Great Rock Albums of the 70s: Lynyrd Skynyrd- Street Survivors

I thought I was ready to move onto the next part of my tour through metal history when as luck would have it, more classic rock albums come to mind and these are ones I feel I can't ignore. This album came to mind courtesy of my metal buddy Metalodyssey who recently posted an upcoming benefit concert performed by none other than Lynyrd Skynyrd. Then I realised that I had left out the album "Street Survivors" and felt it was only fair to visit it here.

Picture the scene, October 1977, radio was bombarding us with disco and most of the music world hadn't gotten over the recent death of Elvis Presley two months earlier. On the evening of the 20th, I had been at work knocking doors trying to get people to subscribe to the local evening newspaper without much success. I got into my boss's car for the drive home when he tells me that Lynyrd Skynyrd was killed in a plane crash. The tragic crash which took the lives of Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines left a big hole in the rock world at that time and to some, it still does.

"Street Survivors" was released just three days before the plane crash and let me be one to stomp on any myth that the album only did so well becasue of the tragedy. Yes, I was more interested in hearing the album because of it, but I firmly believe that this album would have still stood out, crash or no crash. The tracks show case the unique southern boogie- rock style that the band was famous for and proved to be a show case for the newest member, the multi talented Steve Gaines.

Track Listing:

1. What's Your Name

2. That Smell

3. One More Time

4. I Know a Little

5. You Got That Right

6. I Never Dreamed

7. Honky Tonk Night Time Man

8. Ain't No Good Life

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Ronnie Van Zant- vocals

Steve Gaines- guitar, backing vocals, lead vocal on "Ain't No Good Life"

Gary Rossington- guitar

Allen Collins- guitar

Billy Powell- piano

Leon Wilkeson- bass

Artimus Pyle- drums

When listening to the album, it is easy to see why "Street Survivors" is counted as one of Skynyrd's best. Great rocking tracks like "You Got That Right" and "What's Your Name" combined with some gutsy blues based guitar work in songs like "That Smell" and "I Know a Little" make it that way. Even more than three decades after the plane crash, the freebird continues to fly on.

Next post: Talking Heads- 77

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle

The Queen's Jubilee- Some Thoughts

This weekend, Great Britain has been celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The Queen has reigned for sixty years making her the second longest reigning monarch in British history, Victoria is the longest. Now, I'm not a royalist, far from it. As an American, I remember reading about the struggle my forefathers had against what they saw as royal oppression and haven't forgotten that. I know in reality, it was really Parliament who was taxing the colonies up the wazoo, but this isn't the point.
What does bother me is that Monday was the Jubilee concert and from what I can see, there were performances from great British acts like Paul McCartney and Elton John as well as Austrailian born Kylie Minogue. What I don't see is any metal acts on the bill. Now before anyone starts wagging a finger at me and saying they don't need to play such bublegum events, I have a good argument why they should. You see, the jubilee is about celebrating things British and heavy metal is definitely that. With the exception of Jimi Hendrix, four of the five founders of heavy metal are British and so were many of the metal influences from the 70s. Therefore, it is only fitting that this great contribution to music gets its due credit in the celebrations of all things British.
The above album is another reason. You see, last week, "The Number of the Beast" album by Iron Maiden was voted the best British album in the last 60 years. That means it beat out the classic great albums from Led Zepplin, The Who, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, plus all the Stock, Aiken and Waterman crap as well as all the other bubblegum pop acts. It is only fitting that Iron Maiden should perform at the jubilee.

There are other reasons why Iron Maiden should be allowed to play at the Diamond Jubilee. They represent British metal to a tee. I can think of at least two songs of theirs off the top of my head that are about British history. "Aces High" is about the Battle of Britain and "The Trooper" is about the charge of the light brigade. Both are significant events in the country's history. Furthermore, Iron Maiden is one band who are definitely proud to be British! Therefore, not letting them play the jubilee is somehow wrong.
Looking at the reverse here, if Iron Maiden were to play the Jubilee concert, some metalheads would accuse them of selling out. I don't agree here. This is about the Queen and being British and not some bubblegum pop event arranged to line the pockets of opportunists like Simon Cowell. I wouldn't think any less of Iron Maiden if they took their rightful place on stage today. As I said earlier, Iron Maiden celebrates all that is great about British metal.

Great Rock Albums of the 70s: Judas Priest- Sin After Sin

Not many metal bands can take a classic folk song like "Diamonds and Rust" sung by Joan Baez and make a true metal anthem out of it. That is exactly what Judas Priest did with the song and to quote Cheryl Cole (Oh God, I can't believe I'm doing this) made the song their own. "Sin After Sin" was the all important follow up to their previous album "Sad Wings of Destiny" and it brought them one precious step closer to the greatness they would eventually come to enjoy.
Back then, Judas Priest were still climbing the ladder to success and still hungry and like the previous album, the hunger is reflected in the music. True, to some, "Diamonds and Rust" might give this album an air of commercial respectability, the other tracks in the album such as "Sinner," "Raw Deal" and "Dissident Agressor," which Slayer would cover eleven years later, show a raw and hungry sound to this band. Plus, the tracks have that unique introduction that when you hear it, you know it's a Priest song.

Track Listing:

1. Sinner

2. Diamonds and Rust

3. Starbreaker

4. The Last Rose of Summer

5. Let Us Prey/Call for the Priest

6. Raw Deal

7. Here Come the Tears

8. Dissident Aggressor

Judas Priest:

Rob Halford- vocals

Glen Tipton- guitar

KK Downing- guitar

Ian Hill- bass

Simon Phillips- drums

This is another great find back in the archives of metal past. Albums like "Sin After Sin" would not only help to pave Judas Priest's way to greatness, it would also contribute to the flood waters which were gathering at the time and would soon overflow its banks to create what we know as heavy metal.

Next post: Lynyrd Skynyrd- Street Survivors

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle

Great Rock Albums of the 70s: Judas Priest- Sad Wings of Destiny

Many great acts, especially metal ones had to pay their dues before they finallly make it to the big time. This was especially true with the metal gods we worship to day as Judas Priest. When I worshipped these gods in concert two and a half years ago in Cardiff, Wales, Robert Halford told the audience how thrity five years ago, the band would come to Cardiff in a little white van to play at the local pubs and clubs at the time. Back in the 1970s, Judas Priest were virtually unheard of, especially outside the UK and paid their dues by playing all the back holes of Britain and opening for more popular bands of the time like Budgie. Fortunately for us, they perservered and went on to become the great metal act we all know and love.
The downside of many bands once they ascend to the big stage is that much of their earlier work goes unnoticed. Some people will buy a band's earlier stuff upon hearing about it, but it still doesn't get the recognition it deserves as most people seem to be focused on the new stuff. The same can be said for me in regards to Judas Priest. "British Steel" was the first Judas Priest album I ever heard and you could say the rest was history, I became a total Priest fan. It wasn't until a few years later, however, when I heard the song "The Ripper" on a metal compilation album that I went back to the past and investigated earlier offerings such as "Sad Wings of Destiny."
It is often said that before a heavy metal band gets discovered, their hunger is reflected in their music. This is definitely true for "Sad Wings of Destiny." Listening to such tracks as "The Ripper," "Deceiver" and "Genocide" show the hunger. However, the album also shows the unmistakable guitar riffs of Tipton and Downing as well as the unique vocals of Halford that would later eventually enshrine Judas Priest in the annals of metal glory.

Track Listing:

1. Victim of Changes

2. The Ripper

3. Dreamer Deceiver

4. Deceiver

5. Prelude

6. Tyrant

7. Genocide

8. Epitaph

9. Island of Domination

Judas Priest

Rob Halford- vocals

Gelen Tipton- guitars and piano

KK Downing- guitars

Ian Hill- bass

Alan Moore- drums

I recently read a quote by a fan who states that "70s Priest kicks the sh*t out of 80s Priest." I will not get involved in that argument, especially as 80s Priest gets quite a lot of mention in "Rock And Roll Children,"  but I will admit that the 70s albums like "Sad Wings of Destiny" and the one I'll be visiting in my next post show a raw and hungry sound that I really like. So with my teacher head on, your assignment today is go and have a listen to this great diamond in the rough of an album and you will see what I mean.

Next post: Judas Priest- Sin After Sin

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Froogle and Barnes & Noble

Book Signing- Result

Last Saturday night was a rather successful evening. First, I mananged to sell three books although one was the pub buying one at cost. I also found Fat Lil's to be a cool venue with a lot of true metal heads. It also features a lot of tribute acts. In the not too distant future such tribute acts as Mentallica, Greenish Day and Blondied will be playing there.

What a difference a year can make! Shepherd's Pie were very good when I saw them last year, but last night, they were even better. Some great covers of some great songs from Iron Maiden, Rainbow and Metallica and yes, they did play a Dio song last night and were given a free copy of Rock And Roll Children as a reward. Their cover of "Holy Diver" would have made Dio proud.

I was also invited to host another book signing at a nearby village pub frequented by the Creepy Crawlies MC.

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Book Signing, Saturday May 12

I will be on location at Fat Lil's Pub in Witney, Oxfordshire to sell and sign copies of Rock and Roll Children. This will be my first book signing event of the year, so if you haven't bought a copy of Rock And Roll Children, here's your chance to get your own autographed copy. If you have, I will still autograhph it and you can tell me what you think of it.

Of course, it won't just be a case of me signing books because also appearing on the evening will be the sensational metal covers band Shepherd's Pie. These guys are a brilliant cover band and are definitely worth checking out. It should also be interesting to see if they rise to my challenge. A free copy of Rock and Roll Children is waiting for them if they play a Dio song during the night.

So, for a fantastic night of live metal and a chance to buy a great book, come to Fat Lil's this Saturday night. You won't be disappointed.

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle. Also on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Great Rock Albums of the 70s: David Bowie- The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and Spiders From Mars

I thought I was ready to move onto the next chapter of this tour through heavy metal history, but as what has been always happening to me, another great rock album from the 70s has sprouted to mind. I came upon this one while listening to my MP3 the other day which contains my two favourite Bowie songs of all time; "Space Oddity" and "Ziggy Stardust." I know that the album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and Spiders from Mars" only contains one of those songs, but I have decided to visit the album anyway.
The best reason for visiting the album is quite simple, for an ageing metalhead like me, it takes me back to a time of pure rock. Great tracks like the "Ziggy Stardust," "Starman" and "Suffragette City" are true rock anthems which helped laid a foundation to the metal we know and love today. For me, this was a time when I thought David Bowie was good before he settled for being popular. Sorry, I just couldn't get into that "Let's Dance" stuff in the mid 80s. But Metallica should take note.

Track Listing:

1. Five Years

2. Soul Love

3. Moonage Daydream

4. Starman

5. It Ain't Easy

6. Lady Stardust

7. Star

8. Hang On In To Yourself

9. Ziggy Stardust

10. Suffragette City

11. Rock And Roll Suicide

David Bowie- vocals, piano, accoustic guitar, harpsichord

Mick Ronson- guitars, piano, backing vocals

Trevor Bolder- bass

Mick Woodmansey- drums

The other thing David Bowie can take credit for is being a key player in the glam rock of the early 1970s. Bowie along with Alice Cooper, The Sweet and later KISS would create an image which would influence a good many metal bands a decade later. If you fancy listening to a classic rock album, then try this one.

Next Post: Judas Priest- Sad Wings of Destiny

To Buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available in Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle