Written by: Moti Kupfer Release date - 12.09.1980 A friend from another planet came to visit us. He is human, but always in disguise, and it seems he never gets tired of it. Still, Major Tom is always at the center of things, so perhaps that is something we should all keep in mind. David Bowie's fourteenth album, "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)", was released on September 12, 1980. David Robert Jones was born in Brixton, London. The unusual appearance of his eyes came from a permanently dilated left pupil after he was punched by his friend George Underwood during a fight over a girl. Bowie's early musical path, believe it or not, was rhythm and blues. After hearing Elvis Presley and Little Richard sing, he played in several rhythm and blues bands. Before releasing his first album, Bowie changed his surname from Jones to Bowie because of the similarity between his original name and Davy Jones, singer of "The Monkees". He took the name Bowie from James Bowie, the American frontiersman and hero of the Battle of the Alamo, after whom the Bowie knife is also named. Early in his career, Bowie focused on pop and psychedelia. His first taste of major success came with the single "Space Oddity", which tells the story of the astronaut Major Tom, lost in space. Bowie drew inspiration from Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey". Bowie then moved toward heavier rock, and in 1971 released his fourth album, "Hunky Dory", the first of his albums released by RCA Records. Nine years and 11 albums later, Bowie would part ways with the label as an artist respected both artistically and commercially. By the 1970s, David Bowie had earned a place of honor for himself. His music was sometimes experimental and sometimes connected directly with the audience, while the many characters and costumes he adopted, from Ziggy Stardust to the repeatedly returning Major Tom, kept all eyes fixed on him. Audiences at his shows did not quite know what to make of the man who seemed to have arrived from Mars. Alongside the flood of albums he released, 11 during the seventies, David Bowie also proved to be a good friend. He helped his beloved "Mott the Hoople" survive by giving them "All the Young Dudes", and in a similar spirit helped Iggy Pop and "The Stooges". The drugs he was using at the same time increasingly revealed a darker side, and Bowie moved to West Berlin with Iggy Pop. During that period his Berlin Trilogy was born, "Low", "Heroes" and "Lodger", although the albums themselves were recorded in different places across Europe and only "Heroes" was recorded in Berlin. The seventies ended, Bowie left Berlin, and his separation from RCA was also approaching. With Brian Eno no longer involved, Robert Fripp returned to collaborate, while Pete Townshend of "The Who" also came in to help. Bowie created a polished post-punk rock album together with the tireless producer Tony Visconti, and when the first single, "Ashes to Ashes", was released, there was no doubt that Major Tom had returned in a big way. Even if we now knew he was a junkie, Bowie himself was in a very different place. The single reached No. 1 on the UK chart. The track can be seen as a continuation of Bowie's 1969 hit "Space Oddity". It revisits the fictional astronaut Major Tom, still out in space. He has re-established contact with Ground Control and tells them he is happy, but they now see him as little more than a junkie stranded in the sky and sinking to an all-time low. Many fans have viewed the track as Bowie's autobiographical reflection on his battle with drug addiction and other personal demons. The closing refrain, in which a mother warns against messing with Major Tom, suggests that if you want to make the most of the future, you cannot remain trapped in the past. Another interpretation suggested that "Space Oddity" was itself a veiled reference to a drug trip, and that "Ashes to Ashes" implies that, in order to move forward, Bowie had to leave his drug habits behind. Bowie explained that "Inchworm", sung by Danny Kaye in the 1952 film "Hans Christian Andersen", had a major influence on "Ashes to Ashes". He said he loved the song as a child, kept returning to it, and that many of his own songs drew from it to some degree. The video for "Ashes to Ashes" was among the clips broadcast on MTV's very first day, when the new music channel began airing music videos in August 1981. Many sources have reported that around a quarter of a million pounds was invested in the video, although lower estimates also exist. Either way, it was considered one of the most elaborate music videos of its era. It combines color and black-and-white scenes, with Bowie appearing in a striking Pierrot costume against unsettling imagery. Members of the Blitz scene also appear, including Steve Strange of "Visage" and Darla Jane Gilroy of the New Romantic movement. In 1983, Peter Schilling released "Major Tom (Coming Home)", based on the Major Tom character. It was a rare case of one artist effectively producing a sequel to another artist's song. Most of the songs on the album were written by Bowie. Some had been written years earlier and never made it onto an album, while others were written specifically for this record. The exception is "Kingdom Come", written by Tom Verlaine. On the opening track, "It's No Game (Part 1)", the Japanese passage is performed by Michi Hirota while Bowie screams the English translation as if he were tearing himself apart from the inside. Bowie explained that the choice of a sharp female voice was intended to challenge a certain sexist attitude toward Japanese girls and women. On the album's title track, "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)", Bowie sings from the point of view of a man who has a strange encounter with a woman, apparently seduces her, gives her a dangerous mind instead of love, and eventually drives her mad. Bowie described the song in a promotional interview sent to radio stations as a kind of portrait of London's dark side. The character in the song is, in his view, a criminal with a conscience who understands how he has corrupted a good young mind. The track has a horror-like sound created by producer Tony Visconti. In the notes for "A New Career in a New Town (1977-1982)", Visconti described the backing voices as almost like a demonic choir, an effect created by pushing vocal experimentation and recording techniques to their limits. Before it became "Scary Monsters", the song began life as "Running Scared" around 1975. According to Iggy Pop, Bowie played it for him on guitar at a house on Sunset Boulevard, hoping Pop might be able to do something with it. When Pop could not find a way forward, Bowie kept working on the idea for several more years until it evolved into "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)". Bowie was not the kind of artist to waste an idea, even if it had to sit on the shelf for a few years. Bowie drew inspiration from "The Kinks" for "Fashion", connecting it conceptually with their "Dedicated Follower of Fashion". He criticized the superficial nature of the fashion industry while also expressing a slightly morbid fascination with it. Bowie recalled that when he began going to discos in New York in the early 1970s, the scene had a powerful sense of natural excitement. Later, it seemed to him that this had been replaced by a grim, calculating determination to be fashionable, surrounded by a strange aura. The track can also be read as drawing an implied analogy between fashion and fascism. The goon squads mentioned in the lyrics are groups arriving in town to carry out the will of their boss, although Bowie did not present the song as an unequivocal political statement. In that context, it is also possible to connect the song with the New Romantics, the late-1970s subculture known for its flamboyant sense of fashion. The section instructing listeners to turn left and turn right can sound not only like the mechanical movements of fashion models, but also like military drill commands. Years after its release, the song became a natural fit for fashion shows and was sampled by RuPaul in the early 1990s for "Supermodel (You Better Work)". The video for "Fashion" was directed by David Mallet, who had previously directed Bowie's groundbreaking "Ashes to Ashes" video. The promotional clip for "Fashion" was filmed at the New York nightclub and music venue Hurrah, where in 1978 Sid Vicious became involved in a bloody fight with Patti Smith's brother Todd Smith, an incident that led to Vicious spending two months in jail. The video shows Bowie performing to an empty audience that eventually begins imitating his deliberately awkward dance movements. John Lennon's former partner May Pang and Alan Hunter, who would later become one of MTV's original VJs, both appear in the clip. According to producer Tony Visconti, the bass line and melody of the song were inspired by Bowie's 1975 soul hit "Golden Years". Bowie also covers "Kingdom Come", written by "Television" member Tom Verlaine. Bowie expressed great admiration for Verlaine and considered him one of the best new songwriters in New York. "Kingdom Come" was one of his favorite songs from Verlaine's 1979 solo album, and Carlos Alomar suggested recording it during the "Scary Monsters" sessions in early 1980. Bowie speaks from experience on "Because You're Young", a song about two lovesick young people viewed through the eyes of someone who already knows something about love. Bowie said that his son Duncan partly inspired the song. It is difficult not to connect it with the reality of his life, knowing that Bowie's divorce from Angie Barnett was finalized on February 8, 1980, close to the start of the "Scary Monsters" recording sessions in New York. He received custody of their son Duncan, while she received a £500,000 settlement paid in installments, alongside a ten-year silence agreement. Sometimes all an artist needs is the extra drive that comes from competition with another artist. After his Berlin Trilogy, Bowie influenced artists including "Joy Division", "Talking Heads", "The Human League", Paul Simon and Gary Numan. Numan's success, and the rise of the new wave generation around him, were part of the musical climate Bowie was responding to, and some biographers have indirectly connected that climate with the more focused and accessible direction of "Scary Monsters". The noisy guitars of Fripp, together with synthesizers layered alongside guitars, bass and electric piano, created a fascinating mixture of sounds and textures across several styles. In the end, it is always worth listening to your mother when she tells you not to mess with Major Tom. For Listening: 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 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and first lived on his family’s dairy farm near Hagersville. 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, whose deteriorating condition led the band to continue without him in early 1968, before they formally parted ways that March. 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: Shine On You Crazy Diamond. 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

Written By: Moti Kupfer Release date - 11.09.1995 The date was August 14, 1995, and every self-respecting British citizen was biting their nails with nerves. There are reports of Shmelok Mahravsky, the legendary manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv, being seen leaving rooms because he could not bear the tension hanging over the kingdom, as if these were the decisive minutes of an important European Champions Cup game. No one would ever forget that day in the usually sleepy British kingdom, all because of two bands that had become two icebergs threatening to crash into one another, two heavyweight boxers. On one side stood "Oasis" of the Gallagher brothers, and on the other "Blur" of Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon. Representatives of the working class, facing those who spoke to the hearts of Britain's youth. "Oasis" planned to release the single "Roll With It", their second single from their second album, "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?", which was due to be released almost two months later. But then the British label "Food Records" decided to reshuffle the deck, in a move that greatly angered Noel Gallagher, and release on the same day "Country House", the first single by "Blur" from their fourth album, "The Great Escape", released on 11.09.1995. And so, for a few days Britain lived under the shadow of what became known as The Battle of Britpop, a musical battle won by "Blur" after "Country House" went straight to the top of the chart, while "Roll With It" entered at number two. In the end, "Country House" sold 274,000 copies while "Roll With It" sold only 216,000 copies. But that was only victory in the first round. Almost two months later, when "Oasis" released their second album, it became clear that they had won the overall battle, delivering a knockout to "Blur" through the album's success. That battle marked both the peak of Britpop and the moment that signaled the beginning of the genre's decline. The same can be said of "The Great Escape", the third and final part of "Blur"'s Britpop trilogy, which began with "Modern Life Is Rubbish" and peaked with "Parklife". On June 17, 1995, frontman Damon Albarn and bassist Alex James spoke on BBC Radio 1 about their attempts to find a title for the album. "We've got until this Wednesday, our record company inform us, to come up with it," Albarn said. James added that they had been trying to work "life" into the title, but ideas such as Wifelife, Darklife and Nextlife were not good enough. The pressure to find a suitable title while somehow incorporating the word "Life", as on the previous two albums in the trilogy, made them think about escaping that pressure. That led to the title "The Great Escape", a concept album that combines themes of escape, loneliness and detachment from society. The meaning behind "The Great Escape" is the intense longing to escape into a life of glamour and freedom, away from everyday life and exhausting work, much like a summer vacation that breaks the routine. Later, Damon Albarn revealed that much of the album was about himself, as in the song "Dan Abnormal", an anagram of Damon Albarn. The song is about an entertainer who, despite spending his everyday life watching television and drinking with friends at the pub, feels fundamentally detached from society because of his public role. Until "The Great Escape", the usual pattern was that the song opening each "Blur" album would be released as the first single. That was the case with "She's So High" on "Leisure", "For Tomorrow" on "Modern Life Is Rubbish", and "Girls & Boys" on "Parklife". In the case of "Stereotypes", although it opened the album, it was "Country House", the album's second track, that was chosen as the lead single. Perhaps the subject of partner swapping (swinging) made the record company wait before releasing it as a single. Frontman Damon Albarn sings about a woman sleeping with another man while her husband is away, deliberately doing it in different places around the house and in full view of the neighbors. Albarn suggests living a little, even bringing in another couple to spice things up. So "Country House" was ultimately chosen as the single to lead the album campaign, and it also made history through that battle with "Oasis". The song tells the story of a wealthy man living a boring life in a country mansion. An article published in "The Guardian" revealed that the song was written about musician David Balfe, one of the owners of "Blur"'s record label, "Food Records", between 1983 and 1994. When Balfe was asked about the song being written about him, he recalled that his children were six and four when it came out. Whenever it played, they would say it was the song about their dad, while his friends would put it on in the village pub. Balfe also joked that "Blur" filmed the video in an Austrian palace, so he told everyone it was his house. In reality, he said, his home was a farmhouse that had acquired pretensions over the years. If his name sounds familiar, it may be because he was a member of the post-punk band "The Teardrop Explodes". Guitarist Graham Coxon despised the video for "Country House" and later said it angered him because the clip cheapened the experience with Page 3-style imagery and revived the kind of sexism and football hooliganism he associated with the culture around it. We often tend to think our lives cannot get any better than they already are while we are too busy with work and daily routines. We think change will threaten us rather than offer an opportunity, but is that really true? Are these really the best days of our lives, or are we watching the last train to real happiness pull away? That is exactly what "Best Days" is about. In the case of "Charmless Man", entire theories circulated claiming the song was written about Morrissey or Brett Anderson, the ex-boyfriend of Albarn's girlfriend Justine Frischmann. Albarn rejected the rumors, however, calling the song the product of "a dark and confused time" after he began suffering panic attacks. This eventually led to the band receiving flowers from gangster Ronnie Kray after they mentioned him in the lyrics. The inspiration for the song came from a visit by Damon Albarn to his grandmother in Lincolnshire. He stopped at Grantham railway station, and while in the men's toilets noticed graffiti with a theme similar to the song's title. Lyrically, the song tells of an upper-class man who tends to become angry quite often. A beautiful string passage opens what is probably "Blur"'s most complete creation, "The Universal", a song accompanied throughout by a string quartet, brass and a choir. Much credit goes to Graham Coxon, whose guitar blends wonderfully with the strings. The song "The Universal" was first attempted during the sessions for "Parklife" as a ska number. During the making of "The Great Escape", bassist Alex James revived it. In his autobiography, "Bit of a Blur", James notes that the band nearly gave up on the song until Albarn came up with the string arrangement at the last moment. The song focuses specifically on a drug, apparently an antidepressant such as Prozac, while looking at the lives of people in the 21st century. The video was based on Stanley Kubrick's film "A Clockwork Orange". At the time, however, guitarist Graham Coxon felt uncomfortable with the band's success and the direction their music was taking. There was also some tension between him and the other members. During the video shoot, he would often arrive several hours late and rarely stayed for more than an hour. The first song recorded for the album, "Mr. Robinson's Quango", criticizes right-wing bureaucrats, which says something about where Damon Albarn stood politically even back then. Albarn continues writing about escape on "He Thought of Cars". The song focuses on the unhappiness of an unnamed man living a routine life and longing to get away. And speaking of escaping reality, what symbolizes it better than winning the lottery, as mentioned in "It Could Be You". Yet there is a slightly darker meaning. The lyric "All we want is to be happy" mocks those who believe money is necessary for happiness, extending the satire to the dream of the perfect happy family at home. The song title was taken from the slogan used by the National Lottery. The song "Ernold Same" features then British MP Ken Livingstone. In the liner notes he is credited as "The Right-On Ken Livingstone". Producer Stephen Street later explained that it was his idea to bring Livingstone in because he was not a fan. They needed someone with a nasal, boring voice for the narration, so Street suggested him. Livingstone arrived assuming the band admired him, but Street said that was definitely not the case and that he could not stand him. On "Globe Alone" we get a song driven by intense guitars that focuses on a man obsessed with material things. His fixation on possessions has isolated him from the rest of the world, leaving him alone on the globe. The way the lyrics paint a world of meaningless convenience in an advertising-saturated culture is at the heart of "Entertain Me", bringing us closer to a dystopian vision of a culture full of people who have what they want yet still want more, or simply do not know how to fill the emptiness that remains. The closing song "Yuko and Hiro" was originally called "Japanese Workers". It is about a salaried office worker who spends most of the day at work, showing unwavering loyalty to the workplace. Listening to the album again while knowing how the next two decades unfolded for "Blur" and Albarn, the writing was already on the wall. The social commentary "Blur" offered on the previous two albums became hyper-real here, but also darker and more distorted, quietly setting the tone for their next album. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On September 11, 2009, "The Resistance", the fifth studio album by "Muse", was first released. "The Resistance" showcases the British trio’s knack for blending alternative rock with symphonic, electronic, and progressive influences. The album reveals the band's bold ambition, as they dive into themes of dystopia, rebellion, romance, and political unrest, all while experimenting with complex compositions and grandiose production. A key influence on "The Resistance" is the unmistakable presence of "Queen's" theatrical flair. This influence shines through in "Muse’s" use of operatic harmonies, flamboyant arrangements, and over-the-top layers of instrumentation. From the layered vocals and instruments to the dramatic dynamics, the album pays homage to "Queen’s" grandiose style, particularly in tracks like "United States of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage)". This song builds like a modern-day rock opera, with piano-driven segments and lush orchestration reminiscent of "Queen’s" “Bohemian Rhapsody” meeting Frédéric Chopin. The bombastic, epic structure captures the kind of larger-than-life sound Freddie Mercury and company perfected, with a Brian May guitar sound and operatic vocals. The piano section, which follows "(+Collateral Damage)" is an altered version of Frédéric Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat Major Op. 9 No. 2, performed by Matt Bellamy. It features additional sounds of children playing and warfare, symbolizing the aftermath of political strategizing. The album’s opener, "Uprising," sets a rebellious tone with its infectious, stomping beat, with a guitar riff similar to "Blondie's" "Call Me". The song was described by frontman Matt Bellamy as a "heavy-rock take on Goldfrapp". The song captures the album’s theme of rebellion against corrupt bankers and politicians, urging people to "take the power back" while enjoying life. The title track "Resistance," exemplifies "Muse’s" ability to blend rock with symphonic grandeur. The song reflects frontman Matt Bellamy's lyrical themes, particularly the idea that "love is our resistance," inspired by George Orwell's "1984" novel. Bellamy explained that while the political aspects of the novel impacted him, the romance moved him more, portraying love as a form of freedom in a repressive regime. This theme influenced much of the album. "Muse’s" embrace of theatricality reaches its zenith in the ambitious three-part symphonic suite, "Exogenesis: Symphony". Here, "Muse" boldly embraces classical music, complete with sweeping orchestration, piano-driven melodies, and operatic vocals. While these movements may not be for everyone, they illustrate the band’s willingness to push boundaries and elevate their music to cinematic heights. Again, the band holds a "Queen-inspired" desire to break rock music's boundaries with adventurous forays into various genres, stretching their sonic palette, and crafting a rock symphony that elevates the album to a cinematic level. This final track of the album, tells a sci-fi story about humanity leaving Earth to populate another planet. The symphony, written over several years, blends classical and rock elements. In 2012, songwriter Charles Bollfrass sued "Muse", claiming they stole his idea for a sci-fi rock opera titled "Exogenesis", but "Muse" denied the allegations, calling them baseless. The lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge in New York in April 2013. But "The Resistance" is not only "Queen" influenced. "Guiding Light" is a power ballad that like a number of the tracks on "The Resistance", appears to have been influenced by the love story between Winston Smith and Julia in George Orwell's novel "1984". The intro of "MK Ultra" sounds like a heavy version of "Clocks" by "Coldplay". The title was named after the CIA's alleged mind control program from the 1950s and 1960s. Matt Bellamy's lyrics, influenced by themes of passion surviving oppressive forces, again, echoing George Orwell's "1984", portraying a couple fighting to maintain their relationship under state pressure. Tracks like “Undisclosed Desires” and the first half of "I Belong to You (+Mon Cœur S'ouvre a ta Voix)" show "Muse" experimenting with electronic and pop influences, offering moments of intimacy and groove amid the bombast. Bellamy’s vocal range, from falsettos to impassioned belts, remains one of the album’s highlights, and his guitar work, while sometimes restrained, delivers moments of explosive energy when needed. The second half called "(Mon Cœur S'ouvre a ta Voix)" is borrowed from Camille Saint-Saëns' "Samson and Delilah" opera. Frontman Matt Bellamy sings the final lines of the aria in French. Italian musician Enrico Gabrielli plays the bass clarinet solo on this romantic track, which Bellamy likened to a lighter, 1960s-style song reminiscent of "Sgt. Pepper's" and "Pet Sounds". "The Resistance" can feel overindulgent at times, particularly in its most grandiose moments. The sheer scale and ambition of some tracks may come off as excessive or overly dramatic, potentially alienating listeners who prefer a more straightforward rock sound. Yet, for fans of "Muse’s" maximalist approach and those who appreciate "Queen’s" influence, this album stands as a bold homage to the theatrical side of rock. Ultimately, "The Resistance" is a daring and eclectic album that further cements "Muse’s" status as one of the most innovative rock bands of their generation. It blends genres and themes into a cohesive, if sometimes overwhelming, statement of rebellion and love in an uncertain world. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On September 11, 2015, the fifth album of "Bring Me The Horizon" was released. Titled "That’s the Spirit," the album signifies another progression in the band's evolution and departure from their previous works. It is highly likely that the original fans of the band are not fond of the transformation the band has undergone, considering this album as a turning point for them. Oliver Sykes (vocalist) and keyboardist Jordan Fish, the band's two main figures, assume control and will carry on leading the band in future albums, exploring the realm of electronic music. In the previous album, electronic elements were present alongside Sykes' powerful screams, but in this latest release, the electronic components take on a more prominent role. Sykes' vocals have transitioned from intense screams to more controlled and measured roars. The band's early albums were characterized by chaos, frenzied screams, and dark, heavy lyrics rooted in deathcore and metalcore, leaving no corner untouched by their relentless sound. In our view, the album achieves a perfect equilibrium between electronic elements, melodic and serene sections, and the powerful presence of guitars, drums, and vocals. Each song offers a unique gift through this harmonious blend. Let's delve into the music to fully appreciate what we mean... (Photo: unraveled. eu) The initial track on the album "Doomed" sets the tone and captivates listeners from the start. Beginning gently and melodically with rhythmic drums, it gradually draws you in with subtle hints of drug inhalation in the background. Then, the chorus erupts, leaving us entranced! The song then eases back into a calm state, showcasing a successful and engaging musical arrangement. Proceed to the powerful track "Happy Song" on the album, featuring impactful lyrics that hit you hard. You'll find yourself unable to resist jumping along to the energetic drums and guitars, singing in unison with Sykes! An amusing anecdote tied to this song involves the NME Awards ceremony in England, where BMTH was invited to perform. During their set, Sykes impulsively leaped off the stage and began hopping on the tables of the guests. These tables were not occupied by enthusiastic fans but by fellow artists and bands attending the event. Sykes made a bold move by targeting "Coldplay's" table, causing havoc and ultimately breaking it in half with a daring jump. Was this a deliberate statement? This incident sparked significant media buzz surrounding both bands, ultimately boosting the album's publicity. See it for yourself: Next, we'll proceed to the exceptional track "Throne," the album's second single. Notably, it stands out as one of the more upbeat and hopeful songs on the album. Fish expressed that they had a strong belief from the beginning that this song would make a great single, as his writing seamlessly integrated with the band's contributions, creating a perfect fit. Overall, the album features choruses, verses, and hymns that can serve as inspirational life mottos. “So you can throw me to the wolves Tomorrow I will come back, leader of the whole pack Beat me black and blue Every wound will shape me, every scar will build my throne!” In the upcoming track "True Friends," Sykes confronts those who have wronged him in the past. He expresses his feelings of hurt, acknowledges the pain they caused, looks them in the eye, and while he forgives them, he also remembers their actions and will always view them in that light. Shifting to the musical aspect, the band's earlier albums were characterized by relentless energy without a moment of respite. However, there is a noticeable pause in the song "Follow You," which stands out as one of the band's rare romantic tunes dedicated to the women in the band members' lives. While some longtime fans may be surprised by this change, the exploration continues. Contrasting with the previous track, "What You Need" introduces a fresh melody and style for BMTH, particularly evident in the verses and c-sections. Sykes uses this song to criticize individuals who remain mentally confined to their upbringing or education, resisting new ideas. The album delivers another standout with the explosive opening of "Avalanche." This track, a favorite among listeners, showcases the exceptional drumming skills of Matt Nicholls. Sykes delves into his personal journey, revealing his diagnosis of ADHD, recognizing the brain's challenges, and addressing his past struggles with drug addiction as a coping mechanism. This realization marked his initial step towards recovery. "I need a cure for me, 'cause a square doesn't fit the circle Give me a remedy, 'cause my head wasn't wired for this world" The track "Run" commences with sampling and a rhythm influenced by 90s dance music, evolving into a tribal-inspired drumming rhythm. This song stands out as one of the most diverse and unexpected tracks on the album, breaking away from the standard formula and pushing boundaries. Following is "Drown," penned by Sykes with stadium performances in mind, aiming to energize crowds of thousands. It's designed to sound bold, powerful, and grand, serving as a defining anthem for the band as they ascend to the big leagues. Highly recommended, crank up the volume!! In "Blasphemy," the band's evolution is palpable through the incorporation of electronic sampling, effects, and sounds. It's a purposeful demonstration of how this fusion adds depth and a new dimension to the music. We absolutely love it!! The album's closing track, "Oh No," serves as a satirical take on dance tracks, both melodically and lyrically. Sykes explained that the song reflects on people in their 30s who still cling to a youthful lifestyle as if they were 18. The album reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on Billboard's Top Alternative Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Rock Albums charts, marking another significant milestone in the band's musical evolution. Departing from their earlier tough and edgy style, the band continues to explore new musical territories and lyrical themes, and we can't get enough of it!! (Did we mention that we love it?) For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On August 21, 1986 "Triumph" released its eighth album "The Sport of Kings". This album came straight after "Thunder Seven" from 1984, one of the band's most successful albums, which gave the record company a great appetite to create an album that would be even more commercialized than the previous one. Indeed, this album found singer/guitarist Rik Emmett, singer/drummer Gil Moore, and bassist/keyboardist Mike Levine giving in to the commercial trends of radio and television and succumbing to the record company's pressures. Bassist Mike Levine later noted that this album made the band members question what they were doing and how they were allowing the record company, for the first time, to be a part of "Triumph". He noted that the whole process was "no fun" and that all the band members felt like they were getting root canals every day during the recordings. The intervention of the record company was no small matter, they even forced the band to include a cover version of the saccharine ballad "Just One Night" in the album, by Eric Martin which he wrote in collaboration with Neal Schon known from the band "Journey". Levine added that "The Sport of Kings" was a "poppy" album and that there were some parts on it that he even refused to play. In the end, the band's management had to bring in three different keyboardists to step into his shoes Lou Pomanti, Michael Boddicker, and Scott Humphrey. Today it can already be said that the pressures exerted by the record company did not only affect the specific album, but also the fate of the band as a whole, since right then began the deterioration of the classic lineup of "Triumph", which ends with the departure of guitarist Rik Emmett in 1988. And with all that, listening to the album will reveal that it is a "fun" album to listen to, although not like a classic "Triumph" album, but more like a pop-rock or "AOR" album with ticking, radio-friendly tunes. It is interesting to note that this result came despite the presence of producer Mike Clink, whose next task will be completely different - the production of the album "Appetite for Destruction" by "Guns n' Roses". The album includes some hits and interesting songs, but they too are not compared to the band's massive repertoire. Among the better songs on the album are the two opening tracks, "Tears in the Rain" which is led by Emmett's power chords and the powerful vocals of Gil Moore, and the melodic "Somebody's Out There" which was sung by Rik Emmett, both of which won quite a bit plays on the radio at the time. It is worth mentioning that, similar to the band's previous albums, the singing duties are divided between singer and guitarist Rik Emmett and the singer and drummer Gil Moore, with Emmett singing lead vocals on six of the ten songs on the album, Moore singing on four songs from the album, while one track is sung by the two together, as a duet Whoever listens to the album will discover that the sound and style sometimes remind him of bands like "Journey", "Foreigner", "Boston" and more, such as the guitar sound at the beginning of the song "Don't Love Anybody Else but Me" which is very reminiscent of the guitar harmonies and sound layers of "Boston". However, there are moments that this album will remind you somewhat of the classic sound of "Triumph" such as in the songs "What Rules My Heart" sung by Gil Moore and "Hooked on You" which is the only song on the album where Emmett and Moore share vocals. Other interesting songs worth listening to are the ballad "If Only" sung by Rik Emmett, an atmospheric pop-rock song with symphonic keyboards and layers of guitar, and "Take a Stand" with a guitar whose vibe is a bit reminiscent of Tom Hamilton's bass in the song "Sweet Emotion" by "Aerosmith", the hard rocker "Play With Fire" with its incredible guitar work and Rik Emmett's massive solo (don't miss it) and high pitched howls, his amazing instrumental "Embrujo" which features breathless classical Spanish guitar and the radio-friendly closing song "In the Middle of the Night" which also includes Emmett's most emotional vocals on the entire album. For many of the band's long-time fans, "The Sport of Kings" may sound too commercial, but even so, they certainly won't allow themselves to skip it. If you're into eighties hard rock or "AOR" music, we think you'll enjoy this magical album, even if you're not a die-hard fan of the band. For listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Written by: Moti Kupfer Release Date - 09.09.1996 (Europe/UK) / 10.09.1996 (US) Following the release of the album "Monster" in 1994, which achieved major commercial success, sold millions of copies and continued the tremendous momentum of the quartet from Athens, Georgia, "R.E.M." embarked on a tour for the first time in seven years, since the grueling year-long tour held to promote the 1988 album "Green". This tour, considered one of the most successful and profitable in the industry that year, included more than 100 shows across three continents, among them an unforgettable performance in Ramat Gan on 9.8.1995. The shows, held in huge venues, also featured opening performances by prominent and acclaimed artists, including "Radiohead", "Sonic Youth" and "Grant Lee Buffalo". On paper, the tour schedule looked demanding and daunting enough, but it prepared no one for the series of medical emergencies, some of them genuinely life-threatening, that struck the band members during this period and threatened to break it apart completely. The most famous incident occurred when drummer Bill Berry was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm as the tour reached Lausanne, Switzerland. Mike Mills later required abdominal surgery to remove an intestinal adhesion during the European shows in July, while Michael Stipe had to undergo emergency surgery to repair a hernia, a procedure completed without postponing any of the scheduled performances. Inspired by "Radiohead's" decision to record some of the basic tracks for "The Bends" while on tour, as well as by Neil Young's 1973 live album "Time Fades Away", "R.E.M." decided to take eight-track recording machines on the road. The band used the machines to document the new songs it was working on, while also recording the live shows, soundchecks and even informal improvised playing in dressing rooms. This method eventually produced the official recording of the instrumental "Zither", characterized by a swaying rhythm and a style reminiscent of surf music. These live recordings formed the principal basis of the band's tenth album, "New Adventures in Hi-Fi", released on 09.09.1996 in Europe and the UK and on 10.09.1996 in the US. This is not, however, a conventional live album, since all of its material was entirely new. The album was expanded with four additional songs recorded during a productive session held after the tour ended at "Bad Animals" Studios in Seattle. "We got into the studio feeling very happy and relieved that everyone was okay, especially Bill," Mike Mills said in an interview in November 1996. Mills added that the experience had brought the band much closer and made its members realize how important they were to one another. After surviving such a crisis, making the album felt easy. They had discussed creating an album from their touring experience a year and a half before setting out on the "Monster" tour, hoping to capture the loose, spontaneous feeling of a soundcheck, a live performance or a dressing room. The album marked the beginning of the quartet's electronic adventures, which would intensify on the next album, "Up". This can be heard in "Leave", which opens with a minute of guitar and organ before an electronic siren cuts through the air. The somber siren, together with the opening and the chord structure that conveys a sense of sadness, creates an especially oppressive atmosphere. It serves as the backdrop for the character at the heart of the song, who longs to leave the present situation and find a better life. The music on the album, vibrant and eclectic, spread in many different directions. The opening track, "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us", a product of the Seattle studio sessions, featured Stipe sounding unusually world-weary as he sang, "This is a story, all too often told", over drummer Bill Berry's relaxed beat and an Ennio Morricone-style baritone-guitar motif played by guitarist Peter Buck. The song also establishes the mood for the rest of the album. References to cowboys and the Wild West are woven through it, giving it a rough, untamed quality that fits well with the album's motif of work and creative processes. The minimalist "Be Mine" contains variations on the classic phrases printed on small Valentine's Day conversation hearts. The melancholic and rough-edged "E-Bow the Letter", on which Stipe duetted with his longtime heroine Patti Smith, also carried echoes of the pastoral, somber folk style that characterized "Automatic for the People". The electronic device known as an "E-Bow" is used to play an electric guitar. It creates an electromagnetic field that drives the strings instead of fingers or a pick. The song was inspired by a letter Stipe wrote but never sent to his friend, actor River Phoenix, who was struggling with personal difficulties. Phoenix died in 1993 at the age of 23 from an overdose of cocaine and heroin. Patti Smith provided backing vocals on the song, an experience that changed Peter Buck's life. Buck recalled first seeing Smith perform in 1976 and thinking he would gladly give up ten years of his life to be the bassist in her band. He also noted how deeply she had inspired Michael Stipe. The last song on the album to be recorded in the studio, the mournful "New Test Leper", uses biblical language to portray the guests on a daytime talk show as modern-day outcasts. Its title is a play on the biblical term "leper" and the New Testament. The song describes the reactions to a transgender person's appearance on a talk show. The host, the audience and the other guests treat the person as an outcast. In a 2008 exchange, Stipe explained that the character was inspired by a person he had seen on a television talk show trying to explain and defend her choices and orientation. Watching her be humiliated merely for appearing on the show was painful, and the commercial breaks made him wonder what was said when the cameras were off. The remaining three quarters of the album, lightly polished through Scott Litt's discreet post-production work, came from complete live performances or soundchecks recorded at various locations across the US during the band's enormous 1995 tour. Much of the material continued the garage-rock line that characterized "Monster", although the performances themselves received additional musical weight. The four band members were augmented by two more multi-instrumentalists, Scott McCaughey and Nathan December. The idea of shaking off the trappings of fame recurs throughout the album. One example is "Bittersweet Me", a song with propulsive energy that represents one of the album's more pop-oriented moments, thanks to the guitar riff that opens it and repeats throughout the verses. The song was released as the album's second single, and its cover stated that it was taken from the film "Stanco e Nudo". In fact, no such film exists. "The Wake-Up Bomb" is effectively the dark side of "Crush with Eyeliner". While the latter celebrates creativity and stylistic pretense, the former is sung from the perspective of a vain, empty person who fashions himself into a star solely for publicity. Going on tour felt to the band members like drowning. "Undertow" was written about that feeling and was inspired by the rock band "Sonic Youth". The title of the dark and surreal "Binky the Doormat" comes from the 1992 black comedy "Shakes the Clown", and the song deals with relationships and preserving one's identity. Musically, it is pure melodic beauty, combining a rough-edged guitar arpeggio, an energetic organ sound and a chorus built around a call-and-response structure between Michael Stipe and Mike Mills. It took Stipe a long time to recover from the death of his close friend River Phoenix. One way he dealt with it was by writing songs about him, including "So Fast, So Numb", which plays with the rock-and-roll cliché of living fast and dying young. Before a performance, Stipe introduced "Electrolite", which closes the album, as the band's small love letter to the 20th century. He said he was personally glad to be in the 21st century, since the previous one had offered truly wonderful things alongside things that were far less good. Stipe also said that he initially did not think the song was good enough for the album, but Peter Buck and Mike Mills convinced him otherwise. They were right, he later felt, and it became one of his favorite songs. For him, it embodies the years he spent living in Santa Monica. The song is an anthem to the idea that Los Angeles represents a combination of outward glamour and inner emptiness. Stipe said the title refers to what he called the "electrolyte blanket": the sight of Los Angeles at night from the hills, or from above in an airplane. The "Rolling Stone" review sharply suggested that the record might mark either R.E.M.'s swan song or the beginning of the rest of the band's life. At the same time, many critics noticed that "Electrolite" ends with Michael Stipe emphatically singing, "I'm not scared... I'm outta here", a line interpreted as a hint that his days in the band might be numbered. In reality, Stipe had no intention of leaving the group, but things changed dramatically after the album's release. The band parted ways with its manager, Jefferson Holt. Then Bill Berry dropped a bombshell by telling his bandmates that he intended to retire, just as recording sessions for their next album were due to begin in October 1997. Berry's decision, which was not made lightly, came after months of soul-searching and lengthy discussions with Mike Mills and Bertis Downs. Yet the unsettling news left a group known for its exceptional harmony facing a difficult dilemma. After all, "R.E.M." had operated democratically since its formation, and its members had previously said they would break up if any one of them left. In the end, Berry told his bandmates that he would not retire if they decided to break up because of his departure. Buck, Mills and Stipe therefore chose to continue as a trio, with Berry's blessing. It may not have been the end of the world, but it was certainly the end of "R.E.M." as we knew it. The band had to undergo a process of reinvention before returning with the album "Up" in 1998. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On September 10, 1979 "Foreigner" released their third studio album, "Head Games". This album saw the band refining their blend of hard rock and pop with a bit of grit, while still leaning on the arena rock sound that made them famous. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, known for his work with "Queen", the album features tighter arrangements, a harder edge, and more introspective lyrics compared to the band's previous releases, and maybe this is the reason why the album did not succeed compared to the band's previous albums. It is the first album with new bass guitarist Rick Wills (formerly of "Roxy Music" and "Small Faces") who replaced Ed Gagliardi after he was fired from the band, and the last with founding members Ian McDonald and Al Greenwood, who would leave the band after the recording and leave "Foreigner" as a four piece band for the album "4". The title track, "Head Games," is a perfect representation of this shift. Mick Jones' punchy guitar riffs wrapped in Al Greenwood and Ian McDonald's keyboard carpet, the pulsing rhythm, and Lou Gramm’s powerful vocals combine to create an anthem about emotional turmoil, fitting into the larger theme of romantic conflict and psychological struggles present throughout the album. The track became a radio staple, and the combination of its rough but sweet sound helped "Foreigner" solidify its position in the rock scene of the time. The album kicks off with "Dirty White Boy," one of the band’s more aggressive songs writen about Elvis Presley. It features a swaggering riff and defiant lyrics, showcasing Mick Jones' guitar work at its most prominent. The track is full of raw energy and captures the rebellious rock spirit of the late ‘70s. "Women" continues the rhythmic line and pulls it more towards rock and roll with piano playing that accompanies the guitars throughout the song. Tracks like "Love on the Telephone" and "Seventeen" reveal a slicker, more melodic side of "Foreigner", driven by a blend of keyboards and guitar hooks. These songs highlight the band's ability to write accessible rock tunes that were both radio-friendly and engaging. Meanwhile, "The Modern Day" feel more introspective, reflecting the band's ability to balance harder rock with pop and with more thoughtful lyrics and themes. This is the only song in the album with vocals by Mick Jones. While "Head Games" may not have the same instant classic appeal as "Foreigner's" debut album or "Double Vision", it represents an important evolution for the band. The album shows "Foreigner" experimenting with sound and lyrical content, combining sweeping rock songs like the theme song and sweet ballads like "Blinded by Science". This combination will lead her to the meteoric success of the next album "4". Some fans and critics felt that "Head Games" lacked the immediate hooks and memorable hits of their earlier work, but it remains a vital part of 'Foreigner's" discography. The album helped the band transition into the '80s and paved the way for future successes. Overall, Head Games is a solid and often underrated album, balancing hard-edged rock with polished production and introspective lyrics. It shows "Foreigner "pushing their boundaries while still delivering the catchy, radio-friendly rock that fans loved. For Listening: 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 the musician Joe Perry, mostly known as the guitarist of "Aerosmith": (Photo: Wallpaperflare.com) 1. He was born on September 10, 1950, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA, as Anthony Joseph Pereira. 2. Already in his childhood days he was attracted to the sea. He even dreamed of becoming a marine biologist and following in the footsteps of his hero Jacques Cousteau. 3. But this dream changed very quickly after it became clear that he had difficulty learning. His slow learning was the result of ADHD, not being diagnosed until he was older. 4. Perry started playing the guitar at the age of 10 and he got his first guitar at the age of 12. 5. Although he was left-handed, he learned to play the guitar as a right-handed. He received a guitar instructional record that was suitable for right-handed people. He learned to play with its help and has been playing right-handed ever since. 6. The first band he formed was called "The Jam Band". He founded it with bassist Tom Hamilton, in the 60s. Eventually, Steven Tyler, Ray Tabano, and Joey Kramer joined the band, forming "Aerosmith". Brad Whitford replaced Tabano in 1971. 7. On November 6, 1970, "Aerosmith" went on stage for the first time as a band. 8. Perry and the band released their first album - "Aerosmith" in 1973. The album included hits like "Dream On" and "Mama Kin". 9. One of the band's biggest early hits, "Sweet Emotion," from their 1975 third album "Toys in the Attic", was written about Perry's then-wife. Steven Tyler believed that Perry's then-wife Elyssa Jerret drew Perry off from the band and wrote the song about her. 10. In the seventies and eighties Perry was a heavy user of drugs and alcohol and together with his bandmate Steven Tyler they were nicknamed: "Toxic Twins". 11. The use of drugs increased after the release of the album "Rocks" from 1976. While working on the next album "Draw the Line" released in 1977, Perry and Tyler began to isolate themselves from the rest of the band. They lived wildly, drove cars at excessive speed, and fired weapons in the attic of the abandoned building where they recorded the album. 12. Despite this, 1977's "Draw the Line" became a successful album and was certified double platinum. On this album, Perry was the lead singer on the song "Bright Light Fright". 13. On October 3, 1978, during an "Aerosmith" show at the Fort Wayne Memorial Coliseum in Indiana, police arrested dozens of concertgoers. Steven Tyler offered to cover bail for those arrested, and according to contemporary accounts, 28 accepted the offer. 14. In the same year, the band participated in the film "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" with Peter Frampton, members of the "Bee Gees". The band recorded for the film a cover version of the song "Come Together" by "The Beatles", which was a great success. (Photo: Wallpaperflare.com) 15. As part of the "World Series of Rock" held in Cleveland, on July 28, 1979, an argument began between Perry's then-wife - Elyssa Jerret, and bassist Tom Hamilton's wife, during which Perry's wife threw a glass of milk at Hamilton's wife. 16. Following this, Perry argued with Steven Tyler and decided to leave "Aerosmith", in the middle of recording the album "Night in the Ruts". 17. He took a collection of unrecorded materials with him, which became the basis for the first solo album "Let the Music Do the Talking", released in 1980, as part of the composition "The Joe Perry Project", with the participation of vocalist Ralph Mormon, bassist David Hull, and drummer Ronnie Stewart. Perry will release two more albums as part of "The Project" in 1981 and 1983. 18. In April 1984 Perry returned to "Aerosmith", and even brought his personal manager Tim Collins to manage the band. Tim would play an important role in the band's success over the next decade. 19. In 1985, the band released the album "Done with Mirrors" which was the first since its union with Perry. The album included the single "Let the Music Do the Talking", which was a remake of Perry's 1980 song. 20. In 1986, Perry and Steven Tyler joined "Run-D.M.C." for their remake of "Aerosmith"'s "Walk This Way", a landmark rock and hip-hop crossover that helped bring the rap group into the mainstream. 21. This is one of the few songs that entered "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of 500 greatest songs twice, once by "Aerosmith" and once by "Run DMC". 22. The success of the song pushed "Aerosmith" to the top and was a "trigger" that led to dizzying success for the following albums that helped them return to the scene: "Permanent Vacation" (1987), "Pump" (1989) and "Get a Grip" (1993) which all contained many hits. 23. As members of "Aerosmith", Perry and Steven Tyler share in the band's four Grammy Awards and 12 MTV Video Music Awards. 24. "Aerosmith" has also received eight American Music Awards and six Billboard Awards. 25. In 1997, Perry and Steven Tyler appeared together in a commercial for "Gap". 26. In the 1980s, Perry was forced to sell his 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard during a financially difficult period. Years later, he discovered that the guitar had been acquired by Slash of "Guns N' Roses". When Perry attempted to buy it back, Slash refused to sell it. In 2000, for Perry’s 50th birthday, Slash returned the very same guitar to him as a heartfelt gesture of admiration and respect. 27. In 2001, "Aerosmith" released the album "Just Push Play" and performed at halftime of the Super Bowl game "Super Bowl XXXV". 28. In the same year Perry entered the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" together with "Aerosmith". (Photo: Wallpaperflare.com) 29. In 2005, Perry released "Joe Perry", his fourth solo album. He played all the instruments except the drums. He later released "Have Guitar, Will Travel" (2009), "Sweetzerland Manifesto" (2018) and "Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII" (2023). 30. Perry performed the solo on the song "Last Chance Train" by "Bon Jovi", taken from the box set "100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong". 31. Perry was a judge at the 5th annual Independent Music Awards. He also performed a duet on the song "You Really Got Me" with Sanjaya Malakar on American Idol 6. 32. In 2013, Perry and Steven Tyler were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 33. Also in 2013, Perry and Steven Tyler received the ASCAP Founders Award for their contributions as songwriters. 34. In October 2014 Perry released an autobiographical book he wrote with David Ritz called "Rocks: My Life in and out of Aerosmith". 35. In 2015, Perry began working with Alice Cooper, actor Johnny Depp, and other friends on the "Hollywood Vampires" project. The band released its debut album that same year. In February 2016, the band performed at the 58th Grammy Awards and in 2019 released their second album. "Rise". 36. In July 2016, while performing in Brooklyn with "Hollywood Vampires", Perry collapsed on stage. 37. It happened again in 2018 when Perry collapsed backstage during a Billy Joel show. 38. His sons, Adrian Perry, from his first marriage, and Tony Perry, from his second marriage, are the founding members of the rock band "Dead Boots", formerly known as TAB the Band. 39. Perry was ranked 84th on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time 40. Perry and his band "Aerosmith" had an influence on many bands and artists, among the most prominent of which was "Guns N' Roses". Izzy Stradlin said that "Aerosmith" greatly influenced "Guns N' Roses" and helped shape their sound. 41. Perry released 14 studio albums with his band "Aerosmith", from 1973 to 2012. 42. In September 2023, Perry and "Aerosmith" launched the "Peace Out" farewell tour without drummer Joey Kramer. After only a few shows, the tour was postponed when Steven Tyler suffered a serious vocal injury. 43. In August 2024, "Aerosmith" announced that Tyler's vocal injury would not fully recover and that the band was retiring from touring. The announcement did not say that the band was breaking up. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On September 10, 1996, "Rush" released its 16th studio album "Test For Echo" in the United States. This is the band's last album to be released before the long hiatus imposed on it, due to the two tragedies that befell Neil Peart, his daughter's death in a car accident and his partner's death from cancer, ten months apart. This is also the band's last album with producer Peter Collins who was also the co-producer on the band's three other albums - "Power Windows" from 1985, "Hold Your Fire" from 1987, and "Counterparts" from 1993. The story of the recording of "Test For Echo" begins in May 1994, when the band members finished their tour to promote the album "Counterparts" from 1993. Geddy, Alex, and Neil agreed on a methodical break before starting work on their next album. However, this break extended beyond expectation when Geddy Lee asked his friends to take a year off to hang out with his little daughter who was born at that time. Alex and Neil agreed of course, and devoted their free time to personal projects, Alex Lifeson working on his solo album called "Victor", and Neil Peart on the tribute album to the legendary jazz drummer Buddy Rich - "Burning for Buddy". Neil also took advantage of the break and started specializing in jazz-style playing, taking lessons from renowned drummer Freddie Gruber. Not that we think Neil Peart needed any jazz reinforcement, he was amazing in this challenging genre even before. By the way, the jazz lessons taken by Neil Peart made him change his whole perception of playing on the album "Test For Echo", when he played most of the songs on it with a different stick grip than usual, known mainly from jazz musicians and called "traditional grip". Maybe that's why the drum sound on this album is so heavy and different. In October 1995, the band members gathered at their regular studio in Claremont, Ontario to begin rehearsing and writing material for the new album. The band members discovered that for the first time the methodical break they took had negative effects. During the long break, Alex Lifeson thought a lot about the future of the band and he was not sure about continuing with the band. He thought that after 20 years of intensity it was going to be his last album with "Rush" and he didn't even know if he wanted to go on a tour to promote it. He said that the first sessions of writing the material for the album were especially difficult for him, he thought a lot about the creative freedom he had as part of the solo project "Victor" whose recordings he had finished just a few months earlier. Alex Lifeson said he worked a lot on himself mostly because he felt a commitment to his friends. To help Alex, the band members hung signs in the studio, with slogans such as: "Individually We Are an Ass, Together We Are a Genius". Geddy and Neil supported Alex Lifeson's and the hard work with him paid off. In the end, Alex said he managed to "drive out the demons" he had in his mind, and from that moment on, everything suddenly changed for the better. During one week he co-wrote five new songs with the band. And so it was, that what began perhaps in a negative atmosphere ended in a crazy idyll. The band members said that after solving the little crisis, everything flowed in an amazing way and such a good atmosphere that they finished writing all the material for the album 3 weeks before the date allotted to them in the studio. The musical material continued in a line that began on "Presto" from 1989 and included moving away from the band's synthesizer era and focusing on guitar-based songs. The production and mix work that Peter Collins did here also continued the same line that was in the previous album "Counterparts", which was also produced by him, and which included, among other things, bringing the guitars forward in the mix. The band members gave the demos to all the songs written for the album to producer Peter Collins and planned to start recording as early as November 1995, but a severe snowstorm in the northern US and Canada delayed everything. By the way, this blizzard inspired the album cover. The members eventually entered the recording studio only in January 1996. The band chose Clif Norrell as a recording technician. He was a fan of the band and was even part of the cover band of "Rush". This was the first time the band had worked with American technicians. And now a little about the content. "Test For Echo" is not one of the band's best albums. To be honest, it is one of their least good and in every rating list of the band's albums (even of the band members themselves) it "wins" one of the last places, in some of them, he is even in the last one. Moreover, the vast majority of the album's songs did not survive the band's tough setlists and it was even completely ignored on the last tour "R40". As you may recall, the setlist of "R40" included songs from all periods of the band. When the band returns in reverse chronologically in time playing songs from all their albums, from "Clockwork Angels" backward to the first album ("Rush"), but for some reason, the band chose to skip on this album. Nevertheless and perhaps despite all this, there are some amazing moments in this album, about four of which we will tell you right away. And if this album is one of "Rush"'s least good albums and perhaps the weakest of them all, it just proves how big and meteoric this band is. The first is the theme song "Test for Echo" which opens the album and also gives credit to Pye Dubois, the lyricist who worked with the band Max Webster and helped Neil Peart write the lyrics to the song "Tom Sawyer" and others. The song opens with Alex Lifeson's Gibson Les Paul guitar chords, and immediately erupts powerfully with power chords and trimmed riffs transitions joined by Geddy Lee's dominant bass line. This roller coaster continues to accompany us for almost the entire six minutes of the song. It was the first single released from the album and reached No. 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It was the fourth "Rush" single to reach No. 1 on that chart during the 1990s, and the fifth in the band's career overall. The second song, is "Driven" which is perhaps the best song on the album. The music for this song was written entirely on Geddy Lee's bass guitar, and accordingly, the song opens with an edgy distortion riff that features three different layers of Geddy Lee's bass playing recorded separately and merged into one channel, but later cut with the clean chords from Alex Lifeson's acoustic guitar and creates a beautiful contrast. The third song "Half the World" is a philosophical song by Neil Peart that was also released as a single and even won a nice clip. Geddy Lee gives his best bass work on the album and Alex Lifeson adorns it with layers of electric and acoustic guitars and even with a 10-string mandala that he wonderfully played a little solo with. Undoubtedly, this is the album's catchiest song. The fourth and final recommended track from this album is the ballad "Resist", the ninth track on the album. Alex Lifeson considers this song one of his favorites from the album and even in the entire "Rush" catalog. This song is one of the specials from "Rush", if only because it is the only song of the band that won an Unplugged performance as part of the "R30" tour. Of course, there are other good songs on this album, "Virtuality" that Neil Peart wrote about interpersonal relationships via the internet, "Time and Motion" written years before, but the band did not use them until now and reappeared while working on the album, "Color Of Right" Amazing and underappreciated in our opinion," Dog Years" which includes the line "One sniff at the hydrant" which refers to the "Signals" album cover that we reviewed yesterday and includes a picture of a dog smelling a hydrant, the charming ending "Carve Away the Stone" and even the instrumental track "Limbo" Which consisted of several musical ideas that the band had. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On September 9, 1982, "Rush" released its 9th studio album - "Signals". This album broke down the perfect chemistry within the band, that up until then felt like a small family. It caused the band members to part ways with long-time producer Terry Brown who has worked with "Rush" since 1974 and was responsible for producing the masterpieces albums "2112" and "Moving Pictures" among others. It all happened because of one song, want to find out which song it is and what caused the disagreement that led to Terry Brown's dismissal? Stay with us and you will find out. Let's start with the fact that "Rush" was at the height of its success after the release of "Moving Pictures", a perfect album in every way that brought the band a dizzying worldwide success and won them rave reviews. For those who forgot, we will mention that this album reached third place in the list of the best Prog albums of all time by "Rolling Stone" magazine, after Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side Of The Moon" and King Crimson's "In The Court Of The Crimson King". But the dizzying success did not mess with the band members' minds and already during the tour to promote the "Moving Pictures" album, they start working on new and much different material for their next album. And as you already know, with "Rush" nothing can be simple, because instead of riding the wave of success of "Moving Pictures", the members consciously decided to look for new musical directions. Geddy Leee noted in an interview that although it was the safest move to write a sequel to "Moving Pictures", they deliberately chose to experiment with new genres. He added that the band always loved to challenge itself. Indeed, the musical material on the album has drifted in various directions most of which "Rush" was first experiencing, such as Ska, Reggae, Funk, Electronic music, and New Wave. To this end, the band made increased use of synthesizers, sequencers, and electronic equipment, at the expense of reduced use of guitars. It was the first time that the synthesizers, which "Rush" began using in the late 1970s, had moved from an accompaniment instrument to a main and leading one that affected the band's sound. This trend will only intensify in the band's next three albums which culminated in the 1987 album "Hold Your Fire" which we reviewed yesterday on the occasion of his "birthday". While performing the mixes for the excellent double live album "Exit... Stage Left", released in 1981, the band found a lot of free time and increased the pace of writing. Neil Peart said he was so bored during the mixes that he sought employment in repairing an old drum set that was in the studio. To break the boredom Neil Peart applied to work with two members of the sound team in the studio on a song one of them wrote. It was Tony Geranios known as Jack Secret who was Geddy Lee's keyboard technician. They were joined by the band's soundman Skip Gildersleeve and started working on a song called "Tough Break". After several jams, they even recorded the song in the same studio, with Jack Secret on vocals and bass Skip Gildersleeve on guitar, and Neil Peart on drums. Boredom also did not miss Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson who joined on guitar and keyboards. This rare recording of "Rush" with the two sound crew members can be found here: This jam session with two sound crew members gave the band the boost it needed to run forward and complete the writing of the new material for the album "Signals". Peart noted that he began writing the lyrics to the song "Subdivisions" in the exact same session with the two sound team members. Neil Peart thought about the background from which the band members come from and also a large part of its fans. "Outsiders", "socially rejected nerds", who since school days were "cataloged" and marked as exceptions only because of "judgment" and "prejudice". Peart said that Geddy and Alex came to his house with the demo tape in which they recorded the music for the song. They prepared him for an unusual and strange sound, just like the idea behind the lyrics to the song. Peart listened to the demo and when finished he was quiet, then asked Geddy and Alex to play it again. At the end of the second round, he told his friends it was just perfect and Geddy and Alex looked at each other and smiled. Thus, Over and done! "Rush" was ready for its big change. It entered their synthesizer era which will accompany them throughout 4 albums during the 80s. And what a song "Subdivisions" came to be. The album's great opening song is also the band's statement of intent that this album was not going to be the sequel to its predecessor. Already at the opening of the song, you can hear the electronic sound that the band has adopted. The whole rhythm of the song is based on keyboards and the guitar in the background adapts itself to the keyboard roles that took over. And in the chorus, as if everything is turning upside down, Geddy Leee's bass takes control with incredible dominance, as if it comes to fill the gaps left during the verses, bold, edgy, forward, and how it blends nicely with Alex Lifeson's guitar, as they both leave the keyboards behind as if it was another song, another genre, another time, and then again the mini-mog takes over again in the instrumental transition segment and back all over again. Apparently while writing the music for the song Gaddy and Alex thought about how c Lee would have to perform it live so they divided the song into sections that would allow Geddy Lee to switch between bass playing and the keyboards smoothly. From there we move on to the second track "The Analog Kid" which is simply the negative of its previous. In this song, the bass and guitar are dominant throughout the verses, with the keyboards taking control during the choruses. Again, Alex and Geddy were probably thinking about how this song will be performed live. It's an amazing rock song at a very fast pace, so do yourself a favor #1, you must, just must !!! Listen to Geddy Lee's bass during this song, especially during the intro. The man has just an amazing technique and perfect playing!!! This is without a doubt one of the highlights of Geddy Lee's tremendous career and we mean it. Do yourself a favor # 2 and also listen to Alex Lifeson's wild solo at 3:23. The lyrics to the song were written by Neil Peart right after he wrote the song "Digital Man", the fourth song on the album. Neil Peart thought the two songs would complement each other (analog-digital). Geddy and Peart thought that the music should be contrary to the idea that the lyrics are trying to convey and so the song came out with verses at a particularly fast pace. The third track "Chemistry" is the band's only song in which credit for writing the lyrics is given to the three members: Geddy, Alex, and Peart. It's also actually the last song the band has ever written, in which Geddy or Alex get credit for writing lyrics. Another thing that is special about this song is that its writing was done simultaneously by the three members, unlike most of the band's songs in which Neil Peart writes lyrics and gives them to Geddy and Alex to write the music or vice versa. Also here the band continues with a clear separation between verses and choruses, in terms of the use of instruments, to make it easier for Geddy Lee to play the song live. Verses and bridges with the dominance of bass, and choruses with the dominance of synthesizers. We promised to tell you what was the song that caused the "great conflict" between Terry Brown and the band members? So this song seals the first side of the vinyl and is called "Digital Man". Let’s start with the fact that the new musical directions the band chose to pursue were not to the liking of their then-regular producer Terry Brown. Brown wanted the band to ride the dizzying wave of success of "Moving Pictures" and continue on the same musical line. The band members thought otherwise. The song "Digital Man" was the red line, "the last straw" for Brown. The song included Ska and Reggae pieces that were not to the liking of the legendary producer. "Rush" insisted on recording it and Brown objected. The band of course won, but this point of contention made the band realize that if they were interested in experimenting with new musical directions they must dismiss Brown, and indeed this was his last album with "Rush". Listen to the song and you will immediately understand what it's all about. The transition section is strongly influenced by Ska and Alex Lifeson's guitar fragility can easily be compared to the Reggae of "Police" in the song "Walking on the Moon". From here we move on to tell you about one of the special songs on this album and in general, the track that opens the second side of the vinyl - "The Weapon" also called "Part II of Fear". This is the second part of the "fear series", which initially consisted of 3 tracks that appeared in a reverse chronology over 3 consecutive albums of the band. The first song is "Witch Hunt" from "Moving Pictures" also called "Part III Of Fear" and deals with the way fear can be used to control people. The second is "The Weapon" from "Signals" also called "Part II of Fear" and deals with external fears such as weapons. The third track is "The Enemy Within" from "Grace Under Pressure" also called "Part I Of Fear" and deals with the inner fears of people who influence their decisions. 18 years later the band added a fourth part to the fear trilogy (yes, yes you read that right, "fourth" part to the trilogy), as part of the album "Vapor Trails". This is a track that deals with paranoia and fear of the unknown and is called "Freeze - Part IV of Fear". And now back to this masterful song "The Weapon". Anyone who has seen this song played live must have noticed that this is the only song in which Neil Peart puts on headphones, and concentrates... occasionally throwing the stick in the air and catching it in full sync with the drumming (see in the video below). Has anyone ever wondered why ??? So here's the reason. This song is based on keyboards. When Geddy wrote the music he used a drum machine and when he played the demo to Peart he asked him to emulate the role of the drum machine. The rhythm of the drum machine was so strange and unusual that Neil Peart told Geddy Lee that he do not know how he was even supposed to learn to play this bizarre pattern. But as you know Neil Peart loves challenges and he found a way to emulate the drum machine. He bent his hands in a certain way and hit the cymbals and drums in the opposite way from what he was used to aligning with the playing pattern of the drum machine. The legendary Neil Peart learns from a drum machine how to play, how hallucinatory does it sound to you??? Neil Peart of course later admitted that there was no way he would have thought of such drumming himself. But the entanglement did not end there, because Peart had to play the roles of these drums in full sync with Geddy Lee's drum machine. Geddy had a Roland 808 drum machine that also served as a trigger for the Arpeggiator jp-8 (a kind of sequencer) and at the same time sent "clicks" to Neil Peart's headphones so he could play his drum roles in full sync with the keyboards and drum machine. So do yourself a favor # 3 and listen (and then watch too) Neil Peart's special drumming in this song, especially in the instrumental section coming from Alex Lifeson's amazing solo starting at 3:25 (in the album version) and ending after the crazy drumming at around 5:25. Seemingly, there is no uniform rhythm or pattern here. A sense of random drum beats and cymbals that somehow eventually manage to get along and sync perfectly with the song. The song "New World Man" is the last written for the album after the band already had seven finished songs and they found out they had room for one more within the 4:00 minute limits to complete the LP. Neil Peart said that's how "Project 3:57" was born. Not a simple project for "Rush" whose songs on recent albums have been significantly longer. The band thought they would write a song anyway and if it came out longer, they would save it for the next album. In the end, "Rush" was up to the task. The song was written in one day and recorded spontaneously in the next. This is the fastest song the band finished recording since "The Twilight Zone" from "2112" which was written and recorded in one day. It became "Rush's" biggest chart hit of all time in the United States, soaring to number 21 on the Billboard chart. The third track on the second side is one of the band's most moving and touching in its entire catalog. "Losing It" is a song about artists who "lose it" and are no longer at their peak, talented people who were at the pinnacle of success and are now at the bottom. The lyrics of the song are some of the most beautiful that Neil Peart has written in all of his mighty repertoires. This is the first time that "Rush" brings another player to the studio, the violinist Ben Mink who accompanies the song and plays the amazing and vibrating violin solo that blends like a glove with Alex Lifeson's guitar. This song has never been performed live in all of its 40 years of career. During the talks about the setlist for Rush's last tour "R40", the band members decided to perform it for the first time. It was also a sort of a hint of Neil Peart to his condition and to the fact that he was interested in retiring at the peak and not reaching the condition of the artists mentioned in the song. This song has been played only 5 times throughout the band's career, all during the last "R40" tour. We were present in one of them and it is impossible to describe the intensity of the feelings we went through, the level of excitement and the magnitude of the experience, feelings that were strengthened then due to the knowledge of Neil Peart's condition and today even more so, in the face of his death. The specific performance from that specific live show was included in the film - "Cinema Strangiato" which was screened on 21/8/19 in theaters around the world. So do yourself a favor # 4 and listen to this song. Must, must, must with the lyrics !!! "Countdown", the song that closes the album was inspired by the band's visit to Cape Canaveral - the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on April 12, 1981. The band members were present during the first launch of the space shuttle "Columbia" on mission STS-1, which they watched from the VIP area called "Red Sector A" (familiar to us from the title of the famous song from the album "Grace Under Pressure"). The communication sounds heard during the song were recorded from the communication system between astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen and to the control center. The band also dedicated the song to the two astronauts and all NASA personnel for the inspiration they gave them during the visit. This song served as the astronauts' alarm clock during the penultimate mission of the "Columbia" shuttle - mission STS-109 from 2002. ". The same "Columbia" shuttle which the song was written, crashed on February 1, 2003, during mission STS-107, in which the first Israeli astronaut - Ilan Ramon was also a part of. Also in this song, there is a clear division between the dominance of synthesizers during the verses and Geddy Lee's Rickenbacker 4001 bass guitar during the choruses, all in the band's meticulous planning designed to allow the song to be performed live without the help of additional artists. And now you have to click play and listen to this masterful album: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website