He is an artist who breaks boundaries and conventions. He wrote, played, and sang with "Genesis", but he also has a rich solo career and quite a few collaborations. Apparently, the Progressive Rock genre would not have looked the same without him. (Photo: The Image Gate) Here are some interesting facts about Peter Gabriel: 1. He was born on February 13, 1950, as Peter Brian Gabriel, in Surrey England. 2. He was born the same year as his "Genesis" friend Steve Hackett , only one day after. 3. His father Ralph Parton Gabriel was an electrical engineer. His mother Edith Irene was from a family of musicians and taught Gabriel to play the piano from an early age. 4. Already in school his teachers noticed his singing talent, but he was more attracted to the piano and drums, when at the age of 10 his parents acquired him a floor tam tam. 5. Gabriel spent the money his aunt gave him for voice lessons to buy a "Beatles" album. 6. Already at the age of 12 he wrote his first song "Sammy the Slug". 7. In 1963 he joined his first band. A Jazz ensemble called "Milords", where he played drums and sang. Guitarist Steve Hackett will years later point out that Gabriel is actually a frustrated drummer. 8. In 1965 he co-founded a band called "Garden Wall", with his classmates Tony Banks and Chris Stewart. 9. In 1967 they disbanded and Gabriel, Banks, and Stewart teamed up with Anthony Phillips and Mike Rutherford and began working on new songs, as part of the new band. 10. The first song written in the new lineup was "She is Beautiful" by Banks and Gabriel. 11. The demo tape was sent to their friend Jonathan King, who was very enthusiastic about the results, especially from Gabriel's voice. He quickly signed the band on a recording contract. 12. King suggested the name "Gabriel's Angels" for the band, but the rest of the members were not enthusiastic, so they compromised on King's alternative suggestion - "Genesis". 13. Following King's recommendation the band worked on pop songs with an emphasis on the "Bee Gees" style, that King really liked. Indeed one of the first songs Gabriel and Banks wrote was "The Silent Sun", in which the influences of the "Bee Gees" can be heard very well. The song became the first single the band released. 14. On March 7, 1969, the band released their debut album " From Genesis to Revelation ". The album went in the same direction as King recommended, but failed commercially. Gabriel played the flute on the album. 15. Following the commercial failure of "From Genesis to Revelation", the band members moved on to pursue other occupations. Gabriel went to play the flute on Cat Stevens' third album "Mona Bone Jakon". 16. During 1970 the band members returned to work together and in June began recording their second album " Trespass ". Gabriel's contribution on this album was greater, both in terms of writing and of playing additional instruments, such as bass drum, harmonica, and accordion. (Photo by Michael Putland) 17. He was one of the first to perform "Stage Diving". During the performance of the song "The Knife" at the "Friars" Festival in Aylesbury in 1971. He threw himself on the crowd only to see the startled audience move out of his way. The result was a broken ankle. In the end, the audience brought him back on stage and he finished the song on his knees. 18. Following increasing pressure on Anthony Phillips during the tour of " Trespass ", he announced his retirement from the band. Gabriel who was looking for a replacement guitarist responded to an ad posted by guitarist Steve Hackett in the Melody Maker newspaper, in which he stated that he was looking for a band. Gabriel contacted him and invited him to audition as Phillips replacement. 19. Gabriel advised Hackett to listen to " Trespass ", before the audition. 20. Hackett passed the audition and in 1971 the band, reinforced by Phil Collins and Steve Hackett , released the masterpiece album " Nursery Cryme ". 21. This was the first album in which Gabriel played the oboe and also the first in which Gabriel wrote a story with characters and incorporated it into a song. It was the opening song of the album " The Musical Box ". 22. At that time Gabriel began to combine his acting skills with the music of "Genesis". He was known for his theatrical performances, changing costumes and roles and he was the first to do so. 23. One version says that the idea to dress up in costumes came out because back then the band's amplification systems were not advanced and therefore the audience could not understand Gabriel's singing, so he wanted to show them the meaning of the songs using the costumes. 24. The first time Gabriel appeared in a costume was with his wife Jill's dress and a fox head mask, similar to the character on the cover of " Foxtrot "'s album. He did not reveal this to the band members and it was a complete surprise for them. They did not understand what Gabriel was doing and thought he was going to ruin the show. In fact, the costumes caught the media's attention and increased the band's popularity. 25. Another popular Gabriel costume was "Britannia", which he used during the song " Dancing with the Moonlit Knight " from the masterpiece album " Selling England By The Pound ". 26. Gabriel was also among the first artists to make physical contact with the audience. He used to fall from the stage backward on the audience and allowed them to carry him. 27. In 1974 after six albums with the band, Gabriel decided to leave "Genesis". It was in the midst of a tour to promote the double album " The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway ". 28. After leaving the band, Gabriel took time for himself and his family. He began taking piano lessons and working on writing material for his first solo album. 29. In 1977 Gabriel released his first solo album produced by Bob Ezrin and included a collaboration with "King Crimson" guitarist Robert Fripp and bassist Tony Levin. Gabriel played keyboards and flute and the album included the hit single " Solsbury Hill ". 30. In 1978 Gabriel released his second solo album, in which he continued his collaboration with Robert Fripp and Tony Levin. This time it was Robert Fripp who produced the album and this is reflected in the sound and effects used in it. 31. Gabriel's third album was released in 1980 and included collaborations with Kate Bush and Paul Weller, among others. His "Genesis" friend Phil Collins is also featured here in a few songs. 32. The song " Biko " from the album was written in protest against the apartheid regime and was influenced by the death of Stephen Biko - an activist against the regime, who died in September 1977 while in police custody. This was Gabriel's first activist act, he will later be known as a human rights activist. 33. On February 6, 2021, on the occasion of the song's 40th anniversary, Gabriel released an updated version of it aimed at arousing global public opinion against racist countries, while mentioning countries like India, Myanmar, Turkey, China, and unfortunately Israel as well. The video for the song was produced for an organization called "Playing For Change" and the recording features musicians from around the world and peace activists. 34. While working on his third album, Gabriel and Phil Collins , who was featured on the album, were partners in the development of the "Gated Reverb" effect. This was during the recordings of the song " Intruder ". This is an effect that is mainly used to amplify the sound of the drums in relation to the other instruments and can be heard in the song " In the Air Tonight " by Phil Collins , from 1981. 35. In 1982, Gabriel released his fourth album, which included African music influences, such as in the song " The Rhythm of the Heat " and the hit " Shock the Monkey ", which was relatively successful in the charts. 36. In the same year, Gabriel founded the World of Music, Arts Dance - WOMAD festival, which included music, art, and dance. 37. Following the losses suffered by the festival and the creditor knocking on his door, Gabriel agreed in 1982 to join forces with his "Genesis" friends for a reunion performance held on 10/2/1982. 38. Later Gabriel founded the label "Real World Records", with one of its goals being to reach young composers and new music. 39. In 1985 he released the soundtrack to the movie "Birdy", a film by Alan Parker from 1984. The album was produced by Daniel Lanois. 40. In 1986 Gabriel's big break came with his fifth studio album - "So". This is his most successful album which has reached sales of over 8 million copies. The album featured many artists such as drummer Stewart Copeland, singer Kate Bush and more. 41. The video clip for the song "Sledgehammer" from it, won 9 MTV Awards at a ceremony held in 1987. It is the most aired video clip on MTV ever. 42. The song also managed to kick out his "Genesis" friends' song "Invisible Touch" from first place, on the American Billboard 100. 43. All of Gabriel's first four albums were called "Peter Gabriel". 44. Gabriel continued with minimalism when the title of the next three albums was the two-letter words "So", "Us", and "Up. 45. In 1988 he composed the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's film "The Last Temptation Of Christ". 46. In 2006 he won an award for his contribution to peace on behalf of the Nobel Prize Committee. 47. In 2008, Time magazine chose him among the 100 most influential people in the world. 48. In 2010 he was inducted as a member of the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame", along with "Genesis". 49. In 2015 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of South Australia. This was for his contribution to music. 50. You will not be able to take him out to eat a good steak in a restaurant. He is vegetarian. 51. He has four children from two marriages. Their Daughter Melanie Gabriel is a musician who also went on tour with him. His second daughter Anna-Marie Gabriel is a photographer who has worked with artists such as Robert Plant and Emmylou Harris, among others. 52. His two daughters also appear in the iconic clip "Sledgehammer". 53. Gabriel has released during his career nine solo albums and four soundtracks. 54. On December, 1 2023, Gabriel released his 10th album - "I/O", which he has reportedly been working on for 20 years. 53. During his musical career he has also collaborated with many artists such as: Natalie Merchant, Elizabeth Fraser, Trent Reznor, Youssou N'Dour, Sinéad O'Connor, Kate Bush, Peter Hammill, and many more. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

We cannot imagine our life without "radio". Yes, yes, even before the invention of television, before the age of the Internet and social networks, we relied on the radio as a means of communication, information transfer and the spread of culture. This device, the theoretical basis for its invention was laid at the end of the 19th century, has been accompanying us for over 100 years, day and night, in success and in crisis, in times of joy and sadness. Through it we were exposed to current affairs and news, participated in quizzes and competitions, listened to debates and live broadcasts of historical events and sports games, but most of all, through the radio we learned to fall in love with music!!! It may be hard to imagine, but not long ago the radio was almost the only means for us to keep up with what was happening in the world of music, to be exposed to new artists, and to rate the various charts. Even when we felt that here in our tiny country we didn't get enough of this exciting thing called music, we knew how to pick up an antenna, run on the scale and reach "Radio Ramallah" or Abie Nathan's "Voice of Peace". In our era, the term "radio" has been expanded and removed from the "electromagnetic waves" through which the voices and sounds were transferred from one side of the world to the other, more than a century ago. Today we can receive our radio digitally, online, through the Internet, the phone, and even in the car, without any antenna. In 2010, the Spanish Academy asked the Board of Directors of UNESCO, which is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to declare "World Radio Day". A year later, the UNESCO Council recommended to the 36th session of the UNESCO General Conference to declare "World Radio Day", and that this day be celebrated on February 13, the day the United Nations Radio Station was established, in 1946. Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart wrote the lyrics to The Spirit of the Radio as a tribute to all that was good about radio. "This is a celebration of my great appreciation for the magic moments I had since my childhood on the radio, of hearing the right song at the right time," Peart said in one of his interviews. So especially in honor of this special day, we have prepared for you a playlist of songs we love with the word "radio" in their title. All you have to do is click here and then tell us which radio tribute song you're missing from the playlist and we'll add it. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Written By: Moti Kupfer Release date - 13.02.1980 What is a Reverb? An effect created when a sound wave is reflected off various surfaces before it reaches the listener. The first Reverb in human history was heard in nature, in a canyon or a cave. The reflections in those places are fascinating and also slightly frightening. In craters, you can hear the reverb echoing back when you shout. In the mid-seventies, Peter Gabriel  left Genesis, and Phil Collins found himself in the position of lead singer, even though he had not wanted it. About five years would pass before Collins could thank Gabriel twice: once for leaving "Genesis" and handing him the reins, and a second time for inviting Collins to play on the recording sessions of Gabriel’s third solo album. Collins, who recorded the drum parts on that album, played on the opening track "Intruder"  without cymbals. The recording engineer Hugh Padgham, who was working with an SSL console that had built-in gates and compressors on every channel, accidentally opened the talkback microphone. The microphone happened to be reversed, creating heavy compression. Collins played the drums while speaking, and boom – Padgham could not believe what he was hearing. The gated reverb was born. Collins, who fell in love with that sound, would take it a few months later to "In the Air Tonight" , the song that opens his debut album "Face Value", released on February 13, 1981. By the end of the seventies, Phil Collins was an extremely busy musician. Between recording sessions with "Genesis", now reduced to three members, the nine-month tour promoting the album " And Then There Were Three ", and recordings with Brand X, he had very little time left for his family. The strain created bitterness for his wife Andrea, who was waiting for her husband at home. Not long after, they divorced. Collins, devastated by the collapse of his marriage, channeled and documented everything on his heart into a debut album filled with computerized pop, emotionally charged, wrapped in the bombastic sound he had invented with Hugh Padgham only months earlier. The album opens with 5:34 of pure brilliance. In the first minutes, Collins pulls the listener in through beats that imitate a heartbeat. Then he enters with vocals processed through a vocoder, making him sound like a robot. But this is a robot with feelings, a broken heart that shatters loudly alongside the booming drum sound, the very sound that would later become Collins’ trademark, and in many ways, the trademark of the eighties. Despite the synthesized pop textures and the drum machine, Collins drew inspiration from the R&B acts of the period. The album includes groove-driven, funky-flavored songs such as "Behind the Lines" , which had been performed a year earlier in a different arrangement on the album " Duke " by his mother band, "Genesis". Collins moves effortlessly across the album from groove to prog, from fusion rock to synthesized pop. On the second single "I Missed Again" , he adds a brass section and returns to an R&B atmosphere. He once again confronts his heartbreak in "If Leaving Me Is Easy" , which features guest appearances by Eric Clapton . Clapton also plays on the blues-flavored "The Roof Is Leaking" , while the remaining guitar parts throughout the album are performed by Daryl Stuermer, the touring guitarist of "Genesis". The album closes with a cover of "Tomorrow Never Knows"  by "The Beatles", followed by a brief half-minute dedication in memory of John Lennon, who had been murdered only months earlier, including a subtle homage to "Over the Rainbow" . There is no room for mistakes with the album cover and Collins’ direct, piercing stare. It is designed to draw the listener deep into his mind and into the emotional storm unfolding inside Phil Collins ’ heart. For Listening : Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On Friday, February 13, 1970, the first Metal album in the history of music was released, the debut album of "Black Sabbath". This is not just another debut album, but an album that is the mainstay of the Heavy Metal genre and the album that will lay the foundations for Doom Metal, with the theme song that even more than fifty years later continues to chill. So true, there will be those who will say that the Metal elements were planted long before, on " Led Zeppelin 's" debut album, in the sounds of Hendrix's guitar, in the heaviness of "Cream", in the roughness of "Grand Funk", in "Helter Skelter" of "The Beatles" or even in the nails nailed by Dave Davies from the "Kinks" in the membrane of his guitar amp speaker to create the fuzzy riff sound in the song "You Really Got Me". Everyone is right, the beauty in music is development. Every artist has been influenced by something so that we can always go back and point out his influential sources. But yet, no one can take the title from this album as being responsible for creating the Metal genre. The metallic sound, the heaviness, the general atmosphere that hovers over the entire album, leaves no room for doubt, this is the first metal album! The sound so unique to this album is largely attributed to an accident guitarist Tony Iommi suffered at the age of 17. During his work in a metal factory, his middle fingers were cut off. So, to alleviate the pain while playing the guitar, he wrapped them in small plastic hats. In addition, Iommi loosened the guitar strings a bit to ease his fingers, which resulted in the metallic and heavy sound that is heard on the album. What completed the heavy sound was the bass work of Geezer Butler who was originally a guitarist and did not really know how to fit in with Iommi's playing. Butler found himself more than once following Iommi's playing and imitating it in a way that amplified the heaviness in the sound. (Photo: Metal Hammer Magazine) Another thing that influenced the sound has to do with Tony Iommi 's accidental malfunction of the "Fender Stratocaster" guitar, which he used to play while making the recordings. This forced him to switch to "Gibson SG" guitar and anyone who knows both guitars will immediately understand the difference in sounds between the two guitars. It is unbelievable that this album was recorded from beginning to end in less than 12 hours. All the songs here were recorded live on November 19, 1969. There were no overdubs, no effects, and no other external intervention. Except for the sounds of rain and the ringing bell at the beginning of the album and the guitar solos in the songs "N.I.B." And "Double Sleeping Village," everything sounded just like the band played in the studio. The album opens up with the theme song " Black Sabbath ", to the sounds of heavy rain and a bell piercing the silence. A gloomy opening perfectly timed with the band's name and the album's release date, which was by no means accidental. It was Friday, February 13, 1970. This song is a statement of intent of the band's musical direction, which was influenced by the horror film genre that swept Britain in those years and reached the homes of the working-class families of Birmingham. "Black Sabbath" was the name of one of the horror movies that Geezer Butler watched and it was he who suggested the name to the rest of the group members. Geezer Butler was then greatly influenced by mysticism and black magic, the walls of his apartment were painted black with embedded crosses and pictures of the devil hung on them. The main riff in the song was created after Iommi heard Butler play an excerpt from Gustav Holst's suite "The Planets", which is called "Mars". Iommi went home and the next day came back with this creepy riff. What contributed to the heavy and dark sound, was guitarist Tony Iommi 's use of a riff based on "tritone" - a three-tone sound interval that got the nickname "Devil's Riff". Iommi deviated a bit from the familiar bluesy-pentatonic scale to produce this immortal riff that formed the basis for most of the riffs throughout the genre. The lyrics to the second track " The Wizard " were written by Butler, under the influence of the "Lord of the Rings" magician, Gandalf. The music was created by all four members. Another version tells that the song was influenced by a drunk man that Geezer and Ozzy met outside a pub that looked to them like an elf. The sweeping harmonica sound in this song is the fruit of Ozzy Osbourne 's playing. The song is led by the harmonica sound played by Ozzy Osbourne and its combination with Iommi's sawing riffs is just awesome. " Behind the Wall of Sleep " is based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, of the same name. The intro to this track is called " Wasp " and immediately after it comes a break to a slower rhythm. It is interesting to note that the riff in the song "Cities On Flame With Rock and Roll" by the band "Blue Oyster Cult" is very reminiscent of the riff in this song. As is well known, "Blue Oyster Cult" was initially intended to be the American answer for "Black Sabbath". In the American version of the album the song connects with the next song - "N.I.B." The fourth track on the album " N.I.B. ", Is without a doubt one of the greatest's and most identified with the band. It opens with Geezer Butler 's bass solo, leading us toward the iconic riff of the song, which comes in after 40 seconds. Much has been written about the meaning of the acronym "N.I.B.", including those who claimed that it was the phrase "Nativity In Black", that served as the basis for the band's masterful tribute album series. It is, however, a nickname given by Butler to drummer Bill Ward 's beard that looks like the tip of the pen (NIB). The album also includes two cover versions. The first is " Evil Woman " by an American band called "Crow". The song was recorded as a single even before the album was recorded and was released in January 1970. The song was not a success but its b-side is an interesting song that was not released on the original album, but only in the American version and is called " Wicked World ". " Sleeping Village " opens acoustically, darkly and mesmerizingly. Some say it was influenced by Salem's witch trials. This is one of the first songs the band played on John Peel's radio show in November 1969. The second cover version is a little more interesting. It's the song " Warning " by the band "The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation", which was a blues-rock lineup of the English drummer Aynsley Dunbar. The reviews did not praise the album when it was released, but the audience loved it, especially the youth who were drawn to the underground and dark sound and the devilish motifs. Needless to say, as one of the founding albums of the genre, this album is a part of every possible ranking list, both of Metal albums and in general. For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music . "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Although he is known as a Progressive Rock musician, his playing influenced musicians from other genres like Eddie Van Halen . He may not be as famous as his bandmates from "Genesis", but he is the most prolific of them all, continuing to release great albums to this day. He has Jewish roots and has collaborated with so many artists, even the Israeli "Orphaned Land". Ladies and gentlemen, let's get to know one of our favorite guitarists Steve Hackett: (Photo: Tina Korhonen) 1. He was born on 12 February 1950 as Stephen Richard Hackett, in London England. He has Jewish roots on his mother's side. 2. He was born one day before Peter Gabriel - his friend from "Genesis". 3. His younger brother John Hackett is a flutist who has participated in his solo albums. 4. In his youth, Hackett learned to play the harmonica and flute. 5. At the age of 12 he began teaching himself to play the guitar. 6. The early musical influences on him were on the one hand from Classical music and Opera and on the other hand artists like Peter Green , John John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers ", Jimi Hendrix , and "The Beatles". 7. Between the years 1968-1970 Hackett played in three different bands, with one of them - "Canterbury Glass", he even recorded an album in 1968. 8. In 1970 he moved to the band "Quiet World", where his younger brother John Hackett also played the flute. The band released the concept album "The Road" that same year. 9. Hackett left "Quiet World" that year and published an ad in the melodic newspaper, in which he stated that he was looking for a band. The ad was answered by Peter Gabriel who was just looking for a replacement for guitarist Anthony Phillips along with members of the band "Genesis". (Photo: Dennis Stone—Express) 10. Gabriel advised Hackett to listen to the album " Trespass " which was released exactly that year, before the audition. 11. Hackett of course passed the audition and his first appearance with "Genesis" was on January 24, 1971. 12. Immediately upon joining the band, Hackett helped the band to shape its sound, thanks in part to his very unique playing style. In addition, Hackett was the one that advised the band members to make use of the mellotron instrument. 13. The first album he recorded with Genesis was " Nursery Cryme " from 1971, which included several notable solos, including the one in the song " The Musical Box " (starting at 4:10). 14. Contrary to popular belief Hackett was the one that used the "Tapping" guitar technique and not Eddie Van Halen . Hackett was told by Eddie Van Halen himself that he was at a "Genesis" show in the early 1970s, where he learned the technique from him. 15. In 1972 he released " Foxtrot " together with "Genesis", in which beyond the usual writing partnership, he demonstrated his abilities in composing and performing the classic piece " Horizons ". 16. In 1973 he was a part of writing and playing in the masterpiece album " Selling England By The Pound ", in which he used the tapping technique as well as the "Sweep Picking" technique in the song " Dancing with the Moonlit Knight ". The sweep-picking technique will be famous years later, among others, by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen . 17. This album also features one of Hackett's great solos and probably also one of the great moments of his career, the immortal guitar solo in the song " Firth of Fifth ", which proved that Hackett is far beyond his incredible technique, he has so much emotion in playing. 18. During the recordings of the double album " The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway " in 1974, Hackett went through a divorce proceeding. 19. After Peter Gabriel left "Genesis" and everyone thought that the band was not going to survive, he released his first and excellent solo album "Voyage of the Acolyte". The album also featured his "Genesis" friends Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford as well as Sally Oldfield, sister of ... 20. Hackett also participated in first two Collins era "Genesis'" albums - " A Trick of the Tail " from 1976 and " Wind & Wuthering " from 1977. But then he felt he was not exhausting all his abilities and that not enough ideas and songs he was bringing to the band are reflected in the final product, so he decided to leave. 21. The last release of Hackett with "Genesis" will be an EP called "Spot the Pigeon", which was released in 1977 and included three songs that were originally written for the album " Wind & Wuthering " but were left out. 22. After the end of the tour that accompanied the album " Wind & Wuthering ", while in the mixing stages of the live album " Seconds Out ", Hackett left Genesis claiming that he needed more creative freedom. 23. His first solo al m after "Genesis" - "Please Don't Touch!", was released in 1978. This album featured among others vocals from Steve Walsh known from "Kansas". 24. In 1986, Hackett and his fellow guitarist, Steve Howe , formed the supergroup "GTR". (Short for Guitar). The band released an album that year. The album entered 11th place in the Billboard 200 sales chart and included the hit single " When the Heart Rules the Mind ". 25. In 1986 Hackett was also a part of the "Box of Frogs" project including the ex-"Yardbirds" Chris Dreja, Paul Samwell-Smith, and Jim McCarty. Jimmy Page , Jeff Beck , and Rory Gallagher also played guitars on the project. 26. In 2001, Hackett participated in the soundtrack of the movie "Outwitting Hitler". 27. Hackett is without a doubt the most prolific solo artist among the members of "Genesis". He has released no less than 27 studio albums, including one blues-style album and four classic-style albums. 28. In addition to the aforementioned solo albums, Hackett released in 2000 an album in which he collaborated with his brother John Hackett and was called "Sketches of Satie". 29. In 2009 he began collaborating with the Hungarian jazz-rock and fusion band "Djabe". He has released 7 albums with them to date. 30. In 2012, Hackett co-founded the excellent project "Squackett" with bassist Chris Squire . As part of which, he released the album "A Life Within a Day". 31. In addition Hackett has participated in the albums of many artists including "Orphaned Land", John Wetton , Ian McDonald , Steven Wilson, Steve Rothery , and Alan Parsons . 32. Mira Awad and Kobi Farhi from "Orphaned Land", were featured on his album "The Night Siren". 33. Hackett entered the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" in 2010, along with the rest of "Genesis" members. 34. Hackett's playing has influenced many guitarists including Eddie Van Halen , Alex Lifeson , Brian May , Steve Rothery , and more. 35. On May 5, 2012, Hackett performed in Israel at Hangar 11, and definitely left a taste of more ... "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, named Joseph Anthony 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 , Brad Whitford, and Joey Kramer joined the band, and thus became "Aerosmith". 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. In 1978, Tyler, Perry, and the band Aerosmith proved to the band's fans what a true "mutual bond" was when they released 30 of them on "bail" after they were arrested during the band's performance at the Fort Wayne Coliseum in Indiana, only for the fact that they were smoking marijuana. 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. Perry was involved in the first-ever combination of rock and hip-hop when "Aerosmith" collaborated with rappers "Run DMC" in 1987, on a remake of "Aerosmith's" song "Walk This Way". 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. Following the success, the band won four Grammy Awards and ten MTV Video Clip Awards. 24. In addition, Perry won 6 American Music Awards, 4 Billboard Awards, and 1 Emmy Award together with "Aerosmith". 25. In 1990 Perry and Steven Tyler participated 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 his first self-titled solo album. Perry played all the instruments except the drums. Since then, Perry has released three more solo albums, the last one in 2018. 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. Perry was inducted along with Steven Tyler into the Poets Hall of Fame in 2013. 33. Back in 2013, Perry and Steven Tyler received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. 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 2023, Perry and "Aerosmith" went on a tour for the band's 50th anniversary without drummer Joey Kramer , a tour that was postponed for two years, in light of the Covid-19 crisis. 43. In August 2024, the band "Aerosmith" announced on its official Twitter account that they are disbanding after 50 years of activity, due to the condition of singer Steven Tyler 's vocal cords. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On February 12, 1981, "Rush" released their eighth studio album - "Moving Pictures". The Professor: Without tearing down from the greatness of Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee , this album is probably Neil Peart 's album. The album where he just shone, the album where he surpassed all imagination and rose to the rank of a wizard, even a God! It's not that Peart 's drumming or writing was lacking before, he received the nickname Professor by right and not by grace! But on this album, he was simply touched by the hand of God. The choice of words and writing topics that became more personal, the planning three albums ahead with the "fear trilogy" arranged in reverse chronology, the unconventional time signatures that became even more insane, the simple frantic rhythm change, the enlightenment that fell on him when he chose to establish a musical piece on a Morse code and the crazy drum rolls that made us raise our hands in the air with the "Air Drumming". All of these and others constituted Peart 's added value to the geniuses of the other two and so in a sense, this album would not have sounded as it is without it. So for those who have not yet read the words we wrote about Neil after his death, we ask (not recommend) that you click on the link and read before you continue reading the review. It will help you understand how great this man was and what he symbolized for us. A Farewell To A King…. Masterpiece: It's the biggest masterpiece of the Canadian trio, yes there are a few more. A perfect album that does not have one extra note or one extra second, from beginning to end. A work of thought, composed by three geniuses and will be remembered forever as one of the greatest works in Rock. This is the band's best-selling album, which has sold over four million copies in the United States alone. This album reached the third place in the list of the 50 greatest progressive albums of all time by "Rolling Stone" magazine. Before it on the list are only "The Dark Side Of The Moon" and King Crimson's debut - " In The Court Of The Crimson King ". Do you perceive the magnitude of the achievement? Now, there will be those of you who will say it's not a serious rating, it's the "Rolling Stone" and what do they understand about Prog. but no! The very fact that nine different music critics put together this glorious list and came to the conclusion that this album deserves third place, proves that this achievement cannot be swept under the rug. This is not "the Voice" vote using an app or SMS, these are valued critics of one of the great music magazines. The Background: The story of the creation of this masterpiece album, begins where the story of the previous album " Permanent Waves ", released in January 1980, ended. The 1980s opened up with a storm for "Rush." The band's style changed on " Permanent Waves " and this drew positive reactions from both critics and audiences. And so, the band embarked on a successful tour that ended in June 1980. During the sound checks on the tour, the band began working on new material. The band had plans to take a break for a few months until the second leg of the tour, which was supposed to start in September, but Neil Peart urged Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson to get into the studio and work on the material that was written during the sound checks. In July 1980, the band was featured in the recording of the song "Battle Scar" by "Max Webster", their Canadian friends, and colleagues. While in the studio, Pye Dubois - the lyricist of "Max Webster" approaches Neil Peart and offered him lyrics for a song he thought will suit "Rush". Now think about the situation, an external lyricist offers the "Professor", the witty and honed lyricist who wrote epic works like "2112" and " Hemispheres ", lyrics to a new song. Between us, anyone else would reject it politely. But the humble Neil Peart agrees to get the lyrics for the song then called "Louis the Lawyer". he renovates, updates, and adds his input to the lyrics that will become the band's biggest song " Tom Sawyer ". Immediately after the tribute to "Max Webster", the band moves to a summer house on "Stony Lake" - a lake northeast of Toronto, to complete the work of writing the songs for the album. The rehearsals were fruitful, during which the members finished writing five of the seven songs on the album. The first song the band finished writing was " The Camera Eye ", followed by " Tom Sawyer ", " Red Barchetta ", " YYZ ", and " Limelight ". In September, "Rush" returned to complete the pre-arranged show dates, with the band already playing the songs " Tom Sawyer " and " Limelight " live, before these were even recorded. In October 1980, the band entered its home studio "Le Studio", located at Morin-Heights, Quebec, and in less than two months, records the album that would change everything for them. A time of fewer than two months seems like nothing for a masterpiece like "Moving Pictures", but you'd be surprised to find out that the band would probably have managed to do it even faster, if not all the equipment they were familiar with been replaced. The band wastes precious studio time learning and getting acquainted with the new instrumentation placed there, including the 48-channel digital tape. As part of the experiment with the new instrumentation, the band uses, among other things, a special condenser microphone that was installed on Neil Peart 's chest during the recordings and picked up the sounds reflected from the walls and the atmosphere in the studio. The microphone can be seen mounted on Peart 's chest in the video of the song " Vital Signs ": Luckily, today we can recreate some of the electrifying atmospheres that prevailed in "Le Studio" during the recording of the album, since apart from the song " Vital Signs " the band shot two more video clips for the songs, " Tom Sawyer " and " Limelight ". The three videos were shot in the studio during the recordings and you can learn from them, even partially, about what happened in the studio. The Magic: This album is the band's first to feature synthesizers in each of the songs. It is also the band's last album to include a song that lasted over 10 minutes. If " Permanent Waves " was an album that was the bridge between the Prog and the New Wave era, then in this album the band crossed the bridge and stood at the center of a crossroads, being exposed and absorbing the bustling traffic coming from all directions. In other words, it's the band's most diverse album in terms of musical styles and overall sound, but at the same time, and despite the diversity, it still manages to be the band's most perfect album and that's its beauty as well. The album opens up with an explosion and the hit " Tom Sawyer " with the synthesizer sound of Geddy Lee perfectly synchronized with Neil Peart 's bass drum, which takes us with a 4/4 time signature, to the verse of the song. Seemingly a simple song to play, but do not get excited because no band has yet been born that managed to make a worthy cover of it, and believe us many greats tried. Already in the first instrumental section, we move to the exceptional 7/8 time signature, which changes again in the second instrumental part to another exceptional time signature 7/4. This song evolved from a musical part that Geddy Lee used to play on the synthesizer during the band's sound checks. This musical part which starts at 1:33, is played on the synthesizer cyclically along 8 bars, when at the ninth bar Alex Lifeson is joining and playing the same musical part on the guitar along with the synthesizer for 2 more bars, before taking off for his crazy solo. And notice what happens during those 2 bars of overlap between the guitar and synthesizer. After a bar and a half the synthesizer leaves and the guitar is left to play another half box alone, until Geddy Lee enters with his bass playing exactly the same melody as the guitar and synthesizer before him. We have already said that while writing the materials, the band has always thought ahead about the way the songs will be performed live, without the help of guest musicians. So this half box is meant to allow Geddy Lee to leave the synthesizer and start playing the bass during the shows. And what's happening with Neil Peart 's drums starting at 2:30 can simply not be explained in words. Just remember, if someone asks you when and where the concept of "Air Drumming" was born, you will direct him to this point exactly, starting at 2:30 of the song. The second track " Red Barchetta " was recorded in one take, do you get it ??? This song opens with the harmonies produced by Alex Lifeson 's palm-muted strings followed by Geddy Lee 's amazing bass solo, which takes us after a short instrumental section to the first verse. This song is based on a story called "A Nice Morning Drive" which was published in 1973. Neil Peart manages to compress in six minutes, a dystopian science fiction story that corresponds in one way or another with the epic "2112", only here the restriction law is not related to music but to driving a motorized car. The protagonist in this story finds an old car or rather a Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta on his uncle's farm, and decides to take it for a ride despite the "engine law" that forbids it. The protagonist is of course caught up in a chase when the law enforcement officers follow him. Geddy and Alex manage to illustrate the fast sports car chase amazingly through the music, especially starting from the 2:26 minute of the song. Geddy Lee 's bass playing in this song is perfect, and listen to Alex Lifeson 's solo starting at 3:20, listen carefully because what you hear is not one solo but two, since Gaddy Lee goes with his own solo overlapping Alex's one, leaving Neil Peart to keep the rhythm by his own. The third track on the album is the instrumental track " YYZ ". This track demonstrates the virtuosity and musical diversity of all the band members and of Neil Peart in particular. "YYZ" is the code for Pearson Airport in Toronto. Neil Peart said he was always happy to see this code hanging on his suitcase because it symbolized his return home. The rhythm of the instrumental section consists of the Morse code of the letters YYZ, where the dashes (-) are played using eighth notes and the dots (.) using sixteenth notes. Interestingly, the crash sound in the middle of Alex Lifeson 's solo was created using wind chimes slammed on a wooden table. The song that seals the first side of vinyl " Limelight ", is led by Alex Lifeson 's amazing and catchy riff. The song is a kind of autobiography of Neil Peart who tells about dealing with publicity and success. As you know Peart was shy, introverted, and humble and did not get along really well with the success and everything that came with it. It is interesting to note that the song includes the words "camera eye" which is the next song on the album. The lyrics also have a reference to the band's first debut album mentioned in the sentence: "all the world's indeed a stage, and we are merely players". It may sound relatively simple to you, but it's one of the most complex songs on the album in terms of rhythm changes. During the verses, the rhythm is changed no less than 8 times (3/4, 4/4, 2/4, 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 2/4) with the change of rhythms also continuing to the chorus. The chords that Alex uses are also completely uncommon in the hard rock genre, including: Asus2, E5, G#m11, and more. Alex's solo is also one of the most beautiful on the album and in general. The other side of the vinyl opens up with " The Camera Eye ", the longest song on the album, which is a mini-work in two parts lasting almost 11 minutes. The song addresses the cultural differences between the cities of London and New York that Neil Peart visited, while conveying his impression of both through the lyrics of the song. The title of the song is based on the "USA trilogy" by the writer John Dos Passos, which Peart admired, and also based the song "The Big Money" from the album " Power Windows ", on the same trilogy. Although the title of the song indicates only Roman numerals I and II, as mentioned, the first part of the song refers to New York City, while the second part which starts at 6:00 refers to the city of London, while in terms of the music the song seems to start from the beginning. Beyond the mighty amazing sound that sounds fresh even four decades later, some passages in this song just break us to pieces. Alex Lifeson 's minimalist guitar work at the intro. The tremendous entry at 1:33 (mandatory at high volume). The keyboard segment starts at 2:20 and what happens next with Lifeson's guitar and Peart's crazy rollers - just an orgasm... Geddy Lee 's bass playing starting from Alex Lifeson 's solo at 9:17, which is one of the most beautiful on the album. While Alex goes solo Geddy Lee just leaves the rhythm section on Neil Peart's broad shoulders and goes out on his own bass solo. And try to listen to what's going on at 8:56 in the song, after Peart's short roll, Geddy Lee is heard giggling here and saying something like "Oh God" or something similar. The next song is " Witch Hunt " which opens with the band members' voices and the studio staff shouting at each other. This was recorded using microphones placed in the freezing cold outside the studio. How amazingly Neil Peart keeps up the pace here with a cowbell during the verses and such beautiful rolls he hands out to us starting at 2:18, a delight to our ears. Interestingly, the special drum sound in certain parts of the song was achieved by 2 different recordings of Peart being put together. This song is also called "Part III Of Fear" and is part of the "fear trilogy" conceived by Peart , which initially consisted of 3 parts that appeared in reverse chronology across 3 consecutive albums. The first is " Witch Hunt " also called Part III Of Fear and deals with the way fear can be used to control people. The second is " The Weapon " from the 1982 album " Signals " and deals with external fears such as weapons And the third is " The Enemy Within " also called "Part I Of Fear", from " Grace Under Pressure ", which came out in 1984 and deals with the inner fears of people. 18 years later the band decided to add a fourth part to what started as the "fear trilogy", as part of the comeback album " Vapor Trails ". This track deals with paranoia and fear of the unknown and is called " Freeze - Part IV of Fear ". Peart's genius is also expressed here as a writer who pre-planned the trilogy that will be spread over three consecutive albums in a reverse chronology. This song features Hugh Syme - the band's regular cover designer playing synthesizers alongside Geddy Lee . It is interesting to note that while working on the song, the band was informed of the murder of John Lennon . The timing was chilling and Geddy referred to it in an interview he gave as follows: "I was at Morin Heights, a recording studio an hour north of Montreal, working on the song "Witch Hunt" for the "Moving Pictures" album the night he was shot. It was a very heavy moment, I recall. I think we were all just stunned. I remember constantly going back and forth, from working to the TV, to try to get some news. If I remember the environment, looking around the room, my memory just shows me a lot of pale faces staring at the tube." The album ends with " Vital Signs ", which marks the musical connection with the next album - " Signals ". A beautiful reggae song. A style that the band had a taste of in the song "Spirit Of The Radio" from the previous album, and here has already become more dominant. This style will go and take over larger parts of the next album and will lead to inevitable friction with regular producer Terry Brown, ending in an explosion and his departure. It is hard to believe, but this song was written within 5 minutes in the studio, according to Geddy Lee . It is a song that the band really liked but the audience had a very hard time with it so the band used to play it a lot in live shows in the years after the album's release, in an attempt to get the audience to love it. This song has a very special structure. Alex Lifeson is the one who keeps the rhythm with the beating of the chords, while Geddy Lee takes the lead. Just Listen to his bass playing in this song, especially the melodic and short solo starting from the 3rd minute. And if you thought Alex Lifeson 's role in this song was easy, listen to his chords beat at the opening of the song and try to sync with their rhythm. Tell us if you succeed. Not simple, right? There are a lot of breaks in rhythm, and syncopations that make it difficult to synchronize exactly with Alex Lifeson 's chord beat. The Cover: Like most "Rush" albums, this cover was designed by Hugh Syme, who estimated that the design would cost $ 9,500. "Anthem Records" refused to cover the entire bill, leaving the band to pay for the rest. Hugh Syme gave the cover a triple meaning to the words "Moving Pictures": First, the cover shows "Movers" carrying the pictures (Moving). On the side of the picture, people are seen crying because the pictures that pass by them "move" them. On the back cover, a camera crew is filming a movie of the entire scene (Movie). The filming took place outside the Legislature building in Ontario, Queens Park, Toronto. The picture being moved by the movers is Rush's star logo displayed on the back cover of the album " 2112 ", one of the Dogs Playing Poker drawings titled "A Friend in Need" and a painting by Joan of Arc burning on the stake. The camera crew seen on the back cover actually filmed the scene. Summary: "Moving Pictures" is without a shadow of a doubt one of the pinnacles of "Rush"'s work. This is a masterpiece that has received a perfect score from many music critics, including "AllMusic". Beyond the fact that it reached number three on "Rolling Stone's 50 greatest prog albums list, it is also on the magazine's "500 greatest albums of all time" list and on the "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" list. "Kerrang!" Included it in the list of the 100 greatest Heavy Metal albums of all time and readers of "Rhythm" magazine determined that it was the greatest drum album in the history of Progressive Rock. In 2011, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of its release, the band played the entire album, from beginning to end, as part of the "Time Machine Tour" - recorded for " Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland ". And now, let's listen and learn how masterpieces should sound: Spotify , Apple Music . "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On February 11, 2022 "Slash ft. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators" released the album "4". This is Slash 's fifth solo album and his fourth as part of "Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators" featuring Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums), Todd Kerns (bass, vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar, vocals). The album "4" was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Dave Cobb (Rival Sons, The Highwomen, Chris Stapleton and more), and is slightly different from the previous material the band released, in terms of sound and style. Producer Dave Cobb noted that the band members have expressed their desire to record the album as much as possible "Live", including a guitar and live solo. It is first album ever released on the new label "Gibson Records", the iconic guitar brand born in Nashville and that is probably the reason that the band chose to record it in Nashville and take a producer who works and lives in Nashville. In October 2021, Slash and the conspirators released the official music video for the first single " The River Is Rising ", a rock bomb with Grunge touches, that features a slightly different sound and style from what we're used to so far from the band, which only left us an appetite for more new material. By the way, the Grunge touches that will remind you of "Alice In Chains" and "Soundgarden" can be heard in other songs on the album, such as " Whatever Gets You By " and " Spirit Love " with the Eastern sitar sound. On December 2021 the single " Fill My World " - Kennedy's love song for his dog was released. The song is led by a guitar riff who will surely remind you of something ... you just can not miss the resemblance to another "hit" that Slash co-wrote. The third single " Call off the Dogs " also reminded us of what Slash 's mother band could have done 35 years earlier, powerful high-pitched Hard Rock. The musical diversity of the album is reflected in songs like the catchy " C'est La Vie " with the "Talk Box" effect, the classic heavy metal riff of " The Path Less Followed ", the heavy boogie of " Actions Speak Louder Than Words " whose guitar line sound reminded us a bit "Led Zeppelin" and of course the epic and dynamic " Fall Back to the Earth ", which could have been the theme song in one of the James Bond's films and closes the album For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

She has been a regular candidate/winner in a number of consecutive Grammy Awards. She was a very talented athlete. And she no longer believes in full albums?? (Photo: Sheryl Crow) = Her full name is Sheryl Suzanne Crow and she was born on February 11, 1962, in Kennett, Missouri, USA. = She was a talented athlete and competed in the 75m hurdles on the All-State Track Athlete team. = She attended the University of Missouri at Columbia and graduated with a degree in music arts. = Her first band was "Cashmere" in which she was a member during her university studies. = Upon graduation she began working as a music teacher at Kellison Elementary School. = At that time she knew the producer Jay Oliver with whom she recorded radio commercials for various companies including McDonalds and Toyota. = From 1987-1991 she was the backing singer of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Belinda Carlisle, Tina Turner, Stevie Knicks, and Bob Dylan. (Photo: Peter Still) = During that time she also participated in the soundtracks of movies and TV series like Cop Rock, Bright Angel, Stone Cold, and Point Break. = In 1992, Sheryl planned to release her first album, but since she felt it was too "produced" and not rough, she and her record company decided not to release the album. Songs from the album leaked and reached a number of record companies as various artists recorded her songs such as Celine Dion, Tina Turner, and Wynonna Judd. = In 1993, Sheryl joined the "Tuesday Music Club" band, where all members took part in writing and creating. Over time as they worked together they became Sheryl's backing band when Sheryl slowly took the lead. = In August 1993, Sheryl released her debut album "Tuesday Night Music Club", in the context of the name of the band with whom she wrote and recorded the album. = At first the album was short of success and was quite weak in sales until the third single from the album "All I Wanna Do" came out which in an instant became a hysterical hit and gave Sheryl a win of three Grammy Awards in 1995, Record of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Female Vocal Performance. = In 1996, Sheryl released her second album, which bears her name, in which she produced herself and played most of the instruments. The album touched on a large number of genres such as rock, blues, country, and folk. Here too there was a single that brought insane success to the album, "If It Makes You Happy" and once again it gave Sheryl two Grammy Awards that year for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Album. = The album was confiscated by the big retail chain Walmart because the song "Love Is a Good Thing" has a line that says Walmart sells guns to children. = In 1997, Sheryl recorded the theme song for the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies." = In 1998 she participated in Scott Weiland 's (Stone Temple Pilots) debut album playing the accordion. = That same year she released her third album "The Globe Sessions", which also earned her two Grammy Awards in 1999, Best Rock Album and Best Engineered Non-Classical Album. In 2001 she won another Grammy for the song "There Goes the Neighborhood". = She started her acting career in 1999 in the movie "The Minus Man" and from there she went on to star in a number of TV series and movies like NCIS, Cougar Town, Cars, Fairway to Heaven, and more. = In 2002 she released her fourth album "C'mon, C'mon". The album was dedicated to her ex-partner actor Owen Wilson and also became a tremendous success due to the single "Soak Up the Sun". This album had more poppy influences than the rock and folk that appeared on previous albums and this time too Sheryl goes to the Grammys and wins the Female Rock Vocal Performance Award with the second single from the album "Steve McQueen". = In 2003 she released a "best of..." album called "The Very Best of Sheryl Crow". = In 2005 she released her fifth album "Wildflower". This time there was no Grammy, she was indeed nominated for two awards but even though the album came in 2nd place on Billboard it did not win her any awards and it was less commercially successful than the previous albums. But... a re-recording of the second single from the album "Always on Your Side" with the singer Sting... was nominated again... but again without winning. = In 2008 she released her sixth album "Detours" which although it was going back to her rock roots, it was less successful than the previous ones and gave her one Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. Sheryl's son participates in the album on the song "Lullaby for Wyatt". = That same year Sheryl together with the clothing company Western Glove Works launched its own jeans brand called "Bootheel Trading Company". = That same year she released her seventh album, which is a special Christmas album called "Home for Christmas". = In 2010 she released her eighth album "100 Miles from Memphis", which was Sheryl's first album not nominated for a Grammy. On this album, she collaborates with artists like Keith Richards, Justin Timberlake, and Citizen Cope as she goes more toward the R&B and Soul music of Memphis. = In 2013 she releases her ninth album "Feels Like Home", which is her first album not issued by the record label A&M but under the record label Warner Bros . This is her first Country style album, she said that the move to Nashville (the place of country music) and the connection to the community greatly influenced her music as the name of the album implies. = Four years later she released her tenth album "Be Myself" in which she returned to the rock style that characterized her more at the beginning of her career even though there were critics who saw it more as a pop album. = In 2019 Sheryl released her elevnth “Threads” which should have been her last full album, as she is interested in concentrating more on singles than on a full album. This album, like the previous two, was recorded in the private studio on her farm in Nashville. The album features many artists who have been a part of Sheryl's musical history such as Stevie Nicks, Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton, Eric Clapton, Sting Brandi Carlile, Johnny Cash, and many others. Sheryl said she is comfortable with the fact that this is her last album which is really a summary of her entire musical career. = In November 2023 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. = So, although she mentioned she will avoid releasing full albums, in March 2024, she released her twelfth album "Evolution". The album received mostly positive reviews from critics, but was a commercial failure and peaked at number 90 on the UK Albums Chart, her lowest-charting album to date and did not enter the Billboard 200 U.S. charts. = Although she is very jealous of her privacy Sheryl had very well-publicized and famous relationships. There are rumors that she and Eric Clapton were in a relationship in the late 90s, actor Owen Willson was her partner and in 2003 she was in a significantly mediated relationship with cyclist Lance Armstrong who ended three years later. = In 2006 she underwent surgery to remove a breast cancer tumor after which she underwent long weeks of chemotherapy. In 2010 she set up a center for the early detection of breast cancer called the "Sheryl Crow Imaging Center" together with her surgeon Kristi Funk. = In 2011 Sheryl was diagnosed with a brain tumor called "Meningioma" which is a common tumor that is not harmful as long as its size is reasonable and does not affect the brain, she is under constant surveillance since. = She adopted two sons, one in 2007 Wyatt and the other in 2010 Levi = Although musically she is related more to bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, Hole, R.E.M she has always been defined as pop or mainstream. = She performed at the Woodstock Festival in 1994 and 1999. = Sheryl is a social and political activist, does not refrain from expressing her support (for Obama) or her opposition (Bush) to political activists, and has taken an active part in numerous charity events and donations in the field of health and society. = Sheryl performed in Israel at the pick of her career in 1995 at the Blues Festival in Haifa. Listen to the latest album from 2024 on: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Standing behind one of the great Nu-Metal bands of the 21st century, he is a multi-instrumentalist, a very talented producer and a third-generation American-Japanese. (Photo: Frank Maddocks) = His full name is Michael Kenji Shinoda. = He was born on February 11, 1977 in California to a Japanese-American father and mother who pushed him to learn to play classical piano music when he was only six years old. = When he was 13 he was already learning to play guitar and sing, he listened to jazz, blues and hip-hop. = He attended Agoura High School with Brad Delson and Rob Bourdon and formed his first band Xero with the two. = He continued his studies at the Art Center College of Design where he studied graphic design and illustration. There he also met Joseph Hahn . = After graduating, the four decided to embark on a musical career and set themselves the goal of making music and succeeding in the industry. = In 1996 they added bassist Dave Farrell and singer Mark Wakefield and recorded four songs on tape in Mike's room. = Mark left shortly after the recordings (Dave also left, but returned shortly after) and the band sent the demo to a skinny young guy named Chester Bennington , who came to audition and got the role. = The band Xero changed its name to Hybrid Theory and tried to get a recording contract, but everyone refused and was not interested in the six young people. Until a guy named Jeff, who helped them out in the beginning, got a role on Warner Bros.'s record label and signed the band, which changed its name to Linkin Park on a recording contract. (Photo: Mick Hutson) = In October 2000 the band released their first album "Hybrid Theory" which despite difficult confrontations with the record company, lack of faith and relentless attempts to change them, the Fantastic Six managed to release an album that flew them first class to the moon. = Already on this album Mike took a dominant role on the console and was fully involved in every technical aspect of the recordings. Mike and Brad would lead the musical path and then Mike would sit with Chester on the lyrics. This is how the two got to know each other, Chester would take out everything he went through in his writing and the acquaintance was made through the songs. = In 2002, Linkin's remix album "Reanimation" was released. This is one of the most important albums in the band's history and perhaps the most important in Mike's career. He created this album with both hands and carried it on both his shoulders. In one of the interviews he said... that what started as an experiment and play with two or three songs, became a complex, complicated and demanding project which he vowed not to do it again, but he did... = On this album he took the band's songs, disassembled them into pieces and reassembled them, layer upon layer. Many different artists participate in the album and together with the new elements created by Mike, this album got an unusual, mesmerizing and addictive sound !! = In the same year, Mike co-founded with Brad the record company Machine Shop Recordings . More precisely it is a Warner Bros. label that was given to Mike in the beginning and after a few years he took ownership of it with Brad. = The band's second album, “Meteora” came out a year later and despite insane expectations and huge pressure from all sides to be as successful as the first album, Linkin Park flew to number one on Billboard and was again an insane success. = On this album Mike has already taken on the role of producer and started directing the whole creative process of the band. He also took on the role of graphic designer while together with Han they designed the covers of the band's albums. = The guy does not stop to rest and a year later, in 2004 he initiates (together with MTV) the surprising and refreshing combination between Linkin and Jay-Z as he takes the band's songs and makes them a mashup with Jay-Z's songs. The album is called "Collision Course" and brings together two big stars in the music world at the time. = Back in the same year, Mike released one of the big covers of that year when he remixed the song "Enjoy the Silence" by the band Depeche Mode. = In 2005 Mike wanted to sharpen his "rapping" abilities and set up an independent hip-hop project called Fort Minor. Although the album features a large and diverse number of artists, the entire album was written, played (on all instruments) and produced by Mike himself. = In 2007 the band released their third album, "Minutes To Midnight" which was produced by Mike along with super producer Rick Rubin . The album was a turning point in the band's musical style, where it began its journey with experimental of new directions and disengagement from neo-metal. = In 2010 came out the band's fourth album "A Thousand Suns" which was also produced by Mike and Rick, in this album Mike performs more vocal pieces along with Chester and less rap pieces. What started already on the previous album and will continue on subsequent albums. = The band then released three more albums, "A Living Things" in 2012, "The Hunting Party" in 2014 And "One More Light" in 2017 when they were all produced by Mike. (Photo: James Minchin) = Remember he said he would not do it again? So he does it again... In 2013 Linkin releases its second remix album "Recharged". The album produced by the regular duo, Mike and Rick, includes 10 songs from the album "A Living Things" and one new song. In this album Mike takes Linkin's sound to the worlds of dance, dub-step and house. = Six months after Chester death Mike's feels he must vent all the pain, grief and distress that is contained within him. He said it was a very difficult, complex process and with a lot of concerns and insecurities. In January 2018 he expressed the trauma and released an EP called "Post Traumatic" which includes three songs, "Place to Start", "Over Again" and "Watching as I Fall". Each song was accompanied by a revealing ballot music video and talks about Mike's dealings with Chester's death. = Six months later he issued a full album bears the same name and includes 16 songs, the three songs that open the album are from the EP. The album was written and produced by Mike and features members of the Linkin and a large number of different and varied artists. = Mike who was very apprehensive of the band fans after the release of the album, got a warm and loving hug. The album was received by most of the band's fans with loving responses and Mike decides to go on a tour to promote the album. The tour included a visit in Israel, a performance that took place at the Tel Aviv port. The amazing thing was that on that tour Mike recruited the Israeli drummer Dan Maio. = During the COVID-19 Period, Mike released three albums called Dropped Frames, Vol. 1/2/3. The albums features material that Mike recorded in his home studio as he broadcasts them live on the internet. (Photo: James_Minchin) = In November 2024, Linkin Park made one of the most publicized comebacks in the world with the release of their eighth album, "From Zero". The album was released seven years after the band's previous album and seven years after Chester's passing. The band's lineup underwent several changes, but the most notable one was the incredible addition of musician Emily Armstrong, who stepped into Chester's role and performs all the "screaming" parts in the album and live performances. In our opinion, this is an excellent album that brings Linkin Park back to its roots while adding an exciting and unique twist. Listen to the "From Zero" album at: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On Febuary 11, 2022 Eddie Vedder released the album "Earthling". This is Eddie Vedder 's third solo album, coming out 11 years after "Ukulele Songs", released in 2011. Let's start with the fact that we think "Earthling" is Eddie Vedder 's real first solo album. Why? Because the excellent " Into The Wild " from 2007 is actually a movie soundtrack. A minimalist album in which Eddie did almost everything, but mostly plays the mandolin. It was followed by "Ukulele Songs" which as its name implies. An album that relies mostly on songs composed and played on ukulele. This is why we think "Earthling" can be seen as Eddie Vedder 's first true solo album. His first album to be accompanied by a full backing band, assembled especially for the purpose of recording the album. The band includes drummer Chad Smith and keyboardist and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, both from the "Red Hot Chili Peppers". The bass position is staffed by Andrew Watt, who is known from "California Breed" and who played the guitar and produced Ozzy Osbourne 's "Ordinary Man" album. Also in this case Watt produces the album. Vedder's live shows lineup includes bassist Chris Chaney known from "Jane's Addiction" and as part of the " NHC " supergroup, as well as singer and guitarist Glen Hansard known from "Frames" and "Swell Season". Hansard has already collaborated with Vedder on the soundtrack to the movie "Flag Day" which was released in 2021. The album also features a selection of well-known artists such as: Elton John, Ringo Starr , Stevie Wonder and Benmont Tench - Tom Petty 's keyboardist, who play in the song " Long Way ", so reminiscent of his original band. If the recent albums of "Pearl Jam" are the product of compromises between the band members, especially in the face of Vedder 's unconventional ambitions, then it seems that in this album Eddie Vedder takes full advantage of his creative freedom. This album has a collection of diverse songs, which feels like they were collected over the years, some may not have fit the musical line of "Pearl Jam", others have probably been rejected by it. What is certain is that most of the songs on the album are not the classic "Pearl Jam's" Eddie Vedder , and it is precisely there where Vedder's shine. It is interesting to note, that the album's last song " On My Way " is a kind of Vedder duet with his father, whom he did not know. A disc with five songs including vocals of his father Edward Severson Jr., rolled into Vedder 's hands. Vedder said that listening to his father's voice felt like he was leaving a message and he knew right then he had to do something with it. 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 - 11.02.1985 “I think we really began to hit our stride mid-way through making the second album. It felt like all the grown ups had left us and let us get along with doing our thing on our own,” says Johnny Marr , guitarist of "The Smiths", reflecting on the changes the band experienced while working on their second album "Meat Is Murder", released on February 11, 1985. “I learnt how to put things together on the John Peel Sessions and I had learnt a lot through working with John Porter,” Marr continues. “ From then on, we didn’t work with a producer on albums .” Engineer Stephen Street recalls: “The first session I did with them was with John producing and I engineered. It was "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now", but the band then decided they didn't want to work with John on the next record, which became Meat Is Murder. They wanted to do it on their own". Stephen Street added: "They were still working with John Porter at the time, who co-produced the first album. I was working at Island Records’ studio in London, and they came in to do that song. I engineered the session, and afterwards Johnny and Morrissey took my number and said, ‘We’d love to do more work with you... Very soon after that, though, I got a call from Geoff Travis , and he said, ‘The guys want to have a go at producing the next album themselves, but would like you to be the engineer?’ I said, ‘I’d love to'" At the height of its industrial power, Britain had once been the workshop of the world. British goods were found across all five continents, even in emerging markets opening up in China and Japan. As exports expanded, Britain also became a large-scale importer of goods. But then the 1980s arrived, and the trend reversed. Britain became heavily dependent on imports, unemployment reached record levels, and the number of strikes continued to rise. By 1985, Britain was already deep into nationwide strikes. Many believed depression did not really exist, dismissing it as an excuse for the weak. Countless unemployed people faced an intensely pressured reality on their own. Then “Meat Is Murder” arrived, and Morrissey’s lyrics reached a new peak on this album. To build the album’s sonic landscape, Morrissey supplied Marr and Street with his personal copies of BBC sound-effects records. The album was harsher and more political than its predecessor. Morrissey even forbade the rest of the band from being photographed eating meat. He decided he wanted to raise more serious issues on English radio. Even he did not anticipate how effective this would be. As the cliché goes, Morrissey caused panic on the streets of London. He brought his political stance into many interviews. His targets included the Thatcher government, the British monarchy, and the famine-relief project "Band Aid". He actively promoted vegetarianism on live shows and in interviews. On another occasion, he persuaded a Scottish television program to broadcast footage from slaughterhouses during dinner time. Morrissey mockingly commented on the latter: “One can have great concern for the people of Ethiopia, but it's another thing to inflict daily torture on the people of England.” The British media were shocked when they heard what Morrissey and Johnny Marr had decided to call their second album. A BBC crew was sent to document the recording sessions, as if it were a declaration of war on the monarchy itself. Morrissey used the visit to explain to conservative journalists that the new album title was self-explanatory, he explained that the band used this title because they believe popular music should be used to convey serious messages. He explained that there are so many bands with millions of fans who don’t use their power to expand their listeners’ awareness, but he think that it's a sin. He added that If the bands' fans eat meat, he want them to stop and think about it, because there’s nothing in modern life that makes people consider this issue. In his opinion there's still a belief that there is no connection between the meat people eat and animals themselves. Animals are seen as something that wanders around in fields, while meat just appears on the plate. If Morrissey is the driving force behind the album’s messages, Johnny Marr , responsible for the music, guitars, and overall sound of "The Smiths", is the one who paves the path that delivers Morrissey’s words straight into the hearts of the fans. One of "The Smiths’" finest songs, “How Soon Is Now?” , was not included on the original UK release. The band added it to the American edition, placed directly in the middle of the record, and it has since become inseparable from the album. “I wanted an intro that was almost as potent as 'Layla.' When it plays in a club or a pub, everyone knows what it is,” Marr later explained about his masterpiece. The pulsing tremolo, the slide guitar layered above it, and the rhythm section of Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce prepare the listener for something unforgettable. Then, at precisely the right moment, Morrissey’s voice enters, delivering bombastic lyrics about crippling shyness in a song that became an anthem for the alienated and socially isolated. A decade later, "Love Spit Love" recorded their own acclaimed version, which found its way into the opening credits of the TV series "Charmed" (1998–2006). The album also displays a broader musical range than its predecessor, with rockabilly influences on “Rusholme Ruffians”  and funk elements on “Barbarism Begins at Home” , which addresses domestic tension and the physical punishment of children. Three songs on “Meat Is Murder”  focus on saving children from the education system and from brutal homes ( “The Headmaster Ritual” , “Rusholme Ruffians” ), and from meat consumption itself on the title track “Meat Is Murder” , which incorporates the sounds of cattle and pushes listeners toward new heights of hysterical carniphobia. As a deeply sensitive individual, Morrissey recognizes emotional cruelty as much as physical cruelty, attacking the cynicism that mocks loneliness on “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” . Despite feeling trapped in an emotionally barren world, Morrissey can still declare that his faith in love is still strong. “I was trying to draw on American music in a way that had been forgotten. I’m into writing with rhythms that are very infectious but don’t have any traces of James Brown in because I wanted my band to be different,” Marr explains. Marr also said that “Nowhere Fast”  was written about the feeling of living as a poor and hopeless person, looking with frustration at the aristocracy and the upper classes who ignore those life has passed by. The album cover features a 1967 photograph of American soldier Michael Wynn in Vietnam, although the slogan on his helmet was altered from “Make War Not Love” to “Meat Is Murder”. The original image was used in the documentary "In the Year of the Pig" (1968) by Emile de Antonio, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. On this album, Morrissey reaches out to young people and assures them they are not alone. Someone is there with them. At last, British listeners no longer had to settle for carefree, disposable pop, because “Meat Is Murder” was a work of art they could find genuine comfort in. For Listening : Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website