUGAZI (2001)Even Mona Lisa Smiled
QUIREBOYS (2008)
Everything You’re
Breathing For
THE PARLOR MOB (2008)
Fat Lip
SUM 41 (2001)Fooled Again
RICHIE KOTZEN (2008)Ghosts
IT BITES (2008)Ghosts Along The
Mississippi
DOWN (2002)Go
DEF LEPPARD (2008)Grace Kelly
MIKA (2007)Bible Black
HEAVEN & HELL (2009)
I Believe In A Thing
Called Love
THE DARKNESS (2003)
I Love You More Than
Rock ‘n’ Roll
THUNDER (2005)I’m Shipping Up
To Boston
DROPKICK MURPHYS (2005)In Your Honour
FOO FIGHTERS (2005)Into The Fire
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (2002)
Jaded
AEROSMITH (2001)Jesus Of Surburbia
GREEN DAY (2004)Johnny Appleseed
JOE STRUMMER & THE MESCALEROS (2001)Joker And The Thief
WOLFMOTHER (2005)
Faith In The Heartland
JOURNEY (2005)
Keep Believin’
THE ANSWER (2005)Keep It Sweet
WAYSTED (2007)Life’s A Bitch
MOTÖRHEAD (2004)Mein Herz Brennt
RAMMSTEIN (2001)
Lord, Kill The Pain
PIG IRÖN (2007)
Make Me
HEART (2004)
Marlon JD
MANIC STREET PREACHERS (2009)
Divinations
MASTODON (2009)
Message To The Boys
THE REPLACEMENTS (2006)
The End Of The Line
METALLICA (2008)
MF From Hell
THE DATSUNS (2002)
Mississippi
BOB DYLAN (2001)
Money, It’s Pure Evil
BIG ELF (2009)
More News From
Nowhere
NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS (2008)
Sing For Absolution
MUSE (2003)
New York, New York
RYAN ADAMS (2001)
No One Knows
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE (2002)
No One Loves
Me & Neither Do I
THEM CROOKED VULTURES (2009)
Oh Josephine
BLACK CROWES (2008)
Open Car
PORCUPINE TREE (2005)
Out Here All Night
DAMONE (2006)
Party Hard
ANDREW WK (2001)
Party Pit
THE HOLD STEADY (2006)
Paschendale
IRON MAIDEN (2003)
Peacekeeper
FLEETWOOD MAC (2003)
Everything In
Its Right Place
RADIOHEAD (2000)
Rambledown
STONERIDER (2008)Revival
ATOMIC BITCHWAX (2009)Rock In Black
GO HOME PRODUCTIONS (2005)Rock ’N’ Roll Psychosis
JIM JONES REVUE (2008)
Rock Star
NICKELBACK (2006)Rough Justice
ROLLING STONES (2005)Spindrift
RUSH (2007)Satan’s Finest
GRAVEYARD (2008)Scatagoria
MASTERS OF REALITY (2001)Schism
TOOL (2001)Seven Nation Army
WHITE STRIPES (2003)
Shotgun Smile
WINTERVILLE (2005)
Sick Man Of Europe
CHEAP TRICK (2009)
Slither
VELVET REVOLVER (2004)
Sneak Out
ROSE HILL DRIVE (2008)
So She’s Leaving
THE TREWS (2005)
Soul Creek
BLACK STONE CHERRY (2008)
Soul Mover
GLENN HUGHES (2005)Still Unbroken
LYNYRD SKYNYRD (2009)Suddenly Attacked
BIG LINDA (2008)Tear Your Heart Out
HEAVEN’S BASEMENT (2008)
Teenage Dirtbag
WHEATUS (2000)
The ’59 Sound
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM (2008)
The Death And
Resurrection Show
KILLING JOKE (2003)
The Galway Girl
STEVE EARLE (2000)
The Lucky Ones
PRIDE TIGER (2007)
The Only Ones
THE WILDHEARTS (2009)
Tribute
TENACIOUS D (2001)
Daylight Goes To Town
UFO (2004)
Unemployed Boyfriend
EVERCLEAR (2000)
Wasted Life
DUFF MCKAGAN’S LOADED (2008)
We’re All In Love
NEW YORK DOLLS (2006)
What Do You Want
From Me?
ALICE COOPER (2003)
Whatever Way You
Wanna Give It
HOT LEG (2009)
Woman In The Window
SATELLITE PARTY (2007)
Words (Big Mouth)
IAN HUNTER (2007)
Worldwide Suicide
PEARL JAM (2006)