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led zeppelin
JIMMY PAGE Denies Ripping Off SPIRIT Song For ‘Stairway To Heaven’
LED ZEPPELIN guitarist Jimmy Page says that he...
SLASH Says It’s ‘Impossible To Take Seriously’ Poll Naming ‘Sweet Child’ Second Greatest Riff Of All Time
Slash told an Australian radio station in a new interview that it is "impossible to take seriously" a recent poll in which "Sweet Child O' Mine", the GUNS N' ROSES track from "Appetite For Destruction" that became the band's biggest hit single, was voted the second greatest guitar riff of all time by listeners of BBC Radio 2.
"I definitely don't sit there and go, 'Yeah, it's the greatest riff,'" Slash told Triple M (hear audio below). "But it's very surreal when somebody says something like that. It's almost, like... impossible to take it seriously. Do you know what I'm saying? It's not tangible. I mean, obviously, someone is walking around saying that and there's been some sort of a poll. But it's also nonexistent as far as… You know, it's really hard to really take seriously. You're not part of the effort of finding out that information and researching it; all of a sudden, it just appears. So it's something that you sort of take with… You're very appreciative about it and you sort of count your lucky stars that you got mentioned in that position, or even at all, and then you sort of take it with a grain of salt and try not to dwell on it and take it too seriously."
LED ZEPPELIN's "Whole Lotta Love" topped the BBC Radio 2 poll, which included 100 riffs drawn up by a panel of Radio 2 and 6 Music DJs, critics and record producers. "Back In Black" (AC/DC) was third in the poll and "Smoke On The Water" (DEEP PURPLE) the next most popular.
Slash told a Cincinnati radio station earlier in the year that he wasn't a fan at first of "Sweet Child O' Mine". He explained, "I didn't hate it, but I wasn't fond of 'Sweet Child O' Mine'. And that gives you a good idea of how credible my opinion is. The actual riff itself I love, but the song itself…"
Slash added: "GUNS N' ROSES was always a real hardcore sort of AC/DC kind of hard rock band with a lot of attitude. If we did any kind of ballads, it was bluesy. This was an uptempo ballad. That's one of the gayest things you can write… It's a great song — I'm not knocking it — but at the same time, it just did not fit in with the rest of our, sort of, schtick. And, of course, it would be the biggest hit we ever had."
"Sweet Child O' Mine" eventually hit No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart and helped propel "Appetite For Destruction" to sales of millions of copies.
Slash told The Pulse Of Radio a while back why he thought "Appetite" became such a monster success. "We were the only band that was doing what it was that we were doing, with the attitude that we had," he said. "People were starved for it, because, I mean, other than us, there was SIMPLE MINDS and MÖTLEY CRÜE. I mean, you know, [chuckles] Cyndi Lauper, you know? I mean, that's what was going on then. So people were dying for, like, a real, blood-sweat-and-tears rock-and-roll band."
In addition to being the biggest hit from that album, "Sweet Child O' Mine" has been covered by artists ranging from Sheryl Crow to Luna.
Slash was asked in a U.K. interview to name the most lucrative song he ever wrote. He replied, "I'd guess 'Sweet Child O' Mine', because it's the most covered."
PHILIP ANSELMO Says METALLICA’s ‘Load’ Album Should Never Have Been Released: ‘It’s A Terrible Record’
Former PANTERA and current DOWN frontman Philip Anselmo talked about some of the records that have had an impact on his life for the "Discs Of Doom" article in the latest issue of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. Asked which album should never have seen the light of day, Anselmo replied: "I would have to say [1996's] 'Load' by METALLICA. I mean, it's a terrible record, man. I just don't get it. If you're gonna put out a record like that, just do a fucking side project or something, ya know?"
Anselmo first publicly critized METALLICA's "Load" in 2003, when he slammed the heavy metal giants for touring with supporting acts like LIMP BIZKIT and LINKIN PARK and challenging them to a road duel, head-to-head on any stage, telling an interviewer, "Heavy metal lies in the underground and if they're worried about... Why in the hell would METALLICA be worried about ticket sales? Bring out some fuckin' good bands." He explained: "That was due to a conversation [METALLICA frontman] James Hetfield and I had years ago when I was talking to him about their new album. I think that was when 'Load' was out, and it kind of shocked everybody — everybody was freaked out." Anselmo elaborated in a subsequent interview, claiming that METALLICA never would have shared a stage with PANTERA in the U.S. "because they know what would fuckin' happen. We would fuckin' eat them alive! That's the end of the fuckin' sentence. We would crush 'em." METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich responded to Anselmo's challenge by saying, "Is he that desperate to tour? I love all these challenges. The ol' step it up...," and adding that Anselmo "has a tendency to talk a lot of horseshit most of the time."
Anselmo appeared to soften his tone by the time DOWN and METALLICA toured together in 2008, and two years later, Anselmo told Ultimate Guitar that he considered METALLICA to be "THE ROLLING STONES of metal" in terms of career longevity.
In a 2013 interview with Revolver magazine, Lars Ulrich was asked what he felt was METALLICA's most underappreciated release. "I think 'Load' and 'Reload' [1997] are great records," he replied. "They are creatively on par with every other record we've made. Obviously, they're bluesier records, and at that time, we were listening to a lot of LED ZEPPELIN, DEEP PURPLE and AC/DC, and we had a different kind of foundation than records before or after. And I understand that there are people who couldn't quite figure out what was going on with the haircuts and the rest of it, and that's fine. But musically, if you strip all that other stuff away, if you just listen to the 27 songs — 'Load' and 'Reload' were intended as one double-record — it's a great collection of songs that is on par with everything else that we've done creatively. But, I mean, who needs another person to sit there and argue about, you know, fucking 'Carpe Diem Baby'? They are different records, but that was the intention. [Laughs] It's not like we sat there and thought we were remaking '…And Justice For All'. [Laughs] We are obviously aware of that. But I think personally there's great songs on both of those records and I'm very proud of those records."
JIMMY PAGE Writing New Songs: ‘I’ve Got Lots of Material’
LED ZEPPELIN legend Jimmy Page told RollingStone.com that he will be playing guitar "daily for the foreseeable future" with a view towards "getting to a point where I could play some gigs." He added: "What those gigs are going to be, I don't know yet. I have ideas of what I want to do, but they're pretty complex. I would love to play live again. I love playing live. It's wonderful."
Page, who put out "Outrider", his one and only solo album, in 1988, revealed to RollingStone.com that he's "got lots of material I've written on acoustic guitar. Lots and lots. And right now I need to get myself up to speed, and that won't take too long. But I don't know what musicians I'd play with. I do have material and a passion for it. I need to work towards it, and now I can without all the other side issues going on."
According to The Pulse Of Radio, Jimmy Page will be the commencement speaker on May 10 at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. The Associated Press reported that Page will address graduating seniors art the Agganis Arena, with the college also presenting honorary doctorates to Motown songwriter Valerie Simpson — best known for her string of classics written with her late husband Nick Ashford, including "Let's Go Get Stoned", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "You're All I Need To Get By", "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing", "Reach Out And Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and "Solid (As A Rock)".
Page, who's now 70, has been playing guitar since he was 12. The Pulse Of Radio asked him what originally attracted him to the instrument. "It was just that whole thing of the transmission of ideas through the tactile quality of playing an instrument, y'know, your steel, strings and wood, translating through the electric pickup through the amp, and that's really what it is for me," he said. "It's that, some magical quality, really. Some sort of alchemy, if you like."
Coming on June 3 will be deluxe editions of LED ZEPPELIN's first three albums: "Led Zeppelin", "Led Zeppelin II" and "Led Zeppelin III". The launch of the reissue program, which is being led by Jimmy Page, includes the band opening "its vaults to share dozens of unheard studio and live recordings, with each album featuring a second disc of companion audio comprised entirely of unreleased music related to that album."
The albums are being issued in six different versions — the Super Deluxe Box; Deluxe Edition; Deluxe Edition Vinyl; Single CD; Original Album Vinyl; and Digital Download.
DAVE MUSTAINE: ‘It’s Hard Being An Anarchist When You Have A Mercedes-Benz In Your Driveway’
Earlier today (Wednesday, March 12), MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine reflected on his career, musical influences and how the band got started with Pimm Fox on Bloomberg Television's "Taking Stock".
On his upcoming performance with the San Diego Symphony:
Mustaine: "Well, the symphony music, with classical music, I believe, shows up a lot in heavy metal music. A lot of the medieval-type music that I was brought up with, and the British Invasion… LED ZEPPELIN, for example, has a lot of the story telling and the classical arrangements do tell a lot of stories. And I also was weaned on THE BEATLES, so a lot of Sir George Martin's arrangements with the strings and stuff really fascinated me. So I've always been a fan of classical music. But the classical industry is dying. There's a generation of people that don't really know about it. I thought it would be really cool to take my guitar in there and play the lead-violin part with a little bit of some snarl, a little bit of some distortion. And, you know, watching all the Disney movies when I was a kid, I liked the songs right before the poison apple gets bit, or the wolf is about to attack or something, where the music gets kind of scary. So we picked some songs that we thought were really emotional, colorful songs — some Vivaldi, some Bach."
On whether he has become less intimidating in terms of his music as he's developed:
Mustaine: "I think as you grow up, things kind of change. It's kind of hard being an anarchist when you have a Mercedes-Benz in your driveway. This morning, I was thinking about growing up, how I was homeless when I started my career. I was a product of a broken family and was, basically, watched during the day by the Boys Club Of America. And, you know, it's one of those things where you go from being a poor kid, having lunch tickets and food stamps, to being a millionaire. It's an American success story."
On some of the biggest challenges that new bands face in today's music world:
Mustaine: "The revenue streams have dried up. The money that you would generate from record sales has all but vanished. So in order to be successful and to keep yourself in business, you have to find other ways to pay your bills, which predominantly are touring and merchandise. A lot of people have endorsements and sponsorship deals and stuff like that too, but because of peer-to-peer file transferring and stuff like that — it's old news now — it's really changed the music industry."
Earlier today (Wednesday, March 12), MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine reflected on his career, musical influences and how the band got started with Pimm Fox on Bloomberg Television's "Taking Stock". You can now watch the segment below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).
On his upcoming performance with the San Diego Symphony:
Mustaine: "Well, the symphony music, with classical music, I believe, shows up a lot in heavy metal music. A lot of the medieval-type music that I was brought up with, and the British Invasion… LED ZEPPELIN, for example, has a lot of the story telling and the classical arrangements do tell a lot of stories. And I also was weaned on THE BEATLES, so a lot of Sir George Martin's arrangements with the strings and stuff really fascinated me. So I've always been a fan of classical music. But the classical industry is dying. There's a generation of people that don't really know about it. I thought it would be really cool to take my guitar in there and play the lead-violin part with a little bit of some snarl, a little bit of some distortion. And, you know, watching all the Disney movies when I was a kid, I liked the songs right before the poison apple gets bit, or the wolf is about to attack or something, where the music gets kind of scary. So we picked some songs that we thought were really emotional, colorful songs — some Vivaldi, some Bach."
On whether he has become less intimidating in terms of his music as he's developed:
Mustaine: "I think as you grow up, things kind of change. It's kind of hard being an anarchist when you have a Mercedes-Benz in your driveway. This morning, I was thinking about growing up, how I was homeless when I started my career. I was a product of a broken family and was, basically, watched during the day by the Boys Club Of America. And, you know, it's one of those things where you go from being a poor kid, having lunch tickets and food stamps, to being a millionaire. It's an American success story."
On some of the biggest challenges that new bands face in today's music world:
Mustaine: "The revenue streams have dried up. The money that you would generate from record sales has all but vanished. So in order to be successful and to keep yourself in business, you have to find other ways to pay your bills, which predominantly are touring and merchandise. A lot of people have endorsements and sponsorship deals and stuff like that too, but because of peer-to-peer file transferring and stuff like that — it's old news now — it'
LAMB OF GOD’s CHRIS ADLER Talks To ARTISAN NEWS About ‘As The Palaces Burn’ Feature Film (Video)
Drummer Chris Adler of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD recently spoke to Artisan News about the band's feature documentary film "As The Palaces Burn". You can watch the report below.
LAMB OF GOD entered into a worldwide distribution deal with Specticast (LED ZEPPELIN's "Celebration Day", Paul McCartney's "Rock Show") for their Don Argott-directed ("Last Days Here", "Art Of The Steal", "School Of Rock") feature film "As The Palaces Burn". Filming for the movie began in 2012 and concluded in March of 2013.
"As The Palaces Burn", which should not be confused with the making-of documentary packaged with the recent re-release of the 2003 LAMB OF GOD album of the same name, was conceived to be a documentary focused on the power of music and its impact on cultures around the world and its ability to bring together people of all nationalities regardless of religious or political differences. After a worldwide casting call, filming took place in Colombia, Venezuela, Israel, India, and the United States. As filming reached its conclusion, the documentary was forced to take a major turn when the band's lead singer, Randy Blythe, was arrested in the Czech Republic and charged with the murder of a fan in June 2012. Granted unique access to Blythe's saga, Argott's filming covered Blythe's 38-day imprisonment in Prague, his release and the band's return to live performances, and finally Blythe's trial for murder in Prague in February 2013.
Explained Blythe: "On June 27, 2012 my band flew from Norway to the Czech Republic to play a show. Upon landing in Prague, we were met at the end of the jetway by five masked and heavily armed large men in body armor, along with four plainclothes detectives. To the immense surprise of my bandmates and myself, I was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter concerning the death of a LAMB OF GOD fan.
"We had played Prague two years previously, and unbeknownst to any of us, a young man had sustained an injury to the head during our show, dying a month later. The police said that I was the cause of that injury. I was promptly incarcerated and spent the next thirty-seven days in a 123-year-old crumbling prison on the outskirts of Prague.
"After a long and complex process during which my band had to borrow almost half a million bucks, I was released on bail and returned to the United States. Instead of hiding like a coward in the U.S., safe from extradition (the U.S. government had refused to cooperate with the Czechs after they requested assistance in investigating me immediately after the young man died. My government also did not deem it necessary to inform me that I was a wanted man in a foreign country. Your tax dollars at work.), I returned to Prague in early 2013 to stand trial. I did this for several reasons, first and foremost being I felt the family of this young man deserved some answers, and I was the only one who could provide them. I felt it unethical to hide from my problems while they grieved the loss of their son. As the father of a dead daughter, I understood their pain in a very visceral way. I had tried to hide from my problems for over twenty years by crawling into a bottle. I do not live that way anymore, so to hide from this would have been intolerable for me. I believe it would have lead me back to the drink, and from there, I would have surely died.
"On March 5, 2013, I was found not guilty and acquitted of all charges. I have remained a free man every since."
TONY IOMMI: BLACK SABBATH Is ‘Far Too Busy’ With Touring To Be Thinking About More Recording
BLACK SABBATH was honored with a Grammy in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 56th annual Grammy Awards on January 26 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. BLACK SABBATH was nominated for the track "God Is Dead?", from the band's 2013 comeback album "13". BLACK SABBATH's "God Is Dead?" also picked up a nomination in the "Best Rock Song" category. In addition, "13" earned a nod for "Best Rock Album", alongside LED ZEPPELIN's "Celebration Day" and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's "…Like Clockwork", among others.
In a posting on his official web site, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi writes: "Well, the dust has settled on the Grammys now. [It was] great to win another one, but what a palaver. As the East Coast is three hours ahead, the televised part begins at 5 p.m. so you're leaving the hotel at lunchtime, all dolled up and ready for the red carpet! It was good, though. [There was] plenty of interest in the album still and endless questions about what we're doing next. Well, it's shows in the U.S., Canada and Europe, so far too busy with that to be thinking about more recording."
Speaking to the press backstage at the Grammy Awards, BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne stated about the possibility of the band recording another studio album, "We're going back on the road. We haven't really spoken about it beyond that. I'm down for it."
"Absolutely," added Iommi.
Iommi said in a recent interview that he was not sure if making a follow-up to "13" would be a good idea for the group. Iommi said in Revolver magazine, "I don't know if that would be an anticlimax if we wrote another album. I'd like to, but we haven't actually spoken about it, you know? I don't know if that would be a good idea after this one, because this one's done so well. I'm sure we'd all like to do one. But I don't know. Maybe I should talk to the others about it."
Bassist Geezer Butler added, "I really haven't thought about it. I'm just glad that we made this one. It can't be something where you go in and go, 'Well, that one was No. 1, so let's do another No. 1 album.' I think we'll know if we can do it or if we can't. If we have to force it, then we won't be doing it."
"13", the first SABBATH album in 35 years to feature Iommi, Butler and singer Ozzy Osbourne recording together, went No. 1 around the world, earning the band their first chart-topper ever in the U.S.
According to The Pulse Of Radio, Ozzy said about the prospects of making another record, "I don't want to say there's going to be another album, because I don't want you to ask me in another year, 'What happened when you said you were going to do another record?' I'll leave it open. I'm open for anything. I have three albums to deliver of my own solo thing to my record label."
Ozzy added, "We'll all still be doing music. It's been a lot of fun doing it with BLACK SABBATH, and I'm not sorry at all for getting back together."
The making of "13" was marked by several dramatic events, including drummer Bill Ward's withdrawal from the project over a contractual dispute and Iommi's cancer diagnosis.
Butler told Revolver that he started writing a song for "13", called "Hanging By A Thread", that was inspired by Iommi's illness. He explained, "It was very much about dying, about giving your last breath and passing your spirit on." But the track didn't make it onto the album because, Butler said, "We never came up with the finished thing."
BLACK SABBATH will return to North America this spring for 10 shows that will be among the last in support of "13".
LAMB OF GOD’s RANDY BLYTHE Won’t Be Thinking About Playing Heavy Metal ‘For A Good Long While’
Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD are planning to take a long break from the road following the completion of the touring activities in support of the band's 2012 album, "Resolution".
In a post on his official Instagram account, LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe writes: "And so another album cycle comes to an end.
"This has been a very eventful, at times VERY STRESSFUL, album cycle, and it's been about three years since we started on this one in our practice space.
"I need a break.
"Tomorrow is a 19-hour flight back to the USA, and then another one home to [Richmond], and except for two festival shows in 2014, I will not be thinking about LAMB OF GOD, touring, playing heavy metal, writing new LAMB OF GOD material — NONE OF THAT STUFF AT ALL — for a good long while.
"[It's] time to do other things for a bit, and let my brain regroup, and be a somewhat normal human being.
"This has been a pretty wild ride, though, and to end it in Africa of all places still amazes the crap outta me.
"So thanks, Johannesburg, for an awesome end to the 'Resolution' tour cycle."
LAMB OF GOD entered into a worldwide distribution deal with Specticast (LED ZEPPELIN's "Celebration Day", Paul McCartney's "Rock Show") for their Don Argott-directed ("Last Days Here", "Art Of The Steal", "School Of Rock") feature film "As The Palaces Burn". Filming for the movie began in 2012 and concluded in March of 2013.
"As The Palaces Burn", which should not be confused with the making-of documentary packaged with the recent re-release of the 2003 LAMB OF GOD album of the same name, was conceived to be a documentary focused on the power of music and its impact on cultures around the world and its ability to bring together people of all nationalities regardless of religious or political differences. After a worldwide casting call, filming took place in Colombia, Venezuela, Israel, India, and the United States. As filming reached its conclusion, the documentary was forced to take a major turn when the band's lead singer, Randy Blythe, was arrested in the Czech Republic and charged with the murder of a fan in June 2012. Granted unique access to Blythe's saga, Argott's filming covered Blythe's 38-day imprisonment in Prague, his release and the band's return to live performances, and finally Blythe's trial for murder in Prague in February 2013.
BLACK SABBATH Wins ‘Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance’ GRAMMY Award
BLACK SABBATH was honored with a Grammy in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 56th annual Grammy Awards, which is being held tonight (Sunday, January 26) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. BLACK SABBATH was nominated for the track "God Is Dead?", from the band's 2013 comeback album "13".
The SABBATH members did not personally accept the award at the pre-telecast ceremony because they were busy preparing to be one of the presenters during the main show. Pop singer Cyndi Lauper, who co-hosted the pre-telecast, said that she spoke with them prior to the event and that they were grateful for the honor. "I know that Ozzy is not here and I saw them last night," she said. "They asked me to accept this award for them. It's awesome. And I'm sure he thanks the Academy. They had to be next door to do something. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everybody."
Osbourne came up with the title for "God Is Dead?", but bassist Geezer Butler wanted to call it something else. Ozzy told Shortlist, "I was in a doctor's office and there was a magazine in there with that line on the cover. I thought, 'Yeah — people flew planes into the World Trade Center because of God, there's all this fucking shit going on in the world in the name of God.'" Geezer added, "Ozzy gave me that line, and I wrote the lyrics. I wanted to call the song 'American Jihad'."
Ozzy continued, "Fuck that. I'm the guy at the front singing it; I would have had a fucking army after me . . . In the early days [of BLACK SABBATH], there was a lot of backlash from religious groups . . . I was sent letters written in blood. In my house I must have 25 fucking Bibles, each with a marked-up passage that [the sender] wanted me to read."
Butler told The Pulse Of Radio what the song was about. "It's about this guy that sets out to prove that God is still alive, and he has this voice in his head saying that God's dead, and he can't get rid of the voice telling him, so he goes out and kills everybody," he said.
"13" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart in June 2013, the first SABBATH album to ever top the U.S. chart.
The disc features Ozzy, Butler and guitarist Tony Iommi playing together for the first time in 35 years. Their last effort together was 1978's "Never Say Die!"
The nominees in this year's "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category were as follows:
ANTHRAX - "T.N.T."
Track from: "Anthems"
Label: Megaforce
BLACK SABBATH - "God Is Dead?"
Track from: "13"
Label: Vertigo/Republic
DREAM THEATER - "The Enemy Inside"
Track from: "Dream Theater"
Label: Roadrunner Records
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - "In Due Time"
Track from: "Disarm The Descent"
Label: Roadrunner Records
VOLBEAT feat. King Diamond - "Room 24"
Track from: "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies"
Label: Republic Records
BLACK SABBATH's "God Is Dead?" also picked up a nomination in the "Best Rock Song" category. In addition, the band's comeback CD, "13", earned a nod for "Best Rock Album", alongside LED ZEPPELIN's "Celebration Day" and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's "…Like Clockwork", among others.
METALLICA's "Through The Never" received a nomination for "Best Recording Package" and ALICE IN CHAINS' "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" was up for the "Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical" award.
Nominations for the 56th annual Grammy Awards were announced on December 6, 2013 by The Recording Academy and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest in music over the past year, as determined by the voting members of The Academy. For the sixth year, nominations for the annual Grammy Awards were announced on primetime television as part of "The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night", a one-hour CBS entertainment special broadcast live from Nokia Theatre L.A. Live.
"This year's nominations reflect the talented community of music makers who represent some of the highest levels of excellence and artistry of the year in their respective fields," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy, in a statement.
This year's Grammy Awards process registered more than 22,000 submissions over a 12-month eligibility period (October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2013). Grammy ballots for the final round of voting were mailed on December 11 to the voting members of The Recording Academy. They were due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by January 8, when they were tabulated and the results kept secret until the 56th Grammy telecast.
The 56th annual Grammy Awards are produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer, and Louis J. Horvitz is director.
The Grammy Awards will air live on CBS tonight (Sunday, January 26) at 8 p.m. ET/PT.