Chickenfoot will release Best + Live on March 10th and the band has released a video of their cover of the Deep Purple classic, Highway Star.
The performance was filmed at the historic Fillmore in San Francisco during the band’s debut run of shows in small clubs in May 2009 and it can be seen viewed below.
The band recently released an official video for Divine Termination, their first new song in five years, which is also included on the album. It can be viewed here.
Best + Live includes over 90 minutes of live music – for the first time released on CD.
Sammy Hagar says, “Listening to this collection of songs from the ‘Foot brings back memories of some of the most fun I’ve ever had in a band. The chemistry between Chad, Joe, Mike and me is very special. It’s almost like visual music — you can see us having fun when you listen to these songs.”
Both the extra CD “live” and the bonus tracks on the best of feature a 13 song strong set list including almost every song from Chickenfoot’s debut album as well as Sammy Hagar’s old Montrose classic Bad Motor Scooter, The Who’s My Generation and Joe Satriani’s interpretation of The Star Spangled Banner – all recorded live in Phoenix 2009 and available for the first time on CD (previously only available as video on the DVD/Blu-ray Get Your Buzz On.
The group’s last album, Chickenfoot III, debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200 when it was released in 2011.
Tracklist Best + Live:
CD1 – Best Of
1. Divine Termination (Brand New Song)
2. Soap On A Rope
3. Sexy Little Thing
4. Oh Yeah
5. Get It Up
6. Future In The Past
7. Big Foot
8. Different Devil
9. Lighten Up
10. Dubai Blues
11. Something Going Wrong
Bonus Live Tracks:
12. Highway Star
13. Bad Motor Scooter
14. My Generation
CD2 – Live:
1. Avenida Revolution
2. Sexy Little Thing
3. Soap On A Rope
4. My Kinda Girl
5. Down The Drain
6. Bitten By The Wolf
7. Oh Yeah
8. Learning To Fall
9. Get It Up
10. Turnin’ Left
11. Future In The Past
There are countless reasons why Rob Halford is known worldwide as “The Metal God.” But at the top of the list would be his pioneering singing style, songwriting talents, and a fashion sense that has inspired countless heavy metal artists over the years.
And in addition to co-creating Judas Priest’s outstanding body of work, he has also issued music outside of the beloved legendary Birmingham band — which is precisely what the new 14-CD boxset, The Complete Albums Collection, showcases.
Included are four albums by the ferociously thrash-inspired Fight, as well as the lone album by the industrial-inspired 2WO (which featured future Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5, and saw Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor serve as executive producer), plus seven titles from the solo band Halford, which saw the Metal God gloriously return to pure, unadulterated metal.
Due on May 19th through Legacy Recordings, The Complete Albums Collection features the following:
Fight:
* K5: The War Of Words Demos (recorded 1992, released 2007)
* War Of Words (1993)
* Mutations (1994)
* A Small Deadly Space (1995)
2WO:
* Voyeurs (1998)
Halford:
* Resurrection (2000)
* Live Insurrection (2 CDs, 2001)
* Crucible (2002)
* Live In Anaheim (2 CDs; recorded 2003, released 2010)
* Halford III: Winter Songs (2009)
* Halford IV: Made Of Metal (2010)
* Live At Saitama Super Arena (2011)
With the arrival of The Complete Albums Collection, metal fans will now have the definitive collection of Rob Halford’s stellar work outside of the mighty Judas Priest, all in one set.
Halford’s last studio album, Halford IV: Made Of Metal, came out in 2010. Seven of the album’s 14 tracks were entirely written by Halford, the first time he had taken the musical reins on a project since the 1993 Fight album War Of Words.
“As a musician, you can’t control these things when they happen to you,” Halford explained to MTV at the time of the album’s release. “The ideas just take over your body and it can be pretty scary. You’ve got to get them down quickly. It feels like there’s a spark you have to grab, like lightning in a bottle, and if you don’t get it down, there’s a chance it’s going to escape. So, for two weeks, these things kept flooding through my brain. And then suddenly, they stopped and that’s when I got together with [guitarist] Roy [Z], [guitarist] Metal Mike Chlasciak, [bassist] Mike Davis, and [drummer] Bobby Jarzombek and came up with the other songs.”
Aerosmith’s Joe Perry says the band “definitely” have one more studio album in them – and could even record a second.
They’ll head out on what could be their last tour across Europe in May, with Perry saying they deliberately put planned dates in the US on ice so they could return to the studio.
Perry tells AZ Central, “We want to get in and give ourselves some time to get something done. We definitely have another record in us, if not two. But we’ll see how that goes.”
Asked if the material would be similar to 2012’s Music From Another Dimension, which received a lukewarm reception from some of the band’s fanbase, Perry responds, “Well, the next one will be a little more cohesive. At least in talking to vocalist Steven Tyler about it, that’s been kind of our vibe on how it’s gonna go. The main thing is just getting in a room and starting to lay stuff down.”
Aerosmith announced the first leg of their Aero-Vederci Baby Farewell Tour in November last year – but Perry says he can’t imagine hanging up his guitar any time soon – and reports that the dates aren’t “officially” the last the band will play.
He adds, “We postponed the American tour we were supposed to do this fall. And we’re gonna go out and tour until we’re done.
We’re gonna try and hit every place we’ve ever played and never played. There’s always new places to go. I’d like to play China and the Far East. There’s a lot of places that are off the beaten path. Is this the last tour? Well, I don’t know. I don’t think so.
It’s still really exciting for us to get out and play. That’s why we started doing it. It’s amazing that I still get that feeling – and I know the other guys do. We’ve grown up together and managed to hold on to this band. It still feels fresh.”
Perry continues, “We’re coming up on our 50th anniversary in 2020. I never would have thought we would have made it that far. We’re the same guys that got together in 1970 in an apartment in Boston and we’re still trying to play better than we did the day before. Still trying to get it right 50 years later.”
Bret Michaels, who has sold over 35 million records and has had several number one hits such as the timeless classic Every Rose Has Its Thorn, is set to release his emotionally-charged new single Jorja Bleu on Friday, April 7th. The song is new and fresh, yet has the instantly-familiar sound that we’ve all come to love and expect from Michaels. It’s also a very personal and real conversation with his youngest daughter, for whom the song is named after. In the new single, Bret recounts an exchange between father and daughter with lyrics like, “She said ‘What if I fall?’…and I said, ‘What if you fly?’”
Michaels, the BMI award winning songwriter states, “This song is as raw and stripped down as it gets. This is a man sharing his trials and tribulations in such a way that he hopes to inspire his daughter to chase her dreams with no apologies, while keeping her feet planted firmly on the ground.”
In fact, Bret felt so strongly about the raw, pure emotion in the original demo (engineered on a laptop on his tour bus by longtime friend and music director Pete Evick), that after spending a lot of time trying to recapture it in a multi-million dollar studio, Michaels decided to release the original demo.
Erick states, “More times than not, Bret’s original untouched ideas are the best stuff. It’s amazing watching him work. Bret will beat-box, hum, or sing all the parts from the drums, bass, guitar, keys, and even horns, right down to the vocals. Then go back and do the tracks with the instruments. He pushes my knowledge and the technology as far as it can go. The most special thing about this track is that Bret plays everything himself: all guitars, other instruments, and vocals (except the female harmony) are 100% him”.
This is the first single from Michaels since his modern country crossover Girls on Bars, co-written by two-time CMA award winner Luke Laired. Laired said, “Bret is awesome to write with. Ideas just kept coming nonstop when we were in the studio. He’s always ready and willing to push the boundaries and try new things”. “Girls on Bars” boasted the highest number of views of any debut single ever on CMT.
The highly-anticipated new single Jorja Bleu which in many ways is the sequel to his song Raine which is titled after his oldest daughter drops on Tuesday April 7th on iTunes and all other digital retailers and subscription audio formats.
Michaels, who has been described as a “Cultural Touchdown” by former CEO of MTV Judy McGrath (currently on the board of directors at Amazon) has had cross-genre and multi-generational success with songs like the country hit All I Ever Needed and the pop duet Nothing to Lose with Miley Cyrus; the latter was the most added song to radio the week of its release, topping both Bon Jovi and Nickelback.
Catch Bret out on the road with Poison along with Def Leppard and Tesla. Poison have also announced their own select headlining dates, click here to view their itinerary.
Anylouder spoke with our very own Eddie Trunk, highlights from the interview appear below.
Anylouder: Tell us about your stint with Mega Force Records . You are credited with reviving Ace Frehley’s career by signing him to Mega force Records. How did it all happen ?
Eddie: I was always a huge KISS fan. I became VP of Megaforce in 1987 at 23 years old. I loved much of the heavy music the label was doing, but I said to Jon Z who owned it “we need to get some hard rock to get on radio and MTV”. He asked what I suggested and as a KISS fan I said “let’s find Ace”. There was great risk because Ace wasn’t in great shape then. But we tracked him down and he was the first act I signed. To this day we are still great friends. Jon wasn’t a Kiss fan, but he knew people loved Ace. My first concert was Kiss in NYC in 1977, I had no idea 10 years later I would be signing their lead guitarist! There’s a signing photo in my first book.
Anylouder: Was being associated with the radio always a big priority ? Were you ever attracted to the glamour side of things like taking the stage as a musician for example or being in a band ?
Eddie: I regret not ever learning to play an instrument. Maybe one day when I retire. No time now. The attraction was anything I could do to support the bands I loved. Radio came very early because I had an idea for a metal show. Something not common in 1983. The idea got me on, then I had to learn radio. It was never about promoting me, but through all the things I’ve done I’ve been lucky to become known as much as some of the bands. And I appreciate that. But it’s always been about giving the music a platform. I never stopped doing radio through everything I’ve ever done. I still love it because I get to do what I want. If I was playing the same 100 songs every day I probably wouldn’t love it. I love being able to share and talk to people on the radio. It’s very rare to have the freedom I have but I worked for it, and thankfully have an audience that supports it.
Anylouder: Being an interviewer , a music historian and a talk show show host amongst other , what advice would you give to young people interested in the said fields like how to conduct an interview , approach an artist ?
Eddie: Be unique and be prepared. The problem in media today is there are tons of people running around saying they are media because they have a Facebook page. Anyone can claim to be media, but do they have an audience? So you have to stand out and build a following. And that’s harder than ever today with the oversaturation. As far as dealing with artists; it’s okay to be a fan, but don’t act like one. It will take you much further.
Anylouder: Take us [through] some of your favorite and most insightful and fun interviews that you have taken ?
Eddie: Going to the UK and sitting with Sabbath one day and Robert Plant the next was amazing for TV. I did incredible interviews…for VH1, Not that many people saw them because the channel wasn’t that popular yet. My favorite interviews are with artists that aren’t so sensitive and will have fun and mix it up. Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony are great like that. I’ve been lucky to have really interviewed just about anyone, and still do every day on my current radio shows. Everyone always asks me about Axl Rose, who did my radio show, then years later [That Metal Show]. Those were big just because he talks to nobody.
Anylouder: Talking about everyone that you have interviewed over the years , one name that always pops up is Vito Bratta . You being a close friend , what really happened back in the day to such a promising career and what is he doing now ?
Eddie: Vito is still a friend and still lives in NYC. It’s really hard for fans to understand some artists, as talented as they are, are not in music for life. They just don’t want to deal with the ups and downs and business and touring. Look at Chris Degarmo, same thing. He flies planes. Great writer and player. But not a lifer for rock and touring playing. Vito made a huge mark and then just decided he didn’t want to be out there doing it anymore. Family commitments happen, peoples priorities change. Sometimes they just don’t want to put the work in. Where is John Sykes? He’s a guitar hero of mine and I have tried to get him to do stuff. Everyone is just not in it for life. To me that’s Vito. I’m asked about him all the time. He came to a book signing for my second book. It was great seeing him, but he just isn’t interested in being in the spotlight and playing. It happens.
Greg Prato of the Long Island Pulse Magazine spoke with guitarist John 5. Portions of the interview appear below.
Pulse: Let’s discuss Season of the Witch.
John 5: This album is completely different from the previous albums. Times have changed so much—I have a 13-year-old son, and I watch what he and his friends do, and they just watch music nowadays. Meaning, when they want to listen to music, they go on YouTube. Even downloading now is a thing of the past; it’s all streaming and YouTube. What I did with this record is I made a new song and video once a month for about six months because everyone is going to “cherry pick” anyways. When it comes out on iTunes, they just pick the songs they want so…I gave the fans a new song and video. With all of them gathered up, it’s well over a million views or two million. And there is no way that anyone is getting a million spins on radio. Nobody. It’s a different time. I did heavy stuff, western swing…the album goes in all different styles of music. It’s a lot of fun. There’s a little something for everybody. That’s just who I am—I love all these different styles of music. And it’s from the heart. I think fans really latch onto that.
Pulse: In addition to metal, you’ve done a lot of country/chicken-pickin’ type guitar work.
John 5: That’s what I grew up on. And it’s really challenging to play. If anybody ever puts down country music or bluegrass music or western swing, it’s fine, you might not like that music. But it is very, very, very challenging to play.
Pulse: Let’s discuss memories of some of the artists you’ve worked with, starting with David Lee Roth.
John 5: One of my heroes. Van Halen was one of—and still are—my heroes. It was an amazing experience and one of the most challenging, for sure. Because when we go into the studio, he says, “If you can’t do it in two takes, you can’t do it.” I love him.
Pulse: Rob Halford.
John 5: Maybe one of the greatest vocalists ever. He was so professional, too. He’s been doing it so long and he knew what to do and what not to do. This guy knew all the answers. It’s like if you’re going to a certain place, you know all the shortcuts, and you know how to get there, because you’ve driven there a million times. It was a real pleasure.
Pulse: Paul Stanley.
John 5: One of my heroes. I love Kiss… It was really great to be a part of Kisstory. And I’ve known Paul and these guys forever. But to be on record really was a huge accomplishment in my life. And I did it with Ace Frehley, too, and was on his last record. Being a part of that is something very special to me.
