On July 27, 1993, The Smashing Pumpkins' "Siamese Dream" album was released. It was an album whose birth was not easy for the band, an album that almost ended their short career, an album that during its creation Billy Corgan thought to end his life. In 1991 "The Smashing Pumpkins" released their excellent debut album "Gish". The album was a huge success in its own right, however, a few months later, when Nirvana's album "Nevermind" was released, the band received another boost when some made the required comparison and even called it "Next Nirvana". The producer of "Gish" and "Nevermind" was the super producer Butch Vig, and it was only requested that the band continue to work with him on the next album. In light of the success of their debut album, the band was signed to "Caroline Records", a company owned by "Virgin Records". Instead of putting confidence in the band's leader and lead writer - Billy Corgan, the move put pressure on him to produce an album that would be even better than its predecessor. Corgan also struggled at the time with obesity and depression and in addition to all the troubles experienced a difficult writing barrier. But that's not the end, because drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was at that time under severe heroin addiction, there was one case where he disappeared from the studio for a few days and his worried friends did not know where he was. In addition, guitarist James Iha and bassist D'arcy Wretzky just ended a romantic relationship, which also affected their concentration and performance during the recordings. Above all these problems hovered the perfectionist character of Billy Corgan who did not compromise on the outcome and how this album should sound. He spent hours in the studio, sometimes 16 hours straight, and sometimes he even slept there, to repeatedly record the sections that he was not happy with the way they sounded. Producer Butch Vig said he sometimes worked with Corgan on a 45-second segment for a full two days to reach the level of perfection that Corgan sought. Corgan was not content with recording his own musical and vocal pieces and he also recorded the bass and lead guitar roles himself, believing that his friends' performances were not good enough. And if all this is not enough, then the record company that heard about the problems decided to come and visit the recording studio to take a closer look at the recording process. Corgan confessed years later that the pressures he experienced were so severe for him that he considered ending his life and even planned the drastic move carefully. Despite all the difficulties and against all odds, Corgan and his friends managed to finish the recording four months later, with only a "small" deviation of a quarter of a million dollars from the set budget. It is the album that has finally established the band's name, as one of the most prominent in the alternative scene, thanks in part to the four singles released from it: "Cherub Rock", "Today", "Disarm", and "Rocket". This is one of the great albums released in the 90s which also got into the list of the 500 greatest albums of all time by "Rolling Stone" magazine. Lately, the album was ranked by the same magazine at number 12 on the list of grunge albums. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Just two days ago we told you the story of "The Black Phoenix", the story of the biggest comeback album in the history of music and of a band that after the crash rose from its own ashes and returned bigger and stronger with the masterpiece "Back In Black". Read about it here: Today we will go back in time to the story of the album that came out a year earlier, to the meteoric rise to fame and crash that immediately followed. We warn you: it's long, but it's worth it... Soת "Highway To Hell", "AC/DC's" sixth album in Australia and its fifth internationally distributed, is celebrating its birthday today and we, with immense excitement and reverence, present you with an overview of this masterpiece album. Let's start with the fact that until the release of this album, the band worked very hard to gain international recognition. Although the band was well known in its country of origin, Australia, it was difficult for it to enter the public consciousness in Europe and especially in the United States. Just to explain how difficult it was for the band to succeed in America, it should be noted that the "Atlantic Records branch" in the United States refused to release the 1976 album "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", because they did not believe in its ability to succeed. In 1977 AC/DC came to tour in America and without help from the radio stations, began to build their audience from the bottom up, with a lot of hard work on the road and in live shows. These efforts were also well reflected in sales figures and by 1978 the American branch of "Atlantic Records" began to believe that the band had great potential in the United States, provided they worked with a producer who would make them accessible to the general public and incorporate more radio-friendly sound. Until then the producers of all the band's albums were brother George Young and his good friend Harry Vanda, but in order to fulfill it's vision, "Atlantic" decided to connect the well-known producer Eddie Kramer to the band. Eddie worked with many good artists like Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and more. The band Strongly refused the move, especially Angus and Malcolm who felt a commitment to their big brother George, but that was the condition of "Atlantic" and the band decided to give it a chance. They met with Kramer in Miami Florida and already from the first meeting something did not work there. Rumor has it that during that meeting Kramer asked the band members if Bon Scott could even sing. Eventually, Malcolm called the band's director, Michael Browning, and demanded that to do everything in his power to help them. He explained to Browning that there was no chemistry and understanding between Kramer and the band and told him that Kramer even tried to persuade them to record the song "'Gimme Some Loving" by "Spencer Davis Group". In an attempt to get out of the awkward situation, Browning turned to producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange and asked him to step in. Lang was not a well-known producer at the time. He worked mostly with the "Boomtown Rats" but later, following the success he had with "AC/DC", he would become a super-producer who would work with big and famous and among others produce Def Leppard's breakthrough albums, the album "Foreigner - 4" and albums by Brian Adams and Muse. Three weeks into the recording session with Kramer and the band did not write a single song. They asked Kramer for a day off with the intention of getting him not to come to the studio. That day they snuck into the studio and without Kramer's knowledge recorded six songs. They secretly sent these songs to Matt Lang and asked him to agree to work with them. Lang was ready of course, and already at this point in time history was made, as this meteoric encounter between him and the band was about to revolutionize the world of music. The album "Highway To Hell" is the first album the band has recorded outside of Australia. The recordings began in March 1979 at Roundhouse Studios in north London and lasted about three months, mainly because of Lang's perfectionism. Lang was a very meticulous producer who did not give up on the band and spurred it to achieve excellence. Songs were performed over and over again and recorded time and time again until Lang was satisfied with the result. The band sometimes worked 15 hours straight for over two months, which they was not used to as all of their previous albums were recorded in no more than three weeks. Lang had an absolute hearing. An un-stretched snare drum, over-stretched guitar string or even improper breathing during singing were immediately fixed. Lang's way of working was not easy for the band, but they learned to appreciate Lang and his pursuit of excellence. Lang's greatness was that he did not force himself on the band. He did not force them to do things his way but only directed and instructed them how to do things better. Lang also did not ask the band to do things he was unable to do on his own and thus gained their appreciation. One of the turning points in the band's attitude towards Lang was in the recording of the song "If You Want Blood". Bon Scott came up with the lyrics and it was obvious he was really struggling with the song. Lang told Scott that he must learn to control his breathing, but Bon Scott did not accept this with understanding and replied to Lang that if he thought he was so good then he would do it himself. Without any hesitation, Lang grabbed the microphone and gave an amazing vocal performance, leaving the band members speechless. From that moment on, the band learned to appreciate Lang even more. Lang taught Bon Scott how to breathe during singing to become a technically better singer. Moreover, once he felt that Bon Scott's singing was good enough he accompanied him with background vocals, something the band had not done before. It was a small but amazing addition to the band's sound and most importantly - it did not damage its DNA and was therefore welcomed among "AC/DC" members. But Lang was not content with just that. He asked Angus Young to sit next to him while playing the solos and with small and clever advice renovated and further sharpened his instructive playing. Lang also polished and enhanced the band's so familiar double-guitar sound, an upgrade that on their next album, "Back In Black" (also produced by Lang), would already be perfect. The result was no less than perfect. Lang and the band have managed to produce a formula that on the one hand will maintain the audacity, roughness and boldness of "AC/DC" and on the other hand will make the sound more refined, friendly and accessible to the masses. The album opens up with the theme song "Highway to Hell" and one of the greatest riffs of all time. Although this eternal anthem is written in the names of Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott, the immortal riff was created by Angus Young. According to the prevailing version, the title of the song came from the nickname that Angus gave to the US tour. The song talks about the hard and arduous life on the roads and the sacrifice of the band members in the struggle for glory, which is similar to a "highway to hell". Another version claims that "Highway To Hell" was a nickname for the "Canning" highway in Australia, which passes through Bon Scott's home in Fremantle and ends at the "Rock and Roll Raffles pub", a way that claimed the lives of many young people who drank at the same pub and later hit the road The fastest "to hell". This is the first "AC/DC" song to hit the charts in the United States and it has undoubtedly contributed greatly to the success of the entire album and the band's penetration into consciousness in the United States and around the world. The second track, "Girls Got Rhythm", is one of the last songs Bon Scott wrote before his death. The song is his classic lyric about passion, girls, parties, etc. Scott describes how his wife provides for him and he manages to do so in his beautiful and special way, without arousing the parental organizations. In this song Matt Lang's influence is evident, especially in the harmonies of the two voices. The background sounds that come as the answer "Girls Got Rhythm ... Back Seat Rhythm" are, as mentioned, a small addition that did not exist in the previous albums, which simply changes the sound of the band in a big way. In the third track, "Walk All Over You", a song about sex, we slow down a bit, but do not worry - it's just to get you in the mood. The song begins with a sophisticated and slow riff that slowly heats up to the boiling point where the whole band bursts in in high gear, only to return again to the slow riff during the chorus, but in between the band opens burners with 100% rock and roll in front. Bon Scott proves here again why he was one of Rock's great singers, while Angus does what he does best - bringing out from the guitar sounds that play ping pong in our gut. "Touch to Much" was played on the BBC music program "Top of the Popes" just 12 days before Bon Scott's death. The song was previously recorded by the band with other lyrics, but did not get included on any album. The first version of the song with the alternative lyrics can be found in the excellent box "Bonfire", which was released in 1997. By the way, a comparison between the two different versions proves as a thousand witnesses the greatness of Matt Lang and the tremendous change his production brought about in the band. Before Axl Rose joined the band during the 2016 tour he declared it to be his favorite song in the "AC/DC" catalog. The track that seals the first side of the vinyl, "Beating Around the Bush", opens with a guitar riff that is a kind of tribute to Peter Green. The guitar line at the opening of the song sounds just like the guitar line in "Fleetwood Mac's" "Oh Well" song. Here it is worth noting that most of the songs on the album deal with themes of lust, sex and entertainment and this particular song is all dripping with sex. The other side of the vinyl opens up with "Shot Down in Flames", a song about a guy who goes out at night and tries his luck with girls over and over again, without success. The next track, "Get It Hot", is a classic rock 'n' roll piece - another song about parties, entertainment, alcohol, in short "heavyweight" topics that Bon Scott used to write about. The guitars and bass in this song are tuned down by half a tone. The title of the song "If You Want Blood" came from the name of the live album that preceded "Highway To Hell" and was released before it, in 1978. The phrase came from an answer to a question Bon Scott was asked in an interview with him in 1978. The journalist asked him what the audience should expect from AC/DC and Bon Scott replied, "If you want blood, you got it." It is interesting that this particular song appears in five different soundtracks of movies. "Love Hungry Man" is another song where the guitars and bass are tuned down by half a tone. Angus claimed it was the song he was least proud of on the album and that he probably wrote it after a night of bad pizza. Not a bad song at all, with excellent bass work by Cliff Williams, great solos and beauty of background vocals courtesy of producer Matt Lang. The song that seals the album, "Night Prowler", is the third song on the album where the guitars are tuned down by half a tone. The song opens with two quick breaths by Scott that apparently aim to put the listener in an atmosphere of fear. A slow and classic blues song whose name is associated with serial killer Richard Ramirez, nicknamed "Night Stalker" and was a fan of the band and of this song in particular. In one of his murders, Ramirez wore an "AC/DC" shirt and a band hat and even left the hat in the scene. In 1985, Ramirez was convicted of 15 murders. The song brought negative publicity to the band. Conservatives in the United States have called for a boycott of their songs, but as you know it didn't really help. The album "Highway To Hell" brought the band dizzying success and international recognition. This is the band's first album to hit the charts in the United States and is also the band's second best-selling album, after "Back In Black". The album has garnered excellent reviews almost universally and is considered one of the greatest hard rock albums ever made. Moreover, the album is ranked 200th and most respected in the list of the 500 greatest albums of all time (regardless of specific genre). The album cover includes a painting of the band and Angus with school clothes and devil horns. Religious organizations did not like it so there is an alternative and "kosher" cover of the album, with Angus and without the horns. Very tragically, precisely at the peak of the band's success the immortal vocalist Bon Scott passed away, just seven months after the album's release, in February 1980. Scott went to sleep drunk in a car outside a friend's house, after a night of drunkenness, and apparently suffocated in his sleep. The band members thought it was the end, but Bon's family wanted them to move on because it was a sort of Scott will. Indeed, the band gathered themselves from the rubble and a few months later came "Back In Black" with an album that was entirely dedicated to Bon Scott. "Back In Black" undoubtedly marks one of the greatest comebacks in the music world and is without a doubt among the greatest albums of all time. It is the band's best-selling album and one of the best-selling albums in the music industry in general. To listen to the album: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

We still haven't calmed down from "Kill ‘Em All" and here it is, exactly a year and two days after, this crazy and insane album comes out, this is "Ride The Lightning", "Metallica's" second album which was released on July 27, 1984 !! So to drive you a little crazy because the first song is going to collapse you from the very first second, here are 36 facts about the album: 1. The album was recorded at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen Denmark, Lars Ulrich's hometown. 2. The band choose the studios both because it was cheap and because "Rainbow's" album "Difficult to Cure" was recorded there. 3. This time the duration of the recordings took three weeks (one week longer than the debut album). 4. The band members wanted to get the same sound as "Rainbow's" "Difficult to Cure" album that they loved so much, so they also took the same "Rainbow" recording technician - Flemming Rasmussen. 5. Whoever coined the name of the album was Kirk Hammet. He read Stephen King's book "The Stand" in which he talks about a death row inmate just waiting to "ride the lightning." Hammett thought Ride The Lightning would be a good name for the song, he told James Hetfield about it and the rest is history. 6. The Metallica logo with the big M and A that appears on the cover of the album was created by James Hatfield. 7. The cost of the album was twice as much as the previous one, about $ 30,000. 8. Since the record company Megaforce failed to pay the cost, Metallica's European label filled in the gaps. 9. This is the band's shortest studio album with 47 minutes of melody. 10. The album is much heavier and more melodic than its predecessor. It's slow and gloomy compared to the debut album. 11. The musical change is mainly attributed to the fact that this is the first time the four members have written together. The first album was written mostly by Dave Mustaine, Hetfield, and Ulrich. This time Hammett and Cliff Burton, who comes from a more melodic world, also entered the writing rotation, which is probably the reason for the musical change. 12. Before recording the album Hetfield was not sure that his voice was good enough and he wanted to focus on playing, so the singing role was offered to singer John Bush from the band "Armored Saint", who declined the offer cause his band was successful at the time. 13. Cliff wrote the acoustic opening track of the song "Fight Fire With Fire". 14. Cliff also wrote and plays the immortal opening riff of the song "For Whom the Bell Tolls". 15. The members of "Metallica" had no money so they had to sleep in the recording studio, similar to the previous album. 16. They always recorded at night and slept during the day, so during the entire recording period they did not see any daylight at all. 17. Technician Flemming Rasmussen remembers that after a week of recordings in the studio the smell was unbearable and he had to demand from the band members to take a shower. 18. "Mercyful Fate's" rehearsal room was adjacent to the recording studio. "Metallica" members were fans of the band and spent quite a bit in their company. 19. They finished writing the songs "Fade to Black", "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Escape" in the rehearsal room of "Merciful Faith". 20. The band wrote the song "Escape" in order to include in the album a more friendly song in the style of "Foreigner" and "Journey", which will be a radio hit. The original name of the song was "The Hammer" - a pair of words that appear at the end of the song: "See them try to bring the hammer down". 21. Although it is one of the most catchy songs on the album, it has not been played by the band in performances for 28 years, until a performance in 2012 in which the entire album was played from beginning to end. Since then the song has not been played again. 22. The song "Fade To Black" was written by Hetfield after his amp was stolen. It was the first amp he purchased and it probably made him so depressed that he decided to write the song. 23. Jason Newsted's first album "Flotsam and Jetsam" had a song called "Fade to Black", but it's a different song and not a cover version of "Metallica's" song. 24. "Fade to Black" is also Newsted's favorite song by "Metallica", and was also the last song he played with the band on November 30, 2000, during a performance at the "VH1 Music Awards". 25. The intro to the song "For Whom The Bell Tolls" is played by Cliff Burton with a bass guitar attached to a distortion effect. 26. The song opens with a bell ringing that lasts throughout the first minute of the song. 27. Another famous song that opens with a bell ringing is "Hell's Bells" by "AC/DC" from the album "Back In Black" which we wrote to you yesterday, only that there is a fundamental difference between the two. The bell on "AC/DC's" album is a real bell to the memory of their lead singer Bon Scott. Not like in Metallica's song where they resembled the sound of a bell by Lars hammering an anvil. 28. The song "Creeping Death" was inspired by the movie "The Ten Commandments". 29. The song is actually an incarnation of a song by the band "Exodus" in which Kirk Hammett was a member, called "Die by His Hand". The song was recorded as a demo by Exodus but was never released on the album. "Metallica" changed the lyrics and slightly the riffs and created the masterpiece. 30. The song "Trapped Under Ice" was influenced by the movie "Never Cry Wolf" which was watched by the band members, and included a scene where one of the actors was trapped under the ice in a frozen lake. The riff for this song is also taken from a riff originally played by Hammett in his previous band Exodus. 31. If you try to play along with the album you will find that the instruments are not really tuned as the standard guitar. It was not a deliberate move by the band, they just tuned all their instruments based on an old and unintentional piano that was in the studio and that's the result. 32. The instrumental track "The Call of Ktulu" is one of two tracks on the album that Dave Mustaine co-wrote before being thrown out of the band (the second song is the theme song). 33. The track was influenced by a novel by the writer H.P. Lovecraft in which the character Cthulhu is mentioned - a kind of monstrous god. The band members deliberately confused the name for Ktulu because they thought the original spelling was complicated. 34. The original name of the piece is called "Hell Freezes Over". 35. Remember the caption that was behind the cover of "Kill 'Em All" ?? So this is the name given by the band members for the European tour to promote this album in 1984: "Bang That Head That Doesn't Bang". 36. Two months after the release of the album, record label Elektra Records signed "Metallica" on a multi-year contract. The signing came following their big impression of the band when they saw them as an opening show with Anthrax for the band Raven. Listen to the album on: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On July 26, 1974 Robert Wyatt released his second solo album "Rock Bottom". As the album's name suggests, it came out during Wyatt's worst time, when he hit rock bottom, after an injury that left him paralyzed in his lower body. Just imagine how a drummer (in the bands "Soft Machine" and later in the private project he founded "Matching Mole") becomes paralyzed in his lower body at his prime time in the age of 28, and you will understand what pain this album was created from. As well known, the best albums ever created come out of a tragedy that leads to a tremendous burst of creativity, but in this case, most of the album's songs were written by Wyatt before his injury. Despite this, the atmosphere that surrounded the recordings and the fact that it became his solo project (the songs were originally written for his band "Matching Mole"), recorded during a period of pain in which he was dealing with his new condition, gave this album the "added value" that would make it a masterpiece. At the beginning of 1973, Wyatt arrived in Venice together with his partner Alfreda Benge, known as Alifi. Alifi was an assistant director of a film that was shot there. Wyatt used his free time to write most of the album's songs which he initially intended for a new lineup of his band "Matching Mole". When Wyatt returned from Venice he even began working on the songs with the new "Matching Mole" lineup, but that creative process was interrupted on June 1, 1973 and since then took a surprising turn that resulted in this masterpiece album. On that fateful evening of June 1, 1973, Wyatt and Alifi arrived at a birthday party of Gilli Smyth (from the band "Gong") and June Campbell Cramer (known as Lady June) at the latter's home. Kevin Ayers, Nik Turner, David Bowie, Mike Oldfield, and Keith Richards were present at the party. In the midst of the party, a drunken Wyatt fell from a third-floor apartment window and broke his spine, leaving him paralyzed in his lower body. He was in the bathroom with one of the party guests and when his Alifi found out and knocked on the door he panicked and tried to get out through the window, while holding the gutter with his smooth hands, until he fell down. Wyatt lay in the hospital recovering from his injury for months. During that entire period, Alifi was by his side and supported him. Even in the hospital, Wyatt's burst of creation continued, but this time he realized that it was going to be different and that he had to reinvent himself given his physical condition. Recordings for the album began shortly after Wyatt's release from the hospital. Wyatt managed to surround himself with the first-class musicians who accompanied him in the recording of the album, including: Nick Mason as producer, Mike Oldfield, Richard Sinclair, Hugh Hopper, Fred Frith and Laurie Allan who replaced him as drummer in "Soft Machine". Indeed, Wyatt reinvented himself here with a strange, trippy and magical album whose style cannot be defined at all. A combination of Canterbury (the scene from which Wyatt emerged), progressive, psychedelia, jazz and more. Mixing loops, synths, trumpets, violins and voices... vocals that resemble a musical instrument that only Wyatt can produce. This gem has only 6 songs, but each of them leads us on a unique musical trip like no other. The album opens with "Sea Song", one of the most magical and special love songs ever written, the first and not the last Wyatt wrote for Alifi on the album. A mix of strange piano and synthesizer sounds, a little unsynchronized with a background of monotonous percussion and Wyatt's cracked voice accompanied by trippy background vocals. But somehow this musical chaos manages to connect to a magical, wonderful and mesmerizing song. The second piece "A Last Straw" is a hallucinatory and psychedelic song with distinct jazz influences. Wyatt builds here the trippy and floating style, which is unique only to him, with strange vocals that even include an imitation of a trumpet. The first side ends with the trumpet blast of "Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road" and the jazzy influences are prominent here as well, but they are overshadowed the psychedelic loop of the trumpet layers and Wyatt's indistinct mumbling. The second side opens with two connected tracks "Alifib" and "Alifie" which are nothing more than a tribute to Wyatt's lover to whom he has been married since 1974 to the present day. The bass playing at the beginning of the first section sounds like an accompaniment to a classical piece. Here tooת the psychedelia screams out with confused and sometimes a-melodic guitar and keyboard playing. Even when Wyatt begins to sing, these are broken and unclear syllables, but then they become a moving melody dedicated to his beloved. The second section continues the first but is darker, more confused, with harsh sounds of saxophone and clarinet over only strange synthesizer sounds. This one-off album ends with "Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road" which opens with Laurie Allan's Marsh drumming later going wild on the drums. It is impossible not to recognize here Mike Oldfield's amazing guitar playing that accompanies the first half of the song with a typical guitar solo, but then, a change! The music fades away and is replaced by the sounds of a fiddle reminiscent of a Scottish bagpiper, which sets the background for the speech of Ivor Cutler, the Scottish poet and Wyatt's friend, who takes us to the end with his maddened laughter. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

He is the founding member of the band "Slipknot" and one of the biggest drummers in Metal, please welcome Joey Jordison. (Photo: joeyjordison.com) 1. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa on April 26, 1975, to Steve and Jackie Jordison. 2. He embraced music at an early age, which he attributes to his parents' influence. the first song his mother played to him already before he was out to the world was "The Spinners – The Rubberband Man" (1976). 3. He played guitar until receiving his first drum kit as a gift from his parents at age eight and started his first band while in elementary school. 4. His parents divorced when he was young and Jordison and his two sisters moved to leave with their mother who worked in a funeral parlor where Jordison would occasionally help. 5. He started drumming along with KISS records. Not only he was a huge fan, but also badly wanted to learn how to play the drum solo from the "100,000 Years" song, so he practiced it constantly. Once he got it done he felt his destiny is to play drums. 6. Still a teenager he formed the speed-metal thrash band "Modifidious", in which he played drums. The band helped Jordison break new ground, playing live as support to local bands including "Atomic Opera", featuring Jim Root, and "Heads on the Wall", featuring Shawn Crahan. (Photo: Jeff Hahne) 7. The band released two demos in 1993: "Visceral" and "Mud Fuchia". 8. Jordison cites Keith Moon, John Bonham, Peter Criss, Gene Krupa, and Buddy Rich as his main influences. 9. In 1995, "Modifidious" disbanded because of a shift in interest from thrash metal and Jordison joined a local band called "The Rejects" as a guitarist, with whom he only played a couple of shows. 10. Jordison was also involved in a band with Paul Gray and vocalist Don Decker, named "Anal Blast". 11. In the same year Paul Gray approached Jordison offering him to join a new project called "The Pale Ones". He attended rehearsals in a dark basement in Iowa and immediately wanted to be part of this new band. 12. Much of the band's early development was retrospectively attributed to late-night planning sessions between Gray, Shawn Crahan, and Jordison at a Sinclair gas station where Jordison worked night shifts. 13. It was there, in late 1995, that Jordison suggested changing the band name to "Slipknot" after their song of the same name. (Photo: Slipknot) 14. Two years later, after several lineup changes, two demo albums, and a number of crazy performances, the band managed to generate interest from the record companies and finally signed a seven-album contract with "Roadrunner Records". 15. Today most of you are probably familiar with the band, which is wearing overalls, and masks, and its members are called by numbers and not by names. Jordison's number is "1". 16. In 1999 the band released their first album which is named after the band. A strong, screaming, short, and ripping album that only managed to reach 51st place on the "Billboard 200" but became a legend in the genre. Thanks to this album, "Slipknot" gained immense exposure and began to create its fanatical fan base, known as "The Maggots". 17. Jordison said that this album was and will always be some of the absolute best memories of his life. It was amazing to be part of a dream come true, a bunch of guys who do not care about anything but making their own music, in their own way. 18. In 2001, the second album, "Iowa," was released. This album has already reached number three on the charts and the tour to promote the album became a "sold out" in many stadiums across the United States from the very beginning. 19. In 2002, Jordison revived his band "Murderdolls". He was the guitarist, and he recruited Wednesday 13 as a vocalist, while drummer Ben Graves and bassist Eric Griffin completed the band's lineup. They signed with Roadrunner Records and released an EP entitled "Right to Remain Violent" in 2002. 20. In the same year they released their debut album "Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls". 21. "Slipknot's" third album "Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses" was released in 2004. The recordings for the album were very difficult even though the famous producer Rick Rubin was recruited for the mission. The album made it to second place on the charts and granted the band its first Grammy win in 2006. Right after the album's tour, the band went into another hiatus. (Photo: Jo Hale) 22. In the same year at the "Download Festival", Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich was hospitalized for an unknown illness. James Hetfield searched amongst other bands performing at the festival to find a replacement for Ulrich; Jordison, Flemming Larsen (Ulrich's drum technician), and Dave Lombardo of "Slayer" volunteered. Jordison performed on 8 of the 13 songs of the set and was called the band's "hero of the day". 23. In 2007 "Korn" recruited Jordison to join them on tour when drummer David Silveria went on hiatus from the band. He also appeared in the music video for their single "Evolution". 24. In 2008 "Slipknot" releases its fourth album "All Hope Is Gone" which flies straight to the number one spot. It is the last album to feature the founding member and bass player Paul Gray who died two years later. 25. In 2010 with only Jordison and Wednesday 13 remaining from the original line-up. The "Murderdolls" release their second studio album "Women & Children Last". 26. In August 2010 Jordison was voted the best drummer of the previous 25 years by readers of "Rhythm" magazine, ahead of drummers such as Mike Portnoy, Neil Peart, Phil Collins, and Dave Grohl. 27. On December 12, 2013, "Slipknot" announced through its official website that Joey Jordison had left the band after 18 years, citing "personal reasons". In response, Jordison released a statement insisting that he had in fact been fired from the band. (Photo: Mary Ouellette) 28. Only in 2016 it was revealed that during "Slipknot" tour Jordison suddenly started suffering from "Transverse Myelitis", a neurological disease that cost him the ability to play the drums. The disease impacted mainly his legs for which he recovered only many years later. 29. In the same year Jordison formed a new extreme metal band called "Sinsaenum". They released their debut album "Echoes Of The Tortured" the same year. The second album, called "Repulsion for Humanity", was released in 2018. (Photo: Anthony Dubois) 30. Jordison cooperated with many artists as a drummer, guitar player, and producer such as Marilyn Manson, Otep, Rob Zombie, and many more... 31. Joey dies on July 26, 2021, at the age of 46. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed, although his family stated he died “peacefully in his sleep.” "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

One of the most popular and influential figures in the world of music, and without a doubt, the most energetic, Mick Jagger is celebrating his birthday today !!! (Photo: Michael Hickey) Although Jagger is known as one of the founders of "The Rolling Stones" but he also released four solo albums and has quite a few collaborations with various artists, including the supergroup he founded "SuperHeavy" And Dave Grohl with whom he released a new song in April 2021. He is also an actor, music, and film producer, and a successful businessman. It seems that in the case of Jagger, everything is clear and known so we do not have anything new to tell you, but still, we will try to surprise you with 16 crazy facts: 1. He was the owner of a mansion called "Stargroves". The mansion was used, among other things, as a studio for recording masterpieces albums of the bands "The Who" and "Led Zeppelin", before being sold by Jagger in 1979. 2. He was nominated for the role of Alex in "A Clockwork Orange", for the role of Frank in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and for the role of Salieri in the film "Amadeus". 3. He really wanted the role in "A Clockwork Orange" and "The Beatles" members even created a petition to help him get it, but despite everything, he did not win the role. 4. He was a good student, he studied business administration to become an accountant, but left after a year in favor of music. 5. In the early 1970s he learned to play the guitar, and starting with the 1971 album "Sticky Fingers" he played guitar in all of the band's albums except "Dirty Work" and "Blue and Lonesome". 6. He sings background vocals in Carly Simon's song "You're So Vain". Simon denied that the song was written about him. 7. Rumor has it that he secretly paid Sid Vicious's legal expenses in the trial for the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. 8. On the other hand, rumor has it that in 2011 he secretly paid the burial expenses of Hubert Sumlin, who played with Howlin ’Wolf and was a big influence on the Rolling Stones. 9. He has eight children from five different women. Despite this, he was married only once! 10. He also has 5 grandchildren and in 2014 he also became a great-grandfather when his first granddaughter was born. 11. He also became a father at age 73, after his then-girlfriend Melanie Hamrick gave birth to his daughter. 12. Everyone knows he's the subject of "Maroon 5" "Moves Like Jagger", but did you know that he's also mentioned in other songs like Kesha's "Tik Tok" and "The Black Eyed Peas" "The Time (Dirty Bit)"? 13. He composed and played Moog Synthesizer in the soundtrack of the short film "Invocation of My Demon Brother". He noted that it was all one big improvisation. 14. He co-wrote the song "Sister Morphine" with Marianne Faithful, with whom he had been in a relationship since 1966 - he wrote the music and she the lyrics, but she got the credit for it only about three decades later. 15. In contrast, David Bowie and his wife Angie, denied that the song "Angie" was written by Jagger following a relationship he had with Bowie's wife. 16. He helped produce HBO's "Vinyl" series, about the New York music scene of the 1970s. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Musician, model, and actress Taylor Momsen was born on July 26, 1993! So let us share a little bit about this multi-talent... (Photo: Taylor Momsen) 1. Her full name is Taylor Michel Momsen and she was born in St. Petersburg. Louis, Missouri. 2. It may sound a bit weepy to you but Taylor did not have an easy childhood, her parents registered her with the modeling agency Ford Models when she was only two years old !! Yes, two years old !! 3. She not only modeled at the age of two but she already acted at the age of 3 !! Initially in an advertisement for the Shake 'n Bake brand and in the same year in the TV series The Prophet's Game. 4. Taylor said that as a child she had a very difficult time, she did not decide on her own that she wanted it, but her parents registered her and pushed her to do so. She went in and out of school and was not in a regular social environment, so she had no friends either. 5. In 2000 she starred in Ron Howard's film "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", a role that actually brought her the breakthrough into the film industry. In the same film, she also recorded the song "Christmas, Why Can't I Find You?" which was one of the first songs she recorded. Two years later she starred in the movies "Hansel and Gretel" and "Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams". 6. Although she's happy about it today, in 2006 she lost the coveted role of Hannah Montana to singer and actress Miley Cyrus. A year later she starred in the films "Underdog" and "Paranoid Park". 7. Her last appearance on screen as an actress was on the "Gossip Girl" TV series where she starred in the first four seasons until 2010. 8. In 2008 Taylor signed with the modeling agency IMG Models and became the face of the British clothing chain New Look. 9. In 2009 Taylor decided she wanted to start a music career and started working with producer Kato Khandwala, they added guitarist Ben Phillips and the three began writing and working on materials together. 10. That same year Taylor added more musicians and began performing and recording a number of demos in order to attract an audience and distribute her music. After a few months, she signed a contract with Interscope Records. (Photo: imdb.com) 11. The band that initially bore the name "The Reckless" changed it immediately to "The Pretty Reckless" upon signing in light of legal issues. 12. In early 2010, Taylor became the face of Madonna's clothing collection called "Material Girl". She has represented other brands such as: John Galliano, Samantha Thavasa, and more. 13. In the middle of that year, when she was only 17, Taylor and her band released their first EP bearing the band's name, the EP received very moderate reviews but the song "Make Me Wanna Die" gained momentum and became a hit that was frequently aired on radio stations. 14. Two months later the band's debut album called "Light Me Up" was released. The album was a commercial success and in addition to the song "Make Me Wanna Die" which appeared on the album, two more singles "Miss Nothing" and "Just Tonight" were released. Unlike the EP the album also received positive and supportive reviews from the critics and gave the young girl and her band a boost towards success. 15. The band's first tour was as an opening act for the band "Evanescence", Taylor who grew up on their music and adored them was very excited about the event and it became one of the most important events in the band's career. From there they went on tour as the opening act of the "Guns N 'Roses' Chinese Democracy Tour". Both of these rounds gave the band international exposure and increased its fan base. 16. In 2012 the band released their second EP "Hit Me Like a Man". The EP contained three new songs and two live performances. 17. In 2014, the band released their second album "Going to Hell". The album was a huge success and reached number five on the Billboard 200. Five singles came out: "Heaven Knows", "Messed Up World", "Follow Me Down" (all three reached number one on Billboard), "House on a Hill" and "Going" To Hell ". 18. In 2016, the band's third album "Who You Selling For" came out. The band's two previous albums were a spring maturing process and this album is a completion of the process, in terms of sound, production, and lyrics this album is mature and even better than the other two. Also from this album, two singles emerged to number one on Billboard and the album itself reached number 13. Singles released from the album: "Take Me Down", "Oh My God" and "Back to the River". 19. Interesting fact... the band was the open act on "Soundgarden's" tour in 2017 and was actually performing in Chris Cornell's last show before he passed away. 20. In February 2021 the band released their fourth album "Death by Rock and Roll", the album was written and created out of two tragedies that impacted Taylor, one is the death of the band's veteran producer Kato Khandwala and the other is the death of Chris Cornell. This album features guest appearances of Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron in addition to Tom Morello. Three singles were released from the album: "Death by Rock and Roll", "And So It Went" and "Only Love Can Save Me Now". 21. Although she is a multi-talent, Taylor said that music is her most natural and authentic place... "Acting is easy. I've been doing it for so long and I totally love it. But you're playing a character instead of yourself. Music is more personal because you're writing it and you're involved in every step of it. " 22. In June 2026, the band released its fifth studio album, "Dear God." The album was produced by Jonathan Wyman alongside Taylor and guitarist Ben Phillips. Ahead of its release, the band issued two official singles, "For I Am Death" and "When I Wake Up," as well as two promotional singles, "Love Me" and the title track, "Dear God." Listen to the album "Death by Rock and Roll" on: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Drummer, singer, and songwriter Roger Taylor is celebrating his birthday today. (Photo: Queen Facebook Page) Taylor is one of the founding fathers of the band "Smile" and later of "Queen". He has written, composed, and performed as a lead singer for some of the legendary band's songs, and is known for his rugged falsetto voice and as a member who has contributed greatly to its vocal harmonies. He also has an extensive solo career and countless collaborations with artists such as Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, Roger Daltrey, Robert Plant, Phil Collins, Elton John, Gary Numan, "Foo Fighters", Al Stewart, Steve Vai, and even Jon Bon Jovi. He also co-wrote quite a few hits for the band, including: "These Are the Days of Our Lives", "Innuendo" "Under Pressure", "Radio Ga Ga", "A Kind of Magic", "Heaven for Everyone", "Breakthru", "The Invisible Man" and "One Vision". Here are some more interesting facts about this very special man: 1. He is a multi-instrumentalist and autodidactic who taught himself to play the ukulele and guitar even before he started playing the drums. In Queen's songs in which he is the lead singer, he tends to play almost all the instruments. (Photo: tumblr.com) 2. He studied dentistry but during his studies got bored, moved on to study biology which he holds a degree in. 3. He did not like the choice of name for the album "Queen II", he thought it was a name lacking imagination. 4. He has a regular ritual to drink 2 glasses of whiskey before a live performance, no less and no more. 5. He also has an obscene habit of spitting during performances. He spits into the air and manages to catch his saliva back. 6. In parallel with his work with "Queen" in the 1980s he formed the band "the Cross" in which he served as lead singer and guitarist. 7. In 1999 he became the first non-royal British man to appear on a stamp of the British empire post. This caused a small scandal since only members of the royal family could appear on such a stamp. 8. He also wrote the hit "Radio Ga Ga" which helped revive Queen's success in the US during the 1980s. 9. It was his idea to change John Deacon's name on the cover of the band's debut album - "Queen", for Deacon John, he thought it would sound more interesting and Deacon agreed. 10. The video for the song "I Want To Break Free" in which the band members are seen dressed as housewives was his idea. 11. He has released five studio albums to date as part of his solo career. 12. The music videos for "We Will Rock You" and "Spread Your Wings" were shot in his backyard. 13. Taylor is known for his love of cars and holds a large collection of cars. 14. Roger's son - Rufus Tiger Taylor is also a drummer. As of 2017, he is part of the "Queen" live band and during the shows, he performs a drum battle with his father. 15. The song "I'm In Love With My Car" was written by him for the stage worker of the band - Johnathan Harris, who was in love with his "Triumph TR4" car. This was also noted on the album cover with the following words: "Dedicated to Johnathan Harris, boy racer to the end". 16. The engine sound heard in the song is authentic, and it was recorded from Taylor's Alfa Romeo car engine. 17. Taylor insisted that the song will come out as a b-side for the single "Bohemian Rhapsody". He even locked himself in the closet until Freddie Mercury agreed. 18. Taylor's insistence paid off, when he received royalties almost equal to those Freddie received for the hit "Bohemian Rhapsody." "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Editor's Choice... And this time, "The Trials of Van Occupanther", "Midlake's" second album released on July 25, 2006. "Midlake" is an American band formed in 1999 in Denton Texas. The band combines different and varied musical styles, ranging from folk-rock, indie, psychedelic, and even progressive. In 2001, "Midlake" released the first EP called "Milkmaid Grand Army" which was printed in only 1,000 copies, but managed to arouse the interest of the independent record company "Bella Union", which was founded by two members of "Cocteau Twins". The band was signed to the boutique label and in 2004 released their debut album "Bamnan and Slivercork", which combined folk-rock, electronics, and psychedelia and was influenced by bands such as "Grandaddy" and "The Flaming Lips". The album received rave reviews and the band soon began working on a sequel. The band's second album "The Trials of Van Occupanther", released in 2006 and marks a significant development of the band in terms of musical style. This is a melodic and magical album that will throw you hard into the "classic rock" of the seventies. The atmosphere of the seventies strikes us inside from the opening song "Roscoe" which introduces us to the amazing vocal harmonies, which undoubtedly correspond with Buckingham and Nicks' "Fleetwood Mac" era, along with the sound of that band in the Bob Welch era of the early seventies. This classic rock feel continues through the pianos of "Bandits" and the Eric Clapton's guitar solo there. It blends in with folk in songs like "Branches" which includes playing on a french horn and "Young Bride" which includes the violin. It hovers over the entire album with the electric-acoustic combination and a-la "CSNY" vocal harmonies, but gets progressive touches with the delicate flute sounds in songs like "Van Occupanther" and "In This Camp" that evolve with a dynamic and changing composition. So if you fancy a bit of retro folk and classic rock, wrapped in an intelligent and contemporary presentation, the album "The Trials of Van Occupanther" is the album for you. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

The Black Phoenix... On July 25, 1980, the album "Back In Black" was released, the seventh studio album by the band "AC/DC". This is the story of the biggest comeback in the history of Rock. The story of a band that worked hard to gain international recognition, with lots of blood, sweat, and tears, on stage, on bumpy roads, and in cheap motels. A band that, after much effort, finally managed to touch fame, but even before it had time to enjoy its fruits, it experienced a terrible tragedy that shattered everything to pieces. A band that against all odds managed to rise from its own ashes, just like the Phoenix, to "come back in black", bigger, better, stronger... This is the story of "AC/DC" - the story of the "Black Phoenix".... This is the band's first album without lead singer Bon Scott, who just five months earlier, on February 19, 1980, was found dead in his friend's car after a night of revelry and drunkenness. This album is the band's best-selling album in almost 50 years of activity. It ranks forth among the best-selling albums of all time, with an incredible sales figure of about 50 million copies worldwide. An album that ranks 84th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. So, to understand how this all happened, how after the band's total crash it managed to release one of the greatest and most successful albums of all time, one has to go back a bit in time. The band, formed in Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus Young and Malcolm Young, was relatively successful in their country of origin, but for years failed to push the boundaries of their homeland and struggled to gain international recognition, especially in the United States. "Atlantic Records" in the United States refused to release their third 1976 album, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", as they did not believe in its ability to succeed in sales. Eventually after a lot of hard work, "AC/DC" manages, against all odds, to obtain a recording contract with "Atlantic" and release their amazing breakthrough album "Highway To Hell" in 1979. The story of that album is fascinating in itself, but we will leave it to a separate review that we published on this album. "Highway To Hell" was a resounding success and reached the top of the album charts around the globe and especially in the US. (Photo: Rock History In Pics Twitter) Broken and shattered by the heavy disaster that befell them, the band members were already thinking of disbanding, but it was Bon Scott's family members who persuaded them to move on, claiming that this was his last will. Shortly after the funeral, the band is already looking for a lead singer to step into Bon Scott's big shoes. The search was exhausting and lasted about a month, during which a large number of candidates were examined. At one point the band even considers Malcolm Young to fill the role of lead singer, but then Mutt Lange (who produced the album "Highway To Hell") offers Brian Johnson - the singer of the glam band "Geordie" - as a replacement. Johnson was then 32 years old, he lived with his parents in Newcastle and owned a vinyl roof for the collectible car repair shop. Johnson recalls that he received an invitation to come and meet the band. He entered the rehearsal room and saw the band members bored to death after a whole month of unsuccessful auditions. Malcolm Young was the one who first approached him, offered him a beer, and asked what he wanted to sing. Brian Johnson responded to Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits". After finishing the audition round, Johnson was called to the rehearsal room for a second audition, by which time he had already sung "Highway To Hell". On March 29, 1980 - About a month after Bon Scott's death, Malcolm Young called Brian Johnson to inform him that he had been accepted into the band. What fascinated the band members were, among other things, the fact that Johnson did not try to emulate Bon Scott but gave a personal interpretation to his songs. Later Angus Young will also recall that Bon Scott himself told him that he saw Brian Johnson in a live show of "Geordie" and was very impressed with his performance. "Armed" with its new frontman, the band flew to the Bahamas to write and record the new album. (Photo: acdcfans.net) Although the band had first sketches of some songs they had started working on with Bon Scott, they decided to start from scratch, and Johnson was given a free hand to rewrite his own lyrics, as the band did not want to look like they attempt to profit from Bon Scott's death. This album was entirely dedicated to Bon Scott, from beginning to end. The band requested that the album cover will be completely black, as a sign of the heavy grief that fell on them following Bon Scott's death. The "Atlantic" record company initially refused, but eventually, a compromise was reached whereby the band's logo would be framed in a thin gray line on a black background. Unlike the album cover, the music was far from sad and gloomy. The first song on the album "Hells Bells" is a tribute to Bon Scott, but there is also an irony in it with the wink to the previous album, "Highway To Hell", which turned out to be Scott's swan song. Brian Johnson's lyrics speak to his anxieties in trying to adapt to environmental change and the pressure to get used to his new band. Despite the gloomy beginning, the body of the song is more rhythmic and pulsating. The song opens with four church bells ringing before the main riff leading the song enters, as a tribute to Bon Scott. After entering the riff the bell continues to ring another 9 times. It was clear to the band that they would not use a bell effect to honor the memory of their good friend, so they insisted on recording a real church bell. The recordings were not so simple and had to be repeated over and over again, sometimes in different locations, since the ringing of the bell caused wing owners in the area to fly and the heavy wings noise was heard on the recording. No less than 15 microphones placed in different locations around the bell are used for recording to pick up a sound that is as close as possible to the original ring tone. It is interesting to note that when this song was played in performances, Brian Johnson was the one who struck a similar bell that was created especially for the band. This song also expresses, already in its first verse the difficulties the band went through during the recordings in the Bahamas and the fact that they experienced harsh weather during the process. Brian Johnson chose to open the song with the lyrics: "I'm a rolling thunder, a pouring rain I'm comin' on like a hurricane My lightning's flashing across the sky You're only young but you're gonna die" Five songs later, the theme song that opens the second side of the vinyl runs right like a thread from "Highway To Hell" of the previous album, through "Hells Bels" which opens the current album to "Back In Black". The band seems to have put some thought into the location of the songs, which is probably not coincidental. Now imagine the "black phoenix" rising on the "Highway To Hell" to ring the bells, and after being burned in the fire of hell rising from his own ashes, only to return in black. This timeless song opens with one of the most famous counts in rock history, with Phil Rudd's high-hat igniting the song at an incredible pace and Young's guitar producing from its strings one of the greatest riffs ever written. Brian Johnson's singing during the verses is a bit reminiscent of rap singers and the choruses are being built up to the climax with a crescendo. Mutt Lange's production is at its peak with the dual guitar formula which is simply pure energy. Every song on this album is the perfection of writing, performing, and producing. "Hells Bells" and "Back In Black" about which we wrote above. "You Shook Me All Night Long" which is the first single with Brian Johnson, the first song released from the album, and the first that Johnson wrote with the band, and includes guitar work that is among the best of the Young Brothers. Brian Johnson coined the iconic words "She was a fast machine, she kept her motor clean" after watching pictures of American girls during the recordings of the album. He suddenly realized that women and cars were very similar. They are fast (run away), disappoint you, but then make you happy again when a "new model" comes out. "Shoot to Thrill" was not released as a single, but was "grinded" on radio stations until it became a classic that even "Marvel" chose it to the soundtrack of "Iron Man 2" and "The Avengers". The guitars in this song sound different from the rest of the album since the recording method were different during which two guitar amplifiers were placed in two different spaces in the studio, when the recorded sound from both was compressed into one of the guitar channels. Angus Young and Malcolm Young were praised for their guitar work in this song, whose solo even went into quite a few charts of the greatest guitar solos of all time. "What Do You Do for Money Honey" with the genius reef, is the ultimate "Gold Digger" anthem and talks about women who instead of working cling to rich men and extort their money. "Given the Dog, a Bone" deals with oral sex, and "Let Me Put My Love into You" which comes right after deals with the same subject only from "another direction", with clever words by Brian Johnson who seems to have tried to continue with his predecessor's lyrical line. In 1985 the song received the "Filthy 15" rating the "worst" rating from the "Parental Censorship Organization" (PMRC) which used to label albums with words dealing with violence, sex, drugs, alcohol, and more. To tell the truth, almost any "AC/DC" song could have met these criteria, but the PMRC members chose this particular song to get the worst rating. Of course, the warning stickers did just the opposite, especially with the fans who were well aware of the lyrical content of the band and only got a nice backwind from the attention their beloved band gets. It is hard to believe but the closing song "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" was actually written as a "filler" by Malcolm Young, at the request of producer Mutt Lange. He wrote it in the studio, within 15 minutes, while the rest of the band went out to dinner. 12 seconds into the song we hear Brian Johnson's cigarette lighter ignite followed by a puff. That's it, he and his friends can relax in the armchair, lift their fingers to all the critics who thought they would not recover from Bon Scott's death, all those who thought rock 'n' roll was just "polluting noise", all those who thought the band recycles itself to death. All of these songs and others have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that "AC/DC" has completed the fastest and biggest comeback in the history of music. "Back In Black" did not renew anything. It did not invent any new musical style nor did it signal any cultural change. Instead, "Back In Black" proved that sometimes greatness is actually in the lack of change. If you do something good, then keep doing the same thing, only bigger, and more powerful. "Back In Black" proved that the genius of "AC/DC" is actually in simplicity and minimalism. If you look at the history of "AC/DC" over the years you can see that the band stuck to more or less the same simple and minimalist formula. With no substantial diversity in style or far-reaching changes in sound, "AC/DC" has managed throughout its career to bring out Masterpiece after Masterpiece, despite the apparent stagnation. Legendary producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who accompanied them on the album "Highway To Hell" recognized this immediately and made sure that the changes he made, to make the band accessible to the general public, would not harm its DNA. More details on the meteoric encounter between the band and Lang in a review of the album celebrating a birthday the next day. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

"Metallica's" debut album was released on July 25, 1983 !!! And this time, for a change, let's open with a personal story... A teenage boy in the early 1980s decides to get on the wrong bus and instead of going to school, he is on his way to the center of Tel Aviv, to the "Allegro" legendary record store on Sheinkin Street. Allegro was one of three record stores that were his refuge and balm from the usual difficulties that every teenager goes through in his adolescence, but also a place of pilgrimage where he studied and was educated: eat, drink, and study music. Although the "Allegro" store specialized mainly in classical music, at its southeastern end was a respectable department devoted entirely to the genres of "Heavy Rock" and "Heavy Metal." The one who ran this department with a high hand was Effie "Metal" Shafrir, who served just like a spiritual father to that boy. Effie made sure to feed the boy the right doses of hard rock classics combined with contemporary kicking metal music. One day, Effie "Metal" Shafrir put "Metallica's" album "Kill 'Em All" on the turntable, and as soon as the needle touched the first track of the vinyl record, the boy's head began to spin at the speed of light. Anyone who is familiar with the first vinyl releases of the album knows that on the back of it is written the sentence: "Bang that head that doesn't bang." - R. Burch ‘83. This phrase was dedicated to one of the band's fans called Ray Burch and who was known for the headbanging he performed in the band's first appearances (who knows maybe he's also the first headbanger). The band also dedicated the song "Whiplash" from the album to those fans. "Whiplash" is the punch that a person feels in the neck during a car accident when the head is thrown back and forth, and this is exactly the homage that Metallica sought to convey to fans who moved their heads frantically during performances. This sentence, which for some reason was deleted in the reissues of the album, was so true and genuine. It accurately described the feelings of that boy at that formative moment. Everything he knew up to that moment was not even close to the sounds emanating from the ragged headphones. This combination of hard-core punk with heavy metal created a kind of insane symbiosis that changed his whole worldview. Shortly afterward every album that came out exploded, albums by "Slayer", "Anthrax", and later also "Megadeth", a new world opened up, and thrash metal was born!!! This album is the formation of the band In the making as they say... Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield formed the band, which in its early days included Ron McGovney on bass and Dave Mustaine who came to the band through a newspaper ad, on lead guitar. (Photo: metallica.com) Even before the release of the album, the above-mentioned band released no less than 6 demo "albums" with which they tried to convince record labels and tour directors to let them perform or record. The demos included songs that came out later on the album and also covers. "No Life 'til Leather" is one of the prominent demos that brought the local scene to discover who "Metallica" is. But two significant changes took place in the lineup ahead of the album recording, bassist Ron left the band in light of confrontations he had with Dave, and not long after, Dave was fired from the band in light of the heavy use of alcohol and drugs and the severe quarrels he had with Lars and James. Ron was replaced by bassist Cliff Burton who conditioned his joining on the band's move from Los Angeles to San Francisco and Kirk Hammett who received the invitation to replace Dave on that famous phone call while sitting in the restroom. (Photo: Fin Costello) Since the band did not have the funding or record label to produce the album, Lars called Jon Zazula, a New Jersey record store manager, and metal band publicist, to ask for his support which in return, "Metallica" allowed him to sell the "No Life 'to Leather" demo. This move also helped establish the "Megaforce Records" label, as no record company agreed to fund the album. Kirk who came from the band "Exodus", learned all the songs for the album during his flight to meet the band members. They took producer Paul Curcio and in just two weeks recorded the entire album away from home, at Music America Studios in New York. Since they had no place to live during the recordings, they slept with friends and acquaintances in the city and in "Anthrax's" rehearsal room in New York. The cost of the album is estimated at $ 15,000 which almost led to the bankruptcy of John and his label. That even so he had a hard life finding a distributor. After much effort, John was able to persuade Relativity Records to distribute it. The first two songs the band wrote for the album were "Hit The Light" which opens the album and tells about the thrill the band feels on stage when they see the audience raging, and "Jump In The Fire" which was released as the second single from the album and according to Lars was "Metallica's" reaction to the Iron Maiden's song "Run to The Hills", which was plowing on alternative US radio stations at the time. The band was also looking for one song that would be a little more "catchy" and that was the one. The song was written from Satan's point of view who tempts people to sin, he wrote it in response to the religious coercion he experienced from his mother who was a member of the Messianic organization Jehovah's Witnesses. The song "The Four Horsemen" is another song that Dave co-wrote. This is an incarnation of the song "The Mechanix" that appeared in a demo from 1982 - "No Life 'Til Leather", and later also appeared in its original version on the debut album of Dave "Megadeth's" band from 1985 - "Killing Is My Business..." at 3:26 of The song can be found in a rhythm reminiscent of the song "Sweet Home Alabama." Dave noted that at the time he listened a lot to "Lynyrd Skynyrd" and that was his tribute to the Southern Blues band. The title of the song, which speaks of "the four riders", is taken from John in the New Testament, but also contains a wink to the four members of the band. The song "Motorbreath" is the only one of the band whose credit is given solely to James Hetfield and it talks about people doing nothing with their debtors. The instrumental track "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)" is one of Rock's greatest and most appreciated bass solo pieces, showcasing Cliff Burton's amazing abilities. And his virtuosic abilities as well as his ability to compose, arrange and control the bass guitar with effects like distortion and wah-wah which is mostly known to be used by guitars at that time. The song "Seek & Destroy" was based by Hetfield on the song "Dead Reckoning" by the "Diamond Head" band, which was the band he adored and as mentioned, also performed several covers for its songs. This album, which celebrates its birthday today, is one of the first moments in which the Thrash Metal genre was documented, a genre that set new standards in music. Extremely high speed, accuracy, power, and endurance. Just at the same time that glam and heavy metal began to lift their heads, four Los Angeles-San Francisco punks made sure to push the metal straight up the $#% $. Not for nothing did they intend to crown the name of the album "Metal up your ass", but the record company's resolute opposition forced them to change the title to something a little more refined and exclusive: "Kill 'Em All". Listen to the album on: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On July 25, 1969 "Jethro Tull" released their second album "Stand Up". This album emerged during a pivotal moment for the band, as their original guitarist Mick Abrahams left due to creative differences with frontman Ian Anderson. While their 1968 debut album, "This Was", was rooted in blues rock, Anderson sought to blend folk, jazz, and classical influences into their sound. The album still shows a great blues influence, as in the first track "A New Day Yesterday", but it masterfully balances other genres, resonating with fans and reaching No. 1 on the UK album charts. "Jethro Tull's" origins trace back to the early 1960s in Blackpool, England, where several future members were part of "John Evan Band". By 1967, Ian Anderson and bassist Glenn Cornick moved to London and teamed up with Abrahams and drummer Clive Bunker. Naming themselves after an 18th-century agriculturist, "Jethro Tull" quickly made their mark in the London club scene. Anderson, initially a guitarist, adopted the flute as his main instrument, feeling he couldn’t compete with the likes of Eric Clapton. The use of the flute expanded in this album as of the range of musical instruments Ian Anderson played, like the Hammond organ, mandolin, balalaika and more. After Abrahams' departure, the band briefly recruited Tony Iommi, who later returned to his group "Earth" (soon to be renamed "Black Sabbath"). Martin Barre was eventually chosen as the new guitarist, solidifying the lineup for decades. Prior to recording "Stand Up", the band released the single "Living in the Past," which became one of their most iconic songs and marked Barre’s first recording with "Jethro Tull". Although it is not a concept album, the lyrics refer to Anderson's "shaky" relationship with his parents, especially in the song "Back to the Family" and "To a Thousand Mothers" and a mixture of biographical anecdotes or experiences from his personal life. The difficult life before the band's success was described in the song "We Were Meant To Know" - in memory of the difficult life that Anderson and bassist Glen Cornick had at the head of the group. This poem also describes financial and physical difficulties they experienced and to some extent related to their relationship with the family. The album opens with a bluesy, riff-heavy track that sets a robust tone - "A New Day Yesterday". Barre’s guitar work is prominent with a stereo-shifting guitar effect, giving the song a raw edge, while Anderson's gritty vocals and dynamic flute playing add a unique layer. The second track "Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square" veers into folk territory with its acoustic arrangement where Anderson played on a balalaika and sing whimsical lyrics. The softer sound contrasts nicely with the album’s heavier moments, showcasing the band’s versatility. The track includes guitar and bass riffs with an asymmetrical structure. This song was a tribute to Anderson's friend Jeffrey Hammond, who was also referenced on "This Was" and would later join "Jethro Tull" as bassist in 1970 After that comes the standout track, "Bourée". A jazz-infused reworking of a piece by Johann Sebastian Bach. Anderson’s flute takes center stage, delivering intricate, lively melodies over a walking bass line. This track is a perfect example of the band’s ability to blend classical influences with contemporary rock. Ending the first side of the vinyl is "Back to the Family", featuring dynamic tempo changes and introspective lyrics, this song alternates between mellow verses and more intense, rock-driven choruses. Barre’s guitar, Glenn Cornick bass and Anderson’s flute interplay beautifully throughout, until the Climax in the end with the guitar-flute solo. The second side start with "Look Into the Sun" A more reflective and melodic piece that highlights Anderson’s ability to craft emotive, lyrical ballads. The acoustic guitar and gentle flute create a soothing, almost pastoral atmosphere. Anderson played the bass on this song as bassist Glenn Cornick was not present at the session. The next track "Nothing Is Easy" is energetic and assertive. This track showcases the band’s rock credentials that will develop in the near future in albums like Aqualung. It's a jazz-rock song with drums and electric guitar that contrasts with the acoustic material on the album, driven by a powerful rhythm section and punctuated by Anderson’s vigorous flute solos and emphatic vocals. In "Fat Man" the band use exotic instrumentation like the mandolin, this track has an Eastern-influenced sound. The playful lyrics and distinctive arrangement make it one of the more memorable songs on the album. Anderson wrote the song as a reference to guitarist Mick Abrahams, however, he said that the song was not intended to insult. One of the best tracks on the album is "We Used to Know". The chord progression in this song was picked up by the "Eagles" for their song "Hotel California". This track features one of the album’s most compelling guitar solos that will also remind you of the Eagles’ "Hotel California" ones. The song’s contemplative lyrics and steady build create a poignant atmosphere. The track "Reasons for Waiting" is a beautiful, acoustic-based song, that highlights Anderson’s vocal and flute skills with influences from Roy Harper. The addition of strings enriches the arrangement, giving it a lush, orchestral feel. The album ends up with "For a Thousand Mothers" .A high-energy number with a complex arrangement, featuring dynamic shifts and compelling instrumental interplay. It ends the album on a powerful note, emphasizing the band’s musical prowess and creativity. "Stand Up" is a unique and groundbreaking album in "Jethro Tull’s" discography, showcasing their transition from blues rock to a more eclectic sound. With the addition of Martin Barre and the incorporation of diverse musical influences combining progressive rock with a variety of styles, "Jethro Tull" paved its way to future successes. The album was chosen number 513 in the list of the 1000 greatest albums of all time compiled by Colin Larkin in the third edition (2000). It influenced many notable musicians, including Eddie Vedder, Tom Hamilton, Joe Bonamassa, and Joe Satriani. Ian Anderson himself regards it as his favorite "Jethro Tull" album, highlighting its importance as a collection of original music. Following the album's release, the band continued to build momentum with successful singles like "Sweet Dream" and "Witches Promise," entering the 1970s with great momentum. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website