RAMMSTEIN - ICH TU DIR WEH (New Single)

(HD Quality link here, with perfect audio: http://visit-x.net/rammstein/)
Already banned in Germany, this song, one of the best on the excellent 'Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da', is now accompanied by this awesome video, which will no doubt also receive some sort of criticism, much like it's popular and unique video for 'Pussy'

2009 Interview:

ALICE COOPER - LIVE @ THE HAMMERSMITH APOLLO

'Billion Dollar Babies', 'Go To Hell', '18', 'Welcome To My Nightmare', 'Poison'....the list goes on.

When people think ALICE COOPER the following words / emotions might come to mind: Shock, Horror, Show, Snakes, Death, Dark, School's out, Legend? YES...This Sunday I witnessed my first ever Alice Cooper gig and all I can really say is when's the next one? Like the Sold Out venue, expectations were high. Cooper is the King of Shock Rock and his delivery of more than just a concert filled with great tracks is standard. The crowd expect and demand a show, a production worthy of his reputation and this is what was promised this past Sunday. From the intro of 'School's Out' which rang with a school bell to reminisce any fan back to those days of pencil fiddling and table scratching ,to the mystifying 'Welcome to my Nightmare', Alice and the band delivered a set list to please any hard core fan. The tracks were heavily laden on the 1970's Alice with only some tracks from the 90's and 00's to be heard, but this choice of set list was one of many hundred combinations that Alice could have come conjured and would have still satisfied and worked marvellously with the production that was on offer. 4 Deaths, various costumes and a horribly attractive nurse coupled with classic songs made this a nightmare to remember. The band were terrific as they tore through the tracks with justice and some slight revamping, the sound was great, crowd even better and Mr Cooper is showing no signs of slowing down, and with the rumours that the concert is to be released on DVD/Blu-ray next spring...what could be better?

1. School's Out
   
2. Department of Youth
3. I'm Eighteen
4. Wicked Young Man
5. Ballad of Dwight Fry
6. Go To Hell
7. Guilty
8. Welcome To My Nightmare
   
9. Cold Ethyl
10. Poison
11. The Awakening
    
12. From The Inside
13. Nurse Rozetta
    
14. Is It My Body
15. Be My Lover
16. Only Women Bleed
    
17. I Never Cry
    
18. Black Widow jam
    
19. Drum solo
    
20. Vengeance Is Mine
21. Devil's Food
    
22. Dirty Diamonds
23. Billion Dollar Babies
24. Killer
    
25. I Love The Dead
26. No More Mr. Nice Guy
27. Under My Wheels

W.A.S.P LIVE @ THE SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE

Wednesday 2nd Decemeber 2009

I was expecting a good gig, but It was better than that...

Blackie Lawless is a man in his 50's now, I'd seen clips from the 'BABYLON'S BURNING' tour online and there were no 'gimmicks' or stage props, which were typical W.A.S.P stage additions. I'd read that due to Blackie's faith, tracks such as 'Animal F*** like a BEAST' would not be played, so I was a little weary before attending the event.

Yet despite the bare bones set (minus a video screen), Lawless and the band played their hearts out. The band were tight, fast, powerful and Lawless gave it his all in a fantastic set list that pleased newer and hardcore fans. The Empire was packed and with a near front row position I was in for a ride. Newer tracks such as, 'Crazy' & 'Babylon's Burning' flowed and rocked the set as if they were classics. The highlight of the evening however was certainly the tracks played off the seminal concept album 'The Crimson Idol', and they certainly received a roar from the crowd as the words "Murders, murders in the New Morgue!" shook the Empire. If you haven't seen W.A.S.P before then go, if your wondering what to listen to next, try the tracks from the setlist below.

1. Mephisto Waltz (intro)
2. On Your Knees / The Real Me (The Who Cover)
3. L.O.V.E. Machine
4. Crazy
5. Babylon's Burning
6. Wild Child
7. Arena Of Pleasure
8. Hellion / I Don't Need No Doctor (Humble Pie Cover) / Scream Until You Like It
9. Chainsaw Charlie
10. The Idol
11. Take Me Up
12. I Wanna Be Somebody
13. Encore:
13. Heaven's Hung In Black
14. Blind In Texas

WASP - 'On your Knees / The Real Me'

WASP - 'The Crimson Idol Documentary

A mad tangerine dream with a dog chasing UFO's in a temple full of chains...

Been going through an Alice phase, by that I mean Alice In Chains & Alice Cooper. So upon making a compilation cd for a friend, I decided to add some other interesting numbers to the disc. Mainly early 90's bands and artists of similar sound but with the inclusion of some 70's and prog numbers. Here's the track listing and the artwork I made for it. I won't upload the mp3's themselves, but I'm sure finding them won't be hard...look for and enjoy.

1. I Don’t know anything - MAD SEASON

2. Like A Stone - AUDIOSLAVE

3. Seasons - CHRIS CORNELL

4. Brother - ALICE IN CHAINS

5. Only women bleed - ALICE COOPER

6. River of Deceit - MAD SEASON

7. The Silent Man - DREAM THEATER

8. Tangerine - LED ZEPPELIN

9. Try Me - UFO

10. Call me a Dog - TEMPLE OF THE DOG

11. Right Turn - ALICE IN CHAINS / 'MUDGARDEN'

12. Chloe Dancer / Crown of thorns - MOTHER LOVE BONE

13. Just Like Suicide - SOUNDGARDEN

14. Black gives way to blue - ALICE IN CHAINS

15. Wide Awake(Live unplugged) - AUDIOSLAVE

16. Space Dye Vest - DREAM THEATER

Alice In Chains - 17th Nov HMV Forum Review

It’s been nearly 10 years since my brother enlightened my ears with the unique, heavy riffing that created my fixation with the band Alice In Chains. That riff was ‘Man in the Box’, and at the HMV Forum on Tuesday, that riff, sounded just as superior and commanding as it did all those years ago.

The tragic death of front man Layne Staley in 2002; a man that could haunt and vigour your emotions with his words and matchless vocal style, and the band’s hiatus in the late 90’s, meant that the decision to reunite with a new front man would be no easy task. Then again selling out 2 London shows at the HMV Forum & adding another at Brixton for December, as well as selling out an intimate show at the London Scala in August, is just as hard especially in this climate, and yet this is exactly what Alice In Chains have managed to accomplish, proving just how sorely missed this influential band has been.

William Duvall’s presence not only cemented his worth as vocalist but as a musician. His talents can be heard on the record ‘Black Gives Way to Blue’, but it was his delivery of the opening song ‘Them Bones’ that carried such confidence and seamless accompaniment to Jerry Cantrell and the bands crushing sound that proves he really has come into his own in this band, and deservedly so.

The night continued with Alice pounding through hits and rare tracks. The evocative ‘Rain when I die’ & ‘Sickman’ tore the crowd into a moshing, jumping frenzy. The official live debut of the new of ‘Last of My Kind’ did just as good a job in securing a reaction from the hungry fans.

The acoustic set halfway though calmed things down, with stellar performances of ‘Heaven Beside You’, ‘Got me Wrong’ and the touching and emotionally driven ‘Black Gives Way to Blue’ (a tribute to Layne Staley) There were a couple of technical hinges throughout but nothing that encumbered their performance.

If you’re a fan of the band then you’ll agree in saying welcome back, if not, give them a listen as Alice In Chains are capable of delivering raw power, sensitivity and madness all in one, just listen to ‘DIRT’

Alice in Chains:

Jerry Cantrell - Vocals & Guitar
William Duvall - Vocals & Guitar
Sean Kinney - Drums
Mike Inez -Bass

Set list:

1. Them Bones
2. Dam That River
3. Rain When I Die
4. Check My Brain
5. Your Decisio
6. We Die Young
7. Last of My Kind
8. Sickman
9. Again
10. It Ain't Like That
11. Heaven Beside You
12. Got Me Wrong
13. Black Gives Way To Blue
14. Nutshell
15. Lesson Learned
16. Angry Chair
17. Man in the Box
18. Encore:
18. Acid Bubble
19. Would
20. Rooster

JERRY CANTRELL - G&L Rampage Signature Guitar

I loved and still do awe at Jerry Cantrell's G&L guitars, especially his Rampage models .His beat up, distressed, sticker & alcohol stained, infested wooden glories are as imprinted in my mind as much as Alice In Chains' music. As a guitar player, wishing and praying that a miracle would happen and that somehow one of these babies would end up in my hands was quite frankly...a distant one. But now thanks to G&L one of these bad boys can actually be yours...well not Jerry's actual one, but certainly similar model as customized by Jerry and G&L ,to bring you the closest thing to that mighty Rampage as you could ever own. The original was made in it's hundreds making it a rare guitar, especially since produciton only ran for 4 years; 1984-1988! They were made in that 1980's super-strat vein but now it's back, and hopefully for a longer period of time. It's available in two models; the 'tribute' (import model) & the U.S version. Main differences come in the hardware / pickups, here are all the details courtesy of the clips below...Including further info on Jerry's gear One with Jerry himself giving us a little tour and the second featuring his guitar tech 'Punk Rock Dave':

Alice In Chains is currently on tour, kicking some major butt!

G&L Offical site, Jerry's RAMPAGE

SUMMER NAMM 09 - G&L RAMPAGE

RIG RUNDOWN 1

RIG RUNDOWN 2

ALICE IN CHAINS - 2009 UK TOUR BEGINS IN GLASGOW BARROWLANDS

Alice In Chains tore through a ripping set of classics and new material last night in Glasgow. Judging from the setlist and online clips, the band as ever, is on force and out to once again cement their position as one of the premier rock bands out there. William Duvall is certainly performing with justice and his vocals sound fantastic even on the medium quality clips, a full review of next weeks London gig will be up Tuesday...for now here's last night's set:

1. It Ain't Like That
2. Again
3. Check My Brain
4. Them Bones
5. Dam That River
6. Your Decision
7. God Am
8. Acoustic set
8. Down In A Hole
9. Heaven Beside You
10. Black Gives Way To Blue
11. Got Me Wrong
12. No Excuses
13. Rain When I Die
14. Acid Bubble
15. Angry Chair
16. A Looking In View
17. Man in the Box
18. Encore:
18. Lesson Learned
19. Would?
20. Rooster

Click here for an article on the album Black Gives Way To Blue and the band's 'reincarnation'

Dates are:

Glasgow Barrowlands – November 12

Birmingham Academy – November 13

Manchester Academy – November 14

London HMV Forum- November 16/17 &

Nottingham Rock City Dec 6th

Brixton Academy Dec 7th

AC / DC - BRIAN JOHNSON INTERVIEW

Great interview with AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson courtesy of absolute radio. Check out his book 'Rockers and Rollers',

Interview here

Recently the AC/DC frontman stunned the TOP GEAR team by going to the top, well just about : TOPGEAR Clip

And in other news:

“Would you like me to sign it?” asked the customer.

“Er... who are you?” replied David.

“I’m the singer.”

Yes, the scruffy geezer was AC/DC front man Brian Johnson, whose gravelly voice is one of the most familiar in rock music'

RAMMSTEIN LIVE RETURN - LISBOA, PORTUGAL 8.11.09

Manuel Lino (This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License)

Rammstein returned to the live stage last night in Lisbon to commence their new tour in support of the 'Liebe ist fur alle da' album. The show looks stunning and the songs seem to sound incredible live (judging from youtube clips). Looking forward to Wembley Arena.

Photo slideshow HERE at bottom of page, AND HERE - MORE


Check youtube for various clips. Here's one:

Greatest songwriters you might have never heard of...Part 1 : Nick Cave

"through the windswept coastal trees, where the dead come rising from the sea",

Front man to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, former front man of The Birthday Party, Nick Cave is indisputably one of the most talented singer/songwriters of all time. His poetic lyrics and jazz, rock, blues, early goth influenced fusion stands as some of the most important music of the last 25 years. Albums such as 'Tender Prey', 'The Boatman's Call' or 2004's double album, 'Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus' cement this musician's place within modern music. His strong partnership with Warren Ellis (a member of the Bad Seeds), has led to writing and recording of several soundtracks to popular films such as; 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert' Ford' & 'The Proposition'. Also an author, Cave has presented his quirky, dark comedy in; And The Ass Saw The Angel & the recent The Death of Bunny Munro. His talents and accomplishments have been recognised by critics and awarded by magazines such as MOJO, and of course the fans that continue to support his position upon the plinth of great songwriters. May he continue to intrigue, inspire and enlighten us.

Recommended listening:
- Into My Arms
- Easy Money
- Mercy Seat
- Midnight Man
- Ship Song

Official web: HERE
Review of 'Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus': HERE

Nick Cave playing'Into My Arms':

FIREWORKS : Deep Sea Creatures or Outer Galactical Nebulae?

Some firework photos, taken over the weekend, really led me to thinking about the outer and deeper extremities...of our marvellous universe.

DU HAST - 'New RAMMSTEIN tour rehearsal footage'

Good things come in 3:

Footage from the private Halloween rehearsal:



Also, a complete gallery of new and recent 'Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da' promo pictures has been uploaded on online by photograher P.R BROWN:

http://www.bauda.com/photography/2/
All images are copyright of BADU-DA/P.R Brown

Article about video shoot for the new single: 'Ich Tu Dir Weh', here

'Hours fly like minutes...' - Morrissey at Alexandra Palace review: 5.11.09

After the rough start to his 'Years of Refusal' tour back in May, Morrissey's reschedules were once again faced with trouble. His 'collapse' at Swindon Oasis in October led many to think that this would be it as far as the rest of the tour was concerned. But due to demand the Mozzer was able to add another date to his UK schedule as the last of his 5 London appearances this year, (3 Brixton Academy dates, 1 Royal Albert Hall date & 1 Alexandra Palace date)and is now promoting his B-Sides collection, 'Swords'.

On this occasion I was lucky enough to stand, where as at RAH, I felt somewhat disconnected and distanced from the atmosphere of the crowd below, and the band...the circle seats at the RAH felt cold and separate... was it perhaps the uninspired ambience around me? Or did they feel the same the same detachedness ?

At what seemed to be a near sell out crowd was first met with 'Doll and the Kicks'. An interesting band with good pop, Bjorke-sque vocals. The lead singer 'doll' was casting a rather interesting and aptly named silhouette as the focused spotlight created a mannequin - toy like performance on the backdrop. Having never heard their music before this gig; as I missed them at the RAH, I thought the Brighton four-piece had a heavy bass lading groove, with indie flavoured guitar licks and a solid beat that laid the platform for Doll's 'Gwen Stefani' like phrasing and confident stage moves.

Catch them on myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/dollandthekicks



'Doll's mannequin shadow'

It was time for the main act, and Morrissey's entrance was greeted with a strong applause and cheer as the 50 year old Mancunian belted into a heavier guitar based version (as he is known to do) of The Smiths classic; 'This Charming Man'. The crowd were in good spirits and Morrissey was in good conversation and joking which was a good sign. Having said this, his performance although strong was at times dubious, as he mumbled certain words, or shunned them out at times as if out of breath. This did not however over power the concert. As new tracks such as 'I'm Throwing my arms around Paris', or the Smiths 'Is It Really So Strange?' proved to be great crowd sing a longs and were played with justice and emotion. Certain B-Sides were also met with strong rapture, as 'Ganglord' worked fantastically with Morrissey's lyrics and the light show. 'How Soon Is Now?' was also a great example and demonstrated the strength behind the band's technical crew, as Jesse Tobias replicated Johnny Marr's tremolo anthemic intro to the flashing epileptic lighting effects. The band with 'Boz' as musical director were certainly on form and were the backbone for Morrissey's emotionally delivered singing. However the occasional questionable moments did beg whether he has returned to full fitness or whether this was a one off? Every artist has moments where minor mistakes are uncontrollable and this could have very well been the case, and let's hope so, as Morrissey still has a Liverpool date to complete as well as U.S stretch of his now titled 'SWORDS' tour.

Plenty of info and debate here : http://www.morrissey-solo.com/

Set List:

This Charming Man / Black Cloud / When Last I Spoke To Carol / Is It Really So Strange? / First Of The Gang To Die / Ganglord / Cemetry Gates / I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris / Teenage Dad On The Estate / Ask / Moon Over Kentucky / How Soon Is Now? / Because Of My Poor Education / One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell / Death At One's Elbow / The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores / The Loop / Irish Blood, English Heart / I'm OK By Myself // Something Is Squeezing My Skull




'The British Icon in the spotlight'

Lemmy & Dave Lombardo -'Stand by Me'

Brilliant.



MOTÖRHEAD 2009 UK tour dates:

11/11/2009	UK	Plymouth Pavillion	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL
11/12/2009	UK	Bristol Colston Hall	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL
11/13/2009	UK	Newport Centre	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL
11/15/2009	UK	Swindon Oasis	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL
11/16/2009	UK	Nottingham Royal Concert Hall	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL
11/17/2009	UK	Newcastle City Hall	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL
11/19/2009	UK	Glasgow Academy	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL
11/20/2009	UK	Leeds Academy	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL
11/21/2009	UK	Manchester Apollo	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL
11/23/2009	UK	Cambridge Corn Exchange	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL
11/24/2009	UK	Southend Cliffs Pavilion	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL
11/25/2009	UK	Portsmouth Guildhall	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL
11/27/2009	UK	Bournemouth Solent Hall	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL
11/28/2009	UK	London Hammersmith Apollo	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL
11/29/2009	UK	Wolverhampton Civic Hall	Get Tickets	THE DAMNED & GIRLSCHOOL

Morrissey - Royal Albert Hall 27.10.09

My first experience at a Morrissey gig, although on form for most of the night, the set did seem a little short and could have done with some other song choices. Overall though a worthy gig, might make the Alexandra Palace gig on the 5th.

The following footage was taking by a fan at the gig:


European dates for the now titled 'SWORDS' tour:

Choose year: 2009 / 2008

02/11/09

Salisbury Salisbury City Hall (RESCHEDULED FROM 25/05/09)

03/11/09

Brentwood Leisure Centre [tickets]

05/11/09

London Alexandra Palace [tickets]

07/11/09

Liverpool Echo Arena [tickets]

09/11/09

Nijmegen, The Netherlands De Vereeniging [tickets]

10/11/09

Lille, France Aeronef [tickets]

12/11/09

Paris, France Le Zenith [tickets]

14/11/09

Brussels, Belgium Forest Club [tickets]

16/11/09

Berlin, Germany Tempodrom [tickets]

17/11/09

Hamburg, Germany CCH [tickets]

19/11/09

Dusseldorf, Germany Philipshalle [tickets]

20/11/09

Munich, Germany Tonhalle [tickets]

23/11/09

Dublin, Ireland National Stadium

MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP - DECEMBER UK TOUR 2009

Image courtesy of Ross Halfin, please respect copyright issues.

After selling out his previous UK dates in September, Schenker is back to tour the rest of the UK in December, as well as announcing a second date for London in June. Be sure to catch him in action:

DEC 16 2009	Manchester Academy 3	Manchester	ENG
DEC 17 2009	Sheffield Academy	Sheffield	ENG
DEC 18 2009	JB's	Dudley	ENG
DEC 19 2009	Ulster Hall	Belfast	IRE
DEC 20 2009	Bristol Academy	Bristol	ENG
DEC 21 2009	Woughton Center	Milton Keynes	ENG
DEC 22 2009	Newcastle Academy	Newcastle	ENG
DEC 23 2009	Oxford Academy	Oxford	ENG
JUN 02 2010	Shepherds Bush Empire	London	WAL

Tour Line-up for MSG European dates December 2009 are:

Michael Schenker - gtr
Gary Barden - vox
Wayne Findlay - gtr/keys/b.vox
Chris Glen - bass
Chris Slade - drumz

• More details online at this fantasic MSG site: http://www.rbaraki.com/
• Another Michael Schenker fan site 2: http://www.michaelschenkeronline.nl/
• Michael Schenker home page: http://www.michaelschenkerhimself.com/home.php
• Some Michael Schenker photos courtesy of ROSS HALFIN: http://www.rosshalfin.com/michael-schenker/michael-schenker02.php

''LIEBE IST FUR ALLE DA''

Great RAMMSTEIN sites:

http://en.affenknecht.com/
http://herzeleid.com/en/news
http://www.rammstein.com.mx/site/
http://www.rammsteinniccage.com/



Thanks to AFFENKNECHT for the following news:

Rammstein setlist revealed at first of three warm-up shows

October 28th, 2009 by External

Herzeleid.com forum member ‘konkelo’ has reported back the setlist played at tonight’s show. The show is one of three being performed and this week in Berlin before the band heads out on a fiery European tour.

Rammstein released Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da last week via Vagrant Records.

1. Rammlied
2. B*******
3. Waidmanns Heil
4. Keine Lust
5. Feuer frei!
6. Weisses fleisch
7. Wiener Blut
8. Frühling in Paris
9. Ich tu dir weh
10. Liebe ist für alle da
11. Links 2-3-4
12. Haifisch
13. Du hast
14. Pussy
15. Benzin
16. Sonne
17. Ich will
————–
18. Seemann
19. Rosenrot
20. Engel

The new album was released last week and it's fantastic, give it a listen and play it loud!

And now for something obscurely related...

vh1 rock honours - the who

Pearl Jam honour THE WHO:

ACE FREHLEY - ANOMALY 'RETURN OF THE SPACE ACE!'

Only had one chance to really listen to the new ACE FREHLEY album...and so far it's exceeding expectations. I knew it would be great but, for an album that's been 20 years in the making, the songs sound fresh, heavy and the SPACEMAN's guitar playing is nothing short of excellent...full review later....

check out some info here:

http://www.acefrehleyanomaly.com/

www.eddietrunk.com

The songs despite 20 years in the making sound uniquely fresh. The production is fantastic, and as for the guitar playing and overall musicianship Ace and the band are on top form. Some killer tracks here; prime examples are 'foxy & free', 'outer space', 'too many faces' the catchy 'pain in the neck', the kashmir-esque 'Genghis Khan' and my personal favourite 'Sister'; a song that had previously floating around bootleggers collections as a demo. The final studio version found here does not disappoint and it further cements and proves Ace's talents, as not only an effective guitar player with individuality and flare, but also a strong songwriter whom KISS fans have been attracted screaming and shouting his lyrics to for over 30 years. ACE has many a times been cited as an influence and it's no doubt that he has inspired a generation of guitar players of all styles. His early ''grungy'' riffs such as 'Strangeways' on the KISS Hotter Than Hell album or the killers solo on 'Cold Gin', have been inspirations for Mike Mccready of Pearl Jam, Slash and arguably his biggest fan the late Dimebag Darrell. As mentioned earlier his work on this album does nothing more than cement his unique style of early grunge meets 70's rough flash to prove that SPACE ACE still has it.

A friend recently mentioned that if KISS and ACE had collaborated and written together they would have produced the best KISS album in 30 years, or at least since REVENGE...maybe true. But we both agreed that ANOMALY is as a great a record as ACE'S first solo release in '78, it's certainly his most consistent.

Pick up a copy of ANOMALY and see for yourselves.

check out these links for reviews and a link for guitar enthusiasts:

http://www.iheartguitarblog.com/2009/09/review-ace-frehley-anomaly.html

http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-ace-frehley-anomaly/

http://www.dinosaurrockguitar.com/new/node/20

http://kissarmynews.blogspot.com/2009/09/eddie-trunk-reviews-ace-frehleys.html