Formation and early history (1965–1973)
Rudolf Schenker, the band's rhythm guitarist launched the band in 1965. At first, the band had beat influences and Schenker himself did the vocals.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Scorpions
Rudolf Schenker, the band's rhythm guitarist launched the band in 1965. At first, the band had beat influences and Schenker himself did the vocals.
Mc Shanker and temple rock
Michael Schenker – photo credit: Stephen Fourie
Michael Schenker
has spent the past four decades as the lead guitarist for some of the
biggest names in rock and roll, such as The Scorpions, UFO, and MSG.
He would go on to assist in creating some of the most gripping tunes
in classic rock and hair metal history, with his consistent craving for
creativity and experimentation bringing him to front some forceful and
inventive bands.
And it seems that right from the start, Michael was destined for rock
greatness. His first gig was at the age of 11, in which he manned lead
guitar duties and played nightclubs with a little known band called The
Scorpions.
At the age of 15, Michael took a major role in shaping what would become The Scorpions’ debut album, Lonesome Crow.
Soon following, he was snatched up by UFO, and quickly began catching
the world’s attention with the rampaging riffage he generously
slathered across such classic rock hits as “Doctor Doctor” and “Rock
Bottom“.
Michael Schenker would soon become a known quantity as he continued to mesmerise the eyes and ears of metal world.
However, Michael’s
Scorpions Cancel Retirement Plan
Remember a few years ago
when we found out that Scorpions were not only still around, but
releasing a final album, touring the world, then gracefully retiring?
Well, it turns out that the band aren’t ready to pack it in just yet.
“It’s one thing to say ‘this is going to be the end of the Scorpions’
and another to do it,” singer Klaus Meine told Classic Rock Magazine. “Our Sting in the Tail
album was such a success that a whole new generation of fans joined the
party. It was amazing. And you know that with all the best parties it’s
sometimes hard to find the door?”
Wait, what? Listen, we’re not going to begrudge Scorpions any of
their success, but if anyone thinks it’s their last album that brought
people on board, that person is wrong. What was the single off that
album? Oh, you don’t remember? Neither does anyone else. Granted, it’s
not surprising that some younger fans have found their way to the
Scorpions, but there’s no way it’s because of Sting of the Tail or their album of covers that we kind of remember happened as well.
The band plan on recording another studio album, this one featuring
songs that they initially started working on in the ‘early ’80s. “We
started that over a year ago,” Meine says. “It will be material that was
never finished; songs with pure Scorpions DNA from a very exciting
time. Once we close the book on the crazy touring schedule that’s
something we’ll pick up again.”
Queen (band)
Queen
are a British rock band formed in London in 1970, originally consisting
of Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals),
John Deacon (bass guitar), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals). Queen's
earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and heavy
metal,
but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and
radio-friendly works, incorporating more diverse and innovative styles
in their music.
Before joining Queen, Brian May and Roger Taylor had been playing together in a band named Smile with bassist Tim Staffell.
Freddie Mercury (then known as Farrokh/Freddie Bulsara) was a fan of
Smile, and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage and
recording techniques after Staffell's departure in 1970. Mercury himself
joined the band shortly thereafter, changed the name of the band to
"Queen", and adopted his familiar stage name. John Deacon was recruited
prior to recording their eponymous debut album (1973). Queen enjoyed success in the UK with their debut and its follow-up, Queen II (1974), but it was the release of Sheer Heart Attack (1974) and A Night at the Opera
(1975) that gained the band international success. The latter featured
"Bohemian Rhapsody", which stayed at number one in the UK Singles Chart
for nine weeks; it charted at number one in several other territories,
and gave the band their first top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Their 1977 album, News of the World, contained two of rock's most
recognisable anthems, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions". By
the early 1980s, Queen were one of the biggest stadium rock bands in
the world, and their performance at 1985's Live Aid is regarded as one
of the greatest in rock history. In 1991, Mercury died of
bronchopneumonia,
a complication of AIDS, and Deacon retired in 1997. Since then, May and
Taylor have infrequently performed together, including a collaboration
with Paul Rodgers under the name Queen + Paul Rodgers which ended in May
2009.
The band have
released a total of 18 number one albums, 18 number one
singles, and 10 number one DVDs. Estimates of their album sales
generally range from 150 million to 300 million albums, making them one
of the world's best-selling music artists. They received a Lifetime
Achievement Award from the British Phonographic Industry in 1990, and
were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
Early days (1968–1974)
In 1968, guitarist Brian May, a student at London's
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. They became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed act in the rock music era.[1] The group's best-known lineup consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later utilized several genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. In the early 1960s, their enormous popularity first emerged as "Beatlemania",
but as their songwriting grew in sophistication, they came to be
perceived by many fans and cultural observers as an embodiment of the
ideals shared by the era's sociocultural revolutions.
The band built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960. Manager Brian Epstein moulded them into a professional act and producer George Martin enhanced their musical potential. They gained popularity in the United Kingdom after their first modest hit, "Love Me Do",
in late 1962. They acquired the nickname the "Fab Four" as Beatlemania
grew in Britain over the following year, and by early 1964 they had
become international stars, leading the "British Invasion"
of the United States pop market. From 1965 on, the Beatles produced
what many critics consider their finest material, including the
innovative and widely influential albums Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966), Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), The Beatles (1968), and Abbey Road (1969). After their break-up in 1970, they each enjoyed successful musical careers. Lennon was shot and killed in December 1980, and Harrison died of lung cancer in November 2001. McCartney and Starr remain musically active.
Avenged Sevenfold, Deftones, Linkin Park + More Reveal Record Store Day Release Plans
Record Store Day (April 20) is fast approaching and a number of top
hard rock bands have begun revealing what they plan to do to mark the
occasion.
Avenged Sevenfold
are plotting a pair of limited edition exclusive releases. ‘Carry On’
will be available as a 12-inch vinyl picture disc. On one side is the
original studio version of the song as created for ‘Call of Duty: Black
Ops II.’ Meanwhile, the b-side offers a previously unreleased
instrumental version of the track. The disc features the ‘Call of Duty:
Black Ops II’ artwork, as well as the Avenged Sevenfold deathbat. Only
5000 copies are being pressed. The other Avenged Sevenfold offering is a
12-inch vinyl and DVD deluxe edition of ‘Live in the LBC & Diamonds
in the Rough.’ Only 3500 copies are being offered for the Record Store
Day festivities.
Deftones are
offering the first of seven exclusive vinyl releases on Record Store Day
(April 20). ‘Live: Volume 1 – Selections from Adrenaline’ is being
released as a single disc 12-inch vinyl EP. The music comes from a live
performance at Buffalo’s Memorial Auditorium in October, 1996.
Linkin Park‘s
contribution to Record Store Day will be a two-song 10-inch EP, complete
with an exclusive poster and sticker that will be limited to 3,000
copies. The two songs are ‘One Step Closer’ and ‘My December’ from the
band’s breakout album, ‘Hybrid Theory.’
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold (sometimes abbreviated to A7X) is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of M. Shadows (lead vocalist), Zacky Vengeance (rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist), Synyster Gates (lead guitarist and backing vocalist), and Johnny Christ (bassist).
They are known for their diverse rock sound and dramatic imagery in album covers and t-shirts.[1][2][3] Avenged Sevenfold emerged with a metalcore sound on their debut Sounding the Seventh Trumpet but their style had evolved by their third album and first major label release, City of Evil into a hard rock/heavy metal sound. The band continued to explore new sounds with their self-titled release and enjoyed continued mainstream success before their drummer, James "The Rev" Sullivan, died in 2009. Despite his death, the band continued on with help of now-former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy and released and toured in support of their fifth album Nightmare in 2010 which debuted on the top spot of the Billboard 200, their first number one debut.[4]
To date, Avenged Sevenfold has released five studio albums, one live album/compilation/DVD, and eighteen singles and sold more than 8 million albums worldwide
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)