Steve Vai will launch his 25th anniversary collection containing his two albums Modern Primitive and Passion And Warfare on June 24th.
The 2CD pack is a collection of classic songs and previously unreleased material. Modern Primitive includes works-in-progress the guitar virtuoso penned following the release of his debut album Flex-Able in 1984 – which he has completed especially for the release.
The pack includes a bonus remastering of his 1990 record Passion And Warfare. Vai will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of this release with a world tour later this month, in which he’ll perform the album in full.
Vai says, “Performing this record from top to bottom, with some very special surprises in the works, is something I’ve always dreamed of doing. There are songs here I’ve never performed before, and I’m delighted that 25 years after its release, I feel as though my guitar chops are as much up to the task as ever before.”
Modern Primitive and Passion And Warfare can be pre-ordered at Amazon.
Modern Primitive tracklist:
1. Bop!
2. Dark Matter
3. Mighty Messengers
4. The Lost Chord
5. Upanishads
6. Fast Note People
7. And We Are One
8. Never Forever
9. Lights Are On
10. No Pockets
11. Pink and Blows Over: Part 1
12. Pink and Blows Over: Part 2 (Mars Attack)
13. Pink and Blows Over: Part 3 (Jazzbo Paddle-foot)
Steve Vai Passion and Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition tracklist:
1. Liberty
2. Erotic Nightmares
3. The Animal
4. Answers
5. The Riddle
6. Ballerina 12/24
7. For Love Of God
8. The Audience ls Listening
9. I Would Love To
10. Blue Powder
11. Greasy Kid’s Stuff
12. Alien Water Kiss
13. Sisters
14. Love Secrets
15. Lovely Elixir (Bonus)
16. And We Are One (Bonus)
17. As Above (Bonus)
18. So Below (Bonus)
As Cleveland prepares for the 2016 Republican National Convention, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is opening a very timely exhibit around rock and politics. Louder Than Words: Rock, Power & Politics looks at some of the most important debates in our country through the lens of rock music.
The exhibit includes exclusive video interviews with Bono, David Byrne, Dee Snider, Tom Morello, Lars Ulrich, Gloria Estefan, Gregg Allman, Jimmy Carter, and others, and combines them with interactives, photography and never-before-seen artifacts to examine how music has both shaped and reflected our culture norms on eight political topics:
PNC presents Louder Than Words: Rock, Power & Politics– from Eisenhower through Obama – and uses historical context to shed insight into how we view these issues today. A continuously updated digital screen connects music’s impact to some of the most pressing media issues of today, including Springsteen’s cancellation of concerts in North Carolina following the signing of the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, the Arab Spring and the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who testified at the 1985 Parents Music Resource Center (PRMC) Senate Hearings on Censorship, will perform an acoustic version of We’re Not Gonna Take It during the opening event on May 19th. Snider testified along with Frank Zappa and John Denver at the PRMC Hearings, which had the stated goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes via labeling albums with Parent Advisory stickers. Snider’s artifacts and stories are told in the exhibit including how Presidential candidate Donald Trump came to use We’re Not Gonna Take It” as his campaign song.
Included in the exhibit are:
·Jimi Hendrix’s Star Spangled Banner Fender Stratocaster from Woodstock
·John Lennon’s acoustic guitar from the 1969 Montreal and Amsterdam “Bed-ins for Peace”
·Correspondence between the FBI and Priority Records regarding N.W.A’s Fight the Power.
·Original handwritten lyrics from Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are a-Changin’, Chuck Berry’s School Day, Neil Young’s Ohio, Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A and Green Day’s American Idiot
·Original Village People stage costumes
·Artifacts related to the Vietnam war, the May 4th, 1970 shooting at Kent State, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
Curators from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Newseum worked with veteran music journalist, author and television producer Bill Flanagan (VH1 Storytellers, CMT Crossroads, CBS News Sunday Morning) to create this unique exhibition. It will open run May 20th through November 27th when the exhibit travels to the Newseum in Washington, D.C to open Jan. 13th, 2017, in time for the Presidential Inauguration.
More than 50 artists and political figures are featured in the exhibit, including:
·Beyoncé
·Bono
·Eric Clapton
·Bill Clinton
·George Clinton
·Sam Cooke
·Bob Dylan
·Melissa Etheridge
·Gloria Estefan
·Aretha Franklin
·Lady Gaga
·Green Day
·Jimi Hendrix
·Chrissie Hynde
·Alan Jackson
·Kendrick Lamar
·Cyndi Lauper
·Queen Latifah
·John Lennon
·Madonna
·Ministry
·Bob Marley
·Tom Morello
·N.W.A
·Yoko Ono
·Public Enemy
·Elvis Presley
·Keith Richards
·Pete Seeger
·Dee Snider
·Nina Simone
·Grace Slick
·Bruce Springsteen
·Rod Stewart
·Joe Strummer
·Village People
·Sid Vicious
·Ann Wilson
·Stevie Wonder
·Neil Young
·And more..
The Rock Hall will be doing themed programs about rock and politics for visitors all summer long, including a screening of Free to Rock: How Rock & Roll Helped End the Cold War on Wednesday, June 29th at 7 p.m. Visit rockhall.com for more information on upcoming events and programming.
As previously reported, KISS bassist Gene Simmons made some controversial statements about Prince’s recent passing from a possible drug overdose. In turn, his bandmate Paul Stanley criticized him online for those comments. After issuing an apology for his remarks, Simmons was called to task by Motley Crue bassist, Nikki Sixx. Sixx’s remarks, in turn, annoyed Stanley, who came to his bandmate’s defense.
Billboard caught up with Stanley to discuss his online exchange with Sixx. “It’s just silly stuff, honestly,” Stanley tells magazine. “It’s one thing to call somebody out and to have a point of view on somebody’s quotes, but then to just harp on it…You have to be suspect of the motives. Whatever questions I have about things that Gene has said is one thing, but to beat him into the ground becomes self-serving. It just gets annoying. For other people to harp on it and beat it into the ground is not something I want to sit by and listen to. When somebody starts to denigrate or take potshots at your contributions or your band or anything else, when you consider the source it gets to be ludicrous.”
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant will attend the Stairway To Heaven copyright trial in the US next month, lawyers have said.
Proceedings are set to commence in California on June 14th. The court will decide whether Led Zeppelin based the opening section of their 1971 anthem on the instrumental piece Taurus by Spirit, which had been released four years earlier.
Action was instigated by the estate of late Spirit guitarist Randy California, who’d always insisted Stairway was lifted from his work. His arguments are presented by lawyer Francis Malofiy, who’s petitioned US District Judge Gary Klausner to compel the pair to attend.
Page and Plant, who deny any wrongdoing, have both recorded video testimonies for the trial. Bassist John Paul Jones was originally included in the lawsuit, but was later removed.
Malofiy wrote in his motion, “Defendants’ refusal to specify if they will appear is causing havoc. Because Defendants are not being clear whether they will attend, Plaintiff is being forced to designate more deposition testimony that he will need if they appear.
This uncertainty is extremely costly as Plaintiff is also having to edit hours of video deposition testimony.”
Led Zeppelin’s lawyers say, “We have previously made it clear that Messrs Page and Plant will attend the trial, but with them coming from England we cannot guarantee the day they will arrive.”
Malofiy accuses the musicians of trying to “dictate the court’s schedule” and says they’re displaying a “lack of common courtesy.” He wants a failure to appear to be officially regarded as a limited admission of guilt.
It’s thought that, if the case is found against Led Zeppelin, it could cost them as much as $40m in settlement payments.
A spokesperson for AC/DC drummer Chris Slade says guitarist Angus Young has no plans to retire once after their tour dates with Axl Rose.
The band are currently delivering the Rock Or Bust shows that were postponed when frontman Brian Johnson was forced to stop performing as a result of hearing issues. Guns N’ Roses vocalist Rose has taken his place.
Replying to a fan comment, the spokesperson says via the Chris Slade Timeline Facebook page, “Angus is definitely not thinking of retiring.”
The source also reports, “Axl is doing a wonderful job and the majority opinion now is that the band were right to finish the tour with him.
It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the band in this form. Everyone would like it to be Brian up there, but due to his health problems this is not possible.”
AC/DC offered refunds to those who didn’t want to attend the concerts featuring Rose. The spokesperson says, “Fans have the opportunity to go to the shows or not. It is entirely their choice – or indeed their loss.”
Rose stated before the tour that he’d be happy to remain on board if the band continued, saying, “I’m in if they want me in.”
Johnson this week met with a hearing expert who believes he can provide equipment that will allow the singer to resume his performing career.
AC/DC European tour dates with Axl Rose
May 19: Vienna Erns-Happel Stadium, Austria
May 22: Prague Letnany Airport, Czech Republic
May 26: Hamburg Volksparkstadion, Germany
May 29: Berne Stade De Suisse, Switzerland
Jun 1: Leipzig Red Bull Arena, Germany
Jun 4: London Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, UK
Jun 9: Manchester Etihad Stadium, UK
Jun 12: Aarhus Ceres Park, Denmark
Guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen will release his album World On Fire on June 1st.
The Swedish guitarist says he spent two years working on the record between tours – which he says made the songwriting process “inspiring.”
Malmsteen says, “I spent two years working on it, touring, recording, touring, recording. And that’s actually much better in a way.
Back in the day I would write the songs then rehearse them with some musicians, then go and do a backing track and we’d record it, mix it, learn the songs to go play them on tour, then do it all again. That way isn’t necessarily conducive to making the best music.
So in a very backhanded way, this weird twist of fate in the music industry has actually made it a more inspiring environment. I can write anytime and record anytime.
My recording studio is always open, 24 hours. I can just record when I want and it’s a beautiful thing.”
