Bruce Almighty... (Photo: Iron Maiden On Twitter) He is one of the greatest singers in metal, musician, actor, writer, screenwriter, radio broadcaster, TV presenter, professional fencer, a trained pilot, entrepreneur, businessman, and owner of an airline company. His name is Bruce Dickinson and he is celebrating his birthday today !!! (Photo: wallpaperflare.com) Here are 30 interesting facts (most of them known) about the amazing "Multi talent": 1. He was born on August 7, 1958. His full name is Paul Bruce Dickinson. As a child, he was called "Bruce Bruce" after a character in the sketch series of "Monty Peyton's Flying Circus". He used this nickname on "Samson" albums where he appears as "Bruce Bruce" Dickinson. 2. He grew up with his grandparents. His parents who were not even 18 at the time of his birth, could not support themselves or the newborn and often wandered across England in search of a livelihood. The song "Born in '58" from his first solo album "Tattooed Millionaire", he wrote about his childhood at his grandparents' house. 3. In his youth he tried to play his father's classical guitar. He admired Ian Paice from "Deep Purple" and dreamed of becoming a drummer. 4. The first album he acquired was "In Rock", by "Deep Purple", from where he went on to the first "Black Sabbath" album, "Aqualung" by "Jetro Tull" and "Tarkus" by "Emerson, Lake & Palmer". 5. He was expelled from school after a prank in which he defecated in a bean stew served to the school principal. 6. Dickinson has a very wide vocal range that extends over 4.25 octaves. His vocal tone is also very diverse, from rock to opera, this earned him the nickname "The Air-Raid Siren". (Photo: Michael Putland) 7. In 1979, just two months after releasing their debut album, Dickinson joined the band "Samson" as their lead singer. 8. In 1981 he appeared with "Samson" in the Canadian horror film "Incubus". 9. His first acquaintance with "Iron Maiden" was when "Maiden" warmed up "Samson" in 1980. Even then he thought they were good. 10. In 1981 he joined "Iron Maiden", and after several live shows with his new band, he participated in the process of writing the material for the album "The Number Of The Beast". Due to contractual issues with his previous band, he could not get credit for any of the songs on the album, even though he contributed to writing some of them, such as: "The Prisoner", and "Children of the Damned" and "Run to the Hills". 11. As part of the 1987 "Monsters of Rock Festival", he took the stage with Dee Snider, Paul Stanley, and Jon Bon Jovi to perform a cover version of the song "Travelin 'Band" by "Creedence Clearwater Revival". 12. He recorded the song "Bring Your Daughter ... to the Slaughter" for the movie "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child". "Iron Maiden" later re-recorded the song for their 1990 album "No Prayer for the Dying". 13. In 1990 he was part of the musical project "Rock Aid Armenia", in which he recorded the song "Smoke on the Water" by "Deep Purple", with a list of great and leading artists. Among the artists with whom he recorded the song are: Bryan Adams, Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, David Gilmour, Tony Iommi, Alex Lifeson, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Paul Jones, and Jon Lord. 14. In 1992, he recorded with British comedian Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) a cover version of Alice Cooper's song "Elected" from the album "Billion Dollar Babies", the cover version was called "(I Want To Be) Elected". 15. From 2002 to 2010, Dickinson had a weekly radio show on "BBC Radio 6" called "Rock Show". 16. His 2005 solo album "Tyranny Of Souls" was originally designed to be a triple project inspired by "The Three Tenors", in collaboration with Rob Halford and Ronnie James Dio. Maybe he got an appetite after recording the duet "The One You Love To Hate" with Halford in 2000. 17. Bruce is a Boeing 757 trained pilot and was an active pilot on the British airline "Astraeus Airlines". 18. In 2007, he flew the players of the Glasgow Rangers football team to Israel, for their game against Hapoel Tel Aviv. 19. After the closure of "Astraeus Airlines", he set up his own airline, "Cardiff Aviation". 20. During "Iron Maiden" tours he flies the band and equipment on the "Ed Force One" plane. (Photo: airteamimages.com) 21. In 2005, Dickinson hosted the aviation series "Flying Heavy Metal" on the "Discovery" Channel. 22. Bruce is a professional fencer who came in seventh at the British Fencing Championships. He also represented his country at the European Championships in 1989. He trained himself to fence with both hands. After 10 years of specializing in right-handed fencing, he moved to left-handed. 23. He wrote the screenplay for the 2008 film "Chemical Wedding". The film's soundtrack includes songs by Dickinson and "Maiden". 24. Dickinson was present at the wedding of Fish the former singer of "Marillion". 25. He is the registered owner of a Soviet "T34" tank. 26. In 2013 he worked in collaboration with the English "Robinson" brewery on the development of the Iron Maiden "Trooper" beer. He is interested in continuing to develop more beers in the future. (Photo: rockcelebrities.net) 27. In 2015 he underwent chemotherapy treatments following a cancerous growth that was discovered in his tongue, but Bruce like Bruce almighty, overcame cancer and returned to the stages. 28. He authored two books, "The Adventures of Lord Iffy Boatrace" and "The Missionary Position". 29. In 2017 he published his autobiography book "What Does This Button Do?". 30. 30. He wrote on his own the longest song of "Iron Maiden" in which he also plays the piano. The song "Empire of the Clouds" from the album "The Book of Souls" spans more than 18 minutes. During his musical career, Dickinson has released 23 studio albums, including 3 with "Samson", 13 with "Maiden" and 7 as part of his solo career. So let's wish this dear man many more years of fruitful music and continues to rave on the stages with his kamikaze jump. Picture: Ronen Kolar "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On August 6, 1965, The Beatles' fifth studio album was released, which is also the soundtrack of the band's second film, "Help!". The album includes 14 tracks, 7 of which are on the first side of the vinyl are forming the soundtrack to a film that was released at the same time. And here are 20 interesting facts about the album and the movie: 1. The name of the record was supposed to be "Eight Arms To Hold You" with a hint of the pair of hands of each of the Fabulous Four embracing a fan. Ringo Starr suggested the name but not for the reason described but because the film has a scene with a multi-handed Kaili statue. The name of the album was later changed so the first and rare singles of the song "Help" indicated that it was from the movie "Eight Arms To Hold You". 2. The album cover is intended to show "the Beatles" band members marking with their hands the letters H-E-L-P in sign language used by ships at sea. The photographer did not like the result due to an imbalance in visibility, so he changed the shapes of the Beatles' hands. The result is the letters N-U-J-V which have no meaning. 3. The reason why the exclamation mark "!" Was inserted in the name of the film and the album, was that the title "Help" was already occupied for another film, so Ringo Starr suggested simply adding an exclamation mark to the title (!) 4. This is the Beatles' latest album featuring cover versions for other artists. From now on, the Fabulous Four will rely on original material only until their latest album "Let It Be", which features a cover version of the song "Maggie Mae". 5. This is the Beatles' only album to feature two songs that reached number one, with a one-word title. "Help!" And "Yesterday." 6. The song "Help!" Was the first of the Beatles to appear in a commercial in the US. It was in a Ford Lincoln car commercial that paid $ 100,000, but even then it was not the original song but a cover version that George Martin helped record. 7. "Help!" Was originally slower. The band members accelerated its pace to make it more catchy and commercial. 8. Members of "Deep Purple" recorded the song as a demo. It helped them get a recording contract in 1968. Later the song entered the band's debut album "Shades Of Deep Purple". 9. The one who plays the guitar solo in the song "Ticket to Ride" is none other than Paul McCartney. 10. "Ticket to Ride" is also the Beatles' first song to exceed 3 minutes. 11. John Lennon and Paul McCartney have different versions of the reason behind the theme of "Ticket to Ride". Paul claims it was written inspired by a car ride on the Isle of Wight, while John claims it was written about a German prostitute. 12. "You're Going to Lose That Girl" is actually a sequel to the story behind the single "She Loves You". The guy from the first song realizes that even though the girl is in love with him he must "do something" or he will lose her. 13. Paul dreamt of the melody for the song "Yesterday" while sleeping in his girlfriend's house. 14. Only Paul McCartney participates in the recording of the song (accompanied by strings), the other Beatles members are not present. 15. "Yesterday" is also the song that has won the most cover versions in the world. (Photo: Pop Expresso) 16. This is the first album in which George Harrison has contributed two songs "I Need You" and "You Like Me Too Much", and his first since "Don't Bother Me" which was released in 1963, as part of the album "With the Beatles". 17. George Harrison got the idea to play Indian instruments and especially the sitar following a scene in a movie where musicians in an Indian restaurant are seen playing "the Beatles" songs. 18. Actress Eleanor Bron who played alongside the Fabulous Four in the film, was the inspiration for Paul McCartney in writing the song "Eleanor Rigby" from the album "Revolver" which we reviewed yesterday. 19. The song "I've Just Seen a Face" was originally supposed to be called "Aunty Gin's Theme". It is also the first and one of the few in the band to have no baseline. 20. During the recordings of the album, two more songs were recorded that did not enter the album and the film. "If You've Got Trouble" was originally intended for Ringo, but was eventually replaced by the song "Act Naturally", and the song "That Means a Lot" which was eventually given to P.J. Proby and became a hit. The two rare songs were finally released on the 1996 album "Anthology 2". For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On August 5, 1966, the album "Revolver" was released in England. This was the seventh album of "The Beatles". This is a very revolutionary and innovative album, especially for the time in which it was released. It was a creative and technological explosion of the band. On this album, the band went further than it had gone up until then. It experimented with different and varied musical directions and used innovative recording techniques such as effects, loops, dubbing, reverse, and backward playback, etc. It also added a variety of new musical instruments: strings, trumpets, flutes, instruments from India, etc., and assimilated a highly innovative approach to musical processing. This album completely changed the face of rock music as it was perceived until then, greatly influenced everything that came after it, and even caused Brian Wilson from "The Beach Boys" to have a nervous breakdown, just three months after releasing the ingenious "Pet Sounds" album. (Photo: BBC) Here are 20 interesting facts about this revolutionary album: 1. The album cover was designed by Klaus Voorman, who would later play bass with "Manfred Man" and also with each of the Beatles' members on their solo albums. He was paid 40 pounds for it. 2. The cover won a Grammy Award for the most beautiful cover of the album in 1967. 3. The original album cover was supposed to be a painting of Paul McCartney sitting on a toilet in the bathroom. 4. One of the names suggested for the album was "Abracadabra". 5. The one who plays the guitar solo in the opening song "Taxman" is none other than Paul McCartney. 6. "Yellow Submarine" features Pattie Boyd (George Harrison's wife), Marianne Faithfull, Brian Jones, and Donovan on vocals. They did not receive credit for their contribution. 7. The sound of seagulls in the psychedelic song "Tomorrow Never Knows" is actually the distorted sound of Paul McCartney laughing. 8. John Lennon said he wanted to sound like the Dalai Lama praying in the song "Tomorrow Never Knows". To achieve the effect, John Lennon's voice was recorded through a Leslie speaker amplifier connected to an effect and double the recording. This is the first time this technique has been used. 9. Another technique that was first used on this album was "automatic double tracking". Sound technician Ken Townsend composed two different tapes that recorded John Lennon's voice at the same time, with one tape being at a delay of 100 milliseconds from the other tape. This technique gave the singing a fuller and thicker sound and it was born in the face of John Lennon's hate to record the same singing roles twice. The technique can be heard in the song "Tomorrow Never Knows". 10. The guitar solos in the songs "I'm Only Sleeping" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" are played backward. This is the first time such technology has been used with musical instruments. 11. During the pre-recording sessions, two more songs that were not included on the album were recorded, "Rain" and "Paperback Writer". They were released as a single and B-Side for the single. The song "Rain" was the first to use the backward vocal recording. 12. None of the songs on the album were performed live in real-time, although the band went out immediately afterward for their last tour in the United States. The songs were heavily produced and were too difficult to perform live. 13. The longest song on the album is 3.02 minutes long. Ten of the album's 12 songs are under 3 minutes. 14. All four members of the band contributed to the writing of the lyrics to the song "Eleanor Rigby", which is quite unusual for the band. 15. The band worked more hours on the song "Yellow Submarine" than on their entire first album. During the recording and in order to create the water effect, an attempt was made to insert a microphone into a condom and dip it into the water. 16. The song "She Said She Said" is based on John Lennon's Trip Acid with actor Peter Fonda and with David Crosby and Roger McGuinn from "the Byrds". Therefore, the song was originally called "He Said He Said". 17. The song "Doctor Robert" was written about Dr. Robert Freymann, a Manhattan celebrity doctor who used to give his patients B12 injections mixed with speed drugs. 18. The song "Got To Get You Into My Life", written by Paul McCartney, is not a love song for a girl but for marijuana. 19. The song "Here, There and Everywhere" was written by Paul McCartney while he waited for John Lennon to wake up. He came to Lennon's house to work on new songs for the album, but found that John was still asleep and wrote the song while waiting for him. 20. The character Father McKenzie in the song “Eleanor Rigby” was originally supposed to be Father McCartney but Pete Shotton, a childhood friend of John Lennon, explained to McCartney that all listeners would think the fictional character in the song is actually his father and eventually Paul McCartney changed the name. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

He's Pat Smear and he was born on August 5, 1959, so we could not resist writing a few words about this colorful and special guitarist! (Photo: David Brendan Hall) He was born to an African American mother and a Jewish immigrant father from Germany, was educated in a religious school and then attended an alternative high school where he met Darby Crash and both were expelled from school very quickly. Why is it important? Because in 1976 after they were both expelled from school they formed the band Germs which only at a later stage gained significant recognition as part of the development of punk rock in the US and became one of the most influential bands. (Photo: The Guardian) They released one album in 1979 called "GI" which some say is considered the first hard rock punk album but disbanded in 1980 after Crash committed suicide. Not many know this but Pat appears in the video clip of the song "Raspberry Beret" by the musician Prince !! Look for him sitting there in a white suit on a blue stage with long hair. After 13 years working on a number of different projects he got a call from Kurt Cobain, at first he did not believe that the band which is at the height of its success needed him, an "aging" guitarist (yet he is 10 years older than Nirvana members). But it was so and Cobain asked him to join the band as an accompanist on their tour. Photo: Mark Leialoha His first appearance with Nirvana was on Saturday Night Live in September 1993. He also performed with the band in the famous MTV Unplugged appearance. Dave said they really liked Pat's band so Cobain called him. He further said that when Pat joined the band he changed everything, they felt like children again, like family and he gave them back the enjoinment. But we know how this episode ends and Pat once again experiencing a suicide by a member of his band and this time it broke him completely, so much that he decided not to engage with music anymore. But in 1994 he got a phone call again, and this time it was Dave Grohl on the other side, who asked him to join the band he was forming. Pat could not refuse the charmer and he again agreed and joined the Foo Fighters. This was the beginning of a continuing love story... (Photo: Mick Hutson) In 1997 after the band's second album "The Colour and The Shape" he decided to leave due to exhaustion, he was tired of the incessant tour dates, especially since the band that is at the beginning of its journey is trying to perform wherever possible. Of course the departure was not immediate and he found himself six months later still preforming. But despite pleas from Dave, he eventually decided that - enough is enough. His was replaced by Franz Stahl, which is even documented in the band's performance on the roof of Radio City in New York, with Pat starting the set and on the half of the show saying goodbye, when Franz replacing him and continuing the set until the end. In 2005, after nearly 4 years of conversations between him and Dave, Pat slowly returned to playing with the Foo's. The matter was very difficult for Chris Shiflet who joined in 1999 as a replacement for Franz. He said several times that upon Pat's return he was very apprehensive about his place in the band. It was clear to him that with the history Pat had with Nirvana and Dave he had no chance of competing. He walked around with the feeling that they were going to fire him at any moment for several years... Since then Pat is a permanent member of the band... Listen to Pat's first and only album with the Germs, enjoy !! Spotify, "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On August 4, 1975, "Rainbow"'s debut album, known as "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow" was released. In November 1974, "Deep Purple" releases their last album with Ritchie Blackmore, titled "Stormbringer". Although the album received good reviews and although a considerable number of songs from it got air time on various radio stations (except for the theme song also "Lady Double Dealer", "The Gypsy" and "Soldier of Fortune"), Richie Blackmore was not happy with the result and he also expresses his dissatisfaction in public. What bothered Blackmore was the musical direction the band was drawn to, and the fact that it included elements of funk and soul. In addition to the dissatisfaction with the musical direction, another incident was the "last straw" for "The Black Man". During the recordings of the album "Stormbringer," Ritchie Blackmore asked the band members to record a cover version of the song "Black Sheep of the Family" by the band "Quatermass" from 1970, but they objected. Blackmore decides that was too much for him and already in February 1975 he joined Ronnie James Dio, from whom he was very impressed while with his band ELF warmed up "Deep Purple". With Ronnie on board Blackmore begins to form the band that will help him fulfill his vision. Dio brought with him all of his bandmates from "ELF" (minus the guitarist of course), but for Blackmore, the only true partnership was with Dio, while the rest of the members were considered by him as session players that helped him record his new material. At the same time, Ritchie Blackmore informs 'Deep Purple" that he intends to leave the band at the end of the tour of the album "Stormbringer". This happened when there were only three shows left until the end of the tour. And so it happened, that on April 7, 1975, all the members of "Deep Purple" showed up for the last performance of the MKIII lineup which took place in Paris. This show was recorded and released on CD in 2001, as part of the "Deep Purple" live shows series. This performance is important both because it is the only one in which the song "The Gypsy" was performed and recorded live and because this was Blackmore's last appearance with the MKIII lineup. Anyone who listens to the show will notice that Blackmore has fulfilled his commitment, giving a good show until the last minute. He leaves the stage knowing well where he is headed. He's going to do things his own way. The recordings for the band's debut album, later called "Rainbow", will take place in Munich from February 20 to March 14, 1975, before Blackmore gives his final bow with "Deep Purple". Ritchie Blackmore's initial intention was to record the cover version of the song "Black Sheep of the Family" which was the in the heart of the quarrel with his bandmates from "Deep Purple", plus a new song called "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" to be used as a b-side. However, the results were so satisfying that Blackmore decided to expand the project to an entire album. The album opens with "The Man On The Silver Mountain" with Blackmore's immortal and memorable riff, which is hard not to compare to the one from "Smoke on The Water". The combination of Blackmore and Dio is just perfect. Blackmore's catchy riffs and melodic solos blend with Dio's endless vocal range and powerful vocals. True, it is difficult to ignore the minimal contribution of the rest of the band, especially if one compares the thin sound of the album to that which will come in the next album, so one can perhaps understand Blackmore's decision to fire all members of this band (minus Dio of course) immediately after the album was released, since he thought that they were not good enough to hold the material in live performances. The album features additional memorable pieces that have become an integral part of the band's repertoire throughout its history. The amazing ballad "Temple of the King" which describes a spiritual and mysterious journey to the king's temple, in search of answers. In 1975 Blackmore said the song was written after watching a program called "Yoga for Health" on television. The calmness of the yoga that Blackmore practiced at the time led him to write a quiet, calm, and melodic song that even then was clear to him that it would be difficult for the band to perform live due to its complexity. Blackmore plays on two classical guitars and in addition to an electric one. The song "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" whose lyrics were written by Dio following Blackmore's idea of ​​a castle where the Black Knight lives. The "Black Knight" is of course Ritchie and he comes out of his castle from time to time and captures a young peasant maiden from the nearby village. Blackmore seems to have lived up to this fantasy in his personal life when he co-founded "Blackmore's Night" with "Young Miss" Candice Night and began writing, playing, and recording medieval English folk music. It is interesting to note that the one who plays the cello in this track is Hugh McDowell who is known from the band "Electric Light Orchestra". The amazing piece "Catch the Rainbow" features a background vocalist named Shoshana Feinstein who was Ritchie Blackmore's girlfriend during the recording of the album. Shoshana also performs the background voice in the cover version of the song "Still I'm Sad" by "The Yardbirds" that seals the album. The cover version of the song "Black Sheep of the Family" which created the breakup from "Deep Purple" is among the least good tracks on the album, as is "If You Don't Like Rock 'n' Roll", which sounds very close to the musical direction of the "ELF". Despite the imbalance in the quality of the songs on the album, this is a very important album in the development of heavy metal, especially because this album has revealed to the world one of the great voices in metal. Immediately after the album's release, Blackmore will add new musicians to the band to match his musical vision, including the formidable drummer Cozy Powell, who will undoubtedly influence the band's sound and make it one of the most influential in the hard rock scene of the time. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

This mighty man is celebrating a birthday today and his name is Max Cavalera. (Photo: Metalheadzone.com) Max is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter, among others in the following bands: "Soulfly", "Nailbomb", "Cavalera Conspiracy", and "Killer "Be Killed", but he is best known as one of the founders of the band "Sepultura". He was born on August 6, 1969, in Belo Horizonte Brazil as Massimiliano Antonio "Max" Cavalera. He founded "Sepultura" in Brazil with his younger brother, the drummer Igor Cavalera, in 1984. The event that influenced him to form the band was the death of his father who was an Italian diplomat, aged 41, while Max was only 9 years old. Following his father's death, the family's financial situation deteriorated and Max noted that it was at this point of pain and depression that the "metal" came in and helped him deal with the difficulties. He claims that if his father had not died he probably would not have become a musician. He is the one who gave the band the name "Sepultura" (Tomb in Portuguese), after translating the song "Dancing on Your Grave" by "Motörhead". He was a member of the band during its heyday until 1996, including four of its masterful albums: "Beneath the Remains" (1989), "Arise" (1991), "Chaos A.D." (1993), and "Roots"(1996). In the early 90s, he emigrated from Brazil to Phoenix Arizona in the US where he lives with his family to this day. He married the manager of the band, "Sepultura" Gloria Bujnowski. He has five children, three of whom are involved in music, the eldest Zyon Cavalera is the drummer of the band "Soulfly". By the way, Zion's heartbeat when he was still a fetus is heard in the opening of the song "Refuse / Resist" from Sepultura's "Chaos A.D." album. Max left "Sepultura" in 1996 after band members, including his brother, sought to fire his wife from the band's management staff. It happened right after the death of his stepdaughter from his wife Gloria in a car accident, and Max was very hurt by it and just left the band. A year later he already formed "Soulfly" with which he has released to date 12 studio albums. He founded "Cavalera Conspiracy" in 2006 after receiving a phone call from his brother Igor with whom he had not spoken for 10 years. Igor had just left "Sepultura", and he wanted to apologize to him and Gloria. Max invited him to be a guest on a "Soulfly" show. The reconnection between them created an appetite to go back and play together and thus "Cavalera Conspiracy" was born. Max is known as a guitarist who plays his guitar with only four strings. He simply removed the two high strings, (E and B), and played the guitar in this unique way. In 2004 he sang and played guitar on the song "Red War" from Dave Grohl's project "Probot". Max also starred in the movie "The Scorpion King" starring "The Rock". He provided the soundtrack with the roars of the Rock character in the film. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On August 4, 1967 "Pink Floyd" released their debut album, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn". This album stands as a landmark in the psychedelic rock genre and even hailed as one of the greatest psychedelic rock albums of all time. "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" established "Pink Floyd" as pioneers of the genre and is a testament to the innovative spirit of the 1960s. With its release in 1967, the album captured the essence of an era characterized by experimentation and boundary-pushing musical exploration. Syd Barrett's contributions as the primary songwriter and lead guitarist are central to the album's distinctive sound. He wrote eight of the album’s eleven songs and contributed to two instrumental tracks. His imaginative lyrics and innovative guitar work, combined with Richard Wright's versatile keyboard playing, Nick Mason's dynamic drumming, and Roger Waters' solid bass lines, create a cohesive and compelling musical tapestry. Everything began in the summer of 1965, when Syd Barrett joined "Sigma 6", which included his childhood friend Roger Waters. Right after Barrett joined the band he created a "revolution", that caused a change in the band lineup and musical style. Barrett also suggested that the band will change its name to "Pink Floyd", naming it after the blues players Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. By 1966, they became part of London’s underground scene, performing at high-profile gigs attended by celebrities. On 15 February 1967, "Pink Floyd" signed with EMI, which released the band's first single, "Arnold Layne" in March and their second single, "See Emily Play" in June that year - both songs written by Barrett. Those songs were intended as more pop-oriented but still had the psychedelic sound that would hint on the material of the band's debut album. The recording sessions in "Abbey Road" were turbulent due to Barrett’s increasing LSD use and deteriorating mental state. The album combined "Pink Floyd's" long, improvised live renditions style with Syd Barrett's short pop songs and whimsical psychedelia. From the first sounds of "Astronomy Domine" we enter the world of psychedelic and space rock. The voice of the band's manager, Peter Jenner, is heard reading the planets' names. Barrett's Fender Esquire with the tremolo effect emerges and a rapid beeping sound is heard while Richard Wright's Farfisa organ is mixed into the background. Then we make a short turn with the less psychedelic track on the album - "Lucifer Sam" which features a catchy, driving riff and whimsical lyrics about a mysterious cat. "Matilda Mother" is led by Waters’ bass and Richard Wright’s organ, which also play a psychedelic and unusual keyboard solo. Wright also sings most of the song with Barrett joining in on choruses and singing the whole last verse. It was the first song recorded for the album. "Flaming" was recorded in a single take and was the third US single, combining 60's melody with crazy psychedelic effects. "Pow R. Toc H." - is an experimental instrumental piece that incorporates scat singing and various sound effects, reflecting the band's willingness to push the boundaries of traditional song structures. "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk" was written by bassist Roger Waters, and is a more aggressive, rhythmic piece that hints at the darker themes Waters would explore in later works. "Interstellar Overdrive" is the longest and most experimental on the album reflecting the space rock, psychedelic, and underground vibe of the band. It features long sections of free-form instrumental improvisation reflective of the group's live performances. "The Gnome" is a more acoustic folk song where Nick Mason plays only temple blocks and cymbals. "Chapter 24" combines mystical lyrics inspired by text from chapter 24 of the ancient Chinese tome "I Ching", with a tranquil melody featuring a Middle-Eastern-sounding organ. "The Scarecrow" - A melancholic, poetic song that uses the metaphor of a scarecrow to explore themes of isolation and identity showcases Barrett's genius. "Bike" closes the album with quirky sound effects and exemplifies Syd Barrett’s unique style and foreshadows his eventual mental decline. After "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" was released, "Pink Floyd" continued to perform in London, drawing larger crowds, but Barrett’s mental state continued to deteriorate. In December 1967, Nick Mason turned to David Gilmour and offered him to join "Pink Floyd". His first rehearsal with the band was held on January 8, 1968, Thus "Pink Floyd" became a five-piece band. Shortly after, on January 20, 1968 Syd Barrett made his last show with the band, making "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" a truly unique work, capturing both the pleasure and madness of psychedelic music. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Deborah was born on August 3, 1967, you probably do not understand the connection between the picture and the name, so this is a good reason to get to know her a little more... (Photo: Tom Barnes) 1. Her name is Deborah Anne Dyer and she was born to a couple from Jamaica in Brixton, London, England. She adopted the stage name "Skin". 2. When she was 6 years old she moved in with her grandfather who ran a nightclub in his basement. There she was exposed to music that gave her the inspiration and influence to be a musician. 3. In 1994, she co-founded the band "Skunk Anansie" with Martin "Ace" Kent, Richard "Cass" Lewis, and Robbie France. Drummer Ruby was replaced right at the beginning of the road by Mark Richardson. (Photo: bbc.co.uk) 4. They immediately started performing in various clubs and at the end of that year, within six weeks they started recording their debut album. 5. In 1995 the debut album "Paranoid & Sunburnt" was released. Most of the songs on the album were written by Skin along with Len Arran, an English poet, and musician. The album contained mostly political and anti-religious protest songs which received mixed reviews but the album reached number 8 in the UK. The album released a number of singles, including "Selling Jesus", "Weak" (one of the band's most successful songs), and "Charity". 6. A year later they released their second album "Stoosh". Also on this album, Skin spared no criticism of religion, politics, sex, and violence. A number of singles came out of the album Among them: "All I Want", "Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)" (another one of the band's biggest hits that brought her an international break), and "Twisted (Everyday Hurts)". 7. In 1999 the band released their third album "Post Orgasmic Chill". On this album, the band changes a bit the style that goes from punk / alternative rock to tougher and rougher ones like hard rock and metal. Singles released from the album: "Secretly", "Lately" and "You'll Follow Me Down". 8. Two years later the band disbanded and Skin embarked on a solo career. She changed her musical style to something softer relative to Skunk and even replaced her famous baldness with hair. (Photo: partyflock.nl) 9. A year later she released her first album "Fleshwounds". She co-created the album with her friend Len Arran but because she was not happy with the first version, the album came out in another version. 10. Skin was not particularly pleased with the album cover and on the way changed one song and added another cover. The attempt to take advantage of the band's success in order to leverage her solo career was not really successful, the singles did not get many radio broadcasts and the album was not a success even though in some European countries it did reach the top ten. 11. After the release of the album, she started touring in Europe, in some shows she was the opening act for Robbie Williams and Placebo. 12. In 2006 she released her second album "Fake Chemical State". This time in addition to Aran, Gary Clark, John Blackburn and Ben Christophers are also participating in the writing. 13. In 2009 her friend, Damian Lazarus gave her as a gift a mixer, not a cooking mixer but a music mixer. She fell in love with the instrument and broke into a DJ career under the stage name D-Dyer. (Photo: GoffPhotos) 14. She combined in her sets her stage presence and amazing voice, which gave her uniqueness in the world of DJs as she became a household name in London and Los Angeles. 15. In 2009, Skin's band reunited and began a tour called "Greatest Hits", accompanied by a greatest hits album called "Smashes and Trashes". 16. After 11 years, the band released their fourth album "Wonderlustre", preceded mainly by the single "My Ugly Boy". In this album unlike the previous ones, all the band members are co-writing. 17. One of the scariest experiences of Skin's life was a tornado case at the Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium in 2011, during the band's appearance. The mini tornado caused complete chaos as people ran for their lives, 5 people were killed and dozens more injured. 18. In 2012 the band released their fifth album "Black Traffic". This is the band's first album to be released under its independent label. 19. In 2016 the band released their sixth album “Anarchytecture”. On this album, the band changes its style to something a little more melodic and soft while Skin's lyrics also get a certain softness. (Photo: Enda Madden) 20. In 2025 the band released their seventh album "The Painful Truth", the first in nine years. In recent years the band has gained a strong and deep meaning in the musical landscape of the UK, they continue touring and Skin gets a stage not only for its musical side but also for the political and social side, performing and being interviewed in leading programs to promote its and its members' opinions. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

A week ago we told you the story of "The Black Phoenix", the story of the band "AC/DC" which rose to meteoric glory with the album "Highway To Hell", crashed shortly afterward following the death of its charismatic leader Bon Scott, and like the Phoenix rose from the ashes Of itself to return bigger and better with "Back In Black" - one of the great albums created in hard rock and in general. Today we bring you another fascinating story with quite a few similarities to the story of "The Black Phoenix", the story of the band "Def Leppard" and the album "Hysteria", which was released on August 3, 1987. Let's start with a recommendation to read the two reviews we posted a week ago (two days apart), about the albums "Highway To Hell" and "Back In Black", so you can easily connect to the current story. The story of the album "Hysteria" actually begins back in 1982 during the recordings of "Def Leppard's" third album - "Pyromania". The producer of the album is none other than producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who also made the sound of "AC/DC" accessible to the masses on the album "Highway To Hell" and brought about its meteoric success. Similar to what he did as part of his work with "AC/DC", Lange also contribute to making "Def Leppard's" sound more catchy and accessible. In this case, too, Lange pushed the band to excellence with a lot of hard work and considerable studio hours, and he even took matters into his own hands and helped the band write some of the songs on "Pyromania," for which he also received credit. Similar to the formula that worked well with "AC/DC", Lange emphasized the sound of "Def Leppard's" double guitar and in particular the vocal harmony and accompanying voices of the band members, while also contributing his own voice as an accompanying singer. Although this process began with the previous album, "High 'n' Dry" from 1981, it was tightened by Lange to perfection on the album "Pyromania", which was released in January 1983. This is how it turned out, after two traditional Heavy-Metal albums, Matt Lange helped the band to perform the metamorphosis required for a friendly Heavy Metal / Glam Rock sound, which would lead to its big break into the US and its dizzying success, with sales of over ten million copies, in the US alone. But the great resemblance between "AC/DC's" meteoric success story with the album "Highway To Hell" and that of Def Leppard with the album "Pyromania" does not end there. On the eve of the new year 31.12.84, in the middle of the sessions before the recording of the new album, the band's drummer Rick Allen was involved in a serious car accident with his Corvette car. Although he miraculously survived, he tragically lost his left hand that threatens to "cut off" the band's future as well, as happened to "AC/DC" following the death of Bon Scott. After a long recovery process, Rick Allen decides that he is interested in returning to playing drums, despite the amputation of his hand. At this point, the band does the most "human" and friendly act in the history of music, respects Allen's wishes despite his limitation, gives him time, and allows him to find a creative solution that will allow him to return to being the band's drummer. Meanwhile, the band continues to work on material for the new album without significant progress, in part due to the absence of Matt Lange who decided to retire from the sessions due to exhaustion. In 1986 Rick Allen informs the band that he has developed a drum set that will allow him to play with only one hand and he is interested in introducing it to them. The band arrives at Allen's "audition" to see if this is possible. The drum system developed by Allen was a combination of electronic and acoustic drums and included electronic pedals, which through Allen's feet activated through MIDI the sound that was supposed to emerge as a result of drumming in his left hand. During that "audition" Rick Allen plays the band the opening of "When the Levee Breaks" by "Led Zeppelin" and the band members are simply stunned by his abilities. They decide that Alan will find no replacement, and he continues with the band. Shortly afterward Matt Lange returns to the position of producer, after retiring and being replaced by Jim Steinman. Lange had to start everything all over and literally worked with the band on all the songs again, as if they had just been written. Meanwhile, Rick Allen worked on his playing abilities with the new drum set and the band felt they were finally on the right track. But the band's plans went awry again following two incidents that led to further postponement of the recording sessions. The first, a car accident also suffered by producer Matt Lange, and the second, a recurrent illness of singer Joe Elliott. Despite all the problems and bumps along the way, Lange and the band manage to produce an excellent album. Lange and the band's goal was to produce the hard rock version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album. An album in which each of the songs would be a potentially successful single, and as we will see immediately below, the result was not far off. (Photo: Andre Csillag) Recordings ended only in January 1987, more than three years after they began, with a significant deviation from the original budget that put the costs at about five million dollars. Today it may seem like a short period, but at the time it was an eternity for a band that was at its peak of success, and instead of continuing the success sequence it disappears for almost four years, while similar bands fill the space it left behind. However, today it can already be said that this long wait would have been worthwhile for Lange and the band. Similar to the case of "The Phoenix" which returned in black with the album "Back In Black" which surpassed its predecessor, here too "Def Leppard" broke its own record and created an album that topped the charts worldwide and reached sales of over 25 million copies worldwide, 12 million Of these, only in the US. Seven of the 12 songs on the album were released as successful singles and topped the charts, even three years after the album's release. Although the name of the album (Hysteria) was chosen in light of all the reactions in the media to Rick Allen's accident, there is no doubt that the name also fits what happened after its release, as if its name predicted the future to come. The sound quality and production of this album are "hysterical" on any scale, simply absolute perfection, the work of "The Magician" Matt Lange. Dozens of layers of guitars, keyboards, effects, electronic drums, and background sounds, which are crammed into the recording channels, layer by layer, producing a sound that had never been heard before in the hard rock and metal scene. A mix of sounds that attack you, surround you from all sides, and together produce an unusual listening experience. During the recordings, the band used, among other things, the "Rockman" amplifier developed by Tom Schultz from "Boston". Matt Lange thought this amp produced a more accessible, commercial, and catchy sound for guitars. The album's twelve songs span over 61 minutes and make this album the band's longest, as well as one of the longest in the world to have been released on a single vinyl record. Matt Lange received credit for writing the songs for the album, having contributed to and assisted the band extensively during its creation. Some even mentioned that he was the sixth member of the band during the recordings. From the moment the needle falls on the first groove of the album we enter an inconceivable sequence of hits that have entered charts all over the world. There is not even a single song out of the 6 songs on the first side of the vinyl that has not succeeded in the charts. The opening song "Women" was also the first single released in the US. "Rocket" includes samples from the song "Gods of War" and "Love Bites" from the same album. The phrase "We're fighting with the gods of war" is played back throughout the song and the words "Love" and "Bite" are used to create a missile launching effect in the quasi-psychedelic section in the middle of the song. "Animal" was released as the first single in the UK and became the first Top Ten hit from the album. This is the song that was the hardest to record. The band started recording it back in 1984 and there are demos of it in which Rick Allen is still drumming with both hands on a regular set of drums. Musically it is the closest of the album songs to the musical style of the previous album "Pyromania". The ballad "Love Bites" was written initially by Matt Lange as a Country song, the band added the required intensity and turned it into a power ballad. In the last seconds of the song after the words "If you got love in your sights, Watch out, Love Bites" there was a murmur that was thought to have said the words: "Jesus of Nazareth, Go to Hell". Eventually, it turned out that it was producer Matt Lange who spoke through a Vocoder and said in a heavy accent the sentence: "Yes it does, Bloody Hell". It is the band's biggest hit to date and the song that opened the doors to a wider and larger audience in the mainstream charts. The hit "Pour Some Sugar on Me" is a kind of tribute to "Aerosmith's" and "Run DMC" "Walk This Way". This is the last song to enter the album when the band was already sure they had finished recording. Lange heard Joe Elliott's riff on acoustic guitar and decided to develop it into something a little different that diversifying the album's musical style. "Armageddon It" is the sixth single released from the album in January 1989 almost 17 months after the album was released. The singing of Joe Elliott is a hybrid between "T-Rex" and Eddie Cochran. The song was created as a joke about Matt Lange's statement to guitarist Steve Clark during the recording "Are you getting it?" And the title of the song rings similarly to the same sentence. The theme song "Hysteria" the third released as a single from the album, is a love song whose melody is influenced by the song "Goodbye Blue Sky" by "Pink Floyd". The song was born from the riff of bassist Rick Savage and its title came from drummer Rick Allen as a reference to all the hustle and bustle surrounding his accident. The recording technique that Matt Lange used during the recording of the clean guitar roles in the chorus is noteworthy. Instead of recording a regular chord, Matt Lange recorded only one note at a time from the chord and put it together to create a special and innovative effect. The rest of the songs on the album, all from the other side of the vinyl, do not reach the level of the seven songs released as singles. "Gods of War" begins nicely with an interesting intro by Steve Clark but later loses altitude. "Don't Shoot Shotgun" is perhaps the least good song on the album and "Run Riot" and "Excitable" are not better. The song that seals the album "Love and Affection" is the best in this sequence and it produces a worthy ending to the album. The album "Hysteria" is the highlight of "Def Leppard's" work. The band failed to replicate the success and the decline began with the death of guitarist Steve Clark in 1991. Vivian Campbell who will replace him is a huge guitarist who contributed to and greatly influenced the sound of Ronnie James Dio, but is probably not what the band needed to continue the momentum. The album Hysteria is an excellent album, but it could certainly have been perfect if the band had been content with 8 of its 12 songs. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Today we are going to tell you some facts about American musician, singer and songwriter Arthur Lee, known as the leader of the band "Love": (Photo: Michael Ochs Archives) = He was born Arthur Porter Taylor, on March 7, 1945 in Memphis, Tennessee. = From early childhood he was fascinated by music due to his father, a local jazz musician and cornet player. = His first instrument was the accordion; he later persuaded his parents to buy him an organ and harmonica. = He made his first public performance at age four, at a Baptist church, reciting a small poem. = His parents divorced when he was a child. Lee and his mother moved to Los Angeles in 1952. His mother remarried Clinton Lee in 1955; Arthur was formally adopted in 1960 and acquired his surname. = After the divorce Lee remembered seeing his father only three times during his entire life. = He attends Sixth Avenue Elementary School, Mount Vernon Junior High, and Susan Miller Dorsey High School. His interest was sports, music, and reading. = He was influenced by seeing Johnny Echols perform "Johnny B. Goode" at a school assembly. = He was inspired by bands like "The Byrds" and "Rolling Stones" and seeing Jimi Hendrix perform at the California Club. = In 1963 Lee made his first known recording with The "LAGs", an instrumental band, which included Johnny Echols (future co-founder, guitarist, and vocalist of "Love"), Lee (organ), Allan Talbert (saxophone), and Roland Davis (drums). = Lee was immediately discovered as a great songwriter. He composed the surf songs "White Caps" and "Ski Surfin' Sanctuary". = The song "My Diary" was written when Arthur was a teenager, about his teenage sweetheart Anita Billings. Later it was the R&B singer Rosa Lee Brooks in a recording that included Jimi Hendrix on electric guitar. = That time Lee also wrote songs for other artists, "I've Been Tryin'" for Little Ray and "Everybody Jerk" and "Slow Jerk" for "Ronnie and the Pomona Casuals", a band that put out an LP featuring some vocals by Lee. = In the mid-60s Lee wrote "Luci Baines", a song about President Lyndon Johnson's daughter, which was performed and recorded with Lee's new band, "The American Four". = Later Lee formed a band called "The Grass Roots", which changed its name to "Love" in 1965, because there was already a band called "The Grass Roots". (Photo: Michael Ochs Archives) = In 1966 "Love" released its debut album "Love" which includes "My Little Red Book". = In 1966 "Love" released its second album "Da Capo", featuring "7 and 7 Is". = In 1967, "Love" released its masterpiece album "Forever Changes", which later became a cult classic. = In 1968 "Love" released a non-album single "Your Mind and We Belong Together", before the original band dissolved. = In 1969 Arthur Lee released the album "Four Sail and Out Here" with a new "Love" lineup. = In 1970 "Love" released "False Start", featuring Jimi Hendrix on "The Everlasting First". = In 1972 Arthur Lee released his first solo album "Vindicator". = In 1973 Arthur Lee Recorded "Black Beauty" with "Love", the album was unreleased until 2012. = In 1974 "Reel to Real" was released with a new "Love" lineup, with the addition of guitarist John Sterling. = In 1981 Lee released his second solo album titled "Arthur Lee". = 1980s: Releases live album "Love Live" and the compilation 'Studio/Live". = In 1992 he re-emerges with "Arthur Lee & Love" - "Five String Serenade". = In 1995 the "Love Story" compilation was released by "Rhino Records". = In 1996 Lee was sentenced to 12 years in prison under California's three strikes law, for negligent discharge of a firearm. He serves 5½ years. = In 2001 Lee was released from prison and made plans to perform "Forever Changes" 35th Anniversary Tour. = In 2003 Lee released live CD and DVD of "Forever Changes" concert. = In 2005 Lee was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. = Lee died in 2006 from complications of leukemia on August 3. = In 2008 "Forever Changes" was inducted into the "Grammy Hall of Fame". = In 2012, the "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked "Forever Changes" 40th in its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time = The same year "Forever Changes" entered into the National Recording Registry. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

He is without a doubt one of the best rhythm guitar players in the world, He stated that as long as he is physically and mentally fit he will be in "Metallica", He is the living and breathing spirit behind "Metallica" and its main writer, And he is celebrating his birthday today !!! (Photo: societyofrock.com) So, in honor of the metal legend James Hetfield, let's tell you some interesting facts about him: 1. Hetfield was born on August 3, 1963, and was raised and educated in a devout Christian family with two half-brothers and a younger sister. Because of their faith his stepfather and mother did not take him nor his brothers and sister to the doctor, they relied on spiritual healing powers. 2. Due to the devout Christian education, he felt like an outsider at school. His parents did not agree that he will participate in health classes and did not allow him to learn about the human body or diseases. When he wanted to be accepted to a football team he had to get permission from a doctor and he could not do so. 3. Even when his mother fell ill with cancer she did not agree to receive medical treatment, she relied on God to heal her. She eventually died when Hetfield was sixteen. He wrote the song "The God That Failed" from "The Black Album" about it. 4. The songs "Dyers Eve" from the album "... And Justice For All" and "Unforgiven" from "The Black Album" were also inspired by the way Hetfield grew up as a devout Christian. 5. The first instrument he learned to play at the age of 9, was the piano. He later switched to drums and only at the age of 14 moved on to playing guitar. (Photo: pinterest.com) 6. He mentioned "Aerosmith" as a great influence on him as a child. He said they were the reason he wanted to play the guitar. Later on, he stated that the most influential guitar players which impacted his playing style were Tommy Iommi and Johnny Ramone. 7. The first band he played in as a teenager was "Leather Charm". 8. He was a janitor before founding "Metallica". 9. "Metallica" was founded when James responded to an ad in the newspaper posted by Lars Ulrich. (Photo: metallica.com) 10. Metallica's first song to be released on any album was "Hit the Lights" from the album "Kill 'Em All" which appeared in 1982 on the album "Metal Massacre" of the record company "Metal Blade". In the same recording, Dave Mustaine and Lloyd Grant played lead guitar and Hetfield took on the role of bass and rhythm guitar. The song also entered the second release of "Metal Massacre" in a slightly different lineup without Lloyd Grant and with Ron McGovney on bass. 11. He wrote the song "Nothing Else Matters" in his room during a tour while being depressed from the fact that he was away from home. He thought it was the last song anyone would ever want to hear, a song that least represents "Metallica", with the least chance of being played on stage. Hetfield plays all the guitar roles in the song, including the solo. 12. Although Kirk Hammett is the band's lead guitarist, Hetfield also plays solos on other songs, such as "Master of Puppets", "My Friend of Misery", "To Live Is to Die", "The Day That Never Comes" and more. (Photo: Fin Costello) 13. The song "Enter Sandman" was written about Hetfield's fears and nightmares as a child. 14. On the band performance held on August 8, 1992, during Kirk's solo in "Fade To Black", Hetfield suffered severe grades 2 and 3 burns from a pyrotechnic effect. He returned to perform after 17 days, but the one who performed his guitar roles for Another month was guitarist John Marshall from "Metal Church". 15. Hetfield also experienced a number of fractures in his hands as a result of skateboard accidents. The fractures prevented him from playing guitar on stage. Eventually, the band management was forced to include a special clause in his contract, according to which he was banned from skating during the band's tours. 16. Hetfield decided to take vocal classes late in his career following an incident in 1991 in which he lost his voice while performing the song "So What?" Of the "Anti-Nowhere League" band. (Photo: Scott Linnett) 17. Moreover, before recording the album "Ride The Lightning" he was not sure that his voice was good enough. He also wanted to focus on playing, so the singing role was offered to singer John Bush from the band "Armored Saint", who refused the offer because his band was more successful at the time. 18. He is the one who created the "Metallica" logo with the large and sharp "M" and "A" letters. 19. Hetfield noted that it was his wife who saved him from himself by helping him overcome his outbursts of rage and addictions. He suffered from severe alcohol addiction and while working on the album "St. Anger" he entered a rehab facility for seven months and returned to the band four months later. 20. Among all the punk, hard rock, and metal legends, Hetfield also cited Australian singer and songwriter Nick Cave as one of his influences. 21. Hetfield is a well-trained hunter and even a member of the Rifle Association of the United States. 22. He is an avid fan of cars and has a large collection of rare collectible cars. 23. The vehicle that Hetfield drove in the music video for the song "I Disappear" from the movie "Mission Impossible 2", was later given to him as a gift. He sold it 3 years later on "eBay" for much more than its value. 24. Hetfield tattooed the names of all his children on his chest. 25. Hetfield and Lars contributed their voices to the Disney cartoon series "Dave the Barbarian". In the episode "Here There Be Dragons" they spoke in the voice of two dragons. 26. He also contributed his voice along with Kirk to the adult cartoon series "Metalocalypse". 27. He played guitar in the song "Eclectic Electric" from the "Antipop" album of "Primus". (Photo: Ross Halfin) 28. In 2006, as part of the "Rock Am Ring" festival, he performed together with "Alice In Chains". They played the song "Would?" And Hetfield sang the vocal roles of Layne Staley. 29. He was a guest on the song "Beautiful Broken" by "Heart", taken from an album of the same name from 2016. 30. The first single he ever bought was "Sweet Home Alabama" by "Lynyrd Skynyrd". During the bridge on 3:26 minute of the song "The Four Horsemen" from Metallica's debut album, you can find a rhythm reminiscent of that of "Lynyrd Skynyrd's" on that song. This was Jame's tribute. 31. In 2019, Metallica had to cancel the rest of their tour following James' return to alcohol, this happened after 15 years in which he was sober. James was forced to return to a rehab center in order to wean off and recover from the severe addiction that accompanied him years before. 32. During "Metallica's" May 2022 performance in Brazil, an unusual event in the band's history occurred. Just before performing the song "Sad But True" James shared with the audience a moment that looked like an anxiety attack he had before going on stage. He told the audience that before he went on stage he did not feel so good, he felt insecure, he felt that he was old and that he could not play properly. He shared his feelings with the other members of the band and they in turn supported him and assured him that if he felt unable on stage they would support him and back him up. 33. In March 2022, James' son, Castor Hetfield, together with his band "Bastardane" released their debut album "Is This Rage?". 34. He was ranked 8th in Joel McIver's book list of 100 Greatest Guitarists in Metal. 35. He was ranked 24th on the "Hit Parader" list of the greatest singers in metal. 36. In a poll conducted by "Guitar World" magazine, he was ranked 19th on the list of the greatest guitarists of all time. (Photo: larockaforte.com) 37. He was also ranked second on the list of the 100 greatest guitarists in metal by the same magazine. 38. Rolling Stone magazine placed Hetfield in 87th place among the greatest guitarists of all time. 39. In April 2009 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with "Metallica". 40. In April 2023 "Metallica" released their 11th album "72 Seasons". In our personal opinion, James owns the whole album both in terms of the lyrics, vocals, and riffs. This is undoubtedly one of the albums where he stands out significantly from the rest of the band. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Berry Sakharof's debut album, "All or Nothing", was released on August 2, 1991. As the name of the album, "All or Nothing" ("Hakol O Clum") was a kind of gamble by Berry Sakharof who until then had not been accustomed to being "in the spotlight". Although he began his musical career at the age of 16 as a member of the band "Cosmic Dream", unlike his friend Rami Fortis whose first album was released in 1978, Berry did so only in 1991 when he was 34 years old. The album "All or Nothing" was the opening shot for the glorious career of one of the great musicians in Israeli rock, and this is the story behind it: 1. Rami Fortis and Berry Sakharof began their musical collaboration in the early 1980s with the band "Minimal Compact ", but their first couple collaboration was in 1988 with the international band "Foreign Affair", when at the same time the two collaborated on Fortis' second solo album, "Stories from the Box"(1988). 2. The fruitful cooperation officially led to the establishment of the "Fortisakharof" brand in 1990. That same year, the album "1900?" Was released, which carried a new line in the Israeli rock scene. 3. Berry was always the quieter of the two, with Fortis making his voice heard not only in music but in interviews, TV and radio shows, while Berry was usually hidden & shy. Berry had a very "cold" relationship with the media, so the idea of ​​working on a solo album and marketing it was not easy for him. 4. Despite this, Berry decided to zone out and go independent, but like a good friend Fortis was there in the background throughout all the recordings, accompanying, advising, and even participating in writing and performing. Fortis was even a partner in the video clips for some of the album's songs, as can be seen in the song "Spaceships". 5. Work on the album was done from January to May 1991 in three different studios: Anchor Studios, Triton and Dee. B., where the final mix was held. 6. Berry wrote all the melodies for the songs and the two instrumental pieces "Cats" and "All or Nothing", except for the song "The Man on the Wall" which was a cover version of a song composed by Meir Hernick and originally recorded by Samson Bar Noy back in 1955. 7. In terms of lyrics, Berry still did not feel confident enough and used lyrics written by musicians such as Eran Tzur ("Evening Sick" and "Nymph"), Dan Toren ("The Guardian of the Garden"), Rami Fortis ("Blind Faith" and "Spaceships") Sami Birnbach ("Click") and more. Berry also relied on the writings of writers and poets, such as Shaul Tchernichovsky ("I do not like her"), Yehuda Paradis ("The Man in the Wall"), Jonah Wallach ("There is") and David Avidan ("Invitation to a Daily Show"). 8. Berry did not believe in rehearsing a particular song, or performing it repetitively multiple times until it came out perfect on the recording. On the contrary, he believed that authentic initial execution is the real thing. He would record quickly and without correction, sometimes adding or improving a little but no more. He did not record the same piece of music more than two or three times. 9. Berry wrote all the musical roles with pencil and paper. He did not plan the album from beginning to end but created it while in motion, following his musical imagination and feeding on the musicians that surrounded him. 10. Those who were present at the studio said that there was a good atmosphere of sharing the work. Berry gave everyone creative freedom and encouraged them to bring out what they feel when they hear the music. What felt right to him just went into the album. 11. Berry brought the basics to each song, but the piece itself was born in the studio with the atmosphere we described; spontaneously, nothing was calculated or performed according to defined rules. 12. The musicians with whom he said that he searched throughout the work on the album for the unconventional and original. He brought a bunch of musicians from the street, he suggested to the drummer to use brushes and not sticks (in the songs "All or Nothing" and "Spaceships"), and he incorporated electronic music (in the song "There is") and more... 13. The song "The Guardian of the Garden" was written by Dan Toren, his first and certainly not the last collaboration with Berry. Toren said the text was a combination of several fairytales "The Giant in the Garden", "Humpty Dumpty" and "Alice in Wonderland". 14. The music for the song "Pressure" began to emerge in the mid-1980s as part of "Minimal Compact". Sammy Birnbach and Rami Fortis co-wrote. It was originally called "Pressure" but it was not eventually recorded as a minimal song. While working on the album Berry remembered it and decided to include it on the album. 16. The musician Ronen Shapira who played piano on the album said that Berry gave him the opportunity of a lifetime in the song "Pressure". He asked him to write an orchestra and this was the first time he had written for an orchestra. Berry sang the melody to him and Shapira wrote the orchestra on a page. The group of inexperienced musicians Berry brought from the street played the song in one take and that is what entered the album at the end. 17. In the song "Invitation to a daily show", the musician Amir Gvirtzman, who was responsible for the wind instruments on the album, plays musical instruments that he invented especially for the event. This is "Zumba", is actually "Zorna" with a special mouth. This was the first and last time the instrument was recorded on any album. 18. In "Spaceships," Berry asked bassist Gil Smetana to make his bass guitar sound like a contrabass. He sat with him in the studio for hours until Smetana reached a fragmentary sound he saw in his vision. 19. Bassist and singer Malka "Yoyo" Spiegel-Newman participates in background vocals on the album, only that it was recorded backward under the influence of the "Tears For Fears" song "Sowing The Seeds Of Love". 20. On the same day that the album was released, the album "Black Flower" by "Carmela, Gross Wagner" was also released - Eran Tzur's band, who as mentioned participated in writing lyrics for Berry's album. Berry was the one who recommended to Nana Disk manager to sign Eran and his friends on a recording contract. Listen to the album on: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website