tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76979509226980555532009-10-14T02:36:01.290-05:00Deniz and Kenny Original SongsThe purpose of this blog is to share memories of friendships and the original music created during that short period.Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-31784416689333488292009-10-03T09:46:00.019-05:002009-10-03T10:20:14.665-05:00Alice Cooper - Poison 1989

Alice Cooper was a "Shock Rocker" born out of the 1970's hard rock music scene. Even in the early 80's I remember Alice Cooper was widely popular with a cult following when I was in High School listening to old huge hits like "I'm Eighteen" and "Schools Out". In 1989, Alice Cooper had a resurrection with the song "Poison" from his album "Trash". Alice Cooper's popularity continued to grow to legend status after his appearance in the 1992 film "Wayne's World".
Below see the original 1989 music video of "Poison" and a live performance of "School's Out". I have also included a complete biography of Alice Cooper. -
Kenny Leibow
Poison -1989 Official VideoSchool's Out - Live PerformanceMini Biography
Source - IMDbAlice Cooper was born Vincent Damon Furnier, in Detroit, Michigan, the son of a minister. He moved to Phoenix, Arizona, at a young age and still lives in the state today. At 17 he formed a rock band called the Earwigs, who changed their name to The Spiders and then The Nazz, before finally settling on Alice Cooper. The line-up included himself, Dennis Dunaway, Michael Bruce, Glen Buxton and Neil Smith. Rumors (which the band did not necessarily make efforts to deny) to the contrary, the name was not chosen from a Ouija board reading nor was it named after a woman once burned at the stake for witchcraft -- it was picked because the random name had a twisted sense of originality and misleading innocence, complementing the band's bizarre and macabre stage theatrics and lyric themes.
The band got their first big break playing at the Whiskey-a-GoGo in L.A. one night in 1969 when Frank Zappa discovered them and signed them to his record label. After two albums-and relocating to Detroit -- they were signed by Warner Bros., hooked up with famous producer Robert Ezrin and came out with their third album, the break-through "Love It to Death" in 1971. Several albums followed, including "Killer", the highly successful "School's Out" and "Billion Dollar Babies", and "Muscle of Love". The band made an appearance in the movie Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970) and their own theatrically released documentary Good to See You Again, Alice Cooper (1974). Alice himself also starred in an episode of The Snoop Sisters (1972) (TV).
The original Alice Cooper band broke up in 1975, with the lead singer getting his name legally changed to Alice Cooper -- and performing under the name ever since -- while some of the other members formed a band called the Billion Dollar Babies. That same year saw the release of a Greatest Hits album, while Alice as a solo artist completed the "Welcome to My Nightmare" album and his incredibly theatrical tour. It was on this tour that he met his future wife Sheryl Cooper, who had been hired as a dancer.
Along with the album and tour came a TV special, Alice Cooper: The Nightmare (1975) (TV), and both included dialog from horror movie legend Vincent Price. Alice made a number of other TV and movie appearances in the second half of the decade, including "The Muppet Show" (1976), Mae West's final film Sextette (1978), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) and several appearances on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962).
However, by the late 1970s Alice's problems with alcohol became life-threatening, and he was checked into a clinic for rehabilitation. He told of his experiences on the semi-fictional album "From The Inside" (there was also a comic book of the same title), and explored different sounds in the early '80s with four albums ("Flush The Fashion", "Special Forces", "Zipper Catches Skin", "DaDa"). After having a severe "falling off the wagon" to the point of almost dying, he sobered up once more -- this time for good -- and returned with the albums "Constrictor", "Raise Your Fist and Yell" and the 1989 album "Trash", which featured the hit song "Poison". The '80s also saw Alice starring in the horror flicks Leviatán (1984) (also known as "Monster Dog") and Prince of Darkness (1987), as well as having mostly new songs for the soundtracks to Roadie (1980), Class of 1984 (1982), Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) and Shocker (1989).
It was the 1990s, however, that brought Alice's most memorable movie appearance: playing himself in Wayne's World (1992). The phrase uttered by characters Wayne and Garth in his presence, "We're not worthy!", became one of the most popular movie catch-phrases of the decade. Alice also played the father of Freddy Krueger in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), and himself on "That '70s Show" (1998) and "Something Wilder" (1994). The decade also saw the release of his "Hey Stoopid" and "The Last Temptation". Alice toured occasionally but took a break from releasing albums until 2000, when he released "Brutal Planet". He followed this up with "Dragon Town", "The Eyes of Alice Cooper" and the "Dirty Diamonds", and continues to tour regularly, performing shows with the bizarrely dark and horror-themed theatrics that he's best known for.
Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-31839448331166896902009-09-05T14:32:00.012-05:002009-09-06T18:34:35.148-05:00KISS Tribute Band 1991

Deniz performed live with several musicians in the 1990s including his bands Ankara and Sin. In 1991 at Penrods in Miami Beach, Florida, Deniz was on stage playing Paul Stanley in a Kiss Tribute performance. Read the story below by Rudy Landa; and see the video of the live performance with complete Kiss makeup. -
Kenny Leibow"Halloween of '91, while attending Career Institutes
of America in Miami Beach, some buddies of mine
and myself put together a KISS tribute band and
played at South Beach's "Penrod' s on
The Beach" for our school Halloween Party.....
Here's my guitar solo from that night,followed by a
little tune that KISS fans will recognize.....it was a wild
and crazy time the early 90s......so many memories."
-Rudy LandaDenniz (Paul Stanley), Randy (Peter Criss), Alex (Gene Simmons), and me Rudy (Ace Freeley).
KISS Tribute Band 1991Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-66253404064462924462009-08-18T09:41:00.036-05:002009-08-19T09:54:27.227-05:00SIN - South Florida Rock Bands 1990s

Deniz Kose performed in many venues through out the 1990s. The photo to the left is Deniz performing at Penrods in South Beach (Florida). As I stated in the previous post "Deniz and Kenny Collection 2", Deniz was in the group Ankara and
SIN in the 1990s. Here is the story of
SIN:
In 1993 Deniz started a studio in Hallandale, Florida called "Jamtite". I remember visiting the studio in 1996 to watch Ankara rehearse. Jamtite studio was located in an industrial type area with a lot of mechanic shops around. At night, it was a party zone packed with cars. One of Jamtite's many customers were two guys who rented studio time, Ray Gutierrez and Caesar Gutierrez. They were brothers whose family was Cuban. Ray and Caesar were customers for a long time, approximately one and half years. Deniz became good friends with Ray and Caesar. By the end of 1996, Ankara had broken up; and at that time, Deniz started jamming with Ray and Caesar. They all decided to put a together a band and called the group "
SIN".
SIN consisted of Deniz Kose as the lead singer, Ray Gutierrez on bass and background vocals, and Caesar Gutierrez as lead guitar and background vocals. They played all original music. Ray and Caesar co-wrote the music and Deniz wrote the lyrics. When
SIN practiced and recorded in the studio, the musicians on drums and keyboards were not permanent members of the band. They were musicians for hire.
SIN played many popular venues in South Florida such as The Button, Roses, Plus5,
Churchill's, Rosebuds, and McFly just to name a few.
When
SIN performed live, they also used various drummers on stage. Deniz was forced to close Jamtite in 1996 because the building had a new owner who did not want bands playing there any more. About 4 days a week
SIN rehearsed at Obenour Studio in Ft. Lauderdale.
They rehearsed 5-6 days a week on average as well as performing live. Sometimes
SIN would rehearse at a studio in South Miami, which was the group Exposé's old studio.
Deniz - "I remembers when Ray and Caesar invited Rudy Sarzo the bass player from Ozzy Osbourne, Quite Riot and White Snake to come to the studio and hang out at one of our rehearsals. Now that was a cool moment to jam in front of a musician who was one of my rock heroes. He actually liked our Band. That was a good moment and though I never made it to the Lime Light. it is moments like that I consider priceless."SIN was together almost 4 years. They broke up in 2000.
SIN left behind some great music and fun times. You can listen to some of
SIN's songs on the music player on this blog. Also please listen to "Doin Fine" below recorded by
SIN in 1998. -
Kenny Leibow
SIN - Doin Fine
SIN
Deniz Kose - Lead vocals and Lyricist
Ray Gutierrez - Bass and Background vocals and co writer
Caesar Gutierrez- Lead Guitar.Background vocals and co writer
TRACKS
Trapped in the mirror
Whispering trees
Summer Rain
Doin fine
Into the sky
Feel
Venues in South Florida
South Florida is home to several arenas, stadiums, amphitheaters, and other live music venues.
Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-69273364078254066112009-08-03T22:32:00.018-05:002009-08-07T09:20:32.914-05:00Hollywood Sportatorium - Rush and Yes 1988

How many venues have featured Elvis Presley and Led Zeppelin in its history? A small arena in Hollywood, Florida did exactly that. The
Hollywood Sportatorium was a major events facility for Southeastern Florida in the 1970's and 1980's, and at the time was the only venue of its kind in Broward County. Built in 1969 and opened in September of 1970, it had a concert capacity of 15,500 seats. It was located at 16661 W. Hollywood Blvd. (later renamed Pines Boulevard) in what was then Unincorporated Broward County. It was built adjacent to the Miami-Hollywood Motorsports Park, built just four years earlier. At the time, Pines Blvd was a small two lane road.
In addition to Elvis and Led Zeppelin, the Hollywood Sportatorium was host to Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, U2, Rush, Yes and Aerosmith just to name a few great bands and artists. After living in Florida for a very short time, I did get to experience a concert at the Hollywood Sportatorium in 1988. I saw Aerosmith on April 17th, 1988 on their "Permanent Vacation" tour with some friends. It was a fantastic concert! Unfortunately the newly built Miami Arena at the time took away all the business from the Hollywood Sportatorium and it was forced to close in October 1988. It was later torn down in 1993.
The Hollywood Sportatoriium was not only known for great rock concerts in the 1970's and 1980's, but also for Star Trek conventions. The acoustics were notorious for being poor and the building was basically cement and metal; nothing sexy about it at all. Billy Joel at one of his concerts, dealt with echoing sounds by yelling,
“This place sucks!”. It is the memories and the experiences that were created along with the great bands who played there is why we want to remember the Hollywood Sportatorium.
- Kenny LeibowSources:
http://www.classics-rock-concerts.com
Below are audience recordings from the Hollywood Sportatorium, Hollywood, Florida of "Yes" and "Rush" concerts. By watching these videos, you can get a sense of the experience from inside the Hollywood Sportatorium. Listen to the crowd go wild when Rush starts to play "Tom Sawyer".
Audience recording of "Yes" from the Hollywood Sportatorium, Hollywood, Florida, Sunday, January 24, 1988. Yes - Owner Of A Lonely Heart
Yes - And You and IYes - Love Will Find A Way
"Rush" playing at the The Sportatorium in Hollywood, Florida, USA, on February 13, 1988, as part of the Hold Your Fire tour. Rush - YYZ / The Rhythm Method / Red Lenses 2-13-1988
Rush - Closer To The Heart 2-13-1988Rush - Limelight 2-13-1988Rush - Tom Sawyer 2-13-1988Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-80033982102849543982009-07-18T21:26:00.014-05:002009-07-19T13:33:49.792-05:00Deniz and Kenny Collection 2



I just added 15 more original songs to this blog. When you listen to the music player on the left, the new songs are playing first. We are now in the next chapter when Deniz moved on to music maturity in the 1990's.
Deniz recorded a few songs with Steve Gibb in 1992. Steve is the son of the infamous Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees. Don't be fooled, all these songs are of the same genre "Hard Rock". Two of those songs, "Hole In My Sole" and "Shadows Of Your Dreams" you can listen to on this blog. Steve Gibb plays guitar and Deniz is the lead singer on all these songs. Deniz also wrote all the lyrics.
In 1994 Deniz joined a band called "Ankara". They were together from 1994-1996. You can listen to 6 original Ankara songs. The last band that Deniz formed was "Sin". They played together in South Florida from 1998-2000. There are 7 original songs from "Sin" on this blog.
Deniz is the lead singer and wrote the lyrics to all 15 songs. Like I did with the postings from the early days of the 1980's; there are stories to tell behind each one of these songs. We will be posting some of these original stories behind the music; and the cool lyrics of some of these songs. ***** The picture above in the middle is
the CIA Talent show in South Beach where Sean, Deniz and Alex took first place.
The quality of these 15 songs is much better than the original songs I posted from the 1980's. Most of these songs were recorded in the studio, however they were converted from tape to digital. Enjoy the music!
- Kenny LeibowTracks from Deniz and Kenny Collection 2
1. Into The Sky - Sin
2. Doin Fine - Sin
3. Trapped In The Mirror - Sin
4. Whispering Tree - Sin
5. Feel - Sin
6. What If - Sin
7. Summer Rain - Sin
8. Freedom - Ankara9. Shine On - Ankara10. Sleeper - Ankara11. Best Friend - Ankara12. Sing - Ankara13. IEI - Ankara14. Hole In My Sole - Steve Gibb, Amanda Green, & Deniz Kose15. Shadows Of Your Dreams - Steve Gibb, Emerson Forth & Deniz KoseKaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-36936138012534315092009-07-10T02:37:00.017-05:002009-10-03T11:11:31.615-05:00VH1's Greatest Hard Rock Songs - Twisted Sister Makes the List

There is a lot of buzz regarding VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs. This was a five-part television version, which was hosted by Brent Michaels earlier this year. You can see some clips on
VH1.com. Skid Row, Scorpions, Ratt and Poison all made the list along with Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock" at #17. I remember this music video was hilarious especially the outrageous teacher. See the original rock video below. Like all lists there are those who will disagree. Please leave your comments on what you think should be the number one Hard Rock song. -
Kenny LeibowVH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs01. GUNS N' ROSES - "Welcome To The Jungle"
02. AC/DC - "Back In Black"
03. LED ZEPPELIN - "Whole Lotta Love"
04. BLACK SABBATH - "Paranoid"
05. METALLICA - "Enter Sandman"
06. THE WHO - "Won't Get Fooled Again"
07. NIRVANA - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
08. AEROSMITH - "Walk This Way"
09. VAN HALEN - "Running With The Devil"
10. MOTÖRHEAD - "Ace Of Spades"
11. DEEP PURPLE - "Smoke On The Water"
12. JUDAS PRIEST - "Breaking The Law"
13. DEF LEPPARD - "Photograph"
14. IRON MAIDEN - "Run To The Hills"
15. MÖTLEY CRÜE - "Dr. Feelgood"
16. KISS - "Rock And Roll All Nite"
17. TWISTED SISTER - "I Wanna Rock"
18. SCORPIONS - "Rock You Like A Hurricane"
19. RUSH - "Tom Sawyer"
20. BON JOVI - "You Give Love A Bad Name"
21. LED ZEPPELIN - "Kashmir"
22. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE - "Hey Joe"
23. OZZY OSBOURNE - "Crazy Train"
24. IRON BUTTERFLY - "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
25. THE RAMONES - "Blitzkrieg Bop"
26. LYNYRD SKYNYRD - "Freebird"
27. WHITESNAKE - "Still Of The Night"
28. FOO FIGHTERS - "Everlong"
29. JOAN JETT - "Bad Reputation"
30. PEARL JAM - "Evenflow"
31. AC/DC - "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
32. TED NUGENT - "Cat Scratch Fever"
33. GREEN DAY - "Basket Case"
34. HEART - "Barracuda"
35. ALICE COOPER - "School's Out"
36. VAN HALEN - "Hot For Teacher"
37. THE WHO - "My Generation"
38. QUEEN - "Stone Cold Crazy"
39. BOSTON - "More Than A Feeling"
40. POISON - "Talk Dirty To Me"
41. QUIET RIOT - "*** On Feel The Noise"
42. THE CLASH - "Should I Stay Or Should I Go"
43. DIO - "Holy Diver"
44. CREAM - "Sunshine Of Your Love"
45. FOGHAT - "Slow Ride"
46. ANTHRAX - "Madhouse"
47. KID ROCK - "Bawitdaba"
48. KORN - "Freak On A Leash"
49. IGGY POP AND THE STOOGES - "Search And Destroy"
50. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - "Give It Away"
51. MEGADETH - "Peace Sells"
52. THE RUNAWAYS - "Cherry Bomb"
53. STEPPENWOLF - "Born To Be Wild"
54. FAITH NO MORE - "Epic"
55. BLUE ÖYSTER CULT - "Don't Fear The Reaper"
56. WARRANT - "Cherry Pie"
57. THE KINKS - "You Really Got Me"
58. STONE TEMPLE PILOTS - "Interstate Love Song"
59. BILLY SQUIER - "The Stroke"
60. SKID ROW - "18 And Life"
61. RATT - "Round And Round"
62. DOKKEN - "Breaking The Chains"
63. SURVIVOR - "Eye Of The Tiger"
64. ROLLINS BAND - "Liar"
65. MC5 - "Kick Out The Jams"
66. EUROPE - "The Final Countdown"
67. ZZ TOP - "Tush"
68. WHITE ZOMBIE - "More Human Than Human"
69. LIVING COLOUR - "Cult Of Personality"
70. FOREIGNER - "Hot Blooded"
71. JANE'S ADDICTION - "Mountain Song"
72. PAT BENETAR - "Heartbreaker"
73. THIN LIZZY - "Jailbreak"
74. THE CULT - "Love Removal Machine"
75. WHITE STRIPES - "Seven Nation Army"
76. LITA FORD - "Kiss Me Deadly"
77. SOUNDGARDEN - "Black Hole Sun"
78. BAD COMPANY - "Feel Like Making Love"
79. BILLY IDOL - "Rebel Yell"
80. JOURNEY - "Any Way You Want It"
81. BLACK SABBATH - "Heaven And Hell"
82. RAINBOW - "Since You've Been Gone"
83. EVANESCENCE - "Bring Me To Life"
84. W.A.S.P. - "I Wanna Be Somebody"
85. VELVET REVOLVER - "Slither"
86. MARILYN MANSON - "The Beautiful People"
87. WINGER - "Seventeen"
88. ALICE IN CHAINS - "Would?"
89. ANDREW W.K. - "Party Hard"
90. JETHRO TULL - "Aqualung"
91. SMASHING PUMPKINS - "Bullet With Butterfly Wings"
92. NIGHT RANGER - "Don't Tell Me You Love Me"
93. AUTOGRAPH - "Turn Up The Radio"
94. THE DARKNESS - "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"
95. CREED - "Higher"
96. KANSAS - "Carry On Wayward Son"
97. EDGAR WINTER'S GROUP - "Frankenstein"
98. BUCKCHERRY - "Lit Up"
99. GRAND FUNK RAILROAD - "We're An American Band"
100. SAMMY HAGAR - "I Can't Drive 55
Source:
http://video.yahoo.comTwisted Sister - I Wanna RockKaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-63673204589510281432009-06-12T04:23:00.025-05:002009-08-10T21:49:34.514-05:00Mötley Crüe - Dr. Feelgood

Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood album went number 1 on the Album Billboard Charts in 1989. This album propelled Mötley Crüe to worldwide fame. You can read Mötley Crüe's biography below. I remember listening to and watching the video from the band's 1987 hit "Girls, Girls, Girls". Mötley Crüe seemed to get the most press coverage at times over the other glam bands. You can scan all the Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson gossip on any number of thousands of websites. This blog posting is focused on the music.
Below see all the information regarding Mötley Crüe's "Dr. Feelgood" album; and watch the video of the live performance of the song "Dr. Feelgood" from 1989. I also included from the Dr. Feelgood album the music video of "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)". Of course, check out the bonus video which I am sure will bring back memories, "Girls,Girls, Girls".
- Kenny Leibow
Track listing
All lyrics by Nikki Sixx
- "T.N.T. (Terror 'N Tinseltown)" – 0:42
- "Dr. Feelgood" – (Mick Mars, Nikki Sixx) – 4:50
- "Slice of Your Pie" – (Sixx, Mars) – 4:32
- "Rattlesnake Shake" – (Mars, Sixx, Vince Neil, Tommy Lee) – 3:40
- "Kickstart My Heart" – (Sixx) – 4:48
- "Without You" – (Sixx, Mars) – 4:29
- "Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)" – (Lee, Sixx, Neil, Mars) – 4:12
- "Sticky Sweet" – (Mars, Sixx) – 3:52
- "She Goes Down" – (Mars, Sixx) – 4:37
- "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" – (Sixx, Mars) – 4:40
- "Time for Change" – (Sixx, Donna McDaniel) – 4:45
Band
with
- Donna McDaniel - background vocals on album
- Emi Canyn - background vocals on album
- Bryan Adams – background vocals on "Sticky Sweet"
- Skid Row – background vocals on "Time for Change"
- Robin Zander – background vocals on "She Goes Down"
- Mike Amato – background vocals on "Time For Change", Production Coordination, Project Coordinator
- Jack Blades – background vocals on "Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)" and "Sticky Sweet"
- Bob Dowd – background vocals on "Time For Change"
- Tom Keenlyside, Ian Putz, Ross Gregory, Henry Christian – marguerita horns on "Rattlesnake Shake"
- Marc LaFrance – background vocals on all tracks
- George Marino – mastering
- Rick Nielsen – background vocals on "She Goes Down"
- Bob Rock – bass on "Time For Change", background vocals on "Dr. Feelgood", "Rattlesnake Shake", "Sticky Sweet", "She Goes Down", producer, engineer
- Randy Staub – engineer
- David Steele – background vocals
- Chris Taylor – assistant engineer
- Steven Tyler – background vocals on "Sticky Sweet" and intro to "Slice of Your Pie"
- John Webster – honky tonk piano on "Rattlesnake Shake"
- Bob Defrin – Art Direction
- Don Brautigam – Cover Art Illustration
- William Hames – Photography
- Matty Spindel – Engineer
- Kevin Brady – Artwork, Design
- Kris Solem – Mastering
Chart positions
Album
Year - - - Chart - - - - Position
1989 The Billboard 200 1
Mötley Crüe - Dr. Feelgood (Live 1989)
Mötley Crüe - Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Mötley Crüe - Girls, Girls, Girls
Biography
The poster boys for Eighties hair metal, Mötley Crüe parlayed whip-lash hard-rock songs, melodic power ballads and a hedonistic image into platinum-level heavy-metal superstardom, topping the charts with Dr. Feelgood (Number One, 1989) and coming close with Theatre of Pain (Number Six, 1985), Girls, Girls Girls (Number Two, 1987) and a greatest-hits collection, Decade of Decadence — '81-'91 (Number 2, 1991).
Nikki Sixx was a member of a successful L.A. metal band called London when he decided to form his own band. Tommy Lee came aboard as drummer, and they decided to call themselves Christmas. Guitarist Mick Mars was discovered through a classified ad reading, "Loud Rude Aggressive Guitarist Available." Vocalist Vince Neil was plucked from a Cheap Trick cover band. Mars came up with the new, strangely umlauted name. Their eponymous, independently released debut was picked up by Elektra Records and retitled Too Fast for Love (Number 77, 1983).
Shout at the Devil (Number 17, 1983), with its canny hints of Satanism, followed, but the band did not catch on in a big way until Theatre of Pain. Fueled by a cover of Brownsville Station's 1974 hit "Smokin' in the Boy's Room" (Number 16, 1985) and the power ballad "Home Sweet Home" (Number 89, 1985), the album sold more than two million copies.
For all the album sales, Crüe also was known as an extravagant live band, a scrappier Van Halen doing a rock version of a Vegas review, with elaborate sets and lighting, revolving drum platforms, pyrotechnics and dancing girls. Still, subsequent albums Girls, Girls, Girls and Dr. Feelgood continued the band's streak of platinum discs, selling two million and four million copies, respectively. In addition to its selection of greatest hits, Decade of Decadence included new material, such as a hard-rock cover version of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the U.K."
Off stage, Mötley Crüe lived the rock & roll lifestyle to its fullest, with celebrity marriages — Tommy Lee to actress Heather Locklear, from 1986 to 1994, then to Baywatch bombshell Pamela Anderson from 1995 to 1998; Nikki Sixx to former Prince protégée Vanity in 1987 — substance abuse and scrapes with the law. Sixx spent more than a year addicted to heroin. In 1986 Neil was convicted of vehicular manslaughter after a drunken car accident two years earlier resulted in the death of Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley. Neil served twenty days in jail, performed 200 hours of community service and was assessed $2.6 million in damages.
After the band replaced Neil with singer John Corabi in 1992, Neil filed a $5 million wrongful termination suit and released a couple of solo albums, Exposed (Number 13, 1993) and the weak-selling Carved in Stone (1995). Mötley Crüe (Number Seven, 1994), the band's first album without Neil, produced two songs that charted on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks, "Hooligan's Holiday" (Number Ten, 1994) and Misunderstood (Number 24, 1994). The band fired Corabi two years later to bring Neil back on for a reunion of the original lineup. The resulting album, Generation Swine (Number Four, 1997) attempted to cash in on the alternative-rock craze, with songs exploring grunge and industrial metal, but despite the band's carbon-copy re-recording of an old hit, re-titled "Shout at the Devil '97," the album quickly fell off the chart.
Greatest Hits (Number 20, 1998) and Live Entertainment or Death (Number 33, 1999) continued the Crüe's commercial skid. Shortly after completing the subsequent tour, drummer Lee spent four months in jail for assaulting his then-wife, Anderson. Upon being released, Lee left the band and formed the rap-metal band Methods of Mayhem, in which he played guitar and sang. Mötley Crüe replaced Lee with former Ozzy Osbourne drummer Randy Castillo and returned to its original hard rock formula for its final album, New Tattoo (Number 41, 2000). Castillo died of cancer two years later. The band went on a recording hiatus for five years but its members, appearing on reality shows and in gossip columns, never left the public eye. In 2005, the Cr ü e hit the road for a reunion tour that coincided with another greatest-hits compilation, Red, White & Crüe (Number Six, 2005), that included three new tracks, "If I Die Tomorrow" – penned by pop-punkers Simple Plan - (Number Four, Mainstream Rock, 2005), "Sick Love Song" and a cover of The Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man."
All four members of Mötley Crüe convened in 2008 to record Saints of Los Angeles, a musical autobiographical companion to the band's 2001 tell-all book, The Dirt. A planned movie stalled in the production stages. The title track holds the honor of being the first single to be debuted in the influential Rock Band video game series, and the album debuted at Number Four.
Source: Rolling Stone
Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-16698827657317318602009-05-23T03:13:00.024-05:002009-05-23T10:57:29.040-05:00Top Selling Albums - Led Zeppelin Leads The Way

Led Zeppelin has 5 Albums listed on the top albums sold of all time. Led Zeppelin leads the way with the most albums. Atlantic Records reports that Led Zeppelin has sold over 200 million records worldwide. Led Zeppelin's biggest selling album is "Led Zeppelin IV". The Recording Industry Association of America lists Led Zeppelin as the third best selling musical act/artist in history behind the Beatles and Elvis. Staying with the theme of this blog, I also want to recognize that Bon Jovi's "Slipper When Wet" album made the list of the top selling albums of all time.
- Kenny Leibow
As I was searching the internet for which artist or band who sold the most albums, the list that I found with the most consistency was for albums sold in the U.S.A. Please see the list below. Even though the list of albums and artists are consistent, the millions of records sold looks a little light based on my research.The list below is as of November 2003. It includes Rock, Country, Movie Soundtracks, Rap and Children's albums. Each album on the list represents 9 million or more sales in the USA.
Source:
classicbands.com| Millions Sold | Title | Artist's Name |
| 28 | Their Greatest Hits (vol. 1) | The Eagles |
| 27 | Thriller | Michael Jackson |
| 23 | The Wall | Pink Floyd |
| 22 | Led Zeppelin IV | Led Zeppelin |
| 21 | Back In Black | AC/DC |
| 21 | Greatest Hits VOL I & II | Billy Joel |
| 20 | Come On Over | Shania Twain |
| 19 | The Beatles | The Beatles |
| 19 | Rumours | Fleetwood Mac |
| 17 | Boston | Boston |
| 17 | The Bodyguard (soundtrack) | Whitney Houston |
| 16 | The Beatles 1967 - 1970 | The Beatles |
| 16 | Hotel California | Eagles |
| 16 | Greatest Hits | Elton John |
| 16 | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette |
| 16 | No Fences | Garth Brooks |
| 16 | Cracked Rear View | Hootie & The Blowfish |
| 15 | Physical Graffiti | Led Zeppelin |
| 15 | The Beatles 1962 - 1966 | The Beatles |
| 15 | Saturday Night Fever | The Bee Gees |
| 15 | Born In The U.S.A. | Bruce Springsteen |
| 15 | Dark Side Of The Moon | Pink Floyd |
| 15 | Appetite For Destruction | Guns 'n Roses |
| 15 | Double Live | Garth Brooks |
| 14 | Supernatural | Santana |
| 14 | Bat Out Of Hell | Meat Loaf |
| 14 | Ropin' The Wind | Garth Brooks |
| 14 | Backstreet Boys | Backstreet Boys |
| 14 | Baby One More Time | Britney Spears |
| 13 | Frampton Comes Alive | Peter Frampton |
| 13 | Greatest Hits | Simon & Garfunkel |
| 13 | Purple Rain (soundtrack) | Prince & The Revolution |
| 13 | Whitney Houston | Whitney Houston |
| 13 | Baby One More Time | Britney Spears |
| 13 | Millennium | Backstreet Boys |
| 13 | Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Live | Bruce Springsteen |
| 13 | Metallica | Metallica |
| 13 | Greatest Hits 1974 - 1978 | Steve Miller Band |
| 12 | Abbey Road | The Beatles |
| 12 | Led Zeppelin II | Led Zeppelin |
| 12 | Hot Rocks | The Rolling Stones |
| 12 | Slippery When Wet | Bon Jovi |
| 12 | II | Boyz II Men |
| 12 | Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits | Kenny Rogers |
| 12 | Breathless | Kenny G |
| 12 | Hysteria | Def Leppard |
| 12 | The Woman In Me | Shania Twain |
| 12 | No Jacket Required | Phil Collins |
| 12 | Yourself Or Someone Like You | Matchbox Twenty |
| 12 | Forrest Gump Soundtrack | Various Artists |
| 12 | Wide Open Spaces | Dixie Chicks |
| 11 | Ten | Pearl Jam |
| 11 | Dirty Dancing Soundtrack | Various Artists |
| 11 | James Taylor's Greatest Hits | James Taylor |
| 11 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | The Beatles |
| 11 | Crazysexycool | TLC |
| 11 | Pieces Of You | Jewel |
| 11 | Houses Of The Holy | Led Zeppelin |
| 11 | Titanic Soundtrack | Various Artists |
| 11 | No Strings Attached | 'N Sync |
| 11 | Falling Into You | Celine Dion |
| 11 | Eagles Greatest Hits Volume II | Eagles |
| 11 | Devil Without A Cause | Kid Rock |
| 11 | Human Clay | Creed |
| 10 | The Stranger | Billy Joel |
| 10 | 1984 | Van Halen |
| 10 | Aerosmith's Greatest Hits | Aerosmith |
| 10 | Best Of The Doobies | The Doobie Brothers |
| 10 | Can't Slow Down | Lionel Richie |
| 10 | Daydream | Mariah Carey |
| 10 | Dookie | Green Day |
| 10 | Eliminator | ZZ Top |
| 10 | Faith | George Michael |
| 10 | Fly | Dixie Chicks |
| 10 | Greatest Hits | Journey |
| 10 | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin |
| 10 | Legend | Bob Marley & The Wailers |
| 10 | Let's Talk About Love | Celine Dion |
| 10 | Life After Death | Notorious B.I.G. |
| 10 | Tragic Kingdom | No Doubt |
| 10 | Like A Virgin | Madonna |
| 10 | Music Box | Mariah Carey |
| 10 | 'N Sync | 'N Sync |
| 10 | Nevermind | Nirvana |
| 10 | Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'em | HAMMER |
| 10 | Tapestry | Carole King |
| 10 | The Hits | Garth Brooks |
| 10 | The Immaculate Collection | Madonna |
| 10 | The Joshua Tree | U2 |
| 10 | The Lion King Soundtrack | Various Artists |
| 10 | Unplugged | Eric Clapton |
| 10 | Van Halen | Van Halen |
| 10 | Greatest Hits | Tom Petty |
| 9 | Top Gun Soundtrack | Various Artists |
| 9 | Footloose Soundtrack | Various Artists |
| 9 | All Eyez On Me | Tupac |
| 9 | Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness | Smashing Pumkins |
| 9 | High Infidelity | REO Speedwagon |
| 9 | Greatest Hits | Patsy Cline |
| 9 | Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey |
| 9 | Cooleyhighharmony | Boyz II Men |
| 9 | Garth Brooks | Garth Brooks |
| 9 | Licenced To Ill | Beastie Boys |
| 9 | The Sign | Ace Of Base |
| 9 | Whitney | Whitney Houston |
| 9 | Escape | Journey |
| 9 | Best Of The Doors | The Doors |
| 9 | Some Gave All | Billy Ray Cyrus |
| 9 | Pyromania | Def Leppard |
| 9 | Greatest Hits | John Denver |
| 9 | Brothers In Arms | Dire Straits |
| 9 | Great Band Era | Various Artists |
| 9 | Big Willie Style | Will Smith |
| 9 | Greatest Hits | 2 Pac |
Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-54870776053367411912009-05-06T02:01:00.008-05:002009-05-06T15:56:30.841-05:00Skid Row - 18 and Life

Skid Row was formed in Toms River, New Jersey not far from where I grew up. Below is a full biography of Skid Row. I bought their first album "Skid Row" in 1989, which went Multi-Platinum. Below is a list of the tracks from Skid Row's first album. Please watch the two music videos, "18 and Life (Live)" and "I Remember You (1989)". I always thought that "18 and Life" had powerful lyrics.
- Kenny LeibowBiographySkid Row were one of the very last hair metal bands to hit the mainstream before grunge took over in the early '90s. While the band's self-titled debut employed standard pop-metal riffs and generic lyrics (albeit to great commercial success), 1991's Slave to the Grind and 1995's
Subhuman Race broke away from the pop-metal mold with uncharacteristically hard, thrashy guitars and unique songwriting techniques. Though personal differences and changing trends would eventually tear the core lineup apart by 1996, Skid Row showed tremendous promise during their short time in the spotlight.
Based in New Jersey, Skid Row were formed in 1986 by bassist
Rachel Bolan and former
Bon Jovi guitarist Dave "The Snake" Sabo. The pair added guitarist
Scott Hill, drummer
Rob Affuso, and a larger than life vocalist named
Sebastian Bach to the lineup by early 1987, and the band spent the next year and a half playing a series of local clubs in the eastern U.S. Having remained in contact with
Jon Bon Jovi,
Sabo convinced the established rock star to land Skid Row a record deal with Mercury Records. In 1989, the band released its first album,
Skid Row, which went multi-platinum on the strength of the Top 40 singles "18 and Life" and "I Remember You." Success came with a backlash, however -- the bandmembers had naïvely signed away much of their royalties, and
Sebastian Bach's wild, often childlike behavior landed the group in additional trouble. During the subsequent tour,
Bach garnered harsh criticism for a T-shirt he publicly sported displaying the message "AIDS KILLS FAGS DEAD." Suits were also filed against
Bach after a concert during the supporting tour, where the singer allegedly threw a glass bottle into the crowd and injured a young female fan.
Nonetheless, Skid Row's muscular songcraft retained a devoted audience. Released in 1991, Slave to the Grind debuted at number one on the Billboard chart, an unprecedented accomplishment for a metal band. While the album did not chart any real radio hits,
Grind received stronger critical praise and eventually reached platinum status. However, like so many of their peers, Skid Row lost much of their fan base during the grunge invasion of the '90s. As
Nirvana stormed the scene in 1992,
Skid Row took a hiatus, waiting out the grunge period and pondering breakups (ironically,
Nirvana had once gone under the name Skid Row in the '80s). Skid Row returned in 1995 with
Subhuman Race, which surprisingly charted in the Top 40 but otherwise did not attract any real attention.
During the
supporting tour, tensions between the group members ran high and Skid Row disbanded shortly afterward.
Bach went on to form the Last Hard Men with
Smashing Pumpkins drummer
Jimmy Chamberlin, but the group broke up after recording a cover of
Alice Cooper's "School's Out" for the Scream soundtrack in 1996. Plans to record new songs for the Skid Row greatest-hits album, 1998's
Forty Seasons, fell through, and
Bach went on to form a solo project and portray the title role in the Broadway musical +Jeckyll and Hyde. In mid-2000, Skid Row re-formed with new singer
Johnny Solinger and toured as the opening band for
Kiss' farewell tour. They released
Thickskin with
Solinger in 2003, followed by
Revolutions Per Minute in 2006. Meanwhile,
Sebastian Bach enjoyed a surge in popularity when he appeared in a VH1 reality show opposite
Ted Nugent and
Scott Ian. Barry Weber, All Music Guide
Group Members:
Johnny SolingerPhil VaroneScott HillSebastian BachRachel BolanRob AffusoDave "The Snake" SaboSource: www.starpulse.comSkid Row (1989)
Tracks1. Big Guns
2. Sweet Little Sister
3. Can't Stand The Heartache
4. Pieces Of Me
5. 18 And Life
6. Rattlesnake Shake
7. Youth Gone Wild
8. Here I Am
9. Makin' A Mess
10. I Remember You
11. Midnight / Tornado Skid Row – 18 and Life (Live)Warning: Some Strong Language
Skid Row – I Remember You (1989)With LyricsKaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-14389626827891678882009-04-26T00:09:00.022-05:002009-04-26T01:11:47.153-05:00100 Greatest Guitar Solos Of All Time



I have already listed the top 100 guitar players; and now I am listing the greatest "Guitar Solos" of all time. This is probably the most controversial list I have published on the site because I can't find any consistency on all the lists I researched. There are so many great guitar solos and I am sure that there will be a wide range of opinions on how to rank them. My opinion is that that the best guitar solo is Jimi Hendrix in "All Along The Watch Tower" because of its originality. Jimi Hendrix was ahead of his time. This list does not represent "live performances", it is about recorded guitar solos in the studio. Please put your comments on what you think are the greatest guitar solos. -
Kenny LeibowThere are links to the artists, songs and music videos on the top 60 listed below.Source: digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com
1. Comfortably Numb - David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
2. Stairway To Heaven - Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
3. All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
4. Free Bird - Allen Collins (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
5. Maggot Brain - Edie Hazel (Funkadelic)
6. Texas Flood - Stevie Ray Vaughan
7. Eruption - Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen)
8. Highway Star - Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple)
9. Cause We've Ended As Lovers - Jeff Beck
10. Hotel California - Don Felder/Joe Walsh (Eagles)
11. Mr Crowley - Randy Rhoads (Ozzy)
12. Little Wing - Jimi Hendrix
13. Time - David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
14. Layla - Eric Clapton/Duane Allman (Derek & The Dominos)
15. Sweet Child O' Mine - Slash (Guns N' Roses)
16. Cliffs Of Dover - Eric Johnson
17. Nottingham Lace - Buckethead
18. For The Love Of God - Steve Vai
19. Voodoo Child (slight return) - Jimi Hendrix
20. November Rain - Slash (Guns N' Roses)
21. Shine On You Crazy Diamond - David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
22. Blue Sky - Duane Allman/Dickey Betts (Allman Brothers Band)
23. Satch Boogie - Joe Satriani
24. Lazy - Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple)
25. Crazy Train - Randy Rhoads (Ozzy)
26. White Room - Eric Clapton (Cream)
27. Rock You Like A Hurricane - Matthias Jabs (Scorpions)
28. Sultans Of Swing - Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits)
29. One - Kirk Hammett (Metallica)
30. No More Tears - Zakk Wylde (Ozzy)
31. Since I've Been Loving You - Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
32. Floods - Dimebag Darrel (Pantera)
33. Black Star - Yngwie Malmsteen
34. Atom Heart Mother - David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
35. Red House - Jimi Hendrix
36. Big Sur Moon - Buckethead
37. The Rocker - Eric Bell (Thin Lizzy)
38. Those Were The Days - Eric Clapton (Cream)
39. Bohemian Rhapsody - Brian May (Queen)
40. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Eric Clapton (The Beatles)
41. Fade To Black - Kirk Hammett (Metallica)
42. Dream - John McLaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra)
43. Sound Chaser - Steve Howe (Yes)
44. Alive - Mike McCready (Pearl Jam)
45. Mood For A Day - Steve Howe (Yes)
46. Aqualung - Martin Barre (Jethro Tull)
47. Stone In Love - Neal Schon (Journey)
48. Child In Time - Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple)
49. Like A Hurricane - Neil Young
50. Dreams - Duane Allman (Allman Brothers Band)
51. Cortez The Killer - Neil Young
52. Over The Mountain - Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne)
53. Money - David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
54. Killer Queen - Brian May (Queen)
55. Two Minutes To Midnight - D. Murray/A. Smith (Iron Maiden)
56. Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad - D. Allman/E. Clapton (Derek & The Dominos)
57. Southern Man - Neil Young
58. Kid Charlemagne - Larry Carlton (Steely Dan)
59. Surfing With The Alien - Joe Satriani
60. Little Wing - Stevie Ray Vaughan
61. Heartbreaker - Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
62. Too Many Humans - Buckethead
63. Under A Glass Moon - John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
64. Desert Rose - Eric Johnson
65. Dazed And Confused - Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
66. Tender Surrender - Steve Vai
67. Still In Love With You - Gary Moore (Thin Lizzy)
68. Bold As Love - Jimi Hendrix
69. Don't Keep Me Wondering - Duane Allman (Allman Brothers Band)
70. Ramblin' Man - Dicky Betts (Allman Brothers Band)
71. Always With Me Always With You - Joe Satriani
72. Tale Of Brave Ulysses - Eric Clapton (Cream)
73. Stranger In A Strange Land - Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden)
74. You Really Got Me - Dave Davies (The Kinks)
75. 25 Or 6 To 4 - Terry Kath (Chicago)
76. Devil Takes The Hindmost - Allan Holdsworth
77. Have A Cigar - David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
78. Trademark - Eric Johnson
79. La Villa Strangiato - Alex Lifeson (Rush)
80. Super Stupid - Edie Hazel (Funkadelic)
81. Stranglehold - Ted Nugent
82. Beyond The Realms Of Death - Glenn Tipton (Judas Priest)
83. Bulls On Parade - Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine)
84. Unrestrained Growth - Buckethead
85. Miserlou - Dick Dale
86. Far Beyond The Sun - Yngwie Malmsteen
87. Brighton Rock - Brian May (Queen)
88. Dogs - David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
89. Master Of Puppets - Kirk Hammett (Metallica)
90. Beat It - Eddie Van Halen (Michael Jackson)
91. Sow Thistle - Buckethead
92. Whipping Post - Duane Allman/Dicky Betts (Allman Brothers Band)
93. The Way It Has To Be - Shawn Lane
94. 21st Century Schizoid Man - Robert Fripp (King Crimson)
95. War Pigs - Toni Iommi (Black Sabbath)
96. Dreams - Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen)
97. Padmasana - Buckethead
98. Whole Lotta Love - Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
99. Working Man - Alex Lifeson (Rush)
100. Love Is The Law - John Squire (Seahorses)Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-29731963505538696552009-04-04T01:21:00.030-05:002009-08-10T21:56:31.359-05:00Ratt - Popularity is Round and Round

Ratt is an American glam metal band that enjoyed significant commercial success during the 1980s. The band is most notable for their 1984 smash hit single, "Round and Round". They have developed a sizable cult following in recent years and have acquired respect from within the music industry as trailblazers for the 1980s Los Angeles music scene. The band has sold an estimated 10 million records in the U.S. while worldwide album sales are approximated at over 18 million. VH1 slotted the band at #79 on its "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock."
Artist: Ratt
Album: Out of the Cellar
Year: 1984

Tracks
1. Wanted Man
2. You're in Trouble
3. Round and Round
4. In Your Direction
5. She Wants Money
6. Lack of Communication
7. Back for More
8. The Morning After
9. I'm Insane
10. Scene of the Crime
Trivia: The legendary comedian Milton Berle appeared in drag in the video for "Round and Round" by the 1980s metal band Ratt (his nephew Marshall Berle was then their manager).
See the original music video below of Ratt's hit "Round and Round".
RATT Round and Round (Music Video)
Ratt performed at the 1988 New Years concert in Japan at the Tokyo Dome. You can see the music video below of Ratt performing with Bon Jovi the song "It's All Over Now".
Bon Jovi, Ratt & friends – It’s All Over Now (live Tokyo 1989)
Ratt Biography
Ratt's brash, melodic heavy metal made the Los Angeles quintet one of the most popular rock acts of the mid-'80s. The group had its origins in the '70s group Mickey Ratt, which had evolved into Ratt by 1983; at that time the band featured vocalist Stephen Pearcy, guitarist Robbin Crosby, guitarist Warren DeMartini, bassist Juan Croucier, and drummer Bobby Blotzer. The band released their self-titled first album independently in 1983, which led to a major label contract with Atlantic Records. Their first album under this deal, 1984's Out of the Cellar, was a major success, reaching the American Top Ten and selling over three million copies. "Round and Round," the first single drawn from the album, hit number 12, proving the band had pop crossover potential. While their second album, 1985's Invasion of Your Privacy, didn't match the multi-platinum figures of Out of the Cellar, it also reached the Top Ten and sold over a million copies. By that time, the band could sell-out concerts across the country and were a staple on MTV and AOR radio. Both Dancin' Undercover (1986) and Reach for the Sky (1988) continued the band's platinum streak and their audience, had only slipped slightly by the time of their final album, 1990's Detonator. – source: www.artistdirect.comKaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-55507317981474728412009-03-15T18:27:00.009-05:002009-03-17T08:19:12.833-05:00Lorenzo Zabal - Falling ApartLawrence just published a new music video "Falling Apart" (See below). It's a beautiful song composed by Lawrence a few months ago. He self produced the video, which was just posted on his MySpace page and on YouTube. You can see all of Lawrence's original videos and listen to his music at
http://www.myspace.com/lorenzozabal. You can also see the link listed under "LINKS" on this blog.
"Falling Apart" is the first song I posted where Lawrence is playing an acoustic guitar. When you listen to the old Mystix songs on this blog, this is a big change from his Heavy Metal guitar sound. Lawrence is brilliant at composing music and playing the guitar. He is now coming into his own as a lead singer. Please also check out Lawrence's music video "Need A Hero", which is posted on the left side of this blog.
Kenny Leibow
Lorenzo Z. - Falling ApartKaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-56978462771308221532009-03-13T21:17:00.012-05:002009-03-13T22:04:17.554-05:00Poison - Every Rose Number One

Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" was number one in 1989 for three weeks. You can see the popular music video below. This video source is from a "MySpace" page. Typically I write a short background of the band; however as I was doing my research I kept seeing the same biography published over and over again. I will keep the Poison bio trend alive by re-posting it. Back in the 1980's I never really followed Poison; however their big hit "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" flooded the airways and MTV.
Kenny Leibow"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by PoisonBiographyIn a decade fueled by party anthems and power ballads, Poison found a high amount of popularity, with only Bon Jovi and Def Leppard outselling them. While the group had a long string of pop-metal hits, they soon became just as renowned for their stage show, and continued to be a major attraction over the course of their first three albums. Although their commercial success was rather short-lived, one cannot deny the major effect that Poison had on the music industry during their heyday.
Formerly known as Paris, Poison were formed in 1984 by singer Bret Michaels, bassist Bobby Dall, and drummer Rikki Rockett. After traveling from Harrisburg, PA, to Los Angeles, CA, the band added guitarist C.C. Deville to its lineup. Poison were signed to Enigma Records in 1986, where they released their first album, Look What the Cat Dragged In. The record, spawning the Top Ten hits "I Want Action," "Talk Dirty to Me," and "I Won't Forget You," was a surprise success, selling two-million copies within a year following its release.
While the band was already quite popular by the end of 1987, 1988's Open Up & Say...Ahhh! was its commercial breakthrough, due to the massive hits "Fallen Angel," "Nothin' But a Good Time," and "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." After a prosperous tour with David Lee Roth, the group returned to the studio to record Flesh and Blood in 1990. The album, which included the upbeat "Unskinny Bop" and the sentimental "Something to Believe In," was another major success. The dynamic tour supporting the record brought on the release of Swallow This Live, a double-disc set that included live versions of their biggest hits, along with four new studio tracks. The band was secretly falling apart, as an infamous appearance on MTV showed Deville perform nearly half of "Talk Dirty to Me" with his guitar unplugged. The band broke into a brawl backstage after the disastrous performance.
Shortly after the release of Swallow This Live, Poison fired Deville due to his increasing addiction to drugs and alcohol. His replacement, Richie Kotzen, made his commercial debut with the band on the 1993 Native Tongue album, which, despite some strong reviews and a hit single, "Stand," was a commercial disappointment. Kotzen was fired during the subsequent tour, and Blues Saraceno became Poison's third guitarist. The band recorded its fifth studio album, Crack a Smile, for release in 1996, but the record was shelved and replaced with the Greatest Hits: 1986-1996 disc. Toward the end of 1996, Saraceno left and Deville returned to the band, which eventually resulted in a successful reunion tour in the summer of 1999; the Crack a Smile sessions were finally released the following spring, soon followed by the mostly live Power to the People. Another tour was cut short by an accident that left Dall with serious back surgery and at least a six-month break from the band.
By the time he got back into shape, the band stepped into the studio and recorded Hollyweird, which was released in the summer of 2002. The following tour was promoted as a nostalgia experience and was funded by VH1, laying the brickwork for a lucrative relationship between the band and the television channel. Deville would later appear in the network's sixth season of The Surreal Life, while Michaels was awarded his own show, Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. Hollyweird's reception was lukewarm at best, and Poison spent some time out of the spotlight while Michaels and Rockett released solo albums. They reconvened in 2006, celebrating their 20th anniversary with a nationwide tour and a greatest-hits album. The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock debuted in the Billboard Top 20, a feat the band hasn't accomplished since Native Tongue. The following year brought similar luck, with the band's seventh studio effort -- a covers album titled Poison'd! -- moving over 20,000 units during its first week. ~ Barry Weber, All Music GuideKaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-10282112747188782582009-03-13T20:20:00.009-05:002009-03-13T21:07:46.429-05:00Number One Songs 1989I was reading Billboard Magazine's number one songs for 1988 and 1989; when I noticed that Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" was listed both times. Poison's song showed up in both years because it was number one for 3 weeks at the end of December 1988 through the beginning of January 1989. You can read Poison's biography and see their famous music video in my next posting. According to the list below; Bon Jovi and Poison were the only hard rock bands to have number 1 hits in 1989.
Kenny Leibow
1989 Number One Songs | Date | Artist - Title | Weeks at #1 |
| December 18 1988 – Jan 7 1989 | Poison - Every Rose Has Its Thorn | 3 |
| January 8 – 14 1989 | Bobby Brown - My Perogative | 1 |
| January 15 – 28 1989 | Phil Collins - Two Hearts | 2 |
| January 29 – February 4 1989 | Sheriff - When I'm With You | 1 |
| February 5 – 25 1989 | Paula Abdul - Straight Up | 3 |
| February 26 – March 18 1989 | Debbie Gibson - Lost in Your Eyes | 3 |
| March 19 – 25 1989 | Mike and The Mechanics - The Living Years | 1 |
| March 26 – April 1 1989 | Bangles - Eternal Flame | 1 |
| April 2 – 8 1989 | Roxette - The Look | 1 |
| April 9 – 15 1989 | Fine Yourng Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy | 1 |
| April 16 – May 6 1989 | Madonna - Like a Prayer | 3 |
| May 7 – 13 1989 | Bon Jovi - I'll Be There for You | 1 |
| May 14 – 27 1989 | Paula Abdul - Forever Your Girl | 2 |
| May 28 – June 3 1989 | Michael Damian - Rock On | 1 |
| June 4 – 10 1989 | Bette Midler - Wind Beneath My Wings | 1 |
| June 11 – 17 1989 | New Kids On The Block - I'll Be Loving You (Forever) | 1 |
| June 18 – 24 1989 | Richard Marx - Satisfied | 1 |
| June 25 – July 1 1989 | Milli Vanilli - Baby Don't Forget My Number | 1 |
| July 2 – 8 1989 | Fine Yourng Cannibals - Good Thing | 1 |
| July 9 – 15 1989 | Simply Red - If You Don't Know Me By Now | 1 |
| July 16 – 29 1989 | Martika - Toy Soldiers | 2 |
| July 30 – August 5 1989 | Prince - Batdance | 1 |
| August 6 – 26 1989 | Richard Marx - Right Here Waiting | 3 |
| August 27 – September 2 1989 | Paula Abdul - Cold Hearted | 1 |
| September 3 – 9 1989 | New Kids On The Block - Hangin' Tough | 1 |
| September 10 – 16 1989 | Gloria Estefan - Don't Wanna Lose You | 1 |
| September 17 – 30 1989 | Milli Vanilli - Girl I'm Gonna Miss You | 2 |
| October 1 – 28 1989 | Janet Jackson - Miss You Much | 4 |
| October 29 – November 4 1989 | Roxette - Listen To Your Heart | 1 |
| November 5 – 18 1989 | Bad English - When I See You Smile | 2 |
| November 19 – December 2 1989 | Milli Vanilli - Blame It On The Rain | 2 |
| December 3 – 16 1989 | Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire | 2 |
| December 17 1989 – Jan 13 1990 | Phil Collins - Another Day In Paradise | 4 |
Source: Billboard Magazine33 different songs hit number one in the US during 1989.
Top 5 Songs of 1989
1: Chicago - Look Away 2: Bobby Brown - My Prerogative 3: Poison - Every Rose Has Its Thorn 4: Paula Abdul - Straight Up 5: Janet Jackson - Miss You MuchKaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-2316720279890569152009-03-05T02:31:00.015-06:002009-08-10T21:59:01.252-05:00Vixen - Rocks in '89

Vixen in the late 1980's is one of the bands that lit up the stage with other heavy metal and hard rock bands. Sometimes referred to as the female Bon Jovi; Vixen created great music and fun live concerts. This is my first blog entry regarding female rock artists. Below is a brief history of Vixen. I have included 3 rock videos. The first video is on Vixen's big hit "Edge of a Broken Heart". The second video is a live concert in the late 1980's of Vixen performing "I Want You To Rock Me"; then the last video is the rock ballad "Cryin".
Kenny LeibowHistory
Vixen was formed in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1980 by guitarist Jan Kuehnemund while still at high school. In 1984, an early version of the band with Kuehnemund and singer Janet Gardner appeared in the movie Hardbodies as the on-screen band "Diaper Rash." In 1985 the band moved to Los Angeles to be part of the LA rock scene. Line-up changes happened during the following years until the 'classic' line-up of Jan Kuehnemund (guitar), Janet Gardner (vocals & rhythm guitar), Share Pedersen (bass guitar) and Roxy Petrucci (drums) was formed. This line-up of Vixen was interviewed in 1987 along with many other rock artists of the day by Penelope Spheeris for her film The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years.
In 1988 the band were signed to EMI and they began recording their debut album Vixen which was released in September 1988. Singer and Songwriter Richard Marx actually wrote and arranged their signature hit, "Edge of a Broken Heart," on the album. He also produced the song. Rumor was he was asked to assist the all-female band by EMI to produce their first major hit to compete with the all-female band The Bangles. Marx had nothing to do with their follow-up CD since he was becoming a more of a mainline singer than songwriter. The next year Vixen spent touring the world supporting acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions and Bon Jovi as well as headlining their own shows. The band returned to the studio in late 1989/early 1990 to record their follow up album Rev it Up which was released in July 1990. A year of touring followed including headlining their own shows and supporting acts such as KISS and Deep Purple. In mid 1991 the band split due to musical differences.
Source - http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Vixen_(band)
Band Members (1987–1991)•
Janet Gardner – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
•
Jan Kuehnemund – lead guitar
•
Share Pedersen – bass
•
Roxy Petrucci – drums
Vixen - Edge of a Broken Heart
Vixen - (Live) I Want You To Rock MeVixen - CryinKaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-87936265384613776432009-02-21T00:41:00.025-06:002009-08-11T09:19:56.902-05:00100 Greatest 'Male' Rock Vocalists


I have posted lists for the top guitar players, bassists and drummers. It is now time to discuss the greatest rock vocalists of all time. The list below has links to the music for some of the artists; and the ones listed in red were recently added. The site where I found this list has other great music lists; however previous lists that I have posted on this blog comes from different sources. To see more music lists, you can visit:
http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/index.html.Let me first say that I had difficulty finding a list of great vocalists that accurately included female rock singers; though I did find some information about great female rock performances, which I will display in a future post. The order of the "100 Greatest 'Male' Rock Vocalists" is disputable; and since I sometimes receive comments about worthy artists who don't appear on a particular list, therefore I have also included 101-200 of the "Greatest 'Male' Rock Vocalists". I will voice the first complaint about the order of the list, which is that I don't agree that Sammy Hagar should be listed ahead of Steve Tyler of Aerosmith. My vote for the number 1 rock vocalist is Robert Plant. I know this is the second time I picked a member of Led Zeppelin as my favorite, but I do believe most rock fans would at least put Robert Plant in their top 5. Please comment on your top rock vocalist.
Kenny Leibow1. Freddie Mercury (Queen, Solo) 2. Jackie Wilson 3. Jeff Buckley 4. Sam Cooke 5. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin, Solo) 6. Ian Gillan (Deep Purple, Solo) 7. Steve Perry (Journey, Solo) 8. Roy Orbison 9. Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Temple Of The Dog, Solo) 10. Clyde McPhatter (Drifters, Dominoes, Solo) 11. Elvis Presley 12. Geoff Tate (Queensryche) 13. Marvin Gaye 14. Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle) 15. Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden, Solo) 16. Stevie Wonder 17. Ronnie James Dio (Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Solo) 18. Al Green 19. Tim Buckley 20. Tony Williams (Platters) 21. Rob Halford (Judas Priest) 22. Smokey Robinson 23. Curtis Mayfield 24. Roger Daltrey (The Who, Solo) 25. Roy Hamilton 26. Solomon Burke 27. Little Willie John 28. Michael Matijevic (Steelheart) 29. Little Richard 30. Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company, Queen) 31. Roy Khan (Kamelot) 32. Burton Cummings (The Guess Who, Solo) 33. Paul McCartney (The Beatles, Wings, Solo) 34. Sebastian Bach (Skid Row) 35. Eddie Kendricks (The Temptations, Solo) 36. Dan McCafferty (Nazareth) 37. Brad Delp (Boston) 38. Dennis DeYoung (Styx, Solo) 39. Wilson Pickett 40. Sam Moore (Sam & Dave) 41. Joe Cocker 42. Ben E. King (The Drifters, Solo) 43. Luther Vandross 44. Carl Wilson (Beach Boys) 45. Van Morrison (Them, Solo) 46. Peter Cetera (Chicago) 47. Richard Manuel (The Band) 48. Bill Medley (The Righteous Brothers, Solo) 49. Barry White 50. Levi Stubbs (Four Tops)
| 51. Eric Burdon (Animals, War, Solo) 52. David Ruffin (The Temptations, Solo) 53. Billy Joel 54. David Bowie 55. Axl Rose (Guns N Roses) 56. James Brown 57. Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) 58. David Byron (Uriah Heep) 59. Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind & Fire) 60. Lou Gramm (Foreigner) 61. Layne Staley (Alice In Chains, Mad Season) 62. Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple) 63. Elton John 64. Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) 65. Otis Redding 66. Frankie Valli (The Four Seasons, Solo) 67. Jimmy Beaumont (The Skyliners) 68. Prince 69. John Farnham (The Little River Band) 70. Maynard James Keenan (Tool, Perfect Circle) 71. Jim Morrison (The Doors) 72. Rod Stewart (The Jeff Beck Group, Solo) 73. Dion (Dion and The Belmonts) 74. Jimi Jamison (Survivor) 75. Greg Lake (ELP, King Crimson) 76. Del Shannon 77. Philip Anselmo (Pantera) 78. Art Garfunkel (Simon & Garfunkel, Solo) 79. Dennis Edwards (The Temptations) 80. Cedric Bixler-Zavalla (At The Drive In, The Mars Volta) 81. Jimmy Gnecco (Ours) 82. Bono (U2) 83. Neil Diamond 84. Bob Seger 85. Jack Bruce (Cream) 86. Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge, Mayfield 4) 87. Steve Winwood (Traffic, Solo) 88. Bill Withers 89. Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) 90. Russell Allen (Symphony X) 91. Todd Rundgren 92. Klaus Meine (Scorpions) 93. Meat Loaf 94. James Taylor 95. Steve Marriott (Humble Pie) 96. Sammy Hagar (Van Halen, Solo) 97. Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) 98. David Coverdale (Deep Purple, Whitesnake) 99. John Lennon (The Beatles, Solo) 100. John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival, Solo)
|
 |
101. Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) 102. Don Henley (The Eagles) 103. Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones) 104. Bruce Springsteen 105. Lou Christie 106. Jerry Lee Lewis 107. Jon Anderson (Yes) 108. Peter Gabriel (Genesis, Solo) 109. Steve Walsh (Kansas) 110. Nick Cave 111. Gregg Allman (Allman Brothers Band) 112. Aaron Neville 113. Jon Bon Jovi (Bon Jovi) 114. David Lee Roth (Van Halen) 115. Joe Elliot (Def Leppard) 116. Don Mclean 117. Sting (The Police) 118. Kevin Cronin (REO Speedwagon) 119. Lindsay Buckingham(Fleetwood Mac) 120. David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) 121. Screamin Jay Hawkins 122. John Kay (Steppenwolf) 123. Ray Davies (The Kinks) 124. Bon Scott (AC/DC) 125. Michael Stipe (REM) 126. Cat Stevens 127. Jeff Lynne (ELO) 128. George Harrison (The Beatles) 129. Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) 130. Brian Johnson (AC/DC) 131. Mitch Ryder (Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels) 132. Paul Simon (Simon & Garfunkel, Solo) 133. Neil Young(Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, Solo) 134. Ronnie Van Zant (Lynyrd Skynyrd) 135. Bryan Adams 136. Phil Collins (Genesis, Solo) 137. Eric Clapton (Cream, Blind Faith, Derek..., Solo) 138. David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat, & Tears) 139. Steve Miller 140. Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath) 141. Roger McGuinn (The Byrds) 142. Gary Cherone (Extreme) 143. Adam Duritz (Counting Crows) 144. Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) 145. Paul Weller The Jam, The Style Council 146. John Wetton (King Crimson) 147. Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) 148. Graham Nash (Hollies, CSNY) 149. Graham Bonnet (Rainbow) 150. Chuck Negron (Three Dog Night)
| 151. James Hetfield (Metallica) 152. Michael Hutchence (INXS) 153. Levon Helm (The Band) 154. Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots) 155. Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers, Solo) 156. Morrissey (The Smiths) 157. Robert Smith (Cure) 158. James Labrie (Dream Theater) 159. Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees) 160. Leslie West (Mountain) 161. Doug Pinnick (King's X) 162. Denny Doherty (The Mamas & Papas) 163. Aaron Lewis (Staind) 164. Felix Cavaliere (The Young Rascals) 165. Blaze Bayley (Iron Maiden) 166. Joe Lynn Turner (Deep Purple) 167. Chris De Burgh 168. Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad) 169. Tommy Shaw (Styx) 170. Thom Yorke (Radiohead) 171. Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy) 172. Matt Bellamy (Muse) 173. Edward Kowalczyk (Live) 174. John Sebastian (Lovin' Spoonful, Solo) 175. Elvis Costello 176. James Dewar (Robin Trower) 177. Peter Wolf (J Geils Band) 178. Johnny Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls) 179. Tony Martin (Black Sabbath) 180. Peter Frampton 181. Dave Mason (Traffic, Solo) 182. Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze) 183. Robert Palmer 184. Warren Zevon 185. Billy Idol (Generation X, Solo) 186. John Popper (Blues Traveler) 187. Tommy James (Tommy James & the Shondells) 188. Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) 189. Brandon Boyd (Incubus) 190. Greg Kihn 191. Billy Squier 192. Stephen Stills (Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, Solo) 193. Tom Petty 194. Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode) 195. Ian Astbury (The Cult) 196. Chris Robinson (The Black Crows) 197. Geddy Lee (Rush) 198. Corey Glover (Living Color) 199. Lou Reed (Velvet Underground) 200. Joe Strummer (The Clash) |
Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-28100411933554991372009-02-14T01:50:00.020-06:002009-02-15T02:06:20.163-06:00Warrant - Heaven 1989

Every hard rock band in the 1980's had a love ballad, which is categorized for example as (Rock Ballad, Power Ballad, and Hard Rock Ballad). Some of the most notable are Night Ranger's "Sister Christian" and White Snake's "Is This love". I would place Warrant's "Heaven" in a similar rock ballad subgenre. As I remember the first time hearing this song, it was far from a romantic setting. On a Saturday night I went to a club to see a heavy metal band in Miami Beach with some friends, which included Deniz and Leo, then afterwards we went back to someone's apartment. I can't remember whose place it was; however there was a big, tan colored, L-shaped, comfortable sofa placed around a big screen projection TV. It was early morning and some of the group had been drinking. I was dead tired trying to keep my eyes open, knowing that I had a long ride back home to Miami Springs. As we were hanging out just chilling, I remember seeing the Warrant video - Heaven on MTV... It was just a moment of complete relaxation.
~ Kenny LeibowBelow is a short biography of the group Warrant along with that infamous Sony music video featuring Warrant's song "Heaven":With a pair of double-platinum albums and three Top Ten singles, Warrant were one of the most popular pop-metal bands of the late '80s. Formed in Los Angeles in the mid-'80s, the group featured vocalist Jani Lane, guitarist Erik Turner, guitarist Joey Allen, bassist Jerry Dixon, and drummer Steven Sweet. They released Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich in 1989; by the middle of that year, it had climbed into the Top Ten and launched the hit singles "Down Boys," "Sometimes She Cries," and "Heaven," the last of which reached number two. Released in the summer of 1990, Cherry Pie was an even bigger success, climbing into the Top Ten and featuring the Top Ten hits "I Saw Red" and "Cherry Pie." Warrant had some trouble continuing their multi-platinum success during the alternative explosion of 1992, although their third album, Dog Eat Dog, did go gold; 1995's Ultraphobic and 1996's Belly to Belly, however, failed to chart.
The band's lineup began to splinter as the '90s progressed, with the majority of Warrant's founding members leaving the group. Under the Influence arrived in 2001, comprised of several cover songs and two original tracks; it also marked Jani Lane's last recording with the band. He ultimately left in 2004, taking two of Warrant's members with him, and was replaced by former Black 'N Blue vocalist Jaime St. James. While Lane attempted a solo career, the revised version of Warrant released Born Again in 2006. Jaime St. James' tenure in the band proved to be very short, as he was ousted in 2008 in favor of Lane's return. Later that year, Lane left once again and was replaced by Lynch Mob's Rob Mason. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Warrant - Heaven 1989Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-86990672548138146502009-02-09T21:32:00.007-06:002009-06-14T18:15:25.161-05:00Bon Jovi - Tokyo Live 1989

I am finally writing a post about Bon Jovi. I grew up in New Jersey; and was living there when Bon Jovi first hit the national scene. I was a fan of Bon Jovi's music and style regardless how commercial they became. I have seen them a couple of times in concert over the years; and my wife is also a fan of Bon Jovi. I remember listening to the "Slippery When Wet" cassette in the late 1980's with Deniz, my wife and other friends out by the pool in Miami Springs. My first romantic dance with my wife, Deya, was to the song "Never Say Goodbye" by Bon Jovi. As I mentioned in a previous post, and out of pure coincidence, my wife and I were married the exact same day as Jon Bon Jovi and his wife were married back in April 1989.
Now to December 31st, 1988 where Bon Jovi had their Legendary Performance from the New Jersey Tour in Tokyo, Japan on New Years Eve at the Tokyo Dome: My opinion is, that at this time when the Album "New Jersey" was originally released, Bon Jovi was at the peak of their career. I don't mean at the peak of their success because Bon Jovi is still going strong today and continues to sell millions of albums and grow their fan base crossing generations. I am referring to their live performances, which I believe they were at their best in 1989.
There are literally tens of thousands of music videos, concert videos, pics and information floating around the Internet on Bon Jovi. By being consistent with the theme of my other posts, you can see two live music videos of Bon Jovi performing on New Years Eve in 1988 in the Tokyo Dome. Fittingly the first video is "Tokyo Road" from Bon Jovi's 1985 album 7800
° Fahrenheit. Richie Sambora does a great guitar solo during this performance. Since this is the "New Jersey" album tour, I choose to slow it down a little by putting the video of Bon Jovi performing "I'll Be There For You" from their new album at the time, which was also a big-hit-single. Later that year Bon Jovi joined other hard rock groups at the 1989 Moscow Peace Music Festival in Russia. You can read about it in the post from last month.
Bon Jovi came over to "Heat Beat Live '89" which was held on 12/31 and 1/1 in the year 1989 at the Tokyo Dome. They also had five more live shows in Japan in January. See the concert dates and venues in Japan listed below. For those of you who are addicted to the signature anthems of Bon Jovi, I didn't want to disappoint you, so I added a third video from the Tokyo concert, "Livin' on a Prayer". Even back then the Japanese fans knew all the words to the song.
Kenny Leibow
Tour Japan 1988-1989
12/31 Tokyo (Tokyo Dome)
1/1 Tokyo (Tokyo Dome)
1/5 Osaka (Osaka Castle Hall)
1/6 Osaka (Osaka Castle Hall)
1/9 Osaka (Osaka Castle Hall)
1/10 Nagoya (Rainbow Hall)
1/11 Nagoya (Rainbow Hall)
Band Members:
Jon Bon Jovi (Lead Vocals, Guitars)
Richie Sambora (Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Backing Vocals)
David Bryan (Keyboards, Backing Vocals)
Tico Torres (Drums, Percussion)
Alec John Such (Bass, Backing Vocals)
Hugh McDonald (Bass, Backing Vocals)
Bon Jovi - Tokyo Road
(New Years Eve in Tokyo 1988)
Bon Jovi - I''ll Be There For You
(New Years Eve in Tokyo 1988)
Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer
(Live in Tokyo 1988)Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-58612282141995324592009-01-30T23:16:00.014-06:002009-01-31T11:18:17.516-06:00100 Greatest Rock Bass PlayersBass players don't always get the same recognition as a lead guitar player, lead singer or drummer. There have been many great bass players in rock history. I have scoured through several lists of great bassists; and find that the list below includes all the best of them. You can disagree with the order as do I; however many lists have Paul McCartney, Flea and Getty Lee as the top 3 bass players. My number 1 pick would be John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin (See photo below). Please comment on your top 3 Rock Bass Players.
1. James Jamerson (Funk Brothers, session man)2. John Entwistle (The Who)
3. Larry Graham (Sly & The Family Stone)
4. Chris Squire (Yes)5. Jack Bruce (Cream)6. Tony Levin (King Crimson, session man)7. Geddy Lee (Rush)
8. Paul McCartney (The Beatles)9. Louis Johnson (Brothers Johnson, session man)10. Anthony Jackson (session man)
11. Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
12. Marcus Miller (session man)
13. Les Claypool (Primus)
14. Chuck Rainey (session man)
15. Billy Sheehan (Niacin, Mr. Big, Steve Vai)16. Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath)
17. Will Lee (session man)
18. Michael Manring (Attention Deficit, session man)
19. Nathan East (Eric Clapton, session man)
20. Rocco Prestia (Tower Of Power)
21. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)
22. Abe Laboriel (session man)
23. Stuart Hamm (Joe Satriani)24. Donald "Duck" Dunn (The MGs)
25. Dave LaRue (Dixie Dregs)
26. Bob Babbitt (Funk Brothers, session man)
27. Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead)
28. Steve Harris (Iron Maiden)
29. Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna)
30. Cliff Lee Burton (Metallica)
31. John Myung (Dream Theater)
32. John Deacon (Queen)
33. Willie Weeks (session man)
34. Carol Kaye (session woman)
35. Aston "Family Man" Barrett (Bob Marley & The Wailers)
36. Verdine White (Earth, Wind & Fire)
37. David Hungate (Toto, session man)
38. Robert "Kool" Bell (Kool & The Gang)
39. Joe Osborne (session man)
40. Phil Chen (Rod Stewart, session man)
41. Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers Band)42. Freddie Washington (session man)
43. Nathan Watts (session man)
44. Louis Satterfield (Earth Wind & Fire, session man)
45. Andy West (Dixie Dregs)46. Bootsy Collins (Funkadelic)
47. John Wetton (King Crimson)
48. Greg Lake (ELP)
49. Tim Bogert (Vanilla Fudge)
50. Mark King (Level 42)
51. Mike Watt (Minutemen)
52. Bernard Odum (James Brown, session man)
53. George Porter Jr. (Meters, session man)
54. Mike Gordon (Phish)
55. Bernard Edwards (Chic)
56. Ryan Martinie (Mudvayne)
57. Willie Dixon (session man)58. Andy Fraser (Free)
59. Trey Gunn (King Crimson)
60. Dave Schools (Widespread Panic)
61. Berry Oakley (Allman Brothers Band)
62. Jerry Jemmott (session man)
63. Roger Glover (Deep Purple)
64. Bill Black (Elvis Presley)
65. "Sweet" Charles Sherrell (James Brown, session man)
66. Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy)
67. Billy Cox (Band Of Gypsys)
68. Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello & The Attractions)
69. Gary "Mani" Mounfield (Stone Roses)
70. Felix Pappalardi (Mountain)
71. Mike Rutherford (Genesis)
72. David Ellefson (Megadeth)
73. Matt Freeman (Rancid)
74. Ronnie Baker (MFSB)
75. John Alderete (Racer X, Mars Volta)
76. Robert Trujillo (Suicidal Tendencies)
77. Duff McKagen (Guns N Roses)78. Marshall Lytle (Bill Haley & The Comets)
79. Bill Gould (Faith No More)
80. Ray Pohlman (session man)
81. Me'Shell NdegéOcello (session woman, solo)
82. Doug Pinnick (King's X)
83. Tommy Cogbill (session man)
84. Glen Cornick (Jethro Tull)
85. Pino Palladino (session man)
86. Randy Coven (Steve Vai)
87. Tim Commerford (Rage Against The Machine)
88. Doug Wimbish (Living Color)89. Thomas Miller (Symphony X)
90. Mick Karn (session man)
91. Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam)
92. Ron Wood (Jeff Beck Group)
93. Michael Lepond (Symphony X)
94. Dave Hope (Kansas)
95. Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones)
96. Leo Lyons (Ten Years After)
97. Timothy B Schmit (Eagles)
98. Rex Brown (Pantera)
99. Bobby Sheehan (Blues Traveler)
100. Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith)Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-90285663593170827072009-01-27T18:10:00.016-06:002009-02-22T15:30:10.193-06:00Great White - Once Bitten

Great White, a Bluesy Hard Rock band, was at their peak 20 years ago. Great White's 1989 album …Twice Shy, which featured the Top 5 hit "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", went double platinum. Read below a brief background of the band; followed by the number one music video "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" in the Burger King Top 5 Rock Video count down. Then terribly in 2003, tragedy hit with the horrid fire at a Rhode Island night club. Read the Great White stories below and enjoy the music video.
Kenny LeibowBand BackgroundGreat White came together in 1978 in the Los Angeles area, the brainchild of singer Jack Russell. The group played blues-influenced hard rock in the style of Led Zeppelin, updated for the MTV generation. The band was first known as Dante Fox, and its original lineup consisted of Russell on vocals, Mark Kendall on guitar, Lorne Black on bass, and Gary Holland on drums. Playing first in small local clubs, the band gained a following, moving up to larger venues and changing its name to Great White along the way.
The band's first recording was an EP called Out of the Night, which was produced by Don Dokken, founder of the band Dokken, and financed by the group in 1982. Another record,On Your Knees, quickly followed in the same year. The EMI record label signed the band on the strength of these releases, but dropped it after sales of its first recording with the label, Great White, failed to meet expectations.
After leaving EMI, Great White moved to Capitol Records, and there its fortunes soared, and the group enjoyed widespread popularity throughout the rest of the decade. Great White's fourth album (and first Capitol release) Once Bitten hit the Billboard Top 30 chart in 1987. The band also picked up a Grammy nomination in 1990 for Best Hard Rock Performance for "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" on its followup Twice Shy album, released in 1989. Other songs for which the band became well known included "Face the Day," "Rock Me," and "Save Your Love." The group's last successful Capitol recording was Hooked, which was released in 1991.
At its peak, they were the main event at 20,000- to 60,0000-seat arenas and shared the stage with top bands such as Kiss and Iron Maiden. Great White became popular in an era of "hair metal" bands who filled football stadiums and dominated MTV playing loud music and sporting wild hairdos and heavy makeup. Most of these bands fell out of favor and even stopped playing when this era drew to a close. Great White, however, found a way to keep playing, perhaps because unlike many other popular metal bands of the time, they focused first and foremost on the music they played, instead of merely cultivating a flashy image. The band turned to smaller clubs as their bread and butter, touring in lesser venues and cutting albums on independent record labels after being dropped by Capitol Records in the early 1990s.
…Twice ShyReleased 1989
Capitol Records
Track Listing1. Move It
(Kendall, Russell, Niven, Lardie)
2. Heart The Hunter
(Kendall, Russell, Niven, Lardie)
3. Hiway Nights
(Kendall, Russell, Niven, Lardie)
4. The Angel Song
(Kendall, Niven)
5. Mista Bone
(Kendall, Niven, Desbrow, Montana)
6. Baby's On Fire
(Kendall, Russell, Niven, Lardie, Montana)
7. House Of Broken Love
(Russell, Niven, Lardie)
8. She Only
(Kendall, Russell, Niven, Lardie)
9. Once Bitten, Twice Shy
(Hunter)
Jack Russell — Vocals
Mark Kendall — Lead guitar
Michael Lardie — Guitar & keyboards
Audie Desbrow — Drums
Tony Montana — Bass
Produced and arranged by Alan Niven and Michael Lardie
Engineered by Michael Lardie
Great White - Once Bitten, Twice ShyTragedy 2003Tragedy struck while the band was on this new tour, which they dubbed "Play On 2003." The Station, a nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, was packed for the band's performance on February 20, 2003. The show featured pyrotechnics--three spinning wheels of sparks that were harmless if they struck people, but that could ignite flammable materials. At the start of the band's show, the pyrotechnics went off, shooting sparks at the ceiling over the stage. The sound insulation behind the band caught fire, and from there the blaze spread rapidly to the nightclub walls.
Many fans at first thought the flames were part of the show, and panic did not strike until the ceiling caught fire. The wooden nightclub was engulfed in flames almost immediately, trapping the audience, band, and crew inside. Because of a loophole in Rhode Island law, the building was not required to have a sprinkler system, and the blaze swept through the building unchecked. Michael Powell and Christopher Lee of the Washington Post called the fire "one of the worst such tragedies in the nation's history." Among the dead was guitarist Ty Longley, who had joined the band in 2000.
Accusations flew between the surviving members of Great White and the nightclub's owners. Club owners claimed that the band did not have permission to use pyrotechnics during its show, while the band claimed that the club owners had been duly informed and had presented no objections. Fire department officials said that neither the band nor the nightclub had applied for the required permits before setting off pyrotechnics, and furthermore, that no permits would have been granted because of the size and construction of the nightclub.Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-59756530009055662792009-01-24T00:42:00.021-06:002009-02-18T19:20:49.197-06:00I'll Give You All That I Got - LyricsThe band was rehearsing in the Warehouse for a few hours.
(To learn more about the Warehouse, read the blog entries from July, 2008.) This was the first time we played the song with keyboard accompaniment. I definitely wanted to capture it on tape. Three quarters of the way through the song, someone points out to Deniz that he made a mistake on the last verse he sang. I remember waving everyone on to continue to play the song. Deniz then repeated the verse correctly and the song was played through to the end, which made the song almost seven minutes long. After the song ended, you hear Deniz saying he messed up, in his own humorous way.
The lyrics to the song was written 21 years ago, and has since been lost. Because of the poor quality of the recording, it took me several hours to recreate the lyrics below. The mood created by the guitar made these lyrics fit perfectly to the song. Lawrence's guitar solo in the middle of the song was the Mystix signature. Everyone sang background on the chorus. You can really escape in this song if you just listen to the music and follow with the lyrics.
I'll Give You All That I GotI woke up from a dream last night
Saw your lonely faceIf only you can see my lightI long for your sweet embrace
Day after day I think of you
Standing by my side
I’m on my way what will I doI remember all that you’ve done
I won’t forget youOh but I’ve tried
I won’t forget you
You always be mine
I saw the way you started hereWith your heart that’s on the rise
Then we sat and made more tears
All I see is your scary eyes
Call you on the telephone
I’ll always feel for you
With all the chances to be my own
And I know all that is true
I won’t forget you
Oh but I’ve triedI won’t forget you
You always be mine
Always be mine
Always be mine
Always be mine
AlwaysI woke up from a dream last night
And saw your lonely faceIf only you can see my light
I long for your sweet embrace
Day after day I feel for you
Standing by my sideI’m on my way what will I do
I remember all that you find
I woke up from a dream last night
And saw your lonely faceIf only you can see my light
I long for your sweet embrace
Time after time I think of you
Standing by my sideI’m on my way what will I doI remember all that you’ve doneI won’t forget you
Oh but I tried
I won’t forget you
You always be mineI won’t forget you
Oh but I’ve triedI won’t forget you
You always be mineI won’t forget youOh but I’ve tried
I won’t forget you
You always be mineI won’t forget you
Oh but I’ve triedI won’t forget you
You always be mine
I won’t forget you
Oh but I’ve triedI won’t forget youYou always be mine
I won’t forget you
Oh but I’ve triedI won’t forget you
You always be mine
I won’t forget youOh but I’ve tried
I won’t forget you
You always be mineKaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-18245815230093843012009-01-10T12:50:00.013-06:002009-01-16T20:19:20.633-06:00Guns N' Roses - Sweet '88

Back in 1988 I was not a big Guns N’ Roses fan. It was mainly because they were an LA band that was together for a short time, and then hit it big with their debut album "Appetite For Destruction ". Specifically in 1987 Guns N’ Roses started to build a following with their numerous live shows, but the album didn't start selling until almost a year later, when MTV started playing "Sweet Child O' Mine." Soon, both the album and single shot to number one, and Guns N' Roses became one of the biggest bands in the world. My view at the time was that they were a commercial band. This album was Guns N' Roses high point and it was almost certain that they hit their peak as compared to the less successful albums that followed. Because of their impact during this time period, it would be criminal not to give Guns ‘N Roses the proper recognition.
Here is some interesting information about Guns N’ Roses without spewing a whole biography. Their 1987 major label debut, Appetite for Destruction, produced by Mike Clink, went on to sell 25 million copies worldwide and reached number 1 in the USA a year after its release date. The song "Welcome To The Jungle", the second track released from the album (after "It's So Easy"), gained notoriety after it was used on the soundtrack of Clint Eastwood's 1988 film The Dead Pool. The band's musical style, onstage presence, and bad boy rock image helped usher in the new era within the dominant hard rock scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. While glam metal was the leading genre in record sales, video charts, and radio airplay, Guns N' Roses offered a grittier, more traditionalist take on rock music, which helped to popularize the sub-genre known as sleaze rock and won many fans who admired their apparent authenticity. The band enjoyed worldwide success from 1987 through 1993, but clashing personalities of different band members brought about the end of the original line-up. Today, frontman Axl Rose is the only original member in the band's current line-up; he has now served as lead singer for 22 years.

Appetite For Destruction Track List1. Welcome to the Jungle
2. It's So Easy
3. Nightrain
4. Out Ta Get Me
5. Mr. Brownstone
6. Paradise City
7. My Michelle
8. Think About You
9. Sweet Child O' Mine
10. You're Crazy
11. Anything Goes
12. Rocket Queen
Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' MineKaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-64294976232382741032009-01-05T10:39:00.008-06:002009-01-05T11:53:35.086-06:00Moscow Music Peace Festival 1989

The Moscow Music Peace Festival was held in 1989, and was an effort by the Make A Difference Foundation and rock producers and organizers in the US and USSR. It was held over two days at Lenin Stadium in Moscow, and was essentially the first festival of its kind, that is, that openly was presenting Western heavy metal acts with an emphasis on international cooperation on preventing drug abuse.
The acts presented were Skid Row, Cinderella, Bon Jovi, MotleyCrue, Gorky Park (a Russian act), Ozzy Osbourne, and the Scorpions.
All the acts were in the heavy metal genre and apparently all in favor of the cause they were presenting, which was the continued efforts of the US and USSR governments' to prevent drug abuse, especially by young people who listened to this sort of music. This took place was reported to be the largest rock stage in the world at that time, which was about 6 city blocks long.
What is interesting about this event, from the video of the performance, which is publicly available, is the openness and freedom that the audience had compared to the relative underground nature of the music. The militia stood by, by and large just enjoying the show, as many fans waved the Russian Republics' flag (openly displaying the current nationalist feelings).
Sadly, the musicians from the West were a conceited lot, and implied that USA had a monopoly on rock music, that only they had the capability of presenting a "Russian Woodstock," which was simply not true. Mkrtchian in Armenia, showed us that the Soviets could do a fine job on their own, and the concerts organized by Pugacheva and Troistky for Chernobyl were only a few examples of the concerts they could present. The West often provided the tools, but the Soviets had the desire and ingenuity to make rock 'n' roll their own way.
Download a 7MB film of John Bon Jovi's summary of the event
Hear only the soundtrack of this film (mp3)
In 1991, after the failed coup that led to the dissulution of the Soviet Union, a second large outdoor concert featuring such acts as AC/DC and Metallica, was sponsored in Moscow by Time/Warner.
Read the
Article by William Schmidt of the
New York Times (29 September 1991)The Moscow Peace Music Festival as stated above promoted "say no" to drugs and headlined great heavy metal / hard rock bands such as Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne and the Scorpions; however after looking at the entire concert, which you can purchase on DVD, the live performance of Cinderella's "Nobody's Fool" was one of the best. Cinderella has always been typcasted as a Glam Hair Band, but they have written some really good songs. See their live performance below at the Moscow Peace Music Festival in 1989. Ken LeibowCinderella - Nobody's Fool
Live 1989 Moscow Music Peace FestivalKaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-61545020717876498322008-12-29T13:52:00.013-06:002009-01-01T09:26:23.250-06:00Rock Concerts - Then and NowThrough-out the 1980's there were incredible line-ups of Hard Rock and Heavymetal bands playing in medium towns and large cities all over the USA. From sports arenas like Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri with a seating capacity of about 9,000 to RFK Stadium in Philadelphia which attracted 100,000 concert fans. Many of the arenas and stadiums from the 1980's don't exist today. I remember seeing the Rolling Stones in 1981 at RFK Stadium. It was more than just a concert, it was a party and an incredible experience that would be difficult to describe in a brief blog entry.
Van Halen on tour with Iron Maiden or the Rolling Stones on tour with Journey, Bon Jovi headlining in Europe in 1987 with the Scorpions; this made the concert experience exciting from beginning to end. Concerts were more live with less technology and more imperfection.
The concert experience today is like going to a major Broadway show in New York. You save up your money to attend this one big event. It is very organized, choreographed to perfection, incredible stage, sound and light effects with the latest technology. A spectacle and experience of being overwhelmed like being in an IMAX theater. The band line-ups in many cases are sub-par compared to the headliner as you wait with anticipation. The security is tight, you proceed to your assigned seating as the event unfolds. The economics for this multi-million dollar performance costs you an evening of several hundred dollars sometimes just for the tickets alone. This type of event is great in its own right.
For those who really enjoy rock music, having the ability to see several rock concerts during the year; going with your friends and being mesmerized by a Neil Peart drum solo of "WorkingMan" or a Jimmy Page guitar solo; Angus Young of AC/DC playing his guitar artfully non-stop with the legendary losing of 5 pounds of weight for each performance; and the unexpected fan participating by being pulled on stage with complete improvisation - this is the experience you remember forever with the music you wanted to listen to without all the studio and technology mixed in. You see real talent by the band and appreciate the music even more. Today's cookie cutter, boiler plate, blue-printed stage production does not produce the same type of experience as a band getting up there and playing their guts out to the audience.
Disclaimer: I know my description of today's concert is not true of all bands or all concert events however there is certainly a lot more of it today especially for the big name bands and artists.
Below is an example of Iron Maiden Tickets in 1987-1988 for about $15; and the concert for Metallica in 2009 for $200-$800 a ticket. This is not just about economics; it is about the whole experience of attending a Rock Concert back in the 1980's compared to today (then and now). I welcome feedback on your concert experiences.


Metallica w/ The Sword
Sat, Jan 31 - 2009 7:00 PM
Prudential Center - Newark, NJ
Machine Head
Tickets $200 - $800 each
Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697950922698055553.post-2652633651229181402008-12-27T21:40:00.047-06:002009-01-16T20:17:50.823-06:00Def Leppard - Hysteria Tops Music Sales
Def Leppard's album "Hysteria" sold 16 million copies worldwide, six top 20 singles and was the number 3 album on the Billboard 200 in 1988. Def Leppard's 1987-1988 Hysteria World Tour included line-ups with Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions and MOTÖRHEAD. See Hysteria World Tour information below. Def Leppard was at their best and at the height of their career in the 1980's. With all the success, also came tragedy. You can read Def Leppard's complete biography below. Watch the Def Leppard video of the infamous Rock Tune sung by millions, "Pour Some Sugar on Me".I recall Rich, the bass player of RedRum and Mystix, telling us that he met Joe Elliott on vacation. It was the winter of 1988 when Rich showed us a picture of him and Joe Elliott. Def Leppard was one of many hard rock bands at the time that reached out beyond its normal fan base and entertained us all. Ken Leibow
Track Listings
| 1. Women |
| 2. Rocket |
| 3. Animal |
| 4. Love Bites |
| 5. Pour Some Sugar on Me |
| 6. Armageddon It |
| 7. Gods of War |
| 8. Don't Shoot Shotgun |
| 9. Run Riot |
| 10. Hysteria |
| 11. Excitable |
| 12. Love and Affection |
Def Leppard Hysteria World Tour - 1987 - 1988Band Line-up - Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Steve Clark, Phil Collen.Shows Listed - 243. Live Recordings - 93.
First Show - Cork Ireland 5th August 1986.Last Show - Tacoma WA USA 27th October 1988.See details of the Hysteria World Tour, Click
HereDef Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me (Live 1988)
Biography
In the beginning a chart-breaking debut album, tours with more established heavy-metal bands, and pinup good looks made Def Leppard one of the leaders of the '80s British heavy-metal renaissance. The members, barely out of their teens when their first album debuted, soon became one of the most consistently successful pop-metal groups of the decade and beyond, becoming, as one Goldmine article put it, "The Heavy Metal Band You Can Bring Home to Mother."
Pete Willis and Rick Savage started the group in Sheffield in 1977. Joe Elliott had coined the name Deaf Leopard before joining them; Willis and Savage changed the spelling. As a quartet with a since-forgotten drummer, Def Leppard built a local pub following, and in 1978, after being joined by Steve Clark and hiring a temporary drummer, the group produced its first record, an EP called Getcha Rocks Off, released on its own Bludgeon Riffola label. The record got airplay on the BBC and sold 24,000 copies.
The members’ self-made success and precociousness (Elliott, the group’s eldest member, was 19, and Rick Allen, who became their permanent drummer after playing with several professional Sheffield bands, was 15) brought them the attention of the British rock press. AC/DC manager Peter Mensch added them to his roster and got them a contract with Mercury. Their first album was a hit in the U.K. and reached #51 in the U.S. The group toured Britain with Sammy Hagar and AC/DC, played the 1980 Reading Festival, and first toured the U.S. opening for Ted Nugent, Pat Travers, Judas Priest, and AC/DC. A second U.S. tour, with Blackfoot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Rainbow, coupled with heavy coverage in the U.S. metal press, created a growing American audience.
The group’s second album, High ’n’ Dry was the first of a string of platinum and multiplatinum LPs, hitting #38 in 1981 and selling over 2 million copies. (It was remixed and rereleased in 1984 with two more tracks, a remixed “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” and “Me and My Wine.”) By early 1982 the group had reentered the studio to record Pyromania, which would eventually sell a phenomenal 10 million copies. Midway through the recording, founding guitarist Pete Willis was fired for alcoholism and replaced by Phil Collen, formerly of Girl. At the same time co-lead guitarist Steve Clark was beginning a slide into the extreme alcohol addiction that would eventually kill him.
Shortly after Pyromania’s release, the band embarked on its first world tour. MTV, undeniably a factor in the band’s U.S. success, began airing “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak,” and within the next few years virtually all the band’s videos (beginning with Pyromania’s “Rock of Ages,” “Photograph,” and “Foolin’”) would go into heavy rotation. When producer Mutt Lange, with whom the group had recorded since its major-label debut, was unavailable to work on their next album, Def Leppard turned to Jim Steinman, most famous for his work with Meat Loaf. When Steinman proved incompatible, High ’n’ Dry engineer Nigel Green stepped in. Just one month later, drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a New Year’s Eve car accident after he attempted to pass another driver at high speed. Surgeons reattached the limb, but after infection set in, it was amputated. Def Leppard’s future was in doubt, but by the spring of 1985 Allen was learning to play drums again with the help of a specially adapted Simmons kit. (For a while he performed with special electronic equipment, using prerecorded tapes of his drumming for some parts, then returned to a regular acoustic kit with customized foot pads in 1995.) The band continued recording, but when Lange heard the tapes, he suggested the band scrap them and start again. In August 1986 Allen performed for the first time since his accident on the European Monsters of Rock Tour.
In early 1987 the band finally completed work on the long-awaited Hysteria, which spun off six Top 20 singles: “Animal” (#19, 1987; and their first Top 40 hit in the U.K.), “Hysteria” (#10, 1988), “Pour Some Sugar on Me” (#2, 1988), “Love Bites” (#1, 1988), “Armageddon It” (#3, 1988), and “Rocket” (#12, 1989). Though longtime fans and some critics found it disappointingly poppish, on the verge of bubblegum, that change in direction no doubt contributed to it selling over 16 million copies worldwide and topping the U.S. LPs chart for six weeks.
Tragedy struck the group again when on January 8, 1991, guitarist Steve Clark died of a fatal mixture of drugs and alcohol. Beginning in 1982, he had undergone treatment for his alcoholism several times. His addiction was so disabling that Phil Collen had done most of the leads on Hysteria, and later the group forced Clark to take a lengthy sabbatical. Once in 1989, after being found comatose in a gutter, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, but he seemed beyond help. The group continued recording and even made the video for “Let’s Get Rocked” as a foursome.
Clark’s replacement, Vivian Campbell, who had previously played with Ronnie James Dio and Whitesnake, joined in 1992, weeks after the release of Adrenalize. Another #1 LP, Adrenalize spawned a flurry of hit singles: “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” (#12, 1992), "Let’s Get Rocked” (#15, 1992), “Make Love Like a Man” (#36, 1992), and “Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)” (#34, 1992). Retro Active (#9, 1993), a platinum collection of B sides, rarities, and covers, yielded the hit singles “Two Steps Behind” (#32, 1994) (also on the Last Action Hero soundtrack) and “Miss You in a Heartbeat” (#39, 1994). The album also included one Mick Ronson song, “Only After Dark.” As the band wanted to explore new directions on its next studio album, it decided to release a greatest-hits collection before embarking on the next stage of its career; Vault (#15, 1995) went on to sell close to 2 million copies. Unfortunately its successor, Slang, which added industrial and even touches of soul to the musical mix, did not fare as well and peaked at #14. The band retreated to its classic ’80s pop-metal style on Euphoria (#11, 1999).
from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)
Kaptkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01579125163911688794kleibow1@gmail.com0