CLASS OF 2016

I was about to finish this article that I left in the can about the 27 Club that has shocked millions of rock fans along with the music industry of course until something more sinister has risen right from the wrong side of the tracks that I need not to miss documenting it.

A lot of people were wondering on what will become or at least where music is heading now that we are slowly running out of talented musicians and songwriters as a lot of them are  dying one by one.You can blame  the old age on some of them or perhaps diseases that has struck, but c'mon we almost hear one celebrity(if not a rock star) dying almost every month, not counting some musicians of the local underground acts of present day punk and heavy metal.

(Pictured above,First row: Nick Menza, David Bowie,Prince
Second row: Glenn Frey, Sir George Martin, George Michael
Third Row: Paul Kantner, Greg Lake)

Is music really dead the way it was presented?  This weird phenomena actually started off as early as last year around December 2015 when Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots was found dead on a tour bus of his latest band the Wildabouts on an apparent overdose,then 2016 opened the year with passings of David Bowie,then a week later it was Glenn Frey and was followed by several other musicians the following weeks thereafter.Among them were Prince Rogers Nelson who is known shortly as Prince,Maurice White of Earth,Wind & Fire, Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship with the list just keeps on piling up till the last remaining days of the year.


Prince,on the other hand is known as a loner in both pop and rock music.Loner in a sense that he sings,plays all the instruments,mixes and produces his own records.Releasing his debut album in 1977,the flamboyant rock star became a subject of controversy on several award giving bodies, on the subject of album releases and name changes before he was found dead in an elevator of his home/studio.While several heavy metal superstars such as Nick Menza formerly of Megadeth suffered a heart attack after a usual night gig.

Glenn Frey was one of the founders of the Eagles who drove Country rock to prominence in the seventies.Sad fact is that the Eagles had called it quits for good after he passed away citing that he is in fact irreplaceable.

 On the other side of the  industry,two icons of the Beatles' in crowd joined perhaps the saddest year of music and entertainment history.George Martin,who produces the fab fours' albums laying that meticulous ground layer of sound if not complicated,passed away at the ripe old age of 90.Leaving behind or should I say passing over the torch to his son Giles who went on to mix several reissues and forever keeping the flame of the greatest rock band on earth alive and kicking.But goddamn 2016 isn't finished,it also took away the band's early concert promoter shortly before Christmas.

...and if that's not good enough,singer George Michael was found dead in his home on the exact yuletide day.

With a certain degree of consistency,these celebrity deaths whether a rock star or not,one cannot help but compare it to the infamous 27 Club which mysteriously took the lives of rock stars eerily at a young age of 27.So the superstitions or perhaps the numerology somehow sets in on how strange it is that the year 2016 has toppled the former regarding the number of lives it took.

Alas, as the year comes to an end all we can do is pray that these rock star deaths will somehow put to a halt.

IN MEMORIAM:

David Bowie

Dale Griffin

Paul Kantner

Glenn Frey

Maurice White


Merle Haggard

George Martin

Keith Emerson

Prince

Nick Menza


Henry McCullough

Leon Russell


Pete Burns

Greg Lake


Rick Parfitt

George Michael

(c) 2016 Keith Vernon Adagio

 

Reviewing Blue & Lonesome

It took eleven years for the Rolling Stones to release their follow up album which consists yet again of covers,titled Blue & Lonesome,the band's 25th album since 2005's A Bigger Bang that highlighted them as the previous decade's top grosser.

One can identify the band as innovators of Chicago blues with that harmonica felt deep in Mick Jagger's soul doing the opening track on "Just Your Fool",something that remains prevalent on the other tracks apart from the exceptionally tasty trade off riffings of Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood.
On the subject of the vocal part Mick Jagger gave his all,sounded a hell lot cooler like wine that gets better with age.

Thing about British blues is,that it was given much importance by the people who mastered its craft and can be traced back to London's Marquee where the famous jams took place in the wee hours of the night after the clubs had called it a day.Sad part is that it wasn't given much eminence from where it came from that Jeff Beck had expressed his frustration upon going to its essential birthplace only to be appalled that nobody has ever heard of Howlin' Wolf or John Lee Hooker when he asked the local musicians in the area.The same thing went to Chas Chandler's mind I suppose when he discovered Jimi Hendrix in upstate New York and realized that his talent will be much more appreciated in a smaller pond.The jams in the Marquee is where the exchanges of guitar skills took place and was attended by every rock guitarist in town at the time-Jimmy Page,Mick Taylor, Peter Green and some of the guys that came in and out of John Mayall's "circle of friends".When Hendrix returned to the States as a mighty fish,local bands started getting serious about the music that came from the deep South, some kind of a wake up call,but nevertheless,the British invasion that just keeps on coming has overwhelmed much of them that made it kind of difficult to compete with such strong force- sort of.

With Blue & Lonesome, the Stones rivaled closely that of one of their contemporaries namely Led Zeppelin and Cream thus reminded everyone of the very first album that they gave us.With Jagger even stating that it could've been a whole lot different had they recorded this back in 1964.The album gave the blues a different meaning and introduced it to a whole new generation of fans.

Even though the Rolling Stones were proficient themselves they sought the help of Eric Clapton on two tracks"Everybody Knows About My Good Thing" and "I Can't Quit You Baby" with the latter one closely rivaling or perhaps bettering that of Led Zeppelin's.

Keith Richards has long been compared to Jimmy Page and was often times dismissed by loyal fans of the latter and several guitar publications so it was a wise move for them to get Clapton to do the job.

To top it all,Blue & Lonesome is one brilliant interpretation of the music that became the staple of rock guitar and  though the band doesn't have anything more to prove, it made them more than just a father figure out of the immortal rock opera amid the shitty,nowhere bound new music that is around us.


RATING: 9/10

(c) 2016 Keith Vernon Adagio

My Top 10 Rock Albums for 2016

Who says rock n' roll is dead? Apart from the fact that we had the so-called 2016 Club which rivaled the infamous 27,rock music is very much alive this year amid the fact that we are in the age of auto tunes, digital cacophonies and other nonsense which defined the cry babies of our present generation.

So without further ado, I present to you 2016's strongest rock albums:


1. BLUE AND LONESOME

 The band who christened themselves as the greatest rock stars just yet revealed another prophecy,being a rival to the Beatles who in turn had broken up several decades ago has yet kept themselves busy with the release of a blues album wittily tilted Blue And Lonesome from one of their featured covered tracks.Released December 2 of this year,the Stones perhaps reminded everyone of  the first album that they had released fifty years ago which also comprises of covers.With those gnarly guitars and a freshly well rehearsed band of seniors,the album was merely recorded in a three day span,something that Mick Jagger said they couldn't even top had they tried recording it back in 1964. Though the album's highest peak is at number 4, it went to number one across the pond and ten other countries.


2. BLACKSTAR
 
The death of David Bowie shocked everyone as much as they did on this farewell album that he presented to all of us as a gift.Neatly defined as a typical Bowie album filled with evil and darkness,the album somewhat had a different mood perhaps resulting from his sudden demise.
Like Vincent Van Gogh and other geniuses of the arts,the kudos perhaps came late for the thin white duke, making this LP his first and posthumous US number one.

 3. REVOLUTION RADIO

If you grew up in the Bay Area or perhaps just another bloke from the 90s,you probably knew why this album had a breakthrough apart from the typical punk sound Green Day is known for the past 25 years.Advance press releases,touring and ads on AC Transit helped propel the band's twelfth studio album to mainstream commercial success.

The album got a lot of good reviews and was ranked number one on Kerrang's top albums of 2016.







4. ON AIR 

Most of the posthumous albums were filled with hidden treasure such as unreleased gems "We Will Rock You" in a faster version which rivaled or perhaps bettering the much underrated punk rock era.

5. GOOD TIMES!


Talk about posthumous releases,Davy Jones and Harry Nilsson were on the top of this new Monkees album. Several tracks went as far back as 1967 and 1968 and remained unheard until today. Other tracks were freshly recorded nonetheless displaying an awesome musicianship of surviving members Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith,With a little help of course from their friends in the studio.

6.LOUD HAILER

 We can all safely agree that 2016 is a great year for good albums from classic rockers.This eleventh studio album of Jeff Beck's certainly show that retirement ain't in my vocabulary for the former Yardbird and known solo virtuoso.



7. I STILL DO

Just like his friend and contemporary Jeff  Beck, Eric Clapton ain't turning away despite of rumors of retiring from the music scene.This new album comprises of new material as well as classic and interpretations of traditional songs.Produced by Glyn Johns who worked with Clapton previously on albums Slowhand and Backless, is also known to have worked with bands such as the Beatles and Led Zeppelin.

8 STRANGER TO STRANGER

2016 is yet strong as well when it comes to folk rock with this album by Paul Simon receiving wide critical acclaim. The album is the highest debut so far for Simon,peaking at number three on the charts and thus far going to number one in the UK.

9. BEAUTIFUL BROKEN

2016 is also yet a good year for the Wilson sisters who just finished a tour and releasing their live DVD.The new effort comprises yet of re-recordings of classic songs from older albums as well as new material.Not bad for the aging rock chicks.




















10. HARDWIRED..TO SELF DESTRUCT

After guesting as a session musician/vocalist on a Heart album[which was also featured here],James Hetfield's band gave 2016 a fistful force of metal fury with a new album being their sixth to debut at number one.



(c) 2016 Keith Vernon Adagio



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FIVE REASONS WHY BRYAN ADAMS SHOULD BE IN THE HALL OF FAME

 The news about the backlash against the politics surrounding the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame is already familiar to many people who were following the organization.Even questioning some credibilities on how some artists have managed to "push through" adding the fact that the guidelines for eligibility is well presented.

If you are wondering why in the world are those rappers inducted in the first place then you are not alone.There are many musicians who were left behind and was basically passed on and ignored,while other inductees-some of which has nothing to do with rock music were honored and were given statuettes despite protests from angry followers and loyal fans of the said genre.

One rock artist that has been ignored is Bryan Adams who in the past decades have been writing both rockers and ballads and has mesmerized audiences around the world.Here are the five reasons this artist should be in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame:

1.BRYAN ADAMS' DEBUT ALBUM IS MORE THAN TWENTY FIVE YEARS OLD

 Adams released his self titled debut album in 1980,though the said effort has spawned only minor hits,at least in his native Canada and the rest of North America,the songs on this debut already presented a promising 21 year old singer/songwriter that two of its singles were covered by other artists and has reached the US top 40.

Referring to the guidelines and standards of the Hall Of Fame committee,an artist eligible for nomination and induction should at least have a debut album released 25 years ago, so logic suggests that Bryan Adams is more than just qualified considering his stature in the rock music biz.





2.BRYAN ADAMS WROTE SONGS FOR OTHER ARTISTS

Randy Meisner, Kiss, Uriah Heep, Tina Turner and Barbra Streisand to name a few.Bryan has wrote songs that other artists had made popular,whether it be a rocker or a ballad.


3.BRYAN IS MORE THAN JUST A HITMAKER

As impressive as it may sound, Bryan has written his own songs and has proven from the very beginning that he is not merely a one hit wonder.With 46 songs in the charts between 1979 and 2002,  nine of those singles went to the number one spot on both sides of the Atlantic.

4. BRYAN HAS COOL COLLABORATIONS

 Apart from writing songs for other artists,Bryan Adams has opened and played with the most prominent bands and artists in rock music. He has played a number of charity concerts including the Prince's Trust alongside Paul McCartney,Eric Clapton,Elton John,The Who among others. 



5. BRYAN IS THE BEST SONGWRITER AND IS AN AWESOME LIVE PERFORMER


Judging from the quality of his songs Bryan Adams is one of the best songwriters ever.His live performances are magical and is very sharp on the subject of stadium rock prowess.




(c) 2016 Keith Vernon Adagio

Remembering Scott Weiland, A Year Later

Scott Weiland circa 1994 credit: MTV Unplugged

One can hardly believe its been a year since Scott Weiland's passing.I remember hearing the news around night time.The news about his death in which it took around 12 hours to determine what was the real cause.

Stone Temple Pilots have ruled the airwaves and sold millions of records locally and around the world.With eight songs peaking at number one,the band that started off as Mighty Joe Young in 1985 took about a decade to savor the pennacles of rock success.

And of course,the band's triumph owes a great deal with the band's lead vocalist.It's very unimaginable a kid in the 90s who doesn't own a Stone Temple Pilots CD.Personally,I  consider Scott as one of my heroes being the young boy I was in that decade.Though I gotta admit that I have never been to an STP gig[counting the fact that I was too young to go and the monetary factor of course],their albums somewhat became a soundtrack of my everyday life.

Scott's voice defined that unique grunge sound of the 90s alongside Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder. When the genre died down after the former's death,STP reinvented themselves,gathering inspiration from 60s rock particularly the Beatles with whom they openly admitted the fab four being such a huge influence. The band changed their sound,adopting from psychedelia with Weiland changing the course of his singing voice as well from deep baritone to a high pitch Beatlesque similar to that of John Lennon's.Their music,just like their idols' became somewhat more adventurous.Paying tribute to what would be the 30th anniversary of the summer of love at the time, and making the last decade of the 20th Century a parallel twin of an era that was christened as the cultural revolution of rock music.Sadly, STP broke up bitterly in 2002.

I dont know,but even though Velvet Revolver sold a million albums and won numerous awards,I just couldn't help but think of it as a Guns N Roses/ STP mash up which is in fact the truth.The band sounded good and of course had the good hype but every now and then its still STP where most people would identify Scott with.

Booze and drugs were a common thing for rock stars, even Paul McCartney had the same problems with drug busts during his youth and we kept on hearing about Scott Weiland getting arrested over a few pounds of dope in one way or the other and somehow lived through it.I guess everyone won't think that it would end that way the night of December 3rd 2015.

 Music has changed a lot and unfortunately not for the better.But as Ringo Starr had said,bands will always come through-well,hopefully.I suppose there will always be kids who's gonna be pissed off with what's going on in today's music and would eventually form a band or two so that everything will be alright again.Dave Grohl once described the same thing in an interview what their thoughts of 1990 would've been.Nevertheless,grunge rockers like Scott Weiland has put his mark on it.A mark that will stand the test of time.


(c) 2016 Keith Vernon Adagio

MY TOP 10 SONGS BY THE CURE

Premiere rock mag Rolling Stone published just recently their top 10 Cure songs which were utterly described as reader's polls.Though some will agree and some will not(like yours truly),the concept of having a top ten and not seeing your favorites make it on the list is perhaps the most annoying part of it.But nevertheless making your own top ten as a music blogger is the greatest revenge you can ever get.

So hang tight and here are my top 10 songs from the Cure.


1. BOYS DON'T CRY

This is perhaps the most famous and the band's signature song,originally released in 1979,the track didn't achieve international fame until it was re-issued in 1984 and was released in the US on the album of the same name.

2. IN BETWEEN DAYS

 Released in 1985,this is actually the band's first song to chart in the US.I always thought of this one as the ultimate clown song because of its funny intro.Though the genius of the tortured soul lyrics lies behind its writer,none other than the band's leader himself Robert Smith.

3. LOVESONG

 These are one of the best tracks from the band that Rolling Stone failed to recognize on their top 10.or should I say the readers poll failed to recognize.Released in 1989,the track boasts a cool,hypnotic feel along with a weird music video with the band filmed inside a cave.
The track was covered by nu metal band 311.

4. FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE

Again,one of the tracks that didn't make it on RS's top 10.Released in 1993,this track was somewhat a remisniscent of In Between Days.A cool,catchy song about falling in love and didn't care about anything else.

5. KILLING AN ARAB

 One of the earliest songs from the band dating back in 1978 and best describes the band at its peak on the post-punk scene.This track typically describes the band's alternative rock persona,that would resonate nearly twenty years later in the early and mid 1990s

6. BURN

 The band's leader/singer/guitarist/songwriter Robert Smith wrote this for the 1993 film The Crow after being asked by the book's author James O' Barr. O' Barr was said to have been thrilled to find out that his idol(being a Cure fan) managed to give time and effort to write a song for the film.The track's sound is a typical Cure song that boasts certain symbolic lyrics fit for a movie that was marred with morbidity and darkness.

7. THE HANGING GARDEN

Again,this song's lyrics graced the book written by James O' Barr.Though the sound is somewhat new wave-the song's words is filled with dark lyrics fit for the agony of a man who lost a loved one and using the pen as his outlet.

8.Lullaby

Another cool track from the band describing one's personal nightmare.

9. The Lovecats

This track of the band is somewhat Beatlesque and would show how the Beatles had an impact for Smith.The Cure would later cover "Hello Goodbye" which was included on the album The Art Of McCartney.

10.  JUST LIKE HEAVEN

 One of the best alternative rock tracks from the band released in 1987.

(c) 2016 Keith Vernon Adagio

Back On Track: Reviewing Bryan Adams' album Get Up!

Bryan Adams' new album Get Up released 10/02/2015

For the first time in 25 years Bryan Adams managed to release a strong album since 1991's Waking Up The Neighbours.Though I wouldn't say it was as big as the one I mentioned and his colossal Reckless back in the eighties,Get Up features a back-to-roots sound for the Canadian rocker.Released shortly after his covers album Tracks Of My Years(2014) came out,Get Up is still graced with 'influences' by rock n roll standards like the opening track "You Belong To Me" that features some Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins guitar riffs.Teaming up with his long time songwriting partner Jim Vallance plus the genius of producer Jeff Lynne,the album has a blend of  ELO(Electric Light Orchestra-Lynne's former band),Beatles,Stones, and early rock n' roll fused together,not to mention the incredible string arrangements and some synthesizers.Adams has also been known to work with different producers,hence,giving his albums that unique distinction from each other.

Let's face it,not everyone likes rock music and some of the artists don't rely much on chart singles but rather on album sales.Though Adams has a history of being a hitmaker in the eighties and early nineties,his career started to wane in the mid nineties when he changed his sound and seemed to have abandoned his stadium rock persona and went to a more mellow/adult contemporary type.But this album rather had Adams got back on track by revisiting what he has been known for and making the best out of it.

The album has 13 tracks, nine of which were original compositions written by Adams,Vallance and Jeff Lynne and four acoustic versions on several songs.Perhaps the strongest track there rockwise is "Go Down Rockin'" and "That's Rock And Roll" that is somewhat a reminiscence of eighties and early nineties Bryan Adams fused with Rolling Stones style riffings.Oh,who would not point out "Do What Ya Gotta Do" co-written by Jeff Lynne and featuring the ELO frontman on backing vocals and the Beatlesque "Don't Even Try".But personally,I think the acoustic version of the latter was far better than the electric version.Though I'm not saying that this album is as strong as "Reckless" and "Waking Up The Neighbours",its nice to see Bryan Adams writing about rock again and bringing the good times back.

As a whole,Get Up is best recommended for the rock purist,devoted Bryan Adams fan and simply one disenfranchised bloke who's tired of 21st Century's bitches,spoiled rappers and autotunes.Get Up is simply for a person who is hungry for rock music,something that this era has a shortage of.

OVERALL RATING: 8/1O

TRACK LISTING:

1. You Belong To Me (Adams/Vallance)
2.Go Down Rockin' (Adams/Vallance)
3.We Did It All (Adams/Vallance)
4.That's Rock And Roll (Adams/Vallance/Thornalley)
5.Don't Even Try (Adams/Vallance)
6.Do What Ya Gotta Do (Adams/Lynne)
7.Thunderbolt (Adams/Vallance)
8.Yesterday Was Just A Dream (Adams/Vallance)
9.Brand New Day (Adams/Vallance)
Acoustic versions:
10.Don't Even Try
11.We Did It All
12.You Belong To Me
13.Brand New Day

(c) 2016 Keith Vernon Adagio