"Foo Fighters'" ninth album "Concrete and Gold"was released on September 15, 2017, and this time we decided to share with you some stories behind the album. Like previous albums, this time too Dave Grohl attempted to transform the creative process into something more engaging and unique. Who said you can't combine Pop with Rock? If you remember, the band's previous album "Sonic Highways" released in 2014 was recorded in eight different cities, with each song recorded in a different city and hosting local artists while the song was influenced by the local musical style. This time Dave decided he wanted to give the album a different vibe, something sticky, something catchy, something... Poppy!! He really liked the work of writer/producer Greg Kurstin with his Indie-Pop band "The Bird and the Bee" from 2014 and decided to pick up the phone and call him. Over the years Greg has become a talented and famous pop producer. He released singles such as "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" by "Kelly Clarkson", "I Wish You Would" by "Taylor Swift", "Cheap Thrills" and "Chandelier" by SIA, "Hello" By Adele, the album "25" by Adele and many others. He had never worked on a Rock album. The two saw the challenge as something very interesting and appealing and Greg decided to accept Dave's request. Dear guests, please enter the main studio So we hired a terrific pop producer and now we'll move to the studio... The previous album was recorded in all sorts of cities across the US, the seventh album "Wasting Light" was recorded at Dave's home and this time Dave decided to record the album at the famous "EastWest Studios" studio located on the famous Sunset Avenue Boulevard in Hollywood. The studio, which consists of three different studios, is very popular mainly among artists from the Pop genre. During the recordings of the album, different musicians were present in the studios for the recordings of their albums and this created a small commune, where everyone meets everyone, eats together, drinks, and spends time together. Dave has even been seen several times near the BBQ preparing meat for more than 40 people !! It turned out that Dave, who really liked the atmosphere in the studios, invited different and varied artists to be a guest on the album. This may sound strange, surprising even untrue to you, but this album featured the following artists... The first is the poet Taylor Greenwood whom Dave saw in San Francisco and just fell in love with her poetry and writing. He actually courted her to work with him and said that when he meets artists with huge talent, it is very exciting for him. Taylor performs background vocals in "T-Shirt" - the song that opens the album. Now, don't show your dissatisfaction, and don't look at the amplifier but rather at what is inside of it. Even if one artist only contributes background vocals, for example, it does not mean that behind the scenes he had no influence. sometimes the actual presence of a featured artist in the studio during the recordings has a lot of impact on the final result. The other guest musician is Justin Timberlake who worked in the next studio during the recordings and visited often. Justin performs background vocals on the third song "Make It Right". One of the biggest pop stars in the world performs background vocals for the Foo's. It turns out that Justin did not visit the studio only once but hung out there a lot. There are rumors that he actually sat in the studio for several hours each week and sometimes even was part of some ideas in the album. The third is Alison Mosshart, singer of the band "The Kills" and one of the founders of the blues rock supergroup called "The Dead Weather". A talented writer and singer who has known Dave for several years perform background vocals in the fourth song "The Sky Is a Neighborhood" and in the fifth song "La Dee Da". The fourth artist is Shawn Stockman from "Boyz II Men". During the recordings of the album, Shawn's band was in another studio and he occasionally met Dave in the hallways and the parking lot. In one of their "meetings" in the driveway, Dave asked Shawn to help him with the singing harmonies. Shawn of course did not refuse and contributes his voice to the theme song "Concrete and Gold". The fifth is saxophonist Dave Koz who is one of the most talented and well-known jazz musicians in the United States. He makes his contribution in the fifth song "La Dee Da". There are a number of other talented string players who have worked with the band in the past, most notably in the "Skin And Bones" show. But the highlight guest artist in this album is the walking legend Paul McCartney , who participates in playing drums!! Paul is a longtime friend of Dave and Dave doesn't miss any opportunity to work with him. Paul came to the studio (he also visited other artists in the studios), Dave played him a song on acoustic guitar, and Paul immediately knew what to do. With no preparation nor rehearsals, he recorded the song "Sunday Rain" with the rest of the band, playing the drums. It's the only song on the album that Dave is not the lead singer but drummer Taylor Hawkins . By the way, this is the first album in which the keyboardist Rami Jaffee participates as a permanent member of the band Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump We think this time the words speak more than the melody. In each album, Dave writes about his experiences, feelings, and emotions. This time too it happens just like before, but now he is a father to three daughters and he begins to see the world looking through different eyes. Eyes that are very concerned about his daughter's future. The US presidential election and its aftermath greatly affected Dave and his perception of American freedom, the future, and the environment. He said he felt it was hard for him to see a good future, hard for him to see how his daughters “survive” in a greedy reality that ignores human rights, gender equality, and caring for the environment. “I watched the infamous press conference in the East Room – the one that turned into a screaming match. The fucking WWE one. All that gross ambition for power and control freaked me out. I was like, ‘Oh, my God. This is what we’ve become”. And the verse that opens the album with the surprising piece is: "I don't wanna be king I just wanna sing a love song Pretend there's nothing wrong You can sing along with me I don't wanna be queen Just trying to keep my t-shirt clean" The name of the album represents exactly what Dave is talking about, originally the name was supposed to be "Hope and Desperation", but as a metaphor for this he decided to choose other words, "concrete" for despair and "gold" for hope. A Success story !! Of course, the album immediately took first place on the Billboard 200, it is only the second album by the "Foo Fighters" to do that. At a time when everyone is talking about that Rock is dying and being buried, pop dominating an absolute dictatorship in charts and sales. The Foo's and Dave as the band's leader have long become Rock ambassadors of the modern world, they represent all sub-genres and as if keep the Rock genre floating, waiting for the right opportunity to conquer the world again !! It's not a coincidence that on the album cover, the background is concrete and the gold is the band's letters... For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

"Linkin Park's" fourth album, "A Thousand Suns", was released on September 14, 2010. A project that started out as a concept album, found itself down the road as one of the band's most eclectic and experimental albums. A little over eight months after the release of the band's third album " Minutes to Midnight " which came out in 2007 and was a fundamental change in the band's style, the members of "Linkin Park" gathered to work on their next album. Reinforced by producer Rick Rubin, armed with lots of ideas and creativity, in an unstoppable free state of mind the band members decided they wanted to do something different once again. They wanted to create freely, without limitations, and without clinging to one style or another. They agreed that if some song would not seem right to them, they would just throw it away and move on, without trying to work on it, change it or improve it. The one who took things into his own hands in addition to Rubin was Mike Shinoda . He bravely decided to create a concept album, an album that has one narrative leading from start to finish. The initial idea was to use the narrative of nuclear war as a concept—the cause of such war, the implications, and the effects on the future of humanity. A burst of creativity from all the band members brought many varied materials to the table. The first songs really stuck to the narrative but over time the members felt that exactly the opposite of what they intended was happening. The narrative forced them to change, improve and rewrite material when the initial intention was to create freely. Several months into the recordings they found themselves fighting to keep the narrative and change things just to fit the main theme. At one point Mike and Chester Bennington decided that they had enough and in a joint decision with the rest of the band members that this is OK to go out of the concept theme and write freely. This album has a lot of everything, but unlike the previous album, there is no polishing here, no varnish, and no smooth continuance. It was as if the band tried to force the connection between the songs and used link sections which are primarily recordings of prominent people in American history, to do so. We really like this album, although you will not likely find here a decent guitar riff or a snare sound, or even a bass line. The electronics here are very dominant but are made with industrial roughness that is sometimes reminiscent of "Nine Inch Nails". There is something about this album that takes you on a crazy journey between protests, passion, love, compassion, and armageddon that threatens to destroy our world. The singles "The Catalyst", "Waiting for the End", "Burning The Skies" and "Iridescent" came out of the album and of course flew straight to number one on the Billboard 200. Feel free to grab a glass of beer or whiskey, put on your headphones, and go on an amazing journey: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On September 14, 1993 "Judgment Night" soundtrack was released. The "Judgment Night" soundtrack stands as one of the most innovative and genre-defying releases of the early '90s. Released in 1993, it was the result of a groundbreaking fusion between the rock and metal genres to the rap and hip-hop world. The project began with the simple idea of pairing rap and hip-hop artists with rock and metal bands. The soundtrack’s producers sought to create something entirely fresh, capturing the energy of both genres while tapping into the rebellious, countercultural spirit they shared. This cross-genre collaboration was largely inspired by the success of "Run-D.M.C." and "Aerosmith’s" “ Walk This Way ,” but with a heavier, more experimental edge. The collaboration process was orchestrated by soundtrack producer Happy Walters, who envisioned an album that would bring together the biggest names in both rock and hip-hop to create something explosive. Walters reached out to a wide variety of artists, some of the best acts in both genres, many of whom had never worked together before, but were eager to take part in this unprecedented musical experiment. The enthusiasm from both sides was palpable, and what started as a risky concept turned into a creative and aggressive blend of styles. The collaborations in this soundtrack are very interesting and includes: "Slayer" and ICE - T , "Pearl Jam" and "Cypress Hill", "Faith No More" and "Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.", "Living Colour" and "Run-DMC", "Therapy?" and "Fatal", "Sonic Youth" and "Cypress Hill", "Dinosaur Jr." and Del the Funky Homosapien, "Biohazard" and "Onyx", "Mudhoney" and Sir Mix-A-Lot and more. What's beautiful in these collaborations, is that the artists did not fall into the "Run-D.M.C." - "Aerosmith" formula, and rather than covering existing songs, created new songs sharing themes of injustice and violence that would fit the movie theme. Of course, the collaborations feel more natural with acts that already lean toward both genres, like "House of Pain" and ICE - T , "Faith No More" and "Living Colour", but these are not the only cases where this album shines. The album kicks off with "Helmet" and "House of Pain’s" " Just Another Victim ," a track that sets the tone for the record's relentless intensity. "Helmet’s" driving, distorted guitar riffs paired perfectly with "House of Pain's" rugged flow, blending rock and rap in an aggressive, head-banging anthem. The success of this track mirrors the overall creative success of the soundtrack—one where two seemingly disparate genres find common ground. We are sure that this track's sound and style will remind you of what "Korn" would do a few years later. Another standout collaboration is "Teenage Fanclub" and "De La Soul's" in " Fallin' ." The gentle, melodic guitars of "Teenage Fanclub" create a dreamy backdrop for "De La Soul's" relaxed, introspective rhymes. This track shows the diversity of the album, where not every song needs to be aggressive; instead, it finds moments of emotional resonance through thoughtful lyricism and subtle musicality. " Judgment Night ," the explosive title track from "Biohazard" and "Onyx", encapsulates the album’s intensity. The aggressive fusion of "Biohazard’s" hardcore punk sound and "Onyx's" in-your-face rap style is a chaotic, adrenaline-fueled ride that captures the raw energy the project sought to embody. Another brutal track, “ Disorder ” by ICE - T and "Slayer", pushes the boundaries even further, combining thrash metal’s speed and aggression with ICE - T 's gritty, confrontational rhymes, resulting in one of the album’s heaviest moments. "Cypress Hill" and "Sonic Youth" team up for " I Love You Mary Jane ," a perfect blend of "Sonic Youth's" experimental noise rock and "Cypress Hill’s" signature laid-back flow. This collaboration shows the depth of experimentation on the soundtrack, as it merges stoner vibes with an avant-garde edge, creating a hazy, psychedelic soundscape that stands out in the album’s mix of frenetic energy. Many of the collaborations were done in-studio together, allowing for organic creation and a genuine merging of styles. This hands-on approach ensured that the songs were not just gimmicky mashups but true collaborations that pushed the boundaries of what both rock and rap could achieve together. The "Judgment Night" soundtrack was a precursor to the nu-metal movement that would explode later in the decade, influencing artists like "Limp Bizkit", and "Korn". It also highlighted the untapped potential of merging seemingly opposing musical genres. For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

"August and Everything After", released in September 14, 1993, is "Counting Crows" debut album which marked the band entry into the musical mainstream, and its success was nothing short of remarkable. "Counting Crows" began as a collaboration between lead singer Adam Duritz and guitarist David Bryson in the early 1990s. The two musicians, based in Berkeley and San Francisco, initially performed as an acoustic duo, focusing on folk-influenced rock songs. Their music was introspective and lyrically rich, reflecting Duritz 's personal struggles with identity and belonging, themes that would become central to the band’s later work. Duritz , had been in several bands before forming "Counting Crows". One of his early projects, "The Himalayans", wrote early versions of what would become notable "Counting Crows" songs, including "Round Here." Meanwhile, Bryson was working as a producer and engineer in the San Francisco music scene. When the two began collaborating in 1991, they developed a chemistry that would form the basis of "Counting Crows". (Photo: Dave Tonge) Their early performances around the Bay Area drew attention from other musicians, leading to the recruitment of keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, bassist Matt Malley, and drummer Steve Bowman, solidifying the band’s lineup by 1993. This group quickly gained a following, and their demos attracted the attention of major labels, culminating in a bidding war for the band’s first album. Geffen Records eventually signed them, and they entered the studio to record *August and Everything After* with T Bone Burnett as their producer. "Counting Crows" made their national debut in 1993, filling in for Van Morrison at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. This performance helped the band gain wider exposure before the release of their album, which would catapult them to fame later that year. Their sound stood out against the dominant grunge movement of the time, instead drawing inspiration from the '60s and '70s, with comparisons often made to Van Morrison . This blend of styles helped the album stand out, even amidst heavy hype leading up to its release. The album's lead single, “Mr. Jones,” catapulted "Counting Crows" to fame. Its infectious melody and Duritz ’s confessional lyrics about fame and insecurity struck a chord with listeners, and it became a radio staple. The song peaked at number 5 on the Billboard US Radio Songs Chart and number 2 on several genre-specific Billboard charts. Songs like “Round Here” and “Rain King” further cemented the band’s appeal, showcasing Duritz ’s lyrical depth and ability to create atmospheres that were both melancholic and hopeful​. The album’s success was also reflected commercially, selling over seven million copies worldwide, reaching multi-platinum status in several countries including U.S. where it peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and earning critical acclaim for its authenticity and emotional resonance. Tracks like “Anna Begins,” “Omaha,” and “Sullivan Street” reflect the album's core themes of self-discovery, unfulfilled desires, and the often harsh realities of adulthood. Producer T Bone Burnett’s touch gave the album a raw, analog feel, balancing the band's more somber moments with a textured, earthy sound​. The album cover depicts handwritten lyrics to a song called "August and Everything After", but the band decided against featuring the song on the album; it was not until over a decade later that it was played as part of one of their live concerts. The song "August and Everything After" was released on January 24, 2019, as an Amazon Original. "Counting Crows"' journey from a small acoustic duo to international success is a testament to their unique blend of introspective songwriting and rich musicality, making them one of the most memorable bands of the 1990s. Rolling Stone listed the album as 67 in their list "100 Best Albums of the ’90s". Listen to the album on: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Editor's Choice... And this time "War of Words", the debut album of "Fight". Would you like to know how a combination between singer Rob Halford and the band "Pantera" could have sounded? Between Heavy Metal roots and angry metal groove? So this album is probably the closest thing to such a combination you will hear, and it's good! Two weeks ago we reviewed one of the greatest albums of Heavy Metal - " Painkiller " by "Judas Priest", and we told you that just after the release of that masterful album, frictions began to emerge between Rob Halford and the band members, against the background of Halford's desire to work on a side project. The rest of the band thought Halford should dedicate his entire time to the band, and the growing pressure on him led him to announce his retirement from the band in 1992. So this departure of Rob Halford from "The Priests" was related in part to the fact that Halford wanted to experiment with extreme areas of metal. The band "Pantera" warmed up "Judas Priest" during the tour of the album " Painkiller " and Halford liked what he heard and decided to produce an album that was influenced by the sound and style of the "Transformers of Metal" also known as the Cowboys from Hell . When he left "Judas Priest", Halford took drummer Scott Travis with him, thus already assuring the badass double bass, the power, and the technique in the likes of Vinnie Paul Abbott . He went on to recruit young musicians to his emerging band, bassist Jay Jay and two talented guitarists, Brian Tilse and Russ Parrish who years later would change his name to Satchel and form the band "Steel Panther". Halford wrote all 12 of the album's songs, including all of the guitar roles, which shows his commitment to the project and his desire for a change in sound and style. This album introduces us to a different face of Halford, which in some parts of this album was just hard for us to believe was his voice! This album made us discover that Halford's voice is even more "divine" than we thought. It is much more diverse and with a significantly wider sonic range than we thought. For example, listening to his singing in "Contortion", it would have made Phil Anselmo proud, listen to him in "Kill It" or "Nailed to the Gun" and understand what we are talking about. Also in terms of musical style, we get a much heavier, more aggressive, and rough album, with massive and edgy drumming and crazy guitar work by the two guitarists, Parrish and Tilse, who at times manage to embrace the sound of Dimebag Darrell 's guitar. We even have an amazing ballad on this album - "For All Eternity", for which only this whole project was worthwhile. Well, you got the idea. Now you have to listen : Spotify , A pple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Just yesterday we celebrated his birthday, and today one of his albums - "The System Has Failed", released in 2004, is also celebrating a birthday. No, it was not a mistake, the album does bear the name of the band "Megadeth" but it can be said that it is a solo album by Dave Mustaine . Beyond the fact that Dave wrote and composed all the songs on the album without exception, this is the only "Megadeth" album in which Mustaine participates as the only band member, with all the other musicians being session players, who are not official members of the band. Although Chris Poland plays the lead guitar here, he does so as an "employee" and not as an official member of the band. This is Mustaine's return album after his 2002 hand injury. As you may recall, in 2002 Mustaine suffered a very strange injury when he fell asleep in an unusual position on his arm in a way that almost caused him necrosis. In a statement he released in early 2002, he announced that he was disbanding "Megadeth" in the face of a hand injury that prevented him from playing. Dave noted that doctors believe it will take him a year to recover from the injury and even then it was unclear whether he will be able to continue playing. Eventually, Mustaine recovered faster than expected and even returned to satisfactory playing ability. Immediately after Dave returned to play he began writing the material for a new album that he intended to release as a solo album. However, a contractual commitment to the record company forced him to release the album under the name of "Megadeth" and that is the only reason this album did not come out as his solo album. Dave contacted his bandmate and one of "Megadeth" founders, bassist David Ellefson, to play on the album, but Ellefson refused due to financial disputes. Ellefson will return to the band only three albums later, in 2010. In a sense, this Mustaine's album is his attempt to "go back to roots", after a few commercial albums "Megadeth" released in the '90s, and is also probably Megadeth's most thrash album since " Rust In Peace ". Three singles were released from the album: " Die Dead Enough " which was written for the soundtrack of the movie "Tomb Raider II", but did not end up there due to budget issues, " Of Mice and Men " in which Mustaine talks about adolescence, his great ambitions and about being Fired From Metallica when he was 25 and "The Scorpion" in which Mustaine even plays his first solo after recovering from injury. The album features two instrumental tracks: " Shadow of Deth " which has a quote from chapter 23 of the Book of Psalms and the short "I Know Jack " which includes a quote from Senator Lloyd Bentsen's response to Senator Dan Quayle during a 1988 election campaign. And there's also " Back in the Day " which includes some riffs that reminded us of "Iron Maiden" and refers to the days of the beginning of the metal scene in Los Angeles (see a clip from the period), " Blackmail The Universe " which begins with the new headlines announcing the allegedly shot down of "Air Force One" in the Middle East, " Something That I'm Not " which also refers to Dave's feelings following him being Fired From Metallica , feelings he still struggles with at the time of writing and " Tears in a Vial " that Mustaine wrote Shortly after he disbanded "Megadeth" in 2002 and his thoughts of replacing "success" with "happiness". The album cover also broadcasts "Back to the Roots" as it is reminiscent in style of the band's first albums, especially " Rust In Peace ", which also featured pictures of world leaders, in this case, senior US administration President G. George W. Bush, President Clinton and his wife Hillary, Donald Rumsfeld, John Ashcroft and Vice President Dick Cheney. Mustaine noted that the work on the album was "liberating", he felt freer in the creation and recording process and with much more control over the result, something he claimed had not happened since the band's first two albums. And the result was accordingly. The album received mostly positive reviews and went straight to 18th place on the Billboard 200 list. After its release, Mustaine built a new lineup of the band and went on a tour to promote the album. During the tour, the double and successful live album "That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires" was also recorded, it was also released in 2007 as a DVD. For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Here are some interesting facts about Vinny Appice - American drummer best known for his work with the bands "Dio", "Black Sabbath", and "Heaven & Hell": (Photo: thevinylguide.com ) = He was born Vincent Samson Appice on September 13, 1957, in Brooklyn, New York. = He is the younger brother of drummer Carmine Appice . = Appice started drumming at age 9, learning from the same teacher as his brother. = At 16, he and his band "BOMF" met John Lennon , who used them as a backing band in several performances, including his final public performance. = He will even feature in Lennon's "Walls and Bridges" album from 1974, doing hand claps on the song "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night". = Appice recorded with Rick Derringer on "Derringer" in 1976, "Sweet Evil" and "Derringer Live" both in 1977. = Appice Formed "Axis" with "BOMF" members and released "It’s A Circus World" in 1978. = Joined "Black Sabbath" in 1980 during the " Heaven And Hell " tour, replacing Bill Ward . His first show with "Black Sabbath" was at the "Aloha Stadium" in Hawaii. = Appice played on "Black Sabbath's" albums " Mob Rules " from 1981 and "Live Evil" from 1982. = He left "Black Sabbath" in late 1982 to form "Dio" with Ronnie James Dio . = In the years 1983-1987 Appice recorded masterpiece albums with "Dio": " Holy Diver " released 1983, " The Last In Line " from 1984, " Sacred Heart " released in 1985, "Intermission" from 1986, and " Dream Evil " from 1987. = In 1985, Vinny Appice participated in the " Hear ' n Aid " project, a heavy metal collaboration to raise money for famine relief in Africa. = Appice Left "Dio" in December 1989 and briefly joined "Flesh & Blood" with Jeff Pilson. = Vinny was part of the German singer Mandy Lion's "World War III" project, along with bassist Jimmy Bain . They released their debut album in 1990. = He rejoined "Black Sabbath" in 1992 to record " Dehumanizer ". = Appice returned to "Dio", recording " Strange Highways " from 1994 and " Angry Machines " released in 1996. = He played on "Circle of Tyrants’" a 2005 rap recording with Alex Skolnick. = Appice played two shows in Las Vegas with the "Sin City Sinners" in October 2009. = Reunited with "Black Sabbath" members as "Heaven & Hell" in 2006, releasing " Live from Radio City Music Hall " in 2007 and " The Devil You Know " in 2009. = Recorded "Dinosaurs" with "Power Project" (with Carl Sentance, Carlos Cavazo and Jeff Pilson) in 2006, blending classic hard rock and heavy metal styles. He will continue to release the album "Revolution" with them, in 2014. = Appice co-founded the band "3 Legged Dogg" in 2006. The band included notable musicians like guitarist Brian Young, bassist Jimmy Bain , and vocalist Chas West. "3 Legged Dogg", released "Frozen Summer" the same year. = He co-founded "Kill Devil Hill" in 2011 with former "Pantera" bassist Rex Brown , blending elements of hard rock, heavy metal, and southern rock. They released their self-titled debut album in 2012 and "Revolution Rise" in 2013. = Appice formed "WAMI" in 2013 with Doogie White and Marco Mendoza and released "Kill the King" (2014). = He was featured in "Martiria's" album "Revolution" released in 2014. = Appice played on "Toehider’s" "Mainly Songs About Robots" album, released in 2015. = He contributed to "Dunsmuir’s" self-titled album "Dunsmuir" (2016). = Appice worked with "Ian Ray Logan & Serpent's Ride" on "Between Lights and Shadows" released in 2016 and "Reaching Dreams" from 2017. = He formed "Joel Hoekstra’s 13" with "Night Ranger's\, guitarist Joel Hoekstra (Also "Whitesnake") and released "Dying to Live" in 2015 and "Running Games" in 2021. = Appice contributed to "Stonehand’s" "When the Devil Comes", released in 2015. = He played on "Resurrection Kings’" self-titled album from 2016. = In 2010, Appice formed "Last in Line", reuniting with original "Dio" members. He recorded "Heavy Crown" from 2016, "II" from 2019 and "Jericho" from 2023 with them. = Appice played on Adrian Raso’s "Frozen in Time" album released in 2017. = Contributed to "The One Man Electrical Band’s" "Symptom of the Universe" album from 2017 and "Dark Things" from 2018. = In 2017 he released the album "Sinister" under the name "Appice" collaborating with his brother Carmine Appice . = Appice recorded with "Stagma" on their self-titled album "Stagma" from 2018. = He played on "Concreto’s" (Brazilian Band) EP "Lama" released in 2018. = Appice worked with "Leviathan Project" in 2018 and released the album "MCMLXXXII" in 2024. = He Formed "Sabbath Knights" in 2023, performing music from "Black Sabbath" and "Dio". "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On September 13, 2011 "The Sea Of Memories" was released which is "Bush's" fifth album, almost a whole decade has passed since the previous album !! In 2002 after four albums the band decided to break up, their first two albums "Sixteen Stone" and "Razorblade Suitcase" were huge successes. Despite many comparisons and criticisms from grunge loyalists about such and such imitations of the band, there was no doubt that singer and lead singer Gavin Rossdale is an extraordinary talent and apart from his mesmerizing voice (there is no other way to define it) his writing and processing ability is also amazing. But let's dwell on Gavin's voice for a moment... Some say he imitates Eddie Vedder , some say the range of sounds he produces is very limited, and some say he does not vary his singing style on albums but there is no denying that Gavin is one of the singers whose voice touches you in a magical way. There is something about the frequency, the hoarseness, or maybe the tone that is just mesmerizing and addictive. By listening to the band's songs no matter what song, you can find yourself drowning in his voice without remembering what the guitar or drums played, his voice is so dominant that it affects every listening experience in a crazy way! Eleven years have passed since we listened to Gavin's voice and to tell the truth apart from the first two albums and maybe a little from the third, the band has lost a bit of its power. After the fourth album failed at the box office the band decided to break up and everyone went their separate ways, in Gavin's case he was busy marrying Gwen Stefani from No Doubt. But beyond that, he also formed a band called Institute which released one album and after its dissolution, he also released a solo album. Photo: vinylmeplease.com In June 2010, 8 years later Gavin decided to go back to making music again and he tried to reunite the band again together, the other two members besides drummer Robin Goodridge decided not to "reunite" and the bass and guitar players were replaced by Corey Britz and Chris Traynor respectively. In order to warm up the atmosphere and create chemistry before creating the album, the band members went on a hasty tour of 10 performances, playing songs from the band's previous albums. In September 2011 we had the pleasure again to indulge in the voice of Gavin, who wanted to release an excellent rock album with a sound reminiscent of the band's first two albums but with new and refreshing elements. He also wanted this album to be successful and bring Bush back to its great glory days, maybe not quite like then but at least half, and for that, he recruited one of the famous producers Bob Rock (Metallica's black album and more...) and indeed an excellent album came out here !! There are many beautiful things on this album, songs that are fun to sing with, ballads that you can cry with, and also ones that will make you jump with your hands in the air as if you are performing. The album opens with "The Mirror of the Signs" which is an amazing opening to this album, a dramatic opening accompanied by a guitar that prepares us for the mesmerizing combination of Gavin's voice with the bass and the amazing Chinese effect that is just exciting, increase it now and get addicted. Continuing with "The Sound of Winter" which was also the second single released from the album and is literally the musical reversal of the previous song, here Gavin begins to give more energy. The next song "All My Life" begins with a contorted and shrill riff that is a refreshing change in the band's sound with a chorus that makes you want to sing out loud. It is followed by "The Afterlife" which is a particularly bouncy and fun performance song, an experience that does not prepare us at all or may even have been done on purpose to smash us in the next song. The song "All Night Doctors" is a smashing song, it touches precisely this point that is somewhere inside the heart and it does not matter if you lost someone as a result of an illness, lost the love of your life, or anything else that could not be saved. You drown in a sea of emotions that flood you every time Gavin sings: " All night doctors All night preachers All night girls to get you through Lost and wasted Hope is fading And I'm waiting here For You" Take a handkerchief, it's okay to shed a tear... take a deep breath and move on. We will understand if you want to pause for a moment and listen to the song again. So we wiped... we drank a glass of water and now you can imagine what a huge festival in the middle of torrential rain and everyone loses themselves knowing when the band plays "Baby Come Home" a bouncy and fun song, even if it is a song of longing. The next "Red Light" continues a bit of the previous and fun line with guitars that accompany a continuous rhythm and Gavin occasionally hits some highs. We will continue to "She's a Stallion" which opens with jarring guitar sounds and continues to a slightly industrial riff with fickle lyrics that also make you want to sing. The next three songs do not represent anything special and are a bit reminiscent of works by other bands like Placebo, Bad Company, and the like but Gavin's voice gives them the Bush stamp. The album ends with a heartwarming ballad called "Be Still My Love" and how cliché it sounds you believe love will win, especially when the violins accompany Gavin's guitars and voice and the mesmerizing drumming work here. Although the album did not bring the band the success it had on the first two albums, it undoubtedly brought them back to the headlines in a big way. The album reached No. 5 on Top Alternative Albums and No. 8 on Top Rock Albums. And since then they have continued, releasing two more albums and another one on the way according to rumors. Listen to the album on: Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

This dreaded redhead Dave Mustaine is celebrating his birthday today and we wish him many more years of health and metal !!! (Photo: Amy Harris) Let's tell you about 20 interesting facts: 1. His mother was a Jew from Germany, but he grew up as a "Jehovah's Witness". 2. The name of his first band was "Panic". 3. In 1981 he responded to an ad he published for Lars Ulrich in a local newspaper about a band looking for a lead guitarist and left "Panic" to join "Metallica". 4. He was fired from "Metallica" in complete surprise , even before the band's first album " Kill 'Em All " was released in 1983, due to drug, alcohol, and violence issues he took against the band members. 5. Before leaving "Metallica", he managed to record a demo tape from 1982 called "No Life 'Til Leather". In 2015 Lars Ulrich announced that the tape would be released soon, but due to legal issues, it has not been released to this day. 6. Despite being fired from the band he received credit as a songwriter on "Metallica's" first and second albums. 7. He claimed credit for the song "Leper Messiah" from "Metallica's" third album and said it was based on an old "Metallica" song "The Hills Ran Red". 8. After being fired from "Metallica" he worked in telemarketing. At the same time he set up a band called "Fallen Angels" but it did not last long. 9. He met Dave Ellefson and Greg Handevidt by chance. They lived in the apartment below him and played the song "Runnin 'with the Devil" by "Van Halen". After a night of conversations about music, they decided to form a band together, this was "Megadeth". 10. Mustaine and his friends received $ 8,000 from "Combat Records" to produce and release their first album. The members spent most of the money on drugs and alcohol, which meant that they had not enough to pay the producer so they had to produce the album themselves. 11. In 2002 he almost lost his ability to play the guitar due to a strange accident when he fell asleep in an unusual position on his hand. It took him four months to recover from the bizarre accident and during this time he was very close to breaking up "Megadeth". 12. He is highly ranked in three different martial arts, including taekwondo and a black belt in karate. 13. Mustaine believed in "black magic" and even claimed to have used magic. Some of the band's songs were inspired by these beliefs, most notably on the second album " Peace Sells... but Who's Buying ". Mustaine does not play these songs today due to a change in his spiritual faith. 14. He got the idea for the album " Rust In Peace " from a sticker that read "May all your warheads rust in peace". 15. In 1998 he "failed" to audition for the comedy show "The Drew Carey Show", see here: 16. After the release of " So Far, So Good... So What! " Following the departure of guitarist Jeff Young, Mustaine auditioned Jeff Loomis as a guitarist. He would later become known for his membership in the bands "Nevermore" and "Arch Enemy". Mustaine did not get him into the band even though he was very impressed with his performance, due to the fact he was only 16 years old. 17. In 1988 he offered none other than Dimebag Darrell the role of Magadan's guitarist. Darrell agreed on one condition, that his brother Vinnie Paul Abbott also join "Megadeth". Mustaine did not agree because he just hired Nick Menza . Mustaine later stated that he should have complied with Dimbag's request and then he had the best band in the world. 18. In 2001 he played a small role in the series "Black Scorpion", see here: 19. In 2014, he and his bandmate Marty Friedman were ranked 19th on "Guitar World" Magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists list. 20. To date he has released 16 studio albums with "Megadeth" and another album as part of the band "MD.45". He was also part of the band "Red Lamb" for a short time. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

The Metal Giant's ninth album was released on September 12, 2008. An album that opened a new chapter of "Metallica" in the modern era, an album that came after the divisive album "St. Anger" . So here are 30 interesting facts: 1. After 4 consecutive albums, this is the first album not produced by Rob Rock, which has garnered a lot of criticism and accusations due to "Metallica's" "new direction" on " the Black album " . 2. The album was produced by the famous producer Rick Rubin who according to the band gave them complete freedom in the creation and writing of the songs, which sounds a bit strange when it comes to the four metal veterans and especially James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich 3. Indeed, Rubin did not give the band the opportunity to enter the recording studio until each song was 100% ready. Only after all the songs were fully prepared did he allow them to enter the studio. So they would move from concentrating on the creative side to concentrating on the technical side of the recording. 4. This is the debut album of bassist Robert Trujillo who joined Metallica in 2003 , two years after the departure of Jason Newsted from the band. 5. Work on "Death Magnetic" began in early 2004, shortly after "St. Anger" was released. 6. By October 2004, Metallica had 50 hours of jam sessions with hundreds of riffs and bass lines. 7. In March 2006, the band had six to seven songs ready from those jam session tapes. and By May 2006, "Metallica" had written 15 songs for the album. 8. "Metallica" recorded 11 songs, but only 10 made the final cut due to CD constraints. 9. The unused track " Shine " was later renamed " Just a Bullet Away ." 10. Other unused songs included “ Hell and Back ,” “ Hate Train ,” and “ Rebel of Babylon .” 11. "Metallica" performed all four unreleased tracks at their 30th anniversary concerts. 12. " The Day That Never Comes " had the working title " Casper ." Lars Ulrich said the song's lyrics were inspired by a father-son relationship. 13. James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich had disagreements over the title of " Broken, Beat & Scarred ." 14. " All Nightmare Long " was influenced by H.P. Lovecraft’s concept of "The Hound". 15. " The Unforgiven III " is part of a trilogy exploring sin, forgiveness, and consequence. 16. " The Judas Kiss " references the Biblical betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. 17. This is only the second album where all the band members got credit for writing and creating as opposed to the other albums where Lars and James got credit for most of the songs. 18. After the infamous " St . Anger " album in which the band made scandalous decisions to many, regarding the musical nature of certain instruments, this album is a return to the style before " the Black album ", with long, complex songs, long solos, and for the first time since the album "And Justice For All" has an instrumental track " Suicide & Redemption ". 19. The album went straight to number one on the Billboard 200 and became the band's fifth consecutive album to take first place. In addition, it won 10 different charts in first place and starred at the top of the charts of 33 different countries. 20. Thanks to this album, the band received six Grammy nominees and won three of them, including for Best Metal Performance for "My Apocalypse." 21. Rick Rubin also won a Grammy for Producer of the Year for his work on the album. 22. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 490,000 copies in three days. 23. "Death Magnetic" was "Metallica's" fifth consecutive album to debut at No. 1, setting a record. 24. The album has been certified two-times platinum for selling over two million copies. 25. One of the studios where the album was recorded was the famous Sound City Studios . 26. Four songs that were recorded during the work on the album, did not enter the album and were released three years later under the name - " Beyond Magnetic ". 27. The album's name is inspired by Layne Staley . James said that a picture of Layne is hanging on their HQ for many years and when they thought of an album name something in the picture spoke to them strongly. James said the name of the album is a tribute to the talented people in the music industry who have passed away, people who have been “magnetized” to death and have not been able to escape it at such a young age. 28. The album was almost titled "Songs of Suicide and Forgiveness". 29. A French record store leaked the album ten days before its release. 30. In October 2008, the band members went on a worldwide tour that lasted more than two years and included the band's last performance in Israel in May 2010 in front of 25,000 devoted fans. Feel free to watch a documentary documenting the work on the album: Listen to the album on: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Today we will tell you about one of our favorite drummers - "The Professor" Neil Peart. (Photo: Fin Costello) Neil Peart was born on September 12, 1952, in Hagersville, Ontario, Canada, located southwest of downtown Toronto. He was the eldest of four brothers. He began to take an interest in music through a radio transistor that was tuned to regional stations in Toronto Canada and Buffalo USA. The first instrument he ever played was the piano, but he did not really connect to it and knew that it was not the instrument he wanted to play. His interest in drums came from his uncle Richard who was a member of an R&B band. At first, Peart would play on his knees, with chopsticks all over the house. He was sucked into it so hard and would scatter drummer magazines on his bed and drum on them. His parents saw his longing for drums and bought him a small, basic set for his 13th birthday. They sent him to learn to play with the promise that if he persisted for a year they would buy him a more professional set. Neil of course was very serious about learning the drums and got the professional set as promised. By this time his parents had already seen how talented he is, and decided to send him to classes at the "Peninsula College of Music in British Columbia", where he became a professional. But this was not enough for Neil who continued to practice at home for hours long, listening to the great drummers he admired and trying to emulate them. Neil founded his drum lessons with occasional jobs. (Photo: Cygnus-x1.net) Neil Peart made his debut performance at the age of 14, in school. He later switched between different local bands, including "Mumblin' Sumpthin", "the Majority", and "JR Flood". At the age of 18, Peart flew to London, hoping to succeed musically there. During his stay in London, Peart was exposed, among other things, to the writings of the Jewish writer Ayn Rand, whose philosophy greatly influenced him. After 18 months in London without any progress, Neil returned to Canada and started working in the family business with his father, selling spare parts for tractors. during this time he joins a local band called "Hush". At the same time, John Rutsey , the original drummer of "Rush" was ending his career in the band since he could not keep up with the demanding pace of the performances, partly because of diabetes he suffered from. Bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson were trying to find a drummer to replace John Rutsey . One day comes a skinny guy with shorts and a short haircut to the auditions. He got out of a Ford Pinto car, took out a tiny drum set, parts of which were stored in boxes, and assembled it slowly and comfortably in front of them. Alex Lifeson remembered Neil did not make a good impression on him and he thought he did not fit the band's rock style. As Neil began to play the jaws of his two fellow musicians fell out of their mouths, they heard the strengths and virtuosity of Keith Moon and John Bonham in his drumming and were shocked by his abilities. He played insanely and perfectly and of course, they immediately got him into the band. The Day Neil Peart Joined Rush was 29/7/1974. It was Geddy Lee 's birthday and Peart was then 21. Neil had exactly two weeks before the band's tour in the US and he had to quickly learn all the material ahead of the pre-planned tour. (Photo: Cygnus-x1.net) Peart's first performance with "Rush" was in Pittsburgh on August 14, 1974. It was a warm-up show for the bands "Manfred Mann" and "Uriah Heep", in front of 11,000 people. Peart's entry into the band brought with it not only an excellent drummer, but also an intelligent guy who knew how to write unconventional lyrics. He was an avid reading enthusiast and knew how to express himself in very high words. So, it was decided that Peart would be in charge of the lyrics while Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee would write the music. Peart's amazing writing and articulation words even earned him the nickname "The Professor". Peart pushed the band forward and forced Geddy and Alex to challenge themselves musically. Without him, the band might still have remained in bluesy hard rock. It happened because of his dominant, very powerful, and yet smart and intelligent drumming style. But it happened mostly because of his writing abilities. How do words affect music, you ask? then when you write about topics of Tolkien and Ian Rand it's clear that music can not be within the regular framework of a chorus-verse. When writing in high language on philosophical things it is difficult to accompany them with a melody built on a 4/4 rhythm. You can hear the change that Peart brought with him already on his first album with the band " Fly By Night " from 1975. He pulled the band in the progressive direction, when also in this album which is mostly hard rock and blues he managed to produce the mini piece "By-Tor & the Snow Dog" Which lasts 8:37 minutes. On his second album with the band " Caress Of Steel , "he has already taken it one step further. He developed the idea of the long concept works and included in this ambitious album, not one, but two long epic musical pieces, the first "The Necromancer" - a three-part piece that spread over half of the first side of the album, and the second - "The Fountain of Lamneth", a work A six-parts that spread across the whole other side of the album. The highlight came on the next album - " 2112 " whose lyrics were written by Peart. A 20-minute suite consisting of five parts. A fictional-dystopian science fiction story set in 2112 and based on the book "Anthem" by author Ian Rand. The album's Inner Sleeve combines the lyrics of the songs with other reading material that completes the full fabric of the story. Peart's solos were an integral part of "Rush"'s performances and the audience came to see him with his marvelous playing. The first official recording of one such solo, is on the band's first live album " All the World's a Stage " from 1976. This amazing solo became a tradition when in all 40 years of the band's activity there was no performance without Peart drum solos, which from one tour to another, would put more and more percussion drums and pads into his drum set, until he reached a state where he would trigger sounds of Synthesizers. In 1977, the band released " A Farewell to Kings ", and with the desire to expand and develop musically, so did Peart's drum set which now included a variety of percussion instruments, from wind chimes to gong and tubular bells. One of the most prominent excerpts on the album is the mini-epic "Xanadu", which he wrote in detail under the influence of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "Kobla Khan". A complex and dynamic section with a lot of rhythm changes in which Peart plays the role of a drummer and a percussionist. In 1978, the band released their sixth studio album, " Hemispheres ". The main work on this album "Cygnus X-1 Book 2: Hemispheres" is the second book in the work "Cygnus X-1" and a direct sequel to the first book located in the last track of " A Farewell to Kings " and called "Cygnus X-1 Book 1: The Voyage ". Peart's genius has managed to connect science fiction with Greek mythology in two pieces of work spread over two consecutive studio albums. In the album " Permanent Waves " from 1980, Peart began to combine additional musical styles. The song "The Spirit of the Radio" was written by Peart as a tribute to everything that was good on the radio. "'The Spirit Of Radio' was actually written as a tribute to all that was good about radio," Peart said. The idea was to go through a wide variety of styles (Reggae, New Wave, Hard rock...), just like radio goes through a variety of styles, and Peart did it perfectly. Watch it via Drum Cam here: The 1981 album " Moving Pictures " reveals Peart's genius, for his part in creating the instrumental piece "YYZ", which he based on Morse code that makes up the letters Y-Y-Z, which are the code of Pearson Airport in Toronto. Peart created the rhythm for the amazing instrumental based on the Morse code where the lines (-) are played using 8 notes and the dots (.) Are played using 16 notes, all at exceptional time signatures that lead the guitar, bass, and keyboards after them and not the other way around. Later in the 1980s, Peart will not be afraid to experiment with electronic drums, and he will even begin to incorporate pads in his drum system that will activate various programs and sounds. Peart will continue to experiment and challenge himself over the years, so for example, in the song "Territories" from the album " Power Windows " he played without a snare drum, in the album " Roll The Bones " he played with styles such as Funk and even some Rap and in the " Counterparts " album he was mainly influenced by the Grunge scene, but will play even in Jazzy style. After the " Counterparts " tour, the band took a long break that lasted longer than expected. During this time Neil Peart began working on the tribute album to legendary jazz drummer Buddy Rich - "Burning for Buddy" and took advantage of the break to specialize in jazz style playing, taking lessons from renowned drummer Freddie Gruber. The jazz lessons that Neil took made him change the whole perception of playing on the album " Test For Echo ", when he played most of the songs on this album with a different stick grip, mostly known from jazz and called "traditional grip". In August 1997, after the end of the " Test For Echo " album tour, Peart's 19-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident. 10 months later, Peart's partner died of cancer. Peart said in his book "Ghost Rider" that at his daughter's funeral, he informed his friends, Geddy and Alex, that he was retiring from the band. Geddy and Alex gave Neil all the time he needed to recover from the tragedies that befell him. Peart underwent a difficult healing process that lasted several years. As part of the healing process, he crossed the U.S. on a motorcycle, for 14 months and 55,000 miles. In 2001, Rush reunited and began working for the first time in years on a new material that would become the " Vapor Trails " album released in 2002. This album opens with "One Little Victory" and it is indeed a victory of Neil Peart, but not "small", when symbolically the song opens with an intro drum as a tribute to him. Following the healing process on the motorcycle he developed a great love for it and from the tour of " Vapor Trails " on, he used to give up flights or band bus rides, in favor of riding on a motorcycle to the next performance location. In 2012 the band released their last album " Clockwork Angels ". Peart conceived the idea for a concept album that is completely "clockwise". The album includes 12 tracks that symbolize the 12 hours of the clock that appears on the album cover. The time on that clock is 9:12, which means 21:12, a kind of wink to the masterful album "2112" from 1976, and indeed this album was a kind of closure for the band, not only in terms of musical style, but mainly in terms of content that again deals with a science fiction story detailed by Peart for the album. At the end of the tour that accompanied the album, Peart expressed to his friends his desire to retire from performances. The load on his body during the tours was huge and he feared that it would impair his level of playing. The band's performances last about 3 hours, which include complex and massive drumming and drum solos. This was very heavy on the body of a Peart who wanted to retire at the peak and spend time with his wife and little daughter after all the tragedies he went through. Alex and Gaddy had one last request, to go on one last grandiose tour. Alex Lifeson mentioned in detail the arthritis he suffers from which may also affect his playing, and begged for a final round. Peart agreed to a limited tour in the US only. The tour included songs from all periods of the band. The performances lasted about 3 hours and began with the band's last record then returning in a reverse chronological order in time to the first record and finally a 16 -bar excerpt from the song "Garden Road" that the band recorded before the release of their debut album. During the shows, the band performed a song they had never performed live "Losing It" from the 1982 album " Signals " in which the lyrics of Peart speak of artists "losing it" and are no longer at their peak - a hint of Peart to the situation he is afraid of reaching. Neil's last performance on stage was on August 1, 2015, when the " R40 " tour ended. At the end of the show, Peart came down from his small on which his drum kit, in complete surprise, and joined his two friends for a final bow in front of the audience. It was a very unusual gesture that also surprised his two friends, as the shy Peart never got off the drum set to the front of the stage at the end of the performances and for almost 40 years waved to the audience behind his drum set at the end of the shows. (Photo: 2112.net) Later that year, Peart officially announced that he was retiring from music. Despite the announcement, there was hope that the band would reunite whenever there were for short tours or for an album, but in 2018 Alex Lifeson announced that Peart had indeed retired due to his health condition. On January 10, 2020, Peart's family announced his death from violent brain cancer, on January 7, 2020, when he was only 67 years old. The announcement was received in utter shock by the music world. It turns out that Peart has been heroically battling the violent disease for three and a half years. He asked that his illness be kept secret and so it was, in interviews given by Geddy and Alex over the years they kept his privacy and didn't mention his illness to anyone. Neil Peart was a huge drummer and a great lyricist who influenced an entire generation of drummers. Not for nothing did Mike Portnoy say that Peart is a God for him and he divides his life before and after Peart. Dave Grohl said Peart is a "whole other animal , another species of drummer" Peart has released five DVD videos of drummer instruction like: "A Work in Progress" + "Anatomy of A Drum Solo" and "Taking Center Stage". He has written 7 non-music books. In addition, he co-wrote science fiction books including the book that tells the story of the latest album "Clockwork Angles". Peart came in fourth on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest drummers. It is his lowest place since there is no other list that he is not in the top three, not even lists of drummer magazines like "Modern Drummer" magazine where he is third. A partial list of his awards and personal achievements, includes: (Photo: Jesse Grant) · Hall of Fame: 1983 · Best Rock Drummer: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2006, 2008 · Best Multi-Percussionist: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 · Best Percussion Instrumentalist: 1982 · Best Instructional Video: 2006, for Anatomy of a Drum Solo · Best Recorded Performance: in every Rush album Rush "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

The album "Wish You Were Here" - The ninth studio album by "Pink Floyd", was released on September 12, 1975. Here are 15 interesting facts about the Masterpiece album: 1. After the meteoric success of " The Dark Side Of The Moon ", the band considered creating an album called "Household Objects", which will include sounds that will be played from wine glasses, food mixers, and various household items. 2. The album is a kind of tribute to singer, writer, and guitarist Syd Barrett , who was fired from the band in the late 1960s, due to his deteriorating mental state. 3. The piece " Shine on You Crazy Diamond " is a kind of lament for Syd Barrett , and its initials spell the name "Syd" as follows: S hine On Y ou Crazy D iamond. The total length of the work is 26 minutes, it is split into two different tracks, one opens and the other closes the album, and it is divided into 9 parts. (Photo: wordpress.com) 4. While performing the mixes for the song " Shine on You Crazy Diamond ", Syd Barrett suddenly appeared in the studio. He was fat, his eyebrows were shaved and the band members barely recognized him. It was also the last time they saw him alive. 5. It was the last song Richard Wright got writing credit for, before Waters threw him out of the band during the recording of the album "The Wall". 6. Another sign that this album was the "beginning of the end" of the band as one solid unit, Is the fact that Nick Mason was deleted from the album's credit list, since his contribution was minor. 7. Another testament to the disintegration of the band begun on this album, is the fact that David Gilmour refused to sing " Have a Cigar ", after Roger Waters tired his voice during the recording of "Shine on You Crazy Diamond". This is why the singer and songwriter Roy Harper was brought into the studio to record the vocals for this song. 8. The song " Wish You Were Here " was also written about Syd Barrett . This is an exclusive collaboration of Gilmore-Waters that was not so common. Gilmour arrived at the studio with the guitar parts at the beginning of the song. Waters asked him to play it slower and from there everything developed as they both wrote the verses and the chorus together. 9. At the opening of the song there is an effect of changing stations on AM radio. This was recorded in David Gilmour 's car as he switched radio stations. 10. The musical section at the end of the effect of changing radio stations, just before the beginning of the song, is taken from Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony. 11. At the end of the song when the wind effect is heard, the sharp-eared among you will be able to hear the violin playing of the jazz player Stéphane Grappelli. He was in a nearby studio, together with the violinist Yehudi Menuhin and was asked by the band to play in the final part of the song. He was paid £ 300 but did not get credit because the band thought his recording was so low on the mix that it would hardly be heard. 12. The song " Welcome to the Machine " is a protest against the "money machine" of the record companies that put pressure on the band and to which Waters attributes the deterioration in Syd Barrett 's condition. (Photo: Redferns) 13. The song " Have a Cigar " also points an accusing finger at the music industry that Waters hated so much. It was the last song written and recorded for the album. 14. Roy Harper who as mentioned sang the song, recorded his excellent album "HQ", in which David Gilmour contributed guitar playing, in the nearby studio. 15. The album cover that includes the two people shaking hands and one of them catching fire, also symbolizes a kind of protest against the music industry when the handshake symbolizes the record company that "burns" the artists. For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website