| Rockin' News for June 30 ,2009 |
British Steel: Older and Wiser
When musicians dust off a long-ago album and play it from beginning to end, an
underexposed song can become an instant classic.
"Don't Have to be Old to Be Wise" rose to the occasion Monday night at the Murat
Theatre, where Judas Priest played every tune from 1980's British Steel album.
Rocketing on a high-toned, polished riff that seems to have influenced Motley Crue's
"Looks That Kill" single (released three years later), "Wise" couldn't compete with
breakout singles "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight" at the time -- yet it was
something to cherish for kids who spun British Steel on vinyl again and again.
When musicians dust off a long-ago album and play it from beginning to end, an
underexposed song can become an instant classic.
"Don't Have to be Old to Be Wise" rose to the occasion Monday night at the Murat
Theatre, where Judas Priest played every tune from 1980's British Steel album.
Rocketing on a high-toned, polished riff that seems to have influenced Motley Crue's
"Looks That Kill" single (released three years later), "Wise" couldn't compete with
breakout singles "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight" at the time -- yet it was
something to cherish for kids who spun British Steel on vinyl again and again.
Those youngsters probably weren't girls, judging from the masculine sing-alongs at the Murat.
Although vocalist Rob Halford, age 57, could have added the winking phrase "But it helps" to the title of "Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise,"
he's consistently serious about Priest's metal legacy.
"Our music lives forever, thanks to fans like you," he told the modest-sized but rowdy crowd.
Even though British Steel made Halford and his band mates stars in the United States, they're playing the album in the running order of the
U.K. release, meaning "Rapid Fire" instead of "Breaking the Law" opened the show.
"Metal Gods" arrived in the No. 2 slot instead of No. 3, allowing Halford to mock the song's encroaching machines by walking robotically and
shoveling coal into a phantom furnace while Glenn Tipton choreographed each dip of his guitar.
Sporting tattoos on each side of his head and a studded denim vest over a leather jacket, Halford pronounced the evening as the "world
premiere of British Steel live." The show served as an amped-up dress rehearsal for Priest's summer tour, which begins Wednesday in a
Missouri basketball arena with Whitesnake on board as the opening act.
Monday's performance began at 7:50 p.m., and a relieved Halford said, "We made it," when the nine songs of British Steel concluded 40
minutes later.
The novelty then shifted from one landmark album to one cozy venue. In the context of the 2,400-capacity Murat, audience members saw
old-school green lasers bounce around the room, the evolution of Halford's costume changes and occasional moments when bass player Ian Hill
appeared to be winded.
Tipton and K.K. Downing lived up to their reputation as twin towers of guitar. The basic story is that Tipton shreds and Downing plays
blues-based solos, but Downing bucked assumptions with the unhinged assault of "Victim of Changes" -- the opening track from 1976 album Sad
Wings of Destiny. (Courtesy of indystar.com; article by David Lindquist)
Although vocalist Rob Halford, age 57, could have added the winking phrase "But it helps" to the title of "Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise,"
he's consistently serious about Priest's metal legacy.
"Our music lives forever, thanks to fans like you," he told the modest-sized but rowdy crowd.
Even though British Steel made Halford and his band mates stars in the United States, they're playing the album in the running order of the
U.K. release, meaning "Rapid Fire" instead of "Breaking the Law" opened the show.
"Metal Gods" arrived in the No. 2 slot instead of No. 3, allowing Halford to mock the song's encroaching machines by walking robotically and
shoveling coal into a phantom furnace while Glenn Tipton choreographed each dip of his guitar.
Sporting tattoos on each side of his head and a studded denim vest over a leather jacket, Halford pronounced the evening as the "world
premiere of British Steel live." The show served as an amped-up dress rehearsal for Priest's summer tour, which begins Wednesday in a
Missouri basketball arena with Whitesnake on board as the opening act.
Monday's performance began at 7:50 p.m., and a relieved Halford said, "We made it," when the nine songs of British Steel concluded 40
minutes later.
The novelty then shifted from one landmark album to one cozy venue. In the context of the 2,400-capacity Murat, audience members saw
old-school green lasers bounce around the room, the evolution of Halford's costume changes and occasional moments when bass player Ian Hill
appeared to be winded.
Tipton and K.K. Downing lived up to their reputation as twin towers of guitar. The basic story is that Tipton shreds and Downing plays
blues-based solos, but Downing bucked assumptions with the unhinged assault of "Victim of Changes" -- the opening track from 1976 album Sad
Wings of Destiny. (Courtesy of indystar.com; article by David Lindquist)
| *** *** *** *** *** *** |
Scott Ian's Food Coma: A Hellfeast In Europe
(ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian has posted the latest installment of his regular
column on SuicideGirls.com called "Scott Ian's Food Coma" where he writes about
his food and travel experiences. An excerpt from the column follows below.)
"I've been in Europe since May 31, all over the place. I spent the first two weeks
doing promotion for the new ANTHRAX record 'Worship Music' (coming in October
through Megaforce/RED/Sony... PLUG). Basically, traveling from city to city doing
interviews and photo shoots. 12 hours a day, sometimes 14-16 hour days. "Cry
for me, Suicide Girls!
(ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian has posted the latest installment of his regular
column on SuicideGirls.com called "Scott Ian's Food Coma" where he writes about
his food and travel experiences. An excerpt from the column follows below.)
"I've been in Europe since May 31, all over the place. I spent the first two weeks
doing promotion for the new ANTHRAX record 'Worship Music' (coming in October
through Megaforce/RED/Sony... PLUG). Basically, traveling from city to city doing
interviews and photo shoots. 12 hours a day, sometimes 14-16 hour days. "Cry
for me, Suicide Girls!
"London, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Helsinki, Stockholm and Oslo. It was a brutal schedule but the reaction to the new songs has been amazing!!!! I
have an iPod with the new mixes on it and the writers get to hear them right before they sit down to talk to me. This is the way it's done in
the world of stealing music, my friends. No more advance CDs.
"The instant reactions are great. It really makes me excited for all of you to hear it!!! It really feels like the press/media is hearing the
songs the same way I hear them. They can hear all the energy and time and blood and sweat and hard work that we put into this record. The
two years we spent writing and then the six months we spent recording were some of the toughest and best times I have ever had in
ANTHRAX and listening back to the finished songs now I can say it was well worth it.
"This new record is the best representation of our career that I could ever imagine and our new singer, Dan Nelson, sounds like he's been with
us forever. We're playing the fuck out of these songs and to quote my buddy Patton Oswalt, 'Playing them like we're going to jail tomorrow.'"
(Courtesy of blabbermouth.net and SuicideGirls.com.)
have an iPod with the new mixes on it and the writers get to hear them right before they sit down to talk to me. This is the way it's done in
the world of stealing music, my friends. No more advance CDs.
"The instant reactions are great. It really makes me excited for all of you to hear it!!! It really feels like the press/media is hearing the
songs the same way I hear them. They can hear all the energy and time and blood and sweat and hard work that we put into this record. The
two years we spent writing and then the six months we spent recording were some of the toughest and best times I have ever had in
ANTHRAX and listening back to the finished songs now I can say it was well worth it.
"This new record is the best representation of our career that I could ever imagine and our new singer, Dan Nelson, sounds like he's been with
us forever. We're playing the fuck out of these songs and to quote my buddy Patton Oswalt, 'Playing them like we're going to jail tomorrow.'"
(Courtesy of blabbermouth.net and SuicideGirls.com.)
| *** *** *** *** *** *** |
LITA FORD Invites The World Into Her Wicked Wonderland
Pioneering hard rock queen Lita Ford returns to action this fall with Wicked Wonderland, a disc
brimming with loud and lusty new tunes — songs that might make listeners feel as breathless and
dizzy as Alice after a trip down the rabbit hole. But rest assured, you'll never hear anything like
this at a tea party!
"Everybody has their own Wicked Wonderland," says Lita. "It's a place where you can do whatever
you want and get as freaky as you feel. These songs are my version of that – they're all about my
life…well, the parts that happen when the kids are in bed and my husband and I get into the
boudoir."
The five-pack of tunes contained on this sampler paint a mighty vivid picture of that room – and the
inner workings of Lita's life and libido. Propelled by her distinctive guitar work — a potent blend of
blues-based licks, good 'n' greasy slide and punishing post-millennial riffage – they touch down in
places that diehard fans will recognize. But there are plenty of expeditions into previously uncharted
territory as well, from the gnash and bash of "Scream" to the enveloping "Love".
Pioneering hard rock queen Lita Ford returns to action this fall with Wicked Wonderland, a disc
brimming with loud and lusty new tunes — songs that might make listeners feel as breathless and
dizzy as Alice after a trip down the rabbit hole. But rest assured, you'll never hear anything like
this at a tea party!
"Everybody has their own Wicked Wonderland," says Lita. "It's a place where you can do whatever
you want and get as freaky as you feel. These songs are my version of that – they're all about my
life…well, the parts that happen when the kids are in bed and my husband and I get into the
boudoir."
The five-pack of tunes contained on this sampler paint a mighty vivid picture of that room – and the
inner workings of Lita's life and libido. Propelled by her distinctive guitar work — a potent blend of
blues-based licks, good 'n' greasy slide and punishing post-millennial riffage – they touch down in
places that diehard fans will recognize. But there are plenty of expeditions into previously uncharted
territory as well, from the gnash and bash of "Scream" to the enveloping "Love".
"This is definitely the heaviest stuff I've ever recorded," she says. I've evolved and matured as a person and so has my music. It's lyrically
very real."
In addition to Lita's own evolution, these songs showcase the family-affair nature of how they were made. Wicked Wonderland was largely
recorded at the island home she and husband Jim Gillette share with their two sons — who actually appear on the disc reciting the pledge of
allegiance prior to mom kicking into the loud and proud "Patriotic S.O.B." Gillette's presence is also felt throughout the disc, in both his
production work and backing vocals — harmonies that provide a perfect yin to Lita's yang..
"We recorded all the vocals and lead guitars at home with Jim engineering and I wouldn't have been near as comfortable recording with anyone
else," says Lita. "Jim and I are soulmates and we're just about joined at the hip. It's almost like the stuff they say about twins — we're
always finishing each others sentences and doing the same things musically. There were times when I'd listen back to a song and be like
'which one of us is that anyway?'"
The double-barreled intensity provided by Gillette's presence only serves to highlight Lita's room-filling personality, which resonates loud and
clear throughout the disc — not to mention a live show that will cast her in roles as diverse as a naughty bride and a catsuit-draped super-
heroine. As ever, when Lita is good, she's good, and when she's bad, well, she's Wicked good! (Courtesy of blabbermouth.net)
very real."
In addition to Lita's own evolution, these songs showcase the family-affair nature of how they were made. Wicked Wonderland was largely
recorded at the island home she and husband Jim Gillette share with their two sons — who actually appear on the disc reciting the pledge of
allegiance prior to mom kicking into the loud and proud "Patriotic S.O.B." Gillette's presence is also felt throughout the disc, in both his
production work and backing vocals — harmonies that provide a perfect yin to Lita's yang..
"We recorded all the vocals and lead guitars at home with Jim engineering and I wouldn't have been near as comfortable recording with anyone
else," says Lita. "Jim and I are soulmates and we're just about joined at the hip. It's almost like the stuff they say about twins — we're
always finishing each others sentences and doing the same things musically. There were times when I'd listen back to a song and be like
'which one of us is that anyway?'"
The double-barreled intensity provided by Gillette's presence only serves to highlight Lita's room-filling personality, which resonates loud and
clear throughout the disc — not to mention a live show that will cast her in roles as diverse as a naughty bride and a catsuit-draped super-
heroine. As ever, when Lita is good, she's good, and when she's bad, well, she's Wicked good! (Courtesy of blabbermouth.net)
Click here for Rockin' News: June 30, page 2