Andrews Rock Blog

A couple of years ago my concert-going buddy Tim and I went to Air Canada Centre to check out the Scorpions and Whitesnake. I wasn’t a fan of either band (though “Coverdale-Page” remains one of the best rock albums of the 90’s, in my humble opinion), but my pal wanted to check out the gig so I said “sure, why not”. While the Scorpions failed to impress me (I don’t get them, someone explain it to me), I remember being impressed big time by David Coverdale and his bandmates. There was a strong selection of hits, and Coverdale’s voice was in impeccable form. Still, I never thought the day would come when I’d call a new Whitesnake album one of my favourite recordings of the year.

But that’s what I’m saying about “Good To Be Bad”. It’s the first new Whitesnake studio album in a decade and rocks top to bottom. Coverdale is the only holdover from the band’s original line-up, but the guys he’s playing with today feel like a unit and not just a bunch of musicians for hire. But as good as players can be, it wouldn’t matter without the songs. “Good To Be Bad” is full of great ones, starting with the opening track “Best Years”. As an Allman Brothers Band fan, I can’t help but notice the tunes resemblance to “Whipping Post”, but that doesn’t diminish it’s strengths. From there the album hardly stops rocking, with the title track and the amazing “Lay Down Your Love” being two of the standouts to me. Add in the fact that Coverdale’s voice has hardly changed at all over the years and you have an album that just feels big. If there was a Led Zeppelin in 2008, this is the sort of album I’d want to hear from them. Big and bombastic with stellar songs and excellent performances.

There’s talk that Whitesnake could be in town this fall. I’ll probably have to go see them again, just to hear “Lay Down Your Love”. Check out the video for the song below and then use the band’s name as today’s bonus code.

There’s so much music out there that sometimes songs can just pass you by. Maybe radio doesn’t play them anymore for whatever reasons; the songs are too soft or too hard, they sound dated, or maybe they were just popular back in the day but haven’t held the test of time. Then sometimes songs are just forgotten for reasons unexplained.

I’d never heard Burton Cumming’s “Break It To Them Gently” until a few years ago, when Burton and Randy Bachman joined forces to record and tour together. I watched their CBC special and listened as Burton told the story of what inspired him to write one of his solo tunes that wound up doing very well for him. Listening to the band deliver it I remember thinking “This is a great song! I can’t believe I haven’t heard it before!”

I saw Bachman-Cummings play ”Break It To Them Gently” last year at Casino Rama and once again enjoyed hearing it, but I hadn’t thought about it since. Than Jeff, Carly and I got to talking about the song yesterday, probably after hearing an ad for the Bachman-Cummings gig this summer at the Amphitheatre. The conversation inspired me to dig up the CBC performance where I discovered “Break It To Them Gently” for the first time. It still sounds good to me. How about you? Take a listen, and then use the name of the tv show that inspired Burton Cummings to write the song as your bonus code.

My wife and I were in the car this weekend, and I decided to play the new Whitesnake album “Good To Be Bad” for her. She typically doesn’t really like the harder stuff, but I’ve been really impressed with the album over the last week (review to come) and I thought I’d see what her thoughts were.

She didn’t dig it.

But apparently a lot of people are high on David Coverdale and company’s latest. It debut at #7 in the U.K. this past week, Whitesnake’s best showing there in over 20 years. And they aren’t the only metal masters making noise. As I mentioned last week, there’s a lot of buzz going around regarding Judas Priest’s new album “Nostradamus” in June. The band will also be on the road with Heaven and Hell, Motorhead, and Testament for the “Metal Masters” tour. Speaking of road shows, Motley Crue’s “Crue Fest” is going to be a hot tour, and their new single “Saints Of Los Angeles” is the band’s most Crue-sounding single since “Dr. Feelgood” all the way back in 1989. Throw in the buzz about a new Metallica album for the fall, and you’ve got the makings of a very loud 2008.

How about you? Are you excited about any of the above? The new Crue or Whitesnake single? The chance to see Judas Priest and Heaven and Hell on the same stage? Or how about the guys in the video below, whose name you can use as today’s bonus code (one word)?

Poor Phil Collins. Not literally, as the guy is just rolling in it. But after 30+ years the guy still has a hard time getting respect from rock fans. I posted on Breaking Rock News today that Phil recently told a newspaper that he would be retiring from touring and recording. This information came from the NME, whose website is now full of people posting about how great it is that Phil will be “retiring”, saying how he’s never written a good song. Snobs everyone one of them, I say.

Now I’m not oblivious to the fact that Phil Collins has put out some schlock in his time. I never need to hear “Groovy Kind of Love” or “Against All Odds” again, and there’s no way his song from Tarzan should have beaten Aimee Mann’s “Save Me” at the Oscars, but Phil’s also the guy behind “In The Air Tonight”, “I Don’t Care Anymore”, “Take Me Home” and freakin’ “Sussudio”! And no, I’m not kidding about that last one.

And what about Phil’s time in Genesis, where he helped take a succesful prog rock band with Peter Gabriel as frontman and transform them into a stadium-playing, multi-platinum selling, chart topping group? You don’t do that by sucking. And then there’s the fact that he’s one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock.  You can hate Phil Collins because he was so successful, but I don’t understand how some people can deny how good he was at what he did.

On that note, let’s check out the video to one of Phil’s excellent contributions to music (we’ll send this one out to Christian Bale). When you’re done, use the title for your weekend bonus code. Have a good one, and long live Phil Collins (preferably in Genesis, on a reunion tour with Gabriel and Hackett).

This morning Samantha played “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” during her show. Hearing it surprised me, and then inspired me to blog about it. After all, it is one of those iconic songs that transcends radio and Canada. It’s been mentioned on Seinfeld and in the film High Fidelity. According to Wikipedia, the Tragically Hip have covered it in concert. I wonder if they played it back to back with “Nautical Disaster”. That would have been awesome.  

Confession: I’d never heard the original version of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” until just a few weeks ago, when we were spinning it on Jeff and Carly’s show. I’ve only ever been familiar with the Rheostatics versions, found on the studio album “Melville” and their “Double Live” album (one of the best live records by any band, Canadian or otherwise, fyi). Their studio version is epic and moving, while the live take is a little more propulsive and intense. In their hands I still knew it is one of the great songs of our lifetime.

When I finally heard the writer sing it himself, I was surprised just how well Gordon Lightfoot’s original fits in on our rapidly growing rock station. It’s intense in it’s own way, and rocks as well. Maybe not loud guitars and distortion, but the sentiments combined with the instruments give it this timelessness. I doubt you’ll ever hear “If You Could Read My Mind” on a rock station, but I’m all for spinning this classic piece of Gord’s Gold. Take a listen, and then use gord as your bonus code for today.

For the last few weeks I’d been having an internal debate - to buy the soundtrack album to The Rolling Stones “Shine A Light” as a cd or download it off iTunes. All of my Stones collection is on cd so it only made sense to me to add to the collection. But then I found out that there was a bonus track attached to the iTunes purchase - “Undercover Of The Night”, one of my all-time favourite Stones tracks. What was I to do? I did some searching and discovered that the song was included on the Japanese cd version of the album, but if I wanted to pick that up it was cost me over $35 bucks plus shipping, $20 more than the iTunes version. Clearly, that was a bit rich for my blood. It seemed like downloading was my only option. But still I struggled. What about the packaging? The liner notes? Those things that have helped me the music fan that I am.

Finally yesterday I made my decision. I downloaded the album from iTunes, including my beloved “Undercover of The Night”. Luckily, the download came with a digital booklet complete with all the liner notes, easily printable should I decide to burn the album to cd. But I have to admit, I still feel strange having done it. It’s not as though I haven’t downloaded from iTunes before, but typically it’s been something only available through there (like the U2 Digital Box set). This was the first time I did it for a new release, and while I’m happy to have the bonus tune the whole experience left me feeling just a little hollow.

Check out the video for “Undercover Of The Night” below for a blast from the past and then use “undercover” for your bonus code.

 I’m a little speechless. Or writeless. I know that’s not a word, but that’s sort of how I’m feeling as I listen to the title track to the forthcoming Judas Priest double album “Nostradamus”, due out in June. The band posted the song on their label website and I was eager to hear what they’d come up, considering the years of work they’d put into their new album.

I’m speechless.

The hardcore Judas Priest fans are going to rake me over the coals if they read this, but this seems only a few steps up from Spinal Tap’s “Stonehenge”. The playing is solid (as if it could be anything but), Halford’s voice is in fine form…but the song itself. I don’t know. Am I supposed to be taking this seriously? I’m sure I am, but I just can’t help finding the whole thing really kitchy. And I don’t think that’s what the band was intending. It seems a a little cinematic at times which I know Priest was hoping for, but there are a few moments where it also seems a little too Broadway. Unless Judas Priest is hoping to be the first metal band to rule Broadway, that’s probably not a good thing. Marks for ambition though, especially with making their new album a double.

I’m going to take another listen, and maybe you should too. If you get a chance, let me know what you think of “Nostradamus” (your bonus code, btw). Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s a grower. Or maybe the new album will fit nicely beside “Smell The Glove”.

Click HERE to hear the tune. 

Did you hear the latest talk from Slash with regards to finding a new lead singer for Velvet Revolver? Last week he was saying the band had been playing with a new singer prior to sending Scott Weiland packing, but didn’t have enough prep time to make the switch sooner. Now he tells Billboard that VR is going to set up a web site and solicit auditions from aspiring singers.

“The band is actually talking about actually building a Web site [and] doing some auditions via that, so that’s been something that’s developing at this point.”

To quote a friend of mine, WTF? What happened to Slash the rock and roll icon. Same with Duff? These guys were 2/5ths of one of the baddest, most notorious bands in the history or rock and roll. The original line-up of Guns N Roses had the sort of chemistry that comes along so rarely in rock and roll, and now Slash thinks he’ll find a new lead singer on the ‘Net. There is just something so “not cool” about that idea. The same can be said if the guys go the “Rock Star” route that I’d bet on they’re considering. Maybe Velvet Revolver should go the Journey route and start trolling YouTube for their next lead singer.  

The best rock and roll is about chemistry. That combustible element that can only happen when four or five musicians get together to create something amazing and unique. Rock and roll is not a talent contest. Here endeth the lesson. Your bonus code is the name of the guy in the hat. Have an excellent weekend. 

I posted some info on Breaking Rock News a little earlier today concerning some cool exposure Def Leppard and Motley Crue are getting for their new singles “Nine Live” and “The Saints of Los Angeles”, respectively. Rather than simply relying on radio or their fans to spread the word that each band have new material on the way, both are going the video game route to spotlight their new singles. “The Saints…” is currently available for download and play for people who own Rock Band for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, while April 24th will see the release of a Def Leppard 3-pack for Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock users on both system. The pack will include “Nine Lives” along with live versions of “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph”.

I think this a brilliant way for the bands to let people know that they’ve got some new music out there, and music that doesn’t suck by the way. The Crue single sounds pretty vintage to my ears, while “Nine Lives” has been a real grower for me (I heard Chalmers play it this morning and thought it sounded really good). Casual fans who may not be aware that these bands have new material will no doubt jump at the downloads, avid gamers will be happy to have more downloadable content, and it also gives the band some credibility with the kids (and I know not all gamers are kids, so it gives them some credibility with the middles and olds too).  In fact, Rock Band are one of the sponsors of the Crue Fest tour, so you know Motley Crue are no dummies when it comes to the marketing.

Check out what “The Saints of Los Angeles” looks like on Rock Band below and then use Saints for today’s bonus code.

R.E.M. rocks again. Finally

It’s been a long time since we could really be excited about a new R.E.M. album. Ever since drummer Bill Berry left the group after 1996’s “New Adventures In Hi-Fi” the band has been incredibly hit and miss, trying to redefine who they are. 1998’s “Up” was experimental with a few shining moments (”At My Most Beautiful” ranking high); 2001’s “Reveal” was a bit more accessible, with “Imitation of Life” and “All The Way To Reno” the stand-out’s of that album. Then there’s 2004’s “Around The Sun”, one of the most boring and uninspired albums I’ve ever listened to. Do you know anyone that likes it? Me neither. Realizing that they were floundering, bassist Mike Mills, guitarist Peter Buck, and singer Michael Stipe knew something had to change.  They hit the studio, worked up some new songs, honed them live (see below for some footage), and went on to record the album now known as “Accelerate”.

R.E.M. rocks again. Finally. 

Clocking in at roughly 34 minutes, “Accelerate” is the band’s loudest album since 1994’s “Monster”.  Kicking off with “Living Well Is The Best Revenge”, R.E.M. plays like they have something to prove. It’s safe to say they did. First single “Supernatural Superserious” is undeniably catchy. “Horse To Water” features a classic Mike Mills background vocal, while album closer “I’m Gonna DJ” is actually fun. If the music recalls their early days when they were heralded as “college rock” it’s because these nearly 50 year old musicians are dishing out music that they could have recorded 20 years ago. Stipe’s voice is virtually unchanged, and few singers of his stature can say the same.

I’ve written R.E.M. off so many times over the past decade and then they come back and find a way to surprise me. If you were ever a fan and they lost you too, “Accelerate” will probably bring you back.  It will also help score you some points today.