Prog Fans Rejoice As Steve Hackett and Chris Squire Partner in the Aptly Named 'Squackett'

Next Monday, fans of old school Yes and Genesis will have boners as the long-anticipated album from Yes bassist Chris Squire and Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett will hit the stands.

Much like the names Hoobastank and Chickenfoot, the band name started as a joke and sadly stuck. The group is called Squackett. Gah!

But the two songs available today on iTunes sound pretty cool. Or at least the 1:30 samples sound good - I am too cheap to buy them today and again next week.

I have to say I have always liked Chris Squire's songs. To me, he is the Ace Frehley of Yes. Meaning, he does not take the mic frequently but when he does, I usually like what comes out of his head.

His one solo album, Fish Out Of Water, is a prog rock classic must-have. Songs like Can You Imagine from Yes' Magnification, The More We Live/Let Go from Yes Union (the only good song on that piece of crap) and The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be from the new Fly From Here by the Anderson-less Yes are all great songs.

Also, dig Squire's first take at It Can Happen on the 90125 bonus tracks before Jon Anderson added his parts - very cool stuff indeed.

So finally another album of stuff piloted by Chris Squire - it got my interest right away.

Steve Hackett is another story. I love-love LOVE his work in Genesis. Some of the best, most tasteful and innovative playing from that era. But sadly I also have every one of his solo albums and there are A LOT of them. But aside from some stuff on Spectral Mornings, I can't Hack (cough) any of them.

Well, his last two releases are actually pretty good. One is a solo nylon string guitar album called Metamorpheus that is like a whole album of songs like the gorgeous Horizons from Foxtrot (waaaay early Genesis).

I also really dug his playing on the GTR album and have always been a fan of his style.

So maybe this will be the prog version of peanut butter and chocolate. Come Monday, we'll find out! For now, dig these short previews from Prog Magazine:

Peter Gabriel to Tour North America, Perform "So" Album End to End

Peter Gabriel will hit the road this fall on the 25th anniversary of the So album, which shot his career into the stratosphere on songs like Sledgehammer, Red Rain, Don't Give Up and Big Time.

According to his website, he will play the album in its entirety, in order, and will also be recruiting as many players from that original tour to re-join. According to ProgRockMag, bassist/Stick player Tony Levin has posted the dates, so he's in. That's a huge win.

The So concert was one of the best shows I have ever seen. The music was incredible because he only had five albums to draw from. So we got lots of older Gabriel material like Intruder and San Jacinto.

There weren't any Sledgehammer offshoots like Steam, and he still closed the shows with Biko instead of In Your Eyes.

The show was also the first time he had gone back to being super theatrical, and I remember roaming lights on scissor arms that rolled around the stage on tracks. Very simple yet effective. In "No Self Control," each light alternated in coming down on Gabriel as if they were attacking him.

So it was theatrical but also fairly low budget. There was no back of the stage. It was not in the round per se, but I was seated behind the stage and that was an interesting way to watch the show.

I also remember I had to pee the whole time but could not tear myself away to use the can. Gah!

Anyway, I'll keep an eye on this for sure. So far only a handful of dates are announced. Lots of gaps though. Hopefully we'll have a Portland play.

Video from that tour, where you can see some of the stage show I was talking about:

Roger Waters on 60 Minutes

If you have 15 minutes or so, or are looking for brain break, take a look at this fantastic 60 Minutes segment on Roger Waters and The Wall.



...and the 'bonus footage'





Going to see The Wall with my 14 year old son tomorrow night. I don't know who I am more excited for...

Sabbath Soap Opera Maybe Not As Frothy As We Think

Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler finally broke silence on the Bill Ward drama, basically saying that the other guys in the band were unaware of Ward's displeasure with the proposed contract until Ward had gone public with it:

Geezer posted to his website:

“None of us knew how Tony was going to respond to his intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Ozzy and myself flew to England to be with Tony, and on his ‘good’ days, we’d meet at his home studio and put ideas together for the upcoming album, all sitting down together, no drummer involved, just three of us quietly putting together ideas. We thought when we had enough songs together for a full band rehearsal, we’d move back to LA and put the whole thing together with Bill.

“To our surprise, Bill issued a statement on his site saying he’d been offered an un-signable contract. He hadn’t told any one of us he was having contractual problems, and frankly those things are worked out between our representatives, and never between the four of us – let alone in public.”

Check out the post for all the details. Nice to hear Geezer's side because up until yesterday Sabbath looked like absolute assholes, even wiping Ward's image off the band's website.

According to ClassicRock.com, that was at Ward's request! D'oh!

In the meantime, the band played a warm-up show in Birmingham this weekend for 3,000 lucky motherfuckers.

Dig this setlist:
Into The Void
Under The Sun
Snowblind
War Pigs
Wheels of Confusion
Electric Funeral
Black Sabbath
The Wizard
Behind The Wall of Sleep
NIB
Fairies Wear Boots
Tomorrow’s Dream
Sweet Leaf
Symptom of The Universe/Drum Solo
Iron Man
Dirty Women
Children of The Grave
ENCORE:
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath/Paranoid

Nice to see Iommi is doing well enough to play a gig and to go through what must have been a lot of rehearsing to pull it off. Reviews have been positive and here is a video:



I think Ozzy sounds out of key, and I do miss Ward here. I was lucky enough to catch the original four on Ozzfest with Iron Maiden a few years ago. And even though Ozzy sounded like crap then too, it was cool to see the original band.

What is semi-exciting about this is the notion of a new album, and the fact that the band is digging deeper into its Ozzy era albums on the setlist. But I doubt I would go see this show if it came to my town. Not without Ward and even then, not sure.

But you know who I really miss here? Ronnie James Dio.

Black Sabbath Erase Bill Ward From History

This is such bullshit. For anyone not following the latest parade of insanity in the Black Sabbath camp, here is a re-cap:

--Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward announce that the original lineup of Sabbath is re-forming to record a new album and do a world tour
--Tony Iommi diagnosed with cancer
--Band moves recording sessions to the UK to accommodate Iommi's treatment
--Drummer Bill Ward makes a statement to fans that his bags are packed but that he is not going to the UK until he is presented with a 'signable' contract
--No comment from Black Sabbath except to say they wish he was there but they are carrying on without him
--Sabbath tour re-named Ozzy Osbourne and friends
--Handful of actual Sabbath dates announced
--Bill Ward this week verifying he is not taking part in any of the Sabbath dates and the door is closed - he is not in the Sabbath reunion at all, nor will he be in the future

Today's bullet point? Sabbath has removed all images of Ward from every single photo on the band's website.

OK up to this point, I can chalk it up as a classic contractual dispute, where Ward wanted a certain amount of cash but Sharon Osb...I mean the band did not agree to the figure. Ward went rogue by taking it to the fans.

But Sabbath retaliating by taking his photo off the Sabbath website? That is utter bullshit. This is exactly like when Sharon Osbourne replaced the original drum and bass tracks from Ozzy's first two solo albums because those musicians had sued Ozzy for royalties.

Or like when Van Halen airbrushed Michael Anthony off of its website.

You can't fuck with history, people. The fans don't like it and it will do nothing but tarnish your legacy. This is a dark, dark moment in Sabbath's history. You'd think that with Iommi fighting cancer, they'd grow up and work this shit out.

Here is a screen capture of the website gallery page this morning:

Pathetic.

Roger Waters, David Gilmour Wall Reunion Video Posts

This a real treat to watch. Six minutes long, though -- I want the unedited footage, man!

Tell you what though, it warms my heart that these guys buried the hatchet from so long ago. It also gets me revved up to see The Wall as the show comes to Portland on Tuesday. I saw it last year - review posted here - and it's amazing.

New Joe Walsh Single - Lucky That Way

Joe Walsh is putting out his first solo album in 20 years and the new song is up on the web. It's called Lucky That Way, and I think it's great.

It sounds like he picked up right where he left off from my favorite stuff in the 70s. His voice is clear, the song is catchy and upbeat. The arrangement feels really good. Very tasty Joe Walsh solo.

And it has some great Joe Walsh lines. My favorite is: “I’ll let you all in on a little secret / If I could share with you a thing or two / If you act like you know what you’re doing / Everybody thinks that you do.”

Classic.

The album is called Analog Man and comes out June 5. What do you think of the tune?

Rolling Stones Open Bootleg Archive

The Rolling Stones are making some of their most popular bootlegged shows from the 70s and 80s available for $5 a pop at http://www.stonesarchive.com.

So far there are only three available but you'd be hard pressed to find better recorded live Stones gigs outside of Get Yer Ya Ya's Out.

The oldest is from October 1973 and is called The Brussels Affair.

This is a hot night on the Goats Head Soup tour so we get mainly classic Mick Taylor era tunes like Brown Sugar, Rip This Joint, Street Fighting Man, Happy, Tumblin Dice and one of the most raw and vibrant versions of Midnight Rambler to grace the transom.

You can hear Jagger grunting through the harmonica as he rips out heavy distorted blues riffs, and the speedy jam section is proof of why the Stones were once rated as once of the best live bands out there.

Of course we get incredibly underrated Goats Head Soup material as well. Dancing With Mr D live? Get the hell outa here!

The band actually played (and recorded) two shows on this day in Brussels. This release is the best songs from both gigs. But you can find bootlegs of both shows (search for 'The Complete Brussels Affair') and it's cool to hear the two complete concerts with different set lists.

The second release is from a Los Angeles gig in 1975 and is from the tail end of Ronnie Wood's first tour with the band. This is the tour where they had a bunch of side guys on horns and percussion and also Billy Preston was with them.

You can hear live versions of a lot of these songs on Love You Live from the same tour but because the band didn't know they were being recorded in LA for official release, these versions on the bootleg are more raw and real.

The guitar interplay between Richards and Ron Wood is much tighter. It's like one guitar player, really. Very intertwined. Where Mick Taylor did more soloing over Keith's groove.

Having listened to a lot of Love You Live growing up, it's interesting to hear the songs the Stones played on this tour that were left off that album, like All Down The Line, Angie, an almost eight minute very bluesy Wild Horses and of course Gimmie Shelter. Cool to hear Wood's take on Taylor's parts.

This release, called LA Friday, was really recorded at a Sunday concert. You get the whole thing here - 25 songs including two Billy Preston tunes from when they'd turn the spotlight on him briefly each night.

After this tour the band went to Paris to record Some Girls, so you can imagine the group getting tighter every night on this tour, gearing up for that.

The third release is from the 1982 tour where the Stones officially jumped the shark for me and became a stadium band with huge props and stages and balloons and shit.

Still worth a listen but my least favorite of the bunch.

Mick and Keith talk about these bootlegs in the below videos from the band. As usual Keith has better things to say.

His thoughts on Mick Taylor versus Ronnie Wood and his own role playing with each is really telling. He has great respect for both guitarists and of course has really unique perspectives on each. Some great sound bites there. Enjoy!

One caveat on actually getting these releases off the web: the experience of downloading these songs is not seamless. The Stones partnered with Google in the U.S. and the process of pulling the songs off the Web is not as intuitive as iTunes. Not a deal breaker but something to note.

I had all of these shows on unofficial bootlegs and the sound is far superior as expected on these official releases. In some cases there are more songs and a different order. It's nice to hear these as the Stones meant them to be heard. I hope they continue to issue more shows. At $5 a pop I'd probably buy them all!

T.U.B.E. Bootleg Site Vanishes Again

I noticed a lot of people searching for the TUBE Bootleg site - a great source for bootlegs across the board. Seems like it's been pulled down. This happens from time to time for various reasons.

Usually the service provider freaks out from a threat from the music industry and its lawyers and pulls the site down. Once it gets sorted out, a new site goes up with the same great (legal) bootlegs.

I suggest people go to TUBE's Facebook page, which as far as I can tell has never been taken down. All the links from the page are dead but I bet once the TUBE folks figure it out, this is where they will post a new URL.

Concert Review: Ghost at The Showbox in Seattle

A bit of a 'real-time' review here from last night: Drove three hours to Seattle to catch Ghost at the Showbox where they opened for Mastodon and Opeth.

In fact I am typing this on my phone half way through Mastodon's set. Not a fan of these guys at all. Every song sounds the same with little melody or variation. A big snore for me. But I do want to see Opeth or we'd be on the road back to Portland already.

So, Ghost.

You can read my CD and Portland show reviews to know how I feel about Ghost. Or you can ponder the fact that my buddy Super Dave and I drove three hours on a Monday to hear six songs, and then drove back another three hours and go to work tomorrow.

Ghost is that kind of band.

They started at 7 p.m. sharp and played for 30 minutes exactly. They did six songs from their debut album: Con Claro Con Dio, Elizabeth, Prime Mover, Death Knell, Satan Prayer, Ritual.

I missed the inclusion of a couple of songs like Stand By Him but overall the gig was awesome. This band is fantastic live. Forget for a moment the image thing (caped, masked band; zombie pope singer). The songs are a highly effective amalgamation of old school Sabbath, BOC and Metallica.

They seem to have gotten even tighter since the last tour. The singer seemed even more cozy with his chosen persona. More than once I thought of a 70s era costumed Peter Gabriel but with only one character!

Anyhow very enjoyable. And finally I am at Mastodon's last song. Like the dinosaurs this band is named after, they need to be hit by meteors and global warming. Sorry, nothing redeemable at all about this band. They suck ass.

Fast forward a few hours. Opeth...

Opeth was very good - I thought they were playing Heart of the Sunrise as their opener but it was something else but just as proggy.

The band has listened to a lot of Yes, and certainly share a brotherhood with groups like Porcupine Tree. PT has in fact set the bar so high that it was hard for Opeth to match up.

But they were a welcome change from Mastodon, and a nice way to end the evening before the three hours back to Portland.

The best part of Mastodon's set (they had just left the stage):

Opeth:

New Asia Album Due In June - New Single is Shockingly Good (if you like Asia)

30 years after its incredible and never-matched-by-the-band debut album, Asia are set to release Asia XXX (pronounced "Triple X" but still connotating pornography) towards the end of June.

Usually I would not give a shit.

I am so fed up with the Yes camp, with its ever-changing Jon Anderson-less lineup, and I put Asia in the Yes camp because of Steve Howe - maybe unfairly but there it is. Also, Geoff Downes is in the current incarnation last time I checked.

I also caught Asia live a couple of years ago and was underwhelmed. It was pretty dull and rote.

But out of morbid curiosity I checked out the new single from XXX and damn if it sounds like good old classic Asia. Catchy tune, great energy and Steve Howe still has some magic left in those fingers. Soaring and magestic John Wetton vocal. Really classic Downes keys and Carl Palmer as solid as ever. I was impressed after two listens.

Very nice production too - it actually kind of sounds like the original album. Jury is out on the whole release of course but Asia fans might just dig this new tune! What do you think?

Rush "Headlong Flight" Posted Online

Rush made the full Headlong Flight song from its upcoming Clockwork Angels album available online this week. First posted, head-scratchingly, as an exclusive with Rolling Stone Magazine, who has always hated Rush, it's now on YouTube as an official video with lyrics.

So to not encourage clicks to Rolling Stone, below is the Headlong Flight video. I could use a little more of a catchy vocal melody but it's for sure pretty damn good and continues the string started with Caravan and BU2B, which have also been released from the new album - heavy, lots of riffs, complex playing.

They for sure have chucked the keyboards into the river. The drumming is fucking ridiculous. This is about as far away from Power Windows and Hold Your Fire as you could possible get.

What say you, good readers?

Thoughts On Levon Helm

Heard the sad news yesterday that Band drummer and vocalist Levon Helm is about to pass on, due to cancer.

I knew that Levon fought throat cancer in the 90s and it took him a long time to be able to sing again.

But in recent years he was back in form, hosting 'Midnight Rambles' in his Woodstock, New York barn.

All sorts of guests showed up to these gigs and they seemed like a cool throwback to the 40s when Levon snuck into similar gigs in the south where he grew up.

You'd have to go to Woodstock but otherwise the door was open. Great idea. Wish I'd have gone to one! I was surprised to see that he played as recently as April 1, according to his Facebook page. There was a post that he'd play on the lighter side to favor his back and neck but I think everyone thought it was just old age or the flu or something. Must have hit him super quick for him to be on his deathbed just two weeks later.

The Band was such a unique group. Three singers. Could go from the bouncy Stage Fright to the morose Tears of Rage on a dime. I remember my friend in college commenting he didn't like the Band because they were depressing!

I see where he was coming from but to me that was just proof that they were genuine. My friend didn't have to grok the meaning behind King Harvest to get the vibe.

A lot of that was due to the incredibly heartfelt vocals of the also late Rick Danko and Richard Manuel, but also to the sparse, behind the beat drumming of Levon Helm.

Vocally, Levon took more of the upbeat tunes that required a bit of a belter to deliver but dig any live version of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and you will hear 100 percent heart.

Levon's pending passing also makes me think of Band leader Robbie Robertson and how as far as I know Levon never made peace with him since the 1976 Last Waltz breakup.

I did see just today that Robertson visited Levon over the weekend but he doesn't say if Levon was even awake for it. Would have been cool if they had made peace but maybe cooler if Levon's last words were 'fuck off Robertson.'

But seeing Roger Waters and David Gilmour bury the hatchet in recent years gave me hope that maybe old Levon would find it in his heart to forgive Robbie and make peace with his old bandmate. Ah well...

So in all, bummer news but as usual it's as fine an excuse as any to pop on The Band. My choice tonight is the live Rock of Ages.

Rest easy Levon, and I hope you are soon harmonizing with Danko and Manuel in that great gig in the sky.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Rant

Reading reports of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame event last weekend makes me think it was a big wet fart.

Now, I wasn't there and I have to say that the Guns and Roses semi-reunion sounded great on YouTube. But where were the reunions or even full attendance from inductees this year?

OK no one expected Axl Rose to perform with Slash but not even showing up? Come on dude. He even asked the Hall to not induct him. Ok I guess that is typical Axl but a great opportunity missed.

But what about The Faces? Why didn't Rod the Mod show up? Is he too big for his britches for Woody and company? That would have been a live reunion worth seeing. (Ooops - reports are that he had the flu. Hmmm...)

Only 2/3 of the Beasties showing up is excusable because one of them has cancer.

But how about this: induct bands who can actually show up, not in wheelchairs, but in the flesh to show why the fuck they are still vibrant and deserving to be chosen by Springsteen, Wenner and Van Zandt's boys club.

For example:

Rush. Still touring, putting out new material, selling out venues (and they are not casinos). Maybe on the top of their game after 35 years. A live performance by Rush at a RARHOF event would literally peel people's faces off.

KISS. Ok I get it. Shlock. Hype. Merchandising. But again, still touring and recording. Many millions sold. And that would be a reunion worth seeing just one last time for closure. Peter Criss is not getting any younger and Ace is sober at the moment.

Iron Maiden. I know. Never going to happen. But you don't have Metallica and probably GNR without Maiden. And again, a band still touring amphitheaters, huge around the world, all members currently living. Bruce Dickinson's acceptance speech would be a real keeper, laden with F words and digs at the Hall. Great PR!

OK rant over but a guy can dream, right?

Who do you think ought to be in the Hall? Living or dead?

Rush Post Clip Of "Headlong Flight" from Upcoming Album

Here is another quick thing from the last couple of weeks.

Rush's new album, Clockwork Angels, is going to be out June 12, but the band posted a short audio clip of one of the songs, the 7:20 cut Headlong Flight.

This song is scheduled to be released as a single this Thursday (single art posted here).

After hearing this clip, I am really looking forward to the full release. Word is that Rush has gone back to its prog roots for this album, and the clip sure reminds me of Bastille Day. What do you think?

Listen to it here.

Jim Marshall - the Father of Loud

Gawd has it been a whole month since my last post? Life has been really busy - apologies! Thinking about what happened in the last month, there have indeed been a few things going on in the world of music.

Maybe the one thing that is way overdue for a post is something about the passing of Jim Marshall earlier this month. Obviously a huge, huge name in rock and roll. Things would not be the same without his heeding the numerous calls from Pete Townshend to make a louder amplifier!

One of my all time favorite live Who performances, from the Isle of Wight in 1970, suddenly becomes more potent. I think I have posted this in the past, but scroll to 3:45 to see what Mr. Marshall's invention enabled Mr. Peter Townshend to accomplish. True sonic bliss!



Damn, that whole video gets my blood pumping.

Jim Marshall - the Father of Loud indeed

Rolling Stones Postpone 50th Anniv Tour

According to Rolling Stone Magazine, Keith Richards says the band is not ready to do a tour in 2012.

An article in the magazine reads: "Basically, we're just not ready," says Keith. Instead, 2013 is the new goal. "I have a feeling that's more realistic.”

The article continues:

But Stones insiders say that one reason for the delay is Richards' health, which has raised questions about his ability to make it through a worldwide tour. The quality of the guitarist's performances declined after he suffered a head injury on vacation in Fiji in April 2006, midway through the Bigger Bang tour.

The Stones gathered in a London studio in December and played together for the first time since the final night of the two-year Bigger Bang tour in August 2007. Making the occasion even more special, former bassist Bill Wyman sat in for the first time since he left in 1992. "We played a lot of blues and outtakes of 'Some Girls' and things like that," says Mick Jagger. "It went very well."

Adds Richards, "It was a very back-to-basics sort of session. There was a lot of jamming. On the third day, Mick turned up, which was a real joy. Because I set it up really as a magnet, you know."

Despite holding off on touring this year, the band is still buzzing from reuniting with Wyman. "We're back in touch, which is great, because I hadn't really spoken to him for years," says Richards. Will Wyman rejoin the group on the road in 2013? "I think he's up for it," Richards says. "We talked about it. I'll let you know when I can."

It would be cool to see the band with Wyman again. The article talks about the notion of the band setting up for 10 shows in New York, LA, London etc, to take the touring pressure off. Despite the fact that many fans would have to travel to shows, honestly the idea of them setting up camp in one town and playing a string of shows just makes sense. These guys have earned it.

Personally, I'd love to see the guys with Mick Taylor again, which has also been talked but but not in these recent reports. I have seen the Stones a few times and they are still solid live but for sure jumped the shark ages ago. Seeing Wyman back or Mick Taylor would juice it up for me. I guess we'll see.

Hopefully Keith is going to hang in there. When did the Stones jump the shark? For me it was after Tattoo You. How about you? Here is the band in its prime IMO:

Good Rush - Bad Rush: The Lawsuit

As reported on Classic Rock this morning, the band Rush is suing the conservative asshole Rush Limbaugh.

Seems that the latter is playing the former's The Spirit of Radio on his own radio show and the Canadian trio is not pleased.

In a letter published to the Internet today and delivered to Rushhole via mail, "the use of Rush’s music in this manner implies an endorsement of the views expressed and products advertised on the show, and is in breach of not only copyright and trademark rights, but also, of section 51 of the New York Civil Rights Law..."

Radio Rush has had a trove of advertisers bail on this show and two of his 600 markets cancel his program due to comments I am starting to call Slut-Gate. From The Week:

On Saturday, after days of being hammered by the media and abandoned by several longtime national sponsors, radio host Rush Limbaugh issued an apology to Sandra Fluke. The Georgetown law student had testified in favor of President Obama's birth control insurance mandate at a congressional hearing last week, prompting Limbaugh to call her a "slut" and "prostitute," saying that if taxpayers have to pay for birth control pills for Fluke and her fellow "feminazis," then the government was essentially subsidizing sex, and "we want you to post the [sex] videos online so we can all watch." In apologizing, Limbaugh said he regretted the "insulting word choices" in his "attempt to be humorous."

Anyway, I am sure Geddy, Alex and Neil want nothing to do with this. Usually I hate lawyers but in this case, sue on!

Sammy Hagar Remembers Ronnie Montrose

Sammy Hagar put out one of the best remembrances of super-guitarist Ronnie Montrose this week (Ronnie passed away from cancer on March 3), speaking to Rolling Stone Magazine. Here is the whole thing:

I've got to tell you, for [1973's Montrose] being my first album I had ever been involved with my life, to have something that's that classic to still stand up, and it's still in my opinion one of the best recording projects I've ever been involved in - that's all due to Ronnie. I wrote songs with him, but it was his trip. He's the guy that got me to sing with him. I had no experience whatsoever; I just wrote the first four songs in my life, which were "Bad Motor Scooter," "Make It Last," "One Thing on My Mind," and "I Don't Want It," played them for Ronnie upon first meeting, shook my hand, and said, "Let's start a band." I went from zero to a hundred.

 I saw him at Winterland with the Edgar Winter Group, [touring in support of] They Only Come Out at Night, with "Free Ride" and "Frankenstein." And I didn't know who he was; I didn't know anything about him. I had a band that was a soul band – we were playing Tower of Power and James Brown – and we sat there and watched Edgar Winter. I just told my guitar player, "I want you to be like that" – like Ronnie Montrose. And he's going, "I don't want to play that kind of music," and I'm going, "Well, I do." We got into it. It broke my band up, by seeing Ronnie for the first time. I said, "I'm going to be like that guy. I'm going to play guitar like that and I'm going to sing like…the way I sing." [Laughs]

I was talking to a guy a couple of days after the show, and he was saying, "That's Ronnie Montrose, and that was his last show. He lives in Sausalito." I lived in San Francisco, and I said, "Do you have his address?" because I didn't even have a phone. He gave it to me, and I went and knocked on his door, dressed like David Bowie – big old high heel platform shoes, satin pants, probably had make-up on, with a Les Paul and a notebook pad with all kinds of lyrics in it. I said, "I'm Sammy Hagar. I heard you're looking for a singer." He said, "Come on in. You got any songs?" I played him my four songs, we shook hands, and he said, "Let's start a band. Do you know any drummers? I've got a bass player, Bill Church." I had a drummer, Denny Carmassi – wasn't in my band, but he was my favorite drummer around town.

Within a month we were signed to Warner Bros. Records, Ted Templeman producing, and the first Montrose album was born a month after that. It was the fastest thing I've ever done in my life. Like I said, I went from zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye – all because of Ronnie.

My opinion of him? The most high-energy guy on stage I've ever seen. At that time, he was completely running in circles, jumping in the air. I mean, he was just intense. And I loved it. I hadn't come out yet, and that's what I really wanted to be – but I didn't have the balls. And the band I was in, we were a soul band. I couldn't act like that in a soul band. They wanted me to dance. Honestly, huge influence on me.

He was a changeling. Ronnie never liked to stick with anything. We made one of the greatest hard rock/heavy metal albums of all time with that first Montrose album, and then he didn't want to do that any more. "Nah, nah, we've got to have better songs, we've got to change our image, that kind of music is out." Boy, he was just laying it on us. Ronnie really liked to change – immediately. Like, before it was really established, he wanted to change. We butted heads and I got thrown out of the band [after one more album, 1974's Paper Money], but I carried on with that "first Ronnie Montrose" I saw. The first guy that came out in Montrose – '73, that year, what I learned from Ronnie Montrose, I still utilize today when I step on a stage. I try to keep the energy up and the entertainment high.

The first time Eddie Van Halen and I met, it was around 1977. We were on a stadium show with Boston, Black Sabbath, myself, Van Halen. He came to my dressing room, and said, "I'm a Montrose freak, I love the band!" And Ted Templeman told me, when he signed Van Halen, they were called something else, and he wanted to name them after the guitar player. He said on the first Van Halen record, he took the first Montrose record in there and said, "Boom. We're going to have eight great songs, they're going to be this long, they're going to be this tempo." And pretty much patterned the whole thing after it – right down to saying, "Why don't you guys get Sammy Hagar to sing in this band? He's been thrown out of Montrose." That's a true story!

Eddie had a totally new twist on the whole guitar style thing, but as far as the chording goes – not his soloing as much as the chording – yeah, he took some of that big open chord thing [from Montrose]. The big open A, the big open D, the big open E. Everything as open as you could make it, to make it as heavy as possible with one guitar. And that was pretty much Ronnie's style, too. And of course the fire, too – Van Halen came out with all that fire, which is Ronnie. Ronnie was full of fire, man.

A couple of weeks ago [was the last time I spoke to Montrose], and about a week before that, and then four or five days before that. We were talking a lot, because we were planning a Montrose reunion for my birthday in Cabo this year. Montrose, the whole band, has not been there. Denny's been there, Bill's been there, Ronnie's been there – but [the whole band together] has never been there. I said to Ronnie, "Come on, man. We're all getting old. Let's do this again while we can." And he was in, we were all in. On my 65th, on October 13th, I was planning on coming out with Montrose, doing the whole first album, then going in with my other band, and then bringing Chickenfoot out. I was going to try to [cover] my whole four decades for the fans that night, without nobody knowing. The fans don't ever know what I'm going to do down there. And Ronnie was in. It's crazy. I even played back on my message box, February 10th – "Hagar, Ronzo…call me back!" It was all good. It's fucked up that those songs will never be played by those four members again. That's so weird to me. It's like the end of an era. Songs can go forever, but we can't. It's trippy.

[I would like Montrose to be remembered] as one of the pioneers of American heavy/hard rock. And certainly, one of the great hard rock guitar players. But he was more than that – he was really versatile. But if you're going to remember him for anything, put on that first Montrose record.

For me Ronnie's passing is the end of an era. Ronnie Montrose gave me my first break as a songwriter, as a front man, as a recording artist and as a touring artist, and for that I will always be grateful. The first Montrose album was the first album I ever recorded and it still stands as one of the best recordings I have ever been a part of.

The only positive I can grab onto is the fact that the music will live on. It's a shame to lose Ronnie and I'm so sorry for his loved ones. Rest in peace.

----- Nice, Sammy. And here is a pretty sweet video I found the other night:


Ronnie Montrose - Night of the Guitars by alexandru2006

CD Review - Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth

I meant to post a review of Van Halen’s A Different Kind of Truth earlier, but I have been busy at work and as importantly, I have been really soaking up this album, trying to figure out how I really felt about it. It took a few listens to get used to what isn’t there – Michael Anthony vocals, David Lee Roth’s upper end, a little reverb on the vocals, which works so well with Roth’s voice, the ultra-crisp Alex Van Halen snare tone, and super duper catchy songs like Dance The Night Away.

But after I set that baggage aside, I began to see this album for what it really is – a kick ass Van Halen album. Eddie’s guitar is front, center, loud and pummeling. Much how I felt about David Gilmour’s playing on The Division Bell, I think Eddie’s been woodshedding, because well, he is wood SHREDDING on this album. No bones about it, EVH is back, baby, and he is taking names.

Alex Van Halen never lost his touch even on the crappiest of the VH releases, but he is incredibly solid on A Different Kind of Truth. For example, skip up to track four (China Town) and eight (Honeybabysweetiedoll) to get that Hot For Teacher insane Alex Van Halen energy. One talented mo-fo.

The songs are well-written. Not very much dross, which is very refreshing for these boys. I felt on many of their past albums they were shooting for two or three singles (best example is Fair Warning) and the rest is filler. Not here – every song is solid.

And it’s almost like they took songs like Outa Love Again from VH2 as their model. There are no ballads. Only two semi-commercial songs and only one of those has a keyboard part on it that is barely audible. There are two songs where the band slowed down the tape (if they used tape) to get some crazy deep guitar tones. Best example = the album’s final track, Beats Workin’. Eddie also uses an E-Bow (pretty sure) in a couple of places.

I realize that Tattoo was supposed to be the catchy commercial single, but I found myself singing track five (Blood and Fire – no, not a cover of the Indigo Girls) when I woke up in the morning. What a great song. This one also has one of those weird syncopated drums parts that make you wonder where the hell the ‘one’ is.

Stay Frosty is a new classic, in the same vein as Ice Cream Man. The tune starts off with a bluesy acoustic and gruff Roth vox, but soon branches into high octane rock and roll.

I understand a number of these tunes were re-worked from the Roth-era cutting room floor. But I have to say – who the hell cares? Pete Townshend right now is probably figuring out how to re-use the Baba O’Reilly loop for a hockey game. These ‘old’ songs sound fresher than anything from Balance or VH3 (an album I really liked, by the way).

The best ‘old’ songs include track two, She’s The Woman, which was on the original Gene Simmons-produced demo before VH1 (oops, now I owe Gene 25 cents). I first saw this in one of the fan videos for the secret New York club gig last month and immediately thought it was a smoker. The two final songs on the album (Big River and Beats Workin’) deserve to be earlier in the lineup. In fact, I would have led this album with Big River, but after putting some flipping reverb on Roth’s vocals!

And I have to quote from fellow blogger pod who in his review listed some things thankfully NOT on this album.

1) David Lee Roth rapping
2) A-list, hip-hop artists talking over tracks
3) Ugly sounding, auto-tuned vocals
4) Crappy, synthetic noises standing in for the musicians
5) Pretentious, angst ridden lyrics
6) Four guys phoning it in

Amen to that, brother.

The deluxe iTunes version of the album has video of some acoustic performances and they are worth getting just to see Eddie rip it up with no effects or amp.

So overall, a very kick-ass, raw, rocking addition to the Van Halen discography and more than enough new stuff to weave into the live set on the upcoming tour. And best of all, Eddie is back.