He is the founder of one of the greatest bands in the history of music. He is insanely talented and writes with supreme grace. He is a singer with an amazing vocal range and even a painter. He is the definition of "rock star" in the dictionary !! (Photo: Fanart.TV) Here are some facts about "The Starchild" Paul Stanley: 1. He was born in Manhattan , New York on January 20, 1952, as Stanley Bert Eisen. 2. Stanley's two parents are Jews of Polish descent. During World War II, his mother fled from the terror of the Nazis to Amsterdam and from there to the United States. 3. Stanley was born with a birth defect in his right ear, preventing him to hear in his right ear. As a result, it was difficult for him to identify the direction of the sound and to understand speech in situations of large noise. Stanley underwent surgery to repair the defect only when he was 30, about ten years after founding "Kiss." 4. Despite the hearing problem, Stanley grew up listening to classical music with his parents. He especially admired Beethoven. Stanley would later become an opera buff. 5. He was only exposed to rock music at a later stage. He mainly listened to those he watched on television such as: Eddie Cochran, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and later "The Beatles" "The Rolling Stones", Bob Dylan , and more. 6. He got his first guitar when he was 7. By the time he reached bar mitzvah at age (13), he already got a more professional guitar. 7. Stanley was discovered in his youth as having graphic talent. He loved to paint and his parents enrolled him in the New York " High School of Music & Art ", from which he graduated in 1970. 8. Despite his talent as a painter Stanley eventually chose music, forming a local band called "Rainbow" (not that of Ritchie Blackmore ). He would write the songs "Firehouse" and "Let Me Know" during his high school years. 9. Later, Stanley will move on to the bands "Uncle Joe" and "Post War Baby Boom", but his first serious band will be "Wicked Lester", where he will also meet his musical partner Gene Simmons . 10. The band recorded an album in 1972, but it eventually did not release (excerpts from it will appear in a box released by "Kiss" in 2001). 11. Simmons and Stanley decided to form a new band and they caught an ad published by drummer Peter Criss on August 31, 1972, in which he stated that he was looking for a band that played original material in a soft and heavy rock style. 12. After Peter Chris joined the band, on December 14, 1972, Stanley published a newspaper ad about a band looking for a guitarist. One of the respondents to the ad was Ace Frehley whose look initially frightened the band, but his playing immediately captivated them. (Photo: Fanart.TV) 13. The quartet immediately started working on their debut album, when earlier Stanley decided to change his name from Stanley Bert Eisen to Paul Stanley, inspired by two singers he loved: Paul McCartney and Paul Rodgers . 14. Stanley was the one who coined the band name "KISS", while driving around New York with Gene Simmons and Peter Criss. Criss mentioned that he was in a band called "Lips" and Stanley said what if we called ours "KISS"? 15. The quartet's first live show was held on January 30, 1973, at a small festival in Queens, New York. The band appears with makeup, but not the iconic comic book characters we know today. 16. The first appearance with the mythological comic figures was held on March 9, 1973, when Paul Stanley takes on the character of "The Starchild" with a drawing of a star in his right eye. 17. It is interesting to note that in the years 73-74 and for a short time, Stanley changed his character to the "Bandit", with makeup in the style of the "Lone Ranger" masks. 18. In March 1973 the band recorded a demo tape with 5 tracks together with the legendary producer Eddie Kramer. This recording will help them sign their first recording contractת with the " Casablanca Records " label. 19. The debut album bearing the name of the band "Kiss" was released on February 18, 1974, when most of the material was written by Stanley and Simmons back in the time of their previous band "Wicked Lester". Stanley shared the lead vocals with Simmons on most of the album's songs and in addition, played guitar. 20. Stanley has been a part of all 20 studio albums released by "Kiss" since then and is one of the two main songwriters of the band. During the 1980s at a time when the band took off its makeup, Stanley was the leading force behind the band. 21. He noted that he wrote the song "Hard Luck Woman", taken from the album "Rock and Roll Over" released in 1976, for Rod Stewart , however, Kiss it is not clear if the song was offered to Rod and what was his reaction. 22. Stanley's first solo album was released on September 18, 1978, on the same day the other three members of the band released theirs, all under the brand name "KISS". 23. Since then he has released one more solo album called "Live to Win" in 2006. The theme song from it appeared in an episode of " South Park " called "Make Love, Not Warcraft". 24. His first work as a songwriter outside of "KISS", was a song co-written with Desmond Child called "The Fight", which appeared on Desmond and his band's 1979 album. 25. Paul is known as a huge and energetic performer. During the show, he does not skip on various gimmicks, including breaking his guitars. During a tour of the United States and Europe in 1976, Paul smashed no less than 205 guitars. 26. In 2015, Paul formed the 10-member "Paul Stanley's Soul Station". It's a side band playing cover versions of the artists Stanley grew up on. They released their first album "Now and Then" in 2021. 27. Stanley noted that his inspiration for the song "Shandi" from the 1980 album "Unmasked", came after he listened to the cover version of "The Holies" for the song "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" by Bruce Springsteen : 28. In 2006 Stanley was inducted into the Long Island Hall of Fame. 29. In 2008 Paul won the "Classic Rock Awards" Showman of the Year. 30. "Hit Parader" magazine ranked him 18th on the list of the 100 best metal singers of all time. 31. A survey of Gibson.com magazine readers ranked him 13th on the list of top 25 singers. 32. In 2014 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with "KISS". 33. Stanley was the last person to play the "Phantom" character in the Toronto Phantom Opera production. 34. Paul Stanley is also a painter who earns millions of dollars from the sale of his paintings. 35. For years he received offers from Playgirl magazine to be photographed naked, but he never had the courage. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On January 20, 1982, Ozzy Osbourne bites off the head of a bat that was thrown onto the stage during a performance at " Des Moines ", Iowa, as part of a tour to promote the album " Diary of a Madman ". (Photo: Image: Retna Ltd.) Extreme acts were not uncommon for the "Prince of Darkness," but one case that occurred in 1981 was probably the "founding event" that was the trigger for the "bat incident." Ozzy came to a meeting with CBS executives, to sign a recording contract. He carried two doves hidden under his coat, with the good intentions of releasing them after the signing ceremony. But then something went wrong. Ozzy was so "high" that when he felt the PR woman present at the meeting was not nice to him, he forgot the original plan, pulled one of the doves out of his pocket, and bit her head just to silence her. He repeated the shocking act with the other dove spitting their heads on The table to the sound of the PR woman's screams. This event was publicized in the media and made waves, not least thanks to Don Arden - Osborne's manager (Sharon Osborne's father), who thought the matter would help boost Ozzy's solo career. Following that, Osborne's fans began throwing objects and plastic dolls of animals at the stage, during his performances. Ozzy cooperated and bit them to the applause of the audience. This became a regular occurrence during the "Prince of Darkness" live performances, but on January 20, 1982, something was still different. A 17-year-old fan named Mark Neal threw a dead bat carcass on the stage. It fell at Ozzy's feet and he thought it was a rubber toy again. He put the head of the bat in his mouth and bit it very hard. But this time Ozzy immediately felt that something was wrong. He noted that after the bite his mouth filled with hot liquid that had a terrible aftertaste. He said he felt his head twitching inside his mouth and then realized he bit a real bat. Ozzy wrote about the historic event in his book "I Am Ozzy": "Immediately, though, something felt wrong. Very wrong. For a start, my mouth was instantly full of this warm, gloopy liquid, with the worst aftertaste you could ever imagine. I could feel it staining my teeth and running down my chin. Then the head in my mouth twitched. Oh fuck me, I thought. I didn't just go and eat a fucking bat, did I?" By the way, Neal said the bat had been dead for some time and had begun decaying, but Ozzy has always insisted that it was alive. It does not really change the severity of the incident, as immediately after Ozzy was rushed to the hospital to receive a series of shots against rabies. This horrific event did not bring about a change in the extreme behavior of Ozzy, who about a month later, on February 19, 1982, was arrested for urinating at the Alamo Memorial in Texas and later sniffed a long line of ants. Years later Ozzy mentioned that mentioning this event in almost every interview with him, really pissed him off, but one can not ignore the fact that he also very much enjoyed it, as evidently, the live album " Speak of the Devil " released several months after the incident, included a photo of him with liquid Blood-like in his mouth with a drawing of a bat over his head. What’s more, even today Osborne continues to sell bat dolls with a removable heads in his memorabilia store. This pleasure will cost you less than 100 NIS. This insane incident has garnered a host of jokes and mentions, one of which included a guest appearance of Ozzy Osborne, himself, in Adam Sandler's 2000 film "Little Nickey": "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

A Sneak Peek... ... Did you know? Guitarist Tony Iommi wanted to record a sequel to the masterful reunion album " 13 ", but Geezer Butler and singer Ozzy Osbourne objected ... On January 20, 2016, "Black Sabbath" released what at the moment considered it's last piece of musical material. The EP with the binding name "The End"! This mini-album features eight songs. The first half consists of four new songs destined to be included on the sequel to the album “ 13 ”, released three years earlier, with the second half featuring tracks recorded live during the band's tour between 2013 and 2014. The one accompanying Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne on drums is Brad Wilk , known from "Rage Against The Machine" and "Audioslave", which also played on the album " 13 ". During the recordings of the album " 13 ", guitarist Tony Iommi wrote a large number of riffs that were intended for the sequel album, which he asked to start working on immediately after the recordings for the album " 13 " were completed. However, bassist Geezer Butler and singer Ozzy Osbourne refused to record another album, on the grounds that it would delay the long-planned tour. As is well known, eventually the idea for another album was shelved and the new material, along with excerpts from the band performances, were released as part of the EP which as its name implies, as of this moment, symbolizes the end of this mighty band. Although the four original songs on the album do not equal the level of the bombshells we received on " 13 ", they certainly show that this band had a lot more to give, so it is a pity that this small project did not eventually become a full album. If we had to pick the best of the four tracks, it would probably be "Take Me Home", which just sounded to us like an outtake from the album " Sabbath Bloody Sabbath ". This mini-album was sold as part of the "The End Tour" tour, exclusively and is not even found on the various streaming services. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Written By: Moti Kupfer Release date - 20.01.1978 “Winding your way down on Baker Street, Light in your head and dead on your feet, Well, another crazy day, You’ll drink the night away, And forget about everything… And when you wake up, it’s a new morning, The sun is shining, it’s a new morning, And you’re going, you’re going home.” In 1975, after three studio albums, the Scottish folk rock band "Stealers Wheel" broke up. The split was already a done deal even before the release of their final album, due to management problems and growing disagreements between the band’s two central members, Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty. Rafferty, who had released his first solo album back in 1971, spent three years following the breakup in 1975 unable to release new material, due to unresolved disputes over the remaining contractual recording obligations tied to "Stealers Wheel". “Everybody was suing each other, so I spent a lot of time on the overnight train from Glasgow to London for meetings with lawyers,” Rafferty recalled.“ I knew a guy who lived in a little flat off Baker Street. We'd sit and chat or play guitar there through the night.” Out of the distress and loneliness he felt, Rafferty’s biggest hit " Baker Street " was born. The song ends with the light seen at the end of the tunnel and later became part of Rafferty’s second solo album, fittingly titled "City to City", released on January 20, 1978. Rafferty also drew inspiration for "Baker Street"  from "The Outsider" by Colin Wilson, a book that explores ideas of alienation and creativity, driven by the longing to feel connected to society. Rafferty openly admitted that alienation was a theme that occupied him throughout many of his songs over the years. Gerry Rafferty  was born in April 1947 in Paisley, Scotland, into a working class Irish Catholic family. Both his father and grandfather worked as coal miners. He grew up on Irish and Scottish folk songs, something that can clearly be heard in the opening of the album " The Ark .“ My father was Irish, so growing up in Paisley I was hearing all these songs when I was two or three. Songs like 'She Moves Through the Fair', which my mother sings beautifully. And a whole suite of Irish traditional songs and Scots traditional songs,” Rafferty recalled. He was educated at St Mirin’s Academy, and later worked in a butcher shop, as a civil service clerk, and in a shoe store. Beyond Irish and Scottish folk music, he was deeply influenced by "The Beatles" and Bob Dylan . Early on, Rafferty collaborated with his future "Stealers Wheel" bandmate Joe Egan in a group called Maverix, which performed covers of "The Beatles" and "The Rolling Stones". In 1969, he became the third member of the folk rock band "The Humblebums", with whom he recorded two albums. Shortly after the band’s breakup, he released a solo album, and not long after that reunited with his childhood friend Joe Egan to form Stealers Wheel, whose song " Stuck in the Middle with You " became their biggest hit. Toward the final part of 1977, after finally managing to free himself from the contractual obligations tied to Stealers Wheel, Rafferty entered the studio with producer Hugh Murphy. The remarkable Scottish songwriter lays his soul bare for all to see on this album, writing openly about his love for his family in "City to City"  and "Mattie’s Rag" , the latter dedicated to his daughter Martha, as well as "Right Down the Line" , which he wrote for his wife. Beyond the personal themes, the album is filled with music and melody that feel deeply intertwined, packed with special moments such as the piano and backing vocals at the opening of "Whatever’s Written in Your Heart" , the harmonica on "City to City" , and above all, the unforgettable saxophone riff by Raphael Ravenscroft, alongside the chilling bass line played by Gary Taylor on "Baker Street" . For Listening : Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

A Sneak Peek... And this time, a band that bought the rights to an entire movie in order to avoid paying royalties for a video clip they released. On January 20, 1989, the video clip for the song "One" by "Metallica", was premiered. This is the first video the band has made during it's career and it was filmed in Long Beach California. The video, which is mostly in black and white, features dialogues and scenes from the 1971 cult film "Johnny Got His Gun," based on a 1939 book of the same name. This is an anti-war film with poignant pacifist messages. "Metallica" hired two filmmakers who created the video clip, based on the film. The clip created an "earthquake" in the music world at the time and conquered the MTV screen becaming one of the popular clips in those days. The intensities that pass through the song were shakily interwoven with the terrifying sights from the film and just could not be ignored. This is the first song that nominated Metallica for the Grammy Award, not least thanks to this video clip. It even brought them to perform at the 31st Grammy Awards in 1989, where they eventually lost the prise. Read more about it here:" Metallica Vs. Jethro Tull ". But what's more interesting is that in order to continue showing the clip without having to pay royalties to the creators of the original "Johnny Got His Gun" film, the members of "Metallica" simply acquired all the rights to the film. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Written By: Moti Kupfer Release date - 20.01.1975 Short stories turn into songs, especially when they come from one of the greatest storytellers of modern music. The early 1970s brought a series of diverse albums by Bob Dylan , with uneven quality. “What is this shit?” asked Greil Marcus, music critic for Rolling Stone  magazine, in response to Dylan’s tenth album, "Self Portrait". The double album included only a handful of new songs and was poorly received even by Dylan’s most loyal fans. Later that same year, Dylan rebounded with "New Morning", an album widely marked as a return to proper Dylan form. In 1972, he composed the soundtrack for Sam Peckinpah’s film "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid", and also appeared in the movie as a supporting actor, playing one of the gang members. One song from the soundtrack, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" , went on to receive dozens of cover versions over the years, left a far greater impression than the film itself, and became one of the defining classics of American rock music. After his contract with "Columbia Records" expired, Dylan signed with David Geffen and his newly founded label "Asylum Records". He recorded the album "Planet Waves" together with members of "The Band", while simultaneously rehearsing for an upcoming tour. In January 1974, Dylan and "The Band" launched a highly publicized coast-to-coast North American tour. Promoter Bill Graham claimed that the number of people seeking tickets was the highest he had ever seen. The tour was documented on the live album "Before the Flood". Following the tour, it was reported in the media that Bob Dylan and his wife Sara had separated. Dylan filled three small notebooks with songs about relationships and marital struggles, which eventually became his fifteenth album, "Blood on the Tracks", released on January 20, 1975. In his 2004 memoir, Dylan stated that the songs had no connection to his personal life and were instead inspired by the short stories of Anton Chekhov. His son, Jakob Dylan, leader of "The Wallflowers", was later quoted as believing that the album was in fact about his parents. Another key influence was artist Norman Raeben, whose 1974 painting workshop guide gave Dylan a new perspective and helped him connect his mind, hand, and eye together, allowing him to consciously do what he had previously felt only on a subconscious level. When informed of the album’s popularity, Dylan told Mary Travers in a radio interview in April 1975: “A lot of people tell me they enjoyed that album. It's hard for me to relate to people enjoying that kind of pain.” Dylan does seem to acknowledge the autobiographical nature of parts of the album, such as in "Simple Twist of Fate" , which he introduced as “a simple love story that happened to me.” The song describes a one-night encounter in a hotel called the Waterfall. Dylan explores the thoughts of both the man and the woman, as she leaves to wander the docks shortly after the night of passion ends. He also shifts the song’s point of view from first person to third person, sometimes within the same verse. In a 1978 interview, responding to interpretations that the album functioned as a personal confession and that "Tangled Up in Blue"  was based on his relationship with Sara, Dylan said, “There might be some little part ... me confessing anything.” This aligns closely with the concept he absorbed from Norman Raeben. The song does deal with his wife Sara, describing how they split up on a dark sad night by the docks, something that likely did happen. The remarkable thing is that Dylan usually does not expose his emotions at all. But here, it is as if he wrote his feelings on a sign and held it up for the world to see. The lyrics are exceptionally deep and profoundly poetic. In songs like "You're a Big Girl Now" , "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" , and "If You See Her, Say Hello" , Bob Dylan  struggles to balance emotional maturity with the need to let go, all while being haunted by what might have been. Melancholy gives way to bitterness in "Idiot Wind" , an almost eight-minute lament in which a resentful Dylan develops anger and a sense of vengeance toward the lover who destroyed their shared love. In "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" , we encounter cinematic Dylan, delivering an upbeat country ballad that depicts a single night in the lives of outlaws, a diamond mine owner, and cabaret performers in an Old West town. In "Shelter from the Storm" , Dylan reflects on visions of a former great love who once offered him refuge from the constant storm that life presents. But as with many of the songs on the album, unconditional love eventually gives way to regret, as the two lose each other. After all the confessions and remorse comes "Buckets of Rain" , which closes the album with Dylan looking forward rather than dwelling on heartbreak. Accompanied only by his acoustic guitar and a bass, Dylan presents love in uncomplicated terms. He describes the effort required to find it amid the bleakness of everyday life and the reality of friendships that drift apart. The words are simple yet carry profound depth and meaning, as he sings: “Friends will come, friends will go / If you want me, honey, I’ll be here.” The album cover features a profile portrait of Bob Dylan looking to the left. The image was photographed by Paul Till. Till explained that the photo was taken with a telephoto lens during a performance at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on January 10, 1974. When developing the photograph, he solarized the image and then hand-colored it using watercolors. For Listening : Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Well, we have a small confession to make, but the album "Defenders of the Faith" is one of our favorites in the "Judas Priest" repertoire. True, it lacks the primacy of "Sin After "Sin", it is also lack the hits such in "British Steel" and does not have the cruel fangs of "Painkiller". But there's something about it that makes us want to listen to it time and time again, even four decades after it's release. This album which was released on January 4, 1984 is a direct, yet darker and gloomier sequel, to "Screaming for Vengeance". "Judas Priest" used the same successful formula of the previous album, but with a little twist. Even the album cover shows the similarities between them. "Screaming for Vengeance" shows the flying "Hellion" in most of its glory, while this album gives as the "Metallian". On the back of the cover you can even find a sentence that connects the two albums as follows: "Rising from darkness where Hell hath no mercy and the screams for vengeance echo on forever. Only those who keep the faith shall escape the wrath of the Metallian ... Master of all metal ". Did we say that there is something in this album that makes us come back to it again and again? So one of the reasons for that is Rob Halford who just surpasses himself here. This is one of the albums with his best vocal performance. These are not only the insane high notes he reaches (listen to him for example at the 3:00 minute of "Jawbreaker"), it's also his incredible voice control and his ability to turn it into a musical instrument that blends in amazingly with the band. Listen to him in the song "The Sentinel" for example, especially in the chorus starting at 0:50 in the studio version and you will understand what we are talking about. It's not that on other albums his voice was any less good. God forbid. It is simply that here the melody, dynamics, diversity and power are simply amazing. Another reason we love this album so much, lies in the crazy collaboration of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton. Even the transfer of the baton between Johan Blake and Usain Bolt at the relay race in the London 2012 Olympics was not as synchronized as those two. Listen to their performance in the song "Rock Hard Ride Free". for example. Notice how K.K.'s solo starts at 2:34 (studio version) and his smooth “baton transfer” to Tipton at exactly 3:02 and from there to their duet at 3:30. This song by the way is an outtake from the previous album then called "Fight for Your Life". The song was recorded in 1982 but did not make it to the final mix of "Screaming for Vengeance". For the current album the band "renovated", "repaired" and re-recorded it, and maybe for the good, because it just sounds amazing. From here we move on to the third and overwhelming reason why we love this album so much. Prepper yourself to a statement that might raise your eyebrows: In our humble opinion, the song sequence on the first side of this album is the best of "Judas Priest's" repertoire. It opens with "Freewheel Burning"'s Speed Metal with Dave Holand's insane double bass drumming, Tipton's neoclassical solo, and Halford's fast and powerful singing that match the insane song rhythm. It continues with the amazing "Jawbreaker" that "drops our jaws" over and over again, just like its name. The song's amazing and iconic riff and Halford's staccato cuts in singing, just do it for us. It continues with the amazing guitar collaboration of "Rock Hard Ride Free" and with one of Halford's greatest vocal performances in the song "The Sentinel", which we mentioned above. Don't get us wrong. The other side of the album also features great songs, like "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" and "Night Comes Down", that connect to Priest's more melodic and subtle side, or like the closing song "Heavy Duty" that connects with the repetitive track "Defenders of the Faith". So true, this album is not really perfect. "Love Bites" contains eighties-pop influences that will only intensify on the album "Turbo". "Eat Me Alive" is perhaps the filler on this album that also caused harsh reactions from the "Parents Music Resource Center", which labeled it with the dubious title "Filthy Fifteen" due to lyrics That imply on oral sex. But even this so-called album's "flaw", sent "Judas Priest" to write the excellent song "Parental Guidance" in response to the "PMRC". This song will be included in the next album "Turbo". For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On January 20, 1983, Def Leppard's third album, "Pyromania", was released. It's Def Leppard's meteoric breakthrough album. An album that sold over 10 million copies in the US alone and was crowned by the RIAA as a "diamond" album (ten times gold). The album jumped straight to number two on the US Billboard charts and it would undoubtedly would have "conquered the summit", had it not been for Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album, which has been around at the top for a very long time. On this album, the band made a change and transition from the Heavy Metal roots that characterized the first two albums, towards upgraded Hard Rock and even Glam Metal, while adopting a "friendlier" and more accessible style. (Photo: Wallpaperflare.com) The change in sound and style making the band accessible to the masses can be attributed to the magician (no less) producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who worked with AC/DC's on the album " Highway To Hell " and later on the album " Back In Black " and led them to their meteoric success. Similar to what he did in his work with "AC/DC", Lange also change "Def Leppard's" sound and made it more catchy and accessible. In this case, too, Lange pushed "Def Leppard" to excellence with a lot of hard work and considerable studio hours. He even took matters into his own hands and helped the band write some of the songs, for which he also received credit. In keeping with the formula that worked well with "AC/DC", Lange emphasized the "double guitar" sound of "Def Leppard" and in particular the vocal harmonies of the band members, while also contributing his vocals as a background singer. Although the change began on the previous album, " High 'n' Dry " from 1981, it was tightened and perfected by Lange on "Pyromania". As it turned out, after two traditional heavy metal albums, Matt Lange helped "Def Leppard" perform the "metamorphosis" needed for a friendlier Heavy Metal/Glam Rock sound, which would lead to their big break in the US and buy them a dizzying global success. The record company, which expressed faith in the band and the producer, helped Matt Lange and the band achieve an amazing result. They gave them an almost free hand during the recordings, which lasted almost a whole year (from January to November 1982), with a huge budget of about 1 million Dollars. In doing so, the record company took a huge risk, as the huge budget required a minimum sales of one million copies to balance and start making a profit. The risk taken by the record company is largely based on Matt Lange's great results with "AC/DC", on the albums " Highway To Hell " and " Back In Black ", as well as the relative success of the song "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" from the band's previous album - " High 'n' Dry " , which was also produced by Lange and won reruns on MTV. When Lange and "Def Leppard" began recording the album, esteemed guitarist Pete Willis was still part of the band and recorded all of the rhythm guitar roles on the album. Unfortunately, Pete Willis was fired towards the end of the recordings, due to his alcohol problems. He was replaced by guitarist Phil Collen, who already on his second day with the band contributed the guitar solo for the song " Stagefright ". This album maintains a high standard of musical writing and performance almost throughout. From " Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) " with the dramatic intro that goes through several variations before Steve Clark 's riff kicks in and takes this song to stadium anthem level, to the closing track " Billy's Got a Gun " that really makes us smell the "Danger in the Air" until the melodramatic ending with the "Bang, Bang" and the somewhat hallucinatory electronic drum loop. One of the main features of this album, which will immediately catch your ears, is the extensive emphasis given to the vocal harmonies. The vocals are brought forward in the mix and serve as an additional musical instrument in the overall production. In our humble opinion, this is what sets this album apart from the rest of the "New Wave of British heavy metal" bands, that were active at the time. Singer Joe Elliott gives an impressive purposeful display that showcases his vocal diversity, which ranges from rough and hoarse to soft and caressing. But the highlight is the background vocals of all the other band members plus producer Matt Lange, who form a sort of escort choir for Elliott and well justifies the nickname they received in the credits - "The Leppardettes". This album has produced some of the greatest songs in the band's huge repertoire, even compared to the mega hits that will arrive on the next album " Hysteria ". Songs such as " Photograph ", " Rock of Ages ", " Too Late for Love " and " Foolin' ", became memorable anthems and were played incessantly on various radio stations and MTV, giving the band dizzying success and placing it in the front line of The best-selling bands in the world. It is interesting to note that the album features two surprising session players. The first was keyboardist Tony Kaye known as one of the founders of the progressive rock band "Yes". The second was Thomas Dolby, the Synth-Pop and New Wave artist who assisted Matt Lange in the production and played keyboards on the album as "Booker T. Boffin". Dolby, who just finished working on his hit "She Blinded Me With Science", so he wanted to hide behind a fake name, so as not to confuse his "Poppy" solo career with the fact that he plays on a Heavy Metal album. For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Singer Rod Evans, who was the first frontman of "Deep Purple" in its first incarnation, is celebrating a birthday today! (Photo: WordPress) As mentioned, he was the first singer of "Deep Purple" in the MKI lineup, that included Ritchie Blackmore , Ian Paice , Jon Lord and Nick Simper. Rod was born in Eaton, Buckinghamshire , England, on January 19, 1947. Beginning in the mid - 1960s, Evans replaced a number of bands, such as "The Horizons" and "The Maze", in which he played alongside Ian Paice . In 1968, Evans was one of the founders of "Deep Purple". Bassist Nick Simper said he earned his place in the band after offering the members a ballad version of the song "Help!" from "The Beatles". This version finally found its place on the first album of "Deep Purple" from 1968, called "Shades Of Deep Purple". Evans released 3 iconic albums along with "Deep Perple", the debut album "Shades Of Deep Purple", the second "The Book of Taliesyn", both from 1968 and the third album " Deep Purple " from 1969. He was a part of creating and performing masterful songs such as: "Hush", "Anthem", "April", "Lalena" and "Emaretta". Following the release of the band's third album, during a tour of the US, keyboardist Jon Lord, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and drummer Ian Paice met to discuss the band's future. It was clear to all three that singer Rod Evans had a clean and "poppy" voice and that both he and bassist Nick Simper would not fit into the new style in which the band was going, so it was decided to replace them. As early as June 1969, the same month of the band's third album release, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover were selected to replace Evans and Simper. They where both members of "Episode Six", but at this point their identities were still kept secret as well as the intention to fire Evans and Simper. None of the members of "Deep Purple" didn't wanted to be the one to deliver the bad news to them and the two learned about their dismissal from reading the newspaper. After "Deep Purple", Evans and his then girlfriend moved to the US and lived in Los Angeles, with the intention that Evans would develop a career as an actor. In 1971 he released a single called "Hard To Be Without You", and shortly afterwards he formed the band "Captain Beyond", which included members of the band "Iron Buttefly", after it disbanded in 1971. Evans' first appearance with "Captain Beyond" "Held on April 30, 1972. He released two albums with them in the years 72-73, but following their commercial failure he decided to retire from music. In 1980, he followed his manager advice and formed a band that operated under the name "The New Deep Purple". The band performed in the United States. Evans' promoter took advantage of the fact that in those years "Deep Purple" was inactive and he tried to make money by using the "purple" brand name in publications and posters, designed to promote Evans and his band. Incredibly annoying, the posters even included the band's logo from the album "Stormbringer" released by the band's MKIII lineup in 1975. Although Evans was the only member of the band to have a vague connection to "Deep Purple" in its MKI lineup, he was performing songs from the MKII lineups with Ian Gillan and MKIII linep with David Coverdale . Following this, the management of "Deep Purple" was forced to file a lawsuit against Evans and prevent the illegal use of the band name. Evans lost and was forced to pay a fantastic sum for those days in the amount of $ 672,000. In addition, Evans lost the right to receive royalties from the band's first three albums in which he participated. This incident led to a conclusion among all the band members from its various lineups, that anyone who wants to use the "Deep Purple" brand will be able to do so only if there are three members in the linep who were part of the band. Since that lawsuit, Evans has disappeared from the cameras and is no longer seen in public. In 2015 Ian Paice noted that if anyone knows about Evans' whereabouts or even if he is still "on Earth", these would be good news for him. That same year "Captain Beyond" drummer stated that he was in touch with Rod and that he had been working in the medical field for a long time. In 2016, "Deep Purple" entered the " Rock and Roll Hall of Fame " and Evans was to receive the award along with the rest of his friends from the band's various lineups. Evans was not present at the ceremony. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On January 19, 1988, "Megadeth" released their third album "So Far, So Good ... So What!" The name of the album was a sort of statement of intent by Dave Mustaine , meant to make it clear that the band did not give the relative success of the album " Peace Sells... but Who's Buying ?" From 1986, to change them. He noted that it was precisely this relative success that drove him to take the band in more extreme directions on this album. But, to fulfill his vision, Dave had to fire half of his lineup before recording the album. Guitarist Chris Poland and drummer Gar Samuelson were kicked out of the band, due to drug addiction issues, forcing Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson to look for their replacements. Chuck Behler who was Samuelson's drum technician - was given the role of drummer. For the position of guitarist Dave initially chose Jay Reynolds who was then part of the band "Malice", however, Reynolds was replaced shortly after, failing to "deliver the goods". Reynolds was just not at the level demanded from "Megadeth" guitarist. He had to invite his music teacher Jeff Young to the studio to help him learn the solo roles. Eventually, Reynolds was dismissed and his teacher Jeff Young got the role in his place. This album marked a turning point as opposed to the two previous albums, in which Dave Mustaine was the sole writer. Here, for the first time, half of the songs were written in collaboration with bassist David Ellefson who proved that he is capable of contributing his talent to the creative process. The album opens up "big", "rich" and "bombastic", with the instrumental section " Into the Lungs of Hell ", to the sounds of trumpets, brass instruments, and rolling drums played by a synthesizer. This intro gives a feeling that we are on the verge of an epic musical piece, usually preserved for prog and/or for concept albums. Without a doubt, this is an amazing opening that creates a crazy build-up for what comes next. The second track " Set the World Afire " is the first song Dave wrote after being fired from "Metallica". He did so on his way by bus from New York to Los Angeles, a four-day trip in which he had enough time to think, ponder and write. For more about Dave's dismissal Read here: " Dave Mustaine Fired From Metallica ". Dave claims he wrote the lyrics on a cupcake wrapper, after being inspired by a newspaper headline referring to the nuclear arms race noting: "The arsenal of Megadeath can not be rid". At first, he intended to call the song "Megadeth" as it appeared in the title, but eventually, he kept the name for his band. It is interesting to note that the first seconds of the song include a symphony from the song "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" performed by the jazz band " The Ink Spots " back in 1941. The third track " Anarchy in the U.K " is a cover version of the iconic song by the "Sex Pistols", with only slightly different lyrics. At this point, it can already be said that the inclusion of a cover song on a Megadeth album has already become a tradition, after the first two albums included one such song. The recording of the song also features "Sex Pistols" guitarist, Steve Jones, whom Dave specifically invited to play the solo. Dave said Jones came to the studio riding a motorcycle and with a broken hand, but nonetheless, he did his job excellently. As for the payment for his participation in the song, Jones asked Dave for a payment of $ 100 and in addition some time with a prostitute, in advance, and before the recording. Dave who did not know if Jones was serious or not, told him that he did not intend to invite a prostitute to the studio and offered him a thousand dollars so that he could do whatever he want with them. It is interesting to note that this song was an integral part of the band's setlist for years, but after Dave become more religious he stopped performing it in Megadeth's shows. " Mary Jane " which ends the first side of the vinyl tells the story of a witch named Mary Jane who was buried alive by her father near Loon Lake Cemetery in Minnesota. The song opens with the words of Dave inviting her to rise from the dead, when later he says that anyone who will dare to disturb her peace of death will be haunted by him. The number in the title of the song " 502 " opening the second side of the album, is the "drunk driving code" of the Los Angeles Police Department. It really sounds to us like a track that could serve as a crazy soundtrack to a car chase, especially when more or less in the middle of the song the sounds of the police sirens are heard. " In My Darkest Hour " was written by Dave Mustaine as soon as he received the news of the tragic death of Cliff Burton - "Metallica" bass player. Mustaine who was Burton's best friend, testified that as soon as he heard about the tragic death he drove to downtown Los Angeles, bought heroin, cried for the death of his friend, and out of tears composed the song "In My Darkest Hour". Although Burton was the inspiration for this masterpiece song, its lyrics don’t really refer to him. They talk about staying true to your friends and being there for them in their most difficult times. Dave later noted that the lyrics of the song also refer to his ex-girlfriend Diana who was the inspiration for writing more of Megadeth's songs such as "Tornado of Souls" and "Trust". The first time the band performed the song in a concert Cliff Burton 's parents were present in crowd and Dave said he was really overwhelmed with emotions. " Liar " was written by Dave about the band's former guitarist Chris Poland, who according to Dave, sold his guitars to buy heroin. The concluding track " Hook in Mouth " points an accusing finger at the censorship organization " Parents Music Resource Center " or PMRC for short, led by Tipper Gore, who according to Dave Mustaine , violates American freedom of expression. The album was produced by Paul Lani, but Mustaine did not get along with him and so German producer and technician Michael Wagener, who worked with "Accept" and "Metallica", replaced him. But even that did not satisfy Dave who later said the album's production was not good enough. "So Far, So Good ... So What!" In our opinion, did not receive the respect it deserves, and all this is not really related to the quality of the album. Fate wanted that this album was released between two masterpieces " Peace Sells... but Who's Buying ?" From 1986 and " Rust In Peace " from 1990. This did put So Far, So Good ... So What!" in the shadow of these two giants. But make no mistake, despite the raw sound and the complex and dark atmosphere this album is without a doubt a classic in itself. Despite the difficult circumstances that surrounded it, this album was very successful in sales and sold about 400,000 copies in the first month of its release, when it eventually gained platinum status. It crowned Dave Mustaine as a Metal God and a master of riff writing, as he will prove yet again in the band's next albums. For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Written By: Moti Kupfer Release date - 18.01.1994 “You and Dylan (Carlson) are my only friends. You’re the only people I trust.” Kurt Cobain  did not have many true friends he felt comfortable opening up to. Mark Lanegan , the singer of the grunge band Screaming Trees, was perhaps the person closest to him. It is doubtful that Courtney Love , Cobain’s widow, would have been pleased to hear that fact. In the end, Lanegan and Cobain bonded almost immediately after a Nirvana show held in a remote library in Ellensburg, Lanegan’s hometown. Mark foresaw a bright future for "Nirvana" and even prevented Krist Novoselic  from joining his own band when Novoselic briefly considered it. Cobain and Lanegan shared a similar outlook, free of rock-star pretensions, and connected deeply on both an ideological and musical level. Their most troubling shared habit was heroin injection, a path they followed after bonding over the writings of author William S. Burroughs. Lanegan, who rejected the term “grunge” as a label coined by critics, was nonetheless part of the wave of rock bands that swept through Seattle and carried it upward in the early 1990s. But just as meteoric as the rise, the fall of that generation was harsh, fast, and painful. Many succumbed to the bitter drop, fell into addiction, and struggled to meet the relentless expectations of the music industry over time. Mark Lanegan was no stranger to these struggles, both among his peers and within himself. He became a drug addict and dealer, spiraled into homelessness, and came dangerously close to the end. Just before reaching that point, he listened to advice given by the most vilified widow since Yoko Ono, Courtney Love, and managed to break free from his destructive habits. Lanegan was born in November 1964 in Ellensburg, into a dysfunctional, criminal family he repeatedly tried and failed to escape. His father was an alcoholic involved in crime, while his mother subjected him to verbal abuse and forced him into dangerous physical labor. By the age of twelve, he had already earned the dubious title of “the neighborhood alcoholic.” At eighteen, he began using drugs, was arrested for possession and dealing, and served a full year in prison. For an entire decade at the start of his career, Lanegan was consumed by drugs and alcohol, moving in and out of rehabilitation centers. In 1994, after nearly three years of work and after almost being discarded due to his addiction issues, Lanegan released his second solo album, "Whiskey for the Holy Ghost", on January 18, 1994. It was an album more cohesive and mature than its predecessor. In both his work and his persona, Lanegan embodies two parallel systems of imagery: that of the American Western, set against Christian religious symbolism. Ellensburg is a small Western town whose central annual event is the rodeo, and all the images that would accompany Lanegan throughout his creative life are already present on this album. He sings about carnivals and rural fairs in "Shooting Gallery" , about traveling circuses and freak shows operating on the fringes of the law and society, about old Jack who is shot and buried under cover of night in "Judas Touch" , about hillbillies and rural orchestras of wandering musicians, and about his own struggle with alcoholism in "Borracho" . Lanegan allows his emotions to break free, learning to embrace pain in "Riding the Nightingale" , and opens the album with a tribute to his close friend Kurt Cobain in "The River Rise" . On his second solo album, Lanegan continues to move away from the sound associated with his role as the singer of "Screaming Trees", a process he had already begun four years earlier. Here, the arrangements incorporate softer, acoustic instruments, including organ, violins, saxophones, and piano. All of these elements contribute to a far darker and more intimate musical experience, allowing his bourbon and nicotine-soaked voice (often compared to that of Chris Rea) to transform the deep sorrow of country blues into something entirely new and unmistakably his own. Despite the close bond between Lanegan and Kurt Cobain, Lanegan was deeply consumed by his own struggles in April 1994 when Cobain returned to Seattle and called him. “Hey man, it’s Kurt. I’m back in town. What are you doing? Come over and listen to some records with me.” Lanegan did not go, nor did he call back. He lacked the patience to be present if another argument were to erupt between Cobain and his partner, Courtney Love. A few hours later, Cobain’s lawyer called Lanegan. He did not answer her either, but her message startled him: “Mark, if you know where Kurt is, you have to tell me. Now.” Lanegan did not know where Cobain was, nor did he know that Cobain had left the rehabilitation facility where he had been staying. As the hours passed and Cobain failed to appear, Lanegan began searching for him everywhere. Eventually, they drove to a house that belonged to Cobain near Lake Washington. Lanegan stepped outside to smoke, noticed a room above the garage, and knocked on the door. No one answered. A day or two later, he received the news: Cobain’s body had been found in the room above the garage. “Until I wrote this book, I never told this to anyone, maybe a few close friends. I kept it to myself because I was ashamed and because I suppressed it. I know that if I had called, he would have answered the phone. The fact that I didn’t answer Kurt when he tried to reach me will probably haunt me until the day I die.” For Listening : Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On his ID card, it says "Cool Man" in Rock & Roll. He is a fan favorite. He's the nice guy in the industry and he's one of the most prominent, great, and talented musicians who leads one of the great bands of our generation. He is Dave Grohl and he was born on January 14, 1969 (Photo: Thomas Frey) = His full name is David Eric Grohl. = Dave was born in Ohio, to a teacher mother and a journalist father who divorced when he was 7 years old. = At the age of 12 he started learning to play the guitar. Very quickly he got tired of teachers, so he continued to teach himself and formed a band with his friends. = Dave and his sister Lisa, who is three years younger than him, loved music from both ends. He was looking for the weedy, the strong and the dark and she used to dance to the sounds of "new wave" music. = At age 13, during one summer in the city of Illinois, Tracy, his cousin, changed Dave's life forever. You could say that like in the movies - this was the turning point from which it all started. Tracy took Dave and Lisa to a number of punk rock bands shows and from there falling in love was inevitable. Dave and his sister began researching and learning everything related to the genre. = During high school, Dave's mother felt that smoking (not cigarettes) was degrading him and decided to move him to another high school. Soon after she moved him all over again, switching between three high schools was not easy for Dave and music was the cure. (Photo: MICHEL LINSSEN) = During this period Dave played in several different bands while at the same time teaching himself to play drums as well. Now is the time to reveal that Dave never took a single drum lesson! Sorry, correction a half lesson... = Dave and his mother used to visit a jazz club near their home every week. At the same club there were very talented jazz players to whom Dave looked up. He greatly appreciated the talent, technique and dynamics of those musicians. One of the most prominent drummers in the club was Lenny Robinson. On one of the occasions they visited the club, Dave gained a lot of courage and asked Lenny to teach him to play drums. Dave managed to organize a Tama set from his bandmates and welcomed Lenny to their home. After Dave demonstrated to Lenny what he knowns, Lenny realized that huge hard work awaited him but Dave realized that his was his last lesson and from there he went on his own. = Dave always mentioned one character thanks to whom he started playing, a character who deeply influenced him and put the spark in his arms. Neil Peart , the drummer of the band "Rush" who passed away in January 2020 , is the one who made Dave turn the drums to his whole world. For those who don't know, when drummers listen to a song, they learn to play it by a certain movement of the body that follows the beat, for example tapping your fingers together or on a surface to learn the beat. Believe it or not but Dave would learn to play the beat by using his teeth !! During one visit to the dentist, the doctor asked Dave why he grinds his teeth, Dave replied that this is how he learns to play and at that moment he played him the song "YYZ" by Rush. = Dave said that the day he heard Rush's album "2112" his life changed and he decided to follow in the footsteps of Neil Peart and become a drummer. = Speaking of influences in Dave's life, another character who influenced his development as a drummer is another legendary drummer: John Bonham ("Led Zeppelin"). Dave tattooed on his elbow the symbol of the three rings, which is symbolized John Bonham. = In his youth he played in the band "Freak Baby" as a guitarist, when at a certain point the members of the band changed and he decided to move drums seat. Later, the band changed its name to "Mission Impossible". = After leaving "Mission Impossible" and replacing another band on the way, he arrived at the age of 17 straight for auditions for the punk rock band "Scream". He auditioned, dropped out of school and joined the band. (Photo: Naomi Peterson) = He spent 4 years with the band and fulfilled his dream as a drummer in a punk band that has performed all over the world. Along the way he released with the band a number of live albums and two studio albums: "No More Censorship" and "Fumble". = It was a groundbreaking band in the punk and hard rock genres in late 1980s Washington. They combined fast-paced rhythms with political and social texts and a commercial and condescending approach. For Dave it was also a groundbreaking period, he fulfilled his dream, to travel in a van across the US and perform everywhere possible while living as "punk rock" in every possible sense. = Dave began his acquaintance with the grunge scene during the tour of "Scream", when he became a fan of the band "Melvins" and connected with the singer, guitarist and founder of the band Buzz Osborne. = When his band "Scream" broke up, he sought Buzz's advice and he referred him to Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic . He picked up the phone, talked with the guys and they invited him to audition in Seattle. = Dave, as we know, passed the audition successfully and joined the band "Nirvana". His first appearance with the band was in October 1990. The band was in the process of searching for a record deal with their debut album, "Bleach" , and a number of demo tapes for the next album. (Photo: ED SIRRS) = An important point in the history of Nirvana and also of Dave is that contrary to the expected option, that the band would sign with the local record company Sub Pop which led the grunge scene at the time, it actually signed with the big record company "DGC Records". Contrary to what we know from Cobain's approach to success when the band signed the contract, Cobain promised the record company that they were going to be the biggest band in history!! = And then it happened. In the spring of 1991, the band entered the legendary recording studio "Sound City" and recorded the groundbreaking album of the 90's: "Nevermind" . = Against all expectations, the album was a dizzying international success and turned "Nirvana" into an iconic band. = The band released another studio album in 1993 called "In Utero" . The band has also released a number of live album albums, including the phenomenal album of the historic "MTV Unplugged" appearance. = Undoubtedly, Dave's period in Nirvana was one of the most influential and formative periods in his formation as a musician. He learned from Kurt how to relate to songs, how to write and how to process them into a final product. = During the period, in 1992, he wrote and recorded a number of songs into a mini-album / tape called "Pocketwatch" which he released under the name: "Late!". He wrote, played and recorded the entire album on his own. = During the recordings for the album "In Utero", Dave and Chris became more involved in the writing process. The band decided to record a song that Dave wrote "Color Pictures of a Marigold". The song was not released on the album but was released as a B-Side for the single "Heart Shaped Box" and was called "Marigold". = The band's last performance was in Munich, March 1994. In April 1994, Kurt Cobain was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head. = After Kurt's death and the dissolution of "Nirvana", Dave did not know what to do with himself. He received an offer to be the drummer of Tom Petty he even played with him on the Saturday Night Show but he felt that this is not his destiny. = Dave was lost after Cobain’s death. Making music became impossible, and even listening to it was too painful. Out of confusion and a need to escape, he packed a bag and traveled alone to Ireland. There, he rented a car and set out on long drives through remote, isolated villages, far from everything he knew. On one of those drives, in the middle of a completely desolate road, he noticed a hitchhiker standing by the side of the road. As he drew closer, he saw that the man was wearing a T-shirt printed with Kurt Cobain’s face. The moment struck him with full force. Shocked and unsettled by this unavoidable encounter with the past he was trying to escape, Dave kept driving and did not stop. That moment became a turning point in his life. It was then that he decided to “start over,” returning home with the resolve to move forward, keep living, and make music again. = He returned home and recorded a demo of 15 songs, with the exception of one guitar section, he played all the instruments on the album. Multi-instrumentalist? = Capitol Records signed Dave to a contract, but he did not want to turn it into a solo career so he recruited more musicians to complete as a band lineup. = He recruited Pat Smear , who played with him in "Nirvana", bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith, who both came from the band "Sunny Day Real Estate". (Photo: MICK HUTSON) = The demo was not re-recorded but just went through mastering and came out as the debut album of the band Foo Fighters . = In 1996 the band preformed their first gig in front of family and friends above the "West Marine" store in Mercer Street, Seattle. = In 1997, after touring for more than a year, Dave returned home, writing and recording a soundtrack for the movie "Touch". Here, too, Dave played all the instruments. Indeed a multi-instrumentalist! = That same year, the new band members, who had just performed together, came in to record the second album "The Colour and the Shape" . In fact, it was their first album as a band. After the recordings were finished and the band took a short vacation, Dave returned alone to the studio, he listened to the album again and was not satisfied with the drums part. He invited Pat and Nate and re-recorded all the drums parts on the album without William's knowledge. William, who found out about the matter only after the recordings were finished, was very hurt by Dave's behavior and decided to leave the band. = Just before leaving for the tour, the band was looking for a new drummer. Dave called Taylor Hawkins who was then Alanis Morissette 's drummer on her tour, and asked him if he have a recommendation for a drummer. When Taylor applied for the job himself Dave was surprised, but immediately agreed to the offer. = During the tour for the album, Pat decided he was tired of all the running and madness of a world tour and wanted to leave. Dave recruited Franz Stahl who was with him in the band "Scream", but the collaboration did not last long. = So back to the album... Despite the success of the first album, this album was the band's breakthrough with hits like "Everlong", "My Hero" and "Monkey Ranch", and it was a huge success. It took 10th place on Billboard chart and even reached higher on many charts in Europe and gave the band its first Grammy nomination. To this day it is the best-selling album of the band. = In 1999, After a long and exhausting tour, Dave returned to his home in Virginia and decided to start working on the next album. But this time alone, at home alone! Dave decided he was building a recording studio in his house. It was the first studio that Dave built but certainly not the last. He developed a hobby of building studios and later he built two or three more studios. = Without a contract, a record company, or a management company, without any outside interference, the three went down to the basement of Dave's house and started working on the third album. A friendship and creative collaboration were forged between the three, the relationship that created an amazing album, with the name reflecting the reality of the moment "There Is Nothing Left to Lose" . = The album was a great success and gave the band their first win at the Grammy ceremony, a win that continued with the following albums as well. The band went on tour in the US and Europe and had already become one of the biggest bands in the rock world. During the tour and at the same time the band was starting to work on the fourth album, Taylor was hospitalized due to an overdose of heroin and lay on the floor for two weeks. This event shook Dave and affected him badly, While Taylor was recovering at home, Dave accepted the offer of Josh Homme and joined the band "Queens of the Stone Age" with whom he recorded the album " Songs for the Deaf " . = The combination of bad recordings for the fourth album that initiated ugly relations between the band members together with the pleasure that Dave rediscovered when performing and recording with "Queens of the Stone Age" made him fed up and lose interest in his mother band. He abandoned the recordings completely and concentrated on other projects. = In the same year (2001) he recorded the role of the drums on the debut album of the band "Tenacious D" and also participated in the filming of the movie and the clip "The Pick of Destiny" in which he played the character of the devil. = In 2002 he also played guitar on the song "I've Been Waiting for You" from David Bowie 's album "Heathen". = Foo Fighters members returned for a number of shows and rediscovered the spark and enthusiasm. This instilled in them the desire to record the fourth album again and indeed it was re-recorded from beginning to end and was called "One By One" . = In November 2002, Dave reached a historic moment when he replaced himself three times at the head of the "Billboard Modern Rock" chart. Nirvana's song "You Know You're Right" was replaced by the Foos' "All My Life", which in turn was replaced by Queens of the Stone Age "No One Knows". Dave performed at the top of the charts for 17 weeks with three different bands. = He recorded the role of the drums on the second album of the band "Killing Joke". = During 2004 Dave moved his studio from Virginia to "Studio 606" which he built himself in Los Angeles. = That same year Dave set up a project called "Probot". Dave called it "A death metal Supernatural". This is a metal album that Dave recorded with various artists and singers from the metal world that he admired, musicians such as: Kim Thayil , Max Cavalera , Lemmy Kilmister , King Diamond , Jack Black and many more. = A year later the band released their fifth album, "In Your Honor" , a double album that included an acoustic album and an electric album. = In 2007 the band released their sixth album: "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" . = In 2009 the band released a Compilation album. The album was perceived by Dave as something wrong that reflected a will, as if the band had finished its journey. He was sure that the band would have many more albums to release in the future and indeed it was. = The band's seventh album is called "Wasting Light" and was released in 2011. This is the band's first album to reach number one in the charts. For us it's one of the band's best albums, if not the best of them all. = Dave fulfilled another dream when he and the Foos' were the ones who "inducted" the band "Rush" into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013. = That same year he released the documentary "Sound City" which tells the story of the acquisition of the mythological analog console that was used to record masterpieces like "Nevermind" in Sound City Studios, and was installed in Dave's home studio "Studio 606". Later, the film accompanies the recording of the album "Sound City - From Real To Reel" along with a large part of the great artists who were privileged to record masterful albums on the same console. = In 2014, the band released their eighth album, "Sonic Highways" , which told the story of music in a number of different cities in the United States. = In June 2015, during a performance in Sweden, Dave fell off the stage and broke his leg. The Foos' canceled part of the tour but since they wanted to avoid canceling it all, Dave built a "Game of Thrones" style chair and performed with it later in the tour. (Photo: C FLANIGAN) = The same chair was loaned to Axl Rose after he also broke his leg and he performed with Dave's chair in part of the Guns & Roses tour. = In December 2015, Dave participated in an episode of "The Muppets". In a hysterical moment in the episode, Dave held a drumming battle with "Animal", the drummer of "The Muppets". = The band's ninth album, called "Concrete and Gold" , was released in September 2017. (Photo: Brantley Gutierrez) = In August 2018, Dave released an instrumental piece called "Play", about 22 minutes long, in which he played all the instruments. The music video was accompanied by a documentary. = In February 2020, he participated, along with his daughters, in the 50th anniversary celebrations of the kids show "Sesame Street". = In the city of Warren, Ohio, there is an alley named after him: "David Grohl Alley". = Dave has participated 14 times in the famous show "Saturday Night Live", more than any other musician. = The Foos' were the band that was invited by David Letterman to appear on his last ever show "Late Show with David Letterman", before retiring. = After the burst of the corona virus, Dave found himself very bored in his house . Apparently it was a "trigger" strong enough which pushed the creativity who began to flow into his veins and spill out of his ears. He began to create non-stop in different forms and in different areas, pay attention to the following points... = In the summer of 2020 he responded to the challenge of Nandi Bushell, a 10-year-old drummer, and the two began a drumming battle in sequels that took place on a "battlefield" through the various social medias. The viral event ended up with Nandi taking the stage at one of the Foos' shows. = In 2020 he joined the Jewish producer and multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin for a sessions in honor of Hanukkah Jewish holiday , during which 8 songs by Jewish artists were released day after day, in each Hanukkah candle. In 2021 they again collaborated on the Hanukkah project with other songs. = In February 2021, the band released their tenth album "Medicine At Midnight ". = In March 2021 Dave collaborated with Mick Jagger and released with him the song "Eazy Sleazy" in which he plays bass guitar and drums. = In April 2021 Dave decided to share with the world the story of the Red Van, Dave claimed that the red van with which the band initially toured throughout the US is an essential and formative element in the formation of any band. He directed a documentary called "What Drives Us" which review the topic of the Red Van. = In May 2021 the Foo Fighters were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame!! = For Record Store Day on July 17, 2021, the band decided to bring back the disco to the dance floor and released the album "Hail Satin" under the pseudonym Dee Gees. The band released an album full of covers for the Bee Gees' great songs. = The Corona virus probably did Dave only good, he started posting more things on social media, he created collaborations with artists like the Hanukkah sessions, he started sharing stories from the past and in October 2021 he published his first book. Yes, yes, Dave Grohl has released a book called "Dave Grohl - The Storyteller" , the book gather his lifelong stories with music. = In February 2022 the band's first Hollywood movie called "Studio 666" was released. The film is directed by BJ McDonnell and written by Jeff Buhler and Rebecca Hughes, based on a story written by Dave himself. The film is a horror film in which all the band members and other actors play. = A month after the release of the movie, the album of the imaginary band from the movie "Dream Widow" was released, the entire album was written and recorded by Dave with the help of guitarist Jim Rota who plays the first five songs of the album and keyboardists Oliver Roman and Rami Jaffee. = At that time Dave participated in the famous YouTube show "Hot Ones" where he revealed impressive abilities of eating spicy food. = On March 25, 2022, Taylor was found lifeless in a hotel in Bogotá, where he was supposed to perform with the "Foo Fighters" and he is only 50 years old. Dave loses a bandmate for the second time when this time he loses his closest friend, his soulmate. Dave channeled the immense tragedy, heavy loss and heavy grief into music. He initiated two massive tribute events to his beloved friend. Two shows that took place in Los Angeles and London were held for more than five hours and included huge and historical artists who are friends of the band and especially of Taylor. = In January 2023, along with the New Year's greeting, the band issued a statement that it thanks all its families, friends and fans for their support during the difficult period and, as the band was created to celebrate life and cause happiness, it will continue its activities. Immediately afterwards, dates were announced in which the band would appear with a new drummer, whose identity is currently unknown. = In May 2023 the band revealed its new drummer!! The band released a comical video in which they are seen in a rehearsal room "as if" waiting for their new drummer. A number of famous drummers such as Chad Smith, Tommy Lee and Danny Carey enter the room with ridiculous claims (food delivery, blocked parking, dog shower) and immediately leave, until the camera reveals Josh Freese sitting on the drums all this time waiting for his new friends to start playing. The video continues to a "rehearsal" called "Preparing Music For Concerts" in which the band plays a setlist for the first time in its new line-up. = In June 2023, the band releases its first album after Taylor's death, the album "But Here We Are". The album was produced by Greg Kurstin and the band with Dave recording all the drums parts on the album. This is undoubtedly a lament album, both in terms of sound and lyrics, Dave reflects in the songs the feelings that he and the band experienced following Taylor's death but also what he himself experienced following the death of his mother Virginia. = On September 10, 2024, Dave made an unusual post that deviated from his usual character. It was not typical in its content nor in its publication. He shared, "I have recently become a father of a new baby daughter, born outside of my marriage..." Dave is known for being private about his personal life and rarely shares details. Over the years, he has been perceived as the epitome of a honest and reliable figure in the industry. However, this recent revelation challenges that perception. It is common for us to idealize our heroes, hoping they are flawless but occasionally, they remind us that they are human beings too, just like Dave has done. = In May 2025, after a short period of only two years, the band announces the departure of Josh Freese. Josh shared his deep disappointment (he noted that he had never been fired from any band) on social media and to this day he claims that he does not know why he was fired from the band. Of course, there were many rumors about the potential replacement, but after 4 months and in a very quietly manner, we saw the drummer with the most Israeli name behind the kit, Ilan Rubin. The drummers among us will be interested to know that Ilan has endorsed the "Q" drums brand for years and upon joining the band he switched to a "Gretsch" kit, the brand that Taylor was using. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website