Rock Project 4 - Europe

Probably one of the less recognized bands in the World, Europe was a heavy group in the beggining of the 80's, but with a more hard rock sound (almost a glam rock), that reached world sucess with some music's like "Final Countdown, Carrie and Rock the Night", follow by "Supersticious, Open your Hart and Let the good times Roll", but this time without the guitar player John Norum (Kee Marcelo was the choice for the replacement, in the next two albuns). "Prisioners in Paradise" was a great performance but in a time were Grunge run the world, the record had only a few sales. After a pause of more than a decade and some interesting personel projects they came back with is original formation and with a more powerfull sound, made by a impressive regular number of albums and DVD's to prove their good performance in studio and live. Also the visual was change a lot, with a much more aproach to common live style then that "air metal" influence (today we can see in for example Steel Panther but Motley Crue still have some features) "Final Countdown" is not "my album", and i prefer "Out of this World", but the new ones in this seccond period that the band "came to live" are mutch better. And live performances never were so spectacular, since the interaction between all five members are on top. To bad today is very rare that they play in stadiums, but most of the fans don't care because they know that the band is here to stay.

Europe - The Siege

Europe - Walk the Earth

Europe - Last look at Eden

Europe - Sing the Blues

Europe - War of Kings

Europe - Let the Good times Rock

Europe - Final Countdown

Europe - Open your Heart

Europe - Superstitious

Europe - Dreamer

Europe - Rock the Night

https://www.youtube.com/?hl=pt-PT&gl=PT

Rock Project 3 - Depeche Mode

The "101" or "101 Live" was probaly one of the most important and influence live albuns from the 80's (another was "life after death" from Iron Maiden, but that is different subject), with the original 4 band together. After some albuns Alan Wilder leaves and the band was never the same. Anyway, DM contribution to music is important, since match the new wave and electronic sound with a certain type of rock and live concerts. With the hard rock boom in the end of the 80's again Depeche Mode was in a great form, and even with Grunge, the band never loss his mojo, since the albums and live performances were always great and with a high crowd. And the more important is that today still rocks with arenas full of people of different ages, and the band keep on going, on and on, and there's no signal of a stop in the future. Probably are the best electronic pop-rock band and is influence in millions of fans and of course, other bands, from the music type but also like rock and hard rock ones, is a reallity. Also, the live presentations were a big thing back in those days, with the Pasadena concert to be the major blast, with a live record and than VHS thing (then Cd and DVD, i think).  So, this band is a significant part of my music background, but in this days i hear a few of their songs, especially the new material. To bad that they dont reunite all at least for a final tour (maybe in their final days).

Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence

Depeche Mode-  Just can't get enought

Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus

Depeche Mode - Strange Love

Depeche Mode - It's no Good

Depeche Mode - Heaven

Depeche Mode - I Feel You

Depeche Mode - Home

Depeche Mode - Everything Counts

A question of time

Heros - Sessions Version

https://www.youtube.com/?hl=pt-PT&gl=PT

Is Rock Dead? Of course not.

Rock today is very different to the one made 20 or 30 years ago, and no, i'm not talking about music. Industry have is weight in making bands big but today all that have a direct relatioship with music, know that is very different, and is much more difficult to make names like Stones or The Beatles. But there's great rock bands with nice music and that play in only little rooms, but since they are not a radio hit or a blast with young people only a few know about them. With internet, the cd and the rise of stuff like Hip Hop, the level of the new bands, is never so big like was Ac/Dc or Guns and Roses, and probably never will be. Probably is back to basics (a name from a great Sebastian Bach album), like Metallica made in the early 80's, with record and tour, and the rest is a big interrogation, because today we can see bands in cinemas or the virtual ones like Gorilaz (that only today they do life real concerts). 
Besides that, the expression "rock is death" came from Kiss bass player Gene Simons (at least in more recent times), who was thinking in the 70's and 80's were industry were less sofisticated then today, and the profit was much more high (is possible that in percentage of profit also there´s a significant variation to the today numbers). For example, Kiss don't want to record another album since for Simons "people make the download ilegally", but when they do, the fame of the band is not getting bigger? Of course we can ask if Kiss doesn't have enought money, but for exemple the last Chickenfoot albuns wasn´t paid for the record sales (that was low). And that is a crap and gives a sensation that today is better to make a home album or in a private own studio that send the musicians to "Abbey Road" (i know is closed, just to check a point of view). Probably what he have today is that band's are "not so big" or "famous" as they were before, and that´s true, due to a number of reasons (like the soul or hip hop visibility that exists today).  But rock is still on going, and probably will go foverer. This is only 12 examples of is vitallity.

Hinder in 2007,  had this great "Use me", made with a lot o sex, drugs and Rock and Roll. Still active today with a different front man, is true that only have made a EP with original songs, but is not bad comparig with the crap that we see today.

One of the best bands in world today and that never stop, give us the prove that Australia is not only Ac/Dc. The question is how they are not bigger? A mistery, since some big australian bands are in the end of their times. But rock music is well served with Airwaves.

Hot metal only in the 80's? No, hair metal lives with Steel Phanter, who is a comedy group but the music and quality is all there. And they play in medium places, make everybody laught and are technically very good. Yeah, hair metal is not dead.

Love them. What a band and with some great players, specially vocal, guitar players and drums. True that they are in batch 2, and also a pause since Todd have is hown group, but i bellive that Nelson will came back and they will do great music again.

One of the best super groups that today play live and make great music, with 3 genius and lots of mojo. Why they only play in little and medium places? I'dont care, they still great anyway, probably forever (what a nice thought).

 

Super groups? How about this one with Anthony. Satriani, Chad and Sammy, that give us a par of albuns and a great live record. And this guys have full time bands and projects, but still made music for us. God bless them.

Dead "fucking" Daisies, that´s a rock and roll band. Yes, they are veterans and the line up is always to change, but they do great music. I hope to see them soon. Famous bands like Kiss are calling them to make the opening act, and were the first rock band to play in Cuba (there is a great documentary about that in youtube).

Another power trio. True that Theory of a Dead Man are in bussiness for many years, but they are a medium recognised group, especially to the more underground listeners. A cool band with a lot of potencial to be big, someday.

I like them. I'm listening Saliva for many years and they still have that power to rock the house, and shake the glasses. I know that sometimes this fusion types of rock and other kind of music are difficult to listenig, but in my opinion there's great sound and one cool way to get new rock fans.

How, so cool. Another of the projects of Portnoy and Shean (Sons of Apollo), who is very active since he left Dream Theather, and give us another awsemone demostrations of is technical capacity. And again, rock is alive and again this is the proof.

More two great bands. one with new people and the other with a trio of veterans that are playing for many years. Hughes, Bonamassa and Boham make a powerfull rock blues group with a unique sound. More a powerfull prove that rock is much alive and kicking.

https://www.youtube.com/?hl=pt-PT&gl=PT

Rock Project 2 - Duran Duran

Ok, a surprise? I don't think so. Yes, Duran Duran still are a pop-rock band (for me much more rock than pop), they had one hell of a five members, especially John and Andy Taylor (also in Power Station, for obvious reasons) and Nick Rhodes (a master in the keyboards), with Roger and Simon, all in the right places. And if Arcadia was not a big sucess, Power Station with two albuns were a hit and left a significant legacy, with a much bad luck and studio confusion, that devastaded the possibility of more than a couple of records and some live performances (today only the Taylor's are alive). In the biggining of the century the five reunite toghether again but only for one album and the follow tour, with Andy Taylor slamming the door again, this time for manegering problems, with some new matterial recorded. For some reason Cocurruso was not a option for the substitution and since that they are a quarteted, and in my opinion they went again to a pop-rock with no history (or a bad one). It's a band that makes sense together or with a very good guitar player and compositor, what is not the case today. To bad, at least for me (i think that Andy again is in the productions, since i have no knoledge that is making music again. In the past their solo albúms were very good, so is twice to petty).

Duran Duran - Save a Prayer

Duran Duran - Hungry like the Wolf

Duran Duran - Reflex

Duran Duran - Is there something i should know

Duran Duran - What Happens Tomorrow

Duran Duran - Ordenary World

Duran Duran - Wild Boys

Duran Duran - Reach Up for the Sunrise

Duran Duran - The Union of the Snake

Duran Duran - A view to a kill

Duran Duran - Notorius

                                         

https://www.youtube.com/?hl=pt-PT&gl=PT

Rock project 1 - The Cars

Rock Project is a serie of articles about the contribution of several bands to my taste of rock, hard rock and metal. The Cars was one of them with albums and musics that increases the valour of guitars, bass and drums (not a particular fan of keeboards, but if is good applied in music...). Probably was one of the first groups that i discovered by myself  (when RTP had music programs..lol), but was very important to what came next.

In 06/05/2018 they enter in Rock All of Fame, wich recognises the importante of the group for the world music panorama, but the work in 70's and inicial 80's were the principal factor of their influence across the world. To bad that they make a brake from twenty years and only in this decade, they return. Afortunatelly Benjamin Orr died and last album was recorded without him (one of the main song writing of the group), and that makes me think if they keep going from the 70's to this century, with all members and making an album/tour from 2 or 3 times in a decade? The last record, launch in this century was not bad, but Cars were 5 unique members. Anyway, they are a band that for me change rock and my live, sice that sound makes my interest in the discover of new sounds, and much importante, the more heavy ones.

 

The Cars - Magic

The Cars - Tonight she cames

The Cars - Drive

The Cars - You might think

The Cars - Bye bye love

The Cars -

The Cars - Strap me in

http://thecars.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cars

https://www.youtube.com/?hl=pt-PT&gl=PT

Why so many deaths in Rock Industry in the last years?

Fame and fortune is hard to get but most more difficult to leave.  Image you are a dude, so famous that you can't go buying the newspaper without being overrun by fans, paparazi or autograph hunters. And the pressure from industry? Anyway, the nead for psicologic and medical care is more than true, with a necessary way like tours and the band tasks, are done (not everybody are Guns and Roses, at least part of them who still run...lol). We are in the media time, and today is possible made a virtual band like Gorilaz or a concert to see in cinema. Maybe the future is a mix between live and movie, or virtual versus physical,   but premature death of musicians and rock stars, tell us that future nead's a change. Maybe the last years are only one exeption but that rock had many deaths due to a way of live with lots of crazyness, that's a fact. Then who see the face don´t see the hart, and most of the times is a non view problem.  A situation to think, carefully.

Chester Bennington (Linkin Park)

One of the last losses in the rock music world, and one of the most shocking in 2017 (a very bad year to rock stars). Last update news tell us that was a mix of drug and alcool in the system. I see this band live and was great (to bad the sound...), so what as the reason for a wonderfull front man from a top band to suicide? Depression, one of the worst enemies to everybody and that is killing rock and roll (not only but also). Was also last front man from STP, with a short but great time.

Soundgarden (Chris Cornell)

Another name that i see live, and one of the best song writer's of the XX century. Soundgarden play in Lisbon at the 90's, and is vocals were very diferent from what i listening in is last years, but was very nice. With time, the band and Cornell came to a status of icon in rock music (or grunge). With a pause from several years, another top band came and they called "Audioslave". Last years again the original group and was in a sucess tour that suicide came.  Again, depression was the enemy.  

Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots)

He was the front man in two great bands, like STP and also Velvet Revolver. Never see him live but was a hit by himself, and a risk since adiction was present from early years to became a major problem, in personell live but also in the relations with is band mates. After two bands he make is own, and was in the tour bus that he dies. A mix between drugs and alcool and one great frontman leave us. 

Layne Staley (Alice in Chains)

An imortal voice and a expected death, since adiction was getting worse  with the age. The only from "big 4" from Seatle that i didn't see live (hell, i see a great concert movie, that counts?), and rush modern agitation don't give me permision to see the last actual members in concert (maybe one day). Of course is not the same but, Staley is gone and the band went to a diferent direction, also good but very far from "dirt" times.

Wayne Static (Static X)

A very sad history this one. With some sucess in Static X, and a lovely wedding (with an ex porno star), Waine had a good live but like many other in music, with some alcool and drogs present. Apparently an acidental dosage conduct to is death. Less that a year after Wayne Static disappearance also is wife passed away, from an aparent suicide.

Michael Hutache (Inxs)

A strange sex act or just suicide? Anyway some time later with lady death their comum daughter  is been delivered to Bob Geldoff because of is sisters, what was a good final to a tragic situation. A dispair person or the inevitable depression problem (no drugs or alcool were notice)? The true is that nobody knows but the end was again tragic, personaly and  musically speaking.

Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)

Less than a moth after i had seen Nirvana live in Portugal (Cascais, near Lisbon), Kurt Kubain comited suicide due to a depression and substance abuse. Nervermind was the most know album but, all of them are great due the diferences one to other. A icon to lots of fans, a poor musician to others, for my was a tragic loss and the premature final of a unique band.

Chuck Mosley (Faith no More)

One typicall problem of adiction since ancient times that leaves to financial problems and to a premature death. I like more of Faith no More with Mike Patton, but this inicial album made great music, like "we care a lot", what was a impressive performance of Chuck for future good songs. To bad he never used all is potencial and finish is live forgotten by music.

Bryan Ottoson (American Head Charge)

Tragic a band that lost 2 members in a par of years and is in the news for the worse reasons. Music is a difficult industry and the problems are similar from band, ones to others, besides importance and size, as other stuff. Wealth and depression are only one small fraction of the world from behind the lights, and sometimes the cure is the pain, with adiction to what the doctor subscrives. And if all the problems were not enought, the vocalist was arrested in April of 2018 when police discover stollen guitars in their van.

Chad Hawks (American Head Charge)

If one death in a band is bad two are a tragedy.  But that was what happens with American Head Charge in a couple of years, in at it seams wealth and stress problems, one of the many atachements to the rock and roll world. At least there are no plans to the end of the group, and with another formation they will keep going (or not, since the front man was arrested this year for stolen guitars).

Nick Menza (OHM and ex Megadeth)


A death in stage is probably the dream of most musicians. Nick died of an hart attack but in a recent interview by Megadeth member David Hefelson we talk about "absent times" in concerts without any reason or disease, what leave's us to think about the excess of the Rock World, or a lack of interesse in Megadeth music at the time. The true is no one knows.

Shannon Honn (Blind Melon)

An adiction case and a death that was always present in is shoort music carear. Famous by is band work but also by an apparence in Guns and Roses "Don't Cry" video and tape, the Blind Melon front man try diferent reabilitations with no sucess. His death was also the end of one hell of a great band, with so much future to came.

Martin Fenderud ( Kraanium )

Another strange death in rock world in recent times (if in the XXI century something is still strange to us). Since the band is one of main brutal death metal act were Martin played with is twin brother, no one was especting this situation, in a group were the word "strong impact" was presente in each song and albúm. It seems that is commited suicide (to this day is the official version).

Zé Pedro (Xutos e Pontapés)

The most famous rock band in Portugal, loss is rythm guitar and founder, to a disease who is was fighting from long time. Zé Pedro always talk about the origin of is wealth problems, in a rock way of live were drogs and alcool were present since the early years. Is substitute was not annouced, and in concert after is departure they use only a guitar. 

Warrel Dane (Nevermore)

Last death know this year is from Nervermore lead singer. A heart faliure in sleep leaves always some interrogations but all is possible (we see that hapen current in sport for example), even if we are talking about the rock world. No more details were give us by the band, if there's an interest to keep going or this is also the end of Nevermore.

Dolores O'Riordan (Cranberries)

First death of 2018 in rock was shok, type WTF? The band was in a London studio recording the new album, and she passes away in the night. More a depression victim? The reason is "suddent death" but we never know. No details about authopsy were revell so, probably is a case were the family fight for is privacy, and made it.

Tom Petty (Heartbrakers)

In recent news, we know that Tom Petty's death was due problems related to much medication, so a inicial medical problem is now a subject to this article. It was an acident with dosage from pills prescrive by the doctor, what leaves us with another question: Medical monitoring in rock is an urgent need and from an independent source (like the labbel).

https://www.youtube.com/