"The Boss" is celebrating his birthday today and we have 30 interesting facts to tell you about him: (Photo: Flickr) 1. He was born in New Jersey on September 23, 1949, as Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen. 2. He was the eldest of three children and grew up in a working-class Catholic Christian family. 3. The moment he realized he wanted to pursue music was when he was 7 and watched Elvis Presley on "The Ed Sullivan Show". 4. He started playing guitar shortly afterward when his mother Adele rented him a guitar for $6 a week. He bought his first guitar when he was 13 for 18.95$. By the time he was 16, he had already received from his mother his first serious guitar. She had to take a loan to buy it. The story of the purchase is described in the song "The Wish", from the "Tracks" box released by Springsteen in 1998. 5. The first song he learned to play on the guitar was "Twist and Shout" by "the Beatles". 6. He was nicknamed "The Boss" in the late 1960s when he was part of the "Earth" band, since he managed the band's logistics and financial affairs. 7. From 1969 he was part of the band "Steel Mill" together with Danny Federici, Vini Lopez, and later also Steven Van Zandt and Robin Thompson. The band members, accompanied by saxophonist Clarence Clemons, went on to become the famous "E Street Band" in 1972 and will accompany Springsteen throughout his career. (Photo: Lynn Goldsmith) 8. His first album "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J", was released in 1973. The one who was the recording technician on the album was producer Louis Lahav. 9. Lahav will continue to accompany Bruce until 1975 when he also serves as a soundman during his performances and also enlists his wife Tzruya (Suki) Lahav to play violin with Springsteen. 10. The Lahav couple also accompanied Springsteen on the masterpiece album "Born To Run" when Tzruya even played the violin in the song "Jungleland". It was also Springsteen's breakthrough album that made him the first musician to be featured on the cover of the two successful magazines "Time" and "Newsweek" in the same week in 1975. 11. By the way, the song "Born To Run" is the most played in Springsteen's performances. To date, it has been played 1,745 times. 12. Believe it or not but following the success of the album Springsteen bought his first car - the "1950 Corvette". The car is on display today at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Photo: Frank Stefanko) 13. In 1976, the Lahav couple and Bruce Springsteen parted ways. Rumor has it that the reason was an affair that developed between Tzruya Lahav and Bruce Springsteen, for which Tzruya asked Louis Lahav to return to Israel to save their marriage. 14. In 1976 after a performance in Memphis, Bruce, who so admired Elvis Presley, tried to sneak into his Graceland estate and was caught. Later, in 1977, he wrote the song "Fire" for Elvis. He sent him a demo tape of the song in the hope he will perform it, but Elvis died shortly afterward and Bruce never found out if he liked the song or not. Bruce eventually gave the song to Robert Gordon, and the "Pointer Sisters" would make it a hit in 1979. 15. This was the third consecutive song that Springsteen wrote and became a hit by other artists. The first was "Blinded by the Light" performed by "Manfred Mann's Earth Band" in 1977 and the second was "Because the Night" performed by Patti Smith in 1978. Of course, Manfred Mann performed cover versions of two other Bruce songs: "Spirit in the Night "and" For You ". 16. Another sign that illustrates Bruce's appreciation for Elvis is the fact that on the cover of the 1975 album "Born to Run", he was photographed with a button of Elvis fan club in New York attached to his guitar strap. 17. He originally wrote the song "Hungry Heart" from the album "The River" for the "Ramones". In 1979 he met Joey Ramone who asked him to write a song for his band. Bruce wrote, "Hungry Heart" intending to give it to Ramones, but eventually stayed with it on the recommendation of his manager. 18. His most successful album was "Born in the U.S.A", which was released in 1984. It produced 7 hits that entered the top 10 and sold 30 million copies, 15 million of them in the US alone. 19. Actress Courtney Cox from the TV series "Friends", appears in Springsteen's music video for the song "Dancing in the Dark", he took her on stage and danced with her. 20. In 1989 he disbanded the "E Street Band" and gave each member 2$ million. In March 1992 he released two solo albums on the same day "Lucky Town" and "Human Touch". 21. In 1993 he won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for writing and performing the song "Streets of Philadelphia", which was included in the movie "Philadelphia" starring Tom Hanks. 22. In 1999 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The one who gave the induction speech was none other than Bono from U2. Springsteen returned the favor 6 years later, when in 2005 he gave the U2 induction speech to the Hall of Fame. 23. In 1999 an asteroid in the solar system was named after him - "23990 Springsteen". That same year the astronauts on the space shuttle "Discovery" chose to wake up every morning with his song "Rendezvous". 24. There is a radio channel called "E Street Radio" that plays Springsteen's songs 24/7. 25. Springsteen is an avid Harry Potter admirer. He even wrote a song for one of the movies, but due to JK Rowling's tough policy of not putting commercial songs in Harry Potter movies, Springsteen's song was rejected. 26. In 2008, Springsteen was named one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" by Time Magazine. 27. In 2009 he again won the Golden Globe Award for the song "The Wrestler" which was included in the soundtrack of the film of the same name. 28. On August 31, 2006, Springsteen broke the record for the longest rock performance ever in the United States. The show was held in New Jersey and lasted 4 hours and one minute. By the way, his long performance outside the US was held in Helsinki in 2012 and lasted 4 hours and 6 minutes. 29. Bruce has released to date 21 studio albums, 23 live albums, and 7 EPs, of which 71 different singles have been released, an unimaginable amount by all means. 30. During his long career, Bruce has collaborated with dozens of different artists, including Tom Morello, Lou Reed, Eddie Vedder, Roy Orbison, Graham Parker, Donna Summer, Emmylou Harris, and more and more... * In April 2023, the governor of New Jersey declared 9/23 as "Bruce Springsteen Day". "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Written by: Moti Kupfer Release Date - 23.09.1977 Perfectionism means pursuing something perfect and never reaching it. The intelligent revolution created by the musical duo "Steely Dan" can be called perfectionism, with one difference: they reached a point in time when the music they made connected with the term perfect in such a natural way. That happened on 23.09.1977, when their sixth studio album, "Aja", was released. "Steely Dan" are Walter Becker, Donald Fagen, and a long list of changing musicians. Becker and Fagen met at Bard College in New York. At the beginning, they played together in a jazz trio with actor Chevy Chase called "Leather Canary". After exhausting that chapter, Becker and Fagen became a songwriting duo and were members of the band "Jay and the Americans". In 1971, the duo moved to Los Angeles, where ABC Records producer Gary Katz signed them to the label, and "Steely Dan" was on its way. During the recording of the albums, Fagen played keyboards and sang, while Walter Becker played guitar and bass guitar and sang backing vocals. The sound of "Steely Dan" was polished, everything in its place, with quick transitions. In an era ruled by rough rock, colorful pop, and disco slowly beginning to seep in, "Aja" offered pop and jazz with touches of rock and funk. Their albums, and especially "Aja", became demonstration records in audio stores, used to showcase the quality of sound systems. All this clean music was wrapped in a wonderful contradiction at the heart of "Steely Dan", a band named after a dildo from the novel Naked Lunch by writer William Burroughs. The album consists of seven songs in which it is difficult to point to a single weak moment. These are songs written about desire, wanderlust, illusions, and the destructive effects of the American dream, performed by some of the finest players, including saxophonist Wayne Shorter and keyboardist Victor Feldman. They are joined by session professionals such as Chuck Rainey, Steve Gadd, Jim Horn, Lee Ritenour, Larry Carlton, and even Michael McDonald of "The Doobie Brothers" on backing vocals. Becker and Fagen not only used a broad range of musicians on the album, they also refused to compromise, doing take after take after take until they achieved the picture they were aiming for. This album arrived at a point when "Steely Dan" had already given up live performances and retreated into the studios, where they focused on the music. Perhaps that is what led to an album that won a Grammy for Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical, placed three singles in the American Top 30, two of them in the Top 20, sold millions of copies, and is still considered one of music's foundation stones. It was an exceptional album in the musical landscape, especially in the era in which it was released. The album cover was created by Japanese photographer Hideki Fujii, who photographed Japanese model and actress Sayoko Yamaguchi. She appears as a mysterious figure emerging from a black background, with red tones on her face and clothes. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram and/or subscribe to the website

Editor's Choice... And this time "Shout at the Devil" the second studio album by "Mötley Crüe", which was released on September 23, 1983. In our humble opinion, this is the band's best album! True, the albums "Dr. Feelgood" or "Theater of Pain" may have been more successful, both in terms of sales, hits, and rankings in the various charts, but there is something about this album that makes it surpass them on several levels. This is the whole, the complete package. From the cover, through the album title, the general dark atmosphere that runs like the second thread between all the album's songs and ending with the fact that it had something real, something authentic, it was recorded just before the band's big break and before the commercialized glam explode in the music world. Know what? We'll go even further, this album is one of the greatest heavy metal albums of the era. Although the band shouted glam, In appearance and even in sound, although everyone who will open the inside cover of the album and see the band members' photos, could not help thinking that this band is a gimmick. Still, this album, is considered by us as a pure heavy metal that deserves to be included among the major albums of the genre at that time. we mentioned the complete package, so the original cover of the album was all black and included the pentagram shape, one of the symbols of Satanism. The original name of the album was supposed to be "Shout With The Devil", which could look like a denial of Christianity and the embrace of Satanism, so the word "With" was replaced by the record company with the word "At" to slightly soften the shock for Christian conservatives. Not that it helped "Motley Crue", but at least the record company was calmer... The content of the album also conveyed "concept" even though it is completely not like that. The album opens with the intro "In the Beginning" which gives the feeling that this is an album with a story that has a beginning, middle and end. The instrumental section "God Bless the Children of the Beast" also adds to the sense of "concept" and the general dark atmosphere that the album has. Even the songs titles "Shout at the Devil", "Looks That Kill", "Danger" correspond with the overall dark theme, while the album's sound is metallic, even a classic ballad like "Too Young to Fall in Love" doesn't sound out of place in the overall landscape. Even the choice to record a cover version of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter" was apparently not accidental. It is a song that was identified with the despicable deeds of Charles Manson and it blends wonderfully with the rebellious atmosphere of the album. In conclusion, this is a recommended and excellent album that definitely deserves to be included in the list of major heavy metal albums of the era. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On September 23, 1991, "Pixies" released their fourth album, "Trompe le Monde". Yes, it also belongs to the "Class of 91'" album series. The literal translation of the album's name from French means "Fool the World", but the Pixies did not really mean to fool their fans. After a change of direction and the relative softness of "Bossanova", the Pixies returned to their roots with a heavier album that corresponded quite a bit with "Surfer Rosa", but at the same time "Doolittle's" catchy melody can also be found in it. A winning combination that even managed to overcome its inconsistency and allow this formidable band to take one last bow and clear the stage, respectfully, to bands that were influenced by them and conquered the music market during the 1990s. This is the "swan song" of the Pixies. The band's last album in the classic lineup, with bassist and singer Kim Deal. The friction between her and Black Francis did not allow the band to continue to exist in its current format and not long after that it would be disbanded by Black Francis, some say via fax. Why are we telling you this? Because Kim Deal's presence on this album is barely noticeable. The trend that began with the previous album "Bossanova", in which Black Francis takes over the entire creative process, exists here as well, only this time Kim Deal's "voice" is barely heard, literally, and her vocal harmony with Francis is almost unnoticeable, to the point that some have called this album "the first solo album of Black Francis. " Undoubtedly, Francis' takeover and especially the absence of Kim Deal's accompaniment voices have undermined the foundations on which the Pixies' so unique sound is based on. This is probably also the reason why despite the rave reviews of "Trompe le Monde" at the time of its release, for years this album has failed to arouse the respect it deserves, among some of the band's fans. However, as the years go by the consensus around it grows and it proves itself as an excellent album that has passed the test of time very nicely. An album which, although lacks big "hits" like "Gigantic", "Here Comes Your Man" or "Where Is My Mind", manages to remain in the consciousness as one of the masterpieces of this influential band. (Photo: vinylchapters.com) The album features a streak of mighty songs, especially in its first half, which is closer in the atmosphere to "Surfer Rosa". It may start quietly and mysteriously, with Joey Santiago's arpeggios wrapped with his flanger effect, that opens up the theme song "Trompe le Monde", but after 8 drum beats by David Lovering, it just explodes on us mercilessly. "Planet of Sound" which was the first single from it with Kim Deal's dominant bass and Joey Santiago's howling guitars slowly becoming angry and powerful. "Alec Eiffel" with the Punk rhythm, released as the third single from the album and was written about the French engineer Alexander Eiffel. "The Sad Punk" which even further increases the tempo on the verge of Hardcore-Punk, but then breaks in the middle into a sort of ballad, as if it were two different songs. The amazing "Head On" which is a cover of "The Jesus and Mary Chain" song and even manages to surpass the original. "U-Mass" with the cruel riff that although very reminiscent of "The Kingsmen" "Louie Louie" or "Wild Thing" which was known thanks to "The Troggs", we have no problem with it. The song was written about the University of Massachusetts where Francis and Santiago met. Francis noted that the riff was written while still studying there. Notice the Cow-Bell and Kim Deal's amazing bass work and do not miss the segment that begins at 1:13 which will surely remind you, in structure and rhythm, of the song that will open another masterpiece album that will be released one day later. "Palace of the Brine" does slow down a bit, but manages to excite and sweep away. "Letter to Memphis" which really sounds like a sequel to "Palace of the Brine" and is a kind of homage to Francis to Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee". Then, comes the second half of the album and it seems like we replaced the toughness "Surfer Rosa" with the melody of "Doolittle". The track "Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons" opens with bass and keyboards, without Santiago's sawing guitars but develops into a song with a magical and sweeping melody. It is followed by "Space (I Believe In)", the weirdest song on the album, perhaps the most bizarre of the Pixies, which continues "Bossanova's" experimentalism and even more. There's even a guest player named Jef Feldman, playing the tabla. It is followed by "Subbacultcha" which goes back to the band's early days of the "Purple Tape" from 1987. We are back on track with "Distance Equals Rate Times Time", but immediately return to experimentation with "Lovely Day" which also features Jeff Feldman playing the tabla. We're nearing the end with "Motorway to Roswell" which is without a doubt one of the most beautiful songs on the album and sealing it with "The Navajo Know" which sounds to us like a Surf-Rock song with a New Wave beat from the Eighties. "Trompe le Monde" is the fourth and final part (until the reunion) of a glorious series of albums, which left a heavy mark on the music world of the 90s. It was released in an unimaginable year, just one day before a90ss like "Nevermind" and "Blood Sex Sugar Magik". In a year when masterpieces albums like "Ten", "Use Your Illusion I & II", "Metallica (The Black Album)", "Badmotorfinger" and more was released, so it didn’t really stand a chance. At the same time, it cannot be ignored that at midnight on September 23-24, 1991, the Pixies proudly transferred the burning torch it lit in 1987, to a band that was very influenced by them and was quite anonymous then, but just a few hours later would change the history of music as we knew it. Until that day. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

And this time we start with the question. How many albums do you know whose opening song is a rock ballad? The album "Third Stage" - the third by "Boston" which was released on September 23, 1986, is one such. This album came out 8 years after the band's second album "Don't Look Back" released in 1978. The band started working on the album in 1980 and in fact, most of the album was ready for release by 1982. But then came the disagreements with the record company "Epic Records", and later also a lawsuit that delayed its release, when in the middle of everything the original band that accompanied the first two albums crumbled and the whole project was shelved. Schultz became obsessed during this period and similar to what happened with the band's debut album "Boston", here too he sat in the studio for hours trying to reach the ultimate sound. For coverage of the creation process of the band's debut album, read here: In fact, at this point, all that was left of the original lineup were Tom Scholz himself and singer Brad Delp. Schultz claimed that during those years he pressed the record button over a million times and that he managed to fill over 100 recording reels during the recording of the album. In 1984, after the lawsuit against the record company ended, Tom Scholz signed with "MCA" and began working on the last mixes before releasing the album. But just then an amazing thing happened, someone leaked the opening song and rock ballad "Amanda" to small radio stations across the US. It should be understood, these were not Internet and YouTube days, so the leak was supposed to be done with a hard copy that was physically given to the radio stations. The broadcasters, even at those little radio stations, who realized they had a golden egg in hand, did not want to share it with others so they would talk during the beginning and end of the song so that other radio stations could not copy it and broadcast the song themselves. (Photo: Tim Chapman) Nevertheless, this song managed to reach number one even when it was officially released two years after it was leaked, in September 1986. The Success was even more overwhelming due to the fact the song did not have a video clip promoting it as was customary at the time. The band's sound from the first two albums is more or less preserved here, with the addition of the Rockman effect/guitar amplifier invented by the well-known MIT graduate Schultz himself. To this day we are not certain of why Schultz chose to open the album with the ballad "Amanda", when in our opinion it would have been more appropriate to open with the song "The Launch" divided into three parts and with "Cool the Engines" that connects to it, or alternatively with the excellent "We're Ready". Either way, this is a good album that most of its first side is arranged like a concept album with songs that connect and with the closing track "My Destination" which has the same melody as the opening song "Amanda". For listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On September 22, 1981, "King Crimson" released its eighth studio album, "Discipline". This was not just another prog album, nor was it an attempt to revive the sound of the 1970s. "Discipline" marked the moment when "King Crimson" redefined itself and, in the process, showed progressive rock how to enter the 1980s without pretending punk, new wave and post-punk had never happened. In place of long solos, symphonic keyboards and nostalgia came music that was taut, geometric and physical, with four musicians thinking together in real time. The album reveals itself first through its precision, but lingers in the memory because of the curiosity, humor and danger concealed within that precision. Seven years had passed since "Red" and the breakup of the previous lineup. In the meantime, Robert Fripp worked with Brian Eno, David Bowie and Peter Gabriel, listened to minimalism and absorbed the hard-edged energy of the new scene. When he began assembling a band called "Discipline", he was not looking to recreate "King Crimson", but to build an entirely different musical mechanism. Only after the quartet had begun performing did he realize that this new identity was not an escape from the old name, but the only way that name could become real again. The turning point was the meeting between Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew, a guitarist and singer who had already worked with Frank Zappa, David Bowie and "Talking Heads". They were joined by Tony Levin, who brought the Chapman Stick and the ability to move between bass, percussion and harmony, and Bill Bruford, who returned with acoustic and electronic drums and a willingness to abandon the predictable beat. This was not a band with one leader and three sidemen. Each musician had an irreplaceable color, and the friction between the four became a method of composition. The name "Discipline" remained as the album title and its key word. Printed on the back cover was the idea that discipline is never an end in itself, but a means to an end. The statement describes the music perfectly: every part is meticulously constructed, yet the result is no mathematical exercise. Discipline creates freedom, because each musician knows exactly where he stands even as the meter changes, the accents shift and the two guitars draw different patterns through one another. The album was recorded in May and June 1981 at Island Studios in London, with the band and Rhett Davies sharing production duties. The material came together relatively quickly, took shape onstage and entered the studio after the quartet had already learned to breathe as a single body. That collective character is essential here: rather than clearing a space for a soloist, the other instruments keep working. At times, each musician seems to be playing a different piece, yet their point of intersection creates a new order. Within that order came together sources that, at the time, rarely shared the same room: Indonesian gamelan, Steve Reich-style minimalism, funk, punk, new wave and post-punk. Robert Fripp's synth guitar sometimes assumed roles once reserved for keyboards; Adrian Belew's guitar spoke, laughed and roared; Levin's Stick turned the bass line into an independent lattice; and Bruford built polyrhythms and asymmetrical rhythms without losing the sense of motion. Progressive rock remained progressive because it stopped sounding like the memory of itself. The opening track, "Elephant Talk", makes the album's intentions clear at once. Levin's Stick riff is both bass line and rhythmic engine, Bruford slices through the space with precise strokes, and the two guitars move between nervous lines and animal-like sounds. Adrian Belew arranges words about speech and communication in alphabetical order, then demonstrates through voice and guitar just how easily language can become noise. It is funny, catchy and strange, but also the perfect introduction to an album in which intellect and pleasure are not enemies. The next track, "Frame By Frame", sharpens the album's central invention. Two clean, angular guitar lines mesh and separate like gears; at one point, one of them drops a note from its cycle, gradually pulling the music out of phase. The influence of cyclical minimalism is unmistakable, yet the rock body remains alive and kicking. Levin and Bruford do not merely keep time; they set another kind of time against the guitars, allowing the listener to hear several rhythmic layers at once. After that density comes "Matte Kudasai", whose Japanese title means "please wait". It is a delicate, atmospheric ballad, but even here the band avoids the expected. Adrian Belew's voice floats above a warm bass line and a guitar that sounds like a solitary seabird. Robert Fripp adds translucent layers instead of melodrama, and the space between the notes becomes as important as the notes themselves. The track proves that the band's new restraint could also produce fragile beauty. On the album's second side sits "Indiscipline", the title track's unruly twin. The text grew out of a letter written by Margaret, Adrian Belew's wife, describing a painting she had made. He broke her words into short, suspicious and obsessive phrases, delivering them somewhere between speech and a shout. Around him, the band erupts and stops, shifting from ominous washes to jagged blows. Bruford is given enormous space, yet even when the drums sound completely free, they remain tied to a taut internal structure. With each repetition, the phrase "I like it" becomes less reassuring and more unhinged. Behind "Thela Hun Ginjeet" lies a story that became inseparable from the recording. The title is an anagram of "Heat in the Jungle". When Adrian Belew went out into the streets of London to record ambient sound, he encountered a group that threatened him and was later questioned by the police. When he returned to the studio, shaken, and told the others what had happened, Robert Fripp recorded him without his knowledge. The story entered the song, turning real fear into rhythmic theater. The tension between patterns of four and seven creates a sense of pursuit, while the guitars and Stick build a crowded city that never stops moving. The space opens up again on "The Sheltering Sky", an instrumental that grew out of an improvisation and took its name from Paul Bowles's novel. Bruford establishes a ritual pulse, Levin maintains a low, insistent motion, and above them the synth guitars paint heat, dust and horizon. There is no dramatic development here in the conventional Western sense. Change comes through accumulation, timbre and repetition, much like a gamelan ensemble in which the shared pattern matters more than the soloist. This is one of the moments when the album stops sounding like a rock band and begins to sound like an ecosystem. "Discipline" closes the album, distilling the band's method to almost complete transparency. The two guitars play different but complementary cycles, the parts pass between them, and the Stick and drums shift the center of gravity without breaking the flow. The asymmetrical rhythm is not a technical ornament but the subject itself. After the chaos of "Indiscipline", this track presents the other side of the same coin: not control that suppresses energy, but a structure that allows four minds to act as one. The album cover tells the same story. The red and blue Celtic knot looks ancient and modern, organic and geometric at once, a single line that grows tangled but never breaks. The original image was based on the work of Celtic art scholar George Bain, and later editions replaced it with a new design by Steve Ball after copyright questions arose. Either way, the knot became a precise symbol of the music: independent parts winding around one another until they can no longer be separated. Upon its release, "Discipline" reached No. 41 on the UK chart and remained there for four weeks. in the United States, it reached No. 45. Those were respectable results for music this uncompromising, but the album's true importance grew over time. It showed a new generation of musicians that complexity did not have to mean excess, that music could be danceable without being simple, and technological without losing its personality. Its echo can be heard in math rock, experimental alternative rock and any band that uses repetition and shifting meters to create tension rather than display expertise. In retrospect, it was also the first entry in the band's 1980s trilogy, preceding "Beat" and "Three of a Perfect Pair". It does not erase the past represented by "In The Court Of The Crimson King" or "Red"; instead, it proves that the deepest principle behind "King Crimson" was never a particular style. It was the willingness to change the moment a familiar language became too comfortable. More than four decades later, "Discipline" still sounds contemporary because it does not belong to any single fashion. Indonesian gamelan, new wave, post-punk, minimalism, synth guitars, the Chapman Stick and polyrhythm are not a pasted-together list of influences. They became one personal, inimitable language. The meeting of Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford did more than produce a new lineup. It redefined what progressive rock could be in the 1980s. That is why the album is regarded as a landmark and remains so highly valued among serious listeners. It demands attention, but it is never cold; it is sophisticated, yet full of physicality and humor; it is precise, but at every moment it feels as though something might veer off course. "Discipline" offers no formula that can simply be copied. It offers a position: listen to a changing world, learn from it, and then build from it music no one has heard before. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On September 22, 1978, "Camel" released "Breathless", its sixth studio album. From the first listen, "Breathless" finds "Camel" at a crossroads. The band could still shape expansive, evocative passages with the ease that had made its name, yet it was also trying to meet the late 1970s halfway: tightening the songs, bringing more rhythm into the arrangements and reaching listeners who were not necessarily looking for long progressive-rock pieces. The fit is not always seamless, but that tension is exactly what makes the album so compelling. It was also Peter Bardens' final album as a member of "Camel". Bardens and Andrew Latimer had shaped the group's identity together from the start, but by 1978 their ideas of the future were pulling apart. Latimer was increasingly drawn to precise melodies and tighter songs, while Bardens wanted to retain the instrumental freedom and wide-open spaces that defined the early records. The disagreement never erupted in the studio, but it can be felt in almost every turn from one song to the next. The change had begun earlier. After "Moonmadness", bassist Doug Ferguson left and Richard Sinclair of "Caravan" joined the band in his place. Sinclair brought a gentle voice, supple bass playing and the wry humour of the Canterbury scene. Mel Collins, who had added saxophone and flute to "Rain Dances", remained on board and strengthened the band's jazzier side. The result was a remarkably gifted lineup, though every member seemed to be tugging the music in a slightly different direction. The band produced the record with Mick Glossop. Alongside Latimer on guitar, flute and vocals, Bardens on keyboards, Sinclair on bass and vocals, and Collins on horns, Andy Ward remained a steady presence behind the drums, a role he had held since the debut album. The sound is cleaner and more polished than that of "Mirage", and at times easier to absorb, but at its best it still carries "Camel's" instantly recognisable sensitivity. The title track, "Breathless", opens the album with a brisk pulse and a light touch. Bardens' keyboards are prominent, the chorus lands immediately, and the arrangement reveals small details with repeated listens. Yet beneath the easygoing surface is a tension that reflects the band's condition at the time. In hindsight, the title itself almost sounds like a description of a group trying to do everything before it runs out of air. Then comes "Echoes", one of the album's peaks and one of "Camel's" finest pieces of the 1970s. There is no attempt here to tailor the music to radio or to whatever was fashionable that year. The band lets the long instrumental opening take its time before the vocals arrive. Guitar and keyboards engage in a sensitive, precise conversation reminiscent of the group's finest work. Latimer once again proves that he does not need a blizzard of notes to reach the listener. Every sound is given room to breathe, and every small rise in intensity feels fully earned. "Wing and a Prayer" brings the album back to its lighter side. Collins' horns add warmth, while the rhythm moves comfortably between soft rock and fusion. It is not an especially deep piece, but it has craft, charm and a genuine sense of play. Rather than building a grand statement, "Camel" settles for a short, enjoyable song and makes it work. On "Down on the Farm", Sinclair steps into the spotlight. It is a distinctly Canterbury number: playful, pastoral and a little odd. Listeners arriving from the melancholy of "Moonmadness" may be briefly thrown, but that contrast is precisely the source of its charm. Sinclair brings a world where jazz, humour and folk song can meet without ever sounding forced. "Starlight Ride" restores a sense of calm. It unfolds slowly, almost weightlessly, as flute and guitar paint a delicate nocturnal atmosphere. There is no dramatic peak and no solo fighting for attention. Its strength lies in its restraint, in the way "Camel" creates the feeling of a journey within a relatively modest song. Then comes "Summer Lightning", the track that provoked more debate among fans than any other on the album. The rhythm draws on disco and funk, the synthesizers gleam, and the opening is far removed from the sound of "Mirage". Yet Latimer changes the picture when he launches into a long, lyrical and deeply felt guitar solo. The meeting of danceable rhythm and aching guitar may sound odd in theory, but it works beautifully and makes this one of the album's most memorable moments. "You Make Me Smile" continues along the direct, accessible path. It has a clear chorus, a relatively simple groove and production well tuned to the mood of the period. The commercial compromise is more obvious here, but the harmonies, keyboards and guitar phrases threaded between the vocal lines still keep it within the world of "Camel". The instrumental "The Sleeper" is where every member of the lineup sounds truly liberated. Collins leads on saxophone, while Bardens and Latimer answer on keyboards and guitar. After the quiet opening, Ward propels the piece forward with energetic drumming. It is a rich, developed jazz-inflected piece that shows just how strong this lineup could be when it stopped worrying about song length or radio appeal and simply played. Closing track "Rainbow's End" is the album's most emotional moment. After all the shifts between progressive rock, pop, jazz and disco, the record arrives at a quiet piece that, in retrospect, feels like a farewell. Latimer's voice, the delicate melody and Bardens' keyboards sum up an entire era without a grand speech or an explosion. It is the restrained sadness of people who know that their shared road is about to end. Bardens' departure after the sessions changed the balance of the band. Jan Schelhaas and Dave Sinclair joined on keyboards for the tour, and "Camel" hit the road as a six-piece. Bardens moved on to a solo career, while Latimer gradually became the central figure guiding the band. From that point forward, even as the lineups changed, it would largely be his vision that determined where "Camel" went next. Commercially, "Breathless" reached No. 26 on the UK Albums Chart. It was a respectable result at a time when progressive rock had already lost its place at the centre of the musical conversation. The album did not turn "Camel" into a pop band, nor did it resolve the tensions within the group, but it kept the band moving. In the years that followed, "Camel" would continue searching for a balance between musical complexity and more accessible songs, a process that would also lead to "The Single Factor". The cover shows a metallic camel in an industrial setting, an image that suits the music remarkably well. The band's familiar symbol is no longer standing in a desert or a fantasy landscape, but among pipes, steel and machinery. Like the music itself, it has been forced to adapt to a newer, colder and more modern world. "Breathless" is not "Camel's" most unified album, but it is much more than a handful of attempts to bring the band into line with the period. It captures a superb group searching for a way forward without simply repeating itself. Not every turn works equally well, but "Echoes", "Summer Lightning", "The Sleeper" and "Rainbow's End" still stand alongside the band's finest moments. It is an album that closes one chapter and opens another. It says goodbye to the partnership between Latimer and Bardens, while laying the groundwork for a version of "Camel" that would learn to survive changing members, styles and eras without losing the melancholy, flute and guitar that made it unique. For listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

In honor of Nick Cave's birthday, we've gathered some interesting facts about him: (Photo: Wallpaperflare.com) 1. Nick Cave was born on September 22, 1957 in Warracknabeal, Victoria, Australia. His name at birth was Nicholas Edward Cave. 2. His father worked as a teacher of English and mathematics at the local technical high school, and his mother was a librarian. It was his father who exposed him to literature and poetry. 3. When he was 9 years old he joined the Holy Trinity Cathedral Choir in Wangaratta. 4. The musical influences on Nick Cave as a child came from his older brother. He listened to progressive rock and loved bands like "King Crimson", "Pink Floyd" and "Jethro Tull". Later, his girlfriend introduced him to Leonard Cohen whom Cave defined as the greatest songwriter of all time. (Photo: Tom Sheehan) 5. Nick Cave was 19 when his father was killed in a car accident. 6. He started his musical career in 1973 when he met guitarist Mick Harvey. In 1977 they formed the post-punk band "The Boys Next Door" which released their debut album "Door, Door" in 1979. Later the band moved to London and changed its name to "The Birthday Party", releasing four albums before it disbanded. (Photo: Michel Lawrence) 7. Shortly after the breakup of "The Birthday Party", Cave formed "the Bad Seeds" with guitarist (who has since become a multi-instrumentalist) Mick Harvey. 8. Nick Cave became the most prominent and main writer of "The Bad Seeds". He writes his poems on a typewriter. 9. His lyrics usually revolve around issues of religion, death, love, and violence. 10. In 1984 he released his debut album "From Her to Eternity" along with "The Bad Seeds" as his backing band. 11. In 1987, after four albums, "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds" appeared in the mythical film "Wings of Desire" directed by Wim Wenders. 12. Later on, Cave will also appear in the 1988 film "Ghosts ... of the Civil Dead" and will also write the soundtrack for the film. 13. In 1990 Cave moved to Sao Paulo, Brazil, to escape the gothic and punk scenes that claimed him to be their idol. He found love there, went through a rehab process and wrote material there that would become his masterpiece album "The Good Son". 14. In 1996 he was nominated for "Best Male Artist" at the MTV Europe Music Awards, for the album "Murder Ballads". Surprisingly Cave sought to withdraw his candidacy, fearing that competitiveness would hurt his work. And so he wrote as an explanation for the removal of the candidacy: "My muse is not a horse and I am in no horse race and if indeed she was, still I would not harness her to this tumbrel--this bloody cart of severed heads and glittering prizes. My muse may spook! May bolt! May abandon me completely!" 5. He briefly dated PJ Harvey in the mid-1990s, who also recorded a duet with her on the 1996 album "Murder Ballads". 16. In the same year Cave became the godfather of Michael Hutchence's daughter. (Photo: Eventworld.co) 17. Nick Cave has always expressed his love for Johnny Cash. In 2000, Cash covered Cave's "The Mercy Seat" in thanks for Cave's cover version of Cash's song "The Singer" on his album "Kicking Against the Pricks". Later Cave will fulfill his dream and meet Cash when they both perform a duet to Hank Williams' song "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", which will be included in Cash's last album "American IV: The Man Comes Around" from 2002. 18. In 2001, Cave recorded a cover version of the Beatles' song "Let It Be", for the soundtrack of the movie "I Am Sam". 19. Nick Cave is also a screenwriter. He wrote the screenplay for the 2005 film "The Proposition." Later Cave wrote a screenplay called "The Wettest County in the World" which became the film "Lawless" from 2012. 20. The influence of Cave crosses borders. Even members of "Metallica" cited him as an inspiration and recorded a cover version of his song "Loverman" from the album "Let Love In", which was included on their album "Garage Inc." 21. In 2007, Nick Cave and some of his bandmates formed "Grinderman", a punk band in which Nick Cave returns to the style that characterized him at the beginning of his career. He plays electric guitar for the first time. The band has so far released two studio albums. 22. That same year Nick was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame. 23. Nick Cave is also a writer. He's the author of the books "And The Ass Saw The Angel", "The Death Of Bunny Munro" and "King Ink". 24. In 2009 Cave narrated the animated film "The Cat Piano". 25. In July 2015 his son Arthur, then only 15 years old, was killed by falling from a cliff. Cave sank into depression and turned to write, the result can be listened to in his excellent album "Skeleton Tree". 26. Nick Cave is known as a supporter of Israel and he has visited it several times even on private visits. In addition, he performed in Israel 4 times, when the fifth performance that was supposed to take place in 2020 at Bloomfield Stadium was canceled due to Covid-19. During his last show in Israel in 2017, he stated at a press conference that he came here in response to BDS. 27. Inbal Perlmutter from the band "The Witches" approached Cave and asked him to record a cover version of the song "Shivers" of "The Boys Next Door". Cave accepted the invitation and the song was included on the 1996 mini-album "The Witches Cover". 28. Nick Cave was elected an officer of the Order of Australia in 2017. 29. During his extensive career Cave has released no less than 25 studio albums, 4 with The Boys Next Door/the Birthday Party, 18 with "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds", two more with "Grinderman" and one with his friend Warren Ellis released in 2021. 30. In addition Cave released 5 more live albums and co-wrote no less than 24 different soundtracks. 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Singer David Coverdale is celebrating his birthday today!!! (Photo: David Coverdale On Twitter) Coverdale began his musical career in 1969 with the band "The Government", but his big opportunity came when he saw an ad in the "Melody Maker", that "Deep Purple" was looking for a singer. He sent a tape to the band and was immediately summoned to an audition after which he was informed that he had been accepted into the band. David Coverdale replaced Ian Gillan in the MKIII lineup of "Deep Purple" and later in the MKIV lineup, between 1973 to 1976 and released 3 studio albums, among them the masterpiece "Burn". In 1977, after the breakup of "Deep Purple", David Coverdale burst into his solo career when he teamed up with guitarist Micky Moody and released the album "White Snake". Later the name of this album will become the name of the band "Whitesnake", which would be led by Coverdale for over four decades, until his retirement in November 2025. As part of "Whitesnake", Coverdale managed to magnetize two of his former friends from "Deep Purple". Initially, keyboardist Jon Lord will release the album "Lovehunter" with him, and later drummer Ian Paice, who has participated in the albums "Ready An' Willing" and "Come an' Get It". Coverdale will continue to recruit the best musicians for his band, such as drummer Cozy Powell who participated in the album "Slide It In". In 1987, Coverdale replaced all the band members and fundamentally change the band's musical style, on their most successful album, "Whitesnake (1987)". After Ronnie James Dio left "Black Sabbath" in 1982, the band offered Coverdale to join in, but he declined. In 1993, Coverdale will surprise the music world when he joins guitarist Jimmy Page. The two will release the album "Coverdale/Page". During his extensive career, David Coverdale has released no less than 20 studio albums. Three with "Deep Purple", the same number of solo albums, one album in which he collaborated with Jimmy Page and 13 studio albums with his band "Whitesnake". Coverdale also starred in the song "Behind the Smile" from the album "The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast" which Roger Glover released in 1974. He has also collaborated and been featured on albums by other artists, including Jon Lord, Bernie Marsden, Eddie Hardin and more. Two more small trivia details: 1. Coverdale contributed his voice to the soundtrack of the movie "Days of Thunder" with Tom Cruise, in a song he recorded especially for the movie called "The Last Note of Freedom." 2. He recites the words "Walking the fine line between Pagan and Christian" At the end of the immortal instrumental piece "For the Love of God" by guitarist Steve Vai. In November 2025 Coverdale announced his retirement with a video message he released. And now let's listen to a playlist of his songs that we compiled especially for you: Here. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On November 6, 2020, "Alter Bridge" released its first (official) EP!! We didn't have shows then but we had COVID!!! As a result, the artists gave us a little more than usual. Alter they were supposed to continue their tour to promote the album "Walk The Sky" and maybe we would even have a chance to see them in Israel !! But instead, they released a nice EP from the beginning of the tour. By the way, on this tour, Alter decided to take the theme of the live show one step higher and invested a lot in visuals and pyrotechnics. So here it is, the new EP which includes 6 songs from live performances and one new song. 1. Last Rites 2. Wouldn’t You Rather (Live) 3. Pay No Mind (Live) 4. Native Son (Live) 5. Godspeed (Live) 6. In The Deep (Live) 7. Dying Light (Live) You can listen to it here, this is the deluxe version so just skip to song number 16: Spotify, Apple Music Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

On September 21, 1999, Chris Cornell's first solo album, "Euphoria Morning", was released. This is an album that captures Chris Cornell during a downturn, one of many he had. Cornell, who was "in the eye storm" of the Grunge scene and was one of its mainstays for over a decade, decides in 1997 to disband "Soundgarden" - the band that was a home for him for over 10 years. This happens at the end of the tour of the album "Down On the Upside" after Cornell and his friends came to the conclusion that they had reached the point of exhaustion. Cornell said that in the post-breakup period he sank into a deep depression and he thought that working on a solo album would do him good. The content of the album certainly reflects the difficult period that Cornell went through, both in terms of lyrics and music. Cornell said in an interview he made immediately after the release of the album, that the melancholy music actually helped him feel less depressed, when he was down. Cornell intended to call this album "Euphoria Mourning" in a way that best expresses its content, but then-director Jim Guerinot advised him to drop the "U". Eventually "Poetic Justice" was done, when in the reissue from 2015 the album got its original name, in a way that made this such a moving piece more complete and perfect. Indeed, this album features some of the most exciting moments in Cornell's extensive career. Mainly driven by the depression and alcoholism, in which he sank after the breakup of "Soundgarden", Cornell takes us on a shaky journey of emotions and time stations, which take us just like on a roller coaster between the various moods Cornell was in, when writing the album. Although on first play this album sounds seemingly different from the musical direction of the mother band "Soundgarden", it still meets Cornell in his comfort zone. The musical seeds of the works on this album can be found in some of Cornell's works as part of "Temple Of The Dog", in his solo song "Seasons" taken from the soundtrack of the movie "Singles" and also in "Soundgarden". Indeed, even Cornell himself noted in an interview with MTV immediately after the album's release that whoever researches the music of "Soundgarden" will find that the roots of the song "Can't Change Me" are in songs like "Blow Up the Outside World" and "Fell on Black Days ". The album opens "Can't Change Me" with a relatively optimistic melody and with the oriental and mesmerizing guitar line, which will later also fit in with Chris Cornell's harmonica. But do not let the "cover" fool you. The song tells the story of a woman with the ability to help people, a woman who can make everything positive, but how not, unfortunately her abilities do not work on Cornell. Cornell also recorded this song in French. The song "Flutter Girl" is a song that Cornell wrote during the making of the soundtrack of the movie "Singles" and later was an outtake from "Soundgarden"'s "Superunknown" album. The person who gave the name to the song was none other than Jeff Ament bassist of "Pearl Jam" and Cornell wrote the song and the music in a way that he thought would fit the title of the song. Here already Chris Cornell goes from hurt to hurtful, informing the protagonist of the song that his mental state is so bad that it is better for her to flutter her wings home, because it is better for her to be alone than with him. And so in the songs lyrics: "Tonight my tears might stain your wings So flutter home 'Cause you're better off alone than with me" The song "Preaching the End of the World" hints at Cornell's loneliness on the inside in the face of the success and publicity seen from the outside, and when Cornell shouts that "this is just the end of the world" it is impossible not to identify with him. The song "Moonchild" was written about Cornell's wife, Susan Silver, at the time and tells the story of how she behaves on full moon nights. The song "Wave Goodbye" was written by Cornell about his friend singer Jeff Buckley who died in 1997, and again here the musical style does not fully teach about the verbal content. Cornell noted that during the writing of the album he was greatly influenced by Buckley's style. We continue to move between stations and emotions of Cornell's broken voice in the songs "When I'm Down" and "Disappearing One", through the shaky "Pillow of Your Bones" until we come to an end with "Steel Rain" and Cornell's heartbreaking cries are just slicing our souls. (Photo: YouTube) Here is the place to note the contribution of the duo "Eleven" members, guitarist and singer Alain Johannes and keyboardist and singer Natasha Shneider, who helped Cornell a lot in writing the songs. More of that, the two played a wide variety of instruments during recordings, guitar, bass keyboards, mandolin clarinet and more, they co-produced the album with Cornell and even donated their private studio in Los Angeles to record it. After Natasha Shneider's death in 2008, Cornell used to pay homage to her in his solo performances, playing her piano track through a turntable. It is interesting to note that the Japanese version of the album includes a bonus track called "Sunshower" which was part of the soundtrack of the movie "Great Expectations". Also, an adaptation of the song "Mission" was part of the soundtrack of the movie "Mission Impossible 2". Before we send you to listen to the album, we invite you to watch the last performance from the tour that accompanied the album and was held at the "House Of Blues" in Las Vegas on March 7, 2000. Watch here: And now take 50 minutes of silence and listen to this amazing piece: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Want to know what happens when you mix a rock opera like "Tommy" by "The Who" with protest Punk-Rock in the style of "London Calling" by "The Clash"? So Green Day's "American Idiot" album released on September 21, 2004 manages to combine the two and produce the first Punk-Rock opera in history, well maybe the second if you count "Hüsker Dü's" Zen Arcade". You could call it the "Green Day" comeback album, after almost a decade of irrelevance, but we prefer to call it the band's "Maturity" album. The group of disturbed youngsters who broke into the world consciousness a decade earlier with the album "Dookie", as an angry three chords Punk-Rock band, became a band that takes itself seriously and writes a full concept album with a plot story, to express the disillusionment and protest of the September 11 and the Iraq War generation. The protagonists of the story are "Jesus of Suburbia" - A middle-class American teenage an anti-hero, from Manitown USA, whose parents are not getting along and turn to drugs and alcohol to survive. "Jimmy" - a Punk-rock artist, rebellious freedom fighter" and "Whatsername" - rival of "St. Jimmy”, which focuses on the fulfillment of her beliefs and ethics. The plot story begins with the theme song "American Idiot" - a nervous and furious punk-rock track, a distinct protest song designed to put us in the place and time where the plot takes place. Reflect on the atmosphere that prevailed in the United States after the events of September 11 and the Iraq war. The sobriety and understanding, the decline of patriotism and public protest that was also expressed in the media, such as the critical film "Fahrenheit 911" by Michael Moore. The "American Idiot" are perhaps a combination of George W. Bush and the American media, which Billie Joe Armstrong believes sowed paranoia and idiocy among the American public. The song was written by Billie Joe Armstrong after watching news coverage of the Iraq war, with journalists in tanks escorting soldiers to the battlefield. He felt the American news had crossed the line from journalism to a reality series, showing violent footage combined with commercials. Billy also mentioned another event that influenced the writing of the song, in which he listened in his car to the song "That's How I Like It" by "Lynyrd Skynyrd" and thought to himself who is this idiot who prides himself on being a "Redneck"? The story continues with the presentation of the protagonist of the plot "Jesus of Suburbia". A five-part epic piece, spanning more than 9 minutes, that is completely uncharacteristic of a Punk-Rock band. The track introduces us to the world of the lower-middle-class American suburban boy "Jesus," who grew up on a "soda pop and Ritalin" diet. "Jesus" hates his town ("City of the Damned") and those close to him, so he leaves for the big city and thus begins his journey. Billie Joe Armstrong noted that it took him a long time to write the song and that he wanted to write the "Bohemian Rhapsody" of the future. Interestingly, despite its length (it is a bit shortened on the radio version), this song was released as the fifth and final single from the album. The story continues with "Holiday" one of the album's hits released as the third single from it. It's another protest song aimed at the Bush administration, urging potential protesters to go out to the streets and demonstrate. He goes against the indifference of the average American who does not do enough to change the reality in which he lives. This powerful song is an introduction to one of the album's beautiful moments, when at 3:50 min its final chord becomes the opening chord of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", the biggest hit from the album. The song was written during one of the breaks the band took. Hoping to clear his head and develop new ideas for songs, Billie Joe Armstrong travels alone to New York, rents a small loft in East Village and for a few weeks focuses on writing. Much of this time was spent by Billy on long walks through the streets of New York. He wrote the song about "feeling alone" about "the dream" and the disappointment. He felt that the song fit well with the plot line of the album, which is about escaping from your hometown and embarking on a journey during which you fight your inner demons. The music changes as the plot progresses, with the melancholy atmosphere of "Are We the Waiting" being replaced by angry Punk-Rock in the 2:45 minute of the song with "St. Jimmy". "Jesus" arrives in the big city ("Are We the Waiting") but he finds it much colder and more alienated than he expected. In his loneliness, he meets "St. Jimmy" - the rebellious master of freedom who turns out as an alter ego of "Jesus" himself, which was created as a result of his loneliness. "Jesus" creates the image of "St. Jimmy" in his mind to make himself less vulnerable to the world. When "Jimmy" is actually the "angry" equivalent of "Jesus". The drumming that reminded us of "U2's" "Bullet The Blue Sky" opens up the track "Give Me Novacaine". A song about the character of "St. Jimmy" created by "Jesus". He talks about all the pain Jimmy felt. He wants his life problems to go away, the demons to go away from his dreams and he needs something strong to ease the pain, so he turns to "Novacaine". When Jimmy is already on the verge of suicide, at 3:28 to the song, "Whatsername" enters the picture with the bouncy "She's a Rebel". She is the relief that "Jimmy" ("Jesus") seeks. A fun and free girl who helps him forget his problems. She is a rebel, she is an angel, she is the salt of the earth and she holds the heart of "Jesus" like a grenade just like on the album cover. The bongo drums accompany us to the "Extraordinary Girl" section which of course talks about "Whatsername" and her relationship with "Jesus"/"Jimmy", when during the song we discover that "Whatsername" is not really perfect and she has her own issues. The song connects in 3:30 min with "Letterbomb". A rhythmic song that describes how "Jimmy"/ "Jesus" is dumped out by "Whatsername" because she does not like the person he has become. The breakup from of "Whatsername" leaves "Jesus" hurt. His depression is like a long sleep from which he does not want to wake up. "Wake Me Up When September Ends" was written by Billie Joe Armstrong about his father, who died of cancer on September 1, 1982. Billy cried at his father's funeral, he ran home and locked himself in a room. When his mother knocked on the door Billy replied, "Wake me up when September ends," hence the title of this wonderful song. We are approaching the climax of the plot with "Homecoming" the longest track the band has ever written. A five-part, 9:18-minute song in which the departure of "Whatsername" causes "Jesus" to kill his alter ego, "St. Jimmy," and return to the way life was before he left home and got into drugs. In the first part - "The Death of St. Jimmy", "Jesus" leaves the streets, he leaves Jimmy behind and returns home. He realizes that running away from home was not the answer and he did not gain anything from it. He expected a lot but got nothing in return. "St. Jimmy" commits suicide, it was "Jesus" who just drove him out of his mind. In the second part - "East 12th St" "Jesus" succumbs to conformity, he finds a job and a routine life, this again leads him to a bad place. He feels trapped. He prefers to be outside and vulnerable and he must escape... (Photo: YouTube) In the third part - "Nobody Likes You", "Jesus" is still depressed about the loss of "Whatsername", he is waiting for her to come back, but it does not happen. All his dreams are shattered when in his mind he hears the words "No one loves you, everyone has left you ..." In the fourth part - "Rock and Roll Girlfriend", "Jesus" receives a postcard from a guy named "Tunny" probably another guy that he met while wandering the streets of the big city. "Tunny" tells him about the rock and roll star life he lives, and it further intensifies the depression of "Jesus “Who feels stuck in a miserable life and boring job. The song was written and sung by drummer Tré Cool. In the fifth and final part - "We're Coming Home Again", "Jesus" comes to an understanding. He comes to terms with the situation and just accepts it. He's coming home. He's not sure if he's happy or sad, but he's at least at home, alive ... The ending track of the rock opera "Whatsername" takes place after "Jesus" returned home, he lived a normal routine life but still regrets losing "Whatsername". It's been so long that he doesn't even remember her name ("Whatsername"). He wonders what happened to her. All he has is his memories of her. The album ends with him trying to forget her. He does not regret his life on the streets, he uses them as a learning experience, but still tries to forget the pain that "Whatsername" caused him, and vice versa. (Photo: 4ever.eu) "American Idiot" became one of the biggest albums of 2004. It marked the comeback of "Green Day", which flew straight to number one on the Billboard 200 and 18 other countries. It has sold over 16 million copies worldwide, making it the band's second best-selling album and one of the best-selling albums of the decade. "American Idiot" received rave reviews. It was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Rock Album at the 2005 Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Best Album at European Music Awards and Billboard Music Awards, and won first place. Its success has inspired Broadway musicals, documentaries and feature film adaptations. The "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked it 225th on the list of "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" (248th on the updated list from 2020). Listen to the album on: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website