Could it be? The 30+ year veteran rockers back on Top 40 radio with their new single off the highly andicipated “Black Ice” album released this Monday? Apparently so! WSTW here in Delaware is giving away a free trip to see AC/DC in concert in an “undisclosed location” as part of their FanNation promotion. I almost couldn’t believe my ears. AC/DC on a Top 40 station? That’s probably the most awesome thing I’ve heard in a while!
“Rock n Roll Train” the already hit single has been blowing up radios across the country for the last few weeks. It’s vintage AC/DC at their best, hard riffs, solid drumming and blazing solos from Mr. Angus Young himself. I’ve yet to pick up my own copy of the album but plan to do so in the next few days.
AC/DC’s first new release in eight years hit WalMart store shelves exclusively this Monday, October 20th. It’s not being made available in any digital format (no iTunes, Amazon download, or anything) as has been the trend with AC/DC’s entire catalog. The standard edition of the album is available with 3 unique cover designs plus a deluxe edition with it’s own artwork and expanded CD booklet.
Walmart has the standard edition listed at $11.88 and the deluxe edition at $13.88. I’ll be sure to write a review of the album when I pick it up!
For now, here’s the tracklist:
1. Rock N Roll Train
2. Skies On Fire
3. Big Jack
4. Anything Goes
5. War Machine
6. Smash N Grab
7. Spoilin’ For A Fight
8. Wheels
9. Decibel
10. Stormy May Day
11. She Likes Rock N Roll
12. Money Made
13. Rock N Roll Dream
14. Rocking All The Way
15. Black Ice
It’s been years since I’ve sat behind a kit and just jammed out. I used to love to play all the time. I’d crank up something on the stereo and keep the beat along with whatever was on. Usually drove my parents and later, my neighbors nuts. Recently, I’ve really been looking into buying another kit and getting myself back up to par and even looking for a band to join. Interestingly enough, a LOT of bands seem to need drummers. Not so many needs guitarists, which is unfortunate because I’m well equipped to fill someone’s rhythm guitar spot. Not the case for someone’s drumming vacancy.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone browsing musical equipment webstores looking at their kits and cymbals and adding up the dollar amount I’d be spending for the setup that I want. I’ve gone through many of the major brands and woods and styles. I used to play a Pearl six piece kit with Sabian cymbals. Now though, I don’t think I’d go back to Pearl. I’ve played behind a few other brands and I actually liked them better. I’d still stick with Sabian cymbals though. Everyone and their grandmother uses Zildjians and in my opinion, you can get just as good (if not better) sound out of Sabians for a smaller price. That makes perfect sense to me!
If it were totally up to me, the ultimate set I’d buy would be the one that’s pictured on this post. It’s an eight piece double bass ddrum set. 24″ kicks for that extra thump in your chest as you’re listening to me play. Obviously, two ginormous kick drums aren’t exactly practical to lug around everywhere. So I would settle on another set-up of these drums. Perhaps the single 24″ kick five-piece set that’s oh, $300 less than the big set. That would do. I’d be okay with that. Besides you can always buy the second floor tom and the second kick later on and you gotta have money to buy some cymbals and hardware to go with it! I wouldn’t need much to start, a set of hats, two crashes and a ride. I’ve never been big on effects cymbals so I’m not worried about splashes or Chinas.
That’d be enough to get me going. I don’t need anything super fancy, just something to get me playing again so I can get my arms and legs in shape. In all honesty it’s not going to happen any time soon and that’s surely for the best. Drums cost money and well, money isn’t something I’m swimming in right now.
November 18th is the day. We still don’t have a title for it but Nickelback will be releasing a new album on that date (barring any production problems). I’m anticipating this release not only because I like Nickelback but also because Mutt Lange is producing their album. You may know Lange from his work with Def Leppard, AC/DC and his former wife Shania Twain (if you like country). He knows how to make a good album and it will be interesting to see what he does and where he takes Nickelback.
When I was in college they came to the Bob Carpenter center on tour with 311(…I still don’t know how thye matched them up), they were touring for their “Silver Side Up” album, I wasn’t really impressed. The did the typical “stay put and just play” performance. However, when they toured with Bon Jovi a few years back and I saw them it was a much different story. Very animated, active with the stadium full of people they were playing to, and it appeared as if they realized “Hey, this is fun! We play music and we get paid for it! LOLZ!”
So yes, long story short, November 18th, new Nickelback album. The first single from the album “If Today Was Your Last Day” will hit radio September 30th.
Sometimes I surf through YouTube trying to find stupid videos that will make me laugh. I don’t have a particular type of search that I do, sometimes I’ll type in ’stupid’ and go from there. Last month while I was pumped up about seeing Journey in concert again, I went looking for videos of them, be it live concert footage or some of their old music videos. (You remember what those are, don’t you? Music videos?)
I came across the video for Separate Ways. I have no idea what the band or the director of the video were aiming for. If it was completely discontinuity and random shots of Steve Perry dodging construction equipment on a dock, they hit it head on. Why the hell is Jon Cain’s keyboard mounted on a frickin wall? Anyone??? Help me out here. Ross Valory looks like he’s straight out of an 80s porn movie. And if you define “badass rockstars” as playing invisible instruments…well, all I can say is it’s definitely ’80s’. It is so completely insane that it has inspired several spoof videos, the best one by a group of kids from Oregon (note the Oregon Ducks logo on the garage door windows). It, by far, contains the most hilarity.
But there are other songs. That’s right. Apparently a trend started with totally ripping Journey music videos, or in some cases just creating a video from one of their songs. This is why I’m writing this post. You MUST see two of said videos. One is ‘Ask the Lonely’, which happens to be my favorite Journey song, and the other is ‘Stone in Love’. The two were shot in what seems to be sequential order. They’re stupid, immature and damn funny.
Highlight? 2:16 into ‘Stone In Love’, “Steve Perry” pops out of the trunk of what looks like a Olds Alero and breaks into the chorus while the ‘band’ is in the bed of a pick-up truck driving alongside. Watch at the end of that scene where “Neal Schon” nearly falls out of the pickup.
They just make you want to say, HEY! Remember the 80s? and then ask these guys to make more videos! Can you think of any 80s rock video you’d like spoofed?
The Telegraph is reporting that Led Zeppelin is in the studio working on some new songs. Well, almost. Page, Jones and Jason Bonham are in the studio jamming. Robert Plant has yet to be seen. Bonham gave a quote to a radio station in Detroit that a lot of “politics” would need to be ironed about before there is a new album. He also added, if he gets a phone call to go play, he goes and plays and enjoys it. Smart man.
Apparently the legendary band has baggage similar to that of…oh say, Van Halen, Journey, etc. Politics. I hate when politics gets involved in music or vice-versa. Then again, I guess sometimes it is near impossible to prevent their mingling. (see, Bono, Eddie Vedder, Rage). Or politics could be read as: money. Who knows?
I’ll stay hopeful though. I’m a little too young to have been around when Zeppelin was at their prime. I enjoy reunions that produce new material, though. Van Halen did it with Sammy Hagar and granted, only 2 new tracks came of it but I thought they were really cool.
Leave something for me to [hopefully] look forward to.
Could it be? The 30+ year veteran rockers back on Top 40 radio with their new single off the highly andicipated “Black Ice” album released this Monday? Apparently so! WSTW here in Delaware is giving away a free trip to see AC/DC in concert in an “undisclosed location” as part of their FanNation promotion. I almost couldn’t believe my ears. AC/DC on a Top 40 station? That’s probably the most awesome thing I’ve heard in a while!
