I was really sceptical of the idea of a new Black Sabbath album with Ozzy on vocals, 35 years after Never Say Die (their last album with Ozzy). But the first single, God is Dead?, is really good. Thundering riffs from Tony Iommi and classic vocals from Ozzy make this track a worthy addition to…
You all know the joke: AC/DC’s been making the same album over and over again for 40 years. While a gross exaggeration, it is true that the band has mostly stuck to one successful recipe since pretty much their formation. You’ll never get an unplugged album from them, or a collection of big band…
On April 28 2003, Apple launched its iTunes Music Store (now known solely as iTunes Store), named after (and integrated with) their music player that was released 2 years earlier. Initially offering 200,000 songs at 99 cents each, the store offered piece meal purchases of albums beyond what the single format ever offered. During its…
I read an article in the Montreal Gazette yesterday about a cassette revival. I’ll admit I did a double take reading the title, and my first thought was “I thought April’s Fool was tomorrow!”. But no, a quick Google search confirmed that it is a real trend, and has been going on for a few…
The multiple forms my addiction to music takes. Every object in this image has meaning to me, or is a memento. The Cherry Sunburst Les Paul is the guitar I dreamed of playing when I started learning to play. Ace Frehley of KISS famously played one. The Beatles Box Set in Mono: represents my love…
Dave Grohl solidified his status as rock’s biggest ambassador when he delivered an impassioned speech at South by South West that covered his own laser-focused path to becoming a musician, the state of music today and the amazing opportunities social media and cheap recording gear provide to musicians now. He talks about the rise and…
I got into rock at a very young age. I was 5 or 6 years old when my parents let me play records on an old portable turntable. I played the usual child fare of Disney storybooks, but soon discovered my dad’s old stash of 45’s. Nothing really exciting: mostly 50’s pop idols, when the…
The Internet is full of articles about annoying behaviour from concert goers. I agree in the most part, but I’d like today to reverse the angle and look at annoying behaviour ON stage. I’ve been going to rock concerts for almost 30 years. I’ve seen the level of professionalism rise tremendously over the years, as…
I have a love/hate relationship with the music of Bob Dylan. Likewise with covers. I hate covers that twist around a song just to make it different. Toad the Wet Sprocket once did a cover of KISS’s Rock n Roll All Nite as a ballad (check it out here). Very clever but it doesn’t work for…
Are albums still relevant? This week, one of the last holdout bands showed up on iTunes. AC/DC had refused to have their music sold digitally for years. but finally made their catalog available. For years, the band claimed that they release “albums”, and would not be a participant in killing that art form by having…