Steve Hackett - Spectral Mornings

Happy 60th Steve Hackett
From his third solo album away from Genesis this is some awfully sweet sounding guitar playing on the title track. Steve definitely added a great sound to Genesis between their best years in my opinion of 1971 (Nursery Cryme) to 1977 (Seconds Out).
In 1986, Hackett co-founded the supergroup GTR with another progressive guitarist, Steve Howe of Yes and Asia which disbanded in 1987 after he left. Hackett resumed his solo career and has released albums and toured on a regular basis since. His body of work has encompassed many styles, such as progressive rock, world music, and classical. His playing has influenced guitarists such as Alex Lifeson (Rush) and Brian May (Queen)..."lay back and groove".

The Monkees (Theme)

Happy 68th B-day to Peter Tork
I had to post this video even though it's not very good quality just because I had flashbacks of watching the tv show as a young kid and always loved watching and listening to this. The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968. The members were Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Englishman Davy Jones, who were supervised and popularized by Don Kirshner.
Very hard to believe but my all-time hero Jimi Hendrix actually had their first US concert appearances as an opening act in July 1967 for The Monkees. What a very odd double bill that must have been with all the screaming teenage girls lined up waiting to see their heart throbs and have to sit through the psychedelic sounds of the Jimi Hendrix Experience first, LOL!.
Hard to believe that these guys have not been inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame yet. Why you may ask?, well go to this website to see a list of what they accomplished throughout their career and sign the petition while you're there. http://www.petitiononline.com/Kretch07/petition.html and then..."lay back and groove".

The Doors - L.A. Woman

I am a day late but happy 71st B-day to Ray Manzarek who was co-founder, and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973. This is one of my favorite songs from the album of the same name which was the sixth and last studio album that The Doors recorded with lead singer Jim Morrison who died in July 1971..."lay back and groove".

Today in Rock n Roll History

1956: Elvis Presley appeared on American TV’s ‘Stage Show’ and performed ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ and ‘Blue Suede Shoes.’

1964: The Beatles perform their first American concert at Washington, D.C.’s Washington Coliseum. Also on the bill are Tommy Roe, the Chiffons, and the Caravelles.

1965: Ringo Starr marries Maureen Cox.They have a son, Zak Starkey, seven months later.They also have a daughter, Lee.The couple divorces in 1975.

1970: Film The Magic Christian starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr and featuring Badfinger Come and Get It premieres in New York.

1970: John Lennon and Yoko Ono play “Instant Karma” on the BBC TV show Top of the Pops.

1972: David Bowie performs his first gig as his Ziggy Stardust persona in Tollworth, England.

1983: The Rolling Stones documentary Let’s Spend the Night Together opens in New York.

1984: The Michael Jackson single “Thriller” debuts at No. 20 on Chart Toppers’s Hot 100. It is the highest debuting song of the 1980s, but fails to reach No. 1, topping out at No. 4.

1992: Motley Crue fired singer Vince Neil, claiming Neil didn’t have a passion for music. Neil claimed he was fired for taking a stand against the group’s new musical direction. Neil later re-joined Motley Crue in 1997.

1998: Bernie Taupin’s hand-written lyrics for Elton John’s Candle in the Wind ‘97 sold for $442,500 at Christie’s in Los Angeles. The proceeds benefited the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.

2000: A gunman begins firing into the crowd at an Isley Brothers concert in Los Angeles. The suspect is shot and killed by an on-duty police officer.

2001: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules that MP3-swapping Web site Napster must stop its users from trading tunes without the permission of their copyright owners. “The court’s decision … confirms that Napster was wrong in exploiting music by artists who do not want to be a part of the Napster system,” crow Napster opponents Metallica (BASTARDS) in a statement.

2008: Heather Mills and Sir Paul McCartney appeared at the High Court in London for a hearing to reach a financial settlement for their divorce. The hearing in the Family Division, which was taking place in private, was expected to last five days. The couple, who had a four-year-old daughter, Beatrice, announced the end of their four-year marriage in 2006. There had been speculation among divorce experts, based on recent cases, that the settlement could reach £60m.

2009: Ronettes singer Estelle Bennett died at her home in Englewood, N.J. She was 67. The 60’s girl group best known for their work with producer Phil Spector had the 1963 hit ‘Be My Baby’ which epitomized the famed “wall of sound” technique.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS
1935: Gene Vincent (Eugene Vincent Craddock) is born in Norfolk, Va. His biggest hit is the top 10 song “Be-Bop-a-Lula” in 1956.
1940: Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett (Monster Mash)
1953: Alan Rubin aka Mr. Fabulous in Blues Brothers movie
1963: Sheryl Crow, one-time back-up singer for both Michael Jackson and Don Henley, is born in Kennett, Mo.

Barnes & Barnes - Fish Heads

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY FISH HEADS

The song is about FISH HEADS and all the things they can or (more often) cannot do such as playing baseball, wearing sweaters, dancing, playing drums, or being seen drinking cappuccino in Italian restaurants with Oriental women. It is accompanied by a high-pitched chorus, achieved by speeding up the tape, which repeats the original's chorus.
This video was named as one of the top 100 videos of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. "Fish Heads," by the duo of Art and Artie Barnes (a.k.a. Robert Haimer and Bill Mumy). Bill Paxton directed and co-starred in the video. Yes, that's former child actor Billy Mumy, who played Will Robinson in "Lost In Space," not to mention his numerous appearances on the "Twilight Zone". Dr. Demento also makes an appearance in a cap, This song has often been played on the Dr. Demento show, and is the second most honored song in Demento show history..."lay back and groove".

Today in Rock n Roll History

1942: Glen Miller became the first person to be awarded a Gold disc, for his ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’, single.

1956: Little Richard Records Long Tall Sally at J&M Studio on this day in rock history! “Long Tall Sally” is a rock and roll 12-bar blues song written by Robert “Bumps” Blackwell, Enotris Johnson and Richard Penniman (known as “Little Richard”), recorded by Little Richard and released March 1956 on the Specialty Records label.

1958: Frank Sinatra started a five week run at No.1 on the US album chart with "Come Fly With Me."

1964: In the wake of last night’s appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the Beatles have become overnight sensations. Elvis Presley sends them a telegram of congratulations and the Fab Four hold a press conference at New York’s Plaza Hotel.

1971: Carole King releases her album Tapestry bringing the contemporary singer/songwriter character to the mainstream radio.

1972: David Bowie appeared at the Tolworth Toby Jug, London, on the opening date of his Ziggy Stardust tour.

1973: British Rail, which was due to demolish Liverpool’s Cavern club to build a subway station, gives the fabled venue a stay of execution. Owner Roy Adams says he will try to use the extra three months to preserve the famed cellar where the Beatles played some of their earliest concerts.

1973: Elton John had his first UK No.1 album when ‘Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player’ started a six-week run at the top of the charts.

1974: Phil Spector was seriously injured in a car accident between Los Angeles & Phoenix. He received multiple injuries & underwent extensive plastic surgery which altered his looks. The details of this accident remain a mystery to this day.

1975: Dave Alexander, bassist for The Stooges died of pulmonary edema at a hospital in Ann Arbor, MI. He was 27 years old.

1978: Van Halen released their self-titled debut album. It peaked at number nineteen on the Billboard 200 album chart & went on to sell ten million copies in the U.S. alone.

1985: Northern Lights, which included Neil Young, Burton Cummings of The Guess Who, Joni Mitchell, Geddy Lee of Rush, Bryan Adams, & Mike Reno of Loverboy entered Manta Sound studios in Toronto to record Tears Are Not Enough to raise funds for the famine in Ethiopia.

1990: Guitarist Eric Clapton finishes an 18-show stand at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The performances, which began Jan. 18, included three different bands, a 60-piece orchestra and blues jams with Robert Cray.

1997: Brian Connolly singer with the 1970’s Glam rock group Sweet died of kidney and liver failure aged 47.

1998: Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose was arrested for allegedly threatening to punch out a security guard who was searching his luggage at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Rose was charged with disorderly conduct.

1999: It is announced that BPI Communications is suspending publication of its Musician magazine after 21 years.

2003: The Rolling Stones play a free show in Los Angeles to raise awareness of global warming. Their support act is former sax player (and president) Bill Clinton.

2005: Prince topped Rolling Stone magazine’s annual list of the year’s biggest money earners after his 2004 tour grossed over $90 million. Madonna came in second place after earning $54.9 million and Metallica came third with $43 million.

2005: Who singer Roger Daltrey was awarded the CBE by The Queen at Buckingham Palace for services to the music industry.


TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS
1937: Don Wilson guitarist for The Ventures
1949: Nigel Olsson drummer for Elton John
1962: Cliff Burton bassist for Metallica. Burton was killed on September 27th 1987, when the band’s tour bus crashed as it was traveling between Stockholm and Copenhagen. He was found crushed to death under the bus.
1929: Jerry Goldsmith. Created the music for scores of classic movies and television shows ‘Star Trek’, ‘Planet of the Apes’, ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ and ‘Dr. Kildare.’ He died after a long battle with cancer on July 21st 2004, aged 75.

Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten - Bass Jam

Wicked jam of between 3 of the best bass players in the world. This is just 14 and a half minutes of WOW! jamming to Stanley Clarke's "School Days" which is a song that any bass player starting out would learn for their repertoire.They tour together as SMV!

Stanley Clarke single-handedly started the 1970s “bass revolution," paving the way for all bassist/ soloist/bandleaders to follow with 1974s release of his eponymous Stanley Clarke album, which featured the crossover hit, “Lopsy Lu." In 1976 he released School Days, its title track now a bona fide bass anthem. He teamed with George Duke, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards and more - was Rolling Stone's first Jazzman of the Year - and bass winner of Playboy's Music Award for 10 straight years.

Marcus Miller came from a musical family in Jamaica, NY. By age 13, he was already proficient on clarinet and piano and had begun composing, but bass guitar was his true passion. In 1981, he joined his boyhood idol Miles Davis and spent two years with the fabled star. “He didn't settle for anything mediocre," Miller recalls. “And this helped me develop my style. In 1986, Miller collaborated again with Davis, producing the landmark Tutu album, the first of three Davis albums he produced. He appeared as a bassist on over 400 recordings by artists as diverse as Joe Sample, McCoy Tyner, Mariah Carey, Bill Withers, Elton John, Bryan Ferry, Frank Sinatra, LL Cool J and Luther Vandross.

Victor Wooten is back for the thunder. Regarded as one of the most influential bassists since the late Jaco Pastorius, Wooten is known for both his solo work and tours and as a member of Grammy-winners Bela Fleck & The Flecktones.
Wooten released his acclaimed solo debut, A Show of Hands in 1996. Momentum and accolades built with touring and the release of What Did He Say? in 1997, the Grammy-nominated Yin-Yang in 1999 and Live In America in 2001. He won two Nashville Music Awards for Bassist of the Year and is the only three-time winner of Bass Player magazines Bass Player of the Year. With the honors came gigs with Branford Marsalis, Bruce Hornsby, Chick Corea, Dave Matthews and Prince..."lay back and groove".

Today in Rock n Roll History

1958: The Quarry Men appeared at the Wilson Hall in Garston. After the show Paul McCartney introduced George Harrison to John Lennon, George performs ‘Raunchy’ for John, who is impressed with the young guitarist.

1960: Hearings begin into payola in the US radio and record industries, Alan Freed and Dick Clark are among the accused.

1964: On their first full day in New York, The Beatles (minus George who had a sore throat), went for a photo-opportunity walk around Central Park. Extra police were called in to keep fans away. Later in the day The Ronettes interviewed the band for radio.

1969: Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Steve Winwood announce plans for Blind Faith.

1972: A Frank Zappa concert at the Albert Hall is canceled because of 'obscene lyrics' in the score of 200 Motels.

1973: Max Yasgur the owner of the Woodstock farm where the 1969 festival was held died of a heart attack aged 53.

1975: Bob Dylan went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Blood On The Tracks’ his second US No.1 album.

1990: Singer Del Shannon dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

2002: The wooden church stage where John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met is saved from demolition when the Liverpool City Council votes to dismantle the stage and store it rather than demolish it to make way for renovations.

2002: Bob Wooler died aged 76. He was the resident DJ and booker at Liverpool’s Cavern Club during the early 1960’s.

2005: Keith Knudson drummer with The Doobie Brothers died of pneumonia aged 56.

2006: Music legend Sly Stone makes his first major public appearance since his 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

2006: U2 cruises by leading contenders Mariah Carey and Kanye West to win five awards at the 48th annual Grammy Awards. The band surprises many by winning album of the year and rock album of the year for “How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” as well as song of the year and best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal for Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own. The veteran Irish rock act’s other trophy comes for “City of Blinding Lights” (best rock song).


TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS
1943: Creed Bratton from the Grass Roots, (1968 US No.5 single "Midnight Confessions").
1948: Dan Seals, England Dan & John Ford Coley
1961: Vince Neil of Motley Crue

Today in Rock n Roll History

1957: 5,000 fans greeted Bill Haley when he arrived from New York on the liner Queen Elizabeth at Southampton, for his debut UK concert tour. Haley was the first American rock artist to tour the UK.

1962: The Beatles played two shows, one at the Cavern Club at lunchtime and in the evening at the Kingsway Club in Southport. This was the first time Ringo Starr appeared live with the group after drummer Pete Best became ill.

1966: Petula Clark had her second No.1 in the US singles chart with "My Love" (it made No. 4 in the UK).

1967: The News Of The World reported that Mick Jagger had taken LSD at the Moody Blues’ home in the UK. Jagger sued the paper for libel in an on-going feud between the News Of The World and The Stones.

1968: Beatles go gold with Yellow Submarine.

1976: Rudy Pompilli sax player with Bill Haley & His Comets dies.

1977: Iggy Pop signs with RCA Records.

1981: Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau inducts Joni Mitchell into Canada's Juno Hall of Fame.

1983: Def Leppard’s album ‘Pyromania’, started a 92 week run on the US charts, it never reached No.1 but sold over 6 million copies in the US alone.

2003: Ex-Doors drummer John Densmore sues former bandmates Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger as well as newcomers Ian Astbury and Stewart Copeland, claiming the quartet were violating a copyright by using the name “The Doors.” They later change their name to “The Doors 21st Century.”

2004: Former Sex Pistol/PiL frontman John Lydon walks off the U.K. edition of I’m a Celebrity-Get Me Out of Here.

2006: The Rolling Stones perform during the halftime show at Super Bowl XL. However, TV producers use a “dump button” to edit salacious lyrics from their songs “Start Me Up” and “Rough Justice”.

2007: Producer Phil Spector won $900,000 (£459,000) after settling an embezzlement claim. Spector said former assistant Michelle Blaine removed $425,000 (£216,000) from his pension and did not repay a $635,000 (£324,000) loan. Ms Blaine claimed the loan was a gift, and the pension funds were for a film aimed at improving Spector’s image. As part of the settlement, she dropped a counter-claim of sexual harassment.


TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS
1935: Alex Harvey vocalist/guitarist for Sensational Alex Harvey Band
1942: Corey Wells vocalist for Three Dog Night
1943: Chuck Winfield trumpet player for Blood Sweat & Tears
1944: Al Kooper the session guitarist turned organist for Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone”
1948: David Denny guitarist for Steve Miller Band
1948: Nigel Tufnell guitarist for Spinal Tap

Black Sabbath - War Pigs

Happy 62nd Birthday Ozzy.
As one of the first and most influential heavy metal bands of all time, Black Sabbath helped define the genre with releases such as 1970's quadruple-platinum Paranoid. They were ranked by MTV as the "Greatest Metal Band" of all time, and have sold over fifteen million records in the United States alone.
This was filmed December 20, 1970 at The Olympia Theater in Paris, France and has been bootlegged extensively. Black Sabbath was merely a curiosity witnessed by a motionless audience unsure what to make of this new sound. Just a few years later the same music would illicit mayhem at concerts requiring bodyguards and barricades to contain the crushing sea of humanity..."lay back and groove".

Today in Rock n Roll History

1959: An airplane crash near Mason City, Iowa, kills Buddy Holly, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Ritchie Valens.

1961: Bob Dylan makes his first recording, taping “San Francisco Bay Blues” in New York.

1966: Paul McCartney attends a performance of Stevie Wonder at Scotch of St. James’ Club in London and partakes in a backstage meeting with the 15-year-old genius.

1968: The Beatles started work on their new single ‘Lady Madonna’ at Abbey Road studios in London. Recording three piano and drum takes with overdub bass, fuzz guitars, drums, and vocals.

1969: John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison hire Allen Klein as the Beatles’ business manager. Paul McCartney disagrees with the decision, leading to further divisions among the group.

1973: No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Crocodile Rock,” Elton John. The single is the singer’s first No. 1 song in the United States.

1978: On the 19th anniversary of Buddy Holly’s death, it’s revealed that his Texas birthplace is scheduled for demolition by the Lubbock Building Department. The landmark is saved when the entire building is purchased and moved out of town.

1979: Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi of the Blues Brothers went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Briefcase Full Of Blues’.

1979: Wolfman Jack Introduces Del Shannon, TheDrifters and Jimmy Clanton in a twenteith-anniversary show in memory of the 'Three Stars' at the Surf Ballroom in Clearance, Iowa.

1982: No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Centerfold,” The J. Geils Band. Band member Peter Wolf once said the group turned down an offer to perform at Woodstock because the musicians didn’t want to spend three days in the mud.

2003: Producer Phil Spector, noted for his work with the Beatles, Ike & Tina Turner, the Righteous Brothers, and the Ronettes, is arrested in connection with the shooting death of Lana Clarkson at his home in Alhambra, Calif.

2004: Sax player Cornelius Bumpus dies from a heart attack on a flight from New York to Los Angeles aged 58. The former Doobie Brothers and Moby Grape member also played with Steely Dan.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS
1935: Johnny “Guitar” Watson, a blues strummer who struck R&B gold with “A Real Mother for Ya” and “Superman Lover”
1940: Angelo D’Aleo vocalist for Dion and The Belmonts (1961 hit "Runaround Sue")
1943: Eric Haydock bass player for The Hollies
1947: Dave Davies guitarist for the Kinks
1948: Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)
1949: Arthur “Killer” Kane bass player with The New York Dolls

David Gilmour at Fender's 50th Birthday Celebration

WOW!!..close your eyes and listen to this guitar solo as it digs deep down into your soul with such feeling. Gilmour has been one of my favorite guitar players for a long time, going back to his Pink Floyd days and then of course his solo career. If you have never heard his self titled debut album from 1978 you should do yourself the favor, I guarantee it will be an incredible aural experience..."lay back and groove".

Tool - Parabola

This was just too good to not post. I can't believe I have not gotten into this band before as I really like their sound and the videos are un-freakinbelievable. Maybe it's a total combination of the 2 of them together. I really suggest that if you like this one and the other to search for 'MadInChains" on youtube as he has all the Tool videos in HD. If you know of any other bands that have similar type videos please make a comment below and let me know..."lay back and groove".

Tool - Vicarious

This is one of the coolest music videos I have seen in a very long time and they also have a couple of other very similar ones in HD. The computer graphics and everything used in this is incredible.
The song is the first single released from their fourth full-length studio album 10,000 Days. The DVD released on December 18, 2007 contains this extended version of the the song. The video is completely made through use of CGI, making it Tool's first full CGI (computer-generated imagery) video, as opposed to stop-motion animation, which the band has used in their past videos..."lay back and groove".

World's Biggest Guitar

Had to post this as it is very cool, the biggest guitar in the world where you can actually walk around inside of it. It him 9 months to make it and 4 tons of wood was used and it stands at 18 metres long by 8 metres wide and uses steel strings. Sound analysis equipment has been installed inside of it to help people understand what they are actually hearing and how it works..."lay back and groove".

Sid Vicious - My Way

Simon John Ritchie aka Sid Vicious May 10. 1957 – February 2, 1979 best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols.
Manager Malcolm McLaren once claimed "if Johnny Rotten is the voice of punk, then Vicious is the attitude."
McLaren also said in person and in a documentary that if he'd met Sid before he had hired Johnny to be the singer, Sid would have been the Sex Pistols front man, because he had the most charisma of anyone on that stage.
A television documentary titled "Biography: The Sex Pistols" on the Biography Channel made the following statement, based on an apparent confession from Vicious' mother Anne Ritchie.
On February 2nd, 1979 only days after his release from Bellevue and just before he was about to stand trial for the murder of Nancy Spungen, Sid Vicious' mother injected him with heroin and he died in bed. She later admitted that she knowingly gave her son enough drugs to kill two people. In a bizarre deathbed confession, Anne Ritchie justified taking her son's life by saying, 'There was no way that Sid would have been able to cope with life behind bars.'
How prophetic is the picture at around the 2:10 mark,"Drugs Kill". This video sure does have some great photos in it. He definitely lived a full life in his short time here and made sure he did everything 'His Way'..."lay back and groove"

Today in Rock n Roll History

1957: Fats Domino appears on TV’s “Perry Como Show” to sing his hit singles “Blueberry Hill” and “Blue Monday.”

1959: Appearing at Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, Iowa, Buddy Holly, Richard Valens and The Big Bopper. This was all three acts last ever gig before being killed in a plane crash the following day.

1962: The Beatles played their first professionally organised gig outside of Liverpool at The Oasis Club, Manchester. The group’s set started with their version of ‘Hippy Hippy Shake.’

1966: The Rolling Stones released ‘19th Nervous Breakdown’ it peaked at No.2 on the UK singles chart.

1967: The Jimi Hendrix Experience played live on UK TV show Top Of The Pops performing ‘Purple Haze.’

1973: Keith Emerson’s hands are injured during a performance by Emerson, Lake & Palmer in San Francisco. His piano, rigged to explode as a stunt, detonates prematurely.

1978: Van Halen's self titled debut album is released this day in rock history!Release date: 1978-02-10

1979: Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols dies of a heroin overdose less than four months after fatally stabbing his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, at New York’s Chelsea Hotel.

1992: Musician Todd Rundgren and his wife, singer Michele Gray, have a son in San Francisco. They name the child Rebop.

2005: Michael Jackson’s child molestation trial is adjourned early after 4000 potential jurors are whittled down to a final 250. Experts say jury selection could take up to a month.

2006: former Dynasty star Heather Locklear filed for divorce from Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora after 11 years of marriage. Locklear who was previously married to Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and Sambora were married in 1994 and have an eight-year-old daughter called Ava.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS
1889: Lonnie Johnson (pioneer of 'bending-string' type of guitar playing)
1942: Graham Nash singer/guitarist with The Hollies, Crosby Stills Nash & Young
1943: Peter Macbeth of The Foundations ("Build Me Up A Buttercup")
1966: Robert Deleo bass player Stone Temple Pilots

AC/DC Finally Win a Grammy

AC/DC won the first Grammy of their career on Sunday night when they won the best hard rock performance award for the song "War Machine". Of course, despite being from one of biggest selling albums of 2008 they were "honored" with the award during the non-televised portion of the show, which is reserved for the "acceptable," though often lesser selling artists.To me this is pretty sad, I know that winning a Grammy is not based on sales but more for outstanding achievement in the music industry...But I guess having the second highest selling album of all-time is not considered an outstanding achievement

AC/DC are a case in point about just how out of touch with the record buying public that the Recording Academy and thus the Grammy Awards really are. Consider that this is their first Grammy, given to them 30 years after they released Back in Black, which holds the honor of being the biggest selling album by a band across the globe (second biggest selling album of all behind Michael Jackson's Thriller) and the fifth largest selling album in the U.S. They didn't receive their first Grammy nomination until 1989, when they lost out to those hard rockin' flute playing bad boys of Jethro Tull. In case you were wondering, Christopher Cross took home the top honors in 1980.

Consider for a moment that both AC/DC's latest album "Black Ice" and Beyonce's "I Am Sasha Fierce" was certified double platinum. So each album was just as popular with fans but who got all of the attention by the Grammy folks? What about the album that won the Rock Album honor? Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown" has only been certified gold (500K copies sold), a fourth of the amount of AC/DC. And let's not forget the "Record of the Year," Kings of Leon's Use Somebody, which has only gone platinum, thus it sold half as many copies as AC/DC's Black Ice.

We point all of this out, using this one example to simply show how meaningless awards like the Grammy's really are, when they are basically as credible as a high school election. But the real award that counts is at the cash register where the fans place their votes and while artists like AC/DC might not get their due among the self congratulating music insiders, the fans continue to honor them with their loyalty and that is worth far more than a silly statue..."lay back and groove".

Roy Orbison recieves star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Late rock ’n’ roll pioneer Roy Orbison was given his long-overdue due Friday when he was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The unveiling of the Walk's 2,400th landmark — which sits at the base of the famed Capitol Records tower on Vine Street, alongside stars of John Lennon and George Harrison — was attended by a gang of Orbison’s friends, family and fellow musicians. In the crowd were Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, fellow Traveling Wilbury Jeff Lynne, folk-rock legend Phil Everly, comedian Eric Idle of Monty Python, Olivia Harrison, singer-guitarist Dwight Yoakam, Wilburys drummer Jim Keltner, singer-songwriters Chris Isaak and Jason Mraz, and even filmmaker David Lynch, who famously used Orbison’s In Dreams in his film Blue Velvet. But the guests of honour on this day were Orbison’s widow Barbara and his three sons Wesley, Roy Jr. and Alex.

Blessed with an operatic five-octave voice and a dramatic songwriting style, his work influenced generations of performers and was heard and loved by millions.The power of Orbison’s influence also extended far beyond music, according to Canadian comic Dan Aykroyd, who roared up the affair on a Harley like one the singer used to ride.

Standing beneath large banners of Roy in his trademark sunglasses, Aykroyd recalled that seeing Orbison play Ottawa as a boy changed his life.

“Since then, I've worn nothing but black,” cracked Aykroyd, who was indeed sporting a black leather jacket and jeans. “And I can wear sunglasses anytime I want because Roy did.”

In addition to the Walk of Fame ceremony, Friday was proclaimed Roy Orbison Day in Hollywood in honour of his many achievements.

Born in Texas, Orbison’s first brush with success came with tunes like Ooby Dooby and Rock House, recorded for Sam Phillips’ Sun Records in Memphis. He broke through to the big time with 1960’s Only the Lonely, the first of string of hits including Oh, Pretty Woman, Crying, In Dreams, Running Scared, Dream Baby and You Got It. Along with his solo success, Orbison enjoyed a late-career resurgence as a member of The Traveling Wilburys supergroup with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty. He died of a heart attack in 1988 at age 52.

Jimi Hendrix - "Valleys of Neptune"

Though there have been many posthumous releases from Jimi Hendrix's archives since his tragic death, the recently-announced "Valleys of Neptune" isn't meant to be a "lost" album. Rather, it's a look at the creative period in Hendrix's life between the 1968 release of 'Electric Ladyland' and his legendary appearance at Woodstock the following summer.

The new album "Valleys of Neptune," which is made up of studio recordings that Jimi Hendrix made in 1969 and 1970 (after completing "Electric Ladyland") will be released on March 9.

The disc was completed with the help of Hendrix's longtime engineer Eddie Kramer and includes Hendrix's last studio recordings with the Jimi Hendrix Experience group, plus recordings with bassist Billy Cox who performed on the "Band of Gypsies" album. The disc will also include the track "Mr. Bad Luck," which was recorded in 1967.

Most of the music has been released in other forms (some only in bootleg), but this is the first official release of the music in this form.

Here's the tracklist:
1. Stone Free 3:45
2. Valleys of Neptune 4:01
3. Bleeding Heart 6:20
4. Hear My Train A Comin' 7:29
5. Mr. Bad Luck 2:56
6. Sunshine Of Your Love 6:45
7. Lover Man 4:15
8. Ships Passing Through The Night 5:52
9. Fire 3:12
10. Red House 8:20
11. Lullaby For The Summer 3:48
12. Crying Blue Rain 4:56

Click here to listen to "Valleys of Neptune", it's well worth giving a listen to..."lay back and groove".